a golden mine opened, or, the glory of god's rich grace displayed in the mediator to believers, and his direful wrath against impenitent sinners containing the substance of near forty sermons upon several subjects / by benjamin keach. keach, benjamin, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing k estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a golden mine opened, or, the glory of god's rich grace displayed in the mediator to believers, and his direful wrath against impenitent sinners containing the substance of near forty sermons upon several subjects / by benjamin keach. keach, benjamin, - . [ ], , [ ] p. : port. printed and sold by the author ... and william marshall..., london : . "a trumpet blown in zion", and "the blessedness of christ's sheep" each has special t.p. errata: p. [ ] at beginning and p. 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such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng grace (theology) -- sermons. sin -- sermons. sermons, english -- th century. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - simon charles sampled and proofread - simon charles text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion benjamin keach minister of y e gospel and pastor of a church at horsly down southwork aged . the shadow of his face you se who nothing hath to glory in , but his bless't lord , unless it be , his trials which not smal have been , by persecution once most sore but by false friends afflicted more . a golden mine opened : or , the glory of god's rich grace displayed in the mediator to believers : and his direful wrath against impenitent sinners . containing the substance of near forty sermons upon several subjects . by benjamin keach . ephes . . . unto me , who am less than the least of all saints , is this grace given , that i should preach among the gentiles the unsearchable riches of christ . london , printed , and sold by the author at his house in horse-lie-down , and william marshall at the bible in newgate-street . . reader , there are two mistakes in the first column of the first page of the contents of the sermons : viz. line , for fear , read fan , line , for eternal , read external . to the christian readers ; chiefly to such who were the subscribers for , and principal promoters of the publication of this work. beloved in our blessed redeemer . it was the least of my thoughts , when i had preached the greatest part of the ensuing sermons , once to suppose they should ever be published to the world : but through some of your important requests and desires , i was prevailed with , many of you so readily and unexpectedly subscribing to take off so great a number of them ; which had you not done , they had never seen the sun , i not judging them deserving such a publication . i am sensible of my great insufficiency ; and might , from the defects of my ability for the great work called to , have seen cause enough to have denied a compliance with you herein : but having so often formerly passed through the censure of the world , made me perhaps the more unconcerned ; and knowing that the most of them will come into your hands , ( who i hope will cast a mantle on my humane frailties ) it was a farther inducement to consent . however , if the holy god be pleased to succeed the great pains i have taken , with his blessing , i shall see no cause to be troubled at what i have done . it 's like some may object , i do not well to meddle with controversies at this time . i answer , that i have , it is true , touched upon several controvertable points ; but not as they are matters of controversy , but to clear up the truths of christ for the establishment and comfort of the people committed to my care. besides , i being misrepresented as touching my judgment in some great points , ( as i have been informed ) i thought it was my duty to rectify such mistakes . the grand controversy here insisted upon , is that about election , and the saints final perseverance , which i hope the reader will find to his satisfaction confirmed . reader , i have since these sermons were printed off , met with a book wrote by a person , whom i both esteem and honour , ( excepting his opinion ) entituled , a treatise touching falling away ; wherein he endeavours to answer some of our arguments : had i met with it sooner , i had given a particular reply ; but in the general he may find he hath here an answer to what he hath said . he endeavours to prove the elect may be deceived ; which we deny not , though not finally deceived ; for that our saviour intimates to be impossible : and to say , none are the elect but they whose warfare is finished , seems strange to me ; and to suppose the new covenant spoken of jer. . refers to the jews only when called at the latter days , is not true , but is contradicted by the apostle , heb. . heb. . our argument , that sin cannot separate from god's love , is here also fully cleared : as also what he says , that christ's sheep may cease following him , and so fall out of his hand , i have answered likewise : it is the property of such , they do and shall follow him ; god has put his fear into our hearts , and we shall not depart from him . moreover , the absurdities that he pretends , do attend the doctrine of final perseverance , i find i have taken off , though i saw not his book . object . but still the cry is , your doctrine renders god so severe to his creatures , it can't be a truth . in answer ; consider , all acknowledg that god foreknew all his creatures from eternity , and who would not be saved , ( which were far the greatest number ) ; and yet nevertheless he created them whom he knew would refuse his grace , and perish eternally ; is he unmerciful and too severe therefore ? but enough is said to remove such cavils in the ensuing treatise . reader , there is one thing i thought good to hint unto thee , viz. i have quoted several authors and worthy writers in transcribing these sermons for the press , that were not mentioned when i preach'd the sermons ; which may be i had then done , had i thought they should have been published to the world. also i have left out many of the enlargements , for otherwise the book had swelled almost as big again ; so that you have but the substance of what was delivered on these texts , except it be that upon the fan in christ's hand , which you have larger , god having been pleased to bless those sermons to the great profit of many persons . but i am perswaded the reader will like this treatise not the worse for my brevity on each particular head ; for great enlargements i find are not profitable nor approved of by christians of this present age. i shall not therefore retain thee longer at the door , but shall desire thy prayers , ( as i have made them mine , and shall , god assisting me ) that this work may be attended with divine blessings to thee from the press , as it has been to many from the pulpit . and let me , reader , have a share in thy servent breathings ( as i hope i shall not forget thee ) when at the throne of grace ; that i with you , and you with me , may be kept from falling , and preserved in christ's hand to eternal life , who am willing to serve thee according to that small ability received , whilst , from my house at horse-lie-down , in freeman's-lane , southwark , septemb. . . benjamin keach . a table of the contents of all the sermons contained in this book . first text , mat. . . the text opened , pag. the parts of the text opened , what meant by christ's floor , shewed in respects , filth of the national floor , in particulars , , , great evils among god's people shewed , , . what meant by christ's fear , shewed in five or six particulars , , to . what meant by the chaff , shewed in things , . why are hypocrites compared to chaff , shewed in six particulars , , to . why the saints are compared to wheat , opened in nine particulars , , , . what meant by christ's garner , shewed in two things , , . what meant by burning up the chaff , . why god's wrath is compared to fire , opened in eight particulars , , , . doctrines raised , , , the application , , , , second sermon . doct. god's wrath is like to fire , it is intolerable . . demonstrated in . . external and internal wrath opened , , , . the nature of eternal wrath , shewed in spira and child , , to . eternal wrath , or hell-torments , and the nature thereof , opened largely , , &c. second text , john . , . first sermon . . the text opened and terms explained , , . the doctrine propounded , viz. all true believers are the sheep of christ , the doctrine opened . . how they may be called christ's sheep , shewed in seven particulars , , to . what meant by christ's voice , shewed in respects . . the voice of his word . . of his spirit . . of his doctrine . . of his rod , the nature of the voice of christ's spirit , opened in eight particulars , , , . the chief essentials of christianity , what ; shewed in seven particulars , , second sermon . . how christ's sheep hear his voice , shewed in nine particulars , , , . why false teachers are called strangers , shewed in five particulars , pag. . the application , distinct persons in the godhead , proved by five arguments . christ god and man , , third sermon . . in what respect christ knows his sheep , shewed in five respects , , . what a kind of knowledge the knowledg of christ is , shewed in ten particulars , , all further opened , in parts , , . the application , , fourth sermon . . the characters of christ's sheep , shewed in particulars , , to ● . christ's sheep do follow him , how ; in parts . . christ's sheep have his mark , . they follow the footsteps of the flock ▪ the application , fifth sermon . . what kind of shepherd christ is , , to . what pastures christ feeds his sheep in , . the word , . the ordinances , . the promises , . his providences , . what the nature of spiritual food is , shewed in seven particulars , . the application , , sixth sermon . i give them eternal life , &c. . the text further opened , . how believers are in christ's hand , in seven particulars , . what being in christ's hand denotes , shewed 〈◊〉 three particulars , , . what meant by eternal life . a threefold life of man , . how christ is our life , in four respects , . man naturally dead opened , and free-will detected , , , . salvation or eternal life wholly of grace , proved , , to . why salvation is wholly of grace , , , . why christ will give eternal life to his 〈◊〉 , shewed in seven parts , , . the application . seventh sermon . third doctrine raised , viz. none of christ's sheep can so fall away , as to perish eternally . . something first premised before the doctrine is proved . . believers may fall foully , how far , shewed , pag. , . the causes of the saints falling opened , , — . the doctrine confirmed , that the saints cannot fall finally . first argument taken from election , . the doctrine of personal election proved , , , , . the objection , i am not elected , a ninefold answer , , eighth sermon . . how election tends to prove the saints final perseverance , shewed in seven particulars , from , to second argument to prove the saints final perseverance , taken from the nature of the love of god the father , in four particulars , . sin cannot separate a believer from god's eternal love demonstrated , and many objections answered , from , to . from what principle believers do oppose and resist sin , shewed in particulars , , , ninth sermon . third argument to prove the saints final perseverance , taken from the nature of christ's love , . what kind of love christ's love is , shewed in many particulars , , , application . the excellent nature of the knowledg of christ's love , , , fourth argument to prove the saints final perseverance ; . taken from the nature of the covenant of grace . . which is opened in ten particulars , from , to . . this general argument summed up , , tenth sermon . fifth argument to prove the saints final perseverance , taken from their bring the children of god , demonstrated in seven particulars , , , , how they that are born again cannot sin , shewed in six particulars , , the general argument summed up , pag. , the application , eleventh sermon . sixth argument to prove the saints final perseverance , taken from their union with christ , the nature of that mystical union opened , in five or six particulars , — ten arguments taken from thence , , the application . twelfth sermon . seventh argment to prove the saints final perseverance , taken from the death of christ , christ died not only for the good of his elect , but also in their stead , proved by nine arguments , — four arguments further from thence , , , arminian errors about universal redemption confuted by . or arguments , , to thirteenth sermon . eighth argument to prove the saints final perseverance , taken from the effects of christ's death , what the effects of christ's death are , largely opened , , to the application , , fourteenth sermon . ninth argument to prove the saints final perseverance , taken from their being in the father's hand , what is meant by the father's hand , shewed in three particulars , , . from their being in christ's hand , what it imports , or meant thereby , , , , , in what respects the saints are said to be in christ's hand , opened in thirteen particulars , , , , the general argument summed up , fifteenth sermon . tenth argument to prove the saints final perseverance , taken from the nature of true grace . what a principle of trut grace is , shewed in six particulars , , , weak grace shall be victorious , to sixteenth sermon . the grand objection against final perseverance answered , , . christ's birth matter of joy to all people , answered , . if none saved but such that are elected , what need any look after salvation ? answered , . doctrine of election tends to make the saints loose and remiss in god's service , answered , page . take beed , watch , &c. answered , . some branches in christ wither and are cut off , answered , , . if christ died not for all , how can i know he died for me ? answered , , . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling ; what intended by it , and the objection from thence answered , , , . if you abide in me , answered , . some have made shipwrack of faith , &c. answered , . a righteous man may turn from his righteousness , answered , . god would have all men be saved , &c. answered . . what need preaching , &c. if all are absolutely elected to salvation , that shall be saved ? answered , . those in every nation that 〈…〉 are accepted of him ; answered , , absurdities attending the doctrine of the final apostacy of true believers , opened in twelve particulars , . the application , , to third text , heb. . , , . . this scripture mistaken by the antient fathers , . the text opened , with the connection of what precedes and succeeds , doct. . the severest doctrine useful to professors that are slothful , or dull of hearing , . what those persons attainments were , and what not , , they were not true believers , , doct. . it is a high privilege for men to be enlightened with the knowledg of the gospel . . what common and saving illuminations of the spirit are , and how they differ , , to second sermon . what is meant by the heavenly gift , what by tasting the heavenly gift , , how said to partake of the holy ghost , and tasted of the good word of god , . what is meant by the word of god , . why called the good word of god , shewed in eight particulars , what a kind of taste an unsound christian may have of the word of god , , what a kind of taste believers have of god's word , pag. , what is meant by the world to come , the nature of the world to come , the riches , honour , joy and pleasures of the world to come , , , , third sermon . what meant by the powers of the world to come , what a kind of taste the persons in the text were said to have of the powers of the world to come , shewed in six particlars , , , , what is spoken concerning those persons , viz. they may fall away , how it is impossible to renew such unto repentance , how not impossible , , why it is impossible , &c. what the sin against the holy ghost is , , , the application , the fourth and last text , heb. . . . the scope of the text opened , . the terms and parts explained , doct. . that the salvation of the gospel is great and glorious . doct. . that the means of this salvation may be neglected . doct. . that such who neglect this salvation cannot escape , doct. . two things proposed to be done . . to prove the proposition , that gospel-salvation is great , &c. . to improve it by way of application . arg. . salvation great comparatively , , arg. . salvation great positively , great and glorious in respect of the time when found out and promised , , arg. . great in respect of that great counsel held in eternity between the father and son about it , arg. . great in respect of the design of god therein , which is threefold : . his own glory . . the ruin of satan and his kingdom . . the eternal happiness of man , or of all that believe . arg. . great considering how low man was fallen , and the seasonableness of it . second sermon . arg. . salvation is great considering the persons that brought it about , or do 〈◊〉 it , viz. the father , the son , and the holy 〈…〉 what part of gospel-salvation may 〈…〉 rectly attributed to god the father , 〈…〉 seven particulars , 〈…〉 what part christ hath in it , pag. , christ a great and almighty saviour , shewed in many particulars , , what part the holy ghost hath in working out our salvation , , third sermon . arg. . gospel-salvation great , considering what we are delivered from . . sin that hath corrupted our nature . . from that which is destructive to our nature , which is punishment , both here and hereafter . . the evil of sin opened , in six partic. , . the nature of that punishment we are delivered from , , , arg. . gospel-salvation great , considering what christ hath done and suffered to effect it , opened in five particulars , , , fourth sermon . arg. . salvation great , considering the subjects redeemed . . the soul of man. . the body , the soul of man exceeding precious , proved by eleven arguments , , , , , the soul immortal , proved by seven arguments , , . the application , , ministers and parents have a great charge committed to them , the charge of souls , , false teachers much to answer for , that deceive souls . fifth sermon . arg. . gospel-salvation great , considering what believers are thereby raised up unto , or the privileges invested with , shewed in many particulars , , , , , , , the application . object . i cannot rise to a full perswasion that christ is mine , answered . such a full perswasion appertaining not to the being of true justifying . faith , but is a high degree of it , sixth sermon . arg. . gospel-salvation great and glorious , because a full , compleat , comprehensive salvation , . it hath all things in it that either sinners or saints do need , proved at large , , to seventh sermon . arg. . salvation great in respect of christ himself , the first and great minister thereof , when christ first began to preach this salvation , arg. . gospel-salvation great considering its wonderful confirmation , pag. , arg. . gospel-salvation great , because the holy angels pry into it , and are amaz'd at it , , arg. . salvation great , because so free a salvation , , arg. . salvation great , because 't is eternal , eighth sermon . doct. . opened , gospel-salvation may be neglected . four things proposed , . what meant by neglecting it , . who may be said to neglect this salvation opened in eighteen particulars , , to ninth sermon . . from whence it is men neglect this salvation , largely opened , , , , , the application , , tenth sermon . . the great evil and sin of 〈…〉 of the gospel opened , . in respect of god the father , . in respect had to christ , , , . in respect had 〈…〉 holy spirit , , eleventh sermon . what a great sin it is to neglect gospel-salvation opened in respect of the sinner himself , , &c. twelfth sermon . . what those cannot escape that neglect gospel-salvation , . not escape the curse of the law , , . the guilt and punishment of sin. . the wrath of god. . the damnation of hell. . the cause and reasons why they cannot escape , shewed in nine particulars , thirteenth sermon . . when , or at what time they shall not escape , shewed in four respects , . the nature of that wrath shewed in nine particulars , which they cannot escape , , , fourteenth sermon . . why the gospel is attended with such threats , , , , . what sinners shall not escape , , fifteenth sermon . . what is not a legal doctrine , , . what is a legal doctrine , , . a trumpet blown in zion , or an allarm in god's holy mountain : containing an exposition of that metaphorical scripture matth . iii. . lately delivered in two sermons , and now published to awaken the drowsie and formal professors of this age. wherein the nature of god's wrath both internal and eternal is discovered , as seizing upon the chaff , and burning of it up with vnquenchable fire . together with an account how professors may know whether they are wheat or chaff . by benjamin keach , pastor of a congregation at horsly-down , southwark . london , printed in the year . a trumpet blown in zion , or an allarum in god's holy mountain : containing an exposition of that metaphorical scripture matth . iii. . lately delivered in two sermons , and now published as an allarm to the drousie and chaffie professors of this age. matth . iii. . whose fan is in his hand , and he will throughly purge his floor , and gather the wheat into his garner , but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire . our text is metaphorical , and as touching the main scope and coherence of it , it is one and the same with the th . verse of this chapter , which i have already spoken unto , and lately published the sermons unto the world. john the baptist endeavoureth to take off the jews from their pretended priviledges , of having abraham to their father , or their being his natural seed , or offspring ; and as so considered in covenant with god , and thought their state and condition good : which he strove to convince them was a mistake , and this he doth by that tropical expression in ver . . now also is the ax laid to the root of the trees . and in this th . verse , whose fan is in his hand , &c. as if he should say , you shall e're long see your selves deceived , for all your great confidence in the flesh , touching your external , federal , relative holiness , and legal priviledges : for christ with his ax will now quickly cut you down : and with his fan , fan you away as chaff , if you have no better right to church-membership on earth , and to the glory in heaven , than that which is derived to you from the account whereof you boast , viz. having abraham to your father . so much only shall now serve as to the scope and coherence of the words . . i shall proceed to give you the parts of the text. . open the terms thereof . . note two or three points of doctrine therefrom . . apply the whole . . as to the parts , you have , first , the person speaking , and that is john the baptist . secondly , the person spoken of , and that is jesus christ . thirdly , the predicate , or what is spoken of christ , i. e. whose fan is in his hand , &c. john the baptist was a great prophet , yea the greatest prophet that was born of women , having greater light and knowledge of the messiah than any of them that went before him , in that he could tell them this is he : he was sent to prepare the way of the lord , as his great messenger or harbinger . he therefore was well instructed into the nature and excellency of his masters kingdom ; which was suddenly to be set up , upon the removalof the old jewish church , and church-membership ; this john was he that the prophet malachi spoke of , that god would send as his messenger , to prepare the way of the lord , as also how he would do this , even by a spirit of burning : that should consume that people , and leave them neither root nor branch , i. e. burn up all their hopes in respect of their root , viz. that external covenant god made with abraham ; on which they stood , and of which they boasted ; as also all that confidence they had in their own good works , and inherent righteorsness : and this john's ministry clearly held forth , and thereby discovered the grand effect and glorious design or christs doctrine , and nature of his spiritual kingdom , which was near at hand . secondly , as touching jesus christ , who is the person john speaks of . i shall not now treat of his office , power , dignity , and glory , which are more fully hinted at in the context : whose shooes i am not worthy to bear , he shall baptize you with the holy ghost and with fire . v. . but i shall pass by that , and shall explain the terms . . shew you what is intended by christs floor . . what is intended by the fan in his hand , by which he doth purge his floor . . what is meant by the chaff , and why so called . . what is intended by the wheat , and why so called . . what we are to understand by christs garner , and gathering the wheat into it . . and lastly , what is intended by the fire , and by burning up the chaff . first , i said before our text is metaphorical , therefore no doubt by floor the holy ghost alludes to that which in common acception is well understood by husbandmen , i. e. a floor is a heap of corn , that is threshed out of the straw , and laid in a barn , wheat and chaff together ; this usually is called a floor . quest . but what is intended or meant by it here ? what is christs floor , which he is said to purge ? answ . i answer , by floor is doubtless intended hereby more directly and immediately the jewish church , but in a more remote and comprehensive sense , any spiritual community of christians , church , or body of people , professing religion . . the jews were then gods floor ( or gods people ) as god himself is called an husbandman , and they were a great heap , a mighty floor : but almost all chaff ; very lees , i. e. loose , vain , empty , carnal , and unbelieving men and women . a more prophane and ungodly generation was hardly ever in the world ; and but a very few godly ones among them , but a very little wheat , viz. few sincere ones , or believing persons in all that floor , who waited for christs coming , and did when he came , in truth receive him . but now the lord jesus was come , with his fan in his hand , to separate the wheat from the chaff , and not let them remain any longer together on that floor , in that old barn , i. e. in the legal jewish church state , according to the external covenant of peculiarity god made with abraham , and his natural seed as such : which had stood near its full period of time perfixed by the almighty , but now must be pulled down , jesus christ being come , and just a going to build a new spiritual garner , or gospel church , to put all his choice grain or wheat into , viz. all believing and true penitent persons ; this primarily i am satisfied is intended by floor : for the jewish church was not to abide or continue any longer than till the death and resurrection of jesus christ , it being a typical church , when the antytype was come that must needs vanish away . . yet in a remote sence , floor may refer to any spiritual community , church , or people , in the times of the gospel ; professing themselves to be christians : among which may be chaff as well as wheat : evil and ungodly persons , as well as believers , gracious and true religious ones ; and the truth is , there is more than one floor of this sort in our days . for , first , if we cast our eyes abroad , we shall soon espy a very great , old and decayed barn , that hath a mighty floor or heap of people in it ; called christians , and reformed ones too ; but it is to be feared , when jesus christ comes with his fan , to fan , and purge this floor , he will find it almost all chaff : ' tho' i doubt not , but in this great heap there will be found some wheat , or godly christians , but like as when a man comes into a barn , and views a floor of corn newly thrashed , he at first sight can hardly see or discern any thing save a heap of chaff : so it is here : do but view the national floor , and you cannot but say , sure 't is a heap of filth , a heap of chaff ; for what an evil , polluted , and abominable company ; of people are in this floor ! are there worse , or more notorious , more loose , light , prophane , unbelieving and ungodly wretches living on the face of the earth ? yet call themselves christians , and members of christ , and despise , nay reproach others , as if they deserved not that name . i question whether there were worse in sodom than some are who belong to this floor : turks and pagans abominate some of those actions and deeds of darkness that are among them , behold their hellish debauchery . . see what a heap of prophane swearers and cursed blasphemers are here , who daily belch out most abominable oaths , calling upon the holy and patient god to damn them every day : you may hear them as you walk along the streets ; nay their very children by the example of their wicked parents , learn to swear and curse , as soon as , nay before , they can speak plain . . then , o what a great and a filthy heap of beastly and brutish drunkards are in this floor also , who shew their sins as sodom , and hide it not ! many of them go reeling along the streets , and some spuing as they go , foaming out their own shame , and little think what poyson they drink to their own precious and immortal souls , whilest they tipple down their glasses of wine and strong drink ; and this they do without all fear of humane , or divine laws , having no dread of present nor future punishment ; tho' god positively theatens them , and all other ungodly persons , with the loss of heaven , and the torments of hell-fire ( for , no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of god , cor. . , . ) yet they dread it not . . behold also in this floor a third sort , even as bad or worse than the other two , viz. vnclean persons , or vile , filthy and impudent whores and whoremongers , who are the shame of this city and nation ! what a multitude of common harlots are here among us , besides secret ones , who are beheld by him whose eyes are like a flaming fire . alas ! they cannot hide their filthiness from his eyes , yet without fear how do they sin , 'till some bring rottenness on their carkasses , a curse upon their estates , poverty on their families , and hell upon their own souls : for he that commits adultery with a woman destroys his own soul. . there is also another part of this floor , that are chaff , which the fire of gods wrath will consume and burn up , viz. all the proud and haughty ones . this sin reigns at this time to such a degree that we may fear some sad and fearful judgment is near ; pride goes before destruction , and a haughty spirit before ● fall . behold the strange dresses , and high heads ! which clearly represents the vanity and haughtiness of the heart : the shew of their countenance testifies against them : women go to the assemblies of religious worshp as if they went to play-houses ; and tho' god hath shewed in several poor animals , his great wrath and displeasure against this filthy fashon , or high and shameful head-dresses , yet they will not reform , nor leave them off : nor is this sin only found among those of this floor , this heap , but also amongst others , who would be thought more pure , and of a siner sort : but let them know , the fanner will suddenly come with his fan in his hand ; the day comes shall burn as an oven , and all the proud , and all that do evil , shall be stubble , &c. . what a cursed heap is there also of atheists , and graceless wretches , who contemn god and all supernatural revelation of the divine being , and religion ! these despise and ridicule the holy gospel , or at best will acknowledge no other worship nor religion , than what the old heathens owned , and were taught by the light of nature : the preaching of the cross , or of a crucified christ , is to these foolishness ; others that can't believe , nor will receive that doctrine that comports not with their own carnal reason : what believe they can be justified by the righteousness and obedience of another ! and their own inherent righteousness no part of their justification before god! this is a strange doctrine . for there are of this sort in this heap , such as are grievously corrupted , and erroneous , carried away with arminianism , socinianism and antitrinitaism , and disallow of the chief corner-stone god hath laid in sion : for if christ be not the most high god , god by nature , coequal and coeternal with the father , and one in essence , 't is idolatry to yield divine worship and homage to him ; for that glory god will not give unto another . the gods that have not made the heaven and the earth , even they shall perish . . what abundance of carnal worldlings , covetous and earthly-minded wretches are there also , whose gain is their godliness , who value no religion , but what suits with their filthy lusts ! some of these set up for preachers , meerly for their earthly gain , and make a trade of it , living prophane and ungodly lives , being guilty almost of all maner of gross and abominable sins , preferring humane rites and ceremonies above christs institutions , and a form of godliness above the power of it . . besides , what a heap have we among us , of traiterous , blind and deceitful persons , who seek to betray the protestant interest , and all our civil and religious liberties , into the hands of the common enemy ; who neither fear god , nor honour the king ! as also what a multitude of thieves , high-way-men , house-breakers , and bloody villains , skulk and hide themselves in this heap ! the very mentioning of these things is enough to grieve and wound our very souls , considering how good and gracious god hath been to us in this land ; and what a nation this hath been , and what wonders the almighty hath formerly and of late times wrought for us , i mean for the land in general . may we not fear that the fanner will come with his fan , and sever the chaff in his direful indignation from the wheat , and let the fire of his anger seize upon it and burn it up ? what can we expect but some amazing and fearful judgments from the lord , unless a national repentance and reformation , like that of nineveh , doth speedily prevent it ? secondly , there is another heap , that may be called christs floor , tho' not so big as the former , and tho' they seem to be more refined — yet if we consider them all together ( for they are too much divided amongst themselves ) what abundance of chaff is there here also ! are there not many amongst these as bad as others , viz. people of ill and corrupt principles , bitter and censorious spirits , and of scandalous lives : what malice , envy and hatred , do they discover one against another , because of their differing sentiments in and about some principles of religion , rendering their brethren odious to the world , back-biting , reproaching and scandalizing each other , to the great dishonour of god , and shame of their sacred profession ? one while charging and condemning the innocent , and yet acknowldege not their evil ; and at another time striving to vindicate and clear such as are greatly guilty before god ? both which are abominable and hateful in his sight , who will judge righteously , and render to every man at last according to his works . certainly there is sarcely a worse sin than the sin of back-biting ; he that hates his brother ( robbing him of his good name out of malice and envy ) is a murtherer , and no murtherer hath eternal life abiding in him , john . . such who are destitute of christian love and charity , or hate their brethren , clearly shew they act contrary to the divine principle of grace , nay of morality , and so are void of that sacred life , nature , and image of god. for as love to the bretheren is an evidence of our being the children of god , so he that is possessed with wrath , envy , malice , and hatred , shews he is one of the children of the wicked one , who is called the accuser of the brethren . clear it is that this is a diabolical sin , and renders such in whom it is found , like to the devil . in this the children of god are manifest , and the children of the devil ; whosoever doth not righteousness , is not of god , neither he that loveth not his brother . nay this great evil and wickedness is a sad sign that such are given up and left of god , as not retaining god in their knowledge , as the apostle speaks of the gentiles , who when they arrived to some degree of knowledge of god , yet did not glorifie him as god ; but violated his law written in their hearts : therefore 't is said , that god gave them up to vile affections , and they were filled with all vnrighteousness , fornication , wickedness , covetousness , maliciousness , full of envy , murther , debate , deceit , malignity , whisperers , backbiters , despiteful , proud , boasters , &c. no doubt but that the sin of backbiting , wrath , malice , and envy is as bad , if not worse , than fornication , swearing or drunkenness ; and lamentable it is to see this sin , found among some who account themselves no small persons for knowledge , zeal and piety in these days . but alas ! alas ! how sad and deplorable is their condition , and vain that profession they make of religion ! let them repent of this their great wickedness , and get a changed heart . moreover , are there not in this floor others who are proud , earthly , carnal and covetous persons ? they are called nonconformists , but 't is not so far as they ought from the sins and pollutions of this world , they conform to them in their detestable fashions and covetous practices : do not many of them appear to love sons and daughters more than christ or his sinking interest ? they can lay out plentifully to feed and cloath their own children , whilst their bowels are shut up against the poor members of christ or children of god ; they 'll spare more to gratifie the pride and base lusts of their children , than they will spare to supply the necessities of the poor saints , or to support the interest of christ and his gospel : many pounds shall go for the first use , when a shilling is thought a great deal with some of them for the second ; they think nothing too much to enrich and uphold their own families , whilst the family of god suffers want , and the cause of christ languishes in their hands . o how little does the power of grace and true godliness shine amongst this sort ! what formality and lukewarmness is there in these days , amongst such who are called saints and holy brethren ! this , it is true , may be called chirists floor especially , but abundance of chaff , no doubt will be found in it , when the fanner comes to fan it . look to it you sinners in sion : fearfulness will e're long surprize the hipocrite . who among us shall dwell with devouring fire ? who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burning ? isa . . but so much as to what is meant by christs floor . quest . . what is intended by the fan ? answ . a fan is a certain instrument which the husbandman uses to cleanse , or purge his corn from the chaff , evil seeds , and all silth whatsoever : and this instrument he holds in his hands , and uses upon his knees , by which he tosses up the wheat and chaff together : and then shakes it to and fro , moving all at once , by which a wind is made , and the chaff is blown away , and the wheat separated and purged from it : now john baptist alludes to such an instrument as this . quest . but what is meant by christs fan in a spiritual sense ? what is signified hereby ? first , i answer , by christs fan is meant his word , his holy gospel , especially the doctrine thereof ; 't is by this he cleanses , and purges his floor . now you are clean through the word which i have spoken unto you . ( now the unclean person , the traytor judas is gone out from you : ) thro' my word , i. e. through my doctrine , you believing in me , and receiving me by faith for righteousness and eternal life . 't is said christ gave himself for his church , that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word , eph. . . cleansing here imports the means by which it is wrought , or the instrument , namely the word of the gospel , especially the promise of free justification and sanctification by christ , received thro' faith , which baptism was a sign or symbol of ; see pet. . . seeing ye have purified your selves in obeying the truth thro' the spirit , &c. this was done in subjecting themselves to the faith of the gospel , to which the purifying of the heart is ascribed principally in justification , whereby the guilt of sin is purged away , as appertaining to the conscience ; he alludes also to the sanctifying power and virtue of the holy spirit . compare this with psal . . . wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way ? that is , the way of his heart , and also the way of his life : the answer is , by taking heed thereto according to thy word ; that is , let him take heed according to that holy doctrine taught and held forth in god's word ; so that he attain unto a right knowledge of god , and of the messiah , promised and typified by the sacrifices of aaron , by whose blood , and thro' whose righteousness only , justification is to be had : for without christs blood there is no cleansing from sin and silthyness , neither of heart , nor life , for young nor old . it is not only to direct young men to reform their lives and ways according to the precepts of god's word , nor to think by any degree of moral righteousness or inherent holiness they could be cleansed ; no , no , but to take heed according to the mysterious and sublime doctrine of god's free grace in christ : which was the only way of salvation , as well under the law as under the dispensation of the gospel . sirs , this was , and still is , christs fan , namely the glorious doctrine of god's grace thro' the redemption that is in christ's blood ; and it was by this fan christ cleansed that jewish floor , to which my text primarily refers . for the jews were his floor , in which was abundance of chaff ; and now jesus christ was come with his fan in his hand , to purge this floor ; and evident it is , his holy doctrine severed , or separated the wheat from the chaff ; and by this means was the wheat gathered into christs gospel-garner , and the chaff blown away : for as chaff cannot endure the wind of the fan , so could not those unbelieving jews , and hypocritical pharisees , endure christs holy and heavenly doctrine . see joh. . . to v. . how can this man give us his flesh to eat ? they thought he spake of a natural eating of his flesh , as we eat the flesh of beasts or fish : his doctrine was not understood by them . then jesus said unto them , verily , verily i say unto you , except you eat the flesh of the son of man , and drink his blood , ye have no life in you , ver . . now the eating of christs flesh , and drinking of his blood , is no other thing than the receiving jesus christ by faith for righteousness and eternal life : believing in christ , coming to christ , looking to christ , leaning , trusting , or staying on christ , receiving of christ , and eating of christ , imply one and the same thing : it is our going out of our selves to him , or feeding by faith on him , or resting , or relying on his merits , on his obedience in his life , and in his death , for justification and eternal life , without any works done by us , or any righteousness wrought in us , as the apostle speaks . but to him that worketh not , but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly , his faith is counted for righteousness . but this mysterious and sublime doctrine the jews could not bear , but it was such a fan as fanned them all away that believed not : for they being ignorant of god's righteousness , going about to establish their own righteousness , have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of god. they thought their own personal and inherent righteousness was that by which they must be justified , accepted , and eternally saved : they had meat of their own to eat ; and therefore saw no need to go to their neighbours door for it ; they were full , and increased in goods , and thought they had need of nothing : and hence the doctrine of justification by the righteousness of christ alone was rejected by them , it was not understood by them ; that christ's flesh should be meat indeed , and his blood drink indeed , was a strange doctrine in their apprehensions ; they could not conceive how such things could be , ( as nicodemus spake of regeneration . ) nor can any man whatsoever who will receive no point of faith , but what his natural reason can comprehend ; and thus this doctrine of our lord jesus was a fan in his hand , and it fanned away all the chaff of that mighty jewish floor , even all that received not that doctrine , or who believed not in christ , received not christ by faith for righteousness and eternal life : nay it was such a fan that it fann'd away some of christs disciples , ( not such who were his disciples indeed , ) but many that followed him , and who are said to believe on him ; they believed he was the true messiah , had some kind of faith , tho' not the faith of gods elect : many of his disciples when they heard this , said , this is a hard saying , who can bear it ? it seemed hard to them , because they could not comprehend it by their own carnal reason : from thàt time many of his disciples went back , and walked no more with him . such a fan was this doctrine then , and such a fan it is now , that it may be said to make a discrimination between the pure wheat and the chaff : for no doubt all that receive not this holy doctrine ( whatever fair shew they make in the flesh ) are but chaff in the sight of god , and will be found such at the last day . nor ought they to be suffered to abide in christ's garner on earth , ( as they shall not be gathered into his garner in heaven ) but be esteemed as chaff , or drossy , professors , whatsoever their conversations may be : ( i mean such who eat not christs flesh , and drink not his blood , i. e. wholly feed not upon christ , rely not alone upon the merits of a crucified christ , or seek not justification by his righteousness only , but go about to bring in their own works and inherent holiness with christ's merits in point of justification in god's sight . ) but to proceed : but like as a husbandman hath more fans than one , even so also in the second place , jesus christ hath another fan also , and that is ( i doubt not ) likewise intended here : viz. the dispensation of god's providence ; for this was as a fan in christ's hand , by which he fann'd away those unbelieving jews , and so purged his floor : i mean , the time was now come , that their national , legal and external church-state must be pulled down and dissolved ; the dispensation was changed , the priesthood changed , and right of church-membership changed ; they having abraham to their father , or being the seed of professing parents , would do them no good , nor avail them any thing . because the covenant of peculiarity god made with him and his natural seed as such , as to the date of the duration thereof , was now run out and expired , the ax being now laid to the root of the tree , ver . th . so that unless they receive christ , believe in christ , and are found gracious persons , fit wheat for christs spiritual garner , or gospel-church ( which is built up of lively stones ) as chaff the gospel-dispensation like a fan purges them out ; as indeed it did , and blew them all away : and we are not alone in respect of this great truth , for many of our worthy brethren ( who in some things differ from us ) assert the same : particularly , reverend mr. cotton , who speaking of this text , mat. . . saith , " the first is the root of abraham's covenant , which this people much trusted upon , and of that it is which john baptist speaketh , now is the ax laid to the root of the tree , think not to say within your selves , we have abraham to our father ; so that all their confidence that they had in abraham's covenant , temple and tabernacle , and such things , are burnt up , and so they have no root left them to stand upon , and this is one thing intended by the root . " " secondly , there is ( saith he ) something more in it ; the lord by the power of his spirit doth cut us off from any power of our natural gifts and parts , and spiritual gifts also , or from any confidence of our own sufficiency ; the lord hath cut us off from hope in the righteousness of our parents , and from boasting of ordinances . and again he saith , this we read of , mat. . . it is spoken of the ministry of john the baptist , which did burn as an oven , against all the scribes and pharisees , and left them neither the root of abraham's covenant , nor the branch of their own good works : he cutteth them off from the covenant of abraham , &c. and by cutting them off from the root , he leaveth them no ground to trust on . " thus mr. cotton on the covenant , p. , and p. , . now evident it is , that nothing but the dispensation of god's providence , or the expiration of that period of time determined by the almighty for the standing of the church of israel , could cut the jews off as a nation , from being a church and peculiar people unto god ; i mean in respect of that legal covenant . i deny not but that the covenant of grace god made with abraham , and with his true spiritual seed , stands firm for ever and ever , and none in that covenant can be cut off , nor fanned away : for the jewish priesthood , church-state and church-membership , and all their church-priviledges , were to remain until christ came , or until the time of reformation ; that is , till the gospel-days and gospel-dispensation took place , and no longer : but now that time being come , and they not seeing an end put to the old covenant-church , as it was made with the natural offspring of abraham ; and that their right to legal ordinances , and church-membership , could not give them any right to gospel ordinances , nor gospel-church-membership , and they not believing in christ , not accepting of the terms of the gospel , were all of necessity purged out or fanned away , by the fan of the new testament-dispensation , and so were no longer a people in any sense in covenant with god. thirdly , christ hath also another fan in his hand , viz. the fan of church-discipline . and many persons falling into sin are purged like chaff out of his floor . hereby , . sometimes some evil and corrupt persons , who get among god's people ( or into his church ) and pass a while for wheat , i. e. for gracious persons , yet in time god suffers them to fall into one temptation or another , by which means they are fann'd away , the holy jesus by his wise . providence makeing a discovery of them , and their evil tempers and dispositions . . may be some glorious truths , or truth of jesus christ , is revealed , or cleared up to his church in general , to which several persons of the same congregation may not only want light in , but may be filled with prejudice against , and not only against the truth , but against the church or minister for seeking to bring it in ; and this may rise to such a height , through their pride and stubborness , that they will not abide any longer members thereof , but violently rend themselves by schism , and so are purged out . tho' ( as 't is observed by an husband-man ) some light corn , may be good wheat , may be fanned out with the chaff , which he knows how to recover by fanning the chaff also afterwards . and thus it was with some of those who were called christ's disciples , they could not , would not endure that blessed truth christ preached to them , of eating of his flesh , &c. but cried out , this is a hard saying , who can bear it ? and so went away and walked no more with him . o see what the effects of preaching some truths may be ! how many are there who cannot bear in this day sound doctrine , but desert his people , and some truths of christ , and seem to shut their eyes against them , caling them error and false doctrine , and what not ? and this way god takes ( in his wise providence ) to purge out some rotten members , which possibly were a repoach to his people : and altho' may be some wheat , may by this means through satans temptations , and corruptions of their own hearts , and their great ignorance , be fanned out with the chaff , they being carried away by the craftiness and subtilty of such whom christ hath a mind to sever from the body ; yet he knows how to gather up the wheat again , as the husbandman doth . . others , whom christ would have purged out of his church , may be suffered to suck in some evil , corrupt and dangerous principles , or errors in fundamentals , like that of hymeneus and alexander , whose errours being discovered , were purged out . . also others fall into notorious and scandalous sins , and so are purged out . . some who are chaff , or unsound christians , may be suffered to take up undue offences against the church , or churches to whom they belong , and by giving way to temptation , they may become unreconcileable , magnifying their own wisdom and self-conceitedness , and so by a secret hand of god be discovered and purged out : but it must be considered that the use and exercise of the keys , or rules of church-discipline , is appointed by christ , as the proper fan by which those sorts of persons last mentioned , and some others , are to be purged out of the church or congregations of the saints . now the fan of discipline is two-fold . first , the act of excommunication : in the name of our lord jesus christ , when ye are gathered together , with my spirit , to deliver such a one unto satan , for the destruction of the flesh , that the spirit may be saved in the day of the lord jesus . the persons , christ by this fan of discipline purges out , are of three sorts . . all gross and scandalous persons , who are guilty of any act or acts of immorality , as theft , swearing , drunkenness , vncleanness , covetousness , lying , &c. these being publick and reproachful crimes , the offender ought sorthwith ( upon clear proof ) to be purged out , that the name of the lord may not be exposed to contempt , and his people villified by the ungodly world ; and time given to him for the proof and trial of the sincerity or truth of his repentance ; which in part will be manifested by his carriage and behaviour under his punishment ; i mean the righteous censure of the church . the second sort that this fan of discipline takes hold of , are such that suck in heresies or capital errors ; these after the first and second admonition , ought to be rejected and delivered up to satan , that they may not learn to blaspheme . the third sort are such who refuse to hear the church after their case ( in which they have offended ) is regularly brought in against them according to the rule contained in matthew ; the offence at first may be against one brother , and the offended party is first to tell him his fault between himself and his brother or sister that hath offended him alone : whom if he can bring to see and acknowledge his evil , it is to proceed no further ; but if he cannot , then he is oblidg'd by the holy law of christ to take one or two more , and go to him , and strive to convince him , and bring him to a sight and sense of his iniquity ; but if he cannot do it , then it ought to be brought unto the church , and if he will not hear the church , then the fan of excommunication is to be used in the name of jesus christ , and they purged out . as to such who rend themselves from a church , or violate their sacred covenant by irregularly withdrawing themselves , they ought to be marked , and solemnly in the publick congregation declared to have withdrawn , rent , and cut off themselves from the communion of the church , and no longer to be owned nor lookt upon as members , and none to communicate with them until they have given satisfaction by repentance . the second part of the fan of discipline is that rule laid down by the apostle , of withdrawing from every brother and sister that walketh disorderly ; as such that are busibodies , tatlers , or idle ; or such that neglect their duties in attending on the church in times of solemn worship , or that make parties , or cause division in the church , and refuse to live in obedience to christ , under the due and just government thereof , or to obey them that are set over them in the lord , or who strive to have the prehemience , like diotrophes , being vain-glorious , prating against , or despising of dignities , or the just authority of christs ministers , or angels of his churches , as the beloved apostle speaks , joh. , . wherefore if i come , i will remember his deeds which he doth , prating against us with malicious words , and not content therwith , neither doth he himself receive the brethren , and forbideth them that would , and casteth them out of the church . these are to be marked and withdrawn from , thess . . . not to be counted as enemies , but exhorted as brethren : unless they provoke the church to further and a more severe censure . some of this sort oft-times strive to draw away disciples after them , and seek to disquiet the peace of the church , and in a fawning and flattering manner to deceive the hearts of the simple ; therefore these , if they will not hear the church , are to be quite fanned out also by excommunication , and to be looked upon as an heathen-man or publican , as in the case of notorious and scandalous sinners , or such who are guilty of heresie . mat. . fifthly , jesus christ hath also another fan in his hand to purge his floor , or cleanse his wheat from the chaff , filth and defilement of sin , namely , the holy spirit ; and by this means he cleanses and purifies in a gracious manner the souls of his own people : such were some of you , but ye are washed , but ye are sanctified , but ye are justified in the name of the lord jesus , and by the spirit of our god. what filthy creatures were those corinthians , before the lord jesus by his spirit had purged and sanctified them . faith , of the the operation of god , is a most excellent grace ; it is by faith in the blood of christ that we come to be purged from the guilt of sin ; faith applying his merits and righteousness unto the soul in justification ; and such is the nature thereof , that it makes holy the hearts and lives of all such persons in whom it is by the spirit wrought or infused in sanctification : and hath put no difference between them and us , purifying their hearts by faith. yea , it cleanseth them from all filthyness of flesh and spirit , that they may perfect holyness in the fear of god. but let me tell you that the spirit and grace of christ in this respect is as a fan , rather to cleanse the saints , by purging out the chaff of corruption , which naturally is in their hearts and lives , than to purge hypocrites and gross professors out of the church , and to that i principally referr here . . moreover christ hath the fan of persecution , or the sufferings of the cross , and all other afflictions which he brings upon his people , which he uses to purge and purify their souls , and his churches too . and from hence afflictions are compaired to a refiners fire : he shall set as a refiners fire , and purifier of silver : he , that is the messiah , i. e. our lord jesus christ ; this is his work , viz. to purge his people , who in this place are compared to silver and gold that is refined : as in my text they are likened unto wheat , in this he is compared to a refiner , and hath his furnace ; in the other to an husbandman , and so hath his fan. both these texts allude to the same thing , and doing the same work , namely , to sever and separate the clean from the unclean , the gold from the dross , the chaff from the wheat . and evident it is , that persecution , trials and afflictions , commonly make a great discovery who are wheat or pure gold , viz. sincere believers ; and who drossy and chaffy professors . if wheat , persecution purges and purified them : but if they are chaff , it usually fans them away . but he that received the seed in stony places , the same is he which heareth the word , and anon with joy reciveth it : yet hath he not root in himself , but endureth for a while ; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth , because of the word , by and by he is offended . thus the fan of persecution purges these chaffy professors out of christs spiritual floor , or rather his garner : namely , his church , into which in a day of liberty they got , and had a place ; but they cannot bear the wind and blast of affliction and tribulation : and as it purges out much chaff , so also the wheat is thereby refined and made more clean and fit for the lords use . of so great benefit is persecution to gods church , that they cannot some times be without it ; it is if need be that we are in heaviness ; if we need it not , or if christ sees there is no need of it , we shall never feel the rod : he doth it not for his pleasure , but for our profit , that we might partake of his holiness . and this jehovah by the prophet further makes known to us : this is the fruit of all , the taking away your sin. and thus the lord purgeth away the filth of the daughter of sion , and the blood of jerusalem from the midst thereof , by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning . the rod of affliction , or furnace of persecution , cannot purge out the filth of sin that is in the lords people , without the operations of the holy spirit : the spirit is called a spirit of burning , because like fire it burns up and consumes the filth , chaff and dross that is in us : before trials and persecution comes , christ seems to have a very great floor , a great heap , or much corn ; but when he comes to try them with this fan in his hand , one great part thereof is found meer chaff , and the wind drives it away . so much shall suffice as to the fan in christs hand by which he purgeth his floor . quest . thirdly what is meant by the chaff ? answ . i answer the chaff may be understood to be two fold . . men and women who get into gods church , or among his people , but are not wheat , but vile hypocrites , pretending to be that which in truth they are not ; thus all that are of israel are not israel . tho' they bore his name , were called jews , called saints , yet were unsound at heart , and graceless souls , or meer chaff in gods sight . . by chaff may also be intended sin , or that filth and corruption which cleaveth oft-times to the best of gods people , which christ must and will purge out . quest . why are hypocrites or ungodly persons in the church compared to chaff ? and how may they be known ? answ . i answer , hypocrites and ungodly men in the church are compared to chaff ; . because chaff before it is separated from the wheat , cleaveth close to it , and it is hard to sever it from the wheat , and it also seems like unto it : even so some carnal and hypocritical professors cleave to the church , and seem to love and embrace the godly in their arms , and to lay them in their hearts ; they walk in company , nay in outward fellowship and church-communion with them ; they pray , and break-bread with them , as if they were really gracious , and are not known to their brethren to be otherwise : and as it is hard to discern them from the godly , so 't is as hard to separate such from them . chaff is so much like to the wheat , that some have taken it at first view to be wheat ; so are these taken to be saints , and there may be no severing them from the congregation of the lord , till christ comes with his fan to purge his floor . . they may be compared to chaff , in regard of the great pains that is , and must be used to separate it from the wheat : the wheat must be threshed and fanned , nay fanned again and again , before all the chaff can be severed from it . so unsound professors or some hypocrites in the church , seem to cleave so close to the godly , and are in such seeming union and and oneness with them , that the lord sees there is no other way to sever them from each other , but by threshing his wheat with the flail of persecution , and then the chaff flies away by the wind of this fan . o what a multitude seemed to cleave to our blessed saviour , and to be his disciples , in a day of peace and prosperity , when he was riding in triumph to jerusalem , crying out , hosanna , blessed is he that cometh in the name of the lord ! but when our saviour came to the cross , how did they leave him , and disown him , nay , may be cryed out crucifie , crucifice him : so and in like manner in our former days of liberty , what great numbers flocked to our assemblies , and made a profession of religion ; but when that hot persecution arose , how did they fall off , and disown that people which once they seemed to cleave unto : the fan of persecution fanned them away as chaff , and not only a multitude of professors , but also how many great preachers did basely betray the truth which they professed , and in their pulpits seemed a little before zealously to maintain , particularly that of separation from the national church . this way christ took to discover the filthy and rotten hearts of some , and slavish fear and weakness of faith in others , who were left to a sinful complyance and confirmity , building again that which they had destroyed , and destroying that which they had been a building ; and thus it appears as chaff , cannot bear fanning , but is blown away ; so chaffy professors cannot bear spiritual fanning , i. e. they cannot stand in an hour of temptation , but fall away . alas ! tho we have now again multitudes that seem to cleave to our churches and to our assemblies , yet should christ come with his fan upon us , you will soon see ( it is to be feared ) the former effects again . . chaff is of very little worth or value unto wheat : what is the chaff unto the wheat , saith the lord ? one peck of good wheat is worth many bushels of chaff . so ungodly men and and women are but of little worth in gods sight ; a wicked man to him is lothsom , as solomon shews , and that which is loathsom and hateful in our sight we value not , but cast away : the prayers of the wicked are abominable to the lord , because their persons are not accepted in christ ; whatsoever the ungodly do , or whatsoever show they make of religion , let them pray , hear , read , preach , or give to the poor , it is not regarded nor accepted of the lord ; one godly person is more to him than a multitude of unsanctified and hypocritical persons . the tongue of the just is as choice as silver , the heart of the wicked is but of little worth . the best part of a child of god is his heart , tho' he thinks that is the worst of all ; and the worst part of an unholy man is his heart , tho' he thinks that is best of all . saints are wheat , hypocrites chaff , the one is gold , the other dross in gods esteem . hence the lord saith , since thou wast precious in my sight , thou hast been honourable , and i have loved thee , therefore will i give men for thee , and people for thy life : i will give aegypt for thy ransom , aethiopia and sheba for thee . god so little values graceless persons , that he will sacrifice thousands of them in love and mercy to his faithful ones . . chaff is light and airy , it is no ponderous thing , therefore the wind carries it this way and that way at every turn : nay , every small breath of wind moves it to and fro , whereas wheat stirs not , moves not , but abides in its place , it being a weighty and ponderous thing . even so all hypocritical and unsound professors , whatsoever they seem to be at some times , ( by making a show of religion and pretending to piety ) yet they are in gods sight as light as vanity ; they are like chaff , not serious , weighty and ponderous , they are but a flash , a shaddow , and no substance , having meer dry , barren and empty souls : and their lightness appears and shews it self in many respects . . it appears sometimes by their light , frothy and airy talk and discourse : they may sometimes seem serious , but if watch'd , they will be discover'd , their tongues will betray them , by their foolish and vain words , and communication : they setting no watch before the door of their lips , and bridle not their tongues , therefore their religion is vain ; as the apostle james shews : they are full of vain words and foolish talk ; the words of the wise are gracious , but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself : they are offensive to others , and pernicious to themselves : a fool also is full of words ; either a talkative , or else full of vain boasts , magnifying and admiring himself , and lessning the worth and worthiness of others : his vain and light tongue discovers a vain , carnal , proud and empty heart , some unprofitable matter in discourse or another you shall observe these people will be full of : may be talk and prate of this man , or that woman , to pick up one thing or another to their reproach , ( who are gracious persons ) and instead of discoursing of a sermon they have heard , or telling their experiences , may be they will tell you what garbs , cloaths and dresses , such and such people had on , or else they talk of their earthly and worldly affairs , or some idle jests , stories , or foolish talk ; but little of god besure is in their mouths , when they are out of the sight and hearing of sober and pious christians : indeed as our saviour intimates , how can they being evil , speak of good things ? there is much vanity in their unsanctified hearts , and their tongues discover it ; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh ; a good man out of the good treasure of the heart , bringeth forth good things , and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things . but i say unto you , that every idle word that men shall speak , they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment . for by thy word thou shalt be justified , and by thy words thou shalt be condemned . god will not only condemn men for evil actions , but their evil words also shall rise up against them at the great day : and as the gracious words which proceed from a sanctified and renewed christian tends to his justification , especially when the main design and purport of his speech tends to exalt and magnifie god and his free-grace in jesus christ ; so the evil words of the unsanctified christian tends to his condemnation , and declares him to be but meer chaff , or a hypocritical person ; but if idle jesting and foolish talking is the character of a vain man , what is a detracting and back-biting tongue , a tongue that is set on fire by hell , who vilifie and render odious such who truly fear god , that are not guilty of those foul things laid to their charge ; such persons are not like to ascend gods holy hill , nor abide in his tabernacle , viz. that taketh up false and wicked slanders and reports against his neighbour , to lessen his reputation among men : and 't is with the greater aggravation , when it is done out of envy , prejudice or malice ; and 't is further aggravated when 't is done to a minister of the gospel , on purpose to obstruct or hinder unthinking christians to adhere unto his doctrine , or receive that truth which they see not ; but set themselves to oppose and gainsay , who do not only in an undue manner spread such reproaches , but also raise them : it is a great evil to divulge or propagate a fault committed by a brother , by making it publick when it was private , ( they breaking thereby the express precept of jesus christ , mat. . ) but it is far worse to publish false and groundless slanders and accusations of him or others : and t is an abominable evil in such who are ready to entertain , and easily to believe , and greedily receive such reports of him who deserveth it not . such men are by the lord called vile persons , psa . . . and are contemned by such that fear the lord , howsoever great and honourable they seem to be . moreover , if it be so great an evil for men thus to use their tongues or pens , to speak evil of , and to blaspheme innocent men , what is the nature of their crimes who curse and swear , and blaspheme the sacred name of god and the holy jesus ? like as the pharisees did , who said , this fellow doth not cast out devils but by belzebub the prince of devils ; ascribing that to the devil that was proper to god alone , and wrought by his almighty power . christians , if you would not be found chaff at the great day , take heed of a reviling tongue , least you deceive your selves , and all your religion and profession be vain : " he either decieveth his own heart ( saith our annatotors ) in thinking himself religious , when indulging himself in things contrary to religion , or else deceiveth his own heart , being blinded with self love , and lifted up with self-conceit , which is the cause of his railing , censuring , and speaking evil of others : their religion is vain , empty , and to no purpose , having no reality in it self , and bringeth no benefit to them . " o what a reproach doth the talkative and prating person bring on the name of god : this man , this woman , say they , is a member of such or such a church , and see what vain talk , frothy words , and frivolous discourse proceeds from their lips : but much more evil is in such who back-bite , revile , and defame others ( as was hinted before . ) this i say may discover such to be but chaff . . they appear to be chaff , not only by their light , vain , idle and back-biting tongues , but also by their light behaviour ; for the lightness of the heart is as much discovered by a loose and airy deportment , as by loose and vain words ; their wanton looks , and rowling eyes , or other unseemly and uncomely carriage , shews in part what they are ; they being not of a grave , sober , and serious spirit , but behave themselves as if they had no sense of the omnisciency of god upon their hearts , nor of his holiness , not setting the lord always before them , gives cause to all to fear they are but chaff . . their light , empty and airy attire , dresses , and antick fashions , which they wear and take delight in , doubtless too much discovers the lightness , vanity and emptiness of their spirits : i am perswaded these high and shameless head-dresses which some women appear in , that come into christian assemblies , are but as tell-tales of the vanity , pride , emptiness , and haughtiness of their hearts ; who but they that sell wine will put forth a bush ? i cannot see how a sober , serious christian woman should be satisfied to wear such antick dresses : their souls sure must needs blush at the thoughts of them ; when they consider whose eyes behold them , first , many gracious men and women , with no little trouble : and in the second place , their faithful ministers , to the wounding and grieving their souls . thirdly , and a multitude of loose and ungodly people , who reproach and laugh at them , and cast contempt upon religion on that account . fourthly , and which is more , the holy angels , they come into our assemblies , and observe all , both males and females , how they do adorn their profession and behave themselves . women should cover their heads , because of the angels ; they ought to be in subjection , and therefore before all things their head ought not to be exalted , but to lye low , and be modestly attired ; no doubt t is a palpable breach of the holy precept , for 't is not a modest dress , becoming women professing godliness ; tho' i dare not say but some sincere christians may be overtaken with this evil as well as others , yet i hope god will soon convince them of the odiousness of it : yet no doubt it doth clearly discover that some of this sort are loose and vain persons , and but meer chaff in gods sight , which the day that is coming will burn up : and such especially have cause to suspect themselves , who pride it in their own hearts , and take delight in those hateful and abominable fashions , and cannot bear to be told of it , tho' in never so wise and discreet manner , nor will they be brought by any perswasions to reform , and leave them off , tho' it wounds the very souls of many of them they have communion with . fifthly , o that they that fear god would consider that he beholds them , and looks upon them , whose eyes are like unto a flame of fire . these dresses , o ye daughters of zion , know assuredly none but foolish and vain persons do like and approve of , even none but the devil and his followers ; is it not sad , in such a day of distress , sorrow and humiliation , when gods hand is lifted up upon the nation , and thousands of poor families want bread , that christians should thus walk , and consume their substance on their pride and costly lust . . they appear to be but chaff , who seem to make it a small matter to grieve the hearts of sincere christians ; what care they who they wound and afflict , they 'll have their fancies , their humours , tho' the thing in it self may be doubtful , whether a breach of gods law or not ; and so like eating of meats , that was a thing indifferent in it self , and might or might not be done . nay , that make light of grieving the holy spirit , in themselves , and in others also ; let the lord be grieved , his spirit grieved , his poor ministers grieved , and his faithful children grieved , they regard it not , but set light by it . these may also be suspected , i. e. that are indifferent in and about closet and family-prayer , ( and other weighty duties of religion ) or are loose and formal in it : this shews they bear no weight , they are not ponderous , but light as chaff . moreover , such may be suspected , who set light by hearing the word of god ; alas , to go to hear a sermon is a light thing with some , if there be any worldly loss attending it , tho' it be not to the value of a groat , they can't go , or if the weather be not very good , they plead excuse ; as not being able to go so far , tho' may be the next day in worse weather they can go about their earthly business twice as far . likewise such who for every small matter refrain from coming to the lords table ; may be any trivial offence shall hinder them ; they are offended with this person , and that person , and so cast a slight upon christ , and on his sacred ordinance , and thus persist from time to time : they can go to church , or stay at home : can pray , and hear , and can forbear : religion is a light and indifferent thing with them . this shews such are under fearful temptations , or else loose and light professors in the sight of god. . such are chaff that only have the husk or shell of christianity : chaff is the husks of wheat ; many professors please themselves with the external part of religion , having a form of godliness , but are strangers to the life and power thereof : like the foolish virgins they have lamps , but no oyl ; a name , but want the nature of true believers ; can talk and discourse of religion , of the covenant of grace , and excellency of christ ; they may have , i grant , clear notions in their heads of the mysteries of the gospel , and defend it too against opposers , yet their hearts are unsanctified , and never felt nor experienced the work of faith with power ; they have the out-side of a true christian , the shell of the wheat , but if tried and searched there 's nothing but chaff , no kernil in them , they want the root of the water : all true believers have past through the pangs of the new birth ; they found they were once dead , but are now alive , once blind , but now they see , once lost in their own eyes , but now found , once carnal , but now spiritual , once had their affection set on things below , but now on things above ; sin was once sweet and pleasant to them , but now 't is bitter and loathsom in their eyes , because they see it is so in the sight of god : their judgments are informed , their understandings savingly enlightned ; christ and heavenly things are valued and esteemed above all things here below , yea , above ten thousand worlds , by them ; and their understandings are not only brought to assent to the truth of christ , to the glory and beauty of christ ; but their wills also are subjected to him , they are brought to consent , and yield themselves to the lord ; they believe , and love , believe and obey , believe and suffer reproach , taking up the cross , putting on the yoke of christ ; their affections are so changed , and under divine influences , that what they loved once , they hate , and what they once hated , or liked not , they dearly love and approve of now : but thus it is not with chaffy professors : they may be changed from open prophanness to an outward reformation of life , but their hearts are not changed , sin is not crucified in them , self is not subdued ; that enmity that was naturally in their hearts , or dislike of the life and power of strict godliness is not removed ; they act only from common illuminations of the spirit , and so they put a force upon themselves , when found in religious duties ; and find not a natural inclination and sweet propensity in their hearts to heavenly things , and this shews they are no more then chaff . . and lastly , chaff i told you was light , and every breath of wind will move it , this way , and that way , and if it rises high it will may be blow it quite away , there being no kernel in it , whereas the wheat abides . so chaffy and vain professors are startled at every small blast of persecution , and presently begin to move out of their place , and shun assembling themselves with gods people : nay , every wind of corrupt doctrine is ready to blow some of this sort a way ; they are unsettled persons , they want weight , or are not rooted in the truth , wanting a good understanding , and a principle of saving grace in their hearts ; be not carried away with divers and strange doctrines , for it is good to have the heart established with grace , and not with meats . this sort are soon corrupted from the simplicity of the gospel , by the cunning crastiness of men , being ready to receive any strange notion , or close in with a new scheem of religion , some turning to judaism , and add moses to christ , or joyn to the gospel their own works ; they are commonly corrupt , either in principles or practices , or in both , making a stir about the mint , annis and commin , i. e. about the smaller matters of religion , as concerning meats and observation of days , as if in such things lay the great stress of christianity ; how many are there who like those false teachers , and deluded people in the primitive times , plead for justification some other way than by faith only , and bring in their own inherent holiness and sincere obedience , and add that to the merits of christ , in point of justification before god ; or exalt the power and will of the creature , to the eclipsing the doctrine of free-grace . sirs , tho' i will not deny but many sincere christians may be shaken by the wind of false and corrupt doctrine , or drawn away through the subtilty of men , yet no doubt chiefly they are the light , formal and chaffy professors which are carried away , and tossed too and fro with every wind of doctrine , and this because of the want of grace , a sound judgment and a good understanding in the mysteries of the gospel . a good understanding ( saith david ) have all they that do his commandments . moreover , such who seem unsetled in their places in gods house , or particular churches where they are members , being uneasie , and every little difference that may arise in a congregation is ready to turn them away ; or seem to be moved and disturbed at the charges the interest of christ , or which the house of god calls for ; these i say , give cause to fear they are but chaff , or under great temptation , if sincere . secondly , by chaff may also be meant , sin , filth and corruption , which cleaveth to the hearts and lives of true believers , which christ by the fan of his word , spirit , and afflictions , as you have heard , purges out : he shall purify the sons of levi , and purge them as gold and silver , that they may offer unto the lord an offering in righteousness . this is spoken of jesus christ , whose fan is in his hand : it shews his work and office , namely , to refine and fan his people , not only members , but ministers also , signified by the sons of levi , that they all may offer acceptable service unto god : besides , our lord jesus sometimes makes use of wicked men as a fan in his hand to purge his people , and thus he did of old fan israel by the babylonians , and by the assyrians ; i will send unto babylon fanners , as i have sometime fanned and scattered my people by them ; so will i fan them by the medes and persians , who shall empty the land of them ; after christ hath fanned or purged away the chaff and filth of the daughter of zion , he will fan their enemies , and they being all chaff , the wind of his indignation will drive them away . let this be noted , that christ hath many ways to fan and purge his people , yet still it is for their good , and they shall lose nothing but their chaff , their sin and corruptions thereby . quest . fourthly , why are the saints compared to wheat ? answ . i answer , for many reasons . . wheat is a choice grain , the best grain , so true believers are a choice people in christ's sight : the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour ; they are called the excellent in all the earth . god calls his people his jewels , or choice treasure ; they are men of a high and heavenly birth , of a high sublime and excellent spirit , they are espoused by an excellent person , act and are influenced by excellent principles , and have glorious ends and aims in all they do ; and from hence may be compared to wheat . . wheat hath much pains used with it , the ground must be made good , it must be well plow'd and manured before the wheat is sown ; so the hearts of poor sinners must be first made good , and by spirituall convictions be plowed up , before the seed of grace is sown ; for like as believers are compared to wheat , so is also the grace of god. wheat must be weeded as well as gathered into the barn , and also threshed , fanned , and well purged . believers may be compared to wheat upon this respect , christ takes much pains ( to speak after the manner of men ) with his own elect , not only by plowing , manuring , but by sowing , watering , weeding , fanning and purging them like wheat . . wheat will endure cold frosts and snow , and all manner of bitter and sharp weather , better than any other grain . sow barly before winter , and you will find but little of it will live , but wheat will live in the sharpest winter that can come ; what a good harvest had we here in england after the last great frost ; alas , the wheat was not destroyed thereby , but was made better , the weeds and worms being killed , which is found to hurt and annoy it oft-times . even so sincere christians , who are christs spiritual wheat , abide faithful under the greatest trials , persecutions and afflictions they can meet withal ; they endure the frosts and bitter north-winds of tribulation , and furious storms of the wrath of wicked men , which kills the false-hearted professor , they die and wither away , they can't live , and maintain their seeming hope and confidence , when true believers can ; a hypocrite is but summer corn , or rather weeds or tares that spring up with the wheat , tho' they look like it , yet are only the product of natural conscience , or the common influences of the sun , or gospel of jesus christ . . an ear of wheat when it is near ripe doth hang down its head , the corn being full and weighty , when light and empty ears hold up theirs ; commonly a light and chaffy ear stands strait upright , in a lofty manner . so a true gracious christian is of an humble spirit , he hangs down his head ( as it were ) and is ashamed of his best duties and services , seeing so great weaknesses and infirmities to attend him ; he abhors himself , yea , loaths himself ; he knows he hath nothing to glory in , but in the cross of jesus christ ; he sees himself nothing ; vnto me who am less than the least of all saints , is this grace given , ( saith paul : ) what an humble person was he , what a full and weighty ear of choice wheat was this apostle : if you see a man or woman proud , or of an haughty and conceited spirit , being lifted up , you may conclude they are but empty ears , no true grace being in their hearts . . wheat hath its chaff cleaving oft-times close to it , yea , it will stick and cleave so to it , that it is not easily separated . so it is with christs spiritual wheat , the filth or chaff of internal corruption is very subject to cleave to them , and hard it is for them to get rid of it . when i would do good , sin is present with me , for the good i would , i do not , but the evil which i would not do , that do i. oh! wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from this body of death ! i am ( as if he should say ) even wearied with continual combating , i cannot get rid of this dead body , this inward filth and corruption , the remainders of sin in my flesh ; this chaff cleaves to all christs wheat . . wheat is of prime and chiefest use , of it excellent things are made , as meat for princes . so the lords faithful people are of chief use in gods hand of all others ; the lips of the righteous feed many . . that nation that abounds with the finest wheat is esteemed a choice land , a happy nation : so likewise that kingdom and nation in which are abundance of godly christians , it is a happy kingdom , a blessed nation , because such are the common interest of the land or place where they dwell ; they are called the pillers of the earth . . wheat is threshed with the flail , to sever it from the straw and chaff , by the husbandman ; so god to sever the wheat , i. e. the godly from the chaffy professor , and free them of the filth and corruption of their own hearts , brings his flail of affliction and persecution upon them . . wheat is also fanned , to cleanse it ; and it is to be noted , that the fan in the hand of the husbandman tosses up the wheat and chaff together , and then he shakes it to and fro , this way and that way , on his knees . so the lord jesus with his spiritual fan tosses the godly and hypocritical professor , by the same afflictions , trials , persecutions and tempations . and o what hurryings , tossings and tumblings to and fro in their spirits have some christians met with in the late times , and still daily meet withal ? they have their ups and downs , this affliction , and the other temptation , this loss , and the other cross : but yet , nevertheless , they are not tost out , or blown away by the fan , but evident it is the chaff is hereby purged out ; while christs wheat is refined , they abide fanning , ( as i hinted before ) but so doth not the carnal and light professor : they are offended , through this means , as our saviour shews , and are ready to say with that wicked man of old , this evil is of the lord , why should i wait upon him any longer ? believers know , god doth it not for his pleasure , but for their profit , that they might be partakers of his holiness . hence it is said , that they endure chastening , and faint not when they are rebuked of the lord. quest . . what is intended by christ's garner ? i answer , christ hath a twofold garner . first . his church is his garner . . a garner is prepared on purpose to retain , and safely to secure the wheat in a heap together , where it is carefully to be look'd after . so is the church of god appointed and prepared to receive and secure his faithful people together ; 't is not built for chaff nor tares , and great care and pains is required of christs servants in looking to , and taking care of his spiritual wheat in his church . . yet through the negligence or want of wisdom in the servants , oft-times some chaff is brought into the garner with the wheat , which when the husbandman see 's it , by viewing his grain , he is troubled at his servant ; see ( saith he ) what abundance of chaff you have brought in with the wheat , which spoils the beauty of it to such a degree , that it does not seem to be near so good as indeed it is . so it is here for want of care , or through weakness or want of knowledge in christs ministers and servants , in discerning who are sincere christians and who are not : many unsound and chaffy professors are let into the church or churches of jesus christ , which is displeasing unto him , because they spoil the beauty and glory thereof , and cause many to reproach his faithful ones ; as it also renders them in the sight of the carnal world not to be the people which indeed they are . . the husbandman therefore causes the wheat in his garner to be fanned again , to clear it of the chaff that is got in amongst it ; so christ with the fan of persecution often times fans his , people to purge out the loose and prophane from among them . secondly , by the garner is meant heaven it self , into which all the elect shall be put at the last day , and into this garner shall none come but pure wheat : and there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth , neither whatsoever worketh abomination , or that maketh a lye , but they which are written in the lambs book of life . ly . and lastly , what is meant by burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire ? answ . i answer , by burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire , is meant the direful wrath of god , which sometimes seizeth on ungodly persons in this world , and shall eternally take hold of all the chaff in the world to come . the wrath of god is often compared to fire in the scripture . there went up a smoke out of his nostrils , and a fire out of his mouth devoured ; coals were kindled by it . so in another place it is said , a fire goeth before him , &c. shall thy wrath burn like fire , psa . . . his fury is poured out like fire , and the rocks are thrown down by him . . fire is a terrible and most amazing element , especially when it breaks forth like a masterless enemy , and none can stop it : so is the wrath of god very terrible , when he poureth it forth in his greatest fury . o what a frightful cry doth a dreadful fire that breaks out in a town or city cause ! what wringing of hands ! men tremble , women miscarry oft-times , children screech out , it frightens the very fowls of the air , and beasts of the earth , and turns all faces into paleness ! how amazing was the flames of sodom , and how terrible is the burning of monnt aetna ! the wrath of god when it furiously breaketh forth upon a people and nation , or particular person , causeth dreadful horror , it maketh the stoutest heart to quake , and the strongest hands feeble : at his wrath the earth shall tremble , and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation : his fury is poured out like fire , and the mountains are thrown down before him : can thy heart endure , or thy hands be strong , in the day when i contend with thee ? who can stand before his indignation ? o how will the wicked fly into holes , quiver like a leaf , and cry to the rocks and mountains to fall upon them , and hide them from the face of him that sitteth on the throne , and from the wrath of the lamb. . fire breaks out sometimes very suddenly , when none think of it , but all are as they judge , safe and secure , yet in a moment how are they surprized , when nothing but the horror and cry of fire , fire , fire , is heard in their ears . so gods wrath , like a dreadful and an unexpected fire , breaks out sometimes suddenly upon the ungodly . how surprizing were the flames of sodom , and the amazing hand-writing on belshazars wall , when he was drinking wine in bowls ! immediately the kings countenance was changed , and he was troubled in his thoughts , so that the joynts of his loins were loosed , and his knees smote one against the other : when they cry peace and safety , then sudden destruction cometh , as travail upon a woman with child , and they shall not escape . . a fire sometimes breaks forth in the night , when men are asleep : so god comes upon men many times in the night of ignorance and unbelief , while they lye on their beds of ease and carnal security , by amazing judgments , or by sudden death . how secure was the old world , and the rich man in the gospel , to whom god said , this night thy soul shall be required of thee . . a consuming fire destroys , wasts and devours exceedingly , as sodom found , and london also by woful experience . so god when he breaks forth in his wrath and fury , he makes most lamentable desolation , the lord shall swallow them up in his wrath , and the fire shall devour them . the wrath of god is compared to a consuming fire : for our god is a consuming fire . . a consuming and raging fire spares none , the palace of the prince no more than the cottage of the peasant , the mighty oaks as well as the lowest shrubs are devoured by it ; so the wrath of god seizeth , and will seize on all wicked men , on the mighty and honourable of the earth , as well as the poor and contemptible ones ; the king on his throne , as well as the beggar on the dunghill : his wrath shall be on every one that is lofty , and upon every one that is proud and lifted up , and he shall be brought down ; upon all the cedars of lebanon , and upon all the oaks of bashan . — he will come upon princes as upon morter , the whole earth shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy , neither their gold nor silver shall be able to deliver them in the day of the lords wrath . . wood , hay and stubble , are fit fuel for the fire to seize upon , and such things that are combustible make it to burn the more vehemently . and if high strong towers cannot stand before a consuming fire , how is it possible for briars and thorns ? some sinners are like stubble fully dry : they are fit fuel for the wrath of god like fire to take hold of . o what horrid guilt lies upon some mens consciences , just like a great heap or pile of wood , well dried , or cart loads of straw , or dry stubble : what if god will to shew his wrath , and to make his power known , endured with much long suffering , the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction . a long course in sin , custom in sin , resisting the grace of god , slighting convictions , hardening the heart against reproof , stisling the accusations of conscience , and abusing the patience and long suffering of god , fits men for the fire of his wrath ; whilst they are folden together as thorns , and whilst they are drunken as drunkards , they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry . such that are drunk with pride , drunk with pleasures , or whose souls are surfited with the riches and cares of the world , the fire of gods wrath , as fit matter or combustable stuff , will seize upon . . a dreadful fire when it breaks out , turns all joy into sorrow , and makes a day of mirth a day of mourning : so the consuming wrath of god , whether it seizes on the consciences of men only whilst alive in the body , or on body and soul both here , or on the soul at death , it turns all joy into sorrow . o what extremity of misery do such feel ! ask judas or spira , they could tell you . . fire is a most cruel and dreadful tormentor ; if a man be cast into a fire , what intollerable pain and anguish doth it put him to ! but alas , alas , that 's nothing to the wrath of god , when god kindles it in the consciences of men , nor to hell fire . you will say , o 't is a fearful thing to fall into a furious fire , into a burning furnace , but o sirs , how much more dreadful is it to fall under the wrath of god! it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living god : for our god is a consuming fire . if it be terrible to have a finger , a foot , or a hand to be burned off , or to have the whole body cast into a furnace of boyling oil , ( as some of the holy martyrs were ) how then can sinners , who are as chaff , bear the thoughts of gods wrath and vindictive vengance , which is far more intollerable than any fire into which any mortal was ever cast ? for . other fire burns only the external part , or temporal , or corporal matter , but the fire of gods wrath burns and torments the spirit , the soul , the invisible part . . elementary fire is seen , but internal wrath is only felt inwardly , it cannot be seen . . the fiercest fire that ever was kindled hath been overcome , and by engines or instruments put out , but the fire of gods wrath when kindled , and the soul thrown into hell , cannot be put out , nor be extinguished , 't is unquenchable fire . tho' the burning of mount aetna , and other burning mountains , are impossible for man to extinguish , yet doubless they shall not burn always , they will be put out , but wrath shall burn for ever . so much as to the explanation of our text. from hence we may observe divers propositions or points of doctrine . . doct. the old floor is gone , 't is removed , viz. the old jewish church , or national church of israel , the wheat that was in it being taken into christs gospel-garner , and the chaff or all graceless persons or unbelievers , are fann'd away . now christ hath removed the partition-wall that was between jew and gentile , and hath reconciled both unto god in one body . now there is no knowing men after the flesh , fleshly priviledges , i. e. being the seed of abraham , or being the seed of believers , as such , gives no right to spiritual saving and eternal blessings . both those two people , jews and gentiles , that believe of twain are made one , i. e. one new man , or one christian or gospel-church . and this is done by jesus christ , who by his fan or dispensation of the new testament hath abolished the old covenant-right of church-membership ; not the fleshly seed , but the spiritual seed of abraham , are to be received into christs gospel garner ; ye as lively stones are built up a spiritual house , &c. but this i shall not prosecute . doct. jesus christ would have none but pure wheat be gathered into his garner ; not the fleshly and spiritual seed , not the believer and the vnbeliever , not godly ones and ungodly ones , not the chaff and the wheat , as it was under the law , in the national church of the jews . not whole parishes , or whole nations , no , no , none but true christians , or holy persons , sanctified and sincere , and truly gracious souls . doct. christs great work and office is to purge his people , to cleanse them , and make them holy , and to sever the wheat from the chaff , the pure from the impure ; or to separate hypocrites from his church , and purge his saints from all their inward filth and corruption : he would have no chaff there , none that are false-hearted and unsound , such he will first or last purge out ; and he will make them that are good to be much better , more clean , more holy , more pure , he will purge out the chaff of hypocrisie , unbelief , pride , passion , covetousness , vain glory , carnality , and all manner of corruption whatsoever that is in them ; he sets as a refiner and purifier of silver , and he will throughly purge away their dross , and take away all their tin. the time draws near in which the sinners in zion shall be afraid , fearfulness shall surprise the hypocrites : who amongst us shall dwell with devouring fire ? who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings ? . doct. all true believers , or all christs wheat , shall be saved , shall be received into heaven , or be gathered into his glorious garner above , and into which place no wicked person , no false-hearted professor , no hypocrite , no carnal and self-deceived gospeller , shall come . though some of this sort get into the church militant , they shall not get into the church triumphant , tho' they may get a seeming place in his garner below , yet they shall have no place in his glorious barn or garner above . sirs , you that seem to take delight in the company of the saints , and seem to feed and lie down with christs sheep , yet know you shall one day be separated as goats from the sheep , as foolish virgins from the wise , as chaff from the wheat , and as dross from the gold ; all you that are not sincere must go to your place ; and those that shall be set at christs right hand shall receive the kingdom prepared for them , and all that shall be on his left hand must go into everlasting fire , prepared for the devil and his angels . doct. . a discriminating day will come , a day of severing the good from the bad , &c. doct. . that the wrath of god is like fire , 't is intollerable ; or the misery and torments of the damned , or of all hypocrites and unbelievers , will be dismal and amazing ; or there 's no expressing how fearful their condition is and will be , who fall under the vindictive wrath and vengance of an angry god. i purpose to speak unto one or two of these propositions , but at present i shall close with a word or two by way of use . the application . . caution . take heed you are not chaff , or prove not chaff , when the fanner comes to fan you . o see you are not loose , carnal and empty professors ; if you have only a form of godliness , the name of christ only , or lamps , and no more , sad will it be with you ; if you are not solid , weighty and ponderous christians , if you experience not the divine power of godliness , the sin-killing , the soul-quickning , the heart-transforming , and god-exalting power of christs spirit , you are undone . take a few motives to stir you up to take heed . . the fanner is coming with his fan in his hand : a providence may be near , yea , such a providence and dispensation which you little think or dream of . i might have shewed you that the whole earth is but christs common floor , and he is now about to fan this mighty floor ; he hath many fans to do this . what are his fearful judgments but as a fan in his hand , whether it be war , pestilence , or famine , or other strange judgment , 't is and will be but as a fan to purge the earth , and consume the ungodly , or blow them away as chaff . what amazing earthquakes have there been lately in divers places , have not we in england , in london , felt some of it , ( as well as most nations in europe ) tho' not like to that in jamaica , and some other places ? are not these fearful tokens and signs of gods wrath and indignation ? are they not harbingers and presages of what is coming upon the world , and of the end thereof ? look to it , there is great wrath at the door , i am afraid thousands will be suddenly surprized , and paleness of face take hold of them : god is certainly abnout to shake and toss the earth too and fro ; the seven viols of his wrath will quickly now begin to be poured out : expect all of you to be toss'd and fan'd , as wheat and chaff is tossed and shook together : the lion hath roared , who will not fear ? the lord hath spoken , who can but prophesie ? there is a worser earthquake near , as the wicked shall find it ; yea , such an earthquake that will make all their hearts to tremble , which will shake down the foundations of mystery babylon , and all false states ; it will be such a one that never was since the world began ; these which have been of late , may be but signs and forerunners of that . in the earthquake which is near , the tenth part of the great city shall fall , and seven thousand of the names of men , or names given to religious men , that were never given to them by jesus christ , meer antichristian names , shall be no more , strange will be the effects of it no doubt . o what will you do in the day of gods wrath if ye are chaff , or but counterfeit christians ? if not sincere ? if not in christ ? thou shalt be visited of the lord with earthquakes and a great noise , &c. great changes , commotions , mutations and revolutions , will suddenly come from the lord of hosts : he will make the earth empty , and turn it upside down , and it shall be as with the people so with the priest : he will fan , shake and tumble the people together ; you will find distress of nations , and perplexity with a witness in a short time ; nay , no doubt but the day of judgment and end of the world , or coming of christ is very near ; for he hath foretold as signs thereof , that there shall be great earthquakes in divers places . . if you be chaff among the wheat , you spoil the beauty and glory of the wheat ; you bring a reproach upon the saints and upon the church ; the ways of god are evil spoken of thro' your means ; your pride , your covetousness , your back-biting and detracting tongue , and unjust dealing , hinders the propagation of the gospel ; your formality , deadness , slighting and neglecting of the worship of god , and want of zeal , and love to christ and to his people , hath bitter effects on the unbelieving world , as well as it will have on your own souls . . if you are chaff , you shall e're long be separated or severed from the wheat : there is a time near that that will discover all , and make a full discrimination between the righteous and the wicked , between him that serveth the lord , and him that serveth him not . there shall not ( e're long ) be a cannanite in the house of god any more . . nay , and ( remember my text ) the chaff shall be burned with unquenchable fire ; into hell at last all false-hearted , light and loose professors , shall be thrown . o take heed for your souls sake , that you rest not upon a bare profession , or on a name of christians ! this may inform us also , that christ hath a gracious end in bringing persecutions and trials on his people ; it shews us why he uses the fan of severe providences , judgments and afflictions : it is , you have heard , to purge , to purifie them , and to separate the chaff from them . o do not then think it strange concerning fiery trials , as if some strange thing had befallen you . exhort . let me exhort you to see to it in time , that you are not deceived , and so prove chaff , and vain persons , empty and foolish virgins at last . motives , . o how far may men go , and yet be but almost christians ! remember this . . many when christ comes shall have great confidence , and go forth to meet him , and yet be found foolish ones : some deceive their own hearts , and others have hearts that deceive them , by trusting in them , and never examine how matters are between god and their own souls . . men may preach and prophesie , yea , speak as if they had the tongue of men and angels , and cast out devils in christs name , and yet be nothing ; they may preach , no doubt , to the conversion of others , and yet may not be converted themselves . . wheat is commonly weighed , to know the goodness of it ; so god weighs men , he weighs the actions of men : thou art weighed in the ballance , and art found wanting : weighed in a ballance alluding to the weighing of gold or goods exactly in scales . god tries men and women , that all may know he will proceed justly and righteously with them ; he weighs them in the ballance of the sanctuary , or trys them by the touch-stone of his word , and if found full weight , or pure gold , then he declares that they are his , and he owns them as his people , as his wheat ; but if too light , or not hold weight , but are greatly wanting , there being no worth in them , but are dross , chaff , light and empty persons , unfound and unsanctified ones , then he rejects them as none of his , but are as reprobate silver , false coin , people of no value with him . as he weighs men , so he weighs their works , their graces , their gifts , their duties , to see whether they hold weight , whether true and righteous or not ; whether the grace be true grace , special grace , not common grace , and their gifts not counterfeit gifts , or meer natural gifts , or only humane and acquired gifts : some boast of false gifts , which as solomon tells us , is like clouds and wind without rain : what a stir doth a vain person make of a strong memory , crying it up as if it was a spiritual gift , and as if none were true ministers but such who have a great memory , and can deliver all they have got by their study , by the strength of their memory ; alas , all men of any sense know , that is but a natural gift , which some wicked men have as well as some good men ; but let him know , god knows what mens hearts are , what their ends and designs are , what their gifts are , and what their duties are , as well as what the matter of their worship is , which they perform to god ; that is , whether it hath his image stampt upon it ; or is of his authority , his own appointment , his own institution , or but humane inventions ; he also weighs the manner how they perform all divine worship towards him , from what principle , life , power , end and design ; whether 't is from a changed heart , from unfeigned faith and love to christ , in sincerity , with zeal , and to glorify god ; if not , he will discover them , weigh them , and they will be found wanting , and be found no better than chaff at last : though they may seek ways to hide and cover their wickedness , and false spirits , and base designs , yet let them know , he that weighs the hill in scales , and the mountains in balances , doth and will weigh them , and find out all their cursed deeds , their pride , their malice , and put a rebuke upon their back-sliding and detracting tongues : talk ( saith hannah ) no more so exeeding proudly , let not arrogancy come out of thy mouth for god is a god of knowledge , and by him actions are weighed : " thou peninnah ( as our annotators note ) speak no more so insolently and reproachfully of me as thou hast done ; he knoweth thy heart , and all that pride , envy and contempt of me , which thy own conscience knows , and thy perverse carriage towards me : " god pondereth , and tryeth all mens thoughts and actions , as a just judge , to give to every one according to their works . oh what a motive should this be to us all ; god weighs our persons , our graces , our gifts , our dutys , and all our services , in scales : take heed you are not found too light , found wanting , as be sure you will if you be found chaff , when put into the ballance of the sanctuary . direction . . if you would not be found chaff , try and weigh your spirits , your persons , your faith , your love ; see if it holds weight by the kings standard , see on what foundation you are built ; have you dugg deep , and laid your foundation on a rock ? what love have you to christ ? is he precious to your souls , the chiefest of ten thousand ? what love have you to the children of god ? how do you carry it at home and abroad ? do you feed the hungry , visit the sick , and cloath the naked ? is christs family , christs servants , christs poor , more in your esteem , love and affections , than sons and daughters , than brethren and sisters , that are not his children ? if you do not love christ more than father and mother , more than son or daughter , you may justly fear whether you are wheat or no : and if it be so , that you do so love him , and his saints , ministers and people , it will appear whilst you live ; and when you come to die , you will not forget christ then , his people and interest then : o think onthis ! . and to you sinners , if you would be found wheat in the day of christ , then receive christs true doctrine , labour to distinguish between truth and error ; beware of that strange and new scheme that darkens the free-grace of god , and tends to destroy the covenant of grace : remember to exalt christ alone in your salvation . how do some turn the gospel of gods free-grace into a law , by the performance of which , as the conditions of life and justification tell thee , thy salvation doth depend . see what subtle opposers ( of the clearest gospel ) are risen up amongst us , and labour to avoid them , though their tongues should seem to be tipp'd with silver , yet their doctrine is copper . . be sure build on christ alone , and see that that faith thou hast in him , be the faith of gods elect , which sanctifies both heart and life , and is attended with good fruits ; you must work from life , and not for life . consolat . . lastly , by way of comfort and consolation : be not afraid , o child of god , tho' thou art in christ's fan , and art tost up and down with temptations , trials and afflictions : know that his design is wholly herein for thy good , it is but to purge out thy chaff , that thou as pure white wheat may'st shine the more bright and clear in grace and gospel-holiness , for sin and corruption spoils thy beauty to all that behold thee . no doctrine tends to promote gospel holiness like the doctrine of gods free-grace : shall we sin because grace hath abounded ? god forbid . . o what a mercy of mercies it is that gods wrath is appeased towards you : christs blood has quenched this dreadful fire , as to you who believe , and indeed nothing else could do it ; o bless god for christ , and for that river of water which proceeds from him , to the extinguishing this flaming fire ; he hath born it , and allay'd it , nay , quite put it out , so that you shall never feel the burning or tormenting nature thereof . . thou shalt at last , whosoever thou art , if sincere , if wheat , be gathered into his garner ; viz. into heaven it self , for christ will not lose one grain of his spiritual wheat , not one sheep of his shall perish ; he that has begun that good work in thee , will perform it to the day of christ . he will gather his wheat into his garner , but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire . so much for this time . matth . iii. . whose fan is in his hand , and he will throughly purge his floor , and gather the wheat into his garner , but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire . beloved , i have gone through the several terms of the text , by way of explaination , and have taken notice of several propositions or points of doctrine that naturally arise therefrom . i purpose only to prosecute but one of them , namely , the th . and last , viz. doct. that the wrath of god is like fire , 't is intollerable ; or , the misery and torment of the damned will be dismal and amazing ; there 's no expressing how fearful their condition is and will be , who fall under the vindictive wrath and vengeance of an angry god. i shall only do three things . further open the nature of gods wrath. . prove and demonstrate the truth of the proposition . . improve it by way of application . and to proceed , it is necessary to note to you in the first place , ( as i before hinted ) that the wrath of god may be considered under a twofold consideration : as it is manifested , . internally or externally , taking hold of , and seizing upon some ungodly persons here , whilst in this world. . as it is eternal , seizing on and taking hold of all undone and lost sinners hereafter . sin is the cause of gods wrath and vengance , both of that which is felt here and shall eternally be felt and undergone hereafter ; the word ( as the learned note ) which is translated wrath , comes from a root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifies heat , or to be hot , and hence 't is compared to fire ; an angry man we say is a fiery man , a man that hath much fire or fury in him ; the wrath of man is hot , but the wrath of god is much hotter : because there is wrath , beware . sirs , there is wrath in the heart of god against sinners , there his anger is kindled ; there is wrath also in his decree , and in his threatnings , his wrath continues on all unbelievers : he that believeth not , the wrath of god abideth upon him . tho' many of them do not feel it , they have not the sense of it , but shall have one day ; yet there are some that god lets out his wrath upon to such a degree here , that they do feel it , and cry out under the sense and horror thereof in a fearful manner . secondly , the wrath of god , as it is compared unto fire , is oft-times let out to consume men in divers respects . . sometimes by poverty , as by a flame he consumes in a secret way their outward substance ; there is a curse upon their estates , which dries up their riches in which they trusted , and set their hearts upon , forgetting god their maker , their chief good and last end. . sometimes he consumes their honour , reputation and credit , they falling by their iniquity into disgrace , after they have made a profession of religion , and have been in the love and esteem of good men. . sometimes also by sickness as by a flame he consumes their health ; and thus he threatned the people of israel , the lord shall smite thee with a consumption , and with a feaver , and with an inflamation , and with extream burning . . also his wrath oftentimes breaks out like fire on some men by suddain death , in a strange and unusual manner , as in the case of lots wife , and of nadab and abihu ; and there went out fire from the lord , and devoured them , and they died before the lord. this was so amazing , that moses said unto aron and unto eleazor , and unto j●hamar , vncover not your heads , neither rend your cloaths , least ye die , and least wrath come upon all the people ; but let your brethren , the whole house of israel bewail the burning which the lord hath kindled : open not your mouths , ( as if he should say ) shew no such sorrow as at other times , for god is just , ( and he hath let out his deserved wrath against these young men ) least you should seem to justifie them , and shew a dislike of god's token of divine dispeasure . . moreover god many times le ts out his wrath by war , and the sword consumes and devours much people : as also by famine and by the pestilence . the wrath of god , as it is let out in this world is as a drying , scorching and devouring fire : the flame of gods displeasure puts all into a flame ; as at this day , all the earth seems to be on a fire , god is now a burning up , and consuming the nations ; therefore he hath poured upon him ( speaking of jacob ) the fury of his anger , and the strength of battel , and it hath set him on 〈◊〉 round about , yet he knew it not , and it burned him , yet he laid it not to heart : war consumes the riches , the wealth , the strength , the food and bread of the nation , as well as the people , but it is not laid to heart . he teareth me ( saith job ) in his wrath : the hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( as mr. caryl notes ) " is near in sound to our english tear , and it signifieth to tear as a lyon his prey . " wrath is of a tearing and devouring nature . god sometimes in his wrath tears in pieces the bodies of men , he tears their power , their riches , and consumes their beauty , and turns all ( as it were to ashes ) and thus he will pour out his wrath on babylon , and she shall be burned with fire . . the wrath of god also seizeth on the souls of some men , whilest they are in this world ; as when they are left , or given up unto hardness of heart , vnbelief , and blindness of mind ; indeed this is most dreadful of all : what can be a greater token of gods divine wrath ? it is the begining of that future vengeance that shall be poured forth upon them to eternity . thus the almighty dealt by the jews for their sin in rejecting of jesus christ , and putting him to death by wicked hands , for this he gave them up to an hard , unbelieving , and an impenitent heart , and then let in the romans upon them , who utterly destroyed their city and temple , and so scattered them on all the face of the earth ; and hence the apostle saith , that wrath was come upon them to the uttermost . . the wrath of god like fire sometimes also seizeth on the consciences of men , by which means they are fearfully tormented , for their horrid blasphemy , prophaness , atheism , apostacy , &c. we have had two examples of this sort , viz. mr. francis spira in the last century , and mr. john child in this . it is enough to make all who read those naratives to tremble , at the very thoughts of the incensed wrath and anger of an offended god. who can stand before his indignation , when his wrath is poured out like fire , on the souls and consciences of men ? o how doth he seem to tear them into peices , even to such a degree as they seem to be in the very torments of hell , while in the body : and not knowing but that a faithful reciting of some passages concerning the inward horror of the said spira and child , may be of some use to caution all to take heed of such like sins which they fell under , i shall ( tho' more briefly than i intended ) compare their states , circumstances , inward anguish and horror of their spirits , together . some passages of the fearful estate of francis spira , spira having received the light of the gospel , became a teacher of the blessed truths thereof amongst his friends and familiar acquaintance ; and ( says the narrative ) in comparison seemed to neglect all other affairs , much pressing this main point of doctrine , viz. that we must wholly and only depend on the free and unchangable love of god in the death of christ , as the only way to salvation . as to his natural and corrupt inclination ; ' i was , saith he , excessively covetous of money ; and accordinly applyed my self to get it by injustice , corrupting justice by doing it , ' &c. as touching spira's sin and his grand fall , it was thus , viz. the popes legate , resident at venice , was stirred by the malice of the papists to accuse spira to him , and by the craft and policy of the legate , and through slavish fear , spira first fled , and afterwards renounced his testimony to the truth ; before which it appears he reasoned thus within himself , thro' the suggestion of the devil , viz. ' be well advised , fond man , consider reasons on both sides , and then judge , how canst thou thus overwean thine own sufficiency , as thou neither regardest the examples of thy progenitors , nor the judgment of the whole church ? dost thou not consider what misery this thy rashness will bring thee into ? thou shalt lose thy substance gotten with so great care and travel ; thou shalt undergo the most exquisite torments that malice 〈…〉 devise ; thou shalt be 〈…〉 an heretick of all ; 〈…〉 to close up all , thou shalt die shamefully : what thinkest thou of the lothsom stinking dungeon , the bloudy ax , the burning faggot ? are they delightful ? be wise at length , and keep thy life and honour . — go to the legate , weak man , and freely confess thy fault , ' &c. and upon these thoughts he goes to the legate , and salutes him with this news , viz. having for these divers years entertained an opinion concerning some articles of faith , contrary to the orthodox and received judgment of the church , and uttered many things against the authority of the church of rome , and the universal bishop , i humbly acknowledge my fault and error , and my folly in my misleading others ; i therefore yeild my self in all obedience to the supream bishop of rome , into the bosom of the church of rome , never to depart again from the traditions and decrees of the holy see ; i am heartily sorry for what is past , and i humbly beg pardon for so great an offence . the legate at this commanded him to return to his own town , and there to confess and acknowledge the whole doctrine of the church of rome to be holy and true , and to abjure the opinions of luther , &c. after this he signed an instrument of abjuration , and then fell under horrid despairation . ' and he thought he heard a direful voice , ' saying , thou wicked wretch , thou hast renounced the covenant of thy obedience , thou hast broke thy vow ; henc apostate bear with thee the sentene of thy eternal damnation . he trembling in body and mind fellinto a swound . now began some of his friends to repent too late of their rash council , not looking so high as to the judgment of god , laid all the blame on his melancholly constitution , that over-shaddowing his judgment , wrought in him a kind of madness , and directed him to the use of physicians , &c. to which spira replyed , alas poor men ! how far wide are you ? do you think that this disease is to be cured by potions ? believe me , there must be another manner of medicine ; it is neither plaister nor drugs that can help a fainting soul , cast down with the sence of sin , and the wrath of god ; 't is only christ that must be the pysician , and the gospel the souls antidote . amongst others that come to visit him was panlus vergerius , and mattheus gribauldus , principal labourers for his comfort ; they sound him about years of age. neither affected with doteage , nor with the unconstant head-strong passion of youth , but in the strength of his experience and judgment ; in a burning heat , calling for drink ; yet his understanding active , quick or apprehension , witty in discourse , above his ordinary manner — they forcibly infused some liquid sustenance into his mouth , most of which he spit out again , and in a fretting mood said , as it is true , that all things work for the better to those that love god , so to the wicked all to the contrary ; for whereas a plentiful off-spring is the blessing of god and his reward , being a stay to the weak estate of their aged parents , to me they are a cause of bitterness and vexation ; they do strive to make me tire out this misery , i would fain be at an end ; i deserve not this dealing at their hands . oh that i were gone from hence , that some body would let out this weary soul ! my sin , said spira , is greater than the mercy of god ; nay , answered his visitors , the mercy of god is above all sin , god would have all men to be saved ; it is true , ( said he ) god would have all the elect to be saved ; he would not have damn'd reprobates to be saved : i am one of that number ; i know it , for i willingly denyed christ , and i feel that he hardens me , and will not suffer me to hope . being asked whether he did believe that doctrine to be true for which he was accused before the legate , he aswered , i did believe it when i denyed it , but now i neither can believe that nor the doctrine of the roman church ; i believe nothing , i have no faith , no trust , no hope , i am a reprobate , like cain or judas , who casting away all hope of mercy , fell under despair ; and my friends do me wrong , that they suffer me not to go to the place of vnbelievers , as i justly deserve . the mercy of god ( said he ) is exceeding large , and extends to all the elect , but not to me , or any like me , who are sealed to wrath : i tell you i deserve it , my own conscience condemns me , what needeth any other judge ; if peter grieved , and repented , it was because christ beheld him with a merciful eye , and in that he was pardoned ; it was not because he wept , but because god was gracious to him ; but god respects not me , and therefore i am a reprobate ; i feel no comfort can enter into my heart , there 's place only for torments and vexings of spirit : i tell you , my case is properly mine own , no man was ever in the like plight , and therefore my estate is fearful . and then roaring out in bitterness of spirit , he said , it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living god. some said with a whispering voice that he was possessed ; he over-hearing it , said , do ye doubt it ? i have a whole legion of devils that take up their dwelling in me , and possess me as their own ; and justly too ; for i have denyed christ , christ will not be denyed , no not in a word , and therefore it is enough ; in heart i never denied him . he said , when asked , that he knew there were worse , far worse pains than those that he then suffered ; for the wicked shall rise to their judgment , but they shall not stand in judgment ; this i tremble to think of , yet i desire nothing more than that i might come to that place , where i may be sure to feel the worst , and to be freed from fear of worse to come . being bid to believe the truths he had denied , he replied , i cannot , god will not suffer me to believe them , nor to trust in his mercy ; what would you have me to do ? i would , but i cannot , tho' i presently be burnt for it . i find i can neither believe the gospel , nor trust in gods mercy ; i have sinned against the holy ghost , and god by his immutable decree hath bound me over to perpetual punishment : god will have mercy on whom he will have mercy , and whom he will he hardneth ; god hath taken away from me all power of repentance , and brings all my sins to remembrance ; and guilty of one , guilty of all , fore it is no matter whether my sins be great or small , few or many ; they are such , that christs blood , nor the mercy of god belongs not to me ; he hath hardened me , i find that he daily more and more doth harden me , and therefore i am without hope ; i feel it , therefore cannot but despair : i tell you , there was never such a monster as i am , never was any man alive a spectacle of such exceeding misery . i know that justification is to be expected by christ , and i have denyed and abjured it , to the end i might keep my frail life from adversity , and my children from poverty , and now behold how bitter my life is to me , and god only knows what will become of this my family ; but sure no good is likely to betide it , but worse and worse , and such at length as one stone shall not be left upon another . said he , the spirit of god often admonished me , when at cittadella i did as it were set my seal , the spirit of god often suggested to me , do not write spira , do not seal , yet i resisted the holy ghost , and did both , and at that very time i did evidently feel a wound inflicted my very will , &c. david was elected and dearly beloved , and tho' he fell , yet god took not utterly away his holy spirit , and therefore was heard when he prayed , ' lord take not thy holy spirit from me . ' but i am in another case , being for ever accursed from the presence of god ; neither can i pray as he did , because the holy spirit is quite gone , and cannot be recalled , — ' o that i might feel but the least sense of the love of god to me , tho' but for one small moment , as i now feel his heavy wrath that burns like torments of hell within me , and afflicts my conscience with pangs unutterable : very desperation is hell it self ; you perswade me to believe , how fain would i do it , but i cannot : ' then violently grasping his hands together , and raising himself , ' behold , said he , i am strong , yet by little and little i decay and consume , and my servants would fain preserve this weary life , but at length the will of god must be done , and i shall perish miserably . ' ' i see , said he , my damnation , and i know my remedy is only in christ , yet i cannot set my self to take hold of him ! such are the punishments of the damned , they repent of their loss of heaven , they cannot amend their ways . ' ' now also belzebub comes to his banquet ; you shall see my end , and in me an example to many , of the justice and judgment of god. ' ' what hell can be worse than desparation , or what greater punishment than the gnawing worm , and unquenchable fire ? horror , confusion , and which is worse than all , desparation it self , continually tortures me ; and now i count my present-estate worse than if my soul were separated from my body , and were with judas and the rest of the damned ; therefore i desire to be there , rather than alive in the body . ' ' god hath taken faith from me , and left me other common gifts for my deeper condemnation , by how much the more i remember what i had , and hear others discourse of what they have , by so much the more is my torment , in that i know what i want , and there is no way to be relieved : thus spake he , the tears trickling down ; professing that his pangs were such , as that the damned in hell endure not the like misery . that his estate was worse than that of cain or judas , and therefore he desired to dye ; yet , behold , said he , the scriptures are accomplished in me , they shall desire to dye , and death shall fly from them . ' some passages of the fearful estate of john child , mr. john child was a preacher , and when he was young a very zealous asserter of the doctrine of gods free-grace ; namely , of personal electrion , and of the saints final perseverance ; and was a man of considerable natural parts and ability , being much followed where-ever he preached , both in the city and countrey , yet seemed to be of a haughty spirit , loving applause and popularity , which it may , be feared was the cause of his fall , and may be a warning to all how they have mens persons in admiration . but he had not many years asserted the doctrine before mentioned , before he changed his judgment , and turned to be a grand arminian ; which notions he maintained with great confidence , and was so conceited of his abilities , that he feared not to dispute with any man , charging the doctrine of personal election at a strong manner , as if the asserters of it rendered god cruel , and worse than the worst of mortals : in his judgment he was a baptist , being against infants baptism , and for the baptism of believers ; for many years he lived in buckingham-shire , near me , i being intimately acquainted wth him for near years ; but a little before the last persecution of dissenters he removed his dwelling , and came to london , and lived near to my habitation , in pauls shadwel ; now the first time i came to fear him , was through some words he uttered to me , which was to his effect ; i have , said he , seriously considered whether there be any thing in religion worth suffering for : which words i wondred at , from such a one as he ; but soon after he conformed , ( troubles rising high , ) and then wrote a cursed book , rendering the dissenters , especially the baptists , very odious ; casting reproach upon their faithful ministers , because some of them were not learned men , i mean with the knowledge of the tongues ; and quickly after this he fell under fearful despairation : i was one of the first men that he sent for , and i found him in a dismal state and condition , being filled with horror , saying , he was damned , and crying out against himself for writing that book ; saying , he had touched the apple of gods eye ; i said all i was well capable to speak , to comfort him , but all in vain ; at another time he said , mine iniquities are great and many , old sins as well as of a late date come to mind ; wrath is come upon me to the utmost , god hath forsaken me , good men are my enemies ; i hate my self , i am afraid and ashamed to go abroad , and am confused and distracted at home ; the scriptures look dreadfully upon me , i have raised reproach , invented reproach , and by it wronged multitudes , — i am afraid to live , and afraid to dye ; judgment i fear will be terrible in this world , and more in the world to come ; i cannot give an account of my actions to men , how much less to god! my heart condemns me , and he is greater , and knows more : i think i have not only outdone cain , balaam , and judas , but some of the devils themselves . o i cannot repent , i cannot repent ! i shall go to hell ! i am broken in judgment ; when i think to pray , either i have a flushing in my face as if i were in a flame , or i am dumb , i cannot speak ; all the signs of one whom god hath left , forsaken and hardened — if i was in heaven , it could not relieve me , for i should behold the face of god and holy saints , as now i behold the face of good men upon earth , with shame and confusion of face — and then again said , wrath is come upon me to the utermost — i am one of the greatest hypocrites that ever lived upon the earth , and shall be so accounted : god hath and will do his will upon me — oh he thunders upon me ! should god let out the sence of my sins on me , ( as he will ) i should howl like a dog , roar like a lyon , bellow like an ox ; mine inward parts would melt within me , as brass melts in a flaming fire ; i shall lye lower than judas , i have sinned worse then judas — he quoting those words in heb. . , . if we sin willfully , after we have received the knowledge of the truths , remains no more sacrifice for sin , &c. he said , when i am faint and low , i take some refreshments , but in hell , there is no refreshment , not a drop of water to cool my tongue . to some that came to visit him , and to comfort him , he said , all is gone , i am undone — i have been so great a sinner against god , and the people of god , that god will have no mercy on me , but will glorifie himself by me , and make me an example for the strengthening and establishing of his people , but it shall end in my destruction — god hath sworn in his wrath that i shall never enter into his rest — i have been a loose and carnal professor , and if i were in the place of god , i should meet the same measure that god doth to me : my calamity is even at the door , and all men in a little time will justifie gods dealing with me : the wrath of god is kindled , and burns in me ; it is impossible for you to imagin my torment , and this is but an earnest penny of my eternal damnation . said a godly man , this is a humbling dispensation that you are exercised under — a humbling dispensation , said he , do you call it ? i tell you , it is an hardening dispensation , and i feel it to be so : said his friend , i hope there is mercy yet reserved for you ; to whom he replyed , i know i shall have such mercy as the damned have ; i do highly justifie god in his dealings with me — at another time , i once thought , said he , that there was a power in man , but now i find it otherwise , for i cannot pray — i have no desire after any thing that is good ; i cannot repent . his visitors asked him if they should pray for him ? he said , no , no. one said to him , the learned dr. twist in his vinditiae gratiae consesseth there were depths in the controversie between the calvinists and arminians , yet he believed the truth against the arminians . mr. child replyed , i thought i could have dived to the bottom of it by my parts , but i see i cannot ; and then , and many other times said , i am broken in judgment — one of his visitors said , you are obliged to stoop to the soveraignty of god ; he replyed , oh i cannot ! i would be above him ! o that there should be an eternal blessed being , and i sure never to enjoy him ; there shall be an eternal wrath and punishment , and i sure to fall under it . i shall be an eternal monument of the wrath of god — pride and covetousness hath ruined me , it hath undone me ; i have been too much influenced thereby : i have been a hypocrite , i am so now : i seem to repent , i do not , i cannot repent : and walking to the end of the room , turned back with a very stern countenance , and striking his hand on his breast , said , no sir , i cannot pamper this body , for god will have it made a remarkable example to this generation . he cryed out against himself for charging those that hold the doctrine of personal-election with consequences beyond the sense of their minds or principles ; i have , said he , made this world my god , i have been guilty of idolatry , i have been guilty of pride , endeavouring to run every man down in dispute ; i have endeavoured to shake the cross off my shoulders ; how deplorable a thing is this , that i that have preached so much of the glory of another world , should now be deprived of it all : you will as surely see me damned , as you now see me stand here . to others he said , i have trifled in religion , trifled , trifled — i am lost , there is no hope , no hope : at another time he said , the black tokens of reprobation are upon me : he said to mr. plant , smiting on his breast , sir , i am damn'd , i am damn'd ; it is so most certainly : my day is over ; o that it was with me as in days past ! but it is too late , the decree is gone forth , it is sealed in heaven , and it is irreversible . jesus christ cannot save me , he will not , he cannot mediate for me , i have so much offended him , in maliciously abusing of his people : o what a wretch was i ! what a spirit was i led by ! i have guilt enough , said he , to sink seventeen kingdoms , and i know the earth would open its mouth and swallow me alive , like corah , dathan and abiram , were it not that god hath reserved me to be a more publick spectacle of his anger and displeasure both to angels and men. i can neither pray , nor desire others to pray for me ; my heart is perfectly hardened ; how should i , when i cannot desire jesus christ to pray for me ; flouds of tears flowing from him , dear bought experience , saith he , hath taught me , that it is no small thing to trifle with him in the great things of religion and eternity , &c. in one of his letters sent to mr. james jones are these expressions , viz. being possessed with doubts , fears and tremblings , night and day , the sad savour of gall and wormwood , an horrible relish of gravel-stones , the sad apprehensions of curses , blastings and mildew — the dismal sound of the mad prophets words , i shall see him , but not now , i shall behold him , but not nigh — had i been a backslider of an ordinary size — i have a voice behind me , or dire texts — to love and make a lye is a qualification for the lake . his poor wife , as i remember , intimated to me , that the very ends of the halr of his head in the night-season did stand in drops thro' the anguish of his soul. thus he continued for several months under most dreadful horror and fearful desparation , until the th . of octob. . when to put an end to his miserable life , he hanged himself in his own hired house , in brick-lane near spitlefields , london , leaving a sorrowful widdow and several children : but she poor woman lived not long after . 't is to be noted , that there was a strange blast upon his estate , for tho' i understood by a friend that was intimate with him , he was little before his fall worth near a thousand pounds , yet i can hear but of a little left to his children , his eldest son being but in a low and mean condition . i take not upon me to pass judgment upon this miserable man , not knowing how god might deal with him , whose mercy is infinite , for i do not believe self-murther is an unpardonable sin ; for if so , there is more sins unto death than one ; certainly it is a sin against the father and the son , and not against the holy ghost , and therefore may be forgiven unto men , who may before their life is quite gone have repentance given to them . but i am of the opinion , ( with a worthy minister that visited him ) that if any atheist in the world who had formerly known this man , and had conversed with him in his bitter agonies , he would have seen sufficient demonstrations to have convinced him that there is a dreadful god , or a power besides and above nature , who can touch , shake , and disorder , and turn into confusion the strongest constitution of body , by ministring and fastning terrible things upon the soul ; and as he saith , let this pillar of salt tend to warn and season the people of this present and future ages , of the danger of sinning against the light of their understanding . moreover , it doth i am sure serve with a witness to prove , and fully to demonstrate the truth of that proposition i am upon , viz. that god doth sometimes let out his wrath on the consciences of some men , for their horrid evil in this world , which seems intollerable and hard to be born or undergone by any mortal . but , secondly , to proceed , by buring up the chaff with unquenchable fire , or by the wrath of god in this place , our blessed saviour doth intend , casting the wicked into hell it self : remarkable it is , that no less than four or five times the lord christ positively affirms in mark . that the fire of hell into which body and soul of wicked men shall be cast , cannot be quenched ; where the worm dies not , and the fire is not quenched , &c. why repeated so often ? is it not to assure all ungodly persons of the certainty of it ? men are not willing to believe this great truth , they are too ready to think that it is inconsistent with infinite goodness to inflict such punishment on his creatures , but alas , they forget that there is an infinite perfection in every one of the divine attributes , and that as gods mercy is infinite , unsearchable , and unconceivable , so is his wrath and fury ; none are able to conceive , much less to declare , what pain and anguish the damned undergo . what torments like fire ? and what fire is so hot and so tormenting as hell-fire ? sad it is to burn half an hour in an elementary fire , yet the martyrs have endured that for christs sake ; god made it easie to some of them : but alas , who can bear the burnings of hell-fire , when wrath shall be let out upon the soul to the utterermost ? o sirs , what a fearful thing will it be to be found chaff , and false hypocritical persons ! such cannot escape the damnation of hell ; no , nor can any sinner whatsoever , except they believe , repent , or are born again ; there is no avoiding being cast into unquenchable fire . thirdly , i shall now endeavour to prove the point , viz. that the wrath of god in hell is intollerable , and far greater than any wrath let out here , either on the bodies or souls of men ; which will appear , if we consider these particulars following : first , the extremity of their torment will appear , upon the consideration that it is inconceivable , beyond all mens understanding ; who knoweth the power of thy anger ? who can apprehend it , or is rightly and duely affected therewith ? we can conceive of all bodily pain , or external torment , but cannot comprehend the nature of infinite wrath , no more than we can conceive or apprehend the nature of infinite love and goodness . secondly , it is and will be intollerable , because it is according to that fear , nay beyond the fear that an awakened conscience hath of it ; even according to thy fear so is thy wrath. o what frightful thoughts and astonishing fears had spira and child of gods wrath : now sirs , it cannot be said of the wrath of god as some other things , or of death it self , i. e. that the fear is worse than the thing ; no , no , acording to the fear , so is the the wrath and vengeance of an angry god. the fears of a dreadful deity are not vain bugbares , and the effects of ignorance , or of a crasie head , of folly , melancholly , or superstition , as some atheistical wretches are ready to say ; no , no , but it is grounded and built upon solid foundations , as it is in part made manifest sometimes by the terrible effects upon mankind , ( as i have hinted . ) wrath bears proportion unto the greatest fear of it , nay , doth far exceed the fear thereof , and what prepared plagues , infinite pains , intollerable anguish , have some self-accused , and self-condemned mortals seared and looked for ? what is the nature of that certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation ? why now according to the fear of it , so will the thing it self be . some have felt much sorrow , but have feared much more : mans thoughts and fears exceed all that can be expressed , &c. thirdly , the wrath of god will be intollerable in hell , and the extremity of the damned amazing , if we compare that misery and anguish with all , or any , nay the worst of plagues and punishments that can be undergone in this world ; i mean of all temporal miseries , as pestilence , famine , war , or any tormenting disease , as the stone , gout , &c. . these may be but the fatherly rebukes and chastenings of the almighty ; not from a sin-revenging hand , but a sin-correcting hand of god ; not in wrath , but in love ; but if his anger be so terrible when he chastizes as a compassionate father , what is his fury when he punishes as a severe judge ? if he deals thus sharply with those he loves , what will their portion be whom he hates ? if his wisdom leadeth him forth thus to corect in mercy , what will be the strokes of his justice and incensed wrath and fury ? . the miseries of this present life are abated , or mitigated with the mixture of some sweet : none are so universally afflicted , so deplorable , but some thing remains to ease their sufferings and tormenting pains : judgments are tempered with mercys . no man ( as one observes ) is tortured with all diseases , nor forsaken of all friends ; besides , if the malady be incurable and remediless , yet their grief is a little allayed by the sympathy of friends and neighbours : but in hell the damned are tortured and surrounded with pain and horror , and incompass'd with flames , without any mixture , nothing to refresh their distressed souls and bodies , no , not one drop of water to cool their tongue . the rich man desired but so much water that lazarus could bring upon the tip of his finger , and it was denyed him . fourthly , the state of the damned is void of the least degree of comfort , ease and refreshment : the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of god , which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation , and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of his holy angels , and in the presence of the lamb : they shall have judgment without mercy , sorrow without joy , pain without ease , darkness without light , all felicity is totally withdrawn . pitty is the cheap and smallest relief any here can meet withal in misery , not denyed to the most guilty notorious criminal , but yet this is not afforded to the damned ; all their bitter crys cannot move the compassion of god nor the blessed angels or saints in heaven toward them , for they are not objects of compassion , their miseries being the just punishments of an offended god , whom they wilfully and of their own choice contemned , thro' love to sin and this present world ; besides , in hell all humane affections are extinguished for ever . ah , this is the quintisence and perfection of misery , the excess of anguish and sorrow , to be deprived of all good things pleasing to our desires , and to suffer all evils from which we have the deepest aversation and abhorrence ; for as in heaven all good , all felicity , all joy , is inconceivable , so in hell all evil is felt and endured to the highest degree , and nothing but what is evil . some of the greatest miseries that mortals have met with here in this world , have been inflicted upon them by the hand of man , ( whose power is but little , and oft-times restrained and mittigated by the lord ) as in the case of the poor martyrs : but in hell the pain and punishment the of damned will be from the immediate hand of almighty god , whose power is infinite ; nay , and it shall be according to his glorious power , or the greatness of his power ; who knows the power of thine anger ? when infinite power is exerted in punishing the offending sinner , who can conceive of that ? what are the lashes of a small whip , to that with scorpions ? or the stroaks of a child , to the blows of a giant ? but alas , this will not reach it , because the stroaks of gods wrath are incomprehensible ; in hell he lets out the perfection of his wrath , as in heaven the perfection of his love , &c. the sorrows and miseries we endure here from the hand of god , may by repentance , by cryes and tears , through christs blood be taken off ; god hath promised to ease such who fly unto him ( and look up to his son ) of their burthen , as he did those that were stung with fiery serpents in the wilderness , who looked up to the brazen serpent ; but no tears , no cries , no repentance , will do in hell , there 's no gospel preached , no means of grace afforded , no christ held forth . fourthly , the torments of the damned will be dismal , intolerable and amazing , because they shall be cast into a lake of fire , or be tormented with fire . o how amazing is it , to be thrown into a fierce fire ! look into a glass-house , ( behold their burning furnaces ) or into a hot oven ; can you bear the thoughts of being thrown into one of them ? whether the fire of hell be material or metaphorical fire , however the reality and extensiveness of the torment is signified by it , held forth by it , and as in other tropes in the scripture , the things signified or held forth by those metaphors far exceed what they are borrowed from , so no doubt it is here , our ordinary fire is not an adequate representation of the fire of gods wrath , tho' it may seem to set it forth to our capacities in some measure ; what is the fire that man kindles , to the fire that god kindles ? nay , to that divine wrath doth kindle ? the breath of the lord , like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it . it is mingled with the most tormenting ingredients , and not a little of it , but a river ; this serves so illustriously to set it forth , that as one hints , as some of the ancient fathers expressed it , if one of the damned might pass out of hell flames into the fiercest fires here , it were to exchange a torment for a refreshment . fifthly , it will be intolerable , because the punishment of hell is to satisfie divine justice , to pay the just debt owing to god for the breach of his holy law ; true , because sin is an infinite wrong , and the creature is but finite , they can never pay the debt , nor make a satisfaction for the injury done to god , therefore they must suffer eternally ; they are always a paying , but can never fully pay what they owe , justice requiring the utmost farthing : nothing can surely set forth the dismalness of their torment more than this . oh take a view of divine wrath in the sufferings of our blessed saviour , when he stood in our stead , and was to satisfie for the sins of all the elect , how did it bring him down prostrate to the ground , and made him sweat great drops of blood , and to cry out , my soul is exceeding sorrowful , even unto death ! tho' he was god as well as man , and had the strength of the infinite deity to support him ! ah sirs , this wrath laid upon finite creatures , will sink them down to the lowest hell , and grind them to powder . sixthly , it will be wrath-amazing , and very terrible wrath , because it will seize on the soul of the sinner , it will put the soul into the fire : the soul hath been the chief sinner here , and therefore shall be the chief sufferer in those regions of sorrow ; and how unsupportable is that wrath which is let out on the soul or spirit of man , you have had a taste in spira and child . if , sirs , a spark of divine displeasure , when it falls upon the guilty conscience , tears it pieces , what will be those floods of divine wrath poured forth in hell on the souls of men and women ? who can stand here whilst in this world before an angry god , or encounter with offended omnipotency ? such is the sharpness of his sword , the heaviness of his rod , when laid on by the hand of his wrath , that every stroak is deadly , and no doubt satan greatens the wounds on the conscience , he charges the guilt upon their spirits with all the soul-killing aggravations , and strives to hide divine mercy , and rob the soul of the precious blood of christ , the only lenitive and choice balm to heal a wounded spirit . o what visions of horror , what sence of fear , and perplexity , were presented to the distressed minds of these two miserable creatures before mentioned ! the guilty conscience turns all joy into sorrow , all light into darkness , the sweet promises of the gospel , that assure of favour and pardon to believing sinners , afford no relief , but are turned into arguments of despair , by reflecting on their former iniquities and abuse of mercies , so that christ himself they see is become their accuser . ' whatever the wounded sinner sees and hears ( saith a worthy minister ) afflicts him , whatever he thinks of , torments him ; all the diversions in the world , business , pleasures , merry conversations , comedies , are as ineffectual to give him freedom from those stings and furies in his breasts , as the sprinkling of holy water is to expel the devil from a possessed person ; those who in their pride and jollity have despised serious religion , either as a fond transport and extasie , or a dull melancholly and dejection about the soul , &c. yet when god has set their sins , with all their killing circumstances , before their eyes , how changed , how confounded are they at that apparition ! how restless in the dreadful expectation of the doom that attends them ! ' but alas , alas , what is internal wrath let out on the soul in hell , as he notes ? for the aprehensions of the soul will be enlarged , and their spirits work with the quickest activity : here tho' they have no hope at present , yet they know not what god may do in a moment to turn their sorrow into joy , and their night into noon-day ; here are many things to divert their thoughts , and they meet with some intermission of their horror and perplexity , as mr. child intimated , but in hell there 's none of this . seventhly , it will be intolerable misery , because it shall be torments on the body and soul too , not on the soul only , but on both . o it will be a dismal meeting , when they two old companions meet together at the last day , i mean the miserable soul and body of a wicked man , at the resurrection , and hear the dolesom sentence , go ye cursed . spira and child had direful sorrow and anguish in their souls , but their bodies were not much tormented , they both being in a state of health as to the outward man ; but the fire of gods wrath will extend to and seize upon the body as well as on the soul in that day ; every faculty of the soul and member of the body which have been instruments of sin , shall then be in pain , and under fearful torture and misery : now the spirit of a man may support or sustain his bodily infirmities and afflictions , but in hell the spirit cannot afford any relief to the body , because it cannot sustain its own misery , both must and shall suffer . eighthly , all the perplexing passions and faculties will then be let out upon the wicked , beyond whatever they have been here whilst in this world. . the conscience in a fearful manner shall torment the damned : may we not conclude conscience will terrifie them after this manner ? o thou wretch , what a god hast thou lost , who is a most infinite , suitable , seasonable , and a soul-satisfying good ! what a christ art thou deprived of , who died for poor sinners ! how often did he knock at thy door , calling upon thee , intreating thee to let him in , who stood with his arms spread open to embrace all that came to him ! and what a heaven and endless joy hast thou contemned , and this for one base lust , for bruitish pleasure for a moment , for a little earthly profit , and sinful honour ! how didst thou hearken to thy vile companions , and close in with them , rather than adhere to me , who accused thee for thy cursed evils ! thou wouldst not mind those checks and lashes thou hadst from me in thy bosom ; did not i tell thee what thy pride , thy lying , thy swearing , thy whoreing , thy theft , thy cheating , thy covetousness , and cruelty to the poor , or unmercifulness , thy neglect of the means of grace , and of gospel or christian duties , thy hardness of heart , thy unbelief , thy hypocrisie and formality , would bring thee to in the end ? this is the gnawing worm that dyeth not : o how fearfully will conscience terrifie and torment the soul of the damned then ! now it is blinded ; misled , deceived , may be seared with a hot iron ; but then it will be throughly awakened , and all vails taken off ; it will lay unmerciful blows upon the soul , and make it cry , yea , roar , and none to speak a word to allay or appease its acclamations and its fearful outcries : you may judge of the nature of a tormenting conscience in hell , by what those have sound and experienced to be the effects of it , who have been under desparation in this world. . shame also will torment them , some shall rise to shame and everlasting contempt . o what shame and confusion of face shall the damned be cloathed with ! should a king lose his crown and kingdom to get a few cockle-shells , would it not bring shame upon him ? o how will the damned soul cry , i have for meer toys and trifles lost that god that made me , that christ that is worth ten thousand worlds , even he that is the pearl of great price : i have been that judas that did not value him above thirty pence , no , not above the sinful profits of this world , not above the pleasure of sin , and the filthy lusts of the flesh ; thus will the unclean person be ashamed , shame will torment him ; i must , saith he , now lye in hell for ever , and pay dear for my folly. . the drunkard will be also tormented with shame : i was such a fool , ( he then may say ) that for the sake of my cups , and love to my cursed companions , and merry bouts , have lost god , the perfection of happiness ; i rather chose to go to the ale-house , or tavern , to drink and carouse with these damned wretches , than to go to hear gods word ; i derided them that feared to sin against god , and accounted them fools , but i must lye in hell for ever , and pay dear for my wickedness . . shame also will torment the proud and ambitious person : ah what a fool was i , he will say , to love the praise of men more than the praise of god! i sought vain honour , and pleased my self with a name , all my design was to be great , and had in esteem among men ; i was proud of my estate , and despised he poor ; i was of a haughty spirit , and gloried in my titles of honour ; i sought the favour of my prince , but regarded not the favour of god ; i was proud of my parts , i gloryed in my gifts , in my beauty , in my strength ; i delighted my self in antick dresses , and in decking of my vile body that now is here burning in hell ; i was so graceless , that i would not leave off idle and foolish fashions , though godly ministers were grieved at me , and told me my doom , and tho' god bore witness against my high head and haughty heart , by strange prodigies in nature , seen in divers poor animals , yet i still vaunted my self in pride , and wantouness , and laught at christs ministers when they reproved me . o what shame torments me now , here must , i lye in hell under gods wrath for ever , and pay dear for my folly ! . the prophane swearer and blasphemer will be also tormented with shame : o , saith he , i looked upon my self to be no small person , but one of the hero's of my day , and fit to keep company with great men , because i could swear and curse with any of them ; how often did i call upon god to damn me ! i have but that which i desired , he hath now damn'd me indeed : i acted like a fearless brute beast : o what shame do i find my soul covered with , that i should cast away my self for that filthy vice that was no profit to me any manner of way ! . shame also will terrisie , and bring confusion upon the carnal worldling , or covetuous person , who made this world his god i had , he will say , store of gold and silver in my bags and chests , where it lay to rust , but i refused to feed the poor , and to cloath the naked , i regarded no distressed members of christ ; i set my heart upon my earthly treasure , valuing it above god and jesus christ : o what a fool was i , in that i could not foresee how soon i must leave all that which i had gathered . i to get the world , slighted , nay , despised my own soul ; now if i had ten thousand worlds , i would give them for the favour of god , nay for one drop of water to cool my tongue . . the lyar moreover will be tormented with shame . ah! saith he , how often did i read , that those that did love and make lies should burn in this lake , but i would not believe it ; i damn'd my own soul by telling lies to please my graceless companions , even to cause them to laugh and be merry , or to excuse my self , and free me from shame when on earth , or for a little worldly profit , gain , or for popular applause , i made no conscience oftelling lyes : o what shame doth these things now bring upon my spirit ! . the seducer and heretical person likewise will be filled and tormented with shame , who preached false doctrine , or sucked in detestable errors , laying aside the chief corner-stone , and magnifying morality , or the light of natural conscience , above christ : i seemed , saith he , to be a strict and zealous person , and deceived multitudes of people , but for trusting in my own righteousness , for hugging a few base filthy raggs i am damned : i was ignorant of gods righteousness , and of the mysteries of the gospel , yet gave out that none were true christians but such as my self ; i denyed that christ that bought me , and did not believe the resurrection of my body , but now i find how the devil blinded my eyes , and now here tormented with shame i must lie in these flames , body and soul for ever ! o! and what a multitude of poor deluded creatures have i been an instrument to bring into this place ! wo is me that ever i was born ! . the hypocritical professor will be tormented with shame also : i rested ( he will say ) upon a bare name of being religious , pleased my self with the shell , withan empty cabinet , without the jewel , a lamp of profession , with a form of godliness , my business was to keep up my credit amongst gods people , that they might take me to be one of them ; yet my own conscience often told me i was not sincere , i loved not the life and power of godliness , i did all to be seen of men , had base ends , i appeared abroad to be what i was not at home : o what shame now torments my soul ! i had a darling lust which i would not forego , my heart was never really changed — thus i might go on to the rest , &c. o what shame will seize upon the sinner , when all his vain excuses are laid open , and all his extenuations of his guilt are discovered , when his secret deeds of darkness are published ( as it were ) on the house-top , when his breast shall be transparent to all eyes , when his inward thoughts , cursed lusts , cruel malice , murthers and deceits , are made manifest , and all his beastly sensualities shall be laid open before god , angels and saints , when the vails and covers of shame shall be taken off , how will he be confounded for ever ! . the devil also no doubt will reproach them for their folly , though he be in misery with them : ah thou wretch , may not he say , wast thou not a fool to believe me , ( whom thou wast often told was a liar from the beginning ) and wouldst not believe thy god ? see how i have betrayed thee , and blinded thine eyes , and made thee taken with silly rattles , toys and triffles ; i presented thee with false money , with brass counters , and thou didst take them , and refuse precious gold and pearl ; i knew i was damned , and should be tormented , and i out of malice to thy soul resolved to try to make thee as miserable as my self , and i have done it : alas i had no power to force thee , but i saw thou hadst no strength to resist my enticements , nor didst thou see thy own disability , i hid it from thee , that thou mightest not look up to christ for help : i made thee believe thou wast a christian , it was i that told thee thy heart and state was good , ( when i knew thou wast an undone man ) and thou didst believe me ; i had more honour shewed me by thee , than the great god ; thou didst believe me , and wouldst not believe him , his word , his ministers . ah how just is it , thou fool , that thou should stlie here with me to eternity in these flames , . moreover , sorrow will violently penetrate and seize on the soul of the damned , partly upon the account of what they have lost , together with the sense of the evil they feel . o how great is the loss of an earthly kingdome ! doubtless no little grief and sorrow to a king who meets with that affliction , but what is that to the loss of the presence of god , the vision of god , and the glorious enjoyment of christ , and the eternal crown and kingdom above . oh! what grief and perplexity will this be unto them , especially when they reflect on the small value of those things for the sake of which they deprived themselves of eternal felicity ! how have some mourned for the loss of an husband , a wife , or children ! what will then the sorrow be for the loss of jesus christ ? christ is lost , heaven is lost , and now here must i lye ! o gulph of misery , dolesom darkness and endless torment ! . despair will torment them also , this will make their pain and anguish more intolerable . o how dismal was the despair of spira and child , but in hell it will exceed , it will be utter despair , without all hope and intermission ! . fury and rage will afflict them also : o how will they tear , roar and howl in a hideous manner , hating themselves and cursing those that inticed them to sin and folly , and to slight the eternal joys of heaven ? tenthly , the misery which the damned undergo in hell will be great , upon the account of their hateful and amazing companions , viz. the devils , they must dwell with devils for ever : how have some who have but thought they have seen the devil , trembled , and been terrified ! alas , alas ! in hell sinners shall be continually with him , nay with millions of devils ; who can express the horror that will seize on the damned in this respect ? we do not love to see such who have ruined us of our estates , robbed us out of malice of our good names ; a king in chains , in a dungeon , cannot like to behold the vile traitor that dethroned him , that wounded him , and stript him of all his royal robes ; thus hath the devil dealt with those miserable creatures of lost mankind that are damned ; yet he shall be with them , and be their companion , and may , as you heard , reproach them , which with the constant sight of his ugly face , will add to their misery and sorrow . eleventhly , the place of torment is called a lake of fire , yet it is called utter darkness , they shall never see the least glimpse of light any more for ever . o how grievous is it to dwell in darkness ! the darkness of egypt no doubt was one of their worst plagues , darkness that might be felt , but alas what was that darkness to the darkness which the damned shall be in ; and feel to eternity ? if therefore the fire of hell be material fire , yet it will not be like our common fire , the property of which is to give light ; but it will be dark fire : god can change that quality of fire , if he please , tho' it may have all other properties , yet not that . the holy ghost saith , speaking of the ungodly , who are as clouds without water , trees whose fruit is withered , twice dead , plucked up by the root , that to them is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever . the blackness of darkness shews the horror of their punishment , and it being reserved for them shews the certainty of it : as their deeds have been deeds of darkness , works of darkness , and some of them have wrought wickedness in secret , or in darkness , so their punishment shall be darkness , never to have the least glimpse of external , nor internal , nor eternal light , any more for ever . eleventhly , the torment of the damned is and will be intolerable , because it will be for ever and ever , the eternity of their misery is that which above all things renders it amazing , 't is called in my text unquenchable fire : o how astonishing is this ! all the tears of those miserable wretches can never quench one spark of the fire ; no , no , if they could weep a sea of brinish tears , or a sea of blood , it could not allay or extinguish the least spark of divine wrath. god will never reverse the dismal sentence : how often doth our saviour say , there the worm dyeth not , and the fire is not quenched : sure he repeats it so oft , as i hinted before , because the heart of man is ready to question the truth thereof . wicked men are not willing to believe it , but they shall find it to be true to their endless sorrow at last : ah sirs , the thoughts of this drives them into the greatest horror imaginable ; if pain and anguish be never so extream , yet if there is grounds to hope and believe it will be but short , that affords some ease , some relief ; but when there is no hope , but they must bear it as long as they live , ( tho' they may live ten , twenty or thirty years ) the thoughts of this is intolerable . what then shall we say of the torments of the damned , which as they are far beyond all pain and misery that ever mortal felt on earth , so they will abide to the days of eternity ; should one of you be cast into a fire , a fierce fire , and it was possible that your body might lye therein , burning , and broiling , and you not be able to dye , for an hundred years , would not the thoughts of such punishment be exceeding frightful and tormenting ; but alas , alas ! what is an hundred years to eternity , if after ten hundred thousand million of years are run out in hell , the damned might hope their torments would be over , it would relieve them , but when so long a time ( comparatively ) is gone , they shall not be one moment nearer the end of their sorrow and misery : if one sand of the sea shore was removed , and but one in a year , yet should that be done or continued every year , until all the sands on the sea-shoar were removed , ( tho' it would be a long time first ) yet they would be all removed at last : and had the damned but so much hope , that after so long a time as that would amount to , their torments would have an end , it would revive their spirits . o this word eternity , eternity , is most amazing to wicked men ! besides , as in pleasures , joy and delights , time seems to slide away in a silent and insensible manner , so in horrid pain and misery the days seem long and tedious , every minute is accounted ; so that the consideration of this must needs make their eternity , if it were possible , a double eternity , nay , many eternities ; for one hour under the greatest extremities of misery seems ten times , nay , an hundred times longer than an hours time in the enjoyment of the sweetest delight and pleasure . an eternity of joy is long in respect of duration , but seems short ( saith a worthy divine ) in respect of apprehension . so on the other hand , say i , an eternity of pain , torment and misery , is long in respect of duration , but seems much longer in respect of apprehension . quest . but shall there not be an end of the torments of the damned ? will infinite goodness be so severe with his offending creatures ? can this stand consistent with the sweetness of his nature and infinite mercy ? answ . i answer , there is a perfection in every one of gods divine attributes ; as his love is infinite to such who are his elect ones , who do believe in him , honour and obey him , so is his hatred infinite to all those who despise , hate and dishonour him . . god will be sure glorifie his veracity , or the truth of his threatning : he that hath said , the righteous shall be saved with an everlasting salvation , or shall have eternal life , hath said , that the wicked shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the lord , and from the glory of his power : they are tormented day and night for ever and ever . now since god hath decreed and denounced eternal punpishment to obstinate sinners , it is sufficient to satisfie all doubts about the justice of it . let god be true , and every man a liar ; for divine justice and wrath is the correspondence of his will , actions , and holiness of his nature to the damned : ' as divine love and goodness is to such who are saved ; we may therefore , saith one , as easily conceive there is no god , as that god is unjust , because absolute rectitude is an inseparable perfection of his nature ; ' is god unrighteous who taketh vengance ? god forbid . . sin deserveth no less than an infinite and an eternal punishment , therefore unless the damned could give an infinite satisfaction by suffering , they must suffer eternally , for they must lye in prison until they have paid the uttermost farthing : but alas , how should they make full payment to gods justice who run continually into debt , more and more ! for the damned in hell do not cease sinning , they will sin to eternity , and therefore must suffer to eternity . . nay , they will sin with the greatest fury and madness against god , when they come to be under the greatest sence of despair imaginable ; they will sin then like as the devils do now , and will for ever , when they see they are deprived of all good , and only possess what is evil : o how will they hate god , blaspheme his holy name for evermore ! the blessed god is the object of their curses and eternal aversation ; in hell is weeping and gnashing of teeth . ' extream sorrow and extream fury , despair and rage ( saith one ) are proper passions of lost souls ; their enmity against god is direct and explicit , the feaver is heightned into a frenzy . if their rage could extend to him , and their power equal to their desire , they would dethrone the most high ; hatred takes pleasure in revenge . ' 't is said of the worshippers of the beast , that they gnawed their tongues for pain , and blasphemed the god of heaven because of their pain : these torments and blasphemies of the damned are clearly represented by these cursed impenitent idolaters . ' if a criminal were justly condemned to a severe punishment , and should contumeliously , with the greatest fury reproach the prince by whose authority he was condemned , could it be expected there should be a mitigation of the severity of the sentence ? ' how then should the righteous judge of heaven and earth reverse or mitigate the sentence against the damned , who blaspheme his holy majesty , and if they were able to effect as they are malicious to desire , would destroy his very being , and execute that on him which he in justice inflicts on them ? . to hast to the application : the infinite guilt that cleaves to sin , and the consideration that they continually add more guilt upon their own heads , requires a proportion in punishment , as the evil of sin exceeds our thoughts : the majesty of god being infinite , consequently the punishment of it will be infinite , and beyond our conceptions ; it will be a letting out of his infinite wrath and utter extent of his power , therefore unto the wicked is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever . application . from hence we may inferr , how great evil there is in sin ; o sin is the plague of all plagues ! who can conceive how detestable a thing is sin in the sight of god , since he who is so gracious , merciful and compassionate a god , should throw millions of men and women in his wrath into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone . . this also shews the woful depravation of mankind , what darkness , ignorance and folly is in their minds and hearts , that choose sin , when told not only how hateful it is to god , but what intolerable and durable torments it doth expose them unto : one would think that a person that hears these things should never indulge his vicious appetite any more , nor lay his reins loose on the neck of his lust , but it is more marvelous to see or hear that he who believes the scripture , and doubteth not of the truth of hell torments , should yet notwithstanding lead an ungodly life ; what believe there is such torments prepared for all impenitent persons , and yet not turn to god by jesus christ ! . from hence also we may inferr , how necessary it is that ministers open the torments of hell , seeing jesus christ so often in the gospel threatens all hypocrites and vnbelievers therewith : they that say it is legal preaching , to preach such a doctrine as this , know not what they say ; will they magnifie their wisdom above the wisdom of jesus christ , and the first and great preachers of the gospel of peace , who said , we knowing therefore the terror of god , perswade men ; that is , to beleive in christ , and to live godly lives , that so they may never feel gods eternal wrath ; the hearts of men can more easily conceive of the torments of hell than of the joys of heaven . and as it may be of use by way of information , so also by way of terror , and that to many sorts of persons . . tremble ye wordly professors , who have earthly spirits , that set your hearts on things below , and neither cloath the naked , nor feed the hungry , weep and howl for the misery that shall come upon you , — ye have heaped treasure together against the last day ; how will your folly gall your consciences when you lye in hell-torments ! whilst you heap up gold and silver in your bags and chests , you heap up wrath against the last day : remember what christ says unto you , and these shall go away into everlasting punishment . what will your profession signifie , if you love the world above god , which be sure you do , if you see a brother or sister in want , and do not give them such things that they need : remember mr. child , i have made this world ( saith he ) my god. . tremble you proud and vain-glorious persons : pride , cryes poor mr. child , hath undone me ; the proud and all that do wickedly shall be as stubble , and the day that comes shall burn them up . will you glory in your riches , honours , gifts , knowledge , or any thing you have ? will you not be reclaimed to throw off your god-provoking fashions , whatsoever comes of it , but plead to uphold your lusts and vanity , tho' the name of god be dishonoured , and religion brought into contempt , and the godly grieved . . tremble you vain young men and women , who forget your creator in the days of your youth , that secretly resolve your own hearts shall choose your ways ; who will feed your carnal appetites and wanton desires , and will run on in wicked courses , let ministers say what they will , godly parents say what they will , yet you will swear , lye , be drunk , commit uncleanness . o know , as you feed your lusts here , and that burns in you , so shall hell feed on you , and that fire like chaff burn you up hereafter : will a few merry hours with your filthy companions make a compensation for the loss of your precious and immortal souls ? are you willing to suffer the wrath of god for ever , rather than to forgo your vain and wicked courses ? . tremble ye that harbour atheistical thoughts in your hearts , and are ready to think or hope there is no god : o how soon may you feel him within you , by his terrible wrath ! as mr. child in bitterness of soul cryed out . . tremble ye lyars , that love to make a lye , for you shall have your portion in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone , which is the second death . . tremble ye who are light and frothy persons also , you that are back-biters , busie-bodys , that vilifie and reproach the servants of god out of malice and prejudice , you will be as chaff that shall burn in hell for ever . . tremble all ye that slight christ and his gospel , and neglect those convictions you have either of sin or duty , and that slight all serious thoughts of eternity , or how things will go with you in another world , and who stiffle your consciences , or turn a deaf ear to it's rebukes , god may awaken you er'e long in his wrath , and tear you to pieces when there is none to deliver you . . tremble all ye hypocrites , whose hearts condemn you for harbouring some sin or another in your bosoms , who are not what you seem to be , but strive to cover your vileness under a cloak of a visible profession : fearfulness will soon surprize you : who amongst us shall dwell with devouring fire ? who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burning ? hell is that place that is prepared for hypocrites and vnbelievers : it seems by the word of our blessed saviour , that they above all are in a dangerous estate , and shall not escape eternal burning . . tremble ye apostates , ye who have backsliden from god. o fear , lest god let out his wrath upon you here , and it burn within you , whilst you are alive in the body ; and if it prove a final apostacy , wo be to you as ever you were born ! then there remains no more sacrifice for sin , but a certain fearful looking for of judgment , and fiery indignation that shall devour the adversaries . exhort . o repent , repent , haste to christ , believe on him . . motive . the god of mercy exercises much patience towards poor sinners , o how doth he wait , o how willing is he they should be saved , and not come into the place of torment . . he tells you what your end will be , if you believe not , if you accept not his son , fly not for refuge to take hold of jesus christ ; if ye believe not in christ , ye shall dye in your sins ; that is , you shall be damned for ever : he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved , but he that believeth not shall be damned . he sets out the torments of the damned by the most amazing figures , to move upon mens spirits , and work upon their minds , so that they being deterred form evil practices may flee from the wrath to come , by laying hold on the hope set before them ; he gives warning before he strikes , tells you of your danger ; except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish ; he that believeth on the son hath everlasting life , and he that believeth not the son , shall not see life , but the wrath of god abideth on him ; the wicked shall be turned into hell , with all the nations that forget god : you may know how it will go with you at the last day , if you hear but gods warning-pieces in his word : know ye not the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of god ? be not deceived , neither fornicators , nor idolaters , nor adulterers , nor effeminate persons , nor abusers of themselves with mankind , nor thieves , nor drunkards , nor extortioners ; &c. compared with rev. . . . god calls , nay cries to you sinners , o ye simple ones , why will ye love simplicity , and fools hate knowledge ! turn ye at my reproof , and behold i will pour out my spirit upon you , &c. . he gives sinners time and space to repent , or a day of grace . o now unexcusable will he leave every ungodly man at the last day ! their destruction shall appear to be of themselves ; be sure god will be clear when he judges , none shall have any thing to charge him with , all mouths shall be stopped . the man that wanted the wedding-garment was speechless . . god hath sent his son to die for sinners : god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son , that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish , but have everlasting life . . he sends his ministers to call you , to invite you , who tell you all things are now ready : sinners , will your sinful honours , riches or pleasures , make a reparation for the loss of a christ , the loss of heaven , and loss of your own souls ? take two or three directions . . seek the kingdom of heaven first , before all things . . take notice , this is the day of your visitation , know now the things that belong to your peace , before they are hid from your eyes : behold now is the accepted time , &c. . close with christ whilst the spirit strives with thee , and before conscience is feared , or let out against thee , to tear thee into pieces . . attend carefully upon the means of grace , and know assuredly that the wages of sin is eternal death , even everlasting burnings , therefore renounce it with the greatest abhorrence ; know all the pleasures and honours of this life are but the elements of carnal felicity , and according to the judgment of reason and sense would any one chuse the enjoyment of the greatest pleasures for a day , and afterwards be satisfied to suffer the most exquisite torments for a year ? much more folly and madness it is for momentary brutish delights to incurr the fiery . indignation of god for ever . . one word to you that are believers , and i have done . o bless god for jesus christ , who has born the wrath of god for you , and in your stead , that you might never seel the bitterness of it , even jesus who delivered us from wrath to come . . admire the distinguishing grace and special love of god : we love him , because he first loved us : it was his love that overcame you . the meer fear of hell is not sufficient to convert the souls of men , tho' it may stop them in their way , and prevent great abominations in the gross acts thereof , yet does not , cannot renew their nature , regenerate and make holy their hearts and lives ; that religion that is the meer effect of fear will be according to the nature of its principle , even legal , wavering and inconstant ; yet the fear of hell may awaken the sinner , and in some sence prepare for grace : when the soul is stormed by the terror of wrath , and the fear of hell has made a breach , divine grace enters , but it is the love of god and hopes of heaven that works spiritual affections , ( as the obedience that flows therefrom is evangelical , free and voluntary , from the entire consent of the soul ) and are abiding . . be content with your condition , tho' poor in this world , remember lazarus , how much better was his state than the rich glutton's ? o do not envy the wicked that are rich , they will pay dear for their wealth when they come to hell , which they with greedy covetous minds heap up . i remember a passage which is related in history : a general with an army passing through another princes countrey , gave strict order that no person should offer to touch the least thing which belong'd to the inhabitants ; but nevertheless one souldier as they were upon their march , stole a bunch of grapes , which the general being informed of , gave order that he should immediately be put to death ; as he was going to execution , he fell a eating his grapes , and some persons looking greedily on him , he observing them , said , do not envy me my grapes , for they cost me dear , they cost me my life . . let it appear to all that you do love jesus christ , and preferr the honour of god and his interest above all things in this world ; let the main end and design of your souls in desiring grace , gifts , knowledge , &c. and in all you act and do in his service , be , that you may advance his glory . sirs , the time is near when it will be known who are christs wheat , true christians , and who are not ; but let all that are but chaff tremble , for hell is prepared for them : he will gather the wheat into his garner , but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire . finis . the blessedness of christ's sheep : or , no final falling from a state of true grace . demonstrated , in several sermons , lately preached , and now for general good published . wherein all the grand objections usually brought against the saints final perseverance , are fully answered . by benjamin keach . heb. . . but we are not of them who draw back unto perdition : but of them that believe , to the saving of the soul. london , printed in the year , . the blessedness of christ's sheep , &c. john x. , . my sheep hear my voice , and i know them , and they follow me . and i give unto them eternal life , and they shall never perish , neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . beloved , these words are the words of our blessed saviour : and they contain no small comfort to all true believers , who are the sheep and lambs of jesus christ . my main purpose or intention , is to speak to the th verse , and to defend the sweet and comfortable doctrine of the saints final perseverance ; but shall begin with the th verse , viz. my sheep hear my voice , and i know them , and they follow me . in our text are two parts . . something implied , viz. christ is a shepherd , and that he hath a people that are his sheep . . something that is expressed , viz. that all such who are his sheep , hear his voice , and do follow him . you have in the words , . the property of christ's sheep . . their security , and happy state and condition . . their character or property , viz. they hear his voice , and do follow him . . their security , and happy state and condition . . he knows them , that is , he approves of them . . he gives to them eternal life . . they are in his hand , and shall never perish . our saviour in this chapter calls himself the shepherd of the sheep , yea , the good shepherd , ver. . i am the good shepherd : the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep . now if it be demanded who are the sheep of christ ? i answer , all that the father hath given to him , and that believe in him . christ's sheep may be considered as his two manner of ways . . decretively . see ver. . and other sheep i have , which are not of this fold : them also i must bring , and they shall hear my voice . the lord jesus meaneth the gentiles , these he calls his sheep by virtue of god's eternal election , them also i must bring ; they are given unto me ; and all that the father hath given me , shall come unto me . i lay down my life for them , or in their stead , that they might not perish . i therefore ( as if he should so say ) must bring them , call them , renew or regenerate them : the covenant i have made with my father is such , that it cannot be broken ; the purpose , counsel , and promises of god shall stand . this agrees with that word of the holy god to st. paul , be not afraid , but speak , and hold not thy peace : for i am with thee , and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee ; for i have much people in this city . they are called the lord's people , though then in a state of darkness and unbelief ; decretively , or according to his eternal purpose , they were his . . actually , or such who are already brought in , or who do believe , and are visibly of his fold . the doctrine i shall prosecute , shall be drawn as comporting with this latter exposition . doct. . all true believers are the sheep and lambs of jesus christ , and he is their shepherd ; they hear his voice , and follow him . two things i shall ( god assisting ) do . before i raise any other point of doctrine , in prosecuting this , i shall , . open or explain this proposition . . apply it . in speaking to the first , i shall observe this method . first , i shall explain the proposition . . i shall shew you in what respect they may be said to be his sheep . . shew what is meant by christ's voice . . what by hearing of his voice . . what by his knowing of them . . give you some of the characters of christ's sheep ; and shew how they follow him . . shew what a kind of shepherd christ is . first , they are his sheep by choice , or by virtue of election . those that are christ's , are not only his sheep , but his spouse also , according to another scripture-metaphor ; and therefore 't is reasonable they should be his own free choice , and such as he can and doth dearly love ; not only such as the father loved , but he himself also loved : all that were elected from everlasting , were beloved by the father , and the son , from everlasting , with a purpose of grace and favour , or love of benevolence . the sign and fruit of christ's love to his sheep , is the choice he hath made of them ; ye have not chosen me , but i have chosen you , and ordained that you should go and bring forth fruit , and that your fruit should remain , john . . this christ mentions here , as an argument of his greatest love ; and therefore he doth not refer to that choice of them as apostles , for so was judas chosen , who was not comprehended in god's eternal election ; i speak not of you all , i know whom i have chosen , john . . judas was chosen to the apostleship , but was not chosen to eternal life ; he was a devil , and therefore not to be one of christ's sheep : have i not chosen you twelve , and one of you is a devil ? christ hath no sheep , but such that he was pleased to chuse , or make choice of for his own ; and he knows them , before they know him , as the apostle speaks , the lord knows them that are his ; that is , all such that he hath chosen according to the decree of eternal election . secondly , christ's sheep are his , by virtue of the father's free donation . they are all given unto him ; i pray not for the world , but for them thou hast given me . i have manifested thy name to the men which thou gavest me out of the world : thine they were , and thou gavest them me . they were given to christ to be his sheep , to be his spouse , and members of his mystical body . behold , i and the children thou hast given me , are for signs and wonders in israel . thirdly , they are christ's sheep by purchase : he bought them all , and that too at a dear price . he paid heartily for them , every sheep cost one and the same price , even the meanest , poorest , and weakest of them , cost more than ten thousand millions ; nay , that which was in value more than ten thousand worlds : ye are not your own , but you are bought with a price . we had sold our selves to other masters , and they had possession of us . i am carnal , saith paul , sold under sin. he was formerly sold , and was hardly yet got out of the tyrant's hand . behold , for your iniquities have you sold your selves ; but ye shall be redeemed without money . we were all sold to sin , sold to satan , and there was no ways to redeem us from the wrath of god , without a great ransom ; justice will have a satisfactory price : and since corruptible things , as silver and gold , will not do it , no nor a thousand rams , nor ten thousand rivers of oil , nor the fruit of the body , which could not make atonement for the sin of the soul , christ must come to the price proposed to him , and demanded of him , if he will purchase these sheep , and that was his own precious blood. take heed therefore unto your selves , and to the flock over which the holy ghost hath made you overseers , that ye feed the church of god , which he hath purchased with his own blood. i lay down my life for my sheep . this was the price , so dearly did christ buy his sheep . and this day , beloved , the tokens of this price , or sacred signs or symbols of this purchase is to be set before your eyes : pray remember that believers are christ's sheep by purchase . fourthly , believers are christ's sheep by renovation , or transformation . in this lies a great mystery , they had not once a sheep-like nature , but by grace their swinish and evil qualities are changed : he hath infused new and holy dispositions into them . so that in this respect jesus christ excels all other shepherds , for they cannot turn swine , bears , or tigers , into sheep ; but the lord jesus , by the holy ghost , makes such to become his sheep , or to have sheep-like natures and dispositions , that were before as vile , filthy , and abominable as the worst of sinners : the holy ghost compares them before grace and regeneration , to dogs , swine , &c. they having like evil qualities with those unclean and filthy creatures : such were some of you . what a kind of such were they ? why , thieves , covetous , drunkards , reviiers , extortioners , effeminate , &c. but ye are washed , but ye are sanctified , but ye are justified in the name of the lord jesus , ( that is , by the power of the lord jesus and by the spirit of our god. christ hath not one sheep , but what he hath made so to be : he , as god , made them at first , and they having lost their first excellent and holy nature , he new makes them , forms them again , or transforms them into his own holy , humble , meek , and gentle nature . this people have i formed for my self , they shall shew forth my praise . we are created in christ jesus unto good works ; and thus they may be said to be his sheep . fifthly , believers are christ's sheep , by a holy covenant or contract made with the father ; and by virtue of this covenant they were given to him . by virtue of this covenant he died for them ; by virtue of this covenant they became his , and he calls them , renews them , and changes them ; he shall see his seed . it was by the blood of this covenant the great shepherd of the sheep was raised from the dead ; that they might be raised , quickned , and justified . by virtue of this covenant he gathers them , and carries them in his arms , and lays the young and tender ones in his bosom ; and gently leads such that are with young , isa . . . by virtue of this covenant he puts his fear into their hearts , that they may not depart from him . christ as mediator in this covenant , is god's servant , and undertakes the office of shepherd , to take care of , feed , heal , and preserve all those who were given to him by the father . sixthly , believers are christ's sheep by conquest . they were fallen into the enemy's hand ; in the hands and under the power of most cruel tyrants , who designed to tear them in pieces and devour them : they were in satan's hand , and under the power of sin ; and were meer bond-slaves , and in fearful slavery to these enemies , having their eyes put out , their fleece torn off , or strip'd of their robes , being dangerously wounded . and although jesus christ , to redeem them from wrath and misery , laid down a great price ( as you heard before ) to satisfy god's justice ; yet , alas , satan takes no notice of that , they were in his hand ; who like a strong man armed , keeps the soul , and had power over them : therefore jesus christ puts forth his almighty hand to vanquish and subdue this cruel foe , and thereby redeems and rescues all his sheep out of slavery and bondage ; by which means they come to be his by a blessed conquest of their enemies , and by overcoming them ; for he subdues their hearts bends and subjects their rebellious wills by the power of divine grace , before he can have one of them : all the sheep of christ yield themselves up to him , as being conquered by him ; overcome by his love , and the power of his spirit . this brings me to the next thing . seventhly , and lastly , believers are christ's sheep by virtue of a holy resignation of themselves to him . they have chosen him to be their shepherd : other sheep can't make choice of their shepherd , but christ's sheep can do this , their eyes being enlightned to see the excellency of christ , the greatness of his love , and what he hath suffered and undergone for them ; they commit their souls to his care and keeping , that he may watch over them , feed and lead them : they gave themselves first unto the lord , and unto us by the will of god. first , they gave themselves unto the lord , ( by the power of his spirit ) to be his , and no more their own , but to be his people , his spouse , his sheep ; and then gave themselves to his church , to be of his flock . christ hath no member , no sheep of his visible church or fold on farth , but such who know him ; i am known of mine . they are not ignorant persons , or such who are unable to give themselves up to him . others are not required to give them : no , no ; they must be able to give or resign themselves to him , ( as being overcome by his love ) and thus they become his sheep also . secondly , i shall shew you what is meant by christ's voice . there is a four-fold voice of jesus christ which his sheep hear . . the voice of his word . . the voice of his spirit . . the voice of his holy doctrine . . the voice of his rod. first . christ's sheep hear the voice of his word . the holy scripture is christ's word , and therefore the voice of christ , and this voice his sheep hear : they give full credit to the truth of the sacred scriptures , they believe they are of divine authority : all scripture is given by inspiration of god , and is profitable for doctrine , for reproof , for correction , for instruction in righteousness . they are none of christ's sheep that do not , will not hear this voice of christ ; that is , do not believe the truth of the sacred scriptures , do not hear nor regard what they speak , but magnify unwritten traditions above the word of god , or the light of natural conscience . the sheep of christ hear christ's voice in the ministry of his word , they attend upon the preaching of the gospel , and look upon the word delivered in christ's name , by his faithful ministers , to be the voice of christ unto them : but how , or after what manner christ's sheep do hear his voice , viz. the voice of his word , i shall open under the third head. secondly , there is the voice of christ's spirit ; and this voice of his his sheep hear also , and indeed none but they . sirs , this is that voice of christ which doth the work , and that which discovers who are his sheep . the voice of christ's word , without the spirit , is not sufficient ; the word will not make sinners hear , though it be spoken a thousand times over , except the spirit 's voice do accompany it : i shall therefore open to you the nature of this voice of christ , i mean , the voice of his spirit . . 't is an awakening voice : sinners are asleep , yea , in a dead sleep , and sleep they will till they hear this voice . the powerful voice of christ awakened dead lazarus after he had lain in the grave four days : and it must be the like voice that doth awaken the sleepy and dead sinner ; wherefore he saith , awake thou that sleepest , and arise from the dead , and christ shall give thee life . 't is sad to see what a multitude of poor people sit , day by day , under the hearing of the word , and yet remain in their sins : they are asleep , the word doth not awaken them ; but when the spirit 's voice is heard , when that works with the word , they are quickly roused up out of that dead sleep in which they lay . . the voice of christ's spirit , is a convincing voice . come , see a man that told me all things that ever i did : the spirit of christ reached her heart , convinced her what a vile sinner she was : we do not read of many things christ told her she had done , but that he she had then was not her husband , ver . . so that she lived in adultery with him . but now as soon as the spirit convinced her of this one sin , she is convinced of all her other abominable evils ; and therefore cries out , come , see a man that told me all things that ever i did ; is not this the christ ? intimating , none but christ can make the evil of mens hearts and lives appear unto them : so 't is none but the holy spirit can pierce the soul , or convince the sinner throughly of his sin and misery , and discover the vileness of their hearts and states unto them ; they were pricked in their hearts , and said , men and brethren , what shall we do ? is there any hope that such sinners as we may be forgiven , and be saved ? verily , we were guilty concerning our brother , ( said joseph's brethren ; ) god's spirit now convinced their consciences , and brought their sin to remembrance . so there are none that hear the voice of the spirit , but their sin appears presently before their eyes ; their sin is aggravated on their consciences , and is most hateful and odious to them . . christ's voice is a soul quickening voice . verily , verily i say unto you , the hour is coming , and now is , when the dead shall hear the voice of the son of god , and they that hear shall live . the voice of christ doth not only cause the ear to hear , but the heart to hear also . all mankind naturally are dead in a spiritual sense , they have no divine nor spiritual life in them . man is not by original sin , or by nature , only wounded or maimed , but dead : the holy ghost doth not make use of an improper metaphor . we by nature were as truly and really in a spiritual sense dead ; that is , had no more life , spiritual life , motion , heat , feeling , or strength in us , than a dead man hath natural life , motion , heat , feeling , or strength in him : but when the soul hears the spiritual and powerful voice of christ , 't is immediately quickened , a principle of divine life is infused ; you hath he quickened , that were dead in sins and trespasses . thus the greatness of christ's power towards sinners appears , that were dead , or destitute of a principle of spiritual life . those that assert the power of the creature , or that every man is put into a capacity to be saved if he will , certainly do not consider this ; lay this to heart , ponder on this , viz. that all mankind , before grace is infused into the soul , are dead : what short of almighty power can raise the dead to life ? power is not in the dead to quicken himself ; nor can dead lazarus resist that principle of life infused into him : 't is not what the sinner , but what christ the saviour will ; and he quickens not all , but whom he will ; for as the father raiseth up the dead , and quickneth them ; even so the son quickneth whom he will : 't is not in him that willeth , nor in him that runneth , but in god that sheweth mercy . . christ's voice by his spirit , is a soul-humbling and a self-abasing voice : they that hear his voice , are straitway brought to his feet , loathing and abhorring themselves . the voice of christ hath the same effect on the soul , as the sight of god in christ : i have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear ; but now mine eye seeth thee : wherefore i abhor my self , and repent in dust and ashes . after paul had heard the voice of christ , saying , saul , saul , why persecutest thou me ? how humble was he ; though called to be an apostle , yet esteemed himself less than the least of all saints : now to be less than the least , is to be nothing . man before grace , or before he comes to hear the voice of christ , is a proud creature ; but grace humbles him to such a degree , that he is little , nay nothing in his own eyes . . christ's voice is a soul-regenerating voice . his voice is powerful , and shakes the old foundation down , all former hopes and fleshly confidence is gone : it was the voice of the spirit that first made us , and made this world ; by the word of god were all things made and created : and 't is his voice that creates us again , or that renews us , or forms his sacred image in us . he that commanded by his voice light to shine out of darkness , doth but speak the word , and so shines into our hearts ; and thereby transforms us , and gives us the light of the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of jesus christ . . 't is a sin-killing voice : it lays the old man a bleeding , ( as it were ) the spirit destroys the body and power of sin , it breaks down all the strong holds of sin. christ slays this enemy by the sword that goes out of his mouth , that is , by his word , through the operations of the spirit : if ye live after the flesh , ye shall die ; but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body , ye shall live . 't is not enough to forbear the acting of sin , but we must kill and crucify it ; and this we cannot do without the powerful assistance and help of the spirit . . 't is a soul-strengthning voice . as sin dies , grace lives , and the soul receives strength : faith is the life and strength of the soul ; and this life and strength we receive by the holy spirit . . 't is a comforting voice . 't is by the spirit god speaks peace to the soul : he will speak peace unto his people , and unto his saints . i will speak comfortably to her , i will speak to her heart : none can speak to the heart but god , by his spirit ; it is the holy ghost that is the comforter : and after the sinner hath been deeply wounded in the true sense of sin , and is dejected , grieved , and sorely troubled , then the spirit comes with its sweet , still , and comforting voice , and revives the drooping soul. to comfort the conscience , luther saith , is as great a work as to make the world. . now the spirit speaks comfort to the distressed conscience through the blood of christ ; that is , by shewing the soul that christ died in its stead , and bore the wrath that was due to us , having fully satisfied god's justice , and answered all the demands and requirements of the law , being made a curse for us , that the blessing of abraham might come upon the gentiles through christ jesus , that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith. the blood of christ speaks , it hath a voice in it , it speaks good things , yea , better things than the blood of abel . but it never speaks comfort to the soul , till the spirit applies it and sprinkleth it upon the heart : o what peace and comfort then doth the spirit speak to a wounded spirit ! . the spirit speaks comfort to the soul , by applying the promises of pardon and peace unto us , causing our souls to take hold of them , and to cleave to god in them : this promise is mine , god hath fastened and fixed it on my heart , saith a believer . . by opening the greatness and preciousness of christ's love to us : because he hath loved us with an everlasting love ; therefore with loving kindness hath he drawn us , and helped us to believe and to receive him . . the spirit speaks comfort to believers , by opening unto them , the nature and excellency of the covenant of grace which is ordered in all things , and sure , being confirmed by the oath of god , &c. . by shewing them the power , mercy , and faithfulness of god , &c. o , sirs , no voice like the voice of the spirit : happy is that soul which hears this voice ; and 't is this voice of christ that all his sheep hear . thirdly , there is also the voice of christ's doctrine : i mean , the true evangelical doctrine of the gospel . the true faith of the gospel , or the sacred doctrine thereof , is the voice of christ , which his sheep will hear : and they will not hear the voice of strangers , they will not hear the voice of false teachers , or their pernicious doctrine ; they know not the voice of strangers , they can distinguish between christ's voice , christ's doctrine , and the doctrine of false prophets , and false teachers : they know not the voice of strangers , that is , they approve not of their doctrine ; but they know , they approve of christ's doctrine ; though never so hard , never so difficult , and never so unpleasant to others , yet 't is approved of by them ; 't is easy and pleasant to them that are christ's sheep . they hear what christ hath said , they hear christ's voice , i. e. the doctrine he taught ; this is my beloved son ( saith the father ) in whom i am well pleased , hear him . . not moses ; moses is not our shepherd , our guide , our law-giver : we are not his disciples , his sheep ; no , no , but we are christ's sheep , christ's disciples : the jews said , they were moses 's disciples . . they hear christ's voice , not the pope's , not the voice of antichrist . . they hear christ's voice ; not the voice of the light of nature only , or the teaching of natural conscience : though , 't is true , they hear and follow that light , yet they know the light that is in all men , which is in pagans , turks and heathens , is not the voice of christ as he is mediator , and the great shepherd of the sheep . . they hear christ's voice , follow his voice , not the voice of general councils and national synods ; they will no further hear any , than they hear and adhere to the voice and doctrine of jesus christ . dly , they will not receive or embrace any capital errors ; they will not hear the voice of strangers , but keep to all the essentials of christ's doctrine of the principles of true religion . particularly , . they believe the holy scripture is of divine authority , and that it is the only rule of faith and practice . . they stedfastly believe the doctrine of the blessed trinity , that there are three that bear record in heaven , the father , the son , and the holy spirit ; and that these three are one ; one in essence , yet three persons or subsistences . . they stedfastly believe the doctrine of christ's divinity , or have a right faith about the person of christ , not doubting but that he is god by nature , the most high god , coeternal and coequal with the father and the holy ghost ; abominating the doctrine of arius , who asserted he was not of the same substance of the father , but rather a created spirit , the first and chief spirit or angel god created . and the doctrine of socinians , who affirmed , he is a meer man , and had no pre-existence before he was conceived and born of the virgin. they abominate that voice or doctrine of eutychians , who maintain , that the matter of christ's flesh was from heaven , or that it was a conversion of the deity of the second person of the trinity into flesh , and that he partook not of the nature of the virgin. they abominate their doctrine , who declare , that christ doth consist of one nature only ; and those who affirm that the light that is in all men ( which is but an inward quality created of god , with which the soul of mankind is naturally indued ) is the only christ of god ; they know these are strangers , and the voice of strangers they will not hear . . they hear and stedfastly believe , and receive the doctrine of christ's headship over the church . . the doctrine of satisfaction by christ , in his expiation of sin , and of justification by his righteousness imputed , as it is received by faith alone , without inherent righteousness wrought in us , or good works done by us . . the doctrine of regeneration , the resurrection of the body , and of the eternal judgment , and world to come . in all these respects they hear christ's voice , i. e. his doctrine , and in all other respects so far as they receive light and knowledg touching any one , or all the blessed truths and ordinances of the gospel . fourthly , there is the voice of christ's rod also , which his sheep hear ; the lord's voice crieth to the city , and the man of wisdom shall see thy name : hear ye the rod , and who hath appointed it . when christ's sheep will not hear as they ought the soft and sweet voice of god's word , he speaks to them by the voice of his rod , by afflictions and sharp rebukes , which by his providence he brings upon them : and though others cannot hear so as to understand this voice of christ , yet his sheep do , they see his name , and hear the rod , and know whose voice it is , and to what end 't is appointed ; but this i shall not insist further upon here . i should now come to shew you how christ's sheep hear his voice , but that must be for the next time . application . . bless god you have christ's voice , christ's word sounding in your ears ; blessed are they that know the joyful sound , for they shall walk in the light of thy countenance , o lord. it is not all they that hear the joyful sound , but only such that know it , with an experimental knowledg , who have felt the divine power of it on their souls . . rest not therefore upon a bare hearing of the word of christ ; take heed that the gospel comes not to you in word only , but in power also . . labour to hear the voice of christ's spirit in and with the word , or you are undone for ever . john x. . my sheep hear my voice , and they follow me . doct. all true believers are the sheep and lambs of jesus christ , they hear his voice , and they follow him . beloved , we have shewed you in what respects believers are said to be christ's sheep , and what is meant by his voice , which his sheep , or such who belong unto him , do and will hear . thirdly , i shall now proceed to the next general head of discourse propounded to you . i am to shew you how christ's sheep hear his voice , his word , his holy doctrine . they hear christ's voice , his word and doctrine , understandingly ; he that heareth the word , and understandeth it , &c. some , tho they hear it , yet they are ignorant , and know not the nature , power , and divine excellency of it . the sacred scripture is as a sealed book to some that are learned with humane arts and sciences ; they see but the outside of the book ( as it were ) ; and others they are ignorant persons , neither have humane nor divine teachings : then he opened their vnderstandings , that they might understand the scriptures . see how christ does honour the holy scriptures : he did not open their understanding without the scriptures , he sends them to that because they testify of him ; but he knew the scripture would not sufficiently give them the knowledg of himself , without the influence and illumination of his spirit . sirs , they hear christ's voice aright , who are taught of god , and by his spirit , to understand his word . some men are so far cheated by the devil , that they cry up the light of natural conscience , and magnify that above the holy scripture . he perswades them to cast away the scriptures as a dead letter , in expectation of the spirit 's teachings ; whereas the spirit teacheth by , not without , nor contrary to the sacred scripture . the word of christ is full of mystery ; its holy and sublime doctrine is not easily understood , nor can it be without the spirit helps the understanding . in a right and saving manner it is given to christ's sheep to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven , and to others it is not given . . christ's sheep hear his voice with affection : they like , love , and approve of his word and doctrine , it is sweet to them ; thy word is very pure , therefore thy servant loveth it . they know that there is no falshood in it , it is pure from all mixture , there is exact purity and holiness in it ; which makes unsanctified persons to like it not , but either disbelieve it , or else despise and hate it : but a godly man loves it upon the account of its purity , in that it promotes nothing but holiness both in heart and life . the word of the lord is right ; and all his works are done in truth . therefore i esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right ; and hate every false way . i do not reject such things that my carnal reason cannot comprehend , or such as are opposite to the lusts and corruptions of my heart , or worldly interest ; but i approve of all things that come out of thy mouth . some men do not receive the truth in the love of it , and therefore are given up to believe a lie , or to strong delusions . . they hear christ's voice with attention ; they hear it diligently . he says , hearken diligently unto me ; and they with the greatest care do so . thus mary heard christ's voice ; she gave such attention to his word and doctrine , that she left all her secular concerns to attend upon him , though her sister was offended with her . and thus lydia heard the word of christ , whose heart the lord opened , that she attended unto the things which were spoken of paul. none can hear with attention , but such whose hearts the lord doth open ; and none can open the heart , and cause the soul to hear that is dead , but christ only . . they hear christ's voice believingly . others hear it , but do not believe it : who hath believed our report ? and to whom hath the arm of the lord been revealed ? christ saith , except a man be born again , he cannot see the kingdom of god. but o how few stedfastly give credit to this doctrine : certainly , if sinners did believe this but with the same humane faith with which they believe many other things and reports , it would make them tremble ; but christ's sheep , or all gracious persons , give full credit to whatsoever he hath said , and that not only with an humane faith , but with a divine faith also , or faith of the operation of god. the man believed the word that jesus had spoken unto him . the great doctrine of the gospel , is a doctrine of faith ; 't is to believe : he that worketh not , but believeth on him that justifieth the vngodly , his faith is counted for righteousness . mankind are generally for doing to be justified ; they will not be perswaded that all is done already for them , and that they are only to believe and be justified : but thus christ's sheep hear his voice . . christ's sheep hear his voice tremblingly , with great fear , holy awe , and reverence . thus good king josias heard the word of god ; his heart was tender , and he trembled : and saith the lord , to this man will i look , even to him that is poor , and of a contrite spirit , and that trembleth at my word . they know it is god's word , christ's word , who hath all power in heaven and earth , who is the only potentate , king of kings , and lord of lords . where the word of a king is , there is power . power goeth along with christ's voice , to awe all their hearts that are gracious : my heart standeth in awe of thy word , saith david . . christ's sheep hear christ's word universally , even all that he saith unto them ; him shall ye hear in whatsoever he shall say unto you . and those who do not thus hear this great prophet , shall be destroyed from among the people . some will hear christ's word which they like of ; but if any part of his doctrine sutes not their carnal hearts or interest , that they will not hear , nor comply with : but believers are for hearing the hardest things that are contained in christ's word ; they approve of every thing , as you heard before . . they hear christ's voice with retention ; they hear and keep his word ; they lay it up in their hearts , as it is said of the blessed virgin : they will not lose it , and therefore , with david , hide christ's word in their hearts . . they hear his voice always constantly unto the end ; they will attend unto his word and doctrine as long as they live : let what will come , they are not offended , as the stony-ground hearers are said to be . . and lastly , they hear christ's voice only , his voice and none else : they will not hear the voice of a stranger ; that is , they will not receive damnable errors , they know the voice of deceivers ; nor will they receive a mixture in doctrine , nor in god's worship : they will not join christ and moses together , works and faith together , christ's righteousness and their own together , christ's institutions and the inventions and traditions of men together . quest . may not believers , who are christ's sheep , be beguiled , so as to receive some capital errors , or an error in some fundamental point ? answ . . no doubt but they may be seduced ; i mean , a particular sheep , or saint , may be grievously corrupted in his judgment . . but if a believer be drawn away , or seduced , he shall , if sincere , if an elect person , be restored again ; for it is impossible any of them should finally be deceived : if it were possible they should deceive the very elect ; but that cannot be . quest . why are false teachers called strangers ? answ . . because a stranger is one that we know not ; so a false teacher is one that knows not christ , nor his true and saving doctrine , they are not acquainted with him , are not brought into union with christ , nor have communion with him . . they are strangers to the life and power of true religion and godliness . . the saints also know them not , they approve not of them , nor of the doctrine they preach ; they can discern between truth and error , by the anointing they have received . . a stranger is one that is not a constant dweller in one place : so false prophets , and false teachers , are not fixed long in one opinion . her ways , saith solomon , are moveable , speaking of the false church , or adulterous woman : many of these are one day for one thing , for one error , and another day for another ; this shews they are false teachers , or strangers to the truth , they know it not . . they are called strangers , because they publish strange doctrine : be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines . the doctrine of christ is one and the same , being immutable , can suffer no change or alteration ; but these bring in a new doctrine , not known in the primitive days , not taught by christ or his apostles , nor received in the purest times of the gospel before corruptions crept into the church . they will not hear the voice of strangers , or the doctrine of false teachers . . not but that they may occasionally hear such preach ; yet if they know they are deceivers , they will not so much as hear them ; neither ought they , but to shun them as such who have plague-sores upon them ; yet they may hear and read their books , to know the better their cursed principles and errors . . therefore they do not so hear them , as to like and approve of their doctrine , as i said before . . they will then be sure not so to hear them , as to receive and embrace their pernicious principles , unless lamentably deluded ; which as you heard they may be , through the subtilty of satan , and the craftiness of his emissaries , for some time , if they do not watch and take the better care . application . caution . to you that are believers , beware lest you are led away by the error of the wicked ; be sure that you are not corrupted in any main or fundamental truth . first . o labour to maintain and abide firm in the doctrine of the blessed trinity : god hath revealed or made known himself as three in one , and therefore as such to be worshipped . look what way god hath manifested his being and properties unto us in his holy word : our worship consisteth in a due application of our soul unto him , according to that revelation of himself . and that there are three distinct persons , subsisting in the same infinitely holy one undivided essence , as manifested in his word , is most evident ; and those persons are so distinct in their peculiar subsistence , that distinct actings and operations are ascribed unto them . the father knoweth the son , and loveth him ; and the son seeth , knoweth , and loveth the father . in these mutual actings , saith reverend dr. owen , one person is the object of the knowledg and love of the other . the father loveth the son , and hath given all things into his hand . no man knoweth the son , but the father ; neither knoweth any man the father , save the son. no man knoweth the divine essence , or eternal generation of the son , but the father : nor no man knoweth the essence or counsels of the father , or dispensations of the gospel , save the son : or , as calvin saith , the son is said to know the father , as he is the lively and express image of his person . this mutual knowledg and love of the father and son , is expressed at large in prov. . . and they are absolute , infinite , natural and necessary unto the being and blessedness of god. so the holy spirit is the mutual love of the father , and the son , knowing them as he is known , and searching the deep things of god. " and , saith the doctor , in these mutual and internal and external actings of themselves , consists much of the infinite blessedness of the holy god. again , . there are distinct actings of the several persons in the godhead , which are voluntary , or effects of will and choice , and not natural or necessary ; and these are of two sorts , such as respect one another : for there are external acts of one person towards another ; but then the person that is the object of these actings , is not considered absolutely as a divine person , but with respect unto some peculiar dispensation and condescension . so the father gives , sends , commands the son , as he had condescended to take our nature upon him , and to be the mediator between god and man. so the father and the son do send the spirit , as he condescended in a special manner to the office of being the sanctifier and comforter of the church . now these are free and voluntary acts , depending upon the sovereign will , counsel , and pleasure of god , and might not have been without the least diminution of his eternal blessedness . " although this is such a mystery , that it 's beyond our capacities fully to comprehend it , yet there are , as appears by what hath been said , clear scripture-demonstrations , that in the deity there is a plurality of distinct persons , which might further be evinced , as the learned have shewed . . a being that stands under divers mutual relations , eternally and unalterably fixed , that one cannot be the other , must admit of such a consideration of existence . but thus it is here , god the father eternally begets , and never can be begotten ; the son is eternally and unchangeably begotten , and can never beget the father ; also the holy ghost proceeds from the father and the son , and neither father nor son can proceed from the holy ghost . . where one doth as it were command , and another obey ; one sends , and another is sent , there must needs be a personal distinction between each other : but , as it was before shewed , the father doth as it were command and send the son , not himself ; the son is held forth as obeying , not commanding or sending the father . . where there is something done by one , that is not done by another ; that argues the persons are distinct one from the other . but thus it is in respect of the deity , there is something done by the son , that is not done by the father : the son assumed man's nature , the father did not this ; the son in that nature died , and satisfied for our sins by the sacrifice of himself ; the father did not this : the holy ghost is sent by the father and the son , he doth not send the father nor the son. . where there is a distinct mutual converse , in which one speaks of himself to another , and of a third , there is the formality of three persons ; but in the deity there is such a converse . where there is an image one of another , there is such a distinction one from another , that one is not the other in that respect ; but in the deity there is an image one of another . the mystery is most manifest from express scripture . it is a received rule that cannot be contracted , that things alike are not the same , in that respect wherein they are alike . dr. chauncy . secondly , also labour to abide firm in the faith concerning the person of jesus christ , who is both god and man , the eternal god ; not god by office , but god by nature , the most high god who made heaven and earth , and yet truly man , taking our nature into a mystical union with his holy deity , being made like unto us in all things , sin only excepted ; and thus both god and man in one person . st . it is requisite that he should be god. . because none can satisfy for sin but he that is god ; no creature , though never so holy , could do it , because sin hath an infinite demerit in it ; being against an infinite god , it therefore deserveth everlasting punishment . from hence it appears , that the satisfaction for our sins must be infinitely meritorious , otherwise it could not satisfy the infinite justice and wrath of god. now from the dignity of christ's person , he being god as well as man , his obedience and suffering hath an infinite worth in it . . no meer creature was able to abide and overcome infinite wrath , or the punishment due to us for our sins ; therefore he must be god , that so he might bear the burden of divine anger in his flesh , the godhead upholding and sustaining his humane nature , under his bloody agony and fearful anguish and suffering on the tree , when god the father was withdrawn from him , and the pangs of hell took hold of him . . that he might overcome and vanquish all the enemies of our souls , as sin , satan , death , and hell. had he not been god , he could not have raised himself from the dead ; from whence rises the spring of our regeneration to a state of grace here , and our resurrection to a state of glory at the last day hereafter . dly . he must be man ; because he must die , which the godhead could not do ; yea , he must be man in our nature , that he might satisfy the justice of god for us , because the righteousness of god requires , that the same nature which had sinned , should make a full compensation to the law of god and infinite justice . o take heed no man shakes your faith in this great article of the christian religion . dly . take heed also that you abide stedfast in the doctrine of christ's satisfaction , which dependeth on the former . such who deny christ's deity , must disown that plenary satisfaction he gave to the law and justice of god. beware of socinianism , quakerism , &c. and all such like errors . thly . take heed , there are some who tell you , christ has fully satisfied for the breach of the law of the first covenant , for the sins of the whole world ; so that all men are cured of that sickness , and delivered from that curse , and put into a capacity to be saved , if they will but exercise the power of their own will and abilities ; and that men have power to believe and be regenerated , that sit under the preaching of the gospel ; and if they answer and discharge their part in salvation , christ's death will become effectual to them , it being but on this condition that christ jesus died to save men , provided they answer those terms the gospel offers : whereas it's evident , that christ is not the end of the law , as touching righteousness to any man , but only to such as believe , ( i speak of the adult ) ; and the gospel is not our sickness , but our cure ; that condemns not , but as the healing remedy is rejected , and the curse of the law abides upon all unbelievers . and it is also as evident , that man by nature is dead in sin , and must by an almighty and irresistible power be quickned ; which is done by the infusion of a principle of divine life . faith is god's gift , and not the condition of the covenant of grace ; it is a branch , or part of that grace promised therein , upon the condition of christ's satisfaction , not the condition to be performed by the creature , which procures the blessings purchased ; therefore no condition then in order and connection in the promises , that god will enable all his elect to perform , by bestowing that blessing upon them freely by his own grace . the whole of our salvation is by christ ; it is by faith , that it might be by grace , to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed ; and all boasting might be excluded . and 't is not an uncertain salvation , that depends upon the doubtful and depraved will of man ; but it is well ordered in all things , and sure , by the infinite grace , wisdom , and power of god. nor did christ die only for our good who are saved , but in our stead also ; so that eternal life comes to us in a way of justice and righteousness , as well as in a way of mercy and goodness . god was not rendred only reconcileable by the death of his son , which the creature is to make effectual on his part , but he is absolutely reconciled : for if when we were enemies , we were reconciled to god by the death of his son ; much more being now reconciled , we shall be saved by his life . thly . there are others also that affirm , that jesus christ as mediator , gave to god a valuable consideration , or recompence , that he might justly wave , and not execute the law of perfect obedience ; and by his merits purchased a new and milder law of grace : so that christ's righteousness hath only purchased the removing the law of works from being a covenant of life ; and that our right to salvation , the favour of god , and peace of conscience , does depend upon our obedience to the gospel , which christ hath purchased , should be accepted for our righteousness , by which we must be justified and judged : and that faith in its whole latitude , is our believing and obeying the gospel , or new law , that by this we are made partakers of the benefits of christ , he having merited this grant , or law , that they who obey him sincerely should be saved ; and that he is justified so far , and so long as he answers the condition of this new law of grace . now we , and all sound protestants , in opposition to this , affirm , that jesus christ as the head , surety , and representative of all the elect , did fulfil or satisfy for the law of works , bearing the curse of the law for us , and in our stead ; and by his holy life , &c. purchased for us that life which the law promised to him , that continued to do all things that were written therein , and by the supereminency of his obedience , additions of blessedness unto life ; and that his obedience and righteousness , whereby he fulfilled the law , is imputed to believers for their justification , by which god grants them pardon of sin , and a grant of eternal life , and that by christ's righteousness , thus imputed , believers stand perfectly justified and delivered from the curse of the law , and are certainly intituled to eternal life ; and that faith is a relying on christ , and trusting in him and his righteousness and merits only for salvation . thly . therefore be sure also you hear christ's voice , and adhere to his doctrine about justification , through his perfect and compleat righteousness alone , imputed unto all them that do believe in him , without works done by us , or holiness wrought in us ; i mean , our faith and sincere obedience , is not the matter of our justification before god , nor any part of it , but the righteousness of jesus christ only , in his perfect conformity to the law of god in his life , and by dying on the cross as our surety and blessed representative : yet know , we constantly affirm , that that faith which unites us to christ , in whom we are justified , doth purify both the heart and life ; and though inherent grace , holiness , and good works , do not justify our persons before god , yet they do justify our faith , and declare us to be in a justified state before men , and to our own consciences also , as the apostle james shews ; and that that faith that is not attended with good fruits , is dead , as the body without the spirit is dead . pray remember that you have been often taught , that faith it self doth not justify us in god's sight , as an habit , or act , or in respect of the product of it , but only objectively , i. e. in respect of the object it doth apprehend , apply and take hold of . o sirs , take heed ye are not deceived ; may be ye look upon the lives and conversations of men , and you think they are good men , holy men ; yet for all this examine the doctrine they preach : for an evil and corrupt doctrine may be as pernicious and damnable as an evil conversation . but there were false prophets also among the people , even as there shall be 〈…〉 teachers among you , who shall privily bring in damnable heresies , even denying the lord that bought them , and bring upon themselves swift destruction . thly , be wary also , lest you are carried away with the error of the wicked , to doubt of , or deny the resurrection of the body : if once you come to deny the resurrection , your state is dangerous , for that is a capital error : if the dead rise not , then is not christ risen ; and if christ be not risen , then is our preaching vain , and your faith is also vain . yea , and we are found false witnesses of god , because we testified of god that he raised up christ ; whom he raised not up , if so be that the dead rise not . it must be the same body , not another ; for if not the same , it will be no resurrection , but a new creation ; and if not the same body , but another , then it will not be that body that suffered for christ that shall be glorified , nor that body that sinned against god and christ that shall be punished , but an innocent body , a body that never sinned . be sure labour to hold the head , and be established in all the fundamental truths of the gospel , they are not many . . your souls are in danger of being corrupted ; we have slie and crafty deceivers among us in these days . . many thousands ( we have cause to fear ) are already poisoned with most pernicious notions , and soul-destructive errors , who are in danger of perishing this way to eternity , yet seem sober , holy , and devout persons . . let it be your care to fit under the ministry of such men who preach christ , christ only ; or wholly seek to exalt christ , and the free grace of god by jesus christ . take heed who you hear , and take heed what you hear , and how you hear : therefore watch , and remember ( saith paul ) that by the space of three years , i ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears . he was afraid of those grievous wolves that would enter in among them , not sparing the flock . you hear that christ's sheep hear his voice ; let it appear you are his sheep , by having this character , namely , in that you hear his doctrine , and will not hear the voice of strangers . but , o rest not in a bare hearing the voice of christ , nor in the knowledg of saving truth ; get it not only into your heads , but into your hearts . he that hath truly received christ's doctrine , or rightly hears his voice , brings forth good fruit ; he feels the power of his word upon his own heart : knowledg without grace will stand you in no stead . a good doctrine , and much head-knowledg , and great gifts , without love , humility , and a godly life , signifies nothing : knowledg puffs up , but love edifies . i shall add no more at this time. john x. . my sheep hear my voice , and i know them , and they follow me . doct. . all true believers are the sheep and lambs of jesus christ ; they hear his voice , and they follow him . i have shewed you what is meant by hearing of christ's voice . fourthly , i am now to speak to the next thing proposed , or head of discourse , which is the fourth general , i know them , &c. st , in speaking to this , i shall shew you , . in what respect christ knows his sheep . . what a kind of knowledg he hath of them . . shew what comfort doth and may arise unto them hereby . . christ knows them as they are his father's choice . all christ's sheep are chosen sheep , such as the father hath pick'd out of the common lump of mankind , or out of the great flock of fallen man ; thus jesus christ knows them , and as they are his own choice also , for the father and the son agreed both in the choice of the elect. if you know these things , happy are ye if you do them . i speak not of you all , i know whom i have chosen . not only to apostleship , but to eternal life ; for judas was chosen to be an apostle , but he was not in the election of grace . . christ knoweth them as they are the special purchase of his own blood. he knows whom he died for , and in the room and stead of ; he knows what sheep he hath bought and paid so dear for : the foundation of god standeth sure ; the lord knoweth them that are his . there is a certain number who are built upon a rock , upon a sure foundation ; these are sealed and confirmed by god's eternal decree of election , and are the price therefore of christ's special purchase , and as such he knows them from all others in the world. . he knows them as such , who have and do experience the effects of his death . he sees and knows they are his sheep , as they have his mark , his image formed in them : for like as other shepherds know their sheep by the mark they have upon them , so ( to speak after the manner of men ) jesus christ may in this respect be said to know his sheep , his saints and people ; surely they are my people , children that will not lie : so he was their saviour . i know these are my people , i cannot but own them , they will keep my covenant : i have renewed them , and they abide faithful to me , and will not deal falsly with me . in another place he says , their spot is not the spot of my children . these i know are none of my sheep , their spot , their sin , their iniquity are not such as are in my people ; not sins of infirmity or common frailties , but they have a contagious spot upon them ; they have none of my image , my mark , &c. . christ knows his sheep with a knowledg of approbation ; i know them , that is , i approve of them , i like them well , i esteem them , and accept of their persons and their services . . christ may be said to know his sheep also , with a knowledg of love and affection . he knows them as to delight in them , they have his heart : i am the good shepherd , and know my sheep , and am known of mine . as the father knoweth me , even so i know the father ; and i lay down my life for the sheep . as this mutual knowledg between the father and the son , was joined with perfect love and delight ; so is christ's knowledg of his sheep : and this he himself also here expresses , by saying , i lay down my life for the sheep ; which shews not only the sincerity , but also the degree of his love unto his saints : so that if we can believe that god the father loved christ , his only begotten son , we may also believe that both father and son love those who are really the sheep of jesus christ ; the love that christ hath unto his people , is as true , certain , and abiding , as the father's love to christ , or christ's love unto the father . dly , i shall shew you what a kind of knowledg christ hath of his saints . . christ knoweth them by name . as 't is said of moses , so it may be said of every true believer ; yet thou hast said , i know thee by name . even in like manner in this chapter , the lord jesus shews us that the true shepherd calleth his sheep by name , and leadeth them out ; this denotes the knowledg he hath of them particularly . . christ knows their hearts , as he testifies to the seven churches in asia ; and all the churches shall know that i am he that searcheth the reins and hearts , &c. this shews he is the most high god ; for who knoweth the heart but god himself ? this jehovah glorieth in , as his own absolute prerogative , it being out of the reach of any creature ; i the lord search the heart , i try the reins . moreover 't is said of jesus christ , that he needed not that any should testify of man , for he knew what was in man. he needeth not any to bring him information concerning the principles , ends , aims , purposes , and tempers of men ; and therefore he knows his sheep , his saints , that they are sincere or upright-hearted ones ; he knows them from hypocrites , from the goats , from the foolish virgins . . christ knows where they live , in what land , city , town , or family . i know thy works , and where thou dwellest , even where satan's seat is . he knows the place where they dwell , and how they behave themselves . . he knows their works . how many times doth he express this , in the second and third chapters of the revelations , even in the beginning of every epistle to the seven churches , i know thy works , whether they proceed from a renewed nature , from a principle of divine grace or spiritual life , or not ; whether from faith , or not ; whether right gospel-works of obedience , or not ; he hath a knowledg of comprehension or understanding of all . but , . he knows his sheep , his saints , with a knowledg of approbation , as i hinted before . . christ knows their faith , the quality and quantity of it , that it is true faith , unfeigned faith , the faith of the operation of god , or of his own spirit . but there are some of you that believe not ; for jesus knew from the beginning , who they were that believed not , and who should betray him . though faith be an inward secret act of the soul , yet christ knows it , he knows who hath it wrought in them , and also though it be never so small , even as a grain of mustard-seed ; whether it be weak or strong , great or little , growing or decaying , he knows it . . christ knows the love of his people , whether they love him in sincerity ; both the truth of their love , and the degree of their love : jesus saith unto simon peter , simon , son of jonas , lovest thou me more than these ? he saith unto him , yea , lord , thou knowest that i love thee . and as he knows whether they love him above all or not , so he knows whether they love one another or no ; whether it be with a pure heart , fervently , and in sincerity , christ knows it : whether it be a love in words , or with the tongue only , or in deed and in truth . . he knows the humility of his saints , whether they are clothed with it or not . though the lord be high , yet hath he respect unto the lowly ; but the proud he knoweth afar off . he is far off from them , though he knoweth such ; but he is near unto humble souls , he dwelleth with them . . he knows the patience of each of his people , under all their sufferings , losses and disappointments they meet with in this world : i know thy works , and thy labour , and thy patience , &c. he knows how they carry it under the rod of afflictions , which will work for the good of all that are patiently exercised thereby . in a word , christ knows every grace of the spirit in the souls of his people , and whether they are in exercise or not . . he knows the works and actions of his saints , and of every one of them particularly : i know thy works . and again he says , i know thy works . ( . ) he knows what our lives are , whether we walk circumspectly , or not ; whether we make conscience in all we do , and walk uprightly , or not . he knew abraham , that he would fear and serve him , and command his children and houshold to keep his commandments also . he knew that noah was only righteous in that generation . he knows our up-rising and our down-lying , whether we begin the day with him , and end the day with him or not . ( . ) he doth not only know all our works and actions , whether natural , moral or spiritual ; but also the manner of our actions , how we perform all our duties towards god and towards men. ( . ) he knoweth with what hearts we act ; whether with zeal , life and power , or not ; whether we stir up our selves in duty to take hold of him , or perform duties of obedience but with a cold and lukewarm heart . he knows with what hearts we hear , read , pray , meditate , give to the poor ; in all these respects he knows his sheep . ( . ) he knows the principle from whence we act , the means we use , the works we do , and the end we propound to our selves in all our actions ; whether we aim at his glory , or seek our selves , self-profit , self-honour , self-applause ; all is known to him . ( . ) he knows what we have been , and what we now are ; what we have done , and what we do , and will do hereafter : nothing is hid from him . . he knows our carriage and behaviour in our families , in our own houses , and what our behaviour is in the house and church of god ; whether we know our places and our duty , in the station where we are set . he knows and will judg between cattel and cattel , betwixt the fat and the lean sheep ; if any oppress his brother , or if the strong and rich neglect or wrong the poor and weak ones of his flock , he knows it . he knows whether we make his word our rule in all cases , and do not offend nor grieve each other : and if any be offended with their brother , he knows whether they proceed against him according to the directions he hath left us to walk by . . christ knows all our sorrows , troubles , and afflictions . and the lord said , i have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in egypt , and have heard their cry , by reason of their task-master , for i know their sorrow . . he knows our wants , temptations , tears , and poverty : i know thy works , tribulation and poverty . if we are poor externally , and in want , he knows it ; or spiritually poor , he knows it . in a word , whether we are living or dying christians , hot or cold , growing or decaying , he knows it . application . infer . . we may from hence infer , that jesus christ is god. this clearly demonstrates the deity of the lord jesus , whose eyes are said to be as a flame of fire , even of a piercing and penetrating nature , to comfort and refresh the sincere , and to burn up and consume all others that are not upright with god. exhort . . be exhorted you that are church-members , to look to it ; christ knows and takes notice of you all : he knows you ( as you have heard ) by name , and where you dwell ; your hearts , thoughts and inclinations he knows , whether you are praying men and women or not ; and also how you perform it , and when you neglect it . . your excuses , pretences , about omission of duties in your families , closets or churches , are before his eyes , and known to him . . your ways in trading , buying , selling , building , planting , eating , drinking and sleeping , all is known to christ ; what you do for his poor saints and people , what you do to encourage and further his interest in the world ; when you give , and what you give , and how , or with what end and aim , all is known to him . . he knows and takes notice of your garbs and dresses which you wear ; whether such as he in his word directeth you to put on , or not ; whether modest or immodest , like the wanton ones of the world , and according to the former lusts in your ignorance , and not as becoming men or women professing godliness . . he knows your behaviour in all relations you stand in one to another , as husbands to wives , or wives to husbands ; parents to children , or children to parents ; masters to servants , or servants to masters : whether husbands love their wives , and wives love and obey their husbands : whether parents bring up their children in the fear and nurture of the lord , and train them up in the way in which they should go , praying for them , not provoking them to wrath , by being harsh and bitter towards them , but setting a good example before them in all things : as also how children carry it to their parents in honouring them , and obeying them in all things in the lord ; all is took notice of by jesus christ . . he knows how ministers carry it to his people in the discharge of their work and office ; whether they preach the word in season , and out of season , giving themselves to reading , to exhortation , to doctrine ; and study to shew themselves approved unto god , as workmen that need not to be ashamed , rightly dividing the word of truth . he knows whether they took the care of the flock , of a ready mind , or for filthy lucre sake ; and whether they preach christ or themselves , seeking to exalt jesus christ alone , or but in part , and rendering him to be but an imperfect saviour ; whether they ascribe all to him , or not some things of salvation to the creature , and so open a door for men to sacrifice to their own nets and drags . . sirs , remember that christ is not a careless spectator , he knows you that are members , and takes notice how you behave your selves to his ministers ; whether you shew due respect to them , and honour them as ambassadors of christ , or as such who personate their great lord and master ; for if you dishonour , slight and despise them , christ takes it as a dishonour , a slighting and despising of him : he knows whether you obey them that are over you in the lord , or not ; but rather contemn , resist , or spurn at their authority , and seek occasion to quarrel with them , wounding , afflicting , and grieving their spirits , and weakning their hands and their hearts : he knows whether you discharge your duties to them , in administring and communicating all good things to them ; providing a chearful and comfortable maintenance for them , and not leaving them to encounter with the perplexing cares , wants and necessities of this life . . christ knows his sheep , so as to weigh their actions , their spirits , their graces , and their duties : he ponders every step they take , and observes every word of their mouths , and thought of their hearts . the lord is a god of knowledg , and by him actions are weighed . . christ knows whether you are sincere or not , upright or not , regenerate or not ; whether you are the same at home as abroad , in the closet as in the church , or not . . moreover consider the effects of christ's knowledge ; he knows such whose hearts are sound , so as to approve , love , protect , feed , comfort , and refresh them ; and such that are unsound , so as to disown , reject , and condemn them . . he knows the humble , so as to exalt them ; and the proud , so as to abase them : he knows and beholds all of us , at all times , either to accuse , or to clear us ; to condemn , or to justify us . exam. examine your selves ; in vain it is to go about to hide or cover any thing , seeing christ knows all we do ; there is no way to hide your sin from him . o search and try your selves , your hearts , your states and conditions , lest you are deceived , and conclude , you are rich , and increased with goods , &c. this was laodicea's misery . terror . tremble at the thoughts of doing one unbecoming thing , or speaking one unbecoming word . o lord , said david , thou hast searched me , and known me . thou knowest my down sitting , and my uprising ; and art acquainted with all my thoughts : for there is not a word in my tongue , but lo , o lord , thou knowest it altogether . o what terror is here for ungodly men , that commit horrid wickedness in secret , and say in their hearts , no eye seeth us ! o let them know , that all their filthy and abominable deeds of darkness , are done in the plain and open view , and sight of the great god , and jesus christ ; and that he keeps a record of all their cursed works , oaths , and ungodly words , and will lay them all before them at the last day : for he knoweth vain men : he seeth wickedness also ; will he not then consider it ? men know but little of god , and therefore are very unfit judges of all his counsels , decrees and actions : yet god knows man exactly , and all his vanity , falshood and folly ; let him never so carefully strive to cover and hide his wickedness under deceit , or a cloak of religion , he seeth it , it is a knowledg by sight , therefore most easily and clearly known . god doth not know mens sins by hear-say ; no , no , he sees it , beholds it with open face ; he is by when they commit it : they can commit no sin out of his sight , nor do that which he knoweth not ; though they are ready to say , how doth god know ? thick clouds are a covering to him that he seeth it not . carnal men frame conceptions of god like themselves ; thou thoughtest that i was altogether such an one as thy self : but i will reprove thee , and set them in order before thine eyes ; that is , thy sins , and secret works of darkness . he considers it , will he not consider it ? many men know much of their own wickedness , and of the wickedness of others ; but they lay it not to heart , they do not consider it : but god knoweth and seeth wickedness after another rate ; he considers , observes it , and weighs the nature of the crime , and the aggravations of it , the vile purposes , end and intention of the person doing it ; and how it is done wilfully against light , and the clear convictions of his own conscience : he weigheth the nature of their wickedness as in ballances ; as it is said of belshazzar , thou art weighed in the ballance , and art found wanting ; thy horrid pride , filthy lusts , counsels , policies , and all the contrivances of thy heart and government are weighed . the ways of man are before the lord ; and he pondereth all his paths ; he puts them into a ballance , and doth not only see them , but consider them , ponder and weigh them . consol . lastly , this may be also matter of comfort and consolation to all the sheep of jesus christ , or holy and sincere children of god. christ knows you ; i know my sheep . job was glad that god knew him ; thou knowest i am not wicked . he doth not say , thou knowest i am not a sinner , a man of any infirmities ; no , but not an ungodly sinner , an hypocrite , one that lives in sin , loves sin , makes a trade of sin , as wicked men do . 't is no matter how job or paul are censured , reproached or condemn'd by men , whilst they had the testimony of their consciences touching their sincerity : my integrity , saith job , i hold fast , i will not let it go : mine own heart shall not reproach me so long as i live . and saith holy paul , our rejoicing is this , the testimony of our consciences , that in simplicity and godly sincerity , not with fleshly wisdom , but by the grace of god , we have had our conversation in the world. the consideration of this , that their own hearts cleared and did acquit them of all those foul charges of friends and false brethren ; and also that god knows that they are what they profess themselves to be ; o this was matter of great comfort to them , and may be so to all sincere and gracious christians . christ knows our fears , our straits , our temptations , our wants , and all the wrongs and injuries we have sustained : is not this matter of consolation ? o poor drooping saint , lift up thy dejected spirit ; all thy wants are in christ's sight , he sees the place where every sheep and lamb of his dwells , and what their wants are : and his love , bowels , care and compassion is infinite ; he that laid down his life for his sheep , for this and that poor afflicted , tempted , and dejected soul , will not he , think you , seeing he knows your condition , supply , support , strengthen , heal , feed , and comfort you , whosoever you are , if one of his sheep ? he that spared not his own son , but delivered him up for us all ; how shall he not with him also freely give us all things ? he that hath given himself , shed his own precious blood for us , will not deny us a little bread to feed our souls , nor balm to heal them ; nor any comfort he sees good , will he deny or withhold from us : he that gave the greater , will not stick to give the less . . christ knows whatsoever you have done for his glory ; and he is not unrighteous , to forget your work and labour of love , which ye have shewed toward his name , in that ye have ministred to the saints , and do minister . you have forgot what you gave to such and such poor saints , may be ten , twenty , or thirty years ago ; yea but christ hath not forgot it . true , there is no work of ours that deserveth any thing from the hands of christ , in point of merit ; yet what though , rewards of grace ( as i have often told you ) will exceed all rewards of merit : a cup of cold water shall have a reward of grace ; the gift of a penny given in love to christ , when thou caust give no more , shall have a glorious reward at the great day . as i once told you of a king , who meeting with a baker's boy , as he was carrying bread into the town , ( he being very hungry , and lost his nobles , having been a hunting ) desired the boy to give him a penny loaf ; which he readily did : and for this the king knighted the boy , and gave a yearly estate to him and his heirs for ever . o sirs , christ's rewards of grace and favour will exceed all that we conceive or can comprehend , though we deserve nothing . . nay , christ knowing our good intention , and what we would do had we power , or were we able to do it , he will reward that , accept of that , as if we actually had done it ; as in david's case , who had it in his heart to build god's temple , though god would not have him to do it , yet did accept it as if he had done it . . christ also knowing what we have suffered for his name 's sake , though we have forgot it , yet he will remember it at the great day . john x. . my sheep hear my voice , and i know them , and they follow me . beloved , i have shewed you what a kind of knowledg jesus christ hath of all his sheep . fifthly , i shall now proceed to the fifth general head , and give some of the characters or properties of the sheep of christ . but before i do this , i shall shew you why the saints are compared to sheep . . first it is from their clean and mild nature . wicked men , from the consideration of their filthy and ravenous nature , are contrariwise compared to lions , wolves , foxes , dogs , swine , and the like . but now god's people have ( through the operation of divine grace ) their unclean and filthy nature changed ; that brutish , perverse and swinish disposition which they brought into the world with them , is gone : such were some of you , but you are washed , but you are sanctified , but you are justified in the name of the lord jesus , and by the spirit of our god. sheep are of a clean nature , they like not to wallow in the mire as swine do : so the saints have a clean and holy nature wrought in their souls , or spiritual habits infused through the renewing of the holy ghost , having obtained a true righteousness , in which they stand justified , and appear without spot before god , even in the perfect righteousness of jesus christ , which is counted to them for righteousness to their justification , and are sanctified through the spirit of holiness . . sheep are a harmless and innocent sort of creatures ; not crafty like the fox , nor devouring like the lion. so the saints are harmless and innocent , they seek the hurt of no man , but desire to live peaceably in the land , and not like romish wolves , who delight in nothing more than in blood and rapine : they are like unto their master , ( or ought so to be ) i. e. holy , harmless , &c. they are simple concerning evil , children in malice , though men in vnderstanding : they are not like the ungodly ones of the world , who are full of wrath , hatred and revenge ; they are so far from this , that if they arrive at their true character , they will speak evil of no man , but pray for their enemies , and for such that hate them . . sheep are patient under suffering : in this they strive to imitate their blessed saviour also , who was led as a lamb to the slaughter ; and as a sheep is dumb before the shearer , so he opened not his mouth . how patiently did the poor martyrs go to the stake ; they strove not with their persecutors , nor made resistance : and when they suffer from the immediate hand of god , they are patient as david was , and open not their mouths , because the lord hath done it : like aaron who held his peace , and patiently bore the heavy hand of god , when his two sons were devoured with fire before his eyes . . believers may be compared to sheep from their profitableness to others . we all know that sheep are very profitable creatures many ways , enriching and making land fat ; as also for clothing , and for meat : how excellent is the flesh of sheep for food ? so god's people are useful and profitable . the lips of the righteous feed many , by their wise and pious discourse , counsels , and divine comfort , which they often communicate to many distressed and disconsolate souls : they are the salt of the earth , the light of the world ; and what a profitable thing is salt to us , is light to us ? even so in many respects the godly , in a spiritual sense , are alike useful , and have been in their respective generations in this world. what a blessing was lot to sodom whilst he was among them ! the fire could not seize upon that wicked city until he left it : haste thee , escape thither , ( said the angel ) for i cannot do any thing until thou be come thither . what profit did laban receive by jacob ! what a blessing was he unto him ! the like blessing was joseph to his master . the godly are like sheep , the interest of those lands , nations , cities and families where they dwell . the saints are profitable to others many ways . ( . ) by that heavenly doctrine they maintain and hold forth . ( . ) by the fervent and profitable prayers they make and send up to god on all occasions . ( . ) by that holy and good example which they set for all those they converse with , and live among . ( . ) and at their death , by martyrdom , great profit hath been received ; from whence the proverb rose , that the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church . believers bring glory to god , and profit unto men. . sheep are tractable and obedient , being ready to follow their shepherd whithersoever he goeth . it is the custom in some countries for the shepherd in leading the sheep , to go out before them ; to which practice our saviour doth here allude : so believers are obedient to jesus christ , they are tractable , and learn to follow him ; my sheep hear my voice , and they follow me . thou shalt guide me ( saith david ) by thy counsel . christ's precepts are the saints directory , and his practice their pattern . hence paul exhorted the corinthians , to follow him as he followed christ . ministers are to be followed and imitated , no further than they follow and imitate jesus christ . . sheep love to feed in green pastures ; in clean and wholsome fields or medows . so do the saints and people of god love sound and wholsome truths , good doctrine , food that is fit and proper for their precious souls ; they must not , will not feed in the soul-rotting pastures of mens inventions , nor on the corrupt glosses of cloudy doctors that lived in the dark times of the church . the spouse from hence enquires of christ where he feedeth , and where he maketh his flock to rest at noon ? that is , where his blessed gospel is truly preached , and his holy ordinances are duly and in a right manner administred . and he directeth her to go forth by the footsteps of the flock , and to feed her kids besides the shepherds tents ; that is , to follow the doctrine and example of the primitive church , which only is our rule and pattern in all gospel-worship . . sheep are incident to divers diseases ; many of them are weak and feeble , sick and distempered , and therefore must by their shepherd be strengthned and healed , with much care , skill , and faithfulness : so are christ's sheep , his saints , subject also to manifold spiritual diseases , weaknesses , temptations and afflictions , which of old moved the almighty to great compassion , and sorely to rebuke the shepherds of israel , for their cruelty and great remisness towards his flock : the diseased have ye not strengthned ; neither have ye healed that which was sick , &c. and therefore the great shepherd saith , he would take the work into his own hand : i will bind up that which was broken , and will strengthen that which was sick . some of god's people are attended with one spiritual disease , and others with another : some with a spiritual consumption of their graces , decline in their faith , zeal , patience , brotherly love , charity , &c. others are afflicted with the timpany of pride ; some with the fever of passion , &c. which were it not for the care and faithfulness of their shepherd , would prove fatal to them . . sheep are subject to go astray ; so are the saints to go astray from christ , and to wander from his precepts : i have gone astray ( saith david ) like a lost sheep ; seek thy servant . . sheep also are subject to take soil and filth , and therefore have need of washing : even so likewise the sheep of jesus christ are subject to contract fresh guilt and pollution on their own souls and consciences , sin being of a polluting and defiling nature ; and therefore david cried out to his blessed shepherd to be washed : purge me with hyssop , and i shall be clean ; wash me , and i shall be whiter than snow . o cleanse my filthy and leprous soul in the fountain of thy son's blood , signified by those ceremonial washings under the law. if i wash thee not , ( saith christ to peter ) thou hast no part with me . . sheep love to feed and lie down together ; nay , it is a difficult thing to scatter , sever , or divide them from each other ; and if by dogs or wolves , &c. they should be scattered , they will quickly get together again ; and such that straggle behind , the shepherd fears are not well . so the saints and sheep of christ dearly love to assemble together ; and it is an argument that such are diseased , or sickly , who forsake the assembling themselves with the rest of the flock ; then they that feared the lord , spake often one to another , &c. they that fear thee , ( saith david ) will be glad when they see me , because i hoped in thy word . i can tell them that which will cause their souls to rejoice ; i have been afflicted , and tempted , and yet have been succoured and relieved by the lord , because i hoped in his word : so that none of them that meet with like perplexities , need to fear or doubt of god's gracious help and support . sirs , if wicked men , like dogs , wolves , or lions , do endeavour to scatter christ's sheep by persecution , &c. they will soon get together again : and being let go , they went to their own company again . . sheep need a shady place when the sun shines hot at noon : which is a great refreshment to them , where they chew their cud ; and being secured from the scorching heat , they with the greater alacrity return to their pasture . in this also the saints may be compared unto sheep ; for evident it is , believers do need a shady place , a place of refreshment to rest in and under , in the time of the great heat of temptation , affliction , and persecution : and at such seasons the lord jesus hath a place of sweet repose for them ; in me you shall have peace : in the world you shall have tribulation . vnder the shadow of thy wings will i make my refuge , until these calamities be overpast . hence also jesus christ is said to be as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land ; or in a dry and scorching country , which , metonymically , is called a weary land , because it makes the people weary that abide therein . christ refreshes his sheep under his own gracious protection , in time of the hottest persecution , &c. and affords them relief by his own presence , and precious promises : and when they return out of those afflictions , with what joy do they feed in their pastures , calling to mind and meditating upon those blessed experiences they had of his goodness in those hot and scorching times . . sheep will live where greater cattel cannot , even upon very hard and barren commons , where the grass is exceeding short , and be very well contented with it , nay , thrive upon it . so will the faithful in jesus christ live , where and when the carnal professor cannot , even in a time of want and scarcity , when the great and tall cedars whose hearts are not upright with god , fall away , and their spirits die in them . a poor believer can live by faith on the promises of god , when he can't see by an eye of sense how he should subsist , yet doth then trust on god's providence , who careth for him ; and he is contented and well satisfied with those hard pastures the lord is pleased to put him into : although the fig-tree shall not blossom , neither shall fruit be on the vines ; the labour of the olive shall fail , and the fields shall yield no meat ; the flocks shall be cut off from the fold , and there shall be no herd in the stall : yet will i rejoice in the lord , and joy in the god of my salvation . . among a flock of sheep are oftentimes some goats , who feed with them , and lie down together . so in christ's flock are some evil and corrupt members , such who are none of his sheep , but hypocrites , though they seem to feed and have communion together ; and these also are called goats by the great shepherd . . sheep are very fruitful , and do multiply in a little time exceedingly , though many of them may be killed by butchers . the saints may be compared to sheep also in this respect , for they from a few have often increased to a very great multitude . how few were the number of christ's sheep at the time of his ascension , yet in a little space we read , that their number was five thousand ; and though the heathen butchers killed many thousands , yet how wonderfully did they increase ! which was marvellous in the eyes of their enemies . the like may be noted in these days among us in england ; what a few were they of the baptized churches , and other dissenters , not many years ago , and to what a multitude are they risen now ? also the saints grow in grace , they are fruitful , bearing twins , and none barren among them . . sheep are sometimes separated from the goats , for some special occasion known to the shepherd . even so at the last day shall all the sincere and truly godly be separated from unsound and unsanctified ones , by our lord jesus the great shepherd : before him shall be gathered all nations , and he will separate them one from another , as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats : and he will set the sheep at his right hand , and the goats on his left hand . secondly , to proceed : tho i have already clearly opened the properties or characters of the sheep of christ , in speaking to several parts of my text , yet i shall in a summary way , here add some few particulars further upon this account , which may serve by way of trial to all of us . first , the first distinguishing character of them is , they hear christ's voice . what is meant by his voice , and how they do hear it , we have shewed . secondly , christ's sheep have passed through a great change , a glorious , internal and visible change. they are converted persons , renewed or regenerated by divine grace : they were once like other men and women , and had no sheep-like nature , ( as you have heard ) but rather the same filthy , unclean , and brutish nature of swine , &c. which is in all ungodly ones . . it is a real change from nature to grace ; 't is not a seeming , a nominal , or notional , but a true and real change ; they have a new heart , a new spirit , a new nature created in them ; they are become new creatures : all real operations of the spirit suppose some real form ; a real habit is infused , from whence they act , which works in them a ready inclination , disposition , and sweet propensity to do that which is truly and spiritually good. . and this is common to all the sheep of jesus christ ; in this respect they are all alike , having all obtained the same precious faith , as to the quality of it : as all wolves have the nature of wolves , and all swine the nature of swine , and all sheep have the nature of sheep ; so all the saints and children of god have the nature of saints ; all believers and sheep of jesus christ have one holy nature . . it is a nature and disposition quite contrary to that which was in them formerly : 't is a mighty change , as when a wolf is made a lamb , the " wolfish nature ( as one observes ) is lost , and the lamb-like nature is introduced . by corruption man was carnal and brutish , but by the new creation he is spiritual and divine ; by corruption he hath the image of the devil , by this he is restored to the image of god ; by that he had the seeds of all villanies , by this the seed of all graces . " he was an enemy to god , nay , had enmity in his heart against god ; but now he loves god , loves christ , loves holiness , loves the ways of god , and people of god. . it is an universal change , a change of the whole heart ; as when a child is formed in the womb , it hath all the parts , nature doth not fashion one part and leave another imperfect : so the holy spirit forms every part of the new creature in the soul of the regenerate . this habit is but one , 't is an intire rectitude in all the faculties , and an universal principle of inclining and disposing to that which is good and well-pleasing to god : there is a divine light in the vnderstanding , by which the soul sees god to be its chief good , and owns and looks upon him as such . there is a change in the will , that consents and chuses god as such ; there is a change in the affections . there is no true draught of the image of god in us , unless there be a rectitude of affection and disposition : there is therefore a conformity of affections to god , they love god , and love as god loves , and hate as god hateth ; they hate evil , because of that inward filthiness that is in it , and love grace and vertue , because of its pure and native beauty and excellency : therefore it is from hence the soul comes to take delight in god. . it changes not the heart only , but the whole life also ; the life which i now live in the flesh , i live by the faith of the son of god. such live no longer to themselves , but to god ; their tongues speak for god , their ears hear for god , their hands work for god ; their actions are holy , just and good. there is a change of company also , a change of labour , of endeavour ; and their whole end , aim and design , is to glorify god : heavenly things are preferred by them before earthly things ; they chiefly seek the kingdom of god and his righteousness . they do not pursue the world as they did , nor fashion themselves according to the former lusts and the course of this world ; nor pray as they did , nor hear as they did , nor give alms as they did : no , no , they do all things from another principle , from another end , and with other zeal , endeavours , and diligence . thirdly , christ's sheep will feed in christ's pasture , in their own pasture , where they are put by him ; not but that they may , for good reasons , be removed into another pasture , but they will not ( unless under strong temptation ) break down the hedg or fold where they were put , and run away ; no , no , but are contented with that food , that pasture god affords them , though there may be some more fat and rich than theirs . some sheep when they grow wanton , are unruly , and will break into other mens ground ; so there are some professors , some church-members that rend themselves away from their own flock and fold , in a disorderly manner ; " which ( as a reverend minister shews ) is an abominable evil , and a shame to them : this destroys the relation of pastor and people , for what may be done by one individual , may be done by all ; and ( saith he ) what liberty belongs to the sheep , belongs also to that particular shepherd who has the charge of them much more ; it is a breaking covenant with christ and the congregation , and therefore a great immorality : 't is a schism , if there be any such thing in the world ; it is a despising the government of the church ; and there is as much reason a person should come in when he pleases , without asking consent , as to depart when he pleases : it is also very evil and unkind in another church to receive such a one , as not doing as they would be dealt with . such a practice can issue in nothing but in the breach and confusion of all particular churches : it tends ( saith he ) to anarchy , putting an arbitrary power in every member , and breaks all bonds of love , and raiseth the greatest animosities between brethren and churches . " the truth is , how can another shepherd justify such an act to the great shepherd of the sheep ; i mean , to take into his fold his neighbour's sheep , without christ's order and authority ? fourthly , christ's sheep will , and do follow him ; and this our blessed saviour lays down as an undoubted character of all that are his . they follow his example , his steps . the good shepherd when he putteth forth his own sheep , he goeth before them , and the sheep follow him . jesus christ hath gone before his sheep in his obedience to the father , leaving us an example that we should follow his steps . . they follow his steps in humility : he bids us to learn of him upon this account ; learn of me , for i am meek and lowly in heart . how did christ deny himself ? in taking our nature upon him : in this ought his sheep to follow him ; let the same mind be in you which was also in christ jesus . o let the same humble spirit , and self-denying temper be in you , which was in him ; who being in the form of god , thought it no robbery to be equal with god , and made himself of no reputation , but took upon him the form of a servant , &c. saints are , or ought to be , of a humble frame , having mutual love , and a condescending spirit , even to them that are in the lowest and meanest condition , bearing with the weak , and not exalting themselves , nor offending one another in any thing that is indifferent in its own nature : i become all things to all , that i might gain some . . christ's sheep do follow him in love , and bowels of compassion : be ye followers of god , as dear children ; and walk in love , as christ also hath loved us , and hath given himself for us . by this all men may know we are his disciples , even when we have this mark of his sheep , namely , that we love one another . husbands are exhorted to love their wives , as christ also loved his church , and gave himself for it ; even with a sincere , pure , ardent and constant affection . and thus ought all christians to love each other also , being united as brethren together , and members of the same body of which christ is the head. he that loveth not his brother , is in darkness , he is none of christ's sheep . he that saith he abideth in the light , ought also to walk even as he walked , and love as he loved . . they follow him in holiness . but as he that hath called you is holy , so be ye holy in all manner of conversation : because it is written , be ye holy , for i am holy . god the father is holy , and christ is holy : he was holy , harmless , and undefiled , separated from sinners . therefore in this we should follow him in the whole course of our lives , and in the several parts of our conversations . all those who are his sheep , they are such who are sanctified persons , who laying aside all filthiness of the flesh and spirit , ( they go on ) perfecting holiness in the fear of god. . they follow the example of christ , their holy shepherd , in obedience . though he was a son , yet learned he obedience by the things he suffered : and being made perfect , he became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him . christ's meat and drink was to do the will of him that sent him ; and thus we ought to follow him ; it ought to be our joy , our delight , to do his will , and attend on his work : and this mark have all christ's sheep , i. e. they keep christ's word ; if a man love me , he will keep my word . and again , he that hath my commandments , and keepeth them , he it is that loveth me : not he that hath the knowledg of them ; it is possible men may have christ's commandments in their heads , and in their mouths , may know which they are , but they may not do them : it is he that doth his word , that doth his sayings ; that keepeth his commandments , that loves him ; ye are my friends , if you do whatsoever i command you . this is a mark of christ's sheep , of one of christ's friends , or of a sincere christian and follower of him : he will be obedient to christ , not in some things only , but in every thing that he requires or enjoins him to do in his word . . they follow christ in the hardest things , in such things that seem grievous to the flesh . like as abraham , when he was commanded to offer up his son , his only son , his only son isaac whom he loved , went presently about it , he made no pause , did not consult with flesh and blood : and abraham rose up early in the morning , &c. with an intention to do this hard work. and now saith the lord , i know that thou fearest god , seeing thou hast not withheld thy son , thine only son from me . god knew it before , tho he speaks here after the manner of men : but he would have abraham to know it , and all men to know that this is a mark of one that feareth him , that loveth him , viz. he will do any thing god requires of him , even sacrifice up all that is near and dear to him , when called for . o see how obedient christ was to the father ; the lord god hath opened mine ear , and i was not rebellious , neither turned away my back . i gave my back to the smiters , and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair ; i hid not my face from shame and spitting . this was hard work , yet christ readily passed through it ; he became obedient unto death , even the death of the cross , the worst of deaths , exceeding ten thousand deaths , considering what he felt and did undergo for us . . they follow christ whithersoever he goeth . some will not do this ; they may go a great way after the lord jesus , but then make a halt , and give over following of him . some are like orpah , who kissed her mother-in-law , and departed from her , but ruth clave unto her . even so such who are sincere christians , they keep following of christ , when others leave him and cleave to the world , to their lusts , to their cursed idolatry ; but these say to jesus christ , as ruth to naomi , intreat me not to leave thee , or to return from following of thee ; for whither thou goest , i will go ; and where thou lodgest , i will lodg : thy people shall be my people , and thy god my god. those that are wise virgins , or the sheep of christ , the holy ghost gives us their character ; these are they which were not defiled with women , for they are virgins ; these are they which follow the lamb whithersoever he goeth , &c. they will not follow god and baal , christ and antichrist ; receive christ's institutions , and rome's vile idolatry and superstitions ; or follow some precepts of christ , and reject others : no , no , they follow him in all his holy laws , keeping close in all things to the rules of his worship , both in doctrine , discipline , and conversation ; in all duties of religion , both natural and supernatural , whether towards god , or towards men. they are like unto joshua and caleb , they follow christ fully ; but my servant caleb , because he had another spirit with him , and hath followed me fully , him will i bring into the good land , and his seed shall possess it . he followed god when others forsook him , being not acted by that evil spirit of cowardice , slavish fear and unbelief which ruled in others , but was a man of another temper , i. e. couragious , faithful , obedient ; as it is said of the righteous , he was bold as a lion ; and universally , thrô all difficulties , deaths and dangers , followed god : and thus do all the true sheep of christ follow him . . they follow christ in sincerity , not for loaves , &c. . they follow christ constantly to the end , and faint not . we read of some that followed our blessed saviour for some time , but then they were offended at his doctrine ; from that time many of his disciples went back , and walked no more with him . this shewed they were not his sheep or disciples indeed , for these returned no more ; they , it is evident , drew back to perdition . a godly man may , under a temptation , seem to faint and draw back , as peter did , but he returns by repentance and follows christ again . we are not ( saith paul ) of them who draw back unto perdition , but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. the sheep of christ hold on their way , they having clean hands , grow stronger and stronger , they can never perish ; therefore shall follow christ always , or persevere in well-doing to the end of their days . the good ground brought forth fruit unto eternal life : such who fall away were not sincere and honest-hearted ones , but are either like the stony or thorny ground hearers . fifthly christ's sheep have his character by which they are known . men mark their sheep so ; we read in the revelations , that the servants of god were sealed ; they were marked in their right hands , and in their foreheads , &c. god gave a charge of old , to set a mark upon the men that sigh'd and mourn'd for all the abominations that were committed in the land. merchants , and others , commonly set a mark upon their goods , by which they lay claim to them , and know them : so christ sets his mark , his seal , upon all his saints . by their father's mark on their right hand , some understand the heart : a mark in the hand is a secret mark. . no doubt the mark of christ's sheep , is the mark of regeneration , or that holy image of god which is stamp'd upon them all , as i hinted at first : and if christ sees not this mark on the soul , he will not own that man or woman actually to be his . . the holy spirit is expresly called the seal with which every true believer is sealed : also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise . which is the earnest of our inheritance , until the redemption of the purchased possession , unto the praise of his glory . and again he saith , grieve not the holy spirit , by which you are sealed unto the day of redemption . whosoever hath the spirit of christ in them , or hath received the saving graces thereof , are christ's sheep , they have his mark ; these he will own , and say , ( where e●er he find this seal ) this man and this woman is mine . and on the other hand ; now if any man hath not the spirit of christ , he is none of his ; he is none of his sheep , he hath no special interest in him . remember the spirit of christ , true grace , faith , love humility , &c. is the ear-mark of christ's sheep . . and why may not inward sincerity be christ's mark also ? for that i am sure does distinguish them from all others , from hypocrites , and all unsound and false-hearted professors whatsoever . dly , the mark in their foreheads is seen by all ; that may denote their holy carriage , behaviour , and deportment in this world , to all that behold them . . it may shew that they hate idolatry , and all false worship . . it may signify their holy conversation ; for holiness is written , as it were , in legible characters , on all their foreheads : there is not one of christ's sheep without this mark ; for without holiness no man shall see the lord. this shews who they are , and whither they are going , and to what country they do belong . sixthly , christ's sheep follow the footsteps of the flock , i. e. the primitive church , in church-constitution , doctrine and discipline . they contend for that faith which was once delivered to the saints , and keep the ordinances as they were at first given forth ; they are for no mixture in doctrine nor discipline ; be sure before all things , they keep pure the doctrine of justification , and do not join work and grace together : their great care is to exalt the free grace of god , and abase the creature , accounting all their own inherent righteousness as dung , or dogs-meat , in comparison of christ , and the righteousness of christ . seventhly , they love to drink in pure christal , soft and gentle streams . sheep do not love to drink of muddy , rough and raging rivers : no more do christ's sheep ; he makes me to lie down in green pastures ; he leadeth me beside the still waters . they will not forsake the waters of shiloah that run softly , and drink of the proud , swelling , and troublesome rivers of babylon , tygris , and euphrates . they like the teachings of god's spirit in the meanest instrument , tho such who are despised and contemned of men , better than the highest elegance , and lostiest rhetorick of all the cicero's and plato's of the world. what are the artificial flourishes of demosthenes , or exact method of aristotle and galen , or all humane curiosities or itch of words , to the teachings of the holy ghost ? paul spoke not in the wisdom of this world , or with the inticing words of man's wisdom , but in the demonstration of the spirit , and with power . these waters believers chuse and love to drink of . i am afraid some men are more nice in studying words than matter , to affect the ear rather than to work upon the heart of their hearers . though humane learning is not to be despised , yet no doubt dr. carlton was in the right , " that a lay-man that has the spirit of god , is better able to judg of spiritual things , than a man in ecclesiastical function , destitute of the spirit of god. " infelix est sapientia extra verbum dei sapere , saith justin martyr . our annotators say well , viz. " . ministers ought to speak intelligibly , so as the people may understand . " " . that they speak gravely and decently ; all other study of words and phrases in a divine , ( say they ) is but folly and vanity . " eighthly , and lastly , christ's sheep do relie upon the care and faithfulness of their shepherd . they know on whom they have believed , and can and do venture their souls on him , knowing he will keep that which they have committed to his charge : they depend on christ , rest on christ , believe in christ , relie on his word and promises for all things they need : they can say with david , the lord is my shepherd , i shall not want , neither any thing for this life , which is really necessary , nor for the life which is to come : they leave the alimighty to chuse for them , knowing they are not competent judges , as touching what is best for themselves : though he slay me , ( saith job ) yet will i trust in him ; let god do what he will with me , yet i will rest upon him ; my hope shall be in him , and i will not be offended if i have poverty , sickness , persecution , reproaches , or whatsoever else : i know , saith a true christian , god sees it good for me , and i will not murmur nor complain . application . . we may infer from hence , that christ hath but a few sheep , but a few followers : o what a small number have these characters upon them ! . it may be for lamentation . cyprian brings in the devil triumphing over jesus christ , after this sort : " as for my followers , i never died for them as christ did for his ; i never promised them so great rewards as christ hath done to his , and yet i have more followers than he , and they do more for me than his do for him . " o how blind and deceived are poor sinners , that they chuse to follow satan rather jesus christ ! what a great multitude hath the devil ! his flock is a mighty flock , christ's flock is a little flock : fear not , little flock , it is your father's good pleasure to give you a kingdom . every saint shall have a kingdom , a crown ; this is christ's promise to all his sheep , and yet how few are they that cleave to him , that believe in him , and follow him ! . by what you have heard , you may try your selves : o see , have you these characters , these marks of christ's sheep ? certainly if so , you have no cause to doubt but your state is happy ; if not , labour for them . . the way to be one of christ's sheep , is to believe , and to pass under the new birth . john x. . my sheep hear my voice , and i know them , and they follow me . the last day i shewed you who are the sheep of jesus christ , by giving you the several characters and marks of them . sixthly , i shall now proceed to the last general head , viz. . shew you , what a kind of shepherd christ is . . what those pastures are where he feeds them . . what a fold he hath for his sheep . first . jesus christ is a chosen shepherd . no man hath a right to be a shepherd , but he that is first chosen by the owner of the sheep . christ is called the elect of god ; my servant whom i have chosen . again , behold my servant whom i uphold , mine elect , in whom my soul delighteth . he was fore-ordained , in the decree , design and purpose of god , to be our redeemer ; and as a shepherd , to take care of , feed , heal , nay , to die for the sheep . secondly . and as he was chosen , so he was called also to this work and office. for as the apostle speaks concerning christ's priesthood , or touching that office , so i may say of this , no man taketh this honour unto himself , but he that is called of god , as was aaron . he did not intrude himself upon this service , but he had a lawful call unto it ; the father called him , and sent him into the world , to keep , feed , and save his sheep . this shews the wonderful love of the father , he is the first and principal author of our salvation : all things are of god , who hath reconciled us unto himself by jesus christ . all the spiritual blessings we have by christ , spring from the father ; the father is held forth as the first cause , first mover and contriver of all spiritual mercies for us : the father also fitted and qualified him , or put him into a capacity to accomplish this work and office ; he prepared him a body , that so he might die for his sheep . thirdly . jesus christ is a kind , loving and compassionate shepherd . what shepherd ever loved his sheep as christ loved his ? the greatness of his love , bowels of affection and compassion , appears , . by his coming so far ( as 't is from heaven to the earth ) to seek them ; for the son of man is come to save that which was lost . luke reads it , to seek and to save that which was lost . my people have been lost sheep , jer. . . ( . ) we were all lost in the first adam , not one sheep but was lost ; and had not christ came to seek and save us , we had been all lost for ever . ( . ) we were all lost , not only by original , but also by our own actual sin : all we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one of us to his own evil way . we were all gone out of the way , gone far from god , and without all hope or possibility of returning , had not christ came to seek us ; for we were all as sheep going astray , but are now returned to the shepherd and bishop of our souls . ( . ) they also , by the grace of god , at length came to see that they were lost ; they are lost in themselves , and in their own sight . jesus sent forth and commanded them , saying , go not in the way of the gentiles , &c. but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of israel . the whole house of israel was lost , but there were but a few of them that saw their lost state. . the bowels and compassion of christ to his sheep , chiefly appears by his dying for them . he laid down his life for the sheep ; none could shew greater love than this : as the father knoweth me , even so i know the father ; and i lay down my life for the sheep . . his great love and affection to his sheep , is manifested by his care to gather them ; he shall gather the lambs with his arms , and carry them in his bosom . gathering implies , bringing them home unto himself by the arm of his power , or by the effectual operation of his word and spirit . to whom hath the arm of the lord been revealed ? or , who hath felt and experienced the powerful influences of his spirit , and saving grace thereof , on their souls ? this must be before any poor sinners are gathered or brought home to god. jesus christ must rescue them out of the mouth of the lion , and paw of the bear , as david did his sheep , who was a type of him . we were all once in satan's hand , that hungry lion had us in his teeth , and was going to tear us to pieces , but then comes our blessed shepherd and delivers us . none but he whose power is infinite could gather us , or bring us home to god , such a miserable state were we in . . christ's love is further expressed , by that affecting metaphor , luke . . he goes after the lost sheep , leaveth the rest in the wilderness , and never gives over until he hath found it ; and when he hath found it , he layeth it on his shoulders , rejoicing . o my friends , how great is the love of christ to one poor , lost , and undone sinner ? he will not lose one that his father hath given him : no , no , though it be but one individual soul that is missing , yet he will go after that , seek that , leave all the rest to look after that one poor sheep ; and when he has found it , he sees it cannot go , it has no strength , therefore he lays it upon his shoulders . sinners , christ must lay hold of you , and take you up , and lay you on his shoulders , and carry you home if ever you are saved . it is upon christ's shoulders , christ's power , that every elect soul is brought home ; 't is not on the power of their will , their strength , their faith ; no , but on christ's shoulders . moreover , it is said , he rejoiced , and calls upon all his friends ( the blessed angels and saints ) to rejoice with him , for i have found my lost sheep . this shews his wonderful love to poor , undone , and lost sinners that are his sheep , whatever it costs him , whatever pains , labour , or charge , home he will bring them , saved they must and shall be . i have other sheep ( saith he ) that are not of this fold , them also i must bring , and they shall hear my voice . . his love to his sheep , to his saints , also appears in his laying them in his bosom , in his heart . o how near and dear is every believing soul to jesus christ ! it 's a metaphor taken from a father or tender mother , that hugs an only child in his or her arms , and lays it in their bosom , knowing not how to express the greatness of their affections . christ himself is said to lie in the bosom of the father ; which denotes how he is beloved by him , how near and dear he is to him : even so this discovers his great affections to his people . . he also makes his love manifest to them , by his gentle leading of them : he shall gently lead them that are with young . he will not lead them faster than they are able to go , or lay more upon them than they can bear ; nay , he gives strength to them , and supports their souls under all their troubles and sorrows . jacob was a compassionate shepherd ; if i over-drive them , ( saith he ) all the flock will die . christ had many things to tell his disciples , but they were not able to bear them : he lets out or discovers his precious truth to his people , according as he knows they are able to receive it and take it in : you shall not have harder things , trials , temptations nor afflictions , than your strength is . there hath no temptation taken you , but what is common to man : and god is faithful , who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able ; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape , that ye may be able to bear it . . his infinite love and bowels are made known also to his sheep by his feeding them , as well as it is by his leading them . he feeds them with choice food , he gives them his own flesh to eat , and his own precious blood to drink , knowing that except he doth this , they must perish for ever : this was that strange doctrine in the eyes of the jews , which they could not receive nor understand . . also by his healing of his sheep with his own stripes . but he was wounded for our transgressions , he was bruised for our iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was upon him , and by his stripes we are healed . what shepherd ever thus loved his sheep , even to be wounded and bruised for them , to heal them of their wounds with his own stripes ? but this jesus christ doth . . by this washing them also in the same precious blood : nothing could purge away the filth and guilt of our polluted souls , but christ's blood ; and if he wash us not , we have no part with him : he hath loved us , and washed us from our sins in his own blood. this love is wonderful love , amazing love , exceeding all love. o in what a stream , in what a fountain are the sheep of christ washed ! think upon it , our pollution was great , but christ hath washed us . god sent his son to take away our sin , and it must be done this way ; it is the blood of jesus christ his son that cleanses us from all sin. fourthly . jesus christ is the good shepherd . i am the good shepherd ; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep . our lord jesus shews in this that he excels all shepherds : some shepherds have ventured their lives , hazarded their lives for their sheep ; yet it was more than was required of them , for the life of a man is much more valuable than the life of a beast : but no doubt our saviour refers to his great work and office as mediator , and as the messiah that was to come , who was to be cut off , not for himself , for his own sins , but for the sins of the elect , or die for his sheep : it was required of him , the father gave him commandment to lay down his life ; and he did it actually , freely , willingly ; nay , he came on purpose into this world to do it , and therefore he is the good shepherd . fifthly . jesus christ is a wise shepherd , a knowing shepherd ; i know my sheep : this i have already spoken to . . he knows and sees all his sheep at once , with one look of his eye , in all the nations of the earth , let them dwell where they will , though never so far asunder or remote . . he is so wise , that he knows in what condition they are , and what condition is best for them ; whether poverty or riches , sickness or health , liberty or bonds , peace or trouble , honour or disgrace , strength or weakness , either a fat or a lean pasture , loss or gain , cold or heat , whether a north or a south wind. . he is wise to protect us , wise to conduct us , to feed us , wise to fold us , wise to heal us , and wise to save us . sixthly . christ is the chief and great shepherd of the sheep . and when the chief shepherd shall appear , ye shall receive a crown of glory . and again , the holy ghost calls him in another place , the great shepherd : now the god of peace , that brought from the dead our lord jesus christ , that great shepherd of the sheep , &c. jesus christ may be called the chief and great shepherd . . because he entered into covenant with the father , as the great surety of all the sheep ; by which he came under a legal obligation to pay the just debts , and to answer for the defaults of all his elect : and then and thereby he undertook to bring in and gather all the sheep to god by the blood of the everlasting covenant ; by which transaction he made our peace , and reconciled us unto the father . . because he actually bought all the sheep , in pursuit of the said glorious covenant-transactions , by the price of his own blood , that so he might unite them all unto himself in one body . . he may be called the chief and great shepherd , because all the sheep , or elect of god , are given into his hand , to keep , take care of , feed , heel , protect and preserve to eternal life . and this great work and office he hath undertaken , and doth and will perform with all faithfulness , being every ways fitted , endeared and qualified , as mediator and universal shepherd and head , to discharge it . . because 't is he that calls them , that justifies them , that sanctifies them , and presents them all faultless and without spot before the father . . because he is exalted in glory and dignity , not only as the head , lord , and sovereign of all the sheep , but also as the prince of all pastors and subordinate shepherds that ever were , are , or shall be ; from whom they all receive their power and authority as his deputies , to take care of and watch over each part and parcel of his flock committed to their respective charge . jesus christ is not only above all shepherds , all ministers , but they do all in his name , and must at the last day be accountable to him for their administrations . . he is the great shepherd of the sheep , a mighty shepherd , if we consider the greatness of the flock , which he hath not only received the care and charge of , but they are all his own sheep . if a shepherd had under his care sheep , and all his own , would not every body call him a great shepherd ? now though christ's flock is called a little flock comparatively , yet the number of all his sheep , all his elect , is very great : we read of ten thousands of his saints , and a number that no man can number , they are all his ; and therefore a great shepherd . . he is great in riches , having a multitude of rich and choice pastors , enough to feed millions of sheep here on earth : and though his flock will encrease e're long , when the fulness of the gentiles shall come in , and his antient flock , i mean , the seed of abraham now scattered , be gathered , and all brought into one fold , yet he hath pastures for them all . moreover , he hath prepared a glorious and rich fold for them above , which is heaven it self , that is the fold into which all his flock shall be put for ever and ever . . lastly , he is great in power : no shepherd hath such power to defend , protect , preserve and save his flock like to him . none are able to pluck one sheep out of his hand , as i shall prove and demonstrate when i come to speak to the next part of my text. another shepherd , for want of power , may lose his sheep , the wolf or lion may come and tear them in pieces , and rob him of them : but no enemy , neither sin nor satan , nor the world , can rend his sheep from him ; he hath power over all adversaries , and can subdue them with much case at his pleasure ; therefore he is the great shepherd . seventhly . jesus christ is a watchful shepherd . this is one property of a good shepherd : and there were shepherds in the field watching over their flock by night , &c. christ knows his sheep are subject to sleep , and so lie open to many dangers , therefore he watches over them . he is always awake , he that keeps israel , neither slumbereth nor sleepeth ; he will not suffer thy foot to be removed : he that keepeth thee will not slumber . behold , he that keepeth israel , shall neither slumber nor sleep . the lord is thy keeper , thy shade upon thy right hand . the sheep of christ are in danger by sin , by satan , by temptation , by wolves , by a deceitful heart , by inward corruption , by false and self-seeking teachers , whose design is to make a prey of his flock ; therefore he watches them like a vineyard of red wine : i the lord do keep it , i will water it every moment ; lest any hurt it , i will keep it night and day . i will , as if he should say , protect my church , my vineyard , my flock , from all assaults of its enemies ; neither men , nor devils shall spoil , ruin , or hurt my people . and that he may secure his flock , . he discovers by his word , the subtilty , craft and devices of their enemies , and their danger thereby . . by his spirit also , through its quickning operations , he awakens them when their enemies are upon them ; and that shews he is a watchful and a wakeful shepherd . . he also by his providences shews he is awake , and strives to awaken his people also . and this he doth several manner of ways . . by wars , perplexities , and distress of nations . . by famine and pestilence . . by strange signs , prodigies , and fearful earthquakes in divers places . . by the awakning providence of sudden and unusual deaths , snatching away one man here , and another there , to keep the rest awake . . by letting out symptoms of his displeasure , by distressing the consciences of some , by fearful horror and desperation ; as in spira and child's cases ; to awaken others , and to deter them from like evils . . he also imploys his ministers to rouse them up ; they , as his substitutes , are made watchmen , to give his people , his saints , his flock , warning of approaching dangers . dly . christ knows that his flock is not only subject to sleep , but also to go astray , and therefore he watcheth over them . . because he sees our enemies watch against us to ensnare , to catch , and to ruin us ; deliver thy self as a roe from the hand of the hunter , and as a bird from the hand of the fowler . satan is a subtil fowler , a crafty enemy ; and is also clothed with great power . he is compared to a serpent , to shew his subtilty ; and to a lion , which denotes his strength and devouring nature . . jesus christ watches his sheep , that he may give them those mercies they need in the proper season of them : he knows when and how to give us that good he himself hath promised . sometimes he watches over his people , to chasten , to afflict and punish them with the rod , when he sees there is need of it : he lets out his dog , ( as i may so say , like as a shepherd doth upon unruly sheep ) when his calls will not do , will not reclaim them and reduce them to an orderly and diligent walk . but then at another time , he watches over them , to bestow his favours and blessing upon them : and it shall come to pass , that like as i have watched over them , to pluck up , and to break down , and to overthrow , and to destroy , and to afflict ; so will i watch over them , to build , and to plant , saith the lord. though there is no change in god , but he doth all things according to the counsel of his own will and eternal purpose , yet there is a change of his providential dispensations . god here speaks after the manner of men ; and as he is diligent to afflict for disobedience , so he is likewise as diligent upon a reformation , to distribute his blessings , when he sees it will make for his glory and his peoples good. seventhly , and lastly , christ is a living shepherd . other shepherds die and leave their sheep , and know not what evil may befal them after their departure : but jesus christ never dies ; i am he that was dead , and am alive ; and behold , i live for evermore . he ever lives to feed , to heal , guide , protect , and save his people ; he ever lives to make intercession for us . in this doth the safety , happiness and comfort of believers lie : christ is always the same , he changes not ; and is such a shepherd , that his sheep cannot lose ; death hath no more power over him , death cannot deprive them of this shepherd . . o happy saints , blessed sheep : o love your shepherd , trust in your shepherd ; say with david , the lord is my shepherd , i shall not want . . be ruled , led and guided by your shepherd ; and be content with that pasture into which he hath put you , and with such commons he is pleased to afford you . . how doth this reprehend such who repine , murmur , and are carried away with slavish and distrustful fear ? o what a shame is it to be afraid , when you have such a friend , such a keeper , such a shepherd to protect , feed , and keep you ? but to proceed . secondly , what pastures doth christ feed his sheep in ? what or which are his pastures ? first . i answer ; his word , this is one of his pastures , and a fat one it is , yea , a most choice and rich pasture ; here is precious feeding : some ( like david ) can relish god's word , and find it sweeter than honey ; how sweet are thy words unto my taste ! yea , sweeter than honey to my mouth . the study , meditation , and obedience of god's word , yields more satisfaction , joy and delight , than any worldly men find in their earthly profits or sensual pleasures . if you cannot find it thus , it is because you have lost your spiritual appetites , you do not hunger after heavenly food , nor see the worth nor want of it : thy words ( saith jeremiah ) were found , and i did eat them ; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart . beloved , there is a two-fold tasting of the word . ( . ) some taste it , but digest it not ; they have an apprehension , and bear reception of it , and no more : the news of a saviour , and deliverance from wrath , seems desirable to them ; they like the promises of the word , and flatter themselves with a false hope of pardon , by giving a bare credit to the truth of the gospel in the declaration of it . ( . ) but there is a farther and better tasting than this ; a tasting by a special application , and a saving relishing of the word of god ; and not the promissory part only , but the preceptory part thereof also : these like and love the word , because of the purity of it . others have a common , but not a special faith ; the jews seemed to rejoice in john's doctrine , but did not receive it into their understanding , and sincerely subject to the life and power of it . ( . ) the word of god feeds the souls of believers with saving knowledg , the doctrine of free grace , of justification , adoption , pardon of sin , and free access to the father , which shews it to be a sat and blessed pasture ; and thus it feeds their understanding . ( . ) it feeds and raises their affections also in love to christ , and desire after him , to hear what god is to them , and christ is to them ; what a covenant is made with christ for them , what promises are made to them , what love the lord jesus hath to them , and what grace is purchased , laid , and treasured up in christ for them ; what care he hath of them , and what glory he hath prepared for them . ( . ) they receive the word they assent to the truth of it and f●el a so the power thereof inclining , bowing and subjecting their wills to a holy , ready , and hearty consent thereunto , in a way of universal obedience to what is required of them . ( . ) it feeds their faith also , and every grace of the spirit in their souls ; it increases their faith in christ , and their love to christ , whilst they meditate thereon , and believe with an unfeigned faith the veracity of god's word , and apply the promises and blessings thereof , which are purchased by jesus christ now , is to eat and digest the word . secondly . the ordinances of christ may be said to be another pasture where his sheep do feed . the spouse no doubt enquired after this pasture ; tell me , o thou whom my soul loveth , where thou feedest , &c. where thy holy ordinances are truly administred . . the ordinance of preaching , or administration of the gospel , is a rich pasture , especially when it is preached powerfully by the influence and demonstration of the spirit ; the opening and explaining the word of the gospel , is like the opening the pasture-gate , and so letting the sheep into it . did not our hearts burn within us , while he talked with us , and opened the scriptures ? 't is like the opening of the box of precious ointment , causing a sweet perfume in the soul , like as mary's did in the house . the work of the ministry is to open the scripture ; vnderstandest thou what thou readest ? saith philip. the eunuch answered , how can i , unless some man should guide me ? he might have added , some skilful man. alas , some are unlearned , unexperienced and ignorant preachers , they know not the lord themselves , they never learned of the father , but want the teachings of the holy spirit : they understand not the scripture , the holy bible is a sealed book to them , notwithstanding all their humane literature and knowledg of the tongues , with their arts and sciences . the preaching the gospel , is the feeding of the soul. but o what care should be taken , that nothing is delivered by the preacher but sound doctrine ; not to feed the people with airy and empty notions , corrupt and poisonous doctrine ; for that is to destroy the sheep , especially such that are weak in knowledg , and cannot quickly discern truth from error . they are not to feed the flock with humane traditions , nor with their own dreams . simon , son of jonas , lovest thou me ? feed my sheep : not with good doctrine only , but good discipline also , and with an holy and good example : good government is precious food to the sheep and lambs of jesus christ . . the holy ordinances of baptism , and the lord's supper , is another part of this blessed pasture : and such are ill sheep that will not feed where the shepherd willeth them , or like not a pasture of his chusing . with what gladness did those saints at jerusalem , when they received the word , yield themselves up to holy baptism ? the eunuch also found that ordinance ( he meeting with christ in it ) very sweet ; and therefore when baptized , he went away rejoicing . the mystery of the gospel is preached or held forth in a lively figure in baptism to the very sight of the natural eye ; which being understood , conveys much light and knowledg to the understanding . it shews that christ was dead , buried , and rose again for our justification . st , " baptism ( saith the learned tilenus ) is the first sacrament of the new testament , instituted by christ ; in which there is an exact analogy between the sign and the thing signified . the outward rite in baptism is threefold . " " . immersion into the water . " . abiding under the water . " . a resurrection out of the water . " the form of baptism , ( saith he ) to wit , external and essential , is no other than the analogical proportion which the sign keeps with the thing signified thereby . the plunging into the water , ( saith he ) holds forth to us that horrible gulph of divine justice , in which christ for our sakes , for a while was in a manner swallowed up : abiding under the water , ( how little time soever ) denotes his descent into * hell , even the deepest of lifelessness : and lying in the sealed or guarded sepulchre , he was accounted as one dead . rising out of the water , holds forth to us in a lively similitude , that conquest which this dead man got over death . " and ( saith the same worthy author ) so dipping into the water , in a most lively " similitude , sets forth the mortification of the old man ; and rising out of the water , the vivification of the new man ; it being meet that we , being baptized into his death , and buried with him , should rise also with him , and go on in a new life . " the apostle clearly confirms the same great truths ; know ye not , that so many of us as were baptized into jesus christ , were baptized into his death ? therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death , that like as christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father ; even so we also should walk in newness of life . we have fellowship with christ in his death in baptism , or the efficacy of his death evidenced to us , as the outward symbol of it is held forth in the external administration of it : for as christ died for sin , so we are hereby obliged to die to sin ; and as he rose again from the dead , so we ought ( as we covenant in this ordinance ) to walk in newness of life . dr. cave saith , " in immerging there are in a manner three-fold acts , the putting the person into the water , his abiding under the water , and his rising up again ; thereby representing christ's death , burial , and resurrection ; and our conformity thereunto in our dying to sin , and the destruction of its power , and our resurrection to a new course of life . " o learn what your baptism holds forth , and what you are taught thereby , and promised therein , and live accordingly . brethren , you will find blessed food in this ordinance for your souls ; and if you experience the things signified thereby , happy are you ; if not , in vain were you baptized . dly , what sweet food , or how good a pasture is the ordinance of the lord's supper , to a hungry soul who longs after the bread of life , and communion with christ . a crucified christ is the bread of life ; and by faith in this ordinance we feed on this bread ; it feeds and strengthens our faith , and also our love to the lord jesus : who can forbear to love that christ , who poured forth his precious blood for us ? he was made a curse for us , by hanging on the tree , and bearing our sins . when you take this bread , and this cup , you declare you take and accept of christ as the only food of your souls ; and that way of salvation god hath been graciously pleased to find out : and when you eat the bread , and drink of the cup , you shew that you feed alone upon him , and that he is your saviour . indeed , christ doth in effect say to you , soul , take all this , in token that i have satisfied the justice of god for thy sins , i have made thy peace ; take this bread , and this cup as a pledg of it , and of my eternal love to thee , and as a token that all thy sins are forgiven , and that thou art mine also . ( . ) by this ordinance we learn , and clearly see , the horible evil of sin , the cursed nature of sin , in that nothing could atone for it , nor satisfy the law and justice of god , but the precious blood of the son of god himself . ( . ) here likewise we see that infinite love of the father , in giving of christ to die for us ; he spared not his own son , but delivered him up for us all . ( ) here also we perceive the wonderful love of jesus christ , who willingly laid down his life for us . ( . ) moreover , here we see how we come to be saved , or the way of life ; and that it is only by a sacrifice , and that by the sacrifice of christ himself alone . ( . ) here we see our near union with christ , and blessed union one with another , as the bread and wine is turned into nourishment ; the first is held forth : and as many corns of wheat do make one loas , so we being many members , are but one body ; and therein the latter union is held forth also , i mean , our union one with another . thirdly . the ordinance of prayer , is also as a pasture for christ's sheep to feed in . if we pray in faith , we receive what we desire and stand in need of : that soul that goes to god in christ's name believingly , never comes away empty handed . we have not , because we ask not ; or else ask amiss , that we may consume it on our lusts , to please the flesh , and gratify our carnal appetites , and so an evil end spoils good means : so long ( said a good woman in distress ) as i have a praying heart , god will have a helping hand . it argues we have not hungry souls , if we have not praying souls . you may as well live without eating , as spiritually live without praying ; and as it is a sign you are not well when you cannot eat , so it is a sign your souls are not well when you cannot pray : and as it is a sign the body is faint , when the breath is short , or breaths not freely so it is a sign of a faint and languishing christian , when his prayers are short , or prays not freely . he that believes savingly , will pray servently . he that thrives not in this pasture , will thrive in none . as be cannot live naturally that breaths not , no more can that soul live spiritually that prays not . he that casts off prayer , casts off god. no wonder god withholds mercies from us , when we restrain prayer from him . pure prayer is only pleasing to a pure god : our prayers must be directed to the right object ; o thou that hearest prayer , to thee shall all men come . we must always direct our prayers to god , but must not forget to come unto him by jesus christ ; and we must see to the matter of it , as well as the object : if we ask not that which is lawful , our prayers must needs be unlawful ; as it is a sin to do any thing god commands not , so it is a sin to ask any thing god allows not . we must also be right in the manner , as well as in the matter of our prayer : when our spirit prays not , our hand receives not . and we must , if we would thrive in this pasture , also see that our end be right : our great end should be , that our prayer may be accepted , and god may be glorified . the first thing we should ask in prayer is , that the name of god may be hallowed . o soul , haste into this pasture : whatsoever ye ask , saith christ , in my name , i will do it , that the father may be glorified . to pray in christ's name , . is to know we come to have this privilege to draw near to god , only by christ , i. e. through the vail , that is to say , his flesh ; he hath purchased us this liberty . . 't is to pray in his strength , i. e. by the spirit , which he hath procured for us , and given to us . . 't is to pray in the virtue of christ's mediation : whatsoever we ask on earth , christ obtains for us in heaven . . to ask in christ's name , is to ask for his sake , for his worthiness : 't is not what our deservings are , but what christ's merits are . fourthly . the promises of god are another pasture , where the sheep of christ do daily feed . the promises of god are of a soul-fastening , and soul-strengthning nature : but there is no feeding here , without believing . a sheep may as well feed on grass , without teeth , as a christian can feed on the promises without faith. the reason why the soul cannot get into this rich common , or rather fat medow , is , because he cannot get over the slough of unbelief . man lives not by bread alone , but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of god. he can feed his people , and support them by a word of promise , when their bread faileth : nor must we take unlawful means to supply our necessities , nor distrust the care and providence of god , tho we do not see which way we shall subsist : trust in the lord , and do good , so thou shalt dwell in the land , and verily thou shalt be fed . we must depend upon the providence and promise of god , for supplies both of body and soul : the young lions lack , and suffer hunger ; yet they that seek the lord shall not want any good thing . we must let god judg and chuse for us ; 't is better for us sometimes to want , than to abound : there are promises ( as i have sometimes shewed you ) that answer every condition we can be in . fifthly . the providences of god , and the saints experience , are another pasture for christ's sheep . how oft have they been fed this way ? i have been young , and now am old ; yet have i not seen the righteous forsaken , nor his seed begging bread. this was more especially david's experience , and under that dispensation , when the promises of god were of temporal blessings ; ours under the gospel are better : or else take it thus , not begging in vain . if they are such children that walk in the steps of their godly parents , or not so begging as to be forsaken , it cannot intend any kind of asking , or begging ; for david himself desired and received relief from others . nothing doth more clearly relieve and feed our souls under trouble and distress , than those experiences we have formerly had of god's special providence and goodness to us , or how he helped his people in their extremities in the days of old . o my god , my soul is cast down within me ; therefore i will remember thee from the land of jordan , and of the hermonites , from the hill mizar . he would call to mind how god had helped him formerly , when pursued by saul , or distressed by absalom ; and the way his drooping spirits were revived . he that delivered me ( saith he ) from the paw of the bear , and paw of the lion , will deliver me from this uncircumcised philistine . all power is given into christ's hand , he is the great disposer of all things ; therefore be sure he will order every thing for the good of his church . if not a hair of our heads shall fall without the providence of god , we may conclude he will be concerned for us in greater matters : and if he provide for sparrows , he will provide and take care of his own children . the covenant of grace , the love of christ , and that relation we stand in to him , must needs give us ground to believe he will , in his most wise providence , order all things for our good , besides the express promises he hath made upon that account . doth he hold us in his hand , carry us in his bosom , nay , engrave us on his heart , and will he forsake us ? o this cannot be . hath he took the charge of his sheep , and will he leave them to lions , or wolves , to be torn to pieces ? or shall sin or the devil pull limb from limb , and he look on ? but i must not further enlarge here . quest . what is the nature of that food which jesus christ feeds his sheep with ? . i answer in the negative ; it is not surfeiting food : some pastures are naught , they will rot the sheep ; but christ feeds not his people in such pastures . . 't is not forbidden food ; he hath prohibited us to follow a multitude to do evil , to walk in the way of the heathen , or after the course of this world , or according to the former lusts in our ignorance , and not to touch , taste , nor handle of the traditions and doctrines of men ; but he allows us his own word and ordinances . . 't is costly food , pastures that were purchased by our shepherd at a dear price . . 't is sweet and pleasant food ; more to be desired than gold ; yea , than much fine gold : sweeter also than honey , or the honey-comb . . 't is soul-satisfying food ; he satisfies every hungry soul : i will abundantly bless her provision , and satisfy her poor with bread. wicked men eat that which satisfies not : what is all the trash of this world , but meer husks , ashes , and gravel-stones ? . 't is strengthning food ; it strengthens the soul , and strengthens the graces of the spirit in the soul. . 't is chearing , comforting , and reviving food , as i might shew you , but must not enlarge . . 't is living food , 't is bread of life ; such who feed on it shall never die : it gives life , and it continues and encreases life , and will feed the soul up unto everlasting life . . it is soul-fatning food : eat you that which is good , and let your soul delight it self in fatness . o this food , these gospel-pastures fatten the soul , when they meet with god , enjoy god in his ordinances ; when they have communion with him , and when they find their sins and corruptions wither and die , and grace grow and flourish in their souls ' when they thrive in holiness , in faith , love , patience , and humility , &c. quest . what is christ's fold ? answ . he hath a twofold fold . . his church is his fold ; christ built it himself , and it is a fold the enemy cannot destroy , he hath set it upon a rock . . heaven is christ's fold . quest . what is the fence of christ's fold ( or church ) here on earth ? answ . i answer , it is threefold . . the fence may be said to be , that holy and primitive constitution , order and ordinances which christ hath appointed . . that sacred covenant believers enter into , when they are admitted members . . the holy discipline , order and government christ hath ordained and left in the gospel . application . we infer from hence , that believers are in a most happy condition , they having such a shepherd and such pastures to feed in . which will further appear , if we consider these things following . . they are pastures that will feed multitudes ; nay , they cannot be over-stock'd , christ's pastures cannot be eaten up . . christ's pastures are always good , always rich , as good in winter as summer ; and so are not other pastures . . so well fenced about , that the walls cannot by men nor devils be broken down . god secures his people and gospel by his own almighty power and providence ; he is a wall of fire round about : besides , his angels encamp about them that fear him also . . christ's pastures have most precious water in them ; there is a river that makes glad the city of god , &c. he feeds me in green pastures , and leads me besides the still waters . the holy spirit , and graces of the spirit , may be here intended . . water hath a cooling nature , it allays thirst ; so these waters cool the fire of lust , and every evil passion , and allay that inordinate thirst after the things of this world. . some waters are of a purging quality ; these waters also purge the soul of all evil and nauseous humours . . water makes fruitful ; it makes pastures fruitful , and the sheep also : so these sacred waters make the word and ordinances fruitful , and the saints fruitful likewise . . waters soften ; so these waters soften the heart and make it tender . . waters have a cleansing virtue : so have these divine waters ; the spirit , and graces of the spirit , cleanse the soul of all filth and pollution of flesh and spirit . . water hath a healing property : the spiritual waters heal , they are beyond all waters , exceed all waters . for , . these waters never fail ; other waters may be dried up . he that drinks of the water i shall give him , shall never thirst ; but the waters that i shall give him , shall be in him a well of living water , springing up unto everlasting life . . these are waters of life ; he that receives the holy spirit , shall live for ever . . these are still waters , not rough boisterous streams ; they may be called still waters in respect of their effects . . they will keep such that drink of them , in god's bounds , and cause them to rest in quiet where he hath placed them . . they make a still and quiet soul , a still and quiet family , a still and quiet church , when all drink of these waters ; nay , a still and quiet nation : they allay all feuds and undue heats among christians that partake of them . these waters quiet the conscience under the accusations of the law ; quiet the conscience under satan's temptations . thou art a sinner , saith satan , and thy sins are committed with great aggravations ; thou deservest wrath , and divine vengeance : but no sooner doth the soul drink of these waters , but it is quieted ; the spirit by faith shews the dejected person that christ hath born the wrath of god , and reconciled him to the father . . they quiet believers under affliction , in times of want and poverty , and under national fears and disquietments . and , . in a time of sickness , and at the hour of death . . by evidencing to the soul , that the covenant is well-ordered in all things , and sure . . that the promises of god are firm , and cannot be broken . . that the love of god is everlasting , and nothing can separate them from it . . that the faithfulness of god , and his almighty power , is engaged to preserve them , and keep them unto salvation . . exhortation . if christ feeds us in such pastures , and gives us such waters , labour , o ye saints , to be thankful . what praise doth this call for ! even holy and thankful lips and lives . . labour to glorify this god , this saviour ; strive to bring forth fruit to him : herein , saith christ , is my father glorified , that you bring forth much fruit , so shall you be my disciples . . take heed you do not straggle from the fold of christ , or refuse the conduct and guidance of your blessed shepherd . . terror . wo to them that do annoy , disturb or disquiet christ's flock , christ's sheep ; or any manner of way seek to scatter or divide them , so that they cannot comfortably feed and lie down together . . sinners , will you not enquire where christ feeds ? remember his direction ; go forth by the footsteps of the flock . . what comfort is here for you that are the sheep and lambs of christ ! how safe are you in the hand of such a shepherd ! so much at this time , and for the first part of my text , viz. the th verse . john x. . and i give unto them eternal life , and they shall never perish , neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . i closed with the th verse the last day ; and shall now come to the great subject , which at first i told you i should ( god assisting ) endeavour to demonstrate and fully prove : namely , the final perseverance of the saints of god , or sheep of jesus christ . but that we may the more orderly proceed , we shall first consider again the parts of our text. . you have an account of a gift given , which is expressed , life . . the nature of that life explained , eternal life . . the donor , or whose gift it is , viz. jesus christ's . . to whom the gift is given , namely , to his sheep . . the certainty of their possession of it , they shall never perish , neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand . some read it , neither shall any ; and from the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , it may be better so rendred , viz. [ any ] ; that is , any enemy , neither sin nor world , men nor devils , things present nor things to come ; let all enemies do what they can , i have them in my hand , in my power , in my keeping ; as if our blessed lord should say , and i will hold them fast , and they shall be preserved through faith by my power , and the power of my father who gave them me , unto everlasting life , and perish they shall not . . i give them eternal life : i now give it to them in the seed thereof . those that christ gives saving grace unto , he gives eternal life unto . i give them the promise of it , and when they die , they shall have the actual possession thereof . . they shall never perish , that is , eternally perish ; they shall not die the second death , or be cast into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone . they shall not come into condemnation , or be eternally damned , as all unbelievers shall be . . neither shall any pluck them out of my hand : no doubt by the hand of christ , is meant his power , his protection ; the lord's hand is not shortned that it cannot save ; he is able to save , it is in his power to save . they were delivered into christ's hand by that holy covenant or compact made with the father before the world began . and when they believe , ( or by that grace which he infuses into them ) he then takes actual and fast hold of them ; and there he will keep them , and never let his hold go . they come therefore into christ's hand , upon the same considerations by which they came to be his sheep ; which ( as i have already opened ) was seven manner of ways , viz. . by election . . by that holy covenant or compact made between the father and the son. . by the father's free donation they were given into his hand , delivered to him by the father . . by purchase he bought them , and so they came into his hand . . by regeneration or transformation he hath wrought his image upon them , and so brought them into his hand . . by conquest , he fought for them , and conquered their enemies , and subdued their own filthy and rebellious hearts , and so they came into his hand . . they by a holy resignation of themselves , ( as being overcome by his divine grace ) yielded themselves up into his hands . so that he hath a sevenfold hold of them . secondly , their being in christ's hand , denotes . his personal possession of them , he being now entered upon the actual administration of his pastoral office. . it denotes the present actual charge he hath taken of them , he having gathered and brought them home to his own fold , and put them into his own pasture . . it denotes also their great safety and blessed security , he being , as mediator , every way invested , qualified , and endowed with power and authority to keep them ; having received all grace , yea , the fulness of grace from the father , as well as an express command to supply all their wants and necessities , to subdue all their enemies , and to preserve them unto eternal life . so much shall serve us to the explanation of the terms of our text. i shall only observe three propositions from hence . doct. . everlasting life is a free gift , or salvation is wholly by grace ; it is only of god , and the gift of jesus christ . doct. . the saints of god are committed into the hand of christ , he hath the care and charge of them . doct. . all the saints , all believers , or sheep and lambs of jesus christ , have everlasting life given to them ; and they shall , every soul of them , be saved , and none of them so fall away as eternally to perish . i shall speak to the first and last of these propositions , in which the second will be comprehended . in opening the first , i shall , . shew what is meant by eternal life . . shew how it appears that salvation is a free gift , or wholly by grace . . shew why salvation , or everlasting life , is a free gift , or by grace only . . shew why christ doth , and will give eternal life unto his sheep . . and lastly , i shall briefly apply it . . quest . what is meant by eternal life ? answ . there is a three-fold life of man. . the life of the body , which is a natural life , or the life of nature : in him we live , move , and have our being . neither count i my life dear to me , so that i might finish my course with joy. he giveth to all life , &c. all have this life ; sinners as well as saints have a natural life . . there is a spiritual life , which is the life of the soul , the life of a saint , or of the new creature ; this is the life of grace . i am crucified with christ . nevertheless i live , yet not i , but christ liveth in me ; and the life which i now live in the flesh , i live by the faith of the son of god , &c. the dead shall hear the voice of the son of god ; and they that hear , shall live ; that is , their souls shall live , or be quickned and raised to a state of spiritual life . . eternal life , that is properly the life of glory , or the life of the other world , that life which the glorified saints possess above : the wages of sin is death ; but the gift of god is eternal life through jesus christ our lord. object . but christ says , i give them eternal life ; he speaks in the present tense . answ . . i answer ; you heard before that true and saving grace is the seed of eternal life , or the seed of glory to come , as glory is the harvest of grace . . spiritual life is the earnest of eternal life . now every believer hath received the spirit , which is the earnest of their eternal inheritance : and thus they have it , as a man that purchases an inheritance , he gives earnest for it ; and no sooner that is done , but he cries , such a house , or such land , is mine ; 't is his by virtue of the earnest given , though he hath not yet the actual possession of it : so it is here . . christ gives his saints eternal life . now because he gives them a sure title to it , he makes them a deed of gift of it ; or seals unto them a right , and legal conveyance of it , as firm as the law and ordinance of heaven . now when a person hath a true right and title , or deed of gift , made and sealed to him of such or such an estate , he may say he has the estate , 't is his own . and thus believers have everlasting life , or the eternal inheritance , i. e. they have a true right and title of it sealed to them here by the holy spirit : after that ye believed , you were sealed with the spirit of promise , which is the earnest of the saints inheritance , &c. faith is the evidence of things not seen . . the spirit of god , who is that principle of divine life in the soul of believers , is eternal . christ is in us ; every believer hath christ in possession , and christ is eternal life ; and therefore he that hath the son , hath everlasting life : these things have i written unto you that believe on the name of the son of god , that ye may know you have eternal life , &c. jesus christ being in us here , is more to us than the hope of glory , for he is eternal life * ; and the soul of a child of god , shall never lose nor be dispossessed of christ , no not by death it self , therefore may be said to have eternal life . they have eternal life abiding in them , because they have the spirit abiding in them ; but the water that i shall give him , shall be in him a well of living water , springing up unto everlasting life . query . methinks i hear some doubting soul say , o that i could but experience this spiritual life to be in me ! how may i know i am made alive , and have eternal life given to me ? . in answer to such it is necessary to consider , that all adam's posterity by nature are spiritually dead in sin , or under a privation of the life of god , until spiritually quickned and made alive by jesus christ . . now as natural death is made use of by the spirit of god , to shew what spiritual death is ; so also natural life is tropically made use of , to demonstrate and discover spiritual life . a man naturally dead , . is cold ; all heat is gone , if long dead . so all unregenerate persons are spiritually cold , or without any divine heat or warmth in their spirits ; that principle of internal life man had before he fell , being lost and gone , he is cold as a stone god ward , or in a spiritual sense . . a man naturally dead cannot move , all power of motion and activity , or all vital actings are gone also . so in men spiritually dead , there is a disability or impotency unto all spiritual things to be performed in a spiritual manner ; they can perform or act spiritually no act of life , or do any thing that is absolutely accepted of him : the carnal mind is enmity against god ; it is not subject to the law of god , neither indeed can be . — so then they that are in the flesh cannot please god. . a man naturally dead cannot breath nor speak , no more can carnal men : men spiritually dead breath forth their desires in prayer to god , they have no tongue to speak for god , or to pray to god acceptably ; all they do is dead service , all their prayers and works , are dead prayers , dead works , because performed from persons spiritually dead , and not from a principle of divine life . . a dead man can't feel , see , nor hear : no more can such who are dead in sin , they cannot feel spiritually , they have a heavy burden , a mighty weight of sin , guilt and wrath lying upon them , but feel it not : they are grievously wounded , but feel no pain , do not cry out ; think they are well , and all nothing : they cannot see spiritual objects , nor spiritual things . these dead see not jesus christ , see not his beauty , his glory ; neither the want of him , nor the worth of him ; the eye of their understanding is darkned , they have no faith , which is the eye of the new creature : nor can they hear in a spiritual sense , until , like dead lazarus , they hear christ's voice by his spirit , and are made alive . . the beauty of the dead is gone , death is gastly ; so is the spiritual beauty of the soul gone , of those who lie dead in sin and trespasses . . the bodies of those who are naturally dead , are fit for nothing , they soon stink , and therefore must be buried and put under the ground , being loathsom , &c. so ungodly persons who are spiritually dead , are loathsom in god's sight , as filthy carion , or a stinking sepulchre is in ours , and are fit for nothing but to cast into hell , as abominable and hateful to the holy jehovah . . by these things therefore you may know , whether you are spiritually alive , or not ; for if so , you are quickned and made alive by the operations of the spirit , and there is a principle of divine life infused into your souls : so that from a holy and new nature , you can and do breath forth your desires freely and frequently to god , and see the excellency of spiritual objects and things ; christ is must precious and lovely in your sight : your eyes see , and your ears hear , and you have spiritual feeling , and you can and do act and move ; that is , believe , repent , and obey god , with great activity , and a strong propensity , or gracious inclinations of heart : there is also much of the beauty of holiness shining forth in your lives . . this also by the way may serve to detect that doctrine some , nay too many maintain , of the power of the creature : alas , alas , what can the dead do ! for evident it is , that those who are thus dead , have no principle or first power of living unto god , or to perform any duty to be accepted of him : it is with them , as to all acts and ends of spiritual life , as with the body , as to the acts and ends of natural life , when the soul is departed from it ; or else god would never say they are dead , call them dead . does god make use of an improper metaphor ? dare they affirm that ? it must be so , if man naturally be not dead , but wounded , in a spiritual sense only . true , a wicked man is naturally alive , and his soul is in his body , and he is endowed with vnderstanding , will and affection , and may perform many duties god requires of him : but what of this ? for in spiritual life the holy ghost is unto the soul , what the soul is unto the body , in respect of natural life , namely , the quickning principle . and ( as a learned author well observes ) to deny such a quickning principle of spiritual life , superadded unto us by the grace of christ , distinct and separate from the natural faculties of the soul , is upon the matter to renounce the whole gospel : it is all one as to deny that adam was created in the image of god , which he lost , and that we are renewed unto the image of god by jesus christ . dly . they may also as well assert , man hath a creating power ; for regeneration is called the new creature , which is created in us after the image of god , according to his own glorious power . dly . therefore whatsoever sinners act in spiritual things , by their understanding , will or affections , that are not renewed , they do it naturally , and not spiritually , and are therefore called dead works . we may also from hence infer , what a mighty blessing and favour it is to be made spiritually alive . how should such admire god , and his free grace in jesus christ ; for as they have an internal holy life , so they shall never die , but have eternal life ; nay , that this eternal life is begun in them here : i give them eternal life . but to proceed . secondly . i am to shew how salvation , or everlasting life is a free gift , or by grace only . . life and salvation is of grace in opposition to nature , we have it not as the product of nature : which were born , not of blood , nor of the will of the flesh , nor of the will of man , but of god. to be born , signifies to receive a principle of life ; and those that are the children of god , have not that spiritual life that is in them , from the motions or powers of nature ; not from the power of man's will , nor from their fleshly or natural parts and abilities , however improved . . life and salvation is wholly of grace , or a free gift , in opposition to merit ; we cannot purchase or procure it by our acts of obedience : by grace are ye saved through faith , and that not of your selves ; it is the gift of god : not of works , &c. not by works of righteousness which we have done , but according to his mercy he saved us . not the desert of our works , let them be what they will , either before or after grace , but from god's own sovereign mercy and goodness , whose bowels yerned towards his elect in misery : for the vvages of sin is death ; but the gift of god is eternal life through jesus christ our lord. death natural , death spiritual , and death eternal , are the wages and desert of sin : and who will deny a servant his wages ? wicked men are the servants of sin , and they shall have their wages . but though death is the wages or merit of sin , yet eternal life is not the wages of our good works ; no , but the gift of god , through the righteousness of jesus christ : it is not by our works , or for our worthiness . the apostle , as our annotators note , varies the phrase , on purpose to shew that salvation is wholly of god's grace , and not of our own merits : 't is of grace , or the gift of god through jesus christ , that is , through his merits , de gratia & libero arbitrio , saith augustine . . life and salvation is by grace only , or the free gift of god , in opposition to the law : the law could not give life , that could not save us : for had there been a law given that could have given life , verily righteousness should have been by the law. the law requires perfect obedience , and lays every one under the curse , that continues not in all things that is written therein to do them . therefore no life by the law ; that being weak through the flesh , man could not perfectly fulfil it , and so could have no life by it . . life and salvation is the free gift of god , in opposition to any acceptable service done for it , by us ; as some times great gifts are bestowed on persons for the sake of some small service performed for them : but it is not so here , though salvation be a reward of grace , yet it is not given for the sake of any acceptable service done by us ; we know that a small matter sometimes purchases that which is of great value ; but nothing we do , or can do , can purchase life and salvation for our souls . true , eternal life is a purchase , it is a reward of merit ; but o mistake me not , it is not of our purchasing , it is no reward for any work done by us , but it is the purchase of jesus christ , the reward of his work , by his fulfilling of the righteousness of the law for us in our nature , in his holy and spotless life , and by his satisfying the justice of god for our breaking and violating of his holy law , which he did by the painful and cursed death of his cross : for what the law could not do , in that it was weak through the flesh , god sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh , and for sin condemned sin in the flesh ; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us , who walk not after the flesh , but after the spirit . that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us , that is , in our head , surety , and representative ; for though we in our persons were utterly unable to do it , yet christ having done it in our behalf , and nature , it is accepted , as if we had done it our selves , christ's righteousness and obedience being imputed to us who do believe : so that what he did and suffered , is accounted unto us as if we had done and suffered it ; yet it was christ that purchased life , not we ; he purchased , and we possess ; he is the redeemer , we are the redeemed ; he merited all , and we have all freely of grace through his merits , or through that redemption that is in his blood. . life and salvation is a free gift , or of grace only , doth appear yet further , because the foundation thereof laid from before all worlds , in god's eternal election , was the spring of it ; and this was alone of god's own free grace : there is a remnant according to the election of grace . and if it be of grace , then it is no more of works , otherwise grace is no more grace . but if it be of works , then it is no more of grace , otherwise works are no more works . this opposition or contrariety is not only between grace and legal works , but between grace and all manner of works whatsoever ; because it lies betwixt the nature of grace and works , they are repugnant or contrary the one to the other , they can no more be the causes or motive of any one action , than one individual thing can be white and black in the same part , as a worthy writer notes . men are not elected partly of grace and partly of works foreseen , but wholly of grace ; nothing but an act of god's sovereign grace was the cause and motive of it . . life and salvation is a free gift , or by grace only , because the glorious covenant between the father and the son , made and entred into before the world began , was alone of god's grace , of his infinite grace and favour : god was at liberty ( who foreseeing man's fall and horrible transgression , he having forfeited all those blessings bestowed originally upon him ) whether he would or would not afford him any help or relief , but might have justly and utterly rejected the whole race of mankind , as he rejected all the angels that sinned , or kept not their first estate . did man , fallen man , deserve this love , this favour , who was become an enemy to god ? was there any thing in man that could be a motive to move the almighty to enter into this covenant , to save so vile a creature , such a poor and despicable a creature as man became by his sins , the visage of his very soul being now loathsom , deformed , and abominable in the sight of god , god's holy image being utterly defaced , and all his beauty gone , being besmeared and covered all over with noisom filthiness and pollution , filled with enmity and hatred against god ; dethroning his blessed creator , and setting up the devil in his place ; subjecting himself to that implacable enemy of his , and casting off his most holy and gracious sovereign from whence he received his breath and being . nay , and in respect of god himself , it must needs appear to be wholly of grace ; could redemption of man add any thing to the essential glory of god ? did he stand in need of man to make him more happy or glorious in himself , who being an independent being , had been eternally happy in the injoyment of himself , had man never been made , or had he left him under wrath and misery ? or was he obliged to save us , and that he might do it , to send his own son to die , and be made a curse for us ? or could he not have created other creatures to have shewed forth his glorious perfections ? or why might he not have sent his son to have taken hold of the nature of angels to have redeemed them , ( who were his creatures as well as fallen man , and more glorious too than man before they fell ) and let man have perished for ever , and not have entred into such a covenant of grace with his own son on his behalf ? . life and salvation therefore is a free gift ; it is wholly of grace , because we could not have obtained it unless god sent his son out of his own bosom to effect it . the giving of christ , and the father's sending of him into the world , is nothing but an act of his own free grace : god so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten son , &c. . because everlasting life is by christ alone , nor could we have had it , except he died : i am 〈…〉 the truth , and the life ; no man can come unto the father but by 〈…〉 is by faith , that it might be by grace . but after that the 〈◊〉 and love of god our saviour appeared : not by works of righteousness that we have done , but according to his mercy he saved us , by the washing of regeneration , and renewing of the holy ghost : which he shed on us abundantly , through jesus christ ; that being justified by his grace , we should be made heirs , according to the hope of eternal life . thus if we consider the rise , the spring , the motive , and the author of everlasting life , all appears fully to be of god's grace alone ; but should we proceed a little further as to the means and application of the remedy , in order to interest in this salvation , that is all of free grace also . . we are called and quickened by god's special grace , according to his eternal purpose in jesus christ : no man could quicken himself . all rational arguments , without divine influence , or an almighty power , will not bring our souls into a state of life . see how paul ascribes his conversion and special vocation to god's grace ; but when it pleased god who separated me from the womb , and called me by his grace , to reveal his son in me , &c. special vocation is of god's free grace , who hath saved us , and called us with an holy calling ; not according to our works , but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in christ jesus before the world begun . we are quickened , renewed , or regenerated by grace , through the operations of the holy ghost . . adoption is of grace ; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children , to the praise of the glory of his grace . as the purpose was free , so is the execution free also : that the purpose of god , according to election might stand ; not of works , but of him that calleth . to them gave he power to become the sons of god , &c. the privilege of being sons and daughters of god , is freely given to us , through jesus christ : 't is through christ , for that we might become sons he became a servant , and died the cursed death of the cross for us , to redeem them that were under the law , that we might receive the adoption of sons . . justification is wholly of grace : being justified freely by his grace , through the redemption that is in jesus christ , without works . now to him that worketh not , but believeth on him that justifieth the vngodly , his faith is counted for righteousness : 't is not because we are righteous in our selves , therefore we are justified ; no but being justified by the righteousness of christ , we are declared righteous in him ; and this is wholly by god's free grace . . faith is a grace , or a gift freely given to all that believe : to you it is given in behalf of christ , not only to believe on him , but to suffer for his sake . for by grace ye are saved through faith , and that not of your selves , it is the gift of god. . repentance is of grace : him hath god exalted with his right hand , to be a prince and a saviour , to give repentance to israel , &c. god in the new covenant promises to take away the heart of stone , and to give a heart of flesh ; that is , a broken , tender , and a repenting heart . if god peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging the truth . if god will give them a power and an heart to repent , it is his own free and gracious gift to poor sinners . . forgiveness of sin is also freely given of god ; it is of grace , through the redemption that is in jesus christ . so that it appears eternal life , from the first to the last , is wholly of grace , both the author of it , the means of it , and the end thereof , all is of grace : heaven it self is the gift of grace ; fear not , little flock ; it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom . the crown of glory is the gift of christ : be thou faithful unto death , and i will give thee a crown of life . take the water of life freely ; buy wine and milk , without money , and without price . salvation was contrived by infinite grace , and all things that do concur or accompany it are freely given : bread of life , and water of life , is freely given ; a new heart will i give them , and a new spirit will i put into them . to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven , &c. thirdly , to proceed to the grounds of the point , i shall give you the reasons why eternal life is the gift of christ , or of the free grace of god. . it is because sin and death cannot be removed out of the way to life , but only by jesus christ , and so by grace only . the law of god is broke , and justice calls for wrath and vengeance to be executed upon the transgressor . justice must be satisfied , but man cannot make a compensation for the violation of god's holy law , nor will god acquit the sinner unless that be done ; the law is but an impression of god's holy nature , it resulted not from a bare act of his sovereignty , but from his holiness and perfect rectitude of his blessed nature . if man could have attained to life by any works of obedience done by him , christ died in vain ; and if it had consisted with the wisdom and holiness of god to have accepted of imperfect obedience , provided it had been sincere , he could at first have given man such a law , and so have saved the life of his son. for any therefore to affirm that god accepteth sinful man for the sake of his imperfect ( though sincere ) obedience , it is to assert , in effect , that he accepted of some sinful and polluted acts as a recompence and satisfaction for other sinful acts and deeds of darkness ; for all our best services are unclean in themselves . paul accounted all his own righteousness but dung , &c. besides , the obedience under the gospel which god requires , is to be performed in the highest perfection imaginable ; be ye perfect , as your father in heaven is perfect . the law of the gospel is the same in nature with the moral law , therefore ( if it may be called a law ) it is a perfect law ; we are still commanded to love the lord our god with all our hearts , with all our souls , and with all our strength ; yea , and to live and sin not . little children , these things write i unto you , that ye sin not . our faith , love , and patience , &c. ought to be perfect ; the law or commands of the gospel know no bounds nor limits ; vntil we all come in the vnity of the faith , and of the knowledg of the son of god , unto a perfect man , unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of christ . it would therefore be a work becoming the new-lawyers to shew where the commands lie in the gospel , that god's law only requires sincere obedience unto ; the law certainly loses no part of its sanction by the gospel , that is as holy , just and good as ever , and a perpetual rule of life and obedience : " therefore ( as a reverend person notes ) either the gospel-law , or law of faith , must require perfection of obedience in these duties , or some other divine law , or else god would become an indulger of sin , by law : if it be by another law , viz. the moral , that requires perfect obedience , and this sincere only , then these laws differ but in degree , not in specie or kind ; because both require the same duties or works ; and so this gospel-law would be no distinct law , but only the measure of sincere obedience would receive a new use ; which we own it has , to wit , to be an index and mark of our justification , tho we cannot own that use of its giving right , " &c. but to proceed , ( saith he ) " a distinct law they must hold , or quit their cause , or this foundation of it ; for the text sets the law of faith down as an opposite law to that of works , and that they hold . then if it be a perfect law , requiring perfect obedience , there is no possibility of justification in this life . poppius the arminian grants the conclusion , that our obedience must be consummate before our assurance ; and others distinguish between a compleat and partial justification , the former is not , they say , until the day of judgment . but this is not all the difficulty , for it 's the adding a load to a burden : is this gospel , to a man that is unable to perform the least part of the moral law , to tell him , that god , or the mediator , requires perfect obedience to it for the future , and another too ? or is this gospel , to say , you shall perish eternally , and have the fire of hell seven times heated , if you obey not this gospel ? it 's indeed a conditional hell , but it is more dreadful than the fire of hell ; and the condition is more impossible , because we have less power to shun this difficulty of two perfect laws . mr. bull owns no other perfect law but this gospel , since man fell : but by shunning one difficulty , he falls into two as great ; ( . ) then the moral law is abrogated , besides the falsness of the doctrine it self ; for it is impossible that should cease to be our duty , to love god with all our heart and soul. what advantage brings christ's death , to abrogate one perfect law , and establish another ? here is little gospel . a second difficulty is , we must either say christ has purchased to us pardon for sins against the gospel-law , or none at all , but that one sin of adam's , if the moral law be abrogated ; after the fall we never sinned against any law but the gospel , for we were under no other law according to him , " &c. the sum of that i drive at is this , viz. there is a necessity we must be justified and saved by grace only , because we cannot be saved by a law of obedience , but by christ and grace alone : if we sly not to christ by trusting , believing , and depending on him , and the grace of god in him , who hath satisfied the justice and law of god for us , and brought in everlasting righteousness , the law of god will cut us down and throw us into hell for ever . . it is by grace alone that we are saved , because all boasting is excluded , and cause of boasting . and this is the design of god in the gospel . viz. that man might not have whereof to glory , but in the lord alone : nor could this be done any other way , but by his contriving our salvation to be wholly by his own free grace . where is boasting then ? it is excluded ; by what law ? of works ; nay , but by the law of faith , not of works , lest any man should boast . . it is only by grace that we are saved , or eternal life is the free gift of god , and gift of christ ; because he will have all the glory of it : god will not give the glory of our salvation unto others . having predestinated us to the adoption of children by jesus christ according to the good pleasure of his will , to the praise of the glory of his grace , wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved . . it is by grace only because god would magnify his son , by whose righteousness and obedience imputed to us , we are justified and saved : and it is to this end i say , that god might exalt jesus christ ; his design was , to magnify christ in our salvation , and to abase man : thou hast given him power over all flesh , that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him . . and lastly , it is by grace , because god would have salvation sure to all believers : therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace , to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed , &c. if salvation were by our works and obedience , it might be very uncertain ; or if the whole of our happiness and eternal life be not in christ's hand , but that it dependeth on the will of man , or on the condition of our faith and holiness , or in the improvement of our abilities ; and it is possible that we may , or may not answer the condition thereof ; it might so fall out , that not one soul might be saved : besides , should it be so , those that are saved , would then have something to glory in , or boast of in the great day : they in effect may thank themselves , and admire their own wisdom , care and industry , that brought them to heaven . fourthly , why doth and will christ give eternal life to all his sheep , to all his saints ? answ . . because eternal life was purchased for them by his death : but by his own blood he entred once into the holy place , having obtained eternal redemption for us . . because all that are given unto christ , are ordained unto everlasting life . . because christ was sent into the world to this end , to give life unto them : i am come that ye might have life , and that ye might have it much more abundantly . it was that he might give his people the knowledg of salvation , and save them from their sins . . because life is given to christ to this end , viz. to communicate it to all his elect : he is made a quickning spirit , that he might quicken all his ; as in adam all die , so all that are in christ shall live , spiritually here , and eternally hereafter : because i live , ye shall live also . . because all his elect were quickned together with him virtually , when he rose from the dead : yea and also virtually they entred into heaven with him ; for he ascended as their head and blessed representative . . because eternal life was promised to them in christ before the world began ; and they have many firm and sure promises made of it to them since also . . because they are united to him , and christ hath prayed , that they may all be made perfect in one ; and he hath prayed that they may have eternal life . now union with christ gives right to glory ; a whole christ shall be glorified , and not a part only . quest . what doth eternal life import ? answ . i answer , it doth import a deliverance from all evil , present and to come , and a full and perfect possession and injoyment of all true spiritual and everlasting good and glory above . quest . but doth not this seem to diminish or lessen the glory of god the father , to assert , that it is christ that gives eternal life ? &c. answ . no , not in the least , for all things are of god and through jesus christ ; all things are of god , who hath reconciled us unto himself by jesus christ . it is god that hath reconciled us unto himself ; 't is by christ we are reconciled , his blood being the price of our reconciliation ; god the father gave christ for us , and also gives him to us : and this is the will of him that sent me , that every one that seeth the son , and believeth on him , may have everlasting life ; and i will raise him up at the last day . and thou hast given him power over all flesh , that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him . it is the father that gave christ the power ( as mediator ) to give eternal life unto his sheep . application . first . this may serve to reprehend those that would not have salvation to be wholly of grace ; it clearly condemns free-will ; for if it be only by god's grace , it is not at all of man's will. they , 't is true , do acknowledg the contrivance of our salvation to be of god's grace alone , or the effects of his great love , and his sending of christ into the world to be an act of infinite grace , but withal deny regeneration and effectual vocation , to be wholly the effects of god's special and distinguishing love ; but do affirm , that grace which those men have who perish at last , would have been sufficient to have renewed them , had they improved it . they assert , that all men have power to believe , and that that grace which god affords to men to save them , 't is in the preaching of the word , or consisteth in no more than moral swasions , arguments , or excitements , in a rational way . but whether this light , power , or moral grace , ( as they call it ) be natural or supernatural , mediate or immediate , they do not seem well to accord about it . some of them ( as one observes ) say , the power of natural reason , or the exercise of human credence , is sufficient to a man , being convinced of the truth of the gospel , or of the declaration of god's love and grace in christ , so that he may believe as easily as to believe any other matter upon infallible testimony . others call it a gift , or the light of the spirit , which all men have ; yet if thorowly examined , it is no more than a natural gift , light or ability : that it is the special grace of god , or illumination of the holy spirit , is not granted , but denied by these men , it being no other grace or power , than is afforded equally to those who perish , as to such who are saved . it is not such grace or operations of the spirit that infuses holy habits , which determines the will , or inclines it to good , but such excitements that only awaken and rouse its native power ; it is such grace that the will may receive , or refuse the whole efficacy of it ; ( so far as i can gather ) it lies not in its own nature , nor from the effectual operations of god's spirit , but from the will of man. now how contrary this is to the truth of the gospel , and all the experiences of renewed and gracious persons , i leave to their considerations : yet to detect and condemn these notions , i shall add a word or two before i conclude . . can a dead man quicken himself , or be raised to life , without a vital principle be infused into him ? will moral swasions bring a dead man to life ? . hath man a power , naturally in him , exceeding the power of satan ? or is he stronger than that strong man armed ? or are not all men naturally under the power of the prince of darkness , he taking them captive at his will ? let this be considered , for seeing god's word doth positively declare this to be the state of all men by nature , i. e. that they are under satan's power ; what signifies that which they affirm ? will satan be perswaded to release and let go his captives , which he holds down in strong bonds and chains ? or doth not our saviour expresly intimate , he will keep all his goods in security until a stronger than he comes , and binds him , and devests him of his power ? . is not faith said to be the gift of god ; and not only so , but that we believe according to the working of god's almighty power , and after the same manner that he wrought in christ when he raised him from the dead ? . is not the carnal mind enmity against god , having in it an utter averseness and moral impotency to do that which is spiritually good ? for it is not subject to the law of god , neither indeed can be . . doth not the scripture say , that those who are born again , are not born of the will of man , but of god ? and again , it is said , of his own will begat he us . and if so , is not the creature as passive in regeneration , as the child is in generation ? god doth not work on the soul absolutely of his will , according to these men , but waits to see what man 's will will do , all depends on man's-will . grace with them neither worketh physically nor irresistibly ; and that god cannot , or doth not , by any divine operations of unwilling make the will of man willing ; for after all god doth , the will hath power and oftentimes does resist it and render all god doth of none effect . " now ( as a reverend person well observes ) according to these mens doctrine , as the power for these great concerns of salvation is not in god , or his special grace , so neither is the act from him : that which gives or work the act , determines the will , or causes it to determine it self ; but the lord , by his grace , brings it only to the will 's choice , and leaves it to do as it list — . the lord by his power works not the will to turn to god , to lo●e god , to imbrace christ , to yield to the spirit , but leaves it indifferent to turn to god , or against him ; to love god , or to hate him ; to imbrace christ , or reject him ; to yield to the spirit , or resist him . it must be left indifferent as to either : grace turns not the scales , but leaves the will an equal poise that the will of man , not the grace of god may have the casting weight ; if grace should weigh it down , the liberty of the will , they say , would be violated and in nature destroyed . " is this the doctrine of general love which they will have to be in god to mankind ? viz. hath the lord left it indifferent in his eternal purpose , whether any should be saved , or no ? for if the will complies not , god will not bend it , or bring it , by irresistible grace , in a physical way , to a compliance : and though christ , in redemption , according to them , died for all , yet he hath left it indifferent whether any should be actually redeemed , or no ; for the depraved will of man determines the whole event of all that which christ hath done , and the gospel , or the spirit doth do : and if some men were not better natured , and more considerate than others , christ might have died in vain . and it follows also that such who are saved , have more cause to admire their wills compliance in believing , than to exalt and admire the free grace of god , if what they say be true . alas , this general love of god they talk of , ( that is but an indifferent respect to all or any , for all are beloved alike , or else god is a respecter of persons , they say ) ends in love or hatred , as the sinner's will determines it : if the will accepts , chuses and yields to christ , then the person is beloved and chosen by him ; but if the will refuses , ( as the will of every mortal might , as well as one , according to their notion ) then he is hated : whatever particular love they ascribe to god , it is no other than what rises or is occasioned from the sinner's love to him . god foresaw that such and such persons would believe and love him , therefore purposed to save them : he foresaw that they would embrace , chuse , and love christ , therefore he loved them and chose them to eternal life ; provided they continue their good-liking and affections to god unto the end. how they will be able to deliver themselves from these and such like consequents from attending their notions , i see not . the apostle says , we love him , because he first loved us ; and that we have not chosen him , but he hath chosen us : but certainly if these men consider their principles , when they speak of particular persons , they must say , he did not love us first , but we loved him ; and that he did not chose us first , but we chose him . and thus the doctrine of god's free grace is trampled upon ; but let god be true , and every man a liar . object . but doth not this doctrine of special grace , render god unmerciful , because he doth not give that grace unto all men that is effectual to their salvation ? answ . i answer , we do not deny that god gives that grace to all , which they say is sufficient or effectual to save all ; our doctrine robs no man of that power they have but we do deny that common light , grace , and abilities are sufficient to save any one soul : and if this be true , it follows that they render god more unmerciful than they are aware of , in that they will not have god to afford such grace that is sufficient , viz. special grace to any at all . certainly if god was not more merciful to them that assert this doctrine , than their notions import , or did not their experiences contradict their principles , it would be impossible one of them should be saved : for will meer moral swasive grace , ( which leaves salvation to the choice of man's depraved and unrenewed will , whether it will turn to god or no , believe in christ or no ) save one soul ? which they say is all the grace god vouchsafes to any . so that by their doctrine , none can be saved , but all must unavoidably perish . besides , how unjust do they render god to be , seeing he , as they say , gave christ to die for all men , with an intention to save them , and this without any desert of man , which is the greater gift ; and yet he denies the gospel to the greatest part of the world , nay and effectual grace to many ( nay to all , according to them ) that attend upon the administration thereof , seeing he could as easily bend or incline the wills ( if he please ) of such who do not believe , as he doth theirs that do believe . strange ! did christ spill his blood for the greatest part of mankind in vain ? nay , die in their stead for them , that he foreknew would reject him , and believe not ? did he give millions for them to redeem them , and deny one pound to make that redemption effectual to them , in order to give them a right to it , and interest in it ? what! give them the greater , and deny them the lesser gift ? but how contrary is this to what paul says , if when we were enemies , we were reconciled to god by the death of his son ; much more being now reconciled , we shall be saved by his life : and again saith , he that spared not his own son , but delivered him up for us all ; how shall not he freely give us all things ? secondly . if life spiritual and eternal be by grace , or if it is given freely by jesus christ ; then all that have not this gift given to them , life given , grace given , are spiritually dead : and if they die naturally before it is given to them , they must perish for ever , or die eternally . thirdly . we may also infer , that all that would have everlasting life , must come to jesus christ , seeing it is his gift : ye will not not come to me , that ye might have life . thou hast the words of eternal life . sinners , you must believe in , relie upon , or fly unto christ if you would be saved : if thou knowest the gift of god , and who it is that saith , give me to drink , thou wouldst have asked of him , and he would have given thee living water . o know where this life is , how it is given , and do not neglect the time ; christ is now giving forth this gift , this is the time : behold , now is the day of salvation . hear , and your souls shall live . 't is but asking life , and thou shalt have it ; thou must believe , &c. o seek and cry to god for life , haste to christ . were there an earthly crown , or many thousands of pounds to be freely given , what running and striving would there be ! every body would make haste , and be early at the door , they would not neglect the time. but alas , what are all riches , all crowns , or all kingdoms here below to eternal life . so much for this time. john x. . and i give them-eternal life , and they shall never , perish . doct. . all the saints of god , all believers , or sheep and lambs of jesus christ , shall be saved , and none of them shall so fall away as eternally to perish . beloved , in speaking unto this point of doctrine , i shall only do two things . i. endeavour to confirm and prove the truth of the proposition . ii. answer all the objections that are usually brought against the doctrine of the saints final perseverance . first , but before i enter upon the proof and confirmation of this great gospel-truth , let me hint a word or two to explain who we mean by the saints of god. secondly , i shall shew you , by way of premise , that the saints , or sheep of christ may fall , yea , fall from grace ; and also how far they may fall : and then proceed to demonstrate the truth of the proposition , and prove , that they cannot fall finally , so as eternally to perish . . those that i call the saints of god , or sheep of christ , are those who are elected or chosen in jesus christ unto salvation . . and such who are elected , are they who are redeemed and purchased by the blood of christ , or those whom he died for , or in the stead of . . by the saints , i mean , those who are effectually called , regenerated , justified , sanctified , and adopted ; these are the sheep of christ that shall never perish , but have everlasting life . they are not all such that are of his fold or church on earth , not all the members of the visible church , but all the members of the invisible church , or mystical body of christ . secondly , i shall shew you how far the saints may fall . st . they may , if they take not heed , fall into great evils , nay into most of the worst and abominable sins any mortals do commit and are overcome by . noah was a saint of god , yet he fell grievously by drinking too much wine : noah began to be an husbandman , and he planted a vineyard , and he drank of the wine and was drunken . though it might be partly through ignorance of the nature of the fruit of the grape , yet no doubt , by the pleasantness of the liquor , and corruption and infirmity of the flesh he was overcome . lot was a saint of god , a righteous and just man , yet he fell worse ; not only by drunkenness , but also by committing incest with his two daughters . what are the best of men , when god leaves them to themselves . jacob also , no doubt , greatly sinned and fell , when he told his father he was esau , his first-born . how lamentably did david sin and fall , who was a man after god's own heart , save in the case of bathsheba the wife of vriah . peter fell likewise , and that grievously too , not only in denying of his blessed master , but also by cursing and swearing , that he did not know him . many more sad instances i might add of this nature , but that i love not to rake into the sores of god's sincere servants . no doubt the falls and grievous sins of the holy saints of god , are by the spirit left on record for blessed ends and purposes . ( . ) to shew what need the best of men and women have to pray , and stand upon their watch at all times . ( . ) to discover the strength of indwelling sin , or the natural corruptions of the hearts of such who are truly gracious ; and the absolute necessity there is for all to depend upon the divine help and assistance of god under temptations . ( . ) that no true christian that is suffered to fall into sin , should despair of the pardoning grace of god. dly . the saints of god , or true believers , may fall from grace , ( as well as into great and immoral evils , and acts of wickedness ) i mean , they may fall from degrees of grace , or decay in grace , lose the strength and power of divine grace , as to the acts and exercise thereof . they may decay in faith , in love , in humility , patience , hope , &c. yet nevertheless i have somewhat against thee , because thou hast left thy first love. love may cool in the best of saints , though it shall never be quite extinguished , for nothing can utterly quench it . how low was the faith of christ's disciples , when they said , we trusted that it had been he that should have redeemed israel . job also intimates , that his hope was cut off : he hath destroyed me on every side , and i am gone , and mine hope hath he removed like a tree . there are weaknesses in the strongest , and imperfections may come upon those who are perfect , as mr. caryl notes ; ebbings after the greatest flowings , and declinings after the greatest heights of graces , and gracious actings : my days are spent without hope . david also said , i shall one day fall by the hand of saul , so low was his faith. dly . god's saints may also fall from the true doctrine of the gospel , which is called a falling from grace : christ is become of no effect unto you , whosoever of you are justified by the law ; ye are fallen from grace : that is , such who seek or desire to be justified by a law , any law of obedience , or by their own righteousness , for the end of christ's death , and the gospel , is to cast away man 's own righteousness in point of justification , and to supply us with the suretiship-righteousness of jesus christ : and such who seek to be justified any other way , are fallen from grace , they renounce the free grace of god exhibited in the gospel . the apostle doth not here refer to a state of grace , but to the doctrine or gospel of grace , in which is manifest the free love of god in offering christ to sinners for righteousness and life . thly . true believers , or the sheep of jesus christ , may fall from the publick profession of the faith , from a visible owning and maintaining their testimony to christ and his gospel , through slavish fear . thus not only peter , but all the other disciples fell also , they all forsook their blessed master , when he was apprehended and led away as a sheep to the slaughter ; then all the disciples forsook him . all these disciples had promised him , that they would not forsake him ; but when the trial comes , not one of them stands , they shrunk from professing themselves to be his disciples and followers : but they recovered this fall , and after christ's resurrection made a glorious profession of him and his gospel unto the death . thly . the saints of god may fall , so as to break all their bones , and grievously to wound their own consciences : o lord , heal me , for my bones are vexed . my soul is also sore vexed : but thou , o lord , how long ? my pain and anguish is bitter by the burden of my sin and sense of thy anger . again , he saith , my strength faileth , because of mine iniquities ; and my bones are consumed . i am feeble and sore broken . elsewhere he speaks , as if all his bones were broken , all his strength was gone : bones , we know , are the strength of the body , from thence the metaphor seems to be taken . now that is a grievous fall , which breaks all the bones . thly . the saints , or sheep of christ , may so fall , or to such a degree lose the exercise of their faith and hope in god , as to be deprived of the light of god's countenance , and the joy of his salvation ; restore to me the joy of thy salvation : nay , may wholly be in darkness for a time , or have no light : he hath kindled his wrath against me ; and he counteth me to him as one of his enemies . i am gone , ver . . i am a lost man , as if he should say , thou hast laid me in the lowest pit , in darkness , in the deeps . free among the dead , like the slain that lie in the grave , whom thou remembrest no more ; and they are cut off from thy hand . — that walk in darkness , and have no light. i do not say that desertion is always the fruit and punishment of sin , though sometimes it is ; yet it is always occasioned through the decay or want of the exercise of grace , or through god's withdrawing his sweet presence and influences of his spirit from the soul. it may not be amiss here , before i proceed , to answer a question that some perhaps may have in their thoughts to propound , viz. what are the causes that sometimes the saints fall so far as hath been hinted ? answ . the grounds or causes of their falling may be divers . . it is through the remainders of corruption , or indwelling sin , that abide in all believers . the chiefest saints of god are but renewed in part : though they are renewed in every part , there is a law in the members that wars against the law of the mind : but i see another law in my members , warring against the law of my mind , and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin , which is in my members . o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from the body of sin and death ? these two laws are in all true believers , or in all regenerate persons , and they are directly contrary the one to the other ; and by reason of this , there is continual war and combating between them : and evident it is , thro the power or policy of the fleshly part , the godly are sometimes overcome , not only by common failings , but fall into great transgressions also . our chief enemies are those of our own house ; the devil could do us little hurt from without , had he not such a strong party for him , and siding with him in our own bowels , or within us . this inbred enemy always lies in wait to betray us ; and if we take not the more care , will prevail against us , and at one time or another trip up our heels , especially that sin which doth chiefly beset us ; most christians having their constitution-sin , though no godly man hath a beloved sin : yea , the seed of all sin still remains in our base hearts , and hence it is our danger is great which appears may be not so clearly , till the providence of god brings us unto such a state , occasion or company , whereby satan hath an opportunity to excite and stir up , or draw forth that sin or evil seed into act that lies hid within us . . the cause of those evils , or grievous falls that some christians have and do sustain , are from satan ; who is not only a malicious enemy , but a strong and cruel enemy also : hence called , a roaring lion , going about and seeking whom he may devour . he is very diligent to observe the natural inclinations of all christians , and watcheth the fittest opportunity to make his onsets : as when david neglected the proper work and business god by his providence called him unto , the time when kings go forth to battel , he sent jo●b , and tarried at home himself ; and then the enemy set upon him ; he being a walking on the roof of his house , spied a woman washing her self , which produced his fearful fall. let christians take heed they are not out of such employment that god calls them to , and not put an opportunity into satan's hand , by excess of eating , drinking , or idleness , or by gadding or gazing abroad , like dinah , jacob's daughter ; and beware how they neglect any spiritual duty , in the way of which god hath promised to keep our souls . . the falls of the saints may be occasioned by reason of the weakness of their grace : faith may be but small , or not in exercise and so the hope and trust of the soul may fa●l . if the anchor hath not good and firm hold , but should slip , the ship is in danger ; so it is here , hope is the anchor of the soul , it should be therefore both sure and stedfast : o ye of little faith , wherefore did you doubt ? christians are in no small danger if their faith be not strong : faith is the shield by which we should quench all the siery darts of the wicked . the apostle alludes to those violent temptations , by which satan strives to enflame mens lusts ; but right skill to use the shield of faith , will soon quench all those darts of temptations . a shield is to desend every part of the body , and will , if rightly used . so by faith a christian is enabled , when in the true exercise thereof , to preserve his whole soul from evil ; but let this shield go , and satan quickly prevails : if satan can perswade a man there is no such evil in sin as god's word declares , or that it is no great matter , 't is no wonder he is overcome . . they sometimes fall , by reason of their own fleshly confidence , or trusting in their own strength : though all deny thee , yet will not i. nay , peter said unto him , though i should die with thee , yet i will not deny thee . o how dangerous a thing is it to glory in our own abilities , or trust in self-confidence ! what little knowledg have we of our own hearts ! it was but a few hours after this , but peter denied our saviour , and swore he did not know him . when men have not their whole dependance on the grace and power of god , he oft-times leaves them , that they may see without him they can do nothing : and whenever god withdraws his divine assistance from a person , or leaves him to himself , he falls immediately as peter did . . the falls of the saints , may be through the ensnarements and vain-glory of this wicked world. hezekiah fell this way ; his heart was lifted up with pride in beholding all his glory and riches , which he shewed to the princes of the king of babylon , in a vain-glorious manner : he shewed them all the house of his precious things , the silver , and the gold , and the spices , and the precious ointments , and all the house of his armour , and all that was found in his treasures ; there was nothing in his house , nor in all his dominions , that hezekiah shewed them not . this was his sin and fall ; this provoked god against him : and isaiah said unto hezekiah , hear the word of the lord. behold , the days come , that all that is in thine house , and that which thy fathers have laid up in store to this day , shall be carried into babylon ; nothing shall be left , saith the lord. and of thy sons that shall issue from thee , which thou shalt beget , shall they take away , and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of babylon . . sometimes they fall by the subtilty of deceivers , who lie in wait to corrupt their minds , and poison their souls with their abominable errors . hence the apostle peter cautions the saints , to take heed , lest they being led away by the error of the wicked , fall from their own stedfastness . . many times they fall through slavish fear , in the time of persecution . many gracious christians have wanted courage in that hour , and have been prevailed with too far to a sinful compliance with the lusts and wills of their adversaries , by reason of their cruel threats and bloody edicts ; who have nevertheless afterwards been restored again by repentance , as peter was . . some fall through their remisness in duty , or being off their watch. there is no great fear of falling , if christians always stand with their swords in their hands , and having all their armour on ; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit , watching thereunto with all perseverance . the vvitch told the wicked person ( as the story goes ) that employed her to do mischief to a godly neighbour of his , that she could not touch him , because he was always either reading , praying , or meditating , or to that effect . no evil , no sin nor devil need that man fear , that is always careful in the true and faithful discharge of his duty to god. if we are asleep , or slothful , 't is no marvel that satan prevails , and wounds our souls . how easy was it for the philistines to cut off sampson's hair , and bind him , when he was asleep ? or jael to strike a nail through sisera's head , he being asleep ? . and lastly , they may sometimes also fall , by having a greater dependance on that grace they have already received , or on the grace that is in them , than on that grace which is in christ jesus ; we stand not by virtue of that grace that is in our cisterns , but by the grace that is in god's fountain : when the grace already received fails us , that grace that is in christ shall supply us , if we by faith depend upon him ; thou therefore , my son , be strong in the grace that is in christ jesus . how is that done ? why , to have our whole dependance upon christ , who as he is our head and mediator , hath received the spirit without measure , to the end he might communicate thereof to all his members : 't is of his fulness that all we receive , and grace for grace . but it is not all let out at one time , we have not all our riches put into our own hands ; no , no , god will not trust it in our own keeping , but it is put into the hands , or committed to the keeping of our blessed trustee , who will give forth grace unto us as we want it : but my god shall supply all your need , according to his riches in glory , by christ jesus . some poor saints can't live longer than they see their own wells are full of water ; they live more , alas , by sense than by faith : but if all their hope and comfort lies in the grace they have already received , 't is no wonder if they soon fall , as being worsted . let us make some improvement of this . application . first . from hence we may infer , what the reason is we have so many cautions , or take-heeds , in the holy scriptures , and anticipate a grand objection that is brought against the doctrine of the saints final perseverance : no marvel that we have so many warnings given us , seeing our danger is so great , or that the saints may fall so foully . watch and pray always . what i say unto one , i say unto all , watch. watch ye , stand fast in the faith , quit your selves like men , be strong . be sober , and watch unto prayer . but let us not sleep as others do , but let us watch and be sober . take heed unto your selves . * and again , only take heed , and keep thy soul diligently , &c. † take heed , and beware of covetousness . again , take heed that no man deceive you , &c. take heed , behold , i have told you all things , &c. he that thinketh he stands , let him take heed lest he fall . take heed , brethren , lest there be in any of you an evil heart of vnbelief , in departing from the living god. and a multitude more of like cautions . dly . there is another reason also for these take-heeds . . because the evil of the sins of god's people are so great , god is grievously dishonoured by the falls and gross enormities of his saints . how did david's sin provoke god , and cause the enemy to blaspheme him and despise his holy israel ! they are as wounds he receives in the house of his friend . hence he cries out , o do not this abominable thing which i hate . . the sins and falls of god's people , hinder the spreading and blessed promulgation of the gospel . it makes the souls of those who stand fast to mourn , and the hearts of the wicked to rejoice , and to insult over them who always watch for their halting . dly . another reason of these cautions may be , because there are many false professors in churches who may fall finally : therefore from these and other reasons it appears . . that there may be great need of , and good reason wherefore , god gives such cautions in his word , though his elect ones cannot fall finally . . we may also infer from hence , that the reason why some fall quite away , is , because their hearts were never upright with god. . from hence we may likewise be stirred up to consider and examine our hearts about our sincerity ; for if not , we may fall away and rise no more . . let us bewail our selves upon the account of indwelling sin , for oft-times it wounds our souls , it breaks our bones , destroys our peace , spoils our communion with the father and the son , and brings fears and doubts upon us about our state , when we are overcome thereby , covering us with clouds and darkness . . this may be of use also by way of exhortation , to arm our selves , and to stand upon our guard , and to resist satan stedfastly in the faith , our life being a life of warfare : let us shew our selves good souldiers of jesus christ , and make a resistance of sin and satan , whilst there is life in our bodies , or blood in our veins . . it may teach us also to be aware of deceivers , since they some times trip up the heels of many of god's poor saints . . it must needs administer great succour to such saints who have fallen , i mean , to backsliders , and keep them from utter despair ; for though they fall , they shall rise again , as the truly godly ( of whose falls we read of in the scripture ) always did . where do we meet with one godly person , that the lord declares so to be , who fell and rose no more ? or that there is no ground left in the word for us to believe they were saved ? . lastly , it may serve to discover the infinite grace of god in christ , who hath secured the standing of his own faithful ones ; they are in christ's hand , and cannot be pluck'd out , nor perish , let all enemies do what they can ; as i shall now in the next place come to demonstrate , and fully prove , according to my promise , and the proposition i have raised , viz. that all the saints of god , or sheep of jesus christ , shall be saved , and none of them shall so fall away as eternally to perish . the truth of this point i shall prove by divers arguments and scriptures . and my first argument shall be taken from eternal election , which dependeth wholly upon the absolute soveraignty of god , who hath power over all his creatures , and may do with his own as it seemeth good in his eternal wisdom , and good pleasure of his will. i shall premise one or two things before i proceed to confirm this argument . . that god set up jesus christ as mediator from everlasting , as the head and spring of our election ; therefore it is said , we were chosen in him before the foundation of the world. it was the only act of love , and free grace of the father , therefore not to be ascribed to the merits of jesus christ : for though christ hath merited our salvation , yet he did not procure or merit our election ; for christ himself was the fruit of this eternal blessing and privilege , it being then the sole act of god's sovereign grace and love. it follows , . that all the ways which were ordered in the wisdom of god , for the accomplishing the ends of election , are of the father's appointment also ; for whatsoever christ hath done in working out of our redemption , it was according to the purpose and determinate counsel of his own will and sovereign goodness . jesus christ was first chosen , or elected , by the father , as head and mediator , and only foundation to bear up the whole building , which the almighty designed to raise : the father's love , did precede christ's glorious mission ; therefore he was only of the father's designation ; who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world , but was made manifest in these last days . christ was first chosen as the well-head of grace and glory , and then others were chosen in him , by and through whom they should be redeemed and raised to a state of grace and holiness here , and to eternal happiness in heaven hereafter : for whom he did foreknow , he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son , that he might be the first-born among many brethren . to the image of his son , that is , to christ's likeness as mediator , and taking our nature ; not to christ barely considered as god , for as christ is god , he is no where saith to be the first-born among many brethren . now this conformity being absolutely designed in election , christ , in the contrivance and intention of the father , was the first exemplar and copy of it , or the main center , to which all must be brought that were given unto him ; the father setting him up , and electing him as head of all that should be saved , or as the glorious bridegroom , and therefore it was requisite he should be consulted about those who were to be the members of his body , and his own blessed spouse for ever : and since christ was also to suffer and undergo such pain and sorrow in the purchasing and redeeming of them , it was necessary he should not only freely assent and consent in the choice of them , but also be certain of the obtaining and securing them all to and for himself for ever , and not run the hazard of injoying or not injoying of them ; which must follow he did , if the doctrine of some men of dark minds were true . to proceed , it may not be amiss to consider what is contained in the bowels of my first argument , viz. that there is a peculiar people , or some certain persons ( as personally considered ) of the lost children of the first adam , who are elected or chosen of god , in christ , from all eternity , of his own sovereign grace and good pleasure , ordained unto everlasting life ; and that this decree of election doth prevent their final falling , or make it impossible that any of them should ever so apostatize as eternally to perish . the argument being thus fairly stated , it calls upon me to do two things . first , to prove that there is such a particular and personal election of a peculiar people of the lost sons of adam . secondly , to shew how this prevents their final falling , and makes it impossible that any of them should ever so apostatize as eternally to perish . a little to open the first of these . . i say of peculiar persons , which denotes it belonging to them only and to none else ; others are passed by , or not afforded by any such divine act of grace the like privilege : they are god's jewels , or his peculiar treasure , though until called and cleansed , or their inward filth and pollution purged away , they cannot be delighted in by him , or be beloved with a love of complacency ; though from eternity god did love all his , with a love of good will , purpose of grace and of benevolence . i say personally elected ; that is , the objects of this grace , or of this election were singled out and pitched upon by name ; not with respect had to such or such qualifications foreseen in them , they being repenting , believing , and holy persons , but chosen in christ , the head of election , that they should believe , should repent , and should be holy and without blame before him in love. they are chosen that they may be holy ; not because they were holy , or god foresaw they would be holy. i say , they were ordained to everlasting life . now to predestinate , decree , or ordain , denotes the same thing , and signifies the absolute purpose of god to bring them into a state of grace here , through jesus christ , and to eternal glory and happiness here-after : hence it is said , as many as were ordained to eternal life , believed , or appointed ; and he that ordered or ordained the end , ordained the means also , and so prepared them for everlasting life . they were chosen in christ ; in the mediator , in their blessed head , that their standing might be secured through their union with him , and his righteousness being imputed to them , according to god's eternal purpose . . and further , to make good the first part of what i have laid down , viz. that there is such a particular election ; what lies more clear in the word of god , and the election of jacob , i shall here first mention , as a full proof of what i say ; for the children being not yet born , neither having done good or evil , that the purpose of god , according to election might stand , not of works , but of him that calleth . here the apostle designedly or on purpose confirms , not only the doctrine of personal election , but also that of preterition , of a passing by , or rejection of the other ; and all resulting from the eternal purpose and good pleasure of god's will ; as it is written , jacob have i loved , but esau have i hated . the main scope of paul in this place is to shew , that god hath not cast off all israel , that is , those who are the true israel , or such who are the children of the promise , or that do belong to christ according to the election of grace ; see , , , verses : therefore they that run the love of god and election here spoken of , to the posterity of jacob , and reprobation to the posterity of esau , and will not have it to be understood of their particular persons , do palpably abuse the sacred text and drift of the holy ghost . now that all men may know that election doth run to , or take hold of particular persons , and that not for any foreseen faith or holiness in them , paul saith , the children being not yet born , neither having done good or evil. and therefore adds , not of works , that is , of foreseen worthiness or desert in jacob , but that the purpose of god , according to election might stand , ( that is , stand firm as an act of god's sovereign love and grace only ) and abide a blessed truth against all the opposition and cavils of cloudy minds . i might have mention'd abraham , isaac , moses , david , and others ; also jeremiah , of whom god says , before i formed thee in the belly , i knew thee ; that is , i knew thee to be one of them that i had chosen and given to my son , or one of mine elect ones ; and i sanctified and ordained thee a prophet . moreover , in the new testament we find , that our saviour calls his disciples by name , and tells them , that he knew whom he had chosen , excluding judas ; he must therefore intend their eternal election , for as i said before , judas was chosen to the apostleship : also paul by name , jesus christ declares ( to ananias ) was a chosen vessel , not only as an apostle , but one also comprehended in the election of grace . do but observe the nature of his conversion , and what he was before and when called by the special grace of god. moreover of this number and sort , were those that the lord speaks of in elias's time which paul mentions , i have reserved to my self seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to baal . though it is a certain number put for an uncertain as to us , yet all their particular persons were chosen , and known to god ; even so at this present time also there is a remnant , according to the election of grace . god had some particular persons then whom he had from everlasting elected , and so he hath now ; according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world , that we should be holy and without blame before him in love : vs , as such and such particular persons , not such of such and such qualification , viz. as being believers , obedient and holy persons ; no , no , but that they might believe , &c. election will produce faith : it is , because they are elected that they do believe ; but ye believe not , because ye are not of my sheep as i said unto you ; that is , not such as were ordained to believe , and ordained to eternal life . and as many as were ordained unto eternal life , believed : as it was hinted before , christ hath elect persons , or sheep , that yet believe not ; i have much people ( saith he to paul ) in this city . unto these testimonies i shall add one or two more ; as that of paul , touching the saints at thessalonica ; knowing , brethren beloved , your election : for our gospel came not to you in vvord only , but also in power , and in the holy ghost , &c. by the evident operations of god's spirit , the apostle knew they were elected : we cannot know our election , but by special vocation , or as it is manifest in the fruits and effects of it . there is a knowledg of things , ( as our annotators note on this place ) à priori , when we argue from the cause to the effect : so à posteriori , when we argue from the effect to the cause . now what is election , but a chusing some out of others ? thus the angels that stand were elected , and the rest were left to the power they had , or passed by , or reprobated . peter also confirms the doctrine of personal election , calling the persons to whom he wrote his epistle , elect according to the foreknowledg of god , or his eternal purpose ; and therefore were separated unto god by special grace , or effectual calling ; through sanctification of the spirit to obedience , &c. the father , son , and holy ghost , are concerned in our salvation ; the father elects , this is principally ascribed to the first person in the godhead ; the son purchaseth , he redeems ; and the holy spirit renews , calls , and sanctifies . now the purchase of the son extends no further than the election of the father ; nor the sanctification of the spirit , further than the purchase or redemption of the son : sanctification here , takes in the whole work of the holy spirit in regeneration and actual holiness , to the final sitting and making the soul meet for the eternal inheritance . so much shall serve to prove that there is an election of particular persons . object . but may be some will object , if this be so , what need any man concern himself about his salvation , as to seek it or labour after it : for if he be elected , he shall be saved ; but if not , let him do what he can , he cannot be saved , he cannot frustrate god's decree , nor alter the thing that is gone out of his mouth ? answ . . i answer , all mankind are under the strongest obligation imaginable to god , as he is their creator , and they his creatures ; as he is their only lord and supreme governour , they are bound to fear him , and obey his laws , let him do what he will with them . is not that a base and for did principle in a servant or subject , to do nothing but for meer self-profit and advantage ? . paul was certain of a crown of life , yet knew it was his duty to press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of god in christ jesus , and to keep down his body . he strove as strenuously against sin , as if salvation could be merited by so doing ; so that his election took him not off from a diligent care in use of means , in order to his attaining to eternal happiness . . god hath as well ordained the means , as the end , as i newly told you ; both are appointed of god , and equally under his absolute decree : men are not elected to salvation , but also to sanctification and holiness . . " we are not to look upon the decree of god ( as a reverend minister well observes ) for a rule of life , but the word of the gospel ; secret things belong to god , &c. the decree can neither be a rule of life , nor ground of hope , but the precept and the promise , " &c. he that leads an ungodly life , and pursues his filthy lusts , may assure himself , so living and dying , he shall be damned for ever : he that believes not in christ , but rejects him , and despiseth all the offers of his grace to the end of his life , no decree can save him ; therefore if he will go on in sin presumptuously , let him take what will follow . on the other hand , he that doth believe in christ , and conforms to the holy gospel , need not doubt of salvation , no decree can hinder him of salvation . men ought to endeavour to believe and repent , and close with christ upon a peradventure ; if god peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth . . because god hath absolutely determined the time of thy life , or how long thou shalt live : and there it a time thou canst not pass ; wilt thou therefore forbear eating , or use of physick , to preserve thy life , and say , if i eat not , i shall live my appointed time ? what signify means of medicines , i will take no physick , no potion ? for it the time is come god hath set in his eternal decree , i shall die , nothing can save my life : would not all think you were under a fearful temptation and delusion of the devil ? . did not god absolutely tell paul , that he had given him the lives of all that were with him in the ship , and that none of them should perish ? yet he said , vnless these abide in the ship , ye cannot be saved . whosoever therefore that doth neglect the means god hath appointed , in order to the obtaining the end , let it be what it will , doth but tempt god , and comply with the devil , let his pretence be what it will. . no decree of god necessitates men to sin : for though the free grace of god is the absolute cause of election , and no foreseen faith or holiness ; yet foreseen wickedness , unbelief and disobedience , is the procuring cause of the reprobation and of the damnation of them that perish : o israel , thou hast destroyed thy self , but in me is thy help . . were any ever damned that did what they could in the use of all means under the light of the gospel , to be saved ? brethren , god ( may justly and ) will condemn men for their not improving their one talent . nor will it be a good plea for such to say , i knew thou were an hard man , reaping where thou hast not sown , &c. thus some men seem to charge god , i am not elected . there is an election of grace , of special and distinguishing grace , and man hath no power in his own will ; and god doth not give me power to believe , and will he damn me ? doth he expect to reap where he hath not sown , and gather where he hath not stromed ? such shall have no excuse , as our saviour shews , at the great day . the lord of that servant shews , the fault lay in his own sloth and wickedness ; and his dread of his lord's severity , ( as our annotators note ) was but a frivolous pretence and unreasonable excuse ; for if he had feared any such thing , he should have done what he could ; he should have put out his money to the exchange , and then he should have received his own with increase . thus god may as justly another day reply upon those who think to excuse their lewd and wicked lives , their unbelief and contempt of his word , from their not being elected , and not having power of themselves to believe and repent , not receiving his efficacious grace ; o ye wicked and slothful wretches . may he not say , did ye suspect or fear you were not elected ? why did you not then give all diligence to attend upon the means , and to make your calling sure , as all they do that are elected ? do you plead the power of your own wills , to repent one while , and that you wanted power at another time , and that i gave you not my special grace ? but had you not power to keep from taverns and alehouses , to keep from lying , stealing , swearing , and other prophane deeds of darkness ? had you not power to read , to hear my word , to pray ? if you had done your uttermost in improving of the talent i gave you , would i have been wanting to you ? but since you did not that , why should i trust you with more ? brethren , are these mens eyes evil , because god's eye is good ? is he unjust in giving effectual grace to some , because he doth not bestow it upon all ? had he not took hold of a few , the whole lump of mankind would have destroyed themselves , and none would have been saved . was god unjust in electing some of the angels , because he passed by others of them ? . in the day of judgment , god will be just , and all mens mouths shall be stopped : this you may assure your selves of , he will be justified when he judges , and clear when he condemns : he that had not on the wedding-garment , was speechless . god will not then proceed with men upon election and reprobation , but upon their believing , or not believing : he will render to every man according to their works . all mens mouths shall be stopped , and every man's conscience witness against him . alas , men do not act or exercise that humane faith in respect of the report of the gospel , which they do in respect of other matters and things that are made known to them , or do not bring forth the fruit of such an historical faith. but so much to this objection . now i should come to the second thing , viz. to shew how election doth tend to prove and fully demonstrate the happy state of all christ's sheep , or that it is impossible they should , any one of them , so fall away as eternally to perish . but that must be the work of the next day . john x. . and i give unto them eternal life , and they shall never perish , neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . my brethren , i am upon proving the truth of the proposition , or point of doctrine that i have raised from our text , viz. that all the saints of god , believers , or sheep and lambs of jesus christ , shall be saved ; and that none of them shall so fall away as eternally to perish . my first argument to do this , was taken from eternal election . in speaking to which i told you i should , first , prove that there is an election of particular persons ; and that i have done with , and now shall proceed to the next thing . secondly , i shall shew , that the nature of election is such , that it secures all that are in it from final falling ; or fully serves to demonstrate , they must and shall all eternally be saved . and to make this good ; st . it is because election is absolute , not a conditional election , depending on the obedience or good behaviour of the creature . the decree of god on his part is irrevocable ; god will not go back from his purpose to save his people , nor shall their unworthiness or miscarriages make it void : it is the high , unalterable , and supreme law of heaven ; therefore it is said to be , according to his eternal purpose and counsel . his counsel and thoughts of his heart shall stand for ever . 't is that that all subordinate means must terminate in , and all inferious administrations must be accommodated thereunto , the salvation of the elect being the grand design of god , whereby to exalt and magnify his highest glory ; that should his glorious contrivance , and no less gracious purpose and designment herein miscarry , nothing in heaven or earth could countervail the damage : therefore it could not stand consistent with his wisdom , either to revoke it , or leave it at an uncertainty , or obnoxious to disappointment ; which he must needs do , if it was possible any of the elect should perish ; or that it should be laid upon the foundation of the wavering principles , and uncertain will and obedience of the creature . now the best constitutions , states and kingdoms upon earth , are liable to mutation , and mens decrees and purposes , however absolute designed , may fail , their minds may alter , or they may see cause to change their counsels , not being able to foresee future events , or what inconveniences might arise ; or some after them may arise , who may carry on a different interest , or enemies may invade them , conquer them , and spoil all their designs and purposes . but it is not so here , god foresaw all future events , his mind alters not ; he is of one mind , and who can turn him ? and none can hinder him in the accomplishing of his own eternal purpose ; for the lord of hosts hath purposed , and who shall disannul it ? &c. declaring from the beginning , and from ancient times . — my counsel shall stand , and i will do all my pleasure . — yea , i have spoken it , i will bring it to pass ; i have purposed it , i will also do it . the thoughts of his heart shall stand to all generations ; therefore their standing is firm who are elected , and none of them shall perish . the decree and purpose of god of election , is as absolute as that of day and night , winter and summer ; or that of god 's not destroying the world again by water ; or that of god's decree and purpose , of sending christ into the world to die for our sins . dly . it is , because they are chosen or elected in christ , in an immutable , an unchangeable , and an eternal head. what was the reason adam stood not , notwithstanding his power and abilities were such ? why he stood not in christ , was not fixed on christ ; but all true believers are in christ , chosen in him , he is the head of the eternal election , as mediator . in election he is to be considered as the head ; and all the father hath given him , as the members of his body , chosen in him , and united to him : therefore their standing in christ , by virtue of election , is like that of the election of their head. now can christ cease being an elect head ? every one will say , no , that is impossible : no more can they cease from being elect members . this of election in christ , presupposeth an union ; and there was a decretive union from eternity , and that influenced their actual union in time : and as certainly as christ died , rose again , and ascended , ( in the fulness of time ) who was decretively a lamb stain before the foundation of the world , so will god's decree of election in christ as certainly bring in all the elect into actual union with christ , and carry them all to heaven , ( whither their head , as the forerunner for us , is already entered ) as sure as he is now there . but you will hear more of this when i come to speak of that argument , simply taken from their union with christ . dly . that the saints of god , or sheep of jesus christ , by virtue of their election , cannot fall away so as to perish for ever , doth appear evident from one or two express scriptures ; see rom. . . we know all things work together for good to them that love god , who are the called according to his purpose . for whom he did foreknow , he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son , that he might be the first-born among many brethren . moreover whom he did predestinate , them he also called ; and whom he called , them he also justified ; and whom he justified , them he also glorified . see here , and i beseech you consider it , and weigh it well , for this text is enough to convince ( one would think ) all the opposers of this glorious truth in the world , or silence them for ever : the apostle begins the happiness and eternal salvation of all that shall be saved , and the certainty of it in election , whom he did foreknow ; that is , whom he in his good pleasure did pitch upon , or think good to give to his son , to be his spouse , or members of his mystical body ; he also did predestinate them , and all them , them , and none but them ; he elected , chose , or appointed them , to be conformed to the image of his son , that is , in holiness , &c. but more of that by and by : and whom he so predestinated , or elected , he called , and them he justified , and them and every one of them he glorified , or will so call , justify and glorify . this is that place of scripture which is called by some , the golden chain , by others the chain of salvation ; and it may very well be so called : nothing can be more clear than this , viz. that those who are elected , shall be called , justified , and be all as certainly glorified . 't is not in the power of all the enemies of the soul to break this chain , one part is so linked to the other ; it begins in election , and ends in glorification : so that our election is a forcible argument to prove there is no final falling for any one of the sheep of jesus christ . thly . it is because the means is ordained by the unalterable decree of god , as well as the end : true , we grant , without holiness no man shall see the lord : and it is he that indureth to the end that shall be saved ; or such only that mortify the deeds of the body ; or , who by continuance in well-doing , seek for glory , and honour , and immortality ; eternal life . but , pray brethren , consider that god hath ordained all his elect ones , to be holy , and without blame before him in love ; or as paul , in that to the romans before mentioned , to be conformed to the image of his son. grace shall be given to them to renew them , and to carry on , and finally at last perfect holiness in them : for we are his workmanship , created in christ jesus unto good works , which god hath before ordained that we should walk in them . no man can do good works , until created and formed by the lord : this people have i formed for my self , they shall shew forth my praise . they shall bring forth fruit to the praise of his glory ; see that emphatical text , john . . ye have not chosen me , but i have chosen you , and ordained you , that you should bring forth fruit , and that your fruit should remain : not only ordained to eternal life , as the end of their election , but also ordained to bring forth fruit , as the way and means of obtaining it : nay more , that they shall persevere in bringing forth fruit ; that your fruit should remain . ( . ) they shall not cease bearing fruit , because united to such a root , a root that hath so much sap in it , or grafted into such an olive tree : and they shall be made partakers of the fatness thereof ; because i live , ye shall live also . because their root lives , they shall live ; or because their head lives , they shall live . christ is the head of election , the head of his mystical body , and of every member of it ; a head of influence , and he lives : therefore they that are his true branches , or his members , according to election , shall live also ; they shall live a life of holiness , the life of grace here , and the life of glory hereafter . ( . ) they shall bring forth fruit , because the holy spirit is given to them , and shall remain in them for ever : this water will make them fruitful ; they spread forth their root by a river , and shall not see when heat cometh ; but their leaf shall be green , and shall not be careful in the year of drought , neither shall cease from yielding fruit. now if this be so , if they are elected to use the means , or ordained to be holy ; if it is the absolute decree of god , that they shall hold on their way , and are united to such a head , that their fruit shall remain , and they shall not cease yielding fruit , then they cannot finally fall away , election secures them , they shall not perish , but have everlasting life : but all this is true , therefore they cannot perish . thly . i argue from the nature of the election of the blessed angels : all the angels that stand were elected , and it was this that secures them and preserves them from falling : those that fell were not elected ; and as evident it is , not one of the elect angels are fallen , nor can fall . i marvel any thinking christians should doubt of election , as it results from the absolute soveraignty of god's grace , or good pleasure of his will , since god by election took hold of some of the angels , as well as some of the lost sons and daughters of adam . was god unjust , because he did not secure , by his unchangeable decree , the standing of all the angels , but left some of them , and only fix'd upon so many as he in his own wisdom thought good ? they may as well charge this upon the divine majesty of god , as so to charge the doctrine of particular election of lost sinners . brethren , though christ is not a redeemer of angels , the elect angels needing none , yet he is the head of angels , and a confirmer of them ; he is the head of principalities and powers : by him , and for him were all things created that are in heaven , that are in earth , visible and invisible ; whether they be thrones or dominions , or principalities , or powers ; all things were created by him , and for him . christ is god , and he is the preserver of the elect angels ; they are committed to him , and under his power , and he upholds them , though he never died for them ; and shall we think he will not preserve his elect saints , or that their election should not as absolutely secure them , for whom he as their blessed lord and head died , and to whom he is a redeemer , as the elect angels to whom he is only a confirmer ? and ye are compleat in him , who is the head of principalities and powers : ye are compleat , fully compleat ; ye stand in him , in his righteousness , compleat , who is your head , and shall be preserved in him , in whom you are elected to everlasting life . thly . because they are chosen to salvation , that is , to enjoy and possess salvation ; if they have it not , the decree of god is frustrated : but his eternal decrees are as firm as mountains of brass . if the decree of god , in appointing his elect to salvation , be frustrated or made void , either it is done by himself , or by others . now it cannot be made void by himself , because it is an absolute decree , his mind alters not , and none else are able to do it : and as to the slips and miscarriages of the elect themselves , god foresaw all their evils from everlasting , and as that hindered not their election , so besure it shall neeer turn them out of it . but we are bound to give thanks always to god for you , brethren , because god hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation , &c. from the beginning , that is , from before the world began , or from eternity ; for the absolute decrees of god , according to his eternal counsel , are from everlasting . after the apostle had shewed these saints that there would come a falling away from the faith , and that many would be deceived and damned for ever , to comfort and encourage them against the fear of final apostacy , he brings this in the th verse , but we are bound to give thanks for you , brethren , beloved of the lord , &c. you need not fear , as if he should say , of being deceived , or of perishing by dangerous errors , or otherwise . . because you are beloved of the lord. . and also are elected to salvation ; and because beloved , therefore elected : whomsoever god doth absolutely appoint to this or that end , he will assist or enable to do whatsoever means is necessary in order to that end. now the elect are chosen to salvation , to inherit eternal life ; if therefore any of them miss of it , his decree and purpose is frustrated , which cannot be . we have another text of the like nature with this ; for god hath not appointed us to wrath , but to obtain salvation by our lord jesus christ . from hence the apostle argues , that they needed not to doubt of their salvation : and by what preceeds , it appears , that election is a great motive to holiness ; as when a man that is sure of the victory will fight couragiously , let us who are of the day , or children of light , not of night , nor of darkness , be sober , putting on the breast-plate of faith and love ; for god hath not appointed us to wrath , &c. children of the night shall perish , but none of the children of the light ever shall . the apostle ascends to the original cause of it , which is god's absolute decree of election ; salvation would wholly else depend upon the uncertainty of man's will , and not upon the immutable and unchangeable will and purpose of god. th●● is more than appointing the means , it is an appointing the persons , not appointed to salvation upon the foresight of man's faith , because faith is the gift of god , and proceeds from his counsel , that 's appointed too : else a man may say , that i might be saved , i must thank god ; but that i am saved , i must thank my self , because it was left to the liberty of my own will whether i would believe , and be saved , or no. two things are necessary in our salvation ; ( . ) the merits of christ's blood : ( . ) faith to apply it ; by which god's image is restored to us , and preserved in us : and both these we have by his own free grace , through christ jesus , as the fruit of his electing love. thly . it doth further plainly appear , that election does eternally secure all christ's sheep , all true believers , from final falling , or everlasting ruin , from the words of our blessed lord himself ; for there shall arise false christs , and false prophets , and shall shew great signs and wonders , insomuch that ( if it were possible ) they should deceive the very elect. now is it not easy for any man from hence to draw an argument , that the elect cannot fall finally away , so as to perish ? for if it is so , that they cannot be deceived , i. e. finally , or take in damnable errors , so as to perish , of which our saviour speaks ; for the elect have otherwise in a great measure , and in many things ( i mean some of them ) been deceived ; but it is impossible they should be so deceived as to be damned . and if this be granted , then election secures them , they cannot finally fall . if they might perish eternally , they might be deceived with damnable heresies , and bring upon themselves swift and utter destruction ; but they cannot be so deceived , because they are the elect , therefore they cānnot fall away so as to perish . arg. if the election of grace be absolute , as the decree of day and night , or as that of christ dying for our sins : if we are elected in christ as the head , we being all members , given to him to make up his mystical body ; if those that are elected , shall be called , justified , and glorified ; if the means , as well as the end , be under god's absolute decree and purpose ; if our election doth as absolutely secure us from final apostacy , as the election of the holy angels does secure them ; if we are elected to salvation ; if it be impossible for any of the elect to be finally deceived ; then none of them , none of the elect , or no sheep or lambs of jesus christ , can so fall away as to perish eternally : but all this is true , therefore none of them can so perish . so much shall suffice as to the first argument , to prove the saints final perseverance . secondly , my next argument shall be taken from the nature of god's infinite love to all his saints : the love of the father , and love of the son doth secure them from perishing ; it is wonderful , it passeth all understanding : it is because god's love is set upon them ; and it is such a love , what a love ? . i answer , it is an everlasting love : the lord appeared of old unto me , saying , yea , i have loved thee with an everlasting love , &c. it is a love from everlasting , therefore it must be a first love , an early love ; and because he loved them from eternity , he elected them from eternity . . it is a firm love a strong love , an endeared love , nay , an inconceivable love : i in them , and thou in me ; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me , and hast loved them , as thou hast loved me : a love of the same nature , of the same quality . o! what is the nature of that love the father hath to jesus christ ? who can conceive of it , much less express it ? it is impossible for us to comprehend how firm , strong and endearing it is ; but thus he loves all his elect ones : christ as mediator is the object of the father's love , so are all his members : the same love that is let out to the head , as to the nature of it , is let out to his mystical body , and to every particular member thereof . . the father's love is a love of delight : he is said to love others with a love of pity , but he loves his saints with a love of complacency : he will rejoice over thee with joy ; he will rest in his love ; he will rejoice over thee with singing . he takes delight and satisfaction in his love ; not in our love to him , but in his love to us . again , it is said , as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride , so shall thy god rejoice over thee . . the love of the father is an inseparable love , nothing can separate his love from his elect ; like as nothing could separate his love from his own son , so nothing can separate his love from his saints : for i am perswaded , that neither death , nor life , nor angels , nor principalities , nor powers , nor things present , nor things to come , nor height , nor depth , nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of god , which is in christ jesus our lord. i am fully assured , as some read it , not by any special revelation , but by the same spirit of faith which is common to all believers , neither fear of death , nor hope of life ; nor shall the devils be able , or evil angels , though they are principalities or powers , though of that rank , or according to others , ( who by principalities understand the wicked potentates of the earth ) nor shall cruel persecutors be able , nor shall things present , whatever temptations , miseries or afflictions which you now lie under , or may hereafter meet with ; neither height of honour , or spiritual or civil advancement , nor depth of worldly disgrace , or abasement , or the deepest of spiritual desertion that can befal them , nor any other creature or thing , shall be able to separate us ( who believe , or are united to christ ) from the love of god , which is in jesus christ our lord. arg. that which no power of earth or hell , no potentate , no enemy no friend , or no thing whatsoever is or shall be able to do or effect , cannot be done , or it is impossible it should be done . but no power of earth or hell , no potentate , no enemy , no friend , or nothing whatsoever , is able , or shall be able to separate true believers from the love of god , which is in jesus christ our lord : therefore it is impossible any such should fall so away as eternally to perish . object . but stay , say some , your argument is not good ; for sin may separate them from the love of god : we grant indeed from what the apostle says , that nothing else can do it , but sin may ; for your iniquities have separated between you and your god. answ . i answer , it is a mistake , sin cannot separate them who are his beloved ones from his love ; the scripture mentioned , proves not that such who are true believers may be separated from god's love , or that sin can finally separate them from their god : therefore consider , . that i deny not but sin may separate such from god , who are his people only by visible profession , or only his in an externally legal covenant , as the whole house of israel at that time was , when the prophet uttered those expressions : and it hath separated them , and the greatest part of them , i mean , for ever ; for the jews , for the sin of unbelief , and rejecting of christ , were utterly cast off . . sin may also separate god's elect ones from his sensible , sweet , and comfortable presence ; for a time god may hide his face from his dearest children , or bring them into great afflictions . . israel , when in the babylonian captivity , was said to be separated from god , because they were separated from his temple and visible worship , where he promised them his presence . but it doth not follow from hence , sin can ever finally separate god , and his love , which is eternal and abiding , from those he hath chosen in jesus christ . to make it appear yet more fully , that sin cannot separate them from the love of god for ever , consider , first , that though it is true , as i have before shewed , that god's beloved ones may grievously sin against him , yet they cannot sin away his love and affection . and to make this appear , hear what god himself saith ; if his children for sake my law , and walk not in my judgments ; — if they break my statutes , and keep not my commandments : what then , will he take away his loving-kindness from them , and cast them off for ever ? o no , then will i visit their transgression with the rod , and their iniquities with stripes ; nevertheless my loving kindness will i not utterly take from him , nor suffer my faithfulness to fail ; my covenant i will not break , nor alter the thing that is gone out of my mouth . object . this is spoken of christ , my loving-kindness i will not utterly take from him , &c. answ . . i grant that it is spoken of christ , but not of christ personally , but christ mystically considered : did christ personally ever forsake god's law ? besides , doth not god say , his children ? . christ and believers are considered as one , in regard of their mystical union with him . . doth the covenant of grace made with christ , respect his person only ? or doth it not refer to all that are in him , or given to him , or all his true spiritual seed ? but to put it out of doubt , read the next words , and tremble , whoever you be that assert , that the elect may perish for ever : once have i sworn by my holiness , that i will not lie to david . well , what is that which god hath sworn by his holiness , and will not lie to do for david , the true david , that is his own beloved son ? pray read the th verse , his seed shall endure for ever , and his throne as the sun before me . his seed , that is , all those that are given to him , or that are the children of the promise , such who are renewed by his grace , or born of him by his spirit , these are his seed , and all these shall endure for ever : and to make it good , god hath sworn to christ as mediator , by his holiness , they shall endure , that is , remain his children for ever , or abide in his covenant to eternity , and therefore they can't be separated from his love by sin. now dare any go about , through their great ignorance , to charge god with perjury ? o let them dread the consequents of their evil opinion . object . those of the seed of christ , or believers who sin , and afterwards do humble themselves , we grant , shall endure , or be restored ; and they are such that the spirit of god speaks of in that psalm you mentioned . answ . in answer to this , brethren , pray consider , that god hath promised grace to all his children that fall into sin , to humble them : repentance is in the covenant of grace ; a broken and tender heart he will give them , not only at first when they believe , but afterwards , when through temptations and humane frailties they are overtaken and sin against him ; 't is not a repentance of their own getting , whereby to oblige god to return again to them . but pray see what he says to his beloved ones , for i will not contend for ever , neither will i be always wroth ; for the spirit shall fail before me , and the souls that i have made . for the iniquity of his covetousness was i wroth , and smote him ; and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart . well , and what will god do with him now , he hath sinned , and that grievously too , and god hath afflicted him as sorely , smote him in his wrath ; or , as a father seems to do when his child that hath grievously offended him , but he is not humbled , he repents not , but goes on frowardly under the rod : shall he perish ? stay a little , see what god says , verse . i have seen his ways , and will heal him : although i might justly destroy him , ( as if god should say ) and leave him to perish , yet of my meer mercy , and for my own name sake , i will pity him , i will give him repentance ; i will heal him , he shall mourn for his sins , and i will restore comfort to him , and to his mourners . alas , till god turn us , we turn not ; therefore a godly man says , with poor ephraim , turn thou me , and i shall be turned ; for thou art the lord my god. surely after that i was turned , i repented ; and after that i was instructed , i smote on my thigh . after god hath graciously touched our hearts , convinced us of our sins , or changed our minds , we repent , and alter our practices ; and god will give grace thus to do . he remembers his covenant and his oath to our david , &c. i create the fruits of the lips ; peace , peace , to him that is afar off , and to him that is near , saith the lord ; i will heal him . i will in a wonderful manner , and by my own grace and almighty power , do all , and have all the praise to my self . object . but may be the persons you speak of , were a praying people , they were found in their pious duties , and so their sins were forgiven , and they healed . answ . how fain would some men eclipse the free grace of god , and find something in the creature to oblige god to give the mercy promised . . i deny not but god will be sought unto for all the good things promised to believers ; but who is it that puts it into our hearts to seek him , or helps and influences our spirits to pray unto him ? we know not what we should pray for as we ought ; but the spirit maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered . . yet nevertheless , see what god saith of the people before mentioned ; but thou hast not called upon me , o jacob ; but thou hast been weary of me , o israel , ver . . thou hast not brought me the small cattel of thy burnt-offerings ; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices . i have not caused thee to serve with an offering , nor wearied thee with incense , ver . . thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money , neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices ; but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins , and wearied me with thine iniquities , ver . . see now what a people these were , they had not so much as done the least things commanded , had not brought the small cattel for a sacrifice , nor did they pray , nor seek the face of god : yet that god may magnify his grace , see what he speaks in the next words , i , even i , am he that blotteth out thy transgression for mine own sake , and will not remember thy sins . nothing you see , can take off god's love from his covenant-children ; nothing is done by our own merits , or for the sake or worth of our duty , but all wholly of his own mercy and goodness . secondly , to make it further manifest that the sins of believers cannot separate them from the love of god , is evident ; because jesus christ hath fully satisfied his justice for all their sins , he hath paid all their debts ; wrath and divine vengeance cannot hurt the elect of god , in whose stead christ died : should their sins work their ruin , and destroy their souls , it would follow that christ made no perfect compensation for them ; if he hath , it would be injustice in god , should he let out his vindictive wrath against them for their sins : surely he hath born our griefs , and carried our sorrows , &c. all we like sheep have gone astray : we have turned every one to his own way , and the lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all . thirdly , because they have an advocate with the father . christ pleads the merits of his own blood , the satisfaction he hath made for their sins . my little children , these things write i unto you that you sin not . o take heed you sin not ; do not grieve your father , offend your god ; you know how hateful sin is to him , as if he should so say : but if any man sin , we have an advocate with the father , jesus christ the righteous . saints should neither presume to sin , nor despair if overtaken thereby . fourthly , because christ prayed in the days of his flesh , that the father would keep them that he had given him in the world from the evil thereof , though not from every evil. i dare not say that ; because whatever christ prayed for , it was granted ; and yet we see the best of saints do sin : but he prayed that they might not fall so , sin so , as to perish in their sin , or sin unto death ; therefore their sins shall never damn them . fifthly , their sins cannot separate them so from the love of god ; as that he should cast them off for ever ; because a broken heart , and pardon of sin , is contained in the covenant of grace : i will be merciful unto their vnrighteousness ; and their sins and iniquities i will remember no more . though they will be sick ; none can live and sin not ; yet they have a physician that can and will heal them . the covenant hath a healing antidote in it for every spiritual malady of the soul of a poor dejected believer : and because god hath promised to give repentance to his israel , sin not being actually forgiven without repentance , or before repentance , therefore god will give repentance to all his children ; he will look upon them as christ look'd upon peter , and then they shall , and do weep as he did , bitterly . nay , brethren , jesus christ is exalted on high to this very end : him hath god exalted with his right hand , to be a prince and a saviour , to give repentance unto israel , and forgiveness of sins : that is , to cover , to conquer and subdue all their corruptions , and to supply their wants , and to protect and defend them from all enemies , and eternally to save their souls : for which end he had his name given him ; and thou shalt call his name jesus , for he shall save his people from their sins ; from the guilt of them , the power of them , and the punishment of them . also therefore sin cannot separate them from god's love , and ruin their precious souls . sixthly . no sin can destroy the soul , nor separate it from god , but such sins only that have dominion , that rule and reign in men and women , such that the sinner loves and allows in himself : nay , all unrenewed persons are servants of sin ; but no sin reigns in a true believer , he loves no sin , allows of no sin , therefore cannot commit sin : sin shall not , cannot reign in them ; for sin shall not have dominion over you ; for you are not under the law , but under grace . grace will prevent it , the covenant of grace , and the influences of grace , and the promises of grace . the law commands , but gives no power to obey ; but power to subdue sin goes along with the gospel : the law is the strength of sin , but the gospel is the death of it . object . but for all this , good men may be overcome , and backslide from god , and god may leave them and love them no more . answ . . i answer , they may be overcome for a time , or worsted in the conflict , but they shall not finally be overcome ; though they fall , they shall rise again : and as it is said , a troop shall overcome gad , but gad shall overcome at last ; so it may be said of every believer . hence the apostle says , we are more than conquerors , through him that loveth us . rejoice not over me , o mine enemy ; when i fall , i shall rise . . though they backslide from god for a time , yet he will recover them again : i will heal their back-slidings , and will love them freely . see here , that god's people by their backslidings , do not lose his choice love and affections : no , no , he will love them still , and that freely too ; and will not rest till he heals them of that sickness , which is the worst they can relapse into . . the elect are another sort , they are not of them that backslide so , that god's soul takes no pleasure in them : but we are not of them who draw back unto perdition , but of them that believe to the salvation of the soul. there are some that so draw back , after they have made a high profession of the gospel ; but christ's sheep are not sons of perdition , but sons of faith , or true and sincere believers , they cannot so sin , so apostatize : because the seed remains in them , they cannot commit sin ; they cannot sin as others do , not so as to lose god's love , or not sin unto death ; therefore cannot perish : they went out from us , but they were not of us ; for if they had been of us , they would no doubt have continued with us , &c. they were not such that had real union with christ , the true anointing was not in them , they were not of christ's sheep , not sincere believers , not elect ones . from hence let me draw this argument ; arg. . all those that sin , cannot separate from the love of god in christ , nor eternally destroy , nothing can , but they shall be certainly saved : but sin cannot separate true believers , or the sheep of christ , from the love of god in christ , nor eternally destroy them : therefore nothing can , but they shall certainly be saved . object . but doth not this give encouragement to believers to sin , and so a licentious doctrine ? answ . . the apostle answers this very objection , to anticipate such a sort of men that were in his days , which we meet with in these of ours : what shall we say then ? shall we continue in sin that grace may abound ? god forbid . he having largely , in the foregoing chapters , proved the doctrine i am upon , viz. that salvation is alone by christ , by the free grace of god in him , that our justification is by the righteousness of christ imputed , and no other way : and that everlasting life is sure and certain to all the seed , to all in christ , or to all who do believe in him ; and he shews , that where sin abounded , grace hath much more abounded : particularly in the precedent verse , he asserts , that as sin hath reigned unto death , even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life , by jesus christ our lord. from hence he raises this objection , to anticipate carnal and blind mortals , who see no further , and answers it with , god forbid ; how shall we that are dead to sin , live any longer therein ? . let me tell you , that they who leave sin , refrain from sin , upon no higher , better , or more noble principles , than the fear of wrath , or eternal perishing , or only act from slavish fear , have doubtless not one dram of true grace in them . brethren , to abstain from sin , to strive against sin , to resist temptations , and to be found in all duties of obedience and holiness , lies in high , sublime and evangelical principles , and from such motives that have greater force and power on the soul , than the fear of wrath or hell can have . as , . saith a believer , is sin hateful to god ? doth god's soul loath it , is it abominable to him , and shall it not be so to me , but shall i sin ? god forbid . . hath sin pierced my dear redeemer ? was it the spear that let out his heart's blood , that wounded and tore him to pieces , that made him sweat great drops of blood , that let out divine wrath upon him , and made him a curse for me , and shall i sin , and wound him again ? god forbid . . did christ die for me to redeem me ? did he stand in my stead , and bear mine iniquities , and shall i sin ? god forbid . . hath god bestowed such grace upon me , as to love me from everlasting , to chuse me , to redeem me , to renew me ; and all to this end , that i should be to the praise of his glory , and bring forth the fruits of holiness , and not sin against him ; and shall i sin ? god forbid . . hath god raised me from the lowest hell , and set me on high ; made me his own child , and espoused me to his blessed son ? hath he set a crown upon my head , and put chains better than those of gold about my neck ? has he clothed me with a robe that shines like the light , and sparkles beyond all precious stones ? has he given the flesh of his son to me for food , and his precious blood to me to drink , and shall i sin against him ? god forbid . . hath god given me himself , given me a taste how good he is ? hath he allowed me to have free access to the throne of grace , and to have communion with himself , and with his son , and shall i sin against him ? god forbid . . hath god given me his holy spirit to destroy the body of sin , and do i confess my self dead to sin ; and as being dead , have i been buried with christ in baptism , and shall i live in sin ? god forbid . . have i seen , and do know the detestable nature of sin , how evil a thing sin is , and am by the graces of the spirit compleatly armed to oppose , resist , and overcome sin , and all the enemies of my soul ; and shall i commit sin , and cowardly yield to the temptations of satan , and acquit the field to the reproach and disgrace of my blessed lord and captain of my salvation , and destroy mine own soul that christ hath done so much to save ; and shall i sin ? god forbid . . am i an heir of heaven , an heir of glory , and have the blessed angels to minister to me , and to wait upon , and to protect me who also observe how i behave my self ; and shall i sin ? god forbid . . if i sin , live in sin , make a trade of sin , it will appear i hate god , resist his will , contemn his authority , cast dung in his face , grieve his good spirit , and put the devil into the very throne of god ; and shall i live in sin ? god forbid . brethren , here is the principal and the grand motive to keep you from sin : it is from these and such-like grounds that we should not sin against god. but i cannot further now enlarge ; i should have spoken of the nature of christ's love , and have shewn how that keeps the saints from sin , and falling , so as not to perish : but i 'le proceed no further at this time . john x. . and i give unto them eternal life , and they shall never perish , neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . brethren , the last day i was upon the second argument , to prove , that all true believers shall certainly be saved , and none of them shall ever so fall away as eternally to perish : which was taken from the nature of the infinite and unchangeable love of god the father . thirdly , i shall now proceed to the third argument , taken from the nature of the love of jesus christ the son ; and shew you that his love secures the standing of all his sheep , or all the elect ones of god , unto everlasting life . first , the love of christ is an early love ; he loved us from everlasting : i was set up from everlasting , from the beginning , or ever the earth was . — then i was with him , as one brought up with him ; and i was daily his delight , rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth , and my delights were with the sons of men. it appears it was not only an early love , but a love also of complacency , a love of delight . secondly , christ's love to his elect , is a wonderful love. . if we consider the person loving , viz. the son of god , the prince of the kings of the earth . . if we consider the persons beloved , in their natural and fallen state ; for , when such , he set his heart upon them : when they lay in their blood , it was then he passed by and loved us : now when i passed by thee , and looked upon thee , behold , thy time was the time of love , and i spread my skirt over thee , and covered thy nakedness , &c. we were his enemies , traiterous enemies , vile rebels to him , having abominable enmity against him in our hearts . . consider the wonderful atchievements his love put upon him to undertake , and the wonderful effects thereof . ( . ) even to become a wonderful surety for us , and to pay a wonderful debt . ( . ) to leave wonderful glory , even to come from heaven , where he lay in the bosom of the father , and to come to the earth , to dunghil earth . ( . ) if we consider his wonderful condescension and abasement : he became man , who thought it not robbery to be equal with god ; yet made himself of no reputation , and took unto him the form of a servant . he became wonderful poor , who was wonderful rich , yea , amazingly rich , heaven and earth , and all things in it , being his own ; yet was born of a poor virgin , who doubtless had little or no money to accommodate her , or to defray the charges of a lying-in at the inn ; and therefore they turn'd her into the stable , where she was delivered of our blessed saviour , and laid him in a manger . o what wonderful abasement was this ! moreover , he also had no money to pay the tax that was laid upon him , therefore sends peter to the sea to take a piece of money out of the mouth of a certain fish . he had no house of his own to dwell in , no not a poor cottage : the foxes of the earth , said he , have holes , and the birds of the air have nests , but the son of man hath no where to lay his head. — also when in his greatest pomp on earth he rode but on an ass , and that not his own neither , but he borrowed it . moreover the good women ministred relief to him , he had not to supply his own necessities ; he was poor in his life , poor in his death , standing charged with the debts of many thousands , the least not owing less than ten thousand talents ; which could he not have paid and satisfied for , he must have lain in prison for ever . o what a charge of guilt was laid upon him ! does sin render a man miserable ? doth one sin charged on a person , render him poor ? how poor then was he for a time , that stood charged with all the sins of his elect ? he was for saken of all his friends on earth in his greatest distress , and by his father in heaven ; he was poor and miserable in the sight of all that saw him ; they pulled off his hair , spit in his face , crown'd him with thorns , strip'd off his garment : and all this for the sake of his sheep , or for his elect. ( . ) if we consider the wonderful and amazing wrath he bore , what a curse he was made for us ; the wonderful horror , pain , and anguish he felt ; the wonderful sweat he sustained , which were great drops of blood ; the wonderful passion and sufferings on the cross he endured : he loved us , and washed us from our sins in his own blood he loved his sheep , his people , his spouse , as himself , above himself : mary loved him so as to wash his feet with her tears ; but he loved mary so , and all his elect ones , as to wash their souls in his own most precious blood. jacob loved benjamin , david loved absalom ; but david said , jonathan's love to him was wonderful , passing the love of women . but what is a bubble to the ocean ! a spark of fire to a furnace ! or a finite love to an infinite love ! what is all love to christ's love ? ( . ) christ's love to his sheep , to his elect , is wonderful ; because it passeth knowledg : that ye may know the love of christ , that passeth knowledg . . it passeth the knowledg of the natural man. what can he , with all his natural and acquired parts find out , as to the greatness and wonderfulness of christ's love ? . it passeth the knowledg of the moral man. what can the natural or the moral philosopher do , as to the comprehending , finding out , or demonstrating the nature of christ's love ? can he sound the depth of the sea ? can he measure the breadth of the heavens ? can he account the length of eternity ? besides , here is a height that their art discovers not ; the mathematicks teacheth not this mystery : that ye may be able to comprehend with all saints , what is the breadth and length , the depth and height , and to know the love of christ that passeth knowledg . . it passeth the knowledg of the spiritual man ; he cannot arrive to a full and perfect understanding of it . . nay it passeth the knowledg of the holy angels ; their wisdom and understanding no doubt is wonderful ; but here they are at a loss , they stand in amaze , looking into , and admiring with astonishment , this love , to see him that is god become man , to save such a vile and sinful creature ; to love and delight in him that was so great an enemy . . it is wonderful , because a whole eternity will be but little enough to let out to believers the love of christ . it will never be fully known , it cannot be comprehended ; all above , and all below , are at a loss , they are all at a nonpluss , and astonished at it . thirdly , christ's love therefore to his sheep , to his saints , is an immense , incomprehensible , or an infinite love ; as the wrath and anger of god , and the lamb , when kindled and let out , is inconceivable , so is his precious love to his people : this breadth , length , depth and height , doubtless refers to the unsearchable greatness and immensity of god. canst thou find out the almighty to perfection ? canst thou come to the uttermost of what god is ? canst thou find out the inmost recesles or secrets of god's heart , of christ's heart ? hast thou seen what is laid up in the inner chambers of his spirit ? then thou mayst know his love ; for it is like himself , god is love , love is his very nature : it is as high as heaven , what canst thou do ? deeper than hell , what canst thou know ? longer than the earth , broader than the sea. many wits , as one notes , run riot in geometrical notions about moral dimensions ; and whereas naturalists give us but three dimensions of a body , longitude , latitude , and profundity , the love of christ ( brethren ) hath altitude added , which is a fourth . doubtless all these dimensions are mentioned , only to set forth the immensity of christ's love. . christ's love is broad , enough to spread over and cover , like a mantle , all the sins of his elect , and also to hide them from satan's rage and fury . his love is long enough to reach us with his arm of affections , where-ever we are , or whatever our wants be . christ's love is deep enough to find us out , and relieve us under all depths of afflictions , despondency or distress , of what sort soever . christ's love has a height in it , enough to defend us , like a high wall , against all the assaults of those enemies that are in high places , and above us ; we cannot see them : as-satan is a spirit , he has the advantage of us ; such is his nature , he is said to be in high places ; he is the prince of the power of the air. but god is above him , christ is in a higher sphere , his love hath a height in it ; so that neither height nor depth can separate us from his love , as well as it cannot separate us from the love of the father . . christ's love is an infinite or an immense love , as appears , because it is without beginning , it is from eternity , before ever the earth was . that which was before the world was , is without beginning : but the love of christ to his elect was before the world was , even from everlasting . yea , i have loved thee with an everlasting love. . christ's love to his sheep , to his saints , is an infinite or immense love ; doth appear , because his love to them is as that love the father hath to him : as the father hath loved me , so have i loved you . though [ as ] may not be a note of comparison in every sense , yet it doth signify the truth , firmness , and greatnese of christ's love : the father loveth christ with an eternal , immense , immutable , constant , free , full , and perfect love ; so doth jesus christ love every one of his elect ones . again , saith christ to his father , that the world may know that thou hast loved them , as thou hast loved me : he would have all know how he loves his people , or such that were given to him . . it appears to be an infinite love , because it cannot be found out , defined or comprehended , it passing all understanding ; as also by the glorious and amazing effects thereof , which are apparent to all . . because it is without ending : all those that jesus christ doth love , or hath set his special affections upon , he loveth to the end ; his love is not only from everlasting , but also to everlasting ; he abides in his love , notwithstanding all the weakness , frailties or decays of love in his people towards him : he heals , and with a nevertheless will heal their back slidings , and love them freely . fourthly , the love of jesus christ to his saints is a conjugal love ; it is an espousal love though i purpose to speak to the nature of that blessed and mystical union which is betwixt christ and every believer under a distinct argument , yet let it be considered here , that the consideration that christ's love is such , as that he doth espouse every godly soul , and marry it to himself ; this must needs be one of the highest arguments that can be produced to prove their final perseverance ; because espousal love is the sweetest , the firmest , and most abiding love , especially the love of christ's espousal : i will betroth thee unto me for ever ; yea , i will betroth thee unto me in righteousness , and in judgment , and in loving kindness , and in mercy . i will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness , and thou shalt know the lord. what words can more fully express the firmness of this marriage-contract , or espousal love of christ to his true israel ? this conjugal love of christ is that never-exhausted fountain of all our spiritual and eternal comforts ; all mercies , like streams which never fail , flow to all believers , from hence . can a man shew greater love to a woman , than to espouse her to be his wife ? this is beyond the love of parents to children : christ bestows himself on us , and all he hath ; nay , and that he might do this , he bought or purchases us : christ bought his spouse ; none ever gave such a vast sum for a wife as jesus christ hath done ; and shall any think he will lose her after all this , if he is able to help it ? how can that enter into any man's thoughts ? will a faithful husband , a tender husband , suffer his most dear and beloved wife , that he hath such affection to , to be torn from him , and be abused and pulled into pieces , and he look on ? if he hath power in his hand , will he not rescue her , nay , die upon the spot before he will see this done ? but alas , ala , what is the love of any mortal man , to his spouse , to his wife , when compared with the love of christ to his saints , who loved his church , and gave himself for her ; and whose love is as you have heard , so wonderful , infinite , and inconceivable ? moreover i hope none doubt of his power . others may see their wives ravished and torn in pieces before their eyes , and cannot help it , they are not able to help and save them : but christ wants no power , as he wants no wisdom , care , or affections . now what are the enemies , the most dangerous enemies of the spouse of christ ? is not sin the chief , sin , the world , the devil , &c. will he then , think you , let sin prevail , satan prevail , so far as to deflour , murder and destroy that precious soul he thus loves , and hath espoused to himself ? those who assert final falling from a state of true grace , must say he doth thus , viz. he suffers sin to destroy his spouse , even to put out the eyes , deflour , strip , wound , and murder the soul he has espoused , whilst he stands by and looks on , and can , but will not help nor deliver her , because the soul is bliaded by some lusts , or drawn away by an enemy ; therefore they say he will not . he that can believe such a doctrine , let him . but , fifthly , christ love hath an attracting and a retaining quality in it : it draws the soul to christ , and it keeps it close with christ , when it hath received and imbraced him ; it draws , nay , constrains the soul to love christ ; we love him , because he first loved us . and no man or woman that loves christ sincerely , but they hate sin : it constrains the soul to return love for love. christ's love is like elijah's garment that he cast upon elisha , who immediately run after elijah , and said , let me , i pray thee , kiss my father and mother , and then i will follow thee . and be said , go back , what have i done unto thee ? thus doth christ's love to the soul in all that feel its influences , they follow him , cleave to him , and also keep with him : for like as the fear of god , so the love of god is put into our hearts , ( if we are sincere christians ) and we shall not , cannot finally depart from him . sixthly , christ's love is a free love ; as nothing did purchase it , so nothing can nor shall lose or forfeit it : i will love them freely . from the whole i infer , — if the love of jesus christ is an early love , a love of complacency ; if it be a wonderful and amazing love ; if it be an immense , infinite , and incomprehensible love ; if it is a conjugal love , an attracting and retaining love , a free and abiding love , which he hath to every believer ; then he will not ever let go that hold he hath of every one of them , so as to suffer them to fall from him , as eternally to perish : but such is the nature of the love of jesus christ ; therefore he will never so let go that hold he hath of every believer , as to suffer them to fall so as eternally to perish . brethren , such is the love of christ to his saints , as that he gives them special tokens and assurance of his eternal favour . some of them are these following . . he calls them with an effectual and special calling . . he renews them , and stamps his own image upon them . . he puts his holy spirit into them . . he justifies them freely by his own grace , giving them his own robe of righteousness , which is beyond a garment of cloth of gold. . he sanctifies them , and endows them with power to mortify sin ; and when they fall , he helps them up again by his right hand . . he seals his love to them with the kisses of his mouth , or by his most sure and precious promises . . he commands his holy angels to attend them , and to administer to them , and keep them in all his ways . . he leads , feeds and preserves them , under all trouble , temptation and afflictions , and sympathizes with them . . he sets them as a seal upon his heart , as a seal upon his arm ; they are engraven on the palms of his hands ; he hath sworn that his loving kindness shall never be taken away from them . as i have sworn that the waters of noah should no more go over the earth , so have i sworn that i will not be wroth with thee . — for the mountains shall depart , and the hills be removed ; but my kindness shall not depart from thee , &c. . he puts his law into their hearts , that none of their feet should slide . application . first , to close with this ; o see , you that are believers , that you strive after the knowledg of christ's love. motives . . it is the highest ingratitude not to desire after the knowledg of such love : shall a beggar be beloved by a prince , and she not be affected with it , nor inquire after it ? . because you are the objects of this love , of this affection ; doth it not seem an amazing consideration to you ? may be you can't soon believe it ; because you see no worth in your selves . ah , saith the soul , christ loves me thus ! what , such a poor sorry and filthy wretch ! wonder o heavens , be astonished o earth ! the more you know it , the more you will love your blessed saviour . he loved me not a righteous person , but me a sinner , a loathsom sinner , when in my blood and filth . . this will make you little in your own eyes ; the more we know of god , and of christ , and of his love , the more we shall loath and abhor our selves . o that ever i should grieve him as i have done ! how did the sense of god's love and goodness to david humble him : who am i , o lord , and what is mine house , that thou hast brought me hitherto ? and yet is this a small thing in thine eyes , o god , for thou hast spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come , and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree , o lord. thus may every believer say . the love of christ will have the like effect on our souls , as the knowledg of david's love to abigail , when he sent messengers to her to make her his wife , and raise her to his throne : let me ( saith she ) be a servant , to wash the feet of the servants of my lord. . the knowledg of christ's love , will beget greater and stronger love in our souls to him : love begetteth love , but not till it is known . o taste , sinners , of this love : had you but a taste , how would your hearts be enflamed in love to jesus christ . and as to you saints , . the more you know of christ's love , the more your hearts will die ( and your love cool ) to all earthly things . . the more you know of christ's love , the more firmly you will be fixed and setled in his truth , and be delivered from fears and doubts about your standing . alas , it is not sin , nor satan , nor hell , nor death , that can deprive your souls of christ's love , if you are his . if satan says , thou art a vile sinner , and lays before thee the baseness of thy heart ; tell him , christ's love passeth knowledg . does he say , that thou wilt fall one time or another ? tell him , christ loved thee not for thy righteousness ; and his love that is so infinite , will never suffer thee to fall and rise no more . . the knowledg of christ's love will make us to speak well of god , and christ , and his ways , at all times ; still we shall say , the love of god , and jesus christ , is the same , all is in love ; whom i love , i rebuke and chasten : christ's love known and experienced , will be a cordial to bear thee up to the end of thy days . . this will set your souls at liberty , and bring you out of the spirit of bondage , and make you to run after him : but it is not the knowing of christ's love in any degree , but to that degree that passeth knowledg ; a love that can't fail which will do this . . the knowledg of christ's love will make you cling and cleave to him : christ is the loadstone , and our soul the needle ; and now our soul having touched him , it makes to the center ; and though you may , like the needle , tremble for a time , yet you are hastening to him , and never will rest till you come to him whom your souls love . . the more you know of him , and of his love , the more will be your inward joy and peace : for this is the way to be filled with all the fulness of god , and to know the love of christ which passeth knowledg , that you may be filled with all the fulness of god. secondly , this may reprehend and sharply reprove , such christians that doubt of the love of christ ; especially those who affirm , that justified and sanctified persons may for ever lose his love and perish ; for this renders his love mutable and changeable , according as the love of mortals change one towards another . thirdly , and lastly , what comfort and consolation doth this afford to all true christians ? but i must proceed to the next argument , to prove , that saints shall not , cannot finally fall so as to perish . fourthly , christ's sheep , his saints , shall never so fall , as finally and eternally to perish , i shall in the next place prove , and that from the nature of the covenant of grace . first . because it is a covenant of grace : we do not stand in this covenant , as adam stood in the first covenant . and now that it is a covenant of grace , will appear , if we consider with whom this covenant was primarily made ; and that was with jesus christ , it was made between god in the person of the father , and man in the person of christ . our lord jesus was constituted in this covenant , the great head , representative , and blessed surety , for and in behalf of all the father gave unto him . adam had no surety that undertook for him in the first covenant , as a covenanting hand , but was entrusted with all his riches , all being put into his own hand , which he soon by his sin lost , and undid himself and all his posterity , whom he was set up as the common head and representative of . god foresecing this , he would not enter into a covenant any more with man , his credit being for ever lost : and since he lost all when he had power to stand , there was no likelihood or possibility of his standing , after he had deprived himself of his power of doing good , being depraved in all the faculties of his soul. therefore christ was set up , set up from everlasting , by the holy god , ( who foresaw all things before they came to pass ) as the head and surety of the new covenant , ( called the new covenant , in respect had to the time of the revelation of it to mankind , it being not known until man had broke the first covenant ) : now christ undertook in the covenant of grace for all the elect , he personating them , when the father and he entred into that glorious compact or covenant-transactions , we having not then an actual being , he represented all that were given to him out of the lost lump of fallen man ; and undertook , as mediator , to make up that breach that was between god and man ; and by his perfect obedience to merit for them everlasting life , and to bring them all to glory . this being so , nothing can more fully demonstrate the certainty of their salvation , and the impossibility of any of their perishing ; for they for whom jesus christ did undertake this great and glorious work , even all the elect seed , were put into his hand by the tenour of this covenant , to work out life and salvation for them , and to die in the room and stead of them ; thereby to bear that wrath and curse that they otherwise must have suffered , born and endured for ever . now in this covenant , eternal life comes to us primarily by god's free grace , in his finding out , parting with , and accepting of his own son to be our saviour and surety . and secondly , by virtue of what christ hath done , and did undertake to do and suffer for all that should be saved , they cannot perish : i have found david my servant ; with my holy spirit have i anointed him . — my mercy will i keep with him for evermore , and my covenant shall stand fast in him . his seed also will i make to endure for ever . his seed , that is , all that are the product of his spirit , or are quickned and renewed by him . this is the nature of the covenant of grace , christ is their root and head , their spirit of life is in him , and it is derived from him in regeneration , in a spiritual way , as our natural life was in , and derived to us from the first adam by generation , in a natural way . my brethren , pray do not mistake about the nature and tenour of this great and glorious covenant : the father , we say , enters into a covenant with his son , and promises eternal life unto him , and to all his elect seed , upon the consideration of what he , i mean our blessed saviour , was to perform in respect of those federal conditions proposed to him , which he did then undertake on man's behalf , or such of mankind that god did intend to save . and the father that accepted of him , and sent him into the world , and gave him his sheep , doth look to him as to the final and compleat accomplishment of all things , that were either to be done for them , or wrought and done in them , in order to the everlasting salvation of their souls . and this christ engaged to do , and took them into his hands in this covenant to effect ; which is clearly signified in my text , together with a full assurance unto us , that he will do it in spite of sin , devil , world , and all enemies ; neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . our blessed saviour further saith , all that the father hath given me , shall come unto me ; and him that cometh unto me , i will in no wise cast out . for i came down from heaven , not to do mine own will , but the will of him that sent me . and this is the father's will that sent me , that of all which he hath given me , i should lose nothing , but should raise it up again at the last day . this was the covenant between them both , this is his father's will , that none , no not one , no nothing of them that were given to him , neither their souls nor bodies , should be lost , but all must be saved , he having engaged and promised to fulfil and accomplish the father's will herein . o happy believers ! you are not left to your own covenanting with god , to the power of your own wills ; nor do you stand upon your own legs , but you are in god's covenant , in christ's covenant ; you are committed into christ's hand to keep , you stand upon your surety's engagements , his undertakings ; god looks to him , and expects that he gives a good account of all his sheep at the last day ; and christ is able and faithful : he says , them i must bring ; i have struck hands with my father , i have covenanted and promised to die for them , and to call , renew , and eternally to save them ; and they shall never perish . this being all true , what is become of the doctrine ( or rather of the gross error ) of a final falling from a state of true grace ? secondly , to proceed a little further : jesus christ , by virtue of this covenant , and in pursuance of that great work he undertook , did not only die to satisfy for the sins of his people , but also purchased or procured thereby a gracious conveyance of the holy spirit , and the saving graces and influences thereof , to change their hearts , bend and subject their wills , and graciously to renew and convert their souls unto god , which god foresaw otherwise could never be done , and also to carry on that good work in them until they come to glory : and this indeed he was obliged to perform , according to the tenour of this covenant . and hence it is that paul saith , being confident of this very thing , that he which hath begun a good work in you , will perform it until the day of christ ; or until the day of your death he will perform it ; which denotes his covenant-undertaking , he having obliged or bound himself as our surety to do it . it is not said he will perfect , or finish it , but he will perform it . had not the apostle referred to that obligation in the covenant of grace which he laid himself under , the other expression had been as proper , i. e. to say , he will perform it . he is faithful , and cannot fail in doing and performing what he hath made a bargain , or covenanted to do : as we say , when a faithful and responsible person hath covenanted to do this or that , though the work be great and difficult , and much opposition lies in his way , yet he will do it , he will perform what he hath undertaken . hence david saith , i will cry unto god most high ; unto god that performeth all things for me : to god most high that is able to do it , let sin , men and devils , do what they can to hinder him . this is further confirmed by the prophet ; lord , thou wilt ordain peace for us , for thou also hast wrought all our works in us : all is the effects of thy grace , according to thy glorious covenant . hence also the apostle saith , for it is god that worketh in you , both to will and to do of his own good pleasure . no man can chuse that which is savingly good , much less perform it , until his will is graciously renewed : my people shall be willing in the day of my power . this being so , how contrary is this doctrine to that which some men maintain concerning the power of the creature , or power of man's depraved will , the purport of which leaves the salvation of every soul at the greatest uncertainty imaginable ? they tell you christ died for all men , that is , for their good , and satisfied for their sins , against the first covenant , for all men ; and that all are put into a capacity to be saved , if they will believe , repent , and continue in believing and in well-doing to the end : they clearly intimate , that whatsoever the decree or purpose of god is , and whatsoever the nature of the covenant of grace is , yet all is at the determination of man 's own will , whether any one will be saved or not , god affording him only strong moral perswasions , reasons , motives , and subjective considerations thereunto , which may , or may not incline , excite or prevail with him to believe and obey the gospel , and perform the procuring conditions of life and salvation ; or they may not incline , excite or prevail with any one soul : they do not , will not say , that christ is under an obligation , by virtue of the covenant made with the father , to afford effectual grace , special aid , internal strength to any , in order to bring them over unto god ; but that it is left to the creature , and that he needs no such supernatural or irresistible grace to work upon him : which doth , ( . ) evidently tend to ascribe the whole glory of our regeneration and perseverance in grace unto man , and not to the grace of god : for that act of our wills on this supposition whereby we convert unto god , is meerly an act of our own , and not of the special grace of god. this is clear ; for if the act it self were of effectual grace , then would it not be in the power of the will to hinder it , as a late reverend minister notes . also ( . ) it would and must follow , that this would leave regeneration and salvation absolutely uncertain , ( notwithstanding the purpose of god , the covenant of grace , the undertaking and death of christ ) whether ever any one in all the world should be saved , or no , as i hinted before : for when god hath done all , christ hath done all that he is concerned in , or is to do on his part , it is absolutely in the power of the will of man , whether it shall be effectual , or not ; which is directly contrary to the covenant , promise and oath of god unto jesus christ : ( . ) it is also contrary , as you have heard , unto express texts of scripture , wherein effectual conversion , and final perseverance is wholly ascribed unto the special grace of god , as the immediate effect thereof ; god worketh in us to will and to do . the act therefore it self in our conversion , is of god's operation ; and though we will our selves , yet it is he who causeth us to will , by working in us to will and to do but if the act of our will in believing and obedience , in our conversion and perseverance , be not the effect of god's special grace in us , then god doth not work in us , both to will and to do of his own good pleasure . thirdly . the covenant of grace secures all christ's sheep , all his saints , from falling away so as eternally to perish , because the covenant of grace is an everlasting covenant , well ordered in all things and sure : not only well ordered in all things for the glory of god , in all his blessed attributes , but also for the happiness , safety and security of all their souls that the father gave unto jesus christ . . it is well ordered for our good , in that christ hath pacified the wrath of god thereby for us . christ hath , by the blood of his covenant , made up that great breach that was between god and us . so that now god says unto his people , fury is not in me . see what paul says , when we were enemies , we were reconciled unto god by the death of his son : and by his spirit he reconciles us , he slays and subdues the enmity that naturally was in our hearts against god. christ in this covenant ( it is so well ordered ) is that blessed days-man that lays his hand upon both , he brings god to man , and man to god : we were the children of wrath , and under the curse of the law ; but by the grace of this well-ordered covenant , we were made the children of god , and delivered from the curse of the law : christ hath delivered us from the curse of the law , being made a curse for us . we had lost the image of god ; but by this covenant it is restored to us again , and so that we shall not lose it any more for ever . we were dead , blind , naked , in bonds and in prison , but by the grace of god in this covenant we are quickned , our eyes are enlightned , and we have our naked souls clothed ; yea , and are brought out of prison , and all our wounds are healed . we were guilty and filthy creatures ; but by this covenant are justified and sanctified , being actually acquitted , and through faith pronounced righteous , in the perfect righteousness of christ ; and all our sins pardoned ; and are sanctified , purged and washed by faith in his blood , and shall not come into condemnation : there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in christ jesus ; they shall never perish : if there is no condemnation to them , there is no possibility of their final falling . well , but what are the characters of those happy souls ? why , they are such , saith the apostle , who walk not after the flesh , but after the spirit . moreover , see this more fully confirmed by christ himself ; verily , verily i say unto you , he that heareth my words , and believeth on him that sent me , hath everlasting life , and shall not come into condemnation , but is passed from death to life : he is passed out of a state of death to a state of spiritual life ; he hath eternal life in the seed of it in him ; he hath a sure and certain right and title to everlasting life ; he shall not be deprived of it by any enemy whatsoever : so much do these words of our blessed saviour imply . now what daring men are they who say , they may come into condemnation that do believe ? will they gainsay and contradict the lord of life and glory ? dly . it is a well-ordered and sure covenant , because it is made in and with our blessed surety , as before i shewed you : god treats with us , trades again with us , gives forth his heavenly treasure to us ; but all is upon the credit and security of jesus christ , who is become the surety of this covenant . now we may have what we need , come when we will in his name , he is engaged to god the father for us ; christ was made a surety of a better covenant . when god saw man undone , run out of all , and no trusting him any more , christ step'd in and undertook for us , and put his hand to the covenant , and brings himself under an obligation for us . quest . is christ a surety to god for us , or of us to god ? an. i answer ; god on his part had no need of a surety to undertake for him ; he never failed nor broke at first with man , it was man that broke and failed in his covenant with god. " but we on all accounts ( saith dr. owen ) stand in need of such a surety for us , or on our behalf : neither without the interposition of such a surety , ( saith he ) could any covenant between god and us be firm and stable , or an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure . " thly . because this covenant is made upon the unchangeable decree and counsel of god : my covenant i will not break ; nor alter the thing that is gone out of my mouth . if you can break my covenant of the day and night , then may also my covenant be broken with david . now christ and his seed , his elect , are but one party in this covenant ; it was made with him , and with us in him , before the world began . see paul ; who hath saved us , and called us with an holy calling ; not according to our works , but according to his own purpose and grace , which was given us in christ jesus before the world began . it was made as firm to us in christ who do believe , as it was made to him , and only made with him for us ; to this end , even to secure eternal life for us , that we might not lose it : and it is as firm by the decree and counsel of god , as the covenant of day and night . and thus it is of grace alone ; the reason of which the apostle gives us ; therefore it is of faith , that it might be of grace , to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed . pray observe it well . thly . this covenant is sure to all the elect , and gives them an assurance of everlasting life ; because the execution of it is put into the hands of the holy spirit , the holy ghost is to see that all the legacies left in christ's last will and testament , are given to all believers ; all covenant-blessings shall therefore be faithfully bestowed upon them of which final perseverance in grace and holiness is none of the least : christ's will runs , none of them shall perish ; and it is the father's will , that none that he hath given to his son should be lost . now the spirit of god cannot fail , it is his work to regenerate , sanctify and preserve , and to make meet all the saints of god for the eternal inheritance ; therefore they cannot perish . thly . the covenant is firm and sure , and doth secure all christ's sheep unto eternal life , appears further , because it is confirmed by the highest witnesses in heaven and earth . ( . ) the father , ( . ) the son , ( . ) the holy spirit , and all those wonderful miracles that were wrought : this was one end of that mighty testimony , viz. that all the father hath given to christ , or all that believe in him , may assuredly know they shall not perish , but have everlasting life . thly . this covenant makes all the blessings thereof sure to all believers , because it is confirmed and ratified by the blood of the testator jesus christ : that covenant that is confirm'd and ratified by christ's blood , must needs be sure to all the seed , and secure all blessings in it to them . we have also as a sign and token of this confirmation of the new covenant , the ordinance of the lord's supper ; this is the blood of the new covenant that is shed for you , to make peace for you , to procure justification , reconciliation , pardon of sin , and eternal life for you : it is sealed to you by the spirit through my blood ; take , eat this , and drink this in token of it , as an assurance of it . thly . the covenant of grace doth secure the standing of christ's sheep , or preserve all believers to everlasting life , because of the promise and oath of god. we have , ( . ) the promise of god to christ ; he shall see his seed . and again , his seed shall endure for ever . how can that be , if any one that is begotten by christ's word and spirit may perish ? ( . ) the promises also are as made to us in christ . this was abraham's title to the blessings of the covenant : to abraham and to his seed were the promises made ; that is , to christ and to all believers in christ . for all the promises of god in jesus christ , are not yea and nay , but yea and amen , to the glory of god the father : from the father through the merits of christ , and the application of the holy spirit . nay , god that cannot lie , promised them to us in christ before all worlds : see paul , in hope of eternal life , which god that cannot lie , promised before the world began . if believers do perish , what will become of the promises of god , nay , of the oath of god ? for when god made promise to abraham , because he could swear by no greater , he swore by himself , &c. wherein god willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel , confirmed it by an oath : that by two immutable things , in which it was impossible for god to lie , we might have strong consolation , who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us . this promise and oath of god , doth respect the salvation of all the elect , or all that are believers , who are the heirs of the promises . o let any take heed how they affirm , that any one of these may perish , since god's oath is passed that they shall not ; and 't is to this end that all of them might have strong consolation . thly . i might proceed to shew you that the covenant of grace does preserve all the sheep of christ to eternal life , and shews us , that it is impossible that any of them should so fall away , as eternally to perish , because they in this covenant have received the earnest of the inheritance , and by the same spirit it is sealed to them also . but i shall pass by that , having elsewhere spoken fully to it . thly , and lastly , this covenant prevents the saints final falling , because it is an absolute covenant which can never be broken , but stands as firm as their eternal rock . see what the prophet speaks , 't is as absolute as the covenant god made with noah : for this is as the water of noah unto me ; for as i have sworn the waters of noah shall no more go over the earth , so i have sworn that i will not be wroth with thee , nor rebuke thee . for the mountains shall depart , and the hills be removed , but my loving kindness shall not depart from thee , neither [ mark it ] the covenant of my peace be removed , saith the lord that hath mercy on thee . and now this covenant is made with every sheep and lamb of jesus christ , as it appears by what the same prophet speaks , incline your ear , and come unto me ; hear , and your souls shall live ; and i will make an everlasting covenant with you , even the sure mercies of david : that is , then you shall be brought actually into the bonds of this covenant , which is the work of the spirit ; for who else can make the dead to hear and live ? so this covenant secures you to eternal life . let me sum up the whole of this argument . ( . ) if the new covenant be a covenant of grace , and not of works ; if it be not according to the first covenant that was made with adam , but of a quite contrary nature . ( . ) if it be made with christ for all his elect , and in him with them , before the world began . ( . ) if christ is the surety of the covenant , and hath ingaged or obliged himself in this covenant to the father , to perform all the federal conditions proposed to him , and undertaken by him on their behalf , namely to work out perfect righteousness according as the law requires , ( of all that can be justified with god ) and to die in their room , to satisfy for their breach of the law , and to quicken , renew , sanctify and preserve them all unto eternal life . ( . ) if it be an everlasting covenant , well ordered in all things , and sure , for the salvation of all that are given unto him , it being made upon the unchangeable decree and counsel of god. ( . ) if the execution of all things that are required of believers , in order to their interest in this covenant , and their perseverance to the end , be put into the hands of the holy ghost to work in them , and for them . ( . ) if the covenant is confirmed by such infallible witness ; if it be ratified and confirmed by the blood of christ . ( . ) if it is also confirmed by god's promise and holy oath . ( . ) if the earnest of salvation is given to them . ( . ) and they are sealed unto the day of redemption by the holy spirit . ( . ) and if 't is an absolute covenant like that of noah : then they all , and every one of them , shall certainly be saved , and none of them can fall away so as eternally to perish . but all this is true , and evidently so , therefore they shall all be saved . no more at this time. john x. . and i give unto them eternal life , and they shall never perish , neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . brethren , i am upon the proof and demonstration of the doctrine which i raised from our text , ( viz. ) that none of the sheep of christ , or saints of god , can so fall away as eternally to perish . the last time i spoke to the fourth argument , which was taken from the nature of the covenant of grace . i shall proceed to the next argument . fifthly , they who are the sheep of christ , believers in christ , or his elect ones , cannot finally fall away , because they are the children of god , begotten of god , and born of god. two things i shall do in prosecuting this argument . first , prove that all believers are begotten and born of god. secondly , shew you how it doth appear from hence that they can never finally fall away , and eternally perish . first , that they are begotten of god , appears from several scriptures ; of his own will beg at he us with the word of truth , &c. meerly by his own grace , as the original cause ; with the word by the spirit , as the instrumental means . spiritual generation is the work of god , the product of the will of god , and not of the will of man : which were born not of blood , nor of the will of the flesh , nor of the will of man , but of god. not of blood , as in natural generation , or not of the blood of abraham ; grace and regeneration being not the product of the state or faith of believing parents : this was the carnal boast of the jews , we have abraham to our father . not of the power of man's will , that cannot produce the new creature in himself , nor in a child or brother : if it was in the power of a godly man or godly minister to convert or to regenerate his child , his wife , or his brother , would he let them perish ? but alas , alas , this is out of man's reach , out of his power , he cannot renew himself : a child may as easily beget it self in the womb before it self was , as a man can form christ in his own soul , or regenerate himself ; 't is god that doth it , the holy spirit begets us : except a man be born of water and of the spirit , he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven . whosoever believeth that jesus is the christ , is born of god ; and every one that loveth him that begetteth , loveth him also that is begotten of him . whosoever hath that efficacious soul , uniting soul , transforming soul , renewing sin-killing grace of faith , is born of god. 't is not a bare believing jesus is the christ , no , but such a faith that works by love , or the faith of god's elect ; for ye are all the children of god by faith in jesus christ . faith , saving faith , the faith of the operation of god , produceth this glorious effect , through the spirit , in the soul. from all which scriptures it evidently appears , that all believers , all the saints are the children of god , begotten , and born of god. quest . well what of this ? ( some perhaps may say ) how doth this prove they cannot fall away so as to perish ? dly . i answer , this is my second work , and you will soon see how forcible the argument is from hence to prove , that none of them can perish . see what our blessed saviour saith , that which is born of the flesh is flesh , and that which is born of the spirit is spirit . that which is born of corrupt nature , or is the product of the flesh , is flesh , or of the same nature of that which did beget it : as it is said of adam , he begat a son in his own likeness ; that is , a depraved , sinful and mortal child : the flesh bringeth forth effects proportionable to the cause . 't is thus in the first birth : but if by flesh you will have our saviour intend the product of man's natural abilities , or the effects of the highest improvements of his natural light , understanding , will , &c. why then it follows still , that a man purely natural can produce nothing but natural operations ; for nothing in operation exceedeth the virtue or excellency of that cause which influenceth it : so that no man can by his abilities , however improved , produce any divine or spiritual operation ; and this shews that man must be born of the spirit , that becomes or is made truly spiritual and sit for the kingdom of heaven . and saith our saviour , what is born of the spirit , is spirit , or is of the same nature with the holy spirit ; that is , spiritual , holy , immortal ; since every creature begetteth its own nature , qualities , and image : such as is the cause , such is the effect . thus it is in generation , and thus it is in regeneration ; it must be from a divine , from a spiritual cause , and not a natural , that the image of god is formed in the soul. the flesh cannot bring forth an heavenly babe : can corruption produce or be the cause of regeneration ? can a worm , or an ant bring forth a man , sooner than flesh ? or can any man under heaven beget , or form , and bring forth the new creature in the soul ; which is called the forming of christ , or the image of god in us ? but now pray consider , that such as is the nature or quality of the begetter , such is the nature of that which is begotten of him ; therefore since the new creature is begotten by the holy spirit , it must partake of the nature of the spirit . christ saith , it is spirit , it is spiritual , immortal or incorruptible . hence the apostle peter saith , believers partake of the divine nature ; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises , that by these we might be partakers of the divine nature . every child of god is begotten by the spirit through the promise , as isaac was : i will come , and sarah shall have a son. compare this with that in pet. . . being born again , not of corruptible seed , but of incorruptible , by the word of god that liveth and abideth for ever . pray observe it , which liveth and abideth for ever . mortal seed in generation begetteth and bringeth forth a mortal babe , a corruptible child ; but the word and spirit of god , begetteth and bringeth forth an immortal or an incorruptible babe : such is the babe of grace , or child of god ; i speak of the new creature , or the regenerated part in man. from hence let me draw this argument , viz. arg. . that which is begotten and born of , and is brought forth by the spirit of god , or of immortal and incorruptible seed , is an immortal or incorruptible babe : but the new creature in the soul of the regenerate , is begotten and born of , or brought forth by the spirit of god ; therefore the new creature in the soul of the regenerate is an immortal or an incorruptible babe . now if it be immortal or incorruptible , it can never die , but liveth and abideth for ever ; and this the apostle shews and affirms : therefore it is impossible such should fall away , or suffer a spiritual death here , or an eternal death in hell hereafter . dly , my second argument from hence is this , because the child of a natural parent cannot cease to be his child whilst he liveth , or life abideth in him ; this every man must grant : true , he may prove a rebellious and a disobedient child , but still he is his child , and the man that begat him is his father , that relation cannot be lost ; nay , and that nature which the child derived from his father , continues , and must continue , he is of his flesh and blood still . even so it is here , and impossible it is that it should be otherwise , that man or woman , whose soul is begotten and born of god , cannot cease to be a child of god , though he may prove disobedient to his heavenly father , and grieve and dishonour him , but yet nevertheless he is a child of god still : and god who by his spirit in a spiritual manner begot him , is his father ; and that blessed relation continues ; and that holy nature or seed of grace which he derived from god , continues and must abide also in him , as long as that life he hath in him , as a child of god , doth remain ; and that life is , as i have proved by the former argument , eternal or immortal . dly , besides i have made it most evident by my former arguments , that god in the covenant of grace , and through the suretiship of jesus christ , hath provided that his children shall never so rebel against him , as finally to depart : i will put my fear into their hearts , and they shall not depart from me . though they may be backsliding children , yet god saith , he is married to them , which denotes that intimate union there is between the lord jesus and them , according to another metaphor . thly . none of those who were truly regenerate , or indeed the children of god , as being begotten and born of him , though some of them grievously sinned against him , were ever cast out so as to cease to be god's children . where is he that can contradict this , by shewing some that were indeed children begotten of god , who have by their disobedience ceased from being his children , or never were restored after they sinned and fell ? who fell worse than david and peter ? i have before clearly proved , though they may sin , and fall , yet they shall rise again . arg. . if all those that were the children of god , who sinned , were restored , and not one instance can be given of any one of this sort , i. e. that were truly regenerated , that sinned , fell , and rose no more ; then none of the true children of god can so sin , so fall , as eternally to perish . but all those that were the children of god , who sinned , were restored ; and not one instance can be given of any one of this sort , i. e. that were truly regenerated , that sinned , and fell , and rose no more ; therefore none of the true children of god can so sin , so fall , as eternally to perish . thly . those that are the children of god , begotten by him , cannot sin , so as eternally to perish and lose . eternal life ; because all that are his children , are heirs of god , and joint heirs with christ . this i grant is not always true of the children of earthly parents , or earthly princes , for they are oft-times disinherited ; but it is otherwise here , they are all born heirs , their being regenerated and united to christ , gives them a sure and undoubted right and title to eternal life . the holy ghost positively asserts this very thing ; and if children , then heirs , heirs of god , and joint heirs with christ . thly . it is because the children of god are the seed of christ , which the father said christ should see ; he shall see his seed : nay , the father assured him , that his seed should indure for ever . and they are all given to him , and christ will say at the last day , lo here am i , and the children that thou hast given me , none of them are lost . thly . i argue yet further upon this argument , from that blessed text in the first epistle of john ; whosoever is born of god , doth not commit sin , for the seed remaineth in him ; and he cannot sin , because he is born of god. i am very much mistaken if i have not my argument here in express terms : evident it is , the apostle means not , that they do not sin at all ; that 's evident because he elsewhere says , if we say we have no sin , we deceive our selves , and the truth is not in us . james also says , in many things we offend all ; neither is there , as solomon declares , a just man upon the earth that doth good , and sinneth not . therefore that is not the sense of the text , i will give you my understanding of it . . so far as he is born of god , he doth not commit sin , or so he sins not ; that is , the new creature doth not sin , that never yields to sin , but evermore wars against it , and resisteth it : this is that which paul calls the law of his mind , it is the renewed or regenerated part , or 't is that which is born of god , that lusteth against the flesh , or wars against it . . he doth not , nay , he cannot sin as others do : this appears by that i mentioned last , because of that new nature or blessed seed he hath received . . he cannot live in a course of sin , or make a trade of sins he cannot live in a custom of sinning , because all evil habits are broken by divine grace in him . that man that lives in any way of sin , the old habit of lying , pride , lusts , drunkenness , covetousness , or any other sin being not broken , is not born of god ; for it is impossible a child of god should so sin , i. e. live in a course and practice of committing of known sins , or in a constant and continual omission of known duties : though he may fall into gross sins , as david and other children of god did , yet they continue not in a course of such sins that once possibly they were overcome by ; nay , be sure they set a greater watch against such sins , and hate them rather more than all other sins , because thereby they greatly dishonoured god , and wounded their own souls . . therefore sin is not his way , or walk ; he doth not commit sin , as to walk after it ; he walks not after the flesh , but after the spirit . he may step into the way of sin , but he soon steps out of it again , whereas others walk in that way every day ; it is the high way , the common road of the ungodly . . he doth not commit sin with liking , allowance , and love. though the fleshly part may like , love , and allow of it , yet he finds another part in him that hates it : what i hate , that do i. and hence it is the apostle saith , it is not i that doth it , but sin that dwells in me . i am against it , grace hath the upper hand in my soul : i am for the law of god , i give my voice for christ ; i , that is my renewed part , that 's the i he speaks of . . he cannot sin unto death ; sin so as to fall , finally fall , and perish for ever . 't is evident that this is intended here , though there may be a truth in the other respects . if any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death , he shall ask , and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death . there is a sin unto death ; i do not say he shall pray for it . the elect sin , but not unto death ; there is pardon for all their sins ; if they ask , their sins shall be forgiven them : but there is a sin unto death , a falling into heresy or debauchery , or such an apostacy that shall never be forgiven ; but thus they cannot commit sin that are born of god , so as to perish . which indeed the apostle in the same chapter shews to be his meaning , all vnrighteousness is sin ; and there is a sin not unto death . [ mind his next words ] we know that whosoever is born of god , sinneth not . he clearly shews us what he intendeth by sinning not , namely , he sinneth not unto death ; but he that is begotten of god keepeth himself that the wicked one toucheth him not : this is the great happiness and advantage of the children of god , who partake of his holy nature , they are furnished with a self-preserving principle ; the seed remains , they shall never lose their new nature , therefore cannot sin unto death : for whatsoever is born of god , overcometh the world ; the world in all its snares , sins , allurements and temptations whatsoever ; that is , they shall at last overcome , because he that is in them , is stronger than he that is in the world. thly , the very relation of children secures them , and fully shews they cannot , shall not sin , fall , and perish for ever : for what father , a dear and tender father will suffer any one of his children to be torn into pieces ( and cruelly devoured ) before his face , if he be able to preserve and deliver it ? or should he suffer it , would not all say that he was a cruel and unmerciful father , one that had no love , no natural affections to his poor child ? if therefore any one child of god falls into the enemy's hand , i mean , into sin 's hand , or satan's hand , and is torn into pieces , or is destroyed and ruined for ever ; it must be , ( . ) either for want of love in god to that poor child of his : ( . ) or else for want of power and ability in god , he being not strong or able enough to save his distressed child out of the hands of those cruel enemies . or , ( . ) for want of care and watchfulness in god , from whence the enemy took an advantage , and destroyed his child that was begotten and born of him . now it cannot be that god wants love to all , or any one of his children ; we have shewed you , that he loves them with an everlasting , infinite , and inconceivable love , such a love as nothing can separate his children from it : and to say he either wants power to save them , or care and faithfulness , is blasphemy . o what is the love , the care and faithfulness of god ? besides , he has committed them into christ's hand , to keep and preserve them , as my text holds forth : and can any think that christ has not received a charge to keep them from the danger of sin , that they be not finally lost thereby , as well as from any other enemy ? or do you think christ will fail in his care and faithfulness , who is their great shepherd , sponsor , surety , or trustee ? moreover , if he should ( as i shall hereafter shew you ) lose one child , he loses one of the members of his own mystical body . now from the whole , let me draw this general argument ; and so conclude with this : ( . ) if every true believer is begotten and born of god : ( . ) if they partake of his holy and divine nature : ( . ) if children cannot cease being children , or that relation continues as long as life continues , however disobedient the child may be ; and if it be thus with the children of god , who are begot and born of him , or by his spirit , that they cannot cease being his children , nor lose that divine nature they derived from him in regeneration : ( . ) if god hath provided so well for his own children in the covenant , that they shall not depart from him : ( . ) if no child that was born of god , did ever perish that we read of : ( . ) if they are the children of god , or heirs of god , and joint heirs with christ : ( . ) if they cannot sin unto death : then no true believer can so sin and fall away as eternally to perish . but all these things affirmed , are true , certainly true ; therefore no true believer can so sin and fall away as eternally to perish . brethren , i shall apply this , and pass to the sixth argument . application . infer . . from hence we infer , that those men who affirm that such who are the children of god , begotten and born of the spirit , may perish , are strangely beclouded ; for they must suppose that a child may utterly lose the nature and relation of a child , and degenerate so far , as to become a dog , a swine , &c. which is impossible in nature , and much more in grace : for as none but the almighty power of the infinite god could change the soul ; so it is impossible for any diabolical power to turn or change that holy nature again ; and that not only because the divine nature and image of god is such in self , but also by reason of the design and purpose of god , in and by jesus christ in our restauration , that being such , that it cannot be lost any more without the highest dishonour to god , and a frustration of his eternal purpose and counsel , which was to destroy the works of the devil . if any should object , that adam had the image of god in him before he fell , and lost it . i answer , he was the son of god by creation only , not by grace ; he was not begotten by the holy spirit , nor did he stand as we do , in christ . infer . . this may also therefore inform all believers , that they are in a most happy and safe condition , because they are born of god , and brought by grace and regeneration into an unchangeble state. exhort . o see that you are the children of god , begotten of god ; for if so , though you are but babes , yet you are out of eternal danger . let me give you , brethren , here a few marks or characters of babes in christ , or of a child of god. . babes have all the parts and lineaments of a man , if it be a perfect birth : so a babe in christ hath all the essentials of a true christian ; he hath all the parts and lineaments of the new creature . there is a formation of god's image , or a gracious work of the spirit in every faculty of the soul , and a partaking of every grace ; though at the first forming it is not come to full growth and perfection : there is not only light in the vnderstanding , convictions in the conscience , but the will is subjected to the will of god , and power of divine grace ; and the affections are renewed and changed also to love , as god loves ; and to hate , as god hates . . a babe partakes of the nature of the father that begot him : so does a child of god partake of his divine nature ; he is after god created in righteousness and true holiness . that which is born of the flesh , is flesh ; and that which is born of the spirit , is spirit . . it is observed , that babes come into the world crying : so a babe in christ , or one born again , comes into a state of grace praying ; behold he prays . and though it be not universally true in nature , yet it is so in grace , always so ; he that prays not , is not renewed , nor born again . . a babe or child new-born , desires the milk of its mother's breast : so such who are born of god , desire after the sincere milk of the word , or the heavenly and pure doctrine of the gospel , that they may grow thereby . . a dear child loves and honours his father who begot him : so every true child of god does love and honour god : if i be a father , where is mine honour ? . a child is grieved when the father is offended , and will take care that he doth not displease him , if a dear child : so doth every child of god mourn when god is offended ; and also takes special care and heed he displeases him not . . a dear child loves all his brethren and sisters : so every one that is born of god , doth not only love him that begat , but also all those who are begotten of him . . a dear child will strive to follow and imitate his father in all his vertues : so a child of god follows god , imitates god in all his imitable perfections ; be ye followers of god as dear children . . reproof . how doth this tend to reprehend the enemies of god's people , who abuse , reproach , backbite , nay , persecute them ? how will they stand in the judgment-day , when christ will say , what ye did to this and that child of mine , you did it unto me ? he that toucheth you , ( saith jehovah ) toucheth the apple of my eye . . this greatly raiseth the honour of believers : what greater dignity can be conferred on us , than to be begotten and born of god ? this is more than to be adopted sons , we are born of god , partake of his divine nature : behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us , that we should be called the sons of god — beloved , now are we the sons of god , &c. if david thought it no small honour to be the son-in-law to an earthly king ; what an honour hath god conferred upon his saints ! . and lastly , you that are saints , read your privilege , if children , then heirs . but no more at this time. john x. . and i give unto them eternal life , and they shall never perish , neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . i closed last day with the fifth argument . sixthly , i shall now proceed to my next argument , to prove , that none of christ's sheep can so fall away as eternally to perish . and that shall be taken from the nature of that divine , spiritual and mystical union that there is between every true believer , and the lord jesus christ . by the way ; let it be considered , that this union by the in-dwelling of the holy spirit , is not a personal union , that is impossible ; he doth not assume our nature , and so prevent our personality , which ( as one observes ) would make us one person with himself : but he dwells in our persons , keeping his own , and leaving us our personality indefinitely distinct : but it is a spiritual union , a mysterious and mystical union , more to be admired , than undertaken fully to be defined by any man under heaven . many debates there have been about this union amongst learned men , some carry it too high , and some too low ; for though it be not a personal union , yet it is more than a union in love and affection , or in principle , in design and interest , which may be between one friend and another . first , it is such a strong union intensively , that christ and a regenerate man become one spirit : he that is joined unto the lord , is one spirit : one spirit ( saith reverend charnock ) as if they had but one soul in two bodies . what the spirit doth in christ , it doth also in a believer , according to the capacity of the soul : the same spirit which was the immediate conveyer of grace to the humane nature of christ , is so to us ; christ hath an essential holiness in respect of his godhead , but a derivative holiness as man : and this derivative holiness proceeded from the spirit 's dwelling in him without measure , which we have in our measures : and by virtue of this union , by the same spirit whereby we become one spirit with christ ; not only that grace which is in us , and in the greatest apostle , is the same ; but that grace which is in us , and in our blessed mediator the man christ jesus , are of the same nature and original : as the light of the sun , and the light of the stars , are the same , but they differ in degrees , not essentially . and as we say of souls , animae sunt pares dignitate , saith charnock ; though the actions are not the same , because of the indisposition of the organs , and the predominancy of some particular humour . 't is the same spirit in christ and a believer , as it is the same soul in dignity , which is in an infant and a man of most refined parts . it is more here , for 't is the same spirit in respect of his person , which makes christ very near of kin to us ; this spirit must either desert christ or us , before this union can be dissolved : not christ , for he had it in the world not in measures , and he is yet anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows : not us , because the promise of christ cannot be broken . this being the top-stone of the comfort of believers , in sending this comforter that he may abide with us for ever . evident it is , that it is such a union that believers are said to partake of the divine nature ; that the holy spirit is promised to them , and in a spiritual manner is united to them , and dwelleth and abideth in them , and that for ever , cannot be denied . christ shews us , that this union arises from our spiritual eating of his flesh , and drinking of his blood : he that eateth my flesh , and drinketh my blood , dwelleth in me , and i in him . but when some were offended , and could not see how this could be , he said unto them , ver . . it is the spirit that quickneth , the flesh profiteth nothing ; ( it is not such eating as the idolatrous papists dream of ) it is by the holy spirit , by the indwelling of the quickning spirit , whereby we have a real participation of christ : he is in us by his spirit , ( as a vital principle , changing our hearts , and working in us his own holy image , infusing gracious dispositions and sacred habits in the soul ) and we are in him by faith , in a gracious , hidden , and mystical manner ; and this union cannot be dissolved . secondly , this union must needs be most intimate , near and strong , if we consider by what metaphors it is set forth in god's word . . it is a marriage-union ; like as a man and his wife are said to be one flesh , so he that is joined to the lord is one spirit . no man ever hated his own flesh , but nourished and cherished it as the lord the church . he that loveth his wife , loveth himself ; a man and his wife is but one mystical self : and what is in nature as to the perfection of it , is much more eminently in christ . now since god hath fitted to our nature a care of our body , this care be sure is much more in christ , when the apostle shews what the love of the husband should be unto the wife ; and that a man leaves both father and mother , and cleaveth to his wife ; and they two shall be one flesh : saith he , this is a great mystery ; but i speak concerning christ and his church ; or of christ and every believing soul. the union between husband and wife is near ; ay but death dissolves this union , because they can be united , or be one no longer than both live : but christ lives for ever , and the soul of a believer lives for ever : nay , believers have eternal life in them , and they shall never die ; therefore it follows this union abides for ever : he hath betrothed his saints , his spouse unto himself for ever . and can any then dissolve this marriage-contract and conjugal union ? is christ able to preserve his souse , or the soul that is united unto him ? is it in the power of his hands ? pray , brethren , consider it well . will any of you that have a spouse , a wife that you dearly love , suffer her to be torn into pieces , and basely murdered before your eyes , if you could prevent it ? and do any think that christ , who hath all power in heaven and earth , power over sin , the world , the devil , yea , over hell and death ; will he , i say , ever suffer his spouse to be destroyed and murdered by sin , world , or devil ? strange ! did he die for her , and has he married her , and made her one spirit with himself ; and will he leave her to conflict , to fight and war with an enemy that he knows is too strong and mighty for her , and not come in , rush in to her assistance , to save and rescue her from such bloody , cruel , and barbarous enemies ? no doubt but he will rise up with indignation and jealousy , to save every soul that is so related and united to him . thirdly , this spiritual union between christ and every believing soul , is set forth by that near and intimate union which there is between the natural body and every member thereof : the head and members make but one body ; even so christ is the head of his saints , and they being many , are all members of that one body . christ and all believers make but one mystical christ : even as the body is one , and hath many members , and all the members of that one body , being many , are one body ; so is christ , that is , christ mystical . now this relation of head and members , i say , holds forth this spiritual union between christ and every believer : we are members of his body , of his flesh , and of his bone. and it is from their head , jesus christ , that every member receives divine and saving influences of life , strength , government and guidance , as the apostle shews ; from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted , by that which every joint supplieth , according to the effectual working in the measure of every part , maketh encrease of the body , unto the edifying of it self in love. our union with christ brings us into a fixed settlement , and secures us from all fears or danger of miscarrying , let all enemies do what they can . can the members be lost that have such a head ? our union with christ cannot consist in the communication of any thing unto us as members from him the head : but it must be in that which constitutes him and us in this relation , ( saith a reverend minister ) he is our head antecedently in order of nature , to any communication of grace from him as a head , yet not antecedent to our union it self . herein then consists the union of head and members ; that tho they are many , and have many offices , places , and dependencies , yet there is but one living , quickning soul in head and members : the same life that is in the head , is in the body and in every member thereof in particular ; and he that offers violence to one member , offers violence to the body and the head also : and as one living soul makes the natural head and members to be but one man , one body ; so one quickning spirit dwelling in christ , and in his members , gives them their mystical union , and makes them but one body : as the first man adam was made a living soul , so the last man adam was made a quickning spirit . it is he that quickens by his spirit , or conveys a vital principle to all his , by which they live spiritually , as from adam all his live naturally : because i live , ye shall live also . so long as there is life in christ the head , there shall be life in the members ; because that life that is communicated to the head without measure as mediator , was to this very end , that it might be communicated to every believing soul that is united to him . now then if it be thus , if this be the nature of the soul's union with jesus christ , that it is set out and opened to us by the union that there is between the body natural and its members ; then i infer , . that by the life that is in the head , the members live ; and because of that life that is in him , they cannot die : it was by that spirit that is in him that we were first quickned ; and life is in us , and shall be continued to us . . i also infer , that if christ be able , or can do it , he will prevent his losing of any one of his members : and for any one to say it is not in his power , is blasphemy ; and to say he can , and will not , is a like evil to assert , because it renders christ less tender and careful of his spiritual members , than we are of the members of our natural body . which of us would suffer his hand or foot to be torn from us , nay , a toe or finger , if we could prevent it ? . furthermore i infer , that all the members of christ's mystical body , as they were all given to him , so they are all known by him ; they are so many members numerically , and no more , as it is in the body natural . in god's book are all his members written , as david speaks of the members of his body ; which some conclude refers to christ chiefly , and to the members of his mystical body . . i infer , that if jesus christ loses one member of his mystical body , then his body will be an imperfect body , a maimed body ; for so we know it is in the natural body , though the loss be but of one of the least members thereof . dly , the union between christ and believers , is set forth by the union of a tree and its branches : thou being a wild olive-tree , wert grafted in amongst them , and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive-tree . now the branches have a close and near union with the tree ; and being grafted into it , partake of the juice and fatness of the root , the tree and branches being nourished thereby : there is the same fructifying and fatning virtue in the one that is in the other , only with this difference , in the root and tree it is originally , in the boughs or branches by way of communication . this is brought by the holy ghost to open the union of christ and his saints , both he and they are partakers of the same fruit-bearing spirit ; he that dwells in them , dwells in him also , only it is in him ( as to them ) originally , in them by communication from him . take a cyon , a plant , a graft , fix it to the tree with all the art you can , and bind it on as close as possible , yet 't is not united to the tree , until the sap that is in the tree be communicated to it ; which communication states the union : even so and in like manner let a man be bound to jesus christ by all bonds of visible profession imaginable ; yet unless the holy spirit be in him to unite him to christ , unless he hath that divine sap and life communicated to him , he hath no real union with him . object . but doth not our saviour say , every branch in me that beareth not fruit , he taketh away . and again , if a man abideth not in me , he is cast forth as a branch , and is withered , and men gather them and cast them into the fire , and they are burned . doth not this prove , that such who have real union with christ may eternally perish ? answ . i know this is brought as a grand proof for final falling away : but to give an answer hereunto . . some tell you that there is no need to translate the words so , but that it may as well be translated , every branch not bringing forth fruit in me ; that is , that have not real union in me : for though there can be no true fruit brought forth without real and saving union with christ , yet men may bring forth some kind of fruit , and such that looks like good fruit ; it is called fruit : he may pray , hear the word , and lead an honest , moral , and sober life ; yea , and give to the poor , and yet not bring forth this fruit in christ , or from a real union he hath with him : for all acts of an external profession in religion , may be brought forth without any divine principle of grace , or being rooted and grafted into christ by the holy ghost ; and such a one the good husband-man will discover , for this man's fruit will not continue , but wither ; having not root in himself , but endureth for a while : for when tribulation and persecution ariseth because of the word , by and by he is offended . evident it is , that all that received the seed into good ground , or were sincere christians , brought forth fruit to everlasting life , though not all the like quantity . but , . let it be considered , that there is a twofold being in christ spoken of in god's word ; as christ also is compared to a vine under a twofold consideration . ( . ) there is a spiritual , real and invisible being in christ , by faith and the indwelling of the holy spirit ; and these are grafted into christ the vine , spiritually considered , and so have that true union with him of which we speak . ( . ) there is also an external or visible being in christ , by an outward profession : hence those that are baptized in his name , are said to be baptized into christ . paul saith of some , that they were in christ before me . how did he know who were savingly , invisibly in christ ? no doubt he speaks of their visible being in him , by that profession they made of the gospel , and by their being baptized ; and in this respect vine is to be taken for the church , which sometimes bears christ's name . now evident it is , many that thus are in christ , that is , by a profession and sacramental implantation , may bring forth some sort of fruit for a while ; but for want of a real union with christ , they having not a supply of grace , and divine sap from the root , they abide not in christ , that is , in a visible profession , but are cast forth as withered branches , and at last will be cast into the fire . but now whosoever bringeth forth true spiritual fruit , who is visibly in christ the vine , him will god purge that he may bring forth more fruit. and that this is the true meaning of this text , is plain , if we consider what christ saith of all his elect ones , ( as hinted to you before ) viz. that he had not only chosen them , but ordained them , that they should go and bring forth fruit , and that their fruit shall remain : and this he speaks to his disciples soon after in this very chapter , to comfort them , lest they might fear miscarrying , and become like such who are withered branches . and this is sufficient to remove this objection . thirdly , the union of the soul with christ , as to the excellent , firm , and abiding nature thereof , is further demonstrated and strengthened , by the consideration of the union of christ to the father , and them , as it is expressed by our blessed lord ; i in them , and thou in me , that they may be perfect in one , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , into one : first , the father in christ , the fulness of the godhead being in him bodily ; then , christ in believers : so that from that fulness of grace , strength , &c. that the father communicated to the son as mediator , by virtue of his union with him , ( and which is communicable to us ) all his members do receive from christ by virtue of their union with him . our lord prayed , in verse , that they all may be one , as thou father art in me , and i in thee , that they also may be one in us , &c. now though it be hard to understand the nature of this union in some respects , yet this is easy to comprehend , viz. that the union between the father and christ is an inseparable union , it is an abiding union , or it is a union that cannot be dissolved . why then let us consider , since christ prayed the father , and was heard herein , that all that the father had given him , might be one , as he and the father was one : what can be a greater argument to prove , that that union which is between christ and believers is an inseparable , an abiding , and an undissolvable union ? the union here doth not respect that essential union that is between the father and the son , but in respect of christ , as he is our head and mediator ; in which respect the father poured into him of his abundant fulness , that so we having a firm , perfect , and setled union with him , might in a glorious manner receive from him , and be supplied with all things we need . and christ being the medium of our union with god , both the father's union with christ , and christ's union with us , are for the final perfection , and compleating that glorious work he hath begun in the souls of his people , until we all come to be with him where he is , and behold his glory . if therefore we consider the nature of this union , and the prayer of christ , that it might be perfected and abide undissolvable , it must follow that it is impossible for any soul that is thus united to the lord jesus , ever so to fall away as eternally to perish . fourthly , by this spiritual union with christ , we partake of his blessed image or divine nature : so that the head and members are of one kind , and not like nebuchadnezzar's image , a head of gold , and a belly and thighs of brass , and legs of iron , and feet and toes , part of iron and part of clay : this would be to make the mystical body of christ a monster , an immortal head , an incorruptible head , and a mortal body and members , that may corrupt , putrify and become loathsom . no , this cannot be ; such as is the head ( as to nature and quality ) such is the body , and every member in particular , a living head and living members ; a head of pure gold , and members of pure gold ; also a head that cannot die , and therefore the members cannot die . for , fifthly , it is a vital vnion , as you have heard , that is to say , the same life that is in christ , is in all believers : and as it is in the natural body , the members have not only life in the head , but life in themselves also ; and so long as there is life in the head , there shall be life in the members , so it is here : and this must therefore be for ever ; for by the same parity of reason that one member may die or corrupt , the whole body may die and corrupt also . but christ is our life , and the spirit , which is the bond of this union , communicates life to every soul in whom he resides and dwells ; and the holy spirit hath taken up his abode in believers for ever : he that hath the spirit , hath the son ; and he that hath the son , hath life . — i live , yet not i , but christ liveth in me . from hence i argue ; arg. . if he that believeth in christ , or that hath union with christ , is a part or limb of christ mystical ; then not one soul that believes in christ , and has real union with him , can eternally perish . shall a member of christ perish or be torn from his body ! brethren , was it christ's natural body only that was concerned in that prophecy , a bone of him shall not be broken ? or did christ take more care of the members of his natural body , than of the members of his mystical body ? arg. . if christ's love to , and care of the members of his mystical body , be greater than any man's love to , or care of the members of his natural body can be ; then not one of christ's sheep or saints can eternally perish : but his love to , and care of the members of his mystical body is far greater than theirs can be ; therefore it follows , no believer can ever perish . arg. . if the union between christ and believers be a marriage-union , and that those that christ does espouse , and bring into that relation to himself , he doth espouse for ever ; if it is a union like that union that is between god the father , and christ as mediator ; if it be an indissolvable union , a union which god nor christ will ever break , nor sin , satan , nor no enemy can ever break ; then not one soul that is truly and really united to christ , can ever so fall away as eternally to perish . but all this we have proved to be true , therefore not one soul that hath true and real union with christ , can fall away so as eternally to perish . arg. . if the love of god , and the love of christ abides firm for ever to every soul that hath union with christ , which is the spring , efficient and moving cause of this union ; then not one of them who have union with christ can perish . but we have proved that the love of the father and son abides firm for ever to every soul that has union with christ ; therefore not one of them can perish for ever . arg. . if christ died , rose again , and ascended into heaven , as the head and representative of all those that were given unto him , and have union with him , then , as sure as he is now in heaven , they shall every soul of them come thither : but this hereafter i shall fully prove , and clearly ( god assisting ) make appear when i come to speak to the next general argument . arg. . if the union between christ and believers is so strong and firm a union intensively , that christ and they become one spirit so , that as if there was but one spirit in christ and in them ; or what the spirit is to christ , and doth to christ as mediator without measure , he is to every believer , and does for every believer in measure , according to each believer's necessity and capacity ; then this union secures every believer from falling so , as to perish for ever . but this we have proved is so ; the spirit must either desert christ ( as you heard ) or them , if ever the union be broken ; not christ , that all will say is impossible ; not believers , because of the blessed union they have with him ; and also , because christ hath promised that the spirit shall abide in them for ever . nay , this is also the absolute promise of the father to the son in the covenant of grace : and as for me , this is my covenant with them , saith jehovah , my spirit that is upon thee , and my words which i have put in thy mouth , shall not depart out of thy mouth , nor out of the mouth of thy seed , nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed , from henceforth and for ever . arg. . by virtue of this sacred union , because christ lives , the saints ( or those that have union with him ) shall live also , ( which blessing besides he has by a positive promise assur'd them of ; ) then no soul that hath real union with him can perish : but this our blessed saviour doth assert ; because i live , ye shall live also ; that is , the life of grace here , and the life of glory hereafter . arg. . if there is no condemnation to such who are in jesus christ , or have union with him : if they have everlasting life , because they have union with the son , and are passed from death to life , and shall not come into condemnation ; then this sacred union secures and saves all that are united to christ from falling away so as eternally to perish . but that all this is true , we have proved , and it is in plain words asserted by the holy ghost : therefore this sacred union secures and saves them all from eternal perishing . arg. . if christ in us is a certain and sure ground of the hope of glory , and that hope is the anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast , that cannot be lost ; then union with christ gives all such an assurance of salvation ; and that none of them that have union with christ , or have christ in them , can eternally perish . but that this is so , the holy ghost doth positively assert ; therefore none of them can so perish . arg. . lastly , if faith in the habit of it , through which by the spirit we come to have this actual union with christ , can never be lost , or shall not fail , then none that have union with christ shall ever perish . but that faith in the habit of it cannot be lost , or shall not fail , our saviour affirms it , being one part of his prayer when on earth , and no doubt it is part of his intercession now in heaven ; i have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not : and he never asked any thing of the father but it was granted him ; and i know thou hearest me always : therefore they can never perish . i might add here that communion which flows necessarily from this union , which affords a strong argument for the saints final perseverance : union cannot be without communion , for whilst the members are united to a living head , there will be ( as one observes ) an influx of animal spirits whereby they shall partake of life and motion : and though a believer , i grant , may lose the sensible experience of communion with christ , yet the spirit from their mystical head , will be working in them , providing for them , and standing by them . to conclude with this argument , i argue , ( . ) if our union be by the indwelling of the holy spirit . ( . ) if our union with christ be a conjugal union , a marriage-union . ( . ) if it be as near a union as is between the body , the members of the natural body . ( . ) if it be such a union as is between the tree and the branches . ( . ) if it be such a union as is between the father and son , as christ is mediator . ( . ) if it be a union of spirits , as if but one soul was in two bodies . ( . ) if it be such a union , that believers partake of the divine nature . ( . ) if it be a vital union . ( . ) if it be such a union that cannot be dissolved by all the powers of darkness , the seed of grace remaining : then it is impossible for any believer that hath union with christ to perish eternally . but all these things are true ; therefore no true believer can eternally perish . application . first , these things being so , we may infer , that our union with christ is a most glorious spring of the greatest comfort to believers imaginable . . from hence , brethren , comes in your actual justification : no man is personally justified , before he receives christ by faith , before he has actual union with him : but every soul that is in christ , is actually justified and discharged from all the guilt of his sins , and stands in christ compleat in his perfect righteousness , without spot , before the throne of god. . such are made near and dear to christ : o how near is the wife to the husband , or the members to the body ! even so near and dear is every soul that hath actual union with christ unto him . . from hence flows our communion with christ ; for by virtue of our union we come to have our natures changed : it is hereby that we come to behold , as in a glass , the glory of the lord , and are changed into the same image , from glory to glory , even as by the spirit of the lord. it is impossible that a brutish and swinish creature , as all unrenewed men and women are , should have communion with the holy god , or with the holy and blessed jesus . what fellowship hath righteousness with vnrighteousness ? or what communion hath light with darkness ? or what concord hath christ with belial ? if we would have communion with christ , we must be holy , and touch not the unclean thing : and impossible it is that we should be holy , until we come to have union with jesus christ , by which means we come to partake of his pure nature , and have the evil habits of our vile and filthy hearts and souls changed . the tree must be first made good , and then the fruit will be good . man naturally is united to the devil , and to his own sin and iniquity , and hath enmity in his heart against god : the prince of darkness is the head of this dark and wicked world. the vnderstandings , wills and affections of all men are under diabolical influence , ever since adam betrayed us into the enemies hands ; and abide so , until that union be dissolved by the power of divine grace , and the soul united by the spirit unto jesus christ . we are united to the first adam by a likeness of nature ; and how can we be united to the second without a principle of life , by which another , a new nature is formed in us ? we were united to the first by a living soul ; and we must be united to the other by a quickning spirit . by nature man is dead in sins and trespasses ; and how can he have communion with a living christ without a principle of life ? would any go about to join a stinking carcass to the holy jesus ? would not any think it a great plague to him , if he had a dead and rotten carcass united to him ? o remember it is from your union with christ , your communion with him follows , yea , and your communion with the saints too ; you can take no delight in heavenly company , nor heavenly things , without an heavenly heart . . by this union you that are believers come to have interest in , and a right unto all things jesus christ hath purchased by his death ; nor shall any ever have any share or part in all those spiritual and eternal blessings , except they obtain this union : as the cyon cannot partake of the sap and fatness of the olive-tree without it is grafted into the stock , no more can we partake of the fatness and glorious fulness of the true olive jesus christ , unless we are grafted into him by faith , and have the indwellings of the spirit ; and then all things that christ merited for us , and are laid up in him for us , are ours . . it is by virtue of this union that we have , and may expect a supply of all grace according to our wants and necessities : like as the wife needs not to fear want if it be in her husband's hand , ( provided he be a loving and faithful husband ) and that by reason of that union she hath with him , and that relation she stands in unto him . christ is a head of influence to thee , o believer ; thou holdest the head , from whence all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministred , and knit together , increaseth with the increase of god. . this also shews us , that we shall be fruitful to christ , because we are united to him , have union with him : we are married to him , that we should bring forth fruit unto god ; even all the fruits of holiness and good works , yea , such works and good fruit as is acceptable to god : and that because we are accepted in christ , our persons are first accepted as abel's was , and then our sacrifices or performances . the good lord help you to weigh well , and seriously ponder these things . . terror . one word to you sinners , which will be first by way of terror . what will you do that have not yet obtained union with christ ? tremble , for your state is deplorable ! all that are not united to christ , stand united to dead adam , condemned adam , lost adam ; and if you die before you obtain union with jesus christ , you are lost for ever , nay , you are ( as you heard just now ) united to your sin , and to the devil ; all your sins stand charged upon you , and cleave to you . but may be you will say , is there no hope , no help for us ? answ . god forbid ; jesus christ is tendred to sinners as sinners : and those that have now union with him , once were in your state and condition ; but know this , you must labour after divine grace , and come to this resolve , viz. to break your affinity with sin. while you see not your folly in keeping your agreement and affinity with hell , there is but little hope : o throw down your arms , fight against god no more ; when once you come to hate your old lovers , and are resolved to leave them , forgo them , and seek after this union with christ , there is ground to hope you are not far from the kingdom of heaven . john x. . and i give unto them eternal life , and they shall never perish , neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . brethren , i am upon the proof and demonstration of the last proposition or point of doctrine raised from these words , viz. that none of the sheep of christ , or saints of god , can so sin and fall away as eternally to perish , but that they shall all certainly be saved . the last time i was upon the sixth general argument , which was taken from the nature of that sacred , high , and sublime vnion which is between christ and every true believer . i shall proceed to the next argument . seventhly , the argument which i shall now insist on and produce further , to prove this great and comfortable doctrine , shall be taken from the death of jesus christ : for it is indeed , i find , that great argument the apostle makes use of to prove the final perseverance of the saints , or elect of god. see rom. . , . who shall lay any thing to the charge of god's elect ? it is god that justifieth . who can implead such , or put in an accusation against them , that shall be heard , admitted , or allowed at god's bar ? he brings in four or five reasons why none can . ( . ) from their election ; they are god's elect. ( . ) their justification ; they are actually justified , they are acquitted , declared righteous in christ , and that by god himself : it is god that justifieth . if the supreme judg , he whom they have offended , doth acquit and discharge them , who shall bring in any accusation against them ? to which he adds , ver . . who is he that condemneth ? it is christ that died . such a one ( as our annotators note ) may throw down the gauntlet , and challenge all the enemies in the world ; let conscience , carnal reason , the law , sin , hell , the flesh and devils , bring forth all they can say , and shew what they can do , yet after all they cannot bring under condemnation that soul ; all that they can do will fail to condemn those that christ died for . the ( . ) reason is , because 't is christ that died ; because he died for them , that is , in their stead or room . should one be condemned for high-treason against the king's person , and he should accept of another , who is his surety , to die for him ; whose death , according to the constitution of the kingdom , and laws thereof , would every way serve and answer for the offence of the guilty criminal ; and yet the king should afterwards take the offender , and hang him for that very offence for which his surety was put to death ; would not all cry out and say , it was a piece of great injustice ? even so here , should god condemn and cast into hell one soul for whom , or in the room and stead of whom christ died , would it not be great injustice in god ? o shall not the judg and king of heaven and earth do right ? brethren , it was god himself who substituted his own son to die instead of the elect , and to that end , that they should not die or perish for ever . but it may be some will object , object . it is granted that christ died for us , and satisfied for all sins we committed before grace , before we were called ; or for all sins against the law : but if we believe not , or sin after grace and conversion , we may be condemned for ever . answ . i answer ; do not these men think that christ did not die for sins committed against the gospel , and for the sin of unbelief , even for all such sins that a believer does commit after grace and regeneration , as well as sins against the law , or sins committed before they were renewed ? alas , how long do some of god's elect ones continue in a state of unbelief , and refuse the offers of the gospel , before they do believe and close with christ ? why now , if christ did not die for those sins , ( which were committed against the gospel ) as also for the sins they do commit after they are in a state of grace , there is not one soul can be saved , because without shedding of blood there is no remission ; that is , without the shedding of christ's blood : it is the blood of jesus christ his son , that cleanseth us from all sin. christ satisfied the justice of god for all the sins a child of god hath , doth , or ever shall commit against him , original and actual , from the day of his birth , unto the day of his death . so that if a believer perishes for any sin or sins , he perishes for that sin or sins for which christ died , and suffered for in his stead . object . i like not , say some , your notion , viz. that christ died in our stead or room : for though he died for our good , yet not in our stead , i doubt of that : and if you can make it appear that he so died for us as you affirm , namely , in the room or stead of all his elect , then your argument is not to be answered . answ . i answer ; that jesus christ did not suffer death for our good only , but in our room or stead , also i shall prove and make clearly to appear . . this notion ( if you will so call it ) of christ dying for us , must denote his dying in our stead ; because it is so always generally taken , when one person is said to die for another , one is condemned , and another dies for him , that is , in his room , to save the guilty person from death . and should not this be granted , we should be all confounded , and not know either what men or the scripture means , when they say , such a man , such a person , died for another , or for others , when the person for whom that great love and favour was shewed to , was as a criminal , and condemned to die ; which moved his friend or surety to step in and suffer the penalty for him , or in his stead . now it was so here , we were all criminals , guilty of the highest treason against the god of heaven ; and were by the holy law of our offended soveraign , condemned to die , and to bear eternal wrath ; and our blessed saviour was chosen in our room , and given up as an act of the father's infinite love and favour ( and as an act of no less love , favour and compassion in christ ) to die for us , and to satisfy divine justice for us , or to bear the punishment we were to have born , and must ( had not he born it for us ) for ever . . is it not plainly foretold , that the messiah should be cut off , but not for himself ? now since he had no sin of his own , and yet was cut off for sin , it follows , he was put in our place , and stood charged with our guilt or debt , and so was penally cut off ; he was cut off for us , to save us from divine wrath and vengeance : it was not for himself , it was not for the fallen angels ; it was therefore for us , that we might not die , but live eternally . . pray , brethren , see what our saviour saith upon this account ; greater love hath no man than this , that a man lay down his life for his friends . can this expression intend any thing more or less , than in the room or stead of his friend , or die for them ? thus christ died . even the just for the vnjust ; the just in the place or stead of the unjust , or us the guilty persons . hereby perceive we the love of god ; because he laid down his life for us , we ought to lay down our life for the brethren . these texts fully prove the notion ; he that lays down his life for his brother , or dies for the brethren , dies in their stead to save them from death , as some have done : for scarcely for a righteous man will one die ; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die . but god commendeth his love towards 〈◊〉 , in that while we were yet sinners , christ died for us . now then seeing christ underwent death , and bore that punishment that was due for sins , and there being no cause in himself why he should suffer that pain and penalty , it unavoidably follows , that it was because he stood in our place charged with our offences . . again , it must be thus taken and understood , because it is said , the lord laid on him the iniquity of us all : our sins were made to meet in him — he was wounded for our transgressions , he was bruised for our iniquities . it was not by christ's praying and interceding to the father for us to forgive us our iniquities ; no , no , that was not enough , it was his dying for them : he bore our sins in his own body on the tree . he prayed again and again , but that cup could not pass by ; if we are delivered and saved from our sins , he must die , nay his soul must be made an offering for sin. . that christ died in our stead , will further appear , because he was made sin for us , that knew no sin. he bore the sins of many , that is , the punishment of them . our sins were charged upon him , though he had no sin of his own in a moral sense , but was pure from all iniquity ; yet in a judicial sense he was made sin , as he was constituted and put in the sinner's place , dying and making satisfaction in our stead , as our blessed head and surety . and how frivolous is the cavil of the socinians , who would have it be understood , where it is said , christ was made sin , that he was accounted a sinner by wicked men. this cannot be the meaning of the place , because as he was made sin for us that knew no sin , so it was that we might be made the righteousness of god in him . do wicked men account believers to be made the righteousness of god in him ? or does not god look upon us , or count us in him so to be ? . but why is it said by the holy ghost , but when the fulness of time was come , god sent forth his son , made of a woman , made under the law , to redeem them that were under the law ? &c. had he not stood in our law-place , why is it thus expressed ? certainly god saw it necessary to substitute him , and to accept of him in our stead ; and therefore he was made under the law , i. e. he was obliged to keep the law perfectly for us , god requiring that of us in order to justification , which we being fallen , were not able to do , therefore he did it for us , and in our nature ; being made of a woman , he took our nature upon him , and suffered death , making a full and compleat satisfaction for our breach thereof ; whose sufferings and obedience , upon the account of his being god as well as man , had an infinite worth and merit in them . and if this which the apostle saith in this place , doth not prove that he suffered in our room , i must confess i know nothing of this great gospel-mystery . . that he suffered , not only for our good or profit , but also in our room and stead , doth further appear , because it is said , he died for our sins ; who was delivered for our offences , and rose again for our justification . " this particle , saith a learned man , joined with an accusative , doth generally signify the impulsive cause , and not final , mat. . . & . . & . . john . . cor. . . and particularly when it is used in reference to sufferings , it hath that signification and no other ; see levit. . , . deut. . . kings . . jer. . . john . . in all these places it necessarily signifies the meritorious and impulsive cause , and nowise the final ; for our offences must needs be understood , that our offences were the meritorious and impulsive cause of christ's sufferings . another particle the holy ghost useth , is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , rom. . . for when we were without strength , christ died for the ungodly . he spared not his own son , but delivered him up for us all . i lay down my life for my sheep . this is my body that is given for you . now the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , among other significations ( saith he ) that it hath , signifieth sometimes the impulsive cause , phil. . . ephes . . . rom. . . sometimes the substitution of one in the room of another , cor. . . philem. v. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , demost . ego pro te molam , terent. particularly when the sufferings of one for another is expressed by it , it always signifies the substitution of one in the place of another . whenever it is used to imply one's dying for another , it signifies the dying in his stead ; even as the son of man came to give his life a ransom for many , repeated again , mark . . this preposition , ( says he ) whenever applied to persons or things , it always imports a substituting of one in the room of another . " so that from the whole we may confidently conclude , that christ did not only suffer for our good , but in our room . . christ was once offered to bear the sins of many . now to bear sin , usually in scripture-phrase , is to bear the punishment of sin , levit. . . & . . numb . . . he hath born our griefs , and carried our sorrows . for the transgression of my people was be stricken . which clearly shews the ground and cause of his suffering , and not the issue and the event . . if all the other pretended grounds and causes are frivolous and vain , that men bring of christ's dying for us , suffering for us , besides this of dying in our stead or room ; then that is the proper and only meaning thereof : but all other pretended grounds are vain and frivolous . how idle is it for any to say , he died only to remove or take away the rigid law of works , and to merit a milder law of grace ? which seems to imply , as if god repented he ever gave the law of perfect obedience : or as if god could allow of sin ; or else , as if the law of perfect obedience did not result from his holy nature , but that he might have given a law at first , like their new law of grace : or according to others , that he died to fulfil and take away the ceremonial law , and to be a pattern of abasement , humility , and self-denial . now had that been , could not god have substituted peter to have been such a pattern as well as his own son , and set him up as an example ; or else some other most choice and renowned saint or prophet ; or have caused and angel to be incarnate to have done it , that we might have followed his steps ? and how vain is that which some of the arminians assert , viz. that he died to satisfy for original sin , or for the breach of the first covenant , and to purchase salvation upon the condition of repentance , faith and obedience , or to merit god's acceptance of the creature 's faith , love , holiness , and sincere obedience , instead of perfect obedience to the law of works , so that god is become reconcilable through christ's death ? but that he may be actually reconciled , lies wholly upon the creature as his part ; and thus he died for the good of all men , but not in the place or stead of any one . now by this notion , salvation is principally wrought out by the creature , god having put man into a condition or capacity to work it out for himself : and according to this notion man may or may not be saved , god having left the whole of salvation , in order to the making christ's death to become effectual , to the will of man. so that man's will , as i before intimated , determines the case , whether christ's death shall effect any eternal blessing unto sinners in general , or to any one sinner in particular , or not . god ( as one of them once preached ) puts man into a capacity to work and to do , but works not in any the will or the deed of his own good pleasure . now how false and frivolous all these pretended grounds or designs of christ's death are , i have already shewed . arg. . and from the first argument taken from the death of christ , i argue thus ; all those that jesus christ died in the room or stead of shall never die or eternally perish . but christ died in the room or stead of all his elect , or all such who believe and are his sheep ; therefore not one of them shall die , or eternally perish . arg. . if christ died for all the sins of his elect , both before grace , or before they are called ; and for those committed after grace , or after they are called , so that they might not be condemned for any of them ; then none of them can eternally perish . but this i have proved ; therefore none of them shall ever eternally perish . secondly , the death of christ doth deliver every true believer from eternal wrath and condemnation , i prove thus ; because the sufferings of christ , or the sacrifice of christ , is imputed to them , or is accounted to them that do believe : this follows from what i said last , he took our sins upon himself , and satisfied for them , as if he had actually sinned , and freely of his own grace gives us the benefit of his suffering , as if we had actually suffered ; our sin was imputed to him , that his righteousness and obedience might be imputed to us , even both that which is called his active and passive obedience . sin was imputed to christ , yea , every sin we have , or ever shall commit ; so that in christ we have born already all that vindictive wrath and vengeance of god that was due to them , according to his holy law and threatning denounced against us . christ and his elect are as one person , or as one entire corporation ; and what he did , was as if every one that he represents had done it . the sufferings of our saviour was in lieu of the life of the sinner ; the just for the vnjust . by his stripes we were healed : and that by god's charging our sin judicially upon him , he as our surety standing in our room . he was ( as the apostle says ) made sin for us that knew no sin , that we might be made the righteousness of god in him . arg. . if christ hath born all that vindictive wrath that was due to his elect for their sins , then not one of them can eternally perish . but christ hath born all that vindictive wrath that was due to his elect for their sins ; therefore not one of them can eternally perish . the justice of god hath nothing to lay to the charge of god's elect , because it is christ that died ; he whose death hath an infinite worth and satisfaction in it : this is the apostle's very argument ; if god's justice is satisfied , and his wrath appeased in christ's death ; if our blessed jonah's being thrown into the sea of divine wrath , hath made so sweet a calm , that god declares in him , i. e. in his son , he is well-pleased , and that fury is not in him now no more for ever towards believers ; who can or shall then condemn them ? jesus christ hath turned away god's anger , by impairing of his right and soveraignty , without derogation from his perfections : so that now he can and doth receive us who believe , into his eternal love and favour , through the death of his own son ; it being the judgment of god , that they who sin are worthy of death . but that death which sin incurred , and the sinner deserved , christ hath endured for his elect , and delivered them for ever from the pain and punishment thereof , and stand acquitted of and justified from for ever . thirdly , it is because jesus christ who was the antitype of the scape-goat , hath carried away all our sins who do believe : the kill'd goat made the atonement for the sins of all god's israel ; and because one goat could not prefigure the whole of christ's undertaking , therefore there were two goats appointed : and aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat , and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of israel , and all their transgressions in all their sins , putting them upon the head of the goat , and shall send him away by the hand of a fit person into the wilderness . and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited , &c. brethren , pray observe , here is mention four times of all the sins of the children of israel , all their iniquities , all their transgressions , all their sins . and again , the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities . the goat was a type of christ , to shew that not one sin of a child of god shall ever be laid upon him , charged upon him , because christ had them all laid upon him : and he hath carried them all away , all their sins , great sins as well as smaller sins ; sins before grace and after grace were all laid upon jesus christ ; yea , sins of all sorts , sins of commission and sins of omission ; no sin could be expiated without the death and blood of christ : also a full and free confession was to be made upon the head of the scape-goat of all sins . brethren , as the smallest sins needed such a sacrifice , such an atonement , namely , the death of christ , so the greatest sins were not excluded from that atonement and blessed benefit of his death . moreover , the scape-goat carried all their sins away into the wilderness , or into an unknown land , or into a land of forgetfulness , never to be remembred any more ; this hath our lord jesus done : christ hath put away sin , and put it away for ever , and that by the sacrifice of himself once for all : he hath laid on him the iniquities of us all ; and also all our iniquities . he could not be supposed to have suffered for our sins , if our sins , respecting the guilt of them , were not laid upon him , or charged upon him , and imputed to him : his sufferings otherwise would have been arbitrary and unjust , had he not been substituted by the father , and called forth as our surety , ( nor could his death been accepted ) the law no where condemning or punishing any one who in a law-sense is an innocent person . he was made sin , without knowing sin : he knew the guilt by imputation , but he knew not sin any otherwise , neither original nor actual ; he was born without sin , and lived without sin , in his mouth was found no guile : yet he had our sins upon him , and carried them away ; he being the antitype of the slain goat , satisfied for all our sins ; and as he is the antitype of the live goat , he hath born them away for ever . arg. . if any one sin of the children of god shall ever be charged upon them as to that vindictive wrath that is due to sin , so that they may come under eternal condemnation of it ; then hath not christ born all their sins , nor carried them away into the land of forgetfulness . but christ hath born all their sins , and carried away all their iniquities , as he is the antitype of the slain and living goat ; therefore their sins shall never be charged upon them , as to the vindictive wrath that is due to them ; so that they can never come under eternal condemnation . fourthly , none of christ's sheep , or no believer , can fall so as eternally to perish , upon the consideration of the death of christ . . because christ hath by his death delivered them from the curse of the law , as well as from the guilt of sin ; the law is the strength of sin , it is by that sin condemneth the sinner : the law lays every man under the wrath and curse of god ; and unless it be answered , god might be said to change his will should he justify any man ; nay , it would seem to reflect upon his holiness : the precepts must perfectly be kept by man , or his surety ; the breach we had made of it by sin must be satisfied , for , both these jesus christ hath done , not for himself ; he needed not to have come to keep the law to justify himself , for as god he is infinite holy ; but as mediator he did this for us , he obtained a perfect robe or righteousness to give away and put on us ; he hath brought in everlasting righteousness , and made an end of sin. how made an end of sin ? not that there shall be no sin any more in the world ; no , but he has made an end of the condemning power of it ; the strength it had to kill and damn the soul is took away for ever from all that believe , from all that he hath put his righteousness upon . god's justice being satisfied , we are furnished with an exact and compleat righteousness , that shall last for ever ; 't is an everlasting righteousness that every believer hath in christ . who therefore shall condemn ? christ hath delivered us from the curse of the law , being made a curse for us . sin is our sickness , sin is that by which we stand charged , and the law condemns us , pronounces a curse against us ; but christ hath cured us of this sickness , and delivered us from this curse : as it is written , cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law , to do them . till we believed , we lay under that fearful curse ; but from this we are discharged , and christ hath undergone that great curse for us , and there is no other curse can come on believers ; all separation from god and wrath is by the curse of law : but this is ended and gone for ever to every one that believeth . nothing therefore now can separate them from god , the curse is taken away , and the blessing is put on us . . from hence it appears that the veracity of god is ingaged to acquit all them that believe in christ , as his justice is obliged to leave sinners under the curse of the law that believe not , because nothing but a perfect righteousness can deliver from the curse thereof . . moreover , god is obliged , upon the account of his covenant with his son for us , to discharge us for ever , because christ hath fully performed all things as the federal conditions of our restoration and deliverance from sin , and the curse of the law , which he covenanted to do . arg. . all that are delivered from the curse of the law , and to whom there remains no more any legal and just cause in god of wrath and separation from him unto their eternal condemnation , cannot eternally perish . but all that believe in christ are delivered from the curse of the law , and to them there remains no more any legal and just cause in god of wrath and separation from him unto their eternal condemnation : therefore no believer shall eternally perish . fifthly , christ dying for our sins , was a full and compleat paiment of all our debts , which bound us over to death and condemnation ; we owed ten thousand talents , and christ our surety was charged with it , even with all we owed to justice ; and by his death he paid the uttermost farthing : now the principal and the surety are legally and judicially one person ; so that in christ we paid all , though it was god and not we that found out the surety , and paid himself with his own money ; and therefore we are acquitted in a way of sovereign grace ; we have it in a way of mercy , though in a way of righteousness also : that god might be just , and the justifier of him that believeth in jesus . from whence i argue ; arg. . all those for whom christ hath paid all their debts , or made a full compensation for , shall never perish . but christ hath paid all the debts of believers , or made a full compensation for them ; therefore they shall never perish . would it not be look'd upon as an act of injustice in a creditor to arrest and throw a poor debtor into prison for those debts his surety paid for him , and laid down every farthing of his money ? now then say i , either some of the sins of believers , or some of their debts jesus christ did not die for , pay , or satisfy for , or else all must conclude it is impossible ( because god is just ) any one of them should perish . now who is it that dares to affirm , that christ did not die and satisfy for all the sins of believers , or for his elect ones ? if we confess our sins , he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins , and to cleanse us from all vnrighteousness . he will not exact from us the satisfaction which he hath accepted in the atonement of his own son our surety , and in his own way applied ; god will not require double payment . sixthly , from the death of christ i further argue ; no believer can eternally perish , because his death was the highest and greatest expression and demonstration of divine love , both in the father and son. now say i , ( as i hinted once before ) he that gave the great gift , will not deny the lesser : sure if god gave his son to die for our sins , he will give us grace to resist sin , to mortify sin , and will also pardon all our sins : and if christ died for us , spilt his blood for us , he will pray for us , he will not refuse to intercede for us , that our faith may not fail , or we lose the benefit and blessings purchased for us by his death . he that would not pray for his friend , or for his neighbour , will not die for him : but on the other hand , if he yields himself up to die for him , he will pray for him . christ died for his sheep , he will therefore both feed them , heal their diseases , and preserve them , that they may not be devoured by any enemy whatsoever ; neither by sin , nor the devil , &c. see rom. . . rom. . . seventhly , jesus christ by his death purchased grace , and all things his saints need or shall need , in order to make them meet for glory ; therefore they shall not perish . do they need faith , need patience , need power against sin , need pardon , need purging , &c. all these things , and whatsoever else they stand in need of , they shall have : my god shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory , by jesus christ . all grace is in christ , as the fruit of his purchase ; and of his fulness all we receive , and grace for grace : and this is to shew forth the riches of god's glory . will he lose his glory ? shall satan insult over the majesty of heaven after this manner , viz. lo , here is one of them for whom thou gavest thy son to die , whom thou hast left to me , and i have destroyed him for ever ? will god , think you , suffer this , since his main design in the gift of christ , is the glory of his own rich and sovereign grace ? nay , and after he has with such large expence of rich treasure , and such pains restored his lost image to a poor believer , will he suffer sin and satan utterly to deface it again whilst he looks on ? our opposites are men for natural reason . now sirs , what think you of this ; is there any reason for you to believe god will suffer either of these things to be done ? eighthly , the death of christ preserves all believers to everlasting life , because he hath by one offering perfected for ever them that are sanctified . christ as the effects of his death , before he hath done , will bring all for whom he was a sacrifice to heaven : justification in the perfection of it shall be continued , sanctification shall be compleated , our interest in him shall not be lost : can any think that christ will not maintain life in that soul which he made alive by his own death ? arg. . if therefore christ's blood was not shed for none in vain , but that he shall have his whole purchase ; then none of his sheep or elect ones shall ever perish . but christ's blood was shed for none in vain ; therefore he shall have his full purchase , none of his elect shall perish . no man would lay down a sum more in value than a whole kingdom , but would first see himself sure of it , upon laying down that price : the father's covenant and promise also made all the elect certain of eternal life upon christ's dying for them . besides , beloved , the sacrifice of christ unites all the holy attributes together to secure a believer's interest ; justice and mercy are both agreed in christ , they meet together , and kiss each other , yea , and join hands to help and save every believer . the flood-gates of mercy are opened , and the fire of divine wrath confin'd in its flames , or rather quenched by the streams of christ's blood , that mercy might flow down to us abundantly : christ's blood hath eternal virtue in it , it is called the blood of the everlasting covenant , therefore extendeth to the expiation of sins to come , as well as what are already past . christ's death hath glorious effects , as the apostle shews : for if the blood of bulls and goats , and ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean , sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh ; how much more shall the blood of christ , who through the eternal spirit offered himself to god , purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living god ? to talk of christ's death , and see no effects of it , alas , what 's that ? all that christ died for , shall see and feel too its glorious effects and operations upon their souls and consciences ; though the sacrifice be over , the virtue and excellent causality of it abides for ever . ninthly , christ by his death redeemeth his people from all iniquity , and this was his end in dying . what signifies such a redemption , that leaves a poor slave in his chains and irons , without procuring a release for him ? in this lies the glory of our redemption by christ ; 't is not only from the curse of the law , and wrath of god , but from a vain conversation also : see the apostle's words ; who gave himself for us , that he might redeem us from all iniquity , and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works . if this was his end and design in his death ; do any think he will see himself frustrated in it ? shall any enemy of the soul bring christ under a disappointment ? compare this with pes. . , , . tenthly , and lastly , jesus christ hath by his death purchased eternal redemption , or everlasting life , for all his sheep ; and by his spirit hath also given to them the earnest of it ; therefore his death preserves them to salvation : in whom ye also trusted after ye heard the word of truth , the gospel of your salvation : in whom also after ye believed , ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise , which is the earnest of our inheritance , until the redemption of the purchased possession , unto the praise of his glory . now i should come to speak more particularly to the effects of the death of christ , and inlarge upon some things that i have but a little touched upon ; but that i must leave until the next time , and shall only speak something by way of improvement of this argument . application . first . to you that are believers : o praise and bless god for a crucified saviour . what in heaven and earth is cause of greater wonder and admiration ! christ's death is the meritorious cause of all spiritual and eternal joy and comfort ; all grace flows out of the wounds the spear and nail● made in his blessed body , and from the death and pangs his soul underwent . nothing is a greater evidence of christ's love to us , than the death of his cross . . apply his blood , draw virtue from his blood , fly to his death ; see how that stands to save thee from the justice and wrath of god : in his death is thy hope and succour , when pursued by satan , and under all temptations . . triumph in the cross of christ ; thou , o child of god , wast crucified with christ , thy sins were punished in him , and thou art acquitted in him , and raised in him . o labour to know christ and him crucified ; labour to know him and the power of his death , and the fellowship of his sufferings , &c. . and as to you sinners , is not here ground of hope for you ? christ died for the chiefest of sinners ; and whosoever believeth in him shall not perish , but have everlasting life . but wo to such who slight this bleeding saviour , that sin because grace hath abounded , or that make the death of christ an incouragement to them to continue in sin. tush , say some , trouble not your self with me , christ died for sinners . o souls , will you crucify christ again ? i tell you , if you do not feel the effects of his death , in vain is all your present hope . . this may serve also to detect such , and severely to reprehend them that say , christ died to save all , or for all , and every man and woman in the world. brethren , if he died for all , that is , in the stead and room of all , then all shall be saved ; god will not condemn such whom christ laid down his life for , or in the place or stead of , as i have proved from god's word . but further , to detect this error of general redemption , . consider , that redemption is a word easy to understand ; it is the saving of a person , that is in slavery or captivity , commonly procured or obtained by a price paid , or a ransom : but if the person is indeed redeemed , he is set at liberty . to say a man is redeemed , and yet left in chains and strong bonds , out of which he cannot come , unless the redeemer break those chains and bonds to pieces , is to speak untruly , or in plain english , a lie. now are all men redeemed ? redemption cannot be more universal than it is in matter of fact. if ten men were in slavery in argiers , and a sum of money was paid to redeem them , and yet after all , care is not taken to make that ransom to be effectual for their redemption , but six or seven of them are left in captivity ; can any man say all the ten were redeemed out of that slavery and thraldom wherein they are held ? even so it is here ; for men to say , that the redemption by christ is for all the world , and yet the greatest part of mankind lie in bonds , under the power of sin and satan , and have not the death of christ made effectual to them , is a great mistake , and indeed not true as to matter of fact. . are we redeemed only from the curse of the law , and from the wrath of god ; and are we not also redeemed from sin , and from being under the power of satan ? that redemption that is by christ , is ( you hear ) from all iniquity ; and are all so redeemed ? the apostle peter saith , forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things , as silver and gold , from a vain conversation , but with the precious blood of jesus christ , &c. so many as are , and shall be redeemed from all iniquity , from a vain conversation or whom christ hath redeemed from the power of satan , he setting them at liberty who naturally are bound , and bringing them out of the prison-house , so many , and no more , did he die for ; and no further doth redemption by christ extend . . if there are many left in the enemies hand , and under their power , and eternally perish , then there is no general or universal redemption ; but there are multitudes so left , and perish . . that grace , love , and blessed price that doth not procure universal salvation , is not , cannot be an universal redemption . but god never shewed such grace and love by the price of christ's blood that doth procure universal salvation ; therefore there is no universal redemption : for that price or paiment which doth not actually pass or terminate in salvation , is no redemption at all : an attempt to redeem unless it be effected , is no redemption . . brethren , is christ an universal saviour of the souls of all men ? why there can be no universal redemption , unless there be an universal redeemer , ( as i said before ) but there is no such universal redeemer . object . we do not plead for an absolute vniversal redemption , but for a conditional ; and that condition is to be performed by the creature , and many perish because they do not perform it ; the condition is faith , regeneration , sincere obedience , and holiness , &c. answ . the condition they say is repentance , faith and regeneration . now were it thus , as these men affirm , then how is christ rendred , even more weak and inconsiderate than any man of understanding ? for what man would lay down ten thousand pounds to redeem a captive out of slavery , when he knew a cruel tyrant had him in his hands and in strong chains , and would not let him go , nor regard at all the sum laid down for his ransom , there being no treating with him : he ' i take no price ; but unless he is conquered , and the person redeemed by power , the money is lost . this is the case , christ's blood is the ransom that was laid down to satisfy the law and justice of god ; but all and every man and woman in the world is under the power of sin and satan : and unless christ delivers the soul out of the hands of these enemies by the power of his own arm , his blood would be of none effect to redeem any one soul. therefore god by this conditional universal redemption , rather seems to mock men , according to these mens notion ; for this is the purport of it , you are redeemed , sinner , yea all of you by christ's death , if you can redeem your selves . do but your part , and you are redeemed : what is that ? why answer the conditions , viz. change your own evil hearts , make you a new heart , believe in christ ; get out of satan's chains ; raise your selves from the dead , and you shall be redeemed . is this possible ? strange ! doth the righteous god make that the condition of salvation on the creature 's part , which he knew the creature was no more able to do than to give sight to the blind , or raise the dead ? . besides , it renders christ to be but a conditional redeemer , could the creature answer the condition ; yea , and it puts christ but into a possibility also of being a redeemer , ( as one well observes ) he is not actually so whilst he stands under that conditionality ; for the conditionality doth not only lie upon the person to be redeemed , so that he cannot be a redeemed one , till the condition is performed : but it puts also a bar to the purchaser , he can't in any good sense be called the redeemer of such a person , 'till the person hath performed the condition . as for example , if i lay down an hundred pounds for the redemption of a person in slavery , upon this condition that he yield to serve me seven years after , i must have his consent to these terms before i can redeem him ; and therefore upon this condition i am certainly suspended from being a redeemer , and am no redeemer to the said person , if he refuse the terms ; all that i have done is but a proffer of terms . hence ( saith the said reverend author ) for christ to be a conditional universal redeemer , is a contradiction ; for it 's to be but a redeemer of some that perform the condition , and no redeemer to them who do not . . to which let me add , this notion of conditional redemption , renders salvation not to be freely of god's grace , no not the very purchase it self ; because in the design of it , it was not to be had without the creatures money , i mean without his answering the condition of repentance , faith , regeneration , and final perseverance , &c. which to do , they deny christ's purchased grace and power for all or any one ; or hath he promised to perform it for them , or to work it in them ? no , but it is that which absolutely the creature must find power , strength , and skill to do , or perish for ever , the redemption being intended for him on no other terms : all depends on the will of man , 't is as man's will determines it . . moreover , who can suppose christ would shed his blood , and lay down such an infinite sum , to redeem such whom he knew would not answer those conditions propounded ? nay , and which is worse , to lay down his life to redeem multitudes upon such conditions , which he knew they were no more able to perform , than to create a world ? can this stand consistent with the wisdom and goodness of jesus christ ? this assertion of theirs ( saith the same author ) is as if they should say , a. b. purchased an estate for me , and in my name , upon condition that i should take up the monument and carry it over the bridg. . all those that have redemption , or that christ died to redeem , have or shall have remission of sin : but the greatest part of men have not , nor ever shall have remission of sin , therefore christ did not die for the greatest part of the world ; redemption and forgiveness of sins is of equal extent . . again , i might argue thus ; those that christ did not pray for , he did not die for ; those that he never would put up one prayer , one sigh to the father for , certainly he never purchased remission of sins and eternal life for : i pray for them , i pray not for the world ; but for them which thou hast given me , for they are thine . now it is easy to know what world it was christ prayed not for ; namely , those that were not given to him by the father ; for all that were of the world , that did belong to the election of grace , though then under the power of sin and unbelief , he did pray for : neither pray i for these alone , but for them also which shall believe on me through their words : the elect , whilst sinners , may be called the world as well as any others . . if christ died for all , he intended to save all : but christ did not intend to save all ; therefore he did not die for all . strange ! will any say our lord jesus did that which was contrary to his purpose and intertion ? and if it was his intention to save all , who could frustrate him in it ? why then are not all saved ? sirs , the death of christ cannot extend to the salvation of any one soul , further than the intention and purpose of god , or the election of the father , and application of the holy spirit . . those that christ died for , he purchased grace for , remission of sin for ; and all things in order to make the redemption of his blood effectual unto , he purposed to bestow the lesser grace and gift upon them , as well as the greater . would a man give a million to purchase such an estate for a man , and will he refuse to part with five pounds in order to have it made sure to him for whom he laid down so great a sum ? . that purchase of remission of sin , and salvation , that leaves men under a certainty of damnation , is not esteemed redemption at all ; but a purchase of remission and salvation , upon the condition these men talk of , leaves most under a certainty of damnation , because it is an impossible condition in respect of man , he being dead in sins and trespasses , therefore can't perform it ; and also in respect of christ , because he never purchased grace for them to enable them to perform that condition . . if the death and resurrection of christ shall have its proper effect , to the eternal salvation of all them for whom he died ; as a corn of wheat that falleth into the ground , or is sown in the earth , in that respect hath its effect ; then all for whom he died shall be saved : but his death , &c. shall have like effect ; see his own words , and jesus answered them , saying , the hour is come that the son of man should be glorified . verily verily i say unto you , except a corn of wheat fall into the ground , and die , it abideth alone ; but if it die , it bringeth forth much fruit. see here , all that are and shall be saved , our lord ascribeth unto his death as the absolute effect thereof ; all his elect being virtually in him , as all the increase virtually is in that one corn of wheat that is sown into the earth , that is produced by it . see reverend dr. chauncy , " if ( saith he ) there be the same eternal and unchangeable cause of redemption , as of application , as to the same persons ; then whosoever is redeemed , shall have redemption applied , and be saved eternally : but there is the same eternal and unchangeable cause of both ; ergo. " " . all that are redeemed , must be saved ; or if they be not saved , the reason is from the insufficiency of his redemption : and whatsoever is not efficient , is not sufficient to attain the end , either from want of virtue in the thing , or will in the efficient . now if christ's intention were to redeem all , he intended that which he could not do ; if he intended not to redeem all , whatever the simple virtue of his obedience might have done , had it had an intention of the agent annex'd to it ; yet having it not , it is limited by it , and becomes insufficient . " " . if the death of christ be sufficient to redeem all , and all are not actually redeemed , so as to be saved , it is nonsense to talk of universal redemption ; for an universal redemption , without universal salvation , is an absurdity of the first rate . " " . if christ's death be universally sufficient , then it is irresistable in attaining its end ; and if so , man's will cannot hinder it . but these men that hold universal redemption , will say , that notwithstanding this redemption , some men will not be saved ; therefore this redemption is not sufficient to save all , for it seems it doth not conquer every man's will , so as to make him willing to be saved : and it seems by them , christ is such a redeemer as cannot save whom he will ; and therefore not being an alsufficient redeemer , cannot be a sufficient redeemer to save all . " " . he that died to redeem all , died instead of all . but christ did not die in the room or stead of all . the major wants no proof , and all opposition to christ dying in our stead , is but a meer wrangle : and that point is yielded of late by our soberest and most learned vniversalists . i proceed to the minor ; christ did not die in the stead or room of all ; for if so , in what christ suffered in their stead that are not saved , he was injured : to pay this or that man's money , and be accepted and taken debtor and paymaster in his stead , and yet for all this if the man is not discharged , nor one farthing of his debt , both christ and the sinner must needs be fallaciously and injuriously dealt with . " " . it is not fit christ should die for all , seeing his father elected not all , and gave not all to him ; for christ to redeem more , were to disobey his father's will , and not to do it . if any say god elected all , it 's most absurd to talk of chusing some from among many others . when a man takes the whole number , this is no election : or if any say that election is conditional , provided a man will , this also is no election ; for if election be upon the condition of man's free will , one man is not chosen and not another ; but all have equal previous designation to the end , and so there is no election at all . " " . all that christ shed his blood for , he loved with a conjugal love ; and therefore must be married to them in application , and they must necessarily be saved . " " . the works peculiarly ascribed to each person , according to their divine order and manner of working , are of equal extent ; whom the father elects , the son redeems , and the holy ghost sanctifies . " * thus far the reverend dr. isaac chauncy . i might add divers other arguments against this pretended universal redemption , but because what i have already said under this argument taken from the death of christ , doth so fully overthrow such a pretended conditional universal redemption , i shall say no more unto it . object . but doth not the scripture say , that christ died for all , and for the whole world , and for every man ? answ . . it cannot be taken for every individual man and woman in the world , for the reasons we have given . . it is evident by all , that the word world , doth in many places only intend some of all sorts , by a synecdoche , a part being put for the whole : as it is said , all judea and jerusalem , and all the regions round about jordan , went out to be baptized of john. behold the same baptizeth , ( speaking of christ ) and all men come to him . again , christ saith , when i am lifted up , i will draw all men to me . also paul saith , that the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal . hath every man and woman in the world the holy ghost in them , and the eminent gifts thereof ? the apostle says , that every creature of god is good , and nothing to be refused ; that is to say , every creature of god is good for food . now , pray , are not these words to be taken with restriction ? are not toads and snakes , and a multitude of other creatures and things the creatures of god , and are they therefore good for food , or intended here ? i even wonder to see how men run into mistakes , through ignorance of some texts of scripture ; as mr. joshua exel lately , and very confidently and boldly hath asserted in print , that john the baptist did certainly baptize all universally , even both men , women , and children ; because the text says , that all judea , jerusalem , and all the regions round about jordan , went out and were baptized of him ; which i have answered , and shewed his weakness in asserting any such thing from thence : [ all ] there , no doubt , intends but a part , and may be not the th part of all the people of judea and jerusalem neither . also how have some pleaded for eating of blood from hence , which is the life of the creature ; which was forbid to the whole world in shem , hani , and japhet , after the flood , and before any ceremonial law was given forth ; yea , and as soon as the flesh of any creature was given to man to eat , ( or he was allowed to eat the flesh thereof ) ; as also blood is positively forbidden as fornication and pollution of idols in the new testament , acts . , . alas , how easy are men led to abuse the sacred scriptures , to favour an opinion they have received , for want of farther light . and as to the word world , 't is evident that does not sometimes extend to all universally , but to a part . moreover , all that are in unbelief , or that believe not , though some of them may be given to christ , yet they are ( as i hinted before ) as much the world as other ungodly ones , until called out of it : i have chosen you out of the world. from hence it appears they were in , and of the world before , else they could not be said to be chosen and called out of the world. now it was for this world christ died , even all the ungodly world that were given to him and for all and every one of them , and no more , upon a spiritual account , viz. to save them , or die in their stead . yet , . christ is said to take away the sin of the world : what world is that which christ takes away the sin of ? i affirm , there is not one sin taken away from the world , nor one in the world , but only of such that believe , ( of the adult ) : all unbelievers are under the guilt and punishment of original sin , and death is to such a fruit of the curse still , which god denounced against adam , &c. in one sense he may be said to buy or save the whole world , i. e. externally ; for it was by christ's mediation and death this world was saved ( and all in it ) from perishing immediately upon the sin and fall of man : all live , move , and have their being in him as god , and through him as mediator ; he is in this respect the saviour of all men ; but especially , or with an especial and eternal salvation , he saves none but them that do believe . so much shall serve as to this objection , and at this time. john x. . and i give unto them eternal life , and they shall never perish , neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . beloved , the last day i was upon that grand argument , to prove , that none of christ's sheep can fall away , so as eternally to perish , ( viz. ) taken from the death of christ . i shewed you that christ died in their stead ; he bore all that vindictive wrath that was due to them for their sins , so that they might never bear it , or suffer in hell. i shall now proceed . eighthly , my next argument shall be taken from the effects of christ's death and resurrection . though i have spoken something already touching the effects of the death of christ , yet i shall , before i pass it , add something further to it . first , we have shewed you , that the appeasing of god's wrath was the effects of the death of christ ; he put an end to all vindictive wrath and vengeance that was due to all believers or elect ones : the pangs of hell due to us , seized upon him , and he bore it in our stead upon the cross : he was delivered for our offence , and rose again for our justification . now when christ was discharged , all his elect were virtually discharged also , because he suffered and rose again as a publick person , representing all that were given to him by the father : those things which he did in his own person in this respect , we are said to do together with him . brethren , the benefit of his performances doth redound unto us ; we are said to die with him , and to be quickned together with him , and entred into the holy place with him ; the whole victory over sin and death being obtained , and the quarrel removed ; the condemning power of sin being destroyed : all things about making an end of sin are done and passed through . now what saith the apostle , he that is dead , hath ceased from sin. well , what of this ? likewise , saith he , reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin ; but alive unto god , through jesus christ our lord. knowing that christ being raised from the dead , dieth no more ; death hath no more power over him . now this being done by us , and for us in our head , can we henceforth die any more ? shall eternal death have dominion over us ? no , no , we are to reckon our selves to be as absolutely freed and discharged from sin and eternal death , as christ is discharged and freed from death , and dieth no more : and this comes to us as the effects of his death , by his suffering for us , and in our room . if one died for all , then were all dead , ( that is , all those for whom he died ) they were dead , and died likewise with him their sponsor , and are delivered from the curse due for sin ; so that we now might and shall live to him that died for us , and rose again . this was the end of his death , and is or will be the effect thereof on all for whom he died . secondly , reconciliation , from hence it doth appear is also another effect of christ's death . the design of god was to bring us to happiness ; and this he doth as the effects of the death of his own son the lord jesus , who hath made our peace by the blood of his cross . he hath reconciled both jews and gentiles to god in one body , having slain the enmity thereby . divine justice , you heard the last day , has nothing to charge upon god's elect , because it is christ that died . . observe ; christ's death hath reconciled god to us : when we were enemies , we were reconciled to god by the death of his son. . and then also , as an effect and fruit of his death , he having obtained the spirit for us , we are actually reconciled to god : and thus our days-man lays his hands upon both ; he brings god to us , and us to god ; he is not the mediator of one , but god is one : there is one mediator between god and man , the man christ jesus . . therefore as the effects of christ's death and resurrection , reconciliation is made with god for us , and that for ever : it is not a peace made for such a time , or for so long , but for ever , so that there shall never be any destructive breach any more , no more war between god and believers ; let sin and satan do what they can , they cannot break this league of peace and amity . 't is not a peace upon condition that we are to keep , and may break it ; no , no , the peace was made by christ , and he that made it , maintains it , as he sits upon the throne : he it was that made it as he is a priest , and he maintains it as he is a king upon the throne ; he will never suffer sin to get such head in us , that we shall cast off god any more , or violate our covenant with him , nor will he suffer satan to do it ; therefore they who are reconciled , shall never perish , no not one of the elect of god. thirdly , the gift of the holy spirit is another effect of the death of christ : this jesus hath god raised up , whereof we are witnesses . and having received of the father the promise of the holy ghost , he hath shed forth this , which ye now see and hear . the father promised unto his son upon his dying for us , that the holy spirit should be given to all his seed : i will pour my spirit upon thy seed . indeed , christ receiving the holy spirit without measure for us , in his own person as mediator , antecedent to our believing , is the fullest security to us imaginable : we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in christ , that is , in him as our head. and although christ received the spirit before he suffered , yet it was upon the account of his sufferings ; the father trusted his son , took his son's word , and gave him part of his wages from the beginuing : for all the saints under the old testament , had the spirit upon no other account than as we have it , namely , as the fruits and effects of christ's death and purchase who was to die . now , brethren , pray consider what the work of the holy spirit is , which is promised to abide with the saints and seed of christ for ever . . his work is at first to quicken them : you hath he quickned . . to renew , to regenerate , to sanctify them ; this is the work and office of the spirit : i will sprinkle clean water upon you , and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness . and hence the gentiles are said to be sanctified by the holy ghost . but pray take notice of this , the rock in the wilderness was first smitten before water gush'd forth . so christ was first smitten , first crucified , then the spirit like water was poured forth : it is , sirs , wholly the effects and fruits of his death . . it is the work of the spirit to cause us to walk in god's ways , and to keep his statutes : i will put my spirit within you , and cause you to walk in my statutes , and ye shall keep my judgments , and do them . we should not do this were it not for the spirit ; we could not keep god's precepts , nor walk in his paths , but god puts his spirit into us that we shall not depart from him ; that is , we shall not finally apostatize from him , but shall keep his precepts to the end. . it is the work of the spirit to help us to pray , and breathe forth our desires to god : we know not how to pray , but as the spirit helps our infirmities , and maketh intercession for us with groans that cannot be uttered . christ having redeemed us from the curse of the law , it is , that this blessing of abraham might come upon the gentiles : and because ye are sons , god hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts , crying , abba , father . . the office and work of the holy spirit , is to enable us to mortify sin : rom. . . if ye through the spirit mortify the deeds of the body , ye shall live . and hence it is also that sin shall not have dominion over them ; and therefore believers cannot perish , they having such a helper : he destroys all that dominion sin and satan had in them , and power over them : the spirit utterly spoils satan's kingdom in them , because greater is he that is in you , than he that is in the world , saith john , speaking to the saints . this is such a helper that can never be worsted . . it is hereby we perform all our holy duties : by the spirit ministers preach to profit , and hearers hear to their profit ; hereby we read to profit , and sing god's praise to our profit and sweet comfort : for as we pray with the spirit , so we sing with the spirit ; and the same measure , the same fillings of the spirit that enable us to do the one , enable us to do the other . by the spirit we are also helped to meditate on god , and on his word ; and hereby our meditations of him are sweet to our souls . . 't is by the spirit we resist and repel satan's temptations : or if he doth at any time worst us , the spirit will help us up again . . it is the holy spirit that doth confirm and establish us in the truth . . in a word , all grace is from the spirit ; and it is by the aid and assistance of the spirit , that we are enabled to exercise that grace : for as he first formed the habit in our souls , so it is he helps us to do the act also , or that doth influence us in the exercise thereof . . the holy spirit is also the earnest of the saints inheritance : 't is given to them as an earnest of that glory they shall one day absolutely be possessed of : 't is given to assure them , that as certainly as they have received the holy spirit here , and he is in them , so certain it is that they shall be saved , or have the eternal inheritance . true , i have mentioned this two or three times already , yet it is of so great importance , i cannot pass it by here : it is no small matter that god gives us , when he gives the holy spirit to us ; for as he is that principle of life in us , so he gives us a full assurance of eternal life hereafter : and it is upon this earnest-money a saint may be said to live , whilst in this world ; nay , and it will defray all his charge , and supply all his need and manifold wants , as long as he lives upon the earth , even until he comes to the full possession of his inheritance above . . and as the spirit is the earnest of glory , or of everlasting life , so he is also the witness of god in our souls ; yea , such a witness , whose testimony every christian may trust to , and rest upon : the spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit , that we are the children of god. it witnesseth to us our adoption , that we are children , and so heirs , heirs of god , and joint heirs with christ . there is a twofold witness of the spirit . ( . ) the spirit witnesseth by a direct act , we taking hold of christ , and of the promise : saith the spirit to the soul , i testify that christ and eternal life is yours ; you believe , and therefore you have christ , and shall be saved . ( . ) there is the witnessing of the spirit by a reflex act : a man finds such and such gracious effects of divine grace upon his soul , and by these the holy spirit testifies he is gracious . one that loves god , that hates sin , is changed , renewed , lives a godly life ; therefore is in christ jesus , and shall be saved . . it is also by the holy spirit that believers are sealed unto the day of redemption . also after that ye believed , ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise . strange ! can these fall away ? can such perish that have received the earnest of heaven , and have the witness of the spirit , and have it sealed to them ? no , no , god hath put his seal , or mark , upon them ; he by his seal hath secured them to and for himself : and all this is the effects of christ's death and resurrection . . the spirit also thus purchased by christ's death , and given as the fruits and effects thereof to believers , the promise of the father is , that it shall abide with them for ever ; it is the great promise made to christ in the covenant ; my spirit which is upon thee — shall not depart from thee , nor from thy seed , henceforth and for ever : see the words , isa . . . there is the promise of the father ; it is an absolute promise , and it runs thus , it shall be in christ and in his seed , henceforth and for ever . the spirit is called the promise of the father . also we have a promise of the constant abiding of the spirit in all believers , made by christ , the second person in the trinity ; he told his disciples , the spirit of truth , the comforter should abide with them , and be in them forever . unto these , add the testimony of the holy ghost himself ; for it is he that doth in the word assure us of his own abiding with us ; he hath chosen our souls to be his own temple and habitation for ever ; and also assures us , that all the promises are in christ , yea and amen , to the glory of god. so that we have this great truth sealed and confirmed to us by the three that bear witness in heaven . fourthly , pardon of sin is another effect and fruit of the death of christ , in whom we have redemption through his blood , that is , as the effects of his blood , even the forgiveness of sin. true , jesus christ satisfied god's justice for our sins , he paid our debts , it is not remission without a satisfaction , but yet we are freely forgiven ; we have it of god's free grace , but it is through the blood of christ ; remission of our sins follows redemption , as the necessary effects thereof . christ hath procured this favour and blessing for us , and gospel-remission or pardon of sin is for ever : i will remember their sins no more , they are blotted out for ever ; he hath cast our sins into the depth of the sea , put them behind his back ; yea , he hath put them far away from him , as the east is from the west . fifthly , adoption is the fruit and effect of christ's death ; he hath redeemed us from the curse of the law , that we might receive the adoption of sons . god takes us through christ , or by virtue of christ's death , into the relation of sons ; which privilege we have for ever , we shall never cease being sons and daughters of god. sixthly , free access to the throne of grace , or unto the father , is the effect of christ's death : having therefore , brethren , boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of jesus , by a new and living way , which he hath consecrated for us through the vail , that is to say , his flesh , christ's blood : his death opened this way , it is by him we have access to the throne of grace . seventhly , another fruit and effect of the death of christ , is , redemption from all iniquity : he gave himself for us , that he might redeem us from all iniquity , &c. tit. . . therefore this glorious effect his death shall have upon all redeemed ones ; it was not to redeem only from the curse of the law , as some talk , but from the guilt , pollution , power and punishment of sin ; therefore believers shall never perish . eighthly , justification is also another effect of the death and resurrection of christ ; which is to acquit , absolve , and to pronounce us righteous in god's sight ; god accepting us righteous by the imputation of christ's righteousness which is ever the same . now christ's death being the meritorious cause thereof , we are said to be justified by his blood , rom. . . and pray see the apostle's argument from hence ; much more then being now justified by his blood , we shall be saved from wrath through him : it is more to be reconciled and justified , than it is to be saved ; such are justified , and christ's blood having done the former , will much more effect the latter : those that christ justifies , he will glorify ; nay , and his death and resurrection cannot be without this effect : and by him all that believe are justified from all things , &c. the word justified is opposed to condemnation ; those that are justified , are justified for ever . justification is not a gradual act , as sanctification is ; it results not as the fruits of our repentance , or inherent holiness , but as the fruits of christ's death and merits ; it is never less nor more : as our holiness cannot add any thing to it , so the sins and infirmities of true believers , cannot diminish any thing from it ; there may be additions to our inherent sanctification , but not to our justification : christ rose again for our justification . i may also challenge all the men in the world to prove , that any man that was justified in the sight of god , did ever fall away and come under condemnation . ninthly , sanctification is another effect of the death of christ : you may again read that text , heb. . , . christ died not only to justify believers , but to sanctify them also . object . but some may say , a man may be sanctified , and yet be defiled again : we read of some that escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledg of christ , yet were again entangled and overcome . answ . . if any sincere christian be defiled again , through any sin or corruption , they shall be washed and cleansed again . . those that peter speaks of , were such that only had escaped gross pollution through the common operations of the spirit ; it appears , their swinish nature was never changed : he therefore saith , it is happened to them according to the true proverb , the dog it turned to his vomit again , and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire . such therefore never were sanctified in heart , they never experienced the effects of christ's blood , not that soul-purifying virtue that is in it ; they were cleansed from gross idolatry , through the knowledg of christ , and also from some gross acts of prophaneness ; they had obtained a reformed , but no renewed life of grace and holiness ; therefore such fall into sin again , and are so overcome , that the latter end is worse with them than the beginning . as to true believers , see what the apostle says ; for by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified . by this one offering our lord jesus hath procured our sanctification perpetually to be continued ; the death of christ hath special influence unto the mortification of sin : in the death of the cross , our old man is crucified , that the body of sin might be destroyed : sin is mortified , and we are sanctified by virtue of the death of christ ; and we hereby through his grace come to be planted into the likeness of his death . and as paul in another place saith , being made conformable unto his death : this conformity is not in our natural death , or in our being put to death for him ; but christ dying for our sins is the procuring cause of our dying to sin : therefore we must look for the death of our sins in the death of christ , as the proper effect thereof . virtue goeth from the death of christ , to the subduing and destroying of sin ; his death was not only a passive example , but is accompanied with power , conforming and changing us into his likeness : 't is the great ordinance of god to this very end , it is by a fellowship or participation in his suffering ; we are never made conformable to the death of christ , till we die to sin : the death of christ was designed to be the death of sin. and as certain as christ died for the sins of all the elect , so certain it is they shall all , first or last , feel the powerful effects thereof in the death of their sins . the corn fell into the ground and died , and shall produce all the increase that virtually was hid in it : christ is our life , the spring , fountain and cause of it ; therefore we have nothing but what we derive from him . object . he is , say some , the author of life ; and as he taught the way of life , so he is our life . answ . he is our life as he is our head ; and it would be but a sorry head that should only teach the feet to go , or the members to act and move , without communicating strength unto them , and to the whole body . christ , brethren , is an head of influence ; and in these spiritual influences , or life , that strength which he communicates to us , doth consist in the killing of sin : he loved his church , and gave himself for it , that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water , that he might present it to himself a glorious church , not having spot or wrinkle , or any such thing ; but that it should be holy and without blame . and if this was his end in his death , be sure his death shall perfectly effect this glorious work in the end upon every soul of his . tenthly , and lastly , glorification is also an effect of the death of christ ; it is the fruit of his suffering , it was by his own blood he entred as our head and representative once into the holy place , having obtained eternal redemption for us . the crown of glory is the purchase of his blood : and as sure as his righteousness , his holy life and obedience , and meritorious death carried him to the father , and set him down at the right hand of the majesty on high ; so will his merits as certainly bring all the true heirs to that glory above , where the fore-runner is for us already entered : for it became him for whom are all things , and by whom are all things , in bringing many sons to glory , to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings . first he brings those sons into a state of grace , as the effects of his death and resurrection , and unto a state of glory : and whom he justified , them also he glorified . i shall draw up the sum of this argument : if such are the certain fruits and effects of christ's death ; ( . ) if it hath appeased the wrath of god for all that are in him : ( . ) if it hath made their peace , and for ever reconciled them unto god : ( . ) if the holy spirit is purchased , and procured as the effects of his death for them , by which they are renewed , quickned and helped to mortify sin ; and is to them an earnest , a witness , and seal of everlasting life , and shall abide with them for ever : ( . ) if justification is the effect of christ's death , and they are for ever acquitted from all sin , and accepted as righteous in christ's righteousness : ( . ) if all that believe in him are sanctified , as the effects of his death , and shall be perfected for ever : ( . ) if pardon of sin is an effect also of christ's death , and all believers have and shall have their sins forgiven for ever , or remembred no more : ( . ) if they are adopted sons and daughters to god , as the effect of christ's death : ( . ) and also if glorification is an effect of his death ; and as certain as is the cause , the effect will be ; or as sure as christ is glorified in heaven , all that are his members shall be glorified . then it is impossible that any one of them should so fall away as eternally to perish : but all these things are true , and none dare to deny them so to be , therefore they cannot fall , so as eternally to perish . i shall apply this , and come to the next argument . application . first , to sinners . . hath the death of christ such virtue in it , even to renew , quicken , regenerate all that believe in him ? is god through the death of his son reconciled , and shall all that take hold of him be justified ? &c. o then , sinners , look up unto him and never cease looking , until you find the effects of his death in your own souls . object . . but alas , sir , i am a vile and abominable sinner . answ . well , notwithstanding that , yet there is virtue enough in christ to save you . object . . but i have been a drunkard , a swearer , an adulterer , a thief . answ . so had some of those paul speaks of , cor. . . such were some of you , but you are sanctified , but you are justified . object . . but i have been an old sinner . answ . well , let it be so , yet but a sinner , and christ died for sinners , for the chief of sinners , therefore there is hope for you ; nay , if you can believe , and apply the virtue of christ's blood , you shall find mercy . object . . but i fear christ did not die for me . answ . . if he died for the chief of sinners , why not for thee ? and if those that crucified him found mercy , why not thee ? . thou hast as much ground to believe that christ died for thee , as any ungodly person hath that dwells on the face of the whole earth . sinner , look up . nay , . thou hast as much ground to believe that christ died for thee , as any of those had once who now feel the effects of his death . . did ever any sinner throw himself at his feet as a poor lost and undone creature , and take hold of him , that was rejected ? query . what is the first effect of christ's death ? answ . the first effect of christ's death in the soul , is life ; life is infused : and if thou hast a vital principle in thee , thou wilt cry out under the sense of thy sin. thrust a sword into a dead man's bowels , and he will not stir nor cry out . sin is in wicked men , like a sword in the sides of such as are dead ; but as soon as life is infused , there will be sense , and a crying out . now when they heard this they were pricked in the heart , and said unto peter and to the rest of the apostles , what shall we do ? some of these had been the murderers of the lord of life and glory , yet they found mercy . dly . another effect is this , viz. you will perceive a mighty famine in your soul , as it was with the prodigal son ; all your old hopes of heaven will be gone , poverty of spirit will overtake you : an awakned wounded sinner despairs of all supplies or help in himself ; he is distressed with pinching hunger , and so flies home to his father : ( . ) yet may not get power over sin presently . ( . ) but o he trembles at the thoughts of god's justice , by beholding the spear in christ's side . ( . ) he throws down his weapons as being conquered and overcome , and resolves to do as the four lepers did , kings . , , , . ( . ) he sees nothing but death if he abides where he is , and believes not : and if he returns to his old course , he sees he must die ; and therefore ventures to throw his soul upon christ , or ventures himself on christ , and lies at the feet of christ , and says , if i perish , i perish , i can but die ; and if he will pardon me , heal me , and have compassion on me , i shall live . o sinners , that you could but do thus . secondly , we may infer from hence , that it is in vain for any person to talk of christ's death , or to say christ died for sinners , nay , for the whole world , and therefore for me , unless they come to feel the virtue and blessed effects of his death on their own souls . o see you rest not , without finding the power of the death of christ . sirs , though the sacrifice is over , yet the virtue and excellent causality of it remains ; and not only to justify and absolve a believing sinner , but also to quicken , regenerate , and to sanctify and make him holy also . therefore labour to know and experience the power of christ's death . thirdly , from hence also we may infer , that this is the only way to know christ died for us ; namely , when we find the effects of his death , that we die to sin , that the body of sin is crucified in us with him . hath the life of your sins been let out ? o see to this you that prosess the gospel . fourthly , this shews us also what a dangerous thing it is for any to build their faith upon the general love of god to mankind . what say some ? i believe christ died for me , because he died for all ; and because for all , therefore for me . brethren , i am afraid this is the ruin of many souls , because it may be but a false faith that those poor creatures have , they may not experience the effects of christ's death ; may be it is not prest upon their consciences , but this of christ dying for all , they think is enough . now pray consider , and o that all such mistaken persons would consider it also ; . that a general faith , viz. to believe that christ died for all , gives no man any particular saving interest in christ's death : for if it did , then every man that so believeth , hath a saving interest in his death . but thousands perhaps so believe , and yet are as vile and ungodly people as any in the world : therefore to build on that general faith , without a particular application of the promise , or promises of god , and experiencing the effects of christ's death , is a false faith , and deceives the soul. . that that faith which a man may have , that may leave such that have it and trust in it , under the power of sin , is a false faith , and will deceive the soul : but men may have that faith , namely , believe christ died for all , and therefore for them , and yet be under the power of sin ; therefore that may be a false faith. . that faith that doth not change the heart , purify the heart , is a false faith : but many that believe christ died for all , and therefore for them , have that faith , and yet it doth not change their hearts , purify their hearts ; therefore it is a false faith. . from hence i argue , that it follows undeniably , that all those people that believe christ died for all , must come to a particular application of christ's blood , and not trust to that general application ; they must feel the effects of christ's death upon their own souls , or else they are undone : nor do i doubt in the least but many of them of that judgment do so , divers of them being as gracious christians as any others ; and have experiences that clearly contradict their own principles . fifthly , and lastly , here is comfort for believers . o see what the death of christ hath and will effect for you , and in you . . god's wrath is appeased in him towards you . . justice is satisfied in him towards you . . the law is silenced . . peace and pardon procured . . life is infused . . the guilt , power , pollution and punishment of sin , removed and gone for ever . . you are justified . . satan is conquered . . the world is overcome , you are and shall be sanctified , and heaven is opened ; you are in christ's hand , and shall not perish , but have everlasting life . john x. . and i give unto them eternal life , and they shall never perish , neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . brethren , there are but two arguments more that i intend to insist upon , for the farther proof and demonstration of the saints final perseverance ; or to prove , that none of the saints or sheep of christ , can so sin and fall away as eternally to perish . i spoke the last day to the effects of the death and resurrection of jesus christ : i might proceed to speak to the intercession of christ also , but i shall take that in the arguments i shall next enter upon . ninthly , the saints are in the hand of the father , and in the hand of the son considered as mediator . and from hence i shall prove , that it is impossible they should so fall away as eternally to perish . first , i shall shew you in what respect they may be said to be in the hand of the father ; and what is meant by his hand , and how that doth secure them . secondly , shew you what is meant by their being in the hand of the son ; and shew you how that may be said also to secure their firm standing , and tends to their final perseverance . thirdly , shew you in what respect they may be said to be in christ's hand . first , by the hand of the father , doth intend his power : behold , the lord's hand is not shortned that he cannot save : as if god should say , i am not grown weaker than formerly , i am god almighty still , and as omnipotent as ever . hand here , and so in my text , by a synecdoche , is put for strength or power . so also isa . . . is my hand shortned at all that it cannot redeem ? or have i not power to deliver ? behold , at my rebuke i dry up the sea , i make the rivers a wilderness , &c. read the next words following my text , my father which gave them me , is greater than all , and none is able to pluck them out of my father's hand . secondly , by the hand of the father may denote god's eternal purpose , or his counsel ; for hand sometimes is put for the purpose or counsel of god : to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined to do . and if it may thus be taken here , then this may be the sense of it , viz. all the elect , all the sheep and lambs of christ are , by god's eternal purpose and counsel , ordained to eternal life , and none can pluck them out of his election , or change his purpose : for like as the death of christ was determined by the hand or counsel of god , so were the effects thereof , i mean , what persons should be saved thereby , even all and every one of them that he had given unto his son as he is mediator . the design and purpose of god , by jesus christ , was to save all the elect ; and the end and design of christ's death cannot be frustrated , they are in god's hand , that is , it is his purpose and counsel to save them ; and his counsel shall stand , and he will do all his pleasure . . all the counsels of god then from eternity , and all his promises and declarations that hold forth those counsels , having a special relation to christ's dying for his people , and their actual salvation , must and shall have their absolute accomplishment ; for the end of a thing is that for which the thing it self is : and had it not been for that , the thing had never been at all , it being that the chief agent principally aimed at , and purposed to bring about . . therefore the salvation of christ's saints must be certain , from the consideration of the immutability of god , in which the perfection of his divine nature shines forth , and requireth a correspondent affection of all the internal and external acts of his mind and will. . from his soveraignty , in making good and executing all his purposes , which will not admit of any mixtures of consults as among men , ( the lord may do what he will with his creatures , we are but as clay in his hand ; and such as he will make vessels of honour , who shall contradict him or resist his will ? ) shall any change god's mind , or render his thoughts liable to alteration ? also is it not from his sovereign and distinguishing grace to some , that makes the apostle break out , o the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledg of god! how unsearchable are his judgments , and his ways past finding out ! . if we consider how his absolute purposes doth excite his omnipotency to the actual accomplishing of them , who can once suppose any one believer should miscarry ! the lord of hosts hath sworn , saying , surely as i have thought , so shall it come to pass ; and as i have purposed so shall it stand . as god is able to do whatsoever he hath purposed , so we may assure our selves there is nothing that shall fail which is according to his determinate counsel ; he is of one mind , and who can turn him ? . and what folly and unreasonable incredulity is it once to imagine , there should be any manner of suspending the acts and purposes of the will of god , upon any actings of the creatures whatsoever , seeing it cannot be done without subjecting eternity to time , and the will of man to the will of god , or the first cause to the second , the lord to the servant ? . now then seeing god hath taken the salvation of his elect into his own hand , power , and eternal purpose , and hath been at such vast expence of rich treasure , in order to the accomplishing of his great design herein , who can imagine that any one of his saints should miss of everlasting life ? suppose a prince should have a wonderful project in hand , which he carries on with the advice of his council , to make so many of his subjects that his love and affections are let out upon , great and happy on earth ; and in doing of which , should expend all , or the greatest part of his own riches , nay , sacrifice his own son ; would he , after all , ( if he could help it ) suffer his design to miscarry in the advancement of any one of them ? or should a most wise and cunning artist , contrive a curious piece of workmanship , which might cost him thousands , it being his whole work , and taking up all his time , for forty or fifty years , to bring it to perfection ; suppose it be a rare piece of clock-work , would he suffer any one part of it to be disjointed from the rest by an enemy , whilst he look'd on , if he could prevent it , or were it in the power of his hand ? alas , what are all the r●rest , the richest or most curious things in nature , that are or ever have been in the world , to this work of god in the redemption and salvation of his chosen ones ? what treasure hath he spent , ( as i may say ) ? hath it not cost him the parting with the pearl of great price , even the breaking of it into pieces , that so he might enrich and make great and glorious every one of his elect ? nay , and after he hath curiously formed his own image upon each of their souls , to the joy and wonder of the holy angels , and to the perplexity and sorrow of devils , and this as the contrivance of his eternal council ; will he , after all , think you , suffer satan to deface this his image in the souls of any one of them , and so spoil and bring to nought part of that glorious , expensive , and curious piece of his own workmanship , which was the absolute result of his council to compleat and deliver from miscarrying from all eternity ? now then seeing that all the elect , or all true believers , are thus in the father's hand , viz. put under his absolute and eternal decree and purpose , to save , through jesus christ , what can obstruct or hinder this god from effecting of his own glorious design herein ? to talk of conditional purposes concerning perseverance , saith dr. owen , are either impossible , implying contradictions , or ludicrous , even to an unfitness for a stage . see the th verse , my father that gave them me , is greater than all ; and none can pluck them out of my father's hand . my father , as if christ should say , is equally concerned with me about my saints perservation , and final perseverance ; and they are in his hand , he hath put them into his own power , and he is greater than all , he is greater than me as i am mediator , tho as god i and my father are one ; tho he hath put them into my hand , as i am mediator and their surety , yet he hath not let go his own hold of them , he will see not one of them be lost for whom i lay down my life . if any would get them out of my father's hand , it must be against his will , his purpose , his decree , and they must do it by force , by violence , they must pluck them or rend them out of my father's hand : mind the word pluck twice mentioned ; neither shall any pluck them out of my hand ; and none is able to pluck them out of my father's hand . not that any are able to pluck them out of the hand of christ as mediator : but our saviour adds that , in this th verse , as a farther confirmation , and as an assurance of their safe standing . who is too strong for omnipotence it self ? can any bring his counsel to nought , or destroy such that he holds in the hand of his eternal decree , in the hand of his everlasting love and affection , and also in the hand of his amazing , inconceivable and irresistable power ? that enemy that will destroy one saint , must be a match for the infinite god , and overcome him , and rob him of his chiefest treasure , or of his precious jewels . o who dares to say this can be done ! well then , assure your selves , that not one sheep of christ can perish : sin must be stronger than god if it destroys one of the elect ; and satan more mighty , greater in power than god : which to think is blasphemy . why should our saviour here add , my father is greater than all , were it not to signify the impossibility of their perishing , or to shew how impossible it is that any enemy should destroy them ? thirdly , by their being in the father's hand , may be meant jesus christ , who is called the power of god , and the wisdom of god ; because by and through him , god exerts his power , or his strength to save ; or the glory of his power is manifested , as well as of all his other attributes . sin seem'd to eclipse the power of god in saving his people , because divine power could not save in a way of omnipotence , to the impeachment of his justice and holiness ; but in christ justice and holiness is as much magnified as mercy and goodness ; and thereby so too , that the power of god might shine forth in its full glory : father , glorify thy name , saith christ . then came a voice from heaven , saying , i have both glorified it , and will glorify it : thy name , that is , however thou art made known , or glorify all thy glorious attributes . almighty power was seen in creating the world ; and also as it wrought in conjuction with divine justice , it shone forth in casting the angels out of heaven , and adam out of paradise ; as also in the flames of sodom : and as divine power joined with divine mercy and goodness , it shone forth in saving the israelites at the red sea. but the strength and glory of every attribute never shone forth in their equal brightness and splendour , as all are united and in conjunction together , and meet in sweet harmony , as they do in the saving of man by jesus christ ; so that jesus christ may be well called the wisdom of god , and the power of god. christ is the first-born of every creature : and as the first born is the strength of the parent , so is christ the strength of god. the transcendent excellencies and glories of the divine being , that were scattered ( as it were ) in the creation , are all united and gathered in christ ; that like as when a bundle of rods united and bound up together cannot be broke , or as so united are very strong , so god in christ shines forth , as having all his glorious perfections united in one ; and in this sense believers may be said to be in the father's hand , and so that none can pluck them out , god hereby appearing in his united strength . and thus christ may be said to be , that branch that god hath made strong for himself . and again , the man of thy right hand , the son of man whom thou hast made strong for thy self , in whom thou shewest the greatness of thy power to save , or to manifest his almighty power by . o what a hand is the hand of god in christ ! who can pull one soul out of the father's hand , or out of christ , who is the father's hand of power to save all his elect ? believers are in christ's hand , and christ is the father's hand , yea the father 's right hand : the power and glory of all the divine attributes are united together in christ ; herein they shew the perfection of their strength , and are all exerted in the salvation of every believer ; therefore it is impossible one of them should perish . in the uniting of all the attributes of god together doth the strength of god appear to save . and in this respect believers are in god's hand , god is concerned to see the salvation of his people perfected by christ as mediator ; who is , as so considered , his right hand , or the greatness of his power , or the perfection of his power and strength . secondly , to proceed ; as they are in the father's hand , so he hath , you heard , put them into christ's hand as their great sponsor , mediator and surety ; and that before the world began , in that covenant and blessed compact the father and son entered into , in order to the eternal salvation of all his saints : and the holy god hath fixed on such ways and means , and in such manner , that the thing designed cannot miscarry . men indeed may miss of their ends they aim at ; but what is directly in the hand of god , and is put by him into the hand of his son , to effect and finally to accomplish , shall never miscarry , it being , as i have told you , done according to his eternal counsel . god's absolute purpose shall stand , let it be what it will ; much more that grand purpose and design of his , of saving all true believers by jesus christ . first , there is a proof of it already as to matter of fact : many thousands of the souls of his elect are gone to heaven , in spight of sin , hell , death , world and devils . secondly , in the salvation of believers by christ , all interests concerned are secured . ( . ) god is just , and herein he declares his justice with a witness . and , ( . ) yet the sinner is justified . ( . ) vengeance hath to the full took hold of sin. and yet , ( . ) mercy is magnified to the highest degree in saving the sinner : justice is satisfied , and yet the sinner is forgiven . ( . ) the law of god hath its full and just sanction ; and the violence offered to it is retrieved . ( . ) and jesus christ who did all this , in beholding his seed and fruit of his soul , and their eternal blessedness secured for ever , is well pleased and fully satisfied . thirdly , the way of accomplishing this design , is such as will certainly compass the end , divine power being ingaged in it , which resteth not in the least on the concourse or compliance of any frustrable instruments ; nay every attribute being hereby magnified , they join hand in hand for the effecting of it . fourthly , no power can supersede god's decree , nor obstruct jesus christ in his compleating the whole of his work : i will work , and who shall let ? and again it is said , he shall bring forth judgment unto victory . he shall not fail nor be discouraged : the pleasure of the lord shall prosper in his hand . and seeing then that the final accomplishment of the salvation of every believer is put into christ's hand , for a farther demonstration how this tends to secure them all from danger , and to preserve them to eternal life , take here a short induction of particulars . . consider the nature of that covenant , by virtue of which all the elect are put into christ's hand : it is a covenant made and entered into by the son as mediator with the father ; not only to redeem and purchase life for them , and to infuse life in them , but to preserve them in a state of life , so that none of god's covenant-children might depart from him any more for ever , which the first covenant failed in ; and therefore god found fault with that or rather with them with whom it was made , who failed in continuing their obedience thereunto , but sinned , and fell from god. now say i , god to prevent the like again , hath entered into a new covenant with his son for us , which is so well ordered in all things , and sure , as that not one soul shall ever eternally miscarry that is comprehended therein . o remember that this covenant was the result of infinite wisdom , as well as it resulted from inconceivable love and goodness in god ; and it was to frustrate and destroy the works of the devil for ever , so that he might never have cause to insult over the majesty of god , in getting out of his hand one soul that he designed in his eternal counsel to make happy , and save for ever . . consider , jesus christ to this end , in this covenant , hath took all that the father gave unto him into his hand as their surety . pray consider , all believers are thus in the hand of christ : hence he is called the surety of a better covenant . he is their great sponsor ; if any be lost , he must answer for them . let me read that text in kings . i shall only allude to it to clear up this matter the better to weak capacities ; thy servant went out into the midst of the battel , and behold , a man turned aside , and brought a man unto me , and said , keep this man : if by any means he be missing , then shall thy life go for his life . i know this was spoken by the prophet parabolically , yet it may serve to shew you the nature of suretiship , where one engageth for another , or for others . thus judah became surety to his father for benjamin ; i will be surety for him ; of my hand shalt thou require him : if i bring him not unto thee , and set him before thee , then let me bear the blame for ever . reuben also became surety for benjamin ; and reuben spake unto his father , saying , slay my two sons if i bring him not to thee , and deliver him into thy hand . this was more indeed than was required of him , or that his father jacob could accept of without sin , had he failed . but o see the nature of suretiship ; jesus christ hath taken all his saints into his hand , as their surety to the father ; and god hath accepted him in this case , and looks for them all at his hand ; the father substituted him , not to be a shepherd only , but a surety also . . and let it be considered , that jesus christ became not our surety to pay our debts , or to satisfy for our sins which we stood charged with before our conversion , but also for all our sins after we believe : his blood was a plenary satisfaction for all ; so that christ says ( as it were ) to the father , as judah to jacob , i thy servant am become surety for these , and every one of these that thou hast given to me ; and if i bring them not to thee , and set them not before thee in heaven , then let me bear the blame for ever . or he may say , as paul speaketh concerning his son onesimus ; if he hath wronged thee , or oweth thee ought , put that on my account . i paul have written it with my own hand , i will repay it , &c. thus christ may say , father , charge the sins , the debts that my saints have , and shall commit , to me , i will be accountable for them : and indeed he hath already done it , once for all ; and not only so , but to bring them all to heaven , and this in a most high and sublime covenant and holy compact he made with the father before the world began : therefore not one soul of them can perish . . consider also , that in pursuit of this covenant and suretiship , jesus christ hath suffered death , spilt his own precious blood , which the father doth accept of as their full discharge : and shall any once suppose that one soul of his people for whom he thus struck hands and died for , and took into his care and charge , shall eternally miscarry ? . consider , that as they are in christ's hands , and he hath suffered death for them , and in their stead , so also , that the merits of his blood might become effectual to them , he is every ways fitted , endowed and qualified with all things whatsoever that is necessary , in order to his actual discharge of this great trust he hath taken upon him . ( . ) he hath received the spirit without measure , to the end he might have that and all grace that is needful , to communicate to every one of his saints as he sees necessary for them ; and it is laid up in his hand , not given all at once to them ; but they shall have all their wants supplied according to his riches in glory . ( . ) he hath wisdom enough also , for he is wisdom it self . ( . ) he is clothed with power also ; he is a saviour , a great one : pray hear what he himself saith ; i that speak in righteousness , mighty to save . all power is given to me in heaven and earth , &c. he cannot fail for want of power as mediator , let the states or straits of any soul of his , be what they will , or of any that relie upon him or come unto him ; wherefore he is able to save to the uttermost , all that come to god by him . nay , and this power is given to him to this very end , namely , not only to quicken and renew them , but also to perfect holiness in them , and to bring them to heaven at last : as thou hast given him power over all flesh , that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him . . consider the strict charge the father hath given to christ , as he hath put all believers into his hand . ( . ) a charge to redeem them ; he laid down his life as the father commanded him . ( . ) see that in isa . . . that thou mayst say to the prisoners , go forth ; and to them that are in darkness , shew your selves . he had a charge to call his elect out of the grave of sin , and to knock off their fetters , to open their eyes , and to heal their wounds . ( . ) he hath a charge to lead them : for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them , even by the spring of the waters shall he guide them . christ hath the conduct of these redeemed captives , which we have fully proved by his being called a shepherd . ( . ) he hath received a charge to receive all the father hath given him ; and those that come unto him , he saith , he will in no wise cast out . and this he doth not only out of his own affections and b. wels to all such poor sinners , but also as in discharge of his office as all are put into his hand . ( . ) he hath received also a charge to perfect that good work that he hath begun in them : the bruised reea shall he not break , and the smoaking flax shall he not quench , till he hath brought forth judgment unto victory . he will carry on that work in the soul till it i compleated ; he shall do this , saith the father , this is part of his work and office which he hath accepted of : and our saviour takes notice of this thing as his father's will and charge given unto him ; and this is the father's will that sent me , that of all which he hath given me , i should lose nothing , but should raise it up again at the last day . my father sent me to cherish and take care of the poorest and weakest soul that he hath given me , and to see that none of them be lost ; i must , as if he should say , strengthen their faith , subdue their corruptions , and never leave them till i present them all before my father , without spot , at the last day . ( ) he must give an account of them also at the last day , and he will present them all without blame before the father , in love , and say , behold , here am i , and the children which thou gavest me , none of them are lost . . consider in what relation all believers stand unto him in , as well as he hath them in his hand , they are his brethren , nay more , his seed , his off-spring , his own children begotten , and born of his own spirit ; they are the members of his own mystical body , his own spouse , yea , of his body , of his flesh , and of his bone : and will not this , think you , greatly move him , excite and stir up his tender heart to hold them fast in his hand , and keep them from perishing ? . consider his faithfulness ; is it look'd upon as one of the worst blots any mortal can have upon him , to betray his trust , or not to discharge it with all care and faithfulness , especially where the life of a person is concerned ? and shall not our lord jesus faithfully discharge his trust ? will he fail any poor believer under temptation , or leave him to the power of sin and satan , when the life of the soul is concerned ? o what is the natural life of the body , to the eternal life of the soul ? now are all the godly put into christ's hand , and hath he accepted of this trust , viz. to keep all the father hath given him unto everlasting life , and not suffer the soul of any one to be lost , and will he not be faithful ? o how faithful hath he been to the father in all things , and to the souls of those that are already safely landed on the other side of the grace ; and will he not be as faithful to all that yet remain in this lower world ? alas , he knows how weak and frail we are , and that without him we can do nothing : he is faithful , and will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able ; and will also with the temptation make way for our escape , that we may be able to bear it . for in that himself hath suffered being tempted , he is able to succour them that are tempted : he has a fellow-feeling of our infirmities , and hath compassion of the ignorant , and such that are out of the way . . consider of the greatness of that love he hath to all that are in his hand , or are committed to his charge , which i have already spoken unto . . consider what he says in my text , take notice of his resolution , and purpose of his soul ; neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . quest . what is meant by any ? answ . the world shall not , the devil shall not , the flesh shall not , sin shall not , temptation shall not , prosperity shall not , adversity shall not , death shall not ; no enemy whatsoever shall be able to pluck them out of my hand , viz. . they shall not break that union there is between me and them , but it shall abide indissolvable for ever . . none shall be able to remove my love from them ; i will love them still , love them to the end . . none shall cause me to cast them off , or throw them out of the covenant into which i have brought them . . neither shall any be able to do it ; they shall not be able by force to do it , nor by flattery to do it , i will keep them , and safely protect them : the enemy will attempt to do it , ( as if our saviour should say ) they will strive , they will pluck and pull , and do what they can to get them out of my hand ; but , says he , they shall not do it : reproaches , persecution , poverty , hunger , nakedness , peril nor sword , these , nor any of these , shall ever be able to pluck them out of my hand . thirdly , i shall now shew you in what respect , the saints may be said to be in the hand of christ , or under what considerations . i shewed you at first , in opening our text , that he hath a seven-fold hold of them , which is held forth in part in the sacred scripture , by several tropical allusions . . they are ( as you have heard again and again ) in his hand , by virtue of his covenant which he made with the father ; so that they are in his hand , as when a man makes a bargain to do such or such a piece of work , which he ingageth and promiseth he will go through with , and will not cease until he has perfected it . now upon this account we say , that work is in his hand : and thus christ hath undertaken the work of our salvation ; we , and that work of grace in us are in his hand , and he will perform it , and perfect it before he hath done . . god the father hath given us into christ's hand , we are in his hand by the father's gracious resignation ; and he hath accepted of the trust , care and charge of us , as our only sponsor and blessed trustee , to pay our debts and supply all our wants . . we are in christ's hand , as sheep are in the hand of a shepherd , to feed , lead , and preserve us , and defend us from all enemies . . as a bride is in the hand of the bridegroom , to love , comfort , cherish , and delight in us ; even so believers are in christ's hand . . we are in his hand , as a blind man is put into the hand and care of a faithful guide , to lead , protect , and save in the midst of all dangers ; and he hath promised to guide us by his spirit into all truth : and i will bring the blind by a way that they knew not , i will lead them in paths that they have not known : i will make darkness light before them , and crooked things streight . these things will i do unto them , and not forsake them . . they are in his hand , as little babes are in the hand of a tender mother or faithful nurse , to feed and preserve , bear up in his arms , and protect from all dangers . . they are in christ's hand , as subjects are in the hand of a faithful soveraign ; yea , such subjects that are his own children and beloved favourites , that he keeps company with , and delights to honour . . they are in christ's hand , as a patient is in the hands of a wise , able , and faithful physician , whom he hath undertaken to cure of all diseases whatsoever . . as a garden is in the hand , and under the care of a skilful and painful gardiner , who is to plant it , to weed it , to water it , and to watch it day and night ; or as a vineyard is in the hand of a vine-dresser . . they are in his hand , as a ship sent out to sea in a storm between rocks and sands , which is committed into the hand of a skilful pilot to steer and preserve from danger . but pray observe , christ exceeds all covenant-servants ; they may be unfaithful , or negligent , or want wisdom or power to do what they undertake ; but in none of these things he can , nor will fail : he exceeds all shepherds ; they may lose a sheep , do what they can , a lion may tear it from them ; but so they cannot from christ , as i formerly shewed you . he exceeds all bridegrooms ; others may cool in their affections , or want wisdom , or wealth to inrich , or power to save their spouse ; but so doth not jesus christ to his people that he hath betrothed unto himself . he exceeds all physicians ; others may not know the cause of some distempers , nor how to cure them , or may want care or tenderness : but so doth not jesus christ , he knows the causes of all our sicknesses , and wants no skil , care , nor tenderness , in order to heal all his children , whatever their diseases may be . he exceeds all guides ; they may let go their hold , or gaze about and let the blind fall into a pit and perish : but so will not he , he holds them fast , and will not let his hold go , he hath faster hold of us than we have of him : when david's hold was near gone , and his steps well nigh slipt , yet nevertheless ( saith he ) i am continually with thee , thou hast holden me by my right hand . christ exceeds all mothers ; can a woman forget her sucking child , that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb ? yea , they may forget , yet will i not forget thee . behold , i have graven thee upon the palms of my hands , thy walls are continually before me . christ exceeds all kings on earth ; for he to make his subjects rich , became poor himself . others may take an offence against their very favourites , though children , and turn them out of all places of honour , and utterly degrade them : but so will not he . christ exceeds all gardiners or vine-dressers ; a drought may come and spoil a garden or vineyard , let the dresser do what he can ; or through his carelesness weeds may overrun and utterly spoil it : but he hath promised to prevent the danger of drought ; his people shall then not cease bearing fruit , sin shall not have dominion over them ; those weeds shall never spoil his garden . christ exceeds all earthly pilots ; they may lose a ship in a storm let them do what they can , it may be drove either upon rocks or sands : but jesus christ hath the command of the wind , the winds and sea obey him ; he can lay any storm that may arise in the soul at his pleasure , and save from all rocks of presumption , or sands of despair . o happy soul that art in christ's hand , be thou whosoever thou wilt ! . believers are in christ's hand as an inheritance or habitation , which he hath bought and purchased for himself , and hath taken actual possession of : or as jewels or choice treasure is in the hand of the owner ; even so are the saints in christ's hand . brethren , what will not a man do to keep and preserve his right , or his riches ? true , thieves may notwithstanding get all he hath from him , or fire may consume it , or by injustice it may be torn away ; but christ's riches , his inheritance , his jewels , which are his people , who are to him of an inestimable value , there is no theft , no fire , or no violence that any can use , can deprive him of the least part of ; i mean , of the poorest or meanest saint . . the saints are in christ's hand , as a curious piece of workmanship cast in a rare mold by a skilful artist is in his hand , which hath cost him vast treasure , time and pains , which is not fully compleated , nor can any do it in all the world but himself alone : even thus , i say , are all believers in christ's hand , who hath cast them into the mold of his own likeness , whom he , as the great spiritual artist , after infinite cost , time , wisdom and labour , hath renewed or regenerated ; and none can finish or make up that work begun in them , but himself only ; nor is it by the father put into any other hand , but into his alone to do it . and as the finishing any curious piece of workmanship is counted no small part of the curiosity or art , so it is here , the perfecting of the saints is no small part of the workmanship of god : and shall christ leave that to the wisdom of man to do , or shall he suffer the loss of all his travels , cost and time ? for if the work be not perfected , all is lost that ever christ did . o think on this , you that are such rare artists , as to venture to take christ's work out of his hand , or that say it is the work of the creature ; for that is the purport of your doctrine . . they are in christ's hand as a great victory is in the hands of a prevailing conqueror , who hath brought the strength of his enemies down , and there remains only some scattered forces who lurk in holes , which he is also concerned to root out , and finally to subdue ; and should he not pursue his conquests , ( for alas , they may get head again ) all his pains and expence of treasure would prove in vain : thus i say the soul of every believer is in christ's hand , the body and power of sin is destroyed , and there only abides in them some remainders of corruption , which none but he by his spirit can finally vanquish , overcome , and root out for ever : and should he not pursue his victory , all he hath done will prove fruitless and in vain ; therefore be sure he will never cease , until he hath brought all his foes , not only under his foot , but destroyed them for ever more . . they are in christ's hand , as a poor orphan is in the hand of his guardian , who commits himself wholly to his care , faithfulness and compassion , whilst in non-age , not being able to help himself or shift for himself : thus , i say , believers are in the hand of jesus christ , they are as poor helpless orphans , under-age , and have every one of them chosen him to be the only guardian and trustee of their souls , or have wholly committed themselves to his care by a holy resignation of themselves to him , to be his and no more their own for ever ; and will not he be faithful , think you , to every one of them , especially considering they did it also at his command , and by the influence of his spirit ? will he betray his trust , who hath taken them into his house , and under his own conduct , or leave them to shift for themselves ? they first gave themselves to the lord , and unto us by the will of god. and as david saith , the poor committeth himself unto thee ; thou are the helper of the fatherless . he yields himself up to thee , himself , his matter , his cause : and what , says he further , thou shalt keep them , o lord ; thou shalt preserve them from this generation , and for ever . he tells us in the th verse , who they are , even the poor and needy . brethren , this lays a great obligation upon a guardian when he sees what a child , or any person hath done in chusing him , in confiding in his fidelity , and putting his whole trust and dependence in him . what man that has a principle of honesty or of morality , will deceive or fail such a one , after he hath taken the sole care and charge of him ? and shall christ be more unfaithful to the souls of his people ? god forbid . from the whole i infer . ( . ) if all believers are in the father's hand , or under his eternal purpose and counsel to save : ( . ) if god's purposes are immutable : ( . ) if he hath not left it to any mixtures of counsels ; if he is omnipotent , and can and will bring all his absolute purposes to pass : ( . ) if it be folly to imagine any of his purposes should be subjected to the will of man : ( . ) if christ be the right hand of god , or in whom all his attributes are united to the perfection of his power to save believers : ( . ) if christ also hath them all in his hand , as god's faithful servant , and as their surety or trustee : ( . ) if many of them are gone to heaven already : ( . ) if all interests concerned in our salvation are well pleased in christ's undertaking : ( . ) if the glory of every one of the divine attributes are raised in the salvation of each believer : ( . ) if christ hath received a charge to keep every one of them , and to lose none , as he hath promised to do : ( . ) if christ is every ways fitted to supply his saints with all things they need or can need : and ( . ) if they are all in christ's hand , in all those respects i have mentioned ; then it is impossible any one of them should so fall away as eternally to perish . but all this is undeniably true ; therefore not one of them can so fall away as eternally to perish . i should make some improvement of this , but having but one argument to add to prove the proposition , i shall leave the application to the last , wherein i shall shew you how christ doth preserve his saints in a way of holiness and obedience unto eternal life . john x. . and i give unto them eternal life , and they shall never perish , neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . brethren , though i hope i have sufficiently , through divine assistance , proved the proposition , i. e. that none of the saints can so full away as eternally to perish : yet i shall add one general argument more , and then come to the application , and answer such objections which i have not as yet met with . tenthly , that the saints of god , or every true believer , shall persevere or hold out to the end , and obtain everlasting life , will appear from the nature of true and saving grace . that therefore which i shall in the last place do , shall be to demonstrate that true grace , though never so weak and small , even like a grain of mustard-seed , yet it shall be preserved in the soul , and at last become victorious . see matth. . . a bruised reed shall he not break , and smoaking flax shall he not quench , till he hath brought forth judgment to victory . hierom , as i find him quoted by a learned author , thinks , that our saviour alludes to a musical instrument , made of a reed which shepherds used to have , which when it was bruised , sounded ill , and therefore 't is flung away . but the lord jesus christ will not cast away a poor soul ( saith that worthy person ) although he cannot make so good musick in god's ear as others , or answer not the breathing of the spirit with that life and vigour , but he will take pains with them and mend them ; who in a spiritual sense are like a bruised reed , broken and bruised under the sense of their sins , weaknesses and unworthinesses . smoaking flax , or a little flax that hath a spark of fire kindled in it ; or a wick of candle , wherein there is not only no profit , but some trouble and noisomness . tho the soul is noisom , by reason of the stench of its corruption , yet he will not blow out that expiring fire which smoaks ; and though no fire is seen , yet there is fire in it , and it is kindled by the lord , and for some great and good design . by the spark of fire in the flax ( let our saviour refer to what he pleases ) is meant , no doubt , divine grace in the soul of a poor , weak , and desponding christian , and this christ will not quench ; that is , he will tenderly cherish it , and cause it to kindle more and more , until he makes it flame forth and burn clearly : and he will heal , cure , and strengthen the bruised reed ; that is , he will never cease until the soul doth obtain a perfect victory over sin , satan , the flesh , the world , and over all enemies . grace shall prevail over corruption , though there seems more smoke than fire , more sin than grace , more weakness than strength , more darkness than light , more fear than faith , yet grace shall be victorious ; grace is that principle of life in the soul , the law of god written in the heart , which shall never finally be obliterated any more , or god's image , that shall not utterly be defaced . again , grace as the seed of glory , shall abide in the soul in spight of all the opposition hell can make . and this i shall endeavour to prove , and fully demonstrate : first , from the nature of grace it self . secondly , in respect of the fountain from whence it doth proceed , i. e. the blessed god and father of mercy . thirdly , from christ the purchaser , and more immediate author , the beginner and finisher of it in the soul ; he is the alpha and omega of grace . first , from the nature of grace it self . . let us consider unto what it is compared , even to a small seed , to a grain of mustard-seed , which becomes , after it is sown , a great tree : if ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed , ye shall say unto this mountain , remove hence to yonder place , and it shall remove , and nothing shall be impossible unto you . the mountain of guilt , of pollution , of corruption , of opposition , shall be removed out of the way of that person sooner or later , that hath never so small a measure of grace , such is the nature of it : i do not judg that our saviour chiefly refers here to the faith of miracles ; but our late annotator , no doubt , is right : " i take the plain sense of the text to be this , ( saith he ) that there is nothing which may tend to the glory of god , or to our good , but may be obtained of god , by a firm exercise of faith in him . whether our saviour speaketh here of a faith of miracles , or no , i will not determine ; i rather think that he speaks here of any true faith , " &c. a weak faith put into exercise shall prevail and overcome at last : this is the victory that overcometh the world , even our faith : it doth and shall overcome in every soul at last . this seed i have proved already doth remain , it can never be rooted out of the good ground : where it was received into honest hearts , it brought forth fruit unto everlasting life . . grace in the soul is compared to a well of living water : the water that i shall give him , shall be in him a well of living water , springing up unto everlasting life . grace in the soul , is like a well that hath a never-sailing spring at the bottom . grace proceeds from the spring or well of salvation , which continually supplies the soul until it comes to heaven . we have a glorious figure of this in the water that gushed out of the rock smitten in the wilderness , that never ceased following the israelites until they came to canaan . true , this water may not rise up always alike , but may sometimes be low like our rivers , it may have its ebbs as well as its flows ; but when it is a very low tide , it risen again , and may be by degrees higher than ever it was before : they shall revive as the corn , and grow as the vine , the scent thereof shall be as the wine of lebanon . . grace is compared to leaven , which a woman hid in three measures of meal , till the whole was leavened , the whole soul. grace is of a diffusive quality . it works also like leaven gradually , it diffuseth it self first into the vnderstanding , and leavens that with blessed gospel-light : it also diffuseth it self into the will , and bows and subjecteth that to the power of divine truth , and to a full acceptance of jesus christ , chusing him , and relying upon him for righteousness and eternal life : it also diffuseth it self into the affections of the soul , and then the whole is leavened . it leavens , or makes gracious every faculty of the soul , and all its powers , the body and all its members : grace , like leaven , makes the creature a new lump , and of the same nature with it self , holy , spiritual , heavenly , &c. leaven is a quickning thing ; so grace through the spirit , is the quickning principle in the soul. grace , when received , will , like leaven , do its work , and never cease till all is in a spiritual manner leavened therewith . . grace is also compared by the spirit of god to fire . ( . ) 't is a divine spark that god kindles in the soul , which he taketh pains to do of his own abundant goodness . ( . ) and as he will not quench it himself , as you heard , so none else can : and if it cannot be put out , then be sure it will burn ; it is the nature of fire to seize on whatsoever is combustible . now sin is that proper fuel which grace will never cease consuming , until it hath quite brought it ( as it were ) to ashes . ( . ) jesus christ came on purpose from heaven to kindle this fire , to burn up sin , and all corruptions in the souls of his people : and can any think it is in the power of satan , by his temptations , to quench it for ever , and so frustrate his gracious design ? if the devil could not quench it when it was but a small spark , like smoaking flax , when it was first kindled in the soul , how should he be able to do it then when it has got a greater head ? all know it is much easier to put out and get the mastery of a fire at first kindling , than it is afterwards : yet mistake me not , i do not say that this divine fire burns always alike in the soul ; no , satan and corruption may damp and lessen its burning : but what tho ? for notwithstanding the operations of grace may be interrupted by the law in the members , the flesh lusting and warring against the spirit ; and it may suffer an eclipse , and a poor christian may lose the sense and feeling influences of it at some times , as to the comforting operations thereof , yet the habit of grace can never be lost . . the spirit of grace is a vital principle ; it is the life of the believer , or of the soul of a child of god : nay , and this life is eternal , it is in them an eternal vital principle , as i have proved since i was upon this text ; therefore grace through the spirit , prevents their eternal perishing ; those that have the spirit in them , and grace in them , have christ and everlasting life in them . moreover , should any say that grace is not immutable in it self , yet say i , with relation it stands in unto christ , ( viz. having a spring at the bottom ) it is an abiding principle , it will and must live : moreover , it is a powerful and permanent principle ; greater is he that is in us , than he that is in the world , that is , the holy spirit in the graces , and blessed influences thereof . sin shall not have dominion over you , because you are not under the law , but under grace . . grace is a holy and sanctifying principle , it resisteth sin , and purgeth the conscience ; it teacheth us to deny all vngodliness and worldly lusts , to live soberly , godly and righteously in this present world. . why is grace called saving , if men may have it and yet perish ? certainly that grace that a man may have , and be damned , is not saving grace . secondly , grace shall abide in the souls of believers , in respect of the fountain of it from whence it proceeds , namely , the holy god. . grace , as i may say , is the off-spring of heaven : and what doth god love on earth , above his own grace in the souls of his people ? 't is god's gift , though it be christ's merit . and as reverend charnock notes ; " grace hath great allies ; the greatest power that ever yet acted upon the stage of the world , had a hand in the birth of it . should we see all the states of the world engaged in bringing a person to a kingdom , and maintaining therein his right , we could not rationally think that there were any likelihood they should be baffled in it . the trinity ( saith he ) sat in consultation about grace : for if there were such a solemn convention held about the first creating of man , much more about the new and better creating of him , and raising him somewhat above the state of man ; the father decrees it , the son purchaseth it , the spirit infuseth it : the father appoints the garison , what grace should be in every soul ; christ raiseth this force , and the spirit conducts it ; the trinity hath a hand in maintaining it : and all this is but the carrying on the new creature . the father is said to beget us , john . . and we are said to be the seed of christ , isa . . . and born of the spirit , john . . therefore that which hath so strong a relation and allies , cannot be lost . " thus charnock . . the father is the root and foundation of grace , as it is the effect of his free love and favour ; and every grace is part of the divine nature , in it there is an imitation of one or other of the divine attributes , and it exemplifies the divine perfections in its operations : the design of god in infusing of his grace into our souls , is to shew forth his vertues , or his praise and glory , in all the parts of it , and doth glorify one or another attribute of god. . what is grace , and the work of grace in the soul , but god's workmanship , which as you have heard , he hath shewed much skill and heavenly wisdom about , and also hath been at more cost to effect in us , than in making the world ; he will not therefore suffer that work to be marr'd and brought to nought : we are his workmanship , created in christ jesus to good works . did he give his son , purchase grace ; and will not the same love engage his power to preserve and perfect it in us ? . and since god's power is concerned in preserving grace in us , and us in a state of grace ; can it be thought that satan , that strong man armed , when he had full possession of the soul , and also had so strong a party in us on his side , and yet could not prevent an overthrow , he being vanquished and turned out , should ever get possession again , especially since now the soul is so well armed , and hath the strongest party on its side against him ; besides such wonderful allies to stand by it to oppose its enemies , and to aid and assist it against him and all his abetters ? if grace , when a babe , gave satan such a fatal defeat and overthrow , certainly now it hath got such strength in the soul , it will never be overcome by him : we are kept by the power of god through faith unto salvation . and christ hath prayed that our faith fail not , and was heard therein . brethren , is the power of the omnipotent god limited to a faith of the creature 's getting , and to his care in securing ? if so , it is as much as to say , the nurse will keep the child in her hand , if it doth not get out of it and stray away from her . we say god keeps us by his power through faith , because he hath ordained faith and holiness to be the means ( which he by his power will maintain in us ) as well as happiness , or the salvation of our souls to be the end. . god hath promised to help us , to uphold us , to strengthen us , and to preserve us unto the end : the steps of a good man are ordered by the lord ; and he delighteth in his way . though he fall , he shall not be utterly cast down : for the lord upholdeth him with his hand . if he falls into sin , into temptation or affliction , the lord will not leave him , but help him up , and bring him out of all his distresses : he hath promised , never to leave us nor forsake us : he hath also promised to be our god and our guide , even unto death ; and hath assured us , that the righteous shall hold on their ways ; and he that hath clean hands shall grow stronger and stronger ; and to put his fear into our hearts , that we shall not depart from him . again , the apostle asserts , that he that hath begun a● good work in us , will perform it to the day of christ . . in a word , it cannot stand consistent with the wisdom , love , faithfulness , holiness , nor the glory of god , to suffer any of his own children , and redeemed ones , to be pulled away from him by sin , satan , the flesh , or this world , or any enemy whatsoever , and grace to come to nothing in them . . can it stand consistent with his wisdom , to suffer his own eternal counsel to be frustrated ? or hath any man the true grace of god , and yet not as the result of god's purpose from eternity ? if so , how comes it to pass that paul tells the saints , that they were saved , and called with an holy calling ; not according to our works , but according to his own purpose and grace , which was given us in christ before the world began ? can it stand consistent with divine wisdom , to let satan insult over god himself , and boast after this manner ; thou hast sent thy son to die for these persons ; thou hast renewed them by thy grace , and made them thy own children , and espoused them to thy own son , and this according to the greatness of thy love and thy purpose , before all worlds ; and didst it also to destroy and bring to nought my design and laborious work in seeking to devour them ; but see how thou art defeated and frustrated in all thou hast done : i have tempted them to sin , i have again deceived their souls , and set thee against them ; and thy design in saving of these , is by me made of none effect ; i have turned those saints into swine , and robbed them of all that grace and rich treasure thou gavest to them , notwithstanding thou hadst put them into the hand of thy own son to preserve and keep ? . can it stand consistent with his tender love , to leave his saints in the midst of so many cruel enemies , who are unable to save themselves ( as poor babes of two or ten days old ) out of their hands , and yet suffer them by sin and satan to be torn to pieces , whilst he stands by and looks on ; and yet they are such that are his own children , begotten and born of him by his spirit ? or shall his love be so great in begetting grace , or in infusing grace , and no more love shewed in keeping and preserving that grace in their souls ? what! purchase such riches for them by the blood of his son , and let them be robbed of it all in a moment ? . can it stand consistent with the faithfulness of god , who hath said , i will help thee , i will uphold thee by the right hand of my righteousness ; and i will not suffer thee to be tempted above what thou art able , &c. the work i have begun in thee , i will perform to the day of christ ; and as thy day is , thy strength shall be ; and yet notwithstanding all this , will leave them , and let their grace wither and come to nothing , and sin and temptations be too hard and strong for them , and so cast them off for ever ? . can it stand consistent with his holiness , to let his precious grace , which is an impression of his own image and likeness in the soul , be blotted , blurr'd and defaced for ever ; this likeness being a likeness unto him in that most high and beloved perfection of his nature , viz. his holiness , which work on the soul is curiously wrought by his own spirit , and more valued by him , than ten thousand worlds ; will he , i say , neglect that which is so dear and like unto him , and suffer it to be crush'd under the foot of filthy corruption by the lusts of his implacable enemy ? . can it stand consistent with the honour of god's most sovereign majesty , to let grace be destroyed and come to nothing in the soul , whose end in all he doth is principally to advance his own glory ? what is it , i pray you , that tends more to bring honour to god in the world , than that grace which he hath infused into the hearts of his people ? if sin brings the greatest dishonour to him , then certainly grace brings the greatest honour to him , which strives to root out and utterly to destroy sin , so that god and jesus christ might reign alone in the soul. if a king hath but one special favourite that asserts and maintains his right , and seeks to uphold his throne , be sure he will , if possible , preserve him , and suffer none to undermine and supplant that favourite , so as to root him out of the kingdom . thirdly , in regard had to jesus christ , who is the purchaser and immediate author of grace , i further argue ; grace shall at last become victorious , or never finally be suppressed in the hearts of believers . . christ by his death purchased that grace which every true christian is possessed of : he died to redeem us from all iniquity , and to purify unto himself a peculiar people , zealous of good works . it is upon the account of his death , as the effects of his death , the spirit and the graces of the spirit are shed abroad in our hearts : therefore being by the right hand of god exalted , and having received of the father the promise of the holy ghost , he hath shed forth this which you see and hear . certainly if he purchased us , and grace for us , when we were his enemies , he will preserve it in us since we are actually now reconciled to him . shall he be at the expence of his blood to buy it , ( as one notes ) and spare his power to secure it ? . christ was manifest to take away sin , to dispossess satan , and will he let satan take possession again ? he came to destroy the works of the devil ? and what are satan's works but sin ? will not christ accomplish that which he came into the world to do ? . he is called the author and finisher of our faith : if this be so , we may assure our selves he will perfect it ; he that begins it , will end it ; he hath not left it to another after he hath begun the work of faith , to finish it : no , no , he still keeps it in his own hand , and he will see it done . . it is for the honour of christ , that grace lives and is strengthened in his people : wherefore also we pray for you , that our god would account you worthy of this calling , and fulfil all the good pleasure of his will , and the work of faith with power . part of the good pleasure of the will of god had been fulfilled in them ; they were called , justified , adopted , and the work of sanctification was begun ; and paul prays , that with power it might be compleated , and then shews us how it tends to the glory of christ to have this done ; that the name of our lord jesus christ may be glorified , and you in him according to the grace of our god and the lord jesus christ . brethren , the glory of christ , and the final salvation of the saints , are wrap'd up together ; grace tends to christ's glory here , and to his eternal praise and glory hereafter . . jesus christ's work , now he is in heaven , is to intercede for his saints : and be sure as he prayed when on earth that the faith of his peters might not fail , so he makes the like intercession for them in heaven . hence the intercession of christ is part of the saints holy triumph , in that of romans . . who is he that condemneth ? it is christ that died , yea rather that is risen again , who also maketh intercession for us . now the intercession of christ hath great power and prevalency in it , in order to our final perseverance in grace . . because he pleads continually with god the virtue of his own merits : what he hath purchased for us , he intercedes for ; but he purchased grace for us , and he prays for the final continuation of it in us ; therefore it shall abide in us to the end. . by his intercession , he prevails with god that we may be delivered from all our spiritual enemies , that they may never have power over us , of whom sin is the chief : that which christ intercedes for , he is heard and accepted in ; but he intercedes that we may be kept and delivered from the power and eternal punishment of sin , therefore sin shall never have power to condemn us . . he intercedes that our prayers may be heard , and that we may be helped to pray ; and part of our prayer is that sin may not have power over us to condemn us ; therefore sin never shall so condemn us , because christ causes our prayers , with the incense of his own intercession , to come up as a sweet savour in the nostrils of god. . christ intercedes that all our sins may be pardoned and covered : if any man sin , we have an advocate with the father . he carries this cause for us in the court of heaven ; therefore our sins shall never work our ruin. . it is by his intercession we come to the throne of grace with boldness ; christ our friend and high priest appearing evermore in the presence of god for us . . and also it is through christ's intercession that all our good works and holy services are accepted of god. so much shall serve to the tenth and last argument ; and from hence i argue , if grace , though never so weak , shall be victorious ; if grace be such a blessed principle , such a spark that sin nor satan can't quench , such a seed that no enemy can get out of the ground of our hearts ; if grace through the spirit is life , eternal life in the soul ; if grace be the darling of heaven , hath such great and almighty allies ; if the whole trinity sate in council about the birth of grace , or the way of its infusion into the soul ; if it be the gift of the father's free love , and a part of his holy nature ; if it be wrought in us to shew forth his praise ; if grace be god's great and glorious workmanship ; if the power of god be engaged to preserve it in us ; if god hath promised to maintain its life in us ; if it cannot stand consistent with god's wisdom , love , faithfulness and holiness , to let it be totally overcome and vanquished in the souls of his elect ; if christ purchased grace for us ; if he was manifest to take away sin ; if christ be the author and finisher of grace in the soul ; if the life of grace tends so much to the honour of christ ; if christ's work now in heaven is to interceed for the continuation of grace in us , that it may never fail in the seed or habit of it ; then no true believer can fall so from grace , as eternally to perish . but all this is true ; therefore no believer can so fall from grace as eternally to perish . application . first , of information . . first from the whole we may learn , that the state of believers , through the redemption by jesus christ , is far better than adam's was by creation : for though we have no natural and inherent power of our own , yet we have a supernatural power ingaged to help and uphold us ; we are kept by the power of god. he stood by the strength of nature , and power of free-will , before the fall : we by the strength of grace , and power of the mediator , who hath a charge to uphold us in a state of grace , which was not allowed to adam , nor the angels ; we have not only the word of grace to encourage us , but also the power of grace to establish us . adam stood by his own original righteousness ; our standing is by the suretiship , righteousness and undertakings of jesus christ : who of god is made unto us wisdom , righteousness , sanctification and redemption . adam's life was in himself , our life is hid in christ ; and so out of the power of our worst enemies to come at it , or deprive us of it : and as adam and all his were condemned , so christ and all his are justified . . it may inform us , that such who make a profession of religion , without attaining to a state of true grace and real union with christ , are in danger of eternal ruin , notwithstanding whatsoever their knowledg , gifts and common improvements may be , and their hopes thereupon ; and that they are of this sort that frequently fall away and perish in their sins : which if well weighed , may put every professor into serious thoughts , and upon a thorow work of self-examination about their present condition ; and therefore in this respect , there is need enough of those cautions and take-heeds in the scripture , let him that thinketh he stands , take heed lest he fall . how many are there who do but think they stand , or that their state is safe and good , when in truth they are in no better condition than the foolish virgins , or the thorny and stony-ground professors ? . it also may inform us , that all those that shall be saved , are such who take care to make their calling and election sure . it is a palpable demonstration , that they are under strong delusion , who suppose election only refers to the end , and not to the means ; or that men that are elected , shall be saved , let them live how they please : no , no , the case is quite otherwise ; we are elected to be holy , as well as to be happy ; the whole design of god herein , being to make us holy , and also to preserve us in a way and state of holiness : therefore if thou dost begin well , hast obtained true grace , and dost continue in a way of well-doing ; or dost bring forth good fruit , and dost not waver nor faint in thy mind , it may be an evidence , that thy state is good , and that thou art one of christ's sheep , who follow him constantly , and wilt so follow him unto the end. secondly , this may be matter of great comfort to weak believers , and such who may be under spiritual deadness , and feel corruption too strong for them . o do not be discouraged , the weakest grace gives a deadly wound to sin , and a good ground of hope thy state is safe : your names are written in heaven , which is , as our saviour notes , the greatest cause of joy ; which it could not be if their names might be blotted out again . 't is no wonder sin is in thee , and makes thee mourn , when it made paul to cry out , o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death ! 't is one thing to have the law of sin in our members , and to have sin in our conversations ; and another thing to have it reign in us , or to have it in our affections . soul , remember that weak grace , weak faith , shall become victorious : thou hast grace enough in thy head , though thou hast but little in thy hand . o cry to god , be much in prayer that god would give thee more grace , and supply thy wants , and quicken and revive thy soul , as he hath promised . a weak faith renders the soul as perfectly justified in christ , as the strongest faith any man hath whosoever he be ; and gives a title to eternal life : he that had but a weak or a dim eye , that look'd up unto the brazen serpent , was as well healed , as he that had a strong sight or good eyes . . this doctrine yields much comfort to the strongest saint also ; for if he that hath never so strong and lively faith , might fall finally away and perish , what would regeneration , justification , adoption , &c. signify to him ? would not his spirits droop , and his fears torment him ! but here , by virtue of the doctrine of final perseverance , is comfort both for the weak and strong , both have equal interest in christ , in god's love , in the covenant ; both are elected , both are in christ's hand . such who have now a strong faith , had once but a weak faith ; it was but a little seed once : and christ's charge extends to those that are weak , he carries the lambs in his arms : and the stock in christ's hand is sure , and his promise of supply shall not fail ; and the strong cannot stand of themselves . thirdly , caution . judg not of the truth of thy grace by the weakness of it ; a little gold , a dram is gold as well as a great wedg . . let not this encourage thee to be negligent or remiss in duty : god has promised thee victory , but thou must sight : grace teacheth us to deny all vngodliness . he that is not under the influence of grace , never had the truth of it in him . fourthly , always consider this in thy heart , that thy standing is by grace , and that thou art in christ's hand : o depend on him for all , and fly to him for whatsoever thou dost need . john x. . and i give unto them eternal life , and they shall never perish , neither shall any pluck them out of my hand . brethren , i closed the last time with the consirmation of the doctrine which i have for several days been upon . i shall now proceed to consider of the objections , and give an answer to them that are usually brought against this great and comfortable doctrine of the saints final perseverance . several of which i have answered already , ( as i met with them occasionally , under divers of those arguments i have spoken to in clearing up the truth of the proposition ) ; therefore shall labour to answer such that remain , which take as they here follow . object . . if christ did not die for all , how could the birth of our saviour be said to be matter of joy unto all people ? and the angel said unto them , fear not , for behold i bring you good tidings of great joy , which shall be to all people ; for unto you is born this day , in the city of david , a saviour , which is christ the lord. answ . . i answer ; all people doth not intend every individual person ; to all people , that is , the good news is not to you only , but to both jews and gentiles . i have shewed you before that [ all ] , and [ every ] , and [ whole world ] , is taken in many places of holy scripture with restriction , and takes in but a part ; as on the contrary , when the vniversality of the subject is intended , it is expressed by singular ; if a man die , shall he live again ? which refers to every man. he that believeth shall be saved ; it signifies all that so do . so , i will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh , as you have it in joel ; that is , upon persons of every age , sex , and degree ; upon young , old , masters , servants , sons and daughters : so it may be taken here , and in several other places ; as that in tim. . . who will have all men saved , &c. that is , kings as well as peasants , noble as well as ignoble , rich as well as poor , gentiles as well as jews , or some of all sorts . the gospel is said to be preached in paul's time to every creature under heaven , whereas it reached then but to a small part of the world , one great part not being at that time known or found out ( as one well observes ) . . was the birth of christ matter of joy in the effects of it to judas , and to the unbelieving jews , and to many more ? . i argue thus ; if the birth and death of christ was cause of greatest joy to all persons , individually considered , it must be thus either in respect of the design , purpose and intention of god , because of such joy unto them , or else in respect of the certain effects of his birth and death : but ( . ) who will say that god , according to his eternal purpose and design , did intend it for the salvation of every individual person ? none can be so weak sure to assert that ; for who shall resist god's will , or withstand god's absolute design , purpose and intention ? christ must accomplish or effect the salvation of all , if in that sense it was matter or cause of joy unto all , or that he died for all , or that god would have all , that is , every individual man and woman in the world saved . ( . ) and as to the effects of the death of christ , it is evident quite otherwise , for multitudes have no saving benefit thereby : therefore it follows clearly , that that is not the sense of the text nor mind of the spirit of god ; though in some sense the birth and death of christ was cause of joy to all , since every one received all that good thereby whatsoever it is they are possessed of . . did not simeon by the holy ghost say , that this child ( speaking of christ ) is set for the fall , and rising again of many in israel ? unto some the word is a savour of death unto death , and christ a stone of stumbling ; the reason is , because they that believe in him shall be saved , and they that believe not shall be damned . we freely grant the intervening of mens unbelief , malice and opposition to christ and his gospel , is the proximate meritorious cause of the fall and ruin of any soul. . also it is said , every man shall have praise of god , cor. . . which can refer to none but to good men , or godly men only : so it is said , god is the father of all ; one god and father of all , eph. . . yet as mr. cole observes on that place , the devil is the father of the greatest part of the world. christ is said to reconcile all things to himself , whether they be things in earth or things in heaven , col . . yet what a multitude are not , nor ever shall be reconciled to him . [ all ] certainly intends none but the elect : so it is said , it is written in the prophets , they shall all be taught of god , john . . it respects only believers , or god's new-covenant-children . now seeing the word [ all ] and [ every ] in many places , refers only to the elect , and is taken with such restriction , why should it be taken universally here , and in those other places mentioned , especially considering the arguments i have laid down to prove that christ did not die for any but those that were given to him by the father ; we having also proved he died in their stead , for whom he suffered death , so that they might never die eternally ? object . . if there be such a decree of election , and that none shall be saved but those that god hath ordained to eternal life , what need men seek after or regard the salvation of their souls ? answ . this objection we have largely answered under our first argument , to prove the saints final perseverance , taken from the election of grace , to which i refer you . object . . this doctrine of election and final perseverance , tends to make men loose and remiss in the service of god. answ . . what can be a greater mistake ? do the certain grounds of hope of obtaining the victory , tend to make a souldier remiss and careless when engaged in the battel ? or do they not much more animate him to fight couragiously ? . shall a child be taken off from his duty , or be remiss in serving his father , because his father tells him he shall never be disinherited ? . did not christ know that the angels had charge over him , yet was he less careful of his own preservation ? and did not paul assure all that were in the ship with him , that they should all be saved ; yet did that take him off from pressing care and diligence on the mariners ? . that god who hath ordained the end , i tell you again , hath also ordained the means ; without holiness no man shall see the lord. we are chosen in christ , that we may be holy , and without blame before him in love. nor can any ever come to any well-grounded hope he shall be saved , or know he is elected , unless he is holy , heavenly , spiritual , watchful and diligent in all gospel-duties , which is the fruits and effects of election . . the decree of election considered absolutely in it self , without respect had unto its effects , is no part of god's revealed will ; that is , it is not revealed , that this man is , and that man is not elected : this therefore can be made neither argument nor objection , about any thing wherein faith and obedience are concerned . . the sovereign and ever-to-be-adored grace and distinguishing love of god , is laid down in the word of god , to be the greatest motive to holiness imaginable : who maketh thee to differ from another ? o that god should open my eyes , call me by his grace ! may a believer say , shall i sin against him , because his grace so abounds to me ? god forbid . if god hath elected me , i may live in sin , walk as i list , is the language rather of a devil than of a man , much less of a saint . i speak the more to this , because i would shew you that are believers , what improvement you ought to make of god's free grace and love to you : put on therefore ( as the elect of god , holy and beloved ) bowels of mercies , kindness , humbleness of mind , meekness , long-suffering ; forbearing one another , and forgiving one another . and as moses said , consider what great things god hath done for you . object . . if i shall persevere to the end , what need is there of those take-heeds in the scripture ? why are we bid to watch , and take heed lest we fall ? answ . this is all one with the former , besides i answered it largely when i first entred upon my work ; but yet let me add a word or two further . . a child of god may sin and fall grievously , and greatly dishonour god , and bring reproach on the gospel , which may tend to grieve some , and harden others ; nay , he may lose his comfort and joy of god's salvation , therefore hath need to watch . satan is a strong , a vigilant and cunning enemy : o see what reasons you have from thence to watch and pray . . if you grow careless , carnal , or indifferent in the matters of religion , it may be a sign that your hearts are not right with god : many of the members of the churches to whom the epistles were directed , were no more than professors ; and if so , they were liable to fall away and perish for ever . object . . but same branches in the vine may bear no fruit , but may be cut off and wither , &c. answ . i have also fully answered this objection already ; see the argument taken from our union with christ : there is a twofold being in christ , an external being in him by a profession , and a true spiritual being in him . object . . if christ died not for all , what ground have i to believe he died for me ? answ . . what doth it signify to believe christ died for all , unless thou findest the effects of his death in thee ? many thousands shall perish , notwithstanding christ died for them in their judgment that make this objection , yea the generality of them for whom he died ; therefore unless all were saved , what encouragement is there to believe from hence ? . he that believes , shall be saved : if thou therefore dost believe , thou shalt be saved . is not this a better ground of faith , than that of christ's dying for all ? . a bare believing that christ died for all , i have proved is no ground of thy interest in his death , for that may be without any fruits or gracious effects . . thou hast the same ground to believe as any have , or as such had who do now believe before they did believe ; or as they had once , who now are in heaven . . christ died for the chiefest of sinners ; and the promises of mercy upon believing , are made to the vilest sinners on earth . . great and black sinners have found mercy , and are now in heaven , even some of them that put christ to death ; and is here not ground of faith and hope for thee ? . remember , that if thou believest not , but dost continue in thy sin and rebellion against god , thou shalt be certainly damned , thy rejecting of christ will have that effect at last upon all unbelievers . . moreover , christ calls to stout-hearted sinners , such that are far from righteousness ; he brings his salvation near to them : he calls upon a people not called by his name : he hath received gifts for the rebellious also , that god might dwell among them . and is not here a good ground to venture thy soul upon jesus christ , be thou who thou wilt ? . no person is excluded by the lord that we know of : can any man say there is no mercy for him , unless he hath sinned against the holy ghost , which may be not one in an age is guilty of ? the nature of which sin i purpose to open , after i have closed with this text. thy condemnation , o sinner , will be of thy self : god will judg the world in righteousness : this we are all agreed in , and set down as an undeniable article of our faith. none shall have this to plead at the last day , i was not elected : god will vindicate his justice and righteous proceedings in the day of judgment ; and all mouths shall be then stopped , and every man's conscience be a witness for , or against him : and though foreseen faith and holiness is not the cause why any are elected , yet foreseen wickedness is the cause why men are reprobated : o israel , thou hast destroyed thy self ; but in me is thy help . object . . but is it not said , work out your salvation with fear and trembling ? answ . . this text the papists do abuse as well as the arminians , who strive to make man a co-worker or a partner with christ in our salvation : but this the apostle intends not , because we are saved by grace . for by grace are ye saved , through faith , and that not of your selves ; it is the gift of god : not of works , lest any man should boast . for we are his workmanship , created in christ jesus to good works . . whoever it is that brings in this text as an objection against the doctrine of the saints final perseverance , you may be sure is a corrupt person in his judgment , and one that pleads for a covenant of works , or joins the creature with christ as a co-workein the salvation of man. for if it be to be taken in their sense , then it would follow that man is his own saviour ; for if i procure my own salvation by works , or by working it out for my self , i save my self , or am my own saviour ; or i do appropriate part of it to my self , which is the worst part of popery : they say , that christ's merits , with their own good works , do justify and save them . and what do the arminians say less , who join faith , inherent righteousness , and sincere obedience , with the merits of christ , both in justification before god , and in the salvation of their souls ? they say , all men are in a capacity , or have power to work out their own salvation if they will. mr. william allen says on that text , rom. . now to him that worketh not , but believeth on him that justifieth the vngodly , his faith is counted for righteousness ; that they are the works of the law : he doth not say , that he that loves not , &c. so that love , gospel-obedience and holiness , according to these men , are not excluded as the matter of our justification before god , but are a part of it : they plead for gospel-works in point of justification , though not for the works of the law. pray , what difference is there between these mens doctrine , and that of the papists ? but i having lately in my treatise , called , the marrow of justification , so fully confuted this grand error , i shall add no more to it at this time , but come to examine the text. . it is evident , that the persons to whom the holy apostle wrote this epistle , were saints and justified persons , or such who were quickned , renewed or regenerated by the holy spirit . therefore , . let us consider what part of salvation it was which they were required to work out . . they could not appease the wrath of god , nor satisfy divine justice ; that sure was not in their power to do , nor is it here intended . . they could not deliver themselves from the curse of the law , because by their uttermost endeavour they could not arrive to a compleat or perfect righteousness , nor satisfy for the breach of it , by original sin , and by actual sins formerly by them committed . . they could not change their own hearts , or create in themselves a new heart , they had no creating power ; certainly they dare not say they had power , or were capable to form christ in their souls , or restore god's lost image in them . again , . they could not raise themselves from the dead , for they were once dead in sins and trespasses ; and sure they will say , that to raise and quicken the dead is christ's work only : you hath he quickned ; he does not say , you have ye quickned . . they could not bind the strong man armed , who formerly had the ruling power in them , and in whose chains and fetters they were once bound : will they say , that all men have a greater power in them , than is the power of satan , so that man may translate himself if he will , out of the power and kingdom of satan , into the kingdom of god's dear son , as all believers by the irresistable power of god are ? . they could not believe of themselves , because faith is a fruit of the spirit of god ; and 't is said expresly , it is not of our selves , but it is the gift of god. now all things are as parts of our salvation , or appertain thereunto ; and none of all these things can be here meant by the apostle , because the persons to whom he wrote , had all these things work'd out for them , and in them before . quest . what work is it then ? what were they to work out ? answ . i answer ; the apostle means , that good work of mortification of sin , and all works that are the fruits of faith ; that is , they should lead a holy and godly life , they having received a principle of grace from christ to this very end , there being a necessity that the tree be first made good , before the fruit can be good ; and that a dead man have a principle of life infused into him , before he can either move or work . quest . but can the creature do these things you mention of himself ? answ . the apostle seems very jealous of these saints , lest they should catch up some arminian notion , ( which is too much rooted in man's corrupt nature ) ; and therefore to vanquish free-will , or the power of the creature for ever , ( nay , the power that is in regenerated persons ) he adds , for it is god that worketh in you , both to will and to do of his own good pleasure ; who worketh in them powerfully , effectually carrying on the work through all difficulties and obstacles with victorious efficacy : god works not only grace in them at first , but still by his spirit , through fresh supplies , does aid , influence and assist them , and will until the work is perfected , or until the day of christ . we cannot mortify sin , pray , nor do any good work without the spirit : if ye through the spirit , saith paul , do mortify the deeds of the body , ye shall live . so then this is the sum , in holiness and all good works we act and do ; but how ? even as we are acted , moved , and influenced of god : it is as when god acts , works , and moves in us by his spirit . and as to do all with fear and trembling ; this is only to shew how low we should lie at the foot of god , and be humble , and not lifted up with pride , since all our power and sufficiency is of god. but so much to this text and objection . object . . but what say you to that text in jer. . . though co●iah the son of jehojakim king of judah were the signet upon my right hand , yet would i pluck thee thence ? this place of scripture is sent me as a grand objection against final perseverance . answ . we must distinguish between one that might be near to god , or as dear as a signet on the right hand , in respect of place or external dignity as a king , and god's bringing him from thence by temporal punishment ; and one that is a signet upon god's right hand , in respect of divine grace and favour in jesus christ , or as touching his eternal election : the latter this text does not refer unto . object . . is it not said , if ye abide in me , and my words abide in you ? &c. answ . the supposition , if ye do , doth not always denote a possibility that a person may not do so . see john . . if ye keep my commandments , ye shall abide in my love , even as i have kept my father's commandment , and abide in his love. was it possible for christ not to abide in his father's love ? our saviour uses these expressions as an argument of comparison . . this shews how acceptable holiness and obedience is to god. . it also implies thus much , i. e. that god hath ordained his saints to faith , love and obedience , as well as to eternal life . if my word abide in you , &c. now elsewhere god saith to christ ; and the words which i have put into thy mouth , shall not depart out of thy mouth , nor out of the mouth of thy seed , which are believers , they shall have his word abide in them for ever : the law of god is in his heart , none of his steps shall slide ; it is written in the hearts of all new-covenant-children , that so it might remain in them for ever . observe that passage of our saviour , except ye be converted , and become as little children , ye shall not enter into the kingdom of god. this our lord spoke to his disciples who were converted , no doubt but they had pass'd through the new birth before that time , yet by reason of pride that budded forth afresh in them , they must be humbled again , repent again , or find , as it were , a second conversion , or they could not be saved : no person that yields to sin , unless he repents and turns from it , can enter into god's kingdom . but doth the words of our saviour signify a possibility that they might or might not repent , and so might or might not be saved ? no such matter , but rather the absolute necessity of humility , and leaving off every sin in all that shall be eternally saved . object . . but did not some make shipwrack of faith and a good conscience ? answ . . the apostle speaks not there of the grace of faith , but of the doctrine of faith , particuiarly that part of it concerning the resurrection of the dead , in saying , that it was past already , by which they overthrew the faith of some . . as to a good conscience , that may refer to a conscience that doth not accuse ; as paul before his conversion had a good conscience : men and brethren , i have lived in all good conscience before god , until this day ; i have acted according to my light , and my heart doth not reproach me . a man may have a moral good conscience , that never had an evangelical good conscience , i mean , not have his heart sprinkled with the blood of christ : for that which may in one respect be said to be good , may in another be said to be evil . those persons paul speaks of might once have moral sincerity , in owning and maintaining of that truth which now they destroyed , and also might not live in any gross immoralities . . but should it be an evangelical good conscience , and they be sincere christians ; what of this ? may not a true believer make a breach upon a good conscience , by falling into temptation ? as concerning making shipwrack , that says the text was concerning faith ; and those persons being delivered to satan by excommunication , it was , that they might not learn to blaspheme , and might therefore be restored again : and nothing to the contrary doth appear it is evident from the text , therefore in vain it is brought to prove a final falling away . object . . but a righteous man may turn from his righteousness , and die in his sin : and if so , then believers may fall away finally . answ . there is a twofold righteousness spoken of in the scriptures . st . a moral and legal righteousness . dly . a gospel or evangelical righteousness . st . there is a righteousness that is a man 's own , such as paul had when a pharisee ; a righteousness which ariseth from a man 's own reason , will , and natural improvements ; or by common grace , godly education , awed by fear and legal terror , and maintained by some failing spring ; which as our annotators observe , may easily be dried up ; these righteous ones may totally and finally fall away : pray read ezek. . . when i say to the righteous , that he shall surely live : if he trust to his own righteousness , and commits iniquity , all his righteousness shall not be remembred : but for his iniquity that he hath committed , he shall die for it . pray observe that here are two things expressed for which he must die : first , if he trust to his own righteousness ; and secondly , if he turn from his moral righteousness , and committed iniquity ; the first is damning as well as the second : but if he hath a moral righteousness , and yet after all doth not trust to it , but flies to the righteousness of christ , he shall live ; but if he be righteous , and trusteth to it , he must die in his sin , as the righteous jews and pharisees did ; who being ignorant of the righteousness of god , went about to establish their own righteousness . now from hence it appears , contrary to what our opponents say , that that righteousness which these men turn from , could not save them ; though it is true , it is said , if the wicked man turneth from his wickedness he hath committed , and doth that which is lawful and right , he shall save his soul alive . a doing that which is right , is to renounce all his own righteousness in point of justification , and by faith to throw himself upon jesus christ ; and he that doth thus , shall save his soul alive . therefore let all men know that this text only shews , that a man that has attained to no more than to a moral and legal righteousness , must perish as well as he that turns from it and committeth wickedness . dly those that have attained to true gospel or evangelical righteousness , have an everlasting righteousness ; and if it lasteth for ever , they that have it cannot lose it so as eternally to perish . object . . it is said that some were twice dead , jude . answ . what of this ? they were originally dead , dead by nature , and dead by their own actual sins , and also dead after they seemed to be made alive : there is a common quicking , as well as special ; they had the common life of grace , or that mutual life that flows from common quicknings : others thought them once alive , and they professed themselves to be alive ; but now they became as bad , nay worse than ever , and so are for ever lost and undone ; they falling from that grace and life they once had , their apostacy rendred them miserable , and no hopes of renewing them for ever . object . . but is it not said , god would have all men saved ? tim. . . answ . . god will have all men saved that believe and accept of christ , all that repent : and they that say god would have any others saved , than believers or renewed persons , contradict the word of god ; he will not have impenitent persons be saved , such who live in sin , and die in sin , but all that turn to him through christ : of all sorts and degrees of men god would have be saved ; this doctrine we preach , and they themselves acknowledg , that god would have none but these be saved ; therefore to what end is this text urged ? but though i have spoken to this objection already , yet consider , . if they will take all men here for the universality of individuals , then i ask them , ( . ) what act it is of god wherein this his willingness doth consist ? is it in the eternal purpose of his will that all should be saved ? why then is it not accomplished ? who hath resisted his will ? ( . ) or is it an antecedent desire that it should be so , though he fails in the end ? then is the blessed god miserable , he being not able to accomplish his just and holy desires . or , as reverend owen notes , ( . ) is it some temporary act of his , whereby he hath declared himself unto them ? then , i say , grant that salvation is to be had in a redeemer , in jesus christ , and give me an instance how god in any act whatsoever , ( saith he ) hath declared his mind , and revealed himself to all men of all times and places , concerning his willingness of their salvation by jesus christ a redeemer , and i will never more trouble you in this cause . secondly , doth this will equally respect the all intended , or doth it not ? if it doth , why hath it not equal effects towards all ? what reason can be assigned , that all they whom god equally intended salvation for by christ , have it not ? however they who have salvation , either have it as the effects of free-grace , or of free-will ; who will assert the latter ? besides , this would follow , i. e. god will have some men be saved , to whom he wills not the means of their salvation , for so he doth not to one great part of the world. but since we have proved that there is not a sufficiency of grace granted to all universally , that is grace subjective to enable them to believe and change their hearts , but to some only , i shall say no more to this ; for if it were sufficient , it would have the same effect on all as it hath on some : that which is sufficient to such an end , would be made , no doubt , efficient by the will of the great agent , who worketh all our works in us , and for us , of his own good pleasure , and without whom we can'do nothing . object . . well , say some , say what you will , if this doctrine of election and final perseverance be true , we see not to what purpose we should preach the gospel to sinners any more , or press saints to holiness . answ . . i am weary of these impertinent objections : god hath ordained the preaching of the gospel as the great ordinance , to call in his elect , and to beget faith in them : it pleased god by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe : and not only to beget faith , but also to strengthen that faith , and to perfect the saints more and more in holiness . these men dream of an election without the means , and of a salvation without faith and regeneration , and a preserving men to eternal life without a perseverance in grace and holiness : it is a perseverance in well-doing we plead for , and this we say christ will , in the use of means , not without it , enable all his people to do ; he will help them , strengthen them , and keep their souls alive . pray consider the ways by which jesus christ preserves his people unto everlasting life ; the saints are said to be sanctified by the father , and preserved in jesus christ . . it is in a way of holiness : and from fainting , or being weary in well-doing , he stirs us up by his spirit to wait upon him , and promises , that they that wait upon the lord , shall renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles , they shall run and not be weary , walk and not faint ; or grow stronger and stronger , both in faith and patience . . christ preserves us in a way of perseverance in well-doing , by shewing us our own weakness , and that without him we can do nothing , but that we must wholly rely upon him in the way of our duties for all things we need . . by increasing grace in us : he by his word shews , that the grace we have already received , is not sufficient to keep us from falling ; therefore he stirs us up to seek to him for more grace , more faith , more patience , more humility , more wisdom , &c. . by succouring us under all temptations : for in that he himself hath suffered being tempted , he is also able to succour them that are tempted . he has purchased help and succour for tempted saints ; his bowels move him to help us against sin , and against satan : he hath a soft and tender heart , and hath a fellow-feeling of our infirmities , which is a spring of great comfort to tempted christians . . by warning and forewarning us of the danger we are in by our spiritual enemies , and charging us by his word always to be upon our watch , and not to sleep as others do . . by putting his fear into our hearts , that we may not depart from him ; that is , not finally to depart ; which he doth when at first he infuseth holy habits in us . . by his putting upon us that holy and spiritual armour , ephes . . , , , , . do these men think christ's soldiers can expect the victory , and not fight ? or overcome their enemy , though they throw away their sword , which is the word of god ? the preaching of the gospel is of wonderful use , to them it is the word of command , their captain speaks to them thereby , and shews what they are , and are not to do , and how they should keep their ranks , and maintain true order and discipline in themselves , church and families . . by his continual intercession for them , he prays for us that we may be kept in the world from the evil of it , that we may not be finally overcome thereby . these things being considered , pray , brethren , remember that as the saints cannot perish as hypocrites and unbelievers may , so they cannot sin , live in sin , and in neglect of holy duties continually , as unsound persons may do . and now , brethren , i having answered all the grand objections that are usually brought against the saints final perseverance , i shall shew you some of those absurdities which do attend the contrary doctrine , viz. that christ died to save all and every individual person in the world , and that the elect may fall totally and finally away , and perish for ever . . it renders the death of christ as to its effects , and the success thereof , uncertain , as to the salvation of any one person . . it doth imply a deficiency in god , or want of good will in him to prosecute his design to perfection in man's salvation , they affirming that christ died for all , even every individual traitor , who lies in strong chains and fetters under the power of sin and satan ; but he will not break off the cursed irons , and bring out of the prison-house but a very few of them only . . it would also follow then , that the purpose of god , yea his eternal counsel in christ jesus , may be disappointed , and eternity be subjected to time , the will of the creator to the will of the creature , the first cause to the second ; and all or many of god's absolute acts to be suspended unto the actings of sorry man , and so the lord submit to the servant : yea , as saith a reverend minister , " it sets god at an uncertainty , because it doth subject the grace of god to the will of man : it hangs the glory of his grace in all the motions of it , and the efficacy of the promises upon the slipperiness of man's will and affections . it makes the omnipotent grace of god follow , not precede the motions of man's will ; to be the lacquey , not the leader , either in converting or preserving , which is at best to make the glory of god's grace as volatile as a feather ; at the best , sometimes up , sometimes down ; the soul is this moment embraced by the lord with the dearest affections , the next cast out as a vessel wherein is no pleasure , and the succeeding moment admitted to fresh communications ; this hour the temple of the holy ghost , the next an habitation for dragons and satyrs : the will of man giving one time the key to the spirit , the next time to the devil . " . it gives occasion to man to boast , and so contradicts the whole design of god in the gospel of his own free grace , which is to take away for ever any cause for the creature in himself to glory . . it brings in that great absurdity of the repetition of regeneration , whereof there is no mention made in all the scripture ; unless they do believe all that fall away so as to lose the seed of grace , or from being in a state of grace , are lost for ever , or fall irrecoverably : but a repetition of regeneration seems to be maintained by one of the chief of them , from heb. . . if they fall away , to renew them again , &c. * 't is impossible , he denies , to renew some to repentance ; but others he would infer from thence may be renewed . now a renewing again to repentance , may be where the seed of grace was never lost , but the strength and exercise of it , as in david's and peter's case ; therefore 't is not a total falling which believers are liable to , but a partial only . but to suppose that such who are regenerated may fall totally , and be renewed again to repentance , doth presuppose a repetition of a former birth , or a second regeneration . to prove which , these men mention that text , twice dead , pluck'd up by the roots . now evident it is , that if true believers may fall totally from grace , and none of them can be renewed again , then all such that so fall , sin against the holy ghost . but if they may be renewed again , then there is a repetition of regeneration . when i come to speak to that text in the th of the hebrews , i hope i shall sufficiently prove , by the assistance of god , that those there mentioned , were not true believers ; as i have proved no true believer can so fall as to need another regeneration , though they may fall as to need a gracious restoration , or to be healed of their backsliding : restore unto me the joy of thy salvation . . it tends to frustrate the absolute design of christ , and his promise made to his saints , or makes it of none effect ; who hath said , i give them eternal life , and they shall not perish , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; not , not perish , as some read it . . it renders the death of christ in the effects of it uncertain to any ; unless they are such who have found out another way of salvation for some than for others , for some affirm , that there is an election of a certain number , and they shall infallibly be saved ; and there is a way for others to be saved too : some the king sends his chariot of free grace for , to bring them home to himself ; and others must trudg home on their own feet , which they may do if they will : which idle notion deserves no breath nor paper to confute . . that a man may be in god's special love to day , and his dear child , having his image stamp'd upon his soul , and to morrow be hated by him , and be the child of the devil , and have his likeness and image upon him . and from hence it renders god's love mutable , and as if he did not foresee all emergencies from eternity . can these men fancy infinite bowels and affections so unconcerned , as to let the apple of his eye be pluck'd out , or he be as a careless spectator , whilst he is robbed of his precious jewels by the powers of hell ; to have the delight of his soul ( as reverend charnock notes ) lost like a tennis ball between himself and the devil . . it doth cast a disgrace upon the wisdom of god , in contriving no better a way for the restoration of man , and his establishment , but that which dependeth wholly upon the voluble and inconstant temper of the creatures corrupt will to perfect in them . . such who assert that those may eternally perish whom christ died for , or in the stead of , seem to charge god with injustice , as not to acquit those whose transgressions are answered for by their surety ; or else that the sufferings of christ were not sufficient to effect a discharge due to them : or doth it not insinuate ( as one notes ) a deficiency of power , or want of good will in christ to prosecute his design to perfection ? . it suspends the virtue and success of all that christ hath done for men , upon some thing to be done by themselves , which christ is not the doer of ; and consequently , that men are principals in procuring their own salvation : and so christ shall have his thousands , ( in truth saith he his nothings ) whilst freedom of will ( or he might have said free-will ) shall have his ten thousands . is this to exalt the lord alone , or to raise and sing the praises of our beloved david ? and further , . it would also follow , as he observes , that those who are gone to heaven , have nothing more of christ's to glory in , and to praise him for , than those who are perished and gone to hell : for , according to the principle of general redemption , christ did and doth for all alike , and not a jot more for one party than for another . also , as he notes , it tends to make men presumptuous and carnally secure . how many have sooth'd up themselves in their impenitency and hardness of their hearts , and fenced themselves against the word , upon this very supposition , that christ died for all , and therefore for them , and why should not they look to be saved as well as others ? to which i might add , their notion of that power which they say is in the creature to believe , leads men out to defer looking out for salvation : for why may they not delay to do that to day , which is in their power to do to morrow , and may be perhaps some years hence as well as now ? but let them and all others know , christ's death will have its effect on their hearts , if he died for them , and they must look to him when he calls , and wait upon him for the moving of his spirit , in the use of that means which he hath ordained in order to faith and regeneration , and in the season of it , who says , to day if you will hear his voice , harden not your hearts , &c. but the will , the deed ; they must wait upon the lord to give unto them , and work by his spirit in them . application . i shall in the lost place make a little improvement of what i have said , and so finish with this text. . inform. this may serve to inform and convince all persons concerning the absolute soveraignty of god. he may save man if he please , and not angels ; or may send a saviour for some of the lost sons of adam , and not for all ; who shall say to him , what dost thou ? if he had vouchsafed a saviour for none of adam's posterity , had he been unjust , any more than he is in casting off for ever all the fallen angels ? he called abraham out of his own country , and revealed himself to him , and let others remain then under the power of sin , ignorance and idolatry , calling them not . he revealed himself to isaac , and rejected ishmael ; he chose jacob , and refused esau ; he afterwards chose the children of israel to be a peculiar people for himself , and let all other nations of the earth abide in darkness . and in the gospel-days christ chose a few poor fisher-men , and refused the learned and wise men after the flesh : nay , and hid the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven from the wise and prudent ; and all this as an act alone of his soveraignty . and in these days , what reason can be alledged , why we , and a few nations more , have the knowledg of the gospel , when the greatest part of the earth lie in popish , mahometan , and pagan darkness , but that it is his good pleasure so to do ? he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy , and whom he will he hardeneth . . praise god for the knowledg you have of the mysteries of christ , and the gospel of free-grace : brethren next unto the grace of god in my conversion , i have often said , i do look upon my self bound to admire the riches of god's love and goodness to me , in opening my eyes to see those arminian errors , which when i was young , i had from some men of corrupt principles sucked in ; nay , and when i was about years old , i wrote a little book for children , in which some of those errors were vindicated ; which after , my eyes were inlightned , and the book with alterations being again reprinted , i left out , and now do declare my dislike of the first impressions , and do disown what i there asserted : when i was a child , i thought as a child , i understood as a child , as the apostle speaks . and let me intreat you to study the nature of the covenant of grace ; for until i had that opened unto me , i was ignorant of the mysteries of the gospel . . o do not forget , that the design of god in contriving our salvation in his eternal wisdom by jesus christ , was wholly to advance his own glory , and the freeness and riches of his grace , and to abase and humble man unto the dust ; therefore be sure never err on that hand : and i think it is not easy for men well to err on the other , i mean , in exalting god alone , christ alone , though i deny not but that some good men , who in seeking to advance free-grace , perhaps have erred , and taken up some unsound notions , as that of actual or personal justification , before faith and actual union with jesus christ . o what need have we to ponder well the paths of our feet , and not with pride to magnify our selves , or strive to promote any corrupt notion , under any pretence whatsoever ! our days are evil , many dangerous errors abound , and it is cause of greatest grief to see what a generation of men are risen up of late , who strive to mix god's pure gold with their dross , and his wine with their water . though on the other hand , let us bless and praise the lord for raising up so many brave champions in the mean time , of our brethren of the congregational way , to defend the gospel of god's grace , and the truth as it is in jesus : yet i could wish there was not so much gall in some of them against us their brethren , who in all the great truths of christianity are of one mind and judgment , and yet are exposed to reproach for witnessing to a truth of christ that lies as plain in the gospel as any one truth or positive precept of christ whatsoever ; i mean , that of believers baptism . why should we be censured for maintaining that truth which the holy ghost so fully bears witness unto ? i long to see more of the spirit of love and charity ; would to god that chapter , cor. . was more read and considered . . this may also serve to reprehend such who strive to cast reproach upon this holy doctrine , and such that maintain it as if it tended to incourage people in sin , or open a door to licentiousness : let all for ever forbear such reflections ; is not this the purport of that doctrine which we vindicate ? ( . ) that there is wrought and preserved in the minds and souls of all believers , by the holy spirit , a supernatural principle of grace and holiness , whereby they are made meet , and enabled to live unto god , and discharge all duties of obedience which he requireth of them , and accepteth through christ ; which principle or habit of grace is essentiaily distinct from all natural habits , intellectual and moral , however , and by what means so ever acquired or improved . ( . ) that the holy spirit by his effectual operations , doth enable us , according as we are required by his immediate influences , in all acts of obedience ; whether internal only in faith and love , &c. or external also ; even so , that all the powers of our souls , and members of our bodies , are or ought to be in a spiritual manner governed and influenced thereby , and unto all duties of holiness , in our daily walking with god : and that all this is the effect of god's free-grace to us in jesus christ , who hath communicated of the spirit without measure , to our blessed head and mediator , that he may give it forth to all his saints that have union with him , and believe in him . brethren , god hath circumcised the hearts of his people , to love him with all their souls , and with all their strength : he writes his law in our hearts , as he promised ; i will put my law in their inward parts , and write it in their hearts . this gracious habit or principle in the soul , is nothing but a transcript of the holy law of god , implanted and abiding in our hearts , whereby we are enabled , with chearfulness and ready inclination of our spirits , to act in the duties of obedience and holiness unto god , as he requireth of us : and also our likeness and conformity unto god , doth consist herein ; i say , it doth consist in this divine and sacred principle , or spiritual habit that is infused into the soul , it is our spiritual life , whereby we live unto god ; it is the foundation and sum of all internal excellencies ; no works , no duties , are accepted , where this principle is not . it is a vital principle of holiness , and it makes religion co-natural to us : moreover , it is a certain , a permanent , and an abiding principle ; it is that seed that remains in believers , and will have good and spiritual fruit to attend it : therefore this doctrine must needs promote holiness , that is thus founded on such a sacred principle , and the motives are every way as strong . . it appears , brethren , that our standing by grace is most firm and sure , it is like the standing of those who are in their consummate state in glory : the good angels , and blessed souls above , are confirmed in that state by superabounding grace ; for by nature ( as one observes ) the angels are mutable : what was the reason some of them fell , who beheld the face of god ? the bare beholding the face and glory of god , will not continue one creature in a happy state , without an act of divine and confirming grace ; it is a continual addition of grace , and supplies of grace , that preserves our souls in a state of life : and to this end are we united to jesus christ ; i mean to such an head , that of and from his fulness we might have a communication of strength , and all divine influences , as our souls do stand in need . . and this being so , labour after the exercise of grace , rest not in a small degree thereof ; the more grace you have , the more glory you will bring to god , and the more easy it will be for you to resist temptations . . the more grace , also the more peace : holiness is that which god calls for ; it is that which becomes his house for ever , and without it no man shall ever see the lord. therefore let this be the use of all the sermons you have heard from this text , even to work up your hearts to thankfulness , to holiness , in all the whole course of your lives , and to depend upon christ alone , into whose hand you are committed by the father , that he would give you fresh supplies of grace , and keep you from falling . to whom , with the father , and the holy spirit , be glory and praise for ever . amen . the trial of the false professor : or , the danger of final apostacy ; opened in three sermons , preached lately at horse-lie-down : wherein the nature of the sin against the holy ghost is discovered . heb. vi. , , . for it is impossible for those who were once enlightned , and have tasted of the heavenly gift , and were made partakers of the holy ghost , ver . and have tasted the good word of god , and the powers of the world to come , ver . . if they fall away , to renew them again unto repentance : seeing they crucify to themselves the son of god afresh , and put him to an open shame , ver . . beloved , this place of holy scripture was sent to me in writing some months ago , i know not by whom , perhaps by some who hold a total and final apostacy from a state of true grace . but before i entered upon this text , i resolved , in the strength of god , to endeavour to prove the impossibility of their final falling , who are true believers , or such who have real union with jesus christ , which i hope i have effectually done . i know that this text is brought by some to prove , that true believers may fall , not only foully , but also finally : which certainly is a great mistake , which i shall endeavour , god assisting , to make appear . mr. john goodwin , speaking of this place , and that in heb. . . if we sin wilfully , &c. saith , evident it is from these two passages , the holy ghost , after a serious manner , and with a very pathetick and moving sirain of speech and discourse , ( scarce the like to be found in all the scripture ) admonisheth those who are at present true believers , to take heed of relapsing into the ways of their former ignorance and impiety . this caveat or admonition he presseth by an argument of this import , that in case they shall thus relapse , there will be very little or no hope at all of their recovery or return to the estate of faith and grace , wherein now they stand before the faces of such sayings and passages as these : rightly understood , and duly considered , there is no standing for that doctrine which denies a possibility , either of a total or final defection of the saints , &c. he add , that the supposition or hypothetical proposition , if they fall away , doth denote here a possibility of it : which i will not deny ; but that these persons of which the apostle speaks , were true believers , i see no ground at all to believe , but do utterly deny it : yet i readily grant , this hath always been look'd upon as a very difficult place of scripture to be rightly understood , i have therefore consulted the best authors and exposuors i could meet with upon it . . and i find that some of the antients , mistaking the drift and design of the holy ghost herein , would take no repentance from such who fell under temptation in times of persecution , especially if they fell into idolatry . . nay , such as fell into scandalous crimes , as adultery , and the like , they would not admit by repentance into the church , or have communion any more with them . and from hence i find that tertullian reflects upon the bishop of rome , that had admitted an adulterer upon his repentance . also novatus , as i find him quoted by a good author , denied all hope of church pardon unto such persons that had fallen into gross sins , after they had made a profession of the gospel , and that from hence . which may seem strange , considering that paul admitted the incestuous person upon his repentance , that being so notorious a crime , as most do or can fall into . but no more as to this . brethren , before i proceed , let me premise three or four things . . that the apostacy here spoken of , is not a bare falling into this or that actual sin , be it of whatever nature it will : for do we not read how grievously some of the saints of god sinned and fell , and yet were restored again by repentance ? . nor is it a partial apostacy , or a falling upon temptation or surprizal , in time of persecution , though it be to the denying of christ ; for did not peter so fall , and yet was restored afterwards ? . neither is it a falling into some capital error , as some of the corinthians fell , by denying the resurrection of the dead , whom paul laboured to recover : or like that of the galatians , who fell by denying justification by faith alone , but mix'd works with god's free grace in that great point of faith. . nor is it a falling of ignorant persons , who never made any profession of religion ; such are not capable so to sin as is here mentioned , because it is expresly said to be such who were once enlightned , &c. . and lastly ; neither is it a falling away of such who are justified persons , or of those who have savingly been enlightned and quickned by the spirit of god ; for such i have sufficiently proved cannot fall totally and finally so as to perish . thus far in the negative . but in the affirmative . . this apostacy is a total and final falling away ; and that because it is said , it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance . . it doth intend , or comprehend , such persons that have received the knowledg of the truth , or of the way of righteousness , according to that in pet. . , . they are such who have not only been enlightned , but also are such who had tasted of the heavenly gift . . yet never were savingly illuminated , wrought upon , or regenerated by the spirit and grace of god. brethren , there are great attainments which persons may arrive unto , without one dram of true saving grace ; as the young man , also the foolish virgins , and those meant by the stony and thorny ground , mat. . i shall now come to the text it self : and , first , consider the words , with the connexion of those things preceding and succeeding secondly , the subjects or persons spoken of , under their divers qualifications . thirdly , what it is that is said concerning these persons . first , as touching the connexion of the words with what precedes , it is evident , that the hebrew church , or some among them , had been slow and dull of hearing , or very ill proficients in the school of christ , viz. they had not attained to that knowledg and experience which for the time they had they might have arrived unto , chap. . . they seemed but infants or babes in knowledg , and had need to be taught again which were the first principles of the doctrine of christ . and from hence the apostle acquaints them with the danger of not persevering in the knowledg of christ , and of not pressing forward , or going on to perfection : and also intimates , that this would give just cause or ground to fear , that they were not sincere christians ; and from thence gives them an account of those that might sin the sin against the holy ghost , or of the miserable state and condition of such who after high illuminations and great knowledg of the divine truth , and a profession of the gospel , do fall away ; whose apostacy , though at first it might be but partial , yet might ( they not being truly regenerated ) end at last in a total and final falling away : and that deadness , dulness , and non-proficiency in godliness , might and would end ( if their hearts were not right with god ) in a final apostacy : or , as a worthy writer notes , he presupposeth , " except they study to make progress , they shall go backwards ; and that going backwards , tendeth to apostacy : and that voluntary and compleat apostacy from known truth , doth harden the heart from repentance , and cutteth off a man from mercy : he accounteth our natural security so great , that there is need of most fearful threatnings to awaken us out of it ; and that the way to be freed from final falling , is to make a good progression . " from hence note , doct. . that the severest doctrine is not only useful , but exceeding necessary towards persons that are observed to be remiss and slothful in their profession . yet charity becomes a minister nevertheless , and not to censure a people from hence . and this we may gather from what he saith , with the connexion of the words with what succeeds : but beloved , we are perswaded better things of you , and things that accompany salvation , though we thus speak , ver . . secondly , we shall consider the persons here spoken of , under their divers qualifications and great attainments , which are five-fold ; and yet notwithstanding all that , they might fall away and perish for ever : and if they did fall totally , before they were truly regenerated , their apostacy would be final ; or it would be impossible for them to be renewed again by repentance , either to that state in which they were before , or unto a better , from whence there is no possibility of their final falling . in this general description of the persons here mentioned , let us consider four or five things more particularly . st . consider the apostle's design , which is to declare or discover the fearful state and just judgment of god against the persons here meant or intended . dly . that those five attainments he here speaks of , are acquired by some who had been professors of the gospel , and look'd upon as eminent christians , such that had made a profession of repentance from dead works , and of faith towards god , and had been baptized , and owned all other principles of the doctrine of christ . see ver . , , . dly . that all those high privileges and attainments , whereof they were made partakers by the gospel , they afterwards despised ; or , when under their apostacy , did contemn : which loudly proclaims their destruction from god to be just and deserved . thly . that all their privileges and attainments , ( as reverend dr. owen observes ) do consist in certain operations of the holy ghost , under the dispensation of the gospel ; and therefore not such persons that never professed it , or had been enlightned thereby . thly . and let it be well and for ever observed , that the apostle mentions not one of those special and distinguishing marks or characters of true believers or sanctified christians . as , . here is not a word of the covenant of grace into which they had been received , nothing spoken of the faith of the operation of god in all those five attainments they had arrived at . . not a word of their having attained to union with christ , or of the implantation of the holy spirit , though they had had some kind of taste thereof . . not a word of regeneration ; he doth not say , it is impossible for such that have been born of god , begotten of the spirit : no , no , nothing of that . here is nothing spoken of their being justified , or of justification unto life . . not a word in all their fivefold attainments of sanctification by the spirit ; we read not of any effectual calling they had arrived unto . . nothing is mentioned of their election , of adoption , nor of their love to god or to his poor saints ; none of these things are expressed or assigned unto them , which do all appertain to every true christian . thly . it ought also carefully to be noted , that when the apostle comes to speak of his hope of the saints to whom he wrote , i. e. that they were not such , he lays down or describes by way of intimation , the characters of true believers , by other distinguishing qualifications : but beloved , we are perswaded better things of you , and things that accompany salvation , though we thus speak . now observe , if those persons he mentions that had been once enlightned , and had tasted of the heavenly gift , &c. had been true christians ; what better things could the apostle be perswaded was in these hebrews than was in them ? are there better things than vnion with christ , than justification , than regeneration , true faith , pardon of sin , love to god and to his people , sanctification of the spirit and adoption ? no , no , there are no better things that any christian can attain unto in this life than these . moreover , thly . the apostle clearly intimates , that they were such who were like the ground which the rain falls oft upon , that nevertheless brings forth briars and thorns , and no good fruit. thly . there is one thing particularly noted by the apostle concerning these hebrew christians , which they had , and which the other had not , therefore not gracious persons : see ver . . for god is not unrighteous , to forget your work of faith and labour of love , which ye have shewed toward his name , in that ye have ministred to the saints , and do minister . ( . ) this he mentions as a reason of his good opinion of them , and why he was so perswaded of them ; and which was better than all those high attainments of which he speaks concerning such that are in danger of final apostacy : love to the poor saints in ministring to them for the sake of christ , or because they are the members of his body , is more than all those five attainments mentioned in the th , th and th verses . now also let it be considered , that if this fruit of true and saving grace , i mean , charity or love to the poor saints , as such , had been in the persons he speaks of , who were in danger of falling finally ; how then could this be an argument of such confidence in paul concerning them , or of comfort to those saints he wrote unto ? alas , what are common illuminations ? what is it to have some transit taste of the heavenly gift , or to be made partakers of the common operations of the spirit in convictions of sin or of duty , to the inhabitation of the spirit , or unfeigned love to christ and to the children of god ? or what is it to have some taste of the good word of god , to a spiritual feeding and digesting it , or to be affected with the powerful doctrine of the gospel in respect of the world to come ; or with the resurrection of the dead and last judgment , to the gracious experience of the power of christ's resurrection , and so feel in our souls a discharge from the judgment of the great day , through faith in jesus christ ? ( . ) the apostle was perswaded concerning these hebrew christians , that they had such things in them that did accompany salvation ; that is , such things that are inseparable from salvation ; i. e. such who have them shall certainly be saved . he describes such who are sincere christians , by the fruits and effects of true grace , namely , the work of faith , and labour of love , by which their obedience unto god did appear . . he notes the principle from whence they acted in their duty to god. . the constancy of their obedience ; they continued in bringing forth of that good fruit , they had ministred to the saints , and still did minister to them . . he takes notice of the principle from whence they acted , or did what they did , viz. they ministred to the saints in love to god , and to jesus christ ; it was love shewed to his name . . he adds that in their preservation in their happy state , the faithfulness of god : god is not unrighteous to forget your work of faith , &c. which comprehends his covenant and promise to them ; which for their farther comfort , he enlargeth upon , ver . to ver . . to which he subjoins the promise and oath of god made to all that are sincere believers , or heirs of the promise . but to proceed , to speak to those five qualifications or attainments of the perso she speaks of in our text , who may fall away and finally perish for ever . first , the first is their being once enlightned . they might be instructed in the doctrine of the gospel beyond many , or be illuminated , not only by learning the literal knowledg of the gospel , as men learn philosophy , but also may attain to some supernatural light by the common illuminations of the spirit ; and may understand many profound mysteries of the gospel : yet remember , knowledg puffeth up ; they might have knowing heads , but graceless hearts . note from hence , doct. . that it is a high privilege and an attainment for men to be enlightned with the knowledg of the gospel ; yet nevertheless men may attain to much light therein , and yet not be savingly enlightned , but may finally fall away and perish notwithstanding at last . first , i shall shew you what the common illuminations of the spirit are that men may fall from . secondly , shall shew you what the saving and special illuminations of the spirit are , and how they differ . st . common enlightnings of the word and spirit , may tend to convince the conscience of a sinner of sin. . as to the horrid guilt thereof , as it exposeth the soul to god's wrath : thus was judas enlightned , his conscience was convinced that he had betrayed the innocent blood : thus also felix was enlightned under paul's preaching . . from these convictions they may also with much horror confess their sins : cain , judas , and many others did this . . from these illuminations and convictions , they may reform their lives , and do many things , like as herod did upon his hearing john the baptist . . nay , common illuminations may discover to the sinner much of that evil that there is in sin , that god abhorreth it , and that it is contrary to his nature , as well as a violation of his holy law ; and this light they may receive , from what god declares concerning sin , and of his abhorrence of it in his word , as also by those fearful judgments which he inflicteth upon , and pronounceth against such that sin , live in sin , and make a trade of it . likewise by the knowledg they may attain concerning christ's suffering for sin , and by the punishment of the damned in hell ; and no doubt but the devils know the great evil of sin in all these respects . but pray observe , that although these persons may know that sin is against god , contrary to his holy nature , and that he doth abhor it ; yet this light and knowledg they have , never brings them to loath and abhor it in themselves because of the evil nature of it , and as it is against god. dly . they also by these common illuminations , may come to know that god is man's chiefest good : the heathen found this out by the light of nature , considering in themselves that nothing in this world could satisfy the soul , &c. but these persons attain unto a farther sight and knowledg of it , by the word , in a supernatural manner ; but yet remember that the light they have , never leadeth them to make choice of god as their chiefest good and only happiness . dly . they may attain unto the knowledg of all the great and essential principles of the christian religion , and be able to dispute and contend for them also , against opposers ; nay , may be able preachers of that holy doctrine : have we not prophesied in thy name ? &c. no doubt but judas was a great preacher as well as peter . yet observe , and note it well , they may be utter strangers to that grace , faith , love and regeneration , which they may open , explain , and press upon others . thly . they may know that christ is a most blessed and precious object ; but yet never experienced him to be precious above all things to themselves . thly they may know the true church , and also know what is required of persons in order to their becoming members thereof , namely , repentance , faith and baptism : nay , and they may have some kind of repentance ; judas repented : also they may believe ; simon believed : they may have a common faith , the faith of credence , or an historical faith ; believe the report of the gospel and revelation of christ , and the sum of the christian religion ; nay , believe or receive the word with some sort of joy , mat. . . moreover , they may be baptized and received into the church , and be look'd upon to be true believers : but because these things are daily opened to you , i shall not enlarge further upon them : you that have that excellent book , called , the almost christian , may see how far a man may go and be but a false professor . o take heed you rest not on any external knowledg or revelation of divine things . you can talk of religion , dispute for those great points of faith ; you know truth from error ; and so you may , and yet perish for ever . moreover consider , that all convictions that end not in regeneration , or in true conversion , or that change not the heart and life , will avail you nothing . secondly , i shall shew you the nature of true illuminations , and how the one differs from the other : it appears by what the holy ghost intimates here and in other places , as well as by all our experiences , that light or illumination is the first thing god doth create in the souls of all that are renewed ; and if it be but a common light , the work that flows therefrom will be but a common work of the spirit ; and if that light that is in men be darkness , how great is that darkness ! now as touching the special and saving illuminations of the spirit , they differ from the common . . in respect of convictions of sin : evangelical illuminations of the spirit , discover to the soul its fearful state ; not only that sin is of a hateful nature , but that he is condemned as a person dead in law , and trembles at the sight and sense thereof , not knowing but that the sentence may be suddenly executed upon him : they were pricked in the heart , and cried out , men and brethren , what shall we do ? it was their sin that made them cry out . but pray observe , that the sight and sense of sin never breaks the heart throughly and kindly , till the soul sees the pardoning grace of god in christ . shew a condemned malefactor a pardon from his prince , ( that was hardned before under the sense of the severity of the law ) o then he is melted and wounded , goodness and mercy overcomes him ; so it is with a poor sinner , when he sees god's love and grace in christ ; or a bleeding christ , who has born the punishment due to him for his offences : then he is kindly broken , and mourns that ever he grieved or offended god ; they shall look unto him whom they have pierced , and shall mourn : it was jesus that you have crucified , the lord of life and glory , whom god hath made both lord and christ . . common convictions reach only to some sins , perhaps scandalous sins ; they chiefly , if not only , torment the conscience , under some awakening providence , or under the preaching of wrath and judgment ; and as he reasoned of righteousness , temperance , and judgment to come , felix trembled . doubtless felix lived in some gross sin , and now his conscience was awakened , and terrified him for those evils , he hearing of the judgment to come . but special illuminations in convictions , cause the soul to see all its sins , its secret sins , yea , heart-evils : come , see a man which told me all things that ever i did ; is not this the christ ? christ's word laid all the evils of the heart open to her sight . i was , faith david shapen in iniquity ; and in sin did my mother conceive me . all sin afflicts the soul , original sin as well as actual sin. . common convictions make a person sensible of the punishment of sin , and to feel the wrath of god which is due unto him : my punishment is greater than i can bear , saith cain . but special illuminations under convictions make the soul to groan under the filth and pollution of sin ; they shall loath themselves for the evils they have committed . but when is that ? even when they see that i am ( saith the lord ) pucified towards them : and ye shall remember your ways , and all your doings wherein you have been defiled , and ye shall loath your selves in your own sight . hence job cries out , i abhor my self , and repent in dust and ashes . moreover , upon this respect it was that david compared his sin and pollution to a loathsom disease . the one cries out , that he has offended an angry god ; this is the nature of legal convictions , such would fain get out of god's hands , he flies from him : but the other cries out , i have grieved a good and gracious god , and he flies to him , as the prodigal did to his loving and compassionate father . . common illuminations in convictions , lay the soul half dead , he sees he is wounded ; but special illuminations of the spirit , discover the soul is quite dead : when the commandment came , sin revived , and i died . the one discovers that the person is a sinner , but not in a helpless state ; for though he sees he is undone by his sin and disobedience , yet he thinks he may rise by his duties and obedience : but a person truly enlightned , sees he must have a principle of life infused , before he can rise , live , or act ; and that all his own righteousness he hath , or is capable of obtaining , is but as dung and filthiness in his sight . . common illuminations cause a man to see sin , as it is a great evil against himself ; i have killed a man to my hurt , saith one of this sort : but special illuminations discover sin to be the greatest evil , as it is against god : the one may know that god hates sin , but the other is brought to hate it himself , and because god hates it : against thee , thee only have i sinned , and done this evil in thy sight . o saith a poor believer , what have i done ? i have contemned , despised , and spit in the very face of god ; the one is afraid of god , but the other fears god ; the one is afraid of him because of his justice , the other feareth god because of his goodness ; they shall fear the lord and his goodness ; or shall fear and worship god in christ , because of his goodness , grace and mercy . . common illuminations give a person a sense of death and wrath due to sin ; but special illuminations give a man a sense and an effecting sight of the death of christ , and of that wrath and curse he hath born for him in his stead : legal convictions discovered only to them under the law ( who saw no further ) that the life of the poor beasts went for sin ; but evangelical convictions shew that nothing can atone for our sins , and satisfy god's justice , but the life of the son of god , not the blood of bulls or lambs ; no , it must be the blood of the lamb of god. . common illuminations are a man's torment and affliction , and fain he would be eased and freed of them , and of the smart thereby ; but the special ones tend to make a man fear that he is not troubled enough , he would be searched thorowly : search me , and know my heart ; try me , and know my thoughts ; see if there be any evil way in me . o lance my soul , lord lay open my sore , let me not be slightly healed : the one would fain shake the trouble off , he thinks it is enough , nay , too much ; the other would have it lie faster on : o let not my sore be skinned over . the devils cried , why dost thou torment us before the time ? so unsound persons would not be tormented ; but conscience hath got hold of them , and they cannot get out of its hand . but one truly enlightned , saith , with david , i will be sorry for my sin ; i chuse it , i desire it : the one desires to be freed from the effects of sin , from the pain and punishment thereof ; but the other cries out to be delivered from the sin , which is the cause of all pain and punishment : the one is like the swine , who likes not the whip , yet loves the mire ; they like not the lash of the law , but hate to come under the yoke of the gospel : the one cries out for a plaister to ease his conscience , may be he is willing to let some boughs and twigs be lop'd off ; but the other would have the ax laid to the root of the tree ; he would have the body of sin , as well as the branches , to be destroyed ; he is for cutting off the right hand , lusts of profit , and for pulling out the right eye , lusts of pleasure : the unsound soul is , like saul , for sparing some of the fat of the cattel , and agag the king , i mean his chief and beloved lusts ; but a sincere christian is for yielding up all to the sword of the spirit . . common enlightnings work terror , which may be at last drive the soul further from god ; as it is said of cain , he went out from the presence of the lord : but special and saving convictions , cause the soul to draw nearer to god in jesus christ : the one is like a slave under the rod , fain would get away from his master ; the other is like a child under the rod , that desires to see and behold his father's reconciled face and favour . the common illuminations wound , but the soul sees not the way of cure , nor will he bear the instrument which would let out the life and power of sin , but perhaps catches up some thing or another to apply to his sore , may be his changed life , his duties and good deeds : from hence he hopes that his state is good , he being as he thinks not the man he once was . but as he who is under special illuminations , comes to be wounded , by beholding a bleeding saviour , which is the alone way of cure ; so he chiefly desires that faith , that grace which will destroy the life and power of all sin , and thorowly cleanse and purify his soul. brethren , the spirit of a sinner may be torn into pieces by legal terror , the heart of stone may be broken , and yet no heart of flesh be given ; the ground may be plow'd up in part , yet the seed of grace not sown in the heart : sensuality , saith one , may be kept down by a spirit of bondage , when it is not cast out by the spirit of adoption : they have the law to convince them , but not grace to renew them ; it is not being once enlightned that is sufficient , unless truly enlightned ; it is not great knowledg , unless it be sanctified ; it is not the fair fruit of reformation , nor oil in the lamp of the outward life and visible profession of religion ; it is not your seeming pious duties nor legal convictions that discover you to be a true christian : no , nothing short of union with christ , and faith that works by love , avails any thing . neither circumcision , nor uncircumcision , but a new creature . . common or legal illuminations doubtless flow from a sense of god's power , who is able to punish and reward the creature according to his work ; not that they would be like god , but can't alas get out of the hand of god : but true spiritual enlightnings rise from a sense of god's holiness , by beholding the excellency of it , and seeing a necessity of a conformity thereunto ; the convictions of the one at the best is at a stay , they do not grow , however they never terminate in conversion ; the effect cannot exceed the cause , they only tend to reform the life , and oft-times such return with the dog to his vomit again : but the path of the just , in spiritual convictions , is as a shining light that shineth more and more to a perfect day . spiritual enlightnings lead the soul to christ ; the spirit in them doth not only convince of sin , but also of righteousness ; such see all their old props and supports to fail them : 't is christ now , and none but christ ; the world is nothing to them , a name is of no worth to them : knowledg and gifts without grace will not satisfy them ; they see the vanity of the creature , and the fulness of the mediator . christ is the chiefest of ten thousand to all such : others may see some things christ hath purchased that may affect them ; but these see an excellency in his person ; to you that believe , he is precious . he is an honour , or honourable : whom have i in heaven but thee ? and there is none on earth that i desire besides thee . these have their eyes opened to see the nature of god , the holiness of the law , the weakness of the creature , the sinfulness of sin , and the sufficiency of jesus christ . others are convinced of many sins , and of some degree of evil in sin ; but these see that sin is exceeding sinful , and that no sin is so odious as the sin of unbelief , in which respects common convictions fail . now considering what enlightnings men may have , and yet not be savingly enlightned , what little reason is there for any to conclude , that the persons in our text were sanctified , holy , and true christians , because the holy ghost says they were once enlightned ? they may have , or attain unto a great change , but not a true and thorow change ; and they may be such who arrive to light in spiritual things above thousands , nay , may be , exceed many true christians in knowledg , abilities , gifts , and in their lives and conversations too , in some respects , and may not doubt of the goodness of their state , nay and may suffer for religion , yea give their bodies to be burned , and yet be destitute of saving grace , or of true love to god , and therefore not self-condemned hypocrites , whose hearts condemn them , and yet be far from the state of sincere and renewed christians . application . . o see what light , what spiritual light you have received , and what convictions you have had the experience of . . which do you account the greatest evil , sin or suffering , the torture or pain you feel , or the sin you have committed ? do you groan most under the sense of sin , and want of holiness ; or under the presages and fear of hell and damnation ? may be you cry out , your state is sad ; but what think you of your sin which is the cause of it ? . be exhorted to labour after true spiritual illuminations , and thorow convictions of sin. motives . . sin will be your pain and sorrow , first or last , either here or hereafter . . consider what a good and gracious god you have offended . . without effectual convictions , there will be no true conversion ; and where the first is indeed wrought , the last will follow ; those that god kills in this respect , he will make alive . . remember the word never comes with power , until convictions come with power , and also abide on the soul and conscience of the sinner . . consider that it is better to be broken in mercy than in judgment , better here than in hell. . remember that true and thorow convictions tend to let out the life or power of your sin ; and consider also what means of convictions god is pleased to afford you . . sinner , christ was wounded for thy sin , look up to him ; nothing breaks the soul rightly , you have heard , but a sight of a broken and crucified christ . heb. vi. , . for it is impossible for those , &c. i have closed with the first qualification or attainment of these persons spoken of in my text ; i shall now proceed to the second , and have tasted of the heavenly gift . . by the heavenly gift , some understand the heavenly doctrine : in that sense it may be true , for herod had some kind of taste of the heavenly doctrine , which john the baptist preached ; he heard him gladly , or with joy. as the baptism of john is said to be from heaven , so all the truths and ordinances of the gospel may be said to be but one intire heavenly gift . . others by the heavenly gift understand the holy ghost , according to that in acts . . thou hast thought the gift of god may be purchased with money . so acts . . that on the gentiles also was poured the gift of the holy ghost . quest . but what gift of the holy ghost is it which these persons are said to have a taste of ? answ . . the miraculous operations of the holy ghost in the times of the gospel , in the extraordinary gifts thereof , which are said to come down from heaven in a way of eminency , as acts . , . and of those gifts these persons might have some taste , either by their receiving those gifts themselves , ( for that unsound persons may do , and in thy name we have cast out devils : so cor. . , . and though i have all faith , so that i could remove mountains , and have not charity , i am nothing : ) or else they may be said to have a taste of those gifts , by being wonderfully affected , by beholding the miraculous operations of this heavenly gift wrought by others . . by tasting of the heavenly gift , it may refer to the doctrine of the gospel , it may denote their making some trial by hearing , and diligently attending on the doctrine of salvation ; there is a tasting for trial , either to receive , or refuse , as we commonly do meats or other things : every tasting is not a digesting , men taste before they eat , and digest food . these persons may taste of the doctrine of justification , taste of the heavenly gift or doctrine of god's free grace , taste of the ordinance of baptism , and the lord's supper , and seem also to like the heavenly gift well in all these and in other respects , yet may feed all the while on some one lust or another , on the love of this world , or on their carnal and sensual pleasures ; and because they were never savingly renewed , having no new nature , they could not feed on spiritual things so as to digest them . no doubt it was , or is such a tasting as the full stomach takes sometimes of food , a full stomach will taste , yet refuse to eat , they have no appetite , these being glutted with the love of other things ; the heavenly gift is not so sweet to them , as food is to an hungry man. the sum then is this , these persons had , or may have , some experience of the holy ghost in the miraculous gifts , either in themselves , or in others , their understandings being enlightned , ( for it is evident that 't is a taste by illuminations , by what we before shewed ) and they also might taste the heavenly doctrine or ministration of the gospel , and might find the truths , the institutions and worship thereof to be good ; they making a trial of it so far as their carnal and unsanctified hearts were capable to do ; yea they might find the ways of god better than once they thought before they were inlightned , and from thence imbraced them to appearance , owned and walked therein for a time . doct. . that there is a goodness , and an excellency in the heavenly gift and heavenly doctrine of the gospel , which such may taste of that never receive the truth in the power and love thereof . doct. . that the rejecting , and utter casting off the gospel , and the ordinance and worship thereof , after some tastes and experience of it , is an high offence to god , and a fearful aggravation of sin , and a certain presage of damnation . so much as to their second attainment . dly . and were made partakers of the holy ghost . this seems to be more than a bare tasting . object . doth not this seem to interfere with your exposition of the attainment you mentioned last ? answ . . to this take dr. owen's answer . " it is ( saith he ) ordinary to have the same thing twice expressed in various words , to quicken the sense of them . " " . the holy ghost is mentioned before , as he hints , as the great gift of the gospel-times , as coming down from heaven ; not absolutely , not as unto his person , but with respect unto an especial work , namely , the changing of the whole state of religious worship in the church of god. " . but here in these words when it is said , they were made partakers of the holy ghost , it is spoken chiefly in respect unto external actual operations . . they partake of the holy spirit in the common operations of it themselves ; they tasted the heavenly doctrine as it was administred by others , as it is hinted before : but here is a reception , or a partaking of the holy spirit , whereby it had some great and visible operations upon their hearts and lives , though not saving operations , not such that changed them into a state of grace . . nay they partake not only of common gifts , but common grace also , even such grace that doth reform their lives , bridle , restrain , and curb their inordinate lusts and passions ; so that through the knowledg of jesus christ , they esteeming him as their blessed saviour , they are said to escape the pollution of the world , as peter plainly declares , though afterwards they are again intangled therein and overcome . . they did no doubt by the assistance of the holy spirit , leave and forsake those evil ways , and prophane courses and practices in which they lived before : may be they were gross idolaters , adulterers , blasphemers , &c. but the spirit by its common operations did so far strive and prevail with them , that they became other men : as it is said of king saul , the spirit of god will come upon thee , and thou shalt be turned into another man , but not a new man ; and god gave him another heart . . these persons may partake of such grace which the foolish virgins had , to keep their lamps of profession burning for a time. doct. . the holy spirit may be with persons , nay in them , by his common operations , with whom he is not by his gracious inhabitation ; they may partake of common , but not of saving grace . thly . the fourth attainment of these persons , or these false professors , is this , viz. — and tasted of the good word of god. four things i shall do in speaking unto this . first , shew what is meant by the word of god. secondly , shew why it is called the good word of god. thirdly , shew what a taste an unsound christian may have of the good word of god. fourthly , and also shew what a taste it is that a true christian hath of it . first , by the word of god is meant , the word of the gospel ; faith cometh by hearing , and hearing by the word of god. again it is said , from you sounded out the word of god , that is , the gospel of christ . secondly , it is called the good word of god. . because it bringeth good news to sinners , the tidings it brings are good and profitable to all that receive it in truth . . because it is a declaration of that good and gracious counsel and purpose of god in saving poor sinners by jesus christ : it is heavenly , sublime ; the nature and glory of god in all his attributes is made manifest thereby . . it is good in the blessed effects thereof . that which is excellent and precious in it self , and also doth as much good , we esteem very good . now as divine truth is pure , thy word is pure , therefore thy servant loveth it ; so it is precious above gold , in the effects of it on the heart . . it enlightens the eyes , it illuminates dark minds , it is a shining light ; thy word is a lamp unto my feet , and a light unto my path. . it quickens and revives a soul under deadness , therefore it is good ; thy word hath quickned me . . it is that which inriches the soul : let the word of god dwell in you richly . we have this treasure in earthen vessels , that the excellency of the power may be of god , and not of us . hence ministers , by preaching the gospel , though they may be externally poor , yet make many spiritually rich . . it may be said to be good , because of the powerful effects it hath on mens souls , where it comes not in word only . the word of god is quick and powerful , sharper than any two-edged sword. it makes the dead to live , infusing through the spirit , life , and regenerating grace into the hearts of sinners ; it searcheth and purges out all corruption ; by the means of it young and old come to have their hearts and ways cleansed : now ye are clean through the word which i have spoken unto you . . it is our sword by which we offend and wound our enemies , and defend our selves against all their assaults and temptations . . it is good in respect of that discovery it makes of god , of jesus christ , and of salvation , as also of future glory ; there is contained in it a revelation of the incarnation of the son of god , with all the effects of infinite wisdom in the glorious contrivance of our redemption : what doth the pagan world understand or know of these things , who have not the good word of god with them ? . it hath a comforting , a healing , and strengthning virtue in it ; and it also preserves from sin , therefore it is good : thy word have i hid in my heart , that i might not sin against thee . it gives peace and quiet to a disturbed and distressed mind , when the promises are set home with power upon the conscience : how many hath that one word revived , that have been ready to drop into hell in the sense of their sin ; come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden , and i will give you rest . . it is our food , i mean the food of our souls ; yea , both milk for babes , and strong meat for men of riper age : nay , it is sweet , satisfying and soul-fatning food , therefore it is good . sirs , if you have never tasted how good the word of god is , your state doubtless is bad ; but it is not enough to have a taste of it , but you must feed upon it : eat , o friends ; drink , yea drink abundantly , o beloved . thirdly , i shall proceed to shew you what a kind of taste an unsound christian may have of the word of god. it is evident , that the apostle here carefully keeps himself to such expressions as we have in the text , to shew he intends not such persons , who by faith truly receive and spiritually feed on jesus christ ; therefore it is said , have tasted . true , by tasting sometimes is meant a spiritual feeding ; o taste and see that the lord is good : compared with that in peter , if so be ye have tasted that the lord is gracious . brethren , every one that feeds , may be said to taste , though he doth more than taste ; but every one that tasteth , may not be said to feed ; no , nor be said to love , approve of , nor digest that which he tasteth of . pray remember , to feed is more than to taste ; i did but taste a little honey , saith jonathan : and it is said of our saviour , when he had tasted thereof , he would not drink ; he tasted , but did not drink : so men may taste , and yet may not eat , not feed upon that they tasted of . i shall now come to shew you what a taste they may have of the word of god. . as tasting respecteth experience , or simple knowledg of the truth of a thing , so these persons may have a taste , i. e. may have a simple knowledg or experience of the truth of the word of the gospel ; they may taste in this sense , they may believe or be fully convinced in their consciences by what they have heard , and have met with by such operations of the spirit that have past upon them , that the gospel is true , and that christ is the only saviour , and that the institutions and ordinances of the gospel are his blessed appointments . thus many of the jews tasted of christ's word , i. e. they believed in his name , when they saw the miracles which he did ; but jesus did not commit himself unto them , because he knew all men : they gave a true assent to the proposition of his word , yet did not close in with him , they did not consent to receive him , to desire , love and obey him , they had no union with him by saving faith ; and the like may be said of these persons in our text. . nay , these persons finding jesus christ to be the true and great saviour , they may taste the word , or believe with some kind of joy , though it be a false joy ; who would not be saved , or have christ as a saviour ? this they like , they would be saved from hell and wrath , but do not consider that christ came to save his people from their sins ; he will save none who abide in their sins , who hold them fast , and resolve not to let them go : many may taste some sweetness in hearing of the power of christ to save , who go on presumptuously in their ungodly practices : it is expresly said , that the stony-ground hearers received the word with joy , they had a taste of it . a common faith seems to give a taste , the name of a saviour relishes sweet . . they may taste of the promises of the word , but may not like the precepts of it , or what sometimes follows and overtakes such who profess the gospel ; or may like some precepts , but not like some others of them ; every word of god with these is not precious , they cannot deny themselves and follow christ whither soever he goes : they are not like david , who saith , every word of god is pure , therefore i love thy commandments above gold , yea , above fine gold. therefore i esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right ; and i hate every false way . . a bare taste or a simple taste of the word is enough for these ; a great deal of the world may be they think is too little , yet a little religion , a little of the word , short prayers , and little preaching will suffice them : a great portion is too little for their children , but six-pence or a shilling they may think is too much for the poor saints , or a small matter a great deal to be given to the children of god. it is evident these persons gave little or nothing to the poor saints , by what the apostle speaks in the verses following our text , and therefore no sincere believers : for god is not unrighteous to forget your work of faith and labour of love , in that ye have ministred to the saints , &c. you , as if he should say , are not of that sort i am a speaking of , they do not love the children of god , though they have had a taste of the word : this one vertue , brethren , is more than all those five attainments mentioned in my text , when that which a man gives is given in love to christ . . yet this bare taste , as you have heard , might have some effect upon these mens hearts . . they might find some kind of delight in that knowledg they have of the doctrine of the gospel , and might speak in the commendation and vindication thereof . thus balaam seemed wonderfully to be affected with the state of israel , and with the tabernacle and tents of jacob , yet he loved the wages of unrighteousness . . it may work , as you heard last day , a visible change in them , such a power may go along with that taste ; they , like saul , might become other men. . they might have the same lamp of profession with true christians , and be taken for real converts , not known to the godly but to be such . the wise virgins doubtless thought well of the foolish , they did not know they were unsound or foolish ones . . such a work and effect the holy spirit and tasting of the word might have , that they might be full of great expectation of b●ing embraced by christ when he comes , if they fell not away before . 't is said , the foolish virgins went out to meet the bridegroom ; they had much confidence , may be more confidence ( tho it was self-confidence ) that the wise , for true believers may be attended with many doubts . dr. owen speaking of this sort mentioned in my text , saith , ( and no doubt saith the truth ) " that there is an inferiour common work of the holy spirit in the dispensation of the word on many to whom it is preached , causing in them a great alteration and change , as to light , knowledg , abilities , gifts , affections , life and conversation , when the persons so wrought upon are not quickned , regenerated , or made new creatures , nor united to jesus christ ; that in the persons thus wrought upon , there is or may be such an assent , and light , and conviction of the truth proposed and preached to them , as in its kind is true , not counterfeit , giving or affording to them a profession of the faith. " that is , they are blinded , and know not that they are unsound in the main , their hearts for want of true light deceive them , as in the case of the foolish virgins ; nay , and they may perhaps hold out in their profession constantly unto death ; nay , may give their bodies to be burned . o see , brethren , that your faith is the faith of god's elect , and that you are savingly renewed : o look about you since it may be thus . the doctor adds , " that among these persons are oft-times some that are endued with excellent gifts , and lovely parts , qualifications and abilities , rendering them very useful to the church of god , being vessels in his house to hold and convey to others the precious liquor of the gospel , though never had their own evil hearts changed . " to which let me add , they are such , or of this sort of persons who are liable to sin the sin against the holy ghost , or so fall , that it may be impossible for them to be renewed by repentance : yet before they so fall , it may not be impossible for them to become true converts . the nature of which sin against the holy ghost , i purpose to open before i close with this text. fourthly , i shall proceed to shew you what a taste of god , and of his good word it is which all true believers have . . 't is a taste that arises from spiritual hunger : there is a true sense of want , they have a craving appetite , and nothing but god in christ can satisfy their souls ; my soul thirsteth for god , for the living god , saith david . and hence it is that they are pronounced blessed ; blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness , for they shall be filled ; not have only a taste , no , no , but they shall be filled , they shall eat to satisfaction . they see that they want a righteousness whereby they may be declared just and righteous before god , namely , the righteousness of christ ; and also a righteousness that may declare them to be righteous before men , namely , a holy and blameless life : the one is the righteousness of justification , the other is the righteousness of sanctification . others may have a taste of both these ; they may behold a worth in , and a want of christ's righteousness , but do not hunger after it , and so accept it as a poor hunger-starved person on gospel-terms ; and may attain to some degree of inward as well as outward sanctification . . these therefore taste and eat also , and that too out of pure necessity : if i , saith the soul , feed not upon christ , eat not his flesh , and drink not his blood , i shall perish . give me christ or i shall die , is the voice of this sort : others take a taste , as if they cared not whether they eat or eat not . . a true believer doth taste , eat , and also digest the word ; 't is that which they live upon , and hereby they come to have union with christ by faith : the soul partakes of the divine nature . but a common tasting , or a common faith , or a bare credence of the truth of the gospel , doth not do this , which the persons in our text only had . . the good word of god is to all true christians as their necessary food ; nay , esteemed more , or above their necessary food , as job experienced it ; therefore to these the word , and god in the word , christ in the word , is exceeding sweet : how sweet is food to a hungry person ? o says the soul , the lord is good , his word is good , his promises and his ordinances are exceeding good ; i can relish the word of god , i esteem it above gold ; it is also sweeter than honey , or the honey-comb ; i have an appetite to it : o how love i thy law ! it is my meditation all the day . this discovers to us the goodness of our condition , when there is nothing that we value or esteem , love and delight in , above god's word : thy words were found , and i did eat them , and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart . he did not taste only , but did eat and greedily digest the word also . . the word of god , without the god of the word , will not satisfy these mens souls ; 't is not a bare ordinance , no , no , but they must have god in and with the ordinance ; 't is not the shell without the kernel , it is not the cabinet without the jewel ; it is not a lamp without oil that will satisfy the wise virgins ; prayer and preaching will not do with these , though they pray and hear every day , except they meet with god and christ in those duties ; the word and ordinances without christ , are but like dry bread and lean meat , that have but little juice or nourishment in them ; they must be delighted with fatness , knowing it is such things god has prepared for them ; eat ye that which is good , and let your soul delight it self in fatness ; they eat it appears to full satisfaction . others labour for that which satisfies not ; but of all true believers david saith , they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fat things of thy house ; and thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures . and in another place , saith he , my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness ; and my soul shall praise thee with joyful lips. . that which true believers taste and eat , is turned into spiritual nourishment in the heart : and in order to this , . there is required a laying up the word , or hiding of it : no nourishment can be had by food , unless it be received into the stomach , where the cause of digestion and communication are fix'd : and if the word be not received into the heart by fixed meditation and delight , it may affect and please a person for a while , but it will not nourish the soul. . every physician will tell you , that food must be mixed and incorporated with the digestive humour , power and faculty of the stomach , whereinsoever it consists , or it will not nourish . give a man never so much food , if there be any noxious humour in the stomach hindering it from mixing with the power of digestion , saith a worthy writer , it will no ways profit the person : but the word preached did not profit them , not being mix'd with faith in them that heard it . meat nourishes not without concoction ; so unless the soul receives and digests the word through faith , so that the word and the heart are united together , all is nothing ; but a bare taste will never do this . and , . like as food when it is well digested is turned into flesh and blood , and spirits ; so where a person feeds on the word by faith , or eats and digests it , it is turned into a principle of life and spiritual strength : as some men who have for want of food been brought so low and faint , that they were ready to die away ; but by feeding on good food , and digesting it , soon perceive a renewing of their strength , life and vigour seems to return to them again ; so by feeding on the word , the strength of the soul abides , it communicates abiding strength , faith and experience ; and 't is hereby the soul grows day by day , and his love to god is increased , and by the power of it he walks with god in holiness and lowliness of mind , and brings forth all the fruits of the spirit , like as the ground bringeth forth , by the showers of heaven , herbs meet for him by whom it is dressed . . these are delighted and cheared by the word , as in a banquet of wine , and get great power over their corruptions : but such a tasting and eating as this , and such blessed effects of the word on the soul did the persons never attain unto , who are said in our text to have tasted the good word of god , &c. evident it is , that the apostle clearly notes concerning the persons in my text , that whatsoever taste they might have of the doctrine of the gospel , called the heavenly gift , or of the good word of god , yet they were fruitless souls , even like the earth that the rain falls upon , and yet brings forth briars and thorns ; see ver . , . application . . learn from hence the deplorable condition of all such who satisfy themselves with the meer notion of truth and empty speculations about it , without getting so much as such a taste of the goodness of the word , which may be had by those who are not savingly renewed . how many thousands are there at this day , that do not desire so much as a taste of heavenly things , their hearts are so filled and glutted with the things of this world , nay , with their abominable and filthy lusts . . but for the lord's sake take heed you rest not satisfied with a bare taste of heavenly things , or with some seeming relish thereof : such indeed may not be far from the kingdom of heaven : but alas , alas , if they go no further , they will never come there ; and if they totally fall away , their state will be worse in the end than it was at the beginning ; nay , far worse than their condition who never were enlightned at all , but remain under the power of natural blindness , &c. . you that are professors , may also , from what hath been briefly hinted , perceive whether you have had a right taste of god , and of his good word , or not : whether you have received christ , and do live upon the bread of life , or not : or whether you have by faith applied the word , and by meditation digested it , or not . . hath the word changed your hearts ? have you got power over your corruptions and temptations thereby ? doth nothing satisfy your souls short of god and jesus christ ; and it is as well a likeness to him as an interest in him ? will not the word and ordinances quiet you , unless you meet with christ in them ? . this may be for a use of terror to such who rest satisfied with the common operations of the word and spirit of god ; they may go far , yet fall away , nay so fall , as it may be impossible for them ever to be renewed by repentance . but , thly . i shall now come to the fifth and last thing or attainment mentioned in our text concerning these professors who are in danger of final apostacy , and of the powers of the world to come : they have not only tasted of the good word of god , but also of the powers of the world to come . two things i shall propound to do here . . shew you what is meant by the world to come . . shew what a kind of taste these persons may be said to have of it . . some by the world to come assert , is only meant , the gospel-church-state , or spiritual kingdom of the messiah , which begun in the apostles days : nay , i find reverend dr. owen is much of this perswasion , as you may see in his exposition of the first chapter to the hebrews ; " by the world to come , saith he , the apostle in this epistle intends the days of the messiah , that being the usual name of it in the church at that time , as the new world which god had promised to create , whereof these powers , by signs , wonders , and mighty works were then wrought by the holy ghost , according as it was foretold by the prophets that they should be so , joel . acts . these the persons spoken of , are supposed to have tasted ; either they had been wrought in and by themselves , or by others in their sight , whereby they had experience of the glorious and powerful working of the holy ghost in the confirmation of the gospel . yea , ( saith he ) i do judg that they themselves , in their own persons , were partakers of these powers in the gift of tongues , and other miraculous operations , which was the highest aggravation possible of their apostacy . " i will not deny this to be intended by the powers of the world to come : but this exposition seems too much to interfere with the second and third attainment mentioned of these persons : and if this be granted to be intended hereby , yet it must be carried also further , i mean , to the after-state of christ's kingdom ; for the kingdom that is now expected , and the latter-day-glory , we all allow to be the kingdom of the messiah : nor can any doubt of a world yet to come , or glorious visible kingdom of jesus christ to be set up in the last days ; the holy ghost positively affirming , that the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our lord , and of his christ ; and that when the seventh angel soundeth his trumpet , and not till then , which brings in the third and last wo upon the antichristian state and kingdom . yet i question not but that the beginning of the kingdom of the messiah was in the apostles days , and did commence from the resurrection of our lord jesus christ , being ushered in and established with the miraculous gifts and operations of the holy spirit : which wonderful appearance of god's power , doth no doubt appertain to the kingdom of christ as such : and at the pouring forth of the latter rain , we may expect as great , nay a greater miraculous working-power , than ever accompanied it to this day ; because the glory of the latter house shall exceed the glory of the former . and there seems to me to be the like parity of reason for those miraculous operations in the last days , in order to the spreading the gospel over all the world , and the establishment of christ's more visible kingdom , as there was at first ; the appearance of christ will be with power and great glory . . therefore let it be considered , and not doubted of , but that there is yet a world to come , and another kind of world than this world is , and a more glorious kingdom of christ than at present we behold : that the world to come will consist of a new heaven , and a new earth , which we look for , as the apostle peter observes , is evident according to god's promise , this present world , yea , these old heavens and old earth shall pass away and be dissolved : nevertheless we , according to his promise , look for a new heaven and new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness . it was not then come , but expected to be revealed in the last days . . it will be a world between this and the ultimate glory in the kingdom of the father , i mean , when christ shall give up his kingdom to the father , that god may be all in all ; that is , christ will yield up his rule and government as mediator : for his mediatorial kingdom shall cease , and the kingdom and glory of god , i. e. father , son , and holy ghost , shall only be magnified ; christ shall then , as mediator , no longer sit and rule upon his throne , his work will be done , and the date of his commission be expired . . let it also be considered , that the world to come in the glory of it , shall not be revealed until this present world passes away , is burnt up and dissolved , and therefore cannot be expected until the resurrection of the just ; for man lies down and rises not till the heavens be no more . this the holy ghost clearly shewed also to john , and i saw a new heaven , and a new earth ; for the first heaven , and the first earth were passed , and there was no more sea. and that the world to come shall begin in its greatest glory at the resurrection , doth appear by our saviour's own words ; but they which shall be worthy to obtain that world to come , and the resurrection from the dead , neither marry , nor are given in marriage : neither can they die any more ; for they are equal unto the angels , and are the children of the resurrection . it appears , the world to come , or kingdom of the messiah in its greatest glory , and the resurrection , commence together , or at one and the same time . and this is further confirmed , because in one place it is said , that those who follow christ , and suffer for him , shall be rewarded at the resurrection of the just , as luke . . and in another place it is said , in the world to come , as luke . . so much shall serve to shew you what is meant by the world to come ; but before i speak to that taste of the powers of the world to come , which the persons spoken of in our text are said to have , let me add a word or two as touching the nature and glory of the world to come , though we have as yet but only some dark glimpse of it . but to proceed : . it shall be a world , not under the curse of man's sin as this world is : the earth is under the curse , briars and thorns are the fruit of the curse , and all creatures groan under the curse the sin of mankind hath brought upon them : but when the new world comes in , there shall be no more curse ; instead of the thorn shall come up the fig-tree , and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle-tree . the creature groans under the curse , but it shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption , into the glorious liberty of the children of god. envy shall depart from the creatures , they shall not tear and devour one another in the world to come , as they do in this world ; see isa . . , , , . it is in the world to come that all things shall be restored to that glorious state signified by the restitution of all things ; whom the heavens must receive until the times of the restitution of all things , which god hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began . that which all the prophets have spoken of and expected , shall certainly come or be fulfilled . . the world to come shall be a world without sin , a holy world , a righteous world : this present world is a wicked world , an ungodly world ; but all the inhabitants of that world to come shall be holy , they shall be all filled with righteousness : hence it is peter saith , we , according to his promise , look for a new heaven and a new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness . . the government of that new world shall be alone in the hands of the saints , no wicked man shall be in any place of power there ; no corrupt judges , nor justices , righteousness shall then bear rule : the people also shall be all righteous , they shall inherit the land for ever , the branch of my planting , the work of my hands , that i may be glorified . — the kingdom and dominion , and greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven , shall be given to the people of the saints of the most high. whether they shall have the kingdom before christ comes , or not , i cannot determine , ( though i suppose part of this prophecy will be fulfilled before then ) but besure then they shall have all kingdoms under the whole heavens , and the glory and greatness of them for ever . . the world to come shall be a world without sorrow , and that is because it shall be a world without sin ; whilst sin remains , sorrow will remain , but then no more pain nor misery shall any of god's children indure for ever : and god shall wipe all tears from all faces , and there shall be no more death , neither sorrow nor crying , neither shall there be any more pain , for the former things are passed away . the inhabitant of that city shall not say , i am sick . . there shall be no devil to perplex , to tempt , nor to disturb god's people , satan shall be bound ; though others think that shall be before this world begins in the greatest glory of it . . it shall be a world of great and wonderful light ; which may be taken , as i conceive , both literally and mystically : the sun shall no more be thy light by day , neither for brightness shall the moon give light by night ; but the lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light , and thy god thy glory . compare it with revelation . , . and there shall be no night there , and they need no candle , neither light of the sun , for the lord god giveth them light , and they shall reign for ever and ever . god will never withdraw himself from his people , nor hide his face in that world , as oft-times he doth in this . . it shall be a joyful world , nothing but joy and singing in that world ; those who will not sing now , if godly , shall sing then : behold my servants shall sing for joy of heart ; but ye shall howl for vexation of spirit . the world to come will be a sad and woful world to the ungodly , for there is a world to come for them , i mean , eternal misery in hell : but believers shall sing in the heights of sion , and flow together in the goodness of the lord. in the heights of sion , or in the time of the greatest glory of the kingdom of the messiah : moreover it is said , they shall rejoice even with joy and singing . . they that dwell in the world to come , shall have good and blessed company , glorious company , christ's company , and the company of all his saints : they shall sit down with abraham , isaac and jacob , in the kingdom of god. behold , the tabernacle of god is with men , and he will dwell with them . he shall come then in the clouds with power and great glory , and we shall be taken up to meet the lord in the air , and so shall we ever be with the lord. to meet him in the air , he does not meet us , we shall not be going up to heaven , as soon as raised ; no , no , but christ will come down to us , to dwell and reign with his saints on earth when that world begins : blessed are the meek , for they shall inherit the earth . he hath made us kings and priests , and we shall reign on the earth . all the godly are under this promise , therefore it must refer to the world to come , and not be fulfilled till the day of the resurrection . . it will be a world of great riches , wealth and glory ; the chief city in that world , the walls of it shall be jaspar , and the city was of pure gold. though this city may be a figure of the church , yet no doubt there is more intended , it is that city abraham , isaac and jacob sought for , that had foundations ; every saint in that world shall have a kingdom , and a crown of glory : though it be all but one kingdom , yet it shall be as if every one only possessed it himself ; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness , which god the righteous judg will give to me in that day , and not only to me , but to all them also that love his appearance . some saints have hardly enough bread to eat in this world , that shall have a crown , a kingdom in the world to come . hearken my beloved brethren ; hath not god chosen the poor of this world , rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom , which he hath promised to them that love him ? they shall sit upon thrones ; know ye not that the saints shall judg the world ? even such poor saints that this world disdains and do contemn . . this world will have an end , and the time is near ; and the other world will begin in the glory of it . the world to come , brethren , that shall never end , it is an eternal world ; tho the administration of it as in the hands of christ as mediator , shall cease and have an end , yet the kingdom and glory of the world to come shall never have an end : the riches of it , the glory of it , and the joys of it , shall abide for ever ; it is a kingdom , and a crown that fadeth not away . lastly , it will be a peaceable world ; wars will cease , jerusalem shall be a quiet habitation : nation shall not rise up against nation , nor learn war any more in that world. i should now come to speak to the second thing , namely , to shew what a taste it is that the persons in our text had or may have of the powers of the world to come ; but i shall make a little use of this first . application . . by way of reprehension : brethren , what fools be they who value this world above the world come ? these are like the vain french-man , who said , he would not part with his part in paris for a pure in paradise : alas , he knew not what a place paradise is . o the vanity of mens minds , how blind and deceived are poor mortals ! . this shews , and clearly may demonstrate , that god's people are men and women of greatest wisdom , they are not satisfied with corruptible things ; it is god and his eternal riches , kingdom and glory their eyes are set upon : they are rich it appears in reversion , though they have but little now in possession ; they love riches , though not the riches of this world ; they shall have one day rich and immortal robes , robes beyond those of beaten gold : at thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of ophir . it is not a few little houses , no nor earthly palaces ; 't is not bags of gold and silver that can satisfy them ; no , no , it is nothing less than a whole kingdom and crown of glory in the other world ; of which they are joint heirs with christ : they shall inherit all things , all riches and happiness . . riches that inrich the soul , ay and the body too : the bodies of the saints shall be inriched in the world to come ; our vile body shall be changed and made like christ's glorious body . . they shall have true riches ; the riches of this world are faise riches , deceitful riches , counterfeit riches , shadowy riches ; they are but a figure or a shadow of the riches of the world to come . . they have right to incorruptible riches ; not like the worldings riches that canker and corrupt , and the rust of which will rise up as witness against them at the last day . . they are certain and and abiding riches ; the riches of this world are uncertain riches , they are but for a moment , and are gone : charge them that are in this world , ( saith the apostle ) that they be not high minded , nor trust in uncertain riches , but in the living god. o how poor and miserable are some men who are rich in this world ! . the riches of the world to come , are soul-satisfying riches : gold and silver satisfy not , but believers shall see god in the other world , have a glorious vision of god ; they shall be like him , for they shall see him as he is . nothing but a possession of god , and a likeness unto him , will satisfy a gracious soul : i shall be satisfied , saith david , when i awake in thy likeness : i shall not be fully satisfied until then , ( as if he should say ) but then i shall be satisfied to the full indeed . what is there more for a man to desire than god ? they that have god for their portion , may say with jacob , that they have all . . the riches of the other world are had without care , without perplexity : alas , cares and snares attend the riches of this world ; there is pains in getting them , and cares in keeping them , and fears of losing them , and these things eat out the sweetness that seems to be in them : but as there will be no cares in keeping of the riches of the world to come , so there will be no fear of losing them . . the riches of the world to come will be the perfection of riches . no man can be perfectly rich here ; tho he hath some riches , yet he hath not all riches ; and though he be rich in some things , yet he is not rich in all things ; and though he be rich externally , and for a time rich , yet he may be spiritually poor : but they that attain to the riches of the world to come , are every ways rich , perfectly rich , rich in the body , and rich in the soul ; they are such riches that christ and the angels do possess . secondly , the honours of the world to come will be great , far surpassing all the honours of this present evil world. . 't is no small honour to be the sons of god ; now are we the sons of god : this is a privilege that appertains to the present spiritual kingdom of christ ; but it doth not appear what we shall be ; that is the time of the manifestation of the sons of god : then christ will honour his saints , and god will honour them : if any man serves me , him , saith our saviour , will my father honour . . will it not be an honour to be crowned with a crown of glory ? glory , honour and immortality is the portion of all who by well-doing seek it . . will it not be a great honour to judg the world , yea , to judg the fallen angels ? . will it not be an high honour to be the lamb 's glorious bride , to be the spouse of the prince of the kings of the earth , to have the attendance of the holy angels , and to have the wicked to bow down to your very feet and lick up the dust ? . will it not be a great honour to sit with christ on the throne ? besides , it will be eternal or everlasting honour , it will abide for ever . thirdly , the pleasures of the world to come will be transcendent pleasures , far surpassing all the vain and carnal pleasures of this present world. . i once told you when i was speaking of eternal joys , that the pleasures of the world to come will not only delight the soul , but the body too ; though not carnal sensual pleasures , yet the glorified bodies of the saints shall be filled with delight and pleasure , as well as their spirits , you may be sure , and that in a wonderful manner . . the joys of the world to come will be the fulness of joy and delights : thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures . rivers of pleasures denote fulness , pleasures to full satisfaction : all the pleasures of this present world are but a shadow of the pleasures of heaven , and of the world to come ; and though these satisfy not , yet those will satisfy the soul. . they are pleasures for evermore ; we shall swim in pleasures in that world. thou wilt shew me the way of life ; in thy presence is fulness of joy , and at thy right hand are pleasures for ever more . . the joys and pleasures of the world to come will be so sweet , that , as mr. caryl saith , a whole eternity will seem to be but as a moment . . they will be pleasures without pain , without a sting : o what a sting have some men found to be in , or to attend their carnal pleasures ! here are sorrows cleaving to men as well as joy ; pain and misery , as well as delights and pleasure : but in the world to come there will be all sweet , and no bitter ; all pleasure , and no pain ; all joy , and no sorrow . . is god able , think you , to delight , to rejoice , and to fill the souls of his saints with joy and pleasure ? be sure then he will do it : god's love is such , so infinite , so inconceivable to his children , that he will fill them with the fullest joys imaginable : will not earthly parents make the lives of their children as sweet and happy as they can ? they are called joys unspeakable and full of glory : all the lawful pleasures of this world are , brethren , but a figure or shadow of them : the eye hath not seen , nor ear heard , neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive the things that god hath prepared for those that love him . the eye hath seen much , and the ear hath heard of more than the eye ever saw , and the heart conceives of more than ever the ear heard ; but the heart cannot conceive how sweet the joys of christ's kingdom will be , or comprehend how transcendent the joys of heaven are . . the pleasures of the world to come , are the effects of god's infinite love and goodness , according to the perfection thereof : and as none know the power of god's anger and wrath in hell , that is let out against ungodly sinners that hate him ; so none know the power of his infinite love , grace and goodness , let out in heaven to delight and ravish the hearts of all them that love and serve him . . the pleasures of the world to come never will cease indeed , no shorter a time than an endless eternity can serve to let out the infinite goodness of the eternal deity , and those varieties of joys and delights that flow and will flow like rivers from him : as none can imagine what the nature of that personal communion which the saints shall have with christ will be , so also they will be eternal ; eternal joys , saith one , are the longest , and yet the shortest . longest in respect of duration , yet the shortest in respect of apprehension . an eternity of joy will seem to us no more tedious than one minute or small moment , ' twis be so full of joy and pleasure : 't is such satisfaction that breed no wearisomness , it doth not ●loy nor glut the soul ; we living at the fountain-head of joy and comfort , in immediate communion with christ , our delights will renew as much as continue . they are certainly blind or unthinking persons that do not see how the deity or holy god delights in varieties ; it may easily be discerned , by beholding the different varieties of creatures , faces , colours , or varieties of things to delight all our senses here in this world. o no doubt , the joys and varieties of the world to come , will be wonderful , and take up a whole eternity for god to let out ; joys will be as it were every day fresh , and renewed upon us . from hence saith a beloved writer , fresh appetite , and fulness of satisfaction , are perpetually interchangeable , the joys are so many , the years seem so few . eternity of joys makes eternity but as a moment , as eternal pain and torment makes every moment seem an eternity . these things being so , o who would not desire an interest in christ ! o happy , happy believer , what a choice hast thou made ! exhortation . sinner , what sayst thou ? come seek a portion , a part in the world to come : you are very busy to get a part or portion in this present evil world ; alas , alas , what good can all these thing do you , and how long can you keep them ? come be perswaded to seek this better country ; christ hath redeemed us from this present evil world , and hath purchased for us another world , even this world to come ; will you seek it ? you may have a share and part in the world to come . quest . you will say , which way , or how may we get a part in it ? answ . i answer , you must marry the prince and heir of that world , and so you shall have a portion in it , and a true title to it ; you must by faith espouse jesus christ , there is no other way to have an interest in the world to come . sinners , you may gain the world to come , and save your souls ; but whilst you seek to gain this present evil world , you may lose your souls : what will it profit a man to gain the whole world , and lose his own soul ? also you may have an assurance of the world to come : o strive to make it your own peculiar inheritance , take hold of the foretop of time. now i may say time is , hereafter it may be said time was ; and then time is past and lost for ever . remember that in this world , while you are here , the world to come in the glory of it , will be got or lost for ever ; if you obtain grace , you shall have glory ; but if you have no grace in this world , no glory you are like to have in the world to come . lastly , remember this world is near at an end , 't is ready to pass away ; and the world to come in the glory of it is just about to begin , it is not far off : he that testifieth these things , saith , surely i come quickly . amen . even so come lord jesus . heb. vi. , . and of the powers of the world to come . the last time i spoke of the world to come , and of the powers of it ; especially of the powers , glory , and pleasures of the world to come , respecting the state of the saints therein . i shall now proceed to shew you , what a kind of taste of the powers of the world to come , the persons mentioned in our text may be said to have , which is the next thing propounded to be done under this head. secondly , the persons here meant , i have proved are not true and sincere believers , though such who come very near unto such , being almost christians . now the last qualification or attainment they are said to arrive unto , is this , of tasting of the powers of the world to come . first , i shall shew you what may be meant by the powers of the world to come . secondly , shew what a kind of taste they may have of those powers , &c. . by the powers of the world to come , ( of which they are said to have a taste ) i understand are meant the glorious effects of god's mighty power , that was and shall be further exerted in bringing in the kingdom of the messiah , first in those miraculous operations which ( being to assure us of the certainty of the new world ) were wrought before these mens eyes . . the powers of the world to come , do doubtless consist also in the dissolving of this present world , and all the states and kingdoms of the earth . thou hast of old laid the foundation of the earth ; and though the heavens are the work of thy hands , they shall perish , but thou shalt endure , yea all of them shall wax old like a garment ; as a vesture shalt thou change them , and they shall be changed : compared with pet. . , , , . the mighty power of god shall be put forth in dissolving this old world. . and not only so , but also that god by his almighty power will bring in and establish the kingdom of the messiah in the glory of it ; for as the dissolving of the old world appertains to the power of the great god , so doth also his bringing in , according to his mighty power , the new heavens and the new earth : the heavens shall pass away with a great noise , and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ; and the earth and the things therein shall be burned up . and all this is but to make way for the world to come , or for the new heavens and new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness . . the resurrection of the dead also appertains to the powers of the world to come , and in it lies no small part of god's mighty power neither ; who shall change our vile body , that it may fashioned like unto his own glorious body , according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself . . the power of the last judgment and definitive sentence , together with the eternal punishment of wicked men and devils , may also be here intended ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the lord , and the glory of his power . . moreover , the exerting of god's mighty power , the power of his grace , divine love and goodness in his glorifying of the saints , may be meant also here by the powers of the world to come ; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints , and admired in all them that believe . for as the letting out of the power of his wrath and vengeance in the world to come upon the wicked , as was hinted before , may hereby be comprehended , so likewise the letting out of the power of his love and goodness on the godly . secondly , i shall shew you now what a kind of taste the persons in our text may be said to have had of the powers of the world to come . . they had , or might have , a taste of the truth and certainty of the world to come , which they clearly saw confirmed by those miraculous operations in the extraordinary gifts of the spirit , and wonderful works that were wrought by the apostles , nay which perhaps some of them had power to do themselves ; for many shall say at the last day , have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name cast out devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful works ? to whom christ will say , i profess i never knew you ; depart from me ye that work iniquity . no doubt but as saul and balaam prophesied , so judas might as well as the other apostles cast out devils , and do other wonderful works . . and as by those miraculous operations they might have a taste of the powers of christ's kingdom as it began then , so this might cause them stedfastly to believe the truth of the powers of the world to come , in the future state and glory thereof : many persons do not firmly believe this , and therefore regard not how they live here in this present world , but say , let us eat and drink , for to morrow we shall die . so also in another place by the same prophet it is said , come , say they , i will fetch wine , and we will fill our selves with strong drink , and to morrow shall be as this day , and much more abundant . these ungodly wretches fear nothing of those judgments that are come , but lay their hearts loose upon the neck of their lusts : but the enlightned persons in our text did believe , or give stedfast credit to the truth of that future state , both of the resurrection and judgment-day , even of that day of reckoning , when sinners shall be punished for all their abominable wickedness ; they believed god's word , and the revelation thereof , touching what will come upon the ungodly in the world to come , and so are said to taste of the powers of it : and this persons may do and yet perish . . they might not only have a taste of the world to come , by a common faith , or by giving stedfast credence to the truth and certainty of it , but might also be under great convictions of the evil of sin , knowing that all the sweet thereof will be turned into bitter , and that sin in the world to come will be punished , and the sinner condemned to everlasting burning , and that god will reward every man according to his deeds ; and might know also , that some shall find greater condemnation , or a hotter hell than others , more intolerable pain in that day . as , ( . ) all such who draw others into sin , whether it be drunkenness , pride , theft , uncleanness , &c. ( . ) all such who sin after strong convictions and great illuminations , or that sin against light and knowledg . ( . ) such who have been often reproved , and yet live in their wicked practices , and harden their hearts ; let ministers and godly parents say what they will , they regard it not . ( . ) such who have greater means of grace than others , or who live under an awakening and powerful ministry , and yet go on in their sins , in pride , swearing , drunkenness , uncleanness , &c. ( . ) such who sin under judgments , or when god's hand is lifted up , and his wrath poured out upon men for their abominations , and greater wrath denounced and ready to break forth . ( . ) such who sin boldly , impudently , in the face of the sun ; shew their sin as sodom , and hide it not . ( . ) such who expose the holy name of god which they profess , to reproach , and harden the wicked world in their sins , and open the mouths of many to blaspheme god , and speak evil of his ways and people . ( . ) such who delight in sin , or take pleasure in their wickedness ; do boast and glory in that which is their shame . ( . ) such who despise and contemn jesus christ and his ministers in their hearts , and wilfully cast off all counsel . ( . ) all th●se who abuse god's patience , goodness , and long-suffering ; and make that an encouragement to them to continue in their evil ways , which should lead them to repentance ; and may be , hate , reproach and persecute the people of god ; nay , and are guilty of blood , crucifying christ afresh in his members . now i say they might be convinced of all these , and many more great aggravations of sin ; and yet after such a taste , fall away themselves , and become as bad as the worst of them i have mentioned . . they might have a taste of the terrifying powers of the world to come ; even such a taste as felix had , who trembled when he heard paul preach of hell , wrath , or of judgment to come . this i find our late annotators intimate to be meant hereby : " some of them ( say they ) were affected with the powerful doctrines of the gospel concerning the final judgment , as their natural conscience was wrought on by the spirit in the word ; they felt it as if it were begun in them , the sparkles of god's wrath having set their consciences in a light flame for their sins . " this is a tasting of the powers of the world to come with a witness . . they may taste of the constraining powers of the world to come ; so that their consciences might curb them , and put a bridle on their lusts , so that they might not run into sin as others do : the fear and dread of another world keeps them in awe , and restrains them for a time from committing any open or secret acts of wickedness ; and by the power of this constraining grace they might , as you have heard , reform their lives as to become other men and women . . moreover , as the powers of the world to come may refer to the everlasting joy and comfort of the saints , they might also have some seeming taste of the sweetness thereof , i mean , they might have a sight and sense of that happy state the righteous shall be in in the world to come ; and they finding christ to be a redeemer , and that he came to save sinners from wrath , and to purchase everlasting blessedness , may have some hope of interest in that redemption from wrath , and of being made happy eternally in the world to come : they might promise to themselves a part in the first resurrection , and their hopes herein might be as a sweet taste of the joys and consolations of that day . mr. david dickson speaking of this passage , saith , they may taste of the powers of the world to come , that is , saith he , in contemplation of the blessedness promised to the saints in heaven ; and have a natural desire of it , as balaam desired to die the death of the righteous . thus many of the jews rejoiced in john's doctrine : he was a burning and shining light ; and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light : it was but a taste of joy , it did not continue , it was but for a season . . it is but a taste or savour that arises from an enlightned conscience , not from a renewed heart . . it is not a taste that makes them out of love with this world , or to be weary of it , or to die to it : though they seem taken with the thoughts of the world to come , yet they value this world , no doubt , too highly ; 't is this world that is in their hearts . . it is not a taste of the world to come that changes them into a meet and sit state to be partakers of the glory and blessedness of it , as the saints are said to be giving thanks unto the father , which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. 't is not a bare taste can do this , no , nothing but a thorow change of nature , or a spiritual receiving and feeding by faith on jesus christ . . it was not such a tasting of the powers of the world to come that made them long for it , and to seek it with the full bent of their wills , and urgency of their affections , and to contemn all the riches , honours and pleasures of this present evil world for it ; as moses and all the holy patriarchs did : for they that saw such things , declare plainly they seek a countrey ; and confessed they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth . . it was a tasting not a feeding on jesus christ , and a digesting of his word ; they come not to experience the powers of the world to come were begun in them , setting them against sin , satan , and this world. . and lastly , it was a tasting , but no saving relish , no soulcraving after a true interest in the glory of the world to come ; they did not find the power of the resurrection and last judgment in themselves : and that tasting that doth not secure the soul against a total and final apostacy , as union with christ doth , is not to be valued or accounted of . application . . i told you , brethren , at first , that touching these persons attainments , here is nothing spoken of union with christ , of the faith of god's elect , of regeneration , love to god and to his people , nothing of adoption , justification nor sanctification , and so nothing that is pecusiar to a true christian , nothing of those things that accompany salvation . . it appears they are like the ground , that oft receives the rain that falls upon it , and yet bears or brings forth briars and thorns , therefore they are nigh unto cursing , whose end is to be burned ; and this the apostle hints of them in vers . , . . this informs us that men may go a great way in a visible profession of the gospel , by common influences of the spirit , and light improved by natural powers , and yet be in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity . . o bless god for the least degree of saving grace : have you love to god , to his poor saints ? do you minister unto them for christ's sake ? then have you obtained to a higher degree of attainment than those ever had , and no cause to fear your spiritual state and condition . thus i have passed through the second thing i first propounded to speak unto , namely , what those attainments are that are spoken of the persons in our text. i shall now come to the last thing , to shew you what is spoken of them . thirdly , what is spoken of these persons , consists of two parts . . that they may fall away . . that it is upon their so falling away , impossible for them to be renewed by repentance . it is the last of these i purpose to speak of , viz that it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance ; either to such a repentance they once had , or to true , saving , and evangelical repentance : the reason is by the holy ghost added ; seeing they crucify to themselves the son of god afresh , and put him to open shame . . it is not doubtless impossible , in respect of god's absolute power , had he not limited himself by an unchangeable decree : but if he hath determined to deny grace , and all saving influences of his spirit , to these apostates , that makes it impossible for them ever to be renewed ; which shews us that the power to change the heart is not in the creature , it is god's work on the soul , 't is he that stamps his own image upon us ; and if he withdraws the influences of his holy spirit from men , or refuses to give grace to them , in order to bring them to repentance , and to believe in christ , they must perish . now god will not afford these persons that so fall away , the assistance of his spirit , in order to the working the great work of faith in them ; therefore it is impossible for them to be renewed . " he saith not ( saith one ) it is impossible they should be saved , but that it is impossible they should be renewed unto repentance ; these apostates salvation is impossible , because their repentance is impossible . " he that never repenteth , can never be saved ; for he that repenteth not , shall not have remission of sin : and if the holy spirit be utterly withdrawn from men , it is impossible they should ever be renewed to repentance . . the persons therefore here intended , do not repent , cannot repent , repentance is hid from their eyes ; they never endeavour after repentance , they are left to hardness of heart , and to final impenitency by the lord , as a just judgment for their horrid evil and cursed apostacy : possibly they may fall under terror and despair , yet never desire or look after repentance on god's terms . brethren , it is not impossible for the greatest sinner in the world to be renewed , that hath not sinned against the holy ghost , or whom god hath not wholly given up to blindness of mind , and to hardness of heart : all manner of sins and blasphemy against the father and the sun , shall be forgiven unto men ; but the blasphemy against the holy ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. and all vnrighteousness is sin , and there is a sin unto death . . god leaves these persons for ever , he utterly casts them off : and wo unto them ( saith he ) when i depart : and may say unto them , and much more , as he said once unto ephraim , ephraim is joined unto idols , let him alone . he commands his ministers to let them alone , and not stri●e with them reprove not exhort them any more . he saith unto conscience , let them alone , check , curb , reitrain nor rebuke them any more . he saith unto his spirit , let them alone , move them , or excite them to perform religious duties no more , strive with them no more for ever ; no doctrine , no word , no rod , no affliction or judgment shall do them good any more for ever . this spiritual judgment is the worst of all judgments , and so makes it impossible for them ever to be renewed unto repentance ; for there remains no more sacrifice for sin , but a certain fearful looking for of judgment , and fiery indignation , which shall devour the adversaries . . god puts an end unto all expectation concerning them ; he looks for no more good from them , he exercises no more care about them , no more labour , pains nor patience towards them ; god affords no more means of grace for their conversion , repentance is hid from their eyes ; he says , let this ground lie barren for ever , it shall never be plowed , sowed , nor watered any more for ever : he looks for no more fruit , he will not dress it nor dung it any more ; his sun shall shine upon it no more , nor shall the rain fall upon it from heaven any more : wo unto such souls god saith to them , as christ said when he cursed the barren fig-tree , never fruit grow on you any more . . god in judgment and wrath gives these up to a reprobate sense , to hardness of heart , to blindness of mind , and to a seared conscience ; and they become notoriously wicked , being filled with rage and madness , full of envy and malice against god , and against christ , and against all that fear god. . and usually they are left in severity to their sensual lusts , and become notoriously wicked and prophane , nay rather worse than the worst of carnal persons that never were enlightned at all . and so he gave them up to their own hearts lusts , and they walked in their own counsel : they are left , or given up unto satan , to be led , acted and influenced by him ; and are commonly also carried away into pernicious errors and delusions , even to believe a lie , that so they may be damned , because they received not the truth in the love of it , that they might be saved : and many times they become persecutors of god's people , reproaching , vilifying and contemning all religion . quest . what a kind of sin is the sin against the holy ghost ? and what sort of persons are they who may sin this sin ? answ . . i shall shew you , first in the negative , what a sin it is not ; namely , all sin or sins whatsoever that any carnal person , who to this day abode under the power of natural ignorance , and never was inlightned by any operations of the spirit , commits ; for such cannot commit the sin against the holy ghost , it being positively said , that they are such who were once enlightned . . it is not every sin which is against light and knowledg : for no doubt but david and peter sinned against knowledg , and the light of their own consciences , and after they had been enlightned , yet were recovered and renewed unto repentance . . the sin against the holy ghost , is not every sin that is committed against the holy ghost ; for he that grieves the holy spirit , and that quencheth the holy spirit , sins against the holy spirit ; nay , all wicked men who sit under the preaching of the gospel , no doubt , sin against the spirit whilst they resist the strivings and motions thereof . . it is not any hainous and abominable sin , as whoredom , perjury , murder , no not self-murder ; not the murdering of the saints of god nor putting christ himself to death by wicked hands , or the murdering of the lord of life and glory . paul was guilty of the blood of stephen ; and many of the jews were pardoned who might have a hand in the barbarous murder of the son of god. . it is not every wilful and presumptuous sin ; for multitudes of wicked ignorant persons so sin daily , for whom there is mercy and pardon upon repentance , though they have a whore's forehead , and refuse to be ashamed . . it is not every degree of apostacy or backsliding from god : a true child of god may be guilty of a partial apostacy ; for thus israel sinned and fell from god , nay , backslid so far , as to turn to cursed idolatry , yet god offered them pardon : return , backsliding israel , saith the lord , and i will not cause mine anger to fall upon you ; for i am merciful , saith the lord , &c. . nay , i will not say that every malicious sin against god's people is the sin against the holy ghost , when men hate the saints for their religion and goodness ; though it be one of the highest degrees of wickedness , because therein their hatred against god himself is manifested : but what may not a man do that is acted and influenced by the devil in the times of his ignorance ? . it is not the sin of unbelief , though that be a damning sin , yea [ the damning sin ] as it is a sin against the remedy god hath provided , and against the highest manifestation of god's goodness , and against the highest testimony and witness : yet many that thus sin , nay continue at present in and under the power of unbelief , may come to see their horrid evil , and by the grace of god may believe , and be forgiven this as well as other sins . lastly , i have shewed you that no true believer can commit this sin ; he that is born of god , cannot commit sin , viz. he cannot sin unto death . so much in the negative , what sin the sin against the holy ghost is not . secondly , i shall shew you , in the affirmative , according to that light i have , what sin this sin is , or open the nature thereof , and what sort of persons they are who do or may commit it . . the persons that may commit the sin against the holy ghost , our text informs us , are such who have been once enlightned , and that have attained to the knowledg of the truth , or true way of salvation by jesus christ , and have had such a kind of taste of the heavenly gift , and of the good word of god , and powers of the world to come , more or less , of which i have shewed : they have received the gifts and common graces of the spirit . . and also have escaped the corruptions of the world , through the knowledg of jesus christ , or attained to a great reformation of life in so much that they were look'd upon as saints and eminent christians , many of them being professors of the gospel , and might be great preachers thereof : tho it seems that others who never professed the gospel , were and may be guilty of committing of this sin , as those jews no doubt were , who said , our blessed saviour did cast out devils by beelzebub the prince of devils . . it is a sinning wilfully , after a person hath received the knowledg of the truth , or gospel of christ ; for if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledg of the truth , there remains no more sacrifice for sin. though every wilful sinning is not this sin , yet every one that is guilty thereof , doth sin wilfully , and that in the highest degree . pray note it , 't is a wilful casting off and forsaking the truth of god , and an utter deserting the church and people of god , nay , a wilful rejecting the truth which they before had embraced , and tasted some sweetness in , opposing and contradicting that which the holy spirit testifies to their consciences is the truth of christ ; therefore they wilfully reject the motions of the holy ghost , nay contemn the operations thereof . . and as it is a rejecting of the motions and operations of the holy spirit , after those illuminations they had received , so also it is done maliciously , or from spite and malice ; and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace : they wilfully desert the assemblies of god's church and people , and esteem the blood of christ ( whereby he was consecrated a sacrifice unto god , or ( as some ) whereby they thought once they had been sanctified ) an unholy thing , and accounting the motions of the holy spirit , and his operations , a meer delusion of the devil : and thus some of the pharisees sinned . christ healed one possessed of an unclean spirit , a work wrought by the power of the holy ghost ; they imputed it to the devil , saying , this fellow casteth out devils by the prince of devils . this was a wilful sin , and done no doubt in malice , and against the convictions of their own consciences : for they could not certainly but know , that he was the son of god by the wonderful works he did . see ver . , . upon this our saviour doth intimate , that they were guilty of sinning the sin against the holy ghost , that shall never be forgiven unto men. . it is a treading under foot the son of god , contemning and vilifying him , as these pharisies seem'd to do ; and which , as it is thought by many , julian the apostate was guilty of , who in difdain , when he was wounded , threw his blood up towards heaven , crying , thou galilean thou hast overcome me , or to that purpose ; he in reproach and hatred , seemed to call christ a galilean , would not call him by any one of his own proper names . . and lastly , it doth consist in a fatal and utter renunciation of the christian religion , and all the institutions , doctrines and principles thereof , and a turning to judaism or idolatry , or else to perfect atheism , and all this , as dr. owen signifies , with an avowed and professed enmity to christ and christianity , and therefore not without the highest reproach and contempt imaginable , against the person of christ , as well as against the gospel , imbracing the love of sin , or of the riches and honours of this present evil world , valuing their lusts above the comfort of the holy ghost . we have , as if they should say , tasted of the spirit , and of heavenly things , and do disclaim him and them , and witness against him , and by that experience we have had , do disown all that pretended good that some boast of 〈◊〉 be in their divine things , and contemn that spirit they glory in and are led by . application . first , take heed of those sins that tend or lead to this unpardonable sin. . take heed of a malicious thought against the holy ghost ; don't think it is the devil that disquiets and disturbs you about sin , wrath and hell ; you convicted sinners look to it , that you charge not these convictions you have of the evil of your sin upon satan . he you may be sure will not trouble you for your sins , but let you go on peaceably in your wicked ways ; though when you are awakened , he may perswade you that there is no mercy for you . doubts and desparing thoughts commonly rise from satan , but not sorrow and grief for sin : no , no , that is from your conscience a it is influenced by the holy ghost . . beware of harbouring a malicious thought of religion , or of praying by the holy spirit ; as i heard lately or a wicked man , who hearing a minister pray in a most excellent manner , that said , how doth the devil help him ? or to that effect ; o this is dangerous ? . take heed of blasphemous words against the holy spirit : will any dare to say , that the devil is in god's people , that they are so resolute in their ways , and will not conform to the national church ? . beware , you that make a profession of religion , and that have been enlightned , how you fall away and turn again to folly , and to your sinful practices ; for this is the high way to the unpardonable sin , or sin unto death ; you know not but that a partial apostacy may end in a total one at last . . above all things , look to it that you rest not on a common work of the spirit , without a real work of faith and regeneration : rest on nothing short of christ , neither on reformation , duties , nor inherent grace , for it is dangerous so to do . quest . but why is it impossible for these to be renewed unto repentance ? answ . . it is because the decree is gone out against them , god will not renew them , and none else can . . more directly and immediately it is , because the holy ghost hath utterly forsaken them , and withdrawn all his operations from them for ever , whose work it is alone to renew and work repentance in the hearts of sinners : men cannot repent , when the holy spirit hath utterly left them ; no , nor have any desire to repent : think of this you that magnify the will of man. o sinners , love the holy spirit , cherish the motions thereof , and do not grieve him , nor resist his motions and operations . secondly , by way of consolation to believers . . here is still comfort for you that are the children of god , born of god , you cannot sin this sin , you cannot sin unto death , the seed remains in you : you mourn that you cannot repent as you would do ; your hearts are tender , you need not fear your condition . do you fear to offend god , to grieve the spirit ? o that is a blessed sign : do you love god , love his people ? do you minister as you have ministred to the poor saints ? . o remember you are in christ's hand : we are perswaded better things of you , and things that accompany salvation , though we thus speak . quest . what things are they that accompany salvation ? i answer . union with christ , regeneration , justification , adoption , sanctification , inherent holiness and perseverance in grace . o see that you endeavour to make your calling and election sure , by adding to your faith , vertue ; and to vertue , knowledg ; and unto knowledg , temperance ; and to temperance , patience ; and to patience , godliness ; and to godliness , brotherly kindness ; and to brotherly kindness , charity . and if you do those things ( and these things you shall do , if you are true believers ) you shall never fall ; for so an entrance shall be ministred to you abundantly , into the everlasting kingdom of our lord and saviour jesus christ . to whom with the father and holy ghost be glory , honour , and praise , for ever . amen . hymns of praise . a new song sing unto the lord for mighty wonders done , his right hand , and his glorious arm , hath our salvation won . let all poor sinners taste and try that thou , o lord , art good ; nay let them feed , lord christ , on thee , and wash them in thy blood : that they with saints with one accord , may joy with holy mirth , before the great and glorious lord , and shew his praises forth . come sinners , come , and feed on christ , before that you do die ; come to the wedding-dinner , come ; see here 's variety . all good is in the lord ye need , let not a taste suffice ; but search to find where the sweetness of gospel-dainties lies . truly enlightned souls may sing , who special grace receive ; true cause of joy to such does spring , who savingly believe : such souls shall never fall away , but ever happy be ; such shall be fed with christ's own lambs , and sing eternally . break forth and sing now , all ye saints , lift up god's name on high , in sacred songs to celebrate his praise continually : exalt the living god above , your standing is most sure ; thy mercy , lord , and tender love , will keep our souls secure . when we do fall , lord , we shall rise by thy own blessed hand ; thou set'st our feet upon a rock , where we most safely stand . with saints of old we 'l sing therefore , and say , spring up o well , and send thy waters forth for to refresh thy israel . the pleasures of the world to come let 's taste of every day , and long when jesus on the throne shall the bless'd scepter sway . what shall we hear , what shall we see , when raptured in bliss , when we with blessed jesus be , what happiness like this ? we therefore sing the lamb's sweet song , and him we will adore ; the day is near when saints shall be with him for ever more . the great salvation : or , the salvation of the gospel great and glorious . delivered in several sermons , by benj. keach . heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation , which at first began to be spoken by the lord , and was confirmed to us by them that heard him ? in the precedent chapter , the apostle sets forth the excellency , glory and dignity of the person of jesus christ . . above moses and the prophets , ver . , , . god who at sundry times , and in divers manners , spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets ; ver. . hath in these last days spoken to us by his son , whom he hath appointed heir of all things . ver. . who being the brightness of his glory , and the express image of his person , and upholding all things by the word of his power , when he had by himself purged our sins , sate down on the right hand of the majesty on high. . above the holy angels : ver . . being made so much better than the angels , as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they . christ doth not only surpass moses and the prophets , but also all the angels of god. . in respect of his being god , of the substance of the father , and the express image of his person , the essential glory of god shining forth in him . . in that he as god created , and also doth uphold the world , and all things in it , by the word of his power . . in that he hath obtained a more excellent name than they , verse . . in that angels are required to worship him , ver . , . . in that angels are but his servants , ver . , . . in respect of his scepter and kingdom , ver . . . in respect of his glorious exaltations at the father's right hand , ver . . the apostle having laid down these things so fully and clearly , to illustrate and confirm the great doctrine of the gospel ; he in the beginning of this second chapter , proceeds to make the necessary improvement of it : therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard , lest at any time we let them slip , ver . . for if the word spoken by angels was stedfast , &c. ( and from hence he brings the words in our text ) how shall we escape , if we neglect so great salvation ? &c. the words contain an interrogation , which doth imply a strong and most vehement negation ; how shall we escape if we , &c. that is , we cannot escape , or it is impossible we , or any persons whatsoever , should escape , if we or they neglect so great salvation . escape what ? that is implied here , which is not expressed , namely , the wrath of god : how shall we escape the dreadful judgment and indignation of god , or eternal damnation in hell , if we neglect or slight , despise or reject the means of this salvation ? he confirms what he asserts , or aggravates the greatness of their sin who do neglect this salvation , and the impossibility of such ever to escape god's wrath. . from the power and authority of christ , who not only wrought this salvation out , but only first declared it , or made it known ; which first began to be spoken by the lord. which some think may refer to his first declaring of it from the beginning to adam upon his transgression , and to the fathers under the old testament : but i conceive he means chiefly our lord 's preaching this salvation in the days of his flesh , when he entred first on his ministry , as verse . of the first chapter ; god hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son. . from the confirmation of it , by signs and wonders . i shall be very brief in speaking unto the terms of our text. how shall we escape , avoid , get clear of , or deliver our selves from god's wrath and vengeance . if we neglect , if we mind other things more than this salvation , or seem to be indifferent in and about this great business , like those that made light of the invitation to the marriage-supper , mat. . luke . , , , , . so great salvation , namely , the salvation of the gospel . great , as it refers to god , denotes the glorious perfections of his nature , the great god ; it signifies the infinite power , wisdom , holiness , mercy and glory of his majesty . great , as it refers to things , may be considered as to the nature and quality of them , as great riches , great light ; as the sun is called a great light , that is , a glorious light , excelling all other natural or created lights , or artificial lights . great peace have they that love thy law ; that is , glorious peace . so , great salvation denotes glorious salvation , exceeding all temporal salvation . so great , this [ so ] raises the greatness and glory of this salvation . god so loved the world : so , how ? even so , that it cannot be conceived , much less expressed . so , this great salvation is so wonderful , so amazing , so glorious , and so affecting , it calls for all to admire it , consider it , imbrace it , and by no means to slight or neglect it . from hence i shall note three points of doctrine . doct. . that the salvation of the gospel is a great and glorious salvation . doct. . that the means of this salvation may be neglected . doct. . that all such who do neglect this salvation , shall not , cannot escape . i purpose to speak to all these three propositions , and shall begin with the first , namely , that the salvation of the gospel is a great and glorious salvation . first , i shall prove , and fully ( god assisting ) demonstrate the truth of this doctrine . secondly , i shall improve it by way of application . first , it is a great and glorious salvation comparatively : or when it is compared with all other salvations . . that was a great and glorious salvation which god wrought for israel at the red sea. but what a salvation was that ? who were they saved from ? it was from pharaoh , a bloody and cruel persecutor : but this is from satan and all cruel enemies of our souls . . that was from the wrath of men ; this is from the fearful wrath of god , which none are able to conceive of : according to thy fear , so is thy wrath. . that was a salvation of the natural lives of the children of israel ; this a salvation of our immortal souls and bodies too for ever . . that was a type of this salvation , a shadow of it : and as far as the substance exceeds the shadow of a thing , so far doth this salvation exceed that and all other salvations . . that was a temporal salvation , this is an eternal salvation . now that salvation at the red sea being one of the greatest temporal salvations that ever was wrought , i need not mention any other . israel had many great salvations wrought for them afterwards , and so have many of the saints had great salvations and deliverances wrought for them in the times of the gospel . nay , we in these nations have seen and heard of great and wonderful things which god hath wrought for us , and for our forefathers . it was a great salvation that was wrought in , at the spanish invasion , and from the powder-plot ; and also that in , when we , and the protestant interest , were brought very low , and we could not see which way relief and deliverance could come . but alas , what are all these salvations to this in my text ? pray remember that gospel-salvation is great and glorious comparatively . but , secondly , the salvation of the gospel is not only great comparatively , but also positively : not only in respect of all other salvations , but also in regard of it self . and to demonstrate this , consider , that it is great and glorious in respect of the time ( or rather that eternity ) in which it was contrived and graciously promised . this salvation , brethren , was contrived and found out by the wisdom of god , before the world began . hence christ is said to be a lamb slain from the foundation of the world ; that is , in the decree , counsel and purpose of god : christ was set up from everlasting as the great and glorious mediator and saviour of all that should believe in him , or that were given unto him by the father . the lord possessed me in the beginning of his way , before his works of old . i was set up from everlasting , or ever the earth was . when there were no depths , i was brought forth . as these scriptures prove the deity and eternal generation of the son of god ; so also there was a designation of him by the father , as mediator , to be our saviour before all worlds . hence god saith of miserable man , deliver him from going down into the pit , i have found a ransom . and as it was found out before the beginning of the world , or from eternity , so it was also as early promised to us , as the elect in christ , in hope of eternal life , which god that cannot lie promised before the world began : compared with that in timothy , who hath saved and called us with an holy calling ; not according to our works , but according to his purpose and grace , which was given us in jesus christ before the world began . god thought of us poor sinners , and found out this way of salvation before we had a being , yea even from eternity , foreseeing us fallen in the first adam , brought into a deplorable condition of wrath and misery . thirdly , the salvation of the gospel is great and glorious , in regard of that counsel that was held before all worlds about bringing of it in . christ the great saviour was delivered up according to the determinate counsel of god , acts . . should all the wise men and great potentates of the earth be called together , and sit in council about the doing of some great and wonderful thing , which unless it was effected , all the kingdoms and states of the earth would sink and be dissolved , would not all say , that would be an amazing thing , and an important concernment ? alas ! what is a counsel held by all the wisest men and greatest potentates on earth , of the highest concernment here , to that council held by the glorious trinity in eternity , about bringing in of this salvation ? o of what moment is the salvation of our souls ? none but the great god could effect it , it was the result of infinite wisdom and counsel . god seemed , brethren , to call a council about the first creation of man ; let us make man after our own image , &c. but how much more of the glory of god's wisdom , according to his eternal purpose , shines forth , as the result of that counsel held about the restauration of fallen man , than what shone forth in the first creation of him ? and the counsel of peace was between them both ; that is , between the father and the son. fourthly , the salvation of the gospel is great and glorious in respect of god's design therein : which more generally and comprehensibly i may open in three respects . st . his own glory in all his attributes . dly . the confounding and baffling of satan , and the utter destruction of his kingdom and hellish design . dly . the eternal salvation of man ; i mean , all that believe in jesus christ , or are given to him by the father . st . god before all things hereby designed his own glory , or to make all the perfections of his holy nature manifest to the creature which he had made , and to open a way by which each of his attributes might gloriously appear , and to vanquish that cloud that seem'd to eclipse their shining . . for god's mercy could not be extended in another way to the help and relief of mankind under wrath and misery , because justice was injured , and called for the sentence to be executed on us for our sins . . and his justice could not be executed , but his mercy and goodness would have been brought under obscurity , and been vailed for ever . and had mankind for ever been brought under the just desert of sin , god had , it is true , glorified his justice ; but mercy is as well a property of his blessed nature as justice : and had that been done , how had any of his creatures known any thing of his mercy and goodness ? certainly mercy had never been manifested at all , no more than is seen in the casting off the fallen angels . god to them appeared only just , not gracious ; but in christ to mankind , he appears not only just , but also good and gracious . yet the salvation of our souls could not consist with the holiness and justice of god in a way of mercy , without a satisfaction be made to divine justice . therefore infinite wisdom in substituting jesus christ to die in our nature and stead , makes god's justice a full compensation for the wrong and injury we had done by our sins and transgressions ; and from hence it appears that infinite wisdom , justice , holiness , power , mercy and goodness , &c. are discovered and magnified equally in god's bringing in this great salvation of the gospel : and this was , i say , the grand design of god herein , by which he removes and solves all those seeming contradictions and great difficulties that appeared in the way of our eternal recovery , and magnifies the entire glory of god , that seemed to be lost by our sin , or was before hid under obscurity ; it is hereby fully repaired , and to the joy of saints and angels is made known and magnified in christ . and from hence it is that the gospel is called the wisdom of god ; and christ is also called the wisdom of god , and the power of god , because in him all the strength of god , i mean the power and glory of all his attributes , are joined or united together , and shine in equal glory in our salvation . but more of this hereafter . dly . hereby also satan is overthrown , and his grand design marr'd and frustrated for ever , and his kingdom spoiled ; our lord jesus having spoiled principalities and powers , he made a shew of them openly , triumphing over them in it : and this was done by the death of his cross , and by his resurrection ; to this purpose was the son of god manifest , that he might destroy the works of the devil . dly . moreover hereby god designed to make man , even all that believe in christ and embrace this salvation , happy again , and blessed for ever ; nay ( as i shall shew you , before i have done with this text , god assisting me ) even to raise him up into a higher and better state than that was in which he was at first created . fifthly , the salvation of the gospel is great and glorious , if we consider how low man was fallen and sunk by his transgression , and what kind of wrath he was laid under ; as also if we consider how helpless he was , having no friend nor brother that could give to god a ransom for him ; no nor could the angels of heaven do it , whose power is very great : no , no , none but christ alone , with his almighty arm , could save us from the threatned wrath and vengeance of an angry god. besides , this salvation must needs be great and glorious , if we consider the seasonableness of it ; it was a timely salvation , it was brought in just as the hand of justice was up , and ready to strike the fatal stroke . justice stood ( as it were ) with his ax in his hand to cut off all our heads ; and christ to save us , stept in and laid down ( as i may say ) his own neck , and took the blow : or we may conceive that justice stood with his spear in his hand , ready , as it were , to run it into our bowels ; and jesus christ run in between divine wrath and our poor souls , and cried out , let thy spear , o justice , be thrust into my heart , i will die for these condemned and guilty wretches . see what paul says , when we were yet without strength , in due time christ died for the vngodly . so vers . . while we were yet sinners , christ died for us . though i deny not but that this text may refer to the fulness of time prefixed by the almighty for christ to come , and take our nature upon him , and to die in our room ; and that was the due time , or time god had appointed : yet christ was as a lamb slain from the beginning of the world , nay , before the foundation thereof . and we may say , that as soon as our first parents sinned , even then , and at that very season , jesus christ step'd in , and yielded up himself to god as a sacrifice for us : and had he not then been accepted , we had been lost for ever . o how refreshing , how sweet and how welcome is it to a poor condemned criminal , when he is brought to the place of execution , to see the sheriff pull out an arrest of execution , a reprieve , nay , an absolute pardon , and tell him , you have met with a friend , the king has accepted of one that he ordained and substituted to be your surety , and to die for you , and satisfy the law and justice for you ; friend , you are acquitted . brethren , thus it is here , christ offered himself , and the father accepted him in our stead to die for us , and to bear that wrath that was due to us for our sins ; and this he did then , even when we first sinned in adam . so that we may say , in due time christ died for the ungodly , just as the stroke of wrath and divine justice was falling on us , for it was all one as if he had then actually suffered : and also his blood was as efficacious to save and absolve adam , and all that did believe , and apply the virtue thereof , before it was shed , as it is to us who believe in these latter times of the world , after it has been shed more than sixteen hundred years . would not such a guilty malefactor i mentioned , say , o this is a great salvation indeed ! nay , stand and admire at it , he expecting nothing but death , and had none to help him , or afford any hope or relief to him in the least ! application . . we may from hence infer , god's love to mankind is inconceivable ; nay , his love to sinful man , to lost man , rebellious man : what is man that thou art mindful him ? such a vile creature , a worm , a filthy and loathsom worm , a cursed rebel and traitor against god , that god should let out his thoughts from eternity upon him , when the sentence was past against him , and he ready to go down to the pit of everlasting wrath and misery ; that he should say , deliver him from going down into the pit , i have found a ransom . 't is not he ( that is , man himself ) hath found a ransom : no , no , i have , saith god , found a ransom ; the just for the vnjust , or in the room and place of the guilty sinner . it is not , i have found man's good works , man's reformed life , his repentance , his faith , his tears , his sincere obedience ; no , but it is the obedience of christ , the blood of christ , the sacrifice of christ , the merits and righteousness of christ , this god hath found to be our ransom . god hath found a full ransom , a perfect ransom . god accepted of christ's sacrifice for a compleat satisfaction ; it is more satisfactory than if we had lain in hell for ever , for we must always have been paying , but never could have made satisfaction . o who could have thought of such a ransom , of such a way of salvation ! in this lies the depth of divine wisdom , and the great mystery of the gospel : how should we adore and admire the grace of god in jesus christ ! . to you poor sinners let me speak one word by way of exhortation : did god so early contrive our salvation ? o then do you set your hearts on work to seek this salvation , i mean , an interest in it ; be early at it , do not defer it : you young men , think upon it in the morning of your days , this salvation calls for your utmost diligence to understand and find out ; the gospel is a mystery , 't is not easily understood . the preaching of a crucified christ is to some men foolishness ; but to them that are saved , it is the power of god. many stumble at the stumbling-stone god hath laid in sion . christ is to some a stumbling-stone , and a rock of offence , but take heed he is not so to you . . was there a council held in eternity about our salvation ? o then consult with all wisdom the grand design of god herein : it is to exalt his own glory , his own name , his own free grace ; and this being so , let it be all your care to advance the riches of his grace , and let god be wholly exalted , and do you lie low at his feet . o close in with god's counsel , accept of this way of life , do not think there is any other way . . and lastly , consider that the greatness of god's mercy and divine goodness to us , was also one grand end and design in finding out this salvation : it doth display his unspeakable love and bowels towards his poor creature man. true , he had the like regard to his justice ; but his justice had been magnified in our destruction , if his mercy had never appeared . but that his mercy might be manifested , what hath he done , his own son hath born our sins , he hath laid the hand of his justice , and let out that wrath that must have lain upon us for ever upon his own son , that mercy might flow forth to us . this should teach us to study acts of mercy , and contrive that way to be like unto the holy and merciful god : this is that which he requires of us , even to do justly , love mercy , and to walk humbly with our god. heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? i am upon the proof and demonstration of the first point of doctrine raised from our text , viz. that gospel-salvation is a great and glorious salvation . i have spoken to this already under five considerations . sixthly , the salvation of the gospel is great and glorious , if we consider the glory and greatness of those persons who sat in counsel about bringing of it in , and working of it out for sinful man. we commonly judg of the greatness of the undertaking , and the glory of the work , by considering the dignity , glory , wisdom , power and greatness of the persons concerned in it . now if this work , i mean the salvation of sinful man , had been put into the hands of the mighty angels , and they had called a council about it , and shewed their uttermost skill , wisdom and power , in order to the actual accomplishment thereof , would not all say , this must needs be some great and wonderful work , or a great salvation ? but alas , they could neither have sound out a way of salvation for us , much less have wrought it out : could they any way have thought how the glory of every attribute of god might have been raised , and have shone forth in equal lustre ? could they have secured the glory of god's justice and holiness , and have made up the wrong we had done to god by our sin , and so have opened a way for mercy and goodness to run down like a mighty stream , and secured the sanction of the law , and yet have delivered man from the curse thereof ? god must not , will not lose the glory of any one of his attributes , let what will become of the rebellious sinner . alas , they could never have found out a way whereby the attributes of mercy and justice might meet together , and righteousness and truth kiss each other : the persons then who found and wrought out this salvation , were not the holy angels of god ; no , no , none but god himself could do it : the salvation of israel is of the lord ; he is our saviour : how often is this expressed in the psalms , and in other places of the holy scripture . salvation is ascribed to the lord , to him only ; yea to his own arm , to the greatness of his power : therefore my own arm brought salvation . brethren , each person in the trinity hath a part in it ; the father hath his part , the son hath his part , and the holy ghost hath his part also . remember , that these three are one ; though three persons or subsistences , yet but one and the same god , one in essence , though distinguished as to their distinct personalities : the person of the father is not the person of the son ; the father took not upon him flesh and died for our sins , but the son ; the son sent not the father , but the father sent the son : the father and the son do not proceed from the holy ghost , but the holy ghost doth proceed from them . but a little to open and insist upon the distinct parts which each person hath , and how concerned in the accomplishing of this great salvation . . the father is held forth in the scripture , as the contriver or first author of this salvation : all things are of god , who hath reconciled us unto himself by jesus christ . all things in and about our salvation are of god the father , as he is the fountain and spring of it : he hath devised means , that his banished might not for ever be expelled from him . i have found a ransom : where did god find it ? ( saith reverend caryl ) certainly in his own bosom , in his own heart : jesus christ came out of the bosom of the father , there he was , and god found him in and with himself ; he did not find the ransom by chance , but he found it in his own wisdom , love and goodness . . the father was injured , his glory seemed to be eclipsed by sin , therefore must be righted , and his honour repaired ; and he sought out the proper way to do it : i know , as if god should say , how to do the poor sinner good ; i know how to save him , and do my own honour , my justice , truth and holiness , no wrong ; my honour is secured , my justice is satisfied ; and yet the sinner whom my heart is set upon , shall be saved . . the father could only appoint the terms and way of our salvation : who but god could tell , or did know what would comport with his truth and justice , and with the sanction of his righteous law and infinite holiness ? and he saw it did not comport with his truth , justice , holiness , and blessed law , to save man meerly as an act of sovereign mercy ; but it did agree in his infinite wisdom to transfer the punishment of the sinner to another , namely , to his own son , he taking our nature on him ; who from the union of the two natures in one person , procured an infinite satisfaction , or made a plenary compensation for our sins . . god the father is therefore held forth as the person who substituted his own son as mediator and surety in our stead and room , to work out our redemption , or this great and glorious salvation ; and to this end prepared him a body : a body hast thou prepared me . and the father is said also to send his son : how many times doth our blessed saviour ascribe this unto the father , in the gospel recorded by john ? i am perswaded not less than forty times : the father that sent me , is with me . god sent not his son into the world to condemn the world. this is the will of him that sent me . . all the blessings of our salvation are ascribed to the free bounty , mercy , love and goodness of god the father : blessed be the lord god of israel , for he hath visited and redeemed his people , and hath raised up an horn of salvation , &c. and therefore he is stiled , the father of mercies , and god of all comfort . now this being so , what an abominable thing is it for the socinians to say , that the doctrine of satisfaction renders the son more merciful and kind than the father ; see penn's sandy foundation shaken : no , this is very unjustly and unrighteously thrown upon this great gospel-truth . certainly it exalts the goodness and mercy of god the father , far more than their idle and absurd notion of god's pardoning sin in a way of meer mercy , without a satisfaction to his offended justice ; seeing god in a way of mercy and divine goodness , is so set upon this work of our salvation , that though it cost him the life of his own son , yet it shall be done , he will not spare him : he that spared not his own son , but delivered him up for us all . the father did not spare him as an act of his own love and goodness to us ; god so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten son. certainly that person shews greater love and pity to another , who to save him gives a million , than he that gives but a pound . must god by these men be deemed to have no mercy at all , because he seeks the honour of his justice equally with the glory of his mercy ? is he not merciful , because he is just as well as gracious ? . brethren , it was the father that loved us and chose us in jesus christ before the foundation of the world , which is the spring of all spiritual blessings , even of redemption and salvation it self . . moreover , the father is said to raise jesus christ from the dead : though the son being god could raise himself , yet as mediator , the power to quicken whomsoever he will , is said to be given to him by the father . besides , it is the meer grace and good pleasure of god the father , to accept of christ and his obedience for us , and to accept of us in jesus christ : also it is the father that blesseth us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in christ jesus . nay , no man , christ says , can come unto him , unless it be given by the father ; that is , power must be given to him to come . and again he saith , no man can come unto me , except my father that sent me draw him . we ought therefore to see we do not lessen the glory of god the father in our salvation , who is the efficient , the original and moving cause thereof : my father ( saith christ ) hitherto worketh , and i work . brethren , we are not to attribute the works of creation and providence to god the father only , for he hath a great and glorious hand in the work of redemption , i may say , to accomplish this work , even the salvation of his elect ; he worketh hitherto , and christ also worketh : which brings me to consider of the next person in the trinity concerned herein . secondly , as the father hath , as you have heard , his part in bringing in the great salvation of the gospel , so jesus christ , the son of god , hath his part in working of it out ; the father fix'd on him , as the great agent , actually to perfect it : he is in such a peculiar manner concerned in it , that his name is saviour , his name shall be called jesus ; jesus signifies a saviour : certainly this must needs be a great salvation , if we consider the greatness , dignity and glory of his person , whom god hath sent to save us . and because it is mainly from this foot of account , that the apostle in the text draws his inference , and calls gospe-salvation great salvation , i shall a little further enlarge upon this particular ; . jesus christ hath a great name given to him , yea , a name above every name ; that is , he is so highly exalted , ( as he is mediator ) that he is clothed with power , glory and majesty , above all creatures in heaven and earth ; so that all in heaven above , and in earth beneath , must bow down before him , and adore and worship him , and be in subjection to him : for unto us a child is born , a son is given , and the government shall be upon his shoulders ; and his name shall be called wonderful , &c. this his name is according to his person , he is a wonderful or an admirable person ; wonderful in his incarnation , god man ; wonderful in his birth , wonderful in his life , wonderful in his death ; and in the effects , end and design of his death ; he is not only called wonderful , but also counsellor : never such a counsellor for wisdom and knowledg , for he is the wisdom of god it self , and the only wise god : he is called the mighty god , the everlasting father , or the father of eternity , and the prince of peace . moreover , he is called immanuel , god with us , god in our nature ; and also called the only begotten son of god , and the prince of the kings of the earth , the king of kings , and lord of lords , the only potentate ; he is called the desire of all nations , elect , precious : and he is made so much better than the angels , as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they ; for unto which of the angels said he at any time , thou art my son , this day have i begotten thee ? he is called the one mediator ; time would fail me to speak of all his names . and , . as is his name , such is his nature : he is god's fellow ; he is co-equal and co-eternal with the father ; he thought it not robbery to be equal with god. o what a kind of salvation must this be , that such a person is sent to work it out ! one clothed with such a name , with such a nature , with such glory : he is called a saviour , a great one ; he shall ( that is , god shall ) send them a saviour , a great one , and he shall deliver them . he , as he is god-man , is ordained heir of all things , and all power in heaven and earth is given to him ; nay , he is the upholder , the sustainer or preserver of the world : he is not only the brightness of the father's glory , and express image of his person , but he upholdeth all things by the word of his power . he is one and the same god with the father , the express character of the father's pérson ; so that they that see and know him , see and know the father also . he supports , sustains , feeds , preserves , governs , throws down and raises up , kills and makes alive whom he will ; he has the keys of hell and death . he is the wonder of angels , the consternation and dread of devils , and the joy and delight of the saints ; there is not such another person in heaven nor earth , perfect god , and perfect man , and yet but one christ , one person : certainly here 's some great and wonderful work to be done , when such a person is substituted , ordained and so qualified , and sent into the world to work out the actual accomplishment thereof . nay , god himself , who delighteth in him , put the prophet to propound this question concerning him ; who is this that cometh from edom , with died garments from bozrah ? this that is glorious in his apparel , travelling in the greatness of his strength ? christ himself ( as i conceive ) answers , i that speak in righteousness , mighty to save . o happy mortals , that god hath sent us such a saviour , he is mighty to save . . consider also that none but he could save us , procure and work about this salvation for us ; there was none in heaven nor earth able nor worthy to open the book , and loose the seals thereof , but the lion of the tribe of judah , he hath prevailed . . jesus christ is such an almighty saviour , that he is able to save to the uttermost all that come to god by him . he has the perfection of power with him , he can save to the full , let the state of the soul that comes to god by him be whatsoever it will or can be . . though a man is sunk down to the very gates of hell , under the pressure and sense of god's wrath. . though he hath the guilt of millions of sins like mountains of lead lying upon him , yet christ can save him . . though satan says there is no hope , and the heart of the sinner joins in with him , and says , there is no hope , no pardon , no help , no salvation ; hang thy self , drown thy self , saith satan , thou art damn'd , there is no mercy for thee : yet christ can then save that poor soul ; and many such he hath saved , when but a little before all hope of relief seemed to be gone . . though the devil should raise up all the force and powers of hell and darkness against a person , to destroy him , yet jesus christ can save him ; if he will work upon the soul by stretching forth his almighty power , nothing can obstruct or hinder him . . christ can save from the sin , from the guilt , the filth and power of it , and break into pieces all the bonds , chains and fetters of the enemy ; nay , let the sins of a person be never so many , never so great , yet he can save to the uttermost , though they are such sinners as manasseh and mary magdalen were ; nay , such that put to death by wicked hands the lord of life and glory : 't is as easy with him to save great sinners , as the least , or less guilty ones ; he can save the stout-hearted , such who are far from righteousness . . he can save from the curse of the law and from the wrath of god ; he is every ways furnished , fitted and enabled to save . . he is a mighty saviour , and able to save to the uttermost , in that he can save by himself alone , by his own power ; it is not if we will begin the work , if we will do what we can , he can and will save us ; no , but he takes the whole work of salvation into his own hand , he is the author and finisher of it , 't is he alone . . moreover , christ is as willing to save poor lost and undone sinners , as he is able ; he had his name given to this end , i. e. because of his power , willingness and readiness to save sinners . brethren , this doth not only bespeak this to be a great salvation , but also it discovers the greatness of god's love even the greatest pity , power and wisdom that ever was manifested . thirdly , the third person that is concerned in this salvation , is the holy ghost : the father chuses , the son purchases , and the spirit applies the blessings purchased . salvation is called a garment ; he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation , he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness . the father may be said to prepare the matter which this robe is made of ; the son wrought it , he made the garment , and the holy spirit puts it on the soul ; the garment of salvation is christ's righteousness . again , the father sought out or chose the bride , the son espouses and marries her , but it is the holy ghost that inclines her heart and stirs up , nay , that causes the soul to like and to love this blessed lover , and brings it to yield and consent to accept heartily and willingly of jesus christ . we were sick of a fearful and incurable disease , and the father found out the medicine ; the blood of christ is that medicine , and the holy spirit applies it to the soul. we were in debt , in prison , and bound in fetters and cruel chains , and the father procured a friend to pay all our debts ; the son was this our friend , who laid down the infinite sum ; and the holy spirit knocks off our irons , our fetters and chains , and brings us out of the prison-house . the father loved us , and sent his son to merit grace for us ; the son loved us , and died , and thereby purchased that grace to be imparted to us ; and the holy spirit works that grace in us . o what is the nature of this salvation ; how great , how glorious ! that the whole trinity , both the father , and the son , and the holy ghost , are thus imployed in and about it , that we might have it made fure to us for ever . application . . reproof . wo to such that esteem their own filthy rags above this garment of salvation , or that seem to set light by it : hath god the father , jesus christ , and the holy ghost , held a counsel before the world began , about the salvation of our souls ; and hath each person of the blessed trinity such a part in order to the making of it to be effectual to us ? and shall any dare to say there is no need of this garment ? we may work a robe out of our own bowels by the operations of the spirit , that will serve to hide our nakedness , trouble not us with your old divinity : we are for rational religion . he that is righteous , and obeys christ , and leads a goldly life , need not doubt of his salvation : for in every nation , he that feareth god , and worketh righteousness , is accepted of him . o how ready are men to abuse the scripture ! can any man think that his own personal inherent righteousness , can either justify or save him ; or that the apostle peter means any such thing ? god may so far accept of a man in his obedience , in which he acts in all sincerity and faithfulness to him , as to hear his prayers , so as to reveal himself to him in christ as he did to cornelius . but was cornelius a believer , and justfied before he heard of jesus christ , and had faith wrought in his soul ? see how peter preached christ for life and salvation to this man : notwithstanding all his own righteousness , peter was commanded of god to tell him what he should do that he might be saved , plainly intimating he did not know the way , or how to be saved before peter preached christ to him : he ( saith the lord ) shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do . * and in verse . peter said , to him ( that is , to jesus christ ) gave all the prophets witness , that through his name whosoever believeth in him , should receive remission of sins . will any say cornelius had remission of sins before he heard this sermon , and believed in jesus christ ? was not peter sent to him ( and to those other gentiles with him ) that they might be converted ? o take heed you stumble not at this stone , lest it fall on you and grind you to pouder . . dare any of you think that this salvation is but a small matter , and that you need not trouble your selves about it ? o tremble you who never had one serious thought about it to this day : you have other things to mind , are full of business ; but , o sirs , what is of such moment as this salvation ? yet nevertheless some will not spare time to hear it , or to attend upon the word of this salvation : others will not part with the love of this world , to have a part in it ; they value their earthly riches , pleasures and honours , above it ; nay , too many esteem their filthy lusts more than an interest in this great salvation . but what contempt do such persons cast upon the great god , who hath manifested such depths of divine wisdom , grace and goodness in bringing of it in , and working of it out for our precious souls : did they know what god is , christ is , salvation is , certainly they would change their opinion , and not a little blame themselves for their great folly. brethren , a true and spiritual knowledg of the great salvation of the gospel , makes all the things of the world seem little , nay nothing in comparison thereof : all things that carnal men have their hearts set upon , are poor , thin and beggarly things , when compared to grace here , and glory hereafter . no sooner had paul a true sight of this great salvation , but immediately he consulted not with flesh and blood. when the sweetness of christ and salvation is tasted , and a soul knows how good and satisfying it is , every thing that hath a tincture of flesh and blood , all carnal interests , and fleshly counsels expire . a full sight of this salvation seems to make life uneasy , and death desirable : lord , now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace , for mine eyes have seen thy salvation . nothing in this world could be worth a thought of his heart , since his eyes had seen god's salvation . why what did he see ? it was jesus christ the author of salvation , in whom he knew was salvation , and in no other : he that lives so long as to see christ by an eye of faith to be his saviour , and his salvation , will be willing to leave this world , be willing to die , because he then shall die in peace . none can die happily that have not a sight of this great salvation ; nor can any have a true sight of this salvation , but they only who have by faith a true sight of the blessed saviour . paul , when he came to the knowledg of christ , and of salvation by christ , esteems every thing in the world to be no better than dung , and longs to be dissolv'd , and to be in christ's arms , and taste how good salvation is in the full possession of it in heaven . . this reproves such who delay seeking after the knowledg of this salvation : if it be so great , it must and ought first of all be regarded : seek first the kingdom of god , and his righteousness . may be ' ere long you will wish you had sought after christ and salvation by him , before all things , when you come to lie upon a sick bed. o sirs , you will need it at last , and may be seek it when too late . were a poor condemned criminal sensible of a way how to be saved from death , or that a pardon might be had , would he delay the time , or would he not make it all his business with his uttermost care to seek for a pardon , lest the day of his execution should come before he hath got it ? and if so , he knows die he must : alas sirs , what is it to be delivered from natural death , to our being delivered from eternal death ! the time when you must die may be near ; and if you have not an interest in this salvation when you die naturally , your souls must die eternally . pray observe the argument i am upon to excite and stir up your souls to a holy diligence , in attending on the means of this salvation ; it is the same the apostle uses , it is called great salvation , considering the dignity of christ's person , who laid down his own life to purchase it for us ; and also was the first great minister and preacher of it , which at first began to be spoken by the lord : it was preached by the lord of life and glory , the great mediator , head of all principalities and powers ; and it is again by one of his poor servants this day offered unto you , in the name of my great master , therefore refuse it at your peril : if you receive it , imbrace it , you shall be happy ; but if you refuse it , you will be miserable , and at last die in your sins . . here is comfort and encouragement for the worst of sinners . are you such who are and have been great sinners ? well , let it be so , yet be not cast down into utter despair , for here is a great saviour ; you have heard of his mighty power and ability to save ; and he saith , all that the father hath given to me , shall come unto me . ay but you perhaps may say , you know not who they be that the father hath given to christ . well , what of that ? pray mind his next words , and he that cometh to me , i will in no wise cast out . whosoever believeth in him , shall not perish , but have everlasting life . receive this saviour , believe in him , and you shall be saved whosoever you are : it is not the greatness of your sins that can hinder or obstruct him from saving your souls ; though your sins be as red as scarlet , or as red as crimson , he will wash them all away , and make you as white as wool , as white as snow . . also here is good news for poor sin-sick sinners , to wounded and lost sinners , i mean , such who feel themselves sick , see and feel themselves wounded , who find they are lost and undone in themselves . o souls , you are the persons the word of this salvation is sent to ; the whole need not a physician , but such that are sick . i am not come to call the righteous , but sinners to repentance . such indeed who are conceited of their own righteousness , or swelled with a good opinion of their own good works , good deeds , and good duties , will not come to christ , such think they need no such physician as christ is : but you that see you have no righteousness of your own , but that all your righteousness is as dung , o look to christ , come to christ , hear what he says to such that are lost , that are under the burden of their sins , and wounded ones ; come to me all ye that labour and are heavy laden , and i will give you rest . . but here is sad news to such who slight this salvation , and refuse jesus christ , great will their condemnation be : the men of nineveh shall rise up in judgment with this generation , and condemn it , because they repented at the preaching of jonas ; and behold a greater than jonas is here . the greatness of this saviour who preaches the gospel to you , and is come to save you , will aggravate your condemnation . what was jonas to jesus christ ? also our saviour saith , the queen of the south shall rise up in judgment with this generation , and shall condemn it ; for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of solomon ; and behold a greater than solomon is here . solomon was a mighty king , and for wisdom exceeded all that went before him . but alas , what was solomon to jesus christ , who is the wisdom of god it self , and the express image of the father's person , and the brightness of his glory ? o know you , sinners , this day , that jesus christ , this glorious king , and prince of the kings of the earth , this mighty saviour is come to your doors : behold , i stand at the door and knock : will you not open the door , nor cry to him to help you to open to him , to enable you to believe in him ? what do you say , shall the son of god stand at your doors , and you not so much as ask , who is there ? who is at my door ? shall christ be kept out of your hearts , and stand at your doors , whilst sin commands the chiefest room , and has absolute power over you , and rules in you ? how will you be able to look this blessed saviour in the face another day ? is he come through a sea of blood to offer his love to you , and to espouse you unto himself for ever , and will not you be perswaded to break your league with your old lovers , who will at last stab you at the very heart , and betray your souls into the hands of divine wrath ? now , they have done it already : what are your lovers but your 〈◊〉 , your pride , your earthly-mindedness , your sinful pleasures , profits and honours ? o resolve to desert them , they otherwise will damn your souls for ever , and expose you to the torments of hell-fire : and to deliver you from them , and from that ●rath which is due to you for them , ( i mean , for your sins ) is christ come , and this great saviour is offered to you . the lord help every one of you to consider of this , and to lay it to heart . . and lastly , here is comfort for poor drooping saints : this saviour is yours , this mighty saviour , who is able to save to the uttermost , and he will help you in all your straits , and supply all your wants ; and he hath taken the work into his own hand , and hath also begun it , and will perform it , and finally finish it before that he hath done ; rest therefore upon him . heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? brethren , the last day i shewed you that gospel-salvation is great and glorious salvation , considering the greatness , dignity and glory of the persons that are concerned in bringing of it in , and working of it out for us , namely , the father , the son , and the holy ghost : but more particularly upon the consideration of the dignity of the person of christ , who is that great saviour god hath sent , who is great in his name , great in respect of his person and nature , great as to his commission in his call , and in respect of those great and glorious anointings that were upon him 〈◊〉 small now proceed . seventhly , the salvation of the gospel is great , &c. if we consider what poor sinners hereby 〈…〉 and delivered from : by this salvation , those th●● believe are delivered from every evil in this world , and in that which is to come . all evil may be considered under two general heads . first , that which corrupteth our nature , both soul and body , as to their being . secondly , that which is destructive to our nature , as to its well-being , both soul and body . the first is sin , the second is punishment . i purpose to speak briefly to both these , that so we may the better demonstrate the greatness of this salvation . first , of the evil of sin which all those are and shall be for ever saved and delivered from , who embrace this salvation . this i shall speak unto more generally , and then more particularly . brethren , the evil of sin comprehendeth many things , as it respecteth god , and is directly against him , his holy nature , hateful and loathsom in his sight : and in respect had to man , which takes in our first apostacy from god , the loss of his holy and blessed image , as also his love and favour ; and so the pravity of all the powers of our souls , and faculties thereof , as the blindness of our minds , and darkness of our understandings ; the rebellion and stubbornness of our wills , and hardness of our hearts ; the carnality and vanity of our affections ; the horrid guilt , pollution and filthiness that cleaves to the soul and conscience ; together with shame , bondage , nakedness , poverty and enmity against god , slavery to satan and to this world , having contracted a likeness to the devil , or an impress of his image , doing his will , and serving our own lusts : all these , and many other things , comprize the evil of sin , from which by this salvation we are delivered . but to speak a little more particularly ; let us , . consider the evil of sin : as it is contrary to god's most holy and pure nature , it is that thing which his soul is said to hate . would not we be greatly concerned , if any should do that in our sight and presence , which they know we hate and abominate ? . sin is a dishonour to god , and it is called a despising of god : them that honour me , i will honour ; and they that despise me , shall be lightly esteemed . certainly sin must needs have a great evil in it , if it be a despising of god : if a man be despised , he thinks himself greatly wronged ; loss of honour is no small loss . . sin is a crossing of god's will , acting directly contrary thereunto ; nay , and it is a doing the will of the devil : how are you troubled if your servants cross your will in that which is just and right , and wherein your interest and honour lies , and is nearly concerned . sin is a crossing of the will of god ; not only when the sinner doth not what god commands to be done , which is a sin of omission , but also in doing that which he hath positively forbid , which is a sin of commission . . sin doth cast contempt upon god , as when men sin presumptuously with a high hand , as if it were in defiance of heaven , as if they bid god do his worst , intimating that they will have their way , their wills , their cursed lusts , or sinful pleasures and profit , let what will come of it . . sin is a renouncing of god's just authority and government over us ; it is a breaking his bonds , and casting his cords from us . what is the voice of sin ? god shall not reign over us , we will not be under his government , but will live as we list , our tongues are our own ; and who is lord over us ? nay , and as sin doth cast off god , and disown him , contemn him , rebel against him , will not have him reign , but strive to pull him out of his throne : so by sin the sinner sets up the devil in god's place , puts him into god's throne . the heart is the throne of god , but there the sinner will not allow god to rule , god to be , but gives way to sin , and will sin ; and in so doing he exalts satan , and puts him into the government , and subjects to him . o what is the evil of sin ? . sin in the nature of it , is a manifestation of the sinner's hatred of god : god declares against sinners in his word , as such that hate him ; the lesser love is accounted a hatred in the scripture . but alas , sinners seem to have no love to god at all , they proclaim war against him , even wish there was no god to controul them , to judg them , to punish them , so that they might sin the more freely , and with the more impudence , if it be possible for them so to do : the fool saith in his heart , there is no god. he would have no god , he would be glad it there was no god ; such is his hatred of god. hence it is said , visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children , unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me . and again it is said , shouldst thou love them that hate the lord ? sin even strikes at god's very being . can you think any person can have more hatred to you , than to wish you had no being ? nay , would , if he could , destroy you , and cause you not to be , or deprive you of a king any more for ever ? this seems to be the voice or sin naturally in mens hearts ; therefore it must needs be a great evil , they would not have god to be , if they could bring it about or have their will ; for such as we despise , resist , war against , we would kill and destroy if we could : sin would dethrone god , and thrust him out of the world , it fills the mind so full of enmity against him . dly . but in the second place , sin hath not only great evil in it , as it against god , but also in respect of our selves : 't is not only 〈…〉 our to god but hurtful to us . no evil like the evil of sin in this 〈…〉 also , as will appear , if we conside●● ▪ . it was sin we lost god's holy image in which we were created in our first parents . o what a 〈◊〉 creature was man , as he came out of his great creator's hand ; there was no spot , blemish , nor stain in him : man was created in righteousness and true holiness , in that did the image of god consist . but this likeness to god we lost by sin ; and by yielding unto it , and by being overcome by it , we became like unto the devil . naturally all men bear his image , even the devil's likeness : judas was so much like the devil , that christ calls him a devil ; have not i chosen you twelve , and one of you is a devil ? . sin poisoned our whole nature , and corrupted all our faculties . . it is compared to the plague of the leprosy , it spreads it self over us , from the crown of our heads to the soles of our feet ; it is more filthy than the filthiest thing in the world in god's sight : and as all the faculties of our souls were poisoned thereby , so all the members of our bodies are defiled and polluted with it also . nay , and it is such a kind of pollution , that renders the sinner loathsom to god : god is said to be grieved with sin , nay grieved that he made man ; grieved at his heart , because every imagination of the thought of his heart was evil continually . god is said upon this to repent that he made man ; not that god properly can repent , it signifies an alienation of god's heart and affections from man for his sin and wickedness , whereby he carries himself towards him as we do when we repent we have done a thing . . it was therefore hereby that we lost god's love and favour , and is not that a dismal and most bitter thing ? man's only happiness lies in his likeness to god , and in the enjoyment of his love , and the light of his sweet countenance : but this the whole race of mankind lost by original sin , and instead of his love , we were brought under his wrath. sin incurr'd the wrath and anger of god : god is angry with the wicked every day . and as we by sin became enemies to god , so also hereby god became an enemy to us : and if we consider what it cost god , and cost jesus christ to make our peace , or to make up this breach , sure we must say , this is a great and wonderful salvation . . sin is the worst of evils , it is the plague of plagues , it is worse than any affliction : afflictions oft-times bring us nearer unto god , but sin drives us further from him . sin is a departing from god , a leaving and forsaking of god , a casting of god off ; the more we are afflicted , the more we are made conformable to jesus christ . he was afflicted , and a man of sorrows ; but the more we sin , the more like we are unto the devil . nay , and by afflictions we are purged , and are said to partake of the holiness of god ; therefore there is much good in affliction : but sin hath nothing but evil in it , hurtful evil , soul-defiling , and soul-damning evil. sin is the spring and cause of all other evils , it is the cause of all sickness , and of all sorrow and misery , nay and 't is the cause of death it self : the wages of sin is death ; nay , the sting of death is sin , that which makes death so terrible to a wicked man. . sin hath put mankind into satan's hand , who hath laid him in cruel chains : consider what a thing it is to be taken captive by a grand and merciless tyrant : satan took all mankind captive . and holds them still , who are under the power of it in captivity ; they are his bondmen , his slaves , he takes them captive at his will. every vicious habit is a strong bond or chain in which satan binds his vassals . all men naturally are bound down under the bond of ignorance , unbelief , and hardness of heart ; such is the nature of sin. christ came to set at liberty such that were bound . i perceive , saith peter , that thou art in the gall of bitterness , and in the bond of iniquity . and o what is the strength of these bonds ? who can break them but the arm of the omnipotent god ? moreover , these bonds bind the soul unto , and under the wrath of god. o what a kind of salvation is it , that delivers us from sin , and out of the power of satan ! . sin hath put out the eyes of all mankind , and stripp'd them naked , and wounded them unto death : all men are born blind , the eyes of our understanding naturally are darkened , the state of m●n by nature is most miserable ; it is set out by a wretched infant cast out in the open fi●la in its blood , in the day of its nativity , having none to pity it , to wash it nor swade it at all . we are all naturally most loathsom , full of filthy s●abs and running sores , and yet such i● the ignorance and blindness of the sinner's eyes , and unsensibleness of his state , that he sees it not , feels it not , but thinks all is well with him , and is ready to fly into that man's face , that shall tell him such i● his condition . . moreover sin feeds men poorly : how do they feed ? what is their table spread with ? are they served with the best ? they are fed , as it were with mallows and janiper-roots ; that , saith caryl , is the chear sin make ●● them : yea , wickedness will be as gravel in their teeth , and as poison in their bowels . true , some of them feed their bodies deliciously every day ; they are full fed , they have liberal , large and plentiful tables : but , alas , what have their souls to eat ? what did the soul of the prodigal find ? did he not feed on the husks which the swine did eat ? their food is and will be gall and wormwood ; he feedeth on ashes , saith the prophet : all his hopes will deceive him , and prove vain , like the spider's web ; the pleasures , honours , riches and comforts of this life , are the food wicked men live upon ; they never tasted in a spiritual manner of god , they know not how good he is , nor do they desire to eat that which is good : but the time is coming in which they will desire to taste of christ's supper , and shall not be admitted , because they refused to come to the wedding . o what is sin , and how miserable is the condition of sinners ? and doth not this s●t forth and tend to demonstrate the greatness of this salvation , which delivers us from so great an evil ? he shall save his people from their sins . he that understands no evil in sin , as man is fallen from god , hath lost god , the first cause and chiefest good , and last end ; and being under the power of a constant enmity against him , and in this deplorable condition , as i have hinted , will have ( as one observes ) other apprehension of th●se things when at last he misses of a part in this great salvation , and when the means of it shall not be afforded any more to him for ever . and on the other hand , he that comes to see this to be his state , and obtains an interest in this salvation , will say , it is a great and glorious salvation . secondly , by this salvation we are delivered from that which is destructive to our whole souls and bodies . . the sinner by sin is , as you heard , a slave , a captive and under satan's power , bound in strong chains , &c. and now let me add , he is for his sin cursed by the lord , and condemned to die by his righteous law ; nay the law le ts fly or denounces most bitter curses against sin , even against every sin , and every sinner that takes not hold of this salvation : cursed is he that continues not in all things that are written in the book of the law , to do them . from this curse can no soul be delivered , but by jesus christ alone : is it not a fearful thing to be under the curse of an offended and angry god , whose wrath is like fire that seizes on dry stubble ? but he that believes , or accepteth of the salvation of the gospel , is delivered and saved for ever from the curse of the law : christ hath delivered us from the curse of the law , being made a curse for us . . man by sin is set against himself , his own conscience wars and sights against him ; and it is also sometimes let out upon him by the lord to such a degree , tormenting him so dreadfully , that he is not able to bear it ; hence some have destroyed themselves : what is more dreadful and amazing , than a guilty , an accusing and condemning conscience ? poor mr. child found it intolerable , and many more besides him ; it is that worm that oft-times begins to gnaw here , and will ( if this salvation be not took hold of ) torment the soul for ever : for as in hell the fire is not quenched , so the worm dieth not . but he that receives jesus christ , believes in jesus christ , and so gets an interest in this salvation , is delivered from the guilt and the lashes , the accusation and condemnation of his own conscience ; nay , his own conscience speaks peace to him , and yields him a continual feast : for our rejoicing is this , the testimony of our conscience , that in simplicity and godly sincerity , not with fleshly wisdom , but by the grace of god , we have had our conversation in the world , &c. o how is the case altered , conscience before was a tormentor , but now is a comforter ; before it spoke nothing but terror , but now it speaks nothing but peace ; before it did accuse , but now it doth excuse ; before it fed us with gravel-stones , but now it feeds us with joy and sweet food . . the state of the sinner is very sad , and the nature of sin very destructive , as it exposes the soul to future wrath : the wrath of god remains upon him that believes not ; the wrath of god is revealed from heaven against all vngodliness , and vnrighteousness of men. but by this salvation we are saved from present and from future wrath also ; this is done by jesus christ : even jesus who delivered us from wrath to come . wrath to come is far greater than any wrath mortal ever felt in this world : who knows the power of thine anger ? even according to thy fear , so is thy wrath. but not one drop of it shall fall upon that soul that hath a part and interest in this salvation : should god let out but a little of his wrath upon a soul whilst he is in the body , wo to him , whither shall he fly ? how should he be able to bear it ! o 't is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living god. o what a great and glorious salvation is this ! suppose a man was condemned to die for high-treason , or for some other great crime , nay to be burned alive , or to be flead alive , and just as the sentence was going to be executed upon him , one should bring him the tidings , that the king had pardoned his offence , and therefore he should not die ; would he not look upon this to be a great salvation ? but , alas , what can reach or be compared to the state of condemned sinners ? what is it to be thrown into a fire , or to burn for half an hour , nay , to be put into a lingering fire , to be dying a whole day , nay , a whole year , or if it were possible to be dying forty or fifty years , to lie burning in hell to all eternity ? every sinner is condemned by the law of god to be burned , to be burned alive in hell for ever , where the damned are always dying , but yet cannot die . if this were well and seriously considered , certainly every one must acknowledg the gospel-salvation to be a great and glorious salvation , that delivers all that imbrace it , from so great a death as the second death , or the wrath of god in hell. brethren , this salvation doth not only free and deliver the souls of all that believe from wrath , from all wrath and misery , but the bodies also , as i shall shew you hereafter before i have done with this text. the body shall be delivered from sickness , lameness , blindness , poverty , hunger , nakedness , nay , and from corruption it self , even from whatsoever it is , that is either grievous or destructive here or hereafter . if a man be but delivered from want , or from hunger , being almost starved to death , and ready to tear his own flesh to feed himself ; or from nakedness , or from tormenting pain , suppose it be but the extremity of the tooth-ach , gout , or tormenting pain of the stone , or from slavery in turkey , or from some grievous and cruel imprisonment , being in bonds and irons , lying in a dark dungeon among toads and serpents , would he not think it a great salvation ? or if people who feel the bitterness of war , famine , or pestilence , were delivered and set at liberty , would they not account it a great salvation , a great deliverance ? but what are all these salvations to this great salvation i am speaking of ! what is the sickness of the body , or death of the body here , to the sickness and death of body and soul for ever ? what is an imprisonment in the worst of jails , and to lie in chains and irons put upon us by men like our selves , and to bear their wrath for a few days , to the eternal prison ? what is a dark dungeon here to the blackness of darkness for ever ? what is the wrath of man to the wrath of god , or chains of iron to everlasting chains of darkness ? what is a little outward want or poverty , to the want of god's favour and love to eternity , being separated from his presence for ever , and to lie in fire , burning and broiling , and cannot have so much as one drop of water to cool the tongue ; for one drop is denied to the damned in hell. the rich glutton when in hell , begged that lazarus might be sent to him and dip the tip of his finger in water to cool his tongue , but it was not granted . alas , all miseries here are nothing ( as they pass away in a moment ) when compared unto eternal wrath and burning in hell , which is the pourings forth of the unspeakable and righteous vengeance of a provoked and angry god. there is no parallel , nothing to express the nature of that destructive evil that is in sin ; there is nothing left us to illustrate it withal : therefore to be delivered and saved for ever from the just punishment and dismal wrath of god , must needs be deemed great salvation ; and the excellency of it will at length be known to them who slight and despise it , when they come to fall and perish under the want of it . he that is delivered from lying in prison for a thousand pound debt , where he must have lain till death , having nothing to pay it , and being fallen into the hands of justice it self , but meeting with a friend who paid all he owed , he cannot but cry out , o great love and compassion , that would be a deliverance indeed ! but it is nothing to this , we in a spiritual sense being delivered from hell by jesus christ , who payed our debts for us , each of us owing not less than ten thousand talents , i mean , so many sins , and every sin a greater debt than ten thousand pounds . and this brings me to the next demonstration . eighthly , the salvation of the gospel is a great and glorious salvation , if we consider the way and means by which this salvation is wrought out and accomplished for us . it could not be effected , except the son of god became man , or without the incarnation , mediation , and bloody passion of jesus christ . the precious blood of christ must be poured forth , or there was no salvation , no deliverance for our souls ; gold nor silver could not purchase it , nor the best of all earthly things : for as much as ye know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things , as silver and gold , from a vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers , but with the precious blood of christ , as of a lamb without blemish and without sp●t . no such price would be accepted of god , so precious is the redemption of the soul. quest . but may be some may say , could not the law effect it ? could not the keeping the precepts , the law of the ten commandments do it , nor the sacrifices of the law procure salvation for us ? answ . no , it was impossible , the law requires perfect righteousness , sinless obedience ; besides we have broke it , and thereby the whole world is become guilty before god : and , could the blood of beasts , the blood of bulls and goats take away sin , or satisfy divine justice , and so make an atonement for our iniquities ? no , no , for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin. sin cannot be done away without an infinite price : what influence could the blood of beasts have to take away sin ? being in their own nature corporal things , they could not deliver us from the spiritual evil of the soul ; nor were they ordained of god to that end and purpose , but to point out the great sacrifice : besides , saith the text , sacrifice and offerings for sin thou wouldst not , but a body hast thou prepared me . it must be the blood of christ , whose sufferings had a satisfactory and inconceivable worth in them ; for what the law could not do , in that it was weak through the flesh , god sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh : compare this with that passage of the holy ghost , in heb. . . who being the brightness of his glory , and the express image of his person , and upholding all things by the word of his power ; when he had by himself purged our sins , sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high he being god as well as man , or his humanity being hypostatically united to his divine nature , offered up himself by the eternal spirit a propitiatory sacrifice unto god ; by which satisfaction and merits he purged , or took away the guilt and pollution of sin , and delivered us from that just and deserved wrath that was due unto it , by bearing of it himself in our nature and stead ; so that god ( who was injured , and whose holy law was violated ) might be just , or that his justice might appear , ( for he could as soon cease to be god , as cease to be just ) and yet hereby he magnifies his mercy also . what can we desire more , than to be delivered from sin , and purged from sin ? this was the way and no other , which the wisdom of god found out in christ ; both those attributes are united : so that justice , as well as mercy , says , whosoever believeth in jesus christ , or lays hold of his righteousness by faith , shall be justified , and eternally saved . the apostle adds his being sat down on the right hand of god , to intimate he hath made our peace , obtained redemption for us , and brought in by his obedience , everlasting righteousness , and made an end of sin ; and as a mighty conqueror , has triumphed , and is gone to heaven , and there appears at the father's right hand , to plead the merits of his own blessed sacrifice , and that atonement he hath made for us by his own blood on the tree . o consider what our salvation cost him , what did he do to work about this salvation ! why he , . became incarnate , or was made flesh ; and the word was made flesh , and dwelt among us , and we behold his glory as the glory of the only begotten of the father , full of grace and truth : though he was equal with god ( as you lately heard ) yet he took on him the form of a servant . . he became poor . sirs , jesus christ who was rich , that he might accomplish the salvation of our souls , became poor ; may not this affect our hearts ? we must be miserable for ever , or christ must become poor , and seem to be miserable for a time : no salvation for us , useless our blessed saviour doth abase himself and take our nature upon him ; for verily , he took not on him the nature of angels , but took on him the seed of abraham . all this was , brethren , to bring this blessed salvation to his chosen ones . . he in his humane nature must be made under the law , and so become obnoxious or liable to the obedience the law required ; yea , he was obliged to keep it exactly in every part thereof . when the fulness of time was come , god sent forth his own son made of a woman , made under the law : the apostle adds the reason of this , to redeem them that were under the law. he thus became , not only bound to do what the law required , but to suffer what the law threatned and 〈◊〉 on us , who had broke and violated it , and this in our nature , or in the same nature that had sinned , in which 〈◊〉 the justice of god required a satisfaction for the wrong sin had do 〈◊〉 unto him : which being impossible for sinful man 〈…〉 and that we might not be exposed for ever unto th● 〈…〉 wrath and punishment in hell , which was due to 〈…〉 for us , or in our place , that we through 〈…〉 obedience , and painful death and suffering both in 〈…〉 body , might obtain a gracious discharge from si● , or free justification unto life , and a full deliverance from wrath and etern●● death . . nay , and as he must di● if he procures salvation for us , so by this means he also was made a curse for us ; for we having broken the law , 〈◊〉 under the curse of it ; the law le ts fly its bitter curses against very 〈◊〉 thereof : for as many as are of the works of the law , are under the curse ; and therefore impossible for us to be 〈◊〉 and saved by it . whosoever keepeth not the law perfectly , is cursed ; but no man can keep the law perfectly , therefore all man naturally are cursed , and impossible then to be blessed , until delivered from that curse : and this therefore christ came to do , him hath god sent to bless us ; which blessing we could not have 〈…〉 christ puts himself in our place , and bears the curse away from us : christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law by being 〈◊〉 a curse for us ; for it is written , cursed is every one that 〈◊〉 on a tree . he that was hanged on a tree under the law , was hanged for transgressing of it , and was cursed of god ; and when 〈◊〉 is said , christ was made a curse for us , it signifies his bearing that wrath and indignation of god , which was due to us for our sin : and his he must do if ever we are justified and eternally ●●ved from that eternal wrath and vengeance sin had brought upon every soul of us . . as our lord jesus , if he procure salvation for us , must die , and become a curse for us , so he must also raise up himself from the dead , or be discharged of the bonds of death ; he must destroy death , and be freed out of prison : he therefore rose again from the dead for our justification . his discharge was virtually a discharge for us , or for all he died for ; our lord jesus must subdue all our enemies , and bring not death only , but the devil also , and all the powers of darkness under his feet , or there could be no salvation for our poor souls : forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood ; he also himself likewise took part of the same , that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death , that is , the devil : and deliver them , who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage . christ and believers are of one and the same nature ; they are as it were but one man , or are so united as to be considered as one mystical body . this was held forth in his incarnation , in his assuming our nature : he took not only an humane soul , but our humane flesh into union with his divine nature , that both our souls and bodies might be brought into union with him , and that our bodies might also be raised from death to a state of life and glory at the last day , and be fashioned like unto his glorious body ; who hath abolished death , and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel . had not christ conquered death , and the devil who had the power of death , we had been lost for ever : he hath not only taken away sin , the sting of death , but he hath and will be the death of death ; the last enemy that shall be destroyed , is death . the body as well as the soul is brought into union with christ ; he is the head of the whole believer , the body as well as the soul : shall i then take the members of christ , and make them the members of an harlot ? both body and spirit are the lord's , our body is the temple of the holy ghost . brethren , what a conquest hath christ made ! how hath he subdued all our enemies , that so he might work out a full and perfect victory for us in every respect : for this corruptible must put on incorruption , and this mortal must put on immortality , cor. . . so when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption , and this mortal shall have put on immortality , then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written , death is swallowed up in victory , ver. . o death , where is thy sting ? o grave , where is thy victory ? ver. . . and lastly , and as christ must conquer the devil , the world , sin , death and the grave , for us , and in our nature ; so he must by his mighty power destroy the devil , and sin 's great power in us , and vanquish that natural enmity that is in our hearts against god and his ways , and thereby restore the image of god in us which we had lost . heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? ninthly , gospel-salvation is great , if we consider the subject thereof , or what is delivered and saved for ever , namely , the souls and bodies of his people . first , the soul : that is it jesus christ came to save , which is very precious , as i shall shew you in a deduction of several particulars . certainly the salvation of the soul must needs be a great salvation : what is it to save our estates , our liberties , our healths , the members of our bodies , our eyes , arms , legs , or our natural lives , to the saving of our precious and immortal souls ? the soul is more worth than all the world : what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world , and lose his own soul ? st . to demonstrate the great worth , excellency and preciousness of the soul , consider that it was first formed in the image of god , in righteousness and true holiness . our souls had a glorious impression of god's image stamp'd upon them in the first creation , which we lost by sin and transgression : but this blessed image is restored again , as you have heard , by the grace of god in this salvation . . pray , brethren , remember that the soul of man is capable of a divine impression , of god's glorious image ; it is made , i mean , of such a nature , that it is capable of this great blessing , therefore to be deemed a very precious thing ; god will not stamp his image upon low and base metal , if i may so speak with reverence . . there are three things i find which the great god glories in , as being peculiar to himself , or his own glorious prerogative alone ; the burden of the word of the lord for israel , saith the lord , which stretcheth out the heavens , and layeth the foundations of the earth , and formeth the spirit of man within him . the first is his stretching out of the heavens ; o what a great and glorious work was that ! the second is his laying the foundation of the earth , the hanging it upon nothing ; what a wonderful thing is that , considering its great weight and wonderful body ! the third is , his forming of our souls : certainly the spirit or soul of man is a glorious thing , that god should account the creation of it amongst those chiefest parts of his admirable handy-work . why is not the forming the blessed angels , who are glorious spirits , rather mentioned ? it is worthy of serious contemplation : our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made , they are no small part of god's wisdom and curious workmanship , if the nature and order of every part was considered , as some artists who study man's humane body will shew you : but what is the formation and excellency of our bodies to our souls ? . the soul is capable of divine union with jesus christ , through a communication of the holy spirit , and by faith of the operation of god , and thereby the whole man partakes of the like union also ; therefore it is a very precious thing , it is principally the soul that jesus christ doth espouse , it seems to be a proper or fit match for the son of god : he that is joined to the lord is one spirit . . and 't is not only capable of union , but also of divine spiritual communion , both with the father and the son : that which we have seen and heard , declare we unto you , that you might have fellowship with us ; and truly our fellowship is with the father , and with his son jesus christ . that communion we have in our spirits with the father and the son , is by the holy ghost , by which we come to have , through his gracious influences , a communication of that which is truly and spiritually good , according to our needs , and to delight , strengthen and rejoice our hearts : our souls being changed into the life and likeness of christ , and walking in the light of the spirit , we have fellowship one with another ; that is , christ with us , and we with christ : for till the soul is regenerated , it cannot have fellowship with the holy god , for light cannot have fellowship with darkness ; it is not earthly or sensual , but a divine , heavenly and spiritual communion . o what a precious thing is the soul of man ! there 's no other creature that is capable of these most excellent privileges save man ; mankind only of all that dwell on the earth : nor could we have had this honour and dignity conferred on us , ( we should not , i mean , been capable subjects of it ) had it not been upon the account of the excellent nature of our souls . . our souls are also capable , it appears from hence , of divine inspiration : god in a gracious manner inspires our spirits with glorious light and knowledg ; there is a light of acceptation , and a light of inspiration : like as astronomers tell us , that the moon i● of such a nature that she is capable , by the glorious shining and reflection of the son , to receive light ; and so she shine , and gives light to us in the night : thus the moon is a light of acceptation , but it is the sun that gives light to her . so a candle is made meet to receive light , but shines not , gives not light until it is lighted : and thus also our spirits are made meet to receive divine light from god ; the spirit of a man is the candle of the lord : but it never shines with any supernatural light , until the lord pleases to light it . there is a spirit in man , and the inspiration of the lord giveth him vnderstanding : in man , that is in every man , every man hath a rational soul in him fit to receive divine light and inspiration , if god please to inspire him therewith ; he hath not that saving knowledg and light naturally , no not till he doth partake of the inspiration of the almighty : though man be endowed with natural light , knowledg and reason , and may understand in some measure the parts of natural religion , yet that light is but darkness compared to the supernatural light of grace , or the saving knowledg of god in christ . all true and spiritual knowledg and understanding , is from the special inspiration of the almighty : for what man knoweth the things of man , save the spirit of a man that is in him ? even so the things of god knoweth no man , but the spirit of god. but though it be thus , that man's spirit , without the teachings and inspiration of god's spirit , cannot understand nor know the things of god , that is , the mysteries of the gospel , or have the saving knowledg of christ , yet there is a spirit , a soul in him that is capable to receive this light and revelation of god , when he pleases to enlighten him therein : therefore i say , the soul of man is a very precious thing , and so tends to greaten the salvation of the gospel , by which it is saved from hell and wrath. . the soul is capable of divine contemplation , it can muse , meditate and contemplate upon god the highest and chiefest being ; no other creatures on earth are capable to do this , because they have no rational souls : what have some men found out of the mysteries of nature , by means of the excellency of the soul ? nay , and also what knowledg have they attained of the god of nature ? as might be demonstrated should i speak of natural and moral philosophy , &c. though it is true , and i deny it not , but that the knowledg of these things is acquired in a great measure , yet nevertheless all in the first place , next unto god , must be attributed to the excellency of the soul : i am fearfully and wonderfully made ; marvellous are thy works : and that my soul knoweth right well . david ascribes that wonderful knowledg which he had of the works of creation , to his soul : no doubt he was well skilled in philosophy , and was a man greatly given to contemplation : my sub●iance was not hid from thee , when i was made in secret ; and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth . how curiously and exquisitely hast thou ( as if he should say ) composed my bones , muscles , sinews , veins and arteries , in my mother's womb , and all the parts and members of my body : and my soul contemplates all these things , my soul knows that thou art a wonderful working god. o what a precious thing is the soul of man ! what pity is it that it should be lost and damned for ever , ( and how doth this tend to demonstrate the glory and greatness of this salvation ! ) for it was under wrath and the curse of god by sin. sirs , the nature of the soul is such , that it leads a man out to behold and magnify god in the works of creation and providence , tho it want , supernatural light and knowledg : but o when it comes to be divinely inspired , what does it discover through the help of the same spirit of god in christ , and of the work of redemption ? for all knowledg to this knowledg , is but of little worth : paul therefore determined to know nothing but christ and him crucified ; nay , and accounted all natural knowledg , gifts , wisdom and improvements , or whatsoever he once esteemed of , to be but dung in comparison of the excellency of the knowledg of jesus christ his lord. . the soul is precious doth yet further appear , because without an enjoyment of god , or a part and interest in him , it can never by happy , nothing short of god himself can fill its desires . this some of the heathens , by the dim light of nature , came to understand ; it is restless until it comes to find god , rest , peace and satisfaction in god , who is the best of beings , and our chief good. the soul is much like unto noah's dove which he sent out of the ark , that found no rest for the sole of her foot , until she returned unto him in the ark : therefore miserable will all those be that for ever shall one day be separated from god , should they meet with no worse torment than that . a man accounts it no small misery to be deprived of that which he esteems to be his only happiness , though he knows he can enjoy it but a short time : suppose it be his riches , his houses , his lands , or his gold and silver , or his pleasures , or his honours , or his dear relations , in whom his very life seems to bound up ; he is upon the loss of that which he esteems so highly of as a dead man. now sure if the soul is of such an excellent nature , that no created good can fill its desires , nothing in this world , nothing but god himself , it must needs be a very precious thing : but so it is ; for as rachel said once to jacob her husband , give me children , or i die : so this is the voice of the soul of man , give me god , give me christ , or i die . nay , to be deprived of god , is the death of the soul ; and it was that which brought death on the soul of man originally ; by sin we were deprived of god , and that was the death of the soul : god is the spiritual life of the soul , as in a moral sense the soul is the natural life of the body ; for as the body is dead without the soul naturally , so the soul is dead without god spiritually . therefore the salvation of the soul must needs be a great and glorious salvation , that which brings god again to the soul , that which restores god , a lost god to the soul , that gives life to a poor dead soul and makes it live again , and so be happy again , yea and that for ever more . . the soul is precious , and a most excellent thing it appears , because god's thoughts are so let out upon it . what care hath he taken of the soul of man ! how early did he concern himself for the redemption of it ! and what a way did he seek out and contrive to restore it to a state of peace , joy and happiness again , when he foresaw it brought under death , sin and misery : it seems to be the darling of heaven ; as it was formed ( as it were ) by the breath of god , so nothing he thinks too good to impart for its ransom to redeem it , nor nothing too precious to feed it , heal it , or comfort it : he gives the bread of heaven , the very flesh and blood of his own son to feed it , the righteousness of his own son to clothe it , the graces of his own spirit to deck and adorn it ; nay , and his own spirit is sent to lead , to guide , protect and govern it . certainly these things clearly shew and demonstrate its great worth , or that it is a most excellent thing in god's sight . . the soul is precious , if we consider what god gave for its redemption . david saith , that the redemption of the soul is precious , and ceases for ever ; hard to be obtained , though not impossible ; nothing but the blood , the precious blood of christ jesus could redeem it . some take soul there for our life , but certainly david intends the redemption of the soul from sin and wrath. silver and gold could not do this , no it must not be redeemed , it could not be redeemed by corruptible things , not by a thousand rams , nor ten thousand rivers of oil , nor by our first-born ; the fruit of the body could not make an atonement for the sin of the soul : no , no , it must be the father's first-born , it must be jesus christ , the blood of the son of god , or nothing ; if christ die not for the soul , it must perish for ever . but rather than the soul should be lost and undone for ever , god will not spare his own son , but deliver him up for us all . . the soul is very precious doth appear , because from the unwearied attempts , and restless endeavours of the devil to destroy it , all satan's grand rage and malice is let out against the soul of man ; had it not been for our souls , he would have concerned himself no more to have work'd out our ruin , than the ruin of irrational creatures : but he foresaw the precious nature of the soul of man , what excellent faculties it was endowed withal , and what a glorious image of god was stamp'd upon it , and therefore he rages and foams out his hellish spite and malice against us , and all to destroy our souls ; and this rage and fury he continues still against our souls . o what ways , diverse and cunning stratagems doth he use , that so he may spoil the happiness , or destroy the comfort of our souls : for as it is god's great concern to save our souls , so it is satan's great business to damn and destroy our souls for ever ; and as god contrives ways and means to make our souls happy for ever , so the devil contrives ways and means to make our souls miserable for ever . the soul is ( as i may say ) that sweet morsel satan hungers after , and fain would tear in pieces and devour if possible ; it is not so much to destroy our bodies by natural death , as our souls and bodies by eternal death . o how great is that salvation , that is the salvation of our precious souls ! god's care , cost and labour to preserve our souls , to save our souls , shews that it is of great worth. and it is this that makes man to differ so much from brutish creatures , and to excel all the works of god in this nether creation : had it not been for our souls , would god have been any more concerned for us , than for the beasts that perish ? and was not the soul , i say , a very excellent and precious thing , satan would not make it his greatest work and business to destroy it , as he hath always done , and still continues to do . . the soul is very precious doth yet further appear , because if a man could gain all the world , all the riches , honours and pleasures of the world , with the loss of his soul , his loss would be more than his gain , yea , infinitely more ; there 's nothing that can make a recompence for the loss of the soul , as our saviour clearly shews , mat. . . all the world is nothing in value when compared with the soul ; therefore it is precious . . the soul is immortal , its nature is life , it is no corporal thing , 〈◊〉 thing , it is not composed of the four elements as our 〈◊〉 it cannot di● , nor be annihilated ; it will either 〈…〉 , joy and ●lehedness , or else of eternal 〈…〉 : 't is strange to me that any man should 〈…〉 to be mortal . ( . ) 〈…〉 and cast contempt upon themselves ? 〈…〉 mankind of their greatest glory , and re●der man in 〈…〉 above the beasts that perish ; and also they darken and ●●●●ngely eclipse the infinite love and grace of god in the redemption and restoration of man. ( . ) and if the soul be mo●t 〈…〉 with the body , then had we not been redeemed at all , we ●●d been no more if 〈◊〉 than the beasts are ; we should but have 〈…〉 been no more , we should have known no more pain nor sorrow after death . ( . ) besides , if the soul was mortal then the same food that feeds the body , ●eeds , or might feed the soul ; and the same balsam that will heal the sores of the body 〈…〉 sores and wounds of the soul. i see● reason who i should not from their foolish notion affirm this : therefore when the 〈◊〉 sick , they should send to a physcian to 〈…〉 case of bodily sickness , and not s●nd 〈…〉 of 〈◊〉 to apply a spiritual cordial . what signifies a spiritual medicine to a corporal thing ? will preaching the word seed and relieve a man that is ready to perish with external hunger ? moreover , ( . ) if the soul be mortal , then that sword that kills the body , also kills the soul , man may as well still one as the other : but how contrary is this to that which our saviour s●ith to his disciples , and fear not them which kill the body and are not able to kill the soul , but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 't is not a sword , a spear , nor a furnace of boiling oil that can kill the soul ; man that way cannot hurt the soul , 't is sin that destroys that . note this well , if man cannot kill the soul , it is immortal ; but man cannot kill the soul , therefore it is immortal . is there any creature or thing that is mortal , which man cannot kill , or deprive it of life ? certainly these men are strangely misled . ( . ) besides , did not our saviour say to the penitent thief on the cross , i say to thee , this day thou shalt be with me in paradise ? was the body of christ , and the body of that gracious person that day together in paradise ? their base abuse of this text , in reading it falsly , by misplacing the stops , will not relieve them ; i say to thee this day ; i make thee a promise this day , that thou shalt sometime or another be with me in paradise : thus they to favour their grand error misplace the common point in reading ; which should we allow of , what abominable abuse might be put upon the scripture in other places , even quite to destroy the true sense , nay and make the scripture speak untruly ? ( . ) moreover , doth not paul say , for me to live is christ , and to die is gain . how could death be gain to him , if his soul was mortal , and slept with his body in the grave ? is communion with christ on earth worth nothing ? is it gain to lose that ? they know he would no sooner rise from the dead if he died presently , than if he lived twenty or thirty years longer in the body : how then could death be gain to him ? certainly it would be great loss to him , for he would lose all those years of sweet joy and comfort in communion with christ , if he died presently , which he might have should he live twenty or thirty years longer in this world. ( . ) to this let me add what paul affirms in another place ; for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved , we have a building of god , an house not made with hands , eternal in the heavens . he doth not say , when this earthly house is raised up again , but when it is dissolved , that is , when the body lies in its dusty crumbs , the soul hath a house in heaven : therefore ( saith he ) we are always confident , knowing that whilst we are at home in the body , we are absent from the lord. pray what is that which is absent from the lord whilst it is at home in the body , is it not the soul ? and what is that which is present with the lord , when it is absent from the body ? doth not this place as fully prove the immortality of the soul , as if the apostle should in plain words say , at death the soul ( which dwells now in our body ) goes to heaven , to dwell in heaven , it goes to christ , heaven is its home ? as soon as lazarus died , his soul was carried into heaven , signified by abraham's bosom ; and as soon as the rich man died , his soul was in hell : though it is a parable , yet it clearly teaches us thus much , ( though parables do not always go on all four , as we use to say ) . ( . ) to which let me add what paul further says , for i am in a strait betwixt two , having a desire to depart and to be with christ , which is far better . our souls at death depart , and they go to christ : what is joy and peace in christ , to joy , peace and consolation with christ ? in the resurrection-day christ comes to us , we shall meet him in the air , but at death we go to him ; the spirits of all men go upward , to god that gave them , to be sent to the place appointed for them , either to heaven , or to the prison of hell , or place of darkness ; in which prison the spirits of those men are now who were once disobedient ( and sinned against god ) in the days of noah . ( . ) in the last place , to prove the soul to be immortal , consider well what paul saith ; i knew a man in christ above fourteen years ago , ( whether in the body , i cannot tell , or whether out of the body , i cannot tell , god knoweth ) such an one caught up to the third heaven — how he was in paradise and heard unspeakable words , which it is not lawful for a man to utter . in the third heaven , or in paradise for certain he was ; but whether caught up body and soul together , or in the soul only out of the body , he could not tell . from whence i argue , that paul knew that the soul was capable of being separated from the body , and in that separated state capable of the divine ravishments of heaven , or of the vision of god , if he had not been of this judgment , since he was in the third heaven , he might be sure he was taken up in the body . besides , do we not read of the spirits of just men that are already made perfect ? object . but is it not said that david is not yet ascended into heaven ? answ . i answer , peter there only refers to the body of david , that is not ascended , for his sepulchre is with us to this day , saith he ; and therefore he argues david means jesus christ , whose soul was not left in hell , that is , his body was not left in the grave , for the body is often in the scripture called by the name of the soul. but when we read of the soul as distinguished from the body , and as that which man cannot kill , it intends the superiour part of man , or that which in our common acceptation is called the soul , or spirit of man ; in which the image of god was chiefly created , and which is fed with spiritual food , and capable of sweet communion with jesus christ , as you have heard . now then if the soul be immortal , and goes to hell or heaven at death , i mean to joy or sorrow , or to a prison of pain and darkness , or to a palace of joy and pleasure ; o what a great salvation is gospel-salvation ! how soon doth eternal misery or torment seize upon the ungodly ; even no sooner do they die but their souls are in hell , and no sooner do believers die but their souls are in paradise : and had not christ came and wrought out our salvation , our souls must have lain under wrath and misery for ever in an eternal separation from god and all true joy and happiness . o what a fearful and an amazing loss is the loss of the soul ! sirs , pray remember , this salvation is the salvation of your precious souls ; thy soul , o sinner , is dearly concerned in it : our soul is our all , what have we more ? a man is never utterly undone till his soul is utterly lost : if the soul is saved , all is saved ; but if the soul is lost , for ever lost , all is lost . but , dly . the loss or losing of the soul , is the loss of the body too ; that must have perished for ever with the body of beasts , whilst our souls must have lain in torments , had not christ came to redeem us . moreover , the salvation of the soul is the salvation of the body ; christ came to save both the soul and body too : and hence the apostle saith , even we our selves groan within our selves , waiting for the adoption , to wit , the redemption of our body ; that is , for the farther effects of our adoption . now are we the sons of god , but it doth not appear what we shall be ; that is , it doth not appear what we shall be when our bodies shall be raised . he shall change our vile body , that it may be fashioned like unto his own glorious body . this salvation saves not our souls only from wrath , but our bodies also , they shall rise to life and immortality ; the bodies of the wicked as well as their souls shall be cast into hell , but the bodies and the souls of the godly shall be glorified in heaven for ever . o what a grievous thing it is to think of the loss of the body , to have the soul taken away from the body ! but how sweet is it to think of that day , when those two old friends shall meet together again , and when both shall be delivered from all evil , from all deformity and pollution , and be glorified , and also shall never part more , or be separated from each other to the days of eternity . application . . reproof to such who despise their own precious souls : what fools are they , who to save their hutts , lose their heads ; or who to save their goods in a fearful fire , lose their dear child in the cradle ? as i once told you of a woman that did thus , her house was on fire , and she bestirred her self to get out her best goods ; and at last when she could go in no more , she rejoiced that she had saved her goods ; but said one to her , woman , where is your child ? o my child , my child ; then she cried her child , when it was too late , for that was burned to death in the cradle . just thus some , to get and save their goods , to get the world , lose their souls . we read of some , who to save their lives or their bodies from being burned to ashes for christ , denied christ ; they could not burn for him : what saith our saviour ? he that seeks to save his life , shall lose it . what fools are they then who think that way to save their bodies ; for as they lose their souls , so they lose their bodies also : and it is not worse to have the body to ●e in hell-fire for ever , than to be burned in martyrdom , and be consumed to ashes in corporal fire ? . consider , that all such who neglect this great salvation , slight and neglect their own precious and immortal souls : what is the hope of the hypocrite though he hath gained , when god taketh away his soul ? he makes a bad market that puts off his soul at any price ; what shall a man give in exchange of his soul ? jesus christ , who knew the great worth of it , laid down a price of infinite value to redeem and purchase it . witches they say sell their souls to the devil out of malice , to be revenged on some that have offended them : what a dismal thing is that , how fearful is their state ? but pray , brethren , what do they lose who sell their souls to the devil , as it were , for the sake of their brutish lusts , or out of love to sin ? thus the whoremongers and unclean persons sell their souls , and drunkards who will have their merry bouts , their cups and pots , and silthy companions , and may be their whores too , let what will become of their immortal souls : others will have their pride and haughty hearts , gay clothes , and their detestable dresses , though their souls are clothed with rags , and a crawling worm knaws on them , and to hell must be thrown at last , where the worm dieth not , and the fire is not quenched . moreover , the carnal worldling will be rich , he will lay up gold and silver , he will gain the world though he lose thereby his own soul. but remember , sinners , christ died for the soul , this salvation is the salvation of the soul ; and does any wretched sinner despise his soul , or is it think you not worth his pains to part with his cups , with his sinful companions , with his or her pride , unlawful gain , or the love of this world , to save it for ever ? . how does this tend to reprove such who do expose their precious souls to eternal wrath , for the unjust gain of six-pence or a shilling ? are there not too many such in the world , who will cheat , lie and defraud their neighbours for a small matter of profit ? o how dear will they one day pay for that gain ! . how does this reprove likewise such parents that think they can never do enough for to enrich their children , or get them great portions , and care not what they eat , drink , wear , or how richly their bodies are deck'd and adorned , but take no care of their immortal souls , but rather indulge them in their sins and vain and wicked practices , and set also soul damning examples continually before their eyes ? . we may also infer from hence , what a mighty charge , an amazing charge parents have committed to them ; as also the ministers of the gospel , who are to take care and watch over the souls of such who are committed to them , as such that must one day give an account of them . . moreover , wo be to such who deceive and blindly lead the souls of men to destruction , that are so exceeding precious : if the blind lead the blind , they will both fall into the ditch . . shall i exhort you , sinners , to look to christ for the salvation of your souls . . he bids you look to him ; look unto me , and be ye saved , all ye ends of the earth . . consider , that there is no other way to save your souls , there is but one saviour , and one way of salvation : there is no other name given under heaven whereby we must be saved . he that receives christ , believes in christ , shall be saved ; and he that believes not shall be damned . . if life be more worth than all the world , certainly the soul is more worth than ten thousand worlds . o do not part with it on any terms , for it cost christ dear , the price of his own blood ; his heart-blood was let out to save our souls . alas , there are some nevertheless that are like the false prophets of old , who sold the souls of the people for a handful of barley , and for a piece of bread. . how near may some of you be to death ; and if you have not got an interest in christ before then , what will become of your precious souls ? . will you consider what means of grace god is pleased to afford you for the good of your souls , and know it is by the preaching of the gospel that god commonly saves the souls of men , i mean , that it is the means he uses for the begetting of faith : shall the word have some good effect upon your souls this day ? . consider , all your prayers , tears , alms-deeds , all reformation of life , services , duties and inherent holiness , cannot save your souls ; no , none but christ , nothing but the merits of christ , it is his blood alone that made your peace , and must wash away all the guilt and filth of your sins . your souls , your precious souls , o sinners , are wounded , polluted , naked ; what will you do ? nothing but christ's blood i tell you can heal them ; nothing but his flesh , his blood , can feed them ; and nothing but his righteousness can clothe them ; and nothing but the graces of christ's spirit can inrich , can deck and adorn your souls ; and without faith you cannot obtain any of those blessings . o what shall i say to you , if going down upon my knees could move you to lay to heart what a sad state you are in , who have not received by faith this salvation , and incline you now to believe , i would readily do it ; but alas , it is god's gift : o look up to him , do what you can , pray and attend on the word : what do you say , do you believe that this is a great salvation ? will you esteem it , and look after it above all things in the world ? it is , sirs , that one thing needful ; chuse with mary that good part that shall never be taken from you . shall there be joy in heaven this day ? how can you slight such a precious soul , and such a precious saviour , who spilt his blood to save the worst of sinners ? will you tread his blood under your feet ? if so , what will you do at the day of death , and in the day of judgment ? should your souls be lost , there is no repairing that loss , no redemption of the soul out of hell , no other price , no other saviour , no other way ; if this be slighted , you must perish . heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? i am upon the proof and demonstration of the greatness of the salvation of the gospel . i closed with the ninth reason of the point the last time . tenthly , gospel-salvation is a great and glorious salvation , if we consider what such who have interest in it are raised up unto , or do and shall partake of ; i mean , what great blessings and wonderful privileges they are invested with by it . first , pardon of sin : this blessing have all they that receive it . . consider the blood of christ is the way of gospel-remission , no remission of sin without the shedding of blood ; there is remission of sin , but no blood could procure this remission but the blood of christ : he paid our debts , in whom we have redemption through his blood , even the forgiveness of sins . it was by his offering himself an expiatory sacrifice to god ; there 's no salvation without pardon of sin , and no pardon of sin without a compensation be made by jesus christ to the law and justice of god. . consider who are pardoned , even all that believe , though they were never such great rebels against god ; such were traitors and enemies once , who are now forgiven . here is a pardon for the vilest sinner , that sees his horrid evil and rebellion , and takes hold of jesus christ , or looks up to him by faith. . consider the nature of this pardon and gospel-remission : such are pardoned for ever ; i will remember their sins no more , they are blotted out for ever . god promises to all penitent and believing sinners , to throw their sins into the depth of the sea. . consider the terms of pardon , it is a free forgiveness , we having nothing to pay : god of his meer grace and goodness doth forgive us through the atonement of christ's blood freely ; even i am he that blotteth out thy transgression for my own sake , and will not remember thy sins : this is spoke to a people that had wearied the lord with their iniquities . o what a glorious salvation is this , that here is remission and free pardon for rebellious sinners , such that deserve nothing but wrath and hell ! . it is a pardon of all sins , great and small , sins of omission , and sins of commission , sins of all sorts and sizes . . 't is god that blotteth out our sins ; he that can forgive , he whose right it is to pardon , he against whom we have sinned ; and he who when he gives a pardon , none can supersede it nor revoke it , let them do what they can . secondly , reconciliation with god is another blessing of this salvation : god doth not only forgive us , but he takes us into his bosom , he is fully reconciled to us in jesus christ ; he cries , fury is not in me . again he says , this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased . when we were enemies , we were reconciled to god by the death of his son : and none can make god our enemy again for ever , if we are believers ; none can separate us from his love in jesus christ our lord , as something ag● i shewed you , no not sin nor satan . thirdly , by this salvation we come to have union with god , and to be made one spirit with jesus christ : and how great and glorious is this sa●red union ! but having formerly spoken to it , i shall not say more to it n●w . moreover , we are not only brought into a state of union but are also admitted to have communion with the father , and the son. brethren , it is one thing for a traitor to be pardoned , and another thing for him to be admitted into the king's presence , and to become one of his great favourites : truly our fellowship is with the father , and with his son jesus christ . fourthly , by this salvation also we are justified : justification is a high privilege ; by him all that believe are justified from all things , from which ye could not be justified by the law of moses . let me shew you what it is to be justfied , that so this salvation may appear the more great and glorious to you . . to be justified , is more than to be pardoned . a man may be forgiven , and yet not have the guilt removed from him , nor be declared righteous and innocent . to be justified , is to be pronounced just and righteous in god's sight , through the perfect righteousness of jesus christ , or to be actually acquitted upon trial , or discharged from the guilt and punishment of sins ; not that we are not sinners in our selves but as christ was made sin for us who knew no sin ( in himself ) so we are made the righteousness of god in him , who knew no righteousness in our selves . as our sin was imputed unto christ , so his righteousness is imputed unto us : god in justification deals not with us in a way of mercy only , ( as he doth in pardon of sin ) but in a way of justice and righteousness also ; we paid all that was due to vindictive wrath and justice in jesus christ , ( i mean , jesus christ for us as our surety hath done it ) . . justification is so great a blessing , that the justice of god hath nothing to lay to the believer's charge , for justice as well as mercy does acquit him . . nor hath the law any thing to lay to the ●●arge of them that god justifies , christ in our stead having answered all the demands thereof , and born the penalty it denounces upon the transgressors of it : christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law , being made a curse for us . . and as the law can lay nothing to our charge if god justifies us , so can none else : who shall lay any thing to the charge of god's elect ? it is god that justifieth , who shall condemn us ? none can implead such , or put in an accusation that shall be heard at god's bar ; if it is god that doth acquit us , that justifies us , what signifies any charge that can be brought in against us ? what though for want of clear light our hearts should condemn us , or wicked men , or satan ; our hearts may charge us unjustly and ignorantly , for want of light , and wicked men and devils maliciously . . moreover , none can condemn such that god justifieth , because it is christ that died : hath not his death worth and merit enough in it ? it is christ that died , he who was god as well as man ; our debt is long ago paid ; and when we believe , we receive an actual discharge . the apostle challenges all the enemies of our souls , to come in and see what they can do to condemn a justified person ; come world , come devil , come law , come sin , come conscience , what can you lay to the charge of those that christ died for , and god hath actually acquitted ? bring forth your plea , your charge of eternal condemnation ; hath not christ born the punishment due to these for all their sins they have , do , or may commit ? is not his satisfaction more than enough ? hath he not purchased and merited superabundant grace ? come saith a poor believer , i will stand trial with you now , though i have but one single plea , it is jesus christ that died for me , and in my room : i appeal to the great god and judg of heaven and earth , whether my plea is not good , and according to law , and allowable . sirs , by this plea all are silenced and impleaded at once . . all that are justified , are compleat in jesus christ , they are without spot before the throne of god : and ye are compleat in him , which is the head of principalities and powers . christ's compleatness and perfection , in respect of his suretiship-righteousness , being accounted to us , we are compleat touching our justification ; we want nothing , our garment is without hem , and there is no spot nor stain in it : thou art all fair , my love , and there is no spot in thee . behold , thou art fair , my love , behold thou art fair . thou wast exceeding beautiful , and thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty : for it was perfect , through my comeliness which i had put upon thee , saith the lord. quest . whether is justification all at once , or a continued act in god ? answ . . i do not believe it is a divided act ; as 't is god's act , so it is one act only : but whether it be one entire act , or as one transient act , as if all were 〈◊〉 out with a pen at once , or a continued act , i shall not determine ; but this i will say , he that god accepteth and justifieth in christ , ●one of his sins shall ever be charged upon him , as to that 〈…〉 wrath and vengeance that is due to them : for as the●e is an imputation of righteousness unto us , so it follows that there is a non-imputation of sin. . justification admits of no degrees tho it should be thought to be a continued act in god ; and though in our sight and feeling we may not thus apprehend it through want of faith , and by reason of satan's temptations , yet as to the act it self , we are never less nor more justified , because the matter of our justification , viz. the righteousness of christ , is not less or more , but always the same , and it cannot be lost , as i have proved in this treatise . as christ , brethren , was justified at his resurrection from all sin that was laid upon him , or which met in him on the cross , so all believers are cleansed and justified from all guilt , and that for ever ; and this christ pleads in heaven for them as often as they sin : by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified . object . why doth david say , enter not into judgment with thy servant o lord ; for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified ? answ . that is in himself , no man can be justified by his own righteousness in god's sight ; all must say with bildad , how can man be justified with god , because he hath sinned , and daily doth sin ? who dare appear at god's bar in his own duties , in his own sincere obedience , or in his inherent holiness ? no , every one must fly to god in christ , and plead his justification and discharge through him alone : no man hath any thing to recommend him to god in point of justification in his sight , nor doth he need any other righteousness to discharge him or to acquit him before god ; yet we as in our selves must ●●y with job , if i justify my self , my own mouth shall condemn me . . such is the blessed state of those who by the father are justified through this salvation , that to them the apostle affirms there is no condemnation : there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in christ jesus . ( . ) he doth not say there is nothing in them , which in its own nature doth not deserve condemnation . ( . ) nor doth he say , a true believer shall never condemn himself , pass a sentence unjustly against himself ; for that he may do . ( . ) neither doth he say , satan shall never condemn him : but let whoever will condemn such , god will not , christ will not , and sin cannot , the law cannot ; no more can the devil , nor a believer's own heart , i mean , so as to bring him under eternal condemnation . . and lastly , all such that are justified , shall be glorified ; see rom. . . o glorious salvation , that brings in this blessed privilege ! how happy are all justified persons ! fifthly . adoption appertains to this salvation : every believer is raised also to this great privilege , and hath this prerogative , he is made a son of god , a child of god. adoption is to take such to be children , that naturally were not , as a special act of grace and favour : so we who were the children of wrath by nature , are made or adopted to be the children of god by grace through jesus christ . and christ in working out this salvation , procured this glorious blessing : christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law , that we might receive the adoption of sons . to be kings children is no small dignity , yea , the children of the king of heaven and earth : what manner of love is this that the father hath bestowed upon us , that we should be called the sons of god ? beloved , now are we the sons of god , &c. god is not ashamed to be called our god , nay , our father . . brethren , this is an honourable title : what were we once , how low , base and ignoble , before grace ? . this privilege it appears cost christ dear . . and because we are sons , god hath sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts , crying , abba , father . . and if we be children , then heirs , heirs of god , and joint heirs with christ . . then , beloved , we also as children shall be cared for , as children be fed , as children be clothed , as children also be chastened ; god in all afflictions deals with us as his children . . and if children , we shall be always children , for we are not only the children of god by adoption , but we are also begotten and born of god , and so partake of his divine nature , which we cannot lose . sixthly , by the grace and means of this salvation , we are espoused to jesus christ . o what an honour and dignity is this , believers are the bride , the lamb's wife ! and how is , and shall the spouse of christ be clothed ? even in gold of ophir : she shall be brought to the king in raiment of needle-work . she is all glorious within , and she shall be all glorious outwardly in body too e're long , as well as she is so now in her soul and inward parts . jesus christ puts chains about the necks of all that are his , or that he espouses , i mean , those precious graces of his spirit which he hath purchased for them ; for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head , and chains about thy neck . the father called for the best robe to be put upon his son , as soon as he returned home , and a ring on his finger . the inward beauty of the spouse does even ravish the very heart of christ : thou hast ravished my heart , my sister , my spouse ; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes , with the chain of thy neck . with one of thine eyes : some understand by one of her eyes , the eye of faith ; no doubt that is a precious grace in christ's sight . every believer partakes of grace , and all spiritual gifts ; every grace is a glorious ornament , and of great price in the sight of god. this salvation makes men and women glorious creatures , new creatures , every one resembles the son of a king ; they hereby come to partake of god's holy nature : and as the grace of this salvation makes glorious christians , so it does also make glorious churches , candlesticks of pure gold. seventhly , this salvation brings peace with it . peace is a precious blessing , we receive grace first , and then peace : my peace i give unto you , my peace i leave with you . the peace of god is so excellent a thing , that it passes all mens vnderstanding . what would spira or child have given for true peace and inward serenity of mind ? o it is a great and glorious salvation ! were these things considered , and could be fully opened , it would appear more abundantly ; true peace of conscience is never known to the worth of it , but to such who have known the want of it . eighthly , i might also speak of sanctification , which blessing all they also partake of that have an interest in this salvation : holiness is an heaven on earth , it is heaven begun here , and it fits and makes every believer meet for that blessed inheritance of the saints in light ; the spirit and graces of the spirit are given to this end , i mean , to make us holy in heart and life . ninthly , free access unto the throne of grace , is another blessing and privilege which all believers receive who have a part in this salvation . christ hath made the way easy for us to the father ; it is by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail , that is to say , his flesh , or by his death . tenthly , all the promises of god belong to believers , and are procured for them in and by this salvation : they are great , exceeding great and precious ; there is a fulness in them : the promises as they are sure in christ , yea and amen in christ , so they answer every state and condition any believer can be in . eleventhly , all the ordinances of the gospel belong to this salvation , and are no small privilege ; they are as golden pipes to convey heavenly riches , or sacred treasure to our souls . nay , and in the last place , there is a crown of glory that every believer shall be raised unto , that hath a saving interest in this salvation ; and not only a crown , but a kingdom also . now is not this a great salvation , which raises poor creatures who were fallen as low as hell , up to heaven , and of being slaves of sin and satan , to be sons and daughters of god ? it was a great salvation that joseph had when he was brought out of prison , where he lay in irons , to be the chief ruler under the king in egypt : and it was a great advancement of david from following the sheep , to sit on a throne ; but nothing like this of believers . what is an earthly throne to an heavenly one ? he that overcometh , shall sit down with christ in his throne , and reign for ever and ever . application . . admire this salvation , say it is no small thing to have a part in it . i cannot particularly apply what i have insisted upon : but , . bless god for jesus christ . you cannot say that the salvation he hath wrought is a barren salvation . o what is and will be the product of it ! . particularly , consider what a blessing justification is , and take heed you are not drawn away nor corrupted about the nature thereof . . be exhorted , you that are saints , to strive to exercise faith in respect of your justification : believe the gospel-testimony ; he that believeth is justified from all things , &c. you have the word of that god that cannot lie to assure you of it . do not judg of your justification according to the degree of your sanctification , as if you were no further justified than you are sanctified , or that your sanctification is any cause of your justification ; nor do not think you are more justified when you are in a lively frame of duty , than at another time when deadness and dulness takes hold of you . object . i cannot believe so , as to rise to a full perswasion that i am justified , and shall be saved , though i can relie upon christ as a poor sinner for my justification and eternal life . answ . . well , bless god for that faith : for a full assurance doth not appertain to the essence of true faith , but it is the highest degree of it ; and no doubt many are gone to heaven that never attained to that degree of true faith. . i knew a godly minister who told me in his sickness , a little before he died , all his hopes were gone , he could not come to christ as a saint , his evidences were so clouded ; this he uttered with tears , as i remember , and with no small grief : he presently broke forth , and said , but , brother , i can come to him as a poor , burdened , lost and heavy-laden sinner , and i am sure he will not refuse me , or to that purpose . if thou canst do so , certainly great peace will come in ; it is from the weakness of our faith that a strong and full perswasion is wanting : a direct act of faith i am perswaded must needs bring in the greatest joy and comfort ; a looking for all the signs of true grace in us , oft-times confounds a poor christian . if there is no sin that thou dost allow thy self in , but dost hate sin as sin , and lovest holiness , and art willing to follow christ in all things according to thy light , and lovest all the saints of god as such , no doubt but thy state is good and safe . . but remember , if thou canst not come to a satisfaction about what i speak , in respect of those signs , yet know , if thou dost believe , i. e. rely upon the merits and righteousness of christ , as a poor sin-sick sinner , all may be well . . take heed you do not look for a righteousness in your selves to recommend you to god , or to trust in for justification : also know that it is not for the sake of christ's merits , or for the sake of his righteousness that we are justified , but that it is his righteousness that is the matter of our justification alone before god , as it is ●puted unto us , and received by faith. christ's merits render no our faith and sincere obedience to be any part of our righteous●ess to justification in god's sight ; 't is his righteousness only which was perfect , and no other righteousness must thou be fo●nd in , in this respect , if thou art justified and eternally saved . though 't is true , that man that has true faith , shall find the effects of it to be such , that it will cleans● and purify his heart and life ; and that faith that hath not such effects and good fruits to accompany it , is a dead faith , as the apostle james shews . heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? i closed the last day with the tenth demonstration , to prove the salvation of the gospel to be great and glorious . seventhly , gospel-salvation is great and glorious , because it is a full , a compleat , and a comprehensible salvation . that which i intend hereby is this , viz there are all things contained in this salvation which our 〈…〉 in order to grace , and whatsoever is necessary for us here , and eternal glory hereafter ; 't is not a barren , or a partial salvation , but a fruitful and compleat salvation : it does not require us to make b●●k , and allow us no straw ; it doth not command us to believe , and give us no power ; it is not like the law that commands perfect righteousness , and condemns all that have it not , but gives no strength to perform it . some there be who seem to preach a strange gospel , they tell you what christ hath done , viz that he hath died , &c. and done his part in this salvation , and lest sinners to do their part ; the debt is paid , you may go out of poison if you will , this they do tell you : but , alas , alas ! the lest sinner is bound , he is in chains , under the power of sin and satan ; nay , he is dead , and what can he do ? is his power greater than the power of satan ? can he translate himself out of the power of darkness , into the kingdom of god's son ? can he , by any power god hath given him , quicken himself , or raise himself from the dead ? no , no , this is impossible . but now , say i , gospel-salvation is a full and com●●●● salvation , what is needful and absolutely necessary to be don● for the sinner , in order to his having a saving interest in it : jesus christ will accomplish , nay , and he will do it himself , he will not ●dmit you to have a share or a part in the salvation of your own souls : for as he knows sinners are not able to do that which must be done for them , and in them , if they are interested into the blessings of this salvation ; so he will have and must have all the glory and honour of this salvation himself , from the first to the last ; christ hath no partner , no competitor in this great work , i mean , in and about the salvation of our souls . . sinners , are you dead , dead in sins and trespasses ? christ is come to quicken you ; i am come that you might have life : there is in this salvation life for dead sinners ; christ hath a certain water to give , that whosoever drinketh of it , though he be dead , yet he shall live ; that water is his spirit , 't is by that by infusing of his spirit into the dead soul , that the soul comes to be quickned : the spirit of christ is his quickning voice ; the dead shall hear the voice of the son of god , and they that hear shall live . christ is our life , not only as he purchased life for us , but as he by his spirit infuses it in us . the spirit is that vital principle in us ; you hath he quickned , that were dead in trespasses and sins . and he puts forth his almighty power to do this , as the apostle had declared to the saints at ephesus , just in the verses before in the first chapter , shewing to them that the same power is put forth in raising us from a death in sin , ( or in working faith in our souls ) that was wrought in christ when he was raised from he dead ; and therefore it is said to be the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward , who believe according to the working of his mighty power , as before . can any man do this , can he raise himself ? dead lazarus might quicken and raise himself as soon out of the grave , as a dead sinner can quicken himself , or believe of himself : no , faith is god's gift , and it is the vital principle of our souls . i wonder what some men mean , when they say , sinners must come up to the rule of the promise , before they lay hold of the promise . can they quicken themselves ? true , if they can , the promise runs , christ will give them life . get life , create life in your souls , and lay hold of the promise : strange notion ! i am sure life must be first in the soul , before the soul can do any thing that is truly and spiritually good ; before life is infused , there is no motion towards god , let the motives be what they will. . sinners are blind , spiritually blind , and it is jesus christ must give them sight ; nay , and he in the work of this salvation , is anointed to open blind eyes : he is given to be a light unto the gentiles , and so to be god's salvation to the ends of the earth . spiritual life and spiritual light is in this salvation , and both are created in the soul ; nay , when christ gives us life , he gives us light also . object . but it is said , awake thou that sleepest , and arise from the dead , and christ will give thee light. answ . ( . ) i answer , that which god commands us to do in one place , he says he will do for us in another place . ( . ) it doth not imply that the creature can of himself rise from the dead , but shews that he must be raised and quickned before he can receive light from christ . ( . ) it shews a necessity of faith , or that we must believe , and therefore ought to attend upon the means of faith , and look up to god to obtain it : faith cometh by hearing , that is the way he takes to work it in our souls . . sinners , have you hard and rocky hearts , hearts of stone , even as hard as the nether milstone ? why now god bids you , he commands you to make you a new heart . but can you do that ? if christ never gives you salvation until you create in your selves a new heart , and break your stony hearts into pieces , you will never have salvation at all , but must perish for ever ; and this salvation will be in vain to you , and to all mortals were it so : but pray observe the promise , this salvation is so full , that it hath a new heart in it ; a new heart also i will give you , and a new spirit i will put within you , and i will take away the stony heart out of your flesh , and will give you an heart of flesh : a new heart , a holy , a tender and broken heart , this god will give : it is not naturally in us , but it is of god's free grace given to us : hence david cried , create in me a clean heart , o god , and renew a right spirit within me . thou didst , as if he should say , give me a new heart , but i have apostatized from thee , and polluted my soul ; o create again a clean heart in me , or renew thy work. not that he had lost his new heart , but he would have god recover him from his fall , and put him into a holy and spiritual frame , which none but he that hath an almighty creating power can do . and if we cannot quicken our selves from a state of spiritual deadness , how should poor sinners raise themselves from a state of spiritual death ? sinner , here is comfort for thee whose heart is hard , and thou feelest it hard , and that makes thee go mourning all the day : behold , in the salvation of the gospel , a new heart , a heart of flesh is promised ; it is not you that can make your heart new : no , no , it is jesus christ that must do it , 't is his work ; we are his workmanship , created in christ jesus to good works . . is there in the hearts of sinners naturally enmity against god ? christ in this salvation takes it away : the carnal mind is enmity against god , it is not subject to the law of god , neither indeed can be . see in what a pickle the mind and will of man naturally is in : what can a sinner not do , if the doctrine of sore men were true ? they can repent , believe , be regenerated , and what not ? but 〈◊〉 says paul , their mind , their will is not subject to the law of god , nor to the gospel , nor rule of the promise neither , neither indeed can be . where they put a can , paul puts a cannot . so 〈◊〉 another place he saith , but the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of god , for they are foolishness unto him ; neither can he know them , because they are spiritually discerned . here is a cannot again ; 't is impossible till the spirit of god removes that enmity and darkness , and bows and bends the will to the will of god , which shall be done when the salvation of the gospel comes with power to the soul of a poor sinner . 't is christ that must slay this enmity , as well as he did that which was between jews and gentiles : he is a mediator , not only to reconcile god to us , but us also to god ; my people shall be willing in the day of my power . . sinners , are you polluted , defiled with sin , and filthy in god's sight ? how will you get rid of this abominable filth , which renders you loathsom in god's sight ? can you wash away your pollution , will snow-water do it ? no , no , for though thou wash thee with nitre , and take thee much sope , yet thine iniquity is marked before me , saith the lord. sin is not easily washed away , the guilt of it , nor the filth of it : this job well knew , therefore saith , if i wash my self with snow-water , and my hands never so clean , yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch , and my own clothes shall abhor me . 't is not snow-water , nor much sope , no nor a sea of brinish tears that can wash away the defilement and guilt of sin that cleaves to the soul. but , sinner , in this salvation there i● a way found out to cleanse thy filthy soul , nay , a fountain opened for sin and for vncleanness . god , 't is true , says , wash thine heart from wickedness , that thou mayest be saved . so far i d●ny not , as man is able , he ought to abstain from sin , and cleanse himself : but says christ , if i wash thee not , thou hast no part with me : 't is he , it is his blood that cleanses us from all sin. this salvation , brethren , is a full and compleat salvation , it brings every thing with it we need . rather than the stain , the pollution and guilt of sin should abide upon us , christ will pour forth his own blood to wash it away ; he hath loved us , and washed us from our sins in his own blood. he gave himself for his church to this end , that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word , that he might present it to himself a glorious church , not having spot or wrinkle , or any such thing , but that it might be holy and without blemish . . sinners , are you bound in strong chains , and in the prison-house ? are you in the bonds of iniquity ? how will you do to come out , for you are kept by the strong man armed : if you can conquer this strong and cruel enemy , you may get out ; but are you a match for satan ? no certainly , none can deliver himself , none can get out of satan's hands , it must be done by one mightier than he . well , in this salvation there is liberty , christ is clothed with power , as you lately heard ; he is anointed to preach the gospel to the poor : he is sent to heal the broken-hearted , to deliver the captives , and to set at liberty them that were bound . jesus christ is stronger than the strong man armed ; he hath taken captive captivity himself . o what a blessed , what a great and glorious salvation is this ! . are you poor , and naked , and have nothing to cover your nakedness but filthy rags ? well , be it so , yet this salvation brings to you a rich and glorious robe , viz. christ's righteousness , nay change of raiment ; salvation it self is called a garment , and it is by this salvation also you have the robe of sanctification and grace wherewith you are clothed : humility is called a garment ; i counsel thee to buy of me white raiment , that thou mayst be clothed , and that the shame of thy nakedness appear not . . are you poor hungry souls , and have no bread , nothing to eat , but are forc'd to feed on husks , as the poor prodigal did ? soul , to thy joy , in this salvation is bread of life for thee ; eat you that which is good , and let your soul delight it self in fatness . the gospel , sirs , provides a feast of fat things . have you not read of the marriage-supper , all things are now ready ? o what a banquet doth this salvation make for hungry sinners , and such who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled . . are you thirsty , and have no water to drink ; are all wells empty , and all springs dry ? yet know , o sinner , here is the well of salvation brim full ; if any man thirst , let him come to me and drink . . are you guilty , sinners , and condemned to die by a holy and just law ? the gospel-salvation has a full discharge for you , christ hath died in your stead , and here is a pardon , a free pardon obtained upon his satisfaction . . or sinner , dost thou want a broken heart , dost thou want a penitent heart ? in this salvation christ has purchased grace to melt and soften thy heart ; him hath god exalted at his right hand , to be a prince and a saviour , to give repentance to israel , and remission of sins . . dost thou want faith , or more faith ? it is to be had in this salvation ; to you it is given in behalf of christ , not only to believe , &c. to believe , grace to believe is given to poor sinners ; christ is the author and finisher of our faith. . do you want peace ? the gospel is the gospel of peace , christ is the prince of peace ; and as he had made peace for us , so he hath promised to all that lay hold on this salvation to give them peace , yea great peace , not such peace that the world gives . . do you want strength ? it is in this salvation also ; in the lord ( that is ▪ in christ ) shall one say , have i righteousness and strength . nay , you shall be strengthned according to his glorious power ; christ is our strength : as he is god's arm of power , so he is our arm also ; i will strengthen thee ; yea , i will help thee ; yea , i will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness . . or do you want comfort ? this salvation hath all joy and spiritual comfort in it : god is called the god of all comfort and consolation ; but he is so only to us in jesus christ . christ hath procured and sent the comforter himself to us , and to abide with us for ever ; i will not leave you comfortless , i will come unto you . . do you want weapons and armour to ingage your enemies ? this salvation provides these also , see eph. . , , , . christ's souldiers are armed compleatly , yea , they have armour of proof put upon them . do you want a guide ? this salvation provides you an infallible and faithful guide also . ( . ) to guide us , we have god's word , which is that sure word of prophecy , which if you follow , you shall never go astray . ( . ) to guide us we have also the holy spirit , and spirit of truth ; when he is come , he will guide you into all truth . . or do you want a shepherd to feed you , a king to rule you , a priest to sacrifice and make an atonement for you , a prophet to teach you ? this salvation provides all these for you : christ is your shepherd , your priest , your king , your prophet , and excels all that ever bore those names . . do you want an husband , would you change your condition : what say you , sinners , particularly you young people , do you desire a good match , to be well disposed of in marriage ? o then receive this salvation , here is a prince , nay the prince of the kings of the earth , that desires your love ; will you accept of this offer ? behold , he is now come and knocks at your doors . o open to him , say not nay ; for this match being once made between jesus christ and your souls , this salvation and all that is contained in it , is yours for ever . . would you be rich , great , honourable , truly rich and honourable ? here it is , receive this salvation , and all these things ( as you heard the last day ) are yours ; none so great , so rich , nor so honourable as believers : the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour , the saints are the excellent in all the earth . . do you want health , and would you be freed of all your diseases and sickness for ever ? health is in this salvation , soul-health , and that is the best health ; christ hath born our sicknesses to cure and heal our souls . . do you want a great portion ? this is more than all the other this salvation is so comprehensible , that god himself is contained in it : this salvation gives us interest in god , god hereby gives himself to every believer to be his portion , christ hath purchased this portion for us , he restores to us a lost god ; by this salvation we come to injoy god again . ( . ) god is a portion that will supply all thy wants . ( . ) a portion that will content and fully satisfy every soul that has an interest in him . ( . ) a portion that can never be spent nor wasted . ( . ) a portion for thy soul , and a portion that will last as long as thy soul shall last , and that is for ever . sirs , many have great worldly portions , but they are sometimes soon spent , and they become poor and miserable . some also have great earthly portions , bodily portions , but have no portion for their poor souls : o get god to be your portion , i. e. believe in christ , receive by faith this salvation , and god is thy portion , christ is thy portion . ( . ) god is a present portion , and also a future portion ; you may feed on this portion : and the more you live on this portion , the more you have . ( . ) god is an infinite portion , an inconceivable portion ; whatsoever is in god so far as it is communicable , or god seeth good to impart of himself to us , so much of god we shall have : what god i● , and what god has , is a believer's . ( . ) sinner , a portion thou must have , and god too to be thy portion , or thou must perish for ever . the loss of god at first was the undoing of all mankind , that was our ruin ; nor can that loss be ever repaired until we have god again : an eternall loss of god will be the torment and misery of the damned . ( . ) the reason why the father sent jesus christ to work out this salvation was , that we might have god to be our god : brethren , god saith to every one of you that are believers , as he said to abraham , fear not , abraham , i am thy shield , and thy exceeding great reward . such may say with david , my flesh and heart faileth but god is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever . and with the church in the lamentations , the lord is my portion , saith my soul , therefore will i hope in him . ( . ) brethren , god in this salvation breaks up ( as i may say ) the fountain of the great depths of his divine grace , love and goodness : the passage was stop'd by our sin , till christ opened it by shedding his blood ; there was no other way whereby god might let out of himself in his eternal goodness to us , but this way only , to the glory of all his divine attributes . ( . ) hereby we have not only god to be our god , our portion , but he is so restored to all that believe , that they shall never lose him again for ever . ( . ) did we want a surety , not only to pay our debts , but also to secure us in a state of grace , and to preserve all our riches for us ; this salvation provides such a glorious surety for us : alas , we are like poor orphans under age whilst in this world , and are not able nor fit to be intrusted with what is our own , i mean , to have it in our own hands ; therefore we and all our riches are put into the hand of christ , to keep and improve our riches for us , and to give of it forth to us as he in his wisdom sees best for us . they that slight this salvation , slight this portion , this god , and all true happiness in him : in this salvation , this portion is offered to you sinners , god is willing to be your god , your friend , your father and portion for ever . here is god in this salvation , christ in this salvation , the holy spirit in this salvation ; god , and all the fulness of god ; christ , and all the riches of christ ; the holy spirit , and all the graces and blessings of the spirit : the pearl of great price is thine , if thou hast a part and interest in this salvation . here is the spirit to quicken thee , to renew thee , to sanctify thee , to strengthen thee , to comfort thee ; here is grace to deck and adorn thee , rich robes to cover thee , the promises to chear thee , feed and support thee , the ordinances to feast thee , and angels to guard , protect and preserve thee . o what a full , compleat and comprehensible salvation , brethren , is the salvation of the gospel ! . and lastly , here is heaven in this salvation , heaven , and all the glory of it ; here is a kingdom in this salvation , a kingdom of glory , of light , of joy and pleasure ; here is a crown that fadeth not away , in this salvation , a crown and kingdom for every christian ; therefore this salvation is great and glorious . heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? brethren , the last time i shewed you that gospel-salvation is a great and glorious salvation , because it is a full , a perfect and compleat salvation ; it is not a piece or part of our salvation that christ worked , and doth work out for us , but it is the whole of it in every part thereof . twelfthly , 't is a great salvation , in respect of the first and principal minister , preacher , and publisher of it ; this is one of the apostle's arguments and demonstrations in our text , which at first began to be spoken by the lord , &c. jesus christ was not only the saviour that god sent , and the author and finisher of this salvation , but the revealer , the minister or preacher of it : god who in times past spake unto the fathers by the prophets , they were his ministers , hath in these last days spoken to us by his son , that is , his son personally , as he was manifest in the flesh . . his own son , his only son , his only begotten son ; he hath no other son begotten by an eternal generation but christ alone . . the father's heir , the heir of all things , by whom also he made the world , who is the express image of the father's person , and the brightness of his glory . . he that hath the absolute lordship and dominion over all creatures in heaven and earth . . nay , and god the father also speaks himself in him , in such a sort and manner as he never before spoke in any instrument ; he hath spoken unto us ; that is , the father in and by the son , who is in personal union with himself . o what a kind of salvation is this , what a gospel is this , that is thus revealed , made known , and published unto us ! what mortal can think to escape that neglects so great salvation ? what were the holy angels who delivered the law , or what were the prophets to this glorious person , i mean , the son of god ? but at last of all he sent unto them his son , saying , they will reverence my son ; sure they will attend upon his word ; can they forbear honouring and reverencing such a person ? now i will try them : as if god should say , they may know the matter is of great moment , and i am in good earnest , and look for fruit from them . sirs , jesus christ , by calling or office , when he was upon the earth , was a minister , a preacher : o what great condescension was this in him , who is the true and eternal god! and what an honourable employment is this ! what a high and sublime office is the office of a gospel-minister ! with what trembling and fear ought it to be undertaken ! i come not to be ministered to , but to minister ; that is , to preach the gospel , to communicate heavenly treasure to the souls of men and women . the priests under the law were god's ministers . jesus christ is god's high priest , and therefore his chief minister ; we must receive the law at his mouth , at this priest's mouth : we have such an high priest who is set down on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens ; a minister of the sanctuary , and of the true tabernacle , &c. or the true church , the church of the first-born , which the jewish church was but a shadow , a type of : but now he hath obtained a more excellent ministry , he excel● all ministers ; all true ministers are but his substitutes , and must one day be accountable to him ; he is the great shepherd , and chief bishop of our souls . this is he that speaketh from heaven , who came from heaven himself , and received his doctrine from the father , as mediator , and as the great minister of righteousness : o how shall they escape that refuse such a preacher , one that speaketh from heaven ; nay , him that is god over all , blessed for evermore . where the word of a king is , there is power . who shall not then attend upon the word of this king , this great and mighty lord ? sinners , with what awe and holy trembling should you attend on the word of this salvation , that began first to be spoken by the lord ? christ may be said to speak in and by the prophets , nay , to speak to adam : but this speaking doubtless refers to his personal speaking when he was on earth . there may be said to be a threefold beginning of the gospel-ministration . . in predictions , by promises , and by types . . in the immediate preparation of it , and so it begun in the ministry of john the baptist . . in the open , clear , and actual ministration of it ; and thus it begun to be first spoken by our lord himself , ( upon his baptism , for then he entered upon his ministry ) and it was carried on afterwards by his apostles , and other ministers that he appointed ; and by his church he daily still does appoint , and in an ordinary manner authorize men to preach it . but o how great is this salvation , that god should please to send his own son to preach and publish this salvation ! brethren , should a king lay aside his crown , and throw off his princely robes , and come into the pulpit and preach the gospel , would not all wonder at it , and flock to hear him ? david was a king , and yet a preacher ; solomon was a king , a mighty king , and yet a preacher : but what poor and igneble , low-born kings , nay , base-born kings , were they to this king , who is the king of kings , and lord of lords ? certainly this is matter of highest concernment , or of greatest moment of all things in the world , and before all things to be regarded . did christ in person speak from heaven to men on earth , and make known to them this salvation ? moreover , he speaks still , he it is that speaks to you now , day by day , by us his poor ministers , who may be you are ready to slight and despise in your hearts ; yet know christ's faithful ministers personate him , they are his ambassadors , they represent the very person of christ : now then we are ambassadors for christ , as though god did beseech you by us , we pray you in christ's stead , be ye reconciled to god. he that heareth you , saith christ , heareth me ; and he that despiseth you , despiseth me ; and he that despiseth me , despiseth him that sent me . little do sinners think what they do when they sleep under the word , disregard , slight and despise the word of this salvation in the mouths of christ's ministers , christ's ambassadors . see what christ himself saith , and whosoever shall not receive you , nor hear your words — shake off the dust of your feet . verily i say unto you , it shall be more tolerable for the land of sodom and gomorrah , in the day of judgment , than for that city . all this is because it is christ's word , and christ that speaks to you by his servants ; the same contempt that is shewed to the ambassadors of an earthly king , is shewed to him ; and he treats them as if it were done unto himself . moreover , the esteem and honour that is shewed to an ambassador in receiving his word , or in hearkening with awe and respect to what he says in his master's name , is shewn to the king. ministers are not to be esteemed or had in honour for their own sakes , but for christ's sake : but if you love christ , honour christ , you will love and respect his faithful servants , and hearken to what they speak unto you in his name and by his authority . thirteenthly , the salvation of the gospel is great and glorious , if we consider the wonderful confirmation and ratification of it in the days of the gospel in the primitive time ; which first began to be spoken by the lord , and was confirmed to us by them that heard him ; god also bearing them witness , both with signs and wonders , and with divers miracles , and gifts of the holy ghost , according to his own will. the apostle brings this in also as a farther demonstration of the greatness of the salvation of the gospel , namely , the consideration of the miraculous confirmation thereof . god is said to bear witness to the gospel , and to the salvation thereof ; there was never such witness born to any truth , as is to the truth of the gospel . for , . all the prophets bore witness to it . . john the baptist was sent to bear witness to it . . the apostles were also witnesses chosen of god to this end ; nay , and we have the witness of god himself ; and the father himself that hath sent me , hath born witness of me . the father bore witness at our saviour's baptism , and at the transfiguration , by a voice from heaven . . we have the witness and confirmation of the wonderful miracles that our lord wrought : but i have a greater witness than that of john ; for the works which the father hath given me to finish , the same do bear witness to me that the father hath sent me . that which was a witness of christ's being the true messiah , was a witness of the salvation he hath wrought . . he raised the dead , opened the eyes of the blind , even of him that was born blind ; he cast out devils , he caused the lame to walk , the dumb to speak ; he cleansed the lepers , and healed all manner of diseases and sicknesses among the people , and all to confirm the truth of this salvation ; no man ever did such works . . moreover , the holy ghost was given in a miraculous manner unto the apostles and others , they were filled , yea baptized with it , they spake many strange languages ; and all this was , ( . ) to confirm and fully to prove , that christ was the son of god , and saviour of the world. ( . ) to confirm the truth of his doctrine , and every precept , ordinance , and promise thereof . ( . ) to assure all that believe of the certainty of their eternal salvation , and that they should never perish . and also , ( . ) to assure all that believe not , that repent not , but live in ways of sin and wickedness , that they shall all be damned : it confirms particularly that word , except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish ; and that word , except a man be born again , he cannot see the kingdom of god ; and that , but he that believeth not , the wrath of god abideth on him ; and this in my text , touching the impossibility there is for any man to escape that neglects this so great salvation , and whatsoever else is contained in the new-testament . . it was also ratified and confirmed by the blood of christ , by his death , and by his glorious resurrection , and by the rending the vail of the temple , and by that great darkness that was at the time when our lord gave up the ghost , over all the earth ; and by the rising of many of the dead bodies of the saints after his resurrection . look to it , sirs , this salvation must needs be very great that was thus confirmed . fourteenthly , the gospel-salvation is great , if we consider with what amazement the holy angels behold it , they are said to look into it : pet. . , , . of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently , who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you : searching what , or what manner of time the spirit of christ which was in them did signify , when it testified before-hand the sufferings of christ , and the glory that should follow . vnto whom it was revealed , that not unto themselves , but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you , with the holy ghost sent down from heaven : which things the angels desire to look into . they look into it with the greatest diligence , do , as it were , bow down to pry into it ; they stand , as it were , astonished to see the son of god in flesh , or having taken man's nature upon him ; he that is their mighty lord and soveraign , to abase himself to such a degree , and to die the shameful death of the cross , to work out salvation for such vile and rebellious creatures as mankind are : 't is said , he was seen of angels . the angels knew of christ's coming , no doubt , long before he was manifest in the flesh . the angel told daniel of the seventy weeks , and of the cutting off of the messiah ; and the angels also brought the first news of his incarnation and nativity : but nevertheless with what wonderment was he seen of the angels ! the natural knowledg of the angels which we understand not , no doubt is great ; but they have also an experimental knowledg , they learn of the church the manifold wisdom of god. they were likewise witnesses of our saviour's resurrection , and ministred to him in his bloody agony : lo the salvation of our souls doth not a little affect the holy angels ; they see god's love is more to mankind , than it was to those creatures of their own nature that fell , i mean , the evil angels . o , my brethren , shall the angels look into this salvation , whom it concerned not as it doth us , ( they did not need a saviour to redeem them ) and shall not we look into it , pry into it , and be affected therewithal ? shall all in heaven contemplate it , and not we ? is it so great , so glorious , and shall we not mind it above all things ? fifteenthly , it is great salvation , because it is a free salvation , it is all of grace ; you may have it , sinners , without money , and without price , isa . . . true , some things you must part with , whoever you are , that will have a part in this salvation : but what is that ? nothing of any worth , nothing that will do you any good : you must part with your sins , with your filthy lusts , with the love of this world. christ came to save his people from their sins ; not in their sins , no , no. they that will not part with their iniquities , with their carnal and sinful pleasures , profits and honours , are never like to have any part or lot in this matter : nay , and they must part with all their own righteousness too , i mean , in point of trust and dependance , and must see that they have nothing which can recommend them to god , nothing that can justify them in the sight of god ; unless a man denies himself in all these respects , he cannot be christ's disciple . but notwithstanding this , yet the salvation of the gospel is free ; the worst of sinners have an offer of it , they whose sins are as red as scarlet , or as red as crimson ; here is wine and milk without money , or any thing the creature hath to purchase it , or to give for it : it is not to be had for the sake of any thing done by us , or can be done by us , or wrought in us . sinners , the water of life is freely tendred to every one that thirsteth , nay to every one that will , that has a will inclined to accept it ; if it could not be had unless we first cleansed our selves from our sins , or made us a new heart , it would not be free or alone of grace , nor to be had on easy terms , nay not at all : but you have heard that a new heart is one part of this salvation , 't is contained in it ; and those that would be washed , must come to the fountain of salvation , they must come to christ , believe in christ , or by faith apply his blood to wash and cleanse their polluted souls . brethren , if there was a salvation for rich men only , what would become of the poor ? but this salvation is offered unto the poor as well as unto the rich ; nay , and they chiefly indeed do receive it , as our saviour testifies . and if it was a salvation for righteous men only , what would become of ungodly sinners ? but remember , this salvation is only for sinners , i mean , such that see their sin , and know the want of a saviour ; christ came not to call the righteous , but sinners to repentance . sixteenthly , in the last place , gospel-salvation is a great salvation , because it is an eternal salvation : and being made perfect , he became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him , heb. . . as christ brought in an everlasting righteousness , so he wrought out an everlasting salvation : israel shall be saved in the lord , with an everlasting salvation ; once saved , and for ever saved : for as the damnation of all that refuse or neglect this salvation shall be eternal , so the salvation of all that receive it shall be also eternal : the earth shall wax old like a garment , and they that dwell therein shall die ; but my salvation shall be for ever , and my righteousness shall not be abolished . thus i have done with the demonstration of the first doctrine , which i shall improve in applying the next proposition . heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? doct. ii. the great salvation of the gospel may be neglected . this is implied in my text. how shall we that preached it escape if we neglect it ? or how shall you that hear it preached escape if you neglect it ? first , i shall shew you what is intended by neglecting this salvation . secondly , shew you who they are that may be said to neglect it . thirdly , shew you from whence it is that some do neglect it . fourthly , shew you what a great sin it is to neglect the salvation of the gospel . first , to neglect the salvation of the gospel , is to neglect the means of it , the way which god hath appointed in order to our obtaining an interest in it . . it imports a slighting of it , to omit seeking after the knowledg of it , or to take no pains in order to the obtaining the grace and saving blessings thereof . . or to seek salvation some other ways . but , secondly , who may be said to neglect it ? answ . . such who do not think upon this salvation , they do neglect it : some do not regard it at all , it is not in their minds ; they do not trouble their thoughts about it , though it be so great . that which a person thinks not of , let it be matter of never so great moment , be sure he doth neglect . have you , saith a man to his friend , done that business i desired of you ? no truly , saith he , i never thought of it ; this discovers he hath neglected it : so it is here in respect of this great salvation . . such neglect the gospel salvation , who do not study it , pry into it , and labour to find out the great mysteries that lie hid in it . as he that is put out an apprentice , to learn some curious art or trade , that never studies the matter , or pries not into the mysteries thereof , neglects his trade : so they who do not study the gospel , and the mysteries of christ crucified , do neglect the great salvation thereof . paul determined to know nothing amongst the learned corinthians , but jesus christ and him crucified ; this shews he did not neglect the salvation of his own and other mens souls . without controversy , great is the mystery of godliness : 't is not easy to understand the gospel , it is so great a mystery ; if it were only a law , with promises annexed to those who lived up in obedience to the precepts of it , and threats to such who were disobedient to its precepts , it would not be a mystery ; nor would the learned greeks have counted the preaching of such a gospel to be foolishness ; for such a gospel comports with man's carnal reason and with natural religion : but to preach salvation by a man that was hanged on a tree , or by a crucified saviour , that is a mystery . and hence it was contemned by the greeks , they could not understand how they could be justified by another's righteousness , or that christ could satisfy for their sins ; or how our sins could be made his , that his righteousness should be made ours ; this is a mystery , and this mystery some people do not , will not study , and so neglect this salvation . . such neglect it , that will not hear the gospel preached , but either lie at home , or walk in the fields , or content themselves to hear morality or good manners only preached , which is all the salvation too many preach in some places : they think they need not trouble themselves about any other matters of religion , but only to do to others as they would be done unto ; or to live sober lives , and to do justly : this is good , and it is in a right manner held forth in the gospel , and preach'd by such that preach this salvation : but if this were all , in vain was it that god sent his son into the world ; nay , if morality could save mens souls , or any righteousness of the creature , or inherent holiness , christ is dead in vain . these men know not what the gospel is ; and those who preach no other gospel than morality do but go about to make the people good heathens ; for what is this , but the religion of the heathen philosophers ? . such also neglect this salvation , who though they come to hear christ preach'd , yet only come out of formality , custom or curiosity , or to divert themselves ; having little else to do , they will go and hear what such or such a man will say , it is not to be instructed in the mysteries of salvation : nay , may be some of them may come with a design to catch up things to improve to the reproach of the minister . now be sure these persons are such who neglect the salvation of the gospel . . such likewise who are careless hearers , who hear as if the things preached did not concern them , or that sleep under the word , these also neglect this salvation . i have heard of one that would go to the place of worship , because she could sleep sooner and better there than at home ; and no wonder , since the devil rocks the cradle , ( as i may say ) or hath such influence upon them , and makes them comply with his temptations : and you shall have help , no doubt , as some who have hanged themselves ; it has been observed to be strange how they could do it after such a manner : alas , satan helped them , he knows how to tie the rope , and to choak them too , when they enter upon this work. perhaps some shall have their thoughts in a wanton manner , run out after this or the other object they have before their eyes , when with holy diligence they should attend upon the word of this salvation to the profit of their souls ; or else have their hearts and thoughts run out upon their worldly affairs ; some on their riches , trades , and how to order their business the week following , and others upon their poverty . all these i must set down as neglecters of this great salvation . . such who slight or neglect the convictions of their own consciences , or that strive to stifle their convictions , whilst under the word , or when gone from hearing it , like as felix did when he sent paul away ; the fire the word had kindled in his conscience , being too hot for him to bear . . such who comply not with the call of the word , and offers of this great salvation , but resist and quench the motions of the spirit , out of love to their lusts , and so reject the word , like them of old ; lo they reject the word of the lord , and what wisdom is in them ? these seem to say in their hearts , as for the word spoken in the name of the lord , we will not do it : but we will certainly do whatsoever goeth out of our mouths , &c. these also with a witness neglect this great salvation . . such who regard not the time , the day and proper season of this salvation , do neglect it : behold , now is the accepted time ; behold , now is the day of salvation . but this is not their time , they delay the great matters of their souls , god's time is not their time : seek ye the lord while he may be found , and call upon him while he is near , saith the prophet . but they will not do this , they think it is too soon , they resolve to take more of the sweet of sin , and feed on the vanities of the world a little longer . god calls now , whilst it is to day , to day if you will hear his voice ; but they will not regard it : because i have called , ( saith the lord ) and you refused , i have stretched out my hand , and no man regarded . — but ye have set at nought all my counsel , and would have none of my reproof ; — i also will laugh at your calamity , and mock when your fear cometh . . such who prefer their sinful and earthly pleasures , profits and honours , above this salvation , do also neglect it : 't is said of some of the pharisees , that they believed on him , but did not profess him , lest they should be put out of the synagogue ; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of god. i once told you of a man who living a loose and ungodly life , and was by that means in danger of losing his eye-sight , insomuch that his physician told him , he must leave that excess of prophaneness , or he would be blind ; ah , said he , is it so ? then farewel my sweet eye-sight , or to that effect . just thus do many poor sinners , they will not part with their sins , their sinful ways , and sinful companions ; for when they hear what they must do if ever they are saved , namely , believe in jesus christ , repent and turn from all their sinful courses , they say in their hearts , farewel then great salvation ; if these things must be done , they will have none of it . i remember i heard in our countrey , when i was young , of a prophane person , that said in plain words , that he would have his lusts , his pleasures , his merry bouts , or to that purpose , for it was all the heaven he look'd for . o how just will it be in god to sentence such to eternal flames ! . such neglect this salvation , who say in their hearts to god , depart from us , we desire not the knowledg of thy ways : they like not , approve not of god , nor of the ways of god , therefore desire him to depart ; they would not have god come so near them , as to disturb their thoughts , nor disquiet their spirits about their eternal state , therefore they strive to divert themselves . the wicked ( saith the psalmist ) through the pride of his countenance will not seek after god ; god is not in all his thoughts : he will not trouble himself with god , and the things of god , and so neglects this salvation . . moreover , all such who believe not , give not credit to the revelation of the gospel , they do not believe the report of it ; lord , saith the prophet , who hath believed our report ? though the report of the gospel is given out upon the highest evidence imaginable , yet , brethren , there is an humane faith that a man may attain to and exercise without divine and supernatural grace , which men do not exert ; which if they did , it would ( were it improved ) deter them , and put a stop to many of their abominable practices : but as some in other cases say , i will not believe such or such a thing , though it is confirmed sufficiently ; so it is here , men will not believe , they will not give credit to the report of the gospel , it is not agreeable to their carnal reason : what! believe there is no salvation but by the righteousness of another ? how can this be ? can his righteousness justify me , be made mine ? i believe that if i do live an honest life , and do good to my neighbours , i shall be saved . says another , i can't believe that all shall be damned unless they are born again , and experience such a change as some ministers talk of ; for if it be so , lord have mercy upon us , what will become of the greatest part of the world ? says a third sort , god is above the devil , and i cannot believe he will ever suffer satan to get away the greatest number of mankind . ay says a fourth sort , we can't believe that sin is so great an evil , or so great a matter , or that god will be so severe as to cast us into hell for it : what 's drunkenness ? 't is for our health to be drunk now and then : and what is simple fornication ? tush , will god think you ever cast us into hell for such small things as these , or throw us into a furnace of fire ? it cannot consist with his mercy and infinite goodness . now , brethren , as all these persons neglect this salvation , so they make god a liar : god hath said , there is no other name given under heaven whereby we must be saved ; no other way but through christ's blood , by his merits and righteousness : but they say there is . he also hath said , that the wicked shall be turned into hell , and all the nations that forget god ; even whole nations if they do so : and that no drunkard , fornicator , proud person , unbeliever or covetous man or woman , &c. shall inherit the kingdom of heaven ; but contrariwise , shall have their portion in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone : but they will not believe it . and god says , except a man be born again , he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but they will not believe it . o what is the condition of these men , unbelief is the damning sin in this respect , as well as it is in respect that it leads men out to refuse and contemn the remedy god hath appointed , i mean , the application of the blood of jesus christ . these perish as the man did , who was told of his danger , but would not believe it till it fell upon him to his ruin. . such neglect this great salvation , who delay the looking after it until old age , or till sickness , or death comes upon them ; how many are there of this sort ? they mind not their souls , nor soul-concernments , but think it is time enough , when they have spent their best days in the service of the world , nay , in the devil's service , to look after religion , or an interest in jesus christ : these , i say , also are neglecters of this salvation . . all such who make not religion , or the salvation of their precious souls their chief business , or matter of the highest importance in the world , these must be set down as neglecters of gospel-salvation . brethren , this is that one thing needful , namely , to provide for the soul in reference to eternity . this was that good part mary chose , that should not be taken from her ; she took more care about the good of her soul , in attending on christ's word , than on any thing else whatsoever . this should be our general calling , to which work we ought to give up our selves continually , in improving all seasons and opportunities , and in the discharge of all spiritual duties . o how busy are some men , and how wise ; nay to get this world , no time , no care , no opportunity shall be omitted . but they have no regard of this great concernment , it is not weighed , nor thought upon by them : yet what can be of like importance ; and what fools are they , whose chiefest care is to live well for one day , and regard not what will become of them afterwards ? alas , what do the greatest part of mankind more than provide for one day ! nay , should the whole time of our natural lives be seventy years , it is not as one hour to eternity . now that the salvation of our souls is matter of the highest moment , will appear many ways . and first by giving you a summary account of what i have said . . must not that be of highest moment , or ought not the matters of that salvation be our chiefest business , when all salvations compared to it are nothing , or not worth regard ? . must not that be business of the highest concernment for us to look after , which god so early , even in eternity , thought of and contrived the way of bringing it in , or for the 〈…〉 of , in his infinite wisdom ? . must not that be minded before all things , that god in eternity ( as i may so say ) held a council about the actual accomplishment of ? . ought not we to look upon that salvation as matter of the highest concernment , which god designed for such great and glorious ends : as ( . ) to manifest his own glory ; ( . ) the utter ruin of satan's kingdom ; and ( . ) to make us everlastingly happy in the injoyment of himself ? . ought not that salvation to be our greatest business , that raises us up to such a blessed state , who were fallen so low , and delivered us from eternal wrath , just as the hand of justice was up and ready to strike the fatal blow ? . that which was so seasonable , and when all hopes of relief and help was gone ? . must not we needs think that salvation of the highest moment , that the son of god himself came to work out for us , which he and none but he could accomplish ; nay , both the father , son , and the holy ghost , the whole trinity join together , and take each of them a part to effect and perfect for our souls ? . must not that needs be our only business to look after , that christ shed his most precious blood to procure ? . ought we not to prefer that salvation before all things , that delivers us from the greatest evil , the plague of all plagues ? . must not that salvation be of the greatest moment , and preferred above all things in the world , that is the salvation of our precious and immortal souls , nay , of soul and body too , from everlasting burning and damnation in hell ? . ought we not to make that salvation our chiefest work , whilst in this world , that raises us up so high , and makes us so great , honourable and happy for ever , as you have heard ? . must not that salvation needs be our great and chiefest business to mind and seek after , that is so full , so comprehensive , perfect and compleat ? . must not that salvation be of highest moment , that the son of god in his own person , came from heaven to preach and make known to men on earth ? . is not that salvation of the greatest concernment for us to give up our selves to look after , and to be chiefly affected with , which the holy angels desire to pry into , and stand astonished at the thoughts of , it is so great and sublime ? . is not that salvation business of the greatest moment of all , that is so great , so sweet , so rich , so admirable , and so free and easy to be obtained ? 't is but looking to christ , to come to christ , to rest on christ ; 't is but to take and eat , 't is but to drink when we are thirsty , 't is without money and without price . . and lastly , ought not that salvation to be our chiefest concernment , that is an eternal and everlasting salvation ; i. e. that such that obtain it , shall have a crown of glory for ever , or be everlastingly saved ; and they that neglect it , shall be everlastingly damned ? now , brethren , he that makes this salvation the least of his business , does neglect it , yea , utterly neglect it , let him think what he will. and all that make not religion their chiefest business , who prefer not the honour of god , and their own salvation , before all things , will at one time or another , expose god's name to reproach , and their own souls at last to eternal wrath and misery . brethren , doth not he neglect his trade , his family , &c. that makes it the least of his worldly concernments ? lastly , they neglect this salvation , that do not look up to god , to give them the knowledg of their state , the true sense of sin , and to reveal christ to them , and work faith in them . heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? the last time i entred upon the second doctrine , viz. that the salvation of the gospel may be neglected . i shewed you who they are that may be said to neglect this great salvation , that was the second general head i propounded to do . i shall now proceed , thirdly , in the third place i shall shew you from whence it is , or comes to pass , some persons , nay , so many people in the world do neglect the salvation of their own precious souls . . some are ignorant of the way of salvation , and from hence neglect this gospel-salvation : thus it was with the jews ; for they being ignorant of god's righteousness , went about to establish their own righteousness , rom. . . suppose a man that is sick were resolved to make use of such or such a medicine to cure him of his disease , which he is told the nature of , and that it is an infallible potion ; yet if he knows not how to apply it , he understands not that : why now from thence he utterly neglects to make use of it at all , but seeks some other way of cure. even so it is here , many hear of christ , and salvation by him , but understand not how to apply his blood , how to fly to his merits and righteousness , and therefore seek to be saved some other way , and so neglect the salvation by jesus christ . or suppose that a man who is going a long journey , yet he knows not the way , but thinks he is right , and so rides on boldly , but goes the quite contrary way , now he neglects the right way through ignorance : even so it is with many blind and deceived mortals , they think they have the right and proper medicine , or are in the right way to heaven ; and they go confidently on , take their own courses , apply their own antidote , when alas it is a counterfeit . st . may be think that is christ and the true saviour , which is nothing but the dictates of natural conscience . some suppose the light of nature , or a sober and moral life , will bring them to heaven , and eternally save their souls . dly . others conclude , their being protestants , and born of christian parents , and owning the christian religion , is sufficient , and that they need not trouble themselves any further about their salvation . dly . mankind generally see not , know not that they are born in sin , and by nature are children of wrath ; they know not that they are under the curse of the law , and under the sentence of eternal death , being enemies to god , and having enmity in their carnal mind against god , and great mountains of guilt lying upon them : i say , thus it is with them , but they know it not . it is with them as it was with the church of the laodiceans ; because thou sayest i am rich , and increased in goods , and have need of nothing , and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable , and poor , and blind , and naked . see what a sad state this professing people were in , and yet ignorant of it ; thought they were perfect , as that man must needs suppose that thinks he wants nothing ; they no more knew their great danger , than did the old world of the flood , and sodom of those flames which suddenly consumed them all . thly . some conclude they believe , and have true grace ; they make a profession of the gospel , and have been baptized , having great gifts and parts ; and yet for all this never were effectually changed , never obtained the faith of god's elect , but through ignorance they are perswaded all is well with them , and so they come not to look out to christ , but do neglect the means of con●●rsion , by being perswaded they are converted already . now this ignorance may be occasioned several ways . ( . ) chiefly it arises from that natural darkness that is in them , and which naturally cleaves to all mankind ; sin has put out the eyes of our understanding . but , ( . ) it may also arise partly from the ignorance of those blind guides , whose teachings and doctrine they may ( i mean , some of them ) sit under ; my people are destroyed for lack of knowledg : and the cause was , those that taught them caused them to err . if the blind lead the blind , they will both fall into the ditch . o take heed under what ministry you venture your souls : the pharisees and scribes were learned men , and some of them great preachers , but wholly ignorant of the doctrine of the gospel , and of salvation by jesus christ : many , like the false teachers of old , cry , peace , peace , when there is no peace . ( . ) moreover , this ignorance arises partly from satan , he hath too great an influence on the hearts and dark minds of men ; but if our gospel be hid , it is hid to them that are lost : in whom the god of this world hath blinded the eyes of those that believe not , lest the light of the glorious gospel of christ , who is the image of god , should shine unto them . satan hath a mighty power over sinful men , by his cunning devices , to keep them in ignorance , and to hinder them from studying , knowing , and believing the gospel , and by this means they neglect this salvation : such are blinded by satan that believe not ; he may perswade them that a general faith , or a common faith , is true faith , and sufficient , and so he cheats them with a counterfeit instead of saving faith : or satan blinds mens eyes by moving them to seek salvation in some other way , than by christ alone , and by believing in him , resting , relying and depending on him ; like an evil person who puts a poor traveller out of his way , or directs him the direct contrary way , that so he may be robbed and murdered by him , and by other thieves that may way-lay him . . some neglect the salvation of the gospel , from that inordinate love they have to the things of this world : thus the young man that came running to christ neglected it , he had his heart so set upon his great possessions , that he went away from our saviour sorrowful , and refused the salvation of his own soul ; he could not part with the world for a part in christ and eternal life . so they that were invited to the marriage-supper , out of an inordinate love to the things of the world , refused to come : the kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king , which made a marriage for his son , and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden ; and they would not come . but they made light of it , and went their ways , one to his farm , another to his merchandise . this marriage-supper is this great salvation ; but the things of the world are more valued by most people than the salvation of their souls : luke saith , and he sent forth his servants at supper-time , to say to them that were bidden , come , for all things are now ready . many persons refuse to feed on christ , , they believe not , will not eat of this supper , will not feed on a crucified christ , or eat his flesh , and drink his blood by faith , through love to their carnal pleasures , honours , and worldly profits . and they all began with one consent to make excuse : the first said unto him , i have bought a piece of ground , and i must needs go and see it ; i pray thee have me excused . and another said , i have bought five yoke of oxen , and i go to prove them ; i pray thee have me excused . another said , i have married a wife , and therefore i cannot come . lawful things may be abused , and the heart so set upon them , that they drown men in perdition and destruction : mens hearts naturally are earthly and sensual ; and as they know not , so they desire not the knowledg of god and jesus christ , they are satisfied with that portion they have , this world is for them ; they care not , regard not the things of another life . . some neglect this salvation , out of love to unlawful things : they will feed on forbidden fruit , i mean , on their filthy lusts ; they will swear , steal , whore , be drunk , grind the face of the poor , deal unjustly , give way to pride , &c. and from hence neglect the salvation of their souls . i was lately told of a gracious woman living near this city , whose daughter wore a very high head-dress , or that shameful mode now in fashion , which so grieved the mother , that she gave her a rich ring , upon condition she would leave off that dress , or top-knots : her daughter took the ring , and conformed for a while to her mother's just desire ; but it was not long before she gave her the ring again , and repented of her reformation , and got on her old dresses again . alas , some will not leave off and forsake their lusts for chains of gold ; they will live in their sins , persist on in their ungodly courses ; let what will come , they matter not who they grieve : they prefer their cursed lusts and pleasures above this salvation , though it be so great , as you have heard . . moreover , some neglect salvation , because there is a cross joined to the crown ; they must take christ's yoke upon them , and be exposed to reproach for his sake , and this they cannot endure , the yoke is uneasy to the flesh , the flesh cannot bear it . no , it is only easy to such whose hearts are renewed , who have got a new nature . the cross makes many lose the crown ; but , brethren , had jesus christ refused the cross , where had we been ? . some persons neglect salvation , through the treachery and deceitfulness of their own hearts : 't is slighted out of an opinion or perswasion , that all is well with them ; they believe in christ , hope in god's mercy : christ , say they , died for sinners . and thus the devil , and their own deceived hearts , cause them to neglect seeking out after the saving knowledg of christ and salvation by him on gospel-terms ; for sin predominates in them , reigns in them , notwithstanding all their hopes and confidence . what signifies such faith that does not purify the heart and life , or such hope ? alas , it will be but like the spider's web , vain thoughts rest in those , and destroy them ; vain in their rise , vain as to the ground they build their hopes upon ; a vain bottom , vain as to the motive : and vain as to the fruit or product thereof ; they think they have hold of salvation , yet are dropping into hell. . some neglect the salvation of the gospel , partly out of servile and slavish fear , and partly out of pretended modesty ; they dare not be so bold to take hold of christ , or venture their souls on christ , because they are so vile , filthy , and abominable , unless they had something to bring , something to present to christ , to render them acceptable or welcome to him ; they will not come , they pretend they dare not come , they can't think so great salvation should be bestow'd freely on such as they are : if they could be rid of their sins , or wash themselves from their sins , then they would come ; or could they get themselves some new clothes , make themselves a new heart , or get some inherent righteousness of their own , then they would come . sad case ! but it is no wonder some are carried away with this delusion , considering what a kind of doctrine is preached in these perilous times . but , sinner , know thou must come to christ to be washed , come as one that sees what need thou hast to be put into the fountain , which is set open for sin and uncleanness ; and come as one naked , that christ may clothe thee . christ calls sinners to him ; may be you will say , what is it to come to christ ? why , to believe in him , to lay hold by faith upon him : and if thou dost thus , though thou art never so great a sinner , thou shalt be saved . . others neglect gospel-salvation out of idleness and cursed sloth : 't is a hard thing to enter in at the strait gate , self-denial is of absolute necessity . o but this is too difficult for this sort , they can't pray , read , meditate ; they don't love to hear sermons , they do not care to put themselves upon spiritual duties , as to seek the kingdom of heaven , nay , and to take it by violence ; they can take pains to damn their own souls , but cannot , will not take that pains they are enabled to do to save their souls . sirs , men will not be condemned for not doing that which they had not power to do , but for neglecting that which they might have done ; their destruction is of themselves , though their salvation is wholly of god , and of the free grace of god in jesus christ : have not men power to leave all gross acts of wickedness , and to attend upon the means of salvation ? they who say we put the creature to do nothing , falsly charge us ; we press men to leave their wicked practices upon a right foot of account , and to wait upon god in his blessed ordinances , which he has appointed for the begetting of faith. true , we say a man can't change his own heart , yet he may leave the gross acts of sin ; 't is one thing to have the life reformed , and another to have the heart renewed : 't is the changing the vicious habits , or the work of regeneration , which we say must be done by god's almighty power ; grace must be infused into the soul , which works physically . . moreover , it is through pride in some that they neglect this great salvation ; they have such a good opinion of their own righteousness , they cannot see they have any need of the righteousness of christ : they are such that our saviour speaks of ; and he spoke a parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous , and despised others . these are so conceited of themselves , that through pride of what they have got of their own they regard not an imputed righteousness to justify them ; man naturally affecteth to stand by a righteousness of his own . adam was a rich man , a noble man , he had enough of his own to live upon ; and his sons retain a proud spirit , like some sons of a decayed gentleman : their father was a knight , a lord , and they are great in their own conceit , ( though their cloak perhaps is nothing but patches ) they scorn to beg , or to dig , no they will sooner steal , and stand on the high-way . proud man doth thus in a spiritual sense , he will not beg , he will not go to christ's door for bread , he will rather steal and rob christ of his honour in their salvation , by seeking it some other way , even in an unlawful way ; this is no better than a spiritual robbing jesus christ of having the whole glory and honour of the salvation of the soul : and yet they do not enrich themselves hereby neither , it is but only in conceit ; they fancy themselves rich , and trust in their own righteousness , as if it were choice treasure , when it is nothing but filthy rags which they pride themselves in and boast of . . it is through unbelief this salvation is neglected , men believe not : the grand neglect centers here , this is the killing evil , the sin of all sins , the plague of all plagues . i consider unbelief in general , not only as it is a non-reception of christ , not believing in christ , not accepting of christ , but as it is a denying to give credit to the revelation of god , and of what he declares in his word . . they do not believe salvation ought to be the main business of their lives , which they should regard and seek after above all things , it being the one thing needful , yea , more than meat , drink , clothes , wives , children , health , credit , riches , honours , pleasures , or life it self . . they do not believe that sin is the greatest evil , nor that god is man's supreme and chiefest good , wherein his only happiness lies . . they do not believe that such is the holiness , justice , wrath and severity of god , that he will throw sinners into hell , although he positively declares in his ●ord that he will do it , except they believe , repent , and forsake their abominable ways ; yet they doubt not of their salvation , though they are perhaps swearers , drunkards , unclean persons , proud persons , covetous or perverse wretches . . they will not believe what the woful end of all unbelievers and unregenerate persons will be . . they will not believe that they are in a spiritual sense brought to utter beggary , being sons of a beggar that spent all he had . . they will not believe , though it is told them again and again , that they are blind , miserable , wretched and naked , and for rebellion condemned to die , nay , to be burned for ever : unbelief was the cause of man's fall at first , he would not believe god who told him , in the day he eat of the forbidden fruit , he should surely die ; no , he rather adhered to the devil , and gave credit to the father of lies . this also was the grand cause of the israelites falling in the wilderness ; and to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest , but to them that believed not ? so we see they could not enter in , because of vnbelief . let us therefore fear , saith the apostle . brethren , there is a notional and practical unbelief : some believe there is a god , but they deny him by their works ; and deny christ the only saviour , by cleaving to and trusting in other things for salvation : they perhaps think that their good deeds , their prayers , their just dealings , and sober and moral lives , will save them . some are like a poor ignorant wretch that i heard of , who being lately sick , and a christian neighbour being sent for to come to him , he asked him some questions about his soul , who replied , that he had been a sinner ; but if god spared him , he hop'd to make god amends for all . some sin , and commit horrid evils in the day , and then pray at night , and confess their sins ; and may be drop a few tears , and that they think cures all , and makes them as sound again as a fish , and so go on the next day in their old trade of sinning as briskly as before . some have a humane faith , an historical faith , and from thence do many things , though they do not live up to that faith neither , nor improve what knowledg and light they have received to that degree they ought , and so shall be condemned , like as was the man that improved not his one talent . i call it a humane faith , because it is the act of the creature , by virtue of his natural powers and capacity : the spring and motive of their faith is humane , therefore their faith cannot be divine . i shall sum up the whole of this head , and come to the application . . it appears that the salvation of the gospel is neglected by many ; through ignorance and natural blindness their understandings are darkned : and light shines in the darkness , but the darkness comprehendeth it not . men love darkness rather than light , error rather than truth . if another come in his own name , him you will receive . . there is a perverseness and rebellion in the will , and hardness in the heart : ye will not come to me , that ye might have life . the carnal mind is enmity against god ; it is not subject to the law of god , neither indeed can be . . men are ignorant and unsensible of their states and conditions : are we blind also ? we are abraham 's seed , was the plea of old . we are christians , the off-spring of christian people , and good protestants , is the plea now . they are , . ignorant of god's holiness and justice , and so trust in his mercy , not regarding of his law and justice . they are ignorant and unsensible of that insufficiency there is in themselves , or in any thing they can do to save their own souls . . 't is through the ignorance of some of their teachers , who preach not the gospel truly to them . . 't is through an inordinate love to the things of this world , their affections are corrupted and set upon the creature , upon their riches , honours and pleasures . . 't is through that love many have to their sins , and sinful practices , and sinful companions . . 't is through the deceitfulness and treachery of their own evil hearts . . through slavish fear , or pretended modesty , they dare not be so bold to venture themselves on christ , being such great sinners , and having nothing to present unto him for acceptance . . it is from idleness and spiritual sloth . . from unbelief , not giving credit to the revelation of god's word in many respects , but think to be saved some other ways than by jesus christ alone , or not by him , and nothing else ; and conclude something is to be joined to christ's merits and righteousness , or they cannot be justified nor saved : and thus this salvation is neglected ; it is upon these , or such-like considerations as these are . application . . tremble you that slight or neglect the great salvation of the gospel : will you say that jesus christ cannot save you , or is not willing to save you ? certainly those who give way to such thoughts and temptations , are sharply to be reproved . . your sins and unbelief is the cause of your misery , and if you perish , it will be the cause of your damnation for ever . . and to you that are believers let me speak one word ; have a care of unbelief , beware of unbelieving and desponding thoughts : why do you hang down your heads ? object . o the deadness of my heart ! this i know is the voice and complaint of your souls . answ . how came you to know that you are dead ? certainly this is a sign that there is life in you . did ever any person that was naturally dead , say he was dead , cold , or unsensible ? that is impossible , 't is only such who are alive that thus complain . object . o the abundance of sin that is in me , that afflicts and distresses my soul ! answ . say you so , is sin your sickness , is sin your sorrow ? is sin that which afflicts , wounds and grieves your spirit ? then rejoice , this is a good sign . would you live and sin not ? do you see a loveliness in holiness ? this is , no doubt , an evidence of the goodness of your condition , provided you hate it , and allow not of sin in you . object . but , alas , how little do i mind , and am affected with this great salvation ! answ . canst thou be contented without it , or give over minding it , and trouble thy self no more about it ? nay , art thou willing to part with that interest thou hast in christ , and in this salvation ? i am perswaded you will say no , not for ten thousand worlds . . moreover , from hence we may see the madness and folly of the generality of men who live under the preaching of the gospel , and yet neglect , day by day , the means of this so great salvation ; they regard not their chief and main business : what blindness is naturally in mankind ! but because i shall have occasion to open more particularly the great evil of neglecting the salvation of the gospel the next time , i shall say no more to it now . heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? i am upon the prosecution of the second proposition i raised from this text , viz. doct. . that the means of the great salvation of the gospel may be neglected . this is implied in the words . . i shewed you the last day , what the neglecting of gospel-salvation doth import . . i also shewed you who they are that may be said to neglect it . . and likewise from whence it cometh to pass that so many persons neglect their own salvation . i shall now proceed to the last thing proposed to be spoken unto in the prosecution of this proposition . which is , fourthly , to shew you the great sin and evil of such who do neglect the means of the salvation of the gospel . first , i shall shew you the greatness of this sin , in respect of god , or shew what a dishonour it is to him . secondly , demonstrate the greatness of the evil thereof , in respect of the sinner himself that doth neglect it . thirdly , considering by whose influences and instigations they do it . fourthly , considering the vanity of those things for the sake of which this salvation is neglected . first , such that neglect this salvation , do cast great contempt upon god. . they cast contempt upon the wisdom of god that found it out , and on that glorious counsel that was held in eternity about it . what is it but a breathing forth of the highest disdain on the wisdom of god ? what is the voice of some sinners hearts ? we shall be saved tho we go on in our own ways , god is good , merciful , &c. this is , as it were , an undervaluing of the glorious and no less gracious contrivance of infinite wisdom , to seek to be saved some other way , or to neglect this way . suppose a prince should hold a council in order to make a company of rebels happy for ever ; not only to pardon them , but to make them rich , noble and honourable ; and he should send them the offers of this rich bounty and goodness , and they should contemn it , slight it , and wholly neglect the free acceptation thereof , would not this cast a slight and reproach upon that prince ? and would not all men say , sure they were mad ? brethren , all ungodly men who neglect this salvation , consult with the devil , take counsel of the devil , and of their own wicked hearts , to frustrate , if it were possible , the counsel of god. he hath ordained the preaching of the gospel as the way to work faith in them , and so to give them an interest in salvation ; but they slight and neglect attending upon the word , nay , believe it not , but conspire against god , and set themselves against the lord , and against his christ , saying , let us break their bonds asunder , and cast their cords from us . let us cast away the offers and promises of this god , and of this christ , about salvation and an eternal kingdom , and those threatnings of wrath and hell , whereby they would one while allure us to forsake our sins and beloved lusts , and at another time frighten us into faith and obedience , and to submit our necks to his yoke . come , let us slight all those arguments he uses to win us over to him , yea , spurn at them , and disregard all the hopes and fears these cords would put us into , could they get us under their power . what are all these things but fancies , vain dreams ? tush , our state is good enough , we can repent hereafter : what is the gospel but to do as we would be done unto ? let us not trouble our heads with any other notions of religion . and thus they slight and cast contempt upon the infinite wisdom of god , who found out and contrived this way of salvation , and by which his manifold wisdom is revealed . . they also who neglect and slight the salvation of the gospel , do cast contempt upon the highest goodness , love and mercy that was ever shewed to man : god so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten son , that whosoever believeth on him might not perish , but have everlasting life . love , to the wonderment of men and angels ! shall such a marriage be offered by the great king , such a banquet be prepared that cost so much , and shall any make light of it , and despise infinite goodness for the sake of their own filthy lusts , and think they may be saved some other way ? they thereby render the holy god cruel to his own son , in his giving him up to die , and to become a sacrifice for sin. brethren , if salvation be neglected , it is either out of presumption or despair . ( . ) now such that presumptuously neglect it , seem to magnify god's mercy in their own conceit , being wholly ignorant of his justice and holiness , and so slight the constituted method of his declared goodness in jesus christ ; and so whilst they seem to magnify god's mercy , they impair , nay contemn his soveraignty , by chusing and prescribing other ways of god's communicating of himself to his creatures , than what he in his eternal counsel fixed upon , and found out . ( . ) if it be neglected through despair , they cast contempt upon christ's blood , as if there was not a sufficiency in it to cleanse and save them from their sins ; and not only so , but also render god not to be believed , who hath said , there is life in his son , and whosoever believes in him shall not perish . therefore despair makes god a liar , as it is a high degree of unbelief : moreover , it renders god to be cruel to his creatures ; for though they fall down at his feet , and humble themselves , yet the voice of despair is , god is only an angry judg , and clothed with nothing but wrath and fury . nay , and it casteth a disparagement upon the power and sufficiency of god to save when he appears in his full united strength , for so he does manifest himself in jesus christ . and hereby such seem to intimate , as if a multitude of sins could throw god's mercy into the depths of the sea , instead of mercy 's casting our sins therein , notwithstanding justice hath received a full satisfaction for them by the hands of our blessed saviour and surety . . from hence it appears that they who neglect this salvation through unbelief , do cast also contempt upon god's power to save , rendering him unable to do it by his right hand , even by jesus christ : man is very apt to question god's power , like them of old ; can god spread a table in the wilderness ? all distrusts arise from fears and jealousy , either of the strength , or else of the faithfulness and justice of the object addressed unto in a time of distress ; that either the person is weak and unable to help , or else dishonest and unjust ; and though he hath promised to save , to help , yet he will not . even so it is here , all they that neglect the salvation of the gospel , from unbelief and desponding thoughts , either seem to strip god and jesus christ of his power to save , or else of his truth and faithfulness , who hath said , look unto me , and be ye saved , all ye ends of the earth . and again , he that cometh unto me , i will in no wise cast out . a convinced sinner , before he comes to christ ( nay and sometimes afterwards too when under temptation ) is apt to say , can god pardon my sins ? can god remit my sins that are so great ? pray take notice of two texts of scripture , the one respects such sinners that are not awakened , and so seem to presume ; the other refers to convinced and awakened sinners who seem to despair , and yet go on in their sins . ( . ) isa . . . thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way ; yet sayest thou not , there is no hope ? thou goest on in thy unjust and sinful ways , till thou hast even wearied thy self , as if the lord should say , and yet thinkest thy state good , wilt not say there is no hope ; but contrariwise thou hast hope , and dost conclude all is well : these are bold presumptuous sinners . compare this text with that in jer. . . but thou sayest , there is no hope ; no , for i have loved strangers , and after them i will go . we are very vile , our consciences reprove us , convince us of our abominable evils , but there is no hope , god will not pardon us , nor take us into his favour ; therefore we will go on in our own ways , and take our swing : these were ashamed of their doings , as the next verse shews , and yet not so ashamed as to leave their sins and doings , and to return to the lord , but doubted of his pardoning grace . we see , say some , there 's no ground of hope , there is no help for such as we , our hearts are so hard , corruptions are so strong in us , there is no salvation for us ; we will therefore take our course , cleave to our sins and lovers , and to our old companions ; we will even follow our trades , and pursue the world , and satisfy our lusts with pleasures . despair sometimes makes persons desperate ; others of this sort grow melancholy , and ready , through satan's temptations , to lay violent hands on themselves , when it prevails far upon them . now these i say do cast great reproach upon the power of god , and his pardoning grace in jesus christ . . such who believe not but neglect the salvation of the gospel , cast contempt and dishonour on the truth of god , they do not give credit to what god says in his word about salvation by jesus christ , and of that necessity there is of faith in him , and union with him , and of being born again , if ever they are saved . if ye believe not that i am he , ye shall die in your sins . but the jews would not believe this . hence it is said , he that believeth not , maketh god a liar , because he believeth not the record that god gave of his son : as such do , who do not believe the testimony of any person , though never so true . and is it not a horrid evil to render god a liar ? he saith , except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish ; and except a man be born again , he cannot see the kingdom of god. but this is not believed by many persons , they hope to be saved , though not regenerated . . such who believe not , but neglect the salvation of the gospel , yet think to be saved , go about to cross and contradict the settled will and purpose of god ; it is in effect to shew a dislike of god's way of salvation : the jews are said not to submit themselves to the righteousness of god : they magnified their wills above the will of god , liked not of that way of salvation that he in his eternal counsel fixed upon ; they will be saved by their own righteousness ; that which god accounts but as filthy rags , they esteem as a choice robe . suppose , brethren , there was some other way to be saved than by christ , yet is it not meet that the creature comply with the will of his creator ? shall he rebel against his soveraign ? were there two ways to such or such a city , one by sea , and the other by land , and a prince commands his servant to go by sea , and not by land , shall he attempt to go by land , and so cross his master's will , and violate his express command ? but it is not so here , there is but one way of salvation ; there is no other name given under heaven : therefore such must needs be more inexcusable , who neglect this way , and their condition dangerous ; for let them think what they will , damned they will be at last , whoever they are that neglect this salvation . but more of that hereafter . dly . those that neglect the salvation of the gospel , do slight and cast contempt on jesus christ ; they seem to undervalue all that he has done : certainly that was not worth his coming from heaven to earth to effect , that you do not think worth your while to go a mile or two to attend upon the means of , nor worth setting your thoughts seriously upon . was our salvation so great , that he parted with his life to procure it , and is it not worth your parting with your sins to have an interest in it ? what is the voice of the hearts and ways of such sinners ? do not they reproach the son of god after this manner , why wast thou so unwise to shed thy blood to purchase salvation for us ? we do not value it above the pleasures of the world , we esteem our carnal delights and earthly profits more than that salvation which thou hast wrought . . nay they slight the person of christ , who says , behold me , behold me , look unto me ; can you see me stand knocking at the door of your hearts , and refuse to let me in ? should one cry out pity me , pity me , you will break my heart , if you do this thing ; suppose it be a dear father or mother that thus speaks to a child that takes evil courses , and the child regards not the cry nor tears of its parent ; would not all say , that such a child contemn'd his father ? thus , sinners , you will be found contemners and slighters of jesus christ one day , if you neglect this so great salvation ; he stands ready to imbrace you in his arms , to espouse your souls , but you slight and despise him and his precious love in your hearts . . nay such who neglect this great salvation , slight the voice of christ's blood. sirs , the blood of christ cries , his death has a voice in it : hath christ's blood been shed to redeem you , to cleanse you from sin , to save and sanctify your souls , and will you not hear the loud cry thereof ? nay , doth not christ himself cry to you after this manner , wilt thou continue in thy sin , and neglect the salvation i have purchased ? what greater ingratitude , what worse indignity canst thou cast upon me , and upon that sacrifice which i have offered up to make thy peace , and reconcile thee unto god ? after this manner christ seems to speak . . to neglect this salvation , is to cross or contradict the grand design of god in sending his son into the world ; was it not to exalt jesus christ , to magnify him ? last of all he sent unto them his son , saying , they will reverence my son. god requires and commands all to honour his son , believe in his son , receive and imbrace his son , subject to his authority ; to this end he sent him into the world : but how do such seek to cross the design of god herein , who prefer their earthly profits and pleasures , nay their sinful ways and wicked practices , above jesus christ and that salvation he hath purchased ? o how great is the sin of such who neglect this salvation ! . hereby also they abuse the matchless love , the unspeakable love and favour of jesus christ ; they do not only slight his person , contemn his blood , and cross the design of the father , but they also abuse and disdain his precious love , which caused him to take upon him the form of a servant , and to yield himself up to the cursed death of the cross . greater love hath no man than this , that a man lay down his life for his friend : but jesus christ laid down his life for his enemies ; whilst we were yet enemies , we were reconciled unto god by the death of his son. and shall sinners , after the manifestation of such love , slight him , and the salvation wrought by him at such a dear rate ? nay , shall christ's repeated calls , wooings , and intreaties , be not regarded , who spreadeth forth his hands all the day long ? shall any be so ungrateful , so blind , so rebellious , as to let christ stand all night at the door of their hearts , even till his head is wet with dew , and his locks with the drops of the night ? this shews the great evil and wickedness of those who neglect this great salvation : doth not this tend to expose the son of god to shame , to be thus slighted , as if not worth the least regard ? should a prince come a thousand miles to court , or offer his love to a low , a contemptible and base-born damsel , and she should nevertheless slight him , and give him no entertainment , would not this be deemed an abominable abuse of his love , as well as great contempt cast upon his person ? sinners are ready to say , there is no comeliness in him that we should desire him : but alas , 't is because they do not know him ; they are blind and see him not , 't is the carnal eye that can see no beauty in christ ; were the eyes of their understandings opened , they would be of another opinion concerning him . . the evil in neglecting of this is so great , that it is ( as it were ) a piercing of christ again ; nay , and when a poor sinner is convinced of this great iniquity , he cries out , what have i done ? have i not grieved , nay , wounded afresh my dear saviour , by not believing in him , and not receiving the great salvation offered by him ? though i never saw the person of christ , yet i have offered violence to him in resisting his authority , despising his love , and slighting his salvation . as a man is guilty of treason , by abasing the statue or image of a king , so are men guilty of the blood of christ , and of trampling upon it , when they count it as a trifle , or unprofitable to their salvation , seeking life and salvation some other ways , or are wholly regardless about it ; it is as a stab at his very heart , a tearing out ( as it were ) his bowels : he suffered willingly all those great torments which were inflicted upon him , to remove from us a necessity of suffering ; had he not stept in to bear our sins , we had been lost for ever . o why then is not he imbraced by faith that works by love ! it implies a sinner has no love to him , no not so much as to his sins and folly ; it is a denying the excellences of christ , the preciousness of christ : for as faith accounts all things but dung in comparison of christ , so ( as one observes ) unbelief counts christ but dung , union and communion with him but dung , in comparison of this world and the pleasures of sin. . those that neglect the salvation of the gospel , thinking to be saved some other way , do seem to reflect upon , if not despise the wisdom of jesus christ : do they not charge him with folly and inconsiderateness , in undertaking such a task , such a work , on such hard terms , when it might be had some other way ? what , suffer such pain , sweat , great drops of blood , and be nailed to the cross to procure salvation for us , which might be obtained by a sober life , or by doing to all as they would be done unto , or by following the dictates of the light of natural conscience , or by our own inherent holiness ? what did jesus christ aim at by shedding of his blood , but the appeasing of god's wrath , and the bringing in of an everlasting righteousness , and to purchase grace to sanctify mens souls , and to open the gates of heaven , which divine justice had shut and barr'd up against us ? now certainly those who neglect this salvation , do either fancy these blessings are not worth regard or looking after , or else they may be procured by some other way , and on easier terms , than by faith in the blood of christ : and is not this to charge our lord jesus with folly ; and with the greeks of old , to account the preaching of the cross foolishness ? . they render , it is evident , the shedding of christ's blood to be in vain , who neglect the means of this salvation , and so thereby slight the blessings which he hath purchased : it must be an undervaluing of the price of redemption ; for that which a person regards not , though procured at never so dear a rate , he declares was in vain purchased : this is , with a witness , therefore , lightly to esteem of the rock of their salvation : it is to stop their ears to the cry of christ's blood. his blood ( as you heard ) cries to sinners to apply it to their perishing souls , and to leave their sinful ways ; but they regard it not , though it seems afresh to stream forth from his heart in the virtue of it , and flows through the pipes of the gospel in the offers of it . did not they who refused to come to the marriage-supper , declare , that the king had in vain prepared all those costly dainties , for let who will come and eat thereof , they will not ? and thus many render the bloody sacrifice to be offered up in vain , by neglecting the salvation offered in the gospel . . such also who believe not , but reject and turn their backs upon the gospel-salvation , put jesus christ to grief again : it is said , he was grieved because of the hardness of their hearts . so god said , he was grieved forty years with those who believed not in the wilderness . o how many years have some of you grieved both the father and the son , ( to speak after the manner of men ) and is not this a great evil ? will you grieve and weary out the heart of god , and the heart of jesus christ ? . it also gives occasion to satan , to vaunt , boast and triumph over the son of god : see , says he , how little these men and women , for whom thou gavest thy self to die the death of the cross , do mind the salvation thou hast purchased for them ; they like and approve of my ways and motions , my offers , better than any thing thou hast procured for them , and dost offer to them . may not satan insult after this manner over the lord of life and glory , whilst sinners close in with his temptations , and cleave to their lusts , earthly profits and pleasures , and neglect the great salvation of the gospel ? dly . such who neglect this so great salvation , offer violence to the holy ghost . . they do resist the holy spirit , whom god hath sent as his great messenger , to influence , enlighten and convince their hearts and consciences about the worth and weightiness of this concern : he will reprove the world of sin , of righteousness , and of judgment . of sin , because they believe not on me . because they neglect attending upon the means of this salvation , believe not the necessity there is of this saviour , nor of faith in him , and seek it not above all things : is it a small matter to resist the holy ghost ? o lay it to heart . . they grieve the holy spirit also , yea , and hereby tire him out so , that he at last withdraws his influences from the sinner , and will strive with him no more , like as he did by the world ; and if so , the ruin of the soul will be unavoidable : for without the holy spirit no man can repent , believe , or be renewed , be regenerated , and so come to have interest in this so great salvation . . such quench the spirit who neglect this salvation , and do not believe ; it is to cast water on that divine spark which the holy ghost strives to kindle in the soul of a poor sinner , or to blow out the candle of the lord , ( so far as the sinner is able to do it ) whereby spiritual light and knowledg comes to be let into the heart . . nay , to neglect this salvation in the means of it , is as much as may be to hinder the work and office of the holy spirit in and about this salvation . the holy spirit hath more immediately to do with sinners ; his special work is to enlighten , to convince of sin , to work faith in the soul , and to renew and sanctify the polluted heart ; and all that neglect this salvation , or that slight those convictions they have of the evil of sin , or sense of their woful condition , do seek to obstruct the king's great officer and messenger in the discharge of his office. look to it , sinners , for if it be deemed a dangerous thing to resist a constable in the exercise of his office , because he is the king's servant , what danger do you expose your selves to , that oppose , withstand , and strive to hinder the spirit in the discharge of his great work and office ? it is to contemn the king's ambassador ; the holy spirit is sent to treat with sinners in christ's name , it is hereby christ himself speaks to them from heaven : and they that adhere to the motions of the spirit , do adhere to jesus christ ; and they that oppose or resist his motions , do oppose and resist christ also . the holy spirit is the great gospel-blessing promised , to infuse grace in the soul : all grace is from the spirit ; sinners cannot believe without the holy spirit , nor love god : the love of god is shed abroad in the hearts of believers by the holy ghost . there is no regeneration without the spirit : those that are born again are born of the spirit ; no union with christ without the spirit , no broken heart , no cries , no tears that will prevail with god without the help of the spirit : such that will not adhere to his motions and influences , say in their hearts , that they will not be changed , will not believe nor repent , nor have christ to be their prince and saviour . the spirit awakens the conscience , and stirs up fears in the soul , and sets before the sinner's eyes , his great evil , guilt and horrid pollution ; therefore if they refuse the wooings , intreaties and influences of the spirit , they must perish for ever . application . . o let us lament and mourn over all that neglect this so great salvation : all unbelievers and neglecters of the means of salvation , are horridly guilty before the lord ; 't is hereby all their sins are bound upon their consciences , and cleave to them , and are charged upon them , not only original , but all actual sin whatsoever . . o infinite love and patience ! may we not stand amazed , and wonder at the long-suffering and forbearance of god ? o house of david , ( saith the prophet ) is it a small thing for you to weary men , but will you weary my god also ? what greater wickedness and ingratitude can there be than this ? will you contemn and resist your saviour and the holy ghost ? how long shall god wait upon you ? will he always wait to be gracious ? o know that his mercy will at last be turned into fury . . unworthy are such to live , to be fed , to be clothed , to be protected and preserved , that thus despise god's mercy and sovereign goodness : would a man feed , clothe , and bestow great favours on such that despise , slight and contemn him ? . what do you think of your selves , sinners ? to you i speak that neglect this so great salvation . o this is your sin , you refuse the only remedy god hath found out to heal and save your souls , therefore your damnation will be just and deserved with a witness : you love darkness rather than light ; you contemn the highest good , the best of beings , and the highest expressions of his love and favour ; that god that made you , that christ that spilt his blood to redeem the worst of sinners , those bowels that pitied you , you refuse , and resist that spirit that would renew you , sanctify you , and make you meet for heaven , and all this out of love to your base lusts , your cruel enemies that seek to destroy and murder your precious souls . abhor your selves : alas , men do not see what monsters of wickedness they are , whilst they neglect this so great salvation . you sin , i say , against the remedy , the costly remedy , the only remedy , against the remedy that infinite wisdom hath found out , and infinite goodness hath vouchsafed : yet if you return to god , there is mercy for you ; say , o lord , now we see our sin : o that you could but say so in truth , and fall down at the feet of god , and say , thou hast overcome us with thy love. . lastly , here is comfort for believers who have received this so great salvation . o bless god for faith , cherish the motions of the holy spirit that hath broken your bonds ; you prefer christ , and the salvation by christ , before all things : live worthy of a part and interest in this salvation ; you have salvation , and shall not lose it . o walk so that you may never lose the joy of it ; for that you may do , god may hide his face , christ may withdraw himself : if he hath done it , enquire when you had him , and consider what you have done that he hides his face from you ; let the cause , if it be sin , be bewailed , and let the loss of him be more grievous to you , than the loss of comfort from him , and be willing to do any thing to enjoy christ again . heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? i am upon the second proposition that is implied in the text , viz. doct. . that the means of the great salvation of the gospel may be neglected . the last time i shewed the great evil that attended the neglect of gospel-salvation , in respect of god the father , son and holy spirit . secondly , the second thing proposed was to shew you , what a great evil this is in respect of the sinner himself that doth neglect it . but before i proceed to speak to this , let me premise one thing , namely , that we ought first to be sensible of that evil which is in this and in all sin , as it is against god ; for if our convictions arise not from hence , our trouble is not right , it flows not from a true spring or right principles : it is not sufficient to see our sin and evil , as it is against our selves , as it hurts and wounds our own souls , but chiefly as it is against that god that made us , and sent his son to redeem us ; or as sin is loathsom and abominable in his sight , tending to eclipse his glory , nay , to dethrone him , and frustrate his gracious design in our redemption , and bring his honour under contempt . this , i say , should first of all and chiefly be lamented : such sin against the remedy , and highest goodness , that neglect this salvation , and the gracious operations of the holy spirit , and so rather adhere to satan than to god. suppose a child under the rod of his tender father should cry out , o the smart , but signify nothing of sorrow or grief in offending his father , would not that rather aggravate his guilt , or could it tend to please his father , and to cease laying on of more stripes ? but to come to shew you what a great evil it is to neglect this salvation in 〈◊〉 of the sinner himself . . this sin , this unbelief , 〈…〉 , is the cause why all sin remains upon the conscience 〈…〉 sinner . true , god hath transmitted the guilt of our 〈◊〉 christ , so that he hath satisfied for them ; but the sinner 〈◊〉 ●eceive this atonement , but refuses it , and so his sin , his guilt and pollution remains upon him , faith being appointed as the way of the application of the remedy . . nay , sin doth not only remain on such that neglect this salvation , and refuse christ , but this refusal keeps sin in its full strength , and binds all sins fast to the soul : sin reigns in them and condemns them ; and so doth the law also , which is the strength of sin , because they receive not jesus christ , who is the end of the law , as to its condemning power , to every one that believeth , but not to them that reject christ and believe not . . faith unites to a holy god , and to a spotless saviour , whereby we come to have a righteousness which discharges us from all sin , and wrath due to it ; and such are made holy : but unbelief continues the soul in its old stae , as being united to the old adam , condemned adam ; all men are in the first or second adam , in the dead or living adam : and as is the dead adam , so are they that are in him ; they are dead , and by the law condemned , therefore not justified : and as is the living , so are they that are made alive ; they live and are acquitted , and can die spiritually no more . . this sin , this neglect is against a man's own life and happiness : life is offered to him , but he rejects it , he will not have life ; he has no love to himself , seeks not the preservation of himself . mankind naturally have a special care to preserve themselves , but these chuse death rather than life , sickness rather than health , slavery rather than liberty , cursing rather than blessing . . hereby they deprive themselves of all the saving benefits of christ's death , for no adult person hath or can have any interest in the merits of christ without faith : he that believeth not , the wrath of god remains upon him . he that believeth and is baptized , shall be saved ; but he that believeth not , shall be damned . here is in this salvation , pardon , peace , christ and everlasting life ; but the sinner contemns all : my people will have none of me , saith the lord. and this is the voice of all that neglect this salvation , they will not have god , will not have christ , will not have life , such is their ignorance , and the enmity that is in their hearts against god : these account themselves unworthy of everlasting life ; and the death of christ will be in vain as to them . . hereby also they shew they have no love nor pity for their immortal souls : if they loved their souls , would they not seek the salvation of them ? nay , they are cruel to their own souls : would not that man be cruel to his poor child , that saw it fall into the 〈◊〉 , and would not endeavour to pluck it ou● ; or 〈◊〉 it in the water almost drowned crying out for help , but would not 〈◊〉 to save it , nor c●● for help ? o mercil●ss mortals ! what no pit , on your precious souls that are so dear and near to you ? will you nor cry to god , to jesus christ , to pull your souls out of the fire , or rescue them out of the teeth of the devouring lion ? can there be greater folly , madnes or cruelty than this ? o think upon it , you sinners , that neglect this salvation . . moreover , their folly appears further who neglect this salvation , in that they refuse a crown , a kingdom , and to be heirs , heirs of god : they may be rich , eternally ri●h , yea , great and honourable for ever , but utterly refuse it . riches and honour are with me ( saith christ ) yea durable riches and righteousness . if any man ( saith our saviour ) serve me , him will my father honour . . such that neglect the salvation of the gospel , it doth vet further appear , are very cruel to themselves , and therefore guilty of the greatest folly imaginable . ( had the children of israel in the wilderness , when they were stung with fiery serpents , refused to have looked up to the brazen serpent that was lifted up upon the pole , when they were in tormenting pain and anguish , would it not have shewed great cruelty to themselves , as well as madness ? ) sinners are wounded , mortally wounded , they are stung with a worse serpent than those fiery serpents : and to look unto christ by faith , is the only cure and remedy , or the only way to be healed : and as there is no other way , so this is a certain and infallible cure. but sinners who neglect this salvation , refuse to apply this sovereign balsam to their wounded souls . . is it not an evil and hurtful thing for a man to yield himself up to the counsel and conduct of a sworn , cruel , and mortal enemy , who seeks his blood , and will rip up his bowels , and tear out hi● very heart ? but thus they do that neglect this salvation , they hereby follow the advice and counsel of the devil , who will devour them as a hunger-starv'd lion ; nay , it is just as if a man should throw his dear child into the lion's den to be torn in pieces . suppose a man in slavery in turkey , should be told that his ransom was paid , and he hath the greatest demonstrations given of it imaginable yet he will not believe it , but says , i will continue here a slave , and wear these chains , and be under bondage to this cruel tyrant , though i am told that he will murder me at last ; would not all say , he deserved not to be pitied , especially should he behold that 〈◊〉 is redeemed by the blood of his own gracious sovereign ? . is it not an evil thing , and the greatest madness , at the instigation of a bloody and cruel enemy , for a man to suffer him to thrust a sword into his own bowels ; or when wounded at his inticements , to refuse to apply such a plaister that would certainly cure his wounds and save his life ? but thus do all they who neglect this salvation . or suppose a man was almost starved to death , and bread is set before him , nay all choice varieitie , and he is bid to eat ; but being perswaded by an enemy ( that hates him , and longs to see him dead ) not to eat , but to feed with his swine on husks and grains , would it not be folly with a witness , should he do so ? but thus do all those persons that neglect this salvation , they refuse to eat of the bread of life , or to feed on that costly supper god hath graciously provided for them in the gospel , and at the devil's inticements feed , as the poor prodigal did , on husks which the swine do eat . . such who neglect the salvation of the gospel , do greaten and aggravate their sin and guilt , as our saviour speaks concerning the jews ; if i had not come and spoken to them , they had not had sin ; but now they have no cloak for their sin : that is , they had not been guilty of sin to such a degree , their sin had not been with such aggravations . therefore those that have the salvation of the gospel offered to them , and they neglect it , or refuse to receive it , shall have the greater condemnation ; it shall indeed be more tolerable for sodom and gomorrah , nay with pagans and insidels , than with them in the day of judgment . . moreover , since the way of god's glorifying of all his blessed attributes is despised and utterly rejected , by those who neglect this salvation , all the attributes will rise up and plead against such sinners to condemn them . . divine wisdom may plead against them , and call for judgment with the greatest severity to be executed upon them , because that way of salvation which infinite wisdom contrived and determined in the eternal council , is rejected , slighted and contemned . . the veracity , or truth of god , may plead against all sinners that neglect this salvation , because the sacred precepts of the gospel are not obeyed , nor the threats feared , nor the faithful promises thereof believed . . divine power may rise up and plead against such sinners , because that almighty arm which is stretched forth in working out this salvation , is not took hold of to save them , and therefore it shall be stretched out to destroy them : who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of god , and from the glory of his power . that will be the time when god will make the power of his wrath and anger known : who ( saith the psalmist ) knows the power of thine anger ? as is thy fear , so is thy wrath. . divine justice may rise up against all those who neglect this salvation , and exact the p●iment of all the debts the sinner owes and stands charged with , because the satisfaction made by jesus christ , our blessed surety , is contemned , utterly neglected , or not accepted of , they not believing ; faith being the only way appointed for interest therein , and for the benefit thereof . . moreover , divine mercy and goodness will come forth and plead against the sinner , and be turned into fury , since such infinite grace and favour , and sovereign bowels , are not regarded , but utterly slighted and neglected : and wo be to those that mercy it self appears against , and calls for execution of wrath upon . . and the law also will rise up and condemn all those that neglect this salvation , because the only way by which its glory shines forth , and by which its breach is repaired , and its honour is raised , is slighted : the law will break forth with its bitter curses , and throw the souls of such into hell in sury , who neglect this salvation . . nay , jesus christ himself will also rise up and condemn all neglecters of this salvation , because all his infinite love and grace which he hath shewed , and pain and anguish which he hath endured to work it out , is slighted and trod under-foot ; he will change his lamb like nature , and appear like a lion , to tear all such into pieces . in a word , it puts a sword , as it were , into the hands of all the attribute , of god , and a sword into the hand of the law of god , nay into the hand of jesus christ , to cut down and utterly to destroy their souls ; which divine wrath will speedily execute with vengeance , if they proceed on in their evil way , and do not embrace this so great salvation . . this is not a sin against the killing letter , but against the healing spirit ; and it is a casting dirt upon all god's blessed attributes , as they display their highest glory , or are dressed in their richest r●bes , or appear in their most sublime perfections . suppose a traitor should cast dirt upon a prince , or spit in his face when he is but in his common dress , would not that be deemed an abominable thing ? but much more odious , should he do it as he fits on his throne , when his crown is on his head , and hath all his royal robes upon him , and his scepter in his hand , and all his nobles about the throne . god in this salvation appears in his high and sublime glory , as displaying his highest beauty , splendor , and honour of all the perfections of his unwordable and inconceivable being , even the depths of infinite wisdom , justice , power , holiness and goodness : therefore wo to those sinners who slight and neglect this salvation . thirdly , the third thing that i proposed to speak unto , was to shew you the greatness of their sin who neglect this salvation , with respect had to him by whose influences , and at whose instigations they neglect it , and that is the devil . satan stirs up men to slight and neglect this so great salvation : is it not sad that men should adhere to the grand enemy of their souls ? if our gospel be hid , it is hid to them that are lost , in whom the god of this world hath blinded the eyes of those that believe not . satan acts out of malice to mankind , in seeking ways and means to blind their eyes : he hath many devices whereby he strives to do this , which i shall not now insist upon ; he shews them the glory of this world , thereby to allure them into his hungry jaws , to devour them and destroy their souls for ever : he has many nets spread , and multitudes are caught by him , either one way or another . . some he deprives of this salvation , through love of sinful profits or worldly gain : this way he destroyed the young man mentioned in the gospel that came running to christ ; and also demas who forsook the gospel , and fell away for love to the sinful profit of this evil world. and how many daily , by earthly-mindedness , and abominable covetousness , lose this salvation , through the craftiness of the devil , and the evil of their own hearts . . some by sinful honours : o how many love worldly grandure , and a name among men , above the salvation of their souls ! these are like those jews who are said to believe on christ , but did not confess him , for fear of being put out of the synagogue ; for they loved the praise of men , more than the praise of god. . others by earthly pleasures and sinful delights , he catches in his net and makes a prey of . . also multitudes he destroys , by cursed errors and damnable heresies : that way he deceives them , and robs them of this salvation , concluding , that those principles they have sucked in , are the undoubted truths of jesus christ , and do not doubt of the goodness of their condition . fourthly , and lastly , consider the vanity of all those things , for the take of which men neglect this so great salvation . what is sin , the pleasures of sin , or all the r●●hes and glory of this world , when compared to the salvation wrought by jesus christ ? sin is the soul's sickness , the scabs and sores , the plague and poison of the soul ; 't is the sp●wn of the old serpent , and yet sinners lick it up , and esteem it above all that good that is in god and in jesus christ , and value it more than the crown of glory in heaven . sin is the leprosy and plague of the soul ; 't is compared to the rottenness and stinking putre action of a filthy sepulchre , nay , to the superfluity of naughtiness : o that men should neglect so great salvation , and expose themselves to eternal flames and wrath in hell , for love to that which the holy ghost thus paints out , and discovers the detestable nature of ! besides , how soon are men deprived of all those things which their deceived hearts are set upon ; they are not sure of enjoying them one day , no not for one hour ! o how soon will all the seeming sweet of sin , and of this world , be turned into bitter , and all earthly joy into sorrow , all their pleasures into eternal pain and misery ! and o how will they cry out against themselves for slighting the salvation of their souls , for the sake of , and love to these things , when it will be too late ! heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? i closed the last day with the second point of doctrine , namely , that the great salvation of the gospel may be neglected . i shall now proceed to the third and last proposition . doct. . there is no possibility for such , or any one soul of them , to escape , that neglect the great salvation of the gospel . first , i shall shew you what it is they cannot escape . secondly , why they cannot escape . thirdly , when or at what time they shall not escape . fourthly , shew why the gospel hath such fearful comminations and threatnings contained in it . first , they shall not escape the curse of the law , ( which all ungodly and unbelieving sinners lie under ) ; for no man is , nor can be delivered from the curse thereof , but only those who believe in jesus christ , and embrace the salvation of the gospel ; for christ is the end of the law for righteousness , to every one that believeth : to them that believe , and to every one of them , but not to those that believe not . christ hath born the curse of the law , he by his actual obedience fulfilled the righteousness thereof ; and by bearing the penalty of it ( which our sins incurr'd ) by his death , he hath delivered all that believe from the curse thereof : but the curse of it remains on all them who receive not jesus christ , it hath its full blow and stroke on all gospel neglecters , because it is by him and no other ways we can be delivered from the curse thereof . . therefore it follows in the second place , that they cannot be delivered from the guilt and punishment of their sins , their sins lie upon them , they are charged upon all that neglect or refuse the salvation wrought out by jesus christ : it is the decree of the eternal god , that all such that believe not shall bear their own sins , because they reject jesus christ who hath born the punishment that was due to sin. some conceit that they need not this salvation , need not the righteousness of christ , or faith in christ , and this through ignorance , concluding their state is good . jesus said unto them , if ye were blind , ye should have no sin : but now ye say , we see ; therefore your sin remaineth . they thought their own righteousness was sufficient , and were ignorant of god's righteousness , and hence the guilt of their sin remaineth upon them . . all those that neglect this so great salvation , shall not escape the wrath of god : this follows as the natural consequence of the former ; divine wrath parsues them , and every soul of them that believe not , but refuse the grace of god offered by jesus christ in the gospel , like as the avenger of blood pursued the man slayer under the law : the cities of refuse were a type of christ ; 't is to him all guilty sinners must fly , if they escape the wrath and vengeance of god : divine justice is only satisfied in christ ; and sinners for not accepting and receiving by faith that atonement , and pleading that satisfaction he hath made , wrath follows them even at their heels , and will strike them down : he that believeth not , shall not see life ; but the wrath of god abideth on him . wrath is upon all naturally , we are all by nature the children of wrath , but it remains no longer upon them that believe , but it abideth on such that believe not . . they shall not escape the damnation of hell , or everlasting burning : our saviour ( speaking to the scribes and pharisees ) saith , how can ye escap● the damnation of hell ? yet they were a people that appeared outwardly righteous to men , and boasted that they were not extortioners , vnjust , adulterers , or such as publicans were . but alas , no righteousness will carry a man to heaven , but a perfect , compleat , sinless righteousness . paul was not an hypocrite , as some of the pharisees were , before he believed ; yet his righteousness , tho according to the letter of the law , was such , that few attained unto ; as touching the righteousness which is of the law , saith he , i was blameless : yet he esteemed it but dung in comparison of god's righteousness , and renounced it all in point of justification , that he might be found in christ . and as it is christ's righteousness that is our title for heaven , so it is his death , his bearing the punishment of sin , that delivers us from eternal damnation in hell. hell is a fearful place , it is made deep and large ; the fire is not quenched , and the worm dieth not : and that place is prepared for all unbelievers , for all who continue in their sins , and under the power of unbelief , and neglect this so great salvation , the damnation of which they cannot escape . secondly , i shall shew you the reasons why such cannot , shall not escape god's eternal wrath , that neglect the salvation of the gospel . . it is because this is the way , yea , the only way which infinite wisdom hath found out for the salvation of our souls : if there is but one way to cure a mortal disease that may seize upon a person , then if he neglect that one remedy , he must die . sirs , as there is but one way to escape starving , and that is , to eat ; so there is but one way to escape perishing , and that is by believing , or by feeding on jesus christ , or by eating of his flesh , and drinking of his blood. there are many ways to be damned , but there is but one way to be saved . verily verily i say unto you , except ye eat the flesh of the son of man , and drink his blood , ye have no life in you . if you neglect this way of salvation , there is no other way whereby you can be saved ; neither is there salvation in any other , for there is no other name given under heaven whereby we must be saved . . such that neglect this salvation , cannot , shall not escape the wrath of god , because it is just and equal that all such persons who slight and neglect this salvation , should be destroyed , and that for ever . ( . ) by reason they neglect an offer of pardon and peace , contrived by the infinite wisdom of god , and it is the highest demonstration of admirable mercy and goodness ; therefore there cannot be a higher indignity and contempt cast upon god's sovereign grace and favour . many of those sinners that neglect this salvation , are so vile and ungrateful , as not to enquire what this grace means , nor on what terms this salvation may be had : and is not this in plainness to tell the holy god , that they scorn his love and goodness , and despise the offers of peace and reconciliation by jesus christ , and fear not what he can do unto them ; and so no less than a trampling the blood of christ under their feet ? let men deal thus with their provoked rulers , or with an earthly prince , when guilty of high-treason , and see how unpitied they will die , yea , be drawn , hang'd and quartered . what , guilty of the worst of treason , and have an offer of pardon , and slight or neglect the suing of it out ? how equal and just a thing would it be that such should die ? so it will be here , brethren , god will not be mocked : sinners shall one day see what it is to neglect the salvation wrought out by jesus christ , i mean , the way and means of the application thereof ; they will be forced to subscribe to the righteousness , justice and equity of their own damnation , in loving and cleaving to their lusts , and counting their earthly riches , pleasures and honours , better than jesus christ , and a part in this salvation . remember it is the sinner's own salvation that he neglecteth , it is his own good , his own cure , his own relief , his own happiness : can any perish more justly and deservedly , than such who refuse to be saved , who choose death rather than life , and darkness rather than light ? . they cannot , shall not escape , because it is salvation in such a way , a way that cost so dear , even the blood of the son of god : should the king yield up his own son as a sacrifice to answer the law for a cursed traitor , and yet he should despise and slight his goodness , how would that aggravate his guilt ? o with what a price is this salvation procured , by what a sacrifice ! what tears did christ shed ! o what drops of blood did he sweat ! and what wrath did he bear ! what a curse did he undergo , to save us from hell and death ! how can any think to escape that neglect the means of this salvation ? . because it is salvation on such easy terms as to us ; had god offered sinners salvation on hard and difficult terms , their sin might not seem to be attended with such aggravations . had god required a thousand rams , or ten thousand rivers of oil of every one that would be saved ; or to sacrifice their sons and daughters , or their first-born , the fruit of their bodies for the sin of their souls , this would seem hard : but none of this god requires of us , it shall not be , must not be our son , our child , our first-born , but his son , the holy child jesus , his first-born , that must die or be a sacrifice for our sins : it must be my son , as if god should say ; and all that i require of you , is to apply his blood , and to sacrifice your sins in love to me . . that which the apostle builds the righteousness of god's proceeding against such that neglect this salvation upon , and shews the unavoidableness of their perishing from , is the greatness of the salvation it self . shall god's justice be eclipsed , shall his honour be marr'd , his goodness be despised , his law be violated , his holiness stained ? it would be thus , should such be saved who neglect and slight this salvation : therefore all such cannot escape his wrath. . the apostle further argues the impossibility of their escaping who neglect this great salvation , from that impossibility there was of their escaping who refused to hear moses : for if the word spoken by angels was stedfast , and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward ; how shall we escape ? &c. it was a just reward they received for their sins and disobedience : and if so , how shall these escape ? god will render a just retribution , a righteous and proportionable punishment , it will be far worse , or much greater ; howbeit , it is against greater light , greater grace , and despising a person of far greater honour and dignity : he that despised moses law , died without mercy , under two or three witnesses . of how much sorer punishment suppose ye , shall he be thought worthy , who hath trodden under foot the blood of the son of god ? &c. sirs , to love sin , to love this world , or any person or thing above jesus christ , is in effect to tread the son of god under your feet , 't is such an undervaluing and vilifying of him . god doth , as it were , propound the case to us , he would have sinners themselves to be judges how just their condemnation will be if they neglect this salvation ; and also the nature and quality , or degree of it ; of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy ? &c. god at the last day will so justly and righteously proceed against wicked men , that their reward shall be judged reasonable in their own judgment , and by their own consciences . . they shall not escape , because mercy and grace is sinned against , principally , by all that neglect this salvation : mercy will , as you have heard , plead against them . and if mercy be their enemy , if goodness it self rise up against them , where will they find a friend to appear for them ? . they shall not escape , because god hath absolutely and unavoidably decreed the destruction and eternal damnation of all those that believe not , but neglect this salvation : his decree , his counsel and purpose shall stand ; he that believeth not , shall be damned . . it is because the sinner is not able to deliver himself out of god's hand : if he escape , it must be from one of these two considerations . . that either god must change his purpose , his absolute decree and counsel . . or else the sinner must get out of god's hand , and so deliver himself . now it is impossible god's mind should change , or his absolute decree be made void ; his decree shall stand , and he will do all his pleasure : god will be true , and not make himself a liar to save the guilty sinner . and that it is impossible for the sinner to get out of god's hands , is evident , because god is omnipotency it self : whither can he fly from his presence ? who can stand before ( or escape ) his indignation ? therefore there is no way for such to escape god's wrath , who neglect this salvation . application . . o bless god for this salvation , and value it according to the nature , worth , and greatness of it . . bewail all ungodly persons , who are found slighters and neglecters of it , and mourn over them . o how sad is their condition ! may be you have some in your families that are neglecters of it , may be a wife , a husband , or children , that do not regard it , but are ungodly , and neglect the means of grace ; how should what you have heard move you to pity them , to weep over them , to pray for them , and strive with them . . examine your selves , whether you have not , or do not neglect this salvation ? do you make it your chief business to get an interest in christ ? do you prefer the means of salvation above all things in the world ? what time do you take to seek god , to pray to him , to hear his word ? and with what zeal , love , faith and diligence do you do all these things ? do you not defer soul-concernments to another time ? o see to it , and examine your selves ; do you not rest upon something or another short of christ ? doth the power of grace appear in your hearts and lives ? . this may teach believers to bear up under all trials and fears : let what will come , they are safe who have an interest in this great salvation ; other salvations are nothing to this , and if we should not be saved from the wrath of man , but must lose our liberty , and be exposed to death and dangers here in this world , yet it will go well with us if this salvation is ours . let what judgments can come upon the land , thou hast got a sure sanctuary , god is thy help and thy salvation . brethren , there are many sad effects that do attend those that neglect , continually neglect this salvation , whilst they are in this world , as manifestations of god's displeasure , as , . god withdraws the influences of his spirit from them , after they have for a long time resisted it , in the common motions thereof , even to such a degree , that it shall strive with them no more : thus god dealt with the old world. . god gives such up at last to blindness of mind , so that they in seeing , see not ; and in hearing , hear not , neither do they understand . and in them is fulfilled the prophecy of esaias , by hearing ye shall hear , and shall not understand ; and seeing ye shall see , and not perceive . the word of god , if neglected , and not received , that it may become a savour of life unto life , will become a savour of death unto death , it either softens or hardens mens hearts . . god gives them up to their own hearts lusts , as god by the psalmist says , my people would not hearken to my voice : and israel would none of me . so i gave them up unto their own hearts lusts ; and they walked in their own counsels . . nay sometimes god takes away the gospel from them , as he did from the jews that rejected christ , refused the chief corner-stone : therefore i say unto you , the kingdom of god shall be taken from you , and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof . what can be a worse judgment ? this befel that people , and it hath not been restored to them ever since . when god removes the gospel , it may be long before he lets a people have it again , nay perhaps never . . moreover , for neglecting the great salvation , god sometimes brings upon a people or nation fearful temporal judgments , and puts them , it may be , into the hands of cruel enemies : for thus he dealt with the unbelieving jews , he brought the romans in upon them , that burned their city and temple ; so that it is said , wrath came upon them to the uttermost . . god sometimes will not save persons with temporal salvation , because they neglect spiritual salvation , so that they may read their sin ( if the lord opens their eyes ) in their punishment . but it is not god's usual way under this dispensation , to inflict temporal punishment on such that neglect the salvation of the gospel , but he reserves his wrath to another world ; and therefore let none think , though they escape his judgments here , that they shall escape his judgments and wrath hereafter ; that they shall not be able to do , as you heard . but no more at this time. heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? i am upon the third and last point of doctrine , which i observed from our text , viz. that there is no possibility for such , or any one soul of them , to escape , that neglect the great salvation of the gospel . the last day i shewed you , first , what those things are which they shall not escape . secondly , why they cannot , shall not escape , who are guilty of this neglect . thirdly , i am now to shew you , when or at what times they that neglect gospel-salvation shall not escape . . in the day of common calamities , and desolating judgments that will come upon the earth ; there is , beloved , a dismal hour spoken of in god's word , that is not yet come , yet no doubt it is very near , in which but a few shall escape : i am afraid many good men , who have been remiss and negligent in and about the great concerns of christ , and of their own souls , shall not escape ; i mean , they may fall in that hour by temporal judgments . god in the last days will pour out the fierceness of his wrath ; for my determination is to gather the nations , that i may assemble the kingdoms , to pour upon them mine indignation , even all my fierce anger ; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy : compared with nahum . , , , , . it will be with the ungodly then , as it befel the people of old , according to the prophecy of the prophet jeremiah therefore thus saith the lord , behold , i will bring evil upon them which they shall not be able to escape ; and though they shall cry unto me , i will not hearken unto them . our saviour alludes to that time of which i speak , watch ye therefore and pray always , that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the son of man. o who shall stand when god appears in the latter-day-judgments which are now just at the door ? there are a few which he hath set his mark upon , that shall be hid ; and they are such that sigh and mourn for all the abominations that are committed in the land. they of them that escape , shall escape , and they shall be on the mountains like doves of the valley , every one mourning for his own iniquities . o what an amazing hour will that be , when the seven vials of god's wrath shall be poured out upon the kingdom of the beast ! the earthquake is near , look for it , and the midnight cry not far off . be sure there is such a distressing hour approaching upon the world , that those that have , and shall still neglect this salvation , when it comes shall not escape . . they that neglect this salvation , shall not escape in the day of conscience ; i mean , escape the torments of an enraged , accusing and condemned conscience : and sometimes the conscience is awakened , and is let out upon the sinner here in this world , before the soul is separated from the body . how many through the guilt of their horrid sins have been this way tormented : some mens sins are open before-hand , going before to judgment ; and some men follow after . some mens sins are discovered by themselves , through that great guilt that lies upon them ; or others discover them , or god himself brings their sins to light ; and by this means they sometimes pass judgment upon themselves , and may be a severe judgment ; or men pass judgment upon them ; or perhaps more directly to the purport of the holy ghost in the text , the church passeth judgment , or a righteous and just church-censure upon them for their great sins . but what a severe judgment in the day of conscience did poor spira and child pass upon themselves for their iniquities ? however those cannot escape who trifle in the matters of religion , or neglect the great salvation in such a time ; when god lets conscience out upon them , their sorrow and misery is very great : and if it be so bitter a thing to fall into our own hands , i mean to fall into the hands of our own conscience , what a fearful thing is it to fall into the hands of the living god ? god giveth to some men the name he gave to pashur , even magor-missabib , that is , fear and terror on all sides ; he makes them a terror to themselves , and to all their friends , so that they are all afrightned , reflecting on their sad and miserable condition , partly by terror within , and partly by judgments without . . those that neglect this salvation shall not escape at the hour of death ; may be some of them may go on quietly in their sins , and not fall under the accusations and terror of their guilty consciences : conscience may be asleep , or seared with a hot iron ; but at death , i mean as soon as the soul departs , they will be with a witness awakened , and then they shall see they cannot escape ; nay , all hope and possibility of escaping is then gone for ever . true , many as soon as struck with death roar out and find no escaping ; others may be god then in his infinite mercy may shew the way of an escape ; but when dead , if ungodly , if they have neglected this salvation , they lift up their eyes in hell with the rich glutton , being in torment . remember if death comes upon you before you have got an interest in christ , or a part in this salvation , you cannot then and at that time escape . . they shall not escape in the day of judgment , in the day when christ shall come . for when they shall cry , peace and safety , then sudden destruction cometh upon them , as travail upon a woman with child , and they shall not escape : tho sinners escape here in this world , yet they shall not escape in that day , they shall not be able to deliver themselves out of god's hands ; nor shall any be able to deliver them . the wicked shall be brought forth to the day of wrath ; they shall not come willingly to christ's bar , but they shall be brought forth , dragged as it were to hear their sentence , which will be , depart from me , ye cursed , into everlasting fire , prepared for the mat. devil and his angels . if the righteous scarcely are saved , where shall the vngodly and sinner appear ! they will not be able to stand in the judgment : o what dread and horror will then seize upon them ! they that give the greatest diligence , take the greatest care about the salvation of their so 〈◊〉 are saved with much difficulty : 't is a narrow way and a strait ga●e that leads to life : through much tribulation and temptations we enter into the kingdom of god ; and if this ●e so , what will become of them in the great day that have wholly neglected this great salvation ? if the righteous be scarcel● saved , the wicked shall certainly perish and be damned . quest . what is the nature of that wrath which none of them that neglect this salvation shall escape ? answ . i answer , it is great wrath , wrath proportioned according to the greatness of their sin : as the salvation ●●ighted is great salvation , so the wrath that such shall bear will be great wrath. . it is incensed wrath , therefore great wrath , such wrath that hath been long a kindling in the heart of god for the abuse of his mercy and infinite goodness : . it is intolerable wrath , therefore great wrath ; the torment of the heathen that never heard of this salvation shall be more tolerable , more easy to bear , than the wrath which is poured out in hell upon such that neglect the salvation wrought by jesus christ : nay , it shall be more tolerable for sodom and gomorrah in the day of judgment than for them . . it is infinite wrath. who knows the power of thine anger ? even according to thy fear so is thy wrath : it bears full proportion to the fear of it ; nay , who is able to arrive to the full sense , fear and apprehension of god's infinite wrath ? it is inconceivable wrath : as god's love and goodness is inconceivable , infinite , incomprehensible , which all that love him shall partake of to eternity ; so on the other hand , his wrath and vindictive vengeance is unexpressible , nay inconceivable , which will be let out upon the ungodly . who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the lord , and from the glory of his power . mark it , from the glory of his power , from the greatness of god's power , exalted power ; o it appears to be amazing wrath , were this considered well and laid to heart ! . it will be unmixt wrath , or wrath without mixture : the wrath of god that is let out here in this world is full of mixture ; nay , that which hath been let out upon the spirits and consciences of men hath had some mixture in it , some ease mixt with anguish , some mitigation of pain and horror , some mercy mixt with misery ; but in hell the wrath of god is unmixed wrath , it is all pure wrath , nothing but wrath. the same shall drink of the wine of god's wrath , which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation , and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone , &c. . it is fierce wrath ; it is called the fierce wrath of the lord , a metaphor taken from a fierce and amazing devouring fire . sinners are commanded to seek the lord before the decree bring forth , before the day pass as the chaff , before the fierce anger of the lord come upon them . i he heat of anger , inraged anger and fury : behold , the day of the lord cometh , cruel both with wrath and fierce anger . . it is irresistable wrath , no withstanding it , no making head against it ; wrath breaks forth against the sinner like a giant or mighty army , that none can resist nor stand before : who can stand before his indignation ? and who can abide the fierceness of his anger ? his fury is poured out like fire , &c. . it is just and deserved vvrath , wrath that is due to such who slight and neglect so great salvation ; it is the wages of sin , of such sin , it is their just due and desert , as wages are due to a servant . every one says , with-hold not from the hireling his wages . a servant when he hath done his work must be paid his wages , it is right and just that he should have it ; so it is right and justice in god thus to reward all those who abuse his mercy , and neglect his salvation , so great salvation . god will proportionate every man's reward according to the nature and degree of his sin. . it is heavy wrath , david complained of the heaviness of his sin : alas ! it was no doubt , as mr. caryl notes , from the apprehension of the anger and wrath of god : mine iniquities are gone over my head as a heavy burden , they are too heavy for me . i have offended thee , i fear thy displeasure , my sin deserves thy wrath ; but tho there are mountains of iniquity upon unconverted sinners , they feel no weight , they make light of it , they sport at it : but when wrath comes once to be laid upon them , they will feel how heavy that is ; who can bear this burden , or stand under this weight ? when wrath was laid upon our blessed saviour , how heavy did he find it ? it made him sweat great drops of blood , it almost crushed him down unto the earth : one sin is heavy , and if god lay the weight , i mean the guilt of it , upon the soul , it will crush it down to hell. o then what a weight will that be which will lie upon sinners , when the burden or weight of all their sins are laid upon them ! and none to take that weight off of them for ever , how low will it sink them ! . it is eternal wrath , everlasting wrath , wrath that will never cease ; they shall be punished with everlasting destruction . he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of his holy angels ; and in the presence of the lamb ; and the sincke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever . o what a wosul condition will all those be in , that god lets out such wrath upon ! how lamentable is and will be their state , who neglect this so great salvation ! can you think of these things you that slight the offers of god's grace in jesus christ , and not tremble ! application . . o what a mercy have they obtained that are delivered from such wrath , such heavy wrath ! as no man is able to bear the wrath of god , so no man is able to get away from it when it hath took hold of him ; he cannot escape from that which he cannot endure . alas ! the devils themselves shall be tormented with all unbelievers , and they cannot escape with all their powers of darkness ; and indeed this will add to the torment of the wicked , i mean to be yoked in hell-torments with such companions , to be forced to abide for ever with devils , who perhaps will add then to their misery , and aggravate their 〈◊〉 , by upbraiding them with their folly in believing him who was 〈◊〉 father of lies , and to contemn so great salvation for the sake o● very vanity , for the love to sin , or love to the transitory pleasures and riches of this evil world. . we may also from hence see cause to admire the love of jesus christ , who bore the wrath of god for us : certainly had not he had the power of the deity to uphold him , he could not have born that wrath that was so heavy upon him . o love and honour this blessed saviour , who hath saved you that believe from such wrath ! his blood hath quenched this flaming fire , so that you shall never feel what the wrath of god is . brethren , remember we could not be delivered from the wrath of god , unless jesus christ did bear it in our stead , even jesus who delivered us from wrath to come : our jonas was thrown into the sea of wrath to save us from sinking down to the bottom of eternal wrath. . and may not this stir you up that are ungodly persons to flee from wrath to come ? why do you stand making a pause as it were ? o haste to jesus christ , come to him , for that is the way , and the only way , as you have heard , to be delivered from wrath. you know not how near you are to fall under the wrath of god , and then it will be too late : god gives you space to repent , and to take hold of his salvation ; you will , sinners , have no excuse , no plea in the great day if you neglect the day of your visi●ation , and slight the offers of god's infinite grace and favour ! can you bear the wrath of god ? are you willing to try how heavy it is ? we read of an eternal weight of glory , that will be a good weight , not a burdensome weight , not an oppressing weight , it is called a weight of glory because of the greatness of it , the excellency of it : but know , as there is a blessed weight , or a weight of blessedness , so there is a weight of misery , or a miserable weight ; yea , it is such a weight as will crush the strongest giant like a m●th , and break the bones of the mighty . heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? fourthly , the last thing i proposed to do , was , to shew you why the gospel is attended with dreadful threatnings as well as gracious promises : and this i shall , god assisting , speak unto at this time . . it may be in regard of him whose word it is ; where the word of a king is ( saith solomon ) there is power . shall not the majesty of god the great law-giver be feared ? if i am a master , where is my fear ? brethren , awful threatnings become the quality and dignity of christ's person . true , in the days of his humiliation , as touching those personal injuries and wrongs done unto him , he suffered , and threatned not ; yet nevertheless for the contempt of his grace , salvation , and infinite goodness in the gospel , it is otherwise , he doth now pronounce dreadful threats : bring out those mine enemies that would not have me to reign over them , and slay them before me . . too great lenity and mercy we see among men , causes contempt of the person of a prince , it makes impudent rebels ready to insult over him . and now , brethren , because it seems not to please the wisdom of god , or not to be good in his sight , who is the great soveraign of heaven and earth , commonly to inflict temporal punishment on gospel-slighters and gospel-neglecters , but to reserve their punishment to another world ; shall not he therefore tell them what they must expect to meet with and undergo hereafter , if they rebel against him , contemn his goodness , clemency and mercy ? is it meet that the holy god should strike before he threatens , or not shoot off his warning-piece before he lets fly his murdering-piece ? can that stand consistent with his infinite goodness and wisdom ? shall he come secretly on his enemies before he tells them of their danger ? shall he condemn that in his creatures which he allows in himself ? therefore thus will i do unto thee , o israel ; and because i will do thus unto thee , prepare to meet thy god , o israel . it is god's good pleasure , as well as it is the property of his merciful nature , to discover the future misery of rebellious sinners to them before he brings that misery and ruin upon them . . shall the laws of the servant be clothed with fearful combinations and threatnings against the transgressors thereof ; and shall the law of the great soveraign ( or gospel of ) jesus christ himself , have none at all ? that might seem strange indeed , especially considering those that disobey or believe not the gospel , shall meet with far greater punishment . if the word spoken by angels were stedfast , and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward ; how shall we escape ? &c. this being so , there is reason that the gospel should be accompanied with awful threats . . because of the greatness of the sins of such who do refuse , reject , or neglect the grace and mercy of god offered by jesus christ : certainly the abuse of the greatest goodness calls for the severest denunciation of divine wrath and vengeance , man himself being judg : of how much sorer punishment suppose you shall he be thought worthy ? do you judg , to whom i appeal , what sore , what bitter , what grievous and unexpressable wrath and judgments they deserve , who conten●n jesus christ , or prove apostates , revolters , and backsliders from the gospel , and slight his precious blood , ●●ead under 〈◊〉 the son of god ? sure such deserve worse punishment than those who 〈◊〉 against moses's law. now the greatness of their sin , who s●i●ht and neglect the salvation of the gospel , i have already opened . o call to mind what you have heard ; and you that are secure sinners , tremble ! what wisdom do such despise , what goodness do they disregard , what infinite love and patience do they abuse that neglect this salvation ? shall the sinner cast di●t in the face of god , and not be told of it ? shall he slight an interest in christ , and not know it will be his ruin in another world ? . threatnings are contained in the gospel , to shew that god is just as well as gracious . nay , brethren , the justice of god never appeared to that degree to the sons of men , by moses's law , or any other way , as it doth in the gospel , in that jesus christ the only begotten son of god is not spared , when he stands as our surety in our law-place to bear our iniquities : god spared not his own son , &c. he did not spare him , as an act of love and mercy , but substituted and appointed him to be a sacrifice for us ; and he did not spare him , as an act of his justice , when he was so substituted , but he put him to grief , and made his soul an offering for sin , the just for the vnjust : he was made sin for us , i. e. a sacrifice for our sin : it pleased the lord to bruise him . this shews that god is just with a witness : there was no other way found out to put away sin , to pacify divine wrath ; and shall the sinner slight and trample upon the mercy and justice of god , and not be told he shall not escape divine vengeance ? o , sinner , think of it , if god spared not his own son , who had sin upon him only by imputation , our sins laid upon him , and none of his own ; canst thou think to escape his dreadful wrath , who for not accepting of this atonement , this salvation , hast all they sins charged upon thy own head , and must bear that vindictive wrath that was due to thee for them ? you that think god is only a god of mercy , and christ only a lamb , will find your selves at last greatly deceived , for you will find that god is a just , a severe and sin-revengeful majesty ; and especially he will appear so , when he pleads with sinners for the abuse of his mercy ; and they will find jesus christ like a lion , who will at length tear in pieces his enemies : i have trodden the wine-press alone , and of the people there was none with me ; for i will tread them in mine anger and trample them in my fury , and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments and i will stain all my raiment . o remember , that the great day of the lamb's wrath will come ; he is a king , and has a sword as well as a scepter , a rod as well as a crown ; he is just as well as good , and therefore it is that the gospel is clothed with such threatnings of wrath and divine vengeance . all the perfections of the deity appear , and shall appear in our lord jesus christ , he being the express image of the father's person . dly . the gospel hath its threats as well as its promises , i might shew you , in regard of sinners . . to awe their rebellious hearts , that their abominable sins , pride and arrogancy might be curb'd , and they not so boldly and impudently go on in their disobedience and contempt of jesus christ . christ to this end , as dr. owen observes , hath his arrows which he lets fly upon his enemies ; some may ●●ick in their hearts , and they fall down dead before him , he this way may kill them to give them life . . that all ungodly sinners may be left without excuse , and jesus christ be justified in his righteous proceedings against them at the last day . he tells them before-hand what they must expect and look for ; if they repent not , they shall all likewise perish ; if they believe not , they shall be damned ; if they are not born again , they shall not see the kingdom of god ; if they continue in any course of sin , as adultery , fornication , drunkenness , theft , pride , covetousness , lying , &c. they shall have their portion in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone : and if they neglect this so great salvation , they shall not escape divine wrath. dly and lastly , the threatnings that are in the gospel , may be of great use to believers , even as a whip or lash to quicken them when grown slothful and negligent in their duties , or fall into a sleepy and secure state ; and to shew them that the gospel tolerates no looseness , allows of no sin , but that the whole design of it is , to promote holiness , god will be sanctified by all that draw near to him . they may serve also to prevent the power and prevalency of indwelling sin , or tend to nip off the buds as they put forth , or kill those weeds that might otherwise grow the more in their hearts ; and also to stir them up to stand upon their watch , and make a stout resistance of all enemies ; for that god tells us , we must either kill or be killed : if ye live after the flesh , ye shall die ; but if ye through the spirit mortify the deeds of the body , ye shall live . christ's souldiers are sure of the victory , but not without sighting ; if they turn their backs , they are gone ; though to their great joy and comfort , if they are true believers , they know they are not of that sort that draw back unto perdition . also by these threats , the saints may be the better enabled to suffer persecution , and endure any trials here for christ's sake ; they hereby knowing how much easier it is to bear and undergo the wrath of man , than it is to endure the wrath of god. quest . on whom is the wrath of god denounced , or what kind of sinners shall undergo it ? answ . . i answer , all prophane and ungodly sinners , of what sort soever , as aduiterers , fornicators , covetous persons , malicious persons , whisperers , backbiters , haters of god , despiteful and proud persons , covenant-breakers , implacable , vnmerciful , thieves , drunkards , revilers , extortioners , murderers , witches , sorcerers , and all liars . these and all other prophane persons whatsoever , who live and die in any of these , or other sins , having neglected this salvation , shall not escape the wrath of god ; for the wrath of god is revealed from heaven againstall vngodliness , and vnrighteousness of men. the wages of every sin , yea the very lusts of the heart , is eternal death ; sin is their sickness , and the neglecting the salvation of the gospel , is their refusing that remedy and only cure of their sickness which god doth afford . . all civilized persons , such who depend upon principles of morality , or living a sober life , and never look after faith in jesus christ and regeneration : i say unto you , except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees , ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven . yet paul when a pharisee , saith , that as touching the righteousness which is of the law , i was blameless . except a man be born again , he cannot see the kingdom of god. these as much neglect this great salvation , as scandalous and prophane sinners , and therefore shall not escape god's wrath. . all idolaters , persecutors , and heretical persons , such who are corrupted with damnable heresy , who deny the person of christ , or our lord jesus the only saviour , or salvation and righteousness by him ; these also are neglecters of this salvation , and living and dying in those sins , cannot escape the wrath of god. . all unbelievers , or such who are without saving faith in jesus christ : he that believeth , and is baptized , shall be saved ; but he that believeth not , shall be damned . — he that believeth not , shall not see life ; but the wrath of god abideth on him . no unbeliever can escape the wrath of god. . all hypocrites , or such who make a profession of the gospel , without the saving grace of god in their hearts . of these there are two sorts . ( . ) such who are self-condemned hypocrites , who know they are not what they profess themselves to be , but have carnal and sinister ends and aims in their professing the gospel , religion being but a cloak to cover their deceit and hypocrisy . ( . ) such as the foolish virgins were , whose hearts deceive them , thinking their state was good ; . but never passed through the pangs of the new birth , but trusted to a form of godliness without the power of it . this sort it seems , . are very blind and ignorant , in that they thought to receive advantage by the graces or good works of wise and gracious christians ; give us of your oil , for our lamps are gone out : . they never sought for grace any way , until it was too late , even not till the bridegroom was come . . it appears that this sort also were very consident of the goodness of their condition ; ( that is a bad sign ) for they rose up to meet the bridegroom . gracious christians are attended with godly jealousies of their own hearts : yet these mens outward conversation might be clean to outward appearance , in that they were not known to the wise to be foolish ones . . their folly appears in that they please themselves with a name of being christians , saints , and church-members , without the nature , faith and holiness of such , prizing a lamp of profession above the grace of god , or a form of religion more than the power of it ; valuing the approbation of men more than the approbation and acceptation of god ; esteeming the empty cabinet , or pleasing themselves with the shell of religion without the kernel of it ; and in their thinking it was time enough to sow , when others were just going to reap , and by laying claim to heaven , without any title to it . none of these , living and dying under this deceit , ignorance and hypocrisy , can escape the wrath of god. . all such cannot escape , who utterly apostatize or backslide from god and the truths of the gospel ; who after they have made a profession of religion , turn with the sow to her wallowing in the mire , and with the dog lick up their old vomit again ; i mean , cleave again to their former evil and ungodly ways and practices , and become utter enemies to god and his people . . lastly , all atheists , or such who deny the being of god , or the eternal godhead and deity of the majesty of heaven , and ridicule and contemn all supernatural knowledg or revelation of god ; these shall receive and undergo the wrath of god , from which they cannot escape . application . this may serve to awaken all secure sinners who have false notions of god's mercy . what will you do if you persist still in your evil ways ? i am afraid here may be some of one sort or another of them which i have named , that shall not escape the wrath of god. o that we could but hear that cry which we read of , acts . . what shall we do ? were sinners pricked in their hearts , they would break forth into tears in the sight and sense of the evil of sin. hath sin put the lord of life and glory to death ? was the wrath of god due to us let out upon him , that we might never feel the weight thereof ? o how should this fill our hearts with revenge and indignation against sin ! certainly the sufferings of christ for our sins , shew forth the evil of it , beyond all the torments the damned endure in hell : and if god did not spare him , who as our surety stood in our place and room , what will become of thee , o sinner , that goest on presumptuously in thy evil way , and dost not regard or lay to heart the great salvation of the gospel ? shall not the love of god overcome thee ? then fear his wrath , which is so dreadful , and will be let out in fury . quest . what is the reason men do no more fear and dread the wrath of god ? answ . . it is because they do not know the direful nature thereof : we knowing the terror of the lord , saith the apostle , perswade men. the faithful servants of god know it , but sinners know it not , therefore fear it no more . . it is because god doth not execute the sentence against their evil works presently : this is the reason , solomon tells us why ; the hearts of the children of men are fully set in them to do wickedly . . sinners are blinded by the devil , and think god takes no notice of their ways and evil doings , and so go on boldly ; may be think no eye seeth them : and because god is so gracious , patient , and slow to anger , and long before he strikes , they think the blow will never come at all . o it is sad that the goodness , mercy , and long-suffering of god , which should lead men to repentance , should tend to harden them in their evil ways : but though they now despise his goodness and forbearance , &c. yet they shall not escape the judgment of god. quest . what should sinners do to escape the wrath of god ? answ . . sinner , if thou wouldst escape god's wrath , find out the original cause thereof ; ponder well thy state by nature , and the pollution of thy heart , from whence all actual sins flow . . find out the immediate cause of his displeasure and wrath that is ready to break forth against thee , and cry out , what have i done ? o see , what guilt lies upon you , and the nature of it . . labour to know what it is that hath appeased god's wrath : nothing but a sacrifice , an atonement could do it ; thy tears , thy prayers , thy repentance could not do it : the storm was great , and our beloved jonas was thrown into the sea of god's wrath to allay it , and to cause a calm . . get a thorow sense of the great evil of sin. . and then loath your selves . nothing but grace poured forth from the lord can do this . o when once you can mourn for your iniquities , as a man mourns for his first-born , by beholding him whom you have pierced , there will be hope . . pray and cry mightily to the lord , cease not day nor night , until you find out the plague of your own hearts . . above all things fly to jesus christ , look up to him , and neglect not this salvation one hour , but throw down your arms , sight against god no more , nor fence against the two-edged sword of his mouth ; but as a poor , lost , and burdened sinner , come to him , and thou shalt find rest unto thy soul. object . but perhaps some may object , is not this doctrine a legal doctrine ? answ . i say no , but i shall answer this objection the next time , and so close with this text. heb. ii. . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? i shewed you the last time , wherefore the gospel is clothed with such fearful threatnings against sinners that neglect the great salvation that is offered unto them therein . also what sort of sinners are like for ever to fall under the wrath of god. moreover , you may remember i mentioned an objection which possibly some may raise , viz. object . is not this doctrine a legal doctrine , or a legal way of preaching , to insist so much upon the threatnings of wrath and divine vengeance ? i answered , no , it is not . i therefore now shall endeavour , god assisting , to do two things . first , shew you what is not a legal doctrine , or a legal way of preaching . secondly , shew you what is a legal doctrine , or not evangelical preaching . . to preach god a just and holy god , is no legal doctrine , though the law , it is true , holds him forth so to be , that discovers that god is just ; but his mercy was vailed under dark shadows , types and legal sacrifices . but now the gospel sets forth the infinite justice of god beyond the law ; for in a ceremonial way , the blood of beasts seemed to pacify god's wrath. though we deny not but the blood of jesus christ , the great sacrifice ( which alone in a proper sense can satisfy for sin ) was held forth thereby . but in the gospel , the justice and holiness of god so clearly shines forth in jesus christ , that it is with open face manifested unto all ; all may behold therein the just actually slain , and made a sacrifice for the vnjust . never did god's justice appear so fully , as it doth in the suffering and death of christ for sin. therefore to preach the severity and justice of god against sin and sinners , can be no legal doctrine . . to preach repentance , the necessity of repentance , regeneration and holiness , is no legal doctrine ; but it is pure gospel . the law allowed of no repentance : for those that sinned against moses 's law , died without mercy , under two or three witnesses . do not mistake me , i do not say that there was no repentance for such who lived under the dispensation of the law ; for tho the law , or first covenant , allowed of no repentance , yet the gospel was preached to adam , to abraham , to moses , david , &c. but pray remember , and consider it well , that repentance came in , not through the law , but through the gospel , upon the account of christ's satisfaction ; and therefore it is only a gospel-blessing : which being duly considered , men have little reason to think repentance a harsh doctrine ; no , no , it is sweet and blessed tidings to hear that there is repentance vouchsafed to poor sinners , yea , for the worst of sinners . besides , was not repentance the very first doctrine jesus christ preached when he entered upon his ministry ? he calls upon men to repent , and believe the gospel ; he declares there is a way found out for pardon and remission of sin. and what can so kindly and sweetly excite , or stir up sinners to repentance , as the sight of the infinite mercy and pardoning grace of god through the sacrifice of jesus christ ? his mercy only melts and breaks the hard heart of guilty criminals . . to preach the combinations and threatnings of god's wrath and vengeance against all ungodly and impenitent sinners , who slight and neglect the salvation of the gospel , can be no legal doctrine . ( . ) because the gospel abounds with them , yea , and more fearful threatnings than those were under the law ; for the one were threats of temporal punishment , but the other are eternal , even the denunciation of god's wrath in hell for ever . ( . ) because of the greatness of that mercy and divine grace and goodness , which such who sin under the gospel do abuse and tread under their feet . ( . ) to shew the justice , headship and authority of jesus christ , who is god as well as man , that so all men may stand in awe of him , and dread and fear him , because of his great love and goodness extended through his suffering for sin , and enduring the heavy wrath of god for us ; and for many other reasons which you have heard . ( . ) because the threatnings of the gospel do not only render god as a just revenger , but also as a merciful redeemer ; not only as a judg to pass sentence , but as a gracious soveraign , ready to give forth pardon to all convicted , broken and self-condemned rebels . the law threatens death , but affords no offers of life on any terms that can be attained to , therefore no encouragement given by it to sinners to humble themselves : it commands perfect obedience , but affords no strength to perform it ; pronounces the sentence against us , but produces no pardon for us ; it commands us to trust in god , but reveals not a mediator , who is the immediate object of faith and trust . ( . ) the threatnings of the gospel are a manifestation of god's goodness : as a father threatens his child from that love and bowels he hath to it , that so it might not feel the lashes of his rod and anger . and o how are gospel-threatnings mixt with alluring motives and endearing arguments and perswasions , intimating how ready god is to pass by our offences , if we submit our selves to him , and accept of the offers of his grace and favour . if such preaching of wrath therefore be legal , i must acknowledg my great ignorance of the gospel of jesus christ . besides , how long are the threatnings of the gospel deferred before executed ? the contemners of the law died presently , as well as it discovered no remedy : but so it is not here , god seems to be ready to forgive , and slow to wrath ; he waits long before he strikes , and brings wrath and judgment upon offenders , as well as he directs them to a way to escape . secondly , i shall shew you what is a legal doctrine , or legal preaching . . the doctrine or preaching of such persons is legal that say , that all who will be eternally saved , must arrive to a perfect and sinless righteousness in themselves , i. e. keep the law perfectly and sin not in their own persons , or they cannot be justified . william penn , speaking of that text , rom. . . not the hearers of the law are just before god , but the doers of the law shall be justified , saith , " from whence , how unanswerably may i observe , that unless we become doers of that law , which christ came not to destroy , but , as our example , to fulfil , we can never be justified before god ; nor let any fancy , that christ hath so fulfilled it for them as to exclude their obedience from being requisite to their acceptance , but only as their pattern . " now this is a legal doctrine with a witness , these men would be look'd upon as true preachers of the gospel , but let all men be aware of them . is any man able perfectly to keep the law ? if so , why doth the apostle say , what the law could not do , in that it was weak through the flesh , god sending his son ? &c. besides , if there had been a law that could have given life , verily , saith paul , righteousness should have been by the law. and again , he saith , by the works of the law , no man is justified : and if righteousness come by the law , then is christ dead in vain . christ it seems , by what this man saith , came only to fulfil the law , as our example , that we might conform to him therein , and so be justified by it . but he forgot that we and all mankind have broke the law , and stand charged and condemned thereby unto eternal condemnation ; and who shall make atonement for that breach , and deliver us from the curse thereby incurred ? no doctrine can cast higher contempt upon christ , and invalidate his suffering , and justification by faith alone in him , than this doctrine doth . . such preach a legal doctrine , who preach up obedience by us to the law or gospel , either as the procuring or moving cause and condition of our justification and eternal life . . such also preach a legal doctrine , who preach up wrath and divine vengeance , to scare or frighten men out of their sins ; and as if by the bare leaving and forsaking of sin , men might escape death and wrath. such a doctrine , as reverend dr. owen notes , may fill an unregenerate man with horror and servile fear ; whereby , as bond-servants , or slaves , by the whip of this doctrine , they may be forced to break off from some gross acts of sin , and perform some outward duties of religion , which otherwise they are unwilling to do : for , as it is not from love to god , nor from faith in christ , so they find no delight nor sweetness in it ; but being often remiss , and seeing cause to doubt of the sincerity of their obedience , they fall under terror and slavish fear , they only acting from an enlightned conscience , and not from faith , or renewing grace . these men neither love the law nor gospel , tho they are forced to keep up in some degree of obedience to it . . such preach a legal doctrine , that affirm man 's own faith and inherent righteousness for the sake of christ's merits , is part of our righteousness to justification in the sight of god ; and that christ hath procured or merited a mild law of grace , of faith and sincere obedience , in the room of the law of perfect obedience : which law of sinless obedience christ having given to god a full recompence for our breach of , he hath taken that law-away ; and that so far as we faithfully live up to this new law of grace , we are justified in god's sight , and accepted for the sake of christ's merits : not that christ's righteousness alone is the matter of our justification exclusive of all our inherent righteousness and obedience ; no , no , but rather it is our righteousness which doth justify us . the gospel , according to these men , is propounded as a law , and god as a rector , or just governour , commanding obedience thereunto , as the procuring cause of our justification : so that our faith and obedience is a cause and condition of life , as unbelief and disobedience is the cause of eternal death . but having formerly detected this dangerous error , i shall not further insist upon the confutation of it here . . such preach a legal doctrine , that render man a co-worker with christ in the salvation of their own souls , by which means there is room left for him to boast and glory . such a doctrine they preach , who magnify the will of man , or the power of the creature ; which i hope i have , by the assistance of god , sufficiently detected and refuted in this treatise : all boasting being excluded by the grace of god in the gospel , man being abased , and god alone exalted . application . i shall now come to make the general application of what i have said unto you from this great text , and so conclude with all i shall say from it . first inform. first by way of information ; the doctrine which hath in these sermons been insisted on may inform us , that gospel-sins are the greatest sins , and that the blind heathens are not , cannot be so guilty and culpable before god , nor in such a dangerous condition as those are who live under the preaching of the gospel , and yet slight , and neglect the salvation of it . o what will they do in the day of judgment , that live in england , in london , in a land and city of so great light , and perish through their sin , and contempt or neglect of gospel-grace ! secondly , this may also inform us , how strangely mankind are blinded and deceived by the god of this world ; in that small things are accounted great , and that which is of the greatest concernment , is little , or not at all regarded , but esteemed as a trivial matter . o , says some , we must mind the main chance ! they mean the main business in respect of their earthly subsistence , which is to get bread , and to provide for the body , for their wives and children . now the doctrine which you have heard , shews you how you are deluded , that look upon earthly things to be the main business you should look after . what is of such importance as the salvation of your precious and immortal souls , and to be providing for an endless eternity ? thirdly , i may infer from hence , that the greatest part of mankind are unbelievers ; for all that neglect this salvation , and look not upon this matter as their chief business , are doubtless in a state of unbelief : they do not credit this holy doctrine , they believe not god's word . if one should tell you that are going a journy , that if you go such a way , you will certainly be destroyed by thieves , or wild beasts , yet you will go on ; would it not follow clearly that you believe not what was told you ? why thus it is here , sinners are told and assured from the word of god , as certain as god is true , and his word true , that if they leave not their swearing , their pride , their drunkenness , their lying , their lusts and uncleanness , their worldly-mindedness , and their preferring earth , and the things of the world above the things of god ; or if they do not believe , repent , and be born again , they shall certainly perish for ever ; yet they go on and live in those ways of sin , and believe not , repent not : this is an evident sign that they do not give credit to what is told them , and so are unbelievers ; and if they still persist in their way , they will be certainly damned . . our saviour saith , except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish ; ye shall not escape eternal wrath , be ye great sinners , or not sinners of the first rank . the wicked shall be turned into hell , and all the nations that forget god. . christ saith , he that believeth not , the wrath of god abideth on him : and they that do not believe , are told there is no other way to escape this wrath , and that this wrath will be poured forth upon them like fire , unless they believe in christ , receive christ , obtain an interest in jesus christ ; nay , that they are condemned already ; but they believe not . . moreover , such who live a sober moral life , are told , that notwithstanding that , yet unless they are born again , unless they get faith in jesus christ , and their righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees , and they obtain the righteousness of christ , they cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven . now they will not believe this , but conclude their state is good , and that morality is sufficient to save their souls : which shews that these are unbelievers also . . others are told , that their good deeds , their good duties , their prayers , their hearing of sermons , or their being baptized , and having communion with god's people , will not do , unless they are savingly renewed and sanctified , having the true grace of god in their hearts , and lead a godly , holy and spiritual life , finding the powerful operations of the spirit changing them into the likeness of jesus christ : but they believe it not , but rest upon their duties and outward privileges , tho they are told the kingdom of god is not in meat and drink , but in righteousness , and truth , and joy in the holy ghost ; or that the kingdom of god is not inward only , but in power also , and that lamps of profession will not save them , except they have oil in their vessels : many of these are like the foolish virgins , and believe it not , but rest on a bare name of christians , on a form of godliness , and may be fall short too as to an outward profession of godliness ; for so do they who pray not in the closet , nor in their families , neither read god's word , nor make it their business to hear the word preached , in season and out of season , but every small matter takes them off of those duties . be sure , all prayerless souls are graceless souls ; it is to be feared many of this sort make religion but little of their business , who neither read , pray nor meditate , nor perhaps call upon their children and servants so to do , but let their children have their carnal lusts , their pride , ambitious and wanton inclinations indulged and nourished in them . o how little is the outward part of god's worship kept up in the families of some professors ! fourthly , this may serve also for a use of terror to secure sinners . . may not cry out , fire , fire ? such a cry hath often startled and amazed many of you that live in and about this city . sirs , a fire is just a breaking out , which you cannot escape , unless you look about you the sooner . when people hear the cry of fire in the night , how do they cry out , where , where ? alas , this fire seizes not on your houses , nor goods , no nor on your bodies only , but on your souls ; it has already kindled even the wrath of god , which no sinner can escape that neglects this salvation . god's wrath is compared to fire , and it has perhaps already taken hold of some of your consciences ; but if it be not kindled there , yet it is kindled in god's anger : for a fire is kindled in my anger , and shall burn unto the lowest hell. o that they were wise , that they understood this , that they would consider their latter end. . is the wrath of god so terrible , and can no unbeliever or impenitent sinner escape it ; what cause is here for them all to tremble ? suppose you should be told , that this night you shall certainly not escape death , neither you , nor your wife , nor children , but that your house shall be burned down , your goods , self , wife and children shall all be burned to ashes , and that this judgment you shall not escape ; would it not be startling and terrifying tidings if you should believe it ? but alas , what would that be to this doleful tidings , viz. that your precious soul and body , as well as your wife and children , and all belonging to you , if you and they do neglect the means of this salvation , and not believe in christ , and become new creatures , shall in a short time be in everlasting flames , and undergo intolerable pain and punishment from the presence of the lord , and from the glory of his power , which you shall not escape , for the mouth of the lord of hosts hath spoken it ? nay , and it shall be more tolerable for sodom and gomorrah in the day of judgment , than for you , or for that soul who refuses the offers of christ , pardon of sin , and salvation through him . fifthly , it may be for a lamentation , to see how few understand the nature of this salvation , and study the mysteries of it , or desire an interest in it ; and also to see how many make light of it , whilst others by dangerous errors seek ways to eclipse the glory of god's free grace therein . remember those demonstrations you have heard , to open the greatness of the salvation the gospel . sixthly , this reprehends such who are more affected with temporal salvation , than with the spiritual and eternal salvation of the soul ; and also all such that defer looking after , and striving to get an interest in it . seventhly , by way of exhortation . . let me exhort you to praise god for jesus christ , who is the author and finisher of this salvation : christ is all , and in all , in our salvation : god hath sent us an almighty saviour . o how miserable should we have been for ever , had not god sent us jesus christ . . let me exhort you to admire the love of christ in coming to work out this salvation : what hath he born and undergon to save our souls ? o love and exalt this saviour , and eclipse none of his glory . . be exhorted to praise god for affording you the knowledg of gospel-salvation . o how few are they who have heard of this joyful tidings ! but few nations of the world have this news sounding in their ears , viz. the gospel preached to them , they have no declaration of it . god shews his soveraignty herein ; he reveals himself , and the knowledg of salvation to whom he pleases . and indeed many dark parts of this nation have but little of the mysteries of the gospel made known to them . what people in the world have greater cause to admire god's distinguishing grace and favour , than we that live in and about this city . london is exalted to heaven in respect of the means of grace : o that it may never be brought down to hell , as our saviour threatned capernaum . . from hence also i might exhort you to bless god for faithful ministers , who publish the salvation of the gospel to you . how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings , that publisheth peace , that bringeth good tidings of good , that publisheth salvation ! let it appear you highly value and honour your faithful ministers , by your diligent attention on the word and doctrine they preach . for motives , consider , ( . ) god has ordained preaching as the ordinary way and means to work faith ; faith cometh by hearing , and hearing by the word of god : and to increase and strengthen faith also . ( . ) god is gradiously pleased to assord men a day , or a time of visitation , in which he offers terms of peace unto them : take heed you do not like jerusalem , lose your day , and neglect the means god affords you ( . ) you know not how short your day may be ; and if you lose your day , you will lose your souls also : the harvest will end with some , and they not saved . and that you may not lose the day of your visitation , take a few directions . . seriously think on the sad and woful condition which naturally you are in , being dead in sin , and children of wrath ; and if you die in that estate , you are lost for ever . . let your thoughts now be let out on your latter end ; for when the night comes , no man can work . this is great wisdom , and every man's duty ; we none of us know how soon our great change may come : and what will you do , if you live in the neglect of the means of salvatio even until god cuts you off ? . pray that the wind of the spirit would blow upon your souls : the wind bloweth where it listeth ; it bloweth at god's command , when , on whom , and how he pleaseth . the spirit is that great and only agent that must work faith in you , quicken you , and regenerate your souls . . therefore see that you do not quench the spirit , but improve all the convictions thereof . . if you would have an interest in this great salvation , you must have an interest in jesus christ the great saviour : if you do not receive christ by faith , but refuse him , sad will your condition be ; for no christ , no salvation . quest . how may i know that i have christ , or an interest in him ? answ . . if thou hast christ , thou hast life , thou art spiritually quickned : and as thou hast spiritual life , so also thou hast light ; thy eyes are opened , i mean , the eyes of thy understanding . . thou canst remember the time when thou hadst no god , no christ , or wast without christ ; and it is much if thou art not able to tell how , when , or after what manner thou didst meet with him , whether it was by the word preached , or by reading , or by some affliction , &c. . if christ be thine , he is very precious to thee : canst thou say with david , whom have i in heaven but thee ? neither is there any on earth that i desire beside thee ? and with the spouse , my beloved is white and ruddy , the chiefest among ten thousand ? paul accounted all things as loss , or as nothing , for the excellency of jesus christ his lord. . doth jesus christ rule and reign in thee by his spirit ? he that hath christ in him , may feel his ruling power , and that he by his spirit hath spoiled the ruling and predominating power of sin , every evil habit in the heart and life of such being broke . . moreover , if christ is in thee , and thou by faith art in him , then thou art a new creature : this the apostle positively doth assert ; therefore if any man be in christ , he is a new creature : old things are passed away , behold all things are become new . such have new understandings , or are renewed in their understandings , wills and affections : they have also new thoughts , new love , new fears , new joy , new desires , new companions , and new conversations ; all things with such are become new . lastly , and to conclude with all i shall say from this text , here is also matter and cause of comfort and great consolation to all believers , to all who have a part in this salvation . i need not shew you which way this appears , for every one that hath heard what a kind of salvation it is , may easily infer from thence , that all that have a part in it are happy for ever ; 't is a great and glorious salvation : remember what you are delivered from by it , and what you are raised up unto by it , and also that it is a sure and certain salvation ; no enemy , no sin , no devil can dispossess you of it if you are believers , and have received the earnest thereof , which is the holy spirit , by which also you are sealed to the day of redemption . therefore it remains , that you endeavour to shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light , and hath given you a true sight of , and interest in this great salvation wrought by jesus christ ; to whom with the father and the holy spirit , be glory , honour and praise , now and for ever . amen . finis . a. access . free access to the father , an effect of christ's death , pag. accompany . what those things are that do accompany salvation , , adoption . adoption a glorious privilege , afflictions . afflictions compared to a refiner's fire , afflictions christ's fan , aggravation . the aggravations of sin opened in ten particulars , all. christ died not eternally to save all men , proved , , to christ in some sense did die for all universally , or for every individual person , angels . angels pry into our salvation , angels great understanding , yet learn by experience of the church , arian heresy what , arminianism . arminianism detected , , arminianism again detected , arminianism further detected , , to attributes . all the attributes glorified equally in our salvation by jesus christ , all the holy attributes united together in christ to save believers , all the attributes of god in arms to cut down such who neglect the salvation of the gospel , , b. backbiting a notorious evil , such may be guilty of murder , baptizing is dipping , baptism of great use to believers , beguiled . christ's sheep may be beguiled by deceivers , how far , , blood unlawful to be eaten : the whole world forbid to eat it , because it is the life of the creature , pag. business . the salvation of our souls the chief business we have to mind whilst in this world , shewed in many particulars , , , c. cease . such who are begotten and born of god , cannot cease being his children , chaff . why false or hypocritical professors are compared to chaff ; shewed in six things , from p. , to who are chaff , from p , to charity . ministers should exercise charity towards such christians that seem dull and drowsy , child . john child's sin what , some passages of his desparation , , , he hang'd himself , children . the happy state of being the children of god , born of god , , to how god's children are known , , christ . christ is god and man , wherefore , , christ coequal to the father , christ the express image of the father's person , how christ is the power of god , and the wisdom of god , , condition , conditional . christ not a conditional redeemer , the condition that arminians say the creature is to perform , is impossible , , , their conditional redemption no redemption at all , , , , , it renders salvation not free or wholly by grace , cornelius not saved without faith in christ , tho his prayers are said to be heard , curse of the law remains on all unbelievers , d. darkness . hell a place of utter darkness , pag. dead . man naturally dead , how men may know they are spiritually dead , or dead in sin , death . the nature of natural death , natural and spiritual death compared , , death of christ secures the saints final perseverance , christ suffered death in our stead , dear . how a dear child of god may be known , , despair a great sin , , , utter despair will add to the damneds misery , devil . the devil the cause of sinners spiritual blindness , the devil will torment the damned , by upbraiding them , devils and wicked men tormented together , discipline . the fan of church - discipline twofold , , , e. effect . . appeasing god's wrath an effect of christ's death . . reconciliat an effect of christ's death , . the holy spirit as given to the elect an effect of christ's death , . adoption an effect of christ's death , . pardon of sin an effect of christ's death and satisfaction , . free access to the throne of grace , an effect of christ's death , . redemption an effect of christ's death , . justification an effect of christ's death , . sanctification an effect of christ's death , . glorification an effect of christ's death , first effect of christ's death in us by the spirit , is life , second , light conviction , christ's death shall have its effect on all for whom he died , like as a corn of wheat that is sown will have its effect , elect , election . there is election of grace . personal election proved , , , , &c. christ the head of election , election secures the saints final perseverance , , , , , , envy a great sin , essentials . what the essentials of christianity are , , every man doth not intend oft-times all and every individual person in the world , eutychians . what the eutychian heresy is , f. faith. justifying faith is a reliance on christ . a full perswasion that christ is mine , not essential to the being of faith. of a direct act of faith. a general faith to believe christ died for all , therefore for me , not to be valued , and may be a false faith. fall , fallings . saints may fall foully . causes of the saints fallings . , , , falling from grace . no final falling from grace , proved . , to objections for final falling answered . , to fan. what is christ's fan , shewed in six particulars , from p. , to father . god the father the contriver of our redemption . the father could only appoint the terms or way of our recovery . the father substituted and appointed christ to be our saviour and surety . the father prepared christ a body , and sent him into the world. the father chose us in christ , the father draws us to christ . , fire . why god's wrath is compared to fire , shewed in eight things . , , grace compared to fire . floor . what is christ's floor , shewed , , , . jewish church . . national churches . . congregational churches . follow. how christ's sheep follow him , opened in eight particulars . , , food . the nature of spiritual food , opened in seven particulars . full. gospel-salvation a full and compleat salvation , opened at large . , to g. garner . what meant by christ's garner , viz. . his church . . heaven . chaff as well as wheat in christ's garner below , but none in his garner above . ghost . sin against the holy ghost , what . , , , . how false professors may be said to partake of the holy ghost . good. the word of god good , in what respect . , . grace . vocation of god's free grace . faith is a grace , and of god's pure grace and favour . repentance a grace . why eternal life is meerly of grace , shewed in five particulars . , the father sent christ to merit grace for us , the son purchased grace for us , and the holy spirit works grace in us . , grace works physically . the spring , author and excellency of grace , as 't is a divine principle in believers , opened . , , , gross acts of sin may be left by unrenewed persons . . h. habits . to change the evil habits of the heart , is the work of the spirit of god only , not in man's power . hand . what meant by the father's hand . , , . what meant by christ's hand . , to in what sense christ's sheep may be said to be in his hand . , to the happy state of believers by being put into christ's hand . , , , heaps . many heaps of prophane persons in the national floor . , , hell torments direful , opened in many respects . , , , , , , , , , &c. hypocrites . how hypocrites may be known , or the chaff from the wheat . , to . i. importance . the salvation of our souls matter of chiefest importance we have to mind whilst in this world. , , intercession . the nature and power of christ's intercession , opened . , interests . all interests concerned about our salvation , are secured in christ , how . judgment . eternal judgment an essential of the christian religion . justification . justification how , or what . , justification wholly of grace . the nature of justification opened . , justification compleat . christ's righteousness being the matter of it , . justification not a gradual act , as sanctification is , in us ; those that are justified , are perfectly justified , and for ever justified . , . k. kingdom . what meant by christ's delivering up the kingdom to the father . kingdom of christ very near . kingdom of christ when it begins . it will be glorious . . knowledg . the knowledg christ hath of his sheep , largely opened . , to non-proficiency in knowledg very dangerous . some people perish for lack of knowledg . , l. lake . hell a lake of fire . law. the law must be satisfied for our breach made of it . pag. the gospel justifies not as a mild law of grace requiring sincere obedience , according to the new doctrine . perfection of obedience as well required under the gospel as under the law , tho not of us in point of justification . , , moral law not abrogated . , why christ was made under the law. , . life , eternal life . a threefold life of man. what meant by eternal life . , how and why eternal life is meerly of god's grace . , , , , , why christ will give eternal life to his sheep , , how christ is said to be our life . believers have eternal life now , how . love. the love of the father , what . it secures the standing of believers in a state of grace . , , &c. love of christ an early , a wonderful , a conjugal , an attracting and an inconceivable love , it passeth knowledg . , , christ's love secures our standing also . love to the poor saints , and relieving them for christ's sake , a better sign of true grace than the greatest of spiritual gifts . . m. mark. what the mark is on the forehead and right hand . . means . the means of salvation , as well as the end , is ordained of god. . memory . a strong memory but a natural gift . . mercy . god's mercy manifested in its greatest glory in christ . had not god vouchsafed a redeemer , divine mercy had never been manifested . divine mercy will rise up against such that neglect the gospel-salvation . . ministers . christ the great minister of the new testament . ministers office a high and sublime office. ministers christ's ambassadors . ministers to be careful lest chaff be let into the church , which is christ's garner . . murder . self - murder not an unpardonable sin. , . n. name , names . christ a name above every name , what . what names christ hath . christ's name according to his nature . nation , national . the national sins , what , great , odious and hateful to god. , , national church of the jews dissolved and gone . , no national church under the gospel . , . o. office. the office of the holy spirit , what . such that neglect gospel-salvation , strive to obstruct the holy spirit in the discharge of his work and office. , . old. the old heaven and old earth shall pass away , to make way for the new. orphan . believers are in christ's hand , as an orphan is in the hand of a faithful guardian . . p. pardon . pardon of sin , what . pardon of sin a great blessing , opened in six particulars . passions . all the passions of the soul let out in hell , will add to their misery . , , . pastures . what the pastures are where christ feeds his sheep . , , , . peace a gospel-blessing , it passeth all understanding . . perseverance . final perseverance of the saints proved . , to objections against the saints final perseverance answered . , to . personal election what . personal election proved . , , . portion . god the portion of believers . what a portion god is , opened in eleven particulars . pag. , . prayer . the nature of pure spiritual prayer . , . prayer one of christ's pastures . . principle . from what principle true christians act towards god. grace a vital principle . grace an abiding principle . , to . promises . promises of god a fat pasture for christ's sheep . . providences . the profit and usefulness of experiences of god's providences . . q. quench . dangerous to quench the holy spirit . satan cannot totally quench the spirit in believers . . quickning . the spirit the quickning principle of the soul. r. resurrection of the body an essential of the christian religion . right-hand . christ the father's right-hand . righteousness . what righteousness it is a man may turn from . christ's righteousness , which is the material cause of our justification , is an everlasting righteousness , and therefore cannot be lost . such that trust to their own righteousness shall perish . christ's righteousness a garment . , rod. the rod christ's voice . . s. salvation wholly of grace . pag. shewed and proved in eight particulars . , , , salvation a garment ; the father prepared it , the son wrought it , the holy ghost puts it on the soul. , salvation great . , to who neglect the great salvation . , to from whence salvation is neglected . , great evil of neglecting salvation . , , &c. great evil in respect of god the father . , in respect of christ . in respect of the holy spirit . in respect of the sinner himself . , , salvation our greatest business , proved . , , . sheep . believers christ's sheep , . by choice . . by the father's donation . . by purchase . . by renovation . . by covenant made with the father . . by conquest . . by their resignation of themselves to him . , , , characters of christ's sheep . ● , to shepherd . what a kind of shepherd christ is . , to sin. the evil of sin opened in many particulars , , , , , , , &c. sins of the saints of a heinous nature on several respects . sins of believers cannot separate them from god's love. , , , , &c. why saints cannot , dare not sin . , the great evil of the sin in neglecting gospel-salvation . , to those that are born god cannot commit sin , shewed . , the odiousness of sin shewed . christ died for all the sins of the elect. , . for their unbelief . no vindictive wrath due to believers their sins . pag. sin the greatest evil. socinians what their errors are . soveraignty . it is god's absolute soveraignty to chuse and call whom he will , and send the gospel to whom he will. , , , soul. the soul of man very precious , proved by many arguments . , , , &c. the soul proved to be immortal , by seven arguments . , ministers and parents have a great charge , having the charge of souls . no impairing the final loss of the soul. . spira . francis spira's fall , what . spira's natural disposition . some passages of his fearful state. , , . spirit . the great blessings we receive by the holy spirit , opened . , , . the spirit an earnest to us . , . a seal , a witness . . a twofold act of the witness of the holy spirit . . a direct act. . a reflex act. . state. the state of sinners by nature very miserable , opened in many particulars . , , . stead . christ died , not only for our good , but in our stead , proved by arguments . , , , . strangers . who are strangers , and why so called . how christ's sheep will not follow nor hear the voice of strangers . , . supper . the precious nature of the lord's supper opened . , . t. taste . what a taste of god's word hypocrites may have . what a taste the saints have . , . threatnings . why there are such threatnings contained in the gospel . , , . torments . torments of hell what , largely opened . , , , , torments of hell eternal , why . , . tremble . what sort of persons have cause to tremble at the thoughts of wrath and hell. , , . u. vnbelief the greatest sin , shewed in many particulars . . vnion . vnion with christ opened . , , vnion with christ secures believers from final apostacy . , , , , . vniversal . no vniversal redemption from sin and wrath , proved by many arguments . , , . voice . what meant by christ's voice , shewed in four things . , to what a kind of voice the voice of christ's spirit is , shewed in particulars . , what meant by hearing christ's voice , and how the saints hear it , shewed in many particulars . , , . w. water . the nature of water . what meant by water of life , or spiritual water . . weigh . god weighs all men , and their spirits , graces , duties . , . wheat . why the saints are compared to wheat , shewed in nine respects . , , . will. the will of man determines the whole event of man's redemption , according to the arminian doctrine . ● world. there is a world to come , what meant thereby . the world to come in its greatest glory , begins when christ comes the second time . the riches , honours and pleasures of the world to come , opened . , , , , . the world to come will consist of a new heaven and new earth . the word world sometimes refers to the elect . . wrath. the wrath of god dreadful . pag. the external wrath of god , what . the internal wrath , what . the eternal wrath in hell , opened . . inconceivable . . according to the fear of it . . no misery like wrath in hell. , . wrath of god in hell without mixture . , at what time sinners shall not escape god's wrath. , the nature of god's wrath opened , which they shall not escape that neglect the great salvation of the gospel . , what kind of sinners shall suffer and undergo god's wrath. , . y. yoke . there is a yoke to be taken up by all such that will be saved . the yoke uneasy to the flesh , or to all unrenewed persons . . errata . ●●ge , line , read elementary . p. . l. . r. wretch . p. . l. . for his , 〈…〉 . p . l. . for saith , r. said . p. . l. . r. whosoever hath that efficacious , 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 - transforming , soul-renewing , &c. p. . l. . dele sooner than flesh ? p. . l. . for in self , r. in it self . . l. . for thirdly , r. . p. . l. . dele the 〈◊〉 . p. . l. . for great , r. 〈◊〉 , l. . for nor , r. or 〈…〉 . dele not . p. - 〈◊〉 read , it is evident that by the word all , and the word 〈…〉 is only intended , &c. p. , l. . for thy , r. the. p. . l. . read , 〈…〉 things which they acted . p. . l. . for only , r. also . p. . l. . r. gospel-salvation p. . l. . dele the first the. p. . l. . dele because . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e sermon . preacht feb. . . parts opened . luk. . . mal. . , . terms opened . what meant by floor . john . . national floor opened . pro. . . pro. . . mat. . . cor. . . isa . . . jer. . . joh. . . rom. . . . what is meant by christ's fan. john . . act. . . annatators . rom. . . rom. . . joh. . . joh. . . joh. . . joh. . . . tim. . . cor. . . tit. . . tim. . . matth. . . rom. . , . thess . . , , . matth. . thess . . . matth. . . cor. . . acts . . cor. . . mat. . . mat. . . . heb. . . isa . . . isa . . . rom. . . mat. . . joh. . . jer. . ● . jer. . . pro. . . isa . . , . james . . eccl. . . mat. . . v. . v. . v. . psa . . . mat. . . jam. . . antick head-dresses discovers the vanity of the heart . cor. . . heb. . . psa . . . sin is likened to chaff . mat. . . ger. . . chap. . . . jer. . so jer. . . why the saints are compared to wheat . prov. . psa . . . mat. . ult . eph. . . rom. . . v. . & . mat. . king . . heb. . . the church is christs spritual garner . heaven is christs garner . rev. . . what meant by burning up the chaff . psa . . . psa . . . nah. . . jer. . . nah. . . rev. . . dan. . . . thess . . . psa . . . . heb. . ult . isa . . , , , , , zeph. . . rom. . . nah. . . heb. . . eph. . . cor. . . pet. . . isa . . : isa . . . math. . . the wrath of god , whether internal or external , is intollerable . amos , . isa . . . isa . . . mat . . mal. . ult . cor. . , . sam. . . joh. . . phil. . . serm. ii. preached march . . gods wrath opened . job . . joh. . . external wrath opened . deut. . . levit. . , . vers isa . . . job . . . internal wrath explained . thes . . . internal wrath on the consciences of men opened . see the relation of him at large , sold by a. and j. churchil , at the black swan in pater-noster-row . the narrative concerning mr. child is sold by tho. fabian at the bible in cheapside , and worthy it is , reader , of thy perusal . the fire of gods eternal wrath opened . mark . , , , , , . psa . . . tormens of hell inconceivable . hells torments according to the fear of them . heb. . . no pains like the pains of hell. luk. . . no ease , no comfort in hell. his wrath without mixture . rev. . . thess . . . psa . . . the damned cast into a la c of fire . isa . . . hell torments can never satisfie divine justice . mat. . . the torments of hell seize on the souls of the damned . body and soul both shall be tormented in hell. conscience will torment the damned . dan. . . shame wil torment the damned . the devil will upbraid the damned . the sorrow and despair of the damned will be great . the wicked in hell shall have the frightful company of devils . hell is a dark place . exod. . . jude . torments of the wicked eternal . mark . thess . . , . rom. . . rev. . . . sin the greatest evil . cor. , . jam. . , , . mat. . . mal. . , . rev. . . isa . . . mat. . . luk. . . heb. . . joh. . . mark . . heb. . . joh. . . psa . . . cor. . . . prov. . , . joh. . . mat. . . directions . comfort to believers . thess . . . notes for div a -e serm. . preach'd feb. . / ● . parts of the text. john . . acts . , . believers christ's sheep by choice . tim. . . by donation . joh. . . joh. . . isa . . . by purchase . cor. . , . rom. . . isa . . . pet. . , . acts . . by renovation . cor. . , . eph. . . by holy covenant and contract . heb. . . jer. . . by conquest . by a holy resignation . cor. . . tim. . . eph. . . john . . acts . . john . . eph. . . john . . job . , . cor. . . rom. . . psal . . . hos . . . gal. . . heb. . . sam. . . john . . mich. . . psal . . . serm. . preach'd feb. . - . how christ's sheep do hear his voice . mat. . . luke . . psal . . psal . . . psal . . . thess . . . acts . . isa . . . john . . john . . rom. . . chron. . . isa . . . psal . . . acts . . psal . . . mat. . mat. . . heb. . . john . . mat. . . dr. owen . john . , . john . . heb. . , . gal. . . joh. . . & . , . john . . luke . . acts . . john . . pet. . . psal . . . heb. . . heb. . , . isa . . . cor. . . col. . . heb. . . acts . . heb. . . rom. . . rom. . . the new doctrine , or rather new gospel . pet. . . cor. . , , . acts . . serm. . john . , . tim. . . isa . . . deut. . . john . , . exod. . . john . . rev. . . jer. . . joh. . . rev. . . joh. . . john . . rev. . . ezek. . . mat. . exod. . . rev. . . rev. . . tim. . . tim. . . sam. . . psal . . , , , . job . . job . . . psal . . . dan. . . job . . job . . cor. . . rom. . . heb. . . serm. iv. why believers are compared to sheep . cor. . . cor. . . isa . . . psal . . . levit. . , , , . gen. . . psal . . . cant. . . cant. . . ezek. . psal . . . psal . . . john . mal. . . psal . . . acts . . john . . psal . . . isa . . . hab. . , . matth. . mat. . , . charnock . gal. . . christ's sheep do follow him . joh. . . pet. . . mat. . . phil. . . eph. . , . eph. . . . joh. . . pet. . , . heb. . . cor. . . heb. . , . john . . john . . gen. . , . verse . isa . . , . ruth . , , . rev. . . num. . . joh. . . heb. . . mat. . christ's sheep have his mark on them . ezek. . . eph. . , . eph. . . rom. . . heb. . . christ's sheep follow the footsteps of the flock . jude . cor. . . phil. . , . psal . . , . cor. . . christ's sheep trust in the faithfulness of their shepherd . psal . . , . job . . luke . . serm. v. christ a chosen shepherd . isa . . . isa . . . a called shepherd . heb. . . cor. . . christ a compassionate shepherd . mat. . . luk. . . isa . . . pet. . . mat. . , . john . . isa . . . isa . . . sam. . , . verse . john . . isa . . . gen. . . cor. . . rev. . . john . . christ the good shepherd . john . . dan. . . jesus christ a wise shepherd . christ is a great shepherd . pet. . . heb. . . heb. . . acts . , . christ a watchful shepherd . luke . . psal . . , , . isa . . . prov. . jer. . . christ is a living shepherd . rev. . . psal . . . what christ pastures are . christ's word one of the pastures where his sheep feed . psal . . . jer. . . john . . christ's ordinances a rich pasture . cant. . . luke . . acts . , . john . . acts . . acts . . tilenus his disput . p. , . baptism precious soul-food . * grave . rom. . , . the lord's supper precious soul-food . rom. . . prayer a rich soul-pasture . sam . . . psal . . . john . . the promises are a rich pasture for christ's sheep . mat. . . psal . . . psal . . . the providences of god , and the saints experiences , a soul-fatning pasture . psal . . . sam. . . & . . psal . . . sam. . . psal . . . psal . . . isa . . . what christ's folds are . psal . . . joh. . . joh. . . cant. . . serm. vi. parts of the text. the terme explained . a three-fold life of man. acts . . acts . . gal. . . john . . rom. . . eph. . , . eph. . , . heb. . . joh . . joh. . . * joh. . , . joh. . . rom. . , . how to know we are spiritually alive . arminianism detected . dr. owen . cor. . . eph. . , , . salvation a free gift . joh. . . ephes . . , . tit. . . rom. . . gal. . . gal. . . rom. . . rom. . . rom. . , . rom. . . joh. . . john . , , . tit. . , , , . gal. . , . tim. . . eph. . . rom. . . joh. . . gal. . . rom. . . rom. . . phil. . . eph. . . acts . . ezek. . . tim. . . rom. . . luke . . rev. . . isa . . , . why salvation is of grace . mat. . . john . . eph. . . mr. j. c. rom. . , . eph. . , . eph. . , . joh. . . rom. . . heb. . . acts . . joh. . luk. . . john. . . col. . . tim. . . john . , . cor. . . joh. . . joh. . . free-will detected and confuted . tim. , . mat. . . mark . . luk. . . eph. . , , . rom. . . joh. . , , . jam. . . mr. c. john . . rom. . . chap. . . joh. . . joh. . . joh. . . cor. . . isa . . . serm. vii . saints may fall into great and grievous evils . gen. . , . saints may fall from degrees in grace . rev. . . luke . . job . . job . . saints may fall from the doctrine of grace . gal. . . saints may fall from the profession of faith. mat. . . saints may fall and break all their bones . psal . . , . psal . . . psal . . saints may be without any light. psal . . . job . . psal . . , . isa . . . the causes of the grievous falls of god's elect ones . rom. . , . pet. . . sam. . . mat. . . & . , . eph. . . mat. . . king. . . ver. , , . pet. . . eph. . . judg. . . tim. . . john . . phil. . . matth. . mark . . cor. . . thess . . . * deut. . , . † luk. . . mark . . cor. . . heb. . . jer. . . the grand doctrine opened . the first argument taken from election . eph. . . pet. . . rom. . . the first argument explained . mal. . . eph. . . acts . . particular election proved . rom. . . rom. . . jer. . . john . . rom. . . verse . john . . acts . . acts . . thess . . , . tim. . . pet. . . if i am elected , i shall be saved ; if not , i shall be damned . this grand objection answered . phil. . . mr. mead. tim. . . acts . , . vers . . jude . hos . . . mat. . . annotators . psal . . . rom. . , . sermon viii . first arg. the election of grace proves that the saints cannot finally fall . mr. cole . job . . isa . . . isa . . , . eph. . . heb. . . heb. . . mat. . . rom. . . rom. . . eph. . . eph. . . isa . . . rom. . . john . . john . . jer. . . job . . col. . . col. . . thess . . . isa . . . thess . . . mat. . . the general argument . d. arg. saints cannot finally fall , taken from the nature of god's love to them . jer. . . john . . zeph. . isa . . . rom. . , . annotat. on cor. . . isa . . . psal . . , , . ezek. . . isa . . , . jer. . , . isa . . . rom. . . isa . . isa . . , . joh. . . ver. . john . . heb. . , . & . . act. . . mat. . . rom. . . psal . . . gen. . . rom. . . mich. . . hos . . . heb. . . joh. . . john . . rom. . , . rom. . . from what principles believers resist sin , dare not sin . sermon ix . d. arg. taken from the nature of christ's love. the love of christ is an early love. prov. . v. , . a love of complacency . christ loves his people with a wonderful love. ezek. . . rom. . . phil. . , . luke . . mat. . . mat. . . john . . rev. . . eph. . . eph. . , . christ's love to his people , an immense or infinite love. job . . rom. . . joh. . . job . , . eph. . . & , , . jer. . . joh. . . john . . joh. . . christ's love is a conjugal love. hos . . , . christ's love an attracting love. king. . , . a free love. the general argument . christ's special love-tokens . rom. . . ezek. . . isa . . . ch. . . rom. . . cant. . , . psal . . . cant. . . isa . . . psal . . . st . exhort . joh . . chron. . . sam. . . rev. . . cant. . . eph. . . the fourth a 〈◊〉 taken from the nature of the covenant of grace . isa . . , . zech. . , . psal . . . verse , . john . , , . phil. . . psal . . . isa . . . phil. . . psal . . . dr. owen . ● sam. . . isa . . ephes . . , . gal. . , . ephes . . , . eph. . . zech. . . rom. . . heb. . . dr. owen on heb. . . p. . ps . . . j●● . . , . rom. . . isa . . . psal . . , . gal. . , . cor. . . tit. . . heb. . , , . ephes . . , . ch. . . isa . . , . isa . . . the general argument . sermon x. th . arg. taken from their being the children of god. jam. . . joh. . . mat. . , , , , . john . . joh. . . gal. . . john . . gen. . . pet. . . gal. . . jer. . . ch. . . rom. . . isa . . psal . . . how believers may be said not to commit sin. joh. . . joh. . . eccles . . . rom. . . rom. . . rom. . . joh. . . v. , . ver. . joh. . . joh. . . the general argument . eph. . . john . . acts . pet. . , . mal. . . joh. . . eph. . . zech. . . john . , . sermon xi . the sixth argument taken from the soul's union with christ . dr. owen . cor. . . joh. . . eph. . , . cor. . . eph. . . ephes . . , . cor. . . ps . . . rom. . . dr. owen . joh. . , . mat : . . john . . gal. . , . john . . isa . . . john . . rom. . . john . . john . . col. . . heb. . . , . luk. . . john . . charnock . cor. . . cor. . , . col. . . rom. . . sermon xi . the seventh argument taken from the death of christ . heb. . . john . . dan. . . john . . pet. . . rom. . . isa . . , . cor. . . isa . . . gal. . , . rom. . . mr. f. dr. owen shews the same , and many others . rom. . . john . . luk. . . heb. . . isa . . , , , . christ hath delivered all believers from condemnation . pet. . . isa . . . isa . . . rom. . . christ the antitype of the scape-goat , and carried away our sins . levit. . , . heb. . . christ by his death hath delivered us from the curse of the law. dan. . gal. . . . gal. . . christ hath born all god's vindictive wrath due to believers . rom. . , , , . john . . christ by his death purchased grace for us . phil. . . joh. . , . heb. . . christ by his death redeemeth us from all sin. tit. . . eph. . , . phil. . , , . john . . assertors of general redemption reprehended . pet. . . examen confectionis pacificae . joh. . . ver. . examen confectionis pacificae . john . , . dr. chauncy in his treatise of the doctrine of godliness , p. , . eph. . . * joh. . , . & . . & . , . mat. . , . joh. . . john . . cor. . . tim. . . a minister in glostershire , as i am told , of the presbyterian perswasion . gen. . . to eat blood , the life of the creature , unlawful . joh. . . tim. . . sermon xiii . the eighth argument taken from the effects of christ's death and resurrection . rom. . , . col. . , . pet. . . rom. . , . cor. . . reconciliation the effect of christ's death . eph. . . rom. . . rom. . . tim. . . zech. . . acts . , . isa . . . ezek. . . rom. . . thess . . . ezek. . . rom. . . gal. . , . joh. . . eph. . . rom. . . eph. . . & . . john . col. . . gal. . . heb. . , . reader , these things were enlarged upon when this sermon was preached , which i am forc'd to leave out here . acts . . pet. . . ver. . heb. . . rom. . . phil. . , , . eph. . , , . heb. . . rom. . . the general argument . acts . . sermon xiv . th arg. taken from their being in the hand of the father , and in christ's hand . isa . . act. . . rom. . . isa . . . cor. . . john . . col. . . psal . ● . . isa . . . & . . heb. . . king. . . gen. . gen. . . philem. , . phil. . . isa . . mat. . , . heb. . . joh. . . isa . . . joh. . . mat. . . john . . cor. . . heb. . . heb. . , . in what respect the saints are said to be in christ's hand . joh. . . isa . . . psal . . , . isa . . , . jer. . . cor. . . psa . . . psal . . . verse . the general argument . sermon xv. mat. . . mat. . . contin . of mr. pool 's annotat. joh. . . mat. . joh. . . hos . . . mat. . . grace compared to leaven . grace compared to fire . grace is a vital principle . joh. rom. . . tit. . . true grace is of a saving nature . grace the off-spring of heaven . gen. . . god the father is the foundation of grace . pet. . . grace god's workmanship in the soul. eph. . . the power of god concerned to preserve grace in us . pet. . . the promises of god secures grace in us . psal . . , . phil. . . it cannot stand consistent with the wisdom of god , and all other attributes , to let grace utterly fail in us . tim. . . christ is the purchaser , the author and finisher of grace . tit. . . acts . . charnock . joh. . , . heb. . . verse . the intercession of christ , secures the saints in a state of grace . joh. . . heb. . . heb. . , . the general argument . cor. . . mat. . luke . . rom. . . isa . . . tit. . , . sermon xvi . how could the birth of christ be cause of joy to all people , answered . joel . . col. . . luk. . . mark . . see p. . . of this treatise . doctrine of election and perseverance , opens no door to sin. ●●b . . . eph. . . cor. . . col. . . mark . ● . isa . . . phil●● . . ephes . . , , . rom. , . allen 's glass of justificat . what work of salvation man cannot work out . ephes . . , . what work it is we are to work out . phil. . . rom. . . mat. . . tim. . . tim. . , . acts . . ezek. . . rom. . . cor. . . jude . isa . . . heb. . . the absurdities that attend the doctrine of final apostacy . charnock . * see dr. owen , in his answer to mr. john goodwin , pag. , , . psa . . . practical discourse , pag. . deut. . mat. . . rom. . . deut. . . jer. . . notes for div a -e serm. . afterwards i was informed who it was that sent it to me . mr. john goodwin 's sense of the subjects 〈◊〉 meant . the sense of some of the antient fathers of this text. mr. david dickson . what the persons are that the apostle here intends . what things do accompany salvation . heb. . . love to the poor saints , a blessed sign of true grace . the nature of the common illuminations of the spirit . mat. . . mat. . . the nature of the special illuminations of the spirit . acts . . zech. . . acts . . acts , . joh. . . psal . . . ezek. . . ezek. . . job . . psal . . . rom. . . psal . . . hos . . . psal . . . gen. . . cor. . . gal. . . thess . . . prov. . . pet. . . psal . . . cor. . , , . serm. ii. what meant by the heavenly gift . how some unrenewed persons may be said to be partakers of the holy ghost . pet. . . sam. . , . rom. . . thess . . . why the word of god is called good . ps . . . psal . . . psal . . . col. . . cor. . . thess . . . joh. . . reader , these things were enlarged upon , but i am forc'd to leave out the enlargements here . psal . . . mat. . . psal . . . pet. . . mat. . . john . , . mat. . . psal . . , . cor. . , . what a kind of taste a believer hath of god and his word . psal . . . mat. . . job . . ps . . . psal . . . jer. . . isa . . . psal . . . psal . . . psal . . . luk. . . dr. owen , p. , . heb. . . heb. . , . what is meant by the world to come . rev. . . pet. . . what is meant by christ's delivering up the kingdom to the father . job . . rev. . . luke . , . the nature and glory of the world to come opened . rev. . . isa . . . rom. . . acts . . pet. . . isa . . . dan. . . dan. . . rev. . . isa . . . isa . . . isa . . . jer. . . isa . . . rev. . . thess . . , . mat. . . rev. . . tim. . . jam. . . psal . . . rom. . rev. . the riches of the world to come opened . phil. . ult . jam. . , . tim. . . joh. . , . psa . . ult . the honours of the world to come . mat. . the joys and pleasures of the world to come . psal . . . psa . . . cor. . . how to have interest in the world to come . mat. . . rev. . . serm. iii. pet. . . phil. . . thess . . . vers . . what a taste of the world to come a false professor may have . mat. . . isa . . . isa . . . rom. . . acts . . joh. . . col. . . heb. . . ver. , . how it is impossible for these to be renewed unto repentance . heb. . . dickson . mat. . . heb. . , . ps . . . thess . . , , . what is not the sin against the holy ghost . jer. . . jer. . . joh. . . what the sin against the holy ghost is . pet. . . mat. . heb. . . heb. . . mat. . , . pet. . , , . verse . notes for div a -e sermon . reader , this treatise is swollen so big already , that i can give thee little more than the heads of the sermons on this texts . gospel-salvation great salvation comparatively . psa . . . gospel-salvation great in it self . rev. . . prov. . , , job . tit. . . tim. . . gospel-salvation great in respect of that counsel held in eternity about it . zech. . . 't is a great salvation in respect of the design of it . cor. . . cor. . . col. . . joh. . . gospel-salvation great considering how low man was fallen , and the seasonableness of it . rom. . . job . . job . . serm. ii. gospel-salvation great , considering the persons that brought it about . psal . . . isa . . . what part of this salvation is attributed to god the father . cor. . . heb. . . joh. . . cor. . . rom. . . joh. . . eph. . . joh. . . what a part christ hath in working out this salvation . christ is a great saviour . phil. . . isa . . . isa . . . heb. . , . phil. . . isa . . . heb. . . joh. . . isa . . . rev. . . heb. . . isa . . . the h. ghost hath his part in working about our salvation . isa . . . acts . verse . * god calls the gentiles , or whom he pleases among them , as well as the jews ; which peter might not understand before now . gal. . . mat. . . joh. . . joh. . . mat. . , . mat. . . rev. . . phil. . . serm. iii. great salvation in respect of what we are delivered from . the evil of sin opened . sam. . . psal . . . exod. . . chron. . . rom. . . gen. . , . psal . . . rom. . . cor. . . isa . . . acts . . ezek. . , , , . sinners are under god's curse . gal. . . gal. . . cor. . . rom. . . psa . . . heb. . ult . luke . . gospel-salvation is great , in respect of what christ doth and must do , in order to effect it . pet. . , ● . heb. . . verse . rom. . . joh. . . cor. . , . heb. . . gal. . . gal. . . gal. . . heb. . , . phil. . ult . tim. . . cor. . . cor. . . ver. , . serin . iv. salvation great in respect of the subjects of it . mat. . . zech. . . joh. . . job . . cor. . . the soul is capable of divine contemplation . ps . . ver. . cor. . , . nothing but god himself can satisfy the soul. god's thoughts greatly let out about the soul of man. psal . . . nothing but christ's blood could redeem the soul. mich. . . rom. . . the rage of satan to destroy the soul , shews it is a precious thing . could a man gain all the world with the loss of his soul , his loss would be great . the soul is immortal . mar. . . luk. . . phil. . . cor. . . verse . luke . phil. . . eccles . . . pet. . , . cor. . , . heb. . . acts . . rom. . . john . . phil. . . job . . acts . . mark . . ezek. . . serm. v. gospel-salvation great considering what we are raised unto by it . heb. . . col. . . pardon of sin contained in gospel-salvation . isa . . : isa . . . rom. . . rom. . , . union with god a blessing of gospel-salvation . joh. . . acts . . the nature of justification opened . gal. . . rom. . , , . col. . . cant. . . ezek. . , . heb. . . psa . . . job . . job . . rom. . . gal. . . joh. . . gal. . . heb. . , , , . psal . . , . prov. . . luke . . john . heb. . . pet. . . rev. . . serm. vi. gospel-salvation great because 't is a full and compleat salvation . col. . . . john . . joh. . . eph. . . eph. . , , . isa . . . eph. . . ezek. . . psal . . eph. . . rom. . . cor. . . ps . . . zech. . . jer. . . joh. . joh. . . rev. . . eph. . , . isa . . . luk. . . rev. . . isa . . . john . , . act. . . heb. . . isa . . . john . . john . . prov. . . psal . . . god in the salvation of the gospel , is the portion of believers . gen. . . psal . . . lam. . . serm. vii . gospel-salvation great in respect of christ , who was the great minister of it . heb. . . mat. . . mat. . . heb. . , . verse . heb. . . cor. : . luke . . mat. . , . gospel-salvation great considering its wonderful confirmation . heb. . , . joh. . . ver. . luke . , . joh. . . joh. . . mat. . , . the salvation of the gospel great in that the angels behold it with admiration . tim. . . eph. . . gospel-salvation great and glorious , because it is a free salvation . isa . . , . rev. . . salvation eternal , therefore great . isa . . . isa . . . sermon viii . who may be said to neglect this salvation . cor. . . tim. . . jer. . . jer. . . cor. . , . isa . . , . prov. . , . john . , . job . . psal . . . isa . . . acts . . psal . . . cor. . , . rev. . . john . , . a summary account of the precedent arguments to prove salvation great . sermon ix . from whence it is many people neglect their own salvation . rev. . . from whence ignorance and blindness of men proceeds . hos . . . cor. . , . mat. . , . ver. . luke . . ver. , , . mat. . , . luk. . . unbelief the greatest sin. heb. . , . heb. . . joh. . . joh. . . rom. . . sermon x. psal . . , . eph. . . john . . isa . . . joh. . . joh. . . john . . luke . . john . , . rom. . . acts . . mat. . . john . . rom. . . isa . . . cant. . . isa . . , . charnock . deut. . . mark . . john . , . rom. . . john . . isa . . . sermon xi . joh. . . mark . . acts . . prov. . . john . . john . . all the divine attributes plead against such who neglect the salvation of the gospel . thess . . . psal . . . satan's work it is to hinaer mens salvation . joh. . . ●am . . . reader , 〈…〉 these sermons 〈…〉 . sermon xii . rom. . . joh. . . joh . . mat. . . luke . . phil. . , . mark . the causes and reasons why they cannot escape that neglect gospel-salvation . john . . acts . . mich. . heb. . , . heb. . , . mark . . nah. . . mat. . , . psal . . , . mat. . . thess . . . sermon xiii . the time when sinners shall not escape . zeph. . . jer. . . luke . . ezck. . . tim. . . jer. . , . luke . . thess . . . job . . . pet. . . what the nature of that wrath is the wicked shall not escape . psa . . . thess . . ● . rev. . . zeph. . , . isa . . . nah. . . psal . . . thess . . . rev. . , . thess . . cor. . ult . sermon xiv . eccl. . . mal. . . pet. . . luke . . amos . . isa . . isa . . luke . , . mark . . john . , . cor. . , . rev. . . levit. . , . rom. . . what kind of sinners wrath shall fall upon . rom. . , . cor. . , . gal. . , , . rev. . . rom. . . mat. . phil . , joh. . . mark . . joh. . . mat. . . pet. . , , . cor. . . eccles . . . rom. . , . mat. . . sermon xv. heb. . . pen ' s sandy foundation shaken , p. . rom. . , . gal. . , . luk. . . joh. . . terror . deut. . , . mat. . . mat. . , . mar. . . lamentat . reproof . exhortat . isa . . . rom. . . eph. . . joh. . . how persons may know they have an interest in christ . pet. . . ps . . . cant. . phil. . , . cor. . . two treatises of mr. jeremiah burroughs. the first of earthly-mindedness, wherein is shewed, . what earthly-mindedness is. ... . directions how to get our hearts free from earthly-mindedness. the second treatise. of conversing in heaven, and walking with god. wherein is shewed, . how the saints have their conversation in heaven. ... . rules for our walking with god. the fourth volumn [sic] published by thomas goodwyn. william greenhil. sydrach simpson. philip nye. william bridge. john yates. william adderley. burroughs, jeremiah, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing b a estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) two treatises of mr. jeremiah burroughs. the first of earthly-mindedness, wherein is shewed, . what earthly-mindedness is. ... . directions how to get our hearts free from earthly-mindedness. the second treatise. of conversing in heaven, and walking with god. wherein is shewed, . how the saints have their conversation in heaven. ... . rules for our walking with god. the fourth volumn [sic] published by thomas goodwyn. william greenhil. sydrach simpson. philip nye. william bridge. john yates. william adderley. burroughs, jeremiah, - . goodwin, thomas, - . [ ], , - , - , - , [ ] p. printed for peter cole, at the printing-press in cornhill, near the royal exchange, london : . 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- ali jakobson sampled and proofread - ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion two treatises of mr. jeremiah burroughs . the first of earthly-mindedness , wherein is shewed , . what earthly-mindedness is . . the evils of earthly-mindedness . . several convincements of earthly-mindedness . . several reasons of earthly-mindedness . . considerations to take off the heart from earthly-mindedness . . directions how to get our hearts free from earthly-mindedness . the second treatise . of conversing in heaven , and walking with god. wherein is shewed , . how the saints have their conversation in heaven . . how the saints trade for heaven . . evidences of heavenly conversation . . that heavenly conversation is , . convincing . . growing . . brings much glory to god. . brings much glory to the saints . . it will make suffering easie , . brings much joy . . it 's very safe . . directions for heavenly conversation . . what walking with god is . . the excellency of walking with god. . evidences of our walking with god. . rules for our walking with god. the fourth volumn published by thomas goodwyn . william bridge . william greenhil . john yates . sydrach simpson . philip nye . william adderley . london , printed for peter cole , at the printing-press in cornhill , near the royal exchange , . to the reader . it was the saying of a servant of christ , every day a christian spends on earth , is a day lost in heaven ; sure he meant it of the place , not the company , for what makes heaven , but vnion and communion with god in jesus christ ? now this being attainable in this life what hinders but a christian may live in heaven whilst he lives upon earth ? truly our fellowship is with the father , & with his son jesus christ , job . . and our conversation is in heaven ( saith another apostle ) phil. . . and i live , yet not i , but christ liveth in me , and the life which i now live in the flesh , i live by the faith of the son of god , gal. . . these were men on earth , subject to such infirmities as these are , yet lived in heaven ; and there are yet in this declining , wanton , christ-denying age , a generation upon earth thus living , whose lives and graces , though hidden under a mean out side , under many reproaches and infirmities , yet shine inwardly with the glory of christ upon them , who though they be in the world , yet follow the lord with a spirit differing from the spirit of the world ; and amongst these hidden ones of the lord , this blessed man ( the preacher of these sermons , of whom the world was not worthy ) was such a one , who whilst he was upon earth , lived in heaven ; and as thou maiest easily perceive , the end and scope of these sermons is , to winde up thy heart to the like frame and posture ; viz. to take it off from perishing vanities , and to set it upon that which is the real and durable substance : we see upon what weak shoulders the fair neck of all worldly pomp and glory now stands , and how the lord is winding up , and putting an end to the glories of the kingdoms of men , who have not contributed their strength and power to the advancing , but contrariwise , to the pulling down and ecclypsing of the glory of the kingdom of jesus christ : besides what the world tells us , never had any age by the works of providence , more examples laid before them of the worlds vanity , than in our daies ; and therefore our hearts should s●t loose to all things that cannot stretch themselves to eternity : the apostles reason is full of weight , it remains ( saith he ) that both they that have wives , be as though they had none , and they that weep , as though they wept not , and they that rejoyce , as though they rejoyced not , and they that buy , as though they possessed not , and they that use the world , as not abusing it ; and this exhortation he puts on by this argument , the time is short , or as the word is , the remainder of our season is now folding up , as a sail or curtain into a narrow room : time is short , and life shorter , and the end of all things is at hand , and we have greater things to minde , and to set our hearts upon . the divinityy of this holy mans spirit did much appear in this , that having much of the comfort that earth could afford him , he still looked upon all creatures contentments with the eyes of a stranger , and on order to the raising up of his soul to a more holy , humble , serviceable , self denying walking with god. for him that injoyes little or nothing in the world , to speak much of the worlds vanity and emptynesse and of taking the heart off that , the sweetness whereof he never possessed , is not so much , as when a man is surrounded with the confluence of creature-comforts , then by a divine spirit to tread upon the neck of these things , and to be caught up into the third heaven , bathing , solacing and satisfying it self with sweet and higher injoyments , with the more savory and cordial apprehensions it hath of jesus christ ; this is somewhat like him that is made partaker of the divine nature , and that lives above the world in the injoyment of the world ; so that now reader thou hast these sermons twice printed , once in the practice of this holy man , and now again in these papers which we present to thee in this preaching stile ( though we confess things might have been more contracted ) because we find this way more desired , more acceptable to his hearers , and if we mistake not , more working upon the affections , and more profitable to the greatest part of christians . the lord jesus be with thy spirit , and go along with these and all other his precious labors , to the furtherance of the joy of thy faith , building thee up in the inner man , and directing thee in the way to thine eternal rest . thomas goodwyn , william greenhil , sydrach simpson , philip nye , william bridge , john yates , william adderley , thou hast here the names of al the books of mr. jeremiah burroughs , that are published by us , thomas goodwyn , william greenhil , sydrach simpson , philip nye , william bridge , john yates , william adderley . the first volumn the rare jewel of christian contentment . the second volumn gospel worship . the third volumn gospel conversation . the fourth volumn two treatises , the one of earthly-mindedness , the other of conversing in heaven , and walking with god. the contents of the fourth voluumn . philip. . . chap. i. text opened page doctrine there is a great difference between a wicked man and a godly man , the one minds the earth : the other , his conversation is in heaven chap. ii. earthly-mindedness discovered in nine particulars when men look upon earthly things as the greatest things . when the choicest of their thoughts are busied about earthly things ▪ when their hearts cleave to the earth page when their hearts are filled with distracted cares about the earth . when the greatest endeavors of their lives are about things of the earth when they seek any earthly thing for its self and not in subordination to some higher good when they are earthly in spiritual things when they pass by great difficulties about earthly matters and they seem little to them ibid when they conceive of the most heavenly truth in an earthly way page chap. iii. fourteen evils of earthly-mindedness it is adultery it is idolatry ibid object . what idolatry is there in it ? answ . they depart from god they chuse rather to make the earth to be their god , than the infinit first-being of all things ibid it is enmity against god it is opposite and contrary to the work of grace before conversion to the call of conversion to the souls answer to this call ibid to the resigning up of the soul to god as the chiefest good after conversion to their work of grace grace brings a new light to the soul ibid make him a new creature is of an elevating nature ibid is of an enlarging nature ibid grace sanctifies the soul it puts men upon great temptations page it is one of the greatest bindrances to the profit of the ministry it causeth many foolish lusts in the heart it causeth them to follow after things that are vile ibid . it makes them a servant to their servants ibid a man might have more of it , and not mind it so much as he doth you pay a great deal more for it than 't is worth what he doth he must needs undo again they lose the comfort of earthly things before they have them it is the root of apostacy it doth wonderfully dead the heart in the prayer it is just with god , their names should be written in the earth they have the curse of the serpent upon them it is a dishonor to god , and a scandal to religion it doth exceedingly hinder preparation for death it will drown thy soul in perdition preparation to convincements . men may be earthly-minded and yet not know they are so page five things may be wrought in an earthly-minded man his judgment may be convinced that there is a vanity in them he may have some kind of contentment in them ib. they may speak great words about the vanity of this world ibid they may be free from getting any thing by deceit ibid they may dispise some earthly things ibid convincement when a man rests upon earthly props for the good he doth expect convincement when men make most provision for the things of this world for themselves and their children convincement when a man can be content with a slight assurance of heavenly things , but never thinks him sure enough for the matters of the earth convincement when he is contented with a little sanctification , but in things of this world would s●ill have more and more page convincement when they are very wise in matters of the world , but very weak in spiritual convincement when their discourses are of the world convincement when spiritual things must give way to earthliness convincement when they care not how it is with the church so it be well with them in things of the world ibid convincement when the more spiritual a truth is the lesse it takes with their hearts chap. iv. reasons of mens earthly-mindedness . the things of the earth appear reall to them , but heavenly things are but a notion they look upon them as the present necessary things ibid these things are most sutable to mens hearts they have a very fair shew to the flesh ib. men naturally know no better things there are earthly principles continually dropping into men by conversing with other men of the earth ibid the sensible experience they have of their sweetness page chap. v. considerations to take off the hearts of men from earthly-mindedness consideration if thou couldst possess all the things of the earth there is not so much good in them , as to countervail the evil of one sin consideration the chiefest things of the earth have been and are the portion of reprobates ibid consideration . god hath made man for higher things than the things of the earth consideration . the soul of a man is of too high a birth to have the strength of it spent about the things of the earth . consideration . all the things of the earth are uncertain consideration . consider what hath become of such men in former ages consideration . how short thy time is in this world page consid . . a little will serve the turn to carry us through this world consid . . there is no good to be had in them further than god is pleased to let himself through them consid . if you be godly god promiseth to take care of you for the things of the earth ibid consid . . all that are professors of religion should be dead to the world chap. vi exhortation to beware of earthly-mindedness chap. vii directions to get our hearts free from earthly-mindednesse be watchful over your thoughts be humbled for sin ibid set the exampls of the saints before you consider the great accompt we are to give for all earthly things ibid set the lord jesus christ before you the contents of the ensuing treatise of an heavenly-convesation . philippians , . . chap. i how far the examples of godly men should prevail with us page more than other examples more than the examples of rich men ibid more than the example of the multitude ibid more than the examples of those nearly related to us ibid they should be enough to take off prejudices that come from accusations of men ib. they should make us enquire after those waies page we should not oppose those waies they should prepare us to let in any truth they profess ibid they should confirm us in the truth chap. ii. what is to be done when examples of godly men are contrary it puts us to a strict examination which way hath most earthly inducements chap. iii rebuke to those that follow the example of the wicked , and reject the example of the godly page chap. iv two doctrines the saints are citizens of heaven their conversation while they are in this world is in heaven ibid chap. v how the saints are citizens of heaven their names are inroll'd there christ their head bath taken possession of heaven in their names ibid when they actually beleeve they take up their freedom they cannot again be as slaves ibid they have right to all the common stock and treasury of heaven ibid they have the same confirmation of their blessed estate that the angels have ibid they have priviledge of a free rtade to heaven page they have for he present communion with the angels ib. they have the protection of heaven ib. chap. vi how the saints have their conversation in heaven the aim of their hearts is heaven-wards they are acted by heavenly principles in their waies that god is all in all ib. that god is the infinite first being ib. they have communion with the god of heaven ib. they live according to the laws of heaven their soul is where it loves rather than where it lives they deilght in the same things that are done in heaven the sight of gods face the praising of god ib. the keeping a perpetual sabbath ib. they are heavenly in earthly imployments they are heavenly when they converse together their great trade upon earth is for heaven chap. vii the saints trading for heaven opened . they have skill in they commodity they trade for page they have a stock to trade withal they take the advantage of the market for commodities ib. there is much inter course ib. their chief stock is where they trade they are willing to part with any thing here to receive advantage where they trade ib. they trust much chap. vii evidences of mens having their conversations in heaven evidence . they canvilifie all the things on earth evidence they can be content and live comfortably with little in this world ib. evidence they can suffer hard things with joyful hearts evidence . their hearts are filled with heavenly riches evidence they are willing to purchase the priviledges of heavne at a dear rate ib. evidence they are sensible of the stoppages between heaven and their souls page evidence their willingness to die chap. ix reasons why the saints have their conversation in heaven ib. because their souls are from heaven by grace the soul hath a divine nature put into it their most choise things are in heaven god orders it so to wean their hearts from the world chap. x. use . to reprove such as have their conversations in hell chap. xi . use . to reprove hypocrites chap. xii . use . let us not find fault with the strictness of gods waies page chap. xiii . use . to reprove such as are godly and yet fail in this thing chap. xiv . an heavenly conversation is a convincing conversation chap. xv. a heavenly conversation is growing chap. xvi . a heavenly conversation brings much glory to god chap. xvii . a heavenly conversation brings much glory to the saints chap. xviii . a heavenly conversation will make sufferings easie chap. xix . a heavenly conversation brings much joy chap. xx. an heavenly conversation is very safe chap. xxi . an heavenly conversation gives abundant entrance into glory ibid chap. xxii . directions how to get a heavenly conversation direct . . be perswaded that it is attainable page direct . . labor to keep a cleer conscience direct . . watch opportunities for heavenly exercises ibid direct . rest not in formality direct . . labor to beat down your bodies . direct . . labor to be skilful in the mystery of godliness , to draw strength from christ in every thing you do ibid direct . . exercise the grace of faith much the contents of the ensuing treatise of walking with god. genesis , . . chap. i. text opened page chap. ii. doctrine . 't is the excellency of a christian to walk with god chap. iii. how the soul is brought to walk with god every one by nature goes astray from god the lord manifesteth to the soul the way of life ibid the lord makes peace between himself and a sinner . god renders himself lovely to the soul god sends his holy spirit to guide him christ takes the soul and brings it to god the father chap. iv what walking with god is . it causeth the soul to eye god it causeth a man to carry himself as in gods presence he makes gods will the rule of his will page the soul hath the same ends that god hath it suits the soul to the administrations of god to have a holy dependance upon god for direction for protection for assistance ibid for a blessing upon all it doth ibid it makes a man free and ready in the waies of god it consists in communion with god it causeth the soule to follow god more as he reveals himself more chap. v excellencies of walking with god excellency it makes the waies of god easie excellency it is most honorable excellency the soul hath blessed satisfaction in it excellency it is a special part of the covenant of god on our parts excellency there is a blessed safety in walking with god excellency hence the soul enjoys sweet familiarity with god excellency to them god communicates his secrets excellency they find favor in gods eyes for granting their petitions . excellency there is a glory put upon the soul excellency gods presence doth mightily draw forth every grace page excellency the presence of god shall never be terrible to the soul , neither at death nor judgment excellency it will be blessedness in the end chap. vii vses of exhortation vse blesse god that he will be pleased to walk thus with his poor creatures vse what strangers the world are to this walking with god vse what vile hearts are ours that we are so backward to walk with god vse let us keep close to god in our walking wtih him vse if there be so much excellency in walking with god here , what will there be in heaven chap. viii evidence of our walking with god evidence he depends not much upon sence and reason in the course of his life evidence he is the same in private that he is in publick evidence he hath a serious spirit evidence they walk in newness of life evidence when he hath to do with the creature he doth quickly passe through the creature unto god evidence he loves to be much retired from the world evidence he is careful to make even his accounts with god evidence the more spiritual any truth , or ordinance or any company is , the more the soul delights in it evidence he walk in all the commandements of god evidence see how the scripture describes it it is a walk of humility it is a walk of uprightness ibid it is a walk in the fear of god the comfort of the holy ghost is joyned with it it is a walk above they endeavour to walk as christ walked ibid chap. ix rules of direction for walking with god rule be sure there be no way of fin in thee rule labor to withdraw thy heart from earthly and sensual things rule evermore take christ with thee rule be careful to beautifie thy soul rule take heed of halting rule take heed of formality in holy duties rule take heed of secres slidings away from the truths of god rule labor to keep such a tenderness of spirit as to be sensible of the beginnings of declining rule labor to be spiritual in thy solitary times rule go on with a resolution in holy duties though thou see nothing come of them for the present rule make good interpretation of all gods dealings with thee chap. x an objection of gods hiding his face answered it is a good sign when thou art sensible of his withdrawings examine whether thou hast not some times shut out god from thee ibid it is better god withdraw than that we withdraw gods withdrawing his comfort is not alwaies the withdrawing his presence ibid if thou canst not see gods face , hearken to hear his voice keep thy self in a waiting frame for god finis . the names of several books printed by peter cole , at the sign of the printing-press in cornhil , by the exchange , london . a congregational church is a catholike visible church . by samuel stone . twelve several books of mr. william bridg , collected into one volumn . viz. the great gospel-mystery of the saints comfort and holiness , opened and applied from christs priestly office. satans power to tempt ; and christs love to , and care of his people under temptation . thankfulness required in every condition . grace for grace ; or , the overflowings of christs fulness received by all saints . the spiritual actings of faith , through natural impossibilities . evangelical repentance . the spiritual-life , and in-being of christ in all beleevers . the woman of canaan . the saints hiding-place in time of gods anger . christs coming is at our midnight . a vindication of ordinances . grace and love beyond gifts . four several books , by nich. culpeper , gent. student in physick and astrology . a physical directory : or a translation of the dispensatory , made by the colledg of physitians of london . whereunto is added , the key to galen 's method of physick . a directory for midwives ; or a guide for women . galen's art of physick . the english physitian ; being an astrologo-physical discourse of the vulgar herbs of this nation ; wherein is shewed how to cure a mans self of most diseases incident to mans body , with such things as grow in england , and for three-pence charge . also in the same book is shewed , . the time of gathering all herbs both vulgarly and astrologically . . the way of drying and keeping them and their juyces . the way of making and keeping all manner of useful compounds , made of those herbs . . the way of mixing the medicines according to cause , and mixture of the disease , and the part of the body afflicted . a godly and fruitful exposition , on the first epistle of peter . by mr. john rogers , minister of the word of god at dedham in essex . the wonders of the load-stone , by mr. samuel ward of ipswich . an exposition on the gospel of the evangelist st. matthew , by mr. ward . clows chirurgery . marks of salvation . christians engagement for the gospel , by john goodwin . great church ordinance of baptism . mr. love's case , containing his petitions , narrative , and speech . vox pacifica , or a perswasive to peace . dr. prestons saints submission , and satans overthrow . pious mans practice in parliament time. a treatise of the rickets , being a disease common to children ; wherein is shewed , . the essence . . the causes . . the signs . . the remedies of the disease . published in latin by dr. glisson , dr. bale , and dr. regemorter . mr. symsons sermon at westminster . mr. feaks sermon before the lord major . mr. phillips treatise of hell. — of christs geneology . seven books of mr. jeremiah burroughs lately published ; as also the texts of scripture upon which they are grounded . the rare jewel of christian contentment , on phil. . . wherin is shewed , . what contentment is , . it is an holy art and mystery , . the excellencies of it , . the evil of the contrary sin of murmuring , the aggravations of it . gospel-worship , on levit. . . wherin is shewed , . the right manner of the worship of god in general ; and particularly , in hearing the word , receiving the lords supper , and prayer . gospel-conversation , on phil. . . wherin is shewed , . that the conversations of beleevers must be above what could be by the light of nature , . beyond those that lived under the law , . and sutable to what truths the gospel holds forth . to which is added , the misery of those men that have their portion in this life only , on psal . . . a treatise of earthly-mindedness . wherin is shewed , what earthly-mindedness is , the great evil therof , on phil. . part of the . vers . also to the same book is joyned , a treatise of heavenly-mindedness and walking with god , on gen. . . and on phil. . . an exposition , on the fourth , fifth , sixth , and seventh chapters of the prohesie of hosea . an exposition on the eighth , ninth , and tenth chapters of hosea . an exposition on the eleventh , twelfth , and thirteenth chapters of hosea . a treatise of politick power , wherein questions are answered , . whereof power is made , and for what ordained ; . whether kings and governors have an absolute power over the people ; . whether kings and governors be subject to the laws of god , or the laws of their countries ; . how far the people are to obey their governors ; . whether all the people have be their governors ; . whether it be lawful to depose an evil governor ; : . what confidence is to be given to princes . the compassionate samaritan . six sermons , preached by dr. hill , collected into one volumn . dr. sibbs on the philippians . the best and worst magistrate , by obadiah sedgwick . the craft and cruelty of the churches adversaries , by matthew newcomin . a sacred panygrick , by steph. martial , barriffs military discipline . the immortality of mans soul. the anatomist anatomized . a treatise of earthly-mindedness . chap. i. the text opened . philip . . latter part of the . verse . — who mind earthly things . this precious scripture cleerly holds forth the different disposition of wicked and of godly men ; especially of such wicked men , as set themselves against the gospel ; for it relates to such as were professed enemies to the cross of christ , that labored what they could to hinder the success of the ministry of paul. you shall find if you look back a few verses , that this is meant of those kind of men especially , for he tels us , that many walk'd so , as they were enemies to the cross of christ : they were those that opposed the preaching of paul , and his ministry : and he describes those men what they were by divers characters , but i 'le treat of none but this , who mind earthly things . who mind earthly things ; who savour , or relish earthly things , so you may translate the word as well . it is a general word comprehending the actions and operations , both of the understanding and will : it is in scripture applied to both , but most commonly to the actions of the wil and affections ; we are particular in actions of the will. earthly things ] the things that are upon the earth , whatsoever they be , the beauty , the glory , and parentry of the earth ; the profits that are earthly , the pleasures and honors of the world ; who mind any things inordinatly that are sublunary accommodations . but we carry and behave our selves as free denizens of the city of heaven ; for so the words in the original are , if we should thus reade them : our city whereof we are citizens , and whereunto we have right , is heaven . but our conversation , our city converse , it is of things that are above the earth : when the apostle would have men to follow their example and not the example of others , in the . verse , he uses this as an argument , saith he , such and such men are enemies to the cross of christ , and they make their belly their god , and they mind earthly things : do not follow them , do not hearken what they say to you , they come up and down from house to house , and whisper this and that to you , and would take you off from the ways of god , god hath begun to enlighten you , and to stir your consciences , do not let the precious affections of your souls run wast towards them , but be ye followers of us as we are of christ ; for our conversation is in heaven with our lord and master , there comes in the argument in the . verse . so that being the only scope and meaning of the words , take this doctrinal truth . that this is the great difference between a wicked man and a godly man ; one minds earthly things : and the other hath his conversation in heaven . i intend to handle both these in order . one of these minds earthly things : it is a paralel scripture that we have in the . to the rom. . verse , for they that are after the flesh , do mind the things of the flesh . do mind , there is the same word , only here the participle , and there in the verb , but the meaning is the same , as they that are after the earth , mind earthly things : so they that are after the flesh savours fleshly things : the first part of this point , is the discription of wicked men , that are enemies to the crosse of christ , and to the waies of godliness , and they are men that mind earthly things , the more grosse of them are described before , to have their bellies to be their god , some of them are very sensual , druken , unclean , and altogether given to satisfie the flesh in fleshly lusts : but there are others that do not appear to be so brutish , yet they are men of earthly minds , savour only of earthly things , and these are the men that are secret enemies to the crosse of christ , yea , and wil many times appear so to be , it will break out at length : such a man whose spirit hath been earthly for a long time , will appear at length to be an enemy to christs crosse . now in the handling of this point , i will propound these five things to treat of . first . what it is to mind earthly things in a sinfull way : or thus , when a man may be said to be an earthly-minded man , that we may know when a man is an earthly-minded man , what it is to mind earthly things , that the apostle here describes a wicked man by . without the opening of this , al that i shall say afterwards will be but to little purpose . secondly . the great evil that there is in minding of earthly things : and i shall discover to you a greater evil in it than you are aware of . thirdly . lay down some convincements whereby those men and women that ( it may be ) think they are cleer from this sin , yet may have it discovered unto their consciences , that they are the men and women that do mind earthly things . fourthly . i shall search into the reason , why it is that the hearts of men and women are so much after earthly things . fifthly . i shall labour to take off your hearts from earthly things . these are the five things that are to be done in the first part of the point , namely , the character of wicked men here laid down , who mind earthly things . for the first . who they are , that mind earthly things . certainly , they are not all those that enjoy earthly things ; all men that do make use of earthly things , must not be condemned for minding earthly things . paul himself in this very epistle , where he wrote to these philippians , chap. . vers . . though he knew how to want , yet he knew how to abound : he could tell how to make use of earthly things , yea , and he gives charge , that all those that are instructed should make such as had instructed them partakers of all their goods . it may be , they would have said , is not this , to mind earthly things ? to require those that are instructed , to make those that did instruct them partakers of all their goods : paul doth charge this . yea , and christ himself , even in that scripture where he does labor most to take the thoughts of men off from the earth ; as not to take any thought , what they should eat , or drink , yet saith he , your heavenly father knows that yea have need of these things in the . of matthew : and gal. . . let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things : and if there be any pretence against it , yet saith he , be not deceived , god is not mocked ; for whatsoever a man soweth , that shall he also reap . thus therefore it is not here charged , as a note of an evil man , to have earthly things , and doth justly require what is due unto him , as here paul doth ; and the galatians could not charge him , as breaking his own rule which he wrote to the philppians ; and therefore we must enquire out somwhat else that 's here means , by minding earthly things . when a man or woman doth mind earthly things in a sinful way , and for that there are these several particulars considerable . chap. ii. earthly-mindedness discovered in nine particulars . the first is this , when a man looks upon earthly things as the greatest things of all , when he hath a high esteem of earthly things , as the things : as thus , oh if i had such and such things as others have , oh how happy should i be , how happy are such and such men that do enjoy such earthly things at their will , in their dwellings , their furniture , their comings in , oh these are the brave things , these are the delightful things , these are the things wherein felicity and happiness doth consist . when men shall promise to themselves felicity in any earthly things , then they mind earthly things . i remember golden mouth'd chrysostom hath a speech of a covetous man , that he looks upon his money , and he sees more beauty in his money than in the very sun it self that shines in the firmament : when men look upon the things of the earth as the most beautiful things in their eyes : certainly that man is in a distemper , when he puts such a high esteem upon any earthly things , this esteem is not according to what god and his saints do put upon earthly things , god never puts any great eminencie on any earthly thing ; he never made any earthly things to be any great conduit , or means of conveyance of any great good from himsel unto his creature ; if you would know what your heart , are , you may know it by this one sign as much as any what do you account your excellencie ? according to what any man or woman accounts their excellency to consist in , so are their hearts , their hearts are sutable ; in the . chap. of genesis , . . verses . you shall find there isaac blessing of jacob and esau , he blesses them both : but now , what i would observe is this , the difference in the placing of them , you shall observe , the blessing of jacob in the . verse , therefore god giveth of the dew of heaven , and the fatness of the earth , and plenty of corn and wine , that 's jacob's blessing : now look to esau's blessing , for the blessing was sutable to their disposition , and jacob's father answered and said unto him , behold thy dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth , and of the dew of heaven from above : mark , isaac blesses them both with the dew of heaven and fatness of the earth ; but now , in jacob's blessing the dew of heaven is first , and the fatness of the earth is in the second place ; but in esau's blessing the fatness of the earth is first , and then the dew of heaven : noting this , that a godly man indeed , doth stand in need of the things of the earth , as christ saith , your father knows you stand in need of this things ; i but the great thing in the first place that a godly heart doth mind , it t s , the dew of heaven , and then in the second place , the blessing of the erath ; but now , a carnal heart doth think it hath some need of the things of heaven , it will acknowledge that : i but in the first place it's the fatness of the earth they desire : and secondly the dew of heaven , so that that 's the first thing : earthly minded men look upon these things as the high and chief things , and hence it is that the choise of the thoughts of an earthly-minded man is carried out on worldly objects . secondly , when the cream and choise of the thoughts of men and women are busied about earthly things then they mind earthly things in a sinful manner : you may know what your hearts are by your thoughts as much as any thing , the thoughts are the immediate ebulitions or risings up of the heart ( as i may so call them ) that is the bubbles that come from the heart immediately ; a man cannot know what is in his heart so much by words and actions , as by the thoughts , because the thoughts immediately spring from the heart , as thus , i can tell what the water is in such a fountain better from that that bubbles up immediatly from the fountain-head , than i can tell by the water that runs in the stream a mile or two off , for there may many things intervene in the stream a mile or two off that never came from the fountain-head , but that that immediately bubbles from the fountain-head , that discovers of what nature the fountain is : so the thoughts are as it were the first born of the heart , and therefore the heart may be known what it is by the thoughts , prov. . . saith the holy ghost there , as he thinketh in his heart , so is he ; that which is here spoken in a particular case may be applied in the general , as a man thinks in his heart so is he , as his thoughts are so is he : so is the heart as the thoughts of the mind are , men may keep in words and actions out of by-respects , i but if you could know what the heart is , and look into the haunts of it in secret , that would discover to your selves what you are : as now , many of your servants , when they are in your presence before you or before others they may out of divers respects carry themselves fairly , but if you would find them out , labour to know what they do when they are alone in their private haunts : so , would you know your own hearts ? do not so much look at them , and take a scantling of them by how you behave your selves in words and actions before others , but what they are in your private chambers , what they are in the inward thoughts of the mind , there the heart comes to be discovered most ; and by these thoughts i do not mean every kind of injection , or suggestion , for sometimes the devil may cast in evil thoughts into the most holy ; but i mean such thoughts as are sweet to the soul , whereby the soul comes to suck out sweetness , and contentment , for that 's the minding earthly things , when you find the strength of your thoughts to be upon the things of the earth : and they are more sutable to your hearts than any other : it is not when through weakness the mind may be wandring this way or that way , or through suggestions or temptations ; but now , when men or women are most themselves when alone and free , then for to examine what are the most sutable thoughts to their hearts , can you say when you are alone , oh the very thoughts of god are sweet to me , immediate in his law day and night , and suck out sweetness there as from an hony comb ? but an unclean wretch will suck out sweetness of his unclean thoughts when he is alone ; and so the earthly minded man will suck out the sweetness of his earthly thoughts , and so the ambitious man the sweetness of his pride when he is alone , and these are the most contentful thoughts to him , he can run along if it be two or three hours together and take delight and pleasure in them : here 's earthly-mindedness . the third thing is this , an earthly-minded man , is one whose heart cleaves to the earth : for so i told you the word was , not only to mind , but to savour the things of the earth : his heart doth cleave to the earth : the psalmist in a far differing case said , that his soul did cleave to the dust : but it 's true of many men in this case that i am speaking of , their very souls do cleave to the dust , their spirits are mixed with the earth , and therefore they are drossie : though it may be they have some good common gifts , some good natural parts , and some workings of the holy ghost upon them , yet their spirits are drossie : because they are mixt with the earth : discourse never so much to these men of the vanity of the things of the earth , they will give you the hearing , but when you have done all , their souls do cleave to the earth : and discourse never so much to them of the excellency of heavenly things , they will hear you , but when you have done all , their souls stil cleaves to the earth : as a man whose soul cleaves in love to a woman , ( as it is said of sampson , his soul did cleave to dalilab ) talk what you will against that women , or of the excellency of any other woman , yet his soul cleaves to that woman : so 't is in an earthly minded man , let what will be said against the things of the earth , or what can be said for the setting forth of the excellency of the things of heaven , yet his soul cleaves to the earth : as the serpents belly did to the dust of the ground . that 's an earthly minded man. fourthly , an earthly minded man , it on , whose heart is filled with distracting cares about the earth : what he shall eat and drink , and what he shall put on , how he shall provide for himself and his family , and what shall become of him at such a time , though he be well now yet what may become of him afterwards : when the heart is filled with distracting cares about the things of the earth ; so far as the heart hath these prevailing over it , so far such a man may be judged to be earthly . there are two things that do cause distrating cares about anie businesse the first is , an apprehension of some verie great evil in case i should be disappointed , i look upon my disappointment in such a thing as a most intolerable evil to me , if i should be disappointed i know not what in the world to do that 's the first the second is , an uncertaintie in the means for the preventment of this disappointment : when as i look upon disappointment as a very great evil , so those means that should prevent and help me against disappointment i cannot trust to : i look upon them as too weak to help me , notwithstanding al such means i may yet be desappointed , this causes distracting thoughts ; so , t is in the things of the earth , an earthly minded man or woman hath his thoughts fil'd with distracting cares about the world . that is thus first , they looking upon the things of the world as such great things , they conceive if they should be disappointed they should be undone ; they look upon it as such a fearful unsufferable evil to be depriv'd of their estate and outward comforts in this world . secondly , they don't look upon the means of provision for themselves and families as having anie certaintie in it , which is a main thing to be considered of : as for outward things in the world , they find by experience there is uncertainty in them . and then for any promse that there is in scripture that god will provide for them and their families , alas that they dare not trust to , that 's a thing that of all means they think to be the weakest , lord have mercy upon them ( say they ) if they have nothing else to trust to , but only a word in scripture , they think themselves most miserable and wretched . but now , it would be otherwise with the soul if it were not earthly minded , it would not be at any great pause how things do fall out here in the matters of the world , it 's true , perhaps i may miscarry in such a businesse , and my estate may be taken from me by the caldeans or sabeans as jobs was , but i shall not be undone , my happiness is not gone , i shall have that that will comfort me when all that is gone ; suppose the worst , yet this will not undo me , indeed a man that sends abroad in a venture all his whole estate , he is very solicitous because if there be ill news about it he is undone ; but another man that hath a great deal of riches , house , and lands , and a stock at home to maintain him and his family , if there comes such ill news , i have a stock to live on he thinks , therefore he is not so much solicitous : so a worldly man , all his stock is in the earth , there 's his only portion , and if he miscarries there he is undone ; but a godly man , though he hath the things of the earth , yet he hath something else , treasures in heaven to rest upon besides the earth , and therefore he is not so solicitous . and then for the second , the uncertainty of means and help : if a godly man looks upon outward causes , he sees all is uncertain , but he hath a promise to rest upon , i will never leave you nor forsake you : cast your care upon me for i care for you ; and this he looks upon as a certain means and help , whatsoever fals out , here 's a promise that he can build upon , and therefore this takes off his solicitous cares : but an earthly minded man or woman whose heart is fild with distracting cares , because he look upon himself as undone if he miscarries here , and hath nothing to rest upon for his provision in this world , more than the creature . fifthly , an earthly minded man or woman , is one whose great business of his heart and endeavours of his life are about the things of the earth : he makes it his great business , and the strong endeavours of his spirit are exercised in the things of the earth : he eagerly and greedily works with the strongest intention about these things , his whole soul , the whole man is laid out about the world , it is the adequate object of his soul . you will say , other men they are busie in their callings as well as these that you account earthly minded men , i but mark , they are busie about their callings in obedience to god ; and for outward things set aside their obedience to god , then ( i say ) all the things that they busie themselves about in the world , were it not under that consideration that they were obeying god in it they would not be adequate objects for their souls . i mean by an adequate object , that that is sufficient to take up the whole strength of the soul to lay it out fully : i 'le give you this similitude to express my mind further , to shew you what i mean by an adequate object , you have a little child , he is playing at sports , now this sport it hath as much in it as there is in his spirit , there is a kind of equality between his spirit and such a sport , there is benefit enough a child conceives in such a sport as it's worth the laying out of all his strength and might upon it : now it may be , sometimes a man or woman will play with their child , they will do as the child doth to play with it , but this sport it 's not an addequat object , that 's thus , a man or woman for the while would please themselves with the child , but not so as if there were as much good in this as would fill their souls , so as they would lay out all their mind and might upon this thing as that is fully adequate to the desires of their soul ; but sport is fully adequat to the desires of the soul of the child , but though a man or woman doth sport so with the child , yet these things are not fully adequat to the desires of a man or woman , and they have other matters in their heads than these , and businesses of a higher nature : and so it is in those that are not earthly minded , though they may be busied about the things of this world , yet they use the world as if they used it not , the things of the world are not objects adequat to their hearts , a spiritual heart reserves the chief strength of it for higher things , i follow these things in the world but so , as i reserve the chief strength for a more desirable good : as a man now , if he hath divers friends to come to him , perhaps he hath some of an ordinary rank , they come first , he makes ordinarie provision for them , but if he hath anie choise things for entertainment he reserves them for some choise friends that are coming to him : so a man that is not of the world though he may be busie in earthly things , yet the choise of his heart he both reserve for things of a higher nature . i remember tertullian hath a speech of the christians how they eat , and drank ; when they sup'd , they eat and drank ( saith he ) so as they remembred they were to pray that night before they slept : so a gracious spiritual heart follows his out ward business in the world , but so as he remembers he is to converse with god that night before de sleeps , so that he reserves the strength of his spirit for communion with god ; but now the other laies out all his strength as having nothing to do afterwards : so that in this an earthly , and a spiritual heart are quite contrary ; the apostle you know would have godly men to use the world as if they used it not ; so on the contrary , an earthly-minded man uses spiritual things as if he used them not ; look how an earthly minded mans heart is in spiritual things , so a spiritual mind is in earthly things : an earthly minded man wil do some things that are spiritual , he will come and hear the word , perhaps he wil pray in his familie , and reade a chapter , i but his heart is not much there , he doth it as he did it not , comes and hears as if he heard not , and praies as if he prayed not , he makes it not his business to pray or hear ; so a spiritual minded man he doth the things of the world but as if he did them not , i mean in comparison of his being busie in spiritual things , there he doth it with all his might ; an earthly minded man is like to corab , dathan , and abiram , we reade of them that they were swallowed up of the earth : and so the truth is , the things of the earth , contentments , provision for themselves and families in earthly things , doth as it were open and swallow up the very hearts of earthly-minded men : and that 's the fift thing for the discription of earthly mindedness . sixthly , but suppose a man doth not seem to be so strongly intent , to lay out his whole strength and heart about earthly things , yet when anie man or woman shall seek anie earthlie thing for it self ( observe it ) and not in subordination to some higher good , this is an earthly-minded man so for as this prevailes ; in the cor. . . our apostle paul speaks there of the things that are seen that are but temporal , while we look not at the things that are seen , for the things that are seen are earthly and temporal : the word is as much as to say , while we do not look as our scope upon temporal and earthly things that are seen , we do not make them our end , but we seek them in subordination , there is somewhat else that we look at higher in all these things , as for instance , a man that is godly , he follows his business as other men do , but what is it that he would have ? it 's this , i shew my obedience to god , and i would provide those things that may be helpful to me to serve god in my generation ; that 's my end , i can appeal to god in this , that even in the following my business and all outward things , it is that i might follow god in the use of means for the providing of such things as may enable me to serve him the more in my generation : this is my scope in what i do . but now on the other side , an earthly-minded man makes his scope this , he will follow his business and look about the business of his calling that he might gain , he would get that he might get , he would have more that he might have more , and that he and his children might be somebodie in the world , and it may be that he might have enough to have his will , and lusts , therefore he follows his business very intent , meerly that he may get to satisfie the flesh , yea , indeed all the good things that he doth he brings them in subordination to earthly things . you may take it thus , a spiritual man doth not seek earthly things for himself , but an earthly man doth ; or thus more fully , ( you may mak it a distinct head if you will , ) an earthly man is earthly in all he doth do , both in earthly and spiritual things , and a spiritual minded man is spiritual in all he doth , both in spiritual and in earthly things ; an earthly man when he is in earthly things he is altogether earthly , he looks not at obedience to god in what he doth , as thus , i 'le follow my calling because god hath required it , but an earthly man thinketh , i 'le follow it because i see gain come in by it , this is earth ; though the things be lawful , and it 's your duty to follow your calling , but to follow it meerly for gain , this is earthly : but because it is your duty and the place god hath set you in , that 's spiritualness in earthly things : an earthly man is earthly in earthly things , and he is more earthly in spiritual things : when he performes spiritual duties he hath an earthly end in it , either to get esteem from men , or to cover some evil , or meerly for form and fashion , he doth it in an earthly way , and it may be at the most that that he doth do , it is but meerly for his own quiet , and to satisfie his own conscience , he is earthly in spiritual things . but now , a spiritual man , is spiritual in earthly things . one of a spiritual mind , is more heavenly and spiritual when he is about his calling though the meanest , as hedging , and ditching , or when he is pulling his ropes and lines , or using his ax or hammer , he is more spiritual i say then , than an earthly man is , when he is praying , or hearing , or receiving sacraments ; certainly it is so , and it will be found to be so at the great day of judgment , when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed : that 's the sixt thing , when a man seeks earthly things for himself . and that that we may add as a seventh is , that he is earthly in spiritual things . i grant that the best of the saints may have some earthlinesse in spirtual things ; but i speak of the predominancie , it 's that that doth rule in the heart , so that in the performance of spiritual things , his very ends are but earthly , and the frame of his heart is but earthly in spiritual performances . the eight thing wherein we may find an earthly minded man is this , that he passes through many and great difficulties in matters of the earth , and they are very little to him ; and though he hath a great deal of toyl for the matters of the earth , yet he is never weary with it , because he is in his proper element ; and therefore let there be what difficulties there will be , which to another man would be very great , he makes of them as nothing , and though there be much toyl and labour yet he is not weary , why ? because he is in his own element : the fish is not weary with swimming , but a man is quickly weary , i but the fish is in it's element and a man is not ; so , i beseech you observe this , when a mans spirit is in this kind of temper , let him but be busied about earthly things , wherein earthly advantage comes in , no difficulties will hinder him , no wind or weather , he will rise in cold mornings and go abroad , do any thing in the world . oh! what difficulties will men endure in storms at sea , and hazards there , and troubles at land many waies for things of the earth , and sit up late , and rise early , and toyl themselves , and complain of no wearinesse nor no difficulties but now , let them come but to spiritual things , to soul-businesses that concern god and their spiritual estates , every little difficulty puts them aside and discourages them , every mole-hill is a mountain in their way , i would do so and so indeed , but 't is so hard , and 't is tedious to rise in a morning , especially in cold winters morning ; it is very hard and difficult to reade and pray and so he is complaining of the difficulty of these things : and to watch over the heart , it 's a mighty difficulty : to an earthly man any spiritual thing is difficult , and the difficulties doth discourage him , and in spiritual things , oh how weary are they ! as they in the . of micha , . they cryed out , what a weariness is it : but in the businesse of the world they can follow it , from morning to night they are never tired , they can work ( as we say sometimes of men ) like a horse and yet never out of breath : oh i would but desire you try your hearts once , but to endeavour to spend one sabbath exctly , and see what a wearinesse that would be to you , resolve but one sabbath to rise early in the morning , & to have your thoughts spiritual & heavenly as much as you can , and then get up & pray alone in your closet , then reade , and hear , and meditate , and mark what you hear ; and when you go home think of it , and confer about it , and when you come again attend upon the word , and so spend the whole day in hearing , reading , meditating , and conference about good things , calling your family to account , and praying again , and see how tiresom this will be unto your hearts if they be carnal . but now a spiritual heart will call the sabbath a delight unto it : and the sabbath unto such an one is no other than that type and fore runner of that eternal day of rest it shall enjoy in the kingdom of heaven : one that is spiritual accounts the sabbath to be a day of rest , but an earthly man is quickly tired in spiritual things , he will give over his work and not go through it : we reade in the . of nehe. . verse nehemiah having spoken of the great difficulties that they met withal in their work , and yet ( saith he ) the work went on , for they bad a mind to it . so , look how a mans mind is , so he will be able to go through his work ; if a man be an earthly-minded man , such a man will go through stich with his work , if he take up businesse for the world he will go through with it , for he hath a mind to it , he is a man of an earthly mind ; but let him take in hand a spiritual work , and he will lay it aside before it be half done , he will seldom bring to perfection any spiritual work , why ? because he hath no mind to it , whereas were the heart spiritual , and there were any spiritual work undertaken , such a one would go through with it till all was finished . another note about the discription of an earthly-minded man , is this : an earthly-minded man , is one that doth conceive of the most heavenly truths that are revealed in the word in an earthly way , according to his mind , his genious , and disposition of his own heart : and i verily think this is in a special manner meant in this place , for the apostle is speaking of those that did oppose him in his ministery , and that were enemies to the crosse of christ : now ( saith he ) these mind earthly things , their mindes are of an earthly temper , and therefore no marvell ( as if he should say ) though they do not savour those heavenly and spiritual truths that we bring to them , for their minds being earthly , they only apprehend those things after an earthly manner : as now , what was the great truth that the apostle did bring to the philippians ? it was the way of reconciling the world to god , of making our peace with god , and of our justification through jesus christ . now there is no point of religion more spiritual , heavenly , and divine , than the doctrin of reconciliation , and of justification by jesus christ . so that , one that is of an earthly disposition , though he may be convinc'd of a necessity of pardon of sin , and peace with god , yet he apprehends the making of his peace with god , and obtaining pardon of his sin , but in an earthly manner , he hath carnal thoughts and apprehensions about his peace with god , and about obtaining pardon of sin , he thinks it is the same way that one man obtains peace with another when he is fallen out , and of getting pardon from another man that he hath offended , he conceives it in an earthly way , he looks upon his making peace with god , by some thing that he himself must perform ; but for the point of free justification by the grace of god in christ , it 's too divine , spiritual and heavenly for an earthly-minded man to apprehend in the spiritualnesse of it ; an earthly-minded man , his apprehensions of god are but in a carnal , earthly way ; as the prophet speaks in the of isa . the ox knows his owner , and the ass his masters crib : even after that manner doth an earthly-minded man know god ; as an ox his owner , and the ass his masters crib : as thus , the ox knows his owner because he brings him fodder daily , so an earthly-minded man hath no other apprehensions of god but this , he thinks god gives him good things in this world , god makes his corn to grow , or prospers his voyage . an earthly-minded man may rise so high to have apprehensions of god as bringing good things unto him here on earth : but one that is spiritual and heavenly doth apprehend god as god , doth not look upon god meerly as good in respect of the benefit he receives from god here , but he looks upon god as he is in himself , he sees the face of god : as there 's a great deal of difference between a man that knows another man , and a beast that knows a man , the ox knows his owner , the ox knows the man that brings hay or provender to him , but a man knows a man in another way , knows what the nature of a man is , knows what it is to be a rational creature , so one that is spiritual , knows what god is in himself , he sees the face of god , and understands what god is in another way than others do : the difference between the knowledge of god that a spiritual soul hath , one that is pure in heart , and the knowledge of god that an earthly heart hath , is just so much difference as comes to this , as the ox knows the man that drives him to fat pastures , so doth an earthly man know god that gives him good things : but a spiritual heart knows god as one man knows another , not in his full excellency , i mean not so , but there is such a kind of difference in some degree , between the apprehensions of god in a spiritual heart , and the apprehensions of god in an earthly heart : and so we might mention in many other spiritual and divine truths , that an earthly mind doth apprehend but in an earthly way ; consider of heaven its self , how doth an earthly mind apprehend that ? he apprehends that he shall be delivered from pain , and shall have some kind of glory , but knows not what it is , conceives it according to the way of the earth , some pompous , glotious thing , that he shall live in pleasures and not in pain ; and so apprehends all the glory of heaven but in sensuality ; whereas a spiritual heart looks at heaven in another kind of notion , he looks upon the enjoyment of communion with god and jesus christ in heaven , and living of the life of god in heaven ; that 's a thing that an earthly heart hath no skill at all in , neither doth such an heart so much as savour it . thus i have in these several particulars discovered what an earthly-minded man is , oh that you would lay your hands upon your hearts , and every one consider how far these things do reach you . but i have besides these , divers other convincements , to convince the consciences of men and women that yet there is much earthlinesse in them : but of them we shall treat of in their order afterwards . the second head to consider is this . the great evill that there is in earthly-mindedness , they mind earthly things . is that any such great matter ( you will say ) indeed we cannot imagine the transcendency of the evil that there is in this , we think there 's a great deal of evil in swearing , whoring , drinking , and such kind of scandalous sins , and indeed there is , but to have an earthly mind we do not think this to be so exceeding evil ; yet you will find that the scripture doth speak most dreadful things against this , and if god please to set them home upon your hearts , i hope there is much glory may come to god by it , and much good unto you in particular . chap. iii. fourteen evils of earthly-mindedness . the first evil . f●●●● the scripture cals it , adultery : it is spiritual adultery , in jude , . vers . ye adulterers and adulteresses , know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with god. they were adulterers and adulteresses in respect of their love to the world : you that would abhor the thought of a temptation to adultery , yet you may commit spiritual adultery , a man or a woman may be an adulterer or an adulteresse before the lord , though they never commit the act of uncleannesse with another , yet if their hearts be towards another , they be guilty of uncleannesse : for christ saith , whosoever doth but look after a woman to lust after her in his heart , he hath committed adultery already ; that is , hath sinned against that command that forbids adultery : is it so , that if a man do but let his heart go after another woman more than his wife , and a wife after another man more than her husband , this is adultery before the lord. so if our hearts be after any things more than the lord jesus christ , that we profess our selves married to and he to be our husband ; this is adultery in scripture phrase . the second evil . yea further , a worldly or an earthly-mind in scripture phrase , is called idolatry ; in ephes . . . speaking of divers sins that should not be so much as named among them as it became saints , he hath covetousness among the rest , and he ads this ; and covetousness which is idolatry . now what is earthly-mindednesse , but covetousnesse , which is idolaitry ? a man , or woman is an idolater that is of an earthly mind : now idolatry which is a worshiping of stocks and stones , you all account to be a great sin ; but do you , and al others take heed of another idolatry that may be as bad that is , to have your hearts to make the god of this world to be your god , the cursed mammon of unrighteousnesse , to make the things of the earth to be your christ , to fall down and worship the golden-calfe of the world . it 's certain , that that thing a mans heart is most taken with , and set upon , that 's his god : and therefore here in this verse out of which my text is , it 's said , they made earthly things ( their bellies ) their god : the voluptuous , and drunkard makes their belly their god ; and the unclean person , makes his strumpet to be his goddesse and worshppeth that ; whatsoever thy heart is most upon , that 's thy god : therefore , that you must know to be the meaning of the commandement , thou shalt have no other gods before me : that is , thou shalt give me the strength of thy soul , and nothing else : so , i am a god to my creature when i have its strength exercised about me , to lift up me as the highest good ; but if there be any thing else that thy soul is set upon as thy highest good , that 's thy god , and it 's worse than bowing the knee , thou bowest thy soul to that thing : now the meaner any thing is that we make a god of to our selves , the more vile is the idolatry : as when the egyptians worshiped divers sorts of gods , they were accounted the most vile idolaters ; whereas other heathens worshipped more excellent things , the sun , moon , and stars ; the egyptians worshiped dogs , cats , onions , and vile things ; and therefore their idolatry was vile . so , the viler any thing is that a man or woman sets their hearts upon , the more vile is their idolatry ; as for a man that should set his heart upon unclean lusts , now to make that to be a god , the satisfying of those lusts , that 's abominable , and to make any earthly thing to be a god to us , that 's most vile ; for of all the things of the works of creation that god hath made , the earth is the meanest , 't is the basest and lowest thing , and hath the least beauty in it in it's self , and it is the most dul and meanest element of all ; and to make earthly things to be a god to you , this is most vile . object . you will say for this idolatry , what is there in it ? answ . there is two particulars to open the evil of idolatry , or earthly-mindednesse . first . the evil of your idolatry , it is in this . you do depart from god ; in letting out of your hearts to these things , you do ( as it were ) go off from god , and renounce the protection of god , the goodnesse and mercy of god , you leave it all by this : in the . chap. of hofea , . verse . they are said , to go a whoring from under their god. it 's a notable phrase ; that is , by going to idols they did go off from the protection of god ; whereas , while they were worshiping the true god , they then were under the protection of god ; but when they went to idols , they went from under their god , from under his protection : so when thou settest thy heart upon god , and liftest up the infinite first being of all things as the chief good to thy soul , thou art under the influence of this grace and mercy : but when thou doest depart from him , and makest other things to be thy cheef good , thou goest from under his protection , and from his good and mercy . secondly : god is slighted and contemn'd in this , when thou choosest rather to make the earth to be thy god than the infinit blessed first-being of all things ; as a man that doth dispise his wife , and it were abominable sin , if he should choose to go to a queen though the most beautifullest woman in the world , and forsake his wife ; but to leave a queen , or empress that were the beautifullest woman upon the earth , and to have the heart cleave to a base dunghil-raker , were not this a great contempt to the queen that were so beautiful ? yet so it is when thou doest forsake the blessed eternal god as thy chief good , and choosest the things of the earth : for the truth is , the earth is the fink of all the creatures of gods making , and for thee to leave the most blessed and eternal one , and to make that thy god it must needs be a very vile and abominable thing ; and therefore the prophet jeremiah in speaking of this idolatry , he cals the heavens and the earth to be amazed at it . jeremiah , . . be astonished o ye heavens at this , and be horrible afraid , be ye very desolate saith the lord , why ? what 's the matter ? for my people have committed two evils , they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters , and hewed them out cisterns , broken cisterns that can hold no water . so 't is here ; thou forsakest the fountain of living waters , the blessed god , and thy heart cleaves to the dust , and seekest thy contentment and happinesse in cisterns that can hold no water ; let the heavens be astonished at this horrible wickedness . the third evil . thirdly , earthly-mindedness it's enmity against god. thou wouldst be loth to be found an enemy against god ; certainly it 's a truth , and it will be found another day , that an earthly-minded man , or woman is an enemy to god : yea the scripture makes it to be enmity in the very abstract , james , . . know ye not that the love of the world is enmity to god ? observe this , for there 's very much in it , if god would be pleased to make us to lay it to heart , you will find it by experience , that earthly-mindednesse doth make men to be enemies to that that is spiritually good , therefore well might the holy-ghost say , 't is enmity to god , for whatsoever is enmity to any thing that is spiritually good , it is enmity to god ; so much as my heart , or any of your hearts are against any thing that is spiritual , so much mine or any of your hearts are enemies to god. now here in the very text , these earthly-minded men are made enemies to the crosse of christ : that is , enemies to the spiritual preaching of christ , and holding forth christ : indeed , if they would have mixt christ and circumcision together , then they would have been content with it ; but now this spiritual way of preaching christ , and being justified by faith alone , and christian religion in the purity of it , was that that was not sutable to their carnal hearts , and therefore they were enemies to it . oh! earthly-mindednesse doth make us enemies to spiritual things ; where have you greater enemies unto the things of god , unto spiritual things , unto the ministry of the word ( as we had occasion to hint ) and to the work of gods grace upon the hearts of men and women , no greater enemies unto these things than earthly minded men , men that savour the things of the earth , that can go up and down and care not if they can but load themselves with thick clay , grow rich in the world and fare deliciously every day with dives , make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof , there is an antipathy in their spirits against jesus christ and al goodnesse . the fourth evill . then fourthly ; there is scarce any disposition more opposite , more contrary to the work of grace , to the work of godlinesse in a mans own heart than earthly-mindednesse , 't is so exceeding crosse to the nature of grace , that it may as well put men or women to be at a stand , and put them upon examination whether there be any grace or no in their hearts if earthly-mindednesse prevail , as almost any other thing ; if god should suffer your corruptions to prevail over you , so as you should break forth into some outward notorious sins , then it may be you would begin to think , can this stand with grace ? and how can that stand with such workings as i have had before ? have not i cause to fear that i am but an hypocrite , a rotten professor ? but now , this earthly-mindednesse hath as much opposition to the nature of grace , and the power of godlinesse in the heart as almost any sin that you can name . it is so quite contrary to the very beginning of the work of grace , not contrary to the degrees only , but to the very begining . the main work of god at the very first , in working grace in the soul , is to disingage the soul from the creature , it is to take it off from the earth , and from all creatures here below : for naturally 't is true , that as we are of the earth , so we are earthly , and have our spirits ingaged to the things of this earth ; but then comes the work of grace upon the soul , and takes it off , and discharges the heart from the earth : and therefore you find that christ laies in this as the first lesson , that he that will be my disciple , must deny himself , and take up his cross and follow me : as if he should say , never think of being a christian except you will deny your selves . self : what 's that ? all natural contentment , natural-self , and sinful-self , to be emptied wholly of your selves , and creature-comforts , and contentments , and take up my cross , to be willing to suffer any thing in regard of earthly comforts , to be willing to lay down all at my feet , and to give up your interest in all , and to take up my cross ; this is the very first beginning of christs bringing disciples to himself . then ( saith the soul ) let me have my sin pardoned , and farewel earth , it 's heaven , holiness , renewing of the image of god , communion , and union with god , and living to the eternal praise of his name in christ that my heart is upon ; i say , this in the beginning of gods working the heart to himself . the work of grace when it is first wrought , it hath the name of vocation : calling , what is it for a man to be called ? give diligence to make your calling & election sure : to be called , is this , and whereas before thou wert altogether digging and dolving in the earth , and seeking for thy happiness in the world , now it pleases god to make thee to hear a voice behind thee , calling thee , and telling thee , o poor soul , thy happiness is not here , there are other things in which thy chief good consists , thou art made for higher and better things than these , god hath nobler thoughts about man-kind than meerly to let him have a few contentments here in the earth , oh soul ! come away and look after higher things ; here 's the first work of grace : and the soul answers unto this call of god and saith , lord , i come , and so gives up it's self to god to dispose of it , and this is in the beginning of the work of grace : now , how contrary is earthly-mindednesse to the work of god in bringing grace into the heart ? conceive it in these three things . . the very work of conversion , it is set out in scripture by gods calling the soul out of the world , whom he hath predestinated ; him he hath called . when god effectually begins to work upon the heart of a sinner , he does cause a voice to be heard in the soul , oh soul , thou hast been busying thy self about many things , but there is one thing necesseary , oh come out of that way of thine that thou art in , thou canst never be happy else , thou wilt be undone in it ; the lord calls the soul out of the world ; and that ( i say ) is the very work of conversion , the souls answearing to gods call : now for one stil to be earthly , and to have a heart cleaving to these things , surely such a one is not as yet effectually called out of the world . . and then from thence follows , upon the souls answer to this call ; the lord difingages the heart from all creature-comforts , and teacheth , the first lesson to deny himself , and to take up christs crosse : now what 's more opposite to self-denial and the taking up of the crosse of christ than earthly-mindednesse ? the text saith here , they are enemies to the cross of christ . and then a third thing in conversion it is , the resigning up of the soul to god as the chief good ; the soul upon the call of god , it learns the lesson of self-denial , and taking up the crosse , and so being disingaged from the creature , now it resigns up it self to god as an infinite soul satisfying good for ever : now you cannot but in the naming of this see how opposite earthly-mindednesse is to it . and then for the work of grace upon the heart , after the heart is converted and turned to god. first , grace brings a new light into the soul : a spiritual and divine light is set up in the soul upon the conversion of a sinner to god ; but now , the earth you know , it 's the dark part of the world , and earthly mindednesse it causeth darknesse to be upon the spirit , as the interposition of the earth between us & the sun , it doth hinder the sight of the sun from us ; and so the interposition that there is of earthlinesse in the soul of man between god and it , doth hinder the sight of god from the soul ; there is a divine light set up in the soul , and when as god works grace that doth discover things of a higher and more excellent and glorious nature , than those things were that before the heart did so much cleave unto . in the second place : the scirpture sets forth the work of grace by the new creature . in the soul all things are made new , old things are past , he that is in crhist is a new creature : now earthly-mindednesse is opposite to the new creation in the soul , it 's the old man that is of the earth , the first man is of the earth earthly ; and so it is apparant that thou art still only in the stock of the first man , of the earth earthly who art an earthly-minded man. but the second man is , the lord from heaven : but now , thou that art an earthly-minded man or woman art yet but a child of adam , of the first man , and so art of the earth earthly , this is opposite to grace , grace works a new creation in the soul . . and grace is of an elevating nature , raises the heart above its self , and above the creature , yea , above the world , in some respect above angels themselves , above principalities and powers , above all created things , grace is of a raising nature ; but an earthly-minded man sinks down to low and base things . and grace ( fourthly ) is of an enlarging nature ; it enlarges the heart , so that it cannot be satisfied with any earthly thing , though god should give the whole world to a heart that hath grace , this would not satisfie that heart , why ? because it is so enlarged by the work of grace , the work of grace it is the divine nature , the image of god in the soul , and therefore works the soul like to god : and it 's said of god in the . of isa . that all the nations of the earth are to him , but as the drop of the bucket , and as the smal dust in the ballance . now grace makes the soul to be like god , to accout all the things of the earth to be as the drop of a bucket , and the dust of the ballance , to be nothing , less than nothing . . and then , grace sanctifies the soul : now what is it to sanctifie , but to take off from all common uses , and to dedicate to god as the highest act of all things ? and therefore , the greek word that is for holy , it is taken from a participle premitive , and a word that signifies the earth , as much as to say , not earthly , and a holy one in the greek language is not an earthly one , according to the usual etimology given of it . now grace it makes the soul holy , it sanctifies the soul , it sets apart the soul for god , and dedicates and consecrates the soul to god : and therfore you see that it is opposite to the work of god in bringing grace into the soul , and to the work of grace , and the power of godliness in the soul of man : this is the great evil of earthly mindedness . the fifth evil. but fifthly : for the discovery of the great evil that there is in earthly-mindedness : it puts men upon very great temptations ; and for that we need no other scripture than that in the of tim. . . saith the apostle there , but they that will be rich , fall into temptation , and a snare . mark , that is , those that have set their hearts so much upon the things of the earth , as they are resolved they must have them whatsoever comes of it : observe the phrase ; they that wil be rich , they apprehend a necessity of the things of the earth , they do not only wish and desire , oh! that we had riches , and had these things of the earth , but they resolve they must have them upon any terms : wel , if the heart go on in obedience to god in the duties of its calling , and if god send in riches and an estate , it doth thankfully accept it from god ; these do not meet with such temptations and a snare as the apostle here speaks of ; but when the heart is set upon it , that it needs must have an estate whatsoever comes on it ; now they that will be so , they ( saith the apostle ) fall into temptations and a snare . there 's dangerous temptations in following after the things of the earth , and there is a snare in them that you do not think of , for you think only of the bravery of the things of the earth , how sumptuously you should live , and how fine you should be , in your house , and cloaths , and what table you may keep , you only think of these things that may give the flesh contentment ; but you do not think of the temptation , and the snare that is in them ; and those whose hearts are set upon these things , they fall into the snare , nay , temptation ; those that are earthly-minded , have great temptations , to shift up and down , to strain their consciences for the things of the earth ; for so it is , that while we live in this world god hath made the things of the earth to be as thorns , and so they are compared in scripture , and it 's hard for one to meddle with thorns without pricking his fingers ; they are as briars , & its hard for the sheep ro get among them but she wil lose some of her wool : and so it 's hard for the heart to be busie about the things of the earth , but it will be prickt and lose some of its fleece , in will fall into temptation and a snare , and be catch'd : oh! how many men and women that have enlightened consciences , & they think sometimes that they would not for all the world do any thing against their consciences , though they might gain all the glory and riches under heaven : well , but yet their hearts being earthly , when it comes to some particular , how ready are they ? at least , to strain conscience , and not to attend to the voice of conscience , and are willing that conscience should have its mouth stop'd for the time : indeed , if their consciences did plainly tell them , that this thing is absolutely sin against god , perhaps they would not do it , but that were not the snare , for t is no snare when i see the danger before me , here 's a deep pit , and if i step a step further i fall into it , this is no snare . but now , there are some that are not catch'd so , by a pit that 's open ; but the devil doth lay upon the pit ( it may ) some green grass , so that they shall not perceive , or very hardly perceive the danger ; thus such as have earthly hearts they fall into a snare and temptation , they are put upon straining of conscience , and wringing it as much as may be , and many shifts that they are put too , oh! a man when once he is got into an earthly business he knows not how in the world to bear it if he be crost in it , it may be i have gone thus far , and i have very great hopes that i shall succeed in it , only there is one stop , now for him to think that for this one stop i am like to lose all , oh it goes to his heart : oh but now , if you would but strain conscience a little you may get over it presently ; an earthly-man will strain hard but he will get over it ; whereas now , were the heart taken off from the earth , though such a man had gone on never so far in a business , if there comes a stop in a matter of conscience , yea , if it were but a doubt that such a thing were sin ; it 's enough to stop him , a meer doubt lest he should sin would be enough for to make him say , let the business fall if it will , there may be a snare in this , and i see some cause to doubt : now if the heart were spiritual it would be taken off ; but an earthly mind will go through very many dreadful things and doth not much trouble himself , and so doth insnare himself exceedingly , that he may get an estate , or preserve it when once he hath got it : that 's the fifth thing . the sixth evil. the sixth thing wherein the danger of earthly-mindednes consists is this : that 't is one of the greatest hinderances in the world to profiting by the ministry of the word . oh! many of you cannot but be convinc'd in your consciences that you have not profited by the word , and sometimes you will complain of the want of profiting under the means , oh that you had but hearts to look into the cause of it , from whence it is that you profit so little : it will appear to come from your earthly-mindedness , you bring a heart full of the world , full of drosse with you , no marvel though you do not see those spiritual and heavenly things that are in the word , when as there is so much drosse in your eyes ; you know travellors in the summer time , travelling in the midst of dust and in company , they have not that freedome of their eyes to see things as at another time : oh! many men com to the word with their thik clay , & a great deal of filth that doth clam up their very eyes , and dead their hearts in the hearing of the word ; you know what christ said to martha , when mary was sitting at christs feet , and hearing his word , but martha was cumbred with many things ; so 't is many times with those that come to hear the word , though they are in the presence of christ , and have the sound of the word in their ears , yet their hearts are cumbred about many things , there 's a great noise in their hearts , they are busied in the world even while they are hearing of the word , as you find it in the . of ezek. . ver . there is an notable discription , i fear it may be of many of you : and they come unto thee ( saith the lord to the prophet ) as the people cometh , and they sit before thee as my people , and they hear thy words ; but they will not do them , for with their mouth they shew much love , but their heart goeth after thir covetousness : they sit befor thee as my people , and they hear thy words , ( mark ) and they shew much love with their mouth ; they will commend the sermon ; it may be they will say , he is an excellent preacher , it 's a very good sermon that we heard this day ; they wil shew love with their mouth ; but yet their hearts go after their covetousnesse for all that ; they heard a man speak fine things , and brought excellent expressions for to set forth his matter that he had in hand ; but yet their hearts are after the things of the earth , and after their covetousness , they had carnal , earthly , drossie hearts , and hence it was , that there was no good came unto them by the ministry of the word : and that famous place which we have for this , which shews it cleerly in the . of matt. . ver . you know the several sorts of ground that had the seed of the word sown into them , but there was but one of them that was good and faithfull , and among others there was the thorny ground ; he also that received seed among the thorns , is he that heareth the word , and the care of this world , and the deceitfulnesse of riches choaks the word and it becometh unfruitful . i beseech you observe it , these that our saviour speaks of here in this parable that get no benefit by the word are not men that live lewdly , your drunkards , swearers and whoremasters , but those that have earthly hearts ; it 's said , the deceitfulness of riches ; the things of the earth do not hinder in an open way , for thousands of men that have earthly hearts , they do not know that they have earthly hearts , no , it is the deceitfulnesse of riches , and it choaks the word , it may be just when they are in hearing of the word it doth affect them , oh they think it 's sweet , and they will remember it , but the deceitfulnesse of riches , and the cares of this world choaks the word , when they come , they have businesses about the world , and their houses , and gardens , and comings in , and full tables , and all the delights that they have in the world , comes and possesses the heart that the word is choakt , it cannot get down into the soul to sink in there , and so to prevail in the soul to bring forth fruit , oh the word is choakt ; oh many of you come here three times on the lords day , and have precious seed sown all those times , and yet , oh! how it is choakt through the cares of this world , and through the deceitfulnesse of the things of this world ! you bring with you , and keep with you , and carry along with you earthly minds , and hence it is that the word prevails not with your hearts : oh! what do you loose through this earthlinesse ? you lose the fruit of the word that should save your souls ; a spiritual heart having received some one truth into it , afterwards blesses god for it , and would not for ten thousand worlds but he had had that truth preached unto his heart at such a time , oh he hath cause to blesse god for such a morning , for such a day that he hath had such a goodly pearl of great price presented to him , and taking root in his heart , ( i say ) it 's more than if god had given them thousands of worlds to possess . but now , many of you , having your thoughts and hearts about some petty thing of this world , all those blessed truths , that you hear from time to time , that the very angels desire to pry into , they are all choak'd and come to be unfruitful . what was the reason when the young man came to christ , to know what he should do to the eternal life that he got no good ? the text saith , that he had great possessions . a man ( no question ) may be a rich man , and yet a godly man , a holy man : but when the heart is in the estate , mixed with the earth , oh! this it was that hindred the young man from imbracing of jesus christ even when he came to him . young men for the most part are rather guilty of fleshlinesse , than seeking after the riches of the world ; yet sometimes it hath been the bain of some young men , at their first setting up ; they were very forward when they were servants , oh! how precious was the word unto them , but when they were got into the world , and found the sweetness of it coming in , oh then the word hath been choak'd to them ; and they have lost the savour they had in the word , they have lost the relish of the word , it is not now sweet to them as formerly it hath been , oh many examples there hath been this way : that 's the great evil of earthly-mindednesse , that it doth hinder the great benefit of the word , and there is much evill in this ; if you had hearts to receive what is delivered your hearts would tremble at the thought of this , oh lord , what shall i be hindred from profiting by this word ? 't is the great blessing of god to the world , it 's that that must save my soul , there 's more worth in it than ten thousand worlds , whatsoever should hinder my profiting by thy word i had need take heed of it ; take heed of earthly-mindednesse , many of your consciences cannot but tell you this , sometimes any businesse will keep an earthly-minded man from coming to the word , and when he doth come there is earth in his heart and ears that keeps him from attending upon the word : and when thy thoughts are about earthly things in the hearing of a sermon , it may be there is some truth passes by thy soul that might have sav'd thee eternally , and thou hast lost that opportunity which perhaps thou shalt never have again . the seventh evil , opened in six particulars . further , in the seventh place , earthly-mindedness , it causes many foolish lusts in the heart , that 's a great evil ; and for that you have the same scripture that was before , for the temptations and snare , tim. . . but they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare , and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts : lusts that are very foolish and simple . . as for instance ; it causes men to follow after things that are very vile and mean , it causes men to bestow the strength of their immortal souls about things that have no worth at all in them : that 's a foolish lust , to bestow the strength of an immortal soul about vanities : if you should see men that are of excellent parts for to spend their time about trifles and toyes , as about catching of flies , and following of feathers , you would say , surely they begin to be besotted : so for the soul of man , that is capable of such excellency as it is , of communion with god , with the father , son and holy ghost , for such a soul to have the strength of it spent about such poor trifling things that cannot profit in the evil day , oh this is a foolish lust . secondly , foolish lusts , for earthly-mindedness , causes thee to be a servant to thy servants : you would account that man a fool that should be a servant to his servants : so god hath made the things of the earth to be a servant to thee , and yet thou wilt come and put thy neck under thy servants yoke , and art a servant to thy servant : yea , were it not a great deal of folly for a man to expect all his honour and respect to come from his servant rather than from any excellency in himself ; as thus , suppose a man were travelling , & indeed there is respect given to him , but it 's for his servants sake rather than his own ; if he should come to know this , this he would account a great dishonor to himself : but an earthly heart ( i say ) puts himself into such a condition , as indeed he makes it to be his greatest honour to have honour from his estate and riches : so that men do not respect rich men for any worth that there is in themselves , or for any excellency of their own , but only for their riches , as much as to say , a man is not respected for himself but for his servant . take some men that have had estates , but now they are deprived of them , and are become as poor as any almes-men or beggars amongst us ; who doth regard them then ? but now , let a man have grace and holinesse , if he were turned out of all and made as poor as job , yet he were one that the angels of heaven would look upon with honour , and would glory in attending upon him ; this is the difference between the carnal earthly heart , and the spiritual heart . it 's a foolish lust to make himself to be a servant to his servant . . it brings into foolish lusts , for a man might have as much ( it may be ) more of the earth if he did not mind it so much as he doth . now for a man to mind the earth and to indanger himself in the minding of it , when as he might have it as well without so much minding , surely , this is a foolish thing : for a man to bestow a great deal of labour about a thing when as he might have it with lesse labour , he is a fool surely . certainly if you be such as belongs to god , especially you may rather expect god to bless you if you kept your hearts more spiritual , you might expect that god would grant to you more of the good things of this world if you were lesse earthly-minded than you are , and it 's your earthly-mindednesse that makes god cut you short of these things ; i am verily perswaded there are many men that have ill successe in their earthly affairs , and it 's a fruit of gods displeasure upon them because their hearts are so much upon worldly businesses , did you go on in your imployment in obedience to god , and commit it to god for successe , you might be crowned with more successe than you have been : now what a foolish thing is this ? . yea further : it 's a great deal of folly , for any of you to go and buy a thing and to pay a greater price for it than it 's worth : if you send a servant to buy you commodities , and when he comes home you ask him what it cost , and he tells you it cost such a price which is ten times more than it's worth , you will say , thus it is to send a fool to market : so an earthly - minded man manifests himself to god , and his angels and all the saints to be a fool , for why ? thou bestowest that upon this world , that is a thousand times more worth than the things of the world , for thou bestowest that upon the world that might bring thee to heaven ; i may say to an earthly-minded man , those thoughts , and cares , and affections , and endeavours that thou doest spend upon the things of the world , if they had been spent about the things of god might have sav'd thy soul to all eternity , thou mightest have got christ and heaven , and eternity , the lord would have gone along with thee ; and thou maiest come hereafter to see it at the great day when all things shall be opened before men and angels : had i but spent those thoughts and cares , and endeavours , about understanding the waies and things of god and eternal life , my soul might have bin sav'd for ever : not that our works wil do it , but that god would have gone along together with you in such waies as those are ; now for you to spend thoughts and cares about that that perhaps you shall not have , for many men and women spend their souls about the things of the world and never have them , this is a sad thing ; oh! wil not this be folly ? will not you curse your selves hereafter for your folly ? oh that i should spend my self and be spent about that that i have not got neither , and i must be damn'd for that , whereas had i spent time about things that concern'd my soul and eternal life it would have been more like that i should have gotten those things ; for god doth not fail men so in spiritual things as he doth in earthly things , a man may be as diligent as it 's possible for any man to be in business of the earth , and yet he may miscarry ; but give me any man or woman that ever was diligent in seeking the things of god and eternal life that ever did miscarry ; i verily beleeve at the day of judgment there will not be one man found , that shall be able to say , lord , i did improve what talents thou didest give me to the uttermost to save my soul , but lord , because i was not able to do any more , without thy grace , thou didest deny thy grace to me , and therefore now i must be damn'd : i beleeve there will not be any soul that will be able to say so ; but in the matters of the world men do say so , that they have done what they could , nad labour'd and toyl'd , and yet for all that they miscarry . oh what a foolish thing is this then , for thee to toyl and labour about that which is so uncertain : for were it not a foolish thing for a man to bestow all his estate about buying of pibble stones , and that that will afford him no kind of benefit at all : this folly is in the heart of man : i 'le but put this care to you , if two of you should go to the indies , where precious stones are , and one should purchase a lading of precious stones and other rich commodities , and the other that carried as much money with him , he laies out all his money about baubles and trifles , and they both come home laden , both went out with the same stock , both come home laden , and one comes home with precious stones that makes him rich , and his posterity to be great men ; the other brings home nothing but a company of pibble stones which makes him scorn'd and jeer'd at by all his neighbours ; oh! how would he be ready to tear his flesh for his folly in this kind : this will be the difference between men and women at the day of judgment , for the truth is , what is this world but a sea-fare ? we are here sailing in this world , and here we have the market of pearls , or else of that hath no worth at all in it : when you live in the times of the gospel i say there is a market for pearls , for those things that may enrich you to all eternity ; now there 's one man , he bestows the strength of his thoughts and heart about those things that he shall be blessing of god in the highest heavens to all eternity for , and the other man bestows his thoughts and heart but upon the things of the earth , and lades himself with thick clay ( as the scripture phrase is ; ) and now at the day of judgment when it shall appear , here 's a man or woman that shall be to all eternity blessed , that shall joyn with angels and saints in the highest heavens to magnifie the free grace of god in christ : and here 's another had that he bestowed but his thoughts , and heart about the same things he might have been so blessed for ever , but he minding the things of the earth is a cursed fool , and is the scorn and contempt of men and angels to all eternity ; earthly-mindednesse brings men into foolish lusts ( the scipture speaks : ) oh! though men of earthly minds think themselves the only blessed men , i applaud my self at home , let men talk what they will ; but the holy ghost saith , that those iusts that are caused by earthly-mindednesse are foolish lusts . fifthly , that 's folly for a man to do that that he must undo again . now especially those earthly-minded men that have this earthlinesse so to prevail with them as to get any thing of the earth by false waies ; they must certainly undo all they have done : you have got so much of the earth in some cunning cheating way , and you blesse your selves that you have found out such a mystery of iniquity ; this is a foolish lust : foolish , why ? it must be done again , either you must be eternally damn'd , or else you must restore as zacheus did if you be able , though it be to the impoverishing of your selves , yet it must out again , all the sorrow and repentance that can be will not be sufficient , thou canst not be pardoned upon all thy sorrow and repentance if thou dost not restore if thou beest able , what thou hast ill gotten ; i do not know that there was ever any minister of the gospel upon the face of the earth but held this , that it was of absolute necessity to salvation to restore , and this one reason cannot but satisfie any mans conscience , that a man cannot truly repent of a sin , and yet wilfully to continue in it . now except you do restore , you do wilfully continue in it ; for why ? you do not only wrong the man the first hour , but so long as you keep any thing that is his you do wrong him : and if you be able to restore and do not , because you are loth to part with so much mony , or so many goods , you do wilfully continue in the sin : now , no man or woman can truly repent of a sin and yet wilfully persist in that sin : what a foolish lust is this , for a man or woman to go and get the things of this world in such a way as he must undo all again though it be to his shame ; oh! consider what a folly it is . you deceitful servants , that spend away that upon your lusts , that you cheat and cosen your master of ; afterwards when you come to set up for your selves , you must restore what you have purloind , and it may be a great part of your estate must be repaid in way of restitution , it must be done , there 's no gain-saying of it ; and therefore what a foolish lust it is , to be set upon the things of the earth so as to get them in an earthly way . . and then foolish , ( observe this one note ) by earthly-mindednesse , they do lose the comfort of earthly things before they have them . i make it out thus , a man or woman that hath carking thoughts about the things of the earth , and it may be by their inordinate thoughts , and cares , and affections after some earthly things , they contract much guiltinesse upon their own spirits , yet after this perhaps god doth give them that earthly thing ; now when they have got it , if they have any light in their consciences , their convinced consciences will then reflect thus upon them , i have got this indeed , oh! but have i it with the blessing of god ? i have it in my costody , but i got it dearly , it cost me such thoughts and cares , and affections before i had it , and now i have it , i cannot say it comes out of gods love , i rather fear that god hath given it me in his wrath because i got it in such a way ; now all the comfort is gone and lost , whereas had it come in the way of god , and hadst thou given up thy self to god , and then providence had brought such a comfort to thee , thou mightest have enjoyed much of god in it , & bless'd god for it , the lord hath bless'd me in my trading , oh! i have it from the love of god. but now , when thy heart was earthly before it came , when it doth come thou hast no comfort in it , the comfort of all is lost before it comes , thou hast spent so much upon it ; as if a man hath got a thing , & after he hath gotten it , he thinks thus , what hath this cost me ; it hath cost me a great deal more than it's worth ; now the comfort of it is vanished . the eighth evil. earthly-mindednesse , it is the root of apostasie . i 'le give you but one scripture , & compare it with another : tim. . there 's a notable text , that shews how earthly-mindednesse breeds apostasie ; 't is the example of demas , for demas ( saies the apostle ) hath forsaken me : what 's the matter ? having loved this present world . it was that that made demas to be an apostate ; why ? what was demas before ? compare this scripture with that you have in the epistle to the colossians , and you shal see what he was before this time : he was a forward disciple of paul ; and the apostle had some good esteem of him , in the last to the colossians , . vers . mark there in that epistle , where paul was directed by the holy ghost , luke the beloved physitian and demas greet you : paul doth rank demas here among the famous professors of religion ; the apostle , writing to the colossians , saith , demas greets you among the rest . when we send to our friends and say , such a one commends him to you , we use not to name them except they be entire friends . so it appears , and i find that interpreters severally do think it was the same demas , and the word gives us some ground for this ! for in timothy you find , that he names luke there too : it seems that demas and luke were two great assossiates : and paul mentions them together ; when demas had forsaken him , yet luke rode with him , and when paul sends them greeting of luke that was the beloved physitian , he sends the greeting of demas too : but now , one was truly godly , and whatsoever sufferings paul met withal , one cleaved to him , and would not forsake him : but when paul begins to suffer , and demas thought , that there 's no thriving for me , if i should follow this persecuted apostle ; demas now would have no more of paul , he thanks him for his company and fairly departs from him : he hath forsaken me : and what 's the root of it ? he had imbraced this present world . and that 's another note , that though he was a forward proffessor , yet the heart of paul was not so much for him , for saith he , luke the beloved phisitian and demas great you ; he doth not say , the beloved demas ; it 's true , demas was a forward proffessor , and did seem to wear a cloak of religion ; yet paul was directed by the holy-ghost only to speak of him as a proffessor ; but in that the holy-ghost directs him to speek of two together that were two companions , and gives one an epethite , beloved , and the other only his name . by this we may gather , that those that have discerning spirits , may shew some kind of sign in those that are earthly , at least to darken their esteem of them , and to make them somwhat jealous of them : as now , ther 's two men , and both very forward , and two companions together ; yet those that are godly , old disciples can savour one more than the other ; indeed they are both proffessors , and both have excellant parts and gifts , and yet there 's more spiritualness , and greater experiences in one than in the other , so it appears there was in luke rather than in demas , and indeed , your earthly-minded men , afterwards prove to be apostates , usually before their grand apostasy do manifest some deadnesse and waywardness of spirit to that that 's good . yea , their spirits before discover themselves to be earthly spirits , they smell of the earth . as a man before he dies , his breath will smell very earthly ; you will say : oh! such a one cannot live , his breath is so earthly ; so it is with those that are very great proffessors of religion ; that those that have intimate acquaintance with them before they do apostatise they smell their breath to be earthly in their duties , in their conferences : oh take heed of earthly-mindedness , least it be the root of apostasie ; this may be written upon many an apostates grave , this was an earthly minded man or woman in the midest of their profession . and hence it is that they fell off from the truth in times of danger , when they were brought to the tryal , they were base back sliders from god and his truth . the ninth evil. earthly-mindednesse doth wonderfully dead the heart in prayer . it sinks the spirits of men , and straightens them in spiritual duties ; yea , and indeed , doth defile every duty of religion ; in the . psal . . ver . david ( you shall find ) paryes there to god , that he will turn away his eyes from beholding vanity , and that he would quicken him in his law . certainly by the vanity that he speaks of there , he means the things of the world , and by his eyes he understands the eyes of his mind , chiefly the working of the thoughts of his heart after earthly things ; for if you will cast your eyes but to the . verse , faith he there , incline my heart to thy testimonies , and not to covetousness ; oh lord , let not my heart be inclined to covetousness : afterwards , turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity , to the end that my heart may not be inclin'd to covetousness ; lord , let not my thoughts be busied about such vain things , but quicken me in thy law : as if he should say , lord , while my mind is turned to vanity , or my heart to covetousnesse , after the things of this earth , i alwaies find my spirit dull and heavy in any holy duties , i have no quickness at all in my inward man when i come in thy presence , and by experience i find this to be the cause that my heart is so drossie , because my thoughts and mind are set upon earthly things that are but vanity , therefore , lord let not mine heart be inclin'd to covetousness nor mine eyes looking after vanity , but turn away mine eyes from these things and quicken me in thy law : if you would have your hearts quicken'd in gods law , in the duties that god sets you about , take heed of your eyes that they look not after vanity , & your hearts that they follow not after covetousnesse ; for an earthly spirit will be a dead spirit , as the element of earth it 's the sluggishest , and deadest element of all ; so earthlinesse in the heart makes the heart sluggish and dead , and listlesse to any holy and spiritual duty : i appeal to your consciences in this , when you have let out your hearts after the things of this earth , and been exercised in the world , in abundance of businesses , when you have come to enjoy communion with god , oh! how dead have you found your hearts ! a drossie heart must needs be a dead and a straight heart in heavenly exercises : you complain many times of your vain thoughts in performance of holy duties , you cry out of dead spirits then , but there lies the cause , you have given your hearts up so much to the things of the earth at other times , and hence when you should come to have converse with god your hearts are so dead and dull & straight as they are , look at this to be the ground of it ; this is the great root of all , it lies here in your earthly-mindednesse , oh! how many prayers have been quite spoil'd with an earthly heart ! whereas , such as have had spiritual hearts , have enjoyed blessed communion with god at the throne of his grace , and have been sweetly refreshed as a gyant with wine ; the while thou hast gone with a dead heart , and continued so there , and came away with as dead an heart , without anie quicknesse and life , and this is that that comes by , thy earthly-mindednesse , which is such a remora and pulback to duties . the tenth evil. . earthly-mindednesse , is so great an evil wheresoever it prevails , as it were just with god that thy name who art so earthly-minded should be written in the earth . i say , those that are earthly-minded and have this sin prevailing upon their hearts , and are not sensible of it , they have cause to fear least god should write their names in the dust : yea , lest god hath already written their names in the earth ; in the . of jerem. . we reade of such an expression , oh lord , the hope of israel , all that forsake thee shall be ashamed , and they they that depart from thee shall be written in the earth : because they have forsaken the lord the fountain of living waters . and it 's apparant that he speaks of earthly spirits here , for in the . verse he saith , as the partridg sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not , so he that getteth riches and not by right , shall leave them in the midst of his daies , and at his end shall be a fool : and then he goes on and describes the excellencie of god and his sanctuarie , a glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary , &c. as if he should say , there are a company of foolish vain men that seek after nothing but getting riches and the things of the earth ; but a glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary : oh lord we see an excellencie in thee and in thine ordinances , and thy sanctuary , oh lord the hope of israel in whom there is such excellencie , is there any that do forsake thee who hast so much excellencie in thee , who art the hope of israel , oh lord , just it were that their names should be written in the earth , that they should never come to partake of those good things that there are in thee , the excellent things that there are in thine ordinances , and in thy gospel , but lord , let their names be written in the earth : an earthly spirit ( i say ) may fear least the name of it be written in the earth , lest god write concerning such a man or such a woman , earth shall be their portion , and their mouths shall be fil'd with earth one day , and that 's all the good that they shall have from the almighty : oh those who have known god and the things of eternal life they cannot but apprehend this to be a sad and a grievous evil , for their names to be written in the earth . the eleventh evil. an earthly-minded man hath the curse of the serpent upon him : what was that ? vpon thy belly shalt thou go , and dust shalt thou eat . thou hast the curse of the serpent , thou grove-lest upon the earth ( as it were ) upon thy belly , thy soul cleaves to the ground in a sinful way , and dust thou feedest upon : while the saints are feeding upon jesus christ , upon the very flesh and blood of christ ; when they are refreshing themselves with the hidden mannah , angels bread , corn from heaven ; thou art satiating thy self with the earth , that 's thy food , and that 's the very curse of the serpent ; it 's a sign of a serpentine brood of the old serpent , to be groveling upon the earth and to feed upon it . the twelfth evil. earthly-mindedness is a dishonor to god , and a scandal to religion . what! shalt thou profess an interest in christ ? and are there no higher things to be had in god than such base things as thy heart is upon ? what! doest thou hold forth the everlasting gospel in thy hand to others ; and doest openly professe a nearnesse to god more than others ; and is there no difference between the workings of thy heart and the workings of others after the things of this world ? oh! how does this darken the excellency of grace ! if there be any grace at all : it very much clouds it ; as the mixing of earth and drossie stuff with pure mettle , it takes away the excellencie of the pure mettle ; so the mixing of earth with the profession of religion , blemisheth the beauty and splendor of the profession of religion : thou wilt never be the man or woman that is like to convince any by thy conversation : thou art never likely to be a means to draw any to the love of the waies of godlinesse , because there is so much darknesse and earthlinesse in thy conversation : oh will they say , indeed , he or she makes a great blaze in the world , and talks much of religion , and of ordinances , and such things , but as worldly as any , and groveling in the earth as much as any ; people that are standers by wil think that profession is but a meer verbal thing , or a mock-shew , when as they see as much earthlinesse in your conversation as in the conversation of those that are without : you do bring an ill report on the things of god , as the spies did on the land of canaan . whereas every professor of religion should endeavour to put a lustre upon religion , and to make the waies of god to be beautiful , amiable , and glorious in the eyes of all that do behold them : but now , to give a lye to your gospel-profession by your earthlyconversation , is a very great scandal to the name of christ that is upon you and to his gospel that you seem to stand up for . oh! there 's a great evil in this , and a very ill report comes upon the waies of religion by this means ; many that have had little religion in them , yet have some kind of generousness of spirit , so that they scorn such base sordednesse as some sorts of professors are given unto . oh! for shame let not those that have only common gifts of nature , and education outstrip you , that seem to be the followers of christ ; away with that base , muddy , earthly , saving , pinching disposition , it becomes none but judas that carried the bag and betraied his lord and master for eighteen shillings and four pence . let me argue with you , you that have to deal with any friends or neighbors , that you yet are afraid have not the power of godlinesse in them as you desire , but yet you see they have much ingenuity , and generousnesse , and publickness of spirit in them for publick good ; take heed of scandalizing such men , for certainly such men if they could be brought to the love of religion , to the power & strictness thereof , had they the work of the holy ghost upon their hearts to humble them for sin , and to shew them the excellencie of jesus christ , they would be glorious instruments in the church of god and common-wealth , and therefore it 's a very great evil to scandalize such men as these ; no , you should labor to walk so as they might see a beauty and excellencie in the waies of religion by your conversation ; oh! better , a thousand times better that you be cut short of these things in the world , than that you should scandalize the waies of god , and the profession of the name and gospel of jesus christ . the thirteenth evil. earthly-mindednesse , it doth exceedingly hinder preparation for death , and it is like to make death to be very grievous and terrible to them when it comes ( that are like the rich fool in the gospel ) in the . of luke , the . verse , ( this i have from the scripture ) take heed to your selves ( christ here speaks to his disciples ) lest at any time your hedrts be over-charged with surfitting and drunkenness and cares of this life ; ( he puts them together ) it 's very strange you will say that christ should speak this to his disciples , to forewarn them of this , we do not think that they were drunkards so as to follow after taverns and ale houses , or to reel in the streets ; but by this drunkennesse he means any excesse in the use of the creatures in meat or drink , and professors of religion may be subject to that , to give up themselves too much to sensual delights and excesse in the use of the creature , but besides that , though many there are that would abhor glutteny and drunkennesse , yet the cares of this life takes up their hearts ; therefore saith christ , take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts he over charged with the cares of this life : why ? what evil would the over-charging of the heart which the cares of this life bring ? mark , ( saith the text ) and so that day come upon you unawares , for as a snare shall it come upon all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth , watch ye therefore and pray alwaies &c. i may apply this to death : though the scripture be speaking of christs coming ; now in the time of death christ comes particularly , there is a particular day of judgment at the day of death ; it may likewise be applied to the time of any affliction , and then it may be inlarged thus , and so then the evil of earthly-mindednesse appears in this , that it doth hinder the preparation of the soul for afflictions . oh! earthly-mindednesse will make thine affliction to be grievous and heavie to thee : an affliction is a very grievous thing to an earthly spirit ; if god comes to take away any comforts of this world , now because thy heart cleaves so close to them there must be a rending of them from thee , and that will put thee to pain ; a man that hath his garments loose , he can easily put them off when he goes to bed at night , but if a man hath a sore upon his body , and his inward garments shall cleave to the sore , if he puls them off then it puts him to a great deal of pain , oh then he cries out of his pain ! truly , this earthly-mindednesse comes from distemper of spirit , and the things of the earth they cleave to the hearts of men and women that are earthly , as the inward garment should cleave to a sore on a mans body ; and now when afflictions or death comes to take the things of the earth from them , or them from the things of the earth , oh it 's painful to them , it 's grievous to them and for one that hath an earthly spirit , a hundred to one if he hath any light of conscience left in him , but his conscience will trouble him in time of sicknesse and then tell him how he hath spent his time and strength of his spirit about the things of of the earth , whereas they should have bin spent about more excellent things , and when he comes to die then his spirit will be troubled , i am now to leave all these things that i have spent my care and thoughts upon and let out my heart about , and what good is it to me now that i shall leave so much more than my neighbor doth , what great content is this to me when i am upon my sick and death bed ? what comfort can i have in all the good things i have enjoyed ? yes , ( it may be ) through the earthlinesse of my spirit , i have enjoyed but little of them , but i have had carking thoughts about them ; but now , death is like to be to me as a strainer , that strains out the good and leaves the drosse and the dirt behind it . and so all the good of the things of this world is gone , but the guiltinesse that i have contracted upon my spirit with my immoderate care and affections that i have let out upon the world that now is upon my spirit , oh! death hath been very grievous to worldly spirits . i remember there 's one that liv'd in a place not far from the place that i have formerly liv'd in , a covetous , earthly spirit , when he was to die , cals for his money , and fals a swearing , must i leave you now ? ( speaking to his bags , and hugging of them ) what! must i leave you now ? an earthly man that had spent his spirits and strength upon these things , and indeed let out his heart to them as his portion , and then he sees that he must be stript from all , must bid an eternal fare-wel to all , no more houses , nor lands , nor comming-in , nor money : oh! death is grievous to such a one . now , what should be the life of a christian , but a continual preparation for death ? many of the heathens said of philosophy , that it was but a preparation for death . a special excellency of christianity consists in this , that it is a preparative for death ; and therefore you should let out your hearts to the things of this world so , as to be continually thinking of death , that when god cals you to depart from these things , that you may do it with ease , with as much ease as a man when he is going to bed casts off his cloaths that are loose about him ; for so the grave is as a bed to the saints where they fall asleep when they die , and so they may lay down all things and go to their sleep with ease and peace . a man or woman that can have their consciences tell them , i have been diligent in my calling , but god knows through faithfulnesse to him , rather than l●●e to the world ; and i have kept my heart close to god , and faithful to him , i can bid the world now farewel , as the world hath done with me , so i have done with it ; so long as my time was to work for god , god continued those things that this frail nature of mine had need of , and now my work is done , farewell the the comforts of this world , i expect other kind of comforts that i am now going to : so , such a one that is spiritual may die with comfort ; but those that have their hearts overcharged with the cares of this life , they will have the day of christ come upon them unawares . the fourteenth evil earthly-mindednesse , is that that will bring destruction at last , it will drown thy soul in perdition ; there 's those two texts for it ; the first is here in this very scripture wherein my text is , saith the apostle here ( speaking of men who mind earthly things . ) whose end is destruction . they are both joyn'd together , earthly-mindednesse will bring destruction at last : and the forenamed place that for other purposes we have had , in tim. . . where the apostle speaks of bringing them into snares , and foolish lusts : saith he , which drown men in destruction and perdition . some that are washing themselves in the thams , go a little way at first , & then venture a little surther & further , & at length they are over head and ears , and there they are drown , d and cannot recover themselves : so it will be with your hearts if you look not to them ; you think you may venture so far to the things of this world , why ? are they not good , and in themselves lawful ? i get not my estate by wrong , cheating and cousning , and so by degrees your hearts are stoln away from god , and taken with these earthly things , and ye get deeper & deeper into the world , til at length you are plunged over head and ears before you are aware , and you cannot recover your selves ; that man or woman that will give their hearts to the things of this world , and think that they will go no further , but thus and thus far , a hundred to one but when once these things have taken up their hearts they get more and more advantage till they be even drowned in destruction and perdition : a man or woman may be undone by earthlinesse , and be damn'd and perish eternally as well as by adulterie , or drunkenesse , murder , or by any notorious sin , many that are great professors of religion , it 's very like that this will be the sin by which they will perish to oll eternity , the earthlinesse of their minds . do not please your selves in this , that because you keep from those grosse & notorious sins that others live in therefore you hope to be sav'd , your earthlinesse may damn you as well as any thing else : as upon dunghils you cast not only filthy carrion , and such nastie stuff , but your dust , that is swept out of your houses , i may compare hell which is the place where god casts those damned out of his presence , it is ( as it were ) the common dunghil upon which filthy creatures are cast ; now upon that dunghil there are not only carions , and filthy blasphemers , and whoremasters , and theeves , those are as it were the dead dogs carion : but likewise there will be dust cast upon that dunghil , and scrapings that are from your houses will be cast upon the dunghil of hell from the presence of god ; and therefore satisfie not your selves in this , that you do not live in such filthy abominable lusts as others do , but if you have foul earthie hearts you may be cast upon the dunghill as well as those that have liv'd most notoriously wicked ; and therefore take heed of earthly-mindednesse . you will say , by all these particulars that you have discovered to us , there is a great deal of evil and danger in earthly mindednesse . well , the lord keep us from earthly-mindednesse : but you will say , we hope that we are not those earthly-minded men that are here spoken to though we do follow our businesses and callings : we must mind what god sets us about , but we hope we are not of these earthly-minded men that are spoken of here in this scripture . now besides what we spake too in the opening what it was , that might shew as in a glasse the hearts of men and women : i shall inlarge my meditations on this subject , by opening some few convincements , further to convince men and women that there is a great deal of earthly-mindednesse in them . and for preparation i will lay down this . first . that a man or woman may be earthly minded , and yet little think of it themselves , not know that they are so : yea , and it may be even perisheternally through their earthly-mindednesse , and not know of it themselves . six things may be wrought in a man , and yet earthly minded . . a man may have his judgment convinc'd that there is a vanity in all things in this world , and yet be an earthly-minded man for all this : many think they are not earthly-minded , why ? because they are convinc'd that all these things are vanity ; come and speak to them about the things of this world , and they will acknowledg there 's a vanity in all these things , that they are vanity of vanities , al is vanity . . a man may have some kind of contentment in his estate , and yet have an earthly mind ; at the . of gen. . verse , esau that was one of the earth , yet he said he had enough , yet certainly one of an earthly spirit , and his portion was in the earth : how many of you come so far as esau did ? to say for your estates , you have enough : oh 't is a shame for those that are professors of religion , and would seem to be of the seed of jacob , and yet they can never say they have enough , when as an esau can say , he hath enough : i have enough my brother . men and women may speak very great words about the vanity of all the things of this world : when you come to discourse , you may ( i say ) discourse much about them , and yet have a very earthly spirit . . a man may be free from getting any thing of this world by false waies , by deceit , by injustice , &c. and yet be earthly for all that . . through some predominate lust some other way , a man may seem to despise some earthly thing : as manie men that have a lust of ambition , will seem to despise money ; that hath a lust to shew themselves to be generous ; and those that have a lust of sensualitie will seem to despise the things of the world ? manie a man through one lust will seem as if he would hate the other , though the truth is , he doth not hate it as a sin , but for the practice of it his heart is against it , not ( i say ) from the dislike of it as a sin against god , but because it is opposite to some other lust that he hath ; as your prodigals , your young spendthrifts , they will speak against covetousness as if they hated that sin , whereas the truth is , no wicked man hates any sin any further than one sin crosses another , so much he may hate it but not as a sin , in the . of isa . . behold ( saith the text ) i will stir up the medes against them , which shall not regard silver , and as for gold they shall not delight in it : the medes they were heathen wicked people that had no grace in them at all , and yet ( the text saith ) they shall not regard silver , and for gold they shall not delight in it ; some men they think it i● through the work of grace , and because they find that they are above that base covetousness that they see in other men , they do not regard silver and gold , and to be getting all for themselves , and they dispise those men that are of such a base covetous way , and upon that they think their condition good because they think they are got above that lust ; but ye see it is no other than that a mede may get , a heathen may disregard silver and gold , but how ? it is because his spirit is upon another lust , that 's the ground of it : canst thou say this , ( consider what i am now upon ) you that seem to scorn covetousnesse and hate such base sordidnesse as you see in some men : can you say , it comes from hence , the lord hath made me to see the excellent things of the gospel , the treasures of grace that are fountain'd up in jesus christ : the lord hath made me to know what communion with himself in jesus christ doth mean , and since that time i blesse god my heart hath been above all these earthly things , and that 's the ground that makes me look upon all these earthly things as vanity , because the lord hath discovered unto me those excellent and glorious things that are infinitly above these earthly things : i , that 's somewhat indeed , if you can be above earthlinesse upon this ground , that 's a good argument : therefore examine upon what ground it is that your spirit is against such things , whether it be upon the sight and experience of better things , then it 's right : but certainly men and women may go far in seeming to be above earthly things in respect of the sin of covetousnesse and yet still have earthlie minde ; wherefore to give you convicements , besides things that have been hinted . as how a man doth value himself and value others , is it not because that others , or your selves have much of the things of the earth ? can you value a poor man that is godly above the richest man that is wicked ? and so , can you value your selves for the least work of grace upon your hearts to make you more excellent thā the greatest cōmings-in of your estates ? ( but these things we have hinted ) and then , where lies the chief joy and chief sorrow of mens hearts ? what 's that that doth most trouble your hearts ? is it the losse of the light of the face of god , or the losse of an estate , the losse of a voyage , or the commission of a sin ? so , what 's your chief joy , your profitting by the word , or gaining by your bargains ? you have come to the word , and there somtimes god hath reveal'd some truth to you , and you have profited ; can you go away rejoycing because god hath made you to know his law , the lord hath darted some truth into my soul this morning , oh! i go away rejoycing , and having my heart fil'd with more joy than ever i have had upon any bargain wherein i have got never so much of the world : these be two convincements we hinted not before . nine convincements of earthly-mindedness . . conv. for the further convincement of an earthly-minded man , seriously consider this : when a man shall rest upon earthly props , upon worldly helps for the good that he doth expect ; if he can have those things , then his heart seems to be upon the wing , very pleasant ; but there 's nothing else can revive his heart , it 's not a promise that can keep his spirit . now that that a man or woman most trusts unto , that certainly they make to be their god : for that properly belongs to god to put our trust in him ; then we make god to be our god , when we roul our selves upon him. now to trust in earthly things though it be but for the comforts of your life , you will say , i cannot trust in earthly things to bring me to god ; nay , but to trust in them for the comforts of your life , while you are herein this world ; that 's an argument of an earthly spirit : for the truth is , the comfort of a mans life consists not in any earthly thing he doth enjoy . object . you will say , do not these comfort our lives ? answ . yes , so far as god is pleased to let out himself through them , but if thy heart doth rest upon these for comfort , and doth not look higher than these for comfort , even for thy outward support : certainlie thou hast an earthlie heart . and so , when thou art about any businesse , thou hast some earthlie means to further thee . obj. you wil say , god would have us take all outward means to help us . ans . i , but not to trust in any thing ; if riches encrease , set not your hearts upon them : so , if friends encrease , set not your hearts upon them , but trust in the living god , let it be the living god that you rest on even for all outward things in this world . . conv. a second convincement , is this : when men make most provision for the things of this world , both for themselves and for their children . are not these your thoughts ? i do not know what i may want hereafter , and i see many that have lived finely when they have been young , yet afterwards they have lived very miserably , and therefore i must make provision for after-times . thus for the earth . but now , do you reason thus for the things of heaven ? do not i see many that have made a great blaze of religion , and yet afterwards they have come to nothing , they have gone out in a snuffe as men that god hath forsaken , and they have died in horror of conscience ; and therfore let me lay up provision now against an evil time , that i may not miscarrie in the matters of my soul so as others have done ; this were a sign your minds were not earthly . and for your children , god hath sent you children , and oh! how you toile and labour , and your thoughts run in the night , and as soon as you awake in the morning , about what you shall get for their portions , and for an estate for them : now i appeal to your conscience before god ( the searcher of all hearts ) have your cares been to provide in a sutable way for their souls , for their spiritual and eternal estates ? no question but it 's lawful for parents to provide in a providential way for their children , and they that do not are worse than infidels ; but what is your chief provision for ? are your thoughts more solicitous to provide portions for them , than that they should have instruction in the fear of god , an interest in christ , than that they should have grace wrought in their hearts ? you are loth to die before you can bring your estate so clear as you may leave it to your children : ! oh are you not loth die before such time as you see some work of grace wrought in the hearts of your children ? oh! these would your thoughts be if you were spiritual : oh! could i discern but some seeds of grace sown before i was disolved i could rejoyce abundantlie . as ti 's repeated of austen's mother , that the great thing that she desired to live for , was to see her son converted ; and god did grant her desire , and then she found her self willing to die . there 's nothing wil make the spiritual heart of a father or mother more willing to depart from this world , than to find grace wrought in their children ; oh! that i may see before i die my child left under the promise in covenant with god : i , this were somwhat-like indeed : but those whose cares & thoughts are most for these earthlie things , in providing for themselves and children , that 's a convincement that their hearts are earthly . . conv. a third convincement which is very notable ( and i beseech you all to lay this to heart and consider seriously of it ) for this evill of earthly-mindedness is a very secret and close sin , therefore i am the larger in this point : the convincement is this . that man that can be content with a slight assurance in the matters of heaven , but for the matters of earth he never thinks himself sure enough , but is very careful to make all things so infallable as there can be no way that he can be decived in , but he may surely build upon what he hath in the things of this earth . this is an argument of an earthly mind , come to men that are earthly , and discourse with them concerning matters that concern their souls , what assurance have you that you are gone beyond any formal professor , that you are better than the stony or thorny grounds that we reade of in scripture ? what evidence have you that the saving work of grace is wrought in you ? that you have shot the gulf ? that you are translated out of the kingdom of darknesse into the kingdom of jesus christ ? and that your sins are pardoned , and your souls justified ? that you are at peace with god ? what evidences have you of peace made between god and your souls : this answer would be given : i hope i am converted , i trust in gods mercy , sure i have grace , i shall be sav'd , god is merciful . but what evidences can you shew ? they know not scarce what belongs to that , nay , you shall have many of them , because they know not what assurance means , therefore they , will think no body can be assured ; we may hope well but we cannot come to be assured of it : no , a heart that is truly gracious and godly would be loth that should be true for a thousand worlds , they would not lose their parts in the blessing of that , if god would make them kings or queens of the earth . but thou hast an earthlie drossie heart , and doest not much look after assurance for matters of thy soul and eternal estate , thou wilt venture those matters and put them upon a peradventure ; but when it comes to the matters of the earth there thou wilt make all sure , and go from this lawyer to another lawyer to ask council , & to see whether the things are good , and will inrole them ; and if there can be any thing done to make more sure ( if it be any great sum upon which your estates lies ) you will do it . i appeal to you , if you could but hear of any of your neighbors what they had done to make such a thing more certain than you have done ; you would scarce be at rest till you had done so as they have done : is it so in matters of your eternal estate ? do not you hear of many saints of god that walk comfortably in the midst of all afflictions upon the assurance of gods love ? you shall have some will be able to say , i , and it 's this scripture i build upon , and through gods mercie such and such hath the work of god been upon my soul in revealing himself to me , and such a promise i have suck't abundance of honie from . but now generally , come to people upon their sick beds , all that they say is this , they hope in gods mercie . but for the ground of their hope , for shewing how god hath been pleased to bring their hearts and the word together , and what real effects there hath been upon their spirits by the word , that they can shew nothing of : thou hast not therefore got that assurance for thy soul and eternal estate as others have got , and yet thou canst go on quietly , oh! it concerns thee that art so busie in making all sure for thy outward estate , to spend more thoughts and care in the matters of thy soul and eternal estate than ever thou hast done , here 's an earthly-minded man that can be contented with slight assurance for the matters of his soul , and satisfied with no kind of assurance in the matters of the world , but would fain make those things more and more sure continually . . conv. further , an earthly-minded man may be convinc'd of his earthlinesse in this , he is content with a little degree of sanctification , but for the matters of the world , still he would fain have more and more . he looks at those that are the most eminent that are in his rank , and he would fain get up as high as they in the things of this life , but in matters of religion he looks at the lowest christians , and is content to be as low as they ; take an earthly-minded man that is of such a trade , if there be any of his profession or calling that had as little to begin as he , and thrive better , he would fain get up as high as he , and is troubled that he is not so rich as he is ; thus it is in the world . but now , take them in matters of god , there 's such men that began since you began , and had as little means for the good of their souls as you have had , they are thriven and got beyond you abundantly in the matters of god , and doth this trouble you ? and are your thoughts solicitous about this ? oh! that i could attain to that degree of grace as such a one hath got , such an one hath a spiritual mind , and full of the joy of the holy ghost , and full of faith , he is able to depend upon god in the want of all outward comforts , and certainly injoyes much communion with god ; but i am far beneath such and such : do these thoughts trouble you ? it is ordinary for earthly spirits , if they look but at any one that makes profession of religion that is low in his profession , i did as such a one doth ; and i have as much as they have , and that satisfies them , they look upon the meanest christans , and are satisfied that they are like them ; but for the matters of the world they look upon the highest , and are not satified except they come and attain to what they attain to : and that 's a fourth evidence . . conv. then a fift is this , earthly-minded men are very wise in matters of the world , but in matters that are spiritual there they are very weak and simple . you shall have many men , ( which i have wondered at sometimes to see ) that in matters concerning religion there they are very ignorant , if they do but speak in points of saving knowledge they speak like children , so that one would wonder where their understandings were ; now turn such men to the matters of the world , oh! how wise are they in their generation , oh! how subtile , and crafty are they , they can see an objecton there and know how to answer it , they can discern any thing that will let them in their profit , many miles off , and can prevent whereas others cannot ; but now in those things that hinder their souls , they cannot foresee things there , they are wise in their generation , and they have memories for the matters of the world , they can understand things , and remember things , and they can meditate there , but put them to meditate on a point of religion , they are presently at a stand : let me appeal to you , do not your consciences tell you , that in the matter , of the world when you are walking from hence to london , you can run in your thoughts upon one business all the way that you walk , you can plot this , and contrive the other way , and foresee this and the other objection , and answer it thus in your own thoughts ; but i do but put this to you , when you walk over the fields , settle but upon one meditation concerning christ , and see whether you are able to draw out that meditation the while you walk over one field , whereas you can spin out an earthly meditation if it were divers miles ; when you awake in the night season presently your thoughts are upon the things of the world , and you can draw them out , and work there understandingly ; but now in the things of god , oh! how barren , and simple , and weak are you there ! there 's scarce any one can over-reach you in the things of the world , but in the matters of religion you are over-reach't presently , every slight temptation overcomes you there . . conv. and besides , you may know it by the discourse and words of men ; . john , . . they are of the world ; therefore speak they of the world , and the world heareth them : their breath is earthly , oh! it 's an ill sign that ( you use to say of your friends sometimes ) when you come to their bed side , oh! i am afraid they will die their breath smels so earthly , it 's a simptom of the death of the bodie : so your hearts do smel so earthly , and it were somewhat tolerable if it were on other daies when your callings requires it to discourse of businesse , but even that time that god hath set apart for himself , you are sometimes discoursing in your own thoughts concerning the businesses of the world when you are praying , and hearing : whereas the communication and discourses of men should relish of what they have heard out of the world , not presently to go and talk about some earthly exchange occurrances , and so loose all , oh! it 's this that hath lost many precious truths , it may be when you have been hearing , god hath darted in some beam of gospel-light into your souls , and you have lost is before you have got home , and so have come to loose the impression of the truth that you have heard , oh! what a seemly thing were it in those that come to hear the word when they depart that there should be no discourse but tending that way ? oh! how often are you in company and never leave any thing to refresh one anothers spirits , or to further one another in the way to eternal life ; though god gives you allowance to speak about your business , yet still if you be spiritual and heavenly , he would have you to have something about heaven or eternal life before you do depart . . conv a. further convincement is this , when spiritual things must give way to earthlyness upon every little business : prayer must pay for it , if i have any businesse , i will take it out of the time of paayer , or converse in the word the less , or hear the lesse ; when as i say , that earthly things are so high as spiritual things must give way , heaven must stand by ( as ir were ) til earth be served ; this is an evil sign of an earthly spirit : whereas were the spirit heavenly , the very first thing that thou would do when thou awakest in the morning , or arisest , should be to season thy heart with somthing that were spiritual : in psal . . how precious also are thy thoughts unto me o god! how great is the sum of them ? if i count them , they are more in number than the sand : when i awake i am still with thee . oh! that were an argument of a spiritual mind , that upon the awaking presently to be with god : when i awake i am still with thee . but now , i appeal to you , who are you withal when you awake ? can you say , lord , when i awake i am still with thee , i find an inclination in my spirit to be upon the matters of heaven , and when i am up , i had rather my worldly business should give way than spiritual duties . . conv. when a man or woman cares not much how it is with the church , with the kingdom of jesus christ , so it be well with them in the matters of the world : when as there are things stirring abroad in the world ( for we live in stirring times wherein god is shaking the heavens and the earth : ) now he doth not much enquire how things are in respect of the priviledges of the saints , the ark of the church , so his cabbin be safe . truly , there need no oeher thing but the examning of your hearts , how they have been these last years of jacobs trubles . we find eli in the time of war he sat trembling because of the ark of god ; he did not sit trembling because , that if the philistims did prevaile he should be put out of his place , and his estate taken away ; no , but because of the ark of god ; that was an argument of the spiritualnesse of eli's mind . and so it may be an argument of very great comfort to you in these dangerous times ; if our consciences tell us this , that god that knowes all things , knowes that the great thing my heart was solicitous about in these evill dayes , it was , what shall become of thy great name : lord , what shall become of religion : what shall become of thy gospel : lord these were the things that took up my heart , not so much what should become of my estate and outward accommodations and relations in this world : oh! examine your hearts in this , whether the care of your spirts be more for the furtherance of the kingdom of jesus christ or for the furtherance of your estates ? but for that man or woman that is most solicitous about businesse that concerns their outward estates , and do not much care how religion goes , how the way of the kingdom of christ is maintai'd , god at this time doth speak to that soul ; thou art an earthly-minded man or woman , and therefore take heed lest what hath been spoken concerning the great evil that there is in earthly-mindednesse , lest it befals thee , and especially the last of all , whose end is destruction , who art drown'd in perdition ; lest hereafter this be the thing that thou shalt lie crying out of , and cursing thy self for , oh! i had a base and earthly heart , and sought the things of the earth , and made my portion there , and in the mean time the blessed god hath been forsaken ; and i have lost my portion in the holy land , for i had my portion in egypt among the egyptians accoding as i did choose to my self . . conv. that the more spiritual any truth is that is reveal'd , the less doth it take with his heart : some truths of religion perhaps he is moved with , but these are as by-words to him , he minds them not at at all . the more spiritual an ordinance is that is delivered , the lesse is his spirit moved with it ; if indeed he comes to the word and there be mingled some earthly natural excellencie , ( for so i may call it ) as natural parts , wisdom , wit , and eloquence , and learning , that he is mov'd withal , it may be some fine story is more pleasing to him , than the goodly pearls of truth that are revealed in the word ; as now , such truths as these , the enjoyment of communion with god , the longing after jesus christs coming ; the living by faith upon a bare promise , the excellencie that there is in suffering for jesus christ : these truths now are spiritual , the mortifying of the inward lusts , self-denial , these things are little savored by an earthly-minded man ; tell him of the priviledges of the saints , the mysteries of the gospel , any thing that is spiritual it is but as a notion to him ; as 't is with men that are upon the earth , they look up to heaven and see the things of heaven but little ; why is it that the stars seem so smal to us here , but because we are upon the earth , the earth seems a vast bodie to us , but the stars seem but little to us though they are far bigger than the earth : were we in heaven , then the heavenly bodies would seem vast to us , and the earthly bodies would scarce be discerned by us ; were mens hearts heavenly , all the things of the earth would seem little to them ; but because they are earthly , therefore the things of heaven , and spiritual mysteries are very small in their eyes . chap. iv. seven reasons of mens earthly-mindedness . i shall now proceed unto the reasons of the point , why is it that mens hearts are so much set upon the earth , to mind earthly things . i give you briefly these reasons for it . first , the things of the earth appear real to them , but spiritual and heavenly things be but a notion : now that that hath reality in it , takes with the heart most ; though men are deceived in this , for the scripture speaks of spiritual things as the only real things , and earthly things as that that hath no being at all ; in prov. . . wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not , ( speaking of the riches of the world ) it hath no reality at all in it . but in the . prov. . . i lead in the way of righteousness , in the midst of the paths of judgment : that i may cause those that love me to inherit substance ; to inherit that which is , that which hath a being , othert hings they are not , the honors of the earth are but a fantasie and vain shew ; you have read of bernice and agrippa , they came with much pomp , with great fansie , so the original is : but to an earthly man these earthly things are real things , and therefore he minds them : and wisdom is a lye unto a fool . secondly , these things they look upon as the present necessary things , though the scripture tels us , but of one thing that is necessiary , but yet they think that these are present now , they may have need of heavenly things hereafter : they may have need of reconciliation with god , pardon of sin , peace of conscience , and such things , they may have need of them , that is , when they depart out of this life . oh! the infinite folly of most hearts to think , that there is no present necessity of spiritual and heavenly things , whereas indeed , our life consists in them for the present , this is eternal life : we may come here in this world to enjoy eternal life ; but the generality of people they look upon all spiritual things only as our good for the future , when we go from hence and are seen no more . thirdly , these things are most sutable to mens hearts . it 's no wonder that they mind earthly things ; they are of the earth , and from the earth , they have nothing but the first adam in them ; now the first man was from the earth earthly . the truth is , the happiness of mans estate even in innocency in the morning of the day of his creation in comparison of the things that are now reveal'd by the gospel , was but earthly : take man when he was in paradice , that paradice was but earthly : but then take man in his fallen and corrupt estate then he must needs be earthly , and every thing closes with that that is sutable to it : comfort , it doth not come so much from the goodness of a thing but from the sutablness of the object with the facultie . now the things of the earth , they are sutable to men that are of the earth , and therefore they mind them : the heart will abundantly run out upon that which is sutable to it . fourthly , these things of the earth have a very fair shew in the flesh , they have a kind of goodly appearance in the eye of sence , yea , and in the eye of that reason that is now corrupted by sin ; we have a most elegant expression of these earthly things , and earthly minded men having their hearts set upon these things , it is in the . to the gal. . verse , as many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh saith the scripture , the words are to signifie when a man looks smug and neat , as you shall have some men dresse themselves curiously , and having handsom bodys they look so trim , fine , handsom , and very brave to the eye of all that do behold them . so saith he , these men that are the false teachers , they desire to make a fair shew in the flesh , that is , they look upon the things of the flesh as those things that are very brave to the eye , and they love to have all things so compleat about them , that they may look smug , and carry themselves with such beauty before the world ; oh! this is their happiness , this they take content in , they seem to have fine estates , and to have brave cloathing , and all curious things about them , this looks so brave in the eyes of the world , and therefore it is that their hearts are upon them , they are here enemies to the crosse of christ , they think suffering for christ , poverty , disgrace looks but untowardly . but now , those that desire to make a fair shew in the flesh , that would have their countenances well wash'd , fair , and beautiful wheresoever they come , and be as sombody in the world , these do thus and thus , these forsake the truths of god , and seek to provide for themselves in the things of the flesh . fiftly , men naturally never knew better things than the things of the earth : and therefore no marvel though they mind earthly things so much : children that are born in a dungeon and never knew any better place , they can play up and down in the dungeon : so it is with men that never knew what the things of heaven and eternal life meant , they can mind earthly things better than those : but when once the lord opens the eyes of their understandings to see into the reality , excellency , and glory of spiritual things , they then wonder at their former blindness in minding such poor , low , mean foolish rattles , as the things of the earth are . sixtly , there are earthly principles continually dropt into men by converse with other men that are men of the earth : . psal . . and . their inward thoughts is , that their houses shall continue for ever , and their dwelling place to all generations , they call their lands after their own names . their hearts are set upon these things , then in the . verse , this their way is their folly , yet their posterity approve their sayings . they are applauded by men , they see that every body do applaud them in these waies , and when they converse one with another , they do converse about the things of the earth , and the common example of men , they see every body following the things of the earth , and are greedy after these toyes , and that likewise doth incline their minds to the things of the earth . lastly , the sensible experience they have had of the sweetnesse that there is in the things of the earth : this is that that takes off their minds from spiritual things , and makes them to mind the things of the earth . but though these be the reasons why men do thus mind the things of the earth , and an earthly-minded man blesses himself in his way , and thinks he hath good reason for what he doth , and thinks all men fools that do not grovel in the ground like a mole with himself , and looks upon the matter of religion but as meer words and talk , let them do what they will , i find contentment here : yet certainly at length it will prove folly , this their way , as the holy ghost saith in the psal . this their way it is but their folly , and in the end the wise men of the earth , those that have sought the things of the earth , and blesse themselves in their way , they will prove to be the greatest fools , the holy ghost accounts them so : in the . of jere. . verse , as the partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not , so he that getteth riches and not by right , shall leave them in the midst of his daies , and at his end shall be a fool . he applauds himself for the present in what he hath got , but at the end he shall be a fool . chap. v. now the main thing that is still behind in the point , it is therefore to endeavour to take off the minds of men and women from the things of this earth , that so by it i may make preparation to the next point , which is of infinite concernment , the conversations in heaven . but because their conversations cannot be in heaven till their minds be taken off from the earth , till the disease of earthly-mindednesse be cur'd ; therefore we must now propound those things that may help to take off the minds of men from the earth . eleven considerations to take off mens hearts from earthly-mindedness . first , consider this , that all the things of the earth that thy mind and heart is upon , if thou couldst possess them all as thine own , yet there is not so much good in them as to countervail the evil of the least sin , not of the least sin of thought ; thy heart is mudling upon the things of the earth , and thinkest that thou shouldest be blest if thou badst thus and thus as others have . let me tell thee , if thou hast but one sinful thought , there is more evil in that than there 's good in all that ever thou shalt get all the daies of thy life in the world ; and if this be so , that there is more evil in the least fin than there is good in all the things of the earth , it concerns thee rather to have thy mind how to avoid sin , or how to get the evil of sin to be remov'd , and how to get thy sin to be mortified , that concerns thee more than the minding and plodding about the things of the earth : that 's one consideration . a second consideration . a second is this that may take off the hearts of men from the things of the earth , that the chief things that are in the earth yea , name what terrene excellency possibly a man may be crowned with under heaven , hath been the portion of reprobates heretofore , and is to this day , and shall be the portion of multitudes whom god hates , and hath set apart to glorifie his infinite justice upon eternally . shall thy mind and heart be set upon such things as are the portion of reprobates ? will a reprobates portion content thee ? will it serve thee ? art thou satisfied with dogs meat ? if it will not content thee , why is it that thy mind is so much upon the things of the earth ? it may be thou that art poor and mean in the world ; thy mind is upon some little matter : thou canst never expect to have any great things in the world , and yet thou mindest them as if that there were thy portion , and thy happiness , some small pittance to furnish thy house , to provide for thy self and thy poor family ; oh friend ! if it were possible for thee to get the empire of the whol world under thy foot , yet thou shouldest get no more than hath been the portion of such as god hath hated ; and if so be that kingdoms and empires have been the portion of reprobates , why doest thou mind things that are lower abundantly , and let the strength of thine heart flow out upon such things as these are ? a third consideration . a third consideration is this , surely god hath made man for higher things than the things of this earth . oh! if thou hadst but thy thoughts often working this way , wherefore do i think in my conscience hath god made the children of men , for what end ? why hath he sent them hither into the world ? of all the creatures that god hath here upon the earth , he hath none capable to know him the infinite first being of all things but only the children of men , & god hath given them such a nature as is capable of some converse with him , surely then there be other things that god made man for than to have meat , and drink , and cloathes , and here to live a while only to enjoy creatures . do not we reade often , that jesus christ was god and man , took mans nature upon him , and died for man ? surely there must be some other manner of things that are the fruit of the purchase of the blood of christ than the things of the earth ; oh my brethren ! had you but this setled upon you , that certainly god hath great , glorious , high , and wonderful thoughts about man-kind , this would be a mighty means to take off your hearts from the things of this earth , when thou hast thy heart grovelling here : oh but are these the things that god made man for ? had not god higher thoughts in making of the children of men ? do not i find in the word that when man was made there was a kind of divine consultation with the trinity , come , let vs make man according to our own image ? god had other thoughts of man than of other things . and if man were made for nothing else but meerly to dig in the earth , certainly , the thoughts of god about man have been but very low and mean ( as i may so speak with holy reverence ) for these are but low and mean things here that men enjoy in the earth . the fourth consideration . as god hath higher thoughts concerning man ; so the dignity of mans nature , the rational soul of man is of too high a birth for to have the strength of it spent about the things of the earth . god breathed into man his soul : it 's ( i may say ) a kind of a divine spark , the soul of man it is of the same nature with angels , a spirit as angels are : the thoughts of the minds , the faculties and powers of the soul are more precious things than to be powred out as water upon the ground . if a man have a golden mill , he would not use it only to grind dirt , straws , and rotten sticks in . the mind of man , the thinking faculty is too high to be exercised in the things of this earth ; the mind of man it is of a most excellent capacious nature : it is fit to converse , not only with angels , but with the eternal god himself , with father , son , and holy ghost ; and to bestow the strength of such a faculty that god hath put into the soul of man upon such dirtie , drossie , low , base , mean things , as earthly-minded men and women do bestow it upon , this must needs be a great evil . know , the dignity of your nature , the excellencie of your mind , the soul of man it is of a transcendent being . put all the world into the ballance , with it it 's nothing . therefore you know what christ saith , what shall it profit a man , to gain the whol world , and lose his soul ? the soul of the meanest gally-slave is more precious than heaven and earth , sun , moon , stars , and all the host of them : let me add then , all the silver and golden mines under ground ; and al the unsearchable riches of the great and wide sea , yea put all these together ; and the soul of the most contemptible beggar that cries for a crust of bread at thy door , is unexpressibly more worth than all these : now , if mans soul be of such an high-born nature , if god hath put such a spirit which is a spark of heaven into the bosom , for man of him to imploy it in no other use and service , but meerly to be an earth-worm to creep in and upon the ground : this must needs be a very great evil . the fifth consideration . the fifth consideration is , the vncertainty of all these things , vncertain riches . how may any causuality come and take away from thee al the things of the earth that thy mind is upon ? god sends but a little too much heat into the body , and puts thee into a feavour , and where 's thy delight then ? thy body being either too much heated , or too much coold , what 's become of all thy comfort here in this earth ? thou goest abroad , and art dangerously wounded by an enemy , what refreshing then doest thou receive from all these things ? let me tell thee , thou art in the midst of a thousand thosand casualities here , every moment ready to take away all the comforts of the earth ; and usually at that time ( observe it ) when the minds of men and women are most fixed upon the earth , that 's the time that god hath to strike them in those things , they be then neerest to be depriv'd of the comforts of the earth , when their thoughts and minds be most set upon them . as you know it was with the rich man in the gospel , when he was blessing himself , and crying to his soul , soul soul , take thine ease , thou hast goods laid up for many years ; even that night ( the text saith ) this message came so him , thou fool , this night shall thy soul be taken away from thee , and then , whose shall al these things be ? and at that time that nebuchadnezzer was blessing himself in the pallace that he had built for his honor , then there comes a message to him from heaven , so that he was presently outed of all his court-vanities to graze among the beasts of the field . so you may find it in your own experience , that god hath many times then most crost you in the things of the earth , when your minds and hearts have been most glued to them : and it may be in mercy , yea , it 's a greater mercy to be crost of these things at such a time , than to prosper in the midst of them ; for it may be a good argument that god intends good to a soul , to crosse him at that time when he is most earthly . oh! many that have been godly indeed , but yet have bin earthly minded , and have found god coming at such a time and crossing them in some earthly contentment have seen cause to blesse god for thus dealing with them . whither was i going ? i was going altogether to the earth , and minding such things , my heart was set upon them , and god came in in a seasonable time , to shew me the vanity of my heart , and of those things that my mind was busied about ; oh it was a happy crosse that i had at such a season , there was much of christ that did hang upon it . and that 's the fift consideration . the sixth consideration . do but consider what 's become of those that have been earthly heretofore , that injoyed the greatest accomodations of the earth , what 's become of those men in former ages of the world , that lived here , and vapour'd so much in their generation , who but they at court and in citie , and had all the earth according to their desires ? what 's become of agrippa and bernice with al their pagentry greatness ? now they have acted their parts and are gone off the common stage of the world , all their vanity is buried with them in one grave . what difference is there between the poor and rich when they die ? they go all the same way ; only they were for a little time , and flourished in the things of the earth , and now are gone , but have left a great deal of guiltiness behind them ; look but to their example , and what 's become of theme ? and consider thy case must be as their's within a while , the wheel is turning round , which will bring thee as low as them , so that thou ere long must be numbred amongst the dead . oh! it 's a mightie means to take off our hearts from the things of this earth . the seventh consideration . consider further , how short thy time is that thou hast here in this world . that 's the argument of the apostle , because the time is short , therefore let us use the world as if we used it not , therefore let our hearts be taken off from these things ; we have but a little time , and a great deal of work , we have in this short winter day of life to provide for eternitie , now considering the great weight of the work that doth depend upon us here in this world , it may be a mightie reason for us to bid adue to all the things of this world ; indeed if we had time enough for our work , and were sure of our time then we might spend it about trifles . if a man comes into the citie to do business , of great weight and consequence , and hath but a little time to spend about it , he never minds any thing he sees in the citie , never minds any body that comes by him , or any shews in shops , what braverie there is there , but goes up and down the streets minding only his own business . oh! so it should be with us my brethren ; consider the great work we have to do , and the little time that we have to effect that work in , there depends upon our little short uncertain inch of time matters of more consequence than ten thousand thousand worlds are worth and if we miscarry in this little time of our lives , we are lost and undone for ever , better we had never been born , or had been made toads or serpents , or the vilest beasts whatsoever , than reasonable creatures . oh! have you so much time for the spending the very spirits of your souls upon the things of this earth , can you spare so many hours ? certainly if god did but make known to you what eternitie means , if the lord did but cause the fear of eternitie to fall upon you , you would not mispend so much time as you do ; many times though you complain for want of time for spiritual things , oh how much time do you spend in letting out your thoughts and affections upon the things of the earth , more than you need ? the eighth consideration . consider therefore in the next place , that a little will serve the turn to carry us through this world . we are here but in our pilgrimage , or in our voyage ; now a little will serve the turn here for the carrying of us through this world : men will not take more in a journy than may help them . if a man that is to go a journy should get a whol bundle of staves and lay them upon his shoulder , and you should ask him the reason why he carries that bundle , why saith he , i am going a great journy , and i know not what need i may have of staves to help me ; it 's true , to carry a staff in a mans hand will help him ; thus jacob was helped by his staff over jordan ; but to carrie a bundle upon his shoulder will hinder him : now a little will serve your turn , if you have but meat and drink , food and raiment ( saith the apostle ) be content ; and the servants of god in former time , past through this world with a very little , and manie of them the less they had , the more peace and comfort they had in god , and they were the more fit to die . i remember ecolampagius when he was to die being verie poor , profess'd that he would not have been richer than he was , for he saw what a hindrance it was , and so he could pass out of the world with more ease and quiet a great deal ; certainly a little will serve the turn here : we say , nature is content with a little ; and if there were grace it would be content with less ; and therefore let not our minds be upon the things of the earth : we have not so much need of the things of the earth as we think for . the ninth consideration and then further , consider though upon our minding the things of the earth we should enjoy never so much ; yet there is no comfort , no good to be had in them any further than god will be pleased to let himself through them ; they are but as channels to convey the blessing and goodness of god to us : man lives not by bread , nor meat only , you are deceived to think that if you had such and such things you should certainly have a comfortable life , i say you may be deceived in this , for it is god in these that doth comfort the heart , there is a notable scripture for this in the . psal . where the holy ghost saith at the . verse , trust not in oppression , and become not vain in robbery , if riches increase , set not your hearts upon them , do not mind them , why ? in the . verse , god hath spoken once , twice have i heard this , that power belongeth unto god , if riches increase , set not thy heart upon them ; let not your hearts and minds be upon riches , or any thing in this earth : why ? god hath spoken once , twice have i heard , that is , again and again : god hath spoken effectually to me that all power to do any good belongeth unto him , it 's not in riches , there 's no power there for making of thee happy , but all belongs to him . this i confess is a spiritual meditation that earthly minded men will have but little skill in , yet where earthly-mindedness prevails in any one of the saints , this may do him good , whereas the truth is , it is not in the creature , or creature-comforts can do me good , if i had a thousand times more than i have , i might be miserable in the earth , and have as little comfort as those that have least , and therefore let me set my affections upon things above , and not on things on the earth . the tenth consideration . moreover lay this to heart , if you be godly god promises to take care for you for the things of this earth , and to that end that he might ease you of the burden of your care , cast your care upon god for he careth for you , and take no thought for these things , for your heavenly father knows you have need of them , your heavenly father takes care , see how he cloaths the lillies , and are not you much better than they ? now children they do not much mind the things of the earth to provide for themselves , because they know they have their father to provide for them ; a child that hath his father and friends to make provision for him , it very much easeth him ; but indeed those that are left fatherlesse , and friendlesse , they seem to have some excuse ; i had need take care of my self for . i have no body to provide for me : i but the saints cannot say so , they have a father to provide for them , and all the earth is the lords as well as heaven , and the fulnesse of them both ; now the earth being the lords as well as heaven , the earth being thy fathers , why should thy care be so much upon the things of the earth ? let thy care be to do thy duty to thy father , to walk as a child , but let it not be for the things of the earth , thou dost as much as disavow the care of thy father for thee ; and canst thou beleeve that god shall give his son to thee and not give thee all things else ? hath not godliness the promises of this life as well as of that to come ? oh! thou unworthy child that professest an interest in such a father , or unworthy christian that professest an interest in such promises , and hop'st that god hath done such things for thee as he hath done , and yet hast thy heart in the things of this earth , as if the lord had settled thee only here , and put thee to shift for thy self here from door to door : no certainly , the care of god is over his people in the things of the earth , as truly as it is over them in regard of spiritual and eternal things . some men can think , at least they trust that they do trust god for their souls , but cannot for their bodies so well ; but surely faith wil teach thee to trust god for thy body as wel as thy soul , for god hath care of both , and both were redeem'd by the blood of jesus christ , and hath told thee , that he that fears the lord shall never want any thing that 's good for him : now these considerations may mightily prevail to take off the hearts of men from the things of this earth . the eleventh consideration . the last that i shall name is this , that all that are professors of religion , they are dead to the world , or should be so : nay , if you be truly religious you are so , by profession you do professe your selves to be dead unto the world . the scripture makes this argument to take off mens hearts from the things of this world , in the . colos . , . set your affections on things above , not on things on the earth : why ? for you are dead , and your life is hid with christ in god. ye are dead , the apostle writes to the colossians , and yet he tels them that they were dead ; the sripture speaks much of the death of the saints : as it 's said of women that liv'd in pleasures in timothy , that they were dead while they liv'd : so it may be said of christians that they are dead while they live , dead to the world , i am crucified to the world ( saith the apostle ) and we are dead with christ , i find that some interpret that scripture in the . cor. . . else what shall they do that are baptized for the dead ? they interpret it thus , that all those that came in , which were heathens and converted to christianity and were baptized , they were baptized for dead men ; that is , by their baptizm ; now there was a profession that they did professe themselves from that time for ever as dead men to the world , baptized for the dead ; you have it in some of your books over the dead , but the word is , for , and so it is translated in this last translation , for dead men : your baptizm is administred unto you as a sign of your profession , to be as dead men unto the world , so i find some carry it . this is the profession of christians to be as dead men to the world ; oh do not dishonor your profession of religion , for indeed there is a greater evil ( as we said ) for professors of religion to be earthly minded than for any others , and yet how many are guilty of this ? it 's an observation of luther , when god rivealed himself to abraham and told him , that he would multiply his seed ; he made use of two similitudes , one was this , that he would make his seed as the stars of heaven , and at another time god saith , that he would make his seed as the sand upon the sea shore ; now saith luther , by these two expressions there is signified two sorts of abrahams seed , there are some that are as the stars of heaven , that are heavenly minded ; there are others that are as the sand of the sea : that is , there are some professe themselves to be of abrahams seed but are of earthly spirits : oh now , my brethren , we should labor to have such minds and hearts so as we should appear to be the seed of abraham , as the stars of heaven , to be of the number of those that are as the stars of heaven , that is , through heavenly-mindednesse . but that we shall come to when we come to speak of the conversation of christians , how it ought to be in heaven . but now , if any one should say , may we not mind earthly things and heavenly things too ? know there is a great mistake here , you cannot serve two masters , god and mamon ; and it 's very observable that text of scripture , in the . of colos . . verse , mark the opposition , set your affections on things above , not on things on the earth : they are there opposed one to another : set your affections or minds , for so i think it is the same word with that in my text , who mind earthly things . a man cannot look up to heaven and down to the earth both at the same time , there is an opposition between these two , between the earthly-mindedness that hath been opened to you , and minding of heavenly things . i but you will say , for these things while we are upon the earth we have need of them , how can we do otherwaies but mind them ? when we come to heaven , there we shall have dispositions sutable to heaven , but sure not till then ? to that i answer , though christians do live upon the earth , yet they are not of the earth , there 's a great deal of difference between one that is of the earth , and another that lives upon the earth : christ saith concerning himself , that he was not of the earth , it 's true , though he did live a while upon the earth , yet he was not of it : in the . of john . he that cometh from above , is above all , he that is of the earth is earthly , and speaketh of the earth : now christ while he spake these words he was upon the earth ; but he was not of the earth : and so it is with christians , they are upon the earth , but they are not of the earth , they are a people redeem'd from the earth , therefore that 's not enough : it 's true , these things are things that we need , therefore we must not mind them , for so in the . of mat. where christ speaks against taking thought what we shall eat , or what we shall drink , or what we shall put on . saith he , your heavenly father knows you have need of these things ; you have some need , i but you have need of other things , and greater need of other things than of these things , what need is there for thee to live upon the earth but in order to providing for eternity , and of living to the honor of christ and the praise of his gospel ? i say thou hast no need of any thing on the earth but in subordination to higher things ; there is no need thou shouldest live , but for some other end , and therefore let not that be any such argument to plead for earthliness , as indeed an earthly spirit is very witty in pleading for its self . i shall close this point with some exhortation to you , and directions about this point of earthly-mindedness . chap. vii . exhortation . oh ! considering what hath been delivered , i beseech you lay it seriously to heart , especially you that are yong beginners in the way of religion , lest it proves with you as it doth with many that are digging of veins of gold and silver under ground ; that while they are digging in those mines for riches , the earth many times fals upon them and buries them , so that they never come up out of the mine again : and so it is with many that are beginning in the way of religion , that are digging in the mines of salvation , for unsearchable riches , for that that is abundantly better than gold and silver ; now while you are thus seeking for grace and godliness , oh take heed that you be not covered with the earth while you are digging in the world , but keep wide open some place to heaven , or otherwise if you dig too deep there will come up damps , if the earth falls not upon you , yet i say , there will be damps rise from the earth that may choak you , if there be not a wide space open that you may let the air that comes from heaven in to you . those that are digging into mines they are very careful to leave the place open for fresh air to come in ; and so , though thou maiest follow thy calling , and do the work that god sets thee here for as others do , be as diligent in thy calling as any , yet still keep a passage open to heaven , that there may be fresh gales of grace come into thy soul , if at any time thou beest got into the world , if thou spendest one day and hast not some spiritual air from heaven , take heed , there 's a damp coming up that will choak thee . oh! that christians would consider of this while they are here below ! i remember i have read of austin in his comment upon the . psal the . vers . saith the text , they that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him , and his enemies shall lick the dust : he in a wittie way applied it to earthlie-minded men , saith he , if you do so lick the dust , by this you will come to be accounted one of the enemies of god. it 's true , the scope of the place is different , but take heed that in this metaphorical sence that you do not lick the dust and so come to be accounted an enemie to god. you that would be accounted as friends and seek reconciliation with god , oh do not lick the dust , to be alwaies here as moles upon the earth , they say moles , though they be blind , yet if they be without the earth then their eyes are opened , and then they shake and tremble : and so though the earth may close the eyes of men here for a while , yet certainly there will be a day when their eyes shall be opened , to see how they have gul'd and deceiv'd themselves . and now it 's worse too in the time of the gospel to be earthly-minded than at other times , it was not such an evil thing to be an earthly minded man in the time of the law , when all the promises of god were carried in a kind of earthly way . though i do not say that all promises that were made to them under the law were meer earthly , but they were carried in an earthly way ; therefore you shall find when god promises his people in the time of the law what great mercies they shall have , it is by earthly expressions , as of gold and silver and such kind of things , and their promises for heaven it went under the expression of living in the land of canaan as being a type of heaven , now though they were taken with earthly things when god reveal'd himself to them in an earthly manner ; yet now in the time of the gospel , lift up your hearts for your calling is from above , now there are heavenly things revealed , he that is from above is come amongst us , and the heavens are broken open , and the glory of it doth shine upon the churches in a far more brighter manner than it did before . and therfore gospel-light doth aggravate the sin of earthly-mindednesse , and therefore now above all times should the hearts of men and women be disingaged from the things of the earth . chap. vii . five directions how to get our hearts freed from earthly-mindedness . first , to that end be watchful over your thoughts , do not take liberty to let your hearts run too far in the things of the earth , what time you have for meditation let it be as much as can be reserved for spiritual things ; most men and women think they may take liberty in their thoughts ; why the thing in its self is not unlawful , i but your thoughts will steal upon you and affect your hearts very much : therefore watch narrowly over your thoughts , keep them within scripture bounds . the second direction be much humbled for sin , that will take off the heart much from earthly-mindedness . your earthly-minded men , who have earthly and drossie hearts , they have not known what the weight and burden of sin hath meant , let god but lay the weight and burden of sin upon the soul , it will take off the soul from earthly things quickly ; oh! those men that have gone on in the world in a secure condition , and never knew what trouble of conscience meant for sin , they grow seer'd in those earthly contentments ; but now those men that have had but the weight of sin lie upon them , know what it is to have to deal with an infinite god , in the bearing of the burden of the wrath of an incensed deity , such know , that they have other things to look after than the things of the earth : if god did but humble your hearts , the humiliation of your spirits would quicken you , and take off the dulness and deadness of your spirits , and stir you up to look after other things than the things of this life . the third direction . further , set the example of the saints before you , that have been the most precious servants of god , in former times ; how they accounted themselves as pilgrims and strangers here in the earth : read at your leisure that scripture in the of the heb. at the . verse , these all died in faith , not having received the promises , but having seen them afar off , and were perswaded of them , and imbraced them , and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth : and mark therefore how it follows in the . verse , they were stoned , they were sawn asunder were tempted , were slain with the sword , they wandred about in sheeps-skins and goats-skins , being destitute , afflicted , tormented . who were these ? they were they of whom the world was no tworthy , they wandered in deserts , and in mountains , and in dens and caves of the earth : and yet such precious saints of god as the world was not worthy of . now when we set before us how joyfully these servants of the most high went through all their wildernesse condition , this should make us ashamed of our earthly-mindedness , and would be a mighty help to us . the fourth direction . and then if we consider the great accompt that we are to give for all earthly things ; you only look upon the comfort of them , but consider the account you must give for them : this would be a means to take off the heart from earthly-mindednesse : and consider , what if you were now to die , and to go the way of all flesh , what good would it be to me to remember what contentments and pleasures i had in the earth ? the fifth direction . but above all , the setting jesus christ before you , and the meditating of the death of jesus christ : ( i say ) that 's the great thing that wil take off the heart from the things of the earth : the looking upon christ crucified ; how he that was the lord of heaven and earth , yet what a low condition he put himself into , meerly for the redeeming of us ! the conversing much with the death of jesus christ deads the heart much to the world . in the . to the philippians we have a notable text for that , in the example of paul , he accounted all things as dung and drosse for jesus christ : at the . verse , i account all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of christ jesus my lord , for whom i have suffered the liss of all things , and do count them but dvng that i may win christ . and then in the . verse , that i may know him , and the power of his resnrrection , and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death . paul desired to be so conformable to the very death of christ , that he accounted all things in the world but as dung and drosse in comparison of that ; paul had the death of christ before his eyes , and meditated much on the death of christ , and that meditation had a great impression upon his spirit , that made him account all these things as drosse , as dogs meat in comparison , and that he might have fellowship with the death of christ , perhaps some of you may think of the glory of christ in heaven , and that may for the present make you lesse worldly ; but let me intreat you to meditate on the death of christ , and know that there is an excellencie in conformity even to the death of christ , such an excellency that may take off your hearts from the things of the world . it 's said of the king of france , that he asking one once about an eclypse , saith he , i have so much businesse in the earth , that i take little notice of the things of heaven . oh my brethren ! for the close of all , i beseech you let not this be said concerning any of you , that you have such and such worldly imployments , that you cannot enquire after jesus christ . plead not that you have such great businesse , that you have so much to do in this earth that you take little notice of the things of heaven ; no , surely , the saints of god have their businesse in heaven , ( as we shall see god willing hereafter : ) their city business , their trading , their aims , their bent , it is higher than the things of this earth . there are things that a man may let out his thoughts and affections too as much as he wil : this shews the vanity of the things af this world , that a man had need be very wary how much he minds them , he cannot enjoy the comforts of this earth without some fear : but now , when he comes to converse with heaven , there he may let out himself to the uttermost ; that shews the excellency of these things . and you that are but poor and mean in the things of this earth , be not discomforted , because there is a charg from god that men should not mind these things ; surely there is no great matter in them , as god charges that we should not mind them : oh the excellency it lies in things above which are heavenly and spiritual , where the saints have their conversation . but of this more at large in this following treatise of heavenly conversation . finis . an heavenly conversation . philippians , . . for our conversation is in heaven . chap. i. of examples of godly men , and how far they should prevail with us : opened in six particulars . some reade this particle [ for ] [ but : ] but our conversation is in heaven . our conversation is not as theirs : certainly the apostle doth intend this , to make a distinction from , or a difference between the saints waies , and the waies of those that were enemies to the crosse of christ : they mind earthly things : but our conversation is in heaven : but because of the particle , [ for ] our conversation ; therefore i think that it hath reference unto the verse , for the . and . verses are in a parenthesis , and therefore if you would know the scope of the apostle in it , and what this hath relation to ; ( for ) it is in the . verse , brethren , be followers together of me , and mark them which walk so as you have us for an ensample ; for our conversation is in heaven , to it is to follow : he made a little degression when he said , make us your example ; then he speaks of others , but many there are that walk thus and thus , and are enemies to the cross of christ , whose belly is their god , whose glory is their shame , whose end is destruction , who mind earthly things ; but our ( or , for our ) conversation is in heaven . as if he should say , take heed of following of those whose belly is their god , who mind earthly things , for their end is destruction ; but rather follow those whose conversation is in heaven , for their end is , salvation : that 's the scope of the words . now then from the scope and the coherance of them , follow us for an example , for our conversation is in heaven ; so they are to be joyn'd together : from whence ( first ) before we come to speak of this heavenly conversation that the apostle mentions , we have this point , that the examples of men whose conversations are heavenly , are to be followed . follow us as an example , for our conversation is in heaven . they are guided by the spirit of god , and the end of their conversation is good , and therefore 't is safe to be followed . in prov. . . there the wise man speaks of an argument , why we should imbrace wisdom , because that would teach you to walk in the way of good men , and to keep the paths of the righteous . we should observe the way of good men , & keep the paths of the righteous . it 's true , that the examples of the best men , though never so holy , are not a sufficient rule for any action , if a man or woman doth any thing , though it be never so good , meerly upon the example of another man , yet this that they do will prove sin to them : i say , though the thing be good & thou doest it upon the example of other good men , yet if that be al thy rule , the action wil be sin to thee ; for that is the rule of christ to us , whatsoever is not of faith is sin . now no example can be a ground sufficient for faith ; therefore , example alone is not a good rule . yea , and somtimes we know that satan himself may transform himself into an angel of light : and may for the prevailing of some evil make a great shew of some holiness : and so , many grosse hypocrites for a time have had much seeming holiness in their lives : and therefore it must be taken for a certain truth that the examples of men never so holy are not a sufficient rule . but yet thus far examples of men that are holy should prevail with us . first , they should prevail with us more than other examples , than examples of the most learned men ; let men be never so great rabbies , the example of one holy man whose conversation is in heaven , should be more to us than the example of many scholers . for many men that are learned may be very corrupt , they may go against their own consciences ; as certainly many do . . it should prevail against the example of great rich men , who have goods laid up for many yeers : you should rather follow the example of those that appear to be holy , than the example of the richest and greatest in the places where you live . . it should be more than the example of the multitude , joel , . . you have a notable scripture there against following of multitudes of men , you may see there that multitudes go to destruction ; multitudes , multitudes in the valley of decision . . it should be more than the example of those that are meerly related unto us : as children should rather look at the example of godly men and women though they be strangers , than of father or mother , or uncle or aunt , or the neerest kindred , though their examples be not rules for our faith , yet they should be more than the examples of any others . secondly , though they should not be rules or grounds of faith , yet they should be enough to take off prejudices that come from accusations of men . if men will accuse the waies of godliness , and if there be any prejudices taken up against the paths of sion without ground , the example of godly men should be enough to make us stand out against them ; it may be you hear many crying out bitterly against such a way of worship , and many false aspersions are cast upon it , because it is not a national way of worship , for few there be that follow it . now do but observe what manner of persons do worship god in that way which some cal heresie , are they not of holy and blameless conversations according to the gospel , the strictest puritans ? now though you must not do as they do meerly from their example , yet their example should have a great deal of power and influence upon you to take off prejudices , and answer accusations , and to calm and sweeten your angry and bitter spirits . thirdly , examples though not sufficient ground and rule for faith , yet they should be enough to make us to enquire after those waies , and to examine and try , whether they have any footing in the word , because the followers of them , are very upright and circumspect in their way . let me at least enquire after these waies , let me examine them by the light of the gospel , surely there is some probability that these waies are the very paths of sion , and lead to the gate of heaven , because the professors of them are such friends of jesus christ ; it 's likely that these men should know the mind of god that do converse with god most , that lie in his bosom , as the beloved disciple in christs : is it not more likely that a man that is a familier friend , and converses daily with such an one that this man should know his secrets , his will rather than a stranger ? so all men in the world are strangers to god , but only the saints : they converse with god , they are the men of his counsel , and his heart , and therefore of all men in the world it 's most likely that they should have all the wils of god revealed unto them : all learning and natural wisdom cannot shew the mind of god so much as converse with god , and an holy humble familiaritie with him ; god loves to open his bosom to his hidden ones , to reveal his mind to them ; and therefore when we see men that are godly whose conversation is in heaven , that they walked in such and such waies , it should make us to think it is like there is , more good in these waies than i am aware of at the present , it 's like that such men as god smiles upon , that they should know the mind of god more than other men : therefore though i will not presently conclude it 's the mind of god , and do it meerly because they do it , yet i 'le examine and search whether it be not the mind of god or no according to the scriptures . fourthly , the example of godly men should prevail thus far , to make us to take heed that we do not oppose those waies except we have very cleer ground to the contrary : then we may oppose them as paul opposed peter , and resisted him to the face , because he did not go in a right way : let men be never so holy and godly , yet they may be opposed in their way ; if upon any examination you see cleerly this is not the way of god , i find it to be otherwise , not others think it 's not the way of god , and such and such are of a contrary mind ; no , but i have been examining it by the word of god , and laying the rule to my conscience , and my conscience to that , and i find it to be disagreeing to the mind of god , then ye may speak or write against it , but do it not otherwise . if ye see men holy , men whose conversations be in heaven , don't oppose it because men do , be sure your ground be good , and you be cleer in it if you do oppose it , otherwise you may be in danger of fighting against god when you oppose them : therefore make so much use of the example of godly , holy men , as not to oppose the way but upon cleer scripture-evidence to the contrary . fiftly , the example of godly men should prevail thus far with us , as to prepare us to let in any truth that they do profess and practice . when we come to examine what is in the waies of god , and heaven , in our examination , come with prepared hearts to let in the truths god shall reveal unto us , the rather because we see such holy & godly men have imbraced those truths before us ; when precious gospel-truths are delivered to us by the hands of the servants of jesus christ , then those very truths in our eye are like apples of gold in pictures of silver , as beautiful as golden fruit in silver dishes . sixtly , the example of godly men should prevail thus far , as after we have examined , and found their way to be according to the truth indeed , then their example should confirm us in the truth : should help to settle us more in the truth , should comfort and encourage us in such and such holy courses ; because we find not only that we are convinc'd of it , and we see it to be the way of god , and have experience of it , but others see it and they are convinc'd of it , others that are so godly they find much communion with god in it ; now this should mightily strengthen and further us in that we go on in the same way that the saints of god go on in : and indeed , it should be a very great grief to any godly man , that he should differ from other godly men , though it cannot be but that we should differ sometimes , because we are imperfect here , yea , and sometimes a weak christian knows that which a strong christian may be ignorant of , ( i say ) it fals out so sometimes , that god in some things reveals himself to those that are weak and hides himself from those that are strong ; so that here in this world it cannot otherwise be expected for the present , till the time that the new jerusalem shall be let down from god out of heaven , and then the saints will be all of one mind and walk all in one way , but till then there cannot be expected but that there should be different waies of the saints ; but yet i say it should be a very great heart-trouble to godly men to see that they are necessitated to go in different waies from other godly men : and on the other side a great encouragment and strengthening when the saints go on in one way together with their faces towards heaven . chap. ii. what 's to be done when examples of godly men are contrary ? if you say , what should we do when we have contrary examples , and both sides godly men ; ye very godly men whose conversation is in heaven , some go one way , and others as godly as they go another way ? what shall people do then , when they see that either way holy men go in ? ans . to that i answer only these two things . first , god by this means puts you to more strict examination of things , and doth teach you by this , that every christian though never so weak , yet should have a bottom and ground for their faith , and practice out of the word themselves , and never did god teach this lesson more strongly than now he doth , that we should all of us , not satisfie our selves in any point of religion , nor in any practice of religion , but what we can our selves find and feel footing for out of the word . in former times christians were very much led by examples , and a few examplary godly professors would carry all the well affected in those places with them , all that did pretend towards godliness would be very loth to go in a different way to some eminent godly men , but though perhaps their affections were good , and god may accept of their good affections , yet certainly they were not so grounded and established in the truth as god would have them ; but now the lord seems to go another way with his people , and puts every one , the weakest , the meanest servant , to search and to find out the truth themselves , and to have the knowledge of it themselves , and we hope the time is at hand for the fulfilling of that promise , that all the people shall be taught of god , shall be taught to understand themselves what are the reasons and grounds of the practice of religion , and those tenents and opinions which they hold , and when people come to understand the grounds themselves , they have a great deal more strength , and they will come to be established more than formerly they have been , this good will come of it . secondly , when you see examples on both sides go contrary one unto the other , and both godly , yet examine but this , which way hath most earthly inducements , for that way that hath most earthly inducements to draw or bias the heart , that way lies under the most suspision ; for men that are godly , yet they are but godly in part , and though they may be as godly as other men in some other things , yet there may be a temptation , the temptation for earthly contentment if it lies more one way than the other , you are to be more wary of one than the other . but that we may passe this point , because it is but from the coherance , by way of use but in a word or two . chap. i rebuke of those that follow the example of the wicked , and reject the example of the godly . if the example of men whose conversation is in heaven is to be followed , hence then are to be rebuked those that rather follow the example of wicked and ungodly ones , if they be great , or learned , or the example of the multitude , will rather follow the example of any than the example of those whose conversation is in heaven : thou doest thus and thus , and yet say , do not others do so ? but who are they that do so ? can you say in your consciences , that you think that they that do so have their conversations in heaven , you will do as they do ? if there be any example that you will follow , they should be such that you can take it upon your consciences , that these are the men who have their conversations above ; you will do as others do , in drinking ; swearing , sabbath-breaking , and in all manner of prophaness ; have these their conversations in heaven ? certainly you that do so , you follow the example of those who have their conversations in hell . but it may be you have some neighbors live by you whose conversations are blameless , yea , they are heavenly , and when you are in your good moods , your consciences witness to them , and you could wish that you might die the death of the righteous ; are there not some that live in the same families , streets , or towns where you live , that though sometimes your hearts are against them , you oppose them , and scorn them , and speak against them , yet when you are in any good temper , or afraid of death , then you could wish that you were as they are , and might die their death ; now will you not follow their example , but rather the example of others , whose examples are in such things as are sutable to your vile , sinful , and base lusts ? we know that these examples of holie men shall rise up in judgment against you another day , the lord will condemn you from their example , and say , did not such and such live in the familie and place where you liv'd , and did not you behold their holie and gracious conversation , and shall the example of such and such vile wretches be followed rather than the example of my saints ? ( i say ) this will stop your mouthes and aggravate your condemnation in the great audit-day : some there are , that are so far from following the example of those whose conversations are in heaven , as they rage and fret against them , and do what they can to darken the glorie of their holie lives , and if they can but have any misreport of them they will follow it what possibly they can to the end that they might eclipse the holiness of their lives , that so they may stop their own consciences , whereas were there not something to darken the luster and beautie of the lives of the saints , certainlie mens hearts would condemn them for walking in contrarie waies unto them , and therefore for relief of their consciences that they may not condemn them for walking in waies contrary to them they do what they can to spew upon their glory , and are glad if they can hear any ill report of them ; and will follow them to their uttermost , and all because their corrupt hearts are against the holiness of their lives and conversations . and then lastly , let those that profess religion labor to walk so as their examples may be convincing others : is there such a power in holy examples to prevail with men ? you that profess religion , make this an argument to work upon your hearts , that your conversation may be more in heaven , that so your example may do the more good in the place where you live : you that profess religion and yet have earthly spirits , and live scandalouslie , and vilie , oh know ! you live to do as much mischief almost as a man can do in this world , no greater mischief than for one to profess religion , and yet for his conversation to be wicked and ungodly , and so to give the lye to his profession . but for that we spake to heretofore , when we treated upon that scripture , only let your conversation be as becomes the gospel . chap. iv. two doctrines observed from the text. thus we proceed to the principal doctrinal truths , for our conversation is in heaven . our citie conversation , our citizen-like behavior , or citie burges estate , for so the word signifies , our carriage like free denizens it is in heaven : now from thence you have , first , that the saints are the citizens of heaven . secondly , that their behavior and conversation even while they are in this world it is in heaven . for the first ( but briefly to make way to the second ) the saints of god , they are the citizens of heaven , they are all free denizens , burgesses of heaven . in the . ephes . . there you may see how god hath gathered all the saints together to be fellow-citizens of heaven : now therefore ye are no more strangers and forreigners , but fellow citizens with the saints and of the houshold of god. they have an heavenly citie here in the church : the church it is a heaven to the saints , and as a type of that heaven that they shal come into to live for ever both with the saints and angels hereafter . and in the . heb. . it 's spoken of abraham , he sojourned in the land of promise , as in a strange country , dwelling in tabernacles with isaac and jacob the heirs with him of the same promise , for he looked for a city which hath foundations , whose builder and maker is god. it seems then that all the cities in the world in comparison of this citie have no foundations ; abraham looked for a citie that hath foundations , and whose builder and maker is god : the builders and makers of these cities are men , the founders of the most famous cities in this world have been men , and manie times wicked and ungodlie men are the builders of them : the first citie that we reade of was built by cain . the builders and makers i say of these cities are men , laboring men : but abraham look'd for a citie that had foundations , whose builder and maker is god. and in the . heb. . but ye are come unto mount sion , and unto the city of the living god , the heavenly jerusalem : mark , and to an innumerable company of angels ; so that you are to have them your fellow citizens , the heavenly jerusalem , that is here in the church : which is in comparison of jerusalem that was in canaan called the heavenly jerusalem , so that they are citizens of heaven even as they are members of the church : the saints of god here in the church are said to dwell in heaven , but in that their citie there are an innumerable company of angels also , that plainly notes that it hath reference unto the glorious heaven of the saints that they are the citizens of ; the saints are the citizens of heaven , there they dwell : in the . of the revelation , and . verses , ( this would serve for proof of this thing and so for the other point that remains , that their conversation it is in heaven ) and he opened his mouth in blasphemy against god , to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle , and them that dwell in heaven . and it was given unto him to make war with the saints , and to overcome them . now these were not in heaven , that is , in their bodies they were not in heaven for the present ; but they are said to dwell in heaven because they are of the church here , and they are free denizens of heaven too , of the heaven of the saints that they shall live in hereafter in a more glorious way ; they are now citizens of it ; and they may be said to dwell in heaven , as we shall see afterward in the opening of their conversations being in heaven . chap. v. how the saints are citizens of heaven , opened in nine particulars . now the saints are citizens of heaven , for , first , their names are all inrold in heaven , they are written in heaven , in the . luke . rejoyce in this , that your names are written in heaven . in heaven is the books of life where all the names of the saints are written . philip. . . whose names ( saith he ) are written in the books of life . secondly , the saints are the citizens of heaven , for they have christ their head gone before to take possession of heaven in their names , therefore they have a right to heaven . as a man may be a citizen , although he should travel in another country , yet his name being inrol'd there , and he having possession there , he may be said to be a citizen though he be in a strange land for the present in his body : so the saints have their names inrold in heaven , they have jesus christ their head that is gone before in their names to take possession for them , and to provide mantions for them ; as in the . john. thirdly , when ever they do actually beleeve , they do take up their freedom ; their names were there inrold from all eternity : and so christ at his ascention went and took possession : but when they beleeve actually , they do as it were take up their freedom in that citie . there 's many men that are born free , yet there 's a time when they take it up : and so others that have serv'd for their freedom , yet it may be a long time before they be made free : and so the saints when they do actually beleeve they come to take up their freedom in the citie of heaven , and are made free burgesses of heaven . and hence ( in the fourth place ) they come no more to be as slaves ; they are not bondslaves as before , they are delivered from bondage being made free of heaven . as if so be that forreigners , or such as are slaves should come to be infranchized , then they have the same freedom as others have , and are admitted to the like city-priviledges , and they are no more to be accounted as slaves : so those that are by nature bondslaves to sin and satan , yea , and such as are under the bondage of the law , yet when they come to beleeve , they are infranchized in heaven , and are delivered from the bondage of the law , sin , and satan , they are said to be free-men of the citie of heaven . fiftly , all the saints have right to all the common stock , treasury , and riches of heaven ; whatsoever priviledges belong to the charter of heaven , the saints have right and title to them all . as in great cities there is a common stock and treasury that is for publick occasions , and every citizen hath some interest in it ; so the saints ( i say ) have interest in all the common-stock and treasury and all the riches that there are in heaven . sixtly , the saints are the citizens of heaven , they have for the present the same confirmation of their happy estate that the angels and those blessed souls have that are rasident in heaven : ( i say ) they have this priviledg now by being citizens of heaven , that though their bodies be not in the highest heavens , yet they have their happiness confirmed as sure as the angels in heaven have , and as any blessed souls in abraham : bosom , look how they are confirmed in a happie estate so as they cannot be made miserable , so is every beleever , though he lives in this world , he hath this priviledg in being a citizen of heaven , that he is confirmed in a happie estate , that all the powers in hell and in the world can never make this soul to be miserable , and this is a mighty priviledg of being a citizen of heaven , he is more priviledged than adam in paradice , for adam he was not confirmed and stablished when he was made in the state of innocencie , but every beleever is confirmed and stablished as the angels in heaven are . seventhly , they have this priviledg , by being citizens , they have priviledg of free-trade to heaven . you know , that free-men in the citie have priviledg of trade more than forreigners have ; forreigners are fain to pay custome and double taxes more than the free-citizens . so the saints , they have the priviledg of free-trade in heaven , for any thing that doth concern them ; they have a freeintercourse with heaven which others have not . eightly , they have now for the present communion with the angels of heaven : there is cōmunion & commerce between the saints here and the angels upon this ground , because they are fellow citizens ; and in that place of the hebrews before quoted , we are come to the heavenly jerusalem , and to the innumerable company of angels : there is a great deal of intercourse between the saints and angels here upon earth , the angels look upon them as their fellow citizens , and are ministring spirits for the good of the elect , and they do very great services for the church-men here in this world upon this ground , because they look upon them as their fellow citizens . ninthly , they have the protection of heaven , being the citizens of heaven : i say , they have heavens protection . as one that is a citizen , he hath the protection of the law of the citie , & of the power of the citie to defend him ; hence we reade of paul , that because he was a roman it was dangerous to meddle with him , as in the . of acts . verse , as they bound him with thongs , paul said unto the centurion that stood by , is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a roman , and uncondemned ? as if he should say , take heed what you do , i am free of the citie of rome : and mark , ( saith the scripture ) when the centurion heard that , he went and told the chief captain , saying , take heed what thou doest , for this man is a roman , he hath the protection of the city . thus the saints are citizens of heaven , they are not romans , but of the heavenly jerusalem , and when any are about to wrong one of them , they had need take heed what they do for he is a citizen of heaven , the king of heaven is his king to protect him ; and he sits and laughs at the enemies of the church : and the very angels themselves they are their guard , to guard all these citizens , and to protect them , and this is the comfortable estate of all the people of god , that they are the citizens of heaven . our city converse . all this i note out of the signification of the word in the original , and without the understanding of the propriety of the language , and the word , we should not have the understanding of this truth . wheresore my brethren it being thus , it should teach all the people of god to walk as becomes citizens , not to be rude in their behavior ; 't is a dishonor to citizens to be rude in their behavior , it 's enough for country people that never had any education to be rude ; but certainly the saints of god , they have the education of heaven ( this may be added for a tenth particular ) they have the holy ghost to be their instructer , to bring them up in holy and good manners that is sutable to heaven , this the saints have ; and manifest it in your conversations , be not rude in your way , prize your priviledg of being a citizen of heaven ; it 's that that cost jesus christ dear to purchase this infranchizement and liberty for you : we reade in the . of the acts of the captain when he heard that paul was a roman , in the . verse : their chief captain came and said to him , tell me , art thou a roman ? he said , yea. and the chief captain answered , with a great sum obtained i this freedom . and paul answered , i was free-born . they were wont to give great sums to purchase freedoms of the city . oh! this city that here we are speaking of , hath such priviledges as is beyond any in the world : and no man or woman can come to be free of this city but it is by a great purchase : no man can say as paul did here , that he was born free ; no , but if he came to be free of heaven it was with a great purchase , it was with the purchase of the blood of jesus christ that was more worth than all the world . and if the son makes you free , then you shall be free indeed , and therefore prize this as a great mercie ; while you live here in this world , account it as a great mercie that you are a citizen of heaven , account your happiness to consist there , it is more than to have house and lands here ; for a man to have a freedom of some citie , it is more than to have house and land in the wilderness : what though the lord doth order things so as while thou livest in the wilderness of this world thou hast no habitation of thine own , yet certainly the lord hath made thee free of heaven , it was purchased for thee by the blood of jesus christ : now by that price that it cost thou mayest conclude that there is some great matter in it , that thou art a free denizen of heaven . chap. vi. how the saints have their conversation in heaven , opened in nine particulars . but now , our conversation should be answerable ; and now we come more fully up to the scope of the apostle ; but our conversation is in heaven . the conversations of the saints that are free citizens of heaven ought to be answerable ; though their co-habitations be in this world , yet their conversation it should be in heaven ; in the . of dan. . . there you reade of the excellent estate of the saints , but the saints of the most high shall take the kingdom , and possess the kingdom for ever : that that is translated here , the saints of the most high , it is not only meant of the most high god , but the saints of the high places , so 't is translated by some , for the saints are the saints of high places in regard of their interest in heaven , and in regard of their conversations sutable to the place , in the . ephe. . and hath raised us up together , and made us sit together in heavenly places in christ jesus . the saints are set in heavenly places , heavenly dignitie , heavenly privileges , heavenly prerogatives , yea , and they themselves may be said to be in heavenly places though their bodies be upon the earth , their souls are in heavenly places , their conversation is in heaven , they are the saints of the high god , and they are set in high places . you will say , what is this conversation that is in heaven that is here spoken of . i shall open it in these particulars . the first is , the aim and scope of their hearts , it is heaven-ward that the saints look at , as their aim and scope is heaven , they look upon themselves in this world as pilgrims and strangers , heaven 's their home , and their eye is there , their end , their scope , whatsoever they do it is for heaven some way or other to fit them for heaven , and to lay in for heaven against they shall come and live there , their conversation therefore is in heaven : all that they do , eating , drinking , going about their business , yet i say their aim it is heaven . i remember it 's reported of anaragorus a philosopher , that being asked wherefore he liv'd , he said , he was born to contemplate the heavens , he made it the end of his life for which he was born to contemplate heaven ; being a phylosopher and having understanding in the motions of the heavens , he took such delight in it , that he accounted it the end for which he was born . so the saints look at heaven as their center that they aim at , that 's their scope : we ( saith the apostle ) do not look at things that are seen , but at things that are not seen , nothing in the earth is our scope , but heaven is our scope , and so their conversations may be said to be in heaven in that respect . secondly , their conversations are in heaven , for they are acted by heavenly principles in all their waies . heavenly principles you will say , what are they ? this is a heavenly principle , that god is all in all : that 's a principle that the saints are guided by , in heaven they look upon god to be all in all unto them , so do the saints here , in what they do , in what they are , in what they enjoy , they act upon this principle , that it's god that is all in all , whatsoever i see in the creature , yet it 's god that is all in all to me , i act by vertue of this principle . that god the infinite first-being , is infinitely worthy of all love for himself , that 's a heavenly principle : the saints that are in heaven , they look upon the infinite excellencie and glorie of god , they look upon him as the first-being of all things , having all excellencie , and glorie enough to satisfie all creatures for ever , and look upon him as infinitly worthy of all love and service for himself ; know this is a heavenly principle : so the saints their conversation is in heaven , they are acted by heavenly principles ; i look upon such and such things in the world whereby i may go in credit , encrease , or comfort , this is an earthly principle : but when my heart is so upon god , that it looks upon him as infinitly excellent and worthy of all love , service , fear , honor , and worship for himself alone , whatsoever becomes of the creature god is worthy of all for that infinite excellencie in himself ; this is a heavenly principle : and for one to be acted in his life by such a principle as this is , this is to be acted by heavenly principles , not by such low , and base principles as the men of the world are , but by heavenly principles . thirdly , their conversations are in heaven . for here though they live in the world , they have communion with the god of heaven that is above in the whol course of their lives . in the . epistle by john . chap. you have divers excellent expressions about our communion with god. in the . verse , that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you , that ye also may have fellowship with us , and truly , our fellowship is with the father , and with his son jesus christ . and then in another scripture we reade of the communion of the holy ghost , thereis communion with the father , son , and holy ghost . now what makes heaven but god ? we say , where the king is there 's the court , where god is there 's heaven , let god be where he will. there is some controversie among some , where the saints shall be after the resurrection ; some think it shall be still here , and yet with all the glory that the scripture speaks of . now it 's no great matter where it be , so it be where god is , those that have communion with god , they are in heaven , their conversation is in heaven : now it 's that that is the life of the saints , their communion with god ; thy life it is to have communion with the creature , that is for thee to close with the contents of the creature , and the faculty that is in man to tast any thing , or to have any delight in any thing in this world , when there is a sutable object to the facultie , that 's his communion with the creature ; as now a drunkard , there is a kind of communion that he hath meerly with lude company , and with the creature to please his sence for a while , there 's all the communion that he hath : but what a different conversation is this , for one meerly to please his sence in meat and drink a little while , and another to have communion with father , son , and holy ghost ? the saints here in this world have not an imaginary but a real communion with the father son and holy ghost . communion , you will say , what 's that ? by communion with god we mean this , the acting of the soul upon god , and the receiving in the influence of the goodness and love and mercy of god into the soul : when there is a mutual acting of the soul upon god and god upon the soul again ; as when friends have communion one with another , that is , that one acts for the comfort of the other , there is a mutual imbracing and opening of hearts one upon another for the satisfying of the spirits one of another : so communion with god is the mutual actings of the soul upon god , and god upon the soul again : the saints they see the face of god , and god delights in the face of the saints : and they let out their hearts to god , and god lets out his heart to them . we cannot expresse this to strangers , a stranger shall not meddle with this joy , this is a mystery , a riddle to the carnal world . do but you consider this , that what communion you have with your lude company , to sit , and eat , and drink , and play , and tell stories all day long , this you think is a brave life ; but now , that the communion of the saints is raised higher , and the comfort of the saints is not in such poor , low , base things as thine is , the saints have comfort in god the father , son , and holy ghost , in an infinite higher way , and in that respect their conversations are said to be in heaven : and especially when they are with god in his ordinances they cannot be content except they have communion with god there , it 's notenough for them to call upon the name of god , to kneel down and to use some humble broken hearted expressions ; oh but , what communion have i with god and jesus christ and the holy ghost in my duties at this time ! i come to the word and other ordinances , oh! but what communion have i with god in them ? i cannot be satisfied except i tast and see how good the lord is ; i cannot go abroad about my businesse but with a heavy heart except i hear some thing from heaven this morning ; all the comfort of their lives do depend upon this , in having communion with father son and holy ghost . fourthly , their conversation may be said to be in heaven , because they do live according to the laws of heaven : they do not here in this world live according to the laws of men , & the lusts of men , but they look for their direction from heaven , what rule is there from heaven to guide me ? there must be some word from the god of heaven to order and guide them in their waies , or else they cannot tell how to sute with them ; indeed while they live in the cities of the world they must obey the laws of men , but still it is in order to the laws of heaven , the main thing that they submit to , is the statute laws of jesus christ the great law giver ; because there is a law of heaven that doth require them for to obey the laws of men that are according to those laws of heaven , therefore they do obey them ; but the laws of heaven are those that the saints look after for their direction in all their waies , such and such a thing i have a mind to , but will the law of heaven justifie me in this ? have i any word from jesus christ to guide me in such a way ? i dare not do otherwise than according to the will and scepter of christ , they must be my rule in all my waies : whereas before thy lust was thy rule , and thy own ends thy rule ; and the common course of the world thy rule ; but now the laws of heaven are thy rule ; and therfore their conversations are in heaven because they are guided by the laws of heaven : heaven is their aim , they are acted by heavenly principles , they converse with the god of heaven , and then fourthly , they live according to the laws of heaven . fiftly , their thoughts and hearts are set upon heaven , as he saith , the soul is where it loves rather than where it lives ; where the heart is there 's the soul , there the man may be said to be . now the saints have their hearts in heaven , their thoughts in heaven , their meditations in heaven , working there , when i awake i am alwaies with thee ( saith david . ) and oh how sweet are the thoughts of heaven unto the saints ! while thou art mudling in the world , and plodding for thy self in the things of this world , if god should come to thee and say , where art thou ? as he said to adam ; yea sometimes while thou art at prayer and hearing the word , where are thy thoughts , and about what ? even as we say in the proverb , are running about a wool-gathering . but now come to one whose conversation is in heaven , he keeps his thoughts and meditations there continually , meditating on the glorious things that are reserved in heaven . as i remember i have read of that holy man , mr. ward that being in the midst of a dinner , and people wondering what he was a musing about , he presently breaks out , for ever , for ever , for ever , for almost half a quarter of an hour he could not be still'd , but he cries , for ever , for ever , for ever . so far as any man or woman hath their conversation in heaven their thoughts are there , thinking oh eternity , eternitie , to be for ever in heaven , to live for ever with christ and god , and oh the crown of glory that is there ! when will that blessed day come when i shall come to enjoy those good things that are there ? his thoughts will be there , and he is longing to be there , his love and desires and affections will be working there . it 's said of the people of israel , acts , . . that their hearts turned back again to egypt ; they never returned in their bodies to egypt , but their hearts were there , they would fain have the onions and flesh-pots that were in egypt , their hearts were there . so it may be said of many , that though they come and hear the word , yet their hearts are in their shops , their hearts are after their covetousness ; but it 's contrary with the saints , though they live here in this world , yet their hearts are in heaven : as i remember it 's written of queen mary , that she said , if they rip'd her open they should find callis in her heart ; and so it may be said of saints , whose conversations are in heaven ; i speak not of all professors of religion , for it 's said of bodies , ( when paul speaks of the resurrection ) there are bodies celestial , and bodies terrestial , so i may say , there are professors celestial , and professors terrestial , but as for such whose conversations are in heaven , who walk with god , and live here the lives of heaven upon earth , if they were rip'd up , you should find heaven in their hearts ; un-rip many mens hearts , and there 's nothing but the earth , uncleanness , and baseness ; suppose god should come this moment , and rip up all your hearts , and disclose them to all the men of the world , what a deal of filthy stuff would be found in many of your hearts ? but for such whose conversations are in heaven , they would be ready to have god unrip their hearts when he pleaseth , lord , try , lord , search me , lord , examine and see what is in my heart ; i 'le but put this now to you as in the name of god , and let conscience answer , what do you think would be found in your hearts if they should be unrip'd now ? and if your consciences tell you , oh lord ! if my heart should be rip'd up now , there would be a filthy deal of ugly and abominable stuff there , surely i have not had my conversation in heaven , my heart hath been sinking even down to low , and base things : but now , for those whom this text concerns , it will be an exceeding comfort to them ; and i hope that there are divers of you that may be able to say , if the lord should at this present rip our hearts and shew them to all the world , i hope the world should see that heaven is stamped upon our hearts . we account it sad weather when we cannot see the heavens for many daies , when we cannot see heaven many times for a week together ; and we account it an ill dwelling where men dwell in narrow lanes in the city , so that they can scarce see the heavens except they go abroad in the fields . my brethren , surely it 's a sad time with a gracious heart when any one day passes without converse with heaven , without the sight of heaven , and meditations of heaven , and having their hearts there . thus it should be with christians whose conversations are in heaven , they should never love such dwellings wherein they cannot see the beams of the sun ; it 's a most comfortable thing for to see the light , a man that dwels in some dark house , it 's very comfortable for him to walk out into the open air , and to behold the heavens ; oh my brethren ! our souls dwell in dark houses every one of us ; for our bodies are to our souls like a dark and low celler , but the lord gives us liberty to go abroad , to be conversing with the things of heaven that he hath revealed in his word and in his ordinances : and as many citizens that live in dark rooms & keep a long time close to their work , yet at such times as they cal days of recreation , they walk abroad in the fields and take the fresh air , and oh how delightsom is it to them ! the same should be to a gracious heart that hath a great many businesses ( indeed ) in the world , i but on the lords day , oh that he may now enjoy god in his ordinances more than before ; his thoughts are upon those waies wherein he may come to have more of heaven , oh! that i may come to converse more with god than at other times ! and upon that the sabbaths are the joy of his soul , his delight , he longs after the sabbath , he thirsts after ordinances , for indeed his heart is in them , for he finds there is more of heaven in them than in other things ; and in that regard the saints having their thoughts and hearts in heaven , thus he proves to have his conversation to be in heaven . moses never came to canaan , and yet god gave moses a sight of it , carried him up to mount nebo . heavenly meditations are as it were mount nebo , whereby when the heart is raised a little upon the mount , it 's able to see heaven , & behold the glorious things there . the scripture speaks of lucifer , that he had his nest among the stars : a saint hath as it were his nest , his dwelling among the stars , yea , above the stars in the highest heavens . as 't is with wicked men , that when they seem to draw nigh to god , yet their hearts are far from him ; then they are in their shops , they are among their ships when they seem to be worshipping of god : so when the saints seem in regard of their bodies to be far from god , yet their hearts are in heaven in the mean time . sixtly , for the opening of a heavenly conversation , it consists in this , when in the course of mens lives they do converse and delight in the same things that are done in heaven , they make their happiness the same happiness that is in heaven , and make their exercise to be the same exercise that is in heaven : as for instance , what is there in heaven ? there is the fight of the face of god ; blessed are the pure in heart , for they shall see god. and the angels , alwaies behold the face of god. so the saints may be said to have their conversations in heaven because their exercise here while they live , it is in the beholding the face of god , in standing before god seeing his face ; the greatest delight and contentment of their souls , it is , that they can see somewhat of god , what 's to be done further ? the work of heaven , it is in the praisings and blessings of god. what do the saints and angels of heaven , but continually blesse , and magnifie , and praise the name of that god whom they see to be so infinitly worthy of all praise , and honor from his creatures ? then is a mans conversation in heaven when as he doth the same things , when he joyns with angels & saints in doing of the same work , of magnifying and blessing and praising god. what 's done in heaven , but the keeping of a perpetual sabbath ? then are our conversations in heaven , when we delight in gods sabbath , yea and indeed to keep a constant sabbath unto god , though busied about earthly things , yet still we keep a sabbath to god , in resting from sin , and being spiritually imployed . and that 's a sixth thing . seventhly , then our conversation is in heaven , when in earthly imployments , yet we are heavenly : when we use earthly things after a heavenly manner ; it is not the place that god looks at so much , where his saints are , but what they do : though while we live in the earth we use earthly things , yet when we can use them in an heavenly manner , then our conversation may be in heaven though we upon earth . as thus first , when in the use of earthly things , we do quickly passe through earthly things to god , we make use of them , but we do not stick in them ; we make them the means to passe through to god , and get quickly through : a carnal heart sticks in the things of the earth , mingles with the earth ; but a spiritual , and heavenly heart makes earthly things but as conduit● for conveyance of him to heaven , we here carry about with us the flesh , and because we have so much earth , we have need of these earthly things , i but they are means of conveyance to spiritual and heavenly things . and then , when we use earthly things as heavenly , that is , we take a rise of earthly things to meditate of heaven ; upon the enjoyment of any thing in this earth we raise up our thoughts to the things of heaven ; when we see the light , to remember then the glorious light of heaven , and of the inheritance of the saints which are in light ; when we cast any sweetnesse in the creature , if these things be so sweet , oh what is heaven and god then that is the fountain of all good things ! thus to make all earthly things to be but as heavenly rises to us , that 's a heavenly conversation , that in the use of earthly things doth quickly passe through to god , and that makes spiritual and heavenly rises of earthly things . eightly , then is our conversation heavenly when the saints in their converse together are heavenly : when the saints in their converse do look upon themselves as the citizens of heaven , and converse as it beseems those of such a country . when as country men are abroad in forreign parts and they meet together , and there be conferring about the state of their country in their own language , and aboue their friends , and what things there are there among them , they will say one to another , ( as english men ) me thinks we are in england now ; our converse is as if : we were in england . so when the saints in their meetings , they do not meet to jangle , and wrangle , but they meet to converse of heaven , and to confer about their country , and every one telling news of heaven , there 's none of the saints that walk close with god , but when they meet together may tell one another some tidings of salvation from above . when country men meet together in any place commonly the first question is , what news is there from our countrey , from england ; so the saints when they meet together if they be of heavenly conversations , they will be talking somwhat of heaven before they go : what news of our countrie ? what news from heaven ? though they may have leave to refresh themselves being poor earthlie creatures here , with somthing of the earth , yet they will have some talk of heaven before they part one with another : this is a heavenlie conversation when the communion of the saints of heaven is in heavenlie things . the ninth and last thing wherein the conversation of the saints in heaven is , is this , that their great trade while they are upon the earth it is for heaven : though they be not in their bodies there , yet their trading is there , and that 's the special thing that seems to be noted in the verie word in the text ; now their chief trade it is in heaven , the saints that have heavenlie conversations they do not trade for trifles as other men do , but they trade for great things , for high things , in the . of collos . saith the apostle there , if ye be risen with christ , seek those things that are above where christ sitteth at the right hand of god : set your affections on things above and not on things on the earth . they seek the things of god , even those things where christ sitteth at the right hand of god , set your affections on things above and not on things on the earth ; they seek after these things , they merchandize for those goodlie pearls . chap. vii . the saints trading for heaven , opened in seven particulars . now in the saints trading for heaven there are these several things considerable . first , as in trading you know it is requisite in those that are trades-men to any countrie , that they should have skill in the commoditie that they trade for ; so the saints they have skill in heavenly things ; there 's many poor christians who have little skill in the matters of the world , speak to them about them they understand but little , but speak to them about heaven , and you may quickly perceive that they have skill in heavenly commodities , they have a skill from god , they are wise merchants . secondly , a trades-man , he must have a stock to trade withal : now the saints they have a stock to trade withal for heaven , they have grace in their hearts , grace in the heart is a stock for a trade . if you leave your children no lands , yet if you leave them a good trade and a stock , you think you leave them a plentiful portion . now the saints though they have but little in the world , yet they have skill in the commodities of heaven , they have a good trade and a good stock too , they have a stock of grace that shall never be lost , how ever they perhaps may not have those in comes that they do desire somtimes , yet they shall never lose their stock , their portion , and it should be their care to improve their stock for heaven , and indeed then they have their conversation in heaven , when they improve and lay out all their stock that way about heavenly commodities . and then a third thing in trading is , to take advantage of the market for commodities : great bargains may be had sometimes that cannot be had at another ; so the trade of a christian for heaven it is in the observing his advantages that he hath for heavenly things , and those that have their conversations in heaven they are very wise and understanding this way ; they are able to know their times and seasons ; other men that have not skill in the matters of heaven they do not know their times and seasons , and therefore they neglecting their markets , it may be upon their sick and death bed then they begin to think of heaven , and then , oh that they might but know that their souls might go to heaven when they go from their bodies ! i but thou art unskilful in heavenly commodities , thou didest not know thy time , thou shouldest have had thy conversation in heaven in the time of thy life , and so have observed what advantages god gave thee for trading for heaven ; oh that we were but all wise this way , to make it appear that our conversations are in heaven in this respect , namely , that we are wise to observe our advantages , oh! the advantages that god hath given us all at one time or at another for heaven , there 's not any one of you but god hath given you much advantage for heaven had you but taken it , if you will reflect upon your own hearts , the course of your lives in former times , your consciences may tell you , oh sometimes what fair advantages had i for heaven ! how did the spirit of god begin to stir in me ? what truths were there darted into mee at such a season ! what motions flowing in had i at such a time ? oh how happy had i been if i had taken such an advantage for heaven , i had even been in heaven already : now those who do converse with heaven , they watch at those advantages , they come not to hear the word but they watch for the time to have god stirring in their hearts , and they follow that advantage , they watch for the time of the softening of their spirits , and the enlivening of their souls , and they follow hard those advantages , and so trade for heaven , and grow rich in heavenly commodities . fourthly , where there is a trade from one country to another , there 's much intercourse . a man that trades to such a town or country , ther 's much intercourse between that man and those that live there : so a christians trading for heaven is in this , there is very much intercourse between heaven and his soul , every day he sends up to heaven , and every day he hath something from heaven sent down to his soul ! oh do but examine what intercourse there hath been between heaven and you : how is it with many of you ? even as if there were no heaven at all ? men that are no trades-men to the indies , 't is as if there were no such place at all to them . so it is with many that lives even in the bosom of the church , there is very little intercourse between heaven and them ; but a trader for heaven hath much intercourse with heaven . fifthly , a man that trades to any place , if he trade for great matters he hath the chief of his stock where he trades ; though he be not present in his body , yet the chief of his estate is there : if a man be a spanish or a turkish merchant and trade thither , the chief of his estate lies there , in spain or turkey more than here . so it is with one that trades for heaven , the chief part of his estate lies there , he accounts his riches to lie in heaven ; indeed he hath somwhat to live upon here in this world for a while , but there 's his riches , he looks at heaven as the place where his greatest treasure lies . sixthly , a man that trades , is willing to part with something where he is , that he may receive advantage in the place where he trades : so it is with the saints that trade for heaven , they are willing to part with much that they might receive afterwards in heaven : they are willing ( i say ) to part with any thing here in this world , to the end that they may receive it when they come home . a man that is abroad , and is going to his own country , and there he is trading for commodities , he is very willing to part with all his money where he is for receiving commodities in his trade ; or those that give their moneyes here that so they may receive commodities in another place where they are trading : a carnal heart that doth not know the certainty nor excellency of the commodities of heaven , they are willing to part with nothing , but will keep all , they think with themselves , what we have here we are sure of , but that that they talk of heaven we do not know what it is , it may prove to be but an imagination , therefore we wil keep what we have and be sure of that : oh! thou art no trader for heaven , if thou wert thou wouldst be willing to part with any thing here , that so thou mightst receive commodities there , thou wouldest be content to live poorly , and meanly in this world so be it that thou mightest have thy riches when thou comest into thy mansion of glory . seventhly , trades-men that trade for great matters , they must trust much , they cannot expect to have present pay in great sums . it 's true , men that trade for little matters , that trade by retale , they usually take in their pence and two pence as their commodities goes forth ; but it 's not so with merchants that trade for great things in whol-sale : so 't is in traders for heaven , they trust much ; and indeed , the grace of faith it is the great grace that helps in the trading for heaven , they have a little earnest for the present . you that are traders , and go to the exchange and sell bargains for many thousands , you have not perhaps above twelve pence or a crown for the present , it may be only a promise , but you expect the great sums afterwards . so those that are traders for heaven , they have some earnest , they be contented with a little for the present , the first-fruits of the spirit , or a bare promise from christ , this is that that binds the whole bargain , and they expect to have the full pay hereafter when they come to heaven . it is a happy thing when god gives men and women hearts to be willing to trust god for eternity , and if they have but a little comfort and grace now , yet to look at that as an earnest peny of all the glory that jesus christ hath purchased by his blood , and that god hath promised in his word , thou art not fit to be a trades-man for heaven that canst not trust , that canst not be content that great bargains should be bound with a little earnest . but that 's the soul that trades in heaven , that can be content to wait for the fulfilling of promises , & to take what they have from god for the present though it be but a very little , as an earnest to bind all those glorious things that god hath promised in his word . here you see a trader for heaven in these seven things . now put all these things that you have heard together with these ; and you may see what it is to have our conversations in heaven . chap. viii . seven evidences of mens having their conversation in heaven . now then , there are some evidences of christians having their conversation in heaven . as we shewed you som evidences of an earthly conversation , so likewise of a heavenly conversation : that is , some demonstrations plainly to shew , that the conversations of christians are in heaven . in the first place , it 's plain certainly , there are christians that have their conversations in heaven ; first , because there are christians that can vilifie all the things of this earth : surely except they had their conversations higher than the earth they could not so vilifie the things of the earth . it 's an evidence of the height of heaven , that a man is lifted up very high , that shall look vpon the very globe of the earth as a very punctum , as a little thing : so an evidence that the hearts of the saints are on high when they can look on the things of the earth as smal ; it 's true , we that are upon the earth look upon the stars as small , and the earth as great ; but if we were in heaven we would look upon the stars as great and the earth as small , as paul did , accounted all things but as dung and drosse , dogs meat , for the excellency of the knowledge of jesus christ : and luther , that accounted the whol turkish empire but a crumb that the great master of the family casts to his dog : surely here 's an argument that the saints have their conversations in heaven that can look upon the things of the earth as so mean , and so little , as indeed they are . a second evidence is this , that they can be content with so little in this world , and can live such comfortable lives in the enjoyment of so little ; perhaps you cannot tell how to have comfortable lives except you have so much coming in by the yeer , and so much provision : but now , one that is heavenly , a godly man or woman , can tell how to live a joyful and happie life in the want of the things of this world ; though they have but little , though but bread and water , though but mean habitations , mean cloathes , though but of mean esteem in the world , yet can go through the world with a joyful heart , blessing god all his daies , nothing but admiring , praising , and magnifying god for his rich mercie ; and blessing himself in god , and accounting his portion to be a goodly portion , and his lot to be fallen into a fair ground . i verily beleeve that there are very many poor , mean people in this world , yet their houses are more fill'd with blessings of god in one day , than many rich , great , noble men have their houses in twenty or fourty yeers : now this argues that they have their conversations in heaven , that though they want comfort never so much in this world , yet they can live comfortable lives ; surely it is somthing that doth rejoyce them , when they can so rejoyce in the want of these outward things , when their joy depend● 〈◊〉 upon the things of this world ; men that have earthly hearts , if they lose but their outward comforts , they cry our , oh we are undone ! and you may see mightie alteractions in their very countenances , they have nothing to joy their hearts when they lose the things of the world : but it is no● so with the saints , whatsoever crosses they meet withal here in this world , yet still they rejoyce in christ , blessing god , the course of their lives is nothing elle but a continual magnifying , and praising god for his mercie and goodness to them ; surely they have their conversations in heaven . thirdly , not onlie can live joyfullie in the want of manie comforts , but they can suffer the loss of all , yea , suffer hard things , suffer afflictions , suffer torments and tortures with joyful hearts , reade but that . of the heb. at your leisure , , verses , they confessed that they were strangers , and pilgrims on the earth , for they that see such things , declare plainly that they seek a country ( this scripture is to be annexed to the second evidence ) mark , they that seek such things declare plainly that they seek a countrie , surelie there is somthing else that they seek after when they set so light by the things of this world , for the saints are not fools , but there is some reason for what they do , surely there is somthing in it , for they have the same nature as you have , and they have need of comfort as well as you , and had they not some other comfort besides outward comforts , they could not live so comfortably in the want of outward comforts , but they that are content with a little , as pilgrims and strangers : they declare plainly that they seek a country ; that is the second evidence . and then , for the suffering of tortures and pains for the sake of christ . this is another evidence : and so you have in the . heb. . but call to remembrance the former daies in which after ye were illuminated ye endured a great fight of afflictions , partly , whilst ye were made a gazing stock , both by reproaches and afflictions , and partly whilst ye became companions of them that were so used , and then in the . verse , and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods , why ? knowing in your selves that ye have in heaven a better and enduring substance : this made them take joyfully the spoiling of their goods . what ? when their goods were spoil'd , did they take that joyfully ? what were they mad men to rejoyce at the plundering of their estates ? no , it was no madness , it was because they knew in themselves that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance , and that made them be willing to wander about in sheeps skins , and goats skins , in leather cloathes , as in the latter end of the . of heb. reade but from the . verse to the end : this argued their conversations to be in heaven . if you reade in the storie of the martyrs , you shall find verie often when they came to the stake , still their thoughts were in heaven , and their hearts there , and encouraging one another what they should have in heaven , and of the glorie that they should have there , that being willing to suffer such hard things for christ , and that being able to undergo all with so much joy , is an evidence , that there have been christians in the world that have had their conversations in heaven . a fourth evidence of christians having their conversations in heaven is this , that their hearts are so fill'd with heavenly riches . it is an argument of a man that trades much unto such a place , when he hath his warehouse stor'd with the commodities of such a countrie : as now , though no man should tell me which way his trading lies , that such a man were a spanish or turkish merchant ; yet if i come into his warehouse , & find that constantlie his warehouse is fill'd with those commodities , i may conclude , that certainlie this man is a spanish or turkish merchant : he hath the commodities of the countrie continuallie in his warehouse . so , the saints have much of the riches of heaven in their hearts continuallie , they have much grace , much holinesse , much of the image of god , much spiritual life there is there in a christian , and you may see in his conversation he doth manifest ( i say ) much of the excellencie of heaven , much of the glorie of heaven shines in his face ; surelie his conversation is in heaven who hath so much of the riches of heaven in his heart : the heart of the wicked ( saith the holy ghost ) is little worth : look into the heart of a wicked man , or woman what is there : thy heart that should be thy storehouse , what is it fill'd withal ? it's fill'd with dirt , and drosse , and filth , and uncleanness , the hearts of wicked men are stored with those things : but now , look into the hearts of the saints , they are fill'd with god , with christ , with the holie ghost , with grace , that shews that they have traded much in heaven ; in a constant way you shal find their hearts fild with grace , and manifesting much in their lives , and therefore , surelie their conversation is in heaven . a fifth evidence is this , that they are willing to purchase the priviledges of heaven at so dear a rate ; namely , the ordinances that are part of the priviledges of the kingdom of heaven . now the ordinances that are the means whereby they come to enjoy so much of heaven , they are willing to purchase them at a dear rate , oh how ever i live , yet let me live where i may enjoy the ordinances of god , the wels of salvation , my life cannot be comfortable in the enjoyment of all things in this world if i should be deprived of the breasts of consolation ; surelie they that are willing to purchase heavenly commodities at so dear a rate as the saints will do , this doth evidentlie declare their conversations to be in heaven . sixtlie , when they are so sensible of the stoppages between heaven and their own souls . if there should be a general stoppage of ships that are in france , turkie , or spain , your countriemen are not sensible at all of it ; but your merchants i 'le warrant you would be sensible enough of it , and when they come together upon the exchange , al their converse would be of it . so it is with those that have their conversations in heaven ; and here 's a great difference between those and those that are earthlie minded ; tell those that are earthlie of anie stoppage in the intercourse between them and heaven , and they know not what you mean , they think you are fools and mad : but the saints they are sensible of it , oh it is a sore and sad evil to them , i mean , when at anie time god hides his face from them , when at anie time they go into the presence of god & can hear nothing from him , can receive no letters from heaven ( as i may so say . ) if the post doth not come from such a countrie , the merchants are troubled at it . so when the saints send up their prayers to heaven by which they trade thither and can hear nothing from god again ; and when they cannot feel those influences from heaven let into their souls as heretofore sometimes they have done , oh! they bewail this as a great evil that is upon them above any evil in the world , that influences of heaven are stop'd , and that god seems to be a stranger unto them , oh these things they complain of one to another , and they make their moans when they feel the stoppages of heaven ; this plainlie declares , that they are traders for heaven , and that their conversations are there . the last evidence of a saints having his conversation in heaven is ; his willingness to die , to depart this world : the going out of this world with so much comfort , joy , peace , and triumph as many of the saints have done ; as we might give you the expressions of many of the saints when they were readie to die , rejoycing at the hope of eternal life , at their going out of the world ; surely had they not conversed in heaven while they lived here , their souls would not have been so willing to have departed out of their bodies . a man that hath nothing to do in another country , it may be shall be there as a dead man , he goes but with little joy thither : but now , a man that hath had trading to another country , and he hath great riches , and so thriven there , that whatsoever he seems to be here , yet there he is a great man : oh! how comfortably doth that man go to the country ! how glad is he when he takes ship and sees a fair gale , and prosperous wind to carry him to that country ! and so it is with the saints who have their conversations in heaven , because they have so much riches there , when they come to die they die with joy , and blesse god for that day as the most blessed day that they have seen ; for they are going now to the country that they have been trading to all their daies , and where their riches lies . these are the evidences and demonstrations that the saints have their conversations in heaven . chap. ix . four reasons why the saints have their conversations in heaven . but now , if you demand the reason , why it is that the saints have their conversations in heaven ? to that i answer briefly thus . the first reason . because their souls that are their better part , they are from heaven . you know , that when god made man , he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life . the soul of man , it is as it were , the breath of god : god did not say of mans soul as of other creatures , let it be made , let there be a soul in mans body . no , but when he had formed the body , he breathed the soul into him . it was to note , that the soul of man had a more heavenly , and divine original , than any of the other creatures that are here in this world ; and because the original it is so divine , and heavenly , therefore it is , that when the soul is ( as it were ) its self , is set at liberty , it would be at its original : indeed , though mans soul be of a divine , and heavenly nature , yea through the fall of man , so it is , that the soul of man is even almost turned to be flesh , and so mingled with unclean drossie things as if it had no such divine and heavenly original ? and therefore a natural man is called flesh , that that is born of the flesh , is flesh ; as if he had no soul at all : for i say , the soul of man through his fall , the nature of it seemed to be changed , it is at least depressed down to such vile things , as if it never had such a divine and heavenly original . but now , when god works grace in the soul , the soul of man begins to return to its self , and to know its self , and begins to return to its own nature that it had in its first creation : and as soon as ever the soul begins to know its self , it looks then presently at all these things that are here below as vile things in comparison , as contemptable ; for indeed , all these things in this world are infinitly beneath the soul of a man : [ infinitly ] that is , in comparison , we may even call it an infinite distance between mans soul and all these things that are here below in the world ; the soul of man is neer unto god himself , and therefore when as the soul returne unto its self , it would be some where else than where it is , and would converse with those things that are sutable to its original . as it is with a man that hath a noble birth , suppose a prince is got into another country , and there being a child , is used like a slave , set to rake channels , and such mean imployment ; now all the while that he is there and not know his original , he minds nothing but to get his victuals , and do his work that he is set about ; but if once he come to know from whence he was , namely , born the heir unto such a great prince , or emperour that lives in so much glory in such a country ; then he that liv'd like a slave , his thoughts , and mind , and longings are , to be in the country where his birth was so high , oh that he might be but there , he should be happy then ; and it doth him good to hear any man speak of that country . truly , so it is with the souls of men , they are the birth ( as i may so speak ) of the high god , of the great king of heaven and earth , being breathed so into the nostrils of man. now through mans fall the soul comes to be a slave to the devil , and is set about drudggery to provide for the flesh : but now , when god is pleased to convert the soul , the lord comes then to declare to a man or woman , oh man , woman ! thou art born from on high , thy soul is ( as it were ) a sparkle of the divinity ( as i may so say ) thy father by creation , nay , not only by creation as he is the creator of all creatures , is god , but by a more special work of his , by a more special work ( i say ) than in the first creation of other things ; thy soul is from god , and of a divine nature , and is therefore capable of communion with father , son , and holy ghost ; certainly , thou never hadst such a divine and excellent being given the meerly that thou shouldest delight in the flesh , and be servicable to thy body , in eating , and drinking here a while ; oh! consider of thy country whence thou camest at first ; here 's one work of grace , to know the excellency of our souls , and from whence they came : surely , if grace do this , it must needs turn the heart of one that is converted to god , to have his conversation to be in heaven . that 's the first reason . the second reason . but not only so , because the soul had a heavenly original , and therefore will not be content with a portion here in this world , but secondly , when grace comes there , the soul hath a divine nature put into it beyond the excellency that it had in its first creation : i say , there is a divine nature higher than is meer natural excellency ; in the peter . . . according ( saith he ) as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness , and whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises , that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature . certainly the apostle did not here mean , meerly what adam had in innocency , i never read that that 's cal'd the divine nature ; though it 's true , there is a renewing of the image of god in man when he is converted ; i but there is somewhat more in the soul of man than repairing of this ; the holy ghost coming and dwelling in the soul in a higher way than it dwelt in the soul of adam at the first ; indeed before it was a creature , but such a creature as only had reference to god , as god was the creator , and man was the creature ; but now it hath reference to god as being made one with the second person in trinity , and so one with the father : and therefore of a higher nature than man was in the state of innocency . and you know what is said of adam in paradice , he was of the earth earthly , he was of the earth in comparison of the second adam , ( take adam in innocency in comparison of the second adam , he was but of the earth earthly ) and so his posterity though adam had stood should have been but of the earth earthly , & their portion its like should have bin but in a happines in this world : we never read in scripture of a heavenly condition adam had been in though he had stood ; but the second adam is from heaven heavenly . and the posterity of the second adam that is , those that are by regeneration made the children of the everlasting father , that are made the posterity of jesus christ by faith are from heaven heavenly ; therefore their souls are indued with a divine nature , with such high principles of grace as it must needs carry up their souls to heaven : if a lump of earth should be so changed as to have a spirit and a life put into it , and to be made of such an airial nature as any of the birds are , this lump of earth would fly in the air presently . it is so in the work of conversion , all men and women are earthly , and therefore they fink down to the earth , and the earth is their proper center ; but when once they come to be converted , there is a spirit put into them whereby they come to mount up aloft : it is not more natural for the earth to fall down low , than it is for the fire and air to ascend up high , because every creature doth move towards the center of it , heavie things fall down because below is the proper place of them ; light things rise up , because their proper place is to be above : and so , the conversations of the saints must needs be in heaven , because there 's their center , there 's that that 's sutable to the divine nature that is put into them . the third reason . their conversations must needs be in heaven , because those things that are the most choice things unto them are in heaven . i should have named a great many particulars here to shew what are the choice things that concern the saints , and how they are all in heaven . their father , god , is in heaven : our father which art in heaven . jesus christ he is in heaven ; seek the things above where jesus christ is sitting at the right hand of the father . jesus christ that is their head in heaven . their husband is in heaven . their elder brother is in heaven . their king is in heaven . their treasure is in heaven . their inheritance in heaven . their hope is in heaven . their mantion-house in heaven . their chief friends are in heaven . their substance is in heaven . their reward is in heaven . their wages are in heaven . all these things being in heaven , no marvail though their conversations are in heaven . and they are going to heaven ; now being that they are going that way , travelling towards heaven , they must needs be there in their hearts , heaven is the place that they shal come to ere long , they shal be there , and they know that here in this world they are to be but a while , but for ever to be there , we shall be caught up into the clouds ●nd be for ever with him : yea , their conversations must needs be in heaven , for they have much of heaven alreadie , there 's much of heaven in the saints , the kingdom of heaven it is within them , the scripture saith : they having so much of heaven for the present , it must needs be that their conversation● are there , and so that scripture in the . heb. . knowing in your selves that ye have in heaven a better and enduring substance . you may reade it thus , knowing you have heaven : a better enduring substance in your selves ; so that the words [ knowing in your selves ] hath not only reference to what they know by hear-say , though this be a true note , that they may know heaven by hear-say ; they hear ministers speak of heaven , and reade it in the word of god , but they know it in themselves , they know it by what god hath revealed in their own hearts , yea , though t●●●● were no books that ever they should see more , though they be not book-learn'd , and though they cannot reade a letter in the book , though they should hear no more sermons , yet by what is revealed in themselves , they know in themselves that they have a more better and enduring substance : that 's a truth . but the words may be more proper to the original , read thus : kowing , that you have heaven in your selves , a better and enduring substance : eternal life is begun alreadie in the hearts of the saints , there is heaven alreadie in the saints ; and therefore no marvel though their conversations be in heaven . the fourth reason . god hath so ordered things in this world on purpose , that he might wean the hearts of the saints from the world . the lord loves to have the hearts of his saints to be in heaven where he hath treasured up such glorious things for them , and because that the saints while they are here in the world , & have so much of the world in them , they would feign be living here in the world ; therefore god doth so order things that they shall meet with little content in this world , that they may be weary of it , and be wearied from it : and indeed , here 's the reason why gods people have met with such crosses in the world , why the lord hath kept his saints so low and mean in the world : it may be you are ready to draw ill conclusions from thence , and to think , i am afraid god doth not love me that he keeps me so low and mean , and i meet with such crosses , and others do not . oh! gather not such ill conclusions as these are ; it is , because he would gather your hearts to heaven , and wean you from the world , that you might long to be with him in heaven , for you are absent from him here in this world , and the lord would have the full stream of your affections to run after those things that you shal have with him in heaven . this use you are to make of those afflictions you meet withal , and those crosses that befall you in this world , and thus we have gone through the doctrinal point , of the saints having their conversations in heaven . chap. x. wee have treated long upon that point of an heavenly conversation , and have opened to you , what that heavenly conversation is , wherein it consists in many particulars : but now we shal proceed to the application of al. though as i have gone along , i have endeavoured not only to speak to your heads , but your hearts , and to quicken what i have said , so as might quicken your hearts : yet from the consideration of all , there are divers uses that may be profitable unto you . the first vse . the first is this , if the saints live such a heavenly conversation as hath been opened to you , oh how far are they from being saints , from being godly , who are so far from having their conversations in heaven , as they have their conversations in hell. there are a generation of men that profess themselves to be christians , & say , that they hope to go to heaven ; and yet if you behold their conversation , it is no other than the conversation of hell : certainly , 't is not what men say , but how they live that will cast them another day : he that is of heaven , or for heaven , his conversation is in heaven : and he that is for hell , his conversation is hellish : now that 's a conversation in hell that is like to what is done in hell , what is there in hell , but blaspheming and cursing ? what is there in hell , but hatred and malice ? what is there in hell , but raging and filthiness ? these things are the conversations of many men who are even devils incarnate . in many families there 's the name of god blasphemed , there 's cursing , and railing , and malice , and wrath , and pride , so that though they be here in this world , yet they manifest to what place they do belong . so that as the saints have their conversations in heaven , when they die they go to their own place , that is to heaven where their conversations were : so on the contrary , the wicked having their conversations in hell , when they die they go to their own place : as it was said of judas , he went to his own place : so a wicked man dying , having his conversation in hell while he liv'd , ( i say ) when he dies he goes to his own place , that 's his own proper place , he took content and delight in those things that were done there , and so when he dies , there he shall go . as the tree falls so it lies . as thy conversation is , and the bent of thy heart is there , so it must lie to all eternity . chap. xi . the second vse . this point likewise , rebukes hypocrites , as wicked prophane ones that have their conversations in hell : so there 's another kind of men that are unsound professors , hypocrites , and they have their conversations between heaven and earth : it 's not in heaven nor in hell , nor altogether upon the earth , but between earth , and heaven , and hell. sometimes they seem to be a loft , above ; sometimes very forward and zealous in the profession of religion , sometimes much inlarged in duties , at other times again they are as base earthly spirits as any , yea , somtimes , there 's much of hell in their hearts , and in their waies , they professe themselves the seed of abraham , but they are not as the stars of heaven , but as meteors that are between heaven and earth : we call them blazing stars ; but they are not so bright as the stars , nor are they of such a heavenly nature as the stars , they are but made of a few unclean vapours that come out of the earth , which being got up neer the heavens , do make a shew as if they were some star in heaven , but you find a great deal of difference between the stars and them in this , for within a little while they fall , and vanish , and come to nothing ; and so it is with many hypocrites , they by the word are raised up a little for the present , and seem to be above the stars , and they have a glittering shew as if they had somthing heavenly in them , even like the stars of heaven , they seem to be got above others : your blazing star , a child would think it a great deal bigger than one of the stars that is an hundred times bigger than that is ; so 't is with many hypocrites , they have a greater shew of religion than many that have truth of godliness , and that are truly gracious , they look upon them as wondering at the excellent parts that they have , excellent abilities , it may be , they will discourse sometimes in an excellent manner about heavenly things ; you shall find some that have no soundness at all , yet will have very excellent discourse , they speak the very language of canaan , but it is in such company where they may gain respect by it , but still are but as meteors that hang between heaven and earth : whereas the truth is , while they seem to be so high above others , and so heavenly , yet their hearts are groveling upon the earth : many times while they have most excellent expressions in prayer , yet god sees their hearts basely cleaving to some earthly thing , there is some base earthly contentment that their hearts are upon , while they seem to be so heavenly , much like to the kite that flies on high as if it were an eagle , but the eye of it while it is above in the air is fixed upon some carrion , upon some prey that it hath upon the earth , and as soon as ever it sees a fit opportunity to seise upon the prey , it comes down to seise upon it , and that 's the place the kite would be at , that 's the place he doth most delight in , to be upon his prey : and so an hypocrite , though he rises high in some actions , yet the truth is , his eye is upon some earthly prey , and when he sees his opportunity , thither he goes and finks down to those things , and that 's his most proper place , there he takes most delight and content in his conversation , though his actions may seem to be heavenly , and therefore he will fall down and never attain to the highest heavens that the saints shall go to , but to hell at the last . chap. xii . the third vse . the third use is this , the saints conversation is in heaven . hence then for shame , let us not find fault with strictness in the waies of god , let not man speak against the waies of god , as being too strict , and what need we be so circumspect , and so precise , and so pure ? what need we labor to do so much ? what ! canst thou attain to a more strict and holy conversation than a heavenly conversation ? it is a very carnal expression that some have , why ? we cannot be saints ? we are not saints ; yes , the holy ghost cals all beleevers , all that have the very least degree of true grace , he call them saints . when we come to heaven , then we shall live better , but while we are in this world we cannot . ye● , while you are in this world your conversation is to be in heaven ; surely men either are not acquainted with the word , or they shut their eyes and will not see and consider what the word saith about a strict conversation : sometimes you find in scripture , that we are commanded , to be perfect , as our heavenly father is perfect ; it 's a strange speech , and yet it 's the speech of christ himself . and we must walk as christ walked , and he that hath this hope , purifieth himself as he is pure ; and then our conversation is in heaven . put these together , perfect as our heavenly father is perfect ; walk as christ walked ; purge our selves as he is pure . our conversation is in heaven : what do all these things tend to ? surely it tends to a great deal of strictness and holiness of life . and these things shew that the work of a christian here in this world is a busie work , that a christian-life it is not an idle , dull , heavy , or sluggish life ; you that are christians , you had need quicken up your selves , you had need awaken those drousie spirits of yours , if this be required of you , that you should be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect , walk as christ walked , purifie your selves as he is pure , holy as he is holy , and to have your conversations in heaven , surely , there need be a great deal of quickness and life in the hearts of christians ; and you are not to content your selves in a meer possession , and doing some little matter in the way of religion , or being somewhat better than others , you are to aim at heaven , look up there , and make that to be your pattern . chap. xiii . the fourth vse . and that rebukes even such as are truly godly , many that yet do fail exceeding much in this thing : oh! their conversations are too low , are too earthly ; if they would examine their hearts strictly they cannot say , that their conversations are in heaven , i am a stranger upon earth , saith david . but many may say , that they are strangers in heaven . whereas earth should be the place of our pilgrimage , and heaven our home ; but it 's quite otherwaies , heaven is rather the place where most professors are strangers , and earth is the place of their habitation , they cast up a thought now and then to heaven , as now and then men will cast up their eyes and look upon heaven , but where 's your heart ? where 's the great workings of your spirits ? it 's a speech of the lord , saith he , heaven is my throne , and earth is my foot-stool : spiritual things they are to be look'd upon as the good things , as the throne of god , & those earthly things only as the things of gods foot-stool : but now , how many are there that have earth their throne and heaven their foot-stool ! that is , heavenly things are made subordinate to earthly things ; oh! this should not be in any of those that professe themselves to be christians , none of the saints should satisfie themselves in any life but this , to be able to say , i blesse god , my conversation is in heaven , though god let me live upon the earth , yet my conversation is in heaven . what an unworthy thing it is for one that doth professe to have his portion and his inheritance in heaven , yet to have the heart so mingled here with the earth ; in gen . . saith joseph in sending for his father , regard not your stuffe , for the good of all the land of egypt is yours . regard not the stuff , do not let it grieve you to forsake your stuff , leave all your lumber behind you , for all the good things of egypt are yours . oh what a shameful thing is it , that christians should regard their stuff so much as they do , that hope to have the good things , not of egypt , but of heaven its self to be theirs ! surely if we have seen the things of heaven , one would think that all the things of the earth should be darkened in our eyes : cor. . . that which was glorious ( saies the text ) had no glory in comparison of the greater glory . that scripture i confesse , is spoken in comparing of the law and the gospel , there was a glory in the delivering of the law , but that had no glory in comparison of the greater glory , that is , in comparison of the gospel ; for in the gospel we behold as in a glasse with open face the glory of god , and are changed into the same image , as from glory to glory : but we may apply it thus ; as the things of the earth that were glorious before in your eyes , yet in comparison of the greater glory , should not at all be glorious ; though before conversion these things were glorious , & grant it , that there is some kind of glory upon the things of this world , that they are gilded and varnish't over , but in comparison of the greater glory they are not glorious at all , though they that never saw any thing else as glorious but the things of the world , yet thou that hast seen the greater glory shouldst not account these things glorious : oh therefore christians , lift up your hearts to henven , and let your conversations be in heaven : though god hath so ordered it , that you must live here a while and must be content , for indeed to some christians that have their conversations in heaven , it 's a great part of their self-denial , and of their subjection to god , to be willing to live upon the earth , and to stay from heaven till gods time come ; this is a riddle and a mystery to many , that it should be a part of our salvation , obedience , yea , of self-denial , though they had crowns of glory , though they were kings and princes here in this world , to be willing to stay here . we might come to attain this , if our conversations were in heaven , and our hearts there . as we reade of daniel , though god so ordered it , that he could not live at jerusalem where the temple was , yet he would open his window towards jerusalem , he would ever be looking that way . and so , though god hath so ordered it , that we cannot come yet to live in this heavenly jerusalem bodily , and in that full way as hereafter we expect to do , yet we should open our window , our eyes , and the doors of our hearts should be open towards heaven . i remember i have read of edward the first king of england , that had a mighty mind to go to jerusalem , but because he could not go , for death prevented him , he gave charge to his son to carry his heart thither . and so it should be with us , we should endeavour to have our hearts there , and to have as much of heaven as we can though we cannot be there our selves in nature : every creature hath put into it by the god of nature an instinct to move to its proper place ; as now , because the proper place of fire is above , there is an instinct of nature in fire to ascend to its proper place . and the proper place of earth is below , and therefore it will fall down to the center ! a heavie thing that hath much earth in it , though it breaks its self to pieces yet it will fall down towards its center : and so it will be with a christian , though he break himself to pieces , whatsoever he suffers , yet he hath an instinct to carry him to his proper place ; fire because its proper place is above , if it be kept down by violence , what a mighty power there is in fire to make way for its self that it may get up , that 's the very reason of the mighty force that there is in guns , because there is fire in the pouder that is kept in , when the pouder is once fir'd , because the fire would get up above , therefore it breaks with violence , and if it cannot have vent to get out , it breaks any thing in the world for it must out , that it may get up to it 's own place ; and so it should be with a christian , there should be a strong impetiousness to get up to his own place ; that would be an evidence indeed that heaven is thy proper place : oh christians lift up your hearts , and let your conversations be in heaven . chap. xiv . an heavenly conversation is a convincing conversation . i shall not need to come again and tel you , what heavenly conversation is , it hath been opened at large to you ; but for the setting an edg upon this exhortation : first , know , that a heavenly conversation will be a very convincing conversation ; then you will convince men that you have somwhat more than they have when they see you live heavenly ; for the men of the world they know the things of the world , are the things that their hearts are upon , and that which they mind ; but now , when they see those that professe religion mingle themselves with the earth as they do , then they will think that they are acted by the same principles that themselves are ; but now , heavenly conversations will convince them , when they behold them walking above in the whol course of their lives , when they see an evenness and proportion in their course ; take them at all times , and in all businesses , they carry themselves as men of another world : as a man that is a stranger to a place , may for a while act it so , as he may seem to be one that is a native in the place , but one that is born in the place , will go nigh to find him out in one thing or other : and so , 't is very hard for men to carry themselves so if they have not true grace , though they appear sometimes to be very heavenly , yet one that is a true citizen of heaven will discern them at one time or other if they have not grace ; yea , the truth is , carnal men wil discover themselves that they are born of the earth , and are of their countrie , his speech betrais him , he is a giliadite : but when christians shal in their constant way have their conversations in heaven , then their cōversations are very convincing ; there are the raies of heaven about them , they have the lustre of heaven shining wheresoever they go , and in all company , surely such a man seems to be in heaven continually ; so it will force it from the very consciences of men to say , certainly these are the citizens of heaven ; if there be any denizens of the new jerusalem while they live upon the earth , these they are . i remember it 's said of that martyr dr. taylor , that he did rejoyce that he ever came into the prison to be in company with that angel of god mr. bradford , mr. bradford's conversation , it was angel-like , like an angel of heaven , and did convince almost every where , where he went : oh! 't is of great use that christians should live convincing conversations . you know what dives said to abraham , that he would have one sent to warn his brethren , that they might not come to that place : saith abraham , they have moses and the prophets : oh but saith dives , if one rise from the dead , they would hear him . i may say thus , if god should send one from heaven to live among men , and to preach to them , surely they would regard him . would it not be a great benefit to the world if god should send some one saint from heaven , or angel to converse in a bodily way among us ? truly , christians should live so , as if they came from heaven every day , as if they had been in heaven and conversing with god. when they go to perform duty in a morning , and get alone between god & their souls , they should never leave striving till they get their hearts so in heaven , and get themselves upon the mount , so as when they come down to their family their very faces may shine , so that you may see by their conversations , that certainly they have been with god upon the mount this day . now i appeal to you in this , do you live so , as that your family , and your neighbors may see that you have bin this morning in heaven ? every morning we should have some converse with heaven , which if we had , our conversations would be convincing all the day long , and very profitable it would be to the world ; christians that live heavenly conversations they are ( i say ) of very great use in the places where they live . as i remember it 's said concerning christ , when he ascended up to heaven , he gave gifts to men . and if we could oftener ascend up to heaven , we should be more able to be beneficial to the world . chap. xv. an heavenly conversation is growing . an heavenly conversation is , a growing conversation . oh! they grow mightily , they do thrive in grace exceeding much in a very little time , they grow to attain to a very great measure of communion with god the father , and with jesus christ , and every day they grow more and more spiritual , having so much of heaven within them : it 's true , when they come into heaven , they shall be perfect : but now , the fetching from heaven is that that makes them grow , it must be the influence from heaven that must cause the grouth of saints ; as now , suppose that the ground upon which flowers and herbs grow , be never so fertile in its self , and the herbs or plants be never so well rooted in the earth , yet if there be not an influence of heaven upon them they will not grow much , nay not at all , but quickly wither : so it is with christians , let them have never so much means of growing below , never so many ordinances , yet if they have not rich dews from above they wil not grow , or if there be any growth , yet either they wil bear no fruit , or else it will be very shrifled and sowre fruit . you know , that fruit that hath the most of the beams of the sun that comes from heaven upon it , that fruit grows riper and sweeter than other fruit ; fruit that grows in the shade , that hath the influence of heaven kept off from it , it is sowre fruit . and the reason that the saints have so little fruit , and that it is so sowre , it is because that they have not more influences from heaven , they do not stand in the open sun , their souls are not presented dayly before god , and have the warm beams of the sun of righteousnesse shining from heaven upon them ; but there is something between heaven and their souls : but a conversation in heaven , as it would be a convincing conversation , so it would be a growing conversation . chap. xvi . an heavenly conversation brings much glory to god. and then , it would be a conversation glorifying god much . oh! the glory that god would have from a conversation in heaven ! let your light so shine before men , that others beholding your good works , may glorifie your father which is in heaven . then indeed the image of the god of heaven is held forth when mens conversations are heavenly , the lord takes much delight to have his glory to be dispensed abroad by his saints , to have some reflection upon the world : as in a glasse , though beams of the sun do not shine upon a wall , yet by a glasse you may take the beams of the sun and cast the reflection of them upon a wal : so those beams of the glory of god that shine in heaven , the saints by their heavenly conversation may ( as it were by a glasse ) take them and reflect them upon the world , and upon the faces of men : the hearts of the saints should be as a glasse taking the beams of the glory of god and casting them up and down where they are , and so your heavenly father should come to be glorified by you . let every christian think thus , my conversation is thus and thus ; but what glory do i bring to god by my conversation ? do others glorifie god by beholding the lustre of the holiness of god in me ? do they see cause to blesse god that they see so much of the glory of god in me ? certainly , there is more of the glory of god shines in the gracious , holy , spiritual conversation of a christian , than shines in the sun , moon , and stars , than in heaven , and earth : i mean , for the works of creation and providence that are in heaven and earth ; the creatures that god hath made , as the sun , moon , and stars ; and here in this world , the seas , the earth , the plants , and the like , though they have much of the glory of god , yet a heavenly conversation declares more of the glory of god than all these . you know what the psalmest saith , the heavens declare the glory of god , and the firmament shew his handy work . it may be spoken more fully of heavenly conversations , the heavenly conversations of the saints , declare the glory of god ; and those that shine in the firmament of the church are stars , ( for the church is the firmament , and the saints be there as stars ) & they declare the handy work of god. now though its true , as in heaven there 's one star differs from another star in glory : and so in christians , every one cannot attain to so much glory as another , yet every one is a star , the meanest christian that lives , the weakest beleever that is , yet should be as a star in the firmament , though he cannot shine so gloriously as the sun , or as other stars , yet there should be never a beleever , never a godly man or woman in the church but should shine as a star in the firmament , but should be as the gospel is , even a mirror wherein we might behold the glory of god , in whom we may behold the glory of god even ( as it were ) with open face : an heavenly conversation is a conversation glorifying god. chap. xvii . an heavenly conversation bringeth much glory to the sanits . an heavenly conversation , it 's a conversation that will bring much glory to your selves : though it's true , that the saints should aim at the glory of god most , yet there will come glory to themselves whether they will or no if their conversations be in heaven : it 's impossible but that in the conscience of men they should be honored walking in a heavenly conversation : there 's an excellent scripture , that shews , that in our glorifying of god , we glorifie our selves also : thess . . , . the aplostle he praies for them , wherefore also ( saith he ) we pray alwaies for you , that our god would count you worthy of this calling , and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness , and the work of faith with power : to what end ? that the name of our lord jesus christ may be glorified in you , and ye in him , according to the grace of our god , and the lord jesus christ . he praies for the thessalonians , that they might walk so , that they might have so much of the grace of god in them , that the name of our lord jesus christ might be glorified in them . oh! this is that that all the saints should desire , and endeavor after , that the name of our lord jesus christ should be glorified in them ; and ye in him saith he : labor you , that christ may be glorified in your lives , and you shall be glorified in him . we should desire that christ may have glory in our glory , & then we shall have glory in christs glory : this is a sweet and blessed life , when as the saints have such hearts , as they can say , lord , let me have no glory , but that thou mayest have glory in . then saith god , is it so ? doest thou desire no further glory in this world , but that i may have glory in ? then i will have no glory in this world , but what thou shalt have glory in : christ will make us partakers of his glory , as well as we shall make him partaker of our glory . oh! an heavenly conversation that glorifies god , will glorifie the saints too . chap. xviii . an heavenly conversation will make suffering easie . heavenly conversation , it will make all sufferings to be very easie , it will be nothing to suffer any thing you meet withall in this world , if your conversations be in heaven : all revilings , and reproaches , and wrongs , they will be nothing , if you get but a heavenly conversation , you will contemn all these things that the men of the world think to be such great matters : men that have conversed in heaven , never will be much offended for any sufferings : cor. . . for our light afflictions which is but for a moment , worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory : while we look not at the things which are seen , but at things which are not seen ; for the things which are seen are temporal , but the things which are not seen are eternal . all but light afflictions , why ? for our eye is above all these things . and it 's a notable passage that in the gospel , if you examine the place of christs transfiguration upon the mount , there christ shewed his glory unto some disciples , that he carried with him ; and this is that that i would note from it , do but observe in the story who were the disciples that christ carried with him to see his glory , they were , peter , james , and john ; now afterwards if you compare that story with the story of christ being in his agony , which was presently after ; where his soul was heavie unto death , when he was to be betraied , and to be crucified the next day , and fell groveling upon the earth , & sweat clodders of blood through the anguish that was upon his spirit , & cried out , oh lord ! if it be possible let this cup pass from me . here 's a great deal of difference between christ in his agony , and upon the mount in his transfiguration ; and observe , that christ would have none of his disciples see him in his agony , but peter , james , and john , only those three that saw him in his transfiguration upon the mount in his glory . the note from hence is , that those that can converse much with christ in glory , can converse with christ in heaven , can see heaven , they may be permitted to see christ in his agony and it will do them no hurt . but now , for the other disciples that did not see christ in his glory , if they had seen christ in his agony , it might have offended them , is this our lord and master that is in such a fearful agony at this time ? oh! it would have offended them ; but now , the other that saw him glorified , it offended them not ; well , though he be in an agony now , yet we know him to be a glorious savior , and we will beleeve and trust in him still . so , if we can converse with god in glory upon the mount , what ever agony we see christ in afterwards we shall be able to bear it : when stephen had the stones ratling about his ears , yet when he saw the heavens opened it was nothing to him then , he fell asleep , he rejoyced in the expectation of heaven . and if you reade in the book of martyrs , ever when they came to their sufferings you may see how they did rejoyce , when they did think of heaven , and remember eternal life . saith one woman to her child that was going to be burnt , when as the people thought she would have rung her hands , and made great lamentations to have seen her child stepping into the flames , she said nothing but this , remember eternal life my son . oh! conversing with heaven makes all sufferings in the world nothing . chap. xix . heavenly conversation brings much joy . then , oh the sweetness and comfort that there will be while the soul is conversing in heaven ! oh the joy and the peace that will come to the soul in the certain evdience that the soul is partaker in the death , resurrection , and intercession of jesus christ ! ( i say ) those whose conversations are in heaven , by this they come to have certain evidence to their souls , that they have their portion in the death , in the resurrection , in the ascention , in the intercession of jesus christ , and this will afford comfort enough . that scripture in the . colos . . if ye then be risen with christ , seek those things that are above where christ sitteth on the right hand of god ; set your affection on things above , not on things on the earth : for ye are dead and your life is bid with christ in god. when christ who is our life shall appear , then shall ye also appear with him in glory . here 's an evidence that you are risen with christ , that you are dead to the world , and have interest in his ascention , and are partakers of his resurrection , and have part in his intercession . those that have their conversations in heaven now , they may know certainly that they are risen from death to life , that when christ ascended , he went to heaven to take possession for them , yea , that they are in heaven where christ is : he hath set us in heavenly places together with christ jesus : for he is there as a common head : that they are ascended with christ already , and that christ is there as an advocate making intercession for them to the father , these will be the consolations of those that have their conversation in heaven . chap. xx. an heavenly conversation is very safe . and then , a conversation in heaven , is a very safe conversation , you will be free from snares and temptations . as an eearthly conversation subjects unto temptations ; so a heavenly conversation will free us from temptations . when is the bird in danger of the lime-twig or net but when she comes to pick below upon the ground ? but if she could but keep her self above alwaies , she were free then from the snare and net : it 's chrysostoms similitude , keep above , and then ye be free from the snare of the fowler . it 's a safe conversation . chap. xxi . an heavenly conversation gives abundant enterance into glory . and then , it will cause an abundant enterance into the kingdom of heaven . when they come to die , oh how joyfully wil they die ! what abundant enterance will be made into the everlasting kingdom of our lord and savior jesus christ ? for when they die they shall but change their place , they shall not change their company : they shall but go to their fathers house to be partakers of those mansions christ before hath prepared . oh my brethren ! labor to have your conversations in heaven , and know , that this is not a matter only that concerns eminent christians , but all christians ; and see how the apostle charges this upon the thessalonians , . epistle . . as you know how we exhorted and comforted , and charged every one of you , ( as a father doth his children ) that you would walk worthy of god who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory . that is , that you would walk in a conversation answerable to the glorious kingdom of god that you are called to , according to your high calling , we should walk worthy of it : we are charged so to do : and as it 's said concerning christ in the gospel by saint john , he spake concerning himself , but the son of man which is in heaven . so it should be said of every child of god , such a one that is in heaven , not only such a one that shall go to heaven , but that is in heaven for the present . chap. xxii . seven rules , or directions , how to get heavenly conversation . but you will say , how should we do to get this our conversasation to be in heaven ? it's an excellent conversation indeed , oh that we might attain unto it ! the first rule . first , take this rule , be perswaded that it is attainable . let christians conclude thus with themselves , it is possible for me to live a life of heaven while i am upon the earth : there is a heaven to be got , it will mightily stir up the spirit of a christian if he do beleeve this . i may live in heaven here , with god , and christ , and his angels , and saints ; there are some that have attain'd to this ; and how have they attain'd to it ? not by their own strength , they were men subject to the same infirmities that you are , even paul himself that had his conversation in heaven , was subject to many infirmition but through the strength of christ he can do all things , he was nothing in himself ; reade but the . of the romans , paul saith there of himself , that he was even sold under sin , and when he would do good , evil was present with him : and he was led captive , and he found a law in his members rebelling against the law of his mind , and he had many corruptions and was feign to have a prick in the flesh , a messenger of satan to humble him : and he spake of this heavenly conversation , not only that he had it himself , but writing to the philippians they attain'd to it ; they were a church that were very spiritual , but were but poor and mean in respect of some others , and they had not those eminent gifts that the corinthians had , and yet the philippians had their conversations in heaven : therefore it is a thing that is attainable . the second rule . secondly , if you would get your conversations in heaven , labor to keep a cleer conscience , keep a heaven in your conseience . those men that do fully and defile their consciences , they lose their intercourse with heaven , and indeed , the presence of the god of heaven is tedious to them , they be loth to go into his presence when once they have defiled consciences , if there be a hell in a mans conscience , there will not be a heaven in his conversation . , but let men and women labor to keep conscience clean , and a heaven there , and then there will be a heaven in their conversations . the third rule . watch opportunicies for heavenly exercises , though you have much business in the world , watch time . you that are servants , you should not indeed neglect your masters business , for you may serve god in the work of your master , but yet you must watch opportunities ; get alone , and if you cannot have any long time let it be so much the frequenter , watch all opportunities for heavenly exercises , for meditation , for prayer , for reading , for conversing with god : oh! we might get many opportunities to get our souls in heaven if we would but watch ; and those that are diligent to watch opportonities for heavenly exercises , and prize opportunities for them , they are the men and women that will come to attain to a heavenly conversation , that do not ' make it as a light matter whether they have converse with god or no in holy duties : christians that would have their conversations in heaven , they must look upon their opportunities for heavenly exercises , they eye them , as that wherein much of the joy and comfort of their lives consists . the fourth rule . forget not this in the next place , ( i speak now to christians that would feign have their conversations in heaven ) i say to you , take heed and be careful that you rest not in formallity ; watch to get opportunities , but be not formal in duties in them . oh! this will mightily darken your conversations , it will make them very earthly , there will be no beauty at all in them if you come to rest in formallity in holy performances : there 's many christians that we hope may have some good at the bottom , yet growing to a form in religion they never honor their profession , they have little comfort to their own souls , they go on in a dead hearted condition , they know not what it is to have communion with god , oh beware of that ; that we are all by nature subject too ; those that have enlightenings of conscience , they dare not but take opportunities for heavenly duties ; but then comes in the temptation of the devil , and the corruption of our own hearts ; when i have done my task , then it 's over , i have prayed , i but you have been in heaven that while ? what converse with god have you had there ? oh take heed of formallity ! it will exceedingly hinder your conversation . but now , a christian though of never such weak parts , can but chatter to god , and speak a few broken words and half sentences , yet if he doth not rest in formallity he may have much converse with god , whereas others that have excellent parts , yet resting in the work done , never knows what the meaning is of having a conversation in heaven . the fifth rule . labor to beat down your bodies , that is , take heed of making provision for the flesh , beware of sensual lusts ; how came paul to have his conversation in heaven ? saith he , i beat down my body ; the word is , black and blue ; club'd it down ; as if he should say , this body of mine would draw my heart aside from spiritual things , and make me earthly and sensual , i wil keep down my body , i will not give that satisfaction to the flesh , and body so as to strengthen any temptation that should draw my heart off from spiritual , and heavenly things : no , but i beat down my body saith he . there 's no christian that is heavenly but he must be very careful and watchful over his sences while he lives here , to beat down his body , and so he may come to have his conversation in heaven . the sixth rule . labor to be skilful in the mystery of godliness , to draw strength from jesus christ in every thing you do . for my brethren , christ he is jacob's ladder . when jacob lay asleep he saw a ladder on which the angels did descend and ascend up to heaven . now this jacob's ladder is no other but jesus christ to christians , and that must be set up to heaven ; if you would go to heaven , and converse with heaven , it must be by jesus christ , you must be instructed in the mysterie of the gospel in conversing with god through a mediator ; there is such an infinite distance between god and us , that except we have christ the mediator we can never come to god , nor god come to us ; it is only christ the mediator that is the ladder : we need not say who shall go up to heaven to fetch christ down ? no , we may have christ in our hearts , and set up him , and so we may go up to heaven by his mediation . when as a christian comes to live in this manner ; what i do expect from god , i expect to draw it through a mediator , and all the services that i tender up to god i tender them up through the hand and heart of christ : now those that are acquainted with this have much converse with heaven : by jesus christ the mediator i may come up there and present my self there , though no unclean thing may come there , for god looks upon the saints through him as righteous , being cloathed with his righteousness , they may come to their father with boldnesse , having their elder brothers garments upon them , they may come and kneel before the throne of grace , come into heaven as into the presence chamber and kneel every morning for their fathers blessing ; it 's by him what we have accesse unto the father : oh! acquaint thy self with the mystery of godlinesse in drawing all from christ ; and tendering all to god through christ : by this heaven comes down to thee , and by this thou climest up to heaven , this is the jacob's ladder . but those men that only look upon god in a natural way , that 's thus , indeed all good things must come from god ; and so they go to prayer , lord we beseech thee bless us this day , for all good things come from thee . and they serve god , their consciences tell them they must worship , and serve god while they live here : but it is but in a dull natural way : let me leave it in your hearts , all good comes from god through a mediator , through jesus christ the second person in trinity , god-man , and all my services are tendered up to god through him ; there is this mediator god-man that unites god and me together , and so by him i have acceptance both for my person and all my actions , and by him i come to have other manner of blessings than comes from god meerly as creator , god in bounty bestows upon the creature many good things , but when we come to deal with god in christ we come to have heavenly blessings , blessings beyond the power of nature , yea beyond all those blessings that nature can be any conveyance of , beyond the blessings that the conduits of the creature are able to hold forth , they have the blessing from god imediately , imediately i mean in respect of the creature , it 's by the mediation of christ , they enjoy god in christ , and so come to enjoy god in a heavenly , supernatural way : oh this is the way to have our conversations in heaven ; and those christians that are much acquainted with the gospel of christ , they come to live far more heavenly conversations than others that go on in a dull , heavie , and natural kind of way in serving of god : but being not acquainted with this mysterie , their hearts lie low upon the earth , and know not what it is to have their conversations in heaven . the seventh rule . and so the next rule with which i must close all is this , exercise much the grace of faith : there is no way to get above the creature , and above nature , but by exercising the grace of faith. many christians think they must exercise love to god , and exercise sorrow for sin ; the grace of repentance , mourning for sin , that 's good , thou shouldest do that , and thou shouldest exercise patience ; but the great grace that is to be imployed if thou wouldest attain a heavenly life , it is , the exercise of faith : and make conscience to put forth that grace much , for it 's by that that we do converse with god through christ . though christ be the ladder , yet it 's faith that carries us up this ladder , and brings us down again , it 's faith that makes the things of heaven real to the soul , heb. . . it 's faith that is an evidence of things not seen , and the substance of things hoped for , by faith these things come to be made real and substantial things , and as present things , faith it is that gives a great excellency to all the things of heaven its self , and therefore live much by faith , and walk by faith , and not by sence , and then shalt thou be above the world and live in heaven ; and as the fruit of thy faith wait for the appearing of jesus christ . our conversation is in heawen ( saith the apostle ) from whence also we look for the savior the lord jesus christ &c. where a mans conversation is , there his expectations may be ; and where the expectations are , there a mans conversation is ; now our converstaion is in heaven from whence also we look for jesus christ ; as if he should say , it 's not a motion , do not you think that when we speak of conversing in heaven that we please our own fancies ; oh no , saith he , we by faith look upon heaven as the most real thing in the world , for we expect the lord jesus christ ere long to appear in glory bodily , and we shall see him with these eyes , and shall change our vile bodies and make them like his glorious body , we by faith looking upon such glorious things to be so real , and so at hand , and we waiting for these things it 's this that makes our conversation to be in heaven : our hearts and all are there , because that we expect that these things will be made good to us quickly , oh christians do but exercise your faith in this , in jesus christ , and put forth this fruit of faith in waiting for the appearing of jesus christ when he shall come and appear in his glory , this will help to make your conversations to be in heaven ; oh what a blessed time will that be when jesus christ shall come from the heavens , and appear to those that have been waiting for him ! it was a blessed thing to have christ here personally and to live with him when he was upon the earth though it were in the state of his humiliation , oh when he shall come in his glory , how blessed will that be ! and when he shall change our vile bodies that they may be like unto his glorious body , oh this will keep the heart in expectation of christ , for then that vile body of thine that is now a body of sin and death , matter of diseases , a body of weakness , and a lump of clay , now it shall be made like the glorious body of jesus christ to shine more glorious than the sun in the firmament ; this will be when jesus christ shall come with all his angels in his glory ; and this is observable , when all the glory of the creature shall be darkened with the glory of god and jesus christ , yet then the bodies of the saints shall shine gloriously before the face of god and jesus christ , surely they shall be more glorious than the glory of the sun , for that you know will be darkened at the coming of jesus christ ; the great glory of the father , and jeus christ , and the angels shall darken the glory of the sun , moon , and stars , but the glory of the bodies of the saints shall be so great , as all the glory of god , and jesus christ , and the angels shall not darken their glory , but it shall appear with a very great lustre : now if the glory of god , and the angels should darken it , then to what purpose is it that their bodies shall be like to the glorious body of jesus christ ? but certainly it shall not darken their glory : if a candle could be raised to have so much lustre and beauty as if you should put it into the midest of the sun , yet it would shine in the midst of it , it would be a strange kind of light you would say : it shall be so with the bodies of the saints , that though they are put into the midst of the glory of god , and his son , yet their very bodies shall shine in beauty and lustre there : now did we beleeve this , and wait for it every day , how would it change us ! i have a diseased and a lumpish body , and my body hinders me in every duty of worship , and service , wandering and vain thoughts lodge in me now ; i but i 'le wait for that time when christ shall come in all his glory , and make my body to be like unto his glorious body , to make it to be able to look upon the face of god , and to be able to be exercised in holy duties to all eternity without any weariness , and without any intermission : so shall the bodies of the saints be raised to that power , that their bodies shall be so strong , that their souls shall be exercised about the highest things possible for a creature to be exercised with without weariness ; wait for this : i have many things here that trouble my mind , and spirit , and hinders me in my converse with heaven , but within a while the time shall come that i shall be delivered from all troubles here , when christ shall appear with his mighty angels to be admired of his saints , and when he shall come and take the saints to judg the world , and shall set all the saints upon thrones to judg the world : the expectation of this time will raise the heart very much to be in heaven . but then especially , when i consider the glory that shall be upon my soul , let me think thus , if this body of mine that is a lump of flesh shall be by the almighty power of god whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself , raised to that height of glory , to be more glorious than the sun in the firmament ; then , what height of glory shal my soul be raised too ! but then , take not only my soul , but my grace , the divine nature that is in my soul , what shall that be raised too ? the plants are capable to be raised to a higher excellency than stones ; and the rational creature to a higher excellency than a sensitive creature ; and the sensitive higher than the vegetative , and the supernatural creature to a higher excellency than the natural : then raise your thoughts thus ; my body shall be raised so high , what shall my soul be then ? and what shall my graces that are in my soul be ? oh! wait for this , it is but for a little while before i shall be with god for him to be all in all to my soul enjoying full communion with him ; ( i say ) exercise faith , and wait for it , look for it every day , consider it 's neerer and neerer , your salvation is neerer than when at first you beleeved , god hath a little work for you here , but as soon as this is done this shall be my condition , i shal see my savior , my soul shal presently be with him and enjoy ful communion with him in glory , and my body within a while shal be raised and shall live for ever with him : shall be where he is , and shall enjoy all that he hath purchased by his blood , as much glory as the blood of christ is worth am i capable of ; the text saith , it shall be a weight of glory : i am not here fitted to bear a weight of glory , if the glory of heaven should shine in upon me so much as it might , it would swallow me up presently . we reade in the . of dan. upon the glory of god appearing to him , saith he , i daniel fainted , and was sick certain daies . if god should open the heavens , and dart in some light from heaven into us so as he might , alas we should faint presently and be sick and die , no man can see god and live ; no man here can enjoy that that god hath prepared for his saints in heaven and live ; therefore let us be content for a while to be as we are , and exercise thy faith and hope in what shall be ; thou shalt be able to bear that weight of glory , and be able to stand before the face of god continually to enjoy those things that eye hath not seen , nor ear heard , nor can enter into the heart of man to conceive : nay , though a man hath a spiritual eye , and a spiritual ear , and a spiritual heart enlarged to supernatural things , yet they are things not only beyond the eye of sence , but the eye of reason ; nay , the eye of faith hath not seen them fully , nor ear hath ever heard of , neither can enter into a gracious heart to convince what it is ; but those clusters that we have of this land of canaan do shew that mere is a glorious rest for his people . now by the exercise of your faith and hope work these things upon your souls every day , it would be a mighty help to make your conversation to be in heaven ; where should my heart and thoughts , where should my life and conversation be , but where i expect such things as these are to be revealed very soon in the day of jesus christ , in his appointed time , which is at hand . finis . of walking vvith god genesis , . . and enoch walked with god , and he was not , for god took him . chap. i. text opened in this chapter we have the geneologie from adam to noah : and it 's observable , that god passeth all along and saith , adam he lived so long and begat sons ; and so afterwards they lived and begat sons and daughters and then died . he only mentions them briefly , till he comes to enoch , and there god seems to make a stop : he doth not only tell you how long he lived , and begat sons and daughters , and died ; but he addeth , enoch walked with god. the holy ghost spends three verses upon enoch , he tells you how long he lived and begat methuselah , and enoch walked with god. and in the . verse there he speaks of him again ; and in the . vers . enoch walked with god again . as if the lord should say , oh my servant enoch i must not pass by him , he was an eminent holy man in his generation , i must not pass by him without some especial testimony : as if god should say , oh he was the delight of my soul , he walked with me : enoch walked with god. enoch he was a prophet in his time , he conversed much with god , and god revealed much of his mind to him . we find in the epistle of jude . there the holy ghost mentions him again , enoch also , the seventh from adam , prophesied of these , saying , &c. enoch prophesied , he was a prophet : where do we find enoch's prophesie in all the book of god ? we have the prophesie of isaiah , and jeremiah , and other prophets ; but where the prophesie of enoch ? here the holy ghost saith , that enoch prophesied , saying , behold the lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints , &c. now for the prophesie that is here mentioned by the holy ghost , in this epistle of jude , we have it not set down in words fully , but yet we have somewhat set down even in a verse or two before my text , of enoch's prophesie , and that is in the very name of his son methuselah , there is that very prophesie of enoch that the holy ghost speaks of in the epistle of jude , in the name ( i say ) of his son methuselah , for methuselah signifieth thus much , he dieth , and then the sending out , that is the floud , he dieth and then comes the floud , that 's the signification of the name methuselah : so that enoch prophesied many hundred yeers before the flouds coming ; and that prophesie seem'd to go further , for gods dealing with people in those times , were but as a type of his dealing with men in after-times . that the lord would send forth a floud against all wicked and ungodly men in due time to destroy them , he dieth , and then the sending forth of the floud , for the floud did come in the very last yeer of methuselah , and that 's observable that this methuselah he liv'd longer than ever any man liv'd since the world began , all the daies of methuselah were nine hundred and sixtie nine yeers , and then he died . now this may be one reason of the lengthening out of his life , that he might fulfil the prophesie of enoch , for enoch prophesied that the floud should come when he died , now because god had work to bring about , and to defer the floud for a while after , therefore methuselah must live so long . god doth lengthen out , or shorten mens lives according to the work he hath to do , according to the use he hath to make of them . but thus much for enoch : the person who it was . enoch walked with god. now this phrase of walking with god , sometimes it signifies some special ministration before the lord , as in the sam. . , . wherefore the lord god of israel saith , i said indeed , that thy house , and the house of thy father should walk before me for ever . and then in the . i will raise me up a faithfull priest that shall do according to that which is in my heart , and in my mind and i will build him a sure house , and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever : that is , for a special and holy ministration , so it 's taken sometimes . but here we are to understand it more largely , ( though it 's true , enoch was a prophet and he might be said to walk with god in regard of the special ministration of his prophetical office that he had ; ) for walking with god , in waies of righteousness and holiness : so walking with god , as it 's said of noah , that was his great grand-child , in the . of gen. . these are the generations of noah , noah was a just man and perfect in his generation , and noah walked with god. this his great-grand-child ( no question hearing of his fathers walking with god was a great argument for to move him to the like , and his walking with god is discribed to be in being righteous , and in being perfect with god. the . in their translation turns this that you have in your books walk with god , by the word , he pleased god. and that 's observable that the holy ghost in mentioning enoch in the new testament , doth follow the translation of the septuagent in the . of the heb. there you shall find that enoch is mentioned among the catalogue of the beleevers there : by faith enoch was translated that he should not see death , and was not found , because god had translated him : for before his translation he had this testimony , that he pleased god. that word that you have here in genesis rendered , he walked with god : in the hebrews it is that he had this testimony , that he pleased god : & indeed it comes to one , he walked in the waies that god was pleased and delighted in . he pleased god. ] the calde translates it , he walked in the fear of god ; and so some interpreters quoting the jerusalemie thargum , he served or labored in the truth before the lord : and that 's one thing further in the explication that it 's said , he walked with god after he begat methuselab . some now think that enoch was a wicked man before the time that he begat methuselah , in that sixty and five yeers there 's no mention of his walking with god , but enoch lived sixty five yeers and begat methuselah , and he walked with god after he begat methuselah : but that 's no sufficient ground to conclude , because it 's said after : that he did not before ; it might rather be to note the constancy of his walking with god , that he continued in the constant course of his life in his walking with god. i shall need to speak no further of the explication of this first part of enoch's walking with god. the point of doctrine from it is this . chap. ii. the doctrines raised from the text , and the treatise devided into several parts . that 't is the great excellency and commendations of a godly man , to walk with god : or , that it is the highest testimony that can be given of a man that walks with god. walking with god is a high excellency , and whoever hath this testimony hath the highest testimony that can be given unto a man in this world , that he walks with god. and therefore that 's observable , that god mentions him twice , as if he loved to mention his poor creatures walking with him : at the . verse ; and enoch walked with god. and then in the . verse , and enoch walked with god. oh! as if god should say , this is that that is the delight of my soul indeed . yea , and that 's observable in the testimony of noah , in gen. . . perhaps in the reading of it you may not observe that that i shal observe unto you now , noah ( saith he ) was a just man , and perfect in his generations , and noah walked with god. he doth not say thus , noah was a just man and walked with god : but mark , he repeats noah twice , noah was a just man and perfect in his generations , and noah walked with god : as if he should say , this is the blessed man that lived in a wicked generation , and though that generation was sinful and wicked , yet he kept close with god ; noah was just and perfect , and noah walked with god ; oh i take delight in this noah : consider my servant noah , noah was thus , and noah walked with god. there 's a great emphasis in doubling of his name , and there can be no reason given of it , for the sense would be perfect without it : as if he should say , noah was a just man and perfect in his generation , and walked with god ; but for the putting of a special incomium upon noah , oh! noah was a just man and perfect in his generations , and noah walked with god. oh! 't is the excellency of a man to walk with god , and for god himself to own a man and to say , that he walks with him : men may live in a practice of the duties of religion , eternal duties , and go very far that way , and yet be strangers unto god , never know what it is to walk with god ; they may have by-waies of their own in which their hearts do walk ; as the stars that have a motion turn about by the primum mobile , the first mover , one way , but they have a secret motion the other way themselves : and so , though many in their external profession seem to be moved one way , but secretly their hearts move another way , they do not walk with god all that while , they did pray , and reade , and hear , and come to sermons and make great profession , so as men might think they walked with god , but it was not so . as it is with a ship , you may be bound to such a port , and the ship and the sails blow that way , and yet when the ship goes east , a man may walk up and down in the ship west-ward : so in profession , a man seems to be carried east-ward , yet his private walks may be another way , to his own ends , to his own designs ; but here 's the honor of a man when god himself shall own him , as if god should say concerning enoch , i who am a god that am the seer and searcher of all mens hearts , and i observe the waies of my servant enoch , and i see him not only in the outward profession of godliness , but in the secret of his soul he walks with me , he hath no bye-walks at all , but he keeps himself close with me and walks with me continually ; enoch walked with god. this phrase , walking with god , we have exprest in scripture in divers other phrases that are to the same purpose : as walking before god , gen. . the lord before whom i walk , saith abraham ; and so god bad abraham , walk before me and be upright . and so in the . psal . . i will walk before the lord in the land of the living . remember how i have walked before thee , it 's said of hezekiah . and sometimes the same thing is expressed by walking after the lord ; in the . of deut. . ye shall walk after the lord. as a child walking after his father , though he walks step after step , yet he may be said to walk with him . and sometimes by walking in the name of the lord , micah , . . we will walk in the name of the lord our god. and then fourthly , by walking in the spirit of god , gal. . . and here , walking with god. walking before god. walking after god. walking in the name of god. walking in the spirit of god. or , walking with god. they all come to the same purpose . but for the opening of the point there are these four things that i intend in the handling of it . first , what it is to walk with god , or to discribe the work of god in bringing the soul to walk with him , and the way of the soul in walking with god. secondly , to shew you the excellency that there is in this walking with god : what a blessed thing it is for a christian to walk with god. thirdly , give you some evidences of a mans walking with god. fourthly , to give unto you some rules how you may come to walk with god , to have your lives so as you may have this testimony even from god himself , that you do walk with him . these are the four things . for the first , the discription of walking with god , the work of god in bringing the soul to walk with him , and the way of the soul in walking with god. chap. iii. how the soul is brought to walk with god , discovered in six particulars . first , every one by nature goes astray from god , in the . psal . . it is said of all the wicked , that they are estranged from the wombe , they go astray as soon as they are born , speaking lies . that 's one of the first things wherein wickedness appears in children , but 't is from the very womb that they go astray , before they can speak : 't is natural for the wicked to go astray from god as soon as they have any being . the way wherein men naturally do walk , it is the way of death , it 's the way of their own hearts , of their own counsels , it 's the common course of the world , it is the walk of the flesh . but now , the work of god in bringing the soul to walk with him , it is , first , to cause the soul to make a stop in the way that men naturally walk in ; those that the lord hath left for a while in the way of nature , that walk in the way of death , the lord is pleased to come to them by some mighty work of his to make a stop , by considering , where am i ? what 's my way ; whither am i going ? is the way that i am in like to the way that befeems an immortal soul ? is the way like to end well that i am walking in ? it causes the soul to make a stop in it , and begin to think where it is , whither it is going , and so usually causes some fear , fearing it is in a way like to miscarry , so that it dare not proceed further in that way that it hath been walking in all this while , though never so pleasant a way , though never so sutable to the flesh , the lord forbid that i should go on in that way that i have walked in . there 's a stop caused . secondly , the lord manifests to the soul the way of life , what the way of life is . this stop of the soul is just like to that we reade of saul , that when he was posting on in the way of death , there did shine a light round about him , and caused him to stop so that he could go no further . but then ( i say ) the lord manifests to the soul what the way of life is . in the . of isa . . and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying , this is the way , walk ye in it . oh! how many are there that can tell this by experience , that they have been walking in the waies of death , of eternal misery , and blest themselves in those waies ? but there was a blessed time wherein god caused them to hear a voice as it were behind them saying , this is the way , walk-in it ; you are out of the way , but here 's the way of life , if you would not perish eternally , here 's the way , walk in this way ; it is a secret voice that the lord causes to be heard in the soul , but yet a powerful voice : perhaps you have come to the word , and have heard what the way of life is : but yet that never hath given a turn to your hearts : but when god would have the soul to come in to walk with him , he causes the soul ( besides the outward voice of the word ) to hear a voice behind in secret , and yet powerfully , saying , oh! this is the way ; oh thou poor soul that are wandring from the way of life , and art going on in the way of eternall death , come in , come in , here 's another way , this is the way , walk in it : and so the lord gives a mighty turn to the soul by that secret voice . thirdly , the lord makes peace between himself and a sinner ; he doth reveal the doctrine of reconciliation . for a sinner at first when he comes to have his eyes enlightened , when he comes to know himself and to know god ; certainly god at first cannot but appear terrible to a sinner that hath walked in the waies of death formerly , and though i see my way to be dangerous , and i see another way to be good , oh but god is terrible to me , and how can two walk together that are not at peace ? in amos . . can two walk together except they be agreed ? saith the text , oh there is naturally an enmity between man and god , every man in the world is naturally an enemy to god ; and can there be two walking together unless they be agreed ? oh! you that are going on in the waies of enmity with god , surely you are strangers to this way of walking with god , can you walk with god before you are agreed ? no soul can have this testimony given of it , that he hath walked with god , but such a soul as is reconciled to him ; god doth manifest that in some measure to the soul before it's able thus to walk with him , as here enoch did , and certainly enoch came to walk with god by this , for the holy ghost in the forenamed place of the . of the heb. saith , it was by faith that he did it , and without faith it 's impossible to please god , that 's as much as , without faith it 's impossible to walk with god. the holy ghost means the same thing , when the apostle saith , that he did walk by faith , and without faith it 's impossible to please god , therefore there must be a work of faith to bring the soul to be reconcil'd , and that there may be an agreement between the soul and god before it can walk with him . that 's the third thing . fourthly , though there be peace made so that god doth not appear as an enemy against the soul , yet there may be some strangness after peace made . there was peace made between david and absalom , david was passified towards him , yet he would not see his face for a while , he would have been gone from his presence , there should not be that converse with him in that familier way as a child with the father for a while : so though there be peace made , yet there 's requir'd a further work of god for the souls walking with him , that is , that god should render himself in loveliness , and fulness of mercy , and sweetness , and delightfulness unto the soul , that there may be a familiarity between the soul and god ; it 's one thing for me to know god is not as an enemy to me , that he doth not intend wrath and misery against me , and another thing for the soul to apprehend the sweet delightful countenance of god , and the imbracements in the arms of his mercy , and those condescentions of god , that he is willing to come and deal with us as a friend with his friend in a familiar way : therefore that 's a fourth work , the lord is pleased to manifest himself to the soul in the sweetness of his love , and his delight ; not only thou art that soul that shalt not be damn'd , that shalt eternally be sav'd ; but thou art the soul that my soul delights in , thou art one that i take as my friend , and that i love to deal with in all sweetness , and to bring into a familiarity with my self . this is that that is manifested to the soul for the bringing of it to this walking with god that here the holy ghost speaks of concerning enoch . fifthly , the lord is pleased to send his holy spirit to guide the soul to himself , and to guide it in walking with himself : in the . rom. it 's said , all that are the sons of god are led by the spirit of god. as a father when he walks with the child he gives him his hand and leads along the child with himself : when any comes to be a child of god , god puts forth his hand and leads him , and so they walk together . as have you not seen somtimes a father and child walking in the garden , the father puts forth his finger and the child takes hold of it and so walks along with him : even so the lord puts forth his spirit into a gracious soul , and god and the soul thus walks together being led by the spirit of god ; in the . isa . , . there you may see what the lord speaks of the way of the redeemed ones . and an high way shall be there , and a way , and it shall be called the way of holiness , the unclean shall not pass over it , but it shall be for those ; the wayfaring men though fools , shall not err therein : though they be very weak and fools , yet they shall not err therein . and no lyon shall be there , nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon : it shall not be found there , but the redeemed shall walk there , that 's the priviledg of the redeemed ones . now this way of walking up unto the land of canaan from their captivity , it 's typical , to typifie the walk of the soul with the lord. sixthly , for the souls walking with god , there is this further done by god , christ the son of god he takes the soul and brings it unto god the father , as the spirit leads , so jesus christ . the lord jesus christ he brings the soul unto the father to render god and the soul familier together : in ephes . . . through him we have an acccess by one spirit unto the father : we have an access through him , we have a manuduction , he brings us unto the father , we have access through jesus christ . as if a prince should take a traytor that is reconciled to his father , having his pardon , and his father being passified towards him , the prince comes & takes him by the hand , and saith , come , i 'le bring you unto my father , and i will walk along with you unto my father : so it is , none that ever hath been a sinner can walk with god , but christ must walk together with him ; christ walks along with him , and so god is ever more rendred sweet , aimable , and lovely ; why ? because christ hath him by the hand ( as i may so say ) god the father hath him in one hand , and christ hath him by the other hand , and so the soul walks in this blessed walk , between the hands of god the father and the son ; and the holy ghost leads and guides him too . chap. iv. walking with god what it is , opened in nine particulars . but now , the way of the soul in this walk with god : when the soul is thus brought to god , and by this means enabled to walk with him , then what 's the way of the soul in walking thus with god ? walking with god causes the soul to eye god. in the first place , now the soul being come thus to god , in all the waies of god it ey 's god , and sets god before it . enoch walked with god : that is , enoch in the waies of his life set god before him , and did eye god in his waies ; first beholding the infinite beauty there is in god. secondly , god being the fountain of al good to the soul . thirdly , the soul apprehending god infinitly worthy of all honor . these three things causes the eye to be upon god continually : the lord hath infinit excellency and beauty in him . the lord is the fountain of all good to me : the lord is infinitly worthy of all honor and service ; and a soul walking with god eyes god thus continually . in the . psal . . for thy loving kindness is before mine eyes , and i have walked in thy truth : oh lord ! i see thee aimable , lovely , and gracious , and the fountain of all good , and lord , i have walked in thy truth , setting god before me ; so in psal . . . i have set the lord alwaies before me that i might not fall . a soul that walks with god scarce ey 's any thing but god , when it enjoyes the creature yet the eye is upon god ; as the little child walking with the father looks up to the father ; every soul that walks with god hath his eye upon him , for there 's no such lovely drawing object to the soul as god himself is ; whereas wicked men they do not find god to be such a lovely object , sees no such excellency in him , and therfore they rather turn their eyes away from him , they look another way , psal . . . they do not set god before them ; men that walk according to the lusts of their own hearts in their wicked sinful waies , the lord is not in all their thoughts , as in the . psalm . that 's the first thing in the way of the souls walking with god , he eyes god , and sees god before him . walking with god causeth a man to carry himself as in gods presence . secondly , the soul behaves its self as in gods presence . i see my self in gods presence , and my eye is upon god , oh let me then look to my self , that the carriage of my soul be as beseems one who is in the presence of so holy , so great , so glorious and blessed a god as the lord is , in the cor. . . as of god in the sight of god speak we in christ , saith the apostle ; when we come to do any thing , we do it as of god , in the sight of god , knowing that we are allwayes before god. augustine , speaking concerning noah's walking with god , he hath this expression , noah walked with god , that is , he had god alwaies present before his eyes , walking so holily , and so reverenced god : this is to walk in the fear of god , when the soul upon the apprehention of gods presence shall labor to compose its self as beseeming the presence before whom it is , and this indeed is the walk that you shall find the saints of god in all day long , would you know where to find a saint ? you may know his walk , you shall all the day long find him walking in the fear of the lord , preverbs . . saith the text there , let not thy heart envy sinners : but be thou in the fear of the lord all the day long . he doth not say , do thou fear the lord all the day long , but be thou in the fear of the lord all the day long , oh the walk of a christian should be so from morning to night , to walk in the fear of the lord ; and nothing in this world should put him out of this walk , no temptations should call him out of it , but in the fear of the lord all the day long : this is the walk of a christian , when he labors to behave himself as beseems the presence of god. walking with god is , when we make gods will the rule of our will. thirdly , the soul may be said to walk with god , when the way of it is the same way that god himself goes , the soul doth that that god doth : what 's the way of god , but the way of holiness and righteousness ? when the soul makes the will of god to be the rule of it , i will not be acted by my own will , i will not be acted by any thing but by the will of god : what is it that god wills ? i will the same thing , then the soul walks that way god walks , when it doth sute its self with god , sets the lord as an example before it , as the scripture saith , be ye holy as your heavenly father is holy ; i see the holy and the righteous waies of god , and i labor as a deer child to follow him , and to go in the very same steps that god doth , how doth god carry businesses ? i will labor to carry things so as god doth , that my life shall hold forth a resemblance of god himself ; this is to walk with god , to do as god doth , to imitate god ; that 's a third thing in a souls walking with god. walking with god is , when a soul hath the same ends that god hath . the fourth is this , not only to do the same thing , to make the will of god to be the rule of it , but to have the same ends that god hath : what 's the end that god hath in all his waies ? surely it is , that his blessed name may be magnified , that his glory may be set forth ; i 'le drive on the same design , that shall be the great design of my life , it 's that that my soul shall aim at as the highest end of all things , and all things shall be subordinate to this end even , the glory and honor of god , it 's that that god aims at , and therefore that which i 'le aim at , thus the soul goes along with god ; as now , a man may be said to go along with another man when they do both drive on the same designs : oh! this is a blessed thing indeed . we shall speak to that hereafter : but the very opening what it is shews much of the excellency of it ; and i beseech you as you go along , examine your own hearts , see whether by the very mentioning of these things you be not strangers to god ; examine by the workings of god in bringing your souls to walk with him , or otherwise by the way of the soul , in eying god , in behaving its self as in the presence of god , in making the will of god to be its rule , and in driving on the design that god doth . walking with god , is the observing the administrations of god and suting the soul to them . fifthly , it is the observing of the several administrations of god , and the suting of the soule to the several administrations of god in the world : i open that thus , god sometimes seems to work in one way , sometimes in another way ; now the soul that walks with god observes which are the several waies and administrations of god in the world , and let me ( saith the soul ) labor to sute my heart with them : that 's thus , sometimes the lord is in a way of judgments , in the world , heavie and dreadful afflictions : yea , sometimes against his own saints , and people : then let me sute my heart according to this , oh lord ! we will wait upon thee in the waies of thy judgments , saith the church in isa . are we under gods way of judgments , in a way of afflictions ? lord , we will sute our selves to honor thee there according to that way , we will labor to exercise those graces that are sutable to these administrations of thine . and lord , art thou in a way of mercy ? we will sute our selves accordingly , and labor to draw forth and exercise our graces that are sutable to those waies of thine . and art thou in a way of affliction in my family , or in a way of mercy ? lord , i will labor to exercise those graces that are sutable to those waies of thine . this is to walk with god. as when we walk with a man , if he turn this way , then i set my self to go with him , and if he turns another way , then i sute my self to go with him that way , so though the waies of god be never so variōus , yet the soul that walks with god is sutable to those waies of god ; oh this is a great art , a great mystery to sute a mans self to these several administrations of god in the world . you shall have some that if god go in a way of mercy , oh there they can bless , & praise god , and they think that this is to walk with god ; but if god turns his back upon thee and takes away thy choisestearthly comfort ( it may be ) thy deerest yoke-fellow & so comes in a way of affictions , how canst thou sute with gods waies then ? when god was in a way of mercy , then my exercise was in joy , and thanksgiving , and speaking good of his name ; but now the lord is in a way of afflictions , now i exercise faith on god , now i exercise patience , now i exercise christian wisdom , to know what good i can get out of this hand of god , that what courses soever god takes , yet still a christian hath several graces to exercise in several conditions , and that not only while god is in a smooth path the soul can exercise joy , and thanksgiving , & speaking good of his name : but let god go into a rugged path of very great afflictions , yet the soul doth sute it's self unto god according to his several administrations ; this is to walk with god. walking with god , is , to have a holy dependance upon god. opened in four particulars . sixthly , walking with god , it is , to have a holy dependance upon god in all his waies . for one to live in a holy dependance upon god for these four things . first , in a holy dependance upon god for direction ; oh lead me in the way of thy truth . when a christian looks up to god and depends upon him in the constant course of his life , depends upon him for direction , oh lord ! teach me thy way , lord , lead me in the way of everlasting life , lord , send forth thy light and thy truth to guide me ; thou shalt be my guide even unto death , when the soul dare not go one step further , then it sees god going before it , and therefore it saith , lord , lead me , guide me : i beseech you examine as you go along , can you say , that in the course of your lives this you find ; that you walk in a holy dependance upon god for guidance and direction in every step ? whatsoever you meddle with , yet your walk is thus in a holy dependance upon god for direction in your bufiness , and according as the business is , of lesse or greater conscequence the heart works more after god for guidance and direction for that business . but now , the men of the world they are afraid that god should lead them into hard paths , into ttoublesom waies , and therefore they are shy of gods guidance ; this is the way of wicked hearts , ( i say ) they are shy of the guidance and direction of god ; but a gracious heart saith , let god lead me , and let the way be what it will. the wicked are guided by their own thoughts , by their own counsels , by the examples of other men , what 's most sutable to their own ends , but the way of the saints is this , lord , guide me . secondly , their holy dependance upon god it is for protection to protect them in what they do . lord , i am in the way that thou hast guided me into , i may meet with much trouble and affliction , but lord do thou protect me , do thou defend me in this way of thine . as the child walking with the father , if he hears any noise that doth scare him , he looks up to the father , and depends upon his father to be protected : so when a child of god shall in all his waies walk in a holy dependance upon god for protection , this is to walk with god. thirdly , the soul depends upon god for assistance in any thing that it undertakes . lord , this is the work that thou callest me to , oh let me have strength from thy self in this work , i can do nothing without thee lord , and let me have assistance from thee . whereas the wicked they make flesh their arm , and therefore there 's a curse pronounc'd against them , in jer. . . verse , they are strangers to any such work as this , of dependance upon god for assistance ! now and then at a spurt , they will say , that god must help them and they can do nothing without god : i but to have a holy , gracious frame of spirit to walk in a holy dependance upon god for assistance in every businesse , this is far from the wicked and ungodly . fourthly , the soul walks in a holy dependance upon god for a blessing upon all it doth . walk before me and be upright , i am thine exceeding great reward . as if god should say to abraham , walk in dependance upon me , i am thy reward , though thou hast little encouragment in the world , yet look up to me for thy reward : so when the soul turneth from men , and the world , and minds not so much what encouragement it hath from the world , but looks up to god , lord , i depend upon thee for a blessing , and how ever things seem to go , yet lord , i look up to thee for the bringing all to a good issue ; here 's now a soul walking with god. walking with god makes a man free and ready in the waies of god. seventhly , one that walks with god , in all his waies of holiness and obedience his heart is free in him , he comes off readily to every good work , he is not hall'd and pull'd to god , but he walks with him . there 's a great deal of differenet between one that is dragged after another , ( as if you should drag a prisoner that hath no mind to go that way ) and another that walks up and down with delight and pleasure with you : 't is not enough to walk with god , for to be in the way that god would have you to be , or to do the things that god would have you to do , except your hearts do come off freely in the waies of obidience , except there be a cheerfulness in the waies of obedience , except you choose the waies of holiness as the waies that are most sutable to you , this is the walking with god. in the . psal . . i will walk at liberty , ( saith david ) for i seek thy precepts . it 's a notable scripture . the men of the world they think that there is no walking at liberty but for them to satisfie their defires to the uttermost , to walk after their lusts which is the scripture phrase : no but saith david , my liberty is this , i seek thy precepts . a carnal heart thinks it is the greatest bondage in the world for to seek the precepts of god , and to conform to gods precepts , that i must walk according to rule , that 's a bondage : no , i 'le walk at liberty , for i seek thy precepts . it 's an excellent argument of grace in the heart , to account the precepts of god to be the greatest liberty to the soul : when i am in the waies of sin , i am in the waies of bondage , i am a slave to satan ; but when i seek thy precepts , i am at liberty . as a man when he is walking up and down in the fields , he is at liberty . so when the soul is walking with god it is at liberty , but when the soul is walking without god it is in a dungeon , a prison ; but ( i say ) when it walks with god it is at liberty , it comes off freely in all the waies of obedience . walking with god consists in communion with god. eighthly , walking with god consists in the converse and communion that the soul hath with him in holy duties : there are the special walks of the soul with god , and of god , with the soul in the duties of holy worship . in the . of levit. . saith the lord there , ye shall do my judgments , and keep mine ordinances , to walk therein , i am the lord your god. you must walk in gods ordinances , the ordinances of god they are the walks of a gracious soul , and there the soul meets with god , in the . of levit. , . it 's a notable scripture to shew that in gods ordinances there the soul meets with god. and i will set my tabernacle amongst you , and my soul shall not abhor you , that is , shall delight in you , and i will walk among you , and will be your god , and ye shall be my people . i will set my tabernacle amongst you : what 's that ? that is , mine ordinances , you shall enjoy mine ordinances , you shall have the duties of my worship , and i will walk among you : then god walks among us when we enjoy his ordinances . so that you see in the . of levit. there god saith , you shall walk in mine ordinances , the ordinances are the godly mans walk : then in the . of levit. the ordinances are gods walk ; so that we see they walk the same way , and there god and a gracious heart meet together . the churches enjoying ordinances are the candlesticks that we reade of in the of revel . . in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks was one like unto the son of man , cloathed with a garment down to the feet , and gird about the paps with a golden girdle : the lord jesus christ is in the midst of the candlesticks ; that is , in the midst of the churches , where there are the ordinances of god , there he is , and if you would walk with him you must find him there ; in the . psal . . there likewise you may see what the way of a gracious heart is in walking with god , they have seen thy goings o god , even the going of my god , my king , ( where ? ) in the sanctuary . if you would walk with another you must know where his goings are , observe where he uses to walk , and be going there . they have seen thy going o god , even the goings of my god , my king , in the sanctuary ; there 's the goings of god , if you would meet with god and walk with him , it must be in the sanctuary , it must be in his ordinances . in the . of cant. . verse , it is said , that the king ( speaking of christ ) is held in the galleries ; now what 's that but in the ordinances ? that 's as it were the galleries of the great king of heaven and earth . and you know princes and great men , they have their sumptuous galleries wherein they use to walk , and only chief favourites are permitted and suffered to be there to walk up and down : the king is held in his galleries : that is , when jesus christ is in communion with his saints in his ordinances , in the duties of worship : oh 't is the most pleasant galleries to walk in that he hath , it 's as pleasant a gallery as he hath in heaven it's self , oh! he loves to be there , the king is held there . oh! many a sweet and comfortable turn hath a gracious heart in these galleries , that is , in the ordinances and duties of worship in walking with jesus christ . when the soul is exercised in the ordinances , it hath converse with christ , it hearkens what christ saith , and christ hearkens what such a soul saith , i will hearken what he will say , and the soul knows the voice of christ , . cant. . it is the voice of my beloved , saith the spouse . oh it knows what the voice of christ is when they walk together in ordinances : christ speaks to the soul , and the soul knows his voice , and the soul speaks again to jesus christ , there is a blessed converse between them , christ lets himself into the heart , and the heart opens its self to christ , oh! the communion that a gracious heart hath with jesus christ in ordinances it is unspeakable ! only those that are acquainted with it understand what the meaning of conversing with god there means ; it is with many even as it was with adam , that when god came to walk in the garden , we read that he was hid in the bush : the ordinances and duties of worship are as paradice , as eden ; and god comes many times to walk with us , and would feign have communion and converse with us , yet oh! how many times are many of his servants hid in the bush ; they have walked loosly , and contracted some guiltiness upon their spirits , and so the presence of god is terrible to them , and the more the voice of god , and the presence of god is in an ordinance , the more they are afraid because of some guiltinesse : they are intangled in the bush when as they should be conversing with god , oh the difference that there is between some christians and others in the exercising themselves in the duties of worship ! there are some that when they are worshiping of god , oh what sweet and blessed terms have they with god , and communion between god and their souls ! and others , though ( it may be ) they have some good in them , yet they are intangled in the bryars of the world , and though god be in the midst of his ordinances , yet they have no converse , no communion with him at all . walking with god causeth the soul to follow god more as be reveals himself more . the ninth particular is this : the soul that walks with god , as god reveals himself unto it still more and more , so it follows god more and more , and still seeks to glorifie god more and more , that 's walking : there is a progresse in the waies of godliness where there is a walking . the soul when first it is led by the hand of jesus christ to god , and comes and walks with him , oh 't is sweet and comfortable , but still as god reveals himself more and more to the soul , so the soul still grows up in godlinesse more and more , and still is more holy , and more gracious , and honours god more in the conversation of it than formerly it hath done , it gets neerer and neerer to heaven every day ; this is to walk with god. there 's a notable scripture in the . psal . . david saith there , my soul follows hard after thee , o lord , thy right hand upholdeth me . as a poor child that is walking with the father , it may be he is weak , and cannot go so fast as it doth desire , but the father puts forth his hand and takes hold of him and so upholds and strengthens the child , and it follows hard after the father : so 't is here : oh lord thy right hand upholds me : if it did not uphold me , i could not walk , but thy right hand upholds me , and then my soul follows hard after thee , and so increases in godliness more and more : i will praise thee more and more saith david in another place speaking of the honor that he disir'd to give to god in his way , he profess'd he would still ad to the praise of god , and praise him more and more . these are the principal things wherein walking with god consists . now to all these take in that consideration that we have mentioned all along , and that makes it up , that all these are in a constant course of a mans life , this walking with god. some other men that know not what it is to walk with god , perhaps they may come and walk a step or two in gods waies , but they quickly turn out again , and they find them tedious and irksom to them : but the heart that walks with god doth all this that i have named . that is , eyes god in all his waies . behaves its self as in the presence of god. walks in the same way god doth . observes gods designs . and so likewise the rest , and all this in the constant course of his life . it 's true , through the violence of some temptation there may chance to be a step astray , or there may be perhaps some fall in the way ; but still the heart is god-ward , and still is towards god , it gets up again , and walks again in the way , it doth not meerly go a step into the way of god as some carnal men do ; it may be somtimes when gods hand is upon them , or upon the hearing of some sermon , then their hearts are a little touch'd , and they seem to be a little froward ; but take the constant course of their lives , and it 's in the way of sin ; but the constant course of the waies of the saints , are in the waies of god. as now , a swine may go through a fair meadow , i but that 's not the place that it doth so much regard , but it would be in the mire and dirt , and there it wallows . so it is with many wicked men , they will come and hear , and pray , and do some good duties , this is a swine in a meadow ; but when they come to those waies that may satisfie the lusts of the flesh , there they wallow , that 's their proper place , and therefore far from walking with god. a begger will perhaps follow a man a little way so long as he hath hopes of getting any thing by him : but if the man goes still away from him , he turns aside to another way , he will go no further along with him : so 't is with many men , even many professors they would seem to follow god perhaps for comfort , and for something that they would have from him ; but if they cannot find presently what they would have from god , then they turn aside : whereas ( i beseech you observe this ) the difference between a friends walking with another out of delight of communion with him , and a begger that only goes along with another man begging for an alms ; the man that goes along begging for the alms he doth not regard the company of this man any further than he may have hopes of an alms from him , if he cannot have what he would have , or if he have once what he would have , he turns aside from the man : but a friend that is walking with his friend , that that satisfies him is , the company of his friend , and the converse that he hath with him while he is walking , and so he goes on in a constant way , and walks to the end of the place where his friend is to go , and is sorry that the walk is so short , and still desires to converse with his friend : so i say , this is the difference for all the world in professors , there are some that have some touch of conscience , and they see there is no way for them if they have not mercy from god but they must perish , and perhaps they will be seeking of god , and following of god , and crying to god for mercy : but if they have not comfort according as they expect they turn away from him , and seek for comfort other waies : but a gracious heart that is indeed turned to god , it doth not only seek to god for mercy for its self that it might be delivered from misery , but it sees an excellency in god , and finds sweetness in converse and communion with god , and loves the presence of god , and this is the ground of the constancy of his heart in the waies of holiness , because it loves so much of the presence of god , and communion with god , it is for god himself that the soul is in those waies , and such a one will hold out in the waies of god. indeed one that meerly serves god in a servile way , and seeks himself only in seeking of god , such a one ( i say ) will be ready to turn aside ; but where the soul walks with god out of a sence of communion , sweetness , and good that there is in communion with god , such a one goes on in a constant way to the end and is not tir'd in the waies of god as others are . you know , if you be walking from place to place , if you have good company with you , you are not weary , you account the journy nothing , why ? because you have good company , and especially if you have good discourse all along too ; so it is with christians , oh the waies of god come to be very easie to them upon this ground , and so they hold out . chap. v. twelve several excellencies of walking with god , opened . the next thing is , the excellency that there is in walking with god. the first excellency . and this may be in the first place : the walking with god. oh there is an excellency in it : if it were only this , that it makes the waies of god easie : all the waies of god , how easie are they to the soul that knows what this means , [ of walking with god ] that hath god in his company continually , oh the easiness that there is in the waies of god! it 's that that is worth a world , and it 's a very grievous and sad condition that men and women are in who have convinced consciences , and dare not wilfully go out of gods waies , but are alwaies drooping and find them grievous and tedious to them : but it is because they have not communion with god in them : they are in them meerly , upon necessity because they ought to be in them . but the saints find the waies of god more easie to them , for they have alwaies good company with then . when i awake , i am alwaies with thee , saith david . the very nights are pleasant unto them : when he awakes still he is with god. there 's many men and women cannot lie alone ; those that cannot sleep when they awake , if they have no company with them the nights are tedious ; but if they cannot sleep , and yet when they awake they have some with them the nights are not so tedious to them : when i awake i am ever with thee saith david concerning god. that 's the first thing , for the excellency of this walking with god. the second excellency . but secondly , this walking with god , it is , most honorable . oh 't is an honorable thing to walk with god. attendance upon kings and princes we know is honorable ; the maids of honor that do but attend upon a queen , it 's a great honor ; the attendance upon a king , yea upon noble men : but now , not only attendance , but free converse with princes , that 's more than meer attendance ; to walk with an emperour as a friend up and down in his galleries , in his gardens , in his orchyard . so it is with the saints , abraham is called gods friend . you are not my servants , but my friends , saith christ . god admits the soul to come as a friend and to have converse with him , oh! this is honorable . they were accounted blessed that were in the presence of solomon , that were but his servants to wait at his table ; much more to sit at his table , to see the order of solomons table : then to be alwaies with god , and walking with him , what a blessed and honourable thing is this ! it is the honor of angels themselves , that they do but see the face of god , the angels that are in heaven do behold the face of god ; what honor is it then for christians to be alwaies walking with god ? honor ! 't is that that is the great honor and happiness of the church when she shall be in her glory . mark how christ doth expresse himself , in revel . . . thou hast a few names even in sardis , which have not defiled their garments , what 's promised to them ? and they shall walk with me in white ; for they are worthy . there shall be a glory put upon them , and they shall walk with me , for they are worthy . the walking with christ , that 's the greatest honor that christ could promise unto them . and so in the . of the revelation . it 's said of those that stood upon mount sion with the lamb , having harps in their hands , and singing of a new song ; in the verse , these are they which were not defiled with women , for they are virgins ; these are they which follow the lamb whithersoever he goes ; these were redeemed from among men ; being the first fruit unto god and to the lamb. they follow the lamb whithersoever he goes : this is the honor that is put upon them : oh the walking with god it is most honorable . the third excellency . thirdly , the excellency of walking with god consists in this , in the blessed satisfaction that the soul must needs have in walking with him : to walk with life its self , with glory , with happinesse , and that in a constant way , this must needs satisfie the soul , must i say bring inconceivable satisfaction and peace unto the soul thus walking with him. you know what philip said , let us see the father , and it sufficeth us : what , would it suffice philip to see god ? oh then ! not only to see him , but to walk and be continually with him . people will run many times but to have the fight of a great man , but to be admitted into the same room and to walk with him ; this is more , in the . of exod . and he said , my presence shall go with thee , and i will give thee rest : god promised to moses that his presence should be with him , and then when the presence of god is with the soul , oh the rest that the soul hath by the presence of god! oh the lettings out of joy that there must needs be to the heart that walks with god! in the . psal . . . they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house , and thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures ; for with thee is the fonntain of life : in thy light shall we see light . certainly where god walks there is a glorious light round about , that such a soul never walks in darkness , the light of god shines about it ; as we reade of those that walked with christ to emaus , the text saith , their hearts burn'd within them . certainly the hearts of the saints walking with god must needs be fild with those influences from god that must make their hearts glow within them while they are walking with him : in psal . . , . you have a notable scripture there about the satisfaction of the soul in walking with god , blessed are the people that know the joyfull sound : they shall walk o lord in the light of thy countenance , in thy name shall they rejoyce all the day , and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted . those that walk with god they walk in the light of gods countenance , and in gods name shal they rejoyce all the day , and in his righteousness shall they be exalted . oh! a blessed thing it is to walk with god. the speech of that noble marques galiatius that was of great birth in italy , and forsaking all his honors and friends and coming to geneve , he had this expression , saith he , upon a time feeling his sweet converse with god , cursed ( saith he ) be that man that accounts all the gold and silver in the world worth one daies enjoyment of communion with jesus christ . he had left a great deal of gold and silver , the pope himself was a neer kinsman to him , and great possessions and kindred he had , and left it all to come to geneve , to professe the truth there , and he found all recompenced in cōmunion with christ , and his heart was so ful with it , that he even cursed those that should account all the gold and silver in the world worth the enjoyment of one hours communion with christ : oh an hours walking with christ is more than all the world . i appeal to those souls that have been acquainted with this , whether would you have lost such an hour that you have been conversing with god for all the world ? what would you take for the enjoyment of such an hour as that is ? oh not thousand thousands of worlds a gracious heart would not take for some hours that it hath in enjoyment of communion with god in walking with him ; oh there 's infinite sweetness in walking with god. there 's a great deal of good to be had in walking with the saints , as sometimes i have told you of dr. taylor that was the martyr , when he came to prison he rejoyced that ever he was put in prison there to meet with that angel of god john bradford : now if it be comfortable to have communion with the saints though in prison , oh how sweet is it to have communion with god in walking with him ! i remember i have read of a king , that once beholding plato walking up and down with other phylosophers , he cries out thus ; oh life ! this is life and true happiness ; yonder is true happiness : he did not look upon his kingdom as affording a life to him , and as affording that happiness as he did beleeve plato and the phylosophers had conversing one with another about phylosphie ; as if he should say , 't is not the kings of the earth that live the happy lives , but these phylosophers that walk and converse thus one with another . oh then what life and happiness it is for the soul to walk up and down with god , and to converse with god himself ! what though thou walkest in the velly of bacha , yea what though thou walkest in the shadow of death in respect of outward afflictions , yet walking with god is that that will shine upon thee , and will sweeten thy heart even when thou art walking in the vally of bacha , and in the shadow of death . in the . of the revel . see whither jesus christ leads the soul in walking with him , the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them , and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters , and god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes . thus when thou walkest with jesus christ , he leads thee to the living fountains of waters that comfort thee ; the comforts that thou hadst in the world were but as dirty puddles ; but those comforts that thou hast in christ when thou walkest with him , they are the fountain of living waters . that 's the third thing wherein the excellency of walking with god consists , the abundance of soul-satisfaction that the heart hath in god. the fourth excellency . the fourth excellency that there is in walking with god is this , it 's a special part of the covenant on our part that god doth make with us , upon which the very blessing of the covenant doth in grreat part depend : as that scripture in the . of gen. doth cleerly shew , where god is coming to make a covenant with abraham , and to be a god to him and to his seed ; what 's that god requires of abraham now ? walk before me and be upright ; then i am god alsufficient , and i enter into covenant with you , to be a god to you , and a god to your seed , walk before me and be upright . as if that were all the thing that god look'd at , that you should walk with him and be upright : [ then ] you shall have the blessing of the covenant . oh this is a great excellency , that it is a special part of the covenant that god makes with his people on their part : and then on his part , he will be a god unto them . what was it that god requir'd , in the . of micah , , . verses , there you may see how god prizes walking with him , that it 's the great thing that god doth look at , whereas there were some that said , wherewith shall i come before the lord , and bow my self before the high god ? shall i come before him with burns offerings ? with calves of a yeer old ? will the lord be pleased with thousands of rams , or with ten thousands of rivers of oyl ? shall i give my first born for my transgression , the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul ? what shall i do to please god ? mark in the . verse , he hath shewed thee , o man , what is good : and what doth the lord require of thee , but to do justly , and to love mercy , and to walk humbly with thy god ? as if he should say , this is the great thing , to walk with thy god ; not only to exercise some particular grace of thy justice , and mercy , but in general , to walk with thy god ; never tell me of any thing that you would do for me , but in the constant course of thy life , walk humbly with thy god. this therefore was the comfort of hezekiah when he had the message of death come to him , in the . of isa . remember o lord ( saith he ) how i have walked before thee in truth , and with a perfect heart ; he turned his face to the wall , and ( the text saith ) he wept ( it was for joy : ) as if he should say , lord , it 's true , there hath been many infirmities in me ; but lord , i have walked before thee in truth , and with a perfect heart ; as if he should say , i may boldly challenge , and i do come now lord to challenge the good of the covenant , that thou wouldst remember me according to the riches of thy mercy , for lord i have walked with thee : as if he should say , lord , was not that the thing that thou didst require of my father abraham ? why lord , i have walked before thee , and i have been upright in some measure ; therefore lord , be a god alsufficient to me , lord , remember thy covenant , be a god to me , be all in all to me because of this . oh my brethren ! is not this worth ten thousand thousand worlds , that the soul may be able to appeal to god that it hath done that which is a special thing that is requir'd in the covenant on our parts ; and so upon it may have the assurance of gods performing the covenant on his part . the fifth excellency . and then the fifth thing is , there is a blessed safety in walking with god. as in the . psal . . there see the prophet david that was a man much exercised in walking with god , saith he , yea though i walk through the vally of the shadow of death , i will fear no evil , for thou art with me , thy rod and thy staff doth comfort me : i am walking with thee , and though i be walking in the shadow of death , i 'le therefore fear no evil . now is it not a blessed thing to be in safety alwaies with god ? and in the . psal . . saith david , though i walk in the midst of trouble thou wilt revive me ; thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies : and thy right hand shall save me . no matter what the trouble be so god be with the soul ; he that walks uprightly walks surely , in the . of the proverbs , . whereas it 's said of the wicked that they walk upon a snare continually : in the . of job , . the wicked walk upon a snare : the waies of wickednesse that you walk in , they may seem to be pleasant and comfortable to you , but certainly you are upon a snare , and you may be catch'd and undone for ever , though perhaps thou hast escap'd all this while , yet thou art in continual dangers , every step ( i say ) thou goest on in the waies of sin , thou art upon a snare , and in danger to be catch'd to thy eternal destruction ; but he that walks uprightly , he walks surely , and this is a great excellency , for a man to walk surely , i know i am in my way for i am with god : a child doth not fear what way soever it goes in , if he can but see his father . now the soul may know surely , i am in the right way , i am with god ; and i am safe what ever danger comes , for i am walking with god. the sixth excellency . the sixth excellency that there is in walking with god is this , from hence the soul comes to enjoy a holy boldness and a holy familiarity with god. it may be when the soul comes first to god , the presence of the great god strikes some fear , there is some dread of the majesty of god ; but when the soul hath used to converse with him , there is a holy familiarity that the soul hath with god , and a holy boldness , it can have free liberty to say any thing to him now ; and this is the reason that some now that never knew what the spirit of prayer meant , and what the liberty of the soul in opening its self to god meant before , yet when they have come to be acquainted with the waies of god ; oh what liberty have they then in their spirits to open their hearts to god , yea , they can open their hearts to god as one friend to another . i remember it 's said of luther , that when ever he was praying , he could speak to god as to his friend . in job , . . acqusint now thy self with him , and be at peace . the soul comes to have an acquaintance with god , oh what a phrase is here ! what , acquaint our selves with god , that god should be our acquaintance ! i , god is willing to be the acqaintance of the poorest christian in the world , poor men and women , and servants , and others that perhaps some rich men that is by them wil scorn their acquaintance , but they account them rather ( as it 's spoken of some vile people ) fit to be set with the dogs of the flock , yea , perhaps though they be poor godly people , yet they think it too much debasing themselves to have any kind of acquaintance with them : well , but the infinite god though he is so high that he humbles himself to behold the very things that are done in heaven , yet this god thinks not much to be one of thy acquaintance , to be of the acquaintance of any one that hath any godliness in them ; when we see a great man , a man of parts and honor come to some poor man and shake him by the hand , we will say , look what an humble man is this , that will be so familiar with the meanest of all . oh! now acquaint thy self with god , this is the blessedness of walking with god ; the soul comes to have a familiar converse with god , and a holy boldness . the seventh excellency . the seventh benefit or excellency that there is in walking with god is this , the communication of gods secrets . he that walks with god shall come to know the mind of god. it 's impossible for a man to take delight in walking with another but he must discover secrets from him ; there 's never any true friendship where there is a closeness of spirit . but where there is true friendship they will take one another and walk together , and open their hearts each to other : this is comfortable walking indeed . thus it is in walking with god , this is the blessing of it , such souls they have the secrets of god discovered to them , they come to know much of the mind of god ; though they are weak in their natural parts , yet ( i say ) they come to know much of gods mind because they are with god. we reade in the . of proverbs , . vers . saith the holy ghost there , he that walketh with wise men shall be wise . then what shall he be that walks with god ? surely if there be wisdom to be learned from our walking with wise men , then there is wisdom to be learn'd in walking with god : 't is from hence that men that are weak in parts they come to have such excellent knowledg in the great mysteries of the gospel , and you wonder at it : you see such a mean servant that a while ago could understand nothing at all ; yet now comes to understand the great mysteries of the gospel , and that be yond many great scholers : how comes this to passe ? he walks with the god of wisdom , and the god of wisdom doth delight to let out himself to him , and to open his heart to him , they come to know the counsels of god because they walk with him ; those christians that keep close to god in a holy conversation walking with him , certainly they come to know more of the mind of god than others do ; others that walk loosly they know little of the great mysteries of the gospel , they may talk something of them , but certainly they have not a spiritual insight into the great mysteries of the gospel so as those have that walk with god. the eighth excellency . the eighth benefit of walking with god it is , that such find favour in gods eyes for granting their petitions ; for to hear them in their prayers . in the . psal . . ver . delight thy self in the lord , and he shall give thee the desire of thine heart ; walk with god , and enjoy converse and communion with him , so as to delight thy self with him , and he will give thee thy hearts desire , thou shalt have what thou wouldst have . as now , if a man have a petition to give to any great man , if he can but observe him in his walks , then he thinks that surely when he may have such an opportunity , now to present it as he hopes to have audiance , and acceptance of the petition . i remember i have read of one that offered to give a great sum of mony that he might have but liberty to whisper any thing in the kings ear every day , why ? because thereby he thought that he should have a great many people come to him to desire his help for to prefer their petitions , and if he might have but that liberty he should get enough that way . now the soul that hath the liberty of walking with god , what a priviledg hath he ? and what opportunities to present petitions to god ? and the lord delights in hearing of them . if a king will admit a man to walk with him , surely such a man whatsoever he presents it's like to speed . now my brethren , upon this ground it is thus : you shall see a great deal of difference in a formal professor's prayer , & the prayer of a godly man that walks with god ; the difference in the prayers of these two is thus : i 'le set it out by this similitude . you have your beggers , and they pray for an alms , but they stand at the door ; but if you a have special friend , an acquaintance that shall come to desire a favour from you , the door is opened for him , you carry him into the parlour , and there he opens his mind to you , he hath a great deal of priviledg more than the other : both come to ask a favour from you , but one stands at the door , and the other is let into the parlour and walks up and down there , and there opens his mind to you . just for all the world is there this difference between the prayers of formal professors , and the prayers of those that walk with god ; those that make but a meer profession of religion , they will pray as others do , but they are like beggers at the door , they see not gods face all the while , they knock it may be , but the door is not opened for them to come in : but a gracious heart that walks with god , doth not only stand knocking at the door , but it is opened and he comes into the presence chamber , and there saith god , what is thy request o thou soul ? as if a friend should hear another that is his dear friend stand knocking at the door , he presently opens the door and carries him into the best room that he hath , and there saith , tell me what it is that you would have , i am not able to deny you ; and this is the priviledg of those that are gracious and holy , that walk with god : they have much priviledg in prayer , much benefit that way , and freedom with god , and assurance of gods granting of their petitions . the ninth excellency . in the ninth place , there 's this excellency in the souls walking with god , there must needs be a glory put upon the soul . as it was with moses , he went up and was but with god fourty daies upon the mount , and when he came down , his face did shine that the people were not able to behold it : god appeared in a visible manner to him ; but spiritually it 's true now , the soul that is conversing with god fourty daies , yea , in the constant course of his life , hath a beauty , a lustre , a glory put upon it , and such a lustre and glory that those that have enlightened consciences and yet are guilty they are scarce able to bear the fight of them : as i appeal to you , when you have given liberty to some way of sin , and you have come into the presence of those that have been godly and walked very close with god , hath it not struck a terror to you ? for there is a glory and beauty upon those souls that do walk close with god , they do shine in the midst of a crooked and perverce generation . what 's the glory of heaven but the reflection of gods presence upon heaven that makes it so glorious ? and in its measure a gracious heart that walks close with god hath the glory of heaven upon it . the tenth excellency . tenthly , gods presence doth mightily act every grace , doth draw forth every grace : ( and that i lay down as another distinct head in the excellency of walking with god ) i say , it draws forth every grace , the graces of the spirit of god are alwaies kept in action : as now , fire will draw fire . the lord being of infinite holinesse , when the heare is holy it being in the presence of god walking with him , ( i say ) all holinesse must needs be drawn forth , and must be acted ; and this will put a mighty beauty upon men , while they have not only grace in their hearts but it is acted . and this is a great blessing to have our graces acted , drawn forth , and enlarged , and this is the benefit of walking with god. the eleventh excellency . and besides , the presence of god , and familiarity of the soul in walking with him , will make the presence of god neither at death or judgment shall ever be terrible to it . those that now walk with god and have much converse with him , ( i say ) when they come to die , gods presence shall not be terrible to them ; yea when jesus christ shall come in flaming fire to revenge himself upon those that know him not , the presence of christ shal not be terrible to them : why ? because they walked with christ all the daies of their lives : in the . of hosea , . vers . they shall walk after the lord : he shall roar like a lyon. mark how these two are joyned together : wicked and ungodly men they shall tremble at the roaring of a lyon : but for the saints it shal not be terrible to them : and how much is it worth , that when god shall appear in death , and at judgment here and hereafter , the terrour of god shall be taken away ? my brethren , god appears at death , and at the times of judgment ordinarily in another manner than he doth in the time of prosperity ; you see no terror in gods presence now ; but beware of it when death is approaching : wicked men when they lie upon their death-beds , how terrible is the presence of god to them then ! but those that walk with god shall not find it so : when they come to die , then god appears to them ; now am i going to stand before the great god , to have my eternal estate determined one way or other : but what god is this ? he is great indeed ; but he is my friend , i have had converse with him all the daies of my life : and so , when i must come to judgment here comes jesus christ with his thousands of angels in glory , but it is christ that i have conversed with all the daies of my life , this christ hath been my friend before whom i am . this will be the comfort in walking with god. the twelfth excellency . and then , the end of the walk , that makes it belssed indeed . oh! how blessed will that make it ! it 's a blessed thing to walk with god now ; but when you come to the end of this walk you shall find it blessed indeed . if a man did come to enjoy god at last , though it was through never so many difficulties , yet he had cause to blesse god. if one were going to possess a kingdom , though his way were never such a difficult way and hard , yet the end of his way would make it comfortable , because it is to go and take a kingdom : but now , you that are walking with god , you have comfort in your walk , but the end of your walk , oh that will be glorious indeed ! it is to possesse a kingdom , it is to have the crown of glory set upon your heads ; your communion that you have with god here , it is but as the forerunner of that glorious communion that you shall enjoy with him together with the saints and angels to all eternity . and thus we have given you the heads at least of the excellency that there is in , walking with god. no marvel though the holy ghost sets such a commendations upon enoch , above al things , that he walked with god , seeing there is so much good in it . i confesse i had thought not to have left this head without applying of it , and warming it upon your hearts , that you might walk so with god that you might not lose the comfort , and blessing , and sweet excellency that you have had opened to you in walking with god ; only let me say thus much , be in love with it ; know , there is no such good in any other path , the devil doth but gul you , and your own hearts ; and the world doth but deceive you , if it promise any good in any other way that will counter vail this : oh no , the walking with god it is the good of a christian , it 's his happinesse , his glory , his commendations ; oh that this may be recorded of you as it was of enoch ! and enoch walked with god. chap. vii . five vses of exhortation , in walking with god. now we proceed . some use i shall make of this ( briefly ) before i go to the third head , about evidences of walking with god. the first vse . first , bless god that he will be pleased to walk thus with his poor creatures ; bless the lord for his goodness to us : happy are the angels that stand before the lord : how happy are we then that may have this free converse with god! what , we that were not only strangers but enemies to god a while since , now to walk with him . oh! a blessed thing it is : let god be magnified for this his goodness to us , even he that humbleth himself to behold the things that are done in heaven , do but look upon the things that are done in heaven , psalm . . and yet he will condescend fo far to his poor creatures even here on earth , as to walk with them ; were we indeed wholly freed from sin it were somewhat ; but while we are not only so mean in our selves , but so sinful , and yet that god wi●l so walk with us , this we have cause to bless god for if we should see his face hereafter , though we should never see him in this world ; but that god should not only grant unto us this , that we should hereafter , after a wearisome and tedious pilgrimage here in this world come to see his face , but that we should have so much converse with him here , oh magnified and blessed be the name of god for this . the second vse . secondly , what strangers are the most part of the world to this that i am speaking of . that which i am speaking of it's a riddle to most men in the world , this walking with god is but an empty sound to most men , yea , for the greatest part of the world they walk ( as the scripture speaks ) after their own counsels , you shall find divers notable expressions in scripture of the walk of sinners , of wicked men . they walk according to their own counsels . they walk after the flesh . they walk after their lusts . they walk after the course of this world . they walk in the vanity of their minds . they walk contrary unto god. they walk according to men . yea , that 's observable unto this , that the holy ghost condemns , not only walking according to the course of the world , and as men , but to walk in the way of kings is condemn'd in scripture : in chron. . . if to follow the course of any men one would think it might be most cōmendable the following of the king : but here 's a charge against ahaz that he walked in the waies of the kings of israel : and the kings , . . they walked in the statutes of the heathen : here 's to walk as kings walk , and then to walk in the laws of kings , god would not have any men walk in them any further than they are according to his own statutes . not to say , it 's according to law , and i must walk according to law : no , this is charged to walk according to the practice of kings , or their laws being evil . and there 's another scripiure in the i kings , . . he did evil in the sight of the lord , and walked in the waies of his father , and in his sin wherewith he made israel to sin . there 's to walk in the way of great men , and that 's condemned . secondly , to walk in the way of the laws of the places where we live . thirdly , to walk according to our fathers , that 's condemned . and then lastly , to walk according to the common course of the world , that 's condemned ; and yet this is the walk of sinners . and further the scripture saith , that wicked men they walk in darkness : and they walk after their own imaginations , and in the vanity of their minds , they walk in lies , and their hearts walk after the sight of their own eyes , and they walk after their covetousness : we might mention neer twenty such kind of expressions in scripture , and these are the walks of sinners : but the waies of the saints , they are to walk with god , but those that walk in the way of sinners , that is , in the vanity of their minds according to the fight of their own eyes , after their covetousness , and after the flesh , and their lusts , and lasiviousness , and vanity , and such kind of expression as we have in scripture , certainly they shall have the end of their walk to be no other but destruction and eternal misery . the third vse . thirdly , what vile hearts are ours that are so backward to walk with god , seeing god is pleased to admit of his saints to walk with him ! even those that are godly are to be rebuk'd from hence that they should be so backward to come in to walk with god : it is our glory , that is that that would make our lives comfortable , it would make this wilderness of ours to be a paradice , it would make our gardens to be edens , it would make our houses to be churches , and make the church to be a heaven unto us , and yet we are backward unto this . oh that we would but consider of this when we are in our walk & there have vain thoughts : as ordinarily men that are walking in their pleasant gardens , or it may be pleasant rooms , oh the vanity and folly of their thoughts ! i may speak to you , who do you walk withal all this while ; when you are a walking in your galleries , or parlours , or gardens , or alone in the fields , who are you parlying withal ? who are you conversing withal ? are not you walking many times with the devil , and making provision for the flesh ? you should be walking with god : what are you the saints of god ? doth god offer himself to walk and converse with you , and will you walk with the flesh , and converse with the devil ? and be rouling of sin and wickedness up and down in your thoughts ? oh what a vile and sinful thing is this ! the lord humble you for your sinful walks , humble you that are saints , you sometimes have had some walks with god , why is it that you walk no more close with god ? you complain sometimes of your great business in the world , and occasions to converse with the world that you have no time for your communion with god ; and yet when you are off from the world , and when you have time alone wherein you might converse with god , and when you have walks to the citie and from the citie again , what communion might you have with god! but oh! how backward are our hearts even unto this that is our happinesse , and our glory ! that 's a third use by way of reproof even to the saints , which is raised from the consideration of the excellency that there is in our walking with god. the fourth vse . fourthly , by way of exhortation , oh let us keep close to god in our walking with him . we reade of peter , that he saw christ walking upon the water , and he would leap to him to walk with him there : though it were in afflictions to walk with christ it should be comfortable to us . we reade of idolators , that they would have their children p●sse through the fire to get to their idols ; oh let us be willing to pass through any difficulties to get to god , the lord is willing we should cōmunicate our selves to him , and he is willing to communicate himself to us , the lord would communicate word for word , promise for promise , imbrace for imbrace , if we would speak to him he would speak to us , if we would let out our hearts to him , he would let out his heart to us , if we would promise to him , he would promise to us . the lord doth often call us to walk with him ; as sometimes familiar friends will call one another , come , let us walk out together , and those that are very familiar and loving : though they may have some business yet they will lay it aside , seeing their deer friends calls them to walk , they take so much delight in it : many times god our deer friend cals us , come , let us walk out together . when god at any time doth dart in a heavenly thought into your minds , he doth ( as it were ) call you to walk with him there , and would have you follow that thought , the following that heavenly thought that 's darted into your minds , that 's the answering of gods call to walk with him . consider of this one note , oh do not refuse this , you do not know how your lives may be comforted this way , and your hearts may be strengthened . the fifth vse . and then the last thing that i shall name by way of use is this , if there be so much excellency in our walking with god here , what will there be in heaven then ! if our converse with him in this world be so sweet , oh how sweet shall our converse with him in heaven be ! when we shall walk with him in white : when we shall have our garments glorious indeed , and our souls fit to converse with god. now the truth is , we are very unfit to converse with the lord , because of our blindness and darknesse , we do not know god. as now , let an ignorant man come to converse with a learned man , he gets but very little good , for he is not able to put a question to him , nor able to understand what the man saith , especially if he speaks any depth of learning to him . so , many that are very weak when they are in discourse with those that are strong and godly , they are not able to make that use for their discourse as others can , and it 's a great excellency for one to be able to improve his converse with some men that have abilities and strength , to be able ( i say ) to improve their converse it 's a great excellency . alas ! we are not able to improve our converse with god here : but in heaven we shall be able to improve our converse with god , we shall know as we are known , we shall understand god , if god doth but communicate himself we shall be fit to receive all the beams of his glory that he shal be pleased to let out , oh! that wil be an excellent thing indeed when we shall be alwaies walking with god , and conversing with him continually . saith bernard , in the gracious visitations of the spirit of god to his soul , how sweet if it were not so little ! but then it shall be constant , we shall then follow the lamb whithersoever he goes , and walk with him in white according as he speaks . now the church cries out and saith , oh draw us , and we will run ofter thee . the spirit of god had need to draw us here ; but then we shall have no such need of drawing , but we shall of our selves , from the inclination of our own hearts , be alwaies walking and conversing with god , we shall have nothing else to do but to walk continually with the lord , i will walk in thy truth , unite my heart to fear thy name : psal . . . it 's an excellent scripture , i will walk in thy truth saith the prophet , oh unite my heart to the fear of thy name . as if he should say , i find much sweetnesse and good in walking in thy truth here , oh lord unite my heart to the fear of thy name , lord keep me alwaies here , it 's good being here , as peter said when christ was transfigured in his glory : so , when the soul is walking with god , it saith , it is good being here : well , when thou comest to heaven thou shalt alwaies be with the lord as the scripture speaks , and therefore from the excellency that thou findest here , learn to long after heaven , where thou shalt be continually with the lord ; and take only this one note for the setting out of the excellency of heaven , and i confesse only such as have had much sweetness in walking with god here , will understand what i mean by this ; as suppose that all those sweet manifestations of god to thy soul here , and all the dartings in of the spirit of god , all those soul ravishing joys that thou hast had , suppose they were put all together , that thou hadst them all over again at this instant , what a comfortable time would it be ! at such a time may some soul ( that knows what the meaning of this point is ) say , oh the sweet communion i had with god! i would give a world to have it again : well , thou hadst it once , but it was quickly gone , and thou hast had it a second and a third time , yea , many times when i have been with god i have had wonderful , & gracious lettings out of god to my soul , oh that i had them again ! well , suppose thou hadst now in this one quarter of an hour all the comfort and joy that ever thou hadst in all thy life put all the times together , what a comfortable quarter of an hour would this be ! now in heaven to all eternity thou shalt have that in a kind infinitely more than that for milions of yeers , even for ever . oh! what will heaven be ! if i should set out heaven to a carnal man i must tell him of crowns of glory , and there he shall see glorious sights , he shall be freed from all kind of sorrows , and there he shall have a kingdom : but if i would set out heaven to a saint , i must tell him this , he shall have communion with god , and all those soul-ravishing comforts that he hath had in the presence of god in this world , he shall have them all together , and infinitly more than them , oh this is that that will make their souls long after heaven , and set prize upon it . chap. viii . ten several evidences of a mans walking with god. but having set out unto you the excellency of walking with god , you will say , who is it that doth walk with him ? i shall further set out to you the evidences of those men and women that do walk with god. the first evidence . one that walks with god , is one that depends not much upon sence or reason in the course of his life : i say , one that is above the waies of sence and reason in his course , he hath received a principle to go higher . most men in the world they walk according to sence ; and therefore the scripture saith , they walk according to the pleasure of their eyes . but now , one that walks with god , his walk lies beyond sence , and above reason ; though things of sence seem to go this way or that way , quite crosse to him , yea , though reason seem to go quite crosse to him , yet still his heart is not in a hurry , but he hath that that can quiet his heart though sence and reason seem to be contrary : cor. . . there you shal see the walk of a godly man , for we walk by faith and not by sight , saith the apostle ; beyond our sight , either beyond our sight of sence , or the sight of reason ; we walk by faith . but now , this is a great point , a christian walking by faith , and therefore i intend to speak to that by its self from this very text , ( god willing ) in another treatise . the second evidence . one that walks with god , you shall find him in private the same that he is in publick ; what ever holiness doth appear in such a one before others , in his walking in the world , if you trace him and follow him in his private course you shall find him the same man as you do in publik : why ? because he hath not to deal with man so much , he hath to deal with god in all his waies , when he hath any thing to do before others , he walks with god , and when he is alone he is the same man still . in the . psal . see what david saith there concerning his walk in private in his family , i will behave my self wisely in a perfect way ( saith he ) oh when wilt thou come unto me ! i will walk within my house with a perfect heart . as if he should say , i will not walk when i am abroad only , with a perfect heart , but i wil walk within my house with a perfect heart . there are many people that when they are abroad in the world they seem to be very strict in their way , but follow such men to their houses and there you shall see a great deal of difference . you will find many times as much difference between the course of men when they are abroad and in their houses , as you find in their cloaths ; you shall have many men and women when they go abroad they wil be very neat , and though they have but little means , yet they wil lay it upon their backs so that they may be fine abroad ; but come to them in their families and they care not what cloaths they wear there : it is just so in regard of their lives , their lives have as much difference as their cloaths : when they are abroad then they put a good face on things and seem to be very fair in their conversations , and speak good things , but at home there they are froward and perverse , and perhaps in their passions , will swear , there they are prophane , and ungodly , and vent their corruptions in a most ungodly manner ; doest thou walk with god ? if thou hadst to deal with god thou wouldst be the same in thy family that thou art abroad , that thy wife , children , and servants in thy family might give as good a testimony of thee as when thou art abroad with others : yea , and if ye could retire with them into their very closets you should find them the same there in any duties of religion . you shall have many when they come abroad and joyn with others , oh how enlarged are they ! yet dead and dull when they are at home either in family or closet , yea their own consciences tells them so . those that walk with god wil be as spiritual in the one as in the other ; it may be when they are with others , because they are to be the mouth of others they wil sure themselves according to those they pray with ; yet when they are alone and in their families their hearts are as spiritual and as holy in their duties as when they are with others : why ? because they have to deal with god in all : and that 's another evidence of one that walks with god , that he is the same in private as he is in publick . the third evidence . a man that walks with god hath a serious spirit : walking with god will compose the spirits of men and women , will take off that loosness and vanity of spirit : therefore walking in the vanity of the mind , that 's quite crosse to walking with god ; as in the . of the ephe. . there it 's spoken of wicked men , it 's said that they walk in the vanity of their minds : all wicked men they walk in the vanity of their minds ; then all those that walk with god walk in the seriousness of their minds : it must needs be that they must have a seriousness of spirit in all their waies , for it 's with god that they have to deal withal , they take not that liberty to run this way or that way as others do . if servants be walking one with another they can take liberty to go out of their way and talk with this or the other body as they please : but if a servant walk with his master or mistris , he must not take that liberty but must go as they go . so , many that walk only with the creature , they take liberty to run up and down as they please ; but those that walk with god , they must have composed spirits , and walk seriously , and though they may walk seriously , yet cheerfully ; i beseech you consider of this : for that christian knows not the way of christian-rejoycing that doth not know how to mix it with seriousness ; yea , senecha that was a heathen could say , joy , it is a serious thing ; there is a kind of seriousness in true joy , for the joy of a christian is not frothy , it is a composed joy : as thus now , it 's serious : first , a christian in his joy he is able to command himself , he can let out his joy so far and yet at a beck he can command himself to the most spiritual duty in the world from his joy , he doth not profusely let out his heart so as he cannot call it in again . certainly , thou dost not joy as a christian if thou canst not take off thy heart from creature joyes , god gives thee liberty to be merry , but so , as to have it under thy command , as thou shalt be able to call thy heart off from it to the most serious duty in the world . secondly , he cannot only command himself to holy duties in the midst of his joy , but he finds himself the fitter for holy duties by it : now this is a serious joy if it be no other than i can command my self off from it , and that that fits me for that which is holy : christians had need take heed of frothinesse , slightnesse , and vanity , for certainly the walking with god cannot but make them serious , and those that are slight and vain , surely they do not converse with god , for god is such a serious object that it 's impossible but it must work a seriousnesse in the spirits of men . the fourth evidence . those that walk with god , they walk in newness of life : for this is not our walk naturally , our walking with god is that that comes upon a mighty converting that god gives to our spirits : our walk naturally it is with our lusts , and with the devil , and in the way to hell ; but one that walks with god walks in newnesse of life : as the scripture speaks in the . rom. . he walk according to the rule of the new creature . in the . gal. . and as many as walk according to this rule , peace be on them and mercy . you will say , what rule doth the apostle mean here ? i confesse ordinarily you have it applied to this , the walk according to the scriptures : i grant it , that 's a truth , that the word of god should be the rule of our walk , and of our lives , and those that walk according to that rule shall have peace . but i do not think that to be the meaning of this text , but the scope is to be taken from the words of the former verse , for saith he in the . verse , in christ jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing , nor vncircumcision , but a new creature . and as many as walk according to this rule , ( that is , according to the rule of the new creature ; not standing so much upon external things , either circumcision or uncircumcision , not standing so much upon outward duties , though in their kind they must be stood upon ; but the main thing that is to be stood upon , it is , the walk of the new creature ; and those that walk according to the rule of the new creature , those that act the new creature in their walk ) peace be unto them . and that 's the fourth thing in the evidences of a walker with god ; he walks in newness of life , and so according to the rule of the new creature . the fifth evidence . when he hath to deal with the creature be doth quickly passe through the creature unto god. any one ( i say ) that is acquainted with this mystery of godliness in walking with god , though while he is in this world , he hath to deal as other men have , with the creatures , yet he will not stick in the creatures , but soon passes from the creatures to god : as thus , he receives sweetness from the creatures as well as others , but when he hath received , or is in receiving the sweetness of the creatures , his heart is upon god , oh the sweetness there is in god! is the creature so sweet ? how sweet is god then ? when he is in company with friends , is it so sweet to have society with men : how sweet is it to have society with god then ? and when he hath comforts in a wife ; oh what comfort is there in the comforts of my husband jesus christ ! and when he hath comfort in a sweet habitation ; oh what comfort is there in god our habitation ! he is not musling in the world , in the creature , but he relies upon god in al that he doth injoy : now those that when they have any thing in the creature there they stick ; these are not acquainted with this way of walking with god. the sixth evidence . a man that walks with god , he loves to be much retir'd from the world . it 's true , he must follow his occasions in the world , he doth that in obedience unto god , but except he may have his retired times he knows not how to live , it 's true , when he is in his calling he walks with god there , he carries his heart heavenly : there 's a great deal of difference for one to walk with a friend in company with others , and when they are alone , though it 's true , that while the saints of god live in the world they must converse with the men of the world , and they have somewhat of god there : but though they have somewhat of god there , yet that 's not so much as when god and their souls are alone , this is that that is exceeding sweet and comfortable to them , therefore they have their retired times of meditation ; and retired times of prayer ; as we reade of isaac , he went out into the field to meditate , or to pray , for so meditation and prayer is taken sometimes in scripture for all one : i 'le powr forth my meditations to thee , sath david : that was his prayer : so , because they should be both joyned together , isaac went out into the field to meditate . those that walk with god if they live in a house and have no retir'd rooms , they go abroad and have some time or other to be retir'd by themselves ; where-as you have other men , they know not how to spend any retired times , when they are alone their minds wander this way or that way , and they gaze after every feather that flies , and it 's a prison for them to be alone , and they wonder that men and women will shut up themselves alone , surely it 's but their melanchollinesse . oh poor wretch , thou knowest not what walks they have , they are not alone all this time , they would be loth to give their retired times for all the times of thy jollity and bravery ; thou thinkest if thou beest abroad in company , and there art feasting , and having good cheer , and musick , and talking , and laughing that this is a brave life , they would be loth to change their retired times for the times of thy greatest jolity with thy companions : one that walks with god he loves some retir'd times as well as to be busie in the businesse of the world . the seventh evidence . one that walks with god , he is careful to make even his accompts with god , he doth keep his accompts with god even . this is a special thing in walking with god , when they lie down to consider , are my accompts even with god ? is there nothing amisse between god and my soul ? what hath been this day between god and my soul ? for how can two walk together except they be agreed as the prophet saith : therefore they are very careful to keep their agreement with god. indeed jesus christ the great reconciler hath first reconciled their souls to god and so they come to walk with him : but then afterwards in the course of their lives they must keep up their agreement with god , and not to run in areriges with , and so to be insnared in the world , and insnared in the corruptions of their own hearts , as that men and women will be , if they be not careful to keep their accompts with god even daily , they will insnare their souls in the world and in the lusts of their own hearts till god and their souls come to be strangers , yea , til they be afraid almost to think of god ; here 's the reason that many people are loth to come to prayer , loth to come to duties of communion with god , why ? because they have not kept their accompts even with god , but have run in areriges with god , and their hearts are intangled in the world , and in their lusts , and now the presence of god comes to be terrible to them ; oh poor wretch that thou art , what thou that art a christian and yet in such a case that the presence of god should be grievous to thee ! oh thy condition is sad indeed ! whereas thou shouldst be glad when thou thinkest of god , i was glad when they said , come let us go up to the house of the lord : but one that keeps not his accompts with god even , his retired times are grievous to him , indeed he dares not but have retired times , i but it 's grievous to him , why ? because he hath not kept his accompts even with god ; but the soul that keeps even with god , oh that soul rejoyceth in those times when it is to go to god , or doth but think of god. that 's a special thing in a man or womans walking with god , they keep their accompts even : and i beseech you observe it , as it 's an evidence , so it may be given as a rule to help you to walk with god , oh be careful of keeping your accompts daily : though this point that i am treating upon , is perhaps little understood by many , yet if so be that god would by his spirit work your hearts to this , to keep your accompts even with god , you would know more of the meaning of this point . the eighth evidence . that the more spiritual any truth is , or any ordinance is , or any company is , the more doth the soul delight in it : one that is used to god , and converses with god , when such a one meets with a truth that hath much of god in it , oh how it closes with that truth ! when it meets with an ordinance that hath much of god in it , when it meets with company that hath much of god in it , how doth this soul delight in it ! this is sutable to the heart that converses much with god , saith the soul , i have had sweet walks with god , now me thinks i come into such a company , i see the very image of god in these , and oh how sweet and delightsom are these to me ! and so for truths , and ordinances , the more spiritual they are the more such a one doth delight in them : whereas a carnal heart that walks according to the flesh , in the way of the world , if there be some truths that have some kind of humanity in them , as now , some sollid discourse that shews strength of reason , or strength of judgment in a sermon , he will take delight in that , if there be any wit , rhetorick , eloquence he takes delight in that ; but for spiritual truths there 's no such delight in them except they be cloathed with some humane excellency . but now , those that are spiritual , the more spiritual any thing is , the more delight they take in it : as for ordinances , they are but dry meat to those that are carnal except there be something external ; bring the ordinances in the plain simplicity of the gospel to them , where there is only communion of saints , sitting about a table , and eating a piece of bread , and drinking a little wine , they see no excellency there : but a gracious heart , the lesse of man he sees in an ordinance , and the more of god , the more he closes with them , and takes delight in them : here 's one now that walks with god. the ninth evidence . a man that walks with god , is one that walks in all the commandements of god. endeavours to walk in them before him , and blameless before men : in the . of luke , the . it 's said of zacharias , and elizabeth , they were both righteous before god , walking in all the commandements and ordinances of the lord , blameless : here 's a walking with god , not only to walk in some one thing , but in all commandements , and ordinances of god , and not only so , but blameless before men too ; though it 's true , the chief work that he hath , it is , in converse with god , yet he is careful so as to be blameless before men , because it concerns much the honor of god that he should be blameless before men : zacharias and elizabeth they were walkers with god , and their lives are described so that they were conscionable in all the commands of god , and walked blameless before men . now as we go along , apply it , can you say , lord , thou that knowest al things , knowest , that there 's no command of thine , nor no ordinance of thine , but my soul closes with , and i desire to spend my life in them , and to walk blamelesly before men ? there 's a great many that speak much of walking before god , and of the ordinances of god , and yet come to them before men , and they are careless and negligent : ( do but hearken to what the lord speaks this day to thee ) certainly thou never knewest what it was to walk with god except thou doest walk blamelesly before men too . the tenth evidence , opened in five particulars . see but how the scripture describes the walk of the saints with god ; there are some four or five particulars that i shal infist upon , wherein i shal open some scriptures , describing the saints walk with god. as first , their walk it is a walk of humility , a way very humble . the heart that walks with god must needs be very humble in the presence of god ; you know the place in the . of micah , he hath shewn thee , o man , what he would have thee to do , to walk humbly with thy god : that 's more than the offering of thousands of lambs , or ten thousand rivers of oyl , to walk humbly with thy god : a proud man or woman never knows what it is to walk with god. but the walking with god causes much humility , there 's no such thing in the world to humble the heart of a man as to have converse with god , do you see a man proud and haughty , and high in his carriage , surely you may conclude this man hath little converse with god : saith job , i have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear , but now have mine eyes seen thee : what then ? i abhor my self in dust and ashes . secondly , another thing that the scripture speaks of the walk of a christian with god , it is , vprightness ; walk before me , and he upright . i might give you twenty scriptures for that , how uprightness is the walk of a christian with god : i 'le give you only one about this , and that is in the epist . of john , . verse , there it is exprest in the new testament , by walking in the truth : and so sometimes in the old , the walking in vprightness , and walking in the truth , is somewhat the same : i rejoyced greatly ( saith the apostle ) when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee , even as thou walkest in the truth : so that this surely hath reference unto walking according to the truth of the gospel in the truth and sincerity of our hearts : they testified of the truth that is in thee : that is , the word of the gospel that did prevail in thy heart , and prevailing in thy heart thou didst walk-in the strength and power of that truth , and according to the truth ; here 's a walking with god. and no marvel though the soul of this man was in so good a condition as indeed it was ; for you find in the . verse of this epistle a very strange expression of john concerning this gaius : what doth he say of him ? i wish ( saith he ) above al things , that then mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth . it seems this gaius had but a poor , weak , sickly body : but a very good soul he was ; and saith john , i wish that thou mayest prosper even as thy soul prospereth . oh! that thou hadst but as good a body as a soul ! it 's a very strange speech . it were a curse to many of you i am afraid . but john could say concerning gaius , oh that this man gaius had as good a body as he hath a soul ! and how came he to have his soul to prosper ? he walked in the truth , and according to the truth ; and al that he did was in the truth and sincerity of his heart , hence his soul came to prosper : and those that have but very weak parts , yet if they walk in the truth , their souls will prosper . the third thing is , walking in the fear of god. and indeed , these two are very neer a kin one to another , so you have it in the . of nehe. . verse , also i said it is not good that ye do , ought ye not to walk in the fear of our god ? and he gives an argument there , because of the reproach of the heathen . so may i say to all christians , that would professe themselves christians and godly ; ought not ye to walk in the fear of our god ? whatsoever other men do , they do thus and thus , and seek to follow their own ends and waies , but ought not ye to walk in the fear of our god ? that 's the walk of a christian , the fear of god it is continually upon him . and observe , we reade in the . of the acts , of the walk of the christians in the primitive times upon which they came so to grow up in the waies of godliness as they did , at the . verse , the text saith , then had the churches rest throughout all judea , and gallilee , and samaira , and were edified ; ( and what then ? ) they walked in the fear of the lord , and in the comfort of the holy ghost , and so came to be multiplied . it 's an excellent scripture ; would you be built up in godliness ? let the fear of god be upon you , and if you walk in the fear of god , you will walk in the joy of the holy ghost . obj. you will say , fear , that may hinder our joy. ans . no , but the way to have true joy in the holy ghost it is , to walk in the fear of god , and though you have a company of vain and wanton spirits , that are nothing but for jolity and mirth , they cannot admit of any kind of seriousness ( that we spake to before : ) but certainly their jolity it 's but frothy and carnal , but those have the best joy in their hearts that walk most in the fear of god : when i see a christian have the fear of god upon him , and that in the whol course of his life , then he will have much of the comfort of the holy ghost . fourthly , the comfort of the holy ghost it 's joyned with the fear of god : and if you see any that talk never so much of the joy that they have ; it 's but a frothy carnal joy except the fear of god be upon them ; oh it will be a means to convince others of the excellency of the wales of god , when they shall see christians walk in the fear of god ; thus saith the text , they were multiplied ; there were many that were convinc'd by it and did joyn with them , because they did see such a beauty and excellency in their way , walking in the fear of god and in the joy of the holy ghost : and this was at a time when they had much rest ; many people it may be when they are in danger , then they wil seem to walk in the fear of god : but mark , this was in a time when this people was freed from their danger , then they walked in the fear of the lord ; and in the joy of the holy ghost , that was encreased in them : and this is the walk of the saints in their walking with god. two or three things more i shall mention . as now , the walk that they walk , it 's above : the way of the saints it is on high , it 's a walk above the world , they keep themselves on high aloft in a spiritual way : it 's true , their hearts are humble before god , and yet they are on high too ; though they look not upon themselves as worthy of the least crumb of bread , yet they look upon themselves again as too good to be vassals to the world , or to their lusts ; and they look upon themselves as being set by god in too a high condition to be satisfied with all the world to be their portion ; their hearts are lifted up on high to converse with the most high god , and so they come to be delivered from the snares of death that are below . yea and also , they endeavor to walk as christ walked : as in the epist . of john , . . they walk as christ himself walked , those that walk with god. who did ever walk with god so as christ did ? who had ever that fellowship with the father and the son so as christ had ? the saints they labor to walk so as christ walked , to look upon christ as the pattern of their lives . and so as christ was anointed with the oyl of joy and gladnes above his fellows ; so they come to have some of the ointment run down upon them , they come to have somewhat of that communion that jesus christ had with the father , christ had much communion with the father in the constant course of his life : now the saints laboring to walk as christ walked , so they come to have communion with god. the lord bring you into this walk , and keep you in such a blessed walk as this is . now for the rules of direction in this our walking with god , that 's to be our subject in the next chapter . chap. ix . twelve rules of direction for walking with god. what rules should be observed for a christian 's walking with god ? you will say to me , you have shewed to us , that it is a most blessed thing to walk with god , and we are convinced of it : but what rules may there be given for it ? the first rule . be sure of this , that there be no way of sin in thee . take heed of giving way to any sin , especially known sin , though it be a little one , though it should be but a sin of omision , the giving way to any known sin , will make the presence of god terrible , and make all thy duties empty ; will estrang god from thy soul : there 's more evil in it than thou art aware of , thou canst have no communion with god while thou art in any way of sin , especially if it be against light , the least sin that is that a christian gives way unto , is like a thorn in a mans foot , but a great sin , & a sin against knowledg is like a great gash in a mans foot ; now if a man hath but a thorn in his foot he cannot walk well , it will make him halt ; if a man hath but a little gravel got into his shoo he will not be able to walk along , he may walk a step or two , but not very long . now small sins are like gravil in the shoo , or like a thorn got into the foot ; but if thou fallest into a great sin , a sin against light , against conscience , oh that is like a great gash that one may cut with a hatchet or an ax ; if a man hath cut a great gash in his foot he wil hardly be able to walk with comfort : even so it is when thou fallest into any great sin , thou hadst need then go to the chyriurgeon , thou hadst need then have salve applied to thee to heal thy soul , or otherwise it wil hinder thee in thy walk with god. the second rule , or direction . secondly , labor to abstract thy heart from earthly and sensual things as much as thou canst that thou mayest be spiritual : a drossie , earthly , sensual heart is unfit to have communion with god , god he is a spirit , and thou must be spiritual in thy converse with him , take heed of mingling thy heart with creature comforts , thou mayest make use of them , but in a spiritual way , do not defile thy heart with them , let not thy heart close with them as adequat objects of thy desires , or of thy love , take heed of being intangled , of being insnar'd with any creature comforts ; a man cannot walk if he hath got into a snare , when men fetter themselves in the world , and intangle themselves with abundance of businesses , & creature contentments , it doth mightily hinder their freedom in walking with god , when mens hearts sink down to the creature they cannot walk with god , for god is above , he is on high , and the way of the wise is on high , and we must keep our selves on high : if so be that christians have sometimes some good affections , their hearts are a little stir'd up to things that are good ; but at other times their hearts sink down to the world , and to sensual , and earthly contentments , they cannot walk freely with god , they can but hault at the best ; as a man that hath one leg shorter than the other , he cannot walk evenly , but he haults as he goes ; so when our affections are up and down , sometimes they are stir'd up to heaven , and sometimes down to the world again , yea , perhaps at the same time when we have some truths heave us upward , and yet a drossie spirit to sink us downward , this will be but haulting , our affections must go even , must not be for heaven and earth together , except it be in subordination one to the other , and so while we are on the earth we are in heaven if we keep our hearts in a subordination to spiritual things when we are busied about earthly ; then is a mans heart spiritual , and separated from the earth when he knows how to have comfort in god alone , when he knows how to make up the want of all creature-comforts in god himself , that 's a spiritual heart . now you will say , we must not be insnar'd in the things of the earth : when is a mans heart spiritual ? it 's then spiritual when it knows how to satisfie its self in god alone , and to make up the want in all creature comforts in god himself , and no christian can walk with god except he attains to that pitch , to know how to make up all in god , and use all in order unto god. the third rule , or direction . thirdly , if thou wouldst walk with god , evermore take christ with thee god and the soul cannot walk together but with christ ; christ , god and man , that mediator , by that i mean this , in all thy converse with god have an eye to christ , look unto god the infinite glorious first . being of all things , but through christ the mediator , or otherwise god will not be rendered amiable , and sweet , and lovely to thee , then is god rendered sweet and amiable , and lovely to the soul , even as a friend that the soul can have familiarity withal when as he is look't upon through jesus christ : do thou act all by christ by the strength of christ , and tender up all thy services to god through christ , those that are not acquainted with the mystery of the gospel in christ , surely they know but little of this walk with god. quest . you will say , enoch did not know much of christ . answ . oh yes ! certainly , though it was so long before christ came , yet his eye was upon christ : for in the . of the heb . verse , the apostle saith , that it was by faith that he walked with him ; it was all by faith . now christ is the object of faith , and so his eye certainly was upon christ : it was through faith , and i will give you one scripture that will shew the use of eying of christ in walking with god , in the . of exod , . verse , thou shalt put the meroy-seat above upon the arke , and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that i shall give thee , and there will i meet with thee , and i will commune with thee . that is , there at the mercy-seat . they were come to the ark to look up to the mercy-seat , and there saith god , wil i meet with thee , and there will i commune with thee . now what 's the mercy-seat but jesus chaist ? we must look upon god in christ , and so god is rendered amiable , sweet , glorious , and lovely unto us in his son , there doth god meet with his saints , and there he communes with them ; indeed while we look upon god as he is in himself he is a consuming fire , and we cannot epxect to commune with god there , and therefore those that look upon god meerly in a legal way , look upon him as one that doth exact and require such and such services and duties of them , and meerly considering god as a judge ; if they perform not such and such duties they do not meet and commune with god ; but such as look up to the mercy-seat , look up to christ by faith , when they have to deal with god in christ , oh these meet with god , these commune with god , oh there 's much sweet communion between god and their souls , they walk with god , because god through christ comes to be rendered gracious , lovely , sweet , amiable , and familier to them . the fourth rule , or direction . be careful to beautifie thy soul ; or more generally thus , ( first : ) have a great care of thy spirit , look to thy spirit rather than to thy outward actions in thy walking with god ; god is a spirit , and will be worshiped in spirit and truth . one that would walk with god had need be very careful of his spirit , keep thy heart with all diligence , for it is with thy soul that god converses : indeed 't is the proper spheer of a christian to be busie about his heart , to be busie in the inward man , there 's the spheer of a christian : it 's not so much about the outward man , if the hear be kept in a right frame , the outward man will be brought over of its own accord ; but be careful of thy spirit , ( that is ) of the thoughts of thy mind ; take heed of admitting of any uncleannesse in thy very thoughts , for the soul converses with god in thoughts as well as we converse with men in words ; how do you commune and converse with men but by speech ? therefore doth god give speech to men that they may converse one with another , what speech is unto men , that the thoughts are unto god ; we converse much with god by our thoughts , make conscience of thoughts , labor to cleanse thy thoughts , and likewise the affections of thy heart , and the stirrings of thy heart , for god and thy soul doth converse together , in the workings and stirrings of thy heart look to thy spirit ; and labor to beautifie thy soul with that that may make thee aimable and lovely in the eyes of god , and then the lord will delight to converse with thee , and walk with thee . if you were call'd out to walk with a man that were your superior , with some chief in your parish , gentleman , or knight , or noble man , if such a one should call you to walk with him , you would labour then so far as you were able to adorne your selves with such cloaths as were sutable unto the company of such a one : you that professe your selves christians , god doth call you every day to walk with him , and if you would expect to have communion with god , and that god should take delight in you , you must labor to beautifie your souls , to dresse you with those things that may make you aimable in the eyes of god , and not to come dirtily and filthy into the presence of god. now that that makes the soul aimable in the eyes of god it is , holinesse , for that 's the very image of god , and god delights to walk with one where he can see his own image , the more resplendent the image of god is in the soul the more doth the lord delight to walk with such a soul ; labour for the behavior of thy soul to be sutable unto god ; when i walk with one that is my superiour i must have such a demenour as is sutable to his presence , and as it was said before , to walk with god was to walk in the fear of god. and that 's the fourth thing , take heed to thy spirit , beautifie thy soul in that that may make thee aimable and lovely in gods eyes , and carry thy self so as is sutable to the presence of god ; i shall only give you one scripture about the beautifying of the soul , in the . psalm , where it 's spoken of the church and of the saints being brought into the presence of god , in the . verse , the kings daughter , ( that is , the church ) is all glorious within . ( many make great shews of religion without , but the kings daughter is all glorious within , ) her cloathing is of wrought gold : there 's her ornaments : mark what follows in the . verse , she shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needle-work : ( she shall be brought to the king , to jesus christ , with garments of needle-work ) by that is meant , the several graces of the spirit of god that puts a beauty upon the soul : as there is a variety in needle-work that causes a beauty upon the work , and so she shall be brought to the king. so you must have that that may make you aimable and lovely in the eyes of the king. the fifth rule , or direction . take heed of halting . when you walk with him you must not halt between two but give up your self fully to god , you must give up your selves wholly to him in walking with him ; not to have a distracted heart , or a divied heart between two : why halt ye between two opinions ( saith the prophet ? ) if god be god , worship him ; if baal , worship him . so , when the heart is not divided up and down , and is resolved in the way of god , that 's the thing that i mean here ; that is , if i cannot be happy here , i am content to be miserable here ; when the soul is so resolved and doth not halt in gods way , when the soul knows that here is the way that there is happiness to be had in , and whatsoever seems to the contrary to flesh and blood , yet i know that in these waies there 's happiness to be had , there 's enough to blesse my soul for ever , and therefore whatsoever becoms of me , i am resolved upon these waies ; this is one that is fit to walk with god , he will not halt , but will treat strait steps in the waies of god : and that the apostle requires of us in heb. . . make streight paths for your feet , lest that which is lame be turned out of the way . make streight paths , go on in a streight way , not having the heart longing after something else : there are some that have some convictions of conscience , that have their hearts inclinable to the waies of god , and are going on in some of the waies of god , yet they have longings of spirit after something else : but when the heart indeed walks with god , it gives up its self wholly to him , and is resolv'd in these waies : you have had some good thoughts ; but if your hearts be divided between god and the world , you will turn to be apostats in time , that which is lame will be turn'd out of the way , the waies of god will be tedious to you when you do not give up your selves wholly to them ; and this is the reason of the apostafie that there is in the world , they seem to go on in gods waies , but they go on but lamely because they do not give up themselves wholly to the waies of god. the sixth rule , or direction . if you would walk with god , take heed of formality in all holy duties ; be laborious in holy duties , take pains with your hearts in them , labor for the power of godliness in holy duties , you must strive to get up to god in them : it were well if when we perform holie duties we did but keep close to the duty its self , few go so far : but it 's one thing to keep close to the duty , and another thing to keep close to god in the duty ; we must labor not only to mind what we are about , but to keep close to god in the duty , to find god in all duties that we perform , and in the use of all ordinances to take pains to find god there , and not to satisfie & quiet our hearts except we find god in the duties that we do perform ; we have a notable scripture for this , in exod. . . in all places where i record my name , i will come unto thee , and i will bless thee . that is , where ever there is any ordinance , or any holy duty to be perform'd , there 's a recording of gods name . and saith he , i will come unto thee , and there i wil bless thee . if you would walk with god , you must go where god is , and be in those places where god uses to come : now the walk where god uses to walk it is , in his ordinances , in his worship , therefore you must be very spiritual in worship , and sanctifie the name of god there ; ( according to that that we have treated upon at large ) you must take pains there , stir up your hearts and all that is within you to walk with god there , and not be satisfied except you have something of god there . it 's a notable speech of bernard , i never go from thee without thee : when ever i come to any holy duty and leave it , i never leave it but i have thee with it : we must not be satisfied except we meet with god in holy duties . the seventh rule , or direction . take heed of secret declinings , or slidings away from the paths of god into any by paths . for those that professe their desires to walk with god they will not in an open way forsake god , and his waies ; but if you be not very watchful over your hearts , you will have them secretly decline away from the waies of god , from those paths wherein you have had heretofore communion with god , oh take heed of turning out of the paths of god , of any allurements from the flesh , of any temptations , and especially such temptations as are sutable to your corruptions , they will be alluring you to lead you aside out of the waies of god , and seem to promise waies of contentment to the flesh ; oh take heed of any such thing , take heed of being allur'd through the deceitfulness of the flesh , as the apostle speaks in the epist . of peter , . . ( there he speaks of some false teachers ) when they speak great swelling words of vanity , they allure through the lusts of the flesh , through much wantonness , those that were clean escaped from them who live in error . there were some that were escaped from the waies o error , from sinful ungodly waies , and really escaped that is , in their kind , they were not hypocrites , that is , to make shew of one thing and do another , but what they did they did according to the light of their consciences , but yet it was not through the sanctifying saving work of god but through the strength of a natural conscience ; and so they were allur'd through the lusts of the flesh , and through wantonness , by those that taught false doctrine , but they together with their false doctrine came to that that was sutable to the flesh . i beseech you observe it , some that have been walking with god and then met with these that come with fair shews with that which is false , ( and you may know it in this that it gives liberty to the flesh ) they think here 's a fine , even , and smooth way that i may have content to the flesh in ; observe it , there 's no such way to allure such as have by the power of the word escaped from the waies of sin in a great measure , no such way ( i say ) to allure them as to come and shew them how they may make a profession of godliness and yet have liberty to the flesh too : oh the lord deliver yong beginners from the wantons of our age ! the wantons that are in our generation that do allure them through the lusts of the flesh , and promise liberty to them , for so the text saith , while they promise them liberty they themselves are the servants of corruption : themselves : mark , those that promise them liberty , and bring such doctrine of liberty to you , they themselves are in the mean time the servants of corruption : oh take heed of declining to the waies of the flesh after thou hast seem'd to begin in the spirit ; what hast thou to do in the way of asher and in the waies of egypt ? oh thou that heretofore didst seem to converse with god , and to walk with him , what iniquity hast thou found with me saith god ? so what evil hast thou found in the waies of god ? do you find them too difficult for you , oh it is through the baseness of thy heart , because thy heart is not changed and made sutable to that that is spiritual and holy , oh that the lord would be pleased to cause his angel to meet with some that are declining from his good and blessed waies ! as we read in the book of genesis , that the angel met hager when she was flying from abrahams family , from the church of god , and saith he , hager sarah's maid , from whence camest thou ? doest thou come from abraham's family ? art thou going from thence ? and where dost thou think to find so much good as in abraham's family , where the presence of god is ? so , oh that god would meet with such as are declining from the good waies of god , oh thou soul whither art thou going ? thou that hast had the word working upon thy heart and thou wert seem'd to be turned into the good waies of god , whither art thou going ? are these the waies that are like the former waies that thou hast seem'd to walk in ? oh what will be the end of these waies that now thou art in ? indeed they do give contentment unto the flesh more than former waies , but doest thou think that the end of them will be peace ? oh that there were such a messenger from god to meet thee in those waies that thou art walking in , that thou maiest say as the church doth in the . of hosea , . verse , i will return to my first husband , for then it was better with me than it is now : i was wont to have more peace , comfort , and sweetnes in conversing with god in holy duties than now i find , i will return to those waies of god ; howsoever many loose professors seem to make a scorn of them and deride them , but lord i am sure i found more sweetness in them then , than now ; well i will return to them and labor to walk in them . the eighth rule , or direction . or if thou beest declined , labor to keep a tenderness of spirit , so a● to be sensible of the beginnings of declining . it 's true , we have a great deal of corruption while we remain here in this world , and our hearts are drawn quickly from the waies of god , i but if we could keep a spirit sensible of the beginnings of declining , we might yet keep our walk with god : that so soon as we are got but one step from god , if we did but begin to bethink our selves ; where are we ? what are we doing ? oh this would cause us to return , and not to go so far off from god. for a man to go far from god is very dangerous , for then he begins to have many thoughts of dispair , and so many times he growes even desperate in his course , and gives up himself to excesse even to satisfie the lusts of the flesh with greedinesse : there are some men that are convinced in their consciences that they are out of the way , and though they be convinced of it yet still they go further and further off from god. why ( you will say ? ) is that possible ? yes , because having once made profession of religion , and departing from god , now the devil follows him with dispairing thoughts , he thinks now god will not receive him and accept of him upon his returning to him , and therefore he is resolved that he will satisfie himself to the full ; and i verily belee●● this is the great reason why many apostates turn so notoriously wicked as they do : when you see a man that hath been forward in religion , and afterwards not only fall off , but you shall find him to be a drunkard , a whoremaster , a scorner , you may almost conclude that this is the very ground of it , that though his conscience be convinc'd that he is out of the way , yet he is in a desperate manner set to have his pleasure , because he thinks god hath forsaken him , and he hath : forsaken god , and his lusts he will have , and poor creature that 's all that he hath to satisfie himself withal ; oh take heed of getting far from god : hearken to this you that are far from righteousnes as the scripture speaks : oh it 's a terrible thing to be gone far from god , labor to keep thy heart watchful of the beginnings of declining , and be tender and sensible of them . the ninth rule , or direction labor to be spiritual in thy solitary times . if you would walk with god , prize much your solitary times , and labor to be spiritual in them ; do not lose those times when you are alone , when there 's none but god and your selves together . and especially you that have much business in the world ; alas what little use do you for the most part make of your solitary times ! when you are alone you know not what to do ; but a man that would walk with god he had need be careful to be very spiritual there , now i am separated from the world , now i have to deal with god and mine own soul , oh! let me improve this , and get advantage by this , oh! let me not be quiet till i get some converse with god : those christians that are spiritual in their solitary times they will be very spiritual when they come into company . as moses , when he was alone with god upon the mount and came down unto the people his face did shine so as they were not able to bear it : certainly , those that are alone with god , and are spiritual , they will shine in holy conversation when they come down from the mount , when they come to converse with others . the tenth rule , or direction . let gods presence be more to thee than all the world ; account it more engagement to thy soul , that thou art with god that thou hast gods presence with thee , than though thou hadst the eye of all the world upon thee : it would mightily compose the spirits of men and women if they had an awful reverence of the presence of god , and did account it more than al the world besides , and therefore to do nothing in gods presence but what thou wouldest do in the sight of all the world ; or what thou maiest do so as thy conscience may not accuse thee for sin in it . oh look upon the presence of god as more than all the world unto thee . the eleventh rule , or direction . go on with a resolution in the performance of holy duties though thou seest nothing come of them for the present . though i have not what comfort i would , yet i am doing what duty i am commanded , i am yet in gods way ; and that should satisfie every gracious heart , that though i have not what encouragements i would , yet that i am in gods way , and let me keep in that way of god. the twelfth rule , or direction . make good interpretations of all gods waies and dealings with thee . this is a mighty help to us to keep on in the way of god , and to walk with him . if god comes in a way of affliction , make good interpretation of the affliction , do not presently conclude , that god appears like an enemy to thee , that will discourage thee in the waies of god ; but look upon god as intending good unto thee in every thing ; and that will help thee to keep close to him , and to walk close with him in every condition : if god seems to go out of the way of prosperity , and to come in the way of affliction , make good interpretations of it : do not therefore think that god is therefore leaving of thee and forsaking thee , but exercise faith in this , and beleeve that god may intend as much good to thee in that way as in any way whatsoever , and i ground this rule upon that text in the . heb. in the former part of the chapter the apostle speaks of gods chastening of his people , my son despise not thou the chastening of the lord , nor faint when thou art rebuked of him ; for whom the lord loveth he chasteneth , and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth : and in the . verse , if ye endure chastening then god dealeth with you as with sons : for what son is he whom the father chasieneth not ? but if ye be without chastisements whereof all are partakers , then are ye bastards and not sons . so still he goes on in the point of chastisement , in the , , . verses he speaks of nothing but of chastisements , now then in the . verse he draws a conclusion from thence , having laid this as a ground , that we are to look upon god as a father in his chastisements , wherefore then lift up the hands which hang down , and the feeble knees , and make straight paths for your feet , lest that which is lame be turned out of the way . as if he should say , when as you apprehend god in a way of wrath against you , and not in a way of love , your knees will be feeble and you will not be able to go on with that cheerfulness , and to walk with god in that hard way that he seems to call you too : but looking upon your selves as sons , and god intending good unto you , that by chastisements you may be made partakers of his holiness ; now saith he , lift up your hands that hang down , and those feeble knees , those feeble knees that were so weak whereby you were difinabled to walk with god : those feeble knees will be strengthened if you make good interpretation of the waies of god , and beleeve that the lord intends good unto you . and as in other chastisements , so among the rest the chastisements of spiritual discertions ; when god not only comes with outward afflictions upon you , but when the lord shall come against you , even himself with spiritual discertions , and afflictions , even afflicting your souls you must make good interpretations of them . you will say , that 's hardest to walk with god ; indeed we may walk with god , and keep on in communion with him notwithstanding outward afflictions , but when the lord seems to withdraw himself , and when there is both outward and inward too , that 's hard : for outward afflictions , i will give you one notable scripture for a child of god , following hard after god though god seeme to withdraw himself from the soul , in the . psal . where by the title of the psalm you shall find that david was in the wilderness of judah , and that was when saul did persecute him for his life : saul persecuted david and followed him , and david was fain to sculk up and down in the wilderness of judah from place to place , and yet mark , o god , thou art my god , ( for all that ) early will i seek thee , my soul thirsteth for thee , my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land , where no water is : and then in the . verse , my soul followeth hard after thee ; though lord thou seem'st to withdraw thy self from me in regard of these outward administrations , yet my soul followeth hard after thee ( saith david ) notwithstanding . if times of affliction , when god seems to withdraw himself by his afflictions , yet our souls should follow hard after god : doth god seem to go from us as if he would not walk with us ? oh run after him : as a poor child if the mother seems to go away from it , and gets over a stile before it , the child cries and runs after : so it was with david , when the lord did seem by those administrations of his to be going away from him , saith he , my soul follows hard after him . and this is an excellent frame of spirit , that the more the lord seems to be gone from a christian , the more hard doth the soul follow after god , nothing can satisfie such a one but god himself ; and therefore he saith , lord , my soul thirsteth after thee in a dry land , he doth not say after water , but after thee . so in any affliction , if thou canst say this , lord , it is not so much the deliverance from an affliction that my soul thirsteth after , but oh lord ! thou knowest my soul thirsts after thee , and may the affliction be but made up in thy self it is sufficient , i never find my soul following more earnestly after thee than now in the time of my affliction . chap. x. an objection concerning gods hiding of his face , answered in six particulars . if it be a spiritual discertion , if the lord seems to withdraw himself from the spirits of his servants , what rules should be given there , for one yet to walk with god in the time of spiritual discertion ? i have divers things to speak to those that god hath seemed to withdraw himself from . object . you will say , you have told us of the excellency of walking with god , and we account it the happiness of our lives to walk with him ; oh but god will not walk with me , but withdraws himself from my soul so that i cannot see him , and hides himself from me . now i have divers things to say to thee : in the first place , be of good comfort ; it 's a good sign , that god hath made thee know what it is to walk with him , that canst be sensible of his withdrawings ; there is a generation of people in the world that go on in a slight kind of way in the profession of religion , and they know not what it is to be sensible of any of gods withdrawings from them , you never hear them complain of any such thing , they know not what it means ; therefore ( i say ) it 's a good sign that thou knowest what it is to walk with god because thou art sensible of any of gods withdrawings from thee . secondly , examine whether thou hast not sometimes shut out god from thee , when god hath offered himself to walk with thee . hath not god sometimes tendred himself , and even taken thee by the hand to walk with thee , and thou hast not bin at leasure then , thy mind hath been about somewhat else ? oh! therefore be humbled before him for all thy unworthy dealings with him , and for all thy declynings from him ; know , god calls thee to this , there hath been many wandrings of thy spirit from god , oh that thou couldst but say in respect of thy spiritual wandrings , as the prophet david saith in respect of his wandrings , in psal . . thou tellest my wandrings , put thou my tears into thy bottle , are they not in thy book ? oh that thou couldst but say so ! lord , there hath been many wandrings of my spirit , but lord , put my tears into thy bottle ; sutable to my wandrings so are my tears , oh! it grieves me to the soul that ever i have grieved thy spirit ; when thy spirit hath even taken me by the hand to walk with thee i have withdrawn my self , and upon that thy spirit hath been grieved ; oh it grieves my soul ! oh lord , thou hast taken notice of my wandrings , take notice of my tears that are sutable . thirdly , it is better that god withdraw , than that we withdraw . i beseech you observe it : if god withdraws from you it is your affliction : but if you withdraw from god , it is your sin ; and sin is worse than affliction , better bear any affliction , yea spiritual afflictions than commit sin ; and that you should labor to be sensible of : you that complain of god's withdrawing from you , and that god will not walk with you ; be you more sensible of your own withdrawings as a greater evil to you than gods ? it 's true , gods withdrawing from me it is a sore affliction above all that ever befell me in this world ; but my withdrawing from him it is a greater burden to me . and it may be if god did not withdraw from thee , thou wouldst withdraw from him : and many times god doth withdraw from his people to prevent his peoples withdrawing from him . as many times the mother will withdraw her selfe from the child that the child may not be wandring from her . and this may be the very end why god withdraws , he sees thy heart begins to be loose , wanton , slight , and vain , and therefore it is that he hides himself , that thou maiest be awakened and sensible of the danger that thou art in by withdrawing thy self from god ; that so thou maiest cleave to him the more fully , and that thy soul may follow more after him , that thou maiest lift up thy heart and cry more earnestly after god. but now , if god be withdrawn , & the soul be not so sensible as to cry after him , or if it should leave off crying ; then such a one is in a dangerous condion indeed . as if a poor child had lost the father or mother and were crying after them ; at length comes some begger with an apple or plumb and steals away the child , and then the child is quiet for the present ; oh take heed of that , depart not from the lord , keep crying after him in all his withdrawings . fourthly , gods withdrawing of comfort is not alwaies the withdrawing of his presence : thou maiest mistake , thou thinkest that god is withdrawn , why ? because he hath withdarwn comfort ; there may be a great mistake in this : god ( i say ) may withdraw comfort , and not withdraw his presence , take this for a certain rule and make much use of it , when comforts are gone : do not say when comforts are gone , therefore the presence of god is gone , there may be as ful and as gracious a presence of god when comforts are gone as ever there was : he may be present with his graces and support ; as in psal . . . my soul followeth hard after thee , thy right hand upholdeth me ; though thou seemest to be gone . so , god may be present to uphold thee , and to strengthen thee , and to exercise thy faith in him , and that may be as acceptable to god : the exercise of faith in the want of comfort may have as much of god in it as all the comfort that ever thou hadst in all thy life ; and therefore do not say , that gods presence is gone because comforts are gone : the beams of the sun in the winter time is not so effectual as the influence of the sun when it is in a cloud in the summer time : is the presence of the sun gone in the summer because there 's a cloud between the sun and you ? it may be a child will think , oh the sun is gone out of the firmament because there 's a cloud : i but i know there 's the sun still , for there 's the influence of the sun , there 's some heat in the day , and there 's some light wherby i may see to do my work , though i have not that lustre as before ; now when the sun shines in winter it shines bright but there 's not that influence of the sun upon the earth as makes the plants grow : so , sometimes the beams of gods presence may be clouded to a christian by reason of outward afflictions , and yet there may be more of gods presence than at another time , when it shall shine in the beauty of it in the comfotrs of a christian for so i compare the shining of the comforts of a christian to the shining of the sun in the winter , that sometimes have no influence to sanctifie the heart , as in winter times the sun hath not that influence to fructifie the ground , but at other times though the sun be clouded yet it hath influence to make the ground fruitful ; so though god may not shine upon thee in regard of outward comforts , yet he may shine in upon thy soul and make thee to increase and grow in goodness more than ever before . fifthly , if thou canst not see gods face , yet hearken and see if thou canst not hear his voice , and follow that . doest thou come to the word and there hear his voice ? is not god pleased to speak to thy soul out of his word ? thou goest perhaps into thy closet and canst not see his face there as thou wert wont to do , yet blesse him that thou canst hear his voice , and follow his voice though it be in the dark . as now , if a child be going with the father and it be lost , yet if the child cries , and the father or mother speaks , that quiets the child very much ; so it is with the children of god , when they cannot see gods face , yet they may hear gods voice : they cannot have those comforts from god as sometimes they have had ; those sweet manifestations of the love of god shed abroad into their hearts ; but when they come to the word , they cannot but say that they hear their fathers voice ; perhaps the word is not a comforting word to thee as hereto fore , i but is it not a directing word , an instructing word , an inlightening word ? oh this now should support thee for the present . sixthly , all that i will say further is this , keep thy self in a waiting frame for god : do not determine that because the lord is gone he will ever be gone ; oh no , but keep still in the waies of god waiting for him , resolve , that though god leaves thee , yet thou wilt not leave the path in which god was heretofore : i am sure that god was once here , oh then keep the path wherein thou wert wont to meet with god , for thou shalt meet with him again : it 's better to keep the path , the ordinary high-way of god , for you are more like to meet with god there than if you should go out of the way : i 'le give you a scripture or two for that and so conclude . the first is in psal . . . i will behave my self wisely in a perfect way , oh when , wilt thou come unto me ! that which i quote this for is this , the resolution of david to behave himself wisely in a perfect way , together with his panting after the presence of god , oh when wilt thou come unto me ! as if he should say , lord , thou art absent from me now , but lord , i will not go out of the way wherein i was wont to find thee , oh when wilt thou come ! i will not determine that i shall never see thee in this way as heretofore i have done , no , but i hope i shal afterwards meet thee . and so in the . psalm , . verse , i will keep thy statutes ; what then ? oh forsake me not utterly . it seems that the lord for the present to davids apprehension had forsaken him : but what was davids resolution ? god hath forsaken me and i 'le forsake him ? oh no , but i 'le keep thy statutes , and oh! leave me not utterly . so keep on in the waies of god still , go on in his way and wait for the presence of god until he come ; and conclude this , surely , he will come . be not like to children , that because they see the sun going down , therefore they conclude that the sun is gone , and will never come again . though god seems to withdraw the light of his face from thee , do not conclude and determine , well , i shall never have those comforts from god , in communion with god , in walking with god , as once i was wont to have ; do not say so , but go on , and keep in the waies of god , wait upon him and look up towards him , and so thou maiest come to have as much communion , sweetness , and joy in god as ever thou hadst in all thy life . and now know , that god cals for the work of faith in such times as these are , now god calls thee to walk by faith and not by sence . finis . an exact alphabetical table of all the chief matters handled in the fourth volumn . a adultery , see earthly-mindedness accompt the saints are carefull to make even their accompts with god page aim the aim of the saints is heaven-ward angel the saints have the same confirmation of their happiness as the angels have page apostacie what the root of apostacie is . astray by nature men go astray from the waies of god b benefit what the benefit of grace is see conscience beleeving by beleeving men take up their freedom of heaven page blessing , see jacob c care whence distracted cares arise what our care should be calling how godly men are busy in their callings calling , see wicked citizen the saints are citizens of heaven , and how we should walk as becomes citizens of heaven see priviledg communion what the word communion signifies communion with god what it is communion see saints content see little conversation heavenly conversations are to be followed how far heavenly conversations are to be followed how the saints conversation is in heaven reasons why the saints conversations are in heaven heavenly conversation is a convincing conversation heavenly conversation is attainable page conversation see faith , hell , evidence , godly , growing , glory , suffering , directions converse what the converse of the saints is contrariety see examples comfort the saints have comfort in little of this world comfort see losses confirmation see angels covenant what the covenant on our parts is conscience the benefits of a cleer conscience covetousness see idolatry creature how the saints deal with the creature all the creatures bring glory to god curse on whom the curse of the serpent is d danger see example death what is that hinders preparation for death devil the devil casts thoughts into the heart of man page delight wherein the delight of the saints lieth delight see sabbath depend for what godly men depend upon god difference , see godly , jacob. direction directions how to get a heavenly conversation a godly soul depends upon god for directions directions how to walk with god destruction earthly mindedness brings destruction distracted see cares doctrine see reconciliation drossie how a drossie heart is known e earth the earth swallows up earthly men earth , look higher . earthly things when men mind earthly things in a sinful manner earthly things carry a fair shew page earthly things are many times the portion of reprobates earthly man when an earthly man is in his element earthly-minded a man may be earthly-minded and not know it what shall become of earthly-minded men earthlimindedness what earthly-mindedness is earthly-mindedness is adultery earthly-mindedness is idolatry see enmity earthly-mindedness deads the heart to prayer earthly-mindedness is a scandal to religion how earthly-mindedness may be known reasons of earthly-mindedness earthly-mindedness brings guilt upon the spirit the effects of earthly-mindedness another day earthly , see heavenly , vilifie , conversation , element , spirituall , godlinesse , temptations , snares , ministry , lusts , death , destruction , vanity , humility inducements egyptians what idolatrous worship the egyptians had page end what it is that causeth a blessed end who they are that have the same ends god hath enoch enoch's prophesie evidence evidences of mens conversations being in heaven evidences of walking with god see walking example examples of godly men should be followed and how far examples of godly men should make us enquire after the waies of godliness examples of godly men should confirm us in the truth what we should do when examples of godly men are contrary see examination danger in following the examples of wicked men examination contrary examples should put us upon examination esau see jacob excellency the excellency of walking with god page excellency see walking eye the souls of the godly eye god f faith the heavenly conversation of others is not the rule of our faith faith must be exercised familarity whence our familarity with god ariseth folly the folly of earthly-mindedness formality formality must not be rested on formality must be taken heed of g genius wicked men fancy heavenly things according to their own genius god god takes care of men , concerning earthly things heavenly conversation brings glory to god see walking what a man trusts to , he makes his god page godly difference between wicked and godly men godly mens conversations should not be earthly godly men carry themselves as in gods presence godly , see calling godliness earthly-mindedness is contrary to the work of godliness and how see waies , my stery . glory heavenly conversation brings glory to the saints what the glory of the soul is . grace what the work of grace is grace , see benefit : presence . growing heavenly conversation is growing h halting the saints must take heed of halting heaven , see saints , profession , conversation , aim . heavenly the saints are heavenly in earthly imploymonts page the saints have great skill in heavenly matters see genius , conversations hell the conversations of wicked men are in hell heart the heart is best known by the thoughts the heart of a wicked man is upon the things of the earth . the vileness yf mens hearts discovered heart , see drossie . higher god made man for higher things than the things of the earth hypocrites hypocrites rebuked honor , see walking humility humility takes the heart off from earthly mindedness . i jacob difference between jacob's blessing and esau's idolater idolaters depart from god idolatry covetousness is idolatry page see earthly-mindedness vileness ill , see success ignorant see religion imployment see heavenly inducement earthty inducements oppose godliness intercourse the saints have much intercourse to heaven joy what the joy of a saint is see world l law the saints are guided by the laws of god little the saints are contented with little in this world . loss the saints have comfort in all their losses lust earthly-mindedness brings in foolish lusts and how m man wherefore god made man see nature mind who they are that know the mind of god page ministry how earthly-mindedness hinders the ministry mystery the mystery of godlinesse ought to be studied n nature what man is by nature p petitions what men they are that shall have their petitions granted pilgrim we are pilgrims here upon earth prayer see earthly-mindedness preparation see death presence gods presence draws forth grace see god principles see saints priviledge what the priviledges of a citizen of heaven are how the priviledges of a citizen of heaven are procured promise wicked men do not trust to a promise page protection the saints have the protection of heaven r reconciliation how a wicked man conceives of the doctrine of reconciliation religion how religion is scandalized why men are ignorant in religion reprobates reprobates have their portion in this life riches the saints have right to the richcs and common stock of heaven riches see uncertainty s saints the saints names are inrolled in heaven the saints are no longer slaves the saints ' are guided by heavenly principles the saints have communion with god the saints trust god with much page the saints are sensible of the stoppage between them and heaven sabbath to whom the sabbath is a delight , and to whom it is a wearinesse the saints keep a a perpetual sabbath saints see citizens , riches , angels , perfection , laws , delight , heavenly , sabbath , trading , intercourse little , comfort losses safty wherein the safty of a saint lies scandal , see religion self what self is secrets what manner of men they are that know gods secrets seriousness what seriousness of spirit is serpent , see curse sinful , see earthly shortness what the shortness of our time here should lead us to snare earthly-mindedness brings men into snares soul of what value the soul of man is page the soul of man is from heaven the soul of man ought to be beautified soul see glory , walk spiritual a wciked man is earthly in spiritual things , a godly man is spiritual in earthly strictness we ought not to find fault with strictness in gods waies stranger the world are strangers to walking with god success the reason of ill success suffering heavenly conversation makes suffering easie t temptation earthly-mindedness puts men upon great temptations thoughts what the thoughts of the saints are which way the thoughts of the sainis tend see devil , heart trade what the saints trade for heaven is page the saints have free trade to heaven trust , see god trusted worldly things are not tobe trusted too u vanity all earthly things are vanity vilifie the saints vilifie the things of the earth uncertainty the uncertainty of riches vileness the vileness of idolatry vocation what vocation is w waies the waies of godlinesse should not be opposed see strictness walk how the soul is brought to walk with god he that walks with god depends not much upon reason he that walks with god is the same in private that he is in publick he that walks with god walks in his commandements page what it is to walk with god walking what walking with god is wherein walking with god consists several excellencies of walking with god the honor of walking with god particular evidences of walking with god page see strangers , excellency . wearinesse , see sabbath . wicked why wicked men are busie in their callings see godly , genius , example , hell. work , see godlinesse , grace . worldly wherein worldly joy consists see trust , strangers . a table of those scriptures which are occasionally cleared and briefly illustrated in the fourth volumn . the first number directs to the chapter , the second to the verse , the third to the page of the book . chap. verse page genesis . exodus . leviticus kings chronicles nehemiah job psalms . proverbs canticles isaiah jeremiah ezekiel daniel hosea micah luke john acts romans corinthians corinthians galatians ephesians philippians colossians thessalonians timothy timothy hebrews james peter john john jude revelation finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 muniiceps coelorum nos gerimus . steph. beza , piscat . ad verbú . nostra civilis vita in coelis est . doct. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pri . & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 terra , extra terram , sine terra . beda . acts , . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 terrae fillii . notes for div a -e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . cor. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 castigo corpus meum . vulg . comundo corpus meum . levidum reddo corpus . agust . est metophorasumpta à pugilibus & suctantibus , qui pugnis & verberibus se mutuo obtundunt . chem. jans . aret. pareus . piscat . notes for div a -e first . for direction secondly . for protection thirdly . for assistance . fourthly . for a blessing upon all it doth . gospel worship the sinner a traitor to his king and country in a sermon preach'd in the cathedral-church of winchester, at the assizes held there, july , / by robert eyre ... eyre, robert, or - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing e estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the sinner a traitor to his king and country in a sermon preach'd in the cathedral-church of winchester, at the assizes held there, july , / by robert eyre ... eyre, robert, or - . [ ], p. printed by w. bowyer for walt. kettilby ..., london : . reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bible. -- o.t. -- samuel, st, xii, -- sermons. sin -- sermons. sermons, english -- th century. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - celeste ng sampled and proofread - celeste ng text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the sinner a traitor to his king and country . in a sermon preach'd in the cathedral-church of winchester , at the assizes held there , july . . by robert eyre , d. d. fellow of the college near winchester . london : printed by w. bowyer , for walt. kettilby at the bishop's head in st. paul's church-yard . . to the right worshipful edward chute , esquire , high sheriff of the county of southampton . honoured sir , that which was at first preach'd upon your request , and is now publish'd by your command , hath a just claim to your patronage : and i cannot but lay hold of it as a particular advantage to my sermon , to have it recommended to the world under the good esteem of a person whose exemplary vertue and sobriety , and whose zealous regard for the honour of god and religion , do so eminently distinguish his character in that dissolute and profane age wherein we live . 't is for want of more examples of this kind , that discourses of this nature are not only useful , but necessary : and till more of the men of your rank and quality amongst us are happily convine'd of this important truth , that to serve god is the most effectual means they can use for the service of their country ; and , that to be good christians is the very best proof they can give of being good patriots , we can have no very comfortable prospect of the lasting blessings of that peace and prosperity which we now enjoy . this ( sir ) is a truth of which i know you are throughly persuaded : for you have not only profess'd it with your mouth , but exemplify'd by your practice , having throughout your different stations in the world let both the court and country see , that good inclinations , cultivated by a good education , are able to secure a man against all those temptations to which any the most hazardous circumstances of life are obnoxious . that you may long live to enjoy the inward comfort and satisfaction of your own vertue here , and receive the reward of it hereafter , is the sincere wish of ( sir ) your most faithful , humble servant , robert eyre . sam . xii . . but if ye shall still do wickedly , ye shall be consumed , both ye and your king. these are the words of samuel , which he spake to the children of israel at gilgal : and the occasion of them was this . the israelites , according to that wonted inconstancy of temper which was so very remarkable in their character , being now weary of their former government , had requested of samuel to set a king over them : which request of theirs although we find branded in scripture as sinful and a great wickedness in them , we must not from thence conclude , as some have unwarily done , that monarchy , as such , is a form of government which of all others is the most displeasing to almighty god ; for 't is plain , that god himself had long before this decreed a sceptre to judah : and in pursuance of that decree we are expresly told by moses ( deut. . ) what sort of king he was to be , whom the lord their god should chuse for them . so that it was not so much the matter of their request , as the peevish manner of addressing it , and the undue motives from whence it proceeded , whereby they offended . and it cannot well escape the observation of any one , who rightly weighs all the circumstances of the story , that it was their seditious humour of innovation , their distrust of god's providence , and their foolish itch of conformity to other nations , which made them chiefly criminal in this case . but to pass by this remark . being now gratify'd according to their own hearts lust , and having a king appointed over them , to judge them , to go out before them , and to fight their battels for them , as they themselves had desired ; lest they should from hence too confidently presume upon their present establishment , they are advised by samuel what course they ought to take in order to their future security . for this purpose , he exhorts them in this chapter , to obey the voice of the lord , and not to rebel against his commandments ; but to fear him and to serve him in truth with all their heart : for this ( says he , ver . . ) is the good and the right way : this is the only means whereby ye can secure to your selves , and to your king , in whom ye now so greatly rejoyce , the favour and protection of that god who hath already done so great things for you . whereas , on the contrary , if you withdraw your obedience from him , and continue to follow your former sinful and rebellious courses , if ye shall still do wickedly , ye shall be consumed , both ye and your king. this is the full scope and design of the words , as they lie before us in the text , and as they more immediately relate to the state and condition of the jewish nation , to which they were originally apply'd . but if we take them out of their history , they will be altogether as instructive to any other people , or nation , or kingdom whatsoever : and without that spirit of prophecy , wherewith the inspired author of them was endued , we may safely resolve them into this general proposition ; viz. that sin and wickedness is the certain cause of publick calamities to a nation , and effectually conduceth to the final ruin and destruction thereof . the truth of which proposition hath been so universally acknowledged , and so long experienc'd in the world , that i need not much labour the proof of it . but because there are several truths of this nature , which although they cannot be contested , are yet for the sake of bad memories fit sometimes to be inculcated , give me leave , in a few words , to remind you of the certainty of it , . from matter of fact : . from the reasons upon which it is founded . and . to shew the truth of this observation in point of experience , we need only appeal to the history of all the nations that were ever yet in the world. for , if we ask of the days that are past , which were before us since the day that god created man upon the earth ; if we ask from the one side of heaven unto the other ; we shall find evidence sufficient to convince us , that national sins were always the forerunners of national judgments : and that , accordingly as the iniquity of a people did abound , and waxed worse and worse , so in proportion to that , did their calamities encrease upon them , even to the final ruin and dissolution of their government . there are very notable remarks to this purpose to be met with amongst the heathen historians themselves : but because they , for the most part , consider'd the outward means and visible causes only , whereby the decay and fall of states and empires was effected , without taking the justice of god's providence into their account ; let us confine our observation , in this point , to the jewish history . and from thence we are so often and so clearly inform'd of the truth of what is here asserted , that we read of no judgments denounc'd or executed upon any city , or people , or nation , throughout the whole bible , but it was always on the account of those sins and wickednesses which they were guilty of . and as to the state and condition of the jewish nation it self , 't is notoriously evident , how that all along suffer'd and sunk under the weight of its own iniquity ; till at length , by reason of the crying guilt and many heinous provocations thereof , it became an utter desolation , a curse , and a reproach , a hissing and an astonishment , to all the world : and so it continues to this very day ; the once famous fenced city of jerusalem having not now one stone left upon another , nor any thing remaining of all the ancient bulwarks and towers thereof , but the very rubbish of them only , to be a lasting monument of the just vengeance of god against a sinful nation , a people laden with iniquity , and a seed of evil-doers . and if the holy one of israel spared not his own chosen and peculiar people upon this account , what then have we or any other people to learn from hence , but to tremble under the consideration of so terrible an example ? but to hear and fear , and do no more presumptuously ? for what happen'd to the jewish nation in this case , may be very justly expected by every other sinful community whatsoever , under the like guilty circumstances ; and that upon these two accounts : . because the justice of god's providence is more especially concern'd herein . . because sin and wickedness , as such , hath a natural tendency in it towards the ruin and destruction of any government wherein it is suffer'd to abound . first then let it be consider'd , that the justice of god's providence is more especially concern'd in the present temporal punishment of a wicked and rebellious nation . as to particular persons indeed , we cannot so certainly conclude that they shall be always punished for their sins in this life , because god hath appointed a more solemn day wherein he will call them to an account for what they have done : and if he sometimes permits them to go unpunished here , the equity of his proceeding will be sufficiently accounted for before his just tribunal hereafter . but god cannot deal thus with nations and publick societies as such , because they ( as hath been usually observed upon this occasion ) are not made to be immortal ; but shall all be dissolved before the great day of retribution comes . since therefore they are not capable of any future account , 't is reasonable to expect that the judge of all the earth will do himself right by punishing them in this world , and vindicate the honour of his justice by bringing those publick judgments and calamities upon them which by their publick crying sins they have deserved . how long a patient and long-suffering god may sometimes defer the execution of his fierce anger in such a case ; or how far he may think it most suitable to the wise ends of his providence , to reserve one wicked nation to be the scourge and punishment of another , is not for us to determine : but that god , to whom vengeance belongeth , will sooner or later avenge himself upon a sinful nation for the wickedness of them that dwell therein ; and when the measure of their iniquities is full , will plague them for their offences , and make the power of his wrath to be known amongst them ; is as infallibly certain , as it is that he governs the world in righteousness , and ruleth over all the kingdoms of the earth . and let not any stiff-necked and rebellious people harden themselves in their wickedness by reason of their present impunity , and fully set their hearts to do evil because sentence is not speedily executed upon them ; for the divine vengeance will most certainly overtake them at one time or other : and if it lingereth for a season , 't is generally with this great disadvantage on their side , that it falls the heavier when it comes . but abstracting from the justice of god's providence in this case , 't is apparently evident , . that sin and wickedness , as such , is naturally destructive of humane society ; and by a proper efficiency directly tends to the decay and ruin of a government . to be just to this argument , i might here detail the several publick inconveniences which each particular vice brings along with it ; and shew , for instance , how pride and ambition , and worldly-mindedness , are apt to whet up the angry passions of men , to ingender strife and envying amongst them ; and in consequence thereof , to bring on confusion ( as st. james observes ) and every evil work ; how luxury and idleness are the certain causes of poverty and want ; and how that generally prompts men to acts of oppression and injustice , to rapines , murthers , thefts , and all sorts of violence ; and how intemperance and lust naturally tend to make a sin-sick and unsound nation , even without a metaphor ; and to propagate those diseases , and infirmities , and putrified sores , which are commonly observed to debilitate the genius , and corrupt the very strain of a stout and warlike people , till at length they become weak and defenceless , and fall an easie prey to every the next invader . but the bare hint only of these things may be sufficient for our present observation : although if any farther evidence were required in this point , it is obvious to be met with from the common sense and experience of all mankind : from whence it hath pass'd into a standing politick maxim amongst all wise nations whatsoever , to restrain the growth of wickedness and vice amongst them ; and that not so much upon account of the guilt and moral turpitude thereof , as because of the fatal influence which it is always known to have upon the peace and welfare of the state. for the mischievous consequences hereof are so very visible , that the florentine politician himself could not but take notice of them , and accordingly direct his prince to provide against them ; and yet 't is plain that his celebrated scheme of policy was far enough from being founded upon any religious principle : nay , that very atheistical objection , whereby it hath been suggested , that religion is nothing else but a piece of state-policy , in order to awe men into good manners , and to prevent those extravagancies which the unbridled lusts and vices of men would otherwise lead them into ; is a clear acknowledgment of the humane wisdom , and publick usefulness at least of this supposed project . and thus much we may learn to our present purpose , even from the confession of atheistical and wicked men themselves , that the wickedness of a people is always found to be of such pernicious consequence , that no government can long subsist under the licentious and avowed practice of it . a toleration of religion is what we have heard pleaded for , and approved of as a politick expedient for quieting the minds of men , and for uniting the divided interests of a nation , in order to its greater and more confirm'd strength and security : but a toleration of irreligion , a toleration of vice and debauchery , and all sorts of immorality , was never yet permitted in any kingdom whatsoever , that we read of , unless in the kingdom of satan only : and yet even there also there are , it seems , some vices and irregularities which the devil himself cannot safely allow , without the utmost hazard of ruin and confusion to his government . so that whether we call to remembrance the times that are past , and from thence reflect upon the usual justice of god's providence in this case ; or whether we consider the bare tendency of the thing it self ; the proposition abovemention'd will still be found true and undeniable , ( viz. ) that sin and wickedness is the certain cause of publick calamities to a nation , and effectually conduceth to the final ruin and destruction thereof . this therefore being laid down as a standing and establish'd truth , let us now apply the serious consideration hereof to the present melancholly circumstances of that sinful nation whereunto we belong . and what a black and dismal prospect , both of sin and ruin , have we here before us , whilst we contemplate that lewd , profligate , and profane spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience ! by means whereof , our national guilt is become so very clamorous and provoking , that we seem just ripe for judgment , and the very vessels of wrath , fitted for destruction . o tempora ! o mores ! hath , i confess , been a constant theme of declamation in all ages of the world ; and even that life and immortality which is brought to light through the gospel hath not been able to prevail so far against the power of satan , and the rulers of the darkness of this world , but that there have been still many unrighteous , unholy , and ungodly men , walking after their own lusts , and such as were enemies to the cross of christ , at all times and in all places of the christian church . nay this is no more than what our blessed saviour and his apostles prophesied aforetime ; and if we find the unhappy effects of this prophecy in a great measure fulfill'd in our days , we have been long since forewarn'd not to look upon it as if some strange thing had happen'd unto us . yet this however seems somewhat strange and surprizing in the observation , that iniquity should so universally abound amongst us , at this time especially ; and that a nation should lie under the guilt and reproach of so general a corruption both of faith and manners , wherein the most pure and undefiled religion , and the very best christian church in the world is established . the corrupt principles and practices of men in former ages might be in a great measure owing to the many gross superstitions and loose doctrines of the romish church ; and the madness and confusion of the late times hath been pleaded as some sort of apology for the wickedness of the men of that generation . but god be thanked , we are now left without any manner of excuse of this kind ; we have now no cloak for our sin upon either of these accounts : and yet , to our shame , it may be observ'd , that irreligion and profaneness , and a profess'd contempt of christianity and its divine author , was perhaps never so openly countenanc'd , never so fashionably abetted in any one baptized nation under heaven , as it seems to be with us at this very day : nor was the seat of the scornful ever more highly advanced in any one age of the church , from the very time that the mystery of iniquity first began to work in it . for , not to mention those many gross immoralities , and that horrid lewdness and debauchery of manners which betrays so great a neglect of religion amongst us ; that which yet aggravates our guilt , and heightens the horror of our prospect , is our insolent and avow'd contempt of it : for how is our most holy religion it self , which is the wisdom of god , now become the scorn of fools , and the very derision of such as put it to an open shame , and impudently revile it all the day long ! how is that worthy name by which we are called publickly affronted and blasphemed amongst us ! and that not only by those ungodly deeds which ungodly sinners do commit , but by the many hard speeches and profane raillery likewise of those who seem to glory in their shame , and take a pride in being thought the reproach of their maker , and the scandal of their times . now were such monsters of impiety as these as rare as monsters use to be ; were they either few in number , or inconsiderable for their quality and station in the world ; we might then hope to have their sin confined to their own doors only , and that there would be still righteous persons enough found amongst us to atone the heavy wrath of god , and to incline his long-suffering and forbearance towards us . but the unhappy prospect of our present case is , that as the wickedness of these men is great , so is the contagion of it likewise ; and the danger wherewith it threatens us is so much the more formidable , because of the spreading infection and malignant influence thereof . for those profane scoffers of whom i am now speaking , are not content to foam out their own shame , and to open their mouths in blasphemy themselves ; but they are profess'd advocates for the cause : they seem zealously concern'd to gain proselytes to it ; and plainly shew , that they are industriously forming a party ( as much as in them lieth ) to laugh the christian religion quite out of the world. and indeed , 't is very lamentable to observe what great advances they are likely to make in the prosecution of their project : for , besides that the minds and manners of our youth are so generally corrupted by the contagious example and encouragement of these men , 't is too notorious to be conceal'd , that many , too too many of our very children also ( lest the hopeful breed of this generation of vipers should be lost amongst us ) are now train'd up without any manner of sense of their baptismal vow , and with so little knowledge of god in the world , that we can rarely pass our streets , and places of publick concourse , without observing how early they have learn'd to affront their maker , by stammering out their oaths and blasphemies against him . now if this be the wretched state of that wicked and profane age wherein we live ; if such horrible impiety as this be so openly and so universally committed in our land ; what shall we do in the end thereof ? for , will not god visit us for these things ? will not his soul be avenged on such a nation as this ? and when he doth visit us for these things , when his wrathful indignation is fully kindled , so that he suffers his whole displeasure to arise against us ; what shall we be able to say in the day of our calamity , unless it be with shame and confusion of face to acknowledge thus much only , just and righteous art thou , o lord , in all that is brought upon us . thou hast done right , but we have done wickedly : and after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds , and for our great trespasses , yet thou our god hast punished us much less than our iniquities have deserved . but this is too sad and melancholly a reflexion for our thoughts to dwell any longer upon . and it being my main design at present , not so much to represent the crying guilt and heinous provocation of our national wickedness , as to forewarn you of the danger , and to prevent the unhappy consequences thereof , i will direct the remaining part of my discourse as usefully as i can to this purpose . but what arguments shall i here urge ? what motives of persuasion shall i make use of upon this occasion ? if i should take up the words of solomon , and tell them , that sin is a reproach to any people ; if to the great scandal which accrues from it , i should add the folly and unreasonableness , and base ingratitude thereof ; and if to this i should likewise subjoin the consideration of that indignation and wrath , that tribulation and anguish , which is so severely threatned to it in the gospel : all this perhaps might be rallied by some as the common-place only of the pulpit . for to talk at this rate , say they , is the business of our trade , and what we have our tythes for , &c. not considering , in the mean time , that severe censure which we incur if we preach not the gospel of christ according to all the reveal'd terms and conditions of it , and declare the whole mind of the lord concerning it . however , for the present , to avoid all manner of exception of this kind , and to divest my character of those prejudices which the very name , and nature , and design of our sacred function is so unhappily found to lie under ( especially amongst those against whom the main drift of my discourse is here directed ) i beg leave to be heard upon this occasion , as a true englishman only , and a hearty well-wisher to my king and country : for , a due and sincere regard to the welfare and preservation of both these , is what is now chiefly offer'd to our consideration from the words of the text. from whence it is plainly intimated to us , what those temporal calamities are , which by our continued wickedness we shall bring upon us ; we shall be consumed , both we and our king. the judgment here threatned is very terrible , and such as ought to be throughly considered , and laid to heart , even by the most atheistical and profane member of our establish'd government . first then let it be consider'd to what an imminent and apparent danger the honour and safety of our king , the anointed of the lord , the breath of our nostrils , and the guardian of our peace , is hereby exposed . it was not long since that we solemnly thank'd god for him as our great deliverer , and the happy instrument of his providence , whereby we were rescu'd from the danger of all those malicious designs which the declared enemies both of our church and state had formed against us : and we have since that pretended at least to so grateful a sense of what he hath undergone and wrought for us , that we have not only offer'd up our constant prayers and intercessions to heaven for his preservation , but we have moreover devoted our hearts and hands , our treasure and our blood also , as a tribute , which we thought but justly due to the merits of a prince , under the auspicious influence of whose courage and conduct we have been hitherto protected , and who still continues both the honour and defence of our nation . and shall we now , after all this , treacherously betray him by our own wickedness ? and by means thereof draw down upon his sacred head those heavy judgments which yet we have so often , with fasting and prayer , humbly beg'd of almighty god to avert ? shall he who hath so gloriously fought our battels , wasted his strength , and jeoparded his life for our sakes , be nevertheless ungratefully consumed upon our account ? and shall it be said , to our reproach , that a prince who hath so often braved the king of terrors himself , and against whom all the most formidable power and malice of his enemies was never able to prevail , did at last unworthily fall by the sins of his own people ? tell it not in gath , publish it not in the streets of askalon ; and let not so foul a reproach as this be cast upon us , lest the enemies of our peace rejoyce at it ; lest those who have evil will against us triumph over us . we may talk of our loyalty , and make what outward professions of it we please ; but as long as we so openly contemn the authority , and rebel against the commandments of god , and will not suffer him to reign over us , all our pretended faith , and true allegiance to our sovereign lord the king , is mere complement , and can but little avail him ; for we are enemies not to god only ( as st. paul observes ) but to his vicegerent also , by our wicked works : and by reason of the provoking guilt thereof , we become traitors to the peace and welfare of his government , and form a kind of spiritual conspiracy against it , in order to diminish the glory of his crown , and to shake the very throne upon which he sits . for there is so near a relation betwixt a king and his people , that the sins of the one are oftentimes punished by the fall of the other . and if this should happen to be our case ( which god avert ) we must thank our selves for it , and put it upon the score of our own sinful ingratitude ; whereby we provoked god to quench the light of our nation , and to withdraw that blessing which we no longer deserved to have continued to us . but if the honour and safety of our king be not sufficient to move our regard in this case , let us in the next place reflect upon those sad calamities which our sins are likely to bring upon our selves and our country ; for the judgment here threatned extends to the ruin and destruction of that also . notwithstanding the many different principles and opinions of men amongst us in other respects , 't is observable nevertheless , that we would be all thought very zealous patriots , and highly concern'd for the good of the publick , the lasting welfare and prosperity of our dear nation , carries so much charm along with it , that it seems to be the darling object of all our good wishes . but how , alas ! can this dear nation of ours be well thought so dear to us as is pretended , when 't is plain that our lusts are so much dearer to us than that , that for the sake of the one we can be content to hazard the ruin and desolation of the other ! how can we be truly said to love our country as we ought , when at the same time we so openly correspond with its greatest enemies ? and cherish those sins , which , if the former part of my discourse holds true , must in the end lay it waste , and utterly consume it ? we all pretend to wish well to the happiness and prosperity of our nation ; we argue , and debate , and earnestly contend for it ; we are bravely resolved , upon any just occasion , to fight for it , and to die for it : but why , amidst all this pretended zeal for its defence , should we not be prevail'd upon to live for it also ? so to live for it , i mean , as that we may not by the wickedness of our lives and conversations forfeit our title to the continued favour and protection of almighty god towards it ; for without that , all other ways and means for its preservation will be found vain and ineffectual : without that the wisdom of our councils will be defeated , the strength of our armies subdued , and all our vain confidence in the arm of flesh will be confounded and brought to nought . and when once we are made the objects of the divine vengeance , and miserably abandon'd to that just recompense of reward which our angry and offended god shall inflict upon us , what then will become of all those endearing native rights and privileges which we now seem so fond of ? how will our admired liberties be then enslaved ? our beloved properties invaded ? our dear religion violated and oppress'd ? and all our ancient english constitution , both in church and state , quite dissolved , and given up as a prey to those that hate us ? who when this evil day is come upon us , will insolently shake their heads at us , and laugh us to scorn , saying , god hath forsaken them , persecute them , and take them , for there is none to deliver them . this then being the sad and dismal prospect of those national calamities which by our manifold and great provocations we so justly deserve , and which , without our repentance and amendment , we have too much reason to fear ; how should the serious consideration hereof rouze up our true english zeal for the good of our nation ? and effectually persuade us to forsake our sins , reform our manners , and turn unto the lord our god with all our heart , that so our iniquity may not prove its ruin ? for to apply the words of moses upon a like occasion ( deut. . . ) to our present case . that which is here offer'd to our consideration , is not a vain thing for us ; 't is not a trivial matter , or a thing of indifference , to be slighted and neglected by us ; for it is our life : 't is that wherein the publick safety and prosperity of our kingdom , as well as our own private happiness , and that of our posterity after us , is principally concern'd : the fate of our whole government , together with all our ecclesiastical and civil rights thereunto belonging , depend upon it . so that if those more engaging motives which our religion offers cannot work upon us ; if we will not be reclaim'd , neither for god's sake , nor for our own soul's sake ; let us at least , for our king and country's sake , be prevail'd upon to turn from our present evil ways , and to do no more wickedly : for if we do , their calamity may rise suddenly , and who knoweth the ruin of them both ! may god , of his infinite mercy , avert the judgment ! and give us all grace in this our day to know and to mind the things that belong unto our peace , before they are hid from our eyes ! glory be to the father , and to the son , and to the holy ghost . as it was in the beginning , is now , and ever shall be , world without end. amen . finis . the great and sole troubler of the times represented in a mapp of miserie, or, a glimpse of the heart of man which is the fountain from whence all misery flows, and the source into which it runs back. drawn with a dark pencill, by a dark hand, in the midst of darkness. penington, isaac, - . this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text r in the english short title catalog (wing p ). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a wing p estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the great and sole troubler of the times represented in a mapp of miserie, or, a glimpse of the heart of man which is the fountain from whence all misery flows, and the source into which it runs back. drawn with a dark pencill, by a dark hand, in the midst of darkness. penington, isaac, - . p. printed for j.m. for giles calvert, and are to be sold at his shop ..., london : . running title: a map of misery. "to the reader" signed: isaac penington. attributed by wing to isaac penington. reproduction of original in the cambridge university library. eng sin -- early works to . great britain -- religion -- th century. a r (wing p ). civilwar no the great and sole troubler of the times represented in a mapp of miserie: or a glimps of the heart of man, which is the fountain from whenc penington, isaac a this text has no known defects that were recorded as gap elements at the time of transcription. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread - emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the great and sole troubler of the times represented in a mapp of miserie : or a glimps of the heart of man , which is the fountain from whence all misery flows , and the source into which it runs back . drawn with a dark pencill , by a dark hand , in the midst of darkness . lord , what is man ? thou searchest the heart , thou tryest the reines ; no man knows himself , thou knowest every man . lord , what is man ! london , printed by i. m. for giles calvert , and are to be sold at his shop at the sign of the black spread-eagle , at the west end of pauls . . to the reader . reader , behold ( if thou be'st able to bear the sight ) a few specks of thine own black dark self , some broken fragments of that filthiness which every man thinks he is free from , and yet the heart of every man is ful of . who is there that looks not on the more hideous part of evil , at least , as at a distance from himself ? little does man think , while he cries out against it , and seems very zealous to have it purged out of the whol world ( if it were possible ) that it lodgeth so close in his own bosome , that he doth not , nay cannot discern it there . i the lord search the heart , and try the reins , but no man knows what is in his heart , or in his reins . abundance of wickedness hath broken forth in these few years , and every eye sees it in the spreading , in the budding forth of it , but who sees it in the root ? it appears in the kings party , in the parliaments party , in the armies party ; among the episcopal sort , presbyterians , independents , &c. all these see it plainly enough in one another , and strengthen themselves in accusations against one another ; but who suspects it at home ? who imagines , while he cries out against pride , covetousness , cruelty , treason , heresie , blasphemy , &c. that he himself is the spring whence these issue , and where they would live and flourish , if all the outward appearances of them were cut off ? what moses once said to the people of israel neer the time of his death , that they had seen great works & wonders of god , both in egypt and in the wilderness , yet god had not given them an heart to perceive , nor eyes to see , nor ears to hear , unto that very day , deut. . , . the same may be applied to me , and every man , in the sence in hand . we have seen great and strange breakings forth of wickedness ; man hath been stripped almost naked , turned inside out ; this have we all seen , but we have not seen our selves in this sight ; our own nakedness is not understood by us : it is the kings party that is so unjust , so prophane , so tyrannical , so cruel , so self-ish , not the parliaments : 't is the parliaments party , not the armies : 't is the armies , not the levellers : so in religion , 't is the episcopal party that is so loose , so formal , so oppressive in matters of religion , not the presbyterians : 't is the presbyterians , not the independents ; or if some of all these , yet not i , not such as are of my stamp , of my practise . ah subtle , whorish self ! who can finde thee in thy cuning shifts , who canst lodg wickednes so secretly in thy heart , that thou thy self knowest it not to be there ? well , shall i tell thee what i think ? surely condemnation is written in every mans forehead : every man , in finding fault with others , pronounceth judgment against himself dayly . when thy heart shall be opened by the searcher of it , and the quintessence of that discovered to be in thee , whereof thou hast condemned but some extracts in others , what wilt thou be able to plead why that judgment should not pass upon thee , that thou hast passed upon others . doubtless thou must be forced to confess , that how unrighteous soever thy judgment hath been concerning others , ( as most of our judgments passed upon others are , though we think otherwise , ) yet the judgment of god , concerning thee , is just : and it is a righteous thing , that thou thy self shouldst undergo that sentence , which thou thy self hast pronounced against others , in a case far short of thine , especially seeing thy saviour ( who can be thy onely hope of reserve ) bids thee expect it ; for he positively told his disciples , that with what judgment they did judg they should be judged , mat. . . thou hast here presented to thee a little taste of a parcel of thy self , how thou wilt rellish it , i know not : thou mayst think thy self injured because it is layd somewhat close to thee , without such limitations and exceptions as thou mightest have crept out at . well , be it so , but know withall , that when thou comest to be searched by the candle of the lord , thou must be forced to own these yet farther , and perhaps far more deeper , and greater abominations then these . however take this as kindly as thou canst from him , who waits , in some measure , as he is enabled , for the destruction of this whorish self , both in himself and in thee . who then shall become entirely thine . isaac penington . the great and sole trovbler of the times represented in a map of misery , &c. from jeremiah . ver. , . the heart is deceitful above all things , and desperately wicked , who can know it ? i the lord search the heart , i try the reins . here are four eminent things affirmed concerning the heart of man . . the extream deceitfulness of it , the heart is deceitfull above all things . there are abundance of deceits in the world , deceits in every art , in every trade , in every motion , in every appearance , in all the objects of sense , reason , religion ; but nothing like the heart of man for subtilty , for secrecy , for depth of deceit . there is deceitfulness , almost in all things , that presently cozens a superficial eye . all things are painted , and he that looks but upon the paint in things , and imagines , because he can see and acknowledg the paint , that he sees and knows the thing , is deceived in all things . but in some things there is a thicker paint , they are more throughly guilt , they are so curiously wrought , so like the thing they represent , that it will require a very narrow piercing eye to look through them into the substance it self . some things have yet a deeper dye , that 't is almost impossible to discern them . there are such cheats and cheaters abroad in the world in all sorts of things , in all sorts of objects ; in the objects of sense , in the objects of reason , in the objects of religion , that it is almost if not altogether impossible for any man to escape delusion , who meets with an accurate cheat , in the hand of an accurate cheater . but all these are nothing to the heart of a man , the heart of a man far surpasses all these , it is deceitfull above all things , it hath far more curious deceits , and it is far more exact at the art of deceiving then any thing else can be . it has deceits and skill to cozen it self with : it can seem to hate sin , and make it self beleeve it doth hate sin ; all manner of sin , it s own beloved sin , its inmost sins most , and yet all this while hugg , cherish , imbrace , enjoy them ; unseen , unknown to it self : it can kisse sin and suck the sweetness of sin , even in those very prayers it seems to put up against sin , and of that very sin which it seems in its own spirit to be most fearfull of , and most bent against . it can feed sin with that stroke which it seems to give to it , to mortifie and stab it . it can seem to be zealous for god , for the advancement of his glory , for the good of man in generall , and more particularly for the people of god , big with motions and designes this way , and in the mean time hate god his glory , yea , hate man and the people of god , and in those very designes and motions , endeavour the throwing of them all down ; and all this so unknown to it self , that it would think , you did it the greatest injurie in the world to conceive so of it ; nay , it should be injurious to it self , if it should suspect any such thing concerning it self . here is a deceiver indeed , other deceivers cosen others , and they are very exact in deceit that can cosen all others , but the heart can cosen it self at any time , or in any thing it pleases , and so cosen it self too , that it is impossible to suspect deceit in that thing wherein it cosens it self . the heart is indeed deceitfull above all things . . the extream wickednesse of it , and desperatly wicked , it is as wicked as it is deceitfull , as filthy within , as finely painted without . it is not for nothing that it hath this large cloak of sin , but it has within proportionable wickednesse to cover with it . there is a fountaine , a sea , an ocean of wickedness , and of the worst kind , the intensest kind , desperate wickedness . the sinne that appeares abroad in the world , is but some drops , some rivolets of that that is in the heart ; nay , it is hardly of the same kind . the evill that appeares in the world , it is modest , rationall , lovely in comparison of that which is in the heart ; that , there is a more mad , a more desperate kind of wickednesse ; that uncleanness , that pride , that cruelty , that enmity , that rebellion against god , that blasphemy that makes such a noise in the world ; alas , it is a poore peece of wickednesse to that which is in thine and my heart . if our hearts were opened and compared with such outward actings of those persons we now think very abominable , alas , they would be saints in respect of us , the sight of such a depth of desperate wickednesse would swallow up a little shallow breakings forth of it . . the vniversall ignorance of man concerning his heart ; nay , the impossibility of any ones knowing it . who can know it ? such a question according to the common rule of interpretation , is a strong negation , more forcible then if it had been barely thus expressed , no man can know it . who can know it ? every man thinks he knows his heart , charge him with any thing , how confidently will he go to purge himselfe of it , as if he were absolutely certain it were not in him . but his heart deceives him about the knowledge of it self , as well as about other things , for he doth not , he cannot know it . he may take a great deal of pains to search and examin it ; he may have some experience of some evill in it , some guesses at more , but the knowledge of the evill of it he has not . man is not capable of knowing his own heart , it is too bigg for him to comprehend , too vaste , too deep for his shallow brains , to receve the knowledg of . the light of religion may shew him much evill in it , and make him sensible that there is much more , but distinctly to shew it him , all the light of religion that i have tasted of , or heard of , cannot attain to . at sometime i have had some astonishing sights of a depth of pride , unbelief , covetousness , hypocrisie , &c. but distinctly to discern , or measure that depth , hath still been too hard for me , when the light was clearest and fullest . and here i am told , t is not my condition alone , but the condition of others also ; yea of all men , who can know it ? . the worke that god is continually about in reference to the heart of man , i the lord search the heart , i try the reines . would you know what god is continually doing in the world , why he is searching the heart , and trying the reines . no man can do it , he can , and does . he has a bucket that he can let down into this great deep , and bring up what kind of filth of it he pleases , and poure it forth in the sight of the sun . this is the work god hath alwaies been about-look into the scripture , what is it , but gods discovery of mans heart , a record of gods searching the heart , and trying the reines . it is mans work to hide and cover his heart , & to lay all his loathsomness deep , and remove it as far out of the sight of himself and others , as possibly may be . it is gods work to search out his filth , to fetch it up out of this dark depth , and set it in order before his and others eyes . and what a man may seem most free from , and think himself wholly mortifitified unto , god chuses to draw forth and discover to him and others . drunkenness out of temperate noah , incest out of chaste lot , unbeliefe out of faithfull abraham , rigid sharpnesse out of meek moses , impatience and curses out of patient and blessing job , pride out of newly broken and humbled hezekiah . and i have often found , that what evill i have dis-relished in others , and thought god might justly be meeet with them for , it was soon after opened , and let loose in mine own heart . this deserves serious consideration , for as it is the work god is alwaies about , so he seems now more especially to apply himself to it , he hath gone very far in it , he hath so opened this sink in all sorts of men , in every man , that every man is become abominable , i had almost said , to all but himself , and his own party . i the lord search the heart , i try the reines . my intention at present is only to treat a little concerning the second of these , the desperate wickedness of of mans heart , wherein there may also be a further touch given about the deceitfulness of it too , it being a part of its wickedness , as well as cloak for all the rest . the heart is desperately wicked . this is his testimony of it , who tries and knows it . i might mention other scriptures also which speak to the same purpose , as that in eccles. . . the heart of the sons of men is full of evill , and madnesse is in their heart while they live . he speaks not concerning one mans heart , but generally concerning every mans , the heart of the sons of men , and couples evill and them altogether : nor doth he speak restrainedly concerning some kind of evill , but indefinitely taking in all manner of evill ; there is nothing that is called evill , but is to be found in the heart of man . neither is there onely a spice or tang of some kind , nay of every kinde of evill , but every mans heart is full of all manner of evill . the heart is a very vast thing , but as vast as it is , it is full , and that of evill , has as much evill in it , as it can hold . and madness is in their heart while they live . madness is the greatest distemper that can befall man , it quite unmans the man , takes away his reason , or rather poysons it , that it becomes no way profitable to him , but a strong engine to entangle him ; and the greater and stronger his reason is , the more is he bound in the fetters of his distemper , and the less able to help himself . there are three known properties of madness , of mad men . misehievousness , especially to themselves , they care not how they cut and would themselves . insensibleness , they feel not the smart of blows . and wilfulness , there is no perswading of them to any thing , least of all to any thing that is good for themselves . this is the true picture , the resemblance of every man ; he is mad , what others appear to him to be in a shadow , he himself is in truth , a mad man , a man destitute of his true reason , that which is left , is no more profitable to him , then that is in him , whom he calls the mad man . he hath all the properties of madness , he is mischievous to himself , cuts , flashes , wounds his soul unmercifully . he is insensible , insensible of the wounds he gives himself , insensible of the afflictions god lays upon him . he is wilful , there 's no perswading him to any thing , but what agrees with his madness ; you cannot displease him more then to offer him physick , nor torment him more then force him to take it . and when god doth force any upon him , and cause it to work , how doth he roar and cry out , as if the healing of his madness were the loss of his happiness ? nor doth this madness lie in some of his motions , but in his heart , where it keeps possession all the days of his life . and madness is in their heart while they live , while man lives , while man hath an heart of his own , this madness lies in it when he dyes , and has a new heart given him , that heart is free from it . so that well known place , mat. . . out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts , murders , adulteries , fornications , thefts , false witness , blasphemies . what a bundle of wickedness is here that proceeds out of the heart , and therefore has its place and residence in the heart . to illustrate this further , i shall instance in some of the more common sort of wickednesses , which lodg in the heart , and contribute somewhat towards the filling of it , as particularly in these , pride , covetousness , envy , unrighteousness , enmity , cruelty , unbelief , hypocrisie . i. pride : pride is a desperate evil , it puts every thing out of its place , thrusts down what is excellent , lifts up what is base and vile , sets all things in a combustion and contention . what is the reason there is so much trouble and disorder every where , but because there is so much pride , which is still begetting , heightning and nourishing them . now the heart of man abounds with this desperate pride . pride chiefly acts and discovers it self in three things , in high conceits of self , in great desires , and vehement endeavors to exalt and set up self , and all these are in every man ; there is no man ( though perhaps most think otherwise concerning themselves ) free from such conceits , from such desires , from such endeavors . . every man is highly conceited of himself , of what he is , of what he does , of what he deserves . there is none so uncomely , but they are lovely in their own eyes ; none so foolish , but they think themselves wise ; every man admires his own parts , his own abilities , his own gifts ; every christian , so far as he is a man , his own graces ; and he is not set high enough thinks himself ; he is qualified for higher employments , in chruch , in common-weal , then he is put to . then for his actions , how highly does he think of them also ? what ever he does is well done . seldom does a man do anything so ill , that he does not justifie himself in , in some respect or other . is he angry ? he has just cause . does he any wrong ? he was justly provoked , it was not injury , but that which the party deserved . his good actions are exceeding good , his bad he was drawn to , incited to , tempted to they did not flow from himself ; he hath still somewhat before him , to make himself and his own actions lovely to him , and to take off that unloveliness which any else may fasten upon them . lastly , for his desires , he values them too according to the rate he sets upon himself , and upon his actions : he thinks he deserves highly of men , of christians , for all he does for them , and among them , he is never prized by any according to his worth , his friends do not value him enough , church , common-weal , where ever his service is , it is not sufficiently esteemed or rewarded . these are the thoughts that lie hid in every mans heart concerning himself , and at sometimes break forth so into his view , that he must needs shut his eyes , or acknowledg them . . man has great desires to set up himself ; 't is almost , if not altogether , the sole of his desires , to please himself , to have every thing subject to himself ; to be esteemed , honored and made use of himself , to have his abilities employed , commended , rewarded ; this is the very heart of the man , this is that every man pants after , and would fain possess . . he uses great endeavors too to attain this ; he will run through all difficulties , use all diligence , venture all hazards and dangers to satisfie himself , to please himself . what cost will a man be at to set up his own will ? how many contentions are dangerously begun and chargeably maintained , meerly to humour a mans own will ? when reason , judgment , nay , sense of smart says , let them fall ; no , says will , i will rather loose all first , and this alone many times continues them . what pains will a man take to maintain his own wisdom ? he will rather lay his folly open by multitudes of vain excuses , then suffer a blemish of indiscretion to lie upon him . how eagerly does he maintain the excellency of that which he commends , the worthlesness of that which he dispraises ? this is that every man strives for , to have his will the rule , his wisdom the counsellor ; if any thing be amiss , he would have had it otherwise ; if anything prove amiss , it was because his advice was not followed . all a mans thoughts , reasonings , discourses , beating of his brains ( were he able to see it ) tend this way , either directly to advance somewhat that hath reference to self , or secretly to undermine somewhat that stands in the way of the advancement of self-profit , pleasure , honor , either outward or inward , which draw all men after them , what are they , but severall waies of advancing self more sutably to its temper ? this is the first of those evils proposed to be instanced in , which hath its seat in the heart of man , pride . ii. the second is covetousnesse . as man onely would set up himself , so he would onely enjoy all himself . he would ' dwell alone ; he would be as god is , alone , and none besides him : he would have all to himself ; he is never satisfied , while there is any thing to be had . his eye is never satisfied with seeing , nor his eare with hearing , nor his heart with enjoying . every thing in man immeasurably covets , oh what a depth then is there in his heart that feeds all these . we look upon raking and scraping a little silver and gold together , as the chief part of covetousness ; alas ! that is but one branch of it , and but a poore petty one neither , in respect of what is in , and if occasion serve , can arise out of his heart . iii. envy . this is a desperate evill too ; it did david much hurt , his feet had almost slipped , psal. . v. . how ? while he envied at the foolish , vers. . man envies at good that falls besides himself , at others being lift up , at the thriving of others , either in outwards or spirituals . as he would be all , and have all , so he envies both at god and men that are above him . iv. unrighteousness . man is unjust in all his actions , in all the courses he takes to lift up himself , to attain the enjoyment of things himself . he is unrighteous towards god and men in his dealings with them , in his interpretations of his own , and their actions . he judgeth favourably of himself , but severely of them . there is no man almost that has to doe with him , acts well towards him ; he acts well towards all others . nay , for god himself , it is he that is too blame : he acts well towards god , but god acts not kindly towards him . he fasts , he prayes , he beleeves , he waits ; but god does not blesse him enough , either in outwards , or spirituals . he is forward enough in praying , in fasting ; but god is not forward enough in taking notice thereof . wherefore have we fasted ? &c. the waies of the lord are not equall . v. enmity . man hates everything but himself . he hates man , he hates god . the haters of god , it is a scripture phrase , and it is that which is the temper of man , it might be used for one of the most proper descriptions of him . would you know what man is ? why , this he is , one that hates god , and all thoughts of reconciliation and union with him . and so he hates man too , hatefull , and hating one another , even persons tyed together by the greatest bonds of wickednesse ( where likeness might breed love ) yet hate one another . ah! doe not shift this from your selves to others , but know , when yee heare of any wickedness in the heart of any man , it is but the heart of every man drawn out . ther is hatred to god , and hatred to man in us all . see it drawn out of any heart , and yee may be sure it is in evey heart : and the reason , why men cannot beleeve it is in them , is because there was never occasion to draw it out forcibly and undeniably from them . object . but this is evidently otherwise , will some be ready to reply . doth not man naturally love his kindred and friends , it is onely his enemies that he hates . answ. the answer is as ready . man onely loves himself : and so much as is of self in any thing , so much he loves . the reference that is to self in any thing , he loves : therefore he loves his kindred , because they are a part of self , they are but self a little multiplied , and removed . and thus he loves god , let him look upon him as a preserver of himself , as a saviour of himself , as one that is good and kind to him : but this is not the love of god , but self-love . in this sence a man may be said to love most things , for most things have some reference to him , and that reference he loves ; but this is not the true love of any thing , but the love of self in that thing . this is not a pure , but an adulterous love , and the flowings forth of it in every kinde , and in every step , are unchaste . vi . cruelty . man is very cruell indeed , nothing but cruelty . mercy is gods ; and when man seems to shew mercy , it is gods acting in him , though he know it not , it is the bowels of god , streaming forth from god through him as the pipe : but man himself is cruell , cruell to the creatures , a very tyrant over them . cruell to men , homo homini lupus , hence he is resembled to , and called in scripture by the name of such creatures as are most ravenous , as a lion , beare , leopard , woolf , &c. cruell to god , he would kill all the discoveries of god in himself , in others , in heaven , in earth , and put out his very being too , if he could . this is much shut up within man , by him who bounds all things , and most of all the heart of man , but let him but once let it loose , and anger and fear enough in man excite and draw it out , then it will soon appear somewhat like it self . vii . unbelief , distrust of god . man , there 's no faith towards god in him ; he cannot , he will not trust god , but himself , and creatures like himself he will trust , nay cannot , forbear trusting , how often soever he be deceived and wounded thereby . the jews , gods own people , could never be drawn to trust god , but the helps and means themselves sought out , though they proved continually broken reeds to them . all the experiences they had of god , all the miracles he did for them , all the miseries they felt by declining him in their distresses , and running to other shifts , could never bring them to trust god , but still every fresh occasion draws forth unbelief in them , and murmuring from them . perhaps some beleevers may be apt to complaine , that here wants distinction all along , and may have such distinctions in their minds , whereby they can throw off all this from themselves , and lay it at the doores of unregenerate and unbeleeving mens hearts . to such i shall say onely this , oh sirs , take heed , left when you heart come to be ripped up , and the depths therein laid open , they prove so vaste , as to confound and swallow up that distinction , which now appeares so great and clear in your eyes . viii . the last evill that i now shall mention , is hypocrisie . the heart is very deceitfull , cozens men , cozens it self , assaies to cozen god . be not deceived , god is not mocked . there is that in the heart of man , that will attempt to mock and deceive god . though all these forementioned evills are in man , yet there is no perswading him , any one of them is in him , at least in any such degree , as is spoken of , so deeply doth his heart deceive him . for pride . he is not so lift up in his spirit as was expressed . he has not any high conceits of himself , or of his own parts , or abilities , or graces ; he sees others go beyond him : and he has no such desires in him to be exalted ; nay , he would not be to high , nor does he use endeavours that way , he takes no pains at all to lift up himself , or to have himself exalted . for covetousness : it is far from him too , he does not rake and scrape as he sees many others do , but he is very well contented with what he has . is it not a strange thing , yet very common ? the most wretchedly covetous persons can see and cry out against covetousness in others , but they themselves seem to themselves free of it , and all that they do in this kind is no more then they ought , or at least are warranted to do . for envy ; he envies no man , perhaps he will confess he wishes it were somewhat better with himself , but yet he is not offended or grieved at the prosperity of any other . so for unrighteousness ; he is far from that , he will rather wrong himself , then any one else . and for enmity ; he bears ill will to none , forgives all the world with all his heart . as touching cruelty ; god forbid he should be so wicked as to be cruel to any . is thy servant a dog ? said hazael , when the prophet told him weeping , what cruelty he would exercise in ripping up women with child , &c. he could not harbor a thought of any such barbarism lying within him . unbelief likewise ; which uses to discover it self , both in a mans spirit , withdrawing from a naked depending on god , and in running to other things for support and relief , is exceedingly hid in the heart from the man , so that he cannot see or acknowledg it , unless in the lump , ( which the heart in a secret craft may do , to hide the branches of it the more securely . ) there is a notable example concerning the deceit of the heart about the unbelief of it , in the coherence of this verse with the former . the prophet had pronounced a curse from the lord upon the unbeleeving heart , verse . thus saith the lord , cursed is the man that trusteth in man , and maketh flesh his arm , and whose heart departeth from the lord . and had also proclaimed the beleever blessed , vers. . . blessed is the man that trusteth in the lord , and whose hope the lord is , for he shall be as a tree planted by the waters , &c. what now would this people say to him , who were always running to other means , and departing from the lord , but yet could never be convinced thereof ? why surely they would presently be blessing themselves ; they would look upon the gentiles , ( who did not know god , nor trust god ) as the persons to whom this curse did belong , but as for themselves , they were heirs of this blessing : their hearts could witness within them , that their trust was not in men ; indeed they did address themselves to men sometimes for help as means under god , so they might make use of the egyptians or assyrians in such a sense , but they did not trust them , their only trust was in god . ah , says the prophet , the heart is deceitful above all things : little do you know how your hearts cozen you ; you still think , you only use means under god , and your trust is alone in him , whereas in truth your heart departs from him , you dare not , you cannot trust him in any distress , looking it in the face , and not shrinking back ; but your heart is raised or dejected , according as the means and helps it hath recourse to , appear unto it . so exceeding deep is the hypocrisie of the heart , that man can never beleeve what is in him , until he see it break forth from him , and long may it break forth from him before he can be drawn to see it ; very palpable must that evil be , which mans heart cannot at least in some measure shift off from it self . thus thou hast had a little glimmering of the grosser part of thy self , which self is the strange woman that flattereth thee with her lips , alluring thee from the chaste and pure embraces of thy first love into her unclean bed : but should i track her in her more refined footsteps and motions , in her several dresses , attires , ornaments , paintings , & shew thee her covered here with a sweet meek disposition , with modesty , wth learning , with a natural nobleness of spirit , with all the excellencies of nature , covered there with all the excellencies of religion , crept into every form of holiness that is visible in the world , into all duties , into all graces , into all spiritual motions , into fasting , prayer , beleeving , waiting , love , joy , peace , sorrow for sin , humility , patience , &c. what wouldst thou say ? what wouldst thou think ? how wouldst thou stand amazed . and yet is she not now thus laid open to the sight of every observing eye , and espied under all these by them that watch her ? she was clothed with civility , with morality , with generosity , adorned with the choicest flowers of nature , learning , art , in the kings party , so finely guilded and painted with nobleness and bravery , that her worth seemed to be real and truly excellent : but how base did selfbreak forth , and appear under all these , and put off these at pleasure ? what base unworthy actings , unbeseeming men of honor or ingenuity , did self put those noble spirits upon ? she was clothed with religion , the reformation thereof , and regaining of just rights and liberties , and setting up a perfect administration of righteousness in the parliaments party ; a brave attire , very lovely apparel : but did not self too apparently lie underneath it ? did not this appear to be the dress of self , which she made use of , and threw off at pleasure ? she was clothed with several of the highest and most beautiful forms of religion in the army , with a flaming zeal of setting open the fountain , and all the channels of righteousness , possessing every man with a present enjoyment of those rights and liberties which others had under pretence of preserving , defrauded them of . sure here is integrity , here is the naked glory of god , and good of the nation springing up : who would think to find self lie lurking close here too ? nay , it is commonly reported , that this harlot is crept into churches , ordinances , religious exercises ; into fastings , prayers , preachings , morning exercises , where self-advancement , self-interests , self-ends , self-designs smell so strong , that they are offensive to all , but such as are engaged in them . blush oh heavens , and be astonished oh earth , how are ye both stripped ! there 's no vertue nor strength left in either of you . natural excellencies have now no power to keep self under in the earth among men , but there she gets up , and will be mistress . neither have spiritual excellencies any power to keep her under among christians , but there she lifts her self up as a queen also . what christ saith is to little purpose , what self saith is become now the law to christians . if she sow the seeds of enmity and division among them , it must grow , and the seed of love which christ sows must be nipped . though christ say , this is my commandment , that ye love one another , as i have loved you ; yet if self say , this is my commandment , that ye hare one another , that ye stir up hatred against one another ; that though other men would agree and be at peace , yet ye lay about you , and keep up war and bloodshed for your own ends and interests ; while self is mistress it must be so , her law must stand . but i find my spirit growing weary of this subject , ( there is another part that i would fain be vievving of , and digging into , and i am apt to groan out ; oh that this were shut , and that opened , or rather that this were burnt , and consumed , and that fourbished and brightened , ) i shall therefore only propose some few considerations by way of consequence from the premises , and so conclude . the heart is desperately wicked . then . see what all is , and must needs be , that flows from the man ; from such a bitter fountain what can proceed , but it must be bitter ? if the root be so bad , all the branches and fruit must needs be nought . all the thoughts , words and actions of man , what are they ? surely as they come from his heart , so they cannot but be like his heart , polluted , unclean , filthy , noisom , offensive to every pure eye , to every pure taste , to every pure nostril . he that hath a pure eye , a pure pallate , a pure nostril , cannot endure the sight , the relish , the scent of any thing of man . and this is the judgment that god , who knows what they are , passes concerning them , concerning all that flows from man , all his thoughts , all his words , all his actions . he passes this judgment upon his thoughts , gen. . . and god saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth , and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually . what ever man thinks of , his thought is evil : if he think concerning god or man , or himself ; if he think to please himself , if he think to cross himself , to deny himself , to worship god , to please god , to subject himself to the will of god , yet if this flows from the man , it must needs be evil , the root being so corrupt . the purity of the object , and the seeming integrity of the action , cannot take off the impurity which goes from the heart into every motion and thought of it . there are some kind of thoughts , malicious thoughts , cruel thoughts , passionate thoughts , covetous thoughts , unclean thoughts , such as these man will easily yield to be evil ; but that his holy thoughts , his religious thoughts , his meditations on god , his goodness , his providence , his thoughts of reformation , of suppressing evil in others , and searching and purging it out of his own heart also , that these should be evil , what man does or can suspect ? yet this sentence god passes on all his thoughts : nay , though he do not go so far as a thought , if he do but imagine in any kind , the very forming of a thought in him , the very first motion of a desire before it , and the object can meet , this is evil ; the least , the weakest motion of the heart has strength enough of evil in it : and this is not only in some imagination , when his heart is framing some notorious wicked thing , but in every imagination , what ever thought his heart is framing ; the heart is evil , and the thought is evil , and the passage between the heart & thought is evil . and it is only evil ; it is not mixed with evil , but it is all evil , nothing but evil ; it has not only a tincture of evil going along with it , a savour of corruption sticking to it , but it is all corrupt . nor is it only thus sometimes , or now and then , but continually ; all the time of man , in all the several shapes and changes he appears in of civility , morality , religion , shifting out of one into another , still it is thus with him , still of this nature are his thoughts , his imaginations ; day and night , winter and summer , seed time and harvest , his imaginations are not only evil in the night , in the dark time of his ignorance , but in the day , in his brightest time , in the time of his clearest light and knowledg ; they are not only evil in the winter , in time of adversity , while he is under sharp storms of afflictions , under distempers and oppressions of the outward or inward man , but in the summer too , in the time of his prosperity , when he thrives either outwardly , or in his spirit ; they are not only evil in his sad seed time , where he meets with much trouble , temptation and interruption , but in his harvest , when he brings in his crop of peace , joy , rest , comfort . continually , continually , in every state , in every condition , in every change evil , and only evil is every imagination of the thoughts of his heart . his words are evil too , they come from the same root , out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks ; they are unclean , for they defile the man , that which comes out of the man defiles the man . so also are his actions , all his actions his very best , his praying , his hearing , his repenting , his beleeving , &c. they are unclean . prov. . . the sacrifice of the wicked is abomination ; how much more when he bringing it with a wicked mind . the wicked here is the person in whom this evil heart is , we look upon him as wicked , whose life is evil in our eyes , but god looks upon him as wicked , whose heart is evil in his eyes . the sacrifice of this wicked person is his worshipping god , his serving god in the way of his own appointment ; his praying , hearing , meditating , &c. now this is abomination , that which god loaths , his very soul abhors ; that which he himself would loath , if he had but eyes to see into it . how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind ? it may be made more loathsom by corrupt ends and desires , gathering into his mind in the performance of it , but however it is loathsom . when he does it with never so pure an intention to honor god , when he fasts and prays meerly to abase his spirit , and lay it low before god , yet then it is loathsom , though much more loathsom , when he does it with a wicked mind , when he fasts and prays intentionally to smite with the fist of wickedness , to set up his own ends and designs , and beat down other parties and interests that stand in the way of it . . take notice what a just ground there is , why god should deal sharply with us , why he should chide and fight with any of us , why he should so contend with the man in us . oh there is a desperate root of wickedness in us all ; can you blame him to be at enmity with it ? is it fit the holy and pure god should let such a fountain of unholiness of impurity stand in his sight , and not fight with it , sink it , and subdue it unto himself ? . consider what an unfitting thing it is for us to be judging one another , who are all so deeply guilty in that very thing wherein we judg , or can judg any other . therefore thou art inexcusable , o man , whosoever thou art that judgest ; for wherein thou judgest another , thou condemnest thy self , for thou that judgest dost the same things , rom. . . there is the root in thee of the same wicked action thou judgest another for , there wants only somewhat to exhaust the corrupt juyce therof into thy sight ; but in the sight of god , who judges by the heart , thou art as a deep in that wickedness as he , and thou by judging his wicked action , condemnest thine own wicked heart which is full of it ; nay , thou hast done it in the eye of god , who reckons that done which the heart would do , and perhaps thou hast brought it forth into act too in an higher kind , then he whom thou judgest hath done , though thou seest it not , and so canst not be sensible of it . what canst thou acquit thy self of , that thou judgest another for ? wilt thou judg another for adultery ? thou hast it in thine heart , and hast acted a worse adultery , hast forsaken the bed of thy unblemished husband indeed . wilt thou judg another for murder ? ( i speak not concerning judicial proceedings in courts of justice , where magistrates as they are entrusted with a work beyond man , so they are enstated in a degree above man , i have said , ye are gods ; yet therein they fall short too , because they are but men at bottom , and so at best can judg but according to the sight of the eye , and hearing of the ear , which is opposed to righteous judgment , isai. . , . ) i say , wilt thou judg another for murder ? thou hast that cruelty in thee that would commit it , yea , and hast killed the lord of life . wilt thou condemn antichrist ? thou hast the man of sin in thee , whereof that which thou callest antichrist is , as it were , but a figure . wilt thou judg another for fleshly principles , and fleshly actings ? alas ! how many fleshly principles prevail in thee ? how many fleshly actings issue out from thee , perhaps in an higher kind and degree of spiritual wickedness , then the party whom thou judgest is capable of . god has still given several outward representations in the several ages of the world , of the wickedness of mans inward parts , to point him thereby as with the finger , to the sight , knowledg and detestation of himself ; but this hath still been the subtle course of the deceitful heart of man , to cry out aloud against evil in those outward dresses , and the mean while to nourish the substance of it within . and still as persons grow in light and knowledg , and so come to discern the more secret and spiritual dresses of it , they are ready to give themselves scope to condemn it in such or such a dress , ( wherein now they full well know it , ) not seeing what more spiritual shape the same thing has put on in them , under which it hides it self , and acts more powerfully , then it did in those lower shapes and dresses whereby it deluded them before . if we did but know our selves , we should not dare to be judging one another ; but it is this same looking on evil as at a distance from us , as anothers , not our own that makes us so severe towards others . . it shews the reason of all that wickedness , that enmity , pride , cruelty , &c. that now breaks forth in the world , and abounds every where ; what is the matter ? how comes this to pass ? why god is ripping up the heart of man , opening the heart of man , and so that which is in it gushes out and appears . god is stirring the sink , and that makes it send forth that noisom savour that offends every nostril . . it may be unto us a ground to qualifie our spirits , and make them willing to enter into gods furnace , and quietly to endure the force of that fire which he in wisdom sees needful to purge out this wickedness , and purifie the heart by . what sober spirit that has the real sence of such pollution in him , would not loath himself , desire to be delivered from himself , and be willing to have the fire kindled , and so burn upon him , ( though it did scortch and pain him unsufferably , ) as to consume and devour this filth . never willhe wonder at the sharpness of god , who is sencible of the desperate evil of his own heart : never can he be weary of the refiners fire , who is weary enough of his own corrupt heart . 't is because we know not our own hearts , that we think god might cure us with less launcing . when we come to know our selves , nothing will be more burdensom to us then ourselves , and nothing will be more welcom then that sword which is sharp enough , and that hand which comes resolutely enough , and strikes home enough , to let out the very life of our hearts , which when once done will make us happy . finis . the first part of the cases of conscience wherein specially, three maine questions concerning man, simply considered in himselfe, are propounded and resolued, according to the word of god. taught and deliuered, by m. william perkins in his holy-day lectures, by himselfe revised before his death, and now published for the benefit of the church. cases of conscience. part perkins, william, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc estc s this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the first part of the cases of conscience wherein specially, three maine questions concerning man, simply considered in himselfe, are propounded and resolued, according to the word of god. taught and deliuered, by m. william perkins in his holy-day lectures, by himselfe revised before his death, and now published for the benefit of the church. cases of conscience. part perkins, william, - . pickering, thomas, d. . [ ], , [ ] p. printed by iohn legat, printer to the vniversitie of cambridge. . and are to be sold in pauls church-yard at the signe of the crowne by simon waterson, [cambridge] : [ ] editor's dedication signed: tho. pickering. reproduction of the original in cambridge university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every 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siefring text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the first part of the cases of conscience . wherein specially , three maine questions concerning man , simply considered in himselfe , are propounded and resolued , according to the word of god. taught and deliuered , by m. william perkins in his holy-day lectures , by himselfe revised before his death , and now published for the benefit of the church . printed by iohn legat , printer to the vniversitie of cambridge . and are to be sold in pauls church-yard at the signe of the crowne by simon waterson . to the right worshipfull sir edward denny , knight . there is no one doctrine reuealed in the word of god , or dispensed by the prophets and apostles , of greater vse and consequence in the life of man , then is that , which prescribeth a forme of releeuing and rectifying the conscience . the benefit , which from hence issueth vnto the church of god , is vnspeakable . for first , it serueth to discouer the cure of the dangerousest sore that can be , the wound of the spirit . which how great a crosse it is , the wise man reporteth out of true experience , when he saith , that the spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmitie , but a wounded spirit who can beare it ? and his meaning is , that no outward griefe , can fall into the nature of man , which will not be with patience indured , to the vtmost , so long as the minde is not troubled , or dismayed . but when once the spirit is touched , and the heart , ( which , beeing well apa●ed , is the very foūtaine of peace to the whole man , ) smitten with feare of the wrath of god for sinne ; the griefe is so great , the burden intolerable , that it will not by any outward meanes , be eased or asswaged . secondly , it giueth for all particular cases , special and sound direction ; whether man be to walke with god , in the immediate performance of the duties of his seruice , or to conuerse with man according to the state and condition of his life , in the familie , in the church , or in the common-wealth . the want of which direction , of what force it is , to turne the actions of men , which are good in themselues , to sinnes in regard of the agents , s. paul affirmeth in that generall conclusion , whatsoeuer is not of faith , is sinne . wherein he would teach vs , that whatsoeuer is done , or vndertaken by men in this life , whether it concerne the knowledge and worship of god , or any particular dutie to be performed , by vertue of their callings , for the common good ; whereof they haue not sufficient warrant , and assurance in conscience , grounded vpon the word , that it is to be don , or not to be done ; to them it is a sinne . thirdly , it is of all other doctrines , ( if it be rightly vsed ) the most comfortable . for it is not founded in the opinions , & variable conceits of men , neither doth it consist , of conclusions and positions , that are onely probable and coniecturall : ( for the conscience of the doubting or distressed partie , cannot be established and rectified by them : ) but it resteth vpon most sufficient and certaine grounds , collected & drawne out of the very word of god , which , as it is mightie in operation , ●earcing the heart , and discerning the thoughts and intents thereof , so is it alone auaileable and effectuall to pacific the minde , and to giue full satisfaction to the conscience . and as the benefit is great ; so the want of this doctrine , together with the true manner of applying the same , is , and hath beene the cause , of many and great inconueniences . for euen of those that feare god , and haue receiued to beleeue , there be many , who in the time of their distresses , when they haue considered , the waight and desert of their sinnes , and withall apprehended the wrath of god , due vnto them ; haue beene brought vnto hard exigents , mourning , and wayling , and crying out , as if god had forsaken them , vntill they haue beene releeued by the spirit of christ , in the meditation of the word , and promise of god. but those especially , who haue not beene instructed in the knowledge of the truth , nor beene acquainted with the course of gods dealing , with his distressed children , by reason of ignorance and blindnes , in matters of religion and pietie , when the lord hath let loose the cord of their consciences , and set before their eyes , both the number of their sinnes committed , and the iust anger of god purchased thereby , what haue they done ? surely despairing of their owne estates , and of the mercie of god , they haue either growne to phrensie , and madnes , or els sorted vnto themselues fearefull ends , some by hanging , some by drowning , others by murthering their owne selues . and if not in regard of griefe and trouble of minde ; yet for want of better resolution in particular cases , within the compasse of their generall or personall callings , though otherwise , men indued with some measure of knowledge and obedience , herein they haue failed , that they haue either abused , or els quite relinquished & forsaken their callings , and thereby haue become scandalous , & offēsiue vnto others . now as this is a matter of great waight & importance , so is it most meete , that the best and fittest course should be taken , in the teaching and inforcing of the same . in which regard we haue iust cause , to challenge the popish church , who in their case-writings haue erred , both in the substance and circumstances of this doctrine , as shall appeare in the sequele . first , because the dutie of releeuing the conscience , is by them commended to the sacrificing priest , which , though according to their owne canons a he should be a man of knowledge , and free from imputation of wickednes , yet oft times it falls out that he is either vnlearned , or els wicked and leud of conuersation , and consequently vnfit for such a purpose . secondly , they teach that their priests appointed to be comforters & releeuers of the distressed , are made by christ himselfe b iudges of the cases of conscience , hauing in their owne hands a iudiciarie power and authoritie , truly and properly to binde or to loose , to remit or to retaine sinnes , to open or to shut the kingdome of heauen . a blasphemous doctrine . considering that christ onely hath the keyes of dauid , which properly and truly openeth , and no man shutteth , and properly and truly shutteth , & no man openeth . and the ministers of god , are not called to be absolute iudges of the cōscience , but only messēgers & embassadors of recōciliatiō ; wherupon it followeth , that they cānot be c the authors and giuers of remission of sinnes , but onely the ministers and dispensers of i●●e same . thirdly , the papists in their writings haue scattered here and there , sundrie false and erronious grounds of doctrine , much preiudiciall to the direction or resolution of the conscience in time of neede , as namely , i. that a man in the course of his life , may build himselfe vpon the faith of his teachers , and for his saluation rest contented with an implicite & vn-expressed faith . which doctrine , as it is an onely meane , to keepe men in perpetuall blindnes and ignorance , so it serueth to no other purpose in the time of temptation , but to plunge the heart of man into the pitte of despaire , it being vncapable of comfort , for want of knowledge and vnderstanding of the word and promise of god. ii. that euery man ought to stand in feare and doubt of the pardon of his sinnes , and that no man can be assured by the certentie of faith , either of the present fauour of god , or of his owne saluation . true it is , that in respect of our owne vnworthines and indisposition , we haue iust cause , not onely to doubt and feare , but to despaire and be confounded before the iudgement seat of god. yet that a man should not be certainely resolued by faith of the mercie of god , in and for the merit of christ , is a comfortlesse doctrine to a distressed soule , and contrarie vnto the sauing a word of the gospel , which teacheth , that certentie floweth from the nature of faith , and not doubting . iii. that every man is bound in conscience vpon paine of damnation , to make speciall confession of his mortall sinnes , with all the particular circumstances thereof , once euery yeare to his priest. this doctrine and practise , besides that it hath no warrant of sacred writte , nor yet any ground of orthodoxe antiquitie , for yeares more or lesse after christ i● maketh notably to the disturbing of the peace of conscience ▪ in time of extremitie , considering that it is impossible either to vnderstand or remember all , many beeing vnknowne , and hidden and the minde beeing informed that forgiuenesse dependeth vpon such an enumeration ▪ may thus be brought into doubt and distrust , and will not be able to rest by faith in the sole mercie of god , the onely soueraigne medicine of the soule . againe , the griefe of the minde , doth not alwaies arise from all the sinnes that a man hath committed , neither doth the lord se● before the sinners eies , whatsoeuer euill hath bin done by him ▪ but some one or more particulars ; and these are they , that doe lie heauie vpon the heart and to be eased of them , will be worke enough ▪ though ●e doth not exhibite vnto the confessour ▪ a catalogue of all the rest . iv. that some sinnes are veniall , because they are only besides the lawe of god not against it and because a they ●in●●●uer the sinner onely to temporal , and not to eternall punishments . this conclusion , first is false ; for though it be graunted that some offences are greater , some lesser some in an higher degree , others in a lower : againe , that sinnes in regard of the euent , beeing repented of , or in respect of the person sinning , beeing in christ , and therfore accounted iust , are pardonable , because they are not imputed to condemnation ; yet there is no sin of what degree soeuer , which is not simply , and of it selfe mortall , whether we respect the nature of the sinne , or the measure & proportion of diuine iustice . for in nature it is an anomie , that is to say , an aberration from the perfect rule of righteousnesse , and therefore is subiect to the curse , both of temporary and eternall death . it is an offence against the highest maiestie , and consequently , man standeth by it ingaged to euerlasting torment . secondly , it is a weake and insufficient ground of resolution , vnto a troubled conscience . for whereas true and sauing ioy is the daughter of sorrowe , and the heart of man cannot be lifted vp , in assurance of gods fauour , to the apprehension and conceipt of heauenly comforts , vnlesse it be first abased , & by true humiliatiō , brought to nothing in it self . the remembrance of this , that the offence committed is veniall , may in some cases too much inlarge the heart , and giue occasion to presume , when haply there will be reason to the contrary . and if not that yet in the case of falling by infirmitie , after grace receiued , the mind beeing forestalled with this erronious conceipt , that the sin is lesse , then it is indeede , because veniall , may in the issue be lesse quieted , and more perplexed . v. that a man may satisfie the iustice of the god , for the temporall punishment of his sinnes committed . to omit the vntrueth of this position , howe it maketh to the easing of the heart , or the asswaging of the griefe of minde in temptation , i appeale to common experience . for when a man , beeing assured of the pardon of his sinnes , shall yet cōsider , that there is something more behind to be done on his part , how can he in probabilitie , rely himselfe wholly vpon christs satisfaction ? how can he reape vnto himselfe frō thence any assurance of reconciliation to god , whome he formerly offended ? if we may and must doe something in our own persons , whereby to appease the wrath of god , why hath our sauiour taught vs for our hearts releife , wholly and onely to make the plea of pardon for our sinnes ? true it is indeede , that popish confessors doe teach their penitents , when they feele the wrath of god vpon them for sin , to stop the mouth of conscience , by performance of a formall humiliation and repentance , yea to offer vnto god some ceremoniall duties in way of satisfaction . but when sorrow seazeth vpon the soule , and the man falls into temptation , then it will appeare that these directions were not currant ; for notwithstanding them , he may want sound comfort in gods mercy , and run into despaire without recouerie . and for this cause , vpon experience it hath bin prooued , that euen papists themselues , in the houre of death , haue bin content to renounce their owne workes , yea the whole body of humane satifactions , and to cleaue onely to the mercie of god in christ for their saluation . by these instances , and many more that might be alleadged to this purpose , it is apparent , vpon how weake and vnstable grounds the case-diuinitie of the popish church standeth ; and how indirect a course they take , for the resolution and direction of the troubled conscience . now by the benefit & abuse of this doctrine , we see how necessary it is , that in churches which professe christian religion , it should be more taught , & further inlarged then it is . and to this purpose it were to be wished , that men of knowledge in the ministerie , that haue by the grace of god attained vnto the tongue of the learned , would imploy their paines this way : not onely in searching into the depth of such points as stand in bare speculation , but in annexing thereunto the grounds and conclusions of practise , whereby they might both informe the iudgement , and rectifie the conscience of the hearers . by this meanes it would come to passe , that the poore distressed soule might be releeued , pietie and deuotion more practized , the kingdome of sinne , satan , and antichrist weakened , & impayred , & the contrarie kingdome of christ iesus more & more established . what the author & cōtriuer of the discourse ensuing hath done in this behalfe , it is euident by the whole course of his writings , that he hath left behinde him : all which , as they doe openly shew vnto the world , howe great a measure of knowledge & vnderstanding , with other endowmēts both of nature and grace , the lord had inriched him withall , so doe they carrie with thē the sweet sauour of pietie and sanctification , wherewith he approued his heart vnto god , & his life vnto mē . wherin also vpō occasion he hath propounded , and explained sundrie notable rules of directiō & resolution of the conscience , as wil appeare to the view of the learned and well-aduised reader . to let passe all the rest : this present worke doth affoard very sufficient testimonie , of his knowledge and dexteritie in that kind , attained vnto , not without great paines , much obseruation , and long experience . a labour which commendeth it selfe vnto the church of god in two respects principally . one , because his grounds and principles , whereupon he giues direction , are drawne either directly , or by iust consequēce out of the writtē word , & so are of greater force , to giue satisfaction to the mind , either doubting , or distressed . the other , for that it is deliuered with such perspicuitie , and disposed in such order and methode , as fitteth best for the vnderstanding and memorie , of him that shall peruse it . now this whole treatise of the questions , i haue made bold to present vnto your worship , and to publish abroad vnder your patronage and protection , as one to whome they doe iustly belōg . first , because god , who honoureth those that honour him , hath adorned you , not onely with ciuill authoritie and dignitie in the commonwealth , but with the honourable name of a friend to the church of god ; a thing directly confirmed by your vnfained loue of the truth , and your continuall fauours to the teachers of the same , the ministers and dispensers of the gospel . secondly , because as the author of these cases , was himself in many respects , bound vnto you , while he liued ; so his wife and children for his sake , haue receiued much kindnes at your hands , since his death ; a manifest proofe of the truth and sinceritie of your affection towardes him in the lord. and in the last place , it was my desire , by setting forth this and the other two parts that shall follow , vnder your name , to giue some testimonie of dutie to your worship , presuming that as you loued the author , so you wil be pleased to patronize the worke , and fauourably to interpret , of the paines and good intention of the publisher . and so ceasing your further trouble , i humbly take my leaue , and commend your worship to the grace and fauour of god in christ. from emanuel colledge in cambridge . iun. . . your w. in all dutie to command , tho. pickering . to the godly and well affected reader whosoeuer . it was not my purpose , ( christian reader ) at the first to haue sent abroad onely one part of the cases of conscience , without the rest ; but that i was mooued thereunto , partly vpon the importunitie of some of the authors friends , and partly because i desired to satisfie thy expectation in a thing , which i perswade my selfe hath beene long expected . upon which two motiues , i haue now commended vnto thee this first part , promising by the grace of god , ere it be long , to adde the second , and the third , so farre as the author proceeded in this treatise before his death . and although i could haue wished , this labour had beene vndertaken by others , better able to performe it then my selfe ; yet beeing well acquainted with the copie , which is mine owne , and knowing it to haue bin perused by the author himselfe , before his death , i was the more incouraged , to bestow my paines for thy good in that behalfe . if in reading thereof thou finde , either any thing amisse , or thy selfe not fully satisfied in the particulars ; then remember that the author himselfe is gone , who might haue brought the worke to perfection , if god had pleased to prolong his daies vpon the earth . and withall consider , that it were better for thee , to accept of these his labours , as they are now imparted to thee , then by the suppressing of them to be depriued of so great a benefit . and thus hoping of thy kinde acceptance of my paines for thy behoofe , i commend thee to god , and to the word of his grace . iune . . t. p. faults escaped in the printing . after page . read for , . places false quoted correct thus : read , pag. . for iam. . . iam. . . p. . for col. . , col. . , . read pag. . lin . . for actonis , actions . p. . . for ptesent , present , p. . for yets o , yet so . p. . . for it a , it is a. p. , . for bonds , bos●ds . p. . . come to the answer . p. . . for of sence , offence . p. . . for conforting , comforting . p. . pe●ult . for vaine , veine . p. . . for finn● . sinne . p. . . for print , present . p. ●ad . . thorgh but once . p. . . which shall be laid , &c. p. . . for yncleate , vncleate . p. . . marke the words . p. . . for mighe , might . p. . . for apprenhendeth , apprehendeth . p. . . for consceence , conscience . p. . . for diuihe , diuine . p. . . for decre , deare . p. . . for faults , falles . the contents of the booke . i. the grounds or preambles ▪ foure . . priuate confession . pag . . . the degrees of goodnesse in things and actions . . . the nature and differences of sinne. . . the subiection and power of conscience . . ii. the questions of conscience , touching man simply considered in himselfe : three . i. what man must doe that ●e may come into gods fauour and be saued ? answer is , by performance of foure duties . . humiliation before god. . . faith in christ. . . repentance . . . newe-obedience . . ii. how a man may be in conscience assured of his owne saluation ? . answered by . te●●s of scripture . . rom. . . . . psal. . . . the . epist. of iohn . . . . tim. . . . . . pet. . . . iii. how a man beeing in distresse of mind● , may be comforted & releeued ? . here. generally ●o●ching all distresses is shewed , . what is distresse of minde ? ● . . the originall and kinds of distresses . , . . the generall remedie of the● all . . specially , the distresses are fiue . i. the distresse arising of the diuine tentation : with the examples , occasions effects , and remedies . . &c. ii. the distresses arising of outward afflictions . . these are three . . deferring of deliuerance . . . bodily and temporall death . . . satanicall molestation of persons and places of ●bode . . iii. the distresse of minde arising of the tentation of blasphemies : with the meanes , danger , and cure thereof . . iv. the distresse of minde arising from a mans owne sinnes , with the degrees and remedie thereof . . v. the distresse of minde arising from a mans owne bodie : partly by melancholie , partly by strange alterations in the bodie : with the degrees , effects , and remedies . , &c. finis . isaiah , . . the lord god hath giuen me a tongue of the learned , that i should knowe , to minister a word in due time , to him that is wearie . in that part of the prophecie which goes before , the holy ghost setteth downe & foretelleth the calling of the gentiles , which was to begin at the death of christ , and from thence to continue vnto this day , and so consequently to the ende of the world . in the former verses of this chapter , there is mention made of the rejection of the iewes ; i meane not a generall , but a particular rejection , namely then , when they were in affliction in the daies of isaiah . now in this , and so in all other prophecies of the like kind , which intreat of this point ; christ himselfe is brought in , speaking in his owne person ; and the words of this chapter from the beginning , to this present verse and the rest that follow , are the words of christ the mediatour . in the verses going before , he disputes the case of their reiection , and the summe of the whole disputation is : that either he or they themselues were the causes thereof ; but he was not the cause , and therefore they themselues by their sinnes . the reason , whereby he prooues that they themselues were the cause , is framed in this sort . you iewes cannot bring any writing or bill of diuorce , to shew that i reiected you : therefore i appeale euen to your owne consciences , whether you haue not brought this iudgement vpon your selues , by your iniquities . vers . . on the other side , the reason why god was not the cause is : because he for his part called them in great mercie and loue : but when he called they would not obey . ver . . now in the ende of the second verse , is contained an answer to a secret reply , that some obstinate iewe might make after this manner : god hath no● nowe the like power in sauing and deliuering vs , as he hath had in former times : therefore we cannot hope or expect any deliuerance from him , and howe then shall we doe in the meane while ? to this the lord himselfe makes answere , ver . , , . that his hand is not shortned , not his power lessened in regard of greater workes , much lesse in respect of their deliuerance ; and though the present affliction which they indured , was great and tedious , yet they were not to be ouermuch dismaied in themselues , but rather to be comforted : because god had giuen him the tongue of the learned , to minister a word in season to the wearie and distressed , and consequently , that he had power to ease & refresh that their wearines and affliction . in this text then , there is set downe one principall dutie of christs propheticall office , by allusion to the practises of the prophets in the olde testament , especially those which belonged to the schooles of elias and elizeus , who are here tearmed , the learned . and out of the words thereof , one speciall point of instruction may be gathered , namely , that there is a certaine knowledge or doctrine reuealed in the word of god , whereby the consciences of the weake may be rectified and pacified . i gather it thus . it was one speciall dutie of christs propheticall office , to giue comfort to the consciences of those that were distressed , as the prophet here recordeth . now as christ had this power to execute and performe such a dutie , so he hath committed the dispensation thereof to the ministers of the gospell . for we may not thinke that christ in his owne person , ministred and spake words of comfort to the wearie , in the times of the prophets , because he was not then exhibited in our nature ; and yet he did then speake , but how ? in the persons of the prophets . so likewise , because christ nowe in the new testament , speaks not vnto the afflicted in his owne proper person , it remaineth therefore , that he performes this great work in the ministerie of pastours and teachers vpon earth , to whome he hath giuen knowledge and other gifts to this ende and purpose . there must needs therefore be a certaine and infallible doctrine , propounded & taught in the scriptures , whereby the consciences of men distressed , may be quieted and releeued . and this doctrine is not attained vnto by extraordinarie reuelation , but must be drawne out of the written word of god. the point therefore to be handled is , what this doctrine should be ? it is not a matter easie and at hand , but full of labour and difficultie : yea very large , like vnto the maine sea : i will onely ( as it were ) walke by the bankes of it , and propound the heads of doctrine , that thereby i may at least occasion others , to consider and handle the same more at large . that i may proceede in order ; first , i am to lay downe certaine grounds or preambles , which may giue light & direction to the things that followe : and in the next place , i will propound and answer the maine & principall questions of conscience . the grounds or preambles are especially foure . the first touching confession . the second touching the degrees of goodnesse in things and actions . the third touching the degrees of sinne. the fourth and last concerning the subiection and power of conscience . of these in order . the first ground is , that in the troubles of conscience , it is meete and conuenient , there should alwaies be vsed a priuate confession . for iames saith , confesse your faults one to another , and pray one for another , thereby signifying that confession in this case , is to be vsed as a thing most requisite . for in all reason , the physitian must first knowe the disease , before he can apply the remedie : and the griefe of the heart will not be discerned , vnlesse it be manifested by the confession of the partie diseased ; and for this cause also in the griefe of conscience , the scruple , that is , the thing that troubleth the conscience must be knowne . neuerthelesse in priuate confession , these caueats must be obserued . first , priuate confession must not be vrged , as a thing simply or absolutely necessarie , without which there can be no saluation . againe , it is not fit that confession should be of all sinnes , but onely of the scruple it selfe , that is , of that or those sinnes alone , which doe trouble and molest the conscience . thirdly , though confession may be made to any kinde of man , ( confesse one to another , saith iames , ) yet is it especially to be made to the prophets and ministers of the gospel . for they in likelyhood of all other men , in respect of their places and gifts , are the fittest and best able to instruct , correct , comfort , and enforme the weake and the wounded conscience . lastly , the person to whome it is made , must be a man of trust and fidelitie , able & willing to keepe secret things that are reueiled , yea to bu●ie them ( as it were ) in the graue of obliuion , for loue couereth amultitude of sinnes . the next ground is touching the degrees of goodnes in humane things and actions . goodnesse in things is twofold ; vncreated , and created . vncreated is god himselfe , who neuer had beginning , and who is goodnesse it selfe , because his nature is absolutely and perfectly good , and because he is the author and worker thereof in all things created . created goodnes is that whereby the creature is made good ; and it is nothing else , but the fruit of that goodnesse that is essentially in god. now the degrees therof are these . there is a generall or naturall goodnesse in creatures , and a more speciall or morall goodnesse . generall goodnesse is that , whereby all creatures are accepted and approoued of god , by whome they were both created and ordained . thus euery creature is good , partly by creation , and partly by ordination . by creation it is , that the substance of each creature , as of the sunne , the moone , the earth , water , meate , drinke , &c. is good , hauing the beeing thereof frō god. hence also the essentiall properties , quantities , qualities , motions , actions and inclinations of the creatures , in themselues considered , with all their euents , are good . by the same generall goodnesse also , euen the deuill himself and his actions , as he is a substance , and as they are actions , hauing their beeing from god , are good . things againe doe take vnto them the condition of goodnesse , not onely by creation , but also by gods ordination , whereby they are directed and appointed , to some certen vses and endes . thus the euil conscience , hel , & death are good , because they are ordained of god , for the execution of his iustice , howsoeuer in themselues and to vs they be euill . besides this generall and naturall goodnesse , there is also a speciall or morall goodnesse properly so called : and it is that , which is agreeable to the eternall and vnchangeable wisdome of god , reuealed in the morall lawe , wherein it is commaunded ; and things as they are therein commanded to be done by god , are good morally . nowe of actions morally good , there be two degrees ; for they are either good in themselues alone , or good both in thēselues and in the doer . in themselues alone some things be morally good ; for example , when a wicked man giues almes , it is a good worke onely in it selfe , but not good in the doer , because it is not done in saith , and from a good conscience ; and so are all the vertues of the heathen , morally good in themselues , but they are not good in heathen mē : for in them they are but o beautifull sinnes . the next degree of goodnesse is , whereby things and actions are both good in thēselues , and in the doer also . of this sort were the praiers & almes of cornelius good in themselues , & in him also , because he was a beleeuer . now opposite to things and actonis morally good or euill , are actions and things of a middle nature , commonly tearmed indifferent , which in themselues beeing neither good nor euill may be done or not done without sinne ; in themselues i say , for in their circumstances , they are and may be made either euill or good . and here we must remember , to put a difference betweene conueniencie , and inconuenience , which ariseth from the nature of indifferent things . conueniencie is , when a thing or action is so fitted to the circumstances , and the circumstances fitted to it that thereby it becomes a thing conuenient . on the otherside , inconuenience is , when the thing or action is done in vnmeete circumstances , which bring some hurt or losse to the outward man , or stand not with decencie : and therefore doe make it to be inconuenient . and by this that hath beene said , we may discerne , when an action is good , euill , indifferent , conuenient , or inconuenient . the third ground , is touching the degrees or differences of sinne. and here we must first of all search , what is sinne properly , and what is properly a sinner . sinne in his proper nature ( as s. iohn saith ) is an anomie , that is , a want of conformitie to the law of god. for the better vnderstanding whereof , we must know , that there were in adam before his fall , three things not to be seuered one from the other : the substance of his bodie and of his soule : the faculties and powers of his bodie and soule : and the image of god consisting in a straightnes , and conformitie of all the affections , and powers of man to gods will. nowe when adam falls , and sinnes against god , what is his sinne ? not the want of the two former , ( for they both remained , ) but the very want , and absence of the third thing , namely , of conformitie to gods will. i make it plaine by this resemblance ; in a musicall instrument , there is to be considered , not onely the instrument it selfe , and the sound of the instrument , but also the harmonie in the sound . nowe the contrarie to harmonie , or the disorder in musicke , is none of the two former , but the third , namely the discord , which is the want or absence of harmonie , which we call disharmonie . in the same manner , the sinne of adam , is not the absence either of the substance , or of the faculties of the soule and the bodie , but the want of the third thing before named , & that is , conformitie , or correspondencie to the will of god , in regard of obedience . but some may say : the want of conformitie in the powers of the soule , is not sinne properly : because in sinne , there must be not onely an absence of goodnesse , but an habite or presence of euill . i answer , that this very want of conformitie , is not onely the absence of goodnesse , but also the habite or presence of euill . for as this want enters in , and is receiued into mans nature , it is properly a want or absence of goodnesse : againe , after it is receiued into the nature of man , it continues and abides in the powers and faculties thereof , and so it caries the name of an habit . it may be said againe , that lust and concupiscence , that is , originall sinne , drawes the heart away from the seruice of god , and entises it to euill . now to entise or drawe away , is an action , and this action cannot proceede of a meere priuation or want . ans. we must consider sinne two waies : first ioyntly with the thing or subiect , in which it is ; secondly by it selfe in his owne nature . if we consider it with his subiect , it is an euill inclination or action , but if we consider it in it owne nature , it is no inclination , or action , but a want . for example : in a murther we must consider two things : one is , the action of moouing the bodie , and of holding vp the weapon , &c. which is no sinne properly , if it be considered as an action : because euery action comes from god , who is the first cause of all things and actions . againe , in murther there is a second thing , namely the killing or slaying of the man , which is the disorder or aberration in the action , whereby it is disposed to a wrong vse and end ; and thus the action is a sinne , namely in respect it wants conformitie to the will of god. the nature then of the sinne lies not in the action , but in the manner of doing the action : and sinne properly is nothing formally subsisting , or existing ( for then god should be the author of it , in as much as he is the creatour and ordainer of euery thing and action , ) but it is an ataxie , or absence of goodnes and vprightnes , in the thing that subsisteth : therefore it is well and truly said in schooles , in sinne there is nothing positiue : but it is a want of that which ought to be , or subsist , partly in the nature of man , and partly in the actions of nature . thus we see what sinne is . the second thing to be considered is , what is a sinner properly ? for the knowledge hereof , we must consider in euery sinne foure things : first , the fault whereby god is offended : then , the guilt which bindeth ouer the conscience vnto punishment : thirdly , the punishment it selfe , which is eternall death . of these three , not the guilt or punishment , but the fault or offence , makes a man a sinner . but here is a further difficultie . whē a man hath committed some offence , and the saide offence is done and past , it may be some twentie or thirtie yeares : yet the partie offending , doth not therefore cease to be a sinner . now then i demaund , what is the very thing , for which he is named and rearmed still a sinner in the time present , the offence beeing past ? the answer is , that euery actuall sinne , beside the three former , must be considered with a fourth thing , to wit , a certaine staine , or blotte , which it imprints and leaues in the offender as a fruite , and that is an inclination , or euill disposition of the heart , whereby it becomes apter or pronener to the offence done , or to any other sinne . for looke as the dropsie man , the more he drinks , the drier he is , and the more he still desires to drinke : euen so a sinner , the more he sinnes , the apter is he to sinne , and more desirous to keepe still a course in wickednesse . and as a man that lookes vpon the sunne , if he turne his face away , remaines turned vntill he turne himselfe againe : so he that turnes from god by any sinne , makes himselfe a sinner , and so remaines , vntill he turne himselfe againe by repentance . thus dauid was a sinner , not onely in the very acte of his adulterie and murther : but euen when the acte was done and past , he remained still a murtherer and an adulterer ; because a newe , or rather a renewed pronenesse to these , and all other sinnes , tooke place in his heart by his fall , and got strength , till he turned to god by repentance , vpon the admonition of the prophet . the thing then , whereby a sinner is tearmed a sinner , is the fault together with the fruit thereof , namely , the blotte imprinted in the soule , so oft as men doe actually offend . the vse of this doctrine touching sinne , is two fold . first , by it we learne and see what is originall sinne , whereby an infant in the first conception and birth is indeed a sinner . euery infant must be considered as a part of adam , proceeding of him and partaking of his nature : and thereby it is made a sinner , not onely by imputation of adams offence , but also by propagation of an aptnesse , & pronenesse vnto euery euil , receiued together with nature from adam . and thus ought we to conceiue originall sinne , not to be the corruption of nature alone , but adams first offence imputed , with the fruit thereof the corruption of nature , which is an inclination vnto euery euill , deriued together with nature from our first parents . secondly , by this we are taught , to take heed of all and euery sinne , whether it be in thought , word , or deed : because the committing therof , though in respect of the act it passeth away in the doing , yet it breedeth and increaseth a wicked disposition in the heart , ( as hath beene said ) to the offence done , or any other sinne . men deceiue thēselues , that thinke all the euill of sinne , to be only in the act of sinning & to go no further ; wheras indeed euery offence hath a certen blot going with it , that corrupteth the heart , and causeth man to delight and lie in his offence , which lying in sinne is a greater cause of damnation , then the very sinne it selfe . this therefore must admonish vs , to take heed least we continue in any sinne , and if it fall out , that through infirmitie we be ouertaken by any tentation , wee must labour to rise againe , and turne from our sinne to god , by new and speedy repentance . thus much of sinne it selfe . now follow the differences thereof , which are manifold . the first sort are to be gathered from the causes and beginnings of sinne in man , which are threefold , reason , will , and affection . the differences of sinne in respect of reason are these . first , some are sinnes of knowledge , some of ignorance . a sinne of knowledge is , when a man offends against his knowledge , doing euill when he knoweth it to be euill : and this is greater then a sinne of ignorance , for he that knoweth his masters will , and doth it not , shall be beaten with many stripes . a sinne of ignorance is when a man doth euill , not knowing it to be euill . thus paul was a blasphemer , an oppressour , and persecuted the church of christ ignorantly , and in a blind zeale , not knowing that which he did to be euill . nowe by ignorance here i meane , an ignorance of those things which ought to be knowne , and this is twofold : simple , or affected . simple ignorance is , when a man after diligence and good paines taking , still remaines ignorant ; this ignorance will not excuse any man , if it be of such things as he is bound to know : for it is faide , he that doth not his masters will , by reason he knew it not , shall be beaten with stripes , though fewer . and in this regard , euen the heathen which knew not god , are inexcusable , because they were bound to haue knowne him : for adam had the perfect knowledge of god imprinted in his nature , and lost the same through his own default , for himselfe and his posteritie . and it is the commandement of god , whereunto euery man is bound to performe obedience , that man should know him , that is , his will and word . but some may demand , how any man can be saued , seeing euery man is ignorant of many things which he ought to know ? ans. if we know the grounds of religion , and be carefull to obey god according to our knowledge , hauing withal a care and desire , to increase in the knowledge of god and his will , god will hold vs excused : for our desire and indeauour to obey , is accepted for obedience it selfe . and the greater this simple ignorance is , the lesser is the sinne : and hereupon peter lesseneth , & ( in some sort ) excuseth the sinne of the iewes , in crucifying christ , because they did it through ignorāce : and so doth paul his sin in persecuting the church , when he alleadgeth , that it was done ignorantly in vnbeleefe . but howsoeuer this sinne by such meanes may be lessened , yet remaines it still a sinne worthie condemnation . affected ignorance is , whē a man takes delight in his ignorāce , and will of purpose be ignorant : not vsing , but contemning the meanes , whereby to get and increase knowledge . and that carelessely and negligently , because he wil not leaue sinne which he loueth , nor forsake the euill trade of life , wherein he delighteth this is the sinne of those , whereof iob speaketh , who say vnto god , depart from vs : for we desire not the knowledge of thy waies . and of whome dauid complaineth , that they flatter them selues in their owne eyes , and haue left off to vnderstand , and to doe good . this ignorance is damnable and deuillish : it excuseth no man , but doth rather aggrauate and increase his sinne : yea it is the mother of many grieuous enormities . againe , ignorance is twofold : of the a law , or of the thing the law requireth . ignorance of the law is , when a man knowes not the law of god written , nor the law of nature . this ignorance may somewhat lessen the sinne , but it excuseth no man : because it is naturall , and euery man is bound to know the law. ignorance of the thing the law requireth , is the ignorance of the b fact : and that is either with the fault of the doer , or without the fault . faultie ignorance , is the ignorance of a fact , which he might haue preuented . as whē a man in his drunkennes killeth another : in this fact , not knowing what he doth , he also knoweth not that he hath offended : and yet because he might haue preuented his drunkennes , therefore he is faultie , and sinneth . faultlesse ignorance is , when a fact is done , which could not be either knowne , or auoided before hand . for example : if a man be lopping a tree , and his axe head fall from the helue , out of his hand , and kills another passing by ; here is indeede manslaughter , but no voluntarie murther : because it was a thing that could not be auoided , and did not fall out through his default . and this ignorance is excusable . the second fountaine of sinne , is the will , from whence arise these three differences of sinnes : some are from the will immediatly , some besides the will , and some are mixt , partly with the will , and partly against the will. sinnes proceeding from the will , are properly tearmed voluntarie ; such as the doer mooued by his owne will commits , though he know them to be euill . and here , the more free the will is , the greater is the sinne : for wil added to knowledge , makes the sinne the greater . vnder voluntarie sinnes , are comprehended all such , as proceede from stirred affections ; as when a man tells a lie for feare , or striketh another in anger : and the reason is , because these offences , though they are not done vpon deliberation , but arise from the violence of affection , yet they doe not exclude consent . hither also we may referre , sinnes cōmitted by compulsion : as when a man is forced to denie his religion , his offence in deede and in truth is voluntarie , ( though some otherwise thinke it to be a mixt action . ) for compulsion doth not reach to the will , but to the outward man , and serues to draw forth a consent : and when consent is yeelded , he denies his religion voluntarily : for the will cannot be constrained . in the next place , sinnes beside the will are such , as are neither directly from the will , nor against it . of this sort are the first sudden motions vnto sinne , conceiued in the heart with some inward pleasure and delight : and these are truly sinnes , though in respect little sinnes , condemned in the last commandement . and they are not from the will , because they go without and before consent : neither yet are they against the will , because then the heart would not take delight in them . here by the way , we are to note , against the doctrine of the papists , that all sinnes are not voluntarie : for whatsoeuer wanteth conformitie to the law of god , it is sinne , whether it be with consent of will or no. but many such desires and delights , arise suddenly in the heart of man , which are not according to the law of god , and haue no consent or approbation of will. in like manner , when one man kills another , thinking that he killeth a wild beast : if the same man remembreth after wards what he hath done , and is not grieued for the fact : in this case he hath sinned , because his not grieuing , is offensiue vnto god , though the fact were meerely besides his will. mixt sinnes are partly from the will , partly against it . of this sort are the workes of the man regenerate , which are done partly with his will , and partly against his will , beeing partly good , and partly euill . the reason hereof is this . there are in man after regeneration , two contrarie grounds or beginnings of actions , to wit , naturall corruption , or the inclination of the minde , will , and affections , to that which is against the law , called the flesh ▪ and a created qualitie of holines , wrought in the said faculties by the holy ghost , tearmed the spirit . and these two are not seuered , but ioyned and mingled together , in all the faculties and powers of the soule . now betweene these , there is a continuall combate , corruption fighting against grace , & grace against corruption hence it is , that there beeing euē in one & the same will , cōtrarie inclinations , there must necessarily flow from the man regenerate , contrary actions ; the flesh in euery action , willing that which is euill , and the spirit on the otherside , that which is good . this paul confessed and acknowledged , vpon his owne experience , after his conuersion , when he said , to will is present with me , but i find no meanes [ perfectly to doe ] that which is good . again , i delight in the law of god , concerning the inner man , but i see another law in my members , rebelling against the law of my minde , and leading me captiue to the law of sinne , which is in my members . the third ground or fountaine of sinne in man , is affection , frō whence doe proceede two kinds , namely , sinnes of infirmitie , and sinnes of presumption . sinnes of infirmitie are such , as proceede from the sudden passions of the mind , and the strong affections of the heart : as from hatred , griefe , anger , sorrow , and such like . these sinnes are cōmonly thought to be in all men : but the truth is , they are properly incident to the regenerate . for infirmitie cannot be said properly to be in them , in whome sinne hath firmitie or strength , and where is no power of grace at all . againe , the man that is regenerate , sinneth not either when he would , because he is restrained by the grace of god that is in him : or in what manner he would , partly because he sinneth not with all his heart , the strength of his flesh beeing abated by the spirit ; and partly , for that beeing fallen , he lies not stil , but recouers himselfe by speedy repentāce . an euident argument , that the sins whereinto he falleth , are not presumptuous , but arise ordinarily of weaknes and infirmitie . sinnes of presumption are such , as proceede frō pride , arrogancy , wilfulnes , and hau●nes of mans heart . against these dauid praieth , saying , let not presumptuous sinnes haue dominion ouer me . and of them there be three degrees . the first is , when a man wilfully goeth on in his sinnes , vpon an erronious perswasion of gods mercie , and of his owne future repentance ; this is the sinne of most men . the second is , when a man sinneth wilfully , in contempt of the law of god ▪ this is called by moses , a sinne with a high hand , & the punishment thereof was , by present death to be cut off from among the people . the third , when a man sinneth , not onely wilfully and contemptuously , but of set malice & spight against god himselfe , and christ iesus . and by this we may conceiue what is the sinne against the holy ghost : which is not euery sinne of presumption , or against knowledge and conscience : but such a kind of presumptuous offence in which true religion is renounced : and that of set purpose and resolued malice , against the very maiestie of god himselfe and christ. heb. . . now follow other differences of sinne in regard of the obiect thereof , which is the law. in respect of the law , sinne is twofold : either of commission , or of omission . i say , in respect of the law , because god hath reuealed in his law two sorts of precepts : the one wherein some good thing is commanded to be done , as to loue god with all our hearts , and our neighbour as our selues : the other wherein some euill is forbidden to be done , as the making of a grauen image , the taking of the name of god in vaine , &c. now a sinne of commission is , when a man doth any thing , that is flatly forbidden in the law and word of god : as when one man kills another contrarie to the law , which saith , thou shalt not kill . a sinne of omission is , when a man leaueth vnperformed , some dutie which the law requireth : as for example , the preseruing of his neighbours life , or good estate , when it lieth in his power so to doe . these also are truly sinnes , and by them as well as by the other , men shall be tried in the last iudgement . sinnes of omission haue three degrees . first , when a man doth nothing at all , but omits the dutie commanded , both in whole and in part ; as when hauing opportunitie and abilitie , he doth not mooue so much as one finger , for the sauing of his neighbours life . secondly , when a man performes the dutie inioyned , but failes both in the manner and measure thereof . thus the heathen men failed in doing good workes , in that the things which they did , for substance and matter , were good and commendable , beeing done vpon ciuill and honest respects , and referred to common good ; yet in truth their actions were no better then sinnes of omission , in as much as they issued from corrupted fountaines , hearts void of faith : and aimed not at the maine end , and scope of all humane actions ; the honour and glorie of god. thirdly , when a man doth things in a right manner , but faileth in the measure thereof . and thus the children of god doe sinne , in all the duties of the law . for they doe the good things the law commandeth , as loue god and their neighbour : but they cannot attaine to that measure of loue , which the law requireth . and thus the best men liuing , doe sinne in euery good worke they doe , so as if god should enter into iudgement , deale with them in the rigour of his iustice , and examine them by the strict rule of the law , he might iustly condemne them , euen for their best actions ▪ and in this regard , when we pray daily for the pardon of our sinnes , the best workes we doe , must come in the number of them : because we faile , if not in substance and manner , yet at the least in the measure of goodnes , that ought to be in the doing of them . we must also haue care to repent vs , euen of these our sinnes of omission , as well as of the other of commission : because by leauing vndone our dutie , we doe ofter offend , then by sinnes committed : and the least omission is enough to condemne vs , i● it should be exacted at our hands . the next differēce of sinnes may be this . some are crying sinnes , some are sinnes of toleration . crying sinnes i call those , which are so hainous , and in their kind so grieuous , that they hasten gods iudgements , and call downe for speedie vēgeance vpon the sinner . of this kind there are sundrie exāples in the scriptures , principally foure . first , cains sinne in murthering his innocent brother abel ; whereof it was saide , the voice of thy brothers blood crieth vnto me from the earth . the next is , the sinne of sodome and gomorrha , which was pride , fulnes of bread , abundance of idlenesse , vnmercifull dealing with the poore , and all manner of vncleannesse , ezech . . and of this , the lord said , that the crie of sodome and gomorrha was great , and their sinnes exceeding grieuous . the third , is the sinne of oppressiō , indured by the israelites in egypt , at the hand of pharao , and his task-masters . the fourth , is mercilesse iniustice in wrongful withholding , and detaining the labourers hire . now they are called crying sinnes , for these causes . first , because they are now come to their full measure & height , beyond which , god will not suffer them to passe , without due punishment . againe , the lord takes more notice , and inquires further into them , thē into others , by reason that they exceede , and are most eminent where they be committed . thirdly , they call for present helpe to the afflicted and wronged , and consequently , for speedie exequution of vengeance , vpon the authors and committers of them . and lastly , because god is wont to giue eare vn to the cries of those , that endure so heauie measure at the hands of others , and accordingly to helpe them , and reward the other with deserued punishment . next vnto these are sinnes of toleration , lesser then the former : which though in themselues they deserue death , yet god in his mercie shewes his patience and long sufferance , vpon the committers thereof , either deferring the temporall punishment , or pardoning both temporall and eternall to his elect. such a sinne was the ignorance of the gentiles before christs comming : which god deferred to punnish , and ( as we may say ) o winked at it . more especially there be three sorts of sinnes of toleration : the first is originall sinne , or concupiscence , in the regenerate after regeneration : for it is not in our conuersion quite abolished , but remaines more or lesse molesting and tempting vs till death . and yet if we carrie a constant purpose not to sinne , and indeauour our selues to resist all tentations : this concupiscence of ours , shall not be imputed vnto vs , nor we condemned for it . and to this purpose the holy apostle saith , there is no condemnation to them that are in christ. yet saith he not , there is nothing worthie condemnation in them : for originall sinne remaines till death , truly deseruing damnation , though it be not imputed . the second kind of sinnes of toleration , are vnknowne and hidden sinnes in the regenerate . for who can tell how of the offendeth ? saith dauid . when a man that is the child of god , shall examine his heart , and humble himselfe euen for all his particular sinnes , which he knoweth by himselfe : there shall yet remaine some vnknowne sinnes , of which he cannot haue a particular repentance : and yet they are not imputed but pardoned , whē there is repentance for knowne sinnes . as for example , dauid repents of his murther and adulterie , and yet afterwards ( erring in iudgement , by reason of the corruption of the times , ) he liued to his death , in the sinne of polygamie , without any particular repentāce , that we heare of . in like manner did the patriarks , who may not altogether be excused : yet they were not condemned therefore : neither were they saued without repentance for this sinne , but god in mercie , accepted a generall repentance for the same . and the like is the case of all the elect , in regard of their secret and hidden faults : for vnlesse god should accept of a generall repentance for vnknowne sinnes , few or none at all should be saued . and herein doth the endlesse mercie of god notably appeare , that he vouchsafeth to accept of our repentāce whē we repent , though not in particular as we ought to doe . neuertheles , this must not incorage , or imboldē any mā to liue in his sinnes , without turning vnto god. for vnles we repent in particular , of all the sinnes we know , not only our knowne offences , but euen our secret sinnes shall condemne vs. many sinnes are cōmitted by men , which afterwards in processe of time be quite forgotten . others are cōmitted , which notwithstanding are not known , whether they be sins or no. and in doing the best duties we can , we offend often , & yet when we offend , we perceiue it not : and all these in the regenerate , through the mercie of god , are sinnes of toleration , in respect of particular repētance . the third kind of sinnes of toleration , are certain particular facts of men reprooued in scripture , and yet neuer punished . such was the fact of zipporah , in circūcising her child , in the presence of her husband , he beeing able to haue done it himselfe , and shee hauing no calling , to doe that which shee did . for though the hād of god was against him , yet was he not sick , ( as some would excuse the matter ) neither is there any such thing in the text : but it is rather to be thought , that she her selfe circūcised her sonne in hast , to preuent her husband : for the deede was done in some indignation , and shee cast the foreskin at his feete . and yet , because this fact was some manner of obedience , in that the thing was done which god required , ( though not in that manner that he required , ) god accepted the same , & staied his hād from killing moses . thus god accepted of achabs humilitie , though it were in hypocrisie , because it was a shew of obedience : and for that deferred a temporall punishment , till the daies of his posteritie . god sent lyons to destroy the assyrians , that dwelt in samatia , for their idolatry : yet 〈◊〉 soone as they had learned to feare the lord , after the manner of the god of israel , though they mingled the same with their own idolatrie , god for that halfe obedience , suffered them to dwell in peace . the sixt distinction of sinnes may be this . some are sinnes against god , some against men . this distinction is grounded vpon a place in samuel : if one man sinne against another , the iudge shall iudge it : but if a man sinne against the lord , who shall plead for him ? sinnes against god are such , as are directly and immediately committed against the maiestie of god. such are atheisme , idolatrie , blasphemie , petiurie , profanation of the sabbaoth , and all the breaches of the first table . sinnes against men , are iniuries , hurts , losses , and damages ; whereby our neighbour is , in his dignitie , life , chastitie , wealth , good name , or any other way iustly offended , or by vs hindred . and such actions must be considered two waies . first , as they are iniuries & hurts done vnto our neighbour : and secondly , as they are breaches of gods law , forbidding vs so to doe : and in this second respect they are called sinnes , because sinne is properly against god : and therefore by sinnes against men , we are to vnderstand , iniuries , losses , or damages done vnto them . in this sense , must that place in matthew be expounded : if thy brother sinne against thee , &c. the seauenth difference of sinnes , is noted by s. paul , where he saith , euery sinne that a man doth , is without the bodie : but he that commits fornication , sinneth against his owne bodie . in which place , sinnes are distinguished into those that are without the bodie , and those that are against a mans owne bodie . sinnes without the bodie , are such sinnes as a man committeth , his bodie being the instrument of the sinne , but not the thing abused . such are murther , theft , & drunkennesse : for in the committing of these sinnes , the bodie is but a helper , and onely a remote instrumentall cause , and the thing abused is without the bodie . for example : in drunkennes , the thing abused by the drunkard , is wine or strong drinke : in theft , another mans goods : in murther , the instrument whereby the fact is committed . the bodie indeede conferres his helpe to these things , but the iniurie is directed to the creatures of god , to the bodie and goods of our neighbour . and such are all sinnes , adulterie onely excepted . sinnes against the bodie are , those in which it selfe is , not onely the instrument , but the thing abused too . such a sinne is adulterie only , and those that are of that kind , properly against the bodie : first , because the bodie of the sinner , is both a furthering cause of the sinne , and also that thing which he abuseth against his owne selfe . secondly , by this offence , he doth not onely hinder , but loose the right , power , and proprietie of his bodie , in that he makes it the member of an harlot . and lastly , though other sinnes in their kind , doe bring a shame and dishonour vpon the bodie , yet there is none that sitteth so nigh , or leaueth a blot so deepely imprinted in it , as doth the sinne of vncleannes . the eight distinction of sinnes , is grounded vpon pauls exhortation to timothie : communicate not with other mens sinnes . sinnes are either other mens sinnes , or cōmunication with other mens sinnes . this distinction is the rather to be knowne and remembred , because it serues to extenuate or aggrauate sinnes committed . communication with sinne is done sundrie waies : first , by counsell : thus caiphas sinned when he gaue counsell to put christ to death : secondly , by commandement : so dauid sinned in the mu●tner of vrias . thirdly , by consent , or assistāce , rom. . . thus saul sinned in keeeping the garments of them that stoned steuen . act. . . fourthly , by prouocation : thus they sinne that prouoke others to sinne , and hereof paul speaketh when he saith , fathers must not prouoke their children to wrath . eph. . . fiftly , by negligence , when men are called to reprooue sinne , and doe not . sixtly , by flatterie , when men sooth vp others in sinne . seauenthly , by winking at sinnes , or passing them ouer by slight reproofe , eph. . . thus eli sinned in rebuking his sonnes , and thereby brought a temporall iudgement vpon himselfe , and his familie . . sam. . chap. and . eightly , by participation , eph. . . & thus they do sin , that are receiuers of theeues . ninthly , by defending another man in his sinne : for he that iustifieth the wicked , and condemneth the iust , euen they both are an abomination to the lord. the ninth distinction followeth . some mens sinnes ( saith paul ) are open before hand , some follow after . which place by some is expounded thus : some mens sinnes are kept secret , till the last iudgement , and some are reuealed in this life , before that day . this i thinke is a truth , but not the meaning of the text . for in the . verse the apostle spake of ordination , giuing charge to timothie , that he should not suddenly admit any into ecclesiasticall offices , least he did partake with their sinnes . now in this . verse , he rendereth a reason thereof , saying , some mens sinnes are open before hand : that is , some mens faults and wants are knowne , before their ordination to ecclesiasticall offices , and of such the church may know what to iudge and say . but some againe follow after , that is , they are not reuealed till after their ordination : and thus iudas his wickednes , did not appeare at the first , but was reuealed after he was called to be an apostle . and thus we see what be the differences of sinnes : touching all which , this must be held and remembred for a ground , that euery sinne , in what degree so euer it be , is mortall of it selfe : and no sinne is veniall in it owne nature . for the ●ages of euery sinne is death . rom. . . and , cursed is euery one , that continueth not in all things , that are written in the booke of the law , to doe them . gal. . . this ground must be holden against the church of rome : who in her case-diuinitie , vseth to pacifie the conscience , by teaching men , that sundrie of their sins be veniall . and though euery sinne of it selfe be mortall , yet all are not equally mortall : but some more , some lesse : because in sinne there be sundrie degrees , as hath beene in part shewed . againe , the same sinne may be encreased , or lessened , and consequently made more or lesse hainous , sundrie waies . first , by the circumstances , which are principally seauen . the first is , the subject or person sinning . thus the sin of a publike person , is more beinous , yea more mortall , then the sinne of a priuate man : because he is in eminent place , and his actions are more exemplarie and scandalous , then are the actions of inferiour men . the seruant , that knowes his masters will , if he doth it not , is the greater sinner , and shall endure a greater punishment , then he that neglectes the same vpon simple ignorance . matth. . . the minister and dispenser of the word , if he be vnfaithfull and vnprofitable , his offence , and consequently his punishment , is farre greater then other mens . matth. . . the second is , the obiect or partie which is offended : thus the iewes did more heinously sinne in crucifying christ the sonne of god , the lord of glorie , then did their fathers which persequuted and killed the prophets . the iniurie that is done vnto those whome god tenderly loueth , is farre more displeasing vnto him , thē if it were done to others . he that toucheth you ( saies the prophet , meaning the iewes his chosen & beloued people ) toucheth the apple of his eie . zach. . the man that deniseth mischiefe against his harmelesse brother that dwelleth peaceably by him , committeth a sinne most odious vnto god and man. prov. . psal. . . he that is called and conuerted vnto god and christ , and maketh not honest prouision for his owne , which are of his familie , is so notorious an offendour , that s. paul holds him a denier of the faith , and worse then an infidell . . tim. . . the person that shall raile vpon the iudge , or speake euill of the ruler of his people , is a greater transgressour of gods commandement , then he that reuileth , or abuseth an ordinarie man. exod. . . the third is the thing done in which the offence is committed . thus , to falsifie the word of god , and to prophane his worshippe and seruice , is much more abominable in his sight , then is the falsifying of the word of a man , or the abuse of humane lawes and ordinances . the hurting and indamaging of the person and life of our neighbour , is a more odious offence , then is the diminishing of his goods and outward estate : and the hurt that redoundeth by our default vnto his soule , is more offensiue euery way , then the wrong that is offered vnto his bodie . the fourth , is the place where it is done . according to this circumstance , if a man shall either speake or doe any thing , that comes vnder the name of a breach of pietie or iustice , in publike place , as in the congregation , in open court , or generall assembly , and that with publike and generall scandall : he is a greater offendour , then if he spake or did the same at home , in his house or closet . the fist is the end , in respect whereof , he that stealeth from another , that whereby he may satisfie his hunger , and saue his life , beeing driuen to extreame necessitie : offendeth in a lower and lesser degree , then the theefe that robbeth by the high way side , for this ende , to enrich himselfe by the losses of other men . the sixt is the manner how ? thus he that committeth vncleannesse in the outward act , doeth more grieuously sinne , and with greater scandall , then if he onely entertained an vncleane thought into his heart . and he that sinneth of set purpose and presumption , or of obstinate and resolued malice against god , hath proceeded vnto a higher degree of iniquitie , then if he had fallen vpon ignorance , infirmitie , or disordered and distempered affection . in like manner , the sinne of the iewes , in forcing pilate by their threatning tearmes , ( as that he was an enemie to caesar , &c. ) to the vniust condemnatiō of christ iesus , was in a higher degree , then the sinne of pilate himselfe , who yeilding vnto their importunitie , pronounced sentence against him , ioh. . . the last is the time , which also serues to aggrauate the sinne . for ordinarie disobedience in the time of grace , and wilfull neglect of gods calling , in the aboundance of meanes , is a great deale more damnable , then the cōmission of sin , in the daies of ignorāce and blindnesse , whē the like means are wanting . now from this doctrine of the increasing and lessening of sin in these respects , we may gather , that all sins are not alike or equall , as the stoicks of ancient times , and their followers haue falsely imagined . for it hath bin prooued at large , by induction of sundrie particulars , that there are degrees of sinnes , some lesser , some greater : some more offensiue and odious to god & man , some lesse . and that the circūstances of time , place , person , and manner of doing , doe serue to enlarge or extenuate the sinne committed . if it be here alleadged , that sin is nothing but the doing of that , which is vnlawfull to be done , and that this is equall in all men that sinne : and therfore by consequent , offences are equall . i answer , that in euery sinne , men must not consider the vnlawfulnesse thereof onely , but the reason why it should be vnlawfull : and that is properly , because it a breach of gods law , and repugnant to his will reuealed in his word . nowe there is no breach of a diuine law , but it is more or lesse repugnant vnto the will of the lawgiuer , god himselfe . and many transgressions , are more repugnant thereunto then fewer : for the more sin is increased , the more is the wrath of god inflamed against the sinner vpon his due desert ▪ if it be said again , that the nature of sinne stands onely in this , that the sinner makes an aberration from the scope , or marke that is set before him , and doth no more then passe the bondes of duty prescribed by god , and that all are alike in this respect ; the answer is , that it is a falshood to affirme , that he which makes the lesse aberration from the dutie commanded , is equall in offence to him that makes the greater . for the same sinne for substance , hath sundrie steppes and degrees , in respect whereof , one man becommeth a more heinous offender then another ; for example , in the seauenth commandement when god forbiddes the committing of adulterie , he forbiddeth three degrees of the same sinne ; to wit , adulterie of the heart , consisting of inordinate and vncleane affections ; adulterie of the tongue in corrupt , dishonest , and vnseemely speeches ; and the very act of vncleannesse and filthinesse committed by the bodie . nowe it cannot be said , that he which breakes this commandement onely in the first degree , is as great a transgressour , as he that hath proceeded to the second , and so to the third . and therefore it remaines for an vndoubred trueth , that sinnes committed against the law of god are not equall , but some lesser , some greater . the second way to aggrauate sinne , is by addition of sinne to sinne : and that is done sundry waies : first , by committing one sinne in the necke of another ; as dauid sinned , when he added murther to adulterie . secondly , by doubling and multiplying of sinne , that is , by falling often into the same sinne . thirdly , by lying in sinne without repentance . and here it must be remembred , that men of yeares liuing in the church , are not simply condemned for their particular sinnes ; but for their continuance and residence in them . sinnes committed make men worthie of damnation ; but liuing and abiding in them without repentance , is the thing that brings damnation . for as in the militant church , men are excommunicate , not so much for their offence , as for their obstinacie ; so shall it be in the church triumphant ; the kingdome of heauen shall be barred against men , not so much for their sinne committed , as for their lying therein without repentance . and this is the manner of gods dealing with those that haue liued within the precincts of the church ; they shall be condemned for the very want of true faith and repentance . this should admonish euery one of vs , to take heed , least we lie in any sin● and that beeing any way ouertaken , we should speedily repent , least we aggrauate our sinne by continuance therein , and so bring vpon our selues swift damnation . thirdly , the same sinne is made greater or lesser , . waies : according to the number of degrees in the committing of a sinne , noted by s. iames , temptation conception , birth , and perfection . actuall sinne in the first degree of tentation is , when the minde vpon some sudden motion , is drawne away to thinke euill , and withall is tick led with some delight therein . for a bad motiō cast into the minde , by the flesh and the deuill , is like vnto the baite cast into the water , that allureth and delighteth the fish , and causeth it to bite . sinne in conception is , when with the delight of the minde , there goes consent of will to doe the euill thought on . sinne in birth is , when it comes forth into action or execution . sinne in perfection , when men are growne to a custome and habit in sinne , vpon long practise . for the often committing of one and the same sinne , leaues an euill impression in the heart , that is , a strong or violent inclination , to that or any other euill , as hath bin taught before . and sinne thus made perfect , brings forth death : for custome in sinning , brings hardnes of heart : hardnes of heart , impenitencie : and impenitencie , cōdemnation . now of these degrees , the first is the least , and the last is the greatest . one and the same sinne is lesser in tentation , then in conception : and les●e in conception , then in birth : and greater in perfection , then in all the former . sundry other distinctions there are of sinnes as namely , that the maine sinnes of the first table , are greater then the maine sinnes of the second table . and yet the maine sinnes of the second , are greater then the breach of ceremoniall duties , against the first table . but this which hath beene said shall suffice . the vse of this doctrine is manifold . first , by it we learne , what the heart of man is by nature : namely , a corrupt and vncleane fountaine , out of which issueth in the course of this life , the streams of corruptions infinite in number , noysome in qualities , hainous in degrees , dāgerous in effects . for from thence doe flow , all the differences of sins before named , with their seuerall branches , and infinit many more , that cannot be rehearsed . this must mooue vs humbly to sue vnto god , & earnestly to intreat him , to wash vs throughly from our wickednes , & clense vs frō our sins : yea to purge and to rinse the fountaine thereof , our vncleane and polluted hearts . and when by gods mercy in christ , apprehēded by faith , our hearts shal be purified , then to set watch & ward ouer them ▪ and to keep them with all diligence . secondly it teacheth vs , that miserable mortall man , is not guiltie of one or more sins , but of many & sundrie corruptions , both of heart and life . who can vnderstād his faults ? saith dauid . now the alowāce of sin being death by gods ordināce , & god being iustice it selfe : answerably to the number of our offences , must we needs be lyable to many punishments , yea to death it selfe , both of the bodie and of the soule . this beeing our wofull estate , litle cause is there , that any man should thinke himselfe to be in good case , or presume of gods mercie in regard of the small number of his sinnes . and much lesse cause hath he , falsely to imagine with the popish sort , that he can merit the fauour of god by any worke done by him , aboue that which the law requireth ; considering that it is impossible for him to knowe either the number , or the nature , or the measure of his sinnes . lastly , the consideration of this point , must be a barre to keepe vs in , that we be not too secure or presumptuous of our owne estate : for as much as we learne out of the word of god , that in respect of the multitude of our corruptions , this our life is full of much euill , and many difficulties , that we haue whole armies of enemies to encounter withall , not only out of vs in the world abroad , but within vs , lurking euen in our owne flesh . and vpon this consideration , that we should be at continuall defiance with them , vsing all holy meanes to get the victorie ouer them , by the daily exercises of inuocation and repentance , and by a continuall practise of new obedience , vnto all the lawes and commandements of god , according to the measure of grace receiued . and so much of the third ground . the fourth and last ground , is touching the subiection & power of conscience . conscience is a knowledge ioyned with a knowledge . for by conscience we knowe what we know ; and by it we knowe that thing of our selues which god knoweth of vs. the naturall condition of euery mans conscience is this ; that it is placed in the middle betweene man and god , vnder god and aboue man. and this naturall condition hath two parts : the one is the subiection of conscience to god and his word ; the second is a power whereby the conscience is ouer the man to vrge and binde him . of the first , we haue this rule , that god alone by his word doeth onely binde conscience properly : for he is the onely lord of the conscience , which created it , and gouerns it . he againe is the onely lawe-giuer , that hath power to saue or destroy the soule , for the keeping and breaking of his lawes . iam. . . againe , mans conscience is knowne to none but to god , and it is he onely that giues libertie to the conscience , in regard of his owne lawes . vpon this it followeth , that no mans commandement or lawe can of it selfe , and by it owne soueraigne power binde conscience , but doeth it onely by the authoritie and vertue of the written word of god , or some part thereof . nowe the power of conscience appeares in pauls rule : whatsoeuer is not of faith , that is , whatsoeuer man doeth , whereof he is not certainly perswaded in iudgement and conscience , out of gods word , it is sinne . more plainely : a thing may be said , not to be done of faith two waies . first , when it is done , with a doubting and vnresolued conscience , as in those that are weake in knowledg . of which sort were some in the primitiue church , who notwithstanding they heard of the doct●ine of christian libertie , yet they were of opinion , that after christs ascension , there was a difference to be made of meats , and therevpon thought , they might not eat of some kind of meats . suppose now , that these persons ( by accident ) should haue bin drawne to eate swines flesh , which themselues had holden a thing forbidden ▪ these men vpon this very fact haue sinned , because that which they did , was vpon an vnresolued conscience . secondly , when a thing is done vpon an erronious conscience , it is done not of faith , and therefore a sinne . the reason is , because the conscience , though it erre and be deceiued , yet it bindeth so sarre forth , as that if a man iudge a thing to be euill , either simply or in some respect , ( though falsely ) and yet afterward doeth it , he hath sinned and offended the maiestie of god , as much as in him lie●h . thus much touching the preambles , or groundes of this doctrine . nowe it remaineth that we come to the questions of conscience . these questions may be fitly deuided , according to the matter or subiect of them , which is man. now as man is considered diuers waies , that is to say , either apart by himselfe , or as he standes in relation to another , and is a member of a societie : so the questions of conscience are to be distinguished , some concerning man simply considered by himselfe : some againe , as he stands in relation to another . mā stādeth in a twofold relatiō : to god , or to mā . as he stāds in relatiō to man , he is a part of a bodie , and a member of some societie . nowe the questions that concerne him , as a member of a societie , are of three sorts , according to the three distinct kinds of societies . for euery mā is either a member of a family , or of the church , or of the cōmonwealth ▪ and answerably , some questiōs concerne man as a member of a family : some as he is a mēber of the church : some as he is a member of the commonwealth . in a word therfore , all questiōs touching mā , may be reduced to . generall heads . the first wherof is , concerning man simply considered as he is a man. the secōd , touching man as he stāds in relatiō to god. the third , concerning him as he is a member of one of the three societies , that is , either of the family , or of the church , or of the commonwealth . qvestions of the first sort , as man is a christian , are especially three . the first : what a man must doe , that he may come into the fauour of god and be saued ? the second , howe he may be assured in conscience of his owne saluation ? the third , howe he may recouer himselfe , when he is distressed or fallen ? i. question . what must a man doe , that he may come into gods fauour , and be saued ? for answer to this question , some ground must be laid down before hand . for it is to be considered , and remembred in the first place , how and by what meanes , god that saueth brings a man to saluation . in the working and effecting of our saluation , there are two speciall works of god : the giuing of the first grace , and after that the giuing of the second . the former of these two workes , hath x. seuerall actions . i. god giues man the outward meanes of saluation , specially the ministerie of the word : and with it , he sends some outward crosse , to breake and subdue the stubbernnesse of our nature , that it may be made plyeable to the will of god. ii. this done , god brings the minde of man to a consideration of the lawe , and therein generally to see what is good , and what is euill , what is sinne , and what is not sinne . iii. vpon a serious consideration of the law , he makes a man particularly to see and know , his own peculiar and proper sinnes . iv. vpon the sight of sinne , he smites the heart with the spirit of feare , whereby when man seeth his sinnes , he makes him to feare punishment and hell , and to dispaire of saluation , in regard of any thing in himselfe . now these foure actions , are indeed no fruits of grace , but are onely workes of preparation going before grace ; the other actions which follow , are effects of grace . v. the fift action of grace therefore is , to stirre vp the minde to a serious consideration , of the promise of saluation propounded and published in the gospel . vi. after this , the sixt is , to kindle in the heart some seeds ot sparkes of faith , that is , a will and desire to beleeue , and grace to striue against doubting and dispaire . nowe at the same instant , when god beginnes to kindle in the heart , any sparkes of faith , then also he iustifies the sinner , and withall beginnes the worke of sanctification . vii . then , so soone as faith is put into the heart , there is presently a combate : for it fighteth with doubting , dispaire , and distrust . and in this combate , faith shews it selfe , by seruent , constant , and earnest inuocation for pardon : and after inuocation followes a strength & preuailing of this desire . viii . furthermore , god in mercie quiets and setles the conscience , as touching the saluation of the soule , and the promise of life , whereupon it resteth and staieth it selfe . ix . next after this setled assurance , & perswasion of mercie , followes a stirring vp of the heart to euangelicall sorrow , according to god , that is , a griefe for sinne , because it is sinne , and because god is offended : and then the lord workes repentance , whereby the sanctified heart turnes it selfe vnto him . and though this repentance be one of the last in order , yet it shewes it selfe first : as when a candle is brought into a roome , we first see the light before wee see the candle , and yet the candle must needes be , before light can be . x. lastly , god giues a man grace to endeauour , to obey his commandements by a newe obedience . and by these degrees , doeth the lord giue the first grace . the second worke of god tending to saluation , is to giue the second grace : which is nothing else , but the continuance of the first worke begun , that a man may perseuere in grace to the ende . now then to come the answer ; the holy ghost hath propounded to vs , this question of conscience , together with the resolution thereof , in these examples following . the men that were at peters sermon , beeing touched with the sense of their owne miserie , vpon the doctrine which had beene deliuered , as the holy ghost saies , were pricked in their hearts , and cried one to another : men and brethren what shall we doe ? peter mooued by the spirit of god answers them , repent and bee baptized , for the remission of your sinnes . the like was the case of the iayler , who , after that the stubbernnesse of his heart was beaten downe , by feare of the departure of the prisoners , he came trembling , and fell downe before paul and silas , and mooued this question vnto them ; sirs , vvhat must i doe to bee saued ? to whome they gaue answere , beleeue in the lord iesus , and thou shalt be saued , and thine houshold . the young man in the gospell sues to christ , and askes him , what shall i doe to be saued ? christ answers him . keepe the commandements . when he replied that he had kept them from his youth , christ tells him , that he must goe yet further , and sell all that he hath , and giue to the poore . and iohn tells the scribes and pharises , who came vnto his baptisme , and confessed their sinnes , that if they would flie from the wrath to come , they must repent , and bring forth fruits worthie a mendement of life . i answer then out of all these places , that he that would stand in the fauour of god and be saued , must doe foure things ; first humble himselfe before god : secondly , beleeue in christ : thirdly , repent of his sinnes : fourthly , performe newe obedience vnto god. for the first . humiliation is indeede a fruite of faith : yet i put it in place before faith , because in practise it is first . faith lieth hid in the heart , and the first effect wherein it appeares , is the abasing and humbling of our selues . and here we are further to consider three points : first , wherein stands humiliation : secondly , the excellencie of it : thirdly , the questions of conscience that concerne it . touching the first point , humiliation stands in the practise of three things . the first is , a sorrow of heart , whereby the sinner is displeased with himselfe , and ashamed in respect of his sins . the second is , a confession to god , wherein also three things are to be done : first , to acknowledge all our maine sinnes originall and actuall : secondly , to acknowledge our guiltinesse before god : thirdly , to acknowledge our iust damnation for sinne . the third thing in humiliation , is supplication made to god for mercie , as earnestly as in a matter of life and death : and of these three things we haue in scripture the examples of ezra , daniel , and the prodigall sonne . ezra . dan. . luk. . the second point is , the excellencie of humiliation , which stands in this , that it hath the promises of life eternall annexed to it , esa. . . i dwell in the high and holy place : with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit , to reuiue the spirit of the humble , and to giue life to them that are of a contrite heart . psal. . . a contrite and a broken heart , o god , thou wilt not despise . prou. . . he that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper : but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall finde mercie . . ioh. . . if we acknowledge our sinnes , he is faithfull and iust , to forgiue vs our sinnes , and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnesse . by all these and many other places , it is manifest , that in the very instant , whē a sinner begins , truly in heart and conscience to humble himselfe , he is then entred into the state of saluation . so soone as dauid said , i haue sinned , nathan pronounceth in the name of the lord , that his sinnes were put away . and dauid himselfe saith , alluding to the former place , i said i will confesse my sinne , and loe , thou forga●est the wickednesse of my sinne . when the prodigall sonne had but said , i will goe to my father , &c. euen then , before he humbled himselfe , his father meetes him , and receiues him . the third point , is touching the questions of conscience , concerning humiliatiō , all which may be reduced to foure principall cases . i. case . what if it fall out , that a man in humbling himselfe , cannot call to minde either all , or the most of his sinnes ? i answer ; a particular humiliation indeed is required , for maine and known sins : but yet there are two cases , wherein generall repentance , will be accepted of god for vnknown sinnes . one is , when a man hath searched himselfe diligently , and by a serious examination , passed through all the commandements of god , and yet after such examination and search made , cannot call to remembrance his particular offences ; then the generall repentance is accepted . for this is answerable to the practise of dauid , who after long search , when he could not attaine to the knowledge of his par●icular slippes , then he addresseth himselfe to a generall humiliation , saying , who knoweth the errours of this life ? clense me lord from my secret faults : and vpon this , he was no doubt accepted . againe , when a man humbleth himselfe , and yet is preuented by the time , so as he cannot search his heart and life , as he would : his generall repentance will be taken and accepted of god. the truth hereof appeares in the theife vpon the crosse , who hauing no time to search himselfe , made no speciall humiliation , yet vpon his generall confession he was accepted . now the ground of this doctrine is this ; he that truely repents himselfe of one sinne , in this case when he is preuented : is , as if he repented of all . ii. case . what must a man doe , that finds himselfe hard hearted , and of a dead spirit , so as he cannot humble himselfe as he would ? answ. such persons , if they humble themselues , they must be content with that grace which they haue receiued . for if thou be grieued truely and vnfainedly for this , that thou canst not be grieued , thy humiliation shall be accepted , for that which paul saith of almes , may be truely said in this case , that if there be a readie minde , a man shall be accepted , according to that he hath , and not according to that he hath not . iii. case . whether the party , that is more grieued for losse of his friend , then for offence of god by his sinne , doeth or can truely humble himselfe ? answ. a man may haue a greater griefe for an earthly losse , then for the other , and yet be truely grieued for his sinnes too . the reason is , because that is a bodily , naturall , and sensible losse , and accordingly sorrow for it is naturall . now the sorrow for the offending of god , is no sensible thing , but supernaturall and spirituall ; and sensible things doe more affect the minde , then the other . dauid did notably humble himselfe for his sinnes , and he did exceedingly mourne for the losse of his sonne absolom , yea and more too then for his sinnes , would god i had died for thee absolom , o absolom my sonne , my sonne , &c. againe i answer , that the sorrow of the minde , must be measured by the intention of the affection , and by the estimation of the thing for which we sorrow . now sorrow for sinne , though it be lesse in respect of the intentiō therof ▪ yet is it greater in respect of the estimation of the minde , because they which truly mourne for their sinnes , grieue for the offence of god , as the greatest euill of all ; and for the losse of the fauo●● of god , as for losse of the most excelle●t & pre●ious thing in the world . iv. case . whether it be necessarie in humiliation , that the heart should be smitten with a sensible sorrowe ? answer . i. in sorrow for sinne , there are two things : first , to be displeased for our sinnes ; secondly , to haue a bodily moouing of the heart , which causeth crying and teares . the former of these is necessarie , namely in heart , to be deepely displeased with our selues : the latter is not simply necessarie , though it be commendable in whomsoeuer it is , if it be in truth ; for lydia had the first but not the secōd . ii. it falleth out oftentimes , that the greatnesse of the griefe , taketh away the sensible paine , and causeth a nummednesse of the heart , so that the partie grieueth not . iii. sometimes the complexion will not affoard teares : & in such there may be true humiliation , though with drie cheekes . the second thing to be done for the attaining of gods fauour , and consequently of saluation , is to beleeue in christ. in the practise of a christian life , the duties of humiliation and faith cannot be seuered , yet for doctrines sake , i distinguish them . in faith there are two things required , and to be performed on our behalfe . first , to know the points of religion , and namely the summe of the gospell , especially the promise of righteousnesse and life eternall by christ. secondly , to apply the promise , and withall the thing promised , which is christ , vnto our selues ▪ and this is done , when a man vpon the commandement of god , sets downe this with himselfe , that christ and his merits belong vnto him in particular , and that christ is his wisdome , iustification , sanctification , and redemption . this doctrine is plaine out of the sixt of iohn : for christ is there propounded vnto vs , as the bread and the water of life . therefore faith must not be idle in the braine , but it must take christ and apply him vnto the soule and conscience , euen as meate is eaten . the questions of conscience touching faith are these . first , howe we may truely apply christ , with all his benefits vnto our selues . for wicked men apply christ vnto themselues falsely , in presumption , but fewe doe it truely , as they ought to doe . i answer , that this may be done , we must remember to doe two things . first , lay downe a foundation of this action , and then practise vpon it . our foundation must be laid in the word , or else we shall faile in our application , and it consists of two principles . the one is : as god giues a promise of life eternall by christ , so he giues commandement , that euery one in particular , should apply the promise to himselfe . the next is , that the ministerie of the word , is an ordinarie meanes , wherein god doeth offer , and apply christ with all his benefits to the hearers , as if he called them by their names : peter , iohn , cornelius , beleeue in christ and thou shalt be saued . when we haue rightly considered of our foundation : the second thing is , to practise vpon it , and that is , to giue our selues to the exercises of faith and repentance ; which stand in meditation of the word , and praier for mercie and pardon : and when this is done , then god giues the sense and increase of his grace . vvhen lydia was hearing the sermon of paul , then god opened her heart , act. . . secondly , it is demaunded : when faith beginnes to breed in the heart , and when a man beginnes to beleeue in christ ? answer . vvhen he beginnes to be touched in conscience for his owne sinnes , and withall hungers and thirsts after christ , and his righteousnesse , then beginneth faith . the reason is plaine . as faith is renewed , so it is begunne , but it is renewed when a man is touched in conscience for his sinnes , and beginnes a new to hunger after christ : therefore when these things first shew themselues , then faith first begins . for these were the things that were in dauid , when he renewed his repentance . the third dutie necessarie to saluation is repentance . in which , two things are to be cōsidered ▪ the beginning , namely , a godly sorrow . cor. . and vpon this sorrowe a change. in sorrowe we consider , first , the nature of it ; secondly the properties of it . touching the nature of sorrow , it is either inward or outward . the inward sorrow , is when a man is displeased with himselfe for his sinnes . the outward , when the heart declares the griefe thereof by teares , or such like signes . and sorrow in this case , called a godly sorrow , is more to be esteemed by the first of these , then by the second . the propertie of this sorrow , is to make vs to be displeased with our selues , for our sinnes directly , because they are sins , & doe displease god. if there were no iudge , no hell , or death , yet we must be grieued because we haue offended , so mercifull a god and louing father . and as godly sorrowe will make vs thus to doe , so is it the next cause of repentance , and by this is repentance discerned . the next thing in repentance is , the change of the minde and whole man in affection , life & conuersation . and this standeth in a constant purpose of the mind , and resolution of the heart , not to sinne , but in euery thing to doe the will of god. hereupon paul exhorteth them , to whome he wrote , to continue in the loue of god , and in the obedience of his word . barnabas when he came to a●tioch , and had seene the grace of god , was glad , and exhorted all , that with purpose of heart they should cleaue vnto god , or continue with the lord. so the prophet ezekiel saith , if the wicked will turne from all his sinnes , and keepe all my statutes , and doe that which is lawfull and right , he shall surely liue and shall not die . in this purpose stands the very nature of repentance , and it must be ioyned with humiliation and faith , as a third thing availeable to saluation , and not to be seuered frō them . for a man in shew may haue many good things : as for exāple , he may be hūbled , & seeme to haue some strength of faith ; yet if there be in the said man , a want of this purpose & resolutiō not to sinne , the other are but dead things , & vnprofitable , and for all them , he may come to eternall destruction . furthermore , we must distinguish this kind of purpose , from the minde and purpose of carnall men , theeues , drunkards , harlots , vsurers ; for they will confesse their sins , and be sory for them , yea and shed some teares , wishing they had neuer sinned as they haue . in these men , indeede there is a wishing will for the time , but no setled purpose . and it is a propertie of nature to auoid euill , but to haue a constant resolution of not sinning , is a gift of grace ; and for this , it is , that we must labour , otherwise our repentance , is no true and sound repentance . the fourth & last dutie , is to performe newe obedience vnto god in our life and conuersation . in this newe obedience , three things are required . first , it must be a fruit of the spirit of christ in vs , for when we doe any good thing , it is christ that doeth ' it in vs. paul saith , that good which i doe , i doe it not , but christ that dwelleth in me . secondly , this new obedience must be , the keeping of euery commandement of god. for as saint iames saith , he that breaks one commandement , is guiltie of all : that is , he that doeth willingly and wittingly breake any commandement , and makes not conscience of some one , maketh not conscience of any , and before god he is as guiltie of all , as if he had broken all . thirdly , in newe obedience , the whole man must endeauour , to keepe the whole law in his minde , will , affections , and all the faculties of soule and bodie . as it is said of iosiah , that he turned to god , according to all the lawes of moses , with all his heart . there are yet three other things required in him , that must performe new obedience : first , he must not liue in the practise of any outward sinne . secondly , there must be an inward resisting and restraining , of the corruption of our nature , and of our hearts , that we may truely obey god , by the grace of the spirit of god. the heart of ioseph was readie prest , to resist the euill request of potiphars wife . and dauid staid his affection from revenging himselfe vpon shemei , when he cursed him . thirdly , he must stirre vp and exercise the inward man , by all spirituall motions of faith , ioy , loue , hop eand the praise of god. here a necessarie question is mooued . cōsidering that all good workes , are the fruits of a regenerate person , & are contained vnder newe obedience ▪ how a man may doe a good worke , that may be accepted of god , & please him ? for resolutiō wherof , it is to be carefully remēbred , that to the doing of a good worke , sundrie things are required : wherof , some in nature do goe before the worke to be done , some doe accompany the doing thereof , and some againe doe followe the worke , being required to be done , when the worke is done . before the worke , there goes reconciliation : for the person must be reconciled vnto god in christ , and be pleasing to him : for if the person of the worker doe not please god , the worke it selfe cannot ; neither are workes of what dignitie soeuer , to be esteemed by the shevv , and outvvard appearance of them , but by the mind and condition of the doer . againe , before vve doe any good vvorke , vve must by praier lift vp our hearts vnto god , and desire him to inable vs by his spirit to doe it , & to guid vs by the same , in the action , vvhich vve are about to doe . this did the prophet dauid oftentimes , as vve may read in the psalmes , but especially in psal. . . when he saith ; teach me to doe thy will o god , for thou art my god , let thy good spirit lead me , vnto the land of righteousnesse . in the doing of the worke , we are to consider two things ; the matter , & the manner or forme of doing it . for the matter , it must be a worke commanded in the word of god. christ saith of the pharises , that they worshipped him in vaine , teaching for doctrines , the commandements of men . he therefore that will doe a worke , tending to the worshippe of god , must doe that which god commandeth . and here we must remember , that a thing indifferent in the case of off●nce , comes vnder a commandement of the morall lawe . to which purpose paul saith , if eating flesh will offend my brother , i will eate no flesh while the world standeth ; his meaning is , that though his eating of flesh , was a thing indifferēt in it selfe : yet in case of offence , his minde was to abstaine from it , as much as from the breach of the law of god againe , if an action indifferent , comes within the case , of furthering the good of the common wealth , or church , it ceaseth to be indifferent , and comes vnder commandement ; and so all kind of callings and their workes , though neuer so base , may be the matter of good workes . now for the forme of the worke , there must be first a generall faith , whereby we must be perswaded that the thing to be done , may lawfully be done ; for , what soeuer is not of faith , is sinne . secondly , a particular or iustifying faith , which purifieth the heart , and maketh it fit to bring forth a good worke : for it giues a beginning to the worke , & also couers the wants and defects thereof , by apprehending and applying vnto vs , christ and his merits . thirdly , it must be done in obedience ; for knowing the thing to be do●e , to be commanded of god , we must haue a minde and intention , to obey god in the thing we doe . it will be here demanded , seeing workes must be done in obedience , how , and to what part of the word we must direct our obedience ? i answer : to the law , but howe ? not considered in his rigour , but as it is qualified , mollified , and tempered by the gospel : for according to the rigour of the lawe , which commandes perfect obedience , no man can possibly doe a good worke . furthermore , the ends of a good worke are manifold : first , the honour and glory of god. whether ye eate or drinke ▪ or what soeuer ye doe , doe all to the glory of god. secondly , the testification of our thankefulnes vnto god , that hath redeemed vs by christ. the third is , to edifie our neighbour , and to further him in the way to life euerlasting . the fourth is to exercise & confirme our faith and repentance , both which be much strengthned , by the practise of good workes . fiftly , that we may escape the punnishment of sinne , the destruction of the wicked : and obtaine the reward of the righteous , life euerlasting . sixtly , that we may be answerable to our calling , in dooing the duties thereof , and in walking as children of light , redeemed by christ iesus . seuenthly , that we may pay the debt , which we owe vnto god. for we are debters to him in sundry regardes ; as we are his creatures : as we are his seruants : as we are his children : in a word , as we are redeemed by christ , and our whole debt is , our duty of praise and thanksgeuing . after the worke is done , then comes the acception of it . god acceptes of our workes diuers waies . first , in that he pardoneth the fault which comes from vs , and secondly , in that he approoues his owne good worke in vs. we then after we haue done the worke , must humble our selues , and intreat the lord to pardon the wantes of our workes , & say with dauid , lord enter not into iudgement with thy seruant : and with daniel , lord vnto vs belongeth open shame & cōfusion , but to thee righteousnes , compassion , and forgiuenes . and the reason is plaine , because in vs there is no goodnesse , no holines , no righteousnes , nor any thing that may present vs acceptable in his sight : and for this cause paul saith , i know nothing by my selfe , yet am i not thereby iustified . great reason then , that we should humble our selues before god , for our wants , and pray vnto him , that he will in mercie accept our indeauour , and confirme the good worke begunne in vs , by his holy spirit . ii. question . the next generall question touching man as he is a christian is , how a man may be in conscience assured , of his owne saluation ? for answer to this question , diuers places of scripture are to be skanned ; wherein this case of conscience , is fully answered and resolued . the first place is rom. . . and the spirit of god testifieth together with our spirits , that we are the sonnes of god. in these words are two testimonies of our adoption set downe ; the spirit of god dwelling in vs , & testifying vnto vs , that we are gods children : and our spirit , that is , our conscience , sanctified and renewed by the holy ghost . here put the case , that the testimonie of the spirit be wanting : then i answer , that the other testimonie , the sanctification of the heart , will suffice to assure vs. vve know it sufficiētly to be true , and not painted fire , if there be heare , though there be no flame . put the case againe , that the testimonie of the spirit be wanting , and our sanctification be vncertaine vnto vs , how then may we be assured ? the answer is , that we must then haue recourse to the first beginnings , and motions of sanctification , which are these . first , to feele our inward corruptions . secondly , to be displeased with our selues for them . thirdly , to begin to hate sinne . fourthly , to grieue so oft as we fall and offend god. fiftly , to auoid the occasions of sinne . sixtly , to endeauour to doe our dutie , and to vse good meanes . seuenthly , to desire to sinne no more . and lastly , to pray to god for his grace . where these and the like motions are , there is the spirit of god , whence they proceede : and sanctification is begunne . one apple is sufficient to manifest the life of the tree , and one good and constant motion of grace , is sufficient to manifest sanctification . againe , it may be demaunded , what must be done , if both be wanting ? answ. men must not dispaire , but vse good meanes , and in time they shall be assured . the second place is , the . psalme . in the first verse whereof , this question is propounded , namely , vvho of all the mēbers of the church , shall haue his habitation in heauen ? the answer is made in the verses following : and in the second verse , he sets downe three generall notes of the said person . one is , to walke vprightly in sinceritie , approouing his heart and life to god : the secōd is , to deale iustly in all his doings : the third is for speech , to speake the truth from the heart ; without guile or flatterie . and because we are easily deceiued in generall signes , in the , , and . verses , there are set downe seauen more euident and sensible notes of sinceritie , iustice and trueth . one is in speech , not to take vp or carrie abroad , false reports and slanders . the second is , in our dealings not to doe wrong to our neighbour , more then to our selues . the third is in our companie , to contemne wicked persons worthy to be contemned . the fourth is in our estimation we haue of others , & that is , to honour thē that feare god. the fift is in our wordes , to sweare and not to change : that is , to make conscience of our word and promise , especially if it be confirmed by oath . the sixt is in taking of gaine , not to giue money to vsurie , that is , not to take increase for bare lending , and to lend freely to the poore . the last is , to giue testimonie without briberie or partialitie . in the fift verse , is added a reason of the answer : he that in his indeauour doeth all these things , shall neuer be mooued , that is , cut off frō the church as an hypocrite . the third place of scripture , is the first epistle of iohn : the principall scope whereof , is to giue a full resolution to the conscience of man , touching the certainty of his saluation . and the principall grounds of assurance , which are there laid down , may be reduced to three heads . the first is this . he that hath communion or fellowship with god in christ , may be vndoubtedly assured of his saluation . this conclusion is propounded , chap. . v. . . where the apostle tels the church , that the end of the preaching of the gospel vnto them was , that they might haue fellowship , not onely mutually among themselues , but also with god the father , and with his son iesus christ. and further , that hauing both knowledge , and assurance of this heauenly communion , to be begun in this life , and perfected in the life to come , their ioy might be full . that is , they might thence reape , matter of true ioy and sound comfort , vnto their soules and consciences . now whereas it might be haply demaunded by some beleeuers , how they should come to this assurance ? s. iohn answers in this epistle , that the certainty thereof may be gathered by foure infallible notes . the first is remissiō of sins . for though god be in himselfe , most holy and pure , and no mortall man , being vncleane & polluted by sinne , can haue fellowship with him : yet god hath shewed his mercy , to those that beleue in him , and hath accepted of the blood of iesus christ his sonne , whereby they are clensed from all their corruptiōs , v. . if here it be asked , how this pardon and forgiuenes may be known ? it is answered , by two signes . one is hūble & heartie confession of our sins vnto god ; for so saith the apostle , if we confesse our sins , he is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sins , and to clense vs from all iniquitie , v. . the other is the pacified conscience ; for being iustified by faith we haue peace with god : and , if our heart condemne vs not : that is , if our conscience in respect of sinne doth not accuse vs , then haue we boldnesse towards god , chap. . v. . the secōd note of fellowship with god , is the sanctifying spirit , whereby we are renewed in holines and righteousnes : hereby we know that he abideth in vs , euen by the spirit which he hath giuen vs , chap. . v. . the third is , holines & vprightnes of heart & life . to this end the apostle saith , if we say that we haue fellowship with him , and walke in darknes , we lie & doe not truely : but if we walke in the light , as he is in the light , we haue fellowship one with another , &c. chap. . . . the fourth is , perseuerāce in the knowledge and obedience of the gospel . so the same apostle exhorteth the church : let therfore abide in you that same doctrine cōcerning christ , which ye haue heard from the beginning . if that which ye haue heard from the beginning , remaine in you , that is , if ye beleeue and obey it ; you also shall continue in the same , and in the father . chap. . . the second ground . he that is the adopted sonne of god , shall vndoubtedly be saued . this point the apostle plainely declareth , when he saith : beloued now are we the sonnes of god. — and we knowe , that is , we are vndoubtedly assured by faith , that when christ shal appeare in glory , we shal be like vnto him , for we shall see him as he is . that the latter part of these words , is thus to be expounded , i gather out of chap. . . as also by comparing this text with that of s. paul , where he saith , when christ which is our life shall appeare , then shall we also appeare with him in glory . and againe , if we be sonnes , we are also heires , euen the heires of god , and heires annexed with christ , if so be that we suffer with him , that we may also be glorified with him . nowe put the case , that the conscience of the beleeuer , will not rest in this , but desires to be further resolued , touching the certainetie of his adoption ? then i answer , that he must haue recourse vnto the signes , whereby a sonne of god may be discerned from a child of the deuill : and these are principally three . first is , truely to beleeue in the name of the sonne of god : for those that haue god for their father , are made the sonnes of god , by faith in iesus christ. and this faith shewes it selfe by obedience . for hereby we are sure that we knowe christ , that is , that we beleeue in him , and apply him with all his benefits vnto our soules , if we keepe his commandements . nay further , he that saies , i knowe him , and keepes not his commandements , is a liar , and the trueth is not in him , chap. , , . the second signe is , a heartie desire , and earnest indeauour to be clensed of his corruptions . euery sonne of god that hath this hope , purifieth himselfe , euen as christ is pure , chap. . vers . . the third is , the loue of a christian , because he is a christian : for hereby saies the apostle , are the children of god known from the children of the deuill : because the sonnes of satan doe hate their brethren , ( as cain did his brother abel ) euen for the good workes which they doe . on the other side , gods adopted sonnes , may hereby know themselues to be translated from death to life , because they loue the brethren , chap. . , , , &c. the third ground . they that are assured , of the loue of god to them in particular , may also be certainely assured of their owne saluation . this doctrine followes necessarily vpon the apostles words , chap. . v. . for those whome god hath loued from all eternitie , to them he hath manifested his loue , by sending his onely begotten sonne into the world , that they might liue through him eternally . but howe may a man be assured of gods speciall loue and fauour ? the same apostle answers , by two notes ; the first is the loue of our brethren : and that according to gods commandement , wherein it is commanded , that he that loues god , should loue his brother also . . andif any man say , i loue god , and hate his brother , be is a liar . for howe can he that loueth not his brother , whome he hath seene , loue god whome he hath not seene ? . . nowe that a man deceiue not himselfe in the loue of his brother ; saint iohn giues three rules : one , that christian brotherly loue , should not be , for outward respects or considerations , but principally , because they are the sonnes of god , and members of christ : euery one that loueth him which did beget : that is god the father , loueth him also which is begotten of him . . . another is , that it must not be outward , in shew onely , but inward in the heart . let vs not loue in word or in tongue onely , but in deede and in trueth . . . lastly , that it be not onely in time of prosperitie , but vvhen hee stands in most neede of our loue . for whosoeuer hath this worlds good , and seeth his brother haue neede , and shutteth vp the bovvels of compassion from him , howe dvvelieth the loue of god in him ? . . the second note of gods loue vnto vs is , our loue of god . for those whome god loueth in christ , to them hee giues his grace , to loue him againe : and this louing of him againe , is an euident token of that loue , wherewith he loueth them . so saith the apostle , we loue him , because hee loued vs first , . . if it be demaunded , howe a man may be assured that he loueth god ? the answer is , hee may knowe it by two things ; first by his conformitie to him in holinesse . the child that loues his father , will be willing to tread in the steppes of his father : and so in like manner , he that loueth god , will indeauour euen as hee is , so to be in this world . . . but howe is that ? not in equalitie and perfection , but in similitude and conformitie , striuing to be holy , as he is holy , and indeauouring to doe his will in all things . secondly , by the vveaning of his affection from the things of this world , yea from all pleasures and delights of this present life , so farre forth , as they are seuered from the feare , and loue of god , loue not this vvorld , nor the things that are in the world : if any man loue this world , the loue of the father is not in him . . . the fourth place , is in the second of timothie , . . the foundation of god remaineth sure , and hath this seale , the lord knoweth who are his , and let euery one that calleth vpon the name of the lord , depart from iniquitie . in these wordes , paul goeth about to cut off an ofsence , which the church might take , by reason of the fall of hymenaeus and philetus , who seemed to be pillars , and principall men in the church . and to confirme them against this offence , he saith ; the foundation of god , that is , the decree of gods election , stands firme and sure : so as those which are elected of god , shall neuer fall away , as these two haue done . and this he declares by a double similitude ; first of all he saith , the election of god , is like the foundation of an house , which standeth fast , though all the building be shaken . secondly he saith , that election hath the seale of god , and therefore may not be chāged ; because things which are sealed , are thereby made sure and authenticall . nowe this seale hath two parts : the first concerns god , in that euery mans saluation is written in ▪ the booke of life , and god knoweth who are his . and because it might be said , god indeede knowes who shall be saued , but what is that to vs ? we knowe not so much of our selues . therfore saint paul to answer this , sets downe a second part of this seale , which concerns man , and is imprinted in his heart and conscience ; which also hath two branches ▪ the gift of invocation , and a watchfull care , to make conscience of all & euery sinne , in these words , and let euery one that calleth vpon the name of the lord , depart from iniquitie . vvhereby he signifieth , that those that can call vpon god , & giue him thanks for his benefits , and withall , in their liues make conscience of sinne , haue the seale of gods election imprinted in their hearts , and may assure themselues they are the lords . a fift place of scripture , touching this question is , . pet. . . giue all diligence to make your election sure , for if you doe these things , you shall neuer fall . which words containe two parts : first , an exhortation , to make our election sure , not with god , for with him all things are knowne , but to ourselues , in our owne hearts and consciences . secondly , the meanes whereby to come to this assurance , that is , by doing the things before named , in the , , and . verses ; & that is nothing else , but to practise the vertues of the morall law , there set downe , which i will briefly shewe what they are , as they lie in the text . to faith , adde vertue ] by faith he meaneth true religion , and that gift of god , whereby we put our trust and confidence in christ. by vertue , he meaneth no speciall vertue , but ( as i take it ) an honest and vpright life before men , shining in the vertues and workes of the morall law . by knowledge , he meanes a gift of god , whereby a man may iudge , how to carrie himselfe warily , and vprightly before men . by temperance , is vnderstood a gift of god , whereby we keepe a moderation of our naturall appetite , especially about meate , drinke , and attire . by patience , is meant a vertue , whereby we moderate our sorrowe , in induring affliction . godlines ▪ is another vertue , whereby we worship god , in the duties of the first table . brotherly kindnesse , is also that vertue , whereby we imbrace the church of god , & the members thereof with the bowels of loue . and in the last place , loue , is that vertue , wherby we are well affected to all men , euen to our enemies . now hauing made a rehearsall of these vertues : in the tenth verse he saith , if ye doe these things , ye shall neuer fall , that is to say , if ye exercise your selues in these things , you may hereby be well assured and perswaded , of your election and saluation . iii. question . the last generall question touching man as he is a christian is , how a man beeing in distresse of minde , may be comforted and releiued ? ans. omitting all circumstances ( considering that much might be spoken touching this question ) i will onely set down that which i take to be most materiall to the doubt in hand . distresse of mind , ( which salomō calls a brokē or troubled spirit ) is , whē a mā is disquieted and distempered in conscience , and consequently in his affections , touching his estate before god. this distresse hath two degrees ; the lesse , and the greater : the lesse is a single feare , or griefe , when a man standeth in suspense and doubt , of his owne saluation , and in feare that he shall be condemned . the greater distresse is despaire , when a man is without all hope of saluation , in his owne sense and apprehension . i call dispaire a greater distresse , because it is not a distinct kind of trouble of minde , ( as some doe thinke , ) but the highest degree , in euery kinde of distresse . for euery distresse in the minde , is a feare of condemnation , and comes at length to desperation ▪ if it be not cured . all distresse of minde , ariseth from temptation , either begunne or continued . for these two doe so necessarily followe , and so inseperably accompany each the other , that no distresse , of what kind soeuer , can be seuered from temptation . and therfore according to the diuers sorts of temptations , that doe befall men , must the distresses of the minde be distinguished . now temptations be of two sorts ; either of triall or seducement . temptations of triall , are such as doe befall men , for the triall and proofe of the grace of god which is in them . the temptations of triall are twofold : the first is a combate of the conscience directly and immediately with the wrath of god ; which beeing the most grieuous temptation that can be , it causeth the greatest and deepest distresse of conscience . the second is , the triall of the crosse , that is , of outward affliction , whereby god maketh proofe of the faith of his children ; and not only that , but of their hope , patience , and affiance in his mercie , for their deliuerance . temptations of seducement be such , as wherin men are entised , to fall from god & christ , to any kind of euil . and these are of three kinds . the first is , the temptation of blasphemies , or the blasphemous temptation , which is from the deuill immediately . the second is , from a mans owne sinnes , originall and actuall ; and this also hath sundrie branches , as we shall see afterward . the third proceeds from imagination corrupted and deceiued . now answerable to these seuerall kinds of temptations , are the seueral kinds of distresses : and as all temptations may be reduced to those fiue , which haue beene before named : so may all distresses be reduced to fiue heads , arising of the former temptations . before i come to handle them in particular , we are to consider in the first place , what is the best & most sure generall remedie , which may serue for all these , or any other kind of temptation , that is incident to man : & by this , the curing of any particular distresse , will be more easie & plaine . this generall remedie is , the applying of the promise of life euerlasting , in and by the blood of christ. for no physicke , no arte or skill of man , can cure a wounded and distressed conscience , but onely the blood of christ. and that this is the soueraigne remedie of all other , no man doubteth . the maine difficultie , is touching the manner of proceeding , in the application of the promise . herein therefore three things must be performed . first of all , the partie must disclose the cause of the particular distresse , that the remedie may the better be applied . for the truth is , that the very opening of the cause , is a great ease to the minde , before any remedie be applyed . yet by the way , this care must be had , that the thing to be reuealed , be not hurtefull to the partie , to whome it is made knowne . for the distresse may happily arise of some confederacie , in matters of treason ▪ by the concealing whereof , the partie to whome they are reuealed , may intangle himselfe in the same danger . secondly , if the cause may be knowne , ( for sometime it is hid , from the partie distressed ) thē triall must be made , whether the said partie , be fit for comfort yea or no ? for if he be found to be vnfit , the word of god shall be misapplyed , and consequently abused . his fitnesse for comfort , may be found out , by searching whether he be humbled for his sinnes , or not ; for mē may be in great distresse , and yet not touched at all , for their sinnes . this humiliation stands in sorrow for sinne , with confession of the same vnto god , and in earnest praier for the pardon thereof , with an heartie desire of amendment of life . but if on the other side , the partie be vnhumbled , then the first and principall care must be , to worke in him some beginning of humiliation . this may be done in a freindly , and christian talke and conference , whereby he must first be brought to see , and well to consider his own sinnes ; secondly , to grieue , and to be sorrie for them , at the least , for some of the principall . and touching this sorrow , two things must be remembred : first , that the nature of worldly sorrowe must be altered , by beeing turned , and changed into sorrow according to god. if a mā be in some danger of his life , by bleeding at the nose : experience teacheth , the counsell of the phisitian is , to open a vaine , and let the partie blood in the arme , that the course thereof may be turned another way : the like order is to be taken with men , that are troubled , with worldly sorrow in their distresse : and that is , to turne the course of their griefe , by causing them to grieue not for worldly respects , or onely in consideration of the punishment due vnto their sinnes , but principally for the very offence of god , in , and by their sinnes committed . this done , a second care must be had , that this sorrow for sinne be not confused , but a distinct sorrow . the man that is in sorrow , must not be grieued onely , because he is as other men are , a sinner : but more specially for this , and that particular sinne , by which it comes to passe , that he is such , or such or a sinner , that so his sorrow in respect of sinne , may be distinct , and brought as it were to some particular head . and men in this case , must deale with the partie distressed , as surgeons are woont to doe with a tumour , or swelling in the bodie , whose manner is , first to applie drawing & ripening plaisters to the place affected , to bring the sore to an head , that the corruption may issue out at some one place : and then afterward healing plaisters which are of great vse to cure the same . euen so confused griefe , must be reduced to some particulars : and then , and not before , is a man fit for comfort , when his conscience is touched in speciall , in regard of some one or more distinct and seuerall offences . and he that is grieued for one sinne truly , and vnfainedly , from his heart ; shall proportionally be grieued for all the sinnes , that he knoweth to be in himselfe . the third thing required in applying this remedie is , the ministring and conuaying of comfort to the mind of him , that hath confessed his sinnes , and is truly humbled for them : and it is a point of the greatest moment of all . where if the question be , how this comfort should be ministred ▪ the answer is , it may be done , by bringing the partie troubled , within the compasse of the promise of life . and there be two waies of doing this : the one false , and the other true . some thinke , that men may be brought within the couenant , by the doctrine of vniuersall grace and redemption . but this way , to perswade vs of title in the couenant of grace , is both false , and vnfit . false it is , because all the promises of the gospel , are limited with the condition of faith , and repentance , not beeing vniuersall , but made onely to such persons , as repent and beleeue : therfore they are indefinite in regard of whole mankind , and to beleeuers they are vniuersall . it is obiected , that god would haue all men to be saued . ans. the apostle is the best expounder of himselfe , and he faith in the acts to the same effect , the time of this ignorance god regarded not , but now he admonisheth all men euery where to repent . in which wordes , paul addes this circumstance of time ( now , ) to limit this good will of god , to the last age of the world , after the comming of christ in the flesh , and not to inlarge the same to all the posteritie of adam . and ●o must he be vnderstood in the place to timothie , god would haue all men to be saued , that is , now in this last age of the world . and thus the same apostle . cor. . expounds a certaine prophecie of isai , concerning the acceptable time of grace . now , saith he , is the acceptable time : behold ( now ) is the day of saluation , meaning the time of the new testamēt . and col. ● . . the mysterie hid frō the beginning , is now made manifest to the saints . and ro. . . the reuelatiō of the secret mysterie is now opened . all which , and many other places about the same matter , hauing this circumstance of time ( now , ) must needs be limited to this last age of the world . as for the note of vniuersalitie , all , it must not be vnderstood of all particulars , but of all kinds , sorts , conditions , and states of men , as may be gathered out of the former words : i would that praiers be made for all men , not for euery particular man : ( for there be some that sinne vnto death , for whome we may not pray , ) but for all states of men , as well princes as subiects , poore as rich , base as noble , vnlearned as learned , &c. but the saying of paul is vrged , . cor. . . god was in christ , recōciling the world vnto himselfe : therefore the promise in christ , belongs to the whole world , & consequently to euery one . ans the same apostle shall againe answer for himselfe . rom. . . the casting away of the iewes , is the reconciling of the world , that is , of the gentiles in the last age of the world : for so he said before more plainly , the falling avvay of the ievv , is the riches of the world , and the diminishing of them , the riches of the gentiles . and so must that place to the corinths be vnderstood , namely , not of all and euery man , that liued in all ages and times ; but of thē that were ( by the dispensation of the gospel ) to be called out of all kingdomes , and nations , after the death and ascenfion of christ. thus then the promise of saluation , is not vniuersall , without exception , or restraint : and therefore application made by the vniuersalitie of the promise , admits some falshood . secondly , this way of applying , is also vnfit . for the reason must be framed thus : christ died for all men : but thou art a man : therefore christ died for thee . the partie distressed will graunt all , and say , christ indeede died for him , i● he would haue receiued christ , but he by his sinn● hath cut himselfe off from his owne sauiour , and hath forsaken him , so as the benefit of his death will doe him no good . the right way of ministring comfort to a partie distressed followeth . in the handling whereof , first , i will lay downe the grounds , whereby any man that belongs to god , may be brought within the couenant . and then , i will shew the right way , how they must be vsed , and applied . for the first . recourse must not be had to all graces , or to all degrees and measures of grace ; but onely such , as a troubled conscience may feele and reach vnto . for those that be the true children of god , and haue excellent measure of grace ; when they are in distresse , feele little or no grace at all in themselues . the graces then , that serue for this purpose , are three . faith , repentance , and the true loue of god. which is the fruit of them both . and that we may the more easily and truly discerne of them , and not be deceiued , inquirie must be made , what be the seedes and beginnings of them all . the first gronnd of grace is this : a desire to repent , and beleeue , in a touched heart and conscience , is faith and repentance it selfe , though not in nature , yet in gods acceptation . i prooue it thus . it is a principle graunted and confessed of all men ; that in them which haue grace , god accepteth the will for the deede . if there be a willing minde ( saith the apostle ) it is accepted not according to that a man hath not , but according to that he hath . againe , god hath annexed a promise of blessednes , and life euerlasting to the true and vnfained desire of grace . whence it is , that they are in scripture pronounced blessed , which hunger and thirst after righteousnes . and who are they but such , as feele themselues to want all righteousnes , and doe truly and earnestly desire it in their hearts . for hunger and thirst , argues both a want of something , and a feeling of the want . and to this purpose the holy ghost saith , to him that is a thirst will i giue to drinke of the water of life freely now this thirstie soule , is that man , which feeles himselfe destitute of all grace , and gods fauour in christ , and withall doth thirst after the blood of christ , and desires to be made partaker thereof . god is wont mercifully to accept of the desire of any good thing , when a man is in necessitie , and stands in want thereof . the lord ( saies dauid ) heares the desire of the poore , that is , of them that are in distresse either of bodie , or minde . yea , he will fulfill the desire of them that feare him . it will be said , that the desire of good things is naturall : and therefore god will not regard mens desires . i answer , desires be of two sorts ; some be of such things , as men by the meere light of nature know to be good : for example : the desire of wisdome , of ciuill vertue , of honour , of happinesse , and such like : and all these nature can desire . others be aboue nature , as the desire of remission of sinnes , reconciliation , and sanctification : and they which seriously desire these , haue a promise of blessednes and life euerlasting . and hence it followes , that desire of mercie , in the want of mercie , is mercie it selfe ; and desire of grace , in the want of grace , is grace it selfe . a second ground is this . a godly sorrovv whereby a man is grieued for his sinnes , because they are sinnes , is the beginning of repentance , & indeed for substance is repentance it selfe . the apostle paul reioyced that he had in the worke of his ministerie , wrought this godly sorrow in the hearts of the corinthians , calling it sorrow that causeth repentance not to be repented of . this sorrow may be discerned in this sort : the heart of him in whome it is , is so affected , that though there were no conscience , nor deuill to accuse , no hell for condemnation ; yet it would be grieued in it selfe , because god by sinne is displeased , and offended . i● it be alleadged , that euery one cannot reach to this beginning of repentance , thus to sorrow for his sinne ; then i adde further , if the partie be grieued for the hardnes of his heart , whereby it comes to passe , that he cannot grieue , he hath vndoubtedly receiued some portion of godly sorrow . for it is not nature , that makes vs to grieue for hardnes of heart , but grace . the third ground is , that a setled purpose , and willing minde to forsake all sinne , and to turne vnto god , ( though as yet no outward cōuersion appeare , ) is a good beginning of true conuersion , & repentance . i thought ( saith dauid ) i will confesse against my selfe my wickednes vnto the lord : and thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne . and to this is added ( selah , ) which is not onely a musicall note , but ; as some thinke , a note of obseruation , to moue vs to marke the things that are set downe , as beeing of speciall weight and moment . and surely this is a matter of great consequence ; that vpon the very vnsained purpose of confession of sinne , god should giue a pardon thereof . take a surther proofe of this in the prodigall sonne , whome i take not for one that was neuer called , or turned to god , ( though some doe so , and seeme to haue warrant for their opinion : ) but rather for him that is the child of god , and afterward falls away . now such a one beeing brought by outward crosses and afflictions , to see his owne miserie , purposeth with himselfe , to returne to his father againe , and to humble himselfe , and confesse his iniquitie : and vpon this very purpose , when he had said , i will goe to my father , and say vnto him , father , i haue sinned , &c. at his returne a farre off , his father receiues him as his child againe , and after acceptation followes his confession . the like is to be seene in dauid , who beeing reprooued by the prophet nathan , for his sinnes of adulterie and murther , presently made confession of them , and at the very same time , receiued by the prophet , sentence of absolution , euen from the lord himselfe , wherein he could not erre . the fourth ground . to loue any man because he is a christian , and a child of god , is a sensible and certaine note of a man that is partaker of the true loue of god in christ. hereby ( saith s. iohn ) we knowe that we are translated from death to life , because we loue the brethren . loue here is not a cause but onely a signe of gods loue to vs. and our sauiour christ saith , he that receiueth a prophet in the name of a prophet , shall receiue a prophets reward . now that we be not deceiued in these grounds ; it must be rememebred , that these beginnings of grace , ( be they neuer so weak ) must not be flittering and fleeting , but constant & setled , not stopped or staied in the way , but such as daiely growe and increase : and then they are indeed accepted of god. and he that can finde these beginnings , or any of them truely in himselfe , he may assure himselfe thereby , that he is the child of god. hauing thus laid downethe groundes of cōfort : i come now to the way , by which the party in distresse , may be brought within the compasse of the promise of saluation . this way standes in two things ; in making triall ▪ and in applying the promise . first then , triall must be made ▪ whether the person distressed haue in him as yet , any of the forenamed grounds of grace or not . this triall may be made by him that is the comforter , in the moouing of certaine questions to the said person . and first , let him aske whether he beleeue and repent ? the distressed partie answers no , he cannot repent nor beleeue . then he must further aske , whether he desire to beleeue and repent ? to this he will answer , he doeth desire it with all his heart ; in the same sort is he to make triall of the other groundes . when a man is in the fit of tentation ; he will say resolutely , he is sure to be dāned . aske him in this fit , of his loue to god , he will giue answer , he hath none at all : but aske him further , whether he loue a man because he is a christian , and a child of god , then will he say he doth indeed . thus after triall made in this manner , some beginnings of faith and repentance will appeare , which at the first lay hid . for god vseth out of the time of prosperitie , by & in distresse and affliction to work his grace . the second point followeth . after that by triall some of the foresaid beginnings of grace , be found out , then comes the right applying of the promise of life euerlasting to the partie distressed . and that is done by a kind of reasoning ; the first part whereof , is taken from gods word , the second from the testimonie of the distressed conscience , and the conclusion is the applying of the promise , on this manner . he that hath an vnfained desire to repent and beleeue , hath remission of sinnes , and life euerlasting : but thou hast an earnest desire to repent and beleeue in christ. therefore remission of sinnes and life euerlasting is thine . and here remember , that it is most conuenient , this application be made by the minister of the gospell , who in it , must vse his ministeriall authoritie giuen him of god , to pronounce the pardon . for in distresse , it is as hard a thing , to make the conscience yeild to the promise , as to make fire and water agree . for though men haue signes of grace & mercie in them , yet will they not acknowledge it , by reason of the extremitie of their distresse . in this manner , vpon any of the former grounds , may the troubled and perplexed soule be assured , that mercie belongs to it . and this i take to be , the onely generall and right way , of conforting a distressed conscience . nowe that the promise thus applyed , may haue good successe , these rules must necessarily be obserued . i. one is , that the comfort which is ministred , be delaied with some mixture of the law ; that is to say , the promise alone must not be applyed , but withall mention is to be made , of the sinnes of the partie , and of the grieuous punishments , due vnto him for the same . the reason is , because there is much deceipt in the heart of man ; in so much , as oftentimes it falleth out , that men not throughly humbled , beeing comforted either too soone , or too much , doe afterward becom the worst of all . in this respect , not vnlike to the iron , which being cast into the fire vehemētly hot , & cooled againe , is much more hard , then it would haue bin , if the heat had bin moderate . and hence it is , that in the ministring of cōfort , we must somwhat keep thē down , & bring them on by litle & litle to repentance . the sweetnesse of comfort is the greater , if it be delayed with some tartenesse of the law. ii. another rule is this : if the distressed partie , be much possessed with griefe , of himselfe , he must not be left alone , but alwaies attēded with good company . for it is an vsuall practise of the deuill , to take the vantage of the place & time , when a man is solitarie and depriued of that helpe , which otherwise he might haue in societie with others . thus he tempted eue , when she was apart from her husband . and in this regard , salomon pronounces a woe to him that is alone . but herein doeth his malice most appeare , in that he is alway readiest , when a man is in great distresse , and withall solitarie , then vpon the sudden to tempt him to dispaire , and to the making away of himselfe . iii. thirdly , the partie in distresse must be taught , not to rest vpon his owne iudgement , but alwaies to submit himselfe , and be content to be aduised by others that are men of wisedome , iudgement , and discretion . a thing to be obserued the rather , because the very neglect thereof , hath caused sundrie persons , to remaine vncomforted for many yeres . iv. fourthly , the partie distressed , must neuer heare tel of any fearefull accidents , or of any that haue bin in like , or worse case thē himself is . for vpon the very report , the distressed conscience will fasten the accident vpon it selfe , and therby cōmonly wil be drawn to deeper griefe or dispaire . for the mind afflicted will imagine fearefull things , and sometime , the very bare naming of the deuil , will strike terrour & feare into it . v. fiftly , the partie that is to comfort , must beare with all the wants of the distressed ; as with their frowardnesse , peeuishnesse , rashnesse , and with their distempered and disordered affections and actions ▪ yea he must put vpon him ( as it were ) their persons , beeing affected with their miserie , and touched with their sorrowes , as if they were his owne , grieuing when he seeth them to grieue , weeping when they doe weepe and lament . vi. sixtly , he that is the comforter , must not be discouraged , though after long labour and paines taking , there follow small comfort and ease , to the partie distressed . for vsually , it is long before comfort can be receiued ; and why ? surely because god hath the greatest stroke in these distresses of minde , and brings men thorough all the temptations , that he hath appointed , before he opens the heart to receiue comfort . the church in the canticles seekes for her beleeued ; but before shee can finde him , shee goes about in the citie , through the streets , and by open places , passing by the watchmen thēselues , and after shee hath vsed all meanes without helpe or hope , at length shee finds her beloued ▪ him in whome her soule delighteth . thus much for the generall remedie of all distresses : nowe i come to the particular distresses themselues . the first distresse ariseth of a diuine temptation , which is a combate with god himselfe immediately . and this distresse is , when the conscience speaks some fearefull things of god , and withall the partie distressed , feeles some euident tokens of gods wrath . examples hereof we shall finde many in the word of god. one is , the example of righteous iob , who hauing beene long in outward afflictions , was withall exercised with the apprehension of the anger of god , and in that state he saith , that the arrows of the almightie were in him , that the venime thereof , did drinke vp his spirit , that the terrors of god did fight against him . yea further he addeth , that god was his enemie , and writ bitter things against him : and made him to possesse the sinnes of his youth . and at another time he complaineth , that gods wrath had torne him , that he hated him , g●ashed vpon him with his teeth , and had sharpened his eies against him in all which , and diuers other places , it appeares that his conscience was exercised , with the sense of the wrath of god , which had nowe euen seazed vpon his soule . another example we haue in dauid , who also was exercised with this temptation and trouble of minde , as the first wordes of the psalme , and the whole tenour thereof doe euidently shewe ; for first , he desires the lord , not to rebuke him in his wrath , and afterward complaineth , that his griefe was so great , that his very flesh consumed , his bones were vexed , and his bodie brought to such a state , as no sicknesse could haue brought him vnto . and it is not vnlike , that the same prophet did often fall into the like kind of distresse of minde , as may be gathered out of psalme , ▪ and sundrie other places . now as it fared with these , and diuers other seruants of god , in ancient times , so are we not without some instances thereof in our daies . amongest many , that worthy man master luther , writes of himselfe , that he was in this particular temptation , and that he learned in it , the doctrine of the iustification of a sinner , by the meere mercie of god , without any merit of workes ▪ and vpon the sense and experience of the nature and properties of this distresse , he w●ote● notable exposition of the . psalme of dauid ▪ ●●e scope and intent whereof , he writeth to be nothing else , but a soueraigne remedie of this and the like distresses of the minde and conscience . if it be demanded , what is the occasion of this kinde of temptation ? i answer , that it ariseth some times , vpon the commission of some notorious sinne , which doth wound the conscience , as in cain , iudas , and saul , who for their great and capit all sinnes , that stinged and wounded their consciences , grew to a fearefull state , and consequently perished in this temptation . sometimes againe it comes when there is no sinne committed , but obedience to god performed : and then there cannot be rendred any reason of it , either in man , or out of man , saue this , that god will haue it so to be . and the trueth hereof is plaine by the examples of iob and dauid before remembred . the effects of this temptation are many ▪ and very strange . for outwardly it works vpon the bodie , as it were a burning ague , & it causeth the entralls to rise , the liuer to rowle in the bodie : & it sets a great heat in the bones , & consumes the flesh , more then any sicknes can doe . and that it is so , as i say , beside experience , it is cleare in the word of god. dauid in this distresse affirmeth , that his eyes were eaten as it were with wormes , and sunke into his head psal. . . that his moisture became as the drought in sommer . psal. . . and iob saies , that his skinne was blacke vpon him , his bones were burnt with heat : yea that by meanes of this distresse he was now full of wrinkles , and his leanenes did rise vpon him . it is a principle which physitians doe hold , that the minde follows the temperature of the bodie , and is affected according to the good or euill constitution thereof : which though it be true , yet withall it is as manifest on the other side , that the bodie doth often follow the state and condition of the minde . for a distressed heart , must of necessitie , make a fainting and a languishing bodie . but the principall thing to be sought for in this temptation , is the remedie thereof : whereunto there be fiue things required , which are to be practised , as occasion shall be offered . first , choise must be made of the most fit and present remedie , and that must be vsed in the first place . now the most fit and present remedie is , to bring the partie troubled to the personall exercises of faith and repentance , by , and in him selfe . for this ende , he must examine his conscience most straigthly and narrowly of all the sinnes of his heart , and life . secondly , he must humbly confesse against himselfe , all his knowne sinnes : and withall acknowledge the due condemnation , that he thereby hath deserued . thirdly , he must crie to heauen for mercie , intreating the lord most instantly for pardon , and for the restraint of his wrath due vnto him for his sinne . dauid beeing in this distresse , performed all these duties , as we may read in the . psalme : and he saith further of himselfe , that whilst he concealed his sinnes , the hand of god was heauie vpon him : but vpon his earnest confession , and deprecation , he receiued mercie . and if we read the booke of iob , we shall finde that the principall scope thereof is this ; namely , to shew vnto vs , that iob was throughly exercised with this temptation , and that in the ende hauing beene rebuked both by his friends , and by god himselfe , his recouerie was made , by humbling himselfe , when he saith , behold , i am vile : againe , now i abhorre my selfe , and repent in dust and ashes . some may here demand , if it fall out , that the person himselfe , cannot performe any good dutie , of himselfe , by reason of his distraction in soule , and bodie , what must then be done ? ans. if the partie can but sigh , and sobbe vnto god for mercie , and comfort : it is no doubt , a worke of gods spirit , and a practise both of faith , and repentance . we knovv not ( saith saint paul ) what to pray as we ought , ( namely , in our distresses ) but the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs , with sighs that cannot be expressed : and therein lies our comfort . thus moses at the redde sea beeing in great distresse , & not knowing what to say , or doe , sighed and groned inwardly in his soule vnto the lord , for helpe and protection : and his very desire was in stead of a loud crie in the eares of the lord. the second thing is , that triall must be made , whether the partie hath in him any tokens of grace , or not . these tokens are the small beginnings of grace , which before i haue declared . as for example : a griefe because we cannot grieue for sinne as we should : a serious will and desire to beleeue , and repent : a purpose to sinne no more , and such like . if these be found in the partie , then by them as by sure pledges , he may bee assured of the fauour of god towardes him : and where any of these be found , the saying of god to saint paul must be vrged , my grace is sufficient for thee : and therewith must the distressed partie stay his minde . yea we are to be content with any condition in this life , be it neuer so miserabie , so long as we are in the fauour of god , though he should lay vpon vs euen the paines of hell , till the time of our death . so did dauid , who when he was pursued by his owne sonne , vttered these words vnto god , behold , if i please thee not , doe with me what thou wilt . and the like was the minde of paul , who beeing assured of the fauour of god , was content for his glorie , and the saluation of the israelites ( if it had beene possible ) to be separated from christ , and to indure the very pangs of hell . the third thing in this cure is , to applie to the said distressed partie , such promises of god made vnto afflicted persons , as are most large and comfortable . for example , that the lord is neere to them that are of a contrite heart , and vvill saue such as be afflicted in spirit . psal. . . againe , i came not ( saith our sauiour christ ) but to the lost sheepe of the house of israel . matth. . . he saies not , to the straying sheepe , but to such as ate now in the pit , readie to be drowned , or in the lyons mouth , readie to be deuoured . againe ▪ the spirit of the lord is vpon me , therefore he hath annointed me that i should preach the gospel to the poore ; that is , to such as are distressed in conscience , and poore in spirit : he hath sent me that i should heale the broken hearted , that i should preach deliuerance to the captiues . these and many other such like promises , are in this case to be vrged , and the partie mooued to indeauour to beleeue them , and to rest himselfe vpon them , though he loose all things els . fourthly , the partie must be brought to a serious consideration of his life past , and of gods mercifull dealing with him in former times , and therewith is he to be comforted for the time present . for if aforehand he hath receiued any tokens of the fauour and loue of god , by them he is now to stay and ●o settle his minde . the reason is plaine : the gifts of god are without repentance ; whome he loueth once , he loueth to the ende , and whome he chooseth he calleth , iustifieth , and sanctifieth , and will also in time glorifie . dauid beeing in such affliction , that he could hardly thinke vpon god , yet he tooke this course , praied to the lord for comfort , communed with his owne heart , and called to remembrance how god had formerly dealt with him , and with this meditation of the continuall course of gods mercie in his preseruation , he confirmed his faith , and staied his heart in his greatest troubles . the fifth and last thing to be done , is the remooueall of such reasons and doubts , as the partie distressed vsually makes against himselfe , for his owne ouerthrow . for it is the manner of those that are troubled in minde , to dispute against themselues ; and commonly they are woont to alleadge three things . first , beeing instructed how to humble themselues , and to depend on gods mercie , they will graunt , that all these indeede are good things , but they belong not to them : for they neither doe , nor can feele any thing , but the tokens of gods anger , and that they are alreadie entred , into some degrees of condemnation . this obiection may be taken away , by informing them of the manner of gods dealing in all his workes . for commonly he workes all things in his creatures , in , and by contraries , if we could know the whole frame of them . thus in the creation , euery creature had his beeing of that which had no beeing , and something was made , not of something , but of nothing . after the flood , the signe of gods couenant , for the preseruation of the world from destruction by raine , is the raine-bow , which indeede is a naturall signe of raine . when elias was to prooue the lord to be the onely true god , against the idolatrous priests of baal , and that by burnt offerings ; he powred water vpon the sacrifice , and fills a trench with water round about , and in this contrarie meanes was the sacrifice burnt vp . christ for the curing of a blind man , tēpers spittle & clay together , which in all reason , is a fitter means to put out the eyes ▪ thē to cause the blind to see . thus in the worke of our redemption , christ giues life , not by life , but by death , and he sendes men to heauen by the gates and suburbes of hell . he will not build vpon an olde foundation , but he pulls downe and destroies all , that man may haue no hope at all in himselfe , but that all the hope he hath , may be in god. first he kills , and then he makes aliue , as anna speaketh : first he woundeth , and then he healeth . he makes man to sowe in teares , that afterward he may reape in ioy . and he that knoweth gods dealing to be this , must herewith rest content , and satisfied : because in wrath , god vseth to remember his mercie ; yea his mercie is neuer sweete vnto the palate of the soule , vntill it be seasoned with some tast of his wrath . the paschall lambe was eaten with sowre hearbs , to signifie , that we can feele no sweetnes in the blood of christ , till we first feele the smart of our owne sinnes , & corruptions . secondly , these persons vse to alleadge against themselues , that if they could feele any cōfort at all , then they would stay their minds , and yeild to good perswasions , & exhortations . to this , the answer is ; that there is a rule of grace , ( which we must follow ) gathered out of the word of god , and the experience of gods children , contrarie to the rule of nature . and aboue the light of reason : and it is this , that in case of affliction , we must not liue by feeling , but by faith . this rule is grounded vpon the speech of the lord by the prophet , the iust man shall liue by his faith . when we haue neither sight , nor sense , nor any tast of gods mercie , but onely apprehend his wrath , euen then we must labour to lay hold of mercie in his word , and promise . sense , and feeling , are not alwaies fit directions for the time of this life : for he may be the deare child of god , that in prsent feeleth nothing but his wrath and indignation . this indeede is the true triall of our faith , when euen aboue and against reason , we relie on the mercie of god , in the apprehension of his anger . so did dauid . out of the deepe , ( saith he ) that is , beeing nowe deepely plunged into the pangs of a distressed conscience , haue i called vpon thee , o lord : and iob in the like case . lord , though though thou kill me , yet will i trust in thee . abraham is commended by the holy ghost , amongest other things , for this , that he beleeued in god , aboue hope : that is , against all matter of hope , that might possibly be conceiued , vpon the consideration of the strength of naturall causes . the theife vpon the crosse , feeling nothing but woe : and seeing nothing in christ but misery & contempt , yet he beleeued in christ , and was saued . in a word , christ himselfe when he was forsaken of all men , and voide of all worldly comfort , and felt nothing but the depth of the wrath of god , in his agonie and passion ; yet by the faith of his manhood , he staied himselfe and said , my god , my god. thirdly , they vse to plead , that their case is desperate , that neuer any was in such a state as they are , neuer any touched with the like distresse of minde . answ. it is false : for the holy ghost hath penned three notable places of scripture , the booke of iob , & two psalmes of dauid , wherein are propounded vnto vs the examples of iob and dauid , gods owne deare seruants , who were in as great distresse , as euer they , or any other haue beene . and they may not thinke , that they euer could be able , to indure greater paines then christ , who notwithstanding in the anguish of his soule vpon the crosse , cried out , my god , my god , why hast thou for saken me ? and thus much touching the first kind of trouble of conscience , called the diuine temptation . the second kind of distresse is that which ariseth from outward afflictions . by afflictions i vnderstand , all manner of miseries and calamities in this life , from the least to the greatest , from the paine of the little finger , to the very pangs of death . nowe the question is , howe the trouble of minde , arising by afflictions , may be remedied . for the answer of which question , two things are required of the partie distressed ; practise and meditation . the practise is that , which is to be vsed , in all distresses of minde whatsoeuer . and it is a diligent examination of the conscience in regard of sinne ; an earnest and heartie confession thereof vnto god : & deprecation , that is , earnest praier vnto him , for the pardon of the same . these three things , beeing done truely and vnfainedly from the heart , are a present remedie against this trouble , and bring with them much comfort . manasses the king of iudah , that had committed much wickednesse : when he was carried captiue to babel , and there put in chaines : he humbled himselfe , acknowledged his sinnes , and praied earnestly vnto the lord , and the issue was good ; for god was intreated of him , & gaue him deliuerance . iob beeing long in outward affliction , humbled himselfe in like manner , and at length receiued comfort . daniel humbled himselfe before god , for his owne sinnes , and for the sinnes of gods people , making request vnto god earnestly for them , and euen when he was in the acte of praying , the lord sent his angel gabriel , to giue him notice of deliuerance . lastly , the church of god , vnder the crosse , performed the like dutie , let vs search and trie our waies , and turne to the lord , , and god in mercie gaue an eare vnto her mourning and lamentation . by all these places , it is apparent , that there is no better remedie in the world , for the minde of man , grieued by meanes of outward afflictions , then the practise of the duties before named . the next thing vnto practise , is the meditation of the comfortable doctrines that are set downe in the word of god , touching afflictions . all which doctrines , may be reduced to fiue principall and maine grounds of comfort , shall be laid down in their order . the first ground is , that all afflictions from the least to the greatest , doe come to passe , not by accident , chance or fortune , but by the speciall prouidence of god. i explaine it thus . in euery particular crosse and affliction , there is the hand of gods particular prouidence , and that in three regards . first , because god decreeth , and foreappointeth euery particular crosse . marke the wordes of paul , whome god hath foreknowne , them he hath predestinate , to be made like vnto the image of his sonne ; and what is this image ? nothing else , but a conformitie vnto christ in afflictions for this life , and in glorie for the life to come . nowe if god hath decreed , that those whome he foreknewe , should be conformable vnto his sonne in these respects , then hath he also decreed the afflictions themselues . secondly , god doeth not onely barely permit afflictions to be , but also he effecteth them , and brings them into execution , as they are crosses , corrections , trialls , and punishments . i make peace ( saith the lord ) and i create euill , that is , not the euill of sinne , but of punishment , which is euill in our sense and feeling . for things are tearmed euill two waies : some are euill indeed , some are euill not indeed , but in regard of our sense , apprehension , and estimation ; and of this latter sort are afflictions , which god is said to create . and to this purpose is the saying of the prophet amos , shall there be euill in the citie , and the lord hath not done it ? thirdly , as god causeth afflictions , so he ordereth and disposeth them , that is , he limiteth & appointeth the beginning , the end , the measure or quantitie , and the continuance thereof . yea he also ordereth them to their right endes , namely , his owne glorie , the good of his seruants , and the benefit of his church . thus god is said to correct his people in iudgement , that is , so as he will haue the whole ordering of the correction in his owne hand . ioseph tells his brethren , that when they intended euill against him , in selling him to the ishmaelites for siluer , god disposed it for good . when shemei cursed dauid , he forbade his seruants , so much as to meddle with him , and why ? because ( saith he ) the lord bade him to curse , and who then dare say vnto him , why hast thou done so ? and to this purpose the prophet dauid saith , i held my peace and said nothing : why ? because thou lord hast done it , psal. . . here some will say , if afflictions did come onely from god , it were somewhat , but oftentimes they come from men , that beare vs no good will , and therefore no maruell though we be impatient . answ. when crosses doe come from men , god vseth them as instruments , to execute his iudgements vpon vs ; and in this worke , god is the cheife doer , and they are as tooles , in the hand of the workeman . and the lord inflicteth them vpon vs by men , to trie our patience vnder the crosse . ioseph , though he knewe well , the badde dealing of his brethren towards him , yet he looked not to them alone , but to an higher cause , namely , the lord himselfe , who executed his owne good will by them ; god ( saith he ) disposed it to good . and againe , god did send me before you into egypt for your preseruation . the second ground is , the commandement of god , touching the crosse , and obedience vnto him therein . this commandement is expressed , luk. . . where we are commanded to take vp our crosse euery day , and follow christ. abraham was commanded , with his own hands to sacrifice his onely sonne isaac ; and to this cōmandement , ( though otherwise a great crosse vnto him ) he addresseth himselfe to yeeld obedience . and in the prophecie of micah , the church saith , shee will beare the wrath of the lord , that is , shee will performe obedience to him in the crosse , because shee had sinned against him . and s. peter saith , that god resisteth the proud and giueth grace to the humble , therefore humble your selues vnder the mightie hand of god. and this beeing the commandement of god , that we should yeild obedience to him , in euery affliction , we ought to be no lesse carefull to obey it , then any one commandement of the morall lawe . the third ground is , that god will be present with his seruants in their afflictions . vpon this ground , dauid comforts himselfe , because god had promised to heare him , to be with him in trouble , and to deliuer him . and in another place , though i should walke in the shaddowe of death , i would feare none ill , for thou art with me . &c. nowe that we may the better vnderstand this doctrine , we are to consider what be the ends or effects of gods beeing with vs in a●fliction , whereby he testifieth his presence , and they are three . the first is , to worke our deliuerance from the crosse : call vpon me ( saith the lord ) in the day of thy trouble , and i will deliuer thee . this promise must not be vnderstood simply , but with an exception , so farre forth as it shall be for our good . for all promises of temporall deliuerance , are conditionall , and must be conceiued , with this limitation of the crosse and chastisement , if god please to impose it . some may say , how if god will not deliuer vs , but leaue vs in the affliction , what comfort shall we then haue ? answ. in the second place therefore we must remember , that god will temper and moderate our afflictions , so as we may be able to beare them . habbakuk praieth vnto god , in the behalfe of the church , that he would in wrath remember mercie . and paul saith , that the lord will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue that we are able to beare , but will giue an issue with the temptation . thirdly , put the case that god doeth not moderate our afflictions , but suffer them to remaine vpon vs , not onely for some time of our life , but to the very death : yet then will be testifie his holy presence another way , namely , by giuing the partie distressed , power and strength to beare his affliction . vnto you it is giuen ( saith paul ) for christ , that not onely ye should beleeue in him , but also suffer for his sake . the fourth ground of comfort in affliction is , that euery affliction vpon the seruants of god , hath some speciall goodnesse in it , rom. . . we know that all things , worke together for good vnto them that loue god. and in regard hereof , the crosses which are indured by gods children , are so farre from beeing preiudiciall to their saluation , that they are rather helpes and furtherances of the same . now this goodnes is perceiued two waies . first , by the fruit and effect of it , and then by the qualitie and condition thereof . in both which respects , afflictions are good . touching the fruits of afflictions , because they are manifold , i will reduce them to seauen principall heads . i. afflictions doe make men to see & consider their sinnes . iosephs brethren for twentie yeares together , were little or not at all troubled for their wickednes , in selling their brother ; yet vpon their affliction in egypt , they beganne to consider what they had done : we haue ( say they ) verily sinned against our brother , in that we saw the anguish of his soule , when he be sought vs , and we would not heare him : therefore is this trouble come vpon vs. manasses in the time of his peace , gaue himselfe to witchcraft , and the worshipping of strange gods : but when he was captiue in babylon , then was he brought to the sight of his sinnes , and mooued to humble himselfe before god for them . ii. afflictions serue to humble men in their soules before god. the young vnthrift in the gospel called the prodigall child , while his portion lasted he spent liberally , and was grieued for nothing : but when he came to be pinched with hunger , and that through his owne follie , then he humbled himselfe before his father , and returned home vnto him . dauid saith of himselfe , that in his prosperitie he thought he should neuer be mooued , because the lord of his goodnes had made his mountaine to stand strong : but ( saith he ) thou didst hide thy face , and i was troubled , then cried i vnto the lord. iii. they serue to worke amendement of life . no chastising ( saith the author to the hebrewes ) for the present seemeth to be ioyous , but aftervvard it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousnes to them that are thereby exercised , that is , afflictions and chastisments that seaze vpon gods children , doe leaue after them amendment of life , as the needle passeth through the cloath , and leaueth the threed behinde it . when we are iudged ( saith the apostle ) vve are nurtered of the lord , that we might not be condemned with the world . and dauid confesseth psal. . it is good for me that i haue beene afflicted , that i might learne thy statutes . and the good husbandman , purgeth and pruneth the vine , that it may bring forth more and better fruit . iiii. they cause men to denie themselues , and to rely wholy on the mercy of god. thus paul receiued the sentence of death in himselfe , that he should not trust in himselfe , but in god , that raiseth the dead . v. the fi●t is inuocation . for afflictions make vs to crie hartelie and feruently vnto god , to bringe our selues into his presence , and there to abase our selues before him . thus the lord saith of his children that in their affliction they will seeke him diligently . vi. the sixth is patience . affliction bringeth forth patience , patience experience , &c. as if he should say ; because the loue of god is shed in our hearts , therefore in afflictions we are patient . now whilst we patiently beare the crosse , we haue experience of the mercie and loue of god towardes vs : and hauing once in some notable deliuerance , tried and tasted the mercie of god , we doe by hope ( as it were ) promise to our selues , the said fauour and mercy , for time to come . vii . the last fruit is obedience . this the holy ghost teacheth , to haue beene the fruit of the suffering of christ , when he saith , though he were the sonne , yet learned he obedience , by the things which he suffered . in the next place , afflictions are good in regard of their qualitie and condition , which is , that they are tokens and pledges of our adoption , when we make the best vse of them . if ye indure chastening , ( saith the holy ghost ) god offereth himselfe vnto you as vnto sonnes , that is , he comes to you in the crosse , not as a iudge and reuenger , but as a kind and louing father : and the crosse imposed , is as it were his fatherly hād , where with he chastiseth vs : and therefore iob praiseth god for his affliction , saying , god hath giuen , and god hath taken away , blessed be the name of the lord. the fifth ground of comfort is , that the partie distressed , hath partners in the crosse . for first he hath christ to be his partner , because he hath fellowship with him , in that he is afflicted , and is willing to obey god therein . paul accounteth it happines , to know the fellowshippe of christs afflictions , and to be made conformable vnto his death . phil. . . secondly , if the partie afflicted repent , christ communicateth with him in all his crosses , and accounts them as his owne . the apostle in this regard , would haue no man thinke it strange , no not when he is in the fierie triall ; but rather to reioyce because he is partaker of christs sufferings . phil. . . and christ saith to saul persecuting his church , saul , saul , why persecutest thou me ? thirdly , he that is afflicted , hath other seruants of god , partakers with him in all his afflictions . the apostle peter wisheth the church of god to resist sathan by faith , knowing , saith he , that the same afflictions are accōplished , in your brethren that are in the world . . pet. . . thus much generally of afflictions , and of comfort in them . it were a long and tedious worke , to set all downe in particular , together with their proper and distinct comforts : therfore i will passe them ouer , and speake onely of three kinds of afflictions , with their remedies . the first is , the deferring of deliuerance : a great affliction if it be considered . and touching it , i propound one question , namely , how the minde of the partie distressed , may be staied , when as the lord deferres deliuerance . for the answer hereof , three especiall points are to be considered . i. first , that god hath in his wisdome , set downe certen and vnchangeable times , for the accomplishment and issue of all things that are . there is a time appointed , to euery thing vnder ▪ the sunne . eccles. . . the speech of salomon is generall , and the meaning of it is this : whatsoeuer there is in the world , either done , or suffered , or enioyed by man , whether it be of the number of naturall things , or of those which are voluntarily vndertaken , or necessarily endured ; god hath in his prouidence sorted vnto them , a set time and season , whereof dependeth the successe of thē all . and this time , himself most freely ordereth and ruleth , at his owne good pleasure ; which , as no man can hinder or stay , so is it not in the power of any , to hasten , or preuēt . this point , the holy ghost in scripture prooueth by two instances , of the threatnings and promises of god , which himselfe accomplisheth at some certaine and vnchangeable times . when the old world in the daies of noah , had growne to much impietie , and wickednes , the lord appointed a certaine space of yeares , for their repentance and conuersion , at the very ende and tearme whereof , he brought the flood vpon them , and not before . for if we compare the particular circumstances of time , noted in the . of genesis , with that which s. peter writeth , . pet. . . we shall find , that the inundation of waters came vpon the earth , at the very point of time before determined . againe , god threatned by ieremie , that the iewes for their sinnes , should be led captiue , and serue the king of babel yeares . now if we take the iust computation of time , it will appeare , that so soone as euer those yeares were expired , the foresaid threat was accomplished . and therefore daniel alluding to ieremies prophecie , exactly setteth it downe , when he saith , the same night was belshazzer king of the chaldeans slaine , that is , the very night wherein those yeares came to their full period . and as there are set times , allotted by god for the execution of his threatning sentences ; so also hath he determined certenly , the accomplishment of all and euery of his promises . an example hereof we haue in the israelites , of whome the lord said to abraham , that they should be in afflictiō in a strange land , yeres , & then be deliuered . this promise of god was expressely fulfilled , as we may read in the booke of exodus . for before the ende and tearme of these yeares , they had no deliuerance at all : but when that time was expired , euen that selfe same day , departed all the hosts of israel , out of the land of egypt . and though moses , fourtie yeares before this time tooke in hand the worke of their deliuerance ; yet he did it without successe , and vpon a certaine accident , beeing himselfe constrained to flie into madian , he liued there as a stranger with iethro his father in law , till the saide time of foure hundred and thirtie yeares was accomplished ; toward the end whereof , being called of god to that office , he prospered , and not before . and in the same manner , hath god set downe a certen period of time , within which , he will exercise his children more or lesse , and at the end whereof , and not before , he will releeue and comfort them againe . now as the certentie of the accomplishment of gods threatning word , serues to terrifie all wicked liuers from sinne : so the vnchangeable performance of his promises , at the very time prefixed , and not before , teacheth the children of god sundrie things . first , that when they are in any distresse , and haue not present or speedie deliuerance , according to their desire ; they should wait the lords leisure , and expect with patience till the time come , which is appointed by him for their case and releefe : and in the meane while stay their hearts , by hope and affiance in his mercie . reason is plaine . god is sure in his word , therefore though heauines may indure for a night , yet ioy will returne in the morning psal. . . thus the lord comforteth the iewes in a particular distresse , as we may read in the prophecie of habbakuk ▪ where the prophet in the name of the iewes , complaineth and expostulateth the matter with god , why his owne people should be so lamentably afflicted , by a terrible and a furious nation , and why they should be led away captiues , by the chaldeans the enemies of god ? to this the lord makes answer , that as he had certenly determined , that iudgement to come vpon them , so certenly had he appointed a set time , wherein they should be deliuered . in the meane while , he biddes them to comfort themselues in this , that though the affliction should rest vpon them for a season , yet vndoubtedly they should be cased at the length : and therefore , that they should in patience waite for the vision , that is , the accomplishment of the vision , touching their deliuerance . secondly , hence we learne , that we must not onely beleeue the promises of god in generall , that god is true and faithfull in them , and that he is able and willing to fulfill them , euen as he made them : but we must beleeue them in particular , that is , with application to their proper and seuerall circumstances , which are the particular meanes , places , and times , whereby , and wherein he hath giuen his word , as touching our freedome and exemption from the crosse . take an instance hereof in the prophet daniel , who knewe well by the spirit of prophecie , that the lord had determined to bring vpon the iewes . yeares captiuitie in babylon . he knewe also that god had promised to put an ende to that captiuitie , at the end and tearme of those yeares . nowe what did daniel in this case ? vpon knowledge of the will of god in that point , during the said time , he praied not vnto the lord , for deliuerance of his people : but when he vnderstood that the time drew neere , wherein it was the will of god , that the iewes should returne out of captiuitie , then by faith applying the promise of god to that particular time : he besought the lord in praier and supplications , with fasting , in sackcloath and ashes , and the lord gaue eare vnto his praiers , & yeelded him a gratious answer . ii. the second point is , that god , when he deferres deliuerance , he doeth it vpon great and waightie causes and considerations , best known to himselfe . the first whereof is , that thereby he might humble men throughly , and bring them to an vtter deniall of themselues , and consequently cause them , to learne patience in afflictiō , which they would not learne , if they might be their owne caruers , and haue speedie deliuerance from the crosse , at their owne wils & pleasures . secondly , that beeing afflicted , they may acknowledge whence their deliuerance comes ; yea , whence they doe receiue not onely that , but euery other good benefit , which they inioy : namely , not from themselues , or any creature , but onely from the lord ; and accordingly may learne to value and prize his gifts , at their deserued excellencie . for it is a true saying , and often verified in affliction and want , that benefits easily obtained , are lightly regarded , and sooner forgotten . thirdly , that by the continuance of the crosse without intermission , he may make thē to distaste the world , and consequently drawe them to the meditation of the life to come , wherein all matter of mourning shall cease , and all teares shall be wiped from their eies . fourthly , the lord deferreth deliuerāce from affliction , that he might preuent greater euils and dangers , whereinto those that are afflicted might runne , if they had their hearts desire , and were eased not at his will , but at their owne wishes . when the children of israel came into canaan , they were informed , that they should dwell together with the canaanites , and moses rēdreth a reason therof , least ( saith he ) the wild beasts of the field multiply against thee . and for the preuenting of this euill , the israelites must indure some annoyance by the canaanites . euen so the lord keepeth his seruants vnder the crosse , for the preuenting of greater sinnes and offences . this should stay the mindes of men , & make them content , to waite vpon god for deliuerance , when they are afflicted . the third and last point is , that god alwaies hath and doeth exercise his best seruants , with long and continued crosses . abraham was childlesse , till he was . yeares of age , and at those yeares the lord promised him issue . but this promise was not accomplished till a long time after , when he was an hundred yeares old . dauid had a promise to be king of ierusalem , and iuda ▪ but the lord exercised him by many and grieuous afflictions , before he came to the crowne , in so much , that he saies of himselfe , that his eies failed with waiting vpon his god. zacharie and elizabeth praied to god , both of them in their youth , and many yeares after for issue , but the lord graunted not their request , till they were olde . to adde no more examples ; by these we see the lords dealing , euen with holy men & women , his owne deare seruants , that he doth not alwaies grant their requests , nor condescend to their desires at the first , but as it were holds thē off , & suspends his grace and fauour for a time . and therefore if it shall please him thus to deale with any of vs , we must frō these examples be taught , to possesse our soules with patience , resting contented in his will , and waiting on his good pleasure to the end . to conclude this point . suppose that the condition of gods seruants be such , as that they find no end of their afflictions , but that they do continue euen vnto death , what shall they doe in this case ? ans. besides that which hath beene said before , for the resolution of this question , i answer further , that first , they must still , euen vnto death , liue by faith , and say with holy iob , lord though thou kill me , yet will i trust in thee . secondly , they must stay and releiue their soules in the meane time , with these and such like meditations . i. that it is the will and pleasure of god , that we should through many afflictions , enter into the kingdome of god. act. . . nowe it is the propertie of a true child of god , to rest content in his fathers good will and pleasure , euen when he is afflicted , prou. . . my sonne — be not grieued at my correction , that is , let it not be tedious vnto thee , be content to beare it . our dutie therefore is , meekely to subiect our selues vnto the hand of god , as the child doeth vnto the correction of his father . ii. that though afflictions be long and tedious , yet god will at length giue a ioyful & comfortable issue . for so himselfe hath promised , math. . . blessed are they that mourne , for they shall be comforted . psal. . . great are the troubles of the righteous , but the lord will deliuer him out of thē all . marke the vpright man , & behold the iust , for the end of that mā is peace . iii. afflictions be they neuer so heauy , in regard of continuance , yet they are in no sort cōparable to those eternal ioies , that god hath prepared for thē that loue him . this was pauls meditatiō , who indured the crosse , euē to his dying day . our light afflictiō ( saith he ) which is but for a moment , worketh vnto vs an excellent , and eternal waight of glory . and elswhere he professeth that he did not count the afflictions of this present time , answerable in value to the glorie , which shall be reuealed vnto gods children , ro. . . saint peter tels them to whome he wrote , that in regard of their assured hope of eternall life , they should reioice , though now for a season , they were in heauinesse through manifold tentations , . pet. . . lastly the author to the hebrewes , comforteth the church by this reason , because it is is yet a very little while , and he that shall come , will come , and will not tarrie . iv. though god with-holdeth his hand in respect of deliuerance euen to death , yet his loue is constant and vnchangeable , and the crosse which we vndergoe , cannot seperate vs from that loue , wherewith he hath loued vs in iesus christ , rom. . . and thus much of the first particular distresse of minde . the second kind of afflictiō , is bodily & temporarie death , which consisteth in the seperation of the soule from the bodie . and touching this affliction , it is demanded , how any seruant of god , may be able to indure with comfort , the pangs of death ? for the answer hereof , two things are required : a preparation to death , and helpes in the time of death . concerning preparation , there are three duties to be performed . the first and most principall is commended vnto vs in the booke of psalmes , where dauid praies vnto god , lord make me to know mine ende , and the measure of my daies . and moses in like manner , lord teach me to number my daies , that i may apply my heart vnto wisedome . in which places , is remembred a notably dutie of preparation : to wit , that a man should resolue himselfe of death continually , and afore-hand number his daies . and this is done , by esteeming of euery day , as the day of his death , and accordingly doing alwaies that which he would doe , if he were now to giue vp the ghost . secondly , in way of preparation , we must indeauour to disarme and weaken death , who is as an armed man , that hath his weapons , whereby he seekes to destroy vs. and in this case , we must deale with death , as the philistims dealt with sampson . they saw by experience that he was a mightie man , and by his power and strength , had giuen them many foyles ; and therefore they laboured to knowe , in what part of his bodie his strength did lie . and after inquirie , finding it to be in the haire of his head , they neuer rested , till they had spoiled him thereof . and questionlesse , the time wil come , when we all must encounter , with this strong and powerfull sampson , death , in the meane while , it is a point of wisdome , to inquire wherein his power & might consisteth . when this search hath bin made , we shall finde that his weapons , are our manifold sinnes , and corruptions , both of heart and life . for as paul saith , the sting of death is sinne . therefore , that we may spoile him of this his furniture , we must exercise our selues in the practise of two duties . first , vse all meanes for the cutting off of the locke of our sinnes , whereby alone satan hath the vantage of vs ; and these meanes are the duties of inuocation , and true repentance . we must therefore be instant in praier , for the pardon of our sinnes past , and present , and in this point giue the lord no rest , vntill we haue obtained in our consciences , the sweete certificate of his fauour and mercie in christ , whereby our minds may be staied and comforted . this done , it stands vs in hand to turne vnto god , to be carefull to leaue sinne , to entertaine in our hearts , a resolued purpose and intention of newe obedience , and conformitie to the will , and commandement of god in all things . and this is the onely way in the world , to bereaue this our enemie of his armour , to pull the sting out of the mouth of this serpent ▪ and consequētly , euen in death to preuaile against him . thirdly , in way of preparation , our dutie is , euen afore-hand ( while we liue in this world ) to indeauour , to haue some true taste of life euerlasting , and the ioyes of heauen . the due consideration whereof , will be of great vse . for it will stirre vp in our hearts , a desire and loue of perfect happinesse in heauen , yea a feruent expectation of christs comming to iudgement : and it will further cause vs to say , with simeon , lord , now let thy seruant depart in peace : and with the apostle , i desire to be dissolued ▪ and be with christ. touching this spirituall ioy and comfort in the holy ghost , these questions of conscience are mooued . first , how may we in this life haue and nourish in our hearts , a true tast of eternall happinesse , and of the ioyes of the world to come ? ans. first , by a serious consideration of the euills that doe hinder , or preiudice our happines : and they are principally foure . one is ▪ the miserie of our liues ▪ in respect of sinne , and the consequen●s thereof . for there is no man in the world , be he neuer so righteous , that can truly say of himselfe , i am cleane from my sinne , prou. . . yea , euen the regenerate , that haue receiued grace to beleeue , to ●urne vnto god , and to liue according to the spirit , doe finde by experience , corruption and rebellion in their minds , wills , and affections , which daily affordeth matter of sinning against god : and on the other side , hindreth and quencheth all the good motions of the spirit that are in them . againe , such is the irreconciliable malice of satan , that he taketh vantage of mans corruption ▪ and neglecteth no time or opportunitie , to intrappe the children of god , in the snares of his temptations . and hence it is that man , by reason of his owne corruption , and the wicked suggestions of the deuill , is at continuall strife with himselfe , hath daily occasion of sorrow , worketh out his saluation with feare and trembling , wading ( as it were ) euen while he liueth , in a sea of many miseries . the second euill , is the vanitie of all things that are in the world . for whether we consider the world it selfe , or the things therein contained , done , or suffered , there is nothing so sure and steadie , whereunto man hauing attained , can possibly rest fully satisfied , and contented ; or which in the ende , will not prooue to be most vaine vanitie . and the truth hereof appeareth , in the experience of salomon himselfe ; who ( beeing king ouer israel ) wanted neither authoritie , nor abilitie , & opportunitie , to take knowledge and triall , of all worldly things in all estates and conditions . and hauing euen of set purpose , carefully and earnestly searched into them all , at length he concludes , that the issue of all was vnprofitable vanitie , and vexation of minde , as we may read in his ecclesiastes . the third euill is , the changeable condition of our life in this world , whereby it comes to passe , that we are alway in a fleeting and transitorie state . for we are ( as s. peter speaketh ) but strangers and pilgrimes , that wander to and fro in the earth , as in a strange countrey , and still are making forward to our owne home . we haue here no abiding citie : the houses wherein we dwell , are but innes , in which we soiourne for a time : yea the bodies which we haue , are but tents and tabernacles , alway readie to be shifted , and our selues to be trāslated into another place . fourthly , by remembring , that christ our head , beeing now in heauen , and we his members vpon the earth ; during our life , we are in presence separated from our head , and consequently , from that happie and glorious fellowship , which we shall inioy with him , and all the saints our fellow-members , in the kingdome of heauen . this s. paul noteth , when he saith , whilst we are at home in the bodie , we are absent from the lord : and thereupon himselfe desired to be dissolued , and to be with christ. hauing thus entred into the due consideration of the aforesaid euills , we must in the second place , exercise our selues in the frequent meditation , of the blessed estate of gods chosen , in the kingdome of glorie : who beeing translated out of this life , into the bosome of abraham , are fully and perfectly freed from sinne , from satan , from vanitie and mis●●ie : haue all teares wiped from their eyes : doe behold the face of god , are made like vnto christ in holines and honour : and doe with him inhe●it the kingdome , prepared for them , from the foūdations of the world . in the third place , hauing throughly considered of these things , we must compare the estate of this present life , in the respects before named , with the estate of that , which is to come in the kingdome of heauen : and laying them in a paralell together , we shall find the one , infinitely farre to excell the other , in regard of true ioy and comfort . and this will make vs , though liuing in the world , yet to vse it , as if we vsed it not : to haue our conuersation in heauen : to thinke , with paul , that to be loosed , and be with christ , is best of all for vs : to haue a t●ue & liuely tast of the ioyes of the world to come , and accordingly with abraham ▪ isaac , and iacob , to looke for a citie that hath foundations , whose builder and maker is god. secondly , it is demanded , how a man may truly discerne , whether this ioy of the spirit be in him , yea or no ? for answer hereunto , it is to be remembred , that there are sundrie properties whereby it differeth from carnall ioy . and these are principally fiue . first , this ioy is brought forth ( as it were ) of sorrow for sinne , and for the want of christ. ye shall sorrow , ( saith our sauiour christ to his disciples , meaning for his departure , ) but your sorrow shall be turned into ioy . these words , are not onely meant of his disciples , but of all beleeuers , who vpon consideration of their sinnes , and the spirituall want of christ iesus , doe mourne and lament . for not only they , but all true beleeuers , are there opposed vnto the world. againe , blessed are they that mourne : that is , beeing touched with causes of exceeding griefe , doe withall mourne for their sinnes ▪ for they shall be ▪ comforted . on the other side , carnall ioy ▪ as it hath his beginning from the flesh , and ariseth of things pleasing thereunto , so it ends in sorrow & heauines . in the end , reioycing is turned into mourning , saith salomon ▪ and , woe be to you that now laugh : for ye shall weepe . secondly , the ioy of the spirit , is a fruit of righteousnes : that is , it issueth and floweth from christ knowne and beleeued , to be made vnto vs of god , wisdome , righteousnes , sanctification , and full redemption . for from hence follows peace of conscience , and from peace comes ioy in the holy ghost . contrariwise , the ioy of the flesh , ariseth onely from the sudden feeling of some worldly delight : and therefore cannot bring any sound peace , vnto the conscience o● the man possessed of it . thirdly , spirituall ioy is founded in the holy vse of the word , sacraments , & praier : and in the practise of christian duties of mercie , loue , iustice , &c. the other is not so . for the world conceiueth a ioy besides the word , out of the exercises of inuocation and repentance : which stands in the practise of crueltie , malice , oppression , iniustice , and all manner of impietie . and hence it is , that hauing spent their daies in such matter of reioycing , at length in a moment they goe downe to hell . fourthly , heauenly ioy is so fixed and rooted in the heart , that it cannot be remooued thence . your ioy shall no man take from you , saith christ. it must needes therefore be true and sound , yea able to swallow vp all matter of griefe , and heauinesse : whereas the other is neuer sincere , but with the sweetnes thereof , hath alwaies mingled some bitternes . euen in laughter ( saitl , s●lomon , speaking thereof ) the heart is heauie . when the face of the wicked man shineth , and his countenance is pleasant , euen then is he inwardly sorrowfull , and his minde is troubled . lastly , the ioy of the spirit is eternall : abiding in the mind of man , not onely for the terme of this life , but for euer , in the world to come . so is not the reioycing of the world in earthly things : for it is fading and deceitfull , as the things themselues be , wherein it is placed : it hath the beginning in corruption , and endeth with this present life . the examples of the two rich men in the gospel , doe manifest this truth . and to this purpose , is the speech of zophar , in the booke of iob , that the reioycing of the vicked , is very short , and the ioy of hypoer●●es is but a moment , &c. by these fiue properties , may we put a true difference , betweene earthly and heauenly reioycing , and consequently discerne of them , euen in our selues . and if we perceiue this ioy of the spirit , ( rightly receiued in our hearts , and grounded in the right vse of the word , and sacraments ; as also in the exercises of inuocation , faith , and repentance ▪ ) to take place in our soules and consciences ; we shall finde it of force , to moderate and delay the very terrours of death . and so much for preparation . now the helpes to be vsed in the time of death , are manifold : the summe of all may be reduced to two heads , meditations , and practises . touching meditations , we must in the first place , consider death in a double respect ; one , as it is in it owne nature , and another , as it is changed and qualified by the death of christ. death in it owne nature , is a curse , or forerunner of condemnation , the very gates and suburbs of hell it selfe : but beeing qualified by christ , it is a blessing , a short passage vnto ioy , an entrance into euerlasting life , a quiet sleepe , voide of all annoyance , by dreames and fantasies . and the graue , a resting chamber , persumed by the death of christ , for the bodies of all the elect , our of which when they awake , they shall be admitted and receiued , into the presence of god in heauen . secondly , we are to consider , that there be three degrees of eternall life . the first where of , is in this world before we die ; and it is then , when we ▪ beginne to repent and beleeue in christ , and to be assured in conscience , that god the father is our father , christ our redeemer , and the holy ghost our comforter . for this is eternall life , to know god , and him whome he hath sent iesus christ. the next degree is in death : for death cuts off all sinne , originall and actuall : death frees vs from all worldly miseries : death prepareth the bodie , that it may be fit , to enter into eternall happinesse together with the soule , which is alreadie in heauen . the last degree is , when bodie and soule reunited , goe both together , into eternall and euerla●●ing glorie in heauen . our third meditation is , that there is a mysticall vnion and coniunction , betweene christ & euery beleeuer , and that not onley in regard of soule , but of bodie also ; which beeing once knit , shall neuer be dissolued , but is eternall . wherevpon the dying , dead , rotten , and consumed bodie , remaineth still a member of christ , abideth within the couenant , and is and shall be euer , a temple of the holy ghost . thus adam , and abraham , which are dead so many thousand yeares agoe , yea euery true beleeuer , from them to the end of the world , shall rise at the last day , in body to glorie , by the power of their coniunction with christ. in the winter season , we see the most trees voide of leaues , buddes , and blossomes : so as they seeme to vs to be dead , and yet neuerthelesse , there is a sappe in the roote of them , which in the spring wil ascend , & reuiue the decaied branches . euen so it is with our bodies , which though they be corrupted , rotten , burnt , or eaten with wormes , or deuoured by wild beasts , so as they may seeme to be vtterly perished , yet there is ( as it were ) a secret and hidden sap in them , ( by reason of their vnion with christ ) by which they shall be raised , reuiued , & quickened , beeing made like vnto the glorious bodie of christ their head , with whome they shall raigne , and liue for euermore . helpes in practise are two ; first , he that will beare with comfort the pangs of death , must labour that he may die in christ , and that is , by faith , laying hold of the promise of god , touching forgiuenesse of sinnes and life euerlasting by christ. all these ( saith the holy ghost ) died in faith , namely , abel , enoch , noe , abraham , and sarah , all laying hold of the promise of life by christ. when iacob on his death-bed , was blessing of his children , he brake forth into this heauenly speach , o lord i haue waited for thy saluation . in which words it is plaine ▪ that his faith rested on the mercy of god , & by hope he waited for his saluatiō . and our sauiour christ saith , as moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernesse , so must the sonne of man be lift vp , that whosoeuer beleeueth in him , might not perish , but haue life euerlasting . out of which words , the forenamed dutie may be learned , that looke as the children of israel , beeing stung with fierie serpents , and that vnto death , were healed by looking vp to the brasen serpent , erected by moses : so when we are stung with sinne and death , we must euer remember by faith to looke vpon christ. but specially when we are dying , then it is our part , to fixe the eies of our soules , by faith vpon him ; and thereby shall we escape death , and be made partakers of eternall life and happinesse . notable is the example of christ , who as he was man , alwaies fixed his trust and confidence in his fathers word , especially at his end . for when he was dying , and the pangs of death seazed vpon him , he cries vnto the lord , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? and againe , father , into thy hands i commend my spirit : which words are ful of faith , and doe bewray what great affiance he placed in his fathers loue , &c. when dauid in an extremitie , saw nothing before his eies , but present death , the people intending to stone him , at the very instant ( as the text saith ) he comforted himselfe in the lord his god ▪ but how ? by calling to minde the mercifull promises , that god had made vnto him , and by applying them vnto his heart by faith . and paul saith of himselfe , and the rest of the faithfull , that they receiued , the sentence of death in themselues , that they might not trust in themselues , but in god. from these examples it followes , that they which desire with comfort to beare the pangs of death , must die by faith ; that is , they must set before their eies , the promise of remission of sinnes , and life euerlasting , and depend vpon it , wrapping ( as it were ) and infolding themselues in it , as in a close and warme garment , that will keepe them safe and sure , against the winde and weather of temptation . the second practise in time of death is , to die in obedience ; which is nothing else , but willingly , readily , and ioyfully , without murmuring , to submit ourselues to gods will , in bearing the paines of death . a most worthie president of this obedience , we haue in our sauiour christ , when he said vnto his father , not my will , but thy will be done ; thereby submitting his will , to his fathers will , touching the death which he then suffered . and this his example at the time of his departure , must be a rule of direction vnto vs , vpon the like occasion . true it is , that obedience to god in death , is against corrupt nature : and therefore our dutie is , the more to invre our selues , to the performing of it : and that which the blessed apostle said of himselfe , i die daily , ought to be continually our resolution and practise . if we shall inquire , howe this may be done ; the answer is , when god layeth afflictions vpon vs , in our life time , then by indeauouring to beare them with patience , meeknes , and lowlinesse . for euery affliction , is ( as it were ) a petty death : and if we doe in it , subiect our selues to the hand of god , we shal the better obey him , in the great death of all ▪ and thus doing , whensoeuer god striketh vs with death , we shall with comfort endure the same . the third particular affliction , is satanicall molestation , whereby both persons , & places of mansiō , or abode , are either possessed , or otherwise molested by the malice of the deuill . touching this affliction , the question of cōscience is , how such persons as are possessed , or feare possession , or else indure molestations by the deuill in their houses : may haue their minds quieted and staied , and consequently , in that case be remedied ? and here . things are generally to be considered , in way of answer . first , it is to be remembred , that possession is known by two signes . the one is , when the deuill is euidētly present , either in the whole body , or in sōe part of it . the other , when he hath rule of the said bodie , either in whole or in part : so as the party himselfe , hath not that vse of his body , which he would . as for example , when the deuil possesseth the instruments of the voice , as the tongue , & makes a mā to speake latine , greeke , italian , or other tongues , which he vnderstandeth not . both these things were found in them that were possessed , in the time of our sauiour christ. secondly , we must consider , it falleth out oftentimes , that strange diseases doe seaze vpon men , hauing strāge effects in thē ▪ which the arte of physicke neither can search out , nor cure : & yet they are neither acts of witchcraft , nor reall possessiōs . as when god laid extraordinarie diseases on the corinthians , for the contempt of his word and sacraments , . cor. . . like vnto which , he vvorthily inflicts vpon men in these daies , for the same and other sinnes . now to stay the minde in this case , these rules are carefully to be thought vpon . first of all , it is to be remembred , that though satans malice and power , be very great and large : yet he cānot practise the same , against the children of god , when , where , and howe he listeth . the malice which satan beares to mankind , and principally to the members of christ , appeares in this , because he is said , to accuse them before god , day and night , reu. . and as a roaring lyon , to walke about the world , seeking whome he may deuoure , . pet. . . againe the scripture noteth him , to be a powerfull spirit , whose strength farre exceedeth and surpasseth the might of any man or creature , that is not of an angelical nature , as himselfe is . for he is tearmed a prince of the aire , and the god of this world , his power reacheth euen to the spirits & soules of men , whereby he worketh in the children of disobedience , eph. . . his principallitie is so great , that no strength , no defence of man is able to withstand it , vnlesse man take vnto himselfe the whole armour of god , eph. . . now although the deuill , be so malitious an enemie of mankind , that he ceaseth not to deuise , whatsoeuer may be hurtfull vnto them ; and withall so powerfull in his attempts , that no man by his owne proper strength , is able to resist him : yet he cannot put the least part of his power in execution , in what time , place , or manner he desireth . the reason is , because god hath determined his power , by certaine bounds and limits , which he cannot passe : and they are especially two . the one is , his owne nature , whereby he is a creature , and therefore finite . hence it is , that he can neither knowe , nor doe any thing , that is beyond the reach or capacitie of his nature , or aboue the power and skill of a creature . for example , he cannot directly and immediately knowe the deepe things of god , vnlesse they be reuealed vnto him : nor yet the secrets of mans heart . none knoweth the things of a man , saue the spirit of man , which is in him : euen so , the things of god knoweth none , but the spirit of god , . cor. . . again , he cannot doe that which is truely and properly a miracle , the cause wherof is hidden and vtterly vnknowne , and which comes not within the power and order of nature . for this is proper vnto god , who onely doth things simply wonderfull , psal. . . the second thing whereby satans power is restrained , is the will of god. for looke as the sea , beeing by nature , apt to ouerflowe the whole earth , is kept in , and shut vp within the shore , ( as it were ) with dores or gates , that it cannot break forth ; and that by the lord himselfe , who hath established his decree vpon it , iob. . so though satan be by nature strong , and his malice great , yet can he doe nothing at all , no nor execute his naturall power , to the hurt , and preiudice of any man , without the will and permission of god. thus the euill spirit , could not goe forth to deceiue ahab , vntill the lord had said vnto him , goe and thou shalt pre●aile , . king. . . thus the deuill , could not touch the bodie , children , goods , or friendes of righteous iob , whilest he was fenced and fortified , by the power and prouidence of god. but when the lord , in regard of iobs outward estate , had giuen him leaue , & said , loe all that he hath is in thine hand , then did he exercise his power , to the vtmost : yet so farre onely , as he was permitted , and no further . iob. . . the consideration of this first point , that satans power is determined by god , will serue to stay the minds of those , whose persons , houses , or friends are molested by him . for hereupon it followeth , that god , who hath the deuill bound vp ( as it were ) in chaines , will not suffer his power to be inlarged , against his owne children , to their destruction and confusion : but so far forth alone , as shall be expedient for their good and saluation . againe , that god beeing their father in christ iesus , they may in the case of such affliction , haue accesse vnto him , & call vpon him , for the restraint of satans power and malice , and consequently , for the deliuerance of them and theirs . a second rule is this ▪ such persons must haue recourse to god in his word , in which he promiseth his presence and protection , to his children , in their greatest dangers . and namely , that there shall no euill come vnto them , neither any plague shall come neere their dwelling : because he will giue his angels charge ouer them , to keepe them in all their waies . againe , that he wil be a wall of fire , round about his people . zach. . . that he will extend peace ouer his church , like a stood . isa. . . and that there shall be no sorcerie in iacob , nor south saying in israel . numb . . . and by this meanes , possessions and witchcraft , though they befall gods children , yet they shall turne to their good , rather then their hurt . thirdly , it must be considered , that the best seruants of god , haue beene in their times molested by the deuill . christ in his second temptation , was carried by the deuill , from the wildernes , to a wing of the temple of ierusalem . the children of iob , were destroied by the deuill , and he himselfe was filled with botches , and sores . a certaine woman , euen a daughter of abraham , that is , one following the faith of abraham ▪ was troubled with a spirit of infirmitie , eighteene yeares together . matth. . , . and the daughter of the woman of canaan , was grieuously vexed with a deuill . fourthly , men in this case , ought to lay fast hold , vpon the promise of life euerlasting , and must wait the lords leisure , not limiting him in respect of time , or meanes of deliuerance . this was the practise of iob , though he kill me , yet will i trust in him . and of holy abraham , who did not limit god , but was content to doe with isaac , what the lord would : and though it was in likelyhood , a meane to bereaue him of all posteritie , yet still he kept himselfe to the promise . in the molestation and annoiance of houses by spirits , two things are to be remembred . first , men must not consort together , and abide there , where it is certenly knowne , that the lord hath giuen the deuill power and libertie ; least in so doing , they tempt the lord. our sauiour christ , did not of his owne priuate motion and will , betake himselfe into the wildernes , but by the direction of the holy ghost . math. . . paul in like manner , did not of his owne head goe to ierusalem , but vpon the motion of the spirit . act. . . in the light of these examples men are taught , not to cast themselues , into any places of apparent danger : much lesse to frequēt those , which god hath deliuered vp , into the power of satan . and this condemneth the rash , and headie conceits of some persons , who vpon confidence of their owne strength , doe put thē selues into needlesse dangers , hauing neither extraordinarie calling from god , nor any sufficient warrant out of his word . if it be asked , what mē are to doe in this case ? i answer , first , that they ought rather to flie to god by praier , and to draw neere vnto him in their hearts : and he in mercle will draw neere vnto them . secondarily , that which we doe in meates and drinkes , is also to be done in the houses and places where we dwell . and what is that ? we must sanctifie them to our vse , by the word and praier . noah at gods commandement , went into the arke , abode in it , and came out againe : and when he came forth of it , into the earth afterward ; it is said of him , that he built an altar , gaue thankes to god for his deliuerance , and praied the lord , to vouchsafe him the vse of the earth , as he had before . though abraham had a promise of the land of canaan , to him and his posteritie for euer , yet he went not out of his countrey toward it , till the lord commanded him : and when he was come thither , he built an altar , for the worship and seruice of god. the like he did afterward at bethel . and many yeres after , did iacob offer sacrifice vnto god , in the same bethel , when he came to dwell there . and for this very ende , in the law , by a speciall ordinance the first frutes of the haruest were offered to sanctifie the rest of the corne . and somuch touching the second distresse . the third kind of trouble of mind , is that which ariseth of the tentation of blasphemie , which in regard of the vilenes and vglinesse thereof : is not amisse tearmed by some , the foule tentation . and it is , when a man is troubled in his minde , with blasphemous cogitations and thoughts , directly against the maiestie of god , the father , the sonne , and the holy ghost . as for example : to thinke that god is not iust , mercifull : that he accepteth mens persons : that he hath not knowledge of things , that are done here below , or at least that he doth not regard them : that god cannot doe this or that : that he is iniurious to some men , and partiall to others , &c. these and such like blasphemous thoughts there be , which are not fit to be vttered amōgst men : forasmuch as they are most horrible , and execrable , as any can be conceiued . that we may the better know this temptation , let it be considered , what are the forerunners thereof , and by what meanes , it takes place in the heart possessed of it . sometimes it commeth , meerely and onely of the suggestion of the deuill ; which troubleth the phantasie , euen of those which are in that regard innocent , and casteth into their hearts , impure and vngodly thoughts . sometimes againe , it comes vpon men , by an euill custome : when as they willingly lend their eares , to leude and cursed speeches , that immediatly tend to the dishonour of god , or the wilfull abuse of his word , his iudgements , and mercies : and vpon the hearing , either giue their applause and approbation , though not expressely ; or doe not hinder or stay them , as much as in them lieth . otherwhiles , it creepes into the heart of man by degrees , when he beginnes to waxe cold in gods seruice , to make little conscience of those duties , that immediatly concerne his worship , & consequently inures himselfe , to the taking of the name of god in vaine , by often and eauselesse swearing , for swearing , cursing , &c. by these and such like meanes , is this foule and horrible tentation conuaied into the minde of man. now the danger of it , whether it ariseth frō these , or any other causes , is exceeding grieuous , specially to those , that haue begun to chuse the way of truth , and to applie their hearts to serue god , and to feare his name . for it bringeth forth strange and fearefull effects , as namely , desperation , & manifold horrors & troubles of mind : yea diuers persons haue hereupon bin astonished in such sort , that they haue bin mooued to make dispatch of thēselues ; being in their own iudgement no better , then the very firebrands of hell , now for the curing of this wōderfull trouble , & distraction of conscience , two things are to be done : to wit , inquirie must be made into the next causes , whence this tentation should arise : and after that , the remedie is to be applied . for the first . inquitie must be made , whether the present distresse , had his beginning from the thoughts of a mans owne minde , or from the suggestion of the deuill . for this is in all likelyhood , the next way to minister comfort , to the afflicted partie . it may be saide , how shall a man discerne the thoughts that are from the deuill , from his owne thoughts ? ans. he shall know them by sundrie notes . first , by the entrance of them into the mind . for those that come from the deuill , come speedily , as lightning into a house : and they are after a sort , forced into the minde by violence , so as the partie cannot auoid them : and they come into the minde againe and againe , yea a thousand times in a day , so as , by their often comming , they weaken the memorie , dull the senses , wearie and confound the braine . these are thoughts that come from the deuill , and by him are conuaied from without , into the minde of man. and if such cogitations , were from a mans owne selfe , they would not come with so great vehemencie and celeritie , but with leisure : and they would rise with more moderation , and lesse violence : yea further , the frequent vse of them , would not produce so many , and so fearefull effects as it doth . secondly , such thoughts may be discerned , to come from the deuil , by this signe ; because they are against the very light of nature , against naturall knowledge , reason , & cōscience . for they are most wicked and deuillish , fastning vpon god , things that are most vile and monstrous : whereas commonly , the thoughts that arise frō our owne corrupt nature , are not against the light of nature , though they be most corrupt . the third signe is , that at the first conceiuing of them , the partie is smitten with an extraordinarie feare , his flesh is troubled , and oftentimes , sicknes & faintings do follow . but the thoughts that men conceiue of themselues , cause neither feare , nor fainting , nor sicknes . fourthly , blasphemous thoughts , cannot come ordinarily from the heart of any , saue of those alone , that are of reprobate minds . but the parties that are thus distressed , are honest , ciuill , and such as professe the gospel , at least in shew ; yea sometime they befall such , as are the true mēbers of christ. therfore it is manifest , that they come from without , euen from the deuill casting them into the minde , and not from within a mans owne selfe . in the next place , inquirie must be made , whether the partie doth approoue , loue , & like these and such like thoughts , or no ? to this he will answer , if he be asked , that he abhorres thē as the deuill and hell it selfe : thus euen naturall men will answer , and that truly . after inquirie thus made , the remedie is to be applied . and the first and principall remedic , pertaines to doctrine , and instruction : in which the partie is to be informed of his or her estate ; namely , that the foresaid blasphemies , are not his sinnes , but his crosses . for they are the deuills sinnes , and he shal answer for them : and they are not ours , till we intertaine , receiue , approoue , and giue consent vnto them . for proofe hereof , let this be considered , that vncleane thoughts which haue their residence in the minde of man , are of two sorts : inward , and outward . inward are such , as haue their originall from the flesh , and arise of the corruption of mans nature , though stirred vp by the deuill . and these , at the very first conceiuing , are our sinnes , though they haue no long abode in our mindes : and they are directly forbidden , in the tenth commandement . outward thoughts are those , which haue relation to an outward cause , or beginning : of which sort are those euill thoughts , that be conucied into the minde by the deuill : and if we take no pleasure in them , nor yeeld consent vnto thē , they are not to be accounted our sinnes , but the deuils , by whome they are suggested . the truth hereof appeares in christs example ; into whose minde the deuil cast this blasphemous tentation , therby moouing him to infidelitie , couetousnes , & idolatrie : which neuerthelesse were not his sins , because his holy heart gaue not the least approbation to thē , but abhorred & repelled thē , & therfore was free frō any taint of sin , in or by them . this distinction of thoughts must be remembred . for hence it followes , that blasphemous thoughts , not consented to by vs , are not our sinnes , but the deuils : euen as in like case , when one wickedly disposed , sollicites another to treason , or murder : if the said partie listen not , nor yeild thereto , he cannot be holden guiltie of those crimes . therefore men must not feare those kind of thoghts ouermuch : at least , if they please not themselues ouermuch in them : because , though they be indeede their crosses , yet are they not their personall sinnes , for which they shall incurre the wrath and displeasure of god. againe , they must let them goe as they come : they are not to striue against them , for the more they labour to resist them , the more shall they be intangled with them . the second thing to be vsed in way of remedie , for the staying of the mind in this tentation , is , that though it should be graunted , that the foresaid euill and blasphemous thoughts are our sinnes , yet we are to remember , that they may through the mercie and goodnesse of god , be pardoned : if they be heartily and vnfainedly repented of : yea further , that neither they , nor any other sins ( except that against the holy ghost ) doe condemne him , that praieth against them , and is heartily sorrie for them . it was pauls complaint , rom. . . that he did not the good which he would doe , speaking of the inward indeauour of his heart : and againe , that he did the euill which he would not , meaning in respect of the corruption of his nature . now vpon this , that he indeauoured to doe that , which was agreeable to the will of god , that he loathed and detested the contrarie , & stroue against his corruptions , how did he comfort himselfe ? marke words following , v. . if i do that i would not : that is to say , if against my generall purpose , i sinne against god ; if i be sorrie for it , if i be displeased with my selfe , in that i cannot obey god , in that perfection i desire , it is no more i that doe it , but sinne that dwelleth in me . from this example of paul i gather , that if any man , haue in his minde euill thoughts , and doeth ( as paul did ) grieue , because he thereby offendeth god ; if he doe abhorre them , and pray against them , he shall not be condemned for them ; they shall neuer be laid to his charge . the partie then that is troubled with these thoughts , may vpon these grounds , stay his minde , and comfort himselfe : for if he shall not be condemned for them , then let him not feare them aboue measure . the third point to be remembred is , that the partie must not be alone . for this tentation beginnes , and is confirmed by solitarinesse ; and the parties thus distressed , loue to be apart by themselues , from the societie of others : and for that cause , in case they be lyable to this distresse , they must vse to solace themselues , in good company , that is meere and fit for them : and their mindes are to be exercised , in holy meditation of the word , and singing of psalmes ; and they are to be occupied in good speech and conference . our first parent eue was tempted by sathan , when shee was apart from adam : and our sauiout christ , when he was alone out of company and societie , then was he by the malice of the deuill , in the wildernesse , assaulted with strong and mightie tentations . the fourth point , to be remembred of the partie troubled is , that he must as heartely and earnestly repent him , of those his euill thoughts , as of euill wordes and deedes . for the trueth is , because men haue no more care of their thoughts , then commonly they haue ; therefore the lord iustly suffers the deuill ▪ to plague them , and torment them , by conuaying into their hearts , most vile and damnable cogitations . furthermore , the said partie must labour to be renued in the spirit of his minde , that is , to haue his minde inlightened by the spirit , whereby he may know and vnderstand the will of god in his word . after repentance for euill thoughts , there must follow watchfulnesse , and a carefull circumspection ouer all his waies ; but principally , he must haue an eie vnto his heart , the fountaine of all . keepe thine heart with all diligence , saith salomon : that is , aboue all things see that thou countergard thy thoughts , desires , motiōs , and affections . that the heart of a man may be garded , two rules are to be obserued . first , that the word of god dwell plentifully in it : for by this meanes , it is guided and directed , that it swarue not from god and his word ; and our hearts are then ruled and gouerned by the word , when we know & meditate , vpon the commandements and promises of god. this rule is of speciall vse . for therfore doe men hatch , & breed euill thoughts in their hearts , because they are not takē vp with holy meditations : & hence it is , that the heart of man , is made euen a pray vnto the deuill , because the word of god is not lodged therein . excellēt was the practise of dauid in this case , who kept the word of god in his heart , that he mighe not sinne against him . the second rule of the keeping of the heart , is to establish our thoughts by counsell . it is the wisemans aduise in so many words . prou. . . wherin he would teach vs , that it is the property of a worldly wise man , in matters of waight , not to trust to his own wit , but to follow the direction and counsel of wise and skilful men . and if this be a sound course in matters of the world , much more ought it to be taken , in the maine matters of religion , and conscience , concerning the heart and soule of man. and therfore by the law of proportiō , it giues vs direction , not once to thinke or conceiue , so much as a thought , but vpon aduice and direction taken at god and his word . thy testimonies ( saith dauid ) are my delight , and my counsellers . and what benefit had he by taking such a course ? surely , by the word of god , which was his continuall meditation , he gat vnderstāding , he became wiser thē the ancient ; it made him to hate al the waies of falshood : it kept him from declining from god , either to the right hand , or to the left . the same rule must be practized of vs , in the vse of our senses , our speeches , and actions , and then shall the heart be kept cleane , and free from these temptations . and seeing this temptation is so dangerous & fearefull , as hath beene said , and doeth ost●● befall men : our dutie is to make conscience , of practising the foresaid rules continually . and thus much concerning the third kinde of distresse of conscience . the fourth distresse of mind is that , which ariseth from a mans owne sinnes , or rather from some one special sinne committed . and this kind of tentation is twofold : for either it is more violent , and lesse common , or lesse violent and more common . the violent distresse of minde , shewes it selfe by feares and terrors of the conscience , by doubtings of the mercie of god , by lamentable and fearefull complaints made to others . nowe question is mooued , howe this violent distresse of minde , arising from our owne sinnes , is to be cured ? answ. that it may be cured by the blessing of god , three things must be done . first , that particular sinne must be knowne , which is the cause of this violent distresse . and here we are to know , by the way : that it is an vsuall thing , with the parties thus distressed , to dissemble and cloake their sinnes : and therefore they will alleadge , that their trouble ariseth frō some euill thoughts , from wicked affections , and from the corruption of nature : whereas commonly men are not distressed , in violent manner , for euill thoughts , affections , &c , but the violent distresse commeth from some actuall and odious sinne or sins done , which wound the conscience , and are the causes of great distraction of minde : and they are many , which hauing bin vpon occasion before rehearsed , i will not now repeat them . onely this must be remembred , that the greater sinnes against the third , sixt , and seauenth commandements , are the maine and proper causes of violent distresses : and the more secret these sinnes are , the more horrour goeth with them . secondly , the particular sinne being known , inquiry must be made , as much as possibly may be , by signes , whether the partie distressed repenteth , yea or no. for except he hath repented , he cannot be fitted to receiue comfort : and vnlesse he be first fitted to receiue comfort , he cannot be releiued in conscience . now if it be found , that the partie hath repented , then care must be had in the next place , that his repentance may be renued , for the particular sinne committed . thirdly , hauing thus done , the comfort must be ministred , for the moderating , or taking away of the distresse . and here remember by the way , that the comforts ministred , vsually & ordinarily must not go alone , but be mingled & tēpered , with some terrors of the law : that being thereby feared , with the consideration of sinne , and of the wrath of god due vnto the same , the comfort may appeare to be the sweeter . the ministring whereof , in case of this distresse , would not be direct and present , but by certaine steppes and degrees : except onely in the point of death : for then a directer course must be vsed . these degrees are two . first , the partie is to be informed of a possibilitie of pardon , that is , that his sinnes are pardonable , and though in themselues they be great , and hainous , yet by the mercie of god in christ , they may be remitted . nowe put the case , that the afflicted apprenhendeth onely the odiousnesse of his sinnes , and the wrath of god due to the same , and in this fit puts off the pardon from himselfe , and cannot be perswaded that his sinne may be forgiuen , what then is to be done ? ans. then for the effecting of this first degree , certaine grounds are to be laid downe , whereupon assurance in that case may be built vp in his heart . the first groūd of possibilitie of pardō is , that the mercy of god is infinite , yea ouer al his works , psal. . . that the death of christis of infinite price , merit , and value before god. that god is muchin sparing , isa. . . that with the lord is mercie , and with him is plenteous redemption , psal. . . that christs satisfaction is not only a a price , but a b coūterprice , . tim. . . able to satisfie for the sinnes of all men , yea for them that haue sinned against the holy ghost : for that sinne , is not therefore vnpardonable , because the offence thereof is greater , then the merit of christ : but because the partie offending neither doth , nor can apply the merit of christ vnto himselfe . an ancient father vpon cains words , my punishment is greater then i can beare , saith , thou liest cain , for gods mercie is greater then thy sinnes . the mercie of god was very great to manasses , and to salomon , and to many others , though they were great offenders . the second ground . men of yeares , liuing in the church of god , and knowing the doctrine of saluation , shall not be condemned simply for their sinnes , but for lying in their sinnes . vpon this ground , i say , that men distressed must be grieued , not so much for committing of sinne , as for lying and continuing in sinnes committed . a third ground . it pleaseth god many times to leaue men to themselues , and to suffer them to commit some sinne that woundeth consceence . it is true and cannot be denied . but we must withall remember , that sinnes committed , doe not vtterly take away grace , but rather make it the more to shine and shew it selfe . for god in mercie turneth all things , euen sinne it selfe , to the good of them that be his : and therfore sinne committed cannot either waste , or extinguish grace receiued , but by diuihe dispensation , serueth to amplifie and inlarge the same ; so as where sinne aboundeth , there grace aboundeth much more . rom. . . and the lord said to paul , beeing in great extremity . . cor. . . my grace is sufficient for thee , for my power is made perfect through weakenes . hence it appeareth , that the grace of god is not vtterly lost , but appeareth liuely in the time of distresse . the fourth ground is this . the promises of god touching remission of sinnes , and l●fe eternall , in respect of beleeuers are generall , and in regard of all and euery man indefinite : that is , they doe not define , or exclude any person , or any sinner , or any time ; onely they admit one exception , of finall impenitencie . here a question may be mooued , howe long he that ministreth comfort , must stand vpon the possibilitie of pardon ? i answer , vntill he hath brought the partie distressed , to some measure of true repentance : and this beeing done , then he is to proceede to the second degree of comfort . the second degree of comfort is , to teach , that the sinne or sinnes of the partie distressed , are indeede pardoned . but it may be asked , vpon what signes may this comfort be applyed ? i answere , vpon these two . first , if the partie distressed confesse , that he or shee is heartily grieued , that by their sinne or sinns , they haue offended so louing and so mercifull a god. secondly , if they professe , that they desire with all their heart , to be reconciled vnto god in christ : and at least doe desire to repent for their sinnes ; and withall doe carrie in heart , a purpose to sinne no more , but in all things , ( as much as in them lieth ) to performe newe obedience vnto god. nowe for the better enforcing of this comfort , some textes of scripture , fitting this purpose must be rehearsed , as for example , matth. . , . i came not to call the righteous , that is to say , those that iudge themselues righteous , but sinners , that is , those which are grieued , because in their owne conscience , they are vile and hainous offenders , to repentance . againe . matth. . . come vnto me , allye that are wearie , and ●eauie laden , and i will refresh you . to conclude this point , there remaines yet a further question to be resolued , and that is this . a man after repentance , for some grieuous sinne , falls into it againe , and is distressed more then before : it is a case somewhat grieuous . for we knowe , that if a man be recouered of an ague , and through distemper in diet , or otherwise , makes a relapse in●o it againe , his case is often desperate , and he hardly scapeth with his life . in the same manner , it is a dangerous case , if after repentance , men make a relapse into the same sin againe . it may then be asked , how such persons may be recouered after a relapse ? i answer , though we finde not any one particular example in scripture , of any one person , that was restored againe after a relapse : yet neuerthelesse there is some comfort for such persons . vpon what grounds may some say ? ans. men that haue not so much as a drop of mercy , in cōparison of god , must forgiue their brethrē often & many times , yea as our sauiour christ saith to peter , till seuenty times seauen times , if they returne & say it repents them . now god is infinite in all his attributes . he is much in sparing : with him is plenteous redemption : and therefore he will questionlesse , vpon true repentance , often forgiue & forget , euen the same sinne iterated againe and againe . nowe these persons are to be releiued in this sort . first they must haue their consciences setled in this point , that their relapse is pardonable , though very dangerous . for proofe hereof read esay ▪ . . where mention is made of diuers apostataes , that were by god called to repentance , with promise of pardō , if they turned vnto him . and in luk. . the prodigall child , ( by whome i vnderstand one , that after grace receiued , ●ell from his repentance and obedience to god ) when he did but purpose in his heart to returne againe , was pardoned , and receiued into fauour . in the . cor. . . paul saith to the corinths , that were fallen away ▪ we pray you in christs steade that ye be reconciled vnto god. secondly , beeing thus setled in cōscience , they must againe repent them of their sinnes . thirdly and lastly , they are to be comforted , with the promise of remission of sinnes , after that some signes of renewed repentance for sins past , haue beene giuen . the second tentation or trouble of minde , which is more common and lesse violent , befalls the children of god : and it is a griefe of heart , more or lesse , wherby men are troubled , in respect of the want of grace in their hearts , and defects of obediēce in their liues . paul the deere seruant of god , was possessed with this trouble of minde , as we may read , rom. . and indeede there is no childe of god , but more or lesse , one time or other , he feeles the stings of sinne , & the buffe●ings of satan , which cause griefe in his heart . but this griefe is a notable grace of god , and therefore they which want it , must labour to haue it , and they which haue it , must not seek to put it out , but to keep it in measure & order . and the grounds of comfort , whereby the heart may be staied in this sorrow , that it be not immoderate , may be these . i. ground . it is gods will , that the worke of sanctification , or regeneration , should be imperfect in this life , and remaine vnfinished til death . this point needs no proofe , for it is manifest both in the word of god , and in daily experience . the reasons for which god will haue it to be so , may be these . first of all , god giues grace , according to the measure , and manner of our receiuing of it , which in this life is imperfect . some giftes of god in christ , bestowed on his seruants , as remission of sinnes by his death , and iustification by his obedience , are not put into vs , but are only applyed and made ours by imputation . some other giftes there be , which are infused and put into vs , as namely , sanctification , regeneration , the loue of god and man : and by one of these two meanes , to wit , either by imputation or infusion , are all the giftes of god in christ made ours . yet before we can haue them , we must receiue them : and the meanes whereby we receiue them is faith , which god hath ordained , to be the hand of our soules , to receiue his benefits bestowed on vs. which faith because it is weake and imperfect , in this life , therefore the gifts which we receiue thereby , are also imperfect . for though gods benefits be like a bottomlesse sea , yet the faith , whereby we lay hold of them , is like vnto a vessell with a narrowe necke , which though it be cast into the great ocean , receiues but a litle water at once , & that by degrees , drop by droppe , according to the widenesse of the mouth . and hence it is , that though the giftes of god without vs , which are ours by imputation , be perfect ; yet all such graces as are put into vs , are weake and imperfect . secondly , if any seruant of god , should be perfectly regenerate , and made absolutely holy in this life : then he should fulfill the morall lawe , and so become a sauiour to himselfe : and by the tenour of the law haue life : & so should not christ be a sauiour properly , but only an instrumēt , to dispose vs , to the keeping of the law , whereby we might saue our selues . but there is one only al-sufficiēt sauiour , christ iesus : & the beginning , the middle , & the accōplishment of our saluation , is to be ascribed to him alone . thirdly , it is the will of god , that his owne children , with whome he is well pleased in christ , should bee brought to nothing in themselues , that they might be all in all out of themselues in christ : beeing , as it were , emptied of selfe-loue , and of all confidence in their owne goodnesse . but if sanctification should be perfect at the first , then a man should not goe out of himselfe , but would rather stay as he is , and rest contented in his own goodnesse . for this cause paul , after his exaltation , was buffered by satans temptations , that he might not be exalted out of measure , . cor. . but should content himselfe with this , that he was in the loue and fauour of god in christ. ii. ground is : to consider , what makes a man professing christ , accepted of god , and howe much he himselfe must doe , for this ende ? the substance of all things to be done of vs for this ende , that we may become the children of god , may be reduced to three heads . first of all , we must heartily bewaile our sinnefull liues past , and seriously humble our selues , in regard of our owne sins , both of heart and life : and if by occasion wee fall into any sinne , we must not lie therein , but by speedie repentance , recouer our former estate . secondly , in regard of the sinnefulnesse of our hearts and liues , in times past , we must rest our selues on gods mercie alone , flying to the throne of mercie for the pardon of them all . thirdly , we must indeauour in the course of our liues afterward , to performe obedience to god in all his commandements : that thereby we may shew our selues thankefull to him for his mercie . consider the examples of this practise in gods children . all that dauid that worthy seruant of god could doe , after his sinnes committed , to bring himselfe againe into the fauour of god , whome he had offended , consisted of these very heads , which haue beene named ; repentance , confidence , and affiance in gods mercie , and performance of new obedience . and this his practise was verified , amongst many other places , specially in the . psalme , and in all the psalmes commonly called penitentiall . againe , the prophet daniel was accepted of god onely for the doing of these things . dan. . and in like manner was paul , and the rest of the apostles . yet here remaines a great difficultie . many a good seruant of god , may , and doth truly say of himselfe , i bewaile my sinnes , and doe in some sort rest on gods mercie , and withall i endeauour to performe new obedience : but alas ! here is my griefe , i cannot doe these things as i would . in matter of sorrow and griefe , i am troubled with hardnes of heart : in occasions of boldnes and confidence , with doubting : in indeauour to obey , with many sinnes , and sundrie faults . for the staying and moderating of this griefe , these rules may further be remembred . the first rule . if there be in the minde , a purpose not to sinne , in the wil , a desire to please god , and in the whole man , an indeauour to performe the purpose of the minde , and the desire of the will : marke what follows vpon this : god in mercie accepteth the purpose and will to obey , for obedience it selfe ; yea though a man faile in the very act , and doe not so well as he should . this is a great mercie of god , and we can neuer be sufficiently thankfull for the same . but yet that we may not here delude our hearts with conceits , and blesse our selues in vaine : we must know , that god doth not alwaies accept the will for the deede , vnlesse there be a constant purpose in heart , a true desire in will , and some resolued endeauour sutable in the life . malach. . . goa spares them that feare him , as a father spares his owne child . how is that ? though the childe beeing commanded some busines , goeth about it very vnhandsomly , and so the deede be done to small purpose : yet the father accepts it as well done , if he see the childe yeelde vnto his commandement , and doe his indeauour , to the vttermost of his power . euen so will god deale with those that be his children . but how will some say , can god accept a worke of ours that is imperfect ? ans. so farre forth , as the obedience is done in truth , so farre forth god accepts it , because it is his own work in vs : and as it is ours , he pardons it vnto vs , because we are in christ. a second rule is laide downe , rom. . . where paul saith to this purpose , the good which i would doe , i doe not , and the euill which i would not , that doe i. in these words , is set downe the state of all regenerate men in this life : and the meaning is this . the good things which god hath commaunded , i doe them , but not as i would , and the euill forbidden i auoid , but not as i would . this we shall see to be true by comparing the voyces of three kindes of men together . the carnall man saith , i do not that which is good , neither will i do it , and that which is euill i do , and i will do it . contrariwise , the man glorified , he saith , that which is good i do and will do it , and that which is euill i do not , neither will i do it . the regenerate man , in a midle betweene them both , he saith ; the good things commanded i do , but not as i would ; the euill things forbidden i auoid , but not as i would . and this is the estate of the child of god in this life , who in this regard , is like vnto a diseased man , who loues his health and therefore obserues both diet and physicke : and yet he often falls into his fit againe , ( though he be neuer so carefull to obserue the rules of the physitian ) by reason of the distemperature of his bodie : and hereupon is faine to goe to the physitian the second time for new counsell . in like manner , gods children , haue indeede in their hearts , a care to please and obey god ; but by reason of sinne that dwelleth in them , they faile often , and so are faine to humble themselues againe before him , by new repentance . againe , the seruants of god are like to a man , by some suddaine accident cast into the sea , who in striuing to saue himselfe from drowning , puts to all his strēgth , to swimme to the shore , and being come almost vnto it , there meetes him a waue or billow , which driues him cleane backe againe , it may be a mile or further , and then the former hope and ioy conceiued of escape , is sore abated : yet he returnes againe , and still labours to come to the land ▪ and neuer rests till he attaine vnto it . iii. ground . he that is indeede regenerate , hath this priuiledge , that the corruption of nature , is no part of him , neither doth it belong to his person , in respect of diuine imputation . paul saith of himselfe , rom. . . it is no more i , but sin that dwelleth in me . in which words , he distinguisheth betweene his owne person , and sinne that is in him . for in man regenerate , there be three things , the bodie , the soule , & the gift of gods image restored againe . now touching the corruption of nature , that is in his person , and so may be said to be his ; but it belongs not to the man regenerate , it is not his , because it is not imputed to him , and so indeede is , as though it were not in him . the apostle . thes. . . praies for the thessalonians , that god would sanctifie them throughout , and preserue their whole spirit , soule , and bodie . of which place ( amongst many ) this exposition may be giuen . the apostle speaking of men regenerate , and sanctified , makes three parts in them : bodie , soule , and spirit : and by spirit , we are to vnderstand , not the conscience , but the gift of regeneration , and sanctification , which is in the whole man bodie & soule , opposed to the flesh , which in a naturall man , is that which is called the old man , rom. . and the praier which paul makes in the behalfe of the thessalonians , teacheth vs in effect thus much ; that though corruption remaine in the regenerate , after regeneration ; yet in respect of diuine acceptation , he is accoūted as righteous , and so continueth : his sinne , ( by the mercie of god in christ ) not beeing imputed to him to condemnation . and so much for that point . now these grounds of comfort , and others of the like nature , may serue to sustaine and vphold the hearts of the children of god , when they shall be pressed and troubled , in consideration of their estate in this life , which cannot till death , be fully freed , from much weaknes and manifold imperfections . the fifth and last kinde of temptation or trouble of mind , ariseth from a mans ovvne bodie . before i enter to speake thereof , one question , in the meane time , must be answered , namely , how the bodie should , or how it can trouble the minde , considering that the soule or mind , is not bodily , but spirituall : and it is against reason , that that which is bodily , should either alter or trouble a spirit . for an answer hereunto , these things must be considered . first of all , the actions of man , doe proceede from one onely fountaine , and common cause , the soule ; and are done by the power thereof . the bodie of it self , is not an agent in any work , but as it were a dead instrument , in & by which the soule produceth all actions and workes . secondly , the most of the workes of the soule , and minde of man , are such , as are performed by the bodie , and the parts thereof , and by the spirits that are seated in the bodie , as by instruments . indeede some actions of the soule & mind , are done without the helpe of the bodie ; but i say , that the most actions thereof , are performed by the bodie , and spirits therein contained . yet these spirits in thēselues , are no agents at all : but the onely agent in any worke , is the soule it selfe . for example : the vsing of the outward senses , as of sight , hearing , tasting , touching , smelling , as also of the inward , as imagination , memorie , &c. all this is done by the braine , and the parts of the braine , as proper instruments . all affections both good and bad , are acted by the soule ; but yet they come from the heart , as the seat thereof . so also the power of nourishment , comes from the liuer , as the instrument , whereby the soule nourisheth the bodie . now then the bodie affecteth the soule and minde thus : the bodie and the soule are so ioyned together , that they make one person , and thus , the bodie beeing troubled , the soule is also troubled : yet is not this done , by any diuiding of the soule . for it cannot be diuided . neither by diminishing the parts of the soule , but onely by corrupting the action of the minde , or more properly , by corrupting the next instrument of the minde . this may be conceiued by a comparison . a skilful artificer in any sciēce , hath an vnfit toole , and a naughtie instrument to worke withall : his skill is good , and his abilitie is sufficient , but his instrument whereby he worketh is vnperfect : and therefore he brings forth an imperfect worke . now his toole takes not away the skill of his workmanship , nor his power of working , but keepes him frō doing that well , which otherwise he should and could doe well . in like manner , the body beeing corrupted , hinders the worke of the soule . it doth not take away the worke of the soule , nor the abilitie of working : but because it is a corrupt instrument , it makes the soule to bring forth a corrupt worke . the temptation followeth . the bodie causeth the trouble of the mind two waies , either by melancholie , or by other strange alterations in the parts of the bodie , which oftentimes befall men : in what sort we shall see afterwards . for it is a very common thing , yea more common then the former . touching melancholy , sundrie things are to be considered for our instruction , and for the remedie of that euill . and first of all , if it be asked what melancholie is ? i answer , it is a kind of earthie & black blood , that is specially in the splene , beeing stopt ; which conuaieth it selfe to the heart , and the braine , and there partly by his corrupt subsiāce , and specially by his contagious qualitie , annoyeth both heart and braine , beeing the seat & instrument of reason . the second is , what are the effects and operations of melancholie ? ans. they are strange , and often fearefull . there is no humour , yea nothing in mans bodie , that hath so strange effects , as this humour hath , beeing once distempered . an auncient diuine calls it the deuills bait , because the deuill , by gods iust permissiō , conueies himselfe into this humour , and worketh strange conceits . when the euill spirit came vpon saul , it so tempted him , that he would haue slaine him that was next vnto him : how so ? surely , because god in iustice withdrew his spirit of gouernment from him , and suffered satan , to enter into the humour of choler , or melancholie , or both , and by this meanes caused him to offer violence to dauid . now the effects thereof in particular , are of two sorts . the first effect , is in the braine and head . for this humour being corrupted , it sends vp noysome spirits , and filleth the instrument of reason ( as it were ) with a myst , and makes it vnfit to vse reason . hence followes the first effect , strange imaginations , conceits ▪ and opinions , framed in the minde : which are the first worke of this humor , not properly : but because it corrupteth the instrument , and the instrument beeing corrupted , the facultie cannot bring forth good , but corrupt actions . for example . that which they call the beast● like melancholie is , when a man thinkes himselfe to be a beast of this or that kind , and carries himselfe accordingly . of this sort , are those , that thinke themselues to be a wolues , and practise wolvish behauiour . thus we read , dan. . . that nebuchad-nezzar liued , behaued himselfe , and fed as a beast . some say , that he loss his soule , and had the soule of a beast . but they er●e . for there is no such transportation of soules into bodies , either of men , or beasts . others thinke , that nebuchadnezzar was smitten in the brain with this disease , and in a beastly imagination carried himselfe as a beast . and this interpretation is not against the text : for in the . verse of that chapter it is said , that his minde came to him againe : and therefore in the disease , his vnderstanding , & the right vse of his reason was lost . and the like is true in historie , by diuers examples , though it were not true in nebuchadnezzar . againe , take another example , that is common and ordinarie . let a melancholike person vpon the sudden , see some fearefull thing , the strength of his imagination presently fasteneth the thing vpon himselfe . as if he see or heare that a man is hanged , or possessed with a deuill , it presently comes to his minde , that he must be hanged , that he is or shall be possessed . likewise vpon relation of fearefull things , presently his phantasi : workes , and he imagineth , that the thing is alreadie , or shall befall him . and this imagination , when it enters once & takes place , it brings forth horrible and fearefull effects . the second effect or worke of melancholie , is vpon the heart . when the mind hath conceiued and framed fearefull things , there is a concord and consent between heart & affection , & then comes affection , and is answerable to imagination . hence doe proceede exceeding horrors , feares , and despaires , and yet the cōscience for all this vntouched , and not troubled or disquieted . thirdly , it may be demanded , whether there be any difference betweene the trouble of cōscience and melancholie ? for many hold , that they are all one . ans. they are not all one , but differ much . affliction of conscience is one thing , trouble by melancholie is another : and they are plainly distinguished thus . first , when the conscience is troubled , the affliction it selfe is in the conscience , and so in the whole man. but in melancholie , the imagination is disturbed , & not the conscience . secondly , the conscience afflicted , hath a true and certen cause , wherby it is troubled , namely , the sight of sinne : but in melancholie , the imagination conceiueth a thing to be so , which is not so : for it makes a man to feare and despaire , vpon supposed and fained causes . thirdly , the man afflicted in conscience , hath courage in many things : but the melancholike mā feares euery man , euery creature , yea himselfe , and hath no courage : when there is no cause of feare , he feares . fourthly , imaginations in the braine caused by melancholie , may be cured , taken away , and cut off by meanes of physicke : but the distresse of conscience , cannot be cured by any thing in the world but one , and that is the blood of christ , and the assurance of gods fauour . fourthly , the way to cure melancholy is this . first the person troubled must be brought to this ; that he will content himselfe , to be aduertised and ruled , not by his owne , but by the iudgement of others , touching his owne estate : and by this shall be reape much quiet and contentation . secondly search & triall must be made , whether he hath in him any beginnings of faith and repentance or no. if he want knowledge of his estate , then meanes must be vsed , to bring him to some sight and sorrow for his sinnes , that his melancholy sorrow , may be turned into a godly sorrow . if he want faith and true repentance , some good beginnings thereof must be wrought in his heart . thirdly , when he is brought to faith in gods mercie , and an honest purpose not to sinne any more ; then ▪ certaine mercifull promises of god , are to be laid before his eies : and he must be exhorr●d , to rest vpon these promises , and at no time to admit any imagination or thought , that may crosse the said promises . now the promises are these and such like : psal. . . no good thing shall be wanting to them that feare god. psal. . no euill shall come neere the godly man. . chron. . the lord is with you , while you are with him , and if you seeke him , he will be found of you . iam. . . drawe nere to god , and he will draw neere to you . and the best meanes to cause any man thus diseased , to be at peace with himselfe , is to hold , beleeue , & know the truth of these promises , and not to suffer any bythought to enter into his heart , that may crosse them . moreouer , though the former promises may stay the minde , yet will they not take away the humour , except further helpe be vsed . therefore the fourth and last helpe , is the arte of physicke , which serues to correct and abate the humour , because it is a meanes by the blessing of god , to restore the health , and to cure the distemper of the bodie . and thus much touching the trouble of minde , caused by melancholy . the second meanes whereby the bodie annoies the minde is , when it occasions trouble to the minde , by strange alterations incident to the bodie . when a man beginnes to enter into a phrensie , if the braine admit neuer so little alteration , presently the minde is troubled . thus by the trembling of the heart , many fearefull imaginations are caused , when a man knowes not the cause . the same is procured by the swelling of the splene , by the rising of the entralls , by strange convulsions , and such like . the remedie hereof is this . first it is still to be considered , whether the partie thus troubled hath true faith and repentance or no. if he hath , it is so much the better . if ▪ he hath not , the first dutie is to vse all meanes , to stir vp in him some godly sorrow for his sinnes . secondly , this beeing done , meanes must be vsed to take away the opinion conceiued , and to giue information of the alteration of the bodie , and of the true cause thereof . this beeing knowne , the griefe or feare conceiued , will easily be staid . for take away the false opinion , and informe iudgement , and the whole man will be the better . thirdly , the opinion beeing altered and reformed , it may be the alteration in the bodie will remaine : the partie therefore in that case must be taught , that it is a correction of god , and that god doth not barely suffer the correction to be inflicted , but is the very author of it : and therefore the partie is to be well pleased , and to reioice in that will of god. for euery present estate , whether it be good or badde , is the best state for vs , because it comes by the wil of god. and thus much touching the distinct kindes of distresses of minde . i adde this one thing further , that if we make examination of the estate of such persons , as are troubled with any of these fiue temptations , we shall not vsually find them single , but mixed together , especially melancholy , with some other temptations . and so much of the first sort of questions , concerning man simply considered in himselfe . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e prou. . . rom ● ▪ heb ▪ . ● ▪ psal. . v. , . a decr●● . de peni●ent : dist . . cap. ● caue●t spiritualis iudex , vt sicut non cōmi●●● cr●m●● nequiti● , 〈◊〉 non care ●t munere scienciae . b iudices in cau●●s poenitentium . bella● . d● paen . lib. . ca. . concil . t●id . ●ess . . can . mark. . . r●u . ● . . . cor. . . c theophylact. comment in ioan. . . & hieron . lib. ● ▪ comment . in math. super verba . tibi dabo claues . emanuel sa. in aphori● . confessatio●● . concil . t●id ▪ ses● . . cap. . a matth. . iam . . rom. . ● . concil . trid. ●e●● . . can . ● psal. 〈◊〉 . a 〈◊〉 veniale , quod non ●olli● or sinem ●d vltimum finem , vnde non mer●tur poenam ●●ernam , sed t●mpo●alem . iacob . de graphi●s : decision . aur●ar ca● . con●c . lib. . cap. . . ioh. . . concil . trid. i●●● . . can . ●● . notes for div a -e iam. . . o splendida pecc●●● . act. ● . . ioh. . . in p●cc●to ●ihil positivum . . cu●p● . . rea●●s . . p●●● . . macul● . act ▪ . . . ti● ▪ ● . 〈◊〉 . iob ● . . psal. . , . a ignoran●i● iuris . b ignorancia fact● . voluntas 〈◊〉 cogitur . ●●o● . ● ▪ ● ▪ rom. . . and . ▪ psal. . ● . numb . . 〈◊〉 . math. ● . ▪ . gen. . ● . gen. ● . . exod. . . iam. . . act. . . o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rom. . ● . psal. ● . exod. . ● . . king . . . king . . . sam. . . matth. ● . . cor. . . . tim. . . fro● . 〈◊〉 . . ● . ti● . . . . pe● . . . math. . ● . ● . cor. 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . ●●m . . . math. . . act. . ● . prou. . . psal . ● . rom. . . act. . act. . . mat. . &c. math ▪ . . sam. . . psal. . . luk. . . psal. . . . cor. ● . ● . . sam. ● . psal. . act. . ● . ezek. ● . . ioh. . . iam. . . ● . king. . . gen. ● . . ● . . sam. . . mark. . . . cor. . vlt. . cor. . ● . psal. . . daniel . . . 〈…〉 ▪ . rom. . ● . chap. . v. . col . rom. . . gal. . ● . prou. . . ● . tim . . act. . ● . esa. ● . ● . ioh ▪ ● . ● . ● . cor. ● . ● . matth. . . r●●●l . ● . . psal. . ● . psal. ● . ● . . cor. ●● . 〈◊〉 . ● . ● ▪ luk. . , . . sam. ● . ● . . iohn . ● . . maior . minor. conclusio . eccles. . . c●●● . iob. . . iob. . . iob. . . psal. . iob. ● . iob. . . psal. . iob. ● . ● . rom ▪ ● . 〈◊〉 . exod. ▪ . . cor. . . . sam. . . ●om . . . luk ▪ . ● . psal. . ● . ● . sa● . ● . hab. ● . . psal. ● . rom. . . psal. . and . . ch●o . , . dan. . 〈◊〉 , ● . lament . . . rom. . . esa. . . amos . . ierem . . g●n . , ● . . sam. . . gen. . . & . . micah . . ● . . pet ● , . psal . . psal. . . psal . ● . hab. . ● . . cor. . . phil. . . consideration . g●n . . 〈◊〉 . humilia●●on . luk. . . &c. psal. . . amendment . heb. . . . co● . . . ioh. ● . a●negation . inuocation . hos. . . patience . rom. . obedience . heb. . . heb. ● . . iob ● . gen. ▪ . ier. . . exod. 〈◊〉 . . hab. . ● . ● dan . v. . reu. . . exod. . . deut. . ● . pag. . psalme . . . cor. . . heb. . . psal . . psal. . . . cor. . rom. . . , &c ● . pet. ● . 〈◊〉 ▪ heb. ● . . cor. . . phil . , ap●● ▪ . ioh. . ● . m●●th . . . cor. . philip. . ● . . ● . heb . . ioh. . . matth. . . prou. . . luk. . . rom. . 〈◊〉 . iob. ● . , , . ioh. . 〈◊〉 . prou. ● . . luk. ● . . and . 〈◊〉 . iob. . ● . iohn . ● . heb. . ● . gen. . ● . ioh . . ● . sam. . . . cor. . ● . 〈◊〉 ▪ ● ▪ , 〈◊〉 ▪ luk ● ▪ . gen. . ● . 〈◊〉 . ● ▪ 〈◊〉 . . ● . g●● 〈◊〉 . te●●atio f●da . eph. . . . prou. . ● . psal. . . psal. . ● . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . . chro. . . sam. . . . esca di●bo●● . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . capel's remains being an useful appendix to his excellent treatise of tentations, concerning the translations of the holy scriptures : left written with his own hand / by that incomparably learned and jucicious divine, mr. richard capel, sometimes fellow of magdalen-colledge in oxford ; with a preface prefixed, wherein is contained an abridgement of the authors life, by his friend valentine marshall. capel, richard, - . this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text r in the english short title catalog (wing c ). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a wing c estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) capel's remains being an useful appendix to his excellent treatise of tentations, concerning the translations of the holy scriptures : left written with his own hand / by that incomparably learned and jucicious divine, mr. richard capel, sometimes fellow of magdalen-colledge in oxford ; with a preface prefixed, wherein is contained an abridgement of the authors life, by his friend valentine marshall. capel, richard, - . marshall, valentine. capel, richard, - . tentations. [ ], , [ ] p. printed by t.r. for john bartlet ..., london : . also appears in capel's tentations, th edition, . advertisement on p. [ ] at end. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. eng capel, richard, - . bible -- versions -- early works to . sin -- early works to . temptation -- early works to . a r (wing c ). civilwar no capel's remains. being an useful appendix to his excellent treatise of tentations. concerning the translations of the holy scriptures. left capel, richard d the rate of defects per , words puts this text in the d category of texts with between and defects per , words. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - judith siefring sampled and proofread - judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion capel's remains . being an useful appendix to his excellent treatise of tentations . concerning the translations of the holy scriptures . left written with his own hand . by that incomparably learned and judicious divine , mr. richard capel , sometimes fellow of magdalen-colledge in oxford . with a preface prefixed , wherein is contained an abridgement of the authors life , by his friend valentine marshall . london , printed by t. r. for john bartlet , at the gilt cup on the south-side of pauls over against the drapers , and at the gilt cup in westminster-hall . . to the christian reader . reader , having nothing of mine own , that i count worthy of the publick view , i was fully resolved to have quit the stage , as the mute person in the comedy , without being known to any , save some private friends only ; and most of those also , in or about that private little corner , wherein the great god of heaven hath seen it fit to make use of me . but now i am enforced to launch further into the deep , then ever i expected , intended , or desired ; by being importuned to set these a few lines , ( which could not in civility be declined ) before this posthumus-piece , of the dearest and usefullest friend , ( whilest he was here amongst men , ) that i had in the whole world , out of mine own family . concerning whom there 's need to say little . his works in print already sufficiently praise him in the gates ; and have got him great place in the hearts of a many , seen in the theory ; but much more room in the breasts of all such as are any way versed in the practical part of divinity . but as he writ things worthy to be read : so he did things worthy to be writ , b with beza . something then would be set out : partly , to do him right , that 's not to be buried in oblivion , c heb. . . but principally , . for the honour of that great god , that gave him such rare endowments ; and continued them in their full beauty , to his very * last breath . . for the provoking of us that knew him , to a more lively and fresh d emulation of those eminent vertues , that we both saw and knew , that he shone so bright in . . for the stirring up of all such as be at a further distance , to a more thorow sense and feeling of the heavy hand of god , laid upon us all , in the removal of this able and excellent instrument . we live in a e stupid age . the greatest stroakes of god , if any whit remote , scarce make the least dint ; those that cut to the quick , usually be doft too soon . we reade of some that f mourned long for their dead . 't was three yeares g full , ere isaac could be comforted after the death of a good mother , though of a very great age . jacobs pathetick expressions , cloathed with such aggravating circumstances , gen. . . so h long after the decease of his dear and good wife : now , how near it sate his heart . the losse of * good men , ( especially of good note ) is much to be bewailed . there 's that goes to the ground with them , that 's not easily had again . who will takeup their * vertues ? 't will be along work ere the like can be rear'd in their steads . they give the greatest check to sin , judg. , . , , . the chiefest lift to good , psal. . . chro. . . they keep off stormes , gen. . . numb. . . be they taken away ? 't is from some i i evil to come . 't is well observed by some , what a number of our prime and choice old standards we have lost of late dayes . if the lords hand be stretch't out further yet in this kinde , we may be left to green heads ; to those that be little better then * children ; and what can we expect then ? but to be cast into a very sad condition k . tu●ie tells us of a flourishing common-wealth , that was quickly overthrown by men of that stamp . we that had our abode by this renowned champion , look upon his death as a most bitter blow to us . it concernes us more , ( we know it too ) then all the world besides . we cannot but see our own sin , haling and pulling this great burden upon us . we did not know what we did enjoy , whilest we had him to put on ornaments upon us , better then those of gold upon our apparel . we have cause enough to lift up our voices , and to weep over him , again and again too , ( as they did over l abner , and achilles , over his m patrecl . s ) he 's not buried to this day , nor will he be in haste . as often as any new trouble is started in body or minde , and begins to sit close to us , to ours ; our wound bleeds afresh , and we cannot but indulge our selves in it ; ( as b●za did after * calvin was gone to rest ) hoping our heart , shall be fitted for the due and desired effect of it , at the last . but when all comes to all , we must learn to submit to the only wise god , and endeavour now to fetch that from the fountain , that we have lost in the cistern . 't is besides my purpose to set out a narrative of his life , or to dwell upon that , that may savour of glorying in the flesh . he was very farre from that ( with famous * ursinus ) all his life long ; and he hath better things to embellish him , now , after his decease . and yet he was not behind in matters of that kind , if there were any list to look that way . he was * borne in glocester , of good parentage , descended from an ancient family of the gentry ( of his own name ) in herefordshire , and of alliance to the lord capel , ( but he had learnt with brave philpot , to tread that under his feet * ) his father was a stout man , and an alderman of the city : a fast friend to mr. tho. prior first , and afterwards to mt. john work●an , ( having had a principal hand in the drawing of him thither , ) both of them mine ancient and faithful friends ; and men of great sufficiencie for the preaching of the gospel , and instruments that the lord made much use of , for the advancing of the true saving knowledge of himself , and for the setting up of the real and substantial power of godliness , in that city ; during their times . his elder brother is an alderman there , at this day . his youth is quite out of my reach . his eminency for learning was great , whilest he was yet in the university of oxford : where he was fellow of magdalene-colledge , and had the breeding up of some there that proved excellent scholars : dr. frewen by name , ( a thankful man to him for his education ) and famous mr. pemble , who ended his dayes at his house . his attendance at court , upon the chiefest favourite , ( in the dayes of that learned king , king james , of famous memory , ) would have put him on in the way of preferment , if his thoughts had been that way bent ; where he continued till the death of sir thomas overbury , that learned knight , his very friend indeed , and then he bade adieu to that course of life . as for his inward stormes ; they were very many , and exceeding bitter , ( together with a number of bodily infirmities , attending him in his younger yeares ) but it was well for him , that he bore the yoke in his youth . and none , that i know , can now set out these to any purpose , ( if ever an occasion be offered ) but that eminent and learned divine , dr. harris , that knew so much of his * temptations and desettions , by reason of that intimate acquaintance he had with him in those dayes , ( being his kinsman besides ) occasioned the more , by the often recourse he had then into those parts , for the fetching of some spiritual refreshing from that divine of divines , mr. john dod , that was both able and willing to speak a word in season to a broken and a contrite heart . mine intent is only ( as * junius did with ursine , ) to pitch upon some few things of many ; and to confine my selfe to what i know of mine own certain knowledge : having had the favour to stand in the repute of more then a common friend of his , for above these thirty yeares together . and this i must needs say , . for the eminencie of his parts . i never came near any that came near him , in all particulars . the most even of our most highflowen eagles , have commonly some peculiar sparta , which they adorne well , and do very good service in it , to christ and his church ; but this man had grasp't all good learning ; and made every thing his own so evenly to see to , that he was as expert in his way , as hector in b homer , and would with cato the elder be up in the c height , in all that ever he was to act in . melancthon would say of pomeranus , he was the grammarian : of himself , he was the logician : of jus●us jonas , he was the oratour : but of luther , he was d all in all . here was one would fetch out luthers mark , if he list to turn to the school or to case-divinity ; to austin or chrysostome , galen or hippocrates , aristotle or tully , to history or philosophy , to the arts or tongues ; who could tell but himself , which he was least versed in ? he was a very living library , a full store-house of all kinde of good literature , no lesse then a little university ; the mirrour of our parts ; above the envie of all that i knew . the least draught of his pencil would have told any a protogenes , he had been the apelles . he excell'd in all that ever i saw he would set his hand to , unlesse it were in his utterance , in the publick congregation , and therein i must needs confesse he had a great defectivenesse . god gave him great understanding of the times , to know what israel b ought to do . he stood upon the watch-tower , and saw what was hid from most of our eyes , and being quick of c sent , in the feare of the lord , he gave timely notice to some that stood in place ; which had it been heeded , we had never been so fearfully pestered with those hydraes heads , that are now starting up afresh daily , to the great disturbance of our people . simler said of melancthon at his going from tubing , that none of the learned men there , how many soever they were , had so much learning , as to know the great learning that was in that man . too too many of us were sick of the same disëase : we knew not the depth in this mans breast . we had many a man in this one man , even all scholarship epito nized in this profound clerk . and yet for all this , that great blessing he had , which he himself observed , as a singular favour vouchsafed to dr. john rainolds , that great oracle of oxford , that he never set on foot any manner of new opinion . the like is observed of learned dr. a whitakers stiled the oracle of cambridge , and the miracle of the world . a mercy , that most men of b superlative parts , use not to be too rich in . there 's scarce any strong braine without some strange fancie . if the great wits of our times had kept themselves close to the steps of these rare divines , we had never seen the sorrows that we now sigh and groan under ; and would be glad to be shift on if we knew how . . for the excellency of his preaching ▪ wherein , if i mistake not ( as i think i do not ) he excell'd all men , i am sure all that ever . i came near , ( without the disparaging of any . ) there be a great many that i know ; and a many-many more there be that i know not , ( the lord encrease their number ) that be singularly well-fitted for this great emploiment . worthies they be , and must be , as well as those were , that attained not to the first * three . this mans lot fell in the foremost rank . he was an interpreter one of a thousand . his understanding was strangely opened , for the understanding , and the opening of the scriptures . he would bolt out that , out of the holy book of god , that would not come into any other mans consideration ; yet it should be genuine ; and evidently appearing to be the drift and meaning of the holy ghost . an intelligent man could never sit at his feet , but he should meet with that there , that would never fall from any other mans mouth , nor ever drop from any other mans pen . his words were as goads , as miles fastned by the masters of the assemblies . they were edged with so much reason , re-enfo●ced from the lively oracles , that they could not fall to the ground . 't is no wonder then that the creame of the whole countrey ( as they could have their opportunities ) would a hang upon his ministry . yet , how plaine would he be in all his expressions ! he would not deliver what he had from god in an unknown tongue ; nor yet in termes that were too spruce and trim . he had learnt his lesson well , of that great apostle that came not with b inricing words ; nor with any other then such as the very c catechumeni , the youngest beginners , might understand . he kept close to the footin●s of our own choicest worthies ; famous mr. dod ( that would say , so much latine , was so much flesh in a sermon . ) master cleaver , master hildersam , and such d holy men of god , led by the self-same spirit . he would deliver the holy and wholsome truth of god , in such an holy and wholsome way , that it bred very good blood in the hearts of the hearers . he would stoop so low as to speak to our poor countrey-people , in their own proper dialect , so as they could not but even see , and feel , and finde out god ; and be occasioned to speak of him all the week after . if he came to a deep mystery , he would make it plaine to the shallowest capacity . what ever he fell upon , he would follow it so divine-like , that the hearts of his auditors would be rapt up into heaven , whilest they heard him winding and turning a point of divinity , like a workman that needed not to be ashamed . whereas , now-a-dayes , whilest some of our best divines , seeme to be too much taken up with quaint and historical flourishes , there 's a sensible decay in the power of godlinesse amongst us ▪ an exotick tongue , in the publick congregation ( whatever men think of it ) is set out as a e signe of displeasure . it feeds such humours as would be purged . it had no good effect in the church of corinth . mens wits will wax wanton , when they be not over-awed by the plaine power of gods word . when preachers keep not close to the very f words of our lord jesus christ , and to the doctrine that is according unto godlinesse ; but love to be tampering with another g doctrine , though not with another in the maine , but even in the manner of the delivery onely ( as when it savours too much of the pomp of humane eloquence , saith h calvine ; when it differs from the stile of the holy ghost , saith i danaeus , ) the people be in danger of turning aside to vain jangling , to perverse disputings , desiring to be teachers ; and such like matters . the gilt upon the pill , may please the eye , but it profits not the patient . the paint upon the glasse , may feed the fancy , but the room is not well lighted by it . the sword of gods spirit can never wound so deep , till it be pluckt out of these gaudy scabbards . k nakednesse deforms too too many in these days , but it is the best garnishing truth can have . a sober dresse best becomes a grave matron . there be l words as well as things , which the holy ghost teacheth . the arrows fetcht out of gods own quiver will pierce the deepest , and make the people fall the soonest under christ . the weaknesse of god is stronger then men . pauls weapons were mighty . the sincere milk of the word , will make gods babes to grow best . this curious age is too too much given to affectation of words ; as a m good friend of mine , hath well observed . and doctor sibs was wont to say , that great affectation and good affection , seldome go together . the swelling words of vanity , may tickle the eare , tip the tongue , please in matters of discourse ; but when it comes to push of pike , they afford but little comfort . this grave divine had another manner of wisdom then that of words . he was made an able minister of the new testament , not of the letter , but of the spirit ; that hath given , n doth give , and will give life . having this hope then , he used great plainnesse of speech ; and by the manifestation of the truth , he commended himself to every mans conscience , in the sight of god ; and hath so well seasoned the country , that i hope the fruit will remain , and be seene many a yeare hence . . for the livelinesse of his prayers . he was a man that had a very large measure of that spirit of grace , that is the spirit of supplication . he was so well fitted for the opening of his minde to god , as if with holy a bradford , he had been almost ever upon his knees ; he could tell his own errand , or any other mans , at the throne of grace ; with as good freedome , and to as good purpose , as any man living . he would not be rash with his mouth , when he came before god ; nor set out what he had to say , there , with painted eloquence or court-like complement ; but his mouth should be filled with such savoury arguments , as very well became an humble suppliant . he would be farre from those battologies and miserable extravagancies , that the greatest part of us be so sorely haunted with . he would poure out his soul to god , at all manner of times , upon all manner of occasions , with all manner of prayer and supplication ; and with that admirable variety of all sorts of quickning and feeling meditation , that it would even ravish their hearts , that could be so happy as to partake with him . yet for all this , he was clear in his opinion , for the lawfulnes●e of the use of set formes ; according to the tenet of all the best divines that ever i met with , that were in their cold blood : ( and much heed is not to be given to what any man saith , that 's in the height of his sick fit ; ) and according to the practice of all churches , even the best reformed ; saith c master rogers , now and ever ; saith d mr. hildersam : nay e mr. smith himself , saith , ( who was warping at that very time , and afterwards wandered farre in the wayes of the separation ) it was the practice of the ancient church , and of all the reformed churches in christendome ; of the church immediately after the apostles ; nay ( saith he ) of the church in the time of the apostles , as may probably be gathered out of cor. . . this hath been the practice also of the very best f lights that ever were set up in the churches of christ . 't is very well known , that the flower of our own divines , went on in this way , when they might have done otherwise , if they had pleased ; in their prayer before their g sermons . nay , mr. dod his own self ( as i have been often told by this great divine ) would seldome end his devotions in his own family , but with the use of the lords prayer . nay , yet more , h mr. cartwright thinks it very ptobable , that christ , his own self made use of a set-form at meals . 't is not good to cast stones of offence , before our weak brethren , that be of meaner parts , wanting in ability , memory , or audacity ; that they be not taken off from , or disheartened in this necessary service . nor may we lay a trap for our own feet . who knowes what times may passe over him ? if god plunge us in the ditch , and leave us labouring in the noose ; the loftiest of us all may be faine to take relief from these poor contemptible props , and crutches , ( as some do deeme them . ) when the soul 's so troubled , that it i cannot speak , but chatter onely , like a crane or swallow ; when 't is so full of grief , that it can no more then sigh and groane , and k make a confused noise ; 't will be glad to catch at any thing , to give it self vent by . dr. l harris tells us of a second bradford , that in time of his distresse , was fain to adopt mr. bradfords words , and to spread them before god as his own : because he had said more for him , ( as he thought ) then he could say for himself . i knew a rare and eminent divine , indeed ( that would be as often upon his bended knees , as any man , that ever i conversed with ; ) that would sometimes be in such dumps , that he had no more to set before god , ●o give his heart ease by , then the words of david in the one and fiftieth psalm . well might then this knowing divine of ours , that had been so tossed with tempests be tender of that , that might be in such stead , for poore trembling hearts in a stormy day . get to god then as thou canst ; sad distempers be upon our people . spiritual judgments be the sorest judgments . what if thou hast but the a self-same words ? the song of moses was a b new song , tendered to god with new affections . what if the petitions be c broken , confused ; this poore d man cried , saith the text , when he was in a poore case indeed ; like a e bedlam , and yet he was heard . the lesser lisping children some-whiles have the grant ; when those that be of greater maturity , seeme to be fet aside : whilest moses his hands were up ( though in a poor way ) israel had the better . who can tell what god may do ? abraham left asking ere god left granting , even for a filthy sodome . remember latimers f once-again , once-again ; tugg and wrastle . we may come to see , and our people may be made to know , that their heart is g turned back-again , to the god of their fathers . for the soundnesse and settlednesse of his judgement . he pitcht at first upon a good foundation , and being h nourished up in the words of faith , he continued in the things he had learned and beene well assured of , knowing from whom he had received them . he was with socrates an a {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , grounded in his opinion ; one that stood like a brazen wall , as firme as a very rock , ( with virgils b latinus ) in the midst of all the dashings , and clashings of tempestuous times . he saw with a cleare eye , thorow all the painted glosses of those that were given to change ; and therefore was not moved at all , with any thing said or done in that kinde . he was true to his religion , and clave close all along to his first principles ; holding fast the faith that was c once , and ( as he himself would often expresse it ) but once delivered to the saints . he lived and died a true orthodox divine , according to the knowne doctrine of the church of england . he knew full well , for all the great talk of the gosspel , as though it were but newly dropt out of the clouds , that there is not any other gosspel , then the everlasting gospel , that was preached before unto abraham , and hath been entertained all along , still by gods faithful people , and shall be so continually , to the worlds end . but some there be ( no mean pretenders to the gospel ) that be in great danger of perverting the gospel of jesus christ . this stable man , was set up as a sure sea-mark . stand to his steps , though we stand alone . god and a good conscience , be very good company . elijah was but one , yet did very good service . one d athanasius in the east ; one hilary in the west ; was of mighty great use in a staggering time . what if we meet with stormes ? 't is but a poore religion that 's not worth suffering for . 't will turn to a a testimony ; when the wilde humour is spent , men will look home againe . a mercuries statue will be lookt upon then . those poor silly souls , that be tossed to and fro , and b whirl'd about and about again with every winde of doctrine , will be glad of such a sight , in the day of their visitation . whereas if they that know , or should know more of god , be not steady in their steering , but varying their course : poor bewilder'd hearts will be at their wits ends , not knowing which way to turne , nor to whom to goe , nor whom to walke after . as there is but one god , so there is but one faith , one baptism ; c one way to eternal life : one rule for us all to walk by . why be we not then all of one heart ? all in one tract ? so many men as we see , so many mindes there be . every e moneth ( almost ) a new faith . 't is easie to swim with the tyde ; to perswade the heart of the rectitude of that , that 's turn'd up trump by the times ; and yet to pretend still 't is from more light . we may talk of the spirit ; but f schism is a fruit of the flesh . the old way is the good way ; he shal stumble and hamper his feet , that swerves from the g ancient pathes . what 's got by gadding ? men itch for change still . there 's no rest but with our first a husband . 't is good to be all of one minde in god . where 's not unitie in judgement , there 's scarcely unity in affection . too fierce we be against such as close not with our notitions . it was b bell , book , and candle once ; 't is not much better now . wild-fire flies amaine . we cannot all cut to a thread , there will be some variation in the compasie ; but whilest we aime at the white , the c oddes is to be passed by , without bitternesse . why should there be such huge rents and divisions in the church ? where 's our forbearance ? we have not yet learnt our lesson well , to wait one for another , till god shall reveale , phil. . . whilest we be so sharp in our contests , satan makes his markets ; d religion goes to wrack ; our differences e widen ; some be ready to give up all , seeing there's no better harmony ; others could wish themselves well out of the world , that they may be delivered ( as melanchthon saith ) from the d implacable differences , even of some divines . hearken to god : he would have the truth g followed , but in love , if the word will not sway ; the crosse will come ; and set an h hooper and a ridley to the embracing of one another . fall upon that one and only solid way of god : and stick there . be we stedfast men . it was once the martyrs a stile , it will ever be the good mans glory . get we then to god : he can stablish the shuttle heart , cor. . . see the judgement be so rightly set , is . . . and the heart so firmly knit to god and his truth ; he that b loved his master would not leave his master . tamper we not with opinions , pet. . . nor with opinionative c men , rom. . , . nor yet with books that scatter tares . this grave d divine himself , gives very good caution to this purpose , from famous e mr. dod , a man of that vast experience . an honest heart may be sorely puzled with a forked argument , the martyr could die for christ , that could not f dispute for him . some pretend , they must trie all things , but they speak besides the g book . who will try ratsbane , or a sharp sword , whether it will pierce into his bowels ? some think to withdraw when they see danger : but satan is subtile ; venome will get in we know not how ; and errour will h stick and eate . what gets the flie that goes whisking by the candle ? they that nibble at the bait , shall hardly ' scape the hook . again , gingle not with termes that be improper in matters of religion ; they savour of singularity ; breed i rents and divisions amongst preachers and people ; and take off the minde from things more essential . learned men have observed the advantage that hereticks got , by the unwarie speeches of the fathers . some of calvins expressions , not so well pondered , have done no great good to some in our times . a nesto●ius fell into his heresie , by defending an improper speech of his : and eutyches thinking to mend it , fell into the other extream . dr. thomas b taylour speaks much to this point , to very good purpose : and tells us in conclusion ; if we will keep the faith of our fathers , we must keep the words of our fathers . . for the singlenesse of his heart , he was with jacob a plain man , gen. . . that is , down-right honest , as 't is in the c original ; a very nathanael , an israelite indeed , john . . in whom , though there was some infirmity , yet there was no guise . he had a deal of the wisdom that 's from above , and was as far from hypocrisie , as any man that ever i knew . if others were made of his mettal , momus had no need to complain of the want of a window at any mans breast . he was what he was , in deed and in truth ; without dissimulation , very high in his conformity to the d primitive christians ; and left a brave president to all that would be what they should be in this particular . we of this doubling and deceitful generation , had need to look about us , and see what was here set before us in romane characters , that we may learn to be more above-board in all our dealings . we are fallen into an age , like that of the prophets , wherein every one hath too much of the hypocrite . we may well cry , help lord , for the faithful faile ; with a double heart and a double tongue do they speak . the most be for all tides and times , for any manner of mode , so as they can serve their own turnes by it . a alcibiades could swagger it at athens , take any paines at thebes , live most sparing at lacedaemon , bib amongst the thracians , hunt amongst the persians . some can be any thing , but what they should be . we had need to beware of men ; when every brother will supplant b b . the hypocrite with his mouth destroyes his neighbour . 't is good to be wise as the serpent , but we must be innocent as the dove . though it be just with god that the doe iver shall be deceived : and some c like it well : yet will it not be just in us to do it . they that turn : aside to crooked wayes , shall be led forth with the workers of iniquity . psal. . . plain-dealing is a jewel , yea , though it be in sin ; as this acute man d tells us . 't is a dainty fine thing in our e confessing , repenting , and in all we are to act in . he that useth it ( whatever men say or think ) shall neither live , nor die a f begger . down-right honesty is the best policie . 't is delightful to god , prov. . . 't will be a comfort to us , cor. . . this is our rejoycing , we never eat our meat with more gladnesse , then when with singlenesse of heart , act. . . . for the usefulness of his life . he was born for the common good with m●l●ncthon , and lived for the publike benefit of the whole countrey . first , whilest he was at his pastoral charge : he gave himself fully and wholly to reading , exhortation and doctrine : and his profiting appear'd to all ; so that he was generally and justly reputed , a man approved of god , rightly dividing the word of truth . 't is well known what paines he took , and to how good purpose , during the whole a time of his abode there : preaching twice constantly every lords day ; and lecturing ( there ) besides one day weekly : though he had but an infirm body ) until he was taken off by sicknesse : after that ( his sabbath-dayes work excepted ) he preached only upon the festival dayes . his lips were touched with a coale from the altar . b musculus his words , so would his , pierce like a two-edged sword . he could be a boanerges , but his bent was most to be a son of consolation . he was a true evangelical preacher ; and comforted many a drooping heart by his labours in publike , and gave abundance of satisfaction in private , to many troubled spirits , that used to resort to him , out of all countreys , both far and near . and after this also , he shewed himself to be a tree of gods own planting , by bringing forth still more fruit in his age . when the times were such , ( some flying so extreamly high , the ceremonies being prest with rigour , and such grievous penalties inflicted ) that he ( being tender in matters of conformity ) must needs a quit his pastors place . he betook himself then to his little b cell , ( as samuel to his ramah ) that had never been look't upon if he had not come there ( no more the arpinum , if not for tullie : nor is●ebium and bretta , if not for luther and melancthon , ) and there he had more health and cheerinesse of spirit then formerly , which he improved well for publick advantage , divers wayes . . in his falling upon the practice of physick . his studies had bent that way before-hand ( foreseeing what followed ) yet he would do nothing in that kinde , ( it not being his calling ) so long as that great work lay upon him : but when he had quit that more special tie of the care of mens soules , he took himself then to be ar more freedome ; and ( upon a c licence sent him by one that might d authorize him ) he fell upon the cure of mens bodies . and being of great sufficiencie , his fame was quickly up . he was looked upon as a very trismegistus , and a second aesculapius . he could do much at the diving into a disease , and in applying of medicines proper and fit . not like some that will be tampering with that profession , and give their doses * at adventure . he was quick , yet in case of danger , he would weigh things well . in desperate diseases he would adventure far , according to the rules of reason : what he gave should be safe ; he mixed all with his own hands , he would stoop to the meanest ; and serve all , at an easie rate . his recipees amounted not to the half , nor quarterth part of a common apothecaries bill . he was blest with good successe ; and had such resort , especially towards his lattenend , out of our own , and other counties , that he had not time , to sit at his own meales in quiet . many times he was quite tired out : so god took him to his rest . . in the words he would let fall . his tongue was a tree of life ; his lips fed many . who ever came near him , should have something dropping , ( if he did but heed it ) worth his carrying away with him . 't is true , he would be pleasant , and jest more freely , then many did , or could well like . ( some of his best friends wisht it had been otherwise ) but there will be something of humane infirmity cleaving to us all . yet the times are to be considered , and the nature of a many with whom he had to deal , that could no more away , with a down-right blow , then some can away with sound doctrine . and let me say this , that know it , there 's never a prudent heart , but it might have pickt sweet out of that , that some did most of all distaste . a erasmus hurt the pope more by his jesting , then luther by his ruffling . this man gave a deadlier blow to the iniquiry of the times , in his jocular way , then the best of us all can do in our most serious undertakings . let me further adde , he would be as serious as any man living , upon a just and fit occasion ; and would be as tender to troubled spirits , as heart could desire . vrbanus regius , having one dayes converse with luther , said it was one of the a sweetest days that ever he had in all his life : some can say as much of this rare man ; when they had him ( as all might have had him ) in the right vein . . in that faithful advice and counsel he would give ; to all of all sorts upon all emergent occasions . it was said in old time , they shall ask counsel at abel b : and so they ended their matters . the common conflux , of almost all in our parts , hath been still to his house . oyntment and perfume rejoyce the heart ; so did the c sweetnesse of this man by his hearty counsel . he was to thee as another n●sior ; i found him ever a most faithful achates ; and therefore i made him ( as tully did his atticus ) my constant asylum , for many a year together . the light i had from him was a good cynosura : his dexterous counsel , the ariadne's threed , that led me out of many a perplexing labyrinth . he was as that famous augur in d homer ; that could see things past , and present , and shrewdly guesse also at those that were to come . e old mens counsels , ( they say ) are young mens lances . f calvines were very prosperous : so were his . many a young beginner , and tyred conflicter ; fetcht all their best weapons out of this mans armory . . in his preaching the gospel so freely , for the most part of his last twenty years . freely he had received , and freely he would give . not that he thought it unlawful for a minister to take maintenance orto take that maintenance that hath been publickly set aside in this land : for that he paid himself , and very duelie too ( all the whole time of his preaching thus freely ) to one that did not much in the work of the ministry ; and he did it upon this ground al ( o , because he knew it to be his due . i dispute not his point with those that be hampered in opinion ; but heartily wish them , with all those , that in these times be so extreamly defective in their practice : to consider what hath befallen from the pens of pious men , that have been far enough off from being this way interessed . master a cartwright writes ( sharply i confesse ) they that take away the tythes of the ministers , and turne them to their own use ; would doubtlesse crucifie christ himselfe again , if he were here upon earth . b beza speaks of some , that leave christ , as the souldiers did , which crucified him ; either stark naked , or but sorrily clad : so to do ( saith he ) is not to love god , but the goods of god more then god . doctor c john rainolds saith , our ancestours provided houses , glebe-land , tythes , and other profits , fot the maintenance of pastors ; and a little after he saith , the churches goods allotted to the maintenance of pastors and teachers , are not profane but sacred : and therefore the sin of them , that purloine them is sacriledge , not theft , wherein god is spoiled a . 't is a snare to devour that that 's holy : and after vowes to make enquiry . anan●as and saphira were made a dreadful spectacle , for nimming of a little , of that that was set aside for god . the eagle fired her whole nest , by one poor piece of flesh pluckt from the altar . i can propose this the more freely , because 't is well known , i never had one mites worth in tythes , in all my dayes , nor do i desire it . the people of this land are cursed with a curse , and will not see the cause of it ; their robbing of god , mal. . , . in tythes and offerings . when shall we prove god , and see if he will not pour us out a blessing , mal. . . it would be a great joy to some , that shall get nothing by it , to hear the israel of god , tuning it out once again before the lord b : i have brought away the hallowed things , out of mine house : i haue not taken away ought thereof , for any unclean ( that is common ) use ; saith [ c ] j●nius . for then they might say with heart and hope , lord look down from thy holy habitation ; and blesse thy people , and the land that thou hast given us , deuter. . . the practise of this knowing man , will sway with some ; that was such a burning and shining lamp . the more to be admired , that it blaz'd so long , and so clearly too , without any of this sublunary oyle . his minde was so well a-paid , with his small gaine in physick , together with what he had of his own temporal estate , that he would accept of nothing for his preaching , of any man living ; though never so much pressed and tendered . he took not himself bound , ( as the case stood ) to the labour of the ministry ; there being another incumbent in the place . what he did was meerly in love to god , & mens souls . he met with many diversions ; the tempests of the times ; his own domestick troubles : age creeping one : store of sick and sad people ; recourse of all sorts ; so that he had scarce an houre a free for study ; yet nothing would take him off from this employment , till god took him off from all his labours . . in his living down the iniquity of the times . he did not onely cry it down in his publick preaching , but gave it a more deadly blow in his contrary walking . noah condemned the world , more by what he b did , then by what he said . the way this man took , put some to a stand : caused others to relent and repent , and set some the more on , in the good and right way ; whilest they had his pattern , that could not be contradicted . now that he 's gone we have an harder taske ; but god will carry on his owne work . . for his self-denial . this is in every mans mouth : but hardly to be had in any mans practise . selfe hath ever been , is and will be the great diana , for all mens faire pretences . we read of him that could give golden a words ; but when it came to the point , he would not mar his inheritance . self hath too great a stroke in the best of us all : both preachers and professours , in church and common-wealth . it began to work betimes ; we see in pauls dayes , all sought their own things , phil. . . 't is now grown to a greater head , in this age : when we neither eat , nor drink , nor fast , nor pray , nor do any thing ( to speak of ) but too too apparently still b for our selves . how much then was this brave man to be admired ! seeing all that knew him , can beare him witnesse , how far he surpassed in this rare grace ! he could deny himself in his own understanding , and go after god in a way that he knew c not , in his own will : when he that is above would lead him in a way that he would d not : and in his own affections too ; when he came to be crost in what he could have most desired ; ruling them by reason and religion ( as e a wise man should ) subjecting himself to bear with quietnesse , what could not be helpt , without raising of too much dust . 't is strange to see how far he could deny himself , in apparel , diet , tendance ; and in what not ! all that would be christs disciples , are to fetch out this mark . 't is to be our first and last work ; that we may a take up our crosse and go after him . 't is self that spoils all . it lies as a jezabel in all our bosomes ; and opens the door for the foulest enormities . it wants no varnish , for that that 's of foule aspect ; out comes its plausible arguments ; and it hath its seconds to sooth thee , when thou b doest well to thy self . it hath too great an hand , upon the very best men in the very worst times . we must seeto self ; and see that self be subdued . cut off that hand and foot that offends . let sinful self die ; and we our own selves ( that have neither lived nor died to our selves ) shall be sure to have our selves ( our soules and bodies ) saved in the day of christ jesus . . for his contempt of the world . he had gotten the start of most men in that particular . he would be beating upon this point mainly , both in his publick preaching , and in his private conference , and shewed the reality of what he pressed , when he came to act himself . he could not say , as luther did , he never had temptation that way ; but he kept himself far from any noted taint ; nay from the least suspition of that foule crime , with famous d whitakers . i have heard him often say , when he had things under his hand , he still charged his servants to do what few men practice ; never to set in corn , nor to bring home cattel , but to take as the market would afford . all in these parts know , he was farre enough off from the using of indirect means to get ; and i never knew any more willing to part with money , upon a just and fit occasion , then he was . 't is well known , he gave over a living of good value ; one of the best in all our parts , above twenty years before his death ; and betook himself to a poor little corner , from which he would never be with-drawn ; no more then a musculus from his berne . and even there he might have pickt mens purses , if he had been this way given . i have seen him many and many a time , put back money , and take but a small matter , from those that were able , and would have willingly given him more ; they would force him to take it , but he would utterly refuse it . the greatest part of men are willing he should go on in this way by himself ; few , or none care to foot it after him . all sorts be seeking great things ; though the world was never more ticklish . 't is or should be well known , the love of the world , and of the father , be not compatible . it deadens our spirits ; bites us sore ; yet will our hearts be hankering that way . our religion is made a scorne by it , to those that be but for the pot and pipe ? when they see some of us , looking up towards god , yet bending our course so directly towards b gain , as if it were the only godlinesse . 't is sad to see some that erst-while would straine at the least gnat ; swallowing downe camels without any regret . paul speaks of such with weeping , as of a the enemies ( with a witnesse ) of the crosse of christ ; and their end will be doleful , if they go on still to minde earthly things . see to the world ; ( though we must be in it , and may have to do with it ) that we love it not . sue out our divorce , and do it more fully ; be more perfectly linkt to our head ; by whom the world is crucified unto us , and we unto the world ; tugge hard for a further supply of spirit and of grace ; keeping our eyes more fully fixt upon the city , that hath foundations , and the world will fall under our feet . . for his great humility . this was the grace that graced all the good that was in him . he would be often speaking of what he heard concerning doctor john rainolds b one would say it , that knew it . he was as learned a man as any was in the world ; as godly , as learned ; and as humble , as godly . this man loved and reverenced the doctor ; and trod in his steps . he left us a rare extract in humility . he could speak with tongues more then we all ; yet would he never make use of them in the publick congregation . he would honour all men ; acknowledge the gifts and parts of those that were farre below him ; and rejoyce in them ; as c hooper in the blinde boy . he would not meddle in things that were too high , nor intrench upon that that was beyond his sphere . he would not stand in the place of great men . he could refuse honours , a as musculus did ; and content himself with plaine and mean things . caj●tan ( the b flower of the cardinals ) would never be in his silks , nor braveries ; but keep his c old fashion to his lives end . d melanchthon would not disdain to do that , that the meanest servant would scarcely have put his hand to . so here , and he would beare things that went awry , with very much temper . moderation he would presse , and moderation he would practice . e staupicius said to luther concerning his own government ; in the first three years . he did all according to the utmost rigour ; & that would not do : in the next three years he did all according to the lawes and councels of the ancestours , and that would not hit ; in the third triennial , he did all according to the will of god ; and yet that would not succeed . and then he was faine to be content with what he could have . i touch not on this , for the heartning on of any in any base or vile way ; but to help my self , and some others of pious dispositions to a fitter medicine for things amisse , then some-whiles we hit on . an artist will be loath to pitch upon that to mend things ; which will make them worse . let this mans patterne ( together with brave a cranmers ) be pasted up before our faces . t is not for us to fill the houses , congregations , places , where we come with combustion ; nor to cast them into broiles , by bitternesse . when we have the repute of lambs abroad ; we must not be lions at home . god hath called us to peace . the servant of the lord must not strive , but be gentle to all men . the words of the wise will be heard in quiet , more then the cry of him that rules among fooles . 't is better to be of an humble spirit with the lowly ; then to divide the spoile with the proud . all our things are to be done in charity ; and none thorough strife , nor vain-glory . this prudent man , b mindes us more then once or twice in the ensuing tract that there 's no such power in the church , as some look after ; seeing all the power the church hath as church ; is rather ministerial then authoritative : 't was once lookt upon as an hateful crime , to be lording it over gods heritage . we may not come nigh that , that hath such an ill resent . by soaring too high , we have lost our selves too much already . we are brought to the dust , and laid full low ; and must all of us now learn to beare the shame of it . holy bradfords old medicine is the best hope that 's left us . c repent , repent . it will strike the stroke , if we repent in deed , and repent in truth ; and repent of that that hath let in the storme upon us . ( but there 's little of that in sight , yet ) hezekiah humbled himself , and found it a fit salve for such a disease as ours is . if we can hit it right , to humble our selves under the mighty hand of god ; we shall be exalted in the true and due time , pet. . . here 's a taste , and but a little taste ( in this that is thus set forth ) of the precious liquor , that was poured into this earthen vessel . if i should mention the quicknesse of his apprehension , the strength of his memory ; his sense of the publick evils ; his passing by offences , his special regard to such as loved their wives , and ministers ; and the like ; where should i end that have exceeded already ? these and his other eminencies would be laid in oyle and lime by him that hath a better pencil . i have collected some scattered fragments , onely , for mine owne , and some others , use ; and have assayed to shew those , that be more remote , that we had more in his life , then they had in his writings . towards his latter end , he met with some pinching griefs , which he bare with invincible fortitude ; he would submit , because it was gods will to have him so exercised . all of us must look to drink of the self-same cup ; our last dayes commonly be our worst dayes , a as mollerus observes , the clouds will be returning then after the rain . we must be taught to speak it out , that we be but pilgrims : we must be more truely taken off from the world : more ripen'd and mellowed ; and season'd for god ; and be made more serious in all our undertakings . melanchthon would say , a if he had no cares , he would have no prayers . the comfort is , the time is but short : the most and best of our treasure is gone before , our hope is laid up in heaven . get we more communion with god ; more faith , more patience ; and put on the whole armour of god ; and we shall be able to stand , and withstand , in the evill day . this knowing man lookt upon storms impending ; r●joycing , he should be in his grave before their fall ; whether he came , according to the b ascending of a shock of corne in his season . the sabbath day was the last day of his life . the strict observation whereof , i have heard him presse : he would say , we should go to sleepe that night with meat in our mouths ( as it were , ) that same c lords day he preached twice , taking his leave of the world , with pressing faith in god . he repeated both his sermons that night in his familie , somewhat more largely then usually : he read his chapter also ; went to prayer and to bedd , and died immediately , by that time the words were well out of his mouth . none of us must choose his own death ; but who can desire to die better then calling upon god , as stephen did . he would often say , ( if god saw it fit , ) one had better die of a quick , then of a lingring death : suiting to caesars speech . the suddennesse of the stroke was great trouble to some of us at the first ; but since we have collected our thoughts , we must needs say , gods way is the best . if he had had time , he would have been apt to dispute , and so to have been too hard for us all . justus jonas , luthers great friend had much adoe at his death , to fasten upon any manner of comfort . it hath beene the case of many a choice man . god prevented it here . this present tract , is his last and best ; i am sure of most use . 't is but a piece of what was intended ; as appears by the paper that was last tackt up for it ; whereof , the fourth part is not written . but he had the justest excuse ( as vrsine for his inchoate comment upon isaiah ) being taken off by death . if he had lived to review it , it would have beene more polite . but blessed be the lord , we have it as it is . who can sufficiently admire the wisdome of god , in setting of this able penne to work , upon such an useful subject ? for the laying a firm foundation , for a trembling heart to ground it selfe upon ; when it may see it clearly made good , that it may safely pitch upon that translation of the holy scripture , that 's set before it in its native tongue . god stirred up the spirit of this great disputer , to put in a seasonable and a substantial barre , in a needful time , when some curious and quaint heads , opened the door so dangerously against all translations . other opinions overthrow the faith of some few ; but this strikes at the root , and endeavours to destroy the faith of all that are not skill'd in the original tongues . * dr. sibbs that worthy divine , mine ancient acquaintance , and loving friend , hath a pretty observation ; god hath raised up men ( saith he ) and gifted them proportionably to the times , to fence his truth , when it hath been opposed by men of stronger wits ; as the ancient fathers to deal with the pagans and proud hereticks ; and austin , to vindicate gods predestination and free grace , out of the hands of the enemies of grace , and flatterers of nature . so here , he moved the heart of this man of sublime parts , that could ●rapple with the strongest , and argue with the subtillest , to clear this point about translations so fully , that there 's no colour of scruple left now for the poor soul , that 's willing to close with the eternal truth of god , set before it in its own mothers tongue . so that i cannot but call upon , and encourage all much , that tender their own weale , to fall on with more boldnesse and eagerness , upon the reading of the holy scriptures , seeing now it is so infallibly proved by this man of a thousand , that it is the very word of god that 's reached to them in that translation , that they have before them in the tongue , wherein they were borne . we of this nation have great cause to blesse god , for that * learned prince , that caused our last and best translation : which hath gained an high testimony , from a * learned writer of a forreign countrey : when he calls it the most accurate translation of the english . honour we then the reading of the word of god , . in the publike congregation , deut. . . ezra . , . act. . . that is attended with the greatest blessing , ezra . , . nehem. . , . . in our private houses , reg. . . jer. . . , . . in our proper closets , or where we can have our opportunities . see acts . . apoc. . . reade so as we reade all , josh. . , . though it be never so difficult , 't is given by inspiration , and 't is profitable . the very a craggs and rocks have their physical he bs . we are b fed by the clear , and tried by the obscure . there 's an c immanent , where 's not a transient power to edifie . something is a going when we little think it : if it be but to humble us , that we cannot see the reason of the setting those hard names together ; the wisdome of god is there , though man cannot fathom it ; besides , it keeps our hearts in order ; and gives us cause of thanks , when we meet with other things that be more facile , in things that be most essential . and reade in d order ; young beginners , may take the new testament first , ( as being the easier , ) and the old after it . the books be writ in order , ( luke . . ) let them be reade in order . work goes on best , when men take it as 't is before them . he that reades confusedly , will come to little . he that takes the bible as it lies , will get most good by it . see neh. . , . reade every day , josh. . . all the dayes of our lives , deut. . . psal. . . alphonsus king of arragon , read the bible over fourteen times , with some comments upon it . reade in thine own book ; the king was to write him out a copy of the law for his own peculiar use , deut. . . * theodesius the second had writ out the new testament with his own hand . men shoot best in their own bowes : work best with their own tools . david did best with his own scrip , and sling . the side of the leafe is remembred , when the chapter and verse cannot be thought on . reade with the greatest reverence , for it is the word of god , see , neh. . . , . with the best understanding , mat. . . with sincerest affection ; bringing our selves to the bible , not the bible to us . a veile is upon them , that comes with prejudice , cor. . . and reade with heartie prayer unto god , thar he will open our eyes , psal. . . and sanctifie our hearts , psal. . . and order our steps , psal. . . it will be else as a book sealed up to us . see isa. . , . the result of all is this . we must so reade , and so heare besides , that there may be both an holy faith , and an holy life too . nor this alone , not that by its own selfe : what god hath set together , let not us put asunder . 't will but little availe a man to be sound in his opinion , if he be loose in his conversation ; without holinesse there is no seeing god , heb. . . nor will strictness of life be much advantageous , where there be rotten principles . he was utterly unclean ( in the law ) that had the leprosie in his head : and ( under the gospel ) men of corrupt mindes , have but a sad character for all their forme of godlinesse . see tim. . , , . * swenck feldius was a man of plausible behaviour ; and so was * rotman too , for a while . 't is no mean stroke to be given over to strong delusion . the● . . , . nor was it a light thing , which they received as a recompence of their errour , and yet it was but meet too , rom. . . see then , that our faith be most holy , jude . and that our lives be according pet. . . in all holy * conversations and godlinesses : how shall we hold up our faces , before god , before men , in all cases , conditions ; and appear without spot in the day of christ jesus ? give attendance to reading . 't is too little thought on , even of some well-minded people . the bible is the book of books ; a full store-house . there be rules for all sorts of persons , young and old , tit. . , . rich and poor ; in all manner of conditions , prosperous and adverse ; in all cases , whatsoever we shall be put upon ; the * exactest rules too , to keep a man so far from usurie , that he shall not be as anusurer , exod. . . and those that will be for his greatest glory too , deut. . , , . even in the eyes of common men . here we shall meet with that that will enlighten our eyes , psal. . . dan. . . humble our hearts , deut. . . kill our sins , psal. . . enable us against satan , and all his temptations , john . . matth. . , , . strengthen our faith , rom. . . though we have much ado to beleeve what we reade sometimes ; yet reading will master it . * antonius musa complain'd to luther , he had much ado his own self to believe , what he preached to others ; luther was glad there was any as bad as himself , but the word help't rhem , and it will help us . here we shall have that , that will over-awe our hearts , psal. . . that will encrease our patience and our comfort , rom. . . here we shall have that , that will help in life , prov. . . . and support in death , luke . . and reade we shall , again and again too . if . we be so truly taken up with god : we shall then look upon the scriptures as upon his * love-letters , hos. . . . if we so truly taste the sweet that 's there . see pet. . , . if we taste we shall desire . . if we be so much advantaged by the use of the other ordinances . see acts . . when he had been at jerusalem . so acts . . . if we be so far above the world , as it doth become us . martha was cumbred and could not heare , no more then we can reade when we be so clutter'd ; but mary sate down at christs feet , luke . , . . if we be so willing to order our steps , to be so exact in our doings ; then we shall see to that word that 's a light and a lamp , psal. . . see reg. . . and . , . . if our hearts be so well be sprinkled with the blood of christ ; see heb. . . and exod. . . . if we be so humbled under the sense of that body of death we have about us ; see how it was with josiah , chron. . , . when his heart was touched with the wickednesse of the time . he read , and so shall we when we have a sense of the sinne that is in us . this man of god , in this short , but sweet and elaborate discourse that followes ; hath cleared the way daintily , for poor , plain christians , to build upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles , in those translations , that god in his great mercy , hath set before them . here 's the price put into * the hand , where 's the heart to use it ? we can but call on men . 't is god must perswade japhet , to dwell in the tents of shem. he was touching a little , and but a little , upon mans imperfections , and upon the working of grace , whilest it is here in this life ; and god took him to the place where the soules of the just are made perfect , where grace is compleated in glory . this brief and pithy piece , hath lien longer upon mine hand then i am well-pleased with . this i can say , . it was written in his fast hand ; and so it was the longer work ere it could be pickt out perfectly ; by my selfe and some others , that best knew his writing . he was like * bucer in this , he his own selfe could not reade his own hand , sometimes in a moneth after he had writ it . . i have been letted by sicknesse , much upon my selfe , and some also in those that be near me ; besides some other urgent occasions . . not being cut out for work of this nature , i had the more ado to satissie my selfe in this that 's let abroad ( such as it is ) at the last . i have been more large by farre then i intended : but 't is for a friend , to whose memory i owe , as much as philemon did to paul , more then i can pay . . 't is for a man of men , the phoenix of his age , as 't was said of * beza . . besides , 't is all that i intend ( in this kinde ) to trouble the world withal . god grant his blessing may attend it . i remain thine in christ jesus . val . marshall . elmore , may the . . a resolution of certaine cases to cleare some doubts concerning my former writings . . of the scriptures . in all buildings the maine is to settle the foundation . first of all , next to christ the foundation is laid upon the prophets and apostles . so paul , ( are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets ) meaning the foundation which the apostles and prophets laid : laid where ? in their doctrine contained in their writings : so doctor john rainolds the famous . hence that of christ , search the scriptures , for in them ye think to have eternal life . by which place it is put beyond all queries and question , that the scriptures are the foundation of religion , sith in them is said , ye think ( and ye think well in it ) to have eternal life . so again ye erre ( saith christ to the sadd●ces ) not knowing the scriptures . and again , apollos shewed , and convinced the jewes publickly by the scriptures , that jesus was christ : and once more , all scripture is given by inspiration ( by the breath of god . ) now by scripture is meant the word of god written . written then , printed now ; ( by the way note and grant that written and printed come all to one ; written then , printed now ) so then by scriptures we meane the word of god written . now here the first case is , what ground there is that we should ground our selves on the scriptures , sith for a matter of two thousand years the church was without scripture , and many went to heaven when there was ( before moses ) no scripture at all , and the christian church was best and purest before the new testament was written at all ? this was pleaded in the councel of trent to justle out the scriptures , and to place traditions in the place of the scriptures . all this should not shake and totter the heart of a christian . before moses the lord did teach by tradition , without scripture , and the church did by the providence of god walk by as certaine rules then , as now . for this they who will may see dr. abbot against bishop . many reasons are given why then the written word was not necessary as 't is now ; as that the church was in families : after it came to be all one nation over , now over all nations . as also that the patriarchs then had a spirit we have not . anabaptists say they have an infallible spirit , which wotton calls ( a lewd opinion ) yet they say this as onely for themselves but sure the patriarchs , and the church under the patriarchs , had a certain and infallible rule to walk by , which was to them as the scriptures are to us their rule was the word of god ( but not written ) ours is the same word of god ( but written ) it is enough that the law hath now tied us to the word of god written . and for the apostles time , the apostles , men immediately inspired being living , and other infallible men ( not apostles ) as mark , luke , there was no such necessity to have the word of god written , as there was after . wherefore they did provide for this ere they died , and committed the word of god to writing , when there should be no such men to consult with . let us then sit down by the scriptures , the word of god written , as the onely sure card , and rule to guide us in all matters of faith , and life : for if we leave this once , there is nothing but sea and aire , no place for this poor dove , this poore soul of ours to rest her foot ; without which , when , and where to stay , none can tell . that then we may not run from opinion to opinion , from christ to christ , from church to church , till we have run our selvs out of all , our onely sure way is to flie to the scriptures , to the written vvord of god , as to an anchour , that so we may have hope , if hope , then faith . before we go further we must take it as cleare , that by scriptures , christ and his apostles do meane the vvord of god written . our enquiry is , what written word ? not the original copy , for that was in the ark , and there onely , and not to be seen of every body , if of any body , but the high priest : and i know nothing but those tables perished with the temple . nor can it be , that when he did call upon them to search the scriptures he did send them to the ark , which then was not . i doubt not but he meant by the scriptures , the writings of moses & the prophets . now who can think that christ and his apostles did turn over the church and people of god to the scriptures written by moses and the prophets own hands ? those were not then extant , nor when extant to be seene of every body . what then ? when he bade them search the scriptures , he must needes meane some transcribed copies , or some translations for copies in the hebrew , i doubt me whether the common people did then understand the hebrew , and amongst the bereans , who did search the scriptures , i think it past question , that there were many ordinary people , and perhaps coblers or taylors , or such , as dr j. rainolds seems to judg . if this be granted that those who were commanded to search the scriptures , and commended for searching the scriptures , did not , could not search the original hebrew , what shall we think then ? no other can be imagined but some translations , which they did understand , syriack , chaldee , but chiefly the greek translation , which the most , if not all , understood . but you will say , the translators were subject to mistake , and erre , or worse , being no prophets ; and if they did understand the hebrew , yet sith they could not come by the first original copy , they must needs have recourse to some transcribed copies . whether the church were to repaire to translations , or to transcribed copies , all comes to one , sith neither transcribers nor translators were prophets . very good men let them be , yet men they were , and subject to errour . may i speake my opinion , i think when christ said search the scriptures , he meant the sciptures translated into greek , and by scriptures , the apostles meant the greek translation , which tongue , if not in christs time , yet in the apostles times in a manner all did understand . vvherefore when the apostle saith ( is given by inspiration , and is profitable ) he meanes it is profitable to be read , or heard read in the greek translation . and the rather am i of this minde , because schollars do know that the new testament doth cite the places out of the old testament according to the greek translation , and most an end are very punctual in it . however , whither we look on translations , or transcriptions , sith the first table written by god himselfe was lost with the temple , and the original greek copy of the translation of the old testament was , the learned think , ( and i think they think well in it ) burned by julius coesars army , when they fired alexandria , and the famous library there . the ephesians were built on the prophets and apostles ; the apostles they had with them , but the prophets were dead and gone ; malachi was the last ; the apostles they might consult with and they had their writings , but for the writings of the prophets , the ephesians being gentiles ( i take it for granted ) understood not the hebrew , at least the body of them , but being grecians , they might and did understand the greek translation , which i doubt not was purer then , then it is now : yet then being but a translation , and the original it self but carried up and down in transcribed copies , it is consented unto by all parties , that the translators and transcribers might erre , being not prophets , nor indued with that infallible spirit in translating , or transcribing , as moses and the prophets were in their original writings . the tentation lies on this side , how the ephesians then , and much more sith there are no prophets , no apostles , no nor any infallible spirits in the church , how can we build on the foundation of the prophets and apostles now , sith the scriptures in their translated copies are not free from all possible corruptions , in the copies we have either by transcribers or translators besides , many are unlearned , and cannot read a letter . for these last , though they cannot read , yet they can hear it read to them . do not we see many blinde men in schooles come to great learning by hearing others read philosophy , and divinity , and the body of other arts & sciences to them ? & so it is with the scriptures , they cannot read them , but they can hear them read & preached by others . dr. jackson in his first book of his commentaries on the creed , and mr. john goodwin in a set and large treatise to justifie the authority of the scriptures , have shewed much learning , and taken great paines in this argument . but like two elephants , they both swimme so deep , that the benefit and comfort of it can reach but to a few , we must fight lower and in a briefer way ( least we weary the reader and charge the printer ) and set down the brief of the matter in it , so that common people , and men of ordinary braines , ( who are most subject to tentation ) may find a way to spell out the right of this , how faith can be had , and the soule built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles , sith this foundation was in their writings , and their writings are under no other notion to any , but either the original transcribed or translated . take it either way , it is done by ordinary men , not by prophets or ▪ postles , and so subject to mistake , insomuch that cajetan was wont to say , that to believe translations of the scripture was not to beleeve the word of god , but the words of men : yet the papist is more to seek then the protestant ; for the papist hath no translation to compare as we have : most of them allow , no not schollars to correct their translations , as we all do . the papist doth allow no translation to be read in churches , no nor in houses ( but under caution ) but the latine ; none in the mother-tongue , which all the people understand . and therefore they are to take up their faith on the credit of the priest , and he many times little wiser then a foole , little better then a son of belial . cajetan did much rely on the words of hierome , who said , that to prophesie and write holy books proceeded from the holy ghost , but to translate them into another tongue was a work of humane skill . nay , for the originals themselves wotton is bold to print , that no man can tell what the signification of the hebrew and greek word is , even in the bible , but by the report of man ; and another as learned as he tells us , that we can know further that that is the hebrew tongue , or greek tongue , wherein the old and new testaments are in the originals , but by the credit of men , who tell us so . in the councel of trent , there were many great wits , and men of great learning too , who did tosse this argument up and down about translations , and when they had done , left it little better then they found it . upon these grounds the third of the popish articles , ( passing under the name of wrights articles ) in termes is thus . all protestants who are ignorant of the greek and latine tongues are infidels : and why ? because ( forsooth ) he relies upon the ministers , who may and do erre . the second article is , that all learned protestants are infidels ; so that by his sentence , all protestants , learned and unlearned are infidels , because they relie on a private spirit . thus with him and the rest of that tribe , all protestants are damned . all this is to take us off from the scriptures , and to cast us , and our consciences on the authority of the church . we list not to dispute with them about the infallibility of that which they call their church . for i doubt not but that the learned among them do not themselves beleeve what themselves do write . but our work lies not in that road . we grant what they would have as touching the church by way of ministry ; but for that which they call the churches authority , we know not any such authority , the church as church , being not a domination , but a ministration . but that we may not leave any rubb in the consciences of the weak , as touching the authority of the scriptures , as touching the originals and translations , we will shut up all in brief . for the originals , though we have not the primitive copies written by the finger of god in the tables , or by moses and the prophets in the hebrew , or by the apostles , and the rest in the greek for the new testament , yet we have copies in both languages , which copies vary not from the primitive writings in any matter which may stumble any . this concernes onely the learned , and they know that by consent of all parties , the most learned on all sides amongst christians do shake hands in this , that god by his providence hath preserved them uncorrupt . what if there be variety of readings in some copies ? and some mistakes in writing or printing ? this makes nothing against our doctrine , sith for all this the fountaine runs clear , and if the fountain be not clear all translations must needs be muddie . besides , 't is a saying of a wise philosopher , that , what some say is like to be false , what many say , may be false ; but what all say is more then like to be true . now christians of all parties do agree , as touching the originals that they are kept pure : onely some of and among the papists , passionate men do bite at the originals ; but herein they do but bl●t their own vulgar translation , sith they confesse it to be drawn out of the originals . i confesse some men by their picking quarrels with the originals , as a matter whereof they talk , as though there were no certainty of faith as touching them , have troubled the spirits of some men with a thorny tentation , which my b●sinesse is to do what i can to remove , which i now endeavour to do as briefly as i can . the foundation i first lay is , that we may have a certainty moral of things whereof we have no evidence : which is sufficient to settle us in an acquired faith , free from all feare , and material doubt of the contrary . we beleeve without making any question of it , that there is such a place as rome , though we never saw it , that such a man is our father , such a woman our mother , and we out of conscience do duties to them , albeit we have no evident certainty of it , but by belief that such a prince is true heir to a crown , and out of conscience we do performe obedience , and yet we can have no more certainty of this but moral : for who hath or can have an evidence of this , that such an heire is the true begotten of such a king . it 's agreed on by almost all divines of all sides , that if one of the propositions be in the scripture , and the other be but a moral certainty which leaves no dubitation behinde it , the conclusion bindes the conscience . as thus , every childe is bound in conscience to honour his parents ( this is an act of faith grounded on the scripture ) such or such a man is my father , this is but a moral certainty , yet hence it followes , that in conscience i stand bound , in conscience to honour such a man as my father . and that he is my father , all the certainty i can have is but moral , built on the credit of my mother . if these reasonings were not firme , it would destroy all policy and order in this life , nor could gods law to honour father and mother binde the conscience , nor can a man tell that he was baptized in his youth but by such testimonies as these . therefore i like that of bellarmine , who stands upon it , that of such like things a certainty may be had from the testimonies of men , in some sort ▪ comparable to natural evidence it self , for that it leaves no scruple or dubitation in our minds : but what of all this ? why it shewes that the general consent of ( in a manner ) all hebricians and grecians in the christian world , consenting that our originals are by the good hand of god preserved uncorrupt , and pure , is a sufficient perswasion , to breed a moral certainty answerable to natural evidence , excluding all reasonable dubitation to the contrary . that the originals were for the provision and food of the soules of his church kept pure and uncorrupt by the prophets and jewes for the old ; by the apostles and christian churches for the new testament , sealed up by st. john the secretary of christ , as scotus calls him . else the lord must have been wanting to his church , which cannot be imagined . and that acquired faith makes way for infused faith to act i have learned long since out of scotus . thus the case stands . the originals are to be received and believed . that the hebrew and greek are the true originals we believe by humane testimonies , which leave the mind without perplexitie , without all doubting , and so it follows , that by mans testimonie the originals are to be received , and believed by us , so that the heart stands free from any true cause of any doubting at all , which being equivalent to the highest certainty that is , it cannot but lay a foundation to build our faith upon , this certainty being a meanes by which we come to the other of the scriptures , being the last ground on which we build our faith ; we are not to look for demonstrations in arguments of this nature . it 's a foolish thing to expect from a mathematician to deale by perswasion : his art lies in evident and ocular demonstration . now 't is as absurd to expect demonstration from an orator or moralist ; his businesse lies in perswasion . but yet in our point in hand , our perswasions must be grounded on such moral certainty as is to us without question , and without feare of the contrary . it is a piece of wise counsel of aristotle , that it is the wisdome of a learned man so farre forth to seek after proofs of truth in any matter as the nature of the subject matter will beare . and it is agreed upon , that in all learning , in the highest science of all , the principles are proving , but not proved : for that which is the first cannot be proved by any thing before it ; else the first were not the first ; as the first mover is never moved and in all inferiour sciences , the first principles of that science , must be proved in an higher schoole . now the first principle in the school of christ is the scriptures , which being the first is to prove , not to be proved but in an higher school the schoole of heaven , by evidences unprovable , and unreprovable evidences taken from the prover , and spirit of god . of which hereafter . n of translations . how anabaptists overthrow all translations . i no way like that of cajetan , that to understand the latine translation , was not to understand the infallible word of god , but the word of the translatours subject to errour . though he took it from hierome , that to write holy books proceeded from the holy ghost , but to translate them into another tongue was a work of humane skill . for if an ambassadour deliver his minde by an interpreter , are not the words of the interpreter the words of the ambassadour ? right , say you , if the interpreter do it truely : so , say i , a translation , is a translation no further then he doth translate , and interpret truely : for a false translation , as farre as it is false , is no translation . i have read in a great papist , that it is a great error for a man to think , that he can understand , or interpret the holy scriptures without some peculiar guift of the holy ghost . and sith the lord hath commanded his people to heare and read the word , and the cōmon people cannot read the word , but in some translation of other , that therefore translations are in special a special ordinance of god , and that therefore god being in his providence very careful , that his church shall not want sufficient provision for their soules , hath ever , doth , and will ever so assist translatours , that for the main they shall not erre . i am of minde , that there was never any christian church , but the lord did so hold the hands , and direct the pens of the translators , so that the translations might well be called the word of god . the vulgar latine ( which the papists out of a veine of opposition do advance too much ) is faulty enough , yet it is so sound , that i think many have beene led by it to their conversion . why may i not think that those many who have been converted from popery in the church of rome , and joyned themselves to our church , have beene beholding for the most of them ( next to god ) to their vulgar translation , as martyr , zanchius , luther , oecolampadius , and a many others ? the ephesians were builded in their faith on the prophets and apostles : the apostles were living , but the prophets were dead , and gone long since , & they could no way build their faith on the prophets , but on their writings : now the writings of the prophets in the original were in hebrew ; and i take it for granted , that the ephesians being bred and borne grecians , did not understand the hebrew tongue , and that therefore there were translations of the prophets , which translations were made by such men as were ordinary as ours are , subject i confesse to some errour , but not such errour , but that it did serve to help the church to faith , for the salvation of their souls . in the apostles time i know that they that did know the apostles to be apostles , and that they did preach , they did preach as apostles , they were to take them at their words . but when they did heare them preach ( as the bereans did not , so i think a many else ) did not look on them as apostles , and infallible speakers : and no question there were many pastours , and teachers then , who , though many had more then a common gift of prophecying , yet had not the infallible spirit of the apostles . those prophets had not the same supreame spirit which the apostles had ( as saith ( to me ) the most learned amongst the learned ) but yet , saith he , they had a more extraordinary spirit , ( not to write , nor to translate , but ) to interpret scripture then the ordinary pastors and teachers had : but i think that gift of interpreting died with them . now what the bereans did to paul , so all stood bound to do to the ordinary pastors and teachers , even to examine by the scriptures , whither those things they taught were right or not : and those who were thus to examine the sermons of the ordinary pastors and teachers , were to do it by the greek translation , sith many did not understand the hebrew ; and they that did understand the hebrew , yet were to do it ( no question ) by transcripts made by ordinary men after the prophets ended with malachi , which transcripts of the hebrew text some quarrel at as done by ordinary gifted men , which were ( they say ) subject to mistake in transcribing , as well as translatours might mistake in translating : in which neither of them must be looked as free from all mistake . wotton saith , & saith truly , that many thousands were converted , and many churches settled , by the preaching of the several apostles sent abroad to convert the world amongst the jewes and gentiles , without the knowledge , and before the penning of the books of the new testament ; but that they did it without the use and authority of the old testament , and the word of god written there , there is no proof , nor i think can there be any . besides the apostles carried the word of god in their bosoms , having that holy library in their heads , by immediate and infalible inspiration . i doubt not but the ephesians were converted by paul , but yet paul when he did convert them , did it by the truth of doctrine left behinde them by the prophets ; which is cleare in that the apostle makes the prophets , the foundation , as well as the apostles . by prophets , i take it for granted he meanes the writing prophets of the old testament , not the preaching prophets of the new . and i take it also to be clear of it selfe , that the ephesians living so long after all those prophets were dead and gone , had their writings only ; so then the ephesians were converted by the truth of doctrine left for them by the prophets , and preached to them by the apostles . i will also take it for granted till i heare , or reade any deny it , that the ephesians understood not the hebrew . ( in which tongue the prophets left their doctrine as the canon of the church . ) and hence it cannot but follow , that ( saving what help the ephesians had from paul ) they were to have recourse to the doctrine of the prophets ( not in hebrew , which they understood not , but ) in some translation of others , which without dispute must be the greek translation of the seventy , there then being no other translations : the ephesians being also not jewes , but grecians . the resolution . as touching the originals . . as touching the translations . . i cannot but confesse that it sometimes makes my heart ake , when i seriously consider what is said , that we cannot assure our selves that the hebrew in the old testament , and the greek in the new , are the right hebrew and greek , any further then our masters and tutors , and the general consent of all the learned in the world do so say , not one dissenting . but yet say these , since the apostles , there are no men in the world but are subject to deceive , and to be deceived . all infallibility in matters of this nature having long since left the world . again , too like unto this is that of master wotton , who cantell ( saith he ) what the signification of the hebrew and greek words is even in the bible , but by the report of men ? and to the like purpose is that observation , that the two tables written immediately by moses and the prophets , and the greek copies immediately penned by the apostles , and apostolical men are all lost , or not to be made use of , except by a very few . and that we have none in hebrew or greek , but what are transcribed . now transcribers are ordinary men , subject to mistake , may faile , having no unerring spirit to hold their hands in writing these be terrible blasts , and do little else when they meet with a weak head and heart , but open the doore to atheisme , and quite to fling off the bridle , which onely can hold them and us in the wayes of truth and piety : this is to fill the conceits of men with evil thoughts against the purity of the originals : and if the fountains run not clear , the translation cannot be clean . the best is , this doth concern the learned , who can best get out of such scruples as these , it being made plaine to them by the jewes themselves ( no friends to christian religion ) that the hebrew text is curiously preserved by them in its integrity . for if the oracles of god were ( as they were , rom. . . ) committed them , it deeply concernes the providence of god to look to it , that the jewes should keepe the oracles of god not onely safe but pure , not onely from not being lost , but also from not being corrupted . it 's out of question that the same god , who committed the oracles to the jews , did also take care that they should preserve them safe and sure , uncorrupt and pure . it is the use of saint paul , much to follow the greek translation , which doth use to use the greek word translated oracles , to meane the scriptures of moses and the prophets . and what if there be scapes in some copies , yet other copies runne clear ? but sith this concernes the learned , whom i much look not after , from the originals , let us turne to the businesse of the translations . as for other matters about the greek and hebrew , which it is , and what is the meaning of the words , i passe , as a meere excrement of wit , sith this is cried downe by all the learned world , whither christian or unchristian , and therefore is not like to take to doe any hurt unto the soules of any . . as touching translations . it is granted that translators were not led by such an infallible spirit as the prophets , and apostles were . in the councel of trent , after much debating by witty and learned heads , they concluded , that translators were not apostles , but very near unto them . the greatest papists are of the same mind , onely sixtus senensis is of opinion , the seaventie two translatours of the old testament into greeke were infallible . some are so quite another way , that they like not any translations at all . smith , the se-baptist is utterly against reading translations in times of worship . amongst his reasons , two are the chiefest . one is , that we must worship god with the best we have : translations are not the best , but the originals . yet i hope they that know not the originals , translations are the best they have . if this were true , then none can worship god in and by reading of the scriptures , but such as understand the originals ; nor is that currant in reason or divinity , that we must serve god with the best . there is good , there is better , there is best of all : so that if one do that which is good , he sinnes not , though he do not that which is better , if he do that which is better , he sinnes not , though he do not do that which is best of all . he sinnes not , who keepes within the circle of that which is good , albeit he do not do that which is better , or that which is best of all . againe , a thing may be absolutely better in it self , yet a lesse good thing in it selfe may be better in some respects and circumstances . as simply in it self , marriage is simply better then a single life , yet in some respects paul shews that a single life is better then marriage ; and this is pauls divinity , though a man do not that which is better , nor that which is best , yet as long as he doth do that which is good , he sins not . his other reason is , that we must worship god with our owne gifts , not with anothers : as translations are not our doing , but made by the gifts and paines of others . to this we say , that 't is true , we must worship god with our owne gifts , but it is not true , that in the worship of god with the help , and by the meanes of that which is anothers we do not exercise our owne gifts . the maine of the worship of god is , that we worship him in and with the spirit , and truth in the inward parts : and so we must and may doe , and do do , when we make use of translations . when we reade translations , we must reade them with faith , and with the spirit , which are our inward gifts and graces , else our reading is not to profit our selves withal : and what hinderance the translation is , to the use of faith and the spirit , they do not ▪ they cannot prove . so we are said to sing with the spirit , and yet we sing with the spirit the better for that ; and to pray with the spirit , and yet the book is no hindrance to that neither . others gifts as long as they rather further then hinder the use of our own gifts , can be no blur in the worship of god . the same man doth wrangle with the originals too , not denying them , but denying the use of the book in the originals themselves in worship , for that the prophets and apostles wrote books , but did never divide their books into chapters and verses , till henry stephens , but the other day first made the verses of the new testament , which being man invention , is not , saith he , to be used in the worship of god . but whether stephen langton arch-bishop of canterbury , did it first for chapters , or robert , or henry stephens for the new testament did it into verses , is not material , sith we place no religion in it , and this provision is known to be a great helpe to men in the worship of god ▪ we passe by this as a giddinesse of a weak braine in this sebaptist . he grants translations are of good use , but not in the worship of god : and if of good use elsewhere , why not there ? saint paul exhorts the collossians , that the word of god might dwell in them richly , in all wisdome . they being grecians , i take it for granted , that the most of them were not skilled in the hebrew , the new testament being not written , not any of it , till after pentecost , not all of it nntill john a matter of sixty years after christs death . this to the colossians could not be meant of the new testament , but of the old. so againe , the thessalonians , being grecians , did not understand the hebrew , yet they were commanded to prove all things : by what ? why by the scriptures , and this was the old testament which , they understanding not ( the hebrew ) then it cannot but be meant of the translation . this conclusion i think is clear , sith the churches of the gentiles were commanded to read moses and the prophets , and read them they could not but in a translation ; therefore translations are commanded by god , as an ordinance and constitution of heaven it felf . the same smith in the same book falls foule on the greek translation of the seventy , as that it was a grievous sin to translate the old testament into greek , or any language else . his reason is , for that this ought not to have bin done til the fulnes of time of the calling of the * gentiles : other reasons he hath not worth a fig , nor is this reason much better . it 's known that * ptolomy king of egypt had together certaine learned jewes , skilful in the greek language , in number seventy two , and by them he caused the old testament to be done into greek about two hundred and ninety years before the birth of christ : and this is observed to be a fit time to have it done ; for , if it had not been done till after the coming of christ , either the jewes out of envy would have kept and hid the hebrew copies , or corrupted them , or else cast some suspition , and evil report of evil doings on the translators ; all which ( it being done at this time ) was prevented . now though this were done before the coming of christ , and so of the time of the full calling of the gentiles , yet it was not so long before , but that it was a fit preparative against the calling of the gentiles , ( whose language since alexanders conquest generally was greek ) and sith there then was no printing , no copies could be scattered abroad but by manuscripts , and writing , which is great labour and cost , and this being such a slow work , there needed that this translation should be done some good space before the calling of the gentiles , that so a sufficient number of manuscript-written copies might be had and scattered abroad among the gentiles , they all understanding the greek , and but few or none the hebrew : that the books being the foundation of the prophets , might be ready done against the time of the calling of the gentiles for their need and use . * the time of this translation being after the jewes had been amongst the gentiles in captivity , we finde that the gentiles being to creep into the church , and now and then some to turn proselytes ; and was it not fit that there should be a translation , ready to bid them welcome into the church ? and what if it were a sinne to attempt the full calling of the gentiles , before the full time , yet who can say with any reason that it was a sin to provide a translation ( which they understood ) against their calling ? nor could this translation be sufficiently provided for number in written copies , and sufficiently scattered till the time of their calling ▪ so that this was not to go about to call them before the time was they were to be called , but rather an excellent providence to have copies ready in a language they understood against the full time of their full calling . and whereas it is objected , that these jewes who did put it out of the hebrew into the greek , were profane men , is more then i knowe , or then they can prove . againe , to make it good , that the act of translating the scriptures into greek was no unlawful thing , i need go no further then to the apostles , who becoming all things to all men to save some , were careful in citing places out of the old testament ) to tie themselves much to this greek translation . insomuch , that though they did never vary from the hebrew in sense , yet they did chose rather to follow the phrase and words of the greek , then the hebrew , to condescend as far as might be to the gentiles who were acquainted with the greek translation , but not with the hebrew original . wherefore it must needs be the froth of a giddy head in this man , to call this act of translation into greek a grievous sin ; sith the apostles did so much use and reverence it , and chiefly paul who chiefly the apostle of the gentiles . we all do or should know , that the gospel began at hierusalem , from * hierusalem it went to judea and samariah , thence to syria and cilicia , from thence to ciprus , asia , greece , italy , and from these parts to the utmost coasts of the earth according to the commission of christ . now in all * those parts the greek was most in use in most , onely in use in some , and of necessity they had recourse to the greek translation . smith speaks fowle of it , as a false , and forged translation . i dispute not what it is now , but what it was then : if it had been such a piece , the apostle paul would not have looked after it so much as he did , nor the church have used it so long as it did , is well known to those who know the state of the church , that the church did generally use this greek translation , & a latine one framed out of this , & scarce any other , if any other at all , for six hundred yeares after christ . i know sixtus senensis , and bellarmine ( men of great reading ) do write that the seventy interpreters , though they were not prophets , who wrote scripture , yet that they had a line , and light of the spirit , which did direct them , so that in translating they did not er●e at all : which perhaps is too much on the other hand : however it held very pure i am perswaded along time , till the greek tongue began to grow out of use , and then came in a world of translations in latine , and popular languages . i am cleare of opinion , that those anabaptists , who are against all learning , are against all translations whatsoever : for without the knowledge of the hebrew and greek tongues , it is not possible to turne the old and new testament into any language whatsoever . nor without the understanding of those two languages can any understand the bible in the originals neither : and on this ground god may be said to binde us to what is impossible , i meane to build on the scripture , when we can neither have it ( by their principles ) in any translation , nor understand it in the originals . mr. wotton saith , that the anabaptists do every one claim a priviledge of not erring for himself , ( yet not for others ) which opinion , he calls a false and lewd opinion . and on the matter , if that they do so hold , i know no great need or use they have of the scriptures in the originals or translation . before we come unto the maine of the businesse , we cannot skip over a businesse of mr. wotton : his words are these . no man ever dreamed that we commonly build our faith upon our english translation . what he would have by the word ( commonly ) i know not , except his heart did faile his penne , when he wrote this , and by this word ( commonly ) he had a conceit that he might finde by it some shift and starting hole . a strange speech it is to me , that english men ( of such he speaks ) who can understand no language but english , should be said not to build their faith on the english translation . on what then ? the original they know not , other translations they understand not . and if they must not build their faith on the english translation they are left nothing to build their faith on . and what is this , but to leave all unlearned in the originals without a rule . and if this be not to steale atheisme into the hearts of the common people , i know not what is , sith atheisme is such a welcome guest to the corrupt heart as it is . which makes me call to mind an observation of villeroy , a late wise secretary of france , that the maine different sects of religion in the east , and the fierce opposition they made each against each , made the people weary of the christian religion , and so mahomet crept in with his religion , and was too welcome to almost all , who were almost weary of the sundry heresies and schisms , which were so brief and rife amongst christians of the east : and this ( saith he ) overthrew the christian church first , and the christian empires and states next , over the east , and let in mahomets alchoran , and mahomets sword . i doubt there is scarce any strange opinion pressing hither , but would be welcome to us : the christian religion was never in such danger since my time as it is now , sith men runne so many and so contrary wayes , that few can now tell which is true . and since so great a clerk , and so great a reformer as wotton , hath left the poore english man no rule to prove his own , or to disprove the contrary : for if the english translation be not to an english man , let elias come , and tell us what , and which is the rule , and on what an english man may build his faith on , being that there is nothing left him but his english translation . so the old church after malachi , what was left to the most but the greek translation ? and after the apostles were dead and gone , the christian churches were tied to the greek translation of the old testament , or else the old testament was no rule to them , except to a few , who understood the hebrew . that which all men say , ( saith aristotle ) is not to be doubted , but al the learned ( i think ) agree , that the church used no translation but the greek , for a matter of six hundred yeares after the birth of christ , for two hundred yeares before . so that for my part , i look upon it as a position full of danger for men to affirme , that translations are not a rule to ground our faith on , when we understand no other . that ( say i ) or none : not none , therefore that . and now at last , after the clearing of what is past , we come to the maine point , to find out what it is that a poore soule who understands not the originals must rest upon . first , i say , that the lord is not , nor will not be wanting to his church in things necessary to salvation : and to have a rule to build our faith on , is absolutely necessary to salvation . and that rule for common people must be the scripture translated , or nothing . and therefore i take it to be a special ordinance , that the scriptures should be translated for the use of the church in several languages . for the original copies , i must subscribe to that of ganus a papist , who tells us , that we are not to ▪ receive into the holy canon both for the old and new testament , but such books as the apostles did allow , and deliver over to the church of christ . and as the church of the jewes did preserve the hebrew original of the old testament safe and sure , so i doubt not but the same hand of the providence of god , hath and doth preserve the greek original of the new testament . and for that it is not possible that the originals should serve the turne of all , or immediately of any , but of such as have the knowledge of those tongues , ( who are but a poor few in respect of all the world over ) wherefore i take it for granted that the line of gods providence hath , and doth , and will carry the matter , in having translations of several languages so inti●e , as to be a sufficient rule to ground their faith : else god in his providence must needs be wanting in providing necessaries for his church . nor do i think that there was , or ever shall be a church of christ , or a church of christians in the belly of antichrist , but have had translations sufficient to rest their souls on . i doubt not but the vulgar , for all its faults hath sufficient for the saving of some soules besides among the papists they have pagnine allowed by two popes , which runs as pure as any translation in the world ; and arias montanus a translation without exception . senensis much commends jacobus de voragine a papist , arch-bishop of genua his translation into the italian , and senensis could well tell , having great skill in the originals . to me it is much , that senensis ( so sharp a papist as he is ) should in print , and that since the councel of trent , so highly commend a translation of the bible into the italian tongue . and leo the tenth , bishop of rome , did just before luthers dayes , print a recommendation of erasinus translation of the new testament into latine . so that i look on it as a special providence of god , that there were translations , and those exact too in the heart of popery : and if so , then he will not suffer the visible church to be without a sufficient translation , as a sufficient rule . smith himself the great backbiter of translations , saith , that if the translation agree with the original , it may well be said to be the word of god : and if it do not agree with the original , it is not the translation of the original . and now we will draw towards the main conclusion , how a simple countrey-man is to believe our bible to be the word . doctor jackson , and master john goodwin have set downe many , and many excellent things , but they flie so high , that they are for eagles . one may say of their books , as aristotle said of his books of philosophy , that they were published , yet not published , seeing not to be understood without his help . now all the considerations these great sophies have , and let there be as much more added to them , yet they will not do the work , till they come to the testimony of the spirit : they may and do work , and acquire in us an humane faith , which may stand free from actual hesitation , and doubting , but not from possible dubitation , for lay them all together , yet they may deceive , or be deceived . canus disputes strongly against scotus , durand , gabriel , and others , who rested themselves on the authority of the church by an acquired faith first , before they come to an infused faith : this ( saith he ) were to sit down by the authority of man , not of god , and the formal reason of our infused faith would be other then the increated truth of god : whereas the difference of faith gotten by helps may erre , but faith infused by god cannot erre . so that when we have all done , and got all the help we can to rest on the scriptures , the work is not done ▪ till we by the spirit of god have this sealed by infused faith in our souls that these books ( which we have translated ) are the very words of god . smith himself , that grand backbiter of translations confesseth at last , that if the translations of the word of god do agree with the originals , that then they are the word of god ; nor are they the translations except they do , and as far as they do concord w with the originals . if an ambassadour deliver his minde by an interpreter , and the interpreter do relate things right ( else he is not an interpreter ) then his words are the speeches of the ambassadour . well then , though all humane reasons , the consent of all the world , will not help us to that faith in the word , which will help us to heaven , yet they are a preparation , and such a preparation to this faith infused , that we cannot ordinarily look for faith infused , but by the way of this faith which is gotten by the arguments , reasons , considerations , convictions , and helps wrought by the argumentations , and considerations proposed by men which do work ( as most often it doth ) in us an acquired humane faith free from actual ( though not from possible ) mistake and doubting . this may be and is , a faire meanes to bring us to look on the scripture without any actual question made of it as the word of god . and then by the use of the word to attain to a divine faith , which is infallible by reason of the divine infallible truth rightly conceived and believed by it . for it is out of question that by the ministry of men , who are not simply infallible , both we may , and do attain unto that faith in the divine revelations of the word , which are or is infallible . it s no paradox to hold , that a thing not infallible , may by way of ministry lead us to that certainty which is infallible : for my part , i hold universal tradition as far as it looks onely on the votes and vices of men to be of all reasons the weakest . for the arguments from the authority of god be the strongest , yet conclusions from the authority of men is an unartificial argument , & the weakest . however , what arminius saith is true , that this humane faith built on such an universal tradition , may be a fit preparation to that other faith which is built on the authority of god : i am far●e from once thinking , that in universal tradition men do once dreame to make the last resolution of their faith into the veracity of any such universal tradition : for our faith must rest on the same that the apostles and prophets did rest their faith on but they did resolve their faith onely on truth uncreated , and divine , and not on the votes of the church , or any universal tradition . canus speaks the truth , when he saith , that the authority of the divine scriptures is not to be sought from the reason , or authority of men . for the assent to a conclusion cannot be more certain then the assent to the premisses , and proofs of that conclusion . now if our infused faith did rest onely or chiefly on the credit of the church , or universal tradition , then our infused faith could go no higher then an humane and created truth : i mean onely or chiefly on the voices , or reasons of men , and not on the voice and authority of god . but what is this to translations ? much every way . i argue thus : the end of the church , and people of god is that they should be saved : now if god set down the end , he will provide the means of their salvation , and that is faith : and faith is not built on the authority of the church , or of universal tradition , ( all which are the voices of men ) but on the word of god : now this word of god cannot concerne common people , but onely as translated . now , what shall a poore unlearned christian do , if that he hath nothing to rest his poore soul on ? the originals he understands not ; if he did , the first copies are not to be had ; and he cannot tell whether the hebrew and greek copies , be the right hebrew , or the right greek , or that which is said to be the meaning of the hebrew , or greek , but as men tell us who are not prophets , and may mistake . besides , the transcribers were men , and might erre : these considerations may let in atheisme like a flood : to help all this , we will deliver our mind in some propositions . i. that god ( as i shewed ) did lay up the hebrew copies to be kept by the jewes , who were ordered by god to be faithful notaries to keep these records , and a world of places are cited out of the old in the new testament according as they are nowe in the hebrew copies : and the old testament hath in it the life and soule of the new testament . moses and the prophets wrote of christ . the new testament is but a cleare , and infallible counter-part of the old. it s cleare that the hebrew of the old testament stood cleare and uncorrupt , without any breaches made in them by transcribers , or otherwise , till the time of the publishing of the new testament , as appears by the manie places cited in the new out of the old : chiefly where hebrew words are kept , and repeated , as hosanna , golgotha , eli , eli , lamasabachthani , mat. ● . sutable unto the places whence they are taken out of the old , chiefly in saint matthews gospel , who was most punctual in applying and suiting the prophesies of the old testament of all the holy penmen of the new testament . and it is easie to be proved that matthew wrote after that was done , which luke wrote in the acts of the apostles . doctor jackson saith a long time after peter made that sermon , act. . saint matthew addes , and saith ( saith he ) it was called the field of blood unto this day which argueth , that he wrote his gospel a long time after st. peter made his comment upon the psalmist , acts . , , . well then , as god committed the hebrew text of the old testament to the jewes , and did and do●h move their hearts to keep it untainted to this day : so i dare lay it on the same god , that he in his providence is so with the church of the gentiles , that they have and do preserve the greek text uncorrupt , and clear : as for some scapes by transcribers , that comes to no more , then to censure a book to be corrupt , because of some scapes in the printing , and 't is certaine , that what mistake is in one print , is correctin another . a second proposition is , that god never did suffer his church to be without a sufficient rule , and there can be no rule but translations to the vulgar : therefore i make no question , but the sweet providence of god hath held the hearts , and hands , and pens of translators , so in all true churches in all times , that the virnacular , and popular translation into mother tongues , have beene made pure , without any considerable tincture of errour to endanger the soules of his church . for what if interpreters and translators were not prophets , yet god hath and doth use so to guide them , that they have been , are , and shall be preserved from so erring in translating the scriptures , that the souls of his people may have that which will feed them to eternal life , that they shall have sufficient for their instruction , and consolation here , and salvation hereafter ? this is the opinion of bellarmine himselfe , albeit he appropriates it to their vulgar translation , yet i think the eye of providence provides for all vulgar , and vernacular translations in their mother tongue for all true churches in the world . translations are sufficient with all their mistakes to save the church . i will deliver this in the words of master baine . faith cometh by hearing of the word from a particular minister , who by confession of all is subject to errour ; as god hath not immediately and infallibly assisted ministers , that they cannot erre at all , so we know that he is in some measure with them , that they cannot altogether erre . a translation that erreth cannot beget faith , so farre forth as it erreth , the word translated , though subject to errour , is gods word , and begetteth , and increaseth faith , not so farre forth , as man through frailty erreth , but as he is assisted through speaking , and translating to write the truth . so he , this gives full satisfaction to me , and i hope it will to others . the maine conclusion , for a ground of all , is the evidence and seale of the spirit of god , which perswadeth us of the saving truth in the translation , and by way of ministry to come to saving faith by the preaching of the word by our several ministers papists cry up the inerrable and infallible authority of the church , and yet they themselves deny not but their particular preachers ( whom they heare ) are as subject to erre as any of ours are : i know no authority the church hath , whatever the church doth is but ministerial . the papists and we agree in this , that translations , originals , reading , preaching , is of no saving effect without the revelation and testimony of the spirit : canus ( i rather choose to mention him the oftener , because dr. john rainolds saith , that he was of better minde , and sounder judgement then popish doctors are the most of them : ) it is a great errour ( saith he ) in them who think they can either understand , or interpret the scripture without the peculiar gift of the holy ghost : and againe , the last resolution of our faith must be in the inner efficiency of god moving to beleeve . we believe not for that john or any man else saith it , but because god hath revealed it . now that god hath revealed his minde , we do immediately believe it by special instinct . and again , the formal reason of our assent is the light of god , which god doth infuse into us ; and for this he cites aquinas , lect. . ad rom. . and as the understanding in us discernes of natural things , and the taste in matters of sense , so when the minde of a man is inlightened by the spirit ; we are inabled to discerne doctrines necessary to salvation from errours which are not of god . this his resolution is often up and down in his book . bellarmine is for the same conclusion . a man cannot ( saith he ) without the special illustration of god believe the mysteries of faith . and again , faith cannot arise in the heart , but by divine revelation , which is either immediately from god alone , or by the instrument of the word reade or preached . i think it hath truth in it , which canus observes , that peter had heard the testimony of john baptist , when with open voice he proclaimed christ to be the son of god , john . . and had moreover with his own eyes seene many miracles of christ , yet after all these , christ doth ascribe peters confession of his saith to none of of these , but onely to divine revelation . so then protestants and papists , we and they concurre in this , that at last we must sit down by the evidence and sealing testimony of the spirit ; but with this difference : they say , the spirit gives light and evidence to the authority of the church ; we say , to the sovereignty of the scriptures . nothing can be seene without some light or other : things of reason cannot be conceived without the light of reason , nor things of the spirit without the light of faith , and of the spirit . though wotton hath cast an unhappy stone or two at translations , yet when he comes to answer fisher , who said , that the spirit of god teacheth , and perswadeth men to believe the church , are you ( saith wotton ) they who mock at private spirits , and yet are glad to flie that help ? is it not as likely the spirit should teach men which is the scripture , as which is the church , and assure them of a translation , as of this or that mans ordination and priesthood ? so he , thus at last , he is for the divine authority of translations . but is not this to fall upon private revelations ? no such matter : for we call not in for the testimony of revealing of the spirit to teach us any thing but what is revealed in the word ; that wer to bring in privat revelations : but because none doth , or can know the secrets of god , but the spirit of god , therefore we say , that we are made to see the evidence of truth first revealed in the word , and then by that light , which the spirit kindleth in our hearts , both the scripture to be the word of god , and the minde of the sripture is not onely revealed , but confirmed to us by the testimony of the spirit in us and to us . so here is no use of the spirit to reveal new lights , but to shew us the evidence of these truthes which are in the word . a private spirit is to lead us from , this is to lead us to the word . and all this is done by illightning our understandings , and sanctifying our wills to discern and to approve the evidence of truth , which is in the scripture and no other . they say , their church cannot erre in matters of faith . and why forsooth ? because it is infallibly guided by the strait line of the spirit . we say , the true church cannot so erre in matters of faith or life , as to fall away from christ , and so to fall into damnation . and why ? because ( besides other helps ) the true church is guided by the certain and infallible direction of the spirit , the vicar general to our lord jesus . why then may not we twit them , rather then they do us with the private spirit ? aquinas , the first through-papist that ever was , ( it is dr. john rainolds censure of him ) shall speak last for this point ▪ all holy learning is proved out of the scriptures onely , necessarily ; out of all other authors only , probably : for our faith doth rest on the revelation made to the apostles and prophets who wrote the canonical books , and not on any other revelation , if any be made to other doctors . so he , and he was preferred by innocent the pope before all writers next to the scriptures , & well might the pope so do ( saith the same dr. rainolds ) for that he deserved better of the papacy then all the fathers . these things are so plaine , that to argue more were to weaken them . as i have read it to be the observation of tully , that things perspicuous and clear are much obscured by much arguing : i hope the papists for shame will give over fooling against us , that we run after private spirits and revelations , since aquinas the flower of the papists speaks out as much as we do , as touching the sealing of the spirit . the application of all . i have made a long and tedious discourse about the originals and translations , because i find by my self , that things let fall in print by learned men and great reformers as touching the originals , that none can say this is the hebrew , that the greek , but because linguists and learned men say so , and they may erre : nor that this is the english of the hebrew , or of the greek which we say is , but men subject to trip , do so say , that the originals transcribed into many copies might erre , and mistake : and for the translations , that there be flaws in them too , since the transcribers , and translators were no prophets , but men , though not willing perhaps , yet subject to speak and write besides the matter : that translations are not the word of god , nor our rule . these and such things as these , i doubt not do stagger the thoughts of weak , & of strong christians too , and drive a many towards atheisme : and now saith a sick soule , what shall a poore feeble-hearted christian do ? my counsel is , that when he is come to be certain without actual doubting by reasons , arguments , consent of times , & of the church , that our bible is the word of god , that he would in all humility and sincerity apply himselfe to read it , to hear it read , to heare it preached ; and he may promise to himself that by the use of the word the spirit of god will infuse & inspire divine & saving faith into his soul , and free him not only from all actual , but possible doubting , that the bible translated is the word of god . and if the translation , then the originals : for what ever is the instrument to convert the soul ; must needs be the pure word of god . some are firme that god never works a miracle , but to confirme truth : this is past question , that the spirit of god doth never work this miracle to convert the soule , but by gods word : so say , now i know that it is the pure word of god , for that it is a means to convert my soul : so psal. . : the law of the lord is perfect , converting the soul ; by this then i know that it is without dispute the perfect law of the lord , because it doth not only evince and convince me , but convert my soul : st : austine saith , that he was converted by reading the last verse of the thirteenth to the romans , and that did prove to austine that it was the perfect law and word of god : it is storied , that cyprian was converted by reading the prophet jonas : and iunius in his life written by himself , saith that he was converted by reading the first chapter of the gospel of iohn : for austine & cyprian , i think neither of them had much skill in the originals , no , nor iunius neither at that time : wherefore it is plain enough that they were converted by reading translations . when then a man doth finde that by reading or hearing translations read or preached upon , it hath pleased god to warme thy heart , to turn and change thy poor soul , to convert thee into a new creature , go thy ways , doubt nothing its an argument past answer , that the bible even as translated is the word of god . go on , look on it as gods word , read on still , be diligent to hear it , with the best ears thou hast , and thou shalt finde it more and more to convert and sanctifie thee , and so by consequence to assure thee by an undoubtful , and divine faith inspired and infused into thy poor soul by the spirit of god , that this book , & no other , is the very word of god . by this you see , where , and how the poor crazy soul may find rest , and it is to rest on the translated word of god , waiting therein on the line of the sweet providence , who by the use of the word will breath into his soul divine faith infused by the sure influence of the spirit of god , which spirit brings a light with it by which we know that , & what we know , this is done by a divine faith , not by humane conjecture , being wrought in us by a special providence of god perswading and drawing us to acknowledge the contents therein to be of divine authority . nor is this ( as i said ) to make our private spirit the rule of our faith , but we lay all at the foote of the divine providence to put light into our minds , and then to work in us a firm assent to the word of god , that it is indeed and truth the very word of god . and none of this is done otherwise then by the word of god itself , and the spirit joyning with the word . in a word , nothing can work saving grace in any man to the conversion of his soule , but the very word of god : but this the word translated hath wrought in me , therefore i know by this , that the scripture translated is the word of god , sith nothing but gods word can turne and convert the soul . make the most of that which some call universal tradition ▪ it can bring us no farther then an humane belief , little better is it then that which the papists call the authority of the church . the ministry of the church we grant needful , and useful , but for the authority of the church , we acknowledge none . thus the jewes are for their rabbines , and their universal tradition . so did the saracens ; like as the gentiles did , build on the universal tradition . but after this tedious discourse , the thing which we christians are to rest our faith on , which is common to all , even to the meanest , is that internal light infused into us all by the spirit of god , whereby we most firmely , and most certainly are moved to believe that the bible , and all the bible , and nothing but the bible , is our most certaine rule which cannot erre ; but that the vniversal tradition of jewes , saracens , papists , hath beene , is , and will be subject to errours more or lesse . the end and use of all , is to call upon all christians , chiefly when they are in some doubting veine , to turne away from all authority of churches , of men , of universal tradition , and to looke up to the providence who hath provided sincere food and physick for our poore soules , which christians have found , do , and shall finde , to be the bible translated into severall languages , for the use of those , who cannot skill in the originals . and i think no man dares deny , but a minister who hath himselfe little skill in the originals , may by expounding and propounding the translations convert the soules of such christians as are the hearers of such preachers . c. . how it is said , he that is borne of god cannot sinne , john . . honest melancthon speakes against some in his countrey in his dayes called swenkfeldians , who held themselves after new birth to be just and perfect . i have , not long since seene a little english printed book , cast into sundry propositions , one whereof , and as i remember the first is , that after they are renued once , they are as perfect as jesus christ was , and as adam was in paradise ; which was the tenet of the familists of old , that being once indued with the divine nature in their conversion , that then they are goddified . the report is that those sprung up amongst us , commonly called quakers , are of the same fancy , and that they presse this place of john , that being once borne of god , they do not commit sinne , for gods seed remaineth in them , and that they cannot commit sin , because they are borne of god . their senslesse sense cannot be the meaning of that place . for the same apostle in the same epistle saith , that , if we say that we have no sinne , we make him a liar . and is not this a sinne , and a very great one too , to make god a liar ? john saith not , if ( you ) but if ( we ) , comprehending himselfe too : and i hope it cannot be thought but john , a chiefe apostle , was born of god . besides it is not onely said , that he who is borne of god doth not sinne , but ( cannot ) sinne . and all over the bible in the stories of the best of men who were borne of god , we see that they could sinne , and did sinne , and those sinnes which were very great too . this then is not the sense of the place , that there was , is , or ever shall be any meere man borne so of god as not to sin , or to be in and under such a condition , as to say truly of him , that he ( cannot ) sin . now for that which these write , that when once made partakers of the divine nature , they are as perfect as adam in paradise , this is but their owne fancy , it is no such matter : but say it were so , and not onely so , but as perfect as the angels in heaven , yet from that it followes not , that it could , or can be said of them simply , that they cannot sinne : for adam did , and therefore could sinne : he had indeed a tempter without , but no concupiscence to tempt him within . nay , more then that , the lapsed angels before their fall had nothing from within , nothing from without to tempt them . within nothing but purity and holinesse , no sin , no shadow of sinne : nothing from without to tempt them ; nothing within but holinesse , nothing without but holinesse , without spot , or wrinkle , yet then those very angels were sin-able , for they did fall , and therefore could sin . the truth is , none but god ia absolutely free from all possibility of sinning : god onely in this sense is holy , he not only doth not lie , but he cannot lie : adam in paradise was made upright , the angels in heaven were made more pure then adam , both adam and the angels had the advantage of the places to be kept from sinne , but being creatures created with free will , those angels in heaven , and adam in paradise ( that heaven upon earth ) might and did sinne ; and so might all the rest of the angels too , had they not been supported by grace for those were a elected , and b election is of grace . and should the elect angels sinne but once the least sin that is , they could not be saved , as it fell out with those angels which did sin : for c christ took not the nature of angels , but the seed of abraham ; therefore they cannot sin , because they cannot be restored by a mediatour . the angels are holy , daniel . . and so must be saved , which could not be , if they could and should sinne , matthew . , . againe , those ministering spirits do alwayes see the face of god , which were not true , if they should sin : for no sooner did those non-elect angels sin , but they presently left their habitation , jude . and were cast downe into tartar , that is hell , pet. , . indeed when men are once in heaven they are safe from sin , there is no place for tears , therefore not for sinne , revel. . . now luke . there is no more promised to the blessed men after the resurrection , then to the angels , that then they shall be equal , not superior to the angels : therefore nor men , nor angels elect can or shall sin in heaven , which the other angels did once in heaven , for that they were not elect , nor confirmed in and by grace . thus then you see that it could not be said of the unelect angels once in heaven , nor of any sort of men till they come to heaven that they nor do , nor can sin . for my part , i think , that those who say they do not , they cannot sin , though they say so , yet i think they themselves do not think so . i remember a golden saying of austine : he saith , he who thinks he can live without sinne , doth not avoid sinne , but rather excludes all pardon . so that this is not the sense of the words , that ever any man was , is , or shall be in the world , who either cannot or doth not sin . doctor hammond following many learned men saith this ( cannot sin ) is meant that upon that head and score he cannot sin , to signifie that their being borne of god can be no patent , or security for their sinning . the same saith austine , to wit , that the borne of god sinne not , as , or upon this , that they are borne of god . for this is alledged that of the same saint john epist. . . whosoevor sinneth hath not seene him , neither known him , meaning , that the seeing and knowing him doth not let in sin , but rather this is against sin . so paul , i do that i would not , i do not do what i would : there is no question , but there is some ignorance , some not knowing of him when any sinne is sinned . master anthony burges speech i think is in the right . all sins saith he are called , because all sinners are ignorant of something they should know , there being no sinne which doth not proceed from some errour in the practical judgement : for although a man sin wilfully and advisedly , so that there is no other cause of the malice , but the malice it self , as austine speaks of some of his sins ; yet even then there is an errour in that mans conscience . thus he , and to this i subscribe . so that it is not faith , nor knowledge which dwelleth in us , is the cause why we sin , but as paul speaks of himself , it is sin which dwelleth in us : not i ( as i ) but sinne that dwelleth in me . so then a man borne of god , when he treads beside the line , he may say , it is not i , but sinne that dwells in me : so in this sense , it is a truth , that he that is borne of god , as born of god doth not sin , nor cannot sin . this is pious , and truth , but under correction i do not think it to be the square meaning of this text . what then ? some think it to be this . he that is borne of god , sinneth not , that is , sinneth not as the devil did , who ve ▪ se . of this chapter , sinneth ( not sinned ) but sinneth from the beginning . and this is like to be the mind of this text , for that it is said in the same verse before , he that committeth sinne is of the devill . that i think is too short which some say , that the proper sense of this text is , he that is born of god sinneth not , that sinne of blasphemy against the holy ghost . in a word then , the full meaning is , that he that is borne of god doth not commit sinne , that is , he doth not make it his practice , his occupation , his work ; he doth it , when he doth it besides his minde , and when he doth it , he is besides himself in that particular , as the prodigal was . it is long of some fits in his disease , when he doth it not onely as his act , but as his work , who give themselves over to be sould , and servants to sin . so paul , so christ , matth. : : depart from me all ye that work iniquity : therefore saint john speaks of such who are not regenerate , whose desire is to sin , and are afire to commit it : for otherwise all the regenerate do sin : so this our apostle , if we say we say we have no sin we seduce our selves . nor do they sin onely of infirmity , but sometimes they fall into greater sins , even into some of the greatest sins , but this is not unto death as our apostle saith . so that such as are born of god sin they may , sin they do , and sometimes great sins , but to go on in a course of finning to the death , this they do not , that they cannot do , because they are born of god . the onely shew of exception that can be taken , is , that adam who is called ( they say ) luke . ult. the son of god did sin , and might , as the state stood with him , unto death : and the angels called the sons of god , job . . did a many of them sin unto death . but we read not that these were said to be borne of god , or that they had this seed remaining in them . they were called the sons of god in respect of that that holinesse wherein they were created ; but the regenerate that are ( said to be borne of god ) are so said , not onely in respect of the image of god , but of christ , and the grace of regeneration , which is rooted in christ , which as it cannot die in christ the roote , so it cannot wither away in christians the branches . the sap , which is still alive and fresh in christ , is by the spirit of christ kept so alive in them , that albeit it do not keep them from sinning , yet it doth so preserve them , that they cannot sin unto death ; they are so the members of christ , that he will not suffer any of his true members to sin all their spiritual life away . quest . n. . how can a regenerate man sin , since grace is predominant , and the infused theological habits of faith , hope , and charity are stronger then their sins ? answ . 't is true , they are so , and should always shew themselves to be so . and divines make this difference between moral vertues acquired , and spiritual habits and graces : that for habits moral , we may use them as we will , that they are under the free power of our wills ; but for habits and graces infused into our wills ( the seat of them ) our wills are rather under them and their power . then thus ( under the power and determination of god ) that there is a force in them to rule , and over-rule all . in this , the string is in the hand of god , and therefore it is said in the word of god , that he it is , that doth make us walk in his wayes , and keep his lawes . had we a fulnesse of created graces as the angels had , yet if god stand by , and leave us to them and our selves , and do not uphold us we may fall for all them ; though there be nothing from without , or from within to push us down , the mutability only of our own free will might do it in us , as it did in the lapsed angels . but those habits or divine qualities being lost in adam ( in whom we all sinned ) such as are regenerated and born againe have supernatural graces of redemption , which albeit they be not so full , yet are more firme then those of creation were . those of god as creator were lost , those of god in christ our redeemer can never be so lost , but as the same st. john saith , there is a seed remaining in them , which doth so keep spiritual force up in them , that they cannot sin unto death . quest . but how then is the spirit stronger then the flesh , and the infused habit of grace may be said to have a ruling hand over our will ? answ . it hath such a rule many ways , but in this one thing the power of the spirit appeares above the power of the flesh , for that the spirit doth ever bring us first or last , one way or other to repent of the works of the flesh , but the flesh is never able to make us sorry for , and repent of the fruits , and acts of the spirit . no man is sorry for his vertues , all good men are for their vices . finis . books lately printed for john bartlet , and to be sold at the gill-cup , on the south side of pauls over against the drapers . a volume of dr. tho. taylors in fol. dr. harris works in fol. a supplement to the former edition in . his threefold state of man . . sibs excellency of the gospel . . christs exaltation in . the establishment in . grosses fiery pillar of heavenly truth . . capel on tentations in four parts , besides this remains . childs trade by tho. wilson . countrey-mans catechism , by ro. ram . walker on the covenant . dr. taylor of contentment , improvement of time , and the holy war . walker on the creation and providence . — on the subbath . dr. gouge on john . light to grammer . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a e- a heb. . . b scripserit legenda , seceritscribenda . adamus in ejus vit. p. . c see cajet . paraeus in loc. * he died in the seventieth year of his age . d ut iis ve lut facibus — ad . imitationem hujus testis idonei , fortissimique militis , nos ipsos magis ac magis non paremus . jun. in orat. funeb . ursini . e jer. . . f sam. . . g gen. . ult. h about years . * quae●imus invidi . ho● . carm. l. . od. * quae●imus invidi . ho● . carm. l. . od. i ps. . ezec. . , . mic : ● , . i is . reg. : ult. * isa. . , . k cedo qui v●stram remp. tan●am , aurisistis tam cito — proveniebant o●at●r●s novi , stulti , adolescen●u●i , de senect ▪ p. l sam. . ● . m homer . i●●ad . Σ & Υ. * in praesante com. calv. in e. zech. . * ab omni specie {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} alienissimus . jun. in orat. funeb . * an. * act. & mon. vol. . p. * see his preface before brad●ord , sermon of r ● pentance . * exmultis pauca decerpemus . in orat. funcb . i. b {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . . h. c fortissimus , peritissimus , eloquentissimu● . liv. dec . . l. p. ▪ d omnia in omnibus . adam . in vit. luth. p . a plin. nat. hist●l . c. . p. , b chron. . c i● . . . in the margin . d quotquot ibi essent doct● homines , ●on esse tam doct●s , ut intelligerent , quanta esset doctriua ejus . adam . in vit. melanct. p. . a nullam propriam & peculiarem sententiam ampl●xus est , praeter sanam doct●inam in ecclesia dei receptam . abd. astit . in ejus vit. p. . b fere omnes magni nominis theologi in veteri via novam semi●am quaecentes . ib. ex hier. ii. * sam. . a {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . luk. . ult b cor. . c cor. . , sec bez. in l●c . d see dr. daven. in col. p. . dr. tho. taylor on tit. p . dr. prest . on col. . ● p. . , . mr. hieron. preachers plea . p. . e ● cor. ▪ . see bez. and ●ar . in loc. see juu. parallel . p. . f tim. . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} g {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} h in tim. . i in tim. . k nuda verit●s . nuda grati●● . l cor. . m doctor wilkinson . epist. to the reader before bradfords sermon of repentance . n {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} cor. . iii. a acts and mon. vol. . p. . b ▪ calv. ep. . p perk . ca●es p. . ames cas. p. t. c. great . catechis . p. . attersol . numb. p. hil. ps. ● . p. dr prest . on john . . c the seven treat. p. d ps. p. e upon the lords pray . p. . & ▪ f calv praeca●io quaeuti perpetuo solebat . ant comment . in ez●ch . pa●aeus ante comment in jacob . g dr. sibbs before his serm. on joh. . . mr. hilder . before his doctr. of fasting . dr. dowuham . dr. john burgesse . mr. richard stock . master nich. byfield . h hist. chri. part . . p. i ps. . k psal. . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} tumultuor . vat . l pref : before bradfords ser. of repent . a mat. . . heb. b apoc. . . and . c exod. . , , josh. . rom. . d psa. . e sam. f acts and mon. vol. . p. g reg. . iv. h {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , tim. . see bez. in loc. a diog. laert. p. b aeneid . c jude apoc. gal. . gal. . d hist. tripartit . a luk. b {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . eph. . c jer. . e christian●s menstruam fidem hab●re proverbium fuit , parae . in apoc. p. f {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} see cor. . . & . , . g jo●. : a hos. . b acts and mon vol. . p. c p●ssumus de quibusdam rebus salva charitate , & pace dissentire . whitaker . in conc. ult ●x augustino . p. d veritas altercando amittitur . serran . in eccl. p. e erasmus and luther were of the same mind with the tigurines about the sacrament til ▪ he contention grew hot . adams in vit. leon . jud. but afterwards how far they flew off , 't is too well known . d veritas altercando amittitur . serran . in eccl. p. g {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , eph. . . h acts and mon. vol. . p. . f ab in manibus & implaca● bilibus odiis theologorum . ad. in vit. strigelii p. . a act. & 〈◊〉 . b ex. . , c tim. . d tent . . par . p. e in his . ser. p. . see hildersam also , ps. . p. ● . f acts & mon. vol. g see dr. tho taylor in loc p . h ● ti. . i u● ex dentibus draconis in cadmaea historia , n●ta est sobole●inter se dimicantium , sic ex improprio sermone , dissidia opi●nionum , in decemibus , & popu●o n●●cuntur . adam . in vit. r●gii . p. a ser. in eccl. p. b progress ●o holiness p . & c {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} integer . d act. . a isa. . b corn . n ▪ pos. ser. . c. . b pro. . c fallere fallentem . d tent●t . part . e josh. . . jer. . , . isa. . . gen. . f prov. . vi . adamus in ejus vit. p. at eastington . a twenty one years . b adamus in ejus vit. p. a nov. . . b at pitchcombe . ap. . c jan. d the bp. of gloucester . * medici ex co● . e. ra . ch. p. a jobannes grynaeus dicebat , pontifici rom. erasmum plus nocuisse , jocando : quam luth ▪ stomachan . adamus in vit. gryn . p. a adam . in vit. regii . p. b sam. c pro. . d iliad . ●● . e senum confilia , juvenum lanceae . chiliad . p. f bez. in eius vit. ad finem a hoe tempor● christi vestimenta partiantur — dum praedia pauperum & decimos ministrorum subducentes , illa in proprios ●sus convert●n ! ; hau ● dubie christum ipsumdenuo crucifixuri , si in terris esset . hist. chri. part . . p. b in cant. serm. p. c upon oha . p. , , a prov. . b deut. , analys. in loc. a ursinus was then the most busie , when 't was thought he was least busie . jun. in orat. funcb . this man made his sermon when 't was least imagined . b heb. . vii a ruth . , b zac. . , c heb. . d joh. e aristotle would say , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . hesych . pag . a mat. . b pss . . jer. , viii . d alienus fuit ab omni avaritiae suspitione . vel minima . abd aston in vit. p. a ludovic . lucius in ejus . vit. b tim. . ● a {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} phil. . see bez. in loc. ix . b dr. smith bishop of glouces . that made the large preface before the great church bibles . c acts and mon. vol. . p. a ludovic . lucius in e●us vita b rainolds conf. c epist ante eius comm. . in proverb . d camerar. in tius vit. p. e adam in vit. p. a acts and mon. vol. . p. b p. . and . and c acts and mon. vol. . p. a in psal. . argum . a si nibil curarem , nihil orar rem . adam . in ●ius vit p. b {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} job , c sept. sueton. in jul. p. adamus in ●ius vit. p. morte pr ▪ eveniente ( quae omnium justissima ●st excusatio ) joh ▪ zacha ▪ riae filius . in ep. ded * pr●f . before bains . ephes. * king james . * walaeus de sab. p ▪ accura ▪ tissima ver●io anglicana . a lavat ▪ in josh. . p. . b pascimur apertis exercemur obscuris . par. ex aug. praef. ante gen. p. . c pemble pers. mon. p. d parrs grounds . p. , parrs grounds . p. * parrs grounds . p. * adam . in vit. bull ingeri . p. * sie●d : ● , * ev {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} * see ex , . see thes. . . * adam . in vit. lutheri p. * hilders . ps. . p. * pro. . * adam , in vit , muse●li , p. * adam . in vit. p. ● notes for div a e- eph. . prelect . . p. joh. . mat. . act. . tim. . tit. of traditions king. . heb. . nullos alios libros canonicos babemus five veteris five novi testamentiquam quos apostoli probaverunt atque ecclesi●e tradiderunt . can. l. . cap. hist. of trent . p. . cor. . ●● scot . prole . sent. q. . quart . howard . p : . de conciliis l. . . . scot l. . d. . contra istam . lib. . d . q. . ad questionem . eth. l. . c. notes for div a e- history of trent . p. . verum & cus convertuntur . can. lib. . cap. . for . years after christ the church used no translation but the greek called the seventy sixt . se●en . l. haeres . . rain . prael . . p. . bellar. cont. . l. ● . . aug. de civ. dei l. , c. paul did not always speak in the church by revelation cor. . rain . prael . . , . tryal . c. p. answ . to art. i have r●ad how austin ( contra faustum ) calls the jews scriniarios ecclesiae christi ; that is the keeppers of the rolls of the church i e. the scriptures ▪ can. . rain . conf. {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} notes for div a e- canus bel. difference of churches c. cor. . col. . . * cartw. hist. christi . part . page . was it not lawful for the jews in captivity to labour the conversion of the gentiles ? did daniel sin , when he urged nebuchadnezzar to break off his sins by repentance ? dan , . . tho. cart . in prov. . . holds this was onely for this life ; but though i am not of melanctons mind , that nebuchadnezzar was converted , yet i see no reason but daniel might seek for converting and the saving of his soul . * euseb. de praep. evangelii . l. . c. . the greek translation in the old testament doth translate ●ehovah by {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , i. e. lord . now the new testament in citing places one of the old testament where jehovah is in the hebrew , they follow the old greek , and use for it {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , ● . e lord , and vet this translation must be called to be ( a grievous sin ) w● ch the holy ghost doth so punctually follow , and allow in to gra d● matter as the signal name jehovah . if the apostles do , ( as hey ●o ) justifie the ●se of it , do not they with the same breath justifie the making of it ? so mat. . luke . in the genealogies the names are according to the greek , not the hebrew . junius exported by d. rainolds in his second edition of his translation of the syriack testament , altered those names , which in the first edition he had set down according to the hebrew , into those names which are according to the greek in the . translation . * vid. ju●. parall. p. . * gre●a leguntur in omnibus f●re gentibus , latina suis sinibus exiguis sine continentur . cie o●●t . pro . archia peet . the greek tongue was of that publick use in those dayes that jimes , peter , and paul writing to the hebrews , 〈…〉 in hebrew but in greek : and paul in his e●●st e to the hebrews , cites the places h● quotes out of the old testament accordi g o the greek sep●uagi●t translation , rather then the original hebrew c●n●● . * isa. . acts . . paul writing to the romans ( wh se n●ot●er tongue was i a●ine ) w i●e● in g e●k , following the greek translation in places cited ou● 〈◊〉 o●d testament ▪ r. m. ● . senen . bib. l. . haer. . bell. de verbo d. i. l. . c. . tryal . p. . tryall . p. counsellor of state . lib. . c. p. adrian . clement ann. l . c. . vid. vellos . ad q. . quaefit in ambrosium dub . ult. diff. of churches c . a translation so far forth as it doth truly and fully express any thing of th or ginal may be said to be inspired of god ▪ and no farther . loc. . . . p. . arist. . post . qui dat sinem , dat consequentia ad finem in his eight book of the creed . p. . . propos. spiritual arm●y . , . propos. in the church it is rather {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} then it . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . rain . conf. p. loc. . . ● . , p. c. . de grat . l. . c. . de bapt. . l. c. ● . & tertio . loc. l. : c. p. . mat. . cor. . tryal . p. cor. . joh. . . part. . a. . ad . perspicuitas argumentatione elevatur . cic. notes for div a e- psal. . . niceph. l. ● . austine was converted by eading the translation his skill was little or none in the creel ; and cyprian by reading jonas in the translation he having no skill in the hebr. psalme pet : . notes for div a e- john : , , . concil. milevit . can. . apoc. . a tim. . b rom. . c heb. . mat. . de civit. dei . l. . c. of idol . p. aug. hom in epist. joan de bap . parvul . c. . contra parmenianum . c. . l. de prof . justitia sufius burgesse against the antinom . p. luke rom. . joh. . the whole treatise of the cases of conscience distinguished into three bookes: the first whereof is revised and corrected in sundrie places, and the other two annexed. taught and deliuered by m. w. perkins in his holy-day lectures, carefully examined by his owne briefes, and now published together for the common good, by t. pickering bachelour of diuinitie. whereunto is adioyned a twofold table: one of the heads and number of the questions propounded and resolued; another of the principall texts of scripture vvhich are either explaned, or vindicated from corrupt interpretation. cases of conscience perkins, william, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the whole treatise of the cases of conscience distinguished into three bookes: the first whereof is revised and corrected in sundrie places, and the other two annexed. taught and deliuered by m. w. perkins in his holy-day lectures, carefully examined by his owne briefes, and now published together for the common good, by t. pickering bachelour of diuinitie. whereunto is adioyned a twofold table: one of the heads and number of the questions propounded and resolued; another of the principall texts of scripture vvhich are either explaned, or vindicated from corrupt interpretation. cases of conscience perkins, william, - . pickering, thomas, d. . [ ], , [ ], , [ ] p. printed by iohn legat, printer to the vniuersitie of cambridge, [cambridge] : . and are to be sold [in london] in pauls church-yard at the signe of the crowne by simon waterson. [par.] r [ d] is a separate title page, with same imprint, reading: the second and third bookes of the cases of conscience, concerning man standing in relation to god and man. wherein are handled the questions touching the worship of god, and the practise of christian vertue. now newly added vnto the former, and carefully examined according to the authors owne breefes, and published for the common good by t. p. bachelour of diuinitie. errata on rr r, final page of text. printer's device on both title pages. pages - torn, with loss of print. signatures: [par.]- [par.] [par.]⁴ a-m n⁴; [par.] o-rr (-a ). imperfect; pages - torn with loss of print. reproduction of the original in the cambridge university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or 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editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng conscience -- early works to . sin -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - jonathan blaney sampled and proofread - jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the whole treatise of the cases of conscience , distingvished into three bookes : the first whereof is revised and corrected in sundrie places , and the other two annexed . taught and deliuered by m. w. perkins in his holy-day lectures , carefully examined by his owne briefes , and now published together for the common good , by t. pickering batchelour of diuinitie . whereunto is adioyned a twofold table : one of the heads and number of the questions propounded and resolued ; another of the principall texts of scripture vvhich are either explaned , or vindicated from corrupt interpretation . rom. . . vvhatsoeuer is not of faith , is sinne . hinc lvcem et pocvla sacra alma mater cantabrigia printed by iohn legat , printer to the vniversitie of cambridge , . and are to be sold in pauls church-yard at the signe of the crowne by simon waterson . to the right honovrable , edward lord dennie , baron of waltham , &c. right honourable : there is no one doctrine , reuealed in the word of god , or dispensed by the prophets and apostles , of greater vse and cōsequence in the life of man , then is that , which prescribeth a forme of releeuing and rectifying the conscience . the benefit , which from hence issueth vnto the church of god , is vnspeakable . for first , it serveth to discouer the cure of the dangerousest sore that can be , the wound of the spirit . which how great a crosse it is , the wise man reporteth out of true experience , when he saith , that the spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmitie , but a wounded spirit who can beare it ? and his meaning is , that no outward griefe , can fall into the nature of man , which will not be with patience indured , to the vtmost , so long as the minde is not troubled , or dismaied . but when once the spirit is touched , and the heart , ( which beeing well apaied , is the very fountaine of peace to the whole man , ) smitten with feare of the wrath of god for sinne ; the griefe is so great , the burden so intolerable , that it will not by any outward meanes , be eased or asswaged . secondly , it giueth for all particular cases , speciall and sound direction ; whether man be to walke with god , in the immediate performance of the duties of his seruice ; or to conuerse with man , according to the state and condition of his life , in the familie , church , or common-wealth . the want of which direction , of what force it is , to turne the actions of men , which are good in themselues , to sinnes in regard of the agents , s. paul affirmeth in that generall conclusion , whatsoeuer is not of faith , is sinne . wherein he would teach vs , that whatsoeuer is done , or vndertaken by men in this life , whether it concerne the knowledge and worship of god , or any particular dutie to be performed , by vertue of their callings , for the common good ; whereof they haue not sufficient warrant , and assurance in conscience , grounded vpon the word , that it is to be done , or not to be done ; to them it is a sinne . thirdly , it is of all other doctrines , ( beeing rightly vsed ) the most comfortable . for it is not founded in the opinions , and variable conceits of men , neither doth it consist , of conclusions and positions , which are onely probable and coniecturall : ( for the conscience of the doubting or distressed partie , can not be established and rectified by thē : ) but it resteth vpon most sufficient and certaine grounds , collected and drawne out of the very word of god , which , as it is mightie in operation , pearcing the heart , and discerning the thoughts and intents thereof , so is it alone auaileable and effectuall to pacifie the minde , and to giue full satisfaction to the conscience . and as the benefit is great ; so the want of this doctrine , together with the true manner of applying the same , is , and hath beene the cause , of many and great inconueniences . for euen of those that feare god , and haue receiued to beleeue , there be many , who in the time of their distresses , when they haue considered the waight and desert of their sinnes , and withall apprehended the wrath of god , due vnto them ; haue beene brought vnto hard exigents , mourning , and wayling , and crying out , as if god had forsaken them , vntill they haue beene releeued by the spirit of christ , in the meditation of the word , & promise of god. but those especially , who haue not beene instructed in the knowledge of the truth , nor acquainted with the course of gods dealing , with his distressed children , by reason of ignorance and blindnes in matters of religion and pietie , when the lord hath let loose the cord of their consciences , and set before their eyes , both the number of their sinnes committed , and the iust anger of god purchased thereby , what haue they done ? surely despairing of the mercie of god , and their owne saluation , they haue either growne to phrensie , and madnes , or els sorted vnto themselues fearefull ends , some by hanging , some by drowning , others by embruing their hands in their owne blood . and if not in regard of griefe and trouble of minde ; yet for want of better resolution in particular cases , within the compasse of their generall or personall callings , ( though otherwise , men indued with some measure of knowledge and obedience , ) they haue either abused , or els quite relinquished and forsaken their callings , and thereby become scandalous , and offensiue vnto others . now then , as by these and sundrie other instances of proofe , the matter it selfe appeares to be of great waight and importāce , so it is most meete , that the best and fittest course should be taken , in the teaching and inforcing of the same . in which regard we haue iust cause , to challenge the popish church , who in their case-writings haue erred , both in the substance and circumstances of this doctrine , as shall appeare in the sequele . first , because the dutie of releeuing the conscience , is by them commended to the sacrificing priest , which , though according to their owne canons b he should be a man of knowledge , and free from imputation of wickednes , yet oft times it falls out that he is either vnlearned , or els wicked and lewd of conuersation , and consequently vnfit for such a purpose . secondly , they teach that their preists appointed to be comforters and releeuers of the distressed , are made by christ himselfe c iudges of the cases of conscience , hauing in their owne hands a iudicarie po●…er and authoritie , truly and properly to binde or to loose , to remitte or to retaine sinnes , to open or to shut the kingdome of heauen . whereas the scripture vttereth a contrarie voice , that christ onely hath the keyes of dauid , which properly and truly openeth , and no man shutteth , and properly and truly shutteth , and no man openeth . and the ministers of god are not called to be absolute iudges of the consciēce , but onely messengers and embassado●rs of reconciliation ; wherevpon it followeth , that they cannot be d the authors and gi●ers of remission of sinnes , but onely the ministers and dispensers of the same . thirdly , the papists in their writings haue scattered here and there , sundrie false and erronious grounds of doctrine , much preiudiciall to the direction or resolution of the conscience in time of neede , as namely , i. that a man in the course of his life , may build himselfe vpon the faith of his teachers , and for his saluation rest , contented with an implicite and vn-expressed faith . which doctrine , as it is an onely meane , to keepe men in perpetuall blindnes and ignorance , so it serueth to no other purpose in the time of temptatiō , but to plunge the hart of man into the pit of despaire , it being vncapable of cōfort , for want of particular knowledg & vnderstāding of the word & promise of god. i● . that euery man ought to stand in feare and doubt of the pardon of his sinnes , and that no man can be assured by the certentie of faith , either of the present fauour of god , or of his owne saluation . true it is , that in respect of our owne vnworthines and indisposition , we haue iust cause , not onely to doubt and feare , but to dispaire and be confounded before the iudgement seat of god. yet that a man should not be certainely resolued by faith of the mercie of god , in and for the merir of christ , is a comfortlesse doctrine to a distressed soule , and contrarie vnto the sauing a word of the gospel , which teacheth , that certentie floweth from the nature of faith , and not doubting . iii. that euery man is bound in conscience vpon paine of damnation , to make speciall confession of his mortall sinnes , with all the particular circumstāces therof once euery yere to his priest. this position & practise , besides that it hath no warrant of sacred writte , nor yet any ground of orthodoxe antiquitie , for . yeares , more or lesse after christ : it maketh notably to the disturbing of the peace of conscience , in time of extremitie , considering that is impossible , either to vnderstand or remember all , many beeing hidden and vnknowne . and the minde being in this case informed , that forgiuenesse dependeth vpon such an enumeration , may thus be brought into doubt and distrust , and will not be able to rest by faith in the sole mercie of god , the onely soueraigne medicine of the soule . againe , the griefe of the mind , doth not alwaies arise from all the sinnes that a man hath committed , neither doth the lord set before the sinners eies , whatsoeuer euill hath bin done by him ; but some one or more particulars . and these are they , that doe lie heavie vpon the heart ; and to be eased of them , will be worke inough , though he doth not exhibite vnto the confessour , a catalogue of all the rest . iv. that some sinnes are veniall , because they are onely besides the lawe of god , not against it , and because a they binde ouer the sinner onely to temporal , and not to eternall punishments . this conclusion , first is false ; for though it be granted , that some offences are greater , some lesser , some in a higher degree , others in a lower . againe , that sinnes in regard of the euent , beeing repented of , or in respect of the person sinning , beeing in christ , and therefore accounted iust , are pardonable , because they are not imputed to condemnation ; yet there is no sinne of what degree soeuer , which is not simply , and of it selfe mortall , whether we respect the nature of the sinne , or the measure and proportion of diuine iustice . for in nature it is an anomie , that is to say , an aberration from the perfect rule of righteousnesse , & therefore is subiect to the curse , both of temporarie and eternall death . it is an offence against the highest maiestie , and consequently , man standeth by it ingaged to euerlasting torment . secondly , it is a weake and insufficient ground of resolution , to a troubled conscience . for whereas true and sauing ioy is the daughter of sorrow , and the heart of man cannot be lifted vp , in assurance of gods fauour , to the apprehensiō and conceipt of heauenly comforts , vnlesse it be first abased , and by true humiliation , brought to nothing in it selfe ; the remembrance of this , that the offence committed is veniall , may in some cases too much inlarge the heart , and giue occasion to presume , when haply there will be reason to the contrary . and if not that , yet in case of falling by infirmitie after grace receiued , the mind beeing forestalled with this erronious conceipt , that the sinne is lesse , then it is indeede , because veniall , may in the issue be lesse quieted , and more perplexed . v. that a man may satisfie the iustice of god , for the temporall punishment of his sinnes committed . to omit the vntruth of ●●is position ; howe it maketh to the casing of the heart , or the asswaging of the griefe of minde in temptation , i appeale to common experience . for when a man , beeing assured of the pardon of his sinnes , shall yet consider , that there is something more behind to be done on his part , how can he in probabilitie , rely himselfe wholly vpon christs satisfaction ? how can he reape vnto himselfe from thence any assurance of reconciliation to god , whome he formerly offended ? if we may and must doe something in our owne persons , whereby to appease the wrath of god , why hath our sauiour taught vs for our hearts releife , wholly and onely to make the plea of pardon for our sinnes ? true it is indeede , that popish confessours doe teach their penitents , when they feele the wrath of god vpon them for sinne , to stoppe the mouth of conscience , by performance of a formall humiliation and repentance , yea to offer vnto god some ceremoniall duties in way of satisfaction . but when sorrow seazeth vpon the soule , and the man falls into temptation , then it will appeare that these directions were not currant ; for notwithstanding them , he may want sound comfort in gods mercie , and runne into despaire without recouerie . and for this cause , vpon experience it hath bin prooued , that euen papists themselues in the houre of death , haue bin content to renounce their owne workes , yea the whole body of humane satisfactions , and to cleaue onely to the mercie of god in christ for their saluation . by these instances , and many more that might be alleadged to this purpose , it is apparent , vpon how weake and vnstable grounds the case-diuinitie of the popish church standeth ; and how indirect a course they take , for the resolution and direction of the troubled conscience . now by the benefit and abuse of this doctrine , we see how necessary it is , that in churches which professe christiā religion , it should be more taught , and further inlarged , then it is . and to this purpose it were to be wished , that men of knowledge in the ministerie , that haue by the grace of god attained vnto the tongue of the learned , would imploy their paines this way : not onely in searching into the depth of such points as stand in bare speculation , but in annexing thereunto the grounds and conclusions of practise , wherby they might both informe the iudgement , & rectifie the conscience of the hearers . by this means it would come to passe , that the poore distressed soule might be releeued , pietie and deuotion more practised , the kingdome of sinne , satan , and antichrist weakened , and impayred , and the contrarie kingdome of christ iesus more and more established . what the author & contriuer of the discourse ensuing hath done in this behalfe , it is euident by the whole course of his writings , that he hath left behinde him : all which , as they doe openly shew vnto the world , howe great a measure of knowledge and vnderstanding , with other endowments both of nature and grace , the lord had inriched him withall ; so they doe carrie with them the sweet sauour of pietie and sanctification , wherwith he approoued his heart vnto god , and his life vnto men . wherein also vpon occasion , he hath propounded , and explained sundry notable rules of direction and resolution of the conscience , as wil appeare to the view of the learned & well-advised reader . to let passe all the rest : this present treatise giueth very sufficient testimonie , of his knowledge and dexteritie in that kinde ; which could not be attained vnto , without great paines , much obseruation , and long experience . a labour which commendeth it selfe to the church of god in two respects principally . one , because his grounds and principles are drawne either directly , or by iust consequence out of the written word , and so are of greater force , to convince the conscience , and to giue satisfaction to the mind , either doubting , or distressed . the other , for that it is deliuered with such perspicuitie , and disposed in such order and methode , as fitteth best for the vnderstanding and memory of any , whosoeuer shall peruse it . now this whole treatise of the questiōs , i haue made bold to present vnto your lordsh , and to publish abroad vnder your protection . first , because god , who vouchsafeth speciall fauour to them that honour him , hath adorned your estate with honour , your person inwardly with many rich graces of his spirit , and outwardly with the profession and practise of true religion ; a thing directly confirmed by your vnfained loue of the truth , and continuall fauours to the teachers of the same , the ministers and dispensers of the gospel . secondly , because as the author of these cases , was himselfe in many respects , bound vnto your hon. while he liued ; so his wife and children for his sake , haue receiued much kindnes at your hands , since his death ; a manifest proofe of the truth & synceritie of your affection towards him in the lord. and in the last place , it was my desire , by setting them forth vnder your name , to giue some testimonie of dutie to your hon. presuming that as you loued the author , so you will be pleased to patronize the worke , and fauourably to interpret , of the paines and good intention of the publisher . and thus crauing pardon for my boldnes , i humbly take my leaue , and commend your lordsh , to the grace & fauour of god in christ. from emanuel colledge in cambr. novemb. . . your hon. in all dutie to be commanded , tho. pickering . to the godly and well-affected reader whosoeuer . i doe now at the length offer vnto thy view ( christian reader ) the whole treatise of case-divinitie , so farre as the author proceeded in the deliuerie thereof before his death . if thou hast bin longer held in expectation thereof , then either thy selfe desiredst , or was meete , i must intreat thy fauourable interpretation of my forbearance , partly in regard of many priuate distractions , and sundrie occurrents wherewith i was detained from this dutie , and partly also in respect of my desire to publish it in such sort to thy contentment , that it might afterward require no further filing or forbishing by secondarie corrections . wherein , notwithstanding mine endeauour to the contrarie , my hope hath beene in part preiudiced , by reason of some faults escaped in the printing , through want of carefull attendance on the presse in my necessarie absence . the principall i haue noted in a table before the first booke , and the other of lesser moment , i commend to thy priuate pardon . touching the treatise it selfe , i haue dealt as faithfully as i could , keeping close to the preachers owne wordes , without any materiall addition , detraction , or amplification . his methode remaines the same in the bodie of the discourse , not admitting the least alteration . onely it was thought conuenient to distinguish it into bookes according to the severall distinct parts , the bookes into chapters , the chapters that were most capable of diuision into sections ; and my meaning therein was , to helpe the memorie of the reader , and to avoid tediousnes the daughter of longsome discourses . now if in the perusing , thou either find any thing amisse , or thy selfe haply not fully satisfied in particular ; then remember what is the lot of learned mens workes which are scripta posthuma ( wherof these latter times haue yeelded many examples ) to be left after a sort , naked and imperfect , when the authors themselues are gone , who might haue brought them to perfection . consider againe , that in regard of the weight of this worthy argument , it were much better kindely & thankfully to accept and inioy these labours , howsoeuer imparted , then by their suppressing to be wholly depriued of such a benefite . and withall rest with me in hope , that as himselfe hath first traced the way , and walked by the bankes of this maine sea , so others vpon this occasion , will be incouraged to attempt the like course , or at least to enlarge this worke by addition of more particulars . meane while , not doubting of thy christian acceptance of my paines for thy good , i commend them to thy loue , thy selfe vnto god and the word of his grace . eman. coll. novemb. . . thine in christ iesus , tho. p. a table of the summe or contents of the whole treatise , both for heades and number of the questions . the first booke . the preface touching the ground and order of the treatise . pag. . chap. i. of confession , and the degrees of goodnesse . chap. ii. of the nature and differences of sinne. chap. iii. of the subiection and power of conscience . chap. iv. of the distinction of questions , or cases . chap. v. of the first maine question touching man simply considered , viz. what a man must doe that he may come into gods fauour , and be saued ? concerning humiliation . . what if a man humbling himselfe , cannot call to minde all , or the most of his sinnes ? . what the man must doe , who finds himselfe hard hearted , and of a dead spirit , &c. . whether he that is more grieued for losse of his friend , then for the offence of god by his sinne doth truly humble himselfe ? concerning faith. . how a man may truly applie christ , with all his benefits vnto himselfe ? . when doth a man beginne to beleeue in christ ? concerning new-obedience . . how may a man frame his life to liue in new-obedience ? . how may a man doe a good worke ? chap. vi. of the second maine question , viz. how a man may be in conscience assured of his owne saluation ? chap. vii . of the third maine question , viz. how a man beeing in distresse of minde , may be comforted ? . what is distresse of minde ? . what is the generall remedie of all distresses ? chap. viii . of the first speciall distresse arising of a diuine tentation . what is the remedie thereof ? chap. ix . of the second speciall distresse , arising from outward afflictions . . how the trouble of minde arising of afflictions , may be remedied ? . how the minde of the partie distressed may be staied , whē the lord deferres deliuerāce ? what is a man to do● , that findès no ende of this afflictions till death ? . how may a man be able to indure with comfort the pangs of death ? how may a man in this life , haue a true taste of eternall happinesse ? how a man may truly discerne whether the ioy of the spirit be in him , yea or no ? . how the minds of such persons are to be staied , as are possessed by the deuill , or feare possession ? . what they may doe , whose houses are haunted and molested by wicked spirits ? chap. x. of the third speciall distresse , arising of the tentation of blasphemies . what is the true remedie of this tentation ? chap. xi . of the fourth speciall distresse , arising from a mans owne sinnes . . how the violent distresse of minde , arising from our owne sinnes , is to be cured ? . how the moderate distresse , arising of the same cause , is to be remedied ? chap. xii . of the fift speciall distresse , arising from a mans owne bodie . quest. . how the bodie should trouble or annoy the minde ? . what is the nature and worke of melancholy ? . whether there be any difference betweene the trouble of conscience and melancholy ? . what is the way to cure melancholy ? . how the minde troubled by strange alterations incident vnto the bodie , may be cured ? the second booke . chap. i. of the order of the questions . chap. ii. of the godhead . quest. . whether there be a god ? . whether iesus the sonne of mar●e , be the son of god ? chap. iii. of the scriptures . whether the scriptures be the true word of god ? chap. iv. of religion , and the knowledge of god. quest. . what is that religion that is due vnto the true god ? . how god is to be conceiued in our mindes , when we worship him ? chap. v. of the inward worship of god. quest. how god is to be worshipped and serued ? chap. vi. of the outward worship of god , and first of praier quest. . how may a man make a lawfull and acceptable praier ? . whether a man may lawfully make imprecations ? . what be the particular circumstances of praier ? . the voice . whether a voice or words , are to be vsed in praier ? whether it be lawfull , when we pray , to read a set form● of praier ? . the gesture . what kinde of gesture is to be vsed in prayer ? . the place . in what place must we pray ? . the time . what are the times , in which men are to make praiers vnto god ? . how their mindes may be pacified , which are troubled with sundrie accidents in their prayers ? . chap. vii . of the hearing of the word preached . quest. . how any man may profitably heare the word ? . how they are to be comforted , who after long hearing , profit little or nothing at all ? chap. viii . of the sacraments in generall . quest. whether sacraments ministred by heretikes , idolaters , and vnsufficient ministers , be sacraments or no ? chap. ix . of baptisme . quest. . whether baptisme be necessary to saluation ? . whether godfathers and godmothers be necessary ? what duty they are to performe to the party baptized ? whether children baptized come to be of spirituall kindred , with the whole church , by reason of their godfathers and godmothers ? whether , if spirituall kindred be contracted by baptisme , it can be a ●●st impediment of mariage , &c. . whether children of excommunicate persons haue right to baptisme ? whether children borne in fornication haue right to baptisme ? . how men of yeares may make a right vse of their baptisme ? . whether a man falling into sinne after baptisme , may haue any benefite of his baptisme ? chap. x. of the lords supper . quest. . how farre forth men haue libertie to vse or not to vse the lords supper ? . how a man may rightly vse it to his comfort and saluation ? in preparation . what , if after preparation he find himselfe vnworthy ? whether a man should come fasting to the supper , or no ? whether persons that be in sure of law may come ? in receiuing . what if a man after often receiuing , doubteth whether he hath faith or no ? what is to be done in case of hardnes of heart , at the instant of receiuing ? after receiuing . what is he to doe , that after receiuing findes no comfort ? chap. xi . of adoration . quest. . to what things is adoration due , and in what manner ? whether adoration be due to wicked spirits ? what adoration is due to good angels ? to liuing men ? ibid. to saints departed ? to images ? ibid. chap. xii . of confession before the adversarie . quest. . whether confession of faith be necessarie , and when ? . whether it be lawfull for a man being vrged , to goe to idoll-seruice , and heare masse , so as he keepe his heart to god! . whether any man , specially a minister , may with good conscience flie in persecution ? and if he may flie , when ? whether a man that is imprisoned , may breake prison ? chap. xiii . of an oath . quest. . what is an oath ? whether an oath , taken by creatures , be a true oath , and to be kept ? whether an oath by false gods be a true oathe ? how can god sweare by himselfe , seeing none can witnesse vnto him ? . how an oathe is to be taken in a good and godly manner ? whether in the forme of an oath , a man may not sweare directly by creatures , and indirectly by god ? . how farre forth doth an oath bind , and is to be kept ? whether a man is bound to keepe an oath taken by false gods ? whether a man is bound to keepe that oathe , vpon taking whereof there ensueth damage ? whether an oath extorted by fraud , bindeth ? whether a compulsory oath bindeth ? . when an oath doth bind , and when not ? when doth a man commit periurie ? whether the breach of a locall statute , wherevnto a man is bound by corporall oath , be periurie ? whether it be lawful to exact an oath of him , that will forsweare himselfe ? chap. xiv . of vowes . quest. . what a vowe is ? . whether a vowe in the new testament be any part of gods worship ? . when a vow made bindeth , and when not ? whether iephte vpon his vowe did offer his daughter in sacrifice ? . whether monasticall vowes doe binde or no ? chap. xv. of fasting . quest. . what is a religious fast ? . how a religious fast is to be obserued ? touching the manner of fasting . how long must the fast continue ? whether a man may eate in the time of a solemne fast ? whether all be bound to keep the forme prescribed , in the day of a solemne fast ? . whether popish fasts be lawfull ? chap. xvi . of the sabboth day . quest. . whether it be in the libertie of the church of god vpon earth , to alter the sabboth from the seuenth day to any other ? . how the sabboth of the new testament is to be observed ? whether we may not lawfully use recreations , on the sabboth day ? whether men vpon occasion , may not doe a work of their callings , in the morning or euening of the sabboth ? . when the sabboth doth beginne ? the third booke . chap. i. of the nature and differences of vertue , and the order of the questions . chap. ii. of prudence . quest. . how men are to practise prudence ? . whether a man may with good conscience vse policie in the affaires of this life ? chap. iii. of clemencie . quest. . how a man may carrie himselfe in respect of iniuries and offences done vnto him ? how ought a man to forgive an iniurie ? whether a man may defend himselfe by law ? how a man is to defend himselfe by law ? whether may a man defend himselfe by force ? when may he defend himselfe by force ? whether may he reskue himselfe , or others by combate ? . when anger is lawfull , and when vnlawfull ? . what is the remedie of vniust anger ? chap. iv. of temperance . in the vse of riches . . how farre a man may with good conscience desire and seeke riches ? . how a man may with good conscience , possesse and vse riches ? whether a man may voluntarily giue away all , and liue vpon almes , in fasting and prayer ? in the vse of meate and drinke . . whether there be any difference in the vse of meat and drinke , now in the time of the new testament ? whether we may with good conscience eate flesh at times forbidden ? . how we may eate and drinke to the glorie of god , and our owne comfort ? what rule of moderation is to be obserued of euery one , in eating ? in the vse of apparell . . whether ornaments of gold , siluer , pretious stones , silks and velvets , &c. may not lawfully be vsed ? . what is the right and lawfull vse of apparell ? how shall we know what is necessarie for euery person and state ? how a man may fit his apparell in comely and decent manner ? whether a man may not take vp a forren fashion of attire , and vse it ? whether may we not labour to couer a deformitie in the bodie ? what measure is to be obserued in vsing outward ornaments ? what is the spirituall vse of apparell ? in the vse of pleasures and recreations . . whether recreation be lawfull for a christian man ? . what kindes of recreations are lawfull and conuenient , and what not ? . how we are to vse recreations ? chap. v. of liberalitie . quest. . what persons are to giue almes ? whether the wife may giue almes , without consent of her husband ? . to whome must almes be giuen ? whether we may giue to beggars ? whether we ought to put a difference betweene person and person , in giuing almes ? . how much releefe must euery man giue ? . how many waies must a man giue ? . how almes are to be giuen , that they may please god ? whether giuing of releefe be meritorious and satisfactorie ? what is the right fruite of almes-giuing ? chap. vi. of iustice. quest. . what is the iudgement that one is to giue and hold of another ? how a man may with good conscience giue iudgement of himselfe ? . how one ought to honour another ? what honour is due to superiours ? to equalls ? to inferiours ? ibid. to a mans owne selfe ? &c. &c. &c. the table of the texts of scripture . chapter . verse . page . genesis .     exodus .     leviticus .     numbers .     deuteron .     ● . . . iudges .     . &c. ioshua .     ruth .     i. sam.     ii. sam.     ● . & . i. king.     ●… ii. king.     〈◊〉 . & . ii. chron.     ●… ezra .     psalmes .     & .   ●… . &c. ●     &c. . . proverbs .     . eccles.     . canticles .     esay .     ieremie .     & &c. dan.       zachariah .     habbac .     malachi .     math.             &   &         .     .   marke .     luke .     . . .   .     . iohn .     , &   actes .       . . . & . .       romanes .         . &         .   .   ibid.     vlt.   . cor.             vlt. . . cor.     . galat.       ephes.       philip.     .     coloss.     . thess.         . thessal .     . tim.                       , , . tim.     titus .     hebr.     iames.       〈◊〉     . peter .     . peter .     . iohn .       , . apocal.     the first booke of the cases of conscience , concerning man simply considered in himselfe without relation to an other . the preface declaring the ground and order of the treatise following . isaiah , . . the lord god hath giuen me a tongue of the learned , that i should know , to minister a word in due time , to him that is wearie . in that part of the prophecie which goes before , the holy ghost setteth downe and foretelleth the calling of the gentiles , which was to beginne at the death of christ , and from thence to continue vnto this day , and so consequently to the ende of the world . in the former verses of this chapter , there is mention made of the reiection of the iewes ; i meane not a generall , but a particular rejection , namely then , when they were in affliction in the daies of isaiah . now in this , and so in all other prophecies of the like kind , which intreat of this point ; christ himselfe is brought in , speaking in his owne person ; and the words of this chapter from the beginning , to this present verse and the rest that follow , are the words of christ the mediatour . in the verses going before , he disputes the case of their rejection , and and the summe of the whole disputation is : that either he or they themselues were the causes thereof ; but he was not the cause , & therfore they themselues by their sinnes . the reason , whereby he prooues that they themselues were the cause , is framed in this sort . you iewes cānot bring any writing or bill of diuorce , to shew that i rejected you : therfore i appeale euen to your owne consciences , whether you haue not brought this iudgement vpon your selues , by your iniquities . vers . . on the other side , the reasō why god was not the cause is : because he for his part called them in great mercie and ioue : but when he called they would not obey . ver . . now in the ende of the second verse , is contained an answer to a secret reply , that some obstinate iewe might make after this manner : god hath not nowe the like power in sauing and deliuering vs , as he hath had in form●r times : therefore we cannot hope or expect any deliuerance from him , and howe then shall we doe in the meane while ? to this the lord himselfe makes answer , ver . , , . that his hand is not shortned , nor his power lessened in regard of greater workes , much lesse in respect of their deliuerance ; and though the present affliction which they indured , was great and tedious , yet they were not to be ouermuch dismayed in themselues , but rather to be comforted : because god had giuen him the tongue of the learned , to minister a word in season to the wearie and distressed , and consequently , that he had power to case and refresh that their wearines and affliction . in this text then , there is set downe one principal dutie of christs propheticall office , by allusion to the practises of the prophets in the old testament , especially those which belonged to the schooles of elias and elizeus , who are here tearmed , the learned . and out of the words thereof , one speciall point of instruction may be gathered , namely , that there is a certaine knowledge or doctrine reuealed in the word of god , whereby the consciences of the weake may be rectified and pacified : i gather it thus . it was one speciall dutie of christs propheticall office , to giue comfort to the consciences of those that were distressed , as the prophet here recordeth . now as christ had this power to execute and performe such a dutie , so he hath committed the dispensation therof to the ministers of the gospel . for we may not thinke that christ in his owne person , ministred and spake words of comfort to the wearie , in the times of the prophets , because he was not then exhibited in our nature ; and yet he did then speake , but how ? in the persons of the prophets . so likewise , because christ now in the new testament , speaks not vnto the afflicted in his owne proper person , it remaineth therfore , that he performes this great worke in the ministerie of pastours and teachers vpon earth , to whom he hath giuen knowledge , and other gifts to this ende and purpose . there must needes therefore be a certen and infallible doctrine , propounded and taught in the scriptures , whereby the consciences of men distressed , may be quieted and releeued . and this doctrine is not attained vnto by extraordinarie reuelation , but must be drawne out of the written word of god. the point therfore to be handled is , what this doctrine should be ? it is not a matter easie and at hand , but full of labour and difficultie : yea very large , like vnto the maine sea : i will onely ( as it were ) walke by the banks of it , and propound the heads of doctrine , that thereby i may , at least , occasion others , to consider & handle the same more at large . that i may proceede in order : first , i am to lay downe certaine grounds or preambles , which may giue light and direction to the things that follow : and in the next place , i will propound and answer the maine and principall questions of conscience . chap. i. of the two first grounds of cases , confession , and the degrees of goodnes . the grounds or preambles are especially foure . the first , touching confession . the second , touching the degrees of goodnesse in things and actions . the third , touching the degrees of sinne. the fourth and last concerning the subiection and power of conscience . of these in order . sect. . the first ground is , that in the troubles of conscience , it is meete and conuenient , there should alwaies be vsed a priuate confession . for iames saith , confesse your faults one to another , and pray one for another , thereby signifying that confession in this case , is to be vsed as a thing most requisite . for in all reason , the physitian must first know the disease , before he can applie the remedie : and the griefe of the heart will not be discerned , vnlesse it be manifested by the confession of the partie diseased ; and for this cause also in the griefe of conscience , the scruple , that is , the thing that troubleth the conscience must be knowne . neaerthelesse in priuate confession , these caueats must be obserued . first , it must not be vrged , as a thing simply or absolutely necessarie , without which there can be no saluatiō . againe , it is not fit that confession should be of all sinnes , but onely of the scruple it selfe , that is , of that or those sinnes alone , which do trouble and molest the conscience . thirdly , though confession may be made to any kind of m●n , ( confesse one to another , saith iames , ) yet is it especially to be made to the prophets and ministers of the gospell . for they in likelyhood , of all other men , in respect of their places and gifts , are the fittest and best able to instruct , correct , cōfort , & en●orme the weake & wounded cōscience . lastly , the person to whome it is made , must be a man of trust & fidelity , able & willing to keepe secret things that are reueiled , yea to burie thē ( as it were ) in the graue of obliuion , for loue couereth a multitudeof sinnes . sect. . the next ground is touching the degrees of goodnes in humane things and actions . goodnesse in things is twofold ; vncreated and created . vncreated is god himselfe , who neuer had beginning , and who is goodnesse it-selfe , because his nature is absolutely and perfectly good , and because he is the author and worker thereof , in all things created . created goodnes , is that whereby the creature is made good ; and it is nothing els , but the fruit of that goodnesse , that is essentially in god. now the degrees thereof are these . there is a generall or naturall goodnesse in creatures , & a more speciall or morall goodnesse . generall goodnesse is that , whereby all creatures are accepted and approoued of god , by whome they were both created & ordained . thus euery creature is good , partly by creation , and partly by ordination . by creation it is , that the substance of each creature , as of the sunne , the moone , the earth , water , meate , drink , &c. is good , hauing the beeing thereof from god. hence also the essentiall properties , quantities , qualities , motions , actions and inclinations of the creatures , in themselues considered , with all their euents , are good . by the same generall goodnesse also , euen the deuill himselfe and his actions , as he is a substance , and as they are actions , hauing their beeing from god , are good . things againe doe take vnto them the condition of goodnesse , not onely by creation , but also by gods ordination , whereby they are directed and appointed , to some certen vses & endes . thus the euill conscience , hel , & deathare good , because they are ordained of god , for the execution of his iustice , howsoeuer in themselues & to vs they be euill . besides this generall and naturall goodnesse , there is also a speciall or morall goodnes properly so called : and it is that , which is agreeable to the eternall and vnchangeable wisdome of god , reuealed in the morall law , wherin it is commanded ; and things as they are therein commanded to be done by god , are good morally . now of actions morally good , there be two degrees : for they are either good in themselues alone , or good both in themselues , and in the doer . in themselues alone some things be morally good : for example , when a wicked man giues an almes , it is a good worke onely in it selfe , but not good in the doer , because it is not done in faith , and from a good conscience : and so are all the vertues of the heathen , morally good in themselues , but they are not good in heathen men : for in them they are but * beautifull sinnes . the next degree of goodnesse is , whereby things and actions are both good in themselues , and in the doer also . of this sort were the praiers and almes of cornelius good in themselues , and in him also , because he was a beleeuer . now opposite to things and actions morally good or euill , are actions and things of a middle nature , commonly tearmed indifferent , which in themselues being neither good nor euill , may be done or not done without sinne ; in themselues i say , for in their circumstances , they are and may be made either euill or good . and here we must remember , to put a difference betweene conueniencie , and inconuenience , which ariseth from the nature of indifferent things . conueniencie is , when a thing or action is so fitted to the circumstances , and the circumstances fitted to it , that thereby it becomes a thing conuenient . on the other side , inconuenience is , when the thing or action is done in vnmeete circumstances , which bring some hurt or losse to the outward man , or stand not with decencie : and therefore doe make it to be inconuenient . and by this that hath been said , we may discerne , when an action is good , euill , indifferent , conuenient , or inconuenient . chap. ii. of the nature and differences of sinne. the third ground , is touching the degrees or differences of sinne. and here we must first of all search , what is sinne properly , and what is properly a sinner . sect. . sinne in his proper nature ( as saint iohn saith ) is an anomie , that is , a want of conformitie to the lawe of god. for the better vnderstanding whereof , we must know , that there were in adam before his fall , three things not to be seuered one from the other : the substance of his bodie and soule : the faculties and powers of his bodie and soule : and the image of god consisting in a straightnes , and conformitie of all the affections , and powers of man to gods will. now when adam falls , and sinnes against god , what is his sinne ? not the want of the two former , ( for they both remained , ) but the very want , and absence of the third thing , namely , of conformitie to gods will. i make it plaine by this resemblance ; in a musicall instrument , there is to be considered , not only the instrument it selfe , and the sound of the instrumēt , but also the harmony in the sound . nowe the contrarie to harmonie , or the disorder in musicke , is none of the two former , but the third , namely the discord , which is the want or absence of harmonie , which we call disharmonie . in the same manner , the sinne of adam , is not the absence either of the substance , or of the faculties of the soule and the bodie , but the want of the third thing before named , & that is , conformitie or correspondencie to the will of god , in regard of obedience . but some may say : the want of conformitie in the powers of the soule , is not sinne properly : because in sinne , there must bee not onely an absence of goodnesse , but be some twentie or thirtie yeares : yet the partie offending , doth not therefore cease to be a sinner . now then i demaund , what is the very thing , for which he is named and tearmed still a sinner in the time present , the offence beeing past ? the answer is , that euery actuall sinne , beside the three former , must be considered with a fourth thing , to wit , a certaine staine , or blotte , which it imprints and leaues in the offender as a fruit , and that is an inclination , or euill disposition of the heart , wherby it becomes more apt & prone to the offence done , or to any other sinne . for looke as the dropsie man , the more he drinks , the drier he is , and the more he still desires to drinke : euen so a sinner , the more he sinnes , the apter is he to sinne , and more desirous to keepe still a course in wickednes . and as a man that lookes vpon the sunne , if he turne his face away , remains turned vntill he turne himselfe againe : so he that turnes from god by any sinne , makes himselfe a sinner , and so remaines , vntill he turne himselfe againe by repentance . thus dauid was a sinner , not onely in the very act of his adulterie & mur●… ther : but euen when the act was done●… past , he remained still a murtherer and 〈◊〉 dulterer ; because a new , or rather a re●… pronenesse to these , and all oth●… tooke place in his heart by his fal●… strength , till he turned to god by●… vpon the admonition of the pro●… thing then , whereby a sinner is tearmed a sinner , is the fault together with the fruit thereof , namely , the blot imprinted in the soule , so oft as men doe actually offend . the vse of this doctrine touching sinne , is twofold . first , by it we learne and see what is originall sinne , wherby an infant in the first conception and birth is indeed a sinner . euery infant must be considered as a part of adam , proceeding of him and partaking of his nature : and therby it is made a sinner , not onely by imputation of adams offence , but also by propagation of an apt●esse , and pronenes vnto euery euill , receiued together with nature from adam . and thus ought we to conceiue originall sinne , not to be the corruption of nature alone , but adams first offence imputed , with the fruit thereof the corruption of nature , which is an inclination vnto euery euill , deriued together with nature from our first parents . secondly ; by this we are taught , to take heed of all and euery sinne , whether it be in thought , word , or deed : because the committing therof , though in respect of the act it passeth a●… in the doing , yet it breedeth and in●…seth a wicked disposition in the heart , ●…h beene said ) to the offence done , or a●… sinne . men deceiue themselues , that ●…the euill of sinne , to be only in the ●…ng & to goe no further ; wheras in●… offence hath a certen blot going with it , that corrupteth the heart , and causeth man to delight and lie in his offence , which lying in sinne is a greater cause of damnatiō , then the very sin it selfe . this therfore must admonish vs , to take heed least we continue in any sinne , and if it fall out , that through infirmitie we be ouertaken by any tentation , we must labour to rise again , and turne from our sinne to god , by new and speedy repentance . sect. . thus much of sinne it selfe . now follow the differences thereof , which are manifold . the first sort are to be gathered from the causes and beginnings of sinne in man , which are threefold , reason , will , and affection . the differēces of sinne in respect of reason are these , first , some are sinnes of knowledge , some of ignorance . a sinne of knowledge is , when a man offends against his knowledge , doing euill when he knoweth it to be euill : and this is greater then a sinne of ignorance , for he that knoweth his masters will , and doth it not , shall be beaten with many stripes . a sinne of ignorance is , when a man doth euill , not knowing it to be euill . thus paul was a blasphemer , an oppressour , and persecuted the church of christ ignorantly , and in a blinde zeale , not knowing that which hee did to be euill . nowe by ignorance here i meane , an ignorance of those things which ought to be knowne ; and this is twofold : simple , or affected . simple ignorance is , when a man after diligence and good paines taking , still remaines ignorant : this ignorance will not excuse any man , if it be of such things as he is bound to know : for it is said , he that doth not his masters will , by reason he knew it not , shall be beaten with stripes , though fewer . and in this regard , euen the heathen which knew not god , are inexcusable , because they were bound to haue known him . for adam had the perfect knowledge of god imprinted in his nature , and lost the same through his owne default , for himselfe and his posteritie . and it is the commandement of god , whereunto euery man is boūd to performe obedience , that man should know him , that is , his will and word . but some may say then , how can any man be saued , seeing euery man is ignorāt of many things which he ought to know ? an. if we know the groūds of religion , & be careful to obey god according to our knowledge , hauing withall a care and desire , to increase in the knowledge of god and his will , god will hold vs excused : for our desire and indeauour to obey , is accepted for obedience it selfe . and the greater this simple ignorāce is , the lesser is the sinne . for hereupon it was , that peter lessened , and ( in some sort ) excused the sinne of the iewes , in crucifying christ , because they did it through ignorance : and so doth paul his sinne in persecuting the church , when he alleadgeth , that it was done ignorantly in vnbeleefe . but howsoeuer this sinne by such meanes may be lessened , yet remaines it still a sinne worthie condemnation . affected ignorance is , when a man takes delight in his ignorance , and will of purpose be ignorant : not vsing , but contemning the meanes , wherby to get and increase knowledge : and that carelessely and negligently , because he will not leaue sinne which he loueth , nor forsake the euill trade of life , wherin he delighteth . this is the sinne of those , whereof iob speaketh , who say vnto god , depart from vs : for we desire not the knowledge of thy waies . and of whome dauid complaineth , that they flatter themselues in their owne eyes , and haue left off to vnderstand , and to doe good . this ignorance is damnable and deuilish : it excuseth no man , but doth rather aggrauate and increase his sinne : yea it is the mother of many grieuous enormities . againe , ignorance is twofold : of the a law , or of the thing the law requireth . ignorance of the law is , when a man knowes not the law of god writtē , nor the law of nature . this ignorance may somewhat lessen the sinne , but it excuseth no man : because it is naturall , and euery man is bound to know the law. ignorance of the thing the law requireth , is the ignorance of the b fact : and that is either with the fault of the doer , or without the fault . faultie ignorāce , is the ignorance of a fact , which he might haue preuēted . as whē a mā in his drunkēnes killeth another : in this fact , not knowing what de doth , he also knoweth not that he hath offended : & yet because he might haue preuented his drunkennes , therfore he is faultie , and sinneth . faultlesse ignorance is , when a fact is done , which could not be either knowne , or auoided before hand . for example : if a man be ●opping a tree , and his axe head fall from the helve , out of his hand , and kills another passing by ; here is indeede manslaughter , but no voluntarie murther : because it was a thing that could not be auoided , and did not fall out through his default . and this ignorance is excusable . the second fountaine of sinne , is the will , from whence arise these three differences of sinnes : some are from the will immediately , some besides the will , and some are mixt , partly with the will , and partly against the will. sinnes proceeding from the will , are properly tearmed voluntarie ; such as the doer mooued by his own wil commits , though he know them to be euill . and here , the more free the wil is , the greater is the sinne : for wil added to knowledge , makes the sinne the greater . vnder voluntarie sinnes , are comprehended all such , as proceede from stirred affections ; as when a man tells a lie for feare , or striketh another in anger : and the reason is because these offences , though they are not done vpon deliberation , but arise from the violence of affection , yet they doe not exclude consent . hither also we may referre , sinnes committed by compulsion : as when a man is forced to denie his religion , his offence in deede and in truth is voluntarie , ( though some otherwise think it to be a mixt action ) for compulsion doth not reach to the will , but to the outward man , and serues to draw forth a consent : and and when consent is yeelded , he denies his religion voluntarily : for the will cannot be constrained . in the next place , sinnes beside the will are such , as are neither directly from the wil , nor against it . of this sort are the first sudden motions vnto sinne , conceiued in the heart with some inward pleasure and delight : and these are truly sinnes , though in respect little sinnes , condemned in the last commandement . and they are not from the will , because they goe without and before consent : neither yet are they against the will , because then the heart would not take delight in them . here by the way , we are to note , against the doctrine of the papists , that all sinnes are not voluntarie : for whatsoeuer wanteth conformitie to the law of god , is sinne , whether it be with consent of will or no. but many such desires and delights , arise suddenly in the heart of man , which are not according to the law of god , and haue no consent or approbation of will. in like manner , whē one man kils another , thinking that he killeth a wild beast : if the same man remembreth afterwards what he hath done , and is not grieued for the fact : in this case he hath sinned , because his not grieuing , is offensiue vnto god , though the fact were meerely besides his will. mixt sinnes are partly from the will , partly against it . of this sort are the workes of the man regenerate , which are done partly with his will , and partly against his will beeing partly good , and partly euill . the reason hereof is this . there are in man after regeneration , two contrarie grounds or beginnings of actions : to wit , naturall corruption , or the inclination of the minde , wil , and affections , to that which is against the law , called the flesh ; and a created qualitie of holines , wrought in the said faculties by the holy ghost , tearmed the spirit . and these two are not seuered , but ioyned and mingled together , in all the faculties and powers of the soule . now betweene these , there is a continuall combate , corruption fighting against grace , & grace against corruptiō . hence it is , that there beeing euen in one & the same wil trarie inclinatiōs , there must necessarily flow from the man regenerate , contrary actions ; the flesh in euery action , willing that which is euill , and the spirit on the otherside , that which is good . this paul confessed and acknowledged , vpon his owne experience , after his conuersion , when he said , to will is present with me , but i find no meanes [ perfectly to do ] that which is good . again , i delight in the law of god , concerning the inner man , but i see an other law in my members , rebelling against the law of my minde , and leading me captiue to the law of sinne , which is in my members . the third ground or fountaine of sinne in man , is affection , from whence doe proceede two kinds , namely , sinnes of infirmitie , and sinnes of presumption . sinnes of infirmitie are such , as proceede from the sudden passions of the minde , and the strong affectiōs of the heart : as from hatred , griefe , anger , sorrow , & such like . these sinnes are commonly thought to be in all men : but the truth is , they are properly incident to the regenerate . for infirmitie cannot be said properly to be in them , in whome sin hath firmitie or strength , and where there is no power of grace at all . againe , the man that is regenerate , sinneth not neither when he would , because he is restrained by the grace of god that is in him : nor in what manner he would , partly because he sinneth not with al his heart , the strength of his flesh beeing abated by the spirit ; and partly , for that beeing fallen , he lies not still , but recouers himselfe by speedy repentance . an euident argument , that the sinnes whereinto he falleth , are not presumptuous , but are ordinarily of weaknes and infirmitie . sinnes of présumptiō are such , as proceed from pride , arrogancy , wilfulnes , and hautines of mans heart . against these dauid praieth , saying , let not presumptuous sinnes haue dominion ouer me . and of them there be three degrees . the first is : when a man wilfully goeth on in his sinnes , vpon an erronious perswasion of gods mercie , and of his owne future repentance ; this is the sinne of most men . the second is , when a man sinneth wilfully , in contempt of the law of god : this is called by moses , a sinne with a high hand , & the punnishment thereof was , by present death to be cut off from among the people . the third , when a man sinneth , not onely wilfully and contemptuouslly , but of malice & spight against god himselfe , and christ iesus . and by this we may conceiue what is the sin against the holy ghost : which is not euery sinne of presumption , or against knowledge and conscience : but such a kind of presumptuous offence , in which true religion is renounced : and that of set purpose and resolued malice , against the very maiestie of god himselfe and christ. heb. . . sect. . now follow other differences of sinne in regard of the obiect thereof , which is the law. in respect of of the law , sin is two fold : either of commissiō or of omission . i say , in respect of the law , because god hath reuealed in his law two sorts of precepts : the one wherein some good thing is commanded to be done , as to loue god with all our hearts , and our neighbour as our selues : the other wherin some euill is forbidden to be done , as the making of a grauen image , the taking the name of god in vaine , &c. now a sinne of cōmission is , when a man doth any thing , that is flatly forbidden in the law and word of god : as when one man kills another contrarie to the law , which saith , thou shalt not kill . a sinne of omission is , when a man leaueth vnperformed , some dutie which the law requireth : as for example , the preseruing of his neighbours life , or good estate , when it lieth in his power so to doe . these also are truly sinnes , and by them as well as by the other , men shall be tried in the last iudgement . sinnes of omission haue three degrees . first , when a man doth nothing at all , but omits the dutie commanded , both in whole and in part ; as when hauing opportunitie & abilitie , he doth not mooue so much as one finger , for the sauing of his neighbours life . secondly , when a man performes the dutie inioyned , but failes both in the manner & measure therof . thus the heathen failed in doing good workes , in that the things which they did , for substance and matter were good and commendable , beeing done vpon ciuill and honest respects , and referred to the cōmon good ; yet in truth their actions were no better then sinnes of omission , in as much as they issued from corrupted fountaines , hearts voide of faith : and aimed not at the maine end , and scope of all humane actions , the honour and glorie of god. thirdly , when a man doth things in a right manner , but faileth in the measure thereof . and thus the children of god doe sinne , in al the duties of the lawe . for they doe the good things the law commādeth , in louing god & their neighbour : but they cannot attaine to that measure of loue , which the lawe requireth . and thus the best men liuing , doe sinne in euery good worke they doe , so as if god should enter into iudgement , deale with thē in the rigour of his iustice , & examine them by the strict rule of the lawe , he might iustly condemne them , euen for their best actions . and in this regard , when we pray daily for the pardon of our sinnes , the best workes we doe , must come in the number of them : because we faile , if not in substance & manner , yet at the least in the measure of goodnesse , that ought to bee in the doing of them . we must also haue care to repent vs , euen of these our sins of omission , as well as of the other of commission : because by leauing vndone our dutie , we doe oftner offend , then by sinnes committed : and the least omission is enough to condemne vs , if it should be exacted at our hands . sect. . the next difference of sinnes may be this . some are crying sinnes , some are sinnes of toleration . crying sinnes i call those , which are so hainous , & in their kind so grieuous , that they hasten gods iudgements , and cal downe for speedie vengeance vpon the sinner . of this kind there are sundry examples in the scriptures , principally foure . first , cains sinne in murthering his innocent brother abell ; whereof it was saide , the voice of thy brothers blood crieth vnto me from the earth . the next is , the sinne of sodome and gomorrha , which was pride , fulnes of bread , abundance of idlenesse : vnmerciful dealing with the poore , and all manner of vncleannesse , ezech. . & of this , the lord said , that the crie of sodome and gomorrha wa● great , and their sinnes exceeding grieuous . the third , is the sinne of oppression , indured by the israelites in egypt , at the hand of pharao , and his task-masters . the fourth , is mercilesse iniustice in wrongfull withholding , and detaining the labourers hire . now they are called crying sinnes , for these causes . first , because they are now come to their full measure and height ; beyond which god will not suffer them to passe , without due punishment . againe , the lord takes more notice , and inquires further into them , then into others , by reason that they exceede , and are most eminent where they be committed . thirdly , they call for present helpe to the afflicted and wronged , and consequently , for speedie exequution of vengeance , vpon the authors and committers of them . and lastly , because god is wont to giue ●are vnto the cryes of those , that endure so heauie measure at the hands of others , and accordingly to helpe them , and reward the other with deserued punishment . next vnto these are sinnes of toleration , lesser then the former : which though in thēselues they deserue death , yet god in his mercie shewes his patience & long sufferāce , vpon the committers thereof , either deferring the temporal punishment , or pardoning both temporall and eternall to his elect. such a sinne was the ignorance of the gentiles before christs comming : which god deferred to punish , and ( as we say ) o winked at it . more especially , there be three sorts of sinnes of toleratiō : the first is originall sin , or concupiscence , in the regenerate after regeneration , and the fruits thereof : for it is not quite abolished by regeneration , but remaines more or lesse molesting & tempting a man till death . and yet if we carrie a constant purpose not to sinne , and indeauour our selues to resist all tentations : this concupiscence of ours , shall not be imputed vnto vs , nor we condemned for it . and to this purpose the holy apostle saith , there is no condemnation to them that are in christ. yet saith he not , there is nothing worthie condemnation in them : for originall sinne remaines till death , truly deseruing damnation , though it be not imputed . the second kind of sinnes of toleration are secret , vnknowne , and hidden sinnes in the regenerate . for who can tell how of● he offendeth ? saith dauid . when a man that is the child of god , shall examine his heart , and humble himselfe euen for all his particular sinnes , which he knoweth by himselfe : there shall yet remaine some vnknowne sinnes , of which he cannot haue a particular repentance : and yet they are not imputed , when there is repētance for knowne sinnes . as for example , dauid repents of his murther & adulterie , and yet afterwards ( erring in iudgement , by reason of the corruption of the times , ) he liued to his death in the sinne of polygamie , without any particular repentance , that we heare of . in like manner did the patriarkes , who may not altogether be excused : yet they were not cōdemned therof : neither were they saued without repentance for this sinne , but god in mercie accepted a generall repētance for the same . and the like is the case of all the elect , in regard of their secret & hidden faults : for vnles god should accept of a general repentance for vnknown sinns , few or none at all should be saued . and herein doth the endles mercy of god notably appeare , that he vouchsafeth to accept of our repētance whē we repent , though not in particular as we ought to doe . neuertheles , this must not incorage , or imbolden any man to liue in his sinnes , without turning vnto god. for vnlesse we repent in particular , of all the sin● we know , not only our knowne offences , but euen our secret sinnes shall cōdemne vs. many sinnes are committed by men , which afterwards in processe of time are quite forgotten . others are cōmitted , which notwithstāding are not knowne , whether they be sins or no. and in doing the best duties we can , we offend often , & yet when we offend , we perceiue it not : & all these in the regenerate , through the mercy of god , are sinnes of toleratiō , in respect of particular repentance . the third kind of sinnes of toleration , are certaine particular facts of men not approved of in scripture , and yet remitted in respect of punishment . such was the fact of zipporah , in circumcising her child , in presence of her husband , he beeing able to haue done it himselfe , and shee hauing no calling , to doe that which she did . for though the hand of god was against him , yet was he not sick , ( as some would excuse the matter ) neither is there any such thing in the text : but it is rather to be thought , that she her selfe circumcised her sonne in hast , to preuent her husband : for the deede was done in some indignation , and shee cast the foreskin at his feete . and yet because this fact was some manner of obedience in that the thing was done which god required , ( though not in the māner that he required ) god accepted the same , & staied his hand frō killing moses . thus god accepted of ahabs humility , thogh it were in hypocrisie , because it was a shew of obedience : and for that deferred a temporall punishmēt , til the daies of his posteritie . god sent lyons to destroy the assyrians , that dwelt in samaria , for their idolatrie : yet so soon● as they had learned to feare the lord after the māner of the god of israel , though they mingled the same with their own idolatric , god for that halfe obedience , suffered thē to dwel in peace . sect. . the sixt distinction of sinnes may be this . some are sinnes against god , some against men . this distinction is grounded vpon a place in samuel : if one man sinne against another , the iudge shall iudge it : but if a man sinne against the lord , who shall plead for him ? sinnes against god are such as are directly and immediately committed against the maiestie of god. such are atheisme , idolatrie , blasphemie , periurie , profanation of the sabboth , & all the breaches of the first table . sinnes against men , are iniuries , hurts , losses , and damages ; whereby our neighbour is in his dignitie , life , chastitie , wealth , good name , or any other way iustly offended , or by vs hindred . and such actions must be considered two waies . first , as they are iniuries and hurts done vnto our neighbour : and fecondly , as they are anomies , or breaches of gods law , forbidding vs to doe them : and in this second respect they are called sinnes , because sinne is properly against god : and therefore by sinnes against man , we are to vnderstand , iniuries , losses , or damages done vnto them . in this sense , must that place in matthew be expounded : if thy brother sinne against thee , &c. sect. . the seauenth difference of sinnes , is noted by s. paul , where he saith , euery sinne that a man doth , is without the bodie : but he that commits fornication , sinneth against his owne bodie . in which place it is implyed that some sinnes are without the bodie , & some against mans owne bodie . sinnes without the bodie , are such sinnes as a man committeth , his bodie beeing the instrument of the sinne , but not the thing abused . such are murther , theft , & drunkennesse : for in the committing of these sinnes , the bodie is but a helper , and onely a remote instrumentall cause , and the thing abused is without the bodie . for example : in drunkennes , the thing abused by the drunkard , is wine or strong drinke : in theft , another mans goods : in murther , the instrument whereby the fact is committed . the bodie indeede conferres his helpe to these things , but the iniurie is directed to the creatures of god , to the bodie and goods of our neighbour . and such are all sinnes , adulterie onely excepted . sinnes against the bodie , are those in which it selfe , is not onely the instrument , but the thing abused also . such a sinne is adulterie onely , and those that are of that kind , properly against the bodie : first , because the bodie of the sinner , is both a furthering cause of the sinne , and also that thing which he abuseth against his owne selfe . secondly , by this offence , he doth not onely hinder , but loose the right , power , and propertie of his bodie , in that be makes it the member of an harlot . and lastly , though other sinnes in their kind , doe bring a shame and dishonour vpon the bodie , yet there is none that sitteth so nigh , or leaueth a blot so deepely imprinted in it , as doth the sinne of vncleannes . sect. . the eight distinction of sinnes is grounded vpon pauls exhortation to timothie : communicate not with other mens sinnes . sinnes are either other mens sinnes , or communicatiō with other mens sins . this distinction is the rather to be knowne and remembred , because it serues to extenuate or aggrauate sins committed . communication with sinne is done sundry waies . first , by counsell : thus ca●phas sinned when he gaue counsel to put christ to death . secondly , by commandement : so dauid sinned in the murther of vrias . thirdly , by consent , or assistance , rom. . . thus saul sinned in keeping the garments of them that ●●oned steuen , act. . . & . . fourthly , by prouocation : thus they sinne that prouok● others to sinne , and hereof paul speaketh when he saith , fathers must not prouoke their children to wrath , eph. . . fiftly , by negligence , or silence . this is the sinne of the minister , when men are called to reprooue sinne and doe not . sixtly , by flatterie , when men sooth vp others in sinne . seauenthly , by winking at sinnes , or passing them ouer by slight reproofe , eph. . . thus eli sinned in rebuking his sonnes , and thereby brought a temporall iudgement vpon himselfe , and his familie , . sam. . chap. and . eightly , by participation , eph. . . & thus they doe sinne , that are receiuers of the eues . ninthely , by defending another man in his sinne : for he that iustifieth the wicked , and condemneth the iust , euen they both are an abomination to the lord. sect. . the ninth distinction followeth . some mens sinnes ( saith paul ) are open before hand , some follow after . which place by some is expounded thus : some mens sinnes are kept secret , till the last iudgement , and some are reuealed in this life , before that day . this i thinke is a truth , but not the meaning of the text . for in the . verse the apostle spake of ordination , giuing charge to timothie , that he should not suddenly admit any into ecclesiasticall offices , least he did partake with their sinnes . now in this . verse , ●…e rendereth a reason thereof , saying , some mens sinnes are open before hand : that i● , some mens faults and wants are knowne , before their ordination to ecclesiasticall offices , and of such the church may know what to iudge and say . but some againe follow after , that is , they are not reuealed till after their ordination : & thus iudas his wickednes did not appeare at the first , but was reuealed after he was called to be an apostle . and thus we see , what be the differences of sinnes : touching all which , this must be held & remembred for a ground , that euery sinne , in what degree soeuer it be , is mortall of it selfe : and no sinne is veniall in it owne nature . for the wages of euery sinne is death . and , cursed is euery one , that continueth not in all things , that are written in the booke of the law , to doe them . gal. . . this ground must be holdē against the church of rome : who in her case-diuinitie , vseth to pacifie the conscience , by teaching men , that sundry sinnes are veniall . sect. . now though euery sinne of it selfe be mortall , yet all are not equally mortall : but some more , some lesse . for the better vnderstanding whereof , it is to be remembred , that in sinne there be sundrie steppes & degrees , whereby one and the same sinne , may be lessened or increased , and so become more or lesse hainous before god. if it be asked , how can this be ? i answer , that sinne may admit aggrauation , or extenuation , sundrie waies . first , by the circumstances , which are principally seauen . the first , is the subiect , or person sinning . for example : the sinne of a publike person , is more hainous , yea more mortall , then the sinne of a priuate man , because he is in eminent place , and his actions are more exemplarie and scandalous , then the actions of inferiour men . the seruant , that knowes his masters will , if he doth it not , is the greater sinner , and shall endure a greater punishment , then he that neglects the same vpon simple ignorance , matth. . . the minister and dispenser of the word , if he be vnfaithfull and vnprofitable , his offence , and consequently his punishment , is farre greater then other mens , matth. . . the second is , the obiect or partie which is offended . in this respect it was that the iewes did more hainously sinne in crucifying christ the sonne of god , the lord of glorie , then did their fathers which persequuted and killed the prophets . againe , the word of god teacheth that the iniurie that is don● vnto those whome god tenderly loueth , is farre more displeasing vnto him , then if it were done to others . he that toucheth you ( saies the prophet , meaning the iewes his chosen and beloued people ) toucheth the apple of his eye , zach. . . the man that deuiseth mischiefe against his harmelesse brother that dwelleth peaceably by him , committeth a sinne most odious vnto god and man , prov. . . psal. . . he that is called and conuerted vnto god and christ , and maketh not honest prouision for his owne , which are of his familie , is so notorious an offender , that s. paul holds him a de●ier of the faith , and worse then an insidel , . tim. . . the person that shall ralle vpon the iudge , or speake euill of the ruler of his people , is a greater transgressour of gods commandement , then he that reuileth , or abuseth an ordinarie man , exod. . . the third is , the thing done in which the offence is cōmitted . thus , to falsifie the word of god , and to prophane his worship and seruice , is much more abominable in his sight , then is the falsifying of the word of a man , or the abuse of humane lawes and ordinances . thus againe , the hurting and indamaging of the person and life of our neighbour , is a more odious offence , then is the diminishing of his goods and outward estate : and the hurt that redoundeth by our default vnto his soule , is more offensiue euery way , then the wrong that is offered vnto his bodie . the fourth , is the place where it is done . according to this circumstance , if a man shall either speake or doe any thing , that comes vnder the name of a breach of pietie or iustice , in publike place , as in the congregation , in open court , or generall assemblie , and that with publike and generall scandall : he is a greater offendour , then if he spake or did the same at home , in his house or closet . the fift is the end. in regard hereof , he that stealeth from another , that whereby he may satisfie his hunger , and saue his life , beeing driuen to extreame necessitie : offendeth in a lower and lesser degree , then the theefe that robbeth by the high way side , for this ende , to enrich himselfe by the losses of other men . the sixt is the manner how ? thus he that committeh vncleannesse in the outward act , doeth more grieuously sinne , and with greater scandall , then if he onely entertained an vncleane thought into his heart . and he that sinneth of set purpose and presumption , or of obstinate and resolued malice against god , hath proceeded vnto a higher degree of iniquitie , then if he had fallen vpon ignorance , infirmity , or disordered and distempered affection . in like manner , the sinne of the iewes , in forcing . pilate by their threatning tearmes ( as that he was an enemie to caesar , &c. ) to the vniust condemnation of christ iesus , was an higher degree , then the sinne of pilate himselfe , who yelding vnto their import●●nitie , pronounced sentence against him , ioh. . . the last is the time , which also serues to aggrauate the sinne . for ordinarie disobedience in the time of grace , and wilfull neglect of gods calling , in the aboundance of meanes , is a great deale more damnable , then the commission of sin , in the daies of ignorance and blindnesse , when the like meanes are wanting . the second way to aggrauate sinne , is by addition of sin to sin : and that is done sundry waies : first , by committing one sinne in the necke of an other ; as dauid sinned , when he added murther to adulterie . secondly , by doubling and multiplying of sinne , that is , by falling often into the same sinne . thirdly , by lying in sinne without repentance . and here it must be remembred , that men of yeares liuing in the church , are not simply condemned for their particular sinnes ; but for their continuance and residence in them . sinnes committed make men worthie of damnation ; but liuing and abiding in them without repentance , is the thing that brings damnation . for as in the militant church , men are excommunicate , not so much for their offence , as for their obstinacie ; so shall it be in the church triumphant ; the kingdom of heauen shall be barred against men , not so much for their sinne committed , as for their lying therin without repentance . and this is the manner of gods dealing with those that haue liued within the precincts of the church ; they shall be condemned for the very want of true faith and repentance . this should admonish euery one of vs , to take heed , least we lie in any sin : and that being any way ouertaken , we should speedily repent , least we aggrauate our sinne by continuance therein , and so bring vpon our selues swift damnation . thirdly , the same sinne is made greater or lesser foure waies ! according to the number of degrees in the committing of a sinne , noted by s. iames , temptation , conception , birth , and perfection . actual sinne in the first degree of tentation , is when the minde vpon some sudden motion , is drawne away to thinke euill , and withall is tickled with some delight thereof . for a bad motion cast into the mind , by the flesh and the deuill , is like vnto the baite cast into the water , that allureth and delighteth the fish , and causeth it to bite . sin in conception , is when with the delight of the minde , there goes consent of will to doe the euill thought on . sinne in birth , is when it comes forth into an action or execution . sin in perfection , is when men are growne to a custome and habit in sin , vpon long practise . for the often committing of one and the same sinne , leaues an euill impression in the heart , that is , a strong or violent inclination , to that or any other euill , as hath bin taught before . and sinne thus made perfect , brings forth death : for custome in sinning brings hardnes of heart : hardnes of heart , impenitencie : and impenitencie , condemnation . now of these degrees , the first is the least , & the last is the greatest . one and the same sin , is lesser in tentation , then in conception : & lesse in conception , then in birth : and greater in perfection , then in all the former . sect. . now from this doctrine of the increasing and lessening of sin in these respects , we may gather , that all sins are not alike or equall , as the stoicks of auncient times , and their followers haue falsely imagined . for it hath bin prooued at large , by induction of sundrie particulars , that there are degrees of sinnes , some lesser , som greater : some more offensiue and odious to god & man , some lesse . and ●hat the circumstances of time , place , person , and manner of doing , doe serue to enlarge or extenuate the sinne commited . if it be here alleadged , that sin is nothing but the doing of that , which is vnlawfull to be done , and that this is equall in all men that sinne : and therfore by consequent , offences are equall . i answer , that in euery sin , mē must not consider the vnlawfulnes thereof onely , but the reason why it should be vnlawfull : and that is properly , because it is a breach of gods law , and repugnant to his will reuealed in his word . nowe there is no breach of a diuine law , but it is more or lesse repugnant vnto the will of the lawgiuer , god himselfe . and many transgressions , are more repugnāt thereunto then fewer : for the more sin is increased , the more is the wrath of god in●lamed against the sinner vpon his due desert . if it be said againe , that the nature of sin stands onely in this , that the sinner makes an aberration from the scope or marke that is set before him , and doth no more then passe the bondes of dutie prescribed by god , and that all are alike in this respect ; the answer is , that it is a falshood to affirme , that he which makes the lesse aberration from the dutie commanded , is equall in offence to him that makes the greater . for the same sin for substance , hath sundrie steps and degrees , in respect whereof , one man becommeth a more heinous offender then another . for example , in the seauenth commandemēt when god forbiddes the committing of adultery , he forbiddeth three degrees of the same sinne ; to wit , adulterie of the heart , consisting of inordinate and vncleane affections ; adulterie of the tongue in corrupt , dishonest , and vnseemely speeches ; and the very act of vncleannesse and filthinesse committed by the bodie . now it cannot be said , that he which breakes this commandement onely in the first degree , is as great a transgressour , as he that hath proceeded to the second , and so to the third . and therefore it remaines for an vndoubted truth , that sinnes committed against the law of god are not equall , but some lesser , some greater . sundrie other distinctions there are of sinnes ; as namely , that the main sinnes of the first table , are greater then the maine sins of the second table . and yet the maine sinnes of the second , are greater then the breach of ceremoniall duties , against the first table . but this which hath beene said shall suffice . the vse of this doctrine is manifold . first , by it we learne , what the heart of man is by nature : namely , a corrupt and vncleane fountaine , out of which issueth in the course of this life , the streames of corruptions infinite in number , noysome in qualities , hainous in degrees , dāgerous in effects . for from thence doe flow , all the differences of sinnes before named , with their seuerall branches , and infinite many more , that cannot be rehearsed . this must mooue vs humbly to sue vnto god , & earnestly to entreat him , to wash vs throughly from our wickednes , & clense vs from our sinnes : yea to purge and to rinse the fountaine thereof , our vncleane and polluted hearts . and when by gods mercie in christ , apprehended by faith , our hearts shall be purified , thē to set watch & ward ouer them , and to keep them with all diligence . secondly it teacheth vs , that miserable mortal man , is not guiltie of one or more sinnes , but of many & sundrie corruptions , both of heart and life . who can vnderstand his faults ? saith dauid . now the alowance of sinne beeing death by gods ordināce , & god being iustice it selfe : answerably to the number of our offences , must we needes be lyable to many punishments , yea to death it selfe , both of the bodie and of the soule . this beeing our wofull estate , little cause is there , that any man should thinke himselfe to be in good case , or presume of gods mercie in regard of the small number of his sinnes . and much lesse cause hath he , falsly to imagine with the popish sort , that he can merit the fauour of god by any worke done by him , aboue that which the law requireth ; considering that it is impossible for him to know either the number , or the nature , or the measure of his sinnes . lastly , the consideration of this point , must be a barre to keepe vs in , that we be not too secure or presumptuous of our owne estate : for as much as we learne out of the word of god , that in respect of the multitude of our corruptions , this our life is full of much euill , and many difficulties , that wee haue whole armies of enemies to encounter with all , not onely out of vs in the world abroad , but within vs , lurking euen in our owne flesh . and vpon this consideration , that we should be at cōtinuall defiance with them , vsing all holy meanes to get the victorie ouer them , by the daily exercises of inuocation and repentance , and by a continuall practise of new obedience , vnto all the lawes and commandements of god , according to the measure of grace receiued . and so much of the third ground . chap. iii. of the subiection and power of conscience . the fourth and last ground , is touching the subiection and power of conscience . wherein we are to remember two things : what conscience is ; and what is the naturall condition of it in every man. for the first ; the name of conscience will giue light to the thing it selfe . for it signifieth a knowledge ioyned with a knowledge ; and it is so tearmed in two respects . first , because when a man knowes or thinks any thing , by meanes of conscience , he knows what he knowes & thinks . secondly , because by it , man knowes that thing of himselfe , which god also knowes of him . man hath two witnesses of his thoughtes , god , and his owne conscience ; god is the first and chiefest ; and conscience is the second subordinate vnto god , bearing witnes vnto god either with the man or against him . therefore it is nothing els but a part of the vnderstanding , whereby a man knowes what he thinkes , what he wills and desires , as also in what manner he knoweth , thinketh , or willeth , either good or euill . wherevnto this must be added , that as consciēce knowes our thoughts , wils , & actions , so it testifies thereof vnto god , either with vs , or against vs. in the second place , the naturall condition or propertie of euery mans conscience is this ; that in regard of authoritie and power , it is placed in the middle betweene man and god , so as it is vnder god and yet aboue man. and this naturall condition hath two parts : the first is the subiection of conscience to god and his word . concerning which subiection we haue this rule : that god alone by his word doth onely bind the conscience , by causing it in euerie action either to excuse for well doeing , or accuse for sinne . and this god doth properly . for first , he is the onely lord of the conscience , which created it , and gouernes it . . againe , he is the only law-giuer , that hath power to saue or destroy the soule , for the keeping & breaking of his lawes , iam. . . . and further , mans conscience is knowne to none , besides himselfe , but to god : what man knoweth the things of a man , saue the spirit of a man which is in him ? . cor. . . and it is god onely that giues liberty to the conscience , in regard of his owne lawes . vpon this it followeth , that no mans commandement or law can of it selfe , and by it owne soueraigne power bind conscience , but doth it onely by the authoritie and vertue of the written word of god , or some part thereof . and therefore if it be alleadged , that subiection is due to the magistrate for conscience sake , rom. . . the answer is at hand ; that subiection is indeede to be performed to ciuill authoritie ordained by god , and obediēce also to the lawes of the magistrate for feare of wrath , and for auoiding of punishment , but not for conscience of the said authoritie or lawes properly and directly , but for conscience of gods commandemēt , which appointeth both magistracie , and the authoritie thereof . this is it that bindes the conscience immediatly ; that by vertue of a superiour law , whereby it standeth in force , namely the law of god. the second part of the naturall condition of conscience , is the power which it hath ouer man to accuse or excuse him in respect of things done . and this is plaine by saint pauls conclusion , whatsoeuer is not of faith , that is , whatsoeuer man doth , whereof he is not certenly perswaded in judgement and conscience , out of gods word , that the thing may be done , it is sinne . more plainely : a thing may be said , not to be done of faith three waies . first , whē it is done with doubting , and vnresolued conscience , as in those that are weake in knowledge . of which sort were some in the primitiue church , who notwithstanding they heard of the doctrine of christian libertie , yet they were of opinion , that after christs ascension , there was a difference to be made of meates , and thereupon thought , they might not eate of some kind of meats . suppose now , that these persons ( by accident ) should haue been drawne to eate swines flesh , which themselues had holden a thing forbidden . these men vpon this very fact had sinned , because that which they did , was vpon an vnresolued conscience . so saith the apostle , rom. . . he that doubteth , is condemned , if he eate , because he eateth not of faith . secondly , when a thing is done vpon an erronious conscience , it is not of faith , and therefore it is a sinne . thus the masse-priest sinneth in saying masse , though he thinke in his conscience , the thing he doth , is the ordinance of god. and thus heretikes doe die heretikes , though when they die , they be fully perswaded there opinions be the truth . againe in the same manner ; put the case a man should be of opinion , that fornication , or theft , were things arbitrarie and indifferent , and hereupon his conscience should tel him he might take opportunitie , and commit either of these sinnes ; whether is this action in the partie thus perswaded , a sinne or no ? i answer , the case is plaine , that the fact is done vpon an erronious conscience , and therefore must be a sinne in the doer . for the error of the iudgement cannot take away the nature of that which is simply euill . sinne is sinne , and so remaineth notwithstanding any contrarie perswasion of the consciēce . the reason is , because though the conscience erreth and is misinformed , yet it bindeth so farre forth , as that if a man iudge a thing to be euill , either simply or in some respect , ( though falsely ) and yet afterward doth it , he hath sinned and offended the maiestie of god , as much as in him lieth . thirdly , when a thing as done with a repugning or gainsaying conscience , though vpon error and false iudgement of the conscience , it is in the doer a sinne . thus an anabaptist , that holdeth it vnlawfull to sweare , sinneth if he take an oath ; not in swearing simply , for that is gods ordinance , but because he sweares against the perswasion of his conscience . chap. iiii. of the distinction of cases . thus much touching the preambles , or grounds of this doctrine . now it remaineth that we come to the questions of conscience . these questions may be fitly deuided , according to the matter or subiect of them , which is man. now as man is considered diuers waies , that is to say , either a part ●y himselfe ; or as he stands in relation to an other , and is a member of a societie : so the questions of conscience are to be distinguished ; some concerning man simply considered by himselfe : some againe , as he stands in relation to an other . man standeth in a twofold relation : to god , or to man. as he stands in relation to god , he beares the name of a christian , that is , a member of christ , or a sonne of god , whose dutie is to know and to worship god according to his will reuealed in his word . as he stands in relation to man , he is a part of a bodie , and a member of some societie . now the questions that concerne him , as a member of a societie , are of three sorts , according to three distinct kinds of societies . for euery man is either a member of a familie , or of the church , or of the common-wealth . and answerably , some questions concerne mā as a member of a familie : some as he is a member of the church : some as he is a member of the commonwealth . in a word therefore , all questions touching man , may be reduced to three generall heads . the first whereof is , concerning man simply considered as he is a man. the second , touching man as he stands in relation to god. the third , concerning man as he is a member of one of the three societies , that is , either of the familie , or of the church , or of the commonwealth . qvestions of the first sort , concerning man simply considered in himselfe as he is a man , are especially three . the first , what a man must doe , that he may come into the fauour of god , and be saued ? the second , how he may be assured in conscience of his owne saluation ? the third , how he may recouer himselfe , when he is distressed or fallen ? of these in order . chap. v. of the first maine question touching man. i. question . what must a man doe , that he may come into gods fauor , and be saued ? for answer to this question , some groundes must be laid downe before-hand . the first is this ; that we must consider and remember , how and by what meanes , god brings any man to saluation . for looke how god saueth others ; so he that would know how to be saued , must vse the meanes whereby god saueth them . sect. . in the working and effecting of mans saluation , ordinarily there are two special actions of god : the giuing of the first grace , and after that , the giuing of the second . the former of these two works , hath x. seuerall actions . i. god giues man the outward meanes of saluation , specially the ministerie of the word : and with it , he sends some outward or inward crosse , to breake and sub due the stubbornnesse of our nature , that it may be made plyable to the will of god. this we may see in the example of the iaylour , act. . and of the iewes that were conuerted at peters sermon , act. . ii. this done , god brings the minde of man to a consideration of the law , and therein generally to see what is good , and what is euill , what is sinne , and what is not sinne . iii. vpon a serious consideration of the law , he makes a man particularly to see and know , his owne peculiar and proper sinnes , whereby he offends god. iv. vpon the sight of sinne , he smites the heart with a legall feare , whereby when man seeth his sinnes , he makes him to feare punishment and hell , and to despaire of saluation , in regard of any thing in himselfe . now these foure actions , are indeede no fruits of grace , for a reprobate may goe thus farre ; but they are onely workes of preparation going before grace ; the other actions which follow , are effects of grace . v. the fifth action of grace therefore is , to stirre vp the minde to a serious consideration , of the promise of saluation propounded and published in the gospel . vi. after this , the sixt is , to kindle in the heart , some seedes or sparks of faith , that is , a will and desire to beleeue , and grace to striue against doubting & dispaire . now at the same instant , when god beginnes to kindle in the heart , any sparkes of faith , then also he iustifies the sinner , and withall begins the worke of sanctification . vii . then , so soone as faith is put into the heart , there is presently a combat : for it fighteth with doubting , dispaire , and distrust . and in this combate , faith shews it selfe , by feruent , cōstant , & earnest inuocatiō for pardon : and after inuocation followes a strength and preuailing of this desire . viii . furthermore , god in mercie quiets and settles the conscience , as touching the saluation of the soule , and the promise of life , where vpon it resteth and staieth it selfe . ix . next after this setled assurance , & perswasion of mercy , followes a stirring vp of the heart to euangelicall sorrow , according to god , that is , a griefe for sinne , because it is sinne , and because god is offended : and then the lord workes repentance , wherby the sanctified heart turnes it selfe vnto him . and though this repentance be one of the last in order , yet it shewes it selfe first : as when a candle is brought into a roome , we first see the light before wee see the candle , and yet the candle must needs be , before the light can be . x. lastly , god giues a man grace to endeauor , to obey his commaundements by a new obedience . and by these degrees , doth the lord giue the first grace . the second worke of god tending to saluation , is the giuing of the second grace : which is nothing else , but the continuance of the first grace giuen . for looke as by creation , god gaue a beeing to man & all other creatures , and then by his prouidence continued the same beeing , which was as it were a second creation ; so in bringing a man to saluation , god giues the first grace , for example , to beleeue & repent , & then in mercie giues the second , to persevere & continue in faith and repentance to the end . and this , if we regard man himselfe , is very necessary ; for as fire without supply of matter , wherby it is fedde & continued , would soone goe out ; so vnlesse god of his goodnesse , should followe his children , and by new and daily supplies , continue his first grace in thē , they would vndoubtedly soone loose the same , & finally fall away . the second ground for the answere of this question , is taken from some speciall places of scripture , where the same is mooved and resolued . the men that were at peters sermon , being touched with the sense of their owne miserie , vpon the doctrine which had beene deliuered , as the holy ghost saies , were pricked in their hearts , and cried one to an other : men & brethren , what shall we doe ? peter mooued by the spirit of god answers them , repent , and be baptized for the remission of your sinnes . the like was the case of the iaylor , who , after that the stubbornnesse of his heart was beaten downe , by feare of the departure of the prisoners , he came trembling , and fell downe before paul and silas , and mooued this question vnto them ; sirs , what must i doe to be saued ? to whome they gaue answer , beleeue in the lord iesus , and thou shalt be saued , and thine houshold . the young man in the gospel sues to christ , and askes him , what shall i doe to be saued ? christs answers him , keepe the commandements . when he replied that he had kept them from his youth , christ tels him , that he must goe yet further , and sell all that he hath , and giue to the poore . and iohn tells the scribes and pharises , who came vnto his baptisme , and confessed their sinnes , that if they would flie from the wrath to come , they must repent , and bring forth fruits worthie amendment of life . from these places then , i frame this answer to the question in hand . the man that would stand in the fauour of god and be saued , must doe foure things : first , humble himselfe before god : secondly , beleeue in christ : thirdly , repent of his sinnes : fourthly , performe new obedience vnto god. sect. . for the first . humiliation is indeode a fruit of faith : yet i put it in place before faith , because in practise it is first . faith lieth hid in the heart , and the first effect whereby it appeares , is the abasing and humbling of our selues . and here we are further to consider three points : first , wherein stands humiliation : secondly , the excellencie of it : thirdly , the questions of conscience that concerne it . touching the first point , humiliation stands in the practise of three things . the first is , a sorrow of heart , whereby the sinner is displeased with himself , & ashamed in respect of his sinnes . the second is , a confession to god , wherin also three things are to be done : first , to acknowledge all our maine sinnes originall and actuall : secondly , to acknowledge our guiltinesse before god : thirdly , to acknowledge our iust damnation for sinne . the third thing in humiliation , is supplication made to god for mercie , as earnestly as in a matter of life and death : and of these three things we haue in scripture the examples of ezra , daniel , and the prodigall sonne , ezra . dan. . luk. . . the second point is , the excellencie of humiliation , which stands in this , that it hath the promises of life eternall annexed to it , esa. . . i dwell in the high and holy place : with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit , to revive the spirit of the humble , and to giue life to them that are of a contrite heart . psal. . . a contrite and a broken heart , o god , thou wilt not despise . prov. . . he that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper : but he that confesseth and forsaketh them , shall finde mercie , . ioh. . . if we acknowledge our sinnes , he is faithfull and iust , to forgiue vs our sinnes , and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnes . by all these and many other places , it is manifest , that in the very instant , when a sinner beginnes truly in heart and conscience to humble himselfe , he is then entred into the state of saluation . so soone as dauid said , i haue sinned , nathan pronounceth in the name of the lord , that his sinnes were put away . and dauid himselfe saith , alluding to the former place , i said i will confesse my sinne , and loc , thou forgauest the wickednes of my sinne . when the prodigall sonne had but said , i will goe to my father , &c. euen then , before he humbled himselfe , his father meetes him , and receiues him . the third point , is touching the questions of conscience , concerning humiliation , all which may be reduced to foure principall cases . i. case . what if it fall out , that a man in humbling himselfe , cannot call to minde either all , or the most of his sinnes ? i answer ; a particular humiliation indeed is required , for maine and knowne sinnes : but yet there are two cases , wherein generall repentance , will be accepted of god for vnknowne sinnes . one is , when a man hath searched himselfe diligently , and by a serious examination , passed through all the commaundements of god , and yet after such examination and search made , his particular offences are yet hidden and not reuealed vnto him , so as he cannot call them to remembrance ; then the generall repentance is accepted . for this is answerable to the practise of dauid , who after long search , when he could not attaine to the knowledge of his particular slippes , then he addresseth himselfe to a generall humiliation , saying , who knoweth the errours of this life ? clense me , lord , from my secret faults : and vpon this , he was no doubt accepted . againe , when a man humbleth himselfe , and yet is preuented by the time , so as he cannot search his heart and life , as he would : his generall repentance will be taken and accepted of god. the truth hereof appeares in the theefe vpon the crosse , who hauing no time to search himselfe , made no speciall humiliation , yet vpon his generall confession he was accepted . now the ground of this doctrine is this ; he that truly repents of one sinne , in this case when he is preuented : is , as if he repented of all . ii. case . what must a man doe , that findes himselfe hard hearted , and of a dead spirit , so as he cannot humble himselfe as he would ? answ. such persons , if they humble themselues , they must be content with that grace which they haue receiued . for if thou be truly and vnfainedly grieued for this , that thou canst not be grieued , thy humiliation shall be accepted . for that which paul saith of almes , may be truly said in this case , that if there be a readie minde , a man shall be accepted , according to that he hath , and not according to that he hath not . iii. case . whether the party that is more grieued for losse of his friend , then for offēce of god by his sinne , doeth or can truly humble himselfe ? answ. a man may haue a greater griefe for an earthly losse , then for the other , and yet be truly greiued for his sinnes too . the reason is , because that is a bodily , naturall , and sensible losse , and accordingly sorrow for it is naturall . now the sorrow for the offending of god , is no sensible thing , but supernaturall and spirituall ; and sensible things doe more affect & urge the minde , then the other . dauid did notably humble himselfe for his sinnes , and he did exceedingly mourne for the losse of his sonne absolom , yea and more too then for his sinnes , would god i had died for thee absolom , o absolom my sonne , my sonne , &c. againe i answer , that the sorrow of the minde , must be measured by the intention of the affection , & by the estimation of the thing for which we sorrow . now sorrow for sinne , though it be lesse in respect of the intention thereof ; yet is it greater in respect of the estimation of the mind , because they which truly mourn for their sins , grieue for the offence of god , as the greatest euill of all ; and for the losse of the fauour of god , as for losse of the most excellent & pretious thing in the world . iv. case . whether it be necessarie in humiliation , that the heart should be smitten with a sensible sorrow ? answer . i. in sorrow for sinne , ther are two things : first , to be displeased for our sinns ; secondly , to haue a bodily moouing of the heart , which causeth crying and teares . the former of these is necessarie , namely , in heart to be deepely displeased with our selues : the latter is not simply necessary , though it be commendable in whomsoeuer it is , if it be in truth ; for lydia had the first , but not the second . ii. it falleth out oftētimes , that the greatnes of the grief , taketh away the sensible paine , and causeth a mummednesse of the heart , so that the partie grieueth not . iii. sometimes the complexion will not affoard teares : and in such there may be true humiliation , though with dric cheekes . sect. . the secōd thing to be done for the attaining of gods fauour , and confequently of saluatiō , is to beleeue in christ. in the practise of a christian life , the duties of humiliation & faith cannot be seuered , yet for doctrines sake , i distinguish them . in faith ther are two things required , and to be performed on our behalfe . first , to know the points of religion , and namely the summe of the gospel , especially the promise of righteousnes and life eternall by christ. secondly , to apprehend and applie the promise , and withall the thing promised , which is christ , vnto our selues ; and this is done , when a man vpon the commandemēt of god , sets down this with himselfe , that christ and his merits belong vnto him in particular , and that christ is his wisdome , iustification , sanctification , and redemption . this doctrine is plaine out of the sixt of iohn : for christ is there propounded vnto vs , as the bread and the water of life . therefore faith must not be idle in the braine , but it must take christ and applie him vnto the soule and conscience , euen as meate is eaten . the questions of conscience touching faith are these . first , how we may truly applie christ , with all his benefits vnto our selues ? for wicked men applie christ vnto themselues falsely , in presumption , but fewe doe it truly , as they ought to doe . i answer , that this may be done , we must remember to doe two things . first , lay downe a foundation of this action , and then practise vpon it . our foundation must be laid in the word , or else we shall faile in our application , and it consists of two principles . the one is ; as god giues a promise of life eternall by christ , so he giues commandement , that euery one in particular , should applie the promise to himselfe . the next is , that the ministerie of the word , is an ordinarie meanes , wherein god doth offer , and applie christ with all his benefits to the hearers , as if he called them by their names ; peter , iohn , cornelius , beleeue in christ , and thou shalt be saued . when we haue rightly considered of our foundation : the second thing is , to practise vpon it , and that is , to giue our selues to the exercises of faith and repentance ; which stand in meditation of the word , and prayer for mercie and pardon : and when this is done , then god giues the sense and increase of his grace . when lydia was hearing the sermon of paul , then god opened her heart , act. . v. . secondly , it is demaunded : when faith beginnes to breede in the heart , and when a man beginnes to beleeue in christ ? answ. when he beginnes to be touched in conscience for his owne sinnes , and withall hungers and thirsts after christ , and his righteousnes , then beginneth faith . the reason is plaine . as faith is renewed , so it is begunne ; but it is renewed when a man is touched in conscience for his sinnes , and beginnes a new to hunger after christ ; therefore when these things first shew themselues , then faith first beginnes . for these were the things that were in dauid , when he renewed his repentance . sect. . the third dutie necessarie to saluation , is repentance . in which , two things are to be considered ; the beginning , namely , a godly sorrow , which is the beginning of repentance , . corinth . . and vpon this sorrow a change , which is indeede repentance it selfe . in sorrow we consider , first , the nature of it ; secondly , the properties of it . touching the nature of sorrow , it is either inward or outward . the inward sorrow , is when a man is displeased with himselfe for his sinnes . the outward , when the heart declares the griefe thereof by teares , or such like signes . and sorrow in this case , called a godly sorrow , is more to be esteemed by the first of these , then by the second . the propertie of this sorrow , is to make vs to be displeased with our selues , for our sinnes directly , because they are sinnes , and doe displease god. if there were no iudge , no hel , nor death , yet we must be grieued because we haue offended , so mercifull a god and louing father . and as godly sorrow will make vs thus to doe , so is it the next cause of repentance , and by this is repentance discerned . the next thing in repentāce , is the change of the minde and whole man in affection , life , and conuersation . and this standeth in a constant purpose of the minde , and resolution of the heart , not to sinne , but in euery thing to doe the will of god. hereupon paul exhorteth them , to whome he wrote , to continue in the loue of god , and in the obedience of his word . barnabas when he came to antioch , and had seene the grace of god , was glad , and exhorted all , that with purpose of heart they should cleaue vnto god , or continue with the lord. so the prophet ezckiel saith , if the wicked will turne from all his sinnes , and keepe all my statutes , and doe that which is lawfull and right , he shall surely liue and shall not die . in this purpose stands the very nature of repentance , and it must be ioyned with humiliation and faith , as a third thing auaileable to saluation , and not to be seuered from them . for a man in shewe may haue many good things : as for example , he may be humbled , and seeme to haue some strength of faith ; yet if there be in the saide man , a want of this purpose and resolution not to sinne , the other are but dead things , and vnprofitable , and for all them , he may come to eternall destruction . furthermore , we must distinguish this kinde of purpose , from the minde and purpose of carnall men , theeues , drunkards , harlots , vsurers ; for they will confesse their sinnes , and be sorie for them , yea and shed some teares , wishing they had neuer sinned as they haue . in these men , indeed there is a wishing will for the time , but no setled purpose . and it is a propertie of nature to auoid euill , but to haue a constant resolution of not sinning , is a gift of grace ; and for this it is , that we must labour ; otherwise our repentance , is no true and sound repentance . sect. . the fourth and last dutie , is to performe new obedience vnto god in our life and conuersation . in this new obedience , three things are required . first , it must be a fruit of the spirit of christ in vs : for when we doe any good thing , it is christ that doth it in vs. to this purpose dauid praies vnto god , psal. . . let thy good spirit lead me forth into the land of righteousnes . and paul exhorts the galatians to walke in the spirit ; and then marke what followes ; and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh , gal. . . secondly , this new obedience must be the keeping of euery commandement of god : for as s. iames saith , he that breakes one commandement , is guiltie of all , that is , he that doth willingly and wittingly breake any commandement , and makes not conscience of some one , maketh not conscience of any , and before god he is as guiltie of all , as if he had broken all . thirdly , in new obedience , the whole man must endeauour to keepe the whole law in his minde , will , affections , and all the faculties of soule and bodie . as it is said of iosiah , that he turned to god , according to all the lawes of moses , with all his heart . this last point added to the rest is the very forme and life of new obedience , & from hence it followes ; first , that therepentant person , must not liue in the practise of any outward sinne . secondly , that there must be in him , an inward resisting and restraining of the corruption of nature , and of the heart , that he may truly obey god , by the grace of the spirit of god. the heart of ioseph was readie prest , to resist the euill request of potiphars wife . and dauid staid his affectiō from reuenging himselfe vpon shemei , when he cursed him . thirdly , that he ought to stirre vp and exercise the inward man , by all spiritual motions of faith , ioy , loue , hope , and the praise of god. now touching this point , there are . principal questions propoūded . first , how may a man frame his life to liue in new-bedience ? ans. though all the bookes of the old and new testament , are direction sufficient for a good life ; yet a more speciall answer may be made out of the same , plainly and briefly . that , there are three maine grounds or rules of new obedience . the first is laid downe by our sauiour christ , luk. . . if any man will come after me , let him denie himselfe , and take vp his crosse , and follow me . the meaning is this ; euery one that will become a scholer in the schoole of christ , and learn obedience vnto god , must deny himselfe , that is , he must in the first place , exalt and magnifie the grace of god , and become nothing in himselfe , renouncing his owne reason , will , & affections , and subiecting them to the wisdome & will of god in all things ; yea esteeming al things in the earth , euen those that are dearest vnto him , as drosse and dung in regard of the kingdome of christ. againe , he must take vp his crosse , that is , he ought alwaies to make a forehand reckoning , euen of priuate crosses and particular afflictions , and when they come , to beare them with chearefulnesse . this done , he must follow christ , by practising the vertues of meekenes , patience , loue , and obedience , and by beeing conformable to his death , in crucifying the bodie of sinne in himselfe . the second rule is propounded by paul , act. . . to beleeue all things that are written in the law and the prophets ; and that is , to hold and embrace the same faith , which was embraced by the saints and seruants of god in auncient times , and which was written by moses and the prophets . againe , in all reuerence to subiect himselfe , to the true manner of worshipping and seruing god , reuealed in his word ; and not to depart from the same doctrine and worship , either to the right hand , or to the left . the third and last rule , is to haue and to keepe faith and a good conscience , . tim. . . now faith is preserued , by knowledge of the doctrine of the law and the gospel , by yeelding assent vnto the same doctrine , beleeuing it to be true , and by a particular application of it vnto a mans selfe , specially of the promise of righteousnesse and life euerlasting , in and by christ. againe , that a man may keepe a good conscience , he must doe three things . first , in the course of his life , he must practise the duties of the generall calling in the particular ; so as though they be two distinct in nature , yet they may be both one in vse and practise . secondly , in all euents that come to passe , euermore in patience and silence he must submit himselfe , to the good will and pleasure of god. thus it is saide of aaron , that when god had destroied his sonnes , for offering vp strange fire before him , he held his peace , levit. . . and dauid shewes that it was his practise , when beeing afflicted , he saith , i was as dumbe , and opened not my mouth , because thou , lord , didst it , psal. . . thirdly , if at any time he falleth , either through infirmitie , the malice of satan , or the violence of some temptation , he must humble himselfe before god , labour to breake off his sinne , and recouer himselfe by repentance . and these three , be the principall and maine grounds of new-obedience . the second question . considering that all good works , are the fruits of a regenerate person , and are contained vnder new-obedience ; how may a man doe a good worke , that may be accepted of god , and please him ? for resolution whereof , it is to be carefully remembred , that to the doing of a good worke , sundrie things are required : whereof , some in nature doe goe before the worke to be done , some doe accompanie the doing thereof , and some againe doe follow the worke , beeing required to be done , when the worke is done . before the worke , there must goe reconciliation ; whereby the person is reconciled vnto god in christ , and made acceptable to him for it is a cleare case , that no worke of man cā be accepted of god , vnles the person of the worker be approoued of him . and the workes of men of what dignitie soeuer , are not to be esteemed by the shewe , and outward appearance of them , but by the minde and condition of the doer . againe , before we doe any good worke , we must by praier lift vp our hearts vnto god , and desire him to inable vs by his spirit to doe it , and to guide vs by the same , in the action , which we are about to doe . this did the prophet dauid oftentimes , as we may read in the psalmes , but especially in psal. . . when he saith , teach me to doe thy will , o god , for thou art my god , let thy good spirit l●●d me vnto the land of righteousnes . and oftentimes in the . psalme . teach me , o lord , the way of thy statutes , vers . . giue me vnderstanding . . direct me in the path of thy commandements . . againe , teach me iudgement and knowledge . . let my heart be vpright in thy statutes . . stablish me , according to thy promise , . direct my steppes in thy word , and let none iniquitie haue dominion ouer me . . in the doing of the worke , we are to consider two things ; the matter , and the manner or forme of doing it . for the matter , it must be a worke commanded in the word of god , either expressely or generally . for it is gods reuealed will that giues the goodnes to any worke . christ saith of the pharises , that they worshipped him in vaine , teaching for doctrines , the commandements of men . he therefore that will doe a worke , tending to the worship of god , must doe that which god commandeth . now actions expressely commanded , are the duties of the morall law ; actions generally commanded , are all such as serue to be helpes and meanes , to further the said morall duties . and here we must remember , that actions indifferent in the case of offence , or edification , cease to be indifferent , and come vnder some commandement of the morall law. to which purpose paul saith , if eating flesh will offend my brother , i will eate no flesh while the world standeth ; his meaning is , that though his eating of flesh , was a thing indifferent in it selfe ; yet in case of offence , his minde was to abstaine from it , as much as from the breach of the law of god. againe , if an action indifferent , comes within the case , of furthering the good of the commonwealth , or church , it ceaseth to be indifferent , and comes vnder commandement ; and so all kind of callings and their works , though neuer so base , may be the matter of good workes . this point is to be remembred : for it serueth to incourage euery man , of what condition soeuer he be , in the diligent performance of the duties of his calling ; as also to confute the doctrine of the popish church , which teacheth that onely almes deedes , and building or maintaining of churches and religious houses , are the matter of good works . now to the manner or forme of a good work , there is required faith. for as without faith , it is impossible to please god , hebr. . . so whatsoeuer worke is vndertaken without faith , cannot in any sort be acceptable vnto him . what faith then is required in this case ? i answer . first a general faith , whereby we are perswaded that the thing to be done , may lawfully be done ; and of this the apostle speaketh when he saith , whatsoeuer is not of faith , is sinne . secondly , a particular or iustifying faith , which purifieth the heart , and maketh it fit to bring forth a good work : for it giues a beginning to the worke , and also couers the wants and defects thereof , by apprehending and applying vnto vs , christ and his merits . againe , a good worke for the māner thereof , must be done in obedience . for knowing that the thing to be done , is commanded of god , we must haue a minde , and intention to obey god in the thing we doe , according to his cōmandement . if it be here demanded , seeing workes must be done in obedience , how , and to what part of the word we must direct our obedience ? i answer : to the law. but howe ? not considered in his rigour , but as it is qualified , mollified , and tēpered by the gospell : for according to the rigour of the lawe , which commandes perfect obedience , no man can possibly doe a good worke . furthermore , touching the maner , it must be done to good and lawfull ends . the ends of a good worke are manifold : first , the honour and glory of god. whether ye eate or drinke , or whatsoeuer ye doe , doe all to the glory of god. secondly , the testification of our thankfulnes vnto god , that hath redeemed vs by christ. the third is , to edifie our neighbour , and to further him in the way to life euerlasting , math. . . let your light so shine before men , that they may see your good works , & glorifie your father which is in heauen . the fourth is , to exercise and increase our faith & repentance , both which be much strengthned and confirmed , by the practise of good workes . fiftly , that we may escape the punishment of sinne , the destruction of the wicked : and obtaine the reward of the righteoūs , life euerlasting . this was the end that paul aymed at in the course of his calling ; to which purpose he saith , from henceforth there is laid vp for me the crowne of righteousnesse , which the lord the righteous iudge shall giue me at that day , . tim. . . sixtly , that we may be answerable to our calling , in doeing the duties thereof , and in walking as children of light , redeemed by christ iesus . when dauid kept his fathers sheepe , he behaued himselfe as a sheepheard ; but when he was annointed king ouer israell , god gaue him an heart & resolution , to carry himselfe as a king & gouernour of his people . looke then as dauid did , so ought we euen by our workes to be answerable to our callings . seuenthly , that we may pay the debt , which we owe vnto god. for we are debters to him in sundry regardes ; as we are his creatures : as we are his seruants : as we are his children : in a word , as we are redeemed by christ , and our whole debt is , our dutie of praise and thanks giuing . after the worke is done , then comes the acceptation of it . god accepts of our works diuers waies . first , in that he pardoneth the fault which comes from vs. secondly , in that he approoues his owne good worke in vs. thirdly , in that he doth giue vnto the doers of them a crowne of righteousnes and glorie , according to his promise , . tim. . . rev. . . we then , after we haue done the work , must humble our selues , and intreat the lord to pardon the wants of our workes , and say with dauid , lord enter not into iudgement with thy seruant : & with daniel , lord vnto vs belongeth open shame & confusiō , but to thee righteousnes , compassion , and forgiuenes . and the reason is plaine , because in vs there is no goodnesse , no holinesse , no righteousnes , nor any thing that may present vs acceptable in his sight : & for this cause paul saith , i know nothing by my selfe , yet am i not therby iustified . great reason then , that we should hūble ourselues before god , for our wants , and pray vnto him , that he will in mercie accept our indeauour , and confirme the good worke begunne in vs , by his holy spirit . chap. vi. of the second maine question touching assurance of saluation . ii. question . how a man may be in conscience assured , of his owne saluation ? before i come to the question it selfe , this conclusion is to be laid downe as a mayne ground ; that election , vocatiō , faith , adoption , iustificatiō , sanctification , & eternal glorification , are neuer separated in the saluation of any man , but like inseparable companions , go● hand in hand ; so as he that can be assured of one of them , may infallibly conclude in his owne heart , that he hath and shall haue interest in all the other in his due time . this is plaine by the words of s. paul , rom. . . whome he predestinate , them also he called ; whome he called , them also he iustified ; whome he iustified , them also he glorified . in which place , the apostle compares the causes of saluation , to a chaine of many linkes , whereof euery one is so coupled to the other , that he which taketh hold of the highest , must needes carrie all the rest with him . againe , amongst these linkes faith is one , a principall grace of god , whereby man is ingrafted into christ , and thereby becomes one with christ , and christ one with him , eph . . . now whosoeuer is by faith vnited vnto christ , the same is elected , called , iustified , and sanctified . the reason is manifest . for in a chaine , the two extremes , are knit togither , by the middle linkes ; and in the order of causes of happinesse and saluation , faith hath a middle place , and by it hath the child of god assured hold of his election , and effectuall vocation , and consequently of his glorification in the kingdome of heauen . to this purpose saith s. iohn , c. . v. . he that beleeueth in the sonne , hath euerlasting life . and , c. . v. . he that beleeues in him that sent me , hath euerlasting life , and shall not come into condemnation , but hath passed from death to life . this is the ground . now for answer to the question , diuerse places of scripture are to be skanned ; wherein this case of conscience is fully answered and resolued . sect. . the first place is rom. . . and the spirit of god testifieth together with our spirits , that we are the sonnes of god. in these words are two testimonies of our adoption set downe . the first is the spirit of god dwelling in vs , and testifying vnto vs , that we are gods childrē . but some will happily demaund , how gods spirit giues witnesse , seeing now there are no reuelations ? answ. extraordinarie reuelations are ceased ; and yet the holy ghost in and by the word , reuealeth some things vnto men : for which cause he is called truly the spirit of reuelation , eph. . . againe , the holy ghost giues testimonie , by applying the promise of remission of sinnes , and life euerlasting by christ , particularly to the heart of man , when the same is generally propounded , in the ministerie of the word . and because many are readie presumptuously to say , they are the children of god , when they are not , and that they haue the witnesse of gods spirit ; when in truth they want it : therefore we are to put a difference between this carnall conceit , and the true testimonie of the spirit . now there be two things whereby they may be discerned one from the other . the first is , by the meanes . for the true testimonie of the holy ghost , is wrought ordinarily by the preaching , reading , and meditation of the word of god ; as also by praier , and the right vse of the sacraments . but the presumptuous testimonie , ariseth in the heart , and is framed in the braine , out of the vse of these meanes ; or though in the vse , yet with want of the blessing of god concurring with the meanes . the second is , by the effects , and fruits of the spirit . for it stirrs vp the heart , to praier and inuocation of the name of god , zach. . . yea it causeth a man to crie and call earnestly vnto god , in the time of distresse , with a sense and feeling of his owne miseries ; and with deepe sighes and groanes , which cannot be vttered , to cra●e mercie and grace at his hands , as of a louing father , rom. . . thus did moses crie vnto heauen in his heart , when he was in distresse at the red sea , exod. . . and this gift of praier , is an vnfallible testimonie of gods spirit ; which cannot stand with carnall presumption . the second testimonie of our adoption , is our spirit , that is , our conscience sanctified and renewed by the holy ghost . and this also is knowne and discerned ; first , by the greefe of the heart for offending god , called godly sorrow , . cor. . . secondly , by a resolute purpose of the heart , and endeauour of the whole man , in all things to obey god : thirdly , by sauouring the things of the spirit , rom. . . that is , by doing the workes of the spirit , with ioy and chearefulnesse of heart , as in the presence of god , and as his children and seruants . now put the case , that the testimonie of the spirit be wanting : then i answer ? that the other testimonie ; the sanctification of the heart , will suffice to assure vs. we knowe it sufficiently to be true , and not painted fire , if there be heate , though there be no flame . put the case againe , that the testimonie of the spirit be wanting , and our sanctification be vncertaine vnto vs , how then may we be assured ? the answer is , that we must thē haue recourse to the first beginnings , and motions of sanctificatiō , which are these . first , to feele our inward corruptions . secondly , to be displeased with our selues for them . thirdly , to beginne to hate sinne . fourthly , to grieue so oft as we fal and offend god. fiftly , to auoid the occasions of sinne . sixtly , to endeauour to doe our dutie , and to vse good meanes . seuenthly , to desire to sinne no more . and lastly , to pray to god for his grace . where these and the like motions are , there is the spirit of god , whence they proceed : and sanctification is begun . one apple is sufficient to manifest the life of the tree , and one good and constant motion of grace , is sufficient to manifest sanctification . againe , it may be demanded , what must be done , if both be wanting ? answ. men must not dispaire , but vse good meanes , and in time they shall be assured . sect. . the second place is , the . psalme . in the first verse whereof , this question is propounded , namely , who of all the members of the church , shall haue his habitation in heauen ? the answer is made in the verses following : and in the second verse , he sets downe three generall notes of the said person . one is , to walke vprightly in sincerity , approuing his heart and life to god : the second is , to deale iustly in al his doings : the third is , for speech , to speake the truth from the heart , without guile or flatterie . and because we are easily deceiued in generall sinnes , in the , , and . verses , there are set downe seauen more euident and sensible notes of sinceritie , iustice and trueth . one is in speech , not to take vp or carrie abroad false reports and slanders . the second is , in our dealings not to doe wrong to our neighbour , more then to our selues . the third is in our companie , to contemne wicked persons worthy to be contemned . the fourth is in our estimation we haue of others , & that is , to honour them that feare god. the fift is in our words , to sweare and not to change : that is , to make conscience of our word and promise , especially if if it be confirmed by oath . the sixt is in taking of gaine , not to giue money to vsurie ; that is , not to take increase for bare lending , but to lend freely to the poore . the last is , to giue testimonie without briberie or partialitie . in the fift verse , is added a reason of the answer : he that in his indeauour doth al these things , shall neuer be mooued , that is , cut off from the church as an hypocrite . sect. . the third place of scripture is the first epistle of iohn : the principall scope wherof , is to giue a full resolution to the conscience of man , touching the certainty of his saluation . and the principall grounds of assurance , which are there laid downe , may be reduced to three heads . the first is this . he that hath communion or fellowship with god in christ , may be vndoubtedly assured of his saluation . this conclusion is propounded , chap. . v. , . where the apostle tels the church , that the end of the preaching of the gospell vnto them was , that they might haue fellowship , not onely mutually among themselues , but also with god the father , and with his sonne iesus christ. and further , that hauing both knowledge , & assurance of this heauenly communion , to be begun in this life , and perfected in the life to come , their ioy might be full : that is , they might thence reape , matter of true ioy and sound comfort , vnto their soules and consciences . now whereas it might be haply demaūded by some beleeuers , how they should come to this assurance ? s. iohn answeres in this epistle , that the certainty therof may be gathered by foure infallible notes . the first is remission of sinnes . for though god be in himselfe , most holy and pure , and no mortall man , being vncleane and polluted by sinne , can haue fellowship with him : yet god hath shewed his mercy , to those that beleeue in him , and hath accepted of the blood of iesus christ his sonne , whereby they are clensed from all their corruptions . v. . if here it be asked , how this pardon and forgiuenes may be knowne ? it is answered , by two signes . one is hūble and heartie confession of our sins vnto god ; for so saith the apostle , if we confesse our sins , he is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sins , and to clense vs from all iniquitie . v. . the other is the pacified conscience ; for being iustified by faith we haue peace with god : and if our heart condemne vs not : that is if our conscience in respect of sinne doth not accuse vs , then haue we boldnesse towards god , chap. . v. . the second note of fellowship with god , is the sanctifying spirit , wherby we are renewed in holines & righteousnes : hereby we know that he abideth in vs , euen by the spirit which he hath giuen vs , chap. . v. . the third is , holinesse and vprightnes of heart and life . to this end the apostle saith , if we say that we haue fellowship with him , and walke in darkenes , we lie and doe not truly : but if we walke in the light , as he is in the light , we haue fellowship one with an other , &c. chap. . , . the fourth is , perseuerance in the knowledge and obedience of the gospel . so the same apostle exhorteth the church : let therefore abide in you that same doctrine concerning christ , which ye haue heard from the beginning . if that which ye haue heard from the beginning , remaine in you , that is , if ye beleeue and obey it ; you also shall continue in the same , and in the father . chap. . . the second ground , he that is the adopted sonne of god , shall vndoubtedly be saued . this point the apostle plainly declareth , when he saith : be loued , now are we the sonnes of god. — and we knowe , that is , we are vndoubtedly assured by faith , that when christ shall appeare in glory , we shal be like vnto him , for wee shall see him as he is . that the latter part of these words , is thus to be expounded , i gather out of chap. . . as also by comparing this text with that of s. paul , where he saith , when christ which is our life shall appeare , then shall we also appeare with him in glorie . and againe , if we be sonnes , we are also heires , euen the heires of god , and heires annexed with christ , if so be that we suffer with him , that we may also be glorified with him . nowe put the case , that the conscience of the beleeuer , will not rest in this , but desires to be further resolued , touching the certaintie of his adoption ? then i answer , that he must haue recourse vnto the signes , wherby a sonne of god may be discerned from a child of the deuill : and these are principally three , first is , truly to beleeue in the name of the sonne of god : for those that haue god for their father , are made the sonnes of god , by faith in iesus christ. and this faith snewes it selfe by obedience . for hereby we are sure that we knowe christ , that is , that we beleeue in him , and apply him with all his benefits vnto our soules , if we keepe his commandemēts . nay further , he that saies , i know him , and keepes not his commandements , is a liar , and the trueth is not in him , chap. , , . the second signe is , a heartie desire , and earnest in deauour to be cleansed of his corruptions . euery sonne of god that hath this hope , purifieth himselfe , euen as christ is pure , chap. . vers . . the third is , the loue of a christian , because he is a christian : for hereby saies the apostle , are the children of god knowne from the children of the deuill : because the sonnes of satan doe hate their brethren , ( as cain did his brother abel ) euen for the good workes which they doe . on the other side , gods adopted sonnes , may hereby know themselues to be translated from death to life , because they loue the brethren , chap. . , , , &c. the third ground . they that are assured , of the loue of god to them in particular , may also be certainly assured of their owne saluation . this doctrine follows necessarily vpon the apostles words , chap. . v. . for those whome god hath loued from all eternitie , to them he hath manifested his loue , by sending his onely begotten sonne into the world , that they might liue through him eternally . but how may a man be assured of gods speciall loue and fauour ? the same apostle answers , by two notes ; the first is the loue of our brethren , and that according to gods commandement , wherein it is commanded ; that he that loues god , should loue his brother also , . . and if any man say , i loue god , and hate his brother , he is a liar . for how can he that loueth not his brother , whome he hath seene , loue god whome he hath not seene ? . . now that a man deceiue not himselfe in the loue of his brother , saint iohn giues three rules ; one , that christian brotherly loue , should not be , for outward respects or considerations , but principally ; because they are the sonnes of god , and members of christ : euery one that loueth him which did beget : that is god the father , loueth him also which is begotten of him . . . another is , that it must not be outward , in shew onely , but inward in the heart . let vs not loue in word or in tongue onely , but in deede and in truth . . . lastly , that it be not onely in time of prosperitie , but when hee stands in most neede of our loue . for whosoeuer hath this worlds good , and seeth his brother haue neede , and shutteth vp the bowels of cōpassiō from him , how dwelleth the loue of god in him ? . . the second note of gods loue vnto vs is , our loue of god. for those whom god loueth in christ , to them he giues his grace , to loue him againe . and this louing of him againe , is an euident token of that loue , wherewith he loueth them . so saith the apostle , we loue him be●ause he loued vs first , . . if it be demaunded , howe a man may be assured that he loueth god ? the answer is , hee may knowe it by two things ; first , by his conformitie to him in holines . the child that loues his father , will be willing to tread in the steps of his father , and so in like manner , he that loueth god , will indeauour euen as hee is , so to be in this world . . . but howe is that ? not in equalitie and perfection , but in similitude and conformitie , striuing to be holy , as he is holy , and indeauouring to doe his will in all things . secondly , by the weaning of his affection from the things of this world , yea from all pleasures and delights of this present life , so farre forth , as they are seuered from the feare , and loue of god , loue not this world , nor the things that are in the world : if any man loue this world , the loue of the father is not in him . . . sect. . the fourth place , is in the second of timothie , . . the foundation of god remaineth sure , and hath this seale , the lord knoweth who are his , and let euery one that calleth vpon the name of the lord , depart from iniquitie . in these wordes , paul goeth about to cut off an offence , which the church might take , by reason of the fall of hymenaeus and philetus , who seemed to be pillars , and principall men in the church . and to confirme them against this offence , he saith ; the foundation of god , that is , the decree of gods election , stands firme and sure : so as those which are elected of god , shall neuer fall away , as these two haue done . and this he declares by a double similitude ; first of all he saith , the election of god , is like the foundation of an house , which standeth fast , though all the building be shaken . secondly he saith , that election hath the seale of god , and therefore may not be changed ; because things which are sealed , are thereby made sure and authenticall . nowe this seale hath two parts : the first concerns god , in that euery mans saluation is written in the booke of life , and god knoweth who are his . and because it might be said , god indeede knowes who shall be saued , but what is that to vs ? we know not so much of our selues . therefore saint paul to answer this , sets downe a second part of this seale , which concerns man , and is imprinted in his heart and conscience ; which also hath two branches : the gift of invocation , and a watchfull care , to make conscience of al and euery sin , in these words , and let euery one that calleth vpon the name of the lord , depart from iniquitie . wherby he signifieth , that those that can cal vpon god , & giue him thanks for his benefits , and withall , in their liues make conscience of sinne , haue the seale of gods election imprinted in their hearts , and may assure themseles they are the lords . sect. . a fift place of scripture , touching this question is , . pet. . . giue all diligence to make your election sure , for if you doe these things you shall neuer fall . which words containe two parts : first , an exhortation , to make our election sure , not with god , for with him both it , and all other things are vnchangeable ; but to ourselues , in our owne hearts & consciences . secondly , the meanes whereby to come to this assurance , that is , by doeing the things before named , in the . , and . verses ; and that is nothing else , but to practise the vertues of the morall lawe , there set downe , which i will briefly shewe what they are , as they lie in the text . to faith , adde vertue ] by faith , he meaneth true religion , and that gift of god , whereby we put our trust and confidence in christ. by vertue , he meaneth no speciall vertue , but ( as i take it ) an honest and vpright life before men , shining in the vertues and workes of the morall law. by knowledge , he meanes a gift of god , wherby a man may iudge , how to carrie himselfe warily , and vprightly before men . by temperance , is vnderstood a gift of god , whereby we keepe a moderation of our naturall appetite , especially about meat , drinke , & attire . by patience , is ment a vertue , whereby we moderate our sorrowe , in induring affliction . godlines , is an other vertue , whereby we worship god , in the duties of the first table . brotherly kindnesse , is also that vertue , whereby we imbrace the church of god , & the members thereof with the bowels of loue . and in the last place , loue , is that vertue , whereby we are well affected to all men , euen to our enemies . now hauing made a rehersal of these vertues : in the tenth verse he saith , if ye doe these things ye shall neuer fall , that is to say , if ye exercise your selues in these things , you may hereby be well assured and perswaded , of your election and saluation . chap. vii . of the third maine question , touching distresse of minde ; and generally of all distresses , and their remedies . iii. question . how a man beeing in distresse of minde , may be comforted and releeued ? ans. omitting all circumstances ( considering that much might be spoken touching this question ) i will onely set downe that which i take to be most materiall to the doubt in hand . sect. . distresse of minde ( which salomon calls a broken or troubled spirit ) is , when a man is disquieted and distempered in conscience , and consequently in his affections , touching his estate before god. this distresse hath two degrees ; the lesse , and the greater . the lesse is a single feare , or griefe , when a man standeth in suspence and doubt , of his owne saluation , and in feare that he shall be condemned . the greater distresse is despaire , when a man is without all hope of saluation , in his owne sense and apprehension . i call despaire a greater distresse , because it is not a distinct kind of trouble of minde , ( as some doe thinke , ) but the highest degree , in euery kind of distresse . for euery distresse in the minde , is a feare of condemnation , and comes at length to desperation , if it be not cured . all distresse of minde , ariseth from temptation , either begunne or continued . for these two doe so necessarily follow , and so inseparably accompanie each the other , that no distresse , of what kinde soeuer , can be seuered from temptation . and therefore according to the diuers sorts of temptations , that doe befall men , must the distresses of the minde be distinguished . now temptations be of two sorts ; either of triall , or seducement . temptations of triall , are such as doe befall men , for the triall and proofe of the grace of god which is in them . the temptations of triall , are twofold : the first , is a combate of the conscience directly and immediately with the wrath of god ; which beeing the most grieuous temptation that can be , it causeth the greatest & deepest distresse of conscience . the second is , the triall of the crosse , that is , of outward affliction , whereby god maketh proofe of the faith of his children ; and not onely that , but of their hope , patience , and affiance in his mercie for their deliuerance . temptations of seducement be such , as wherin men are entised , to fall from god and christ , to any kinde of euill . and these are of three kinds . the first is , immediatly from the deuill ; and it is called the temptation of blasphemies , or the blasphemous temptation . the second is , from a mans owne sinnes , originall and actuall ; and this also hath sundrie branches , as we shal see afterward . the third proceedes from imagination corrupted and depraued . now answerable to these seuerall kinds of temptations , are the seuerall kinds of distresses . and as all temptations may be reduced to those fiue , which haue beene before named ; so may all distresses be reduced to fiue heads , arising of the former temptations . sect. . before i come to handle them in particular ; we are to consider in the first place , what is the best and most sure generall remedie , which may serue for all these , or any other kind of temptation , that is incident to man : and by this , the curing of any particular distresse , will be more easie and plaine . this generall remedie , is the applying of the promise of life euerlasting , in and by the blood of christ. for no physicke , no arte or skill of man , can cure a wounded and distressed conscience , but only the blood of christ. and that this is the soueraigne remedie of all other , no man doubteth . the maine difficultie is , touching the manner of proceeding , in the application of the promise . herein therefore , three things must be performed . first of all , the partie must disclose the cause of the particular distresse , that the remedie may the better be applied . for the truth is , that the very opening of the cause , is a great ease to the minde , before any remedie be applied . yet by the way , this care must be had , that the thing to be reuealed , be not hurtfull to the partie , to whome it is made knowne . for the distresse may happily arise of some confederacie , in matters of treason ; by the concealing whereof , the partie to whome they are reuealed , may intangle himselfe in the same danger . secondly , if the cause may be knowne , ( for sometime it is hid from the partie distressed ) then triall must be made , whether the said partie , be fit for comfort yea or no ? for if he be found to be vnfit , the word of god shall be misapplied , and consequently abused . his fitnesse for comfort , may be found out , by searching whether he be humbled for his sinnes , or not : for men may be in great distresse , and yet not touched at all for their sinnes . this humiliation stands in sorrow for sinne , with confession of the same vnto god , and in earnest praier for the pardon thereof , with an heartie desire of amendment of life . but if on the otherside , the partie be vnhumbled , then the first and principall care must be , to worke in him some beginning of humiliation . this may be done in a friendly , and christian talke and conference , whereby he must first be brought to see , and well to consider his owne sinnes : secondly , to grieue , and to be sorrie for them , at the least , for some of the principall . and touching this sorrow , two things must be remembred : first , that the nature of worldly sorrow must be altered , by beeing turned , and changed into sorrow according to god. if a man be in some danger of his life , by bleeding at the nose ; experience teacheth , the counsell of the physitian is , to open a vaine , and let the partie blood in the arme , that the course thereof may be turned an other way : the like order is to be taken with men , that are troubled with worldly sorrow in their distresse : and that is , to turne the course of their griefe , by causing them to grieue not for worldly respects , or onely in consideration of the punishment , due vnto them for their sinnes , but principally for the very offence of god , in , and by their sinnes committed . this done , a second care must be had , that this sorrow for sinne be not confused , but a distinct sorrow . the man that is in sorrow , must not be grieued onely , because he is as other men are , a sinner ; but more specially for this , and that particular sinne , by which it comes to passe , that he is such , or such a sinner ; that so his sorrow in respect of sinne , may be distinct , and brought as it were to some particular head . and men in this case , must deale with the partie distressed , as surgeons are woont to doe with a tumour , or swelling in the bodie , whose manner is , first to applie drawing and ripening plaisters to the place affected , to bring the sore to an head , that the corruption may issue out at some one place : and then afterward healing plaisters which are of great vse to cure the same : euen so confused griefe , must be reduced to some particulars : and then , and not before , is a man fit for comfort , when his conscience is touched in speciall , in regard of some one or more distinct and seuerall offences . and he that is grieued for one sinne truly , and vnfainedly , from his heart ; shall proportionally be grieued for all the sinnes , that he knoweth to be in himselfe . the third thing required in applying this remedie is , the ministring and conuaying of comfort to the minde of him , that hath confessed his sinnes , and is truly humbled for thē : and it is a point of the greatest moment of all . where if the question be , how this comfort should be ministred ? the answer is , it may be done , by bringing the partie troubled , within the compasse of the promise of life . and there be two waies of doing this : the one false , and the other true . sect. . some thinke , that men may be brought within the couenant , by the doctrine of vniuersall grace and redemption . but this way of perswading a mā that he hath title in the couenant of grace , is both false , and vnfit . false it is , because all the promises of the gospel , are limited with the condition of faith , and repentance , not beeing vniuersall to all , but made onely to such persons , as repent and beleeue : therefore they are indefinite in regard of whole mankind , and to beleeuers onely they are vniuersall . it is obiected , that god would haue all men to be saued . ans. the apostle is the best expounder of himselfe , and he saith in the acts to the same effect , the time of this ignorance god regarded not , but now he admonisheth all men euery where to repent . in which words , paul addes this circumstance of time [ now ] to limit this good will of god , to the last age of the world , after the comming of christ in the flesh , and not to inlarge the same to all the posteritie of adam . and so must he be vnderstood in the place to timothie , god would haue all men to be saued , that is , now in this last age of the world . and thus the same apostle , . cor. . expoundes a certaine prophecie of isay , concerning the acceptable time of grace . now , saith he , is the acceptable time : behold , [ now ] is the day of saluation , meanig the time of the new testament . and coloss. . . the mysterie hid from the beginning , is now made manifest to the saints . and , rom. . . the revelation of the secret mysterie is now opened . all which , and many other places about the same matter , hauing this circumstance of time [ now , ] must needes be limited to this last age of the world . as for the note of vniuersalitie , all , it must not be vnderstood of all particulars , but of all kinds , sorts , conditions , and states of men , as may be gathered out of the former words : i would that praiers be made for all men , not for euery particular man : ( for there be some that sinne vnto death , for whome we may not pray , ) but for all states of men , as well princes as subiects , poore as rich , base as noble , vnlearned as learned , &c. but the saying of paul is vrged , . cor. . . god was in christ , reconciling the world vnto himselfe : therfore the promise in christ , belongs to the whole world , and consequently to euery one . ans. the saine apostle shall againe answer for himselfe , rom. . . the casting away of the iewes , is thereconciling of the world , that is , of the gentiles in the last age of the world : for so he said before more plainely , the falling away of the iew , is the riches of the world , and the diminishing of them , the riches of the gentiles . and so must that place to the corinthes be vnderstood , namely , not of all and euery man , that liued in all ages and times ; but of them that were ( by the dispensation of the gospell ) to be called out of all kingdomes , and nations , after the death and ascension of christ. thus then the promise of saluation , is not vniuersall , without exception , or restraint : & therfore application made by the vniuersalitie of the promise , admits some falshood . secondly , this way of applying , is also vnfit . for the reason must be framed thus : christ died for all men : but thou art a man : therfore christ died for thee . the partie distressed will grant all , and say , christ indeede died for him , if he would haue receiued christ , but he by his sinnes hath cut himselfe off from his owne sauiour , and hath forsaken him , so as the benefit of his death will doe him no good . sect. . the right way of ministring comfort to a party distressed followeth . in the handling whereof , first , i will lay down the grounds , wherby any man that belongs to god , may be brought within the couenant . and then , i will shew the right way , how they must be vsed , and applied . for the first recourse must not be bad to all graces , or to all degrees and measures of grace ; but onely such , as a troubled conscience may feele and reach vnto . for those that be the true children of god , and haue excellent measure of grace ; when they are in distresse , feele little or no grace at all in themselues . the graces then , that serue for this purpose , are three : faith , repentance , and the true loue of god , which is the fruit of them both . and that we may the more easily and truly discerne of them , and not be deceiued , inquirie must be made , what be the seedes and beginnings of them all . the first ground of grace is this : a desire to repent , and beleeue , in a touched heart and conscience , is faith and repentance it selfe , though not in nature , yet in gods acceptation . i prooue it thus . it is a principle graunted and confessed of all men ; that in them which haue grace , god accepteth the will for the deede . if there bee a willing minde ( saith the apostle ) it is accepted not according to that a man hath not , but according to that he hath . againe , god hath annexed a promise of blessednes , and life euerlasting to the true and vnfained desire of grace . whence it is , that they are in scripture pronounced blessed , which hunger and thirst after righteousnes . and who are they but such , as feele themselues to want all righteousnes , and doe truly and earnestly desire it in their hearts . for hunger and thirst argues both a want of something , and a feeling of the wāt . and to this purpose the holy ghost saith , to him that is a thirst will i giue to drinke of the water of life freely . now this thirstie soule , is that man , which feeles himselfe destitute of all grace , and gods fauour in christ , and withall doth thirst after the blood of christ , and desires to be made partaker thereof . god is wont mercifully to accept of the desire of any good thing , when a man is in necessitie , and stands in want therof . the lord ( saies dauid ) heares the desire of the poore , that is , of them that are in distresse , either of bodie or minde . yea , he will fulfill the desire of them that feare him . it will be said , that the desire of good things is naturall : and therfore god will not regard mens desires . i answer , desires be of two sorts ; some be of such things , as men by the meere light of nature know to be good : for example ; the desire of wisdome , of ciuill vertue , of honour , of happinesse , and such like : and all these nature can desire . others be aboue nature , as the desire of remission of sinnes , reconciliation , and sanctification : and they which seriously desire these , haue a promise of blessednes & life euerlasting . and hence it followes , that desire of mercie , in the want of mercie , is mercie it selfe ; and desire of grace , in the want of grace , is grace it selfe . a second ground is this . a godly sorrow whereby a man is grieued for his sinnes , because they are sinnes , is the beginning of repentance , & indeed for substance is repentance it selfe . the apostle paul reioyced that he had in the worke of his ministerie , wrought this godly sorrow in the hearts of the corinthians , calling it sorrow that causeth repentance not to be repented of . this sorrow may be discerned in this sort : the heart of him in whome it is , is so affected , that though there were no conscience , nor deuill to accuse , no hell for condemnation ; yet it would be grieued in it selfe , because god by sinne is displeased , and offended . if it be alleadged , that euery one cannot reach to this beginning of repentance , thus to sorrow for his sinne ; then i adde further ; if the partie be grieued for the hardnes of his heart , whereby it comes to passe , that he cannot grieue , he hath vndoubtedly receiued some portion of godly sorrow . for it is not nature , that makes vs to grieue for hardnes of heart , but grace . the third ground is , that a setled purpose , and willing minde to forsake all sinne , and to turn vnto god , ( though as yet no outward conuersion appeare , ) is a good beginning of true conuersion , and repentance . i thought ( saith dauid ) i will confesse against my selfe my wickednes vnto the lord , and thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne . and to this is added ( selah , ) which is not onely a musicall note , but , as some thinke , a note of obseruation , to mooue vs to marke the things that are set downe , as beeing of speciall weight and moment . and surely this is a matter of great consequence ; that vpon the very vnfained purpose of confession of sinne , god should giue a pardon thereof . take a further proofe of this in the prodigall sonne , whome i take not for one that was neuer called , or turned to god , ( though some doe so , and seeme to haue warrant for their opinion● ) but rather for him that is the child of god , and afterward fals away . now this man beeing brought by some outward crosses and afflictions , to see his owne miserie , purposeth with himselfe , to returne to his father againe , and to humble himselfe , and confesse his iniquitie : and vpō this very purpose , whē he had said , i will goe to my father , and say vnto him , father , i haue sinned , &c. at his returne a farre off , his father receiues him as his child againe , and after acceptation followes his confession . the like is to be seene in dauid , who beeing reprooued by the prophet nathan , for his sinnes of adulterie and murther , presently made confession of them , and at the very same time , receiued by the prophet , sentence of absolution , euen from the lord him●elfe , wherein he could not erre . the fourth ground . to loue any man because he is a christian , and a child of god , is a sensible and certaine note of a man that is partaker of the true loue of god in christ. hereby ( saith s. iohn ) we knowe that we are translated from death to life , because we loue the brethren . loue here is not a cause but onely a signe of gods loue to vs. and our sauiour christ saith , he that receiueth a prophet in the name of a prophet , shall receiue a prophets reward . nowe that we be not deceiued in these grounds ; it must be remembred , that these beginnings of grace ( be they neuer so weak ) must not be ●littering and fleeting , but constant and setled , not stopped or staied in the way , but such as daily growe and increase : and then they are indeed accepted of god. and he that can finde these beginnings , or any of them truly in himselfe , he may assure himselfe thereby that he is the child of god. sect. . hauing thus laid downe the groundes of comfort : i come now to the way , by which the party in distresse , may be brought within the compasse of the promise of saluation . this way standes in two things ; in making triall , and in applying the promise . first then , triall must be made , whether the person distressed haue in him as yet , any of the forenamed groūds of grace or not . this triall may be made by him that is the comforter , in the moouing of certaine questions to the said person . and first , let him aske whether he beleeue and repent ? the distressed partie answers no , he cannot repent nor beleeue . then he must further aske , whether he desire to beleeue and repent ? to this he will answer , he doth desire it with all his heart ; in the same sort is he to make triall of the other groundes . when a man is in the fitte of tentation ; he will say resolutely , he is sure to be damned . aske him in this fitte , of his loue to god , he will giue answer , he hath none at all : but aske him further , whether he loue a man because he is a christian , and a child of god , then will he say he doth indeed . thus after triall made in this manner , some beginnings of faith and repentance will appeare , which at the first lay hid . for god vseth out of the time of prosperitie , by , and in distresse and affliction to work his grace . the second point followeth . after that by triall some of the foresaid beginnings of grace , be found out , then comes the right applying of the promise of life euerlasting to the partie distressed . and that is done by a kind of reasoning : the first part whereof , is taken from gods word ; the second from the testimonie of the distressed conscience ; & the conclusion is the applying of the promise , on this manner : he that hath an vnfainod desire to repent and beleeue , hath remission of sinnes , and life euerlasting : but thou hast an earnest desire to repent and beleeue in christ. therefore remission of sins and life euerlasting is thine . and here remember , that it is most conuenient , this application be made by the minister of the gospell , who in it , must vse his ministeriall authority giuen him of god , to pronounce the pardon . for in distresse , it is as hard a thing , to make the conscience yeild to the promise , as to make fire and water agree . for though men haue signes of grace and mercie in them , yet will they not acknowledge it , by reason of the extremitie of their distresse . in this manner , vpon any of the former grounds , may the troubled and perplexed soule be assured , that mercie belongs to it . and this i take to be , the onely generall and right way , of comforting a distressed conscience . nowe that the promise thus applyed , may haue good successe , these sixerules must necessarily be obserued . i. one is , that the comfort which is ministred , be alaied with some mixture of the law ; that is to say ; the promise alone must not be applyed , but withall mention is to be made , of the sinnes of the partie , and of the grieuous punishmēts , due vnto him for the same . the reason is because there is much guile in the hart of man ; in so much , as oftentimes it falleth out , that men not throughly humbled , beeing comforted either too soone , or too much , doe afterward become the worst of all . in this respect , not vnlike to the yron , which beeing cast into the fire vehemently hot , and cooled againe , is much more hard , then it would haue bin , if the heate had bin moderate . and hence it is , that in the ministring of comfort , we must somewhat keepe them downe , and bring them on by litle and litle to repentance . the sweetenesse of comfort is the greater , if it be delaied with some ●artnesse of the law. ii. an other rule is this : if the distressed partie , be much possessed with griefe , of himselfe , he must not be left alone , but alwaies attended with good companie . for it is an vsuall practise of the deuill , to take the vantage of the place and time , when a man is solitarie and depriued of that helpe , which otherwise he might haue in societie with others . thus he tempted eue , when shee was apart from her husband . and in this regard , salomon pronounces a woe to him that is alone . but herein doth his malice most appeare , in that he is alway readiest , when a man is in great distresse , and withall solitarie , then vpon the sudden to tempt him to despaire , and to the making away of himselfe . iii. thirdly , the partie in distresse must be taught , not to rest vpon his owne iudgement , but alwaies to submit himselfe , and be content to be aduised by others that are men of wisdome , iudgement , and discretion . a thing to be obserued the rather , because the very neglect thereof , hath caused sundrie persons , to remaine vncomforted for many yeares . iv. fourthly , the partie distressed , must neuer heare tell of any fearefull accidents , or of any that haue bin in like , or worse case then himselfe is . for vpon the very report , the distressed conscience will fasten the accident vpon it selfe , and thereby commonly will be drawne to deeper griefe or despaire . the mind afflicted is prone to imagine searefull things , and sometime , the very bare naming of the deuill , will strike terrour and feare into it . v. fiftly , the partie that is to comfort , must beare with all the wants of the distressed ; as with their frowardnes , peeuishnes , rashnes , and with their distempered and disordered affections and actions : yea he must put vpon him ( as it were ) their persons , beeing affected with their miserie , and touched with compassion of their sorrowes , as if they were his owne , grieuing when he seeth them to grieue , weeping when they doe weepe and lament . vi. sixtly , he that is the comforter , must not be discouraged , though after long labour and paines taking , there follow small comfort and ease , to the partie distressed . for men wil often bewray their stiffenes in temptation , and vsually it is long before comfort can be receiued ; and why ? surely because god hath the greatest stroke in these distresses of minde , and brings men thorough all the temptations , that he hath appointed , euen to the last and vtmost , before he opens the heart to receiue comfort . the church in the canticles seekes for her beloued ; but before shee can finde him , shee goes about in the citie , through the streetes , and by open places , passing by the watchmen themselues , and after shee hath vsed all meanes without helpe or hope , at length , and not before , shee findes her beloued , him in whom'● her soule delighteth . thus much for the generall remedie of all distresses : now i come to the particular distresses themselues . chap. viii . of the first speciall distresse , arising of a divine temptation . the first distresse ariseth of a divine temptation , which is a combate with god himselfe immediatly . and this distresse is , when the conscience speakes some feareful things of god , and withall the partie distressed , feeles some euident tokens of gods wrath . sect. . examples hereof we shall finde many in the word of god. one is , the example of righteous iob , who hauing beene long in outward afflictions , was withall exercised with the apprehension of the anger of god , and in that state he saith , that the arrowes of the almightie were in him , that the venime thereof , did drinke vp his spirit , that the terrours of god did fight against him . yea further he addeth , that god was his enemie , and writ bitter things against him : and made him to possesse the sinnes of his youth . and at an other time he complaineth , that gods wrath had torne him , that he hated him , gnashed vpon him with his teeth , and had sharpened his eyes against him : yea that he had taken him by the necke and beaten him , and set him as a marke for himselfe . in all which , and diuers other places , it appeares that his conscience was exercised , with the sense of the wrath of god , which had now euen seazed vpon his soule . another example we haue in dauid , who also was exercised with this temptation and trouble of minde , as the first words of the . psalme , and the whole tenour thereof doe euidently shew : for first , he desires the lord , not to rebuke him in his wrath , and afterward complaineth , that his griefe was so great , that his very flesh consumed , his bones were vexed , and his bodie brought to such a state , as no sicknesse could haue brought him vnto . and it is not vnlike , that the same prophet did often fall into the like kind of distresse of minde , as may be gathered out of psalme . and sundrie other places . now as it fared with these , and diuers other seruants of god , in ancient times , so are we not without some instances thereof in our daies . amongst many , that worthie man master luther , writes of himselfe , that he was in this particular temptation , and that he learned in it , the doctrine of the iustification of a sinner , by the meere mercie of god , without any merit of workes : and vpon the sense and experience of the nature and properties of this distresse , he wrote a notable exposition of the . psalme of dauid , the scope and intent whereof , he writeth to be nothing els , but a soueraigne remedie of this and the like distresses of the minde and conscience . sect. . if it be demaunded , what is the occasion of this kind of temptation ? i answer , that it ariseth sometimes , vpon the commission of some notorious sinne , which doth wound the conscience , as in cain , iudas , and saul , who for their great and capitall sinnes , that stinged and wounded their consciences , grew to a fearefull state , and consequently perished in this temptation . sometimes againe it comes when there is no sinne committed , but obedience to god performed : and then there cannot be rendered any reason of it , either in man , or out of man , saue this , that god will haue it so to be . and the truth hereof is plaine by the examples of iob and dauid before mentioned . sect. . the effects of this temptation are many , and very strange . for outwardly it workes a change and alteration in the body , as it were a burning ague , and it causeth the entralls to rise , the liuer to rowle in the bodie , and it sets a great heat in the bones , and consumes the flesh , more then any sicknes can doe . and that it is so , as i say , beside experience , it is cleare in the word of god. dauid in this distresse affirmeth , that his eyes were eaten as it were with wormes , and sunke into his head , psal. . . that his moisture became as the drought in sommer . psal. . . and iob saies , that his skin was blacke vpon him , his bones were burnt with heat : yea that by meanes of this distresse he was now full of wrinkles , and his leanenes did rise vpon him . it is a principle which physitians doe hold , that the minde followes the temperature of the bodie , and is affected according to the good or euill constitution thereof : which though it be true , yet withall it is as manifest on the other side , that the bodie doth often follow the state and condition of the minde . for a distressed heart , must of necessitie , make a fainting and a languishing bodie . sect. . but the principall thing to be sought for in this temptation is the remediē thereof : whereunto there be fiue things required , which are to be practised , as occasion shall be offered . first , choise must be made of the most fitte and present remedie , and that must be vsed in the first place . now the most fit and present remedie is , to bring the partie troubled to the personall exercises of faith and repentance , by , and in himselfe . for this ende , he must examine his conscience most straightly and narrowly of all the sinnes of his heart , and life . secondly , he must humbly confesse against himselfe , all his knowne sinnes : and withall acknowledge the due condemnation , that he thereby hath deserued . thirdly , he must crie to heauen for mercie , intreating the lord most instantly for pardon , and for the restraint of his wrath due vnto him for his sinne . dauid beeing in this distresse , performed all these duties , as we may read in the . psalme : and he saith further of himselfe , that whilst he concealed his sinnes , the hand of god was heauie vpon him : but vpon his earnest confession , and deprecation , he receiued mercie . and if we read the booke of iob , we shall finde that the principall scope thereof is this ; namely , to shew vnto vs , that iob was throughly exercised with this temptation , and that in the ende hauing beene rebuked both by his friends , and by god himselfe , his recouerie was made , by humbling himselfe , when he saith , behold , i am vile : againe , now i abhorre my selfe , and repent in dust and ashes . some may here demand , if it fall out , that the person himselfe , cannot performe any good dutie , of himselfe , by reason of his distraction in soule and bodie , what must then be done ? ans. if the partie can but sigh , and sobbe vnto god for mercie , and comfort : it is no doubt , a worke of gods spirit , and a practise both of faith , and repentance . we know not ( saith saint paul ) what to pray as we ought , ( namely , in our distresses ) but the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs , with sighes that cannot be expressed : and therein lies our comfort . thus moses at the redde sea beeing in great distresse , and not knowing what to say , or doe , sighed and groned inwardly in his soule vnto the lord , for helpe and protection : and his very desire was in stead of a loud crie in the eares of the lord. the second thing is , that triall must be made , whether the partie hath in him any tokens of grace , or not ? these tokens are the small beginnings of grace , which before i haue declared . as for example : a griefe because we cannot grieue for sinne as we should : a serious will and desire to beleeue , and repent : a purpose to sin no more , and such like . if these be found in the partie , then by them as by sure pledges , he may bee assured of the fauour of god towards him : and where any of these be found , the saying of god to saint paul must be vrged , my grace is sufficient for thee : and therewith must the distressed partie stay his minde . yea we are to be content with any condition in this life , be it neuer so miserable , so long as we are in the fauour of god , though he should lay vpon vs euen the paines of hell , till the time of our death . so did dauid , who when he was pursued by his owne sonne , vttered these words vnto god , behold , if i please thee not , do with me what thou wilt and the like was the mind of paul , who being assured of the fauour of god , was content for his glorie , & the saluation of the israelits ( if it had beene possible ) to be separated 〈◊〉 christ , and to indure the very pangs of hell . the third thing in this cure is , to applie to the said distressed partie , such promises of god made vnto afflicted persons , as are most large and comfortable . for example , that the lord is neere to them that are of a contrite heart , and will saue such as be afflicted in spirit . psal. . . againe , i came not ( saith our sauiour christ ) but to the lost sheepe of the house of israel . matth. . . he saies not , to the straying sheepe , but to such as are now in the pitte , readie to be drowned , or in the lyons mouth , readie to be deuoured . againe . the spirit of the lord is vpon me , therefore he hath annointed me that i should preach the gospell to the poore ; that is , to such as are distressed in consciēce , and poore in spirit : he hath sent me that i should heale the broken hearted , that i should preach deliuerance to the captiues . these & many other such like promises , are in this case to be vrged , and the partie mooued to endeauour to beleeue them , to hold to them , and rest himselfe vpon them , though he loose all things els . fourthly , the partie must be brought to a serious consideration of his owne life past , and of gods mercifull dealing with him & others in his case in former times , and therwith is he to be comforted for the time present . for if aforehand he hath receiued any tokens of the fauour and loue of god ; by them he is now to stay and to settle his minde . the reason is plaine : the gifts of god are without repentāce ; whom he loueth once he loueth to the ende , & whom he chooseth he calleth , iustifieth , and sanctifieth , and will also in time glorifie . dauid beeing in such affliction , that he could hardly thinke vpon god , yet he tooke this course , praied to the lord for comfort , communed with his owne heart , and called to remembrance how god had formerly dealt with him , and with this meditation of the continuall course of gods mercie in his preseruation , he confirmed his faith , and staied his heart in his greatest troubles . sect. . the fifth and last thing to be done , is the remooueall of such reasons and doubts , as the partie distressed vsually makes against himselfe , for his owne ouerthrow . for it is the manner of those that are troubled in minde , to dispute against themselues ; and commōly they are woont to alleadge three things . first , beeing instructed how to humble themselues , and to depend on gods mercie , they will graunt , that all these indeede are good things , but they belong not to them : for they neither do , nor can feele any thing , but the tokens of gods anger , and that they are alreadie entred , into some degrees of condemnation . this obiection may be taken away , by informing them of the manner of gods dealing in all his workes . for commonly he workes all things in his creatures , in , and by cōtraries , if we could know the whole frame of them . thus in the creation euery creature had his beeing of that which had no beeing , and something was made , not of something , but of nothing . after the flood , the signe of gods coueuant , for the preseruation of the world from destruction by raine , is the rainbow , which indeed is a naturall signe of raine . when elias was to prooue the lord to be the onely true god , against the idolatrous priests of baal , and that by burnt offerings ; he powred water vpon the sacrifice , & fills a trench with water round about , and in this contrarie means was the sacrifice burnt vp . christ for the curing of a blind man , tēpers spittle and clay together , which in all reason , is a fitter meanes to put out the eyes , then to cause the blind to see . thus in the worke of our redemption , christ giues life , not by life , but by death , and he sendes men to heauen by the gates and suburbs of hell : he shewes his greatest power , in the greatest weaknes ; nay his power is made perfect through weakenes . he will not build vpon an old foundation , but he pulls downe and destroies all , that man may haue no hope at all in himselfe , but that all the hope he hath , may be in god. first he kils , and then he makes aliue , as anna speaketh : first he woundeth , and then he healeth . he makes man to sowe in teares , that afterward he may reape in ioy . and he that knowes gods dealing to be this , must herewith rest content , and satisfied : because in wrath , god vseth to remember his mercy ; yea his mercie is neuer sweete vnto the palate of the soule , vntill it be seasoned with some tast of his wrath . the paschall lambe was eaten with sowre hearbs , to signifie , that we can feele no sweetenes in the blood of christ , till wee first feele the smart of our owne sinnes , and corruptions . secondly , these persons vse to alleadge against themselues , that if they could feele any comfort at al , then they would stay their minds , and yeild to good perswasions , and exhortations . to this , the answer is ; that there is a rule of grace , ( which we must follow ) gathered out of the word of god , and the experience of gods children , contrarie to the rule of nature , and aboue the light of reason : and it is this , that in case of a●●liction , we must not liue by feeling , but by faith . this rule is grounded vpon the speech of the lord by the prophet , the iust mā shall liue by his faith . when we haue neither sight , nor sense , nor any tast of gods mercie , but onely apprehend his wrath , euen then we must labour to lay hold of mercie in his word , and promise . sense & feeling , are not alwaies fit directiōs for the time of this life : for he may be the deare child of god , that in present feeleth nothing but his wrath and indignation . this indeede is the true triail of our faith , when euen aboue and against reason , we relie on the mercie of god , in the apprehension of his anger . so did dauid . out of the deepe , ( saith he ) that is , beeing nowe deepely plunged into the pangs of a distressed conscience , haue i called vpō thee , o lord : and iob in the like case . lord , though thou kill me , yet will i trust in thee . abraham is commended by the holy ghost , amongst other things , for this , that he beleeued in god , aboue hope : that is , against all matter of hope , that might possibly be conceiued , vpon the consideration of the strength of natural causes . the thiefe vpon the crosse , feeling nothing but woe : and seeing nothing in christ but misery and contempt , yet he beleeued in christ , and was saued . in a word , christ himselfe when he was sorsaken of all men , and voide of all wordly comfort , and felt nothing but the depth of the wrath god , in his agony and passion ; yet by the faith of his manhood , hestaied himselfe and said , my god , my god. thirdly they vse to plead , that their case is desperate , that neuer any was in such a state as they are , neuer any touched with the like distresse of mind . answ. it is false : for the holy ghost hath penned three notable places of scripture , the booke of iob , and two psalmes of dauid , wherein are propounded vnto vs the examples of iob and dauid , gods owne deare seruants , who were in as great distresse , as euer they , or any other haue beene . and they may not thinke , that they euer could be able , to indure greater paines then christ , who notwithstanding in the anguish of his soule vpon the crosse , cried out , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? and thus much touching the first kind of trouble of conscience , called the diuine temptation . chap. ix . of the second speciall distresse , arisi●g from outward afflictions . the second kind of distresse is that which ariseth from outward afflictions . by afflictions i vnderstand , all manner of miseries and calamities in this life , from the least to the greatest , from the paine of the little finger , to the very pangs of death . nowe the question is , howe the trouble of minde , arising by afflictions , may be remedied . for the answer of which question , two things are required of the partie distressed , practise and meditation . sect. . the practise is that , which is to be vsed , in all distresses of minde what soeuer . and it is a diligent examination of the conscience in regard of sinne ; an earnest and heartie confession thereof vnto god : and deprecation , that is , earnest praier vnto him , for the pardon of the same . these three things , beeing done truly and vnfainedly from the heart , are a present remedie against this trouble , and bring with them much comfort . manasses the king of iudah , that had cōmitted much wickednesse : when he was carried captiue to babel , and there put in chaines , he humbled himselfe , acknowledged his sinnes , and praied earnestly vnto the lord , and the issue was good ; for god was intreated of him , and gaue him deliuerance . iob beeing long in outward affliction , humbled himselfe in like manner , and at length receiued comfort , daniel humbled himselfe before god , for his owne sinnes , and for the sinnes of gods people , making request vnto god earnestly for them , and euen when he was in the acte of praying , the lord sent his angel gabriel , to giue him notice of deliuerance . lastly , the church of god , vnder the crosse , performed the like dutie , let vs search and trie our waies , and turne to the lord , and god in mercie gaue an eare vnto her mourning and lamentation . by all these places , it is apparent , that there is no better remedie in the world , for the minde of man , grieued by meanes of outward afflictions , then the practise of the duties before named . sect. . the next thing vnto practise , is the meditation of the comfortable doctrines that are set downe in the word of god , touching afflictions . all which doctrines , may be reduced to fiue principall and maine grounds of comfort , and shall be laid downe in their order . the first ground is , that all afflictions from the least to the greatest , doe come to passe , not by accident , chaunce , or fortune , but by the speciall prouidence of god. i explaine it thus : in euery particular crosse and affliction , there is the hand of gods particular prouidence , and that in three regards . first , because god decreeth , and foreappointeth euery particular crosse . marke the words of paul , whome god hath foreknowne , them he hath predestinate , to be made like vnto the image of his s●●ne ; and what is this image ? nothing else , but a conformitie vnto christ in afflictions for this life , and in glorie for the life to come . now if god hath decreed , that those whome he foreknew , should be conformable vnto his sonne in these respects , then hath he also decreed the afflictions themselues . secondly , god doth not onely barely permit afflictions to be , but also he effecteth them , and brings them into execution , as they are crosses , corrections , trialls , and punishments . i make peace ( saith the lord ) and i create euill , that is , not the euill of sinne , but of punishment , which is euill in our sense and feeling . for things are tearmed euill two waies : some are euill indeed , some are euill not indeed , but in regard of our sense , apprehension , and estimation ; and of this latter sort are afflictions , which god is said to create . and to this purpose is the saying of the prophet amos , shall there be euill in the citie , and the lord hath not done it ? thirdly , as god causeth afflictions , so he ordereth and disposeth them , that is , he limiteth and appointeth the beginning , the end , the measure or quantitie , and the continuance thereof . yea he also ordereth them to their right endes , namely , his owne glorie , the good of his seruants , and the benefit of his church . thus god is saide to correct his people in iudgement , that is , so as he will haue the whole ordering of the correction in his owne hand . ioseph tells his brethren , that when they intended euill against him , in selling him to the ishmaelites for siluer , god disposed it for good . when shemei cursed dauid , he forbade his seruants , so much as to meddle with him , and why ? because ( saith he ) the lord bade him to curse , and who then dare say onto him , why hast thou done so ? and to this purpose the prophet dauid saith , i held my peace and said nothing : why ? because thou , lord , hast done it , psal. . . here some wil say , if afflictions did come onely from god , it were somewhat , but of●ent●●es they come from men , that beare vs no good will , and therefore no maruell though we be impatient . answ. when crosses doe come from men , god vseth them as instruments , to execute his iudgements vpon vs ; and in this worke , god is the chiefe doer , and they are as tooles , in the hand of the workman . and the lord inflicteth them vpon vs by men , to trie our patience vnder the crosse . ioseph , though he knew well , the badde dealing of his brethren towards him , yet he looked not to them alone , but to an higher cause , namely , the lord himselfe , who executed his owne good will by them : god ( faith he ) disposed it to good , and againe , god did send me before you into egypt for your preseruation . the second ground is , the commandement of god , touching the crosse , and obedience vnto him therein . this commaundement is expressed , luk. . . where we are commanded to take vp our crosse euery day , and follow christ. abraham was commanded , with his owne hands to sacrifice his onely sonne isaac ; and to this commandement , ( though otherwise a great crosse vnto him ) he addresseth himselfe to yeeld obedience . and in the prophecie of micah , the church saith , shee will boare the wrath of the lord , that is , shee will performe obedience to him in the crosse , because shee had sinned against him . and saint peter saith , that god resisteth the proud , and giueth grace to the humble : therefore humble your selues vnder the mightie hand of god. and this beeing the commaundement of god , that we should yeeld obedience to him , in euery affliction , we ought to be no lesse carefull to obey it , then any one commandement of the morall law. the third ground is , that god will be present with his seruants in their afflictions . vpon this ground , dauid comforts himselfe , because god had promised to heare him , to be with him in trouble , and to deliuer him . and in an other place , though i should walke in the shaddow of death , i would feare none ill , for thou art with me , &c. now that we may the better vnderstand this doctrine , we are to consider what be the ends or effects of gods beeing with vs in affliction , whereby he testifieth his presence , and they are three . the first is , to worke our deliuerance from the crosse : call vpon me ( saith the lord ) in the time of thy trouble , and i will deliuer thee . this promise must not be vnderstood simply , but with an exception , so farre forth as it shall be for our good . for all promises of temporall deliuerance , are conditionall , and must be conceiued , with this limitation of the crosse and chastisement , if god please to impose it . some may say , how if god will not deliuer vs , but leaue vs in the affliction , what cōfort shall we then haue ? answ. in the second place therefore we must remember ▪ that god will temper and moderate our afflictions , so as we may be able to beare them . habbakuk praieth vnto god , in the behalfe of the church , that he would in wrath remember mercie . and paul saith , that the lord will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue that we are able to beare , but will giue an issue with the temptation . thirdly , put the case that god doth not moderate our afflictions , but suffer them to remaine vpon vs , not onely for some time of our life , but to the very death : yet then will he testifie his holy presence an other way , namely , by giuing the partie distressed , power and strength to beare his affliction . vnto you it is giuen ( saith paul ) for christ , that not onely ye should beleeue in him , but also suffer for his sake . the fourth ground of comfort in affliction is , that euery affliction vpon the seruants of god , hath some speciall goodnesse in it . rom. . . we know that all things , worke together for good vnto them that loue god. and in regard hereof , the crosses which are indured by gods children , are so farre from beeing preiudiciall to their saluation , that they are rather helps and furtherances of the same . now this goodnes is perceiued two waies . first , by the fruit and effect of it , and then by the qualitie and condition thereof . in both which respects , afflictions are good . touching the fruits of afflictions , because they are manifold , i will reduce them to seauen principall heads . i. afflictions doe make men to see and consider their sinnes . iosephs brethren for twentie yeares together , were little or not at all troubled for their wickednes , in selling their brother ; yet vpon their affliction in egypt , they began to consider what they had done . we haue ( say they ) verily sinned against our brother , in that we saw the anguish of his soule , when he besought vs , and we would not heare him : therefore is this trouble come vpon vs. manasses in the time of his peace , gaue himselfe to witchcraft , and the worshipping of straunge gods : but when he was captiue in babylon , then was he brought to the sight of his sinnes , & mooued to humble himselfe before god for them . ii. afflictions serue to humble men in their soules before god. the young vnthrift in the gospel , called the prodigall childe , while his portion lasted he spent liberally , and was grieued for nothing : but when he came to be pinched with hunger , and that through his owne follie , then he humbled himselfe before his father , & returned home vnto him . dauid saith of himselfe , that in his prosperi●te be thought he should neuer be mooued , because the lord of his goodnesse had made his mountaine to stand strong : but ( saith he ) thou didst hide thy face , and i was troubled , then cried i vnto the lord. iii. they serue to worke amendment of life . no chastising ( saith the author to the hebrewes ) for the present seemeth to be ioyous , but afterward it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousnesse , to them that are thereby exercised ; that is , afflictions and chastisments that seaze vpon gods children , doe leaue after them amendment of life , as the needle passeth thorough the cloath , and leaueth the threed behinde it . when we are iudged ( saith the apostle ) we are nurtered of the lord , that we might not be condemned with the world . and dauid confesseth , psal. . it is good for me that i haue beene afflicted , that i might learne thy statutes . and the good husbandman , purgeth and pruneth the vine , that it may bring forth more and better fruit . iiii. they cause men to denie themselues , and to relie wholly on the mercie of god. thus paul receiued the sentence of death in himselfe , that he should not trust in himselfe , but in god , that raiseth the dead . v. the fift , is invocation . for afflictions make vs to crie heartily and feruently vnto god , to bring our selues into his presence , and there to abase our selues before him . thus the lord said of the olde israelites , that when he slew them , then they returned , & sought him earely , psal. . . and els where he saith of his children , that in their affliction they will seeke him diligently . vi. the sixth , is patience . affliction bringeth forth patience , patience experience , &c. as if he should say ; because the loue of god is shed in our hearts , therefore in afflictions we are patient . now whilst we patiently heare the crosse , we haue experience of the mercie and loue of god towards vs : and hauing once in some notable deliuerance , tried and tasted the mercie of god , we doe by hope ( as it were ) promise to our selues , the saide fauour and mercie , for time to come . vii . the last fruit , is obedience . this the holy ghost teacheth , to haue beene the fruit of the suffering of christ , when he saith , though he were the sonne , yet learned he obedience , by the things which he suffered . in the next place , afflictions are good in regard of their qualitie and condition , which is , that they are tokens and pledges of our adoption , when we make the best vse of them . if ye indure chastening , ( saith the holy ghost ) god offereth himselfe vnto you as vnto sonnes , that is , he comes to you in the crosse , not as a iudge and reuenger , but as a kind and louing father ; and the crosse imposed , is as it were his fatherly hand , wherewith the chastiseth vs : and therefore iob praiseth god for his affliction , saying , god hath giuen , and god hath taken away , blessed be the name of the lord. the fifth ground of comfort is , that the partie distressed , hath partners in the crosse . for first , he hath christ to be his partner , because he hath fellowship with him , in that he is afflicted , and is willing to obey god therein . paul accounteth it happines , to knowe the fellowship of christs afflictions , and to be made conformable vnto his death . phil. . . and saint peter exhorteth beleeuers to reioyce in as much as they are partakers of christes sufferings . . pet. . . secondly , if the partie afflicted repent , christ communicateth with him in al his crosses , & accounts them as his owne . the apostle in this regard , would haue no man thinke it strange , no not when he is in the fierie triall ; but rather to reioyce because he is partaker of christs sufferings . . pet. . . and christ saith to saul persecuting his church , saul , saul , why persecutest thou me ? thirdly , he that is afflicted , hath other seruants of god , partakers with him in all his afflictions . the apostle peter wisheth the church of god to resist sathan by faith , knowing , saith he that the same afflictions are accomplished , in your brothren that are in the world . . pet. . . thus much generally of afflictions , and of comfort in them . it were a long and tedious worke to set all downe in particular , together with their proper and distinct comforts : therefore i will passe them ouer , and speake only of three kinds of afflictions , with their remedies . sect. . the first is , the deferring of deliuerance : a great afflictiō , if it be considered . and touching it , i propound one question , namely , how the minde of the partie distressed , may be staied , when as the lord deferres deliuerance . for the answer hereof , three especiall points are to be considered . i. first , that god hath in his wisdome , set downe certen and unchangeable times , for the accomplishment and issue of all things that are . ther is a time appointed to euery thing vnder the sunne , eccl. . the speech of salomon is generall , and the meaning of it is this . whatsoeuer there is in the world , either done , or suffered , or enioyed by man , whether it be of the number of naturall things , or of those which are voluntarily vndertaken , or necessarily endured ; god hath in his prouidence sorted vnto them , a set time and season , whereof dependeth the successe of them all . and this time , himselfe most freely ordereth and ruleth at his owne good pleasure ; which , as no mā can hinder or stay , so is it not in the power of any , to hasten , or preuēt . this point , the holy ghost in scripture prooueth by two instances , of the threatnings and promises of god , which himselfe accomplisheth , at some certaine and vnchangeable times . when the old world in the daies of noah , had growne to much impietie , and wickednes , the lord appointed a certaine space of . yeares , for their repentance and conuersion ; at the very ende and tearme whereof , he brought the flood vpon them , and not before . for if we compare the particular circumstances of time , noted in the . of genesis , with that which s. peter writeth , . pet. . . ee shall find , that the inundation of waters came vpon the earth , at the very point of time before determined . againe , god threatned by ieremie , that the iewes for their sins , should be led captiue , and serue the king of babel . yeares . now if we take the iust computation of time , it will appeare , that so soone as euer those yeres were expired , the foresaid threat was accomplished . and therefore daniel , alluding to ieremies prophecie , exactly setteth it downe , when he saith , the same night was belshazzarking of the chaldeans slaine , that is , the very night wherein those . yeares came to their full period . and as there are set times , allotted by god for the execution of his threatning sentēces ; so also hath he determined certenly , the accomplishment of all and euery of his promises . an example hereof we haue in the israelites , of whom the lord said to abrahā , that they should be in affliction in a strange land , . yeres , and then be deliuered . this promise of god was expressely fulfilled , as we read in the booke of exodus . for before the ende and tearme of these yeares , they had no deliuerance at all : but when that time was expired , euen that selfe same day , departed all the hosts of israel , out of the land of egypt . and though moses , fourtie yeares before this time , tooke in hand the worke of their deliuerance ; yet he did it without successe ; and vpon a certaine accident , beeing himselfe constrained to flie into madian , he liued there as a stranger with iethro his father in law , till the saide time of foure hundred and thirtie yeares was accomplished ; toward the ende whereof , being called of god to that office , he prospered , and not before . and in the same manner , hath god set downe a certaine period of time , within which , he will exercise his children more or lesse , and at the end wherof , and not before , he will releeue and comfort them againe . now as the certentie of the accomplishment of gods threatning word , serues to terrifie all wicked liuers from sinne : so the vnchangeable performance of his promises , at the very time prefixed , & not before , teacheth the children of god sundrie things . first , that when they are in any distresse , & haue not present or speedie deliuerance , according to their desire , they should waite the lords leisure , and expect with patience till the time come , which is appointed by him for their ease and releefe : and in the meane while stay their hearts , by hope and affiance in his mercie . reason is plaine . god is sure in his word , therefore though heauines may indure for a night , yet ioy will returne in the morning , psal. . . thus the lord comforteth the iewes in a particular distresse , as we may read in the prophecie of habbakuk , where the prophet in the name of the iewes , complaineth and expostulateth the matter with god , why his owne people should be so lamentably afflicted , by a terrible and furious nation , and why they should be led away captiues , by the chaldeans the enemies of god ? to this the lord makes answer , that as he had certenly determined , that iudgemēt to come vpon them , so certenly had he appointed a set time , wherein they should be deliuered . in the meane while , he bids them to comfort themselues in this , that though the affliction should rest vpon them for a season , yet vndoubtedly they should be eased at the length : and therefore , that they should in patience waite for the vision , that is , the accōplishment of the vision touching their deliuerance . secondly , hence we learne , that we must not onely beleeue the promises of god in generall , that god is true and faithfull in them , and that he is able & willing to fulfil them , euen as he made them : but we must beleeue them in particular , that is with application to their proper and seuerall circumstances , which are the particular meanes , places , and times , whereby , and wherein he hath giuen his word , as touching our freedome and exemption from the crosse . take an instance hereof in the prophet daniel , who knew well by the spirit of prophecie , that the lord had determined to bring vpon the iewes . yeares captiuitie in babylon . he knew also , that god had promised to put an ende to that captiuitie , at the end and tearme of those yeares . now what did daniel in this case ? vpon knowledge of the will of god in that point , during the said time , he praied not vnto the lord for deliuerance of his people : but when he vnderstood that the time drewe neere , wherin it was the wil of god , that the iewes should returne out of captiuitie , then by faith applying the promise of god to that particular time : he besought the lord in praier and supplications , with fasting , in sackcloth and ashes , and the lord gaue eare vnto his praiers , and yeelded him a gratious answer . ii. the second point is , that god , when he deferres deliuerance , doth it vpon great and weightie causes and considerations , best knowne to himselfe . the first wherof is , that thereby he might humble men throughly , and bring them to an vtter deniall of themselues , and consequently cause them , to learne patience in affliction ; which they would not learne , if they might be their owne caruers , and haue speedy deliuerance from the crosse , at their own wills and pleasures . secondly , that beeing afflicted , they may acknowledge whence their deliuerance comes ; yea , whence they doe receiue not onely that , but euery other good benefit , which they inioy ; namely not from thēselues , or any creature , but onely from the lord ; and accordingly may learne to value and prize his gifts , at their deserued excellencie . for it is a true saying , and often verified in affliction & want , that benefits easily obtained , are lightly regarded , and sooner forgotten . thirdly , that by the continuance of the crosse without intermission , he may make them to distaste the world , and consequently drawe them to the meditation of the life to come , wherein all matter of mourning shall cease , and all teares shall be wiped from their eies . fourthly , the lord de●erreth deliuerance from affliction , that he might preuent greater euils and dangers , whereinto those that are afflicted might runne , if they had their heartes desire , and were eased not at his will but at their owne wishes . when the childrē of israel came into canaan , they were informed , that they should dwell together with the canaanites , and moses rendreth a reason thereof , least ( saith he ) the wild beasts of the field multiply against thee . and for the preuenting of this euill , the israelites must indure some annoyance by the canaanites . euen so the lord keepeth his seruants vnder the crosse , for the preuenting of greater sins & offences . this should stay the mindes of men , & make them content to wait vpon god for deliuerance , when they are afflicted . iii. the third and last point is , that god alwaies hath and doth exercise his best seruants , with long and continued crosses . abraham was childlesse , till he was . yeares of age , and at those yeares the lord promised him issue . but this promise was not accōplished til a long time after , when he was an hundred yeares old . dauid had a promise to be king of ierusalem , and iuda ; but the lord exercised him by many and grieuous afflictions , before he came to the crowne , in so much , that he saies of himselfe , that his eies failed with waiting vpon his god. zacharie & elizabeth praied to god , both of thē in their youth , & many yeares after for issue , but the lord granted not their request til they were olde . to adde no more examples ; by these we see the lords dealing , euen with holy men and women , his owne deare seruants , that he doth not alwaies grant their requests , nor condescend to their desires at the first , but as it were holds them off , and suspends his grace and fauour for a time . and therefore if it shall please him , thus to deale with any of vs , we must from these examples be taught , to possesse our soules with patience , resting contented in his will , and waiting on his good pleasure to the ende . to conclude this point . suppose , that the condition of gods seruants be such , as that they finde no ende of their afflictions , but that they doe continue euen vnto death , what shall they doe in this case ? ans. besides that which hath beene said before , for the resolution of this question , i answer further , that first , they must still , euen vnto death , liue by faith , and say with holy iob , lord , though thou kill me , yet will i trust in thee . secondly , they must stay and releeue their soules in the meane time , with these and such like meditations . i. that it is the will and pleasure of god , that we should through many afflictions , enter into the kingdome of god. act. . . now it is the propertie of a true child of god , to rest content in his fathers good will and pleasure , euen when he is afflicted . prov. . . my sonne — be not grieued at my correction , that is , let it not be tedious vnto thee , be content to beare it . our dutie therefore is , meekely to subiect our selues vnto the hand of god , as the child doth vnto the correction of his father . ii. that though afflictions be long and tedious , yet god will at length giue a ioyfull and comfortable issue . for so himselfe hath promised , math. . . blessed are they that mourne , for they shall be comforted . psal. . . great are the troubles of the righteous , but the lord wil deliuer him out of them all , psal. . . marke the vpright man , and behold the iust , for the ende of that man is peace . iii. afflictions be they neuer so heauie , in regard of continuance , yet they are in no sort comparable to those eternall ioyes , that god hath prepared for them that loue him . this was pauls meditation , who indured the crosse , euen to his dying day . our light affliction ( saith he ) which is but for a moment , worketh vnto vs an excellent and eternall waight of glorie . and else where he professeth , that he did not count the afflictions of this present time , answerable in value to the glorie , which shall be reuealed vnto gods children , rom. . . saint peter tells them to whome he wrote , that in regard of their assured hope of eternall life , they should reioyce , though now for a season , they were in heauines through manifold tentations , . pet. . . lastly , the author to the hebrewes , comforteth the church by this reason , because it is yet a very little while , and he that shall come , will come , and will not tarrie . iv. though god withholdeth his hand , in respect of deliuerance euen to death , yet his loue is constant and vnchangeable , and the crosse which we vndergoe , cannot separate vs from that loue , wherewith he hath loued vs in iesus christ , rom. . . and thus much of the first particular distresse of minde , arising of outward afflictions . sect. . the second particular distres , is bodily and temporarie death , which consisteth in the separation of the soule from the bodie . and touching this affliction , it is demanded , how any seruant of god , may be able to indure with comfort , the pangs of death ? for the answer hereof , two things are required : a preparation to death , and helps in the time of death . concerning preparation , there are three duties to be performed . the first and most principall , is commended vnto vs in the booke of psalmes , where dauid praies vnto god , lord , make me to know mine end , and the measure of my daies . and moses in like manner , lord , teach me to number my daies , that i may applie my heart vnto wisdome . in which places , is remembred a notable dutie of preparation : to wit , that a man should resolue himselfe of death continually , and before-hand number his daies . this is done , by esteeming of euery day , as the day of his death , and accordingly doing alwaies that , which he would doe , if he were now to giue vp the ghost . secondly , in way of preparation , we must endeauour to disarme and weaken death , who is as an armed man , that hath his weapons , whereby he seekes to destroy vs. and in this case , we must deale with death , as the philistims dealt with sampson . they saw by experience , that he was a mightie man , and by his power and strength , had giuen them many foyles ; and therefore they laboured to know , in what part of his bodie his strength did lie . and after inquirie , finding it to be in the haire of his head , they neuer rested , till they had spoiled him thereof . and questionlesse , the time will come , when we all must encounter , with this strong & powerfull sampson , death ; in the meane while , it is a point of wisdome , to inquire wherein his power and might consisteth . when this search hath bin made , we shall finde that his weapons , are our manifold sinnes , and corruptions , both of heart and life . for as paul saith , the sting of death is sinne . therefore , that we may spoile him of this his furniture , we must exercise our selues in the practise of two duties . first , vse all meanes for the cutting off of the locke of our sinnes , whereby alone satan hath the vantage of vs ; and these means are the duties of humiliation , inuocation , and true repentance . we must therefore humble our selues before god , be instant in praier , for the pardon of our sinnes past , and present , and in this point giue the lord no rest , vntill we haue obtained in our consciences , the sweet certificate of his fauour and mercie in christ , whereby our mindes may be staied and comforted . this done , it stands vs in hand to turne vnto god , to be carefull to leaue sinne , to entertaine in our hearts , a resolued purpose and intention of new obedience , and conformitie to the will , and commandement of god in all things . and this is the onely way in the world , to bereaue this our enemie of his armour , to pull the sting out of the mouth of this serpent , and consequently , euen in death to prèuaile against him . thirdly , in way of preparation , our dutie is , euen before-hand ( while we liue in this world ) to indeauour , to haue some true taste of life euerlasting , and the ioyes of heauen . the due consideration whereof , will be of great vse . for it will stirre vp in our hearts , a desire and loue of perfect happines in heauen , yea a feruent expectation of christs comming to iudgement : and it will further cause vs to say with simeon , lord , now let thy seruant depart in peace : and with the apostle , i desire to be dissolued , and be with christ. touching this spirituall ioy and comfort in the holy ghost , these questions of conscience are mooued . i. first , how may we in this life haue and nourish in our hearts , a true tast of eternall happinesse , and of the ioyes of the world to come ? ans. first , by a serious consideration of the euills that doe hinder , or preiudice our happines : and they are principally foure . one is , the miserie of our liues , in respect of sinne , and the consequents thereof . for there is no man in the world , be he neuer so righteous , that can truly say of himselfe , i am cleane from my sinne , prov. . . yea , ●uen the regenerate , that haue receiued grace to beleeue , to turne vnto god , and to liue according to the spirit , doe finde by experience , corruption & rebellion in their minds , wills , and affections , which daily affordeth matter of sinning against god : and on the otherside , hindreth and quencheth , all the good motions of the spirit , that are in them . againe , such is the irreconciliable malice of satan , that he takes vantage of mans corruption , and neglectes no time or opportunitie , to intrappeth● children of god , in the snares of his temptations . and hence it is that man , by reason of his owne corruption , and the wicked suggestions of the deuill , is at continuall strife with himselfe , hath daily occasion of sorrow , worketh out his saluation with feare and trembling , wading ( as it were ) euen while he liueth , in a sea of many miseries . the second euill , is the vanitie of all things that are in the world . for whether we consider the world it selfe , or the things therein contained , done , or suffered , there is nothing so sure and steadie , whereunto man hauing attained , can possibly rest fully satisfied , and contented ; or which in the ende , will not prooue to be most vaine vanitie . and the truth hereof appeareth , in the experience of salomon himselfe ; who ( beeing king ouer israel ) wanted neither authoritie , nor abilitie , and opportunitie , to take knowledge and triall , of all worldly things in all estates and conditions . and hauing euen of set purpose , carefully and earnestly searched into them all , at length he concludes , that the issue of all was vnprofitable vanitie , and vexation o● minde , as we may read in his ecclesiastes . the third euill is , the changeable condition of our life in this world , whereby it comes to passe , that we are alway in a fleeting and transitorie state . for we are ( as saint peter speaketh ) but strangers and pilgrimes , that wander to and fro in the earth , as in a strange countrey , and still are making forward to our owne home . we haue here no abiding citie . the houses wherein we dwell , are but innes , in which we sojourne for a time : yea the bodies which we haue , are but ●ents and ●abernacles , alway readie to be shifted , and our selues to be translated into another place . fourthly , by remembring , that christ our head , beeing now in heauen , and we his members vpon the earth ; during our life , we are in presence separated from our head , and consequently , from that happie and glorious fellowship , which we shall inioy with him , and all the saints our fellow-members , in the kingdome of heauen . this s. paul noteth , when he saith , whilst we are at home in the bodie , we are absent from the lord : and thereupon himselfe desired to be dissolued , and to be with christ. hauing thus entred into the due consideration of the aforesaid euills , we must in the second place , exercise our selues in the frequent meditation , of the blessed estate of gods chosen , in the kingdome of glorie : who beeing translated out of this life , into the bosome of abraham , are fully and perfectly freed from sinne , from satan , from vanitie and miserie : haue all teares wiped from their eyes : doe behold the face of god ; are made like vnto christ in holines and honour : and doe with him inherit the kingdome , prepared for them , from the foundations of the world . in the third place , hauing throughly considered of these things , we must compare the estate of this present life , in the respects before-●amed , with the estate of that , which is to come in the kingdome of heauen : and laying them in a paralell together , we shall sinde the one , infinitely farre to excell the other in regard of true ioy and comfort . and this will make vs , though liuing in the world , yet to vse it , as if we vsed it not : to haue our conversation in heauen : to thinke , with paul , that to be loosed , and be with christ , is best of all for vs : to haue a true and liuely tast of the ioyes of the world to come , and accordingly with abraham , isaac , and iacob , to looke for a citie that hath foundations , whose builder and maker is god. ii. secondly , it is demanded , how a man may truly discerne , whether this ioy of the spirit , be in him yea or no ? for answer hereunto , it is to be remembred , that there are sundrie properties wherby it differeth from carnall ioy . and these are principally fiue . first , this ioy is brought forth ( as it were ) of sorrow for sinne , and for the want of christ. ye shal sorrow , ( saith our sauiour christ to his disciples , meaning for his departure , ) but your sorrow shall be turned into ioy . these words , are not onely meant of his disciples , but of all beleeuers , who vpon consideration of their sinnes , and the spirituall want of christ iesus , doe mourn and lament . for not onely they , but all true beleeuers , are there opposed vnto the world. againe , blessed are they that mourne : that is , being touched with causes of exceeding griefe , doe withall mourn for their sinnes : for they shal be comforted . on the other side , carnal ioy , as it hath his beginning from the flesh , & ariseth of things pleasing thereunto , so it ends in sorrow and heauinesse . in the end , reioycing is turned into mourning , saith solomon . and , woe ●e to you that now laugh : for ye shall weepe . secondly , the ioy of the spirit , is a fruit of righteousnes : that is , it issueth and floweth from christ knowne and beleeued , to be made vnto vs of god , wisdome , righteousnes , sanctification , and full redemption . for from hence , followes peace of conscience , and from peace , comes ioy in the holy ghost . contrariwise , the ioy of the flesh , ariseth only from the sudden feeling of some worldly delight : and therfore cannot bring any sound peace , vnto the conscience of the man possessed of it . thirdly , spirituall ioy is founded in the holy vse of the word , sacraments , and praier : and in the practise of christian duties of mercie , ●oue , iustice , &c. the other is not so . for the world conceiueth a ioy besides the word , o●● of the exercises of inuocation and repentance : which stands in the practise of crueltie , malice , oppression , iniustice , and all manner of impietie . and hence it is , that hauing spēt their daies in such matter of reioycing , at length in a momēt they go down to hell . fourthly , heauenly ioy is so fixed & rooted in the heart , that it cannot be remooued thence . your ioy shal no man take from you , saith christ. it must needes therefore be true and sound , yea able to swallow vp all matter of griefe , and heauinesse : whereas the other is neuer sincere , but with the sweetnes thereof , hath alwaies mingled some bitternes . euen in laughter ( saith salomon , speaking thereof ) the heart is heauie . when the face of the wicked man shineth , and his countenance is pleasant , euen then is he inwardly sorrowfull , and his minde is troubled . lastly , the ioy of the spirit is eternall : abiding in the mind of man , not onely for the terme of this life , but for euer , in the world to come . so is not the reioycing of the world in earthly things : for it is fading and deceitfull , as the things themselues be , wherein it is placed : it hath the beginning in corruption , and endeth with this present life . the examples of the two rich men in the gospel , doe manifest this truth . and to this purpose , is the speech of zophar , in the booke of iob , that the reioycing of the wicked , is very short , & the ioy of hypocrites is but a momēt , &c. by these fiue properties , may we put a true difference , betweene earthly and heauenly reioycing , and consequently discerne of them , euen in our seleues . and if we perceiue this ioy of the spirit , ( rightly con●ceiued and grounded in the right vse of the word , and sacraments ; as also in the exercises of inuocation , faith , and repentance , ) to take place in our soules and consciences , we shall finde it of force , to moderate and alay the very terrours of death . and so much for preparation . now the helpes to be vsed in the time of death , are manifold : the summe of all may be reduced to two heads ; meditations , and practises . touching meditations , we must in the first place , consider death in a double respect ; one , as it is in it owne nature , and another , as it is changed and qualified by the death of christ death in it owne nature , is a curse , or fore ●…er of comdemnation , the very gates and suburbs of hell it selfe : but beeing qualified by christ , it is a blessing , an end of all miseries , a full freedome from all dangers , a short passage vnto ioy , an entrance into euerlasting life , a quiet sleepe , voide of all annoyance , by dreames and fantasies . and the graue a resting chamber , yea a bed perfumed by the death of christ , for the bodies of all the elect , out of which when they awake , they shall be admitted & receiued into the presence of god in heauen . secondly , we are to consider , that there be three degrees of eternall life . the first whereof , is in this world before we die , and it is then , whē we begin to repent & beleeue in christ , and to be assured in conscience that god the father is our father , christ our redeemer , & the holy ghost our comforter . for this is eternall life , to know god and him whome he hath sent iesus christ. the next degree is in death : for death cuts off al sin , originall & actuall : death frees vs from al wordly miseries : death prepareth the bodie , that it may be fit to enter into eternall happinesse together with the soule , which is alreadie in heauen . the last degree is , when bodie & soule reunited , goe both together into eternall and euerlasting glory . our third meditation is , that that there is a mysticall vnion and coniunctiō , betweene christ and euery beleeuer , & that not onely in regard of soule , but of bodie also ; which beeing once knit , shall neuer be dissolued , but is eternall . wherevpon the dying , dead rotten , and consumed bodie remaineth still a member of christ , abideth within the couenant , and is and shall be euer , a temple of the holy ghost . thus adam , and abraham , which are dead , so many thousand yeares agoe , yea euery true beleeuer , from them to the end of the world , shall arise at the last day in body to glory , by the power of their coniunction with christ. in the winter season , we see the most trees voide of leaues , buddes , and blossomes : so as they seeme to vs to be dead , and yet neuerthelesse there is a sappe in the roote of them , which in the spring wil ascend , & reuiue the decaied brāches . euen so it is with our bodies , which though they be corrupted , rotten , burnt or eaten with wormes , or deuoured by wild beasts , so as they may seeme to be vtterly perished , yet there is ( as it were ) a secret and hidden sap in them , ( by reason of their vnion with christ ) by which they shall be raised , reuiued , and quickned , being made like vntothe glorious bodie of christ their head , with whome they shall raigne , and liue for euermore . helpes in practise are two ; first , he that will beare with comfort the pangs of death , must labour that he may die in faith : and that is done , by laying hold of the promise of god , touching forgiuenes of sinnes and life euerlasting by christ. all these ( saith the holy ghost ) died in faith , namely , abel , enoch , no● , abraham , and sarah , all laying hold of the promise of life by christ. when iacob on his death-bed , was blessing of his children , he brake forth into this heauenly speach , o lord , i haue waited for thy saluation . in which words it is plaine , that his faith rested on the mercie of god , and by hope he waited for his saluatiō , & our sauiour christ saith , as moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernesse , so must the sonne of man be lift vp , that whosoeuer beleeueth in him , might not perish , but haue life euerlasting . out of which words the forenamed duty may be learned , that looke as the childrē of israel , being stung with fiery serpēts , & that vnto death , we● healed by looking vp to the brasē serpēt erected by moses : so whē we are stūg with sin & death , we must euer remēber by faith to looke vpon christ. but specially when we are dying , then it is our part , to sixe the eies of our soules , by faith vpon him ; and thereby shall we escape death and be made partakers of eternall life and happinesse . notable is the example of christ , who as he was man ; alwaies fixed his trust and considence in his fathers word , especially at his end . for when he was dying , and the pangs of death seazed vpon him , he cries vnto the lord , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? and againe , father into thy hands i commend my spirit : which words are full of faith , and doe bewray what great affiance he placed in his fathers loue , &c. when dauid in an extremitie , saw nothing before his eies but present death , the people in tending to stone him , at the very instant ( as the text saith ) he comforted himselfe in the lord his god ; but how ? by calling to minde the mercifull promises , that god had made vnto him , and by applying them vnto his heart by faith . and paul saith of himselfe , & the rest of the faithfull , that they receiued the sentence of death in themselues , that they might not trust in themselues , but in god. from these examples it followes , that they which desire with comfort to beare the pangs of death , must die by faith ; that is , they must set before their eies , the promise of remission of sinnes , and life euerlasting , and depend vpon it , wrapping ( as it were ) & infolding thēselues in it , as in a close & warm garment , that will keepe them safe and sure , against the winde and weather of temptation . the second practise in the time of death is , to die in obedience ; which is nothing else , but willingly , gladly , and readily , without murmuring , to submit our selues vnto gods will , in bearing the paines of death . a most worthie president of this obediēce , we haue in our sauiour christ , when he said vnto his father , not my will , but thy will be done ; thereby submitting his will , to his fathers wil , touching the death which he then suffered . yea when he was dying , it is said of him , that he gaue vp the ghost ; that is , he did most willingly surrender vp his soule into the hands of god his father . and this his exāple at the time of his departure , must be a rule of directiō vnto vs , vpon the like occasion . hence it is , that in the third petitiō of the lords praier , amōgst other things , we pray for obedience to the will of god in suffering afflictions , yea euen in the last and greatest , which is death it self . true it is , that obedience to god in death , is against corrupt nature ; and therefore our dutie is , the more to inure our selues , to the performing of it : and that which the blessed apostle said of himselfe , i die daily , ought to be continually our resolution and practise . if we shall inquire , howe this may be done ; the answer is , whē god layeth afflictions vpon vs , in our life time , then by endeauouring to beare them with patience , meeknes , and lowlines . for euery affliction , is ( as it were ) a pettie death : and if we doe in it , subiect our selues to the hand of god , wee shall the better obey him , in the great death of all : and thus doing , whensoeuer god striketh vs with death , we shall with comfort endure the same . sect. . the third particular affliction or distresse , is satanicall molestation , whereby both persons , and places of mansion , or abode , are either possessed , or otherwise molested by the malice of the deuill . i. touching this affliction , the question of conscience is , how such persons as are possessed , or feare possession , or else indure molestations by the deuill in their houses , may haue their minds quieted and sta●ed , and consequently , in that case be remedied ! and here two things are generally to be considered , in way of answer . first , it is to be remembred , that possession is knowne by two signes . the one is , when the deuill is euidently present , either in the whole bodie , or in some part of it . the other , when he hath rule of the said bodie , either in whole or in part : so as the partie himselfe , hath not that vse of his bodie , which he would . as for example : when the deuill possesseth the instruments of the voice , as the tongue , and makes a man to speake latine , greeke , italian , or other tongues , which he vnderstandeth not . both these things were found in them that were possessed , in the time of our sauiour christ. secondly , we must consider , it falleth out oftentimes , that straunge diseases doe seaze vpon men , arising from corrupt humours in the bodie ; yea men and women may haue straunge passions vpon naturall causes vnknowne ; and these will sometimes haue strange and extraordinarie effects in them , which the art of physicke neither can search out , nor cure ; and yet they are neither acts of witchcraft , nor reall possessions . as when god laid extraordinarie diseases on the corinthians , for the contempt of his word and sacraments , . cor. . . like vnto which , he worthily inflicts vpon men in these daies , for the same and other sinnes . now to stay the minde in this case , these rules are carefully to be thought vpon . first of all , it is to be remembred , that though satans malice and power , be very great and large : yet he can not practise the same , against the childrē of god , whē , where , and how he listeth . the malice which satan beares to mankind , and principally to the members of christ , appeares in this , because he is saide , to accuse them before god , day and night . and , as a roaring lyon , to walke about the world , seeking whome he may deuoure , . pet. . . againe , the scripture noteth him , to be a powerfull spirit , whose strength farre exceedeth and surpasseth the might of any man or creature , that is not of an angelical nature , as himselfe is . for he is tearmed a prince of the aire , and the god of this world ; his power reacheth euen to the spirits and soules of men , whereby he worketh in the children of disobedience , ephes. . . his principalitie is so great , that no strength , no defence of man is able to withstand it , vnlesse man take vnto himselfe the whole armour of god , eph. . . now although the deuill be so malitious an enemie of mankind , that he ceaseth not to deuise , whatsoeuer may be hurtfull vnto them ; and withall so powerfull in his attempts , that no man by his o●ne proper strength , is able to resist him : yet he cannot put the least part of his power in execution , in what time , place , or manner he desireth . the reason is , because god hath determined his power , by certaine bounds and limits , which he cannot passe : and they are especially two . the one is , his owne nature , whereby he is a creature , and therefore finite . hence it is , that he can neither know , nor doe any thing that is beyond the reach or capacitie of his nature , or aboue the power and skill of a creature . for example , he cannot directly and immediatly know the deepe things of god , vnlesse they be reuealed vnto him : nor yet the secrets of mans heart . none knoweth the things of a man , saue the spirit of a man , which is in him : ouen so , the things of god knoweth none , but the spirit of god , . cor. . . againe , he cannot doe that which is truly and properly a miracle , the cause whereof is hidden and vtterly vnknowne , and which comes not within the power and order of nature . for this is proper vnto god , who onely doth things simply wonderfull , psal. . . the second thing whereby satans power is restrained , is the will of god. for looke as the sea , beeing by nature , apt to ouerflow the whole earth , is kept in , and shut vp within the shore , ( as it were ) with dores or gates , that it cannot breake forth ; and that by the lord himselfe , who hath established his decree vpon it , iob . so though satan be by nature strong , and his malice great , yet can he doe nothing at all , no nor execute his naturall power , to the hurt and preiudice of any man , without the will and permission of god. thus the euill spirit , could not goe forth to deceiue ahab , vntill the lord had said vnto him , goe and thou shalt preuaile , . king. . . thus the deuill could not touch the bodie , children , goods , or friends of righteous iob , whilest he was fenced and fortified , by the power and prouidence of god. but when the lord , in regard of iobs outward estate , had giuen leaue , and said , loe all that he hath is in thine hand , then did he exercise his power , to the vtmost : yet so farre onely , as he was permitted , and no further . iob. . . the consideration of this first point , that satans power is determined by god , will serue to stay the minds of those , whose persons , houses , or friends are molested by him . for hereupon it followeth , that god , who hath the deuill bound vp ( as it were ) in chaines , will not suffer his power to be inlarged , against his owne children , to their destruction and confusion : but so farre forth alone , as shall be expedient for their good and saluation . againe , that god beeing their father in christ iesus , they may in the time of such affliction , haue accesse vnto him , & call vpon him , for the restraint of satans power and malice , and consequently , for the deliuerance of them and theirs . a second rule is this . such persons must haue recourse to god in his word , in which he promiseth his presence and protection , to his children , in their greatest dangers . and namely , that there shall no euill come vnto them , neither any plague shall come neere their dwelling : because he will giue his angels charge ouer them , to keepe them in all their waies . againe , that he will be a wall of fire , round about his people . zach. . . that he will extend peace ouer his church , like a flood , isa. . . and that there shal be no sorcery against iacob , nor soothsaying in rael , numb . . . and yet if god sees it to be good for his children , to be tried by possessions or witchcraft , in this case the promise frees them not . for all temporall blessings are promised conditionally , so farre forth as they may stand with gods good will and pleasure , and withall may make for the good of his children . howbeit herein lies the comfort , that though such calamities befall them , yet they shall turne to their good , rather then to their hurt . this point well considered by the way , bewraieth the great presumption of some , who are not afraid to say , their faith is so strong , that the deuill cannot touch them . thirdly , it must be considered , that the best seruants of god , haue beene in their times molested by the deuill . christ in his second temptation , was carried by the deuill , from the wildernessé , to a wing of the temple of ierusalem . the children of iob , were destroied by the deuill , & he himselfe was filled with bo●ches , and sores . a certaine woman , euen a daughter of abraham , that is , one following the faith of abraham , was troubled with a spirit of infirmitie , eighteene yeares together . and the daughter of the woman of canaan , was grieuously vexed with a deuill . math. . , . fourthly , men in this case , ought by faith to lay fast hold vpon the promise of life euerlasting , and wait the lords leisure , not limiting him in respect of time , or meanes of deliuerance . this was the practise of iob , though he kill me , yet will i trust in him . and of holy abraham , who did not limit god , but was content to doe with isaac , what the lord would : and though it was in likelihood , a meane to bereaue him of all posteritie , yet still he kept himselfe to the promise . lastly , men must in this case , seeke and sue vnto god by praier , either for deliuerance , if it may stand with his good will and pleasure , or els for patience , that they may meekly and patiently beare that particular affliction . ii. in the molestation and annoyance of houses by spirits , two things are to be remembred . first , men must not consort together , and abide there , where it is certenly knowne , that the lord hath giuen the deuill power and libertie ; least in so doing , they tempt the lord. our sauiour christ , did not of his owne priuate motion and will , betake himselfe into the wildernes , but by the direction of the holy ghost , math. . . paul in like manner , did not of his owne head goe to ierusalem , but vpon the motion of the spirit , act. . . in the light of these examples men arc taught , not to cast themselues , into any places of apparant danger : much lesse to frequent those , which god hath deliuered vp , into the power of satan . and this condemneth the rash , and headie conceits of some persons , who vpon confidence of their owne strength , doe put themselues into needelesse dangers , hauing neither extraordinarie calling from god , nor any sufficient warrant out of his word . if it be asked , what men are to doe in this case ? i answer , first , that they ought rather to flie to god by praier , and to draw neere vnto him in their hearts : and he in mercie will draw neere vnto them . secondarily , that which we doe in meats and drinkes , is also to be done in the houses and places where we dwell . and what is that ? we must sanctifie them to our vse , by the word and prayer . noah at gods commandement , went into the arke , abode in it , and came out againe : and when he came forth of it , into the earth afterward ; it is said of him , that he built an altar , gaue thāks to god for his deliuerance , and praied the lord , to vouch safe him the vse of the earth , as he had before . though abraham had a promise of the land of canaan , to him and his posteritie for euer , yet he went not out of his countrey toward it , till the lord commanded him : and when he was come thither , he built an altar for the worship and seruice of god. the like he did afterward at bethel . and many yeares after , did iacob offer sacrifice vnto god , in the same bethel , when he came to dwell there . and for this very end , in the law , by a speciall ordinance the first fruites of the haruest were offered to sanctifie the rest of the corne . and so much touching the second distresse . chap. x. of the third speciall distresse , arising of the tentation of blasphemie . the third kind of trouble of mind , is that which ariseth of the tentation of blasphemie , which in regard of the vilenes and vglinesse thereof : is not amisse tearmed by some , the foule tentation . and it is , when a man is troubled in his minde , with blasphemous cogitations , and thoughts , directly against the maiestie of god , the father , the sonne , and the holy ghost . as for example : to thinke that god is not iust , or mercifull ; that he accepteth mens persons : that he hath not knowledge of things , that are done here below , or at least that de doth not regard them : that god cannot doe this or that : that he is iniurious to some men , and partiall to others , &c. these and such like blasphemous thoughts there be , which are not fit to be vttered amongst mē , forasmuch as they are most horrible , and execrable , as any can be conceiued . sect. . that we may the better know this temptation , let it be considered , what are the forerunners thereof , and by what meanes it takes place in the heart possessed of it . sometimes it commeth , meerely and onely of the suggestion of the deuill ; which troubleth the phantasie , euen of those which are in that regard innocent , and casteth into their hearts impure and vngodly thoughts . sometimes againe , it comes vpon men , by an euill custome : when as they willingly lend their eares , to leude and cursed speeches , that immediately tend to the dishonour of god , or the wilfull abuse of his word , his iudgements , and mercies ; and vpon the hearing , either giue their applause and approbation , though not expressely ; or doe not hinder or stay them , as much as in them lyeth . otherwhiles , it creepes into the heart of man by degrees , when he beginnes to waxe cold in gods seruice , to make little conscience of those duties , that immediately concerne his worship , & consequently inures himselfe , to the taking of the name of god in vaine , by often and causelesse swearing , forswearing , cursing , &c. by these and such like meanes , is this foule and horrible tentation conua●ed into the minde of man. now the danger of it , whether it ariseth from these , or any other causes , is exceeding grieuous , specially to those , that haue begun to chuse the way of truth , and to applie their hearts to serue god , and to feare his name . for it bringeth forth strange and fearfull effects ; as namely , desperation , and manifold horrors & troubles of minde . yea diuers persons haue hereupō bin astonished in such sort , that they haue bin mooued to make dispatch of themselues ; beeing in their owne iudgement no better , then the very firebrands of hell . sect. . now for the curing of this wonderfull trouble and distraction of conscience , two things are to be done : to wit , inquirie must be made into the next causes , whence this tentation should arise : and after that , the remedie is to be applied . for the first . inquirie is to be made , whether the present distresse , had his beginning from the thoughts of a mans owne minde , or from the suggestion of the deuill . for this is in all likelyhoode , the next way to minister comfort , to the afflicted partie . it may be said , how shall a man discerne the thoughts that are from the deuill , from his owne thoughts ? ans. he shall know them by sundrie notes . first by the entrance of thē into the mind . for those that co●e from the diuill , come speedily , as lightning into a house : and they are after a sort , forced into the minde by violence , so as the partie cannot auoide them ; and they come into the minde againe and againe , yea a thousand times in a day , so as by their often comming , they weaken the memorie , dull the senses , wearie and confound the braine . these are thoughts that come from the deuill , and by him are co●…uaied from without , into the minde of man. and if such cogitations , were from a mans own self , they would not come with so great vehemēcie and cel●ritie , but with leisure● and they would rise with more moderation , and lesse violence . yea further , the frequent vse of them would not produce so many , and so fearfull effects as it doth . secondly , such thoughts may be discerned , to come from the deuil , by this signe , because they are directly against the very light of nature , the sparkes whereof are not quite extinct in vs by sinne . for euery man thinkes reuerently of god by nature . but these cogitations are most wicked and deuilish , fastning vpon god , things that are most vile and monstrous : whereas commonly , the thoughts that arise from our selues , are not against the light of nature , though they be most corrupt . the third signe is , that at the first conceiuing of them , the partie 〈◊〉 smitten with an extraordinarie feare , his flesh is troubled ; and oftentimes , sicknes and faintings doe follow . but the thoughts that men conceiue of thēselues , cause neither feare , nor fainting , nor sicknes . fourthly , blasphemous thoughts cannot come ordinarily from the hart of any , saue of those alone , that are of reprobate mindes . but the parties that are thus distressed , are honest , ciuill , and such as professe the gospell , at least in shew ; yea sometime they befall such , as are the true members of christ. therefore it is manifest , that they come from without , euen from the deuill casting them into the minde , and not from within a mans owne selfe . in the next place , inquirie must be made , whether the partie doth approoue , loue , and like these and such like thoughts , or no ? to this he will answer , if he be asked , that he abhors them as the deuill and hell it selfe . thus euen naturall men will answer , & that truly . after inquirie thus made , the remedie is to be applied . and the first and principall remedie , pertaines to doctrine , and instruction : in which the partie is to be informed of his or her estate ; namely , that the foresaid blasphemies , are not his sinnes , but his crosses . for they are the deuils sinnes , and he shall answer for them : and they are not ours , till we intertaine , receiue , approoue , and giue consent vnto them . for proofe hereof , let this be considered , that vncleane thoughts which haue their residence in the minde of man , are of two sorts : inward , and outward , inward are such , as haue their originall from the flesh , and arise of the corruption of mans nature , though stirred vp by the deuill . and these , at the very first conceiuing , are our sins , though they haue no long abode in our mindes : and they are directly forbidden , in the tenth commandement outward thoughts are those , which haue relation to an outward cause or beginning : of which sort are those euill thoughts , that be conueied into the minde by the deuill : and if we take no pleasure in them , nor yeeld consent vnto them , they are not to be accounted our sinnes , but the deuills , by whome they are suggested , the truth hereof appeares in christs example ; into whose minde the deuill cast this blasphemous tentation , thereby moouing him to infidelitie , co●etousnes , and idolatrie : which neuerthelesse were not his sinnes , because his holy-heart gaue not the least approbation to them , but abhorred and repelled , them , and therefore was free from any taint of sinne , in or by them . this distinction of thoughts must be remembred . for hence it followes , that blasphemous thoughts , not consented to by vs , are not our sinnes , but the deuills . euen as in like case , whē one wickedly disposed , sollicites another to treason , or murder : if the said partie listen not , nor yeild thereto , he cannot be holden guiltie of those crimes . therfore , men must not feare those kind of thoughts ouermuch : at lest , if they please not thēselues ouermuch in them : because , though they be indeede their crosses , yet are they not their personall sinnes , for which they shall incurre the wrath and displeasure of god. againe , they must let them goe as they come : they are not to striue against them , for the more they labour to resist them , the more shall they be intangled with them . the second thing to be vsed in way of remedy , for the staying of the mind in this tentation , is , that though it should be graunted , that the foresaid euill and blasphemous thoughts are our sinnes , yet we are to remember , that they may through the mercie and goodnesse of god , be pardoned : if they be heartily and vnfeinedly repented of : yea further , that neither they , nor any other sins ( except that against the holy ghost ) doe condemne him , that praieth against them , & is heartily sorrie for them . it was pauls complaint , rom. . . that he did not the good which he would doe , speaking of the inward indeauour of his heart : and againe , that he did the euill which he would not , meaning in respect of the corruption of his nature . now vpon this , that he indeauoured to doe that , which was agreable to the will of god , that he loathed and detested the contrarie , and stroue against his corruptions , how did he comfort himselfe ? marke the wordes following , v. . if i doe that i would not : that is to say ; if against my generall purpose , i sinne against god ; if i be sorrie for it , if i be displeased with my selfe , because i can not obey god , in that perfectiō i desire , it is no more i that do it , but sinne that dwelleth in me . frō this example of paul i gather , that if any man , haue in his minde euill thoughts , and doeth ( as paul did ) grieue , because he therby offendeth god ; if he doe abhorre them , and pray against them ; he shall not be condemned for them ; they shall neuer be laid to his charge . the partie then that is troubled with with these thoughts , may vpō these grounds , stay his minde ; and comfort himselfe . for if he shall not be condemned for them , then let him not feare them aboue measure . the third point to be remembred is , that the partie must not be alone . for this tentation beginnes , and is confirmed and increased by solitarinesse ; and the parties thus distressed , loue to be apart by themselues , from the societie of others . and for that cause , in case they be lyable to this distresse , they must vse to converse with such company , as may afford them matter of speech and conference meete for them , and may exercise their mindes with heauenly meditations in the word , and singing of psalmes , and such like fitte and conuenient recreations . our first parent eue was tempted by satan , when shee was apart from adam : and our sauiour christ , when he was alone out of companie and societie , then did the deuill most malitiously assault him , with strong and powerfull tentations in the wildernes . the fourth point , to be remembred of the partie troubled is , that he must as heartily and earnestly repent him , of those his euill thoughts , as of euill wordes and deedes . for the truth is , because men are loose-minded , and haue no more care of their thoughts , then commonly they haue ; therefore the lord iustly suffers the deuill to plague and torment them , by conuaying into their hearts , most vile and damnable cogitations . furthermore , the said partie must labour to be renued in the spirit of his minde , that is , to haue his minde inlightened by the spirit , whereby he may know and vnderstand the will of god in his word . after repentance for euill thoughts , there must follow watchfulnesse , and a carefull circumspection ouer all his waies ; but principally he must haue an eye vnto his heart , the fountaine of all . keepe thine heart with all diligence , saith salomon : that is , aboue all things see that thou countergard thy thoughts , desires , motions , and affections . that the heart of a man may be guarded , two rules are to be obserued . first , that the word of god dwell plentifully in it , by daily meditation of the commandements , promises , and threatnings reuealed in the same . it is noted by dauid , as a propertie of a blessed man , that he exerciseth himselfe in meditatiō of the law of god , day and night , psal. . by this meanes the heart will be clensed , and purged from vncleane and polluted motions , and so guided & directed , that it swarue not from god. this rule is of speciall vse . for therefore doe men hatch , and breed euill thoughts in their hearts , because they are not taken vp with holy meditations : and hence it is , that the heart of man , is made euen a pray vnto the deuill , because the word of god is not lodged therein . excellent was the practise of dauid in this case , who kept the word of god in his heart , that he might not sinne against him . the second rule of the keeping of the heart , is to establish our thoughts by counsell . it is the wise mans aduise in so many words , prov. . . wherein he would teach vs , that it is the propertie of a worldly wise man , in matters of waight , not to trust to his owne wit , but to follow the direction and counsell of wise and skilfull men . and if this be a sound course in matters of the world , much more ought it to be taken , in the maine matters of religion , and conscience , concerning the heart and soule of man. and therefore by the lawe of proportion , it giues vs direction , not once to thinke or conceiue , so much as a thought , but vpon aduice and direction taken at god and his word . thy testimonies ( saith dauid ) are my delight ; and my counsellers . and what benefit had he by taking such a course ? surely , by the word of god , which was his continuall meditation , he gat vnderstanding , he became wiser then the auncient ; it made him to hate all the waies of falshood : it kept him from declining from god , either to the right hand , or to the left . the same rule must be practised of vs , in the vse of our senses , our speeches , and actions , and then shall the heart be kept cleane , and free from these temptations . and seeing this temptation is so daungerous and fearefull , as hath beene said , & doth often befall men ; our dutie is to make conscience , of practising the foresaid rules continually . and thus much concerning the third kinde of distresse of conscience . chap. xi . of the fourth speciall distresse , arising from a mans owne sinnes . the fourth distresse of minde is that , which ariseth from a mans owne sinnes , or rather , from some one speciall sinne committed . and this kind of tentation is twofold : for either it is more violent , and lesse common ; or lesse violent and more common . sect. . the violent distresse of minde , shewes it selfe by feares and terrours of the conscience , by doubtings of the mercie of god , by lamentable and fearefull complaints made to others . now question is mooued , howe this violent distresse of minde , arising from our owne sinnes , is to be cured ? answ. that it may be cured by the blessing of god , three things must be done . first , that particular sinne must be known , which is the cause of this violent distresse . and here we are to know , by the way ; that it is an vsuall thing , with the parties thus distressed , to dissemble and cloake their sinnes : and therefore they will alleadge , that their trouble ariseth from some euill thoughts , from wicked affections , and from the corruption of nature : whereas commonly men are not distressed , in violent manner , for euill thoughts , affections , &c. but the violent distresse commeth from so●…e actuall and odious sinne or sinnes done , which wound the conscience , and are the causes of great distraction of minde : and they are many , which hauing bin vpon occasion before rehearsed , i will not now repeat them . onely this must be remembred , that the greater sinns against the third , sixt , and seuenth commandements , are the maine and proper causes of violent distresses : and the more secret the sinne is , in regard of the practise thereof , the greater horror of conscience it bringeth ; and open offences doe not giue so deepe a wound vnto it , as secret and hidden sinnes . secōdly , the particular sinne being known , inquirie must be made , as much as possibly may be , by signes , whether the partie distressed repenteth , yea or no. for except he hath repented , he cannot be fitted to receiue comfort : & vnlesse he be first fitted to receiue cōfort , he cannot be releeued in conscience . now if it be found , that the partie hath repented , then care must be had in the next place , that his repentance may be renued , for the particular sinne committed . thirdly , hauing thus done , the comfort must be ministred , for the moderating , or taking away of the distresse . and here remember by the way , that the comforts ministred , vsually and ordinarily , must not goe alone , but be mingled and tempered , with some terrors of the law : that beeing thereby feared , with the consideration of sinne , and of the wrath of god due vnto the same , the comfort may appeare to be the sweeter . the ministring whereof , in case of this distresse , would not be direct and present , but by certaine steppes and degrees : except onely in the point of death : for then a directer course must be vsed . these degrees are two . first , the partie is to be informed of a possibilitie of pardon , that is , that his sinnes are pardonable , and though in themselues they be great , and hainous , yet by the mercie of god in christ , they may be remitted . now put the case , that the afflicted apprehendeth onely the odiousnesse of his sinnes , and the wrath of god due to the same , and in this fitte puts off the pardon from himselfe , and cannot be perswaded that his sinne may be forgiuen , what then is to be done ? ans. then for the effecting of this first degree , certaine grounds are to be laid downe , whereupon assurance in that case may be built vp in his heart . the first ground of possibilitie of pardon is , that the mercie of god is infinite , yea ouer all his works , psal. ● . . that the death of christ is of infinite price , merit , and value before god. that god is much in sparing , isa. . . that with the lord is mercie , and with him is plenteous redemption , psal. . . that christs satisfaction is not onely a b price , but a c counterprice , . tim. . . able to satisfie for the sinnes of all men , yea for them that haue sinned against the holy ghost . for that sinne , is not therefore vnpardonable , because the offence thereof is greater , then the merit of christ ; but because th● partie offending , neither doth , nor can applie the merit of christ vnto himselfe . an ancient father vpon cains wordes , my punishment is greater then i can beare , saith , thou liest cain , for gods mercie is greater then the sinnes of all men . the mercie of god was very great to manasses , to salomon , to peter , and to many others , though they were great offenders . the second ground . men of yeares , liuing in the church of god , and knowing the doctrine of saluation , shall not be condemned simply for their sinnes , but for lying in their sinnes . vpon this ground , i say , that men distressed must be grieued , not so much for committing of sinne , as for lying and continuing in sinnes committed . a third ground . it pleaseth god many times to leaue men to themselues , and to suffer them to commit some sinne that woundeth conscience . it is true and cannot be denied . but we must withall remember , that sinnes committed , doe not vtterly take away grace , but rather make it the more to shine and shew it selfe . for god in mercie turneth all things , euen sinne it selfe , to the good of them that be his : and therefore sinne committed , cannot either waste , or extinguish grace receiued , but by diuine dispensation , serueth to amplifie and inlarge the same ; so as where sinne aboundeth , there grace aboundeth much more , rom. . . and the lord saide to paul , beeing in great extremitie , . cor. . . my grace is sufficient for thee : for my power is made perfect through weakenes . hence it appeareth , that the grace of god is not vtterly lost , but appeareth liuely in the time of distresse . the fourth ground is this . the promises of god touching remission of sinnes , and life eternall , in respect of beleeuers are generall , and in regard of all and euery man indefinite : that is , they doe not define , or exclude any person , or any sinner , or any time ; onely they admit one exception , of finall impenitencie . here a question may be mooued , how long he that ministreth comfort , must stand vpon the possibilitie of pardon ? i answer , vntill he hath brought the partie distressed , to some measure of true repentance : and this beeing done , then he is to proceede to the second degree of comfort . the second degree of comfort is , to teach , that the sinne , or sinnes of the partie distressed , are indeede pardoned . but it may be asked , vpon what signes may this comfort be applyed ? i answer , vpon these two . first , if the partie distressed confesse , that he or shee is heartily grieued , that by their sinne or sinnes , they haue offended so louing and so mercifull a god. secondly , if they professe , that they desire with all their heart , to be reconciled vnto god in christ : and at least doe desire to repent for their sinnes ; and withall doe carrie in heart , a purpose to sinne no more , but in all things , ( as much as in them lieth ) to performe new obedience vnto god , luc. . . &c. now for the better enforcing of this comfort , some textes of scripture , fitting this purpose must be rehearsed , a● for example , matth. . , . i came not to call the righteous , that is to say , those that iudge themselues righteous , but sinners , that is , those which are grieued , because in their owne conscience , they are vile and hainous offenders , to repentance . againe , matth , . . come vnto me all ye that are wearie , and heauie laden , and i will refresh you . and christ saith , it was the end of his cōming to preach deliuerance to the captiues , and to set at libertie them that are bruised . luk. . . to conclude this point , there remaines yet a further question to be resolued , and that is this . a man after repentance , for some greiuous sinne , falls into it againe , and is distressed more then before : it is a cause somewhat grieuous . for we knowe , that if a man be recouered of an ague , and through distemper in diet , or otherwise , makes a relapse into it againe , his case is often desperate , and he hardly scapeth with his life . in the same māner it is a dangerous case , if after repentance , men make a relapse into the same sinne againe . it may then be asked , how such persons may be recouered after a relapse ? i answer , though we find not any one particular example in scripture , of any one person , that was restored againe after a relapse : yet neuerthelesse there is some comfort for such persons . vpon what grounds may some say ? ans. men that haue not so much as a drop of mercie , in comparison of god , must forgiue ther brethren often and many times , yea as our sauiour christ saith to peter , till seuenty times seuen times , if they returne and say it repents them . now god is infinite in all his attributes . he is much in sparing : with him is plenteous redemption : and therefore he will questionlesse , vpon true repentance , often forgiue and forget , euen the same sinne iterated againe and againe . nowe these persons are to be releiued in this sort . first they must haue their consciences setled in this point , that their relapse is pardonable , though very dangerous . for proof hereof read esay , . . where mention is made of diuers apostataes , that were by god called to repentāce , with promise of don , if they turned vnto him . and in luk. . the prodigall child , ( by whome i vnderstand one , that after grace receiued , fell from his repentance and obedience to god ) when he did but purpose in his heart to returne again , was pardoned , and receiued into fauour . in the . cor. . . paul saith to the corinths , that were fallen away , we pray you in christs steade that ye be reconciled vnto god. secondly , beeing thus setled in consciēce they must againe repent them of their sinnes . thirdly and lastly , they are to be comforted , with the promise of remission of sinnes , after that some signes of renewed repētance for sinnes past , haue beene giuen . sect. . the second kinde of this tentation or trouble of minde , which is more common & lesse violent , befalls the children of god : and it is a griefe of heart , more or lesse , whereby men are troubled , in respect of the want of grace in their hearts , and defects of obedience in their liues . paul the deere seruant of god , was possessed with this trouble of minde , as we may read , rom. . . and indeede there is no child of god , but more or lesse , one time or other , he feeles the stings of sinne , and the buffetings of satan , which cause griefe in his heart . but this griefe is a notable grace of god , and therefore they which want it , must labour to haue it , and they which haue it , must not seeke to put it out , but to keepe it in measure and order . and the grounds of comfort , whereby the heart may be sta●ed in this sorrow , that it be not immoderate , may be these . i. ground . it is gods will , that the worke of sanctification , or regeneration , should be imperfect in this life , and remaine vnfinished til death . this point needs no proofe , it is manifest both in the word of god , and in daily experience . the reasons for which god will haue it to be so , may be these . first of all , god giues grace , according to the measure , and manner of our receiuing of it , which in this life is imperfect . some giftes of god in christ , bestowed on his seruants , as remission of sinnes by his death , and iustification by his obedience , are not put into vs , but are only applied and made ours by imputation . some other giftes there be , which are infused and put into vs , as namely , sanctification , regeneration , the loue of god and man : and by one of these two meanes , to wit , either by imputation or infusion , are all the giftes of god in christ made ours . yet before we can haue them , we must receiue thē : and the meanes whereby we receiue them is faith , which god hath ordained , to be the hand of our soules , to receiue his benefits bestowed on vs. which faith because it is weake and imperfect , in this life , therefore the gifts which we receiue thereby , are also imperfect . for though gods benifits be like a bottomlesse sea , yet the faith , wherby we lay hold of them , is like vnto a vessell with a narrow necke , which though it be cast into the great ocean , receiues but a little water at once , and that by degrees , droppe by droppe , according to the widenesse of the mouth . and hence it is , that though the gifts of god without vs , which are ours by imputation , be perfect ; yet all such graces as are put into vs , are weake and imperfect . secondly , if any seruant of god , should be perfectly regenerate , and made absolutely holy in this life : then he should fulfill the morall lawe , and so become a sauiour to himselfe : and by the tenour of the law haue life : and so should not christ be a sauiour properly , but only an instrumēt , to dispose vs , to the keeping of the law , whereby we might saue our selues . but there is one only all sufficient sauiour , christ iesus : and the beginning , the middle , and the accomplishmēt of our saluation , is to be ascribed to him alone . thirdly , it is the wil god , that his owne children , with whome he is well pleased in christ , should be brought to nothing in themselues that they might be all in all out of themselues in christ : being , as it were , emptied of selfe-loue , and of all confidence in their owne goodnesse . but if sanctification should be perfect at the first , then a man should not goe out of himselfe , but would rather stay as he is , and rest contented in his owne goodnesse . for this cause paul , after his exaltation , was buffeted by satans temptations , that he might not be exalted out of measure , cor. . . but should content himselfe with this , that he was in the loue and fauour of god in christ. ii. ground is ; to consider , what makes a man professing christ , accepted of god , and howe much he himselfe must doe , for this end ? the substance of all things to be done of vs for this ende , that we may become the children of god , may be reduced to three heads . first of all , we must heartily bewaile our sinnefull liues past , and seriously humble our selues , in regard of our owne sinnes , both of heart and life ; and if by occasion wee fall into any sinne , we must not lie therein , but by speedie repentance , recouer our former estate . secondly , in regard of the sinnefulnesse of our hearts and liues , in times past , we must rest our selues on gods mercie alone , ●lying to the throne of mercie for the pardon of them all . thirdly , we must indeauour in the course of our liues afterward , to performe obediēce to god in all his commandements ; that thereby we may shew our selues thankefull to him for his mercie , and profit in our obedience . for proofe hereof , first , consider the examples of this practise in gods children . all that dauid that worthie seruant of god could doe , after his sinnes committed , to bring himselfe againe into the fauour of god , whome he had offended , consisted of these very heads , which haue beene named ; repentance , confidence , and affiance in gods mercie , and performance of new obedience . and this his practise was verified , amongst many other places , specially in the . psalme , & in all the psalmes commonly called penitentiall . againe , the prophet daniel was accepted of god onely for the doing of these things , dan. . and in like manner was paul , and the rest of the apostles . rom. . . tim. . . againe , for further proofe , let it be considered ; what it is that makes a man to become a christian , and seruant of god : not this , that he is pure from all sinnes , and neuer slides or swar●es from obedience vnto god ; but because when he sinneth and falleth , he is grieued with himselfe , and laboureth euery day , to mortifie his corruptions , which are the matter of sinne , in his heart , and life ; and suffereth not sinne to reigne in his mortall bodie , but crucifieth the flesh , with the affections and lusts therof . yet here remaines a great difficultie . many a good seruant of god , may , and doth truly say of himselfe , i bewaile my sinnes , and doe in some sort rest on gods mercie , and withall i endeauour to performe new obedience : but alas ! here is my griefe , i cannot doe these things as i would . in matter of sorrow and griefe , i am troubled with hardnes of heart : in occasions of boldnes and confidence , with doubtings : 〈◊〉 endeauour to obey , with many slippes , and sundrie falls : for the staying & moderating of this griefe , these rules may further be remembre●… . the first rule . if there be in the minde , a purpose not to sinne ; in the will , a desire to please god ; and in the whole man , ●n endeauour to performe the purpose of the minde , and the desire of the will : marke what followes vpon this : god in mercie accepteth the purpose and will to obey , for obedience it selfe . yea though a man faile in the very act , and do not so well as he should , the lord accepteth the affection and endeauour for the thing done . excellent is the saying of an auncient father , god accepteth that which is his , and forgiues that which is thine : his is the grace whereby we are inabled to endeauour to obey in the want of obedience , and that he accepteth ; ours i● the sinne and weakenes in performance of the dutie which he requireth , and that he doth in mercie forgiue . herein appeareth the great goodnes of god vnto vs , and we can neuer be sufficiently thankfull for the same . but yet that we may not here delude our hearts with conceits , and bless● our selues in vaine : we must knowe , that god doth not alwaies accept the will for the deede , vnlesse there be a constant purpose in heart , a true desire in will , and some resolued indeauour sutable in the life , malac● . . ● . god spares them that feare him , ●s a father spares his own child . how is that ? though the sick or weake child beeing com●…ed some busines , goeth about it very vnhandsomly , and so the deede be done to little 〈◊〉 no purpose : yet the father accepts it as well done , if he see the childe yoelde vnto his commandement , and doe his indeauour , to the vttermost of his power . euen so will god deale with those that be his children though sicke and weake in obedience . ●…r how will some say , can god accept a worke of ours that is imperfect ? ans. so farre forth , as the obedience is done in truth , so farre forth god accepts it , because it is his owne worke in vs : and as it is ours , he pardons it vnto vs , because we are in christ. a second rule is laid downe , rom. . . where paul saith to this purpose , the good which i would doe , i doe not , and the euill which i would not , that do i. in these words , is set down the state of all regenerate men in this life : and the meaning is this . the good things which god hath commanded , i doe them , but not as i would , and the euill forbidden i auoid , but not as i would . this we shall see to be true by comparing the voices of three kindes of men together . the carnall man saith , i doe not that which is good , neither will i do it , and that which is euill i doe , and i will doe it . contrariwise , the man glorified , he saith , that which is good i do , and will doe it , and that which is euill i doe not , neither will i doe it . the regenerate man , in a middle betweene them both , he saith ; the good things commanded i do , but not as i would ; the euill things forbidden i avoid , but not as i would . and this is the estate of the child of god in this life , who in this regard , is like vnto a diseased man , who loues his health , and therfore obserues both diet and physick : and yet he often falls into his fit againe , ( though he be neuer so carefull to obserue the rules of the physitian ) by reason of the distemperature of his bodie : and hereupon is saine to goe to the physitian the second time for new counsell . in like manner , gods children , haue indeede in their hearts , a care to please and obey god ; but by reason of sinne that dwelleth in them , they ●aile often , and so are ●aine to humble themselues again before him , by new repentance . againe , the seruants of god are like to a man , by some suddaine accident cast into the sea , who in striuing to saue himselfe from drowning , puts to all his strength , to swim to the shore , and beeing come almost vnto it , their meetes him a waue or billow , which driues him cleane backe againe , it may be a mile or further , and then the former hope and ioy conceiued of escape , is sore abated : yet he returnes againe , and still labours to come to the land , and neuer rests till he attaine vnto it . iii. ground . he that is indeede regenerate , hath this priuiledge , that the corruption of nature , is no part of him , neither doth it belong to his person , in respect of diuine imputation . paul saith of himselfe , rom. . . it is no more i , but sinne that dwelleth in me . in which words , he distinguisheth betweene his owne person , and sinne that is in him . for in man regenerate , there be three things , the bodie , the soule , and the gift of gods image restored againe . now touching the corruption of nature , that is in his person , and so may be said to be his ; but it belongs not to the man regenerate , it is not his , because it is not imputed to him , and so indeed is , as though it were not in him . the apostle thess. . . praies for the thessalonians , that god would sanctifie them throughout , and preserue their whole spirit , soule , and bodie . of which place ( amongst many ) this exposition may be giuen . the apostle speaking of men regenerate , and sanctified , makes three parts in them : bodie , soule , and spirit : and by spirit , we are to vnderstand , not the conscience , but the gift of regeneration , and sanctification , which is the whole man bodie and soule , opposed to the flesh , which in a naturall man , is called the olde man , rom. . and the praier which paul makes in the behalfe of the thessalonians , teacheth vs in effect thus much ; that though corruption remaine in the regenerate , after regeneration ; yet in respect of diuine acceptation , he is accounted as righteous , and so continueth : his sinne , ( by the mercie of god in christ ) not beeing imputed to him to condemnation . and so much for that point . now these grounds of comfort , and others of the like nature , may serue to sustaine and vphold the hearts of the children of god , when they shall be pressed and troubled , in consideration of their estate in this life , which cannot till death , be fully freed , from much weakenes and manifold imperfections . chap. xii . of the fift speciall distresse , arising from a mans owne bodie . the fift and last kind of temptation or trouble of minde , ariseth from a mans owne bodie . before i enter to speake thereof , one question , in the meane time , must be answered , namely , how the bodie beeing an earthly substance , should trouble or annoie the minde , considering that the minde is not bodily out spirituall : for nothing can worke aboue it owne power : and it is against reason , that that which is bodily , should either alter or trouble a spirit . for answer hereunto , these things must be considered . sect. . first of all , the actions of man , though they be sundrie , yet they all proceede from one onely fountaine , and common cause , the soule ; and are done by the power thereof . the bodie of it selfe , is not an agent in any worke , but as it were a dead instrument , in and by which the soule produceth all actions and workes . secondly , though all the actions of man come from the soule , yet the most of them are such , as be performed by the bodie , and the parts thereof , and by the spirits that are seated in the bodie , as by instruments . indeede some actions of the soule and minde , are done without the helpe of the bodie ; but i say , that the most of them , are wrought by the bodie , and spirits therein contained . and yet notwithstanding the spirits in thēselues , are no agents at all : but the onely agent in any worke , is the soule it selfe . for example : the vsing of the outward senses , as of sight , hearing , tasting , touching , smelling , as also of the inward , as imagination , memorie , &c. all this is done by the braine , and the parts of the braine , as proper instruments . all affections both good and bad , come from the soule , but yet they are done and acted in , and by meanes of the heart and vitall spirits . so also the powers of life and nourishment proceede from the soule ; and yet they are done and wrought by the liuer , and other inward parts , as instruments whereby the soule nourisheth the bodie . in a word , there is no naturall action in man , but for the effecting thereof , the parts of the bodie are vsed as it were the hands and instruments of the soule ; and all this comes by reason of the vnion of the bodie with the soule , whereby they make one person . hence it followeth , that when the bodie is troubled , the soule is also troubled . now the bodie affecteth and hurteth the soule and minde , not by taking away , or diminishing any part thereof : for the soule is indivisible . nor by depriuing it of any power or facultie giuen it of god : for as the soule it selfe , and the parts thereof , so also all the faculties of the same , remaine whole and entire , without abating or diminishing . but by corrupting the action of the minde , or more properly , by corrupting the next instrument whereby the minde worketh , and consequently the action it selfe . this may be conceiued by a comparison . a skilfull artificer in any science , hauing an vnfit toole to worke withall , though his skill be good , and his abilitie sufficient : yet his instrument wherewith he worketh being bad , the worke which he doth must needes be an imperfect worke . howbeit the toole takes not away the skill of his workemanship , nor his power of working , onely it hinders him from shewing his skill , and doing that well , which otherwise he should and could doe well . in like manner , the bodie beeing corrupted , hinders the worke of the soule ; not by taking away the worke of the soule , or the abilitie of working : but by making it to bring forth a corrupt worke , because the instrument which it vseth is corrupt and faultie . and thus we must conceiue of all the annoyances of the soule by the bodie . the temptation followeth . the bodie causeth the trouble of minde two waies , either by melancholie , or by some strange alterations in the parts of the bodie , which oftentimes befall men : in what sort we shall see afterwards . for troubles of minde thus caused , are more common , and as noysome as the most of the former . sect. . touching that which comes by melancholy , sundrie things are to be considered for our instruction , and for the remedie of that euill . . and first of all ; if it be asked what melancholy is ? i answer , it is a kinde of earthie and blacke blood , specially in the splene , corrupted and distempered ; which when the splene is stopt , conuaies it selfe to the heart , and the braine ; and there partly by his corrupt substance , and contagious qualitie , and partly by corrupt spirits , annoyeth both heart and braine , beeing the seates and instruments of reason , and affections . . the second is , what are the effects and operations of melancholie ? ans. they are strange , and often fearefull . there is no humour , yea nothing in mans bodie , that hath so straunge effects , as this humour hath , beeing once distempeted . an auncient diuine calls it the deuills bait , because the deuill beeing well acquainted with the complexion and temperature of man , by gods iust permission , conueies himselfe into this humour and worketh strange conceits . it is recorded in scripture , that when the lord tooke his good spirit from saul , wherby he did carrie himselfe well in the gouernment of his people : and an euill spirit came vpon him , he was in so fearfull a case that he would haue slaine him that was next vnto him : how so ? surely , because god in iustice withdrew his spirit from him , and suffered satan , to enter into the humour of choler , or melancholie , or both , and by this meanes caused him to offer violence to dauid . now the effects therof in particular , are of two sorts . the first , is in the braine and head . for this humour being corrupted , it sends vp noysome fumes as cloudes or mists ; which doe corrupt the imagination , and makes the instrument of reason unfit for vnderstanding and sense . hence followes the first effect , strange imaginations , conceits and opinions , framed in the minde : which are the first worke of this humour , not properly : but because it corrupteth the instrument , and the instrument beeing corrupted , the facultie cannot bring forth good but corrupt actions . examples hereof are well knowne , i will onely touch one or two . one is called the beastiall or beastlike melancholie ; a disease in the braine whereby a man thinkes himselfe to be a beast of this or that kind , and carries himselfe accordingly . and here with haue all those beene troubled , which haue thought themselues to be * wolues , and haue practised woluish behauiour . againe , it is said of nebuchadnezzar , dan. . . that he was driuen from men , and did eate grasse as the oxen , that is , behaued himselfe , and fed as a beast . now some are of opinion that his humane shape was taken from him , and that he was transformed into a beast ; at least that he had the soule of a beast in stead of an humane soule for a time . but they are deceiued . for there is no such transportation of soules into bodies , either of men or beasts . others thinke , that nebuchadnezzar was smitten in the braine with this disease of beastlike melancholy , whereby he was so bereft of his right minde , that he carried himselfe as a beast . and this interpretation is not against the text : for in the . verse of that chapter it is said , that his minde came to him againe : and therefore in the disease , his vnderstanding , and the right vse of his reason was lost . and the like is true in historie , by diuers examples , though it were not true in nebuchadnezzar . againe , take another example , that is common and ordinarie . let a melancholike person vpon the sudden , heare or see some fearfull thing , the strength of his imagination is such , that he will presently fasten the thing vpon himselfe . as if he see or heare that a man hath hanged himselfe , or is possessed with a deuil , it presently comes to his mind , that he must doe so vnto himselfe , or that he is , or at least shall be possessed . in like manner vpon relation of fearefull things , presently his phantasie workes , and he imagineth , that the thing is alreadie , or shall befall him . and this imagination , when it enters once and takes place , it brings forth horrible and fearefull effects . the second effect or worke of melancholy , is vpon the heart . for there is a concord and consent betweene the heart and the braine , the thoughts and the affections : the heart affecting nothing but that which the minde conceiueth . now when the minde hath conceiued , imagined , and framed within it selfe fearefull thoughts ; then comes affection and is answerable to imagination . and hence proceede exceeding horrours , feares , and despaires , euen of saluation it selfe , and yet the conscience for all this vntouched , and not troubled or disquieted . . thirdly , it may be demanded , whether there be any difference betweene the trouble of conscience and melancholy ? for many hold , that they are all one . ans. they are not all one , but differ much . affliction of conscience is one thing , trouble by melancholy is an other : and they are plainly distinguished thus . first , when the conscience is troubled , the affliction it selfe is in the conscience , and so in the whole man. but in melancholy , the imagination is disturbed , and not the conscience . secondly , the conscience afflicted , hath a true and certen cause , whereby it is troubled , namely , the sight of sinne , and the sense of gods wrath ; but in melancholy , the imagination conceiueth a thing to be so , which is not so : for it makes a man to feare and despaire , vpon : supposed and fained causes . thirdly , the man afflicted in conscience , hath courage in many other matters : but the melancholike man feares euery man , euery creature , yea himselfe , and hath no courage 〈◊〉 all , but feares , when there is no cause of feare . fourthly , imaginations in the braine caused by melancholy , may be cured , taken away , and cut off by meanes of physicke : but the distresse of conscience , cannot be cured by any thing in the world but one , and that is the blood of christ , and the assurance of gods fauour . . fourthly , the way to cure melancholy is this . first , the person troubled must be brought to this ; that he will content himselfe , to be aduised and ruled by the iudgement of others , and cease to rest vpon himselfe touching his owne estate : and by this shall he reape much quiet and contentation . secondly , search and triall must be made , whether he hath in him any beginnings of grace , as of faith and repentance , o● no. if he be a carnall man , and wanteth knowledge of his estate , then meanes must be vsed , to bring him to some sight and sorrow for his sinnes , that his melancholy sorrow , may be turned into a godly sorrow . if he want faith and true repentance , some good beginnings thereof must be wrought in his heart . thirdly , when he is brought to faith in gods mercie , and an honest purpose not to sinne any more ; then , certaine mercifull promises of god , are to be laid before him : and he must be exhorted , to rest vpon these promises , and at no time to admit any imagination or thought , that may crosse the saide promises . now the promises are these , and such like : psal. . . no good thing shall be wanting to them that feare god. psal. . . no euill shall come neere the godly man. . chr. . the lord is with you , while you are with him , and if you seeke him , he will be found of you . iam. . . draw neere to god , and he will draw neere to you . and the best meanes to cause any man thus diseased , to be at peace with himselfe , is to hold , beleeue , and know the truth of these promises , and not to suffer any bythought to enter into his heart , that may crosse them . moreouer , though the former promises may stay the mind , yet will they not take away the humour , except further helpe be vsed . therefore the fourth and last helpe , is the arte of physick , which serues to correct and abate the humour , because it is a meanes by the blessing of god , to restore the health , and to cure the distemper of the bodie . and thus much touching the trouble of mind , caused by melancholy . sect. . the second meanes whereby the bodie annoies the minde is , when it occasions trouble to the minde , by strange alterations incident to the body . when a man beginnes to enter into a phrensie , if the braine admit neuer so little alteration ; presently the minde is troubled , the reason corrupted , the heart terrified , the man distracted in the whole bodie . thus from the trembling of the heart , come many fearefull imaginations and conceits , whereof a man knowes not the cause . the same is procured by the swelling of the splene , by the rising of the entrals , by strange crampes , convulsions , and such like . the remedie hereof is this . first , it is still to be considered , whether the partie thus troubled , hath the beginnings of true faith & repentance , or no. if he hath , it is so much the better . if he hath not , ( as vsually such persons are meere naturall men , ) then the first dutie is , to vse all meanes , to stirre vp in him some godly sorrow for his sinnes , to bring him to the exercises of inuocation , and to some confidence in gods mercy for pardon . secondly , this beeing done , meanes must be vsed to take away the opinion conceiued , which will be done by giuing him information of the state of his bodie , and what is the true and proper cause of the alteratiō therof . this being knowne the griefe or feare conceiued , will easily be staied . for take away the false opinion , and inform the iudgement , and the whole man will be the better . thirdly , the opinion beeing altered and reformed , it may be the alteration in the bodie will remaine : the partie therefore in that case must be taught , that it is a correction of god , and that god doth not barely suffer the correction to be inflicted , but is the very author of it , and therefore the partie is to be well pleased , and to rest himselfe in that will of god. for euery present estate , whether it be good or badde , is the best state for vs , because it comes by gods will & appointment . and thus much touching the distinct kindes of distresses of minde : whereunto i adde this one thing further , that if we make examination of the estate of persons as are troubled with any of these fiue temptations we shall not vsually find them single , but mixed together , especially melancholy , with terror of conscience or some other temptations . for the distraction of the mind will often breed a distemper in the body , and the distemper of the bodie likewise will sometimes cause distraction of mind . again , melancholy wil oftēbe an occasion , ( though no direct cause ) of terror of conscience ; & in the same manner the conscience touched and terrified with sense of the haynousnesse of sinne , and the heauinesse of gods wrath , will bring distemper of bodie by sympathy , and cause melancholie . in this case , if question be made , what is to be done , i answere , that for mixt distresses , we must haue recourse to mixt remedies , using in the first place the best meanes for the rectifying of the minde the principall growndes whereof haue beene before deliuered ; and then taking the seasonable aduise of the phisitian , whose calling and seruice god hath sanctified for the cure and releefe of the bodie in case of extremitie . and so much of the first sort of questions , concerning man simply considered in himselfe . the ende of the first booke . the second and third bookes of the cases of conscience , concerning man standing in relation to god and man. wherein are handled the questions touching the worship of god , and the practise of christian vertue . now newly added vnto the former , and carefully examined according to the authors owne breefes , and published for the common good by t. p. bachelour of diuinitie . rom. . . vvhatsoeuer is not of faith , is sinne . alma mater canta brigia printed by iohn legat , printer to the vniversitie of cambridge . . to the right honovrable , edward lord dennie , baron of waltham , &c. right honourable . it vvas not vvithout speciall cause , that the famous apostle of the gentiles , entring into a serious meditation of the calling and vv●…ke of the ministerie , and grovving at length to some issue of his thoughts , crieth ●ut ( as it vvere ) in tearmes of complaint ; and who is sufficient for these things ? for if ●nquirie be made into the reason of his demand , th● scripture shall ansvver for him ; that ministers are the angels of the lord of hosts ; the interpreters of his vvill ; th● salt of the earth ; the light of the world , and their calling is , to carrie the embassage of reconciliation ; to manifest vnto man the pleasure of the highest ; to season the corrupted heart instrumentally vvith grac● ; to inlighten the darkened minde , by the dispensation of sauing knovvledge , as the sunne doth the aire by the brightnesse of his beames . novv these high ti●les and greatvvorkes , euidently declaring the vveight and vvorth of that honourable commission , are not either giuen or assigned , onely in respect of publike and ordinarie duties , vvherein by diuine ordinance they be made the mouth of god vnto man by preaching , and againe of man vnto god by prayer . for these are determined vpon certaine times and places , vvhen and vvhere they are to be put in execution , according to the laudable constitutions and canons of particular churches : but in a further regard , as they haue receiued from god the tongue of the learned , and are indued vvith knovvledge and abilitie , to informe the consciences of men touching euery action , vvhether personall appertaining to particular states , or relatiue emploied in the vvorshippe of god , and practise of christian vertues , a gift , as no lesse necessarie , so of a farre larger extent then the other , and consequently performable vvithout limitation of time or place , in season , out of season , vvhensoeuer the minde requireth resolution in case of doubt , or comfort in distresse . the light of this candle is therefore erected vp on high , and set in open vi●vv , that it may communicate it selfe not to all in grosse , but to euery one in person . the lords interpreter in this sense , is to dispense his vvill in euery place & time , to the poore vvidovv of sarep●a at her ovvne home ; to the noble ●…uch of ethiopia in his trauell ; to dauid , that he may be dravvne to confession of his sinne ; to peter , for his restoring after his fall ; to the vveake , that they may be supported ; to the strong , that they may stand ; to th● vvauering minde for resolution ; to the troubled soule for comfort and releefe . hence it is apparent , that this messenger of god must be ( as paul saith ) a * complete man , in euery respect , armed and * well appointed vvith necessaries appertaining , for all purposes , to the honour of his lord , and the credit of his calling . he should be not onely a learned text-man , mightie in the scriptures ; a positiue diuine , established in the truth ; a man prouided ad oppositum , to vvithstand and con●… the aduersarie ; but a skilfull cas●ist , readie at all assaies vpon good grounds of knovvledge and obseruation , to giue a rule , to yeelde a reason , to speake a vvord in time to him that is vvearie . vvhich last propertie , to omit the rest , beeing so essential ( as it is ) to the calling and condition of a minister ; yea of that importance ( as heretofore i haue declared to your lords● . ) it seemeth strange , at least in my poore conceit , that among so many graue and learned discourses , published by vvay of definition and disputation in matter of religion , ●evv or none haue beene framed and con●riued to this purpose ; that in this florishing estate both of our church and commonvvealth , none haue emploied their indeauours in the vnfolding and displaying of this subiect ; yea , vvhereas they of the popish church haue beene so plentifull , or rather lauish in their a summes , b manuels , c aphorismes , d instructions , e determinations , &c. for direction of their confessours in case-points ; that our protestant diuines for the most part , haue been so sparing and silent in speaking or vvriting of this argument . hovvbeit , the lord in his most vvise prouidence , hath not vvholly denied this benefit vnto our church . for notvvithstanding so great silence and forbearance in matter of deuotion , as touching the rectifying of the coscience , there hath beene of late yeares trained vp to this ende , a * speciall instrument of his glorie , vvho beeing in time throughly grounded in the principles of one part of the coses ; by many graue counsells , and comfortable directions , fetched from the vvord , and gathered by long obseruation , hath cured the vvounds of many a distressed soule . and those diuine tracta●es of his , novv gathered together since his death , and communicated to the church of god , are full of heauenly meditations to that purpose . and as himselfe desired to leaue vnto posteritie , some memorie of his knovvledge in that kind , so the talent he receiued vvas not buried in his graue , but againe reuiued in the person of that faithfull minister of christ , the author of this booke , a man both for learning and pi●tie deseruedly reuerenced and renovv●…ed in the iudgements of all those that loue and embrace the truth . vvho happily attempting the same course , and referring the vvhole bodie of his labours in preaching and vvriting thereunto principally ; proceeded vvith much aduantage , added vnto the cases of distresse other heads of questions , and in his latter time reduced them into such a frame and order , a● might best serue for an introduction of case-diuinitie , for the helpe and incouragement of others . the first part of vvhich frame being formerly commended by me to your hon. i haue againe emboldened my selfe to present you vvith the rest , that so the vvhole may haue the freer passage from you , to the common vse of others . vvherein i haue taken vp no nevv ●●shion , but kept my self● to the commendable custome of vvriters in auncient●r ti●es , vvho haue betrusted the church of god vvith the fruits of their indeavours , vnder the patronage of honourable and vertuous nobilitie . 〈◊〉 namely of that renounned * phisitian of antioche , and of s. 〈◊〉 vvho dedicated their sacred vvritings , the one to the noble theophilus , the other to the elect lady and her children . and that vvhich mooued these holy penmen of scripture to this practise , hath also incouraged 〈◊〉 vpon the same respects , to offer this treatise to your honourable fauour : first , because your lordship hath beene long * acquainted vvith th● person , life , and labours of this man , and vvell grounded in t●● truth of religion , the maine subiect of all his discourses . secondly ; the lord hath inlarged your heart by his grace , to yeeld * entertainment to that truth vvhich he did teach and vvrite : and the manifestation of your vvilling minde to accept of any treatise compiled by him , giueth sufficient proofe of this point , ●uen i● mine ovvne knovvledge . thirdly , you haue not contented your selfe to be barely informed in the knovvledge of the truth , but haue further desired * confirmation and assurance in the same . one instance hereof i must needes remember in this place : tha● sundrie yeares since , it pleased you to set him a speciall taske , the interpretation of that golden text touching the gaine of the greatest commoditie in the vvorld , ( phil. . . ) for your further vnderstanding of the same , as himselfe reporteth to your great commendation : and great reason , you should tast both of his former and latter fruits , who by your motion vvas incouraged to take the paines , and no doubt revvarded for his labour by a plentifull measure of your loue . vpon these motiues , i haue novv at length exhibited vnto your lordship the remainder of this present introduction , my debt by bond of promise , and your due , by speciall right of patronage . if i be haply challenged of slacke payment thereof to this time , i desire to be holden excused . first , for that the totall summe vvhich remained behinde vnpaied , vvas the greatest part , and therevpon required further respite , that it might be more easily collected , and more fully defraied . for though it be but one intir● heape , yet it consisteth of sundry particulars , all vvhich vvere to be throughly examined , that vpon the account , there might be a mutuall agreement of the vvhole and the parts . and further , it vvas my desire , that seeing the debt must needes be discharged , and that to an honourable person , it might be tendred in pure and currant coyne , vvhich might beare the triall of the touch-stone : a thing necessarie in these times , vvherein so much corrupt stuffe in this kind , passeth abroad from hand to hand . and thus heartily vvishing that these holy rules of religion and vertue , may be perused at your lordships best leysure , and entertained in practise for your daily comfort and direction : cra●ing also your honourable acceptation of my carefull indeauour in publishing them to the common veivve of the vvorld , i most humbly take my leaue : beseeching the almightie , vvho hath alreadie graced you vvith the true revvards of uertue , honour , and nobilitie , to establish the same both in your person and issue in this vvorld , and after this life ended , to giue you that eternall inheritance of honour and happinesse , in the kingdome of glorie . from eman. coll. in cambridge . novemb. . . your honours in all christian dutie to be commanded , thomas pickering . the second booke of the cases of conscience , concerning man as he stands in relation to god. chap. i. of the order of the questions . hitherto i haue spoken touching the first sort of questions of the conscience , which concerne man simply considered in himselfe as he is a man. in the next place come to be handled and resolued the questions concerning man , as he stands in relation . now man standing in a two-fold relation ; either to god , or to man : according to this relation , the questions come to be considered in their seuerall places . and first we are to treat of the questions of conscience touching man standing in relation to god ; to wit , as he is a christian. all which for order sake may be reduced to foure heads . i. concerning the godhead . ii. concerning the scriptures . iii. concerning religion , or the worship that is due vnto god. iv. concerning the time of the worship of god , namely the saboth . chap. ii. of the godhead . touching the godhead , there are two maine questions . i. question . whether there be a god ? before we come to answer the question , this one caueat must be remembered , that it is a maine ground and principle in all religions whatsoeuer , not to be doubted of , or called into question , that there is a god. heb. . . he that commeth to god , must beleeue that god is . as for those that are commonly tearmed atheists , which denie that there is a god , they are to be punished with death , as not worthie to liue in humane societie ; and the greatest torment that can be deuised by the witte of man , is too good for them . for if those be holden as traytors to an earthly prince , and are most deseruedly adiudged to death , that reuile his person , and denie his lawfull authoritie : then they that call into question the godhead ; are much more worthie to be esteemed traytors to god , and consequently to beare the iust punishment of their rebellion , death it selfe . for this cause i doe not meane to dispute the question , whether there be a god or no ; and thereby minister occasion of doubting and deliberation in that which is the onely maine ground and pillar of christian religion : but rather my purpose is , in shewing that there is a god , to remooue , or at least to help an inward corruption of the soule that is great and dangerous , whereby the heart and conscience by nature denieth god and his prouidence . the wound in the bodie that plucks out the heart , is the most dangerous wound that can be : and that opinion that takes away the godhead , doth in effect rend and plucke out the very heart of the soule . this caueat premised , i come now to the point in hand , to shew that there is a god. and for our better knowledge and assurance of this truth , we are to remember thus much , that god hath giuen vnto man a threefold light : the one of nature , the other of grace , and the third of glorie . and by these , as by so many degrees of knowledge , the minde beeing inlightened by god , receiueth direction in the truth of the godhead , both for this present life , and for that which is to come . 〈◊〉 if it be demaunded , in what order god hath reveiled this light vnto man : i answer , that the light of nature serues to giue a beginning and preparation to this knowledge : the light of grace ministers the ground , and giues further proofe and euidence : and the light of glory , yeelds perfectiō of assurance , making that perfectly and fully knowne , which by the former degrees was but weakly and imperfectly comprehended . of these three in order . sect. . the light of nature is that light , which the view and consideration of the creatures both in generall and particular , affordeth vnto man. from the light of nature , there are fiue distinct arguments , to prooue that there is a god : the consideration whereof will not be vnprofitable , even to him that is best setled in this point . i. the first is taken from the creation and frame of the great body of the world , and the things therein contained : rom. . . the inuisible things of him , that is , his eternall power and godhead are knowne by the creation of the world beeing considered in his workes . and out of this excellent frame of the world , the truth of the godhead may be sundry waies prooued and maintained . first , i would aske this question : this goodly frame of the world , had it a beginning , or no beginning ? let either part , or both be taken . let it first be said , it had no beginning , but is eternall , as the atheist holdeth . then i reason thus : if it had no beginning , the world it selfe is god , and all the creatures that are therein , from the greatest and highest , to the least and basest ; yea , euery droppe of water in the sea , and euery corne of sand by the sea shore , are gods. the reason is , because according to this opinion , they haue their being of themselues without beginning ; and that which is a substance of it selfe , & hath no beginning , is very god. againe , if the world had no beginning , then it hath also no ending . for that which is without beginning , is without ending . now all things in the world are lyable to corruption , and consequently are subiect to an ende . for whatsoeuer is corruptible , the same is finite : therfore the world had a beginning . now if it had a beginning ; then i demand , how it was made ? did it make it selfe ? or was it made of nothing ? if it be affirmed , that it made it selfe , then the world was before it was . if it be said , it came from nothing : that also cannot be . for nothing brings forth nothing : and that which is nothing in it selfe , cannot bring forth something : therefore it is absurd in reason to say , that nothing brought forth this world . and hereupon it must needes remaine for a truth , that there was some substance eternall and almightie that framed this goodly creature the world , besides it selfe . if a man comes into a large forrest , and beholds therein goodly faire buildings , and sundrie kinds of hearbs , and trees , and birds , and beasts , and no man : he will presently reason thus with himselfe : these buildings are the workemanship of some man , they were not from all eternity , they did not reare themselues , neither did the hearbs , the trees , the birds , or the beasts build them : but of necessitie they must haue some first ●ounder , which is man. in like manner , when we consider this world , so goodly a creature to behold , though we see not the maker thereof , yet we cannot say that either it made it selfe , or that the things therein contained made it , but that the creator of it , was some vncreated substance , most wise , most cunning , and euerlasting , and that is god. secondly , from this frame of the world and the consideration therof , i reason thus . in the world there are foure sorts and kindes of creatures . the first bare and naked substances , that haue neither life , sense , nor reason in them : as , the sunne , the moone , the starres . the second that haue substance and life , but no sense nor reason : as , plants , trees , and hearbs . the third that haue no reason , but both substance , life , sense , and power to mooue themselues : as , the beasts of the land , and fishes of the sea . the fourth are such as haue all , namely substance , life , sense , and reason : as men . now these foure sorts of creatures excell one another in properties and degrees . for the first of them which are meere substances , doe serue those that haue life , as the trees and the plants . the trees & the plantes serue the creatures that haue sense & life , as the beastes and the fishes . the beastes and the fishes serue man , that hath substance , life , sense , and reason . and amongst them all we see that those which haue more gifts are serued of those which haue lesse , as , the sunne and moone serue the plantes , the plantes and hearbes serue the beasts , and the beasts serue man , and that creature that hath most giftes is serued of all . man therefore excelling all these must haue something to honour and serue , which must be more excellent then the other creatures , yea then himselfe , and that is a substance vncreate , most holy , most wise , eternall , infinite , and this is god. thirdly , all particular creatures whether in heauen or in earth are referred to their certaine particular and peculiar endes , wherein euery one of them , euen the basest and meanest is imployed , and which they doe all accomplish in their kind . and this is a plaine proofe , that there is one that excelleth in wisedome , prouidence , and power , that created all these to such endes , and hath power to bring them thereunto : and who is this but god ? ii. the second sort of arguments drawn from the light of nature , are taken from the preseruation and gouernment of the world created ; and these are touched by the holy ghost , when he saith , that god left not himself without witnesse , in that in his prouidence he did good , and gaue raine from heauen , and fruitfull seasons , filling our hearts with ioy and gladnesse . the particulars drawne from the gouernment of the world are these . first , our food whereby we are nourished , is in it selfe , a dead foode , void of life , and yet it serues to maintain and preserue life : wheras in reason , it is more fit to choke and stuffe our bodies , then to feede them . secondly , our garments which we weare , are in themselues cold , and voide of heate , and yet they haue this vse to preserue heate , and to sustaine life in the extremitie of cold . therefore there must needes be an omnipotent and diuine power , that giues vnto them both such a vertue , to feed and preserue the life and health of man. thirdly , the raine falling , and the sunne shining vpon one & the same plot of groūd , causeth it to bring forth in his season a hundred seuerall kindes of hearbes and plants , wherof euery one hath a seuerall , and distinct ●●ower , colour , forme , and sauour : whence comes this ? not from the raine , for it hath no life in it selfe , and besides it is in it selfe all one : nor from the sunne , or the earth : for these also in their kind are all one , hauing in them no such power , wherby they should be the authors of life : therefore the differences of plants in one ground , may convince our iudgements and teach vs thus much ; that there is a diuine and heauenly power aboue , and beside the power of these creatures . fourthly , take an example of the bird and the egge . the bird brings forth the egge : the egge againe brings forth the bird . this egge considered in it selfe , hath in it neither life nor soule , and the bird can giue it neither ; for all that the bird can doe is to giue it heat , and no more . within the shell of this egge is made a goodly creature , which , whē it comes to some perfection , it breakes the shell . in the shell broken , we shall see the nibbe , the wing , the legge , and all the parts and members of a bird . now let this be considered , that the egge brought not forth this goodly creature , nor yet the henne . for the egge had no such power or vertue in it selfe ; and the hen gaue but her heat ; neither did man doe it : for that which was done , was within the egge , and within the shell . it therfore was some other wonderfull power and wisedome that made it , and brought it forth , that surpasseth the power of a creature . again , consider the generation of the silk-worme , one of the least of the creatures , and from it we haue a notable demonstration of a divine providence . this little worme at the first , is but a small seede like vnto linseed . the same small seed breeds it and brings it forth . the worme brought forth , and growing to some bignesse , at length weaues the silke ; hauing woven the silke , it winds it selfe within it , as it were in a shell : there hauing lodged for a time , it conceiues a creature of another forme , which being within a short space p●rfited , breakes the shell and comes forth a flie . the same flie , like a dutifull creature , brings forth the seed againe , and so continues the kind thereof from yeare to yeare . here let it be remembred , that the flie hauing once brought forth the seede , leaues it and dies immediately : and yet the seede it selfe , though exposed to wind and weather , and vtterly neglected of man , or any creature , at a certaine time within few moneths becomes a worm . whēce should al this proceede , but from a creator infinitely powerfull and wise , who by his admirable power and prouidence , dispenseth life , beeing , and propagation , euen to the least things in their particular sorts and kinds ? iii. the third sort of arguments from th● light of nature , are taken from the soule of man. this soule is endued with excellent gifts of vnderstanding and reason . the vnderstanding hath in it from the beginning certaine principles , whereby it knowes and discernes good and bad , things to be done , and things to be left vndone . now man cannot haue this gift to discerne between good and euill , of , or from himselfe : but it must needes proceede from another cause , which is power , wisedome , and vnderstanding it selfe , and that is god. againe , the conscience , another gift of the soule of man , hath in it two principall actions ; testimony , and iudgement : by both which the trueth in hand is evidently confirmed . touching the testimonie of conscience : let it be demaunded of the atheist , whereof doth conscience beare witnesse ? he cannot denie , but of all his particular actions . i aske then , against whome , or with whome doth it giue testimony ? the āswer wil easily be made , by the heart of any man , that it is with or against himselfe . furthermore , to whome is it a witnes ? neither to men , nor to angels : for it is vnpossible that any man or angel , should either heare the voice of cōsciēce , or receiue the testimonie thereof , or yet discerne what is in the heart of man. hereupon it followes , that there is a substance , most wise , most powerfull , most holy , that sees and knowes all things , to whome conscience beares record , and that is god himselfe . and touching the iudgement of conscience ; let a man commit any trespasse or offence , though it be done in secret , and concealed from the knowledge of any person liuing : yet conscience , that knoweth it , will accuse him , terrifie him , cite him before god , and giue him no rest . what or where is the reason ? man knowes not the trespasse committed : and if there be no god , whome shall he feare ? and yet he feares . this also necessarily prooueth , that there is a iust and mightie god , that will take vengeance vpon him for his sinne . iv. the fourth argument from nature , is this : there is a ground or principle written in euery mans heart in the world , none excepted , that there is a god. reasons for proofe hereof , may be these . first , the gentiles worshipping idoles , made of stocks and stones , doe acknowledge herein thus much , that there is something whereunto honour and seruice is due . for man by nature is proud , and will neuer yeeld to bow the knee of his bodie before a stocke or a stone to adore it , vnlesse he thinke and acknowledge that there is in them a diuine power , better then himselfe . secondly , the oath that is taken for confirmation , commonly tearmed the assertorie oath , is vsed in all countries . and it is , for the most part , generally taken to be a lawfull meanes of confirming a mans word , when it is bound by the oath taken . iacob and laban beeing to make a couenant , iacob sweares by the true god , laban by his false gods , and by that both were bound to stand to their agreement , and not to goe backe : therefore neither of them did , or durst breake their oath . and among the gentiles themselues there are fewe or none to be found , that will falsifie their word giuen and auowed by oath . whereupon it is a cleare case , that they acknowledged a godhead , which knowes and discernes their hearts , yea that knowes the truth , and can and will plague them for disgracing the truth by lying . thirdly , we are not lightly to passe ouer the vsuall tearmes and ordinarie speech of all nations , who are woont vpon occasion to say : it raines , it thunders , it snowes , it hailes . for , saying this , one while they reioyce and are thankefull , otherwhiles they feare and are dismaied . they say not , nature or heauen raines or thunders : for then they would neither reioyce nor tremble . in that therefore they speake this commonly sometimes reioycing , sometimes fearing , it may probably be thought , that they acknowledge a diuine power , which causeth the raine to fall , and the thunder to be so terrible . againe , for better proofe hereof , it is to be considered , that since the world began , there could not yet be found , or brought forth ; any man that euer wrote , or published a discourse , more or lesse , to this purpose , that there was no god. if it be said , that some histories doe make mention of sundrie , that haue in plaine tearmes denied there is a god , and that this is no lesse daungerous , then if a treatise of that subiect should be written , and set forth to the open view of all . i answer , indeede in the writings of men , we doe read of some that blasphemed god , and liued as without god , and they haue alwaies beene properly and deseruedly tearmed atheists . others haue denied , that made and faigned gods , that is , idols , are gods . and amongst the heathen that liued onely by the light and direction of nature , all that can be brought is this , that some men in their writings haue doubted whether there were a god or no , but none did euer positiuely set downe reasons to prooue that there was none . v. the fifth and last argument from nature , is that which is vsed by all philosophers . in the world there is to be seene an excellent wise frame and order of all things . one creature depends vpon an other by a certaine order of causes : in which , some are first and aboue in higher place , some are next and inferiour , some are the basest and the lowest . now these lowest are mooued of those that are superiour to them , and alwaies the superiour is the cause of the inferiour , and that whereof the inferiour depends . something then there must be that is the cause of all causes , that must be caused by none , and must be the cause of all . for in things wherein there is order , there is alway some first and soueraigne cause : and where there is no first nor last , there the creatures are infinite . but seeing all creatures are finite , there must be somewhat first , as well as last . now the first and the last cause of all is god , which mooueth all , and to whome all creatures doe tend , as to their ende , and which is mooued of none . notwithstanding all these reasons grounded in nature it selfe , it may be some man wil say , i neuer saw god , how then shall i know that there is a god ? ans. why ? wilt thou beleeue no more then thou seest ? thou neuer sawest the winde , or the aire , and yet thou beleeuest that there is both . nay , thou neuer sawest thine owne face but in a glasse , and neuer out of a glasse , and yet this contenteth thee . why then may not this content thy heart , and resolue thee of the godhead , in that thou seest him in the glasse of the creatures ? true it is , that god is a spirit inuisible that cannot be discerned , by the eie of flesh and blood , yet he hath not left vs without a meanes , whereby we may behold him . for looke as we are woont by degrees to goe from the picture to the painter , and in the picture to behold the painter himselfe : euen so by the image of god , written ( as it were ) in the face , and other parts of the creatures in the world , may we take a view of the wisdome , power , and prouidence of the creator of them all , who is god himselfe . and these are the principall proofes of the godhead , which are reuealed in the booke of nature . sect. . the second ground of proofes , is taken from the light of grace . and it is that light which god affordeth to his church in the writings of the prophets and apostles , and this giues a further confirmation then nature doth . for the light of nature , is onely a way or preparation to faith . but this light serues to beget faith , and causeth vs to beleeue there is a god. now in the scriptures of the prophets and apostles , we shall see amongst the rest three distinct proofes of this point . first , expresse testimonies that doe in plaine tearmes , note vnto vs the godhead . secondly , expresse prophecies and reuelations of things to come , euen many hundred and thousands of yeares , before they came to passe . yea things that are to come are foretold in the word of god , so and in that very manner , that they shall be in the time , wherein they are to be fulfilled . now there is no man able of himselfe to know or foresee these things to come ; therefore this knowledge must rest in him alone , who is most wise , that perfectly vnderstandeth and beholdeth things that are not , and to whom all future things are present , and therefore certain . thirdly , the word of god reuealeth many miracles , which doe exceede and surpasse whole nature , yea all naturall causes : the doing and working whereof , is not in the power of any meere creature in the world . as for example : the making of the sunne against his naturall course , to stand still in the firmament ; of the waters , which are naturally flowing , to stand as a wall , and the bottome of the sea to be as drie land . the maine ende whereof is , to shew that there is an absolute and almightie power : which is the author of nature it selfe , and all naturall things , and ordereth both it and them , according to his pleasure . sect. . the third ground of proofes , is fetched from the light of glorie . and this is that light which god affords vnto his seruants after this life ended , in the kingdome of heauen , wherein all imperfection of knowledge being taken away , they shal see god face to face , and haue a full and perfect knowledge of the godhead . to this purpose the apostle saith , that in the world we know in part , & we see as it were in a glasse . the cōparison is worth the marking . for there he compareth our knowledge of god , that we haue in this life , to a dimme sighted man , that can see either very little , or nothing at all , without his spectacles . and such is our sight & comprehension of god , darke and dimme , in that we cannot behold him as he is , but onely as he hath manifested himselfe vnto vs , in and through the glasse of the word and sacraments , and by the spectacles of his creatures . but the time will come , when the skales of our eies shall be washed off , and they shall be made as cleare as cristall , when the imperfection and weaknes of our vnderstanding shall be cleane remooued , and then we shall be inabled to see god clearely and fully face to face . thus the first question is answered , that there is a god. ii. question . whether iesus the sonne of mary , be the sonne of god , and redeemer of the world ? by propounding this question ( as in the former ) i meane not to make a doubt touching the godhead of christ , which is one of the principall groundes of our religion , but to take away , or at least , preuent an inward corruption of the heart in thē , that are weake in knowledge ; whereby they may be brought sometimes to make doubt and question of the diuinitie of christ , and therefore haue neede to be resolued in the truth hereof . now for the proofe of this point , that christ is god , i will lay downe these grounds . i. the summe & substance of the bible is to conclude , that iesus the sonne of mary , is the sonne of god , and the redeemer of mankinde ; and it may be concluded in this syllogisme . he that shall come of the seede of abraham and dauid , and in time shall be borne of a virgin ; that shall preach the gladtidings of the gospell , satisfie the law , offer vp an oblation of himselfe for the sinnes of them that beleeue : ouercome death by his death and resurrection , ascend into heauen , and in fulnesse of time come againe to iudge both the quicke and the dead , is the true messias and sauiour of the world : but iesus of nazareth the sonne of marie is he in whome alone all these things shall come to passe : therfore he onely is the true messias and sauiour of the world . the proposition or first part of the argument , is laid downe in the old testament : the assumption or second part , in the new. the conclusion is the question in hand , the scope and drift of them both . ii. ground . in daniel . . it was prophecied , that after the time of . weekes , that is , . yeares , the messias should be exhibited . by which prophecie it is manifest , that the messias is alreadie come into the world . for from that time till now , there are at the least . yeares , as may plainly be seene by humane histories , and by the motions and course of the heauens . it is also plaine from hence , that hauing bene exhibited and come in the flesh , he hath made satisfaction by his death to the wrath of god for sinne . hence it followes , that he is the very true messias and redeemer of the world , because from that time there was neuer any to whome this title , and the forenamed properties , might so truly agree , as to this iesus the sonne of dauid . iii. ground . iesus the sonne of mary did teach , professe , and dispute , that he was god , that he and his father were one , and he tooke vnto himselfe the honour of god , ioh. . and . an evident argument that he was so , as he professed and preached himselfe to be . for neuer any creature chalenged to himselfe the honour of god falsly , but was discouered and confounded . adam for affecting and aspiring to it , was cast out of paradise . and herod for it died miserably , act. . and diuers popes are recorded in ecclesiasticall stories , to haue taken this honour vnto themselues : and there was neuer any sort of men in the world , that had more fearfull iudgments vpon them , then they . but christ chalenged this to himselfe , and prospered : and god did most seuerely reuenge his death both vpon herod and pilate , as also vpon the iewes , and emperours of rome , that persecuted the church . iv. ground . christ while he was on earth , before he ascended into heauen , promised his disciples to send his spirit vnto them , so to assist them , that they should be able to do greater works , then himselfe did , ioh. . . &c. now whē christ was ascended , the euent was strange , and yet fully answerable to his promise . for the disciples were but fewe , twelue in number , and all vnlearned , and yet they preached in the name of christ , and by bare preaching ( without humane eloquence , and the giftes of nature ) conuerted many nations , yea , the whole world . and though themselues were but weake men , and preached things absurd to the corrupt reason of man : yet they wonne many soules to god , and conuerted the world . v. ground , is borrowed from the testimony of the heathen , who haue recorded in their writings , the very samethings touching christ which are reuealed in the scriptures . iosephus a iew , and an enemie to christ , in his eight booke of antiquities , chap. . speakes the same things of christ , that mathew doth , that he was a most worthy man , that he wrought many miracles , and that he rose from the dead . others affirme , that he was crucified vnder pilate in the time of tiberius , and that tiberius would haue put him in the number of his gods . againe , heathen writers report , that at his death , vnder the raigne of tiberius , all the oracles of the world ceased , and the great god pan ( as they say ) then died . chap. iii. of the scriptures . the second maine question , is touching the truth of scripture , whether the scriptures be the true word of god ? the answere is , that they are . and the grounds of this assertion , may be reduced to sixe heades . sect. . the first , is taken from the causes , namely , the author and writers of the scriptures . touching the author , the scripture referreth it selfe vnto god. therfore he alone is the true and vndoubted author thereof , and none but he . the sufficiencie of this consequence , stands vpon these grounds . first , if god were not the author of scriptures , there would be no one booke in the earth so fabulous and so full of errour as it , which to say , is blasphemy . for it speakes such things , as neuer any could speake , but god. secondly , if it were not the booke of god , then all gods will should be hidden , and god should neuer yet haue reuealed his will to man. thirdly , if it had not beene the word of god , the falshood therof would haue beene detected long agone . for there hath beene nothing falsly said of god at any time , which he himselfe hath not at some time or other , opened and reuealed . euen as he did detect and discouer the falshood of the false prophet hanan● ier. . . and gods heauie hand , no doubt ; would long since haue beene vpon the ministers and preachers of this word , if they had vniustly and wrongfully fathered it vpon him . againe , for the writers and penmen of scripture , moses , the prophets , and apostles in their writings , doe not set forth their own glory , nobility , or vertues : but all with one consent , haue acknowledged directly and plainely their owne errors , and faults ; yea such faults as may be disgracefull to themselues , and their posteritie , and yet they haue done it . a plaine proofe , that they were not carried by policie , and naturall reason , but were holy men , guided by the holy ghost . for if they had beene guided by reason , they would neuer haue written that , which would haue tended to their owne disgrace : but would rather haue comended thēselues , their name , stocke , and linage . againe , humane authors in their discourses , doe commonly write of the praises and vertues of men , of whome they write . but the penmen of scripture , with one consent , giue all to god ; yea , when they speake of commendation due to men , thy giue it all to god in men . god is in their writings , the beginning , the ende , & all . sect. . a second head of reasons , is taken from the matter , and contents of the scriptures , which are manifold . the principall are these . first , the scripture doth that , which no other bookes can doe . for it sets out the corruption of mans nature by sinne ; the fountaine of this corruption ; & the punishment of the same , both in this life , and the life to come : it discouereth sinnefull mans particular thoughts , lusts , and affections , which neuer any book hath don beside it . no philosopher was euer able to make so true record , and so plaine declaration of the thoughts , motions , and affections of the heart . the reason of man cannot discerne them by nature , vnles it receiue a further light by grace , then it hath naturally in it selfe . yea the scripture sets downe things , that no mans heart can imagine , & yet are true by experiēce . for example : that it is an euill thought to thinke there is no god , mā by nature cānot imagine , but yet it is true in experience , & by the light of the word . and therefore dauid saith , the foole hath saide in his heart , there is no god. secondly , the maine contents of this booke , are sundrie articles of faith , all which are farre aboue the reach of humane reason , and yet they are not against it ; but at least some of them may be prooued by it . for example , that there is a redeemer of the world , is an article of faith , aboue reason : yet not against the same . for in naturall vnderstanding , god is not all iustice , and no mercie . but if there were no redeemer , then should god be all iustice , without mercie . now because he hath reuealed himselfe to be as well mercifull , as he is iust , reason concludes , there is a redeemer . againe , that this redeemer should be god and man , is aboue reason ; yet not against it . for reason teacheth , he must be god , that he might satisfie the infinite iustice of god for sinne ; which none but god can doe . againe , that he must be man , because man hauing sinned , man must be punished for the sinne of man. thirdly , in the scripture there are sundrie predictions made before hand particularly , which notwithstanding were not to come to passe till an , , yeares after , & all these predictions in the same manner as they haue bin foretold , haue bin fulfilled . iacob in his will foretold , that the scepter should not depart from iudah till shiloh , that is , the messias came . this was verified , euen as it was foretold . for a little before christs birth , the scepter was taken from the iewes , and translated vnto the romane empire . and herod put the whole colledge of the iewes , called their sanedrim , to the sword , in which colledge was the heire apparent of the kings blood . againe , balaam num. . . foretold that kittim , that is , the grecians and the romans , should subdue eber , the people of the east , and that also was afterward verified . for the hebrewes and assyrians , were afterward ouercome by the grecians , and cilicians . the apostle paul in his time foretold the destruction of the romane empire , and the reuealing of antichrist , . thes. , . &c. which prophecie was shortly after fulfilled . for antichrist grew from those times by little and little , till at length he came to sit in the emperours throne . men indeede may foretell things to come , but things foretold by them are present in their causes , and so they know and foretell them , not otherwise . but god foretelleth simply , and the scriptures foretell simply , therefore they are the word of god. fourthly , the law , a part of the scripture , is propounded most purely & perfectly without exception or limitation . whereas , in all mens lawes some sinnes are condemned , but some be tolerated and permitted . but in gods law euery sinne is condemned , & none either forborne or excused . lastly , the style and speech of the scripture is plaine and simple without affectation , and yet full of grace and maiestie . for in that simple style , it commandeth the whole man , bodie and soule ; it threatneth euerlasting death , and promiseth euerlasting life : and it doth more affect the heart of man , then all the writings in the world whatsoeuer . sect. . the third reason to induce vs to receiue the scriptures , as the word of god , is taken from the effects : whereof i note onely two . i. the doctrine of scripture in the law , and specially in the gospel , is contrarie to the corrupt nature of man. whereupon paul saith , the wisdome of the flesh , is enmitie against god. and yet the same word , beeing preached by the minister appointed by god , conue●teth nature , and turnes the heart of man vnto it , in such sort , as in this last age it hath wonne a great part of the world , to the imbracing thereof . now in reason this is impossible , that a thing which is so flat against mans corrupt nature , should notwithstāding preuaile with it so farre , as to cause man to liue and die in the profession & maintenance thereof . wee are woont to reiect the writings of men , if they please not our humors ; whereas this word of god , is of force to mooue and ●●cline our affections , though neuer so much censured , crossed , and controlled by it . and this shewes that god is the author thereof , from whome the word of creation came , to which euery thing at the first yeelded obedience . ii. the word of god hath this effect , to be able to minister comfort and releefe , in all distresses of bodie or minde , yea in the greatest and most desperate troubles , and vexations of the conscience . and when the helpes of humane learning and philosophie ( which are of great vse and force in other cases ) haue done all that they can , to the very vtmost , without effect or successe : euen then the sweete promises of the gospel , will reuiue and raise vp the heart , and giue it full contentment and satisfaction . expetience shewes this to be a confessed truth in particular cases : and it teacheth , whence and frō whome this word proceedeth , wherein these promises are contained , namely , from god. for when he sets the conscience vpon the racke , the word that releeueth and refresheth the same , must needs proceede and come from him alone . sect. . the fourth reason , is taken from the properties of scripture . i will name onely two . the first , is antiquitie , which most plainly appeares in the historie , though the doctrine it selfe be as ancient . the scripture contains a continued historie , from age to age , for the space of yeares before christ , euen from the beginning . humane histories , that are of any certentie or continuance , begin onely about the time of ezra , and nehemiah . as for those which were written before , they are onely fragments , and of no certentie . the second propertie , is consent with it selfe , in all parts , both for the matter , scope , and ende . the writings of men doe dissent from themselues , by reason of ignorance , & forgetfulnes in the authors . but the word of god , agrees with it selfe most exactly , and the places that seeme to disagree , may easily be reconciled ; which shewes that holy men , by whome it was penned , were not guided therein by their owne priuate iudgement , but were directed by the wisdome of the spirit of god. sect. . the fift reason , is drawne from the contraries . the deuill and wicked men , are in iudgement and disposition , as contrarie to scripture , as light is to darkenes . i prooue it thus . let a man read any booke of philosophie , and labour to be resolued of any one point therein , he shall neuer be tempted to infidelitie . but if the same man , reade the bookes of scripture , and labour to vnderstand them ; he shall haue within himselfe , many motions and temptations , not to beleeue , and obey it . now what should be the cause thereof , but that these bookes are the word of god , which the deuill laboureth to oppugne with might and maine ? againe , consider the same in the practise of wicked men . they will not brooke the rebuke of their sinnes , namely , their idolatrie , blasphemie , and other notorious crimes , by scripture ; but will seeke the blood and life of him , that shall sharply taxe , and reprooue them . and hence it was , that wicked kings so persecuted the lords prophets . yea further , let it be marked , that these wicked men , that are tainted with these horrible crimes , and cannot abide the word , nor teachers thereof to the death , haue commonly fearefull endes . now the opposition of satan , and wicked men to the word shewes the scriptures to be a most holy word , and indeede the very word of god. sect. . the sixt reason , is taken from sundrie testimonies . first , of holy martyrs , in the olde and new testament , who haue giuen their liues for the maintenance of this word , and sealed the same with their owne hearts blood ; yea suffered the most horrible and exquisite torments , that the wit of man could deuise , and that most patiently and willingly , not beeing daunted or dismaied . the stories of martyrs in all ages , confirme this truth , especially of those that suffered before , in , and after the times of the tenne bloodie persecutions . and. vnlesse they had beene supported by a d●●ine power , in so good a cause , they could neuer , so many of them , haue suffered in such manner , as they did . the second , is the testimonie and consent of heathen men , who haue recorded the very same things , at l●ast many of the principall , that are set downe in the bible . if this were not so , man should haue some colourable excuse of his vnbeleefe . and these things which they record , were not all taken out of the scripture , but were registred to memorie by historiographers , that liued in the times , when they were done . such are the stories of the creation , and flood , of the tower of babel , of the arke , of abraham and his possessions , of circumcision , of the miracles of moses , of the birth of christ , and the slaughter of the young children , of the miracles of christ , of the death of herod , agrippa , and such like . and these we take for true in humane stories : much more then ought we to doe it in the word of god. the third testimonie , is of miracles . the ●octrine of scripture was confirmed by miracles , wrought by the teachers thereof , the prophets and apostles , aboue all power & strength of nature , and such as the deuill can not counterfeit ; as the staying of the sunne , and the raising of the dead , &c. the fourth , is the testimonie of the holy ghost , which is the argument of all arguments , to settle and resolue the conscience , and to seale vp the certaintie of the word of god. if any shall aske , how this testimony of the holy ghost may be obtained , and beeing obtained , how we may discerne it to be the testimony of the holy ghost , and not of man : i answer , by doing two things . first , by resigning our selues to become truly obedient to the doctrine taught . ioh. . . if any man will doe my fathers will , ( saith christ ) he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of god. secondly , by praying vnto god for his spirit , to certifie our consciences , that the doctrine reveiled , is the doctrine of god. aske ( faith our sauiour christ ) & it shal be giuen you seeke , and ye shall find : knock , and it shall be opened vnto you . for he that asketh , rece●●eth . mat. . , . againe , your heauenly father will giue the holy ghost ; to them that desire him , luc. . . and , if any man lacke wisdome , let him aske it of god , who giueth to all men liberally , and reprocheth no man , and it shall be giuen him . iam. . . sect. . now hauing set down the proofes of this point , before i come to the next question , some speciall obiections against this doctrine , are to be answered , and resolued . for there haue not beene wanting in all ages , both atheists , and others , who haue professedly excepted against it , and of set purpose , haue vndertaken to call the written word of god into question . such were celsus , lucian , iulian , porpherie , apelles , and others . from whome some of latter times hauing receiued the poison of atheisme , and prophanesse , haue not ceased as much as in them lyeth , to oppugne sundry parts and portions of holy scripture . their principall reasons and exceptions , i will propound , and answere one by one . and first , they except against that which is written , gen. . . where it is said , god made the sunne the fourth day . now , say they , the sunne is the cause of the day ; and therefore there could not be three daies , before the sunne was created , considering that the effect is not before the cause , but the cause before the effect . i answere . first , we must put a difference betweene cause and cause . for of causes , some be the highest , some subordinate vnto them . the highest and first cause , of all creatures , is god himselfe , from whom all things at the first immediately flowed , without any relation to their causes in nature . and thus were the first , second , and third daies created and appointed immediately from god , and distinguished from the night , by an intercourse of light , ordained by him for that purpose . but the subordinate and inferior cause of the day , in order of nature , was the sunne , and that by the same appointment of god : and this cause was not set in nature , as the cause of the day , before the fourth day of creation ; for then it pleased him to make it his instrument , to distinguish the day from the night , as also for other ends and vses . and therfore it is no marueile , though the day was created before the sunne , the instrumentall cause thereof : considering that it was created before the sunne was set in the heauen , by the creatour himselfe . secondly , we must distinguish of times : which are either of creation , or gouernment : and there is one regard to be had of things while they were in making , and another after they were created . now it is true , the sunne is the cause of the day and the night , in the time of the gouernment of the world , but it was not so in the time of the first making of all things . for in the three first daies of the world , there was day and night without the sunne , by a vici●●itude of light and darkenes , which the lord made , and nature could neuer haue found out , had not the word reuealed it . but since the creation , in the time of gouernment , the sunne is but an instrument appointed by god to cary light , and he that made the light , can now in the gouernment of the world , if it pleased him , put downe the sunne from this office , and by some other meanes distinguish the day from the night ; therefore no marueile though he did so in the beginning . the second obiection , is touching the light of the moone . moses saith , it is one of the great lights which god made . now , say they , in all reason according to humane learning , it is one of the least of the planets , and lesse then many starres . answ. it is true which the holy ghost saith by moses , and yet the moone is lesse then the sunne , yea then many of the starres . for one and the same starre , in a diuers and different respect , may be tearmed greater and lesser . and in that place the scripture speaks of the moone , not in regard of other starres greater then it : but in respect of our se●se , because it appeareth greater in quantitie , and really communicateth more light ; yea , it is of more operation and vse to the earth , then any of the starres in the heauen , sauing the sunne . the third obiection moses saith , man & beast were made of the earth , and fishes of the waters . but all humane learning auoucheth , that the matter of euery creature , consisteth of all the foure elements , earth , water , fire , and ●●re . ans. moses speaketh onely of two , which were the principall , and in them includes the other ; because they are impure , & mixt with the other since the fall . againe , some learned auouch , that all creatures are made of earth & water only , as being the two maine materiall principles of the all ; and not of ayre , nor of fire . and this accords with moses , and is no doubt , a truth , that he speaks onely of the principall matter of these creatures : & yet the fire and ayre , are and may be called elements , or beginnings , because they serue to forme , preserue , and cherish the creatures . the fourth obiection . gen. . it is said , that eue before her fall , was deceiued by the serpent . now this , saith the atheist , is absurd . for euen in the estate of corruption , since the fall , there is no woman so simple , that will either admit speech , or suffer her selfe to be deceiued by a serpent ; much lesse would eue , in the estate of her innocencie . answ. though adam and eue in their innocencie , had excellent knowledge , yet they had not all knowledge . for then they should haue beene as god himselfe . but in that estate , ignorance befell eve in three things . for first , though adam himselfe was a prophet , in the time of his innocencie , yet both he and shee were ignorant of the issue of future things , which are contingent . secondly , they knewe not the secrets of each others heart . for to know the euent of things contingent certainely , and the secrets of the heart , belongs to god only . thirdly , though eue knew the kinds of creatures , yet shee knew not all particulars , and all things that were incident to euery kind of creature , but was to attain vnto that knowledge , by experience and obseruation . neither may this seeme strange : for christ as he was man , had as much , yea more knowledge then our first parents had in their innocency : and yet he knew not all particulars , in all singular creatures . for , seeing a fig-tree by the way as he went to ierusalem , he thought it had borne fruit , and yet comming towards it , he found none thereon . and in like manner , eue might know the serpentine kind , and yet be ignorant , whether a serpent could speake . besides that , the naming of the creatures , which argues knowledge of them , was not giuen to eue , but to adam . and therefore it was not so strange , that eue should be deceiued by a serpent , considering that to know that a serpent could speake , or not speake , came by experience , which shee then had not . i● will be said , that all ignorance is sinne : but eue had no sinne : and therefore shee could not be ignorant . answ. ignorance is twofold ; some ignorance ariseth of an euill disposition , when as we are ignorant of those things which we are bound to knowe , and this is sinne properly . but there is another ignorance , which is no sinne , when as we are ignorant of those things , which we are not bound to know . and this was in christ : for he was ignorant of the figtrees bearing fruit : and he knew not the day of iudgement as he was man. and this also was in eue , not the other . the fift obiection ; is about the arke , gen. . . god commaunded noah to make an arke of cubits long , of cubits broad and of cubits high . this arke , saith the atheist , beeing so small a vessell , could not possibly containe two of euery sort of creatures , with their foode , for the space of a yeare . the first author of this cauill , was apelles the hereticke , that cauilled with christians about the arke . and the answer is as ancient as the heresie : namely , first , that the cubit of the arke must be vnderstood of the egyptian cubit , which is with some , sixe foote , and with others , nine foote , by which measure the arke would be in lēgth half a mile at the least . and by this means , any man may see a possibility in reason , that the arke might containe , and preserue all creatures , with their fodder , and roome to spare . the second answere is , that as the iewes had a shekle of the sanctuary , which was greater then the ordinary shekle , so they had beside the ordinary cubit , a sacred cubit , the cubit of the sanctuary , where of mention is made in the prophecie of ezekiel , chap. . and that was bigger by the halfe , then the ordinarie cubite . and by this measure , some say , the arke was made . but both these answeres are onely coniecturall , without good ground in the scripture . to them therefore i adde a third . in the daies of noah , the stature of man was farre bigger then it is at this day . and looke as the stature of man was great and large , so was the cubite proportionall therto ; containing the length of the arme , from the elbow to the longest fingers end . and this beeing considered , that the arke was built by that measure , and not by the ordinary cubit , as it is now ; it will appeare , that the atheist hath greatly deceiued himselfe , and abused that part of gods word that declares the storie of the arke . againe , the length of this vessell , beeing . cubits , it is plaine that it was fiue times the length of salomons temple , which contained onely . cubits . the breadth beeing . it was twise and a halfe the breadth of that , which was but . broad . besides that , it is to be remembred , that in the arke were three lofts or stories , one aboue another , whereof each contained . cubits in height , and a chamber or flore of square measure , . cubits . as for the creatures that were put into it : the fowles of the ayre , though they were of many sorts , yet the biggest fort of them , beeing the eagle and his kind , they could not take vp any very large place for their residence . the water creatures , as some foules , the fishes , &c. kept the waters , and were not lodged in the arke . and the beasts of the earth , such beeing excluded , as were bredde either by accidentall generation , as mules ; or by putrefaction , as serpents , and other creeping things , which might afterward be restored in other creatures that were preferued , though for multitude and greatnes they excelled the rest , yet ( as some write ) there are of them in all not aboue an distinct kinds . and though there were as many more not knowne , yet in probabilitie , they could not be either many , or great . and of those that are great , there are thought not to be aboue kinds . now though it be graunted , that there were in the arke distinct kinds of beasts , yet this number compared with the roome , it will easily appeare , that there might be allotted to euery kinde , in one onely storie square cubits , which in all likelihood might well suffice them all one with an other , specially seeing all were not of an equall greatnes : and therefore some might haue that or more space , and some lesse . all these things duly considered , the vessell beeing of such capacitie , might cōprehend all those beasts , and many more together with their prouision for a longer time then a yeare . other doubts touching this historie , of lesse moment , i omit , and passe to the next . the sixt allegation , is out of gen. . . where ismael is said to mocke at isaak when he was wained , at which time ismael was fifteene yeares of age at the least . for he was borne when abraham was yeare olde , gen. . and isaac was borne , when abraham was about a hundred , gen. . . both which put together , make yeares : whereto one yeare beeing added , before isaac was wained , makes vp the age of ismael , as before . and yet afterward in that chapter , v. . hagar is saide , to carrie the child in her armes , and to cast him vnder a tree , when he and his mother were cast out of abrahams house , which argues him to haue beene but a little child : whereas before he was said to be yeares olde . ans. a foolish cauill , which blind atheists doe draw from the errour of some translation . for the text is plaine , that ismael with his mother hagar , by reason of extreame heate , and drought , was almost dead , wandering in the wildernes of beersheba : and beeing in this extremitie , shee caried him not , but v. . led him in her hand , and set him downe vnder a tree , and there left him to die . for in those cuntries , men for want of water , were at deaths dore : as we may see in the example of sisera , iudg. . . and sampson , chap. . . the seauenth allegation . gen. . . iudah iosephs brother , calls his brother beniamin a lad , or a boy , send the boy with me , &c. and yet this lad ( saith the atheist ) the yeare following , when he wēt down into egypt , with iacob his father , is saide to haue ten childrē gen. . . how can these two stand together ? ans. this cauili a●iseth from the grosse ignorance of the atheist , in the originall text . for beniamin is called jeled , which word commonly signifies a child ; but sometimes also a young man. thus ismael that was yeares old , is called jeled , a lad , gen. . . and so gen. . . lamech saith , i will stay a man in my wound , and [ jeled ] or a young man in my hurt : that is , if a man should wound me , and a young man hurt me , i would slay him . now it is not like , that a child could hurt laniech . neither must this seeme strange : for the most valiant men that dauid and ishbosheth had , are called hannegna●im , the boyes of abner & ioab , 〈◊〉 . sam. . . and the like phrase is vsed in other languages . for the grecians doe call young men by the name of [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ] and the latines by the name of [ pueri . ] boyes , or children . the eight allegation . exod. . it is saide v. . that all the waters in egypt were turned into blood , by moses and aaron : and yet v. . it is saide , that the magitians of egypt turned water into blood also : which seemes to imply an absurditie , considering that all the waters were turned into blood before . ans. some answer thus : that the water which the magitians turned , was newly digged out of new pits , and therefore they vnderstand the former of all the waters that were seene , and that they onely were turned into blood . others answer more fitly , that the waters which the magitians changed , were fetched out of goshen , from amongst the israelites , where the waters remained pure , and were not turned , as the other were . either of these answers may satisfie , but specially the latter . the ●inth allegation . exod. . . moses saith , that all the beasts in egypt died of the mu●… , and yet v. . in the seventh plague , it is said , the beasts were killed with thunder , and haile , and lightening : both which cannot be true . ans. first , we must put a difference between a common plague , or iudgement ; and an vniuersall . a common plague is , when●●o sort or kinde s●apeth , but all sorts are smitten , and such was the murren . for no mans cattell were free , no kind of cattell were saued . but the vniuersall is , when no particular of any kinde is exempted , but all destroied . such was not this plague , but some escaped , and were reserued for other iudgements that followed . the ground of this distinction , is this : the word [ all ] in scripture is often taken indefinitely for many . thus the prophet esay speaks , cap. . . from moneth to moneth , and from saboth to saboth , shall all flesh come to worship before me : that is , many or great multitudes . and so in the new testament , matth. . . christ healed all diseases , that is , many and of all kinds some . and in like manner the text before alleadged , must not be taken generally to include all without exception , but indefinitely for many or the most part of the cattell that were in the land of egypt . the tenth allegation . exod. . . wee read that one of the plagues was a palpable darknes , and so great , that for three daies together , no man either saw an other , or rose vp from the place where he sate . and yet v. . moses is sent for , and called to come before pharaoh . how should this be , seeing no man could stirre from his place , nor haue any light to goe before him : for there was none to be had , the darkenes was so palpable , and the aire was so thicke . ans. i take it the word [ then ] v. . is to be meant thus , that pharaoh sent for moses after the darkenes was ended , not by candle or or other light in the time of darkenes . and this answer may very well stand without further exception . the eleuenth allegation . iudg. . . the atheists make a mocke at the historie of sampson , as fabulous , where it is said , that all the philistims came together in one house , to make sport with him , and on the roofe sate about persons to beholde him while he plaied , and yet there were but two pillars whereupon the whole house stood , and those also standing in the midst so neere together that a man might reach them both with his armes . this , say they , is most absurd and impossible . ans. although the full resolution of this cauill , belongs to them that haue skill in architecture ; yet thus much may be faide in way of answer : that the house might be capable of so many persons , and they also that stood aboue might well see and behold sampson . for first , the whole house was not sustained by two pillars onely , but by many more , whereof two were the principall . for in likelihood the middle part whereon the whole building was knit together , from the bottome to the toppe , beeing the weightiest of all , was supported by two master-pillars . the other which was more outward , and lesse weightie might be vpholden by lesser proppes , which artificers in that kinde call by the name of false-pillars . hence it appeareth , that the two maine ones standing so nigh together , beeing shaken , the whole house together with them must needes fall . neither will this seeme strange , that two pillars should beare vp a building of such capacitie ; if we doe but consider what is recorded of curio the romance , who deuised the frame of a great amphitheater , the two parts whereof were supported onely by two hinges , and yet was so large , that it contained the whole people of rome . secondly , old buildings in those countries were made for the most part , with open roofe . againe , they were full of windowes on euery part like vnto great gates : and that they might be the more fit for sight from aboue , they were reared vp in some sort after the manner of the egyptian pyramides , wider below , and narrower aboue towardes the top . and by this meanes it is probable , not onely that they might containe a great companie , but that all those which stoode about the sides , and vpon the roofe , might very well behold what sampson did below ; specially considering that he stood in the middest of the theater , betweene the two middle pillars . the twelfth allegation . sam. . . &c. it is saide that dauid plaied before saul , and that saul knew him . but chap. . . when he was to fight with goliah , saul knew him not . here is a plaine contradiction in the atheists iudgement . ans. this sort of men doe still bewray their grosse ignorance , both in the matter and in the order of scripture . for the word of god doth not alway set downe things , as they follow in order of time iust one after an other : but sometime it doth anticipate , putting such things in former histories , as are alreadie done and accomplished , which in regard of their euent should be related afterward . sometime againe it vseth by recapitulation to declare things as following in order of time , which doe properly belong to a former narration . an example of the latter ( to omit many other that might be brought ) is the text alleadged . for that part of the chap. from the v . to the ende , should by order of historie follow the , as will easily appeare by comparing the place . and the like displacing of things saide and done is else-where to be found in the scriptures . which beeing considered , the atheists supposed contradiction , falls to the ground . for dauid was to fight with goliah before he plaied before saul , and though he was then not knowne , yet saul after that time tooke better knowledge of him . the thirteenth allegation is out of . chron. . . where the papist plaies the right atheist , in going about to improoue the originall copies . there ( saith he ) iehosaphat is called king of israel , when as indeede he was king of iudah , and so is he called in the former booke of chronicles . in like manner ahaz is tearmed king of israel , . chron. . . whereas the truth is , he was king of iudah . answ. after the death of salomon the kingdome was deuided , and the ten tribes were called israel , and the other two iudah and beniamin did beare the name of iudah . now after the diuision , for some time the name of israel common to both sides , was giuen to either , and both were named after it . and in this respect iehoshaphat and ahaz may be termed kings of israel . againe , the name of israel sundry times in scripture , and namely in the prophets , is taken only for the two tribes , which bare the name of iudah after the defection . and thus also might ahaz haue that name given vnto him , though he were king of iudah . furthermore , the word israel , is sometimes put for a true worshipper of god , that is , for him that is a iew not without but within , not in the letter , but in the spirit , rom. . . thus our sauiour saith of nathaniel , ioh. . . behold a true israelite in whome is no guile , that is , a man of an vpright hart , that serueth god in spirit and in truth . and in this sense iehoshaphat might be termed king of israel , because he was a king and patrone of all true worshippers of god. for euen then the israelites sorted themselues together , and the godly among them came to liue vnder him in iudah , though the distinction of the kingdomes did still remaine . the fourteenth allegation is out of act. . . where the papists and atheists alleadge the scripture to be contrary to it self : in that there it saith , abraham bought a field of emor , when as gen. . . the same field was bought by iacob . ans. . some say that there is a fault , because abrahams name is put for iacob . yet not a fault of the bible , but of them that wrote out the bible . neither doth this diminish the authoritie of scripture , though the penmen did erre and slippe in writing , so long as we may find out the truth by scripture . . ans. that this field was bought twice : first by abraham , and then afterward recouered by iacob , that he might maintaine his fathers possession . . answ. that abrahams name is here put for his posterity , as israels name is otherwhere giuen to his children , yea not only to his children , but also to his fathers isaack , & and abraham . for exod. . . it is said , the abode of the children of israel while they dwelt in egypt , was . yeares , which cannot be true vnlesse the abode of abraham and isaack be therein included . now if the name of the successour may be giuen to his auncestors , much more may the name of the auncestors be giuen to the posteritie . chap. iv. of religion . the third question concerning man , as he stands in relation to god , is touching religion , where it is demanded , what is that religion , that is due vnto the true god ? answ. the name religion , is not alwaies taken in one and the same sense . for sometime it is vsed , to signifie the whole bodie of doctrine , reuealed in the written word , that teacheth and prescribeth , whatsoeuer is to be beleeued or practized , as necessary to saluation . otherwhiles it is put for the inward vertue of the mind , where the same doctirne is beleeued , and the duties therein required , practised , and performed to the maiestie of god. and beeing thus taken , it is called by the name of pietie or godlinesse , in the scripture . and in this second sense i take it in this place . now religion or pietie , hath two distinct parts . the first , is knowledge of god ; the second , the worship of god. these two are notably described by dauid , in his last will and testament , wherein he commends vnto salomon his sonne before all other things , the care and ioue of religion and pietie ; the summe whereof , he reduceth to these heades ; the knowledge of god , and worship of god. . chron. . . and thou salomon my sonne knowe thou the god of thy father , and serve him with a perfect heart , and with a willing mind . according to this difference of heades , are the questions concerning religion to be distinguished , and these are principally two . first , how god is to be knowne , and then how he is to be worshipped . i. question . how god is to be conceiued in our mindes , when wee performe any seruice or worship vnto him ? for answer hereunto , this ground is first to be laid , that we must not , neither can possibly knowe or conceiue god as he is in himselfe . for god in himselfe is infinite , and therefore incomprehensible in regard of vs. but we are to conceiue him so , as he hath & doth reveale himselfe to vs in his creatures , principally in his word . the truth herof may appeare in this one example , ( to alleadge no more ) when moses desired to see the glory & maiestie of god , for a further confirmation and assurance of his calling , answer was made him by god , that he could not see his face , but he should see his back parts , as he passed by him . the meaning of this answer is , that god would manifest his glorie vnto him by his effects , by which as by a glympse or imperfect representation , he might discern some part of his maiestie , so farre forth as he was able in the infirmitie of flesh and blood , to behold the same . but the perfect and full sight thereof , no creature was euer able to attain vnto , it beeing reserued for the life to come ; when ( & not before ) they shall see him as he is in himselfe face to face . this ground beeing laid , the full answer to the question i propound in foure rules . i. rule . when we are to pray , or to worship god , we must not conceiue him , in the forme of any earthly or heauenly , bodily , or spirituall creature whatsoeuer : for thus not to conceiue him , is a degree of conceiuing him aright . ii. rule . god must be conceiued of vs , not by his nature , but by his attributes , & works . by his attributes , as that he is infinite in mercie , iustice , goodnes , power , &c. by his works of creation , and gouernement of the world , of redemption , &c. thus the lord reuealed himselfe to moses , exod. . . i am hath sent me vnto you : that is , one which hath his beeing in himselfe , and of himsefe , that giues being to all creatures by creation , and continues the same by his prouidence : one that giues a beeing and accomplishment , to all his mercifull promises . when the lord appeared to moses , he shewed not his face vnto him , but passed by him with a voice , the lord , the lord , strong , mercifull , and gratious , long suffering , and plenteous in goodnes and truth . in which place , the lord proclaimes his name , by his attributes . so in the prophecie of ieremie , i am he that shewes mercie , iudgement , and iustice in the land . the same , daniel confesseth in his praier , when he saith , o lord god , which art great and fearfull , keeping couenant and mercie toward thē that loue thee , & keepe thy commandements . and lastly , the author to the hebrewes , he that comes to god , must beleeue that god is , and that he is a rewarder of them that seeke him . iii. rule . god must not be conceiued absolutely , that is , out of the trinitie : but as he subsisieth in the person of the father , sonne , and the holy ghost , so he must be knowne and conceiued of vs. the auncient rule of the church is , that the vnitie must be worshipped in trinitie , and the trinitie in vnitie . by this doe the protestant churches , differ from all other assemblies of worshippers . the turke conceiues and worships a god , creator of heauen and earth , but an abstracted god , which is neither father , sonne , nor holy ghost . the iew worshippeth god , but out of christ , and therefore a feigned and idol god. the papist in word acknowledgeth and so worshippeth god , but indeede makes god an idol , because he worships him not in a true but in a feigned christ , that sits at the right hand of the father in heauen , and is also in the hands of euery masse-priest , after the words of cōsecration . but the protestant knowes god as he will be knowen , and consequently worships him as he wil be worshipped , in father , sonne , and holy ghost . iv. rule . when we direct our praiers , or any worship to any one person , we must include the rest in the same worship ; yea further , we must retaine in minde the distinction and order of all the three persons , without severing or sundring them ; for so they are named , and propounded in the scriptures . the reason is , because as they are not seuered , but conioyned in nature , so they neither are , nor must be seuered , but conioyned in worship . for example the man that praies , to god the father for the forgiuenes of his sins , must aske it of him for the merit of the sonne , and by the assurance of the holy ghost . againe , he that praies for remission of his sinnes , to god the son , must pray that he would procure the father to graunt his pardon , and withall assure it by his spirit . he also that praies for the same to god the holy ghost , must pray that he would assure vnto him the remission of his sinnes , from the father , by , and for the merit of the sonne . chap. v. of the second part of religion touching the worship of god , and first of the inward worship . ii. question . how god is to be worshipped and serued . for the full answer hereof , we must remember that the worship of god is twofold ; inward or outward . inward is the worship of the mind , the heart , the conscience , will , and affections ; for man by all these ioyntly and seuerally performeth worship and seruice to his creator . the outward is that worshippe whereby the inward is testified outwardly in the speach and actions . the former of these two , is the spirituall worship of the inward man , and the very ground and foundation of all true worship of god : for god is a spirit and therfore must be worshipped in spirit , that is , in the the minde , conscience , will , and affections . indeede all the worshippe of god is spirituall , euen that which we call outward ; yet not of it selfe , but by vertue of the inward , from which it proceedeth . sect. . the heades of inward worship are two . adoration of god , and cleaving to god. for as they are two different actions of the heart , so they may fitly be termed two distinct parts of gods worship . this distinction is in some part propounded by moses , where he exhorteth the israelites , to feare iehovah their god , to adore him , to cleaue vnto him , and to swear by his name . adoration , is that part of gods worship , whereby a man , vpon a vile and base estimation of himselfe , as beeing but dust and ashes , submits & subiects his soule to the glorie and maiestie of god. this hath two principal groundes in the heart , which if they be wanting , there can be no true worship of god. the first is abnegation or deniall of our selues , when we esteem our selues to be meerely nothing . the second is exaltation , or advancemēt of gods maiesty , aboue all the things in the world . exāples of these we haue many in the scriptures , as of abraham , who called god his lord , and himselfe dust and ashes : of the angels , whome in a vision the prophet sawe standing before god , with one wing couering their feete , which signified the abasing of themselues ; and with another couering their faces , which betokened their adoration of the maiestie of god. of daniel , when he confesseth , to thee , o lord , belongeth righteousnes it selfe , but to vs shame and confusion of face . lastly , of the woman of canaan , who calls christ lord , and her selfe , a dogge . now in adoration , there are foure vertues ; feare , obedience , patience , thankefulnesse . feare , is a great part of the worship of god , which i prooue by two places laid together . esa. . . matth. . , . wherein feare and worship , are taken for one and the same thing : for that which esay calls feare , matthew calls worship . now in this feare , there be two things that serue to distinguish it from all other feares . first , it is absolute : for by it god is reuerenced absolutely . saint paul exhorteth to yeelde tribute , feare , and honour to the magistrate , not for himselfe , but for god , whose minister he is . and our sauiour saith , feare ye not them which kill the bodie , and are not able to kill the soule , but rather feare him which is able to destroy both soule and bodie in hell . as if he should say , i allow and command you to feare men , onely for god , who hath set them ouer you , but feare god for himselfe . secondly , it makes a man , first of all , to feare the offence of god , and then the punishment and iudgement . for it is not a feare of the offence alone , but of the offence and punishment together , and of the offence in the first place : mal. . . if i be a lord , where is my feare ? and where it is saide in matthew , but rather feare him that is able to cast bodie and soule into hell fire ; there is commanded a feare of god , in regard of his anger . we feare the sword of man , and that lawfully , why then may we not feare the punishment of god ? if it be said , this is a seruile feare , to feare the punishment , and agrees not to gods children : i answer , slauish feare is , when a man only fears the punishment , & not the offence of god , or at least the punishment more then the offence . the second vertue of adoration , is inward obedience of the hidden man of the heart . the lord preferres this obedience before all sacrifice , . sam. . . this standeth in two things . first , in yeelding subiection of the conscience to the commaundements , threatnings , and promises of god , so as we are willing , that it should become bound vnto them . secondly , when the rest of the powers of the soule , in their place and time , performe obedience vnto god. and by this meanes doe we bring into captiuitie , euery thought vnto the obedience of christ , as paul speaketh , . cor. . . the third vertue of adoration , is patience ; which is , when a man in his afflictions , submitteth his will to the will of god , and quieteth his heart therein , because god sendeth afflictions . this was dauids counsell , be silent before the lord , and alwaies waite vpon his pleasure . and his practise , when in trouble he resigned himselfe into the hands of god , and said , lord , if i please thee not , loe i am here , doe with me as seemeth good in thine eyes . this patience is a part of gods worship , because it is a kind of obedience . the fourth vertue of adoration , is thankfulnesse to god , which shewes it selfe in two things . first , in an acknowledgement of the heart , that our selues and whatsoeuer we haue , is gods , and proceedeth from his blessing alone . secondly , in a consecration of our bodies , soules , liues , callings , and labours to the honour and seruice of god. thus much of the first head of inward worship , or the first action of the heart , standing in adoration . sect. . the second action of the heart in inward worship , or the second part thereof , is cleauing vnto god. now we cleaue vnto god by foure things : by faith , hope , loue , and inward inuocation . by faith , i meane true iustifying faith , whereby we rest vpon gods mercie for the forgiuenes of our sinnes , and life euerlasting : and vpon his prouidence , for the things of this life . thus abraham , beeing strengthened in this faith , and relying by it vpon gods promises made vnto him , gaue glorie vnto god , rom. . . this sauing faith , is the very roote , and beginning of all true worship . for loue , which is the fulfilling of the law , must come from it . . tim. . . the second is hope , which followes and dependes vpon faith : and it is that grace of god , whereby with patience we waite the lords leisure , for the performance of his promises , especially touching redemption , and life eternall . if we hope ( saith paul ) for that we haue not , we doe with patience expect it , rom. . . the third , is loue of god ; which hath two effects in the heart . first , it makes the heart to cleaue vnto god , and to be well pleased with him simply for himselfe . in this manner god the father louing christ , testifieth that he was well pleased in him , matth. . . secondly , it mooues the heart to seeke by all meanes possible , to haue true fellowship with god in christ. this the church notably expresseth in the canticles . the fourth , is inward praier , or inuocation of the heart ; and it is nothing els , but the lifting vp of the heart vnto god , according to his will , by desires and grones vnspeakable . or , it is a worke of the heart , whereby it flies vnto god for help in distresse , & makes him a rocke of defence . when the children of israel were afflicted , they remembred that god was their strength , and the most high god their redeemer , psal. . . of this kinde of prayer paul speakes , when he saith , pray continually , . thess. . . for solemne prayer conceiued , and vttered in forme of words , cannot alwaies be vsed : but we are to lift vp our hearts vnto god , vpon euery occasion , that by inward and holy motions and affections , they may be ( as it were ) knitte vnto him . now to conclude this point touching inward worship , we must remember that it alone is properly , simply , and of it selfe , the worship of god ; and the outward is not simply the worship of god , but onely so farre forth as it is quickned by the inward , and grounded vpon it . for god is a spirit , and therefore the true worship that is done vnto him , must be performed in spirit and truth , ioh. . . chap. vi. of the outward worship of god , and the first head thereof , prayer . thus much of the inward worship of god. the outward is that , which is performed by the bodie externally , eitherin word or deede . to this belong many particulars , which i will reduce to eight seuerall heads . i. prayer . ii. the hearing of the word preached . iii. the vse of the sacraments . iv. outward adoration . v. confession . vi. an oath . vii . vowes . viii . fasting . touching praier conceiued and vttered by the voice , there are many questions of conscience ; the principall whereof are foure . i. question . how shall a man make a lawfull and acceptable praier to god ? ans. the word of god requires many conditions in making praier to god : they may all be brought to three heads . some of them goe before the making of praier , some are to be performed in the act of praier , some after praier is ended . sect. . conditions to be obserued before praier , are three . first , he that would make such a praier as god may be pleased to heare , must repent . esa. . . god would not heare the praiers of the iewes , because their hands were full of blood : that is , because they had not repented of their oppression and crueltie . ioh. . . god heares not sinners : that is , such as liue and lie in their sinnes , and turne not vnto god by true repentance . . ioh. . . by this we know that god heares our prayers , if we keepe his commandements . i adde further , that the man which hath before-time repented , must againe renew his repentance , if he desire that his praiers should be accepted . for the very particular sinnes of men , whereinto they fall after their repentance , doe hinder the course of their praiers , from hauing accesse vnto god , if they be not repented of . and for this cause , the worthie men of god the prophets in the old testament , doe vsually in the beginning of their praiers , still humble themselues , and confesse their sinnes ; as we may see in the example of daniel , chap. . v. , , &c. and of ezra , chap. . v. . &c. secondly , before a man make a praier , he must first ( if neede require ) be reconciled vnto his brother . if thou bring thy gift to the altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee , leaue there thine offering and goe thy way , first be recōciled to thy brother , & then come and offer thy gift , matt. . . when ye shall stand and pray , forgiue , if ye haue any thing against any man , &c. mark. . . thirdly , he that is to pray must prepare himselfe in heart and mind , as one that is to speake familiarly with god. in this preparation , foure things are required . first , the mind is to be emptied of all carnall & worldly thoughts . secondly , there must be in the minde , a consideration of the things to be asked . thirdly , a lifting vp of the heart vnto the lord , psal. . . fourthly , the heart must be touched , with a reuerence of the maiestie of god , to whome we pray . eccl. . . be not rash with thy mouth , nor let thy heart be hasty to vtter a thing before god. for the neglect herof , the lord threatneth to bring a iudgment vpon the israelites . esay . . . . sect. . the second sort of conditions , are those that are required in praier , and they are in number eight . i. euery petition must proceed from a liuely sense , and feeling of our owne wants , and of our spirituall pouertie . for without this , no praier can be earnest and hartie ; and consequently become acceptable vnto god. for example , when we pray that gods name may be hallowed , we must in making that petition , haue in our harts a sense of the corruption of our nature , wherby we are prone to dishonour the name of god. ii. our praier must proceede from an earnest desire of that grace which we want : and this desire is indeede praier it selfe . moses vttering neuer a word , but groning in the spirit vnto god , in the behalfe of the isralites , is said , to crie vnto the lord. exod. . . we know not ( saith paul ) what to pray as we ought , but the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sights , that cannot be expressed . rom. . . iii. the petition must proceede from sauing and true iustifying faith . the reason is , because without that faith , it is impossible that either our persons , or our praiers , or any other action we doe , should please god , heb. . . iv. euery petition must be grounded vpon the word of god , and not framed according to the carnall conceit and fansie of mans braine . and this is the assurance that we haue in him , that if we aske any thing according to his will , he heareth vs. . ioh. . . now we haue a double ground of our praier in gods word ; a commandement to make the praier , either generall or particular ; and a promise that our requests shal be granted . here we must remember two rules . first , things to be asked are either spirituall , or temporall . spirituall are such , as concerne god ; whereof some are more necessarie to saluation , as remission of sinnes , faith , repentance , and such like : some are lesse necessarie , as hope , ioy in the feeling of gods mercie in distresse , &c. temporall things are such , as belong to this life , as meate , drinke , clothing , preferment , and such like . now touching things spirituall , that are moore necessary to saluation , we are to pray for them absolutely , without any exception or condition . but for things lesse necessary to saluation , and for temporall blessings , we must aske them at gods hand with this condition ; if it be his will and pleasure , and so farre forth , as he in his wisdome shall iudge to be most expedient for vs. herein we must follow the example of christ , who in his agonie prayed to his father to take that cuppe from him , yet with this condition , not my will , but thy will be done . the reason is this : looke how far sorth god commands vs to aske , and promiseth that we shall receiue , so far forth are we warranted to aske , and may hope to receiue . now god commands vs to aske , and promiseth vs the first sort of spirituall things , freely and simply , without any condition or exception . but the other sort of spirituall things , that are lesse necessary , and temporall blessings , he promiseth vs with condition ; and therefore in like sort ought we to aske them . the second rule is : we must not in our prayer ; bind god to any circumstances of time , place , or measure of that grace , or benefit , which we aske . v. our praiers being thus framed , ( as hath beene said ) are to be presented and offered to god alone , and to none but him . for first , none els can heare all men , in all places , at all times ; and helpe all men , in all places and at all times , but onely he . againe the spirit of god makes vs to pray , and in prayer to call him abba , father . furthermore , all praier must be grounded vpon the word ; wherein we haue not the least warrant , either expressely setdowne , or by consequent implyed , to preferre our sutes and requests to any of the creatures . vi. praier is to be presented to god , in the name , merit , and mediation of christ alone . for we our selues are not worthie of any thing , but shame and confusion . therefore we cannot pray in our owne names , but must pray onely in the name of christ. our praiers are our sacrifices , and christ alone is that altar , whereon we must offer them to god the father . for this altar must sanctific them , before they can be a sacrifice of a sweete smeiling sauour vnto god. hence it is , that not onely our petitions , but all other things , as paul wisheth , are to be done in the name of the lord iesus , coloss. . . and christ himselfe saith , whatsoeuer you aske the father in my name , he will giue it you , ioh. . . vii . there must be in praier , instancie and perseuerance . the heart must be instant , not onely in the act of praier ; but afterwards till the thing asked , be granted . this instancie , is commended vnto vs in the parable of the widdow , and the vnrighteous iudge , luk. . . hereunto the prophet exhorteth , when he saith , — keepe not silence , and giue the lord no rest , &c. esa. . . and s. paul in like manner wisheth the romanes , to striue with him by praiers to god for him , rom. . . viii . euery true praier , must haue in it some thanksgiuing vnto god for his benefits . in all things let your requests be shewed vnto god , in praier and supplication , with giuing of thanks , phil. . . christ himself , gaue directiō touching this , in that forme of prayer which he taught his disciples , for thine is the kingdome power and glorie . sect. . the third sort of conditions , are those which are required after prayer ; and they are specially two . the first is , a particular faith , whereby he that praieth , must be assured that his particular request shall be granted . mark. . . whatsoeuer ye desire when ye pray , beleeve that ye shall haue it , and it shall be done vnto you . and that he may haue this particular faith , he must first haue that whence it ariseth , namly , true iustifying faith , standing in a perswasion of his reconciliation with god. the second is , that a man must doe and practise that , which he praies for ; and he is not onely to pray for blessings , but also to vse all lawfull meanes that he can , whereby the blessings he asketh , may be obtained . for example . as thou praiest for the pardon of thy sinns , so thou must leaue thy sinns , and vse all good meanes , whereby the same may be mortified and crucified . and the like is to be done in all other things , which we aske of god. thus we haue the first question of conscience resolued touching praier ; that then the praier is acceptable to god , when he that prayeth obserueth , as much as in him lyeth , all these conditions before , in , and after praier . ii. question . whether may a man lawfully make imprecations , that is to say , pray against his enemies ? and how farre forth is it lawfull ? sect. . for answer to this , we must marke and obserue sundry distinctions , and differences . first , we must distinguish betweene the cause , and the person that defends and maintaines the cause . the euill cause which an euil man defendeth , is to be condemned of vs ; & wee may alwaies , and that lawfully , pray against it ; but we may not in like sort , condemne and pray against his person . secondly , we must distinguish of the persons of our enemies ; some be priuate enemies , some publicke . priuate , i call those , which be enemies of some particular men , and are against them , in regard of this or that cause or matter , and yet are not enemies of god , or of his truth . publike are those , which are not only our enemies , but the enemies of god , of his kingdome , of his trueth , and relion . now we may not pray against priuate enemies : we may ( as before ) pray against their euill cause , but not against their persons ; math. . . blesse them that curse you , doe good to them that hate you , and pray for them which hurt you and persecute you . and we are commanded to loue our enemies , as our selues . againe , publicke enemies of god and his truth , are also of two sorts , either curable or incurable . curable are such , as offend of ignorance , or some other humane frailty , so as there is some hope of their conuersion , and repentance . we must not pray against the persons of these , but onely against their dealings and badde causes , and pray for their persons , and for their conuersiō . thus christ praied for those that crucified him ; father , forgiue them : and stephē , act. . for them that stoned him . vncureable , are those that sinne obstinately , and of malice , so as there is no hope of their amendment and conuersion . and further , for the better answering of this question , we must marke another distinction . there are two sorts of men , that are to make praier vnto god. some that haue extraordinary gifts , as the prophets and apostles . now he that is an extraordinarie man , hath and must haue these two gifts ; namely , first a spirit of discerning , to discerne and iudge whether the person against whome he praies , be incureable or no : and secondly a pure zeale of gods honour and glory . the extraordinary man , that is qualified with these two gifts , may pray not onely against the cause of him , that is an enemie to god , but against his person . thus dauid did , especially in the . psal. which psalme is full of terrible curses , against his particular enemies , and typically , against iudas . for he had the spirit of discerning , by which he knewe that they were incurable enemies , and a pure zeale of the glorie of god , which made him breake out into such imprecations . so paul praies , gal. . . that they might be cut off which troubled the church , &c. . tim. . . he praies directly against the person of alexander the coppersmith , that had don him much wrong , the lord reward him according to his workes . which must not seeme strange : for paul had in that imprecation ; the spirit of prophecie , and consequently both the spirit of discerning , and of pure zeale : and therefore he might pray against him as he did . but for ordinarie men , such as haue nothing but ordinarie gifts , and want the spirit of discerning , and haue also a zeale mingled with choler , stomack , anger , and hatred ; they may vse no extraordinarie praier against the person of any man. all that they may doe , is to pray , that god would restraine their malice , hinder their badde practises , and turne them to his glorie , and the good of his church . therefore act. . . when there had beene a councell holden at ierusalem , against the apostles peter , and iohn ; in the first beginning of the great persecution of christians , in the primitiue church , it is said , that they departed from the assembly , and praied together with the rest of the church , in this manner ; and now , o lord , behold their threatnings , &c. wherein they praied not against the councell , nor against the men that sate in counsell , but against their proceedings , courses , deuises , and threatnings . and their practise , may be a patterne for ordinary men to follow . in luk. . . the disciples asking our sauiour christ , whether they should call for fire from heauen , to destroy his enemies , he sharply reprooueth them , for their intemperate heate against the samaritans , and tells them , that they had not that extraordinarie spirit , to effect such a thing , because they were but ordinarie men . ordinarie men therefore may not pray against the persons of gods enemies . the pope at this day is a professed enemie to christ , and his gospel , yet no man may pray against the person of the pope , but onely against his state , kingdome , and regiment , which is antichristian ; whereby he sets himselfe against god , and his kingdome . sect. . vpon the answer to this question , there followeth an other . sundrie psalmes of dauid are psalmes of imprecation , wherin dauid curseth his enemies fearefully , especially in the . psalme ; now all these psalmes were penned for our vse : it may therefore be demanded , how we may vse these , and such like , when we read or sing them ? ans. i. we must not vse them as dauid did , namely , as praiers against the persons of our enemies , but onely as prophecies against the enemies of god , wherein the punishment of incurable men , that were enemies to god and his truth , is foretold . for wee haue not , as dauid had , an extraordinarie spirit , or a pure zeale : therefore we cannot pray as he did . ii. i answer , whereas these imprecations were directed against particular enemies , we may vse them in some sort as praiers , but how ? as generall praiers against all the incureable enemies of god , not against any particulars among the iewes , turkes , or papists . as therfore as we may vse these imprecations as praiers , so we must vse them without any particular application , to the persons of any particular men . iii. question . what be the particular circumstances of prayer ? ans. there are chiefly foure . i. the voice , or speech . ii. the gesture . iii. the place where . iv. the time when . sect. . concerning the voice , this question may be mooued ; whether a voice or words , are ●o be vsed in prayer , or no ? ans. prayer is either pub●cke , or priuate . in publike prayer , a forme of wordes must alwaies be vsed , in a knowne , plaine , and distinct voice . the reasons are these . first , the minister is the mouth of the whole congregation in prayer , as he is the mouth of god to the people in preaching . now as the minister is their mouth to god in prayer , so the people must giue their assent , and approbation to his prayer , by the word , amen . but there can be no professed and publique assent , without a voice . secondly , god is the creator , not onely of the soule of man , but also of his bodie ; and we blesse god , not onely with the heart , but also with the tongue : therefore the whole man must pray in publicke . now in priuate prayer , made in priuate and secret places , by priuate persons , the voice is profitable , but not simply necessarie . it is profitable , because it stirreth vp the affections of the heart ; it serueth also to keepe the wandering minde in compasse , to expresse the affection , and to procure attention of the heart to the prayer . yet it is not simply necessarie . for a man is not bound in co●●cience , to vse a forme of wordes , in all his prayers . moses prayed , he spake neuer a word , and yet it was a prayer : for the lord saies vnto him , exod. . . why criest thou ? anna praying in the temple , her lippes did mooue onely , her voice was not heard , and yet shee is said to pray , . sam. . . againe , the spirit is said to pray in the elect , with groanes that cannot be vttered , and yet the holy ghost giues them the name of prayers , rom. . paul biddes vs pray continually , which is not to be vnderstood of a continuall vse of a forme of words , but of the groanes and sighes of the heart , which may be made at all times . out of this question ariseth another ; whether it be lawfull , when we pray , to read a set forme of prayer ? for some thinke that to doe so , is a sinne . ans. it is no sinne ; but a man may lawfully , and with good conscience doe it . reasons . first , the psalmes of dauid were deliuered to the church , to be vsed and read in a set forme of words , and yet the most of them are praiers . secondly , to conceiue a forme of praier , requires gifts of memorie , knowledge , vtterance , and the gifts of grace . now euery child and seruant of god , though he haue an honest heart , yet hath he not all these gifts : and therefore in the want of them , may lawfully vse a set forme of prayer ; as a man that hath a weake backe , or a lame legge , may leane vpon a crutch . it is alleadged , that set formes of praier , doe limit and binde the holy ghost . ans. if we had a perfect measure of grace , it were somewhat , but the graces of god are weake and small in vs. this is no binding of the holy ghost , but a helping of the spirit , which is weake in vs , by a crutch to leane vpon : therefore a man may with good conscience , vpon defect of memory and vtterance , &c. vse a set forme of prayer . sect. . the second circumstance , is the gesture . concerning which it is demanded , what kind of gesture is to be vsed in praier ? whether kneeling , standing , sitting , or the holding vp the hands , or head to heauen , or bowing the body to the earth ? answ. god in his word hath not prescribed any particular gesture of the body : and therfore our consciences are not bound to any in particular . besides that , religion stands not properly in bodily actions , and gestures . yet touching gesture , the word of god giues certaine generall rules to be obserued in prayers , both publicke and priuate . in publicke praier , these rules of gesture are prescribed . first , when publicke praier is made in the congregation , our gesture must alwaies be comely , modest , & decent . secōdly , all gesture vsed publickely , must serue to expresse , as much as may be , the inward humility of the hart without hypocrisie . now these kinds are manifold . some concern the whole body , as the bowing thereof , the casting of it downe vpon the ground ; some againe concerne the parts of the body , as lifting vp of the head , the eies , the hands , bowing the knees , &c. touching these , the scripture hath not bound vs to any particulars ; but in them all , we must haue regard , that they serue alway to expresse the humilitie of our hearts before god. thus haue the holy men of god behaued themselues ; yea the holy angels standing before the arke , doe couer their faces , in token of reuerēce of the maiestie of god , esay . . . thirdly , we must in publicke praier , content our selues to followe the laudable fashion , and custome of that particular church , where we are . for , to decline from customes of particular churches , in such cases , often causeth scisme and dissensions . in priuate praier , done in priuate and secret places , there is more liberty . for in it we may vse any gesture , so it be comely , and decent , and serue to expresse the inward humility of our hearts . an auncient writer is of opinion , that it is an vnreuerent , and vnlawfull thing , to pray sitting . but both the learned before , in , and after his time , haue iudged his opinion superstitious ; specially considering that religion stands not in the outward gesture of the body , and it skills not much what that is , so the inward humility of a syncere heart be expressed therby . sect. . the third circumstance , is the place . where question is made , in what place we must pray ? answ. in regard of conscience , holines , and religion , all places are equal , and alike in the new testament , since the comming of christ. the house or the field , is as holy as the church ; and if we pray in either of them , our prayer is as acceptable to god , as that which is made in the church . for now the daies are come , that were foretold by the prophet , wherein . a cleane , offering should be offered to god in euery place . mal. . . which paul expo●…ds , . tim. . . of pure and holy praier , offened to god in euery place . to this purpose , christ said to the woman of samaria , ioh. . . that the tyme should come , when they 〈◊〉 not worship in ierusalem , or in samaria , but the true worshippers of god , should worship him in spirit and in truth , wheresoeuer it be . yet neuerthelesse , for order , decency , and quietnes sake , publicke prayer must be made in publicke places ; as churches and chappels , appointed for that vse . and priuate praier , in priuate houses and clozets , mat. . . now the opinion of the papist is otherwise : for he thinkes that in the new testamēt , hallowed churches are more holy then other places are , or can be ; and doe make the prayers offered to god in them , more acceptable to him then in any other ; and herevpon they teach , that priuate men must pray in churches , and priuate prayers must be made in churches , if they will haue them heard . for proofe hereof , they alleadge the practise of some particular persons in the scriptures . of anna , who praied priuately in the temple , luk. . . of dauid , who in his exile , desired greatly to haue recourse vnto the temple . and of daniel , who is saide to looke out at the window , toward the temple , and pray . dan. . . answ. these places are abused by the popish church . for there is great difference betweene the temple at ierusalem in the old testament , and our churches in the new . that was built by particular commandemēt from god : so were not our churches . that was a type of the very body , and manhood of christ. heb. . . and of his misticall bodie , col. . . againe , the arke in the temple was a pledge , and signification of the couenant , a signe of gods presence , a pledge of his mercie , and that by his owne appointment : for it was his will there to answere his people : but the like cannot be shewed of our churches or chappell 's . it will be saide , that the sacrament is a signe of gods presence , for in it god is present after a sort . ans. it is true , christ is present in the sacrament , but when ? not alwaies , but then onely when the sacrament is administred . and the administration beeing once ended , christ is no more present in the elements of bread and wine . and in the very act of celebration , he is not carnally but spiritually present . sect. . the fourth circumstance , is the time. quest. what are the times , in which men are to make prayers vnto god ? for answer to this question , it is first to be considered , that there is a twofold manner of praying , and consequently two kindes of prayer . the first , is the secret and sudden lifting vp of the heart to god , vpon the present occasion . the second , is set or solemne prayer . the first sort of praiers , haue of auncient time beene called eiaculations , or the darts of the heart . and the time of this kind of prayer , is not determined , but is and may be vsed at any time , without exception . this point i make plaine by these reasons . the first , is the commandement of god , . thess. . . pray without ceasing . eph. . . pray alwaies , with all manner of prayer and supplication in the spirit , and watch thereunto with all perseuerance — for all saints . in both these places , by praier and supplications , paul vnderstandeth the sudden lifting vp of the heart vnto god. secondly , whatsoeuer we speake , thinke , or doe , we must doe all to the glorie of god. now god is glorified , when we doe in all things , from our hearts acknowledge his power , wisdome , iustice , mercie , prouidence , and goodnes . and these we doe acknowledge , when we daily and howerly lift vp our hearts to him , in petition , for some blessings , and in thanksgiuing for his mercies . thirdly , we are subiect to innumerable infirmities , frailties , and wants , so as we cannot of our selues , so much as thinke one good thought ; therefore we are euery day and hower , to lift vp our hearts to god , partly in praier , partly in giuing of thankes , that he would make a daily supplie by his grace . fourthly , satan seekes by all meanes to ouerthrow our soules continually ; and in that regard it behooueth vs alwaies and vpon euery occasion , to lift vp our hearts to god , for his mercifull protection . fiftly , the gift of faith must grow and increase in vs day by day . and the meanes whereby it groweth and thriueth in vs , are the exercises of faith , not seldome and rare , but daily and continually vsed . now of all the exercises of faith , none is more exceilent , then invocation and thanksgiuing . the second kinde of prayer , is set and solemne ; when a man sets himselfe apart , to pray vnto god vsually and feruently : or , when men come reuerently and solemnely together into the congregation , to call vpon the name of the lord. the word of god appoints no set time for this kind , but leaues it to the libertie , wisdome , and discretion of men . and the ground of this libertie is this ; there is now no difference betweene time and time , in regard of conscience , for performing the worship of god , and the duties of religion , ( the saboth onely excepted : ) but the principall and onely difference , is in regard of outward order and conueniencie , whereby one time may be thought fitter then an other , and that must be discerned by the wisdome of men . in the new testament , the distinction of daies , and houres , is taken away . paul was afraid of the galatians , because they made difference of daies , times , moneths , and yeares , in respect of holines and religion , gal. . by this doctrine , we may see what to iudge of the romane religion , touching set times of prayer . they prescribe certaine houres , which they tearme canonicall ; and they distinguish them in this manner . the first , they call the matutine , before the sunne rising . the second , the prime , from the first houre of the day , to the third . the third from thence to the sixt hower . the fourth from the sixt to the ninth . the fift from the ninth to the twelfth , which they call the none . the fixt is in the euening about the sunne-setting . the seuenth and last , is after the sunne-setting , which they call the completorie . now in these seauen prescribed howers , by the doctrine deliuered , i note three notable abuses . first , in that the popish church binds men in conscience to obserue them , vpon paine of mortall sinne . whereas in regarde of conscience , there is no difference of times . secondly they bind the masse-priest , the deacon , subdeacon , and the beneficed man onely , to canonicall houres , whereas those houres differ not from others in regard of performance of gods worship , neither are these men more bound to pray in them then others . thirdly , that a man may say and read his canonicall houres this day for the morrow , and in the morning or after dinner for the whole day ; wherein we may see their grosse superstition . iv. question touching prayer is , how their mindes are to be pacified , which are troubled by sundry accidents , that fall out in their praiers . these accidents are principally three . first , when they should pray , they cannot frame or conceiue a forme of praier , as other men doe . for remoouing of which trouble , let them remember this one thing . that the vnfeigned desire of the touched heart , is a praier in acceptance before god , though knowledge , memorie , and vtterance , to frame and conceiue a forme of prayer in words , be wāting . ps. . . god heares the desire of the poore , that is , of humbled persons , and them which are in distresse . psal. . . god will fulfill the desire of them that feare hi● : he also will heare their cry and will saue them . rom. . . we know not how to pray as we ought , but the spirit of god , that is , the spirit of adoption , maketh requests for vs by grones & sighes , which cannot be vttered . where we may obserue , that the prayer of the holy ghost which must needes be an excellent prayer , is made by grones which cannot be vttered in words . the second accident is , that they finde them selues full of heauines and deadnes of spirit , and their minds full of by-thoughts , and wandting imaginations . this trouble may be remooued vpon this ground ; that the defects of our prayer shall neuer condemne vs , if we be heartily displeased with our selues for the same ; and by prayer and other good meanes , doe struggle and striue against them . rom. . . there is no cōdemnation to them that be in christ. in which place it is not saide , they doe nothing worthy of cōdem●ation ; but thus , there is no condemnation to them being in christ , though they deserue it neuer so much . the third accidēt is , that though they pray , they receiue not the fruit of their praiers . for the remooueall of this distresse , we may consider these foure things . i. the man that is thus troubled , is to examine himselfe , whether he hath made his praier to god aright or no ? for if he pray amisse , he may pray long , and neuer be heard . our sauiour would not grant the request of the sonns of zebedeus , because they asked they knew not what . matt. . . iam. . . ye aske & receiue not , because ye aske amisse , that ye might consume it on your lusts . paul prayed three times , and had the repulse , because he asked things inconuenient for him to receiue : therefore answere was made , my grace is sufficient for thee , . cor. . the man therefore that would make a praier aright , must haue respect vnto the matter and forme thereof , as also to the disposition of his owne heart . if he faile in any of these , then god will not heare ; or if he doth , he heares in iustice . ii. though men make lawfull praiers vnto god , & aske things that are to be asked , and which god will grant , yet god will sometime deserre the accomplishment of their praiers , and not giue eare vnto them at the first . dauid prayed night and day , and yet was not heard . psalm . . . againe , his eies failed , his throat was drie , while he waited for his god by prayer , psal. . . the angel gabriel said to zacharie , luk. . . thy prayer is heard . now in all likelihood , that prayer of zacharie was made long before , euen in his youth , yet it was not granted him till he was olde . the lord deferres the graunt of our requests vpon good reason . for hereby he stirreth vp the dulnes of our hearts , and quickeneth our faith and hope . againe , he makes vs when we enioy the blessings desired , to haue them in higher estimation , and to be more thankefull vnto him ; yea in the want thereof , to striue the more earnestly with him by praier for them . the woman of canaan , was repulsed and called a dogge , by our sauiour christ , not for that he intended to reiect her prayer , but to stirre vp her faith , to make her more earnest in asking ; as also more thankefull for the benefit , when shee had receiued it . iii. the lord vseth to graunt our petitions , two manner of waies . first , by giuing the very thing we aske ; secondly , by giuing something answerable therto , when he grāteth not the thing it selfe . thus christ was heard in that , which he feared . heb. . . he prayed to be deliuered from that cuppe , which notwithstāding he drank of : how thē was he heard ? though he had not that which he asked , yet god granted him the thing which was proportionable to his request , namely , strength and power , whereby he was inabled to ouercome the woefull pangs of that death . iv. we must thinke this sufficient , that we can , and doe pray vnto god , though we neuer haue any request , in this world graunted . for by whose grace haue we alwaies continued in praier , but by the gift and grace of god ? paul in the like case , was answered by god , my grace is sufficient for thee : that is , thine infirmitie shall not be remooued ; content thy selfe in this , that thou art in my fauour , and hast receiued my grace , by which thou doest withstand this temptation . to this purpose s. iohn saith , if we know that he heareth vs , whatsoeuer we aske , we know that we haue the petitions graunted which we desired of him , . ioh. . . his meaning is , if we can perceiue , and discerne that god listneth to our praiers ; hereby we may assure our selues that he graunts our requests . now by this we may perceiue that he doth listen , and giue eare to vs , because the grace whereby we pray , is from him alone . chap. vii . of the second head of gods worship , the hearing of the word preached . thus much touching the first head of outward worship , namely , prayer . nowe followes the next , which is the hearing of the word preached . the questions concerning this point , are of two sorts . some concerne the preachers of the word , and some the hearers . the first sort i omit , and reserue them , to a more proper place . for the second sort , concerning hearers , one question may be mooued ; how any man may profitably , to his owne comfort and saluation , heare the word of god ? the necessitie of this question appeares , by that speciall caueat , giuen by our sauiour christ , luk. . . take heede how ye heare . ans. to the profitable hearing of gods word , three things are required ; preparation before we heare , a right disposition in hearing , and duties to be practised afterward . i. in preparation , sundrie rules of direction are to be obserued . first rule . we must be swift to heare , iam. . . and this we shall doe , by disburdening our selues of all impediments , which may hinder the effectuall hearing of the word . these impediments are especially three ; all which are named by the apostle iames , together with their seuerall remedies . the first , is presumption ; when the hearer presumes of his wisdome , knowledge , and abilitie to teach , ( if neede were ) his teachers . the remedie hereof is , to be slowe to speake : that is , not to presume of our owne gifts , thinking our selues better able to teach others , then to be taught by them . for so the apostle afterwardes expoundes himselfe , when he saith , my brethren , be not many masters , iam. . . let not priuate persons take vpon them to become instructers of other men ; but as paul saith , . cor. . . if any man among you seeme to be wise , let him be a foole , that he may be wise : that is , let him be willing to learne , euen of his inferiours . and in this regard , let him follow the practise of naaman , who submitted himselfe to the aduise and counsell of his maide . the second impediment , is troubled affections , specially rash anger , either against the teacher , or others . the remedie of this also is laid downe , in the place before alleadged , be slow to wrath , v. . the third is , superfluitie of malitiousnes , that is , the abundance of euill corruptions and sinnes ; which hearers shall by experience find in their owne hearts and liues . this impediment hath many branches , principally three . . hardnes of heart , noted by the stonie ground , in the parable of the lower , matth. . . . the cares of the world , signified by the thornie ground , v. . . the itching eare , . tim. . . when a man will heare no other doctrine , but that which is sutable to his corrupt nature ; not beeing willing to frame his heart to the word , but to haue the word framed to his wicked heart . the remedies of this impediment , are these . first , euery hearer of the word , must lay apart all supersluitie of malitiousnes , that is , cut off , as much as in him lieth , all corruptions both of heart and life . hence it is , that god speaketh thus to the wicked man , psal. . . what hast thou to doe , to take my word in thy mouth , seeing thou hatest to be reformed , and hast cast my words behinde thee ? to this purpose , the prophet ieremie exhorteth the iewes , to be circumcised to the lord , and to take away the foreskinnes of their hearts , &c. ier. . . and moses by gods commandement , was to sanctifie the people three daies before they came to heare the law deliuered by himselfe in mount sinai , exod. . . again , euery man will and ought to haue a care , to prepare himselfe more or lesse , to the receiuing of the lords supper : which dutie is as well to be performed , before the hearing of the word , considering that in substance it differeth not from the sacraments , they beeing the visible , and preaching the audible voice of god. secondly , euery hearer must receiue the word with meekenes , that is , with quietnes subiect himselfe to the word of god , in all things . esa. . . i dwell with him , that is of an humble spirit , to reuiue the spirit of the humble , &c. the second rule of preparation . wee must lift vp our hearts in praier to god , that he would giue vs the hearing eare . this hearing eare , is a gift of god , inabling the heart , when it heareth , to conceiue and vnderstand the doctrine taught , and to yeeld obedience thereunto . the third rule . the hearer must in hearing , set himselfe in the presence of god. now therefore ( saith cornelius to peter , act. . . ) are we all here present before god , to heare all things commanded thee of god. the reason is , because god is alwaies in the congregation where the word is preached . ii. the second thing required to profitable hearing , is a right disposition . wherein two rules are to be obserued . first , when the word of god is in deliuering , euery hearer must heare with iudgment . but some will say , many preachers bewray faults and infirmities in their preaching . to this paul answereth notwithstanding , despise not prophecie , . thess. . . yea but what if they deliuer vntruthes ? paul answeres againe , in the next verse , try all things , and keep that which is good : and saint iohn to the like purpose , . ioh. . . beleeue not euery spirit , but try the spirits whether they be of god. her●… by the way , we must remember one cau●at . there be three kinds of iudgement . the one is a priuate , wherby euery priuate person may iudge of the doctrine which is taught : for he must not heare , hand ouer-head , but iudge of that which he heareth . of this saint paul speaks to the corinths , iudge ye what i say . . cor. . . the second is , the iudgement of the prophet or minister : and this is a surer kind of iudgement then the former , proceeding from a greater measure of gods grace . the third is the iudgement of the holy ghost in scripture ; and this is soueraigne and absolute . for the holy ghost iudgeth all , and is iudged of none . these three kinds of iudgment are set in this order . the first depends vpon the second , the second vpon the third , and the third is absolute and iudged of none . vpon this caueat , two things doe follow ; first , that a priuate hearer , though he may iudge of doctrine deliuered , yet he may not censure the teacher , or his ministrie . ministers are to be iudged ; but their spirit is not subiect to euery priuate man ; but to the prophets . for the spirit of the prophet ; that is , the doctrine which the prophets bring , beeing inspired by the holy ghost , is subiect to the prophets . . cor. . . secondly , a priuate man , is not to publish or broach any point of doctrine , but that which is plainly propounded in the word , and taught by the ministers thereof . this is a necessarie rule ; and the want of obseruation thereof , is the cause of many scismes and haeresies in the church . the lord commands the people , mal. . . to require the law at the mouth of the priest in all maine points of faith and manners . the second rule to be obserued in hearing . euery hearer must haue care that the word of god be rooted , and grounded in his heart , like good feede , in good ground : which saint iames expresseth , iam. . . receiue with meekenes the ingrafted word . here generally it is to be remembred , that not onely ignorant people , but euen the most learned , ought to be hearers of the word preached . for the preaching thereof serues not onely for the increasing of knowledge , but also for the reformation of the affection , which may be inordinate , where knowledge doth abound . now for the rooting of the word of god in our hearts , sundry things are required . first , a true & right vnderstanding therof . secondly , it must be mingled with faith , heb. . . for the word is as wine , or water of life : our faith is the sugar that sweetneth it , and giues it a pleasant relish . the word therfore must be tempered , and mixed with our saith , that it may become profitable vnto vs. now in this mixture , there is required a double faith ; the first generall , whereby we beleeue the doctrine deliuered to be true , so as we neuer call the same into question ; our gospell to you ( saith paul ) was in much assurance , . thess. . . the second special , whereby we apply the word preached vnto our selues , for the humbling and comforting of our hearts . thirdly , we must labour to be affected with the word . thus iosiah his heart is said to melt at the reading of the law , . chro. . . and the people reioyced greatly , because they vnderstood the word which the leuites had taught them . neh. . . the hearts of the two disciples that went to emmaus , burned within them when christ opened vnto them the scriptures , luc. . . and the iewes at peters sermon , were pricked in their hearts , and said , men , and brethren , what shall we doe ? act. . . fourthly , the word of god must dwell plenteously in vs , coll. . . this is doth , when it rules , and beares the greatest sway in the heart , and is not ouerruled by any corrupt affection . iii. the duties to be performed after hearing , are these . first , the doctrine deliuered , must be treasured vp in the heart , and practised in life . psal. . . i haue hid thy word in my heart , that i might not sinne against thee . secondly , a man must meditate on the word which he hath heard , with lifting vp of his heart vnto god. the beasts that were clouen footed , and chewed the cudde , were fittest both for meate vnto man , and for sacrifice to god , levit. . it was the olde and auncient opinion of the church , that this chewing the cudde , signified holy meditations . and he that heares the word , must doe as the beast doth , fetch vp the meate out of his bellie againe , and chewe it ouer a new . the man that doth so , is the fittest for the lords vse . thirdly , he must haue experience of the word of god in himselfe . psal. . . tast and see how gracious the lord is . fourthly , he is to examine himselfe after he hath heard the word . thus dauid saith of himselfe , psal. . . i haue considered my wayes , and turned my feete vnto thy testimonies . fiftly , he must be obedient vnto it , and testifie his obediēce , though not at all times , yet whensoeuer occasion is offered . iam. . . be ye doers of the word , and not hearers onely , deceiuing your owne selues . ii. question touching hearers is , how are they to be comforted , who after long hearing of the word , either profit very litle , or not at all ? for resolution of this question , the causes of not profiting , are distinctly to be considered . and they are of two sorts . the first sort of causes , are the sinnes of the hearers . and that sinnes are the causes of not profiting , it will appeare by this signe ; if the memorie , vnderstanding , and other parts of the minde in common matters , be strong and pregnant , but dull and weake in apprehending , and retaining the doctrine taught . now these sinnes are principally two . first , hardnes of heart , when a man is not inwardly mooued and affected with the word preached , but remaines in the same state he was before . this is set forth by the hard ground , that is by the high way side , and by the stonie ground , math. . , . and such is the heart that is not mooued nor affected either with ioy , sorrow , feare , or consolation . the hardnes of heart , ariseth from a custome in sinning and from that the deceitfulnesse of sinne , heb. . . secondly , worldly cares , that is , a heart possessed with desire of profits , pleasures , honours , preferments , and such like ; which be as thornes that choake the seede of the word , and suffer it not to grow and fructifie : yea that fill the heart full of wandering imaginations , which steale away the mind from attending to the word preached . those that are thus hindred from profiting , are rather to be reprooued , then comforted : for that the cause of their non-proficiencie , is in , & from themselues . they are therefore to vse all good meanes for the remooueall of their sinnes , that of hard hearted and carnall , they may become good and profitable hearers of the word . the meanes are these . first , they must labour to be touched in heart , with sense and feeling , of their spirituall pouertie , and want of gods fauour and mercie in the pardon of their sinnes . the reason is giuen of dauid , psal. . . the lord teacheth the humble his waies . and by marie , in her song , luk. . . he hath filled the hungrie with good things , and the rich he hath sent emptie away . the second meanes is , to heare the word of god with an honest heart , ioyned with a constant purpose of not sinning . the third , to be as carefull to bring good affections , as a good vnderstanding . for affections are the feete that carrie the heart , and salomon biddes vs to take heede to our feete , when we enter into the house of god , eccl. . . they are the very key of knowledge and memory ; and therefore dauid saies , the secret of the lord is reuealed to those that feare him , and his couenant is to giue them vnderstanding : psal. . . and that which he saith of feare , may be said also of other good affections . the second sort of causes , are ordinary and vsuall defects of naturall gifts ; as of capacity , or conceipt , of memory , and vnderstanding . for all men haue not the like gifts of nature , and therfore all men cannot reape benefit by the word preached . these wants may be discerned thus ; if the mind and memory be weake or wanting , as well in common wordly matters , as in diuine things that belong to gods kingdome . and to this kinde of men which are thus troubled for not profiting , there belongeth comfort ; yet not simply , but vpon these conditions . first , if they know the principall grounds of religion . secondly , if they haue care to profit and increase in knowledge . thirdly , if they liue according to the measure of their knowledge , in obedience to gods will. these beeing obserued , such parties are to comfort themselues in this , that god in mercy will accept of their indeauour , forgiue their ignorance , and beare with their infirmities . this is to be seene in the example of peter , whose faith was highly commended by christ , when he said , the gates of hell should not preuaile against it . matt. . . and yet at that very time , peter was ignorant of many maine pointes of religion , as of the death , resurrection , and ascension of christ. and in his person , the other discisples are commended also for their faith , because they held christ to be the messias and sauiour of the world , though they were ignorant of the manner of his redemption , thinking he should haue beene an earthly king . act. . againe , the want of knowledge in such as haue naturall defects , may be supplied by good affection , if they be not wanting in an honest heart , and carefull indeauour of godly life . thus the church of the iewes in the old testament , did farre exceede the church of the new , in good affection , though it came farre short of it in knowledge and apprehension . chap. viii . of the sacraments in generall , the reeeiuing , and vse of them . in the next place , follow the questions of conscience touching the third part of gods outward worship , namely , the sacraments ; and these concerne either the administration , or the receiuing of them . the administration i will here let passe , and handle those questions onely , that concerne the receiuing and vse thereof , both in generall and in particular . touching the receiuing of the sacraments in generall , there is one onely question whether the sacraments ministred by heretickes , idolatours and vnsufficient ministers be sacraments or no ? for answere hereunto , we are to knowe there be three sorts of men that may administer the sacraments . some are true & lawfull ministers , lawfully called by god & men to that function , keeping the right forme of the sacrament according to the institution . some againe , are more priuate persons , that haue no authoritie at all to administer , whome we may oppose to the former sort as contrary to them in this action . others againe be admitted to stand in the roome of lawfull ministers by the acceptation & consent of men , or by custome , though corrupt , and these are in a meane betweene the two former sorts . of the first there is no question . but the sacramēt administred by the second is in truth a meere nullitie ; because they haue no calling thereto , neither can they doe it of faith : forasmuch as they haue neither precept nor exāple out of the word of god. now for the third sort , though they be not indeede lawfull pastors ; yet beeing in the place of such , by the consent , allowance , and custome of men , though corrupt ; their action is of force , and the sacrament which is administred by them , is in deede a true sacrament ; which i prooue by these reasons . first , the preaching of the word , and administration of the sacraments are all one in substance . for in the one the will of god is seene , in the other heard . now the word preached by heretikes , is the true word of god , and may haue his effect . the scribes and pharises , great doctors of the iewes , were not all of the tribe of levi , but descended frō other tribes . againe , euen the principall of them liued by extortion and bribery , and were wicked men , yea heretikes and apostataes , deposed & excommunicated persons . and yet because they occupied the places of good teachers , and sate in the chaire of moses , that is read the doctrine of moses law , christ bids his disciples to heare them . matt. . . prouided only that they tooke heed of the leauen of their false doctrine , and wicked life . now if the word taught by their ministery was powerfull , why may not the sacraments ministred by the heretiques standing in the roome of true ministers be true sacraments ? in the daies of paul , phillip . . . some preached christ through enuy and strife , and some of good wil : what was the apostles iudgement in this case ? himselfe answereth , v. . what then ? yet christ is preached all manner of wayes , whether it be vnder a pretence or sinceerely , and i therein ioy , yea and will ioy . secondly , this point is plaine by examples . the leviticall priests vnder the lawe , were heretickes , and taught after a sort the breach of the morall law . yea they held iustification by workes , rom. . . and yet circumcision by them administred , was in force ; neither was the passeouer , celebrated by them , or the sacrifices which they offered , any other then the true passeouer and true sacrifices . iudas was a very hypocrite , yea christ calls him a deuill , ioh. . . and yet he preached the word at christs commandement , and baptized with the rest of his disciples , ioh. . , . thirdly , the sacrament , if it be administred in the name , and by the power of christ , is the ordinance of god , beeing receiued by faith , yea a true sacrament of christ ; and the force and efficacie thereof , doth not depend vpon the worthines of the minister , but vpon christ. the letters or epistle sent from one man to an other , are authenticall , and serue fully to expresse the minde of the author , though the messenger or carier be a wicked or a naughtie man. and in like manner , the sinne of any man that stands in the roome of a lawfull minister , doth not nullifie the sacrament , and therefore not heresie , or vnsufficiencie . s. cyprian who liued . yeares after christ , was of this opinion , that sacraments administred by heretikes , were no sacraments . but the churches of africa in those times concluded the contrarie against him , according to the doctrine that hath beene deliuered . the vse . i. by this doctrine they are iustly to be blamed , who would haue their children rebaptized , which were before baptized by popish priests ; because the sacrament , though administred by a papist , if he stand in the roome of a true pastour , & keep the forme thereof , is a true sacrament . ii. others by this doctrine come to be reprooued , that refuse to receiue the sacraments at the hands of vnpreaching ministers . for though the minister be vnsufficiēt , & preach not , yet if he be called by the church , he hath the place of a lawfull pastour , his administration is warrantable , and the sacrament by him administred a true sacrament . if it be said , that then the true sacraments may be out of the true church , as in the church of rome at this day ; because hereticks and such like ministers are not of the church . i answer , that there is in the church of rome , the hidden church of god , and the sacraments are there vsed , not for the romish church , but for the hidden church which is in the midst of papacie ; like as the lanterne beareth light not for it selfe , but for the passengers : yet hence it followeth not , that we should communicate with idolaters , hereticks , and wicked persons . and so much of the administration of the sacraments in generall . i come now to the particular sacraments . chap. ix . of baptisme . the first sacrament in order , is baptisme . and the questions touching it i reduce to fiue heads . i. question . whether baptisme be necessarie to saluation , or no ? for answer to this question , we must rightly distinguish of necessitie . a thing is said to be necessarie two manner of waies ; either absolutely and simply , or in part . absolutely necessarie is that , which is in all respects necessarie , and the contrarie whereof is vtterly vnnecessarie . necessarie in part is that , which in some respects , or vpon certaine causes and considerations , is necessarie . this distinction premised , i answer : sect. . first , that baptisme is necessarie the second way , in part and respectiuely , that is , in diuers and sundrie regards . i. as the lawfull vse thereof is a note , whereby the true church of god is discerned , and distinguished from the false church . not that the church of god cannot be a church , without this sacrament . for it may want baptisme for a time , and yet remaine a true church ; as well as the church of the iewes in auncient times , wanted circumcision , for the space of fourtie yeares , iosh. . . and yet ceased not to be a true church , and loued of god. ii. as it serueth for necessarie vses and purposes , to men of yeares , that are to be baptized : as first , to testifie vnto the church and themselues , that they are receiued into the bodie of christ , which is the companie and societie of the faithfull . secondly , to testifie their obedience to gods commandement , & their subiection to his ordinance appointed by him for their good . thirdly , to be a necessarie proppe , to vphold their weaknesse , a seale to confirme their faith in the couenant of grace , and an instrument to conuey christ vnto them with all his benefits . iii. it is necessarie to infants , as it serueth to enter , and admit them into the visible church , and withall to signifie their interest in the couenant of grace , and consequently their right and title to life euerlasting . sect. . secondly , i answere that baptisme is not absolutely or simply necessary , so as the partie that dies without it , remaines in the state of damnation , and cannot be saued . my reasons are these . i. baptisme is appointed by god , to be no more , but a seale annexed vnto , and depending vpon the couenant ; therefore we must put a difference betweene it , and the couenant . the couenant of grace , and our beeing in christ is absolutely necessarie : for no man , woman , or childe , can be saued , vnlesse they haue god for their god. but the signe thereof is not . for looke as to the essence of a bargaine , the consent and agreement of the parties alone , is of meere necessitie required ; and this beeing yelded , the bargaine is a bargen , though it be neither sealed , subscribed , nor confirmed by witnesses ; so likewise a man may be saued , if he be within the couenant of grace , though he haue not receiued the seale and signe thereof , the sacrament of baptisme . ii. the bare want or priuation of baptisme ( when it cannot be had ) is pardonable , & doth not condemne the partie vn-baptized . the thiefe vpon the crosse was saued , though he was neuer baptized , luk. . and sundrie martyrs in former times , who were gods deare children , and died for the maintenance of his truth , though they wanted the outward and visible baptisme , yet by gods mercy they were not destitute of the inward , and consequently were not condemned but saued . and so many children vnder the law died before the eight day , vncircumcised . yea when any among them were weake , and could not indure to haue the foreskinne of their flesh cutte , in probability their circumcision was deferred , and some of them died in the meane time , which neuerthelesse being borne of beleeuing parents , were vndoubtedly saved , according to the promise of god made to abraham , i will be thy god , and the god of thy seede . for as christ saith of the sabaoth , so may we say of circumcision ; it was made for man , and not man for it . and it were a iudgement both rash and vncharitable , to thinke that all the males of the children of israel that died before circumcision , were condemned . yet on the other side , the wilfull contempt , and carelesse neglect of this ordinance , when it may conueniently be administred and receiued , is deadly and damnable . and to them that are guilty of this sinne , is the threat of god iustly denounced , gen. . . euen that person shall be cut off from his people . iii. the grace and mercy of god is free , and not tied or bound to the outward elements . ioh. . . the wind bloweth , where it listeth , that is , god giues grace , and vouchsafeth fauour , to whome , where , and when it pleaseth him . and hence it is , that they , whome he would not haue perish but come to eternall life , shall be saued , though they be not partakers of this sacrament . iv. infants , borne of beleeuing parents , are holy before baptisme , and baptisme is but a seale of that holinesse , . cor. . . the children of beleeuing parents are holy . rom. . . if the first fruits be holy , so is the whole tumpe , and if the root be holy , so are the branches . yea to them belongs the kingdome of heauen as well as to others . christ saith , suffer litle children , &c. for to them belongeth the kingdome of heauen , mark. . . it is alleaged , that those which are sanctified haue faith , which infants haue not . ans. god saith , i will be thy god and the god of thy head . by vertue of this promise , the parent layes hold on the couenant , for himselfe , and for his child ; and the childe beleeues , because the father beleeues . it is obiected again , that infants are born in originall sinne , and therefore cannot be borne holy and sanctified . answ. euery beleeuing parent sustaines a double person . first , as he is a man , descending of adam , by corrupted seede ; and thus , beeing himselfe corrupted and vncleane , his children also are corrupt and impure . secondly , as he is a holy and beleeuing man , ingraffed by faith into christ the second adam . and thus by his faith , comes his child to be in the couenant , and partaker of the benefits and priuiledges thereof : and by the same faith he beeing a beleeuer , the guilt of originall corruption , which is in the infant new borne , is not imputed vnto him to condemnation . and for these causes , the sacrament of baptisme , is not absolutely and precisely necessarie to saluation , but so , and in that sort , as hath bin declared . against this doctrine it is obiected , that christ saith to nicodemus , except a man be borne of water and the holy ghost , he can not enter into the kingdome of god , ioh. . . to this obiection , sundrie answers are giuen . first , if the place be vnderstood of baptisme , then the wordes may carrie one of these two senses . first , that our sauiour directs this speech principally against nicodemus , who was a timerous professour ; and remained ignorant , and had long neglected his baptisme . secondly , that the kingdome of heauen , is here put , not for euerlasting happines , but to signifie the visible estate of the church of the new testament ; and then the meaning is , no man can be admitted into the church , and made a visible member thereof , but by the water of baptisme ; neither can any man be made a liuely member of christ iesus , but by the spirit , that is , by regeneration , which alone makes the partie that is entred into the church by baptisme , to be a liuing mēber of the bodie of christ. secondly , others answer , that this place is to be vnderstood not of baptisme , but simply of regeneration , and that christ alludes to the sayings of the prophets , which speake of cleane water , and expounds the same in this sort ; thou nicodemus , art by profession a pharisie , and vsest many outward washings , but know this withall , that vnlesse thou be washed inwardly by cleane water , that is , be regenerated and renewed by the holy ghost , thou canst not enter into gods kingdome . lastly , it is answered , that the necessitie of saluation lies not in both , but onely in the new birth by the holy ghost ; as if christ should say , except ye be regenerate & borne a new of the spirit , which as cleane water , purgeth and clenseth you from your sinnes , ye cannot be saued . the vse . by this doctrine touching the necessitie of baptisme , are iustly challenged two sorts of men . the first is the popish sort , who build the absolute necessitie of baptisme vpon false and vnstable grounds . for they teach in their writings , that all men are borne in sinne and corruption , and vnlesse they be clensed from it , they can neuer be saued . now baptisme ( they say ) is appointed by god , as the onely remedie and sole meanes whereby they may be purged from sinne , and come to saluation . and this they snew by a comparison of baptisme with the brazen serpent : which as it was the only remedie for the cure of those which were stinged by serpents , so is this sacrament the onely meanes , set apart by god , to keepe them that are partakers thereof , from the sting of death and eternall destruction . but the answer is plaine out of the former doctrine . that though all men be conceiued and borne in sinne , and cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen , except they be clensed ; yet baptisme is not of absolute necessitie for this purpose . for it is not appointed by god , as the onely remedie of this euill , but onely to be a signe and signification of the purging and clensing of sinne , by the blood of christ. now those that are within the couenant , may haue their sinnes remitted by the mercie of god , and that according to the forme of the couenāt , though they receiue not the signe thereof ; so be it they doe not wilfully contemne or neglect the same when it may be had . againe , the serpent lifted vp by moses , in it selfe , and by it owne vertue was a bare signe , and was no remedie to cure the diseased israelites : but they were cured by their faith in the word of gods promise annexed vnto the signe : according to which dauid saith , he sent his word and healed them , psal. . . and to the same effect augustine saith , that the cure and health of the israelites , came not from the serpent , but from gods commandement obeyed , and his promise beleeued . and so is baptisme a remedie , and no otherwise . the second is , the common ignorant sort of people , who thinke that an infant dying without baptisme , dies without christendome ; and that it cannot possibly be a christian , vnlesse it be baptised . this their opinion is very erronious . for by it they make baptisme , the seale of the couenant , to be as necessarie , as the couenant it selfe . whereas on the contrarie , baptisme is not simply and absolutely necessarie , so as the partie dying without it , can not be saued , but onely in part , as it serues to distinguish the true church from the false , to be a necessarie signe of our admission and entrance into the church , yea to confirme our faith in the promise of god. neither is baptisme of force to make a christian , but onely to signifie and declare a man to be a christian , by beeing within the couenant of grace . ii. question . whether witnesses which we commonly call godfathers and godmothers be necessarie ? to this there are giuen two answers . first , that the vse of godfathers and godmothers , is not simply necessarie to the sacrament of baptisme . for first , it seemes that of auncient times , the parents of children which were heathen , and newly conuerted to christian religion , were either ignorant and could not , or carelesse and would not bring vp their children agreeably to the word of god , and the religion which they newly professed . and hence it was thought meet , that some persons of good knowledge and life , should be called to witnes the baptisme , & promise their care for the childrens education . but now parents amongst vs beeing better taught and qualified , the other is not of such necessitie . secōdly , christ hath instituted and ordained in his word , all things fitte , conuenient , and necessary vnto lawfull baptisme amongst all which , he hath not any where expressely prescribed the vse of sureties . thirdly , the whole congregation assembled together at the administration of this sacrament , doe present the childe to the lord , and are witnesses that the childe is admitted into the church , and is externally in the couenant . and therefore , i take it to be a fault , when the congregation doth depart before the child be baptized . fourthly , that which is required of them to promise and performe , may , ye must and ought to be performed of the parents of the baptized ; who are by the word of god to bring vp their children in the feare of god. the second answere is , that though such persons are not necessarie to the essence of baptisme , yet they are not simply to be reiected ; this alway presupposed , that they be fitte men and well qualified . their fittenes stands in foure things . first , that they be of yeares of discretion , sufficient to vndertake such a charge . and therfore it is a fault , when children are called to be godfathers , and godmothers , which neither are come to yeares of discretion , nor able to consider what they doe or ought to doe . secondly , that they haue at least some knowledge and vnderstanding not onely in generall , of the principles and grounds of religion , but also of the nature and end of the sacrament , and of the substance of the promise wherewith they bind themselues , in the behalfe of their god-children . it was in ancient times , required of such persons as were to be witnesses , that they should know and vnderstand the creed and the lords praier . therefore those are iustly to be blamed , that call such persons to be witnesses to their children , which though they haue yeares sufficient , yet they haue little or no knowledge of the grounds of the catechisme , or of the bond wherby they oblige themselues for the good and godly education of the infants in time to come . thirdly , they be knowne to be of an honest and reformed life , not iustly chargeable of impietie , incivilitie , or dishonesty , that by their example the children may in time to come be drawne to holines of life & conversation . for how can he that is of a dissolute and wicked life , be able to bring others committed to his charge to the embracing of true religion . fourthly , that they be carefull to perform theirpromise made in the face of the church for the good education and instruction of the child in the feare of god , specially when the parents be negligent and careles in that behalfe . nor the reasons why these sureties are not to be simply reiected , if they be qualified , as hath beene said , are these . i. because this custome though it be not directly grounded vpon scripture , yet it is not repugnant thereunto . for beeing righty vsed and kept , it tendeth to the furtherance of religion and godlines in particular families , and consequently to the edification of the church . ii. it is no new thing but an ancient comendable practize , continued in the church of god aboue the space of . yeares . iii. because these parties doe supply the defect of naturall parents when they be wanting , either by death or by negligence while they liue ; if they be answerable to their promise made in the behalfe of the children , touching the things that belong to their saluation . yet further touching these persons three questions are mooued . i. q. what dutie are they to doe in the behalfe of the party baptized ? ans. papists teach , that the principall and proper act of the suretie is , the taking of the infant baptized from the hands of the preist , into his owne armes and custody . but this , though it be an action neither good nor euill ; yet considering it may as well be done by another , as by him , and the doing of it by another , is no whit preiudiciall to the ende , for which such persons were first appointed in the church ; namely , the good education of infants baptized ; it cannot be the principall dutie of the suretie . but the things required of them , are especially these . i. to be speciall witnesses of the admission and entrance of the partie baptized , into the church of god. ii. to binde themselues by solemne promise , in the name of the child , before the whole church assembled , that they will be carefull so soone as he comes to yeares of discretion that he be brought vp in the feare and seruice of god , and be instructed in the principles of faith and repentance , and acquainted with the promise made by them in his behalfe , that he may frame his life thereafter . iii. to haue speciall care of the performance of their promise ; that by all good meanes which god hath appointed , both publicke , as hearing the word , and receiuing the sacraments ; and priuate , as exhortations and admonitions , in time to come he shal be moved and incited to forsake the deuill , &c. and to pay his vowes made at his baptisme . ii. q. whether children baptized , come to be of spirituall kindred with the whole church , by reason of their godfathers and godmothers ? the papists answer yea , and they explane their answer in this manner . looke as by carnall propagation , a man hath a naturall beeing ; so by the sacrament of baptisme , he hath a spirituall being in the state of grace , according to which he is born againe . now , as by carnall propagation , ariseth a bond of kindred betweene one man and an other : so by the receiuing of baptisme , there ariseth a bond of kindred betweene the members of the church ; by meanes whereof , the sureties become as fathers and mothers to the parties baptized . we on the other side answer negatiuely , that persons baptized , doe not by their baptisme become spiritually a-kinne to the church . now that this is the truth , & the contrary doctrine of the papist erronious , will appeare by these reasons . i. the sacrament it selfe , doth not giue a spirituall beeing , to any man that is partaker thereof : neither is it of force to make a man a christian , or a member of the inuisible church of god. but that which doth this , is the couenant of grace , wherein is promised remission of sinnes , and life eternall , in and by christ. and the sacrament , is only a seale of that couenant , and no more . now if baptisme cannot make a christian , much lesse can it giue vnto him , a spirituall beeing in the body of christ , and consequently any such spirituall alliance , whereby one member may be allied vnto another . ii. there is not the same reason of baptisme , that is of carnall propagation or birth . for baptisme is not regeneration it selfe , but the sacrament , that is , the signe and seale of regeneration . and therefore though naturall kindred comes by carnall seed and birth , yet spirituall kindred , cannot come to any by baptisme . iii. the scripture mentions onely two sorts of kindred , and no more ; the one which ariseth properly , from societie and communion of blood , which we call consanguinitie ; the other , which comes by carnall coniunction of man and woman , in the estate of marriage , commonly termed assinitie . and besides these , the scripture acknowledgeth none . if it be said , that god is the father of all beleeuers , and that they are his sonnes and daughters , and christ their elder brother : and therefore there must needes be a spirituall alliance betweene them all . i answer , it is true : but that this kinred hath his originall from baptisme , and beginneth with that relation , that is betweene the sureties and their god-children in that sacrament , it is a popish inuention , deuised by the wit of man , without ground or warrant in the word of god. iii. q. but be it , that the papists opinion were true , then a further question may be mooued . whether spirituall kinred contracted by baptisme , can be a iust impediment of marriage betweene the witnesses themselues , or their children ? the papists in their writings answer , that spirituall alliance , beeing farre more excellent then carnall , is of much more force , both to hinder a man from marriage , before he marrie , and to breake off marriage , when it is consummate . but this doctrine ( as the former ) is not warrantable . for first , they themselues affirme , that this impediment doth not depend vpon the law of nature , but vpon the iudgement of the church . but the estate of marriage , stands by gods ordinance , who hath giuen libertie of entrance into it , to all men , that are out of the degrees forbidden in his law , without exception : and therefore the lawes and constitutions of men , cannot preiudice , or take away any mans libertie in that behalfe . secondly , all beleeuers are brethren and sisters in christ , and therefore are spiritually allied each to other . now if this spirituall alliance be polluted by marriage , or maketh marriage vndertaken , a meere nullitie ; then no beleeuer shall marrie in the lord : for christians by this meanes must neuer match with christians , but with pagans and infidells . thirdly , this impediment is a superstitious inuention of popish canonists , onely to increase the treasurie of their church , by their multitude of dispensations . and it seemes that they are either ashamed of it , or wearie to beare the imputation thereof . for some of their owne canons are against it , which doe allowe godfathers children to marrie , and a man to marrie his godfathers wife . and the coūcell of trent , hath drawn this affinitie into a narrower compasse , which before was so farre inlarged , allowing the witnesses themselues to be man and wife , not vrging all the three kinds of kinred , but onely some degrees of compaternitie . iii. question , touching baptisme . whether children of excommunicate persons , which are cast out , and not holden as members of the church , haue right to baptisme ? for better resoluing of this question , the ground of the answer is first to be laide downe , and then the answer directly to be made . there are two texts of scripture commonly alleadged , concerning the force and vse of excommunication . the first , is matth. . the second , is . cor. . the scope of them both is , to shew , that the man which is excommunicated , is barred from the kingdome of heauen . for he is not to be holden a true member of the church , but as a heathen and a publican : and therefore is put out of gods kingdome , and deliuered vp to satan . of this waight is excommunication . nowe in excommunication , there are three iudgements to be considered . the first , of god : the second , of the church : the third againe , of god. the first is , when god doth hold any obstinate sinner , guiltie of his offence , and consequently guiltie of condemnation , vnlesse he repent . this is the first sentence . the second , is the iudgement of gods church vpon the offender , after that god hath holden him guilty . for the iudgement of the church , followeth the iudgement of god , and doth indeede nothing , but pronounce the partie guiltie , and subiect to condemnation . and the difference betweene them both , is onely this ; that god holds the offender guiltie , and the church declareth him so to be . now the second iudgement is not to be giuen absolutely , but with condition of repentance , and so farre forth , as man can iudge by the fault committed , as also by the word , which giues direction , how to discerne of the impenitencie of the sinner . the third and last iudgement is gods , whereby he ratifies and confirmes that in heauen , which the church hath done on earth : and this in order followes the second . this ground beeing laide downe , i come now to the answer . first therefore , the parties excommunicate , are in some respects no members of christs bodie , and in some respects they are . they are not , in two regards . first , in that they are cut off from the companie of beleeuers , by lawfull excommunication , and so haue no participation with them , either in prayer , hearing the word , or receiuing the sacraments . the reason is : for that the action of the church stands in force ; god ratifiing that in heauen , which the church doth vpon earth . secondly , because by their sinne , they haue ( as much as in them lieth ) depriued themselues , of the effectuall power of gods spirit , which might rule and gouerno them . but in other respects they are members , as will appeare , if we consider the diuers sorts of members . some are members not actually , and in present , but in the eternall counsell of god , and are to be in time when they shall be called . thus was paul before his conuersion , and therfore he saies of himselfe , that god had seperated him from his mothers wombe , and called him by his grace . gal. . . also of himselfe and other beleuers he saies , when we were enemies , we were reconciled to god , by the death of his sonne . rom. . . some againe are members , only in shew and appearance ; of which sort are hypocrites , which seeme by their outward profession , to be that they are not indeed , wherin they resēble the wooden legge , that is cunningly fastened to the body , but indeede is no legge , nor part of the body , wherto it is adioyned . a third sort are liuely members , which are vnited vnto christ by faith , and haue fellowship with god in him , beeing iustified , sanctified , gouerned and preserued by his spirit ; and withall doe feele , and shew forth the power of the same spirit dwelling in them . of these paul speaketh , rom. . . as many as are lead by the spirit of god , they are the sonnes of god. the fourth sort are decaied members , which though they belong to gods election , and are plants truly ingrafted into the vine christ iesus , yet for the present , haue not a liuely sense of the power , and vertue of the spirit of christ in them . these may fitly be resembled to the legge of a man , or some other part , that hath the dead palsie , which though it remaine for some time , without feeling , and vncapable of nourishment , yet beeing ioyned to the bodie , it may by vertue of some strong medicine , be recouered , and made whole as the other . of this sort , are excommunicate persons . for in regard of their ingraffing , they are true members , and can not be quite cut off from the bodie of christ , ioh. . . though otherwise , they are not holden so to be , in a threefold respect . one , in regard of men , because they are excluded , from their holy communion with the faithfull , by the churches censure . the second , in regard of god , because that which the church rightly bindeth on earth , is boūd in heauen . the third , in regard of themselues , because for a time , they want the power , and efficacie of the spirit , vntill they be throughly touched with repentance , and beginne ( as it were ) to liue againe . now , though in these respects , they be not esteemed members of the church , yet the truth is , they are not wholly cut off , from the societie of the faithfull . for the seede of faith remaineth in them , and that knits the bond of coniunction with christ , though the sense thereof be lost , vntill they repent . in this case , the partie excommunicate is , as a free man in bonds , who vntill he get out of prison , hath no vse of his freedome , and yet continues a free man still , though he remaine in prison . so also the childrē of god , may still be the children of god , though excluded from the cōgregation of the church , for some offences . from this that hath beene said , ariseth the answer to the question propounded ; namely , that the children of such persons , as are excommunicated , are ( notwithstāding their excommunication ) to be baptised , because they are indeede , and in the iudgement of charitie , true members of the bodie of christ , though in some other regards , they are not in present holden so to be . yet further besides the former grounds , consider these reasons . first , children of parents , that are professed members of the church , ( though cut off for a time , vpon some offence committed ) haue right to baptisme , because it is not in the power of man , to cut them off from christ , though they be excommunicated . secondly , the personall sinne of the parent , may not keepe the blessing from the child : and therefore not depriue him , of participation of the ordinance of god. thirdly , we must alway put a difference betweene them , which doe not make separation from the church , and yet are grieuous offenders : and open apostataes , that ioyne themselues with the enemies of the church , to the ruine and ouerthrow of the truth of the gospel . fourthly , we must put a difference betweene those , that haue giuen vp their names to christ , though fallen grieuously ; and turks , and infidels , that are forth of the couenant , and neuer belonged to the church . lastly , if the mercie of god inlarge it selfe to thousands , yea to infinite generations : why should man be so hard hearted , as to make question , whether such infants belong to the couenant ? and consequently keepe them from the sacrament of baptisme . out of this question , ariseth a second ; whether children borne in fornication , haue right to baptisme ? ans. they are not to be kept from it . for the wickednes of the parent , ought not to preiudice the child , in things that belong to his saluation . yet in this case , some cautions are carefully to be obscrued ; as first , that the parent hold the true faith and religion : secondly , that he be by the minister exhorted , to a true humiliation of himselfe , and to earnest repentance for his sinne committed , and that before the child be baptized . thirdly , that their be some appointed , to answere for the infant , besides the parents ; and to make solemne promise openly to the church , that it shall be carefully brought vp , and instructed in the faith . and the same is to be obserued and practized , before the baptizing of the children of parents excommunicate . iv. question . how men are to make a right vse of their baptisme , when they become to yeares ? the not obseruing hereof , is the cause of many sinnes and corruptions in the liues of men . it is commonly holden a great fault in ciuill matters , for a man not to keepe his couenants . much more is it a hainous sinne before god , not to keepe the promises , and pay the vowes , made vnto him . for answere therefore to the question , wee must first take this for a ground ; that baptisme both for signification , force , vse , and fruit , continues not for a moment of time , but for the whole course of a mans life ; it doth not respect onely the time past or present , but that which is to come , yea , that whole time , that a man hath to spend , from the very act of his baptisme to his death . againe , baptisme is the true sacrament of repentance , for remission of sinnes ; which being once receiued , remaineth a perpetuall testimonie and pledge of the everlasting couenant of god , and of the continuall washing away of sinne in the blood of christ. this ground premised , i come to the vse of baptisme , which is two fold . the first is , that it serues to be a token , and pledge of gods fauour towards vs , and that principally three waies . first , in that it sealeth and confirmeth to vs , the free pardon and forgiuenesse of our sinnes . thus cornelius was baptized of peter , after he had heard the gospell preached , and receiued the holy ghost ; that it might be vnto him a pledge , of the remission of his sinnes , act. . . and in like manner , doth peter exhort the conuerted iewes , to repent them of their sins , & to receiue the sacramēt of baptisme , as a seale and pledge of gods mercie , in the forgiuenes thereof by christ , act. . . in regard of this vse , baptisme is of great force , to releeue the hart in distresse . for when any childe of god , feeles himselfe loden with the burden of his sinnes ; the consideration and remembrance hereof , that god hath pardoned them all , and giuen him a speciall , and certaine pledge of his pardon in baptisme ; will serue to stay and support his soule . yea though his sinnes were of force , to make a separation betweene god and him . yet remembring , that his name is written in the couenant of god , and that he hath by gods mercie receiued the seale of the couenant , he shall not neede to be much dismaied . when satan tempteth him to doubt of his owne estate , in regard of his corruptions ; even then let him haue recourse to his baptisme , and thinke of the earnest and pledge of gods fauour , which he hath receiued . let him draw out his euidences , signed with the seale of gods couenant , made vnto him in iesus christ ; and that shall be sufficient to stoppe the mouth of satan , and to repell his temptations . secondly , baptisme is as a pledge of the vertue of christs death . doe you not know , saies paul , that all we which haue beene baptized into iesus christ , haue beene baptized into his death ? rom. . . for they that beleeue , are by baptisme conformed to christ their head , because they are by it , buried together with him into his death . vers . . this point is of excellent vse in our liues . for it teacheth a man , when his owne corruption mooueth him to sinne , and he is now euen in the combate , ( the spirit lusting against the flesh , and the flesh against the spirit ; ) even then , to call to memorie his baptisme , wherein it pleased god , to seale vnto him the mortificatiō of his sinne , by the power of christs death : and consequently to pray earnestly vnto him , for the continuance of the same power in his his heart , for the continuall crucifiing of the old man ; and the vtter destroying of the body of sinne , rom. . . thirdly , baptisme is a pledge vnto vs , of the life of christ , & of our fellowship with him therein . for looke , as he beeing dead in the graue , raised himselfe to life , by his owne power ; euen so , and more then so , being now in heauen glorified , doth he by the power of his deitie , raise vp vs his mēbers , frō death to life , rom. . . a certaine pledge whereof , he hath giuen vs in this sacrament . which also affordeth singular comfort and ioy vnto a man , euen in his greatest extremity . true it is , that man by nature is dead in sinne ; yet god of his mercie , sealeth vnto him in baptisme , his rising from the death of sinne , to newnesse of life . true it is againe , that all men must die . yet this is our comfort , that in baptisme god hath sealed to vs , euen our rising from the graue to life euerlasting ; and all by the vertue and power of christs resurrection . this is a comfort of all comforts , able to vphold the soule of man , euen in the houre of death . the second vse of baptisme is , that it serues to be a notable meanes , of our death vnto sinne , and that three waies . first , by putting vs in minde , of mortifying the flesh , and crucifying our owne corruptions . for if we be baptized into the death of christ , as paul saith , rom. . . then ought we not to continue in sinne , but to labour by all meanes , as by praier , by fasting , by the word preached , and by auoiding all occasions of offence , to kill and destroy the corruption of our nature , and the wickednes of our hearts , gal. . . secondly , it causeth vs to dedicate our selues wholly , vnto god and christ ; remembring , that we once offered our selues to be baptized , ( in the presence of the whole congregation ) in token that we should euer afterward , consecrate our soules and bodies vnto the lord , and wholly renounce , and forsake the flesh , the world , and the deuill . thirdly , it causeth vs to labour , to keepe and maintaine peace and vnitie with all men ; but specially with gods people . for baptisme is a solemne testimonie , of the bond of mutuall loue and fellowship , both of christ with his members , and of the members one with another . to this ende paul saith , that we are all by one spirit , baptized into one bodie , . cor. . . yea , and baptisme is one of those things , whereby the vnitie of the spirit is preserued in the bond of peace , eph. . . v. question . whether a man falling into sinne , after he is baptized , may haue any benefit of his baptisme ? answer . he may if he repent . and the reasons are these . first , his indentures and euidences remain whol , in respect of god , & his name is not put out of the couenant . which is otherwise in the evidēces of men . for if they be once cancelled , a man cannot haue his name put into them againe , secondly , baptisme is indeede ( as hath beene said ) the sacrament of repentance ; and ( as it were ) a plancke or board to swimme vpon , when a man is in danger of the shippewracke of his soule . therefore if a man repent , and be hartily sorie for his sinnes committed , he may haue recourse to his baptisme , wherein was sealed vnto him , the pardon of all his sinnes past , present , and to come ; he standing to the order of his baptisme , beleeuing and repenting . thirdly , to them that fall euen after baptisme , there is hope of repentance , and consequently of the fauour of god , if they be touched in hart with true remorse , and sorrowe for their offences . for hence it was , that paul calls the galatians ( fallen after they had beene baptized ) to the remembrance of the fauour of god , promised vnto them in the couenant , and sealed in their baptisme , gal. . . . . in the same manner , doth iohn call the churches of asia , that had left their first loue , to repentance & conuersion , apoc. . . . and the said iohn , in ecclesiasticall historie is said , to haue reclaymed a young man , who had most grieuously fallen after his baptisme . chap. x. of the lords supper . thus much concerning the sacrament of baptisme . now we come to the sacrament of the lords supper ; concerning the vse wherof , there are two principal questions mooued . i. question . how farre forth men haue libertie , to vse or not vse the lords supper ? for the answering hereof , i propound three rules . the first . euery man of yeares , liuing in the church , and beeing baptized , is bound in conscience by gods commandement , to vse the lords supper . in the institution of the supper , the lord gaue a sacramentall word ; whereof there be two parts ; a commādement , & a promise . the cōmandement is expressed in these termes ; take , eate , drinke , doe ye this . and it binds all men in the church that are baptized , to the vse of the lords supper . the second rule . euery man of yeares baptized , is to receiue it often . . cor. . . as oft as ye shall drinke it in remēbrance of me . the reason is , because we haue need continually to feede on christ. and herein the lords supper differeth from baptisme ; because by baptisme , a man is once onely graffed into christ ; but being in christ , he hath neede often and continually to be fedde in him , to life eternall . and this often nourishment of the beleeuer , is sealed vnto him , by the often vse of this sacrament . the third rule . euery man is to receiue , and vse the lords supper , according to the laudable custome of that church , whereof he is a member , vnlesse there be a iust impediment . a iust impediment is that , which barres a man from the vse of the supper , as suspension , contagious , and incurable sickenesse , absence vpon a iust and weightie cause , as when a man is in his iourney , and such like . the reason of the rule is ; first , if any man refuse to receiue it , when he may conueniently , hauing no iust impediment ; so doing , he neglects and contemnes the ordinance of god. secondly , for a man to abstaine , when he is called to receiue it , though happily he may be excused , in regard of some reason inwardly knowne to himselfe ; yet his abstinence is a bad example , and may giue offence to others . thirdly , the man that may receiue , and yet will not , doth in effect , suspend and withhold himselfe , from the benefite of this holy sacrament . now these three rules , as they serue directly to answer the question in hand , so they doe plainly discouer some errours & faults , in the practise of sundrie persons in these daies . some there be , that thinke it sufficient to receiue the communion once by the yere , namely at easter time . whereas on the contrary , it is to be vsed , as oft as may be ; considering that it is nothing , but the shewing forth of the lords death till he come : which is not once or twise in the yeare , but often , yea continually to be remembred . others ther are , that take liberty to thēselues , to com to this table , & abstaine at ther pleasure ; as if it were a thing arbitrary to themselues ; which notwithstanding the lord hath enioyned by expresse commandement , as hath beene said . but some alledge for this their practise , that they are at variance with such and such persons , that haue done them wrong , and whom they cannot forgiue ; and in this respect , they were better abstaine , then come vnprovided . to whom it may be said ; that their vnfitnes in this and other respects , ought to be a strong motiue to induce them , at least to vse all holy indeauour , to prepare themselues euery day , rather then a meanes to keepe them backe . for if a man should abstaine vpon euery occasion of variance , discontentment , and infirmitie , he should neuer receiue , and so consequently haue no benefit by this ordinance of god. daily preparation therefore , is the more necessarie , that when they be called , and haue opportunitie , they may come as welcome guestes , vnto that heauenly banquet . ii. question . how may a man rightly vse the lords supper , to his comfort and saluation ? ans. three things are required therevnto ; a right preparation ; a right receiuing , and a right vse of it afterward . sect. . that preparation is needefull , the commandement of the apostle plainely shewes , which is directed to al communicants without exception . . cor. . , let a man , that is , let euery man examine himselfe . now that a man may be rightly prepared , hee must bring with him foure severall things . first , knowledge of the foundation of religion , specially of the vse of both the sacraments . that this is necessarie to preparation , it appeareth by that , which paul requireth in a good communicant , . cor. . . to wit , the shewing forth of christs death , which is done by confession and thanks giuing ; and these two cannot be performed without knowledge . the second thing required , is faith for all sacraments are seales of the righteousnes of faith , rom. . . now faith is hereby discerned ; when the heart of the beleeuer , contents it selfe onely with christ , in the matter of saluation ; and doth beleeue , not onely that there is a remission of sinnes in generall , but that his sinnes are forgiuen to him , in particular . the third , is repentance , standing in a hearty sorrow for sinnes committed , in a hatred and detestation of the same , and in a resolued purpose of amendment , and obedience for time to come . here we must remember , that renewed repentance for sinnes committed , is principally required before the sacrament . for the apostle chargeth the beleeuing corinthes , with vnworthie receiuing , because they came in their sinnes , without renouation of their repentance . the fourth , is charitie towards man. for this sacrament is a communion , whereby all the receiuers , ioyntly vnited together in loue , doe participate of one and the same christ. and therefore , as no man in the old law , might offer his sacrifice , without a forehand agreement with his brother ; so no communicant may partake with others at this table , without reconciliation , loue , and charitie . now further touching preparation , there are three cases of conscience to be resolued . i. case . what shall a man doe , if after preparation , he finds himselfe vnworthie ? ans. there are two kinds of vnworthines ; of an euili conscience , and of infirmitie . vnworthines of an euill conscience is , when a man liues in any sinne , against his conscience . this we must especially take heede of . for it is proper to the reprobate ; and he that comes to the table of the lord vnworthily , in this sense , questionlesse he shall eate his owne iudgement , if not condemnation . the vnworthines of infirmitie is , when a man truly repents and beleeues , and makes conscience of euery good dutie , but yet sees and feeles wants in them all , and in regard hereof , himselfe vnfit to the supper . such vnworthines cannot iustly hinder a man , from comming to this sacrament , neither is it a sufficient cause to make him to abstaine . the reason is , because the lord requires not therein , perfection of faith , and repentance ; but the truth & synceritie of them both , though they be imperfect . if it be demanded , how the truth of faith and repentance may be knowne ? i answer , by these notes . i. if our faith be directed vpon the right obiect , christ alone . ii. if there be a hungring and thirsting , after his bodie and blood . iii. if wee haue a constant and serious purpose , not to sinne . iv. if there follow a change in the life . thus we read , that many of the iewes , in the daies of hezekias , came to ierusalem , and did eate the passeouer , which had not clensed themselues , according to that which was written in the law. and yet , for those among them , that had prepared their whole hearts , to seek the lord , the text saies , that god heard the praier of hezekias , and healed the people , though they were not clensed , according to the purification of the sanctuarie , . chron. . , , . ii. case . whether it be requisite to preparation , that a man should come fasting to this supper ? ans. it is not necessarie . for in the primitiue church , christians did first feast , and at the ende of their feast , receiued the lords supper . and if receiuers bring with them , attentiue mindes , reuerent and sober hearts , it matters not , whether they come fasting or not . the kingdome of god , stands not in meates , and drinkes , as paul saith , rom. . . iii. case . whether such persons , as are at contention , and goe to law one with an other , may with good conscience , come to the lords table ? the reason of the question is , because men thinke , when they goe to law , that they doe not forgiue . ans. there be three kinds of forgiuenes ; of reuenge , of the penaltie , and of iudgement . ofreuenge , when men are content to lay aside , all hatred and requitall of euill . of penaltie , when beeing wronged , they are content to put the matter vp , and not proceede to reuenge by inflicting punishment . of iudgement , when a man is willing , to esteeme and iudge things badly done , as well done ; and to iudge a bad man , no euill person , nor an enemie , though he be an enemie . of these three , the first is alwaies necessarie . a man is bound in conscience , to forgiue the reuenge , and leaue that to the lord , to whome vengeance properly belongeth . but to the forgiuenes of penaltie and iudgement , we are not alway bound . we must shunne and decline iniuries offered , as much as possibly we can ; but when they be offered , we may with good conscience , seeke a remedie of them , and vse any lawfull meanes , to defend our selues . therefore i answer to the question thus : that if a man , going to law with an other , forgiues him in regard of reuenge , when he comes to the lords table ; he doth his dutie . for doing that , he is not bound to the other , as hath beene said . sect. . the second thing , in the right vse of the lords supper , is the right receiuing of it . wherein there be two things required . first , the renewing of our knowledge , or generall faith. and then secondly , the renewing of our speciall faith in christ. let the reason of both be obserued . this sacrament cōtaines many particular signes ; as not onely the bread and wine , but the actions about the same . the signes may be thus distinguished . some of them are representing signes ; some are signes applying . representing signes are such , as doe liuely set forth vnto vs christ , with his benefits ; as the bread and the wine , the breaking , and the powring . applying are those , that doe appropriate the same ; as , the giuing , and receiuing of the bread and wine . the first sort serues properly to renew our knowledge : the second , to confirme the saine by application . now answerable to the scope of the sacrament , must be our right receiuing , which consisteth , in renewing of our knowledge and faith , in the mysterie thereof . our knowledge is renewed principally , by meditation in the vse of the supper , after this manner . first , when we see two signes to be receiued , we must call to minde that christ is our perfect sauiour , that is , both bread and water of life . secondly , when we behold the bread and wine , set apart by the minister , and consecrated , by repeating the promise , and praiers made for that ende ; we must remember , that christ was ordained and appointed by god , to be our mediatour and sauiour . ioh. . . act. . . . thirdly , when we see the bread broken , and wine powred out ; we are to meditate of christ , that was crucified for vs , and broken , both by the first death , and paines of the second , whereby life and righteousnesse was procured vnto vs. fourthly , the giuing of the elements into the receiuers hands , offers vnto our meditation , thus much ; that god doth truly and really giue christ , with his merits and efficacie , to euery beleeuing receiuer . on the otherside , our faith is renewed , by apprehension and application , in this manner . when the minister giues the bread and wine , and the communicant receiues them ; at the same time , are we to lift vp our hearts to heauen , to apprehend christ by faith ; beleeuing him , with all his benefits to be ours ; that he was made man for vs , that he suffered , and died for the remission of our sinnes . for these outward symbolicall or sacramentall actions , serue to no other end , but to signifie vnto vs , these inward actiōs of the mind and will , whereby we apprehend and receiue christ , to our saluation . here by the way , two cases are propounded . i. case . what is to be done , if a man , after often receiuing , still doubteth , whether he hath faith or no ? ans. he must striue against doubting , and indeauour to beleeue ; being heartily sory for the weakenes and infirmitie of his faith ; and let him withall consider and remember , that god hath not onely giuen his promise , but set apart this sacrament , to be a special signe and pledge of his mercie contained in the promise , for the vpholding & strengthening of mans faith . but some man will say ; mine indeauour is nothing , if doubting preuaile . ans. it is not so . for if a man can be heartily sorie for his infirmitie ; if he striue to beleeue ; if in heart he hungreth and thirsteth after christ , faith is begunne , and he in some sort doth apprehend christ. the poore begger by the high way side , enioyeth the almes that is giuen him , though he receiue it with a lame and leprous hand . the stomacke that lothes physicke , if it receiues into it at the first , but one droppe of the potion prescribed , and that in very weake and fainting manner , it will be able at length to take benefit by a greater quantitie , and in the meane time it receiues good . the man that is in close prison , if he sees but one little beame of the sunne , by a small crevisse ; by that very beame he hath vse of the sunne , though he seeth not the whole body of the sunne . in like manner , though our faith , the hand of our soule , be mingled with weakenes and corruption ; though we feele neuer so little measure of gods grace in vs ; yea though our knowledge be neuer so small ; yet it is an argument , that the spirit of god beginnes to worke in our harts , and that we haue by gods mercie , begunne to lay hold on christ. it will be said further ; if i feele not christ giuen vnto me by god , i doe not , nay , i cannot beleeue . answ. in nature it is true , that experience beginnes first , and then followes assurance ; but in spirituall and diuine things , there is a contrary course to be taken . for here , we must beginne with faith , and in the first place , simply beleeue gods promises ; and afterward we come , by the goodnes of god , to feele and haue experience of his mercie . this point was notably practised by iehosaphat , who beeing in a great extremity , and seeing no way to escape , practised his faith in the first place , and said , lord , we know not what to doe , but our eyes are towards thee . . chro. . . and the like he taught the people at the same time , ver . . put your trust in the lord , and ye shall be assured . thus abraham is said , aboue hope , to beleeue vnder hope the promise of god , euen against sense , reason , and experience , rom. . . ii. case . if in the very instant of receiuing , a man feele his heart so hard , that he cannot lift it vp vnto god , what is then to be done ? ans. first , hardnes of heart is two fold , sensible , and insensible . the insensible hardnes of heart , is a great and dangerous iudgement . but the sensible and felt hardnes , which is in gods children , and which they feele and bewaile in themselues , is rather a blessing , then a curse . of this , the people of god complained , esay . . . and it must not discourage any communicant , but rather comfort him , because it is a signe of grace . for if ther were no grace in the heart , corruption & hardnes could not be felt . secondly i answer , that the benefit of the sacrament , is not tied to the very instant of receiuing ; but if before and after , a man lift vp his heart to god , he shall find comfort , though for the present , he hath not so liuely sense and feeling thereof , as he desireth . this alway provided , that the same partie be displeased with himselfe , that he cannot doe that which he would , and ought , nor in that measure , that is required . and such a one , must consider this to his cōfort , that though he doe not apprehend christ , yet christ apprehendeth and accepteth him . sect. . in the third place ; after the receiuing of the sacraments , two things are required . first , that thankes be giuen vnto god , not onely in word , but in euery action of our life , for christ , and all his benefits . secondly , that not onely for the present , but euer afterward , still we renue our faith , repentance , and obedience . but what is a man to doe , if after receiuing , he finde no cōfort ? ans. first he must examine , whether he hath truly beleeued and repented , yea or no ; if he hath not , then the fault is in himselfe , and not in gods ordinance . if he hath , let him not be dismaied , for the ioy of the spirit is sowne in his heart ; and though it lie hidde for a time , yet at length it will shewe it selfe . psal. . . chap. xi . of adoration . the fourth head of the outward worshippe of god , is adoration ; wherein we consider two things . first , what it is ? secondly , what be the questions propounded concerning it ? sect. . for the former . adoration in generall , is an outward worship , signifying and testifying the inward worship of the heart . more specially , by it we must conceiue , the bowing of the head , and knee ; the bending and prostrating of the bodie ; the lifting vp of the hands , eyes , and such like . adoration is two-fold ; religious , or civill . religious adoration , is that worship of god , in which religion and godlines is exercised , expressed , and signified . in it there be two things alwaies ioyned together , and yet distinctly to be considered . the first and principall , beeing the foundation of all the rest , is the intention of the minde , whereby god is conceiued , as an absolute and omnipotent lord , knowing all things , yea the heart of man : hearing the praiers of all men , in al places , at all times ; the author , preseruer , and giuer of all good things . the second , depending vpon the former , is the outward prostrating of the bodie , as the bowing of the knee , and such like , for this ende , to testifie our subiection vnto god , as our absolute lord , &c. this is it , which makes adoration a true religious worship . the other kinde of adoration , is civill , pertaining to the second table , tearmed by some sociall ; because it is the adoration or worship , that fellow-creatures giue one to another . and this ( as the former ) hath in it two things . the one is , the intention of him , that performeth it , which must be this ; that the creature worshipped , is induced with excellent gifts of god ; or , that he hath a power of gouernment ouer vs. for one of these two , is euer the ground of ciuill adoration . the other is , the action or outward gesture of the bodie ; in token that the creature worshipped , is indued with excellent gifts , and graced with authoritie before-named : here we must remember , that the bowing of the bodie , &c. and in generall , all bodily gesture performed , is one and the same , both in religious , and ciuill worship ; and the distinction standeth onely in the intent of the minde . sect. . now the questions about adoration , are two . . question . to what things is adoration due , and in what manner ? ans. we must distinguish the things that are ; and they be of three sorts , or rankes . in the first ranke , comes god the creator ; in the second , the creatures : in the third , the work of the creatures . for the first ; adoration that is due to god the creator , must not be sociall , ( for we are not gods mates and companions , ) but onely religious . yea , all religious worshippe is due to god , and to him alone ; which i prooue thus . the devill when he tempted our sauiour , desired no more of him , but the prostrating of his body ; yet vpon this ground , that he was the giuer and disposer of all the kingdomes of the earth , but christ denies it , and answers , thou shalt worship the lord thy god , and him onely shalt thou serue , math. . . again , the very scope of religious adoration , is to acknowledge the godhead , and the properties thereof . and herevpon , it must be giuen to god alone , and consequently not to the creature , vnlesse we will acknowledge a godhead in the creature . here we are to remember two caueats , touching religious adoration . first , if adoration be giuen to the true god , with a false and erronious intention , it makes him an idol . for example ; if the body be bowed , with this intent , to worship god out of the trinitie , as the turke doth ; or if he be worshipped out of the son , with the iew ; thus doing , wee worship not the true god , but an idoll . the reason is , because god is so to be conceiued of vs , as he hath manifested himselfe in his owne word , and no otherwise . if otherwise , god is not conceiued , but an idoll or fiction of the braine ; and the adoration is not done to god , but to the idoll . secondly , to worship god in , at , or before an image , is idolatry & superstion ; and god so worshipped , is made an idoll . for he that thus worshipps him , bindeth his presence , operation , and grace , to those places , to which god never bound himselfe , or his presence , &c. god hath not appointed images , to be pledges of these things , either by promise , or commandement . hence it followeth , that the man , which worships god , otherwise then he would be worshipped , or lookes to be heard , when god will not be heard , is an idolater . againe , god expressely forbids the the worshippe of his maiestie , in , at , or before any creature in heauen or in earth . deut. . . . . . but the idolater in excuse of his sinne , is wont to pretend many things . first , that whē he worshippeth , he intends not to worshippe the image , but god in the image . to this we answer , that it matters not what his meaning is . for let him intend what he wil , if god detesteth that manner of worshippe , it is not to be tendred vnto him , in any sort . the israelites worshipped not the calfe it selfe , but god in the calse , exod. . . yet then moses saith , that they worshipped an idoll . secondly he alleadgeth , that in the old testament , god was worshipped before the arke ; and that there he promised to heare the praiers of his people . ans. the reason is not alike . for they had an expresse commandement , giuen them by god , touching adoration before the arke ; and a promise , that they should be accepted and heard . but the idolater hath no such commandement , or promise . thirdly , he obiecteth , that subiects doe kneele downe before the chaire of estate in the absence of the king or queene , in token of subiection due vnto them ; and therefore much more may they to the images of god , and saintes in heauen glorified . answ. this reason is also insufficient . for the kneeling before the chaire of estate , is a meere civill testimonie of ciuill worshippe , and beeing referred to this end , to shew loyaltie and subiection to lawfull princes , it stands in force by the commandement of god. but there is no such warrant from gods word , for bowing to images ; neither is it his will , that they should be tokens , and pledges of his presence . the second sort of things that be , are the creatures , which must be distinguished into foure kindes . i. wicked spirits . ii. good angels . iii. liuing men . iiii. men departed . touching wicked spirits or deuils , the question is , what is the adoration that is due vnto them ? ans. they are the enemies of god , and accursed of him ; therefore no honour or seruice belongs vnto them , by his will and appointment . and for that very cause , we are to haue no dealing with them at all . nay , we are vtterly to renounce , and abandon , whatsoeuer things come from the deuill , or his instruments ; as namely all spells , charmes , inchantments , &c. which serue to the working of wonders , and yet haue no such vertue giuen them from god for that end , either by creation , nature , word , or institution . now concerning the good angells ; if they did now appeare vnto vs , and we had certaine knowledge thereof , we might adore them . but how ? onely with ciuill and sociall worshippe . for so we read gen. . . that lot seeing twoo angels comming towards sodome , rose vp to meete them , and bowed himselfe with his face to the ground . by which example it appeareth , that though angels may be adored , yet not with religious , or that which is mixed with religious worship , but with worship purely & meerely ciuill . wherevpon it was , that the angell refused the worship done vnto him by iohn , saying , see thou doe it not : i am thy fellow seruant , and one of thy brethren , &c. rev. . . i adde moreouer , that sith at this day , the angels appeare not vnto vs ; we may not worshippe them at all , either in ciuill or religious manner , albeit we must euer haue a reuerent estimation of them . as for liuing men , adoration meerely civill is onely due vnto them , and that in respect of the gifts of god , which we see to be in them , as also of their authoritie and place , which they haue amongst men . this is expressely inioyned in the fist commandement , honour thy father , &c. and confirmed also by the example of abraham , who stood vp , and bowed himselfe , before the people of the land of the hittites , gen. . . prouided alwaies , that this adoration , be according to the laudable custome of the countrey , where they liue . but for worship , either simply religious , or mixt , it is in no sort to be yeelded them . thus peter ( when cornelius met him , and fell downe at his feete ) refused to accept of the honour done vnto him ; which notwithstanding was not a diuine , but a mixed kinde of worship , performed vnto peter , in a reuerent opinion of his person , as beeing more then an ordinarie man , act. . , . in like manner , mordecai the iewe denied to worship haman , because the honour which the king appointed to be giuen vnto him , was an excessiue honour , hauing some diuine worship in it , such as was done to himselfe . of the same sort , is the kissing of the popes feete , which indeede is ciuill worship , but mixed with religious . for it is tendered vnto him , as to the vicar of christ , and one that cannot erre ; the like to which , is not done to any emperour or potentate on earth . lastly , touching dead men , or saints departed , as peter , paul , and the rest ; all the worship we owe vnto them , is no more , but a reuerent estimation of their persons , and imitation of their ●…es . religious or ciuill adoration due vnto them , we acknowledge none ; because neither we haue to deale with them , nor they with vs. therefore romish adoration of them we renounce , as flat idolatrie ; considering it giues vnto them a diuinitie , making them present in all places , to know our hearts , and heare our praiers at all times , which is the prerogatiue of god alone . now for vnreasonable creatures , no adoration at all appertaineth to them , but onely a reuerent , and holy vse of them . for adoration , is a signe of subiection of the inferiour to the superiour ; but man is their superiour , and therefore he is to doe them no worship or seruice . and hereupon , we iustly condemne the adoration of the reliques of saints , of the bread and wine in the sacrament , &c. the third sort of things , is the worke of the creature , to wit , images . where if it be demanded , what adoration is due to them ? i answer , none at all . reasons . . we haue an expresse inhibition to the contrarie , in the third commandement , thou shalt not bowe downe to them , nor worship them , &c. . the superiour must performe no adoration to the inferiour . now though it should be granted , that they were the images of god , yet man is a more excellent image then they , and they are inferiour not onely to him , but euen to the baser sort of creatures . the wo●…e is one of the basest creatures vpon the earth , yet it is a worke of god. the image is a worke not of god , but of man. man therefore may as well in all reason , and better , worship the worme , then the image . chap. xii . of outward confession . the fift head of gods outward worship , is confession . i meane not the ordinarie or ecclesiasticall confession , but that which is made before the aduersarie . concerning which , there be many questions commonly made . i. question . whether confession of faith be necessarie , and when ? ans. that confession is necessarie , it appeares by manifest testimonies of scripture . . pet. . . be readie to giue an answer alwaies to euery man , that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you . here is a flat commandement for confession . againe , rom. . , . if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth , and beleeue with thy heart , thou shalt be saued . for with the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnes , and with the mouth man confesseth to saluation . and , mark. . . whosoeuer shall be ashamed of me , in this adulterous generation , of him shall the sonne of man be ashamed also , when he commeth in the glorie of his father , with his holy angels . this is graunted of all diuines , saue onely of some pestilent heretikes . the second part of the question is , when confession is to be made ? for answering whereof , this must be remembred for a ground , that there is a distinction to be made , betweene commandements affirmatiue , and negatiue . the negatiue bindeth at all times , and to all times . for it is not lawfull at any time , for a man to doe euill . the affirmatiue binds at , and in all times , but not to all times . for it commands a dutie to be done , which neuerthelesse is not at all times to be done . for example : to giue almes , is prescribed by an affirmatiue commandement , and yet almes are to be giuen onely at fit times , and occasions . hereupon it pleased the lord , to propound part of the morall law , in negatiue tearmes , because negatiues are of greater force . now confession ; beeing commaunded not by a negatiue , but by an affirmatiue commandement , we are not bound thereunto , at , and to all times , but when iust occasion is offered . what then ( may some say ) are the especiall times , in which , confession is to be made before the aduersarie ? ans. there are two principally , to which all the other may be reduced . the first is , when we are examined touching our religion , by them that are in authoritie , as by magistrates , princes , iudges , &c. for at such time we are lawfully called to make confession of our faith , and may doe it with boldnes . thus much the place before-named importeth , where we are inioyned to be readie to giue an account , &c. . pet. . . that is , not to euery examiner ; but to those alone , who haue power and authoritie giuen them by god , for that purpose . and the same is implied in christs speech to his apostles , math. . . and ye shall be brought before gouerners and kings for my sake , in witnes to them and to the gentiles . and in this case , not to make profession of our faith , is in effect to denie christ ; to scandalize the church , and greatly to preiudice the truth . the second time of confession is , when in the want thereof , gods glorie is directly impeached , the saluation of men hindered , and our neighbour offended . and then we are necessarily to confesse , though no examination be made . if it be here asked , how we may be able to discerne of this time ? the answer is ; by christian wisdome , which teacheth vs , that when by our silence , wicked men are emboldened to speake euill of gods word , and weake ones occasioned to fall from the faith , then is the fittest time , to stand in the defence and maintenance of the truth . out of these two times and cases , christians haue libertie not to confesse , but may lawfully conceale their faith ; nay ( which is more ) their persons ; by changing their habit and attire , vppon this ground , because the affirmatiue commandement doth not alwaies binde . here it is obiected . first , that we are saued onely by faith , and therefore confession is not necessarie ? ans. we must consider faith two waies . first , as an instrument created in the heart , whereby we apprehend , and apply christ with his benefites to our selues , for our iustification and saluation . secondly , faith must be considered more largely , as it is a way , to bring vs to life euerlasting . nowe in the first acceptiō , it may truly be said , that we are saued by faith alone . for there is no grace of god , where by we take hold of christ , but faith . but if we take it in the second sense , as a way to life , then we may truly say , that it alone saueth not , but hope , loue , repētance , good works , and all diuine vertues . in this sense paul saith , we are saued by hope , rom. . . because by it we wait for our saluation ; and hope is the way , in which all must walke that looke to be saued . againe he saith ; momentany afflictions doe work vnto vs an eternall waight of glory . . cor. . . but how ? not as causes , but as waies , signes , and markes , that giue vs direction to our iourneies ende . and thus , the woman is said to be saued by bearing of children , . tim. . . which bearing and bringing vp of children , is no cause , but onely a way wherein she must constantly walke to glory . and though in mans iudgement , that may seeme a way of misery and death , yet indeede it is otherwise , if the children continue in faith , loue , and holinesse with modestie . againe , the apostle iames saith , that abrahams faith wrought together with his workes , iam. . . which are likewise not to be vnderstood , as working causes , but as testmonies and euidences , declaring and manifesting that he was iust in the sight of god. secondly it is obiected , that confession of our faith to god is sufficiēt . for so saint paul seemes to say ; rom. . . hast thou faith ? haue it with thy selfe before god : therefore confession before man is not needefull . ans. the apostle speakes not of that faith , wherby we are iustified and saued , but of that which standeth in a perswasion , of the vse or not vse of things indifferent . and this a man may keepe to himselfe , that is , he may so vse it , as he shall not thereby offend his brother . that commandement was giuen by paul for those times , when men were not fully perswaded of the vse of god creatures , as meates , drinkes &c. but to these times it is not . ii. question . whether it be lawfull for a man being vrged , to goe to idol-seruice , and heare masse , so as he keepe his heart to god ? ans. it is not , and i proue it by the scope of the eigth and tenth chapters of the first epistle to the corinthians , where the apostle disputes the question , whether the corinthians might goe into the temples of idols , and eate of meat offered vnto them , in the meane time , not partaking with idolaters in the worship of the idols ? this he auoucheth to be vtterly vnlawfull , & for that purpose tells the corinthians , that they cannot drinke of the cuppe of the lord , and of the cuppe of deuills . now as this was vnlawfull for them , so it is vnlawfull for any protestant , to goe to any popish assembly , to heare masse . again , god is the creator of the body and soule ; therefore he is to be worshipped in both ; & cōsequently we robbe him of his due , when we reserue our hearts to him , and giue our bodies to idolls . to this purpose paul exhorteth the romanes , to giue vp their bodies a liuing sacrifice , holy , and acceptable vnto god , rom. . . which place vtterly condemneth the errour of some , who thinke , that god wil be content with the soule , and that they may bestowe there bodie , in the seruice of the devill . but against this doctrine sundrie things are alledged . the first is , the example of naaman , . kings . . . who said to the prophet , when i bowe my selfe in the house of rimmon , the lord be mercifull to me in this thing . to whom elisha answered , goe in peace . here ( say some ) the prophet giues leaue to naaman , to worshippe in an idols temple . to this , there be sundrie answers giuen . some affirme , that naaman speakes only of ciuill , and politique worship ; and not of religious . for his office was to kneele down in the temple , that the king might leane vpon his shoulder , when he worshipped the idoll . and naaman makes open protestation , v. . that he will worshippe no god , but the god of israel . others answere , and that more truly , that naaman doth acknowledge it a sinne , to goe to the house of rimmon , and therefore he craues pardon for it , at the hands of god , twice togither , ver . . and withall makes a vowe , that he will thenceforth offer , neither burnt offering , nor sacrifice , to any other god , saue onely to the lord , and hereunto elisha answereth , goe in peace . yet further it is answered , that naaman requesteth the prophet , to pray for him , that he might be constant in the seruice of the true god. and ( in case he were drawne against his purpose , by humane frailtie , to bow againe before rimmon , with his king ; ) that the lord in mercie would pardon his offence . and to this the prophet yeeldeth , saying , goe in peace . as if he should say , goe to ; i will pray for thee , to this ende and purpose . this text therefore giues no warrant for bodily presence , in idolatrous assemblies . the second obiection . iehu openly professed the worship of baal , and yet he dissembled , meaning nothing lesse : . king . . . and the lord commends him , for his diligent execution of that , which was right in his eies , vers . . ans. iehu is commended , not for his dissembling , but for his diligence in destroying achabs house , his religion , & the priests , with all that belonged vnto them ; though in other matters belonging to the seruice of god , he departed not from the sinnes of ieroboam . the third obiection . dan. . . nebuchad-nezzar made a decree , that whosoeuer would not fall downe and worshippe the golden image , should the same houre be cast into the middest of an hotte fierie furnace . now we doe not read , that any moe refused to obey but three , and therefore it seemes , that daniel did worship the image , as well as others . ans. daniel was not accused as the three children were , and for that cause , there is no mention made of his refusall . againe , put the case he had beene accused , yet the king tooke no knowledge of his accusation , because he was in fauour , both with him , and the people . the fourth obiection . paul togither with foure men , that had made a vow , yeelded to purifie himselfe , according to the lawe of moses , because he would not offend the weake iewes , act. . . and yet that law concerning purification , as also the whole bodie of ceremonies , was abrogated in the death of christ. now if he might doe that , which was vnlawfull , for the auoiding of offence ; why may not a man goe to masse , and so preuent the scandall , which may be taken on the behalfe of the papists ? ans. it is true , that there was an end put vnto the ceremoniall lawe by christs death ; yet it was not at the first wholly to be abolished , but by little and little . againe the vse of ceremonies , remained as a thing indifferene in it selfe , till the temple of ierusalem was destroied by titus , and the church of the new testament throughly planted . and till both these were accomplished , the vse of the ceremonial lawe was no sinne ; provided , that it were not holden , or vrged , as a thing necessarie to saluation . now whereas it is saide , that we may be present at the masse , for the auoiding of offence ; it may further be answered : first , that we are to doe our duties , though men be neuer so much offended : for it was the rule of christ in like case , let them alone , they be the blind leaders of the blind , matth. . . secondly , we ought not to doe euill , that good may come thereof . the fift obiection . the masse is gods ordinance , appointed by christ , though now it be corrupted by men . ans. it is a most damnable idol , yea worse then any idol of the gentiles ; and the adoration performed therein , is most abominable , and hath more affinitie with grosse gentilisme , then with the institution of our sauiour christ. iii. question . whether any man , especially a minister , may with good conscience flie in persecution ? and if he may flie , when ? sect. . this question consisteth of two parts . touching the first . sundrie men are of opinion , that it is vtterly vnlawfull to flie in persecution ; as tertullian , who hath written a whole booke of this argument : and besides him , certaine heretikes , named circumcelliones , in that part of afrike , which we now call barbarit , and some also of the sect of the anabaptists . but the truth is , that sometimes it is lawfull to flie , though not alwaies . for proofe whereof , consider these reasons . first , christs commandement , matth. . . when they persecute you in one citie , flie into an other . if it be saide , that this commandement was limited to the times , wherein the aposties preached in iewry , and therfore is temporarie . i answere , no ; for there cannot any text of scripture be brought , to shew that it was euer yet repealed . and the apostles ( who had receiued this commandement , euen after christs ascension , and the giuing of the holy ghost , ) being persecuted , did flie from one place to another , as we may read , act. . . cor. . if it be alleadged , that if this be a commandement to flie , then all must ●●ie ; i answere againe , that though the commandement be generall to all persons , and therefore euery christian may lawfully shunne apparent danger : yet the same is particular , in regard of circumstances , of time and place . for though all may flie , yet there be some places and times , wherin men may not vse that libertie , as shall appeare afterward . the second reason , is taken from the example of many worthy men recorded in scripture . iacob the patriarch fled from the presence of his brother esau into haran , to laban , gen. . and againe , from thence to the land of his fathers . gen. . moses , after he had slaine the aegiptian , fledde out of egypt into madian , where he liued . yeares , exod. . and this was no rash flight , but a worke of faith , heb. . . obadiah the gouernour of ahabs house , hid a hundreth men of the lords prophets , by fiftie in a caue , and fed them with bread and water , when iezabel would haue destroyed them , . king. . . eliah being in feare of his life , fled from iezabel into mount horeb , . king. . . againe , in the n. testament , our sauiour christ being in danger , withdrew himselfe , iohn . . and that sundry times , till the hower of his passion was come . paul , when the iewes tooke counsell together to kill him , was let downe by the brethren in a basket through a wall in damascus . act. . . and when the grecians went about to slay him , hee was brought by the brethren to cesarea and sent to tarsus , ver . . . againe , being in danger , he vsed christian pollicie to saue himselfe . for , by saying he was a pharisee , he made a diuision betweene his accusers , the pharisies and sadduces , and so escaped . act. . . . and if that were lawfull for him to doe , then is it also lawfull for a man , by flight to saue himselfe , in case of danger , whether he be a priuate man , or a pastor . yet for the better clearing of the answer , some allegations to the contrarie , are to be examined . obiection i. persecution is a good thing , and that which is good , may not be eschewed . ans. good things , are of two sorts . some are simply good , in , and by themselues ; as vertues , and all morall duties : and these are not to be eschewed . some againe , are good onely in some respects . of this sort are things indifferent , which he neither cōmanded nor forbidden , but are good or euill , in respect of circumstances . and these may be eschewed , vnlesse we know that they be good for vs. now persecution beeing of this kind , that is to say , not simply good , but onely by accident , may be auoided ; because no man can say that it is good or bad for him . obiect . ii. persecution is sent of god , for the triall and good of his church . ans. first , euill things sent of god , may be auoided , if he shewe a meane or way , how they may be auoided . for example : god sendeth sicknes , famine , the plague and sword ; he sends also meanes , and remedies for the preuenting , and remoouing of them , as physicke and foode , &c. and these we may lawfully vse for the said purposes : and in like manner may persecution be auoided , if god offer meanes of escape . secondly , there is a twofold will of god , his reuealed , and his secret will. by his reuealed will , he hath appointed , that in case of present daunger , when meanes of escape be offered , they may be vsed . now because they that flie lawfully , are assured of gods reuealed will , therefore in obedience thereunto , they vse the meanes to saue themselues from danger . as for his secret will , because it is vnknowne , and therefore vncertaine vnto vs , we may not rashly presume thereof , and against his expresse will , refuse the meanes offered , but vse them rather , till god reueale the contrarie . obiect . iii. to flie in persecution , is a kinde of deniall of christ , and against confession : he therefore that flies , seemes to make no confession , but rather to denie christ. ans. christian confession is double , open , or implicit . open confession is , when a man boldly confesseth his faith , before the aduersarie , euen to the death . this is the greatest and highest degree of confession ; and in it the holy martyrs in former times , continued euen to the losse of their liues , vndergoing the punishment of death , inflicted vpon them by the aduersaries of christ iesus , for the maintenance of the truth . implicit is , when a man to keepe his religion , is content to forsake his countrey , friends , and goods . this is a second degree , inferiour to the former , and yet it is a true confession , acceptable to god. and vnder this kind , comes flight in persecution . whence it appeareth , that lawfull flight in times of danger , is no deniall of christ , nor yet against confession . for sometimes it pleaseth god , to call men to professe his name and truth openly , by suffering : sometimes againe , not openly by suffering , but by flying : & this latter way , though it be not so high a degree , as is the former , yet it is indeede and in truth , in the measure , a true profession of christ , and pleasing vnto god. obiect . iv. our sauiour christ commands vs , feare not them that can kill the bodie , matth. . . now if a man must not feare them , then he must not flie . ans. the text speaketh not of all feare , but of such feare , as tendeth to apostasie , and causeth men to renounce faith , and good conscience . againe , it speakes of that feare , whereby man feareth man more then god. thirdly , it speakes of such feare , as by which a man is vrged to tempt god , by doing some thing that is repugnant to his will , and that out of his calling . now when the question is of flight in persecution , we vnderstand not such a flight , as tendeth to apostasie , or argueth the feare of man , more then of god , or that is repugnant to gods will ; but that alone , whereby we vse the meanes offered , according to his appointment ; least we should seeme to tempt him , and bring vpon our selues vnnecessarie danger . and thus the first part of the question , is answered . sect. . the second is , concerning the time ; when a man may flie , minister , or other ? and for better resolution thereof , we are to remember , that there be eight conditions required in christian flight , especially that , which pertaines to the minister . the first is , if there be no hope of doing good , by his abode in that place , where the persecution is . but while he conceiues any hope of doing good , by teaching preaching , or otherwise , he may not flie . this , the minister shall easily : discerne in christian wisedome . to this purpose paul , act. . . hauing a while preached at corinth , and finding that the iewes detested him , and his ministerie , intended a present departure thence . but the lord appearing vnto him , by night in a vision , warned him to stay : for ( saith he ) i haue much people in this citie : that is , many that are to be conuerted , and brought vnto the faith . euery minister in his place , must haue a speciall care of furthering gods kingdome , whether it be by flying , or not flying . the second condition . consideration must be had , whether the persecution be personall , or publique . personall is that , which is directed against this , or that mans person . publique , which is raised against the whole church . if it be directed against the person of the pastor , he may vse his libertie . for it may be , that his flight will bring peace to the ch●… . but what if the people will not suffer him to flie ? ans. they should be so farre , from hindering of him in this case , that they ought rather to succour and releeue him . thus , when demetrius had raised a tumult against paul , vnder pretence of diana , & he would haue presented himselfe vnto the people , in the common place ; the disciples suffered him not , act. . . and what care they had of his preseruation , the same ought the people to haue of their pastor , in case of like perill . but , if the persecution be common to the whole church , then he is not to flie . for it is necessarie , at such times especially , that those which are strong , should support and confirme the weake . the third condition . if there be in the pastor a moderation of minde . for he must take heede of these two extremities , that he be neither ouercome with excessiue feare , nor through ouermuch confidence , runne headlong into apparent danger . and that he may auoide these extremities , he must first pray vnto god , for wisdome , courage , and constancie : and secondly , vse the consent and aduise of the church , for his direction in this behalfe ; that all things may be done in wisdome . the fourth condition of lawfull flight is , that the minister withdraw himselfe onely for a time , & not vtterly forsake his charge , and calling . yea , if he be principally aymed at in the persecution , he may lawfully goe apart ; and it is the dutie of the church also , to see him conuaied away in safetie , till the persecution be ouer . and thus doing , he neither forsakes the church , nor his calling ; but onely vseth the meanes of his preseruation , for the keeping of faith , and a good conscience . this warrant , our sauiour giues to his apostles , matth. . . when they persecute you in one citie , flie into another . the ende of that commandement was , that the apostles might preserue themselues in safetie , till they had preached the gospel , to all the cities of israel , as the next wordes doe declare . the fift condition . if after due triall and examination , he finde not himselfe sufficiently armed with strength , to resist or beare the extremitie . for then he may retire himselfe , into some place of safetie ; where he may liue to the glorie of god , keeping faith and a good conscience . the sixt condition is , if he be expelled , or banished by the magistrate , though the cause be vniuft . for subiection is simply to be yeelded , to the punishments and corrections of magistrates , though we doe not alwaies tender obedience to their commandements . the seauenth is , if god offer a lawfull meanes , and way of escape ; and doth ( as it were ) open a doore , and giue iust opportunitie to flie . in this case not to flie , ( especially if he haue not strength sufficient to stand out ) is a tempting of god. the eight condition . if the danger be not only suspected , surmised , and seene a farre off ; but certaine and present . otherwise the pastor falles into the sinne of ionah , who fore-casted dangers in his calling , and therefore preuented them by flying to tarsus . these conditions being obserued , it may be lawfull both for pastor and people to flie in times of persecution . sect. . in the next place it may be demaunded , when a pastor , or other may not flie ? for answer herevnto , the signes of vnlawfull flight are to be considered , and they are principally foure . the first is , when god puts into a mans heart , the spirit of courage and fortitude , whereby he is resolued to abide , and stand out against the force of all enemies . thus paul , act. . . went bound in the spirit to ierusalem . where , though he knew that bonds and afflictions did abide him , yet he would not be disswaded , but vttered these words of resolution . i passe not at all , neither is my life deare vnto my selfe , so that i may fulfil my course with ioy , and the ministration , which i haue receiued of the lord iesus , to testifie the gospell of the grace of god. this motion of the spirit is not ordinarie , yet in the time of hot persecution , it hath beene found , in many worthy instruments of gods glory , as may be seene in the histories of sundry martyrs , in the daies of queene mary . but one especially , ( of whom i was credibly informed ) that hauing this motion , not to stand out , and yet flying : for that very act , felt such a sting in his conscience , that he could neuer haue peace till his death . the second signe is , when a man is apprehended , and vnder the custodie of the magistrate . for then hee is not to flie , because he must , in all his sufferings , obey the magistrate . here a question is mooued , whether a man that is imprisoned , may breake prison ? to this , popish schoolemen answer , that he may ; if the cause of his imprisonment be vniust . and sutable to this assertion , is the common practise of papists . we on the contrary say , and that truly , that no man being in durance , may vse any vnlawfull or violent meanes to escape ; for we may not , at any hand , resist the magistrate in our sufferings . seruants are commanded , to subiect themselues with patience , vnto the vniust corrections of their maisters , . pet. . . and this reason is giuen ; for it is thankeworthy , if a man , for conscience toward god , endure greife , suffering wrongfully . the apostles , being in prison , vsed no meanes to deliuer themselues ; but when the angell of the lord had opened the prison dores , then they came forth , and not before , act. . . and that which peter and the other apostles did , must pastors and other men also doe , in the like case , for religion sake . the third signe , when a man is bound by his calling and ministerie , so as in it , he may glorifie god and doe good to the church by preaching ; thē he must not fly . for , the duties of a mans calling , must be preferred before any worldly thing whatsoeuer , whether body , goods ; friends or life , &c. the fourth signe . when god in his providence , cuts off all lawfull meanes and waies of flying , he doth then ( as it were ) bidde that man stay and abide . i say , lawfull meanes ; because we may not vse those that are vnlawfull , but rather rest contented , and resigne our selues wholly to gods will and pleasure . wee must not doe any euill , that good may come thereof ; and of two evills , not onely not the lesse , but neither of both is to be chosen . so much of confession . chap. xiii . of an oathe . the sixt head of gods worship is , an oath ; concerning which , three questions are to be handled . i. what an oathe is ? ii. how an oathe is to be taken ? iii. how farre forth it bindeth , and is to be kept ? sect. . i. question . what is an oathe ? an oathe , is a religious , and necessarie confirmation of things doubtfull , by calling on god , to be a witnesse of truth , and a revenger of falshood . first , i call it , a confirmation ; for so the holy ghost speaketh , an oath for confirmation , is among men an ende of all strife . heb. . . secondly , i terme it a religious confirmation , because an oath is a part of gods religion and worshippe ; yea it is sometimes put for the whole worshippe of god ; esay . . . in that day , shall they swear by the lord of hosts , that is , they shall worship the true god. thirdly i adde , a necessarie confirmation , because an oathe is neuer to be vsed , in way of confirmation , but onely in case of meere necessitie . for when all other humane proofes do faile , then it is lawfull , to fetch testimonie from heauen , and to make god himselfe our witnes . in this case alone , and neuer els , it is lawfull to vse an oathe . fourthly i say , in which god is called vpon , as a witnes of the trueth , and a reuenger of falsehoode . this is added in the last place , because herein alone , stands the forme and life of an o●the ; that in things doubtfull ; we call god as a witnes of truth , and a iust revenger of the contrary . there be sundry kindes of confirmatiō , as the affirmation , the asseueration , and the obtestation . and by this clause , an oath is distinguished from them all ; because in it , we call vpon god to giue witnesse to the thing avouched , but in the other three we doe not . now touching this last point , of the forme and life of an oathe , three questions are to be answered , for the better clearing of the whole doctrine . i. question . whether an oathe taken by creatures be a true oath , and to be kept ? ans. an oathe by creatures , is an oath , though vnlawfull . for though there be not in it , a direct invocation of god for witnesse , yet when we call the creature to giue testimony , we doe then indirectly cal vpon god , because he is seene in them ; and looke how many creatures there be in the world , so many signes are they of gods presence . this answer christ himselfe maketh , matth. . , . he that sweareth by heauen , sweareth by the throne of god , and by him that sitteth thereon , that is , by god himselfe . ii. question . whether an oath by false gods , be a true oath or no ? for example , the oath of the turke by mahomet ; the oath of laban , by the gods of nachor , that is , by his idols : when as in them , there is no inuocation of the true god of heauen and earth . i answer as before ; though it be not a lawfull oath , yet it is in value & effect an oath . for though that thing be a false god indeed , by which it is taken ; yet it is the true god , in the opinion of him that sweareth . thus mahomet is to the turke , in stead of the true god , and is honoured of him as god : and therefore his oath by mahomet , is a true oath . thus when iacob in the couenant that he made with laban , sweares by the feare of his father isaak , and laban by the idols of nachor ; iacob accepted the oath which was tendered to him , in the name of a false god ; which he would not haue done , if it had not beene an oath at all . and hence the case is plaine , that swearing by a false god , is an oath : and therefore bindeth the swearer in conscience , thought it be vnlawfully taken . iii. question . if in euery oath , god ought to be cited as a witnes , how then can god sweare by himselfe , seeing none can witnes vnto him ? ans. this description of an oath , whereby the creature sweareth , includes not that oathe , whereby god sweareth . for the ende why god sweareth is , to binde himselfe ( as it were ) with a bond vnto man , whereby he would haue man to repute him a lier , and no god , if he failes and keepes not his promise . thus the lord sweares in his wrath , hebr. . . if they shall enter into my rest . the words of the oath , are to be vnderstoode with this clause , if , &c. then let me be holden as no god , or as a false god . and in this manner is god said to sweare , when he manifesteth to man , that he is content to be counted no god , if that which he auoucheth by oath , be not performed . furthermore in every oath , there be foure distinct things . first , an asseueration of the truth ; which should be avouched , though there were no oath taken . secondly , a confession or the omnipotent presence , wisedome , iustice and truth of god ; whereby we acknowledge , that he is the searcher and knower of the heart ; yea that he is both witnesse , iudge , and reuenger of falshood and lying . thirdly , prayer and inuocation , whereby god is called vpon , to giue testimonie to the conscience of him that sweareth , that he speakes nothing , but the truth . these two actions , of confession and invocation , doe make an othe , to be no lesse a true and proper part of gods worshippe , then praier it selfe . fourthly , imprecation , in which a man acknowledging god the the iust reuenger of a lie , bindes himselfe to punishment , if he shall sweare falsely , or speake an vntrueth wittingly or willingly . now , though these be the distinct parts of an oath , yet all of them are not expressed in the forme of euery oath ; but sometimes one , sometimes two of the principall , and the other concealed , but yet alwaies vnderstood . for example . the prophet ieremie teacheth the people of israel a forme of swearing , thou shalt sweare , the lord liueth , ierem. . . in which , there is expressed onely the second part , confession , and in that , the rest are to be vnderstood . againe , the words of ruth to naomi , the lord doe so to me , and more also , if ought but death depart thee and me , are onely an imprecation , in which the other parts are infolded . so , the othe which god maketh , heb. . . if they shall enter into my rest , is expressed onlie by imprecation , and the other parts vnderstood , though they be not mentioned . in common speach betweene man and man , it is vsually avouched , ( though most wickedly , ) if it be not thus or thus , let me be banged , i would i were dead , i would i might neuer mooue hence , &c. now this auouchment , howsoeuer it may be taken , is indeed a form of swearing , in value and force all one with the oath of god , when he saith , if they enter into my rest , let me be no god , but a deceiuer . sometimes two parts of the foure , are expressed , and the rest vnderstood . . cor. . . now i call god to record vnto my soule . here invocation with imprecation , is vttered in speach , and the other two conceiued in the minde . by these particulars , we see it vsuall in scripture , to propound formes of swearing , by expressing some one , or two particular parts in stead of the rest , yet so , as the parts concealed be all vnderstood , for otherwise the othe is not formalland entire . sect. . ii. question . how an oathe is to be taken in a good and godly manner ? for the answering hereof , two rules are to be remembred . the first rule . he that will take an oathe by the name of god , must sweare in truth , in iudgement , in righteousnesse . ierem. . . here three vertues are required in a lawfull oathe . first , that it be made in truth . and wee must know , that there is a double truth , the one , of the thing spoken , the other , of the minde wherein it is conceiued . truth of the thing is , when a mans speech is framed according to the thing , as it is indeede , or as neare as possibly may be ; and that because god is truth it selfe : this is called by schoolemen , logical veritie . sometimes by reason of mens frailtie , this truth is wanting , because we know not things as they are . the truth of the minde is , when a man speakes or sweares as he thinketh , or is in conscience perswaded of the thing ; and this the schoolemen tearme , morall veritie . now , though the first of these two be wanting , yet the latter must necessarily be in an oath , least we fall into periurie . the second vertue is iudgement , that is , prudence or wisdome . this iudgement requires discretion , and consideration , principally of fiue things . first , of the thing in question , which is to be confirmed . secondly , of the nature of the oath , that is taken . thirdly , of the minde , and true meaning of him that sweareth . fourthly , of the particular circūstāces , of time , place , & persons , when , where , and before whome he sweareth . fiftly , of the euent or issue of the oath . all these are duly to be regarded , that we sweare not rashly , or vnaduisedly . the third is iustice , wherein also care must be had of two things . first , that the point to be confirmed , be lawefull . and it is then lawfull , when it may stand with pietie , and charitie . secondly , that the occasions of taking the oath , be also iust ; and they be chiefly foure . i. when it may further gods glorie and worship : or serue to prooue some doctrine of saluation , in whole or in part . ii. when it may tende to the furtherance of brotherly loue ; or to the preseruation of our neighbours life , goods , or good name : or further , to the confirmation of some league , couenant , or contract made betweene parties , vpon good ground , and for good and necessarie purposes . iii. when it serueth , to releeue a mans owne priuate necessitie ; as when one sweares to maintaine his owne good name , goods , or life ; to confirme his owne faith and truth in contracts . an example hereof we haue in paul ; who to confirme the romanes , in the perswasion of his loue and care of their saluation , saith , god is my witnesse ( whome i serue in my spirit , in the gospel of his sonne ) that without ceasing , i make mention of you , rom. . . and againe , to keepe his owne credit and good name , among the iewes , i say the truth in christ , i lie not , my conscience bearing me witnesse , in the holy ghost , rom. . . iv. when the magistrate doth exact it , by order of iustice . this , though it be a iust occasion , and warrant of an oath , yet three caueats are in it to be obserued . first , that the oath be administred lawfully , not against pietie or charitie . secondly , he which takes an oath , tendered by the magistrate , must sweare according to the minde and meaning of the magistrate who exacts the oath , and not according to his owne priuate intent . thirdly , he must not sweare ambiguously , but in a simple sense , so as the words of his mouth , may be agreeable with that , which he conceiueth in his heart . psal. . . and whatsoeuer oath is taken without obseruation of these caueats , the same is not taken in truth , but in fraud and deceit . popish teachers affirme , that in some cases , they may sweare in a doubtfull meaning : and this they practise in time of daunger , when beeing conuented before the magistrate , and examined , they answer yea in word , and conceiue a negation , or no in their mindes . a practise most impious , and flat against this excellent rule of the prophet , that a man should sweare in truth , iudgement , & iustice . the second rule is , that the forme in which the oath is propounded , must be a plaine , simple , and direct forme , wherein god is directly called to witnesse . for his worship is directly to be giuen to him : and therefore the oath also , beeing an inuocation of his name , and a part of his worship , is directly to be made . that the meaning of this rule , may the better appeare , one question is to be answered ; whether in the forme of an oath , a man may not sweare , directly by creatures , and indirectly by god ? most of the popish sort , and some protestants hold , that he may . but the truth is otherwise . i say vnto you ( saies our sauiour ) sweare not at all : neither by heauen — nor by the earth — nor by thy head , &c. matth. . . in which words , he forbids all indirect oathes , whereby men sweare directly by creatures , and indirectly by god : for so did the pharisies . againe , if a man might sweare by creatures , and conceale the name of god , it would diminish his maiestie and authoritie , and much deceit might be vsed : for the swearer might say , that he sware not , but only vsed an obtestation . against this it is obiected . i. that ioseph sware by the life of pharaoh , gen. . . therefore it may seeme , that oathes by creatures are not vnlawfull . ans. first , it may be said , that ioseph sinned in so swearing : for therein he imitated the egyptians , who sware by the life of their king. secondly , it may be answered , that ioseph doth onely make an asseueration , and not an oath . obiect . ii. the church in the canticles takes an oath , by the creatures . cant. . . i charge you , daughters of ierusalem , by the roes , and by the hinds of the field , &c. ans. it is no oath , but an obtestation , wherby the church calls the creatures , to witnesse her earnest affection to christ. the like is made by moses , de●● . . . when he saith , i call heauen and earth to record against you this day . and by paul , in his charge to timothie , . tim. . . i charge thee , before the elect angels . in which , and the like speeches , there is no swearing , but a kind of citation , or summoning of the creatures as witnesses . and there is great difference betweene an oath , and an obtestation . in the obtestation , there is no more , but a calling of the creature to giue testimonie , the matter beeing already apparent and manifest . but in an oath , where the matter is not so manifest , god is made not onely a witnesse , but also a iudge and reuenger . obiect . iii. saint paul sweares by his reioycing in christ , . cor. . . which reioycing was a created passion , or a creature . ans. that was also an obtestation , or a word of auouchment , and asseueration ; and not an oath . for it is all one , as if he had said thus ; my sorrowes and afflictions , which i indure for christ , would testifie ( if they could speak ) that as certenly as i reioyce in christ , so certenly i die daily . obiect . iv. abigail sware to dauid by the creature ; as the lord liueth , and as thy soule liueth , . sam. . . ans. the former part of her speech , may be called an oath , but the latter is onely an obtestation , or earnest auouchment , ioyned with an oath . now , although it be in no sort , lawfull to sweare by creatures , yet when a man sweareth directly by god , he may name the creatures in way and forme of an oath ; specially if he make them as his pawnes , and pledges , set before god , that he may in iustice , be reuenged vpon him in them , if he lieth and sweareth not a truth . sect. . iii. question . how farre-forth doth an oath binde , and is to be kept ? the answere to this question is large , and therefore for orders sake i distinguish it into two parts , and first i will shew when an oath bindes , secondly when it bindeth not . for the first ; an oathe taken of things certaine , lawfull , and possible , is to be kept , yea and bindes alwaies , though it bee tendred even to our enemies ; to this purpose god hath giuē special commandemēnt in sundry places . numbers . . . whosoeuer sweareth an oath , to bind his soule by a bond , he shall not break his word , but shall doe , according to all that proceeds out of his mouth : mat. . . thou shalt not forswear thy selfe , but shalt performe thine oathes vnto the lord : exod , . . thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy god in vaine ; that is , lightly and rashly . but gods name is taken in vain , when an oathe made of things lawfull and possible is not kept ; dauid , at the humble request of shimei , ( who had before cursed him ) pardons his fault for the time , & sweares to him that he should not die , . sam. . . dauid made conscience of this oathe , knowing himselfe to be bound thereby , and therefore till his death he kept it ; onely hee charged solomon not to count him innocent . . king. . . now for the better clearing of the answer , we are to consider four particular cases touching this point . i. case . what if a man take an oath by false gods , whether is he bound to keepe it , yea or no ? ans. he is , and the reasons are these ; first from the like . there was a question among the scribes and pharises , matt. . . whether a man swearing by the creature were a debter or no ? the pharisees taught , that if a man sware by creatures , the oathe did not binde ; but christ vers . . affirmeth , that he that sweares by the temple , or by the altar or by heauen , sweares by god indirectly , & so takes an oathe , though not a lawfull oath ; and thereupon remaines bound , and is a debter ; now by propotion he that sweares by false gods , sweares by god indirectly , because the false god is , in the opinion of him that sweares , a true god , and so his oath bindeth , and is to be kept . secondly , abraham accepts the oathe that abimelech tendreth vnto him in the name of a false god , gen. . so doth iacob accept of the oathe made vnto him by laban , gen. . . which they would not haue done , if their oathes had not beene sufficient bondes , to binde them to obseruation , and performance . it will be said ; he that admits of an oathe by an idoll , doth communicate in the sinne of him that sweareth . ans. in case of necessitie , a man may admitte of such an oath , without sinne . a poore man , beeing in extreame want , borroweth of an vsurer vpon interest . it is sinne to the vsurer to take it ; but it is not so in the poore man , who is compelled by the vsurer to giue interest : thus the poore man doth vse well the iniquitio of the vsurer : so it is in an oath ; a godly man may well vse , and take benefite by the wicked oathes of idolaters , so farre forth as they shall serue for the ratifying , and confirming of lawfull couenants . ii. case . if a man take an oathe , and afterward endure hurt or dammage by it , whether is he then bound to keepe his oath or no ? ans. if the losse he but temporary and priuate , ( the oath beeing made of a thing lawfull ) it must be indured . for dauid reckoneth it among the properties of a good man , that he sweareth , and changeth not , though it be to his hurt , psal. . . and here a difference is to be made betweene a promissorie oath , and a single promise . a single promise may be reversed by the will , and consent of him , to whom it is made ; but a promise made by an oath , is to be kept , though losses and hinderances ensue therevpon . for the reuerence we beare to the name of god vsed in the oathe , ought to be of greater force with vs , then any priuate hinderance or inconueniēce , which may befall vs , vpon the performance of the same . iii. case . whether doth an oath binde conscience , whereunto a man is drawne , by fraud and subtiltie ? ans. if the oath be of things lawfull and possible , it bindeth and is to be kept , though we were induced to it by deceit . ioshua deceiued by the gibeonites , was brought to make couenant of peace with them , and to bind it by an oath : now perceiuing after three daies , that they had wrought it by craft , he would not touch them , in reuerence of the oath , that he had taken . iosh. . , , . and about years after , whē saul had slaine certaine of the gibeonites , the israelites for that fact , were punished with three yeares famine ; which could not be staied , till seauen persons of sauls house were hanged vp in gibeah . . sam. . iv. case . what if a man take an oath by feare and compulsion , is he to keepe it , yea or no ? for example . a man falling into the hands of theeues , for the safetie of his life , is vrged to take a solemne oath , that he will fetch and deliuer them some portion of money , and withall neuer disclose the parties . the oath beeing thus taken , the question is , whether he be bound to keepe it ? ans. some diuines are of opinion , that the oath is to be kept , and some say no : but generally it is answered , that it must be kept , because this feare did , not abolish the consent of his will. but if it be alleadged , that in so doing , he shall hurt the common-wealth : answer is made , that if he doe not sweare secrecie , he may in probabilitie bring greater damage to the weale publike , in depriuing it of a member , by the losse of his owne life . but it will be saide , by this meanes he maintaines a theefe . ans. be it so : yet he remaines excusable , because that was not his intent , but onely to preserue his owne life , to the good of the common-wealth . thus the most and best diuines doe hold . but for my part , i leaue it in suspense ; though it seemes in likelihood that the partie which sweares silence , doth after a sort maintaine theft , and communicate with the sinne of the robber : and further giues occasion , that others may fall into the like hazard and ieopardie of their liues . and so much of the first part of the answer . the second part of the answer to this third maine question followes : namely to shew , when an oath bindes not . an oath doth not binde in sixe cases . i. when it is against the word of god , and tends to the maintenance of sinne . the reason is , because when god will not haue an oath to bind it must not bind : for an oath must not be a bond of iniquitie . hereupon dauid hauing sworne a rash oath , to destroy nabal and his house , and beeing staied from it by the lord in the meanes of abigail ; he praiseth god in this manner : blessed be the lord god of israel , which sent thee this day to meete me , and blessed be thy counsell , and blessed be thou , which hast kept me this day , from cōming to shed blood . . sam. . , . ii. if it be made against the wholesome lawes of the commonwealth ; because euery soule must be subiect to the higher powers . rom. . . iii. if it be taken of such persons , as want reason ; as of children , mad-men , or fooles ; because they know not what they sweare : and there can be no binding of conscience , when he that sweareth wanteth reason to discerne what he doth . iv. if it be made by those , who are vnder the tuition of their superiours , and haue no power to binde themselues ; as by children which are vnder the gouernment of their parents : for these are part of their parents goods , and therefore not fit to vndertake an oath , without their consent . neither are they to choose a calling , or make any contract of themselues , but onely by the direction and aduise of their parents ; though some of the popish sort do erroniously teach , that a child may binde himselfe by oath , to become a monke of this or that order , without consent of parents . v. if it be made of things impossible : for then it is a vaine oath . vi. if at the first it were lawfull , and afterward become impossible and vnlawfull . for such oathes god himselfe may be said to reuerse . thus if a man bind himselfe by oath to liue in single life without marriage , and after findes that god-hath not giuen him the gift of continencie ; in this case , his oath becomes impossible to be kept , and therefore beeing reversed by god , and becōming vnlawful , it may be broken without impiety . to these sixe , the papists adde two other . the first , when the oathe is made vpon custome . and they put this example ; if two men going out of a dore or ouer a bridge , the one sweares by god that he will not goe first ; likewise sweares the other : yet at the last after contention , one of them goes first . in this case , saies the papist , the othe bindes not . ans. custome cannot make that , which is sinne , to be no sinne , or periurie , to be no periurie : but rather doubles the sinn , & makes it aboue measure morevile & abhominable : and they that giue themselues to this vsuall , and customable swearing , cannot but oftentimes become guiltie of flat periurie . the second case is , when the superiour power , that is , the pope , or other inferiour bishops , giue order to the contrarie , by relaxation or dispensation . ans. it is falfe . for in euery lawful oath there is a double bond ; one of man to man , the other of mā to god. now if in the oath taken , man were onely obliged to man , the oath might be dispenseable by man : but seeing man , when he sweareth to man , sweareth also to god , and therby is immediately bound to god himselfe ; hence it followeth , that an oath taken , cannot haue release from any creature . therefore our sauiour christs commandement is , thou shalt not forsweare thy selfe , but shalt performe thy oathes , to whome ? to the lord. math. . . and the oath that passed betweene dauid and ionathan , is called the lords oath , . sam. . and . sam. . . god will haue the oath to binde , as long as seemeth good vnto him ; yea and cease binding , when it pleaseth him . and that which himselfe bindeth , or will haue to be bound , no creature can loose ; the things which god hath coupled , let no man separate . math. . . and herein the pope shewes himselfe to be antichrist , in that he challengeth power to dispense with a lawfull oath , made without error or deceit , of things honest and possible . out of this answer , another question may be resolued ; namely , when doth a man commit periurie ? ans. . when a man sweares that which he knowes to be false . . when he sweares that , which he meanes not to doe . . when he swearing to doe a thing , which he also meanes to doe , yet afterwards doth it not . in these three , the not performing of an oath made , it flat periurie . that we may yet be informed , concerning the sinne of periurie , one question of moment is to be skanned . in societies & corporations , there be lawes and orders ; to the keeping whereof , euery one admitted to an office , takes a corporall oath : afterward it falls out vpon occasion , that he breakes some of the saide statutes : the question is , whether he be not in this case periured ? ans. statues are of two sorts . some are principall or fundamentall , which serue to maintaine the state of that bodie or corporation . others lesse principall , or mixt , that serue for order or decencie . in the statutes principall , the lawmaker intends obedience simply ; and therefore they are necessarie to be kept . but in the lesse principall , he exacts not obedience simply , but either obedience , or the penaltie ; because the penaltie is as much beneficiall to the state of that body , as the other . the breach of the former makes a man guilty of periurie ; but it is otherwise in the latter , so be it the delinquent party be content to beare the mulct if it be imposed . thus , students and others belonging to such societies , may in some sort excuse themselues , from the sinne of periurie , though not from all fault , in breaking some of the lesser locall statutes , els few could liue in any societie without periurie . yet one more question is propounded touching periurie , whether a man may exact an oath of him , whome he feares or knowes will forsweare himselfe . ans. a priuate man must not ; but a magistrate may , if the partie offer to take his oath , ( not beeing vrged therto , ) and be first admonished of the greivousnesse of the said sinne of periurie . in the execution of ciuil iustice , magistrates must not stay vpon mens sinnes : moses expected not the israelites repentance , for their idolatrie ; but presently proceeded vnto punishment . neither must the publicke good of the common wealth bee hindred , vpon the likelyhood or suspition of a mans periurie . chap. xiiii . of vowes . the seuenth head of the outward worship of god , is concerning a vowe . all the questions whereof may be reduced to these foure . i. question . what is a vowe ? ans. a vowe , is a promise made to god of things lawfull and possible . i call it a promise , to distinguish a vowe from a single purpose . for a purpose may be chaunged , but a vowe lawfully made cannot . againe , there is great difference betweene these two : for in a vowe , there is first , a purpose to doe a thing : secondly , a binding of our selues to doe that we pupose . for this cause i tearme it a promise , because it is a purpose with a bond , without which there can be no vowe made . in the next place i adde , a promise made to god ; not to saint , angel , or man. the reasons are these . first , a vowe is properly the worke of the heart , consisting in a purpose . now god alone knowes the heart , and he alone is able , to discerne of the purpose and intent of the same which no angel , saint , or other creature can possible doe . secondly , when the vow is made , none can punish and take revenge of the breach therof , but god. thirdly , in the old testament , the iewes neuer vowed , but to god ; because the vowe was a part of gods worshippe : deut. . . when thou shalt vowe a vowe vnto the lord thy god , thou shalt not bestack to pay it ; for the lord thy god , will surely require it of thee , and so it should be sinne vnto thee . where by the way , we may take notice , of the superstition of the popish church , that maketh vowes to saints and angels , which is in effect to make thē gods , & to worship thē as the iewes worshipped god in the old testament . ii. question . whether a vowe , be now in the newe testament , any part of religion , or gods worship ? the answere is threefold . first , if a vowe be taken for a promise of morall obedience ; the answer is , that a vowe is indeed the worship of god , and so shal be , to the ende of the world . for as god ( for his part ) promiseth mercie , in the couenant of grace , so wee in baptisme , doe make a vowe , and promise of obedience to him , in all his commandements ; and therefore peter calleth baptisme a stipulation , that is , the promise of good conscience to god. this promise once made in baptisme , is renewed so oft as we come to the lords supper , and further continued in the daily spirituall exercises of invocation , and repentance . but it may be said , we are already bound to the obedience of the law by order of diuine iustice ; therefore we cannot further binde our selues . ans. he that is bound by god , may also bind himself . dauid though he was boūd by god in conscience , to keepe the law , yet he binds himselfe freely by oath , to helpe his own weaknes , & to keepe himselfe from falling , when he saith , i haue sworne , and will performe it , that i will keepe thy righteous iudgements , psal. . . and the same bond is no lesse necessary and behooffefull for vs , if we consider how prone and readie we are to fall from the worshippe of god. the second answere . if a vowe be taken for a promise of some ceremoniall dutie , as of sacrifices and oblations , or of giuing house , lands , and goods to the temple ; then we must put a difference betweene the olde testament and the new. in the old testament , the vow of such duties , was part of gods worshippe ; but in the newe it is not , and that for these reasons . first , the iewish ceremonies were to the iewes , a part of gods worshippe , but to vs gentiles they are not ; cōsidering they are all in christ abolished , and none of them doe now stand in force by gods law to vs. thus the passeover was a ceremonie , or seruice , appointed by god to be obserued of the israelites and their posteritie , exod. . . . and therefore stood as a part of gods worshippe to them for a perpetuall ordinance . but to vs in the new testament , both it and other legall ceremonies are abrogated , and we haue onely two sacraments to be administred and receiued , as seales of the promises of god , and parts of his worshippe , baptisme , and the supper of the lord. secondly , that which is not commended vnto vs by god , in the name of worshippe , is no worshippe to vs. now , the ceremonies of the iewes , are no where commended vnto vs in that name ; and therefore it is a vaine thing for any man to vowe the obseruation thereof . thirdly , vowes of ceremoniall duties , did , in a peculiar manner , and vpon speciall respects , pertaine to the iewes . hereupon , when they vowed house , lands , goods , &c. to the vse of the temple , this they did , as beeing the lords tenants , of whome alone they helde their possessions : and hereby they acknowledged and also testified their homages and seruices due vnto him . and this particular respect concerneth not the church and people of the new testament : whence it followeth , that they are not tyed by the same bond , to performe worship vnto god , by the vowes of ceremonies , gifts , oblations , and sacrifices . the third and last part of the answer . if a vowe be taken for a promise , of some bodily and outward worke , or exercise ; as fasting , giuing of almes , abstaining from certaine meates and drinkes , &c. then it is not any part of gods worship , but onely an helpe , stay , and furtherance of the same . for first , we haue libertie of conscience in christ , to vse or not to vse , all indifferent things . now gods worship is not a thing of that nature , but absolutely necessarie . secondly , paul , . tim. . . affirmeth , that bodily exercise profiteth little , but godlines is profitable for all things : in which words , he opposeth godlines to bodily exercise , and therefore godlines , or the worship of god , consisteth not in them . but the words of dauid are alleadged to the contrarie , psal. . . vowe and performe vnto the lord your god. where we haue a double command , one to make vowes , another to pay them . to which i answer : first , if dauid speaketh of the vowe of all moral duties , then the commandement concerneth euery man ; because the thing commanded , is a part of gods worship . for it is as much as if he had said , vow thankefull obedience vnto god , and performe it . againe , if the place be meant , of the vow of ceremoniall duties , then it is a commandement peculiar to the old testament , and so bindes the iewes onely : howbeit not all of them , but onely such as had iust cause to make a vow : for otherwise they had libertie to abstaine from vowing , deut. . . when thou abstainest from vowing , it shall be no sinne vnto thee . of one of these two kinds , must the place alleadged necessarily be vnderstoode , and not of the third , which is of bodily exercise : for then it should reuerse christian libertie in the vse of things indifferent , which no commandement can doe . by light of this answer , we may discerne the errour of the popish church , which maketh vowes a part of religion , and the worship of god. nay further , it teacheth that some vowes , as namely those of pouertie , continencie , regular obedience to this or that order , are workes of merit and supererogation , tending to a state of perfection , euen in this life ; and deseruing a further degree of glorie in heauen , then the worke of the morall law. iii. question . when a uow made , doth binde , and when not ? before i giue answer to the question , i will lay downe this ground . in making of a lawfull vow , foure conditions are to be obserued . the first , concerneth the person of him that voweth ; that he be a fit person . his fitnesse may be discerned by two things . first , if he be at his owne libertie , ( as touching the things whereof he makes his vow , ) and not vnder the gouernment of a superiour . thus in the old testament , if a daughter had made a vow , without the consent or allowance of her father , it might not stand in effect . numb . . , . secondly , if the partie keepe himselfe within the compasse of his calling generall and particular . hence it followes , that vowes of going a pilgrimage , to worship this or that idol , in this or that place , ( for example , s. iames of compostella , and the ladie of loretto , &c. ) are vtterly vnlawfull ; because such persons , by this practise , doe leaue their calling and condition of life , and take vpon them a calling , not warranted by the lord. the second condition is , concerning the matter of a vow . it must be lawfull , possible , and acceptable to god. hereupon it followes , that there be foure things , which cannot be the matter of a vow . the first , is sinne. thus the iewes bound themselues with a vow , that they would neither eate , nor drinke , till they had killed paul , act. . , . this their vow was nothing els , but a threatning of god himselfe : and therefore vtterly vnlawfull . secondly , trifles , and light matters ; as , when a man voweth , not to take vp a straw , or such like . and this is a plaine mocking of god. thirdly , things impossible ; as to flie , or to go on foote to ierusalem . fourthly , things meerely necessarie ; as to die , which cannot be auoided . the third , is touching the forme of a vowe . it must be voluntarie , and free . and that it may be so , three things are necessarily required . first , that it be made in iudgement , that is , with reason and deliberation . next , that it be done with consent of will. and thirdly , with libertie of conscience . hence it appeares , that the vowes of children , mad-men , and fooles , or such as are taken vpon rashnes , or constraint ; also the vow of perpetuall abstinence from things simply indifferent , are all vtterly vnlawfull . for , the first sort are not done vpon iudgement , the next without due consideration , and the last are greatly preiudiciall to christian libertie . the fourth concernes the ende ; which is , not to be a part of gods worship , but onely a stay and proppe to further and helpe vs in the same . nowe there be three particular ends of a vow . first , to shew our selues thākfull to god for blessings receiued : secondly , to preuent sinne to come , by keeping so brietie and moderation : thirdly , to preserue and increase our faith , prayer , repentance , and obedience . this ground beeing laide , the answer to the question propounded is this . when in vowing , we obserue the conditions prae-required , the vow is lawfull , and consequently binds the partie vowing , so as if he keepe it not , he dishonoureth god. but when the saide conditions , doe not concurre in the action of vowing , it becomes vnlawfull , and the partie remaineth free , and not bound to performance . here by the way , a question of some moment is made ; whether iephte vpon his vow , did offer his daughter in sacrifice or no ? considering that it is plaine , euen by the light of nature , as also by the doctrine before taught , that a man is bound by the vow which he maketh . this question admitteth sundrie answers , according to the diuers opinions and iudgements of men , vpon the place written , iudg. . and my purpose is not to examine that which others haue brought in way of resolution , but briefly to deliuer that which i take to be the truth . i answer therefore that iephte did not offer his daughter in sacrifice vpon his vowe ; but onely dedicated her vnto god , after the manner of the nazarites , to the ende of her daies ; to lead her life apart in a single estate . the truth of this answer will appeare by these reasons . first , in the . verse of the chapter , the daughter of iephte craues leaue of her father , to goe apart into the mountaines , for two moneths space , to bewaile her virginitie . where it may be obserued , that she went not to deplore the losse of her life , but her future estate and condition , because shee was ( vpō her fathers vow ) to liue a perpetuall single life . and why ? surely , because ( as the text saith , vers . . ) she had not knowne a man ; & it was accounted a curse in iudea , for a woman alwaies to liue vnmarried . secondly , in the last verse it is said in our common english translation , that the daughters of israel went yeare by yeare , to lament the daughter of iephte : but i take it , it may be as well , or better translated out of the hebrue , they went to * talke or conferre with her , and so to comfort her : and that this interpretation may not , seeme strange , the very same word is obserued in this sense , iudg. . . there shall they talke or conferre of the righteousnesse of the lord. now if they went yeare by yeare to comfort her , then shee was not put to death . thirdly , iephte is commended by the holy ghost , for the excellencie of his faith , heb. . . and that out of the same historie . now the commendation of his faith , and the vnnaturall murther of his daughter , cannot stand together . but it will be said , that iephte vowed , that whatsoeuer came out of his dores to meete him should be the lords , & he would offer it for a burnt offring , v. . ans. the words may more truly be read thus ; or i will offer it in sacrifice . and the meaning of the vowe was this : that thing which first meeteth me , if it be a thing to be sacrificed , i will sacrifice it : if not . i will dedicate it to the lord. for it seems to consist of two parts , wherof the latter is coupled to the former , by a discretiue coniunctiō , as the grāmarians speake . in this manner , the word is els where taken , so as it may either way be expounded . in the fourth commandement , exod. . . in our common translation it is read , thou and thy sonne , and thy daughter , but out of the ebrwe , it may be translated either and , or or . it will be said againe , that iephte rent his cloathes , because his daughter mette him , when he returned from the victorie . ans. that was in regard of her vowed virginitie : which was a curse among the iewes . and besides , he had but one daughter , and by this meanes of sacrif●ing her all hope of posteritie after him was cut off . but it seemes , that monasticall vowes of virginitie , by this example are lawfull . ans. indeed the custome of vowing virginitie beganne in those dayes , but they thought it not a state of perfection , but rather an estate of miserie , as may appeare , in that he rent his cloaths , when she mette him , and the daughters of israel went to comfort her , as being now in a woefull and miserable estate . vpon these reasons , i conclude , that iephte did not offer vp his daughter in sacrifice , but onely set her apart , to liue a single life , to the honour and seruice of god. and iephte might knowe euen by the light of nature , that it was a finne to vow h●… daughters death , and a double sinne to kill her . iv. question . whether monasticall , or monkish vowes binde or no ? to this the papists answer affirmatiuely , placing the greatest part of their religion , in practise and observance of these vowes . that we may know them the better , they are in number three . the first is , the vowe of continency , whereby a man renounceth mariage for euer , and voweth vnto god perpetuall virginitie . the second , of voluntarie povertie , which is , when a man giueth ouer all propertie of his goods , and bindes himselfe to liue by begging . the third is , of regular obedience , when a man resignes himselfe in conscience , to be ruled by another , and to keepe some deuised order , in all actions and duties pertaining to religion . now the question beeing , whether these vowes binde or no ? i answer in a word , they doe not , and that for these reasons . i. first , they are flat against the law of god , which i make manifest in the particulars . the vowe of perpetuall chastitie , is expressely against gods commandement . . cor. . . if they cannot abstaine , let them marry : for it is better to marrie then to burne . to this text the papists answer , three waies . first they say , that this place of scripture , is onely a diuine permission , and not a commandement : we reply againe directly , that it is a plaine commandement : for the intent of the holy ghost in that text , and in the whole chapter is , to ordaine a necessarie remedie for incontinencie , which paul calls burning , and for the auoiding of fornication , which brings destructiō to the soule . and for that purpose , he speaks not in permitting māner , but in imperatiue tearmes , let thē marry . secondly , they answer , that the words concerne onely incontinent persons , that commit fornication . we on the other side affirme , that they are not only giuen to them that liue incontinently , but to all persons , which are subiect to burning , which burning may be without incontinencie . for the better vnderstanding whereof , let it be considered , that there be three distinct degrees of lust in man. the first is , when the temptatiō is first receiued into the mind . the secōd , when the same temptation preuaileth , though with some resistāce & trouble of the minde & conscience , which also ( though no outward offence as yet follow ) is a degree of burning . the third is , whē the temptation so far preuaileth , that the heart & will are overcome , and the duties of religion for the time vtterly hindred : this is the highest and worst kind of burning . and if we consider these degrees well , it will easily appeare , that there may be burning without incontinent liuing . thirdly , they answere ; that this text speaketh not of persons that are free , but of those alone , who are bound from mariage by solemne vow : we contrariwise affirme and hold , that the words are generall , and plainly directed to all persons , bound by vowe or otherwise ; and that appeares by vers . ●… . where he saies , i speake not this to tangle you in a snare . these words doe shewe , that pauls mind was , touching the vow of perpetuall virginitie . for he leaues euery man according to gods ordinance , to his owne libertie , willing none by vowe to binde himselfe from the vse thereof . now for the vow of regular obedience , that also is against the word of god. . cor. . . ye are bought with a price , be not the seruants of men . where the apostle forbiddes vs , to subiect our hearts and consciences , to the lawes and ordinances of men , in matters of religion ; and consequently ouerthroweth the vowe of regular obedience . for in that a man bindes himselfe to be ruled ( in all things belonging to gods worship ) according to the will and pleasure of his superior , yea to eate , drinke , sleepe ; to be cloathed . &c. according to a certaine rule giuen and prescribed by him ; whereas in regard of conscience we are bound onely vnto god. lastly , the vowe of voluntarie pouertie , is also a plaine abuse of gods owne ordinance and appointment , deut. . . that there should be no begger in israel . but it may seeme , that this law is not perpetuall . for in the new testament we read , that there were beggers , as namely one , that was laide at the gate of the temple , daily to aske almes , act. . ans. this law neither was then , nor is now abrogated by god , but the obseruation of it ( at that time , and since ) was much neglected . and the neglect of prouision for the poore , is the cause of begging ; and the vowe of perpetuall pouertie , still remaines as a manifest breach of gods holy ordinance , notwithstanding any thing that may be pretended to the contrarie . ii. the second reason followes . monkish vowes , as they are against gods commandement , so are they also against the libertie of conscience , which we haue by christ touching the vse of the creatures , and ordinances of god : as riches , mariages , meates , drinkes , and apparell . stand fast , saith the apostle , in the libertie wherewith christ hath made you free , gal. . . againe , let no man iudge you in meat , or in drinke , or inrespect of an holy day , coloss. . . in these places , there is granted vnto man , a free vse of all things indifferent , so it be not in case of offence . now in monkish vowes , those things which god hath made indifferent , and put in our libertie , are made necessarie : whereas no ordinance of man , can make things simply necessarie , and parts of gods worship , which he himselfe hath made indifferent , and left free to the will of man. and hence it was that the forbidding of meates and mariage , were tearmed by the apostle , the doctrine of deuills , . tim. . . but ( will some say ) doth not the ciuill magistrate in our common-wealth , forbid the vse of some meates ? ans. he doth . but by his commandement he takes not away the libertie that we haue in the vse of things indifferent , but doth onely moderate it , for the common good , which he may doe lawfully . iii. the third reason . some of them are out of the power and abilitie of him that voweth ; as the vowe of perpetuall chastitie in single life . for our sauiour saith , all men cannot receiue this word , but they to whome it is giuen , matth. . . that is , continencie is a gift of god , whereof all men are not capable , but those onely to whome he giueth it , when , and as long as it pleaseth him ; neither is it denied vnto some , because they wil not , but because they are not able . against this , the papist obiecteth , that we may receiue any good gift of god , if we pray for it : for christ hath saide , aske , and ye shall receiue , matth. . . ans. it is false . gods gifts are of two sorts . some are common to all that beleeue , and necessarie to saluation ; as faith , repentance , obedience , the feare of god. some againe are speciall gifts , not giuen to all , nor needs full to saluation , but peculiar onely to some ; as health , wealth , continencie , single life , &c. now the promise of our sauiour , aske , and ye shall receiue , is meant of things necessarie to saluation , and not of particular and speciall gifts . for some may pray for them , and yet neuer receiue them . thus paul praied thrise , that the pricke in his flesh , the messenger of satan , might be remooued from him , yet he was not heard , nor his petition graunted . and why ? because that which he prayed for , was not a common gift necessarie to saluation , but a speciall grace , for the time of the temptation , wherewith he was presently assaulted ; whereupon answer was giuen , my grace is sufficient for thee . and hence we learne , in what manner , to aske things at the hands of god , when wee pray . such as are necessarie to saluation , we may aske absolutely and simply ; but things that are lesse necessarie , with this condition ; if it may stand with the good will and pleasure of god. againe , the papist alleadgeth an example of two married persons ; the one whereof beeing smitten by the hand of god with the dead palsie , the other must needes pray for the gift of continencie . ans. in this case a married partie may aske it , and by gods mercy obtaine it , because now there remains vnto him or her no other remedie . but it is not so with single persons , considering that they haue an other remedie , which is mariage : and therefore they may not looke , or hope to obtaine such a gift . thirdly , they say , god hath giuen to all men sufficient aide and strength , that if they will vse the meanes , they may haue the gift of chastitie . for sufficient grace is giuen to all , though not effectuall . ans. it is false : there is neither sufficient , nor effectuall grace giuen to all , to liue a single life ; but it is a rare and speciall gift giuen onely to some . paul to timothie , willeth younger women , not to indeauour to forbeare , when they haue not the gift , but in want thereof to marrie , . tim. . . where he takes it for graunted , that they had no such power giuen them of god , to liue in perpetuall chastitie , though they would . iv. the fourth reason . popish vowes doe abolish that order , which god hath set in the societie of mankinde , to wit , that men should not onely serue him in the duties of the first table , out in the duties of the second , by seruing of men , gal. . . by loue serue one another . againe , rom. . . loue is called the fulfilling of the law ; because the law of god is practised , not apart by it selfe , but in and with the loue of our neighbour . from this order it followeth , that euery man , beside the generall calling of a christian , must haue some particular kinde of life , in the which he must walke , and therein doe seruice to men : which if he refuse to doe , he must not eate , according to the apostles rule , . thess. . . now these vowes make a separation betweene these two : for they bring men into a generall calling , but they vtterly frustrate and make void the particular , and the duties of it ; so as a man keeping them , cannot be seruiceable to man , either in church or commonwealth . besides , by the vow of pouertie , the apostles rule is disanulled , . tim. . . which is , that if a man be able to maintaine himselfe , or haue any kinred able to doe it , he should not be chargeable to the church ; and so there might be sufficient almes to them that are truly poore . v. the fift reason . they bring in againe iudaisme : for iewish religion by gods appointment , stood in bodily rites , and outward ceremonies , actions , and gestures , yea in outward things , as garments , meats , drinks . and their rule was , touch not , tast not : from all which we are wholly freed by christ. vi. sixtly , these vowes are idolatrous and superstitious : for they are made and obserued with an opinion of gods worship , of merit , and of the state of perfection : whereas nothing can be made gods worship , but that which himselfe commandeth . and bodily exercises are vnprofitable , as paul saith , and therefore they can not be meritorious . and further , to dreame of a state of perfection beyond the law of god , is to make the law it selfe imperfect : whereas contrariwise , the law of the lord is perfect , righteous , and pure , psal. . , . vii . lastly , these vowes are against the preseruation of nature : for by them , specially that of perpetuall chastitie , men are brought to destroy euen their owne bodies and liues , which they are bound to preserue and maintaine . ephes. . . no man euer yet hated his owne flesh , but nourisheth and cherisheth it . the apostle , euen in his daies , noted it as a fault , in the voluntarie religion , that was then taken vp by some ; that for the maintenance thereof , they spared not their owne bodies , coloss. . . and like vnto that , is the practise of popish votaries , which tendeth to the ruine and ouerthrow of nature , and life it selfe . these be the reasons . in the next place , we are to consider the allegations that are commonly made , in the fauour and defence of popish vowes . and first it is obiected : in the old testament , vowes were a part of gods worship : therfore they are so to be holdē in the new. ans. there is great difference betweene them . for first , they had their warrant out of gods word ; these haue not so : nay there be expresse testimonies of scripture against these vowes . secondly , in their vowes , there was alwaies right reserued to superiours , to reuerse them , if they liked them not . but in monasticall vowes , all right is taken from superiours . for children are permitted to vow ; and their promises must stand against parents consent . and wiues ( according to popish doctrine ) may vow , against the expresse consent of their husbands . thirdly , they were not perpetuall , but ceased with the ceremoniall law. but these are supposed to haue a perpetuall equitie , that must continue till the ende of the world . secondly , they alleadge that which is written , matth. . . some haue made themselues chast for the kingdome of heauen . ans. the meaning of the text is not , that some haue vowed single life , but that there are some , who beeing assured that they haue the gift of continencie , vpon that gift , doe endeauour to maintaine their present estate , that so they may the better serue god , and aduance his kingdome , both in themselues and others . thirdly , they obiect , . tim. . . where paul speakes of certaine young women , which haue damnation , because they haue broken their first faith : that is , ( as they interpret it ) their vow of single life . ans. the words are not to be vnderstood , of the faith of the vowe ; but either of that faith and promise , which was made to god in their baptisme , or the faith and promise of seruice and releefe to be performed to the poore ; and for the breach of either of these , they may be said to incurre damnation . fourthly , they say , christ himselfe was a begger , and therefore why may not we also be beggers ? ans. though christ was poore , yet was he no begger . for he kept a familie , and had a treasure . iudas was the steward of his familie , and bare the bagge , ioh. . . againe , there is mention made of pence , ioh. . . which in likelihood was in the bagg that iudas kept : yea , of the money which he had , the disciples are saide to buie meate , ioh. . . and though it were graunted , that christ was a begger , yet it followes not , that we should be so . for his pouertie was expiatorie , and part of his sufferings . so saith the apostle , he beeing rich , for our sakes became poore , that we through his pouertie might be made rich , . cor. . . fiftly , they alledge , that the disciples forsooke all , and liued in pouertie ; and their example is propounded for our imitation . ans. they forsooke all indeede , yet how ? not for euer , but for a time ; and that not by vowe , but onely in affection and disposition of their hearts . for after they had forsaken all , we read , that they came to their nets and boates againe , ioh. . . againe , the apostle paul speakes of himselfe and the rest , when he saith , haue we not power to lead about a wife beeing a sister ? . cor. . . by which it is plaine , that they put not away their wiues . sixtly , mat. . . if thou wilt be perfite ( saith christ to the young man ) goe , sell all that thou hast , and giue to the poore , and thou shalt haue treasure in heauen , and come and followe me . here ( saith the papist ) our sauiour prescribes perpetuall pouertie , by expresse counsell . ans. the words are no counsell , but a speciall commandement of triall , directed to this yoūg man. and the ende of it was , to discouer vnto him , his secret pride , and hypocrisie , in that he boasted , that he had kept all the commandements , when as indeed he knew not what they meant . lastly , they obiect the example of the recabites , who according to the commandement of their father ion adab , would drinke no wine , nor dwell in houses , nor build , nor plant , nor sowe , ierem. . and the lord approoueth their practise . ans. they did obey their fathers command in these things , as beeing things indifferent , but not as parts of gods worshippe in the doing where of they placed religion . and they obeyed it carefully , for this ende , that they might inure themselues vnto hardshippe . secondly , this their obedience , touching these things , stood not by any vowe , much lesse was it perpetuall . for then they should haue obserued all the things which they vowed , equally , which they did not ; for they dispensed with their fathers voluntarie iniunction for dwelling in tents ; and as we read vers . . they came vp , for feare of the chaldeans , that were in the land , and dwelt at ierusalem . and so much touching popish vowes , whereof to conclude , this may be said ; that they are all , but a meere will-worship , standing vpon no ground or warrant of gods word , and therefore of no force , to bind the consciences of men , but are to be holden , as they are in truth , wicked and abhominable . chap. xv. of fasting . the eight head of the outward worship of god , is fasting . by fasting i vnderstand , the religious fast , which is ioyned with the duties of religion ; and namely , the exercises of praier and humiliation . touching it , there are three principall questions to be handled in their order . i. question . what is a religious fast ? ans. it is a voluntary and extraordinary abstinence , taken vp for a religious end ; what this end is , we shall see afterward . first , i call it voluntarie , because the time , and particular manner of fasting , is not imposed , or determined , but left free to our owne liberty . againe , i tearme it extraordinary , to distinguish it from ordinary fasting ; which stands in the practise of temperance and sobrietie ; whereby the appetite is restrained , in the vse of meates and drinkes , that it doe not exceede moderation . now this kinde of fast is to be vsed of all christians , at all times ; whereas the extraordinarie is not dayly and ordinarily to be practised , but vpon speciall occasions , and at speciall times , in as much , as it is a more strait and severe abstinence then the other . ii. question . how a religious fast is to be obserued ? ans. for the obseruation of it , three things are required . i. a iust and weightie cause . ii. a right manner . iii. right ends . sect. . fasting is then to be vsed , when a iust and weightie cause or occasion therof is offered . there be two iust causes of a fast . the first is , when some iudgement of god hangs over our heads , whether it be publicke , as famine , pestilence , the sword , destruction , &c. or priuate . the prophet ioel in the name of the lord , calls the iewes to a strait and solemne fast ; and that vpon this iust occasion , because the lord had sent a great dearth vpon the land , ioel . , , &c. hester and her companie fasted , when shee had heard newes of the intended destruction of the iewes , ester . . . the people of nineueh , which were not iewes , but forreiners in regard of the couenant , when the prophet came , and denounced destruction vnto them for their sinnes , they gaue themselues generally to fasting and praier . ion. . . . the second cause of fasting is , when we are to sue , & seeke by prayer to god , for some speciall blessing , or for the supply of some great want . thus , when daniel desired to obtaine the deliuerance of the children of israel , out of captiuitie in babylon , he gaue himselfe to fasting , dan. . . thus , christ fasted , and spent the whole night in prayer vnto god , before he chose his twelue apostles , luk. . . and in like manner , paul and silas when they were to found and plant churches , vsed praier and fasting , act. . . because in these matters of so great importance , they looked for special direction from god himselfe . lastly , anna , that shee might be more feruent in praier , fasted night and day in the temple , luc. . . sect. . the second point , is the right manner of fasting , which stands in three things . the frist is , abstinence from meate and drinke : for therein consisteth the very nature of a fast ; and if that be wanting , it is no fast at all . thus ester commanding the iewes to fast for her , biddes them neither eate nor drinke for three daies , ester . . . the second is , an abstinence from all delights , which may any way cheare and refresh nature . in this sort daniel fasted three whole weekes of daies , abstaining from all pleasant bread , flesh , wine , and ointments , dan. . . so when dauid fasted , it is saide that he lay all the night vpon the earth , that he neither washed , nor annointed himselfe , nor changed his apparell , . sam. . , . in the solemne fast of the iewes , the bridegrome and bride must come out of their chambers , ioe . . , . by these places it is manifest , that in a true fast , there is required , not onely abstinence from meate and drinke , but from all delights , recreations , & other things that might refresh the nature of man. by this the popish fasting is iustly reprooued ; wherein , though men are inioyned to abstaine from flesh , yet there is giuen libertie to vse other delicates . the third thing in the manner of a fast , is , so farre forth to abstaine from meate , and other delights , as the bodie may be thereby afflicted . ezra proclaimes a fast , and he giues a reason thereof , that himselfe and the people might afflict themselues , ezra . . this afflicting of a mans selfe ; is expoūded by paul , . cor. . . where he saith , i beate downe my bodie , and bring it in subiection . now , though we must humble and afflict our bodies by fasting , yet we ought not to weaken , abolish , or destroy nature ; or doe that whereby the strength of nature may be taken away . for such afflicting is forbidden , coloss. . . and contrariwise , we are commanded by christ , to pray for daily bread , that is , such food as is fitte to sustaine our substances ; and therefore we may by such exercises , ouerthrow the same . yet for the better vnderstanding of the manner of fasting , three questions are to be answered . i. question . how long the fast must continue ? ans. the beginning and ende of a fast , is left vnto our libertie . but it is so long to be kept , as the principall actions of the fast , that is , humiliation and prayer , doe continue , and though the beginning and ende thereof be free to vs , yet it is most meete & conuenient , that solemne fasts should beginne in the morning , and last till the euening . this was the vsuall custome of the church in the old testament . ii. question . whether in the day of a solemne fast , a man may eate any thing or no ? and if he may , what ? and how often ? ans. we may eate , and that ( if neede require ) once or twise . yet here we must take with vs two caueats . first , concerning the quantitie of our meate ; it must be lesse then ordinarie , and onely that which is necessarie to proserue nature , and no more : for if it be otherwise , we abolish our fast . secondly , concerning the qualitie of that we eate ; it must not be daintie and pleasant , but the meanest food , and such as hath least delightsomnes and delicacie in it . thus daniel fasted for three weekes of daies , from morning to euening : in which time he ate but a small quantitie of meate , and that which was none of the daintiest , dan. . . these caueats obserued , a man may lawfully take some sustenance , euen in the time of a solemne fast . for there is no kinde of meate but may then be eaten , quantitie and qualitie beeing obserued . in the old testament , no cleane beast was forbidden to be eaten , in the day of a fast . and in the new , to the pure , saith paul , tit. . . all things are pure . and the kingdome of god , stands not in meates and drinkes , but in righteousnesse , peace , and ioy in the holy ghost , rom. . iii. quest. whether all persons , are bound to keepe the forme prescribed , in the day of the solemne fast ? ans. all that are able , and can abstaine , are bound . yet because gods worshippe stands not in eating or not eating , some persons are here exempted . first , all those that are weake , as children , aged persons , and those that are sickely . secondly , they that , by reason of the constitution of their bodies , doe find themselues vnfit to pray , and heare the word cheerefully , when their stomacks are emptie . these persons may eate in the day of a solemne fast , so that they obserue the caueats before remembred . it is not with vs in these countries , as it was with the iews : they could fast one , two , or three daies together , without any inconvenience ; we cannot doe the like . and the reason is plaine . men that liue in those hotte countries , haue colde stomackes , and so may fast the longer ; but in colder climates , such as ours is , in respect of theirs ; men beeing of hotter stomackes , are not able to continue fasting so long as they . sect. . the third point is , concerning the right endes of a religious fast ; and they are foure . the first is , to subdue the flesh , that is , to bring the body , and so the bodily lusts into subiection to the will and word of god. by eating and drinking , the body is made heauie , the heart oppressed , the senses dull ; and the whole man vnfit for the duties of humiliation , praier , and hearing of the word , luk. . . that therfore this vnfitnesse may be taken away , not onely the body it selfe , but the vnruely lusts of the flesh are to be mortified and subdued , by this exercise of fasting . the second end is , to stirre vp our deuotion , and to confirme the attention of our mindes in hearing and in praier . to this purpose , in the scripture , fasting and prayer are for the most part , if not alwaies , ioyned togither ; because , when the stomacke is full , the body and minde are lesse able , to doe any good dutie ; and contrariwise , when abstinence is vsed , the heart is lighter , the affections in better order , the whole man more quicke and liuely in the seruice of god. for this very cause anna is saide , to worshippe god night and day with fasting and praier , luk. . . and the intent of the holy ghost there , is to commend her for the feruencie of her praier , which shee testified in that by such exercises , shee stirred vp and increased the attention of her minde . the third ende is , to testifie the humilitie and contrition of our hearts , that is to say , our inward sorrow and griefe for sinne , and our repentance and effectuall turning vnto god. without this ende , the fast is but a vaine ceremonie . and therefore the prophet ioel calls vpon the people , to turne vnto the lord with all their hearts , with fasting , weeping , and mourning ; to rent their hearts and not their garments , &c. ioel . , . the prophet esay in like manner , reprooveth the iewes , because when they fasted , they would afflict their soules for a day , and how downe their heads as a bu●rush , and lie downe in sackcloath and ashes : but made no conscience to turne from their euill waies . esay . . , . therefore their outward humiliation was but hypocrisie . the fourth end of a fast , is to admonish vs of our guiltines before the lord , and to put vs in mind of the acknowledgement of our sinnes , wherby we become vnworthy of any blessing , gift , or mercie ; yea vnworthy to goe vpon the ground , to breath in the aire , to eate , drinke , sleepe , or inioy any other benefit . in a word , that we haue deserued by our sinnes all the plagues and punishments threatued in the law against sinners . the malefactor in the day of assises , cannot giue greater testimonie of the true confession of his guiltines , then by comming before the iudge , with the rope about his neck ; neither can we bring a more notable signe , of our true humiliation before god , then by comming before him , in the day of the solemne fast , with open confession and proclamation of our guiltinesse , both of sinne and punishment . hence it was , that in the fast of nineueh , not onely men but euen the beasts were forbidden to feede or drinke water ; for this very end , that the niuevites might acknowledge their sinnes to be so great , and heinous in the sight of god , that in regard therof , not onely the reasonable creatures themselues , but also the beasts of the field , for their sakes , were vnworthy of life and nourishment . iii. question . whether popish fasts be lawfull , and approoued of god ? ans. they are wicked , and therefore neither approoued of god , nor to be obserued by man ; and that for three speciall causes . first , the patrons & maintainers of them , doe appoint set times of fasting , which are , necessarily to be kept , vpon paine of mortall sinne . and abstinence from flesh ( with them ) is made a matter of conscience . now to prescribe set times necessarily to be obserued , is contrarie to that libertie , which the church of god and the gouernours thereof haue for this purpose , onely vpon speciall occasion . when the question was mooued to our saviour , by iohns disciples , why they and the pharises fasted often , whereas his fasted not ; answer was giuen in this manner , can the children of the marriage chamber mourne , as long as the bridegrome is with them ? but the daies will come , when the bridegrome shall be taken away from them , and then shall they fast , mat. . . from whence we may gather , that times of fasting must be , according to the times of mourning . for christ giues them to vnderstand , that they were to fast , as occasions of mourning were offered . as therefore , there can be appointed no set time for mourning , no more can there be enioyned a set time for fasting ; but must be left to the libertie of the church , to be prescribed , as god shall giue occasion . againe , the apostle reprooueth the church of galatia , for obseruing set daies , and moneths , & times , and yeares , in way of religion . gal. . . montanus the hereticke is thought ( in ecclesiasticall stories ) to haue beene the first , that made lawes for set-fasting . and the churches of god in ancienter times , fasted of their own accords freely , not inforced by law or commandement , but as time and occasion serued . it is alleadged , that this doctrine seemes to chalenge the church of england of heresie : for it appointeth and obserueth set times of fast . ans. nothing lesse . for our church inioyneth and approoueth these times , not vpō necessity , or for religions sake , but for ciuill and politicke respects : whereas the romish church , holds it a mortal sinne , to put off a set fast appointed , so much as till the next day following . the second reason . they of the church of rome make a distinction of meates . for they wholly forbid flesh to be eaten vpon daies of fast , and allow whit-meates onely then to be vsed ; and that of necessitie . now this difference of meates is partly impious , partly absurd and foolish . impious it is , because they make it for religions sake . for since the cōming of christ , there is a libertie giuen to all men whatsoeuer , to eate of all kindes of meates , without any distinction : commanding abstinence frō nothing , which god hath created , to be receiued with thanksgiuing . it is true indeede , we hold a difference betweene meate and meate , but how ? not in way of religion , but in regard of temperance & health , for ciuill and politike vses , and respects . as for the other , we rest vpon the word of god , & hold it with paul , a doctrine of deuills , to command forbearance of meates , in regard of conscience , . tim. . . but to this place of paul , they giue answer , and say , that it is spoken of heretikes , such as the manichees , & novatiās &c. were , that held meats in their own nature vnclean . we on the other side reply , and say , that this text condemnes those that make meates any way vncleane . and that the papists doe put this difference , in way of religion , and conscience ; as appeareth by their strait prohibitions of flesh as vncleane , and that for conscience sake . and this text they shall neuer be able to shift off : for it plainely condemneth any such distinction ; seeing to the pure , all things are pure ; and euery creature of god is good , and nothing to be refused , so it be receiued with thanksgiuing , . tim. . . furthermore , this difference of meates is also foolish . for first , the light of nature and common sense teacheth , that in such meates , as they permit , there is as much delicacie , pleasure , and contentment , yea as much ( if not more ) strength : for example : in some fish , fruits , and wines , as is in flesh by them forbidden . yea s. paul ascribes flesh vnto fishes , . cor. . . there is one flesh of men , an other of beasts , an other of fishes , &c. secondly , i call it foolish , because in their set fasts they forbid flesh , but permit diuers wines , and the daintiest iuncates that the apothecaries shoppe can affoarde : whereas in a solemne fast , all meates , drinks , and all other delights , of what kinde and nature soeuer , are to be forborne . for this was the practise of the church in former times , to forbeare not onely ordinarie foode , but soft apparell , sweete oyntments , and whatsoeuer it was , that serued to refresh and cheare the heart , as hath beene shewed . the third reason . the church of rome giueth to their fastings , false and erroneous endes ; as namely , to merit something at the hands of god thereby , to satisfie his iustice for sinne , and to be true and proper parts of his worship . and that these are false and erronious , i prooue by these reasons . first , they do wholly frustrate the death of christ , which is the onely thing in the world appointed by god , to be meritorious and satisfactorie . secondly , fasting of it selfe , is a thing indifferent , neither good nor euill . for though it be referred to a religious end , which is the humbling of the soule ; yet it is not good in it selfe , but onely in regard of the end . neither is it any part of gods worshippe , beeing so referred ; but only a proppe and furtherance , seruing ( in the right vse thereof ) to make a man more fit for the duties of gods seruice . thirdly , these ends if they be well considered , cannot be the true ends of fasting , as will appeare by this example . a begger at our doores , entreats an almes , we giue it , and he receiues it . but will any man say , that by begging he doth merit or deserue his almes ? in like manner we are all beggers , that haue nothing of our owne , neither food nor raiment , nor any other blessing we doe inioy , but all we haue , commeth vnto vs onely from god. well , vpon iust occasion we giue our selues to fasting , we pray earnestly vnto him for mercie , in the pardon of our sinnes . in this case , is it not great madnesse to thinke , that we by begging mercie can merit mercie at the hands of god ? but praier ( saith the papist ) as it is praier , merits nothing , but as it is a good worke . ans. praier as it is a good worke , is no other then begging ; and then it is vnpossible , that it should be meritorious , vnlesse it be granted , that begging is meritorious , which cannot be . these reasons considered , i conclude , that popish fasts , which stand in force among them at this day , are wicked and damnable , and consequently to be abolished , if it were no more , but for the blasphemous ends , which they make of them . and thus much touching this point of fasting , as also concerning the other heades of gods outward worship . chap. xvi . of the sabboth day . the fourth maine question touching man , as he stands in relation to god , is concerning the time of gods worship . wherein certaine particular questions are to be resolued touching the sabboth day . the first , and most principall of all the rest is this . whether it be in the libertie of the church of god vpon earth , to alter the sabboth day from the seuenth day , to any other ? in answering to this question i will not resolutely determine , but onely propound that which i thinke is most probable . first therfore , i answer negatiuely . that it is not in the churches libertie , to alter the sabboth , from the seuenth day . the reasons are these . i. reason . the substance of the fourth commandement is vnalterable . now the sanctifying of a rest vpon the seventh day , is the substance of the fourth cōmandement . therfore the sanctifying of the rest of the seuenth day , is vnalterable in regard of any creature . that the truth of this reason may appeare two things are to be considered . first , what is changeable and temporarie in the sabboth : and then , what is morall and perpetuall . sect. . the things which are temporarie and ceremoniall in the sabboth day , are these . i. that rigorous and precise rest , prescribed to the iewes , which stoode in the strait obseruation of three things . first , the iewe might not on the saboth goe forth , or take a iourney any whether , for any matter or busines of his owne . for of this , there was a speciall commandement giuen , exod. . . tarry euery man in his place : let no man goe out of his place the seuenth day , namely , to doe any worke , or busines of his owne whatsoeuer . secondly , the iewe might not kindle a fire vpon the sabboth day . for so saith the lord by moses , ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations ; &c. exod. . . it will be then said , how did they for meate and fire in winter ? ans. they prepared and dressed their meat the day before : as they were commanded , exod. . . and for fires in winter , if they had any vpon the sabboth , it was necessarie ( as i suppose ) that as they drest their meate the day before , so they should then beginne their fire also , which beeing then begunne , might be preserued on the sabboth . thirdly , the iewe might not carrie a burden . this the lord did expressely forbidde them by the prophet ieremie , thus saith the lord , carrie no burdens vpon the sabboth day , neither bring them in by the gates of ierusalem , &c. ier. . . and nehemiah charged the men of iudah , with the prophanation of the sabboth in that kinde , neh. . , , . in these three particulars , stood the strict obseruation of the iewish rest ; which is altogether temporarie , and doth not concerne the times of the new testament ; because it was onely typicall , the sabboth beeing ( in regard of that manner of rest ) a figure of the most strict spirituall rest from all sinne , in thought , word , and deede , required of cuery true beleeuer . ii. againe , in the sabboth this was ceremoniall and temporarie , that it was a speciall signe betweene god and his people , of the blessings that were propounded & promised in the couenant , exod. . . and these were principally two . first , it was a signe of their sanctification , to teach them , that as the lord had set apart a day of rest , so he did and would sanctifie the obseruers thereof vnto himselfe , by forgiuing their sinnes , and receiuing them into his fauour , in and by the messias to come . secondly , it was ordained by god , to figure and signifie the euerlasting rest of gods children , in the kingdome of heauen . of this the prophet esay speakes , when he saith , that from moneth to moneth , and from sabboth to sabboth , all flesh shall come to worship before god , esa. . . and the author to the hebrewes , there remaineth therefore a sabbatisme , or rest to the people of god , heb. . . iii. furthermore , this was temporarie in the sabboth , that it was to be obserued vpon a set day , namely , the seauenth from the creation , and that with set rites and ceremonies . so saith moses , the seauenth day is the sabboth , deut. . . againe , on the sabboth day , ye shall offer two lambes of a yeare old , without spot , and two tenth deales of fine flower , for a meate offering mingled with oyle , and the drinke offering thereof : and the burnt offering of euery sabboth , beside the continuall burnt offering , and the drinke offering thereof , numb . . , . iv. this also was ceremoniall , that it was to be obserued , in remembrance of their deliuerance out of egypt remember that thou wast a seruant in the land of egypt , and the lord thy god brought thee out thence , by a mightie hand and stretched out arme : therefore the lord thy god commanded thee to obserue the sabboth day , deut. . . sect. . now , as there were some things temporarie and ceremoniall in the sabboth : so there are some things in it perpetuall & morall , and those i take it are three especially . first , that there should be a day of rest , in which man and beast might be refreshed after labour . secondly , that this day should be sanctified ; that is , set apart to the worship of god. these two first , are therefore morall , because they are expressely mentioned in the commandement touching the sabboth . thirdly , that a seauenth day should be sanctified to an holy rest , and that this holy rest should be obserued in a seauenth day . i say not , in this or that seauenth day , but in one of the seauen . now that this also is morall , it appeares by these reasons . first , the sabboth of the seauenth day , was instituted and appointed by god in paradise , before the fall of man , and the reuealing of christ ; yea euen then , when there was one condition of all men . this is plainly set downe in gen. . as also in the fourth commandement . and vpon this ground it is manifest , that a sabboth of a seauenth day cannot be a ceremonie simply , considering the ordination thereof was in time long before all ceremonies . if it be obiected , that it was made a ceremonie afterward . i answer , that the reason is naught . for matrimonie was ordained in paradise , and afterward made ceremoniall , to signifie the spirituall vnion betweene christ and his church , and yet matrimonie is perpetuall : and so is a sabboth of a seauenth day . if it be againe alleadged , that god did then keepe a seuenth day in his owne person , and afterward inioyned it to man by his commandement . i answer , that the institution of the sabboth in paradise consisted of two parts , blessing , and sanctification : and the meaning of the holy ghost is , that god did both blesse it in regard of himselfe , because he kept it in his owne person , and hallowed it also in regard of man , by commanding it to be sanctified and kept in performance of holy duties . secondly , the reasons of the fourth commandement are generall , and the equitie of them is perpetuall , and they haue this ende , to vrge the rest of a seauenth day . let them be considered in particular . the first , in these wordes , sixe daies shalt thou labour . which some take to be a permission : as if god should haue said thus ; if i permit thee sixe , thou shalt allow me a seauenth . but they may be also taken for a commandement , inioyning labour in the sixe daies ; first , because they are propounded in cōmanding termes ; secondly , because they are an exposition of the curse laid vpon adam , thou shalt eate thy bread in the sweat of thy face , namely , in the sixe daies : and thirdly , because idlenes , the spoile of mankind , is there forbidden . this beeing so , there must needes be a seauenth day , not onely of rest , to ease them that labour in the sixe daies , but also of an holy rest , that god might be worshipped in it . the second reason is taken from gods example : for in sixe daies , the lord made heauen and earth , &c. that which the lord himselfe hath done in person ; the same must man doe by his commandement . but the lord himselfe in sixe daies laboured , and rested the seauenth . therefore man must doe the same . this reason made by god to the creature , must stand in force , till he reuerse it , which yet he hath not done , nor doth . if then these reasons doe not onely inforce a rest , and an holy rest but a rest on the seauenth day ; then this lest on the seauenth day , is a part of the fourth commandement : and consequently the church can not alter it from the sabboth day , because they can not alter the substance of that commandement which is eternall . ii. reason . the sabboth day in the new testament , ( in all likelihood ) is tied to that , which we call the lords day , and that ( as i take it ) by christ himselfe . the reasons thereof are these . i. the sabboth day of the new testament , is called the lord daie , apoc. . . now i suppose , ( for in these points still wee must goe by likelyhoods ) its called the lords day , as the last supper of christ , is called the lords supper , for two causes . first , as god rested the seauenth day after the creation , so christ hauing ended the worke of the new creation , rested on this day from his worke of redemption . secondly , as christ did substitute the last supper in roome of the passeouer , so he substituted the first day of the weeke in roome of the iewes sabboth , to be a day set apart to his owne worship . ii. the church of corinth everie first day of the weeke , made a collection for the poore , as we may read , . cor. . . and this collection for the poore in the primitiue church followed the preaching of the word , praier , and the sacraments , as a fruite therof , act. . . for these be sabboth exercises , that went alwaies together in the apostolicall church . but it will be saide , that collecting for the saints , is a matter of indifferencie , and may be done vpon any day , as well as vpon the sabboth . to this i answer , that paul cōmands the corinths to doe it , as he had ordained it in the church of galatia : whereby he makes it to be an apostolicall , and therefore a diuine ordinance . yea , that very text doth in some part manifest thus much , that it is an ordinance and institution of christ , that the first day of the weeke should be the lords daie . for paul commaundeth nothing , but what he had from christ. iii. christ and his apostles , kept the first day of the weeke as the sabboth . for christ rose againe , the first day of the weeke , and appeared to his disciples , ioh. . . and eight daies after , he appeared againe to thomas , ver . . which was the next first day of the weeke . and this hath beene the opinion of sundrie ancient diuines . a cyrill vpon iohn , saies , that this eight day was without doubt the lordes daie , and so ought to be kept , because it is likely christ himselfe kept it holy . and the same is affirmed and taught by b augustine and c chrysostome . again , the apostles also kept it . for when the holy ghost descended vpon them , they were againe assembled vpon this day , act. . v. . which i prooue thus . the day of pentecost was the first day of the weeke ; for the iewes were commanded to bring a sheafe of their first fruits , the morrow after the sabboth in the passeouer , levit. . . &c. and betwixt that and pentecost , they were to reckon fiftie daies . hence it followeth , that the day of christs resurrection , falling the morrow after the iewes sabboth , which is the first daie of the weeke ; pentecost must needes fall on that day : and therefore the apostles met that same day , and not they onely , but also the whole church gathered themselues together , and celebrated this day with preaching of the word , and administration of the sacraments , act. . . and according to this institution of christ , and the examples of his apostles , hath beene the constant practise of the church , from their times vntill now . iv. that which was prefigured , in that it was prefigured was prescribed : but the lords day was prefigured in the eight day , wherein the children of the iewes were circumcised : therefore it was prescribed to be kept the eight day . thus the ancient fathers , by name cyprian and augustine haue reasoned and taught . againe , the day of christs resurrection was prefigured by that day , wherein the stone which the builders refused , was made the head of the corner , psalm . . v. . and in that it was prefigured it was appointed by god. for then it appeared to be true which peter saith of christ , that god had made him both lord and christ , act. . . and the same may be said of the sabboth of the new testament , that it was in the figure preordained , and therefore limited and determined by our sauiour christ vnto the lords day . other reasons might be added , but they are onely coniectures : these be the principall . iii. reason . god is lord of times and seasons , and therefore in all equitie , the altering and disposing therof is in his hands , and belongs to him alone . act. . . times & seasons the father hath kept in his owne hand . againe , christ is called the lord of the sabboth . and autiochus epiphanes is condemned by the holy ghost , because he tooke vpon him to alter times . dan. . . besides that , daniel saith , that it is god alone that changeth times and seasons , dan. . . now if it be proper vnto god , as to create , so to determine and dispose of times , then he hath not left the same to the power of any creature . and therfore as the knowledge thereof , so the appointment , and alteration of the same , either in generall or particular , belongs not to the church , but is reserued to him . the church then , neither may nor can alter the sabboth day . and this is the first part of the answer . sect. . the second is this , if the church had libertie to alter the sabboth , then this alteration must be made within the compasse of the weeke , to the sixt , or fift , or fourth , or second , or third , or first daie , and not to the eight , or ninth , or tenth daies without the compasse of the weeke . the reason is plaine . the church of the new testament , hath more knowledge and more grace , then the people of the old testament had ; and in that regard , ought to haue more zeale , and greater alacritie in the worship of god then they had , that it may exceede the iewes according to the measure of grace receiued . and thus , the first and principall question touching the sabboth , is answered and resolued . sect. . now , before i come to the next , let vs in the meane while see and examine the reasons , that are brought against the answer presently made . first therefore it is alleadged , that in the new testament there is no difference of daies . for if we haue or make difference of daies , we are in truth no better then iewes . that there is no distinction of daies , they prooue out of two places . the first is , col. . . where the apostle saies , let no man condemne you in respect of an holy day , or of the new moone , or of the sabboth day . the second , gal. . . where the same apostle reprooues the galatians , for obseruing daies , and moneths , and times , and yeares . to this i answere , that both the places speake of the feasts of the iewes , and of difference of daies , that stands in force by the iewish ceremoniall law . paul to the colossians , warnes them to giue no occasision to others , whereby they might iustly condemne them , for obseruing of daies in superstitious manner , vpon opinion of holines and necessitie , as if mens consciences were bound to such obseruation . and he reprooues the galatians , for obseruing daies ( as it is likely they did ) not onely in the iewish , but also in the heathenish manner . to which purpose paul saith , v. . he is afraid of them . his meaning was , because they placing their saluation ( in part ) in their iewish obseruation of daies , after they had beene informed touching their libertie in christ , did thereby mixe the gospel with the law : and therefore he feared , least by that meanes christ should become vnto them vnprofitable , and so his preaching to small or no purpose . againe , they alleadge , rom. . . where paul saith , one man esteemes one day better then an other , and an other man counteth euery day alike . in which words the apostle blameth not them , which thinke all daies as one . ans. in the new testament , all daies be as one , in regard of the aptnes thereof to the worship of god : and yet there may be a difference of daies in regard of order : and this paul no where condemneth . that we may the better conceiue this distinction , we must consider a difference betweene the iewes sabboth and ours , which is this ; that the iewes sabboth was both the time of the worship of god , and also a part of his worship . but the sabboth of the new testament , though it be a necessarie time of gods worship , yet it is not a part thereof . if it be said , that it is commanded , therfore 〈◊〉 must needs be a part of gods worship : i answer : it is commanded , not as gods worship for substance , but in respect of the duties of the worship , that are to be kept and performed in it . and hence it is manifest , that in regard of gods worship , there is no difference of daies in the new testament , but in regard of order . thirdly , they obiect , that paul kept the iewes sabboth , as well as the lords day . for he and barnabas came to antiochia , and went into the synagogue on the sabboth day , act. . . and againe , he and timothie conuerted lydia vpon the same day . act. . . ans. the apostle did this vpon very good ground , not because he held the obseruation of it as necessarie as the other ; but in regard of the weaknes of the gentiles and iewes newly called . for the church that consisted of such persons in those daies , was not yet fully perswaded and resolued of the abrogation of th●●e wish sabboth : and therfore , for the time , he yeelded to their weaknes , and obserued it as well as the other . but afterward , when they were confirmed in that point , he forbare that libertie , & taught the full abolishment both of it , and other ceremonies . fourthly , act. . , . paul is said to come to corinth to aquila and priscilla , and to worke with them in their trade of tent-making : and further , it is said , that he disputed in the synagogue euery sabboth day , that is , on the iewes sabboths , and exherted the iewes and grecians : hence it is gathered by some , that paul did onely keepe the sabboth of the iewes , and that both on the lords day , and on the weeke daies , he wrought with aquila and priscilla . ans. first , we must remember this rule , that charitie and necessitie , doe dispense with the sabboth , and with ceremonies . if a towne should be on fire , or if a citie or countrey should be presently assaulted by the enemie , in the time of the word preached , on the sabboth day ; the preaching of the word , in these cases , must cease for a time , till by conuenient helpe the fire be quenched , and the enemie be taken or driuen backe . now whereas paul in the ordinarie daies of the weeke made tents , and on the seauenth too , not obseruing it , but the iewes sabboth ; we must know , that he did it vpon necessitie , for the saluation of the iewes . for priscilla and aquila were iewes vnconuerted , and christ was not yet reuealed vnto them . and if paul had but once named christ , he could haue done no good among them . yet afterward , when he saw better opportunitie , at the comming of silas and timotheus from macedonia , then he could no longer containe himselfe , but burned in the spirit , and testified to the iewes , that iesus was the christ , vers . . now if there was cause why he did not speake of christ for the time , then was there cause also why he did not make profession of a sabboth . secondly i answer , though paul did not then openly sanctifie the sabboth ; yet it is to be supposed , that he kept it priuately by himselfe , reseruing some speciall time for that purpose : and the contrarie cannot be shewed . the second question touching the sabboth . how the sabboth of the new testament is to be obserued ? ans. in obseruing a sabboth of the new testament , there are two things required ; a rest , and a sanctification of the same rest to an holy vse . this answer is made out of the very substance of the fourth commandement , which is morall , and hath nothing ceremoniall in it . and the fourth commandement ( for substance ) consists in a ceasing frō labour , and a holy dedication of our rest to holy vse , that is , to the worship and seruice of god. sect. . now touching the first point , the rest of the sabboth ; there are three seuerall opinions , whereof two are contrarie , and the third is a meane betweene both . the first opinion is , that we are bound as strictly to keepe the outward rest of the lords day , as the iewes were to keepe the sabboth : and sundrie men are of this minde . but i take it , this opinion is not warrantable . for ( as we said before ) the iewish manner of keeping the sabboth in straitnes , is a ceremonie . and if we be bound to keepe it as straitly as the iewes did , then iudaisme must still remaine , and the ceremoniall law ( at least in some part ) must still be in force . but in fauour of this opinion , it is alleadged . first , that the fourth commandement is a law , giuen as well to christiās as to iewes , and therefore it binds both alike . ans. the fourth commandement bindeth christians to keepe a seauenth day for the sabboth , both in respect of rest , as also in regard of sanctification thereof ; but that it bindeth them to the same strait manner of keeping the rest , as it did the iewes , we vtterly denie . secondly , that the reasons vsed to inforc ▪ the commandement , doe equally binde all : therefore the commandement it selfe . ans. it is true for the dutie commanded , but not for the manner of performance . againe , the reason alleadged doth not follow : for sometimes the holy ghost vseth a reason that is perpetuall , to inforce a ceremonie . that levi should haue no part , nor inheritance amōg his brethren , was a ceremonie commanded by god ; and yet the lord inforceth it , with a reason that was perpetuall , namely , because himselfe was the part and inheritance of levi , among the children of israel , numb . . . thirdly , that the sabboth is a signe ( to beleeuers in the new testament ) that god is their god , and they his people ; and the same it was to the iewes : therefore the bond is as strict to the one , as to the other . ans. . beleeuers vnder the gospel , haue two onely signes of the couenant , baptisme and the lords supper , and no more . . the scripture restraineth the sabboth , as a signe , onely to the iewes . it is a signe betweene me and you in your generations , exod. . . againe , v. . the children of israel shall keepe the sabboth — for an euerlasting couenant . . the sabboth was not a signe in the first institution in paradise . for the couenant of grace was made after the fall of man , and the signe thereof must needes be appointed after it : considering that before the fall , ceremonies signifying sanctification had no place . and this is the first opinion . the second opinion touching the rest of the sabboth , is flat contrarie to the former ; namely , that on the sabboth day , ( after the publike worship of god is ended , and the congregation dissolued , ) men haue libertie either to giue themselues to labour , or to honest pleasures and recreations . this opinion doth quite abolish one of the commandements of the decalogue . for it presupposeth all daies to be alike , this onely prouided , that the publike worship of god be solemnly kept . now this may be done in any day of the weeke ; and there will be no neede of appointing a set time for gods seruice , if all daies be equall , without any difference or distinctiō . but the fourth cōmandement ( for substance ) is eternall , and requireth ( vpon paine of the curse ) both rest from labour , and a setting apart of the same rest , to the duties of holines & religion . and if it command abstinence from ordinarie abour , then much more from pleasures and recreations . the third and last opinion , holdes the meane betweene the two former extremities , and that i take to be the best and safest . the substance hereof consists of these two conclusions . . that vpon the sabboth day of the new testament , men are to rest from the ordinarie labours of their callings . thus much is commanded in the fourth commandemēt . for the rest it selfe was not a ceremonie , ( as i said before ) but the straight & precise manner of resting . againe , it is most necessarie , that religion and the power thereof , should be maintained amongst gods people , which cannot possibly be , vnlesse men ( at sometimes ) set themselues apart vnto it . the student that desires learning , doth not attaine vnto knowledge , vnlesse he doe daily consecrate and devote himselfe to the studie therof . in like maner , religion cannot be preserved and maintained in the church , except men doe whollie and continually employ themselues in the practise of the same . furthermore , it is the libertie that gods lawe giues to seruants , yea and to beasts , that they shall not be oppressed with labour by working on the lords day ; & this liberty is groūded vpon the law of nature , & cōmon equity . here the common sort are wont to reply and say . if we must rest from the labour of our callings the whole day , we shall not be able to maintaine our selues and our families . to which it may be answered , that they which gathered manna onely in the sixe daies , had as much as they , that gathered it on the seuenth day ; & that which they gathered the seuenth day , did not remaine sweete , but stanke and perished . they therefore which rest on the sabboth daie , must not be distracted with needelesse cares , but liue by by faith , and depend vpon gods providence for meate , drinke , and clothing . and the labour of the calling then vsed , when it is expressely forbidden by god , bringeth rather a curse with it , then a blessing . againe , such persons must remember , that godlinesse hath the promises of this life , and the life to come . . tim. . . and if they will first seeke the kingdome of god and his righteousnesse , all things necessarie shall be cast vnto them in way of aduantage , mat. . . therefore , if they keepe his commandement , and rest vpon the seuenth day , god will in mercy giue a blessing , and they shall no lesse receiue from him their daily bread , in that day , then in any other . ii. conclusion . in this rest , sundry kindes of workes may be done , and that with good conscience ; principally two . the first are workes both holy , and of present necessitie . and they are such , as cannot be done before or after the sabboth . these are likewise of two sorts . the first are those , that doe necessarily pertaine to gods worshippe , so as without them god cannot be worshipped . of this kind is the sabboth daies iourney , act. . . allowed among the iewes to the people , to goe and heare the word preached . thus we read , that the shunamite went ordinarily vpon the sabboth and new moone , to the prophet , to heare him . for when shee demanded leaue of her husband , to goe to the prophet , he askes her , why wilt thou goe , seeing it is neither newe moone , nor sabboth day , . king. . . of the same sort , were the killing and dressing of sacrificed beastes , in the time of the law ; wherof our sauiour saith , haue ye not read in the law , how that on the sabboth daies , the priests in the temple break the sabboth , and are blamelesse , mat. . . the next sort of workes of present necessitie , are those that belong immediately , to the preseruation of the temporall life of man and beast , or that serue to the good estate of them both . such are workes of mercie : as , the watering of cattell , mark. . . the drawing of a beast out of a pitte , luc. . . and such like . the second kind of workes , that may be done vpon the sabboth , are workes of christian libertie , out of the case of necessitie . these were such as the iewes might not doe , and yet we in the new testament may doe them . for example : prouision and dressing of meate , making fires , and carrying of burdens . yet vpon this libertie , men ought not to gather , that they may doe what they will , because they must cease from the ordinarie execution of the works of their callings . for the word of god giueth no such warrant : men are in this case , to submit themselues to his will expressely reuealed , and to vse their libertie according to the same . here two cases are propounded . i. case . whether we may not lawfully vse recreations on the sabboth day , as shooting , bowling , hunting , hawking , wrastling , & c ? ans. i take it , we are not denied to reioice and solace our selues vpon this day . for to some men , at some times , recreation may be more necessarie then meat , in case of weakenes , for present preseruation of health . and though not in that regard , yet beeing well ●sed , it may be a furtherance to men , in the performance of the duties of godlines , as well as in the duties of their calling . but this reioycing must be such as was the reioycing of the iewes , nehem. . . which was onely spirituall , and in the lord. for they reioyced onely for this , that they vnderstood the law of god , that was taught them . but as for the recreations and pastimes aforenamed , as bowling and such like , they are not at this time to be vsed . my reason is this . that which is the more principall and necessarie , namely labour in the execution of a mans calling , is forbidden : recreation therefore which is for labour , must cease on that day when labour ceaseth . againe if the duties of the ordinary vocation , otherwise lawfull and commendable , be therefore forbidden , because they destroy the rest commanded , and take vp the mind , that it cannot be freely emploied in the affaires of god , then much more are workes of pleasures forbidden , because they doe the same things much more , though otherwise in themselues they be not vnlawfull . obiect . seruants must haue recreation , otherwise how shall they be able to worke in the weeke day ? ans. true ; but their recreation must be granted them in the daies of labour . for recreation pertaineth not to rest , but to labour , and is therefore vsed , that a man by it may be made more fitte to labour . ii. case . whether men vpon any occasion , may not doe a worke of their callings , in the morning or euening of the sabboth day , as tradesemen , for example i answer that they may , so be it they obserue foure caveats . i. that the worke done , be no scandall to any person . ii. that it withdraw not the mind of the worker or any other , from sanctifying the sabboth , either publickely or priuately . iii. that it be not a worke of gaine , but a worke of mercie , or tend to a worke of mercie . iv. that it serue for the immediate preseruation of life , health , or goods . of life ; thus elias continued his flight from iezabel many sabboths together . . king. . . and the reason is good : the sabboth was made for man ( saith christ ) that is , not for the hurt , but for the good of man. of health ; and thus our sauiour christ visited the sicke . ioh. . . and cured the blind man vpon the sabboth . ioh. . . by whose example , the phisitian & the chirurgion may lawfully goe , not onely to giue necessarie counsell , but to minister necessarie phisicke and doe cures . lastly , of goods which are in present danger of loosing . thus christ would haue the oxe presently pulled out of the pit , luk. . . and the shippe on the shore full fraught with wares , requires present helpe , if it be in apparent danger of sinking . thus much concerning the first thing , required in the observation of the sabboth . sect. . the second thing , required in the halowing of the sabboth of the new testament , is the sanctification of rest , which is nothing els , but the dedicating of it to a religious vse , that is , to the practise of diuine worshippe . this sanctification , is either publicke or priuate . the publike , is the solemne performance of spirituall workes , commanded in the second and third commandements , and tending to publike worship . and this may be reduced to foure principall heads . i. the reading or preaching of the word , when the minister publikely in the congregation assembled , doth faithfully deliuer vnto the people pure and sound doctrine , and applies the same as necessitie requireth , and occasion serueth , to the edification and saluation of all and euery hearer in publicke audience : and the people on the otherside , do reuerently and attentiuely heare the same word read and preached . ii. the administration of the sacraments according to gods institutiō , by the ministers of the church lawfully called . iii. publike praier , wherein the minister calleth vpon the name of the lord , & the whole congregation , in feruent affection , lift vp their hearts vnto him , and in mind giue assent to the praiers made in the name and behalfe of them . iv. collection and giuing of almes for the reliefe of the poore , whether they be captiues and strangers , or those that dwell among vs , the sicke , the needie , orphanes and widowes , and such like . vpon these foure heads , doth stand the whole publike worship of god. for proofe and declaration hereof , read these places , neh. . act. . . act. . . . act. . . act. . . . cor. . . . &c. priuate sanctification , ( which serueth to answer the second opinion ) stands in these things . i. that euery man in the beginning of the sabboth , in the morning , do priuatly prepare himselfe to the publicke seruice that followeth , by priuate prayer , by examination and humbling of himselfe before god , in respect of his particular sinnes . this the wiseman exhorteth vnto , when he saith , take heede to thy foote when thou entrest into the house of god , eccles. . . and his meaning is , that before a man betakes himselfe to the publicke congregation , there to perform seruice and worship vnto god , he should looke into his heart , and examine his affections and thoughts , that he come not vnprepared , which duty though it be alwaies to be done , yet principally on the sabbothday . the childrē of israel rose vp early in the morning on the sabbothday , to offer vp burnt offrings , & peace offerings to an idol , exo. . . . much more ought wee , &c. and it is said of our sauiour christ , that he arose very early in the morning before day , and went into a solitary place to pray ; and the day following was the sabboth , when he preached in the synagogues , mar. . , . ii. that when the congregation is dissolued , we spend the rest of the sabboth ; in meditation and conference of the word before preached , and of the creatures . thus it is said of some that heard paul preach , that they receiued the word with all readines , and searched the scripture , whether those things were so , act. . . and the whole . psalme was penned , that it might be a song of the sabboth , and it containes nothing but a meditation of the workes of god. iii. that men priuately exercise themselues , in the workes of charitie and mercie ; as in visiting the sicke , in making peace betweene those that are at discord , in releeuing the poore , in teaching and instructing the ignorant , in cōforting those that are distressed and comfortlesse . neh. . . then all the people went to eate and to drinke , and to send par● abroad to the poore , and to make great ioy . the tthird question touching the sabboth . when the sabboth doth beginne ? to this some doe answer , in the euening , and some in the morning . my answer is this , that the sabboth of the new testament amongst vs , is to beginne in the morning , and so to continue t●l the next morrow , & not in the euening , till the euening . the reasons be these . . the sabboth is to beginne , when other ordinarie daies begin , according to the order and account of the church wherein wee liue . . it was the practise of christ and the apostles . for christ ( as it hath beene thought of auncient times ) consecrated the sabboth , in that he rose from the dead early in the morning , when the first day of the weeke beganne to dawne , matth. . . and therfore it is fitte that the sabboth day should then beginne when he rose , for as much as it is kept in remembrance of his resurrection . the same was the practise of the apostles . for act. . . the first day of the weeke the iewes came togither at troas in the morning , & there paul preached from that time till midnight , beeing the next morning to depart , hauing staid there as is plaine out of the . v. seuen daies . in that text i no●e two things . first , that the night there mentioned was a part of the seuenth day of pauls abode at troas . for if it were not so , then he had staied at least a night longer , and so more then seuen daies , because he should haue staied part of another day . secondly , that this night was a part of the sabboth which they then kept . for the apostle keepes it in manner of a sabboth , in the exercises of pietie and diuine worshippe , and namely in preaching . yea further he continues there till the rest was fully ended : he communed with them till the dawning of the day , and so departed . vers . . besides this text , dauid saith in his psalme of the sabboth , that he will declare gods louing kindnes in the morning , and his truth in the night , psal. . . making the night following a part of the sabboth . against this doctrine it is alleadged , first , that the sabboth is to begin in the euening , because in the first of gen. it is saide , fixe seuerall times , the euening and the morning made the first day , and so the second , and third , &c. ans. first ; in that text when it is said , the euening and the morning , made such & such daies , by the euening is vnderstood the night and by the morning the day , and the euening was the end of the day , and the morning the end of the night . this exposition is auncient , and yet in scripture we find not one place where the euening is put for the night , secondly , i answer that the collection from that place is of no force . for thus the reason must needs be framed . that which god did in appointing of daies , the same must we doe in vsing of them . but god in appointing of daies , began the day at the euening . ergo , &c. the consequent is false . for the case is otherwise in the constitution of time , then it is in the vse of time constituted : and there is not the same reason of things in doing , as there is of the same things in beeing and vse . thirdly , this did not bind the iewes . for they in all likelyhood began their sabboths in the morning . indeede their solemne feasts , as the passeover and such like , beganne and were kept from euening to morning , as we may read levit. . . but their ordinarie sabboth was kept from morning to morning . whence it is that saint matthew calls the dawning of the first day of the weeke , the ende of the sabboth of the iewes , matth. . . and there is nothing ( i take it ) that can be brought to the contrarie . it is obiected that moses saith , leuit. . . from euen to euen shall ye celebrate your sabboth . ans. the words must be vnderstood of the feast of reconciliation , beeing the tenth day of the seuenth moneth , which was solemnized and kept from euen to euen . and it is called a sabboth , because it was by speciall commandement appointed to be kept as the sabboth day and that in two respects . first because it was to be kept holy by the iewes , in humbling themselues and offering sacrifices , vers . . secondly , because vpon that day it was not lawful to doe any seruile worke vpon paine of death , vers . . . againe , it is alleadged that ioseph of arimathea could not embaulme christ , by reason that the sabboth was at hand , and this was the euening . i answer , that the iewes sabboth there ment , concurred with the day of their passeouer , and hence it was that their sabboth beganne in the euening . by this that hath beene said , the answer to the third question is plaine , to wit , that in the new testament the sabboth is to begin at the morning , and so to continue to the next morning , and not as some suppose to begin at the euen , and continue till the next euen . and thus much touching the speciall questions of gods worshippe , as also generally concerning those that belong to man as he stands in relation to god. the ende of the second booke . the third booke of the cases of conscience , concerning man , as he stands in relation to man. chap. i. of the nature and differences of vertue , and the order of the questions . thvs farre we are proceeded in the handling of two sorts of questions , whereof some doe concerne man as he is considered apart by himselfe , without respect vnto another : some againe concerne man , as he stands in the first relation , namely to god. now we come by order , to speake of the third and last head of cases , propounded by the conscience of man , as he stands in the second relation , to man. and vnder this head are comprehended all those questions of conscience , that are incident to the liues of men ; and which doe belong vnto man , as he is a member of some societie , whether it be the familie , the church , or the common-wealth . for the better and more orderly proceeding in this discourse , some conuenient subiect or matter is to be propounded , whereunto all the questions that followe may fitly be reduced . now of all other , the most conuenient subiect in this kind is vertue , and therefore according the differences of vertue , we will distinguish the questions into three seuerall sorts . but before we proceede to particulars , it shall not be amisse to speake somewhat generally of vertue , so farre forth , as the knowledge thereof may giue light to the things that follow . touching vertue , two things are briefly to be remembred : first , what it is ; and then , what be the distinct kindes thereof . vertue is a gift of the spirit of god , and a part of regeneration , whereby a man is made apt to liue well . i call it first , a gift of the spirit of god , because in whomesoeuer it is , whether in christians or in heathen men , it hath the nature of a gift that floweth immediately from the spirit of god. and this i put in the first place , to confute the receiued errour of the wisest heathen philosophers , which call vertue an habite of the minde , obtained and confirmed by custome , vse , and practise . secondly , i call it such a gift , as is also a part of regeneration ; and this is added for two causes . first , that we may put a differēce between christian and heathen vertues . for , howbeit the same vertues in kind and name , are and may be found , both in them that professe christ , and those also that are ignorant of the true god ; yet they are in them after a diuers manner . for in heathen men they are the gifts of god , but not parts of regeneration and new birth : but in those that be true christians , they are indeede not onely the gifts of gods spirit , but also essentiall parts of regeneration . that we may the better yet conceiue this difference , we must vnderstand , that the grace of god in man , is two-fold ; restraining , and renewing . restraining is that , which bridleth and restraineth the corruption of mens hearts , from breaking forth into outward actions , for the common good , that societies may be preserued , and one man may liue orderly with another . renewing grace is that , which doth not onely restraine the corruption , but also mortifieth sinne , and renewes the heart daily more & more . the former of these is incidēt to heathen men ; & the vertues which they haue , serue onely to represse the act of sinne in their outward actions : but in christians , they are graces of god , not onely bridling and restraining the affections , but renewing the heart , and mortifyin ▪ all corruption . and though those vertues of the heathen be graces of god , yet they are but generall and common to all : whereas the vertues of christians , are speciall graces of the spirit , sanctifying and renewing the minde , will , and affections . for example , chastitie in ioseph was a grace of gods spirit , renewing his heart ; but chastitie in xeuoerates was a common grace , seruing onely to curbe and restraine the corruption of his heart . and the like may be saide of the iustice of abraham ; a christian , and of aristides , a heathen . secondly , i adde this clause , to meete with an errour of some learned philosophers , who taught , that the very nature of vertue stands in a meane , or mediocritie of affections . this that they say is true in part , but not wholly . for the mediocritie , of which they speake , without renouation of affections , is nothing : and therefore all vertues , that are not ioyned with a renouation and change of the affections , are no better then sinnes . this point the philosophers neuer knew , and hence it was , that they stood onely vpon a mediocritie , defining a man to be truly vertuous , that did wisely obserue a meane betweene two extreames . lastly , i say that this gift of god , makes a man fit to liue well . in which clause standeth the proper effect of vertue ; which is , to make those in whome it is , to lead their liues well . and by this we are aduertised , to take heede of the opinion of philosophers , concerning some particular vertues . for in their morall discourses , they giue both the name and the nature of vertue to those things , which are either false & counterfeit vertues , or indeede none at all . for example , aristotle makes vrbanitie a vertue , which is indeede a sinne , beeing nothing els , but a dexteritie in mocking and descanting vpon reens persons and names : & so it is reckoned by paul amongst grieuous sinnes and vices , which are to be auoided , eph. . . againe , the philosopher calls magna●imitie ( whereby a man thinkes himselfe worthie of great honours , & thereupon enterpriseth great things ) a vertue ; which notwithstanding is to be holden a flat vice . for by the law of god , euery man is to range himselfe within the limits of his calling , and not to dare , once to goe out of it . whereas on the contrarie , the scope and end of this vertue ( as they tearme it ) is to make men to attempt high and great matters aboue their reach , and so to goe beyond their callings . besides , it is directly opposite to the vertue of humilitie , which teacheth that a man ought alwaies to be base , vile , & lowly in his owne eyes . the prophet dauid cleares himselfe of this sinne , psal. . . when he saith , lord , i am not high minded , mine eyes are not hautie , i haue not walked in things that be great , and aboue my reach . furthermore , no vertue must make vs to forsake good life , but euery one serueth for this ende , to make vs fit to liue a godly life . the next point to be considered is , what be the kindes of vertue . vertue is either in the minde of man , or in the will. the vertue of the minde , is prudence . the vertue of the will , is that that orders mans will ; and it is two-fold : for it respecteth either our selues , or others . that which respecteth our selues , is conuersant about two maine things in the heart of man , the reuenging , and the lusting power . that which respecteth the reuenging power , is clemencie ; which standeth in the ordering and reforming of the raging power of anger . the next , which respecteth the lusting power , is temperance . vertues that doe respect others , are either concerning curtesie , as liberalitie ; or concerning equitie . and these consist partly in doing of equitie , as iustice ; partly in defending and maintaining it , as fortitude . now according to this distinction of vertues , the questions of conscience are to be distinguished , in this sort . some of them concerne prudence ; some concerne clemencie ; some temperance ; some liberalitie ; some also concerne iustice , and some fortitude . of all which in order . chap. ii. of questions concerning prudence . there are two maine questions of conscience , which cōcerne prudence . i. question . how a man should practise prudence or wisedome ? this i acknowledge , is a high point in the life of man , and such , as cannot be resolued , as it ought , without great deliberation ; notwithstanding i will doe mine indeauour to answer something . concerning prudence , there are sundrie things to be considered . first , what is the beginning of the practise of this vertue : and that in a word , is the feare of god. this feare standeth principally in two things ; the first is , a reuerent awe of the maiestie of god in all places , & at all times , whereby we are resolued , that wheresoeuer we are , we are in his presence , and whatsoeuer we thinke , speake , or doe , it is wholly and perfectly knowne vnto him . the second is , a resolued care to walk as in the presence of god : that is , to keepe his commandements , and to yeeld obedience vnto his maiestie in all things . now that this feare is the beginning of wisedome , it appeares by sundry places of scripture . psal. . . the beginning of wisedome , is the feare of iehouah . pro. . . the beginning of knowledge is the feare of the lord : fooles despise wisedome and vnderstanding . moses telleth the children of israel that herein stood their wisedome and vnderstanding before the eies of all people , that they obserue and practise all the ordinances and iudgements of god , which he had commanded them , deut. . . and dauid professeth of himselfe , that by his daily meditation in the law of god , and keeping his commandements , he became wiser then his enemies , psal. . . yea of more vndestanding then all g●● teachers , ver . . yea further , more prudent then the ancient , ver . . secondly , we must consider the rule of prudence ; and that is , spiritual vnderstanding , whereby we are inabled to know and conceiue spiritually truth and falshood , good & badde . this saint paul wished vnto the church of coloss. when he saith , we cease not to pray for you , and desire , that ye might be fulfilled with knowledge of his wil , in al wisedome & spirituall vnderstanding , col. . . and the same apostle exhorting the romanes , to giue vp their bodies a liuing sacrifice , holy & acceptable vnto god , and not to fashion themselues like vnto this world ; he makes the ground of his exhortation , and consequently the rule of their obedience thereunto , the renouation of their mindes or vnderstandings , to this ende , that they might prooue , what is the good will of god , acceptable and perfect , and answerably doe and performe the same , rom. . . and his reason is good , because though prudence be the rule of all vertues , as the auncient philosophers among the heathen haue affirmed , yet it selfe must be ruled by a higher rule ; which they knew not , namely , by spirituall vnderstanding and knowledge , according to the word of god. thirdly , we are to consider what is the practise of prudence ; and wherein it consisteth . in the practise thereof , two actions are required ; the one , is delil●ration , whereby according to spirituall vnderstanding , we aduise what is good and bad , what truth and falshood , what is to be imbraced and done , and what not . the other is determination , whereby we resolue vpon former deliberation , to imbrace , to doe , to follow , and pursue the best things in euery kind . and therein stands the very nature and forme of true christian prudence , when a man ( vpon due consideration of things and actions , together with their properties and circumstances ) proceedes to a holy and godly resolution according to the rule aforesaid . now the practize of prudence in these two actions is very large , and consisteth of sundry branches . i will onely touch● the principall , and propound them in these rules following . the first rule is this . a man must , in the first place , and aboue all things in the world , carefully prouide for the forgiuenesse of his sinnes , and the saluation of his soule . this our sauiour christ commandeth as a speciall dutie , matth. . vers . . seeke ye first the the kingdome of god and his righteousnes . and sinners and vnrepentant persons , are sundrie times in scripture termed fooles , as in many other respects , so principally in this , because they faile in this first point of wisedome , going on in their sinne without repentance . the fiue virgins in the gospell are for this very cause pronounced foolish , or fooles , because they provided not for the oile of faith , but did onely content themselues with shining lampes , that is , a naked profession of religion and vertue ; and for want of wisedome and prudence in this point , they were iustly depriued of accesse into the bedde-chamber . thus , the rich man , that had great reuenewes and abundance of wordly wealth , is notwithstanding termed by god himselfe a foole , because he gathered riches to himselfe and was not rich in god ; that is , he minded earthly things , and placed his cheife felicitie in vaine and transitorie riches , not once forecasting , how to come into the fauour of god , that he might be saued . to this rule i adde that , which paul by way of caueat commendeth to the ephesians , eph. . . take heede that ye walke circumspectly , not as vnwise , but as wise , redeeming the time . as if he should say , play the part of wise men ; take time while time serues , lay hold of the meanes of saluation , vse no delaies in heauenly matters , deferre not your repentance from day to day : for the daies are euill , and you may be surprized in your sinnes before you be aware . ii. rule . we must vse continuall watchfulnes against our enemies , but specially against our spirituall enemies . this watchfulnes our sauiour commandeth often in the gospel , but specially in mark. . . take heede , watch , and pray . . watch therefore , for ye know not , &c. , those things that i say vnto you , i say vnto all men , watch. and s. peter exhorteth in like manner , be sober , and watch : for your aduersarie the deuill as a roaring lyon , walketh about , seeking whome he may deuoure . . pet. . v. . now this dutie stands principally in two things . first , that we diligently obserue the danger , wherein we are , by reason of temptations . secondly , that we daily labour to search and finde out the secret counsells , practises , and enterprises of our enemies , and withall seeke to preuent them . to this purpose , we must watch against the corruptions of our hearts , the temptations of the deuill , and the day and houre of our death , that we be not found vnprepared . for our owne sinnes are many ; satan is strong and subtill in his suggestions , and temptations ; & death , though of all other things it be most certaine , and cannot be auoided , yet it is most vncertaine in regard of the time when , the place where , and the manner and kind , of what and how a man shall ende his daies . iii. rule . euery man must measure himselfe by his owne strength , and doe nothing beyond his abilitie . this rule is set downe , though expressed in other tearmes , rom. . . no man must presume to vnderstand , aboue that which is meete to vnderstand , but ought to be wise according to sobrietie , as god hath dealt to euery man the measure of faith . an example of the transgression of this rule , we haue in dauids three worthies , who brake into the host of the philistims , to fetch dauid the king water from the well of bethlem , . sam. . ● . which act of theirs , was a rash enterprise , and such a one , as dauid himselfe condemneth in that chapter , because they went beyond their strength , to encounter with a whole garrison of men , they beeing themselues but fewe , namely three in number . iv. rule . we must distinguish betweene the necessarie workes of our callings , that pertaine to vs , and other workes that are out of our callings , and pertaine not vnto vs : and we must doe the other , though we leaue these vndone . this rule is propounded in . the. . . medle with your owne businesse , that is , do the necessarie workes of your callings that belong to you , though you leaue the other for the time vndone . the contrary to it , is to liue or to behaue himselfe inordinately , . thess. . . and we haue an example of the transgression hereof in peter , ioh. . . whome when christ had commanded to follow him , he would needes aske him what iohn should doe ; christs giues him this answer , what is that to thee ? in which wordes , he teacheth that not onely peter , but also euery man must attend vpon the necessarie and proper workes of his owne vocation , and not deale with other mens businesse ; which because peter did , he is by that answer secretly repooued , and iustly condemned of curiositie in that behalfe . v. rule . we must put a difference betweene things honest and of good report , and things vnhonest and of bad report , and these we are to let passe , and onely to doe the other . phil. . . whatsoeuer things are true , whatsoeuer things are honest , whatsoeuer things are iust , whatsoeuer things are pure , whatsoeuer things pertaine to loue , whatsoeuer things are of good report , if ther be any vertue , if there be any praise , thinke on these things . to this may be added one caveat , that , of two euils which are both sins , we must not onely not chuse the les , but we are to chuse neither . for their damnation is iust , who affirme that men may doe euill , that good may come of it as the apostle saith , rom. . . vi. rule . things of profit and pleasure , must giue place to things that belong to vertue and honestie . this conclusion the light of nature teacheth . worldly men say , who will shew vs any good ? but dauids praier is , lord lift thou vp the light of thy countenance vpon vs , psal. . . godlines is the great gaine : therefore all gaine must giue place to godlines , . tim. . . vii . rule . we may not trust men vpon faire pretences , that they make vnto vs , without further triall . this point was practised by our sauiour christ , who , though many beleeued in his name , when they saw the miracles which he had done ; yet he did not commit himselfe vnto them , because he knew them all , ioh. . . and it is also verified by the common proverbe , first trie , and then trust . viii . rule . we must giue place to the sway of the times , wherein we liue , so farre forth as may stand with keeping faith , and a good conscience . we may not be temporizers , and change our religion with the times : but yet we may and must giue place to times , as we giue place to the streame , so that it be done with keeping of true religion , and good conscience . this rule was practised by paul , act. . . who liuing among the heathen , was constramed to speake as they , and therefore he saies , that he departed in a shippe to rome , whose badge was castor and pollux , act. . . againe , he was three yeares in ephesus an idolatrous place , where the great goddesse diana was worshipped ; yet in all that time he contained himselfe , and spake nothing in particular against diana , but onely in generall against false gods , saying , that they be no gods that are made with hands , v. . nay . alexander could not charge him with this , that he had in all that while , blasphemed their goddesse diana . paul therefore was faine to yeeld to the sway of those times , that so he might doe some good in ephesus by his ministerie . whereas , if he had spoken against diana directly , it had not bin possible for him , to haue done that good by preaching , which otherwise he did . againe , in the primitiue church , the apostles for the weaknes of the iewes , did yeelde to the vse of circumcision , and permitted abstinence from blood , and that which was strangled , &c. so farre forth , as it stood with pure religion , and good conscience : and if they had not so done , they should not haue wonne the iewes to the faith as they did . ix . rule . if we cannot doe the good things that we desire , in that exquisite manner that we would , we must content our selues with the meane ; and in things which are good , and to be done , it is the safest course to satisfie our selues in doing the lesse , least in ventring to doe the more , which cannot be , we grow to the extremitie , and so faile or offend in our action . it is a good and wise counsell of the preacher , to this purpose . eccl. . . be not iust ouermuch : and his meaning may be this ; be not too strict or curious , in effecting that which thou intendest , exactly , when thou canst not ; but rest contented in this , that thou hast done thine endeauour ; and take to the lesse , when the greater cannot be effected . in some countries , popish images erected in churches , doe stand vndefaced . the good desire of the people is , that they may be pulled downe ; but this cannot be brought to passe . what then are they to doe in this case ? they must not grow to extremitie , and pull them down themselues ; but they must intreat the lawfull magistrate for their remooueall , and pray to god , that he may be mooued so to doe ; and in the meane time , rest content with that they haue done , and waite the magistrates pleasure . in the iudiciall law , by reason of the hardnes of the iewes hearts , sundrie sinnes could not vtterly be taken away , as diuorcements , polygamie , vsurie . hereupon , the lord makes a law of toleration , without approbation ; and did not remooue them quite away , for that was not possible , in regard of man , for the time : but restrained the euill , that could not be quite off and abolished otherwise . and herein appeared the great wisdome of god , in making a law not to allow of , nor yet vtterly to take away , but to moderate the practise of these sinnes in the iewes , for the hardnes of their hearts . in like manner , in this our land there is the practise of vsurie , a sinne that cannot , nor euer shall be rooted out vtterly . for this cause , the states of this kingdome , haue out of their wisdome , prouided a law for the toleration thereof after a sort , and that vpon speciall cause . for if the magistrate should haue enacted a law vtterly to abolish it , it would before this ( in likelihood ) haue growne to great extremitie . the same was the practise of the apostles in their times , who yeelded to beare with the vse of circumcision for a time , when they could not otherwise vtterly cut it off . ii. question . whether a man may lawfully and with good conscience , vse pollicie in the affaires of this life ? ans. there be foure principall caueats , which beeing obserued , policie may be vsed , and is not against christian religion . i. nothing must ( in policie ) be said , done , or intended , to preiudice the truth , specially the truth of the gospell . ii. nothing is to be said done , or intended , against the honour and glorie of god , either in word , in deede , or in shew . iii. nothing must be wrought or contriued against iustice that is due to man. iv. all actions of policie , must be such as pertain to our calling , and be within the limits and bonds thereof . for if any action whatsoeuer , be done out of that calling wherein god hath placed vs , or at least be not answerable thereunto , though it be plotted and attempted in neuer so great wisedome and policie , it is vnlawfull and not warrantable . these caueats obserued , it is not vnlawful to vse that which we commonly call policie . and the reason is this : when any busines is to be done , we must make a twofold inquirie . first , into the thing to be done , whether it be good or badde , lawfull or not lawfull , commanded or forbidden . secondly , into our selues , whether the worke in hand be agreable to the calling of the doer , or answerable to that dutie , which he oweth to god and man. now because both these are grounded vpon the former cautions , therfore we conclude , that whatsoeuer busines is taken in hand , and not suted vnto them , it hath not good warrant , and so cannot be done with good conscience . yet for better clearing of this answer , let vs a little consider the scriptures , and the examples there recorded , touching this policie . in iosh. . . we shall finde that ioshua vseth martiall policie in the besieging of ai , placing one part of his armie in an ambush , and causing the other part to flie : for by that meanes , the men of ai comming out of the citie , and pursuing those that fled , the souldiors that lay in ambush , tooke the citie and destroied it . in . sam. . . dauid beeing to make warre against the philistims , asketh counsell of god , and god teacheth him policie ; he therefore in his owne example allowes policie ; and more especially those wise and prudent shifts in warre , which we call stratag●ms or policies of the field . we haue also the example of paul for this purpose , who act. . . faines himselfe to haue made a vowe to be a nazarite , that he might yeelde somewhat to the weakenes of the iewes , who were not sufficiently informed in the doctrine of christian libertie . this practise was warrantable , neither was it a sinne in paul : for he did it by the counsell of the church at ierusalem , v. , . and paul himselfe neuer made mention of this , as of a sinne , which he would vndoubtedly haue done , had it beene sinne againe , act. . . when he was brought before ananias the priest , and the councell at ierusalem , beeing in some danger , he vseth policie : for he pretended that he was a pharisie , and by that meanes raised a dissension between the pharisies and the sadduces . and this was no sinne in paul : for he spake no more but the truth , onely he concealed part of the truth . now if it fall out otherwise , that policie be vsed , and any of these foure caueats be not obserued , then it looses both the name and nature of true policie , and becomes fraud , craft , and deceit , and so is condemnable . example hereof we haue in dauid , . sam. . . who when he came to the court of achish king of gath , and saw himselfe in daunger , he faines himselfe madde . which though he did to saue his owne life , yet his poli●●e was not to be allowed of : for it tended to his owne disgrace , ( he beeing king of israel : ) and it was also dishonourable vnto god , who had appointed him to be the king of israel . againe , that which is commonly called the policie of machiavel , is here to be condemned . for it is not answerable to the cauears before remembred . besides that , it is not onely against the written law of god , but euen against the law of nature . and the very foundation . thereof , standeth onely in the practise of lying , swearing , forswearing , in fraud , deceit , and injustice . chap. iii. of questions concerning clemencie . clemencie or meekenes , is a vertue , that serues to moderate wrath and reuenge . touching clemency there be three questions . i. how a man is to carrie himselfe , in respect of iniuries and offences done vnto him ? ii. when anger is a sinne , and when not ? iii. how a man should remedie his rash and vniust anger ? i. question . how may a man carrie himselfe , in respect of iniuries and offences done vnto him ? aus . that a man may behaue himselfe so as becommeth a christian in these cases , he must in the first place , inquire into the nature and qualitie of the wrong done . now , offences that are done to vs by others , are of three sorts . the first sort , and the least are , when some things are done to vs , that do onely displease vs , but bring no losse or hurt to vs. these be light offences ; and of this kind are common infirmities , as hastinesse , teastinesse , frowardnesse , slownesse and dulnesse of nature ; of this kind also , are reproches of vnskilfulnesse , ignorance , basenes , pouertie and such like . the first degree then of clemency is , not so much as to take notice of these sleight offences ; but to let them passe , and burie them in obliuion . salomon saith , a mans vnderstanding deforreth his anger , and it is his credit to passe by an offence , pro. . . his meaning is , that when small offences are done , which cannot be avoided , then in discretion a man should with hold his anger , and not take notice of them , but passe by them and let them goe : for this shall be a farre greater ornament vnto him , then if vpon the deede done , he should haue hastily proceeded to reuenge . the second sort of offences , are small iniuries , such as doc not onely displease vs , but with all bring some little hurt to vs , either in our goods , life , or good name . now , the second degree of meekenes is , to take notice of these , but withall to forgiue them and put them vp . the reason is , because alwaies greater care must be had of peace and loue , then of our owne priuate affaires . read the practise hereof , ioh. . . it was obiected to christ wrongfully , that he was a samaritane , and had a deuill . christ takes knowledge of the wrong , and saith , you haue reproched me ; but withall he puts it vp , onely denying that which they said , and clearing himselfe , i haue not a deuill , but i honour my father . dauid had receiued great wrong , at the hands of ioab and shimei , as appeares in the historie of his life ; but principally , when he came first to be king of israel , a. sam. . and yet he takes not a hastie course , presently to be reuenged vpon his adversaries : but proceedes in this order . first , he takes notice of the fact , and commits his cause to god , ver . . and then afterward , as opportunity serued , gaue the parties their iust desert . the reason was , because beeing newely invested in the kingdome , his adversaries were strong , and himselfe weake , euen by his owne confession , & therfore not able at the first , to redresse the iniury done vnto him . but when he had once established himselfe , then he doth not onely beginne , . sam. . . but proceedes to full execution of punishment vpon them , as we read . king. . ver . . . . . the third sort of wrongs , are greater iniuries ; such as are not onely offensiue to our persons , but withall doe preiudice our liues , and bring a ruine vpon our estates , both in goods and good name . these are the highest degree of iniuties , manifested in open and apparent wrongs . and therefore answerable to them , is required the third and highest degree of clemencie , which stands in three things . first , in taking notice : secondly , in forgiuing them : thirdly , in a iust and lawfull defending our selues against the wronging parties . this is the summe and substance of the answer . for the better conceiuing whereof , sundry questions are further to be propounded and resolued . first in generall ; it is demanded , how a man should and ought to forgiue an iniurie ? ans. in forgiuenes there be foure things . the first is forgiuenes of reuenge , that is of requiting euill for euill , either by thought word or deede . this must alwaies be practised . for vengeance is not ours , but the lords , and great reason then , that we should euermore forgiue , in regard of reuenge and hatred . this the apostle teacheth , when he saith , . cor. . . loue is not provoked , it neuer thinketh , much lesse speakes or does , evill . the second is forgiuenesse of priuate punishment ; which is , when men returne punishment for iniuries done , in way of requitall ; and this must alwaies take place with vs , because as vengeance it selfe , so also punishmēt in way of revenge , is gods alone . the third is , forgiuenesse of iudgement , when we iudge an inurie done to be an iniurie . this iudgement we are not bound to forgiue vnto men . for we may with good conscience , iudge a sinne and a wrong to be as they are . and yet notwithstanding , if a man make satisfaction for the wrong done , then there ought to be forgiuenes , even in regard of iudgemen . the fourth is forgiuenesse of satisfaction . this we are not alway bound to remitte , but we may with good conscience , alway require satisfaction where hurt is done . secondly , for the further clearing of this generall question , we are to answer some particular cases vsually propounded in the liues of men , and namely fiue . i. whether a man may defend himselfe by law ? ii. how he may defend himselfe by law ? iii. whether a man may defend himselfe by force ? iv. how ? v. whether a man may defend himselfe by combate ? i. case . whether a man may , with good conscience and a meeke spirit , defend himselfe by law , for wrongs that are done vnto him ? i answer affirmatively : a man may , with good conscience , defend himselfe against great iniuries , by the benefite of lawe . for magistracie is gods ordinance , for the good of men . rom. . . and therefore men may vse the benefite of the authoritie , iudgement , and iurisdiction of magistrates , without breach of conscience . again , it is the expresse lawe of god , that when a false witnesse riseth vp against a man , to accuse him of a trespasse ; that both the accuser and the accused , should stand before god , that is , before his preists and iudges for the time beeing , and haue remedie at their hands . an example of which iudiciall defense , we haue in paul , who in case of wrong , makes his appeale to the iudgement seate of rome . act. . . but it is alleadged out of scripture , to the contrarie , luk. . . to him that smiteth thee on the one cheeke , offer also the other , mat. . . if any man will sue thee at the law , and take away thy coate , let him carry thy cloake also . ans. these places are spoken of priuate persons , that want the defense and assistance of the publicke magistrate ; and such must rather suffer wrong vpon wrong , blow vpon blow , and losse vpon losse , then right their owne wrongs , by reuenging themselues . againe , it is obiected , that paul saies , lawing is a fault , . cor. . . there is vtterly a fault among you , because ye goe to law one with an other , &c. ans. we must distinguish between things themselues , and the manner of doing them . when paul saies , it is a fault , he condemneth not lawing absolutely in it selfe , but the corinthian manner of going to law : which was this . first , they went to law with scandall , before the tribunalls of heathenish and vnbeleeuing iudges , and so made the gospell to be slandered and reproched . secondly , they went to law vpon light causes , and for small iniuries , which they might well haue put vp , & easily brooked . thirdly , in lawing they fell into rash and violent passions of rage , and enuie , so as they could not temper themselues , but must needes goe to law in the first place ; which should rather haue been the last and the desperatest remedie of all . and this bad manner of suing one another at the law , is it which paul rebukes as a fault . and it is to be obserued , that paul notes their fault by a word , that signifies * weakenesse or impotencie of their affections , whereby it came to passe , that being ouercome by the strength of their owne desires , vpon iniuries offered , they were vnable to beare them in any degree of christian moderation , and there vpon hastily proceeded to the courts of heathen iudges , for determination of controversies and contentions among them . it is further alleadged , that when a man is any way wronged , it is gods will it should be so , and therefore he ought not to seeke redresse , but to rest himselfe in the will , of god. ans. it is gods will we should haue diseases , and yet it is no lesse his will , that we should vse good means to be cured of them . so is it in wrongs and iniuries done vnto vs. as his will is , we should be afflicted , so also hath he willed our deliuerance , by such meanes , as himselfe hath appointed . but our sauiour would haue his disciples , to be as sheepe among wolues , and therefore we ought to endure all wrongs without reuēge . for the sheepe takes all wrongs , and doth not so much as defend it selfe against the woolfe . ans. so christ commandeth , that we should be simple as doues , matth. . . and yet withall , he commandeth vs to be wise as serpents , to defend our owne heads , and to saue our selues . lastly , it is alleadged , . cor. . . that loue seekes not her owne : therfore loue must not defend her selfe . ans. loue doth not so seeke her owne things , as that shee neglecteth the good of others ; but seeking her owne , shee seekes the good of all . and this practise is not against , but according to the law of charitie . ii. case . how is a man to defend himselfe by law ? ans. for the resoluing of this question , we must take two rules . the first is this . we must first trie all meanes , and vse all remedies that may be , before we vse the remedie of law. it is our sauiours direction , matth. . . agree with thine aduersarie quickely , while thou art in the way , that is , before the controuersie be ended by order of law . againe , matth. . . if thy brother trespasse against thee , goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone . and saint paul in this case , prescribes a course to be taken before-hand ; namely , first to beare and suffer as much as may be , . cor. . . why rather suffer ye not wrong ? why rather sustaine ye not harme ? then , if bearing will not ende it , to commit our cause to priuate arbitrement , of one or two , v. . is it so that there is not a wise man among you , no not one that can iudge betweene his brethren ? law is to be vsed in this case , as the physitian vseth polson , and that is , onely in desperate cases . the second rule is , that our patient mind must be made knowne to all men , phil. . . in taking the benefit of law , we are to vse great moderation of mind , and that in three respects ; before we goe to law , in lawing , and when the suit is ended . the moderation of mind , before the beginning of suits in law , stands in three things . first , we must consider , that all iniuries whatsoeuer they be , doe befal vs by the prouidence of god , and that for our sinnes . vpon which consideration , we ought to submit our selues to gods will , to obey him , to arme our selues with patience , and to lay aside all anger , enuie , malice , and impatience . secondly , we must consider before-hand , that courts of iustice , are the ordinance of god , in which it pleaseth him to testifie his presence , iustice , and goodnes ; and vpon this ground , we shall be mooued to depart with our owne right , and to yeeld our selues , and all the right we haue , into the hands of god , in the vse of the meanes appointed ; in the meane time depending on him by faith , for the issue and euent of our suit . and hence ( by the way ) it appeares , that few or none doe vse this ordinance of god , as they ought ; because the greater sort of men , that commence suits in law , doe not consider either the nature , or ende of ciuill courts . no man ordinarily will yeeld a haire of his right , but euery one sixeth his eyes wholly , vpon the euent of his action by extremitie of law : and so swarueth from that christian moderation , required by the word of god in this case . thirdly , we must set down with our selues , lawfull and iust endes of our actions , not vniust and vnlawfull . these iust endes are ; first , gods glorie in the execution and manifestation of iustice : secondly , the honest defence of our owne right : thirdly , publike peace : fourthly , the amendment of disordered persons , and not the defamation or hurt of any man. the moderation of the mind in lawing , stands in these particulars . . in seeking after peace to the vtmost , rom. . . if it be possible , as much as in you is , haue peace with all men . . in loue of our enemies , with whom we are at controuersie in law . . in neither vsing nor shewing extremitie in our proceedings , matth. . . matth. . . after that the suit is ended , the moderation of our mindes must be expressed , by our behauiour , in regard of the euent of our action . for if the law goe with vs , we are to giue god thankes for the manifestation of his iustice , in the course taken . if on the otherside it goe against vs , we may not rage or be discontentedly grieued , but commend our cause quietly to god , and accuse our selues for our owne sinnes , and say with dauid , righteous art thou , o lord , and iust are thy iudgements . psal. . . iii. case . whether may a man defend himselfe by force , when he is wronged ? ans. in some cases , he may lawfully defend himselfe by force . reasons . first , because the gospel doth not abolish the law of nature , nor the positiue lawes of all countries , but it doth establish them . now , it is the law of nature and nations , that a man may defend his life and health , in some cases , vpon iust occasion . secondly , this is gods law , exod. . . if a theefe be found breaking vp a house , and be smitten that he die , no blood shall be shed for him . abraham was a stranger in the land of sodom , and yet he reskued his brother lot , and recouered all his substance that he had lost , by force & armes , gen. . . and his action was approoued of god. for melchisedeck met him , at his returne from the slaughter of the kings , and blessed him . yea and blessed god for his deliuerance , v. . . againe , in some cases , a man may giue his life for his brother . so saies s. iohn , . ioh. . . we ought also to lay downe our liues for the brethren . iv. case . when may a man defend himselfe by force ? ans. not alwaies and vpon euery occasion , but onely in these cases . first , when violence offered is so sudden and vnexpected , that when it comes , there can be no escape , either by yeelding , or by flying , or by some suffering . secondly , when the violence offered is open and manifest , so as there is no other way to reskue our selues , but by striking or killing . thirdly , when violence is offered , and the magistrate absent ; either for a time , and his stay be dangerous , or altogether , so as no helpe can be had of him , nor any hope of his comming . in this case , god puts the sword into the priuate mans hands . fourthly , when the defense is iust , and done in a right manner . a iust defense stands in these things . i. it must be done incontinent and forthwith , so soone as euer violence is offered . for if there be delay , and it come afterward , it looses the name of a iust defense , and becomes a reuenge , arising of prepensed malice , as the lawyers vse to speake . ii. there must be an intention , not to reuenge principally , or to kill , but onely to defend himselfe . iii. there must be a iust and equall proportion of weapons ; therefore it is no iust defence to shoote a naked man through with a musket , or other peece of ordinance , when he offers violence . v. case . whether a man may reskue himselfe or others by combate ? ans. it hath beene of ancient times , an vsuall manner of defence in some countries , that in case of difference , betweene people and people , in matters of weight , two men should be chosen out among the rest , who by fighting hand to hand , and killing one an other , should ende the controuersie . but this way of defense , how auncient so euer it be , is vtterly vnlawfull . reasons are these . first , it is the expresse commandement of god , thou shalt not kill . in which , all priuate men are forbidden to kill or slay , but in the case of iust and necessarie defense . secondly , we may not hazard our liues , without some speciall warrant frō god : if we doe , it is a flat tempting of god : and this is done in euery combate . thirdly , if magistrates will permit such fights as this is , then they are bound to defend and saue the life of the innocent . for by such permission , oftentimes innocent blood is shedde , and the more harmelesse partie goes by the worst . but it will be , and is obiected . first , that a combate is a triall of innocencie . ans. it is not so . for he that is stronger vsually ouercomes in the combate , not he that hath the more righteous cause . againe , there be other meanes to trie a truth , besides this ; as by examination , and by oath . lastly , triall by the combate , is of the same nature with the triall of a murtherer by the bleeding of a corpes touched , or handled , which is very doubtfull , and of all other most vncertaine , secondly , it is alleadged , that if a man take not a chalenge , he is disgraced for euer . ans. there is no warrant in gods word , for a priuate man to accept a chalenge . nay , it is rather flat against the word . for god saies , reuenge is mine . the priuate man saies the contrarie , the wrong is mine , and i will be auenged of him that hath done it . again , it is better for any man , to indure a little reproch with some men , then to loose or hazard his life . thirdly , it is obiected , that the philistims offered to trie the victorie by a single combate with the israelites , and appointed goliah ( on their side ) to giue the chalenge ; and that dauid ( on the israelites side ) accepting the chalenge , encountred with him , and had good successe . it may seeme therefore , that combates are lawfull .. for it is better that one man should perish in warre , then that a whole armie should miscarie . ans. that was a speciall and extraordinarie example of triall , and dauid was a champion in that fight , not by ordinarie appointment , but by extraordinarie prophetical instinct of gods spirit . againe , in warre , though there be lesse danger in hazarding one mans life , then a whole armie : yet a good & iust cause is to be maintained , with all the strength that may be made , and not to depend vpon the power and courage of one man , who , in probability , vnlesse he be supported by speciall calling and assistance from god , may be ouercome and loose the victorie . fourthly , it is alleadged , that an armie may fight against an army therfore one man against an other . ans. the reason is not alike . for warres and armies are gods ordinances , and so are not combates ; and it is not gods will , that men should deuise and establish new waies and meanes of triall , not allowed by his word , but rather rest content with that he hath appointed . fiftly , ionas did hazard his life , by casting lots ; therfore a man may by combate answ. to say that ionas did put his life in hazard by lottes , is an vntruth . for there was onely a coniecturall triall made , who should be the cause of the present danger . and when the lot fell vpon him , he was not cast into the sea by the lotte , but by his owne advise and counsell . againe , the casting of ionas into the sea , did not befall him by lotte , but by his owne voluntarie resignation of himselfe , into the hands of god ; willingly vndergoing it , as a iust punishment of the neglect of his calling ; which himselfe confessed in these words , for i acknowledge , that for my sake the great tempest is vpon you , ion. . . sixtly , moses and the egyptian fought a combate , and moses slew him . ans. moses took vpō him publike revenge in this action , as a magistrate , and not priuate , as a priuate man. for though as yet , his calling was not fully manifested to his brethrē , yet the truth is , god had called him to be their deliuerer out of the hands of the egyptians ; and this very action was a signe of their deliuerance , which was to come to passe afterward . it was ( i say ) a signe , thus ; as he defended his brother and avenged his quarrell vpon the egyptian , so in time to come the lord would by his hand , giue them full freedome and deliuerance from the tyranny of pharaoh , and all his and their enemies , act. . . beeing then a publicke person , his example can prooue nothing for this purpose . ii. question . when anger is a vertue , and so , good and lawfull , and whē it is a vice , & consequētly euill and vnlawfull ? this question hath two distinct parts : of which i will speake in their order . sect. . the first part is , when anger is a vertue & lawfull ? for answer hereof , we must vnderstand , that in iust and lawfull anger , there be three things ; a right beginning or motiue ; a right obiect ; and a right manner of beeing angry . to the right beginning of anger , three things are required . first , that the occasion of anger be iust and weightie , as namely , a manifest offence of god. take an exāple , or two . moses in sundry places , is said to be angrie , & the occasions of his anger were great , as appeares in the particulars . first , because some of the israelits , against gods commandement , had reserued manna till the next day , exod. . . again , he was angrie , because the israelites had tempted god , in worshipping the golden calfe , exod. . . in numb . . . moses againe is wroth , because coreh , dathan , and abiram rebelled against him , and in him against god. phinees , numb . . . . is said to haue beene zealous , that is , angry for god : the occasion was , because the israelites committed fornication with heathenish women . dauid in like manner , . sam. . , . was angrie vpon this occasion , because ammon his sonne had deffoured his sister thamar . elias is angry , . king. . v. . and why ? because the israelites forsooke the conenant of god , cast downe his altars , and had slaine his prophets with the sword . nehemias , chap. . ver . . is very angrie , because the israelites oppressed one another with vsurie , and other kinds of exactions . ieremic also , chap. . . was angrie for this , because the israelites were of vncircumcised hearts & eares , and the word of the lord was vnto them as a reproch , & they tooke no delight therein . secondly , it is required , that anger be conceiued vpon counsell and deliberation , pro. . . establish thy thoughts by counsell . if thoughts must be established by counsell , then the affections , & so our anger also . and the apostle saith , iam. . . be slow to wrath . now the reason is plaine ; counsell ought to be the foundation of all our actions , and therfore much more of our affections , which are the beginnings of our actions . thirdly , iust and lawful anger must be kindled and stirred vp by good and holy affections , as namely , by desire to maintaine the honour and praise of god , by the loue of iustice and vertue , by hatred and detestation of vice , and of all that is evill . one saith well to this purpose , that anger must attend vpon vertue , and be stirred vp by it against sinne , as the dogge attends vpon the sheepeheard , and waites vpon his eie and hand , when to follow him , and when to pursue the wolfe . the second thing in good anger , is a fitte obiect or matter to worke vpon ; touching which , two thing must be remembred . first , we must put a difference betweene the person , and the offence or sinne of the person . the sinne of the person is the proper obiect of anger , and not the person , but only by reason of the sinne . thus dauid saies of himselfe , that he was consumed with anger , not because the men with whome he was angrie , were his enemies , but because they kept not gods law , psal. . . thus moses was angrie at the idolatrie of the israelites , wherewith they had sinned against god fourtie daies togither ; & yet he praies earnestly vnto god , for their persons , as we read , exod. . but it is alleadged to the contrarie , that dauid directs his anger against the persons of his enemies , especially in psal. . answ. first , prophets ( as hath beene saide heretofore ) were endued with a speciall measure of zeale ; and their zeale was a pure zeale , taken vp specially for the glorie and honour of god ; but our zeale against our enemies , is commonly mixt with hatred , enuy , and selfe-loue , therefore we must not , nay we cannot follow their examples . secondly , imprecations vsed by dauid , were predictions rather then praiers : for he rather foretold in them what should come to passe , then prayed that it might come to passe . thirdly , dauid in his imprecations , accurseth not his owne priuate enemies , but the enemies of god , and not al them , but such onely as were incurable : for by the spirit of prophecie , he knew the state of those , against whome he did pray , so doe not we . secondly , we must put a difference betweene the cause and offence of god , and the cause and offence of man● . now iust anger must be directed against persons , for the offence of god properly , and not for priuate offence , but onely so farre forth , as it tendeth to the offence of god. thus mi●iam and aaron murmured against moses , because he had married a woman of aethiopia . but this was onely a priuate offence , and therefore moses behaued himselfe meekely towardes them , numb , . . the third thing in good anger , is the right manner of conceiuing it . wherein these cautions are to be obserued . first , that our anger be mixed and tempered with charitie and loue . it is the propertie of god himselfe , in wrath to remember mercie , hab. . . and herein we must be like vnto him . this was moses his practise , who out of his loue praied for those , with whome he was angrie , exod. . secondly , anger against any offence , must be mixed with sorrow for the same offence . thus christ was angrie with the iewes , but withall he sorrowed for the hardnes of their hearts , mark. . . the reason hereof is this . in any societie whatsoeuer it be , if one member sinneth , the sinne of that one member , is the punishment of the rest that be in that societie ; euen as it is in the bodie , if one part be affected and ill at ease , the rest will be distempered . paul saies of himselfe , that he was afraid , least when he came to the corinths , god would humble him for their sinnes , . cor. . . againe he teacheth , that those which are fallen into any fault , must be restored by the spirit of meekenes , because we our selues are subiect to the same tentations , gal. . . and in this regard , he would haue men to mourne with them that haue in them the cause of mourning , rom. . . thirdly , iust anger must be contained within the bounds of our particular calling , and civill decencie ; that is , so moderated , as it makes vs not to forsake our duties which we owe to god and man , nor breake the rules of comlines . thus iacob was angrie with laban , and yet he speakes and behaues himselfe as a sonne to his father , euen in his anger , gen. . . ionathan was angrie with saul his father , and yet he withdrawes not any reuerent or dutifull respect from him , . sam. . sect. . the second part of the question is , when anger is a vice and vnlawfull ? ans. it is a sinne in fiue regards , contrary to the former . first , when we conceiue it without counsell and deliberation . this rash , hastie , sudden and violent anger , is condemned by our sauiour christ , mat. . . whosoeuer is angry with his brother vnaduisedly , shal be culpable of iudgment . secondly , when it is conceiued for no cause , or for a light or trifling cause . prou. . . loue couers a multitude of sinnes . therefore euery light offence , must not be the cause of open anger . prov. . . it is the glory of a man to passe by some infirmities . eccles. . . take not notice of all the words that men speake , no not of all those which seruants speake vnto their masters . besides that , causelesse anger is many times forbidden in the scripture . and paul saies , that loue is hardly provoked , because it will not be mooued to conceiue hatred , but vpon weightie and important causes , . cor. . thirdly , when the occasion is iust , yet the measure of anger is immoderate . eph. . . be angry , & sinne not ; and if by infirmitie thou fall into it , let not the sunne goe downe vpon thy wrath . the reason is added in the next words , giue not place to the deuill ; because he is alwaies at hand to inflame the affection , as he did sauls , who therefore in his rage , would haue killed him that was next him . fourthly , when it makes vs to forget our dutie to god or man , and to fal to brawling , cursing , and banning . thus was shemei angry , when he railed vpon the king and flung stones at him and his seruants , giuing him bad and vnreuerent tearmes , and calling him a man of blood , and a man of belial . . sam. . . . . thus did the disciples forget their dutie of loue vnto their brethren , and in anger desired that fire might come down from heauen , and destroy the samaritanes , luk. . . thus the iewes , in vndecent and vncharitable manner , gnashed with their teeth at steven , act. . . and saint paul saies , that the fruites of wicked anger , are clamors , and crying speeches between person and person in their fury , eph. . . and thence it is , that we find balaam in his anger , to haue beene more void of reason then his asse , numb . . . fistly , when we are angrie for priuate respects concerning our persons , and not concerning the cause of god. thus cain is said to be exceeding wrothe , and to haue his countenance cast downe , onely vpon a priuate respect , because he thought his brother abel should be preferred before him , gen. . . thus saul was wrath with dauid , taking himselfe to be disgraced , because the people ( after the slaughter of the philistimes ) ascribed to dauid ten thousand , and to him but a thousand . . sam. . . in like manner he was angrie with ionathan , for his loue that he bare to dauid , and for giuing him leaue to goe to bethleem , . sam. . . thus nebuchadnezars wrath was kindled against the three children , because he tooke himselfe to be contemned of them , dan. . . thus haman . meerely in regarde of priuate disgrace , growes to great indignation against mordecai , esther . . v. . thus asa was angry with the prophet hanani , because he thought it a discredit to him , to be reprooued at his hand , . chron. . . and in this sort , were the iewes filled with wrath at christs reproofe , luk. . . shewing thereby , as it is truly expounded by the commenter , that they were very hotte in their own cause , and not in the cause of god. iii. question . what is the remedie of vniust anger ? ans. the remedies thereof are twofold . some consist in meditation , and some in practise . sect. . the remedies that stand in meditation , are of three sorts ; some doe concerne god , some our neighbour , and some our selues . the meditations cōcerning god ; are specially sixe . i. meditation . that god by expresse cōmandement forbiddes rash and vniust anger , and commandeth the contrarie , namely , the duties of loue . read for this purpose , mat. . . . where we may obserue three degrees of vniust anger . the first whereof is , that which is inwardly conceiued , and not outwardly shewed . the second , when vniust anger shewes it selfe by signes of contempt , as by snuffing , rushing , changing and casting downe of the countenance . the third , is railing ( thou foole ) which is culpable of gehenna fire , the highest degree of punishment . now all these three degrees are murther ; and the punishment of a murtherer is , to be cast into the lake of fire , rev. . . againe , christ commandeth vs to reward good for euill , to blesse them that curse vs , and to doe good to thē that hate vs , if we will be the children of our father which is in heauen , mat. . . and s. paul wisheth vs , to ouercome evill with goodnes , rom. . . ii. meditation . that all iniuries which befall vs , doe come by gods providence , whereby they are turned to a good ende , namely , our good . thus david saith , that god had bidden shemei to curse him , . sam. . . and this was the ground of christs reproofe of peter , shall i not , ( saith he ) drinke of the euppe which my father hath giuen me to drinke of ? ioh. . . iii. meditation . god is long-suffering , even towards wicked men ; & we in this point must be followers of him . in regard of this , god is said to be mercifull , gracious , slow to anger , abundāt in goodnes & truth , exod. . . hence it was , that he spared the old world yeres , ● . pet. . . he spared the israelits , after their idolatrie , yeres , ezek. . . besides this , we haue example of the lowlines & long suffering of christ , who saith , matth. . . learne of me , for i am humble and meeke : and of whome it is said , . pet. . . when he was reuiled , he reuiled not againe , when he suffered , he threatned not , but committed his cause to him that iudgeth righteously . nowe because some may haply say , that these examples of god and christ , are too perfect for man to followe , who cannot imitate god in all things ? therefore besides them , consider further the examples of some of the seruants of god. moses , when the people murmured at him , did not answer them againe by murmuring , but cried vnto the lord , what shall i doe to this people ? for they be almost readie to stone me , exod. . . and steuen , when he was stoned , praied for his enemies , lord , lay not this sinne to their charge , act. . . iv. meditation is , concerning the goodnes of god towards vs ; an argument whereof is this , that he doth euery day , forgiue vs farre more offences , then it is possible for vs to forgiue men . v. meditation . all reuenge is gods right , and he hath not giuen it vnto man. rom. . . vengeance is mine , i will repay , saith the lord. and man by reuenging his own quarell , makes himselfe both the iudge , the witnesse , the accuser , and the executioner . vi. meditation is , touching christs death . he suffered for vs the first death , and the sorrowes of the second death ; much more then ought we at his commandement , to put vp small wrongs and iniuries without reuenge . his commandement is , resist not euill , but whosoeuer shall smite thee on the right cheeke , turne to him the other also , matth. . . againe , destroy not him with thy meate , for whome christ died , rom. . . the meditations concerning our neighbour , are two . the first , is the condition of him , with whome we are angrie , namely that he is a brother . let there be no strife betweene me and thee , for we are brethren , gen. . . againe , he is created in the image of god ; we must not therefore seeke to hurt or destroy that image . the second is , concerning that equitie which we looke for at the hands of all men . if we wrong any man , we desire that he would forgiue vs : and therefore we must forgiue him the iniurie that he doth vnto vs , without vniust anger . this is the very law of nature , whatsoeuer ye would that men should doe vnto you , euen so doe you vnto them , matth. . . meditations concerning our selues , are sixe . first , he that conceiueth rush anger , makes himselfe subiect to the wrath of god , if he cherish the same without relenting . matth. . . if ye doe not forgiue men their trespasses , no more will your father forgiue you your trespasses . and , matth. . . iudge not , that ye be not iudged . yea , when we pray to god to forgiue vs , and doe not resolue to forgiue our brethren , we doe in effect say , lord condemne vs , for we will be condemned . secondly , we are commanded to loue one another , euen as christ hath loued vs , eph. . . it is the propertie of loue , to suffer , and to beare , and not to be prouoked to anger , . cor. . and it is a marke , whereby gods children are discerned , from the children of the deuill , that they loue their brethren , . ioh. . . thirdly , we are ignorant of mens mindes in speaking and doing : we know not the manner and circumstances of their actions . and experience teacheth , that much anger comes vpon mistaking and misconstruing them . whereas contrariwise , if they were throughly knowne , we would not be so much incensed against men , as commonly we are . fourthly , in rash anger , we can doe no part of gods worshippe that is pleasing to him . we cannot pray : for he that praies , must lift vp pure hands without wrath , . tim. 〈◊〉 . . we cannot be good hearers of the word : for s. iames wisheth vs to be swift to heare , and slow to wrath ; because the wrath of man doth not accomplish the righteousnes of god , iam. . , . fiftly , we must consider what are the fruits and consequents of vniust anger . for first , it greatly annoies the health . it annoies the braine , and pulses ; it causes the gall to flow into the stomacke and the bowells ; it killeth and poisoneth the spirits ; and it is the next way to procure distemper of the whole bodie , and consequently losse of health . secondly , it makes a man captiue to the deuill , eph. . . which we see to be true in sauls example , who beeing a man full of wrath , and giuing place to his owne rage and furie , an euill spirit entred into him by the iust iudgement of god. sixtly , we must consider the causes of vniust anger . it is commonly thought , that anger is nothing but the flowing of choler in the gall , and in the stomacke . but the truth is , anger is more then choler . for it riseth first , of a debilitie of reason and iudgement in the minde . secondly , from euill affections ; as from enuie , and selfe-loue . thirdly , from the constitution of the bodie , that is hote and drie . againe , we read in histories , that men hauing no gall , haue notwithstanding beene full of anger : and choler indeede is a furtherance , but no cause of anger . sect. . the remedies of vniust anger that stand in practise , are especially fiue . the first is , in the time of anger to conceale the same ; both in word and deede . the indignation of a foole ( saith salomon , prou. . . ) will be knowne the same day ; but the wise man couereth his shame : that is , he restraines his anger , which if it should presently break forth , wold be a reproch vnto him . answerable to this notable speech of salomon , was the wise counsell of * ambrose to theodosius ; that after sentēce giuen , he should take daies respite before execution . and not vnlike hath been the practise of the very heathen in their time . socrates said , i had beaten thee , but that i was angrie . a●●enodoru● gaue augustus this rule , that when he was angrie , he should first say ouer the whole alphabet , before he put in execution his anger . secondly , we must depart from them with whō we are angry . for this affectiō is as a fire ; take the matter away from fire , and it will cease to burne ; so let a man depart , and employ himselfe ( for the time ) some other way , and he shall soone cease to be angrie . thus did ionathan depart out of his fathers presence , . sam. . . abraham in his anger withdrew himselfe from lot , gen. . iacob in wrath departed from esan , gen. . , . thirdly , we must auoide the occasions thereof ; as contentions , and contentious persons . doe nothing through contention , phil. . . make no friendship with an angrie man , neither goe with a furious man , least thou learne his waies , and receiue destruction to thy soule , prou. . . we must , for this purpose , be carefull to auoid all meanes , that may serue to further the heate of the temperature of such a bodie , as is apt and disposed to this vnruly passion . fourthly , we are to consider that we sinne against god , not once or twise , but often , yea euery day , and therefore the course of our anger must be turned against our own selues , for our sinnes . for this is one propertie of true repētance , to work in vs a reuenge vpon our selues , in regard of our sinnes committed against god , and our brethren . . corinth . . . fiftly , we must accustome our selues to the daily exercises of inuocation of the name of god , for this end , that he in mercie would mortifie all our affections , especially this corrupt & violent affection of vniust wrath . and this must we doe , as at all times , so then especially ; when anger is creeping vpon vs. it will be saide of some ; our anger is violent , and comes vpon the sudden , and therefore these remedies will doe vs no good . ans. such persons , when their mindes be quiet , must often read and meditate of the foresaid remedies , and by this meanes they shall be able to preuent hastines . but what if we be ouertaken with anger , what must we then doe ? ans. if thou fall into it through infirmitie , yet remember thy selfe , let not the sunne goe downe vpon thy wrath , eph. . . consider with thine owne heart , that anger is as a poison ; if a man drinkes poison , he must not suffer it to rest , and flow into the bodie & veines , but with all speede must purge it out ; and so must anger be dealt withall , whēsoeuer we are ouertaken with it . chap. iiii. of questions concerning temperance . temperance is a vertue , that moderateth appetite or lust . and this moderation of appetite , stands in foure things . i. in the vse of riches . ii. in the vse of meat and drinke . iii. in the vse of apparell . iv. in the vse of pleasures ; wherein recreations are to be considered . sect. . concerning the moderation of appetite in the vse of riches , there are two maine questions . i. question . how farre a man may , with good conscience , proceed in the desiring and seeking of riches ? the answer of this question is the rather to be considered , because this doctrine rightly conceiued and vnderstood , serues greatly for the direction of the whole course of our liues vnto the ende . here therefore i will first set downe the ground of the answer , and then the answer it selfe . the ground of the answer , i propound in fiue rules . i. rule . we must consider , that riches and goods , are of two sorts : some are necessarie , some are more then necessarie , which the scripture calls abundance . goods and riches are two waies necessarie ; necessarie to nature , or necessarie to the person of a man. goods necessarie to nature , are those , without which nature and life cannot be well preserued ; and these are most needefull . necessary in respect of a mans person , are those goods , without which a mans state , condition , and dignitie wherein he is , cannot be preserued . now riches more then necessarie ; i terme those , without which both the life of man , and his good estate , may well be preserued . and whatsoeuer is besides them , is necessary . for example . to the calling of a student , meat , drinke , and cloth , are necessarie in respect of nature ; besides these , other things , as bookes , and such like , are also necessarie for him , in respect of his condition and place . ii. rule . things and goods , are to be iudged necessarie and sufficient , not by the affection of the couetous man , which is vnsa●●able , but by two other things ; the iudgement of wise and godly men , and the examples of sober and frugall persons . iii. rule . we must not make one measure of sufficiencie of goods necessarie for all persons ; for it varieth , according to the divers conditions of persons , & according to time and place . more things are necessarie to a publicke man , then to a priuate ; and more to him that hath a charge , then to a single man. iv. rule . that is to be iudged necessarie , which in some short time to come may be needefull , though it haue no present vse . for example ; the dowrie that a father giues to his daughter at the day of mariage , though it be not presently needefull , yet because in short time it may be necessarie , therefore it is to be reputed amongst necessarie goods . v. rule . we our selues doe often erre in iudgement , in determining of things necessarie and sufficient for our selues : & therfore when men seeke things competent & necessarie , they must alwaies pray to god , to giue them that , which he knowes in his wisdome , to be meete and necessarie , not prescribing a measure vnto him . i come now to the answer of the question , which is twofold . the first is this . man may with good conscience , desire and seeke for goods necessarie , whether for nature , or for his person , according to the former rules ; but he may not desire and seeke for goods more then necessarie ; for if he doth , he sinneth . the reasons of this answer are these . first , deut. . . . the commandement is giuen to the king , that hath most neede of abundance , that he should not multiply his horses or his siluer or his gold . that which the king may not doe , the subiects ought much lesse to doe ; & therfore they are not to multiply their goods . for this cause it is a great fault in subiects , remaining ( as they be ) subiects , to seeke to attaine to the riches of princes . againe , paul saith , . tim. . . hauing foode and raiment , let vs be ther●ith content . besides that , in the petition , giue vs this day , &c. we craue but onely bread for our substance , that is meete to preserue vs for nature , in that calling wherein we serue god day by day . the prayer of agur is , that god would giue him foode conuenient for him , or ( as the wordes signifie ) bread of his statute , that is , which god in his counsell had appointed and ordained for him , prov. . . secondly , seeking of abundance is a hazard to the saluation of the soule , by reason of mans corruption . therefore , matth. . riches are called thornes , that choke the word of god sowen in the heart . and . tim. . . they that will , that is desire to be rich , and content not themselues with things necessarie , fall into the snare of the deuill . thirdly , seeking of abundance , is a fruite of diffidence in the prouidence of god. now all frutes of vnbeleefe must be cut off ; we must not therefore desire more then necessarie . in the next place , for the better clearing of this doctrine , the obiections of couetous men are to be answered . obiect . i. good things are to be sought for ; but abundance is a good thing , and a blessing of god. ans. good things are of two sorts . some are simply good , that is to say , good both in themselues and to vs ; as remission of sinnes , holinesse , righteousnesse , and life euerlasting in the kingdome of heauen , and such like : these may we desire , and seeke for . som again , are good onely in part , which though they be good in themselues , yet are not alwaies good to vs. of this kind is abundance of riches , and store of wealth more then necessarie for nature and person . for which cause , riches in abundance , are as the knife in the hand of a child , likely to hurt , if it be not taken away ; because they are ( in some men ) occasions of sinne , vnlesse god in mercie preuent and hinder them . and for our selues , what know we , whether god will keepe and preserue vs from sinne , when we seeke and labour for abundance ? obiect . ii. it is the promise of god , that riches and treasures shall be in the house of the iust , psal. . . the answer is two-fold . first , riches in scripture sometimes , doe signifie only things sufficient and competent , and of them is that place to be vnderstood . to this purpose dauid saies , that a small thing , that is , a competent and meane portion , though but very little , is to the iust man better then great riches to the wicked and mightie , psal. . . and whereas dauid in another place affirmeth , that nothing shall be wanting to them that feare god , psal. . . and againe , they which seeke the lord shall want nothing that is good : the places are to be vnderstood with exception of the crosse & correction , in this sort ; that they shall haue competencie , vnlesse the lord intend to chastice and correct them by want . secondly , if by riches dauid there meaneth abundance , the words must be vnderstood with this condition ; if they be for their good . for so all promises of temporal things must be limited with exception , partly of gods glory , kingdome , and will , and partly of our good and saluation . obiect . iii. we must doe good to the poore , to the church , to the common wealth , and we must also leaue somewhat to posteritie . i answer : we may not doe euill that good may come thereof . againe , euery man is accepted of god , according to that he hath , and not according to that he hath not , if there be a ready mind , . cor. . . and the end of a mans calling , is not to gather riches for himselfe , for his familie , for the poore ; but to serue god in seruing of man , and in seeking the good of all men ; and to this end , men must apply their liues and labours . obiect . iv. we are called to imitate the ante , prov. . & . which gathers in one season , for her reliefe in another . ans. the ante gathers in sommer , only things necessarie ; she doth not , by the instinct of nature , seeke superfluitie and more then is necessarie . this doctrine serues to direct and informe almost all the world , to beate downe the wicked practise of the vsurer , & to teach euery one of vs , to moderate our care in things pertaining to this life . the second part of the answer is this : if god giue abundance , when we neither desire it , nor seeke it , we may take it , hold and vse it as gods stewards . abraham & ioseph of arimathaea , are commended for their riches , and yet they obtained them not by their owne seeking , and moiling , after the manner of the world ; but walking in their callings , god in his providence blessed and multiplytheir wealth . for further proofe of this answer consider but one only place , act. . . where peter saies to ananias , when it remained , appertained it not vnto thee ? and when it was sold , was it not in thy power ? these words import thus much ; that if we haue possessions and abundance , we may with good conscience inioy them as blessings and gifts of god. against this doctrine it is alleadged first , that our sauiour saies , it is a hard thing for him that hath riches , to enter into the kingdome of god , matt. . . ans. the place is to be vnderstood of them , that trust in their riches , as it is expounded , mark. . . secondly , it is obiected , we must forsake all and become christs disciples , by the commandement of christ , luk. . . ans. a man must forsake al , not simply , but in regard of the daily disposition and preparation of his mind ; and so a man ought to forsake the things that are dearest vnto him , because he must haue his minde resolued to forsake them . againe , man must be content to part with all , not onely in affection , but actually , when it commeth to this point , that either he must loose them , or renounce christ. thirdly , it is alleadged , that riches are called vnrighteous , luk. . . make ye friends of vnrighteous mammon : therefore it seemes we may not haue them . ans. mammon , is called mammon of iniquitie , not because it is so in it selfe , but because it is so in the common vse , or rather abuse of wicked men : and that in sundrie respects . first , because it is commonly ( though not alwaies ) vniustly gotten : for it is a hard thing to become rich without iniustice . secondly , it is made ordinarily , among sinnefull men , an instrument of many euills . thirdly , euill gotten goods , are vniustly possessed , and no man can be truly tearmed rich , that vniustly possesseth riches . ii. question . how a man may , with good conscience , possesse and vse riches ! the answer to this question , i propound in foure rules . i. rule . they which haue riches are to consider , that god is not only their soueraigne lord , but the lord of their riches , and that they themselues are but the stewards of god , to employ and dispense them , according to his will. yea further , that they are to giue an account vnto him , both for the hauing and vsing of those riches , which they haue and vse . this rule , is a confessed truth . in the petition , when we haue bread in our houses & hands , yea which is more , in our mouthes ; when we are in the vse of the creature , euen then are we taught to say , giue vs this day our daily bread , to signifie , that god is our soueraigne and absolute lord , and that when we haue the creatures , we haue no vse of them , vnlesse he giue it vnto vs. againe , the commandement , luk. . . giue an account of thy stewardship ; pertaines to all men that haue riches , though it be but meate and bread . ii. rule . we must vse speciall moderation of minde , in the possessing and vsing of riches , & be content with our estate , so as we set not the affection of our heart vpon our riches , psal. . . if riches increase , set not your heart vpon them ; that is , place not your loue and confidence in them ; be not puffed vp with pride and ambition , because you are rich , luk. . . woe be to you that are rich : that is , that put confidence in your riches , matth. . . blessed are the poore in spirit . now pouertie of spirit is , to beare pouertie with meekenes , patience , and obedience , as a crosse imposed by god. and in this sense , the rich man may be said to be poore in spirit , if he bestoweth not his loue and confidence vpon his wealth , but in affection of heart is so disposed , as if he were not rich , but poore . and this pouertie is necessarie euen in the middest of wealth , because it will restraine the furie of the vntamed and vnruly affection . againe , christ saith , matth. . . he that looseth his life for my sake , shall find it . loosing there mentioned , is not an actuall loosing , but ( as before ) a disposition or preparation of the heart to loose , for christs sake , ( if neede be ) the dearest thing we haue , that is our life . and againe , luk. . . if any man come to me , and hate not father and mother , — yea and his owne life also , he cannot be my disciple . that place is not spoken of actuall , but of habituall hatred . and this stands in a readinesse and inclination of the heart to hate ( if neede be , ) father and mother , yea our owne life for christ and the gospels sake . to this purpose the apostle saith , they that buie , must be as though they possessed not , . cor. . . that is , in respect of moderation of the affection , and the disposition of the heart . for otherwise , it is the law of nature , that he that buies must possesse . example of this moderation of the affection , we haue in moses , who esteemed the rebuke of christ , greater riches then the treasures of egypt , hebr. . . and in dauid , who though he were a king , and a lord in the earth , yet saith of himselfe , that he was but a pilgrime and soiourner in it , as all his fathers were , psal. . . and he speakes this in respect of the affection of his heart , and moderation thereof , because he did not fixe the same vpon abundance . and of paul , who professeth in this manner , i haue learned to be full , and to be hungrie : in all things i am instructed , * or entred in this high point of christian practise , to be hungrie and to be full , philip. . . in which text , two things are set down . first , that christian moderation or contentment , is a high mysterie ; yea that it requires much skill & arte to know , how to be poore and how to be rich . secondly , that himselfe was a learner of this art , and that he had bin but entred and initiated into the knowledge thereof . now , that this moderation of minde may be learned and practised , we must remember that two especiall meanes are to be vsed . first , we must labour to be able to discerne betweene things that differ , philip. . . how is that ? by iudging aright betweene riches temporall , and the true riches , that will make a man rich before god. this gift of discerning was in moses , who vpon a right iudgement in this point , accounted the rebuke of christ , greater riches , then the treasures of egypt , hebr. . . in dauid , who saies , that the lord was his portion , when he was a king , and euen in the middest of his riches , psal. . . in paul , who esteemed the best things that were , but base , yea drosse and dung , that he might winne christ , phil. . . the second meanes of moderation is , to consider that we are in this world , as pilgrimes and straungers , . pet. . . that the best of vs brought nothing into the world , neither shal ( whē we dy ) carry ought out of it . iii. rule . we must , vpon the calling of god , forsake our riches , and all that we haue in this world , not onely in disposition of minde , but in deede . the word of god teacheth , that there be three cases , wherein a man is indeede to forsake all . i. if he be extraordinarily and immediately called , to publish the gospel to all nations . this was the case of the apostles and euangelists , who in regard of their calling , at least for vse , forsooke all that they had , matth. . . ii. in the case of confession ; when for professing the name of christ , a man is depriued of them in the daies of triall . thus when our sauiour saith , whosoeuer he be that forsaketh not all that he hath , &c. luk. . . the words are spoken of all beleeuers , in the case of confession , when they are called by god vnto it ; and therefore s. matthew explaines it thus ; whosoeuer &c. for my names sake , he shall receiue , &c. matth. . . iii. when in the time of persecution , famine , or warre , the necessitie is so great , that it requires present releefe , which can no other way be had , but by giuing and selling the goods that a man hath . in psal. . . the good man is saide to disperse to the poore ; this dispersing must not be vnderstoode of all times , but in case of extreame neede . again , when christ saies , luk. . . ●ell al that thou hast ; this cōmandement must be limited : for a man is not boūd to sel al at al times , but in the time of great and vrgent necessity . thus the christiās in the primitiue church , in the daies of imminent persecution , sold all their possessions , act. . and so paul acknowledgeth , that the church of corinth releeued the church of macedonia , euen beyond their abilitie , in the daies of extremitie that was in that church , . cor. . here , another question may be mooued ; whether a man may voluntarily , and of his owne accord , giue away all his goods , liue vpon almes , and giue himselfe to fasting and praier ? ans. he may in popish conceit giue himselfe ( in this sort ) to voluntarie pouertie , which they hold to be lawfull , and ( which is more ) a state of perfection . we on the contrarie doe answer , that this practise is in no sort lawfull , vnlesse a man haue speciall calling and warrant from god so to doe . for first , the law of nature sets downe and prescribes distinction of possessions , and proprietie of landes and goods , and the gospel doth not abolish the law of nature . againe , the same distinction and proprietie , is allowable by the written law of god. salomon teacheth , prou. . . that a man must let his waters flow out of his cisterne , but he must keepe the fountaine to himselfe . and , prou. . . it is the blessing of god to be rich , and he addeth no sorrowes to it . men must not therefore voluntarily forsake their riches , and so bring sorrow to themselues . besides that , agur praies against pouertie ; giue me ( saith he ) neither pouertie , nor riches , prou. . . dauid makes it a curse , to be a begger ; psal. . . and he neuer saw the righteous mans seede begging their bread , psal. . . our sauiour christ biddes him that had two coates , not to giue both away , but one , luk. . . and paul saies , it is a more blessed thing to giue , then to receiue , act. . . therefore he biddes euery man to labour with his owne hands , that he may neede nothing : that is , that he may not neede the releefe and helpe of any man , or of anything , . thess. . , . but it is alleadged to the contrarie , matth. . . if thou n ilt be perfect , sell all . ans. the wordes are a personall and particular commandement . for this young prince , whome christ speakes vnto , was called to become a disciple of christ , and to preach the gospel , luk. . . and the commandement is not giuen generally to all men , but particularly to him alone : and we cannot make a generall rule of a speciall commandement or example . againe further , it was a commandement of speciall triall . secondly they alleadge , matth. . . possesse neither gold , nor siluer , nor money in your purses . ans. that commandement was temporall , and giuen to the disciples , but onely for the time of their first embassage into iurie , as appeares in the . v. where christ bids them not to goe yet into the way of the gentiles . and the commandements of their first embassage , were reuersed afterward , luk. . . considering then that it belonged onely to their first embassage , when they preached to the iewes , it was not giuen them for all times . iv. rule . we must so vse and possesse the goods we haue , that the vse and possession of them , may tend to gods glorie , and the saluation of our soules . rich men must be rich in good workes , and togither with their riches , lay vp a good foundation in conscience , against the euill day , . tim. . . for the better pactizing of this rule , take these three cautions . i. we must seeke to haue christ , and to be in him iustified and sanctified : and beeing in him , then shall we in him and by him , haue the holy vse of all that we haue . some will say ; infidels haue the vse of riches . ans. they haue indeed , and they are to them the gifts of god : yet they so inioy them , as that before god they are but vsurpers . they be gifts of god in regard of gods giuing , but they are abuses and thefts in regard of their receiuing , because they receiue them not as they ought . a father giues a gift vnto his child , vpon condition that he shall thus and thus receiue it ; now the child steales the gift that is giuen him , and therefore hath it not in that manner , that his father would he should haue it . in like manner doe infidels steale and vsurpe the blessings of god , to which they haue no iust title , themselues being out of christ , neither doe they vse them in that manner , which god requireth , sanctifying them by the word and prayer , . tim. . . ii. we ought to pray to god , that he would giue vs his grace , rightly to vse our riches to his glory , and our own saluation . for riches and other temporall blessings , to sinfull mē that haue not the gift to use thē wel , are dangerous , euen as a knife in the hand of a child . they are thornes , and choake the grace of god , they keepe those that trust in them , from entrance into the kingdome of heauen . yea they are the deuills snare , whereby he catcheth the wicked , & holdeth them in it at his will and pleasure . iii. our riches must be emploied to necessarie vses . these are first , the maintenance of our owne good estate and conditions , secondly the good of others , specially those that are of our family or kindred , . tim. . . he that prouideth not for his owne , and namely for them of his houshould , he denieth the faith , and is worse then an infidell . thirdly , the releife of the poore , according to the state and condition of euery man. fourthly the maintenance of the church of god , and true religion , prov. . . honour god with thy riches . fiftly , the maintenance of the common wealth : giue tribute ( saith paul ) to whome tribute belongeth , rom. . . and giue vnto god , saith christ , the things that are gods , and vnto casar , the things that are caesars , matt. . . thus much touching the moderation of the appetite in the vse of riches . sect. . in the second place follow those questions , that concerne the moderation of our appetite , in the vse of meate and drinke . concerning which , there are principally two ; the answer to the first whereof is the ground of the second . i. question . whether there be any difference in the vse of meates & drinks , now in the times of the new testament ? ans. there is a distinction and difference of meates , to be obserued in sundrie respects . i. in respect of man , for healths suks . paul counselleth timothie ; drinke no more water , drinke a little wine , . tim. . . in which it is plaine , that there is a distinction of meates approoued and commended for man. for euery kinde of foode fittes not euery bodie : meates therefore are to be vsed with difference . man was not made for meate , but meate for man. ii. in respect of scandall . some are not to be vsed at some time , and some are at the same time to be eaten . thus paul professeth , that rather then he would offend his brother , he would eate no flesh while the world endureth , . cor. . . and in rom. . he disputes the point at large , touching the distinction of meates , that is to be obserued , in regard of offending them that are weake . iii. there is a distinction to be made , in respect of civill and politicke order ; when for the common good of societies , certaine kindes of meates for certaine seasons of the yeare are forbidden . thus in our commō wealth , there are appointed daies of flesh , & daies of fish , not in respect of conscience , but in regard of order , for the common good of the countrie . iv. there is a difference of meates , which ariseth vpon the bond of conscience , so as it shall be a sinne to vse or not to vse this or that meate . touching this difference ; before the flood , the patriarches ( in all likelihood ) were not allowed flesh , but only hearbs , and the fruit of the ground , gen. . . after the flood , flesh was permitted , but blood forbidden , gen. . . . from that time there was commanded a dististinction of meates , wherof some were cleane some vncleane ; which distinction stood in force till the death of christ , and that in conscience , by vertue of diuine law. but in the last daies , all difference of meates in respect of obligation of the conscience , is taken away ; and a free vse of all is giuen in that regard . this the scripture teacheth in many places , act. . . the things that god hath purified , pollute thou not . peter in these words teacheth , that all meats in the new testament in regard of vse , were made cleane by god , and therefore that no man by refusall of any kind of meates , should thinke or make them vncleane . againe , rom. . . the kingdome of god is not meate or drinke , but righteousnes , peace and ioy in the holy ghost . for whosoeuer in these things serueth christ , is acceptable to god and approoued of him . hence it appeareth , that in the apostles iudgement , meat and drinke doth not make any man accepted of god , whether he vseth or vseth it not , but the worship of god is it that makes man approoued of him . to the same purpose it is said , . cor. . . meat doth not commend vs vnto god. again , col. . . let no man condemne you in meat and drinke , &c. ver . . if ye be dead with christ , why as if ye liued in the world , are ye burdened with traditions , as touch not , tast not , handle not ? all which perish with the vsing . here , paul would not haue the collossians burdened with rites and traditions concerning meats , so as if they vsed them not , they should in cur the blame and condemnation of men : but he would haue them to vse them freely and indifferently . and his reason is double ; first , because they were now freed in conscience , from the bond of the ceremonial law touching meats ; and therefore they were in conscience much more freed from mens lawes . secondly , because these traditions are not the rules and commandements of god , but the doctrine and precepts of men . furthermore , paul in . tim. . . foretells , that there should be many in the latter daies , that should command to abstaine from meates . to which place the papist answers , that that was , because such persons taught , that meats were vncleane by nature . but the words are simply to be vnderstood , of meates forbidden with obligation of the conscience ; and the text is generall , speaking of the doctrine , not of the persons of those men ; nor in ciuill respects , but in regard of the bond of conscience . lastly , it is a part of christian libertie , to haue freedome in conscience , as touching all things indifferent , and therefore in regard of meates . to this doctrine , some things are opposed , by them of contrarie iudgement . obiect . i. princes doe make lawes , and in their lawes do forbidde meates and drinkes , and they must be obeyed for consciēce sake , rom. . . ans. they doe so ; but all these lawes are made , with reseruation of libertie of conscience , and of the vse of that libertie to euery person . but to what end then ( will some say ) are lawes made , if they be made with reservation ? ans. the scope of them is , not to take away , or to restraine libertie , or the vse of libertie in conscience , but to moderate the overcommon and superfluous outward vse . as for that text , rom. . . it is to be vnderstood for conscience sake , not of the law of the magistrate , but of the law of god , that bindes vs to obey the magistrates law . obiect . ii. there was blood and things strangled forbidden , in the counsell at ierusalem , after christs ascension , act. . ans. it was forbidden onely in regard of offence , & for a time , so long as the weake iewe remained weake , not in regard of conscience . and therfore afterward paul saies , that all things euen blood it selfe was lawfull , though not expedient in regard of scandall , . cor. . . and to the pure all things are pure , tit. . . obiect . iii. papists make lawes , in which they forbidde some meats , onely to restraine concupiscence . ans. then they should forbid wine , as well as flesh . for wine , spices , and some kindes of fish , which they permit , are of greater force to stirre vp lust , then the vse of flesh . and hence it is , that saint paul exhorts men not to be drunke with wine , wherein is excesse , eph. . . againe , i answer , that iust may be restrained by exhortation to temperance , without prohibitory lawes for the obligation of the conscience , which are flat against christian libertie . vpon this answer a further question may be made . whether a man may with good conscience eate flesh at times forbidden ? ans. there are two kinds of eating ; eating against the law , and besides the law . eating against the law is , when a man cats , and by cating hinders the ende of the law , contemns the authoritie of the law-maker , frustrates the law it selfe , and withall , by his eating , giues occasion to others to doe the same . this eating is a flat sinne against the fift commandement . for it is necessarie , that the magistrates laws should be obeyed in all things lawfull . heb. . . the master and the parent , must be obeyed in all lawfull things , much more the lawes of magistrates . eating beside the law , is , when a man eats that , which the law mentioneth and forbiddeth , but not hurting the law . and that a man may thus eate , sundry cautions are to be obserued . i. this eating must be vpon iust cause in a mans owne selfe . ii. it must be without contempt of the lawmaker , and with a loyall mind . iii. it must be without giuing offence to any , by his bad example . iv. when it doth not hinder the maine end of the law . v. when the eater doth subiect himselfe to the penaltie , voluntarily and willingly . in this eating , there is no breach in conscience , neither is it a sinne , to eate that which the law forbiddeth . for man hath free libertie , in conscience , to eat that which he doth eate . now , if he vse his libertie , and hurt no law , obseruing these cautions , his eating is no sinne . for example . it was gods law , that the priests only should eat the shew-bread . now dauid vpon a iust cause in himselfe , ( all the former cautions obserued ) eates the shew-bread and sinnes not ; because his conscience was free in these things ; and therefore dauids eating was not against the law , but onely beside the law . ii. question . how we may rightly vse meates and drinks , in such sort as our eating may be to gods glory , and our owne comfort ? ans. that we may so doe , some things are to be done before we eate , some in eating , & some after our eating . §ect . . the thing that is to be done before our eating , is the consecratiō of the food , that is , the blessing of the meates which we are to eate , . tim. . , euery creature of god is sanctified by the word of god , and prayer . by sanctification there , is not meant that , whereby we are sanctified by the holy ghost : neither that , wherby the bread and the wine is halowed in the sacrament of the supper . but it is this ; when we are assured , that the creature is made so free , and lawfull to vs , in respect of our vse , that we may eate it freely , and with good conscience . by the word of god , paul meanes the word of creation , mentioned in gen. . . . & repeated , gen. . . as also the word of god touching the libertie of conscience , namely that to the pure all things are pure , tit. . . it is further added , and prayer , that is prayer grounded vpon the said word of creation , and the doctrine touching christian libertie ; whereby wee pray for grace to god , that we may vse the creatures holily to his glorie . the reasons , why this sanctification of our meat is to be vsed , are these . first , that in the vse of it , we may lift vp our hearts vnto god , and by this meanes , put a difference between our selues and the brute beasts , which rush vpon the creatures , without sanctifying of them . secondly , that we may be admonished thereby , touching the title we haue to the creatures , which beeing once lost by the fall of adam , is restored vnto vs again by christ. thirdly , that it may be an assured testimony to our heartes , that we may vse the creature with libertie of conscience , when we doe vse it . fourthly , that we may be sanctified to the vse of the creature , as it is sanctified to vs , to the end , that we may vse it with temperance , and not abuse it . fiftly , that when we vse the creature , we may depend on god for the blessing of it , to make it our nourishment . for no creature can nourish of it selfe , but by gods commandement , who as dauid saith , psal. . . openeth his hand , and filleth all things liuing of his good pleasure . and in bread , we must not consider the substance onely , but the staffe , which is the blessing of god vpholding our bodies . sixtly , that we may not grow to securitie , forgetfulnes , and contēpt of god , & so to prophanes in the vse of our meates and drinkes , as the israelites did ; which sate downe to eate and drinke , and rose vp to play . now besides these reasons , we haue also the examples of holy men . this blessing of the meat , was so knowne a thing of auncient times , that the poore maides of ramath-zophim , could tell saul , that the people would not eate their meate , before the prophet came , and blessed the sacrifice , . sam. . . christ in his owne family , would not eate of the fiue loaues and two fishes , till he had looked vp to heauen and geuen thankes . mar. . . paul tooke bread in the shippe , and gaue thanks in the presence of all that were with him . act. . . the vse of the first point is . i. by this doctrine , all persons are taught , but specially gouerners of others , as masters of families & parents ; neuer to vse , either meates or drinkes or any other blessing , that they receiue at the hands of god , but with praise & thanksgiuing . for this which is said of meates and drinkes , must be inlarged also to the vse of any benefite , blessing , or ordinance , that we take in hand , to vse or inioy . ii. though we doe not simply condemne , but allow of hallowing of creatures , yet we detest popish consecration of salt , creame , ashes , and such like . first , because papists halow them for wrong endes , as to procure by them remission of sinnes , to driue away deuills , &c. secondly , because they sanctifie creatures without the word ; yea though they doe it by praier , yet it is praier without the word , which giueth no warrant thus to vse the creatures , or to these endes ; and therefore of the same nature with magical inchantments . thirdly , if the creature must be sanctified for our vse , before we can vse it , then we our selues must be sanctified both in soule and bodie , before we can be sitte for the vse and seruice of god. looke as the creature , by the hand and prouidence of god , is presented before vs to serue vs ; so must we beeing strengthned and nourished by the same giue vp our-selues , soules , and bodies , to serue and honour him . yea our sanctifying of the creature to our holy vse , should put vs in minde of sanctifying our selues to his glorie . so soone as the prophet esay was sanctified by god vnto his office , then he addressed himselfe and not before , and said , lord , i am here , esa. . . and so we our selues , before we can performe any acceptable dutie vnto god , must be purged and clensed . the sonnes of aaron would not doe this honour vnto god , by sanctifying his name before the people , and therefore god glorified himselfe in their death , and temporall destruction , leuit. . . and when moses the seruant of god , failed in the sanctification of his name , by the circumcision of his sonne ; gods hand was vpon him to haue destroied him . this point is duely to be obserued of all , but principally of such as are appointed to any publike office ; if they will serue god therein with comfort and incouragement , they must first labour to be sanctified before him , both in their soules and bodies . §ect . . i come now to the second thing , required for the right and lawfull vse of meates and drinkes , namely , a christian behauiour while we are in vsing them . for the better vnderstanding whereof , we are to consider two points . first , what we may doe ; and then , what we must doe in vsing the creatures . i. touching the former . we may vse these gifts of god , with christian libertie : and how is that ? not sparingly alone , and for meere necessitie , to the satisfying of our hunger , and quenching of our thirst , but also freely and liberally , for christian delight and pleasure . for this is that libertie , which god hath graunted to all beleeuers . thus we read , that ioseph and his brethren with him , did eate and drinke together of the best , that is , liberally , gen. . . and to this purpose dauid saith , that god giueth wine , to make glad the heart of man , and oyle to make the face to shine , as well as bread to strengthen the bodie . psal. . . and the lord threatneth to bring a punishment vpon his people , agg. . . in that he would giue them his creatures indeede , but such a portion of the , as should onely supplie their present necessities , and no more . ye shall eate ( saith he ) but ye shall not haue enough : ye shall drinke , but ye shall not be filled . againe , we read that levi the publican , made our sauiour christ a great feast in his owne house . luk. . . at the marriage in caua a towne of galile , where christ was present , the guests are said , according to the manner of these countries , to haue drunke liberally . ioh. . . and at an other place , in supper time , marie is saide to haue taken a boxe of pretious and costly oyntment , and to haue annointed his feete there with , so as the whole house was filled with the sauour of the ointment . ioh. . . iudas indeede thought that expense which shee had made superstuous , but christ approoues of her act , and commendeth her for it . i adde further , that by reason of this libertie purchased vnto vs by christ , we may vse these and the like creatures of god , with ioy and reioycing . this is the profit that redoundeth vnto man , in the vse of them , that he eate and drinke , and delight his soule with the profit of his labours . eccles. . . the practise hereof we haue in the acts , ch . . v. . where they of that church that beleeued , are saide to eate their meate together with gladnesse , and singlenesse of heart . and yet this reioycing in the creatures , must be limited with this clause ; that it be , in the lord : that is to say , a hurtlesse and harmelesse ioy , tending to the glorie of god , and the good of our neighbour . this condemneth the common practise of the world , who solace and delight themselues in the vse of gods creatures , but so , as with their ioy is ioyned the ordinarie traducing of the magistrate , minister , and those that feare god , and will not run with them to the same excesse of riot . . pet. . . ii. the second point is , what we must doe , when we take the benefit of gods creatures ; a matter of great consequent in the liues of men . and it is this , that we vse our libertie in the lord , and whether we eate or eate not , we must doe both to the lord. rom. . . this is done by labouring , both in eating , and in abstinence , to approoue the same vnto god , vnto his saints , and vnto our own consciēces . wherein appeareth a manifest differēce between the wicked & the godly man. for the one , when he eateth or drinketh , he doth it in the lord , and to the lord ; the other , doth it not to the lord , but to himselfe , that is , to the satisfaction & contentment of his owne carnall delight and pleasure . that a man may eate to the lord , there are foure things distinctly to be obserued . i. that in our eating , we practise iustice. salomon saith , the bread of deceit , that is , gotten by vnlawfull meanes , is sweet vnto a man : but afterward , his mouth shall be filled with gravell . prov. . . and paul giues a rule to the church of thessalonica , that euery man should eate his owne bread : that is , the bread which is procured and deserued , by his owne iust and honest labour , 〈◊〉 . thess. . . this first thing , serues to checke a number of men , that liue in the daily practise of iniustice , by spending their goods in good fellowship , at tauernes and ●ipling houses , neglecting ( in the meane while ) the maintenance of their own charge , by following their honest labour ; and by this meanes , doe euen robbe their families , of their due and right . ii. that we may eate to the lord , we must practise loue & charitie in our eating . how is that ? first , we must giue offence to no man whatsoeuer . it is good , saith paul , neither to eate flesh , nor to drinke wine , nor any thing , whereby thy brother stumbleth , is offended , or made weake . rom. . . secondly , in our eating we must haue respect of the poore . thus nehemiah exhorteth the iewes that were mourning for their sinnes , to be chearefull , to eate of the fat , and drinke the sweete , and send part vnto them , for whome none was prepared : that is , to them that were poore . nehem. . . and the prophet amos , inueigheth against some of the princes of israel , who drunke wine in bowles , and annointed themselues with the chiefe ointments , and were not sorrie for the affliction of ioseph : that is , did not releeue the poore brethren , that were led captiue , and wanted foode and maintenance . amos . . iii. we must vse our meate in sobrietie . sobrietie is a gift of god , whereby we keepe a holy moderation in the vse of our diet . prov. . , . when thou sit test to eate , &c. consider diligently , what is set before thee , and put the knife to thy throat , that is , be very carefull and circumspect in taking thy foode , bridle thine appetite , take heede thou doest not exceede measure . if it be asked , what rule of moderation is to be obserued of all , whether they be men or women , young or old ? i answer . first , one mans particular example , must not be a rule of direction to all . in the east countries , we read , that men haue liued , and doe yet liue a great time with a little ; for example with parched corne and a cake . now this example of theirs , is no rule to vs that liue in these parts . for their country is hotter then ours , and therefore lesse might serue them then vs : we are hot within , and so our appetite is the more strong . againe , in eating we may not iudge or condemne him that eateth more , or lesse , then we our selues , because his eating is no rule to vs in this case . secondly , a mans owne appetite , is not to be made a rule of eating for others . for a mā must not eate , so long as his stomacke craues meate ; least he fal into the sinne of gluttonie , rom. . . and this sinne is noted by our sauiour christ , to haue beene in the old world , in the daies of noah , mat. . . whē they gaue themselues to * eating and drinking like the brute beasts : for so the word signifies . if then neither example , nor appetite may rule our eating , what be the right rules of christian moderation in this behalfe ? ans. that we may not exceede measure , we must keepe or serues within these limits . first , our food must not goe beyond the condition , place , abilitie , and maintenance that god hath giuen vs. iohn the baptist being in the wildernesse , contented himselfe with very meane fare , agreable both to the manner of that countrey , and to his owne calling , and condition of life . his meate was locusts and wild hony . mat. . . secondly , it must be framed to the order and difference of time & place . against this rule the rich glutton offended , who fared deliciously euery day , without any difference of time or place , luk. . salomon pronounceth a woe to that land , whose princes eate in the morning , eccl. . . s. paul notes it a fauit in a minister , to be * giuen to wine , . tim. . . that is , a cōmon tipler , & one that loues to sit by the wine morning & euening , day by day . thirdly , euery man must eat and drinke so much , as may serue to maintain the strength of his nature , of his bodie and mind , yea so much , as may serue to vphold the strength of grace in him . salomon the king of israel , would haue all princes to eate in time , for strength , and not for drunkennes . eccl. . . esay notes it as a iudgement of god vpon men , when they vse feasting and mirth , and haue not grace to consider the workes of god , esay . . . our sauiour would haue all men so to eate and drinke , that they may be the fitter to watch and pray . luk. . . . and the apostle paul exhorteth men , not to be drunke with wine wherein is excesse , but to be filled with the holy ghost , eph. . . his meaning is , that men ought so to eate and drinke , that their bodies , mindes , and senses , may not be made thereby more heauie , but rather more lightsome and able to performe their duties to god and man. for if they so eat , as that thereby they be hindred in this behalfe ; they are guiltie of excesse and riot , which is greatly displeasing to god and offensiue to men . this rule serueth to admonish somepersons , who ( as the prouerb is ) are good forenoone-men , but bad afternoonemen ; because in the morning they be sober , but for the most part , ouer come with drinke after dinner . iv. euery man must eate his meat in godlines . this is indeed to eat vnto the lord , and it may be done by obseruation of these rules . first , by taking heed of the abuse of any creature appointed for foode , by intemperance . this abuse holy iob suspected in his sonnes , while they were a feasting , and therefore he sent day by day , and sanctified them , and offered vp burnt offerings vnto god according to the number of them all . iob. . . secondly , by receiuing the creatures , as from the hand of god himselfe . for this very end did god , by expresse word , giue vnto adam euery hearth bearing seede , which was vpon the earth , and euery tree wherein was the fruit of a tree bearing seed for his meat , that he might receiue it , as god had giuen it vnto him , from his owne hand , gen. . . thus moses said vnto the israelites touching manna : this is the bread , which the lord hath giuen you to eate . exod. . . this dauid acknowledged saying , thou giuest it them , & they gather it , thou openest thy hand and they are filled . psal. . . and . . the lord vpbraideth israel with this fault , by the prophet hosea , she did not acknowledge that i gaue her corne , and wine , and oyle , and multiplyed her siluer and gold , hos. . . yea it is noted as an argument of gods loue to israel , by the prophet ioel , that he sent them corne , wine , and oyle , that they might be satiffied therewith . ioel. . . by this dutie , are iustly to be reprooved the carelesse and godlesse behauiours of sundry persons , who ( with the swyne ) feed vpon the creatures of god , but neuer lift vp their eies or hands vnto him , of whome , and from whome they doe receiue them . the verie bruit beast can teach them a better lesson . for ( as dauid saith ) the lyons roaring after their pray , doe seeke their meat from god. psal. . . yea the heauens and the earth , and all that are in them , doe alwaies depend vpon his prouidence ; and are altogither guided and directed by him , iob. . and shall not man much more haue an eye vnto his creator , and wholly depend vpon him , for all blessings , from whom he receiues life and breath and all things . thirdly , we must receiue these creatures from god our father , as tokens of our reconciliation to him in christ. so saith saint paul , giuing thankes alwaies , for all things , to god euen the father , in the name of our lord iesus christ. eph. . . thus we hold and receiue gods blessings , and he that holds and receiues them otherwise , is an vsurper , and not a right and lawfull possessour of them . fourthly , we must learne to be content , with that portion that god assigneth to vs , be it neuer so small ; and withall labour to see the goodnes of god , euen in the meanest fare that may be . our table is ( as it were ) a liuely sermon to vs , of gods speciall providence over our bodies . for first , in reason , dead flesh should rather kill vs , then giue vs nourishment , and yet by his blessing & providence , it continueth life and strength . againe , both we and our meat are but perishing , and therefore when we feede theron , it may serue to stirre vs vp , to seeke for the food of the soule , that nourisheth to life euerlasting . ioh. . . furthermore , looke as euery creature serues for our vse , euen so should we our selues , consecrate our selues vnto god , and serue him both with our soules and bodies , as before hath beene shewed . sect. . the third and last point is , what we are to doe , and how to behaue our selues after our meat ? this moses teacheth the israelites , deut. . . when thou hast eaten and filled thy self , thou shalt blesse the lord thy god . this praising or blessing of god stands in two things . first , in a holy remembrance , that god hath giuen vs our food . for beeing once filled , we must take heed , we forget not god , who hath opened his hand , and plenteously refreshed our bodies with his creatures . deut. . . secondly , we must make conscience , in liew of thankfulnesse to god , to employ the strength of our bodies in seeking his glorie , and walking according to all his lawes and comandements . whether ye eate or drinke , or whatsoeuer ye doe , doe all to the glorie of god. . cor. . . we may not liue idlely , & giue our selues to riot and gaming , but labour to serue god and our countrey , in some profitable course of life , least it be said of vs , as it was once of the old iewes , that we sitte downe to eate and drinke , and rise vp to play . to this i adde one thing further , that when we haue eaten to our contentment , and something remaine , care must be had to reserue it , and not to cast it away . for this purpose , we haue the example of christ , who commandeth to gather vp the broken meate that remaineth , that nothing be lost . ioh. . . the reason is , because these reliques and fragments , are part of the creatures ; yea they are as well gods good creatures , as the rest were , and must be preserued to the same vse . now if these may not be abused , or lost , much lesse ought the gifts of the minde , which are greater and farre more precious , be suffered to miscarie , but rather to be preserued and increased . a good lesson for such , as haue receiued any speciall gifts of nature , or grace from god ; that they mispend them not , or suffer them to perish , but carefully maintaine them to the glorie of god , and the good of others . to conclude this question , we are all to be exhorted to make conscience of this dutie , to vse the good blessings of god in such sort , as they may alwaies tende to the honour of the giuer , auoiding all excesse and riot . reasons to mooue vs hereunto , may be these . i. excesse destroyes the bodie , and kills euen the very naturall strength and life thereof . ii. it brings great hurt to the soule of man , in that it annoyeth the spirits , it dulleth the senses , it corrupteth the naturall heate , and good temper of the bodie . now these things beeing the helpes , and next instruments of the soule , if they be once corrupted and decaied , the soule it selfe will at length , be brought to the same passe . iii. let this be considered , that a woe belongs vnto them , that eate and drinke immoderately . esa. . . and for this very sinne , the lord led his owne people into captiuitie . v. . yea the drunkard and the glutton , shall become poore . prov. . . and both shall equally , with there pompe and excesse , descend into hell. esay . . . iv. we should be willing to part from all for christs sake , much more from our excesse ; and shall we thinke it possible for a man to forsake all , even his owne life , that will not forsake excesse and intemperance , in the vse of gods creatures ? it will be said of some , we are not drunken , though we drinke much . ans. it is a policie of the deuill , to delude men withall , when he perswades them , that much drinking is not amisse , if a man be not ouertaken therewith . for it is a sinne to liue and sitte daily by the wine , to be alwaies bibbing and sipping . wee know not when or where we shall die , and we are commanded to watch ouer our harts , that we be not ouercome with surfetting and drunkennesse . what a madnesse then is it , to giue over our selues to such immoderate excesse ; whereby we are vtterly disabled from these , and all other duties of godlinesse ? sect. . in the third place , we come to those questions , that concerne the moderation of our appetite in the vse of apparell . and of this kind there be two principall questions ; the former of them , beeing nothing else , but an introduction to the latter . i. question . whether ornaments of gold , siluer , precious stones , silkes & veluets , &c. may not lawfully be vsed ? ans. there is a lawfull vse of these things , yet not in all , but onely in themto whome they belong . reasons of the answer are these . i. gold and siluer , &c. are the gifts of god , and serue not onely for necessitie , but for ornament and comelinesse . ii. we haue the examples of sundrie persons in scripture , which doe warrant the vse of these creatures , and blessings of god. abrahā by his steward sends vnto rebecca a golden abiliment , or earing , of halfe a shekel weight , and two bracelets of tenne shekels weight of gold . gen. . . and it is said , that when shee receiued it , she ware the iewell of gold in her forehead , and the bracelets vpon her hands , vers . . ioseph beeing advanced in pharaohs court , had the signet of pharaoh put vpon his hand , and a chaine of gold about his : necke , and was arayed in fine linnen ; all which were the ornamēts of princes in those countries . gen. . . againe , all the israelites did were earings of gold , which afterward they tooke off from their eares , and gaue them to aaron , to make thereof the golden calfe . exod. . . and they are not blamed for wearing them , but because they put them to idolatrous vses . so it is said of king salomon , that he had siluer in such abundance , that , according to his state , he gaue it in ierusalem as stones , . cron. . . and christ speaketh of the royaltie of salomon , as of a rare and excellent thing , which himselfe approoued , howsoeuer he preferres the glorie of the lilies of the field before it , matt. . . the daughter of pharaoh is said to be brought vnto salomon , in a vesture of gold of ophir , that is , in a garment of the finest beaten gold . psal. . . all these examples doe shewe thus much , that there is a lawfull vse of these things in them to whom they appertaine . against this doctrine , some things are obiected . obiect . i. in some places of scripture , women are forbidden to weare costly apparell and gold . for paul willeth timothie , that the women aray themselues in comly attire , not with broidored haire , or gold , or pearles , or costly apparell . . tim. . . and to the same purpose peter speaketh . i , pet. . . ans. first ; these ornaments , are not by paul and peter simply forbidden but the abuse of them in riot and excesse . for persons that were in those times called , were of meaner estate ; and the churches in the daies of the apostles , cōsisted ( for the greater part ) of poore , base , and meane men and women . . cor. . . these things therefore are forbidden them , because the vse of golde and pretious ornaments , is nothing els but meere riot , in those that are but of a meane condition . secondly i answer , that the apostles in the places alleadged , doe reprooue a great fault , which was common and ordinarie in those daies . for men and weomen desired , & affected the outward adorning and trimming of their bodies , accounting the outward ornament , which consisted of gold , pearle , and costly apparell , to be the principall ▪ whereas indeede the chiefe ornaments of a christian , should be the vertues of modestie and humilitie , seated in the minde , and restified in the outward carriage . obiect . ii. the prophet esay condemneth these things in particular . for it seemeth , that he had viewed the wardrobes of the ladies of the court in ierusalem , chap. . . &c. where he makes a catalogue of their speciall attires and ornaments , and pronounceth the iudgements of god against them all . ans. some of the ornaments , which the prophet there mentioneth , are indeed meere vanities , that were of no moment , and serued to no necessarie or conuenient vse or ende at all . againe , others of them , were in themselues things lawfull , and the prophet doth not condemne thē at all , as they haue meete and conuenient vse : but he condemnes them in this regard , because they were made the instruments and signes , of the pride , wantonnesse , vanitie , and lightnes of those women . the truth of this answer will appeare , if we consider the . v. of that chapter , where the prophet shews , what his drift was in speaking of those things ; not to condemne all ornaments , but the pride of the daughters of ierusalem , and their hautines and wantonnesse , testified by diuers particular behauiours there mentioned . againe , some of the things there named , were the like , if not of the same kind , with those which abraham sent to rebecca , and which shee did weare , gen. . . and therefore we may not thinke , that the prophet intendeth to condemne all things there specified , but onely the abuse of them , as they were then misapplied to wrong endes , and serued to proclaime to the world , the pride and wantonnes of the hearts of that people . ii. question . what is the right , lawfull , and holy vse of apparell . answ. in the vse of apparell , two things are to be considered : the preparation of it , when it is to be worne ; & the wearing , when it is prepared . §ect . . in the right preparation of our apparell , two rules are propounded in scripture , for our direction . i. rule . our care for apparell , and the ornaments of our bodies , must be very moderate . this our sauiour christ teacheth at large , math. . from the to the v. where , commanding men to take no thought for apparell , he forbids not all care , but the curious and immoderate care . the reason is added , because they which walke in their callings , and doe the duties thereof with diligence , shall haue , by gods blessing , all things needfull prouided and prepared for them . he that dwells in a borrowed house , will not fall a trimming of it , and suffer his owne hard by , to become ruinous . in like manner , our bodie is the house of our soule borrowed of god , and by him lent vnto vs for a time ; and we are but his tenants at-will : for we must depart out of it at his commandement . and therefore our greatest care must be emploied vpon our soules ; and the other which concerneth the adorning of our bodie , must be but moderate . againe , god in his prouidence , clotheth the very hearbs of the field , therefore much more is he carefull for man. and paul saith , if we haue foode and rament , we must therewith be content , . tim. . . that is , if we haue foode , and rayment necessarie for vs and ours , we ought to quiet our hearts , and haue no further care for our apparell . it will be saide , how shall we know what is necessarie ? answ. a thing is necessarie two waies : first , in respect of nature , for the preseruation of life and health : secondly , in respect of place , calling , and condition , for the vpholding and maintenance thereof . now we call that necessarie rayment , which is necessarie both these waies . for example : that apparell is necessarie for the scholer , the tradesman , the countrey-man , the gentleman ; which serueth not onely to defend their bodies frō cold , but which belongs also to the plāce , degree , calling , and condition of them all . if it be asked , who shall determine and iudge , what is necessarie to these persons and purposes ? i answere . vaine and curious persons are not to be competent iudges hereof ; but in these things , we must regard the iudgement and exāple of modest , graue , and frugall persons in euery order and estate ; who vpon experience and knowledge , are best able to determine , what is necessarie , and what is not . againe , though we must not seeke for more then necessarie apparell ; yet if god of his goodnes , giue vs abilitie to haue and maintaine more , we must thankefully receiue it , and become good stewards of the same , for the good of men . but some will say ; it seemes , that we ought not to keepe abundance , when god giues it , because we may not haue aboue one coate . for iohn giues this rule , luk. . . let him that hath two coates , giue to him that hath none . ans. iohns meaning must needes be this ; he that hath not onely necessarie rayments , but more then necessarie , he must giue of his abundance to them that want . for otherwise , his rule should not agree with christs own practise , who had himselfe two coates , an inner and an vpper garment , which he kept and wore . nor with s. pauls , who had both a cloke and a coate . this rule , discouers the common sinnefull practise of many men in the world . the greater sort of men are exceedingly carefull , by all meanes and waies , to follow the fashion , and to take vp euery new fangled attire , whensoeuer it comes abroad . a course flat contrarie to christs doctrine , which commandeth an honest care onely for necessarie ornaments , and condemneth the contrarie , and that vpon speciall reason ; because this inordinate and affected care , is commonly a great picke-purse . it fills mens heades and hearts with vaine and foolish thoughts : it makes them wastfully to abuse the blessings of god giuen vnto them , whereby they are disabled , from helping others that are in neede . whereas , the first and principall care , ought to be for the adorning of the soule with grace , and putting on the lord iesus ; and this is it , which will yeeld more comfort to the minde and conscience , then any externall formalitie to the outward state of man. ii. rule . all apparell must be fitted to the bodie , in a comely and decent manner ; such as becommeth holinesse . tit. . . if it be here demanded , how we should thus frame and fashion our attire ? the answer is , by obseruing the rules of decencie and comelinesse , which are in number seauen . first , that it be according to the sexe : for men must prepare apparell for men , weomen for weomen . this rule is not ceremoniall , but grounded vpon the law of nature , and common honestie . deut. . . the woman shall not weare that which pertaineth vnto the man , neither shall a man put on womans raiment : for all that doe so , are abomination to the lord thy god. secondly , our apparell must be made according to our office ; that is , such as may be fit and conuenient for vs , in respect of our calling : that it may not hinder or disable vs , in the performance of the duties thereof . whereupon comes iustly to be condemned the kinde of apparell , ( specially of women ) that is vsed in this age . for it makes them like to an image in a frame , set bolt vpright ; whereby it comes to passe , that they can not goe well , and with ease or conueniencie , about any good busines , but must of necessitie either sit , or stand still . thirdly , our attire must be according to our abilitie , and maintenance , either in lands or in goods and substance . we must ( as the common prouerbe is ) shape our coate according to our cloath , that so we may not be in want , but haue sufficient wherewith to maintaine our families , and to releeue the poore . which also serueth to condemne the sinne of many persons , who lay vpon their backes , whatsoeuer they can scrape and gather together ; in the meane while , neglecting the honest maintenance of their own estates for time to come , and the necessarie releefe of them , that are in distresse and want . fourthly , it must be answerable to our estate and dignitie , for distinction of order and degree in the societies of men . this vse of attire , stands by the very ordinance of god ; who , as he hath not sorted all men to al places , so he will haue men to fitte themselues and their attire , to the qualitie of their proper places , to put a difference between themselues and others . thus we read , that ioseph being by phaaroh set ouer all the land of egypt , was arayed with garments of sine linnen , and had a golden chaine put vpon his necke , to put a difference betweene him and the inferiour princes of pharaoh . gen. . . thus in auncient times , the captaines and cheife of the armies , did weare fine garments of diuers colours of needle worke , to distinguish them from others . iud. . . thus in kings courts , they went in soft rayment , and the poorer people in baser and rougher attire . matt. . . by which it appeares , that many in these daies do greatly offend . for men keepe not themselues within their owne order : but the artificer commonly goes clad like the yeoman : the yeoman like the gentleman : the gentleman as the nobleman : the nobleman as the prince : which bringeth great confusion , and vtterly ouerturneth the order , which god hath set in the states and condions of men . fiftly , mens attire is to be framed and prepared , according to the ancient and receiued custome of the countrey , wherein they are brought vp and dwell . touching this rule , it is demanded , whether , if a man see a fashion vsed in other coūtries , he may not take it vp here , and vse it ? ans. he may not . for god hath threatned to visite all such , as are cloathed with strange apparell . zeph. . . and paul taxeth it as a great disorder in the church of corinth , and euen against nature , that men went in long haire , and women went vncouered . . cor. . . . and if this be so , then what a disorder is that , when men of one country , frame themselues to the fashions and attires , both of men and women of other nations . this one sinne is so common among vs , that it hath branded our english people with the blacke marke of the vainest and most new-fangled people vnder heauen . if a stranger comes into our land , he keepes his ancient & customeable attire , without varying or alteration . we on the contrary , cā see no fashion vsed either by the french , italian , or spanish , but we take it vp , and vse it as our owne . sixtly , the garments that we make to couer our bodies , must be such as may expresse the vertues of our mindes ; specially the vertues of modestie , frugalitie , shamefastnes . they should be as a booke written with text letters , wherein , at the first , any man may read the graces that be in the hart . thus paul exhorteth weomen , that they aray themselues with comely apparell , in shamefastnesse and modesty , not with broidered haire , &c. but as becommeth weomen , that professe the feare of god , with good workes . . tim. . . . and our sauiour commandeth , that the light of our conuersation , euen in outward things , should so shine vnto mē , that they seeing our good works , may glorifie the father which is in heauen . mat. . . seuenthly , it must be framed to the example , not of the lighter and vainer sort , but of the grauest , and the most sober of our order and place , both of men & weomen . we haue no expresse rule in scripture , touching the measure and manner of our apparell : and therefore , the wise and graue presidents of good and godly men , that are of the same , or like degree with our selues , ought to stand for a rule of direction in this behalfe . to which purpose paul exhorteth , whatsoeuer things are pure , honest , of good report , if there be any vertue , &c. thinke of these things which ye haue both learned and receiued and heard and seene in me , those things doe , phil. . . examples hereof , we haue many in the word of god. of iohn the baptist , who had his garments of camels haire , mat. . . of elias , who is said to be a hairie man in respect of his attire , and to be girded ( as iohn was ) with a girdle of leather about his loines . . king. . . for these rough garments , were the principal raiments of prophets in those times and places , as we read , zach. . . and it was the ordinarie fashion of the iewish nation , to vse goats-hair , not onely for making of their apparel , but euen of the curtaines , that were made for the vse of the sancturie , exod. . . if this rule were practised , it would serue to cut off many scandalous behauiours , in the conuersations of men . for now a daies , men doe striue , who shal goe before another , in the brauest and costliest attire ; hauing little or no respect at all , to the examples of godly and sober persons of their degrees and places . and this their excessiue pride and vanitie , is ordinarily maintained , by vniust dealing , in lying and deceipt , by couetousnes , and vnmercifulnesse to the poore : sinnes which are so greatly dishonourable vnto god , that the very earth wherupon men doe liue , can hardly endure the same . wherfore those that fear god , and haue a care to serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse , ought to hate and detest these courses , renouncing the curious vanity of the world , and testifying the graces and vertues of their minds vnto men , even by their graue and sober gestures and habits of their bodies . §ect . . the second thing to be considered in the right vse of apparell , is the wearing and putting of it on . touching which , two speciall rules are to be obserued . i. rule . that we weare and put on our apparell , for those proper ends , for which god hath ordained the same . the ends of apparell , are specially these . first , for necessitie sake ; that is , for the defending of the body from the extremitie of parching heate , and the pinching cold , and consequently the preseruing of life & health . this was the end , for which garments were first made after the fall . and the reason of it is this . whilest man was yet in the state of innocencie , before his fall , ther was a perfect temperature of the aire , in respect of mans bodie , and so there was no need of garments ; and nakednesse then was no shame vnto man , but a glorious comelines . now after that adam and in him al mankind , had sinned , vanitie came vpon all the creatures ; & amongst the rest , vpon the aire a maruelous distemperature in respect of heat and cold . for the remedie whereof , it was ordained that adam should weare apparell , which god hauing once made and appointed , he hath euer since blessed it as his owne ordinance , as daily experience sheweth . for , our attire which is void of heat and life , doth notwithstanding preserue mans bodie in heat and life ; which it could not doe , if there were not a speciall prouidence of god attending vpon it . the second ende of apparell , is honestie . for to this ende doe we put it on , and weare it , for the couering and hiding of that deformitie of our naked bodies , which immediately followed vpon the transgression of our first parents : and in this respect also , were garments ( after the fall ) appointed by god , for the vse of man. it is obiected , that esay prophecied naked and bare-foot , esa. . 〈◊〉 . and so did saul , . sam. . . i answer : first , that which the prophet did , was done by commandement , as may appeare in the second verse of that chapter . for the lord gaue him commandement so to doe . againe , he is saide to be naked , because he put off his vpper , ●…ent , which was sackcloath , or some other rough garment , that prophets vsed to wenre ; but it cannot be prooued , that he put off that garment which was next his flesh and skinne . concerning saul , there be two answers giuen . one , that he put off his vpper garment , as esay did . for we are not to imagine , that he prophecied naked , it beeing so vnseemely a thing , and euen against the law of nature since the fall . the other answer , and that according to the true meaning of the text is ; that saul , before the spirit of prophecie came vpon him , had put on and wore his warrelike attire , wherewith he went out to take dauid . but when the spirit came vpon him , then he put off his militarie habite , and went in other attire , after the manner and fashion of a prophet , and so prophecied . and therefore , whereas he is saide to goe naked , the meaning is , that he stript himselfe of his armour , which both himselfe and his messengers vsed , in pursuing after dauid . now touching the couering of the bodie with apparell , these things are to be remembred . first , that it must be couered in decent , and seemely sort . thus ioseph wrapped christs bodie that was dead , in a cleane linnen cloath , together with the spices , matt. . . secondly , the whole bodie must be couered some onely parts excepted , which ( for necessitie sake ) are left open and bare , as the hands and face : because there is an ignominious shame , not only on some parts , but ouer the whole bodie . and here comes to be reproued , the affected nakednesse vsed of sundry persons , who are wont to haue their garments made of such a fashion , as that their neck and brests may be left for a great part vncouered . a practise full of vanitie , and cleane contrary to this rule grounded in corrupted nature . for if the whole body be ouer spread with shame , by sinne , why should any man by such practise , ( as much as in him lies ) vncouer his shame to the view of the world ? the ende of attire is , to hide the shamefull nakednes of the bodie , from the sight of men . but such persons as these are , doe hereby expresse the vanitie and lightnes of their mindes , by leauing some parts of their bodies open and vncouered . wherein , what doe they else , but euen display and manifest vnto men and angels , their owne shame and ignominie ? nay , what doe they else , but glorie in that , which is ( by the iust iudgement of god ) reprochfull vnto them ? let all those that feare god , and are humbled in the consideration of their sinnes , which are the matter of the shame of mankinde , be otherwise affected . a third ende of apparell is , the honouring of the bodie . to this purpose s. paul saith , . cor. . . vpon those members of the bodie , which we think most vnhonest , put 〈◊〉 on the greater honour , &c. v. . god hath tempered the bodie together , and giuen the more honour to that part which lacked . and in . thess. . . it is the will of god , &c. that euery one of you should know how to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour . these words are spoken of chastitie , but they are generally to be vnderstood of any other vertue belonging to the bodie . now the reason of this ende is plaine . for the bodie of euery beleeuer , is the temple of the holy ghost , and a member of christ , in the kinde and place , as well as the soule . therefore it ought to be both holily and honourably vsed . for the honouring of the bodie with outward ornaments , we must remember this distinction . some ornaments are inward , and some are borrowed . inward , are the graces and gifts of god ; these are our owne . borrowed , are gold , siluer , pearles , and pretious stones : and these are outward . and of the two , more speciall care ought to be had of the inward , then of the outward and borrowed . for these are indeede faire and honourable , in the opinion and estimation of men , but the other are farre more honourable in the sight of god. and therefore saint peter exhorteth weomen , that their apparell be not outward , as with broidered haire , and gold set about , or in sumptuous garments , but that the hidden man of the heart be vncorrupt , with a meeke and quiet spirit , which is before god a thing pretious . . pet. . , . now that we may vse our apparell , to the endes before rehearsed , we are yet further to obserue some speciall rules , which may serue for our direction in the right adorning of the bodie . first , euery one must be content with their owne naturall fauour , and complexion , that god hath giuen them ; and account of it , as a pretious thing , be it better or be it worse . for the outward forme and fauour that man hath , is the worke of god himselfe , fitted and proportioned vnto him , in his conception , by his speciall prouidence . beeing then the lords owne worke , and his wil , thus to frame it rather then otherwise , great reason there is , that man should rest contented with the same . here comes to be iustly reprooued , the straunge practise and behauiour of some in these daies , who beeing not contented with that forme and fashion , which god hath sorted vnto them , doe deuise artificiall formes and fauours , to set vpon their bodies and faces , by painting and colouring ; thereby making themselues seeme that which indeede they are not . this practise is most abominable in the very light of nature , and much more by the light of gods word ; wherein we haue but one onely example thereof , and that is of wicked iesabel , . king . . . who is noted by this marke of a notorious harlot , that shee painted her face . for what is this , but to finde fault with gods owne workemanship ? and to seeke to correct the same , by a counterfait worke of our owne deuising ; which cannot but be highly displeasing vnto him . a cunning painter , when he hath once finished his worke , if any man shall goe about to correct the same , he is greatly offended . much more then may god , the most wise and absolute former , and creatour of his workes , be highly offended with all those , that cannot content themselues , with the fauour and feature they haue receiued from him , but will needes be calling his worke into question , and refining it according to their owne humours and fancies . tertullian in his booke de habitu mulierū , calls such persons , and that deseruedly , the deuills handmaides . but may some say , if there be any deformitie in the bodie , may we not labour to couer it ? ans. yes : but we may not set any new forme on the face , or habite on the bodie . dissembling is condemned , as well in deede , as in word , and such is this . secondly , we must place the principall ornament of our soules and bodies , in vertue and good workes , and not in any outward things . so would paul haue woomen to aray thēselues in comely apparell , with shamefastnes and modestie , . tim. . . thirdly , in vsing of ornaments before-named , we must be very sparing , and keepe our selues within the meane . gen. . . abrahams seruant gaue rebecca an abillement of halfe a shekel weight , and two bracelets of ten shekels of gold , which shee put vpon her forehead and hands , v. . all which were of no great value , and therefore not excessiue , but comely and moderate . and in the old testament , kings daughters were clad but in parti-coloured garments . . sam. . . there was therefore , euen amongst them , great plainenesse . it will here be demanded , what is then the measure that must be vsed ? ans. the scripture giues no rule for our direction in this point , but the example and iudgement of the sagest and soberest persons in euery order , age , and condition ; and as they doe and iudge , so must we . as for example : whether a man should weare a ruffe single , or double , or tripled , &c. the scripture , in particular , giues no direction : onely we must looke vpon the example of the soberest , and discreetest persons of our order and age , and that ought to be our president for imitation . fourthly , ornaments must be vsed not alwaies alike , but according to times and seasons . it is noted as a fault in the rich glutton , that he went euery day in costly apparell . luk. . . in the daies of reioycing , we may put on more outward ornaments : and so they vsed of ancient times , at mariages , to put on wedding garments . matth. . but in the daies of mourning , baser and courser attire is to be vsed , as fittest for the time . fiftly , we must adorne our bodies to a right ende ; to wit , that thereby we may honour them , and in them honour god. against this rule do offend those , that adorne their bodies , to be praised , to be counted rich and great persons , and to purchase and procure vnto themselues the loue of straungers . this is the harlots practise , described by salomon at large , prou. . . & . . . these are the endes , for which we must attire our selues . and so much of the first maine rule to be obserued , in the wearing and putting on of apparell . the second maine rule followeth . we must make a spirituall vse of the apparell which we weare . how may that be done ? ans. first , we must take occasion thereby to humble our selues , and that in this manner . when we see the plaister vpon the sore , we know there is a wound : and so , the couer of our bodies , must put vs in minde of our shame and nakednes , in regard of grace and gods fauour , by reason of originall sinne . and we are to know , that it is a dangerous practise for any man , to puffe vp himselfe in pride , vpon the sight and vse of his apparell . for this is to be proud of his owne shame . nay , it is as much , as if a theese should be proud of his bolts , and of the halter about his necke , garments beeing nothing els but the couer of our shame , and the signes of our sinnes . secondly , by the putting on of our garments , we must be admonished to put on christ. rom. . . quest. how shall wee doe that ? ans. thus : we must conceiue christs obedience actiue and passiue , as a couering ; and therefore by praier we are to come vnto god in his name , and intreat him to accept this his obedience for vs : yea that christ may be made vnto vs wisdome , righteousnes , sanctification , and redemption . and we on the other side , made conformable to him in life and death , in all morall duties . lastly , that we may haue the same mind , affection , and conuersation that he had . thirdly , when we put off our clothes , we then are admonished of putting off the olde man ; that is , the masse and body of sinnefull corruption . and we then put him off , when we can by grace hate sinne , and carrie a resolute purpose in our hearts of not sinning . fourthly , when we cloth our selues , and trusse our attire to our bodies ; this should , teach vs a further thing , that it behooueth vs , to gird vp our loines , to haue our lightes burning , to prepare our selues to meete christ , whether by death , or by the last iudgment . if we make not these vses of our attire , we doe not rightly vse , but rather abuse the same . in a word , to shut vp this point ; we are all to be exhorted to make conscience of the practise of these rules , and to take heede of pride in these outward things . and in way of motiue hereunto ; consider first , how great & hainous a sinne pride is . the greatnes of it may be discerned by foure things . first , in it , and the fruit thereof , superfluity of apparell , there is an abuse of our wealth , to needlesse and superfluous vses , which ought to be employed to vses more necessarie ; as to the good of the church , common wealth and familie , and especially for the releife of the poore . secondly , in this sinne there is an abuse of time . for they that giue themselues to pride ; spend so much time in the adorning of their bodies , that they haue no leisure for the adorning and beautifying of the soule . hence it comes to passe , that proud persons abound with ignorance , idlenesse , wantonnesse , and many other enormities . thirdly , in this sinne there is an abuse of the attire it selfe : in that it is made a signe of the vanitie of the mind , and wantonnesse of the heart , which should be the signe of a heart religiously disposed . fourthly , in it there is a confusion of order in the estates & societies of men . for whereas one order of men should goe thus attired , and another after another manner ; by this it comes to passe , that equall and superior are clothed both alike , and that which should be an occasion to humble vs , is made an occasion to puffe vs vp . fiftly , there is a great iudgement threatned against this sinne . esay . . . . zeph. . . the greatnes of this vice , we are to endeavour , by all means possible , to redresse in our selues . for which purpose , we must be careful to see and feele , and withall to bewaile the spirituall nakednes of our soules ; which is a deprauation of the image of god , wherein we are created , according to him , in holines and righteousnesse , the want whereof makes vs vgly and deformed in the eyes of god. and the true sense and experience of this , will turne our mindes and thoughts from the trimming of the body , and make vs especially to labour for the righteousnesse of christ imputed , as the onely couering which will keepe vs warme & safe from the stormes and tempests of the wrath and furie of god. sect. . in the fourth place , we come to the handling of those questions , that concerne the moderation of our appetite in the vse of pleasures and recreations . and these are specially three . i. question . whether recreation be lawfull for a christian man ? ans. yea , and that for two causes . first , rest from labour , with the refreshing of bodie and mind , is necessarie ; because mans nature is like the bow , which being alway bent and vsed , is soone broken in pieces . now that which is necessarie , is lawfull . and if rest be lawfull , then is recreation also lawfull . secondly , by christian libertie , we are allowed to vse the creatures of god , not onely for our necessitie , but also for meete and convenient delight . this is a confessed truth ; and therefore to them , which shall condemne fit and conuenient recreation ( as some of the ancient fathers haue done , by name chrysostome and ambrose ) it may be said , be not to righteous , be not to wise . eccl. . . ii. question . what kindes of recreations and sports , are lawfull & conuenient , and what be vnlawfull and vnconuenient ? ans. i will first lay downe this ground , that , all lawfull recreation is onely in the vse of things indifferent , which are in themselues neither commanded nor forbidden . for by christiā libertie , the vse of such things for lawfull delight and pleasure , is permitted vnto vs. therfore meete and fitt recreations doe stand in the vse of things indifferent , and not in things either commanded or forbidden . hence i deriue three conclusions , that may serue for the better answer of the question . i. recreation may not be in the vse of holy things ; that is , in the vse of the word , sacraments , praier , or in any act of religion . for these things are sacred & divine , they doe stād by gods expresse cōmandement , & may not be applyed to any common or vulgar vse . for this cause it is well provided , that the pageants which haue beene vsed in sundrie cities of this land are put downe ; because they were nothing els , but either the whole or part of the historie of the bible turned into a play. and therefore the lesse to be allowed , considering that the more holy the matter is which they represent , the more vnholy are the plaies themselues . againe , all such iests , as are framed out of the phrases & sentences of the scripture , are abuses of holy things , and therefore carefully to be avoided . the common saying may teach vs thus much . * it is no safe course to play with holy things . lastly , vpon the former conclusion , we are taught that it is not meete , conuenient , or laudable for men to mooue occasion of laughter in sermons . the second cōclusion . recreation may not be made of the sinns or offences of men . they ought to be vnto vs the matter of sorrow & mourning . dauid shed riuers of tears , because men brake the commandements of god , psal. . . the righteous heart of lot was vexed , with hearing the abominations of sodome . . pet. . . vpon this , it followeth first , that common plaies , which are in vse in the world , are to be reprooued , as beeing not meet and conuenient matter of recreation . for they are nothing els , but representations of the vices & misdemeanou●s of men in the world . now such representations are not to be approoved . paul saith , fornication , couetousnes , let them not be named among you , as becommeth saintes , eph. . . and if vices of men may not be named , vnlesse the naming of them , tend to the reproouing & further condemning of them , much lesse may they be represented , for the causing of mirth and pastime . for , naming is farre lesse , then representing , which is the reall acting of the vice . indeed magistrates & ministers may name them , but their naming must be to punish , and reforme them , not otherwise . againe , it is vnseemely , that a man should put on the person , behauiour , and habite of a woman ; as it is also for a woman to put on the person , behauiour and habite of a man , though it be but for an houre . the law of god forbiddes both , deut. . . and that law , for equitie , is not meerely iudiciall , but morall . nay , it is the law of nature and common honesty . here also , the dauncing vsed in these daies is to be reprooued ; namely , the mixed dauncing of men and weomen , in number & measure , ( specially after solemne feasts ) with many lascivious gestures accompanying the same ; which cannot , nor ought to be iustified , but condemned . for it is no better , then the very bellowes of lust and vncleanes , yea the cause of much euill . it is condemned in the daughter of herodias , dauncing before herod . mark. . . and in the israelites , that sat downe to eat and drinke , and rose vp to play , that is , to daunce . we read indeed , of a kind of dauncing commended in scripture , that moses aaron and miriam vsed at the redde sea , exod. . . and david before the arke , . sam. . and the daughters of israel , when dauid gotte the victorie of goliah , . sam. . . but this dauncing was of another kind . for it was not mixt , but single , men together , and women apart by themselues . they vsed not in their dauncing wanton gestures , and amorous songs , but the psalmes of praise and thanksgiuing . the cause of their dauncing was spirituall ioy , and the end of it was praise and thanksgiuing . it may be alleadged , that ecclesiastes saith , there is a time of mourning , and a time of dauncing , eccl. . and dauid saith , thou hast turned my ioy into dauncing , psal. . ● . and the lord saith in ieremie , o daughter sion , thou shalt got forth with the daunce of them that reioyce . ier. . . i answer : first , these places speake of the sacred dauncing before named , and not of the dauncing of our times . secondly , i say , that these places speake not of dauncing properly , but of reioycing signified by dauncing : that is to say , a heartie reioycing , or merrie-making . besides that , the prophet ieremie speaks by way of comparison , as if he should say , then shall the virgin reioyce , as men are woont to doe in the duin●● . and it is sometimes the vse of the scripture , to expresse things lawfull by a comparison , drawne from things vnlawfull : as in the parables of the vnrighteous iudge , the vniust steward , and the theefe in the night . the third conclusion . we may not make recreations of gods iudgements , or of the punishments of sinne . the law of god forbiddes vs to lay a stumbling blocke before the blind , to cause him to fall , though it be not done in earnest , but in sport , leuit. . . vpon the same ground , we are not to sport our selues with the follie of the naturall foole . for that is the blindnes of his minde , and the iudgement of god vpon him . i know it hath beene the vse of great men , to keepe fooles in their houses : and i dare not condemne the fact . for they may doe it , to set before their cies a daily spectacle of gods iudgement , and to consider how god in like sort , might haue dealt with them . and this vse is christian. neuerthelesse , to place a speciall recreation , in the follie of such persons , and to keepe them onely for this ende , it is not laudable . when dauid fained himselfe to be madde , before achish the king of gath , marke what the heathen king could say , haue i neede of madde men , that ye haue brought this fellow , to play the madde man in my presence ? shall he come into my house ? . sam. . . againe , the bayting of the beare , and cockefights , are no meete recreations . the baiting of the bull hath his vse , and therefore it is commanded by ciuill authoritie ; and so haue not these . and the antipathie and crueltie , which one beast sheweth to another , is the fruit of our rebellion against god , and should rather mooue vs to mourne , then to reioyce . the second answer to the former question , is this . games may be deuided into three sorts . games of wit or industry , games of hazard , and a mixture of both . games of wit , or industrie are such , as are ordered by the skil and industry of man. of this sort are shooting in the long bow , shooting in the caleeuer , running , wrastling , fensing , musicke , the games of chests , and draughts , the philosophers game , and such like . these , and all of this kind , wherein the industry of the mind & body hath the chiefest stroke , are very commendable , and not to be disliked . games of hazard are those , in which hazard onely beares the sway , and orders the game , and not witte ; wherein also there is ( as we say ) chance , yea meere chance in regard of vs. of this kind is dicing , and sundry games at the tables & cardes . now games that are of meere-hazard , by the consent of godly divines , are vnlawfull . the reasons are these . first , games of meere hazard are indeede lo●s ; and the vse of a lot , is an act of religiō , in which we referre vnto god , the determination of things of moment , that can no other way be determined . for in the vse of a lotte there be foure things . the first is , a casuall act done by vs , as the casting of the die. the second is , the applying of this acte , to the determination of some particular controversie , the ending whereof maintaines peace , order , and loue among men . the third is confession , that god is a soueraigne iudge , to end and determine things , that can no other way be determined . the fourth is , supplication , that go● would , by the disposition of the lotte , when it is cast , determine the euent . all these actions are infolded in the vse of a lotte , and they are expressed , act. . ver . . . . now then , seeing the vse of a lotte is a solemne act of religiō , it may not be applied to sporting , as i haue shewed in the first conclusion . secondly , such games are not recreations , but rather matter of stirring vp troblesome passions , as feare , sorrow , &c. and so they distemper the body and mind . thirdly , covetousnes is commonly the ground of them all . wherevpon it is , that men vsually play for mony . and for these causes , such plaies by the consent of learned divines , are vnlawfull . the third kind of plaies are mixt , which stand partly of hazard , and partly of witte , & in which hazard beginnes the game , and skil gets the victorie : and that which is defectiue by reason of hazard , is corrected by witte . to this kind , are referred some games at the cards and tables . now the common opinion of learned divines is , that as they are not to be cōmended , so they are not simply to be condemned , and if they be vsed , they must be vsed very sparingly . yet there be others , that hold these mixt games to be vnlawfull , and iudge the very dealing of the cards to be a lotte , because it is a meere casuall action . but , as i take it , the bare dealing of the cards is no more a lotte , then the dealing of an almes , when the princes almner puts his hand into his pocket , and giues , for example , to one man sixe pence , to another twelue pence , to another two pence , what comes forth without any choice . now this casuall distribution is not a lot , but onely a casuall action . and in a lot , there must be two things . the first is , a casuall act : the second , the applying of the foresaid act , to the determination of some particular and vncertaine euent . now the dealing of the cards is a casuall act ; but the determination of the vncertaine victorie , is not from the dealing of the cardes , in mixed games , but from the wit and skill , at least from the will of the players . but in things that are of the nature of a lot , the wit and will of man hath no stroke at all . neuerthelesse , though the dealing of the cardes , and mixed games , be no lots ; yet it is farre saffer and better , to abstaine from them , then to vse them : and where they are abolished , they are not to be restored againe , because in common experience , many abuses and inconueniences attend vpon them : and things vnnecessarie , when they are much abused , because they are abused , they must not be vsed , but rather remooued , as the brasen serpent was , . king . . . iii. question . how are we to vse recreations ? for answer whereof , we must remember these foure speciall rules . i. rule . we are to make choice of recreations , that are of least offence , and of the best report . phil. . . whatsoeuer things are of good report , thinke of them . the reason is , because in all recreations , we must take heede of occasions of sinne , both in our selues and others . and this mooued iob , while his sonnes were a feasting , to offer daily burnt offerings , according to the number of them all , because he thought , it may be , my sonnes haue sinned , and blasphemed god in their hearts . iob . . and not onely that , but i adde further , we must take heede of occasions of offence in others . vpon this ground , paul saies , that rather then his eating should offend his brother , he would eate no meate while the world indured . . cor. . . in this regard , it were to be wished , that games of wit should be vsed onely , and not games of hazard , because they are more scandalous then the other . lastly , in things that are lawfull in themselues , we are to remember paules rule , all things are lawfull , but all things are not expedient . . cor. . . ii. rule . our recreations must be profitable to our selues , and others ; and they must tend● also to the glorie of god. our sauiour christ saies , that of euery idle word that men shall speake , they shall giue an account at the day of iudgement . matth. . . where by idle words , he meaneth such , as bring no profit to men , nor honour to god. and if for idle words , then also for idle recreations , must we be accountable to him . againe , s. paul teacheth , that whether we eate or drinke , or whatsoeuer we doe , we must doe all to the glorie of god 〈◊〉 . cor. . . therefore the scope and ende of all recreations is , that god may be honoured in and by them . iii. rule . the ende of our recreation must be , to refresh our bodies and mindes . it is then an abuse of recreation , when it is vsed to winne other mens money . the gaine that comes that way , is worse then vsurie , yea , it is flat theft . for by the law , we may recouer things stolne , but there is no law to recouer things wonne . and yet , if play be for a small matter , the losse whereof is no hurt to him that looseth it , and if it be applied to a common good , it is lawfull , otherwise not . iv. rule . recreation must be moderate and sparing , euen as the vse of meat and drinke , and rest . whence it followeth , that they which spende their whole life in gaming , as players doe , haue much to answer for . and the like is to be saide of them that haue lands and possessions , and spend their time in pleasures and sports , as is the fashion of many gentlemen in these daies . now recreation must be sparing , two waies . first , in regard of time . for we must redeeme the time , that is , take time while time lasteth , for the procuring of life euerlasting . eph. . . this condemneth the wicked practise of many men , that follow this game and that , to driue away time , wheras they should employ all the time that they can , to doe gods will. and indeede , it is all to little , to doe that which we are commanded : and therfore while it is called to day , let vs make all the hast we can , to repent and be reconciled vnto god. secondly , recreation must be sparing , in regard of our affection . for we may not set our hearts vpon sports , but our affection must be tempered and alaied with the feare of god. thus salomon saies , that laughter is madnes , eccles. . . so farre-forth , as it hath not the feare and reuerence of the name of god to restraine it . this was the sinne of the iewes reprooued by the prophet , that they gaue themselues to all manner of pleasure , and did not consider the worke of the lord : that is , his iudgements and corrections . esa. . . and thus if sports and recreations be not ordered , and guided according to this and the other rules , we shall make them all not onely vnprofitable vnto vs , but vtterly vnlawfull . and so much of the vertue of temperance . chap. v. of liberalitie . hitherto we haue treated of the first sort of vertues , that are seated in the will , which doe respect a mans owne selfe , namely of clemencie , which standeth in the moderation of the mind in respect of anger : and temperance , which consisteth in the moderation of our appetite , in respect of riches , apparell , meate and drinke , pleasures and recreations . now we come to the second sort , which respect others beside our sel●es . and these belong to the practise either of courtesie and kindnes , or equitie and right . of the first kind , is liberalltie : of the second is iustice , in shewing or giuing equitie , or fortitude in maintaining the same . of these in order . liberalitie , is a vertue , seated in the will , whereby we shew or practise courtesie and kindnes to others . the principall questions touching this vertue , may be referred to that text of scripture which is written luk. . . therefore giue almes of those things which ye haue , and behold all things shall be cleane vnto you . the words are a rule or counsell , deliuered by christ to the pharisies : and the true and proper sense of them , is this . you pharisies , giue your selues to the practise of iniustice and oppression , and thereby you desile your selues , and all your actions . for redresse hereof , i propound you this rule ; practise charitie in giuing of your almes , let your outward good actions , proceede from the inward syncere affection of your hearts towards your brethren ; and then shall you attaine to a holy and pure vse of your goods . the counsell of daniel to king nebuchadnezar , dan. . . to breake off his sinnes by the practise of iustice , and his iniquities by mercie to the afflicted , may be a good commentarie to this text. in the words , i consider two things . a remedie , therefore giue almes of those things you haue : and the fruit that followes vpon the remedie , and behold all things shall be cleane vnto you . sect. . the remedie , is the vertue of christian liberalitie , consisting principally in the practise of loue and mercie , in giuing of almes . for the better vnderstanding whereof , fiue questions are briefly to be propounded and resolued . i. question . who , or what persons must giue almes ? ans. there be two sorts of men , that are , and ought to be , giuers of almes . the first sort are rich men , who besides things necessarie , haue superfl●●tle and abundance , yea , much more then things necessarie . these are such as haue the worlds good , as s. iohn saith , whereby they are inabled , to giue and bestow releefe vpon others , out of their abundance . thus saint paul saith , that the abundance of the corinthians , must supplie the want of other churches , . cor. . . many other proofes might be brought , but these are sufficient in a knowne and confessed truth . a second sort of giuers , are men of the poore sort , that haue but things necessarie , and sometime want them too . and because this point is not so easily graunted , therefore i will prooue it by the scriptures . the man that liues by his work , is commāded to labour in his calling , that he may haue something to giue to them that want , ●ph . . . the poore widow that cast into the lords treasurie of her penurie , but two mites , that is the eight part of a pennie , is commended ; and christ preserreth her almes , before the great gifts of the richer sort , luk . . . the church of macedonia , beeing poore and in extreame necessitie , doth yet send reliefe to other churches , and is commended for it by paul. . cor. . . their povertie excused them not frō liberalitie , but they were liberall , not onely according to , but even beyond their abilitie . our sauiour christ himselfe liued of almes : for ioanna the wife of chuza herods steward , & susāna ministred vnto him of their substance , luk. . . where by the way , we note , that he did not liue by begging , as the papists affirme , but by the voluntarie ministration and contribution of some , to whom he preached . now , though he was so poore himselfe , yet he vsed to giue aimes of that he had , ioh. . . the oblations of the old testament , for the maintenance of the altar , were a matter of great cost and charge , in sacrifices , & such like ceremonies : & yet al were charged with them , the poore , as well as the rich . now in the new testament , the materiall altar is taken away , & yet we haue something in the roome therof , namely , those that are poore and destitute , which all men are bound in conscience to releeue and maintaine , as once they were to maintaine the altar . saint iohn commends vnto vs charitie , not that which consisteth in words onely , but which shewes it selfe in actions , . ioh. . . teaching that the one is no way sufficient without the other . lastly , all mankind is distinguished into these two sorts : some are givers , some are receiuers of aimes : there is not a third kind to be found in the scriptures . yet here an exception must be added , that this doctrine be not mistakē . there are some persons exempted from this dutie , & they be such , as are in subiection to others , and are not at their owne disposition . of this sort , are children vnder the gouernement of their parents , and seruants subiect to the authoritie and dominion of their masters . for the goods which they haue , are not their owne , neither may they dispose of them as they list : they therefore must not be giuers . it may be asked , whether the wife may giue almes without the consent of her husband , considering that she is in subiection to another , and therfore all that she hath is anothers , & not her own . ans. the wife may giue almes of some things , but with these cautiōs ; as first she may giue of those * goods that she hath excepted from marriage . secondly , she may giue of those things which are commō to them both , provided it be with her husbands consent , at least generall and implicite . thirdly , she may not giue without or against the consent of her husband . and the reason is , because both the law of nature , and the word of god , commands her obedience to her husband in all things . if it be alleadged , that ioanna the wife of chuza herodes steward , with others , did minister to christ of their goods , luk. . . i answer . it is to be presumed , that it was not done without all consent . againe , if it be said , that abigail brought a present to dauid , for the releife of him and his young men , whereof she made not nabal her husband acquainted , . sam. . . i answer , it is true , but marke the reason . nabal was generally of a churlish and vnmercifull disposition , wherevpon he was altogether vnwilling , to yeeld releife to any , in howe great necessitie soeuer ; whence it was , that he ●ailed on the young men , that came to him , and dro●e them away , ver . . againe , he was a foolish man ; and giuen to drunkennesse , so as he was not fitte to gouerne his house , or to dispense his almes . besides that , abigail was a woman of great wisedome , in all her actions , and that which she now did was to saue nabals and her owne life , yea the liues of his whole family : for the case was desperate , and all that they had , were in present hazard . that example therefore , is no warrant for any woman to giue almes , vnlesse it be in the like case . ii. question . to whome must almes be giuen ? ans. to them that are in neede eph. . . for the better conceiving of this answer , we must remember , that there be three degrees of need . the first is extreame necessitie , when a man is vtterly destitute of the meanes of preseruation of life . the second is great need , when a man hath very little to maintaine himselfe , and his . the third is common necessitie , when he hath something , but yet not sufficient or competent . now those that are in the first and second degree of neede , they are the persons that must be s●●coured and releeued . for proofe hereof consider these places , mat. . . . i was hungry , and ye gaue me meat , i thirsted , & ye gaue m● drinke , i was naked , and ye clothed mee , i was sicke , and ye visited me , i was in prison , and ye came unto me . where obserue what person christ commendeth vnto vs to be releeued , the hungry , thirstie , naked , sicke , harbourles , and the capt●ue or prisoner . rom. . . if thine enemie hunger , feede him ; if the thirst , giue him drinke . we must not onely supply the need of our freindes , but also our enemies . 〈◊〉 . tim. . . if any beleeuing man or woman haue widowes , let him minister vnto them , &c. that there may be sufficient for them that are widowes indeede . here widowes that are desolate , without friends and goods , are commended to the liberalitie of the church . leuit . . . if thy brother be impouerished , and hath the trembling hand , thou shalt releeue him , as a stranger or soiourner , so shall he liue with thee . by the trembling hand , is meant the man that workes hard for his liuing , and yet cannot by his labour get things necessarie , but must needes stretch out his hand , to others that are in better state for helpe . here two questions may further be made . first , whether we must giue almes to beggers ? i meane such as goe from doore to doore : for they come vnder the degrees of needie persons . ans. beggars are of two sorts : either such as are strong , able to labour , and doe somewhat for their liuing ; or such as are weake and impotent , vnable to take paines for the maintenance of themselues , or those that belong vnto them . the first sort , are not to be reiceued . for touching them , the apostle hath giuen this rule , he that will not labour , must not eate , . thess. . . . euery man must liue by the labour of his owne hands , and feede vpon his owne bread . againe , such beggers are theeues & robbers , because they steale their labour from the church and common-wealth , which is as profitable , as land and treasure . in the old law , if two men striued together , and the one had wounded the other ; the offender was inioyned , not onely to pay for the healing , but for the losse of his time also . exod. . . and in like manner , ought such persons to beare the punishment , both of their theft , and of the losse of their labour . and the truth is , they that giue to them in this their loose life , doe maintaine them in wickednes . yet here one caution is to be remembred : that , if such a man be in extreame neede , he must be helped , rather then he should perish . and the magistrate is to punish him for his idlenes ; and to compell him to labour . the magistrate , i say : for priuate persons haue no authoritie to inflict punishment in this case . as for the other sort , that are vnable to worke , they are not allowed by the word of god , to gather their almes themselues by begging from doore to doore , but to be releeued at home in their houses . deut. . . there shall not be a begger in thee . v. . there shall be euer some poore in the land . here the holy ghost makes a plaine difference , between the poore and the begger , forbidding the one , and commanding to helpe the other . saint paul likewise distinguisheth of widowes , whereof some haue rich kindred , and they are to be prouided for by them , . tim. . . others are destitute of friends and kindred , by whome they may be releeued , and such he willeth to be maintained by the church . v. . and this is no toleration or approbation of beggers . againe , the begging of almes is the very seminarie of vagabonds , rogues , & stragling p●●sōs , which haue no calling , nor are of any corporation , church , or commonwealth . yea it doth proclaime to the world , in the eares of all men , the shame either of the magistrate who restraines it not , hauing authoritie : or of the wealthie and able , that they haue no mercy or compassion . it is also a great disorder in commonwealths . for the boldest and most clamarous begger , carries away all the almes from the rest : and so releefe is distributed both vnwisely and vnequally . and howsoeuer it is the good law of our land , agreeable to the law of god , that none should begge that are able to labour , and all men are bound in conscience to see it obserued , that haue any care of the good of this church and commonwealth : yet it is a plague of our times , and greatly to be bewailed , that it is neglected , and not put i● execution . in the second place it is demanded , whether we must put a difference betweene persons and persons , in giuing our almes . ans. there be three differences of men , that are in neede . the first , is a mans owne : and such are they , that be of his houshold , for which he that makes not provision , is worse then an infidell , as the apostle speaketh , . tim. . . those also which are of a mans own blood , as father and mother , &c. mat. . , . now contrarie to this sort are strangers , to whome we must not giue . for to neglect a mans own , and to bestowe it vpon forrainers , vnlesse there be iust and necessarie cause so to doe , is a sinne against the law of nature a second difference of men is this . some are of the houshold of faith . saint pauls rule is this , that we preferre them before the other , gal. . . doe good vnto all men , but specially to them that are of the houshold of faith . a third difference . some are our owne poore , of our towne , land , & country : & some be strangers in the same respects . now , howsoeuer we are debters to all that we can doe good to : yet those that are neerer to vs in habitation or neighbourhood , are to be respected and releeued before others . this the lord commandeth , deu● . . . if one of thy brethren with thee be poore , within any of thy gates in thy land , which the lord thy god giueth thee ; thou shalt not harden thy hart , and shut thine hand from him . and these beeing releeued , we may in the next place afford our helpe to others . thus did the good samaritane , in case of necessitie , practize his charitie vpon a stranger , luk. . . and is therefore commended by our sauiour christ. iii. question . how much releefe must every man giue ? ans. we must put a difference betweene the almes of priuate men , and of incorporations or churches . touching priuate mens almes , the scripture hath not determined how much must be giuen , but hath left it to the discreet consideration of euery christian. and yet it must be remembred , which the apostle saith , that he that soweth sparingly , shal reape sparingly . and againe , let euery man giue , as he hath determined in his owne heart . lastly , he giues a commandement touching the quantitie of giuing , that euery first day of the weeke , euery one lay aside by himselfe , and lay vp as god hath prospered him ; that is , according to the abilitie , wherewith god hath blessed him . . cor. . . but two cautions are proprounded in the word , touching this quantitie . first , that we must not so giue almes , that others be ●ased , and we our selues grieued . . cor. . . it is not gods will , that we should giue all that we haue in almes , and keepe nothing for our selues , but that we keepe a due proportion in giuing , and doe that good to others , whereby we may not our selues be hindred or oppressed . our foūtaines and riuers must runne , to serue the necessitie of the stranger , in vse . prov. . , . but yet the right must remaine our owne , we may not giue away fountaine and water , and all . luk. . . he that hath two coates , let him part with him that hath none , that is , he that hath things necessarie and in abundance , let him giue freely , yet so as he reserue one coate to himselfe . here the papist is iustly to be blamed , who holdeth it a state of perfection , to giue away all , and to liue by begging . for this can not be , seeing it is against gods commandement , who will haue some giuen , and not all , one coate not both , and so is a state rather of sinne and imperfection . secondly , in the case of extreame necessitie ( and not otherwise , ) we must enable our selues to giue almes , though it be by the selling of our possessions , luk. . . sel● that ye haue , and giue almes : our sauiours meaning is , in the case of extreame necessitie ; when there is no other way to releeue those that are to be releeued . dauid notes it as a propertie of a mercifull man , that he disperseth abroad , and giues to the poore , psal. . . it was practised by the primitiue church , in the times of persecution , in the like case . act. . . . and the church of macedonia , though they were in want themselues , yet supplied the extreame want of other churches . . cor. . , . now touching the almes of whole bodies , and churches , this is the rule : that , they should maintaine the poore with things necessarie , fit , and conuenient , as meate , drinke , and cloathing . . tim. . . and this serues to con●ute a grosse errour , maintained by learned papists ; who hold , that whatsoeuer a man hath , aboue that which is necessarie , to nature and estate , he should giue it in almes . but the truth is otherwise : for a man may and ought to giue almes more liberally , when he hath abundance , yet so , as he is not bound to giue all , but may reserue euen part of his superfluitie , for the publicke vse of church and common-wealth . and to this purpose , is that which our sauiour saith , luk . . ● . he that hath two coates , that is , things necessarie and superfluous , must giue but one , and that in the case of the greatest necessitie ; meaning thereby , that all superfluitie must not be giuen in almes , sauing onely in the case aforesaid of extreame want . iv. question . how many waies is a man to giue almes ? ans. three waies . first , by free giuing to the poore . secondly , by free lending : for this is oftentimes , as beneficiall to a man , as giuing . for this ende , there was a law giuen , deut. . . thou shalt open thy hand vnto thy poore brother , and lend him sufficient for his neede which he hath . luk. . . lend , looking for nothing againe . exod. . . if thou lend money to the poore with thee , thou shalt not be an vsurer vnto him , thou shall not oppresse him with vsurie . thirdly , by remitting due debt , in case of mens decay and extreame pouertie . exod. . . if thou take thy neighbours rayment to pledge , thou shalt restore it vnto him , before the sunne goe downe . . for that is his couering onely , and this is his garment for his skin : wherein shal he sleepe ? therefore when he crieth vnto me ( for colde and necessitie ) i will heare him : for i am mercifull . according to this law , nehemiah exhorteth the rulers and princes of the iewes , that had oppressed their poore countrey-men , saying , ren●it vnto them the hundreth part of the siluer , and of the corne , of the wine , and of the oyle , that ye exact of them for loane . nehem. . . v. question . how should almes be giuen , that they may be good workes , and pleasing vnto god ? ans. for the right manner of giuing , sundry things are required , but specially these sixe . first , a man must consecrate himselfe , and all the gifts that he hath & enioyeth , to god and his honour . this dutie is commended in the church of macedonia , that they gaue their owne selues , first to the lord , and after vnto them that were in neede , by the will of god. . cor. . . and thus the prophet esay foretelleth , that the citie tyrus being conuerted , should consecrate themselues , and their goods to the lord. esa. . . yet her occupying and her wages shall be holy vnto the lord : it shal not be laid vp nor kept in store , but her marchandise shall be for them that dwell before the lord , to eate sufficiently , and to haue durable cloathing . secondly , we must giues almes in faith . how is that ? first , we must be perswaded , that we are reconciled to god in christ , and stand in his fauour : and then our almes shall be accepted . for , no worke of the person can please god , before the person himselfe be approoued of him . secondly , we must depend vpon god by faith , for the good successe of our almes . saint paul compares the poore man to a field well tilled , and almes to the sowing of seede , which hath a most plentifull haruest of blessing following it , . cor. . . now as the husbandmā , casting his seed into the earth , waiteth vpon god for the fruit thereof , iam. . . so must the good man that giues almes , depend vpon god for the euent thereof . salomon saies , he that hath mercy vpon the poore , lendeth to the lord , and the lord will recompence him that which he hath giuen , prou. . . vpon these groūds must our faith rest , when we doe good to the poore . thirdly , we must giue in simplicitie . rom. . . he that distributeth , let him doe it with simplicitie , that is , of meere pity and compassion , and not for any sinister respect , pleasure , or praise of men . mat. . . when thou dost thine almes , let not thy left hand know , what thy right hand doth . fourthly , we must giue in loue . . cor. . . though i feede the poore with all my good : &c. and haue not loue , it profiteth me nothing . fiftly , in iustice . for we must not giue other mens goods , but our owne truly gotten . esa. . . the true fasting is , to breake thine owne bread to the hungrie , to bring the poore that wander , into thine owne house , &c. sixtly , with a bountifull and chearefull minde . . cor. . . as euery man wisheth in his heart , so let him giue , not grudgingly , or of necessitie : for god loueth a chearefull giuer . our almes must not be extorted , but franke & free . and hence it followeth , that there ought to be no begging from doore to doore , in a christian commonwealth . for that shewes , that men part with their almes , of a niggardly and compelled minde . and thus much of the remedie . sect. . in the next place followeth the fruit of the remedie , in these words , and all things shall be cleane vnto you . here first , i will speake of the false , and then of the true and right fruit of liberalitie . the false fruit is this , that , giuing of almes doth merit forgiuenes of sinne , and satisfie the iustice of god , for the temporall punishment thereof . that we may the better see the errour of this doctrine , i will answer their arguments . obiect . i. first , they alleadge out of this text , that giuing of almes makes all things cleane vnto vs. ans. we must vnderstand the text , thus . if we turne to god , beleeue in christ , and leaue all our sinnes , then are we cleane , and all our actions , and consequently our almes-giuing shall be cleane vnto vs : for to the pure all things are pure . now almes and other things , are then said to be cleane vnto a man , when he beeing himselfe pure , maketh and hath a pure vse of them . obiect . ii. dan. . . redeeme thy sinnes , by giuing of al●… . ans. this place maketh against the papists : for by sinnes , the prophet vnderstandeth both the guilt , & also the punishment . whereas they affirme , that the guilt of sinne cannot be redeemed , but by christ alone , and man onely is to satisfie for the temporall punishment of sinne . secondly , the word which they translate redeeme , doth properly signifie ( as it is in the chalde paraphrase ) to breake off . as if the prophet should haue said , thou art , o king , a mightie monarch , and thou hast vsed much iniustice and crueltie : therefore , now repent thy selfe , and breake off the course of thy sinnes , and testifie thy repentance , by doing iustice , and giuing almes to the poore , whom thou hast oppressed . thirdly , the word in the ancient latine translations , signifieth to amende ; and then it beareth this sense : amend thy selfe , and the course of thy life , and let thine iniustice be turned into iustice , thy crueltie into mercie . obiect . iii. make you friends with the riches of iniquitie , that when ye shall want , they may receiue you into euerlasting habitations , luk. . . ans. receiuing here mentioned , is not by way of merit , as though a man could deserue it by giuing almes , but either by way of heartie praiers made by the poore , that they may be receiued , or els because their almes shall be vnto them a pledge and earnest , of their receiuing into gods kingdome . obiect . iv. prou. . . by mercie and truth , iniquitie is redeemed . ans. . salomons meaning is , that by gods goodnes , and not ours , iniquity is pardoned . . if by mercie , is meant mans mercie , then are we to vnderstand it thus ; that mercie and truth , are euident signes vnto vs that our sinnes are forgiuen , and not the working causes of remission . obiect . v. luk. . . and thou ( which giuest releefe ) shalt be blessed , because they can not recompense thee : therefore almes doe merit . ans. when god promiseth reward to the giuing of almes , the promise is not made to the worke , but to the worker , and that not for the merit of his person , or worke , but onely for christ his sake , in whome he is , by whose meanes he stands reconciled vnto god. and so men that practise charitie in giuing of almes , are rewarded with blessednes , not for their almes , but according to the mercie of god in christ. now followeth the right fruit of almes-giuing : and it stands in foure things . first , they are the way in which we must walke to life euerlasting . i say the way , not the cause either of life , or any other good thing , that god hath promised . secondly , they are effects and fruits of our faith : yea , the signes and seales of gods mercie to vs in christ. to this purpose , s. paul wisheth timothie , . tim. . , , . to charge them that be rich in this world , that they doe good , and be rich in good workes , and be readie to distribute , laying vp in store for themselues a good foundation , against the time to come , that they may obtaine eternall life . now where is this foundation to be laide vp ? not in heauen , for that is impossible for vs , and it is laide vp for vs there alreadie by christ ; but in our owne consciences , and that is our assurance of gods fauour in this world , and life euerlasting in the world to come : of which assurance , this and other good works , are signes and seales vnto vs. thirdly , almes comes in the way of restitution of those goods , that haue beene gotten fraudulently , though from whome , we know not . thus zacheus at his conuersion , for wrongs that he had done , he knew not to whome , gaue halfe his goods to the poore , and proclaimed restitution to those that could come forth and chalenge him . lastly , aimes are a notable remedie against couetousnesse . for he that hath a mercifull heart , to bestow vpon the poore , shall easily be content with that he hath , and auoid that sinne whereby otherwise he falls into tentations and snares of the deuill . . tim. . . chap. vi. of iustice. psal. . . he that walketh vprightly , and worketh righteousnes . the substance of the whole psalme is a question , and an answer . the question is , who are the members of gods church vpon earth , that shall come to life eternall in heauē . ver . . the answer , is made in the rest of the psalme . and in this answer , is contained a description of the parties , by their properties and markes . the first marke is , walking vprightly ; that is , in truth and sinceritie of religion , which standeth in the sinceritie of faith , and a good conscience . the second note , is the practise of righteousnes . now righteousnes , or iustice , is twofold : the iustice of the gospel , and the iustice of the law. evangelicall iustice is that , which the gospell reveales , and not the law ; to witte , the obedience of christ in his sufferings , and fulfilling of the law , imputed to them that beleeue for their iustification ; and this is not here meant . legall iustice is that , which the law revealeth , and withall requireth . and it is either vniuersall , or particular . vniuersall iustice , is the practise of all vertues : or that , whereby a man obserues all the commandements of the law . of this paul speaketh , rom. . . in which place , he opposeth it to the righteousnes , which is by faith . and zacharie and elizabeth , are said to be iust before god , luk. . . namely , by this vniuersall iustice ; because they walked in all the commandements , and ordinances of the lord , indeauouring in althings to please him . particular iustice is that , whereby we giue to euery man his right , or due : and of this dauid here speaketh . the reason is , because if it were not so , then this second marke should comprehend vnder it all the rest ; and so there would be no good distinction of these properties , one from the other . particular iustice , is two-fold ; in distribution , or in exchange , and contract . iustice in distribution is that , which keepes a proportion in giuing to euery man that honour , dignitie , reuerence , reward , or punishment , that is due vnto him . of this , there are mooued principally two questions . i. question . what is that iudgement , which men are to giue , and hold , one to and of another ? ans. iudgement , is of two sorts : publicke , and priuate . publicke , which is giuen and administred by a publicke person , in a publicke place . such is the iudgement of the magistrate , when he acquitteth or condemneth men , as their deserts are , to temporal punishment . of which we may read , . cron. . . psal. . . such also is the iudgement of the prophet , or minister , whereby he doth openly pronoūce to mē , that beleeue & repent , that their sinnes are remitted , or retained , . cor. . . or that , whereby he delivereth obstinate sinners vp vnto satan , by the censure of excommunication , or suspension . . cor. . . . . priuate iudgement is that , whereby one man giues iudgement privately of another . and touching it , we are to consider two points . first , of what things iudgement must be giuen . secondly , how we are to giue iudgement . for the first ; we must giue iudgement of three sorts of things ; of mens facts , of their doctrines , and of their persons . touching facts ; the apostle paul would not haue vs to haue fellowship , with the vnfruitfull workes of darkenes , eph. . . but rather to reprooue them , because they are subiect to our iudgement : and being reprooued by vs , they are iudged of vs. and our sauiour doth therefore command vs , when our brother trespasseth against vs , to goe and reprooue him , because his actions are liable to our censure . secondly , the doctrines of men are to be iudged by vs. try the spirits , whether they are of god , or no , . ioh. . . the spirituall man iudgeth all things , that is , all doctrines . . cor. . . and our sauiour saith , you shall know them by their fruits ; that is , partly by their doctrine , & partly by their liues , being iudged according to the rule of gods word . mat. . . thirdly , we may iudge of the persons of men . now men are of two sorts : either in the church , or out of the church . the members of the church , must be iudged by the iudgement of charitie , not of infallibility . they that are out of the church , we must suspend our iudgements concerning them , and leaue it to god. for , what haue i doe ( saith the apostle ) to iudge those that are without ? . cor. . . we may try and examine the person , but we must reserue the iudgement of condemnation to god alone . the second point , is ; how we are to iudge one of another . ans. the right manner of iudging according to the word of god , i will lay downe in sixe rules . the first is ; if we know any good thing by any man , whether vertue , or action , we are willingly to speake of it , to commend it , and glorifie gods name in it , and for it . thus paul affirmeth , that the churches of iudaea , when they heard the word which he preached , glorified god for him . gal. . . the second rule ; if we know any euill , sinne , vice , or offence by any man , there is a time when we may , and a time when we may not speake of it , and that with good conscience . for the better keeping of this rule , foure cautions are to be remembred . first , he that will giue sentence of another man , must in the first place , purg and reforme himselfe . to this purpose , christ commandeth , first to plucke the beame out of our owne eie , and then shal we see clearely , to cast out the more out of our brothers eie . matth. . . and he that will not doe this , in iudgeing another , he condemneth himselfe . rom. . . secondly , we must be rightly and truly informed in the matter , before we giue iudgement . this was gods owne practize , who came downe to see , whether the sinne of sodome was answerable to the crie , gen. . . thirdly , our loue and charitie , must order and direct , both our speech and our iudgement of others , that we speake not of them without deliberation . for he that vpon hatred , reports the euill he knoweth by another , is a backebiter . when doeg the edomite came , & shewed saul that dauid was gone to the house of abimelech , he tolde no more then the truth ; and yet because it proceeded from an euill minde , therefore dauid accuseth him of hatred , backebiting , slaundering , and vnrighteousnes . psalm . . . . fourthly , he that speakes the euill he knowes by his neighbour , must haue the testimonie of his owne conscience , to assure him that he hath a calling to doe it . now a man is called by god , in three cases . first , when he is commanded by the magistrate , to testifie what he knoweth . secondly , when an euill that is in his neighbour , is to be redressed by admonition . thirdly , when an euill is to be preuented , that it spread not abroad to the infection of others . these caueats obserued , we may speake the euill we know by others , truly and with an vpright conscience . but if they cannot be concealed , rather then a man should blaze abroad the faults of others , wherevnto he is privie , he ought to be silent : remembring alwaies the saying of salomon , that it is the glory of a man , to passe by an infirmitie , and not to take notice therof , but by loue to couer a multitude of sinnes . prov. : . the third rule . when a mans speech or action , is doubtfull , and may be taken either well or ill , we must alwaies interpet it in the better part . when christ was brought before caiphas the high priest , there came two witnesses against him , who affirmed something of him , which he had spoken : but because they changed and misconstrued his words , turning them to a wrong sense , therfore they are called by the holy ghost , to their perpetuall shame and reproch , false witnesses . mat. . . againe , the apostle saith , that loue thinkes no euill , . cor. . . therefore loue takes euery speech and action in the better sense . the fourth rule . touching secret offences of our neighbour , we must suspend our iudgement of them . the reason is , because loue alwaies hopes the best , and thinkes no euill , . cor. . . and our sauiours rule is , if thy brother trespasse against thee , first reprooue him priuately , betweene thee and him , and goe no further , if that will preuaile . mat. . . the fift rule . against an elder , receiue not an accusation vnder two or three witnesses , . tim. . . by an elder , vnderstand ministers , civill gouernours , and all superiours . and if we must not receiue , then much lesse may we frame an accusation against them . this may be a lesson for all inferiours to learne , who take libertie to themselues , to speake what euill they please of their gouernours . the sixt rule is , concerning ministers . the spirit of the prophets , is subiect to the prophets , and not to priuate persons , . cor. . . indeede priuate persons haue power to examine and try their doctrine and ministry : but they must goe no further : for they haue no power to giue iudgement , either of their ministers doctrin , or persons . the doctrine & manners of teachers , are subiect to the censure of prophets onely . for example : a priuate man saies , that he may excommunicate , at his pleasure , those that sinne , if he proceed according to the three degrees mentioned , mat. . but this is in him a fault ; for he must not iudge in this case , at his owne pleasure , but his iudgement must follow the iudgement of the church : and when the church hath giuen censure , then may the priuate man proceede to censure , and not before . so saith our sauiour christ , mat. . . if he heare not the church , after the church hath iudged him , let him be vnto you as a heathen & a publicane . here if the question be made , how a man may with good conscience giue iudgement of his owne selfe ? i answer , by obseruing two rules . first , a man must alwaies in the presence of god , iudge himself in regard of his sinnes , both of hart & life , . cor. . . if we should iudge our selues , we should not be iudged . and this iudgement of a mans selfe , must not be partiall , but sharpe and seuere , with true humiliation and lowlines of heart . for this is a true ground of all charitable iudgement of others . secondly , before men a man must suppresse his iudgement of himselfe , and be silent : no man is bound either to praise or dispraise , to excuse or accuse and condemne himselfe before others : and grace must teach him thus much , not vainely to commend or boast of of his owne gifts and actions ; but rather to burie them in silence , and referre them to the iudgement of others . now to conclude this point . the doctrine deliuered , is most necessarie for these times . for the fashion of most men is , to giue rash and sinister iudgement of others ; but themselues they will commend , and that highly . if any thing be euill saide or done , all men must haue notice of it . if a thing be doubtfull , it is alway construed in the worser part . if a thing be done of weaknes and infirmitie , we aggrauate it , and make it a double sinne . we are curious in searching and inquiting into the liues of others , that we may haue something to carpe and finde fault with . but let this be remembred , that as we iudge , so we shall be iudged ; first , of god by condemnation , and then by hard and vnequal iudgement from others . againe , what is it that makes men to be open mouthed , in declaring and censuring our faults , but this ; that we open our mouthes to the disgrace and defamation of others ? wherefore , if we would haue other men to iudge of vs , and our actions in loue , we must also make conscience , to giue charitable iudgement of them . ii. question . how one man should honour an other ? ans. that we may rightly honour men , we must first know the causes , for which men are to be honoured . and that the causes of honour may be conceiued , i will lay downe this ground . honour is in the first place , principally and properly , to be giuen vnto god. . tim. . . to god onely wise , be honour and glorie . the reason hereof is rendered in the lords prayer ; be cause his is kingdome , power , and glorie . againe , god is goodnes it selfe : his goodnes and his essence are one and the same : therefore honour is due to him in the first place . now euery creature as it commeth neare vnto god , so it is honourable , and the more honourable , by how much nearer it commeth vnto him . but man especially , by how much nearer he commeth to god in diuine things , by so much more is he to be honoured in respect of other creatures . from this ground doe follow these conclusions . first , that man is first of all to be honoured , for vertues sake : because therein principally , standes the internall image of god , rom. . . to euery man that doth good , shal be honour , glorie , & peaece ; to the iew first &c. now whereas the question might be , who is the iew , to whome this honour must be yeelded ? paul answers , vers . . that he is not a iew , which is one outward , but he is a iew , who is one within . and the circumcision is of the heart . and salomon saith , that honour is vnseemely for a foole , prou. . . and the holy ghost to the hebrewes saith , that by faith , our elders were well reported of . the heathen man marcus marcellus a romane , dedicated a tēple to the goddesse of honour , and the way to that temple was , by the house of vertue . the second conclusion is , that man is to be honoured , not onely for vertue , but also for diuine representations of other good things : in a word , because one man before an other , heareth the image of some thing that is in god. as first , of his maiestie . thus the king is honoured , because in his maiestie and state , he carrieth a resemblance of the power and glorie of god : so as that which is saide of god , may be also spoken of him . hence it was , that daniel said to nebuchadnezar : o king , thou art a king of kings , and why ? for the god of heauen hath giuen thee kingdome , power , strength and glorie , dan. . . secondly , of his dominion . thus the husband is to be honoured of the wife , because he beareth before the woman , the image of the glorie of god ; yea , of his prouidence , wisedome , lordship , and gouernment . . cor. . . thirdly , of his paternitie : and so the father is honoured of the sonne , because he beares in his person the image of gods paternitie , or father-hoode . fourthly , of his eternitie ; and hence it is , that honour is giuen to the aged before the young man , because he beareth the image thereof . thus we see that diuine representations , doe imprint a kinde of excellencie , in some persons , and consequently doe bring forth honour . the third conclusion is , that men are to be honoured , euen for the vertues of others . thus the sonnes of princes , are called by the honourable name of princes . the children of nobles , are esteemed by birth noble . thus dignities doe runne in discent , and the posteritie is honoured in the name of the ancestours , but principally for the vertues of the a●ncestours . the fourth conclusion is , men are to be honoured for their riches . i meane not for riches simply , but for the right vse of riches ; namely , as they are made instruments , to vphold and maintaine vertue . if it be said , that to honour rich men , is to haue the faith of the lord iesus christ in respect of persons , iam. 〈◊〉 . . i answer : in that place , we are not sorbidden to honour rich men : but the apostles meaning is , to reprooue a fault of an other kinde , when men preferre riches before pietie ; when rich men are honoured beeing vngodly , and when godly poore men are despised and reiected , because they are poore . now hauing premised the ground , we come to giue answer to the question before propounded . a man therefore is to honour euery one in his place , whether he be his superiour , equall , or inferiour . yea there is a kinde of honour to be performed to a mans owne selfe . the truth of this answer we shall see in the particulars that follow . sect. . touching the honouring of superiours , these ruies are to be obserued . first : all superiours must haue reuerence done vnto them , whether they be superiours in age , in gifts , in authoritie , or howsoeuer , and that because they are superiours . the actions of reuerence due to all superiours , are principally sixe . the first is , to rise vp before the superiour . levit. . . thou shalt rise vp before the boare head , and honour the person of the old man. the second , when they are comming toward vs , to goe and meete them . thus , when abraham saw the three angels comming toward him , he ranne to meete them from the tent doore , gen. . . and king salomon , when his mother bathsheha came towards him , to speak vnto him for adoniah , the text saith , he rose vp to meete her , . king. . . the third , to bow the knee before the superiour . thus wee read in the gospell , that a certaine man comming to christ , as he was going on the way , kneeled vnto him , mark. . . thus abraham ranne to meete the three angels , and bowed himselfe to the ground . gen. . . and the same abraham , els where , bowed himselfe before the people of the land of the hittites , gen. . . the fourth , to giue them the first and highest seat or place . this our sauiour christ meaneth in the parable , wherein he willeth those who are invited to a banquet , to yeeld the chiefest place to them , that are more honourable then themselues . luk. . . and it is set downe as a commendation of iosephs brethren , that they sate before him in order , the eldest according to his age , & the youngest according to his youth , gen. . . here we must remember ; that though in common practise among men , the right hand is a note of superioritie , yet in scripture the practise is contrarie . for in the article of our creede , sitting at the right hand signifieth , the inferioritie of the mediator , in respect of the father ; though it be a token of his superioritie , in regard of the church . and so must the place be vnderstood , ( . king. . . where it is said , that bathsheba sate at the right hand of salomon , ) namely , that it was an argument of superioritie , whereunto he preferred her before the people ; but it shewed her infirmitie in regard of salomō himself . and this custome is frequent , both in the scriptures , & in humane writers . the fift , to giue libertie of speaking in the first place . this was the practise of elihu , one of the friends of iob , who beeing the youngest in yeares , dared not to shew his opinion , till iob and others , who were his ancients had spoken . but when they had left off their talke , then he is said to haue answered in his turne , iob. . . . . the sixt , to giue the titles of reverence to all superiours . sara according to this rule , called abraham lord , . pet. . . the man in the gospell , comming to learne something of christ , cals him by this name , good master , mar. . . and anna rebuked by eli , answered him with reuerence , and said , nay , my lord. . sam. . . the second rule touching honour due to superiours , is more speciall , touching superiours in authoritie ; namely that they also must be honoured . and this honour shewes it selfe in foure things . the first is , speciall reuerence : which stands in the performance of two duties . the former is , to stand when our superiors doe sitte . for thus abraham after he had receiued the angels into his tent , and prepared meat for them , serued himself by them vnder the tree , giuing attendance , while they did eate , gen. . . in like manner , when moses sate in iudgement , the people are said to haue stood about him , from morning vntill euening , exod . . . the latter is , not to speake , but by leaue . a dutie alwaies to be obserued , but specially in the courts of magistrates . example whereof we haue in paul , who beeing called before foelix the gouernour , did not speake a word , vntill the gouernour had beckened vnto him , & giuē him leaue . act. . . the second thing is , subiection ; which is no thing els but an inferioritie , whereby we do ( as it were ) suspend our wills and reasons , and withall cause them to depend ( in things lawfull and honest ) vpon the will of the superiour . this subiectiō is yeelded to the authoritie of the superiour , and is larger then obedience . the third is , obedience ; whereby wee keepe and performe the expresse commandement of our superior , in all things lawfull and honest , it standeth in sundry particulars , as first , it must be in the lord , and as to the lord himselfe , whatsoeuer ye doe ( saith the apostle , ) doe it heartily , as to the lord , and not vnto men , col. . . againe , obedience must be performed euen to superiours that are euill . thus peter exhorts seruants to be subiect to their masters , in all feare , not onely to the good and courteous , but also to the froward , . pet. . . thirdly , it must be done to rulers , in whome we see weaknesses . for their infirmities ought not to hinder or stoppe our dutie of obedience , considering that the commaundement of honouring the father and mother is generall without exceptiō . fourthly , it is to be performed to them that are deputies to rulers , yea which are deputies of deputies . submit your selues ( saith peter ) vnto all manner ordinance of man , for the lords sake , whether it be vnto the king as vnto the superiour , or vnto gouernours , as vnto them who are sent of him , &c. . pet. . , . fiftly , though punishment be wrongfully , and most vniustly imposed by rulers , yet it must be borne without resistance , till we can haue our remedie . for this is thankeworthie , if a man for conscience toward god , indure griefe , suffering wrongfully . . pet. . . the practise of this we may see in hagar , the handmaid of sara , who is commanded by the angel , to returne againe to her dame , and humble her selfe vnder her hands , though shee had dealt very roughly with her , gen. . . the fourth thing due to superiours in authoritie , is thankesgiuing , in praising god for their paines , authoritie , and gifts principally . thus paul exhorts , that praiers , intercessions , and thankesgiuing , be made for kings , and all that be in authoritie , . tim. . . the reason is , because beeing ouer vs in authoritie , we haue the benefit of their gifts and authoritie . gen. . . sect. . in the second place commeth to be considered , our honour due vnto our equalls . concerning which , there be two rules . i. rule . equalls , must esteeme better of others , then of themselues . thus paul exhorts all men , in meekenes of minde , without contention or vaine-glorie , to esteeme others better then themselues . phil. . . ii. rule . equalls , in giuing honour , must goe one before another . rom. . . where the apostle saith not , in taking honour , because the dutie by him prescribed , concernes not all persons , but those alone who are of a like or equall condition . sect. . a third sort , to whome honour is to be yeelded , are inferiours . and the honour due vnto them is , without all contempt , in meeknes of spirit , to respect them as brethren . this dutie the lord commands expressely to the king ; that his heart be not lifted vp above his brethren . deut. . . the same was the practise of iob , who saith of himselfe , that he did not contemne the iudgement of his seruant , or of his maid , when they did contend with him , iob. . . naaman the syrian , thought it no disgrace , to be advised and ordered by the counsell of his seruants . . king. . . and true it is , that all superiours ought to keepe their state and place ; yet so , as they haue respect also to such as are inferiour to them , without scor●● or contempt . sect. . 〈◊〉 lastly , there is a kind of honour to be performed to a mans owne selfe , which duty the apostle exhorteth vnto , phil. . . where he saith ; if there be any vertue , if there be any p●●ise , thinke on these things . by which he would teach vs , not onely to tender the honour of our superiours , equalls , and inferiours , but euen of our selues , in seeking after vertue and praise that followeth after it . but how should a man in righteous manner honour himselfe ? ans. by obseruing two rules . i. rule . we must preserue our selues in body and soule ; specially , we must keepe the body , that it be not made an instrument of sinne . for when we doe vse our bodies as instruments of vncleanes , then doe we bring a shame vpon them . and it is the will of god , that euery man should know how to possesse his vessel in holines and honour , . thes. . . . and that which is said of the bodie , is to be vnderstood of the hand , the heart , the tongue , and all the parts and members thereof . ii. rule . if we would truly honour our selues , we must honour god in all our waies . for god will honour them , who honour him , . sam. . . now to honour god , is to honour him according to his will and word , in the duties of good conscience and good life . on the contrarie , they that dishonour god , god will dishonour them before all the world . and this must teach vs , even to dedicate our selues to god and his providence , in the whole course of our callings , whether in the church or commonwealth . &c. &c. &c. &c. &c. &c. faults escaped in the most copies are thus to be amended . pag. . lin . . dele and. . . hedenies , he denies . . . mumnednesse , nummednesse . . 〈◊〉 . eight , eighteenth . . , . dele and. . . one question , two questions . . pen●lt . ye must , yea must . . qualified . qualified . . . nor , now. . , , . questions about adoration are two . i. q. read , question about adoration is , to what &c. . . their , they . . . appearetht , hat , appetreth that . . . god , gods. . . delc not . . . vrath , wrath . l. . or , of . . . dele the. . . he , be . . . it , is . l. . statues , statutes . . . possible , possibly . . margin . quintil. quimchi . sect. . sect. . . . sect. . sect. . . . abour , labour . . ult . tthird , third . . . the , to the. . . bed chamber , bride-chamber . . . off , cut off . . . iudgemen , iudgement . . . or selues , our selues . . . doe , to doe . . . infirmitie , inferioritie . kind reader . i intreate thee to be aduertised of two texts of scripture , alleadged pag. , . in way of proofe of a rule there mentioned . they were quoted and vttered in those very tearmes by the author himselfe : but because they faulted in some words , and were not for matter so well filled to the point in hand , as was meete , i set vpon them a marke in my copie , either to be explaned or wholly left out . yet beeing in my absence , through the printers hast , slipped in , much against my will , and now past helpe , i am forced to desire thee , for the time , in loue to passe by the examples themselues ; and onely to take the rule for thy direction , in the vse of borrowed ornaments . farewell . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e prou. . . rom. . . hebr. . . psal. . . and . , . psal. . v. , . b decret . de poenit . dist . . cap. . caueat spiritual is iudex , vt sicut non commisit crimen nequitiae , itâ ●ō careat munere scientiae . c iudices in caufis poenitentium . bell. de poen . lib. . cap. . concil . trid. sess . ● . can . . prolog . in summ antonni . archicpisc . florentini . mark. . . reu. . . . cor. . . d theophl . comment . in ioan. . . & hieron . l. . comment . in math. super verba . tibi dabo claues . emanuel sa. in aphor. cō●essar●orum . summa angelica . capit . ●ides . paragr . , . concil . trid. sess . . cap. . a matth. . . iam. . . rom. 〈◊〉 . . concil . trid. ●ess . ● . can . . psal. . . a peceatum veniale , quod non tol●…t ordinem ad vltimum finem , vnde non meretur poenā aeternam , sed temporalem . iacob . de graphiis : decision . aurcar . cas. consc. l. . cap. . . ioh. . . concil . trid. sess . ● . can . . notes for div a -e in the treat . page . . notes for div a -e iam. . 〈◊〉 . * splendida peccata . act. . . ioh. . . . macul● . act. . 〈◊〉 . . tim. . . iob . . psal. . 〈◊〉 . . a ignorant●● 〈◊〉 . b ignorantia facti . voluntas n●● cogitur . rom. . . and . . psal. . . num. . . math. . . . 〈◊〉 gen. . 〈◊〉 gen. 〈◊〉 . . exod. 〈◊〉 . . & alias exod. ● . . . iam. . . 〈◊〉 o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . act. . . rom. . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 psal. . 〈◊〉 exod. 〈◊〉 . . . kin. . . ●in . . . sam. 〈◊〉 . . matth. 〈◊〉 . . cor. . 〈◊〉 . . tim. 〈◊〉 . ● . prov. . ● . . tim. . . rom. . . . pet. . . iam. . . act. . . pro● . . . psal. . . rom. . 〈◊〉 . dubita●te conscientiā . ●rrante . repugnant● . how god saueth man. act. . . act. . . mar. . . &c. matth. . . humiliation . . sam. , . psal. . . luk. . . psal. . . . cor. . . . sam. . . faith in christ. psal. . repentance . act. . . ezek. . . new obedience . ioh. . . iam. . . . king . . . gen. . . . . sam. ● . ● . mark. . . . cor. . vlt. rom . vlt. . cor. . ● . psal . . dan. . , . rom. . . psal. . s. iohns . epistle . . ioh. 〈◊〉 . rom. . . chap. . 〈◊〉 . . col. . . rom. . . gal. . ● . . tim. . . . pet. . . distresse of minde in generall . prov. . . in speciall . the generall remedie of all distresses . the false way of ministring comfort . 〈◊〉 . tim. . . act. . . esa. . . . ioh. . . the grounds of comfort . . cor. . . math. . . reuel . . . psal. . . psal. . . . cor. . . psal. . . luk. . . . . sam. . . . iohn . . . matt. . . the true way of bringing a man within the covenant . maior . minor. conclusio . eccles. 〈◊〉 . . cant. . . examples . iob. . . iob. . . iob. . . psal. . the occasion . the effects of the temptation . iob. . . iob . . the remedie . psal. ● . iob . . rom. . . exod. . . . cor. . . . 〈◊〉 . . . rom. . . luk. . . psal. . . . remoouall of doubts . 〈◊〉 cor. . . . sam. . hab. . . psal. . rom. . . psal. . and . practise in case of affliction . chro. . . , dan. . . . lament . . meditations in case of affliction . grounds . i. gods providence . rom. . . esa. . . amos . . ierem . . gen. . , . . sam. . . gen. . . & . . ii. gods commādement . mich. . . . pet. . , . iii. gods presence . psal. . ● . psal. . . psal. . . hab. . . . cor. . . phil. . . iv. goodnes of afflictions . fruits of affliction . consideration . gen. . . humiliation . luk. . , &c. amendment . heb. . . . cor. . . ioh. . abnegation . 〈◊〉 . cor. . . innosation . hos. . . patience . rom. . . obedience . heb. . . heb. . . iob. . ● . v partakers in the crosse. des●●ring of deliuerance . gen. . . ier. . . dan. . . gen. . . exod. . ● act. . . h●b . . , . dan. . v. . reu. . . deut. 〈◊〉 . . exod. . . psal. . . luk. . . pag. ● . . cor. . . heb. . . temporarie death . i. preparation to death . psal. . . psal. . . account death present . . cor. ● . . rom. 〈◊〉 . . ● . &c. . pet. 〈◊〉 . . heb. . ● . . cor. . . phil. . . apoc. 〈◊〉 . . . ioh. . 〈◊〉 . math. . . . cor. . . phil. . . phil. . . heb. . . iohn . ● . . matth. . . prou. . . luk. . . rom. . . iob. ● . , , ● . io● . ● . 〈◊〉 . prou. . . luk. . . and . . iob. . . ii. helpes in time of death . iohn . 〈◊〉 . heb. ● . ● . gen. . . ioh. . . . . sam. . . 〈◊〉 . cor. . . satanicall molestation . reuel . . . psal. . , . math. . . luk. . . iob . heb. . gen . . gen. ● . gen. . . gen. . tentatio f●●a . the cause & daunger . the remedie . eph. . , . prov. . . coloss. . . psal. . ● . psal. . . the violent distresse . the cure. quo occultins peccatum . cō : mai●s 〈◊〉 . groundes of possibilitie of pardon . b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . augustin . . chr. . . . 〈◊〉 . . . . the case of re●idination . the moderate distresse . accipit suum , & remittit tu●… . how the body troubles the minde . melancholy . esca diaboli . balneum diaboli . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . strange alterations besides melancholy . notes for div a -e . cor. . . mal. . . iob ● . . math. . , . ierem. . . nehem. . . matth. . . . king . . . act. . . . sam. . math. . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . . tim. . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a ioannis de thabia . angell de clavasio . raymundi , &c. b martini azpilcust . navarri , &c. c emanuelis sa. &c. d franci● . tolet . &c. e iacobi de graphii● à capua , &c. * m. r. green. ha● . * coloss . . hieron . pro. log . in lu● & 〈◊〉 catalog . scriptor . ecclesiast . nicep . l. . c. . luc. . act. . . . io● . . * so was theoph . with lukes copies . act. . . * so did theop. luc. . . . and the lad● and ●ers . . ioh. v. . * this was also theoph. his desire . luk. . . epist. dedicat . before the true gaine . notes for div a -e arguments from the light of nature , and creation . arguments from the gouernment of the world . act. . . arguments fró the light of grace . a●…ments f●ó the light of glorie . 〈◊〉 . cor. . tacit. lib. . . plutarch . de ●…rit . ●●ac . the authors and penmen of scripture . the matter of scripture . psal. . effects of scripture . 〈◊〉 . . 〈◊〉 . properties of scripture . contra●ies . testimonies . obiections against the scriptures . obiect . . obiect . . obiect . . obiect . 〈◊〉 . ignorantia pravae dispositionis . ignorantia 〈◊〉 privationis vel negationis p●●● . obiect . . obiect . 〈◊〉 . obiect . . obiect . . obiect . obiect . . obiect . . ioseph . antiq. iudaic. 〈◊〉 . . c. . fin● . plin. nat . hist. lib. . c. ● . obiect . . obiect . ● . obiect ● . exod. . . icr. . . dan. . . heb. . . matt. . . . ioh. . . ioh. . . adoration . deut. . . gen. . . esa. . 〈◊〉 , dan. . . matth. . . rom. . . matth. . . matth. . . rom. . . psal. . . . sam. . . cleauing to god. lawfull praier . conditions before prayer . conditions in prayer . conditions after prayer . of imprecations . of the circumstances of prayer . of the voice in prayer . iam. . . of gesture in prayer . the place of prayer . . sam. . the time of prayer . how baptisme is necessarie , & why ? how baptisme is not necessary , and why ? exod . . lib. de mirab . script . cap. . non in serpente , sed in domini imperio & promisso , &c. lib. sent . dist . . quest . . impedit contrahendum matrimonium , & diti nit contractum . bell. de matr . lib. . c. . decr. greg. lib. . tit . . c. . concil . trid. sess . . decrer . de reformatione matrimon● , cap. . &c. mark. . . luk. . . euseb. eccles. hist. l. . c. . heb. . . right vse after receiuing . what adoration is . whether it be lawfull to flies when a man may flie ? the nature of an oathe . when an oath bindes ? vvhen an oath bindes not ? * le-thannoth so it is expounded by the hebrewe doctors . quintil. in iud. . . iethannu . the iust cause of a fash the right manner of fasting . the right ends of fasting . euseb. hist. eccl. l. . c. . what is ceremoniall in the sabboth . ** a cyrill . lib. . in iohan. cap. . b ad casulanum . epist . ad ianuarium . epist . c. . c sermon . . de res●●rect . obiections . rest. sanctification of rest. notes for div a -e e duobus malis non minimum , sed n●ntrum eligendum . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * ambros. de obit . theod. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . what is required be●… we eate . what is required in our eating . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . vvhat is required after out meate . preparation of apparell . vvearing of apparell . * non est bonum ludere cum sanctis . 〈◊〉 . ioh. . . * ex paraphernalibus . matth. . . heb. . . mr. thomas wadsworth's last warning to secure sinners being his two last sermons concerning the certainty and dreadfulness of the future misery of all impenitent ungodly sinners : to which is prefixed an epistle of mr. richard baxter's. wadsworth, thomas, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) mr. thomas wadsworth's last warning to secure sinners being his two last sermons concerning the certainty and dreadfulness of the future misery of all impenitent ungodly sinners : to which is prefixed an epistle of mr. richard baxter's. wadsworth, thomas, - . baxter, richard, - . [ ], , [ ] p. printed for tho. parkhurst, london : . reproduction of original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bible. -- n.t. -- peter, st, iii, - -- sermons. sin -- sermons. sermons, english -- th century. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - judith siefring sampled and proofread - judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion mr. thomas wadsworth's last warning to secure sinners : being his two last sermons concerning the certainty and dreadfulness of the future misery of all impenitent ungodly sinners . to which is prefixed an epistle of mr. richard baxter's london , printed for tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns in cheapside , and at the bible on london-bridg . to the reader . it is not so much for the sake of the departed author of these sermons , as for thy self , that this preface doth recommend them to thy acceptance and perusal : though in order hereunto it is meet that thou have some account both of the author , and of the reasons of their publication . the author was a person with whom i had long much communication by letters , before i ever saw his face . by many of which , and by the full testimony of his flock , i can assuredly give thee this true account of him : when he was placed for the exercise of the sacred ministry at newington-butts , near southwark , he addicted himself entirely to the winning and edifying of souls ; believing the great things of the unseen world , and life to come ; the obtaining of that happiness by faith and holiness , was the end and work of his ministry and life . he took heed to himself and to doctrine , and continued therein , that he might save himself , and those that heard him , tim. . . unnecessary questions and controversies he avoided : in those that he was constrained to meddle with , he much lookt at the end , and adhered to the doctrine which is according to godliness ; carefully shunning contentions and extreams , and that manner of disputing or conversing which destroyeth christian love . in the common controversies about predestination , grace , and free-will , he held to the middle way of augustine , prosper , &c. contenting himself to prove and teach , that all evil is of our selves , and all good is of god ; that god is no author of sin , but yet is the governour of all the world , whose absolute will cannot be frustrate ; and that christ hath procured that universal conditional gift of pardon and life which is found in the gospel , and commanded his ministers to preach and offer it to all ; and so of the rest . but the errors which subvert faith , hope , or obedience , he would not make light of ; and therefore lately wrote that very considerable treatise of the immortality of the soul ; especially for the use of such as reject not scripture-proof , leaving out most of the philosophical reasons which infidels expect ; but adding some few of them which are of weight , though not a large performance of that part of the work . he was happily too young to be engaged in the military or uncivil quarrels of this age. he knew that christs ministers have work enough of their own , in preaching , promoting and practising the christian faith , and hope of glory , and keeping themselves and others in obedience , love and peace . when the changes had occasioned great contentions about church-worship , admiministrations , communion and discipline , the city of london where he lived attempting to set up the presbyterian government , but finding it very difficult , because of the number of episcopal and independent dissenters , and because the parliament would give presbytery no more than a toleration and recommendation , he resolved to join with no party in the division , but to look simply to gods word , and to do that which there he found past controversie , an unquestionable duty . at that time the ministers of worcestershire had entred into an association : . in their worship , administration and discipline , unanimously to practice so much as the then parties , episcopal , presbyterian and independents are agreed in ; believing that the faithful practice of so much , would better reconcile them , than strangeness and disputes . . to set up a regular course of personal conference by catechising & loving-instructions , and exhortations , to prepare them for death and eternity , with all the families in our parishes , in order , who would voluntarily submit to it . in the practice of these two , we had great experience of gods blessing . and mr. wadsworth desiring ( as many counties did ) to do the like , sent to me for the draught of our agreement : and because he would avoid temerity and needless singularity , he addrest himself to the classes of the london ministers , and asked their advice ; who told him to this purpose , that they were under many hinderances from doing it themselves , but they would not disswade nor discourage him from attempting it : which hereupon he presently did . to his constant publick preaching he added this work of personal and family instruction ; not only to visit the sick , but to teach and exhort his flock , in health , to prepare for death , and work out their salvation . to catechize them , and help them to understand the words , and to get down the sweetness and power of the matter upon their hearts : behaving himself with convincing light , with melting love , and quickning seriousness , to those that he conversed with ; that none might be left as dark , disaffected , or dead , as they were found . he also gave catechisms and testaments , and some other books most suited to their state , to the poor people of his parish , engaging them to read them , and taking an account of their performance and proficiency . if you ask where he had money to do all this , he lived frugally himself ? he took nothing to be so much his own , as to be laid out on himself any further than it maintained him in his masters work . the rest he took himself to be but a steward of , to distribute it prudently to others . what was not necessary to his personal maintenance and work , he gave to others , in the way and on the terms which might best further their salvation . and what he was unable to do himself , he beg'd from such as were more able . and as to the aforesaid manner of exercising his administrations , and church-discipline , he and the church chose many deacons , and certain of the ancientest and most prudent members , who should not be officers , as unordained elders , but only the churches delegates , to take such cognizance of the action , and give such assistance as the laity may do ; himself with these deacons and delegates of the people , met once a month to hear what causes required their open admonitions , when private reproofs had been rejected ; when offenders were to be humbly and compassionately admonished , and by moving-arguments perswaded to repent : and if they yet were obstinate , more earnestly perswaded by them all , and by clearest reasons convinced of the evil of their sin , and the great necessity of true repentance . and if yet they remained obstinate ( with us , they were summoned to hear the convincing reasons of an assembly of pastors that shortly after met , and their humble exhortations and prayers for their repentance ; but mr. wadsworth had not so much of that assistance ) the order was next to publish the crime and impenitence to the assembly , and there publickly beseech the sinner to repent , and the congregation to join in prayer for his repentance ( and this usually three days together ) . and if still he were impenitent , to declare him unfit for communion with the church , and require the people to avoid him , and binding him over to the judgment of god , who will not pardon the impenitent . i will recite part of a short writing which his hearers gave me now since his death , in their own words : at his first coming to newington-butts , which was about , he preached constantly twice every lords-day ; and had monthly meetings with us , where he prayed and preached : in the summer , for half a year , he preached a lecture : and in the winter , every day of the week , except saturdays , neither cold nor wet did keep him from his work ; which was praying and expounding , which he constantly performed at seven a clock in the morning : and on saturdays he spent the afternoon in catechizing : and finding much ignorance in the parish , he was the more laborious for their instruction ; and once every week in the winter , he would be-speak a house in the street at the end of an alley , and thither he would send for the poor people out of the alleys , and spend much time in instructing them , and praying with them : the next week he would do the same in another place ; and where he himself had been the former week , he would appoint one that could write well , to follow him , and repeat a sermon , and pray with the people in the same place , to keep on their hearts what had been wrought ; and such of the willing persons as could not repeat sufficiently , he appointed to read some fit book to the hearers , usually the book called , a call to the unconverted . and that against making light of christ , which in a great measure answered his ends . and finding by going thus through all his parish , that not only children , but servants , and ancient persons , were very ignorant ; and the more because they could not read : he sent to the vniversity for a young man ( who is now a minister in sussex ) and gave him his maintenance , to go three days a week , to teach people to read ; by which means aged persons , some of sixty years of age , and some more , did learn to read , to their great comfort : and to farther their understanding of the principles of religion , he printed a short catechism of twelve questions and answers , and gave them freely to all the parishioners that would come for them ; and for them that were poor , and old , he bought a great number of testaments , and gave them to the elder poor people and servants that could not buy them : and when he asked many poor people why they came not to the publick worship of god , and they would answer , because they had not cloaths ; he would stir up some friends which he had in london , to relieve them , and so got cloth , and clothed them . his health calling him to abide most in the country at theobalds , he got a grave minister mr. parsons to be his assistant in southwark ; and so divided his labours to two congregations , being one day with one , and the next with the other . and having a competency of his own , he never took any stipend or maintenance from either of them ; but lived as believing that it is more honourable to give than to receive : that very small proportion which was contributed , he left his assistant , who needed it , to receive . this faithful servant of christ did for many years perform these hard but pleasing labours , under that sore disease , the stone in the reins ( which some think was paul's prick in the flesh , though others rather take it for reproach or persecution ) . and though by the ordinary use of north-hall-waters he seemed long to keep it under ; yet leaving the country , & coming to abide again at london , after twice preaching with very great fervency , he fell into that extremity of pain , which in a short time brought him to his death ; which how peaceably and comfortably he underwent to the last , mr. brag hath told you in his funeral-sermon . his dissected body shewed that a stone in the bladder as well as his calculous and corrupted kidneys , was his death . the affection of his flock to their departed pastor , made them desirous that his last sermons might be published ; not because they excelled all the rest ( for in these you may see his ordinary fervency and familiarity in preaching ) ; but the last words of our friends affect us most ; and as we remember them best , so we are desirous to commemorate them to others . it will be thought by some an injury to the deceased author , that such popular and plain exhortations should be published , when no doubt had he lived to publish them himself , they would have appeared in a less homely dress . but i take it for no disgrace but a great and necessary duty , to speak the important matters of salvation ( not in a slovenly , but ) in as plain , and familiar , and fervent a manner , as ( its well known ) the common ignorance and dullness of most hearers do require . who can speak too plainly or too earnestly to such ? and writings must be suited to such readers capacity , as well as sermons to such hearers . two instances encourage me to this recommendation , viz. the works of mr. william fenner , and of mr. thomas hooker , which were popularly delivered and taken from their mouths in so broken and rude a manner as greatly injured the authors , ( and are not to pass as the notice of their judgments in points of controversie ) yet did more good by their plainness and familiar earnestness , than most books that i have known : but those that the same men published themselves in a closer stile , have far less profited the world of ordinary readers . that is good , which doth good . to shew the reasonableness that all ministers should deal thus faithfully and plainly with such as are under their ministry , i will lay open somewhat of the case before you , and then judg reasonably of it as you are men . the eternal god delighting in the wonderful diversity of his creatures , hath made man of a middle nature , between bruits and angels , giving him vital-power , reason and free will. he hath placed him in this world as for a race or warfare , resolving that as he behaveth himself , it shall go with him in another world for ever : for though his body be dust , and must to dust return , his soul is from above , and liveth in blessedness or misery for ever . by sin we have all forfeited our right to heaven : but eternal love hath given us a redeemer , who is god and man , who as our surety became a sacrifice for our sins , and by his merits hath purchased a conditional grant of free forgiveness , and of renewing grace , and endless glory . and being ascended into heaven , possesseth it in our nature , and intercedeth for us , being now as redeemer , lord of all . and as the sun above us sendeth down its beams on earth , so doth our glorified lord his spirit , to quicken , enlighten and sanctifie souls , who were dead and dark , and disaffected to god , to holiness and heavenly perfection . and he hath appointed the ministerial office , that men might be his messengers to men , to acquaint them with his grace , and with the glory which he prepareth for them , that they may truly believe it , soberly think of it , duly value it , heartily chuse it , and diligently seek it , and live and die in the joyful expectation of it . and as our souls converse not with our neighbours immediately , but in and by our bodies in which they work ; so the spirit of christ doth not ordinarily work on mens souls without any means , but by his word and works which his ministers must declare . man is not now put upon satisfying gods justice , or purchasing his salvation by a price . christ hath done these , and made a free gift of grace and glory to all that will but penitently and believingly accept it . under gods grace , mens everlasting salvation now lieth on their own wills ; no men or devils can damn or undo any one soul , but by his own consent to the cause of his damnation . no men or devils can keep our souls from the heavenly glory , but by tempting him to refuse it , undervalue and neglect it , and prefer the pleasures of sin before it , and by keeping him from loving , desiring and seeking it : for every one shall certainly have it , who had rather be a holy christian on earth , and live in perfect love and joy with god in heaven for ever , than for his filthly pleasure to enjoy the prosperity of this world . to acquaint men with this ▪ is our ministerial office ; we are charged to set before them the great salvation which christ hath procured , and importunately to beseech them to mind it , believe it , and accept it , that it may be theirs for ever : we believe god , and therefore we speak to men as he hath commanded us : we intreat them in his name , to turn from sinful enmity and folly , and to be reconciled to god , and be wise for their salvation : we tell them but what gods word sent from heaven , telleth us and them , that holiness is the love of god and goodness , and the hatred of sin ; that the pure in heart are blessed , for they shall see god. but without holiness none can see him : we tell them from god , that heaven is won or lost on earth ; and that none shall have it but such as hence learn to love a holy and heavenly life ; and that the dislike of holiness is the forfeiture of happiness , and the beginning , or forerunner of hell : we assure them , that god will never say , depart from me ye workers of iniquity , if they do not first by iniquity depart from god ; and that god will not damn them , except they damn themselves , by the obstinate final refusing and resisting of his mercy . we intreat men therefore but to live as men should do that love themselves , and that are not indifferent whether they live in heaven or hell for ever . we intreat them not to be worse to themselves , than the devil and all their enemies are , who cannot make them commit one sin against their wills : and yet after all this warning , intreaty , and importunity , there are thousands , and ten thousands that will not be perswaded , nor regard the warning given them from god ; some will not believe but that a man dies like a dog ( and what wonder if such live like dogs ) : and some will not believe but that they may be saved without regenerating-grace and holiness , though christs own mouth hath protested the contrary , and told us verily that it cannot be , john . , , , . mat. . . heb. . . rom. . , , , , , &c. multitudes will not be brought to understand what we say ; but when we talk of redemption , sanctification , and salvation , they hear us as if we spake greek or hebrew to them , and under teaching , grow old in sottish grossest ignorance ; multitudes are taken up with the love of prosperity , & the love of this deceiving world : multitudes are carried away with aspiring ambition and foolish pride ; and more , with the love of fleshly pleasures , and satisfying their appetites and lusts . many poor people ( who every where are the most ) are so opprest with want , and wearied with their daily labour , and taken up with cares to pay their rents and debts , and maintain their families , that they think it excusable in them if they little mind the pleasing of god , and saving of their souls ; supposing that they have no leisure for it , and god requireth it not at their hands . and the same most servants think , who have time little enough for their masters work . multitudes have such dead and hardened hearts , that when we tell them that they must shortly be in heaven or hell , as they are here prepared , we speak almost as to blocks , or men asleep : they feel not what we say , as if they did not hear us . we are bid , cry aloud , and tell them of their sin and danger , isa . . , . and yet we cannot get them to regard and feel ; god saith , awake thou that sleepest , and christ shall give thee light ; and yet we cannot get them to awake , nor hear us like men that have the use of reason , and love themselves . alas , how many thousands are there whom we could never perswade to consider with deep and serious thoughts , what will become of their souls when they are dead , nor to seek to be resolved of it from the infallible word of god! that never set a part one hour in their lives to consider seriously , whether they have any title to salvation , which they can make good by the word of god by which they must be judged ! sirs , this , this is the case of multitudes of our neighbours ; and what would you have a minister to do in such a case ? should we flatter and smooth them up in an unholy life , what thanks would they give us for this ere long , when they find themselves in hell ? would you have us stand by in silence , and look on , while satan thus leadeth thousands to perdition ? would you have us let them quietly go to hell , for fear of displeasing them or others , or seeming to be unmannerly or uncivil with them ? would you have us whisper to men that must be awakened or undone for ever , whom thunder and lightening will not awake ? alas , we see men dying daily , and we are dying our selves , and daily look when we speak our last , and when they hear their last , even all that ever they shall hear more for their salvation : we see how time doth pass away ! much is lost already , the rest is short , and utterly uncertain● and the ignorance , unbelief , hard-heartedness , fleshliness , worldliness , pride , malignity and unholiness of sinners , are deep-rooted , strong and damnable evils . we see men when they are convinced , that they must repent or perish , luk. . , , putting it off from day to day ; when they are certainly to be gone ere long , and never certain of one more hour : and alas , a long life is little enough for a willing awakened serious christian to work out his salvation , and make his calling and election sure . sirs , tell us as christians , or at least as men , what faith , and reason , and humane love command us to do in such a case ? shall we forbear , or speak to them in formality as on a stage , as if we were players , and not preachers , and would perswade them not to believe what we say ; should we let them alone , be damned , and take it for our excuse , that they or others were unwilling of our labours ? shall we pretend charity and hope that they have already enough to save them , while we see not so much as knowledg , or any love to holiness , nor forsaking of mortal sin , nor any serious care of their salvation ? is it the office of charity to further mens delusion and damnation ? if we believed not another life our selves , and that there is a god who will reward them ( and only them ) that diligently seek him , ( heb. . . ) we would quickly renounce this ungrateful ministry and work ; we would wish that all the preachers in the world were silenced , and that the people would better use their tythes , than to maintain such troublers of the world . but god hath shined into our minds with the heavenly convincing light . he hath given us the first fruits and pledg of glory : we believe a heaven and a hell , and the absolute necessity of a holy and heavenly mind and life ; and we know why we do believe it . here we have upon our sober consideration laid up all our hopes and comforts ; and what should we perswade our neighbours to chuse , but that which god hath taught us to chuse our selves ? and wo to him that ever he was born , that maketh not this choice , and taketh not the heavenly glory for his portion ! and now , reader , i have told thee why such ministers so live and labour , as our brother did , and why i commend to thee his example , and these sermons : the lord perswade you to use what is given thee . richard baxter . decemb. . . to those who were hearers of these two sermons , especially such of them who yet continue in their security . i would hope ( if not the bare reading , yet ) the due considering the title prefixed to this little book , would cause at least this reflection : it is high time now to awake out of sleep : they are secure sinners indeed , who ( after a boanerges hath sounded his trumpet as loud as thunder , till his breath was stopt , especially considering his last breath was shrillest of all ) will not be awakened : god forbid the judgment threatned , isa . . , should be the sad fate of any that heard him : i will pour out , saith god , the spirit of a deep sleep upon them . every word of which threatning is terrible ; sleep , deep sleep , the spirit of a deep sleep , and then the pouring out the spirit of a deep sleep : it affected me to think that this holy man of god ( when he went up and took his farwel in the pulpit ) should , as it were , go to the top of lofty nebo , and ( though from thence as to his own particular , he had as clear a view as ●ny ever within my forty years observation had of the holy land , not that of caanan , which flowed with milk and honey ; but that which stephen saw , acts , yet ) should be directed by his text , and assisted with such a mighty presence , with so great authority to warn sinners , as if he saw a flood coming upon them , that would drown them else suddenly in perdition : and when he had done , that he should come down , as moses did , and die as soon ( it may be ) as he did ; and ( without a may-be ) go to heaven as moses did . my friends whom i love , pity and pray for ; 't is true , we have now no new revelations , no infallible predictions ; but verba novissima , the last words of so well qualified a watchman , a man so solid , self-denying , so holy and heavenly , that it was even natural to him to be so : i say the words of such a dying minister methinks should be always sounding in your ears ; my friends , get you into the ark , for the flood is a coming ; repent quickly ; else , if you be not drowned , you may be burnt , you will be damned . read seriously these sermons , and give slumber to thine eyes before thou hast smote upon thy breast , and cried god be merciful to thee a sinner , if thou canst . the great wonder-working god , who of old smote the rock , to fetch water in abundance , reward thee , who ever thou art , that wilt seriously read over and over this warm discourse , with smiting thy rocky heart , till thou canst read no longer for weeping bitterly . i have called it a warm discourse , which is no impertinent or insignificant adjunct : when people are in bed , and the house the while a fire about their ears , i think he speaketh best who speaks loudest to awaken them . this servant of god now knows and feels whether speaking as he spake , to reach hearts , not tickle ears , or humour fancies , was not better than the rarest composure of any tertullus in the world. sinners , sinners , it is more than two months since this holy saint , ( who hath turn'd preaching to men into praising god with angels , and with the heavenly inhabitants ) preached these sermons . are you yet in your sins ? could you have thought you should live so long , and not be cut down like dead trees for the fire of tophet ? and do you presume still ? what , curse and swear , be drunk and debauched still ! what , is the spirit of the old world in you ! will ye take no warning ! you do not take your selves to be bruits , not to have immortal souls ; and yet you will not act like men ; reason , as well as the word of god , doth tell you , you are the worst and dearest purchasers in all the world ; to give a soul for sin , is the maddest bargain that ever was made ; the eternal happiness of the soul , for the dirty pleasure of sin for a season . o let not the devil jear and reproach you in hell for this folly . is there not a merciful god that would forgive and forget all that is past , if you would even now to day fully , without any hesitation , return to him ? would not his bosom be open to receive you ? should not you find a father that would fall upon your neck , and kiss you , as well as the prodigal did ? to you god crys , upon you god waits that he may be gracious to you . o ye simple ones , how long will ye love simplicity ! turn ye at my rebuke , and i will pour out my spirit upon you ; though your sins were as scarlet , i 'le make them as white as snow . turn ye , turn ye , why will you die ? will you not be made clean ? when shall it once be ? what would you have god say more to encourage penitent sinners ? to perswade men to cease loving their lusts , which will else damn their souls ? but if you will be deceived by the devil , and will gratifie your lusts for a moment , though you die eternally for it : i must tell you , such a resolution is like theirs , who have made a covenant with hell , and with death , and cry a short life and a sweet ; who forget they have souls , while they thus speak , and resolve ; and will not believe there is a god , till they wish for rocks and , mountains to fall upon them , to hide them from him ; nor believe there is a hell , till they feel it . o what a deep sense had the apostle paul of the misery and immergent ruins of his country-men , rom. . , his hearts desire unto god for them was , that they might be saved ; he could wish himself accursed that they might escape . i know no man more like-minded to him than this servant of god , who is with the lord , who delighted in nothing , no work in the world , like plucking brands out of the fire , saving men from hell , and sending men and women before him to heaven , if he could . i hope the impression upon my heart from the consideration of that incomparable transport of his soul in the preaching the last sermon ( as if he had known his time was so short , and that sermon his last ) shall still remain fresh upon me . after sermon , i told him of it ; and he told me , his heart was carried out with zeal and pity , that he could not keep to method , but he could not help it . all that knew him , can bear him witness , that he was able to write or speak for matter and form gratefully to any ; but he studied plainness ; and therefore purposely declined great auditories , to my knowledg ; a clear proof of his meek and self-denying spirit : gain-say it who can . he sought not honour from men whilst alive ; and now he is dead , let his own works praise him in the gates . if any should enquire why , or who call'd me to interpose these few rude lines ? i only say , it is pia fraus , to steal an opportunity to testifie more publickly the great veneration i have for the name of this holy man , who indeed was one of the sons of davids worthies . as also to signifie my longing after the souls happiness of all that were his ordinary hearers : whom again i beseech to read , and afterwards to ponder , who and what moved him to speak his heart in these last words unto them , if peradventure god may give them repentance unto life by the ministry of him who not only saved himself , but shall then save also them that heard him . a.p. peter iii. the later part of the , the , and part of the verse . being put to death in the flesh , but quickned by the spirit . by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison , which sometimes were disobedient , when once the long-suffering of god waited in the days of noah , while the ark was a preparing . in the opening of this portion of scripture , we will , first , consider its scope ; and then we will consider the words themselves ; and give you a short explication thereof ; and then we shall draw that practical observation from them , which the lord bless unto your edification . as for the scope of them ( in the former part of the verse ) , i have shewed you how the apostle was acquainting us with the great benefit that sinners do receive from the death of christ ; that i have ( already ) opened to you . christ hath once sufferd for sins , the just for the unjust , that he might bring us to god. now ( in the following verses ) the apostle passeth on from the death of christ , unto the life of christ ; and shews that we have not only benefit by a christ dying , but by a christ living : for , christ is our saviour both ways . we are saved by his death , meritoriously ; we are saved by his life , as he lives for to see the purchased-blessings of his death made good to us . now the apostle in these words ( i have already read ) considereth the life of christ two ways : first , with respect to the world before he came in the flesh ; with respect to the old world , above two thousand years before he came in the flesh ; jesus christ the eternal son of god was alive then : yea , before the world was , he was alive , and was god blessed for ever ; by him the world was made . to the old world , even that world that was destroyed by the flood , to that world he was a saviour by designation ; and he took care of them : the care of mankind , from the fall hath been deposited in the hands of christ , he hath taken care of sinners from the fall of man into sin . then , secondly , the apostle does speak of the advantages that the church hath by a living-christ , upon his resurrection from the dead ( as he speaks in the v. ) the figure whereunto , even baptism , doth also now save us , ( then there comes in a parenthesis ) . how does baptism save us ? why , by the resurrection of jesus christ . when he was on earth he preached the gospel , promised pardon and salvation to the penitent believing sinner , and died for him when he had done preaching ; and arose from the dead , and is gone to heaven to make good every word . we are now upon the consideration of the benefits that the old world had from christ , above two thousand years before christ was born in the flesh . why , what was the benefit that the old world had ? why , christ by his spirit did send noah , a preacher of righteousness to preach repentance to the old word : the spirit of christ was in noah , by which spirit noah prophesied of the destruction of the world . by which spirit he was directed to build the ark , to prepare for himself and those that should repent , for that time that the floold should come upon the world . christ by his spirit preached then , to that world of sinners that were drowned then ; and not only drowned , but their spirits damn'd : which was for disobeying christ , for disobeying the spirit of christ in noah . having now given you the scope of the place , we shall proceed ( according to that light i have ) to give you the understanding of the words and phrases of this scripture : for it seemeth to be a scripture that is not without its difficulties . we will begin at the first : first , what it is to be put to death in the flesh ? ( that we must enquire into ) . secondly , what is it to be quickned by the spirit ? what does the apostle understand hereby ? thirdly , what is this preaching ? what are , fourthly , these spirits that are in prison ? and what 's the prison ? and so we shall take in what follows in its order . being put to death in the flesh : who put to death ? christ . by whom ? by the unbelieving wicked jews , they were his accusers . put to death in the flesh , by whom ? by pontius pilate as his judg. put to death in the flesh , by whom ? why , by those executioners that were employed by pontius pilate to see him crucified ; the jews , pontius pilate , and the soldiers put him to death . put to death in the flesh , what 's that ? that is after he was made flesh , he was put to death ; as he was man , he hung upon the cross : the loss of blood , and the anguish and pain , the nails in his feet , and in his hands kill'd him ; he died there , his soul separated from his body ; he cryed with a loud voice and gave up the ghost : so he was put to death in the flesh ; that is , as to his human nature . that is plain : the following words have more difficulty in them . but quickned by the spirit . what 's the meaning of quickned ? and what 's here meant by spirit ? ( that we must enquire into , because it will tend to open the difficulty that lies in the following words ) : quickned , ( as the greek hath it ) vivificatus autem spiritu , made alive , which is of the same import with quickned : he died as to his human nature , but he did not continue in a state of death , but was made alive again . christ that died for sinners , was made alive . what was made alive ? that which was dead . what was dead ? the man christ ; so that that which died for our sins , was made alive again ; that is , raised from the dead , that 's the meaning of it . there 's nothing can be made alive , but that which was dead . the apostle useth this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , for to signifie the resurrection of the body ; and therefore in reason it may signifie so in this place , cor. . , for as in adam all died , so in christ shall all be made alive : 't is the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , made alive : that is , they shall be raised from the grave . so here christ died as to the flesh , but he was made alive : that is , he was raised from the dead : raised , how was he raised ? ( it follows ) in or by the spirit . what spirit is here ? why it is that spirit that did efficiently raise him ; he was quickned in , or by the spirit . now by this spirit , say the papists , is meant the human soul of christ . for this reason it cannot be meant of the soul of christ , because that the soul of christ being a creature , could never quicken , could never raise the dead body of christ : for christ was perfect god and perfect man ; as he was man , he had a soul and body ; his soul and body were creatures ; and though the spirit or soul of christ was an excellent , pure , holy soul , without sin ; yet it was not god , and had not an almighty power . none but god could raise the dead : therefore the soul of christ could never raise the body of christ . what was it then ? it must then be the holy ghost , it must be the spirit of god , which is god , which is almighty , that can raise the dead , and did raise the dead christ . for what reason do i think that by spirit is here meant the holy ghost ? why , i will tell you : because all the miracles that christ , or his apostles did , whether they healed the sick , whether they raised the dead , or cast out devils , were all attributed to the spirit of god , to the holy spirit of christ . and therefore no wonder if the very resurrection of christ be given unto the spirit of god. and ( if i mistake not ) that is the meaning , or the import of the apostle , in rom. . , , concerning his son jesus christ our lord , which was made of the seed of david according to the flesh : and declared to be the son of god , with power , according to the spirit of holiness : holiness in the abstract , that is by the greeks commonly used for the concrete , and you may read it thus , according to the holy ghost , he was declared to be the son of god , with power , with the power of the holy ghost , by the resurrection from the dead ; he was raised by the spirit of god , by which all works of miracles were wrought , or done by christ and his apostles ; he was raised from the dead by this spirit . and now , that which follows will be somewhat clear : for if by being made alive , is to be understood the resurrection of christs human nature , and by the spirit that raised that human nature , is to be meant the holy ghost ; then proceeds , by which , or in which , he went and preached . he went. who went ? christ went. by which spirit ? by which holy ghost he went and preached to the spirits in prison . why , did christ the son of god preach to the old world before he came in the flesh ? yes , how ? by his spirit . what immediately ? no , but by noah , for he was a preacher of righteousness : why all the prophets they had their prophetical gifts , and they had them all from the spirit of christ , pet. . . — and spared not the old world , but saved noah the eighth person , a preacher of righteousness , bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly . you must know , all the preachers under the gospel have their gifts from the spirit ; the spirit is employed in sending them out : the spirit assisteth them ; the spirit said , seperate me barnabas and saul : it was the spirit which sent all the prophets out ; the spirit of christ sent out noah , made him his preacher . so then , by this spirit of christ noah preached , or christ preached in noah . to whom ? to the spirits in prison ; that is , to the souls of those wicked men that are now in prison ; that were in prison at the time when peter did write . when god drowned the world , that was not all ; their bodies lay floating upon the great sea , but their souls went down into hell. well ; but say you , did christ by his spirit preach to them after they went to hell ? no. they were preached to when they were sometime disobedient , in the times of noah ; as in the verse following ; the spirits in prison , that were sometime disobedient . disobedient to whom ? to the spirit . when ? in the time of noah ; for they disobeyed noah , regarded not his preaching , nor the building of the ark ; looked upon him as a mad-man , they took not the warning , and were swallowed up in the flood , and are now in prison for their disobedience ; they were disobedient to the spirit of christ in noah . the papists , by the spirits in prison , they would perswade you , is to be meant a limbus patrum , ( as they call it ) a middle state between heaven and hell , wherein the patriarchs were held until the time that jesus christ died ; and that when christ was dead , and his body in the grave ( for that three days and nights ) that christ in his soul did descend into this limbus , and there did preach himself unto the soul of abraham , of isaac , and jacob , and the rest of those good spirits that were alive in former days , and took them out of that state , and carried them to heaven . thus say the papists ; this is their interpretation . first , but this is not to be believed ; because the apostle speaks of such spirits that were disobedient , not of the spirits of the fathers : for the very papists themselves speak of no spirits in their limbus , but only good spirits ; but the apostle ( in this place speaks of none but disobedient spirits . secondly , 't is a vain interpretation ; because if that their limbus ( or middle state ) is only a receptacle of good spirits : why , they needed not to have preaching after their death to them ; because they believed while they were upon the earth : and if they believed whilst upon the earth , they were justified ; and if they were justified , their sins were taken away : and what then should keep them out of heaven ? 't is a very impertinent thing to think , that christ should go into their limbus , to preach faith to them that have believed already . thirdly , their interpretation dependeth much upon the interpreting the spirit by which he was quickned ; interpreting that to be meant of his soul . but if that cannot be meant of his soul , but of the holy-ghost , then their notion falls to the ground : for they read it thus , christ was dead in the body , but kept alive in his soul ; by which he went and preached unto these fathers in their limbo . lastly , the scripture is plain , that christ did not go down into any such middle-state ; for he said to the thief , this day shalt thou be with me in paradise . this can't be any middle-state , where paul said , he saw and heard things that were unutterable . well then , this is that the apostle meaneth , that those spirits that are now in prison , were sometime alive in the body as we , and they heard the preaching of the spirit of christ in noah ; but for their disobedience they were taken off by the flood , and their souls were laid up in hell , as in a prison . now the doctrine shall be this ; that the spirits or souls of wicked men , ( when they die ) they shall as prisoners of gods justice be dragged out of their bodies ; and by the righteous sentence of god , shall be laid up in the prison of hell , for their disobedience unto the spirit of christ , that preacheth in his ministers . all this is contained in the words . in the opening of it , there are these things i shall speak to ; first , what are these prisoners ? spirits . secondly , how are these prisoners carried away to their prison ? by death ( as those of the old world were by a death caused by the flood ) . thirdly , what 's this prison ? hell. fourthly , what 's the cause of their commitment ? disobedience , disobedience to the voice of the spirit of christ in his ministers . lastly , here is the justness of the sentence implied ; for inasmuch as they are gods prisoners , so they are prisoners that are justly imprisoned . i pray god by what you and i hear of it ( this day ) , it may never be any of our lots ; that you and i may never prove any of these dreadful prisoners ! first , what are these prisoners ? spirits , souls : those immortal souls that live and abide in you , while you are in this world . your bodies they are like houses that are made up of clay , of earth : but a house is not without its tenant . god hath made no body , but he hath made it for a tenant . every human body hath his tenant : what 's that ? the soul , the spirit . it is that immortal spirit that is in you , by which you live , move , act , reason ; by which you see , hear , walk : all the motions that are seen , or done by any part of you , come from the spirit , from the soul. and as it is with an old house , or any house , if it be pull'd down , the tenant goes out of doors ; if it be fir'd down , the tenant steps out of doors , and perhaps on the other side of the street , looking upon his house burning down : the house is burnt , but the tenant's alive : so it is with you , when these bodies of clay of yours fall , are they drowned ( with these of the old world ) ; should they be burnt , should they fall by a fever , or any other way ; your souls ( like tenants ) they come out : that living spirit in you comes out , you give up the ghost , give up the spirit . the body returns ( saith solomon ) to the earth , your spirit returns to god , to be judged . this is the prisoner . but , o what a sad prisoner is the soul of a wicked man , when stript of his body ! he is a naked prisoner , and a friendless prisoner ; which are two sad circumstances of a prisoner . when god sendeth the serjeant death , and seizeth upon the spirit of a wicked man , knocks at the door of his body ; the body is fast bolted , locked , no getting in . what does death do ? breaks down the body , pulls it about his ears : sometime death drowns him , sometime death hangs him , sometime stabs him , sometimes he goes to sea , and is cast away , sometimes a cart goes over him ; and so the poor soul of the wicked man is arrested ; death lays hold of him , and drags him away to the tribunal of god , and there is he in a naked condition : naked of the world , naked of his body : a poor thing ! when a wicked mans spirit is in the world , he hath a house , a body ; and out of his body he hath the casements of his eyes to look through , and hath some kind of enjoyment in his meats and drinks . but when death comes , he pulls down the house about his ears , and the soul 's drag'd away , and there is no more the light of the sun , no more eating and drinking , no more the delights of the flesh . he is like the malefactor that hath committed some great crime , and the prince sends the officers , and they surround the house , and break it open , and drag him away in his shirt , and won't give him time to put on his cloaths . this is a sad sight . just so will thy wicked soul , o thou wicked man , be dragged away without shirt , or hose , or shoe , out of the house of thy body . and when the poor prisoner , the spirit of a wicked man , is sent by death to the tribunal of god , he is in a friendless condition . if a man is arrested for debt , there may be some composition ; some good neighbours may come and say , pray have pity , he is a poor man , he cannot pay you , he will pay you when he can , i will lay down somewhat for him : you have such a thing as that is here , that saves the poor man from prison . but alas ! thou poor wicked soul that wouldest take no warning , but hast been disobedient to the gospel , when death comes with a commission from god , from christ the great judg of quick and dead , he seizeth upon thee , draggeth thee away ; and perhaps , when thou art dragging away , thou lookest about , what , can i have no friend to intercede for me ? o , for a little more time to repent in ! a little more time to pay my debts in ! what , will none lay down a ransome for me ? no , no. thou wicked man , while thou art in the body , jesus christ comes often in his ministers , saying to thee , thou wicked sinner , thou art ten thousand talents in debt ; come sinner , believe in me , repent of thy sins against me , and i will pay all thy debts ; i will discharge them all : but thou poor rebel wouldest not hearken to it , but thou wouldest go on , and run farther and farther . now says christ , i will have no more to do with him ; justice , seize upon him . serjeant of death , arrest him , drag him along with thee : bring him to my tribunal , and there to prison thou must go : and now poor soul , thou hast no body to pay thy debts for thee ; now thou must go , and pay them all thy self : but thou wilt never be able to pay the uttermost farthing ; nay , thou art not able to pay one farthing . well , but whether must i go ? to prison . what 's that prison ? hell ( man ) , that 's the prison : so it is called a prison , rev. . , , and i saw an angel come down from heaven , having the key of the bottomless pit , and a great chain in his hand . and he laid hold on the dragon that old serpent , which is the devil and satan , and bound him : where ? why where he was loosed afterwards , for a time , vers . , and when the thousand years are expired , satan shall be loosed out of his prison . this deep pit is here call'd a prison ; this deep pit where the devil is chained , is a prison , and thither must every arrested sinner be dragged into this pit , and laid in this prison , in chains , under darkness . why , say you , why is hell call'd a prison ( for these poor spirits to be laid in ) ? why , because of the resemblance that it hath to a prison . in these three respects hell is called a prison . first , it 's a place of punishment , as prisons are . secondly , it 's a place of restraint . thirdly , it 's a place of abode . . a prison is a place of punishment : alas , your prisons are full of the instruments of punishment : go into a prison , and there you shall see your dark dungeon , without any light ( or next to none ) , there you may see your press-yard , where the malefactors are sometimes press'd to death , and you may see the press , and the weights that are laid upon them : go into prisons , and there you shall see racks to torture men , to stretch them , to pull their limbs and members out of joynt ; there you shall see chains , chains for the feet , for the hands , to bind them , to load them , to pain them . prisons are places of punishment , torment , misery . hell is called a prison , because it is a place of pain and torment . why , what is there in hell that answers to these racks , presses , irons , chains ? why there is darkness , there 's your dungeon , utter darkness , extream darkness : for misery , there is weeping , wailing and gnashing of teeth . for torment , there is fire , everlasting fire that will never go out . there 's a rack for the spirit , there 's the worm that never dieth . for a jaylor , there 's the devil , that is in for his own fault , and to be tormented himself , and to torment others . o! 't is a sad prison ! to be under a cruel jaylor , in chains , and fire , with a worm gnawing at the very heart , under the wrath of god! this is a sad state , sinners ! a sad state ! the lord help you to believe it . but you are apt to hear this as a fable ; but believe it , you will find this true . the old world was as secure as you are . repent , faith god , or i will drown you all , and ( that which is more ) i will damn you too : i will send your bodies to rot in the ground , and your souls to the prison of hell. noah tells them so : says god to noah , prepare thy ark against the time : he did so . why what did the rest do ? they believed it not , they regarded it not : they thought noah must say something , and they look't upon him as a mad-man , and so you do us. sinners ! take heed that death does not come and drag you away before you have repented , and obeyed the voice of christ in his ministers . the old world because they did not repent , they were damn'd for not hearkning to noah ; and you shall be damn'd if you will not hearken to us. the lord awaken your sleepy souls , that you may not sleep the sleep of death ; that you may not go down with your bodies to the grave , and your souls to hell. but again , hell is called a prison , because it is a place of restraint ; you can't go out when you please . go to newgate , they will talk with you through the grates , but they can't go out of doors , neither can friends come to them , but must ask the jaylor leave : and if he hath commission to deny any , away you must go , though a wife , though a father or brother : so , poor soul , when god hath stript thee of thy body , and laid thee in this prison , thou shalt be restrained , and others restrained from coming to thee ; there 's no friend to come to thee then . noah preached to the old world in the body , and so we do to you ; but when you have by your disobedience provoked god to cut you off , and lay your souls in this prison , there 's no coming to you , no preacher then , no christ , and no spirit to offer salvation then : you are poor prisoners restrain'd and kept from all manner of comfort . o saith the rich man in hell , father abraham , o that some would come and give me but the refreshment of a drop of cold water to cool my tongue in this torment ! no , says he , there 's a gulf between us and you ; 't is a gaol , and the prisoner is bounded up by the justice of god ; and there is a charge , none shall come from us to you , nor from you to us . it 's a prison , you are restrained , poor sinners ! will you believe ? no , you don't believe . because you dont believe , you will be damn'd : this damn'd the old world , and this will damn you , if you don't believe . thirdly , hell is a prison , as it is a place of abode . when you are in prison , if it be for debt , how can you get out ? why these three ways you may get out of these prisons . . by breaking of them : but you can't break the gates of hell , no you can't ; you may clamber these walls , and come down by ropes : but there is a great gulf , that you may as well think of clambering the stars , as to get out of this prison . and again , . there is an other way , if you can't pay your debts , another may : but there is no paying for you out of hell. christ hath once done it , if you will repent he will pay all for you ; but if once clapt into that prison , christs blood will profit you nothing . or , lastly , by pardon . if no body will pay the debt , the creditor may forgive him : but believe it , sinner , you will never have such a pardon from god ; for here 's your time of pardon , if thou wilt repent , christ he will pardon thee , to day if ye will hear his voice , harden not your hearts : but if you die , no more pardon , no more offers of grace ; then thou art shut up for ever . 't is a prison . never man that was in hell , got out of hell more . so much for the third . fourthly , what 's the crime ( having discoursed of the prison ) ? wh●●'s the crime ? disobedience . that were sometimes disobedient in the days of noah . to whom ? to the spirit of christ . in whom ? noah where 〈◊〉 the old world . why , did the spirit appear in visible shape ? no , but in noah , a preacher of righteousness . they hearkned not to noah , and for that they perished : that is the great crime for which men have from the beginning of the world gone down into hell , for their disobedience to the spirit of christ in his prophets , and in his ministers . why , what were the sins that they were guilty of , that noah called them to repent of ? why you shall see in the chap. of gen. and the ver . ( they were a wicked sort of people , and made god repent that ever he made them , gen. . ) , and god saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth , and that every imagination of the thought of his heart was only evil continually . here were wicked spirits , wicked souls : they are the principals in sin , and they are the principals in punishment . the wickedness of their hearts . men are condemn'd for the wickedness of their thoughts , as well as for the wickedness of their lives , the , , , verses , the earth also was corrupt before god , and the earth was filled with violence . and god looked upon the earth , and behold it was corrupt : for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth . and god said unto noah , the end of all flesh is come before me ; for the earth is filled with violence through them : and behold , i will destroy them with the earth . here are wicked hearts , and wicked lives ; wicked thoughts , and wicked deeds : when god does imprison souls in hell , it is for their wicked thoughts , as well as for their wicked lives ; and some of you perhaps never take account of the wickedness of your thoughts ; and yet god does take a a special account of your wicked thoughts . and in this state of sin they were a secure people , they feared nothing ; they went on in trading , and merry in their business , as the world is just now . as in mat. . , as in the days that were before the flood , they were eating and drinking , marrying and givîng in marriage , until the day that noah entred into the ark , and knew not until the flood came , and took them all away ; so shall also the coming of the son of man be . they were sinners , wicked rebellious sinners , and secure sinners , and noah was sent to awaken them out of this security , and called them to repentance , and threatned the wrath of god upon them if they did not repent . but ( says christ ) they regarded it not ; no , not to the very day that the flood came . and so it will be ( says he ) against the coming of the son of man. and is it not so now ? look about your streets , in the morning there you hear the clattering of your shop doors , and setting out of your wares , and buying and selling ; and when breakfast , or dinner , or supper comes , you set down , and eat and drink ; you lie down and rise again ; and sometimes you go to the change , and busie you are , like so many ants ; and here we ministers of the gospel come , like noah , we say , repent , repent , for god hath appointed a day wherein he will judg the world for sin , by the man christ jesus . yea , that he hath a prison to throw your souls in at death , where he hath darkness to affright you , and chains to bind you , and fire to burn you ; and you mind us no more than these people did in the days of noah ; no , not you : till sickness comes , or the day of your death ; and then you begin to bethink your selves , and cry , o that i had an ark now ! o that i had an interest in christ ! o that i had grace and a title to heaven ! now nothing but christ , nothing but grace , nothing but praying and sending for ministers to come and talk with you . here is a customer come in , o don't talk to me now ! o i must mind heaven ! but before that time , you are as careless as the old world was , until the flood came and swept them all away . o you poor fools ! what do you do ? you are busie for time , and regardless for eternity : death is at your doors , and you know not how soon you may hear the blows and clattering about your body , and your house fall , and your souls hurried away ; and yet do you mind nothing but eating and drinking , buying and selling , and the like . what will you do ? the lord awaken you ! here you sit and hear me , and you are stupified many of you , you gaze upon me , you do not know what to think of what i say ; and thou art questioning whether what i say be true ; and thou art thinking to escape , but assure thy self sinner , that as sure as god is in heaven , thou wilt not escape , if thou dost not believe now in this thy day , when god is calling upon thee , now hear his voice ; but if thou goest on secure , as the old world , say you had warning , and that i gave you warning this day : god knows but before seven days hence thou maist be in this prison . o come to christ that your debts may be discharged . but you go away , go to dinner , and come again , make it a hearing-business , and do no more , and think your selves secure : this will not serve thy turn , poor sinner , no , no ; no , this will not do . go into thy closet and down upon thy knees , tell god what a sinner thou art ; tell him how much thou hast provoked him , and promise him to obey him for the time to come ; and never give him rest till he hath given thee an interest in christ , and an assurance of an ark ; and then go comfortably , man , about thy business , when thou hast got an assurance of another world . noah might go and eat , and drink comfortably , he had an ark to go into when the flood came ; so thou poor soul if thou wouldst but repent and believe in jesus christ , thou maist comfortably eat and drink , and buy and sell as thou hast occasion , for thou hast an ark. but for thee to live in a wicked ungodly way , and take no thought for eternity : what wilt thou do sinner , when death comes and awakens thee ? o that the lord would awaken you this day ! how few of you have been a hammering upon this ark ? a making this ark ? i tell thee , ( i will be a prophet to thee , sinner ! ) thou wilt wish a thousand times that thou hadst taken this counsel . be wise now in time ; thou wilt repent that thou hast not prayed more , that thou hast not repented more . o do it now then , for the lords sake ; for when thou art once thrown into prison , thou art gone for ever . it is for the disobeying of the gospel ; and therefore the rich man in the gospel cried , father abraham , i have brethren upon earth , o that some would go and tell them : no , no , says abraham , they have moses and the prophets , if they will not believe them , neither will they believe , though one go from the dead . so then the rich man is in hell ; how so ? why i did not believe my sin would bring me there ? why , did not moses and the prophets tell thee so ? yes , but i did not believe ; o that some would come from the dead ! so sinners , you go on in sin , why do you so ? because you do not believe what will come of it . why , did not ministers tell you so ? and they are sent of christ to tell you so ? hath not moses and the prophets told you so ? yes , yes ; but you will not believe us , nor christ , nor his apostles , nor moses , nor the prophets . men will have their sins , and they will not fear being damned ; though all the whole cloud of witnesses warn them , they regard them not . but though you will not regard them now , they will all come in as witnesses against you at that day . had not you a bible ? yes , but i could not read . but did not you hear it read , and had it preached to you ? what can you say ? but say you , here 's a prisoner , and sent to prison too , for disobeying the gospel ; but is it justice for god to send men to prison for not hearkning to a company of prating preachers ? prating ! god will vindicate us from prating ; i tell you , we come with our commission from god to you , and christ speaks by me , and by every minister that cometh to you ; and if you reject us , you reject him ; if you reflect upon us for prating , you may as well say , it is a prating christ . we beseech you in christs stead to be reconciled to god. we come not with our own words , but the words of the lord we bring and preach . well , but is it just for god to damn me thus eternally in a prison , because i will not repent of my sin ? yes . why ? first , because god does it . secondly , because thou deserv'st it . god! why what is he ? a righteous god , a just god , just in his nature , righteous in all his ways ; and when he does pour out his plagues upon sinners , the heavens glorifie his justice , and cry hosanna's to him . see how god is applauded in his severe acts of justice upon men : rev. . , , and i saw another sign in heaven , great and marvellous , seven angels , having the seven last plagues , for in them is filled up the wrath of god. ver. . and they sung the song of moses the servant of god , and the song of the lamb , saying , great and marvellous are thy works , lord god almighty ; just and true are thy ways , thou king of saints . go angels , pour out the plagues full of my wrath upon yonder rebellious sinners . and when the angels come upon this work , righteous , o lord god almighty art thou , thou loving king of saints : thou loving king of saints that hast mercy for thousands , and ten thousands of them that love thee : but for them that hate thee , just and righteous art thou , o god , in all thy ways of pouring out plagues full of thy wrath upon men . o sinner , the angels will shout up the justice of god for pouring down the wrath of god upon you . so sinner , do but think of it ; suppose thou drunkard wert to die to night , and to be dragged to the tribunal of christ , and to receive this sentence , go , get thee down to thy fellow-prisoners that have disobeyed the voice of my son. o poor drunkard ! for thee to hear thousands of angels ( presently ) shout , and say , righteous and just art thou , o lord god , for sending that drunkard to hell . o we knew with what a hard heart he persever'd in his sins , notwithstanding all the calls and warnings given him by the spirit of thee our god in thy ministers . rev. . , thou art righteous , o lord , which art , and wast , and shalt be , because thou hast judged thus . angels admire god for judging thus ; that is , for judging the spirits of wicked men to hell ; and afterwards for raising their bodies , and uniting spirit and body together , and throwing down both into hell . now , secondly , thou hast deserv'd it , sinner ; thy crime deserves it : what is the crime ? the crime is disobedience , rebellion , stubborness , obstinacy in sin ; men are damn'd for that . the wicked world had evil thoughts , were full of evil thoughts and imaginations continually , they were full of violence , full of oppression . were they damned for that ? yes ; but not only for that . what then ? why it was because they were told ( by the spirit of christ in noah ) the wickedness of these thoughts , how they angred god , and god repented that he made them ; but notwithstanding this , they would go on ; this is that which damns the sinner ; 't is not barely , because a sinner , but it is because when he is called upon ( by the ministers of christ ) to repent , he will not repent . you poor sinners , you have lived lives without god , without christ , prayerless lives , drunken lives , unclean lives , sabbath-breaking lives ; shall these damn me ? no sinner , if thou wilt now ( while christ speaks by his ministers ) hearken to his voice , and not harden thy heart against the call of the gospel ; these shall not damn thee , if thou wouldst but repent and confess them to god , and give thy self up to christ , to be ruled and governed by him : god for christs sake will then blot them all out , and they shall never rise up in judgment against thee . what is it damns me then ? why this , that thou art a drunkard , and wilt be so ; a swearer , and wilt be so ; an unclean person , and wilt be so ; a prayerless man , ( thirty or forty years ) and wilt not call upon god : thou art an obstinate sinner , a rebellious sinner ; though christ calls by one minister , and another , yet thou regardest it not : 't is for this that god will throw thee to hell ; and how just a thing is it for thee to be damned for stubbornness ? if a child hath committed a fault , and will be reclaim'd , the father will forgive him ; but if he will go on still in his stubbornness , the natural affections of the father will be turned to hardness . you see the prodigal when he came home crying , i have sinned against heaven and before thee : father let me be as one of thy hired servants : the father meets him , falls about his neck , and kisses him , takes him home , and says , my son was lost , and is found : he was dead , and is alive again ; and there was joy and rejoicing . but if this son now after he had spent all , and continued with his harlots , and never had thought of returning , he might have died & rotted there in that field with the swine . so sinner , if thou wilt still keep to thy swinish lusts , and there lie and die , and rot , and go to hell , god does not matter thee , christ will not regard thee . but if it comes into thy heart , lord i am in a starving condition , here i am , a rebel , an unclean person , a drunkard ; i am a weary , i see i am undone ; i come to thee , father . go now , and he will accept of thee , and receive thee . but if thou art stubborn and rebellious , and wilt go on , thou maist expect no other , but that god will inflict upon thee , hell to thy soul at death , and at the resurrection , hell to soul and body . but there are aggravations of this thy stubbornness , for thou art stubborn , first , against the tenders of mercy that are made to thee . secondly , against the long-suffering of god to thee . and , thirdly , thou art stubborn , notwithstanding thou hast had so much warning . and these things will justifie god , and lay a foundation for condemning thee in thine own conscience : as , first , mercy , mercy ! i will pardon their iniquities ; let a wicked man forsake his sins . what then ? i will have mercy upon him , and will abundantly pardon him . here are tenders of mercy offering strength to help thee to conquer thy lusts ( according to that of the prophet ) , o ye simple ones , how long will ye love simplicity ? are you blind ? i will teach you . are you weak ? i will strengthen you . how wilt thou do it ? i will pour out my spirit upon thee . hast thou a mind to have grace ? he will give it thee . hast thou a mind to have the spirit of grace and supplication ? he will bestow it upon thee . but for thee to go on in sin , and reject pardon when offered : what canst thou say for thy self ? again , these tenders of mercy are made with long-suffering . there are a great many sinners ( i am afraid some here are not yet converted ) , who all for a long time have heard sermons : god hath been calling upon you . as god said of the old world : here is a wicked people , what shall i do with them ? what ? why justice might have said , destroy them . no , saith god , they are a rash giddy-headed-people , i will give them warning . how long ? why almost one hundred and twenty years . so sinner , god saw thee drunk , heard thee swear : justice might have said , cut him off : no , saith god , i will try him with another month of sermons , another year of sermons ; i will try what my children , that are his friends , will say to him . o sinner ! the long-suffering of god waiteth upon thee . grace cries , repent , and i will pardon thee : repent , and i will give thee my spirit : though thou art a wicked rebel , i will not snatch thee away ; i will let thee live five years longer , ten years longer : o , if thou goest to hell , what will conscience say ? o thou art a stubborn sinner . thou must say , righteous art thou , o god , in all thy ways , and just in all thy judgments . i might have been in heaven , but i would not ; and now i am in hell , and that justly ; because i preferred my lusts before god. lastly , never say , 't is an unjust sentence ; because god gives you warning : there is the merit of the cause . if nothing will do , why then take notice god gives you warning . he does not let you go on , and say , let them alone , i will be even with them at length : he might have done so : no , but in pity to poor sinners , he gives them warning . sinner , repent , saith god , and be reconcil'd to me ; come and lay hold upon christ , for else i will damn thee . take notice of it , there is a tophet prepared , and everlasting burnings prepared , a worm that never dieth : and i tell thee before-hand what it will cost thee , and yet sinners will go on still . never complain that god hath done thee wrong , he hath offered to give thee his spirit to sanctifie thee , and save thee . but if thou wilt not , after all , thank thy self if thou goest to hell. o sinners , what will you do ? will you imitate the old world , or imitate noah ? why , if you imitate the old world , you see then what a desperate course you are running ; you are running your bodies to the grave , and your souls to hell : for when the flood came there was not one spared : the flood takes whole families ; they look gastly one at another : father , what shall i do ( saith the child ) ? and when the world was full of cries and scrieks , and they all drowned , one would have thought this was enough , yet god had no pity upon them ; for as soon as they were dead , their disobedient souls were laid in prison . well now , say you , what shall we do ? why , obey the gospel , this is your duty . obey christ jesus speaking by his spirit in us , poor men , that are the ministers of jesus christ ; for we are but as instruments to convey the mind of the great god to you ; for certainly , what i have preached to you , is no other than the word of jesus christ , and he will make it good . o get into some corner , and cry mightily to the lord , and pray christ to pay all your debts for you ; and that the blood of christ might take away all your iniquities , and that you might have an ark to save you from the fire that will burn the world ; as noah had an ark to save him and his house from the flood that did drown the world ; and then you are safe , and never safe till then . the lord awaken you , that you may take warning , and not go away and mind no more what you have heard , than they did , and so be lost as they were . peter iii. the later part of the ver. — while the ark was a preparing : wherein few , that is , eight souls were saved by water . in the former words you have an account given you of the destruction of the old world by the flood . they were all drowned , men , women , and children . god neither spared the grey-headed-sinner ; no , nor the sucking-infant ; children of wicked and rebellious parents , he drowned them all . the reason of this wrath of god that was poured out upon them , was their disobedience ; their disobedience to the spirit of christ , by which noah preached to them . what did he preach ? he preached to them repentance , called them to repent and reform their lives ; and if they would not , god would drown them all . why what were their sins ? why , the very thoughts and imaginations of their hearts were evil , and that continually . they were men of wicked hearts , they were devising nothing but mischief , they thought of nothing but the satisfaction of their lusts . i wish it be not the case of some here . i am sure it is the case of every unconverted sinner , the imaginations of his heart are evil , and that continually ; for he does defile even his good thoughts with unbelief . and their sin was likewise the sin of their lives . their hands were full of violence , they were oppressors , they were cruel , they were bloody ; and besides this , they were secure and wanton , and they minded nothing but eating and drinking , and marrying , and giving to marriage , their whole hearts were taken up in these things . no man enquired after god , no man regarded the voice of god in his servant noah . god waited upon them , ( after he had sent noah , and forewarn'd them ) above a hundred years ; ( and that while , was noah a building his ark ) , but they despised the long-suffering of god , which should have led them to repentance : and at length the threatned judgment came upon them , and they were drowned , all , but eight persons . this is not all , god did not only destroy their bodies , but likewise ( we read here in the apostle peter ) their spirits were laid in prison , in the infernal prison of hell for their disobedience to the voice of christ . having already spoken to this ; the doctrine that i raised from this was , that those wicked men ( while they are in their bodies ) that will not obey the voice of christ in his ministers , but live and die impenitently , their souls by the righteous judgment of god shall be condemned unto the prison of hell : for what is said of this old world , will be verified of every impenitent sinner here , that dieth in his impenitent state ; lord , who is it that does believe thy report ? few sinners ( the lord knows ) do regard it . god knows his word is little believed . we do as little believe these things now , as the old world did : and as the flood came upon them before they were aware , so the spirits of some here ( god knows , as jeremy said , i do not desire to see that evil day ) may be in these prisons before they believe them . death ( sinners ) is coming , which will drag you to the tribunal of christ ; and assuredly christ will do you justice : i say , he will do you justice . he that will be faithful to his promises that he makes to believers that obey the gospel , he will be faithful to do justice to those that are disobedient . he will give you all your mittimus's , he will lay you fast enough ; and when he hath laid the chains on , take them off if you can . i know ( through your unbelief ) what i say , seems to you but as a fable : so did the drowning of the world appear to be ; but they found it true , and so will you , if ye repent not . it amazeth me , my brethren ( when my faith at any time is but raised to the close of these truths of god ; it amazeth me ) to look upon your faces , to see how indifferently you look , how carelesly you look ; you look up-and-down this place as if these things did not concern you : but the reason of it is , you do not believe , your unbelief ruins you , and will ruin you for ever . what man that really was in his wits , and did believe a hell , would venture upon those sins that will certainly bring him thither ? but you slatter your selves in your unbelief , that there is no punishment to the wicked , nor reward to the godly ; and so you go on in sin : these things are true ( my brethren ) , your consciences must bear me witness they are true . no man or woman that are in their wits , and did really believe an eternal torment that is laid up for the disobedient to the gospel , but they would obey be-times , they would not go on hardening their hearts against god : but you do not believe . we shall presently make some enquiry into the reasons of it . we come now to the other part , wherein you have an account of a few that are saved . a few ! lord , what a few ! eight persons out of a world of men and women . i do not know but the world at that time was as full of men and women as it is now ; for the world was at that time about fifteen hundred years old , and they lived many years : so that it is likely that there was a very numerous company of people ; and that there were great cities , and great kingdoms upon the earth . what a strange thing is it , that of a world of people there should be found but eight persons that would believe a god! and yet 't is certainly so , there was but eight persons saved ; all the rest were drowned for their disobedience to the voice of the spirit of christ in noah . why were no more saved ? because there did no more believe . they did not believe that god was in good-earnest , they did not believe that god would send the flood , as noah threatned : they looked upon noah as a mad-man to build an ark they knew not for what . just so does the world now , they look upon poor , humble , believing christians , as a company of melancholy distracted persons , that look sadly , and pray much , and weep much , and hear much , and are afraid of sinning ; and all this while they are but busie about their ark : and they cry , what a stir is here that these people make ? i will tell you what the meaning of it is : why this world is to be burned , and these poor souls are providing against the burning of the world : the wicked must be turned into hell , and all the nations that forget god ; and these poor , praying , humble christians do believe , fear , and tremble ; and that is the reason that they live not as you live , but take that care that they do , to prepare against that great day of the lord. and were not you desperately blind and foolish , you would do so too ? there were eight persons ( saith peter ) saved . which were they ? all of one family , noah and his wife ; there was the three sons of noah , and their three wives , gen. . , eight persons in one family , they were saved , they were saved from the deluge , they were saved from being drowned . god knows whether all these were saved from hell ( too ) of these eight . for of these , shem , ham , and japhet , there was ( one of these sons ) ham , that did laugh at his fathers nakedness , and god afterwards cursed him ; so that whether he was eternally saved , is not a thing certain unto us . but this is sure , all these eight persons did believe the deluge would come , or else they would not have entred into the ark , for if any of them had looked upon it as a meer old doting fancy of their father , they would have been ashamed to have gone into the ark ; but at the set-time before it began to rain , they all went , therefore they all did believe the word of the lord , that the deluge would come . it 's true they received an encouragement by the miraculous bringing of all creatures into the ark to save them alive . wherein few , eight persons were saved by water . saved by water ! there may be a double sense : by water as an instrument ; for that very water that was the instrument of destruction to the enemies of god , became a means of salvation to these eight persons ; for it bore up that ark wherein the lives of these eight persons were . it may be rendered , thus again , but they were saved by , or through water , saved through the danger of water , carried in the ark through , or upon the water . the observation that i raise from it , is this , that though many have the means of salvation offered them , yet there are but few that make use of these means , and do obtain salvation by them . the old world had the means , as those eight persons had the same means ; they were told of it , they were a hundred years told of it , god waited long enough ; there were many had the means ; if they had repented , the flood had not come ; or if more had repented , they had been saved . but these eight did believe , and they were saved by water , the rest had as good means as they , but they did not repent upon it , they did not believe upon it . this should be an awakening consideration to us , that though god does afford the means of salvation to multitudes , yet there are a very few that do make use of those means , and are saved by them : i say 't is an awakening consideration . here is england , a great and populous country , here is london a great city , a city that hath some hundred thousands of souls in it , they have all the means as the old world had ; the gospel is preached up and down the city , and up and down the suburbs ; the voice is every where , throughout all your streets . repent , for the kingdom of god is at hand ; repent , for there is a day of judgment , and christ is made the judg of quick and dead , that will give to every man according to his works . you have all the means , but alas , how few of england , how few of london , or of southwark are like to be saved by these means ! for how few do believe what we preach ? how few do repent upon their seeming profession of repentance , and believing ? how few reform their lives ? how few are converted in southwark , in london , in england , so as to be healed by the grace of god! how few ! many are called ( as christ saith ) but few chosen . why here is perhaps three or four hundred people here , you have been called every one of you to repent , but when god that searcheth the heart , cometh for to examine the truth of our repentance , and of our faith , how few , how few in likelihood will there be found penitent ? how few ! alas , it was always so : many called , a whole world called to repent , but eight believed . but perhaps you will say , that was an notorious wicked world , that old world ; but surely the world is grown better since . truly , there is reason it should , because they have that judgment to awaken them ; but we will show you that the hearts of men have been desperately wicked , all along to this day ; yea , under the richest means that ever god hath afforded the world , from the beginning to this very day . and we will take the seed of abraham , and give you several instances thereof : god promised abraham , that he would give him a seed that should be as the stars of heaven , and would take that seed into a covenant with himself , and that he would be their god , and they should be his people . what a wonderful blessing was this , for the great god to marry himself to a people ? and he gave them the covenant of circumcision for a memorial of this covenant , of this betrothing ; he gave them the oracles , and the promises , and was with them , in the midst of them ; he was the king of them , he made war and peace for them , fought for them , and defended them . they had all the means of salvation , the best means that the world had in those days . but you will see how few of them made use of those means of grace that god afforded them . we will begin with this great people of jacob coming out of egypt . ( the lord help you to consider what i am speaking ; for many , because they are christians , and are baptized , they believe they shall be saved ; but you are deceived . just like the old world , they eat , and they drank , they married , and gave in marriage , and never dreamt that god was angry with them , and would drown them ; and so do these people of england , never think that god does intend to burn them . ) now you shall see what advantage they made of the means , and you may read as in a glass the condition of england , and the most parts of the world at this day , numb . . , , so were all those that were numbred of the children of israel ▪ by the house of their fathers , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war in israel : even all they that were numbred were six hundred thousand , and three thousand five hundred and fifty . these were the people that god brought out of egypt into the wilderness , and afterwards led to canaan , the seed of jacob , six hundred thousand , all men , from twenty years old and upward : how vast must be the number of women and children , and young men also , that were below twenty years old ! above six hundred thousand fighting men ! an army of twenty thousand is a great army ; but a hundred thousand , that is much more : but here was an army of six hundred thousand fighting men , besides women and children . what had god done for this people ? i will tell you what god had done for them : why , they were in egypt under a cruel hard-hearted pharaoh , they were groaning under their burden , and god remembers his promise made to abraham , that he would visit his seed , and bring them into canaan . god cometh by moses , and commanded them to go ; they are my people saith god , let them go and serve me . i will not let them go , saith pharaoh ; why who is your god , that i should obey him ? god at length sends one plague upon him , and then another ; and then another , and then a fourth , a fifth , a sixth , a seventh , an eighth , a ninth , a tenth ; ten plagues god sent upon him before pharaoh would let them go . when they were gone , they came to a red sea , ( i am telling you , my brethren , the works of god for his people in the days of old , remember them , my brethren , they are written for your example , they came to a red sea ) now thinks pharaoh i have got them in a trap , i will follow them , i will pursue , i will overtake , i will destroy them ; but god makes the red-sea divide , and bringeth them all through ; but pharaoh and his host assayed to follow , and god makes the sea to close and drowned them all . well , god carries them from thence to mount sinai , and there was thundrings and lightnings , and gave them his law , and his covenants , and did as it were solemnly marry that people to himself , promisiing them if they did but do what he bid them , he would be their god , and fight their battels , and give them counsel in all their straits , and be a defence round about them . away he leads them then , and gives them a symbol of himself ; for if they marched by night , there was a pillar of fire ; if by day , there was a cloud went with them . a wonderful condescension , that god should do so with them ! they come into a wilderness , they want bread , they begin to murmur ; well , saith god , they shall see what it is to be my people ; he gives them bread from heaven , rains down manna : they want water ; well , saith god , they shall not want water ; he commandeth moses to strike a rock , and there came streams out of it , and those streams followed them where ever they went up and down the wilderness ; they wanted water no more . what now became of this people ? here is a good god , he lets them want nothing ; he works wonders for them , and delivers them with a mighty hand , and gives them angels food to eat , and water out of a rock to drink ; and here he numbreth them in the wilderness , six hundred thousand fighting men . what did these people do ? do ! surely they loved god , and were obedient to his law , and would never murmur against him more . but did they do so ? no , you shall see how that before forty years came about , god cut off all these six hundred thousand men , and left their carcases to rot in the wilderness , and swore in his wrath , they should never enter into his rest . notwithstanding he had done all this for them , they so provoked him to wrath , and so abused all the means of mercy , that god cut them all off : see also , numb . . , , , say unto them ( saith god ) , as truly as i live , saith the lord , as ye have spoken in mine ears , so will i do to you . what had they said in his ears ? they had murmured against god , and said , god hath brought us and our children into the wilderness to destroy us . well , saith he , i have heard your murmuring , and for your murmuring against me , your carcases shall fall in the wilderness ; and all that were numbred of you , according to your whole number , from twenty years old and upward , which you have murmured against me . doubtless ye shall not come into the land concerning which i sware to possess you of , save caleb the son of jephuneh , and joshuah the son of nun. there were six hundred thousand men , and amongst them there was but two men that did believe that promise that god made to abraham , that he would give them canaan for an inheritance . o read to day as in a glass here , the infidelity of england , and the world ; for as face answers to face in a glass , so does the face of the generality of the men of the world , answer to the faces of the unbelieving israelites , and old unbelieving world. but saith he , for your little ones , which ye say shall be a prey ; no , ( saith god ) your little ones shall go into the land , and shall possess it ; for they knew nothing of your murmuring . but as for you , there is not a man of you shall enter into the land. well , go a little farther , ( for the instances are many , ) i will pass by all the dealings of god with this very people under the judges , where you may read that they were as many times captivated ( for their rebellion against god ) as they had a judg raised up among them ; but we will pass by the time of this people under those judges ( because the time will be short for me to relate all the dealings of christ with this church ) and we will come to those twelve tribes , after they came into canaan , and were divided into two great kingdoms , ten tribes under jeroboam , and two tribes under the posterity of david , two mighty kingdoms ; all of them that had , or might have had the oracles , promises , and covenants , all of them had the bible , and might have used it . but what did they do with it ? they cri'd themselves up , ( just like england ) the church , the church ; the temple of the lord ; and boasted of their priviledges , that there was no people in the world like them ; and that if god should cut them off , he knew not where to find another people . see now what became of them ; we will consider the ten tribes first . in the first of kings , the , and the and verses . and it was so , that when elijah heard it , he wrapped his face in a mantle , and went out , and stood in the entring in of the cave ; and behold , there came a voice unto him , and said , what dost thou here , elijah ? and he said , ( elijah said ) i have been very jealous for the lord god of hosts ; because the children of israel have forsaken thy covenant , thrown down thine altars , and slain thy prophets with the sword , and i , even i only am left , and they seek my life to take it away . here were ten tribes , a great kingdom , a people of the lord , that had the word of the lord , and the great prophet of the lord elijah among them , who called them to repentance , and told them god was angry with them for forsaking him , and his covenant . why , but how many of this kingdom did so ? why truly , for what elijah could see , he could not see one man , that did keep covenant with god. i only am left alone . why what did the rest do ? why they have all forsaken thee . this is strange ! what! the seed of abraham , all gone ! what they , whose fathers god delivered out of egypt ; and brought them through the red-sea , and fed them with manna , and gave them water out of a rock ! what , forget it all ! ai , forget it all . they have left the lord , and forsaken his covenant . what have they done with the prophets of the lord ? knockt them o' the head , slain them , kill'd them , thrown down his altars , and no worshipping of god ; and yet these were the men that were the seed of abraham , that had all the means of grace offered them ; god had given them many a call , they had the word to do it , and his prophets to do it , and yet we see they all left him . it is true ( as god said afterwards in reproving elijahs judgment in the case , i have a few more , my kingdom are not all gone ) saith god , i have reserved seven thousand , that keep covenant with me . ai , but ( my brethren ) what are seven thousand to a whole kingdom ? what if god may have seven thousand in england to keep covenant with god ? what if twenty thousand ? what are they to compare to those many hundred thousands that are in england ? here you see many are called , but few chosen ; many are taken visibly into a covenant , but there are few that are spiritually in covenant with god. well , what became of these ten tribes ? these that had the oracles , covenant , and promises among them ? what became of them ? why you shall see what became of them , ( no good , you may be sure , god pays them off their old scores at length ) god is a long time in reckoning , but be sure he will do them justice in the end . he will do it , king. . , there you shall see the destruction of them ( in the vers . and they rejected his statutes , and his covenants that he made with their fathers — and they followed vanity . ) therefore ( vers . . ) the lord was very angry with israel , and removed them out of his sight : there was none left but the tribe of judah only . . for the children of israel walked in the sins of jeroboam which he did , they departed not from them . , vntil the lord removed israel out of his sight as he said by all his servants the prophets . ( the word of god spoken by his servants and ministers , ( though but men ) he will make it good ; here you have minister after minister come to you ; and believe it , when we speak his word in his name , he will take care of our honour , and of our word ; he made good the preachings of his servants the prophets . ) so was israel carried away out of their own land to assyria unto this day . there came the king of assyria upon them , and took them away , and spoiled them , and carried them away captive , and they never returned more into the land of canaan to this day . o wicked people ! they had the means of grace , but would not make use of them . you are told of heaven and hell , and bid to repent , but no body repents ; here you give us the hearing , and when you have done , you go away ; and when gone , you pass on in a carnal manner , and there is no reformation of your lives . but ( pray ) what became of the other tribes that were under the tutilage and government of the posterity of david ? why the truth is , they were sometimes better than the other . but see also what became of them for their revolts , chron. . , . but what did they do ? ( these were the two tribes ) they mocked the messengers of god , and despised his words , and misused his prophets , until the wrath of the lord arose upon them , till there was no remedy . , therefore he brought upon them the king of chaldees , who slew their young men with the sword , in the house of their sanctuary , and had no compassion upon young man or maiden , old man , or him that stooped for age ; he gave them all into his hand . and this was all for their general revolt that they made from god. follow it ( now ) to the time of christ ; when christ jesus came into the world , and preached the gospel himself , one would have thought now , that though they had abused all his prophets of old , yet now his son himself is come , sure they would hearken to him . when christ himself turns preacher , and works such miracles among them to confirm his doctrine , and to evidence himself to be sent from god , and all this to bring them to heaven : when christ came to preach the gospel , did they believe him ? no , he lifted them up to heaven by means ; he would as it were have drag'd them by force , he lifted up voice and cried , ho , every one that thirsteth , come unto me , and drink of the water of life freely . he cried and wept over them , o that she had known the things of her peace ! ( mighty earnest ! ) i would have gathered her , but she would not . and did they believe ? no. why , what do they do ? they conspire together , and lay hold of him as a malefactor , and crucified him ; they put him to death : & as being very well satisfied , when that innocent blood was shed , o say they , let his blood come upon us and our children : we are not afraid of his blood . of all that people of the jews , there was but a few that did believe in him : and that the apostle takes notice of , rom. . , i say then , ver. , hath god cast off his people ? god forbid . for i am an israelite : god hath not cast away all israel , not every individual : for i am of the tribe of benjamin : and through gods mercy , i am not cast away ( saith he ) , for i do believe in christ , and there are some few with me that do believe also . but what became of the whole nation ? they are cut off , the curse of god is upon them , and they are a hissing and disgrace to this very day . i tell you , sirs , of these poor contemptible jews ; god offered them a christ before he offered him to you : christ came of the loyns of a jew , he was born ( after the flesh ) of a jew , he was first sent to the jews ; and offered grace first to the jews ; and you came in but in the second place . but for their infidelity , god hath cut them off , only a remnant , a little scattering flock , they hearkned , they believed , they embraced christ , and they were saved , and the rest were cut off . here are a great many instances , that many are called , but few chosen . here is a great deal of preaching to england , but few of england like to be saved : don't think it a hard censure . what a whole world drowned , and but eight saved ? what a whole kingdom of ten tribes , and but seven thousand saved ? what , that great kingdom of judah cut off , and but a few of them saved ? there were ( it is true ) a good seed in that kingdom of judah , but take the generality of them , they did provoke god as much as her sister samaria did . well , but what shall we say of our selves ? look in the glass of the christian church , and then tell me , how many among us are like to be saved ? cor. . , know ye not , ( ver. , ) that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of god ? ( and if they do not , they shall never be saved ; for none are saved , but they inherit the kingdom of god ) who are they ? why god knows , some of you may read your own names here in your character . be not deceived , neither fornicators , or unclean persons : you know what it means : if there be any wanton persons here , the lord give you repentance . such as you are for the flood , and for the fire , and for hell. god hath set you a-part . the lord give you repentance . no idolater , no image-worshipper , no host-worshipper ; such as those popish idolater , worshipping saints and angels , and praying to a peice of bread , as unto god himself . these are idolaters . god will not give his honour to any other . and papists will know in the end , that they have wronged god , to give his honour to a peice of bread . god will not be wronged of his glory . be not deceived , many idolaters have been apt to flatter themselves , that it shall go well with them ; but they have deceived themselves , and so will these in the end . no adulterers , the lord help you to look into your hearts and lives : there is an adulterous heart , and an adulterous life : none such shall enter into the kingdom of god. these are all for the flood , these are set a-part for burning : assuredly , you shall be burned , if you repent not . believe it , it will be so , if you reform not ; you may laugh and mock at me , and paul , and the bible , as the old world did at noah . nor effeminate , not abusers of themselves with mankind . no thieves : that is , that repent not in their time . no drunkards ; mark , that you ale-house-haunters , and tavern-haunters ! none of these , not a man of them shall be saved , except , in time they repent and reform their lives . say you so ? none of them ? no , none of them shall inherit the kingdom of god. ah , but ( by your leave ) we won't believe you tho . i know there are but few will believe it . i knew it before i came to you before i read this text , lord who hath believed our report ! i have been a preacher ( up and down ) two and twenty years , and have had experience of the hardness of mens hearts . i can preach to them , and take them in a room , and sit an hour over a hard heart , and make it no more stir , than a rock : no , he does not believe , turns away , and laughs at ( perhaps ) all the counsel given him . but whether you believe , or believe not , this day know , god hath given you warning ; you are men as certainly set aside , and designed to be eternally burned , as the old wicked world was designed to be drowned . and if you say why do i give you this notice ? why , the lord in mercy gives it you , that in time you may repent . but if you repent not ; as the flood drowned the old world , so hell will burn and torment you . but truly i have not come to the half of that which i intended . the question will be , what is the reason that men will not believe ? what , but eight persons believe , in a whole world ? but one elijah in a whole ten tribes ? what , but one elijah ? no truly , for ought that he knew . what , but a remnant in the time of christ ? no , but a remnant . so but a few , a very few in england . what is the reason of all this ? why the general reason of it all , is this : neither would the old world believe , that god was in good earnest ; neither would israel believe , neither will england believe ; they don't believe what is said . no. what if god speaks by a noah , will you believe ? no. what if god speaks by a moses , will you believe ? no. vvhat if god appeareth upon a mount , and speaks signally , will you believe now ? yes , for a little while , but not long , as they did not . vvill you believe by a christ ? no. ( crucifie him . ) will you believe the apostles ? no. will you believe us that speak ? no , no , you will believe none ? what is the reason of it , why wont you believe ? vvhy , i think this is one reason : in very truth , saith the poor carnal wicked world , we do not believe that god is in good earnest ; none of them did , till they found the judgment upon them . but why , you poor sinners , why do not you believe that god is in good earnest now ? vvhy i will tell you , you flatter your selves thus ; surely god is a very good god , and he hath done us good all our days ; he hath been my god twenty , thirty , forty years ; he hath fed me when hungry ; and when naked he hath clothed me ; and when sick , he hath healed me and mine ; and when in danger he hath deliver'd ; and do you think that god will damn me , and burn me ( as you talk of ) at last ? ai , but sinner ! hath not god said he will ? ai , but say you , god is not in good earnest ; he threatens us , but as we threaten our children . we threaten our children sometimes what we will do ! and then lay down the rod again . ai , but sinner ! god is not like a man , that he should change . but say you , he is good . 't is true , or else he would never have stayed so long ; but for you to say he is good , and will not therefore be true to his word , that 's absurd . why should he not ( notwithstanding all his goodness ) damn such a rebel as thou art , as well as damn an angel ? thou art his creature ? so were the angels . does god give thee abundance of the glory of the earth ? so god gave him abundance of the glory of heaven , and yet notwithstanding all this , for sin he threw the angels down into hell , and now they are devils . why , if god spared not an angel , dost thou think he will spare a man or woman ? nay , when thou hast provoked him to wrath more than the devil , dost thou think he will spare thee , and not an angel ? god never offered a saviour to the devil , but he offered a saviour to thee , that if thou wilt repent and turn , he will save thee : and wilt thou abuse all , and go on in thy wickedness ? why certainly , as thou sinnest more in this respect than the devil , thou wilt as sure go to hell as he did ; 't is not your relation to god as creatures , that will save you . what , ( i pray ) was the old world ? did not god drown them all ? were not they men and women as you ? and had not they children as well as you ? and had not god bowels to them , as well as to you ? but was god loth to drown them ? why , first , it repenteth me , saith god , that i made them , i will drown them all ; tush , say they , god is so good he will not . but i will , says god. you say god hath done you good , and heal'd you of many diseases , and hath looked to you , and blessed you , and hath wrought wonders for you , and that therefore he will never damn you . o poor sinner ! how simply dost thou cheat thy self ? single me out any blind drunkard , or unclean person , or self-justiciary , i would single thee out , and reason with thee this day ; god hath wrought wonders for me , he will not damn me ( saist thou ) . alas ! that 's true , says a poor drunken water-man , i was at sea , and was in danger to be drown'd , and god saved me ; and do you think that he will damn me ! and saith another , such a time i was ready to fall off from a house , and god prevented me . why i tell thee now , that though god does give many signal mercies and tokens of his long suffering to sinners , he does not intend therefore to save them . when god brought israel out of egypt , did god ever work such miracles for you , as he did for them ? did god ever bring ten plagues upon your enemies to deliver you from them ? did god ever in a danger that you have been in , make a sea for you to pass through , and your life saved ? and when you were hungry , and had no bread , did god ever rain bread down from heaven to you ? when you were thirsty , did god ever bring water out of a rock to quench your thirst ? these , and such things as these did god do for israel . here now was some ground for them to plead , and yet though god did this ; did he love israel so , that he would not destroy them ? no. he laid their carcases as dung in the wilderness , and swore in his wrath that they should never enter into his rest . i 'le tell thee sinner , if thou livest for forty years together upon bread out of the clouds , yet if thou livest and diest in thy sins , thou wilt most certainly be damned . god can be good , ( man ! ) for all thou art damned ; for god is good to the angels that stand , though the rest that fell are in hell ; so he will be good in his mercy to saints and angels , when the wicked are thrust down into hell. god can be good , ( man ! ) and god can do thee good , and when he hath done , he can hang thee up in flames . alas , you see that commonly among your malefactors , princes do allow their prisoners to have meat and drink , while they are in prison , they should not be starved ; and when condemned to be hanged , there will be care taken , that they should be fed and clothed ; but when the day comes , away they are bound , and to the cart and gallows they go . thou prisoner ! ( for so thou art in the decree of god ) before thou come to that prison of hell , he will feed thee , and clothe thee , and yet all this while intends to destroy thee , if thou repent not . ai , but say you , there is another reason of our unbelief : why truly , god hath threatned such great things that they are incredible . vvhy , what are they ? god threatens prisons for spirits ; alas , we can't understand how this spirit should live after our bodies are dead , that when our bodies are rotting in the grave , our souls should be roaring in flames . and then again god tells us of the resurrection of our bodies ; how is it possible it should be so ? and then again , god threatens to throw our bodies and souls into hell , to be burned for ever ; an incredible thing ! who can believe this , when we can hardly live fifty or threescore years , how can we be alive for ever and ever ? and that christ should judg the world ; it is now sixteen hundred years ago ; wonderful things ! here has been a great deal of talking , but no performance . a company of fables ! we can't believe them ; and who would go and venture to make themselves sad and miserable in the world , with fear and repentance ; with fear of these things that are never like to come to pass . i know it , sinners , that these are the workings of thy heart , as well as if i was within thee . vvhy , do you think there are any such here , that are of such a mind ? why truly , it is likely , for there were such in the apostles days , and of this sort of people the apostle speaks in pet. . , that in the latter days there should come scoffers , walking after their own lusts : one after the lust of uncleanness , another after the lust of drunkenness : vvhat are these walkers ? scoffers . vvhat do they scoff at ? why they scoffed at the burning of the world , and the day of judgment . vvhy do these men scoff at it ? why , i will tell you ; they scoff because the scripture does threaten the eternal burning of these sort of men that walk after their own lusts , and they cry , tush , we believe no such thing . vvell , and thus they argue , saying , where is the promise of his coming ? christ said , he would come , and he would come quickly . here is a talk of his coming , but here is no christ come ; when will this trumpet sound ? no , no , for since the fathers fell asleep , all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation : the sun rises as it did , and the moon observes its course , we have summer and vvinter , and we see all things just as they have been for these five thousand years , and we see no change . no ? ( saith the apostle ) don 't you ? but , saith he , if you are ignorant of this one thing ; you are wilfully ignorant : vvhat is that ? why saith he , that by the word of god , the heavens were of old , and the earth standing out of the water and in the water , whereby the world that then was , being overflowed with water , perished . but the heavens and the earth which are now , by the same word are kept in store , reserved unto fire against the day of judgment , and perdition of ungodly men . i 'le tell thee , thou scoffer , and walker after thy lusts , dost thou not know that god once drowned the world ? if thou art ignorant , 't is a wilful ignorance . and i pray you scoffers , is it not as easie a thing to conceive how god should burn the world , as drown the world ? he hath done one already ; the lord open your ears and hearts to understand it . you scoff now , as the old world scoffed at noah ; but they found that noah's words were true ; and you will find that our words are true too . the lord strike you with the authority of the vvord , that you may receive it as the oracle of god. this is the vvord of god , and do you oppose it , and rebel against it , and slight it if you dare . but i know you have that impudence to do it . but then i summon you to answer it at the day of judgment ; do you remember it then . there are several other workings of carnal hearts , by which they encourage themselves in their wicked lives . what are they ? come let me name them . o say you , we don't deny , but god will condemn men , and we don't deny but god can make good all his threatnings : but say you , we are in such a body , and our bodies are in such want ; you know we must not starve , and suffer our poor wives and children to famish for want of bread ; and truly we are poor , and must work for our livings ; and we are so taken up , that we have no leisure to hear what god says , or what christ says ; we have scarce leisure to read or hear the word of god : this is another thing . i know you would fain be gone , but i will tell you why i stay you so long ; i would fain ( before you go out of them doors ) have you to believe . if gods ministers do so compassionate you , you should compassionate your selves : ah , but say you , i can't attend it , i must be gone , my dinner waits for me ; no , nor to morrow neither . i have no time at all to think of these things . no ? have you no time to think of them ? do you think that they don't deserve your thoughts ? why , what are your poor bodies ( for which you labour so much ) , in a compare to your souls ? i tell thee ( man ) if it were put to thy choice , that thou shouldst either starve , or make use of the means of grace ; thou shouldst rather go and read , and kneel , and pray till thou art faint , and canst scarce rise up : if one must perish , soul or body ; let the body starve . thou poor creature ! thy soul is more worth than thy body ; 't is a thousand times better that thy body should starve , than that thy poor soul should be damned . but , starve ! thou poor unbeliever ! thy wretched heart of unbelief deceives thee . i tell thee ( man ) ! ( but that thou hast no faith to entertain what i say , i tell thee ) if thou wilt but set thy self , first to mind this great work of saving thy soul , and preparing thy ark ; if thou wilt set thy self to look upon thy ways , and confess thy sins , to turn to the lord , to cry mightily , and to pour out thy soul in secret to god , that he would pardon thee , and sanctifie thee , and reform thee , and give thee grace : i tell thee , i dare promise thee in the name of the lord , that thou shalt live more comfortably as to this world , than ever thou didst in all thy life . why , will you promise that we shall grow richer by it ? this i will promise thee in the name of the lord , ( and i am sure 't is true ) that either thou shalt thrive more in the world , or else thou shalt be better contented with what thou hast : and besides , it shall be blessed to thee , that thou wilt say , it is far better to thee than abundance . seek ye first the kingdom of god and his righteousness , and all other things shall be added to you . do but set thy self to pray mightily to god , that whatever he does , he would save thy soul ; and then for thy care , thou mightest cast thy care upon him ; your care distracts you , it is gods setting in with you , that makes your care succesful . o poor sinners , if you were but acquainted with god and christ , you would have a god to cast your care upon . you masters of families ; begin your day with god , bring your families to god , make it your great business to serve god ; and then trust god for his blessing upon your endeavours . there is another reason . what is the reason that you do not believe ? that you believe not god that speaks by his son , and by his prophets ? why truly i dare not believe . for ( to speak plainly ) i am so in love with my sins , that i cannot think to part wirh them ; and i do profess , if i must be damn'd for them , i must run the hazard . such desperate slaves are satan's slaves , though they see hell before them , and in they must , if they repent not ; saith christ , light is come into the world , and men love darkness rather than light , why ? because their deeds are evil . they love their evil deeds , and love darkness , and hate the light of the gospel ; they hate my word , because my word threatens their deeds of darkness with hell ; they can't endure to see what is at the end of sinning . i have kept you a long while ; and so god kept them above a hundred years . i have spent one hour ( perhaps half an hour more ) , but if it were possible that i could preach an hundred years to an unbelieving heart , it would never work upon him , without gods grace : o therefore resist not crace : when i have done all , 't is god that singles out one at one time , and another at another time , and then another , and sometimes many at once , and opens their eyes and hearts , and makes such a sermon bear upon them , and commandeth their hearts to strike in with the word : and if the lord does but bless the word , to take hold of some poor youth , whether man or maid ; it is worth all my labour that i have spent in preaching : if the lord would but bring some poor soul to believe , that the word of god is true , and that it is as certain that they will be damn'd , if they repent not , as is was certain that the old world was drown'd : this might be the beginning of a new life . o 't is an hour well spent , and thou wilt bless god for it , if he will come in with light upon thee , and make thee believe the gospel , that christ is willing to save every penitent sinner that is brought thus to believe in him . o that god would be pleased to convince you that he is in good earnest to damn the wicked and impenitent sinner ; but to bless and crown with eternal life , every obedient soul . i am forced to cut off many things that i have to say ; but the lord in heaven bless this word unto you . finis . books printed for , and are to be sold by tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns in cheapside . sermons on the whole epistle of st. paul to the colossians , by mr. j. daille , translated into english by f.s. with dr. tho. goodwin's , and dr. j. owens epistles recommendatory . an exposition of christs temptation on mat. . and peters sermon to cornelius ; and circumspect walking , by dr. tho. taylor . a practical exposition on the d chap. of the st epistle of st. paul to the corinthians , with the godly mans choice , on psal . . , , . by anthony burgess . dr. donns to sermons , being his vol. pareus exposition on the revelations . choice and practical expositions on select psalms , viz. the fourth psalm in eight sermons . the forty second psalm in ten sermons . the fifty first psalm in twenty sermons . the sixty third psalm in seven sermons . books to . the door of salvation opened by the key of regeneration , by george swinnock , m.a. an exposition on the five first chapters of ezekiel , with useful observations thereupon , by william greenhil . the gospel covenant opened , by peter bulkley . gods holy-mind touching matters moral , which he uttered in ten commandments : also , an exposition on the lords-prayer , by edward eston , b.d. the fiery jesuit , or an historical-collection of the rise , encrease , doctrines and deeds of the jesuits . horologiographia optica : dyaling , universal and particular , speculative and practical ; together with a description of the court of arts , by a new method , by sylvanus morgan . a seasonable apology for religion , by matthew pool . the practical divinity of the papists discovered to be destructive to true religion , and mens souls , by j. clarkson . the creatures goodness as they came out of gods hand , and the good-mans mercy to the bruit-creatures , in two sermons , by tho. hodges , b.d. certain considerations tending to promote peace and unity amongst protestants . the saints triumph over the last enemy , in a sermon at the funeral of mr. james janeway , by nath. vincent . the morning-lecture against popery , or the principal errors of the church of rome detected and confuted in a morning-lecture , preached by several ministers of the gospel in or near london . four useful discourses , by jeremiah burroughs . a new copy-book of all sorts of useful hands the saints priviledg by dying , by mr. scot. the vertuous daughter , a funeral-sermon , by mr. brian . the miracle of miracles , or christ in our nature , by dr. rich. sibbs . the unity and essence of the cartholick church-visible , by mr. hudson . the intercourse of divine love between christ and the church , or the particular believing soul : in several lectures on the whole second chap. of cant. by john collins , d.d. large vo . the sure mercies of david ; or a second part of heart-treasure . heaven or hell here in a good or bad conscience , by nath. vincent . closet-prayere a christians duty ; by o. heyword . a practial discourse of prayer ; wherein is handled the nature and duty of prayer , by tho. cobbet . of quenching the spirit ; the evil of it by theophilus polwheile . the sure way to salvation ; or a treatise of the saints mystical union with christ ; by richard stedman . m.a. sober singularity , by the same author . heaven taken by storm . the mischeif of sin : both by tho. watson . the childs delight ; together with an english-grammar . reading and spelling made easie ; both by tho. lye. asop's fables , with morals thereupon in english-verse . the young-mans instructor , and the old-mans remembrancer . captives bourd in chains , made free by christ their surety ; both by tho. doolittle . eighteen sermons preached upon several texts of scripture by william whitaker . the saints care for church-communion ; declared in sundry sermons , preached at st. james dukes-place , by zach. crofton . the life and death of edmund stanton d.d. to which is added a treatise of christian conference ; and a d●alogue between a minister and a stranger . sin the plague of plagues , or sinful sin the worst of evils ; by ralph venning . m.a. cases of conscience practically resolved ; by j. norman . the immortality of the soul explained and proved by scripture and reason ; to which is added faiths-triumph over the fears of death , by tho. wadsworth . a treatise of the incomparableness of god , in his being , attributes , works , and word ; by george swinnock , m.a. the generation of seekers ; or the right manner of the saints addresses to the throne of grace , with an exposition on the lords-prayer . an essay to facilitate the education of youth , by bringing down the rudiments of grammar to the sense of seeing , which ought to be improved by syncresis ; by m. lewis of totenham . an artificial vestibulum ; wherein the sense of janua linguarum is contained , compiled into plain and short sentences in english , for the great ease of masters , and expeditious progress of scholars , by m. lewis . baptism no bar to communion ; by jo. bunnian . the dutch-dispensatory ; shewing the vertues , qualities and properties of simples ; the vertue and use of compounds ; whereto is added the compleat herbalist . small octavo . a defence against the fear of death ; by zach. crofton . gods soveraignty displayed ; by william gearing . the godly mans ark , or a city of refuge in the day of his distress , in five sermons ; with mrs. moors evidences for heaven ; by edmund calamy . the almost-christian discovered , or the false professor tried and cast ; by m. mead. a plea for the godly , or the righteous mans excellency . the holy eucharist , or the sacrament of the lords supper . a treatise of self-denial . all three by tho. watson . the life and death of tho. wilson of maidstone in kent . the life and death of doctor sam. winter . worthy-walking press'd upon all that have heard the call of the gospel . the spirit of prayer ; by nath. vincent . the inseparable union between christ and a believer ; by tho. peck . a discourse of excuses ; setting forth the variety and vanity of them : the sin and misery brought in by them ; by john sheffield . invisible realities , demonstrated in the holy life and triumphant death of mr. j. janeway . the saints encouragement to diligence in christs service ; by mr. james janeway . convivium caeleste ; a plain and familiar discourse concerning the lords supper ; by r. kidder . the saints perseverance asserted in its positive-ground against mr. ives . a wedding-ring fit for the finger ; by will. secker . an explanation of the shorter catechism of the assembly of divines ; by tho. lye. the childs delight with pictures ; by tho lye. the life and death of tho. hall. the flat opposition of popery to scripture ; by j.n. chaplain to a person of honour . the weavers pocket-book , or weaving spiritualiz'd ; by j.c.d.d. two disputations of original sin ; by richard baxter . the ready way to prevent sin ; by william bagshaw . the little-peace-maker , discovering foolish pride , the make-bate . philadelphia ; or a treatise of brotherly-love ; by mr. gearing . reformation or ruine , being certain sermons on levit. . , . by tho. hotchkis . finis . some considerations about the case of scandal, or, giving offence to weak brethren calamy, benjamin, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing c estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) some considerations about the case of scandal, or, giving offence to weak brethren calamy, benjamin, - . [ ], p. printed by h. hills jun. for t. basset ..., b. tooke ..., and f. gardiner ..., london : . written by benjamin calamy. cf. dnb. a copy at reel : is eleventh item in v. of a collection of cases and other discourses / by some divines of the city of london. reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- early works to . dissenters, religious -- england -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - ali jakobson sampled and proofread - ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion some considerations about the case of scandal , or giving offence to weak brethren . london : printed by h. hills jun. for t. basset , at the george in fleetstreet ; b. tooke , at the ship in st. paul's church-yard ; and f. gardiner , at the white horse in ludgate-street . . of giving offence to weak brethren . it hath been often observed concerning our dissenting brethren , that when they are urged to mention any one thing required of the people in the publick worship of god in our parish churches , judged by them absolutely sinful , on the account of which their separation from us is necessary , and consequently justifiable , they either put us off with some inconveniencies , inexpediences or corruptions , ( as they call them ) some things appointed and used , which in their opinion render our service less pure and spiritual ; ( the chief of which exceptions have been considered in several discourses , lately written with great temper and judgment for the satisfaction of all honest and teachable minds : ) or else some of them tell us , that they are indeed themselves sufficiently perswaded of the lawfulness of all that is enjoyned , they do not see but a good christian may serve god acceptably and devoutly our way , and may go to heaven living and dying in our communion ; but then there are many other godly , but weaker christians of another perswasion , with whom they have been long joyned : and should they now , at least totally , forsake them , and conform , they should thereby give great offence to all those tender consciences , which are not thus convinced of the lawfulness of holding such communion with our church , in prayers and sacraments , as is by law required . which is a sin so heinous and of such dreadful consequence , that our saviour tells us , st. matt. . . whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me , it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his neck , and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea ; and in st. pauls account it is no less than spiritual murther , a destroying of him for whom christ dyed , rom . . now this case of giving offence to weak brethren , i have undertaken briefly to consider , where i once for all suppose ( as all those must do who make this the ground of their refusing to communicate with our church ) that nothing is amongst us imposed as a condition of communion , but what may be done without sin ; for were any thing in it self sinful required by our church , there could be no room for this plea of scandal : that alone would be sufficient reason for separation from us . i discourse therefore at this present only with such , who for their own particular could well enough joyn with us , but dare not do it for fear of offending those , who yet scruple and are dissatisfied at the use of our prayers and ceremonies . nor do i design exactly to handle the whole doctrine of scandal , or elaborately explain all the places of scripture concerning it , or state the cases there treated of ; nor shall i now meddle with the duty of governours and superiours , how far they ought to condescend to the weakness , ignorance , prejudices , and mistakes of those under their care and charge ; but i shall confine my self to this one question . whether there doth lye any obligation upon any private christian ( as the case now stands amongst us ) to absent from his parish church , or to forbear the use of the forms of prayer and ceremonies by law appointed , for fear of offending or scandalizing his weak brethren ? here i shall first of all inquire , what is the true notion of a weak brother . secondly , what it is to offend such an one . thirdly , how far and in what instances we are bound to consider the weakness of our brother . first , for the resolution of this question it is necessary to know , what is the true notion of a weak brother . now a weak brother or weak in faith in scripture denotes one newly converted to christianity ; and so neither thorowly instructed in the principles , nor well setled in the practice of it , the same whom our saviour calls a little one , and the apostle a babe in christ . cor. . . conversion to christianity is often called our new birth , and consequently at mens first entrance into the christian church , they were for a while reckoned as in an infant state ; and accordingly were to be most tenderly handled and nursed , and gently used , with all favour and indulgence , not driven faster than they were able to go ; till by degrees , by the improvement of their knowledge they came to be of full age , as the apostle expresseth it , heb. . . they were at first to be fed with milk , to be taught the easiest and plainest doctrines , against which least exceptions could be made ; ( as our blessed saviour himself would not at first tell his disciples of the shame and sufferings he was to undergo , and when he did speak of them it was covertly and obscurely , so that they did not perfectly understand him , lest they should by it have been presently discouraged and tempted to have forsaken him ; ) no unnecessary burdens were to be laid upon them , which might render their new profession grievous to them ; every stumbling-block and prejudice was to be removed out of their way , that might occasion their falling ; the grown christians and proficients were charitably to condescend to the capacity of these novices , and make allowances , and for a time bear with their ignorance and many mistakes and childish humours , and deny themselves their own liberty , and become even as children with them , as if themselves were of the same mind and understood no better , than these raw beginners . now these fresh disciples , little ones or babes are the same with those st. paul rom. . calls weak brethren , weak for want of age or growth , or as the original word rather signifies , sickly and feeble ; like a man beginning to recover from a wasting disease , his distemper , tho cured , yet hangs a long time upon him , the dregs of it still remain : he must for a while be carefully attended and watched , since every little thing discomposes him , and hazards a relapse . so was it with these first converts . as soon as ever they were brought to acknowledg jesus to be the son of god , and were willing to become his disciples , they were immediately baptized , tho as yet they understood but little of the nature or design of the gospel . the apostles and first preachers of our religion were in hast to make more proselytes , and therefore presently baptized all that were willing to it without that previous instruction and preparation , which afterwards , when churches were setled , was made necessary before heathens or jews could be admitted by baptism . thus the same day the apostles preached christ to the jews , acts . they baptized about three thousand of them , and philip without any delay baptized the eunuch , as soon as he professed to believe that jesus was the son of god : and the jaylor and his household were baptized the same hour at midnight , at which paul and silas spake unto them the word of the lord. after their baptism they were to be tutor'd and train'd up in their new religion , where great care was to be taken , great prudence and caution used towards them , lest they should suddenly flie back and repent of their change ; for having been bred up , and so long lived jews or gentiles , and then of a sudden turn'd christians , they retain'd still a great love and kindness for many of their old customs and opinions , they had mighty and inveterate prejudices to overcome , the old man was by degrees to be put off , and therefore they were at first treated with all the tenderness and condescension imaginable , the stronger and wiser christians would not stand rigidly on any little matters , would for the present tolerate many things , which were necessary afterwards to be done away , hoping that in time they might be better taught , and be brought off those mistakes they now labour'd under . had the apostles in the beginning plainly told all the jews of the ceasing of their laws , the abrogation of their ceremonies and worship , the no necessity of circumcision , the taking in of the gentiles , they would never have born such doctrines , they would never have become christians upon such terms , nor ever endured those teachers , who seem'd to make so little account of moses and their temple . now to gain these st. paul became weak himself , tied up himself while amongst these jewish converts to such observances , which he was really free from , as if he had the same doubts and were of the same opinion with those weak christians , and advises all others who did understand their liberty , yet to oblige their brethren by the same inoffensive carriage . this then was the difference between the strong and the weak , the strong were the well-grounded understanding christians , that knew it was lawful for them to eat all kind of meats , that christ had set them free from the burdensome yoke of the jewish ceremonies , the weak , tho brethren , that is , believers in christ , yet abstained from some meats , judging them unlawful or unclean , and observed days , and zealously retained the mosaical rites , not being yet sufficiently instructed in that liberty our saviour had purchased for them , or in the nature of his kingdom , which consisted not in meat or drink , but in righteousness and peace , and joy in the holy ghost . hence i observe , . that the rules which are laid down in scripture concerning weak brethren principally respect those times when our religion made its first appearance in the world , and were temporary provisions for the easier proselyting men to the faith of christ , or the better securing and fixing those that were already come into the church . they are not standing laws equally obliging all christians in all ages , but were suited to the infant state of the church , or rather to its condition whilst it was but an embryo , till churches were formed and setled , and our christianity had got firm footing and possession in the world. thus st. paul tells us , cor. . . for tho i be free from all men , yet have i made my self servant unto all , that i might gain the more . and unto the jews i became as a jew , that i might gain the jews ; to them that are under the law , as under the law , that i might gain them that are under the law. to them that are without law , as without law ( being not without law to god , but under the law to christ ) that i might gain them that are without law. to the weak became i as weak , that i might gain the weak : i am made all things to all men , that i might by all means save some . and this i do for the gospels sake , that i might be partaker thereof with you . this was the apostles design in all these compliances and civilities to win many to the faith of christ , by these wise arts to insinuate himself and his doctrine into them : but when he had once made his way , he then taught them another lesson , and behaved himself after a far different manner . now to do as st. paul did , would always be the duty and wisdom of one in his circumstances , who had his office and was to propagate any religion amongst heathens and infidels ; like a master that dealeth not so sharply with his scholar at his first entrance into the school , as he thinketh fit to do afterwards . but the directions st. paul gave , and according to which himself practis'd at the first planting of christianity , do no more agree with our times , wherein christianity is become the national religion , countenanced by the civil laws and authority , and so generally professed by every one amongst us , that we hardly know of any other religion , than the same cloaths we did wear in our infancy would serve us now when we are of full age. we ought indeed to be very careful of children , and lead them by strings , and remove every straw and rub out of their way , lest they stumble and fall , but it is ridiculous to use the same care towards grown men . none of us labour under those prejudices the first christians did , who forsook a religion in which they had been bred , and long lived ; and as to the jews had left a way of worship commanded them by god himself , confirmed to them by many miracles and wonders , delivered to them from their fathers by a constant succession of prophets sent from god. there is not now amongst us any such competition between two religions , but every one learneth christianity as he doth his mothers tongue . the apostles therefore and governours of the church carried themselves towards these new converts , as god almighty did towards the children of israel , when he brought them first out of aegypt . he for a while led them by a pillar of fire and of a cloud , gave them water out of the rock , and rain'd down bread and flesh from heaven . this he did for them whilest in their passage , thus extraordinarily provide for them , and in some cases even humour that people , lest upon every little pretence they should return back to the garlick and onyons of aegypt ; but after they were setled in the land of canaan , he then left them in their own hands , by ordinary common means to take care of and provide for themselves , he did not shew the same indulgence to them , as he did whilst they were in the wilderness . st. paul would not take that reward that was due to him for preaching the gospel , but himself laboured hard night and day , because he would not be chargeable to his converts , . thess . . . and this he did for the furtherance of the gospel , that all might see he did not serve his own belly . but surely our dissenting brethren do not think themselves obliged by this example , in places where publick maintenance is setled on ministers by law , to refuse to take it , and earn their own bread by some manual occupation , tho thereby they avoid giving offence to quakers , and those who call them hirelings , and say they prophesie only for filthy lucre . thus it is usually observed , that st. paul writes quite after a different manner to the romans and to the galatians , tho upon the same subject . in his epistle to the romans amongst whom he had never yet been , he pitieth and pleadeth for the weak christians , chargeth that they should not be despised or cast off , that no cause of offence should be given them , but to the galatians a people that had been fully instructed in the nature of their christian liberty , amongst whom himself had planted the gospel , and had been present in person , and so knew that they understood better ; when some of them fell into the same error , thinking circumcision and the observation of the mosaical law necessary to christians , he chides them sharply and rebukes them more severely ; who hath bewitched you o foolish galatians , &c. he who would condescend to the ignorant novices amongst the romans , would not in the least comply with the galatians , that had or ought to have had more knowledge and light : and afterwards when the reason of such forbearance ceased , when the nation of the jews had rejected christ , and the gentile world was come into the church , the observation of the mosaical law , and the distinction of meats contained therein , was so far from being tolerated in those , whether jews or gentiles , who through mistake thought themselves obliged to it , that it was condemned by the rules and canons of the church . the sum of all this is , that whatever argument may be drawn from st. paul's discourses about weak brethren by way of analogy , or similitude , or parity of reason , yet there are no such weak persons now amongst us , as those were for whom the apostle provideth , or as those little ones were for whom our saviour was so much concerned . ly , i would desire our dissenting brethren to consider by what pretence they can challenge any priviledge belonging to them under the notion of weak christians , when according to their own opinion and conceit of themselves , they are of all men furthest off from being such in any sense . this is as if a man worth a thousand pound per annum , should sue in formâ pauperis . they who take upon themselves to be teachers of others , wiser and better than their neighbours , the only sober and godly party , and are too apt to despise all other christians as ignorant or prophane , with what colour of reason can they plead for any favour to be shewn , or regard to be had to them in complyance with their weakness ? tho they love to argue against us from the example of st. pauls condescension to the uninstructed jews or gentiles , yet it is apparent that they do not in other cases willingly liken themselves to those weak believers , or babes in christ . they have really better thoughts of themselves , and would be leaders and masters in israel , and prescribe to their governours and give laws to all others , and do prefer their own private opinion ( which they call their conscience ) before the judgment of the wisest men , or the determinations of their lawful superiours . and if in all instances we should deal with them as weak persons , turn them back to their primmer , advise them to learn their catechism , they would think themselves highly wrong'd and injured . if the several dissenters amongst us did in good earnest look upon themselves as weak , that is , ignorant , wavering , half christians , did they think their dislike of the constitutions of our church to be the effect of such weakness , they would be either more careful to hide it , or would more diligently seek out for remedy ; they would be more modest and humble , not so forward to judge and condemn what they do not understand ; they would not encourage one another to hold out and persist in this their weakness , nor breed up their children in it , nor so zealously endeavour to instil the same prejudices and mistakes into all with whom they converse . but the truth is , they ordinarily look upon their opposition to the orders of our church as the effect of an higher illumination , greater knowledg than other men have attained unto , they rather count us the weak christians , if some of them will allow us so much ; for otherwise if they do not take us for the weaker and worse christians ; why do they separate from us ? why do they associate and combine together into distinct congregations , as being purer , more select christians than others ? now tho such persons as these may be in truth very weak , of little judgment or goodness , notwithstanding this conceit of themselves and their party , yet these are not by any means to plead for indulgence under that character , nor to expect we should forgo our just liberty to please and humour them . and that this is nothing but the plain truth is sufficiently evident from this one observation , that many amongst them will grant our reformation to have been very excellent and laudable for those days of darkness and ignorance wherein it was first made : but we now , say they , see by a clearer light , have greater knowledge , and have arrived to higher perfection , and so discover and cannot bear those faults and defects , which before were tolerable . now who doth not see that these two pleas are utterly inconsistent and destructive of one another ? to desire abatement of the ceremonies , and abolition or alteration of the liturgy in complyance with their weakness , and to demand the same because of the greater knowledg and light they now enjoy , above that age wherein this present constitution of our church was established . this shews they will be either weak or strong according as it best sutes with the argument they are managing against us ; they are contented to be reckoned as weak , only that on it they may ground a plausible objection against us those who are really weak , that is , ignorant and injudicious , are to be born withal only for a time , till they have received better instruction . we cannot be always babes in christ , without our own gross fault and neglect ; he is something worse than a weak man who is fond of , and resolutely against all means of conviction persists in his ignorance and mistake . the case of young beginners and novices is very pittiable , who have not been taught their lesson , but the same condescension is not due to those , who are ever learning and yet are never able to come to the knowledg of the truth , not for want of capacity to understand , but for want of humility and willingness to be instructed . such who are peevish and stubborn , whose ignorance and error is voluntary and affected , who will not yield to the clearest reason , if it be against their interest or their party , can upon no account claim the priviledges of weak persons . it is a great piece of inhumanity and cruelty to put a stumbling-block in the way of a blind man , but he walks at his own peril , who hath eyes and will not be persuaded to open them , that he might see and choose his way . thus our saviour answered his disciples when they told him that the pharisees were offended at his doctrine , let them alone , they be blind leaders of the blind . and if the blind lead the blind , both shall fall into the ditch , st. matt. . . they were resolved not to be satisfied with any thing our saviour said or did , they watched for an advantage and sought occasion against him . it was their malice , not their ignorance , that made them so apt to be offended . of these therefore our saviour had no regard , who were so unreasonable and obstinate in their opposition . not that i would be so uncharitable as to condemn all , or the generality of our nonconforming brethren for malicious and wilful in their dissent from us . god forbid that i should pass such an unmerciful sentence on so many ( as i believe ) well meaning , tho miserably abused persons , to their own master they stand or fall . but however , . i would out of charity to them beg earnestly of them , that they would thorowly examine whether they have conscientiously used all due means in their power for information of their judgments concerning those things they doubt of ; whether they have sincerely endeavoured to satisfie themselves , and have devoutly pray'd to god to free their minds from all prejudices and corrupt affections , and have patiently considered the grounds and reasons of their separation from us ; for unless it be thus really with them , their weakness is no more to be pitied , than that mans sickness , who might be cured by an easie remedy if he would but vouchsafe to apply it , or would submit to good counsel . . i must say that old and inveterate mistakes , that have been a thousand times answered and protested against , are not much to be heeded by us . if people will by no means be prevailed upon , having sufficient light and time allowed them , to lay aside their childish apprehensions and suspicions , they can hardly be thought to deserve that compassion and tenderness st. paul prescribes towards weak brethren . i shall give one plain instance . let us suppose that at the first reformation of religion amongst us some very weak ( and such they must be if honest ) were offended at the church's requiring kneeling at the receiving the sacrament of the lords supper , as seeming to them to imply the adoration of the bread and wine , and as likely to harden some ignorant people in that monstrous conceit of transubstantiation : but now after so many publick declarations made by our church , wherein she avows that no such thing is intended , after the constant profession of so many , that have used that decent ceremony , that they abhor the doctrine of christs bodily presence , nay after the couragious sufferings , even death it self , of those that first established this reformation , rather than they would worship the host ; if after all this , people shall still clamour against this gesture as popish , and be offended with those that use it , as if thereby they gave divine honour to the elements , all that i shall say is this , it is a great sign that it is not infirmity only , to which condescension is due , but something worse that raiseth and maintaineth such exceptions and offences . this i suppose holds true even in things where the offence ariseth from their doubtful or suspicious nature , that are capable of being misunderstood and abused , and may be apt through mistake to provoke or tempt others to evil . yet if there be no moral evil in them , and the doing of them is of some considerable consequence or advantage to me , i am bound to forbear them no longer , than till i have taken due care to inform others rightly of the matter , and warn them of the danger , till i have endeavoured to rectifie their judgments concerning the innocency of my action and intention , and given them notice of the evil that might possibly by my action happen to them . if i dig a pit , or lay a block in the way , whereby others not knowing any thing of it are hurt and wounded , here i stand chargeable with it , and am guilty in causing them to fall ; but if they are plainly and often told of it , and being forewarned yet will run into the danger , they are then only to thank themselves , and it is purely their own fault . now if it be thus in cases that are liable to suspicion and misinterpretation , it holds much more in our ceremonies and the orders of our church , where the offence that is taken at them ariseth not so much from the nature of the injunctions , as from mens gross ignorance , misconceit or perverseness . thus men are no longer weak in scripture sense , than they are inculpably ignorant , or which is all one , the plea of weakness is gone , after that sufficient instruction hath been given or offered to them , and other allowances made according to mens different capacities of understanding . this shall suffice for the first thing propounded , to shew what is the true notion of a weak brother . i proceed to give you an account what it is to offend such an one . because i write for the use of the common people only , i shall not trouble them with the several significations of the greek word which is translated scandal or offence , nor distinctly consider the several places of scripture where it is used , only so far as plainly to shew , first , that people are generally mistaken in the sense they have of it . secondly , what it is truly to offend or give offence . . that people are generally mistaken about the sense of offending or giving offence . for by it they commonly understand displeasing or grieving another , and making him angry with them , and so consequently they think themselves in conscience bound to forbear all those things , which godly persons do not like or approve of , or is contrary to their fancy and judgment . it is notorious , that most of the ordinary sort of dissenters , who assign this as the reason of their not conforming to the established laws of the church , because by doing so they shall offend their brethren , mean nothing else by it , but that they shall fall into disgrace with , incur the displeasure and provoke the anger of those , with whom they have held communion for a long time in religious exercises . they , good men , will be mightily troubled and vexed to see or hear such a sad thing , and this is taken by many amongst them for an heinous crime , even the same which st. paul calls scandalizing a weak brother , to do any thing which may chance to put any of their godly brethren out of humour . the occasion of this false apprehension is in all likelyhood the ambiguity of our english word offend , which is used in the translation of our bibles . in our language it signifies to displease , or to do something which another dislikes ; but the greek word , which is so rendered , signifies to lay a stumbling block in the way of another , which causes him to fall , or to ensnare and deceive him into something that is evil , as i shall shew more largely presently . we must not therefore interpret the places of scripture , where offend or offence are found , by the common importance of the words amongst us , but by the undoubted signification of the original word , which all learned men agree to have quite another sense . it must not be concealed that there is one place in the famous fourteenth chapter of the romans that seems to favour this popular conceit v. . if thy brother be grieved with thy meat , now walkest thou not charitably , and it is the only one i know of that sounds this way , but surely it is more reasonable , that this one verse should be interpreted by all the other places of scripture about this matter , than all the rest explained agreeably to this single verse . nay it sufficiently appears that by grieving our brother , is not meant displeasing him , or making him sorry or sad , but wounding or hurting him , and so it is used to denote , that which causes grief or sorrow . for in the very next words it follows , destroy not him with thy meat for whom christ died ; and what is here expressed by grieving is v. . called , putting a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall , and v. . it is good neither to eat flesh , nor drink wine , nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth , or is offended , or is made weak ; all which signifie the same with being grieved . to be offended or grieved is not to be troubled at what another hath done out of pity and concern for his soul , but to receive hurt our selves from it , being by it drawn or deceived into some sin , and our own fall occasioned by what our brother hath done , is that which creates the grief and trouble . but because this mistake doth so generally prevail amongst many , as i hope , well disposed people , who think that they must not do any thing , at which good men are displeased or grieved , i shall offer these few things to their consideration . . that thus to censure and condemn the actions , and to be displeased and angry with the persons of those that differ from them , or refuse any longer to joyn with them in their separate congregations , is a great instance of peevishness and uncharitableness , and is that very sin which st. paul often warns his weak believers against , viz. that they should not rashly judge those who knew their duty , and understood their christian liberty better than themselves . this seems to be the same with that argument the papists use to perswade men into , or to keep them in their communion , as the safest way to heaven ; since they so confidently damn all men , whom , tho never so unjustly , they thrust out of their church . because some of our dissenting brethren are so froward and unmerciful in their censures , and so fond of their own way , as to brand all that return to the church with the infamous names of apostates , time-servers , men that have made shipwrack of faith and a good conscience , and have forsaken christ for fear of persecution , and the like , therefore all those , who are convinced of the lawfulness of conformity , yet ought still to continue with them in their separation , left they provoke and irritate their anger and displeasure against them ; and thus any company of men , that shall joyn together and resolve to quarrel with all that do not as they do , or that shall leave their society , must oblige all for ever to remain with them , for fear of giving them offence . if what i do is not evil in it self , it cannot become such , because another man is causelesly angry with me for doing of it . let but those , who separate from us , mortifie all pride and overweening opinion of themselves , and their own way , let them lay aside all zeal of parties and little singularities , and learn to judge righteously and soberly of themselves and others , and then the cause of all this offence will be soon removed . . they that pretend that this fear of offending , that is , displeasing their weak brethren hinders their complyance with the church , ought seriously to examine themselves , whether it is not really only the care of their credit , and reputation with their party , that keeps them from conformity . they are loth to lose that share they have in the affections of so many , or to sink in that estimation they have obtained of great sanctity , by joyning with the strictest and purest christians . for undoubtedly mens reputation amongst a party is a very great temptation to detain them in error , and is a mighty prejudice to their understanding and receiving the truth , or the doing of their duty , when it will expose them to reproach and opprobrious nicknames . thus our saviour said of the jews , john . . how can ye believe , who receive honour one of another , and seek not the honour that cometh from god ? when therefore men tell us , it will be a scandalous thing for them now to conform , they often mean nothing else by it , but that it will be unhandsom , and a disgraceful thing for them to change their mind , and confess their mistake , and retract what they have so long , and so zealously defended . or else let them look well , that it is not some paltry secular interest , that lies at the bottom , they dare not offend their weak brethren , that is ; they are afraid they shall lose their trade , they shall disoblige many of their good customers , they get their livelyhood by such a congregation , and therefore they must continue of it . but this is truly to become the servants of men , such as these are the most rank men-pleasers , and therefore it is good advice of mr. baxter in his cure of church divisions , p. . please men in al things lawful for their good and edification ; and become all things to all men in a lawful way : but depart not from the principles or practice of christian vnion , communion , charity or sobriety , to please a dividing hot brain'd party , nor to escape their sharpest censures . . if to displease our weak brother were the sinful offending him , condemned by st. paul , it would prove an intolerable yoke upon mens consciences , would beget endless perplexities and difficulties , so that we should not be able to do any thing , tho never so indifferent , with a quiet and well assured mind , since as the world now is , some one or other will in this sense be scandalized at it . by doing we shall anger some , by forbearing we shall provoke others ; and since those , who call themselves weak , are divided and shatter'd into several sects and factions , each condemning all the other , it is impossible for us to comply with any one of them , but we shall thereby displease all the rest . he therefore , that would with a good conscience perform his duty , in whatever place he lives , or relation he stands in , must displease both good and bad men , as things now are amongst us . it is a very small thing , as st. paul tells us , to be judged of men , when they pass their unwarrantable censures upon us , and our actions ; and they , who govern themselves by the opinions and fancies of others , can never tell whither they shall be led by this principle . they are slaves to the party they espouse , and must run with them into all the folly and extravagance they can be guilty of ; or if at last they are forced to leave them , they shall in the end be more hated and despised by them , than if they had never humoured them at all . . i add only , that according to this rule , that we must not do any thing which may displease or grieve our weak brethren , we do in effect submit our judgments and consciences to the conduct of the most ignorant and injudicious christians , and yield to them that power and authority over us , which we deny to the magistrate and our lawful superiours ; and it cannot but seem a very hard case , that they who are so tender of their christian liberty , and think it so highly infringed and violated by the determinations of their superiours about indifferent matters , should yet suffer themselves to be thus straitly tied up by the wills and passions of their weak brethren . if this were so , saith mr. baxter , p. of the forenamed book , the most childish and womanish sort of christians , who have the weakest judgments , and the strongest wills and passions must rule all the world ; for these are hardliest pleased , and no man must displease them . whatever condescension therefore may be due to the weak and ignorant , yet it was never intended that they should govern the wiser , and better instructed christians in all their actions ; and who can govern more absolutely , than they whose wills must never be crossed , and whom none must displease ? from all this i conclude , that this cannot be the sense of scandalizing or giving offence , viz. doing of something , which another takes ill , or is angry with us for it . . i am now in the second place to shew , what is the true meaning of offending or scandalizing in scripture . the greek word which we translate scandal or offence signifies either a trap and snare , or else more commonly something laid in the way of another , which occasions his stumbling or falling , by which he is bruised and hurt , and so consequently , whatever it was that hindred men from becoming christs disciples , or discouraged them in their new profession , or tempted them to forsake that faith they had lately embraced , is called a scandal or offence . it is sometimes rendred an occasion to fall as rom. . . occasion of stumbling , as joh. . . a stumbling-block , revel . . . or a thing that doth offend , as st. matt. . . in all which places there is the same original word . hence to offend or scandalize any one , as it is commonly used in the new testament , is to do something , which tends to estrange or fright men from the christian profession , to beget in them hard and unworthy thoughts of it , or is apt , when they are converted , to turn them from it , and make them repent of their change . of this i shall give some few instances out of the discourses of our saviour and his apostles . thus our blessed lord , st. matth. . . is said to have paid tribute , lest he should offend or scandalize the jews . this was more than he was bound to ; for he tells us , the children are free . but he did it , that he might not give any occasion to his enemies to represent him to the people , as a contemner of their law , or an enemy to caesar , ( according as you understand that tribute to be paid either to the romans or the temple ) and so prejudice them against his person and doctrine . thus our saviours own country-men , who were acquainted with his father , and mother , and kindred , who knew the meanness of his birth and education , mark . . were offended or scandalized at him . they were astonished at the great things he did , and the greater things he spoke , and would in all probability have believed on him , had they not known his mean original and employment . is not this the carpenter , the son of mary , &c. after the same manner , when our lord , st. john . . had discoursed of eating the flesh of the son of man , they that heard him , taking it in a gross carnal sense , were offended or scandalized at him . they began to doubt of his being a true prophet , or the messiah , who would teach his disciples to turn cannibals . thus again our saviour , before the night in which he was betrayed told his disciples , st. matt. . . all of ye shall be offended or scandalized , because of me this night ; that is , shall fly away and shamefully forsake me , when you behold my hard usage , and dismal sufferings . so christ crucified , cor. . . to the jews was a scandal or stumbling-block ; that is , they had set their minds and hearts on a temporal earthly king , and expected to be freed from the roman yoke , and to be restored to their former dominions and greatness , as the effect of the coming of their messiah , and therefore could not be persuaded to own him for their prince , and saviour , and the son of god , who was put to such a cursed and ignominious death . in the same sense they who heard the word of god , mark . . and received it with gladness , but having no root in themselves , when affliction or persecution arose for the words sake , were presently offended or scandalized ; that is , were ready to leave and renounce that profession , that was likely to cost them so dear . after the publishing of the gospel by the apostles , that which most stumbled the jewish converts , was the danger moses's law and their temple worship , and the singular preeminences of the seed of abraham , seemed to be in of being undermined by christianity . they were strangely wedded to their legal observances , fond of circumcision and those peculiarities , which distinguished their nation from the rest of mankind , they were jealous of any doctrine , that encroached upon their priviledges , or tended to bring them down to the same level with the uncircumcised world. this mightily offended them , and hardned them against christianity ; whereas on the other side , the gentile converts with as much reason , were afraid of putting their necks under so heavy a yoke , or being brought into subjection to the jewish law , and there was no such effectual way to scare them from christianity , as when it came attended with the burden of the mosaical ceremonies ; which were an offence to them ; that is , did discourage them from believing in christ , or continuing in his faith. now to prevent the mischiefs , that might arise from these different apprehensions amongst the christian proselites , was the occasion of the meeting of that first council at jerusalem ; mentioned acts . and of those directions which st. paul gives rom. . concerning our behaviour towards weak brethren . another case there was concerning eating of things offered to idols , of which st. paul discourseth in his first epistle to the corinthians , chap. . and . the sum of which seems to be this , that the stronger and wiser christians ought to abstain from eating what had been offered to idols , tho as ordinary meat , in the presence of any one , who with conscience of the idol , did eat it as a thing offered to an idol . for such there were in the church of corinth so weak , as not yet to have quite left off their idolatrous worship , and a christians eating what had been offered in sacrifice before such an one might serve to harden , and confirm him in his error , whose conscience being weak is defiled . of whose soul st. paul professed himself to have so great regard , that he would eat no such meat as long as the world lasted , rather than lay such a stumbling-block before , or wound their weak consciences . in all these places and many more that might be named ( for the fuller explication of which i refer you to interpreters , and those that have written largely on this subject ) no less than apostacy from the christian faith was the sin , into which these weak christians were so apt to fall , and by an undue use of our liberty to give occasion to anothers forsaking the christian religion , whereby our saviour loseth a disciple , and the soul of our brother perisheth , is the proper sin of offending , or giving scandal . i shall mention but one place more , which is revel . . . where balaam is said to have taught balac , to cast a stumbling-block or scandal before the children of israel which relates of his inticing them by the daughters of moab to fornication and idolatry , and by that means provoking god against them . so that in the most general sense to scandalize or offend any one , is , to give occasion to his sin , and consequently his ruin and undoing ; and this i suppose will be granted by all , that do not receive their opinions from the meer sound of words . hence i shall conclude these few things . . the better men are , the harder it is to scandalize them : those are not such godly persons , as they would be thought , who are so ready at all turns to be offended ; for how can they be reckon'd to excel others in knowledg or goodness , who are so easily upon every occasion drawn or tempted to sin ? thus mr. baxter himself tells the separatists in his cure of church divisions . vsually , saith he , men talk most against scandalizing those , whom they account to be the best , and the best are least in danger of sinning ; and so they accuse them to be the worst , or else they know not what they say ; for suppose a separatist should say , if you hold communion with any parish minister or church in england , it will be a scandal to many good people : i would ask such an one , why call you those good people that are easily drawn to sin against god ? nay , that will sin because i do my duty : therefore if you know what you say , you make the separatists almost the worst of men , that will sin against god , because another will not sin . the great thing our nonconformists pretend unto above other men is tenderness of conscience , by which they must mean , if they mean any vertue by it , a great fear of doing any thing that is evil ; and this , where it is in truth , is the best security that can be devised against being scandalized or offended , by what other men do ; that is , against being drawn into sin by it . so that they do really disparage and severely reflect upon the dissenters , who are thus afraid of giving them offence , as i have explained it . . no man can with sense say of himself , that he shall be scandalized at what another man does ; for it is as much as to say , that by such a person and action , he shall be led into sin ignorantly , and his saying this confutes his ignorance : if he knows it to be a sin , he is not betrayed into it , nor doth he fall into it through ignorance and mistake ( which is the case of those that are scandalized ) but wilfully commits it . this a great bishop compares with the peevishness of a little child , who when he is commanded to pronounce the word he hath no mind to , tells you he cannot pronounce that word , at the same time naming the word he pretends he cannot speak . such nonsense it is for a man to forbid me doing any thing upon pretence it will be a scandal to him , or make him through mistake fall into some sin , when by this it is plain , that he knows of it beforehand , and so may , and ought to avoid the stumbling-block that is laid before him , and the danger that he is exposed unto . surely saith solomon , prov. . . in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird. if to offend or scandalize , any one is to tempt and draw him into some sin , whereby his conscience is wounded , there then can be no fear of giving offence by our conformity to the orders and usages of our church , because there is nothing appointed by or used in it , but what may be complyed withal without sin : for this , as i before observed , is supposed in the question i at first propounded to discourse of ; that he , who absented from his parish church for fear of offending his weak brethren , was convinced in his own mind of the lawfulness of all that is enjoyn'd ; and therefore by his own conformity , he can only engage others to do as he hath done , which as long as he is perswaded to be lawful , i do not see how he can be afraid of scandalizing others by it , or making them to sin by his example , unless he will imagine his brethren , not so weak , but so wicked , as to worship the host , because he kneels at receiving of the sacrament , and to adore the cross because he bows at the name of jesus , or that they will renounce all religion because he hath forsaken their ways of separation : this cannot but prove a vain excuse for me to forbear doing that , in which there is really no evil , lest by the authority of my example i make others sin in doing the same innocent action ; which in this case is so far from being to be feared , that if by my example i prevail with others to return into the communion of our church , they are not thereby at all scandalized , but i have done them a most signal kindness and benefit . if it be said , that tho what i do is in it self lawful , yet it may minister occasion or provocation to others to do something else that is unlawful , and so i become truly guilty of giving offence ; i answer , that we are accountable only for the natural tendencies , or probable effects of our actions , which may be easily foreseen and prevented . remote probabilities and contingencies and bare possibilities come not into reckoning , nor are they at all to be weighed . if in every action i am bound to consider what advantage a wicked sensual man , or a weak silly man might take , and what arguments he might possibly thence draw to encourage himself in sin and folly , or excuse himself from the care of his soul and religion , this would open the door to infinite scrupulosity and trouble , and i should hardly be able to do or speak any thing without the incurring the guilt of giving scandal . now this being supposed , i dare boldly challenge any man to name any one sin either against god , our neighbour , or our selves , that our conformity doth give any real probable occasion unto ; and it is very uncharitable to conceit , that our nonconforming brethren will out of meer perverseness , or spite and revenge run into sin , on purpose to make our leaving them criminal and vicious ; which if any should be so wicked as to do , yet they would lose the design of their malice , and prove the only guilty persons themselves . the only thing i imagine can be further said in this case is , that tho i am well satisfied my self , yet by my conformity i may tempt and provoke others that are not satisfied concerning the lawfulness of it , nay those who judge it absolutely sinful , yet rather than stand out , or being moved by the opinion they have of my goodness and wisdom , to follow my example with a doubting or gainsaying conscience . suppose a master of family that used to frequent the private meetings , and his wife and children and servants used to follow him thither ; but afterwards , by reading of such good books as have been lately written , is himself satisfied concerning the lawfulness of going to church , and at last thinks it his duty so to do , only he is afraid that the rest of his family to please and humour him , will be apt also to forsake the private meetings , and go along with him to church , tho it be altogether against their judgment and conscience : or suppose him a man of eminency amongst his neighbours , on whose favour many do depend , of great interest and reputation , by whose example many are sway'd and led . tho himself doth conform upon good reasons and principles , yet his example may invite many others to it , tho they have received no satisfaction concerning the lawfulness of it . now here i desire these three things may be considered . . it is certain that it is as unlawful to go to the separate meetings against ones conscience , as it is to go to the publick church against ones conscience . why then ought not this man to be as afraid , when he leaves his parish-church and frequents the private congregation , lest he should draw some to follow him thither with a doubting conscience ; as well as he fears , if he leaves the meetings and resorts to his parish-church , some not satisfied concerning the lawfulness of it , should come after him thither ? the influence of his example , interest , reputation , is the same in both instances ; the danger of giving this scandal is equal ; that therefore which ought to determine his practice must be his own judgment and persuasion . . such an one , who hath been a separatist , but is now himself satisfied of the lawfulness of conformity ; ought to take great care and pains in endeavouring to satisfie others also , especially those , whom he hath any cause to think to have been led into the ways of separation by his example : he must not be ashamed to own his former mistake , to set before them the reasons on which his change is grounded , and must do this publickly and frequently , persuading others to use the same helps and means , which were so effectual for his own conviction . and thus he doth all that lieth in his power to prevent this ill effect , and shall not be further answerable for the consequences of what he doth . . it is truly observed by some , that considering the known temper of the nonconformists , it is not very likely any such mischief should ensue , viz. that by the example of one or more leaving their separate assemblies , others should be moved to follow them against their own judgment and conscience . it is abundantly notorious how they have used to treat those that have deserted them ; with what irreconcileable enmity they have prosecuted them , looking upon them as their worst enemies , passing more grievous censures upon them than upon those who have all their lives long continued in our communion . . i proceed in the last place to observe from what i have discoursed concerning giving offence , that if to offend any one , be to lead him into sin , then we may scandalize and give offence to others , as soon by pleasing them and complying with them , as by dipleasing them and going contrary to their mind and humour . st. paul , who circumcised timothy , acts . . in favour of the weak jews that he might insinuate and ingratiate himself into them , refused to circumcise titus , galat. . . tho he made the jews angry by it , yet he would not give place by subjection , or submission and condescension to them , no not for an hour : he considered the different states and conditions of the persons he had to deal withal . he complyed to circumcise timothy , lest all the jews with him should have forsaken the christian faith , and for the same reason he denied to circumcise titus , lest those of jerusalem should think he was of opinion , that the jewish law held still in force , and so the cross of christ should become of no effect to them . he pleased indeed the former for fear of driving them from christianity , and for the same reason he displeased the latter , lest he should give them occasion to think the observation of moses's law always necessary . he had truly scandalized them , if he had done as they would have had him : he had offended them in the true scripture sense , if he had pleased and humoured them ; and this is the most ordinary way of scandalizing christians amongst us , by not plainly telling men of their faults and mistakes , by not speaking freely and roundly to them , nor acting couragiously , whereby they become hardned and confirmed in their folly and ignorance . to this purpose i cannot but repeat the words of mr. baxter in the book i have so often cited ; many a time , saith he , i have the rather gone to the common-prayers of the publick assemblies for fear of being a scandal to those same men that called the going to them a scandal : that is , for fear of hardning them in a sinful separation and error ; because i knew that was not scandal which they called scandal ; that is , displeasing them , and crossing their opinions ; but hardning them in an error or other sin , is true scandalizing . vnderstand this , or you will displease god under pretence of avoiding scandal , p. . thus by complying with our dissenting brethren we really do them that mischief which we would avoid , and fall into the sin of giving scandal , whilest we are running from it ; we countenance and encourage their sinful separation and division ; we confirm them in their dangerous errors and mistakes ; we by our practice condemn those things , which yet in our consciences we allow and approve of , and by our authority and influence harden others in their unreasonable prejudices and opposition against the lawful commands of their superiours . they think us of the same mind with themselves , whilst we do the same things , and that we judge as ill of the church of england , as long as we refuse to communicate with it , as themselves do ; and thus we give occasion to their sin , and those infinite mischiefs which have happened both to church and state , upon the account of our religious disputes and divisions ; which surely ought to be well thought of and considered by a sort of men amongst us , who shall go to church in the morning , and to a conventicle in the afternoon ; who halt between both , and would fain displease neither side , but indeed give real offence to both . from all this i think it is very plain , that he , who is satisfied in his own mind of the lawfulness of conformity , but is afraid of giving offence by it , if he be true to this principle , ought to hasten the faster to his parish-church , that he might not offend those very dissenters of whom he would seem to be so tender ; and thus i have done with the second thing i propounded to shew , what is meant by offending or scandalizing , . it remaineth in the third and last place to enquire ; how far , and in what instances we are bound to consider the ignorance or weakness of our brother ? in answer to this , that i may proceed with all the clearness i can , i shall now suppose notwithstanding all i have already said , that our dissenting , brethren are truly weak persons , and that there may be some danger of their being through their own fault offended by our conformity ; yet taking this for granted , i shall plainly shew that he , who is in his own mind convinced of the lawfulness of coming to his parish-church , and using the forms of prayer and ceremonies by law appointed , ought not to forbear doing the same for fear of giving such offence to his weak brethren . there are many other things to be considered in this case , besides this matter of private scandal ; and if there be greater evil in , and greater mischief to others , and a more publick scandal doth follow our forbearing communion with the church and withdrawing into private assemblies , than can happen by our leaving them and returning to the church , and complying with its orders , we ought then to conform notwithstanding the offence that is imagined may be taken at it . for these two things , as i suppose are agreed on all hands ; one is , that nothing which is sinful may be done to avoid scandalizing others ; the other is , that to avoid a less scandal being taken by a few , we must not give a greater scandal and of vastly more pernicious consequence to a much bigger number of persons ; and by these two rules i shall now judge of the case at first propounded . . nothing that is sinful may be done to avoid others being scandalized , which is directly the apostles doctrine , rom. . . that we must not do evil , that good may came ; nor is any necessary duty to be omitted out of prudence or charity to others , lest they through error or ignorance be hurt by it : we must not to prevent the greatest sin in another , commit the least sin our selves , nor disobey gods law , and so run the hazard of our own damnation , tho it be to save the soul of our brother . thus calvin tells us , instit . lib. . c. . quae necessaria sunt factu , nullius offendiculi timore omittenda sunt . whatever is necessary to be done by vertue of gods command is not to be omitted for fear of offence ; and again in the same place , hic charitatis rationem haberi decet , sed usque ad aras . our charity to our brother ought to be limited by this , that we do not for his sake displease god. the very best things and actions may be perverted by men of ill-disposed or weak minds , false consequences and unjust inferences may be strained from them ; as we know the grace of god in the gospel was abused into an argument for licentiousness , and christ himself is said to be set for the fall of many , st. luke . . but still this doth not cancel our obligations to universal obedience to gods law , nor can it alter the nature of good and evil , duty and sin ; which are no such uncertain contingent things , as to depend upon the constructions others shall make of our actions , or the conclusions they shall draw from them . god almighty in the making of his laws hath a perfect comprehension of all the accidental events , that may happen either through the weakness or wickedness of men ; and we must not think our selves to be wiser than god , taking upon our selves to dispense with his commands without any allowance from him , as if himself had not foreseen those inconveniences which may arise from our doing our duty : it can therefore never be , that obedience to god should give any real scandal ; and whatever offence may be taken at my doing of my duty , it is a contradiction to imagine it imputable to me , as a sin or fault , ( for it is to suppose one to disobey god , in obeying him ) but they alone are chargeable who are offended by it . now by the express command of god , we are obliged to obey the lawful injunctions of our superiours , whether civil or ecclesiastical ; and if any are so hardy as to deny this , they must seek for another bible out of which to judge of gods will ; for there is hardly any one duty of religion more plainly commanded , more frequently and earnestly pressed in the new testament , than quiet and peaceable subjection to authority , both in church and state , in all things lawful , and that not only to avoid punishment , but for conscience sake ; and to refuse obedience in such things , is a sin against the fifth commandment . that the conformity required by our church , contains not any thing in it unlawful , must be granted , as i have already observed , by all those who make use of this plea of scandal , from all which the necessary conclusion is , since we may not redeem a scandal by disobedience to god , since god hath plainly required our submission to those whom he hath set over us in all things , lawful ; since it is acknowledged by those i now discourse with , that conformity to the church is enjoyned by a competent authority , and is lawful ; i say the necessary conclusion is , that no man can with a good conscience refuse to conform only for fear of scandal . our dissenting brethren , when they are urged with this argument neither do nor can deny any of the premises , they must confess that no sin may be committed upon any account whatsoever , and that a man is not bound to provide for his brothers safety by wounding his own soul ; they cannot deny but that god hath commanded us to be subject to lawful authority in all things lawful , but then to evade the force of this reasoning , they have endeavoured to load the conclusion with some seeming difficulties and absurdities , which they pretend follow from this principle , that we are bound to obey , notwithstanding the scandal that may ensue upon it . the chief of these i shall mention , and briefly return an answer to them . . it is pleaded that those precepts , which contain only rituals , are to give place to those , which do concern the welfare of mens bodies , and much more to those , which do respect the welfare of our brothers soul ; so that , when both together cannot be observed , we must neglect or violate the former , to observe the latter : that this is true even of some commands given by god himself ; to which purpose our saviour doth produce that saying of the prophet hosea , i will have mercy and not sacrifice . now if sacrifices prescribed by god himself , which were so considerable a part of the divine worship under moses 's law , yet were to give place to acts of mercy , how much more are the positive injunctions of men , that concern only the externals and circumstantials of religion , to yield to the royal and indispensable law of charity , of which this duty of not giving offence to others , is such an eminent part . thus saith mr. jeans in his second part of scholastical divinity , what laws of any earthly wight whatsoever concerning ceremonies can be more obligatory , than the commands of god touching the externals of his worship and service ; and yet it is his will and pleasure , that these externals of his worship should be laid aside for the performance of outward works of mercy : if therefore the sacred ordinances of god are to give way unto works of mercy unto the bodies of men , surely then much more is the trash of human inventions to yield unto a work of mercy to the souls of men. in answer to this , it is readily acknowledged that when there doth happen any such interfering between two commands of god , the one positive , the other moral , the positive ought always to give place to the moral ; and by the same reason the positive commands of our superiours ought certainly to give way to the moral commands of god , which are of eternal and immutable obligation . they cease to bind us either in case of absolute necessity , or when they plainly hinder our performance of any moral duty to god or our neighbour ; and the church is presumed to dispense with its orders , as god almighty doth allow the neglect of his own positive institutions in such circumstances . but then this is only , where the necessity is urgent and extream , the sin we must otherwise commit evident and certain ; and at last our obedience is dispensed withal only for that one time . thus in a case of necessity , our saviour st. matth. . . acquits david and his followers of all blame , who being ready to perish for hunger , did eat of the shewbread , which otherwise , was not lawful for them to eat ; but had they taken a particular fancy to that bread , and refused to have eaten of any other , because that best agreed with their stomacks and was most pleasing to their palate ; can we think our saviour would have so easily excused them ? or which is nearer to our case ; because god did prefer acts of mercy before sacrifices where both could not be done , yet this would not have justified any mans wholly leaving off sacrificing , or refusing to do it at jerusalem , inventing another way of worship , as more expedient than sacrificing , or choosing another place to sacrifice in , which might be more convenient for all the jews than that city was . we may leave our prayers , forsake the church to save the life of our neighbour , or to quench the firing of his house , but still this would be but a pityful pretence for our wholly absenting our selves from chruch , and constant neglect of our prayers , because in the mean time our neighbours life may be invaded , or his house fired by ill men , of which there is great store in the world , and so he may stand in need of our help , which is a more acceptable service to god than any acts of devotion . so that however this argument may serve to excuse the omission of some things commanded by lawful authority , by those who otherwise are perfectly conformable , in extraordinary cases which very rarely happen , and for which no provision could be made by law ; yet to be sure this will not at all help those , who bid open defiance to the laws , stand out in manifest opposition against them , live in plain disobedience and contradiction to them as it they were altogether free from them , nay set up a distinct way and form of worship of their own , and all this because they are loth to offend those , who are not satisfied of the wisdom and goodness of what is appointed . thus our dissenting brethren can gain but little by this plea if granted to them ; for upon this account of exercising mercy and charity towards their neighbours , they can be excused from obedience to their superiours in such cases only , in which they may be excused also from the observation of the sabbath , from prayer publick or private , from worshipping of god either in the church or in a conventicle , nay from obedience to god himself ; had he pleased in the scriptures positively to have required whatever is at present enjoyned by our church ; and let them well consider , whether if god had plainly in his word prescribed all that our church doth command , they would have thought it safe to have refused compliance with such divine impositions , because they were unreasonably offensive to some godly people : if our dissenters will but acknowledge themselves bound to submit to the determinations of their superiours about the things in controversie between us , so far , as the jews were bound to obey the ordinances of god concerning his external worship delivered by moses ; and that they are freed from such obligation to obey the laws of their governours only in such cases , as the jews were excused from offering their accustomed sacrifices , or as they think themselves at liberty to break the sabbath , to omit gods publick worship , i suppose this dispute would soon be at an end , for they dare not own , that the scandal others may take at such things , which yet are to give place to moral duties , is sufficient to void their obligation to the doing of them . mr. jeans ( whose objections i shall the rather consider because of his eminency amongst the presbyterians , tho i find my self somewhat prevented by a late writer , who hath taken particular notice of them ) thus putteth the question , suppose , saith he , the greatest monarch upon the face of the earth should command the meanest and lowest of his slaves , upon some important affair to ride post through such a city , without any of the least stay or diversion , and then it should happen that a company of little children should be playing in the streets , can this slave think that he is obliged to ride over them ? no surely , he ought to use all means , and take all care possible to execute his commission without doing any hurt , or damage to any person whatever ; but if he would have stated the case right , it should have been done thus ; suppose this slave should utterly refuse to do as he was commanded , and for his justification should plead , that he must be forced to ride through many towns are cities , where are many little children , who are often playing at the doors or in the streets ; he knows not but that some of them may be in his way , or chance to run between his horses legs , and therefore to avoid the doing of this mischief , which might possibly happen , he resolves not to stir one foot from his own home . is this pretence sufficient to excuse his disobedience ? no more can our nonconformity to the rules given us by our superiours be innocent , because some may be scandalized at our obedience . . it is further said that scandal is in the nature of it spiritual murder , and if where authority hath determined our choice , we must hold to their determination , any scandal to the contrary notwithstanding , it seemeth then in case the magistrate command it , we may lawfully murther the soul of our brother , wound his weak conscience , and destroy with our meats , our ceremonies , the work of god , and him for whom christ died . it is good , saith st. paul , rom. . . neither to eat flesh , nor to drink wine , nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth , or is offended , or is made weak . but our prelatists , saith mr. jeans , determine quite otherwise . if authority enjoyn it , it is good , say they , to eat bread , drink wine , wear a surplice , use the sign of the cross in baptism , tho thereby never so many brethren stumble , or are offended , or made weak . but all this is meer bugbear , fitted only to fright children and such weak persons , as we are now treating of ; for it can never be shewen , how wearing a surplice , or kneeling at receiving of the sacrament , or crossing the infants forehead , hath any tendency towards the scaring men from christianity , or making them to deny christ , and forsake and grow weary of his religion , which i have sufficiently proved to be the only proper scandalizing of our brother , which st. paul so highly aggravateth , and chargeth with the guilt of destroying and murthering his soul ; none of these things do directly and immediately lead or tempt any man to any sin : whatever scandal may follow is wholly accidental , and the fault and mistake of those only , who are offended , and to provide always against such scandals is an impossible undertaking ; for they may follow the most innocent actions , nay the most necessary duties , and this argument concludes as strongly against obedience to any other command of god , if by it my brother may stumble , or be offended , or be made weak , as it doth against submission to our superiours in things lawful . they that make these objections do not sufficiently consider , that by gods law we are bound to obey the lawful commands of our superiours ; and it is not only the law or ordinance of man , of which they seem to make so little account , but it is the law of god also , that is violated by our disobedience to our governours in things lawful : the comparison therefore ought not to be only , as they make it , between an human authority determining some indifferent things , and the divine law of charity to the soul of our brother , but between the divine command of obedience to our superiours , and the avoiding of scandal : here we affirm , that we cannot be bound to transgress a plain law of god , or which is all one in this question , a lawful command of our superiours for fear of some evil that may by chance happen to some others through their own fault ; and we prove it by this reason , which our dissenting brethren must own for true and good , because every one is bound to have a greater care of his own than others salvation , and consequently rather to avoid sin in himself , than to prevent it in his brethren . if it be here asked , as it is by some , whether any human authority can make that action cease to be scandalous , which if done without any such command had been criminal upon the account of the scandal that followed it , i answer , that no authority , whether divine or human , can secure that others shall not be offended by what i do out of obedience to their commands , but then it doth free me from all guilt and blame , by making that to become my duty to do , which if i had done needlesly without any great reason , and my brother had been hurt and his conscience wounded by it , might have been justly charged with uncharitableness , greater or less according as the scandal was more or less probable to follow . this must be granted , that the laws of god or man , otherwise obligatory , do not lose their binding force because of some scandal , that may possibly happen from our complyance with them , or else all authority is utterly void and insignificant , and every man is at liberty to do all things as himself pleaseth ; for , to borrow the words of the excellent bishop sanderson , to allow men under pretence that some offence may be taken thereat , to disobey laws and constitutions made by those that are in authority over us , is the next way to cut the sinews of all authority , and to bring both magistrates and laws into contempt ; for what law ever was made , or can be made so just and reasonable , but some man or other either did or might take offence thereat . whether such a constitution or command of our superiours be scandalous or no , every one must judge for himself ; and so according to his own private opinion of the goodness or hurtfulness of what is required , he is free to obey it or not , which is directly to dissolve all government , and to bring in certain disorder and everlasting confusion , every one doing what is good in his own eyes . . it is said , that avoiding of scandal is a main duty of charity ; may superiours therefore at their pleasure appoint , how far i shall shew my charity towards my brothers soul ? then surely an inferiour earthly court may cross the determinations of the high court of heaven : this mr. jeans urgeth also out of amesius ; but it is easily replyed , that here is no crossing the determinations of god , since it is his express will , that in all lawful things we should obey our governours , and he who hath made this our duty , will not lay to our charge the mischiefs , that may sometimes without our fault through the folly and peevishness of men follow from it , and certainly it is as equal and reasonable , that our superiours should appoint how far i shall exercise my charity towards my brethren , as it is , that the mistake and prejudice of any private christians should set bounds to their power and authority , cancel the publick laws , or that every ignorant and froward brother should determin , how far we shall be obedient to those , whom god hath set over us either in church or state. but to give a more full answer to this we must know , that , tho charity be the great duty , especially of the christian religion , yet duties of justice ( as they are commonly called ) are of stricter obligation than duties of charity , and we are bound to pay our debts , before we give an alms . now obedience to superiours is a debt we owe to them , which they have right to exact of us , so that they may accuse us of injury , if we perform it not . but a great care to hinder sin in others , or not to scandalize them is a duty of charity , which indeed we are obliged unto as far as we can , but not till after we have given to every one what is his due and right . it is therefore no more lawful for me , saith the forenamed most judicious bishop sanderson , to disobey the lawful command of a superiour , to prevent thereby the offence of one or a few brethren , then it is lawful for me to do one man wrong to do another man a courtesie withal ; or than it is lawful for me to rob the exchequer to relieve an hospital . according to that known saying of st. austin , quis est qui dicat , ut habeamus quod demus pauperibus , faciamus furta divitibus ? who is it , that siath it is lawful to steal from the rich , what we may bestow on the poor ? or to refuse to pay taxes , on pretence that you know those who have more need of your money ? to this mr. jeans replies , suppose , saith he , the care of not giving offence be in respect of our brother but a debt of charity , yet in regard of god it is a legal debt , since he may and doth challenge it as due , and we do him wrong if we disobey him : here i grant indeed , that both are required by god at our hands , that we should be obedient to our superiours , and that we should be always ready to shew charity to our brethren ; but then i say , this is not the charity which god requires , when i give to those in want , what is none of mine own . this is not an instance or expression of that love and kindness , which by the law of god we owe to our brother , to do him good by wronging our superiours . god hath obliged servants to be merciful to the poor to their power , as well as to be true and faithful to their masters ; but that is no part of the mercy which god requires from them ; to give away their masters goods without his leave ; tho it were to those who stand in great need of relief . god hath commanded all christians to have a great care of being any occasion of their brothers sin or fall ; but then this must necessarily be understood only of things subject to our own ordering and management . in all cases , wherein we are at our own disposal , we are bound charitably to regard our brother . but in instances , where our practice is determined by authority , our superiours only are to consider the danger of scandal ; we must consider the duty we owe to them , this being a matter wherein we cannot shew our charity without violating the right of our superiours ; it remains then , in the words of another great bishop , in what case soever we are bound to obey god or man , in that case and in that conjunction of circumstances we have nothing permitted to our choice , ( and consequently there is no place for any act of charity ) and have no authority to remit of the right of god or our superiour ; and to comply with our neighbour in such questions , besides that it cannot serve any purposes of piety , if it declines from duty in any instance , it is like giving alms out of the portion of orphans , or building hospitals with the money and spoils of sacrilege . . it is further said by mr. jeans out of amesius ; if determination by superiours is sufficient to take away the sin of scandal , then they do very ill , that they do not , so far as is possible , determine all things indifferent , that so no danger may be left of giving offence by the use of them . then the church of rome is to be praised in that she hath determined so many indifferent things . then st. paul might have spared all his directions about forbearance out of respect to weak brethren , and fully determined the matters in debate , and so put an end to all fear of scandal . this truly seemeth a very odd way of arguing , and all that i shall say to it is , that it supposeth nothing else worthy to be considered in the making of laws , or in the determinations of superiours about indifferent things , but only this one matter of scandal ; and the project it self , should it take , would prove very vain and unsuccessful . for tho we truly say , that we are bound to comply with the orders and ceremonies of the church of england , they being but few and innocent and so giving no real ground of offence ; yet we do not say the same upon supposition our church had determined all circumstances in gods worship she possibly could , which would perhaps have been a yoke greater , than that of the ceremonial law to the jews ; nor if she had prescribed as many ceremonies as the church of rome hath done , which manifestly tend to the disgrace and scandal of our christian religion ; and as for the course st. paul took , it is plain that some things upon good reasons were determined by the apostles , as that the gentile converts should abstain from blood , and things strangled , and offered to idols , which decree , i presume , they might not transgress out of charity to any of their brethren , who might take offence at such abstinence , and other things for great reason were for a time left at liberty , which reason was taken from the present circumstances of those the apostles had to deal withal ; tho afterwards , as i observed before , when that reason ceased , determinations were made about those things which st. paul had left at liberty , and if st. paul had determined the dispute about meats and days one way , they , who had followed so great an authority , whatever had happened , had surely been free from the sin of scandal ; but still the scandal had not been prevented , but all the contrary part had been in danger to have been utterly estranged from christianity ; and that was reason sufficient why st. paul did not make any determinations in that case . for governours are not only to take care to free those that obey them from the sin of scandal , but also to provide , that as little occasion , as is possible , may be given to any to be scandalized . there are other objections offered by mr. jeans , out of amesius and rutherford , against this doctrine of our obligation to obedience to superiours in things lawful , notwithstanding the scandal that may follow ; but they either may be answered from what i have already said , or else they chiefly concern the case of governours , and are brought to prove that they act uncharitably , and give great offence contrary to st. pauls rules , who take upon them determinately to impose unnecessary rites by which they know many good men will be scandalized , but this is not my present business to discourse of , tho i cannot forbear saying these two things , which i think very easie to make out . . that our church of england hath taken all reasonable care not to give any just offence to any sort of persons , and the offences that have been since taken at some things in our constitution could not possibly have been foreseen by those who made our first reformation from popery , and so they could not be any reason against the first establishment : nor , . are they now a sufficient reason for the alteration of it ; unless we can imagine it reasonable to alter publick laws made with great wisdom and deliberation as often , as they are disliked by , or prove offensive to private persons . if this be admitted , there then can never be any setled government and order in the church ; because there never can be any establishment , that will not be lyable to give such offence . they who now take offence at what the church of england enjoyns , on the same or a like account will take offence at whatever can be enjoyned , and the same pretences of scandal will be good against any establishment they themselves shall make ; for tho they will not use these reasons against their own establishment , yet in a short time others will take up their weapons to fight against them , and what served to destroy the present church will be as effectual to overthrow that , which shall be set up in its room : so that whatever alteration is made , if this be allowed for a sufficient ground of it , viz. to avoid the offence that some men take at the present constitution , yet still we shall be but where we were , and new offences will arise , and so there must be continual changing and altering , to gratifie the unreasonable humours and fancies of men ; and should any one party of dissenters amongst us get their form of government and worship established by law , i doubt not but they would preach to us the very same doctrine , we do now to them . they would tell us that private persons must bend and conform to the laws , and not the laws to private persons ; that it was our own fault that we were offended ; that our weakness proceeded from our unwillingness to receive instruction ; that the weak were to be governed , not to prescribe to their governours ; that we must not expect that what was with good reason appointed and ordered should be presently abrogated or changed out of complyance with mens foolish prejudices and mistakes . it is sufficiently known how strict and rigorous both the presbyterians and independents are and have been where they have had any advantage , and what little consideration or regard they have had of their dissenting brethren , tho they would have us so tender of them . thus much i think sufficient to shew that the precept of obedience to superiours in things lawful is more obligatory , than the precept of avoiding scandal ; whence it follows that it is our duty to obey in such instances , tho offence may be taken at it , because no sin is to be committed for the avoiding scandal . i might from this head further argue , that if we must not commit any sin to avoid giving offence , then it is not lawful to separate from our parish-churches upon that account ; because all voluntary separation from a church , in which nothing that is unlawful is required as a condition of communion , is the sin of schism , and that is a sin of the blackest dye and greatest guilt , noted the in scriptures for an act of carnality , a work of the flesh and of the devil ; for the necessity of our coming to church , and worshipping god in the same publick place with our neighbours , and submitting to the government , discipline and customs of that particular church we live in , doth not depend only upon the statutes of the realm which enforce it , and the command of the civil magistrate who requires it ; but by the law of our religion all needless separation or division amongst christians , breaking into little parties and factions , from whence comes strife , envying , confusion and every evil work , is to be most carefully avoided , as the very bane of christianity , the rending of christs body , and as utterly destructive not only of the peace , but of the being of a church . so that should all the laws about conformity and against conventicles be rescinded and voided , should the magistrate indulge or connive at the separate assemblies , yet still this would not make our joyning with them not to be sinful . since to preserve the unity of christians and one communion , is the necessary duty of every member of the church , and it can never be thought a justifiable thing , to cut off our selves from the communion of the church or the body of christ , out of complyance with any erring or ignorant brethren . but the sinfulness of withdrawing from the communion of our church , either totally or in part , hath been so evidently shewn in some late discourses written on that subject , that i do despair of convincing those of the danger of it , who can withstand the force of all that hath been already offered to them : i only conclude thus much , that there is far more of the sin of uncharitableness in such separation and division , than there can be in all the offence that is imagined to be given by our conformity . from what i have already at large discoursed it plainly follows , that they are things meerly indifferent , not only in their own nature , but also in respect to us , in the use of which we are obliged to consider the weakness of our brethren . what is our duty must be done , tho scandal follow it : what is evil and sinful ought to be left undone upon the score of a greater obligation , than that of scandal ; but now in matters , wherein our practise is not determined by any command , we ought so to exercise our liberty , as if possible to avoid giving any offence to our brethren . this is an undoubted part of that charity , which one christian ought always to be ready to shew to another , by admonition , instruction , good example , and by the forbearance of things lawful , at which he foreseeth his neighbour out of weakness will be apt to be scandalized , to endeavour to prevent his falling into any sin or mischief ; and this we teach and press upon our people as much as dissenters themselves can , in obedience to st. paul's rules about meats and days , things neither in themselves good or evil , nor determined by any authority , and therefore they were every way a proper instance , wherein christians might exercise their charity and compassion one to the other ; and in such cases st. paul declares , that he would rather wholly forego his liberty , than by these indifferences endanger the soul of his brother ; as in that famous place cor. . . if meat make my brother to offend , i will eat no flesh while the world standeth , lest i make my brother to offend ; where by flesh and meat is to be understood such as had been offered unto idols , which tho lawful for a christian to eat at common meals , yet the apostle would wholly abstain from , rather than wound the weak conscience of a brother . if i by the law of charity ( as the reverend bishop taylour saith , great exemp . p. ) must rather quit my own goods than suffer my brother to perish , much rather must i quit my priviledg . and , we should ill die for our brother , who will not lose a meal to prevent his sin , or change a dish to save his soul ; and if the thing be indifferent to us , yet it ought not to be indifferent to us whether our brother live or die . after this manner do we profess our selves ready to do or forbear any thing in our own power , to win and gain our dissenting brethren to the church . we grant that those , who conform , are obliged by this law of charity not needlesly to vex and exasperate our dissenters , nor to do any thing which they are not bound to do , that may estrange them more from the church ; but to restrain themselves in the use of that liberty god and the laws have left them , for the sake of peace and out of condescension to their brethren . we dare not indeed omit any duty we owe to god , or our superiours either in church or state , nor can we think it fit and reasonable , that our apostolical government , excellent liturgy , orderly worship of god used in our church , should all be presently condemned and laid aside , as soon as some weak men take offence at them ; but in all other things , subject to our own ordering and disposal , we acknowledge our selves bound to please our brother for his good unto edification . i only add here , that this very rule of yielding to our brother in things indifferent and undetermined ought to have some restrictions and limitations , several of which are mentioned by mr. jeans , whom i have so often named ; as first , that we are not to forbear these indifferent things , where there is only a possibility of scandal , but where the scandal consequent is probable ; for otherwise we should be at an utter loss and uncertainty in all our actions , and never know what to do . secondly , our weak brethren must have some probable ground for their imagination that what we do is evil and sinful , or else we must wear no ribbands , nor put off our hats , but come all to thou and thee ; and for this exception he gives this substantial reason , that if we are to abstain from all indifferent things , in which another without probable ground imagineth that there is sin , the servitude of christians under the gospel would be far greater and more intolerable , than that of the jews under the mosaical administration . thirdly , this must be understood of indifferent things that are of no very great importance ; for if it be a matter of some weight and moment , as yielding me some great profit , i must only for a while forbear it , untill my brother is better informed . lastly , we must not wholly betray our christian liberty to please peevish and froward people , or to humour our neighbour in an erroneous and superstitious opinion ; for which he quotes mr. calvin , who in his comment upon cor. . . tells of some foolish interpreters , that leave to christians almost no use at all of things indifferent , upon pretence to avoid the offence of superstitious persons . now tho all this is generally true , yet i think there are no certain unalterable rules to be laid down to direct our practise in this affair . for it being an exercise of charity , must be determined by the measures of prudence according to circumstances , and we may as well go about to give certain rules for mens charity in other cases , and fix the proportion , which every man ought to give of his estate towards the relief of the poor , as positively to tell how far a man must deny himself in the use of indifferent things , and forego his own liberty for the sake of his brother , and so i end this head with those words of the learned dr. hammond in his little treatise of scandal : this whole matter is to be referred to the christians pious discretion or prudence , it being free to him either to abstain , or not to abstain , from any indifferent action ( remaining such ) according as that piety , and that prudence shall represent it to be most charitable and beneficial to other mens souls . thus i have done with the first proposition , that nothing sinful is to be committed to avoid scandalizing others . . i proceed now to the second , that to avoid a less scandal being taken by a few we must not give a greater offence , and of vastly more pernicious consequence to a much bigger number of persons : not that such a case can ever happen , wherein we must necessarily give just offence to one side or other , and so are uncharitable , whether we do or forbear to do the same action ; for then we should be under a necessity of sinning , which implies a contradiction , but yet it may and often doth happen , that some weak persons may take offence at my doing , and others be more offended at my forbearing to do the same thing , and thus whether i do it , or not , i shall give offence , tho not justly , nor through my own fault , to some one or other . in such circumstances therefore we are to consider , which way is given the greater and more dangerous offence , and it can never be either prudence or charity to abstain from that , which may scandalize our brother , when by forbearance a greater and more publick scandal is ministred to others ; for in this case we have greater reason on the account of scandal it self to do , than to forbear that action , as all that write on this subject do and must acknowledge , and for which they usually quote that saying of bernard , prudenter advertendum est scandalum scandalo non emendari , &c. we are prudently to mark that one scandal is not mended by another ; which kind of emendation we should practise , if to take off offence from one party , we give offence unto another . this was the occasion of that famous contest between the two great apostles mentioned in the second chapter of the epistle to the galatians , st. peter had freely conversed with the gentile christians , and had eat with them all kind of meats ; but afterwards when certain believing jews from jerusalem , who were still to the dissatisfaction and offence of all the other dissenters , who have as good a right to this plea of weakness as themselves . . hereby great offence is given to all those who do conform ; for this separation from the church is a publick condemning of the government , orders , discipline or doctrine of our church , and is apt to breed scruples and perplexities in well meaning , but less knowing members of it , and by degrees produces a distast or dislike of our worship , and plainly hinders the efficacy of the ordinances of christ as administred in our church , whilest it creates prejudices in people against them as impure and corrupt ; and why there should not be a due regard had to those many , who are offended at our dissenters conventicle worship , as well as of those , who are said to be scandalized by our church service , i cannot at all guess . i shall only say here , that irreverent sitting at the receiving the sacrament of the lords supper , mens unmannerly wearing their hats in time of divine worship , and oftentimes putting them off but half way at their prayers , their indecent postures and antick gestures at their devotions , the extravagancies and follies ( not to say worse ) some of them are guilty of in their extemporary effusions , the strange uncouth metaphors and phrases they use in their preaching ; in a word , the slovenly performance of divine worship amongst the dissenters is much more scandalous , then all the ceremonies of our church can ever be . . consider the scandal that is hereby given to magistrates and our superiours , by bringing their laws and authority into contempt ; concerning which the forenamed mr. jeans in his first edition of his discourse about abstinence from all appearance of evil , hath these words , if , saith he , it were better to be thrown into the bottom of the sea with a millstone about ones neck , than to offend a little one , a poor and illiterate artizan , what expression shall we then find answerable to the heinousness of a scandal given to a pious magistrate , to a religious prince , to a parliament , and convocation , to an whole church and commonwealth ? . by this separation from the church , great scandal is given to the papists ; not that they are displeased at it ; they are not indeed offended in that sense , but this serves wonderfully to harden them in their false and idolatrous worship ; it increaseth their confidence , that their church is the only true church of christ , because amongst them only is found peace and unity ; and this is a mighty temptation to many wavering christians to turn papists : insomuch that mr. baxter hath told us , that thousands have been drawn to popery , or confirmed in it by this argument already , and he saith of himself , that he is persuaded , that all the arguments else in bellarmin , and all other books that ever were written , have not done so much to make papists in england , as the multitude of sects among our selves . this indeed is a great scandal to our protestant religion , and is that which the papists are on all occasions so forward to object against us , and hit us in the teeth with ; and by our hearty uniting with the church of england , we may certainly wrest out of their hands the most dangerous weapon they use against the reformation . . this tends to the scandal of religion in general . it prejudiceth men against it as an uncertain thing , a matter of endless dispute and debate ; it makes some men utterly reject it as consisting mostly in little trifles and niceties about which they observe the greatest noise and contention to be made or as destructive of the publick peace of societies , when they see what dangerous feuds and quarrels commence from our religious differences , and all the disorder and confusion that they have caused here in england , shall by some be charged upon christianity it self . thus our causeless separations and divisions open a wide door to atheisme , and all kind of prophaneness and irreligion : after this manner it was of old , and always will be , where there are parties in religion , and one contends that their separation is lawful , and the other that it is unlawful , the common people soon become doubtful and ready to forsake all religion . i might add here , that such separations necessarily occasion breach of charity ; they beget implacable enmities and animosities : hence cometh strife , emulation , envying , one party continually endeavouring to overtop the other , watching for one anothers halting , rejoycing in one anothers sins and misfortunes , constant undermining one another , to the disturbance of the publick government , and endangering the civil peace ; of all which and much more than i can now mention the present distracted condition of our nation is so great and undenyable an evidence , that there need no more words to shew the mischiefs that attend such divisions ; and now let any one judge , whether the peace and unity of the church , the maintaining of charity amongst brethren , the keeping out popery , and atheism , the preservation of the authority of the magistrate , and quiet of the society we are members of , the honour and credit of our religion . lastly , whether giving offence to all both conformists and nonconformists , those only excepted of our own particular sect and division , nay scandalizing them also in the true and proper sense of scandal , be not of far greater and more weighty consideration , than the fear of displeasing or grieving some few weak dissatisfied brethren ; wo to those , by whom offences come . but these things i have very lightly touched , because they have been the subject of many sermons and discourses lately published . to sum up all i have said , since they , who dissent from the church of england , are not such weak persons as st. paul all along describes and provides for ; since we cannot by our conformity really scandalize or offend them in that sense , in which the scriptures use those words ; since tho we did give offence to them by our conformity , yet that would not excuse us from doing our duty , and by refusing to conform we should do both them and others greater hurt and mischief ; i think i may safely conclude , that there cannot lie any obligation upon any private christian ( as the case now stands amongst us ) to absent himself from his parish-church , or to forbear the use of the forms of prayer or ceremonies by law appointed , for fear of offending his weak brethren . i end all with one word of advice . first , to those who are not convinced of the lawfulness of conformity . secondly , to those who are satisfied that it is lawful . . to those who are not convinced of the lawfulness of conformity , and therefore urge so hard that they ought not to be offended by us . i would beseech them that they would take some care and make some conscience to avoid giving any needless offence to those of the church of england , and this cannot but be thought a reasonable request , since they require all others to be so tender of them . they ought not therefore to meet in such numbers , nor at the same time at which we assemble to worship god in our publick churches . let them not affront our service and common-prayers , nor revile our bishops and ministers , nor put on their hats when at any time they chance to be present at our service in our churches , nor talk nor read in books , nor make sour faces at our devotions , and when they observe these and other the like rules , they may then with a better grace ( tho with little reason ) find fault with our conformity as offensive to them . i would be loth to say any thing , that should exasperate or provoke any of the dissenters whose satisfaction i design : i very well know their weakness , that they cannot endure to be told of their faults . however i must tell them , that there are no sort of persons in the christian world professing religion and godliness , that have done such scandalous things , as some of those who call themselves protestant dissenters . i forbear to name particulars . . as for those who are satisfied concerning the lawfulness of conformity , i would desire them so to order their return to the church , as not to give any just offence to those whom they forsake ; that is to say , that they would do it heartily and sincerely , that all may see they conformed with a willing mind , being persuaded that it is their duty so to do , and not meerly to satisfie the law , or to save their purses , or to get into an office , or to capacitate them to vote or the like . for such a kind of conformity , as some practise , and call occasional communion , which is coming to church and sacrament to serve a turn , is truly scandalous to all good men of what persuasion soever . finis . a sermon preached before the right honourable the lord mayor, aldermen, and citizens of london at the church of st. mary le bow, september the second, : being the anniversary fast for the dreadful fire in the year / by john scott ... scott, john, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing s estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a sermon preached before the right honourable the lord mayor, aldermen, and citizens of london at the church of st. mary le bow, september the second, : being the anniversary fast for the dreadful fire in the year / by john scott ... scott, john, - . [ ], p. printed for walter kettilby ... and thomas horn ..., london : mdclxxxvi [ ] reproduction of original in the huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng fast-day sermons. sermons, english -- th century. sin -- sermons. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - mona logarbo sampled and proofread - mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion geffery mayor . martis vii . die septemb. . annoque regni regis jacobi secundi , angliae , &c. secundo . this court doth desire dr scott to print his sermon preached at bow-church on thursday last the second instant ( being the day of humiliation for the great fire in london . ) before the lord mayor , aldermen , and citizens of this city . wagstaffe . imprimatur . guil. needham r. r. in christo patri ac d no d no wilhelmo archiepisc . cantuar. à sacris domest . ex aedib . lambeth . sept. . . a sermon preached before the right honourable the lord mayor , aldermen , and citizens of london ; at the church of st mary le bow , september the second , . being the anniversary fast for the dreadful fire in the year . by iohn scott , d. d. rector of st peters poor , london . london , printed for walter kettilby at the bishop ' s head in s. paul ' s church-yard , and thomas horn at the south-end of the royal exchange , mdclxxxvi . john v. . behold , thou art made whole , sin no more , lest a worse thing come unto thee . these words are the advice of our saviour to the impotent man , whom he miraculously cured after he had long waited to no purpose at the pool of bethesda : and seriously when i consider the miserable state to which this ancient city was reduced by the late stupendious fire , and the since glorious recovery of it out of its mighty heap of ruines , it seems to me an exact emblem of this poor patient in my text. with him , not long ago , it was reduced to a wretched impotent condition ; its goodly piles lay bed-rid in their own sad ruines , almost despairing of recovery , and the utmost that humane prudence could hope , was that the next age might see their resurrection . but by the miraculous courage and industry with which god inspired their former inhabitants , behold they are raised again within a few years more glorious and magnificent than ever ; and we that saw their desolations , and were almost ready to give them over for irreparable , have lived to see them rise again in state and splendour out of their ashes . and now that our city is revived again , and flourishes in perfect health and vigour , methinks i hear the god of heaven bespeak her , as our saviour did his recovered patient in the text , go thy way , and sin no more , lest a worse thing come unto thee . in which words you have , i. a caution , sin no more . ii. a twofold reason of it , . behold , thou art made whole . . lest a worse thing come unto thee . i. i begin with the first of these , sin no more . which words plainly imply that he had been a sinner heretofore ; and that because he had so , therefore he was reduced to that wretched impotent condition , that his disease was the punishment of his fault , and the product of his own wickedness : for otherwise he had no reason to take warning by it not to sin again ; if his former impotence had not been the effect of his sin , it could not have been urged as a proper argument to perswade him to a future reformation . in this therefore the strength of our saviour's caution lies , the impotence under which thou didst so lately languish , and of which i have now recovered thee , was inflicted on thee by god as a just retribution for thy wickedness ; and therefore , since thou art thus happily recovered , beware thou dost not sin again , lest thou provoke him by it to scourge thee more severely . so that the main design of this caution , is to convince us that those evils and calamities under which we suffer , are some way or other occasioned by our sin . and indeed if we impartially survey those numerous calamities which oppress the world , we shall find them generally reducible to one of these three heads . either ( . ) they are the natural effects of sin , or ( . ) the just retributions of it , or ( . ) the necessary antidotes against it . of each of these very briefly . ( . ) in the first place , many of those evils and calamities under which we suffer , are the natural effects of sin , and such it 's possible was the disease of which our saviour cured this impotent patient , even the natural effect either of his intemperance , wantonness , or immoderate passion , which are the natural causes of most of those diseases under which we languish . for either they are intailed upon us by our parents , who beget us usually in their own likeness ; and so having diseased themselves by their own debauches , derive to us their frail and crazy constitutions , and leave us heirs of the woful effects of their own intemperance and lasciviousness : for so we commonly find the stone and gout , consumption and catarrhs derived through many generations from the vices of one wicked progenitor , who to enjoy the pleasures of an intemperate draught , or the embraces of a rotten whore , doth many times entail a lingring torment upon his children , and his childrens children . others , again , owe their diseases to their own personal vices , and by abusing their bodies to satisfie their lusts , convert them into walking hospitals ; they suck in rheums and defluxions with their intemperate draughts , and change the pleasure of a sober and temperate life , for fevers and the uneasiness of debauches ; they swallow their surfeits in their gluttonous meals , and fill their veins with flat and sprightless humours , till by degrees they have turned their sickly bodies into mere statues of earth and phlegm . and in a word , they wast themselves in their insatiable wantonness , and sacrifice their strength to a beastly importunity , and many times contract those noisome diseases that make them putrifie alive , and even anticipate the uncleanness of the grave . and as our bodily diseases are generally the natural effects of our sin , so are most others of those calamities under which we groan . thus want and poverty are usually the effects either of our own sloth or prodigality , or else of the fraud and oppression of those we deal with : and wars and devastations the natural products either of the ambition or covetousness of those who are the aggressors . thus sin , you see , is the pandora's box , whence most of those swarms of miseries issue that sting and disturb the world ; and indeed , the god of nature , to deter men from sin , hath coupled misery to it so inseparably , that whilst he continues things in their natural course , we may as soon be men without being reasonable , as sinful men without being miserable . hence we find , that when he had tryed all the arts of discipline on the obstinate jews , and none were effectual , he at last consigns them to the dire correction of their own follies , ier. . thine own wickedness shall correct thee , and thy backsliding shall reprove thee . ( . ) again , secondly , many of those evils and calamities under which we suffer , are the just retributions of sin. for besides those numerous evils that are naturally appendant unto wicked actions , there are sundry others under which we suffer , that are the more immediate effects of the divine displeasure , and are inflicted on us by god as the condign punishments of our rebellions against him : and these are such as proceed not from any necessary causality in the sinful actions themselves , but are wholly owing to the providence of heaven , which either inflicts them immediately upon us , or else disposes second causes , contrary to their natural tendency , to come to the production of them ; such were the drowning of the world , the burning of sodom and gomorrha , the judgement of corah , dathan , and abiram , and sundry other such like mentioned in the scripture . and though in sundry of those judgements , which god inflicts upon sinful men , his hand doth not so visibly appear as it did in those ; yet sundry of them are impressed with such visible characters of the divine displeasure , that we have all the reason in the world to conclude them to be the immediate effects of it . as when we see some great and unexpected calamity befal a sinner in the very commission of a wicked action ; or when he is punished in kind , and the judgement inflicted on him bears an exact correspondence with his sin ; or when upon the commission of some notorious villany , some strange and extraordinary evil befals him : in these and such like cases , although it 's possible they may be the effects of some casual concurrence of second causes ; yet there being such plain indications of designed punishment in them , it would be very unreasonable to attribute them to a mere blind and undesigning chance . and therefore , although on the one hand it argues an uncharitable and superstitious mind to attribute every calamity of our brother to the righteous judgement and displeasure of god ; yet on the other hand , it 's no less an argument of a stupid wretchless soul , to attribute those evils to chance , on which there are such apparent symptoms of the divine displeasure . and though there is no doubt but many of those evil events that befal us do merely result from the established course and order of necessary causes ; yet there is no man that owns either a providence or the truth of scripture , but must readily acknowledge , that in this established course of things , god very often interposes , and for the rewarding of good and punishing of bad men , so varies the courses of these secondary causes , as to produce good and evil by them , contrary to their natural series and tendencies . for should he have limited himself to the laws of nature , and resolved to keep things on for ever in one fatal unvariable course of motion , he must have tyed up his hands from rewarding and punishing , which are the principal acts of his governing providence ; and consequently all his promises and threats of temporal blessings and judgments , must have been perfectly null and insignificant . this therefore must be acknowledged by all that have any sense of god and religion , that many of those evils under which we suffer , are the just judgments of god in retribution for our folly and wickedness . but i see i must hasten . ( . ) and lastly , many of those evils and calamities we indure , are inflicted as necessary antidotes against sin. for certainly , considering the degenerate state of humane nature , the perverseness and disingenuity of the generality of mankind , afflictions and calamities are as necessary to keep us within the bounds of sobriety , as chains and whips are to tame madmen : and should the great governour of the world still indulge to us our wills , and accommodate all events to our desires , we should grow so extravagantly insolent , that 't would be impossible to keep us within any bounds or compass ; and therefore , in charity to us , he is many times forced to cross us , and to inflict less evils on us , to prevent greater . he sees , that if he should gratifie our fond desires , 't would be a cruel kindness to us , and hurt us more than ever it would benefit us ; 't would damp our piety , or carnalize our spirits , swell our pride , or pamper our luxury , give such a loose to our extravagant passions , as would in the end render us far more miserable than the want of what we desire can do . and therefore , in mere pity to us , instead of giving us the good we ask for , he sometimes inflicts the contrary evil : and as physicians sometimes prick a vein in the arm to prevent the suffocation of the heart ; so god many times afflicts us to preserve us , diseases our bodies to antidote or cure our souls . so that though those evils which god inflicts upon us , are not always intended for punishments of our sin , but sometimes for preservatives against it : yet in this case as well as the other , 't is sin that is the cause of it ; 't is this that makes the evil necessary , and obliges god in mercy to inflict it upon us . he knows the sin will injure us much more than the evil he prescribes to prevent it ; and therefore being much more sollicitous for our safety than our ease , he chooses rather to make us smart , than to suffer us to perish . but if it were not for sin , which is the worst of diseases , he would have no need to antidote us with affliction ; nor doth he so much delight to grieve the children of men , as to afflict them for afflictions sake . so that were it not for our sin , either actual or in prospect , we may be sure , he would neither punish , nor afflict us . thus sin , you see , is the common cause of evil , the fruitful womb of all kinds of mischief ; for i doubt not but to one of these three heads most of the miseries of mankind may be reduced , that they are either the natural effects , the just punishments , or the necessary preservatives of sin. hence therefore let us learn under all our calamities to acknowledge our sins to be the cause of them , to trace up our evils to their fountain head , which we shall find is in our own bosoms . from hence spring all those wasting wars , those sweeping plagues , those devouring fires that make such devastations in the world ; from hence are laid those trains of wild fire that slaughter our friends , blow up our houses , and scatter so many ruines round about us . o! would to god we would once be sensible of it , that we would every one smite upon his own thigh , and cry out , lord , what have i done ? what sparks have i added to the common flame ? what guilts have i contributed towards the filling up the measure of england's iniquities ? but , alas ! hitherto we have generally taken a quite contrary course to this . when god's judgements are upon us , we confess that sin is the cause of them indeed , but not ours by any means : 't is the sin of the city , crys the country ; 't is the sin of the court , crys the city ; 't is the sin of this party , crys one ; 't is the sin of t'other party , crys another . thus the judgements of god are sent from tithing to tithing , and no body will own them , though they call us all fathers . well , sirs , we shall one day find , god grant it may not be too late first , that this is not the way to prevent the incursions of the divine judgements . if ever we mean to put a stop to god's indignation against us , we must every one lay our hands upon our own breasts , and lament his own sin , and acknowledge his own share in the general provocation , and promise and ingage our selves , that where-ever we have done amiss , we will do so no more : which , if we wilfully refuse to do , though at present we are made whole , yet we may certainly expect that a worse thing will come upon us . and this brings me from the caution to ii. the reasons of it , which , as i told you , are two : . thou art made whole . . lest a worse thing come unto thee . . i begin with the first , behold thou art made whole , therefore have a care thou sinnest no more : let the mercy i have shown thee in curing thee of thy disease , have this blessed effect upon thee , to reclaim thee from thy sins to a life of vertue and purity . so that the sense of this reason is this , that god's mercy to us in recovering us from past calamities , lays a great obligation upon us to reform and amend ; but particularly it lays upon us this threefold obligation , ( . ) the obligation of gratitude , ( . ) of justice , ( . ) and lastly , of self-interest . of each of these briefly . ( . ) god's mercy in restoring us from any past calamity , obliges us in gratitude to amend our lives . 't is doubtless one of the most palpable signs of a base profligate nature , not to be obliged by favours : 't would be an injury to a brute to call him ingrateful ; that odious epithete no being can deserve , but one that is degenerated into a devil , that has broke through all that is modest and ingenuous , that is tender and apprehensive in humane nature . but to sin on against the mercies of our deliverer , to take pleasure in provoking him , who took pity on us in our low estate , and snatched us from the brink of ruine , is doubtless the highest baseness and ingratitude : for whilst we persist in our sinful courses , under the obligations of his goodness , we render him the greatest evil for the greatest good , and retort his favours with the basest indignities . whilst he is shielding us with his careful providence , we smite him with the fist of wickedness ; and , like wretched vipers , sting and wound him , whilst he is cherishing us in his bosome . and is this a suitable answer , do we think , to the obligations he has laid upon us ? o ungrateful wretches that we are , do we thus requite the lord our god ? with what confidence can we pretend to any thing that is modest and ingenuous , while we thus persist to return the favours of our god with such insufferable affronts and indignities ? but then ( . ) secondly , god's mercy in restoring us from any past calamity , obliges us in justice to amend our lives ; for by restoring us , he acquires a new right to us . as he is the author of our beings , he hath an unalienable right and property in all the powers and faculties of our natures : but every time he restores us from an approaching ruine , he doth , as it were , create us a new , he gives us our lives and beings afresh , and thereby renews his title to us ; and so many times as he preserves us , so many lives and beings he giveth us : and consequently , so many additional rights and properties he acquires in us . and when he hath so many ways entitled himself to us , by creating , preserving , and restoring us , what monstrous injustice is it in us still to alienate our selves from him , and list those powers and faculties into the service of his enemies , that are his by so many titles ? o unjust that we are , thus to fight against god with his own weapons , and affront his authority with the effects of his bounty ! for by persisting in sin under his preservations , we do not only rob him of our selves , in whom he hath such an unalienable propriety , but also imploy our selves against him . we do not only purloin his goods , but convert them into instruments of rebellion against him , than which there is nothing can be more outragiously injurious . o wretched man , that very tongue with which thou blasphemest him , had e're this been silent for ever , had not he stretched out his hand and restored thee . those eyes , through which thou shootest the noisome fire-balls of thy lust , had been e're this clos'd up in endless darkness , had not he taken pity on thee , and snatched thee from the brinks of ruine . those members of thine , which thou imployest as instruments of unrighteousness against him , had now been rotting in a cold grave , had not his tender mercy preserved thee . and canst thou be such a barbarous wretch , as not only to deny him the use of what he gives , but even to injure him with his own gifts ? consider , i beseech you , how heinously he must needs resent such monstrous injustice and ingratitude . hear but how he complains in a parallel case , isa. . , . hear o heavens , and give ear o earth , for the lord hath spoken , i have brought up children , and they have rebelled against me . the oxe knows his owner , and the ass his masters crib , but israel doth not know , my people doth not consider . ah sinful nation , a people laden with iniquity . ( . ) thirdly and lastly , god's mercy in restoring us from past calamities obliges us in self-interest to reform and amend . for if we do not answer the end of god's deliverances , they will prove curses instead of benefits to us ; and what he intended for a favour , will convert into an aggravation of our sin and punishment . the great end why god delivered us , was to win us by his goodness to forsake our sins , and give us space to repent of them : for so the apostle tells us , that the goodness and long-suffering of god leads us to repentance , in rom. . . but if it doth not lead us thither , it will leave us in a far worse condition than it found us ; i. e. 't will leave us loaded with much heavier guilt , and bound over to much sorer punishment . for he that sins on under his preservations , is only preserved to treasure up wrath against the day of wrath , and to prepare more fuel for his future flames . so that , if he still persist in his wickedness , it had been much better for him that god had let him alone to perish under his affliction . for then he had past more innocent into the other world , and suffered there a much cooler damnation : whereas now , whenever his wretched ghost departs into eternity , it will go attended with a louder cry of guilts , with the cry of so many more wronged mercies and abused preservations ; which will most fearfully inhance her accounts , and inflame the reckoning of her torments : so that when she comes into the other world among those miserable spirits , that were snatched away in the common calamities from whence she was rescued and preserved , she will find her self plunged into a condition so much more intolerable , that she will wish a thousand times she had been snatched away with them , that so she might never have had the opportunity to contract those guilts that are the woful causes of it . wherefore , as we would not make the mercies of god the causes of our misery , and turn our preservations into judgments ; we are highly obliged upon every recovery from past judgments and calamities , to reform and amend our lives . and now what remains , but that we seriously consider with our selves how much we are concerned in this argument . we of this generation are a people whom god hath exercised with wondrous judgments and deliverances . we have many of us lived to see the bowels of our native country ripped up by an unnatural war , the righteous cause of the prince and father of our country oppressed by prosperous villany ; his innocent blood , our laws and liberties and religion sacrificed to the lust of rebels and usurpers . and when we had long suffered the consequent miseries and confusions , our merciful god took pity upon us , and after a long exile , and without the charge and smart of war and bloudshed , restored to us again the lawful heir and successor of our crown , and , with him , our liberties and religion . this , one would have thought , was enough to oblige a people of any ingenuity , and to indear to us for ever the author of such a miraculous mercy . but when instead of being reclaimed by his goodness we grew worse and worse , his anger was kindled again against us , and in his sore displeasure he breathed forth a destroying pestilence upon us , that in a few months swept our streets , unpeopled our houses , and turned our towns and cities into golgotha's . but in the midst of so many deaths we were preserved , and under the shield of that providence were kept in safety , when ten thousand arrows flew about our ears . and could we possibly resist the powerful charms of such an indearing , such a distinguishing kindness ? alas ! yes , we could , and did , and were so far from being conquered by it , that we grew more obstinate and rebellious . this incensed him against us anew , and with fire-brands in its hands his vengeance came and kindled our houses into a devouring flame , that with wondrous fury did spread and inlarge it self from house to house , and from street to street , till it had laid this famous metropolis of our nation in a heap of ruines . but yet in the midst of judgment , god remembred mercy ; and when the unruly element had baffled all our arts , and triumphed over all our resistance , god put a bridle unto his mouth , and stopped him in his full cariere : by which means a great part of us were preserved , and snatched as fire-brands out of the flame . and though many of us saw our houses and estates buried in the ruines it made ; yet we have lived to see , and that within a few years , the consumed phoenix rise out of her ashes in greater glory and lustre than ever . and now what have we rendred to the lord for all these mercies and signal preservations ? o ungrateful that we are ! we have turned his mercies into wantonness , and fought against him with his own favours : we have spent those lives which he hath preserved to us , in grieving , provoking and dishonouring him : we have turned those houses he hath restored to us , into open stages of pride and luxury : we have consumed those estates which he hath repaired , in supplying our manifold rebellions against him . thus with his own mercies we have waged war with him . what then can we expect , but that he should disarm us of those mercies which we have so foully mis-imployed , and thunder his judgments upon us to avenge our abuse of them ? for if he cannot melt our obstinacy with the fire of mercy ; 't is fit he should attempt to break it with the hammer of judgment : and if when he hath tryed lighter judgments , they will not do ; 't is fit he should second them with greater and heavier . which brings me , . to the second reason of the caution in the text , lest a worse thing come upon thee . i. e. beware thou dost not continue stubborn under thy past corrections , lest thou thereby provoke thy angry god to lay his hand yet heavier upon thee , and to scourge thee with scorpions instead of rods. for it is the usual method of the divine providence , when lesser judgments prove ineffectual , to second and inforce them with greater . thus he threatens to deal with israel , levit. . , , . and if ye walk contrary to me , and will not hearken unto me , i will bring seven times more plagues upon you , according to your sins . and if yet ye will not be reformed by these things , but walk contrary to me , then will i walk contrary to you , and will punish ye yet seven times more for your sins . and just as he threatened , so it came to pass : for as they continued obstinate under god's judgments ; so he continued to plague them sorer and sorer , till at last perceiving their disease to be incurable , he cut 'em off , and utterly destroyed them . and in this method of punishing sinners gradually with sharper and sharper strokes , when they continue obstinate under correction , there is a great deal of reason and wisdom . for ( . ) their obstinacy swells and inhances their guilt . ( . ) it renders severe punishments necessary . and ( . ) those severer punishments render their final destruction more inexcusable . of each of these briefly . ( . ) god punishes men with heavier , when they continue obstinate under lighter judgments ; because their obstinacy is a greater aggravation of their guilt . for though our reason indeed tells us , that sin is the greatest and most dangerous evil in the world ; yet reason and argument hath not comparably that force to perswade men , as their own sense and experience hath : and they will be much sooner perswaded of the reality of any evil , by feeling the smart of it , than by a thousand dry arguments against it . and therefore though it be a great aggravation of our guilt , to sin against the clear convictions of our reason ; yet 't is a much greater , to sin against the sharp and dolorous perceptions of our own sense and experience . but now , while the judgments of god are upon men , they feel the dire effects of their sin ; and therefore if notwithstanding this , they still persist in it , they sin against their sense , as well as their reason : which is , in effect , a plain defiance of god , and a daring him to do his worst with us . for this in effect is the sense and interpretation of our obstinacy : o god , i know thou art angry with my sins , by the dire effects i now feel and experience ; but be it known to thee , i despise thy vengeance , and am resolved to sin on bravely in despight of all the judgments thou canst arm against me . and what greater aggravation of sin can there be , than to repeat it with such a blasphemous contempt of the most high ? he is a daring thief , we say , that will venture to rob within sight of the gallows ; and he is as insolent a sinner , that dares sin on in the face of judgment . it was look'd upon as a monstrous piece of contumacy in the jews , that when god had only forewarned them by the prophet , behold , i frame evil against you , and devise a device against you ; return ye now therefore every one from his evil way : they returned this arrogant answer , there is no hope , but we will walk every one after his own devices , and we will do every one the imagination of his evil heart , jer. . , . but how much more arrogant would it have been , had the judgment which was only devising against them been actually executed upon them ! such an answer then had been a plain declaration , that they were finally resolved to stand it out against god to the last , and to take no quarter at his hands , though they perished for ever in their rebellions . and when mens guilts are thus inhanced , 't is fit their punishment should be proportionable : for otherwise they would be lookt upon as things that happen to men without any providential disposal . but now , by regularly proportioning the evils of suffering to the evils of sin , and coupling lesser evils with lesser guilts , and greater with greater , and so equally balancing and adjusting the punishment to the fault ; god makes his arm bare to us , and gives us a plain demonstration , that the evils we suffer are the rods of his just displeasure . ( . ) god punishes men with heavier , when they continue obstinate under lighter judgements , because their obstinacy renders heavier judgments necessary . for punishments being designed by god for our cure and recovery , it 's necessary they should be proportioned to the degree and strength of our disease ; and consequently , when the disease of our sin is grown stronger and more malignant , the remedy of our punishment should be made sharper and more operative . for when men are grown inveterately wicked , to attempt their reformation with smaller judgements , is to batter a wall of marble with a pot-gun . such obstinate rebels must be stormed with the loudest artillery of heaven , before they will listen to a surrender . an anvil will as soon yield to the fillip of our finger , as a hardened sinner relent under soft and gentle corrections . he must be alarm'd with some rousing judgment , and lash'd till he bleeds again under the rods of the almighty , or in all probability he will be undone for ever . his disease is inveterate , and not to be removed but by the strongest catharticks ; and therefore to prescribe him a course of gentle physick , would be to try experiments upon him , and vex and disturb him to no purpose . god therefore , to cure the folly and obstinacy of sinners , is many times fain to treat them with rigour and severity , when he finds the mild and gentle methods of his providence defeated by them . but first usually he tries the softer and more grateful remedies , being unwilling to grieve and afflict his creatures , when there is any other way to recover them . but when softer will not do , 't is mercy in him to apply severer ; and his last most commonly are the severest , these being the causticks , as it were , which he is fain to apply to our lethargick souls , when no other means will awake and recover us . ( . ) and lastly , god punishes men with heavier , when they continue obstinate under lighter judgments , to render their final destruction more inexcusable if they won't be reclaimed . for when god's threats will not awake men , he usually sends forth his smaller judgments ; which , like the van-couriers of an army , are to begin the skirmish , before he falls on with his main body to ruine and destroy them . which method he observes , out of great pity to his sinful creatures , whom he always threatens before he strikes , and always strikes before he destroys , that so he may give them timely and effectual warning to arm themselves by repentance , to prevent their destruction : and accordingly the first judgment he lets off , he designs for a warning piece , to give notice of a second , and the second of a third , and all of that ruining and exterminating judgment which brings up the rear , and is to conclude the tragedy . so that his foregoing judgments do still give notice of the following , and these of the succeeding , and all of that final destruction in the war which closely pursues , and , unless we repent , will at last overtake us . and when our designed destruction approaches us step by step , and every succeeding judgment brings it nearer and nearer to us , so that we plainly see it coming on when 't is yet at a distance from us , and yet will not stand out of its way , but desperately meet , dare and defie it ; how can we charge god with being either unjust or unkind to us , who hath taken such an effectual course to warn us of , and retrieve us from it ? when he thus punish'd us more and more , as our sin grew greater and greater , this , one would have thought , might have been sufficient to terrifie us from our sins ; which , we plainly saw , were bringing such mischiefs upon us , and to forewarn us of that gloomy and fatal issue that attended them . by all which , god doth abundantly manifest how extremely unwilling he is to destroy us . but if after all , we will force him to it , men and angels must confess , that he hath been infinitely just and good to us , and that the guilt of our blood lies upon our own heads . and now if this be true , that when lesser judgments will not reclaim men , god's usual method is to second them with greater ; how much reason have we of this nation to expect and dread a succession of greater judgments than those we have hitherto felt ; considering how much we have degenerated under our past corrections , and all along hardened our selves under the strokes of the almighty ? i do not love to abode ill things ; and did not our own sins prognosticate more mischief to us than any of those suspected appearances that fill our heads with so many fears and jealousies , i could easily secure my mind of the continuance of our happiness under far more threatning apprehensions . but , alas ! when i consider how obstinately we have persisted in our sinful ways , in defiance both of the mercies and judgments of heaven ; how , notwithstanding the advantage we have had of being better , as having been baptized into the best church , and educated in the purest religion in the world : a religion that advances no temporal design , no invention to enrich or aggrandize its priests ; that hath no other aim or project but only that blessed one of making men good here , and happy hereafter ; that hath no arts of compremize between mens lusts and consciences , no devices to supersede the eternal obligations of piety and vertue , but binds 'em fast upon our consciences by all that we can hope or fear . when , i say , notwithstanding we have had this advantage of being good , by being instituted in such a religion as this , i consider how we have grown worse and worse , as if we had resolved to give the world an experiment how bad it 's possible for men to be under the most effectual means of being good ; i cannot but be fearful and jealous , that our multiplying our guilts will at length provoke god to multiply his judgments upon us . and o would to god , that for this reason we would all be jealous , that we would ground our fears upon our sins , and incorrigibleness under the past judgments of god! then they would produce in us far different effects from what they have hitherto done ; then , instead of firing us with discontent against our governours , and exciting us to faction , sedition and clamour , they would turn all our animosities against our own wicked lives ; which are the causes of all the evils that we feel or fear : then would our fears and jealousies improve into piety towards god , loyalty towards our prince , and charity and justice towards one another , and render us constant to the profession , and faithful as to the practice of our holy religion . which blessed effects could they once produce , then farewel to all causes of fears and jealousies ; then our god would soon disperse all the clouds that hang over us , with the light of his countenance , and render us a glorious , a happy and a prosperous people , and crown us with everlasting glory and happiness hereafter . finis . books written by the reverend doctor scott , and printed for w. kettilby , and t. horne . the christian life , part i. from its beginning to its consummation in glory . with directions for private devotions , and forms of prayer fitted to the several states of christians . the christian life , part ii. wherein the fundamental principles of christian duty are assigned , explained and proved . vol. i. the christian life , part ii. wherein that fundamental principle of christian duty , the doctrine of our saviour's mediation , is explained and proved . vol. ii. a sermon preached before the right honourable the lord mayor , &c. decemb. . . on proverbs xxiv . . a sermon preached before the right honourable the lord mayor , &c. iuly . . being the day of thanksgiving for his majesty's victory over the rebels ; on. sam. xviii . . a sermon preached at the assizes held at chelmsford in the county of essex , aug. . . on rom. xiii . . a sermon preached before the right honourable the lord mayor , &c. sept. . . being the anniversary fast for the dreadful fire in the year . on iohn v. . man become guilty, or, the corrruption of nature by sinne, according to st. augustines sense written originally in french by iohn-francis senault ; and put into english by ... henry, earle of monmouth. homme criminel. english senault, jean-françois, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing s estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) man become guilty, or, the corrruption of nature by sinne, according to st. augustines sense written originally in french by iohn-francis senault ; and put into english by ... henry, earle of monmouth. homme criminel. english senault, jean-françois, - . monmouth, henry carey, earl of, - . [ ], , [ ] p. : port. printed for william leake ..., london : . translation of: l'homme criminel. errata: p. [ ] at end. advertisement: p. [ ] at end. reproduction of original in british library. marginal notes in latin. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng augustine, -- saint, bishop of hippo. sin -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - mona logarbo sampled and proofread - mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion henricus dom cary ; baro de leppingtō ; com de monmovth effigy prae nob ord baln eqves . w. marshall fecit . man become guilty , or the corruption of natvre by sinne , according to st. augustines sense . written originally in french , by iohn-francis senault . and put into english by the right honble henry earle of monmouth . london , printed for william leake , and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the crown in fleetstreet , betwixt the two temple gates , . to the right honovrable , frances , countesse of rutland , wife to iohn earle of rutland . madam , give me leave , i beseech you , to present you with this copy of a master-piece , drawn in its originall by as rare a hand as i have met withall ; the which i am the rather encouraged to doe , for that i have experienced your goodnesse to be such , as may make me presume upon your pardoning such faults as your iudicious eye shall observe therein , especially since they are committed by so profest and so obliged a servant of your ladiships : and further , for that all that have the honor to know you , know you to have piety enough to practice what is therein prescribed as allowed of , and to shun the contrary ( both which you will finde rarely drawn to the life by the authour , though perhaps but slubberd over by the copyer , in almost every chapter of this book ) loyaltie enough not to transgresse the boundaries therein praescribed to due allegeance , and to detest the severall revolts you shall finde mentioned therein ; iudgement enough to discern , and i hope to approve of the eloquence , philosophy , history , and divinity , which you shall see therein handsomely and methodically interwoven : to which if you will adde charity enough ( a vertue so eminent in your ladiship , as it is not to be doubted of ) to pardon the faults escaped in the presse , i shall thread it to the rest of my obligations ; since though they cannot in a direct line be imputed to me , yet by reflection ( as not having had a sufficient care to peruse the proofes ) they may seem to have an influence upon me ; to which i must plead , my not being in town whilest the presse went , and that i have made an amends by printing an errata , which i shall desire whosoever buyes this book , to see bound up with it for his better satisfaction . madam , when to this goodnes , piety , loyalty , iudgement and charity , the honour shall be added which you derive from that noble stock whence you are immediately descended , and that which you atcheive from that antient stock of honour into which you are so happily engrafted , i hope that my choise of dedication will by all men be approved of : and i shall think my labour very well bestowed and highly recompenced , if your ladiship shall please to peruse this rough-hewn coppy at such leasure-houres as i pend it ; and if you shall find anything therein which may make you thinke your time that meane while not mis-spent ; or which may sometimes bring the humblest of your servants into your thoughts , he shall have obtained the height of his ambition , who is , madam whatsoever your ladiship shall please to create him , monmouth . the authours preface . pride hath made so powerfull an impression in the soule of man , as that all the paines he suffers are not able to efface it . he is proud amidst his misfortunes ; and though he have lost all those advantages which caused vaine-glory in him , yet ceaseth he not to be vaine-glorious amidst his miseries . he is still flattered in his exile with those promises which the devill made him in paradise : though he be slave to as many masters as he hath passions , yet he aspires to the worlds soveraignty ; though his doubts doe sufficiently prove his ignorance , yet doth he pretend to the knowledge of good and evill ; and though all the sicknesses which assaile him , teach him that he is mortall , yet doth he promise to himselfe immortality . but , that which is more insupportable , and which renders his fault more insolent , is ; that he hopes to arrive at all this happinesse by his owne strength : he thinks nothing impossible to a creaure that is free and rationall , that his good depends upon his will ; and that without any other help then what he drawes from nature , he may acquit himselfe of his losses , and recover his innocence . this errour being the outmost of all our evils , religion labours only how to dis-abuse us therein , and all her commandements and advices tend only to make us sensible of our misfortune . the sacrifices teach us that we have deserved death ; the law teacheth us that we are blind , and the difficulty we find in keeping it doth prove our want of power . grace doth yet more strongly insinuate this truth unto us ; sh : u●dertakes not to cure us , till she hath perswaded us that we are sick ; and the first thing which she makes us acknowledge , is our ignorance and weaknesse . nature , as proud as she is , agrees in this point with grace : her disorders are so many instructions , which will not suffer us to doubt of our miseries ; the vnfaithfulnesse of our senses , our passions revolt , and the fighting of those elements which environ us , and whereof we are composed , are proofes which will convince the most opinionated . it must also be confest , that the wisest philosophers have acknowledged that there was a hidden cause of all these disorders ; and being prest by their consciences , they have confest , that since nature deales more hardly with vs than with her other children , some secret fault must of necessity have been , which hath incensed her against us . the platonists imagined , that our soules were infused in o our bodies , only to expiate those sins on earth , which they had committed in heaven ; the academicks did not differ much from their opinion , and though in their complaints they did sometime lose that respect which they ought to god yet did they confesse , that our faults did precede our miseries , and that the heavens were too iust to pun●h the innocent . only the stoicks , whose whole philosophy is enlivened with vain-glory , did beleeve that if man were irregular , 't was only because he would be so ; and that as his liberty had been the sole cause of his mischiefe , it m●ght also be the sole remedy thereof : they imagined , that if he would take nature and reason for his guides , he might get againe into the path of vertue , from whence he had strayed , and that in so good a schoole , he might easily reforme his disorders and recover his innocence . peligianisme may be said to have had its originall ris● with this proud sect , and that diverse ages before pelagius his birth , zeno and ●eneca had tane upon them the defence of corrupted nature ; for they allotted all her disorders to mans constitution and education ; no● knowing any other sinnes save such as be meerly voluntary , they were ignorant of that sinne which we inhe● from our ancestors , and which preceding our birth , makes us crimin●ll ere we be rationall : they taught precepts to shun sin , h●y framed a method to acquire vertue , and proposing no other helps to their disciples then reason and liberty , they upheld them in their vain glory , and did not assist them in their weaknesse . these two idols seemed powerfull enough to overcome all their enemies , and not knowing that reason was blind , and liberty a captive , they impudently affirmed that there were no inclinations so bad , nor habits so obstinate , as might not be overcome by this weak assistance ; they boasted that their felicity depended upon their owne proper power , that they might be happy in despight of heaven , and that though their happinesse were not of so long durance , yet was it of the same tranquillity as that of god. amongst so many impieties and blasphemies which pride extorted from out their mouthes , they 〈◊〉 not sometime to betray their owne cause , and publquely to acknowledge their owne misery : for nature , which cannot lye long , made them find her disorders , and forced them to confesse , that faults were learnt without teachers , that we are borne out of order , and that wee have much stronger inclinations to vice then to vertue . their sect was borne down when the pelagians raised up their heresie upon its ruines , and when undertaking to defend corrupted nature they declared warre against the grace of iesus christ ; they made all our disorders to passe for natural effects , they laught at originall sin and maintained that man had no other off●nces then what he committed by his own proper will : they thought all our bad inclinat●ons sufficiently recompenced by liberty , and confiding strangely in their owne strength , they would not be beholden to grace , to withstand vice , nor to defend vertue . though st. austin by his learning and humility hath triumphed over this proud and learned heresie , yet hath it out-lived that defeat , and found partakers after his death : we run into the errours thereof at unawares , we speak the language of the pelagians , not having their beliefe ; and attributing more to liberty , or free-will , then to grace , we will be our selves , the authors of our salvation . to remedy this evill , which appears , much more in our actions then in our words , i thought it became me to represent the deplorable condition whereinto sinne had reduced nature ; and to make it evident in this worke , that there is no faculty of our soules , nor part of our bodies , which is not out of order . the profit will not be small , if we can tell how to husband it well : for to b●ot that our misery will cause confusion in us by reason of our sinne , and make us abborre it , 't will lessen the haughty confidence which we have in our free-will , and make us acknowledge the need we have to be assisted by crace : the being sensible of our malady , will be a disposition to our cure , and the weight of our irons may serve to heighten our saviours merits . the high opinion we have of our owne strength , is injurious to his glory , and those good inclinations of nature , which we call seeds of vertue , doe not seem to lessen adams sin , save so farre as to set a greater value upon the grace of iesus christ : but the perfect knowledge of our misery , cannot but produce good eff●cts : and when we shall be fully perswaded that we can doe nothing that is pleasing to god ; without his son's help , we will endeavour to obtain that assistance by our prayers , and to procure it by our teares . following this designe , i shall then make it appeare , that there is an originall sinne , which is the fruitfull spring-head of all our misfortunes , and penetrating to within the soule of man , i will shew that her principall faculties retaine no longer their first purity , nor their anc●ent vigour , and that all the vertues which are the workmanship thereof , are accompanied with so many def●cts , as that they doe not deserve the glorious name which they beare . from thence i shall descend to mans body , the constitution and miseries whereof i will examine . then , quitting man , i shall consider all the obiects which doe environ him , and which may cause love or hatred in him . and concluding finally by the disorders which are in the world , i will shew that the parts wherof it is composed , have been out of order , only since sinne : i 'le prove that deluges and devastations by fire , are punishments which divine iustice hath invented to punish guilty man withall ; and will make it clearly appeare , as i hope , that there were no monsters nor poysons in the state of innocency . i have in all this my worke endeavour'd to mingle eloquence with doctrine ; and knowing that i was to be accountable t● all the world , i have sometimes suffer'd my thoughts to flie a lower pitch , that they might be the more intelligible : i have been of opinion that descriptions did not injure argumentations , and in writing like a christian philosopher , i might b● permitt●ed to play the oratour . if any man shall thinke me too copious , i am of his opinion ; but to boot that this fault wants neither example nor excuse ; i have striven to use no manner of enlargement , but what would bring with it some new light to the vnderstanding , and which might serve for ornament to the truth , if not for her defence . a table of the severall treaties and discourses handled in this book . the first treatise . of originall sin , and the effects thereof . discourse . that faith acknowledgeth originall sin : that nature hath a feeling thereof , and that philosophy suspects it . page what the state of man was before sin . p of what kind the first sin which adam committed was . p. how adam sin did communicate it selfe to those that are descended from him . p. of the nature of concupiscence . p. the pursute of the same subject , and divers descriptions of concupiscence . p. that selfe-love is nothing else but concupiscence . p. that concupiscence , or selfe-love , divides it selfe into the love of pleasure , of honour , and of knowledge . p. wherefore concupiscence remaines i● man after baptisme . p. that gods iustice hath permitted that man should be divided within himselfe , for the pun●shment of his sin . p. the second treatise . of the corruption of the soule by sin. discourse . of the souls excellenc● , and of the miseries which she hath contracted by sin . p. that the sonle is become a slave unto the body by reason of sin . p. of the weaknesse which humane understanding hath contracted by sinne . p. that there is no error into which human understanding hath not plunged it selfe since the state of sin . p. that reason in man is become blinde , and a slave since sin p. that memory hath lost her vigor by the meanes of sin , and that she agrees not very well with iudgement . p. that concupiscence is neither a good iudge nor faithfull witnesse since sin . p. of the unrulinesse of the will and of its inclination to evill . p. that the will , to be able to doe good , must be set free from the servitude of sin by the grace of iesus christ. p. that evill habits bereave the will of her liberty , by ingaging her in evill . p. the third treatise . of the corruption of the vertues . discourse . apaneggrick of morall vertue . p. that morall vertue hath her faults . p. that vain glory is the soule of the vertue of infidels . p that the vertue of infidels cannot be true . p that wisdome without grace , is blinde , weak , and malignant . p. that there is no true temperance nor iustice amongst the pagans . p. that the fortitude of the pagans is but weaknes or vanity . p. that friendship without grace is alwayes interested . p. that the uncertainty and obscurity of knowledge derives from si●ne . p. ● that eloquence is an enemy to reason , truth , and religion . p , ● the fourth treatise . of the corruption of mans body by sin . discourse . of the excellencies of mans body . p. of the miseries of the body in generall . p. of the infidelity of the senses p. that the passions are fickle , or wilde . p. that the health of man is prejudiced by sicknesse . p. 〈◊〉 the bodies beauty is become perishable and criminall . p. that the life of man is short and miserable . p. that death is the punishment of sin . p. what advantages we may draw from death by meanes of grace . p. that sleep is a punishment of sin , as well as the image of death ; and that it bereaves us of reason , as dreames doe of rest. p. the fifth treatise . of the corruption of all exterior goods , called by the name of fortune discourse . that we must feare what we desire , and desire what we feare , p. that honour is no longer the rec●mpence of vertue . p. that greatnesse i● attended by slave●y and vanity . p. that the birth and cruelty of wa●re derives from sin . p. that riches render m●n poore and sinfull . p. that since the losse of innocency poverty is glorious . p. that aparrell is a mark of sin . p. that the shame which 〈◊〉 nakednesse , is a punishment for our offence . p. that build●ngs are the work of necessity , pleasure , or vain . glory . that the greatest part of our pas●mes are occasions of sin . p. ● the sixth and last treatise . of the corruption of all creatures . discourse . of the beauty , greatnesse , and duration of the world . p. that all creatures have lost some of their perfections . p. that the sunne hath lost much of his light and vertue through sin . p. that there is no creature which men have not adored . p. that all creatures do either tempt or persecute man. p. that it is more secure to sequester a mans self from the creatures , than to make use of them . p. that deluges and earth-quakes are the punishments of the world become corrupted . p. that thunder , plagues and tempests , are the effects of sin . p. that monsters and poysons are the workmanship of sin p. that god will consume the world corrupted by sin , that he may make a new world . p. of the corruption of nature by sinne : the first treatise : of originall sin , and the effects thereof . the first discourse . that faith acknowledgeth originall sin : that nature hath a feeling thereof : and that phylosophie suspects it . though mans misery witnesse his sin , and that to believe he is guilty , sufficeth to prove his misery ; yet is there no one truth in christian religion , more strongly withstood by prophanephylosophers then is this ; shee cannot allow of a chastisement which punisheth the father in his children , neither can shee conceive a sin which precedes our reason as well as our birth ; shee appeals from so rigorous a decree , and thinks to defend gods cause in pleading ours : shee attributes all our disorders to our constitution , she imputes our errours to our education , and the greatest part of our irregularities to the bad employing of our time : she a opposeth experience by arguing , and what ever misery shee makes tryall of shee will not acknowledge the cause ; shee thinks a man may herein defend himselfe by reason , and that there being no sin which is naturall , neither is there any which may not be amended by will alone : shee makes use of the examples of socrates , aristides , and cato : shee opposeth these sages to our saints , and pretends that the works of nature yield not to those of grace : briefly , shee corrupteth the purity of our beliefe by the subtilty of her reasoning ; and whereas christians ought to convert all phylosophers , some christians are perverted by phylosophers . we confesse originall sinne because we dare not deny it ; we avow that it hath bereft us of grace , but assure our selves that it hath left us an entire liberty ; we confesse it hath robb'd us of our innocencie , but maintain that we may recover our innocencie by the means of reason , and that if we cannot merit heaven , we may at least secure our selves from hell : we admire the famous actions of infidels ; our eyes are dazl'd with the lustre they receive from the writings of phylosophers ; we side , at unawares , with nature against grace , and through an inconsiderate zeale : we will have their delusive vertues rewarded with a true happinesse . yet notwithstanding to believe original sin , is one of the prime articles of our faith ; if adam were not guilty ; jesus christ was not necessary ; and if humane nature be yet in her first purity , it 's in vain that we seek a saviour : hence b it is that the great apostle of the gentiles doth so often in his epistles oppose sin to grace ; servitude to freedome ; and adam to jesus christ ; he is pleased to represent unto us the disorders of nature , to make us admire the effects of grace , and he glories in his infirmities , the more to heighthen the advantages of redemptiō , he teacheth us that we are conceived in sin , and that at our first enterance into the world we are the objects of gods wrath . he shews us that adams sin is shed abroad throughout mankind , that his malady is become a contagion , and that all the children that do descend from this unfortunate father are criminall , and miserable . the prophets agree with the apostles , and this truth is not much less evident in the old testament then in the new. the most patient & most afflicted of al men cōplaines of the misfortunes of his birth , and makes such just imprecations against the moment wherin he was conceived , as we may easily conceive , he thought it not void of fault . david c confesseth he was conceived in sin , and that though he were born in lawfull matrimony , his birth ceaseth not to be shamefully sinfull . the church confirmes this truth unto us , by as many paradoxes , as the instructions are , which she giveth us . and knowing that her words serves for laws unto her children , she is pleased to tell us , that adam's sin is ours , that the miseries which we undergoe , are the punishments of his disobedience , that divine justice hath condemned us in him : that our misfortune and his sinne did precede our birth , and that contrary to all the laws of morality , we be guilty before we are reasonable . faith perswades us to these truths , and without troubling our selves to seek proofs to strengthen them , we in all humility believe what we cannot evidently know ; but because phylosophy is a rebel to faith , and that she is more swayd by reason , then by the authority of the church , i will convince her by reason , and make her confess , that we could not be irregular , if we were not guilty . all phylosophers confess , d that man is composed of a body & soul , and that when divine providence did first forme him , she mingled beast with angell , and that she gathered heaven and earth together to finish her noblest piece of workmanship . if passion have not prevail'd over reason in these great men , they must confess that when god did this his chiefest work , he did so well accord the two parts which went to the composition thereof , as that the body obey'd the soul , & the angell comanded over the beast . they must acknowledge that god observ'd the same order in the composing of man , as he did in the making of the world , and that as he submitted the earth to the influences of the heavens , he did likewise assubject passion to reason , and the appetite to the will. and since they observe this decent order to be no longer kept , they ought necessarily to infer , that sin is the cause thereof , and that man hath lost these advantages only because he hath not preserved his innocency . for what likelyhood is there , that two parts joyned together , should not indure one another , that they should mutually love and hate each other , that the flesh should wage war with the soul , which gives it life , and that the soule should complain of the others insolency , which serves her as an officer or abetter , e whence is it that our inclinations are out of order , before we have acquired any bad habits , that our faults precede evill examples , that we know what evill is , not having learned it , and that the soul follows the inclinations of her body , before she hath tasted the delights thereof : whence is it , that sin is naturall to us , that in us it preceeds the use of reason , that notwithstanding all its deformities , it becomes pleasing , and that vertue with all her comlinesse seem austere unto us . certainly , he who shall conceive aright , the reason thereof , will be obliged either to blame divine providence , or els to condemne the sinfulness of the first man , who losing originall justice , deprived all his children thereof , and who making us inherit his disorders , made us criminall , before rationall . the morall vertues , which phylosophers boast so much off , doe authorize the beleife of originall sin . for though they perswade themselves , that man by the assistance thereof may overcome sin ; and that god did not compose him of two rebellious parts , save only to increase his merit , and to leave unto him the glory of finishing it ; yet the use of vertue doth sufficiently prove his irregularity , and it is sufficient to acknowledge that he was born guilty , since we know he is obliged to become vertuous . for vertue is not a production of nature , but an invention of art , she is not infused , but acquired , and the pains she causeth , fully equall the pleasures which she promiseth . she presupposeth that man is out of order , since she hath a design to reforme him , and that he is sick since she endeavours to cure him . all her exercises are so many combats , all her enemies are born in the very place where she sets upon them , and the industry she is forced to make use off to drive them thence , doth sufficiently witness that they govern there before her ; in effect man is weak , before he hath acquired fortitude , he is foolish before wise , and ere temperate , unchast , his vertues are proofs of his vices , his last victories are signes of his former defeats , and the succour which he is enforced to seek for , from without himselfe , is a witness of his disorder and weakness . this it was that made f st : augustine say , that continency is as well a witness as an enemy of concupiscence , & that althose glorious habits which fight against our sins do manifest them . if vertue make us suspect our misery , the creatures revolt makes us know our sinfulness ; and he who shall consider that man is in the world , as in an enemies country , will have no great difficulty to judge that he is criminall . reason unasisted by faith is sufficient to make us comprehend that man is the image of god ; 〈◊〉 that he is his lieutenant upon earth , that all creatures owe him homage , and that he ought to reigne in the world : either as a visible angell , or as a mortall god. the place he beares in the universe challengeth this advantage ; and reason which raiseth him above beasts , gives him the sovereignty over them , since all things are made for his use , all must be submitted to his will. and since he must reign with god in heaven , he must begin to reign for him upon the earth ; this notwithstanding all creatures make war upon him , they deal with him , rather as with a tyrant , then lawfull sovereign : they obey him not , but by force , and it is easie to be seen , that having lost the right that he had over them , he cōands them , now , only by violence , if he draw any service from beasts , it s after having been either their slave , or their tyrant . if h the earth be fruitfull , it s after having been watered with his sweat , and rent in peeces by the plough ; if the sea bear his vessels t is not without threatning them with shipwrack . if aire contribute to his respiration , it suffers also corruptions , whereby to forme contagions , and sicknesses ; if the winde fils his sails , it also raiseth tempests , and drownes his vessels , if fire serve him in all his arts , it mingles it self with thunder , and taketh revenge for all the injuries it hath received from him . this generall insurrection is a token and punishment of his offence , had he preserved his integrity he had never lost his authority , and had he not falne from his innocency he had never forgon his throne . phylosophy as haughty as she is , cannot deny but that man is the prey of wild beasts , and the victime of their fury , that he is exposed to the rigour of the aire , and to the unseasonableness of the weather , she must confess that he hath no subject which is not rebellious , that there is no place within his territories which is not his enemy , and there is no part of his body which is not either disobedient or unfaithfull to him , whence proceeds this disorder , if not from his sin whence proceeds so universall a rebellion , if not from his disobedience , and why should he have lost his authority in the world , if he had not lost his innocency , which was the foundation thereof , i very well know that phylosophers who knew not the state of sin , endeavour to excuse this insurrection , alledging it is naturall , but who sees not the excusing of man , is to blame god , and that to leave innocency , to the creature , is to bereave god of his providence : the elements began not to prosecute man , till he became criminall , and god is so good and just as he would not have made him subject to these sufferings , had he not found him guilty . his sovereignty never gives against his justice , he makes such moderate use of his power as he never injures his providence , what ever power he may justly challenge over the creature , he condemns it not till it hath offended , who will not then term this unruliness of the seasons a punishment , who will not esteem the earths sterility , the like , who will not believe but that the pestilences and earth-quakes , deluges and punishments by fire , are the just rewards of sin , more ancient then all these disorders ; we must also avow that the wisest phylosophers have acknowledged that there was one cause of all these disorders , and though they neither knew the wickednesse nor the name thereof , they have known it by its effects . aristotle k who may be termed the genius of nature , who loved her so passionately , took such pains to study her and so carefully considered her , hath guest at the cause of all the disorders which he observed in her workmanship ; he wonders that man cannot tame his passions ; that being victorious every where else he is conquered by himself , and that the soul hath not strength nor dexterity to triumph over her body , he cannot comprehend how the noblest workmanship of nature should be a monster , that the senses should be unfaithfull , and passions disobedient , and that reason , which is her light should be obfuscated with so many darknesses , he cannot conceive that man being free , should be a slave to so many masters that being furnisht w th knowledg , he should be ingaged in errours , and that being assisted by so many vertues , he should be withstood by so many vices , had he durst have condemned the diety , he would have found fault with the workmanship thereof , wavering between religion and impiety , he admires what he knows not , he suspects what he cannot discover , he guesses at what he cannot finde , and amidst these doubts he confesseth that there is some hidden cause which hath produced these disorders ; what could a phylosopher say more , who had only been instructed ●n the school of nature ? what could a man imagine who never having been enlighted by the beams of faith , was equally ignorant of adams innocency and guilt ; if he be ignorant of the name of concupiscence ? doth not he acknowledge the nature thereof : and if he know not the cause of originall sin , hath he not observed the effects thereof ? cicero , l who is no less a phylosopher in his academick discourses , then orator in his orations , complains that nature is mans stepdame ; that she hath bin negligent in the master-piece of her workmanship , and that as envying his happiness , shee hath given him a body exposed to the injury of the aire , to the malice of maladies , and to the insolencies of fortune , that shee hath lodged an unhappy soule , over-born with pains , abashed by fear , faint in labour , and unruly in her delights , in so frail a body : which hath made saint augustine confess , that this great phylosopher had the cognizance of sin , though he knew not its name , and that he acknowledged the effects of a cause which he could not discover . thus reason without faith seems to have found out originall sin ; and phylosophy which makes nature a diety hath been enforced to accuse the disorderliness thereof , and to impute unto her the faults , whereof the first man was author . seneca in whose person was united the pride of a stoick , and vain-glory of a spaniard , and who confesseth no weakness , save such , as he can neither excuse nor conceal , after having pleaded in the behalf of nature , is obliged to forsake her , he acknowledgeth in a thousand parts of his writings , that sin is naturall unto us , and that phylosophy is not sufficient to save us from a monster , which constitutes a part of ourselves . i m know that he varies in his opinions , that pride makes him revoke such confessions as truth hath extorted from out of his mouth and pen , that he complains that we live not as we were born , that we do not preserve those advantages that nature hath given us , and that seduced by errour , or corrupted by example . n we commmit errours which she detests , but he quickly alters his minde , and being prest by his own conscience , hee avows that vertue is a stranger , vice naturall to us : hee confesseth that the first men were not more innocent then we , save only in that they were more ignorant ; that they had not as yet opened the bowels of the earth , to enrich themselves with her spoyls , nor kill'd beasts to satisfie their appetites , but that they even then had the principles of all these crimes in their souls , and that there is great difference between a man who hath not the knowledge of evill , and him who hath not a desire thereunto . had o this phylosopher read our histories , and had hee learnt from moses what past in the beginning of the world ; he had plainly seen that vice comes not by degrees , as doth vertue , and that corrupted nature is a mistris good enough to teach us , what is ill in giving us life . murther was cain's aprentisage , and the impieties which wee detest have dishonoured the first ages as well as they do ours , since man was irregular , he became capable of all vice , and since hee lost originall justice , hee is faln into all sort of disorders . we polish sins , we invent them not ; we commit them with more pompe , not with more wickedness , we only add ornament thereunto . and in a word , wee are not more faulty then our fore-fathers , but more industrious . in fine , if it be lawfull to make use of fables to strengthen truth , and to beat down lies by poets who are the authors thereof , i see not a better draught of a man born in sin then that which is represented to us by the tragoedian in his thebais . for p oedipus recounting the story of his misfortunes complains that his death preceded his birth , that his sin preceded his reason , that nature feared him , before she had brought him into the world , that by a strange prodigie he had committed sins before he knew what sin was , that the heavens whose decrees are so just had declared him criminall , before he was indued with reason , and that his father being a servant to divine justice , had punisht him as soon as his mother had brought him into the world . after this crowd of reasons and authorities , i know not what can be said against the belief of originall sin , who can deny an evill , of whose effects all men have a fellow-feeling ; since all phylosophers before they knew what name to give it , knew the nature thereof , and all the complaints they have made of our miseries , in their writings , are so many testimonies born by them to the truth of our religion . the second discourse . what the state of man was before sinne. though there be nothing more opposite to the state of sin , then the state of innocency , there is not any thing notwithstanding , which better discovers unto us the disorders thereof , and it seems to be a true looking glasse , wherein we may see all the other deformities . to know the greatnesse of mans miserie , wee must know the height of his happinesse ; and to know with what weight he fel we must know the height of his dignity . man was created with originall righteousnesse ; his divine● quality made a part of his being , and seemed to be the last of his differences . reason and grace were not as yet divided , and man finding his perfection in their good intelligence , was at once both innocent and rationall : since sin hath bere●t him of this priviledge , he seems to be but half himself , though he hath not changed nature , he hath changed condition , though he be yet free , he hath lesse power in his own person then in the world ; and when he compares himself with himself , hardly can he know himself . in the state of innocency nothing was wanting to his perfection , nor felicity ; and whilst he preserved originall righteousness , he might boast to have possessed the spring-head of all that was good . t was this that united him to god ; and which submitting him to his creator submitted all creatures unto him ; t was this that accorded the soul with the body , and which pacifying the differences which nature hath plac'd between two such contrary parties , made them find their happinesse in agrement , this it r was in fine which displaying certain beams of light about his countenance , kept wild beasts in obedience and respect . in this happy condition man was only for god , he found his happinesse in his duty , he obeyed with delight , and as grace made up the perfection of his being , it was not much lesse naturall for him to love god , then to love himself , he did both these actions by one and the same principle . the love of himself differed not from the love of god , and the operations of nature and of grace , were so happily intermingled , that in satisfying his necessities , he acquitted himself of his duty , and did as many holy actions , as naturall and rationall ones . he s sought god and found him in all things ; much more happy then wee , he was not bound to seperate himself from himself , that he might unite himself to his creator . godlinesse was practised without pain , vertue was exercised without violence : and that which costs us now so much trouble , cost him nothing but desires : there needed no combates to carry away victory , nor was there any need to call in vertue , to keepe passions within their limits . obedience was easie to them , nor is rebellion so naturall unto them now , as was then submission . this grace t which bound the soule unto the body with bonds as strong as pleasing , united the senses to the spirit , and assubjected the passions to reason . morality was a naturall science ; or if it were infused , t was togetther with the soul , and every one would have been eased of the pain of acquiring it , all men were born wise , nature would have served them for a mistris , and they would have been so knowing even from their births , as they would not have needed either counsell or instruction . originall righteousnesse govern'd their understanding , guided their wills , enriched their memories , and after having done such wonders in their souls , it wrought as many u prodigies in their bodies ; for it accorded the elements whereof they were composed , it hindred the waters from undertaking any thing against the fire : tempered their qualities , appeased their differences , and did so firmly unite them , as nothing could sever them . man knew only the name of death ; and he had this of comfort , that he knew it was the punishment of a fault , from which if he would , he might defend himself . all nourishments were to pure that there was nothing superfluous in them , naturall heat was so vigorous , as it converted all into the substance of the body , & was in all other respects so temperate as it was not prejudiciall to the radicall moisture . man felt nothing incommodious ; & prudence x was so familiar to him , as he prevented hunger and thirst before they could cause him any trouble ; in his person and in his state , he enjoyed a peacefull quiet , and he was upon good terms with himself , and with his subjects , because he was the like with his sovereign , he waited for his reward without anxiety , and grounding himself upon the truth of his creators promises , he hoped for happinesse without disquiet . death was not the way to life : there needed no descending to the earth , to mount up to the heavens ; the soul fore-went not the body to enjoy her god , and these two parts never having had any variance , were joyntly to tast the same felicity . but when the devill had cozened the woman , and that the woman had seduced the man he fell from this happy condition , and losing grace , which caused all his good , he fell into the depth ofall evills . he received a wound which hecould never yet be cured of , he saw himself bereft of his best part , and y could not conceive how being no longer righteous , he continued to be rationall , and left us in doubt whether he was yet man , being no longer innocent . his illuminations forsooke him together with grace , self-love came in the place of charity , he who before sought nothing but god , began now to seek himself ; and he who grounded his happinesse upon his obedience , would build his felicity upon rebellion , as soon as his soul rebell'd against god , his body rebell'd against his soul ; these two parts changed their love to hatred , and those who lived in so tranquill a peace declared open war one against another , the senses which were guided by the understanding favoured the bodies revolt , and the passions which were subject to reason , contemned her empire , to inslave themselves to the tyranny of opinion . if man were divided in his person , he was not more fortunate in his condition , wherein he underwent a generall rebellion , the beasts lost their respects , they all became savage , and violence , or art is required to the taming of some of them , the elements began to mutiny & following their own inclinations they broke the peace which they had sworn unto , in behalf of man whilst innocent , the seasons grew unseasonable to hasten the death of man grown guilty , the very heavens alter'd their influences , and losing their purity suffered some change , thereby to revenge the outrages done to god amidst somany disorders , nothing so much afflicted man as his domestick evills , he defended himself frō wild beasts by force ▪ he gain'd the rest by wiles , he saved himself from the injuries of the aire , by cloaths and houses . he by his labour overcame the sterility of the earth , he opposed dikes to the fury of the sea , and if he could not calme the waves thereof , he found means to overcome her stormes , and to triumph over her tempests , he invented arts to allay the miseries of his life , after having fenced himself from necessity , he sought out pleasure ; he would occasion his happinesse , from his losse as it were thereby to upbraid gods justice , he changed one part of his paines into pleasures , but he could not reform the disorders , neither of soul , nor body ; for all he could doe , he could find no salve for the sicknesse of his soul , and though his haughtines made him hope for help from phylosophy , he could never reconcile himself , either to god , or himself . after having lost the knowledge of the true god , he framed idols to himself , weary of having adored the workmanship of his hands , he adored the workmanship of his fancy , after having offered incense to all creatures , he became his own idolater ; and forgetting the shame of his birth , the miseries of his life , and the rigour of death , he would have temples and altars . when his madnesse would allow of any intermissions , he acknowledged the the danger of his disease , and forct thereunto by pain and shame , he sought for remedies , but self-love wherwith he was blinded , rendered all his cares uselesse through a capricheousnesse which cannot be conceived , he cherished the evils which afflicted him , and preserving the desires which he had in his innocency , he would find the accomplishment thereof , in his guiltinesse , he was perswaded that he should find in himself what he had lost in god , and that assisted by a vain phylosophy , he should make himself fortunate in the midst of his misfortunes . nothing did more crosse his cure , then this insolent belief , and nothing did more offend the grace of jesus christ , then his confiding in his own reason and liberty . god permitted him to lament a long time , to the end that he might be sensible at leasure of his maladie , and divine goodness deferr'd his deliverance , only to make him confesse his faultiness , he in vain laboured all that he could , before he would be brought to cōfess his misery , & he sought for help from nature , before he would implore ayd from grace , he sought out all the means he thought fitting to cure himself of so vexatious a malady , and had it not been for despair , he had never found out the way to health , but when he saw that conquerors for all their power could not deliver him ; that phylosophers could not by all their reasons comfort him , and that orators could not lessen his evills by their words ; he betooke himself to god , and the misery he indured made him know that nothing but the hand that had hurt him , could heal him . the third discourse . of what kinde the first sinne which adam committed was . the two first sins of the world are the most unknown , and divines which agree in so many differing subjects have not as yet been able to agree in this . they know that the angels and man , are become criminall , but they know not what the nature of their fault is . they know that both of them have violated the laws of god , and that over-weaning their own perfections they have not sufficiently prized the perfections of their creator they very well know that neither of them have preserved their innocency ; and that weaknesse ( which is inseparable from the creature ) hath been the cause of their fall , but they know not what name to give to this sinne , nor under what degree to rank this crime , which hath caused so much mischeife , some think that the offence committed by the angel was so generall , as in the extent thereof it includes all other offences , that he flew from god by all the wayes it was possible for him to estrange himself from him , that using the utmost ofhis power he grew guilty ofall the wickednesse ; which so enlightned a spirit was capable of : whence it is that the holy scriptures ; to teach us the truth thereof , terms his fault somtimes murther , sometimes adultery , sometimes rebellion , though man be not so active as the angel , and that his soul confined within his body , be slower in her operations , yet there have been some divines , who hath given the same judgment of both their sins , and who have perswaded themselves that adam by one only offence , became guilty of all sins , that the law which was proposed unto him , conteining in it an abridgment of all laws , he could not violate it without violating all the rest ; that his disobedience , under one only name comprehended all sins , and that by one only attempt he a committed adultery by failing in his fidelity to god ; theft by taking a fruit which did not belong unto him : sacrilege by abusing his wil which was cōsecrated to god : & paracide , by occasioning death unto his soul , and unto the souls of all his children . though this be a strange opinion , yet the worthinesse of the author , makes me put a valuation upon it , for it is s. augustine ; yet in the rigour of reason , it is hard to conceive , that manssoul had so much of sight , as that in one sole action it committed so many sins . these sins which are imputed to man , are rather the effects then parts of his disobedience ; and if i may be permitted to speak my sense after the chiefe of all divines , i should conceive that s augustines design was , rather to satisfie his eloquence then the truth ; and that making use of a figure which is so frequent amongst orators , he would aggravate adams sin to make us detest it . some others have been of opinion that pride was the sin of the angel , and of man that these two noble creatures puft up with their own perfections , aspired after divinity , and that vain glory , which is alwayes accompanied by blindnes , had perswaded them that being already b immortall , they might easily make themselves gods. but i cannot think that such a thought could fall into the mind either of the angell , or of man , they were induced with too much knowledge , not to know that the creature cannot equall the creator in majestie , that the degrees of their separation are infinite , and that wishes are never made for things absolutely impossible , how could that desire of making himself god , ever enter into the imagination of an angell ; since theologie confesseth that they could never suspect the mystery of the incarnation , and that without being enlightned by glory or by faith , they never could have thought that god could make himself man , or man become god ; other divines have therefore rather chosen to believe , that the mysterie of the incarnation , was the occasion of the angels sin , and that having learnt by revelation , that god was to allye himself to humane nature , he could not tolerate that the angelicall nature should be deprived of this honour ; imagining that the angels did very well deserve whatsoever dignity god would confer upon man. others have thought that self-love was the sin both of the angel and of man ; that seeing themselves so perfect , they grew in love w th themselves ; that forgetting the greatnesse of god , they considered only their own beauty , that they made an idoll of their own understandings ; that not envying gods perfections , they sought for all their happinesse within themselves , and that rather by an amorous , then proud blindnesse , they endeavoured to find out their contentment in the possession of their own advantages . if it be not rashnesse to go about to discover what our leaders have been ignorant of , and if a man may divide that which hath neither parts nor moments , i would say that the sin of man , and of the angell is neither single , nor yet composed of all sins : as s. augustine affirmeth , weaknesse which is so naturall to the creature , was , as it were , the disposition thereunto , negligence the beginning , self-love the ensuing , or progresse , and pride the accomplishment thereof ; weaknesse is so naturall to the creature , as to free it thereof , it must suffer change and be raised above itself ; grace , ( whose effects are so many miracles ) dares not undertake to free the creature from it : there is nothing but glory which can fix the fancy of the creature , and take from it that inconstancy which is the cause of all it's offences . we acknowledge none but jesus christ to be void of sin ; the angell , and man , not being raised to this height of happinesse , we must not wonder if they be fallen , and if those which proceeded ex nihilo , did not defend themselves from sin , every perishable creature may become criminall , that which may lose its being may lose grace , and what cannot preserve it selfe in nature , will have much a doe to preserve it selfe in innocencie . weaknesse then prepared that angel and man to sin , and these two noble creatures became faulty , only because they were not unchangeable , negligence begun the fault which weaknesse had prepared , they made not use of all the grace which they had received , they left a vacuum in their being which made place for sin , they did not employ all the advantages which they had received from god , and deserved to lose them , for having neglected them , as this fault was yet but an omission , it might have been expiated by humility , and by abasing themselves before god , it may be they might have obteined pardon , they became idolaters at unawares , and framed vain idols to themselves out of the workmanship of god. this fault was already well grown , and the angel and men were guilty of having turned their eyes from divine perfections , to settle them upon their own advantages , yet did they only love those beauties which god had placed in them , they might have adored his image in these looking-glasses , and have returned to the spring-head by these rivolets , and by these beams have raised themselves up to the sun : but pride finished their fault , they grew proud of gods favours , their vain-glory proceeded from his grace ; that which should have submitted them to their creator , was cause of their rebellion , and the more they were beholding unto him , the lesse were they acknowledging from the times they thought themselves able to reigne without him , they would reign in despight of him , and as soon as they had raised up a throne unto themselves , they would have subjects , the angel got a party in heaven , he debauched some of his companions , hee made slaves of his equals , and these excellent spirits were not ashamed to adore a creature ; which though it were more elevated , was not lesse dependent upon god then were the rest : rebellion did not , not withstanding , disperse it self throughout all their orders , the number of the faithfull exceeded that of the revolters : michael couragiously opposed himselfe to lucifer , and be it that he made good use of his graces , or that he received addition thereunto , he kept the greater part of the angels in their obedience , and drove the rebels from the empyerean heaven . man was more absolute in his unjust designe , for his sin became the sin of all his off-spring , not any one opposed himselfe to his blinde fury , those who lived in him , and descended from him , were guilty of his rebellion , they lost themselves together with their unfortunate father ; they suffered for a sin which they could not hinder ; they found themselves engaged in death , before they knew life , and wondered that not being reasonable , they were already criminall . this sin which shed it self like a contagion became the spring-head of errour in the world. the greatest part of hereticks have withstood it , and the pride of phylosophy , wherewith they were puft up , would not permit them to confesse a disorder , which would have forced them to be humble ; catholicks believe it , though they conceive it not ; faith teacheth them what reason cannot perswade them unto , and they care not though they be esteemed ignorant , so long as they may be esteemed faithfull : they finde by experience that man is become guilty , but they know not how he hath contracted this crime , they dispute not the maladie , but cannot comprehend by what secret wayes the father hath communicated it to his children , and the children have received it from their father : this is that which we will examine in the pursuit of this treatise . the fourth discourse . how adam's sin did communicate it self to those that are discended from him . it must be acknowledged that there is nothing more hidden , nor any thing more known , then d originall sinne , unruly nature is an evident proofe thereof , mens wicked inclinations doe sufficiently witnesse it , and it 's easily to be conjectured , that so unfortunate a creature cannot be innocent . but , certainly , the way how this sin sheds it self through mankinde , and passeth from the father into the children , is extreamly unknown ; all that is said of it doth but weakly prove it , and after having listned to reason we must betake our selves to the light of faith : doubtlesse , saint augustine is he who hath written the worthiest thereupon , his proofs are efficacious , his discourses solid , if he had as well established the beliefe of originall sin as that of concupisence , all men would be convinced ; and we might as easily make phylosophers believe adam's fault , as the irregularity of nature ; for all men see that fathers communicate their diseases , to such as do descend from them ; that the e aethiopians complexion appears in their childrens visages , that there are maladies which are more hereditary in families then are possessions , and that there are men which suffer for their fathers debaucheries ; we must not wonder if we partake of their diseases since we are composed of their substance , and since our bodies are a part of theirs ; it is easily conceived that their maladies may become ours : but being bound by faith to believe that the soul is the workmanship of god , that she is not drawn from forth the matter of the body , though she be inclosed therein , and that she is a pure spirit , though she doth inanimate her body ; it is almost impossible to make us discerne how shee becomes criminall when she is thereinto infused , she is altogether pure whilst in her authors hands , and she becomes not guilty till she becomes the bodies forme . i very well know that she is infused as soon as created , and that the same hand which hath extracted her out of nothing , hath bound and fastened her to the body : but i know not why the father , who contributes nothing to her production , should contribute to her pollution , and wherefore since he gives not life unto her , hee should make her inherit his sin . divines are much perplexed with this difficulty , and touching the resolution thereof , saint austin hath oft-times doubted , whether the soul were not produced by generation , as wel as the body , all his reasons seem to be grounded upon this belief , he wil have it that the body doth infect the soul , and generation is as it were the channell of sin , which hath corrupted us . he grounds three principles which do produce three severall effects in man ; god which hath f created him , his father who hath begot him , and sin which hath sullyed him . the soul was from god , the body proceeds from the begetting father , and the impurity derives from sin : he admirably describes the nature of concupiscence , and he is never more learned , nor more eloquent , then when he sets forth what havock she hath made in our souls , he g teacheth us that every sin is a particuler concupiscence , and that instructed by our own misery , we call avarice the concupiscence of riches , pride the concupiscence of glory , and unchastity the concupiscence of voluptuousnesse , he concludes by convincing reasons , and which receive no reply , that it was necessary that man being guilty should beget sinfull children , and h that it was not just that the children should be more innocent then their fathers ; he perswades us effectually , that christians not being regenerate but by the spirit , cannot communicate grace to those that descend from them by the way of generation which rests yet in impurity : but truly he doth not sufficiently prove that the soul should become guilty for being engaged in the body , nor that to make up one composition with it , she should contract a sin , whereof she her self is not capable , for though concupiscence reign in the body , ( to speak properly it is not a sin till it pass into the soul ; irregularity is the matter thereof , but her aversion from god , is her forme , and it is impossible to comprehend , that the soul , for being infused into a wretched body , should become criminall , whence then proceeds this originall sin ? by what waies doth it slide into our souls ? by what channels doth it shed it self into the handy work of god ? and how comes it that the chief workmanship of his hands becomes guilty , assoon it is engaged in the body . theologie hath been forced to imagine a secret treaty between god , and adam , by the which , god having made adam head of all men , he had given him grace for all his posterity , and that by the same law that all his children should share in his sin , that this treaty ( whereby gods justice is not injured ) discovers unto us the greatnesse of his sovereignty , that it is not strange a prince should put into the hands of his subjects the fate of all them that should descend from them ; that in all the best regulated states , the children share in their parents evils , that receiving the glory of all their best actions , they should likewise pertake of the pain and infamy of their offences ; that so the privation of grace in men , is the punishment of adams fault , that by a necessary consequence the aversion of our will , derives from the losse of innocency . some building upon some i passages in s. paul , would perswade us that all men were included in adam , that there will was united to his , that his fault was their sin , and that therefore there was no inconvenience that those that lived in him should share in his guilt , some others ( differing but a little from the former ) have represented us with two universall men , whereof one is the 〈◊〉 of sin , the other of grace . we are united to the former by generation , and become k sinners like him ; by regeneration we are fastned to the other , and become just as he is ; thus sin disperseth it selfe as well as grace , unrighteousness is communicated as well as innocency , and we contract sin without a wil thereunto , as we receive grace in baptisme without deserving it . all these opinions , which i embrace and honour , doth sufficiently explain how adams sin is ours , but they do not cleerly enough declare how we do contract it , they teach us that we are sinners , but do not discover unto us by what means we become so ; wherefore , re-assuming saint augustines principles , me thinks , a man may say , that adams sin is the sin of all men , that , that which was voluntary l in him is naturall in them , that it passeth from the father to those that descend from him , as maladies do which are hereditary in families , or as the ethiopians , which is seen in his childrens faces . to comprehend this truth , it is not necessary to imagine a treaty between god , and adam , whereby the fathers fault , and punishment , becomes the sons ; but it sufficeth to know that being faln from the state of innocency , and having lost originall righteousnesse , he cannot longer transmit it into his progeny , that by necessary consequence he makes them share in a malady which he could not cure himself of , and that he communicates his sin unto them , in communicating his concupiscence . t is enough for them to be guilty , that they are descended from him , and without seeking for causes further off , it sufficeth to prove their guilt , that they are a part of him : t would be a prodigie , if a sinfull father should beget children void of sin , and we were to wonder , if nature not being re-establisht in her former purity , her productions should not be corrupt . the difficulty is to know how the soul which issues pure and spotlesse from out the hands of god , contracts sin when she is infused into the body . to this i answer , that her streight union with the body m is one cause of her fin , that she sullyes her self by informing it , that she receives death by giving it life , & that wanting original righteousnesse , whereby to preserve her self from the contagion , occasioned by the first mans sin , she is no sooner made companion to the body but she becomes criminall . thus is she unpleasing to god , because she is not in grace with him ; she is not in grace with him , because adam hath lost gods grace both for himself , and his children , and she is sinfull because the father which unites her to the flesh , as a secondary cause , communicates unto her his disorder not giving her a remedy , for it powers his poyson into her , and doth not present her with an n antidote , makes her inherit adams sin , and doth communicate unto her , the grace of jesus christ. this it is which saint augustine insinuates unto us in other termes , when he says , that the contagion of the body passeth into the soul , that the close cōmerce that is between them , makes their miseries cōmon between them ; and that without extraordinary helps , an innocent soul cannot be lodg'd in a guilty body , the purest liquours are tainted in musty vessels ; corrupted air poysons those who breath therein , and infected houses give the plague to those that live in them , thus doth concupiscence glide from the body into the soul , and this wicked host gives death to her that gives him life . if these reasons do not content the reader , let him know that i glory to be ignorant of what saint augustine understood not , that i should shew my self too rash , if i should think to give an entire light to the obscurest part of divinity , and that i should be unfaithfull , if i should pretend to make a truth evident by reason , which is only known by faith. the fifth discourse . of the nature of concupiscence . christian religion may truly boast , that all her maxims are paradoxes , which agreeing with truth , give against humane reason ▪ for she proposeth nothing which is not as strange as true ; and which causeth not as much astonishment as light in the soul , he who would prove this truth must make an induction of all our mysteries , and represent all the wonders which she comprehends , but without straying from my subject , it will suffice to say , that originall sin is one of her strangest paradoxes , and that if much of reason be required to prove it , no less of faith is requisite to believe it : for what more prodigious is there then that the sin of one man should be the sin of all men ? that a fathers rebellion should ingage all his children in disobedience , that his malody should be contagious ? that he should be the murtherer of all men before he be o their father ? and that unfortunately he be the cause of their death , many ages before they be born . thus is this misfortune more generall then the deluge which drowned the world ; more universall then the fire which shall consume it , and war and pestilence which doth so easily enlarge themselves are not so contagious evills as is this sin . if it be wonderfull by reason of it's effusion , it is no less miraculous through it's other qualities ; for we are taught by divinity that it is voluntary in the father , and naturall in the children ; that that which was only a fault in adam , is both a sin and a punishment in those that descend from him , that we contract by birth what he willingly committed : and that that which was free in it's beginning should become necessary in the progress thereof ; he might have kept from disobedience : and we can neither shun the punishment nor the fault : we are surprized by this misfortune in our conception we are slaves before we have the use of liberty , and we have already offended god before we knew him ; we are rather , the objects of his anger , then of his mercy ; but that which is more deplorable , we are so corrupted from the moment of our birth , as that we oppose our selves to his will. if he favour us in our baptisme , the first use we make of reason is for the most part engaged in errour : we follow the inclinations of our first father , and his sin makes such powerfull impressions upon our souls , as we sin in our first thoughts , we for the most part make use of our liberty only to estrange our selves from god ; we have a secret opposition to his ordinance , we are so inclosed within our selves , as we can love nothing but for our own interests , which is the rule of our actions , and we neither love nor desire any thing save what is either usefull or pleasing to us . such is the corruption of our nature , as there is almost nothing in it , which is not repugnant to the laws of god. it is so misled by sin as all the inclinations p thereof are perverted . in this unfortunate condition , man can neither know nor doe good , he is inslaved , not having so much as the desire of liberty : though he groan under the weight of his irons , he is affraid of being freed from them : and though his imprisonment be painfull , yet is not he weary thereof ; he delights in doing evill , and findes difficulty to do what is good ; the great inclination he hath to sin doth not excuse his offence : and he ceaseth not to be guilty though he cannot shun sin , in generall to fill up the measure of so many evils , he is blind and insensible , he sees not the evils that environ and threaten him , he is full of wounds , and hath no feeling of them ; believing himself to be whole , he seeks not for help ▪ & through proud blindness , he despiseth the physician that would restore him to health . every man that comes q into this world is in this miserable q condition , and we are guilty of all these crimes . and charged with all these punishments before we be regenerated in baptisme ; after this sacrament , we become innocent , but cease not to be miserable : sin forsakes us , but punishment waits upon us ; and though we be no more guilty , we are notwithstanding out of order , our fathers sin forgoes us , but concupiscence remains . this monster is not much lesse savage then is the r cause which produced it : it follows the inclinations thereof , and if it be not altogether so wicked , it is at least full out as irregular , it is much more opinionated then the father that begot it ; our life is to short to cut it off : it 's an enemy not to be overcome : wounds give it new life , it gathers strength by skars , and it must cost us our life to be the death thereof . our first divines ( which were the apostles ) have given it the very s name of sin , and as if t were more fatall then it's father , they term it the strength , and law thereof ; it is not content to perswade us to the crime , but endeavours to enforce us thereunto , it mingles force with perswasion , and when it thinks the way by solicitation to be to mild , it hath recourse to violence and tyranny ; it grows the more furious by opposition , it 's stomack is set on edge by inhibition , & it never becomes more insolent , then when laws are prescribed unto it . to expresse the nature thereof to the life we must represent a tyrant , who being born of sin will enlarge his fathers empire , & make al mankind his slaves ; it establisheth it's throne in our souls , darkens our understanding , infuseth wickednesse into our wils , and fils our memories with the remembrance of all unjust acts : it abuseth all the parts of our bodies ; and works with our hands , looks through our eyes , listens by our eares , and imployes all our sences to execute it's designes ; it busieth it selfe so dexterously in all our desires as thinking to satisfie our necessities , we obey the tyranny thereof ; and believing to do a reasonable act , we commit a sinfull one : if we eat , it is in too much excesse , or with too much delight ; if we sleep , t is rather out of too much nicety then of necessity ; if we speak , t is rather to slander then to edifie ; and what we think we do for our preservation , we do for the most part for our satisfaction . in fine , t is a bad t habit which produceth but bad acts ; t is both the daughter and mother of sin . it giveth life to that from which it received life , all the motions thereof are irregular ; and whosoever operates by it's orders is sure enough to sin ; t is not like other customes which insinuate themselves by degrees , and which preserves themselves with some appearance of justice : t is violent from it's very birth , undertakes all enterprizes as soon as formed ; submits the understanding to tyranny , and is never more dangerous , then when becomes reasonable . time augments it's force , age increaseth fury , and whatsoever ruines all other customes , serves only to maintain this : but that which passeth all beliefe is that though this habit be so violent , yet it is naturall ; the others are easily destroyed because they contest against nature ; though they weaken her , yet they never destroy her ; and let them do what they can , t is but a little courage that is required to conquer them : but this passeth into nature , precedes our birth , and out-lives our death : grace may well lessen it , but never extinguish it : saints u groan under the rigour of it's law , and cals for ayd from death against so puissant an enemy ; and knowing that the soul cannot be set at liberty , whilst inclosed within her body , they beg the parting thereof from the body as a favour . in fine ; all sins are in the seed of this pernicious habit , and as the branches , and roots , flowers , and fruit , bark , and pith of a tree , are hid in the kernell thereof , so murders and parricides , slanders , and blasphemies ; adulteries and incest are circumscrib'd in concupiscence . who ever carries about this monster in his bosome bears with him all sins ; though they be not already disclosed , they are already begun ; and though they render us not as yet guilty , they make us always miserable : the devill may undertake any thing by the assistance of this his faithfull assistant in all his impieties ; and he very well knows that wheresoever it is , it always holds intelligence with him . no man is assured of souls health , whilst he gives harbour to this domestick enemy , and our hopes ought always to be mingled with feare , till such time as grace hath totally extinguished concupiscence . the sixth discourse . the pursuit of the same subject , and divers descriptions of concupiscence . men esteem those punishments the most severe which are most sensible , they believe not that god punisheth sinners unlesse the earth quake under their feet , unlesse the thunder roares over their heads , unlesse the devill sieze on their bodies , and hurries them visibly into hell. but as physick thinks hidden maladies the most dangerous , and that there is no cure for the decays of the lungs or braines : so doth divinity think secret punishments , the worst , and that such chastizements as make most noyse are least to be dreaded . she fears not so much the destroyings of the plague nor the disorders of war , as she doth apprehend bad habits , or iregular inclinations ; she much more patiently beares with the violence of diseases and the unseasonablenesse of the seasons , then with the motions of concupiscnce : for it is indeed the cruellest punishments which divine justice hath permitted for the chastizement of mans offence : and it is the ancientest and cruellest of all the evils that doe assaile us : for t is a rebellion against all those things to which we owe obedience and a base submitting of our selves to whatsoever we ought to have any authority over . the soule ought naturally to submit her selfe to god , and the x body to the soule : there is no more naturall nor rationall obedience : t is grounded on our being , and our perfection seemes to depend thereon . god gives the law unto our soul , and the soul the like unto her body , these duties are as ancient as we be , and though we fail in the payment thereof , yet weacknowledge the obligation yet concupiscence disorders all ; this comely regularity , she by an y high insolency opposeth the soule to god : and by an extream piece of injustice raiseth the body against the soul , she sowes division between the two parts whereof we are composed , and we finde by an admirable effect of divine justice that as our fault is disobedience : our punishment is also rebellion ; for the soule rejects the laws of god : and the body despiseth the laws of the soul ; our punishment is the picture of our sin and the paine which we indure beares the character of the fault which wee have committed , or to expresse my self better in saint augustine words ; our very offence is become our punshment z and as we were rebels to god by our own choise , we become the like now by necessity . the greatest part of our thoughts are so many undertakings against his authority : our actions are attempts against his graciousnesse : and not withstanding any inclination that we have to love him t is almost impossible for us without his grace , to keep from offending him , the body punisheth the soul for her offence , it revengeth god for the outrages the soul hath done him ; and taking example from the souls rebellion dispenseth with its obedience thereunto : nay , it doth oft-times change its rebellion into tyranny , the slave becomes his sovereigns master , and either by fair means or by foul , forceth him to serve his disorders , then doth the soul descend from her greatnesse , labours only for the pleasures of the body , and imployes all her anvantages to procure new delight , unto her slave . all these irregularities derive from concupiscence , which is nothing else but a generall rebellion of nature against it's author ; the different effects thereof makes it beare differing names , and the evill qualities thereof makes divines seek out new tearms to expresse her a ancient disorders : saint augusttine cals her the foot-step of sin , for as the creature is an image of god , as it expresseth his divine perfections . and makes them visible to the eyes of who shall consider them , so is concupiscence the image of sin and by the disorders thereof , represents b unto us the bad inclinations of her father , but she hath this advantage , that she is a better finisht picture of her father ( sinne , ) then the creature is of god. for let the latter be never so excellent , t is always but a weak expression of it's creat● , t is but a shadow of his light , a mean expression of his truth , and but a false beame of his beauty : to know him perfectly , we must raise our selves above his workmanship , & to conceive his greatnesse , we must rather oppose it to the creature , then cōpare it there with all , but concupiscence is the lively image of sin : we see all the linaments of the father in the daughters face , and she doth nothing wherein a man may not discerne the motions of the father . i know that all our punishments are the pictures of our sins , and god would have our chastizement to be the image of our offences , but to take it aright , every punishment expresseth but one only quality of sin , the heat which accompanieth fears represents only it 's immoderate heat to us , blindness discovers only it's ignorance , the palsie , which takes from us the use of our members , figures onely out unto us it 's incapabilty of doing good , deafness declares only it's obstinacy unto us , and death it self which is sins most rigorous punishment , represents to us only the death of the soul , and the losse of grace ; but concupiscence is a finisht picture which hath all the colours and linaments of sin , she hath all its wicked inclinations , is capable of all its impressions , accomplisheth , all it's designes , and this unfortutunate father can undertake nothing which his daughter is not ready to execute . but one only name not being sufficient to expresse all the wickednesse thereof , the fathers have been fain to invent divers names to decypher out unto us the different effects of a cause , which is as fruitfull as fatall . saint augustine c according to saint paul terms her the law and counsellor of sin : reason was mans counsellor and , in the state of innocency , he undertooke nothing but by her advice : when sin had weakned reason , and that the darknesse thereof had clouded the the luster of it's eternall light , god gave him the written law for a counsellor , and ingraved those truths in marble which he had formerly ingraven in his heart : great men formed no designe before they had consulted with this visible law ; and david with all his illuminations protests that the law of god was the d best part of his councell ; it was the morall phylosophers wherin the learn'd vertue , it was his politicks , and were he either to conduct his subjects or to fight his enemies , he learnt the knowledge both of peace and war in the mysteries of the law ; but the sinner hath no other law then concupiscence , he is advised by one that is blind and unfaithfull , he executes nothing without her e orders , & he is brought to this extremity . that his counsellor is pensioner to his enemies . reasons self is a slave to this perfidious officer , she sees only through her f eys , and after having well debated a businesse she forsakes better advice , to follow the pernicious counsell of one that is blind , who is absolutely the devils purchase , and who holds continuall intelligence with sin . when he is weary of perswading us , he chides us , when we have received his advice , he signifies his commands unto us , and having deceived us as a perfidious counsellor , he torments us as a merciless tyrant . counsellours never work upon us but by their reasons , they never make use of violence to oblige us to receive their advice , and they oftentimes foregoe their own opinions to receive ours , if they think them better ; but concupiscence is a furious officer who makes use of force when perswasion will not prevail . this tyrant is more insuportable then those who formerly comanded in greece , whō the orators of that country have charg'd with so many just opprobries . for these enemies to mankind exercised their cruelty only upon the body , and assubjected to their power only the leastpart of man. whosoever valued not theirown lives , might make himself master of theirs , and who feared not death , might deride their violence , but this tyrant g whereof i speak exerciseth his fury upon the spirits , he blots out the remembrance of all vertue from out his memory , he darkens the understandingwith his mysts , oppresseth the will by his violence , and leaveth only a languishing liberty in the souls which he possesseth . this monster which had only the faces of men , were not alwaies in the company of their subjects , their absence was a truce of servitude , some private closets were to be found where one might tast the sweet of liberty , a man might meet with a freind before whom he might lay his heart open , and though freindship had been banished from off the heart , compassion would have made it revive , for his consolation . t was in these private conferences that the death of tyrants was conspired , the parties safety joyned to the desire of liberty , caused the conception of the designes , and the desires of glory put it in execution . but concupiscence never parts from sinners ; this tyrant keeps his court in the midst of their wills , he hath raised a throne in their hearts . he finds so much of obedience and weaknesse in his slaves , as he knows they cannot shake of the yoke of his tyranny without forreign ayd , these publike plagues could not make themselves be beloved in their states ; though they left some shadows of liberty , they could not win their subjects hearts , there faults were always repaid with publike hatred , and the necessity they had to make themselves feared was not the least punishment of their injustice ; they grew weary of being the horror of their people , and if they could have made themselves be beloved , they would have ceased making themselves feared ; but their subjects were so incenst against them , as to keep them in respect , t was necessary to keep them in awe , and since they could not purchase their love to resolve to merit their hatred : but though concupiscence be the cruellest of all tyrants , yet hath she found the secret of making her self be beloved , all her subjects reserues their loyalty , even in persecution , they are pleased with the pains h they undergoe . torments are not able to make them wish for liberty , let them be neuer so ill dealt with all by their unjust sovereign , they never blame his cruelty . and though they be the most unfortunate slaves of all the world , they cease not to be the faithfullest lovers , in fine , to put an end to this discourse . these tyrants do not allways vex their subjects with angersome commands , all there decrees are not unjust , their polluted mouthes have sometimes pronounced oracles : and the graecian phylosophers have registred their words who had bereft them of their liberty , the dionsii made laws which the politicians reverenced , their ordinances were able to instruct legitimate princes , and they have uttered maximes which may serve us for instructions . but all the commands made by concupiscence are unjust , all her orders are sin , one cannot obey her without blame , and to speak in saint augustines language , a man cannot follow the motions of concupiscence without contesting against the motions of grace ▪ nor can a man live at full liberty , unlesse he be freed from the tyranny thereof . the seventh discourse . that self-love is nothing else but concupiscence . though divines have given as many names to concupiscence as she hath committed sins , and that every one paints her out as he finds her in another , or according to his own experience ; yet they all agree that her most celebrated name , and that which best expresseth her nature is self-love ; for as charity comprehends all vertues , self-love comprehends all vices , as i charity unites us to god and loseth us from our selves , her enemy self-love severs us from god , and fasteneth us to our selves ; as charity hath no greater a passion for any thing then to love god , and make him be beloved by all others : self-love produceth no more violent desire in man ; then to love himself , and to obliege all other men to love him ; to comprehend these truths you must know ; that charity according to s. pauls words , and s. augustines comment composeth all vertues to be perfect ; it sufficeth to be charitable & one vertue is sufficient in christs school to acquire all others ; she believeth all things ( saith that great k apostle ) and so hath the merit of faith : she waits for the accōplishment of gods promises , & so possesseth the certainty of hope : she suffers all injuries as well as patience doth , she withstands sorrow with as much courage as doth fortitude : and this famous doctor of the gentiles who perfectly knew the inclinations of charity gives her all the advantage which belongs to all the vertues ; so as according to his principles the loue of god is only requisite to become highly vertuous , saint augustine who learnt nothing but in s. pauls school mixeth all vertues with charity , and as if he wold reduce al things to an unity , he teacheth us that the only vertue on earth is to love him who is perfectly lovely . for love hath several names according to his severall imployments , he changeth qualities though not nature ; and continuing stil the same presents himself unto us , under divers l forms and shapes , temperance is a faithful love , which wholly gives herself over to what she loveth , not permitting voluptuousnesse to divide them : fortitude is a generous love which with delight overcomes all the difficulties which can be met withal , for her well beloved sake ; justice is an uncorrupt love which instructeth how to reign in obedience , & which submitting herself to god , as to her sovereign commands over all creatures as over her slaves : in fine , wisdome is an illuminated love , which happily discerning between the wayes which may estrange her from god , and those which may fasten her to him , chooseth the former , and rejects the other , or to expresse the same truth in other tearms ; love is termed wisedome when he keeps himself from straying and hath right to what he loves , he is called fortitude when he fights against such sorrows as would astonish him ; temperance , when he despiseth such pleasures as would corrupt him ; & m justice , when to consecrate his liberty to god , he disdains to serue the creature ; so may we say that self-love , which is charities mortall enemy comprehends all vices , and that it only changeth countenance , when it appears under the form either of pride , colour , or envy , it is unjust in it's ambition , prepares for combat when irritated ; for vengeance when offended ; when unjust it bereaves it's neighbour of his goods , and good name ; and when intemperate it engageth it self in unlawfull delights . the great apostle , when he numbers up all faults puts it in the first n rank and teacheth us that there is no sin which is not a sort of self-love disguised . and saint augustine who hath drawn all his doctrine from saint pauls words , instructeth the whole church that the faults which wee detest are not so much the effects as the proprieties of self love . in effect , is not avarice , an unjust love of riches , is not pride an unjust love of honours , is not opiniatrecie a furious love to be always victorious , is not colour a detestable love of revenge ? and to conclude all in a few words ; are not all sins as many different loves which changing rather countenance then humour : agree all in a designe of fastning themselves to objects which they like , and of keeping a loofe off , from such as they like not . there is also the second opposition of the love of god , and the love of our selves , for charity hath no nobler imployment then to free us from all things to unite us to god , she endeavours to perswade us that to love our selves well we must hate our selves ; that to have a care of our selves we must forget our selves ; and if we would finde out our happinesse we must seek for it from without our selves , men wonder that the law of god which commands us to love our neighbour , doth not command us to love our selves , and that it only mentions the love we owe unto our selves when it recommends unto us the love which we owe unto , our neighbours , but to boot that this love was imprinted in the foundation of our wills by the hands of natures selfe , and that it was more then needed to command us a thing to which we had so great an inclination ; man loved himselfe sufficiently in loving o of god , and god had sufficiently provided for mans happinesse in ordaining man to love him above all things ; the love of god is mans true happinesse , we are rich when we possesse it ; and poore when we lose it ; let our designes be waited upon by whatsoever good successe let the world promise us what ever good event ; what ever favour fortune affordeth us , all riches which consists not in the possessions of the summum bonum , is but a meer reall poverty , for as augustine saith ; god is so good as all men that leave him are miserable , and man is so noble as whatsoever is not god cannot render him happy , t is charities chiefest designe to fasten man to god so straightly . as that nothing may seperate him from god , and to in lighten his soule with so much love as that she may exstinguish selfe love , or turn it into a holy hatred of himselfe . this divine p vertue can mount no higher , so glorious a metamorphosis is the utmost of her power , and god can demand nothing more of those that love him , when that they may love him perfectly they arrive at the height of hating themselves . self love takes a clean opposite way , from that of charity , and by direct contrary traces , endeavours to estrange man from god , and to fasten him to himselfe , or to the creature : it effaceth as much as it is able , the inclination which his soule hath for the summum bonum : if it cannot stifle it , it diverts it ; and seeing that the heart of man cannot be without imployment it lays before him the beauty of the creatures , to divert him from those of the creatour ; being accompanied with blindnesse and pride , it easily abuseth the soule which it possesseth , and figuring out the perfections thereof more glorious then they are ; it makes her , her own idolater ; it raiseth her incensibly up to the height of impiety , and by different steps mounts it even to the hatred of god , for as the faithful man is perfect when he loves god , even to the pitch of hating himself , the sinner even hath the measure of his sin filled up when he loves himselfe , even to the degree of hating god. this passion reignes not much , save in the souls of the damned : one must be wholly possest by sin to conceive this designe , and i know not whether there be any so sinful soule on earth , as can have so damnable a recentment , hell is the abode of these wicked ones , and i firmly believe , that as their hatred of god is the sow lest of there sins , so is it the cruellest of their punishments , yet can they not hate this summum bonum with there whole heart , the foundation of their being is possest by the love of god , they love him naturally whom they hate willingly , they are divided between love , and hatred ; there will is q parted by these two contrary motions and for all they can do to stifle this naturall inclination , they cannot hinder their best part from languishing , and sighing , after god : they afflict themselves that nature fights against there will , and that her unalterable laws forceth them to love the author of their everlasting punishment . but to reassume the threed of our discourse ; the last opposition of selfe love and charity is , that the latter hath no more violent desire then to purchase lovers to god almighty to enlarge the bounds of his empire and to disperce the holy flames of his divine love into all hearts , for a heart that is inflamed with this sacred fire knowing very well that it cannot love god according to his lovelinesse , wisheth that all the parts of its body were changed into hearts and tongues to praise and love the only object of its love . but as she sees her wishes are uselesse , she endeavours to increase the number of divine lovers , to the end that making amends for her indigency , they may love him with all their might whom she cannot sufficiently love . self love in opposition to this , which obligeth man to make a god of himselfe , inspires him with a desire to make himselfe be beloved of all the world . instructed by so good a master , he imployeth all his cunning to rob himself of his liberties , he discovers all his perfections to purchase lovers , he proposeth himselfe unto himselfe as an idoll to be adored , and believeth that the truest , and most legitimate happinesse on earth , is to have slaves who are fairly forced to love him . when kings are arrived at this height of of injustice and impiety , men thinke them happy and the politicks , which labours to decypher a good sovereigne , is never better content , then when she hath raised in them this violent desire of enjoyning their subjects good will. t is herein that she distinguisheth kings from tyrants , and that she opposeth unjust sovereignes to legitimate monarchies ; but we are taught by christian religion that blame may be incurred as well by making ones self r be beloved as in making him be feared . for though she honours kings , and condemnes tyrants , though she approve of moderate government , and detests ruling by rigour , yet doth she equally blame those who intrench upon gods rights , and who proposing themselves to their subjects : as their final end , will possesse all their affections , love appertaines aswell to god only as glory , of all offerings he is best pleased with that of the heart , and he loves much better to rule over men , by the way of mildnesse , then of rigour , insomuch as kings who would make themselves be beloved as gods , are not much lesse faulty then those who would make themselves be dreaded as tyrants , they are both of them guilty of treason against the diety , and pretend to honours which are only reserved for god , lucifer never purposed to establish his greatnesse by violence , he made more use of his beauty then of his power , to corrupt the inferiour angels ; and if his empire be terminated in rigour it began in clemency . a legitimate sovereigne , straies as well from his duty in seeking after the love , as after the fear of his subjects , and though one of these two ways be more innocent then the other in the sight of men , it is not much lesse faulty in the sight of god , it is not permitted in our religion for a man to make himselfe be beloved : t is a presumption to endeavour those liberties which pertain only to god , to deboysh his subjects is to divide his empire , hee will have all his slaves to love him , and according to saint austines maximes , we owe all our love to god : the prince is bound to fasten his subjects to their creator to make him reign in his kingdome , and to receive no homage from his people save only for that he is the image of god : t is therefore the most dangerous impression that self-love can make in men , when it perswades them that they deserve the love of the whole world , and that they ought to imploy all their might to augment the number of their lovers : yet every one is possest with this passion , and i see none who do not by severall ways aspire to this tyranny . men discover the perfection of their minds to make themselves admired , women make the most they can of their bodily beauty to make them be adored , but the one and the other of them will have their malady turn contagious , and spread abroad the poyson of self-love which hath infected them , into the souls of all those that come neer them . the eighth discourse . that concupiscence , or self-love divides it self into the love of pleasure , of honour , and of knowledge . mans losse doth so sute with his greatnesse , that to understand the one wel , the other must necessarily be comprized , and we must know what advantages he did possess in his innocency , that we may not be ignorant of such miseries as he undergoes by sin . originall righteousnesse which united him to god , made him find innocent delights , pure and certain knowledge , and elevated honours , ( of which ours are but the shadows ) in the possession of the summum bonum when he lost grace , he therewith all lost all these glorious privileges , which were the dependances thereof , his pleasures were turned into punishments , his light into darkness , and his glory into infamy , the misery into which he saw himself faln did irritate his desire , and the remembrance of his past felicity made him seek for that in the creature , which he had lost in his creator . self-love , which succeeded the love to god , spread it self abroad into three as impure rivolets , as was the spring head from whence they did derive : the first was call'd the love of pleasure , s the second the love of light or novelty , and the third the love of greatnesse , or of glory , these three generall causes of all our disorders , are the fatall effects of concupiscence , they divide man ( now become guilty , ) and though they agree in the bereaving him of his liberty , yet they share in the division of his person . voluptuousnesse or the love of pleasure , resides in the senses , and reigns in all the parts of the body which are capable of delight , the soul engageth her self in the eyes and ears , to tast the contentments which these two senses can wish for , she renounceth spirituall delights , to seek out such as are sensuall , and as if she were now no longer a pure spirit , she longs after nothing but bodily delights . necessity is no longer the rule of her desires , she betakes her self no more to objects , for that they are necessary , but for that they are pleasing . temperance useth her utmost endeavour to withstand this irregularity ; she endeavours to passe by all voluptuousnesse , without any stay , and to make use of such remedies as nature hath ordained for the cure of our maladies , without the engagement of her aff●ctions ; but concupiscence overthrows all her designes , and by the absolute power whereby she governs in the soul , she solicits her to tast all the pleasures of our senses . the soul being faln from her first greatnesse , seems then to cease being spirituall , that she may become corporall ; that she partake no longer in the felicity of angels , and that she no longer pleased with any delights , save such as are sensuall , and impure . this is the first contestation which those faithfull ones resent , who will overcome t concupiscence , and t is the frequentest piece of art which the t devil makes use of to destroy men ; the souls alliance with the body favours his design , and makes his on-sets more dangerous ; mens weakness facilitates their undoing , and there are very few who are able to overcome an enemy which is pleasing to them . if they were to chuse the combat , they would rather charge grief then pleasure , and by their sighing under the burthen of their irons , one may easily judge , that they are only slaves to pleasures , because they want courage to despise it . this temptation is so much more dangerous then others as it is more naturall . to vanquish it a man must have no more a body , and changing condition with angels , hee must become a pure spirit ; but to boot with our loving this part of our selves , the occasions of combats are so frequent , as we are oft in one and the same day both conquerours and conquered : the subjects of vain glory are not so common , if we be blinded by our imaginarie greatnesse , we are humbled by our reall miseries , and we must have forgotten the shame of our birth if we glory in any thing during our life : though the desire of knowledge awakens our curiosity , and that the very ignorance whereinto we are plunged , obligeth us to seek out a diversion , in the knowledge of worldly things , yet the difficulties which accompanies . science , makes us lose our longing after it . we love rather to be kept in ignorance , then to be freed therof by study , we cannot resolve upon the getting of a fleece , where the pains exceeds the glory , and where the reward equals not the labour : but voluptuousnesse is as easie as delightfull , it presents it self unsought for , and is received without difficulty , if we must fight for it , t is when jealousie or ambition makes themselves of the partie ; and that they corrupt the sweetnesse of our delights by the vain-glory of their designes , and moreover , nature having mingled delight with all her remedies , we must always stand upon our guard , that we build not our felicity one things which she gives us only for our consolation . it is hard to discern whether we eat more out of pleasure , or necessity ; a man must be very moderate , to seek for nothing more in sleep , then the refreshing of the body , and the repairing of our forces ; we must have already made many a combat , to effect nothing more in marriage then the preservation of our families , thus do great saints confess t is easier to bereave ones self of pleasures , then to regulate them , and that there goes more of worth to moderate these pleasing enemies , then to stifle them ; t is easier to fast , then to feed sparingly of dainty viands , and the good use of riches is more rare then voluntary poverty . mans mind is busied with curiosity , or the love of novelty , which is so much the more dangerous by how much it appears more lawfull : knowledge , which is not the least part of our advantages , takes the freedome to perswade us that there is nothing more noble then cognizance of nature , she thinks to offer up an acceptable sacrifice to god ; when she losing our senses from delight , that she may engage in the search of truth , so fair a pretext serves for excuse to her injustice , and because knowledge is the souls ornament , she will have all things allowed thereunto , no bounds being prescribed to her desires , not laws unto her sury . from the secrets of u nature she easily passeth to impiety ; for she consults with the stars that she may know what 's to come , and if their aspects or conjunctions do not sufficiently instruct her , she raiseth up spirits , treats with devils , and of an uselesse science frames a dangerous superstition . the amphitheaters of past ages , the circi , and the arenae , are the inventions of this desire of novelty , dauncing and other sports , are not so much the occupations of the idle ; as the diversions of the curious . t is the desire of seeing somewhat of new which draws us forth with multitudes into the fields , and all these fashions , which we invent , are rather signes of our curiosity , then of our vanity . x this passion is much more violent , then that of voluptuousnesse , for the latter is easily contenten , and destroying her self by enjoying , her own delights turns often to be her punishments : but the other is never contented : remedies imbitter her violence , and the earth is not able to satisfie her with novelties , the passion of the flesh extends it self only to pleasures , as soon as an object ceaseth to be pleasing she scorns to pursue it , and the voluptuous have this advantage , as that they see all their desires confined with the limits of delights : but the curious mingle pain with pleasure , and agree these two contraries together , to entertain their restlesnesse , they try poysons under pretence of composing antidotes , they dissect the dead , under colour of curing those that live ; they teare up the bowels of the earth to learne secrets thereout , and goe down to the depths of the sea , to know the wonders thereof . there is nothing which may not be come at by the fury of so irregular a passion , which hath nothing of equitable in her disorder , save that she is the eternall punishment of those that love her . innocency , and sin may have been the originall thereof ; innocency , because whilst in that condition , man knew all that with justice he could wish for ; sin , because he would know more then he ought , and that discovering his heart unto the devill , he indiscreetly suffered the immoderate desire of knowing all things to enter there . pride or the ambition of command ; is the last , and most dangerous effect of concupisceuce . flattery , whose cheife imployment is to praise sin , confounds this passion with vertue , and makes all glorious faults lawful to conquerors . she builds the glory of the alexanders upon the sin of maligne spirits , and she will perswade y princes of the world , that the furious desire which changed angels into devils , can turn men into gods ; but our religion teacheth us that there is no more insolent passion then this , and that all other sins are the ushers in of pride . in effect , if other sins do busie the mind , this possesseth it , if others fly from god , to shun his justice , this draws neer unto him , to set upon his greatnesse , if others leave us when we grow old , this accompanieth us even unto death , and if the rest chance sometimes to be the sin of the elect , this is almost always the reprobates fault , it will supply gods place ; whatsoever name is given to the impiety thereof , it 's design in making it self be either loved or feared , is to govern over men , either by force or fair means , and to commit a rape upon that glory , which belongs only to him , who is the beginning and end of all things : this passion dies not with men , they preserve the sense thereof after death ; and their care of having their prayers recorded in history their statutes erected in publique places , and stately monuments in churches , are assured proofs that their ambition ends not with their lives , this disorder can only proceed from the first man , who not being able to permit that even god should be his sovereign , unjustly pretended to independency , and endeavouring sovereignty by rebellion , reaped thereby nothing but a shamefull servitude ; all these irregularities which derive from self-love , as from their spring-head ; and all our fins which burst out from thence like rivers , the devil who very wel knows , how to tēpt man , makes no use of any other means then these to seduce him , he beats us with our own weapons , and he loseth the hope of overcomming man , when man keeps himself from delight , curiosity , z and ambition , he raised all these batteries against the first man , and judging of their power by their good success , he made use thereof against jesus christ in the desert , but seeing that his soul was sufficient proof against all his on-set , she resolved to set upon him by sorrow and gr● whom he could not seduce by delights the ninth discourse . wherefore concupiscence remains in man after baptisme . we are taught by divinity , that nothing but the power of god can make all things out of nothing ; nothing but his providence can draw good out of evill , and make a mans fault to amend his life . naturall phylosophy cannot comprehend the former of these wonders , and morall phylosopy cannot comprehend the second . nature worketh nothing without materials , her workmanships are rather alterations then productions ; shee may well change one thing into another , but she cannot make a new thing , and there is so little proportion between nothing and subsistancy , as aristotle chose rather to believe that the world was eternall , then that god created it of nothing . this great genjus found it lesse inconvenient to acknowledge numberless causes , then to confess one only , the power thereof was unlimited ; and morall phylosophy , which is not greatly more enlightned then naturall phylophy , findes such opposition between good and evill , as shee would rather think to draw light out of darkness , and beauty out of deformity , then vertue out of vice : but religion which adores in god almighty a power which hath no bounds , and an unclouded providence confesseth also , that the one may have framed the world out of nothing , and that the other may have extracted grace , out of sin , in effect the work of our redemption , is the sequell of ou● loss . and if adams sin be not the cause , it is at least the occasion of our salvation , the same sin which hath drawn reproches from forth our mouth , hath return'd prayses for it , and the church calleth that sin , fortunate , a which hath merited so excellent a redeemer , concupiscence being the daughter of sin , we must not wonder if divine providence hath made it serviceable to her designes , and if she employ her enemy to execute her will , for though this guilty habit be past , as it were into nature , and that it makes sin so hard to be overcome , yet did god leave it in the souls of his faithfull ones to exercise their vertue , to allay their pride , and to make them have their remembrance of their misfortune always before them . during the happy estate of their innocencie , vertue was so naturall to man as it met with no resistance . man took delight in doing what was good , and the greatness of merit was not measured by the difficulty of the work , his passions were obedient to reason , his senses were faithfull to his soule , and his body had no other motions then those of the soule , the practise of piety was not as yet become a combate , continencie and fortitude were not enforced to give battaile , to bear away the victory ; and these two noble habits were given man , rather for his ornament then for his defence , so we must confess that if he had more quiet then we , hee had less glory , and that if he tasted more delight , he could not hope for so great reward , for all our life is spent in exercise and fighting , all our vertues are austeer , they are always environed with enemies , they cannot go out of their ordinary tracks , without falling into a precepice , and they are reduced to the b necessity of continuall fighting unlesse they will be defeated , but of all the enemies that sets upon them , they are most vext with concupiscence , and yet win most glory thereby , for she is so opinionated as 〈◊〉 cannot be overcome , grace which triumphs over all our evill , complains of being resisted by this , although it lose it's vigour , it loseth not it's courage , and though the saints do still weaken it yet they cannot stifle it ; they must dye to defeat it , and it must cost them their life , to get the full victory , yet is this the field wherein they purchase all their bayes , t is the matter of their fights and triumphs : and their vertues would languish in idleness , did not this domestick enemy keep them in breath . to say truth , they run much danger but gain much glory ; the same subject which causeth their pain heighthens their courage and increaseth their merit . if concupiscence be of use to vertue , she is no lesse fatall to sin , for though she be her daughter she is likewise oft her murtherer ; and of all the remedies which grace hath ordained to cure us of pride , there is none more safe then that of this disorder . we are naturally proud and miserable , and it is hard to say whether pride or misery makes the greater impression in our souls . pride is so well engraven therein , as we in our sad condition continue the coveting after all those greatnesses which we did possess whilest innocent ; we perswade our selves that we are princes , because our father was so : we will have nature to obey us because she bore respect to his will , and we think that all honours are due to us , because he enjoyed them in the earthly paradice . death which is the reward of sin cannot be the cure thereof ; the creatures revolt cannot perswade us , that we have lost the empire of the world , and the sicknesses , which do alter our tempers , cannot teach us that the elements are our enemies , but concupiscence teacheth us humility , this insolent mistris teacheth us obedience ; c and her frequent rebellions makes us know that we are no longer masters of our selves , by two contrary motions , she inspires us with pride , and teacheth us modesty , she fils us with courage , and makes us know our weaknesse , she incites us against heaven , and obligeth us to implore the assistance thereof ▪ in fine , she wounds and cures us , at the same time ; and like to those prepared poysons , whereof medicines are made , she is the antidote of al our evils . for who is so proud a prince as doth not humble himself , when hee sees he is less absolute in his person then his state , that his ▪ passions are more rebellious then his subjects , that there goes more to tame them , then to reduce rebels to obedience , and that though reason super-intend in his soul , she hath irrationall subjects who despise her authority . saint augustine confesseth that this punishment is as shamefull as cruell , and of as many irregularities as sin hath produced in men , hee findes none more infamous then concupiscence . she makes us also see the unfortunate state of our condemna●n , and even in the state of grace , she presents unto us the condition ▪ of sin ; for we are divided between adam ▪ and jesus christ , we belong to two masters , we are the members of two opposite commanders , and we the children of two fathers , that war one against the other ▪ wee hol● still with adam , according to the flesh , wee follow his inclinations , and in christian religion , we forbeare , not to ob●y his will , his sin hath made such an impression in our d soul , as we continue to bear about with us all the marks of his rebellion , and unlesse we contend against our senses , we find by experience ; that our desires ▪ are the pictures of his . all our sins are so many undertakings against the authority of god , we will be independent in our government , we will tast delights unmingled with bitternesse , and have knowledge ●exempt from errour , we still seek after the effects of those abusive promises , which the wicked fiend made unto us , and pretend in the depth of our miseries , to arrive at the height of greatnesse , from whence we are faln , thus doth adams sin triumph yet in our souls , and this father which is dead so many ages ago , lives yet in his children . t is true that according to the spirit we belong to the only son of god , his grace is shed abroad throughout our hearts , we work by his motions , if we be inanimated by his spirit , and we desire to kill adam , that jesus christ may live in his place ; but this is but a languishing life , we are but imperfect works , grace meets always with contradictions in her designs , and the soul being engaged in the bodies rebellion , hath very much ado to submit her self to the spirit of god. we e wait for the day of resurrection , to the end that jesus christ may be the father both of our body , and soul , and that the two parts whereof we are composed may submit themselves to his will. we wish that death may bereave us of all that adam gave us , and to the end that jesus christ may reign absolutely in our soul we ▪ desire that our soul may be loosened from the sinfull body which she inanimates ; from thence derive the opposite motions which divide the greatest saints , from thence arise those contrary desires which divide their wils , from thence finally proceeds those differing inclinations which do so diversly agitate them , and which teach them that though they be subjects to the empire of grace , they are not notwithstanding freed from the tyranny of sin , t is true that they comfort themselves amidst their misfortune ; when they consider that they are not made guilty by the motions of concupiscence , save when they are voluntary , and that baptisme , which hath left them languishing , hath not left them criminall , for our revolts are not always sins , if our will approve not of them , they are rather subjects of glory then confusion . the disorders of our passions become not offences , save when they draw along our consent , as long as the soul opposeth the disorders of the senses , she is innocent , and as long as she surpasseth sorrow and anger , f if she do not triumph she is at least victorious . he who looks pale and sigheth , is not always overborn with feare , or sorrow , he whose colour riseth when he is offended is not always overcome by choller . these passions must be voluntary to be criminall , and to be really tearmed sins , they must pass from the body to the soul , he who trembleth is not affraid if he will not commit some base act , he who weeps is not sad , if he will wipe away his tears ; he who finds anger to arise in him is not irritated , if he endeavour to quench his flames , and amidst all these passions a man may boast that he is void of fear ; grief ; and anger , if his will goe not along with their motions , by all this discourse a man may easily gather , that g concupiscence may be made good use of by the faithfull , and that if , of her own inclination , she be the root of all vice , when conducted by grace she may become the seed of all vertues . the tenth discourse . that gods iustice hath permitted that man should be divided within himself , for the punishment of his sin . the phylosopher seneca being desirous to make it known , that destiny hath no share in the worlds government , and that whatsoever accidents befall us in the course of our life , are guided by a sovereign providence , vaunted that he had undertaken a work h which was not difficult , since hee therein pleaded gods cause , and that he had the honour to defend it ; me thinks i may begin this discourse in his words , and boast together with him , that the businesse i undertake is not very hard , since i plead in the behalfe of the justice of god ; and that i go about to free it from the out-rages which it receives from so many foul mouthes , which accuse gods justice for leaving so many wicked men unpunished . i very well know that the unfortunate innocent have complained of these , and that without dis-regard to the respect which is due to the justice of god , they have often desired that god would be more speedy in his punishments . i david murmured inwardly seeing the prosperity of sinners , iob complain'd , that the good fortune of the wicked was so constant , as it accompanied them even to death , and saint k augustine , who seems to have sought into all the secrets of divine justice confesseth , that it is no lesse difficult to accord the power of grace , with mans liberty , then divine justice with the prosperity of the wicked . this is the scandall of silly souls , the wicked mans despair , and the rock whereon all those run ship wrack , who are not soundly grounded in the faith of jesus christ : yet this great doctor avoucheth two or three maximes , which may pacifie the mind of man , and which prove cleerly enough that there is no sinner who is not miserable . to understand his doctrine we must know that l punishment and reward go to the making up of one part of the worlds beauty ; and that as vertue deserves some pay , sin likewise deserves some punishment . it would be unreasonable if the just man should not be recompenced , and irregular , if the guilty should not be punished . divine justice is answerable to these two sorts of men , and as the great tertullian says , she is no lesse obliged to erect heaven for the good , then to make hell for the wicked ; that divine perfection , which maintains the order of the world never overthrows this : vertue receiveth always her reward , and vice is never exempt from punishment ; they do not only follow , but accompany one another , and as the epicurians did not believe that delight could be seperated from vertue , saint augustine did not believe that punishment could be parted from sin . this effect is always found with it's cause , and man can no sooner commit an offence but he presently becomes sensible of the punishment . there is an m eternall law which will have good men happy , and the wicked miserable , it neither defers reward nor punishment , and without putting off the punishment to hell , or the reward to heaven , it confers them both on earrh , ; god hath made some laws which alters with the times ; though he be in himself always the same , yet he accommodates himself somtimes to his handy-worke , and oft times repeals the decrees which he hath pronounced , but the law which regards vertue , and vice is immutable , and the ugliness of an offence never goeth without the beauty of punishment , nor doth sin ever enter into n a soul , but it brings it's reward with it , though this maxime may appear strange yet hath it been approved of by prophane phylosophy ; and seneca o acknowledged that man who had sinned could not keep unpunished ; that his crime was his torment , and that without having recourse to the revengfull furies he bore about with him , his hangman , and his sin . they therefore deceive themselves who believe that there be any guilty unpunished , because they are honoured ; for though men through base flattery confound vice with vertue , though they put a value upon what they ought to dis-esteeme , though they raise altars to those that merit the gallows , though the heavens seem to favour their designs , that fortune fore-running their desires , mounts them upon thrones , and put crowns upon their heads , yet are they unhappy , if wicked , and amongst this imaginarie felicity which provokes our envy , they suffer pains , which would move our compassion , if they were as evident as true : for if they should suffer no other torment then to be upon ill tearms with god , are they not sufficiently miserable , and say they should undergo no other losse , then that of his grace ; should they not be rigorously enough punisht ; banisht people will admit of no consolation , because they are far distant from their country : though they enjoy their estate , though they live under a temperate climate , though they converse with fair conditioned men , they think themselves unhappy , in that they breath not the air of their own countrey . favourites will not out-live their masters favours , the magnificence of their palaces , the number of their meniall servants , the greatnesse of their offices , cannot charme their sorrow ; they are pleased with nothing because their prince is offended : all their contentments cannot countervail the losse of his favour , and his wrath is a punishment , which all the reasons of phylosophy cannot sweeten : if experience teacheth us that banishment and losse of favour are punishments , shall we doubt whether he that is not upon good terms with god , be upon bad terms with himselfe or no ? and can we think him happy who through his own default hath lost the well spring of true happinesse ? the sinner then is miserable ; and if men esteeme them happy amongst so many sufferings , it is for that they do not know wherein happinesse consists . i looked upon the prosperity of the wicked ( saith saint p augustine ) with indignation , i could not tollerate that good luck should accompany them in their ways , i could have wished that divine justice would have made an example of them , and that it would have abased their pride , thereby to appease the murmuring of the innocent , but i did unjustly accuse divine providence , for it never leaves sinners unpunished , and if such as are blind think wicked men happy , t is because they know not what happinesse is . as mans wickednesse draws on gods justice , and as we conclude he is miserable , because sinfull , we ought also to argue that he is sinfull because miserable , for god is not severe without reason , our faults do always precede his punishments , and he took not upon him to be a revenger , before we became faulty , it is our offences that provoke his justice , and he had never let his thunder have fallen on our heads if we had not neglected his commandements . t is one of saint q augustines arguments which convinceth the most opinioned , and obligeth them to confess , that since there is no injustice in god , man must needs be criminall , because miserable , for god afflicteh nothing that is innocent , nor ruines not his workmanship without a cause , he should injure his own goodnes , should his justice punish a man that were not guilty . phylosophers agree in this truth , the light of reason hath made us know , that punishment presupposeth sin ; the ignorance of our miseries hath perswaded them , that man was punisht on earth , for sins that he had committed in heaven , that his body was his souls prison , and that she was deteined there to expiate the faults which she only had committed . though these be not so pure truths but that they have an intermixture of errour , yet they teach us that sin precedes punishment , and that mans misery doth assuredly witness his offence . for what likely-hood is there that divine providence would have condemned man to so much misery without a fault , wherefore should the body rebell against the soul , whereunto it is united : wherefore should man be composed of parts which cannot agree ? and why should the workmanship of god be out of order were it not corrupred by the sin of man. we must have offended this judge , before he have condemned us , his justice r never punisheth the innocent , and his goodnesse would not permit us to be miserable , if we were not guilty : but we must also confesse that his justice would have been remisse , had he not punisht sin , adams rebellion deserved that all men should be punisht for it , his sufferings were to be hereditarie , and there had been some sort of inconvenience , that a guilty father should have produced innocent children , we inherit his punishment and his sin , and receiving our being from him , it was reason we should partake of the miseries which do accompany it , in point of high treason , the children are punisht for the fathers fault , when a princes anger breaks out upon great personages that are guilty , it fals likewise upon their families , to have any relation to them sufficeth to be guilty . crime is contracted by allyance , and though the misfortune may exceed the sin ; there is always reason enough for the punishment throughout all the judaicke law the children beare the punishment of their fore-fathers sins , god s requires it to the fourth generation s as a child is a part of his father , we presume he hath drawn along with him part of his sin , and that he cannot inherit his being without inheriting his offence also , gods greatnesse merits this rigour , and offences cōmitted against so high a majesty cannot be sufficiently punished . our complaints proceed from our ignorance we defend our own cause only because we know not his sanctity whom we have offended , if we had a little light we would prevent gods decrees , and we should find that hell is to small a punishment for such as rebell against him . in whatsoever sort it be that we have contracted sin , it deserveth punishment , we cannot be blamelesse since we proceed from a guilty father , and since the bodies maladies are hereditary , we must not wonder if those of the soul be contagious : there is no difference between adams sin , and ours , save only that his is voluntary , and ours naturall , that he is more guilty then unfortunate ; & we more unfortunate then guilty , that he hath done the mischiefe and we have received it , that he hath committed a fault , and we bear the punishmnnt , that his disorder is become our nature , that his rebellion engageth us in disobedience , and that as the tree is lost in it's root ; we are infected in our beginning and corrupted in our father . after all these reasous there is no more reason of complaint ; miserable man instead of accusing gods justice must implore his mercy , and must find out that innocency in iesus christ , which he hath lost in adam , to the end , that as naturall generation hath been the cause of his misery , spirituall generation may be the cause of his happinesse , and that he may there partake of grace without any other merits then those of the sonne of god ; as he hath received condemnation without any other fault then that of adam . oe the corruption of the soul by sinne : the second treatise : the first discourse . of the souls excellencie , and of the miseries which shee hath contracted by sinne. the church hath oft times seen the truth of her belief gain-said by contrary heresies , neither hath she almost at any time explained the mysteries of faith , but that she hath seen new sects arise , which by different ways have endeavoured to bereave her of her purity , and to engage her in errour , when she explained her self upon the mysterie of the trinity , and that she had taught her children to adore the plurality of persons , in the unity of the divine essence , she was opposed by two contrary heresies , the one of which confounded the persons , the other divide the nature , when to declare unto us the oeconomy of the incarnation , she hath taught us that man-god did unite in the unity of his person , the divine nature ; with the humane , there arose a heretiques , who desirous to destroy one another , quitted the catholicks opinions , and perswaded themselves either that there was but one nature or two persons in iesus christ , when finally , the same church distinguishing , between the purity and the corruption of nature , taught us that the one was the worke of god , the other the worke of sinne , two heresies sprung up , which withstood this truth with different weapons , for the one confounded the corruption of nature with her essence , and imagined that there was a bad principium , of which all things visible were the work : the other by a clean contrary tract , would excuse the disorders of sin , by the goodnesse of nature , and perswade us that mans irregularities were nether the effects , nor the punishment of his rebellion , it approoved of concupiscence , and placed it in the terrestiall paradice before the serpent had seduced the first woman ; it made merry with original righteousnes , and bereft her of the power of composing the differences of the soul and body ; it approved of all those revolts which we look upon as the cursed consequences of sin , and imployed it's reason to perswade catholicks , that they were rather the effects of our constitution then the punishments of our disobedience , it maintained together with phylosophy whose arms it borrowed , to fight against religion , that death was rather a law then a punishment , and that even in the state of innocency a man could not have fenced himself against death . the churches belief being equally distant from these two errours , and since she doth as constantly confesse the goodnesse of nature as her corruption . i have thought good throughout all this work to mingle invectives with panygericks , and to observe as well the advantages which man receives from god , as the miseries which he contracts by sin , i therefore think my self obliged to set forth the beauties of the soul , before i describe her blemishes , and to paint forth on the same table her perfections , and her defaults . the souls originall contributes to her greatnesse , and though she be brought ex nihilo , t is no small miracle that divine power hath been able to draw so excellent a thing from so barren a subject . phylosophers b who never knew the truth without the mixture of falshood , and who have always in religion mingled fables with history , imagined that soul made a part of the divine substance that she was a slip of his being , & that after having inlivened the body which served her for a sepulchre , or prison , she should be happily re-united to her principium . some others more modest believe , that she drew her birth from heaven , and that preserving the memory of her dear country , she could ill bear with the length of her exile . some others lesse elevated have perswaded thēselves that she was form'd of earth , and that being more extenuated , & not more noble then the body , she had the same element for her originall , the pythagorians composed her of numbers , and would have harmony to be her essence , as that which maketh peace in the world , and accordeth the elements ; some dotards have drawn her from the atoms of the sun , and gave her a body composed only of light and heat . but christian religion teacheth us , that she is a spirit created by god in time , infused into a body to inanimate it , the spring head of motion and life , and that in her noblest operations , she stands in need of her salves organes to operate withall , light is in some sort naturall to her , in her understanding she comprehends the principles of all sciences ; her will hath in it the seed of all vertue , the senses are so many messengers which informe her with whatsoever passeth in the world , and by their faithfull reports teach her those truths which she was ignorant of , t is true , that there are some truths which are rather infused into her then acquired by her , and which nature hath so powerfully imprinted in her essence as errours self cannot deface them , she without an instructer knows there is but one god , she preserves this belief in the midst of superstition , in this point she is christian , even when infidell whilst she offers b incense to her idols , she trusts in him who seeth all things , and after having invoked saturn and iupiter , she implores ayd from him whom her conscience tels her is the true creator of heaven and earth ; she is ignorant of the fall of devils , and by the hatred which she bears unto them , makes it appear that she is not ignorant of their guile , whilst she is possessed with these tyrants , she ceaseth not to think upon her lawfull sovereign ; and sin which hath not been able to destroy her nature c could not deface her knowledge , nor her love ; she loves god though she offends him , all the tyes she hath to these perishable things , are the remainders of that naturall inclination , and because every creature is an image of it's creator , she cannot see them without being in some sort transported , the shadow of god awakens her flame , but having neither light nor heat enough to raise her self up to him , she remains engaged on the earth and by a strange blindnesse she forgets the summum bonum to fasten her self to his picture , she presageth her misfortune d before she hath any knowledge thereof , she prophesieth it before she disputes , and when she first enters into the world , she witnesseth by her tears , that she hath some sense of her miseries , as soon as she hath by her cryes saluted the sun , she teacheth those that understand her , that she very well knows the earth is the seat of misery and that one cannot live long there without suffering much sorrow . when age indues her with the use of reason , she doth not lose the use of prophecie , her dreams serves for presages . the heavens whilst she is at rest , advertize her , of her disasters , and the angels treating with her in a condition wherein she cannot treat with men , acquaints her with the good and bad successes of her enterprizes , she makes e out salleys which cause men to believe that though she be fastened to the body , yet she is not a prisoner , for when she pleaseth she abandons the senses , and collects her self , that she may be the lesse interrupted in her meditations : she seeks for knowledge , in the center of her essence , and as if she did complain of the sights infidelity , or the ears sloath , she endeavours to learn at home within her selfe what she cannot find out in the world , in effect she would be very ignorant if she knew nothing , but what she learns from her officers : for as they are but the organes of the body , they can only observe the qualities of the objects , and can only inform their sovereign of the lustre of colours , the diversity of sounds , and of the varities of smels , but when she withdraws within her self she knows subsistances , she treats with spirits , and raising her self-above all things , created , she forms unto herself certain ideas of a divinity . nay , she is an image thereof , and it seems god took pleasure , to draw his own picture in the soul of man , and to make us admire in this chief work of his power , the unity of his nature , and the plurality of his persons ; for though this spirit be engaged in materia , and that it works differently according to the severall organes of the body , that it digests meat by naturall heat , converts it into bloud by means of the liver , distributes it into all parts ▪ by the veins , and by a miraculons metamorphosis gives a hundred severall shapes to the same food , yet is it not divided , and representing the unconceivable unity of god , it is tota in toto & tota inqualibet parte . thus the soul conteins that which seems to inclose her , she lends her hoast house room , she upholds her house , she inanimates ▪ her sepulchre , and this created divinity is so great , as she circumscribes the temple wherein she makes her residence . this admirable unity agrees with a trinity of powers , which makes the soul an excellent image of god ; for she hath an active understanding , which conceives all things , a happy memory which records them , and an absolute will , which disposeth of them ; she knew the highest of our miseries by reflecting on her self , before faith had revealed unto her the procession of the divine persons , nature had given her some glimmering thereof , by studying what she found to be in her self ; she learnt what was in god , and seeing that she conceived a word in her understanding , and a love in her will , she had no trouble to comprehend that the father begot a sonne , and that the sonne together with the father produced a holy ghost . plato who had read no other book then that of his own soul , guest at these truths . trismegistus f who had only learn'd these lights out of the bosome of nature , had some weak knowledge of the mysteries , and we are bound to confess , that neither the one nor the other would ever have known the divine originall had they not seriously considered the copy . as the soul is the shadow of the divine essence , it shares in part of his highest perfections ; her light is not obscured by her prison : the body which is formed but of earth doth not derogate from her nobility , nor power , and death which threatens the house wherein she lives , injures not her immortality , she is knowing in the midst of obscurity , absolute , amidst the revolt of her subjects , immortall in the bosome of death it self ; the senses which endeavour to seduce her by their unfaithfull reports , cannot abuse her , and let them use what foul play they please , she hath always light enough to discover their imposture , she corrects their errours ; and when she will make use of her own rights , she finds counsellors in the bas● of her being , who convince these faithless officers of fals-hood : she finds oft times lesse resistance in her body then in her self , one only act g of her will , makes the eyes open , the arms be lifted up , and the legs go , these parts are so obedient to her commands , as they never resist when in health , their rebellion ariseth rather from infirmity , then malice , & if her subjects forget their duty , they are never the first authors of disorder , the tongues diligence in expressing her thoughts exceedeth belief , the eyes makes prodigious hast to bring her news , and the ears as lazie as they are ; are wonderfully faithfull , in informing her of what they understand : the hands invent a thousand means to content her , the five branches whereof they are composed are the mothers of all arts , and they are so affectionate to their sovereign , as she hath no sooner design'd any thing but these industrious officers do forth-with faithfully execute it . nature would be jealous of their labours , did she not know that their power is boūded , and that for all they can do to imitate her , they can neither give life , nor motion to their workmanship , in fine , the soul which governs them so dexterously , and which seems to foregoe all the other parts of the body to inanimate them , loseth half her power when she hath no hands , and this high and mighty sovereign seems to execute her greatest designs by the means of these faithfull confederates . as she is absolute in her servitude , she is immortall in her grave , and all the atteints which sicknesse gives her , cannot trouble her rest , if she apprehend pain , t is because the body that she inanimates resents it , if she fear death , t is because it destroys her mansion , and if she seem h to be moved or affraid t is because she loves the slave that would foregoe her : the knowledge she hath of her own immortality , makes her rest quiet , she takes delight in entertaining her self with thought of the life which must succeed this life , she sees far into ages that are to come , she ordains things which must not be accomplished till after her departure , she is very jealous of her honour , and knowing very well , that death which will destroy her body , shall not ruine her , she endeavours to do actions , for which she shall suffer no reproach in the other world ; her cares which extend themselves beyond the precincts of time , are proofs of her i immortality , and the paision she hath for glory , witnesseth that she is not ignorant of the happinesse which is prepared for her in heaven , when the moment wherein she is to make her entrance thereinto approacheth , and that she is ready to be divorced from her body she operates with a new strength ; she sees things with more light , all her words are k oracles , it seems that freeing her self from materia , she becomes a pure spirit , and that having no further commerce with men , she treats invisibly with angels , her last endevours are usually the greatest , she gathers strength out of her bodies weaknesse , and death destroys her prison , only to set her at liberty , she beginsto tast the sweet of heaven , and she looks upon parting from the earth , as upon the end of her servitude . i should be too tedious if i would perticularize in all the souls advantages , the rest of this discourse must be imployed in shewing what out rages she receiveth from sin ; for as soon as she took up her lodging , she became slave to the body ; she lost her power when she lost her innocence , when she ceased to obey , she ceased to command , and as if obedience had been the foundation of all her greatnesse , rebellion was the cause of her miseries , of all the cognizances whichwere together with grace infused into her , none remain'd in her but doubts and jealousies , which makes her as oft embrace fals-hood as truth ; though she know god : she adores the workmanship of his hands , her enlightnings detein her not from engaging her self in errour , and the great inclination which she hath for the summum bonum doth not estrange her from the love of perishable things , she is the image of god ; and ceaseth to resemble him , she expresseth his greatnesse , and doth no longer imitate his vertues , she conserves the trinity of her power in the unity of her essence , yet cannot conceive one god in three persons , she makes and idol unto her self of every creature , all that pleaseth her seem gods unto her , her interest is the soul of her religion , her love ariseth from fear , she adores whatsoever she fears , and unlesse the god which she serveth had thunders wherewithall to punish her she would have no victimes to load his altars withall . her punishment is the picture of her offence , she meets with rebellion in her slave ; the conspiracy of all the parts of her body is generall ; her senses do seduce her , her passions do torment her , her imagination troubles her , and her subjects do despise her , she sees her self obliged to encourage their disorders to give life to rebels , which justle her authority , to nourish up monsters which rend her in peices , and to arme souldiers which plunder her estate , but nothing ads more unto her pain ; then the love which she bears her enemy , for though he prosecute her , she cannot resolve to hate him & dares not make war against him without assistance from heaven : this traitor is so full of cunning as he makes himself be beloved by her whom he abuseth , she is sensible of all the evils that he endures , and as if her pain arose from her love ; she never ceased to suffer since she began to love him , she apprehends her slaves miseries more then her own ; she fears death more then sin , she is more affraid of ruine then of falshood , and as if this inclination had changed her nature , she desires no other good , nor dreads no other evill , then what is sensible : musick charms her discontents , pictures serve her for a diversion , she is pleased with smels , and the greatest part of her delights consists in what contents her senses , by a sequell as shamefull as necessary , she is burnt by feavers , pained by the gout , weakened by sicknesse , and whatsoever hurteth her body , abaseth her courage . after the injuries which she hath received from this domestick enemy , l it is hard to judge which of the two hath juster cause of complaint , for each of them seem to be equally guilty ; and that the one and the other of them are the mutuall cause of their displeafures . in adam , sin arose from the soul , but in his children it draws it's birth from the flesh , and in the most part of their errours , t is the senses which seduce them , pleasures which corrupt them , sorrows which keep them , love , and passions which tyrannize over them . thus our misfortunes drive equally from these two , and if the soul made our first father guilty , it is the body which makes his children unfortunate ; yet must we avow that the soul is the greater delinquent in us as well as in him , for if she have no freedom to defend her self against originall sin , and if necessity may excuse a misfortune which is not voluntary , she is more guilty then the body , because she commits so many faults with delight , stays not for being solicitated by the senses , and that by a blind impetuosity , she willingly embraceth whatsoever is pleasing unto her , she ads voluntary sins , to sins of nature , and will have that of her faults , some be the effects of her misfortune ; and others , of her lewdness . in fine , it seems that those that follow her motions endevour to exceed the sin of their birth by the sins of their life , and as if they thought it an offence to be more innocent then their father , they strive to be more faulty then hee who committed all the sins in the world ; when he made all that descended from him criminall . the second discourse . that the soul is become slave unto the body by reason of sin . though the soul be the noblest part of man , yet is she not void of fault , and for any excessive praise that prophane phylosophy may give her , she hath naturall weaknesses which do accompany her , even in innocency , adams soul was engaged in his body , and in her noblest operations , she needed the organes thereof to expresse her thoughts , or execute her designs ; though she were pleased with this dependancy , she ceased not to be servile : and whosoever should reduce an angel to this condition , should take from him his glory and his liberty : she could not quit her body to go to heaven , whethersoever her love did carry her , she must carry her host with her , and rather then to forego this pleasing prison , she did prorogue the accomplishment of her desire . ignorance was in some sort naturall unto her , m and though knowledge was infused into the soul of adam together with grace , we are not sure that he could have transmitted it unto his off-spring , had not the way of learning it been painfull , it would have at least been tedious , and if labour had not been requisite , time would at least have been required to the acquiring thereof , though the organes of the body had been well disposed , there would have been a difference in their temper , and all souls would not have had the same advantages , of grace , which was their last perfection , would never have raised them into the rank of angels , and whatsoever communication men might have had with those happy spirits , they could never have arrived at their hierarchy . though we are hereby , taught that the soul had her weaknesses in the state of innocency , yet being naturall they were not painful , and though they were faults , yet were they not punishments : for in this condition man knew nothing which pained him , he was satisfied with his advantages , and was not lesse happy though no angell , his nature being the meer work of god had no defaults , that which seem'd humble ceased not to be glorious ; and the tye which the soul had to the body , was not a servitude though a necessity , she was well pleased with her abode , and though she were of a more elevated condition , then was her body , n the service she had from thence made her love her quarter ; the chains wherewith they were united were so strong , as nothing but sin , could breake them , their inclinations in the difference of their nature , were so conformable , as whatsoever pleased the one , did not dislike the other : the body by an admirable prodigie heighthned it's self into the souls employments without violence , and the soul deigned to submit her self to the necessities of the body , without injury to her self , she found no difficulty in all she did , and if the body were not serviceable to her in her more noble works ; yet did it not resist her therein , their contentments were common , and as the soul was not subject to sorrow ; neither did the body feel any pain . this happy condition lasted no longer then the time of innocency ; when man once lost his righteousnesse , he lost his happinesse : and when he became criminall , he became miserable , the soul went less in her greatnesses , and this living image of the divine essence , saw her self brought to such misery , as may better be exprest by tears then words ; nothing remain'd intire in man , and the outrages of sin dispersed themselves into all the parts of the body , the understanding was darkned , the memory weakned , and the will depraved . in all the faculties of the soul ; the soul received some prejudice in her very essence , and evill found her out in such a condition , wherein as being forma corporis , she was engaged in the materia thereof , for since her offence , she her self as it were obliged to love a cruell tyrant , to bear with an irreconcileable enemy , to serve a rebellious slave , and to make up all her misfortunes , reduced to that necessity , as she is not able without sorrow , to forego the cause of all her disasters . to conceive her corruption , we must of necessity comprehend her purity , and observe the effects which originall righteousnesse wrought in the soul : the first was , that notwithstanding her being engaged in a body , she ceased not to be spirituall , her functions made her not animale , and though united to the body by grace ; yet was she not thereby a prisoner , she communicated her perfections to it , and shared not in it's defects , she was free though bound ; her body o was her temple , not her prison , and the love she bore unto it did not injure her liberty , but as soon as sin had insinuated it self into the ground work of her essence , she changed condition , the chain of love which tyed her to her body , was turned to a servile ord , which bound her to her slave ; her charity was turned into self-love ; she forgot her greatnesse ; and that she might interest her self in all the desires of her body , she lost all the qualities of her spirit , sensible things became her diversions , she delighted in nothing but the voluptuousnesse of the senses , if she had changed nature by changing condition , she ccased to love the summum bonum , and began to idolize her body , she fore-went her noble desires , for such as were infamous , and confining all her wishes , either to the affairs or pleasures p of her body , she loved nothing but what was earthly and sensible . they say that in the state of glory , the bodies of the blessed will become spirituall , and that losing all the feelings of their materia , they shall only have the inclinations of the spirit , that they shall follow their soul without trouble , and by an unconceiveable agility they shall fly faster then the winds , or lightening , that they shall pierce the most solid things , and that being more subtill then flames of fire , ; they shall penetrate even the substance , of the heavens , they shall shine with glory , and being more radiant then the sun , they shall fill all parts with light . but in the state of sin , the soul assumed the qualities of the body , her love engaged her further in the materia , then nature had done ; she made her prison more streight and more obscure , she lost the lights she was infused withall , that she might see no longer but through the senses , and her compliance with her slave did so alter her inclinations , as reflecting upon her self ; she had much ado to believe that she was yet spirituall . this violent , though irregular love was occasionally the cause of good , and served the soul to free her from the body , for divine justice ( which oft times makes us find our punishment in our faults ) condemned q the soul to forego the body , as soon as she began to love it in excesse , the same sin which did unite them did by death divide them ; their chains grew weaker , as their affection strengthened , and when the soul had most passions to retein her body , she was forced to forsake it : for when originall righteousnesse was retreated the elements began to mutiny , naturall heat usurped upon the radicall moisture , and all these contraries which lived in peace , declared open war. nature was enforced to call in industry to her succour , and tooke advice with physick to appease all her domestick divisions ; but she knew by experience , that losing grace , she had lost all remedies , and that death was an incurable evill . thus did mans life become a long sicknesse , in the which he was for some years preserved by food , which could not notwithstanding keepe him from dying , his soul was fain to employ her care to defend her self from death , and she who by an irregular love was become corporall , by a just punishment became mortall , for though the soul be immortall in her substance , and that she continues this advantage even in her very sin , yet is she punisht in her bodies death , she is so well pleased with her prison , as she loves the lothsomness thereof , and she is so accustomed to serve ; as she abhors the very name of liberty : she trembles when one speaks to her of death , she makes her fear appear upon the body , which she in-animates , she weeps through the eyes thereof , looks pale in it's visage , sighs by it's mouth : and in this mutuall suspiration , a man cannot tell whether it be the sou● that is afflicted ; or the body that complaineth . the evill hath it's beginning in the body , but passeth into the r soul ; it is the body that perisheth , but t is the soul that suffereth , the body which is corrupt , but the soul which despairs : in fine it is upon the body that death exerciseth his cruelty , but it is the soul that is pierced through with sorrow . this is the bodies death , the souls punishment , and two guilty parties are punished with one and the same scourge . but this bodily death is the effect of a spirituall death , which is peculiar to the soul ; and which though it be invisible ceaseth not to be veritable , this death is nothing else , but the privation of originall righteousnesse , which commits more outrages upon the soul , then natural death doth upon the body : for man by losing grace lost all the advantages whereof grace was the cause , he ceased to be upon good terms with god , s and began to be upon bad with himself : all his inclinations were changed , all his enlightenings darkened , and all his faculties out of order ; he could not conceive how being still himself in appearance , he was no longer effectually so , and that the fault which had drawn down gods just anger upon his head , had bereft him of all those glorious qualities which he possessed with innocency , he sought himself out , and could not find himself , he was ashamed of his bodies nakedness , and affraid of his souls misery , he could not indure himself , when he yet loved himself better , by a strange miracle , self ▪ caused hatred , and the same sin which made him proud , loaded him with confusion . he was sensible of all evils at once , and passed in a moment , from supreame happinesse to extreame misery : we are not sensible of sin , because it is born with us , we are not touched with the disorders thereof , because it fore-runs our reasons , nature and sin are mutually confused in us , and nothing doth so much comfort us in our misfortunes , as that we have been always unfortunate , if we have recourse to grace in baptisme , t is of so nice a nature , as it is undiscernable , and as we continue to find illusions in our senses , and revolts in our passions , we have much ado to believe that grace should reign there where sin doth yet live : when by a voluntary offence we lose it , we were hardly sorry for the losse of a thing , the possession whereof we are hardly sensible of , we must become convinced by reasons before we ▪ t be perswaded to believe that we are unfortunate preserving in our offence whatsoever we value most in our innocence , we cannot believe that we are faulty ; for a phylosopher becomes not ignorant , though he lose grace , a prince though fa●ulty descends not from his throne , the avaricious rich man , augments his revenue by continuing his usury ; a proud man loseth not his greatnesse , though he lose humility , nor doth a fair woman lose her beauty , though she stain her honour . our sins bereave us not of our advantages ; and finding no change neither in fortune , nor body , we cannot believe that any such hath befaln us in our soul , if the same , sin whereby we lost grace , had taken from us our health , we should strive more to preserve our innocence , and did crimes cause the same disorder in our conditions , as it doth in our souls , we should oft times set phylosophers ignorant , kings without subjects , rich men ruined , proud men abased , and fair women become ill-fauoured ; but all the losse being spirituall , it is insensible and because it leaves us whatever is most precious to us , we doubt whether it be true or no. the pledges of heaven which grace giveth unto us , the quality of the children of● god which she obteins for us , the dignity of the temples of the holy ghost which she procures us , and the honours of being the members of jesus christ , which she acquires in our behalf , are the advantages which we possesse without being sensible thereof , and which we lose without sorrowing . faith is requisite to the knowledge of our souls health , and of our losse , and unlesse we carefully enquire into our conscience , hardly can we know whether we be guilty or innocent , but adam had all miseries , poured down at once , upon him , his losse was not by degrees , as ours is , it was great at the first , and if any advantages remain'd to him after his losse of favour , he needed new grace to make good use thereof , he was sadly sensible of the privation , because it was generall ; he was so much the more unfortunate , for that his misery succeeded a height of happiness , and he had so much the less reason of comfort , for that the fault which bereft him of righteousnes took therewithall from him , all that he was thereby indow'd withall , his soul found no longer any submission in her body , no more faithfullnesse in her senses , nor obedience in her passions , she was forced to encourage all their disorders , and to give life to rebels , or such as were guilty , she felt her self distracted by her own inclinations , and not comprehend how being but one in her essence , she was divided in her will : but nothing did so much astonish her , as to see that rebellion was spread abroad throughout her whole empire , and that all her subjects were become rebels , for her passions which formerly followed her orders , now did nothing but by their own motions , they waited no longer for commands from reason , and consulting with nothing but their own interests , began to rise as oft as they were solicited either by pleasure or profit so to do : if her senses were not disobedient , they were unfaithfull , and being corrupted by objects , made her no x more true reports . falshood entred into her by the eyes or by the ears , under the likenesse of truth , vice did insinuate it self , into them with more delight then vertue ; and these wicked spies holding intelligence with the enemy , tooke pleasure when once they had suffered themselves to be corrupted , to abuse their sovereign . in fine , the revolt was so generall as it passed even into all the parts of the body , the operations whereof being necessary , it seemed they could not be irregular . naturall heat did no longer perform all it's functions , and were it either that it had lost it's strength , or that it found any resistance in food it could not perfectly digest nourishment : and crudities were occasioned thereby , which furnished matter for sicknesses . old age , which was a consequence of this disorder , tooke from her the use of her members , and the soul was never more troubled then when she found , that an humour falling upon the nerues , hindred their motion , and caused pain in them , man abhorred himself , he saw wrinckles in his face ; and he thought his death was not far off , when he saw his hair grow gray , that his eyes lost their lustre ; that his ears distinguisht no more of sounds , and that his legs , grown weak , could no longer sustain him . to all these evils that the soul of our first father suffered after having sinned , our disorders have added some more direfull ; for the soul seems only to be fastened to her body , that she may undergo a thousand punishments . death presents himself before her , in a thousand dreadfull shapes , every sicknesse is a torment , every part of the body is a place where pain may assail her , the remedies which she seeks for to cure her , are new pains , and the very vertues which she cals in to her ayd , are so austeer , as they oft times send her back to despair ; sometimes she changeth her disease into a remedy , & by an extravagancy which nature teacheth her , she makes use of the rigour of death against the miseries of life . though this blind fury y be always unjust , and that it be not lawfull for any how unhappy soever , to hasten the hour of his death , yet it is a good proof of the misery of sinfull man , and an excellent argument , to prove that the soul is very unhappy , since she finds no more wretched place of abode , then her body : and that she resolveth to lose life that she may recover her liberty . the third discourse . of the weaknesses which humane understanding hath contracted by sin. if the understanding be not the noblest of all the faculties of the soul , it is at least the most illustrious , it is the sun of our soul which conveys light into the will , which guides this blind queen , which dictates her decrees unto her , which pronounceth them for her , and which serves her for an interpreter when she will expresse her intentions . t is this which seeketh out truth and finds it , which vaunts it self to be to be the father of sciences , and which solicited by admiration discovers the causes , the effects whereof she hath observed , it is this which conceiveth the perfections of each creature ; and which without losing it self from the soul , hath the vertue of attracting objects , and of transforming them into it's self ; that it may know them , it makes the sun descend from the skie without magick z it makes mettle rise from the bottom of abisses , without violence ; and dissects whole nature without the effusion of bloud . it is this noble faculty likewise which appears first in man , which entertains company , and takes the heart , and which makes it self be admired even by those that do condemne it : but though it retein so many advantages as makes it be generally esteemed of , yet hath it it's defects , and a man may easily judge by the weaknesse thereof : that as it had a great share in the sin of man , it had the like in his punishment , for to convince mans understanding , and oblige him to condemne himself , making him his own judge , you need but set nature and religion before him , and let him see the shamefull spots he hath contracted by sin , in these two faithfull looking-glasses . since it's rebellion , it is become slave unto the senses , and cannot discover truth , but by their a inter medium , it is inwardly possest with ignorance ; it 's cruellest enemy is it's first hostesse , it carryes it's butcher in it's bosome , and though nothing be contrary unto it then errour : yet nothing is more natural , it hath much ado to rid it's hand thereof , and knowledge which promiseth to free it of errour is not got without much labour , it's roses are mingled with thorns . curiosity is a punishment , and it is disputable , whether sciences be not more troublesome then the evils whereof they cure us . colledges are shamefull prisons , the masters thereof are unsufferable tyrants , and the scholers unfortunates innocents to learn sciences , we lose content , and liberty , and our understanding is so out of the way as it must be made to endure a great deal of evill , before any good be done unto it , whatsoever cunning is used to make arts b pleasing unto us , they always cost us tears , and that we may see ignorance is naturall unto us since we are become guilty , t is hardly driven away , but returns with ease . but the rigour of our punishment is the more augmented in that the understanding is enjoyned to employ unfaithfull officers to be instructed by ignorant masters and to be led by blind guides . in the state of innocence , truth was written by the hand of nature in the bottom of our soule , knowledge was thereinto infused , and was not seduced by the senses , the soul learnt nothing of them , which shee knew not before of her self , she was wise without trouble or errour , and if she made triall of her eyes or eares , 't was rather for recreation , then necessity : but now ignorance reigns in our understanding , and to overcome this monster , we must make use of our senses which hold intelligence with it . what victory can a prince hope for , who employs rebels to defend his state , or to fight against his enemies , and what good success can mans understanding hope for , which is necessitated to be instructed by masters which are as ignorant as its self , the senses perceive but the appearances of things , their substances are unknown unto them , their operations are uncertain , and they stand in need of air or light to be inform'd of the truth . t is true that the understanding examines their reports , but what judgement can one expect from one that is ignorant ; what decree can a blinde judge pronounce , who is instructed : only by corrupted witnesses ? who sees not that this manner of proceeding is too severe not to be a punishment , and who will not confess that man is faulty , since he is so unhappy . those who undertake to defend him , say that the understanding knows the truth , by instinct , that it is knowing without art , and that as little birds know their dams by the voice , the understanding discerns truth from falshood , and by a naturall judgement , embraceth the one ; and rejectes the other : but to boot that it is a kind of c infamy to treat man as you would do beasts , and to give him an instinct who ought to have reason , doe we not every day see that he is deceived in his discoveries , that the chiefest of phylosophers hath been forced to confess , that there were more glorious falshoods then truths , and more dark and obscure truths then falshoods . hath not errour more that side with her , then her enemy ? doth not the number of those that are deceived exceed the number of the wise ? and was it not requisite that god should endue us with the light of faith , to free us from imposturisme and superstition . i could excuse the ignorance of humane understanding , were it not accompanied with disquiet , but it can never be at rest ; all objects which present themselves , awaken it , and by a presumptuous vanity , it will make its weakness pass for a mark of its greatness , it boasts that the noblest parts of the world are always in motion , that if the earth be fixt , t is because it is heavy , that the heavens move over the heads only because they are light : but its restlesness is a proof of its inconstancie : were it more firm , it would be more staid , and had it not lost the highest truth , it would not go inquest after the shadow thereof , its disquiet is both the token and punishment of its sin , it can finde no rest , because it seeks not for in d god : it is sentenced to eternall errour , because it strayed from its principall object , and its perpetuall motion is not so much a witness of its vivacity , as misery ; it alters only because t is poore , its indigence is the cause of its agitation , and seduced by vain hope , it still seeks after the the knowledge of good and evill , which its enemy did promise it in paradise : being more inconstant then protheus in the fable , it disguizeth it self in a thousand shapes , by a dexterity which is injurious to it , it adapts it self to all things that it would know , and receiveth the impression of all the objects which it considereth , when it cannot arrive at their greatness , it abaseth them , when it cannot descend to their lowliness , it raiseth them up , and thus abusing it self , it never arrives at the exact knowledge of truth , it values things that are common , because it ennobleth them , it inspireth high affairs , because it undervalueth them , not considering that there is injustice in this way of proceeding , it obligeth the will to follow it's opinions , and enforceth this blind queen , to love what it puts an esteem upon , and to hate what it despiseth . all this while it so badly judgeth the things which present themselves before it's eyes , as it always prefers novelty before greatnesse , and raritie before excellence : the e sun seems not to be so pleasing unto it in his lustre , as in his obscurity he appears not so beautifull unto it , in his rising , as in his f eclipse , and by an inexcusable piece of capriciousness , it doth not so much admire his beauty , as his blemishes . though he rise in glory , though he equally dispence his heat and light , though he go round the seasons , ripen the fruits of the earth , and enrich nature by his labours , our understanding values him not , but if he g grow dim at noon-day , if he step in the midst of his carreer , if the moon hide him from the earth , and if he who gives life to all things , begin himself to faint , the understanding wonders thereat , and prefers an irregularity , before common miracles : it is not more equitable in it's other judgments , it 's undervaluation , is not better grounded then it's esteem , and it is easie to observe that so capricious a judge is corrupted . but is it not a convincing proofe of this , that it can do nothing of great without being agitated , that it draws its force from its vexation , and that it dares under take nothing of difficulty till it bee out of it's ordinary seat , poets droop , when not enraged , wisedome is an enemy to their work , they must h lose their wits to get heat , and to learn the language of the gods , they must forget to speak like men . the greatest men have vegaries which deserve the name of folly , the gallantest actions of antiquity , are out of the common roade , and conquerors are only famous because they were irrational , had alexander measured his forces with his designs , he had never conquered asia , and had caesar well considered the difficult of h●s enterprize , he had never assailed the romane republique : the understandings noblest salleys are extravagant , it's boutadoes are better then it's argumentations : and man is become so unfortunate since his fall , that if he will undertake any thing memorable he must forsake reason . in fine , folly is so naturall unto him , as the greatest understandings are the most irregular , there is not any in the world without some mixture of folly , wise men , and fools are made of the same temper , and that malancholly which effects the rarest things , is the same with that which doth the greatest extravagancies ; who sees not that mans understanding is corrupted , since his perfection consists in his disorder , and who will ●ot judge so miserable a creature to be faulty , since his noblest faculties cannot act unlesse they be irregular . but religion will furnish us with better reasons of his weaknesse ▪ then nature can . and we shall find as many reasons of humiliation in grace , as in sin . all our remedies reproach 〈◊〉 maladies , all the favours which we receive from heaven witnesse our misery , and one need but consider the manner of gods treating with men , to know that man is criminall . faith doth not so much raise his i understanding as she doth abase it : she obligeth it to believe what it cannot comprehend , she mingles obscurity with all her lights , she seperates certainly from what is apparent , she commands man to lose his life , in mainteinance of his beliefe , and seems to have a design to make him irrationall , that he may become believing ▪ he is not more advantaged by revelations , or extasies , then by faith , all of them discover unto him his weaknesse , and teach him that to understand the things which are of god , he must raise himself above himself . prop●cie is a kind of madnesse , and extasie k is an alienation of the understanding : the prophet who fore-sees things to come ; forsakes the laws of wisedome ; he is transported when he pronounceth oracles , and he ceaseth to speak like a man , when he serves god for an interpreter , revelation enlightens the understanding , but in discovering the truth unto it , it upbraids it with ignorance , it is more passive then active , and the heavens which will humble it in the raising of it up , have oft times chosen the time of sleep to acquaint it with their will ; for whilst the senses are lull'd a sleep , that the imagination is drowsie or irregular , that the understanding is at rest , god is pleased to discover unto it his mysteries , to the end , that it may know that this enlightening is extraordinary , and that it wax not proud of an advantage which it only receives , then when it cannot beg it . repentance and sacrifice which are the two chief means whereby to obtein pardon for our offences , are strong proofs of our misery ; for they are both of them injurious to us , the one upbraideth us with our crime , the other with our inconstancy , the one teacheth us that we are faulty , the other assures us that we are fickle ; the victime suffers l the death which we deserve , and with it's bloud washeth the earth which our sins have sullyed : we learn by it's dying voice , that having not sufficient merit to satisfie gods justice , we are bound to offer up unto him borrowed sacrifices , and to seeke for that from without us which we cannot find in our selves . repentance is our shame as well as our remedy , for in this sort of sacrifice , m our souls health is only grounded upon our inconstancy ; unlesse we can change , we cannot repent , if we had the constancy of angels , we should have the opiniatrecy of devils , and were we more stable in what is good , we should be more obstinate in what is evill . divine mercy husb●ndeth our defaults to convert us , but at the same time , tha● it doth us a favour , it reproacheth us , and teacheth us that the wo●k of our salvation is an effect of our weaknesse : and its goodness , let no ma● then hereafter boast himself of his advantages , after so publick a proofe of his misery ; let him acknowledge that he is totally corrupted by sin , that god hath found nothing in him whereby fitter to save him , then his inconstancy , and that he was pleased the vertue which should expiate his sins , shold be groūded upon his levity . though all these reasons do sufficiently manifest the corruption of humane understanding , the greatest of our mysteries is notwithstanding the strongest prooofe thereof , n and the incarnation of our saviour christ doth most evidently testifie it , for that proud understanding which pretended to be as knowing as god , hath not been able since his fall to form a true idea thereof , it hath made gods of all creatures , it hath offered incense to the workmanship of it's own hands , and built temples to it's ancestors , or to it's kings , after having taken them from their graves ; it hath suffered it self to be so guided by sense , as it hath bin able to conceive nothing but sensible gods , and whatsoever had not a bodily shape seemed to it , unworthy of adoration . this belief was so universall as the jews could not fence themselves from it : all the miracles of egypt , and of the desert could not free them from superstition , and after having seen , as many prodigies as they had received favours they became idolaters . god lived with the jews as a sovereign doth with his subjects , and gave oft times sensible proofs of his presence . he divided the sea to set them at liberty , he clove rocks to quench their thirst , made manna fall in the deserts to appease their hunger , uttered his oracles by the mouth of his prophets to instruct them , made the elements fight to defend them , ordered their troops and gave the word to their commanders to encourage them to combat , yet did this people despise his greatnesse ; so many miracles could not turn them from idolatry : after having obteined so many victories , and triumphs from heaven , they sought for gods on earth , and believing more in their senses then in their judgments , they adored men whom they saw die , unlesse the devil which tempted man in paradise had corrupted his understanding , so monstrous a errour could not have had so many partakers , and had not blindnesse been the punishment of our sin , so fearfull a disorder , could not have so long reigned in the world : but if the malady was strange , was not the remedy very extraordinary ; for to disabuse humane understanding , o the sonne of god must accomodate himselfto the weaknesse thereof , to restore unto him the knowledge of god , which he had lost , christ must take upon him a body , and suffer his bright sun-shine to be shadowed , that he may become visible : god became man , to win men ; he abased his greatnesse to m●ke it be known , he darkned his own light to lighten us , and un-rob'd himself of his power , to purchase love . in fine , by an excesse of mercy , he changed mans fault into piety , turned superstition into religion , and cloathing himself with mortall nature , he suffered him to adore a man , and to performe his most just duty , by satisfying his most unjust desire . it was by this means that god did draw us out of errour , he hath freed us , by fitting himself to our ignorance , he hath made us spirituall by making himself sensible , and to say all in a word , by making himself man he hath made us gods ; but if this mysterie declare unto us the goodnesse of god , doth it not discover unto us the misery of man ? and if it make us admire the inventions of his providence ; doth it not make us blame the blindnesse of our understanding , which never knew god so well as when he became mortall ? and which never conceived the true religion so well , as when religion put on the appearance of superstition ? the fourth discourse . that there is no errour into which humane understanding hath not plunged it self , since the state of sin . phylosophers have made an idoll of humane understanding , they have given it prayses in their writings which appertein only to god not considering that it is a slave to the body , and that it cannot work but by the organes thereof ; they have endeavoured to make it have no dependancy upon fortune , & to raise it above nature : they fancied to themselves , that humane p understanding , had an infused knowledge ; and that it did so readily conceive all things , as it might easily be discern'd it did not learne them , but recall them into memory . they feign'd that it had the seeds of all vertues , and that by being carefull in the improoving of them , t was easie to make it perfectly vertuous , they perswaded themselves that it had light enough to distinguish between truth and falshood , that it was naturally pious , and that religion was engraven in the ground-work of it's essence : but certainly we must have lost the remainder of our understanding , if we observe not the fallacy of their maximes , ignorance q is naturall to the understanding , the wisest phylosophers have complained that science was long , life short , and that we were surprized by death , before we could be learned . aristotle compared the understanding to a painters cloath , which may indeed receive all manner of colours from the painters hand , but which not having any one ofit self , cannot become a picture , without the painters help . humane understanding may acquire knowledge , but possesseth none ; and the difficulty that goes to the learning of it , is a sufficient proofe that there goes somewhat more to it , then bare remembrance . mans sin deserved punishment , and for his desire of too much knowledge he was adjudged to remain ignorant ; for as a disorderly desire of greatnesse threw him head-long into misery , and as his immoderate desire of living always made him die , his unjust thirst after knowledge , made him fall into blindnesse and ignorance : we are born with this punishment , errour is an hereditary evill as well as sin , and as all the sons of adam are guilty , they are all ignorant . if we want masters to teach us , this evill grows with us , and thinking to get more light , we engage our selves in new darknesses . t is the first piece of art the devill useth to undo us : he blinds our understanding , to corrupt our will ; and throws us into errour that we may fall into sin , we have two enemies which set r upon us at unawars , the ignorance of things which we ought to do , and the desire of what we ought to shun : these two evils draw on two others ; for ignorance produceth errour : and desire sorrow . we spend our whole life in this combat , and very well knowing that we cannot utterly defeat these two powerfull enemies , we think our selves happy enough if we can but weaken them . we expect the victory and triumph in heaven , and knowing that we cannot be conquerors on earth , we are there content with combat . s thus do the greattest saints beg of god , that he wil be their strength , and light , that as light he may dissipate their darknesse and as strength sustein their weaknesse , a man must be as blind , as proud to dispute these truths , and unlesse we will side with that proud sect , which would not acknowledge any fault in man , that they might not be bound to correct it , we must confesse that ignorance and weaknesse , are equally naturall to us : the first is seen in all actions , nature , morality , and religion furnish us with as many proofs thereof as they give us instructions . for though nature be not jealous of her works , though she freely expose all her beauties to our eyes , and that she discover unto us her rarest products , who is he that knoweth all her secrets ? though the heavens be extended over our heads , who knows whereof they be composed ? though the sun rise , and set every day , who knows his influences , and motions ? though the earth bring forth her flowers under our feet , and ripens her fruit before our eyes , who knows what art it useth to give them their severall colours ? who knows by what secret vertue nature changeth earth into gold , and taking from it's impurity , gives it that glittering lustre , which makes the finall ornament of all our workmanship ? who can comprehend how the dew congeals into pearl , how the water thickens into chrystall , and how becomming solid , it continues still transparent ? who can give a reason for these naturall miracles , which we neglect only because they are too common ? who knows why straw being so cold as that it preserves ice in the midst of summer , is yet so hot as that it ripens fruit even in the midst of winter ? doth not amber and the loadstone make all phylosophers wild ? and these miracles which come so neer our senses , do they not confound our understanding ? we see all things , that know nothing ; we have the use of the elements , but not the knowledge of them ; whatsoever entertains our vanity , accuseth us of blindnesse , and whatsoever serves for diversion to our eyes or ears upbraids our understanding with ignorance . morality confirms this truth as well as nature doth : for though she undertake to enlighten mans understanding , and to rule his will , though she boast to make man an angell , and to take from him all the feelings of the flesh and bloud , doth she not lay open unto him his ignorance , when she instructeth him and doth she not shew that he is blind , in offering her self to be his guide and mistris ? t is true that he may glory , that he himself hath formed her who teacheth him , and to be his mistresses master , since she hath no maximes , which are not the inventions of the understanding . but this his vain glory is very is very ill grounded ; and morality is a bad proofe of his sufficiency , t since she herself is so full of errours , and doubts ▪ for what is that truth which phylosophers dispute not about ? into how many sects have they divided themselves ? on what principles do they agree to establish their maximes ? and what propositions have they put forth , which they themselves have not crossed or gain-said ? hath not every one of them made unto themselves a differing idea of happinesse ? and this point ; which is the ground work of morall phylosophy , hath it not been the rise of all their disputes ? aristotle made it to consist in the knowledge of the summum bonum , seneca in the possession of vertue , and epicurus in the enjoying of delight . but do not all sinners make a party in morality , and do not their inclinations formas many several sects ? do not the ambitious place their felicity in glory , the curious in novelty , the avaritious in riches , and the unchast in love ? if men cannot agree in their choise in the summum bonum , how will they agree in the definition of vertue ? this indeed is the rock of all phylosophers , and it seems that following their inclinations , rather then their judgments : they would make vertues of all vices , which they delighted in , sins against nature have not only been excused , but even highly commended in their schools . socrates the stoicks god , and the only just man who all phylosophers oppose to our greatest saints , did not he love alcebiades ? the praises which he giues him in plato , do they not tast of wantonnesse , doth he not seem as if he made love to a mistr● ? and the panygericks which he makes of his good behaviour , and beauty , do they not afford us reason of suspition ; whether it were his body his mind that he was most in love withall . is not pride and madnesse the soul of all the stoicks vertue ? doe not they compare their wise men with their iupiter ? do they not make a god of their zeno ? and as oft as they put their gods & masters together in ballance , do not they prefer those who first formed their proud phylosophy ? would not epicurius make vertue a slave to voluptuousnesse , and according to seneca's one opinion , is he not guilty of having endevoured to set the servant , and the sovereign upon the same throne ? is not plato a pleasant dreamer , who tasts more of the poet , then of the phylosopher ? we reverence his disciples , only because they endevour to heighten themselves by straying out of the way , if we put a valuation upon them , t is because they have taken a more obstruce path , then others , and that quitting reason and judgment : ( which are mens guides ) they would raise themselves up even unto the height of celestiall intelligences , but into what errours have they head-long fallen ? what fables u have they mingled with their superstititions ? what reasons have they invented to excuse unch●st l●ve ? what cunning have they made use of to establish it's empire ? and with what impiety have they gone about to perswade us that god lay hidden in his creatures ? and that whosoever loved beauty in women , or goodnesse in men , loved the images and shadows of the diety . the academicks appeared to be a little more rationall , the best ancient wits have sided with them , or been their disciples ; cicero and virgil , ( the r●rest ornaments of the romane republique ) followed their maximes they were not so proud as the stoicks , nor so poorly minded as the epicurians , yet they held paradoxes which justled truth as well as reason , they allowed of sin under x the name of vertue , and when they wanted patience or strength to keep back grief or sorrow , they betook themselves to despair : in fine , all these phylosophers pertook of of the sins of the people ; they were not lesse idolaters , though they had greater lights , and making policy of religion , they worshipped the gods of their wives and children : they in their writings made panygericks to the divine essence , and in their towns they erected temples to evill spirits , they were christians in their speeches , but infidels in their actions : they had good conceptions , but committed bad deeds , they knew god because they could not be ignorant of him , and they offended him , because they had not the courage to serve him . my last proof wherewithall to confound the pride of humane understanding , and to make it confesse that it is guilty , since ignorant , i will borrow from religion the , scripture , and divinity teacheth us , that man bears the character of god , being formed after his image , he cannot see himself without discerning his author , this first glimpse of light cannot be defaced , all the darknesse of errour cannot obscure it , and when man consults with his conscience or reason , he is by them instructed that there can be but one y god. without the help of phylosophers , or instructers , he knows this truth ; and when he suffers nature to speak through his mouth upon this subject , she pronounceth oracles , and utters no falshoods : thus when the pagans were surprized with any danger , and that instinct did in them prevene reasoning , they implor'd the succour of the true god , they spake the language of z christians , not thinking of it , and condemned the worshipping of images of which the soul of their religion was composed . the first fathers of the church opposed them with this reason . tertullian delights to let them see that they were only idolaters then , when they use violence to nature , and that they stifled her resentments , to follow those of superstition : but when they suffered themselves to be led on by opinion , or example , there was no errour which they did not embrace nor no so infamous creature to which they did not with their mouthes make vows , and offer incense with their hands . the a egyptians who vaunted themselves to be the fathers of all sciences , worshipped onions , good store of gods grew in gardens ; labourers might boast that in manuring of the earth , they gave their princes gods , and that their canonizing did not so much depend upon the peoples consent , as upon husbandry and labour . the b romans whom time ought to have polished , and phylosophy civilized ; made gods of all things , war , and peace , had temples in their republique : all the passions were there adored , the most infamous ones were there sacrificed unto , and these people ow'd all their glory to their valour , forbore not to offer sacrifices to fear and shame , the ignorance of physitians , and the weaknesse of those that were sick , procured the like honour to agues , the fits whereof , redoubled fits , and intermissions , were the mysteries which made it be adored . in fine , their canonizing , became so common , as the wiser sort did despise it , and seeing that insecta had their altars , they thought it to be more honourable to be man then god. these reasons may suffice to beat down the pride of humane understanding , and to make it confesse that errour is very naturall unto it : since that not being able to comprehend the unity of god , it could not know the most glorious truth of all others . the fifth discourse . that reason in man , is become blinde , and a slave , since sinne . phylosophy being the daughter of reason , we must not wonder , if she defend her mothers interest , and if she employ all her cunning in excusing her faults who gave her life : for presently after our losse , reason invented phylosophy , and built this stately edifice upon the ruines of innocency , she drew her chiefe advantages from the light which god had infused into the soul of adam , she did imbellish it with the most precious remainders of originall righteousnesse , and taught her all those gallant maximes , which she had learnt from angels in the earthly paradise ; in fine reason did deck c phylosophy in so becomming an array , as she became in-am●r'd of her beauty , she made thereof a false diety , and whilst the blind people offered incense to the workmanship of their own hands , the haughty phylosophers adored the workmanship of their own heads , and raised phylosophy above religion . this daughter was not ungratefull , and to acknowledge the favours which she had received from her mother , she gave her all the praises which her vanity could not aspire unto : she made her to be mans summum bonum , the guide of his life , the mistr●s of all the vertues , and queen of passions , she intrencht upon the rights of grace and faith , to make her more illustrio●s , and endevoured to perswade her disciples , d that to be rationall , was sufficient to be happy : all phylosophers have used this language , their writings are panygericks of reason , and to he●r them speak , you would think this idoll were the only diety that is to be adored . sen●ca is never lesse rationall then when he defends reasons side , the justice of his cause makes him insolent , e to pre●erve his parties advantages he ass●ils religion , and to heighten mans dignity , he abuset● gods majesty : he will have his wise man to be as content as his iupiter , that their happiness is equall , though their condition be different , and that nothing in the world can add●●nto their facility . t is true that these blasphemies are intermingled with some rationall praises : for he is not deceived when he says that reason is mans proper good , that all these are strangers to him , and that nought ought to be esteemed in man , save what one cannot give him : the riches which he possesseth , are not his ; the beauty of his palaces , great revenues , number of his slaves , or vassals , and the glory of his apparell , are advantages which he may lose when fortune shall cease to favour him . to know his happinesse he must know his desert and to know if he be fortunate , he must inquire whether he be rationall or no , reason is the most ancient and most illustrious of all his qualities , he cannot lose it without changing nature , and if he do not preserve this priviledge , there is no creature in the world which is not richer then he , for if he think to ground his happiness f either one strength , or courage ; there is neither tyger , nor lion , which will not dispute the business with him , if he will boast of his height . trees are higher and much more streight , and if he glory in his beauty , i know not whether peacocks in the glory of their plumes will give way to him or no ; if he take pride in his voice , he will be enforced to confesse that dogs have it more shrill then he , bulls more strong , nightingales more sweet and pleasing . if he boast of his activity , horses , and harts wil shame him , and unlesse he place his greatness in his reason , he must confess that nature hath not dealt so favourably with him as with beasts . indeed , it is mans glory , and chiefest difference , t is that which gives him the command over all creatures , and which makes him be the image of god , and if a body would know his greatness , we must not ask whether he be lord of large territories , whether he command over many people , whether he distributes justice in a throne of gold , whether he lye in a bed of ivory , or whether or no he drink in a glass of christall ; but whether his reason be not a slave to his passions ; g and whether or no his noblest part , hath preserved its authority : this weak reasoning hath prevailed so far with men , as that there are many in christendome , which love much better to be reasonable , then faithfull , and who take more care to inform their judgments then their belief : they content themselves with the name of phylosophers , not pretending to the quality of christians , and so long as they as-subject the body to the soul , they do not greatly care whether they submit their soul to god or no. notwwithstanding all this , reason wants not her weaknesses being blind she needs a guide , and to the end that she wander not out of the way , she must be led by faith : sin put out her eys , when she i became slave thereunto ; if she stumble upon the truths t is by hap-hazard : and she ought rather to praise her fortune for it , then her fore-sight . this enemy took from her both her light and strength together ; she gives way to the weakest on-sets , the least resistance astonisheth her and as soon as the passions or senses give against her designs , shee changeth them as much out of weaknesse as complacency : servit●de insues her defeat ; for when she hath once given way to the violence of passions , these rebels grow upon her and take her weaknesses for a sign of their power . factio●s people being for the most part insolent , these force their sovereign to defend their side , they make use of their credit to authorize their revolt , and abuse even the name of reason thereby to destroy her empire . this is a prevailing mischief in most men , who in their greatest undertakings consult only with their one inclinations . they act either through ambition or love , their motive is ei●her pleasure or glory , and the passion which possesseth them is always the primum mobile which hurries about all the faculties of their soul. reason hath no other employment then to seek out pretences to excuse their designs , and this sovereign is reduced to the necessity of favouring the disorders of these her ●ebellious slaves : if she sometimes defend her self , against ambition or love , t is that she may be overcome by grief , by an erronious piece of prudence , k she foresees her mischief before it happen , and by an angersome remembrance , she afflicts her self when it is gone , one and the same evill make ; her three times miserable , and she employes all the differences of times to increase her dislikes , she dreads them before their birth , rescents them during their life , and remembers them when they are dead : for experience teacheth us , that reason which ought to appease our evils , doth irritate them , and that after having well discust the matter , we are forced to have recourse to ignorant mens remedie , and to cure that with time , which we could not cure by phylosophy . she is not much more lucky , in the guidance of our actions , then in the curing of our maladies ; for though she boast her self to be the soul of policy , and to furnish morality with all those brave maximes which makes families fortunate , she is so little equall , as what she approves of in one countrey , she condemns in another , laws , which l are the meer work of reason , differ more then climates . what is permitted in affrica , is forbidden in europe , what is accounted a vertue in france , is a vice in germany . every nation hath it's severall customes , and oft times in the same state and under the same king , every province hath it's peculiar fashions . reason puts her self into a hundred severall shapes to defend them , and when shee confers them together , shee doth like those wicked judges who make both parties hope for profit in the cause that they may prolong their processe : she is ingenuous enough to make doubts , but not wise enough to resolve and after having examined all opinions , she is obliged to forsake the phylosophers part , and to embrace the opinion of the pyrrhonians . what esteem can one put upon so fickle a mistris ? what belief can one have of so unconstant a sovereign ? which fits her self to the honour of her subjects , which changeth with the climates , which sides with the heavens that cover her ; and with the earth which bears her ? what likely-hood is there of being guided by her advice , since she hath none that is setled and since that she is so inconstant in her resolutions , as the last do always like her best . to boot that this good is so frail , and that sin hath brought it into such a condition as we seem to enjoy but the appearance thereof rather then the thing it self , there are moreover a thousand other accidents which may bereave us of it : for of as many things as we have in our disposall , there is not any one that we oftner lose then reason . our infancy inhibits us the use thereof m during our first years , we are masters of this treasure , but cannot make use of it , this sun is so weak at it's first rising as it cannot disperse abroad it's beams : this fountain is so small in it's spring head , as it cannot frame rivolets ; we are poor amidst our treasure , and vnlesse we trim and prune our understanding it either continues barren ; or brings nothing forth but thorns : the senses , which seem to be ord●ined by nature , for the service of reason , keep her in ignorance , or throw her head-long into errour . the passions which are born to obey her , rise so tumultuously against her , as she is forced to follow their motions , and to side with rebels . to enjoy peace she is content to be engaged in a fault , she believes that to serve willingly , is to reign , that to follow her passions is to command them , and to approve of their revolts , is to preserve her authority . yet is she so little at liberty in this n cōdition , as that one must excuse her sin by her servitude , she is only thought innocent , because she is a slave , her faults are forgiven unto her only because she cannot , and she preserves her reputation , only through the losse of her liberty . when the first motions of her passions are a little alaid , and that she may avenge her selfe of the affronts done unto her by her insolent subjects , t is observed that by siding with them she is infected with their inclinations , that by suffering their disorders she corrupts her own purity ; and that by going about to excuse their revolt , she her self becomes guilty . thus man is almost never rationall , because he is always passionate , and he d●th but seldome make use of his reason , because he oft times followeth his passion . to so many enemies which bereave man of the most glorious of all his qualities , sicknesse is added ; which making war upon our bodies , declares it openly also against our souls : for these two parts are so streightly bound together , as their good and bad are common between , though the soul be the more noble , yet stands she in need of the body in her chiefest operations , she must follow after that which she would avoid , borrow forces from her enemy to fight him , and make use of the senses to reduce him to his duty . if this slaves temper be altered by any disorder , the soul rescents it , if the bloud spring in the veins , if the vapours which arise from thence trouble the imagination , or if a burning feavor seize upon the brain , the soul can reason no longer , this noble part of man fals into extravagancies , the confusion of species puts it in disorder , and all the wisedome thereof is turn'd to folly . sleep is not so violent , yet is it little lesse shamefull then sickness , for it benums the senses , luls the faculties of the soul asleep , blots out the remembrance of glory from out the minds of conquerours , stops the designs of monarchs , interrupteth the waknings of phylosophers , levels the conditions of the living to that of the dead , and to preserve our life takes from us the use of reason . for my part , i cannot think that sleep did us thus much injury before the state of sin , i am of opinion , that the power thereof extended only to the senses , that it undertook nothing upon mans most noble part , that it le●t him the liberty of reasoning , and that like to jesus christ , his soul o was awake , though his body slept . for what likely-hood of belief is there that man should be every day reduced to a condition wherein his highest operations should be interrupted , wherein his will can command nothing , his understanding conceive nothing , nor his memory represent nothing unto him ; who can suppose that in so happy a condition , man should passe half his life away in sleep , that his soul should be able to do no other functions , then what the souls of beasts do , and that all her employment lay in the digesting of meat , dissolving of vapours , and moving of arteries . when i consider what disorder sin hath caused in man , i am forced to say that he hath very much altered his condition , p and that phylosophers had reason to believe , that death was as much of his essence , as reason was , for from the time he began to live , he began to die , he lost his life as soon as he received it , and this decree pronounced against him , is executed the very first moment of his birth , that which we call life is but a prorogued q death , and divine justice seems to take pleasure in prolonging it , that we may be sensible thereof ▪ life would be undeservable did it last but a moment , and our punishment would not be very great , if it ended at the same instant that it began . we dye in life , and live in death , death is engaged in life , and life subsists only by death , but reason is as it were a stranger to man ; when he began to be criminall , he began to be i●ationall , he lost his principall advantage , in losing his innocency , and he left us in doubt whether he was any longer man , being become a sinner , for reason which is his principall difference , is an accident which forgoes him upon a thousand occasions . nature admits him to life ; before she admits him to reason , when age grants him this benefit , passion forbids him the use thereof , when passion doth not molest his judgment she dozeth it , and of all things that man is master of , he loseth none more often then his reason . yet this losse is indifferent to him , he complains of all the rest , and laughs at this : he esteems himself unhappy if he have lost his wealth , he gives himself over unto sorrow when he falls from his greatnesse , and languisheth in pain when he hath lost his health . but when passion bereaveth him of the use of reason , when sleep reduceth him to the condition of beasts , or when sin blots out the image of god from out his soul , he doth but jest at his disaster , and takes pleasure in hazarding that thing which of all the world he ought to esteem most precious . this is also that dread full punishment wherewith divine justice chastizeth the greatest sins . god never gave a more fearfull example , of his rigour then when he bereft nebuccadnezar of his reason , when he turned a sovereign prince into a wild beast , and that together with the shape of man , he took from him his understanding and judgment . there is no monarchy which hath not seen some of her princes stript thereof , providence takes pleasure in beating down thrones , in 〈◊〉 of septers and in taking away of crowns , she sets upon sovereigns in their palaces , and after having raised them up to the highest pitch of greatnesse , she throws them into a precepice of miseries her most ordinary revenge is chang● : no age passeth over wherein she witnesseth not her power by these sorts of punishments , : but when innormities of the fault deserves a greater punishment , she together with their scepter takes away their reason from such monarchs as she will chastize : she troubles both their state , & their judgment ; and brings them to a condition wherein they are both the scorn and the hatred of their subjects . by all this discourse t is easie to conclude , that reason without grace is no great advantage ; that to restore unto her her former lustre , a man must have recourse to faith , that to be solidly rationall , a man must be truly pious , and that humane understanding which so much glory in , is so weakned since the corruption of our nature , as that the wise man had reason to say the number of fools is infinite . the sixt discourse . that memory , hath lost her vigour by the means of sin , and that she agrees not very well with judgment . if it be lawfull to judg of the excellency of things by their usefulnes , we must confess that memory is very excellent , since she is of such use ; for humane understāding would soon be weary of taking pains , did not memory take care to preserve its productions ; and if this faith full officer did not s assist it , in its affairs ; for though it be fertile , and that like him whose image it beareth , it be never drawn dry , yet would it be very unhappy , if the thoughts thereof were lost as soon as produced , and that as oft as it would discourse it were bound to form new conceptions : but this favourite which knows all its secrets , easeth it of that pain ; for she keeps in store all its inventions , and by a dexterity which cannot be sufficiently admired she presents them to it , as oft as is desired . she hath nothing else to do , but to receive the species which it commits to her trust , she disposeth of them passing cunningly , the number of them causeth no confusion , and though we have but weak conjectures to guesse at the order shee observes therein , yet is it probable that shee lodgeth those which are alike , in one and the same place : it is true that their being , being spirituall , they take up no place ; without justling , or confounding one another , they reside in one and the same place , and though they love motion they never make any commotion , unlesse commanded by the understanding , with what terms it useth to make it self be understood , we know not , but hardly hath it exprest its will , t when presently it is obeyed , of as many confused species as are inclosed in the bosome of memory , none but that which the understanding cals for , appears ; all the rest keep quiet and silent , and if somtimes any confusion prove to fall out among them , t is occasioned by their extream desires to follow its orders , if that which it seeketh for be somewhat slow or idle , her neighbours endevour to quicken her , they present themselves before their master in a crowd , to give him satisfaction , and oft times in looking on them , he finds out that which he sought for . all sciences are the products of memory ; in vain should the understanding conceive truths , if she did not retein them , t is a living book wherein we write our thoughts in invisible characters , this secret is much more ancient , & much more certain then that of printing , he who is only wise by the means of books , is ignorant , and who cannot frame a library in his understanding is not learned : our knowledge is subject to the empire of fortune , as well as our riches ; when it is engraven upon bark or writ in paper , wormes may eat it , and fire which makes us poor may make us ignorant , if our treasury be lockt up in books , our knowledge must make up a part of our selves , and must be so imprinted in our souls , that even u death may not bereave us of it . this is likewise the phylosophers and polititians riches , t is from this bottom , which cannot be drawn dry , that they draw their maximes , that they frame monarchies , and m●ke men happy , for though wisedom be employed more in considering what is to come , then what is past , and that the makes it her chief work to foresee future things , yet doth she instruct her seif by history , she informs her self of what is past , to foresee what is to come , she grounds her conjectures upon what hath already happened , she steers her course by the life of her ancestors , and hath all their instructions from memory , if those great men who sit at the helm in st●es did not call to minde what hath been done in former ages , they woul● commit grosse faults in government , and did not their memory assist their wisedome , they would not so often light so right upon the t●ick of y state , they must finde expedients out of her treasury , they must unravel their in●ricacies by her counsell , and this mother of inventions must furnish them with means to allay that tempest which thre●ens a monarchy . in fine t is this admirable facultie of the so●l , which composeth annals , which m●kes the dead live , which draw● heroes from their sepulchres , which in-●nimates the living by their example , and which by her labour triumpheth over forgetfulness . she ventures upon the laws of time , and as if she were an image of eternity , she accords what is to come with what z is past , and obligeth the present time together with her to bear with them : those three parts of time whereof our lives are composed hold so bad correspondency , as that they are not to be united , the time past dreads the present , cannot abide it's approach , but vanisheth away as soon as it's enemy appeare●h , the present times makes not long use of this advantage , , for it retires as soon as it discovers the time to come , it yields the victory unto it without fighting , in it's defeat it hath this of satisfaction , th●t the conqueror forgoes his own name to ass●e that of the conquered , and ceasing to be future becomes present . these three times do only live by death , they subsist only by division within themselves , and if they did cease combating their triumphs would cease : all things are preserved by their defeat , and all creatures are so well accustomed to this change , as it cannot be staid without offering violence to all creatures . nothing but eternity can appease their quarrells , * which in it's undividable unity , d●th miraculously inclose the differences of the time to come , and of the time past , and makes them subsist together under the name of the time present . memory as a true copy of this excellent originall , agrees all these enemies , and not having respect to their interests , makes use of them in all her designs ; sometime she cals back the timepast , to bereave it of whatsoever , it keeps lock'd up within it's treasury , sometime she discards the present time , to entertain her self with the future ; sometimes she prevents futurity , and looking far into the obscurity thereof , shee discovereth what it keeps conceal'd , and doth distinctly observe what is not yet happened : whatsoever command shee hath over all the differences of time , shee busieth her self a most about what is past , which is her chiefest employment , and her most pleasing diversion , she loves it better then the rest , because it is the most to be trusted , and least subject to the change of fortune , it reports things without dissimulation , it discards all passions which impede the knowledge of truth , represents the lives of great ones without falshood , and as it doth not excuse their vices neither doth it flatter their vertues ; it is a much better judge of their actions then the present time , it is not abused by fear nor hope , it freely instructeth us , and as long as it can , fence it self against forgetfulnesse we may build upon it's fidelity . though these great advantages of memory , deserve rather panygericks then reproach , yet hath she faults enough , and a man need be no great divine to observe what ill offices originall sin hath done her ; for to boot that shee is extream weak , that age doth diminish her , that the best things escape her , that she is dazled with those that glitter most , she is oft times of so little efficacy , as the more she labours , the lesse progresse she maketh . she is imbroiled when prest with too much hast , she must be alowed time & respite to find what she looks for , the desire she hath to give us satisfaction , troubles her , and she fals into a confusion , of which nothing but rest can acquit her , time which doth instruct her , makes her ignorant , that which heapeth up all treasures dissipates them , and raiseth up an enemy against her , against whom she hath much ado to defend her self . for forgetfulnesse reigns in it's empire , it effaceth those species which do enrich her , puts her whole state in disorder , and as an insolent conqueror slights all the towns that she hath taken , and leaves no mark thereof to her posterity ; this victorious enemy , overthrows all the works of the understanding , and leaves no foot-steps thereof in memory , we are left nothing but sorrow for not having reteined what we had gotten , and the being fallen into a misery which is so much more grievous , for that it succedeth so happie a fortune , yet nothing is more naturall to memory b then forgetfulness , she learneth sciences with difficulty , preserves them with care , and easily forgets them , she grows rusty when un-exercised , and weary if two much exercised ; labour , and idlenesse do corrupt her , and one knows not what art to make use of , to entertain any thing of so nice a nature . ignorance and sin were born at the same time , as soon as the one made himself master of the will , the other seized one the understanding , and if mans first sin , were disobedience , ignorance was his first punishment , this malady was not without remedy and knowledge would have made us amends for all our damages , had not forgetfulnesse assisted ignorance . but to what purpose do we spend whole nights at our studies , to what end do we gather up the opinions of phylosophers , and observe all the delightfull varieties of history , since this monster renders our labours uselesse , since it dissipates the treasures which we had gathered , reduceth old men to the condition of children , and ads the shame of ignorance to the other miseries of their age : they dare not offer at any thing for fear of being mistaken , they forget the names of their domesticks , this faithlesse companion puts a thousand affronts upon them , if they engage themselves in a long discourse , they lose thēselves . if they wil relate their travels they cannot cal to mind the names of town , or rivers , & when they have most to discourse of they are inforced to be silent , the step-mother nature , takes delight in lessening their memory , when she perfecteth their judgment , and takes from them the remembrance of what is past , when she gives them a fore-sight into things to come . man seems to be become a monster , since he became criminall , the parts whereof he is composed c cannot accord together , and the advantages which ought to make him perfect , destroy each other , the body and the soul suffer a division , which last as long as doth their life ; the understanding and the senses have always some difference to determine ; reason and the passions do never hold so good intelligence , but that one may perceive in their profoundest peace , some face of war. i confesse the domestick discentions are angersome , and that man is a miserable creature since he cannot live in peace : he neverthelesse , takes it patiently when he considers that these parties are of a different nature , and he wonders not that they be not upon good terms , since the one are common to us with beasts , the other common to us with angels , but he hath reason to complain when he considers this rent passeth even into his soul , that her her faculties are at variance , and that the solidity of judgment cannot agree with the fidelity of memory ; these two advantages are incompatible , and nature must do a miracle to joyn them perfectly well together in one and the same person : she inricheth memory at the cost of judgment , she restores to judgment what she takes from memory , and leaves man the displeasure of knowing that there are perfections of the mind which he cannot equally enjoy . who would believe that god would have left that blemish in his workmanship , had he not been thereunto obliged by our offences , who can perswade himself that he would have envied us these qualities , if our fault had not deserved such a punishment , and who will not confesse that in the state of innocency , memory and judgment were at peace together , thereby to make man perfect . to so many reasons which necessarily conclude our soulss corruption must be added , that memory is never more faithfull to will , then when she puts it in mind d of injuries , she easily forgets all the favours which she hath received , she is ashamed to remember them , & banisheth the thought thereof as a reproach of indigencie ; but she ingraves injuries in indelable characters , she renews thē every day lest they be forgotten , and she is never more happy then when shee is offended , there hath been means found out to strenghthen the weak nesse of memory , there is an art taught , how to keep her from going astray , or being mistaken ; invention supplies the temper , and we obtein that by labour , or industry , which nature hath refused us , but there is no secret yet found to make us forget e injuries ; the remembrance thereof is everlasting ; and though our religion promise heaven to those that do forgive , so high a reward cannot efface out of their minds the resentment of an affront . in fine , memory is so corrupted by sin as it is only usefull as far as it may be hurtfull to us . she is busied about present things , and cannot think upon futurity , she represents unto us all earthly vanities under such pleasing forms as do seduce us ; and paint out unto us the joys of heaven , so wretchedly as it is easily seen she hath no design to make us wish for them , she is never more languishing then when she labours in the behalf of f vertue ; nor more vigorous then when imployed about vice . if she strive to out-do her self tis in things of no use , her chiefest works serves but to amuse us , and as tumblers delight people by their tricks of activity , and win credit by their dangerous leaps , memory amuseth her self in reteining things which have no cōnexion , and to repeat things in order , which have no order in themselves , and astonisheth simple people by these vanities , which they term her master-pieces . when all this is done that ancient writer had reason to say that memory was only usefull to three sorts of people ; to those who did negotiate , who to the end they may not be surprized , are obliged to have always all their affairs present , to those who speak much , for it is memory that furnisheth them with acceptable things , which serve for recreation to the company , and to those that use to lye , for that to shan the shame which accompanieth that sin , they must remember their falshoods , on the contrary the default of memory may be of use to us ; and as wee profit by our losses wee may draw from thence three advantages ; the first is not to lye , lest we be surprized in that sin . the second , not to speak much , but to keep silence , out of a happy necessity . the third , to love our enemies , and to practise the excellentest vertue of christianity , by a noble forgetfulnesse of injuries . the seventh discourse . that conscience is neither a good iudge nor faithfull witnesse since sin . those who pretend that nature is not corrupted by sin , and that she remains still in her prrimitive purity , have no better proof thereof then what conscience doth furnish them withall ; for conscience takes alwayes gods part , and never absolveth the guilty : 〈◊〉 she is so just as that she condemns her self in her own cause : no reasons can justifie us before her tribunall , and let us use what art we please , it is impossible to make her approve of our misdemeanors . phylosophers have also acknowledged , that she was both our witnesse , judge , and executioner , and that such secret sins as are left unpunished by mans justice , receive their whole payment from conscience , she her self is worth a thousand witnesses . nothing can be hid from her eyes , which are never shut , she is an ever-waking dragon , and hath such qualities as will not suffer her either to be abased or surprized . witnesses , that they may not be accepted against ought to have three conditions ; the first to be well informed , therefore those who have seen are to be prefer'd before those that have heard , for the eye is more certain then the eare . the second that they speak truth , and that they say nothing which they do not think . the third , that they be rationall , and do so calm their passions , that neither hatred , nor love , nor hope , nor feare , may ever make them disguise the truth . conscience hath all these three qualities , for she is well instructed of the fact , and nothing passeth in our hearts which she hath not perfect knowledge of , she knoweth our most secret thoughts , she see●h the end of our intentions , and not stopping at our words , knoweth the secret motions of our souls . it is easiy to cozen men who ground their judgments only upon the change of our countenances ; they are abused by dissimulation , and he that can but counterfeit , may easily cozen them , but conscience is our best counsell , nothing is done whereof she is not aware , she assists in all our resolutions , and this sun which never sets , doth by her light dissipate all the darknesse of our hearts . hence it is that she is true in all her depositions , for she speaks things as she sees them , she cannot be deceived , nor can she lye , disguises are so contrary to her nature , as she ceaseth to be her self when she b●gins to feign . her essence consists of truth , and though she may fall into errour , the cannot fall into a lye . in fine she is so rationall , as she is not to be troubled or seduced by passion , she is a derivative of that primitive reason which we adore in god , a copy of that divine originall , a beam of that sun , which is never eclipsed , and they are so streightly joyned together as i saint augustine doth mix their lights , and makes but one deposition of the testimony of god ; and of conscience . how miserable are they who set at naught so faithfull a witnesse ? for what satisfaction can those men have , who want the peace of conscience ? to what purpose doth publique applause serve , when secret approach gives it the k lye ? what advantage can they pretend too , from the peoples approbation , if they condemn themselves ? and what happiness can they enjoy , if whilst others praise their false vertues , they be inforced to blame their reall sins . this faithfull witnesse is a severe judge , which can neither be bribed by presents , nor frightned by threats ; and who being allwayes innocent never spare the guilty . all his decrees are just , and though the guilty be his allyes , he forbears not to condemn them . whatsoever favour they may obtein from other judges , they can never be absolved by this . and whilst their mouth pleads for them , their consciences condemns them . and truly we ought to thank divine providence , for having given us this uncorruptible judge to keep sinners within the bounds of duty : for there are faults which escape the rigour of the law , and which being unknown are unpunished , i there are sins , which being glorious ones , are rewarded , there be some , who being authorized despise correction , so as our condition had been very deplorable , if conscience had not tane the place of laws , and if she had not condemned that which men dare not blame , nor cannot punish . in fine , this judge becomes an executioner , and after having denounced judgment , he himself doth execute it , he believes that if it be glorious to condemn sin , it s no dishonour to punish it , whatsoever tends to the defence of vertue , and pulling down of vice , seems glorious unto him , and the names of judge and executioner are equally honourable to him ; true it is that he useth not this rigour , till he imploy'd his harmlesse cunning to frighten the faulty . k for conscience is a bridle which holds men within their duty before sin , but when once they began to despise her counsell , she became their punishment , and being no longer able to keep back sin , she endeavours to punishit . l t is a revengefull fury which never suffers the wicked to rest in quiet , she assails them in towns and in deserts , she declares war unto them in the midst of their palaces , where danger can get no entrance , thither she sends fear , & into whatsoever sanctuary sinners retire themselves , she makes them feel the smart of their offences : when they see any punishments , they apprehend what they themselves have deserved , as oft as they feel the earth-quake under their feet , or the thunder roar above their heads , they imagine justice is armed to punish them . in fine , all their sweets are mingled with some sowres , they can take delight in nothing ; remorse of conscience troubles their contentments , they tremble amidst their armies , they are afflicted in publick rejoycings , they languish in their best health , are poor amidst their riches , infamous amidst their honours whatsoever praises men give to their misdemeanours they tast not the sweets thereof , and this domestick executioner turns all their pleasures into punishments . in fine , it seems he hath a design to oppose the injustice of fortune , and to rob the wicked of that glory , which fortune endevours to procure them : for fortune honours crimes , recompenseth murders , crownes parricides , and that she may weaken vertues party , prosecutes her followers , but conscience which hath no other interest then that of justice , punisheth sin in the throne , m and teacheth the guilty , that greatnesse is but a weak defence , against her just endeavours . thus faults never fail of punishment ; and though they be defended by violence disguised by cunning , excused by reason , or raised by falshood , they always finde their punishments in the depth of their conscience . as she punisheth the wicked : she rewardeth the good , for if the cry of the publique do not praise them according to their desert , they finde satisfaction in having done their duty ; and the approbation of this just judge makes them more glorious , then all the panegyrick on earth , in this it is , that the happiness of the innocent consists ; t is this that comforts them in their afflictions , that incourageth them in their combates , and which crowns them in their victories . their soul is a living throne , where n jesus christ keeps his residence ; they famaliarly with him , and receive on earth the assurance of that happinesse which is promised them in heaven . though these reasons prove sufficiently that conscience is the punishment of the wicked ; and the good mans recompence yet is it not hard to prove ; that she is misled by sin , that this counsellour is unfaithfull , that this witnesse is corrupted ; that this judge is interessed ; and that this executioner is backward , and fearfull . for what advice can conscience give us , since shee is blinde ; and that the same darkness which overshading the light of the understanding , cloudes hers ? how can she divert us from sin , since sin oft mixēth his uncomelinesse with the beauties of vertue ; and since there be whole intire nations which approve of incest , and excuse parricide ? how can she accuse us since she undertakes to defend us , and that being ●educed by the senses , she strives to make whatsoever is pleasing unto them lawfull ? we forme consciences to our selves , which destroy those that nature hath given us ; we think that a crime is lawfull ? when it is either profitable , o or honourable . we think the laws unjust when they thwart our desires , suites at law hurt not charity because they have some colour of justice ; duels are authorized because they preserve honour , drunkennesse is permitted because it is ordinary : and pollution shall be no more blamed because t is glorious . thus the conscience which did accuse us , doth excuse us , and this witness being bribed by sin , speaks only in its behalf . if he be unfaithfull in his depositions , he is as unjust in his decrees ; for being ill informed he cannot pronounce judgment aright , and his instructions being false , his decrees cannot be equitable ; he no longer condemns secret faults , and because they are not scandalous , he wil have them pass for innocent , if he cannot authorize them , he excuseth them , and if he cannot absolve the guilty , he signes their pardon , if somtimes the heinousnes of their offence oblige him to condemn them ; he is slack in punishing them , and his connivance adds to their licentiousnesse . for though great crimes be accompanied with horrour and disquiet , that those that are highly guilty are not indured , and that being subservient to divine justice they be the authors of their own punishment : though the neroes waken in a fright , and that their mothers ghost assail them in the midst of their guards , though the domitians carry their executioners in their heart , though the heavens prolong , their lives only to prolong their torments , and that their cruell death be the least part of their punishment , yet there be sinners , who have not this remorse , there are some that enjoy quiet after parricide , who peaceably usurped kingdoms and who neither finde revolts in their states , nor trouble in their persons . t is true p s. austine was of opinion that this calme was more dangerous , then a storm , and that the reproch of conscience was not so severe a punishment as her silence : for when she galls us , t is that she may heal us ; when she awakens us , t is to give us advertisement of the dangers which threaten us , her hurts are favors and her stings are the last that languishing nature can do , but when she hath lost her feeling , our hope of health is lost , her q stupidity presageth our misfortune , and as the sick man , who is become unsensible of his pains , is abandoned by his phisician , the sinner who hath no longer sense of his sins , is forsaken by jesus christ. yet most men live in this deplorable condition ; their consciences confederate with their enemies , holds intelligence with the devill to deceive them , is silent , that she may surprize them , and refuseth to advise them , only that she may continue them in their sins . nay oft times , through a high piece of insolence , she furnisheth them with reasons to defend themselves ; for though it be easier to commit a fault , then to excuse it , she undertakes to make their apologie , and if the crime bear with it any glorious appearance , she endevours to make its panegyrick . thus she who ought to convert them , ads pride to their other wickednesse , and after having made them infamous sinners , she endevoureth to turn them into proud devils ; they then begin to glory in their sins , the higher their offences are , the prouder are they ; their successe in their first crimes , engageth them in greater , and as the pleasure which accompanieth vertue , doth encourage gallant men to glorious enterprizes : the satisfaction which these men find in sin , encourageth them to sacrileges , and parricides . the eighth discourse . of the unrulinesse of the will , and of it's inclinations to evill . whatsoever advantages humane understanding may pretend to have over the faculties of the soul , it must give place to the will , and confesse that if he be the counsellor she is his mistris , for though his advices bear great credit with his sovereign , yet is she so free , as nothing can constrein her , the reasons which convince the understanding do r not force the will , and after her officer is won , shee can defend her self , there is no insinuating into her favour but by sweetnesse , her consent is only won by submission . constraint confirms her in her designs , fear rather altereth her actions then her desires , and violence which oft times makes the understanding say what it thinks not , never makes the will pleased with what it is displeased , she is free amidst irons , and whilst the other faculties of the soul crouch under force or sorrow , she is still obstinate in her resolutions , and is never more free then when she seems most constrained . her empire is as large as her liberty , all the parts of man do naturally owe her obedience , and even those which act out of necessity cease not to reverence her power . she effaceth out of the memory those species which she hath been trusted with , if you will except such injuries , and displeasures , as are never to be forgotten , the will to forget a thing is sufficient to think no more thereon . she stops the understanding in all its operations ; after t is convinced by the truth , she suspends his judgment , and by an absolute authority keeps this judge from pronouncing judgment . though the imagination be not so indifferent , and that her fickle humour , makes her oft times start aside from her duty , yet doth she allay her storms when her sovereign speaks , and if she have made any party in her heart , she is the first that doth dis●e them , when the will commands . the passions which are as rebellious as wild , respect her authority , and if their first motions be not submitted to her power , t is because they are not capable of reason , when their fury is over , they return unto duty , and wonne by love , ( which is their sovereigns only sonne ) they rank themselves under his laws . though s the sense , do necessarily act , and that they dispose of their objects in their operat●ons , yet cease they not to pursue her order , and to suspend their motions when that queen commands , the eyes close themselves to please her , the ●ares become deafe to obey her , nay those parts of the body which pretend to hold of her authority , and to be led only by nature , do notwithstanding experience the greatnesse of her power . for though she cannot hinder naturall heat from digesting meat , nor the liver from sending bloud into veins , yet she ●roubles all their workings , and if nature hold not intelligence with her , all her operations do but languish . in fine , the will is so considerable , as man draws from thence his chief advantages : a good wit may make his company well liked of , imagination may make him a good poet , his hand may make him an industrious artificer , but t is only will that can make an honest man : t is she that wins him the title of vertues , t and integrity , which is the souls chief ornament , is the pure work of this noble faculty . notwithstanding all this , all sciences busie themselves in ruling all the other powers of the soul , not troubling themselves with the ruling of this . logick forms the understanding , and teacheth us how to reason ; rhetorike teacheth us the art of perswasion , and furnisheth us with figures to set forth truth ; astrologie contents our curiosity , and raising us above the earth discovers unto us all that passeth in the heavens ; poetry heats our imagination , and burning it with a fire which doth not smoak , makes it do things which triumph over death and time : mechaniek arts make our hands cunning , and teacheth them to imitate the rarest workmanships of nature : but the will is only formed by morality , yet is she so free , as nothing can inforce her . vertue hath not charmes enough to endue her with love , and all the recompences which she can promise , are not powerfull enough to bereave her of her liberty . grace must come into the succour of vertue ; morality must be assisted by religion , to gain upon the will , for since she is become criminall nothing can bend her , she is the w●rse through her advantages , her greatnesse makes her a slave , her power makes her insolent , and her liberty renders her a captive ; she is brought into a condition wherein whatsoever heightens her merit , contributes to her misery , and she is so ill dealt with by sin , as she cannot recover her former perfect liberty but by servitude : but to the end you may not think i exaggerate her loss in the describing it , i will shew her unto you in her greatest advantages , and will demonstrate that since adams sin , all her perfections are prejudiciall to her . as u will is the soveraign in man she respects the universall good , and whilest the other faculties are only busied about their own particular interests , she takes care for the welfare of her whole state. the understanding seeks only after truth , and when he thinks he hath found it out , he leaves further pursut . memory labours only after the reteyning of those species which are committed to her fidelity , and when she hath acquitted her self thereof , she thinks she hath done her duty . the imaginations only care is to entertain commerce between the senses and the understanding ; the senses have no imployments but to consider objects , and to give there opinion thereof to the imagination , the passions themselves , which are the motions of love , have their exercises limited ; desire goes inquest after things which are absent , or a far off , fear drives away dangers which threaten us , hope flatters us by her promises , audacitie assails enemies that injure us , and choller furnisheth us with weapons to fight , but the will is like a queen in the midst of her state , who rules all these disorders , and remedies all that is faulty ; she listens to what the senses say , calmes the fury of the imagination , appeaseth the passions tumults , gives ear to what the understanding counselleth , and from the throne where she sits , gives out orders , and pronounceth decrees . when she is peremptory in what she says , she is always obeyed , her power ( as in god ) is composed of her will , and so long as she is not divided between her body and her understanding , she seldom undertakes any thing which she brings not to effect . the supream authority , is doubtlesse one of the wills chiefest advantages , and the generall care which she takes of the guidance of all the other faculties of the soul ; is an excellent proof of her worthinesse ; but who sees not that this eminent greatnesse , is accompanied with extream misery , since she that can do all seeth nothing , and that she who is so x absolute ; is blinde , for she discernes truth only through borrowed eyes : she must ask counsell of the understanding upon the advice of this faithles officer , she must examine reports made by the senses , stop the violence of passions and asswage the fury of the imaginations . objects corrupt the senses , the passions suffer themselves to be guided by the imagination , the understanding is perverted by opinion , & this blinde queen amongst so many mutinous subjects , and so many interressed advices , knows not what resolution to put on , neither to what object to fasten her self . imagine the miserable condition of a prince , who being blinde should have a great state to govern , provinces to rule , enemies to fight with , subjects to guide , treaties to conclude , rebels to punish , and who to effect all this , should have none but interessed officers , or ignorant counsellors . this is the deplorable condition of the will ; she hath a dominion which though it be inclosed within man , ceaseth not to be larger then the whole world ; she hath passions which are wilder then tygers , shee hath intestine seditions , and wars abroad ; she hath rebellious subjects to suppresse , secret traitors y to discover , corrupt judges to reform , and amongst so many disorders , she hath but a weak instinct , which supplying her ignorance , indues her with aversion to what is evill , and with inclination , to what is good . but some may say , i make monsters to destroy them , that i make the evill worse then it is to have the pleasure of curing it : for in the state of innocency , the will was blind , yet was not unhappy ; she was led by nothing but instinct , and went not astray , she took her light from the senses , and her counsels from the understanding , and yet did not this necessity make her miserable ? t is true she is naturally blind , and that it is as much out of her power to know the truth , as for the understanding to love vertue , but she was assured of her officers fidelity , the senses were not unfaithfull , nor the passions wild , the imagination was not troubled , nor the understanding darkned , shee lived in a peaceable condition , she neither feared her enemies , nor distrusted her subjects , but now she is shie of them all ; the senses will deceive her , the passions revolt , her imagination is confounded , the understanding goes about to corrupt her , and amidst so many disorders , she hath but a weak inclination to good , which to say truth , doth never abandon her . we must moreover confesse that this inclination is much weakened by sin , and that it is a kind of miracle if it be not corrupted . the summum bonum is so excellent , as he cannot be known , without being beloved , as soon as he suffers himself to be understood , he makes himself be desired , nor can the will be so depraved , but that she must alwayes reserve some love for so ravishing an object . the angels find their happinesse in possessing him , and the devils their misfortune in losing him , they cannot chuse but wish him , and how maliciously so ever their will be bent , it always languisheth after the summum bonum . if they could be without love ; they would be without sorrow , nor would they be sensible of their losse , could they suffer it without sorrow . yet this inclination is rather naturall then voluntary , t is rather grounded in their being , then in their liberty , and t is rather a mark of the goodnesse of their nature , then of their good will , if they naturally love god , they hate him freely , though they desire him they detest him , and though their inclination be forced , their aversion is voluntary . thus we see that the wills instinct is not so constantly set upon good , but that it may be taken off , and experience teacheth us that since the corruption of sin , man is more inclined to vice then vertue . z we are much more prone to revenge an injury , then to acknowledge a good turn ; we remember an affront better then a favour , we write good offices done in sand or water , but ingrave ill ones in brasse or marble ; whole ages are required to efface an offence , but an obligation is forgotten in a moment . the favours which we have received are debts , and the injuries interests , weare ashamed to be indebted , and glory to be ungratefull , we think we lose our liberty when we are obliged , and we think to recover it by being unthankfull . mans nature is so corrupted , as his hatred is purchased by favours , and the love he bears to liberty makes an obligation odious to him , a good turn is sufficient to lose him , and to be repaid with a bad one . from this disorder another ariseth which is as unjust , a and more detestable , we are much more eager in our hatred , then in our love , we pursue our enemies , with much more heat , then we do serve our friends , we are slack in friendship , and vigorous in revenge , we attempt impossibilities to rid our selves of one that hath offended us , the remembrance of the injury augments our strength , and we never want reasons to excite our anger . in assisting a friend we are weak , all things seem difficult unto us , what he demands appears unjust , and when once he is become necessitous , we esteem him too importunate . this evill inclination of the will , appears no lesse reviling , then in hatred , we are flow to praise but ready to deprave , we are naturally eloquent in invectives , but faint in praises ; all antiquity hath been able to make but two or three panegyricks , yet all her satyres are pleasing . an historian who praiseth vertue is not so much valued as he who blames vice , and experience teacheth us that orators cease to be eloquent , when they become panegyrical ; tacitus ows the most of his reputation to his reviling , he is muchmore pleasing when he paints forth tiberius his faults , then when he describes germanicus his vertues , we adhibit more faith to his criminall then to his innocent maxims ; he passeth for a statesman when he condemns the caesars intentions or those of their officers , his suspicions are as good as proofs , when he speaks ill of emperors , and his reasons not so good as conjectures , when he excuseth them . if he praise agripin●s chastity , he blames her pride , if he heighten germanicus his courage , he abaseth his mildnesse , if he value augustus for his government , he blames him for his cruelty , and if he make tiberius his wisedom appear , he every where discovers his dissimulation , and fear . it is easie to discover by his writings , that the greatest part of the pagans good works were sinfull , since he attributes criminall intentions to actions which appear innocent . he is only praised of all men , for that he never praised any man , and i am much deceived , if his design was not to win reputation , at the cost of as many princes as ●e writ off . in fine our will is so depraved as we cannot see an other mans harm without some sort of satisfaction , we are afflicted at his good successe and rejoyce at his b mis-fortune , not being offended with him , we are pleased with his misery , displeased with his happinesse : we think his glory lessens ours , and like caesar who could not looke upon the image of alexander without weeping , we cannot looke upon our neighbours advantages without sighing ; it seems as if fortune gave us , what she takes from others , and that she takes from us what she bestows on others , and that she cannot make them happy unlesse she make us miserable ; injustice is become naturall unto us , and unlesse our inclinations be reformed by grace , they are much more bent to vice then vertue . but you will say the will is alway free , that she may do well , even in what she doth amisse , since she may desire it , and that this advantage alone is so great , as that it recompenceth all her faults . the following discourse shall answer this objection , and will let us see whether man hath sufficient liberty left him or no in the state of sin , to boast that he is rich in his losse , happy in his misfortune , and in his misery glorious . the ninth discourse . that the will to be able to do good must be set free from the servitude of sin , by the grace of iesus christ. the passion which all men have for the preservation of their liberty , is no weak proof of the excellency thereof : there be but few who do not prefer it before life , and do not rather love an honourable death , then a shamefull c servitude , all revolts have had no other pretexts , and conquerors have only been odious because they have intrencht upon the publique liberty , we suspect their vertues because they bear with them some shadow of tyranny , and men have hardly believed , that they were very just , who would command over free people ; yet man hath no advantage which he oftner loseth then his liberty : he becomes a slave without a master , and finds servitude as well in a republique as in a monarchy , he hath not the use of this perfection , till a long time after he be be born ; he lives when he is not at liberty , and he who ought to command the whole world begins his life in slavery . nature * gives him kings in his parents , and if death take them away , the laws appoint him tutors which supply the place of masters , in his minority he is a slave , and wanting wisedome to govern himself , he is not suffered to dispose of himself : the better part of his life is spent in servitude , and unlesse he have permission from the prince , he must be years old before he can dispose of his goods . when this age puts him in possession of his principall advantage , enemies arise , who clap d irons upon him , for the passions are imperious mistresses , who intrench upon our liberty , and which making use either of fair or foul means , makes man do a thousand things unworthy of his condition , he sometimes breaks his chains , but forgeth new ones himself , and he thinks he is free , because he is the author of his own servitude : if he calm his passions , and amidst their quiet recover his liberty , he cannot defend himself from a pleasing enemy , which deprives him of the use thereof , for sleep which preserves our life bereaves us of our liberty , his poppies which sweeten our vexations , and inchant our sorrows take from us the disposall of our will : we are not at liberty when we sleep , and as the good actions which we do in that estate cannot expect recompence ; so neither ought our bad ones to fear punishment . thus liberty is a treasure which we are oft robbed of , t is a good which we are not always masters of : and if rest be reasons grave , t is also liberties sepulchre ; t is true that it restores us what it had taken from us , and the same awaking which delivers us from death , frees us from servitude , but we make tryall of a tyrant , who treateth us much more rigorously then doth sleep , for when sin hath possest it self of our liberty , it never makes restitution : our slavery ends not with our lives , we are born & dye slaves thereunto . there is nothing but the grace of jesus christ which can free us from the tyranny thereof . it enters into our soulby our body , and gives us death whē our parents give us life , and penetrating even into our e will sets there the characters of its usurpation , and of our servitude reason is too weak a succour to defend us against so powerfu●l an enemy , and prophane phylosophy is not a sufficient remedy to cure us of so dangerousa malady ; wee cannot drive away sin but by help from heaven , nor can we recover perfect liberty but by the servitude of jesus christ : we may well shun one fault by another , but hardly can we do anything which is solidly vertuous , without our saviours assistance , we defend our selves from intemperance only through vain glory , if we be chast t is because we are proud , but in the one and the other of these actions we are slaves to sin . to understand this truth ( which is saint austins very doctrine ) we must know that in our belief , piety was never parted from morality , and that to be vertuous , a man must always have been faithfull . the will was created together with grace , they both contributed unto merit , and when they were once divided , sin seized upon the will , and man operates by this mischeivous principle , all his actions began to be criminall , proposing no other end but himself unto himself , he strayed from the latter , ( from grace ) and looking upon the creature forbore looking upon the f creatout . let reason infuse what light it pleaseth into his understanding she cannot redresse it , for she her self is blinde , and as the will cannot love the summum bonum , the understanding hath much ado to know supremam veritatem , they each of them have received a mortall wound which cannot be cured unlesse by a physician who was never sick , g the remedy must derive from heaven , and the same hand which had united grace and nature together in the first man , must reconcile them in his off-spring and restore unto their will the liberty which she had lost . till this deliverance come man is still a slave to sin wheresoever he goeth he carryeth his tyrant a long with him , and let him do what good action he pleaseth , t is hard for him not to have therein some bad intention . to enlighten this imagination a little more , we must remember that gods design was not to make man meerly a rationall creature , he would have originall righteousnes to be his principall advantage : this h divine quality joyned the soul to the body by cords as holy as pleasing ; she did accord so well with nature ; as if she pertook not of her essence , she pertook of her perfection , whatsoever proceeded from this principle was holy , and whatsoever man did by the motion of grace deserved an everlasting recompence . but when sin had banished originall righteousnes , and that man became a slave to his concupiscence , he began to work by the motions thereof , he suffered himself to be led away by her blinde impetuosity , did cowardly obey her unjust ordinances , and till he be freed from this tyrant which possesseth him , he undertakes almost nothing but by her orders . k thus the most part of his good works are sins and his actions proceeding from a bad principle must needs be faulty , this misfortune is the spring head of all our mischief , this disorder is the originall of all our servitude , as long as we are slaves to sin we cannot recover our intire liberty , and till the son of god doth infranchize us , our inclinations are strong to evil . but as the nature of any thing is not better discovered then by the opposing unto it , its contrary , to know the wils servitude , we must compare it with her first liberty , and by the difference of originall righteousnesse , and christian grace , judge of the divers conditions of man , in innocencie , and in sin . man whilest innocent had the use of liberty , but because the end that was proposed unto him was supernaturall , he stood in need of grace to elevate his will , and sustein his weaknesse . he could not unite himself to l god without her assistance ; and whatever of noble he had received from nature , grace was necessary for him , to fix himself to this summum bonum : but not being as yet hurt by sin , this aide did sufficiently fortifie him , this grace without giving him remedies did only furnish him with strength to love and know primam veritatem . this grace was assubjected to his liberty ; as he might use it , so also might he abuse it , so as his happinesse depended on his will ; but since sin wounded his soul , since maladie is joyned to weaknesse , since irregularity is glided into nature , and that the will , m which was only weak , is become sick , a grace was requisite which might rather be a remedie then a help , and which should pertake more of medicine then of nourishment ; in innocencie 't was sufficient to raise man , but in sin , he must be cured ▪ in innocencie there needed no more but to sustein his liberty , but in sin it must be healed , in innocencie 't was enough to lead man the way , but in sin he must be put again into the right way ; in the state of innocencie he needed only to be succoured , but in the state of sin , the chains which keeps him from operating must be untied and broken . a man to whom nature hath given good eyes , cannot see without light , but if the sun lighten him he discerns objects , and not demanding other help , he sees all the beauties which this constellation can discover unto him , but if a defluxion weaken his eyes , the light of the sun offends him , if the spot be already formed , the ocu●t must use his industry to take it away , and to restore him to his sight , must cure his maladie . n in the state where into sin hath reduced us , adams grace would be of no use to us , all those glorious advantages which our father possest in the st●te of innocency could not deliver us ; his grace was succour to a man in health , but ours is medicine for a sick man : originall righteousnes indued him with strength , christian righteousnes gives us life , originall righteousnes heightned his will , and christian grace frees ours . o adam was vigorous , and we languish , he was free , and we are slaves ; for the tyrant which doth possesse us , keeps us inchained , he hath made chains of our affections , and as to make a captive walk you must break the irons wherewith his feet are fettered , so to make a sinner operate , the cords must be broken wherewith his will is inthralled . after having discovered the nature of his sicknes , we must finde out the cause , and seek by what excesse he hath faln into this misfortune , physicians oft-times judge of the quality of sicknes , by its originall , and the disorder from whence it arose , makes them finde out a cure for it . man lost his liberty only for loving it too much , he is become a slave only because he would be too free , and he hurld himself into a miserable servitude , only for that he desired to shun a glorious one . in grace aswell as in policie , servitude is joyned to liberty , and to be a true freeman , p a man must be a voluntary slave . in kingdoms we finde our liberty in our obedience , and our submission to our soveraignes will , is the rice of our felicity , those who think to better their condition by revolting , are oft undone by their rebellion , and fal from their legitimate greatnesses p for having sought after unjust ones , so in the kingdom of god , mans glory consists in obedience , his liberty depends on his submission , and that he may command overall creatures , he must obey his creatour . this glorious servitude was the originall of all his greatnesse , he reigned in the world by serving god ; he found perfect liberty in his faithfull submission , and whilst that his will was subject to the will of god , he met with no revolts , neither in his person or in his dominions , but when abused by the devil , and egg'd on by a vain desire of reigning by himself , he would shake of his first sovereignes yoke , he lost his q liberty by desiring to increase it , thinking to make himself master , he became a slave , he forged out chaines of iron to himself , out of a desire to break silken cords , and lost the command he had in the world by forgoing the respect he owed to his creatour . it was very fitting doubtles that he should be thus treated , the heinousnes of his crime did wel deserve this severe punishment : for what could a rebel expect but a shamefull servitude , what ought a perfidious man to expect , but sedition in his state , and what could a guilty person look for , but to have his passions revolt , and to lose his liberty ? unhappy adam ; what didst thou want in that happy condition whereinto thy sovereign had raised thee ? what just wishes could thy soul make which it might not have accomplished in obedience ? all creatures adored thee , the beams of thy countenance infused both fear and love into them , god made himself visible in thy person , angels treated familiarly with thee , they assumed bodies to satisfie thy senses , these pure spirits became sensible that they might be pleasing to thy eyes , they left heaven to converse with thee on earth , and they begana commerce here below , which they were to continue in glory ; the earth reverenced thy footsteps , the sea bore respect to thy words , all the elements did adore thy power , and savage beasts which persecute us , changed their s fury into fear when they came nigh thee : mightest not thou have bounded thy desires in so happy a condition ? and without listning to the devil who envied thy happinesse , was it not sufficient for thee to have the beasts for thy slaves , the elements for thy subjects , angels for thy companions , and only god for thy sovereign ? pride was thy fault , misery was thy punishment , liberty was thy desire , and servitude thy reward . thou wouldst reign independant , & thou livest now under tyranny , thy punishment is the picture of thine offence ; thy childrens t misfortune upbraids thee with the quality of thy crime ; they are slaves only because thou wert a rebel , & they grown under their irons only because thou couldst not live under thy sovereignes laws . t is true that their imprudency excuseth thy impiety ; for they love thy chains , they glory in their servitude ; they follow thy evil examples uncompelled , they delight to est range themselves from god , they commit wickednesse , with cherfulnesse , their servitude is voluntary , because they are pleased with it , since they will wear their chaines , it shews they are delighted in them , and to the end it may be known they offend heaven willingly , they adde voluntary faults , to that naturall sin , which they are guilty of in their birth . the tenth discourse . that evill habits bereave the will of her liberty by ingaging her in evill . though corrupted nature may be termed a bad habit , and and u that all men who descend from adam , have a naturall leaning towards sin , yet are there certain acquired habits or customes , which augment this naturall disorder , and which adde new faults to that which we do inherit from our first father : for as excesses do compleat the irregularitie of our will , and makes our conversion the harder ; the mischief which we bring with us from our birth , may be cured in the same sort as it was acquired , being got unwittingly , it may be lost when we think not on it , the conception thereof hath made us criminall ; and baptisme acquits us of that crime . adams sin is become our punishment , and the grace of jesus christ is become our remedy : but the malady which we our selves contract is much harder to be driven away ; for as it is our own handy-work , and hath not crept into our soul without our own consent , it cannot be expell'd but by an act of the will , and as baptisme doth cancell originall sin , and leaves concupiscence , so contrition or repentance , doth wash away actuall sins , and leaves an ill habit , which we have reason to term an acquired concupiscence , which is more dangerous then that which is naturall , because t is more malignant , and the cure thereof is more rare , because more hard : we shall see all these truths , in the pursuit of this discourse . t is a great misfortune , to be born in sin , and to have received bad inclinations , before we knew them , t is a deplorable condition to be the object of gods anger , before we have provoked him , and to be born away to mischief , before we were able to make resistance ; but this misfortune is much the greater , when man joys custom to nature , when to those bad inclinations which he inherits from his parents , he adds many actuall sins , which forms an imperious habit , which ingageth him in evill . for x as saint augustine observes , there are two things which solicite us to sin , nature and custome : the first is an effect of originall sin ; the second of actuall : we contract the one in being born in sin , we acquire the other by living in sin , and these two joyned together , strengthen concupiscence , establish the tyranny thereof and bereaves us of hope of destroying it . for if the will be not strong enough to oppose the unrulinesse of nature , how can she suppresse the disorders of a bad habit ; and if the assistance of grace be absolutely necessary for her , to free her self from naturall miseries , what kind of assistance stands she in need of to acquit her self of her acquired miseries . t is the difficulty which makes sinners despair , t is upon this occasion that they find that irregular inclinations , do never more rebell against their will , then when they have borrowed new force from a bad custome , and the best advice that can be given them is , by their diligence to prevent so opinionated an evill , and to set upon their passions in their birth , lest being assisted by habit , they grow to head-strong , as to be unsuppressible . when love is not as yet perfectly y shaped , that he is rather in the eyes then heart , that he deserves rather the name of complacency then of inclination , that his flames have more of lustre , then of heat ; he is easily stifled , and an ordinary vertue is sufficient to rid man of so weak an adversary , but when with time he is grown greater , when he hath powred his poyson into the heart , and hath made himself master of all the faculties of the soul , many a battle must be given before so strong an enemy be overcome , and unlesse the will call in indignation , anger , and grief , to her aid ; t is very hard for her to drive out a tyrant , whose power is strengthened by custome . in the second place , corrupt nature presupposeth but one sin , though z it were a great one , yet was it but one , and though it gave against al the perfections of god , yet was it committed in a moment ; repentance came quickly in the place thereof , and when once adam felt the punishment of his sin , he was sorry for it , his tears appeased divine justice , the sentence of his death was deferred , and he had time granted him to people the world , to instruct his children , and to bewail his sins : the disorders which we find in our soul and in our body , are only the effects of this fault , and when we are first born we are only capable of of this offence ; incensed heaven can impute nothing to us but our first fathers disobedience , and whatsoever punishment it inflicteth upon us , we have always this excuse , that we are more unfortunate then faulty : but an ill habit is a bastard daughter which hath diverse fathers , and which owes her birth to the malice of almost an infinite number of sins , vice and vertue are learn't successively ; a a man is not wicked all at once , he must make tryalls before he can become a master in sin , he cannot arrive at that condition , without having committed many faults , he must be accomplisht in wickednesse , to get a habit thereof : and let us flatter our selves with what reasons we please a man must have basely foregone vertues part , if he be totally possest by sin ; which when it commands so absolutely in a soul , as it hath changed it's power into tyranny , is grown stronger by time , hath changed inclination into custome , and that it hath as many protectours as parents ; heaven must do miracles to free us from so dreadfull an enemy . in the third place , nature is somewhat ashamed of sin , this unlucky guest hath not so throughly corrupted all her inclinations , but that some shamefastnes remains which may serve her for a bridle in her licentousnesse , and which obligeth her to seek out solitary places wherein to conceal her debaucheries ; if she be wicked enough to scoffe at the remorse of conscience , she is not sufficiently affronted to bear with her neighbours reproaches ; if she despise punishment she apprehends confusion , and if she fear not the losse of life , she fears the losse of honour . b but bad habit is insolent , it bereaves us aswell of shame as of innocence , it glories in its crimes , and by a horrible sort of corruptions , makes the sin the greater by making it glorious , it disarms vertue , and takes from her the only means she had to defeate her enemy . hence it is that shameles people glory in their loves , that lost women number up their gallants , & that affronted men , cal their debaucheries good fortunes . glorious names are invented to honour sin , thrones , and altars are erected to it , and solicited by this evil habit which rules in the soul , such honours are given thereunto as belong only to vertue . c by all this discourse 't is easie to judge , that a vitious habit , is a fearfull monster , which adds new discorders to the irregularities of nature , which fortifies bad inclinations , which presupposes many sins , which presages a greater number , which renders vertue infamous , and vice glorious , and which to crown all mischief , hurries us into such a fatall necessity of sinning , as can onely be overcome by a powerfull grace . there be different steps whereby a man may descend into the precipice of sin : inclination leads us to desire , desire brings us to the act , if the act be multiplied , it throws us into a habit , & if the habit be not the sooner ruin'd , it ingageth us in a necessity which may be termed the bottom of sins abysse , d for as s. augustine says , as long as man obeys his evil inclinations , he forms unto himself evil habits , & when he doth not resist evil habits , they throw the soul into a hard necessity , which bereaves it of the power of conversion . then is a sinner an unfortunate slave , he draws neer the condition of the damned , he finds his hel on earth , he carries a devil in his bosom which ingageth him in sin . this malady is by nature incurable , and if it be sometime cured by grace , 't is by a kinde of miracle . the evil habit which produceth this necessity is somewhat lesse difficult to cure , but the meanes that are to be used are extream difficult . for though the sacraments be ordeined to destroy sin , and that baptisme and repentance do break our irons and set us at liberty ; yet doth not their power extend to evil habits ; they take away the blame and reconcile us to god , but they leave this languishing which weakens nature , and do not efface those maligne impressions which sin hath made in our soul , they leave us our bad e inclinations to exercise us , and it hath pleased divine justice , that that byas which we have towards evil should not be redressed but by our pains-taking , we must fight to overcome it , and as much time is requisite to the loosing of it , as went to the contracting thereof . years slip away in this exercise ; without much progresse , and to weaken so powerfull enemies , many combats must be had . the sacraments which shed so many graces into our souls , make us not victorious at the first , that very sacrament which unites us so straightly to the son of god , as our souls seem thereby to be mixed together with his , doth not overthrow bad habits : as long as we carry them in our bosomes , we have desires of revenge , and ambitious thoughts , the presence thereof which chaseth away devils , doth not chase away our irregular inclinations ; these monsters give not place to divine power , and our will is divided between the motions of grace , and those of concupiscence , it is troubled that since it carries about with it its saviour , it is not yet at liberty ; it wonders that whil'st it conceives humble thoughts , it hath yet sometouches of pride , that having no more sin , it yet resents the effects thereof ; that being one of jesus christs subjects , t is yet under the slavery of the devil , and that tasting the pleasures of paradise , it feels notwithstanding the punishment of hell : these disorders do subsist with charity , and much time must be had to drive them away , many tears must be shed , many sighs made , and as many good deeds must be done to destroy them , as evil deeds have been done in the forming of them ; but to the end that we may the better know the nature of so dreadfull an enemy , we must consider him in his birth , and see by what cunning means he insinuates himself into the will. habit and custome are of the same nature : that which the one doth in estates , the other doth in souls , their wiles are alike , and as they are established by cunning , they are preserved by violence , their f beginnings are undiscernable , and they are so weak in their birth , as they are despisable , they grow without making much noise , and establish their authority without any great pompe . there is nothing more pleasing at first sight ; they are so plyant as they suit themselves toall our desires ; they are so shamefac't as they play least in sight : they seek pretences to make their designs be approved of , and in all their undertakings they lean either upon reason or example : they flatter their enemies that they may undo them , and hiding their malice under an appearing mildnesse , they are in a posture of defence before any one thinks to set upon them : but when they are once establisht , g and when abusing mans happines they have confirmed their tyranny , nothing is so insolent as their government , they loose both shame and h mildnesse , that they may reign with affrontednes , and violence ; they ground their authority upon their usurpation ; and placing all their right in their might , they oppose reason , and destroy the law : then doth the will become a slave , the counsels of the understanding are no longer listened to , and all good inclinations are so weakened , as they dare not frame a design to obviate their enemies . but that which is more deplorable in this condition is , that man who is possest with an ill habit , is no longer capable of deliberation in his actions : he follows the tyrant that inslaves him , he thinks he is bound to defend him , because he hath assisted to set him up ; he believes he enjoys liberty , because he loves servitude ; and not considering the evils which threaten him , he with contentment suffers himself to be guided by his enemy : when he is surprized by any action , i he hath not leasure to argue the case ; his usurper prevenes his reason , and he is as it were compel'd to obey him , hence it is that lascivious men meeting with an unexpected death , think more on their loves than on their souls health , hence it is that libertines in any eniment danger are apter to swear and curse , than to pray ; hence it is that revengefull men , when they fall into any danger , think rather how to revenge themselves , than how to pardon . for the tyrant which possesseth them is alwaies in action : he is in the will , as in his throne ; from thence he gives out his orders to all the faculties of the soul , and parts of the body ; the understanding conceiveth onely such thoughts as are pleasing to him , the memory is onely imployed about such species as he forms there , the imagination is full onely of such phantasmes , as he doth there imprint , the senses act not but by his guidance , and the whole man is so under his power , as he undertakes nothing but by his motions . this unfortunate condision is more common then men think , for all unbeleevers are reduced into it , and wanting true vertues wherewithall to resist the evil inclinations of nature , those inclinations must needs be changed into bad habits ; the greatest part of christians are herein likewise ingaged , for not making good use of grace to suppresse the disorders of concupiscence : they finde themselves as subjected to their wicked customes , and are no longer able to defend themselves against these domestick k enemies , because they have suffered them reign too long , the longer they deferre the ruin hereof , the more do they establish the tyranny ; the more they suffer their violence , they do the more confirm their power : whilest they are imployed about unprofitable things , and that not considering the evil which threatens them , they take vain diversions , these monsters making use of their imprudencie become so redoubted as they dare assail them no more : the onely way to overcome them , is to stifle them in their birth , and not to fall oft into the same sin , least an evil habit being formed in our soul , we be inforced to live under the tyranny thereof . of the corruption of the vertues : the third treatise : the first discourse . a panegyrick of morall vertues . if a man may use civility in combating , and if the fury of war keep not men from treating their enemies with respect , i think i may be permitted to handle the vertue of the pagans with esteem , and to make the panegyrick thereof , before i make it's processe , for though i hold with saint augustine that their chiefest vertues have their defects , a i do notwithstanding find beauties in them , which obligeth me to reverence them , and though i am their enemy , i cannot chuse but be their admirer . for when i consider that these great men had no other light than that of nature , and that self-love which tyrannized over their wil , was the soul of all their designs , i cannot imagine how so fatall a cause could produce such gallant effects , and i wonder that the desire of glory hath been powerfull enough to make them overcome pain , and despise pleasure . the ambition of command , hath made almost as many martyrs in the romane common wealth , as charity hath done in the christian church ; and all those glorious saints whose lives we read with admiration , have suffered no more for the defence of religion , than those first romans did for the defence of their liberty : her senators and consuls were a long time corruption-proof . the generals of their armies did subdue their passions as well as their enemies , the greatest danger could never abate their courage , they were most famous when most miserable , and romes greatnesse never shone brighter , than in adverse fortune . worth was not confined to the most illustrious subjects of that common wealth : the people were obedient , as long as the senate was modest ; particular families preserved their innocency , whilst publique persons preserved justice ; wives were chast , whilest their husbands were valiant ; the vestals kept their virginity , whilest the priests kept their religion ; all these actions which have so fair an appearance , had no other principle then vertue , and vertue had no other force then what she drew from glory or eloquence ; she was praised by the mouth of orators ; every philosopher was her panegyrick , and hardly could you read their works without being passionate for her , who was their onely subject : she is so well set forth in seneca's writings , as one could not see her there , but they must reverence her ; and he being the man that speaks the most worthily of her , i think i am bound to borrow his words to make her panegyrick : listen then to what he writes of her in divers parts of his book . vertue hath this of advantage that she is noble and easie ; her noblenesse gives her value amongst men , b and her easinesse invites them to seek after her , the desire of her is sufficient to acquire her , and this famous beauty doth not scorn any that love her ; shee bestows her self freely on all those that court her ; and be she never so chast , she ceaseth not to be common ; you need not crosse the seas , nor discover new worlds to find her out . we have her principles in our selves ; and if we be but a little carefull in the husbanding thereof , we may turn every good inclination into a vertue ; she raiseth us above our condition ; for though we be composed of clay and dust , by her inter-position c we may enter into allyance with god ; who loves those that are vertuously given ; who in his greatnesse disdains not any one ; and vertue is the onely disposition which he requires in those who would approach him ; he acknowledgeth them for his children who vouch her for their mother ; and heaven is their inheritance , whom she adopts on earth : this last recompence is that alone which doth in-animate her lovers ; all other rewards are indifferent , to them : d and knowing that happinesse and vertue never part asunder , they hold for certain that a vertuous man cannot be miserable ; the delight which accompanieth their mistris , doth not inhaunce her merit ; they are so faithfull to her , as when the servant forsakes her , they increase their love , and they are glad to love her in a condition , wherein she can onely promise thorns to those that take her part . let her put on what disguise she will , she is always pleasing , be it that she withstands vice , that she melt into sweat or tears , that dust and bloud ternish her lustre , that fasting , and sufferance pull her cheeks down , she hath still beauty enough to keep her lovers , the faithfullest whereof love her as well in open field , as in towns , and the lustre which she borroweth from apparel , or palaces , doth not heighten her merit . e let fortune assail her never so oft , she is still victorious , that hood-winkt sovereign which bears down the best establisht thrones , which reverses the best grounded states , which takes delight to bruise scepters in the greatest monarchs hands , comes off with shame when she assails her , though fortune arme tyrants against her , and employ all her slaves to undo her , yet she is forced to yield the field , and to confesse that vertue may loose her repute , but never her courage nor innocence . her enemies reverence her , and her merit f wins so much upon them , after having offended her , they give her honourable satisfaction , and praise her publiquely : if they hear her comliness spoken of , they declare for her , and foregoing her adversaries party , they rank themselves under her colours . when this tyrant seeth that he is abandoned he hath no better way to reduce his slave under his laws , than to take upon him the semblance of vertue ; and to borrow his enemies beauties to cover his own il-favour'dnesse . this disguise is vertues highest praise , 't is the greatest advantage she can have , and though she be thereby sometimes prejudiced , yet is it always glorious to her , for she can easily disabuse the unwary , let her be but a little carefull to make her beauty appear , she wins their heart , and causeth so much love in them , as it is easily discerned , if they have not taken her part , 't is because they knew not her worth , he who could see her stark naked would never be disloyall to her , and would she discover all her perfections , all her enemies would become her friends . t is in fine the greatest advantage that man can possesse : all of good g that avarice or ambition do promise him , are but disguised evils . riches are but a little earth , on which the sun hath set a price by giving it a colour . glory which the ambitious do so much idolatrize , is but a little smoake , and the pleasure which the voluptuous seek after , is but the felicity of beasts : but vertue is a solid good , who ever possesseth her may vaunt to have in her immortall riches , true honours , and innocent delights . t is the way which nature teacheth us to mount to heaven by ; the means which she furnisheth us with all , to make our selves like god , without sin , and of so many things which we seek after , there is none but vertue which can procure us that happinesse . we ought not to hope for riches , since h god hath nothing but himself , and that he hath not made the world so much for his use as for his glory : we ought not to wait for reputation , since he is unknown , since the greatest part of praises that are given him , are blasphemies , and that the libertines do unpunisht , condemn his providence . t is not in fine in the number of our followers that our felicity consists , since god lived without subjects before he made the world , and that of as many happy spirits that do wait upon him , there was not any one neer him before the creation of the universe . his glory wholly consists in his own greatnesse , and without heightening himself by the splendor of his workmanship , or number of his slaves , he finds his happinesse in his essence . thus vertue is the proper good of man : he is rich enough if he be vertuous , he despiseth the praises of the world , and finds himself satisfied with the testimony of his conscience ; he seeks for no other pleasure than what he finds in doing his duty , and as god would not cease to be happy though he should ruin the world , the wise man would not cease to be content , if though he lost his family , he preserved his vertue , he needs not care for his body , though it be the organe of his soul , and without drawing any advantage either from his strength or comlinesse , he onely values that good , which neither fortune nor death can bereave him of . t is an i errour to imagine that the bodies beauty contributes to that of the soul , and that vertue appears the more pleasing for being lodged in a handsome personage : as a great man may come forth of a little village , so a great spirit may proceed from a deformed body , and nature oft-times fastens il-favour'dnesse to vertue , to teach us that we ought to love her onely for herself , for he is unjust who considers the ornaments which do imbellish her , and who not regarding the excellencies which she keeps inclosed within her self , amuseth himself in considering the pomp , which doth environ her . this great princesse is so high spirited as she cannot tolerate a rivall , she is angry when she is sought after , for the pleasure which doth accompanie her , and likes not such lovers , as only serve her that they may by her reap profit or glory . she will be her self the recompence of their labours , and though she promiseth them innocent contentments , and true riches , she will be the onely motive of their search . her beauty well deserves this respect , and he is yet ignorant of her worth , who loves her onely out of interest : we must never ask what she promiseth us , since she gives us her self . we must not looke upon her hands , but upon her countenance , nor must we consider her favours , but her desert , she is lovely enough though she appear without ornaments , glorious enough though without a train , sufficiently magnificent though without splendor , and liberall enough , though she promise us nothing when she cals us . if there go courage to fighting under her banners , there goes glory to dye in her quarrell , and as souldiers love that k prince for whom they will powre out their bloud and glory in the hurts they receive in his service ; wise men love that vertue for which they lose their lives , and glory in the outrages which they receive in her defence , their minds are not altereed by ill successe , when their souls issue forth by their wounds , they by their mouth publish her praises , and having been her servants , they rejoyce to be her martyrs . her beauty doth well deserve this fidelity , for in whatsoeve condition we shall consider her , she is so full of allurements , as he who hath a heart must love her . how generous is she when undet the name of fortitude , l she despiseth whatsoever causeth fear in man , when without pale looks she assails death , provokes pain , and wins the victory over all those angersome accidents which intrench upon mans liberty , how sacred is she , when under the name of friendship she in sinuates m her self into their hearts , and inspires them with such courage as they can neither be astonished with threats , nor corrupted with bribes : burn us ( cry they ) when inanimated by this vertue invents new torments , we will never betray our friends , the more pain shall endevour to wrest our thougts from us , the more carefull will we be to conceal them , and to deserve the names of faithfull , though it cost us our lives , n how delightfull is she , when under the name of temperance she commands over all sensualities , chaseth away such as are impudent , moderates those which are irregular , when she fits our desires to our need ; and foregoing all superfluous things contents her self with necessaries : how sweet is she when under the name of humanity o she becomes affable to all the world ? when she forbids us to raise our selves above our equals , commands us not to be severe to our inferiours ? when she perswades us that another mans mischeif can never redound to our advantage , and that we receive glory by what is advantagious to our p neighbour ? how full of charms is she , when under the name of clemency , she pardon 's the guilty , spares anothers bloud , as her own . when she converts the criminall by her mildnesse , and by her goodnesse comforts the miserable ? wee must also confesse she is as well the ornament of our body , as of our soul ; and that there are no charms like those which we borrow from vertue . q see you not what life fortitude puts into our eyes , what majesty wisedom makes appear in our behaviour ? with what sweetnesse modesty doth season our words ? what a pleasing blush shamefac'tnesse drives into our forehead , and what a serenity a good conscience causeth in our countenances ? truly if women knew how much vertue doth inhaunce beauty ; they would be vertuous , that they might be baeutifull : and without corrupting nature by paint they mould make use of no other red than that of shamefac'tnesse , of no other white than that of innocency , of no other majesty than that of justice , of no other sweetnesse than that of clemency , nor of no other pomp than that of modesty , but the mischief is we are more carefull in acquiring glory than vertue , and labour more to make our name famous , than our souls innocent : we despise the testimony of our conscience , and seek for the peoples approbation , and preferring appearances before truth , r we do not greatly care to be vertuous , so as we may have the reputation of being so . one cannot notwithstanding merit this glorious title , unlesse he part with pleasure , and glory for it , for as he knows not the worth of vertue who seeks her only out of voluptuousnesse , so neither doth he know her merit who seeks her only for honours sake . we must resolve to lose al things to come by her , nor can man hazard his reputation for a more just subject , than in the preservation of vertue . the second discourse . that morall vertue hath her faults . as night never looks more gastly than when it succeeds a fair day ; as a tempest is never more hideous than when it surprizeth the marriners after a long calm , and as uglinesse is never more deformed tahn when it approaches neer beauty : i thought the best way to make the vanity of morall vertue appear , was to oppose it to christian vertue , and to set forth in the same picture the ones defects , and the others perfections . this harmlesse piece of cunning will suffice to disabuse such christians as will heighten paganisme , to the prejudice of our religion , and who prefer the constancy of their socratesses and catoes before our ignatii and laurentii . that which i think may have deceived them is nothing else but the s lustre , which humane eloquence hath put upon pagan vertue : for we must confesse that plato hath much better illustrated socrates his innocence , than saint basill , or saint gregory of nazianzen have done that of abell and of iob : titus-livius paints out lucretia's chastity in better colours , than doth saint ambrose the like of the christian virgins , and seneca doth much more handsomly commend cato's courage , than saint augustine doth the courage of the martyrs . christian eloquence is uncompounded ; she is modest in her praises , she is ashamed to make use of a falshood to heighten a truth , and to honour a vertue by an hyperbole ; she attributes the saints constancy , to the grace of jesus christ , she lessens our admiration by discovering the causes of their patience , and we wonder not that saint agnesse and saint cecilie have overcome their torments , when we consider they were assisted by angels , and that the wild beasts did reverence their innocency . christians having allways been more carefull of doing well than of saying well , the best of their t actions have been buried in oblivion ; their vertue not having received so much glory , hath not thrown abroad such a lustre ; and wanting orators to speak in her praise , or panegyricks , she hath oft-times mist admirors : but the vertue of the pagans hath had all prophane eloquence exercised in the praises thereof , and all the most famous orators busied in composing of panegyricks to her ; she hath made the best ancient poets sweate ; homer and virgil , are but skilfull ingravers , or able painters , who have endevoured to represent unto us rather the mind , then the visage of their heroes . yet for all the care they have had to disguise vertues defects , they may be discovered , if attentively considered : for philosophers who have defined her , have placed her in a certain u mediocrity , which takes from her the liberty of operating , she is environed by two enemies which will not suffer her to enlarge her self ; if she will exalt her self , she fals into a precepice , and if she endevour to do somewhat towards the acquiring of glory ; humane weaknesse which cannot suffer it , doth condemn it as a sin . this languishing vertue is shackled , and dares undertake nothing of generous , least starting from out the common road , she be accused of straying : she is inforced to follow the ordinary track , and to submit her self to the rules which are prescribed unto her , if she will preserve her reputation : liberality can do nothing of profuse wherein she may not be accused of prodigality . x a prince dares not be magnificent for fear of being thought too bad a husband . men with-hold their liberall humours through unjust maximes , and keep him from following nature in her profusions , because some monarchs have been known , who after having indiscreetly emptied their coffers , have unjustly filled them again : to keep him within his duty , men shew unto him , that ambition oft enters into the souls of kings under the name of liberality , that there are few who know how to dispense their favours , and many that know how to lose them . thus princes cannot make use of liberality ; and though the heavens have given them so great territory , they must temper avarice by prodigality to acquire the title of liberall . valour is under the same constraint , this generous vertue receives dayly a hundred advises , which under pretence of her preservation , have a design to put a period to her conquests ; if she expose her self to danger , she is esteemed rash ; if relying upon her good fortune , she put on such resolutions as fear approves not off , she is accused of imprudencie ; yet should she beleeve her advice , she should never do any thing of generous : and had caesars and alexanders valour been limited within the bounds of fear , they had never fought , nor been victorious ; upon some occasions wisdom must give way to fortune , and conquerours must rather consult with their good fortune than with their duties , the most glorious vertues ought to be free , they are too couragious to live inthrald , they are but the most common ones that subject themselves to these lawes , they must dispense with ordinary rules , if they will attempt any thing worthy of memory . poets knew this very well ; for they have been enforced to invent heroick vertues , and to indue their heroes with a valour , which raised it self above wisdom , and which in the greatest perils advised only with courage , y weak spirits terme it a fortunate rashnes , but the wisest philosophers call it an heroick valour . now christian vertue is happily affranchised from this shamefull mediocrity , which weakens moral vertue : for being more divine than humane , she is not stopt by weak maximes , nothing seems impossible to her , she suffers her self to be led on by the spirit , which in-animates her , and wholly throwing her self upon the providence which guideth her , she neither considers her strength nor yet her weaknesse ; hence it is that the saints forgo all their wealth , that without caring for what is to come , they voluntarily become poor , and leave the care of their subsistence to him who governs them . virgins who by their age and sex ought to be timorous , have sought out tyrants , and provoked their executioners : they thought it was a kinde of slacknesse to waite for wilde beasts ; they irritated their fury , they desired to loose their lives for the glory of jesus christ , who inspired them with a sanctified rashnesse ; the love which we are bound to bear unto our enemies , doth much exceed the rules of discretion , z which forbids us to trust in a man who hath deceived us ; and all christian vertues are so noble , that there is not any one of them whose perfection doth not consist in excesse . though she be gotten to this high pitch , she ceaseth not to be easie , which is the second advantage which she hath over morall vertue , whose whole worth consists , in the difficulty which accompanieth her ; she would not be beautifull were she not difficult , and seeing that humane mindes betake themselves onely to what is painfull , she endeavours to heighten her desert by labour ; she decks her self with thornes in stead of flowers , covers her self with dust , in stead of sweet powders , drops sweat and bloud , in stead of perfumes , and promiseth such as court her , nothing but disasters and ill luck ; she is lodged upon a hill which is smooth , slippery , and steep on all sides , where a man cannot come at her without danger of falling into a precipice ; though she promise honour to such as love her , she suffers them oft times to be confounded , and judgeth onely of their love , by misprising glory or pleasure . shee invites them by her discourse , but endues them not with strength ; she perswades their understandings , but doth not raise up their wills : and like the law of moses , she may well have some light , but no heat : a this is the cause why her pertakers have faln into despair , and after having a long time served this rigorous mistris , they have been forced to accuse her of ingratitude , and to blame her cruelty ; but what could they hope for from an idol , which being the workmanship of their mindes , had no other perfections than what it had borrowed from their praises , which was onely vigorous in their writings , only beautiful in their panegyricks , and which was not generous , save in their actions . thus had cato recourse to despaire , finding no relief in vertue ; and brutus acknowledged when he died , that she could not assist such as served her , that she dazled mens eyes by a false light , and that she was but a vain idol , which forsook her followers at a pinch , not being able to warrant them from the outrages of fortune . we may truly affirm there have been two sorts of idolaters in the world ; the one worshipped the workmanship of their own hands , b and by an immense folly put their hope in images which they themselves were authors off ; though they cannot understand them , they serve them with respect , though they cannot defend them , they fly to them for protection ; and dread their anger . the other adore the workmanship of their minds , and form unto themselves noble ideas which they fall in love with , the more beautifull the idols were , the greater impression did they make upon their wils , and the more eloquent they were in describing them , the more superstitious were they in honouring of them . this errour blinded all philosophers vertue , which is but a habit which we acquire that we may do good , was the only divinity which these hood winckt people worshipped ; and not considering that there is nothing in the soul of man , which merits a supreme honour , they bore respect to the good inclinations thereof , when they were governed by the rules of morality ; this superstition cost the apostles , much more pain , than the superstition of the people , they had more ado to convert philosophers , than tyrants ; and experience taught them that reason was more opinionated than force . two ages were sufficient to overthrow all idols of brasse and marble , and though their adorers used cruelty to defend them ; martyrs through their patience triumphed over them . but all the reign of jesus christ hath not sufficed to destroy the idols of the minde . the doctors of the church have in their writings set upon them , but have not been able to bear them c down ; and there be yet some libertines , amongst the children of the church , that do adore them . they are not so much attracted by the grace of the son of god , as by the vertue of the pagans ; good nature appears more considerable to them than godlinesse , and they more esteem seneca's or aristotles morals , than those of saint paul , or of saint austine his disciple ; yet the vertue which these philosophers taught in their schooles had her esteem heightened onely by reason of her difficulty , and was admired by her partakers onely through a vain beauty which did dazle them . but christian vertue is at once both beautifull & easie , you need but love her to acquire her ; to possess her cost us nothing but desires ; and the holy ghost who sheds her in our souls , endues us with strength to overcome the difficulties which accompany her ; therefore is it that vertue in christians did oft times fore-run reason ; they were wise before the years of wisdom , and the agnesses who had jesus christ onely for their master , were vertuous before rationall grace fupplyed their weaknesse , torments excited their courage they were constant , not having read the death of socrates , the life of their spouse made up all their morality , and his maximes confirmed by his examples inspired them with more of constancie , than was requisit to triumph over the cruelty of tyrants , and to confound the vertue of philosophers . but truly i do not wonder that the vertue of pagans was so weak ; since they were divided , and that reason which did guide them could never reconcile them ; for though they be said to have one & the same father , and that they are so straitely united together that a man cannot possesse one of them , without possessing all the rest , yet experience , teacheth us that they have differences which philosophy hath not yet been able to terminate . though they conspire together to make a man happy , they trouble his quiet by their division , and make so cruel war one upon another , as to have peace in his soul , he is obliged to drive out one of the parties from thence , mercy , and justice cannot lodge together in one heart , their interests are so different as they are not to be accorded . a man must renounce mildnes if he will be severe , and severity if he will be mercifull . morality hath not yet found out a secret to reconcile these two vertues , nor to unite them together thereby to make an accomplish't prince . wisdom and simplicity hold no better intelligence , the one is always diffident that she may be secure , she oft-times hastens her misfortune , whilest she thinks to avoide it ; she had rather do ill , than suffer ill ; and her humour is so given to guile , as the best part of her being is made up of dissimulations ; simplicity walks in a clean other track , for she findes her assurance in her goodnesse : she fears no outrage , because she beleeves no injustice , she had rather be unfortunate than blamefull , and she is of so good an inclination , as she resolves rather to receive an injury than to do one . if wisdom be not upon good termes with simplicity , she is not upon much better terms with valour : nature must do a miracle to make them both meete in one subject ; they require different tempers , and the aversion is such , as morality cannot accord them : wise and cautious men are always fearfull , and valiant men are alwayes rash ; wisdom is of a cold constitution , and doth not ingage her self in any perill till she see a wicket whereby to get out . valour is hot and firie , considers not danger so much as glory ; the one of these startles at all things , the other wonders at nothing ; the one and the other of them hath their advantage , and their defaults , but there is so great an opposition between them , as one and the same man cannot possesse them both . thus perfection is an idea , which a man may easily conceive , but never acquire . morality is an art which hath more of light than of force , and which very well knows the desert of vertues , but cannot appease their differences . 't is mans advantage that the vices cannot be reconciled , that these monsters , who have the same designe , cannot make the same army , and that nature to weaken them , hath divided them ; to say truth profusion and avarice cannot lodge together in the same breast , and though the one of them proceed from the other , they wage war one upon another which ends onely in death . audacity and cowardise are incompatible , and though fortitude be their common enemy , they cannot joyn together to charge upon it . indulgencie , and cruelty , are two faults equally pernicious to monarchies ; and 't is hard to say whether it be the greater misfortune , to live under a prince who punisheth all ; or under f one who punisheth none . licentiousnes countenanceth sin , and when law , are violated , & no punishment inflicted , no honest man can live securely . cruelty sets al the world together by the ears , & as her injustice makes no distinction of persons , she doth astonish as well the innocent as the guilty ; but nature doth not suffer these two extreams to lodge together , & this wise mother not being able to impede their birth , thought to oblige us by hindring their society . i acknowledge we are obliged to her fore-sight , and that our misfortune had been much greater , if these two enemies of our quiet could have kept good intelligence ; but it must also be confest that she was wanting either in power or in wil , when she 〈◊〉 permitted that the vertues should war one upon another , and that the good habits , which she had opposed to bad ones , cannot joyn their forces in our assistance . this is also an effect of original sin , and i am confident this division was not amongst them in the state of innocency ; that justice was not an enemy to mercy , that wisdom warred not against simplicity , and that all these sisters lodg'd peaceably together in the heart of man. christian grace which repairs the miseries of sin , with use , hath pacified the difference between the vertues ; they fight altogether joyntly under the banner of charity ; this vertue , which they acknowledge for their sovereign , quieteth all their quarrels ; she takes from justice what it hath of rigour to agree it with mercy , she takes from mercy what it hath of remisnesse to reconcile it with justice . she unites the wisdom of the serpent with the innocence of the dove : she stifles particular interests , to favour the publique good , and bindes them so close together , g that they forgoe their own inclinations to assume the inclinations of their soveraign : hence it is that christians are wise without malice , and simple without ignorance , that they are generous without boldnesse , and advised without cowardlinesse ; that they are just without rigour , and mercifull with indulgencie ; they have the perfections of philosophers , and want their errours , they tast their pleasures , not their miseries , and possessing charity ; they enjoy all the other vertues which hold in fee of her crown . the third discourse . that vain glory is the soul of the vertue of infidels . t is a strange yet a true thing that the pride of man was twin in birth to his misery , and that he began to be proud assoon as he was miserable . amidst his greatnesse he was humble , whilest he commanded over all creatures he obeyed god , and his empier was grounded upon his submission ; a but when his disobedience had caused his unhappinesse , ambition seized him , and forgetting that he was a slave to the devil , he pretended to the sovereignty of the whole world . to effect this his design , he tryed many meanes as unjust , as shamefull : for through a high piece of folly he would shake off the yoke of obedience , which he owed to god ; live in a sinfull liberty , and follow no laws , but those of his will. having laid the first ground work of his rebellion , he endeavored to frame it into a tyranny , and having shaken off his sovereign he strove to get subjects . he used art to make himself be beloved , and violence to cause himself to be feared , he made his equals his slaves , under pretence of preserving or defending them ; he opprest their liberty , and turned his false protection , into a true tyranny ; hence did proceed the first usurpations , which getting authority in process of time , became at last legitimate : for pride was the originall thereof , and the desire of government took away the equality , which nature had placed amongst men . those who liked not this way took another road , being possest by vain glory , they endeavored to practice vertue ; that they might win glory , and studied to b do gallant actions , onely that they might be praised . their way of command was not so rigorous , but it was not much lesse haughty than the other ; for they pretended to rise by merit , and mildly to enforce men to submit themselves to their guidance ; whatsoever they did by this motive could not be innocent , and whatsoever vertue they exercised by this principle had onely a deceitfull appearance of vertue . vain glory was the soul of all their designes ; did they defend their country , did they conduct their subjects , did they fight their enemies ? 't was rather out of the love of glory , than of justice . let them be as carefull as they pleased to hide their intentions , they were always clearly discerned by their actions or their words ; their thoughts might be discovered without tortures , and whilst the name of justice was in their mouthes , nothing but vain glory was observed to be in their hearts ; they did publiquely affirm , that to make a kingdom happy , c a philosopher must either be the king , or the king a philosopher , they boasted that they had withdrawn men from out of forrests , that they had inclosed them within towns ; and by giving them laws , they had taught them civility . they governed a while with mildnes , but when one went about to blame their government , or to reform it , they had recourse to violence ; and the same vain glory which made them assume the scepter to command , obliged them to take up arms to defend it . thus did philosophers become tyrants , and pride which had used cunning to establish her self , used force to perserve her self . this truth appeared in the greatest part of monarchies , but shone the clearest in the roman common-wealth ; and we may affirm , the more she affected vertue , the more was she subject to vain glory ; d for those who shall examine her proceedings may observe , that all her most glorious actions had no other motive , than a desire of preserving her liberty , of acquiring glory , or of increasing her authority . when romulus his valour numa's piety , and tullies wisdom , had founded the roman common wealth , she thought not so much upon extending her limits , as in defending them , she never declared war against her enemies , but when she saw her self in danger of being opprest . she fought for her altars and for her houses , and her first commanders had no other spur to egge them on to vertue , than a desire to live , or dy in liberty . when all italy was under their laws , when those who would not be their friends , were become their subiects , they suffered themselves to be tickled with the desire of glory ; and those who had no other thought but to be free , began to covet fame and glory . this ambitious passion being very powerfull , made them undertake a thousand gallant actions ; and we must confesse the roman common-wealth , was never more fruitfull in vertue than when most desirous of a glory ; her citizens imbraced all occasions which promised them * honour , not being yet so corrupted , they valued their dutie . , and thought the nearest way to win reputation was to render justice to all men , to keep their words to their enemies , to despise riches and value vertue ; with these fair maximes , they blinded all mens eyes ; their alliance was sought after , and men thought they must be subject to this republique , if they would be free . they notwithstanding , who took upon themselves the trouble of examining their vertues ▪ found that vain glory was their onely motive thereunto , and that if they had withstood vice , 't was onely that they might win e glory : they confess it themselves by their superstitions , and by building the temple of vertue neer to that of glory , they did sufficiently witnesse that honour was the end , and recompence of all their actions . to say truth , there is nothing famous in their history , which relisheth not of vain glory , it appeares so evidently therein , as their very historians cannot disguise it , when they praise their vertue , they discover the motive , and are enforced to impute that to the de●e of glory , which ought to be atributed to the desire of justice . when virgil makes g brutus his panegyricke , and when he useth all his eloquence and skill to excuse his parricide , he gives no other reaso● than the love of his country , and his d●sire of praise , he makes us see by this onely example ; that murthers were permitted , provided they were glorious , and that there was no father in rome , that was not ready to sacrifice his own son to augment his rep●tation . if camillus deliver his country from whence he was banis●t . 't was h because he could not live else-where more gloriously ; if he assist his fellow-citizens , 't is because his glory may be inhaunced by their ingratitude , and that by re-stablishing the republique , he may improve his power . if reg●s keep his word , which he had past to the carthaginians , and if he enter himself prisoner again 't is onely that he may acquire honor by the loss , and to let all the world see , that he who had been slave to carthage , could no longer be a citizen of rome . if pompie i cleered the sea of pirats , if eur●pe seemed not to him a theatre large enough to show his valour in ; if after having conquered spain , he in●rencheth upon the liberty of asia , if he carry war into all the parts of the world , 't is to merit the name great ; 't is to equall the faults of mari● and scilla , and to ●fface the glory which they had got in oppressing the republique . if caesar march in catelines steps , if he happily end what the other had unjustly undertaken , k if seeing no more enemies worthy of his anger , he sets upon his citizens ; if being no more able to suffer an equall , he will have all to be his slaves ; if by one and the same fault he viol●e both the laws of nature and of nations , if amongst so many vices , he mingle some illustrious vertues , 't is onely that he may win reputation , and that by giving some colour to his tyranny , he may march in the head of caesars , and give a beginning to the most famous empire of the world . for as manners were corrupted in rome , and that particular interest prevailed over the publique , the romans , who laboured onely after glory , began to labour after government ; these who thought onely to enlarge the state , b●hought themselves how to usurpt it , and being weary of obeying senators , they would command over slaves . 't is true that when their greatnesse was once confirmed , they changed their love of glory in the like of voluptuousness , they preserved their power , only to satisfie their pleasure , they gave over doing of gallant actions , because flattery gave the same praises to their crimes , as vain glory gave to the vertues of their ancestors ; and they troubled themselves no more with making new conquests , because the best part of the world obeyed them ; thus their vertue ceased to blossom , when vain glory ceased to inanimatein them , when they knew they could win reputation by their l debaucheries , they neglected the glorious labours , which had made their forefathers famous . this change mak●s it evident that the romans strove not after vertue for her own sake , and th●t they fell into the same fault as th●y do , who seek her for pleasures sake : for though honorbe more noble than pleasure ▪ and ambition seem to be more generous than intemperance , yet are they both equally prejudiciall to vertue , if wantonness so●ten the heart and abase it , ambition puffs it up , and makes it insolent , if voluptuousnesse be brutish , ambition is cruel , and if pleasure master the senses , ambition tyrannizeth over the minde , but the greatest disorder which she causeth is , that those who are possest by her , abandon vertue when she no longer promiseth them either glory or pleasure , for the ambitious contemn obscure vertues which delight in solitarinesse and silence ; the volupruous fear such vertues as are a●re , and which either swim in bloud , or bathe themselves in tears ; by a consequence as vexatious as necessary , they both of them adore vice when it is mixt with glory or with pleasure , they have not strength enough to defend themselves against a pleasing or glorious sin , they have not light enough to distinguish between good and bad : and they have so great a passion for honour and pleasure , as every thing which doth bear the badges thereof seems to them worthy to be sought after , yet this is so great a disorder as seneca m hath observed that those who do love vertue truly , ought to lose glory to preserve innocence , that like merchants who throw their riches over board to save their lives ; they should sacrifice their reputation to their conscience , and not be troubled to appear criminall , so as they be in effect vertuous . i must confesse that a vertue so clarified , comes very nigh true vertue , and that a little grace , would have made these philosophers great saints , yet the poyson which doth infect them , is so much the more dangerous , by how much it is the more concealed ; and the vanity which in-animates their vertue is so much the more difficult to cure , for that it is more subtill and more nice ; for though they make no accompt of honour , and that they seem to despise glory ; and that satisfied with the merit of vertue , they seek not after the reputation which doth accompany her , yet are they drunk with the esteem of themselves , and are their own idolaters . the lesse praises they receive , the more they think they deserve , and who could read their hearts , would find nothing there but proud & insolent thoughts ; they tye themselves up to reason , and despise divinity ; they think themselves wise , and better than gods : and not knowing that the angels were rebels , they become guilty of their faults , for as saint augustine says very well , all men who stop at the creature , and do not raise themselves up to the creator , are criminall . he trifles with those things which he ought to make use of , he makes that his onely end , which is but onely a means to arrive at it , and reversing all the laws of nature , he will find in himself the happinesse which is onely to be found in god. thus are these philosophers proud even when they contest against vain glory , they trample upon ordinary pride , by a more subtill pride ; they despise not riches , save onely that they adore vertue , they loosen themselves from the world onely that they may fasten themselves to their own persons , and they make war against their bodies , onely that they may make love unto their minds . they are not epicureans but stoicks , they neither love pleasure nor glory ; yet cease not to be slaves , to both of them : self-love is their voluptuousnesse , and the satisfaction which they receive from their vertue is their vain glory , they behold not one another without admirations and if they appear modest in their writings , their designs are full of pride doubtlesly , they are proud , since they take pleasure in themselves , and they are not aware that this complacency is a proof of their folly , since ( as saint augustine saith , ) every man is a fool who delighteth in himself , and he alone is wise who pleaseth god. to conclude this discourse by a reason of saint pauls , y of which saint augustine shall be the interpreter , the delight which we have in our selves is aswell a sin as the pleasure we take in others . this great apostle doth equally condemn these two disorders , he will not have us to delight in our advantages , the satisfaction which we take in our selves , is a science , or young shoot of self-love , and if we be forbidden to love our selves , we are not permitted to esteem our selves . saint peter , all whose words are oracles , places complacency amongst the number of sins , and condemning those who raise themselves above their deserts , he condemnes those also who take pleasure in their vertues , and saint augustine discovering the intention of these great apostles , teacheth us that there are two sorts of temptations ; the one exterior , which being easily discovered , are not hard to overcome ; the other interior , and which lying in the bosome of our souls , are as hard to cure as to know . of this sort is their temptation , who not requiring the praises which they deserve , or who rejecting such praises as are given them , cease not notwithstanding to be displeasing to god , because being filled with a vain glory , so much the more dangerous , as the more subtill , they delight in themselves , and do not raise themselves up to the summum bonum ; which is the fruitfull fountain-head of all true vertues . this is the fault whereof prophane philosophers were guilty , the vain glory which blindes the socratesses , & the catoes , & this is the nice temptations , which undid all the excellent wits of rome and athens . the rest which were so very fine , were contented with the peoples applause , and demanded no other recompence for their vertues , than triumphs and victories ; r and certeinly those could not complain of gods justice , since he hath changed their desires into effects , and proportioning their recompences to their actions , hath crowned their fallacious vertues with a vain honour ; since he hath paid their labours with so many conquests , and hath submitted so many people , to men that are ambitious of command and glory . the fourth discourse . that the vertue of infidels cannot be true. vertue is so beautifull as her very shaddow is delightfull ; vices have some sort of comelinesse when they borrow her accoutrements , and we cannot forbear praising such errours , as appear in her likely-hood , we approve of prodigality in princes , because it counterfeits liberality ; we admire boldnesse in souldiers because it hath an air of valour and courage : we adore ambition in conquerours , because it borders upon generosity . this errour would be excusable did it not advance further ; but there are some men who preferring appearances before truths ; value a glorious vice at a higher rate , than a neglected vertue . socrates his conference with his friends seems of a more lofty style to them than doth s. pauls last words , and this philosophers discoveries prevailes more with them , than the examples of our martyrs . hence it is that christians admire the vertues of infidels that not content to make their apologies , they make panegyricks in their behalf , and praise men on earth whom god punisheth in hell . saint austine not being able to endure this injustice , s which had its birth with the pelagian heresie , opposeth it in a thousand parts of his writings , and contradicting the reasons which it proffers in ' its defence ; makes christians confesse , that the greatest part of infidels vertues , are but glorious vices ; as i am of his opinion , i will march under his colours , and i will make use of his weapons to preserve the advantages of the graces of jesus christ , and to take away the vanity of corrupted nature . but to proceed by degrees we must presuppose with s. austine , that no action can be holy which proceeds not from faith , according to this holy fathers sense a man must be faithful if he will please god , and the soul which is not enlightened by the divine light , cannot acquire any christian vertues ; that which hath no regard to the summum bonum cannot be good in this sense ; and where supreme tatis cognitio is wanting , no divine vertue can be practised . either t grace or corrupted nature , are the originals of our actions ; whatsover proceeds from the former is sacred , whatsoever derives from the second is prophane : a good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit , nor can a bad one bring forth good . since humane nature hath lost her innocence , and her inclinations are corrupted ; unlesse she be amended by u grace , she remains always b●assed towards the earth ; she must be raised up by faith , if she will look up to heaven ; though she see ●er disorder , she cannot amend it , and though she be conscious of her evill , she cannot hate it , she wants both light and strength , her wisdome is full of errour ; her strength is mingled with weaknesse , if she have any cognizance of vertue , 't is in so confused a manner , as she cannot discern it from sin ; and if she do any good , 't is so faintly , as she cannot shun evill : let her turn on what side she please , she is always out of the way ; and till she be guided by x faith , she hardly steps a step without stumbling . if man in this unhappy condition , expose himselfe to the fire for truths sake : if he fight for his countrey , if he suffer ●or justice , he dyes a martyr to vain glory ; as he had no other end than glory , he can look for no other recompence ; and having had no other motive than his own interests , he cannot shun the punishment which his injustice deserves : when the y intentions are bad , the actions cannot be good ; and when man proposeth an unlawfull end unto himselfe , the means he useth to come thereby may be specious , but can never be innocent . to succour a mans countrey , when 't is in oppression , to assist ones parents or friends when they are in danger , to hazard life for the defence of liberty , and to lose liberty to preserve innocence , are z actions which cannot be blamed at the first looking upon , and which draw praises from all mens mouthes , when they onely consider them as they appear . but when a man shall penetrate into their intentions , and shall see that self-love is the motive therof , that honour is their end , and vain glory their originall , we are bound according to saint a austines doctrine to condemne them , and to say that vertue and vice differ not so much in their actions , as in their designes : the prodigall gives almes as well as he who is liberall , despair throwes us into danger as well as valour , pride defends ●her selfe better from unchastity , than doth continence her selfe , and as rare exploits are wrought by vain glory , as by vertue ; yet all men will confesse that these are bad actions , that their intention tarnisheth their beauty , and that their end makes them criminall . let catiline overcome voluptuousnesse , let him despise riches out of the love of honour , let him assist his friends couragiously , let him be as constant as cato , let him lead on his designs happily , let him order his troops as wisely as did scipio , and fight more valiantly than pompey : all these gallant actions will be sallied ▪ by his bad intentions , and you shall have reason enough to condemne him , when you shall know that he plots the losse of his countrey , and imployes all the advantages which nature hath bestowed upon him , to change the republique into a tyranny ; by the same reasons , we must conclude , b that whatsoever the infidels have done , deserves not the name of virtue , since the motive thereof was unjust , and the end unlawfull . let scipio undertake the defence of his countrey , because in duty he is bound to do so ; let him being egg'd on with glory , or touch'd by compassion , passe into affrica , let him be● ca● to deliver italy , and let him defeat h●ll to revenge the losse of cannas ; all these glorious considerations cannot excuse him , if vain glory , the peoples applause , or selfe-complacency have been his end therein . man is guilty as oft as he stops at the creature , he goes 〈◊〉 when he goes not to god ; and he makes an idoll of c goodnesse , or vertue , when he works onely through their motions . man is so noble , as he can have no finall end , but god , into whatsoever condition sin hath reduced him , he is always bound to look upon him , though it be not in his power to unite himselfe of himselfe to him , yet is he bound to aspire thereunto . his impotency doth not dispence with his duty , and though he knows not god , yet he is bound to love him . thus were the pagans guilty , when they sought after nothing , but glory and pleasure ▪ those amongst them were the more innocent , or the lesse guilty , upon consulting with reason , desired onely vertue ; and who despising honour , sought onely how to acquit themselves of their duty . this truth may seem a paradox , and there is none who will not condemne saint austine , of too much rigour , if he do not very well conceive mans greatnesse in the state of innocency , and the corruption of nature in the state of sin . to understand it well , we must know that our d disobedience hath not altered gods designe . his commands are of force after our rebellion , and though we have lost grace , we are not freed from our obligations : we ought to love god above all things . though we have lost originall righteousnesse ▪ we ought to shun sin , though we have not the liberty that adam had , we ought to aspire after heaven ▪ though the gates be shut upon us ▪ and we ought to have no other end upon earth , than what we had in paradise , though we have lost the means . e thus are infidels bound to despise glory and pleasure , that they may seek out the finall end ; and they faile of the● duties , as oft as they adore ver●ue , and neglect the divine essence . all the stoicks would be great s●ints if a man could lo●e vertue , and not an idolater ▪ elysea● fields must be made to receive them after their death , if integrity could 〈◊〉 make philosophers innocent ; all their actions would 〈◊〉 recompence , if the instructions of morality were infallible , and th● grace of jesus christ would be of no use , if reason could promise any felicity : such as zen● and s●crates would reign in paradise set a p●t , where vertue should be the● idoll ▪ where 〈◊〉 should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ▪ 〈◊〉 where without the grace of believers , or the glory of the 〈◊〉 ▪ they should live exempt from pain ▪ with a heap●d up 〈◊〉 contentment . the church acknowledgeth b● 〈◊〉 hell ; neithr doth she acknowledge more than one paradise ; and as in the former , none but true faults 〈◊〉 punished , so in the la● none but reall vertues are recompens●d f who hath not had grate f● his originall , shall not have glory for his dese● ▪ and who hath not had god for his end , shall not have him for his happinesse . all these actions which we so unjustly value , had no other rise but self-love : the stoicks and epic●raans agreed in this point , and though the one considered vertue , the other pleasur● , they both loved man , and by severall ways endeavoured the same end . for ( as g saith s. austine ) the epicuraans were ingaged in the body , and believing there was no other happinesse , than what consisted in the sense , the pleasures of the soul seemed illusions to them ; they thought all that was not sensible , imaginary , & knowing no other life than the present , they expected no other happines . the stoicks were more haughty , and estranging themselves from their body , that they might ement themselves the more strongly to their souls , they despised pleasure , that they might value vertue ; their chains were not the weaker for being the more finely wrought , their irons were not the lesse for being gilded , and their servitude was not the sweeter , for being somewhat the more glorious . the one lived according to the flesh , the other according to the soul , but neither the one nor the other lived according to jesus christ. the epicuraeans confined themselves within their body , the stoicks within their soul , but neither did the one nor the other of them , forgoe themselves to fasten to the summum bonum . then to be vertuous , it is not sufficient to love morall vertue ; she cannot be mans finall end sin● is onely created for god ; nor can she be a means to acquire it , 〈◊〉 h 〈◊〉 love is her originall . to ●et her forth to the life , we must say , that in this sence she is a disguised sin , which fights against apparent mischiefs by hidden ones ; which hurts us to heal us , and which never closeth up slight wounds , without making deeper and more dangerous ones . this ought not to seem strange , to those who will consider that there be women who are chast , because they will be unchast , who grant nothing to their husbands , that they may give all to their adulterers . thus did the infidels in their combats ; they opposed one sin to another , they surpast incontinancy by vain glory , and freed themselves from injustice by ambition ▪ those past for the best whose faults were most usefull to the state , men judged of vertues by their effects , as they oft-times do of counsels by their events ; and not considering their original or their motives , they were thought vertuous who were honourable in the common-wealth . they praised fabrici● his poverty ▪ because it was a means why luxury did not corrupt the most illustrious families of rome , they valued scipioes continencie , because there by the insolencie of the souldiers was supprest , and they excused catoes severity , because it preserved the senates freedom ; but all these false vertues were true faults : the very best of them was worth nothing , the beautifullest of them had their defaults , i and oft-times those which we praise most , deserve most blame . it is not impossible ; but that camillus his ambition was more violent than that of cateline ; it may be pompey was not more innocent than caesar : who can tell but that he might have prevened his father in laws fault , had he thought he might have gained as much honour , by the oppression of the repulique , as by her defence ? it may be scipio was no lesse vain than was marius ; and if he used it more modestly , 't was onely for that he fashioned to himself a more noble idea of glory . in fine they were all faulty ; and as s. austine says ; catiline was more wicked than fabricius , but both of them were to blame ; both of them shall be punished in hell , but fabricius not so much as catiline , not for that he was better , but for that he was lesse ●cked , not for that he was more solidly vertuous , but for that he came somewhat neerer true vertue . from all this discourse we must infer that s. austine doth not acknowledge any morall vertues , which are not christian ; that wisdom and fortitude , are but weaknesse and blindnesse if they be not founded upon faith ; that he who is not upon good terms with himself , cannot be upon good terms with his neighbours ; that the wife who is faithlesse to god , l cannot be faithfull to her husband ; and that the body cannot be chast , when the soul is the devils strumpet . let us conclude this discourse with those gallant words of s. ierome ; which will be the lesse subject to suspition , for that he seems to reverence the vertues of the pagans , and that he is pleased to write their panegyricke , to encourage the faithfull by their example . m the just man lives by faith , saith the holy scripture , and we say , that the chaste and courageous man lives by faith. let us apply these words to all the vertues , let us make weapons there-out to beat the mis-beleevers & hereticks withall , to the end that they may learn , that there is no living well out of jesus christ , without whom innocency is guilty , and vertue vitious . after this testimony , we may long dispute the truth of this doctrine ; and what is establisht by the authority of two of the wisest fathers of the church , may be believed without errour , taught without scandall , and defended without any scruple . the fift discourse . that wisdom without grace is blinde , weak , and malignant . if the pagans did beleeve that the vertues were dieties we must not wonder if they yeelded the same honour to wisdom , since according to the judgement of philosophers she is their sovereign . n t is she which doth indeed conduct them in their employments , redresse them in their errours ; and assists them at their needs : she wakes for the safety of the state , and whereas other vertues have but particular uses , this hath generall occupations which concern the common good . when she goes to the composition of an upright man , she is called morality , when to the making of a father to a family , o economie , and when she makes a state minister , or a prince ; she assumes a more lofty name , and is called policy ; but she is the soul of all those sciences , which have no other light than what she affords them , and which differ within themselves onely by the diversity of their objects , she is as necessary in war as in peace ; and the generalls of armies are more to be commended for their wisedom , o than for their valour . in fine , she is the chain which links all vertues together , which do disband as soon as she gives over guiding them . for fortitude without wisdome is but meer rashnesse ; justice which is not accompanied with discretion , doth easily degenerate into severity , even temporance it self , when it gives over being guided by her , becomes either too remiss , or too rigorous . so as a man must be wise to be vertuous , and the shortest way to come by all vertues is to get wisedome , amongst many employments which are given her , the p chiefest are to consult , and to deliberate , to judge , and resolve ; to conduct and to execute . when she hath done her utmost diligence , she leaves the successe to fortune , and confesseth by this her submission , that she holds of a sovereign power which disposeth absolutely of all worldly affairs . amongst so many advantages which so eminent a vertue doth enjoy , it is not hard to observe her defaults : and to make politicians who do adore her , confesse , that since originall sin she is become blind , weak and malignant . light seems to fall to q wisdomes share , and that leaving stability to justice , rigour to fortitude , and mildnesse to temperance ; she reserves perspicuity to her selfe , to dissipate those darknesses which do obscure worldly things : yet is she unfortunate in this very point , and of all sciences which meddle with prediction , she is the most uncertain in her conjectures . astrologie , which seems to be wholly composed of doubts and errours , boasts her selfe of having constant principles , and to extract the good fortune , or bad fortune of men from the conjunction of planets , and from the aspect of those constellations which govern at their birth ; physick , which ought not to be more certain than it's objects , hath prognosticks , which do not often deceive it , and the symptomes which happen to sick folks , do presage their lives , or deaths . navigation hath infallible rules , and though it depend upon the element , which is no lesse inconstant than furious , yet doth it foresee tempests , knows the ebbing and flowing of the sea , and dexterously makes use of the winds impetuosity . r but wisdome hath but feeble conjectures , which she drawes from what is past , to governe what is present , and to foresee what is to come . she boasts that time makes her know men , but what can she observe in so false a glasse , and what knowledge can she draw from a thing which is so unknown unto her ? for though memory be faithfull to her , and that she furnish her at her need with all the miracles of past ages ; though history enrich her with all her treasure , and present her with a thousand examples , which may informe her of the truth ; though the senses discover unto her things present , and that these faithfull officers make 〈◊〉 but faithfull reports unto her , yet cannot she by all their assistances penetrate into the secrets that are to come . futurity is a time wich suffers not it selfe to be approached ; two of it's moments makes us loose our knowledge ; and the wisest s politician , unlesse he be a prophet , cannot foresee the mis-fortunes which futurity threatens him : that which he hath prepared for his defence , serves most commonly for his undoing ; and that which he looked upon as the ground-work of his fortune , becomes the cause of his mis-fortune : oft-times the fairest appearances produce the worst effects ; somtimes he is blest by a mis-fortune , and the wave which should have swallowed his vessell up , doth oft-times happily throw him upon the shore . therefore hath the wisest of all philosophers acknowledged that counsell t whereof , the best part of wisdom is composed , depends more upon fortune than reason , and that it was rather to be ranked amongst divine things , than humane . the body and the soule are as differing in their constitution , as in their conduct : for the body hath eyes in the face to conduct it , it sees whatsoever is before it , and none behinde it's sight , extends it selfe to such objects as seek it , and not to such as shun it ; but the soule contrariwise , seeth things that are behinde her , and seeth not things that are before her , her eyes are on her back , not in her face ; she remembers what is past , and knows not what 's to come ; wisdome endeavours to fortifie her sight , but she is not so happy as is astrology , which hath found out prospective glasses to consider the stars : for after having made use of her conjectures , u she is forced to confesse , that she foretels things to come , onely by consideration of what is past , and that she is deceived as oft as she undertakes to judge of what 's to come . prophets are onely permitted to consider this part of time : one must be admitted into gods cabinet to comprehend mysteries before they happen . the devils themselves for all their subtill understanding cannot divine , their predictions are as doubtfull , as obscure ; they speak in hidden termes to excuse their ignorance ; and the oracles of these proud spirits are always conceived in confused words , to the end that their adorers may not discover their falshood . man ( who is not much lesse proud than the devill ) perswades himselfe that assisted by wisdome , he may know secrets to come , and that experience which is the mother of this vertue , may furnish him with conjectures , the x evidence and certainty whereof , are equally infallible : but who knows not that experience depends on yeares ? that a man must be conversant in affaires to come by it , and that the proverb of ars longa vita brevis , ought rather to be affirmed of the politician , than physician . if wisdome be voide of light , she is not much better provided of power ; and if she be-blinde a man without injuring her , may say she is yet more weak ; for she oft-times sees mischiefes which she cannot hinder . it would make for our ease , that she were either lesse knowing , or more y powerfull ; her light serves for the most part but to anticipate our miseries , and to make us miserable before our time . thus is our condition worse than that of beasts , for they shun an evill when they see it near at hand ; and remember it no longer when it is once over ; but we aflict our selves both with what is past , and with what is to come , we seem to be prejudiced by our advantages , and that we are onely unhappy in having too good a memory , and in being too wise , the one calls back the evil when it is past , and the other goes to finde it out before it approach . what need is there in hastening our dislikes , in advancing those evils which come always too soon , to what end do we loose the present time for fear of the future ? what good doth it us to be now miserable because we must be so hereafter ? this is notwithstanding the most usual effect of wisdom , for as she hath more light then power she foresees our disasters , and not being able to hinder them , advanceth our punishment . to understand this , we must know that wisdom and power are but one and the same thing in god , that which deliberates , is that w th resolves , and that which undertakes , is that which puts in execution . if from divine perfections we passe to the divine persons we shall finde that the son , who is the wisdom of his father , is likewise his power , that he who is his thought , is also his strength ; he doth forecast designes , and finisheth them , he forms enterprizes , & executes them , he is that pallace proceeding from iupiters brain , which past for the goddess both of sciences and arms , & which was no lesse recommendable for her valour , then for her wisdom : hence it is that he is called by severall names in the holy scripture , and that he is sometime called the a word sometimes the arm of his father . but in man these qualities are divided , he who is wise is not always strong , and when he hath wisely resolved , he must borrow aide from some other vertue , to execute his resolution with courage . wisdom is timerous , because cold ; valour bold , because hot , and as their qualities require severall tempers , they do not oft times meet in one and the same person : but say nature should work a miracle by agreeing them , and that a man should have as much courage as conduct , his power would never equall his b wisdom , and after having given wise counsell , he would not be answerable for the event ; there is a sovereigne providence which hath reserved unto it self the disposall of all things , and which takes delight in giving bad successe , to the best resolutions , to teach us that our happiness , and unhappinesse is in the hands thereof . politicians are surprized in their cunning : that which happens well unto them in one affair , falls out clean otherwise , when heaven forsakes them . this made the pagans say that fortune laughs at wisdom , and that to confound our presumption , she had so ordered affairs , as that happinesse and wisdom did not always keep company : she makes fools happy when she cannot make them wise , and not being able to make wise men fools , she makes them unfortunate , c whence it is that politicians doubt whether good fortune or wisdom be the more requisite ingredient to the composure of a puissant prince . wisdom is more honourable , but good fortune is more certein , wisdom furnisheth advice , but good fortune gives the event : wisdom comes from earth , but good fortune from heaven : therefore sylla , who understood this secret very well , chose rather the name of fortunate than of great , or wise , and was of an opinion that an empire favoured by fortune , was better established , than one governed by wisdom . this confession makes all polititians despair , after having built altars to their idol , d they must erect temples to providence ; and acknowledge that it is she , which gives scepters to shepheards , which overthrows the thrones of the wise , which inspires the timerous with courage , and infuseth fear into the heart of the most hardy ; which snatcheth lawrell from out the hands of the victorious to crown the conquered therewithall . to atribute good successe to humane wisdom is to offend divine providence , in all our enterprizes we must leave much to her guidance , and in executions we must give all to her glory , she is jealous of this acknowledgement , and who fails to give her this honour , never failes to be unfortunate . 't is said that a certein grecian named timothy , recounted to the athenians , the victories which he had gotten over their enemies , vaunted that his victories were wrought by his wisdom , and not by fortune , that they owed their obligation to his good guidance , and not to his good luck . though those insolent speeches were onely uttered against an idol which could not resent them , divine providence forbore not to revenge her self upon this generall , not suffering him to have any good successe , in any thing that he undertook afterwards ; to let him know that his former good successes were not so much the effects of wisdom as of fortune . though these two qualities which accompany wisdom , are sufficient enough to tarnish her glory , the third is much more injurious to her , for ignorance and weaknesse bear their excuses with them , and there are glorious vertues which have not much more power , nor much more light , but guile is odious , and vertue turns to sin , when it becomes deceitfull ; yet this is a quality which seldom forsakes humane wisdom , all her cunning is criminall and being often interessed , she is almost always g f unjust couznage is so naturall to her , as that all her counsels are there withall infected she approves of cheating when we may reap profit thereby ; and because by the laws of war we are permitted to overcome our enemies , either by stratagem , or by force , she thinks she may deal so with all men . she disperseth her guile into all worldly commerce , be it either that particular men end their difference by processe at law , be it that marchants traffick with strangers , be it that princes treate by their ambassadours , wisdom fenceth her self onely by cunning , and in all her imployments , he who knows best how to coozen , is the ablest man. thus is cheating mixt with wisdom ; and those who are not guided by charity , cannot be wise unlesse they be deceivers . though pagan vertues be oft disguised vices , which under a counterfeit beauty hide reall uglines , yet there is not any which hath a neerer allyance to vice than wisdom hath . exempt vain glory from temperance in the unbeleevers , and temperance shall be without blemish ; and separate force from ambition , and ambition shall be praise worthy ; but wisdom is inter-mingled withall sins ; interest is her motive , injustice her originall , deceit her interpreter , and dissimulation her counsellour : she hazards innocency , to e●vade infamy , she violates nature to preserve a peece of earth , and to settle her own state she overturns that of strangers . all her right consists in might , under any colour of pretence , which her cunning may pretend unto , she takes up arms to defend it , and thinks , that all war is just whereby she may be aggrandised , all her maximes are blasphemies , which give against religion , or society ; she frames gods , and laws after her own mode or fashion : she esteems whatsoever withstands her interest to be weaknes of spirit , and is firm of opinion , that the heavens g must do miracles to make her tractable . in fine , in the state of corrupted nature , it is hard to be wise , and not a cheater . t is therefore that the son of god , when he instructeth his disciples , never adviseth them to be wise as serpents , without obliging them to be innocent as doves ; because innocencie without wisdom would turn to folly , and wisdom without innocencie , convert to guile . tertullian descanting upon this passage , says , that were it in his choise he would prefer the innocencie of the dove before the wisdom of the serpent , and that if he could not shun the two evils , which accompany these two vertues , he would rather fall into that of folly , than that of guile ; indeed the scripture gives the preeminency to innocency , as by this comparison ; for the dove is much more pleasing than is the serpent , she is the emblem of innocency and love , she expresseth her selfe by sighes , she was chosen by god , in the beginning of the world for the messenger of peace , and to advertise man of the deluges decrease ; in the fulnesse of time , she had the honour to denote jesus christ , and to instruct the chiefest of all prophets ; the holy i ghost hath made it his mysticall image , and when he would become visible , he took upon him the forme of a dove , but the serpent creeps upon the earth , hides himself in the grasse , wraps himself in his own folds , and never discovers but one part of himselfe ; he served for an interpreter to the evill spirit , to expresse himselfe by , and for an officer to seduce man ; this was the first visible shape the devill put on , and we never see this animal , but we are touched with some secret horrour , which teacheth us that the devill is odious , and wisdome dangerous . this is also the vertue of self-love , which endeavours to restore man to what he hath lost , which withstands gods purposes , which gives against the lawes of his providence and justice , and which under a pretence of freeing us from those miseries which afflict us , endevours to make in each of us a proud tyrant of a rebellious slave . the sixth discourse . that there is no true temperance , nor iustice amongst the pagans . it is not without reason , that i joyn these two vertues in the same discourse , and that i make one onely panegyrick for temperance , and for justice ; for though all the vertues are allyed , and that proceeding from the same father , they resemble one another , yet these two have so great a relation one to another , as they may be termed both by one name ; justice may be termed a publique temperance , and temperance a particular justice ; for temperance doth the same thing in men , which justice doth in states ; and these two vertues have no other care than to entertain peace in war , and equality in the difference of conditions . justice rules monarches , stifles divisions in their births , makes princes gracious , and subjects obedient , she gives unto every one what belongs unto him , she weighs mens reasons , and considers not their qualities , she condemnes kings if they be faulty , absolves slaves if they be innocent ; she is not to be frightned with threats , nor bribed by promises . if she commit any fault , 't is surprisall , and her intentions are so upright , as if she doth any ill , 't is under the appearance of god ; when she forsakes k kingdoms , they turn to tyrannies , when tyrants follow her advice , they become lawfull kings , and when she once enters a kingdom , she always brings plenty and prosperity with her : politicians do also mingle all vertues with her , and judge that to be perfect , sufficeth to be just . the roman common-wealth had not increased , nor preserved her selfe , had it not been for this vertue , she confesseth she doth not so much owe her conqests to the valour of his souldiers , as to the justice of her commanders ; and that if she had gained victories by combating , they had wonne provinces by their decrees . this is so undoubted a truth , as cicero in those admirable composures of his , touching a commonwealth , acknowledgeth that a l state cannot subsist without the help of this vertue , that it changeth name , so soon as it loseth justice , and that it ceaseth to be profitable to it's subjects , when it ceaseth to be just to it's allyes . a kingdom without lawes is a meer tyranny ; and aristocracy without order , is but a faction of the most eminent men , and democracy without policy , is but a confused popularity , which cannot keep from falling into the hands of a tyrant . but though the romans be so passionate for justice , and that they have been obliged by their self-interest to reverence her , yet were not they more just than other men , and their republique hath been more enlarged by their injustice , then by their valour ; she was borne with the sword in her hand , and never fore-went this warlike humour , which doth not much agree with the sweetnesse of lawes , her first attempt was the ravishing of the m sabine , and she sufficiently witnessed her conquests were tyrannicall , since her marriages were unjust ; uder pretence of assisting her allyes , she oft-times opprest her neigbours ; she took orphan princes into her protection , to bereave them of their kingdoms , and being more carefull of preserving her reputation than her conscience ; she onely sought for pretexts to invade her enemies territories , when she had conquered all italy , she studied how to conquer the whole world , and that she might at the same time trouble all the parts thereof , she sent armies into africa , europe , and asia ; her pride was not lessened by het greatness , her increasing served onely to augment her ambition : and had she not turned her weapon upon her selfe , to undoe her selfe , the world would as yet have groaned under her tyranny . 't is true , she did some actions which wonne her credit , she would not vanquish by poison , when she thought she might do it by the sword ; she advertised pyrrhus of his physicians perfidiousnesse , and rendred to ▪ fallisci that treacherous pedant which had betrayed his disciples to her ; but in both these exploits , either n glory or interest was the rule of her justice ; she gloried in overcoming an enemy by courtesie , whom she could not overcome by valour ; and won the hearts of parents by sending their children back unto them . she treated kings , and the people a like favourably ; for she either presupposed some wrong done , that she might have some subject to declare war against them ; or she offered them her alliance , to engage them in servitude , or took them from their allyes , that she might weaken them ; or raised some revolts in their states , to ruine them . o there have been generous nations , who have preferred death before her tyranny , and who have chosen rather to make tryall of her cruelty , than of her servitude . numantium & carthage could never endure her insolence : the one burnt her houses to preserve her inhabitants ; the other broke her treaty of peace to regain her liberty , either by war or death . g●ule had never submitted to her laws , had she not hoped to revenge herself on the romans under caesars conduct , and germany had never submitted her neck to the yoke , if rome had imployed nothing but her force & valour against it . in fine , this proud republique , which hath wearied so many poets , made so many historians sweat , and stained the glory of all those nations , whose estates she usurped ; wonne more by treaties , than by combates ; and hath borne away more victories by wiles , than by valour . she thought those battells most honourable , which cost least bloud ; and gave him the greatest triumphes , who could vanquish without fighting . 't is true , her laws were just , but so ill observed ; as new ones must be made to maintain the old ones , till the number thereof grew so great , as she found by experience , that a state is never sicker than when it needs so many remedies . wherefore st. astine considering all the cheats which rome had o used to raise her greatnesse , confesseth o that a common-wealth cannot be just , unlesse it be christian ; that her laws cannot be holy , if jesus christ be not the author of them ; and that her people cannot be happy , unlesse they be enlightned by faith , and cherished by charity . the romans temperance was no truer than their justice , and if the state were faulty in her policy , hi● subjects were as much to blame in their guidance . for temperance formeth men by her mildnesse , governs such passions as promise us pleasure ; withstands delightfull enemies , stops their fury in it's birth , dis-abuseth the understanding which they endeavour to surprize ; and as a wise sovereign makes use either of punishment , or reward to reduce them to their duties ; she maintains the authority of reason by her counsels , and he who guides himself by her motions , doth nothing of unworthy . p she never thinks that profitable , which is not honest , and the pleasure which delights the senses , never pleaseth if it be unjust . this vertuebreeds peace in our soules , calmes the stormes of hope and desire ; and doth so well govern them , as these giddy-headed passions , never take wing , but by her orders . for the temperate man can q look on beauty , without coveting i● ; he possesseth riches , yet loveth them not ; he tasts pleasure , not surfetting thereon ; and deals so uprightly with his body , as it is neither his slave , nor yet his tyrant . this vertue being solovely , steals away the hearts of her enemies , and makes her self be admired even by those that persecute her : the lascivious praise her , whil'st they make war against her , they wish that such women as they have corrupted , were chast , and that such as commit adultery with them , would be true unto them . we must not therefore wonder if the romans were ravished with her beauty , that they have praised her ; and that there hath been some commanders , who amidst the licenciousness of war , have supprest their passions , that they might purchase the glorious title of q temperate ; they thought that to overcome pain , they must overcome pleasure ; that before they fight for their country , they must fight for reason ; & that it was not to be hoped for that he who could not resist a womans beauty , could defend himself against a souldiers valour . they perswaded themselves that temperance was the first step to fortitude , and that one judged of the victory which a commander might get over his enemy ; by what he had won over his sensuality . thus great men did study this vertue early ; s she was their first apprentisage , and when the bloud which boiles in the veines , kindled in them unclean desires , they quenched the fire thereof by the help of temperance . one of the scipioes won more glory by vanquishing his love than by quelling the pride of carthage ; he purchased more credit in spain by his continency , then by his valour : and the quitting of a famous beauty , and free gift of her to her sweet-heart got him a whole province , he won many battels , by defending himself from a maide . and his enemies were perswaded that their souldiers could not overcome him , whom their yeomen could not corrupt ; this combat is heightened above his victories , his valour is never spoken of , without mention made of his t continencie , and as oft as men talk of the taking of carthage , they adde thereunto the restitution of this princesse . all the circumstances of this action are so remarkable , as they are not to be omitted without injury to this gallant man. he commanded a victorious army , to which the laws of war made all things lawfull , which were not by them forbidden : he had tane a town by assault , the resistance whereof had stirr'd up his anger ; 't was thought that to astonish all spain , he would have made it a cruell example , and that the bloud of the inhabitants should have been that wherewith he would have quenched the flames which devoured their houses ; that he would have made victimes of all the prisoners , and that if the womens lives were preserved , it should onely be to bereave them of their honours . in this belief they present him with a glorious beauty , whose misfortune it was to be immured within that fatall town : she was unfortunate enough to move pitty , but too fair , not to provoke love . the souldiers were perswaded that their general would suffer himself to be vanquished in his victory , and that he would become his captives captive ; they expected to have seen him once overcome , whom they had alwaies seen victorious . though they had his continencie in great esteem , they did think it was not proof good enough against so exquisite a beauty ; and they could not imagine that a man who was yet in the prime of his youth , should have power to withstand the allurements of so fair a maide , who had nothing but her tears to defend her self withall . the truth is , his eyes thought to have betrayed his heart , and u he found how difficult a thing it is to behold a rare beauty , and not love it ; his passion would have perswaded him , that without injuring his greatness he might become his captives captive ; he had examples enough to excuse his fault , flattery would have authorized it , and if he would have listned to his domesticks , he had neer triumphed over his love . amidst this his trouble , he endeavoured to comfort her who caused his pain , and would give security to her , who intrench upon his liberty . he understood by her , that though her fortune had made her a prisoner , she was by birth a princesse ; that her parents had promised her to a young prince , and that her fate had cast her into the hands of her enemies ; the knowledge of these particulars , and that his prisoner was of so high a rank ; was enough to make scipio resolve to give her her . liberty : he made her father and her husband be sought for , who came upon his word into carthage ; every one looked for an event answerable to the passion which gave it life : some think he will demand her in marriage , others , that he will inquire into her birth , and see whether without offending the glory of the scipioes he may take his prisoner to be his wife , some fear least he will begin his marriage by murther , and secure his sute by his rivalls death : few believe that he will betray his love , and by one and the same act of justice , restore a daughter to her father , u and a mistris to her servant : this mean while , when he knew : that this princesse was no lesse nobly born then beautifull , that her father was governour of a province , and that her servant did command an army , he presently delivered her into their hands , and would no longer suffer his eyes to behold a beauty , which might invite him to do an unjust act ; and to crown this noble action , x he gave her the money which was brought him for her ransom ; as part of her portion , to the end that all spain might know that scipio knew aswell how to triumph over avarice as over love. i foresee i cannot condemn this action without under-going the jealousie of such as favour the party of the infidels , that i shall draw either publique envie or publique hatred upon me , if i shall question whether so glorious a victory deserve the name of vertue or no , and that men will think my love to saint austine hath made me forgoe the love of truth ; yet according to his principles we must confesse , that this vertue is a sin , that not deriving from charity , y it proceeded from self love ; that scipio did but ●ence himself from one by an other , and that his keeping himself from incontinencie proceeded from vain glory . infidels are slaves to the devil , their will is in his hands , and as long as this cruell tyrant doth possesse them , he permits them not to do any one good action , out of a good motive , he may suffer them to resist the violence of love , or the fury of avarice ; but he corrupts their intentions , and never with draws them from one evil , but he ingageth them in another , they shun an ill step , to fall into a precipice , and their will is so subject unto his , as after long deliberation , they alwaies put on the worst resolution . this unjust sovereign fits himself to their inclinations that he may undo them , he adviseth them onely to such things as he knows doth please them , and when he gives any counsel , he alwaies considers their honour or desire , he is content that they may practise one vertue , so as they mix a vice with it , he cares not though they overcome love , so as they give way to vain glory , & as learned tertullian saith , z he cares not much whether he dam men by debauchery or by incontinencie ; thus i doubt not but that 't was ambition which kept scipio chast , that it was the sweetnesse of glory which charmed the like of pleasure , and that in so difficult an action 't was reputation which he proposed unto himself for recompence . all conquerours were of his humour , they left the pillage of the enemy to their souldiers , they parted the provinces which they won amongst their domesticks , they made their slaves sovereigns , and of all the advantages which they got by their victories they only reserved glory to themselves . this man feared to lose his reputation by losing his liberty , he was ashamed to suffer himself to be taken by his captive , and he would leave no shamefull marks of his defeats , where he had left such glorious proofs of his victories . vain glory was the soul of his vertue , his pride increased whilest his incontinencie decreased , and scipio was a slave to ambition , whilest he commanded over uncleannesse . that which hath been said of the continencie of this generall of an army ; may be affirmed of lucretia's chastity with this of difference , that hers , being accompanyed with murder , can admit of no excuse , nor ought in any wise to be praised . for though her death seem to be generous , and that the romans who look upon her as the beginning of their liberty , would have it to passe for the noblest sacrifice which was ever offered up to chastitie ; yet did it deserve punishment in a state well policed . and they might have revenged themselves of living a lucretia , upon the body of lucretia being dead . they would disguise the crime , and make it seem a vertue ; not considering the unjustnesse thereof , they looked onely upon the publique interest , and since this murther had driven the tarquins from rome , they had ground enough to make thereon a panegyricke ; they therefore place lucretia in the head , or first file of all chaste women , they blame fortune ; for having immurde so stout a soul in so weak a body , they excuse the sin by the effects thereof , and cannot blame a murder which was the rise of the roman common-wealth . they justifie her chastity by her death , they excuse her death by her chastity , and maintain that as she preserved her chastity in a forced adultery , she did not violate justice in a voluntary self-murther . but truely i finde that saint austine hath so justly blamed her as that she is not justly to be defended ; and that he hath made a dilemma , to which the sub●llest philosophers cannot answer . whence it is ( saith he ) b that he who hath committed the sin , is not as severely punished , as she that suffered it , or on whom it was committed ? the one did lose his country , the other lost her life . if you exempt her from the unchastnesse because she was violated , how will you exempt her from injustice , since she was the death of an innocent ? c your roman laws , papp●al to you , which will not have the guilty to be condemned unheard , what would you say if the crime were in a mooted case put to you , and what sentence would you give , if it were made evident unto you that she that suffered death was not guilty , but innocent ? would you not severely punish such a piece of injustice ? yet this is lucretias case ; cruell lucretia , hath kill'd chast lucretia , whom tarquin had violated but not corrupted . give judgement according to evidence ; and if you think you cannot punish her because she is dead ; praise her not because she was a murderess . for if to excuse her murther , you wrong her chastity , and if you think she kill her self to expiate the pleasure she conceived in thàt sin , 't is not d tarquin that is onely guilty , lucretia was as faulty as he : take-heed what judgement you give upon this occasion ; these faults are so linkt together , as they are not to be parted ; by taking from the adultery , you adde to the murther , and by excusing the murther , you aggravate the adultery : you can finde no out-let from this labyrinth ; and you know not how to answer to this dilemma which i propose unto you . e if she were unchast why do you praise her ? and if she were chast , why did she kill her self ? if you would rather acquit her of adultery , than of murther , confesse at least that it was not so much the love of chastity ; as the apprehension of dishonour which made her take up a dagger : this roman lady , and consequently haughty , was more carefull of preserving her glory , than her innocencie , she feared least she might be thought guilty of some fault , if she should out-live the out-rage that was done her ; and thought she might be judged to be confederate with tarquin , should she not take vengeance on her self : christian women , who have had the like misfortune , f have not imitated her despaire , they have not punisht the faults of others in themselves ; nor committed homicide , to revenge a rape : the witnesse of their conscience , was the glory of their chastity ; and it sufficed them that god who is the searcher of hearts , knew their intentions ; and shutting up all their vertue in their obedience , they went not about to violate gods laws , to save themselves from the calumnie of men . thus are all the vertues of the pagans nothing but pride ; their justice ; be it either slack , or severe , is interessed : their continency is vain glorious , and their courage , hath in it more of despaire then of fortitude . the seventh discourse . that the fortitude of pagans , is but weaknesse , or vanity . though all vertues be delightfull , and that they have sufficent charmes to make them appear amiable even to their enemies , g we must confesse that fortitude bears most of lustre with it , and that severity which doth accompany it , doth not detract any thing from it's beauty . justice is reverenced even by her persecutours ; tyrants are affraid of her shadow , and after having bootlesly imployed violence for their defence , they have been fain to have recourse to justice for their preservation : wisdome is adored by all politicians , a man must have lost his wits not to value her , if she be not esteemed by fools , she is admired by wisemen ; all sorts of people confesse that she is as necessary for the government of private houses , as of states . all parts of morality take her for their guide ; and without the assistance of this vertue , they can neither make an honest man , a states-man , nor a father of a family . temperance is beloved by all men , her enemies respect her , in those that love her , they confesse that pleasures can neither be innocent , nor yet delightfull , when she is absent ; and that pleasure without temperance is the punishment of the unchast . but certainly all the vertues hide their heads , when fortitude displayes it's beauties . these stars are eclipsed , when the other sun appears ; and people cease from looking upon justice in princes , prudence in politicians , and temperance in philosophers , when they consider the courage of the unfortunately innocent . though this illustrious vertue be sincere , and that the pain wherewith she is assailed make her unquiet , yet hath she allurements which win her more admirers than the other have lovers : there are but few that look after her , but all admire her , and that because persecution must precede courage , every one is content to reverence a vertue , which must cost so dear to come by ; she in-nobles such as possesse her , she comforts the condition of slaves , heightens the majesty of soveraignes , augments the beauty of women , and of all the ornaments which adorne either the minde , or the body , there is none more majesticall than fortitude ; if we will believe philosophers , there is nothing on earth more worthy of gods looking on , h than a man who withstands sorrow and misfortune ; he despiseth all that glory which dazels us ; the pride of our houses is the mark at which his thunder-bolts are aimed ; the magnificence of our palaces , are but the spoiles of quarries , or of forrests ; those pyramides which adde to the wonders of the world , are but heaps of stones , torne from out the bowels of the earth ; these armies which make whole provinces to groan , either by reason of their numbers , or their disorders , these great bodies which pour forth bloud from out al their veines to re-fill those rivers , which they have drained , are but swarmes of bees , which decide their differences by fighting : and god looks upon the glory of kings , as wise men do upon a stage-play ; but he delights to look upon a noble minded man , who grapples with sorrow , who sees his riches borne away without any agitation of spirit , and who in losse of honour , life , or liberty , preserves his courage . if the earth produce nothing which may make god stay to look upon it , and if generous actions merit not that god should busie himselfe about them , yet must we confesse that they are approved of by all people ; and that men do more admire a philosopher who suffers death patiently , than a monarch who governs his state with justice . he through his constancy triumphs over whatsoever the world hath of most furious ; since he overcomes pain , he may well vanquish pleasure ; since he despiseth death , he may laugh at fortune ; and since , he fears not the threats of kings , he may well enough sence himselfe against their promises : he tramples under foot all those pleasures which we seek after , and all the pains and sorrows which we apprehend : the greatnesse of the danger incourageth him to battell , i the more difficulty he foresees , the more glory he hopes for ; he values not that much , which cost him but little ; he tries himselfe when fortune spares him , and to keep himselfe in breath , he makes enemies , when he meeteth with none . past ages have produced men , who have not changed countenance amidst tortures ; their executioners could not wrest moans from out their monthes , nor make them confesse so much as by a sigh the pains which they indured ; there have been some , who to triumph over tyrants , have laughed amidst their punishments : such hath been their constancy , as that joy did not abandon them even in that condition : their courage seemed to make them insensible ; and that by being accustomed to torments , they were grown familiar to them . thus did scevola defie tarquin the proud , his whole hand mist him , and his burning hand struck him with astonishment : hee escaped the princes anger by preventing it , he pierc't his heart , whose body he could not hurt ; and tarquin judging of the fortitude of all romans , by that of scevola , he feared to have those men for his enemies , who feared not the fire . but not to adde to this discourse by examples , it may suffice to listen unto the reason of philosophers , and to acknowledge with them , what advantages fortitude hath over all other vertues . man began to be unhappy , when once he became criminall , his subjects became his enemies , the elements declared war against him , and those elements which went to his composure , divided themselves , that they might alter his temper , and shorten his life : pain and pleasure agreed together for his undoing , life and death were reconciled to make him suffer . morall philosophy , found out vertues to succour him , and every one of these faithfull allies undertook to defeat an enemy : wisdome undertook to prevent far distant mischiefes , and by her addresse to avoid them : justice looks upon her to end al the differences which self-love ; and interest should breed amongst men . temperance charged her selfe with ruling voluptuousnesse , and with hindring such pleasing enemies from seducing reason : and k fortitude , as most couragious of all the rest , undertook to fight against pain , and to overcome death . this cruell enemy to man-kind defying the power thereof , took a hundred shapes upon him , to astonish the others constancy , he called in tortures , and sicknesse to his aid , he invented gallowses , and wheeles , he extended racks , incensed lions , and bears , armed the elements to satisfie his cruelty , and made torments , and punishments , of whatsoever nature had produced for our use . all these vertues were siezed on by astonishment : when they saw so many monsters conspire mans ruine , wisdome confessed , she wanted addresse to mollifie them : justice profest , she had not sufficient authority to suppresse them ; and temperance protested ; she wanted vigour to restrain them : onely fortitude promised to withstand them : and though she saw her selfe , forsaken by her sisters , she resolved to charge upon them : wisdome offered her her light , l justice her severity , and temperance her moderation . with these weak forces she enters the pitcht field ; where she had for assistance hope , and boldnesse . the former inhartned her by her promises , the second promised ●lesse , but performed more ; for she discovered unto her the weakness of her enemies , and taught her on what part she might assail them . fortitude , thus assisted , ingaged her selfe upon all occasions ; she received as many blows as she gave , she mingled her bloud with the bloud of her enemies ; she past all her life in this exercise , & if she took any ease after a fight , 't was onely to prepare her self against those that were to ensue . by all this discourse , 't is easily seen , that the designes of fortitude are much greater than those of all the other vertues , & that it is not without reason that they yield the honour to her , since they dare not appear upon such occasions of combates as she doth , and bears away the victory . though fortitude be thus beautifull in idea , yet is she but weake amongst the pagans , and covers true blemishes under deceitfull appearances ; for as in them n she cannot have charity , for her originall , she derives oft-times from self-love , and inherits all her fathers weaknesses ; it is her own glory she must seek , since she is ignorant of gods glory ; it is anger which must give her heat , revenge which must provoke her , and vain glory , which must in-animate her , since 't is not faith that doth assist her . all these passions mixt together , make up the greatest part of her greatnesse ; and when one shall examine her intentions , or motives , he shall finde that her noblest exploits , are but magnificall sins . all those men who in ancient times have been esteemed couragious , have contemned onely pain to purchase o glory , they have given their life for a little smoak , and in so unjust a battering have sufficiently shewn , that their fortitude , was not reall , since she wanted justice , and wisdome . in effect , their most glorious actions have their defaults , their valour is nothing but despair , and all that the roman eloquence calls courage , is but pusillanimity . certainly cato was the wise man of rome , he held there the same rank which socrates did amongst the athenians ; his death goes for the chiefest testimony of his courage ; and historians never speak thereof , without highly praising it ; he had fruitlesly endeavoured to appease the civill wars , he sided , which the common-wealth , whilest every one took part either with caesar , or p pompey ; he remained free , whilest every one had chosen a master , he assisted the dying common-wealth with his counsell and his weapons ; he opposed his courage to fortune , and if this blinde hus-wife could have seen his merit , she would have been inamored thereof . after having given all these testmonies of his affection to his country , what lesse could he do , then secure his own liberty by his death , and dip that innocent sword in his bloud , which the q civil wars could not defile ? he therefore considerately prepares himself for this blow , he dissembles his design to couzen his friends , he spent the night either in reading or taking rest , he encourageth himself to die , by the thought of immortality ; when he was well perswaded , he would go see what he had beleeved , and by a generous blow , free his soul from the prison of her body : his hand did not serve his courage faithfully , his friends , who came into his succour , bound up his wounds , and endeavoured to alter his designe ; he seemed to approve of their reasons , so to free himself from their importunities : but when he was alone , he tore off his apparel , opened his wounds and ended that with his hands , which he had begun with his sword . fortune would prolong his death to try his constancie , and this tragedy seemed so pleasing to him , as he endeavoured to spin it out , that he might the longer taste the pleasure thereof . r seneca complaines , that eloquence is not happy enough to make panegyrickes upon this death . he prefers it before all the battels of conquerours , he calls all the gods to witnesse it , he leaves us in doubt , whether cato be not more glorious then his iupiter ; he is troubled that his age knew him not , complains that the common wealth , which should have raised him above caesar and pompey , hath placed him beneath vatimus and clodius ; and to erect a stately trophye to this vanquisher of fear and death , he sayes , that cato , and liberty died both on a day , and were buried in one and the same tombe . yet a man need not to be much enlightened , to observe the defaults of a so well disguised death ; for if cato be to be praised for having killed himself , all those that did survive him deserve to be blamed . 't was weaknesse in cicero to have recourse to caesars clemencie ; 't was either folly or fearfulnesse in him , not to despair of the republiques well-fare , and yet to reserve himself to raise her up after her fall. but not to make use of so weak a reason to condemn him ; who sees not that pride had a greater share in this action than courage ? who does not think that cato was prouder than caesar , and that it was not integrity , but want of courage which put the poneyard in his hand ? who knows not that it was rather weaknesse , than constancie that made him die ? had he had courage enough to have under-gone adversity , he would never have had recourse to despair ; he wanted patience in his misfortune , and if he could have endured caesars victories , s he had not committed self-murther ; for if he thought it shame , to beg his life of his enemies , wherefore did he counsell his son to do it ? if he thought death so glorious , wherefore did he disswade his friends from it . if he thought the t common-wealth might be restored by their counsels , wherefore did he deny her his ? and if he advised every one to seek for mercy from the conquerour , wherefore did he by his errour prevent it ? what ever mischief threatens us , we must never flie to despair , though the decree be pronounced , the scaffold set up , and that all things assure us we must die , we must not play the hangmans part , nor hasten our death to free us from misery . this is to make our selves ministers of our enemies cruelty , to excuse their fault by preventing it , and to commit parricide , to exempt them from man slaughter . socrates , who was not better instructed than cato , was more generous , because more patient ; he might have freed himself from poyson by a sword , and by fasting five or six dayes have acquitted himself from his enemies violence : yet he spent a whole month in prison , he affordeth death leisure to imploy all its horrours to try his constancie , he thought he was to give way to the laws of his country , and not to refuse his last instructions to his friends , they intreating for them . if this pagan philosopher thought he ought not to attempt any thing against his own life , because he was in the hands of justice , no man can with reason make himself away : for from the first moment of his birth he is subject to the laws of god , and unless he will do an unjust act , he must waite , till he that put him into the world take him from thence ; to hasten our death , is to intrench upon his rights , to kill our selves , is u to overthrow his workmanship ; and to bereave him of the least of his subjects , is to attempt against his sovereignty . in this case we have lesse power over our selves , than over others ; for we may kill an enemy in our own defence , but it is not lawfull to shun his fury , by preventing it . we must wait till the same judge , which hath pronounced the decree of our death , make it be executed ; and it belongs to one and the same power , either to shew favour or justice to the guilty . all those stately words which flatter our vain glory , and do incourage our despair , do not excuse our fault , when we attempt upon our owne lives . nature teacheth us sufficiently by those tacite instructions which she giveth us , that if it be treacherie to abandon a place which a prince hath committed to our charge , 't is perfidiousnesse to forgo the body , which god hath given us the guidance of ; and which he hath joyned so straightly to our soul , as that it is a part of our selves . in fine ; no reason can justifie despair : the number of our enemies , the evils of the present life , the good of the future , the cruelty of sicknesses , rigour of servitude , sweetnesse of liberty , strength of temptations , nor the very fear of sin , are not considerations sufficient to make us hasten our death ; 't is alwaies poornesse of x spirit , not to be able to suffer the evil which we will shun by homicide , pride hath lesse part in this crime then weaknesse , and whatsoever praise the desperate man expects for his attempt , wise men will alwaies beleeve , that if he had courage enough to bear the miseries of life , he would never have had recourse to so cowardly a remedy . al the fortitude of philosophers is then but meer cowardise , those wounds which despair & impatience have made them give themselves , deserve more blame then they have received praise ; a man cannot approve of their fault without becoming guilty thereof , and when seneca imploys his weak reasons to excuse catoes murther , he lets us see , that he knew not wherein greatnesse of courage consisted , since he made it consist in an action , which is more familiar to women , then men ; to slaves then to free persons ; and to weak than to strong spirits . the eigth discourse . that friendship without grace is alwaies interessed . if the vertue of pagans have her stains , we must not wonder if their friendship have her defaults : sin hath corrupted the best things , and her malice hath left almost nothing in man , y which doth not deserve reproach or punishment : since a sinner is upon bad termes with god , he cannot be upon good terms with himself , nor with his neighbour . if he love himself , t is in excesse , and if he love another , t is for interest ; his will being in the power of his enemie , he can hardly make good use of it ; whatsoever he does , he is in danger of sinning ; his love is not much more innocent than is his hatred , and be it that he loves his friends , or hates his enemies , t is with so little justice , as he stands alwaies in need of pardon , profane philosophie prefers friendship before vertue ; she gives her such praises , as taste of flattery ; and if we will beleeve her reasons , she will perswade us , that the joynt uniting of hearts , is the greatest contentment which man can partake of on earth . 't is the knot of society , without which states cannot be preserved , nor families maintained . nature made this project in production of woman , whom she drew from the rib of man , to the end , that the resemblance and equality which she placed between them might oblige them to z love one another ; she renews this in brothers , who proceed from the same originall , and who are shaped in the same womb , to the end , that all things may invite them to love . vertue endeavours to make this good more universal , and seeing that nature did not give all men brethren , she would give them friends ; & repair their losse with usury . for though brothers proceed from the same stem , they are not alwayes of the same humour ; they differ often more in their inclinations , then in their countenances : but say there were any thing of resemblance in their humours , the dividing of estates divides hearts ; and interest , ( which hath to do every where ) doth many times ruine their best intelligence . but a friendship ( more powerfull than nature ) makes a pa●ty between those whom she will unite ; the unity of hearts , is that which makes all things common , and the words thine , and mine , which sets division between brethren , cannot do the like between friends . nature leaves us no choise , in her alliances , we are engaged before we be capable of choise ; and she oft-times makes us love a monster , because he is our brother ; but friendship gives us a freedome of choise , she permits us to take the best , and we are onely to blame our own folly , if in the liberty she leaves us , we make choise of one for a friend , who deserves not our affection . our brethren are the workmanship of nature , she did not advise with us , when she gave them life ; and not having the care of producing them , we delight not in preserving them . b but our friends are the children of our will ; we formed them , when we chose them ; we think our selves concernedin their losse , because we have laboured in the acquiring of them . and as mothers expose themselves for their children , because they are their workmanship , so men expose themselves for their friends , because they are their productions . but not to spend more time in observing the advantages which friendship hath over and above nature ; we must confesse , there is nothing in the world which ought not to give place to friendship : law , which preserves estates , which punisheth vice , defends vertue , is not equall to her , neither for antiquity , nor power . punishments nor rewards were never ordained ' till c friendship began to coole ; whil'st she continued in full vigour , the use of lawes was uselesse , and the politiques do confesse , that states are better governed by good intelligence amongst subjects , than by ordinances of princes : the latter reforme onely the mouth , or the hand ; impede onely bad actions , or insolent speeches : but the former reformes the heart , and gliding into the will , guides desires , and regulates thoughts . the law ends differences , but friendship reconciles enemies ; the law inhibits injuries , but friendship adviseth good offices . in fine , the law is requifite to the commencement or initiation of a good man , but friendship is required to his accomplishment ; and by her advice renders him perfect . she is also of use to all sorts of conditions , and that man liues not , that needs not a friend . a friend is needfull to old men , to assist them , to young men , to guide them ; to the miserable , to comfort them , to the ignorant , to instruct them ; and to kings themselves , to increase their felicity . for though their condition seem to be raised above that of all other men , and that amidst the abundance of riches , and honours , wherewith they are environed , there remains nothing for them to wish for , yet ought they to make friends , and endeavour a delight , which agrees as well with greatnesse , as with innocence . friendship is the best of all exteriour goods , and 't were unjust that kings who possesse whatsoever else is of good , should not possesse this ; friendship obligeth us rather to give , than to receive ; d and kings are in a condition wherein liberality is their principall vertue . in fine , happy princes ought not to be solitary , and i know not whether any one of them would accept of their felicity , at the rate of living solitarily : therefore greatnesse doth not forbid friendship to soveraignes , that which seems to keep them aloofe off from this vertue , draws them nearer to it ; and their power is never more pleasing , than when imployed in succouring the miserable , or in making men happy . neither do we see any prince who hath not his favourite . e the proudest monarches of the world , grow weary of commanding , they finde more content in a friend , than in a slave ; and how brutish soever their nature be , they are well content to have one , to whom they may un-bosome themselves . tiberius loved sejanus ; and had not this favourite become his rivall , it may be he never had decreed his death . nero could not fence himselfe from friendship ; the sweetnesse of this vertue , vanquisht that monsters cruelty ; and whil'st he quencht the flames of rome , by the bloud of christians , he had some confidents , whom he called friends . this infidell prince , whose subjects were all slaves , and in whose empire the desire of liberty was a fault , wanted not favourites whom he loved ; he plays with those he ought to destroy , he makes those the objects of his love , who ought to be the objects of his fury ; a certain captive , had power over the tyrant , and under the assurance of friendship gave lawes to him , who gave lawes to the greatest part of the world . though these reasons do mightily inhance the merit of friendship , yet must we conclude in saint austines principles . that the friendship of pagans is defective , and doth not deserve the praises that are given it . for if we take aristotle for our arbitratour , friendship ought to be established upon selfe-love , and to love his f neighbour well , a man must love himselfe well . he who prefers the pleasures of the body , before those of the mind , who hazards his honour to preserve his riches , and who injures his conscience , to encrease his reputation , cannot be a good friend to others , because he is his own enemy ; and who wants vertue , cannot have friendship . morall philosophy with all her precepts , cannot reforme a disorder , which since the losse of originall righteousnesse , makes up one part of our selves : the unrighteousnesse thereof hath past into our nature , and as we cannot without grace be upon good termes with our selfe , neither can we without her be upon good termes with others . we either give them too much , or not enough ; we cannot keep that just measure , which makes friendship reasonable , we turne a vertue into a passion ; or to speak trulier , we make an innocent action criminall ; and the same selfe-love which puts us on ill termes with our selves , puts us upon the like with our neighbours ; we love his errours , whil'st we think to love his perfections ; we excuse his sins , in stead of condemning them , and we oft-times become guilty of his faults , for having approved them . blosius confesseth he would have burnt g iupiters temple , if gracchus had commanded him so to do ; he thought justice ought to give place to friendship , that his friend should be dearer to him than his god , and that whatsoever he did through affection , could not render him faulty . it may be 't was for this cause , that aristotle blaming friendship , whil'st he thought to praise her , said , that her perfection consisted in her excesse ; and that far differing from common vertues , which do consist in mediocrity ; she was never more admirable , than when most excessive : that a man might give too much , but not love too much ; that one might have too much courage , but not too much love ; that a man might be too wise , but not too loving ; yet this excesse is vitious , and experience teacheth us , that common-wealths have no more dangerous enemies , than those who are ready to do or suffer any thing for their friends . therefore 't is that the same h philosopher prescribing bounds to friendship , did publickly professe , that truth was dearer to him than plato : & that when he could not accord these two , he forewent his friend to maintain his mistresse . hence it is , that polititians calling in religion to the succour of morality , have affirmed , that affection ought to give way to piety , and that she ceased to be just , when she prophaned altars . those i notwithstanding that are of this opinion , have not forborne to set a value upon faulty friendship : and antiquity doth hardly reverence any friends , whose friendships hath not been prejudiciall either to the state , or to religion . pilades and orestes were of intelligence onely to revenge themselves . theseus and pirithoiis kept friendship onely to satisfie their unchaste desires : lentulus and cethegus were faithfull to catiline , onely that they might be perfidious to their countrey . but what else could one expect than faults , from those who had no piety ? what friendship could one hope from those who wanted the first of vertues ? & how could they have bin faithfull to their friends , since they were unfaithful to their gods ? if they have loved any one even till death , k it hath been out of vain glory : and if they loved them whil'st they were alive , t' has been for interest : the sinner for the most part loves none but himselfe ; and though this irregulate love be both his fault , and his punishment , yet he therein findes his delight , and his glory : nothing can divert him from his own interest , when he thinks to free himselfe from himselfe , he fasteneth himselfe closer to himselfe ; and if he love his friends , 't is that he may love himselfe in more places than one , and in more persons ; if he part with his heart , 't is that he may receive it back again with the like of others ; his love is but usury , wherein he hazards little to gain much ; 't is an l invention of self-love , which seeks to satisfie it selfe in others ; 't is a trick of humane pride , which makes man abase himselfe onely that he may grow the greater , which adviseth him to engage his liberty , onely that he may bereave others of theirs ; and which makes him make friends , onely that he may have slaves , or such as love him . what glorious name soever one attributes to friendship , she hath no other designes than these , when she is led on by self-love ; and whatsoever language the infidels have held , these have been their onely motives , when they have lost either life , or liberty , for their friends ; if they were silent amidst tortures , and if the cruelty thereof could not compell them to discover their associates , 't was either for that they valued friendship more than life , or that they thought treachery worse than death : if they would not out-live their friends , 't was to free themselves from sorrow and solitarinesse ; and if for their delivery , they exposed themselves to tyrants , 't was for that their words bound them to it , and that they thought they should be no losers in an occasion , wherein , though with losse of life , they won honour . m and to say truth , aristotle hath well observed , that he who dyes for his friend loves himself better then his friend ; and that in an action which seems to violate nature , he doth nothing which self-love may not advise him to , since that by suffering death , he labours after glory , and that by erecting a sacrifice unto his love , he buildes a trophy to his memory . the example of damon and pythias may confirm this truth ; they had been brought up in pythagoras his school , the conformity of their humours , and opinions had so straightly united their souls , that death it self could not part them . the tyrant dionysius , to whom vertue was an enemy , condems one of these faithfull friends to his last sufferings ; he findes that his occasions ingage him to make a voyage , the tyrant , who would adde mirth to cruelty , permits him so to do ; provided he finde out baile who may take his place , and who will be bound to die for him , if he defer his return : pythias accepts of this condition , and entring into prison , wisheth that the day of execution drew nigh , that he might deliver his friend ; the fatall hour being come , and damon not yet appearing , pythias is led to punishment , he rejoyceth at his happinesse , whilst the people are afflicted at his misfortune : he excites the hangman to make hast , and fears death lesse then his friends return ; and without excusing his delay , or suspition of his fidelity , he commends fortune , which keeps his friend from making good his word : at this very moment damon arrives quite out of breath , he presseth through the crowde , presents himself before the tyrant and the executioner , and calls for his baile in : pithias pleades the hower is past , that damon having failed in his assignment is no more lyable to death : and that it is he ( pythias ) that n must end what he had begun . this strife makes the hang-man stay his hand , moves wonder in the people , and softens the tyrant , who for their fidelity revokes his decree , desires to be admitted into their society : & this monster , who had never studied any thing , but to make himself to be feared , ravisht to see this miracle , wisheth to be beloved . it cannot be denied but that this was a rare example , and that in this mutuall correspondancy the height of friendship is seen ; for it was of power to inspire the contempt of death , o to cancell the love of life , to mollifie cruelty , to change rage into mildness , and to turn the pain of punishment , to a glorious recompence ; but who doth not also see , that this contestation might rather proceed from vain glory , then love ? who thinks not that each of these loved themselves better than their companion ? since leaving life to him , he would keep glory to himself ? who will not confesse , that in this dispute there was more of ambition then fidelity ? and who will not acknowledge , that so gallant an adventure might have been wisht for by men not so wel known to one another ? and between whom there was not so great a friendship , as between damon and pythias ? but we must not wonder if friendship be faulty amongst the pagans , since she is not alwayes innocent amongst christians , and since interest , which gives against the designes of charity , keeps her from inlarging her self , and doth unjustly confine her self between two parties ; for we suffer our selves to be perswaded by philosophy , that common friendship cannot be reall , that he who loves many , loves none , and that who doth so readily ingage himself , doth disingage himself with as much as ease . yet the son of god bindes us to love all christians as our brothers , he will have his body and blood , to be the bond of all the faithfull , and that his chiefest p mysteries tend onely to the uniting of them together : his pleasure was , that we should all have one and the same father , to the end , we might have one and the same inheritance ; he ordeined but one baptisme , to the end , that our birth might be alike ; and that the difference of conditions being banisht from out his church ; reciprocall love might not by mistake be diminished ; he gave us but one head , to the end , we might be inanimated by the same spirit , and that the conformity of our opinions might be the preservation of our friendship : he hath q left us his body in the eucharist , to the end we might have one and the same food ; and that being converted to himself we should be obliged to love one another , as being his members ; he hath caused us to be born in one and the same church ; to the end that we might have but one mother upon earth , as we have but one father in heaven ; he hath promised us one and the same paradise , to the end , we might have one and the same country ; and that being so straightly united in time , we may not be separated in eternity ; yet all these powerfull means cannot keep friendship amongst christians ; self love derides them , the division of wealth divides their wills ; every one prefers his interest before charity ; the common people end their differences by suite at law , gentle-men by duels , and princes by battails ; r men defend their right either by cunning , or by force ; not considering that jesus christ lives in our enemies , we kill them to revenge our selves , and commit murther , to cancell an injury . but though we should be more charitable , we cannot shun being unfortunate ; for sin hath so corrupted our nature , & divine justice hath so severely punisht sins , as the life of man is rather a succession of miseries , then of years : man cannot live long without much suffering , if his body be in health , his minde is sick , if his wealth be not exposed to injustice , his innocency is exposed to calumny : if he fence himself from one misfortune , he is assayed by another : and he learns to his own cost , that long life is but a long punishment . and s then again whosoever engageth himself in friendship , obligeth himself to new displeasures : as he lives in two bodies , he suffers in two places , and addes his friends miseries to his own , if he have many friends , fortune hath more to lay hold off in him : and as afflictions are more common than blessings , he must resolve to be often miserable . those deceive themselves who esteem friendship a consolation to the afflicted : to give her her due name , she ought to be termed the torment of the fortunate , t because she hath made evil common between those who mutually love , and since she makes a man suffer in his friends misfortune , though otherwise he himself should be in a happy condition : she augments the number of the miserable , under pretence of diminishing it : she turns a single malady into a contagion : she inlargeth displeasures under colour of easing them , and by an ingenious cruelty she findes a means to hurt many , in indeavouring to heal one . therefore do the unfortunate fear having friends , when they are uninteressed , they love not that their maladie should be contagious , it sufficeth them that they are miserable without making others so : they are as covetuous of their pains , as they have been prodigall of their pleasures ; they think not themselves freed of their miseries by laying them upon their friends ; they shun company for fear of infecting them ; knowing that solitarinesse is the abode of the afflicted , they forsake the world , and hold for certain that an unfortunate man becomes faulty , when he wisheth for companions in his misery . be it confest that friendship is very fantastick , and that she imprintes strange opinions in men ; for if they be just , they u ought not to desire that their friends contentment should be disquieted by their misfortunes ; they are unworthy of their compassion , if they too eagerly desire it ; they deserve not to be bemoned if they exact tears ; they are tyrants and hang-men if they will have their friends to be their martyrs ; and that for having partaken in their prosperity ; they should do the like in their adversity : notwithstanding 't is true , that friendship never appears but in affliction . 't is misfortune x that tries friends , their friendship is approved of when fortune frowns : we must be miserable , to know that we are beloved ; we cannot get this assurance without the losse of our felicity , and as long as fortune favours us , we dare not build upon our friends fidelities . heaven therefore is the true harbour of friendship : 't is there that our love divides it self without fear of jealousie , and waxeth not weak : 't is there that we shall have so many friends as god makes blessed saintes : 't is there that without trying them by our misfortunes , we shall be assured of their good-wills : 't is there that reading their hearts , and seeing their thoughtes , we shall no longer run the hazard of being abused by words : 't is there that without fear of adding to our mis-fortunes by the increase of our friends , we shall enjoy all good , and fear no evil : 't is there that living for ever together , we shall no longer fear to be separated by death or absence . finally 't is there that being perfectly united to god , we shall see our selves in his light , and love our selves in his goodnesse . the ninth discourse . that the uncertainty and obscurity of knowledge is derived from sin . it must be confest that man is very unfortunate in becoming guilty , since his perfections , and his defects are almost equally fatall to him . y his vertues are false , and his vices true ; his most glorious actions do oft-times derive from so bad an originall , as they are not to be praised without injuring in some sort both grace and reason . his ignorance doth not always excuse his sin , and his knowledge doth not always enhance his vertue . the more he is knowing , the more guilty is he , as saint paul saith , he withholds the truth in unrighteousnesse ; and his light is intermixt with so much darknesse , that it may lead him out of the way , and cannot conduct him . this is notwithstanding mans most violent passion : desire of knowledge is born with him , and if it makes not his difference , it is one of his chiefest proprieties . for beasts are wrought on by ambition , they fight for glory ; and as if that were the onely reward of their victory , they pardon their enemies , after they have beaten them : they are tormented with love and jealousie ; lions can endure no rivalls , and if they want rewards to honour fidelity , they want not chastisements to punish adultery . desire of life is not much lesse violent in beasts , than in men ; the same instinct which animates tigres to seek out prey for their nourishment , makes stags hide themselves in woods for their preservation . nature teacheth them remedies for their evils , and this common mother furnisheth them with herbes to cure them : the apprehension of death encourageth the most timerous ; when they are bereft of all hope of safety , they turn their fear to fury ; and to shun danger , throw themselves head-long into it . but the desire of knowledge is peculiar to man , and there is no cruelty , which he useth not to content his curiosity . he rips open the bowels of the earth , to know the secrets thereof ; he melts metals , to discover their essences ; he descends to the bottome of the sea , to learn the wonders thereof ; he turns the world upside down , to know it : under pretence of succouring those that live , he dissects those that are dead : z and seeks out the causes of their maladies , that he may finde out remedies for them . this passion is much augmented by the esteem which it hath won in the world ; for nothing is more honoured than knowledge : the devil gave it credit in the earthly paradise , & by the praises which he gave it , made our first parents long after it : their children imitated them in their errour , & consecrated their watchings to the atchieving of so rich a fleece . greatest honours have been conferr'd upon the most knowing men ; and if those which have freed their countrey from the insolence of tyrants , have past for heroes , those who have found out arts , & who have defended men either from ignorance , or from necessity , have had temples and altars erected to them ; in so much as the devill kept his word , which his gave our first parents ; when a to seduce them , he would perswade them their knowledge would make them gods : and his promise , though false , hath been in some sort accomplisht by peoples simplicity , who have adored knowing men . for it must be confest , that the monuments of our mindes are more durable than those of our hands ; and that sciences have much better fenced themselves against the injuries of time , than the stateliest edifices of antiquity . aristotles philosophy hath had her admirers in all ages ; this gallant man had more disciples since his death , than during his life ; and there have been greater disputes had to maintain his doctrine , than the most famous conquerour hath given battels to enlarge his territories . homers verses are still read with respect , men admire his invention , reverence his defects , and labour almost as much to understand his conceipts , as to understand oracles : some men passe whole nights in perusing his works , who glory to be a dead mans interpreter , who enrich themselves at the cost of a poor man , and b boast themselves of enlightning all mens understandings , by explicating the words of a blind man ; since his time all empires have been dissipated : rome hath seen her self twice or thrice buried under her own ruines ; her republique hath been turn'd to a monarchy , and her monarchy hath divided it selfe into as many parts , as there are kingdomes in the world . men know not where the capitall cities of media , and persia , were situated ; it is disputed in what parts of the world , thebes and memphis were built ; their high walls , large circuits , and number of inhabitants have not been able to preserve the memory thereof : these works of great kings have not been able to defend themselves against time , and these miracles of art have either been ruin'd by the sword , or devoured by fire : but homers works live yet ; troy was never so beautifull in asia , as in his verses ; if he could not keep it from being burnt , he hath kept it from being forgotten . the grecian achilles , and hector of troy , never won so much renown by their valour , as by his praises . this onely example makes it evident , that knowledge hath the upper-hand of courage , and that the labours of the brain are more durable than the conquests of kings ; yet hath knowledge her defaults , since the state of sin , and there is no knowledge so certain , which admits not of doubts ; none so profitable , which is not discommodious , nor none so good , which is not bad . true knowledge ought to have two qualities ; evidence , and certainty : c the first without the second occasioneth opinion , the second without the first , produceth faith. therfore 't is that all sciences boast to possesse these two advantages , and employ all their power to perswade us , that they are evident , and assured ; but the means they make use of to prove this , contradicts their design , and makes their doubts and obscurities equally appear . for they draw their light either from time , authority , or experience : time is the father of truth , but is also oft-times the murtherer thereof , according to the rabbines ; 't is the witnesse of all things , but it suffers corruption ; and the depositions thereof are as obscure , as doubtfull : all knowing men complain , that life is short , the way to knowledge long ; and that it were requisite to spend whole ages in the school of time , to become learned . 't is only permitted to damons , who are ancient as the world , to profit under a master , that discovers his secrets only to such , as through their own industry observe them . authority is grounded upon the worth of those who have gone before us : their antiquity gives them credit , we think them abler than our selves , onely because they are older ; and we dare nor oppose their opinions , because they are no longer able to defend them ; they onely rule , because they live no longer ; and if they beare away the victory , 't is because they are without the danger of the fight . their maximes serves us for oracles , their wills serve us for laws , and they may say , as kings , this is our pleasure . death which destroyes the power of soveraigns , establisheth the tyranny of philosophers , and these men who live no longer , have yet credit enough to triumph over our liberty . yet is their antiquity a proofe of their ignorance : since they have seen lesse then we , they should in reason know lesse ; and since they lived in the first ages , they could not have made sufficient observations to discern the truth . that which we call the worlds antiquity , d was but it's infancy ; men , not being able to advantage themselves by the labour of their ancestours , did live in profound ignorance , and left the glory of finding out truth , to the care of those that should succeed them . experience is grounded upon the senses , and hath all her good from their reports : but all men know these messengers are unfaithfull , that they are corrupted by objects , that the soule which is by them advised , is oft-times deceived ; and that nature hath given her an inward light , to free her selfe from their superchery : they mistake themselves daily in their own operations ; & if we will believe these blinde guides , we shall be always engaged in errour . the sun appears greater at his rising , than at noon-day ; the heavens seem to meet with the earth at the levell of the horizon ; and men think a long walk narrower in the extremities thereof , than in the middle . e wherefore the wisest philosophers , knowing the vanity of the senses , have confest the like of sciences ; and being pressed by truth it selfe , have been forc't to acknowledge , that that there was nothing certain in them , but their uncertainty ; nor any thing evident , but their obscurity . the modestest among them have boasted to know nothing , but that they knew nothing ; and to have learnt by their study , that mans greatest knowledge was but a depth of ignorance . the uncertainty thereof is accompanied with uselessenesse , and let her promise what she pleaseth , she teacheth us things which are rather curious , than profitable . science is not vain onely , because she is proud , but because she is given to lying : for she makes those that court her hope for miracles ; and to hear her servants , or her slaves speak , you would think that were a remedy for all evils , and a means to come by all vertues : but if we will examine all the miseries of men , we shall not finde any one that may be lessened by knowledge . sin hath reduced them to a condition wherein both good and bad , are equally dangerous to them : some apprehend death f which threatens them , some complain of poverty wherewith they are afflicted , some are slaves to their riches , and wonders that plenty should bereave them of liberty : this man dreads ill fortune , that man is glutted with good : some are persecuted on earth , some punisht from heaven . all these stand in need of help in their differing conditions , and are in danger of shipwrack , unlesse they be assisted by a favourable and gracious hand . knowledge boasted that she would succour them , and men abused by her promises , sided with her under this confidence ; but after they had listned to her instructions , they found she abounded more in light , then in heat , and more in vanity , then in power . to say truth , she busieth her selfe in enlightning the understanding , not being able to heat the will ; and in stead of instructing things usefull , she is content to vent curiosities . not being able to accord the elements within our bodies , nor yet the passions in our soules , she busieth her selfe in sorting voices , and in forming an agreeable harmony out of differing tones ; not being able to withstand vices , nor irregular inclinations , she undertakes to fight against wilde-beasts , or enemies ; to get the victory where the danger exceeds the honour ; and to bear away triumph , where injustice and fortune have a greater share then courage or wisdome . when she saw she could not observe the wonders of nature , she appli'd her selfe to consider the debauchments ; and passing by her goodliest operations , either in silence , or oblivion , she entertained men with her disorders onely , or with her diversions . for all sciences which are now in request , and wherein great men do glory , teach nothing but ridiculous things , and fill their disciples mindes with naught but smoak , & winde . were it not better that astrology should teach us the way to heaven , than uselesly to teach us the number of the stars , the influence of planets , and motions of the sphears ? were it not to be wisht , that arithmetick , which teacheth to calculate immense summes should teach us to bound our own desires , and not to set by riches ? were it not to be desired , that the mathematicks , in stead of instructing us how to besiege towns , and not to defend them , should shew us how to preserve our own liberty , and how to keep us from the tyranny of sin ? if in fine , sciences were rationall , would they not rather endeavour to make men vertuous , than knowing ? and if they were not slaves to curiosity , would they not labour more to regulate the will , than to satisfie the understanding ? and yet the chiefest of philosophers , after having in all his writings h made the panegyrick of knowledge , after having offer'd incense to this idol , and after having purchased her as many adorers , as he had disciples , confesseth , that she is of no use to vertue ; and that though she may make men more learned , yet shee cannot make them better . in effect the most knowing men have not alwayes been the most vertuous ; and those who have written best , are not those that have lived best . seneca's life agrees not with his writings ; the counsels which he gives to nero in tacitus are not like those which he gives him in his books of anger , and clemencie ; he is much more generous in his epistles to lucilius , then in his consolation to polybius : and his naturall questions taste much more of philosophie , then that bloody invective which he wrote after the death of claudius : these two pieces discover his nature , which in the other he sought to disguise : when he sets forth vertue to the life , and gives her so many charmes to make her lovely , me thinks i seek a black-more painting a fair woman , or a corrupt lawyer pleading an honest cause . socrates and plato , though they were the most learned of their age , were not the most vertuous ; their actions require rather apologies than panegyricks : if they condemn rather ambition , 't is to authorize uncleannesse ; if they contemn'd the love of women , 't was thought 't was to authorize the like of yong men ; and that if quencht impure flames , 't was to kindle hellish ones . epicurus and zeno breathed forth nothing but either pleasure , or vaine glory ; if the one wage war with vice , 't is onely to purchase glory , and if the other suppresse his passions , 't is onely that he may enjoy the more rest , and that he may adore pleasure in the temple of vertue . thus is knowledge unprofitable ; and to reap any advantage by her instructions , i a man must ask counsell of charity . for to what end is it that we know what is good , if our bad inclinations keep us from doing it ? and what advantage shall we receive from a science , which can neither withstand vice , nor defend vertue ? we know , that we ought to be ayding to our parents k in their miseries ; but avarice keeps us from being so : we know , that we ought to fight for our countrey ; but fear keeps us from doing so ; we know , that we ought to incommodiate our selves , to serve our friends ; but pleasures divert us from it : we know , that we should prefer honour before pleasure , and innocence before both ; but ambition and delight will not permit us so to do : so as it is to no purpose to advise us , unlesse the obstacles which oppose themselves to that advise be removed , and unlesse the will be heated at the same time that the understanding is enlightened . but that which is yet more grievous , and which obligeth all men to confesse , that knowledge is corrupted by sin , is , that she is an enemy to vertue , and that under pretence of defending her , she wageth war against her . the roman common-wealth did never flourish more then in the l first ages , wherein she was content to know , that she was to honour her gods , guide her people , assist her allyes , and to fight her enemies : she lost her integrity when she would increase her knowledge : pleasures entred rome , together with forreign sciences , and from the time that once the romans began to dispute concerning vertue , they ceased to practise her : the greeks revenged themselves on them by their philosophers ; not being able to overcome them by arms , they found a meanes how to corrupt them by their conferences ; and giving them learning , they bereft them of justice , whereby they had won so much over all the people of the world . athens was more learned than lacedaemon , but lacedaemon was more vertuous than athens ; vertue triumphed over eloquence , and this town which was wholly composed of philosophers and orators , was brought to serve the other which abounded in ignorance . experience teacheth , that knowledge doth abate courage ; that in polishing the understanding , she weakens it ; and that in teaching how to speak well , she makes us forget how to do well . the turks owe their valour totally to their ignorance ; and if any innocencie remain amongst the barbarians , 't is because they have not yet been acquainted with the mischeif of knowledge . wisdom her self is not reconciled to her : these two sisters , which philosophers boast to have united , cannot agree together in any extraordinary degree . it seems impossible for a man to be both learned and wise ; m learning doth puzzle the brain as well as vain glory ; as excessive fortunes make us lose our judgements , much knowledge makes us lose our reason : study dries the braine , great contestations of minde alter mans temper , and it oftentimes falls out , that both the soul and the body are weakened through an extream desire of knowledge . the most dangerous folly is not stupid ; that which is occasioned by ignorance , is easily remedied ; but that which is occasioned through study , makes both physician and patient despaire ; in fine , knowledge is the learned mans punishment ; she is more boundlesse then ambition , n all her desires are out of order , the more she possesseth , the more she wisheth for ; the richer she is , the poorer she esteems her self ; and framing daily new designes , she makes those that love her confesse , that she is a vexatious occupation , which god hath given them onely for their chastisement : that he who addes new-lights to what hath formerly been known , addes more paines to former troubles ; and that who labours after more knowledge , labours to make himself more miserable . it were to be wisht , that as god hath tane immortality from us , to shorten our misery ; he had likewise deprived us of profane knowledge , to lessen our sufferings : and then we should have found , that ignorance and death , are rather favours , then punishments . a man must become ignorant , to become faithfull . vain philosophy is an obstacle to our belief : t is easier to convert an ignorant man than a philosopher , and humblenesse of minde , which serves for the foundation of christian vertues , hath no more mortall enemy , than the vanity of philosophy . o the great apostle of the gentiles declares war against it in his writings , he cannot endure the pride which doth accompany it , he despiseth the false lights , which puzzle the understanding , but do not enlighten it ; though he was taught at feet of gamaliel , he boasts of his ignorance , and he teacheth all the faithfull , that he knows nothing but jesus christ crucified . it is enough to know , that p man can do nothing of himself ; and that as he holds all whatsoever he is , and whatsoever he hath , from the goodnesse of god , he is bound to employ it to his glory . the tenth discourse . that eloquence is an enemy to reason , truth and religion . as eloquence is the mistresse of handsome language , as she makes the panegyricks of princes , vaunts her self to put a valuation upon vertue , and to reward her for all the glorious troubles she undergoes , so hath she not been wanting in giving unto her self those praises which she thinks are due unto her , and to imploy all her cunning in making her worth appear . for if we will beleeve her , she boasts that no power equals hers , and that without use of fire or sword , she hath the power of perswading the opinioned , of reducing rebels , and of obliging wicked men to side with vertue . q she thinks her profession no lesse illustrious than that of arms , that demosthenes , and cicero , may waigh in the scales with alexander and caesar , and that if there were one hercules , who by his valour overcame monsters , there was another who prevailed over men by reason ; she imagines she may be serviceable to religion ; that christ himself in the plainnesse of his discourse did not neglect adornments , that after having astonished sinners by his miracles , he convinced them by his words , and that the people , being overcome by the power of his r doctrine , confest , that no man ever spoke like him . in fine ; if she expresse her self by the mouthes of her orators , we are bound to beleeve , that whatsoever is atributed to philosophie or to justice , is onely the work of eloquence . s for they say , that 't was she that withdrew men from deserts , who reduced them too within towns , who prescribed laws unto them , who kept innocence from calumnie and oppression , and who changed tyrannies into lawful kingly government . to hear them speak ; you would think that vertue were banisht from off the earth , had not eloquence taken her into her protection , and that there should be no longer peace in kingdoms , did not she by her dexterity appease seditions ? but without listning any longer to her unjust praises , i pretend to make her partakers confesse , that since she became a slave to sin , she injures by one and the same excesse , truth , reason , and religion . 't is hard to say , whether cunning be the father of eloquence , or eloquence be the mother of cunning , but 't is easily to discerne , that each of them assist other , in the bearing down of truth . both of them being ingenious in extremity ; they dissemble their meanings , and hide their hatred under the appearance of love : they speak on their enemies behalfe , and the one of them seems to employ his wiles , the other her figures and tropes , onely to make truth appear the more pleasing : yet under pretence of serving her , they injure her ; and under colour of establishing her power , they destroy her empire . for this vertue , worth adoration , despiseth deckings ; she knows her beauty is never more ravishing , t than when most neglected ; she rejects borrowed lustre ; and paint being a kin to falshood , she approves not of the use thereof . she suspects any thing that may deceive , her language is plain , her apparell modest , and were it not for fear of those unchaste ones , who prophane even holy things with their looks , she would throw away the vaile that covers her , and shew her selfe stark naked to 〈◊〉 her lovers . as all her glory consists in her naked plainnesse , so doth also her strength ; the very sight of her is sufficient to make her be beloved ; she very well knows , that they that know her cannot oppose her , nor yet defend themselves from her . u she hath no greater passion than sweetly to insinuate , her selfe into mens mindes , and by her light to dissipate the obscurity of falshood : she very well knows that men do naturally reverence her , and that unlesse they be foolish , they be never unfaithfull to her . therefore no humane help is of use to her , and this powerfull princesse needs no souldiers to re-possesse her selfe of her state , nor to reduce her rebels to obedience . her very sight is sufficient to make her be obey'd , her presence stifles rebellion , and as soon as she appears , she awakens respect and love , in her subjects hearts . but if the malice of the age were such , as should make her seek for partners to defend her ; certainly she would never implore aid from orators : they are too full of quircks to please her , and she loves plain dealing too well to approve of their cunning . all the tropes and figures , which they make use of in their discourses , x are but so many disguised falshoods ; they cannot speak without lying ; and all the inventions which they borrow from rhetorick , are but undertakings against truth . but least i may be accused of falling into an errour , which i finde fault with , i will examine the figures , and make such as make use of them , confesse , that they are onely to be termed pleasing falshoods . the metaphora , which is so frequent with them , and wherewithall they heighten their style , to raise up the meannesse of their cogitations , is it not an imposture ? and doth not eloquence abuse her auditors , when she will perswade them , that the fields are thirsty , that the drops of deware pearles , flowers in medowes are stars , and the murmuring of waters musick ? if thus much license be to be allowed , who cannot say , that little birds are angels of the forrests ? that whales are living rocks , or ships with soules ? that the sea is a moving earth , and fountain water , liquid christall ? y who can imagine that truth needs such cunning to defend her selfe , that men are onely wrought upon by such raving , and that a man cannot please , unlesse he be ridiculous ? ironia is no truer , and if it deserve any pardon , 't is because 't is lesse serious ; for it disguiseth not it's falshood , but openly protests against being believed ; it gives it selfe the lye by it's accent , terms not a man innocent , save onely that he may be thought guilty ; 't would think it selfe too silly , should it call all things by their names , and would not think it selfe sufficintly bitter , should it not know how to cover a reall reproach under a false praise . are not allegories impertinent ? when to un-weary mens minds , they abuse them , and say one thing when they think another ? they will perswade us , that a ship is a common-wealth , tempests , the state-affairs wherewith it is troubled , and mariners , the lead men that govern it . may not a man with the same affrontednesse affirme , that open countries are kingdoms , that the mountains , are their kings , little hills their magistrates , and vallies their subjects : must not a man have lost his wits to have made use of these figures , and had not one better hold his peace , than speak a language which the common sort of people understand not , z and which wise men despise ; but an hyperbole is the more unsufferable , for it's insolency , and seeming seriousnesse : common expressions seem poor to it ; it cannot endure any thing that is ordinary , but affects extravagancy to hide it's basenesse ; it heightens nothing with 〈◊〉 exaggeration , tells no truth un-mingled with falshood , and by a●just punishment , looseth credit , through coveting too much ▪ beliefe . 't will make snow black , to make a womans face seem fair , tarnish the verdue of the rose , to exalt the freshnesse of her complexition , a and darken the sun , to give lustre to her eyes . this figure is not to be excused , but by acknowledging that it is conscious of it's own rashnesse ; that it dares more than it hopes for ; that it is of the humour of those , who lie often , and who think themselves happy enough , if they can but perswade the auditours to believe part of what they say . an antithesis is not so bold as an hyperbole , though more affected ; all it 's cunning is but a continuall play or maigame , it opposeth the subjects which it treats of , 〈◊〉 because it knows not how to enlarge them ; it hop●s always , because it can neither run nor walk softly ; it leanes upon all it meets withall , because it cannot sustain it selfe ; and 't is seldome ingenious , save onely for it's sterility sake . in fine , that may be said of all figures , which seneca saies of an hyperbole ; they lead us to truth by falshood ; they cousen us to please us , and to instruct us do seduce us . if this cunning be blamelesse , i know no couzenage , which may not admit of excuse ; men will kill men to make them live , will put out their eyes to clear their sight , and will throw them into slavery , to set them at liberty . there have been some who would have had painting inhibited , because it abuseth the senses , and because by the rules of the opticks , it extends open countries the end whereof we cannot arrive unto , sinks valleys : so as we cannot discover their bottome , and raiseth up mountains to the height whereof we cannot attain , but eloquence being more deceitfull , deserves a greater punishment ; and she should as well be forbidden comming within the barand pulpit , as painting was forbidden the court of arropagus , since she heightens mean things , enlargeth what hath no substance ; and to make her power be admired ; makes faustina a lucretia , tiberius an augustus , and fredigonda a clotilda . it must then be confest , that eloquence is the workman-ship of sin , b that men have sought out these figures onely to disguise falshood ; and they began not to be eloquent , till they began to be sinfull . innocencie would not peradventure have spoken this language ; and if we meet with some such like oratory somtimes in the holy scripture , i imagine it is , that the scripture may accommodate it selfe to our custome , and to imitate the goodnesse of god ; who puts on our passions when he will treat with us . if truth complain of rhetorick , reason hath as much cause so to do ; and who shall consider , what ill offices she hath received from her , will finde , that she should never implore her aid : for though this sovereign be not always at peace , within her territories , and that her subjects do somtimes despise her authority , eloquence is not sincere enough to re-invest her in her power , and it oft-times falls out , that whil'st she thinks to stifle disorder , she augments it . for reason hath nothing to fear in her empire , but the errour of her understanding , the obstinacy of the will , the revolt of passions , and the unfaithfulnesse of the senses ; let her prevent these disorders , and she may be sure to raign peaceably . for what concernes the understanding , it needs no rhetorick to perswade it , itcareth not for c ornaments , truth is as pleasing to it in the mouth of a philosopher , as of an oratour ; the lesse truth is expatiated , the more force doth the understanding finde in her ; and the lesse she hath of art , the more doth it reverence her power . as for the will , it is so free , as nothing can force it ; grace alone hath power to ravish 〈◊〉 ▪ and only god can sway it without using violence . the passions must be calm'd by dexterity ; he is a wise pilot , who can saile long upon their sea without suffering shipwrack . and as for the senses ; they must be won by fair means , and they must be loosened from objects to be submitted to reason . eloquence boasts , that in this point , she hath great advantage over philosophers : the cadence of her periods smooths the senses ; she imitates musick , and makes use of the voice of oratours , to inchant the ears ; d the gesture of their bodies , their studied actions , and all those graces which accompany pronunciation , steal away the heart by the eyes , and work wonders upon the will : figures raise passions , draw tears , encourageth auditours to choler , and put weapons into their hands to revenge themselves of their enemies . but i finde that all the means which eloquence attempts , are extreamly dangerous , and that the remedies which she applies , are worse than the malady which she would cure . for thinking to flatter the senses , she engageth them in voluptuousnesse ; whil'st she would divert them from , she accustometh them to delight ; and though her designe be innocent , yet ceaseth it not to produce ill effects . for as oft as a pleasing oratour defends an ill cause , and that he imployes all his good parts in favour of injustice ; the senses , which seek onely after content , suffer themselves to be borne away by his cunning ; and making interressed reports to the understanding , they engage it in their revolt . thus is a pleasing falshood better entertained than truth ; and vertue is lesse valued than vice , if she appeare more austere . eloquence is not more fortunate in taming passions , then in charming senses : for though she be acquainted with the secret of kindling and allaying choller , of setting love and hatred on fire , of abusing hope , and sweetning despair , yet hath she this of misfortune , that as she laies one passion asleep , she awakens another ; and be it for want of dexterity , e or for her diffidence of her own strength , she never sets upon vengeance , unlesse she be assisted by ambition ; she meddles not with love , without exciting hatred , and quels not hope , without raising fear . thus she hurts us , to cure us ; and her remedies are worse than our diseases . she imitates those bad physicians , who debauch the stomack , to refresh the bowels ; and who undo one part , to preserve another ; for not weighing the danger , she oft-times awakens cruelty in a tyrant , to encourage him against an enemy ; she excites ambition in a conquerour , to incline him to clemency ; and hazards a whole kingdome to save a guilty person . men blamea prince , who to revenge himselfe of his subjects , puts weapons into the rebels hands , and and who under colour of stifling a commencing sedition , strengthens a party , which justles out his authority ; yet this is the order observed by eloquence in her orations ; and expearience teacheth us , that to overcome a passon which opposeth her designes , she will not fear to awaken another which will entrench upon the publique liberty . cicero flatters cesars vain glory , to obtain marcellus his pardon , he propounds glory to him , to divert him from rigour : yet f sees not that to extinguish the fire of his choller , he kindles the life of his ambition ; which was to set his countrey on fire . who will not then confesse , that eloquence is an enemy to reason ? that she dis-joynts an empire , in stead of setling it ? and that she addes to the number of passions , under pretence of apeasing them ? her other designes are not more just , and she deals not more mildly with liberty than with reason ; for though she always vaunt to take her side , and to defend her against such enemies as war against her , i finde she is the first that chargeth on her , and that there is no difference between an orator and a tyrant . they take severall ways , but their armies are alike , g and their manner of government is equally violent ; tyrants make use of fire and sword , to astonish their subjects , and oratours imploy anger and revenge , to seduce their auditors . tyrants forge chaines to keep them in , that resist them ; and oratours frame discourses which violate the will of those that listen to them . tyrants make themselves be feared , because they cannot make themselves be beloved ; and orators make themselves be beloved , though they know very well how to make themselves be feared : tyrants affright us , when they cannot win us by fair means , and orators deceive us , when their perswasions falle them . in fine , tyrants butcher our bodies , and orators tyrannize over our mindes . i think not the republique of syracusa , much more unhappy under the tyranny of dionysius , then was the common-wealth of athens , whilest she languished under the eloquence of do●sthenes . there are some philosophers of my opinion , and cicero himselfe doth not differ much from it , since he confesseth , that an old man hearing the great pericles make an oratition ; after that he had formerly heard the tyrant pisistrates , cri'd out aloud , that he had never seen two men more like , and that he did no lesse dread the ones eloquence , than the others cruelty : in effect , he was not in the wrong ; for the event shewed , h that there was no difference between pisistrates , and pericles , save that the one exercised tyranny with his weapons , and the other with his rhetorick . eloquence being so dangerous , and her empire so violent , we must not wonder , if jesus christ , whose designe was to win the world by fair means , would not have his apostles make use thereof ; he chose ignorant men to confute philosophers , and to make his power be admired , his will was , that their simplicity should triumph over rhetorick . they were inspired with the gift of tongues in a moment , and the same spirit which did wonders by their hands , made known his oracles by their mouthes : but heaven which made them so learned , would never make them eloquent ; they spake before the kings of the earth , without any loftinesse of style ; they discoursed without adornments before the judges of areopagus , they preached without figures before the senate of i rome , and yet they submitted the pride of rome , and the eloquence of athens to the simplicity of the gospell . i must spend the rest of this discourse in the recitall of this wonder , and to confute rhetoricks vain glory , i must exalt the humility of religion . never did any designe equall that of jesus christ , when he sent his apostles into the world ; he meditated the conquest of the world , the overthrowing of superstition , the ruine of idols , and the devils defeat ; to effect this enterprize , philosophers must be convinced oratours perswaded , monarchies vanquished . to bring this so high a designe to an happy end , one would think , that he must raise aristotle , demosthenes , and alexander from their graves ; he notwithstanding vouchsafes to look upon a dozen fishermen , and to incourage them to combate , and to overcome so many enemies , he forbids them to bear armes , to meditate for reasons , or to study speeches : and to the end , that the whole glory of so great a work might be attributed to his power , k he will have the humility of his disciples beat down the pride of tyrants , he will have their ignorance confound the learning of philosophers , and their simplicity to triumph over the eloquence of orators . if their discourse were plain , their writings were not more aptly couched . hardly did they write correctedly , their most usuall figures are barbarismes , they neglect ornament , plainnesse appeares in all their epistles ; and we have much ado to believe , that those who spake such indifferent language , should miraculously have received the gifts of tongues ; yet doth the beauty of their doctrine ravish us , we are astonished with the depth of those mysteries , which they explain , and their words bear so great a sense with them , as we are not troubled to fore-goe aristotles politicks ; to read saint paules epistles . since the apostles are the masters of the church , and that their examples are our instructions ; i advise preachers to imitate their plainnesse , to affect their lowlines , to despise eloquence , and to implore aide from that spirit which wins hearts without the pomp of words , and ravish the will without the ornament of language . rhetorick is a prophane art , and preaching is a sacred exercise ; vanity hath need of cunning to sustaine her , but the gospel is mainteined by truth : those who preach it with most setting off , are not those whose preaching works l most affect , of as many preāchers as god hath given to his church , i see but chrysostome whose eloquence he hath blessed , all the rest have drawn their power from the humility of the crosse , the meanest of them have been the most beneficiall those who have wrought the greatest conversions , have oft times abounded more in piety then in learning , and more in zeal , than in eloquence . if i give not the same counsell to the faithfull , as i do to preachers ; t is not that i do not approve of those who would imitate the apostles simplicity , and that i condemn those who would imitate the orators vain-glory , but nature being faulty , we must not wonder if her language be corrupted ; and since the son of god tolerates the impurity of our sins , we must not think it strange , if he bear with the vanity of our words , till being gotten into the liberty of his children , he frees us from the tyranny of sin and from the slavery of eloquence . of the corruption of mans body by sin : the fourth treatise : the first discourse . of the excellencies of mans body . vertue being surrounded with enemies , & besieged on all sides by vices , she cannot m stray aside without the hazard of falling into their hands , and of losing all those advantages which render her glorious . if justice punish a fault rigorously , her zeal passeth for severity ; if she countenance evil by suffering it , she is accused of indulgency : if valour throw her self upon a danger , which she cannot shun , men esteem her rash ; if she shun occasions , when her duty calls upon her , she is blamed of fearfulnesse ; and by a strange destiny , she that was a profest enemy to fear , grows to love her , and becomes her slave . truth is not more fortunate then vertue ; for she is environed with errours , which surprise her if she go out of the way ; and if she listen to them , bereave her of her purity : she is seduced by falsehood , if wisedom and faith assist her not ; the desire of combat engageth in danger , and her covering to overcome , makes her oft-times lose the victory . fear is often more fatall to her than is her own courage ; for whilest she avoides one enemy , she falls upon another ; and thinking to shun an ill step or two , she falls into a precipice . this misfortune may be observed upon a thousand occasions , but particularly in what concerns the body of man : for some seeing the unrulinesse thereof , could not beleeve that it was the workmanship of god ; and falling insensibly into an errour , perswaded themselves , that the devil was the author thereof : some others , thinking to withstand this heresie , fall into another , and considering , the beauties of the body , thought that it still retained its first purity , that the faults thereof were perfections , and that all the motions thereof might be represt by free-will , without grace . the catholick truth walks in the midst between these two errours ; condemning the manichees , she acknowledgeth that mans body is made by god enlivened by his breath , and fastened to the soul by invisible chaines , to make one and the same whole : condemning the pelagians , she confesseth that mans body hath lost its innocencie ; that sin reigns in the members thereof , that it infecteth the soul which inanimates it , and that the well fare thereof , which begins in baptisme , will not be accomplisht till the last generall resurrection . thus god is the author thereof , and 't is a marke of ' its n goodnesse ; jesus christ is the redeemer thereof , and 't is a mark of it's corruption . i therefore am obliged to part this subject into two discourses , the first of which shall contain the bodyes plea , the other its condemnation . though the body be the least part of man , and that it be common to him with beasts , yet hath it advantages which make it sufficiently known , that it is destin'd to be the organ of an immortall soul. for the members thereof are so artificially formed , as we cannot judge whether they be more usefull or more pleasing ; their number causeth no confusion , their difference augments their beauty , and their proportion gives the last touch to the work which they all together make up . all of them have their particular employments , they mutually assist one another , without intrenching one upon another ; they hold such intelligence as their good and bad is common : the tongue serves for interpreter to the whole body , the eyes serve it for a guide , the hands for its servants , the ears for informers , and the leggs for supporters . some of them are in perpetuall motion , and never rest , action is their life , and rest their death : whilest the eyes are lull'd asleep , the ears closed up , and whilest the feet and hands lie fallow , the heart is always in action ; it seems that nature intended to make it her chief piece of workmanship , and that she employ'd all her industry to render it admirable . 't is the first part of man that lives , and the last that dies ; it is so o little ; as 't will not suffice to give a kite a meal ; and yet so great , as the whole world cannot satisfie it : nothing but his immensity that made it , can fill the infinite capacity thereof . all passions derive from it , as from their spring-head ; 't is this that causeth love and hatred ? 't is this that shuns what it hates for fear , and draws neer to what it loves through desire . 't is lodged like a king in the midst of its subjects ; it gives its orders , without departing from its throne ; its motions are the rules of our health , and assoon as it is assailed , we are sick : it s least hurts are mortall : nature , which knows the worth and the weaknesse thereof , hath endued all its subjects with a secret inclination to expose themselves for its defence , the hands put by the blows that are made at it ; and knowing that their welfare consists in the preservation thereof , they hazard themselves to save it from danger . to reward this their service , this sovereigne is so vigilant , as he never takes rest ; he labours alwayes for the weal-publick , and whilest the senses are asleep , he is busied in moving the arteries , in forming the spirits , and in distributing them about all the parts of the body . the braines finish this work , and giving it its last perfection , dispose it to the noblest operations of the soul. this work ceaseth not , though men sleep ; though the soul take some refreshment , these two parts of the body are always in action ; and when they cease to move , they cease to live . all these live in so full a peace , as the difference of their temper is not able to disturbe it : cold accords there with heat , moystnesse is there no longer an enemy to drynesse ; and the elements which cannot tolerate one another in the world , conspire together in man , for his bodies preservation . if any disorder happen , it is occasioned by forreign heat , the naturall subjects never trouble the states tranquility : they are so straightly joyn'd by their interests , as nothing can befall the one which the other doth not resent ; the pain of one part is the sicknesse of the whole body : p and if the foot be hurt , the tongue complains , the heart sighes , the eyes weep , the head bowes to consider the evill , and the armes extend themselves to apply remedy . if their love be so rare , their obedience is no lesse remarkable ; for they force their own inclinations to observe the orders of the will ; and their fidelity is so ready , as the command is no sooner impos'd , then obey'd : at their soveraigns bare motion , the hands strive to be acting , the tongue explains his intentions , the eyes expresse his thoughts , and the eares execute his designs . the will findes out so much submission in the faculties of the soule , as in the parts of the body ; she is oft-times divided by her desires , and opposed by her own inclinations ; sheis a rebell to her selfe , & cannot comprehend how one and the same object can cause horrour and love in her at the same time : but she never commands her body without being obey'd , and unlesse passions make a mutiny in it , or that it be disorder'd by sicknesse , it fulfils her orders with as much readinesse , as faithfulnesse . she likewise undertakes nothing without the assistance of this faithfull companion , q she stands in need of his aid in her noblest operations ; and though she be a meer spirit , she can neither discourse , nor reason , but by the interposition of the body : if she will forme thoughts , she must consult with the imagination ; and if she will explain them , she is forced to make use either of tongue , or hand : r she hath no strong agitations which appear not in the eyes , and when she is disquieted by any violent passion , 't is soon seen in the face . a man must be very vigilant to hinder the commerce between the body and the soule ; the rules of discretion , and all art of policy , which re-commends dissimulation to soveraigns , cannot keep their countenances from discovering their designes , nor their eyes from betraying their wills : the soule conceales nothing from this her faithfull confident ; he that could well study the changes which appear in the face , might infallibly know the alterations of the minde ; and without needing to wish as that ridiculous pagan did , one might read in the forehead , the hearts most secret thoughts . if physiognomie be a science , she hath no certainty but what she draws from the connexion which nature hath placed between the soule and the body ; all her observations are grounded upon the noblest part of the body ; if all be true that is said of her , as soon as she sees the face , she knows the humour ; and without or charmes or magick , she knows their intentions , whose lineaments she observes . though i dare not acknowledge all this , and that i have much a do to believe that a physiognomist can discover the designes of a wise minister of state , by looking him in the face , and that without racking a malefactour , he may read his fault in his eyes ; it sufficeth me to know that this science is grounded upon the commerce between the soule and the body , and that she draws her conjectures from the straight union that is between them . as the soule doth not forme any designe , wherein the body is not a complice ; so doth she taste no contentment , wherein the body doth not share a part : if s she enjoy the beauties of nature , 't is by the senses ; if she see the azure of the skie , the light of the stars ; if she discover the extent of fields , the fertility of vallies ; if she hear the fall of rivers , the musick of birds , if she judge of the glosse or sent of lillies , or roses ; 't is by the benefit either of the sight , hearing , or smelling . it seems the world was made for the bodies diversion , and that all those pleasing parts which go to the composure thereof , have onely been made to delight the senses ; the sun is of no use to the glorified spirits , and all the brightnesse of that goodly constellation cannot light the angels ; those noble intelligences have a spirituall world wherewith they are possest , and ravisht : they finde their happinesse in god , and all that we wonder at in the world , affords them no delight . materia is requisite to tasting the pleasures of sensible nature ; such contentments presuppose a low condition , and it is common with beasts to partake of such diversions . 't is notwithstanding one of the bodies least advantages , that the world should be made for it's use ; and that this chiefe piece of gods workmanship is destined either for it's service , or it's delight . jesus christ followed his fathers steps ; and when he came upon earth , he would have the body to be the object of his mercy , and of his power ; though he laboured for the conversion of sinners , his greatest miracles were wrought for the healing of the sick ; and the body being mans weakest part , he thought he was to treat it with most mildnesse , and to furnish it with as many remedies , as sin hath procured it maladies . somtimes he clensed it of the leprosie , and restored to it 's former purity ; somtimes he freed it from blindnesse , and restored unto it the noblest of it's senses ; somtimes cured it of the palsey , and restored it to the use of it's members : somtimes he withdrew it from the grave , and re-united it to it's soule , contrary to the hope of nature ; somtimes he freed it from the tyranny of devils , and re-establisht it in it's former freedoms . neither did he neglect it in the institution of the sacraments ; for though they were chiefly ordained for the soules sanctification , and that these admirable channels poure grace into the soule , yet are they applied upon the body before they produce their effects in the will ; and they respect joyntly the two parts which go to mans composure . u the body is washt in water , to the end that the soule may be purified ; the body is marked with the figure of the crosse , to the end that the soule may be fortified ; the body receives the unction , to the end that the soule may be consecrated ; the body receives the imposition of hands , to the end that the soule may receive grace ; and the body eates the flesh and bloud of christ jesus , to the end that the soule may be thereby nourished : thus doth not religion destroy nature , and in her highest mysteries the provides for the soules safety , by means of the body . x this maxime is so true , as that all divinity confesseth , that the soule can no longer merit , when she is once parted from the body ; whil'st they are together in company , their grace may be augmented ; and whatsoever vertues they have acquired , they may yet acquire more , but when once death hath divided them , and that the body losing 't's lustre , is reduced either to ashes , or to wormes ; the soule can no longer increase her merit , and in that condition she is onely capable of punishment , or of reward . having so many obligations to her body , she cannot forget them , nay even in the state of glory , where all her designes ought to be satisfied , she wisheth to be re-united to her body , as that wherein her intire felicity consisteth . for though she reign with angels , that she behold the divine essence , and that she enjoy a happinesse , to which even wishes cannot adde , yet hath hath she a passion for her body , and all the good she doth possesse cannot take from her the desire , nor memory thereof ; though she hath made triall of it's revolts ; though this friendly enemy hath oft-times persecuted her , and that she hath desired death to be freed from the tyranny thereof , yet doth she languish after it , and contrary to their humour who have recovered liberty , yet she longs for that which did engage her in servitude . though the body be reduced to dust , though it cause pity in it's enemies , and though it cause horrour in those to whom it was so lovely , she forbeares not to desire it , and to expect the resurrection with impatience , that her body may partake of the blisse which she enjoyes . and 't is not without much justice that she beares so much love to her body , since she owes the greatest part of her advantages unto it , and that she hath hardly any vertue , or light , which she hath not acquired by the assistance of the senses . the soule is ignorant when first infused into the body ; the knowledge which the platonists attribute unto her , is but a meer capacity of apprehending . if she will be intrusted , she must be advised either by her eyes , or by her eares , she must consult with these masters , if she will free her selfe from ignorance . how noble soever she be by birth , y she hath but weak conjectures of truth , if these faithfull officers should faile her ; and should she be ingaged in a body which should have no use of senses , she would be plunged in eternall darknesse . sight and hearing are the organs destined to knowledge , and he who is borne deafe and blinde , is destined to live and die ignorant . as the soule receives these advantages by the body , so doth she distribute them by the bodies assistance , and doth not expresse her thoughts but by the mouth of her interpreter : she gives with the tongue , what she hath received by the eare ; and as she is rich onely by means of the senses , so is she by them onely liberall . she observes the different qualities of objects by the eyes , she judgeth of the diversity of sounds by the eares ; she comprehends mens intentions by their discourse , z she makes hers known by the tongue , and this miraculous part of the body frames words which draw her thoughts unto the life : if those who are absent cannot understand her , she hath recourse to the hand , which draws her dictates upon paper : and which makes that appear to the eyes , which the tongue could not make the eares comprehend . thus the soule acts onely by the body , and all sciences by which we are either instructed or perswaded , are as well the work of the senses , as of the soule . vertue it selfe owes her birth to the meanest part of man , and were he not made of flesh and bloud , he could offer no sacrifice to god , neither could he satisfie divine justice by his repentance . the a purity which equals him with angls , is not wholly spirituall ; if be borne in heaven , 't is bred upon earth ; and if it begin in the soul , it ends in the body . fasting and silence keep the flesh under to purifie the soule , and if man had not a tongue and mouth , he could neither praise god in silence , nor honour him by self-affliction . martyrdom , which is the utmost of charity , and the highest degree of perfection , is consummated onely in the flesh ; meer spirits cannot be a prey to wilde beasts , and a soule which hath put off her body cannot overcome tyrants , nor triumph over executioners . mortallity is requisite to martyrdom , and if the angels be somwhat more than we men , because they cannot die , they are in some sort lesse , because they cannot suffer : death is the triall of our love , and as oft as we lose our lives in christs quarrell , we strike terrour into devils , and fill angels with admiration . in fine , the honour which god receives on earth , proceeds from the body . 't is the body which is his priest and victime ; 't is the body which bears his imprinted characters in it's face ; 't is the body which commands on earth , and which playing the part of gods lieutenant , findes obedience amongst the elements , and mildnesse amongst savage beasts . 't is the body which fights for the glory of the son of god , and which defends his interest to the face of tyrants , and which sings his praises amidst the flames . 't is the body which being made by his hands , and in-livened by his breath , hath the honour to be his workmanship , and his temple . b 't is the body which is the object of his love , and of his care ; which seeth the sun surround the world to lighten it , fruits bud to nourish it , flowers spring up to recreate it , and whole nature labours for it's pleasure , or service . in fine , 't is the body which is offered up upon altars , which fights in persecutions , which praiseth god in prosperity , which blesseth him in afflictions , which honours him in death , which in the grave expects his promises , which will rise again at the end of the world , and which will reign for ever in heaven . the second discourse . of the miseries of the body in generall . the evils which we receive from the body are so great , as that al philosophy is nothing but an invective c against this enemy of our repose . if we beleeve the platonists , t is a prison wherein the soul is inclosed to expiate the sins which she hath committed in heaven . if we will listen to the academicks , t is a grave wherein the soul is buried , and where being more dead than alive , she cannot make use of all those perfections which she hath received from nature . d if we trust the stoicks , t is a disobedient slave , which opposeth it self to all the souls desires , and which being born to obey , hath no so great passion as to command , t is a subject which aspires to tyranny , and which forceth its legitimate sovereign to forgo both honour , and vertue , and to embrace voluptuousnesse . if we will give ear to the peripateticks , who come neerest the truth , t is the least part of man , which being given him to serve the soul , crosseth all her designs , and hinders the execution of her noblest enterprises . hence it is , that all philosophers do what in them lieth , to have no commerce with the body , and wish for death or old age , to the end that the one may weaken this domestick enemy , and that the other may free them from it . christian religion , which marcheth in the midst of errours with assurance , confesseth , that the body is as well the workmanship of god as the soul is , and though it be not altogether so noble , it ceaseth not to be destined to the same happinesse . but as slaves are punisht for their masters , and as children sometimes bear the punishment of their fathers sins , the body hath been punisht for the soul , and from the time it became confederate in her crime , it partook in her punishment . though the soul be the more guilty , the body is the more unfortunate ; and of the two parts which go to the composure of man , the most innocent seems to be the most miserable . for to boote that it is subject to pain by reason of the elements bad intelligence , e that it undergoes sicknesses whereby the health thereof is prejudiced , that it cannot be cured but by troublesome remedies , that the fear of death be a punishment which lasts as long as its life , it is notwithstanding occasion of the most sins whereof the soul is guilty ; and this sovereign thinketh she should be innocent , if she were not fastened to so guilty a party . to disintangle all these things , we must know , that when the soul lost her priviledges , the body lost likewise its advantages ; f for the same grace w● made the soul pleasing to god , made the body subject to the soul , & the same innocencie which preserved the sovereign from sin , warranted the slave from death : but when once man became guilty , he became unfortunate ; and when once he lost originall righteousnesse , he therewith lost all the dependencies thereupon ; errour and blindness slid into the understanding , malice glided into the will ; and by a consequence , which divine justice made necessary , illusion crept into the senses , sicknesse altered mans temper , pain disquieted his rest , and death sho tened his life . these punishments are so irksome as each of them deserves a discourse ; and not to enter upon a subject which i should handle more at large , it shall suffice me for the present to make it manifest , that though the body be the souls slave , since sin it is become her tyrant , and that it neither tastes of contentment , nor suffers sorrow wherein it shares not with her . pain is a sensible evill , and were not the soul ingaged in the body , she without the least commotion would behold the most grievous punishments ; but nature having composed man of these two different parts , the bodies pain , is the souls punishment , their good and their bad are common between them , the more noble suffers with the more ignoble , and by a strange misfortune , the soul which needs no nourishment , fears famine ; she who is spirituall , fears pain , g and she who is immortall apprehends death ; she is afflicted with whatsoever hurts the body , and as if her love had changed her essence , she seems to be become corporeall . by a sequell as shamefull as necessary , she takes her part of all the bodies pleasures ; she shapes desires , unnecessitated , she follows the inclmations of its senses , and forgoing truth and vertue , wherein all her innocent delights ought to consist , she rellisheth the flowers with the smelling , she tastes meat with the pallate , she hears musick with the ears , and seeth the diversity of colours with the eyes . being thus become sensuall , she is not to be loosened from the body , she forgets her naturall advantages , by neglecting them , she forgoes commerce with spirits to treat with beasts ; the fear she hath of death , makes her doubt her immortallity ; the love she hath to pleasure , makes her despise vertue , and to engage her selfe too far in her slaves interest , she learns new crimes , whereof she was before innocent . for although the soule be not impeaceable , and that her will be not so constant in what is good , but that she may be unfortunately parted from it , yet is she not capable of all sorts of crimes ; she may be seduced by falshood , blown up by vaine glory , abased by sadnesse , and gnawn by envy , but she should be exempt from such sins , as she is perswaded unto by the senses , if she were dis-ingaged from the body . meer spirits are not scorcht with unchaste flames ; divels are not unchaste , h save onely for that they counsell us to impurity : they are pleased with this vice , onely because jesus christ is thereby injured , and our soules would finde no trouble in being chaste , did they not love unchaste bodies : drunkennesse , the vapours whereof cloud reason , is not so much a sin of the soule , as of the body ; did not the soule swim in the bloud , the body would never be drown'd in wine ; i and the greatest drunkard of the world would forgoe his love to this sin , if death had un-robd him of his body ; a man must partake much more of a beast , than of an angel , if he fall into this disorder ; and men who make more use of their soules , then of their bodies , are not much subject to this infamous irregularity . gluttony ( which may be termed the sister or the mother of drunkennesse ) lodgeth neither in the will , nor in the understanding , it makes it's abode in the body ; the pallate which tastes viands , the stomack which disgests them , are it 's faithfull officers ; if it make any use of the understanding , k 't is for the service of the belly ; and if it reason at any time , 't is but to finde out new sauces , which may awaken appetite . covetousnesse , though it contest with ambition , and be insatiable , is rather a sin of the senses , than of the soule ; for this illustrious captive , makes not so many wishes for her selfe , as for the body which she inanimates : glory and vertue are the onely objects of her desires ; when she labours to get riches , or to seek out pleasure , she fits her selfe to the humour of her slave , and acts more through complacency , than inclination , or necessity ; 't is the body which needs the light of the constellations to light it , the fruites of the earth to nourish it , the skins of beasts to cloth it , and all the beauties of nature for it's diversion . all artslabour onely for the service thereof ; l though they be the work of the understanding , they be the bodies servants ; and set those aside which have affinity with sciences , all the rest labour onely to entertain the senses ; some cut out clothes to cover us , others raise houses for us to lodge in ; some till the earth to nourish us , others seek for pearl in the bottome of the sea , and diamonds in the bowels of the earth for our adornment ; if the soule become ingenious in inventing things which are superfluous , and of no use , she is there unto sollicited by reason of the bodies need , and she forgoes all these cares as soon as she is got out of prison . the rebell angels never fought to divide the riches of the earth , the division of provinces , or kingdoms , did never move ambition in them , the beauty of women never caused in them loose desires , nor did ever any of those sins which arise from flesh & bloud , tempt those haughty spirits . the greatest part of our excesse derives from the body ; if we were parted from it , we should either become innocent ; or if in that condition we should have either ambition , or avarice , their motive and object would be altered . the greatest conquerours have no motions which are not common to them with lions ; lovers jealousie is not more noble then is that of buls ; and the husbandry of the avaritious is not more just then is that of owles , and ants : if men be more to blame then beasts , 't is because their soule complies with their bodies , and that she makes use of her advantages , to supply her slaves necessities . but the mischiefe takes it's originall from the body ; and as the woman tempted man after she had been seduced by the devill , the flesh tempts the spirit after having been sollicited by objects which flatter the senses . i very well know that in the state of innocency , the soule was first guilty , and that the body being subject to reason could not excite the first seditions ; it was obedient to it's sovereign , and as long as the soule was subject to god , the body was subject to the soule ; but when once the soule rebell'd against her god , her body scorn'd to be commanded by her . and as mans fault had been a revolt , his punishment was a rebellion also . all our mischief ariseth from the bad intelligence which is held between the two parts , whereof we are composed ; he who could appease their differences , might remedy our sins ; and if the body did no longer rebell against the soule , we should have reason to hope , that the soule would no longer rebell against god. to understand this truth , m which seems at first to gain-say the rules of humane reasons , you must know , that generation is the way by which adams sin is transmitted into our soules , should not inherit the bodies sin , nor misery . from this impure , and fruitfull spring-head do all our mis-fortunes derive ; the blindnesse which cloudes our understanding , draws it's obscurity from the body ; falshood , and vanity enter our soules by the gate of our senses ; and if sins end in the will , they begin in the imagination . love glides into the heart by the eyes ; he who could be blinde , might easily be chaste ; if calumny be formed in the heart , it is dealt abroad by the tongue ; and what in the thought was but the malady of one particular man , becomes by discourse the contagion of a whole town . n conceptions are spread abroad by words , and faults are multiplied by communication ; if those who are dumb , conceive envie , they cannot shew it by detraction ; and if they expresse it by signes , 't is either the hands , or eyes , which makes them guilty : our soule is not infected with falshood , or heresie , save by our most refined sense ; these two poisons are taken in by the care , not by the mouth : and as faith and truth enter the soule by hearing , their mortall enemies make their passage by the same way : a man must stop his eares , and shut his eyes if he will keep his heart pure . it were to be wisht , that men were blinde , that so they might not see the beauty which inchants them ; & that women were deafe , that they might not hear the praises which seduce them . o in fine , the world abuseth us onely by our senses ; it 's pernicious maximes get into our soules by our eares , the vanities thereof corrupt our wills by our eyes ; and all those objects , whose different beauties do be witch us , make no impression in our soule , but by our body . we should be invulnerable , were we spirituall ; and of a thousand temptations which we have , we should hardly be troubled with one , were we not engaged in materia . to compleat our mis-fortune , we love our enemy , the bad offices he doth us cannot diminish our love . all the maximes of religion cannot perswade us to revenge ; and though this motion of the minde be so pleasing to the injured , it seems severe unto us , when we are invited to punish our body . our passion for this unfaithfull one , p is not extinguished by death . the damned preserves it amidst the flames ; though they know their pains shall be increased by the resurrection of their body ; they cannot chuse but desire it . in hell hope triumphs over fear and pain ; and this cruell enemy hath so many charmes , as though he be reduced to dust , yet doth he cause love in the soule which did inanimate him . the remembrance of the injuries which the soule hath received from the body , and the fear of pain which she expects from thence , is not able to stifle this desire . she hopes for the day of judgement , where she must be condemned ; though she know her punishment will be increased by her re-union with her body ; she cannot but desire it with impatience , and places the delay thereof in the number of her sufferings . so as we are bound to conclude , that if the body be the cause of sin during life , it will be the punishment thereof after death ; and that if it hath made the soule guilty upon earth , 't will make her unhappy in hell . the third discourse . of the infidelity of the senses . nature being so intermingled with sin , as that the one is the production of god ; the other the work of man ; the praises which we give to the former , are always mingled with invectives made against the latter ; and we cannot value the beauty of nature , unlesse we blame the out-rages which q she hath received from sin ; the figure of mans body is an evident signe of his makers wisdome . the lineaments of his face bindes us to admire the power of the hand which hath formed them , and the disposall of the parts thereof , draw no lesse praises from our mouthes , than the like of the universe . but the disorder which we see in mans temperature , the opposition of those elements which go to his composure , and that generall revolt which hath shed it self throughout all his members , obligeth us to detest sin , which is the cause thereof . we must argue in the same sort concerning our senses , and confesse , that as their use deserves estimation , their irregularity deserves blame . they are admirable in their structure , and were they not common to us with beasts , we might be permitted to glory in them . the operation of the noblest of them is so subtill , as that the soule , as divine as she is , can hardly comprehend it ; she admireth these master-pieces of nature , though she have so great a share in their miracles , yet knows she not how they are done ; and thinks strange that she should contribute to wonders which she cannot conceive . for the soule inanimates the senses , and this spirituall forme , is a created divinity which sees by the eyes , heares by the eares , and expresseth it selfe by the mouth . but if the senses have their perfections , they have also their defects ; and if the soule receive any service by them , she is by them likewise much injured . they are the gates of falshood and errour , vanity slides into our soules , by their means ; they are exposed to illusions ; the objects wherewith they are pleased corrupt them ; and being once corrupted by delight , they make no true reports unto the soule . nature hath endowed us with them , that we might know god by things visible , and to raise us up to consider the beauty of the creatour by the like of his works ; these deceitfull guides do notwithstanding abuse us , and sollicited either by delight , or interest , make idols unto themselves of all the creatures , and lead us to adore sensible and perishable gods. r saint augustine confesseth , that he never went astray in his beliefe , save when he would follow them ; and that he never engaged himselfe in errour , save when he gave beliefe to their advise ; he sought out god with his eyes , he would have touched him with his hands , and thought to have found him in the world , whom he carried about with him in his heart . he gave commission to all his senses to finde him out , but these ignorant messengers could learn him nothing ; and he found not his god , because he knew not how rightly to seek for him . their ignorance would be excusable , were it not accompanied with injustice ; but these evill counsellours grow insolent in chiding us , after they have abused us , and make violence succeed superchery ; they tyrannize over our souls , after having seduced them , and make the sovereign take laws from his slaves . according to the government of the universe , inferiour things are alwas subject to their superiour : as the earth is lesse noble than the heavens , it is also lower ; it receives their influences , thereof with respect , and all the fruit it beareth , raise themselves up towards the stars , to witnesse that it's fruitfulnesse derives from their influences . in civill government , women are subject unto their husbands , and slaves obey their masters ; in politique , the people hold of their sovereign , and the kings will , is the subjects laws ; but in man this order is reverst by an irregularity , which can be nothing but the punishment of sin : his soule depends upon his body ; and in her noblest operations , she is obliged to be advised by the senses . her condition is so unhappy , as she seems almost enforced to believe the ignorant , to follow the blinde , and to obey rebels . a man would blame a state , where fools should command over wise men , where children should prescribe laws to the ancient , and where women should have dominion over their husbands ; yet corrupted nature is engaged in this disorder ; and since our first fathers sin , the senses are the souls counsellours , and this faint-hearted sovereign , renouncing her lawfull authority , receives orders from her slaves . their tyranny hath occasioned another , more cruell , and more dangerous ; for as they are subject to the devills illusions , they fight under his colours , and become accessary to all his wicked designes : he s hath wonall our senses over to him since sin ; the noblest are most trusty to him , and he hath so corrupted them , as one must either be very wise , or very fortunate to defend himselfe from them . he hath put slandering in the tongue , uncleannesse in the eyes , errour in the eares , revenge in the heart , and pride in the head : he hath disperst disobedience amongst the passions , revolt amongst the members , and infidelity amongst all the senses . if we speak , he sollicits us to speak wrongfully ; if we hear , he engageth us in errour ; if we look , he strikes us in love ; if we think upon our injuries , he incites us to revenge ; and if we consider our advantages , he makes us vain glorious . thus are our senses the executours of his fury , the parts of our body are confederate in his faultinesse , and the members which nature hath given us to defend our selves , are the weapons which he makes use of to fight against us . but lest i may be accused of adding to our mis fortune to excuse our sin ; i will consider the senses in particular , and after having observed their advantages , i will consider their defects . if the eye be not the noblest , t is at least the most beautifull of all our senses ; and if it be not most usefull , t is at least the most delightfull . nature imployes nine moneths in forming it , it is one of the parts of the body she begins the soonest , and ends the last : t is a master peece of workmanship , wherein her power , and t her dexterity are equally to be admired : she mingles conrraries so warily there ; as waters are there observed to agree with flames ; they are the rises of fire and of tears , which cause deluges , & inflammations : all passions are there seen in their glory ; sorrow and joy make it their chiefest theatre , and when the heart burns with love or with hatred ; it darteth out thunder and lightning by the eyes : their greatnesse is rather a prodigie than a wonder ; for they inclose the u heavens with all the stars therein , the sea with all her rocks , and earth with all its mountains , the severall species of all these objects lodge there without confusion , and nature is amazed to see her whole image , in so small a looking glasse . all their parts are of so nice a composition , as they are undiscernable ; the nerves which convey the sight are smaller than the hairs of the head , the thin filmes which covereth them , are more transparent then christall , and the waters which are inclosed in their receptacles , are so calm , as no storm can trouble them : nature , which governs her love according to the merit of her works , hath given them so many guards , as their excellencie is easily judged by her care in preserving them . x for to boote that the hairs on the eye-lids , are as many bristled points which defend them ; that the eye-brows , are arches which cover them , that the eye-lids , are vails which hide them ; the hands are imployed to save them , and their chief exercise , when in the dark , is to guard these sons , which guide us in the day time . they are so sudden in their operation as it holds of the nature of lightning ; they raise themselves up to the heavens , and descend to the depths in a moment , they finde out things furthest of without wearinesse , and by an ordinary miracle they joyn themselves to them , without disjoyning themselves from the body : they serve for an interpreter to those that cannot speak , they expresse thoughts which the understanding dares not trust the tongue withall , they are so happy in their expressions as savadge men understand them , and they are so powerfull in their perswasions , as they oft-times obtain more by their looks , then the mouth can do by words . but assuredly it must be confest , that their bad exceeds their good , and their defaults their advantages . for the greatest sins commence by the sight , love hath no force with those that are blinde ; though he be blinde-folded , his looks make his greatest conquest ; and the arrows which he shoots proceed rather from his eyes then from his quiver : y the subtilty of this sense serves onely to make it the more guilty ; it commits faults where it is not , and being more subtil then thunder , it scorcheth people without touching them , it meditates adulteries before the heart conceiveth them , and in all unchaste sins , it is alwaies first faulty ; most men would be innocent , if they were blinde ; and without seeking so many remedies against love , want of sight would serve the turn : z the soul having a more noble residence in the eyes , then in the other senses , she shapes no wishes which she expresses not by them ; nor conceives she any designe , wherein they are not complices . every part of the body is capable of some crime , and since our losse of innocency , we have no part in us which is not able to irritate gods justice : but yet we have this of comfort in our misfortune that their mischiefe is bounded ; and that by a fortunate disability , they can commit but one sort of sin . the hand is onely guilty of murders and theft , the tongue of blasphemy and calumnie , the ear of hearing , errour , and falshood , and the mouth of excesse in eating and drinking : but the eye is guilty of all crimes , it sees no object wherewith it is not tempted , and all sins which can kill our souls , can seduce our light ; a pride seems to have establisht its throne there , & lying is not more naturall to the tongue , then vain-glory to the eyes as they have the art of speaking , they have also the cunning of mis-speaking , their very looks without the help of wor●s sufficiently witnesse their despisal : slothfulnesse reignes there no lesse then obloquie ; though they be so active , they cease not to be slothfull , drowsinesse assails them to make us sleep , they are sooner shut then the ears , and experience teacheth us , that we hear words when we see no objects : anger is seen to break forth there in fury , lightnings and thunders burst forth from thence as messengers of revenge , and this violent passion makes not much more havock in the heart , than in the eyes : like avarice , they are insatiable , that which hath been pleasing to them , causeth their pain , and their punishments arise from whence their desires did first derive . envie sins more by the eyes than by the hands , though she be made to passe for blinde , she looks upon her neighbours happinesse with repining , and should she have lost use of sight , she would have found a remedy for the greatest part of her torments . uncleannesse b lights her torches at the eyes to consume the heart ; she would be weak , were she not assisted by these faithfull officers ; she undertakes nothing but by their looks , and before she imployes the hand to write , or the mouth to speak , she hath already made use of the eyes to expresse her designes . in fine , the eye is so guilty , as the wise man findes nothing more pernitious , c he wisheth to be blinde that he might purchase innocencie ; and he leaves in dispute , whether pestilence and war , or the sight , be cause of greater mischief . as hearing contends with it for worth , so may it do for wickednesse ; and it must be granted that the good and bad which we receive thereby , are equally considerab●e ; t is the sense which is most peculiar to the understanding , and which nature and religion seems to have addicted to the knowledge of the highest truthes : nature makes d use thereof to learn sciences ; she knows generall things onely by the ears ; and those who are deaf remain ignorant much longer than those that are blinde . religion makes use of it to insinuate faith into the soul , of all our senses t is the only one which is faithfull to her ; all the rest withstand faith , and meet with difficulties which offend them : hearing is more credulous , and more rationall , its affinity with the understanding , makes it capable of the wonders of christianity ; and the great apostle e confesseth , that faith enters the soul by the ears : passions themselves are obedient to it , and these unruly subjects which countenance the empire of reason , obey the empire of the care , t is by it that commanders incourage their souldiers to battle , t is by it that orators oppease incensed people , t is by it that philosophers perswade their disciples ; t is by it that polititians instruct princes , and make conquerours undertake gallant actions ; eloquence , which works such wonders in the world , owes all her might to hearing ; she languisheth upon paper ; when by the eyes she glides into the soul , she looseth half her force , but she bereaves us of our liberty where she insinuates her self by the ears : and a man must be either stupid or opinionated , if he resist reasons which are pleasingly conveyed into the understanding by handsome discourse . f for all the praises are given to a sense so requisite to science and religion , it ceaseth not to have it's faults ; and to bear the characters of sin . it is a slave to superstition , and errour ; it makes hereticks , as well as true believers , and 't is the part by which the serpents perswasions entred our first mothers soule . the poison which is poured in by the eare , is much more dangerous than that which is taken in by the mouth ; and the soule is more easily corrupted by hearing , than by seeing . all vertues are endangered when set upon in this place , and there is not one of them , which is not extreamly threatned , when the vice which is it's enemy , will make it come forth by the part by which it entred ; 't is by it , that idle discourse undertakes chastity ; 't is by it , that errour triumphs over truth ; 't is by it , that calumny oppresseth innocency ; 't is by it , that blasphemy doth spread abroad it's contagion ; 't is in fine , by it , that the devill drives out jesus christ , and possesseth himselfe of the throne which he had raised up in our hearts . so as 't is not without good reason , that the g wise man counselleth us to hedge in our eares with thornes , and carefully to lock up a gate , by which falshood , heresie , and impiety do confusedly get into our soules : and 't is not without cause that we declare , that if the whole body be infected by sin , the eare is the part most dangerously corrupted . the fourth discourse . that the passions are fickle , or wilde . if man were a meer spirit , he should have no passions , nor should his rest be ever troubled by these motions of the sensible soule . angels h which have no commerce with flesh and bloud , have one of these changes ; if they desire any thing that is good , they languish not for it ; if they punish a fault , they are not transported with choler ; and if they assist us in our misery , they are not touched with compassion : whence i conclude , that passions proceed from the soules marriage with the body ; and that it is as naturall for a man to hope , and feare , to love and hate , to rejoyce , and to be sorry , as to eate and drink , or to wake and sleep . since nature doth nothing without a reason , man reapes some advantage by his passions , and meets with a thousand occasions , wherein i he may make good use of them . desire is the soules course , and she seems to command this nimble heeled passion , to put her in possession of what she loves . hope comes in to the succour of desire , and promiseth her such good successe , as she resolves to make her way through all difficulties , which oppose her designes . if hope meet with more opposition then she imagined , she calls in courage to her aid , which by her valour purchaseth her the enjoyment of what she had long wished for . such passions as are opposite to these , serves the soule to keep aloofe from what she apprehends . fear is her flight ; she doth her utmost to keep her enemy off ; though she be timerous , she mingleth her selfe with hope to effect her designes ; and imployes boldnesse to overcome such dangers as threaten her ; if her strength be too weak , she falls insensibly into despair ; and giving way to griefe , doth of necessity become unhappy . somtimes she assumes courage in her disasters ; sollicited by hatred , animated by desire , and incouraged by despair , she gets the better of the enemy which possesseth her ; and findes by experience , that somtimes to be happy , a man must have been miserable . these passions have so much affinity with vertue , k as let but never so little care be taken in husbanding them , they may become vertuous . fear is serviceable to wisdome ; wise men are always timerous ; good successe always their apprehension , and prosperity which makes others insolent , makes polititians modest ; the tragedian makes agamemnon , from the ruine of troy apprehend the like of sparta ; his victory causeth his diffidency , and the poet , who will make this prince a perfect polititian , seems to have grafted his wisdome onely upon fear . audacity is a naturall fortitude , a man must be couragious to be valiant ; this vertue is no lesse a work of nature , than of morality ; and unlesse a mans constitution contribute towards his generosity , philosophy with all her counsell , will hardly make him seek out an honourable death . that which is said of poets , ought to be affirmed of all vertuous men ; as these cannot be famous in their profession , unlesse they be borne of that heat which is the soule of poesy , these cannot be valiant , unlesse they be born with that generous heat , which desplseth dangers , and which boasteth in the losse of life , when glory is won thereby . anger doth somwhat resemble justice , the one and the other of them will punish faults ; and if the former be not better regulated in the revenge which she takes for injuries , 't is because she is blinde , and that self-love whereby she is guided , makes her commit excesse . l sorrow and griefe are happy servants to repentance ; they mixt their tears together to bewaile one and the same sin , and the contrition of a guilty person is the joynt work of nature and grace : as to be faithfull , a man must be rationall , so to be penitent , a man must be afflicted ; and god will have passion to conspire with reason in repentance , to the end that the two parts whereof man is composed may satisfie justice . in fine , all the motions of the sensitive soule seem so addicted to good , as some of them cannot forgoe it's party ; pitty is always praise-worthy , and the compassion of anothers evill , which she imprints in the heart , is so just , that the very barbarians cannot condemne it ; the indignation which we conceive for the misery of the good , and for the prosperity of the wicked , is a naturall justice which hath not yet met with a censure rigid enough to blame it . the shame which makes us blush at our advantages , or our defaults , doth look so like modesty , as their interests are inseparable ; she serves for an ornament to vertue , and for an expiation to sin ; be it that her father be infamous , or her mother glorious , the daughter is always equally honourable ; and if a man be too blame in having committed sin , he is to be praised in witnessing his shame , for having committed it . but let philosophers be as carefull as she pleaseth in praising of our passions , they have lost their innocency , since nature hath lost her purity . the justest of them are irregular , and those which seem to side with vertue , are slaves to sin ; their first motions are out of our power ; let us take what care we can to reduce them to their duty ; they get on wing without our leave ; they are subjects to whom rebellion is naturall , m wilde beasts which are never tamed , and faithlesse souldiers which fight oftner in the behalf of vice , than of vertue . the saints think themselves happy , when after much ado , they can overcome one of these domestick enemies ; their life is not long enough to assubject them totally ; and when they think to have overcome them , they finde , that like anteus in the fable , they draw strength from their weaknesse , and courage from their defeats : there is no passion in man which doth not set upon some vertues ; oft-times they conspire together to fight against them . they reconcile their own differences , that they may ruine them ; and as the elements use violence upon their qualities , to preserve nature ; these force their inclinations to destroy her . their peace is more fatall to us than war ; & we know not , that whether they be more to be dreaded when they adopt themselves to our humours , or when they oppose our desires . the best of them ( the state considered wherein they are put by sin ) are almost always irregular , the most innocent of them seem to be somwhat criminall ; and those which men mix with the vertues , have always some affinity with vice : the greatest part of their motions are violent , unlesse they be reformed to grace ; and whatsoever advantage morality may promise unto her selfe by them , she findes by her experience , that it is never good sporting with a wilde beast , though it appear never so tame . naturall pity is almost always unjust ; she considereth the pain , but not the offence ; n she would break open prison , to let murtherers loose ; and guilty men cease to be odious to her , if once they become miserable . indignation is not much more just than pity ; she complaines of the prosperity of the wicked , and of the good mans adversity , onely because she knows not that riches and honours are not the true rewards of vertue ; and that shame and poverty are not the true punishments of sin . she is onely severe because she is blinde ; she would not condemne the secrets of gods providence , if she were conversant with the laws of justice , and mercy . shame is alwayes mixt with sin ; if sin be not the cause thereof , it is the occasion : and of as many guilty people as seem shamefull , there are but few which do not more fear the dishonour than the offence . it is very hard in the condition whereunto sin hath reduced us , for the passions to be serviceable to us without grace ; since nature is become our punishment , they are become our executioners ; they serve for ministers to gods justice , to revenge his goodnesse upon our offences ; they must be subject to charity , if we will reap any profit by them ; and if the greatest part of mens vertues be sins without faith , the greatest part of their passions are disorders without grace ; they are not to be safely guided by morality without religion , their unrulinesse surpasseth her addresse ; and as there are certain storms which passe the pilots skill , there are revolts in man which exceed reason . they say that bees have some shadow of policie in their government ; they chuse a king whose wil they reverence , they fight for his glory , and shew as much courage in war , as industry in peace . they suck the juyce of flowers without tarnishing their colours , they rob gardens without disaraying them , and with the same sting wherewith they fight against their enemies , they make their hives and gather their hony . p this handsome order endures no longer then doth their kings life ; for as soon as he is dead they give over working , betake themselves to parties , conspire one against another , & having no king to keep them within their bounds , they divide their state . whilest innocencie made reason rul'd in man , the passions were peaceable , all their motions were regular : anger committed no injustice , all its decrees were equitable , and the measure of the offence was alwaies the rule of punishment ; hatred set onely upon sin ; and love betook himself wholly to vertue ; every passion plotted the publike good : but since originall righteousnesse hath forsaken reason , and that man , being but half himself , hath ceased to be the perfect image of god , his passions have despised his empire , his subjects have revolted , and losing the respect which he ought to god , he hath lost the authority which he had in his own person . profane philosophy , which saw the effects of a cause , whereof she was ignorant , sought for a remedie , though without successe : she laughed at those , who would destroy the passions , as knowing that they were naturall to men ; she invented some vertues to guide them ; & forming unto her self a continencie to moderate pleasures a fortitude to withstand sorrow , a wisdom to regulate accidents , and a justice to decide the differentes between the body and the soul , she thought to have quieted all their disorder , and to have revived innocency in the world ; but when she saw how weak these vertues were , despaire made her arm mutineeres , to suppresse one passion by another , and to oppose hope to fear , choller to remissnesse , and sorrow to joy . this remedy proved worse than the disease ; it increased the number of the rebels q whom it would have lessened ; & weakened reasons authority , whichit would have established . all these different means unprofitably employed are sufficient proofs of our passions malignity ; and after all the means used by philosophy , it must be confest , that the motions of our soul are disordered by sin ; that to make vertues of them , their nature must be almost totally altered , and that unassisted by grace they are more dangerous mischiefs than either pestilence or famine . one of them is sufficient to destroy a whole province , a monarchs anger is the ruin of a state , and that which causeth suites at law between particular men , kindles war between princes . ambition hath changed the face of the world a hundred times , the deluge hath not made such waste therein , as hath the pride and vain glory of conquerors ; the marks of their i g●eatnes are for the most part fatall ; they build towns upon the ruines of such as they have beaten down : their conquests do oft times begin with violence and injustice ; vertue hath seldom been the reward of their victory , he who hath been most fool-hardy hath oft-times been most fortunate ; the whole world dreaded alexanders ambition , & one only man , hath or caused fear in all men . the desire of glory made him swim in his enemies blood ; this passion was augmented by good successe , victory ingaged him in new battails ; the more fortunate he was , the more was he insolent ; had not death stopt the course of his conquests , he would have made all nature groan : asia europe and affrica would have had but one and the same tyrant ; and his subjects ruine would have been the onely proof of his authority . adams fault never appeared more than in alexander ; we should not beleeve that our father aspired to make himself god , if this his son had not imitated him ; and we should hardly beleeve that man in the state of innocency had any proud desires , had not this prince had insolent thoughts in the state of sin . the world seemed too little to his ambition , his vanity thought usurpation lawfull , and he was so blinded with passion as that he thought it no the every to plunder a kingdom , or murther to defeate an army . by all this discourse t is easie to inferre , that the passions are rebels which are partiall in their siding with sin , and which are never so much assubjected to the soul , but that they are alwaies ready to obviate her power , and ruine her authority : they are like the praetorian souldiers , who made merry with their princes heads , who made and unmade their sovereignes , onely in reference to their own interest ; who gave the empire to those , who offered most for it , and who made no election which began not with murther : for these heady giddy subjects have no other motion than either their own pleasure or proffit ; they obey not reason , save onely when they like her commands , and to reap any profit by them , they must be won either by threates or promises ; they help us , onely in hurting us ; they do rather occasion the exercising our vertue , then assist the practice thereof ; and as if they were of the devils humour , they advance our wellfare only , in labouring our losse ; their assistance is almost alwayes pernitious ; they must be used as the poets say aeolus used the windes ; threates must be used with the orders which we give them ; they are like those horses in the chariot of the sun in ovid ; they must be be roughly dealt withall before they reduced ; and their nature must be changed , ere their violence be overcome . anger turnes to fury when not moderated ; desire and hope go astray when not regulated ; audacity grows rash , when not held in ; and sorrow turns to despaire , when not sweetened ; so as all passions instruct us , that nature is corrupted by sin ; and that to assubject them to reason , a man must guide himself by the motions of grace . the fifth discourse . that the health of man is prejudiced by sicknesse . amongst a thousand differences which distinguish christian grace from originall righteousnesse , one of the chiefest is , that the former sanctifies the souls onely , and the other did sanctifie the whole man , and wrought admirable effects in his body . for in the profession of christianity , the senses are yet subject to the illusions of the devil , objects do yet move the passions ; and reason is oft surprised by their motions . the sacraments do not warrant us from death , and the remedies which jesus christ hath left unto his church do not cure our sicknesses . but in the state of innocency , originall righteousnes was a plentifull spring-head which dispersed abroad its rivulets into both the parts which go to the composure of man. for it brought fidelity to the senses , obedience to the passions , and peace to the elements ; hence it was , that man preserving his advantages , s was exempt from sicknesse and death : the seasons not being yet irregular , nothing could alter his temper , and his humours being uncorrupted , nothing could have prejudiced his health : but with the losse of his innocency , he lost all his priviledges and he was no sooner sinfull , but he began to be sick . this is so constant a truth , as that mans life is nothing but a long sicknesse which never ends but in death : he is born in sorrow aswell as in sin ; his entrance into the world is no lesse painfull , then shamefull ; if this monster like the viper , rip up the bowells of his mother , he himself feels a part of the pain , which he makes her suffer , and he runs as much danger , as she who brings him into the world . therefore t is that saint austin sayes handsomly , that to be born , is to begin to suffer , and that to live in the body is to begin to be sick : the disorder of seasons is sufficient to corrupt the best constitutions , and the alterations which happen in the world make such impressions in the body as trouble the temper thereof . though nature be a wise mother , that she prepare us for the summers heat by the moderate warmth of the spring , and that she fits us for the winters cold by the moistnesse of autumn , yet is the body of man so weak as notwithstanding all these precautions , she cannot free it from incommodity ; physicians themselves observe , that every season brings with it its maladie : and that ruling over such humours as accord with them , they never suffer us to enjoy perfect health . the elements agree not better than do the seasons , there is alwayes some one of them which predominates to the prejudice of the rest , they commit outrages each upon other ; and as bloud and choller , discharge themselves when over heated ; flegme and melancholly do the like when they are corrupted ; their good intelligence is fatall to man ; this calm threatens him with a terrible storm , and he is never nearer sicknesse , than when in perfectest health ; besides these incommodities which spring from his temper , there are others which proceed from indigencie , and which oblige him every day to seek for cure , he is dayly tormented with hunger and thirst , t and these are so pressing maladies , as he cannot defer their remedies without hazarding his life . naturall heat commits spoil in the body which ought to be repaired . the fire which inanimates us , consumes us , and if it be not furnisht with nourishment to entertain it , it dischargeth it's fury upon the radicall moisture which preserves us . 't is a lamp that goes out when left without oyle ; and a man is so corrupted since sin , as that which we call life , is but a long death ; and that which is termed health , is but a continuall sicknesse . nature is become our punishment , every part of our body is bound by the justice of god to punish us ; so as not needing executioners for the satisfaction thereof , it findes enough in our selves to revenge itselfe of us . the sicknesses wherewith we are afflicted ; u arise from the mixture of the elements ; though the seasons were not unseasonable , and though the heavens should have no bad influences , we should not cease to suffer ; our bodily temper suffers for the irregularity of our soules ; and there are some evils turned into nature ; insomuch as we cannot live without them ; thirst is as usuall as hunger , this malady , though it be violent , ceaseth not to be naturall ; those who are never troubled therewithall , passe either for angels , or for monsters ; history ranks it in the number of prodigies ; and men are more astonished to see a man that did never drink , than to see a man that did never laugh : yet this so common punishment is so cruell , as in five or six days it destroys the strongest men , and makes the most couragious accept of dishonourable conditions . places which can defend themselves against force , cannot defend themselves against thirst ; and the fire which consumes the entrails , is of more efficacy , than that which blows up walls and bulwarks . watching is not much lesse unsupportable than thirst . tyrants have put malefactors to death by keeping them from sleep . man must have recourse to sleep to refresh himselfe , and must seek to preserve his life in the image of death . if he neglect this remedy , he languisheth away , and his very soule which delights in motion , hath need of this rest , to re-assume it's vigour . but all these evills are but pastimes or sports , in comparison of these which are occasioned by our debaucheries . the stone and gout are punishments which may almost vye with those of the damned , they sieze on the most sensible parts of the body ; had they not their intermissions they would cast men into despair ; and to free themselves from it , the lawes of the ancients ought to be revived ; which permitted the miserable to die . all the parts of the body hath maladies which assail them ; there is not any one which hath not some peculiar torments . the eye which is one of the least , though not of least importancy , is subject to above an hundred severall diseases ; the nerves which give them motion , and through which they receive light , are as capable of obstruction , as those by which the armes and legs are moved ; the smaller they be , the more susceptible they are of pain , and by how much the parts of the body are the most noble ; they seem to be the more painfull . the least hurt in the heart is mortall ; and the throne wherein the soule resides is so fraile , as a very vapour is capable to crack it . in fine , the best physician , who knew not that a man was sinfull , wondred he should be so miserable ; and considering his miseries , confest he was wholly a disease . x the soule , which is the bodies guest , is also it 's executioner ; the ones agitations trouble the others humours ; great men have little health , the great designes which purchases them so much glory , leaves them but little quiet . violent agitations alter the constitutions more than the countenance , more men dye of anger and griefe , than by the hands of the hangman ; lovers , and ambitious men are always in a fever : the fire which inflames them , consumes them ; and the physician who deals with their body cannot cure their sicknesse , till philosophy which guides their mindes hath allayed their passions . the soules delights are the bodies punishments , and the same meditation which enlightens the understanding , and heats the will , disorders the temper , and alters the constitution ; thus the whole life of man , is nothing but a vexatious sicknesse , his noblest operations serve him for punishments , and he cannot purchase knowledge but by the losse of his health . if the maladies be vexatious , the remedies are not more pleasing . physick teacheth , that the remedies which she furnisheth us withall , are but prepared venomes ; she cannot drive out sicknesses , but by poisons ; and to cure those that are sick , she must seek for antidotes in the bowels of vipers . she is so unfortunate in her cures , as she cannot assaile the disease , without hurting the party diseased ; nor can she strengthen the diseased party without augmenting the disease . these two maximes which divide the school of physick , are are equally dangerous : for be it that you will drive away the disease by it's contrary , or that you will cure nature by it's like , you must either weaken the sick party y whil'st you think to destroy his disease , or else increase the disease , whil'st you strengthen the party that is sick : so as the remedies are as dangerous as displeasing ; and we hazard our life as oft as we endeavour to recover health . hence proceeds the aversions which sick people have to physick ; hence proceeds the philosophers invectives , against the fear of death , and the desire of life ; which oblige us to endeavour remedies , which are more cruell than the evills which they promise to cure . for there is the difference between nature and physick ; the former remedies are pleasing , the others nauseous . viands which satisfie our hunger are so conformable to our temperature , as they expell the evill with delight , and repaires the ruine thereof without pain . wine appeaseth thirst with so much contentment , as that drunkards are delighted in the remedy , and wish to be thirsty , that they may have the contentment of being cured ; this sort of drink is so pleasing to them , as not staying till they have need thereof , they seek it out meerly for pleasures sake ; and violate the laws of nature , which hath made it pleasing onely because 't is necessary . sleep charms our wearinesse with so much of content , as though it be the picture of death , no man doth abhor it : the slothfull ground their felicity thereon and those who do most desire to live , take delight in dying oft and long . a man must be sick to have an aversion of these remedies , and either our health is interessed , or our taste depraved , when meat displeaseth us : z but physick is so severe in her operations , as she never undertakes to cure us , without offending some of oursenses ; all her remedies are torments ; if she restore us to health , we must undergoe pain ere we come by it ; she hurts us to cure us , nor hath she yet found the receipt how to make her potions pleasing : the sweetest things in her hands , become either dead or bitter , sugar and honey do distaste us , when prepared by her ; and she is so unfortunate in all her designes , as she weakens her reme●s when she thinks to make them appear pleasing . chyrurgerie , which follows her as her handmaid ; out-bids her mistresse for cruelty ; tyrants are not so cruell as , her officers ; she hath more instruments to afflict the sick withall , than hang-men have to torment the guilty : a all her cures are effected by fire and iron ; she widens wounds to close them , she cuts off some members , to save the rest of the body ; she draws the stone out of the bladder , with such torture , as seems to equall that of the damned ; and she is either so cruell , or so unfortunate , as she cannot make men whole , without making them martyrs ; a life accompanied with so much pain , cannot be very pleasing ; health so dearly bought , cannot be much delightfull ; and a man must be stupid , if he do not equally apprehend the malady , and the cure . b we see nothing in the world which ought not to cause horrour in us . the simples in our gardens call to minde our sicknesses , the fairest of our flowers teach us that we either are sick , or may be ; those drugs which we fetch from the furthest indics , are proofes of our infirmities ; our ancestors world will not suffice to cure us , we must seek for a new world to find new remedies in ; and if the desire of glory make the ambitious passe over unknown seas ; the desires of health make the sick discover forreign countries . who will not confesse that man is sufficiently sinfull , since there is no part of his body which is not threatned with sundry . maladies ; and who will not confesse that he is very unfortunate , since all his remedies are punishments , and that he cannot buy his health , but by the losse of pleasure . 't is true , that if we more value gods glory , then our own interest , we shall finde contentment in our pain ; for his justice is satisfied by our sicknesse , his power appears in our infirmities , and his mercies are seen in our recoveries . he invents evills to punish the guilty , c he imployes our sicknesse to expiate our sins , he makes as good use of a fever as of death to convert us , & he beats down the pride of monarchs with punishments , which taking their name from their weaknesse , are called infirmities . his power was admired in egypt , when he made use of little flies to overcome pharaohs obstinacy ; men were astonished to see these small animalls set upon the souldiers of this great prince , that they wounded them deeply with weak weapons , and that by their little trunks ( more powerfull in the hand of god , than those of elephants ) they brought all that monarches subjects to despair ; they were surprized when grashoppers made up a body of an army in his state ; when they spread themselves overall his provinces , when they laid all his grounds waste , eat up the eares of corn , and left a fearfull so litarinesse , which threatned the whole kingdom with an universall famine . men wondred when the frogs forsaking their marish grounds , entred towns , and houses ; broke through the corps du-guards , threw themselves into pharaohs palace , and passing even to his private closet , whereunto he had withdrawn himself , did in their croking voice upbraid unto him his pride and infidelity . but this so mighty miracle comes short of that which divine justice shews in the sicknesses of the earthly monarches , grashoppers are not so dreadfull in his hands , as are fevers and contagious diseases ; and if he appeared adorable when he revenged himself upon his enemies by flyes and frogs , he is no lesse the same when he stings the nerves by the gout ; when by a grain of sand he stops the uritaries ; or , when by a vapour which assailes the brains he puts a period to the designes of the greatest princes of the world . grashoppers are the works of his hands , he imploys the beautifullest of all constellations to form them , and he gives them meadows to walk in , and disport themselves , but sicknesses are the daughters of sin , and mothers of death . being the spring of rebellion , they ought not render obedience to god ; and not being the workmanship of his power , they ought not to serve his justice ; yet he imployes them to punish the rebels of his kingdom ; he useth them as state policies , and not making use of fire or water , he commands the fever or the goute , to set upon princes in their pallaces , to mow down their subjects , and to turn the most populous towns , into dreadfull desarts ; if these faithfull officers doe sometime serve his justice ; they are also sometimes d serviceable to his mercy ; for sicknesses do losen us from the earth , they bereave us of the use of pleasure , and taking from us the power of doing ill , they make us forgo the desire thereof ; they change the love we bear unto our body into a holy aversion , they ruin sin whereof they are the effects , and rendring obedience to gods designs , they cure the man , by hurting the malefactour . the sixth discourse . that the bodies beauty is become perishable and criminall . a man must be blinde if he value not beauty ; her advantages are so visible , as she is , sure to have the better if her judges have eyes ; beauty is the first perfection which is seen in any one , and which steals away the heart of the beholders . she doth so powerfull forestall the understanding , as we cannot harbour an ill opinion of a handsome personage ; and since we are perswaded that the works of nature are perfect , we are apt to beleeve , that she hath inclosed a fair soul in a handsome body . e t is therefore that the platonicks terme beauty the luster of goodnesse , and will have her to be the visible image of an invisible perfection ; she hath such power over humane judgement , as good fortune cannot be expected where there is no handsomenesse . angels finde their contentment in beholding the beauty of god. devils think themselves onely unfortunate for having lost the hope of enjoying it , and though it be the cause of their torments , yet is the object of their desires . this perfection ravisheth the will so readily , as the sight of her is sufficient to make her be beloved , she oft-times changeth hatred into love , and to make her power appear , she delights to make her enemies her lovers . we have heard of a daughter that fell in love with him that murthered her father : the handsome comportment of this prince blotted all hatred out of her heart , and the beauty which appeared in his countenance forced her to love him , whom by nature and reason she was bound to hate . f barbarians bear respect unto her , fair personage● pass amongst them as deities , and the lovers of beauty were the first idolaters . the command which she exerciseth over men is so powerfull , and so pleasing , as they are pleased with the losse of their liberty , and contrary to the humour of slaves , they love their irons , and cherish their prisons : could kings use this art to make themselues be obeyed , they should never know what revolts were , and all their subjects being their well-wishers , they would be absolute without violence , rich without imposts , and sa●e without citadels . thus when the sonne of god would reign amongst men , he wonne their hearts rather by his comlinesse then by his power , and he used clemency oftner g then justice to reduce his enemies to their duty , consecrated beauty in his person , when he took our nature upon him ; though he assumed the pain of sin , he would not assume the uglinesse thereof , and as there was no ignorance in his soul , so was there no deformity in his body . there was but one heretique who mis-interpreting the words h of a prophet imagined that jesus christ was deformed , but tradition upheld by reason , teacheth us that he was beautifull without art , that the holy ghost who formed his body in the virgins womb would have it adorned with comlinesse , i and that nothing might be wanting to his workmanship , he exceeded men in this advantage , as well as in all others . his very types in the old testament were all comely . solomon and david , the one of which represented his victories , the other his triumphs , were both of them famous for their beauty ; nature seemed as if she would picture forth in them the messias , to satisfie the just desires of those who could not see him . the angels took upon them his visage when they treated with the prophets ; whilest they spoke in his name they would appeare in his form , abraham saw him in that glory , wherein he appeared on mount tabor , and numbred this vision amongst the chiefest favours he had received from heaven . iacob had the honour to see him in the person of that angell which wrestled with him , before the break of day ; k the three children which were thrown into the fiery furnace , saw him amidst the flames ; his presence freed them from fear , they found paradise in the picture of hell ; and that angell which bore the visage of jesus christ , broke their irons in pieces , preserved their vestures , and punished their enemies . in fine , jesus christ lost not his lovelinesse till he lost his life , the luster of his countenance was not effaced , till by buffetting , his face grew not pale , till by stripes , and he lost not that majesty which infused respect into his enemies , till the bloud which distild from his wounds had made him an object of compassion and horrour . in fine , beauty is so amiable , as her enemy is odious ; all the monsters whereby the world receives dishonour , are composed of uglinesse : 't is an effect of sin , which corrupts the workmanship of god , had there been no l sinner , there had been no deformed creature . grace and beauty were inseparable in the estate of originall righteousnesse . nothing was seen in the terrestiall paradise which offended the eies ; all things were pleasing there , because all things there were innocent . there was no deformity known in the world till after sin ; il-favourednesse is the daughter and the picture of sin , and 't is a piece of injustice to hate the copy , and to love the originall . albeit these reasons oblige us to reverence beauty where accompanied with innocency , yet have we as much and as just cause to fear her , since she is mingled with impurity , for sin hath left nothing in nature uncorrupted ; this monster is pleased in setting upon the most glorious works of nature , and knowing that their chiefest ornament lay in their beauty , hath pickt out her more perticularly to discharge it's fury upon . there are none of nature works now , which have not some notable defaults . did not love make men blind he could never make them in love ; did he not hide from them their imperfections whom they love , he should not see so many souldiers fight under his colours ; and had he not taught women the secret how to imbellish themselves , impurity would have long since been banisht from off the earth . the famousest beauties have their blemishes , those who are not blind observe their defects ; had helen of greece lived in these our dayes , the poet who put such an esteem upon her , would be found to be a lyer and a blind man , but say that nature should make a master-piece indeed , and that paridoras fable , should prove a true story , her beauty would notwithstanding be contemptible , since she could not grow old and keep it , this advantage is so frail , as it cannot long continue , it is so soon gone , as it rather seems a dream then a truth ; let women take what care they please to preserve it , it will vanish from of their faces , and when they shall see themselves in a glasse , they will have much ado to perswade themselves that ever they were m handsome . all accidents have some power over beauty ; time is as well her murtherer , as her producer , it effaceth all her glory , tarnisheth her roses and lillies , and doth so alter the godliest workmanship of nature , as it maketh horrour and compassion arise in the same hearts , which it had struck with love and envy . n 't is not death but old age which triumphs over this perfection in women : if they grow old they are sure to grow ugly , n the prolongation of their life diminisheth their beauty , and they cannot live long , but they must see that die which they loved dearer than their lives : in the state of innocency , old age would not have injured beauty , the food which repaired nature , maintained the good liking thereof , men lived long , and grew not old : as death did not put a period to life , neither did oldage weaken it ; the body was as strong at a hundred year old , as at forty . beauty was then somwhat durable , time bore respect to this quality , and divine justice which found no faults to punish , did not punish women with the fear of old age , or hard-favourednesse ; but now this fear is part of their punishment , they are compelled to wish to die young , if they will not dye ugly ; and thus divided in their apprehensions , they desire to live , yet fear to grow old . o time is not beauties onely enemy , the injuries which accompany it wage war against her , and all the evils which we suffer through sin , assaile this fraile perfection . the mil-dew causeth defluxions which are prejudiciall to her , the unseasonablenesse of seasons are averse unto her ; cold chils her , and keeping back the bloud defaceth the vivacity of her complexion ; heat doth sun-burn her , and that constellation which makes lillies white , darkens the countenances of women . sicknesses do not so soon alter the temper , as they do the tincture ; and the out-rages which they commit upon the welfare , or good liking of the body , are harder to be repaired , than those which they commit upon the constitution ; whole mouthes are required to their reparation , after p the fever hath left them ; the colour in the cheek is not so soon re-gained as health . and women as if they did prefer pleasure before profit , are sorry to see themselves sooner well , than fair ; nothing can consolate them for the losse of a thing held so precious , but the knowledge that it was natures pleasure it should not be permanent . for her rarest workmanships are of least durance ; there is no beauty constant save that of the stars , and yet they may complain , that the cloudes darken them by night , and the sun by day . the rain-bow is the most beautifull of all meteors , it shames the art of painting , be it either for lustre , or for the mixture of colours ; it 's figure is so perfect , as the compasse cannot imitate it , the greatnesse thereof is so vast , as it incompasseth halfe the world ; the waters whereof it is composed nourish hope in the husbandman , it causeth fruitfulnesse in fields , and warns men to shun the storms which it threatens . 't is a pledge of the peace which heaven hath made with earth ; and though it presage rain to men in generall , yet doth it assure the faithfull , that the world shall never be drowned again ; yet so rare a marvaile lasts but a few moments . one and the same hour sees the beginning and the end thereof ; & the sun seems to have made it , only to please itselfe in the un-making thereof . q the rose amongst flowers is like the rain-bow amongst meteors , her vermillion out-vies all the beauty of the world . her odour , naturally as it is , disputes for precedency with the most pleasing perfumes that art can compose ; the placing of her leaves , puts painters , who would imitate her , to their wits ends ; yet too boot that she is environed with prickles , and that she seems to share more in the curse of the earth , than other flowers , her life lasts but for a few days ; the sun which gave her life , gives her death , and that fire which enlivens her purple , is extinguished , as soon as lighted . neither is the beauty of women of long durance , that lustre which bewitcheth men is lost in a few years , and they are unjust in wishing that men should be constant in their love , since the object which gives it birth is so subject to alteration . but this fault in beauty were excusable , since it cures the malady which it caused , were it not accompanied with another which can admit of no excuse , neither deserves any pardon . r for beauty is become an enemy to chastity ; and since the soule and body are at ods , these two qualities have much adoe to agree . fair women are seldome chaste ; nature , since corrupted , is turned hypocrite ; beauty is no longer a mark of goodnesse ; she forgoes the soule as soon as she appears upon the body ; and as if perfection were no longer to be found upon earth ; a woman ceaseth oft-times to be chaste , when she begins to be lovely . s that father in ovid did witnesse this very well , who being desired by his daughter , that he would give her leave to consecrate her virginity to diana , reply'd , that her beauty gain-said her designe ; that she was too fair to be chaste , and that though she should have resolution enough to keep her vow , she had too many lovers to preserve her chastity : 't is very hard for a woman who delights in causing love in others , not to share therein her selfe ; and that a woman of an excellent beauty should be ice , since she gives fire to so many flames ; she cannot resolve to hate all those that love her , she cannot be perswaded , that those who honour her should undoe her ; what advise soever her directour gives her , she cannot believe that those who are her slaves , should be her enemies ; nor that those that praise her beauty , would wound her honour . she thinks that beauty of no power , which hath no martyrs , she believes she cannot judge of her own charmes , but by her servants sighes ; that she is ignorant of her own conquests , if she learn them not from their mouthes ; and that there is yet somwhat wanting to her triumph , if those who have experience of her cruelty , do not implore her mercy : flattered by these false perswasions , she exposeth her selfe to danger , and out of hope of obtaining new victories , she engageth her selfe in fresh combates ; if she be not seduced by vanity , she is misled by pitty ; and believes that those who behave themselves so handsomly in their complaints , suffer reall pains ; compassion makes her throw open the doores to love , and under pretence of easing anothers malady , she forgets her duty , and betrayes her honour . if she preserves her chastity amidst so many rocks , which threaten her shipwrack , t she runs great hazard of loosing her humility ; her lovers panegyricks make her think better of her selfe , and those praises which men rob god of to give her , perswade her that she is somwhat of divine . those who cannot corrupt her by their idle discourse , seduce her by their adorations ; not being able to make her unchaste , they make her proud ; not being able to bereave her of her chastity , they take from her her modesty ; and bring her into a sad condition , wherein pride is as it were necessary to her for defence of her honesty . she likes not of common homage , she thinks her selfe injured if men use not blasphemy to heighten her beauty ; and unlesse upon cold bloud men say what enamour'd poets use to do in raptures , she thinks her selfe slighted ; her lovers extravagancies , are her panegyricks ; she thinks not that they love , unlesse they lose their reason ; nor doth she judge their passion to be extream , unlesse they commit a thousand follies . she judges of her power by her injustice , if she doth not engage those who serve her in hard and ridiculous enterprises , she doubts of their fidelity ; and because love is a kind of madnesse , she will have all her lovers to be either mad , or out of their wits . 't is not enough for a man to lose his liberty in her service u unlesse he lose his judgment also , more cruell then tyrants , and more absolute then kings , she will have her slaves to be her martyrs , that they kisse their fetters , love their sufferings , and listen with respect to their doom of death . thus pride springs from beauty , fair women grow proud , and their insolence grows to that height , as to ravish men from god ; to commit that execrable attempt on earth , which lucifer did in heaven , and to make all creatures adore rhem . the first christian women , who very well knew the misfortune which accompanied this advantage , did gallantly despise it , they were ashamed to be handsome , they neglected what our women so much value , they thought it a fault , to heighten a perfection , which produceth lewd desires ; the purest amongst them wisht that old age might free them of this domestick enemy , the most zealous did set upon it in the flower of their youth , and revenged themselves upon their own countenances , for the unchast thoughts which they without design had caused : they never appeared in publick unvailed , they x sentenced themselves not to see , that they might not be seen , very well knowing that these two faults proceed from the same principle . they would not cause love for fear of receiving it ; they were so scrupnlous , as they thought their chastity blemisht by mens eyes ; that as fruits lose their verdure if once toucht , a woman lost her chastity if once seen ; and that since adultery begins by the eyes , sight was as much to be shun'd as touching they remembred , that their beauty was cause of scandall in heaven , and interpreting the scripture according to the letter , they feared to cause love in men , since they imagined their mothers had done the like in angels . in y fine , these chast women did sufficiently witnes by their negligence , how much they undervalued their beauty , for sackcloth was their habit , ashes the powder with which they perfumed their heads ; the white of innocency , and red of shamefac'tnesse , was the paint they used , modesty did give life to all their actions ; and thus adorned they had jesus christ for their lover . if the example of these famous women cannot reform the disorder of those of our age , yet ought they at least to think , that beauty is no lesse dangerous to those that possesse it , than to those that covet it , that it is exposed to temptations , and environed with scandals , that if it be not the cause of sin , it is the occasion thereof , and that if it do not form bad desires , it is at least unfortunate in causing them . this effect is so ordinary to beauty , as the fathers of the church make z the contrary pass for a miracle , for if the comlinesse of the virgine mary infused good thoughts , if her countenance inspired chast desires , and if her eyes the tears whereof did propagate our souls health , did raise mens souls to god ; t' was rather an effect of grace then of nature , and as her innocency was a priviledge wherewith the heavens would honour her purity , the sense of piety which she inspired into mens hearts , was a favour wherewith they would advantage her beauty . other saints did not deserve to obtein so much , though nothing was so precious to them as their chastity , they perceived nevertheless , that their countenances caused sometimes unchast thoughts , that flames i●hued from their eyes , which against their wils set mens hearts on fire , and that though their bodies were consecrated to jesus christ , yet did they not cease to be pleasing in the eyes of his enemies . therefore did they revenge the faults of others upon themselves , they sentenced their mouth to moanes , their eyes to tears , and their heart to sighs ; a they did penance for a sin which they never committed ; and to the end that gods justice might be satisfied they punished the innocent for the guilty , some of them were so generous , as they pul'd out their own eyes not being able to resolve to keep one part of their body , which without their consent had been cause of unchastity . if the beauty of unpolluted souls be so dangerous , we must not wonder , if the like in lost women be so pernitious , and that the devil makes use thereof to corrupt the mightiest men . for women is a fatall instrument in the devils hands , he is never more to be feared then when assisted by this fatall second . if he undid adam by eves cunning , if he made so many wounds with one blow , and if by one single combat he got so many victories , 't was because our first mother held intelligence with him , if he cannot tire out iob's b patience by the losse of his goods , and his children , he hath recourse to his wife , speaking through her mouth , he endevours to make him despair , and to perswade him under pretence of compassion , to end his unhappy life by an honourable death , but of all women the handsomest are properest for his designs : and when a singular beauty serves him for organ , or interpreter , he is almost sure to overcome those he assails . by dalila's charms he triumphed over sampsons c strength by the allurements of bathsheba he engaged david in adultery , and in murther : by the idle discourse of a handsome stranger , he perswaded the wisest of all kings , to offer up incense to the workmanship of his hands ; he rob'd him of his wisdome by depriving him of his continency , and to execute so great a designe , he onely used the countenance of a pagan princesse . but he never appeared more powerfull then when he set upon the whole army of the israelites , and when in a moment he made it unchaste , and idolatrous . this wicked spirit , had to no purpose armed the midianites against the iews ; all their endeavours proved vain , though their numbers were greater , and their souldiers better warriours , they were ever either repulst or beaten ; the very names of israelites wan battells , the glittering of their arms routed their enemies , and the elements anticipating the valour of these conquerours , did most commonly begin the battell . so many bad successes made the devill have recourse to his old tricks . he commanded his partners by the mouth of a faithless prophet , to set upon those with women , whom he could not overcome by men ; and to make use of beauty where strength was bootlesse . obeying this his counsell , they placed before their battalions a troop of loose women , who carrying looking glasses , and idols in their hands , invited the israelites at one and the same time , to lose their continence , and to forgoe their religion . this wile was of so great power , that the army in whose favour the heavens had done so many miracles , doth adore these women , and their idols ; they forget their duty , to obey their love ; and renounce their faith to satisfie their lust . he still useth the same cunning , he corrupts christians , as he did the israelites , and the beauty of women is the smallest temptation , wherewith he astonisht the courage of men . a handsome woman is the courts plague ; after she hath once resolved to bereave hearts , and to have servants , she purchaseth as many subjects to the devill , as she deprives christ jesus off . after once she hath resolved to hazard the reputation of an honest woman , to purchase the name of a stately dame ; she turnes to be a false diety to which all unchaste people offer incense , an idoll , which makes more idolatours , than impiety makes libertines ; a contagion which being taken in by all the senses , sweeps away more men than the plague doth , consuming fire which heats whatsoever it comes nigh , and burns all that it toucheth , a monster , f which being the more dangerous by how much the more pleasing , scatters abroad impurity wheresoever it passeth , and which commit murthers , and adulteries by all the parts of it's body . her looks undo men , the flames which proceed from her eyes reduce soules to ashes , her words bewitch those that hear them , she inthrals the heart by the ears , and whosoever doth not use ulysses his harmles cunning indangers the losse of liberty . her hair is a net wherein lyons and tygers are taken , her strength like that of sampson , lies in her weaknesse , she imployes onely these weak arms to overcome the couragious , and makes use onely of these small threads to stop the course of the most unconstant . the lillies when on her face , lose their purity , and the innocent rose becomes guilty upon her cheeks : and as the spider makes her poyson of the best things , she composeth the venome wherewith she infects souls , of the fairest flowers . modesty and majesty , which else where defend vertue , do corrupt it in the person of a handsome woman ; and these two advantages which makes her beauty the more powerfull make it also the more dangerous ; her very gate is not without affectation and fault , her studied steps have a certain becomingness which is fatall to those that behold them ; each pace steals a heart from some of her servants , and doing nothing without design , she either wounds or kils those indiscreet ones which approach her . in fine , beauty is so pernicious , as god himself who extracts grace from sin , makes use thereof onely to punish his enemies , it is more dreadfull in his hands then thunder , and he hath tane more vengeance by womens allurements , then by the arms of souldiers . he ruin'd hamans fortunes by hesters countenance , the gracefull demeanor which he indued her withall , made ahasuerus condemn his favorite , and the death of this insolent enemy of the iews is not so much an effect of mordecais wisedom , as of his nieces beauty . god chose out a widow to slay holofernes , he obteined two victories over this conqueror by the means of one onely woman ; he took his heart from him by her eyes , and his head by her hands ; he made first use of her beauty , then of her courage , and would have the assyrians defeat to begin by love and end by murther . thus are handsome women the ministers of gods fury , he imploys hesters and iudeths as souldiers to revenge his quarrels , and beauty which causeth impurity doth oft-times punish it . we see no faults in the creature from whence god draws not some advantage ; our weaknesse is the cause of our penitency , if we cannot alter , we cannot repent ; and if we had the constancy of angels , we might have the opiniatricy of devils . our offences serve to humble us , and the proudest spirits cannot think upon their sins without confusion . concupiscence , which is one of the originals of our disorders is one of the foundations of grace : adams sin fastens us to jesus christ , and the miseries which we suffer under , make us have recourse to divine mercy . e but beauty seems onely proper to seduce sinners ; if she be not serviceable to gods justice , she is serviceable to the devils malice ; and causeth murthers , when she cannot produce adulteries . of all the perfections of man , this is the onely one which jesus christ would not imploy to save souls . he imployed the eloquence of orators to perswade infidels , he made use of the doctrine of philosophers to convince the ignorant , he useth the power of kings to reduce rebels , and he imployes the wisedome of politicians to govern states , but he rejects beauty , and judging her to hold intelligence with his enemy , he never makes use thereof , but to undo sinners . the beauty of those virgins which were consecrated to him converted no infidels , the innocent allurements of the lucia's and agneses were of no use to the establishment of our religion ; there modest countenances forbore not to kindle impure flames , and if their executioners were toucht to see their constancy , their beauty set tyrants hearts on fire . gods beauty is then that which can onely securely beloved , t is that , that we ought to sigh , all other desires are unjust . whosoever betakes himself to the beauty of creatures , revives idolatry , erecting an altar in his heart , he offers sacrifice to the chief diety which he adores , where he himself is both the priest , and sacrifice . the beauty of the creature ought not to be looked upon otherwise then as that of a picture which we value , either for the persons sake whom it represents , or for the painters hand that drew it . he who exceeds these bounds commits ungodlinesse , and who doth not elevate his love to the first and chiefest beauty , of which all others are but weak copies , is either ignorant or impious . if the beauty of the first angel have made apostates , and if the love which it occasioned in the hearts of those pure spirits , made them idolators what may we expect from a beauty which being engaged in the flesh , and in sin produceth onely wicked desires . those who have fallen f into this disorder must repent themselves with saint austin . to repair their outrages done to th beauty of god , by their infidelity , they must afflict themselves for having so late known him ? and to make amends for their losse of time , and losse of love , they must labour to love him with more fervencie , and to serve him with more constancie . the seventh discourse . that the life of man is short and miserable . t is strange , yet true , g that man having changed his condition hath not changed his desires , and that he wisheth the same thing in his state of sin , as he did in his innocency . for that strong passion which he had for glory , is but the remainder of that just desire which he had to command over all creatures ; his indeavouring to enlarge the bounds of his empire tends onely to recover what he possessed before his revolt ; the pleasure which he seeks after in all his pastimes , is grounded upon the remembrance of his former felicity . those riches which he accumulates with so much labour , and preserves with so much care , witnesse his sorrow for being fallen from his aboundance , and the extream desire which he hath to prolong his life , is a testimony that he as yet aspires after immortallity . yet hath not life those charms which made it so amiable , the longest is but short the sweetest but full of troubles , and the most assured uncertain and doubtfull . for since the soul ceased to be upon good tearms with god , the body ceased to correspond fairly with the soul. though they go to the composure of the same integrall , they cannot indure one another , their love is mixt with hatred , and these two lovers have alwayes somewhat of 〈◊〉 which makes them not agree . the cords wherewith they are joyned together are so weakened , as the least accident is sufficient to break them ; that whereof man is composed may destroy him ; the very things without the which he cannot live , make him die , rest and labour are equally prejudiciall to him : his temper is altered by watching and by sleep , when either are immoderate , the nourishment which susteines him , suffocates him , and he fears abundance as much as want ; his soul seems as if she were borrowed , h and that she is onely deteined in his body by art : the least accidents do sever her from it ; a vapour doth suffocate her ; she is choaked with a little flegme , and blood , which is the seat of life , is oft-time the cause of death ; whithersoever so miserable a creature doth convey himself , she receives there new proofs of his weaknesse ; the change of climates troubles his health , a new air incommodiates him , cold water hurts his stomake , the sun which lights him , scorcheth him ▪ and whatsoever is cause of good unto him , is cause of evil. in the state of innocencie grace linkt the soul to the body ; death unseconded by sin could not break the chains ; the elements durst not assail him , originall righteousnesse made them observe respect , they appeased their differences , lest they might trouble mans temper ; fire agreed with water to preserve his health , & there was as profound a peace in his person as in his state , but since he forewent his duty , grace abandoned his body to sin , the elements had liberty given them to war one upon another , man became the scene of their combates , and after once he revolted from god , he saw all creatures take up arms against him , i sorrow & death set upon him , he was sentenced to live in pain , & die in sorrow . for the sweetest life bears it's punishment with it . there is no rose which is not grafted upon a thousand thornes , and how handsome soever the chains be which link the soule and body together , they are both of them equally exposed to suffering . the soule is more capable of sadnesse , than of joy ; though she display her selfe to receive in pleasure , yet doth she never taste it purely ; she weeps amidst her contentments , she expresseth her joy by sighs , and as if she were not accustomed to great happinesses , she seems to suffer when she receives them . though she shut the doore upon sorrow , yet suffers she her selfe to be easily siezed on by it ; though she resist it , she cannot withstand it ; k and as if nature had made her more sensible of misery , than of happinesse ; a small displeasure is able to make her forget all her former contentments . the body is not more fortunate than the soule , for it hath not many parts which can tast delight , but it hath not any one which is not capable of pain . pleasures do enter-shock , and always leave some of our senses in languishment or need ; pains agree in their assailing us , and though they should not come in a crowd , one alone is sufficient to make it selfe be felt by all the parts of the body ; their straight union makes their mischiefes common , and if the head suffer , the tongue complains ; the eyes weep , and the heart groanes . thus the happiest life is miserable , and that moment passeth not wherein we are not inforced to bewail our innocency , & to condemn our sin . death comes in to the aid of pain , and by an ingenious peece of cruelty , agrees with life to augment our miserie . for though they appear to be enemies , they joyn in our punishment , and joyn with gods justice to revenge god ; l we live and die daily ; the change which makes us subsist , is deaths taster ; this cruell one siezeth on us by degrees ; all the time we have lived is already gotten by him , and the years which we hope to make use of , are so many titles which he produceth against us . as soon as we begin to live , we begin to die . death shares with us in all the moments of our life , it takes unto it selfe what is past , because that is certain , and leaves to us only what is to come , because that is uncertain . so as by a strange mis-fortune , the increase of our life is the diminution thereof . the farther we grow from our birth , the nearer we grow to death : our purchases are meer losses , m and things are so disposed of since sin , as we cannot count our years without either flattering our selves , or lying . t is perhaps for this reason that the hebrew , ( that holy language which the blessed shall make use of in heaven ) imployes but one and the same word to expresse both life and death , with the difference of one only point , to teach us , that death and life , are divided onely by that moment which unites them . in effect life is nothing but a brittle chaine consisting of three links , the past , the present , and the future ; the past , is no more , we retain but a weak remembrance of it ; all the vows we can make will not fetch it backe ; it is not void of doubt , whether gods absolute power , which finds no resistance amongst his creatures , can gather together the present with that which is past , and unite these differences of times without destroying their essence . the future time is not as yet , hope which expects it cannot advance it , and wisdom which hath an eye unto it , cannot dissipate the obscurity thereof ; it is lesse at our disposall then the time that is past , and for all the vain conjectures which we may flatter our selves withall , we know not whether it shall come to us , or we shall go to it ; the present time , to say truth is in our power , we are masters of it ; and it is the onely thing which we can say we possesse , t is the onely part of our life which we are assured of , and who promiseth himself more is either ignorant or impious . but this present time is but a moment , and this difference of time hath no parts ; time past , & time to come , comprehend whole ages , but the present consists but in an instant ; so as death and life differ only in a point , & these two which we judge so contrary are intertained by that moment , which doth separate them . though i honour this imagination by reason of the gallantry therof , and that respect which i bear to the hebrew tongue , obliege me to reverence it , yet me thinks it doth not sufficiently expresse the miseries of life whose alliance with death is neerer then is thereby represented ; death subsists only by life , and life is only preserved by death : they commence & end together , as soon as a man begins to live , he begins to die , nature which very well knows that two moments never subsist together , commands death to hurry away the one to leave to life the other that ensues . as she doth with moments and houres , so doth she with those years whereof the degrees of our life are composed . m she makes our infancie die to give life to our boyish age ; she takes away a childe to substitute a man , and robs us of our youth , to make old age succeede . thus if we advance in life t is by the favour of death , and we enjoy our last years by the losse of the former : who will not praise death , since it makes us live , and who will not blame life since it makes us die ? who will not confesse , that sin is very cruell since it accords these two enemies to our undoing ? and that for our punishment it hath turned a happy and immortall life , into an unfortunate and perishable one . if this discourse be thought to be too finely spun , yet can it not n be denied , that mans life is shortened since his offence , and if a strong man hath made a shift to tumble in the world a hundred years , he is a wonder to those that see him , history records his name with respect , posterity admires him ; and if he passe not for a miracle he doth at least for a prodigie . every gift of life is so short , as we may easily judge we have divided it onely to deceive our selves . our infancy endures but seven years ; when our tongue gets its liberty , and our understanding is formed , we enter into our bovish age which is of no longer continuance ; it findes its death in our adolescence , and as soon as down appears upon a mans face , he changeth qualitie . this age which is esteemed the pleasantest of mans life , and which i think the most dangerous , lasts no longer than doth his boyish-age , it ends when youth begins , which lasts somewhat longer than the other parts of life which did precede it , it begins at thirty years of age , and ends not till sixty , old age serves it for a sepulcher , and when the head is covered with snow , t is time to prepare for death . for this age is shortest of all the rest , if it have any hope , t is ill grounded , and the sicknesses wherewith it is assailed , are so many summons to the grave . if man arrive at that extremity of the age we tearm decrepit , he languisheth in pain , he calls in death to his aide , and the sorrows he suffers makes him think life tedious . o but for all this the longest life is but composd of moments , which multiplied by dayes and monthes produce some years ; we divide it to make it seem the longer , and perswade our selves that by giving it severall names we adde somewhat to the durance thereof . we imitate the vanity of princes who divide the earth to aggrandise it ; and part it into provinces to satisfie their ambition . mathematitians teach us , that the earth compared to the heavens is but a point , they ground their operation upon this maxime , and that art which teacheth us to measure hours by the sun-diall , draws her certainty from this truth . yet princes divide this point into kingdoms ; they thinke to extend the whole by multiplying the parts thereof , and that they do inlarge the world by dividing it into provinces , but let their ambition do its utmost , let it make fights by sea and land , let it cover the one with houses the other with ships , they dispute but for a point a p●nctum ; and this place which they have chosen for the theatre of their vain glory , and the subject of their differences is but an indivisible atome . the bounders which we prescribe to kingdoms , are as well the proofs of our weaknesse as of our pride . p the alpes and pyrenean mountains which part france from italy , and spain , are lines which nature hath drawn upon the earth to divide it , not to aggrandise or inlarge it ; the seas which seem to us vast , and the rivers which we think so deep are lesse considerable in the world , then the veines are in the bodie ; and whatsoever it be that feeds the vain glory of conquerours , it is not so great as the least of those stars which appear to us to be so little . q if pismires had as much understanding as men , they would give as specious n●mes to their little caverns , since they have a shadow of policie , they would divide their states into provinces ; and by an ambition equall to ours , they would frame a little world , of a foot of earth ; what monarchs make of the world , men make the like of life ; they distinguish the ages thereof to flatter themselves , they thinke to keep off death , by extending life , and that they have a great way to go , when they have yet to passe through their adolescence , and their old age . they consider not , that the longest life is equall to the shortest , if it be compared to eternity ; and that the condition of children is no better then that of old men , if it be compared with the worlds lasting . the time we live is almost nothing , and nature hath left us but a moment to merit eternity ; we can adde nothing thereunto by all our cunning , but as if we were more ingenious to work our selves evil then good , we have a thousand ways to shorten it , and the longest life becomes short through the bad use , we make thereof . we are prodigall of time , and greedy of good : we think we give nothing to our friends when we give them whole daies , and we consider not that we advance death by consuming our time . we heap up riches and scatter abroad s years , we are streight handed in things , the profession whereof is praise worthy , and prodigall of those whereof the avarice is laudable . the time which we have lived for our selves makes the least part of our life , and when we shall have atteined to sixty years of age , t is found that we have lost more then the half of it . if we will cut off what time we have allowed to company keeping , what we have employed in visits , what consumed in pastimes , and what employed in other mens affairs , we shall finde the number of our years to be much fewer then we account them to be . nature , all whose examples are instructions , teacheth us to husband our time well ▪ she is rather prodigall then liberall of her favours ; she hath sewed the stars confusedly in the firmament , and though they be the most beautifull parts of the universe , she would not have them to own their worth for their raritie . rivers flow profusively , their spring heads are not dried up , and though they water never so much ground they grow not dry . the earth is alwayes fertile , there is no part of it which produceth not somewhat , and if you will except rocks which seems to be the bones of this great body , her muscles and her veines abound in milk which nourisheth her children . but this mother which is so liberall in her productions , is covetous of time ; she gives it us by measure to make us value it the more , she spins it out drop by drop ; the parts thereof succeede one another , and continue not together , she never gives us one moment but she takes another from us ; she takes from us what is past when she gives what is present ; and she threatens to take the present time from us , when she promiseth us the future . of all the liberalities which she hath used since the beginning of the world she was never profuse of time , and t this her avarice teacheth us that time is the most pretious of all her gifts . let us learn of so wise a mistresse to husband our years , let us by our wisdom prolong our life , and let us not part with so much time for our sports , and our affairs , but that we reserve the greatest part thereof for our well-fare . thus shall we have no occasion to complain of the shortnesse of our life , and though it be composed but of moments , we shall finde , that if well employd 't will suffice to purchase eternity . the eighth discourse . that death is the punishment of sin . of all the pains which sin hath procured us , death is the most cruell and the most common ; all others have their remedies , and self-love teacheth us how to shun them ; we by our industry and labour overcome the earths sterility . we fence our selves from the shame of our nakednesse by the means of our clothes ; we save our selves from the injury of the aire , and unseasonablenesse of weather by the commodiousnesse of buildings ; physick furnisheth us with remedies against sicknesse , and reformeth our temper by the government which it prescribes us ; arts are invented onely to free us from the miseries of life ; and the greatest part of artificers labour onely to fence men from the punishment of sin . but death is a punishment as rigorous , as inevitable ; humane wit hath not yet been able to free man from it . all her care cannot make a man live a hundred years ; our first fathers lived longer , and the heavens which would people the earth by their means , prolonged their life to allow them leisure for it : but they died after some hundred years , and the oldest amongst them could not attain to a thousand years . the rigour of this punishment doth equall it's necessity , for death is deafe to pitty , tears cannot appease it , and whatsoever causeth either respect or pitty in us , cannot stay the fury thereof . it enters princes palaces , t as well as shepheards cottages ; it knaps in two the scepters of kings with as much insolency as the shepherds crook ; it keeps no other law than what is prescribed unto it by divine justice ; it siezeth on the son before the father , the daughter before the mother ; sets upon infants in the cradle , or monarchs in their thrones , and on judges on their tribunalls . there is no sanctuary against it's fury , and those who can pardon the condemned cannot obtain the like favour from death . there are many prodigies in the world whereat we wonder , and there is nothing so strange , whereof there hath not been some example which facilitates our beliefe ▪ there be some whole intire provinces where the inhabitants li●e so happily , as that they are never troubled with sicknesse ; there are some so auspicious climates , as that in them the plague doth never mow down men , where the ground is not made sterill through ●amine ; and whereas thunder never falls upon the guilty head : france cannot nourish monsters , nor are her houses at any time shaken with earthquakes . some men are seen to grow old , yet not grow gray ; and women who preserve their comelinesse in their age , and lose it not but with losse of life . italy hath mountains whose entrailes are full of fire , and their heads covered with snow , as if nature took delight in according these two contraries ; and by ending their differences to make her power appear . but how fantasticall soever this mother hath pleased to shew her selfe , what ever diversity she hath put in her workmanships to delight us , and what ever miracles she hath wrought to astonish us , she could never free man from death . the devill who promised us immortallity to engage us in disobedience , could not make good his word , u and the law which bindes us to die , is too generall to admit of any dispensation , or exception . when god himselfe became man , he became mortall , and taking our nature upon him , he would not exempt himselfe from death . all gods friends have born this punishment ; the justest have oft-times lived the shortest life , and death to astonish others hath made examples of them , if some have been rapt up to paradise , that favour did not bereave death of his rights , for after having lived a long time with angels , they shall descend on earth again to die there with men . this rigour would be pleasing were it not accompanied with circumstances which make it unsupportable , but death assumes fearfull shapes to affrighten us , he is not content to part our soules from our bodies , to break in two the chains which did unite them , and to destroy gods chiefest workmanship , but to satisfie his cruelty , & tire our patience , he assumes a thousand frightfull shapes , x and leaves marks of his fury in the persons of the dead which terrifie the living . he appears hideous even in the beautifullest visage that ever was ; he shrinks up the nerves , hollows the eyes , defaceth the complexion , alters the lineaments , and turns a miraculous beauty into a dreadfull monster . somtimes he burnes the bowels by the scorching heat of a fever , somtimes swels up the body by a long continued dropsie , somtimes he makes an anatomy , or skeleton thereof , by an irksome consumption , somtimes forms strange characters in the lungs or brain , somtimes he covers the face over with an ulcer , and changes the throne of beauty into the seat of deformity . violent deaths are yet more uncoucht than such as are naturall ; they are not to be beheld without terrour , and those who have courage enough to tolerate the gout or stone , have not constancy enough to endure the torture of fire ▪ or rack ; 't is therefore that it is said , that our father adam knew not the heinousnesse of his sin , till he saw the picture of death in abels face ; the losse of grace , gods anger , the angels indignation , his banishment from paradise , the creatures revolt , the alteration of seasons , warring of elements , nor yet the insurrection of the body against the soule , were not sufficient to make known unto him the exorbitancy of his sin , nor the injustice of his disobedience : but when he saw his son want motion , his eyes want light , when he heard no words proceed from his mouth , saw no colour in his face , nor felt no motion of his heart , he thought his sin was very great since it deserved so sore a punishment . to say truth , y death is the image of sin , this father makes himselfe seen in his daughter , his uglinesse is seen in his production , and there needs no more to acknowledge the misery of a sinner , than to consider the aspect of a dead man. those pale lips , those sunk eyes , those hollowed cheeks , and that corruption which always accompanies stench , is the shadow of a soule which mortall sin hath bereaved of innocency and grace . all teacheth us that we are criminall , and that the evills which we endure , are as well the portraitures of our punishments , as of our offences . the rebellion which we meet withall in the elements , and creatures is the punishment of our disobedience ; the irregularity of the seasons is a signe of the disorder of our passions ; the blinding of our eyes proves the like in our understanding , and the sicknesses which our bodies suffer under , are the effects of our souls infirmity : but of all the punishments wherewith we are afflicted , death is the onely true copy of sin , and in this copy it is that we must observe the horrour of the originall . to discover all his rigours , we must examine the terme of our sentence , we must consider what punishments he condemned us unto , and observe with how many evills he threatens us . z the first is to die the same day that we have sinned , and to bear the punishment as soon as we have committed the offence . few are aware of this punishment , and though it be severe enough , we suffer it , without being sensible of it , or complaining ; we perswade our selves , that life and death cannot agree in our punishment , and that god himself is not powerfull enough to make two so contrary things serve his justice : but notwithstanding 't is true , that we die as soon as we are born , that death assailes us as soon as we are surprized by sin , and that we bear adams punishment as soon as we contract his offence . for death holds so good intelligence with life , as these do equally part our years ; we perish for our preservation ; as soon as we enter into our boyes estate , we forgoe infancy , we divide every houre of the day between death and life , a and we neither conceive the heinousnesse of our fault , nor the greatnesse of our punishment , if we think that that death , which puts an end unto our life , is our onely one , because it is our last . we die every moment , we lose the years which we number ; and part of our being glides away with them , we are but halfe our selves ; all of us that is past is deaths purchase ; and the youth which hath left us is a losse which we cannot repaire . that complexion , the freshnesse whereof was more lively than that of the rose , that whitenesse which sham'd the lilly , that lustre which sparckled in the eyes , that majesty which appear'd upon the forehead , those pearles which shewed themselves within the currall of the lips , and all those ornaments which nature had united in a handsome face to make thereof her chiefest workmanship ; do they not serve for a prey to death , and who hath no longer these advantages are they not obliged to confesse that they have lost the best part of themselves ? the destinies end their work in silence , b death gives blows which hurt not , he mingles himselfe so pleasingly with life , as that he is received insensibly , and under hope of living , men take a kinde of pleasure in dying . the second punishment which our decree bringeth , is that in not expressing what kind of death we shall die , we are obliged to fear all sorts of death . there is nothing more certain than this punishment ; neither is there any thing more secret . every one knows he must die , every day affords us proofs and examples of it ; our friends and enemies confirme this truth , no man is so ignorant , or vain-glorious as to doubt it ; the sepulchres of kings are faithfull witnesses thereof , and those heads for which the lives of a whole nation are exposed , make us see that death spares no body ; but the manner thereof is as unknown , as the hour is uncertain . the stars do not shew the particulars thereof , and unlesse the heavens reveale it , the devill cannot foretell it to those that serve him ; our decree pitcheth not upon any one , that we may stand in fear of all ; and after the example of princes which have ended their lives by deaths , from which their qualities ought to have warranted them , we may justly apprehend all . it may be 't will be naturall , it may be violent ; it may be 't will sieze on us in war , it may be in peace , it may be 't will be short and cruell , it may be lesse cruell , but languishing ; the judge which hath condemned us , hath not been pleased to expresse himselfe therein , to the end , that the fear of death might be a severer punishment unto us , then death it selfe ; it may suffice us to know that he is incensed , and that we may justly expect from his just anger whatsoever death our sin deserves . the truth is we can suffer but one ; the weaknesse of our constitution doth not permit both the waters to drown us , the fire to burn us , and the wilde beasts to devoure us , but the darknesse of our decree obligeth us to fear all these punishments , c and there is no monarch whose greatnesse can exempt him from so just a fear ; the plague hath not so spared our most pious kings , and the valiantest among them , hath been murthered amidst the triumph which he prepared for his dearest wife . a clap of thunder bruiseth the pride of crowned heads ; poison is mingled in their drink , and violent death doth but too oft befall sovereigns . who ought then to stand in fear , when he shall read a decree which threatens every guilty person with a hundred thousand deaths ? and who ought not to dread a judge , who conceals the condition of our punishment , only to make us reverence his power , and have recourse unto his clemency ? the e third punishment is not lesse severe then are the rest ; for though we know not what sort of death we shall die , yet we know we shall be reduced to ashes , and that divine justice following us even into the grave , will war upon us after death ; it treateth us like those notorious malefactours , who finde not the end of their punishment in the end of their lives ; they are degraded , to make them lose their honour , their children are prosecuted , to make them lose their posterity ; their bodies are burned , that their ashes may be scattered in the winde ; their houses are beaten down , to ruinate their workmanship ; and nothing is left in any part that did belong unto them , but characters of their faults , and of their princes anger . thus doth our supream judge deal with guilty man ; he drives him out of the terrestiall paradise , and banisheth him into the world ; he threatens the place of his exile to be totally consumed with fire , for having received this guilty person ; he confiscates all his goods , takes from him all the honourable marks of his greatnesse , and reduceth him to the condition of beasts , who did pretend to the glory of angels ; he makes all his subjects despise his authority , he makes his slaves either rebels , or tyrants , and after so many punishments , he shortens his shamefull life , by some tragicall end . but all these punishments leaving yet some remainder of the guilty person , they pursue him into his sepulchre ; he commands the worms to devoure him , and what escapes their fury , he reduceth into dust : you shall see dreadfull marks of the execution of this decree in the stateliest monuments of our kings , descend into the most magnificent ma●soleums , you will finde nothing there but ashes : the earth covers the pride of conquerours , and of all these monarches greatnesse , wherewith their subjects in their life were astonished , there remaines nothing after death , but a little dust . a man must be a saint to be exempt from this punishment , god affords not this favour save to those that serve him unworthily ; he preserves their bodies in the sepulchre , he guards their precious relicks in the bosome of the earth , the waters cannot corrupt them , nor the flames devour them ; being innocent , he will not deal with them as guilty , death spares their body after having separated it from their soul , they seem to rest in their graves , to repose themselves after their labour , and to expect with joy that dreadfull day which all the guilty do apprehend . death then is the punishment of our sin , it is the workmanship thereof , we have procured it unto our selves by our disobedience , god hath ordeined it by his justice , and jesus christ , who draws good out of our evil , hath made a sacrifice of it for our salvation . the ninth discourse . what advantages we may draw from death , by the means of grace . though death be the first production of sin , and that the malice and deformed lothsomnesse of the father appear in sons visage , some philosophers have gone about to make apologies for death , and after having made use of their reason in the defence thereof , they have imployed their cunning in praising it . being ignorant of the g first mans fault , they would have death to be a law , and not a punishment ; they have excused his rigour by his necessity , and have gone about to perswade us , that he was pleasing , because necessary . all things in nature perish , this mother hath brought forth nothing which she hath not sentenced to die , nothing is immortall , and few things durable : fountains grow dry , and their spring-heads are either lost , orstrayed out of the channel ; the mountaines give way to the violence of floods , the sea advances and wins upon the earth , whole isles have sunke into the earth , we see lakes now where our ancestours have seen towns , and husbandmen plough up fields , where pilots have steerd their ships ; the change which preserves nature is a kinde of death ; nature subsists onely by alteration , were it not , h for change she would utterly perish ; kingdomes ( which apprehend nothing like vicissitude ) cannot shun it ; as oft as they lose their princes , they hazard the losse of their liberty , they grow jealous of all their neighbours , and ambition is so perfidious as their allyes may become their enemies ; all those great colossuses which past for miracles in their age , their subsistance depends now only upon paper ; time hath made them know , that all the workmanship of man is perishable , and that frail hands can build nothing which is eternall . in fine , the world it self is not exempt from death ; the deluge wherewith it was drown'd , and the fire wherewith it shall be consumed , teach us that it may perish ; the stars which never are at a stay , are threatned one day to lose their influences and their light , the same hand which hath seated them in the firmament , will one day pull them from thence ; and though aristotle imagines the heavens to be incorruptible , jesus christ assures us , that they shall perish together with the world . wherefore then do we complain of death , since he spares not the stars , and wherefore do we wish , that our houses may never have an end , since the world cannot escape the fall which threatens it . i death is not so cruell as men imagine , the fear which we have thereof , is rather an effect of opinion then of nature ; if we were lesse wise , we should be more couragious ; we augment our evil by thinking too oft of it ; the weapons wherewith we indeavour to withstand this enemy serve only to make him the more redoubted ; a philosopher apprehends him more then doth an ignorant person ; and all the constancie of the stoicks cannot equall the stupidity of a country clown . these silly people are easily comforted ; they look after no priviledges , which their ancestours have not enjoyed , they prepare for death when they see their friends die ; and having no plots which may fasten them to the world , they are not troubled to be interrupted therein by their death . all men seem to conspire to be cause of astonishment to themselves , and that it fares with them , as in the route of an army , where those that ran away , cause fear in those that fight . every particular man frames unto himself an idea of death , and he who can make it appear the most hideous , passeth for the ablest man. sciences which ought to incourage us , do intimidate us ; and there is not any one who doth not adde somwhat to the image of this monster , to increase his uglinesse and our apprehension . painters represent him as a ghastly skeleton bearing a coffin upon his shoulders , and a sithe in his hands to mow down the whole earth . poets ( whose fictions are more pleasing then those of painters ) do give him arrowes , each of which being shot doth wound a heart ; physicians decipher him as the enemy of nature , and to no end seek for remedies against his wounds . philosophers who boast that they know him , that they may withstand him , do astonish their disciples by the number of their reasons , and perswade them that the monster which they assail is very terrible , since so many preparations are required to overcome him . yet experience teacheth us that he takes upon himselfe pleasing formes to reclaim us ; that he glides so pleasingly into the heart , as those whom he wounds , feele him not ; he set upon plato sleeping , and it was hard to discern sleep from death in this philosopher ; one of the crassuses died laughing , and the romans ceased to fear death , seeing it so amiable upon his face : chilon was choked with joy ; his sons victory was as fatall to him , as to the enemies of the state ; and whil'st men sought for laurell to crown the conquerour ; others sought for capres to put upon his fathers head . clydemus died not lesse pleasingly , since the praises which greece gave him , were the cause of his death , and that he lost his life amidst his triumph . he also since the corruption of our nature makes up a part of our selves . l he is as well an effect of our temper , as of a fever ; and as the agreement of the elements makes us live , their disagreement makes us die . we carry the principles of death about us , and from once that originall righteousnesse ceased to appease the differences between those parts whereof we are composed we began to die . it is not necessary that the world disorder it selfe , to bereave us of our lives ; though the seasons should not be put out of their pace , we should not cease to perish . and if death be to be feared , we must resolve to fear life . there are some people who apprehend any thing that happens of disorder in the world , and who grow pale as often as they see rivers over-flow their banks , as often as they hear thunder , or see earth-quakes : they think that every clap of thunder comes in pursuit of them , and that the sea exceeds not her bounds but to drown them on the earth ; but the causes of our death are much lesse violent , and more naturall . for the earth should still stand stable under our feet , m though the thunder should never roar over our heads , and though the sea should never exceed her bounds , the elements which we bear about us would notwithstanding condemne us to death . death is so a punishment , as it is also a consequence of our constitution . whatsoever is composed of contrarieties can not subsist without miracle ; and when the contrary parties do no longer agree , their division must be the ruine of what they compose . mans immortality in the state of innocency , was not an effect of nature ; he lost this priviledge as soon as he lost his righteousnesse , and experience taught him , that nature without grace could not keep him from death . n he should then be unjust if he should complain of a mis-fortune which is in some sort naturall unto him , and he might justly be accused of too much nicety , if he should not patiently endure a punishment , which he could not escape without a kind of miracle . but i dare adde , that death is rather a favour , than a punishment ; and that in the estate whereinto sin hath reduced man , it is not so much a mark of justice , as of mercy : the evils which we undergo considered , to live eternally , would be eternall misery ; earth would become hell , and the continuance of our torments would make us wish death ; which is not dreadfull save to those abused soules which think themselves happy . the miserable desire it ; and as death to one who lives contentedly is a punishment , so is life to him who lives discontentedly . o cain desired to die , had not the heavens prolonged his life to punish his parricide ; he had prevented lamechs cruelty , and after having been his brothers murtherer , he would have been his own hangman . poets who cloke truths under fables , have not without reason fained nature to have invented death , to oblige her children ; for seeing that their offence had incensed heaven , that their life became a misery , that fortune intrencht upon their goods , calumny upon their innocency , and sicknesse upon their health ; that the fever burnt up their entrails by unsupportable heat , that the gout stung their nerves , and that they lived not but in fear and sorrow , she broke the cords wherewith the soul was fastned to the body , and ended their lives to shorten their miseries . to leave fables to infidels ; is it not a constant truth amongst christians , that life would be an eternall punishment , did not death come in to the succour of old age , p to deliver us from it ? and that we should pray to go out of the world , if we were condemned to live there , after we had lost the use of our members by the palsey , and were grown blinde , and deaf . hell is onely more cruell than earth , for that death is banisht thence ; if the pains of the damned could have an end ; they should los● the greatest part of their rigour , and those miserable ones would finde some ease in their sufferings , if after many ages they were assured to die : nothing makes them despair , but that eternity of their punishment ; and nothing doth so much comfort men as the shortnesse of their tortures . tyrants who unjustly endeavour to imitate god in justice , complain that death freed their enemies from their indignation ; and that by assisting the miserable , it hindred their designes : for they very well knew , that he knows not how to revenge himselfe of his enemy , who puts him suddainly to death ; and that those who will taste the pleasure of revenge , never condemne a guilty man to die till he be re-possessed of their favour . in fine , there are few who owe not thanks to death . q those who fear him in prosperity , invoke him in adversity ; those who shun him in opulency , seek him out in poverty ; and those who list not to know his name in health , call upon him in sicknesse . he is the onely cure of the incurable , the assured succour of the afflicted , the desire and hope of the miserable ; and of as many as implore his succour , there are none more obliged unto him , than those whose miseries and desires he preveneth . though these thoughts may seem uncouth to those who love life , they cease not to be approved of by christianity ; and to passe for truth amongst the faithfull . if death be rigorous because he is the punishment of sin , he is pleasing because he is the childe of the crosse ; he hath changed nature , since he was consecrated in the person of jesus christ ; he hath forgone those dreadfull names which caused terrour , to assume those pleasing ones which bring consolation . he is onely asleep which charms our disquiets , a passage which leads us unto life , a happy shipwrack which throws us into the haven , an enemy which takes us out of prison , a tyrant which breaks our chains , and a son of sin which furnisheth us with weapons wherewithall , to fight with , and to overcome his father . in the state of innocency death was a punishment , wherewith divine justice did threaten man ; in the state of sin , it was a chastisement , r wherewith she did punish the faulty ; and in the state of grace , 't is a sacrifice , which she requires at our hands , and whereby she is appeased . formerly , to astonish man , he was told , if thou sinnest , thou shalt die ; and now to fortifie him in persecution , it is said unto him , if thou dost not die , thou shalt sin ; death which was a punishment is become a victime , and the sinners chastisement is become the merit of the just . the son of god hath thus instructed us by his example , when he would fight with sin , he took up no other arms than death ; he thought the victory would be more honourable , wherein he should employ the son against the father , and where he should make use of the effect , to destroy the cause : s this is that which the great apostle teacheth us in these words , where he saith , that the son of god hath overcome sin , by sin , and that in the punishment of our offence he hath found a remedy to cure us . fictitious hercules vaunts himselfe amongst the poets , to have overcome t monsters by other monsters ; to have made himselfe weapons by their spoils ; and to have ended his last labours by the help of what he had purchased in the former . this fable of hercules is become a truth in jesus christ ; and the gospell obligeth us to acknowledge that in the death of god , which falshood had found out in the life of man. for he by dying hath satisfied his father , he hath destroyed sin by it's son ; he hath saved the sinner by his punishment . religion bindes us to confesse that death is the rise of our happinesse , that it is the christians vow ; that without being miserable , they rejoyce in being mottall ; and that they should want somewhat of their glory ; if since jesus christ did lose his life upon the crosse , they were to ascend to heaven , without dying they live with pain , they die with pleasure ; and to describe a true christian according to tertullians language , we must say , that they are a sort of men who are always ready to die ; u and who placing their happinesse in the resemblance or imitation of jesus christ , desire to lose their lives a thousand times amidst tortures , to repair his charity by their love ; and to suffer for his glory , what he hath undergone for their salvation . the tenth discourse . that sleep is a punishment of sin as the image of death , and that it bereaves us of reason as dreames do of rest . those who think sleep the most harmlesse part of life wil never be perswaded that it hath drawn some evill qualities from adams sin , for it seems to reduce men to the conditions of children , and that bereaving them of the use of reason , it takes from them that unfortunate power which they by their offences abuse . the guiltiest actions become innocent , during sleep , those vapours which do stupifie the senses excuse the sins of those that sleep , and as their x vertues are not rewarded , neither are their offences punished . murthers are committed without effusion of blood , revenge is taken upon enemies without injustice , and another mans goods are without violence tane away whilst sleep doth lull the senses . the soul is not guilty of the faults which her body commits , and though she gives it life and motion , she hath not liberty enough to give it the guidance thereof . imagination is the sole faculty which doth in-animate it , and this confused faculty not being guided by reason , commits evil unpunished , and pleads blindnesse for the excuse of it's errour . yet is it certain that in the condition wherein we are , sleep is a punishment of sin , and had man never sinned , he had never proved those disquiets wherewith he is agitated during his rest ; nature would have born a respect to her sovereigns sleep , the elements which formed his body would not have troubled his rest , and vapours would have been so mild , as stupefying all the senses , they would have left the soul at liberty . in this happy condition , man might well have refreshed himself by sleep , y his eyes would have been closed against the light , and his other senses would have dispensed with their ordinary functions . but the soul would have retired to within her self , and acting according to the manner of angels , she would have known truth without the interposition of the organs , her rest would rather have bn an extasie then sleep , and man might have said that his heart waked whilst his body took it's resti i have much ado to believe that man was reduced to the condition of beasts , before he had sinned , and that he should have undergone the punishment of an offence , which he had not as yet committed . if there have been some saints whom sleep did not deprive of the use of reason , and who loved god even whilst they slept , i think it not strange that the heavens should have granted this favour to our first father in his innocency , & that he entertein'd himself with angels , whilest he could not entertain himself with men . st. iohn the z baptist adored the son of god in the chast womb of the virgin , the obscurity of his prison , could not hinder the light of heaven ; from enlightning his understanding , that stupefaction which continues nine moneths with other children , hindred not him from instructing elizabeth by his motions , and from letting her know that the mother which she saw was a virgin , and that the child which she saw not , was god. the better part of divines do not question but that the virgin did enjoy this priviledge all her life , and that her soul , whilest her body rested , was wholly busied in considering the wonders of her son , she loved him as well sleeping , as waking ; sleep did not interrupt her love : sleep which makes us beasts , made her an angel , and her soul had this advantage in the night season that it did act without any dependency upon her bodie ; rest did not bereave her of half her life , as it doth us , were she asleep , or were she awake , she did equally apply her self to god , her sleep was more operative then all our watchings , when her mouth was shut , a her spirit supplied her silence , and she praised god with her heart , not being able to do it with her tongue . b imagine that adams sleep did somewhat resemble that of the virgins , that he ceased not to reason , when he could not speak , that his noblest part slept not , whilest his other did , that his souls eyes were open , when his bodily eyes were shut , and that his soul exercising those species which she by the senses had received , considered the works of god , for why should we beleive that adam should suffer that out-rage in the state of innocency , which the saints had much ado to tolerate in the state of sin ? sleep which is the rest of their body is the punishment of their soul , they are afflicted that their will should be rendered so long useless , they conjure their tutel●ry ●els to wake whilest they sleep , and to love in their behalf 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 goodnesse , which cannot be loved according to its worth , they look upon their bed , as upon their grave ; c they think to die as oft as they fall a sleep ; and they murmure that their soule which is immortall , should be constrained to suffer such a kinde of death ; i pardon them these their complaints ; for 't is true that sleep is the shame of our nature , and that the qualities wherewithall it is accompanied , teach us that it is become criminall : it reduceth men to the condition of beasts , it takes from them their noblest priviledges , and inhibits them the use of all the senses which may be serviceable to the soul. this punishment seems to be more injurious than death , whose image it is : for death loosens the soule from the body , raiseth her to the condition of angels , and withdraws her from a prison , which though she delighted in , ceased not to be fatall to her : but sleep stupifies the senses , sets upon such parts of the body as the soule makes most claim to ; disperseth it's vapours into the eyes and ears , and reduceth man into a condition wherein he can neither speak , nor think . the heart during sleep , is in a perpetuall motion ; naturall heat disgests meat , the liver converts it into bloud , and distributes it abroad amongst the veines ; every part turnes it into it's own substance , and by a continuall miracle one and the same nourishment doth extend it selfe into nerves , thickens into flesh , and hardens into bone . nature repaires these ruines which watchings had made in the body , she leaves nothing uselesse in this condition , and her diligence extends even to our haire , which grows whil'st we sleep . but the noblest of our senses are a sleep ; our eyes serve no more for guides , nor the ears for intelligencers , the tongue to which motion is so naturall , is no more the soules interpreter ; imaginations selfe doth only furnish her with confused species , d and the soul in this disorder is inforced to remain idle , and unusefull . passions be they never so violent are more respectfull than is sleep ; their first motions are only dangerous ; who can shun being surprized by them , may fence himselfe against their fury ; they are as easily calmed as raised ; and knowing that reason is their sovereign , they reserve some respect unto her even in their revolt . but sleep contemneth her authority , it obligeth this queen to withdraw her selfe into the center of her state ; and forceth her to abandon the extreamities . it mingles force with sweetnesse to corrupt men ; steals so pleasingly upon a man , as it hath got entrance before one be aware , and reignes so absolutely that unlesse it withdraw itselfe it cannot be repulsed , it 's violence is pleasing because sweet ; it 's tyranny supportable , because necessary ; e and it 's authority is so absolute , as it calmes those passions which reason cannot allay : it takes from conquerours the desire of glory , quencheth the flames of unchaste love , charmes the violence of choller , draws displeasure in it's vapours , and if it take not from desperate men the designe of making themselves away , it doth happily bereave them of the means of doing it . but he sels his good turnes at a deer rate ; since to cure our passions , he bereaves us of our reason ; and puts us in a condition wherein we cannot exercise our vertues ; for though he cannot deface the habits thereof , yet he interdicts us the use , and brings us into the condition of wars under age , who being born rich have not the liberty to dispose of their goods ; we have reason , yet are not rationall ; philosophers have high conceptions , yet cannot discourse ; princes conceive great designes , yet cannot execute them ; saints have good desires , but cannot accomplish them ; and the faithfull have vertues , and cannot practise them . dreams , f which may be termed the productions of sleep , are not lesse injurious to man , than is their father ; for they appear to men be the extravagancies of a drowsie imagination , and the follies of a wise man ; there is no philosopher which hath not some ravings in his sleep , nor so well a govern'd mind which is not debaucht in dreaming : the soule hath liberty onely left her to forme chimaeraes ; and be it either that the vapours which arise from the bowels trouble her presented forms , be it that the senses being drowsie make but confused reports unto her ; or be it lastly that the organs of our bodies being bound up hinder her operations ; she acts in such confusion and disorder , g as all her thoughts are but ravings ; and her discourses but extravagancies : if she light rightly , 't is by hazard ; and if in this bad condition she take a good resolution , she is more obliged to fortune , than to wisdome . a man must either be superstitious , or out of his wits to be guided by dreams ; and who takes their ravings for revelations , is in great danger running mad , if he be not so already . we do not live in those days , wherein god made his will known by dreams , he treats no more with men a sleep , but doth rather dispence his favours to those who are awake . since truths have succeeded figures , god doth not often declare his oracles by dreams ; and we learn his designs rather by prayer than by sleep . it is true that as his mercy makes us reap advantage by our misfortunes , and turns our losse to our souls health , so doth it make use of sleep and dreams for our good , h the first sweetens our pains , drowns our displeasures , and levels our conditions ; takes the crowns from off the heads of kings , lawrels from conquerors and miters , from bishops , breaks the bolts of slaves , opens the prison doors , and if he do not restore liberty to captives , he at least makes them forget their servitude . the prince hath no advantage over his subjects , when they are both asleep , though his bed be more stately , his rest is no sweeter , and if any remembrance of his greatnesse remain in him when asleep , it causeth most commonly but disquiet and suspition . all men are alike , when asleep , and sleep as well as death levels all conditions : a philosopher is not more able then an ignorant person , when he sleeps , the poor man is as happy as the rich , when both of them have forgot their condition , and pleasure and pain cause no difference in men when their senses are stupefied with sleep . he who doth so many acts of justice , do's some also of mercy , for he prepares us for death , reclaims us thereunto , and being more prevalent than all the discourses of philosophers , perswades us that a man may die without pain , since he sleeps every day with delight . in effect , sleep is a short death , and death is nothing else but a long sleep , the bed is a grave for one night , and the grave a bed for many ages , we expect to waken from our beds , and we hope to rise again from i our sepulchres : thus one and the same thing teacheth us two differing truths , and sleep which fits us for death , animates us to beleive the resurrection , the dreams which he shapes whilest we rest , and those pleasing illusions wherewith he diverts our soul , when the senses refuse to serve her , are either proofs or presumptions of our immortality , and we easily imagine that our soul may very well escape death , since she is not wholly engaged in sleep which is deaths picture . k in fine , dreams becomes often oracles , our spirit being losened from the senses , presages either good or bad fortune when it is retired to within it self , it doth act more easily , then when it is dissipated by objects ; great personages receive advertisement from heaven , sleeping , and angels treat with them , whilest they cannot treat with men . god chose the time of sleep to declare his designs unto his servants , and in the old testament the dreams of saints were oracles l and prophesies . ioseph wonne his credit in egypt by interpreting pharohs dreams ; and superstition , which glories to imitate religion , did always believe that her gods declared their wils whil'st men slept . but this advantage , is as reproach full one to us , and when the heavens deal thus with us , it is doubtlesly to teach us , that if we will be informed what their designs are we must forego our callings , and that to purchase faith we must renounce reason , so as it is apparent enough , that sleep and dreams upbraid us with our weaknesse , and are punishments of our sin . of the corruption of all exteriour goods , called by the name of fortvne . the fifth treatise : the first discourse . that we must fear what we desire , and desire what we feare . t' is with much reason that originall sin is by saint austine tearmed the universall corruption of nature , since there is nothing left in man , uncorrupted ; his understanding is so clouded with darknesse as he cannot discern truth from falshood , his memory is so weakened , as it is painfull for him to learn , and naturall to forget ; his will is depraved as it loves nothing but what is pleasing to the senses . his very aids are pernitious , and the succour which nature hath afforded him for his help in his necessity , serves onely to make him the more miserable . being stript of all the good which he possest in the state of innocency , it seems he needs desires , and that this passion is requisite to him , to finde out helps for his indigency ; being condemned to undergo those punishments which his rebellion deserved , feare seems to be necessary to him , and that to shun the evils which threaten him ; divine mercy had ought to have made him fearfull ; yet this assistance is prejudiciall to him , these remedies do augment his evill , and he would be lesse unhappy , if he could keep himselfe from wishing for good , or fearing evill . a for to boot that desire is but a languishing of the soule which is occasioned oftner by her weaknesse , than by her want ; and which reaches rather to things superfluous , than necessary ; 't is very well known , that it harms a man , whil'st it would heal him ; that it widens his wounds , in stead of closing them ; and that it increaseth his necessities , in lieu of comforting them : b one desire causeth another , and man imagining that the greatest good will cost him but wishes ; forgoes all other exercise to consume himselfe in unprofitable desires : he doth not relish the good which he enjoyeth , he despiseth that which he sought after , and as if things were the more precious for being either absent , or lost , he esteems none but what he hath either lost , or hath not yet gotten : all things seem pleasing to him which he hath not , evils do to him change their nature ; when they are far off , and be it either that his capacity cannot reach them , or that his desire paints them forth unto him in glorious colours , he oft-times wisheth his harm ; c and is enforced to accuse heaven of being rigorous unto him , in having too easily heard him : he expects his having obtained what he desired ; & his desire is so bad a counsellor , as all the advices which it gives him , are either unfaithfull , or rash . it 's promises are as pernicious as are it's advices , for it seldome makes good any thing that it promiseth , it glories in abusing those that believe in it ; and hope which serves it for a surety , abuseth our easinesse , in engaging us to seek after a good which is difficult , and dangerous : she perswades those who listen unto her , that she is a fore-runner of felicity , that a thing desired , is halfe possessed ; and to have an extream passion for riches or honour , is to quit infamy , and poverty . but it falls out clean contrary , for desire adds to indig●y , it irritates the evill which it would allay , and makes the ambitious , infamous , and avaritious needy . they are sensible of their wants , d since they desire the remedies ; and the passion which presseth them is no lesse a proofe of their pain , than of their necessity . those who suffer dishonour without desire of glory , are troubled but with one malady ; but those who adde to the pain of being despised , the passion of glory , endure a double martyrdome . thus the desire of good , is the increase of evill , and he who makes many wishes , exposeth himselfe to most sufferings . heaven punisheth the guilty , by giving them over to their own desires ; this passion is more severe than the rack ; and who could handsomly handle it to punish the ambitious or amorous , he might stay all other punishments . nothing doth so much torment the damned as their desires ; if they could live without wishes as well as without hope , their sufferings would be lesse severe , and hell would have lost her sorest torment . the holy scripture teacheth us , that god makes use of our desires , as ministers of his vengeance ; and that the losse of our goods and death of friends are but the punishments of our lightest offences . when the city of ierusalem was taken by force in the reign of antiochus , in so much as the temple was prophaned , the altars beaten down , that the fire consumed what the sword had spared ; that rivers of bloud ran in the publique places , and that women were robbed of their honour , and their husbands of their liberty ; the writer of this story tells us , that so tragicall a disaster was but the preamble to gods justice ; e and ( if a man may be allowed to say so ) but the pastime of his anger : if he had been more incensed , he would have found out severer punishments , but because his indignation was but small , he was satisfied with the ruine of the temple , and ierusalems pillage : but when his just fury is at the height , and that the number of our insolent sins doth provoke his choller , he gives us over to our own desires , and command these executioners of his justice , to make us try all the rigour which love can make the unchaste suffer , or pride the ambitious ; he somtimes permits these unjust desires to take effect , he grants what we desire , to make us the more unfortunate , and the more guilty ; f the good successe of our vows is a mark of his indignation , and the better pleased we be with our punishments , the more firce and fatall are they . thus riches undoe the avaritious , honours punish the ambitious , and pleasures are the torments of the unchaste . for we are in a condition wherein we ought to suspect all the goods of fortune . since the losse of innocency , greatnesse is fatall to man , and he cannot be raised up , without hazard of being undone : he is so prodigiously out of order , as the punishments of his sin are more advantageous to him , than the remainders of originall righteousnesse . and it is easier for him to save himselfe in want , and infamy , than in glory or abundance . watsoever is glorious is fatall to him ; g dignities increase his haughtinesse , and makes him forget his misery ; they raise him up onely to throw him headlong down ; and 't is a kind of miracle if hee continue humble in greatnesse . lucifer , who had not our weaknesses , could not resist this dangerous enemy ; the place he held amongst the angels , made him vain glorious , his glory dashed his understanding , and seeing all creatures were submitted unto him , he could not endure to submit himselfe to his creatour ; his crime proceeded from his excellency , he was onely proud , because he was raised to too high a degree ; and if the pain he suffers could truth from out his mouth , he would confesse he is onely miserable for having been too happy . man lost himselfe by the same disorder ; the terrestiall paradise made him forget that the earth was the place of his birth , and the matter whereof his body was composed ; the association of angels , and obedience of beasts , made him believe he was independent ; and held of no body . and seeing whole nature busied either for his pleasure , or for his service , he thought that if he were not a god , he might at least become one . but not to speak more of those past disasters , he is overwhelmed with the weight of greatnesse ; there are but few hands which can bear a scepter without vanity , and but few heads which do not bow under the weight of a crown . 't is ▪ hard h for a prince to preserve his modesty amidst his honours , and for him to remember that he is a man , whil'st all his subjects endeavour to perswade him that he is a god. great humility is requisite to him , to defend himselfe from such pleasing slatteries , and the inclination which by reason of originall sin , he hath to vain glory being considered ; he hath much adoe to reject such hopes as adam was abused withall , even in the midst of his innocency . t is much more hard to make use of pleasure than to make use of pain , and more philosophers are found to have been patient in afflictions , then moderate in pleasures , riches cause more disorder than poverty ; and were not men over-rul'd by opinion , want would be more sufferable than aboundance . though we be not stoicks , and though the fond imaginations of the haughty philosophers did aswel give against reason as truth , we forbear not to confesse with them , that sorrow is to be preferred before joy , and that it is better for a man to suffer pain , then to tast pleasure . i all his advantages are pernitious to him , the remainders of innocency ingage him in sin , and he cannot follow adams tract , without falling into his precipice : thus ought he to suspect all his desires , and all his hopes , the good whlch flatters him , deceives him ; what pleaseth him , is fatall to him ; and to expresse in a word , the irregularity which sin hath placed in his nature , we must affirm , that he is bound to fear what he hopes , and to hope what he fears . for fear abuseth us aswell as hope , and she is unjust , and unfaithfull when she paints forth evill to us like a monster , it may suffice us to suffer it when it hath happened , without anticipating it by our apprehension . that wisedome which foresees an evil , and cannot divert it , serves but to hasten it ; and a man had better be surprized by a disaster , then fear it long : this is not withstanding the usuall effect of fear ; she fore-runs our misfortunes , under pretence of freeing us from them ; she indiscreetly engageth us in them ; and through a vain desire of making us more happy , she oft-times makes us more miserable ; 't is thought that she makes up a part of our wisedome , that she fore-sees not an evil save onely to prevent it ; that unlesse it were for fear of poverty , we should not heap up riches , that 't is fear of war , which makes us raise strong holds , and that if it were not for fear of famine , we should not cultirate the ground . but certainly she is vain in her fore-light , k and whosoever gives himself over to be guided by sotimerous a passion cannot live happily ; we forestall sorrow before it's birth , we go to find it out before it seeks us , we are ingenious in multiplying our misfortunes , we fear disasters which will never happen ; we become the ministers of our own punishments , and we invent torments with the cruelty of executioners never dream'd off : we are more befriended by fortune than by wisedome , nay even when she hath vowed our undoing , she deals more gently with us , then fear doth . an evil finds us already sunk , when it sets upon us , our fear takes from it the half of it's victory , it wonders that she who fights against it , should fight under it's colours , and that whil'st she would destroy it's power , she establisheth its empire : for 't is true , she paints forth evill more terrible than it is : she adds somewhat to it's il-favourednesse , she never represents it to the life , she is of the humour of those who give out no news without either disguising or augmenting them : she being by nature l melancholly , fancies ever dreadfull visions to her self , the evill which is neerest seems alwaies most dangerous to her : she attributes much to our body , and not consulting with reason , she apprehends all things that can give against the senses , she is not astonished at that sin which onely hurts the soul , but the punishment thereof which takes down the body doth frighten her . yet this kind of punishment is usefull to christians . they are sooner saved by sufferings than by pleasures , they must change their feeling as well as their condition , and remembring that they are fallen from the happy state of innocency , they must no longer pretend to their past felicity , neither yet complain of their present misery . evils are no longer to be complained of , since they are become necessary ; though the name of punishment which they bear with them , make them anxious to our senses , yet the name of cure should make them pleasing to the understanding : there is not any one of them whereof a man may not make a glorious vertue : if death do not make all men martyrs , he may make holy victimes of them . t is a favour to m die , since god hath been pleased to become mortall ; the punishments of our sins are turned into remedies , that which was infamous to us by nature , is in grace honourable ; and we would not change condition with angels , since not being able to die like us , they cannot sacrifice their lives to jesus christ ; the maladies which prepare us for death , do exercise our patience . the great apo stle grounded his glory in his weaknesses , and not considering the advantages which he had being master of the gentiles , he onely valued his infirmities , which made the power of his deliverer appear . poverty is no mo●e the opprobrie of men , but the glory of christians ; the sonne of god did consecrate it both in his birth and death ; it is turned into an eccellent vertue , since he hath been pleased to practice it , though a●dams poverty proceeded from his guilt , most christians become poor thereby to become innocent , profiting by their losse , they satisfie their judge his justice , and revenge themselves of their enemies hatred . m fasting is a vertue which we have learn't at our own cost , the barrennesse of the earth hath taught us abstinency , we make a sacrifice of the monster hunger , and in the punishment of our disobedience , we find a fence for our chastity . as evils are profitable to those that suffer them , 't is in vain that we fear them ; as goods are fatall to those that possesse them , 't is without reason that we wish for them . the world hath changed it's face , since man hath changed his condition ; if he will not undo himself , he must fear what he hoped for , and hope for what he feared . hee ought to be dismayed at riches , since they may corrupt him ; and comforted with poverty , since it may convert him , death ought to be more precious to him than life ; since it is a sacrifice ; and he is bound to prefer pain before pleasure , since the crosse of jesus christ was the rise of his salvation . the second discourse . that honour is no longer the recompence of vertue . those who will praise honour , and perswade us that she , is the reward of vertue , say with aristotle , that generous minded men prefer her before life , and those that bereave us of her are more injurious to us , and more unjust , than those who bereave us of our riches . princes hazard their persons and their estates , and leaving the spoile of their enemy to their souldiers , they reserve unto themselves onely the glory of having overcome . o t is the onely thing which men carry with them to their graves , 't is that which makes men live , after death , that which preserves their memory in the world , and which triumphing over years makes their worth be known to all posterity . vertue would not have charms sufficient to make her self be beloved , were she not accompanied by glory , and this austeer mistris would have no servants did she not promise them eternall reputation ; all the famous actions of antiquity had no other originall , and it may be said that as honour was the end of their labours , so vain glory was the soul of their vertue . ambition , which since sin is become naturall unto men , did undoubtedly perswade him p that glory was the shadow of divinity , and that it was she , who altering his condition , would make temples and altars be raised unto him after his death ; he thought he might by the means of honour , obtein what he could not do by the serpents counsell , and that this fathfull companion of vertue would restore unto him , what his sin hath bereft him off . but this argumentation is as seeble as false , for honour hath lost her purity , since man hath lost his innocency : she is dealt about more unjustly then riches , ti 's a good which depends onely upon opinion , which is as soon gotten by vice as by vertue ; and which subsists more by good fortune , than by justice . we have seen great princes whose lives have been buried in oblivion , for having been the aristides and the phocions who are the famousest ornaments of of greece could not vanquish oblivion ; socrates owes his reputation onely to his disciples eloquence , and had not plato recorded his last words , we should not know how couragiously he dyed . the q world values much more glorious actions than vertuous ones ; poets and historians who are the trumpets of monarchs , tie themselves more to combats than to counsels , and do much more exalt the defeat of enemies , then the government over subjects . alexander wonne much more reputation amongst the grecians then did pericles : and caesar is much more honoured amongst the romanes , then cato . the luster of great actions dazles the eyes ; those which make the greatest noise , receive the greatest praises ; men never consider good advice so much as good successe , nor the resolution as the event . the very theater whereupon things are acted , serves to put a valuation upon them , that which was done in rome made a greater noise then what at lacedemon ; and the world which suffers it self to be surprized by greatnesse , never values vertue or worth unlesse it be crowned : private souldiers do more gallant actions than their captains , but the lownesse of their condition stifles them . italy hath produced slaves more nobly minded than cato , and they have uttered maximes which polititians would have reverenced like oracles , had they been spoken by a prince 't is thought that one of the scipio's ows all his advantages over the r carthaginians , to the wise advice of laelius , and the criticks know very well that cicero studied the purity of language in terence , and the grace of expressing it upon roscius his theater , but because the one was but a franchised slave , and the other a common player , he onely reaped the glory of their labours . this unjust vanity is crept even into religion : we oft-times judge of saints greatnesse , by the eminency of their births , we read the life of a prince with more admiration then that of a peasant , and be it either that vertue be rarer in courts than in cottages , or that we be rather born away with appearances than truths , a common action in the person of a prince seems noble to us . all things appear great underneath a crown : and we are so accustomed to flatter princes , as they passe for good if they be not bad . eloquence labours to disguise their faults , she gives honourable names to shamefull actions : and she thinks that traffick is not base there , where she barters smoak and wind for gold. but that which makes natures disorder evidently appear , is that fortunate faults passe for rare vertues , and that men appear onely to be famous , for that they have indeed been wicked . if caesar s be more esteemed than catiline 't is because his design had better successe , they were both guilty of the same fault ; both had vowed the ruine of their country ; the one offered at it , but in vain , the other succesfully accomplisht it : the lesse guilty went for a traitor , and the more faulty for a legitimate king ; the ones name is odious in all history , the others honourable , and most monarchs by assuming his name shew that they approve of his tyranny . t he is the first emperour of rome , the gloriousest scepter of the world was the reward of his trechery , his life serves for example to all conquerors , and his usurpation for excuse to all their unjust undertakings . yet he is guilty of catilines fault , he is not more honoured , save for that he is more unjust or more fortunate ; and he is numbred amongst the emperours onely , because he did execute what the other did project . if cicero's eloquence could have stayed the progresse of his ambition , or had he died before he had made himself master of rome , his memory would be more odious than that of dionysius of syracusa , and as all kings would have been styled pompeys , all tyrants would have been termed caesars : but because his faults was fortunate , he was honoured , and the man of the world that stood most in need of apologies , may glory in having all history made his panygericks . 't is true that caesar would have had reason to complain had he been otherwise dealt withall ; since all nations treat their usurpers so , and reserve all their praises for those that rob them of their liberty . great faults are the noblest vertues ; princes who shed most bloud , receive most honour ; robbery and murther are the steps whereby tyrants get into kings thrones ; people put not so great a valuation upon those who have defended them , as on those who have conquered them ; and all things in the world are so out of order , as usurpation in monarches is more glorious than succession . the one is the work of nature , the other of fortune ; they owe their election to their subjects love , and are bound for their conquests to their souldiers valour . triumph , which was vertues highest recompence amongst the romans , was granted onely to such as had committed most murthers , and sackt most towns ; renown was not to be purchased in that commonwealth , but by violence and injustice . that which their historians calls victories , their enemies terme butchery ; what served for a sport to the romane dames , made the widowes of carthage weep ; and the same successe which made them be reverenced , made them be hated by their enemies . thus triumph , is onely founded upon faults , combates are not made without weapons , nor are victories wonne without murther . this notwithstanding is the glory of princes , and the mightinesse u of conquerours ; he who hath fought amongst battails , is most valiant ; he who hath plundered most townes , is most happy ; and he who hath ruin'd most provinces , is the most august : this madnesse . hath been common among christian princes ; the lawes forbid murther to particular men , and ambition doth oft without reason permit sovereigns to wage war ; 't is a piece of injustice , to end a difference by a duell ; and 't is an heroick . action to engage fifty thousand men in a battail , upon a triviall occasion ; faults are secure because they are accompanied with an absolute power ; and they are publickly praised because they are out of the reach of ordinary justice . there remains nothing to adde idolatry to cruelty , but to render divine honour to these illustrious guilty ones , and to raise up altars to those who have ruin'd kingdoms . the example of pagans may well authorize this impiety , for they never granted apotheosis , or canonization , but to such as were famous for their faults . the first man whom italy placed in heaven , did sprinkle the wals of x rome in it's rise with his brothers bloud : and the first prince to whom this republique , changed into a kingdome , did erect altars , had oppressed the liberty thereof : since augustus his death , apotheosis or canonization , was the recompence of mutther and incest , to become god he must cease to be man , and must forego all humane relations , to acquire divine honour : the consul placed men in heaven , whom they would have driven out of the senate had they not lived under their tyranny , they appointed priests to such as deserved hangmen , and rome was so accustomed to flatter , as she numbred those amongst her gods , which she had numbred amongst her tyrants . but grant that honour were justly distributed , 't is notwithstanding so frail a good , as men would never so passionately seek after it , had not sin corrupted his nature , and troubled his judgment . for to boot that it is not within us , y and that it is impossible to be happy in a thing which we possesse not , it depends upon the opinion of the vulgar , who meddle as well in weighing the merit of men as the states-men doe . this bad judge is guided more by humour then by reason ; his intetest is the rule of his judgment , and these base persons esteem nothing honourable but what is advantagious to them : they change with every wind , and as their minds are agitated with hatred , love , anger , or pitty , they praise and blame the same thing . thus conquerors are bound to acknowledge , that their reputation depends more upon fortune , than victory ; and that to be glorious it is not sufficient for them to have overcome their enemies , unlesse by a continuance of good fortune , they win their subjects love . i know z 't is said that glory is never pure till after death , that kings must lose their lives to purchase esteem , and that the palmes and lawrels of renowu serve onely to crown their sepulchres ; but i think there are few conquerors that would purchase glory at so deer a rate , and who would wish to die , that they might receive a recompence which is not tasted but in life : what are they the better for praises given them in historie ? what redounds to them from a vain reputation , which cannot get admittance into the other world ? and how are they advantaged either in heaven or in hell by their sepulchres adornments . nothing is more famous in antiquity then caesar , he is almost as well known throughout the world as jesus christ. all historians speak of him with encomiums , all conquerors endevour to imitate him ; an action is not glorious save when it doth conform with his : children are rather instructed in his life , then in those of the apostles or martyrs , and they know better what he hath done in italy , then what the sonne of god did in palestine ; his voyages are more admired than saint pauls , and his commentaries are read with more contentment , then the epistles of the great apostle : but what advantage reaps he by our praises in hell ? do's his renown lessen his torments ? is he lesse unfortunate , for being more honoured ? or is he lesse tormented , for being better known ? hath he any preferment in hell , where all things are in confusion and disorder : that ambitious humour , which could neither suffer a superiour , nor yet an equall , is it satisfied with our panegyricks ? and a soul which suffers so much punishment , can it find any contentment in those praises ? ought we not rather to conclude , that his shadow is praised , and his person tormented ? that he is sensible of his a pains but not of our praises ? and that he is well esteemed on on earth , and tortered in hell ? is not alexander ill rewarded for all his labours ? and this lover of glory , doth not he repent that he so long served this faithlesse mistris ? he over-run the whole world , he was troubled that his conquests should find a stop , where the sun stayes his course ; he would have gone further then that glorious constellation , and have carried his arms where the sun did not carry his light : he hath plaid the part both of a private souldier and of a commander upon a thousand incounters , and hath hazarded his estate , his army , and his person , a hundred times to win a little reputation ; yet what of all this remains to him in the grave ? doth his glory allay his sufferings ? do's the title of great , take from him the name of unhappy ? do the ghosts of his souldiers , or of his enemies tremble at his presence , b and he who held all the earth in awe , and silence , is he any wayes delighted with his reputation , or our astonishment ? his pomp was effaced by his death he ceased to be alexander when he ceased to be man ; his body is reduced to dust , his soul burns in hell , and his name which is but a fantasme receives the vain praises , which are given it . let us conclude then that a man must be a fool to imagine that honour is the recompence of vertue , and that man never sought after these imaginary contentments , till after he had lost those which were solid and reall . mans honour consists in his duty ; of all the testimonies which he receives there are none but those of his conscience , which can satisfie him : knowing that vertue depends upon grace , he gives the glory to him who hath indued him with the strength , & he confesseth that god c crowns his own gifts , when he crowns our merits . vainglory was permitted to the pagans who defied honour , but she is forbidden christians , who hold ambition a crime : she was permitted unto pagans , whose immortality consisted in renown , but she is forbidden christians whose felicity consists in beholding god. in fine , earth is the place of desert , and heaven the abode of recompence . god hath reserved unto himself the care of dispensing glory to those that serve him , 't is d he who will make the saints panygericks and who will crown their vertues : let us not intrench upon his rights , let us give all glory to him , since he is the fountain thereof , and let us confesse that man would never have been ambitious , if he had always continued innocent . the third discourse . that greatnesse is attended by flavery and vanity . though sin hath corrupted mans nature , though it have bereft him of those glorious advantages which made him walk hand in hand with angels , and hath reduced him to a condition wherein he is equally grieved with shame , and misery , yet hath it not been able to blot out of his soul the memory of his greatnesse . for though the world be a place of banishment , though all creatures war against him , and that the seasons are become irregular onely to make him suffer , he notwithstanding seeks for paradice upon the earth , and amidst all his mischiefs , he continues a desire of happinesse . though ignorance be the punishment of his sin , though his blindnesse continue all his life time , and that the darknesse which clouds his understanding , suffers him not to discern between vice , & vertues ; yet he thirsts after truth , he seeks her amidst falshood , and oft-times fights to find her out ; though since the losse of his innocency he be become slave to his passions , and that to obey such insolent masters , he be enforced to forego his liberty , he ceaseth not to love command , and to pretend to the empire of the whole world ; he endevours to recover by injustice , d what he hath lost by vanity ; and not able to come by royalty , he with open face aspires to tyranny . the devil who cannot efface his desires which are as the remainder of innocency , is content to corrupt them , and to propose unto him false objects to divert him from true ones . to say truth , man takes no longer pleasure in any thing save in criminall delights , the inclination which he hath for the summum bonum , serves onely to keep the further from it ; and for not taking his aim aright , he strays from his end whilest he thinks to draw neer it : the love which he bears to knowledge is but a meer curiosity , he loves truth like a whore , not like a legitimate wife , he seeks her out onely to passe away his time , as oft as she blames his disorders , he turns his love into hatred , and becomes her persecutor whose servant he was . his passion for sovereignty , is not more lawfull , though he desire a good which he hath possessed , 't is upon such conditions , as make his desire unjust . he wisheth for an independant crown , whith may hold of no body , he will be absolute in his estate , and since he is become the devils slave , he will be no longer gods subject : his ambition will not suffer him to acknowledge his legitimate sovereign , and his basenesse forceth him to tolerate a tyrant ; he would think he should injure his liberty , should he assubject it to the will e of his creator , and thinks not that he wrongs his nobility , when he submits himself to an usurper : he feeds himself with vain authority , and false greatnesse ; he thinks himself not forced , because he follows his own inclinations , and because his master keeps him tied up with chains of gold , he cannot think he is a slave . this errour slides the easilyer into the souls of kings , for that seeing so many subjects obey them , they cannot perswade themselves that servitude can meet with so many marks of liberty . these crowned heads can hardly believe that their will , which is the living law of their empire is made a captive ; that they who are their subjects destiny , should hold of an invisible tyrant : and that they who passe for the gods of the world , should be the f devils slaves : the submission which they finde in their dominions , makes them believe they are absolute : the blinde respect which is rendred to their degree , makes them forget the miseries of their birth : flattery insinuates her selfe easily into them , unlesse they be armed with reason , to withstand her , and these pleasing falshoods banish away truth . in so high a pitch of fortune , where nothing is wanting to compleat the felicity of their senses ; their soule is weakned , and being charmed by false praises , they believe what they desire . they imagine that death dares not assaile a monarch which the world stands in awe of , and whom fortune reverenceth : they make a god-head of their greatnesse ; they despise such honours as are not divine ; and though sicknesses which advertise them of their weaknesse , assure them of their deaths ; they hope for an un-exampled miracle , and perswade themselves that immortality is a favour wherewith heaven will honour their merit : the guards which watch about their palaces , might easily cure them of this errour ; did not flattery which makes them as stupid , as insolent , bereave them both of their judgement , and modesty : the conspiracies which are made against their persons , the parties which are packt in their territories , the cunning which is used to corrupt their subjects loyalty , are reasons good enough to abate their pride ; and to destroy that foolish confidence which feeds their vanity . g but without going so far for remedies for their evils , their onely greatnesse is able to cure them ; when if they would consider the condition whereinto sin hath reduced monarchs , they would confesse that the power which waites upon them is but weak , and dangerous , full of anxiety , and mixt with servitude . though god will suffer us to share with him in his perfections , though he permit that our vertues be a shadow of his divine attributes , that our condition be such as we may imitate them ; and though a man be not rationall unlesse he endeavour to expresse in his soule an image of divinity , yet amongst that number of perfections which we adore in god , some seem to be advantagious to us , other some prejudiciall . it is lawfull for all men to aspire to holinesse , and let us give what ever reins we please to this passion , it can never be criminall . every one may safely imitate mercy , when , according to gods example our benefits extend unto the good , and to the evill ; to turks , and christians ; and when without making any distinction of persons , we do equally oblige the innocent , and the faulty ; a vertue is not to be blamed which hath god for it's example ; in the religion which we professe a man cannot have too much charity , h the perfection whereof consists in excesse , and he who is most charitable , is undoubtedly the most perfect christian. but there are some other attributes in god which one nor can , nor ought to imitate , save with an humble reservednesse ; it is dangerous to wish for knowledge ; and as our first father lost himselfe onely out of a desire of being too knowing , the desire thereof is oft-times sinfull , and the seeking after it always dangerous . beauty is one of the excellentest perfections which religion acknowledgeth in god , 't is the chiefe object of our beatitude ; and were not god as beautifull as he is good , he would not be the desire , and the happinesse of all rationall creatures : i yet we cannot seek after the possession of this advantage without danger ; in women pride accompanies beauty ; chastity and she , are not upon good tearms , and 't is a kinde of prodigy , when a woman is as chaste , as fair . greatnesse and power are two of gods attributes , which merit equall honour , each of them inspires fear into the soule of the creature ; if they be ravisht with his goodnesse , his majesty astonisheth them ; and if his beauty oblige them to love him , his power enforceth them to reverence him . thus dividing themselves between respect and love , they love him as their father , and adore him as their sovereign : k yet this perfection which preserves the honour of god amongst men , cannot without danger be wished for ; who prescribes not bounds to the desire thereof falls easily into errour ; and he who pretends to his greatnesse who hath no equall , cannot avoid his just anger . lucifers undoing was for that he would reign in heaven ; if pride was his sin , greatnesse was the object thereof ; and if that glorious angell be now a devill , 't is because his ambition made him wish himselfe a god. the cause of his disaster , is oft-times the cause of ours , that which drove him from heaven , banisht adam out of paradise ; this children of the unfortunate father , mistaking his fault , bear his punishment ; and finde by experience , that of all worldly conditions , the most glorious is most dangerous , and the most absolute , is most faulty . it is more safe to obey , than to command ; and let kings be never so godly in their thrones , they run more hazard in their welfare then their subjects do ; the higher they be raised up by greatnesse , the more are they threatened by vanity ; that which draws them neerer god , keeps them the farther from him ; and the same majesty which makes them his images , makes them oft-times his enemies . this condition placeth kings upon the brink of a precipice , l the higher it is , the more dangerous is it , and like the highest mountains is always exposed to storms : so great is the danger which doth accompany it , as it may be doubted , whether a scepter be not aswell the punishment of gods justice , as the favour of his mercy . the first king of israel was a reprobate , his election which was somewhat miraculous freed him not from sin , neither could the prayers of a prophet appease gods anger : his fault at first was but impatience , and in the progresse thereof , but a slight enterprize upon the priestly office . the presence of his enemies whereby he was obliged to fight , might serve him for an excuse , and the laws of war , which will have a man make use of advantages , was a reason of state , which might have sheltred him in the opinion of polititians . yet this fault which had so fair an appearance , was punished by the routing of his army , he found death , when he sought for glory ; and the same mountain which was the pitcht field wherein he set upon his enemies , was the scaffold whereon he was punished by divine justice . poets who never read our scripture , judged aright , that crowns were not always set upon the most innocent heads , and that kingdoms were oftner the punishment of sin than the reward of vertue . iocasta made use of this reason to divert polinices from the war which he undertook against eteocles , she assured him , that without troubling himself with fighting , he should be sufficiently revenged of a reigning brother , m for that a kingdome was a severe punishment , and that of all his ancestors there was not any sovereign who had not been unfortunate , though this maxime be not always true in christianity , and that there have been kings , whose thrones have served them for steps to mount up to heaven by , 't is alwaies very dangerous to be raised to a condition which permits them to doe what they please , and with not bereaving them of their passions unrulinesse , affords them means of satisfying them : for in this supream authority , which hath no arbitrator , nor censurer , they can do what they will , their power meets with no resistance , all their councellors are their slaves , and either flatttery or fear makes all men praise their injustice , n or bear with their violence : if they be unchast , 't is not safe to be chast in their dominions . all women are not couragious enough to expose their lives to save their honour : those who have worth enough to resist the vain discourses of men , have not strength sufficient to withstand a princes promises , and there are but very few who will not hazard their chastity to triumph over the liberty of a monarch . if they be greedy they will find a thousand pretences to enrich themselves at their subjects costs , and to fill their cofers with the spoyles of orphans and widows . if they be cruell they will find fitting ministers for their fury : glorious names are given unto their faults , all their revenges passe for acts of justice ; they are termed the fathers of the people , when they wash their hands in their subjects bloud ; their anger is animated by servile praise , and their cruelty incouraged by approbation : so as kings have no greater enemies to their welfare then this uncurbed licentiousnesse which accompanieth their greatnesse , and that absolute power which furnisheth them with means to execute all their designs . but say they were lesse irregular and grant that reason assisted by grace should keep them from abusing their sovereign authority , they would not be exempt from fears , and dangers . o for as they are the heads of their people , they are answerable for their faults , they commit all the evil which they do not hinder , & those publike disorders wherewith all the world is scandalized , are the particular sins of sovereigns . when they examine their conscience , they are bound to renew their state , to consider whether justice be exercised in all their hightribunals , whether the governors of provinces do not abuse their power , whether the nobility in the countrey do not trample upon the poor sort of countrey people , and whether the judges suffer themselves not to be terrified by threats , or corrupted by promises ; they ought to accuse themselves of all such faults as grow insolent thorow impunity , and make their kingdomes disorders the chief article of their confession . how great is this obligation , how dangerous is this condition , and what hazard is there in making good a dignity , wherein innocency becomes guilty , where though exempt from sin , one is not exempt from fear , and where to acquit himself of his duty , a man must to the quality of an honest upright man adde the quality of a good sovereign . in the state of innocency , the world had had no kings , or kings would have had no trouble , for passion not having yet rebel'd against reason , every one might have governed himself without any danger , and all men might have obeyed without repugnancy : the will of the subject would always have been conformable to that of their king , and kings would have exacted nothing from their subjects , which should not have been both profitable and pleasing to them : in this happy season crowns would not have been environed with thorns , and the curse thundred out against the earth , would not have fallen upon the heads of kings , p there would have been no difficulty in the art of reigning , and the state being an image of man ; the one and the other would have found rest in his innocency . but now that men are become unruly , the art of governing them is become equally difficult , and dangerous ; the subjects faults becomes the kings , and the kings fault becomes the subjects punishment : thus the one and the other of them are mutually miserable , and the most powerfull is allways the most faulty . if royalty meet with danger , labour is inseparable from it , and glory is therein so mingled with pain , as government ceaseth to be glorious , when it is easie . kings command over free men who do not engage themselves in submission , save onely that they hope there to find happinesse : this is a thing which heightens the greatnesse of monarchs , but it adds unto their cares , and unlesse they will lose the title of kings , and purchase the name of tyrants , they must govern themselves so wisely , as preserving their authority , they do not injure their subjects liberty . q this is a temper so hard to be met withall , as most princes are either too indulgent or too severe , some treat their subjects like savage beasts , and seem rather to govern lyons , than men ; others deal with them as with children , and rather discharge the duty of a pedagogue then of a king , others treat them like slaves , changing their kingdome into a gally , and foregoing the quality of a king to assume that of a captain of a gally . others treat them like rebels , and confounding monarchy with tyranny , have no other law than their will , nor other means to make them be obeyed then torments , and punishments , but legitimate kings deal with them as with free people , interessing themselves in their good , and studying to win their hearts without intrenching upon their liberties . this is for certain the most innocent and most honourable way of treating , r but it is also the hardest for to arrive at this , kings must watch whil'st we sleep ; they must foresee the evils which threaten us , repulse those wherewith we are assailed , and consulting with history , must learn by what is past how to prevent mischiefs to come ; if any thing of disaster befall , their government is blamed ; if the successe of war be bad , their courage is accused ; and as if nature depended on their will , famine and pestilence are imputed to their ill government . the indians admit of no king , who doth not oblige himselfe by oath , to overcome all the enemies of the state , to govern all seasons , and to warrant the subject against the injuries of the weather . though there be as much injustice in exacting this promise , as insolency in making it , yet doth it proceed from a generall beliefe which all men have , that princes ought to labour for the welfare of the common-weale , to secure the quiet of their dominions , and to endeavour their subjects happinesse ; what is there more painfull , or more troublesome , then to appease the anger of heaven , to conjure down tempests , to fight , and be victorious , and to order things so right , as that a man do not ruine his subjects , by overcoming his enemies ? but i marvaile not that greatnesse be laborious , since 't is servile ; s and that kings enjoy lesse liberty than their subjects . for since sin hath enslaved man , there is no free condition to be found on earth ; servitude succeeded innocency ; and to be sure to command , a man must necessarily obey : great fortunes are famous captivities , though their splendour dazle us , their miseries are easily observed , and though their chains seem more glorious , as being made of diamonds , yet are they as hard , and as heavy as others . princes dare not travell , they are confin'd within their kingdoms as in a prison , their visits would cause jealousies in their allies , should they be accompanied with great preparations , and they would injure their own greatnesse , should they be done without ceremony . they must keep within their own towns , must not visit their frontires , except in arms ; nor see forreign countries , unlesse in maps ; t and if they go out of their countrey , they must be resolved to fight : all their marches give alarmes to their neighbours , when they think upon a journey , every one prepares for war , and 't is imagined they would enlarge their prison , when they enter into anothers territories : these famous captives are so jealous of their gives , as a man cannot break them without becoming their enemy , and they are so in love with them , as they esteem an endeavouring to set them at liberty , is to entrench upon their power : their greatnesse , wherein the best part of their servitude consists , obligeth them to have always guards about their persons ; they can do nothing but they must have a thousand witnesses , all their secrets are publique , they are besieged in their closets ; croud , and noise , trouble the content of their solitarinesse ; those who keep off the croud , presse upon them ; and those who defend them , do besiege them ; those sentinels who watch at the avenues to their pallaces , are as well a marke of their captivity , as of their greatnesse ; and he who were not acquainted with the court , would doubt whether he that is with so much care guarded , were a prisoner , or a king. amongst so many slaves , they have never a bosome friend : their greatnesse which cannot suffer an equall , u cannot admit of a friend : they taste not those honest contentments which accompany friendship ; all that come near them are either slaves or flatterers , who tell them nothing but pleasing falshoods : truth is banished from out their palaces ; if they raise up any one , they are always jealous of him ; they envy their own workmanship , they un-make what they had made , either to witnesse their power , or to content their jealousies ; x and knowing that all things are common amongst friends , they will not relish a happinesse , which obligeth them to divide their power of state. marriage which is the straightest tie of all friendship , doth not abate the irksomnesse of their solitarinesse , for they take their wives , but choose them not ; they marry for interest , not for inclination ; they have least of freedom , wherein they ought to have most , and have more respect to the welfare of their territories , then to their own contentment ; the welfare of their subjects is the end of all their labours , and nature hath hidden reall servitude , under an appearing greatnesse ; they command over men , for mens advantage ; they are rather arbitratours , than sovereign lords ; rather fathers , than masters ; and rather tutours , than sovereigns ; they are pilots which ought to avoid storms , chieftains which ought to fight , suns which ought to dissipate darknesse , and dispence abroad heat and light : they are fathers which ought to govern their kingdoms as their families , and their subjects as their children : whatsoever exceeds this power , leans towards injustice , and all princes who mind more their own renown then their peoples good , deserve rather y the name of conquerors then sovereigns : good kings serve those over whom they command , they do not mount their thrones so much to cause fear , as to purchase love ; and if they will perform their duties they must not reign over their subjects out of an ambitious desire of commanding over them , but out of a charitable desire of being advantagious to them . if they have any other motive for what they do , they fall into another sort of servitude , and becomming tyrants to their people , they become slaves to their passions , for as just men are free amidst fetters , wicked men are slaves though on throns , and these who are so famously faulty have as many masters which command them , as they possesse passions . thus greatnesse be it lawfull , or unlawfull , is always waited on by servitude , and the greatest monarchies of the world cannot shun the losse of their liberty , whether the end of their labours be the good of their territories , or their own renown . it is true that their conditions are as different , as their designs , for some find their own welfare to consist in that of their subjects , and others find their losse in that of their state , the one acquires honour by dispising it , others lose it , by seeking after it , the one establisheth his authority by foregoing it , and the other destroy it whilst they would establish it , but they all learn by experience , that since the sin of adam there is no liberty without servitude , nor greatnesse without dependency . the fourth discourse . that the birth and cruelty of war derives from sin . war is of as long a standing in the world as sin , this daughter was born together with her father , and contrary to the laws of nature she punisheth him that begot z her ; for as soon as man was fallen from innocency , and that originall righteousnesse , which composed the differences of the soul and body , had forsaken him ; these two parties declare war against one another , the slave rebel'd against his sovereign , and became a rebell himself , to punish his sovereigns rebellion , hee undertook to reduce reason under his laws , and to submit the inclinations of the understanding to the motions of concupiscence . this intestine war caused forreign discords ; when man became once divided in his person , divisions arose in his state , and at the same time that his soul and body gave over their good intelligence , all his a subjects revolted , every element set upon him to revenge it self , and the conspiracy was so generall , as this unfortunate sovereign saw not any one part of his state wherein he had not enemies to fight withall , and rebels to subdue . before that heaven afforded him some means to reduce them to their duties , he suffered unexpressible misery , and to draw an idea of his disaster , we must set forth a man exposed to the rigour of the air , without cloaths ; one persecuted by the elements , who had no house , one starved with hunger , who could not cultivate the earth ; one fought withall by his passions , who had no vertues to discover them , one composed of disagreeing parts , who had no power to rereconcile them : such a one was adam , when he was driven out of the earthly paradise ; all his subjects became his enemies , every element to offend him , grew unruly , the seasons mingled themselves disorderly to punish him ; and beasts which were not as then wild , changed their nature to persecute him . this unfortunate sovereign was fain to arm himself in his own defence ; b necessity taught him to cut out cloaths to save himself from the cold , to build cabins wherein he might keep dry notwithstanding the injuriousnesse of the weather , to plough the earth , to overcome her sterility , to make arrows , or spread nets to take birds , and tame savage beasts : he taught the horse to manage , and forced the noblest of creatures to endure the bit and spur ; he brought oxen under the yoake , forced buls to change their fury into friendship , and to forego the forrest to live in pastures ; he wisely mixed art with force , and that he might lessen the number of his enemies , he endevoured to divide them ; he made use of those that he had reclaimed , against those which did resist him ; and by an admirable address he chased stags with horses , pursued wolves with dogs , and flew at partridges with faulcons , and goss haulks . thus did this sovereign beat back force by violence , and reduced his subjects to their duty , by the aid of necessity . this war was just , because necessary ; selfe preservation was his excuse , c and if the beasts were not too blame in setting upon a man , who had revolted against god , man was not unjust in defending himself against those subjects which would have oppressed him : nature taught him that he might commit murther , without committing sin : and that in the state of sin he might slay the innocent to feed himself . this permission did notwithstanding inspire cruelty insensibly into him ; by killing beasts , he learnt to kill men ; these his first trials made him master of his art , so as passing through all the degrees of injustice , after having committed murther , he committed parricide . for when he saw that the death of one man had drawn upon him the hatred of all those that belonged unto him , he sought for some to side with him , he engaged all his friends in his quarrell : then did men forge weapons to undo themselves ; they who had only pursued their subjects , pursued those that were like themselves ; and arrows which were only dipt in the bloud of beasts , were stained with mans bloud ; the chieftaines of parties , chose out pitcht fields to end their differences , they encouraged their souldiers to the combate , d they made them hope for the spoil of the enemy , and perswaded them that revenge and murther were glorious actions . this cruell opinion spread it selfe over the whole world , the trade of war grew honourable , and the name of murtherer was changed into that of souldier ; ambition increasing with time , every one thought that greatnesse consisted in injustice , that he who had committed most murthers , was most couragious ; and that he who had overcome most nations , plundered most towns , and over-run most provinces , was the most famous conquerour . when once this errour grew to be a maxime , e all disorderly unquiet spirits entrencht upon their neighbours ; every prince would enlarge his bounds ; men began to place right in might , to confound usurpation with possession , and to think that every thing belonged to him that could make himselfe master thereof . war was made upon forreign nations ; no other pretext but ambition was sought for , and all such as would not be subjects to a prince , became his enemies . though we have as many proofes of the corruption of our nature , as we have inclinations in our soule , yet we must confesse there is none more strong then that which an extream desire to wage war , doth furnish us withall : for fury hath perswaded us , that it was the most glorious employment that might be , we hear conquerors spoken of with respect , we read their fights w th admiration , we tearm their injustice heroick actions , eloquence cannot find out expressions noble enough to honour their ambition . historians think themselves happy when they write a prince his life who hath drowned the fields with humane bloud , and who like thunder hath born down what ever withstood his violence . we give the title of grand to those who have unpeopled the world , we propound unto our kings the example of such who have ruined their subjects to overcome their neighbours ; we foment their ambition , by the praise we give usurpers : we insensibly perswade them , that justice is but the vertue of private men : and that sovereigns who have no law but their will , ought to seek for no other right , or title than violence . there is nothing more horrible then war , sin is the cause thereof , and this wicked father produceth nothing which more resembles him than this monster . injustice and ambition are the officers which do guide it , fury and cruelty the serjeants which do accompany it , and it's exployts are plunder , murther , violence , and burning ; it carries terrour and dread into all parts where it comes , changeth fields into desarts , towns into solitary places , and kingdomes into tyrannies , it mingles childrens tears with their fathers bloud , bereaves women of their honour , and their husbands of their liberties , raiseth it's trophies upon the ruine of cities , or upon mounteins of dead men , it grounds it's triumphs upon the undoing of kingdoms , and draws it's praises from the cries and complaints of captives . yet f sin obligeth us to value it , and though we do experiment the rigour thereof , we cannot chuse but approve of it's disorders . we number the victories which we have wonne over our enemies , we look upon the number of the dead , and prisoners with delight , the pillaging of towns and taking of places satisfies our vanity , and as if passion had made us lose all humane resentments , we never think that our victory is our brethrens undoing , that our rejoycing draws tears from the eyes of orphans and widows , whose fathers and husbands we have slain : that hell is filled with souldiers , whilest the world is unpeopled of christians , and that these advantages which make us insolent , cost innocents their lives , make free men prisoners , and wealthie men miserable . those who see the disasters caused by war , imagine the cause thereof ought to be very considerable , and that princes break not with their neighbours or allies uninforced by powerfull reasons ; yet are the motives thereof , oft times ridiculous ; what causeth a suite at law between two private men , begets a quarrell between two princes , what puts a division between two families , puts a difference between two states , and that which is the undoing of two parties who go to law together , doth oft-times ruine two nations , which wage war together , an apple was the chief cause of the burning of troy ; the ravishing of helen was but the occasion ; poets who hide truths underfables , would have the famousest siege in all the world should be undertaken to revenge the jealousie of two women ; and that the greatest empire of asia , g should be ruined to punish a shepheards judgment . ambition which delights in greatnesse , hath no juster nor no more worthy motions ; greece complained no longer of persia when alexander set upon her ; nothing can make this conqueror carry fire and and sword into his neighbours country , save a vain desire to reign ; and who should have asked him the motive of so unjust and rash a design , must have found it to have been his vain glory . the commonwealth of rome was at the height of her prosperity , when cas● resolved to change her into a monarchy , pompeys greatnesse served him onely for a pretence to execute his enterprize , for though his sonne in laws exploits had caused no jealousies in him , and that he had not been incouraged to that design , by the examples of marius and scilla , his ambition was of it self sufficient to cause this desire in him : his insolent mind could endure no equals , his citizens if they will be his friends must be his slaves , all whatsoever greatnesse must bow to him , lest they cause his indignation ; and the people must receive a shamefull peace , if they will not suffer a direfull war. i am further of opinion , h that this monster nurst up in butchery and bloud , would have made enemies , if he had found none ; that after having vext the romanes , he would have persecuted the parthians , and that passing from one country to another , he would have dispeopled all kingdoms , & ruined all kings . the wars of our ancestours have had no juster pretences ; those which our histories ring most of , have had but weak motives ; the jealousie of two families have oft-times endangered the kingdom ; two favourites have oft-times used their masters militia , to end their own differences ; hundred thousand men have interessed themselves in the fight , not knowing the occasion thereof . but certainly it must be confest if wars have small causes , they produce strange effects ; i and that those which we tearm civill , exceed all others in cruelty : for men make profession to violate all the laws of nature , and as if every souldier were of his generals humour , he believes that his nearest kindred are his greatest enemies ; he dips his hands in his own bloud to assure his captain of his fidelity ; his ambition makes him lose all sense of humanity ; he would think he should betray his duty , if he spared his friends ; and esteem himselfe not worthy the name of a souldier , if he could forget the names of father , and mother . he who sacrificed himselfe upon his brothers body whom he had heedlesly killed in the heat of the battell , was yet but an apprentice in war ; and more experienced than he , would have presented his brothers head unto the generall , to have had some recompence for it . civill wars stifle all the relations of nature ; those who fight in the same kingdom under differing ensignes , have nothing of man but the face ; they cease to love or know one another , after once they begin to fall a siding ; and when the heart of their countrey is the theater of their battels , their cruelty cannot be mitigated by any alliance . history , or else fiction , tells us of two brothers whom their mothers tears was never able to reconcile : they fought hand to hand in the head of their armies , to spare their souldiers bloud ; they through their own wounds , poured forth their fathers bloud : death , which they both received at the same moment , could not appease their quarrell ; hatred appeared in their countenances , when it had forsaken their heart ; k their souls descended into hell , to end their combate there ; and fury passing from their bodies to their funerall pile , divided the flames which consumed them . this fiction of the poets , is a truth amongst christians ; amongst whom there are brothers found whose hatred is immortall , who preserve their animosity after the losse of their lives ; who leave it for an inheritance to their successours ; who charge their children to revenge their injuries ; and who shewing a face of war in time of peace , do meditate murther when they cannot commit it . i wonder not that the same thoughts which did possesse them in their life , possesse them likewise in their death ; and that those who delighted in nothing but bloud , did dream on nought but cruelties ; since an ill habit is an invisible chain which keeps the will captive , and will not suffer it to abhor a crime , which hath alway been pleasing to it . but i cannot well comprehend how sin should so far corrupt man , as to perswade him that murther was honourable , that there was glory in committing it , pleasure in beholding it , and that the cruellest action that may be , could purchase glory , or cause content . all paganisme took pleasure to see the gladiators fight ; the effusion of mans bloud was one of their most pleasing spectacles ; and l rome had much a do to forgo this cruell pastime , after she had embraced the christian religion : people ran to publick places , to see men fight ; they were taught to kill one another handsomly , and with a good grace ; publick schools were erected to teach this bloudy exercise ; there were masters who taught how to observe method in murthering , who led their disciples into their arenae , or theators for fencing ; and who trying their dexterity themselves incouraged them to fight by example ; he was most praised , who shed most bloud , and a man sorely wounded who had killed many men was led about in triumph . sin must needs reign in their hearts , since it had driven thence all sense of humanity ; and that making man-slaughter a vertue , it had perswaded them that glory consisted in injustice , and pleasure in cruelty : this madnesse , grew in time to so great a height , as to make killing more easie , and the sport more pleasing ; men were to fight stark naked with offensive weapons , but none defensive . obscenity was joyned to cruelty , to the end that one might content two passions with one and the same spectacle , and that the sight of a dying wretch might make them love his murtherer ; yet these combates are but the shadows of war ; the gladiators fury is but the souldiers entrance ; companies were fill'd up which these people nurst up in bloud ; and when recruits were to be had , those were sought for in the arenae , who had made themselves famous by the death of their companions . and certainly duels which serve for pastime to our nobility , are neither more just , nor yet lesse cruell ; so brutish a passion cannot be but in mindes where sin doth tyrannize : a man must renounce both reason and grace , to obey so blind a fury ; and one must cease to be either rationall or faithfull , if he believe that a gentlemans glory consists in murther ; yet this errour is become a custome , gentlemen love rather to lose their heads upon a scaffold , and dye by the hands of a hangman , then to be failing in an occasion where they know their conscience is in an ill condition , and that they are in danger of losing both soul and body ; fear of shame hath more power over them then fear of hell ; they chuse rather to incurre gods anger , and their princes , then the peoples reproach , and by a foolish extravagancy , they hazard their soul to preserve their honour . as this blind passion differs not much from that which animates conquerors to war , so doth she likewise proceed from the same principle ; the one and the other proceed from sin , which having put us at ods with our selves , puts us likewise at ods with our neighbours ; and perswades us that all means are lawfull whereby we may acquire honour . upon this false belief , we engage our selves in combats , we violate the holy laws of nature , we fly upon our neighbours and allyes , and not considering ; m that the world is a common-wealth ; that all kingdomes are the provinces , all people the subjects thereof , that charity is the law thereof , the holy ghost the heart , and jesus christ the head , we use such cruelties one towards another , as do well witnesse that sin hath corrupted our nature , and that the devil doth possesse our will. he who doth not acknowledge the truth , and doth not confesse that this irregularity is the punishment of our sin , is yet more miserable then they who indure it , and complain thereof : for the other grounds his glory upon his injustice onely because he hath lost the use of reason , and thinks himself onely happy because he is become stupid . war is then one of the most fatall effects of sin , and one of the severest chastizements of divine justice ; it is onely excusable n when necessary , and yet it were better sometimes to follow the counsell of the gospell , and to lose somewhat of that , which by right apperteins unto us , then to defend it by so cruell a way : for if he whose every word is an oracle , recommends peace to us dying , how can we resolve to wage war ? if he command us to forget injuries , how can we commit outrages and homicide ? let o us then conclude that man is sufficiently sinfull , since war is his exercise , since his glory consists in cruelty , since combats are his noblest imployments , since he delights in murther , since he esteems a pitcht battle more innocent then a single duell , onely because it is more bloudy ; since he thinks man-slaughter a sin , when it is particular , and a vertue when generall ; and when by an injustice which cannot be sufficiently blamed , the sinner finds his impunity onely in the excesse of his sin . the fifth discourse . that riches render men poor and sinfull . though it be hard to say , which is the severest punishment man hath suffered since his losse of innocency , and that servitude , and death are pains equally insupportable to those who love their liberty as their life , yet me thinks there is a third more rigorous , which all men do resent , yet not any one complains off . and this is nothing else but the calling to mind the possession of all those good things which we have lost together with our innocency : a desire of them remains in us , which vertues self cannot efface , we sigh when we want them , and we never are so sensible of our misery , as when we are assailed by pain , infamy or poverty . p yet are their remedies new diseases , and we never do so well know our own weaknesse , as when we abound in pleasures , honours , and riches . this is so true a maxime as that all christian religion makes profession , of either really foregoing all those advantages which men enjoyed during the state of innocency , or else of desiring to do so . she rejects honour , and seeks out shame , she shuns delight , and nourisheth her self in sorrow , she forsakes riches , and embraceth poverty . being instructed in the school of mount calvary , she turns the punishments of her sin into remedies , she makes vertues of her chastizements and shuns those advantages which man possessed in paradise , least following adams example , she might fall upon his disaster . to say truth , all our pleasures are irregular , we cannot labour after honour , without hazarding our humility , and we cannot possesse riches without becomming insolent , the malady rests not onely in our desires ; it is past into these objects , which give it birth , and there is a certain malignity found in the use of riches which makes us lose our innocency : q they are specious torments , and pleasing punishments , which promise us to allay an evill , which they do irritate . poverty stands in need of something , but avarice , r which is almost inseparable from riches , needs all things , she wonders that the enemy which she shuns , never fore-goes her , that poverty should pursue her amidst abundance , and that gold which she adores should fill her cofers , yet not her heart . this metall not being to be divided without diminution , it kindles war amongst men , makes them severally minded , divides their wils , and causeth all those differences which justice endevours to decide . in the state of innocency , men possest all things in common , avarice had not as yet found out bounders to sever fields : kings had not yet drawn lines to divide the sea : as light is an universall good , so was the earth a common heritage , and this charitable mother was fruitfull enough to nourish all her children . the poorest man that was , was a king of the whole world . ambition had not yet form'd states , nor built strong holds upon their frontiers , all things were possest in common , without any jealousie ; self-love had not as yet perswaded any one , that to be master of a thing , all other men must be deprived of it . there was no such thing known as propriety , every one was content with the riches of nature , and the earth forestalling mens desire by her happy faecundity , men did with pleasure gather in her fruits without taking pains to husband her , a man would have thought he should have been become poor , if he had heaped up riches ; and he who would have thought that by appropriating any grounds ●o himself , he should have renounced the worlds sovereignty : as men do not divide the air , nor the light , so neither did they then divide the sea , nor land ; and the seasons not being irregular , the whole world was but a stately palace whereof the heavens were the sieling , and the earth the floor . meadows served for gardens , rivers for channels , forrests were unwalled parks , and the open fields furnisht endlesse walks , large lakes served for fish-pools , and all mens delights were innocent , because purely naturall . art had not as yet corrupted nature , under colour of imbellishing her , every thing held that place in the world , which it deserved ; gold s was not yet got out of the bowels of the earth , pearls lay quiet in the depth of the sea , and diamonds in rocks , not causing any confusion in the world : marble was trampled under foot , vain glory had not yet found any use for it ; and in a condition wherein neither heat nor cold did incommodate him , man had not yet thought of building houses , nor making himself apparell . stuffs were unknown , because uselesse ; colours appeared not in lustre , save in pinks and roses ; and necessity ( which is not the mother of invention , but as it is the daughter of sin ) had not obliged man to seek for remedies for miseries , which he did not as yet suffer : but as soon as he would be rich , he became poor ; as soon as he heaped together imaginary goods , he lost such as were reall ; and when he tilled the ground to make it more fruitfull , the earth punished his avarice by a universall sterility : she who together with fruites , bore flowers , bears now no roses without prickles : the spring which mingled her beauties with autumns fertility was divided from thence by summers scorching heat , and winters benumming cold . these two vexatious seasons did disaray the trees , and had not the angels taught sinfull man , how to sow the ground with seed , famine had prevented the deluge . when he saw the world changed into a hideous sollitude , he was forced to build houses to fence himselfe against the fury of the element ; he was on all sides so prest upon by poverty , as he was necessitated to seek out riches ; barrennesse which threatned him with famine , made him till the ground ; and the fear lest his neighbours might reap the fruit of his labours , constrained him to make inclosures : he invented money to entertain commerce with strangers ; and seeking out a metall , the rarity whereof put a valuation upon it ; he found out gold , which nature had hid within her bowels ; he thought she had lodged it next her heart , witnesse the love she bare unto it ; the pain he had to draw it thence added to his esteem thereof ; and being dazled by it's colour , and charmed by the advantage he made thereby , he made thereof his first idoll . the t israelites could not defend themselves against this mischievous contagion , their getting out of egypt , their passing through the red sea , & the raining of manna in the desart , were not miracles powerfull enough to divert them from so senselesse an idolatry . they perswaded themselves , that gold was the god which had delivered them ; they were blinded by it's beauty ; and though aaron the high priest had made it into the shape of a calf , to make it appear the more ridiculous , it 's being made of that mettall , was sufficient to make them worship it . iron by divine providence had it's birth together with gold ; for god knowing that murther could not be severed from avarice , he coupled these two mettals together , to the end that the one might be the price of our fraud , and the other the instrument of our fury . adultery followed murther ; and chastity which had defended her selfe against what man could say to undermine her , could not defend her selfe against riches . presents prevailed more than humble submissions , and this fraile sex , which affords so many advantages against it selfe , shew'd it selfe to be more avaritious , than proud . in fine , poets were not much out of the way when they feigned that all evils had their birth together with riches , and that man became sinfull , as soon as he grew rich ; u children attempted their fathers lives , wives poisoned their husbands , brother conspired against brother , and every one made use of iron to come by gold . justice was busied about nothing else but in composing quarrels occasioned by this mettall , gallouses were erected to punish murtherers , and men knew that gold which he had found out to supply his necessities , was the cause of all his disasters . but say that gold should not set men together by the ears , and that peace should not be troubled with the insatiable desire of riches , yet would it be always prejudiciall to a sinner , and he must wish to be poor , if he would recover his innocency . for all his desires are out of order , all his wishes unjust , and sin which doth possesse him , engageth him continually in pernitious designes , he owes all his innocency to his weaknesse , and if he do not perpetrate all the evill which he projects 't is because nature hath disabled him . but riches deprive him of this advantage by affording him means to do what he desires , and make a guilty man absolute , by bereaving him of the happy disability whereinto poverty had brought him . x for if he be ambitious , he opens the gate which leads to honour with a golden key ; if unchast , he corrupts womens chastity by presents ; if angry , he finds enough basely conditioned men , who have courage enough to work his revenge ; and if he love good cheer , he ransacks both sea and land to please his palat , and satisfie his belly . thus is gold the instrument of all evill , it attempts chastity , corrupts justice , sets upon innocency , and oppresseth poverty . when heaven is offended with a sinner , it needs but onely make him rich , to undo him ; and make him wealthie to make him wretched ; 't is equivalent to putting a good sword into a mad mans hands , to the preserving of poyson in a christall glasse to one that is frantick , and to the setting of a blind man upon the top of a precipice tapistred with jessemine and lillies . on the contrary , poverty is the sanctuary of innocency , there are fewer faults where lesse of abundance . those who live by hunting and by fishing know not how to mingle poyson with their drink , if they kill their enemies , 't is with arrows ; and all their combats have lesse of art , and more of generosity in them , then ours have : luxury governs not amongst men who go naked ; those families are not ruined with making stately structures , who can shelter themselves under trees , excesse in eating causeth no disasters in those who eat nothing but the fruits of the earth ; and the steem of wine bereaves not them of reason , who drink nothing but spring water . these innocent people value y iron more then gold , and prizing things according to their utility , they prefer what is most commodious , before what is most pleasing , they make use of iron to arive their arrows with , and to build their cabins ; the same metall serves them both for peace and war ; that which serves them for defence , serves them for ornament , and they place their riches where they find most commodiousnesse ; they barter gold with us for iron , they think they gain by an exchange , wherein to obtein what they desire , they hazard not their liberty , nor do forego their countries , they wonder that we crosse so many seas , and run so many hazards for a metall which is but earth , before it be refined , z which loseth his name in the fire , which finds it beauty in it's torments , which draws it's lustre from the crusible , and which becomes not gold before it hath wearied the patience of the workmen . pearls seem not more pretious to them ; if they fish for them in the sea ; 't is that they may sell them to us ; before our avarice had won them credit , children who made them their play-games , gave them to our merchants for cockle-shels ; they look upon these stones which we esteem pretious , as the meer excrements of the fishes that produce them , they blame the esteem we put upon them , and being more rationall then we , they conclude , that we do worship the things onely by reason of their rarity . aboundance is always accompanied with contempt , if gold were more common , 't would be despised , that which grows in our climate , must passe into another to purchase reputation ; and as there are some fruits which are not good till transplanted , so are there a thousand things in the world , which are not prized till after they have changed their countrey . a barbarians did prophane gold before they knew the price thereof ; because it was common amongst them , they made use thereof in infamous things : the chains of prisoners were made of this metall , those who were most guilty , were the most richly adorned , that which is here the ornament of princes , was there the offenders punishment , thus this people had found out a harmles way how to make this metall odious . by all this discourse 't is easily gathered , that riches are evils which though they be pleasing , cease not to be dangerous , that man is too much out of order to make good use thereof , that they are serviceable but to one vertue , yet of use to all sins . christians dispose of them by the way of alms , and philosophers by way of liberality . but in the one and the other of them , avarice doth unjustly accumulate them , prodigality doth profusely dissipate them , pride makes use of them , to heighten her self , vain glory to adorn her self , and choller for revenge , they are onely usefull when they are given away with delight , and lost without sorrow . b their losse is a kind of traffick , he is wise who can acquit himself of them , and he is happy who can live without them . jesus christ despised them in his birth , rejected them whilest he lived , and condemned them in his death ; he who will be his disciple , must follow his example ; and who believes that they facilitate our salvation , knows not that our nature is corrupted by sin . the sixth discourse . that since the losse of innocency poverty is glorious . the two loves that establish those two c cities , the one of which had jesus christ for it's king , the other , the devil for it's tyrant , could never be reconciled together , their designs are as opposite , as their inclinations ; and though they oft-times march by the same track , they always tend to rather contrary , then differing ends . this truth appears by the use which they make of the miseries of corrupted nature , for self-love extracts sins from thence , divine love vertues ; the one augments our evils whilest she would diminish them , the other diminisheth them , whilst she would augment them . from the scorn whereinto we are fallen since our rebelllion , self-love hath formed a design of raising her self up ; and ( giving against gods justice ) of finding her greatnesse in her abasement , divine love hath extracted humility from thence , and with an innocent piece of cunning , she leads us to glory by contempt . self-loue raiseth despair from death , which is sins chiefest punishment ; and divine love raiseth from thence a sacrifice , which expiats our offences , and gives honour to gods justice from the creatures revolt , which doth revenge our outrages done to heaven : self-love argues riot in apparel , magnificence in buildings , and all those other means which we have invented to defend our selves from the injuries of seasons , and divine love , which always prefers the glory of heaven before her own interest , argues repentance from thence , which teacheth us to undergo this persecution with humility . in fine , from the losse of our welfare self-loue hath made avarice arise , which justling gods designs , undertakes to make man richer in his state of sin , then ever he was in that of innocency , and divine love , which takes pleasure in saving of a sinner by losing him , raiseth poverty from thence , depriving her self even of those things which her judge would not take from his enemies , that she may appease him . for d it is true , that this vertue takes it's originall from onr punishment , 't is a remedy which we have got by our evil ; and 't is a correction which we endure to allay gods anger . whilest man was innocent , he was rich ; the sun by his heat made the earth fruitfull , he cherished it , without scorching ; and his influences were so well tempered , as trees were always covered with fruit , leaves , and flowers ; the fields were fertile without labour , every country bore every thing ; and without crossing the seas , that was found in any one part of the world , which all the rest produced . beasts which afforded nourishment for men yeilded milk in aboundance , running waters were never dried up ; and provision was uselesse where there was perpetuall plenty . bees wrought without wearing themselves , they made their hives at all times , and the earth being continually covered with flowers , there was no season wherein they did not make honey and wax . man being clothed with innocency , he stript not beasts of their skins to cloth himself , the art of spinning was not as then found out , or if it were known to worms : man did not molest their labours ; he admired the industry of their workmanship , the magnificency of their tombs , and leaving them to reassume life where they had left it , he delighted to see them after having been dead arise again . the elements not having as yet vowed his undoing , he was not bound to guard himself from their injuries , the seasons were so regular , as he neither feared heat nor cold ; trees were his shelter from them both , and those which afforded him shade in the day-time , served him for covering in the night . if gold were already ript out of the bowels of the earth , it was rankt amongst such things as are esteemed of more for their beauty , then profit . man thought himself rich enough without that metall ; having all things at his command he needed not to buy them : and art not being as yet come into the succour of nature , he contented himself with looking upon what he could not make use of . in this happy condition , most desires were e uselesse , and all those wishes which are occasioned by indigency not having as yet a mother , could not disquiet man. he was rich for he wanted nothing , nature supplied all his needs , whil'st he slept void of care ; the starrs which glittered above his head , did by their influences make the earth fruitfull , and the rivers running amidst the fields , did by their waters bring plenty every where . but when man became faulty , he became poor ; hee lost all his wealth , in losing the summum bonum , and that selfe same moment which robb'd him of his innocency , threw him headlong into poverty . the earth grew barren under his feet , her fruitfulnesse brought forth nothing but thornes ; her bowels must be ript open ere she yeilded fruit , and she must be threatned with iron in her bosome to make her nourish us . trees shook off their leaves , when winter had disrobed them , men thought that nature was drawing toward her end , and that the earth ceasing to be his palace , grew to be his sepulchre : shame shewing him that he was naked , made him make himselfe clothes of leaves , and cold which made him sensible of his sinfulnesse , forced him to apparell himselfe with skins . from that time forwards , necessity made him ingenious ; f he built cabins to fence himselfe from the heat ; he sowed corn , to avoid famine ; finding that the earth was not fruitfull save by his labour , he lockt up what he had gathered thence , and to shun poverty , fell upon avarice . but he found by experience , that the remedy was worse than the disease , and that if poor men wanted many things , the covetous wanted all things . grace , which doth not abandon even the sinfull , taught him how to use this his punishment , and to turn hie poverty into an illustrious vertue . he began to condemne perishable things , and to wish for things eternall ; he endeavoured to forgo earth , that he might raise himselfe up to heaven ; he had such happy successe in his designes , as he found plenty in poverty ; and confest that that vertue had been more advantagious to him then innocency . to say truth ; this pain was glorious when it became voluntary ; and from once that man began to suffer indigency with humility , he found that god was his father , heaven his inheritance , jesus christ his redeemer , and that the holiest blessings were his recompences . for g god takes the poor into his protection , he who draws his rarest qualities from his noblest works , and who makes himselfe be called the god of heaven and earth , would be called the father of the poor ; a man cannot set upon them , without hurting him , their interests are joyned to his glory , and whosoever makes war upon them , doth infallibly provoke his anger . he hath done a hundred miracles in their behalfe ; and when kings would obtain any favour from his goodnesse , they have assumed the quality of poor men , to render themselves more considerable with him . david fore-went the quality of a king , to assume the name of needy , and his poverty is the best reason which he alledges to obtain what he demands of god. the son of god values not this vertue lesse then doth his father ; h he hallowed it in his own person when he would become man ; he preferr'd the condition of the poor before that of the rich ; and he who was born in a manger , would live without a house , and die upon the crosse ; his disciples were all poor men , and of as many people as he chose to preach his gospell throughout the world , there was not any one eminent for riches , nor dignity . shepherds had notice of his birth before kings , and the instruction of the poor was as well a proofe of his mission , as the healing of the sick , or raising of the dead . though his mysticall body be alike composed of rich and poor , though mens qualities are not considered , though his church be as well open to the gentiles , as to the iews , and that slaves be admitted into his house , as well as are their master ; yet the poor hold there the first place , and of as many members as go to the composure of that admirable body , they are the most precious . kings are the hands thereof , prelates the eyes , the people the feet ; but the poor are the bowels of it , they are quartered next his heart ; & when he shall descend from heaven , to revenge injuries done unto himselfe , and to punish our offences , he will begin with them who shall have neglected him in the poor : the highest favours on earth are reserved for them . those dispensations which raise men to an absolute power , & which give them authority over the beasts , or elements , are the reward of voluntary poverty . if the chief of the apostles did miracles , 't is because he fore-went his goods ; if by his words he cured maladies , 't is because he had forsaken all his riches ; if his shadow cure the sick , 't is because his heart was never wounded with avarice : k and if nature bear a respect to his commandments , 't is because he had vowed poverty . when he healed the legs of the man that was born lame , he began by a confession of his poverty ; he thought the first dressing which he was to apply to this evill , was the contempt of riches ; gold nor silver have i none , ( saith he to this infir ne man ) but that which i have , give i thee , in the name of iesus christ , arise , and walk . weaknesse bare respect to poverty , nature violated her laws , to obey the words of the poor ; and the heavens will was , that he who could give no alms , should do miracles . in fine , paradise is the poors inheritance , and after having commanded upon earth , they shall reign with jesus christ , in glory . that which is promised to other vertues , is performed to poverty ; in the acknowledgement of merit , and the distribution of crowns , the poor are dealt withall as advantagiously as are martyrs ; l and these two conditions are equally rewarded in the gospell to teach us , that poverty is a kind of martyrdom . to say truth , if men do miracles , when they overcome pain , when they tire their torturers , when they triumph over tyrants , and vanquish the elements , and wild beasts , do not they do wonders when they preserve poverty , amidst riches ? sobriety amongst festivals ? when they go naked , amidst the pomp of apparell ? when they are humble amidst honours ? and when they persevere to refuse the goods which the devill promiseth them , which the world offers them , and which the flesh propounds unto them ? ought not they to be crowned , who overcome the world with all it's promises , who contemne the devill with all his illusions , and who tame the flesh with the concupiscence thereof ? but in the advantages of poverty , we ought to observe the unrulinesse of our nature , which is reduced into such a condition , as she cannot without danger make use of what she hath of good : she cannot without injustice pretend to her ancient riches , neither can she acquire new wealth without avarice ; we must look upon the things of this world without desiring them , we must live upon the earth , as in a place of exile , and to be happy and innocent , m we must be poor , or imitate those that are so . the possession of riches is always accompanied with somwhat of agglutination , which is never without impurity ; we are slaves unto our wealth , they possesse us when we think to possesse them ; we take pains in heaping them up , are carefull in keeping them , and sorrowfull in their losse ; 't is as troublesome to keep them , as to lose them , and the pain of purchasing them doth always exceed the pleasure of squandring them away . to free a mans selfe from these misfortunes , he must grow familiar with poverty , he must sweeten his pain by suffering it patiently , and look upon all the things of the world , as upon goods which we had lost before were born . we are ruined in the person of our first father ; our defeat as well as our default preceded our use of reason , and the same fault which took from us our innocency , bereft us of our riches . if we make use of the blessings of the earth , 't is out of mercy : if the sun light us , the earth support us , and the fruits thereof do nourish us , 't is an obligation which we owe unto our god : when once he pronounced the decree of our death , our goods were confiscated to him ; the power of making use of them , is a priviledge which we hold of his goodnesse , and he deals with us , as we do with those malefactors which we suffer to live in prison , after their sentence of death is past : if they dispose of their goods , 't is by their prince his favour ; and if they leave them to their children , 't is by his permission . thus we ought to think that nothing belongs to us in this world , that god gives us all which he takes not from us , and that he makes use of his own rights , when he re-demands that which he had but lent us . when famine doth dispeople the earth , when all our labour cannot overcome her sterility , and when the seed we sow answers not our expectation , we ought to adore gods justice , which having sentenced us to death , hath reserved unto himself the kind of our punishment . n if souldiers plunder our houses , if they do what they please abroad , if they burn what they cannot carry away , and if they in a moment destroy what we have been gathering many years ; we must think that poverty is the punishment of our disobedience , that we have no more right to our goods than to our lives , and that he may well ruine us who can when it pleaseth him make us die . if our families be undone by law , if judges be corrupted by the credit of a powerfull man , if those who ought to defend us do oppresse us , and if an unjust decree bring us to beggery ; let us remember that the decree pronounced against us in paradise , o was more rigorous and more just , that succession or industry is no prescription against gods justice , that how soever our goods be gotten , they are always forfeited to him ; and that processe at law is as lawfull a way to bereave us of them as fire or shipwrack . in fine , whatsoever losse befals us , let us find our consolation , in our offence ; let us make our punishment , our remedie ; and whilst we consider that we are guilty let us not complain of being poor . the seventh discourse . that apparell is a mark of sin if whole man be but meer vanity , if nature be out of order by his disobedience , if his soul , which hath the honour to be the image of god , and which boasts of her innocency , ceaseth not to find death in his sin ; if the will which joyned with grace is the beginning of merit , be more inclined to vice then vertue ; if his understanding which enlightens all the faculties of the soul , be more capable of errour then of truth ; if all his knowledge be but meer ignorance ; if his most perspicuous vertues want not their faults ; and if his body be his souls prison , we must not wonder that the necessity of apparel be a punishment of his fault , as well as riot therein is a mark of his vain glory . but as it often fals out , that we are most taken with things of least consideration , we find by experience , that there are women in the world , who would rather have their souls sullied , then their cloths ; p who would rather have the state be out of order , then their head attire ; and who would be lesse troubled to see their honour steined , then their gown . to disabuse these weak women , they must be made know , that luxury in apparell deserves to be despised by men , and to be punished by god. cloaths have two uses , which are equally lawfull , the first is to cover our nakednesse , and to hide our body , which began to be shamefull when it ceased to be innocent , adam could not endure himself when he had lost originall righteousnesse , and the shame which infused upon his sin , made him seek out leaves to hide that from his eyes which did displease his soul , he was afraid of himself , when he saw his body did no longer obey reason : he was afraid to offend nature by his nakednesse , not having as yet seen any other monster then himself , he withdrew himself into a wood , and not being able to shun himself , he endevoured to cover himself . q god himself , who was indulgent to him in his sin , cut out his first sute , and to free him from shame , which was not his least severe punishment , he clothed him with the skin of beasts . the second use of apparell is to shelter us from the injury of seasons , r and to free our bodies from the rigour of the elements ; for man had no sooner violated gods commandements , but all the creatures rebelled against him : beasts began to grow savage , and retired themselves into the woods , that they might no longer treat with a rebell ; those which are now reclaimed owe their mildnesse to our cunning , and stay not with us but because we have drawn them from the forrests ; if they obey us , 't is out of hope of some advantage ; and our rebellion having freed them from their oath of allegiance , which they had taken in paradise , we must feed them , if we will have any service from them . those which do reserve their naturall fiercenesse , submit not un-inforced to our will , they must be made to suffer before they be tamed , and our power being tyrannicall , their obedience is constrained . they are slaves which serve but by force , and who to free themselves from their servitude attempt somtimes upon our lives . at the same time when the beasts fore-went their mildnesse , the elements changed their qualities ; s those four bodies whereof all other bodies are composed , declared war one against another to afflict us , and breaking the bonds which nature had prescribed them , intrencht one upon another , to the end , their division might be our punishment . they did that to punish us , which greatest enemies use to revenge themselves ; they endangered their own losse out of a desire to destroy us . the earth which had served us for a nurse , became barren to make us perish by famine ; she grew hard under our feet to weary us : forgoing her flowers where with she adorned her selfe to appear more pleasing to us , she loaded her selfe with thorns to prick us ; she opened her bowels to bury us ; and she who grounded upon her own proper weight , was always immoveable , quaked under our feet to work our astonishment . the sea which judged aright , that our ambition & avarice would not be contented with the empire of the earth , t hid rocks underneath her waves , troubled her calmnesse with storms , call in winds to her aid to undo us , and advancing her waters into the fields , came to set upon us amidst our own territories : the aire which seemed not able to hurt us , save by denying us respiration , corrupted her naturall purenesse , to make us sickly , lent her bosome to the tempests , became the receptacle of haile and snow , and being serviceable to gods justice , became the magazine of his thunder and lightnings , sent pestilences into the world , turned a simple sicknesse into a contagion , and carrying corruption through all parts , did oft-times change the earth into a fatall sepulcher . u fire being the most active of all the elements , did us more harm then all the rest ; for this body which seems to be but a pure spirit , and by which the angels themselves did not disdain to be called , crept into the thunder , and agreeing with it's enemy , formed storms wherein the waters mingled with flames of fire seem to conspire mans death , and the worlds over-throw ; contrary to it's nature , which seeks out high places , it descends , and gliding into the entrails of the earth , excites earthquakes , consumes mountains , and devours whole towns : to revenge it it selfe for the wrongs which we make it suffer by making it a slave to all arts , it burns those who come nigh it , it consumes what is given it , and not interessing it selfe with mens designes , it oft-times mars their workmanship . but man was not so sensible of all these persecutions , as of that of the sun ; for this glorious constellation drew up malignant vapours , spred abroad mortall influences , disordered the course of the seasons , parted the spring from the autumne , which were all one in the state of innocency ; stript the trees of their leaves in winter , withered the flowers in summer , and bereft the earth of her ornaments , and riches . amidst so many disorders , man was bound to make him clothes , and to rob his subjects that he might defend himselfe against his enemies . he hunted wilde beasts , clothed himselfe with their skins ; he who had aspired to make himselfe a god , was brought to a condition of decking himsefe with the hides of animals , and learnt to his cost , that no apparell is proofe for all seasons , but that of innocency . thus his being necessitated to cloth himselfe is a mark of his offence , let him do what he can to turn this punishment into bravery , x he is bound to confesse , that he covers his body only to fence himselfe from pain , and shame , had he preserved the respect which he ought to god , his body would not have rebelled against his soul , and had not this particular revolt been followed by a generall rebellion , he needed not have been obliged to seek for arms to defend himselfe against his subjects . he sees then his fault in his apparell , they are sensible tokens of his disobedience , and would he govern himself by reason , he should chastize his body as oft as he puts on his cloths : and yet we seem to have a design to out-brave divine justice , and to laugh at it's decrees ; to glory in it's punishments and to make that serve for our glory which ought to serve for our confusion ; for there is hardly any one who doth not some ways advantage himself by his apparell , who doth not heighten himself by the lustre of gold or pearl , and who turns not the shamefull marks of his undoing into stately trophies of his victory . adam was never so ashamed as when he was forced to cloth himself , the skins he wore were the apparell of a penitent ; before that vanity had found out a means to imbellish them , they drew tears from his eyes , and sighs from his mouth . he never clothed himself but he bewailed his innocency , and when cold weather made him put on more cloths he considered how the irregulariry of the seasons , was the punishment of his sin . y his wife knew not as yet the art of trimming her self , all her daughters eloquence could not perswade her that that which was a punishment of her disobedience should adde unto her beauty ; and comparing her innocency with all her other ornaments , she could never think to gain by an exchange , where for originall righteousnesse which she lost she got nothing but the slaver of worms , or scum of fishes . let us use what art we can to lenifie our losse or to excuse our vanity , we cannot deny but that our most gaudy apparell are the spoils of beasts ; and that we are very miserable since betraying our greatnesse , we seek for ornaments in the bottome of the sea , or in the bowels of the earth , for what else is wooll but sheep fleeces ? what is silk whereof so many different silks are made but the drivell of worms , and the sepulchre which those little animals make unto themselves when they die ? what is purple which had wont to be the badge of sovereignty , but the bloud of certain fishes ? z what are pearls but the warts of certain shel-fish , and the thickest part of the fome of the sea , which could not be turned into it's substance ? what are diamonds and rubies but water congealed within rocks ? what is gold which is made use of in so many prophane things , which men disguise in so many shapes , which is sought for with so much pain , which is got with so much injustice , and kept with so much care , but the excrement of a barren soil , to which the fire gives lustre , and our errour valuation ? what in fine , is the linnen cloth with which we are covered all over , and wherein the greatest part of our vanity consists but a kind of herb or grasse which we see grow up and die , flourish in the fields , and in a short time weather away ? which passeth through womens hands , which is wetted with their spittle , turned with the spindle , strecht upon the loom , wrought with the shittle , whitened in the dew , and at last cut into bands and handcherchiefs ? must not one have lost his judgment to glory in such trifles ? and if his ornament deserve any praise , is it not rather due , to those that made them , then to those that wear them ? whosoever glories in a sute of apparell intrencheth upon his tailors right , and who values himself the more for the stuffe he wears , injures the worms that spun it , or the workmen a that wrought it . our glory ought to be in our selves , and we ought never to ground our greatnesse upon a thing which we forego as oft as we put off our cloths . a man must not adorn himself with that which he borrows from other creatures , and to believe that all the spoils of nature can heighten his descent is to have too ill an opinion of himself . but if the materials whereof our cloths be made be contemptible , the cause why we wear them is criminall ; for those who may be said rather to set out , then to cloth themselves , and who joyn pleasures to necessity , have for the most part but two designs , which are equally unjust . the first is to satisfie themselves , and to entertein their self-love by the care they have of their body ; they will make an idol of a slave , adorn a guilty person who deserves death , bring him with pomp to his punishment , and disguise his misery to flatter his ambition : they are like those captives who think the better of their irons because they are guilded : yet all their ornaments are but marks of their sin and mis-fortunes ; and as a foot-man who wears a gaudy livery makes but his misery more visible , those who trim themselves the finest make but their shame more publick . the art of trimming or adorning acknowledgeth no author but the devil . b he who taught the curious the vertue of herbs to make their inchantments , and the influences of the stars to order their horiscopes by ; he who taught the avaritious the way to purifie the earth , to make thereof the preciousest of metalls , he who taught the ambitious the secret of intrenching upon the peoples liberty , taught women to mingle colours , to polish diamonds , , to calcive pearls , to compose materials , and to falsifie whole nature to inhaunce their beauty , and to acquire reputation by the losse of their modesty : ought not this masters condition infuse distrust into his disciples ? and if women had not as well lost their judgment as their modesty , would they not believe that a sinfull angell would tarnish their innocence , that impure spirits would attempt their chastity , and that rebellious slaves would endevour to make them lose their humility ? the second designe of those who delight in sumptuous apparell is to please those that look upon them , to entangle souls in their nets , to purchase lovers , or slaves , to govern by the pomp of their apparell , as monarchs do by the terrour of their arms. this is the more usuall , and the more dangerous motive : the more usuall , because vain glory seeks out a theater , because self-love , as well as ambition , will have spectatours . c to say truth , women do not greatly care for dressing themselves when they are alone ; solitarinesse is an enemy to pomp ; a body is soon weary of linifying himselfe when he means not to appear , the pain he findes in doing it makes him lose the pleasure of it ; and as peacocks close up their plumes when no body beholds them , women neglect their dressing when no body admires them . they reserve their pearls and diamonds for great meetings ; courts , and masks , are the occasions whereupon they heighten their beauty ; and when they have neither witnesses to observe them , nor servants to adore them , selfe love is not of power enough to make them adorn themselves . as this motive is the more usuall , so is it the more sinfull ; for to boot that a woman that will cause love in another , runs danger of being caught therewithall her selfe ; that it is hard to carry fire to ones neighbour , without self-burning ; 't is assuredly to imitate the devill , to serve for instruments to wicked spirits , to lose the souls that jesus christ would save , and to present poison , or a poniard , to mad men , who would kill themselves . let women disguise their designes how artificially they please , let them excuse their intentions by their pretences ; the endeavouring to seem pleasing to men , is never blamelesse , the desire of entangling them is always sinfull , and the care they take in attiring themselves , either to captivate them , or to continue them captives , is equally prejudiciall to their chastity . pomp and luxury in apparell savours of prostitution or vain glory , d both these faults are contrary to our religion ; the difference of condition is but a piece of cunning which self-love hath found out to authorize our disorders . our first condition is the condition of sinners ; we are sinners , before we be sovereigns , our souls were sullied with adams sin , before our bodies were clad in purple ; and all the titles which flattery confers upon us cannot efface that of guilty . it precedeth our birth , accompanieth our life , and doth almost always follow our death , so as from the cradle to the grave , our chiefest ornament ought to be modesty , and our apparel ought to partake more of penitency then of vanity . if we will e not have the angels to be therewithall scandalized , they must not savour of novelty , they must not be riotous , and nothing must be therein observable which denotes insolency or uncleannes : cloths were invented by shame and pain , whatsoever ambition or self-love hath added thereunto is superfluous , and who governs himself by custome , or excuseth himself by his condition , forgets that he is a christian , or remembers not that he is a sinner . the eighth discourse . that the shame which accompanieth nakedness , is a punishment for our offence . philosophers who knew not the secret of originall sin , thought nature rather to be the step-dame , then the mother of man , and that she had not given such testimony of her care of his preservation , as of that of other creatures : beasts are born with their weapons and their apparell ; they are provided either of hair or wool to fence them from the cold , and armed either with horns , or claws to defend themselves against violence , those of the weaker sort have their wiles to free themselves from their pursuers , and if they want both strength and cunning , nature hath furnished them with agility to shun their enemies who hunt after them ; thus we see that lyons are armed with teeth and claws , and that these generous animals confiding in force , never refuse to fight when combate is offered , bulls have their horns , stags their coverts , wild bores their tusks , and all these differing defences , are so well munited , as a man cannot set upon them without danger of being hurt . hunting is an exercise wherein danger is mixt with delight , if the hunters give blows , they oft-times receive some , and if deer or wild goats suffer themselves to be tame , 't is not without revenge . foxes have so many wiles , as it is experienced as well in hunting as in war ; that it is easier to overcome a couragious enemy , then a crafty one . does , hindes , and hares , are so swift of foot , as dogs nor horses cannot overtake them ; these timerous beasts find their safety in their feet , and as the parthians fight retreating , these overcome their enemies by running away . man on the contrary , who glories himself to be the lord of the universe , f enters into his dominions without either weapons , or apparell . he finds his subjects revolted , and hath neither strength nor agility to reduce them to their duty , he is sensible of the unseasonablenesse of seasons , yet cannot fence himself from their irregularities , nor defend himself from their disorders . he makes triall of the rigour of the elements , yet cannot keep himself uninjured by them : he is exposed to the fury of his enemies , and wants weapons to fight them : and nature dealing with him , as with a monster or an illegitimate child ; affords him onely tears to bewail himself ; he must be brought by time to the use of reason , before he can either make himself cloths or weapons , for fourteen years space he is a prey for wild beasts , and did not necessity make him ingenious , he would be the most miserable of all creatures . g the rest are clothed as soon as born ; natures self takes care of clothing them , their apparell constitutes a part of their body , and the hair or wool which covers them is the meer work of nature : but man is stark naked , when he parts from his mothers womb , his skin is so tender as the very air offends it , he must be put in prison , to be freed from the fury of his enemies , he is treated like a slave to save his life , and he is not suffered to make use of any of his members , lest he use them to his own prejudice . when he is grown great , he is bound to make war upon nature , to preserve himself ; to unrobe beasts to cloth himself , he must use a kind of tyranny upon creatures , if he will free himself from the fury of the elements , and he hath so little credit in his dominions , that as he must tear up the earth for food , so must he strip beasts to cloth himself . though these philosophers complaints may appear just , yet are they irrationall ; had they known mans fault they would never have blamed nature ? for she was not his step-dame , till he became a sinner ; neither was she cruell to him , till he was disobedient to god ; during his innocency , she had largely provided for all his affairs ; h originall righteousnesse served him for clothes , and though this apparell was so very purely fine , yet was it proofe against all seasons : as summer was not excessively hot , so neither was winter extreamly cold ; spring and autumne were so pleasantly inter-mingled , as man though naked , suffered no incommodity : trees which lent him their shade to refresh him , did not as yet furnish him with leaves to cover him : the earth brought forth no thorns to offend him , it was so smooth , and so all of a piece , as he might touch it , and not hurt himselfe , the grasse and flowers wherewith it was beautified , served in stead of a pleasing carpet , which satisfied his eyes , and was easie to his feet : in fine , sin not having as yet wounded his soule , he was not inforced through shame to cover his body ; he beheld himselfe with delight , not with shame ; gods workmanship not being yet through disobedience gone astray , he observed nothing therein which was not pleasing to him ; and to say all in a word , as he had no faulty parts , so had he no shamefull ones ; he saw not in his body , the pictures of his soules rebellion , and whil'st the soul obeyed god , all parts of the body obeyed the soul : i but as soon as he grew guilty , he was forced to betake himselfe to apparell , to free him from pain and shame ; for in a moment the seasons grew out of order , the elements waged war as well in his dominions as in his body : the earth mingled thorns with roses , the face thereof which formerly was smooth , became furrowed ; and stones succeeding in the place of flowers , turned a delightfull garden into a horrid desart . man hearing storms thunder over his head , and feeling thistles spring under his feet , was inforced to cover both head and feet to preserve life . he was no lesse opprest with shame then pain , and the amazement he was in , to see the shadow of sin upon his body , made him resolve to cloth himselfe , as well as did the irregularity of the seasons : the lord of the whole world who bare the image of god , imprinted in his face , was a ghast to see himself ; he could not endure his nakednesse , after once he had lost his innocency ; he sought for leaves to hide his rebellion , and not having yet felt any pain for his sin , he was ashamed of his punishment ; he observed an impudent novelty , which made him judge his nakednesse unseemly ; k he knew by the disorders which he found in himselfe , that obedience of the soul caused obedience in the body ; and that the revolt of the one arose from the like of the other . since this fatall hour , man had shame mingled with his delights ; those which are most requisite are most shamefull ; those delights , by which the world is preserved , are infamous ; those which withstand death , and make amends for the havock he makes in families , require solitude , and darknesse . man hides himselfe to re-produce himselfe ; l marriage which is holy in it's institution , and sacred in it's type , is shamefull in it's use ; nor hath the necessity which doth authorize it , been able to take away the shame which doth accompany it . mans death is more honourable than his birth ; they glory in murder though it be unjust , and are ashamed of marriage , though it be lawfull . open champions are the theaters whereon battels are fought ; these fatall and bloudy actions are done at noon day : they are made famous , and publique by the beating of drums , and sound of trumpets ; all men are called in to assist in the routing of an army ; the conquerours ground their renown upon the number of the enemy that are left dead in the place ; and that which is termed a triumph , is the reward of an hundred thousand murders ; but mans birth is shamefull , m this guilty party steals into the world . solitarinesse and obscurity are destined for his production , and nature , makes him suspect that his conception is criminall , since 't is infamous . i very well know that a modern authour hath imputed this shame to mans fantasticknesse , that he hath endeavoured effrontedly to maintain , that that ought not to be esteemed shamefull , that was naturall ; that amongst philosophers the production of man was esteemed honourable , and that the art which instructeth how to murder was as infamous , as unjust ; but this authour who never had other guide , than nature ; no religion , but libertinisme ; no faith , but experience ; nor other felicity , then the delight of the sense ; had not fallen into this errour , if he would have consulted the holy scripture : he might there have learnt , that shame was born together with sin , that nakednesse accompanied innocency , and that man did not abhor himselfe , till he became sinfull . if he commit murder with impunity , if he boast of fighting ; if he be not pleased in the glory thereof , save when it is bloudy ; 't is because sin hath corrupted his reason , and that engaging him in cruelty , it hath made him turn beast . but not to engage my self in seeking out the cause of so strange a disorder , which seem to countenance murther , and to place mans glory in the destruction of his like , 't will suffice to know that shame is the punishment of n sin , and that nakednesse o was banished from off the earth , together with innocence . man could not consider his bodies revolt without confusion , he was troubled to see that he who was so absolute in the world , was now no longer so in his own person ; and that he who commanded over savage beasts , could not commmand the moyetie of himself . 't is argued against this truth , that the barbarians continue their going naked , though they have lost their innocency , that shame hath not been able to make them cloth themselves , and that nature which is equall in all nations , hath not imprinted in them that resentment of shame which makes even the most affronted to cover themselves , and to carry this their argumentation higher , and to give it all the strength they can , they say that these people discovered of late , are not polluted with originall sin , since shame which is the punishment thereof , hath not as yet appeared in their faces . they laugh at our apparell , and their climats being much more hot then ours , they are contented with such clothing as nature hath given them ; and they leave us in doubt whether shame be a punishment of sin or no , since they being as well faulty as we , they are either lesse ashamed or more affronted . p to answer this objection we must suppose that shame q which is a punishment of our sin , is also a remainder of our innocency ; that adam who lost grace , lost not reason ; that that light of nature which remained to him , in his obscurity , was sufficient to make him distinguish between good & bad , and to make him abhorre that which contradicted seemlinesse . though he endevoured to excuse his fault , he observed the disorder thereof ; and though he loved the greatnesse which he had unjustly endevoured , he forbare not to blame his rashnesse . though this remorse was not sufficient to obtein pardon for hisoffence , 't was sharp enough to cause shame in him ; and that of reason which remained in him , was sufficient to make him blush . his passions revolt caused as much shame as pain in him , and the rebellion of his flesh made him cover himself as well as the rigour of the elements : this punishment was mixt with grace , and god who would not for ever undo him , sent him this shame to reduce him to his duty : 't was an evidence that though his nature was r corrupted , yet it was totally destroyed ; and that sin which had tyrannized over him ; had not been able to efface all the principles which he had received from his sovereign : but he neglecting the use thereof , and those who came of him not improving this remainder of innocency , it grew weaker with time , and the more faulty they grew , the more shamelesse they grew . they lost as well the shame of sin as the knowledge of god , they lost the onely advantage which remained to them in their misfortune , and nature growing obdurate , they did no longer lament their past happinesse , nor were they ashamed for their present misery . this is that which makes the barbarians not blush at their nakednes , which makes them glory in their shame , which makes them esteem that naturall , s which is irregular ; and which makes them authorize their disorder by their evill custome . we must not wonder if those who have lost all the sense of humanity , have not preserved the like of shamefac'tnesse ; if those who make greatnesse of courage to consist in revenge makes simplicity to consist in impudence : if those who eat mans flesh , do prostitute it , and if those wild people who know no religion , be likewise ignorant of modesty : but i wonder why christians take upon them the fashions of infidels , why shamelessnesse should passe from america into europe , why believing women who have no more familiar vertue then shamefac'tnesse , should imitate barbarians , and that by discovering their bosoms , they should defie modesty . they put on their apparell not to cover themselvs , but to make a shew ; that which served for their shame serves now for their vain glory ; apparell which was the mark of their modesty , is now a proof of their impudence ; did not the t weather constrein them to put on cloths , they would go naked ; their vanity is such as seeks onely occasion to shew it self , they cast off their handcherchiefs in great assemblies , 't is uncivill to be vailed at a mask or a play ; and they are ashamed to appear modest , where men use all their art to make them unchast . thus great meetings are nothing but publick prostitutions , innocency is there destroyed by bringing nakednesse in fashion ; and men lend weapons to the devil , to undo the subjects of jesus christ. the ninth discourse . that buildings are the work of necessity , pleasure , or vainglory . though we do not know all mans advantages in the state of innocency , and that that happy condition be not much lamented because 't is not much known ; yet we very well know it was exempt from pain as well as from sin ; and that man saw nothing neither in his person , nor in his state , which caused either pain or shame in him . the body was subject to the soul , and the senses , which so often break t loose that they may fix themselves to objects without reasons permission , did nothing but by her order ; and this sovereign was so absolute , as her subjects had no other inclinations , but what were hers . the world was as much at quiet as man was , and the elements w th by their contesting molest him , held so good intelligence as the one never intrencht upon the rights of the other ; men neither feared the overflowings of rivers , earthquakes , nor fires ; the earth was a temple and a palace , religion did so well agree with nature , as the same place served man to do his homage to god in , and to disport himself in , he saw his creator in every creature , they were images which painted forth unto him the perfection of him that made them , when he beheld them for his pastime , his pleasure was not to be parted from his piety , and contenting his curiosity , he satisfied his duty . u this temple was also his palace , he could wish for nothing , neither for pastime , nor yet for profit , which was not in this stately habitation . the heavens served him for a canopie , and the irregularity of the seasons had not yet obliged him to deprive himself by buildings , of the sight of the most beautifull part of the world ; the sun was his torch , and when this glorious constellation withdrew himself to give light to the other half of the earth , the stars stepping into his place , afforded light enough , not to leave men in darknesse , grasse mingled with flowers served him for his bed : trees lent him their shade , and holes which nature had hollowed in rocks served him for chambers and closets . gates were needlesse when there was no fear of theeves , x and windows would have been uselesse when people apprehended neither winde , nor rain . nature had so well provided for all things as arts were superfluous ; and her workmanship was so exact as mans industry could adde nothing thereunto ; all the fields were gardens ; all forrests , parks ; all dens , palaces ; and though the floud hath changed the face of the world , it's out-rages could not efface the beauty thereof . there be forrests yet thick enough to shelter us , champions of extent enough to weary our eyes , vallies delightfull enough for diversion to them , and cavernes rich enough to satisfie them : the pillars which sustain these forrests , are the models of our columnes , the brooks which water these champions , have furnisht us with the invention of water-pipes ; the concavity of trees hung in the aire , hath taught our architechts to vault buildings ; their proportions have caused symmetry , and the caverns in mountains , are the originall of our houses . 't is true that where sin had corrupted man , and disordered nature , we were forced to raise buildings to save our selves from the injury of weather ; and not being secure in a condition where we saw so many subjects revolted , we were necessitated to build citadels to keep us from being surprized by them . y but necessiy not being so ingenious as self-love , she was contented with providing remedies for the most pressing evils , and did not seek so much for accommodation , as for preservation . the first houses were but one story high , the earth afforded the materials , and thatch was the covering ; man finding nothing delightfull , in so sad an abode wisht for an earthly paradise , and never thought of his former condition , without being sorry for his disobedience , which had banished him from thence : he never betook himselfe to this prison , but either when the nights obscurity , or the weather , made him seek for covert ; he looked upon it as upon his grave , and living in so unpleasing an abode , he did by degrees prepare himselfe for death ; but when self-love grew weary of suffering the punishment of it's sin , and when justling divine justice it would finde out a paradise in this world ; it inuented architecture , and taught man how to change his prison into a palace : under the conduct of so good a master he raised stately palaces , he sought for stone in the bowels of the earth , he polisht them with tools , he ranked them with symmetry , and placing one of them on the top of another , he made his exile glorious , and his prison pleasing . those who will excuse this disorder , say that 't is a work worthy the wisdom of man ; that he is not forbidden to defend himselfe from natures out-rages ; that it is to imitate god , and that every building is an image of the world , and an epitome of the universe ; that time is requisite to bring things to perfection , that the first men were not lesse vain , but lesse industrious ; that if adam had been a good architectour , he would not have left his children so long in dens , and cabins : that houses were the beginning of towns ; that a men were never civilized till they lived within the circuit of wals ; and that whil'st they lay in forrests , their lives were rather bestiall , then rationall . but let vanity make what excuses she pleaseth , it is not to be denied but that buildings as well as apparell , do prove our guilt , and that the excesse and pomp which are used therein , are marks of our ambition ; for houses are built either out of necessity , pleasure , or vain-glory ; and men seek for nothing therein but the preservation of their life , the satisfaction of their senses , or the honour of their name . our first fathers built only to shun the persecution of the elements ; they were contented with a house which saved them from storms , and provided that it would afford them shade against the sun , and covering against the cold , they were well apayed : architecture was not yet become an art , every man was his own architect : after having cut out his clothes , he made himselfe a house ; and seeking only how to fence himselfe against the incommodities of life , he sought for neither delight , nor vain-glory in buildings : two trees joyned together did oft-times make a house , the entrance into a rock would with small cost , lodge a whole family ; b and the thickets which now serve for a retreat for wilde beasts served to lodge men in : nature was indulgent to these innocent malefactours ; seeing they bare respect to gods justice , which did punish them ; she allai'd the rigour of the elements , and regulated the seasons disorders . though these first men were lesse guilty than we , and that their buildings were the meer workmanships of necessitie , yet they did acknowledge adams rebellion : as oft as they withstood themselves into those sanctuaries of dirt and mire , they were bound to believe that during the state of innocency , the world was not an enemies countrey , & that the creatures did not make war against them , till their father had rebelled against god. when they had lost the remembrance of the earthly paradise , and their sorrow for the losse thereof , they endeavoured to content themselves in their exile , & to please themselves in their structures , they inclosed whole champians within their parks , they changed rivers into water-works ; and forrests which served for coverts to wilde beasts , into groves , for the better ornament of their houses : c that which did suffice to lodge a whole generation , was too little to lodge a single family ; one man possessed more land then a nation ; and that which formerly made up a little kingdom , was now the farm for one particular man : they made nature serve their pleasures ; they corrupted her who gloried to follow gods orders , did fit her inclinations to their designs ; they saw no rivers , on the banks whereof they raised not up houses of delight ; wheresoever the earth threw out warm water , they there made bathes ; where the sea advanced it to the land , they there made fish-ponds , and prescribing bounds to this element , which receives laws only from god : they forced the fiercenesse thereof to be serviceable to their pastimes : they built citadels on the tops of mountains , to discover the subjacent countreys , and changing champians into large pastures , they made their neighbours inheritances serve their delights . but mans luxury growing weary of things when they became common , and despising what it possesseth , after having gotten from nature all that they could hope for , they disordered her course , to finde contentment in her disorder : they turned the course of rivers to inclose their palaces withall , they raised up vallies , and levelled mountains ; that they might exercise their tyranny every where , they found the invention of arches to build in the aire , and of aqueducts to bring water into towns ; they planted forrests on the top of their houses , d and bringing themselves to mans first condition , they lodged under trees and woods ; they built in barren places , that they might please themselves in overcoming nature ; they peopled desarts to drive lions thence ; and to take pleasure in pain , which seems to be her enemy , they built houses in the midst of solitary places . but certainly they were forced to confesse that they were inconsiderate in building so great palaces for a man , who during his life , and after death takes up but seven foot of earth , they grew weary of so great buildings , they lost themselves in these labyrinthes , and knowing that they could fill but one chamber , they acknowledged it was unjustly done to build so prodigious a number of rooms , e they learn't by experience , that what they could not possesse belonged not to them : and that to build in so many places , was to make lodgings for owles , and to prepare habitations for horn-coots . vain glory reaped no advantage by the faults pleasure committed , but looking upon the works thereof onely as upon beginnings , she undertook whatsoever seemed to be impossible , and her raising of colossuses and pyramides was onely to purchase fame : she thought that of all mans works there was none more withstood the injuries of time , then those huge heaps of stone and rocks ; she esteemed victories , odious , battles , bloudy ; and thought that triumphs required historians and poets , to make them be known : she knew that children were not immortall , that kingdomes had their periods as well as families ; and that the vertues of princes were aswell buried in oblivion , as their vices : she was perswaded nothing was of so long continuance as buildings , that the vast greatnesse thereof , rendered their authors memorable to posterity , and that the works of so many hands and so many years , could not perish but together with the world . upon this foolish belief , kings caused colossuses to be built of so prodigious a height , that ships passed between their legs with their masts up and sails displayed : they built pyramides , the foundations whereof descended even unto hell , and their tops were lost in the clouds : they tired their subjects to content their ambition ; they threw all the revenues of their kingdomes into the bowels of the earth , to purchase reputation ; they engraved their names in brasse , they hung their arms round about the wals of towns , and because marble is more solid then paper , they thought that that these monuments of vain glory would last longer then the writings of orators or philosophers . this passion is as ancient as the deluge , f those that descended from noah were the first that attempted it : they would leave marks of their might to posterity , before they would divide themselves to people the world ; they undertooke a piece of work worthy their vain glory , and not knowing the distance between heaven and earth , they resolved to erect a tower which should unite them both together : they thought certeinly heaven might have been taken by scalado , and that without taking the pains to win it by their vertue , they might take it in by storming . no lesse then a miracle could disswade them from so rash a design , they laid the foundation of this building so deep in the earth , as they hoped to reach to heaven , after having come so neer hell : their work advanced insensibly , they had already outgone the highest mountains , they saw storms formed under their feet ; they wondered that drawing neerer to the sun , the cold grew the greater , they could not comprehend how getting so far from the earth , their approach towards heaven should be so very small , they lost the sight of men , the greatest trees seemed but as pismires to them , and all objects appearing to them but as atomes , they wonder that the stars seemed no greater . the desire of glory made them overcome all difficulties , their courage was inflamed by their passion for purchasing esteem , and the death of their companions that fell into precipices , could not asswage their ambition . heaven g did compassionate their pain ; to stop the course of so unprofitable a labour it put confusion into their mouths ; and to divide their underwanding , divided their language , every wondered that he had forgot his native tongue , and learnt another in an instant ; the brother could not believe that his brother could not understand him , the father thought it strange that his son could not conceive what he meant and wives were much astonished to see their husbands change their language not having changed their countrey . so strange an accident put an end to so great a work , and parted those by force who out of vain glory had undertaken it , the people that understood one another retired into the same countreys ; that which had divided them from others , united them together , and they imagined that 't was the will of heaven , they should live under the same climate , since it had given them the same language . men were not made the wiser by this memorable example ; there were some , who joyning industry to vain glory endevoured to imitate the works of god , and to make in this lower world an epitome of the universe . this was a more refined pride , and seemed more praise-worthy then the other since 't was more ingenious : for princes who built tombs or palaces had no hand in the work more then the bare desire ; the architectours conceived the design , the earth furnished the materials , the people were at the expense , and the handycrafts men contributed their labour : thus was the glory divided , and those bare away the most , who certeinly deserved the least . but when industry joyned with vain glory , honour was no more divided ; he who laid the project employed no other hands , then his own to effect the work . thus did ingenious archimedes enclose whole nature h in a vessel of chrystall ; he observed all the motions of the heavens in a brittle globe , and if he could not infuse influences into the stars which he there engraved , he gave them at least light and beauty : whosoever was in the midst of this in-animated sphere saw the sun arise above his head , and the stars set underneath his feet ; this transparent globe did at one and the same time shew all the secrets of nature , and looking upwards or downwards one might there observe all the rarities of both the hemispheres . a certein poet , admiring the excellency of this work , i thought he could cause jealousie in his iupiter , and in this belief made it be told him in his language , that the hand of a man had equal'd gods hand : and that if it had as much strength as it had compendious adresse , it might have formed a second uuiverse , but notwithstanding what the poets say , this master-piece of workmanship did not survive it's author , the same age saw the beginning and end thereof , the ransacking of a town put a period to this little world , when siracusa was taken by the romanes , archimedes was there slain , and his work destroyed . those proud mausolaea which promised immortality to their builders , are reduced to ashes as well as the bodies which they did inclose , we do not know the places where their foundations were laid , and of all the marble and porphiry which went to their composure , nothing but smoak and dust remains , of all the stately buildings which vanity hath produced , none but the pyramides of egypt have triumphed over time . those mighty masses of stone remain yet intire , the theaters , the amphitheaters of rome , which were built so many ages after these miracles of memphis , are now nothing but ruines , regarded for their antiquity , those proud portals and stately theaters , for which romes greatnesse , after she hath been so oft demolisht , is still admited , are onely receptacles for owles , and nests for serpents . and those temples , wherein heretofore so many gods were lodged , serve now onely to raise romes wals . but the pyramides of egypt stand yet firm upon their foundations ; thunder bears respect unto them , the injuries of time spares them , and as if nature knew that they were built by the labour of gods people , that they are the workmanship of their hands , and that the coement k which fastens the stones together was steeped in their tears , she preserves this work as a mark of their servitude , and as an eternall monument of their glorious deliverance . none of the other buildings , could defend themselves against the elements ; if the sword have-spared them , fire hath consumed them , if water have not overthrown their foundations , it hath undermined their tops ; and if rust have not spoyled them , time which consumes all things hath devoured them . it is not fitting that the workmanship of men should be more lasting then that of god , l since nature perisheth in any one of her parts , that she preserves not her productions but by their losse , there is no reason why edifices should be eternall , since the world for being infected with sin was drowned by an universall deluge , and shall be consumed by a generall fire , 't is not fit that our palaces which are but the inventions of pleasure or vanity , should be of a bettercondition , and man must learn by the ruine of his workmanships , that guilty hands can make nothing which deserves not to be destroyed either by sword or fire . the tenth discourse . that the greatest part of our pestimes are occasions of sin . though man had remained in the state of innocency , he would have stood in need of some diversion or pastime , his constitution which placeth him beneath that of angels , requires that his labours should be intermitted by some honest recreation , and his mixture of soul and body doth not permit him to be always busied . nature , which serves him for a rule endev●s some relaxation in her labours : l the earth rests in the winter season , she sometimes sports her self for recreation , and amongst her serious works doth some ridiculous ones , which are her ●ions or extravagancies . the sea is calm after a storm , the winds w● with she was agitated leave her in quiet , and those spirits which appear enemies to rest , are lulled asleep in the bowels of the earth . though labour be naturall to man it needs relaxation , his spirit is too weak to be always busied ; it is not of the nature of rivers , or of the heavens which find their rest in motion , as sleep repairs the bodies strength , so doth recreation repair the like of the soul , and change of exercise is to her a kind of recreation . but in the state of innocency , man found his delight in his duty , he unwearied himself in considering gods wonderfull works , and natures beauties , which had charms enough to recreate him , m had not power enough to seduce or corrupt him ; whilst he saw the stars he adored him who had given them their light and influences : whilest he beheld the flowers he admired him who had made them so beautifull and delicate , whilst he considered the earths fertility and the diversity of her productions , hee bethought himselfe how so many miracles cost god onely the speaking of a word , and how the nothing out of which they were produced did contribute nothing unto them but a blind obedience . when he heard the comfort of birds or the noyse of the waters he rowsed up his soul to his creator , and 〈◊〉 he had understood the language of those creatures , he sung his prayses who had made them speak . in fine , man was religious in all his recreations , whilst he did divert himself , he did actions of piety ; and nature being mingled with grace , whilst he did unbend his cogitations he did some homage to his god. but when sin had once corrupted his inclinations , he served his recreation from his duty , and took delight in nothing but offence . all the remedies which we bring to this disorder have not yet been able to reform it : our most harmlesse recreations may become faulty , and we find by experience that whilst we think to divert our mind we ingage it in the creature , n which doth estrange it from the creator . our disports have no longer either measure or bounds , they are either uselesse or dangerous , if there be no excesse in them , there is vanity ; if they do not ravish our hearts , they steal away our time ; and if they do not altogether thwart gods will , they hinder us from following it . there are some men whose eyes are only busied in beholding the beauty of tulips ; they make an art of this pleasure , and a serious occupation of this uselesse recreation ; they traffique in onions , as merchants do in stuffs : the price of these flowers is inhanced by their fantasticalnesse ; an extravagancy in nature passeth with them for a miracle ; they therein admire the mixture of colours , o they are not therein pleased with purity , and to use tertullians words , if they meet with no adultery , or incest there , they are not pleased . their passion hath found out a new language to expresse the difference of tulips : 't is a piece of incongruity to use an ordinary term ; a man must speak according to the rules of art if he will be admitted into their academy . all the secrets of husbandry are requisite to cultivate these flowers , which do satisfie but one of our senses ; they must be taken out of the earth , and put in again in their due seasons ; and a man must labour all the whole year to reap some delight in the spring . the love of painting is yet of lesse ●e then is that of flowers ; for let painters do what they can they cannot equall nature : their pieces will never be so well finished as are her productions , p nor can their pensils how excellent masters soever they be represent the roses and lillies , which grow in the fields ; yet we see men of good condition who fill their closets with pictures , who extract vanity from whence the painters have extracted profit ; who spend their lives in observing the pieces made by bassa● , or caravaggio , who study to know a copy from an originall , and who spend a good part of their estate in buying of pictures , q which do not content their eyes , till they have wounded their imaginations . this exercise is termed an honest recreation ; men never blame themselves for having spent all their time , their esta● , and their affection in this uselesse occupation , nor do they think themselves too blame though they make an idoll of the handy work of a carver , or painter . though clocks are usefull , and that the houres which they sh●w forth , put us in mind of the shortnesse of our life , yet cannot i approve of too inordinate affection thereunto . for what likelihood is there that our watches should measure our time , of which we are so prodigall ? r that we should take so much pain to make them go aright , and that we should not labour to accord our passions ? that we should be carefull to govern them by the sun , and should never think of governing our selves by jesus christ ? yet this is one of the pastimes of the age ; where we may see men who carry the rule of their life in their pockets , who accommodate themselves unto their watches , who think not that they go astray , because they measure their moments , and enjoyning themselves to as much pain as did charls the fift , think there goes no lesse art to make many watches go just together , then to make divers people joyn in the same designe . learned men despise these recreations , and yet take others which bear not more reason with them : the knowledge of medals which was formerly only an help to history , is now the occupation of criticks . they neglect the lives of princes , to study their pictures , they ground their science upon the caprichio of an ingraver ; such monies as were currant in the reign of the emperours , are placed in the best parts of their cabinets . s they treasure up brasse and latten , out of a foolish curiosity , they change weighty gold for rusty medals , and 〈◊〉 if antiquity set a valuation upon all things , they more esteem the picture of antonius , or marcus aurelius , upon copper , then that of henry the great , or lewis the just upon gold ; they vex themselves about worn out characters , they ask advice of all authours , to explain these enigmaes , and as if they were ingenious to their prejudice , they seek in sepulchres the cause of their punishments . these sanctuaries of the dead to which avarice bears respect , have not been able to defend themselves against these men , who do violate religion , to content curiosity . nature complains of their searches , and all the world wonders that the pictures of the dead which have nothing of pleasing in them can serve for a diversion to the living . but if all these pastimes be the effects of sin , it must be confest that gaming is one of the most unjust and sinfull ones ; it is authorized by custome , and because 't is common , 't is thought to be harmelesse ; halfe the world have no other imployment but this exercise . t 't is is the trade of all such as have no trade , and the occupation of all uselesse men : 't is the ruine of the greatest families , and it alone sends more poor to the hospitall , then hunting , love , and war do , joyned altogether ; yet hath it so powerfull charms as it makes it selfe be beloved of all those that it disobligeth ; it's martyrs are so faithfull to it as when they have no more to lose , they notwithstanding languish after it ; it 's inconstancy makes them love it , they hope that after having dealt ill with them , it will make them amends ; and being far from imitating those discreet lovers , who cease to pursue an ungratefull mistresse , who paies their service with dis-respect , they endeavour to overcome it's inconstancy by their fidelity , when this tyrant hath made himselfe master of their affection , 't is almost impossible to get them out of his clutches ; the losse of their estate sets them not at liberty , after having lost wherewithall to play , they continue to love it ; and the will growing obdurate against what resists it , they never have so great a passion for this pastime , x as when they are not in a condition of taking it . though i hope not to cure an evill which all the world holds incurable ; i will not forbear to make the nature of it known , to the end those who are not yet infected therewithall , may defend themselves against it , and that growing weary by other mens harms , they may fortunately eschew the danger . it 's first disorder y is that it awakens all the passions which discompose the heart of man , it excites all those motions which molest his reason , it raiseth those overflowings which morall philosophy endevours to calme , it irritates such tempests as the other striveth to allay , & causeth more storms in a moment , then all philosophy can quiet in age . avarice waites close upon it ; & let such handsome gamesters say , what they please , who do but bite upon the bridle , when they loose ; and who bear their bad fortune with a good grace , all men play to win . this exercise is a kind of traffique : 't is a generall usury wherein every one glories ; 't is their clearest incomb , who can joyn sleight of hand to good fortune , and who can lead fortune as they list . they are lesse egg'd on by pleasure , then by profit ; and if they will acknowledge their owne weaknesse , they must confesse , that those who are most liberall , are avaritious at play . anger governs there yet more absolutely then doth avarice ; a man cannot have ill luck without some commotion , z his pulse beats high , when the dice do not favour him ; an unlooked for chance puts him in disorder ; if his ill luck prove constant , his fury turns to impiety , and after having imprecated the gain , he vomits forth blasphemies against heaven . ambition takes her place between avarice and anger ; for though play makes all men equall , though the freedom of play forbids ceremony , though it be lawfull in play for every man to defend his own liberty , and that therein the servant may argue with his master , yet vain-glory hath a share therein ; men think winning an advantage , and that he that wins is either more dexterous , or more fortunate ; and as if fortune ought to be more just in play , than in battels , men complain that she favours the weakest , or the worst side . in fine , sorrow succeeds all other passions in this exercise , for if the losse be great , 't is always accompanied with sorrow . shame and repentance set on those that loose , a the one siezeth on the heart , the other on their countenance ; they are displeased with all things : not knowing to whom to break themselves , they betake themselves to every body ; and are bound to confesse , that contrary to their intention they finde pain and repentance , where they sought for pleasure and recreation . the second disorder of play , is , that it alienates men from their duty , and hinders them from doing what they ought , or from attending their affairs . all worldly things are so linkt together as an evill seldome comes alone ; one mis-fortune always produceth another , and it is almost impossible , that a malady doth not oft-times become a contagion . great winds cause great droughts , and whil'st the aire is agitated with these exhalations , the earth is no● watered with rain . droughts cause dearths , and all the husbandmans labour cannot defend us from famine . dearths cause the plague ; for when necessity makes all things food , and that without considering what is good , or what is bad , men fall to whatsoever they meet withall ; mens temper must be corrupted , and the body which is nourished with unwholesome food , must needs gather ill humours . thus in a kingdom , one disorder is always cause of another . b indulgency of princes leaves faults unpunished , impunity causeth licentiousnesse ; licentiousnesse ushers in murder , and murder causeth war in the midst of peace . particular families being little states , and oeconomy being the picture of policy , one disorder never happens there alone ; the masters fault is always followed by the confusion of all the domestiques . excesse in gaming is an infallible proofe of this truth , for those who passionately love this pastime , give over the thought of businesse , neglect the government of their house , lose all their relations of father , master , or husband , and by one and the same fault , injure their children , wives , and servants . they lose all they have , in a short time , they morgage their lands , contract debts , and are constrained to keep out of company because they cannot appear abroad in their former gallantry . if the wives will not shut themselves up with their husbands , they must make friends , and must ingage their conscience , and betray their honour to continue their ordinary expence and porte . but if this misfortune which is but too ordinary , should not happen , gamesters must confesse , that this exercise bereaves them of all their time , which is a disorder no lesse considerable then all the rest . for time c is the most pretious thing that is , our salvation depends upon the moments thereof ; eternitie must be his reward or punishment , and we shall be happy or miserable according to the good or bad use we make of time , which is the measure of merit , the rule of good or bad actions , and these daies which we are so prodigall of , are the bounds which divine justice hath prescribed to our labours . when the soul forgoes the body , and passeth from time to eternity , 't is no more in her power to acquire vertue , or ●hstand vice , she carries nothing into the other world but what she hath gathered here : good desires are of no advantage to her , if they have not bin fore-gone by good effects ; nor can all the ages to come profit her , if she have not imploy'd past moments wel . yet d experience teacheth us , that gamesters never count their years ; a man must be very eloquēt to perswade them that hours are more precious then pistols , and that it is easier to pay their debts then to recover the weeks which they have lost . time advanceth always and never returns , it is as hard to recall time past as to stop the present . when the sun ( which is the rule of times motions ) stood still in the midst of his career , to obey a mans word , the present time ceased not to roul on , though it had lost it's guide , when the same constellation returned towards the east . to assure a great prince that his death was deferred , the time past did not retreat back with it , and divine providence which changed the course of the sun , would not alter the nature of time . yet e all such as play are prodigall thereof , they are shamefully profuse of a thing , the sparing whereof is honourable ; they think they give their friends nothing when they bestow but whole days upon them , and because the losse thereof is common they think it not considerable : their life is iesse deer unto them then their pleasure , and they prove that passion blinds them since under pretence of pastime these shorten their life , and hasten their death . but though they be guilty of so many faults , they still alledge vain excuses , and use false reason to defend their bad cause , they say that a man cannot be allways busied , that the weaknesse of his spirit and the misery of his condition considered , f recreation is requisite for him . i confesse that this excuse hath some colour of truth , and that men who are most serious need some relaxations in their businesses ; but they must not make a trade of their recreation , nor must they contrary to the laws of nature , imploy those hours in pleasure , which are destined for labour : as those men are to be blamed who turn their physick into food , and who to purge away some ill humours , forego their usuall meat , and take nothing but medicines . so are they likewise , who leave serious exercises to use such onely as are of no use , and who think they live in a world , onely to please themselves , and not to take pains . some others say , that it is better to play , then to deprave , that lesse evill is committed in academies then in company keeping ; and that those who are busied about play , trouble themselves not with their neighbours faults . that in this corrupted age , wherein the severest vertue becomes the subject of calumny , it were to be wished , that all the world would be silent , that men were dumb , and women deaf , to the end that detraction and idle talk were banisht from off the earth . that gaming is fortunate in producingthese two effects , and that it doth so powerfully possesse those who practise it , that they have no use of their tongue to talk idlely or deprave , nor yet of their ears , to listen to such things . that of two necessary evils a man must shun the most dangerous , and that recreation be it of never so little use , will always be innocent enough , if it can hinder revile and unchastity . g they must be but weak men that are satisfied with this bad excuse . for 't is not permitted in our religion to cure one evil by another . morall philosophy and physick do differ in their cures , the latter hurts to heal , and imploys instruments and fire to dry up an ulcer , but the other doth not allow that a man commit one fault to forego another , and knowing them all to be averse to vertue , whose party she mainteins , she equally condemns them . saint paul never advised us to use play so to keep men from slandering , and this great apostle who loved chastity so well , never thought that an excesse in recreation might serve him for an excuse . though idlenesse do cause love , all exercises do not extinguish it ; this passion hath her imployments as well as others ; after having cōsumed it self away in sighs , it is wel pleased to take some recreation , & of as many pastimes as it chuseth , there are not many wherein it delighteth more then in play , it makes use as of an occasion thereof to see & entertain what it loveth . it useth such freedom as that pastime affordeth it . it teacheth slaves to act two parts at once , and to hazard their money and their liberty upon the same chance or card , that poet who was so justly banisht to pontus euximus for h having taught the romane ladies how to make love , recommends play unto them , as a pastime which serves to their design : he will have all maidens know how to play , and that by a double traffick , they win their lovers hearts and money . the privatives which accompany this pastime , are fitter to kindle flames of love then to extinguish them . this passion is entertained by the presence of such objects as do arise , she expresseth her self by looks and sighs , she furnisheth lovers with a thousand ways to seduce those who will listen to them , growing learned in so good a school , they quit their losses , and oft-time of servants become masters . but if all these sufficient reasons cannot disabuse those women who love play , and if they think it be a buckler for their chastity , we wil give them leave to play , provided they will give us leave to believe that this exercise is a cure for their incontinency , that the use thereof is permitted them onely to free them from love , and that knowing their frailty , they are allowed this pastime to secure their reputation , which would be in hazard of shipwrack , if they should be idle or solitary . yet if they will listen to our religion , this wise tutouresse wil i furnish them with better means how to assist chastity , when it is assailed . her enemy dares not pursue her in prison , those places of dread infuse horrour into him , and being guilty , she fears all places where guilty people are punished ; she apprehends hospitals , and her delicate disposition cannot endure those houses where the eyes see nothing but objects of pitty , where the eares hear nothing but complaints , where the nose smels nothing but evill odours , and where all the senses find nothing but subjects of mortification . penance is a better cure for love then play , and if women who seek to succour their weaknesse by this diversion , had kept their bodies under by fasting and penance , they would confesse that suffering is a friend to chastity ; and that the fire which doth consume them , is the just punishment of their infamous delights . the earth is an abode of penance ; wee should not seek for pastimes since we were driven out of paradise : guilty men dream of nothing but death after once they are condemned . the sorrow for their fault , and the apprehension of their punishment will k not permit them to take any pastime : he would redouble their pain , who should propose pastimes unto them , the most ingenious tyrants never inhibited complaints to such as were to be punished . yet it seems the devil deals so rigorously with us , as he bindes us to recreate our selves after condemnation , and engageth us in debaucheries , to take from us the occasion of bewailing our sins . if we take any recreation , let us not forget our misfortune , let us mingle tears with our delights , let us take our pastimes as sick men take potions , let necessity which ought to be the rule thereof , be our excuse ; and let us not allow our selves longer relaxation , then is necessary to support the miseries of our life . let us wish for that glorious condition where saints find their recreation in their duties , where the same object which doth ravish them , doth recreate them , and where by an admirable encounter , all the faculties of the soul are always imployed , yet are never weary nor weakened . of the corruption of all creatvres . the sixth and last treatise : the first discourse . of the beauty , greatnesse , and duration of the world : though the world lost it's first purity , when man lost his innocence , there remains yet therein enough of beauty , to oblige such as do consider it to make it's panegyricks ; a sin could not so much efface all it's perfections , but that those which it yet hath , caused admiration in philosophers ; and force infidels to adore his hand who made it . it resembles their famous beauties to which age or sicknesse have yet left features enough to make their beholders judg that 't was not without reason that they were adored in their youth . thoug it be disordered in some of it's parts , though the elements whereof it is composed do divide it , though the seasons which maintain the variety thereof cause it's confusion , though monsters which heighten the works thereof dishonour it , and though beasts which have antidotes in them , have also poysons ; yet is it easie , to observe the worlds advantages amidst it's defaults , and to acknowledge that if divine justice have put it out of order to punish us , providence had ordeined it for our habitation , and had placed nothing in so vast a palace which was not sufficient to ravish our senses , and to content our minds . the curious discover therein every day new beauties to satisfie themselves ; 't is a book which never wearies those that read it . every creature b is a character which represents some one of it's authors perfections , and infidels instructed in this school have framed unto themselves noble ideas of the divine essence . in effect , the spaciousnesse of the heavens which serves for bounds to nature , and which inclose all the works thereof in their extent , do point out unto us gods immensity , who comprehends whatsoever he produceth , and incloseth within his essence whatsoever he by his power doth draw from thence . the earths solidity which serves for center to all the world , and which grounded upon it's own weight cannot c be shaken by storms nor winds , is an embleme of gods stability , who causeth all the alterations in the world without any change in himself , and who by an unalterable act of his will , rules all the adventures of our life . the suns light is a shadow of his , and the prodigious activity of this glorious constellation which produceth metals in the bowels of the earth , flowers and fruits in the fields , clouds and meteors in the air , and which by it's influences doth rule over all the productions of nature , is the picture of that infinite power , which shed abroad in all his creatures doth act with them , and accommodate it self to their inclinations . the incensed sea big with storms , the waves whereof rise up unto the heavens and descend unto the depths , her fury which threatens ships with wracking ; and the neighbouring fields with deluge , is a fearfull draught of gods anger who prepares torments for sinners , and makes himself be dreaded by rebels who would not love his goodnesse . in fine , every creature is a looking-glasse d wherein a man see the lineaments of his creator , and where , with but a grain of grace all rationall men may become faithfull . so prodigious is the mightinesse of this work , as years have not been sufficient to discover it ; avarice nor ambition have not been able to finde out the ends thereof ; there are yet whole countries whether by reason of the extreamity of cold ; and the seas vast extent no man ever yet came . there are unknown e desarts which mans curiosity hath not been able to penetrate , and the sun enlightens some part of the earth whereon no conquerour ever yet set his foot . those who have gone round the world , have not discovered it's profundity , and though they be vainly perswaded that there is nothing so great which their understanding cannot comprehend , yet are they bound to confesse , that there be havens whereinto they never put , and savage people , whose language nor manners they understand not . there is none but god alone who knows the greatnesse of his work ; every age discovers unto us our ignorance . and though the earth be but a point , yet doth it consist of so many parts as we may with reason doubt , if what we know not thereof , do not exceed for bulk and beauty , it 's known parts . that new world which our fore-fathers knew not , is richer , and of larger extent then ours . it is so ravishing , as it makes whole nations quit their own countries to conquer it ; the wealth thereof gives the law to all europe ; the latter kings of spain have made more conquests with the gold thereof , then all their pred●ssours have fought battels with the iron of their mines . their overcoming of this part of the world hath made them overcome the rest ; their victories depend only upon it . and did not the indians dig up the entrails of perve , the spaniards would not trouble the peace of europe . 't is true , that these provinces are so far distant from the center of their state , and the sea which brings them the wealth thereof is so treacherous , as they run hazard of being undone , as oft as the indian fleet is in danger of shipwrack . and polititians are of opinion , that so great a body the parts whereof are divided by so many seas , can be of no long durance : f it only appertains to god to govern in a state , the provinces whereof though never so far distant , are yet always united to their sovereign ; and which though scituated in different climates , are still enlightened by the same sun. the beautifulnesse of this kingdom is answerable to it's greatnesse , nothing is therein to be seen which hurts the senses , all the pieces whereof it is composed are pleasing , their difference makes a part of it's beauty , and the wit of man which is naturally criticall , can finde nothing in this work to be found fault with . every part is so well placed as they are not to be altered without some disorder . g the elements are lodged according to their deserts ; the earth as the heaviest makes the lowest story ; the fire as the lightest is nearest heaven , the aire and water whose qualities have some resemblance , are seated above the earth ; and beneath the fire . the noblest of these elements is the most barren , it is so active as it will not permit any creatures to live in it . the salamander doth for a while resist it's heat , and till his moisture which doth preserve him , be dried up , he delights in the fire ; but if he tarry long there , his pleasure turns to pain , and he there findes his death . the aire whose purity comes nearest that of the fire , is the abode of birds , they cut this liquid element with their wings , they make new paths in those spacious champians , they therein breath with freedom , and till man found out the art to kill them with his arrows , they laughed at his empire . their wings are oares which guide through this sea , their taile is their rudder , and when the storm is so great , as they fear being born away by the fury thereof , they take up stones in their feet , and defend themselves against the tempest . though they live at liberty , h they acknowledge a king , which title the eagle hath won , be it whether for that she flies highest , or for that he can look fixedly on the sun , or for that he defends his subjects from birds of prey , which appear to be the tyrants of this part of the world . the sea abounds more in fishes , then the aire doth in birds . their number is as prodigious , as their shapes , the species is there by miracle preserved , and naturalists who boast to know all things , know not in what part of the fish , her fecundity doth lie . the elements which give them their life being almost always in agitation , war is there more frequent then peace , and the abode of these monsters is the picture of a state divided by civill war. right consists there either in force , or fraud , the greater eat up the lesse , and if the weak ones want nimblenesse to defend themselves , they become a prey to the more puissant . i the whale which doth for greatnesse equall mountains , doth not govern in this empire ; this great colossus wants spirit to inanimate his body , nature which hath made him so vast hath made him so dull , that he needs another fish to guide him , he would fall foul upon the sands , did not his faithfull officer keep him aloofe from the shore ; and this inanimated rock would bruise himself against the earth , did not this guide advertise him of his danger ; to recompence his guide for so good an office , he lends him his throat for a place of retreat , and this living gulf serves for a sanctuary to this faithfull guide . k the dolphin is the sovereign of the sea , he carries the ensignes of his power in the noblest part of his body , and nature which hath given him dexterity to command , hath placed a crown upon his head , to put a difference between him and his subjects ; he naturally loves man , and as if he knew that he likewise were a sovereign , he helps him at the sea who commands upon earth ; he is delighted with musick , though he be dumb , he is not deafe , and the love he bears to musick , hath made him oft-times assist musicians in shipwrack . the earth is no lesse peopled then is the sea : this fruitfull mother is never weary of bringing forth children , nor of nourishing them ; all the parts thereof are fertill : desarts which produce monsters , produce food likewise to nourish them ; forrests serve for retreats to wilde beasts , the fields receive such as are necessary for mans entertainment : and towns afford shelter to such as we have reclaimed , & made tame either for our service or pastime ; every species is preserved by multiplying it selfe ; nature repaires the havock made by death . and notwithstanding the cruelty which men use towards those harmlesse beasts , l their number is not diminished . excesse in feasting cannot drain either the earth , or sea , these two elements abound more in fruitfulnesse , then we do in gluttonies ; and notwithstanding any debauches made , yet at any time in any countrey ; the fields were never depopulated . though man be the sovereign of all the world , he is much more absolute in the earth , than either in the water , or aire . he rules over fishes , and birds only by art ; and since they dwell in elements which are not conformable to his nature , he must use violence upon himself , before he can fight against them . he gets o● shipboard , & trusts himself to the perfidiousnesse of the sea to surprize fish . he cannot come up to birds because of their swiftnesse , his minde could never yet raise his earthly body to pursue them in the aire . he sends bullets where he himself cannot go , and putting division between these innocent creatures either by industry or deceit , he makes the gerfaulcon flie at the heron. but he can do what he will with beasts , he sets upon the fiercest of them in their forts ; their dens nor thickets cannot defend them from his violence . m he reclaimes some to make use of them , he strips others to clothe himselfe ; and cuts the throats of others to feed on . this absolute power impedes not the beasts from having sovereigns amongst themselves . the lion hath won this honour by his strength and courage ; all other beasts bear him respect ; at his roaring all his subjects tremble ; nor are kings more re-doubted in their kingdomes , then is this noble animall in forrests . thus all things in the world are wisely ordered ; every element acknowledgeth it's sovereign , every species hath it's laws , and had not man disordered this great republique , all the parts thereof would yet enjoy peace and tranquility . yet they agree in what is requisite for the worlds preservation ; n though their inclinations be contrary , they keep fair quarter in their quarrels , & do not forgoe all sense of love , when they exercise their hatred . fire agrees with water to compose all bodies , and aire mingles it self with earth to give life and breath to all creatures . every element useth force upon it's inclinations to agree with it's enemy . in birds the earth becomes light , in beasts the aire waxeth heavy , in fishes fire grows cold , and water hardens in rocks : if at any time they fall foul , 't is always out of some good designe ; and divine providence by which they are governed gives them not freedom to wage war save for her glory , and our advantage . the obedience which they owe to god , exceeds their own aversions , and the commandements which he gave them when he made them of nothing , keeps them yet within their duties ; they do not make use of their advantages which one of them hath over the other , and knowing very well that the worlds welfare depends on their agreements ; they appease their hatred to cause it 's quiet . the fire invirons all the other elements without consuming them , it is content to burn such exhalations as come near it , and to set such comets on fire as do presage alteration in states , or the death of kings . the aire doth inclose all sensible creatures , the humidity thereof doth temper the fires heat , and the earths drinesse . waters make no advantage of the scituation which nature hath given it , though it be liquid , and raised above the earth , it doth not passe his bounds , the word of god gives it it's limits , he who raised it up retains it , and he teacheth us by this miracle , that there needs no more to drown the world , then o to leave the sea at liberty . the earth hath it's foundations laid upon the ayr , this element wherewith it is environed , supports it . the worlds basis hath no other stay then the weight thereof ; that which ought to beat it down , susteins it , and it keeps equally distant from all the parts of heauen , onely because it is the heaviest of all bodies . but that which astonisheth all philosophers , and fils the wisest pates in the world with admiration , is to see that the world which is but a point , should be the center of the universe , and that all creatures labour onely to adorn or to inrich it . the heavens roul incessantly about this hillock of sand to beautifie the fields thereof . p the sun inlightens it and cherisheth it with his beams , this glorious constellation hath no other care then to make it fertill , and if he be in perpetuall motion , 't is that he may adorn it with flowers , load it with fruits , and enrich it with metals , the air forms no clouds nor rain , save onely to water it : and whole nature is busied in nothing but how she may oblige the least part of the universe . 't is truth ; the earth doth thankfully acknowledge all these favours , for as she owes all her productions to the suns favourable aspect , she in token of thankfullnesse thrusts all her fruits up towards him , opens all her flowers when he riseth , shuts them up when he sets , and as if she were onely adorned to please him , she hides all her beauties when he keeps far from her . though all these considerations make the worlds beauty sufficiently appear , that it's creation is the most considerable part of it's excellency . and he who knows not what means god used to produce it , q ignores the rarest of all his wonders . this great piece of workmanship had nothing , but nothing for it's materia , all the different parts whereof it is composed had the same originall , and this vacuum in-animated by the word of god , brought forth the heavens with their constellation , the earth with all it's fields , and the sea with all her rocks , nature which is so powerfull can do nothing of her self , her works are rather alterations then productions , she turns dew into flowers , and rain into wine , she multiplyeth all things without a miracle , a few grains of corn in her hands prove a whole harvest , and a few acorns sown in the earth , do by her care become a forrest , but let her do what she can she cannot make any thing out of nothing , and he who shall bereave her of the elements , takes from her the means of exercising her power . art which boasts to imitate nature , can produce nothing of gallant , unlesse it have some subject to work upon , a painter cannot finish a picture without colours , nor can an ingraver make the visage of an heroe without brasse or porphiry . the most skilfull architects fall short , if they be not assisted by nature , and their stateliest designs would be but uselesse chimeraes , did not the forrest furnish them with timber , and the quarries with marble , to put them in execution . but god makes all things out of nothing , and when he operates as a creator , he draws all his works ex nihilo . this is so admirable an effect of his power , as prophane philosophy cannot comprehend it . r and the learnedest of all her disciples chose rather to believe that the world was eternall , then that it was made of nothing . it is not hard to conceive how flames may arise from water , and by what secret veins rivolets are drawn from out the barren bosomes of rocks ; philosophy hath light enough to comprehend that all is in all things , and that the variety of the parts of the world , hinders not their communication . but she cannot conceive without the help of faith , that the whole world could proceed from nothing , and that this nothing obeying the word of god hath produced flowers , constellations mountains and rocks . s there went but one moment to this great work , and if we will believe the wisest of men , heaven and earth were created in an instant , there went six daies to their disposall ; and this comly order which we observe in the world was the work of a week , but the matter was formed as soon as god had spoken the word , and that which we call the creation of the world , did last no longer then was requisite for the ordering of it . nature do's wonders which do surprize mens understandings , her works deserve to be admired by philosophers , and she sometimes doth miracles which surpasse our belief ; but this wise work woman is slow in her productions , she doth nothing without the aid of time which is her counsellor and officer . as she takes time to put on her resolutions , so she never executes them without him , she requires whole years to ripen fruits , and stands in need of all the four seasons to bring them to maturity . she requires a whole age to bring a forrest to it's perfection , t and philosophers accuse her it being more speedy in her decay than in her increase ; she is precipitate when she leans towards her ruine , there needs but a moment to overthrow her goodliest works , but she is slow in forming even most common things ; and if she undertake to change mould into metall , and to give it the lustre of gold , or the hardnesse of iron , she doth not finish this usefull metamorphosis under many ages after she hath begun it . but when god works of himself , he doth not assubject himself to the laws of time ; the same moment which seeth the beginning of his work , seeth the end thereof . if this way of working were wonderfull , it was no lesse easie , for all this mighty work cost him but a word , he made himself be understood by nihil , and this nihil did obey him . he u spoke ( saith the scripture ) and the ending his word was the beginning of the world , this commandement was followed by the effect thereof , and far differing from that of earthly princes , who leave the execution of their commands to their subjects , he accomplished all he had ordained . we must yet further believe with divinity , that this word was but mentall , and that onely act of gods will , without other expression , perfected all the beauty of the universe , and establisht the world where nothing was . contrary to the laws of nature , which suffers that soon to perish which she is not long in forming , this admirable work indures numberlesse ages , thousands of years are past since it's creation all kingdomes have changed their countenances , and their governments a hundred times ; x whatsoever of most glorious the hand of man hath erected is buried in ruines ; cities which gave law to so many people are reduced to dust , nothing remains of their greatnesse but a vain remembrance , and their glory is so totally effaced as men dispute about the place wherein they were built . but the world doth still subsist , and seems not to draw neerer it's end for all it 's growing further off from it's beginning . all it's principall parts are yet intire , and though they be preserved by change , yet are they always like themselves . the sun gives as much heat as at his birth ; those so many territories which he hath cherished have not diminished his heat , and those who see him rise every day complain not that time hath weakened his influences , the sea nor earth have lost nothing of their former fruitfullnesse ; and what of vertue the curse of god did leave in them is not weakened by the succession of so many years ▪ 't is true that if we compare the guilty world , with the world when it was innocent , we shall find a strange difference between them ; after having admired gods power , we shall be obliged to adore his justice ; and confesse that rebellious man , did not deserve a world which was onely made for man when obedient . the second discourse . that all creatures have lost some of their perfections . there is not any one who doth not complain of the rigour which the creatures use towards man , every one is sensible thereof , and not any one seeks out the cause ; those who argue upon the works of nature , wonder to find therein so much disorder , and knowing that the government thereof is subordinate to that of divine providence , they cannot conceive why she should be so irregular : some imagin that the world being cōposed of so differing parts , can have no peace which is not interrupted by war : that the quarrelling of the elements is necessary , y & that their qualities cannot be so well tempered but that they must be always in opposition . that the power of god cannot end their differences without destroying their inclinations , and that a body which is composed of fire and water must of necessity be troubled with an intestine war which threatens it with an inevitable corruption , that the seasons cannot be better regulated since the sun going over our heads in an oblique line , doth according to the summer or the winter approach neerer to us , and draw further from us . that beasts according to their naturall temper should either be wild or docile , that those which have most fire in them are the nimblest , and that those which have most earth are the heaviest , and the most stupid ; that thus the faults of the creatures do not proceed so much from the workman , as from the matter whereof they are composed . this opinion is too injurious to the power of god to be approved of by christians ; and since it proceeded from philosophers schools who did believe , that materia prima was eternall , we must not wonder if laying a false ground , they draw from thence bad conclusions ; some others who are somwhat more respectfull , yet not much more rationall , imagine , that god made the world in the same condition that now it is , that he might fit himselfe according to the condition of man , who was to become sinfull ; that he had no regard to his innocency , because it was not to last so long , and that he left some disorders in his work , to the end they might serve for punishment to the faulty . these philosophers seem to me to have lost their reason out of too much fore-sight ; they do not consider that originall righteousnesse ought to have been as exempt from punishment , as from sin : & that man in his innocency had had reason to complain , if having nothing amisse in his person , he should have found disorders in his estate . god z always waits for our offences before he punisheth them ; and though his mercies may through his favour fore-run our services , his justice doth never through punishments prevene our sins . what likelihood was there to lodge an innocent person in an infected house ? to make the seasons irregular which did measure a life not yet troubled by passions , and to give mortall influences to constellations , which were to enlighten immortall man ? what reason have we to believe that man not being guilty the creature should rebell against him , and that the elements should not be at peace in a body which was perfectly assubjected to the soul. i know very well that they reply , that originall righteousnesse , did free man from these disorders , and that serving him in stead of a buckler of defence , his body was thereby miraculously preserved from being burnt in the midst of of summer , or frozen in the midst of winter . but say he should have no feeling of these irregularities , he would yet have seen them , and his eyes would have suffered punishment in beholding an unpleasing object . what pleasure could he have taken in seeing a sun , the heat whereof did scorch the grasse , and cause the flowers to fade , to which it had given birth . what delight should he have tasted in feeling the earth-quake under his feet , or to hear the thunder roar over his head ? what contentment would he have found amidst boisterous windes , and storms at sea ? should he not have had some reason of complaint , if he should have seen so many punishments prepared for a sin not yet committed . the best divines do therefore confesse , that the face of the world was changed when man altered his condition , a that the earth lost his beauty when man lost his innocency , and that thorns were mingled with roses when concupiscence was mingled with nature . from that time forward divine justice did fit our abode to our desert , and thought it not reasonable that guilty man should be lodged in a palace prepared for the innocent . she punisht man in his state , after having punished him in his person , and altering the inclinations of all creatures , made them the ministers of her vengeance . the earth lost the fertility which was naturall to it ; this nurse which by her profusions did prevent our need , brought forth nothing but bulrushes ; as soon as she was cursed , she grew avaritious ; her bosome must be opened with the plough share , and watered with our sweat and tears , if we will get any thing from thence : this mercifull mother became a severe step-dame ; she dis-avowed us for her children when once we ceased to be obedient to our father ; and as if her fertility had been affixed to our innocency , when we grew sinfull , she grew barren ; every part of the world is a proofe and punishment of our sin ; it 's irregularity upbraids us with our disobedience ; and to know upon what ill terms we stand with creatour , a man needs onely to consider the worlds confusion . the sun which doth precede at our birth , is oft-times the arbitratour of our death ; his heat is as fatall to us as necessary , and the same influences which keep us in health , infuse maladies into us ; the same stars which denote our good fortunes , presage our ill adventures ; as they have propitious , so have they malignant aspects , and if some constellations do promise good successe unto us , others threaten us with bad ; nature is changed into a punishment , whatsoever makes us live , makes us die ; and the elements are as well the causes of our death , as of our life . b the earth is not only barren of fruit , but abounds in poisons ; by detaining what is usefull for us , she brings forth what is pernicious ; her sterility , and her fruitfulnesse are equally prejudiciall to us : we ought to suspect whatsoever she brings forth without our labour , and as there is danger in the presents of an enemy , the free-gifts of this step-dame are fatall : she nourisheth monsters to devour us ; and all her children are our enemies ; our sin hath made them lose the respect which they owed us ; when they are oppressed with hunger , they come forth of their dens , over-run our grounds , and make us take up arms to defend us from these revolted subjects . in fine , the earth hath no one part which doth not threaten us with danger ; her entrails vomit out flames of fire to consume us , her depths open underneath our feet to swallow us up ; her mountains loosen themselves from their foundations to overwhelme us , and she delights in destroying her self that she may un-do us . the sea is not more respectfull than is the earth ; this element obeys us not but against it's will ; it punisheth our avarice and our ambition by ship wrack ; it drowns the vessels which it is forced to bear , it raiseth it selfe up in mountains , and sinks again into vallies to free it selfe from our servitude , and troubles it 's own tranquillity to revenge it selfe of our tyranny . when divine providence which keeps it within it's channell , c gives it it's liberty , it overflows the fields , and makes us know by the rage thereof , that it seeks out all occasions to annoy us . the waters thereof would cover the tops of mountains , did not the heavens stay their impetuosity , and the whole earth would be nothing but a vast sea without either bounds or banks , did not the hand of god prescibe limits to it's fury . all the art of man hath not as yet been able to calme the fiercenesse thereof ; the most expert pilots tremble as oft as it is incensed , and knowing that no force can withstand it's rage , they betake themselves to vowes to appease it . the aire seems to hold intelligence with it ; to make war upon us ; it gives free scope to the north windes , which march furiously through her champians , and bring tempests , and shipwracks with them . after having revenged themselves on men at sea , they set upon them on land , and sowing cotagions in countries , they change the best peopled cities into dreadfull desarts ; thus the purest of all elements assumes impurity ; mens bodies are infected by the corruption thereof , it poysoneth whatsoever it doth penetrate , and the lungs which draw it in , corrupt the heart , and brain . the fire being much more active then the air , commits more havock ; if it's consuming flames be not universall , as are contagions , their fury is more suddain , and the evils caused thereby find lesse remedie . it mixeth with thunder to punish us , it descends contrary to it's nature , to pursue us , it flashes out in lightening to affrighten us , and changeth it self into a thousand severall shapes to undo us . it shuts it self up in the bowels of the earth , that it may break forth with the greater violence ; it strives not so much within this prison to recover it's liberty , as to punish our offences ; it makes it's way through the tops of mountains , and shoures down sulphur and flames upon the plains from off those high places . it seems it knows very e well that divine justice hath chose it to be the minister of her vengeance , and that the spoyles it commits on earth , serve onely to shew us what rigour it will inflict upon the guilty in hell. thus all things are changed in the world , the elements have neither the same use nor the same inclinations , that which was serviceable to man in innocency , persecutes him being become guilty . whole nature is a scaffold where the creatures act the part of executioners , and revenge themselves on man for the injuries he hath done them . for to boot that they are forced to share in his faults , they know very well that they are fallen from their first nobility , that they have not all those advantages , which they had in the state of innocency , and that they have lost some of their naturall qualities . the sun gives not so much light as he did before the sin of adam , his influences are neither so pure nor yet so puissant , he who did dispense nothing but heat and light , wonders to see himself send forth sicknesses and death . the stars have no longer those favourable aspects , which made fruits and flowers to grow in all seasons of the year ; their efficacy is weakened , and the vigour which appeared in all their effects , now languisheth . but f the earth being a neerer neighbour to man then the heavens , it is more changed ; all the parts thereof are barren , if they be not manured ; the curse which it received by reason of our sin , hath made it lose it's fruitfulnesse , it is all brisled with thorns , or covered with thistles , it refuseth to feed it's children , since they are become sinfull , and by an innocent parricide , it attempts their lives who have lost originall righteousnesse . the fruits which it bears , proceed rather from our industry , then it 's fertility , if it assist us at our need 't is with an ill will , and it 's being bound to serve the sinful is a part of it's misery ; if this be not true , i know what that great apostle mean't when by an admirable prosopopeia he makes whole nature to speak and groan ; g when affording words unto her sorrow , he makes her wish our change and her deliverance ; for when he says the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of god , doth he not witnesse that they hope for some advantage by our felicity ? and when he says , that the creature was made subject to vanity , not willingly , doth he not insinuate that they are corrupted by sin ? when he adds that the creature it self shall also be delivered from the bondage of corruption , doth he not make it evident , that jesus christ will satisfie their desires , and that he will restore unto them , what we have unjustly bereft them off ? i am not ignorant that some interpreters not sufficiently weighing the intention nor words of saint paul , do wrest this text , and understand it to be meant of man ; but the apostles ensuing discourse makes it appear , that he speaks of all creatures , and that the corruption which they complain of , is not that which they have received from nature , but that which they have attracted from our sin . h the corn cannot complain of it's putrifaction , because it is the cause of it's increase , but it hath some reason to complain that it's vigour is diminished , and that abusing the labourers hope , it doth not repay his pains with usury . the earth doth not complain of it's being placed in the nethermost story of the earth , & that it serves for basis to all the other elements , but it complains with reason that it hath lost it's fertility , and that it is adjudg'd to bring up thorns in stead of roses . the air complains not of being subject to these changes , which make up a part of it's nature , but it complains , and that justly , that for the punishment of our offence , it hath lost it's purity , that it is the seat of storms , the abode of thunder , and that fatall place wherein famine , and contagions are formed ; and to passe from the elements into the heavens . the sun doth not complain of his being in a perpetuall motion , that he carries light to all the parts of the world , and that he doth differently disperse his heat throughout all the climates of the earth ; but he hath cause to complain , that he hath lost his former lustre , that his influences are mortall , that his aspects are maligne , and that his presence wherein mans happinesse did consist , doth now cause fears and sicknesses in him . to this misfortune from whence the creatures just complaints proceed , we may adde the devils i tyranny which doth torment them , for after once this proud fiend had overcome our first father , he enter'd upon his rights ; he got a power over the elements , and he had permission to make use of them to solicit men to sin : from hence proceeds that praise worthy custome of the faithfull , of blessing the fruits of the earth , to free them from the fury of wicked spirits , and hence doth the use of exorcisme proceed , which makes it appear that all creatures are slaves to those who have been our undoing . but it is harder to explain this corruption , then to prove it , and the manner how it is made is as hard to conceive , as anger some to tolerate . yet me thinks a man may say , that divine justice hath changed the elements , as she hath changed man , that she hath disordered the seasons , to punish the disorders of our passions ; that she hath permitted the sea to break down her banks to wage war with the ●infull , that she sends down thunder to destroy them , and that she hath pronounced curses against the creatures , whereby their vertues are weakened , their inclinations changed and their tempers altered . who k knows not that 't was gods curse which made the earth barren ; that 't was the decree which he pronounced against man that made him mortall , and who knows not that it was his anger which drew the rivers out of their channels , which made clouds melt into rain , and dissolved the vapours into waters , when he would drown the world by the deluge ? is not he absolute in his state ? hath not he as much right to justice as to mercy ? if he could favour man in innocency , by making all creatures subject to him , ought he not to punish sinfull man in making them revolt against him ? and if he could change his person , ought he not also to change his condition . it is then evident , as it appears to me , that adams sin caused the corruption of the universe , that the world lost it's advantages , when man lost his innocency , and that the creatures forbore to obey man , when he began to rebell against god. the third discourse . that the sun hath lost much of his light and and vertue through sin . god is so jealous of his own honour , and so carefull of our salvation , as foreseeing that the beauty of the creature might make us idolaters , he hath left some faults in them , which teach us , that they deserve not to have altars erected to them , and the most illustrious being the most dangerous , since their beauty which makes us admire them , might make us likewise reverence them , he hath been pleased to abase them amidst their greatnesse , and to reduce them to a condition , wherein their weaknesse as well as their power doth appear . to say truth , that beautifull constellation , to whose heat nature owes her fertility , hath defaults which make it appear , that his glory is but borrowed , and that his lustre which procures him so many idolaters , is but an obscurity before god. his light which is the greatest part of his beauty , is but a forreign ornament , it was produced two dayes before he had a being ; god who would from the very beginning of this world confound the heresie of this age , l and teach us that accidents might be unloosened from their substance , did permit that the light might subsist without any subject , that it might enlighten nature before it was united to the sun , and that all men might know , it was given to that glorious constellation , onely out of meer liberality : before this favour done him , he was but a part of the heavens , which was not considerable either for his beauty or worth , if he had any motion he had no influence , and this great body was not admired till after it was in-animated by light : all his riches derive from that alms which god gave him ; he was not powerfull till he was lightsome , and he who had seen him before could not have discerned him from the other planets . that faithfull historian , who hath so well described the creation of the world , teacheth us that the earth was fruitfull before the sun had any heat , that it was adorned with flowers and loaded with fruit before the sun had warmed it , and that nature had all her principall ornaments before the sun had received light ; the third day was destined for the bearth of trees ; one word made the earth fruitfull ; this mother which requires time to bring her works to perfection , did in a moment thrust out oaks and fir-trees ; m and wondred that she had produced so many things before she had conceived them . the fourth day was reserved for the suns birth ; the father of trees , and flowers , was born after his children ; he who doth preserve them , did not produce them , and he who gives them life , did not give them birth ; he had the care to bring them up , but not the glory to place them in the world ; he had order to end a work , which god himselfe had begun . but n nothing moves more wonder in me then to see that day should precede the sun , that before he had done his career , light had already divided the evening and the morn ; that the rising and setting thereof had already made days and nights , and that time , whereof the course of the sun is now the measure , had already marked forth moments and hours . the world was three days old when this incomparable constellation had his birth ; that which holds of his empire had received it's perfection , and this visible god made it appear in his birth , that he did nothing which nature could not have done without him : as if all these pre-cautions were not sufficient to stifle idolatry , god would have the sun to draw his name from servitude , and that that language which doth so abound in mysteries , o should employ one and the same word to signifie a slave , and the son . we learnt from thence , that though he were the originall of light , he was not the authour of nature : that though he had heat enough to warm her , he had not power enough to preserve her ; that though he were the king of constellations , he was a slave to man ; that his perpetuall motion was a mark of his servitude , that the difference of seasons was a token of his weaknesse , and that his eclipses did prove that he somtimes lost his light . with what astonishment was the world struck , when it saw the sun grow pale amidst his careers ? what did men think when they saw a constellation which was in all things inferiour to the sun , should obfuscate his beauties , should over-shadow him , that violating all the laws of nature , it should put the sun in shade , and make the night to reign in day time . yet did not this accident detract from his esteem ; he had never more admirers then when he was eclipsed ; p those who neglected him in his triumph , looked upon him in his combate ; men pray for his victory , and ignorance causing superstition , they imagined that what was but an effect of nature , was the punishment of some enormious sin . those who feared that the suns swounding did foretoken the worlds end , were concern'd in this change , and were as much rejoyced at his recovery of light , as they were afflicted at his losse thereof . good wits did notwithstanding judge aright , that his eclipse was a proofe of his impotency , that he was subject to such laws as a sovereign authority should put upon him , that he could not be the god of the world , since he was subject to weaknesses , and that the tract which he held in the heavens was but an honourable servitude , since he could not shun the encounter of a planet , which bereft us of his beauty . though these defaults be visible enough , yet are they naturall to the sun. the state of innocency , beheld him with all his weaknesse ; and man in the earthly paradise judged aright by his perpetuall motion , that he was rather a slave to nature , then her master . but since man sinned he hath received other blemishes , and hath lost much of his power and beauty . for be it that man being become a sinner , may the easier be brought to idolatry ; be it that god would punish him in all his subjects , and lessen his credit , in weakening his condition ; be it that to put the seasons out of order , that constellation must be altered which caused all their revolutions ; be it that to trouble the order of the universe , his course was to be troubled , who was it's conductour : it is certain , that the sun was subject to laws which he had not made triall of in the state of innocency ; and that he partook of the fatall effects of that generall curse which was thundered out against nature . q if we will believe saint basil , he lost part of his light when man lost his innocency ; he does harden , enlighten the whole world ; there are certain places where night is always mingled with day , and where darknesse makes a perpetuall residence ; he doth no longer distribute his heat equally ; he is greedy thereof underneath the pol●s , and and prodigall underneath the line . he burns up affrica , and doth not so much as heat one part of europe . there are countries where ice is never melted , where the sea is as solid as the earth , where fountains frozen r in their head , suspend their running halfe the year ; wofull countries are discovered where trees are always void of leaves , where fruit doth never ripen , where no flowers are seen but in pictures , and where the sun shews himself only to dissipate darknesse . he wonders that his beams cannot melt snow there , he admires to finde ice there as firm as chrystall , he cannot comprehend how he should give light to people , whom he cannot warm , and that his heat being weaker then his light , he makes days there , and no summers . people who live under these unfortunate climates , consider cold as their greatest enemy , they withstand it's rigour by their hardnesse , they seek for that reliefe from fire which they cannot finde in the sun , and burn their forrests to warm their fields . in fine , to describe this wofull countrey in tertullians terms , their skie wants pity , the days are never clear , the sun is there always weak and languishing , winter reigns there all the year long , no windes blow there but the north , rivers held back by cold have not the freedom of running , the mountains are there always covered with snow , nature is slothfull there , and frost which extinguisheth her naturall heat makes her eternally barren . if the bad condition of these nations , be a proofe of the suns impotency , if the barrennesse of their ground , are a mark of his weaknesse , affrica is no lesse an argument of his corruption ; and who sees those dreadfull desarts which bring forth nothing but sand and monsters , is bound to confesse , that the curse of god reacheth as well to the constellations as to men . for the sun makes all the inhabitants there black , and prints that colour upon them , in which we here paint devils , he there scorcheth all their trees , and strips them of their leaves before they be loaded with fruit . he there dries up brooks as soon as they are crope out from their spring-head ; he leaves them nothing in the fields , which may lessen his heat ; forrests give there no shade , nor do the fountains afford refreshment . s rocks bear nothing but flames in their veines , the earth burns under their feet that walke upon it , her scorching bowels conceive nothing but sulphur and pitch . the summer hath banisht all other seasons out of this countrey , and reigns there as a tyrant even from the beginning of the world , suffers no windes to blow but such as feed his heat , layes waste the fields , and leaving nothing there but marks of his fury , makes it look like the picture of hell . for my part i cannot believe that the sun h●d so unequally dispensed his heat in the state of innocency ; that having one part of the world frozen , he would have consumed the other with heat , nor thot dividing his heat so unequally to so many people , he would have made dayes and nights six monthes long . either those countries would have had no inhabitants , or the sun would have been more favourable to them , or else that providence by which the world is governed , would have made him take another tract ; or equally dividing his heat and his light , it would have moderated the summers of affrica , and sweetned the winters of swethland . since 't is the will of god , t that makes the nature of all things , since the elements have no inclinations but what are his , and that both heaven and earth receive law from his word , it is not hard to conceive , that the sun may more justly distribute his heat , and yet not go out of the zodiack , and that equally warming all the parts of the earth , he may either leave uselesse sands in the edge of ethiopia , nor yet mountains charged with snow in the further-most parts of swethland . that sovereign u providence to which nothing is impossible , might well enough have remedied these inconveniences , which astrologie findes in the equality of seasons . this absolute mistresse of nature , might well enough have distributed heat and light , without changing the course of the sun. and she who hath put the world out of order , to punish us for our sins , might also have governed it after another fashion , to favour us in our innocency . but not to engage my selfe in making apologies for her who can defend her selfe against the wicked with thunder : it shall suffice me to make it appear , that that sun which lights us doth dazle us ; and that he who doth heat us , burns us , and that his beams which gives us life , causeth also our death . before the sin of adam he had no v●rtue , which was fatall to man ; all his aspects were benigne , astrology had not as yet found out any maligne influences , and whil'st this glorious constellation made good his career , he neither burnt men , nor dried up trees ; but since we are become sinfull , through our fathers pride , the sun hath changed his qualities , and that planet whose only care it was to dispense abroad his heat and light , hath received directions to burn those to whom he gives light , and to make all things die , to which he hath given life . x he exhales up the vapours whereof storms are composed , he makes them distill down in rain , glis●en forth in lightening , and break out in thunder . he hardens hail , to ruine the fields , and reaps the corn with this congealed water , gathers the grapes , and overthrows the hopes of the labourer . his heat mingled with the vapours of the earth , causeth contagions , his light which hath lost it's former purity , disperseth the plague throughout the world . he who gave life , wonders to see he now causeth death , he wonders that his beams should be fatall to those to whom he gives light , he is sorry to undo his own workmanship , to tarnish the rose and lilly , to be the parricide of those flowers whose father he had been . he cannot comprehend how divine justice should imploy his heat to produce contrary effects , nor how after having ripened the corn , fitted things for harvest , and guilded grapes , he should destroy that to which he gave a being , and make a wofull havock there where the labourer had hoped to make a happy harvest . such as are become ingenious since made miserable by sin , have observed seasons wherein all the influences of this constellation are mortall , wherein he hurts as many as he toucheth , wherein he infecteth all that he gives light unto , and wherein he commits as many murders as he darts forth beams . y the holy scripture which is so eloquent , mingleth reproaches with the praisss that it giveth him ; and makes invectives against the sun whilst it composeth his panegyricks . it blameth and praiseth his light . it admires his efficacy , and complains of his heat , it adores his power , and stands in awe of his justice , who can imploy the sun to give light unto the saints and to punish sinners . the spouse in the canticles complains , that this fair constellation should have spoiled her complexion , that he should have changed her roses into marigolds , and that effacing her beauty he should have taken from her that lustre , which is a womans principall ornament . iudith in her history complaineth that the sun had made her a widdow , and that his extream heat giving upon the head of her dear husband had caused the catar fall which carried him to his grave . for as he was overlooking his harvest men at full mid-day , judging their labour by their sheaves , and according to the custome of the time mingling trouble with policy through the pleasing diversions of husbandry , the sun which spares not sovereigns more then shepheards , and who knows that all men being faulty , he may of right punish them , let fly a beam upon poor manasses wherein death was mingled with light , 〈◊〉 and broke the happiest marriage that was then in palestine . we are taught by these examples that the sun hath influences now which he had not before the state of sin , that he serves gods justice to rid himself of men , that he rules over the life of monarchs , and that whilst he ends his course , he measures out the moments and hours of their empire . if we have any reason to complain of the sun , he hath a juster cause to wage war upon us , for we force him to give light unto our faults , we make him a flave to our vanities , and though he be always on his journey , we force him to be a confederate in our offences , but he is not so much afflicted with these injuries as with our homages , he is lesse troubled at our outrages , then at our adorations , and is more sensible of his being our idoll then of being our slave . this disorder is large enough to furnish matter for a whole discourse , and to serve for a new proof to christians , that sin hath corrupted all creatures . the fourth discourse . that there is no creature which men have not adored . t' is a strange prodigie that there is not a better establisht belief then that of a god , and yet not any one hath ever been more disputed . it is written in our hearts by the hand of nature , b time hath not been ableto efface it , ignorance and oblivion which are it 's two greatest enemies cannot weaken it , and falshood it self which reigns so absolutely in the world , hath not had power enough to banish it . reason doth herein agree with faith : every man upon this occasion is naturally a christian. let him but consult with nature , and he cannot be deceived ; and even when he offers incense to idols , and when he builds temples to the workmanship of his own hands , he may make amends for his fault , if he will but be advised by his conscience . for c she teacheth him this truth as oft as she speaks with freedome , and with what ever falshood she be forestalled , she always continues this belief . she apprehends god● justice in the faults which she committeth , and hopeth in his mercies through the vertues she inures her self unto . when she will affirm a truth , she takes him for her witnes who seeth all things . when she is threatened with any mischief , she invokes him onely who is omnipotent ; and when she fals into any misfortune , she seeks for deliverance from none else , but from him who glories in assisting the innocent , and miserable . if she at any time speak wickedly , she takes her self up as soon as she is awakened by affliction , she amends her errour when she followes her own light , and as oft as she is rationall , she is christian. yet is there nothing more common in the world then idolatry . this sin was born in the terrestiall paradise , and if we will believe tertullian , the devill would 〈◊〉 insinuate the beliefe , of plurality of gods into our first father , when he perswaded him , that he might become one . all men being abused by this foolish promise have ingaged themselves in idolatry , not being able to warrant themselves from death , they have pretended to immortality , not being able to dispose of scepters and crowns , they have endevoured to dispose of temples , and altars . and failing in credit to make kings , they have insolently attributed unto themselves , the power of making gods. but seeing that errour hath no boundaries , but doth increase with time , all things have contributed fuell to this errour , and every sect of philosophers have insensibly forged out idols unto themselves to adore them . those of them that were the cleerest sighted were most faulty , and found the subject of their superstition in god himself . for not being able to comprehend that adorable unity which bindes all these persections together , and who doth wonderfully accord his justice with his mercy , his love with his majesty , his immensity ( which fils all things , ) with his holinesse ( which parts him from them ; ) his providence , which guides us , with his power , which preserves us , they imagined that every one of his perfections was a different divinity , and dividing the divine essence , they did wickedly take in parts who doth re-unite all things in himself . seneca found out e this injustice , but did not correct it , and being more carefull to build up his reputation , then to establish religion , he was contented to let posterity see that he had light enough to discover this imposturisme . some others being passionate for the vertues , erected altars to them ; being ravisht with their lovelinesse , they strove to make them be adored ; they made thereof spirituall idols , and false divinities of all the habits which could adorn the mind of man. they erected altars to mercy , and believed that a vertue which did assist the miserable , ought to be worshipped by all those who could become miserable . they offered incense to clemency , and as if they would side with guilty , they obliged the innocent to reverence her . they immolated victimes to wisedome , and to acknowledge the favours which they had received from her guidance , they injured her through their superstition , and adored her under the name of destiny , and image of fortune . philosophers excused their idolatry by these bad reasons , and would perswade christians , that that religion could not be vitious which did onely adore vertue : blindnesse increasing with deceit , they confounded vices with vertues , f and added to the number of their gods , to honour their ancestors debaucheries . they consecrated incontinency , under the name of venus , they defied drunkennesse under the name of bacchus , they did authorize injustice , and the licentiousnesse of war under the name of mars , and not dreaming that gods could not be one anothers enemies , they erected altars to peace , after having built others to bellona . when impudency was arrived at it's height , they adored vices without disguising them , g and calling them by their proper names , they built templ●s to fear , to fury , and to envy . the body being scandalized that the passions of the soule should be reverenced ; would have it's motions and disorders to receive the same honours , pallor , or palenes , was deified to give it contentment . ignorance & admiration made an idol of the ague , & til physitians had learnt the course & fits thereof , ignorant and superstitious peopleimagined it deserved an altar ; they adored this divinity , because they dreaded it . they thought themselves miserable , when they had got it ; and contrary to the humour of adorers , they sought for nothing more then that a god should keep far from them who had won himself credit only by the evils that he did . whē impiety had made these tryals , she undertook to consecrate men , and to build them temples , after having tane them out of their sepulchres . death which denounced their weaknesse , and their sin , could not alter the course of these unjust proceedings , and all the miseries which they had in their life time endured , could not extinguish them . interest and sorrow were the beginning of this superstition ; for subjects to consolate themselves for the losse of a sovereign , who by his labours had defended them , and who had taught h them the art of building houses , or of husbanding land , would eternize his memory by solemne sacrifices , and lodged the same men in heaven whom they had buried in the earth . they invented apotheosis to ease their sorrow , they thought that fire which reduced men into ashes , could change them into spirits ; that that element which doth purifie all things , had the vertue to in-noble princes , and take from them all the impurity which they had contracted in the world . they thought that religion knew how to convert men into gods , that the senates decree was as powerfull as that of destiny , and that iupiter was bound to confirme in heaven what ever a pope had concluded on earth . by this means apotheosis was oft-times the reward of hainous crimes . princes who were most faulty were most honoured , men granted that to the power of successours , which ought to have been refused to the power of their ancestours ; people were constrained to adore tyrants whom they had detested , to re-commend the welfare of the state to those who had been the undoing of it , and to change their just imprecations into vowes as faint as unreasonable . if great mens violence caused impiety in the meaner sort , love ingaged fathers in the idolatry of their children . for to i allay their sorrow for their death , they made their pictures be drawn by skilful painters , then adding their power to the workmans cunning , they bound their eyes to behold these images with respect , & to offer up incense to young princes whom death had swept away in the flower of their age. following the example of this unjust sorrow , every sonne would make a god of his father . all those who bare any credit with the people , made their ancestours be adored , and taking advantage of this false piety , they perswaded weak mindes , that they were descended from the race of the gods. in fine , the naturall inclination which men have to religion caused idolatry in the world ; for not being able to be without gods , they forged sensible deities unto themselves , and wanting souls sufficiently elevated to conceive a true k idea of the divine essence , they cut out idols with their hands : they through a fearfull blindnesse , put their trust in gods made of clay and wood , and consulted with statutes , which being deaf and dumb , could neither hear nor answer them ; oft-times one and the same tree served to make gods and ships , both their destinies depended on the artificer , their fortune consisted on his fancy , and his hand destin'd the one to suffer shipwrack at sea , the other to be worshipped on earth . but that they might avoid the pain of making gods , they bethought themselves of chusing them ; and foregoing the care of forging or moulding them , they reserved a power unto themselves to declare them ; they deified whole nature , of every of it's parts they made gods. flowers l were placed in the same rank with stars , these earthy stars received divine honours , they charmed men and purchased themselves adorers by their odour and beauty ; a man might croud a thousand divinities into one nosegay ; they joyned superstition to vanity , women satisfied their devotions in dressing themselves ; the most vain amongst them was the godliest , and those who wore garlands of lillies and roses might boast themselves to be in-animated temples . fruits m whereof flowers are but ornaments , disputed this honor with them ; there were some men who preferring profit before beauty , judged that pomona did better deserve temples then flora , and that if every creature was a portion of divinity , trees were more to be considered then plants , since not being lesse lovely they were more usefull . men being phantasticall in their humours , and nothing being so deformed in nature which meets not with some admirours , onnions contended with flowers , and whole nations drew them out of their gardens to place them upon altars , the egyptians instituted ceremonies , and priests unto them ; these wise men who having confer'd with the i●s , mought have some cognizance of the truth , ingaged themselves in this errour , and becomming the talk of all people , placed that in heaven which grew on earth , & profaned incense to perfume onnions . n by the same licence they worshipped what they feared . fear infused piety into these servile souls , they offered sac●ifices to serpents to be delivered from them ; and toallay their fury , did immolate victimes to them ; the devil delighted to see himself adored in a monster , which had served him for interpreter in the earthly paradise , he would recompence it's fidelity with this honour and repair the losse which it had suffered upon his occasion by divine homage . after this high extravagancy all idolatry is excusable , and we must not wonder if metals and stars have had their adorers , since serpents have had priests and altars : for if interest be the rule of superstition , there is nothing in nature more usefull for us then the stars , they are placed in the highest and most beautifull part of the world , they seem to rule over us , and that their favourable or maligne influences goes to the making of us fortunate or unfortunate . we o hardly partake of making any sensible favour but by their interposition ; and prophane men call them the arbitratours of chance , and the dispensors of good and evil ; though we be free , they pretend to a certain power over our wils by the means of our inclinations ; a man must withstand stifly to resist their impressions , and as most men act more by instinct , then by reason , we must not wonder if forming our temper and our humours , they govern our designes , and guide our motions . hence it is that all men have reverenced them , that this hath been the commonest superstition , that the best wits who would not bow to men , have prostrated themselves before the stars , and that the sun hath passed amongst very p philosophers for the visible god of the world . to say truth , we owe all things to his heat and light , his course governs our seasons , his influences distribute forth fruitfulnesse through all the parts of the universe ; nature would be barren were it not for his beams ; and should this glorious constellation cease looking on her , she would neither conceive nor produce his eclipses though but of a small durance put her in disorder , and the earth cannot want his heat without witnessing her sorrow by sterility , if he be a long time hidden from us by clouds , the yeares are unfruitfull ; and the labourers pains are uselesse if he do not favour them by his aspect . it must be granted that he who should consult with nothing but his own sense would acknowledge no other divinity but the sun , his very beauty parted from his advantage , seems to exact some respect from all men , his worth is not sufficiently known , if he be valued onely for his effects . though he were barren he would not cease to be wonderfull ; and if the ripening of fruits and government of the seasons q did not depend upon his heat and course , his very light would suffice seneca to adore him , but god being jealous of his glory , and not desirous that the supremest honours should be rendered to his works ; he hath revenged himself upon them for our sins , he hath disordered them to punish us , he hath tane from them their advantages to disabuse us ; and he hath order'd that the noblest creatures should have their blemishes , to the end that their beauty might not make us idolaters ; he took from them a part of their perfections , when sin bereft us of our innocency , and foreseeing that we should through blindnesse fall into errour , he would not that their lustre should serve us either for occasion or excuse : he mingled death with life in the suns beams , he parted his light from his heat , and did not permit them to joyn always together in acting equally , the lightsomest places are not the hottest , and those countries wherein the sun makes the longest days enjoy not the most pleasing summers . he for our punishment doth corrupt what for our service he had produced , and as his influences do cause our health , so do they our sicknesse likewise ; if he dissolve vapours into rain , he makes them break forth in thunder , if he ripen fruit he dries up flowers , if he form meteors he sets comets on fire , if he make the dew fall , so doth he also the sercine or mildew ; and if he deserve praise for the good he bringeth us , he merits also blame for the evil which he sendeth us . the fifth discourse . that all creatures do either tempt or persecute us . since tyranny in princes causeth rebellion in their subjects , we must not wonder if the r creatures do disobey man , who treateth them with so much rigour , and violating the laws of justice , imployes them in his offences against their common sovereign . for there is nothing in the world which hath escaped his fury ; the most innocent creatures in his hands are become criminall , he makes them serve his unjust designes , and not considering that he hath received them from gods liberality , he abuseth them contrary to his glory . whatsoever presents it self before his eyes , doth either flatter his ambition or his avarice ; that which in the state of innocency would have excited devotion in his soul , causeth impiety therein now , he turns all things to his advantage or to his honour , and seeks for nothing in the use of nature , but his pleasure or his profit . he corrupts his judges with gold , he tames his enemies with the sword , he kindles his concupiscence with wine , and this furious tyrant abuseth all things to undo himself : his malice reacheth even to the most innocent creatures , making them confederates in his crime by an ingenious cruelty ; for he finds out the means how to make the chastest serve his unchastity , he assubjects the noblest to his ambition , and imploys the holiest in his impiety . there s is nothing that appears to be more cleeer then chrystall , if we will believe philosophers , 't is a water congeal'd by cold , light is so inamor'd thereof , as it cannot see it without penetration , their imbraces are so chast as that their purity is not therein concerned , their union is so streight as it is hard to say , whether the chrystall be changed into light , or the light into chrystall . chrystall becomes lightfull without softning it's hardnesse . light becomes solid without losse of lustre or brightnesse , their qualities are confounded , without alteration of their nature ; and their marriage is so exact , that they possesse in common all the advantages which nature hath given them in particular ; yet impurity makes chrystall serve it's infamous designes in looking glasses : a woman growes in love with herselfe , by seeing of her face ; she turns the fable of narcissus into a truth ; t she consumes in desires before her idoll , and after being sufficiently in love with her selfe , she perswades her selfe she is able to make all men in love with her : upon this assurance she undertakes the conquests of all hearts , she joynes art to beauty to purchase her selfe lovers , and she hazards her honour to encrease her empire . who would have believed that impurity could have corrupted so pure a thing ? that the flames of love should be kindled in ice , & that chrystall intermixt with light should carry both smoak and flame into the heart of one and the same woman . looking glasses were at first invented to the end that men seeing their defaults , might amend them ; many advantages were made of this innocent art ; this faithfull councellour gave good advice , u his dumb answers were speaking oracles , and whosoever would listen unto them could not chuse but put on good resolutions . a handsome woman learnt by her looking glasse , that she was to shun dishonour ; that to become accomplisht she was to joyn vertue to beauty , and not to be an hypocrite , she was to be as good , as fair . shee to whom nature had not been so liberall of her favours , learnt by this true friend , that she was to amend the faults of her face by the perfections of her soul , and that she ought to strive for the advantages of men , since she wanted those of women . x a young prince who observed in this true glasse , that he was in the flower of his age , found himself obliged to undertake such glorious actions as render men famous ; an old man who saw his wrinkles and gray haires in this chrystall , resolved to do nothing unworthy of his condition , and seeing by his colour that he had not long to live , prepared to die with courage . thus was the use of looking glasses a serious study ; men learnt vertue by beholding themselves , and every one seeing his conscience in his face , put on a generous resolution to acquit himselfe of his duty ; but incontinency hath prophaned this innocent art ; in this corrupted age if men see their faces in a glasse , 't is that they may endeavour to surprize chastity , and women look therein only to entertain their vanities . ambition gives not place to impurity , and if the latter be ingenious in corrupting the purest things , the other knows how to assubject the most noble . in effect , she teacheth lions obedience , she fastens them to the chariots of triumphers , and having tamed men , she tames wilde beasts . y she engages elephants in a fight , she encourageth these huge lumps against her enemies , she loads them with towers upon their backs , she makes use of their trunck , and teacheth them to war , that she may win battels at their cost : she makes the ground to groan under the weight of her engines , the mountains to quake at the noise of her cannons , she sends death by their bullets into towns , and imprisoning the noblest of elements in mines , she forceth it to blow up bastions to recover it's liberty : she tames the seas haughtinesse , she forceth this monster to bear her ships , to assist her in her conquests , to open the way unto her , to lead her into the farthest distant countries , and to serve her for a theater to fight upon , and bear away victory . thus man instructed by this bad mistresse , assubjects all the elements to his tyranny , he forceth the inclinations of the noblest subjects , he makes them guilty of his offences , and strangely abusing his liberty , he makes them mutiny against their common sovereign . taking the same freedom , he prophanes sacred things , & makes the worlds most holiest parts serve his impiety . z for though heaven be the temple wherein god resides , though the sun be the throne wherein he makes himselfe visible , though the stars be open eyes through which he observes our faults , yet the libertine abuses all these excellent creatures in his unjust designes ; he disposeth of heaven as of the earth , he promiseth it unto himselfe after his death , and imagines he ought to reign amongst angels ▪ after having commanded amongst men ; he perswades himselfe that the sun riseth onely to afford him light , a that the stars finish their courses onely to serve him , that the planets meet not but to observe his adventures , and to presage his victories ; and being strangely hoodwinkt ▪ hee believes that nature is onely busied to finde him pastim● , or for his honour . he raiseth up devills by the help of magick , he extends his empire even unto hell ; not knowing that he purchaseth his power by the losse of his liberty ; that he becomes their slave , who obey him ; and that he procures unto himselfe as many tyrants after death , as he imployes officers in his life time . the creatures to revenge themselves for so many out-rages , conspire his undoing , and declare war against him ; he sees no one part in all his dominions , wherein he findes not either rebels , or enemies ; whatsoever he undertakes he meets with resistance , and his subjects through despair resolve to free themselves from their unjust sovereign , though by their own undoing . of the so many ways which they finde to revenge themselves , or punish him ; the two most remarkable are violence , or cunning . the first is more sensible , the second more dangerous . b for no man is so resolute , but that he trembles when he sees all creatures armed against him ; and that wheresoever he turns his eye , he either findes factions , or revolts in his state . every element threatens him with a thousand torments ; he findes no sanctuary amidst so many dangers , and let him be how carefull he can to defend himself , he knows he cannot shun a violent death : for to understand it aright , no death is naturall , and if we give it somtimes that title 't is either to sweeten the rigour thereof , or to confound nature with sin . this war which appears so cruell , is not the most dangerous ; for to boot , that we know how to defend our selves from it , and that self-love hath found out remedies for all our evils , it loosens us from off the earth , it makes us abhor our exile , and love our dear countrey ; it raiseth us up gently into heaven , and we may say , that if this persecution makes not martyrs , it doth at least make penitents . but the other is so much more dangerous , as it is more pleasing ; it deceives us so much the more easily , by how much it flatters us more cunningly ; for the creatures are in the devils hands , to seduce us , they are full of sna●es and nets to surprize us , we can hardly make use of them without hazarding our welfare . c this tyrant who got the sovereignty of them , when he lost it in paradise , makes such cunning use of them , as it is almost impossible to avoid his snares . to preserve our innocence , we ought to interdict our selves the use of the world ; and not to fall under the slavery of devils , it seems we ought to have no commerce with his creat●res . they were formerly faithfull guides , which led us to god , and now they draw us far from him : formerly they taught us our mysteries , and to know the beauty of god , a man was only to consider his works ; now they engage us in errour ; the prince of darknesse imployes them either to abuse philosophers , or to deceive the mis-believers : formerly they served us for pastime , wherein pleasure was mingled with innocency ; they charmed our eyes without distracting our mindes ; religion and study were not as yet separated , the one and the other of them had their sweets without bitternesse , and made men learned and godly without labour : d but now the creatures serve us for pastime only to undo us ; the sports which they furnish us withall , are almost always accompanied with sin ; if we exceed necessity , we fall into intemperance , and if we use them profusely , we cannot shun injustice . every creature bears about it's dangers with it , a man must stand upon his guard when he intends to make use of them , and who sailes upon this sea , without very much caution , is in danger of shipwrack . we ought most to suspect such things as are most necessary for us ; necessity , which seems to serve for an excuse , serves our enemy for a means whereby to undo us ; he hath spread abroad his nets in all creatures , to surprize us ; he covers the hook over with some bait that may allure us , and whil'st we think to satisfie our desires , we inconsiderately engage our selves in his designes . the use of food , without the which we cannot preserve life , is not void of danger : if we will not become guilty , we must use them but as remedies ; we are not only forbidden the abuse , but even the love of them : men sin against the laws of god , as well in taking too much delight in eating , as in eating too much . sobriety is a quaint or nice vertue , which is scandalized as well with the quality , as with the quantity of viands : and if it be true , that our sins bind us to repentance , we ought not only to cut off what is superfluous , but even what we think necessary . sleep is not so very innocent , but that it is somtimes mingled with sloth ; all they who sleep to keep themselves in good plight , and who make their bed a place of pleasure , have found out the secret of making sleep sinfull ; and of committing offences in a condition wherein the most guilty become innocent , a man must not love reason very much , who can be content to want the use of it so e long ; he must hold correspondency with death , who throwes himself so oft into his brothers arms , and he must be very carelesse of his welfare who loseth the remembrance thereof so oft . apprarell is no lesse dangerous then sleep , and though divine providence have afforded us the hides and skins of the creature to cover us withall , yet we do we oft-times thwart the designes thereof , by the wast we make . apparell f is now no more the invention of necessity , men cloth themselves no longer now to escape the injuries of the elements , a man must either be unhappy or uncivill , if in his clothings he endevour onely the freeing of himself from incommodity . we draw our glory from our confusion , that which caused our shame , publisheth our vanity , and not finding wherein within our selves sufficiently to glory , we seek for occasion thereof in the creatures ; we deck our selves with birds feathers , the tops of herons , and peacocks tails serve to adorn our heads , the labour of worms feeds our luxury , we make their graves our apparell , and that which cost those innocent labourers their life , increaseth our vanity ; we turn grasse into cloth to satisfie our tendernesse , we corrupt nature with art ; and by a piece of extream ingratitude , we accuse her of want either of dexterity or power . thus we hardly make use of any creature , without offending their creator , we remedy our needs onely by profusions , and we are in danger of committing some fault , as oft as we satisfie any one of our desires . the creatures seem to hold intelligence with the devils to undo us ; that they submit to our wils , onely to seduce us , and that as if they were incenst with anger and hatred against us , they g seek out all occasions to ruine us . they are subjects of temptation to those who make use of them , they are nets whereby the un-advised are caught , and inchanted glasses which deceive those who see themselves in them . but grant they had not all these evill qualities , they would still be fatall to us whilst they continue in the power of our enemy ; for he hath power to make use of them to abuse us , and since adams revolt , divine justice hath permitted him to make weapons of them to beat us down withall . in the terrestriall paradise where he assailed all men in their father , he had but a serpent to expresse his mind , but a woman to second his designes , and but an apple to allure us , all other creatures were exempt from his tyranny : and how great a mind so er'e he had to undo us , he durst not imploy the beauty of the stars , nor the lustre of pearls to corrupt us . yet an apple satisfied his malice , he made such use of his power , as he berest us of our innocence , and drove us out of paradise : we do yet bewail this defeat , we dayly feel fatall effects of this misfortune , and as many ages as have bin since , have not been able to dry our tears nor lessen our laments . this redoubted enemy upbraids us ; that he hath cheated us with an h apple , and that with so weak a weapon , he hath won a victory which hath made him lord of the whole world . 't was easy to defend ones selfagainst an enemy whom divine justice held in chains , who had but one way to beat us , and who having no correspondency in the place which he assailed , could not expect the victory save from his own dexterity and our dulnesse , but he is now no longer laden with irons , the victory which he got over adam gives him someright to all his children , he hath in each of them a part of themselves which favours all his designes , his power is no longer limited , and hee hath a large permission to make use of all the creatures either to seduce or corrupt man. hee beares away almost as many victories as he gives battles ; being assisted with such forces , he meets with few who resists his tyranny : we are born and do die his slaves , he makes weapons of whatsoever he meets withall , and fitting himself to our humours i and designes , he imployes both heaven and earth to tempt us : by those stars which shine over our heads , he makes us either idolaters or magicians ; by gold , the richest of all metals , he makes men avaritious ; by iron , he eggs on the ambitious to war , or the furious to revenge ; by wine , he robs drunkards of their judgments , and gives them as many masters , as he excites passions in them ; by beauty , which shines forth in womens countenances , he kindles unchast fires in mens hearts ; and by mans eloquence , he corrupts womens chastity : pearls and diamonds serve him for irons to inchain the one and the other of them , rich stuffs and pleasing colours , are so many charms with which he inchrnts our senses . in fine , we are forced to confesse that the creatures are his confederates in his designes , that he is onely dreadfull by means of their aid , that he wins no victories but by the fights he makes against us with them ; and that some men would be stout enough to withstand his on-sets , were he not seconded by these faithful officers . he disposeth so k absolutely of them , as after having imployed them to seduce us , he makes use of them to afflict us ; and not being able to make us sin through their allurements , he endevours to make us miserable by their persecutions , he hath to do with l thunder ; and causeth fear , where he cannot cause sin ; he raiseth storms in the sea , and buries both men and ships in the waves , if he cannot kindle war , he excites pestilence and famine , and corrupting the purity of the air , he turns towns to desarts , and makes the fields barren ; he shakes the foundations of the earth , he over-whelms men under the ruines of their houses , and immolates victimes to his fury , when he cannot win slaves to his ambition , so as be it in prosperity , or in adversity , we are bound to confesse that by the good will of god , the elements hold of the devil , and that the creatures are corrupted by sin , since they serve as instruments to our enemy to sooth us into our concupiscence and to abase our courage . the sixth discourse . that it is more secure to sequester a mans self from the creatures , then to make use of them . a man must be ignorant of all the maximes of christianity if he know not that he is forbidden the love of the creature , and that we cannot love them without betraying our dignities or forgetting our duty : for nothing but god m can lay lawfull claim to our affections ; he is the center of all love , he is bereft of that love which is not given him , and he is injured in the chiefest of all his qualities , if one propose any other end unto himself , then god himself ; we are born onely to serve and love him : no other object is able to satisfie us , and our heart is too great to be filled with a good which is not infinite . we molest the order which god hath established in the world , when by an unjust going lesse we raise the creatures above our selves . he who abaseth himself through the meannesse of his spirit , is not lesse guilty then he who through his ambition , raiseth himself up ; and he gives against gods providence as well who obeys those creatures which are inferiour to him , as he who would command over those which are his equals , or superiours . man hath received an unrepealable law which obligeth him to submit himself to god , because he is his sovereign , and to raise himself above the other creatures because they are his servants : he treats upon equall terms with other men because they are his equals ; he bears respect unto the angels without adoring them , because they are his companions , & do in the difference of their natures aspire with man to one and the same end , and seek out the same happinesse . whatsoever is not rationall is subject to the empire of n man , and he is not vain glorious , when he thinks the earth is fruitfull onely to afford him nourishment , that the sun rises onely to light him , and that the flowers do display themselves onely for his recreation : when he loves them out of an inclination , or out of necessity , he disturbs the order of god , he submits himself to that which is below him , he degenerates from his nobility , and becomes a slave to his subjects , for if he love a creature he must obey it , he cānot give his love to it & preserve his liberty . love is an imperious o passion , it assubjects all those souls which it possesseth , it makes as many slaves as lovers , and reduceth them to a condition wherein having no longer any will , they are not masters of their desires , they look pale , when in the presence of those that they adore , they tremble when they come neer them , and the stars have not so much power over their bodies as those whom they love have absolute command over their souls : the object of their love p is the cause of all their motions , if it be absent , they consume away in desire , and languish in vain hopes , if it be threatened with any danger they quake for fear , if it be set upon they pluck up their courage , if it go far off without hopes of being soon seen again they fall into despair ; and if it be lost without hope of recovery , they give themselves over to grief and sorrow . thus these slaves take upon them their masters livery , these camelions change colour as oft as that which they love changes condition , and betraying their own greatnesse they assubject themselves to creatures which ought to obey them . i know very well that lovers indevour to throw of this yoke , that they strive to free themselves from this tyranny , and that being weary of obeying , they fain would command their turn about , but all they can do is to no purpose , and the unalterable laws of love , force them fairly to submit to those subjects which are masters of their liberty . the ambitious man would fain be the sovereign of honour , but let him do what he can , he still remains the slave thereof , and whilst he leads on troops and commands armies , he is shamefully enforced to obey ambition which tyrannizeth over him . the avaritious man would fain be master of his riches , what ever pleasure he takes in keeping them , he would take more in spending them ; but he is as it were bound to adore them and to dedicate all his care and watching to the devil which doth possesse him . the lustfull man q wisheth that he were his mistresses master , and that he might prescribe laws to that proud beauty which domineers over him ; but his excesse of passion keeps him a servant still , and the nature of love forceth him with content , to renounce his liberty ; his slavery is a just punishment of his ambition , and heaven permits that he remain a slave to the creature , because he would have made himself master thereof by unlawfull means . this is the cause why he will not acknowledge any thing to be amisse in what he loves , why he doth admire the perfections thereof , and why he doth mingle his vices and vertues together : for to give right judgment of any thing a superiority is required in the judgment giver . some advantage must be had over that whose weaknesses would be known , and lovers being slaves to those they love , their blindnesse lasts as long as doth their slavery ; by a no lesse necessary then unfortunate consequence , they assume the qualities of that object which causeth their love , they transform themselves into what they love , and change nature as well as condition : but that which is most unjust in this change is , that these wretched creatures take unto themselves the worst of the qualities of what they love , and cannot take the best ; and having a capability of becomming easily imperfect , they can never become accomplisht : a deformed man loseth not his deformity , though he love an exquisite beauty an ignorant body grows not learned , though he love a philosopher ; an ambitious man mounts not the throne , though he love a sovereign ; and covetous men grow not rich though they court wealth , but by a deplorable misfortune , lovers share in the faults of that subject , whence they derive their love : they put on all the evill qualities thereof , and having no design to imitate it , they resemble it in loving it . ambitious men become as vain as the honour which they idolatrize ; greedy men are no lesse obdurate , then is the metall which they adore , and the lascivious are as base as is the pleasure which they so much cherish . love r is the mixture of lovers , he mingleth their wils in joyning them together , he confounds their qualities , in uniting their minds ; but when he grows irrationall , he brings his punishment along with him , and that he may punish those whom he hath ingaged in an unlawfull affection , he permits them to communicate their defaults , and forbids them to communicate their advantages . thus man cannot love the creatures unlesse losing the priviledges which nature hath given him , he renounce his greatnesse , in loving his slaves , and as the scripture sayes , he become abominable in worshipping of idols . from this just punishment another doth derive , which is not much lesse rigorous ; for divine justice which cannot let a fault passe unpunisht , permits that men find their punishment in their love , and that the object which ought to cause their good fortune , cause their torment , for though love boast of allaying pains , and of making the wildest things that are , loving ; yet doth he attribute unto himself a power which onely belongs to charity , his deeds are not answerable to his words , and when lovers abused by his promises have ingaged themselves on his side , they find by experience , that that which ought to cause their happpinesse , is the originall of their punishment . and that they cannot love the creature without becoming miserable . there goes more care s to the preserving of riches then to the getting of them ; t is more painfull to be rich , then to become rich ; and that metall which seems to be the reward of the avaritious mans labour , is onely the increase and the redoubling thereof : he hath past the seas to find them out , he hath dug into the bowels of the earth to seek for them , he hath ingaged his freedome to become master thereof , yet is the keeping of them more vexatious , then the acquiring : he is more troubled in hiding them , then in heaping of them together , and he confesseth that riches threaten more mischief to him then poverty doth , he runs more hazard in his own house then on the sea , he fears partners more then pirats , and is not so terrified with tempests , as with suits at law . the ambitious man findes his punishment in glory and honour , this vain idoll which occasioned his desires , occasioneth his complaints , he repents his having courted so ungratefull a mistresse , and knowing that she hath nothing wherewithall to reward those that serve her , but wind and smoak , he never esteems himself more unfortunate then when most honoured . thus it fares with whatsoever else we love ; t divine justice doth minglegall with honey in them , to wean us from them , & makes use of our delights , to increase our annoyes , the house which we have built for our diversion , wil prove our anxiety , yea even , though it suit in all things with our desire , 't wil cease to give content , when it ceaseth to be new , we will wonder that not having changed aspect it shall have lost what was pleasing in it , and that contrary to our expectation , it should become our punishment ; when it ought to be our delight . those pictures which we send for out of the warehouses of italy , which we have bought at so dear a rate , which we have with such impatiency looked for , and been so well pleased when they came , cease to ravish our senses when they are once seated in the places appropriated for them ; they lose their value together with their novelty ; it must be the admi ration of those that never saw them that must make us esteem them , and we must look upon them through other mens eyes if we will value them : they serve us onely to incense us against a servant who hath not been carefull enough of them , or to make us curse time which hath effaced their colours . the pain which all these things cause in us , and the undervaluation we have of them , is not able to make us forbear loving them , we are fastned to them without our knowledge , we love them , whilst we think not on it , and because we forego the further desire of them when we are once possest thereof , we think we cease to be kin thereunto . an avaritious man who sees his cofers full , who receives his rents duly every quarter , and who never knew what belonged to being bankrout , or unfortunate , cannot believe that he loveth his riches so excessively ; the sorrow he feels by their losses must make him know the contentment he had in their possession , he must judge of his ingagement by his grief , love is better known by privation then by enjoyment , and the irregularity of affection is not better discerned , then by the absence of the object which did entertain it . we are not troubled with the u losse of what we were not pleased with the possession ; we judge of the excesse of our love , by the like of our sorrow ; and we are never so sensible of the love we bear to perishable things , as by the sorrow we conceive for their losse ; we are sensible of our captivity , after being set at liberty ; we consider the weight of our irons , when we are freed from them ; and we know we were miserable when we think our selves to be most happie . to find a remedy for these evils , saint x augustine teacheth us that we must make use of the creatures without loving them , and we must be very carefull lest whilst we touch them with our hands , they corrupt our hearts . he will have us to look upon them as slaves which ought to obey us , not command us ; he will have us to love them , as they are the pictures of god , and as lovers love their mistresses pictures , he will have us to esteem of them , as the favours of our god , and that considering his beauty in his images , and his goodnesse in what representeth him , we should neither love the one nor the other but meerly for his sake . did i not doubt lest men might think me too severe , i would add that all these precautions were not sufficient ; and that the son of god not content to have taught us that perishable things cannot beloved without danger , he would tell us that they may be despised without vain glory , for although his commandements do onely forbid us any excesse in the use thereof , his counsels do permit us to wean our selves from them ; and all christian vertues are so many holy pieces of cunning which teach us how to set by the creatures . fasting y in●erdicts us the use of meats , it raiseth man to the condition of angels , by cutting of such things as are necessary for the preservation of life , it contents it self with bread and water ; nay there have been some penitentiaries and anchorets , who have passed over whole weeks without eating any thing , lest whilst they would feed their naturall heat , they might increase the heat of their concupiscence . poverty is a generall foregoing of all worldly things , those who make greatest profession thereof , live in the world as in a desart ; whatsoever self-love judgeth necessary , seems useles or superfluous to them ; the arts are not troubled with dressing nor with nourishing them ; they find that in desarts , which we want in cities ; and the bounds which they have prescribed to their desires renders them content , in the midst of want , the same tree may cloth and feed them , the leaves thereof serve them for coverings , and the fruit for nourishment . fortune z can lay no hold upon their persons , wheresoever they goe they carry all they have with them , and famine which doth depopulate whole towns , cannot make the earth barren enough to infuse fear into them , they are grown acquainted with hunger , and cannot fear an enemy with whom they have so often fought . penitency hath lesse need of the creature then poverty hath , she takes some pleasure in contemning them , she rather loves to be persecuted then to be served by them , and knowing that this world is but a banishment , she despiseth whatsoever can retard her return into her deer country ; she incourageth penitents to fight against sin , and sorrow , to destroy the father by his daughters means , and to procure heaven by the losse of earth . thus all the vertues teach us that all the creatures are corrupted ; that it is better to passe by them , a then to make use of them , that it is safer to contemn them , then to imploy them , and that if philosophy teach us the use of them , religion counselleth us their privation . the seventh discourse . that deluges and earthquakes are the punishments of the world become corrupted . we must not wonder if philosophers have argued so weakly upon the disorders of nature , their not knowing the the true cause thereof , being by reason of their ignorance of adams sin : they were of opinion that the evill was occasioned by the corruption of humours , and raising themselves to no higher a consideration , they took the punishment of our sin for a condition of nature ; they thought that death was rather a law then a punishment ; b and that the two parts whereof man is composed were severed when their chains were worn to peices through the long use of time , or broken by the violence of sorrow : they thought that the bodies rebellion was a necessary consequence of it's constitution , and that the slave being of another nature then his master , it was not to be wondered at if he had other inclinations ; they were perswaded that the revolt of wild beasts was a meer effect of their fury , and that man had no reason to complain thereof , since he neither wanted force to tame them , nor addresse to reclaime them . learning upon the same principle , they thought that earth-quakes and deluges were onely accidents which found their causes in nature , and which were as ordinary to the earth , as heats and colds to those that are sick , c they thought that the wind or fire inclosed in the bowels of the mother earth caused the agitations thereof , and that these two elements endevouring their liberty , did their utmost to break prison , that those constellations which rule in chief over waters , made the rivers swell , and drawing the sea out of her bed , covered the earth with her waves . they prepared themselves for these accidents , as for disorders , which were inevitable ; and not troubling themselves with appeasing divine justice , which chastiseth men by these dreadfull punishments they remained opinionated in their errours ; ignorance would not suffer them to profit by these disorders , and not knowing that they were punishments , they thought that patience and fortitude were the onely remedies . the common-people whose opinions were not so corrupted because they were lesse proud , d reverenced the heavens anger in her severe punishments , and finding no means how to obviate so strange disasters , they sought for safety in superstition , and endevoured to appease the evill spirits with sacrifice : but this new sin augmented the rage of heaven , thinking to avoid it's justice they provoked it's indignation , and through a blind ignorance they incensed their sovereign by fawning on their executioners . christians who are instructed in a better school , confesse that these great disorders are the punishments of sin , and that divine justice made no use of them , till we through our offences had despised his mercy ; indeed there was nothing but the hand of god alone , which could overthrow his workmanship , and loosen the earth from it's foundations , to affrighten the guilty . were not the winds in-animated by his justice , they could not shake the center of the world , the weight of this great frame would stop their fury , and nature which loves to preserve her parts , would not permit meer exhalations to commit such havock in her state , she would open new passages to them to allay their violence , and preventing these extraordinary convulsions , she would either rend open her own bowels , or else dissolve those vapours into rivers . f but god takes delight to agitate the world , that he may intimidate men , and that he may teach them by these earth-quakes , that the earth is not so much their abiding place , as the place of their punishment . of all the animadversions which his justice giveth them , there is none more horrid or lesse evitable then this : for what assurance can we hope for here below , if the earth quake under our feet ? where can we think to escape danger , if the most solid thing of all the world do shake ? and if that which susteins all things threaten us with sinking under our feet ? what sanctuary shall we find to defend us from an evill which doth incompasse us round , and whither can we withdraw if the gulfs which open themselves shut up our passages on all sides ? with what horrour are men struck when they hear the earth groan , when her trembling succeeds her complaints , when houses are loosened from their foundations , when the roof falls upon their heads , and the pavement sinks under their feet ? what hope is there to be had in so generall a disorder , and what comfort can be given or received in so universall a disorder , when fear cannot be fenced by flight ? g fortune is never so cruell , but that she opens unto us some out let whereby to escape the evils which she sendeth us ; an enemy is beaten from the bulwark which he had possessed himself of , earth-works are opposed to the thundering cannon , winds which raise tempests deliver us from them , and after having a long time tost us too and fro , they cast us upon the shore , houses serve us for sanctuaries against the injuries of the air , and shepheards cottages which are onely made of leaves and mosse save them from storms ; firings which are so hideous , follow not them that fly from them , though fire be never so light it becomes slothfull when it betakes it self to a combustible matter , and if man will resign his goods unto it , he may secure his person . h thunder hurts not those who hide themselves in caverns , it 's boult doth onely grate upon the earth but doth not penetrate it , it is stopt with the least resistance , and some trees have the vertue to appease it's fury ; when the plague infects whole citties , it may be shun'd by going into the countrey , change of air is a remedy for incurable evils , and when physicians cannot cure a stubborn sicknesse , either by diet or letting blood , they cure it by waters or by travelling . there is no disaster so generall as doth assail the whole world at once , thunder frightens more then it hurts ; the plague , whose mischiefs are so great , may well dispeople towns , but doth not throw down the houses ; though tempests do shatter ships , yet some do escape their fury ; but the earth quake doth inclose whatsoever it overthroweth , it openeth the earth wide as it swalloweth down whole towns , it wageth not war with some few houses onely , but with whole provinces , it leaveth nothing behind it which can inform posterity of it's outrages ; more insolent then fire which spares rocks , more cruell then the conquerour who spares wals , i more greedy then the sea which vomiteth up shipwracks , it swalloweth and devoureth whatsoever it overturneth . whatever stedfastnesse the places have wherein we live , we cannot say they are exempt from this so dreadfull accident , what hath befaln some parts of the earth , may befall all the rest , those which never were yet agitated are not unmoveable , their condition is not better though they have been preserved from this disorder ; they ought to apprehend it , because they have escaped it , and those parts which have undergone it ought to fear it the lesse , because nature hath consumed the forces thereof in shaking them . self-love doth abuse us , if we perswade our selves that there are some parts of the world which are exempt from this mischief , they are subject to the same laws , nature cannot defend her workmanship against the justice of her sovereign , k what happens not at one time , may happen at another ; as in great towns one house fals after another , so in the world doth earth-quakes succeed , and france will one day suffer what italie hath suffered ; the bravest parts of the world have not been able to secure themselves from it , those which have been most populous and most abounding in fruit have been most subject thereunto ; and asia whose beauty may make europe jealous , hath often been the theater of famous earth-quakes ; she lost twelve towns in one day , achaia and macedonia have been sensible of this disorder , and the most delightfull parts of italie have seen their wals thrown down and their houses swallowed up amidst their greatest felicity . l destiny seems to make the circuit of the world , it sets upon those parts which it hath a long time spared , and teacheth all sorts of people that no force can resist it's fury . the sea is subject to it's empire , and marriners confesse that those storms are most dangerous , which are occasioned by earth-quakes ; the ocean is astonished when the element which serves it for it's basis will forego it , it grows incensed and breaks it's bounds when the earth sinks under it's waters ; and goes to seck out another bed , when that which nature hath given it appears willing to be it's sepulchre . in fine , this misfortune is common to all kingdomes , m since man became criminall , all parts of the earth are become moveable , the parts thereof do dis-unite themselves , since the division of the body from the soul , and stedfastnesse must no longer be looked for in the world , since innocency is banished thence by injustice . this disorder is the punishment of our sin ; and reason together with faith doth sufficiently perswade us that the universe would never have been agitated with these furious accidents during the estate of originall righteousnesse . wherefore should gods anger , have armed the elements against his faithfull subjects ? wherefore should it have overthrown all his works to destroy innocent men , why should it have overwhelm'd the inhabitants of the earth with the ruines thereof , if they had not been sinfull ? why should it have buried those in the bowels of the earth , who were not to die ? n let us then conclude that earth-quakes are the effects of sinne , and let us also make it appear that deluges are also the just rewards thereof . we are bound by the holy scripture to believe that that dreadfull disorder was not so much the effect of nature as of divine justice , that it was to punish mans insolency that the flo●ds forsook their channels , and that the world would never have been drowned had it not been infected with mans sin . o nature could not have furnished waters enough to cover the mountains had not gods anger imprinted in her a new fertility , she could not have wrought so powerfully towards her own ruine , unlesse he whose motions make her inclinations encourage her against her self ; all the seas put together could not have covered the face of the whole world , though their banks should have been broken down , and that they should have been set at liberty by the hand which holds them in , they would not have had waves enough to have overflowed all the earth : if those rains which made the waters swell came not from out the bosome of the clouds , a sovereign power formed the vapours which did produce them . the same p justice which shall burn the world , did drown it , and let philosophers say what they list , that prodigious accident was not a meer effect of nature . nature is not powerfull enough to destroy what she hath not made ; that hand onely by which she is guided can disorder her , those great disorders which draw along with them her generall ruine could have no other cause but the will of god. philosophy hath not been able to find out a cause for it , she speaks of the deluge as of a fable , and hath rather chosen to give all antiquity the lye then to betray her own ratiocination . to say truth , he that knows not sin cannot comprehend this disorder of nature , to the belief thereof , a presupposition is requisite that man is guilty , that god is angry with him , and that he will make use of his absolute power to punish him . all other reason is too weak to prove so strange an accident : though the world subsist by change , and that the elements whereof it is composed are onely preserved by their opposing one another , yet do not their combats tend to the ruine of nature : the peace of the universe is entertained by their divisions ; they sacrifice themselves for the publique good , and violate their particular inclinations to prevent a generall disorder . fire descends to assist nature , when she is set upon ; water mounts aloft to supply the place of vacuum which is the common enemy to all elements , the earth opens her bowels and loosens her self from her foundations to suppresse the disorders which sin hath caused in the world ; but it is not to be comprehended how all the parts of the world should conspire natures ruine , nor by what secret veins the sea could issue forth so much water as could drown her : the sea even when incensed useth violence upon her self not to overflow the earth ; q it remembers what order it received from god in the beginning , it useth violence upon it self , in it's greatest storms , not to out-passe it's bounds ; it takes nothing in one place which it repayes not in another , it restores to swethland , what it hath taken from holland ; and foregoes our coasts when it intrencheth upon our neighbours : if the ebbing & flowing thereof be sometimes irregular , they never move to such a height as to threaten the whole world , it's inroads are rather for pastime then mischief , and should it have tane that liberty in the state of innocency , man , who very well knew the nature thereof , would neither have been surprised nor astonished thereat . but if it now spread it self over the fields , if it cover the highest steeples with it's waves , if it turn populous towns into lakes or ponds , if it bear it's empire beyond it's bounds , and if breaking the banks which are made to oppose it's fury , it threaten us again with an universall deluge , it follows rather the motions of divine justice then it 's own , and this prodigie is rather an effect of gods anger , then of nature . thus ought we to argue of that generall inundation which destroyed the whole world , two thousand years after it was first made , the cause came from heaven , the decree was pronounced by gods own mouth , the execution thereof was given to the evil spirits , & the elements received a new commission to obey their new order . the earth furnisht part of the vapours which were r to drown her , the vapours distil'd down in rain , rivers being swoln with such fall of rain , broke their banks , the sea not able to contain so many flouds , forewent its bounds ; towns were changed into ponds , their streets were turned into rivolets , their inhabitants quitted their houses ; the wals whereof were undermined by waters ; and equally fearing two contrary evils , they know not whether they were to perish by the fall , or by the drowning of their houses ; torrents were seen every where , which charged with booty did at the same time carry down the seilings of palaces , and trees out of gardens ; all rivers lost their names and channels , the rhine was confounded with rome , euphrates and ganges were mingled together , all those great rivers which had won fame by reason of the towns which they watered , found their losse in their greatnesse , and ruined themselves that they might ruine the whole world ; s the tops of mountains made islands in this wast ocean , which being by little and little quite effaced , left the world at last drowned in waters : there was then but one onely element seen . whole nature became a sea , in the which the winds guided a vessell which carried in it the worlds onely hope , and which preserved eight people amidst this deluge which were to re-people the world . it is very likely that so great a spoil was not made without thunder , and that to make this punishment the more dreadfull , the sun hid his face , that the day gave place to night , that the world was covered with darknesse , and the lightening was the torches which did attend the funerall pomp , whilst any mountains were yet uncovered with water , the remainders of man-kind were fixed there ; in this extremity no comfort but astonishment remained , fear was changed into stupidity , and the wonder which they conceived at this so hideous an accident did so possesse their spirits , as they saw the sea without fear , had not feeling of the mischief , and perished without complaining . who will not confesse that so strange an accident , could be no naturall effect ? who will not judge , by the greatnesse thereof , that it was a miracle of divine justice ? who will not confesse that these disorders which tend to the ruine of man-kind , are the punishments of sin ? and that nature would never have conceived so much indignation , against her own children , had she not believed to revenge their father by their death , and to repair his honour by their punishment . the eighth discourse . that thunder , plagues and tempest are the effects of sinne. when i consider the worlds condition since sin , me thinks i see a combat between self-love and divine justice , and that these two parties do with equall courage endevour to win the victory . divine justice disorders the seasons to punish sinfull man , altereth the nature of the elements , robs the earth of flowers , and covers it over with thorns ; makes the winters longer , and summers shorter , and mingling the saddest of our seasons with all the other , makes snow be seen in the spring , and thick fogs in autumn , arms savage beasts with new fury , & draws them out of their forrests to set on sinners in towns , destroyes her own workmanship , ruines the beauties of the world to take revenge of the lord thereof , and raiseth up as many enemies against him since his sin , as he had subjects during his innocency . self-love a imploys all it's industry to to repair these disorders , and by tricks which seem to augment it's sin , withstands all the designs of divine justice ; it cultivates the earth , and by it's labour makes her fruitfull , it ingrafts roses upon thorns , and indevours to make the place of it's exile a stately palace , it hath had such good successe in it's enterprizes , as the sinfull world comes not far short of the world when innocent , did our first father live again , and partake of our contentments , he would not so much lament the losse of the earthly paradise , but blaming the tears which his banishment drew from him , he would passe his time merrily away with his children , in so pleasing an abod● ▪ in effect , all things are refined by time , solitary places are inhabited , forrests which infused horrour into those who saw them , furnish hunters with pastime , the barren sands are sowed upon , vines are planted upon rocks , marish grounds are dried , that they may b be plough'd up , and provinces are now fuller of palaces , then formerly they were of cottages ; islands are no longer un-inhabited , and those famous rocks which made the pylots tremble , now bear high towers for land-marks unto them , and towns to receive them : all the parts of the world are peopled , nor are there any desarts which have not some inhabitants and houses . but let self-love use all the cunning that it can , there are some mischiefs which wee cannot sh● ▪ and there are some disorders in the world which will oblige us to confesse , that the wisedome of man cannot defend it self against gods anger . thunder is of this sort , and one must have lost his reason , not to fear a cause which produceth such strange effects . all poets have armed the hands of god therewithall , and nature which is the mistresse c of infidels , hath taught them , that he makes use thereof to punish offenders : the lightenings which fore-run it , the noyse which doth accompany it , and the prodigies which follow after are undeniable proofs of this truth . let philosophy defend her self against it by her vain reasons , let her oppose her pride to our fea● , let her destroy religion by her libertinisme , she cannot keep reasonable men from redoubting thun-thunder , and from confessing by the fear which siezeth them , that without the reading of genesis they know the whole story of our mis-fortune . to say truth , who would not fear a punishment against which nature affords no temedy ? who will not dread a disaster which sets upon princes in their palaces , and upon conquerours amidst their armies ? the statelinesse thereof is able to frighten even philosophers ; d and though they say this be not the greatest danger , though the most specious , yet they look pale when the thunder roars over their heads , and that the ecchoes which answer to the voice thereof makes the ground quake under their feet . then their constancy forsakes them , and nature which forceth them to speak truth , makes them make vows , and repent them of their insolence . the haughtiest of all the stoicks hath been inforc't to confesse , that there was somwhat of divine in thunder , that it was not the meer workmanship of nature , and that the flames and water whereof it is composed made but the least part of it's power . e it is truth , that pride hath made him speak another language , and that after having with reason admired thunder , he hath the impudency to laugh at it ; he believed that since the claps thereof were not certain , they were not darted out from a divine hand , and that since it spared the guilty , and struck the innocent , it was guided by fortune , not by providence : then destroying religion under a pretence of establishing it , f he adds that polititians had wisely handled this accident , to keep people within their duties , that it was requisite , that where the faulty take so great a freedom , there should be an inevitable punishment , and against which the power of kings should be of no use ; that to intimidate men who could not beperswaded to innocency , but by fear , it behooved to place a revengefull hand over their heads which should always be armed with thunder . but let this proud philosopher say what he please , all men will not alter their beliefe upon so weak reasons . g thunder cannot be mistaken when it falls upon the ground , it is not necessary that he who darteth it forth should measure his strokes ; since whosoever he hits , is sinfull . the decree of our death is pronounced before we are born , it little imports whether the execution thereof be left to thunder or deluge , and whether the sea or the earth serve as a minister to gods justice : if he spares sinners in this world , 't is that he may punish them the more severely in the other world ; if he snew favour unto sinners , 't is either to recompence their good deeds , or the good deeds of their ancestors ; and if he punish the innocent , 't is either to exercise their patience , or to increase their merit . h but certainly of all the punishments which he makes use of to make himselfe be feared , there is none more strange then thunder ; the effects thereof are miraculous , it plays so many severall ways , as it is easily seen that he who guides it is natures master ; it melts the money of the avaritious without breaking the cofer wherein it is lockt ; it breaks the sword without hurting the scabbard wherein it is ; it melts the iron ends of pikes without burning the wood whereinto they are ingraffed ; it consumes the cask without shedding the wine ; but what is yet most miraculous , it kils a child in the mothers belly without hurting the mother , and of a living cradle , makes her an animated sepulchre . is it not easie to judge by all these effects , that so prodigious a cause would have been uselesse , in the state of innocency ? for what need was there to govern them by fear , who suffered themselves to be charmed by love ? why should the thunder have roared over the heads of the innocent ? wherefore should god have armed himself , not having as yet any enemies ? and to what end should he have vented his fury upon the tops of mountains , since if he punish insensible creatures , 't is to astonish those who are rationall ? in this sort of punishment there is also observed a certain malignity , i which witnesseth that it is the work of god ; for it corrupts what ever it toucheth , it imprints evill qualities in the body that it burneth , and wine which is the best antidote , turns to poison , if it be struck with thunder ; it leaves an ill odour , where ere it goes , and it cannot be a meer effect of nature , since it destroys all the works thereof . we are bound to be of the same beliefe touching the plague , and to confesse that this sad sicknesse which hath so often unpeopled the world , hath no other father then sin . k tertullian who isas full of mad wh●sics , as of errours , thought , that the plague was a providence of nature , which to case the earth which was not able to support her children , bereft her of some of them ; and that like those gardiners who use to prune such trees as bear more fruit then they can nourish , she lessens the number of men , and reduceth them to a condition of not being burthensome to their common mother . though i confesse that divine mercy doth oft-times turn our punishments into favours , and that it may aswell turn the plague to a remedy , as death to a sacrifice , yet i look upon it as one of the strangest punishments ordained by divine justice to punish men withall . i must in reason confesse that it is a generall corruption of nature , that it assails all the parts thereof , and that it disperseth venom into all the elements to cause death to the sinfull ; it infecteth the air which we draw in with our breath , it gets into our bowels with the meat which we eat , it makes the earth barren by it's bad influences and passing from men to beasts , commits as much havock in the fields as in towns : this malady surpasseth the physicians skill , it laughs at all antidotes , it is not to be shun'd but by flight , and it is sometimes so universall as men meet with it in the very places which they have chosen for their sanctuary . wee bear the seed thereof along with us , which it in time hatches forth , and shews it self as fire doth when we think it is extinguisht . it is the most perverse and least respectful punishment of all those that befall sinfull man , for 't is a rebell to all remedies , it turns antidotes into venome , and when it doth reign absolutely any where , it is fed with whatsoever is given to allay it , it assails monarchs amidst their armies , the lawrels which fence their heads from thunder , cannot keep them from the contagion thereof , and that sanctity which receives respect from other diseases cannot stop it's progresse . the most august and holiest of all our kings died of this disease in africa , his valour and his piety which had freed him out of prison , could not deliver him from his sicknesse , but after having triumphed over vice and infidelity , a period was put to all his conquests by a contagious death . the holiest of all the kings of iudah , knowing that heaven was offended at him , & that the anger thereof was not to be appeased but by a general satisfaction , chose the plague before either war , or famin , out of a beliefe that this scourge might aswell light on him as on the meanest of his subjects . in effect , it spares no man , neither youth nor age can allay the rigour , nor stop the progresse thereof , it mows down more souldiers then war doth , it cuts off more commanders then the sword , it boasts of ending the differences between kings , and of making them make peace by taking from them the means of making war. there have been some so contagious plagues , as have dispeopled the greatest part of the world , the seas did not stop their conquests , and this vast element which serves for a stop to the ambition of conquerours , could not dissipate the fury thereof ; the winds served them for post-horses , and they crost the seas to carry infection into the utmost parts of the world without either oares or fails : the number of the dead was so great as the l earth was not able to cover them , nor yet the forrests to bury them , physicians died together with the sick ; children dropt down after their fathers , and lost their lives in doing them their last duties . a man need onely to consider the horrour of this malady to acknowledge that it is one of the punishments of sin : during the time of innocence , the air was not corrupted , the earth brought forth no fruits which could breed bad humours , death did not reign where there was no guilty persons : heaven , which breeds contagion by it's mortall influences , did not punish those which it had not as yet m condemned ; our sins must have provoked it to have made it our enemy , we must have lost our innocency to incurre the dis-favour thereof , and sin must have wounded our soul , before the plague had seized on our bodies . one may say that the same thing which causeth contagion on the land , causeth tempests at sea , that it conspires together with sin to undo man , that it unpeoples the earth to people hell , and that it holds intelligence with the winds to sink ships . some philosophers have been of opinion that the sea did not belong to the empire of man , that this element was reserved for fishes , as the air for birds , that it was an usurpation to sail thereon , to cut through the waves thereof to discover it's champians , and to penetrate the depths thereof , that nature which punisheth all injustice had raised up storms , and formed rocks to revenge his tyranny ; but certainly reason binds us to believe that there was nothing in the world which was not put under ●he power of man , that his authority had no other bounds then those of nature , and that god who had placed him in the world to admire his works , had left to him aswell the disposall of n the sea , as of the land : but when through rebellion he became gnilty of high treason , his empire was divided , his subjects contemned his power , and every part of his estate brought forth monsters to destroy him . the sea is so fruitfull herein as the most of her productions are monstruous , every fish is an enemy to man , they are not to be tamed by art , and violence bereaves them rather of their life then of their fury . it seems that being by divine justice imployed against men in the deluge , they retain yet some remembrance of that first imployment , and that they think to revenge god as oft as they punish us : they by their strength overturn great ships , they leap into lesser vessels to assail us , they make storms in the midst of calms , & being living rocks do oft-times cause the skilfullest marriners run shipwrack . this great danger is accompanied by the like of tempests , which seem to enrage the sea onely that she may drown the land , or bury mankind in her waves . this disorder is good for nothing but to undo us ; prophane philosophy findes no other cause for it ; the more it considers the strange effects thereof , the more is it obliged to adore gods justice , and to condemne mans sin . o the winde purifies the aire , and disperseth the clouds ; the rain waters the earth , and vapours which are the originall of aire make the fields fruitfull ; fire doth not much consume the wealth of nature , it betakes it selfe to buildings , and punisheth our vanity in destroying our workmanship . the plague it selfe which violating all the laws of nature , sweeps away the son together with the father , and buries in the same grave the physician and the patient , doth oft-times by the havock which it makes , prevent the cruelty of war , and kils men to hinder them from committing parricide ; for when it sees the earth groan underneath the burthen of her children , that she can no longer nourish those which she hath brought forth , that the scarcity of victuals makes people take up armes , and prepare for war to free themselves from famine ; it dispeoples towns , dis-burthens the fields , and bereaves men of their lives , only to preserve their innocence ; but tempests are only fit to punish either our avarice , or our ambition ; the seas rage is only usefull to make us know our offences , the deeps which open themselves beneath ships , the mountains of water which raise themselves above the sailes , the lightnings which mingle themselves amongst the waves , and threaten us at the same time both which being drown'd and burnt , are formed by the hand of nature only to make us die with more of pomp , and more of horrour . and certainly it was very just , that the theater of our ambition should be the like of our punishment ; p that the windes which we make slaves to our avarice , should become the ministers of gods anger , that those spirits which put life into our ships , should inanimate storms , and that they which fill our sailes should make our designes give against the rocks ; for it must be confest , we are more insolent in our abusing this element , then the rest ; & that we do more unjustly imploy the windes then all other things in the world . nature hath produced them for our service : they are of use to us even in rebellion whereinto sin hath thrown us , and we cannot sufficiently praise providence which hath drawn them out of her treasures to fit them to our needs ; they purge the aire by fanning q i● , and trouble the repose thereof , onely to preserve it's purity , they gather vapours together and then scatter them abroad , they separate rain by dividing the clouds , and if they hide the heavens from the earth , 't is to adorn her with flowers , and enrich her with fruit ; they entertain commerce amongst nations , they make that common to the whole world , which nature had appropriated to some one province , they help us to go round the world , and husbanded by our dexterity they r discover unto us all the beauties thereof , without their assistance we could not know the customes of forraigners , we should be ignorant of what is done underneath our feet , and the antipodes would passe for a fable , had not these faithfull guides brought our pylots thither . this good turn would be rare did not mans fury abuse it ; but we make them serve our avarice or our ambition , by their means we seek out new dangers and new enemies , we load our ships with souldiers to pillage strange countries , we commit our life to the infidelity of the sea , and the lightnesse of the wind , we indevour to overcome tempests which astonish nature , we run upon death without hope of a grave , and we seek out a doubtfull s war upon such conditions as would seem unjust to those who would undertake an assured victory : what blind madnesse doth possesse us ? wherefore do we raise troops to carry them through rocks and tempests ? wherefore do we trouble the seas quiet , for our unjust designes ? are there not hazards enough on the earth , but that we must seek for new ones in another element ? whether do we complain of fortunes favours , or of natures goodnesse ? is the former too faithfull , or the latter too indulgent ? are our bodies so strong , or our health so certain , that we must go seek for sicknesses , and dangers amongst the waves ? do we desire to assaile the destinies in the midst of their empire ? to declare war against them , then where their power doth most evidently appear ? is not death terrible enough on land , but that we must provoke it on the sea ? shall we not finde it soon enough in a house , without seeking for it in a ship ? t and is not our life short enough but that we must make it yet shorter by the accidents which are subject to those who saile upon the ocean ? must not a man have lost his reason to expose himselfe voluntarily to dangers unnecessitated ? to fight with men without any cause , and conquer countries without justice ? wilde beasts war not one upon another untill enforced by hunger , or provoked by injuries ; and we who take our name from humanity , are profuse in shedding of humane bloud ; we come aboard frail vessels , we trust our safety to the fury of tempests , and wish for fair windes to carry us into forreign countries , where we must either because of death , or die our selves . we think not any one part of the world a theater large enough for our ambition . every one will have his madnesse manifest , and that it have as many witnesses as it hath made men miserable . thus the king of persia entered greece which he could not overcome , though he covered it all over with souldiers . u thus would alexander passe over unknown seas , carry his forces to the utmost parts of the earth , and after he had overcome so many kings , vanquish nature her selfe : x thus did crassus strive to enrich himselfe at the cost of the parthians , and would enter the large desarts which border upon their state ; he despised the tribunes who opposed his voyage , he laughed at the tempests which shattered some of his ships : the thunders which fore-told his bad successe could not stay him , and not withstanding that both god and man were offended with him , he would go whether his avarice called him , and seek out the death which destiny had prepared for him . had not nature been more favourable unto us , if she had caused the windes to cease , and if to hinder the execution of so many unjust designs , she had forced all conquerours to keep peacefully within their own dominions ? should not we be much beholden to her , if interdicting us to enter on the sea , we should have nothing but our own misfortunes to fear and undergo ? and if the winds made us not dread those unknown waves , which bring war , servitude , and death to the countries whereon they coast ? we are not the more secure for the distance of places , there is no enemy how far off so ever he be , who may not surprize us , as oft as the winds blow we have cause to fear lest they bring either enemies or tyrants upon us . the tempests which they raise are the least evils which they threaten us withall ; shipwracks which fear makes appear so terrible unto us , are but the first tryals , they expose us to those dangers when they carry us to war , and the evill which wait for us on the shores whither they conduct us , are more vexatious then those which assail us at full sea . thus are all things in the world armed against us . every element is become an executioner , since we are become male factours ; nature is plentifull in punishments , and all the pieces whereof she is composed , are so many faithfull ministers , which serve god , in taking revenge upon his rebels . the ninth discourse . that monsters and poysons are the workmanship of sinne. divine providence knows so well how to husband the defects of creatures , as most men take them for perfections , and we gather such advantage from our misfortunes by it's guidance , as we should be unfortunate , if we had not been so . death , which is sins severest punishment , is so precious in it's hands , as it seemeth rather a favour then displeasure , and a reward then a chastizement . sicknesses are cause of so much good unto us by bereaving us of our health , as it were to be wished that most men should fall sick , and that pain might make them out of love with their bodies , to make them be the like with the earth ▪ the injuries of the elements are of such use to the faithfull , as they ought rather to be praised , then complained of by them ; when they with patience suffer all the pains which sin hath occasioned , they may make a happy use thereof to destroy a sin , and a sweet smelling sacrifice to gods justice . hence it is that philosophers who know what advantage we draw from our mis-fortunes , perswade themselves that nature is not corrupted , and account her disorders advantages ; they term death a law more necessary then rigorous ; they call sicknesse the souls salve , the tryall of vertue , and the exercise of patience ; they call poverty a dis-ingagement from uselesse things , a nearer cut to vertue , a help to argue with more freedom , they term the persecution of the elements an innocent war which causeth the worlds peace , a hatred which conduceth to a perfect friendship , or an excellent picture of musick , whose harmony is composed of the differences of voices , and contrariety of tones . by the same reason they justifie the disorders of nature , and call monsters irregularities which heighten her other works ; they plead in the behalf of poysons , and make them passe for remedies , whose use we are yet ignorant of . in effect , monsters seem to serve for ornament to the world , b that they contribute to the beauty thereof , that they constitute that admirable variety wherein consists honest mens most innocent delight , that they are in the world what shadows are in pictures , and that not to excuse them they are handsome faults , and pleasing debaucheries . this wise mother hath her serious businesses , and her serious diversions ; she sports her self after having laboured , and to recreate her self after the pains which those wonders have occasioned her which she hath continued since the beginning of the world , she goes astray for sports sake , and for her pastime commits faults , yea her disorders are oft-times usefull to us ; she produceth monsters to fore-shew things to come , and goes out of her ordinary course to advertize us of gods anger . thus we may observe that in all ages , the birth of monsters have been followed with some disasters , and the worlds irregularity hath c presaged the like in kingdomes , all the predictions of pagans were grounded upon these prodigies ; they studied the guidance of empires in that of nature , and judged of the ones disorder by the others debaucheries . when caesar and pompey fought in the pharsalian fields , and that the romane common wealth , was upon the point of being changed into a monarchie , beasts were the interpretors of nature , the elements violated their qualities , it rained bloud , and a generall confusion did foretell the alteration of that state . as famous princes have had new constellations which have discovered them , tyrants have had monsters to proclaim them , and the births of the one and of the other have had these fortunate or unfortunate predictions . poysons are not so mischievous but that some good use may be made of them when they are prepared by physick , d good medicines are made of them ; there are some sicknesses which cannot be cured but by corrected poyson : the greatest part of those drugs which we make use of to assist nature when she is weakened by sicknesse , partake more of poison then of nourishment , and onely help the naturall heat by provoking it and by contesting with it . if they be contrary to our constitutions , they are good for and do preserve some creatures ; and if they be averse to man , they are favourable to the asp and viper : their venom is not to be taken from them without taking away their lives ; the antidotes which preserve us , kill them ; and as if they imprinted their qualities in us when they sting us , their stingings are not to be cured but by their poison . who knows not the vertue of venomous plants , is ignorant of the half of nature : she subsists by contrariety , and as she indues her works with differing qualities , she must preserve them by contrary remedies ; that which is hurtfull for some is good for other some , and amongst the infinite number of creatures e whose constitutions are so different , there is nothing which is absolutely bad or unusefull , these are the usuall reasons which philosophy makes use of to defend her errour in maintaining natures part , but being prest by truth , she must confesse that these monsters are the products of sin , and that the earth never bore them till since it was covered with thorns , the motions thereof were too regula● in the state of innocency , to commit any faults ; the heavens were too favourable to it in their aspects , to corrupt it's workmanship : this charitable mother would rather have been barren , then fruitfull in monsters , and all her children were so beautifull , as she was not bound to make any ilfavoured , to set the others off : she hath placed variety enough in her productions , without being forced to transgress , that she might vary them ; though she be not always serious , she had never been debauched , and before she was corrupted , she would not have found her diversion in her disorder . who knows not that monsters are the errours of nature ? f that she had no design in making them ? that she is sorry she hath produced them , that she treats them as illegitimate children ? that she shortens their life to efface her own shame ? that repenting her of her fault , she speedily corrects it , and re-assumes her ordinary tract which she went not out of , but only for want of heed , or being surprized . 't is chance and sin that produceth monsters , they are not born but by unlawfull coupling , they are always barren , to the end they may have no posterity ; their species is never preserved : g and let men who delight in natures debaucheries , use their utmost skill , they could never perpetuate monsters , nor make them generate . we behold them with horrour , the delight which they cause in us , is mingled with aversion ; if their novelty do delight us , their strange shape doth displease us , and after having for a while admired them , we are scandalized and nauseated with them . these just resentments are infallible proofs that sin is the father of all monsters , and that as we detest the father , so do we his children . but that which confirms our belief therein the more is , the rarity of them amongst beasts , and their frequency amongst men ; for these innocent creatures being only so far guilty of our sins , as they are subject to our power , they do not stray so often as we in their productions : there is but one part in the world , where they commit these faults ; and set aside affrica , where monsters are common , europe and asia do scarce produce two in one age ; but men are irregular in all places , h the greatest part of their productions are monstruous , all their children bear the marks of their debauchery , and the punishment of their sin ; we see the mothers wishes stampt on their childrens faces , some tokens of their parents incontinency are seen in the bodies of these innocents ; and generation is so corrupted amongst men , as they cause either horrour , or pity in natures self ; some of them cannot stand upright by reason of the weaknesse of their legs , and are enforced to seek for help for their infirmities , unlesse they will make their house their perpetuall prison ; some carry mountains on their backs , and makes some that see them doubt ; whether not having the shape of men , they be endued with the judgement and reason , or no ; some are so deformed in their faces , as one would rather take them for munkeys , than for the images of god ; others speak with such confusion , and with so much difficulty , as parrots may teach them our language ; some are born blinde , and are condemned to darknesse all their life time ; i others cannot explain themselves , and their tongues not being able to speak cannot be the interpreters of their thoughts ; others cannot understand those pleasing discourses which fill the souls of those that listen thereunto , with the light of truth ; they rather guesse at our intentions , then understand them ; to make them capable of them , we must speak unto them with our hands , and make them understand that by the eyes which cannot be infused into them by the eares . in fine , the greatest part of men are monsters ; nature mistakes her selfe oftner in them then in beasts , and be it that their intemperance causeth these disorders , be it that these irregularities are produced by the imagination which is more quick in them , be it that their temper which is more refined , is more easily altered ; we see that most children inherit their parents defects as well as their sins , and that they are not born monstrous , till they be born sinfull . if monsters be the productions of sin , poisons are likewise the workmanship thereof ; k though they seem naturall to some creatures , i conceive they did not make any part of their essence , till after they had served the devill for an organ to deceive our first mother ; all insects which bear in them any poison , are kinds of serpents ; god curseth them to revenge us , they creep upon their bellies in memory of the fault which our enemies committed by their interposition , they feed upon the earth for the punishment of a sin , whereof they were but innocent complices ; as their sight causeth horrour in us , so doth ours cause fear in them ; the heavens have put a secret enmity between them and us ; if their venom be fatall to us , our spittle is mortall to them ; l and if they with their teeth give us incurable wounds , we with our feet give them mortall catches . the same justice which would condemne them to all these punishments , confin'd their venom to some parts of their bodies , to make them more odious ; she would have their very looks to be contagious , to make us shun them ; m and instructing us by sensible things , she secretly imprinted in our hearts a hatred against the devill , whose image they are : she teacheth us by this example that we cannot hold innocent commerce with one that is sinfull , that that proud fiend which could inspire us with nothing but pride , & that there was more danger in communing with him , than in treating with aspes and vipers , and certainly venom must needs be a punishment of sin , since all sorcerers make use thereof in their charmes , and in all the mischiefe that they do imploy those poisons which hature hath produced to undo us ; these things seem to be abandoned to their fury , that they have some jurisdiction over them , and that they are permitted to assaile their enemies with these weapons . in effect , all the harme they do to men is by this mingling of poisons ; the words which they use are of no efficacy , n they cannot hurt us by their curses ; 't is a trick of the devill , whom his weaknesse will imitate the power of god , and perswade us that words uttered by those whom he imploys , change nature , and work miracles . we are taught by reason , and by faith , that only god can act by speaking , and produce things by his will ; the angels which are the noblest subjects of his empire , can alter nothing in the world , but by the mediation of the elements ; they are forced to employ their qualities , to bring to passe their own designes , and to make use of their heat , or of their cold , to hasten winter or retard summer ; they assume bodies in the clouds to make themselves visible , they speak by the means of the aire to make themselves be understood , and make use of vapours to form storms , and thunder : but the devils , who are rebels to gods kingdom , having no designes but what are pernitious , they employ venom to execute them , they gather up the foam of dragons , and serpents slaver , and compose drinks of all these differing poisons ; they mingle a thousand deaths together to revenge themselves of their enemies ; but say they , did not make use of these things to satisfie their fury , is it not sufficient to know that these things are averse unto us , as to judge that they have been altered by divine justice for our punishment ? or does not the knowledge of their being altered by divine justice for our punishment , suffice to ascertain us of their aversion to us ? in gods first designe , all o creatures were tied to serve man , they were to contribute either to his pastime , or to his profit ; they had no other end but his pleasure , or his advantage ; and had they been able to expresse their meanings , they would have witnessed that their being in the world was only to follow his inclinations . what place should poisons have held then in this world ? how could they have been serviceable to man in the state of innocency ? could he have taken any satisfaction in the sight of creatures whose qualities were fatall to him ? could he have treated with the basilisk , whose looks cause death ? could he have approached serpents which poison the aire with their breath ? could he have communed with him who was the cause of his undoing , had he suspected either his breath or his looks ? and ought we to imagine that there was any creatures which could offend man in a time , when not having committed any fault , he was not to fear any punishment ? what delight could he have taken in the company of those beasts which are fatall to all other beasts ? what sport could he have taken in monsters which carry death in their eyes or mouth , and from whence a man must fence himself as well as against the plague or war ? but it may be objected , originall righteousnesse served him for a safe-gard , he saw the danger with delight , because the sight thereof caused no apprehension in him ; he was well pleased to to handle poyson ; the efficacy whereof was tane away by his innocency , and to touch venome which had not power to hurt him . divine providence which prescribed bounds to the raging of the sea , gave laws to the p malice of serpents ; and the same power which hindered the sun from burning men , when he gave them light , would not suffer the basilisk to poyson them by his lookes , but who perceives not how weak this answer is , and how it compares creatures which do no ways resemble one another ? the elements hurt not us but onely through their disorders , the seasons annoy us not but by their irregularities . all things in their purity are usefull to us , we dread not nature for them , but her corruption , and even in the very state of sin , we make use of them without either fear or danger . owles onely complain of light , harmony is onely hated by savage beasts , a man must either be sick or mad to detest food which preserves life : but every body apprehends poyson , it must be corrected by art before the malignity thereof be tane away ; to make any use of it , it must be destroy'd , & it is so dangerous , as it oft-times kils those q physicians who prepare it . the smell of poyson is as pernitious , as the substance , it poures forth it's malignity throughout all the senses , penetrates all the pores of the body , and there are some so subtil poisons , as even iron is not solid enough to fence us from them . let us then conclude , that the earth bore not those unlucky plants , which seem to conspire mans ruine , till that made barren by gods curse , it was bound to turn it's roses into thorns , and it's fruits into poysons . sin was the occasion of this disorder , divine justice the cause , and the same power which caused the earth to open underneath the feet of dathan and abiram , caused wolfes-bane and hemlock to come out of her bowels , to hasten his death who had lost his innocency . the tenth and last discourse . that god will consume the world corrupted by sinne , that he may make a new world. though sinne hath wrought such havock in man as it hath brought darknesse into his understanding and malice into his will ; that it hath effaced out of his soul those inclinations which she had to vertue , and that corrupting his nature , it seems to have destroyed gods goodliest workmanship , yet do some glimmerings of light remain in the bottome of his soul , which sin could never darken . idolatry , which hath so long raigned in the world hath not been able to blot r out the belief of the unity of god ; the pagans have preserved this opinion amidst the worship of their idols , words have escaped from them which have given their actions the lie , and when they followed the meer motions of nature , they spake the same language as christians do . though poets made hell to passe for a fable ; and that their pleasing fictions made a prison be despised , whence orpheus had escaped by musick , and pyrithous by force , the people ceased not to apprehend eternall pains after death : they had already cognizance of devils under the name of revengfull furies ; they knew that the fire wherewith the sinfull were burnt could not be quenched , that it was preserved without nourishment , and as serviceable to the power of god , it had operation upon the soul. though the devil to introduce licentiousnesse amongst men , made them hope for impunity for their faults , and that r minos and rhadamantus had not credit enough to terrifie monarchs , nature more powerfull then fiction , had imprinted in all men an apprehension of an universall judgment ; there was no guilty person who did not fear it , nor none miserable who did not hope it ; every one in the belief of this truth found either punishment for his fault , or consolation in his misery , when the oppressed innocents could not defend themselves against their enemies , they implored aid from that rigorous judge which punisheth all sins and rewardeth all vertues . in fine , though the earths solidity might have made men confident , though the water which doth inviron it might have freed them from the fear of a generall consuming by fire , though so great a disaster had no certain proofs nor assured predictions , yet they believed that the world s should be consumed by fire , that the seas should not be able to extinguish the flames thereof , and that nature which had been cleansed by water , should be purified by fire ; but they knew not the cause of this prodigie , and the vanity wherewith they were blinded , would not permit them to believe that this disorder should be the punishment of their sin : yet the holy scripture gives no other reason for it , nor did it threaten us with the worlds ruine , till it had acquainted us with the story of our misfortune . as adam had never lost his life had he never lost his innocency , the world had never lost its adornment had it not lost it's purity . as death is the punishment of sinfull man , water and fire are the punishments of the corrupted world : for though insensible creatures commit no sins , t and that guiltinesse presupposeth rationality , yet do they contract some impurity by our offences : the sun is sullied by giving light unto the sinfull , the light which shines as bright upon a dirty puddle , as upon the cleerest river , and which is not more undefiled in chrystall then in mire , is endamaged by our sins , and ceaseth to be innocent , when it gives light unto the guilty : the air is infected by our blasphemies , the earth cannot be the theater of our vanity without sharing in our offences : whatsoever is serviceable to our misdemeanors is polluted ; though the creatures are scandalized to see themselves inthral'd to our insolency , yet do they incurre heavens displeasure , and deserve punishment for having been imployed in our offences ; hence doth the sterility of the earth proceed , hence was occasioned that deluge which did bury it in it's waters ; and from hence shall arise that universall fire which shall consume it in it's flames . for divine justice seems to deal with sinners as humane justice deals with the greatest offenders : the latter is not contented to punish the guilty party in his own person , but vents it's anger upon his children , and servants , it believeth that whatsoever toucheth him is defiled , that those who converse with him are either his copartners , or confederates , and that to be allied to him , is sufficient to share in his sin , u it mingleth the bloud of the children with that of the father , it wraps up the innocent and the guilty in the same punishment , and to make the fault appear more odious , it punisheth whatsoever doth appertain unto the offender : it spareth not even unsensible things , it sets upon the dead after having punisht the living , for it puls down the houses , and demolisheth the castles of the enemy ; it makes rocks and marble feel it's anger , burns what it cannot throw down , and as if the party offending did live in every thing that was his , it thinks to kill him as oft as it beats down his buildings , or cuts down his forrests , it endevours to rob him of his reputation , after it hath bereft him of his life , and not to leave any token that may renew the memory of his person , or of his crime . thus doth divine justice deal with sinfull man , and adam must confesse that heaven hath used this rigour in punishing his sin . for after having past the sentence of death upon him , it will have his grave to serve him for a funerall pile , that time consume what the flames could not devour , and that nothing remain of that body which was the prime piece of it's workmanship , then either worms or dust , it condemns all that come of him to the same punishment , their whole guilt consists in their birth , it is enough to make them guilty , that x adam was their father , god waits not till they have broken his commandements to punish them ; he forestals the use of their reason , and makes them miserable before their time , to the end that they may be known to be guilty before they be born ; by an ingenious yet just rigour , after having punisht this father in his children , he punisheth him in his estate , he makes his subjects revolt , and because they are somtimes serviceable to him in their rebellion , he bereaves them of their excellentest qualities , and makes them , together with their miserable sovereign unfortunate ; he takes from the sunne , part of his light ; he takes the government of nature from the stars , he makes the earth barren and moveable , he hides rocks in the sea , and troubles the calm thereof by storms ; he formes maligne rain in the middle region of the air , and corrupts the purity thereof to infect the whole earth , he makes use of fire in thunder , and ordains it to punish offenders ; he inforceth this noble element to descend contrary to it's inclination , and fastning it to the matter which serves for nourishment to his anger , he makes it the terrour of all that are faulty . but after having had this service from it , y he reserves it for the generall ruine of the world , and to consume that proud building which was the palace of sinfull man. for when the number of the elect shall be accomplisht , when the thrice happy ones who shall fill up the places left void by the angels rebellion , shall have finished their course and their labours , and that christs mysticall body shall have all the number which ought to compose it ; divine justice , which cannot be satisfied but by the ruine of whatsoever hath been serviceable to sin , wil command the fire to consume the world , & will drown all his works in a deluge of fire . then this element mixing it selfe with the clouds , wil kindle lightnings in all parts , the air being set on fire by so many flames , shall burn the whole earth , which shall open her entrails , to let loose those intestine flames , which have devoured it for so many ages : from the mixture and confusion of so many fires , the generall burning of the world shall arise ; the mountains shall melt with heat , and those great r●ks where coldnesse seems to make it's residence , shall be turned into vesuviuses , and aetnaes : the flames inanimated by gods anger , shall lay all champians waste ; z walls which resist the thunder of the cannon shall not be able to defend their inhabitants from it's fury : all the dead shall be made equall , the guilty shall burn in one and the same fire ; and shall be reduced to the same ashes : the sun shall be darkned with smoak , and did not the flames serve for torches , the world should burn amidst darknesse ; all the rivers which bathe the earth , shall be dried up in their spring-heads ; the fire shall triumph over the waters in their channels , and this victorious element shall make it's enemy , which hath had so many advantages over it , feele it's power . the ocean it selfe whose extents are so vaste , shall see her waters converted into fire ; and the whales burn in the midst of it's abysmes : forrests shall help to consume the little hils , which bear them , those proud mountains whose tops are always covered with snow , to which the sun in his greatest heats bears a respect , shall vomit up flames together with their bowels , and all those eminent places which command over the vallies , shall see their pride buried in ashes ; all the guilty shall perish amidst this fire , they shall finde hell upon earth , and shall wish that the mountains a might overwhelm them in their ruins to quench the fire which shall devour them ; the just shall be astonished to see the fire spare them , to see the heavens work the same miracle for them , as they did in days of yore for the three unjustly condemned children , and imitating the piety of those innocents , they shall sing canticles of praises , whil'st the wicked shall vomit forth blasphemies . b how horrible will the spectacle be to see the earth burn , the sea consumed , and whole nature buried in a sepulchre of fire ; this is the revenge which god will take of sin , this is the satisfaction which his justice will exact for our insolency , and this is the last punishment which the creatures shall suffer for having been confederate with man. the very stars shall not be able to escape the rigour thereof ; c that solid matter whereof they are composed , shall be dissolved by heat , and those beautifull parts of the world , having the same destiny , as gold , and brasse have , shall trickle down drop by drop upon the earth , their having been serviceable to us in their light , sufficeth to make them guilty ; their having received homage from us , and accepted of our sacrifices , is sufficient to make them receive this punishment : god will not permit that that which hath been corrupted should rest unpunished , and his holinesse joyned to his justice , cannot tolerate that in eternity , which hath been prophaned in time. jesus christ himself was of this opinion ; he taught that this world did not belong unto him , he imprinted in the souls of his disciples the horrour and contempt of this present age , and obliged them to wish for the age to come , of which he made himself be called the father . all the perfection of christianity consists in these two points ; d all vertues are composed of these two points , and he is perfect amongst the faithfull , who contemning adams world doth incessantly thirst after christ jesus his world . though god be the authour of them both , he detests the former since it was prophaned by sin , and since the devill hath submitted it to his tyranny : he hath given over the sovereignty thereof unto his enemies , he suffers the turk to possesse the best part thereof , he permits his most faithfull servants to be persecuted , he will not have us to receive more glory there than he doth , and if we will follow his counsels , and his instructions , e we must look upon it as a place of exile , or as an enemies countrey . i very well know he giveth crowns to sovereigns , lawrell to the victorious , that he makes the angels fight for christians , and that he arms the elements for the defence of his church : but in fine , his kingdom is not of this world , he will not govern in a world which he will destroy , he pretends not to command in a state , where his enemy is worshipped ; and we must not love a world which he will punish , because we have made it sinfull . let us expect that which he will give us , let us long after that world which will arise out of the others ashes ; and let us not fix our fortunes in a kingdom which shall perish , f when jesus christ shall revenge himselfe upon his enemies . 't is true , that it's ruine will be usefull to it , and that it will reap advantage by it's losse ; for all gods punishments are favours , he puts obligations upon those that he punisheth , his goodnesse turns their sufferings into salves ; and to be strucken by the hand of god , brings both honour and advantage with it . death , which destroys the body , prepares it for the resurrection ; it changeth it's grave into a cradle , and as the corruption of corn is the cause of it's re-assuming life ; we may say that the putrefaction of the body is in some sort the seed of it's mortality . purgatory which burns the soules of men , doth purifie them ; the flames whereby they suffer prepares them for glory ; that which we esteem a punishment , is a lovely penance ; and that which seems to retard their contentment , serves only to advance their happinesse . so shall the g fire which shall burn the world contribute to it's perfection , it shall perish only to become more perfect , it 's beauty shall arise from it's being consumed by fire , and this last deluge shall be of more honour and advantage to it , then was the former ; the waters purified the world by drowning it , this great havock was natures baptisme ; and the same element which did bereave her of her children , did restore unto her her purity ; but the fire shall alter 〈◊〉 qualities , she shall be no longer subject to the empire of 〈◊〉 consistency shall succeed the change which hath preserved her ▪ she shall no longer groan under the devils tyranny , nor under the injustice of sinners ; she shall lose all the qualities which she hath co●acted by sin , and shall recover all those which for our punishment she had lost : not unlike the blessed , she shall enjoy the glory which she is capable of ; every element shall be purified by flames , all parts of the world shall be reformed by the fire which shall consume them ; the sun shall suffer no more eclipses , the lustre of his light shall dissipate all the obscurity of darknesse , his influences shall exhale no more maligne vapours , heaven shall be no longer an enemy to earth , this over-worn mother shall be freed from her care of nourishing man , and her substance being purified by fire , shall be changed into chrystall , or into diamonds ; all her parts shall be delightfull , and those great rocks which do sustain her shall be turned into columnes of marble , or of porphiry . in fine , nature shall receive her last perfection by fire , and the blessed , meeting with no rebellions nor weaknesses in their bodies , shall find no more irregularity nor disorder in the universe . jesus christ shall reign together with his elect , h in his world ; the track of sin , nor foot-steps of death shall be no more seen there ; death shall destroy these two enemies , and their raign being finished , punishment shall withdraw it self to hell , there to afflict the damned to all eternity . the end . errata . page line for force r source . p l 〈◊〉 aethyopians r blackness . ibid. l. ult . f doth r doth not . p l f creature r creator . p ● l f afflictions r affections . ibid. l f she r she be . p l ult . f losing r looseneth . ibid. after engage r them . p l f praiers r praises . ibid. f statutes r statues . p l f we r we are . p l f this r his . p l f its r it . p l f basest r basis. p l f of grace r grace . p l f lord r cord . ibid. l f of r as if . p l f felt r felt-love . ibid. l f faculty r faulty . p l f and not r and could not . p l f contrary r more contrary . p l ult . f certainly r certainty . p l f keepe it r escape them p l f praising r bruising . ib. l f chang'd r change . ib. f which so r which we so . p l f they familiarly r they treat familiarly . ib. l f reduced r seduced . p l for peaceably usurped r peaceably enjoy usurped . p l f the r their . p l f reviling r in reviling . p l leave out the second was . p l f against them r again . ib. after losse , insert of his life . p l for in r into . p l dele not . p l f his r this . p l f steps r stops . ib. f upon r who upon . p l f not an r not be an . ib. l dele not . p l f ement r cement . ib. l f less r less weighty . p l f longer r no longer . p l f often r not often ib. l f known r none . p l f envade r evade . p l f surprisal r by surprisal . p l f to falisci r to the falisci . p l f his r her . p l f one r one crime . p l f lookes r tooke . p l ult . f party r parity . p l dele not . p l dele rather . ib. l f if quencht r if they quencht . p l dele love . p l f lead r leading . p l f with one r without ib. l dele an . ib. f hopes r hops . p l f out r not . p l f notwithstanding r not notwithstanding . p l f designes r desires . p l f impeaceable r impeccable . p l f countenance r contemne . p l f one r none . p l f alwayes r feeds ib. l f of r with . p l dele that . ib. l 〈◊〉 for adopt r adapt . ib. l f to r by . p l for rul'd r rule . p l after hath r or injur'd . p l f reduced r be reduced . p l f spring r off spring . p l f consecrated r he consecrated . p l f smallest r usuallest . p l f securely r be securely . ib. l f sigh r sigh for . p l f had r hath . p l f profession r profusion . p l f untoucht r uncouth . p l ult . f ought r ought not . p l f unworthily r worthily . p l f capres r cypresse . ib. l f the r though the p l f imagine r l imagine . ib. l f had r have . p l f draws r drowns . ib. l f wars r wards . ib. l f men be r me to be . p l f as r a. p l f truth r extort truth . p l f fore-light r foresight . ib. l f with r which . p l f been r been too regular . p l f amongst r most . p l f this r thus. p l f with r which . p l . f renew r review . p l f could r could not . ib. f and r one . p l f the r this . p. l dele who . p l f were r we were . p l f infused r insued . p l f call r called . p l f linifying r finifying . p l f was r was not . p l ult . f withstood r withdrew . p l f every r every one . p l f comfort r consort . ibid. l f for served r severed . p l ult . f gain r game . p l f break r betake . p l f excuse r defence , ibid. l f privatives r privacie . p l f it r of . p l f with r with our . p l f earth r world. p l f don r begun . p l f harden r hardly . p l f take r take him . p l f with r with them . ib. l f defyed r deified . p l dele making . p l f he r we . p l f perfections r imperfections . ib. l his r it's . p l f kin r knit . p l for learning r leaning , p l ult . for combustible r solid . p l leave out if . p l for his r. this , l for which r with , p for then r there , p l for whom 〈◊〉 . who in . printed or sold by william leake at the crown in fleetstreet , between the two temple gates : these books following . yorks heraldry . folio . orlando furioso . the spanish mandevile . o. pareus chyrurgery . fol. callis learned readings on the statute of hen. the th cap. of sewers . o. perkins on the laws of england in eng. o. the parsons law. o. topicks in the laws of england . o. wilkinsons office of sheriffs , with court leet and baron . o. vade mecum , of a justice of peace . . sken de significatione verborum . o. the book of fees. o. the mirrour of justice . o. mathematicall recreations . o. delamans use of the horizontall quadrant . o. malthus artificiall fire-works . o. nyes gunnery and fire-works . o. the history of lazarillo de tormes . o. wilbyes second set of musick and parts . o. garden of naturall contemplations by dr. fulk . o. cato major , with annotations , by william austine of lincolns inne , esquire . . mell helliconium , by alexander rosse . o. cordelius gramatically translated by john brinsley . o. the fort royall of the scriptures , or a vade mecum concordance , presenting unto the world a heads of scripture , most of them common placed for publique use . o. by i h. noscere ipsum , by st john davies . o. animadversions on lilly. o. excercitatio scholastica . o. by beamont and fletcher . philaster , or love lies a bleeding . maids tragedy . o. king and no king. the strange discovery by jo. gough . o. the gratefull servant . o. the hollander a play . o. hero and leander , by christopher marlow and george chapman . o. alcillia or philotas loving folly , o. epigrams divine and morall by st tho. urchard . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e vult homo imitari deum sed perversè , non esse sub illius potestate , sed habere contra illum potestatem . aug. in psal. . neque enim sub deo justo ●iser esse 〈◊〉 potest , 〈◊〉 mer●tur . ●g . l. oper . 〈◊〉 . poenam i●am esse quis dubitet ? omnis autem poena si justa est peccati poena est , & supplicium nominatur . d aug. lib. . de arbitr . cap. . bonum hominis , animus & ratio in animo perfecta : quid autem ab illo exigis ? rem facillimum , secundùm naturam vivere . senec. epist. . est aliqu id quo sapiens antecedat deum : ecce res magna habere imbecillitatem hominis securitatem dei. senec. epist. . oblivione● & 〈◊〉 non ●bjacere pec●ato quo●am ●on secun●ùm ●oluntatem sed secundum necessitatem eveniunt dogma suit . pelagij . item victoriam nostram non esse ex dei adjutorio sed ex libero arbitrio . vicinior est ●mmortalitati sanitas d●lentis quàm stupor non sentientis a●g . in psal. . lacrymae non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed merentur . greg. mag. est enim proprium orato 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 q● . 〈◊〉 lib. 〈◊〉 . de officiis . notes for div a -e a errasti , si existimas nobiscum vitianasci supervenerunt ingesta sunt . sen. epist. . b in causa duorum hominum quorum per unuro venum detisumus sub peccato , per ●lterum redimimur à peccatis proprie fides christiana consistit . aug. lib de peccato . origin . cap. c pereat dies in quâ natu● sum , & nox in quâ dictum est conceptus est homo . job . d princeps & domina carnis naturaliter anima est quae domare carnem debet & regere . august . contra julian , lib. . cap. . e etiam sine magistro vi●ia disc● . seneca lib. . quaest . c. . f conit●ntia tam concupiscentiae testis est quam host is . august . g itaque foeliciter homo natus jacet manibus pedibusque devinctis , flens animal caeteris imperaturum & à suppliciis vitam vispicatur unam tantum ob culpam quia natum est . plin. lib. . proem . h omnis creatura pugnabit contra insensatos . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 poena , 〈◊〉 ●sta est pe● poena est & supplicium nominatur . porro quia de omnipotentia dei & justitia dubitare dementis est justa haec poena est , & pro peccato aliqup ponditur . aug lib . de lib. arbit . c. . k exhum 〈◊〉 v●tae erroribus & aerumnis fit , ut verum sit illud quod est apud aristotelem , sic nostros animos cum corporibus copulatos ut vivos cum mortuis esse conjunctos . cicer. in hor●s . l hominem ●on ut à matre sed ut à noverea natura editum in vitam corpore nudo , fragili infirmo ▪ animo antem anxio ad molestiam humili ad timo●es molli ad labores ▪ prono ad libidies : rem vidit cicero causam nescivit . lib. . contra jul. c. m nulli r●s vitio natura conciliat , nos illa integros , ac liberos genuit . sen. epist. . n cito nequitia subrepit : virtus diffi ili● inventus est lib. . quaest . natural . cap. . o quid ergo ign●atia re● innocenntes erant . multum autem interest utrum peccare aliquis nolit an nesciat . s●n. epist . sub finem . p infanti quoque decreta mors est , fata quis tam tristia sortitus unquam , videram nondum diem & jam tenebar . mors me antecessit , aliquis intra viscera materna lethum precocis sati ●lit , sed numquid & peccavit ? thebaid . senec. q adam sactus est homo , potuit esse aliud quam factus est . ●ctus est enim justus & potuit esse injust us . aug. in se●m . contra dictnm maxim. in append . r adam deo suo à quo erat conditus rectus , nullo prorsu● virio depravatus ads●abat , lib. . imperf . contra jul. num . . s hac pralia numquam & numquam ess●nt si natura nostra sicut recta creata est permaneret . aug. lib. . de civit . cap. . t hae igitur partes ira atque libido in paradiso ante peccatum vitiosae non eran● , non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad 〈◊〉 , ●de ne● esse ▪ 〈◊〉 ●as ra● t●mquam ●renis re● 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 quod nun● 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 e●t u●que 〈◊〉 ●x natu● sed 〈◊〉 ●x 〈◊〉 . a●g . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cap. ● . u ille vero pri● adam nulla ●li 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a●●sus s● s●m tentatus illo be●udmis l●o su● secum ●ace ●uebatur . august . lib. de co● upt . & gratia cap . x sicut in paradiso nullus aestus aut ●rigus , sic in ●jus habitatore nul la ex ●piditate vel ti●e bonae voluntatis of●nsio . aug. lib. ▪ de civit. cap. . y de●rat me adam & in●e 〈◊〉 s● , & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 qu●a ●il pot● sin● 〈◊〉 . aug. 〈◊〉 . . d● v●ro . 〈◊〉 h● autem bellum nomquam ullum esset si natura humana ●er liberum arbitrium in rectitudine in qua facta est persti●isset . aug lib. . de civit. cap. . a nam & superbia illio est quia homini in sua potius esse quam in dei potestate dil●xit , & sacrilegium qu● deo non credidit , homicidium quia se praecipitavit in mortem , sornicatio spiritualis quia integritas mentis human● serpenti● persuasione corrupt●est surtum quia cibus prohibitus usurpat● est , & avaritia quia plusquam sufficere sibi debuit appetiit . aug. in enchirid. c. . b ipsi primi homines per serp●tem decepti & dejecti 〈◊〉 fuissent nisi plus quam acceper●t habere , & plusquam facti ●rant esse voluissent : hic qui● promis●rat dicens eritis sicut dii . plus au●em volentes habere quàm acceperant & quod acc●unt amiserunt . aug. in psalm . . c prim● hominis perditio a●or sui . serm. . de diversis ; c●p . d quo nihil est ad praedicandum notius , nihil ad intelligendum secretius . aug. de morib . ●les . cap. . e quemadmodum aethiopes quia nigri sunt nigros gignunt , non tam● in filio parentes colorem suum velut ●icam 〈◊〉 anserunt , sed su● co●is qua li●ate corpus quod de illis propagatur of ficiunt . 〈◊〉 ib. . contra jul . cap . f qui nascitur & ex deo quia creat , & ex homine quia generat , & ex peccato quiavitiat . august . lib. . cont . jul. cap. g est libido ulciscendi quae i●a appelatur , amor habendi ●cuniam quae avaritia , libido quomodo● 〈◊〉 ●ndi qu● pe●cacia , libido gloriandi quae jactar tia . aug lib. . de civit. cap. . h hom● vitiatus homines vitiatos genuit , ●ores gigne● quam ipse esset , non ●t ●quitatis . aug. lib. arbit . ca. . i quamois pos● nondum agerent vitas proprias , tamen quicquid erat in sutura propagine vita unius homi●s conti●bat . aug. lib . con● jul. cap. . k primus homo ada● , secun ▪ dus homo christus , & ide● manifestum est ad illum perti●re omnem hominem qui ex illa successione propaginis nascitur , ficut ad ist●m pertinet omnis qui in illo gratiae largitate renascitur . unde fit 〈◊〉 totum genus humanum 〈◊〉 homines duo primus & secundus , beda in ep. st . corinth . cap. . l habent parvuli originale peccatum non per animam , sed per carnem utique contractum animaeque refusu● carninam que ita unitur ▪ anima ut cum carne fit un● persona . aug. lib. . cont . jul. cap. . m cum rationalis anima sic lit getur corpori u● ex ea & corpor unum animal componatur , merito à materia mox inficitur , adeo ut & passionibus sit obnoxia & motus immoderatos more corporis subeat in exc●sum atque defectum . marcil ▪ fiscin . in plau. n ita omnis anima ●word ▪ in adam censetur donec in christ● recenseatur , tamdiuimmunda quamdiu re●tur . peccatrix aut●m quia immunda recipiens ignominiam suam ex carnis societate . tertul. de anima . o sicut onmium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & omnium 〈◊〉 , & qu● infoelicius 〈◊〉 prius 〈◊〉 quam 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . p concupiscentia seu libido nihil est aliud quam rei creatae desiderium cujus impetus mortiseros anima antegratiam libens patitur , post gratiam pati etiam invita compellitur . august . q inest in membris sed reum te non facit ▪ liberatus es ab illo , liber pugna sed vide ne vincaris & itorum fias servus , laboras pugnando sed laetaberis triumphando . beda in rom. cap. . r nato quidem & inest & obest , reaato autem inest quidem , sed obesse non potest . aug. lib. de gratia & peccato , c. . s peccatum vocatur quod & peccato facta est , & quod peccatum si vicerit facit , aug. lib. . ad bonifac. cap. . t cum aliquibus nati sumus , aliquas consuetudines & fecimus . aug. ser. . de temp . u quis me liberavit à corpore mortis hujus . paul. x deserte creatore bono vivere secundum creatum bo●um , non est bonum , sive q●sque s●cundum ●nem , sive s●cundum 〈◊〉 , sive secundum totum homin● qui constat ex 〈◊〉 & corp●re eligat vivere . aug. lib. de c●vit . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 y qui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●ritati necesse est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 miquitati . aug. in psal. . z admodum legitimé sactum est ut homo qui noluit obedire domino suo non ei serviret caro ejus . supra 〈◊〉 dominus tuus , infra te caro tua , servi meliori ut serviat tibi inserior . contempsisti superiorem torqueris ab inseriore . beda in rom. cap. . a vestigium peccati passim appellatur concupiscen●a ab aug. b hoc peccati nomine appellas unde oriuntur cuncta peccata id est ex carnali concupiscentia . quicquid enim est peccatorum in dict is in cogitatibus , in factis non exoricur nisi exmal● cupidit●te . beda in rom. . c lex peccati dicitur concupiscentia quiae suadet peccata , atque ut ita di●erim jubet . aug. l. . operis imperf . d consilium meum justificationes tu● . psal. . e prudentia carnis inimica deo. rom. . f pruentia ista vitium est non natura , vis nossequid est sapere secundum carnem , 〈◊〉 est . beda in rom. . g video aliam legem in membris meis repugnantem legi mentis meae & captivantem me in lege peccati quae est i● membris meis . rom. . h nonne hinc apparet in quod velut pondere suoproclivis & proua sit vitiosa natura . aug. lib. . decivit . cap. . i hi duo amores disti●xerunt duas ciuitates , quorum alter sanct● est , alter immundus , alter socialis alter privatus , alter communi vtilitati consulens propter societatem , alter etiam rem communem in potestatem propriam redigens propter arrogantem dominationem . aug. in lib. de gen. ad litteram cap. . k charitas patiens est , b●nigna est , omnia suffert , omnia credit , omnia sperat , omnia sustinet . cor. cap. . l temperantia est amor integrum se praebens ei quod amatur , fortitudo amor facile tolerans omnia propter quod amatur , justitia amor soli amato serviens & propterea rectè dominans , prudentia amor ex quibus adjuvatur ab e● quitus i● podtur sagaciter eligens . aug. lib. de morib . eccles . cap. . m in hac vita virtus non est nisi diligere quod diligendum est . id eligere prudentia est , null is inde molestiis averti fortit●do est : nullis illecebris temperantia est : nullâ superbia justitia est . quid autem●gamus quod prae cipuè diligamus nisi quo nihil melius invenimus . hoc deus est cui si diligendo aliquid vel praponimus vel aequamus nos ipsos diligere nescimus . aug. epistola ad maced . n erunt homines seipsos ainantes cupidi , clati , superbi , parentibus non obedientes , ingrati , proditores , voluptatum amatores magis quam dei. tim. cap. . o videtur de homine ipso nibil actum , sed parum dilucidè qui hoc arbitratur intelligit . non enim fieri potest ut seipsum , qui deum diligit , non diligat : imo verò solus se novit diligere qui deum diligit : siquidem ille satis se diligit qui sedulò agit ut summo & vero persruatur bono . aug. lib. de morib . eccle. cap. . p sc●ernant civitates duas amores duo , terrenam scilicet amor sui usque ad contemptum dei , coelestem vero amor dei vsque ad contemptum sui . aug. lib. . de civit. cap. . q deus noster is est quem id omneamat quod amare potest , origen . r dilectionem sui in illam dilectionem dei resert quae nullum à se rivulum extra se duci patitur cujus derivatione minuatur . aug. de doct . chri. cap. . s in omnibus illecebris mundi hujus tria sant aut voluptas aut curiositas aut superbia . aug. in append . serm. . t concupiscentia ad sentiendum nos five consentientes mente sive repagnantes , appetitu carnalis voluptatis impell●t . aug. lib. . cont . julia. cap. . t concupiscentia ad sentiendum nos five consentientes mente sive repagnantes , appetitu carnalis voluptatis impell●t . aug. lib. . cont . julia. cap. . u quam late patet curiosit● ipsa in specta●lis in theatr is in sacrament is diabolicis , i● magic i● artibus , in malefici●ipsa e● curiositas . aug. ●ct . . in epist. joannis . x alipius conjugium desiderabat , nequaquam victus libidine tal is voluptatis , sed curiositatis . aug. lib. . confess . cap. . y magnum delictum quod ex ang●lo fecit diabolum . aug. in psal. z tria sunt istae & nihil inveni● unde tentetur cupiditas human● , nisi aut desiderio carnis aut desiderio oculorum aut ambitione saeculi . per tria ista tentatus est dominus à diabolo . august . tract . . in epist . joan. a o 〈◊〉 cul● quae talem ac tantum meruit habere redemptorem . b vita justi in isto corpore adhuc bellum est , nondum triumphans . ergo hic semper pug●andum est ▪ quia ipsa concupiscentia cum qua nati sum● finiri non potest q●mdiu vivim●s . quotidiè minui potest finiri non potest . beda in rom. . in august . c quae hominis alia est major miseria nisi adversus eum ipsum , inobedientia ejus ipsius . aug. lib. ▪ de civit. cap. . d neque viv● ut vult homo nisi 〈◊〉 perv●eris ubi mori sal●i 〈◊〉 offendi non possit . august . lib. . decivit . cap. . e vt sim● initium aliquod c●caturae ejus . jacob ideo christus vocatur pater futuri saeculi . f concupiscenti● host is mea quomodo agit malum & non perficit malum : agit malum quia movet desideriū malum : non p●rficit malum quia nos non trahit ad malum & in isto bello est tota vita sanctorum . bed. in rom. . g agit caro desideria sua age tu tua : non opprimuntar , non extinguntur à te desideriaejus , non extinguat tua , ut in certamine labores & non victus trabetis . bed. in rom. . h rem saciam non difficilem causam deorum agam . senec. provid . i d●cunt in bonis dies suos & in puncto descendunt in inferos iob. k august . in psal. . l omnis animae poenoe & praemium semper aliquid consert justa pulchritudini dispositionique rerum omnium . aug. lib. de quantit . animae , cap. . m lex aeterna & summa ratio cui semper obtemperandum , illa est per quam mali miseram , boni beatam vitam merentur , nec enim injustum esse potest ut mali miseri , boni beati sint . aug. lib. . de lib. arbit . cap. n nunquam accidit ut sit in anima dedecus peccati sive decore vindicta . august . o in ipso etiam scelere sceleris supplicium est . seneca . p vidi malos & displicuit mihi deus . hoc enim volebam ut non permitteret déus malos esse foelices : intelligat homo : numquam permittit hoc deus sed ideo malus foelix putatur quia quid sit foelicit●is ignoratur . aug. tract . . in joan. q video ●ie in poena & apud te non video iniquitatem : si ergo in poenâ sum & apud te iniquitas non est , nonne rest at ut pro iniquitate crudias hominem . aug. in psal. . r numquid ille prius ulcorquàm iste peccator ? absit neque enim deus davinat innocentes . aug. lib. . de gen. cap. . s non sibi tantum de dei misericordia , blandiantur , ut sibi etiam injustitiam ejus polliceantur . aug. in psal. . s non sibi tantum de dei misericordia , blandiantur , ut sibi etiam injustitiam ejus polliceantur . aug. in psal. . notes for div a -e a veritas & virtus medium tenent , ●esis & vitium extrema occupant in qua de viare sine periculo ne●o potest . b consiste in medio anim● , seu divina & 〈◊〉 res 〈◊〉 sec●um plures phylosophos , seu minimè divinae quoniam quidem mortalis ut soli epicuro placet seu de coelo exciperis seu de terta conciperis , seu numeria seu atomis concinnaris , seu cum corpore incaeperis , seu post corpus induceris , unde & quoquo modo hominem facis animal rationale sensus & scier 〈◊〉 capacissimum . tertul. de testi . animae . b nam te quoque palam & tota libertate qu● non licet nobis , ita audimus pro nuntiare quod deus dederit & si deus voluerit . ea voce 〈◊〉 significas & omnem illi confiteris potestatem ad cujuc spectas voluntatem simul & c●te os negas esse deos dum suis vocabilis nuncupas saturnū , jovem , martē , & minervam . tertull. de test . animae . d sentis igitur tuum perditorem & licet soli illum noverint christiani tu tamen eum nosti dum odisti . tertul . de test . animae . d sentis animam quae ut sentias efficit : recogita in praesagiis varem , in omnibus augurem , in eventibus prospicem . tertul. de test . animae . e non mirum si 〈◊〉 deo data ●nima 〈◊〉 divinare . ●ertul . de test . animae . f monas genuit monadem & in se suum reflexit ardorem . trismegist . g anima autem movet corpus , ab illa enim impingi , & pedes in incessum , & manus incontactum & oculos in aspectum & linguam in essatum velut sigillario motu superficiem int● agitante . ter. tul . de anima . h porrò & animam compati corpori ! cui loeso ictibus , vulneribus , ulceribus condolescit , & corpus animae cui afflictae curae angore amore cobereseit . tertul . de animae . i nam omnibus ferè ingenita est famae post mortem cupido , longumque est eos retexere quorum innumera elogia sunt contemptae mortis propter posthu● sa●am . terrul . de ani . k hinc denique evenit saepe anima● in ips● divortio potius agitari , d● ex major● suggestu jam in liber● constituta enunciat quae videt , quae andit , quae incipit nosse . tert. de animae l nam etsicaro peccairix secun , dum quam vivere prohibemur , cujus opera damnatur cancupisceeatia adversus spiritum , ob quam carnales notantur iusamiâ , non tamen suo nomine caro infamis . neque enim de proprio sapit quid , aut sentit ad suadendam vel imperandam peccat●lam : quid , ni ? quae in ministerium est . tert. de anima . m quod enim à deo est ●on tam extinguitur quàm obumbratur : potest autem obumbrari quia non est deus , extingui non potest quia à deo est , tertul. de anima . n certamen corporis & animae non fuisset in illo beatae pacis loco , id est in paradiso deliciarum , si nemo peccasset . aug. lib. oper . imperf . o tunc corpus non erat carcer animae ut somniavit pl● , sed erat templum tertul. p per amorem corporis ' anima● aliquomodo corpora scit , & definit esse spiritus august . q sinon peccosset adam , non erat expoliandus corpore , sed supervestiendus immortalitate . aug st lib. . de genes . ad litter . cap. . r igitur anima corpus est , ex corporalium passionum communione . tert. de anima . s non in cupiditatibus fraenandis continen tia laboraret , si nibil nos contra quod contenderet detineret ; si nihil bonae voluntati ex mala concupiscentia repugnaret . august . lib. de con● . cap. . t hanc pugnam non experiuntur in semetipsis nisi bellatores virtutum debellatoresque vitiorum . non expugnat concupiscentiae malum nisi continentiae bonum . sunt autem qui legem dei omnino nescientes malas concupiscentia● nec inhostibus deputant inque miserabili coecitate servientes , in super etiam se beat●s putant satiendo ea● potius quàm domando . august . lib. de continent . cap. . u omnis pulchritudo ●ilie regis ab int● . psal. . x ignorantia peccati poena , peccatum est , & peccatorum plurium origo inde ait psalm . delicta juventutis , & ignorantias meas ne memineris . et si enim damnabiliora peccata sunt qua à scientibus commi●untur , tamen si ignorantiae peccata nulla essent hoc non legeremus quod commemoravi . aug. lib. de gratia & arbit . cap. . y contra inju● rias vitae beneficium mortis habeo . seneca . z carmima vel c●lo possunt deducere lunam . virgil. a nihil est in intellectu quodprius non suerit in sensu . arist. b nelentibus subintravil ignorantia rerum ●ndarum & ●upiscentia noxia●um quibus comites sub infer●ntur error & dolor . aug. 〈◊〉 ●hirid . c. . c naturalium scientia ne in bestiis quidem deficit . tertulde anima . d irrequ●tum ●rit cor nostrum done● 〈◊〉 in t● deus . aug. in con●ss . e non mag●a sed nova miramur . seneca quaest. natur. f magna miracula assiduitat● viguerunt . aug. g sol spectato●m non habet 〈◊〉 cum de●cit . lunam 〈◊〉 psectamu● ni● labor●ntem . senquaest natural . h nam sive gr● poëtae credimus , aliquando & insanire jucundum est sive platoni frustr● poeticas fores compos sui pepulit : sive aristoteli , nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementia fuit . non potest grande aliquid & supra caeteros loqui , ni● mota men● . cùm vulgaria & solita contempsit in● inctuque sacro surrexit excelsi●r , tunc demum aliquid cecinit grandius ore mortali . senecde tranquil . animae . i captiv●ntes intellectum in obsequium fidei apos●olus . k 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sob●ii 〈◊〉 comp●s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . tunc 〈◊〉 ape●issime & optimè prae●icunt futura , cùm toti à deo cor ipiuntur . ja●b . in myster . l sacrificium ita est institutum ad do●ntum pecc●tum ut ipsum appell●tur in sc●pt 〈◊〉 peccatu● . august . m maxima est enim sact● injuri● poe●afecisse : nec qu●quam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 q●m quid ad suppliciu● poe●n t●ae du●ur . s●n c. li. d● liâ c. c . n ideò de● factus est bomo , ut ab ●omine p●sset intelligi . o deus non p●tuit ●umanes congressus inire , nisi humanos & sensus , & affectus susce●t pe● quos v● majestatis sue intolerabilem utiquae hum●nae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 te●peraret si●i quidem indigna , ●omini aute● n●cessaria & ita jam deo digna quia nihil tam deo dig●um quàm salas ●ominis . te●tul . lib. . in marcion . cap . p v●luit deus seminare omni ●nimae initiae i●tellectus initiae sapientiae quâ legitimum aliquid facit & sapit . august scrm. . de verbis domini cap. . q na● 〈◊〉 op● 〈◊〉 ●omine ●d 〈◊〉 ruit , & si 〈◊〉 ●em 〈◊〉 quae om● virtutem 〈◊〉 accip● 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 si ne do●t . in●●titias p● is rerum m●ximarum . s●d virtute● s● inchoavit & uihil amplius . cicer . lib. . d● finibus . r dominus illuminatio mea & sal● mea . sic. dominum i● ocat ut illminatio detra●t ign●rantiam & s●lu . infirmi●atem . august . in enchirid. cap. . s sicut de calce quod ●ervet in aqua in o●eo s●igida est : de magnete ●apide quod stipul●m non moveat , & serrum rapiat , dep●lea sic s●gente ut fluescere nivem non sinat sic cale●te ut ●maturescere po●a compellat . aug. lib. . de civit. cap. . t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 & no● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ti●u , in 〈◊〉 a●is , i● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ia lo is 〈◊〉 ac 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sua qua● opinion● 〈◊〉 , ubi & si 〈◊〉 vera 〈◊〉 , ead●m licentia di●bantur & 〈◊〉 , p●orsus 〈◊〉 ●rustra talis civitas mysticum vocabulum bab●nis acceperit . aug. l●b . de civit. c ● . u dolcobona fide platon● omnium h●reticorum co●dimentarium sactum . tertul de anima . x ante omnia caveai● natura , ne quis vos 〈◊〉 invitos , patet exitus : si pu●re non vult● l●cet sug●e , ni●il seci 〈◊〉 quàm 〈◊〉 . atten●te m●do & videbil is quam brevis ad libertate● & quàm expedita , ducet via . senec. de provid . cap. ulti●o . y etiam anima circum venta ab adversario me● sui auto●s . si mirum si à deo data ●alem canit quae deus suis dedit nosse , te●tul . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . animae . z o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud 〈◊〉 ●nia 〈◊〉 ●ficit 〈◊〉 christianorum . tertul. de testim animae . a foeli●es populi quibus 〈◊〉 nascuntur in hortis . numina . b cum f●licitate colebantur & pavor & palor , & febris & cetera non numina colend● rum sed crimina colentium . august . lib. . de civit. c. . c utinam quem admodum universi mu●di ●acies in conspectum venit ita phylosophi●●ota posset nobis occ●rere pro ●erto : omnes mortales in sui admirationem rapere● . sen●c . epist. . d lauda in ho mine quod nec ●ripi potest 〈◊〉 dari quod pro pri● est hominis . queris 〈◊〉 sit ? animu● & ratio in animo 〈◊〉 . senec. epist. e omnes mortales multo anteced●s non mul to te 〈◊〉 a●te edens . quid int●r ●e , & i●os sit inter fu●urum qu● ? 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 s● . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . f in homin● optimum quid est ratio , ●aec antecedit animalia , deos sequitur . ratio ergo perfecta , pr●fectaprop , ium hominis ●num est : cae●era cum animalibus illi communia . valet ? & leones , formosus est & pavones , velox est ? & ●qui . corpus habet & arbores , habet vocem sed quan to clariorem canes , acutiorem aquila , gravior● tauri dulcio rem mo●ilioremque l●inae . s●n. ep●st . . g cums●aratio 〈◊〉 homin●●tio perfect ▪ beatum facit . sen● . epist. . i m●to 〈◊〉 non ●ris rational●s sed 〈◊〉 . aug. k multa bona nostra nobis nocent , timoris enim tormentum memoria red●cit , provi●entia anticipat . nemo t●ntum praesentibus miser est . sen. epist. . l si lex ratio●e co●stat lex ●rit omne j●m quod ratione 〈◊〉 à qu●cumque productum . tertul. de 〈◊〉 mil● . m infans dum nascitur ●acet n●ens ubi sit , quid sit , à quo creatus , ●am reusde●cti non d● capax p●aecepti . aug. de paen . merit . c. n non libera voluntas dicenda est ▪ quamdiu est vincentibus & vincientibus cupiditatibus subdita . aug. epist. . o ego dormi● & co●meum vigila● . p homo animal rat●onale mortale . august . . apul. q agunt opus su●m sata : nobis sensum nostrae necis auferunt quoque faci●ius obrepat mors sub ipso nomine vitae lat●t . sen. ad martiam . cap. . r dan. . . s memoriam plato se●um & intellectuum 〈◊〉 , & ci● thesaurum omnium studiorum praedicavit . t●ll . lib. de ani● . t ibi quand● sum 〈◊〉 ut pro seratur quod vo lo , & qu●dam statim prodeunt , qu●dam requiruntur diu●us , & tanquam de abstrusioribus quibasquam r● ceptaculis cru● tur , quaedam catervatim se proruunt , & dum aliud petitur & quaeritur proficiunt in m●dium quasi dicentiame sorte nos sum●s . august . lib. . confess . cap. . u haec omnia recipit recolenda cum opus est , & retractanda grandis memoriae retractanda grandis memori●●ecessus . idem ibid. x consilium fut riex pr●terito ve●it . senec. fpist . . y ibi & ipse 〈◊〉 i 〈◊〉 meq ▪ rec● quid , quan●o vel ubi ege●m , quo●ue 〈◊〉 c●agerem aff●ctas su●im . 〈◊〉 sunt o●nia quae s●e exper●a à me sive cre●ita me m●ni . au● . . cenfess . cap. . z quisnam est quid●cat mihi non esse t●ia tempora , si ut p●eri didi●imus pue●osque do cuimus praeteritum praesen● & futurum , sed tantum prae sen● , q●iam illa duo non s● ? an & i●sa s●nt , sed ex al●quopro cedit at u●to , cum ex futur● fit praesens & in aliq●od recedit occultum cum ex p●aesenti si● praeteritum . aug. . confess . cap. . * pr●s autem si s●er esset praesens ▪ nec i● praeteritum transi●et ●am n●n esset tempus sed aet●s . aug. lib. . con● . cap. . a praesentia bena nond●m tota in solido sunt , potest illa casus aliquis incide● , futur● pend●nt & incerta sunt : q●od praeteri is inter tuta se positum est . sen. lib. . de benef. cap. . b tanta est in ●riae ub i●o , qu●nta est gloria ●jus cujus est inju●a , memo ria sci●icet . tertul. ●b . de anima . c nobis pudendum est quod imperio nostro caro non s●rvit . quia b●c fit per infirmitat●m quam peccand● meruimus . ●g . lib. . de peccat . merit . cap. . d in ruissimus omnium qui oblitus : nusqu ●m enim gratus ficri potest , cui totum beneficium elapsum est . sen. de benefic . lib cap . e altius injuriae quàm merita 〈◊〉 . f etiamsi ●dtum super ●t aeiat● , p●ce jam dispensandum erat ut suffi●ret necessa● : nun● quae dementia est s●pervacua discere●n tanta temporis ●ge , 〈◊〉 s●n. ep. . g p●ima haec est 〈◊〉 quod se 〈◊〉 cenemo nocens absolv●ar . juven . sa●y . h multa sacta quae nomi●●us impro●anda viderentur , testimoni● tuo approbata sunt : & multa 〈◊〉 data 〈◊〉 bus , 〈◊〉 damna● , cum se al●ter babet species facti & animus facientis . aug. lib. . confess . cap. . h si honesta sunt quae facis , omnes sciant : si turpia , quid refert nemin●m scire ●um tu scias ? 〈◊〉 te miserum ! si hunc contemnas testem . sen. ep●st . i quid prodest hominem fallere & deum testem in corde habere . august . k male de nobis actum erat , quoad multa scelera legem & judicem essugiuat , nisi in incum judicis timor cederet . sen. epist . i frenum ante p●ccatum & fla●●llum post p●ccatum . k mala etiam co●sc●entia in solitudine anxia est atque solicita . senec. epist. . l nec ullum scelus licet illud fortunae exornet muneribus , licet tueatur ac vindic et impun●um est , quoniam sceleris in scelere supplicium est . senec. epist. . m deum mala conscientia pungit amara sunt omnia . august . n interiora pulchritudinis conscientiae amat christus . ibi videt , ibi amat , ibi lequitur , ibi coronat . aug. iu psalm . . o prosper● ac ●lix ●us vi●tus vocatur . sen● . p hor●or cruciatusque ●ormidantis conscientiae ultimus ad re●piscendum stimulus , quid si etiam tollitur de salute d●speratum est . aug. q stupor non dolet , a●it sensu● doloris , ta●o insensibilio● quanto ●ejor . august . in psal. . r permissum ●it vile nefas : quod licet , i●gratum est ; quod non licet , acrius crit . s imperat anim● corpo●e , & par●tur statim . imperat animu● ut moveatur manus & tanta e●t facilitas ut vix à servitio discernatur imperium . aug. lib. . confess . cap. . t interest qualis sit voluntas 〈◊〉 ●is , quia si perversa est per vers●s habe●is ●os mot●s ; si autem recta est , non solum inculpabiles veru● etiam ▪ laud●s 〈◊〉 . august . . d● c●t . c . u bona privata quaerunt , sive sensus corporis sive facultates , animae . sola volentas bonum publicum procurat . x coeca voluntas , coecus ejus amor , coecum ejus regimen , nec mi●um si inter tot tenebras aberret homo . y amor meus pondus meum , eo feror quocunque ferer . august . conf. z gratia oneri est , ultio in quaestu habetur . quidam quo plus debent , magis oderunt . a 〈◊〉 se ingra● & macerat : ●dit quae accepit quia red● est , & extenuat ; injuri● vero dilata●tque auget . quid autem eo miserius cui ben●ia excid● , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . senec. epist. . b qui alienis malis sicut suis bonis laetantur , divites sunt alienis jacturis , locupletes calamitatibus , immortales funeribus . valer. maximus . c servitus obedientia est fracti animi & abjecti , arbitrio carentis suo . * sit datum liberum arbitrium humanae naturae ut eam tamen necesse sit vivere sub potestate melioris . august d sibi servire gravissima servitus est . senec. praefat lib. . quae. natur. e arbitrium voluntatis tunc est vere liberum , cum vitiis peccatisque non servit ▪ tale datum est à deo , quod amissum proprio vitio , nisi à quo dari potuit reddi non potest . aug. lib. . de c●it . cap. . f non est igitur gratia dei in natura liberi arbitrii , quia & liberum arbitrium ad diligen dum 〈◊〉 eum pri●●i peccati graditate perdidimus . august . epistola . g peccans ille qui sine peccati necessitate creatus est in eo quod animae sanitatem delinquendo perdidit , etiam illae cogitandi quae ad deum per●nent , ami●t protinus facilitatem aug. lib. de incarnat . & g ●ia , cap. . h et istam quis fecerat nisi ille qui eos cum bona voluntate , id est cum amore casto quo illi adhaerent , cr●vit , simul in eis & condens naturae & largiens gratiam . aug. lib. . de civit. cap . id dicit de angelis , idemque sentit de homine . i liberum voluntatis arbitr●m in 〈◊〉 homi●e 〈◊〉 d●co , qu● primus formatus est . i lle ●c factus est , ut nihil o●no volunta●i ●us resister●t , si vellet dei praece●ta servare . po●quam autem livera ipse voluntate peccavit nos i● necess●atem praecipitati sumus . august . disput . . cont . fo●t . k natura ●umana etiamsi in illa integ●tate permaneret in qua est condita , nullo modo seipsam creature suo non adjuvante ●rvaret . c●ncil . arausic . ca● . . l na●urahominis prim●tus inculpata , & si ne ullo vitio creata est . natura vero i●a ho●inis , qu● unusquisqu● e● adam nas●tur ●am medico indig●t quia sa●a non ●st . augu● . lib. de n●ura & gratia , c. . m quid enim opus erat deo si status integer naturae maneret , 〈◊〉 ●em suscipere nostram ? perge adhuc 〈◊〉 ▪ 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a●trium si . ex a●am susc●ptum , 〈◊〉 med●a christi non ●digens per se sive 〈◊〉 imple●e quod ve● . author ●brerum . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . n v●t no● , ●abet ambula●di poss●vilitatem , de homine san●s pedibus ●lerabiliter dici po●est , confractis vero si velit non habet , vitiata est natura de qua loquimur . a●g . li. de natura & gratia , cap. . o in ●egno na● sumus ubi pare●e libertasest s●nec . p servire deo , regnare est . p servire deo , regnare est . q quid illi deerat ut tangeret lignum vetitum , nisi quia sua potestate uti voluit , praeceptum rumpere de●ctavit , ut nullo sibi dominante fie●et ●cut deus , qu●a d●ullus utiq●e dominatur , a●g . in p●al . s imago deido●abat feram , & deus non ●omuit imagine● suam . aug. t conditio servitutis jure intelligitur impositapeccatori . nomen istud culp a meruit non natura . august . l. . de civit. cap. . u lex peccata est violenti● cons●etudinis quae trabitur , & ten●tur etiam invitus animus eo merit● , quo in ●m volens illabitur , august . lib. . conf. c. . x duo sunt qu● ad peccandum ●os sollicitant , natura & habitus ; illud ex poena originali , hoc ●x p●a frequentati peccati , cum illo in ●anc vitam nascimur hoc vivendo addimus , qu● duo con●uncta ro●ustissimam faciunt concupiscentiam . august . lib. . qq . quaest . . y qu●ndo nasci● cupidi● antequa● obu●●ctat adv●sum te , mala cons●tudo p●vula est , elide illa● ad petram qui christus est . aug. in psalm . . z ex peccato est omnis mal● consue●ndo , & ad peccatum i●linat . aug. a nemo repente fit malus . nemo est ●asu bonus , discenda virtus est . s●n. epist. . b peccata qua●vis magna & borrenda cum in consuetudinem venerint , aut parv● au● nulla creduntur , usque adeo ut non solum non occultanda , verum etiam praedicanda diffamandaqu● videantu . august . e●chirid . cap. . c tanto amplius in concupiscentia superanda voluntas laborat , quan●o ei ma ores vires consu●tudo dedit . aug. lib. . c●nt . jul. cap. d dum servitu libidini facta est consuetudo , & dum consuetudini non resi●titur facta est necessitas . aug. lib. cons. e tenent pravae consuetudines quem semel ●eperant , atque quotidie duriores existunt , & non nisi cum peccatoris vit● fi●iuntur . gregor . moral . l. f gravissimum est imperium consuetudinis senec. in proverb . g dismit esse remedio iocus , ubi quae suerant vitia , mores sunt . senec. epist . . h recti apud nos locum tenet error , ubi pullicus factus est , idem . i in repentinis agimus ex babitu . aristoteles . k diffi●ile est peccati consuetudinem vincere : pravus usus vix aboletur : affidua consuetudo vitium i● naturam convertit . antmus sceleribus adstrictus , vix ab tis divelli potest . ●fidor . lib. solil . notes for div a -e a omnis infidelium vita peccatum est , & nihil est bonum sine summo bono , ubi , enim d●est agnitio aternae , & incommutabilis aternitatis , falsa virtus est etiam in bonis operibus , sent. . prosp. b quid enim quiete animi otiosus ? quid ira laboriosius ? quid clementia remissius ? quid crudelitate negotiosius ? vacat pudicitia , libido occupatissima est . omnium denique virtutum tutela facili● est , vitia magno coluntur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . . de liâ . 〈◊〉 . c inter bones viros ac deum amititia est conciliante virtute , tunc etiam necessitudo & similitudo . sen. de provid . c. . d interrogas quid petam●x virtute ? ipsam : nihil enim est melius , ipsa pretium sui est . senec . de vita beata c. . e non habet unde accipiat injuriam . ab homine me tantum dicere putas ? nec à fortuna quidem , quae quoties cum virtute congressa est , nunquam par recessit . senec. de const , sapient . cap. . f maximum hoc habem 〈◊〉 à naturameritum , quod virtus in omnium animos lumen suum praemittit : etiam qui non sequ untur illam , vident . sen. lib. . de benefic . c. g proprium hominis bonum virtus & ratio . sen● . h pa●m deo pecunia non faciet : deus nihil habet , praetexta non faciet : deus nudus est . fama non faciet , nec ostentatio tui : nemo novit deum , multi de illo malè existimant & impunè . sen. ep. i errare mihi visus est , qui dixit : gratio● est pul●hro veniens ècorpore virtus : nullo en●m honest●mento eget ipsa , & magnum sui decus est , & corpus suum consecrat . sen. epist. . k indue magni viri animum : cape quantam debes virtutis pu●cherrimae ac magnificentissimae speciem , quae nobis non sertis , sed sudore , & sanguine colenda est . senec , epist. . l fortitudo contemptrix timendorum est , terribilia despicit , provocat , ●git . s●nec . epist. . m fides sanctissimum 〈◊〉 pectoris bonum est , nulla necessiate ad sallendum cogitur , nullo corrumpitur praemio . idem ibid. n temperantia voluptatibus imperat , nec uuquam ad illas propter illas venit . idē ibid. o humanitas nullum alienum malum putat , bonum autem suum id maxime quod alicui bono futurum est amat . idem ibid. p clementia alieno sanguini tanquàm suo parcit , & s●it homini non esse homineprodigè utendum idem ibid. q an non vides quantum oculis det vigorem fortitudo ? quantam intentionem prudentia ? quantam modestiam reverentia ? quantam serenitatem laetitia ? quantum rigorem sereni● . senec. epist. . r qui virtutem suam publicari vult , non virtuti laborat . sed gloria . sen. epist. . s saepe reperitur simplicitas veridica , & falsitas composita quae hominem suis erroribus illicit , per linguae ornamenta laqueos dulces aspergit . isidor . . de summo bono . t virtutes babenti magna virtus est 〈◊〉 gloriam . aug. lib de civit. c. . u est virtus habitus animi judicio susceptus , in mediocritate positus , sic que definitus ut prudentia praescripserit . aristot. lib. ethic. c. . x simplicitas ●c liberalitas nisi adsit modus in exitium ver . tuntur . ta●t . histor . lib. . y sicut heroes natura homines superabant ita virtute , erant enim inter homines & deos medii , corumque virtutes modum communem excedebant . arist. z amicos diligere omnium est , inimicos autem solor●m christianorum , ita enim disciplina jubemur diligere inimicos , u● haec sit perfecta & propr●a bonitas , non communis , tertul. ad scap. a infidelium virtus idolum est cujus species jucunda quidem sed virtus inanis . b sicut nationes manibus ita haeretici & philosophi verbis , idola fabricantur . tertul. advers . prax. c idolatria hodie extra templum , & sine idolo agi potest . tertul. de idololat . f malum quidem esse , principem habere sub quo nihil ulli liceat , pe●us vero eum sub quo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . g charitas vinculum perfectionis ab apost . appellatur . a hinc enim delectavit quod dictum est eritis sicut dii , quod melius esse possent summo veroqut principio cobaerendo per obedientiam , non suum sibi existendo principium per superbiam . dii enim creati non suae virtute , sed dei veri parti cipatione sunt dii . plus autem appetendo , homo minus est , qui dum sibi sufficere delegit , abillo qui ei vere sufficit defecit , aug. li. . de civit. cap. . b nullam virtus aliam mercedem laborum periculorumque 〈◊〉 si●erat pra●r ban● laudis & gloria : qua quidem detract● quid est , quod in hoc tam exiguo vitae curriculo tantis nos in laboribus exerceamus . cicer. pro archiâ po●ta . c florent civitates si philosophi imperant aut imperatores philosophantur . jul. capitol . d haec sunt duo illa libertas & cupiditas laudis humanae quae ad facta compulere miranda romanos . aug. lib. . de civit. c. . * primo magis ambitio , quam avari●ia ●nimos homi●um exercebat , quod tainen vitiu● propius virtute erat . aug. l. . de civit . cap. . e hoc insitum ●buisse ●nos etiam deorum apud ill●s aedes i●dicant , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vir●tis & ●noris pr● di● ha●es qu● da●tur à deo. u●de intelligi potest quem finem volebant esse vi●tutis . august . lib. . de civit. cap. g q● no● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●bi pos●et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . au●st . l. . de c v ▪ 〈◊〉 ▪ cap. ● . f vicit a●or patri● laudumque immensa cupido . vi●l . h 〈◊〉 a●is 〈◊〉 di●tem . illie 〈◊〉 ●esti civis habere non ●ote rat . id●m ●d . i cae● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex● bellum que no● exoptavit , 〈◊〉 vi●tus ●re po●et ●ugust . ●x sallust ▪ l●b . civi● . cap. . k postquam lux●●tque 〈◊〉 civitas corrupta est●●rsus , r●spublica s●i magnit●dine , imperatorum atque magistratuum vitia sustenta●t . salust . in c●tilin . l un●e intelligi p●est quem f●em vo●ant esse virtutis , & quo eam referebant : etiam qui boni erant ad hon●rem scili●et : nam ●ali 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●am quamvis honorem habere cupere●t , quem ●alis ●tibus co●tur adipi● . aug. lib. . de civi● . cap. . m non vis 〈◊〉 e●e sine gloria at sope juste esse debe●is c● in●amia : ●t ●unc si sap●s mal● opinio bene parta delectat . s●nec . epist. . n licet à q●ibusdam tunc ver● & 〈◊〉 putentur esse virtutes cum ad seipsas referuntur nec propt●r al u lexpetu●tur : tunc infl● aut superb● sunt & ide● non virtutes sed vitia judicanda sunt . aug. l. . de civit . cap. . o nec illi ab ista se defenderunt f●ditate quicum ali●na spernant ju●ic 〈◊〉 velut glori● contemptores sibi sapi●s vid●ntur , & sibi placent . nam corum virtus ; si tamen ulla est , ali●●odo quo 〈◊〉 dam human●●ditur l●udi . neque enim ip se qui sibi placet h●mo non est , aug. lib. . de c●vit . cap. . p ut non superb●at quid debet facere levet ●culos suos ad illum qui ●abitat in coelo . q non se atten●t omnis enim superbus se a●tendit , & magnus sibi videtur : qui sibi placet stu●●omini placet quia ipse stultus est qui sibi placet . sol● securus placet qui deo placet . august . in psal. . q etiam aliud est in eodem ge●ere tentationis malum quo inva●escunt , qui sibi placent de se : qu● vis aliis , vel plac●ceant vel displiceant , nec placere affectent c●teris : sed sibi placentes multu● tibi displicent aug. lib. . confess . cap. . r honoratisunt in omnibu● f●re gentibus ●mperii sui leges imposuerunt 〈◊〉 gentibus : non est quod d● summ & veri dei justitia conquerantur , receperunt mercedem suam . aug. l b. . de civit . c. s s●e cult● veri dei etiam quod videtur virtus esse , pecc●tum est , nec p●ere 〈◊〉 deo sine deo p●test : qui vero deo non pl●cet , ●ui nisi 〈◊〉 & diabalo placet . aug. lib. . . de voca● ▪ gen● . c. t sine fide etiam quae videntur bona opera in peccata vertuntur , omne enim quod non est ex fide peccatum est , aug. li. . ad bonifac. c. . u quantum libet autem opera infidelium praed●centur ejusdem ▪ apostoli sententiam verm novimus , & invictam : omne quod non est ex fide peccatum est . aug. lib. de gesti● pelagii cap. . x opera quae dicuntur ●ante fidem quamvis videantur ●ominibus laudabilia in●ia sunt . nemo ergo computet ●ona opera sua ●nte fidem : ubi fides non poterit , bonum 〈◊〉 non erat . aug. p● . in psalm . . y in homine ips● nisi praecedat fides vita b●na sequi non poterit . august . l●b . de fide & operib . cap . z bonum op●s intentio facit : intentionem fides dirigit . august . pr●f . in psal ▪ . a n●ver is it●que non offic i● sed ●nibs à vi●is esse discernendas vi●tutes . officium est autem quod faciendum est , finis vero propter quod faciendum est . cum itaque facit ●omo aliquid ubi peccare non videtur , si non propter hoc facit ▪ propter quod facere debet , peccare covincitur ▪ aug. lib. . cont . julian . c. b quicquid autem boni fit ab homine , & non propter hoc fit propter quod fieri deber● v●ra sapi● pr●cipit , et si offici● vide●●onum , ipso 〈◊〉 recto 〈◊〉 peccatum est . aug. c 〈◊〉 qui● b● est d● , ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sit ; & in re● à de● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 magnum 〈◊〉 est natura ratio● , ut nullum sit bo●um quo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , nisi deus . aug. 〈◊〉 n●tura boni , c. . d nihil est magis naturale quàm praeceptū de amando deo , nihil tamen ad implendum magis est supernatu●e , unde sco●us dicit deum esse finem naturalem hominis , licet no● naturaliter adipiscendum , sed supernaturaliter . scot. in prologo . q. . num . . e q●amvis homo n●turaliter inclinetur in finem ultimum , non ta●en 〈◊〉 ●turaliter illum cons● , sed solum 〈◊〉 grati● , & 〈◊〉 est propter ●minentiam illius finis . d. tho. f gratis christ● mort● est , si homines 〈◊〉 fide christi 〈◊〉 veram ▪ ad virtutem veram , ad justitiam ver●m , ad sapientia● veram qu●cumque ration● perveniu●t , si per naturam volunta●emque justitia , ergo christus gr●tis 〈◊〉 e● : si per doctri●●rum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ergo christus gratis 〈◊〉 est . aug. lib. . contra jul. cap. ▪ g fuerunt philosophi s●culi . huj● , 〈◊〉 p●verunt ●on esse beatudinem nisi seesidum c●m vivere . i●i 〈◊〉 dicti sunt . alii philosophi s●perbi , quasi à carnese remov●tes ; & t●tam sp●m in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pos●t 〈◊〉 b●num in virtute sud . tales erant stoici . illi secu●dum car● 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ▪ 〈◊〉 isti 〈◊〉 illi s●cundum deum viv●s august . ser. . de verbi● apostoli cap. . h nonnunquam sane apertissima vitia aliis vitiis vincuntur occultis quae putantur esse virtutes ; in quibus regnat superbia , & quaedam sibi placendi altitudo ●uinosa . august . lib. . de civit . c . i nam licet à quibusdam ●unc vera & honest● putentur esse virtut●cum ad seipsas referuntur , nec propter aliud expetun●r , etiam tunc inf● su●t & superbae , & id● non virtutes sed vi●ia judicanda sunt . aug. lib. de c. vit . . cap . k minu● eni● fabricius quam catilina p●nietur , non quia iste bonus , sed quia iste magis malus , & min● imp●us q●àm catilina fabricius , non veras vi tutes habendo , sed à veris virtutibus non plurimum deviando . august . lib. . cont . julia. c. . l cùm virtus sit p●dicitia 〈◊〉 vitium c●trarium est imp● ▪ dicitia ●nesque virtutes etiam quae per corpus oper●tur , in● 〈◊〉 habit●t , quo modo verâ ratione pudic● corpus a●eritur , qua●do à vero deo ips●●imus 〈◊〉 , aug. . de n●pt . & ▪ con●pisc . c . m faciamus & nos aliquid simile huic quod dicitur . iustus ex fide vivit ; & dicamus castus ex fide vivit fortis ex s●de vivit adversus cos qui in chri●um non credentes , ●ortes & sapientes , & justos se putant esse , ut sciant nullu● absq● christo vivere 〈◊〉 quo omnis virtus in vitio est . hieron . l. . in epist. ad galat. n prudentia viz● prin● est , reliquisque omnibus utitur , atque i●sarum ordinam & modum tanquam oculus mentis ●tendit . ●mblic . o si prudentia una ad ●it , ●am continu● una cum ●a omnes virtutes aderunt . arist. . . ethic. c. . p prius quam incipias consul●o , & ●bi consuleris mature facto opus est . salust . in catil . q a providendo prudentia appellata est . cicer . . de legib . r si prudens fuerit animus tribu● temporib● dispensetur , praeterita cogita , praesentia ordina , futura provide . senec. s occultat corum faemina deus , & plerumque bonorum ●sae sub diversd specie ●t . plin. in p●eg . t consil●i divinum est . arist. u ●o si●ium futuri ex praete●ito venit . senec. epist. . x seris venit usus ab annis . y multa bona nostra nobis nocent . timo● is enim tormentum memoria redu●t ●rovidentia anticip● . sen. ●ist . . a verbum dei & brachium dei filius passim appellatur in scripturis . b prudentia plerumque inf●lix , quia rerum eventus ab illa non p●ndent . t●cid . c disputatur an tutius sit foelicem esse quam prudentem . d deorum beneficio omnes res praeclare & bene gestae acceptae referendae sunt . di●nys . halicar . cum divina providentia consiliis & rationibus humanis non suffragatur , malo & infoelici exitu terminantur , nam & prudentes consilium & fortes virtus destituit . n●cephor . gregor . lib. . f totius injustitiae nulla est capitalior , quam corum qui cùm maxime fal lunt , id agunt ut boni videantur . cicer. de officiis lib. . g prudentia carnis est inimica deo , legi enim dei non est sabjecta , nec enim potest . rom. . h est●te prudentes sicut serpentes & simplices sicu● columbae : quia prudentia absque simplicate malitia est , simplicitas fine prudentia stultitia est . hieronym . super oseam . i christum columba designare solita est , serpens vero tentare . illa à primordio divinae pacis praeco . ille à primordio divinae imaginis praedo . ita facilius simplicitas sola deum , & agnoscere poterit & ostendere , prudentiae sola concutere potius & prodere . tertul. advers . valent. k remota itaque justitia quid sunt regna nisi magna latrocinia , quia & ipsa latrocinia quid sunt nisi parva regna ? august . lib . de civit . cap. . l nihil tam inimitum quàm injustitia civitati , nec omnino nisi magna justitia●geri aut stare potest respubl . cicer. in laelio . m quid enim melius aut justius quàm filias alie● fraude spectaculi inductas non à parentibus accipi , sed vinnt quisque poterat auferri . aug. lib. . de civi● . cap. . n caeteras cupiditates unius glori● ingenti cupiditate presserunt . aug. lib. . de civit . c. o alia s●ere quae majores nostr●s magnos secerunt quae nobis nulla sunt , domi industria , foris justum imperium . p●●is nos habemus lux●riam atque av●itiam publi●è egestatem privatim opulentiam , omnia virtutis praemia ambitio possidet . cato in salust . catilina●iâ . o vera autem justitia non est ▪ ni●ia 〈◊〉 republicâ cujus conditor rect●rque christus est . august . lib. . de civit . cap. o vera autem justitia non est ▪ ni●ia 〈◊〉 republicâ cujus conditor rect●rque christus est . august . lib. . de civit . cap. p ubi studium verecundi● est , cupiditas rationi cedit , ni●ilque utile quod parum ●onestum videri potest , ducitur . valer. max. l. . cap. . q temperantia voluptatum alias odit atque abigit , alias dispensat , & ad sanum modum dirigit : sci● optimum esse modum cupitorum , non qantum v●is , sed quantum deb●as 〈◊〉 . s●c . epist. s deb●llandae sunt in primis voluptates , quae saeva quoque ad se ingenia r●puerunt . senec. epist. . t hac continentiá ac m●nificentia indibilis ob●gatos celtiberorum animos romanis 〈◊〉 , meritis ejus debita● gratia● ret●it . valer. maxim. l. c. u magnam vi● habet ad conciliandum ●spicientium amorem formae venustas , paul. ●ov . u eximae form● virgin● 〈◊〉 adultae , & juvenis & caelebs , & victo● postquam comp●rit illustri loc● natam & indibili de● ponsatam , accersitis parentibus & spons● in violatam tradidit . valer. maxim. lib. . cap. . x aurum quoque quod pro red●mptione puellae allatum erat sum●ae dotis adjecit . idem ibid. y illi philosophi sae●uli vitium vitio , peccatumque pecca● medicantur . nos amore virtutum vitia superemus . hiero. nym . epist. . z nam invenit diabolus quomodo homines etiam boni sectationibus perderet , & nihil apud cum resert alios luxuriâ alios continentiâ occidere . ter●ul . lib. . ad uxorem . cap. . a dux roman● pudicitiae lucretia ferro se interemit , ●ausamque , t● 〈◊〉 inter●tu , i●prium consulare pro regio permutandi populo romano praebuit . valer. max. lib. . cap. . b quid hoc est quod i●●am gravi●s vindicatur , quae adulterium non admisit , i l'e 〈◊〉 pulsus est , hac summo 〈◊〉 est supplicia . august . ●e civit lib. . c. . c si non est illa impudicitia quâ invita comp●imitur , non est haec justitia qua casta p●itur . idem ibid. d cur intersect●icem 〈◊〉 & innocentis tanta praedicatione laudatis . idem ibid. e si adultera cur laudata ? si pudica cur eccisa . idem . ibid. f foeminae christianae non in se vitae sunt crimen alienum ne aliorum sceleribus adderent sua . august . ib●d . nonnefortitudo optabilis est , atqui pericula cōteminit & provocat . pu●errima par●ejus maximè que mi rabilis illa est , non cedereignibus , obviam i●e vulneribus : interdum tela ne vitare quidem , se● pectore excipere . senec. epist. . h non sunt ista quae possint deorum in se vultum convertere , sed puerilia & humanae oblecta menta levitatis . ●cce spectaculum dignum ad quod respiciat intentus operi suo deus . ecce par de● dignum vir sortis , cum male sort una compositus . se nec . de provid . cap. . i avid● est p●culi virtus , & quo ten● non quid passura sit cogitat , quoniam & quod passura est gloriae pars est . sen● . de p●ovid . cap. . k et quod omn●●iment , & quod omnes optan● calcat fortitu● senec. epist. l cum aliquis tormenta soriter patitu omnibus virtutibus utitur , cùm una in promptu sit , & maximè appareat sortitudo , cujus perpessio , & tolerantia ra mi sunt . illic est prudentia sine qua nullum initur consilium , illic est constantia que dejici loco non potest , illic est individuus ille comitatus virtutum . quid quid boneste sit una virtus facit , sed de consilii sententia . senec. epi. . n sine dono dei nec virtutes possunt appeti vel haberi , nec earum similitudines quae sunt vitia virtu'es imitantia devitari . august . lib. . de vita conte up l. c. . o fortitudinem gentilium mundana cupiditas , sortitudinem christianorum dei charitas facit concil . arausic . can . p i am non ag●tur deliberate , olim pessum data est : quaeritur utrum caesar an pompeius possideat rempublicam . sen. epist. . q cato quae excat habet , una manu latam libertati viam faciet . ferrum istud etiam civili bello purum & innoxiū libertatem quam patriae non potuit , catoni dabit . sen. de provid . c. . r liquet mihi cum magno spectasse gaudio deos , cum ille vir acerri● sui vindex gladium sacro pectori infigit , dum viscera spargit , & illam sanctiffimam animam manu educit . senec. ibid. s non fuit in catone honestis turpia prae cavens , sed infirmitas adversa non sustinens : nam si turpe erat sub victoria caesaris vivere , cur author hujus turpitudinis pater filio fuit , quem de caesa ris benignitate omnia sperare proecepit . aug. lib. . de civit . c. . t quantum filium amavit cato , tantum gloriae caesaris invidit , ne sibi parceretur , aut ut aliquid nos mitius dicamus , erubuit . idem ibidem . u hoc dicimus hoc asserimus , hoc modis omnibus approbamus , neminem spontaneam mortem sibi inferit debere , velut fugiendo molestias temporales , ne incidat in perpetuas . august . lib. . de civit . c●p . x de catonis facto quid potisstmum dicam , nisi quod amici ejus etiam docti quidam viri qui hoc fieri prudentius dissuadebant , imbecillior is quam for tioris animi esse censuerunt . aug. li. . de civit . c. y omnibus amicaes est qui sibi , sed solum sibi qui deo est . z quis est amicior quam frater fratri ? aut quem alienum fidum invenies fituis host is fuer is ? salust . in juguitha . a amicitia pares facit aut invenit . b amicitia vinculum nullâ ex parte sanguinis viribus inferius . hoc etiam certius & exploratius , quia illud nascendi sors fortuitum op● , hoc uniuscujusque solido judicio incoacta voluntas coutrabit valer. maxim. lib. cap. . c si regnaret inter homines amicitia , lex aut nulla esset , autsuper flua● plato d etiam beat us devet am ' cos habere i , quia bonorum externorum maximum amicitia , deinde ami●i potius dare quam accipere , quod beatudini non repugnat : absurdum , quoque beatum sacere solitarium , homo enim est civtle animal . arist. moral . lib. . cap. . e sine amic is omnis cogitatio , esset taedium , omnis operatio labor , omnis terra peregriuatio , omnis vita tormentum , fi●e quo●um solatio vivere esset mori . caffiodor● in epist. f est ille sui amantissimus qui partem id am quae in homine dominari debet amat . itaque virum bonum sui amantissimum esse oportet . arist. moral . lib. . cap. g blosius nec silentio honesto nec prudenti sermone , salutem suam , ne qua ex parte i●foelicis amicitia memoriam desereret , tueri voluit . valer. maxim. l. . c. h amicus plato , amicus socrates , sed megis amica verit● . aristot. i loquatur ●nc graeciae , nefondi thefea pyrrho in amoribus subscribentem , di tis se patrisregnis commisisse : vani est illudre narrare , stult●se credere . valer maxim. lib. . cap. . k non est vera amicitia nisi cum eam tu agglutinas inter inhaerentes tibi , charitate diffusa in caedibus nostris per spiritum sanctum qui datus est nobis , aug. lib. . conses . cap. . l sed cum volunt homines per dominationem tenereca quae amant , saefe ab ipsis tenentur , & rerum mortalium servi fiunt , dum imperitè domini esse deside rant . aug. lib. de mo●ib . ecclesia cap. . m qui pro amico perit , vitam amico praebet , sibi gloriam parit . aristoteles . n admiratus amborum animum tyran●us supplicium fidei rem sit , insuperque eos rogavit , ●se in societatem amicitiae reciperent . valer. maxim. lib. . cap. . o hae sane vires amicitiae mortis contemptum ingenerare , vitae dulcedinem extinguere , crudelitatem mansue facere , odium in amorem conver tere , poenam beneficio p●sare potuerunt . idem ibid. p vnus est pater vester vos autem omnes fratres estis . matth. c. . q omnes uno pane participamus . apostolus paul. r cum sit inter vos zelus & contentio nonne carnales estis , & secundum hominem ambulatis . . corinth . . s quanto plures amicos & in pluribus locis habemus , tanto longius latiusque metuimus , ne quid tis contingat mali de tantis malorum aggeribus hujus saeculi . august . li. . de civit. cap. . t amici in rebus prosperis cupidè studio seque vocandi , in adversis timidè . parcissimè enim mala sunt amicis impertienda , ex quo illud , satis est miserum esse me . aristoteles lib. . moral . c. . u sive te torqueri lacbrymis nū quam desinentibus amicus tuus cupit indignus hoc affectu non est , sive non vu●t , dolorem inutilem dimitte , nec impius amicus sic sublevari debet , nec pius sic velit . senec. ad polybium cap. . x in prosperitate incerta est amicitia : nescitur enim utrum persona an soelicitas diligatur . isidor lib. de summ . bono . y natura bonis suis male vtitur , & unde se defendi existimat accusatur . prosp. contra collator . ca. z medicus herophilus aut lae●ius sexcentos . execuit , ut naturam scrutaretur , od●it ut nosset . tertull de anima . a eritis sicut dii scientes bonum & malum , gen. cap. . b parte tamen meliore mei super alta perennis astra serar nomenque erit indelebile nostrum . perque omnia saecula famà , si quid habens veri vatum praesagia vivam . ovid. metamor . l. . c philosophorum alii mibi non profuturum scientiam traedunt , alii spem omnis scientiae eripiunt , alii non praeferunt lumen per quod acies dirigatur ad verum , alii oculos mihi effodinnt . senec. epist. . d antiquitas mundi suventus saeculi . bac. e si protagorae credo , nihil in rerum natura est nisi dubium nisi nausiphani , hoc unum certum est nihil esse co ti , si parmenidi nihil est prater unum : si zenoni ne unum quidem . tota rerum natura umb●a est aut inanis aut fa●ax . senec. epist. . f vis scire quid philosophia promittat generi humano ? consilium atium mors vocat , alium paupertas urit , alium divitiae vel alienae vel suae torquent , hunc homines male habent , illum dii . quid mihi lusoria proponis ? non est ●ocandi locus , ad miseros advocatus es . senec. epist. . doces me quomodo voces confonent , fac potius quomodo animus meus secum consonat . metiri me docet geometres lati fundia , potius doceat quomodo metiar quantum homini satis est . numerare docet me arithmetica & avaritiae accommodare digitos , potius doceat nihil ad rem pertinere istas computationes . sen●c . 〈◊〉 epist. . h scire aut nihil , aut parum confert ad virtutem . aristot. doctrinâ quidem politiora , sed non meliora fiunt ingenia . tertull. i addite scientiae charitatem , & erit utilis scientia . augu. k scis pro patria pugnandum , dissuadebit timor : scis pro amicis desudandum esse , sed deliciae ve●abunt . nihil ergo proderit dare praecepta , nisi prius amoveris obstantia praceptis . senec. epist. . l melius suisset non didicisse scientiam , postquam docti pro dierunt , boni esse desierunt . m multae literae te ad insaniam adduxerunt ; loquitur ex sententià communi . act. apost . n qui addit scientiam , addit & laborem . ecclesiast . cap. dedit hanc pessimam occupationem hominibus . ecclesiast . . cap. o scientia inflat , videte ne quis vos decipiat per philosophiam & inanem fallaciam . ad coloss. . cap. p haec tota scientia hominis est scire , quia nihil est per se , & quoniam quidquid est , ex deo est . & propter deum est . august . in psal. . q an ego falso scripsi cedant armatogae , &c. qui togat● armatos , & pace bellum oppressi . audes eloquentiam ut vitium nihi obiier● ? c●c . in salust . r nunquam sic loguutus est homo . s eloquentiae multae urbes su●t constitutae , plurima bella exsti●cta fortissimae societutes sanctissimae ami●itiae comparatae . cicer. lib. . de art . rhetor. t veritas sermo est simplex . ammian . marcel . lib. . u magna est vis veritatis quae contra omnium ingenia calliditatem , solertiam , contra fictas hominum insidias facile se per seipsam defendit . sen. epist. x rhet●ica ●stigii quo● genus , quo d●tur homines , ex parvis magna , & ex mag●is parva facere . erasm. l. . apoph● . y non possunt aedificari haec mendacia , sine de●litione v●ritatis . tertull. lib. . in marcion . cap. . z in hoc omnis hperbole extenditur , ut ad verum me●da ●io ve●iat , itaque qui dixit , qui cand●re niv●s anteirent , qui cursibus auras , quod non poterat fieri , dixitut crede●tur quantum plurtmum posset nunquam tantum sperat hyperbole qu●tum aud●t , sed incredibilia offirmat , ut ad credibilia perven●at . senec. de benefic . lib. . cap. . a victoriosam lo quacitatem victus cupiditate vendebam diligentibus vanitatem . & quaerentibus mendacium socius eorum aug. lib. . confess . c. . b placuit mi● s●btrare ministerium linguae ●ae nundinis loquacitatis , ne ulterius pueri meditantes non legem tuam non pace● tuam , sed infanias mendaces & bella forensia mercarentur ex ore meo arma furori suo : august . lib. . confess . cap. . c veritas si●e ornamentis ad persuandendum potenti●r . d eloquentia est idoncoru● verborum & sententiarum ad pronuntiati● accomodati● ▪ continens vocis vultus , gestus moderationem cum venusta●e . cicer. in rheto. e invenit no his malus orator remedia saepe periculis peiara . senec. tragic . f cum aff●ctus repercussit affectum : a●t metus aut cupidit●s aliquid impe●vit non rationis tun● ben●io quicvit , se● affectum infid● & malá pace . ●enec . li. . de li● cap. . g ●yrrani & orator is 〈◊〉 est discrimen , nisi quod ille corporibus , hic animis imperat . h quid enim inter pilistratum & periclem interfuit , nisi quod ille armatus , hic sine a●mis , tyrannidem gessit . cicer. . de orat . i non con●ertit deus piscatorem per oratorem sed oratorem per piscatorem . august . k eloquia apostolorum tanta & tam nova persuadentium quae dicebant mira s●erunt , non ver ba. aug. lib. de civit. cap. . l nobis curiositate opus non est post christum , nec inquisitione , adjiciamus , nec rhetorica , post evangelium . tertull. de praescriptionib . cap. . notes for div a -e m est virtus habitus animi judicio susceptus in mediocritate positus . aristoteles . l. . ethic. cap. . n deus carnis author , christus carnis redemptor est . tertull de resur . c●rn . o cor paruum est & magna cupit : vix ad unius milui refectionem sufficere posset & totus mundus ei non sufficit . hugo . li. . de anin . â. p sipatiatur oculus omnia dolebunt , omnia ●essabunt . quid ventrem ocule mordes : quid pedes remora . is : quid manus vincis ? quia innexa natura , sunt omnia , modequeineffabili compatiuntur . chrysost. q nunquam anima sine carne est quamdiu in carne est , nibil non cum illa agit sine qua non est . tertul. de resur . carn . r volutet aliquid anima vultus operatur indicium : facies intentionum omnium speculum est . tertul. de resur . carn . s quem enim natura usum , quem mundi fructum , quem elementorum sa porem non per carnem anima depascitur ? per quam omni instrumento sensuum fult● est . tert. de resur . carn . nativitate reformata regeneratione coe●esti carnem ab omni vexatione restitu●t , leprosam emaculat , coe● perlumi●t paralyticam redintegrat , daemoniatam expiat , mortuam expiat , mortuam resuscitat . tert. de carne christi cap. . u caro abluitur ut anima emacu●etur , carovngitur ut anima consecretur , raro signatur , ut anima muniatur , caro corpore & sanguine christi vescitur ut anima de deosaginetur . tertu . de resur . car . ca. . x nulla omuino anima salutem potest adipisci nisidum in carne est adeo caro s●lutis cardo est tertull. ibid. y artes per carnem , studia ingenii per carnem , atque adeo totum vivere animae carnis est , ut non vivere animae nil aliud sit , quàm à carne divertere . tertull . de resurr . carn . cap. . z sermo de organo carnis est . tertul. de resur . carnis ibid. a virginitas qu●que & viduitas , & modest● in occulto matrimonii dissimulatio de bonis carnis deo adolentur . tertull . de resur . car . ibid. b absit ut deus manuum suarum operam , ingenii sui curam adflatus sui vaginam , molitionis suae reginam , liberalitatis suae haeredem , religionis suae sacerdotem testimonii sui militem , christi sui sororem in ate●num destinet interitum . tertul. de resur . car . cap. . c corpus hoc animi pondus , acpoena est p●ae mente illo urgetur , in vincu●s est nisi accessit philosophia . senec. epi. . d non aliter aspicio corpus quam ut vinculum aliquod libertati meae circundatum . idem ibid. e nos gestamus la queum nostrumnobiscum , circumferimus inimic um carnem nostram loquor de peccato natam , de peccato nutritam , corrupiam nimis de ipsa origine , sed multo amplius de prava consuetudine vitia●am . gre. in . moral . f nihil inerat quod carnem anim ù mue hominis foeliciter in paradiso vivent is offenderet . august . . de civi . dei. c. . g non ●nim cum animus ad corp● declinat , corpus efficitur , sed tamen defective , appetitu quodammodo corpora scit . august . l. secund . cap. . h ideo immundi spiritus daemones appellantur quia se authores vita sceleste immundeque testantur . august . lib. . de civit. cap. . i ebrietas subversio sensus , tempestas linguae , procella corporis , naufragium castitatis . august . k cor habet in ventre gulosus , lasciuus in libidine , cupidus in lucro . hieron . in matth. l omnes istae artes , quibus aut excitatur civitas aut strepit , corporis negotium gerunt : cui omnia olim t●nquam serco praes●abantur , nunc tanquam domino parantur . senec. epist. . m sub hoc peccali 〈◊〉 demer gu●tur parvuli , qui sine remedio baptismi moriuntur : habent enim originale peccatum non per animam sed per carnem utique contra ctum , animaeque resusum . carni namque ita anima unitar , ut cum carne sit una persona . aug. lib. de spiritu & anima cap. . n desiderii sui veneno mensebria , corpus contumeli is applicat & junctis complexibus ambo in mortiferas suavitatis ●si obdormiunt . cyprian . in prolo . de ope●i . cardinalib . christi . o caro officina est sp●tus , us , qui in e● & per cam quaecumque affectaver it , perag●t & ●onsummat . idem ibid. p nemo umquam carnem suam odio habuit sed nutrit & sovet eam . ephes. c. . q os homini sublime dedit caelumque tueri jussit , & erectos ad sydera tollere vultus . ovid. . metamorph. r misi nuntios meos sensus omnes exteriores ut quarerent te , & non inveni , quia matè quaerebam . august . soliloq cap. . s diabolus posuit in comestione gulam , in generatione luxuriam , in conversatione invidiam , in gub●rnatione auaritiam , posuit malus cogitationes in corde , malas loqu●tionesin ore , pravas dispositiones in membris . aug. in serm . t tenuibus multisque membran●eos natura comyosu●t callosis contra frigoratunicis quas subinde purificant lach●ymationum falivis . plin. lib. . ca. . u adeo oculis absoluta vis specult , ut tam parva●lla pupilla totam imaginem reddat hominis . idem ib●d . x omnibus oculis membrana vitri modo tran slacida obtenditur . palpebras natura dedit ce● vallum quoddam visus , & prominens munim●ntum contra occursantia animalia aut 〈◊〉 fortu● i●cidentia . idem ib●d . y visus longius prospicit & momento facit quod aures tempore : prius enim coruscatio cernitur quam audiatur . marsil . ficin . in convivi . platon . z impudicus oculus impudici cordis est nuntius . hierony . a odit dominus oculos sublimes . proverb . . b irritamenta sunt vitiorum oculi , duces scelerum , huic adulterium oculi ministrant , huic domum quam concupiscat . c nequius oculo quid est creatum ? ecclesiast . cap. . d auditus cui hominum primo negatus est , huic & sermonis usu● ablatus , nec sunt naturaliter surdi ut non iidem sint & muti plin. lib. . cap. . e fides ex auditu . rom. . f est in aure imo memorie locus quem tangeares atte iamur . plin. l. . cap. . g sepi aures tuas spinis , & linguam nequam noli audire & ori tuo facito ostia , & seras auribus tuis . eccles. . h sanoti angeli & siue irâ puniunt , & sine miseriae compassione subveniunt , & tamenistarum nomina passionum consuetudine loquu tion's humana etiam in eos usurpantur , propter quandam operum similitudinem non pro●ter effect onum 〈◊〉 mitatem . aug. lib . de civit , de● cap. . i amor est delectatio cordis per desiderium currens & requiescens per gaudium . august . lib. de substantia dilectionis . cap. . & . k irasci peccantiut corrigatur , contristari pro afflicto ut liberetur , timere periclitantine pereat , nescio utrum quisquam sanâ consideratione reprebendat . august . li . de civit. cap. . l contristati est is secundum deum , quo enim secundum deum tristitia est poenitentiam ad salutem stabilem operatur . . ad corinth . cap. . vtilis nobis unâ re tantum tristitia judicanda est cum hanc vel poenitentia delictorum , vel desiderio perfection is accenst , vel futurae beatitudinis contemplatione concipimus . cassiodor . li. . c. . m quemadmodum ratione nul lum animal obtemper at siferum sit . natura enim eorum est surdasuadenti , i●a non sequuntur affectus , non audiunt quantalicunque sint . sence . ep. . n misericordia non causam sed fortunam spectat , lacbrymis nocentissimorum movetur quae si liceret carcerem effringeret . senec . . de clement . cap. . o plures pudore peccandi quam bona voluntate prohibit is abstinent . senec. epist. . p rege incolumi mens omnibus una , amisso rupere fidem . v●g . georgie . q affectus tam m● minist●i sa●t quàm duces , quas numquam ●atio com prime repossi● , n● parc● illis si ●e que 〈◊〉 , ut ●e metum , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 s●uce . . de l●â cap. . i hoc vero quid aliud quis dixerit quam insaniam , circumferre pericula , & ruere in igno●os , i●atum sine injuria , occurrentia devastantem & ferarum more occidere qu●m non oderis senec. quaest . natural . lib. . cap. . s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in hoc corpore mo●tali incipit ●otare . august . t ●ames natu● est ●dam ●rbus , quia natura sacta est 〈◊〉 ●na . august in 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . ● . u sanitas corporis est corum quibus componitur concordia , & ejus agrotatio , corum discordia , august . x totus homo totus morbus est . y omnis medicina aut natura amica , aut mali inimica esse debet . arist. z remedia null● sunt tam salutaria quam quae faciunt dolorem . a invenit nobis deus remedia periculis pejora , senec. in mcdeâ . b abominandum est genus remedii sanitatem debere morbo , senec ▪ l b. . de itâ c. . c omne 〈◊〉 genus remedii l●co deus admo●et , senec. . de itâ ▪ cap. . d quosd● 〈◊〉 d● multa peccare posse 〈◊〉 i●firmitate corporis ne pec● , ut eis utili● sit frangi 〈◊〉 gu●ribus ad salutem , quam re●nere incolumes ad da●ationem , hugo lib. de anima . e ●ulgor bonitatis pulcbritudo , plato in convi . f 〈◊〉 eti●m ●rbaricae ●ver ●tur , & ad ●bilem ●spectum 〈◊〉 oc● m●suescit . p●l jovius hist. lib. . g specie tu● & pulthritud● tuâ intende , prospere proced● & regna , psal . h passiones quidem humanam christi caruem , contumeliae in●onestam probavere . tertul. de carne christi . i speciosus forma prae filiis hominum , psal. . k david erat rufus & vald● pulcher , reg. quarti species 〈◊〉 similis filio dei , daniel . m te pulchrum videri non t●a natura , sed oculorum ●ectantium facit i●firmitas . boet. lib. . de consol ▪ n momento rapitur , null áque non dies formosum corporis spolium abstulit , res est forma fugax , senec. in hypolit . n i ni 〈◊〉 manus form● damnosa senectus . cumque aliquis dicet fuit haec form●sa do●ebis , & speculum mendax esse qu●ere tuum . ovid. o flet quoque ut in speculo rugas conspexit aniles , tyndarys & secum cur sit bis rapt● requirit . ovid. metam . lib. . q form● dignitas aut morbo deflorescit , aut vetustate extinguitur . cic. lib. . rhetor. q lang●scunt folio ●lia pallido , & gratae capiti deficiunt rosae , ut ●ulgor teneris qui radiat ●osis . senec in hypolit . r rara est concordia for●e atque pudicitiae . luvenal . s nam te deco● iste quod optas esse vetat , votoque tuo tuo form● 〈◊〉 . ovid. m tam. lib. . t fastus inest pulchris sequiturque superbi● sor●am . ovid. u amor 〈◊〉 rationis oblivio . hieronym . in ep●stola . x tam sancti viri est suffundi si virginem viderit , quam sanctae virginis si à viro visa sit . e●usdem est lidibinis velle videri & videre . tertul. de virginibus veland . y vestite vos serico probitatis , byssino sanctitatis , purpura pudi●itiae . taliter pigmentat● deum habebitis ama●orem . tertul . de cultu ●oem c●ultimo . z stdium placendi per decorem quem naturaliter 〈◊〉 invitatorem libidinis non ven●t ex integrâ conscientia . tertul. de cultu ●aem . c. . a pereat corpus quod amari potest oculis quibus nolo , ambros . b adhuc tu permanes in simplicitate tuâ , benedic deo & m●rere . job cap. . 〈◊〉 samson validus & fortis leonem suffoca vit , sed a morem ●um s●ocare non pot●t , vincula solvit hostium , sed suarum no● solvit nexu● cupiditatum , m●sses in c●dit alienas sed unius ipse mulieris accensus igniculo m●ssem suoe virtutis amisit . ambros. lib. . de david . f quid est spe●iosa mul●er ? sepulchrum dealbatum : nisi fuerit casta pudica pul●ritudo sine his virtutibus est praecipitium patens , venenum inspicienti● compositum . chry sost . in psalm . . e vela caput & mul●er si ma●er propter fili●s , si soror propter r●tres , si filia propter pa●res : omnes in te ●tates periclitantur , i●ue armaturam pudoris ; murum sexui tuo strue , qui nec tuo● emittat oculos uec admittan lienos . tertul. de virginib . veland . cap. . f sero t●amas vi 〈◊〉 tam antiqua & tam nova . con ●ss . g homo qui medius constit●batur inter deum & creaturas dum deum cessavit amare , incepit ad creaturas omnes per amorem descendere : quodque in uno deo inveniebat in creatu● is quae ●ivit nec invenit . august . h homo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & ma●●rentis , frigoris aesius laboris impatiens , alimenta metu●s sua quorum modo inopia modo copia rumpitur . odor illi sapor & cibus , & sine quibus vivere non potest , mortisera sunt . senec. a● marc. c. . i omnis vi●a 〈◊〉 est , sence . k segnius bomines bona 〈◊〉 mala sen●ant . l quotidie morimur , aliqua pars vitae demitur , & tunc quoque cum crescimus vita decrescit . hunc ipsum quem agi●us diem cum morte divi●mus . senec. epist. . m incrementa ipss si bene computes damna sunt . senec. ad marc. n infantiam amisimus , deinde pueritiam ▪ deinde adolescentiam : quicquid transiit temporis 〈◊〉 senec. epist. . hoc quod viv●s proxim●m nihilo est et tamen ob 〈◊〉 nostram 〈◊〉 . senec. o punctum est quod vivimus , & adhuc puncto minus , sed hoc minimum specie quadam longioris spatii natura divisit , aliud ex hoc infantiam fecit , aliud adolescentiam , aliud senectutem . in quàm angusto quot gradus posuit . senec. epist. . p o quam ridiculi sunt mortalium termini ultra istrum dacu● non ex●at , parthis o●stet euphrates , rhenus german●ae modum faciat , pirenae is , galli●s & hispani● dividat . senec. q●st . natural . lib. . praefat . q si quis ●ormicis de● intellectum hominis nonne & ill● un●m a●m in m●ltas provincias divident . idem i●id . s nemo invenitur qui p● uni●m suam dividere v●lit : vitam unusquisque quam multis distribuit . sence . de brevit . vitae . t simul ad temporis ●acturam ventum est , profusissimi sumus in eo cujus unius honesta avaritia est . senec. de brevit . vitae c. t non mise●etur mors 〈◊〉 non re● eretur divitias , non sapienti● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non aetati denique parcit , nisi quod seni●s est in 〈◊〉 , ●uvenibus vero in ins●is . bern. 〈◊〉 serm. u didicitque achilles , & d●s ●ates mori s●n. 〈◊〉 ●ade x tres sunt 〈◊〉 mortis , ca●us infirmitas , senectus casus dubia ; infirmitas gravia ; senectu● certa denuntiat . casus nuntiat mo t●m latentem ; infirmitas apparentem ; senectus praesentem . h● quot mortium form● . hugo de cl●ustro an●mae , lib . y stipendium peccati mors . primegen●ta peccati . paul. z in quacunque die comederis ex eo , morte morie●s . genes . . a quare à sene , ubi pueritia , ubi infantia , ubi ann● , ubi menses ▪ beu periere . ad mart. sen. b ut facilius obrepat mors sub i● so nomine vitae latet , agunt opus suum fata nobis sensum nostrae necis auferunt . senec. ad martiam . c erge tu i● tantis erroribu● es ut existimes deos mortium signi● praemittere , & quidquam in terris ta● magnum esse ut qu● perire mundus sciat . senec. lib. . quaest. natural . cap. . e omnibus est eadem lethi via : non tamen unus . est vitae 〈◊〉 exitiique●odus . cor. gall. 〈◊〉 pulvis es & in pulverem re●rteris . gen. g lex est non poena perire . senec. h ita est nihil perpetuum , pauca di●turn ▪ sunt , aliud al o modo fragile est : rerum exitus variantur : caeterum quidquid coepit , & 〈◊〉 . senec. ad polyb. in initio . i tolle istam pompam sub quâ lates & stultos territas : mors est quam nuper seruus meus quam ancilla contempsit . sen. epist. . k mors contemni d●bet mag●s quàm solet : multa enim de ill● credimus : ●ultorum ingeniis certatum est ad r●gendam ejus infamiam . sen. epist. . l non morieris quia agrotas sed quia vivis . sen. epist. . m o●e de●ntem & oblitum fragilitatis tuae tuae si tunc mortem times cum tonat . sen. lib. . quaest. natural . cap. ultim● . n haec omnia elementa quibus mundus administratur tam causa vivendi sunt quam viae mortis . senec. epist. . o cupidum mortis ut lu●ret delictum vetuit mori , tertul. p quid aliud ess●t homini vitiato aeterna vit quàm aetern● mise●iae . q perimat tyrann● lenis , in regno meo mors impetratur . senec . in thyeste . r mors quae in lege naturae erat poe●a peccati , sacta est in lege gratiae hostia pro peccato . august . s de peccato damnavit peccatum . paul. t armat us venit leone , & ●ydrâ , in hercul . furent . u genus hominum morti expeditum . tert. in apologet. x et bona facta gratuita sunt in somnis , & delicta secura . tertul. de anima . y ego dormio & cor meum vigilat . adae s●mnus extasis appellatur à patribus . z elizabet , mariae , joannes , domini sensit adventum . istae grati●m loquuntur illis intus operantur dupliciqus miraculo prophetant matres spiritu parvulorum . ambros . in luc. c. a somnus licentia animae sine more fugitivae . tertul. b sanctorum somnus operatorius est . a nbros . ep●st . c stultum est ▪ somno delectatis mortem horrore ▪ cum somnus assiduus sit mortis imitatio . senec. d somnus est ligamentum omnium sensuum aristot. lib. de somno & vigil . e lucis requies noctisque comes qui par regi famul●qus venis , placidus s●ssum lenisque soves , pavidum l●hi genus hu●um co●is ●ngam discere mortem , in hercul furente . f somnia somni negotia . tertul . de animâ . g saepe somnia vana , & frustratoria & turbida , & ludibrios● & immunda à 〈◊〉 incutiuntur . tertul. de anima . h somnus recreator corporum , redintegrator virium , probator valetudinum , op●rum , medicus laborum , cuilegitime fruendo dies cedit , nox legem facit , auferens rerum etiam colorem . tertul. de anima . i etiam per somnium imaginem mortis , fidem initiaris , spe● medit●ris , discis mori & ●ivere , discus vigilare dum dormis . tertul. de anima . k stoici deum volunt inter caetera praesidia divinatricum artium somnia nobis quoque indidisse , peculiare solatium naturalis oraculi . tertull. de anima . l siquidem & 〈◊〉 divinitus somniat , & ma● penè vis ho●inum ex visionibus deum di●unt . tertul . ibid. notes for div a -e a non est in carendo difficultas nisi cum fuerit in habendo cupiditas aug. confess . b quidquid ill●s co●gerat non finis erit cupiditatis , sed gradus . senec. c attonitus novitate mali , div●sque miserque e●gere aptat opes : & quas modo vove●at odit . ovid . metam . lib. . d cupiditati nihil satis est , naturae satis est etiam parum . senec. ad helviam c. . e propter peccata habitantium civitatem modicum deu●●uerat iratus . machab. . f pleraque gaudi● 〈◊〉 iustiti● evà deo non su●t gaudia & sepe initiasunt futu●a 〈◊〉 . sen. epist. . g diuturnis honorib● deteriores fiunt homines , & ferre secundam fortunam non omnes possunt . aristot . lib. . de republ. cap. . h plerique eo magis contra deum super biunt quo ab ejus largitate & contra meritum ditantur & qui provo●ari bonis ad m●iora debuerunt donis pe●ores fiunt . gregor . in moral . i imitatrix boni voluptas est , malorum mat●r omnium cujus blanditiis ●orrumpuntur quae naturá bona sunt . cic. de legibus . k nos à ventur● torquemur & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bonanostra nobis nocent , timoris tormentum memoria reducit , providentia anticip● . nemo tantum praesentibus miser est . senec. epist . . l plus in metu●ds est mali , quam in co ipso quod timetur . cicer. m o mors usurparis ad laetitiam mater moeroris , usurparis ad gloriam glori● inimica , usurparis ad ottr●um regni porta ●ni . b. in cant c. serm. . m iejunium mors culpae remedium salutis , radix gratiae fundamentum est castitatis . ambros. de jejunio . o gloria propria mortuorum possessio . p nulla voluptas humana videtur ad divinam proprius a●edre quam e● delectatio quae percipitur ex ●oribus . 〈◊〉 . q aliquando eligit fama sed saepius errat . tacit. in vita agricol . r nulli praeclusa virtus est , omnibus patet , omnes admittit , omnes invitat ingenuos ●bertinos , servos reges & exules : non eligit domum nec censum nudo homine contenta est . lib. . de b●nefic . cap. s prosparum ac foelix scelus virtus vocatur . senec. t populus stultus honores saepe dat indignis & fama servit ineptus , dum stupet in titul● & in imagini . bus . horat. u non est quod credas quemquam fieri aliena foelicitate infoelicem . senec. epist , . x receptus in coelum romulus creditur , n● paricidium sine praemio relinqueretur . august . y honor est in corum potius potestate qui colunt quom qui coluntur . aristot. ethic. lib. . cap. . z intervallo opus est , ut quis credatur deus , semperque h●nc gratiam magnis viris posteri reddunt . curt. lib. . a laeudantur ubi non sunt cruciantur ubi sunt . hieronym b silui● omnis t●ra in conspectu● us . math. . c cùm deus cōrouat merita nostra , coronat dona sua . aug. d tunc erit laus unicuique à deo. d quaerit adipisc● umbram veri re●ni cum ab illo deciderit in quo soli deo inferior omnibus dominabatur . aug. lib. d : verâ relig. e quid facies daemones colendo nisi ut offendas illum quo offenso in illorum potestatem daberis ? & qui nihil tihi possent facere illo placato , facient quidquid vol●t illo irato . aug. in psal. . f iniquum erat ut diabolus homini quem coeperat xon dominaretur . aug. l. . de lib arbit . cap. . g magna fortuna magna servitus . senec. h amor sive divinus , sive humanus ●uxta sententiam arist●elis est quid ni●io simile . i dignitas formae gravior possidentibus , & appetentibus exitiosa , exposita tentationibus , & circumdata scandalis . tert. k iustitia exhibet deum patrem & dominum : patrem potestate blanda , dominum severa , patrem diligendum piè , dominum timendum necessario . tertul. contra marc. lib. . cap. . l imperium cupientibus , nihil medium inter summa & praecipitia . tacit . histor . lib. m ne metus , poenas & quidem solvet grazes , reguabit . senec in thebaid . n nihilest periculosius homini iniusto quam omnia posse . o nihil est quod ab imperatorbus emendari non queat , nec ullum peccatum est quod vires eorum superet , & quidquid ●mittunt , fa cere videntur . nicetas . p ar● artium regereanimos hominum . greg. q solus nerva duas res olim insotiabiles miscuit libertatem , & imperium . tacit. r omnium domos illius vigi ●a defendit , omnium vacationem illius occupatio omnium delicias illius industria ex quose regno dedicavit fibi eripuit . senec. ad polyb. cap. . s non bene imperat nisi qui paruerit imperio . senec. . de irâ . t multa regi non licent quae humilli●s , & in angusto jacenti● licent , magna servitus est magna for tuna senec. ad polyb. u neque cum diis , neque cum regibus ob eorum excellentiam amicitia contrabi potest . arist. . polit. x net regna socium ferre nec taedae sciunt . senec. y iusti reges quibus impera●t serviunt , neque enim dominandi c●piditate imperant sed officio consulend● , nec ●ipandi superbia sed providendi misericordi . i. aug. lib. . de civit . c. . z belli prima orizo adeo pecatum est ut nihil al●ud innocent●a nisi pax summa intelligatur . a omnis creatura pugnavit contra insensatos . b antiquum bellum venatio licitum , quia necessarium . c iustum bellum quibus necessarium , pia arma quibus nulla nisi in armis spes relin quitur . livius . d tunc solum utile est concurrere ad arma , cum locum apud hostem invenire non potest justitia . cassiodo● . lib. epist. e arma non servant modum nec temperari facile nec reprimi potest stricti ensis ira : bella delectit cruror . in hercul furent . f gens cum gente colliditur , regnum cum regno , christianus cum christiano , & sunt qui applaudant , qui vehant laudibus , qui que principes ultro furentes insiigent . erasm. g manet alta mente repostum judicium paridio : spretaeque injuris formae . virgil. h in landibus caesaris posuit sallustius quod sibi magnum imperium exercitum , bellum novum exoptabat ubi virtus enitescere potest ut miseras ge●es in bellum excitaret . aug. lib. de civit. c. . i summum bruto 〈◊〉 civilia bella fatemur . lucan . k non suriis post fata modum , flammasque rebelles , seditione rogi . stat. thebaid . lib. . l homo occiditur in hominis voluptatem , & ut quis possit perimere usus est . quid potest inhumanius dici ' disciplina est ut quis perimere possit , & gloria est quod peremit . cyprian . ad donat. m mundus est magna & vere respublica qua dii atque homines continentur ; in qua non ad hunc angulum respicimus aut ad illum , sed terminos civitatis nostrae cum sole metimur . senec. de otio sapient . n billum pium quibus necessarium . tacit. o madet orbis mutuo sanguine , & homicidium cum admittunt sing 〈◊〉 crimen est , vir●s vocatur cum ●blice geritur : impunitatem sceleribus acquirit non innocentiae ratio sed saevitiae magnitudo . cyprian . ad donat. p multis parasse divitias non finis miseriarum suit sed mutati● . non hoc miror non est enim in rebus vitium sed in ipso animo . illud quod paupertatem gravem secerot & divitias graves fecit . senec. epist. . q speciosa supplicia . cyprian . r desunt inopiae multa , avaritiae omnia . senec. . 〈◊〉 nocens 〈◊〉 ●erroque●entius au● prodicrat . ovid . meta. . t aurum sic iudaicum populum suo captivavit aspectu ut hoc esse deum crederent : aurum cum mores hominum perdit , perdit & naturam . chrysolog . serm. . u vivitur ex rapto non hospes ab hospite tutus : imminet exitio vir conjugis , illa mariti , filius ante diem patrios inquirit in annos , victa jacet pietas . ovid. metamorph . . x inflant animos divitiae , superbiam pariunt , invidiam contrabunt , & eo usque mentem alienant ut fama pecuniae etiam nocitur● nos delectet . sen. epist. . y t●eo totius vitae necessitates sorro & aeri inni● as , cum & divitia de metull is effodi●ndae sine ●ri operario rigore non possunt . tertul. de habitu mulieb . z terra scilicet plane gloriofior nomen terr● in igne reliquit , atque exinde de tormentis in 〈◊〉 , de suppliciis in delicias , de ignomini is in honores , metalli refuga mutatur . tertul. de habitu mul. a apud barbaros quosdam quia ver●aculum est aurum & copi●sum , auro vinctos in ergastulis habent , & divit● malos ●trant , tanto locupletiores ) quanto nocentiores . aliquando re ver â inventum est , quomodo aurum non ametur . tert. de habit . mulie . b negotiatio est a liquid amittere , ut majora lucreris . tertul . ad martyr . c duas civitates fecerunt duo amores : hierusalem facit amor dei , babyloniam amor saeculi . interroget igitur se unusquisque quid amet & inveniet ubi fit civis . aug. in psal. . d paupertatemque serenda effecere levem nec iniqu● mente serendam . ovid e summa-opes , inopia desidertorum . senec. nihil interest an multum babe as an nihil concupiscas . ident . f tantam paraturam materiarum primum regendo homini qua necess●as praecessit , dehinc & ornando , qua ambitio successit varias indumentorum formas promulgavere . tertul. de pallio . g pater pauperum deus passim in scripturis appellatur . h nascitur in praesepio , famet in deserto , pauperibus ●r , afinà 〈◊〉 n● in cr● mori●r . chrysost . . i esurivi & non dedistis mihi manducare ; sitivi , & non dedistis mih ibibere . luc. k p● h●m exp●vit 〈◊〉 . pauperis imperium natura non pertulit . iuste namque sequebatur ut signa largiretur qui opes contenps●rat . aug. de verbis aposto●i serm. . l quid sibi vult quod ●adem promissio facta est pauperibus & martyribus nisi quia vere ●artyrii genus est paupertas voluntaria . bern. se●m . . de omnibus sanctis . m si vis vacare animo aut pauper fit 〈◊〉 , aut pauperi ●lis . senec. epist. . n dominus dedit dominus abstulit fit nome● domini benedictum . job . . o illa est p● peccati justissima , ut unusquisque illud quo bene uti ●oluit , amittat . aug lib. . de lib. arbit . p nullarum foeminarum ferè pretiofior cultus quam quarum pudor vilis est . cyprian . de habit . virgin . q fecit quoque dominus deus adae & uxori● ejus tunicas pelliceas , & induit eos . genes . . r tegendo homini necessitas praecessit , dehinc ornando ambitio successit . tertul. de pallio . cap. . s nullum est elementum quod homini aliquod genus mortis non minetur . t nihil tam capax sortuitorum quam mare . tacit. u ignis an homini in hac vita perniciosior an utilior jure dubitari potest . x o● ista ornamenta damnati & mortui hominis impedimenta sunt quasi ad pomp●m funeris constituta . tertul. de habit . mulieb . y in sordib● agebat eva , ipsam se circumferens lugentem , & poenitentem , ignominiam primi delicti , & invidiam perditionis humana omni satisfactionis habitu expiabat . tertul. de habit . mul. z sed lapillos qui cum auro superbiam jungunt quid aliud interpreter quam terra minuta●ia : nec tamen aut fundamentis demandandis aut pa●ietibus moliendis aut sastigiis sustinendis necessaria . tertul . de habit . mulieb . a in homine la●dandum quod ipsius est vestem formosam habet & domum pu●cbram nihil horum in ip●o est sed circa ipsum lauda in ipso , quod n●c eripi nec dari potest . sen epist. . b daemones instrumentum istud muliebris gloriae contulerunt , laminas lapillorum quibus monilia variantur , & ●rculos ex auro quibus brachia arctantu● , & medicamenta ex fuco quibus lanae co●orantur . tertul . de ●abit . mulieb . c quod pro sold inani gloria vestimentum pretiosius quoeritur , res ipsa t statur , quia nemo vult ibi pretiosis vestibus indui , ubi ab aliis non poterit videri . greg. mag. in homil. d vestium cultus aut 〈◊〉 aut prosti●u ionem sapit . tertul. de habit . mulieb . e cur non mores meos habitus pronunciat , ne spiritus puriores ab impudentis vulnerentur tertul. de cultu foemin . f quid est homo ▪ imbecillum corpus & fragile , nudum , suapte natura inerme , alienae op is indigens , ad omnem fortunae contumeliam projectum , cujus●ibet ferae pabulum & victima . senec. ad marciam c. . g cortex ambit arborem , pe● tegit volucrem , la●a ovem induit pilus jumenta & fera● vestit : sol● homo inermis & nudus nascitur . hugo . h homo nudus in paradis● indumentum gratiae habebat quando membra ejus voluntati non repugnabant . aug. lib. . de civit. cap. . i proinde con● in obedientia carnis tanquam quam poena teste inobedientiae sua consuerunt fo● fici . aug. lib. . de civit . c. . k extitit in motu corporis quaedam impudens novitas unde esset indecens nuditas , & fecit att●itos reddiditq● confusos . aug. . de civit. c. . l hoc re●te factum sic appetit sciri , ut tamen erubescat videri . aug. de civit. cap. . m sic igitur quod decet ex natura , ut etiam quod pudeat , comitetur ex poena , august . . de civit. c. . n libido in confusionis causa . aug. . de civit . cap. . o cognoverunt quia nudi erant nudati scilicet ea gratia , qua fiebat ut nuditas corporis , nulla eos lege peccati menti eorum repugnante confunderet . aug. . de civit. cap. . p illam perisse ego judico ●ui quidem perit● pudor . cur●us lib. . q proque metu populum sine vi pudor ipse regebat . ovid . fast. r nullum quippe vitium ita contra naturam est , ut naturae deleat etiam extrema vestigia . aug. de civit . cap. . s evulgatus pudor non societatem libidinis 〈◊〉 sed incitamentum adfert . tacit . annal. t periere mores , sus , decus , pietas fides , & qui redire nescit ut periit pudor . senec. in agamemnon . t nudi erant & non confandebantur non quod eis sua nuditas esset incognita , sed turpis nuditas non erat quia nondum libido membra praeter arbitrium commovebat . aug. . de civit . c. . u in paradiso etiamsi non om●a poterat a●e peccatum , quid . quid tamen non poterat non volebat , & ideo poterat omnia quae volebat . august . de 〈◊〉 . c. . x a●s est ●minibus portus infortunii . comic . y necessitas brevibus clauditur terminis , opinio nullis . marsil . ficin . a 〈◊〉 philosophia dux 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pepe● , 〈◊〉 di● ho●inet in societatem vit● convecasti , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 primo inter se do● deinde 〈◊〉 ●xisti . cicer. in tuscul. b tum primum subtere domos , domus antra fuerunt , & densi frutices & juncta co●tico virga . ovid. . metamorph. c ager uni domino , qui populum coepit , angust● est : & est fundus quod aliquando emporium vocabatur . sen. epist. . d non vivunt contra naturam qui pomaria in summis turribus serunt , quorum silva in tect● do●um ac fastigiis ●tant unde ortis radici● , quo improbè cacumina egi●ent . senec. epist. . e quid prosunt multa cubicula ? in uno jacetis non est vestrum ubicumque non estis . senec. epist . . f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nobis tur ri● cujus caput erit usque ad 〈◊〉 & feci● nobis nomen . gen. . g descendit dominus ut videret civita● & turrim quam aedificabant filii adam & dixit , coeperunt hoc facere nec defistent à cogitationibus suis donec eas opere compleant : descendamus & confundamus linguas eorum . gen. . h aemula naturae parva reperta manus . i luditur & fragili noster in orbe labor . k tempus edax rerum tuque invidiosa vetustas , omnia destruitis , vitia-● taque dentibus aevi , paulatim lentâ consumitis omnia morte . ovid. . metamorph . l quid enim immortale manus mortales fecerint ? septem illa miracula & si quae his multo mirabiliora sequentium annorum extruxit ambitio aliquando solo aequatavisentur . sen. ad polyb. l m qu● libet 〈◊〉 specu● est in qu● 〈◊〉 nobis deum 〈◊〉 . n indulge goul● . 〈◊〉 ●l 〈◊〉 , nostrum est quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , & man● & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . o adulterium colorum amat . tertul. p pictura mendacium est veritatem imitans plato . q honestius inquis impensas i● corinthia pictasque tabulas quam in vestes pretiosas eff●derim . vitiesum est ubique quod ●ium est . se● . de tra●quil . 〈◊〉 . . r tam difficile inter philosophos quam inter horologia con●nit . senec. s vetustas quae prodidit colenda sunt , satisque habent meriti si plurimum habeant temporis . t definit esse remedio locus , ubi quae fuerant vitia mores sunt . senec. epist. . x quod non licet acrius urit . y ibi enim vitiorum omnium sed in primis irae atque avaritiae regnum est . petrarch . dialog . z si qui ale● ludunt omnes perdunt , nemo unquam luderet . nunc lucrantur aliqui , sed lucrum illud arrha est damni . petrarch . dialog . . a taxillorum nullus eventus prosper , mali omnes & miseri . nam & qui perdit affligitur , & qui vincit illicitur inque insidias protrabitur . petrarch . dialog . . b pejus vivere sub principe qui omnia scele●a per● quam sub eo qui omnia ulciscitur . c rect● lud● iste latruncu●rum dict● est cum rem omnium pretiosissimam tempus scilicet furetur . petrarch . d nil pretio● tempore & nihil bodie eo vilius invenitur : transivit dies salutis & nemo recogitat : nemo sibi perire di● nunquam redituram causatur , sed sicut capill● de capi● sic nec mom●tum peribit de compor● . bernard . e nemo se judicat quidquam debere qui temp● accepit : quùm interim hoc unum est quod ne grat● quidem potest reddere . senec. epist. 〈◊〉 . f lyram & a●cum remittimus quo melius possint tendi , ita reereandus otio animus ut ad labores reddatur vegetior . plu. tarc . in moral . g non ideo vitia in usum recipienda sunt quia aliquando aliquid boni effecerunt . nam & sebres quaedam genera valetudinis levant , nec ideo non ex toto illis caruisse melius est . abbominand● est genusremedii sanitatem debere morbo . sence . . de l. 〈◊〉 . cap. . h turpe est nescire puellam ludere , ludendo saepe paratur amor . ovid. i hae voluptates haec spectacula christianorum sancta , perpetua gratuita , cursus saeculi intuere tempora labentia dinumera , ad signum dei suscitare , ad tubam angeli erigere , ad martyrii palma● gloriare . tertul. de spectaculis . k dehinc cum de originis loco homo exterminatur , quippe qui deliquerat , pellitus orbi ut metallo datur . ter tul . de pallio . cap. . notes for div a -e a visibilium 〈◊〉 xim● est 〈◊〉 , invisibilium 〈◊〉 maxi● est deus sed ●dum esse conspi● deum esse credi● . aug. de civit. lib. cap. . b mundus ipse liber est tot litteris exaratus quot creaturis , in quo possunt omnes legere & intelligere . chrysost. c immotúsque mane●s dat cuncta moveri . boetius . d ex perpetuitate creaturarum intelligitur creator aet●rnus , ex magnitudine omnipotens , ex ordine & dispositione sapiens , ex gubernatione ●onus . august . in joan. e hinc camporumi● infinitum p●tentium fusa planities , varii u●bium situs , & seclusae nationes locorum difficultate , littor● in portum recedentia , sparsae tot per vastum insulae qua intervent● suo maria distinguunt . senec. ad marc. c. . f deus omnia videt quid totus oculus , omnia potest quia totus manus , omnia replet quia totus p● est . august . g deus t●tam molem istam cum omni instrumento elementorum corporum spiritaum verbo quo ●us fit , ratione qua disposuit , virtute quà potuit de nihilo expressit in ornamentum majestatis sua . tert. in apologetic . h aquilae solem ita sustinent ut natorumsu●rum ge●erositatem de ●illarum aud● judicent alioqui non educabunt ut degenerem quem solis radius averte it . tert. deanima . i a●citiae exempla ba● & musculus quando p●gravi superciliorum pondere obrutis ejus oculis , infestantia magnitudinem vada p●aenatans demonstrat oculorumque vice fungitur . plin. lib. . cap . k delp●is non homini tantum amicum animal , verum & musicae arti , mulcetur symphoniae cantu . hominem non expavescitut alienum , obviam navigiis venit , alludit exaltans . plin. lib. . cap. . l horum insatiabilis gula hinc maria soris tatur hi●c terras , alia ham is , alia laqueis cum magno labore persequitur , nullisque animalibus , nisi ex f●tidio p● est . sen. epist. . m animalium tyrannus homo primus animal occidit hyperbius martis filius , prometheus bovem . plin. lib. . cap. . n per propria singula à singulis elementa separantur , per communia singula singulis nectuntur : oportebat enim esse separata , ut singula suam conservarent naturam , oportebat & aliquo nexu copulata esse ut ex his omnium corporum nasceretur compositio . procopi , genes . cap. . o hi circumfuso pendebat in aëre tellus ponderibus lib●ata suis , & pressa est gravitate sui . ovid. . metamorph. p terra omnium media posita est circa quam coelum volvitur , quam astra omnia illuminant , & ipsa quoddam astrum est quia immobilis . alcinous cap. . q quomodo fecisti coelum & terram non sit ut homo artifex formans corpus de corpore non utique fecisti mundum in mundo quia non erat ubi fieret antiquam fieret ut ess● . august . lib. . confess . cap. . r mundum ab aeterno so●niavit aristoreles , quia ex nihilo fieri potuisse nunquam intelligere potuit . s qui vivit in aeternum cr●avitomnia simul . ecclesias . cap. . t nihil difficile est naturae , utique ubi in finem sui properat : ad originem rerum parce utitur viribus , subito ad ruinam toto impetu venit . senec . natural . quaest. l. . c. u si quaerimus quis fecerit deus est , siper quod , dixit & facta sunt , si quare fecerit quia banus est : nec enim author est excellentior deo , nec arse●ficacior dei verbo , nec causa melior quam dei bonitas . aug. lib. . de civit. c. . x ubi sunt superbae carthaginis alta moenia ? ubi cunctis littoribus terribilis classis ? ●bi tot exercitus ? omnia ista duobus , scipionibus fortuna partita est . v● . maxim. lib. . y eleme● to●um pugna servat mundi pac●m , sed mundo minatur interitis . z deus non ante vitor est quam homo peccator . august . a spinas & tribul●s non germinavi● terra nisi à deo maledicta . genes . rosa● sine spinas nasci ante peccatum credidit . basil. in hexam b terra venenorum ●erax à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 paren● . basil. c non est satis ●stimare , parens melior sit homini natura an t●istior 〈◊〉 . plin. lib. . prooem . d non vides ut fluctus in li●ora tanquam exitu● incurrat ? non vides ●t ●stuans fines suos trans●at , & in possessionem terrarum mare inducat ? non vides ut illi perpetua cum claustris suis pugna sit . sen. natural quaest. lib. cap. . e hoc est testimonium ignis aeterni , hoc exemplum jugis judicii poenam nutrientis . montes uruntur & durant , quid nocentes & d●i hostes ? tertul. in apolog . f maledicta te●ra in oper● 〈◊〉 : in laboribus comede● ex 〈◊〉 cu● 〈◊〉 vitae tuae . 〈◊〉 . cap. . g expectatio creaturae revelationem filiorum dei expectas : vanitati enim creaturae subjecta est non volens : quia & ipsa creatura liberabitur à servitute corruptionis in libertatem gloriae filiorum dei. scimus enim quod omnis creatura ingemiscit , & parturi● usque adhuc . rom. . h nisi granum 〈◊〉 cadens in terram mortuum fuerit ipsum solum manet . joan. c. . i ad ●anc vanita● creatur●arum , hoc quoque 〈◊〉 , ●uod creatu● q● in ●sum hominis venit , 〈◊〉 parte p●missa est po●ati 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mundi . 〈◊〉 ●n cap. rom. k rupti sunt ●ontes abyssi magnae & cataractae coeli ape●tae sunt , & sacta est pluvia super terram 〈◊〉 , & noctibus . gen●s . cap. . l lumen ant●solem productum est : nam● ▪ primà die fact 〈◊〉 est lux quart● vero facta sunt luminaria magna , ut prae essent diei & nocti . genes . . m et ait germ●net terra herbam virentem & factum est ita , & factum est vespere , & mane dies tertius . genes . . n dixit deus fiant luminaria magna , & dividant diem ac noctem , & factum est vespere , & mane dies unus , genes . . o idem vocabulum apud haebraeos significat servum & solem . schemes . p sol spectatorem non ●abet , nisi cùm deficit . nemo observat lunam nisi laborantem . senec. quaest. naturall b● . cap. . q soli detractum est aliquid lumin is sui , quod ei restituendum 〈◊〉 in die resurrection is hominum basil. in hexam . r dies nunquam patens sol nunquam libens , unus a●r ●bula , tol● annus ●ibernum , omne quod ●aver it aquilo , liquores ignibus redeunt , amnes glacie negantur , omnia torpent omnia rigent . tertul. contra marc. lib. . s corri●itur 〈◊〉 ut qu● que al●issima tellus , fissaque agit rimas , & s●is aret ademptis . p●bula canesc●t cum ●rondibus uritur arbor , 〈◊〉 ●ue suo 〈◊〉 seges arida damno . o●d . metam . t cujuscumque rei natura dei voluntas est . august . u omni● s●t dei facilia potestati , qui mirabili vincente virtute utitur omnibus ●am mirabiliter quam creavit . aug. lib. . de civit. cap. . x non ●st qui se ●bscondat à ca●us . p●al . y pestilentiam ita solis calor adducit , ut illa nunquam in ●rigidissimis 〈◊〉 grass●tur . sol in meridiano exurit te●ram & in 〈◊〉 ardor● ejus q●s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ▪ 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 m●ntes , ro●os 〈◊〉 exsu●n & re●gens r●diis o●caecat oculos . eccl 〈◊〉 . c. a mortuus est manasses in diebus messis hordeaceae : instabat enim super alligantes manipulos in campo , & venit aestus super caput ejus & mortuus est . judith cap. . b innumeros credere deus od majorem s●cordiam accedit , fragilis & laboriosa mortalitas in partes istae digessit suae infirmitatis memor . plin. lib. . c . c veritas etiam ex i●itis pectoribus 〈◊〉 . t●ul . d in ipsis denique temp●s d●monum deum judicem imploras , & neminem de praesentibus di● contestaris , in tuo foro aliunde judicem appella● , in tuis templis ●icuique deum 〈◊〉 . tert. d● 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . e vis deum vocare 〈◊〉 ? non 〈◊〉 , ●st 〈◊〉 causa 〈◊〉 . vis illum providentiam dicere ? rectè dices , hic enim mundo providet . vis illum naturam vocare ? non errabis ; est enim ex quo nata sunt omni● . vis illum vocare mu●dum ? non falleris , ipse enim est totum quod vides , totus suis partibus inditus & se sustinens vi sud . senee . natural . lib. . cap. . f h● virtutes deos , non veritas , sed v●nitas fecit . aug. lib. ▪ de civit. c. . g numina innumerabili● reperimus , pestes etiam inter ea descrip●imus 〈◊〉 dum esse placat● 〈◊〉 cupimu● . ideoq ▪ etiam public è febris sanum in palatio dicatum est . plin. lib. . cap. . h ●idquid in 〈◊〉 tui mortale●at ignis ●ctus tulit , paterna coelo pars data est . ●ammis tua . senec. ●n her●l . o●teo . i acerbo enim 〈◊〉 dolens pater cito sibi ra ▪ p●i 〈◊〉 fecit imaginem , & illum qui 〈◊〉 quasi homo mortuus ●rat , nu● t●nquam deum colere ●pit , & con●ituit interser●s s● s●ra & 〈◊〉 sapi● . cap. . k quid magis ●idiculum quàm quum homo est op ●ex dei. basil . in . eia . l floralia instituerunt romani ex oraculis sybillae , ut omnia bene de●rescerent . plin. lib. . cap. . m non cessit floribus pomo●a , certavit ipsa secum , plusque utilitatis causa genuit etiam qu● voluptatis . plin. lib. . pro●mio . n foelices populi quibus h●c ●ascuntur in hortis numina . o ex syderum levissimis motibus fortunae populorum dependent & maxima ac minima proinde formantur prout aequum iniquumve sydus incessit . sen. ad marc. cap. . p solem mundi esse totius animum ac planius mentem , h●nc principale naturae regimen ac numen credere decet , opera e● aestimantes . p● 〈◊〉 . . c. . q ut tamen detra●as ista quae sol producit , nonne erat ipse idoneum oculis spectaculum dignusque adorari , si tantum praeteriret . sen. lib. . de benef. c. . r omnis creatura ingemiscit usque adhuc subjecta vanitati non volens . rom. . s contraria huic causa cristallum facit , gelu 〈◊〉 concreto . non al cubi 〈◊〉 reperitur● quam ubi maxime ●ibernae nives ri●ent , gla ●que esse certum est . plin. lib. . cap. . t se cupit imprudens , & qui probat ipse probatur ; dumque petit petitur , pariterque accendit & ardet , ovid. . meta. u invent a sunt specula ut homo ipse se nosoeret . multa ex hoc consecuta , primò notitia sui , deinde & ad quaedam consilium . senec. natur. quaest. lib. . cap. . x discebat in speculo famosus ut vitaret insam●am , deformis ut redimeret virt●ibus quid quid corpori deesset , juvenis ut fortia auderet , senex ut de morte aliquid cogitaret . senec ibid. y homo tyrannus est , omnibus creaturis ad libitum pro suâ ambitione abu●ens . apul. z coelum sedes e●us ; in sole posuit tabernaculum suum . psalm . . a 〈◊〉 tibi etiam imme●ito euntque sidera ●â causâ , etiamsi major illis a●a ac prior . co● est . sence . lib. . de benet . cap. . b pugnat cum deo orbis terrarum contra insensatos ; ibunt directè emissiones fulgurum & tanquam à benè curvat● arcu nubi● extermin●buntur . sap. cap. . c creaturae dei in odium factae sunt & in tentationem animabus hominum & in muscipulam pedibus insipientium . sap. . d i audet te ex c●eaturis anima mea deus creator omnium , sed non eis infigatur glu●ine amoris 〈◊〉 corporis : conscind●t ●am desideriis pestilentiosis quoniam requiescere amat in ●is quae amat . aug. lib. confess . c. . e hoc me docuisti demine ut qu●madmodum medicamenta sic a●menta sumpturu● accedam . august . lib. . confess . cap. f exterior vestium super flu●tas interioris vanitatis indidicium est . mollia indumenta animi mollitiem indicant , non tantum curarent corporis cultum nisi neglecta prius fuisset mens inculta virtutibus . bernard . g nemo securus debet esse in ista vita quae tota tentatio nominatur : utrum qui fieri potuit e● deteriore melior : non fiat etiam ex mesiore deterior . una spes , una fiducia , una firma promissio misericordia tua . august . lib. . confess . c. . h adam damnatur in mortem ob unius arbusculae del●bationem & exinde prosiliunt delicta cumpoenis , & per●unt jam omnes qui paradisi nullum cespi●em norunt . tertul. i diabolus quando decipere quemquam tentat , prius naturam unius cujusque intendit , blandis & leni●us moribus s●pe lu●uriam au● va●m gloriam prop prop●t , as●eris vero 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 cum 〈◊〉 ●e . hugo l●b . . k illecebras suggerit , i●sidias parat , cogitationes malas immittit , & ut ad deteriorem lapsum provocet lucra proponit , damna minatur . aug. lib. . de civit. cap. . l fulminibus miscentur daemones , terrae motus excitant , maria conturbant , & saepe navigia cum hominibus demergunt . pet. c●init . m iubet aeterna lex avertere amorem à tenporalibus , & eum mundatum convertere ad aeterna . august . lib. . de lib. a●bit . cap. . n lex ●terna non est aliud quàm divina ratio , vel voluntas dei ordinem naturalem conservari jub●ns , perturbari vetans . aug. lib. . contra faust. cap. . o amor res est imperiosa . plato . p talis est quisque qualis est dilectio ejus . a●de diligenter anima mea quid dilig● si terram di●gis terraes : 〈◊〉 ●oelum amas c●lum es . aug. tr●ct . in epist 〈◊〉 ●n . q homines rerum mortalium servi fiunt , dum imperite domini esse desiderant . aug. lib. de morib . eccl. cap. . r noli amare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 non vis invenir●tormentum . aug. s●rm . de diversis . s miser ●ram & m●ser est om●s antimus vmctus amore rerum mortalium , & dila●atur cum eas 〈◊〉 , & tunc s●t miseriam qua miser est , antequam amittat cas . august . cor fell . cap. . majore torme●o pec●ia possi●etur quàm quaeritur . sen. t plerumque cum adsunt nobis putamus quod ea non diligamus , sed cum abesse coeperunt invenimus qui simus . hoc enim siaeamore aderat quod sine dolore discessit . aug. lib d● vera relig . cap. . 〈◊〉 quantum amando peccaverunt , perdendo sens●runt . lib. . de cant. c . 〈◊〉 quantum amando peccaverunt , perdendo sens●runt . lib. . de cant. c . x si autem ista d●ligis ut subjecta dilige , ut famulantia dilige , ut arrham sponsi , ut munera amici , ut beneficia dei. non ista propter se , sed propter illum , nec ista cum illo , sed ista propter illum , & super ista illum diligas . august . in med●tat . y abstinentia est quando quis pro ●more dei & salute propria , non ab illicitis tantum , sed interdum à licitis atque concessis cohi●et . greg. . moral . z amate & nolite amare , ad aliquid amate , & ad aliquid amare nolite : est enim quod ad profectum ametur , & est quod adimpedimentum non ametur . aug. serm. . de diversis . a non est in carend● difficultas , nisi cùm est in amando cupiditas august . lib. . de doct. christ. cap. . b ●ex est , non paena perire . senec. c suas ista causas habent , net ex imperio saeviunt , sed ex quibusdam vitiis , ut corpora nostra turbantar . senec. quaest. natural . lib. . cap. . d nihil borum sine timore mirantur populi . ●n . lib. . q●aest . natural . lib. . cap. . f potes autem à terrá omnem spem atque omne desiderium removere , hoc fac ut securus vivas , eaque vel tremente , vel ruente consistas . stultum est firmam in re tremulá spem habere . petrarc . dialog . g quid tebi esse non dico auxilii , sed solatii , ubi timor fugam perdidit . senec. quaest . natural . lib. . cap. . h nullum malum sine effugio est , nunquam fulmina populos percusserunt : pestilens coelum exhausit urbes , 〈◊〉 abstulit . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . i hoc malum latissime patet ; non enim domus solum aut familias aut urbes singulas haurit , sed gentes totas regionesque subvertit . idem ibid. k omnes sub eadem lege jacent . nihil ita ut immobile esset natura concepit , alia temp●lus aliis cadunt ▪ idem . ●i . l circui●●atum ▪ & si qu● diu praeteriit repetit , quaedam ●rius sol●itat , quaed●m saepius , nihil immune esse & innoxium si●t . idem ibid. m n●o quidquam esse quietis aeternae , quod & p●rire non potest & perdere . idem ibid. n nullo modo peccati ded●us est sine deco●e 〈◊〉 . aug. o ●inis universa car● ven●t coram me , repleta est t●a iniquitate à facie eorum , & ego disperdam eos cum terra . genes . cap. . p voluntas dei causa miraculorum omnium , quae vel ob●jus gloriam , vel o● peccatorum ultionem fiunt . q usque huc venies & non procedes amplius & ●c c●stringes tume●●uctus tuos . j● . r non est tanto ma●o u● causa , sed omnis rati● consentit , & simul imbres cadunt , ●mina increscunt , maria sedibus suis excit● per●runt , & ●mnia uno agm●ne 〈◊〉 exi●ium hum●i generis incumbunt . senec. quaest. natural . cap. . s i am omnia quae prospici possunt aquis obside●tur , omni● tumul● i● profundo late● & immensa ubique ●titudo est : tantum in s●mmis montium jugis vad● sunt . idem ibid ▪ 〈◊〉 ●tissimis 〈◊〉 ▪ adhaerebant reliquiae ●neris ●umani , q●us in extre● perd●s , hoc ●num sol●tio suit , quod trans●rat in 〈◊〉 metus . senec. ibid. a amor sui deliciarum omnium , & proinde peccatorm author est . b sylvas 〈◊〉 domuer●t , fera● peccora fug●verunt , arenae ser●ntur , saxa panguntur , paludes ●liquantur , tant● urbes quantae non cas● quo●dam . i am ne● i●sulae ●rrent nec scop●li ●orrent . ubique domus , ubique populus , ubique respublica . tertul . de ●ma . c sum●am petit arduus arcem , unde movet tonitrum , vibrat●que fulmina jactat . ovid . metamor . d non maximum ex perculis , sed speciosissimum fulmen est . sen. lib. . quaest . natural . cap. . e caeterum mira fulminis si intueri velis opera sunt , nec quicquam dubii relinquentia quin divina insit illis & subtilis potentia . senec . quaest . natural . cap. . f utile erat in tantâ aud●cia scelerum aliquid esse adversum quod nemo sibi satis potens videretur . ad conterendos itaque eos , quibus innocentis nisi metu no● placet , posuere super caput vindicem & quidem armatum . senec. lib. . q. natural . c. . g non potest in nos tuum errare falmen quis●uis è nobis cadet , nocens pe●bit . in medea . h loculis integris ac illesis conflatur arg●ntum , manenta vaginâ gladius liquescit , & inviolato signo circa pila se●rum omne distillat . statfracto dolio vinum senec. quaest . natural . lib. . cap. . i inest fulmini vis pestifera . senec. ibid. k o●erosi sumus mundo , vix nobis elementd sussiciunt , re vera lues & fames pro remedio deputanda , tanquam consura insol●scentis generis humani . tertul● deanimâ . l dcest terra tumulis , jam rogos sylvae negant , non vota , non arsulla cor reptos levant , cadunt medentes . senec. in oedip. m scilicet coeli reus sperare poterat sceleribustantis dari regnum salubre , fecimus coelum nocens senec. in oedipose . n dominamini piscibus ma●is , volatilibus coeli & animantibus terrae . o hinc procellae & turbines hinc plurima mortalium mala & rerum naturae pugna secum . plin. lib. . c. p piratae prinùm coegere mort is periculo , in mortem ruere & hyberna experiri maria ; nunc idem avaritia cogit . plin. lib. . cap. . q venti utiles● , ut aera non sinerent pigrescere , ut imbres terris subministrarent , iidemque nimios compescerent . nam modo adducunt nubes , modo diducunt● , ut per totum orbem pluviae dividi possint . senec. natural . quaest . lib. . cap. . r ventus omnibus inter se populis commercium dedit & gentes dissipatas locis miscuit . ingens naturae beneficium s●illud in injuriam suam non vertat hominum furor . idem ibid. s non erit tanti si ad pacem per ista veberentur hune autem cum exaserimus tot sc●pulos latentes & insidias vadosi maris , quis nos fessos tot malis partus excipiet . senec. ibid. t quid maria inqu●etamus ? p●um videlicet ad mortes nost●s terra late patet , nimis dura dedit nobis corp●ra . itaque camus in pelagus & v●mus in nos 〈◊〉 cessan●ia . senec. u quosque nos 〈◊〉 mala n●stra rapuere , parum est intra orbe● suum ●urere . idem ibid. x non horrebit crassus revocantis diras tribuni non tempestates longissimi maris , non circa euphratem pr●saga sulmina & de● resistentes . idemibid . 〈◊〉 cui itaque non vita tormentum est ? nihil invenies tam manifestae utilitatis qu●d non in contrarium transferat culpa . senec . quae 〈◊〉 . n●tural lib . c. ● a supplicium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b monstra sunt ornamenta universi . arles . c monstra sunt prodigia divinitus missa , per quae non praesentia modo , sed etiam futura declar●ntur atque praedicuntur . ●amblichus de mysteriis . d omne medicamentum medium est inter alimentum & vene●um . e quin & ven● nostri misertam natur●n instituisse cred● potest , ●e in t●dio vitae dirae famis mors le●tâ nos consumeret tabe . plin. lib. . cap. . f monstr● sunt peccata natuae nec ea ●acere intendit : ideo ej● finis non est monstra procre●re . a●les . physic. g monstris vit● 〈◊〉 ●vem ded● natura ho●inum a 〈◊〉 . philo●ph . h africa sola 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉 , vix in asia & europa reperi● aristotele● & plin. i m● , ●urdi , 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 , d●versa sunt ●onst . or● genera , 〈◊〉 in●er 〈◊〉 q●àm 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fre quentia . k maledictus ●s inter omnia anim●ntia & bestias terrae , super pectus tuum gradieris , & terram comedes cunctus di●bus vitae tuae . genes . cap. . l hominis 〈◊〉 ●aliva serpentibus omnibus mortifera . plin. m basi●sci quos etiam serpentes ipsi fugiunt , hominem vel si tantum aspiciant , di●untur ●terimere . plin. lib. . c n addit venenis verba non ●stas minus metuenda . senec. in m●daea . o creaturae omnes cedunt aut utilitati aut delectationi hominum , quae porro utilitas venen●s ▪ p terra dum parit venena non est noxia , nostris eam criminibus urgemus , culpamque nostram illi imputamus : genuit venena sed quis invenit illa praeter hominem plin. l● . . c. . q etiam venenorum odores pestiferi ; tanta est eorum subtilitas ut etiam ferrum penetret . plin. r unitatis dei cognitio imo & fides omnium hominum pect●ribus à natura ins●rta est . lactant . s deum praedicab●s , 〈◊〉 anima & non requ●ebas , daemo●ia abominal a●s & illa 〈◊〉 : judi●iam dei appellabas nec esse credebas , inferna supplicia p●aesumebas & non praecavebas . te● . de ●estim an●ae i●ne . s esse quoque in satis rominiscitur affore tempus , quo mare , quo tell us correptaque regia coeli ardeat , 〈◊〉 mundi moles operosa laboret . ovid. . met. t diabolus dei aemulus universam conditionem ( creaturam intellige ) homini●mancipatam cum ipso homine corrupit . tertul. de cerona militis . u deorum laesae ma●estatis poena usque ad filios & nepotes eorum descendit apud persa ca●t . x omnes nascimur filii irae . y humor mundi primordi●m & ignis mundi exitus . senec. q●aest . natural . lib. . c. . z ignis ante ipsum praecedet & inflammabit in circuitu inimicosej● , illuxerunt fulgura ejus orbi terra , vidit & commotaest terra , motes sicut cera fluxerunt à facit domini . psal. . a superest ultimus & perpetuus judiciidies , ille nationibus insperatus ille de risuscum tanta ●aeculi vetustas , & tot ejus nativitates unoigni haurientur . tertul. de spectaculis in fine . b quod fuit caminus regis tribus pueris , hoc erit ardens mun dus iustis in trinitate signatis . august . in genes . . c expectantes & properantes in adventum diei domini , per quem coeli ardentes 〈◊〉 entur , & elementa ignis ardore tabescunt . petri cap. . d ●ota nostra ●spirant in sa-cu●i hujus occa● , i●transitum ●aundi , ad d●em domini magnum , di● 〈◊〉 & retribution●s . tertul. de resurr●ct . 〈◊〉 cap. . e nihil interest ubi 〈◊〉 se-culo , qui ex● 〈◊〉 . tertull. ad 〈◊〉 . cap. . f haeredes christianus queret saeculi totius exhaeres , habet fratres , habet ecclesiam matrem . tert. g diluvium & incendium duo naturae baptismi . primum sequutum est peccatum , secundum vero sequetur . innocentia . h novissima autem inimica destru●tur mors . cum autem subjecta fuerint illi omnia , tunc & ipse filius subjectus erit ei qui subjecit sibi omnia , ut sit deus omnia in omnibus . corinth . cap. . satans sophistrie ansuuered by our sauiour christ and in diuers sermons further manifested / by that worthy man maister william perkins ; to which is added, a comfort for the feeble minded, wherein is set downe the temptations of a christian. perkins, william, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) satans sophistrie ansuuered by our sauiour christ and in diuers sermons further manifested / by that worthy man maister william perkins ; to which is added, a comfort for the feeble minded, wherein is set downe the temptations of a christian. perkins, william, - . 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and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion satans sophistrie ansvvered by ovr saviovr christ , and in diuers sermons further manifested by that worthy man maister william perkins . to which is added , a comfort for the feeble minded : wherein is set downe the temptations of a christian. in that he suffered , and was tempted , he is able to succour them that are tempted . heb. . . london , printed by richard field for e. e. and are to be sold at the signe of the swanne in paules church-yard . . ❧ to the right honorable sir william russell , lord russell , baron of thornehaugh , yonger sonne to that most christian and honorable earle , frauncis earle of bedford , with the vertuous ladie his wife : grace and peace . right honorable , as iohn the baptist was in one desert , so our sauiour christ he was in an other : but as these two differed in their being in the world : so did they not accord in their being in the wildernesse . iohn was with some men , christ with none ; iohn was with wild men , christ with wild beasts ; iohn was preaching , christ praying ; iohn was baptizing , christ fighting ; iohn was feeding , christ fasting ; iohn was encountring with diuels incarnate , christ did encounter with the prince of those diuels . from iohn preaching in the desert , learne we diligence in our callings : from christ tempted in the desert , see we troubles at our calling : a many are the troubles of the righteous , but the lord deliuereth them out of all . if it please you to giue these after-lines the reading , you shall see set downe that monomachie or single combat , which was hand to hand betwixt christ and the diuell . and as for christ iesus , you shall see him fasting , fighting , conquering . fasting and an hungry , to shew he was man : fighting & encountring , to shew he was messiah ; and conquering and triumphing , to shew he was god. and as for the diuell , you shall see him obiecting , answering , flying . obiecting , that b christ might despaire ; c answering , that he might presume ; and d flying , when he could not ouercome . in christs temptations , we see the estate of the e church ; in satans assault , we see his malice to the f church . is christ tempted ? thinke it not strange if we fall into g tēptations . for the griefe of the head , is the griefe of the h members : & the temptations of christ , shew the temptations of i christians . it is true of christ , that k by many tribulatiōs he did enter into the kingdom of god : that l our high priest was consecrated by afflictions , that so he must suffer and enter into his m glory . he is no sooner borne into the world , but he is a hunted by herod ; baptized at iordan , b but satan sets on him ; a preacher for repentance , but the c scribes proscribe him ; to d worke miracles , but the pharisees slaunder him . he is no sooner to suffer , but e the diuell assaults him ; apprehēded , but the f iewes deliuer him ; deliuered , but g herod derides him ; derided , but h pilate condemnes him ; condemned , but the souldiers i abuse him . is he on the crosse ? the k people will not pitie him : is he risen ? the high priests will l belie him . in a word , is he vpon earth ? he is tempted in his m person ; is he in heauen ? he is n tempted in his members . thus the life of christ was a warfare vpon earth , and the life of christians must be a warfare vpon earth . we liue here in a sea of troubles : the sea is the world , the waues are calamities , the church is the ship , the anker is hope , the sailes are loue , the saints are passengers , the hauen is heauen , and christ is our pilot . when the sea can continue without waues , the shippe without tossings , and passengers not be sicke vpon the water , then shall the church of god be without trials . we begin this voyage so soone as we are borne , and we must saile on till our dying day . we do reade in gods word of many kinds of temptations : god , satan , man , the world , & the flesh , are said to tempt . god tempteth man to trie his obedience , satan tempteth man to make him disobedient : men do tempt men to try what is in them : and man tempteth god , to trie what is in him . the world is a tempter , to keepe man from god : and the flesh is a tempter , to bring man to the diuell . so god tempted abraham a in the offering of his son : satan b tempted iob in the losse of his goods : a c queene tempted salomon in trying his wisedome : men d tēpted god by distrust in the desert : the world tempted demas , e when he forsooke the apostles : and the flesh tempted dauid , f when he fell by adulterie . doth god tempt vs ? take heed of hypocrisie : doth satan tempt vs ? take heed of his subtiltie : doth man tempt man ? take heed of dissembling : doth man tempt god ? take heed of inquiring : doth the world tempt man ? take heed of apostacie : doth the flesh tempt man ? take heed of carnalitie . but do we so ? are we warie of these tempters ? no , we are not , and therefore we fal . we fal on the right hand , by temptations in prosperitie , and we fall on the left , by temptations in aduersitie . of the one it may be said , it hath slaine g thousands : of the other , that it hath slaine ten thousands . when we come and see cities dispeopled , houses defaced , and wals pulled downe , we say , the souldier hath bene there : and when we see pride in the rich , discontent in the poore , and sinne in all , we may iustly say , the tēpter hath bin there . now of all other temptations , it pleaseth god to suffer his church to be tempted with afflictions . it is neuer free either from the sword of ishmael : which is a a reuiling tong : or the sword of esau , a b persecuting hand . neither was there yet euer christian man found , who had not his part in the cup of affliction . we must drinke of the c same cuppe our maister did : d the disciple is not aboue his maister . the reasons why god doth visit vs thus with afflictions , are : . to humble vs. . to weane vs. . to winow vs. . to preuent vs. . to teach vs. . to enlighten vs. . to honour vs. . to cure vs. . to crowne vs. . to comfort vs. . to protect vs. . to adopt vs. and last of all , to teach & comfort others . to e humble vs , that we be not proud : f to weane vs , that we loue not this world : g to winnow vs , that we be not chaffe : h to preuent vs , that we do not sinne : i to teach vs , that we be patient in aduersitie : to k enlighten vs , that we see our errors : to l honor vs , that our faith may be manifest : to cure vs , that we m surfet not of securitie : to n crowne vs , that we may liue eternally : to o comfort vs , that he may send his spirit : : to p protect vs , that he may guide vs by his angels : to a adopt vs , that we may be his sonnes : b and to teach others , that they seeing how sin is punished in vs , they may take heed it be not found in them : that they c seeing our comforts in troubles , may not be discouraged in the like trials . thus a christian mans diet is more sowre thē sweet : his physicke is more aloes then honie : his life is more a pilgrimage then a progresse : & his death is more despised then honoured . this if men would thinke of before , afflictions would be as welcom to the soule of man , as d afflicted ruth was to the field of boaz. but because we looke not for them before they come , think not on gods doing when they are come , and do desire to be happie both here and hereafter : therfore we can away with the name of naomi , but in no case would we be called e mara . we f see the sea , not the whale : the g egyptian , not the saluation : the h lions mouth , not him that stoppeth the lions mouth . if we could see god in our troubles , as i elisha did in his , then would we say : there are more with vs , then there are against vs. but because we do not , therefore at euery assault of the assyrians , we say , as the seruant to k elishah did : alas maister , what shall we do ? and with the disciples : l carest thou not maister that we perish ? yet it is good for vs to suffer affliction . m blessed is the man that endureth temptation : for when he is tried , he shall receiue the crowne of life which the lord hath promised to thē that loue him . it is a commanded by god , b practised by christ , c yeelded to by the saints , d assigned by gods prouidence , and good for vs each way . we are gods e trees , we shall grow better by pruning : gods pomander , smell better by rubbing : gods spice , be more profitable by bruising : and gods conduits , we are the better by running . let vs suffer afflictions , they are f momentanie in respect of time : g fauors , if we respect gods loue , and a meanes to bring vs to the kingdome of god. if they did consume vs , we might wish them an end : but they do purge vs , let vs be content . they h are gods fan , we are gods wheate : they are gods boulter , we are gods meale : they are gods i flame , we are gods bush : they are gods k cords , we are gods sacrifice : they are gods f●rnace , we are gods gold . the wheate will not be good without the fan , nor the meale without the bolter , nor the bush without the flame , nor the sacrifice without the cords , nor the gold without the fornace : they are trials , not punishments , if we be sons : punishments , not trials , if we be slaues . let vs then beare thē , they l will haue an end : ioy m will follow : they n shew vs our weaknesse : they o moue vs to pray : they p shew we are in the path way to heauen : and q make vs contemne this present world . by them we a learn to repent vs of sin past , b to take heed of sinne present , and to foresee sin to come . by them we c receiue gods spirit , d are like to christ : are acquainted e with gods power : haue f ioy in deliuerance : know benefite of prosperitie : made more hardie to suffer : and g haue cause to practise many excellent vertues . they cause vs ( as one saith ) to seeke out gods promise : the promise to seeke faith : faith to seeke prayer : and prayer to find god. h seeke , and ye shall find : i call , and he will answer : k waite , & he wil come . i am to write an epistle , i must not be long . iobs l messengers came not so fast on him : but iobs afflictions may come as fast vpō vs. hath dauid slaine m a bere ? he shall encounter with a lion : hath he killed a lion ? n he must fight with goliah : hath he subdued goliah ? he must make a r●ad vpon the philistims : are the philistims conquered ? o saul wil assault him . remēber dauids troubles , and foresee what may be our troubles . the more righteous we are , the more manifold are our troubles : and the better we are , the better we may indure them . but as our troubles are many , so are our deliuerances many : god will deliuer vs out of all . he that deliuered p noah frō the floud , q l●t frō sodome , r iacob from esau , s ioseph from potiphar , moses from pharaoh , a b israell frō egypt , c dauid from saul , d eliah from acab , e elysha from the syrians , f naaman from his leprosie , g hezechiah from the plague , h the three children from the fire , i daniel from the lions , k ioseph from herod , the apostles l from the iewes , m and christ from the diuell : he , euen he will either deliuer vs frō trouble , or comfort vs in trouble , or mitigate troubles when they come vpon vs. he , n he hath promised to do it , and he that hath promised , is able to do it . and this he doth sometimes by no meanes , sometimes by small means , sometimes by ordinarie means , sometimes by extraordinarie , sometimes contrarie to all meanes . by no o meanes he cured a creeple at bethesda : by p small meanes he fed fiue thousand in the desert : by q ordinarie meanes he was brought from the pinnacle : by meanes extraordinarie he was prouided for in hunger : r and contrarie to all meanes were the s three children preserued in the fornace of fire . i haue good cause to thinke of gods gracious deliuerance , being my selfe deliuered frō a great trouble . since the time i was vnkindly dismissed from my poore charge , where i would haue continued , if malice had not hindred me , i haue liued in an end of this city : dangerously in respect of the sicknesse ; poorely , in regard of maintenāce ; and painfully , in respect of my ministerie : yet ti● this time hath the lord deliuered me : and 〈◊〉 paule said : a he will deliuer me , if that he se● it be best for me . let man therefore b comfort himselfe in the lord : c after two dayes he will reuiue vs , and the third day he will raise vs vp againe : d heauinesse may endure for a night , but ioy will come in the morning . e doubtlesse there is a reward for the righteous : verily , f god retaineth not his wrath for euer . could he ouercome the world , and can he not ouercome many troubles in the world ? yea , let one plague follow another , as one quaile sings to another : yet as the g viper leaped on paules hand , and forthwith leaped off again , so one trouble shall leape vpon the righteous , and anon leape off againe : h though he fall , he shall rise againe , the righteous shall not be forsaken for euer . if he hath deliuered vs from the guilt of our sinnes , he will deliuer vs from the punishment of our sins . let vs then therefore be patient in trouble , constant in hope , rooted in loue : let vs waite 〈◊〉 he will come , call and he will heare , beleeue and he will performe , repent vs of our euill committed against him , and he will repent of his euils intēded against vs. he is ouer vs by his prouidence , about vs by his angels , in vs by his spirit , with vs by his word , vnder vs by his power , and vpon vs by his sonne . in him is our helpe , from him is our comfort , by him is our victorie , and for him is our trouble . a in thee haue i trusted , saith a king : b who euer was confounded that trusted in the lord , said a friend ? and as el●anah was to c hannah in stead of many sons , so god is to his in stead of many comforters . of other comforters , we may say as iob did of his friends : d silly comforters are you all . they wil leaue vs , as mice do a ruinous house : but the lord ( like e ruth to naomi ) will neuer leaue vs , nor forsake vs. especially in the houre of death , f which is in remēbrance bitter to great men : in that houre of death he will be with vs , and command his g angels to take charge of our soules , the h earth to be as a bed for our bodies : that so the one i may go into glorie , the other reserued in hope of like glorie , k and be made one day like vnto the glorious bodie of christ iesus . thus right honourable you haue seene the righteous in afflictions : as l israel was in babylon : and that the lord like m zorobabel is readie to deliuer them . though in trobles christ seemes as in the n ship to sleepe , yet in deliuerance he awakes as a man out of sleepe , and as a giant refreshed with wine . he will rebuke the waues and winds of trobles and persecution , and they shall flie before him as sysera did before a debora , & the b philistims before ionath● and his seruant . and as christ asking the wom●● of her accusers , she answered : c there was none : 〈◊〉 in the end aske a christian of his troubles , & h● will say , there are none . he is a buckler for ou● left hand , and a sword in our right : he is an helmet on our head , and harnesse for our bodie . we shall look vpon troubles , as d israel did on the egyptians , as the e iewes did on goliah , and as the grecians did on hector , to triumph ouer them : and as the angell said to ioseph : f they are dead that sought the childs life , so the spirit shal say to the afflicted , they are dead that did seeke your life . a day of deliuerance , a yeare of iubile will come , and then g ioseph shall be out of prison , h iacob out of seruitude , and i iob shal lie no more in the dust of the earth : k let vs comfort our selues with these words . i haue exceeded an epistle , especially to such a small booke . if the wals seeme too great for this citie : abundans cautela non nocet . it is vsuall for students not onely to present their owne labours , but also other mens to great personages , especially such works wherin they haue bene either translators or ouerseers . it were infinit to instance this point . i am bold to do the like to your honour at this time . this copie it was brought vnto my hand , i haue conferred it with another , i haue perused it at the presse , i heard diuerse of the sermons , i haue added nothing of mine owne : and i desire , that of those a many baskets ful of most delicate diet , which this worthie man hath now left behind him , there may not so much as any one be lost . if any such come vnto my hand , surely they shall not be lost . by his life had i much comfort , and i will seeke to honor him after he is dead . i was twentie yeares acquainted with him : i at his request made the first fruites of his labours to speake english. and now i am bold to present this his posthume to your patronage . your honorable nephew , his vertuous lady , your worthy sister , haue heretofore accepted the labours of this man. if it shall please your good honour to do the like , this preface of mine shall remaine as a perpetuall testimonie of my dutie to you : and the booke following as fully armed against all such aduersaries as shall speake against it . the god of heauē , who hath made you honorable in your most honorable progenitors , make you thrice honorable in your future successors : that the memoriall of the righteous may be euerlasting , when as the name of the wicked shall r●t . your honors at commandement , robert hill , fellow of s. iohns coll. in cambridge . london , s. martins in the fields . ian. . . the printer to the reader . gentle reader , in the life of that worthie man master perkins , his books for the most part were printed at cambridge . the onely reason was , his desire to be corrector to his owne bookes . since he departed this life , some good men haue brought me certaine labours of his . i desire not to print them to make gaine to myselfe , but because i would not haue his labours to be lost . he was heard of many by his speech , read of many in his writings , and his works haue bene translated into many languages . mislike not this booke , because it was printed at london , his auditors can tell it was as he spake it . if you say , it was hard to write as he spake : know this , that he obserued his auditors , and so spake , as a diligent baru● might write verbatim al that was spoken by this ieremiah . vse this , and communicate that which thou hast of his . satans sophistrie answered by ovr saviovr christ . math . . . then was iesus led aside of the spirit , &c. in the eleuen first verses of this chapter , are recorded and set downe vnto vs the seuerall temptations of our sauiour christ : and in them we are to consider three especiall points : first , the preparation vnto the combat ▪ vers . . and . secondly , the combat it selfe in three seuerall temptations , vers . . . . . . . . . thirdly , the issue and effect of this combat , vers . . the preparation hath two parts : first , the going forth of christ into the wildernesse , in the first verse . secondly , his abode and conuersation in the wildernesse , in the second verse . the going forth of christ into the wildernesse , is set out by sundrie circumstances : first , the time , then . secondly , the mouing cause , whereby he was caried thither , namely he was led of the spirit . thirdly , the place , the wildernesse . fourthly , the end , to be tempted of the diuell . then was iesus led ] in the chapter going before is set downe the baptisme of our sauiour christ , as also the great honour of his baptisme . and it pleased him to be baptized , to shew that he was now installed into the office of a mediator : and for the greater solemnitie of his baptisme , he was proclaimed by the voice of god the father from heauen , to be the chiefe doctor , and the true prophet of the church of god : for chap. . . it is said : there came a voice from heauen , saying , this is my welbeloued sonne , in whom i am well pleased . and also it is said , that the spirit of god in the likenesse of a doue descended and light vpon him . now so soone as christ was installed into his office of mediator , and thus solemnely baptized , and proclaimed , euen from heauen , to be the sole doctor and prophet of the church of god , presently without delay , as is marke . . he was led aside to be tempted of the diuell . in that christ is no sooner baptised , but he is presently tempted , it sheweth vs , that all those which haue bene baptised , and giuen vp their names to christ , must make account to be tempted , and looke for temptations . for if satan durst be so bold to set vpon iesus christ the head , who was not onely man but very god ; how much more will he be bold to set vpon vs , who be but weake and sinfull men ? and therefore so soone as we haue truly giuen vp our names to god , and become the faithfull souldiers of christ , and refuse to serue sinne and satan , then will the diuell incounter vs , and set vpon vs ▪ and we must looke for to be tempted , preparing our selues to this spirituall battell , and put vpon vs the whole complete armour of god. ephes . . . but most men will say , this doctrine is not true : for they neuer felt any such combat in themselues , though they haue bin baptized many yeares . i answer ; such men whatsoeuer they be , they haue onely the outward baptisme of water , and neuer receiued the inward baptisme of the spirit : and such men do indeed weare christs liuerie , but do seruice to the diuell his enemie . and therefore let such persons reforme them selues , turne from their wicked and sinfull liues , and seeke to serue the lord , and then they shall find this doctrine most true . for the children of israel so long as they liued vnder pharaoh in egypt , they were not persecuted by pharaoh : but when they did set their faces towards the land of canaan , then presently he pursued them with all his malice and might . so all the while men liue in egypt ▪ that is , in sin and wickednesse , and serue the diuell , he will let them be at quiet : but if euer we once set our hearts on that heauenly canaan , and giue our selues to the seruice of god , then he will with open mouth pursue vs , follow vs with many armies , and cast an hundred temptations in our way . and as a poore bird which cometh to the shop , and when she thinketh to get away , then cometh all her paine , and the net is spread ouer her : so when men begin to leaue their euill courses , and to set themselues to serue the lord , presently the diuell doth spread his net to intangle them . this must teach vs to watch and pray , that we enter not into temptation . secondly , in that our sauiour is no sooner baptized , & ordained to be the great doctor of the church , but he is presently tempted and encountred by satan : hence we learne , that all those which be appointed of god to any speciall office in the church or common-weale , they must make account they shall be tempted , and looke for satans temptations one way or other : it was that which befell the head , and therefore let vs all that be his members reckon of it . example of this we haue in moses , who so soone as he was new called to be the guide and deliuerer of the children of israel , he was faine to flie when he had killed the egyptian . and dauid was no sooner appointed by god to be king of israell , but saule did persecute him . as soone as our sauiour christ had called the apostles to that office , he brought them to the sea , and there by his diuine power raised a storme , so as they cried out , maister , saue vs , or else we perish . and this the lord doth in great wisdome : for by this meanes he sheweth a man that he is not able of himselfe to execute the duties of his particular calling without the speciall grace of god : and by these temptations and trials , the lord stirreth vp a greater loue of his maiestie in the hearts of his children , and with it many other graces , as prayer , patience , &c. and maketh these graces the better to shew themselues . seeing that our sauiour christ begins his propheticall office of teaching the church of god with temptations : this should admonish the ministers of the word of god , that they of all other men are subiect to satans temptations , because they be the lords standard-bearers , and his lieutenants , against whom satan and al his souldiers bend all their forces , as souldiers often do against the standard-bearer . when as iehoshua the high priest stood before the lord , satan stood at his right hand to hinder him , zach. . . he was a lying spirit in the mouth of foure hundred false prophets : and this old red dragon , reu. . with his taile draweth downe the third part of the stars of heauen : he desired to winnow peter , and to trie him by temptations , luke . and as the king of aram said of acab : fight not against small or great , but against the king of israel : so satan fighteth not against any so much , as the prophets of israel , the ministers of the church . so then we may see , that temptations are necessary for the ministers of the word , that they may both know what they be , and also learne how to comfort others in time o● temptation . also to teach vs the true vse of the word of god , and the force of it in resisting temptation . for certaine it is , that temptations teach men many things which they could neuer learne by bare studie . so that one sayd well : reading , meditation , prayer , and temptations , these foure make a diuine . the second point to be considered , is , what was the cause which moued our sauior christ to go into the wildernesse : which was the leading of the spirit : iesus was led aside of the spirit : luke . . . or as the word signifieth , he was caried apart , mark. . . not by a forced , but a voluntary motion . this was not a locall transportation of the bodie of christ , as that of eliah , and of philip from the eunuch : but by the inward instinct of the holy ghost he was mooued and made willing to go , as the word which luk. . . vseth , sheweth plainely . and by the spirit here , is not meant the diuell or an euill spirit , but the holy spirit of god , euen the third person in the trinitie . and so we see that christ may both guide the spirit , and be guided by the spirit : for christ as he is man is led and guided by the spirit ; but as he is god , he doth guide and send his spirit . obiection . christ sendeth the holy ghost , therefore cannot be led by it . ans. as christ was man he was guided by gods spirit , as he was god he sent the spirit . hence we may behold the exceeding holinesse of the manhood or humane nature of christ , who as he was man was guided by the spirit of god , euen in his mouing from one place to another . and it is that which euery one should desire , to be like vnto our sauiour christ in this , viz. to suffer our selues to be guided & directed by gods holy spirit in all our thoughts , words and deeds : for this is a true note of gods children , rom. . . but as many as are not led by the spirit of god , the same are none of his , rom. . . and therefore let vs all become plyable to the motions and directions of gods blessed spirit , so as we can say as dauid saith : when thou saydst , seeke ye my face : my heart answered vnto thee : o lord , i will seeke thy face . againe , from this that christ was led vnto temptations by the spirit of god , we learne , that temptations come not by chance , nor yet by the diuels will and appointment : for he could not touch iob or any thing he had , till he had leaue giuen him by the lord : and he could not so much as enter into swine , till christ gaue him leaue ; but they come by his ●ust permission , and the speciall prouidence ●nd appointment of god. for as god de●reed , that he which had ouercome all mankind , should be ouercome by christ : so he ●ath appointed this combat by temptations ●o all men : the place where it is tried , is the world as a theater : the persons as souldiers tried , are christians : the person tempting , is satan our aduersarie : the beholders are men and angels : the iudge or vmpire is the lord himselfe , so that the issue shall be good . and therefore when we be tempted , we must not thinke it strange : but rather as iam. . . accompt it exceeding ioy when we are tempted for the triall of our faith and obedience . and also seeing they come by gods appointment , it should moue vs all to endure them patiently , seeing they cannot be auoyded . seeing christ was led to be tempted : hence we learne , that no man must wittingly of his own head , cast himself into places of danger : for christ went not into the place of temptation til he was led by the spirit of god. and so indeed , if a man find himselfe moued by some extraordinary motion and instinct of the spirit , he may offer himselfe vnto danger . so paul went bound in the spirit to ierusalem : that is , he did willingly follow the motion 〈◊〉 gods spirit , which inforced him to go to ie●rusalem . and so many of the martyrs , thoug● they might haue fled , yet being moued 〈◊〉 the inward motion of the holy ghost , di●●stand to the truth , abide the danger , and en●dured the fire . but otherwise no man is wittingly to cast himselfe into danger ; yet if the lord send any danger vnto a man in the performance of his calling and vocation , walking according to gods word , he is patiently to endure it , and may not seeke to auoide the same . here may be demaunded , whether a ma● may with good conscience and safely , abid● in such places where it is certainely known● that euill spirits do haunt and vse to be ? although some be so venturous and bold that they feare nothing , yet it is no wisdome neither is it lawfull for men to frequent and abide in those places , but rather to shunn● them , seeing the lord hath deliuered them vp into the power of the diuell . and therefore such men as frequent such places know● to be possessed , do wilfully tempt god , and cast themselues into needlesse danger , vnlesse they haue extraordinary warrant from god. this may serue to reprooue those men who say they care not into what companie they come , for they perswade themselues that no companie can hurt them : but let such men beware ; for how can it be but they shall be infected with the sinnes of those whose companie they vsually do haunt and vse ? he that walketh with the wise , shall be wise : but a companion of fooles shall be like vnto them . he that toucheth pitch , shall be defiled : and if sinners intice thee , yeeld not vnto them . againe , here we see that so long as christ liued a priuate life at home with his father in his trade , all this while the diuell lets him alone ; neither hath he these gifts of the holy ghost : but after he was once installed to the office of a mediator , presently the diuell sets vpon him : and when he must now be another kind of man in teaching the people of god , he is led now by the spirit of god , and furnished for this high and excellent calling . hence then we must learne , that when we are appointed of god to any speciall office , either in church or common-weale , we must then become new men fit for those places , and carie our selues sutable to our callings . thus when saul was annointed to b● king , he became another man ; thus whe● dauid became of a shepheard a king , he be● haued himselfe as a king ; thus the apostle at the first were poore ignorant fisher-men but being called to be apostles , they le●● their old trade and became new men , eue● messengers of christ to preach the gospel to all nations . this confuteth those which pleade extraordinary callings , as those men who ca● themselues elias , iohn baptist , &c. for if thes● were such men , and had such extraordinari● callings , they should be endued with extraordinarie gifts fit for their calling ; but they are not , nay we see they be but ordinary men . againe , by nature we be all borne the children of wrath and enemies to god , but by grace are called to be christians : now the● it behoueth vs all to become new men , to leade new liues fitting and sutable to our holy calling , giuing our selues wholy to the seruice and worship of god. now if any aske● how christ was furnished with these gifts : ● answer out of s. luke , that he was filled with the holy ghost , chap. . vers . . if any furthe● obiect , that if he were so filled after his baptisme , then he was not filled before : i answer● againe , that as in his infancie he had a mea●ure of gifts fit for that age ; so from time to ●●me he increased in grace , and after his bap●●sme had a greater appearance and measure ●f gifts then before his calling to preach . it followeth , into the wildernesse . here is ●he third circumstance , namely the place , into ●he wildernesse or desert place : which place christ did of purpose choose to be tempted ●n . there be diuers opinions concerning this place , some thinke it to be a litle wildernesse betwixt ierusalem and iericho ; others iudge ●t to be the desert of arabia , where elias fa●ted fortie dayes and fortie nights , and where ●he children of israel wandred fortie yeares . but seeing the holy ghost doth not shew what wildernes it was , we are not curiously ●o inquire after it , but onely know it was a desert and solitary place . let vs rather seeke the reasons wherefore he was tempted in the wildernesse : first , because christ comming into the world to be ●ut mediator , tooke vpon him the base estate of a seruant , and came in humiliation : therefore when he was now baptized , he would not go to ierusalem to publish his honour , but he went into the desert , a solitary wildernesse . againe , he went into the wildernesse , tha● he might not onely the more easily incounter , but more victoriously ouercome his enemie the diuell : for if satan had seene him i● his glorie , he durst not so fiercely and so eagerly haue set vpon him ; and therefore dot● as the fisherman , who hideth the hooke and sheweth onely the baite : so christ he sheweth his manhood , but couereth as it wer● with a mantle his godhead , so that the diu●● seeing him in the base estate of humiliation might be the more fierce in his temptation● and he might get a more glorious victorie . another reason why christ was tempte● in the wildernes , was this , that he might giu● the diuell the aduantage of the place , and 〈◊〉 ouercomming , might giue him the greate● foyle : for in the wildernesse we want the societie and fellowship of men to comfort v● and such places be noted as solitarie an● voide of comfort , and such satan will choo●● especially : for when a man is alone and solitarie , it is that which is fittest for the diuel● purpose ; for when the woman was alon● how soone had the diuell ouercome her and therfore our sauior christ in going in●● the wildernes , graunts the diuel that he 〈◊〉 desired , to haue him alone by himselfe . fourthly , christ would be tempted in the wildernesse , where was none to help him nor to assist him , because the whole praise of the victory belonged to himselfe alone . lastly , christ went into the wildernesse , that so after he might returne againe with greater authoritie and reuerence to preach the gospell : for we know that when one hath liued with vs , and departs for a season , and after returnes againe , we do receiue him with greater reuerence , and make more account of him . from this practise of christ his going into the wildernesse , the papists gather that men may liue monasticall liues , in cloisters , woods , dens , cels , &c. from the societie and companie of men : but this their collection ●is but fond , as may appeare by these reasons : first , christ did this by the speciall motion and direction of gods spirit : they go into their cels without any warrant from god. secondly , he went but once for a certaine time : they continue alwaies there . thirdly , christ during his abode in the wildernesse fasted and abstained from all sustenance ; but those amongst the papists that liue monasticall and solitarie liues , enioy all their pleasure and delights in eating and drinking , and therefore though solitarinesse at some times is commendable , to fit vs for meditation , prayer , repentance , &c. yet to liue continually without the company and societie 〈◊〉 men , is neither commendable nor warrantable . to be tempted of the diuell : ] here is the en● wherefore christ was led of the spirit int● the wildernesse , namely , to be tempted of th● diuell . now this action , to tempt , is ascribed t● god , to man , and to the diuell . the lord 〈◊〉 said to tempt , when he proueth and maket● triall of his children , to make manifest wha● hidden thing is in their hearts , gen. . . abraham was tempted by god when he offered his sonne . secondly , man is said to tempt god , wh●● as he shall by vnlawfull meanes trie the prouidence , power , mercy and iustice of god. thirdly , the diuel is said to tempt , when 〈◊〉 he allures by some suggestion inwardly , 〈◊〉 by some obiect outwardly ; and in this thi●● sense it is vnderstood here , that the diuell di●tempt christ , that is , sought to allure him 〈◊〉 some meanes to sinne . and though chri●● could haue confounded satan by a word 〈◊〉 his mouth , yet notwithstanding he did wi●●lingly permit and suffer him to tempt him , because now he stood in our stead : and this was a part of his sufferance to be thus tempted of the diuell . but how could christ be tempted , seeing he was most holy , euen as he was man ? ans. for all that he might be tempted , as our first parents were before they had sinned . the diuel tempts men either by conueying into their minds some secret suggestion , or else moues them by some outward obiect , that he may put into them some conceipt of that sin which he would haue them commit : as vnto iudas , the diuel cast this vile thought into his heart , iudas betray thy maister , iohn . . so here the diuell suggests vnto the mind of christ these motions , to moue him to vnbeleefe , idolatrie and couetousnesse . but here is the difference : first , that christ his most holy heart withstands all satans temptations . againe , as these wicked motions disquiet and trouble mens minds , and bring molestations vpon them ; so it befell our sauiour christ , for he was moued with these temptations , but yet without all sin . thirdly , men when they are tempted , though they do not altogether receiue and approoue of the temptations , yet they be tainted with them : but yet christ was neuer so much as any whi●● tainted , nor his holy heart did euer approue of them in any sort , but constantly repelled them . as if a man cast a match into tinder , 〈◊〉 will catch fire and burne ; but cast it into water , it will quench it : so temptations coming into our hearts which be like vnto tinder , we are easily tainted with them , though we d● not altogether entertaine them : but the most holy heart of christ was as water to quench them at the first . the diuell tempts men with sundry blasphemous , horrible , and vncleane thoughts . now that we may discerne them , and keepe our selues from despaire when we find them in vs , we must know that in the mind there be many cogitations which arise of the flesh , and from our owne corrupt hearts , and these be sinne . besides these there be other cogitations conueyed aud suggested vnto vs by th● diuell , and these be the diuels temptations ▪ but no sinnes to vs , vnlesse we entertain● them , receiue and approoue of them : they b● indeed our crosses , but satans sinnes : fo● christ was tempted by the diuell , but with standing and repelling his temptations , an● not giuing the least approbation of them , h● was free from sinne , and remained holy aft●● he was thus tempted . the causes wherfore christ was tempted , are these : first , because he was to vanquish the diuel in his owne kind , and at his owne weapon : and as the first adam was ouercome by his temptations , so now the second adam christ iesus might vanquish him in the midst of all his most fierce temptations . secondly , he was tempted , that by his example he might teach vs how to resist temptations , as also to shew what temptations are , and the power of them . and therefore that common opinion , that if any be grieuously tempted , men thinke they be notorious sinners , and hauing forsaken god , he now hath forsaken them : it is a false and erronious opinion : for here we see , that the most holy sonne of god himselfe was tempted . againe , seeing christ the head was tempted , no member of christ must looke to be free from temptation , but we must euen make account to be tempted . lastly , our sauiour christ was tempted , that so feeling the waight and daunger of temptations , he might be a mercifull high priest to helpe vs in our temptations : as the apostle doth witnesse . the next point to be noted , is the cause and author of his temptation : he was tempted of the diuell . this name diuell , signifieth a cauililer , a slaunderer , a priuie accuser : for he accuseth god to man , as he did to euah . gen. ● . hath god said indeed ye shall die ? nay , but it is because god loues you not : for when ye eate of the tree , god knoweth ye shal be like vnto god. secondly , the diuel accuseth man to god , and is therefore called the accuser of the brethren ; one which ceasseth not to put vp bils of accusation against vs , and to accuse vs vnto god , as he dealt with iob. thirdly , the diuell accuseth one man to another , by raising suspitions and bad surmises and by backbiting one another . and seeing the holy ghost calleth satan an accuser , let vs all beware of accusing our brethren , of slaundering and backbiting : for such men become like vnto the diuell . againe , it must admonish al men to beware that they do not by any accusations or slanders , seeke to draw men from embracing the gospell : for they which take this course make themselues diuels incarnate . of this sort was elyma● the sorcerer , act. . . whom paul therefore calleth the child of the diuel . and thus much of the first part of the preparation . now followeth the second part , viz. the abode of christ in the wildernesse : which is set out by three circumstances . first , by his fasting forty daies and forty nights . secondly by his companie there , namely , the wild beasts , manke . . lastly , by those temptations wherewith the diuell did incounter him within the space of those fortie dayes , luke . . though the particulars be not set downe by the euangelists . the first point , is christs fasting in the wildernesse the space of fortie dayes . there be three sorts of fastings : first , a dayly fast , which is nothing else but the vertue of sobrietie , or a moderate vsing of the creatures of god with abstinence : and this kind of fasting all men must vse continually , and we must take heed of the abuse of gods creatures by surfetting and drunkennesse . rom . . the second kind of fasting is a religious fast , when we abstaine from meate and drink for a certaine time , that we may be more fit for the exercises of repentance , prayer and duties of religion : and this kind of fasting , the iewes vsed sometimes for one meale , sometimes for two or three , sometimes for many , as . sam. . . they fasted seuen dayes . the third is a miraculous fast , when any one shall fast many dayes , and that beyond the course of nature : thus moses fasted fortie daies and fortie nights in the mountaine ; and so fasted elias . now there is no man able to fast so long by the course of nature . indeed paul did fast three dayes after his conuersion ; and those which were with paule in the ship in that dangerous voyage , act. . . are said to haue fasted foureteene dayes , which though some thinke is not meant of abstaining from all sustenance , but that they did eate very litle ; yet the words are plaine , that they did eate nothing for the space of foureteene dayes . and though it be true that phisitions affirme , that a man may liue seuenteene dayes without meate , yet he cannot endure longer , as twentie or thirtie dayes . now our sauiour christ fasted fortie dayes , and fortie nights , and for all this his complexion was not changed , nor the strength of his bodie weakened ; nay he was not hungrie till the end : though men cannot fast a short time , but it wil weaken them and make them hungry , which doth proue this fast of christ was miraculous . now there be some reasons why christ fasted so long and no longer . first , that when he came to preach the gospell , he might come with more authoritie and reuerence : as when moses had fasted fortie dayes , and brought the two tables , the people receiued him with greater reuerence . so likewise elias when he was to restore religion , he fasted forty dayes and forty nights . secondly , he fasted so long , that he might answer vnto the time that moses and elias fasted . thirdly , he fasted no longer , lest any man should call into question his humanitie , whether he was true man yea or no , if he had fasted threescore or an hundred dayes . from this miraculous fast of christ , the papists fondly gather their superstitious fast in lent ; being but an apish imitatiō of christ : and in truth their fasting is no fast , but a plaine mocke-fast , seeing they eate as liberally , and fare as daintily then , as at any other time of the yeare : whereas christ abstained from all vse of meate and drinke . secondly , christ was moued thereunto by the instinct of gods holy spirit ; they haue no word to warrant them . thirdly , christ did thus fast but once in all his life : but their fast is continuall , euery yeare , and therefore these reasons proue that their collection is friuolous . the second speciall point to be marked in the abode of our sauior christ in the wildernesse , is his conuersing with the wild beasts , marke . . some say the cause of his conuersing among the wild beasts , was , that they might do him that homage which is due to the creator : but this opinion hath no warrant out of the word of god , and litle truth in it : for though it be true that iesus christ is worthy of all homage , yet he came not to this end into the world , but rather to take on him the shape of a seruant . but the true cause is this : whereas there be two kinds of wildernesses , one which was inhabited , and where iohn baptist did baptize & preach : and another not inhabited , where liued all kinds of wild beasts , as lions , tygers , beares , &c. christ made choise of that which was without the societie of men , wherein were onely the wild beasts to beare him companie , that so in this great combat against the diuell , he might shew he had no aide nor comfort of any man ; but that he ouercame by his owne power , and therefore 〈◊〉 the honour and praise of the victory belonged to christ iesus alone . and besides , in the person of christ we may behold the estate of gods church here vpon earth , that she liueth here with wicked men , which be no better then wild beasts , as esay . . doth testifie . the third circumstance whereby the abode of christ in the wildernesse is described , be those temptaions which befell him within the compasse of the forty dayes , for before the three great conflicts , luke . . there is mention made of other temptations , which though they be not specified , yet it is very likely that the diuell did set vpon christ by sundrie , small , light and weaker temptations , thereby making an entrance to his fiercer and stronger temptations . for it is the diuels maner to go on , and to proceed by degrees in his temptations . as first he cast into cains mind an angry thought against his brother abel : after he preuailed , and caine had conceiued displeasure against his brother , then ●he proceedeth to tempt him to murther , and there he did not stay till he had brought him to vtter despaire . so he dealt with iudas , first he put into iudas mind this thought ; iudas betray thy maister : which though iudas did receiue at the first , yet after he letteth it ta●● place , and then the diuell proceedeth by d●grees with him , till he had brought him to h●● purpose . and it is the diuels subtiltie , first 〈◊〉 get if it be but a talent in , then he will thr●● in his foote , yea his head , and wind in hi● whole bodie . out of this subtile dealing of the diuel● that he begins with lesser temptations , an● proceeds by degrees , it must teach vs to b● wise , and to labour , that we may stop the fir●● motions and inclinations to sin , to resist th● very beginnings to euill . for if satan preuail● in them , he will proceed to more forcibl● temptations . the fourth and last point in the abode 〈◊〉 christ in the wildernesse , is in these word● he was afterward an hungrie : that is , when h● had by the diuine power and vertue of h●● godhead fasted forty daies and forty night● he was at the last hungry . and this christ di● for our sakes : for though christ was the so● of god , yet for our good he was content t● take our nature vpon him , and became tru● man like vnto vs in all things excepting sin● and had not onely the will , mind , affection ▪ and conscience of man , but also tooke vpon him the infirmities of humane nature , so farre foorth as they be without sinne : and therefore he was subiect to hunger and thirst . the causes wherefore our sauiour christ was hungrie , are these : first , that he might ●hew himself to be true man , and that he had ●he infirmities of humane nature : and so we see he would stop the mouthes of such as should say , it was a small matter for him to last so long being the sonne of god. but least we should doubt of his manhood , he is here ●s we see touched with hunger , a true infirmitie of mans nature . secondly , he was thus hungrie , that by this meanes he might cast vnto the diuell an ob●ect to worke on , and giue him occasion to be more fierce in his assaults . then came to him the tempter , and said . here begins the first combat betweene the diuel and christ , and in it we are to consider three especiall points : first , the diuels preparation : then came to him the tempter , and said . secondly , the temptation it selfe , in these words : if thou be the sonne of god , commaund that these stones be made bread . thirdly , the answer and repulse of christ , vers . . in the preparation note , first the author , the tempter : secondly , the time , then : thirdly the occasion of this temptation , namely , the hunger of christ : fourthly , the diuels coming vnto christ. the author is here intituled the tempter , s● . thess. . . and the cause why he is so called is , because it is his desire , his studie and continuall practise to tempt men , and to seeke as much as he can , to draw men from god to his kingdome : and to this purpose he sparet● no paines night and day , assaulting and tempting men to bring them to destruction . he goeth about as a roring lion , seeking whom he may deuoure . well then , seeing we know it is the diuels study night and day to tempt vs , it should teach vs all , as we loue our soules , to watch and pray continually , least we be led into temptations , and so be ouercome of satan . it is our dutie to seeke to be as vnlike the diuell as possibly we can , because he is the patterne of al euill . now we see it is the diuel● study to hinder men from the kingdome of heauen , and so to bring them to hell : then o● the contrary , seeing he labours to draw me● from seruing of god , we should quicken vp our selues in the seruice and worship of god ▪ and to be more careful to seeke the kingdom of god our selues , and to draw others to the same . we must beware , that we be no meanes to draw any from embracing of true religion , and from the seruice and worship of god ; for if we do , we become euē diuels incarnate . when christ went vp to ierusalem to performe the worke of mans redemption , peter he begins to disswade him from it , and bids him fauour himselfe : but christ turneth him backe , and saith , get thee behind me satan . . the second thing is the time when the diuell sets vpon christ , then , namely when he perceiued christ most weake , and as he thought , not able to resist him . herein appeareth the pollicie of satan , when he seeth christ most weake , the diuell taketh occasion to lay his strongest assaults . so then in the example of christ we may see the exceeding pollicie of the diuell in tempting of men , namely , he maketh choise of the fittest time to broach his temptations ; for he marketh & prieth into men and women , and when he findeth vs most weake and most vnable to resist him , then is he the most strong in tempting vs , especially at the houre of death , and in the time of afflictiōs , he bendeth the force of his temptations against vs. oh then , how should this admonish vs al to prepare our selues against the day of afflictiō ▪ and the pangs of death ; to be stedfast in the faith , to make our calling and election sure that so we may neuer finally fall away ; and to intreate the lord that then when we seeme to be most weake , he would aide and strengthen vs by his holy spirit , to resist satan● assaults . the third point in the diuels preparation , i● the occasion wherby the diuel was especially moued to tempt christ , which was his hunger . such was satans malice against the lord iesus , that when he could find no sin in him ▪ then he takes aduantage of christs infirmity , and seeing him now hungry , begins to tempt him to vnlawful means to satisfie his hunger . now then seeing the diuell takes occasion to tempt christ , euen from the infirmitie of his humane nature , as he was man : hence we learne whence the diuell hath the ground of all his temptations , namely from our selues ▪ and from our own nature , and we our selue● affoord him the matter of his temptations ; h● brings the fire and bloweth it , but we affoord him the fewell to set it a work . the diuell obserueth the nature of men , their dispositions inclinations and behauiours , and continually prieth into their dealings , and like vnto a prudent captain , who besieging a citie , marketh where it is most weake and of least resistance , and there he bends all his forces , and placeth his greatest ordinance , euen so the diuel watcheth vs and our behauiours , to obserue vnto what sin we be most addicted , and by nature most inclined , & then he followes our humor and feeds vs in our owne vaine . as if a man be impatient of pouertie , he will egge him to stealing , and to vnlawfull shifts to helpe himself : if a man be couetous , he wil help to prick him forward that way , that he may by hook or crooke inrich himselfe : and so in other sins according as he finds men affected , he will fit his temptations . nay , the diuell is so skilfull by the experience of so many hundred yeares , that he will be prying into mens complexions , and the very constitutious of their bodies ; and finding what humour doth most a bound , he can giue a shrewd guesse , to what sinne a man is inclined . as if he perceiue a man to be of a cholericke complexion , then the diuell will stirre him vp to quarrelling , fighting and killing . if he find a mans complexion to be sanguine , then he seeketh to allure him to be delighted with vaine and vngodly mirth and wantonnes , or at the least with immoderate mirth . 〈◊〉 a man be subiect to melancholy , then he wil● feare a man with heauy & dumpish thoughts and great feares and cares in his mind . and thus he dealt with the poore man that wa● lunatick : for the diuel tooke occasion by the course of the moone , and the humour of hi● bodie , to moue him to cast himselfe into the fire and into the water . and in a word , look● how many infirmities & weaknesses we haue we do as it were giue the diuel so many dar● to wound vs withall : for we giue him the matter of all his temptations , and he taket● aduantage of our weaknesse and infirmities ▪ this being satans cunning & his dealing ▪ it must warne euery man to search his own● heart , to find what be his speciall infirmities and corruptions , to which he is most pron● by nature : and when we know them , we mu●● labour against them , to represse and subdu● them ; otherwise they will be so many dart● and weapons which satan will turne against our owne selues , to hurt and wound vs : and therefore it must be our wisdome to weake● these infirmities , and to labour by all goo● meanes to preuent the diuell in these hi● temptations . the fourth point in the preparation of the diuell vnto his temptations , is his coming vnto christ. and by this that it is said , the tempter came vnto him , it appeareth that he came in some visible forme : as he did come to euah in the shape of a serpent : so it is very likely he came in some bodily shape to our sauiour christ , seeing it is said here , that he came and spake vnto him . if thou be the sonne of god , &c. ] the diuel hauing made this solemne preparation , and hauing made choise of the fittest place and time , and taken aduantage of the infirmitie of our sauiour christ , now he sets vpon him , and incounters christ with his first temptation : wherein the cunning diuel disputeth like a subtill sophister , and disputeth very syllogistically ; and his syllogisme may be framed thus : if thou be the sonne of god , then thou canst commaund that these stones be made bread ; but thou canst not make these stones bread , therefore thou art not the son of god. the maine scope of the diuels disputation in this his first temptation , was this , to bring christ to distrust of his fathers prouidence , to ouerturne the faith of christ , that is , that gift in christ , whereby he as he was man did beleeue in god his father , and depend vpon him . and in this dealing of the diuel with christ , we may behold what is the maine and principall end of all satans temptations in the children of god , viz. he labors to bring vs if it be possible , to this , to make shipwracke of faith , whereby we beleeue the word of god● to be true : and thus he dealt with euah . gen. ● he did labor to bring her to call gods word into question , and so to deny credence to it ▪ and thus he dealeth with all men , seeking to keepe them in ignorance and blindnesse , o● else in errors and wickednesse , that they may not beleeue the truth of gods word , and 〈◊〉 performe obedience to it . the special part of the word of god which the diuell aymed at , and which he labored to● bring christ to deny credit too , is that voice of god the father coming from heauen : this is my beloued sonne in whom i am well pleased . and here let vs see the practise of satan against all the faithful children of god ; namely , as he dealt with our sauior christ , to perswade him if he could , that he was not th● son of god : so he labours to perswade god● children that they are not the sonnes and daughters of god : he labours to make m● doubt of their adoption . and therefore seeing the diuel aimeth at this one thing especially , to ouerturne our faith in gods promises , it should stir vs all vp to an earnest care to make our calling and election sure , euen to haue it sealed vp by comfortable assurance to our soules : and this will be a most sweet comfort vnto vs in time of affliction , if we can find this blessed and setled perswasion , that we are the sonnes and daughters of god. and the diuell he careth not what men professe no though they haue all the common gifts of gods spirit , to heare the word , to vnderstand , to giue assent vnto it , so that they want this blessed assurance of gods speciall loue in christ. againe , in this first temptation the diuell tempts christ to practise a worke of vnbeleefe . for now christ wanting bread , the diuell tempts him in the absence and want of bread , to make bread of stones , and so by vnlawfull meanes to help himselfe . and as the diuell dealt here with christ , seeking to tempt him to practise a work of vnbeleefe : so doth he deale with vs , to moue men and women in time of distresse to vse bad and vnlawfull shifts to helpe themselues . as in time of pouerty and want , when men see not ordinary means , such as they desire , he will tempt them to shift for themselues , to filch and pilfer from their neighbors , and to get bread by bad meanes . in time of sicknesse , when men cannot find help in the lawfull vse of phisick , then he labours to draw them to seeke to the diuell for helpe , by sending men to wise men and women ( as they call them ) and so by wicked meanes to seeke recouery of their health . if thou be the sonne of god ] what moued the diuell to moue this question vnto christ rather then any other ? ans. first , because the diuel knew right wel , that if christ were the son of god , then he was that promised messiah and sauiour of the world ; and if he were that promised messiah , then he knew it was he that should bruise the serpents head , gen. . . now of all things the diuell could not abide to heare of that , and therfore he makes choise of this question before all other , to proue , or at least to go about to proue , that christ was not the sonne of god. another reason may be this : since the diuel● fell , and for his pride was cast downe out of heauen , he beares a deadly hatred against the● lord god himselfe , and we shall see that 〈◊〉 this question he doth notably bewray hi● spite against god : for when as the lord ha● spoken from heauen , saying , this is my 〈◊〉 beloued sonne in whom i am well pleased : here the diuell comes and contradicts the voice of god , nay , goeth about to proue god a lier , in that he would make christ beleeue that he was not the true sonne of god. hence we may by this practise of satan learne to discerne false teachers . there haue bene many both excellent and learned men , which haue denied christ to be the sonne of god , as ebeon , cerinthus , and others , onely affirming that christ was an excellent man , and a worthy prophet . now seeing they denie iesus christ to be the true son of god , they shew themselues to be false teachers , and such as be the diuels scholers , for so saith the apostle iohn , . iohn . , , . again , in that the diuel seekes to perswade christ that he is not the son of god , ( though god by his owne voice from heauen had immediatly before proclaimed him to be his son : ) hence we may perceiue the impudent malice of satan , who seeketh in all things to contradict god himself . for if the lord pronounce a blessing vpon any man , the diuell he wil presently pronounce cursing and damnation . if god testifie to a mans soule that he is the child of god , the diuell he wil labour to perswade him that he is not the child of god. if the lord affirme a wicked man to be out of gods fauor , and no child of god ; the diuel will labour on the contrary , to perswade him that he is in good estate , & shal be saued , and so fils his heart with extreme presumption , & maketh him more bold then he ought to be . commaund ] that is , as if satan should haue said to christ , bid this , or do but speake the word and it shall be done . and herein appeareth the maruellous pollicy of satan , who in these few words ( the better to bring his purpose to passe ) toucheth three especiall points of diuinitie : first , that he which is the son of god , is true god equal to the father , which many heretickes haue denied , and the pharisies also did not graunt ; for to worke a miracle , it is the proper and peculiar work of god alone . secondly , the diuell confesseth , that god is able to make all things of nothing , and that without all meanes , matter or helpers , by his almightie power . thirdly , he confesseth that god can effect a true miracle , and that is proper to god alone , neither can any creature whatsoeuer worke a miracle . now when the diuel acknowledged al this , one would haue thought he should haue intended no harme in these words : but the truth is , we shall see that in the propounding of these points , his pollicy was to ouerthrow the faith of christ ; and he in propounding of the truth , doth it not for any loue or liking to it , but that he might more easily deceiue our sauiour , to bring him to doubt whether he was indeed that sonne of god or not . this must admonish vs to take heed that we do not alwayes giue credit to the diuel , & listen vnto him though he speake the truth : for such is satans pollicie , that when he wold seeme most to speake the truth , then he meaneth to deceiue vs most ; and by speaking the truth , he seeketh most to ouerthrow our faith in the truth . but as our sauiour christ did refuse their testimonie , though the diuels spake the truth ; and as paul did not suffer the diuel to speak in the maid , though he did acknowledge the apostles to be the seruants of the true god : so we must beware how we listen to satan , euen when he speakes the truth ; for he neuer speakes the truth because he loueth the truth , but that speaking the truth he might be sooner beleeued , and more easily deceiue vs , and do vs the greater harme . that these stones ] s. luke saith this stone , in the singular nomber . to reconcile these two places , whereas mathew speaks in the plural number of many stones , this we must vnderstand that he speakes of satans temptations , as he first set vpon christ , and then in the beginning of his temptation , he bids christ to turne all these stones into bread . luke , he saying this stone , speaking but of one , must be vnderstood as the diuell vrged and inforced his temptation , the better to perswade christ to yeeld vnto it : as if the diuell should haue said , it may be thou thinkest it too much to turne all these stones ( being so many ) into bread , do but turne this one stone into bread , because i would not trouble thee ouermuch , that so i may beleeue thou art the son of god. by this dealing of the diuel with christ , we may learne , that when the diuell hath once begun his temptation , then he will be more instant in vrging of it , he is very loth to haue the repulse , and therefore will vrge it and follow it : but if he can gaine but a litle ground , at least in some smaller matter , he would be content ; as here to perswade christ , though he would not turne many stones into bread , that he would turne but this one stone into bread . and therefore we must learne , that as the diuell is very instant to inforce and vrge his temptations , so we must be as instant to resist them , and yeeld no not in the least matter that he tempts vs to . vers. . but he answering , said , man shall ●ot liue by bread onely , but by euerie word that ●roceedeth out of the mouth of god. these words containe the most wise and heauenly ●nswer of our sauior christ to the first temptation of the diuell ; and in this answer of his , note three points : first the answer it self , and iesus answering said : secondly , whence our sauior christ took his answer , it is writtē : thirdly the words of his answer , man shal not liue , &c. first the spirit of god sets downe the answer of christ , to shew that he was not onely willing to incounter the diuell , but that he was most able to vanquish & foile the diuell . now what a singular comfort is this to gods church and children , to remember that our lord and sauior christ iesus , was in ●his base estate of a seruant whē he liued here vpon earth , able to incounter with satan , to ouercome the diuell , notwithstanding all his might and malice ! how much more is iesus christ able now being aduanced vnto the right hand of god his father in heauen , hauing all power and maiestie , and being king of kings , and lord of all lords , how much more able is he now to confound satan , & to destroy al the works of the diuel in his members ! and this may be a great comfort vnto euery beleeuer in the midst of temptations . it is written ] here we see whence our sauior christ tooke his answer : though that 〈◊〉 could haue confounded satan by the lea●● word of his mouth , and could ( if he had 〈◊〉 pleased ) called for many legions of angel● from heauen to haue guarded him , being th● true and onely son of god : yet he mak● choise of this weapon , it is written . and th● he did to teach vs , that the most sufficien● weapon to beat back all satans temptation● and to quench all the fierie darts of the diue● is the word of god written : & therefore 〈◊〉 bids vs take vp the sword of the spirit , whi● is the word of god , both to defend our selu●● and also to put satan to flight , ephes. . . hence from the example of christ we ma● learne sundry instructions : first , seeing th● he made choise of the word of god , as th● most sufficient weapon to repel satan : it condemneth that vaine and vile practise of th● church of rome , who instead of this , 〈◊〉 into mens hands other weapons not wor● a rush , as holy water , the signe of the cross● &c. and affirmeth that these be sufficient we●pons to skarre away the diuell . alas , th● diuell is not so childish to feare a drop 〈◊〉 water , or the shaking of a straw : but our sa●iour christ shewes what is that which is ab●●● 〈◊〉 a most sufficient weapon to beate back all ●atans temptations which he can hurle a●ainst vs. and therefore wicked is the pra●tise of the papists , who locke vp the word of god from the people , keeping it in an vn●nowne tong , and so betray the poore soules ●f the people into the hands of the diuell . we see here the miserable estate of all such ●en or women , which do either contemne ●r neglect the knowledge of the word of god : they do wilfully betray themselues in●o the hands of the diuell , lay themselues o●en as a prey vnto him : so as they hauing no ●eapon to defend themselues , nor to repell ●atan , thus he smites them & wounds them , ●ea euen cuts the throat of their poore soules ●efore they be aware . we may hēce gather what is the cause why ●o many sins abound in euery place , namely , ●e vile and grosse ignorance of the word of god , hos. . . . the want of the knowledge of the gospell and the word of god , is the ●ery cause that sin so abounds in al places : for ●he word of god should be vnto vs as sauls ●eare which he vsed to set at his beds head , 〈◊〉 that if any enemy set vpō vs on the sodain , ●ur weapō might be euer at hand in readines ●hat we might answer the diuel in his instruments if he tempt vs to any sin whatsoeu●● that as here christ said , it is written ; so 〈◊〉 must say , i may not lie , sweare , commit ad●●tery , &c. for it is written . &c. seeing christ by his own practise , teache● vs that the word of god written , beleeue● vnderstood , & truly applied , is the most al● and all-sufficient weapon to resist the diue● how ought this to stirre vp all men to serio●● studie of the word of god ? how should moue euery man as he loueth his soule , to ●● bor for a sound knowledge & vnderstanding of the holy scripture , seeing this is the b● weapon to foile the diuell ? if we knew th● any man had vowed our death and sough● our liues , how careful wold we be to proui● the best weapons we could get , and also 〈◊〉 learne how to handle them and to vse the● so as we might be able to defend our selue● when we meet with our enemy ? wel , we 〈◊〉 not be ignorant that the diuell is the swo●● enemy of our soules , he lies in waite conti●●ally seeking our bloud : oh then if men 〈◊〉 that care of their poore soules that they oug●● to haue , how prouident would it make the● to store themselues with this most sufficie●● weapon , euē the true knowledge of the w●● of god! and therfore it must moue all of v● ●eare the word continually , to study it , to lay ●t vp in our hearts against the time of need , ●o resist the diuell when he assaults vs. it is lamentable to consider how poore ignorant people deceiue them selues ; they ●ooth themselues , and say , they defie the di●uel , they spit at him : but alas , what if two men that be enemies meet together , the one well appointed with weapons of death , the other hauing nothing in his hand to defend himself , but defies his enemy , spits at him ; wil this do him any good , will not the other wound him and kil him ? and so though poore ignorant people say they defie the diuell , & spit at him , he wil shew them no pity , but giue them their deadly wound , and they shall neuer know who hurt them till it be too late . now follow the words of christs answer : man shall not liue by bread onely , &c. this answer of christ is taken out of deut. . . where moses shews the children of israel , who were now in great extremitie , pinched sore with famine , and had nothing to eate , that the lord fed them with manna , to teach them that man liues not by bread only , but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of god. man shall not liue ] that is , man shall not preserue his naturall or temporall life in t●● world : i say his natural or temporal life , fo● is not meant of his spiritual life , by bread 〈◊〉 that is , all things necessary for the naturall● of man , as meate , drinke , clothing , sleep , p●● sick , &c. euen all naturall and ordinary mea● vsed of man for his temporall life , is meant b● bread . but by euery word ] he saith not in genera● by the word , but by euery word . now 〈◊〉 hath diuers acceptions in the scriptures : first it is takē for the second person in the trinity iohn . . . secondly , for the word of god , is● . . but neither of these is vnderstood i● this place . thirdly , the word is taken for th● decree and wil of god , for his prouidence 〈◊〉 the good wil & pleasure of god : and so m●● we vnderstand it in this place , where our sauiour christ saith , man shall liue by eue●● word , that is , euery decree and blessing o● god for the life of man : so it is taken heb. . ▪ where christ is said to beare vp all things by his mightie word , that is , as the lord ha● created al things , so doth he vphold and preserue them by his decree and prouidence . now gods word and decree concerning the life of man , may thus be distinguished ▪ namely , that god hath decreed that some men should liue by bread , that is , by ordinary meanes : secondly , some should liue without ordinary bread , that is , without all ordinary meanes : thirdly , that some should liue without any means at al , either ordinary or extraordinary , as moses , eliah , our sauiour christ , in their fortie dayes fast : fourthly , that some should liue against meanes , and contrary to the course of nature , as daniel in the lions den , & the three children in the fiery fornace . which proceedeth out of the mouth of god : that is , by euery decree of god , by euery blessing & decree that god giueth out concerning the life of man. so then we see the meaning of the words . if any say , it seemes we must liue onely by the word of god , & without meate or drink , euen by the scriptures and the written word . i answer , no : but we must liue and preserue our liues by euery word , that is , euery decree that god giueth out to preserue the life of man : so that without the speciall decree and blessing of god , nothing could preserue and maintain the life of man : our meat could not norish vs , our apparel could not warm vs , &c. now let vs see how this answer of christ is applied to the diuels temptation . the diuel had labored to proue that christ was not the sonne of god , his argument was this : if th●● be the sonne of god , commaund that the●● stones be made bread ; but thou canst no● make these stones bread , therefore thou 〈◊〉 not the sonne of god. our sauior christ doth alleage this plac● of scripture , and doth deny the proposition or first part of the diuels argumēt : for where●as the diuell takes this for graunted , that if ● man be hungry , he must haue bread by an● meanes to preserue his life : christ answers , 〈◊〉 is not necessary , because a mans life is no● preserued by bread onely , but it is maintained by the special decree & blessing of god ▪ and indeed this is a speciall point and wo● thy lesson to be learned , as may appeare i● that the lord was no lesse then fortie yeares teaching it to the children of israel , deu. . . the vse of this doctine is manifold : first ▪ hence we learne to consider aright of th● creatures of god , namely , that we do no● content our selues to looke vpon the substance of them ; but besides the outward substance , we must consider the secret blessing o● god vpon his creatures proceeding from hi● word , that is his decree . as for example , 〈◊〉 must not onely looke vpon the outward substance of bread , but besides that , we m●● consider the blessing and decree of god , that bread should be the meanes to nourish man : for besides the bread , there is the staffe of bread , that is , that power and facultie whereby it nourisheth and maintaineth life , which it hath from the decree and blessing of god vpon it . and as we see an old weake man , take away his staffe and he wil soone fall to the ground : euen so if the lord take away the staffe of bread , that is , his secret blessing , though a man had all the dainties vnder heauen , his life would faile in the midst of thē all ; for the weake life of man must needs fal & decay , if once the lord take away the staffe of bread . for what reason is there , that bread which hath no life in it , should nourish our bodies , giue life & strēgth to vs : and that that which hath no heate in it , as our clothes , should keepe vs warme , were it not for gods word and decree , and his blessing vpon them ? and that we may know , that it is not so much bread that preserueth mans life , as gods blessing vpon bread by vertue of his word and decree , we may see it plainely , in that the poore mans child which fareth hardly , & ●is but meanely clothed , is as well legged and 〈◊〉 , and likes as well , euen as the child of the prince : now the reason is , because god● blessing is all in all vpon the poore fare of the poore mans child , aswell as the kings . againe , seeing it is not so much bread , as gods blessing vpon bread , that preserueth mans life , it should teach vs al sobriety in the vse of gods creatures : for neither meate , nor drinke , nor clothing , can do vs good , vnlesse the lord send out his word and decree , and giue a blessing vnto them , euen to euerie b●● of bread we put into our mouthes . now if we abuse the good creatures of god , in sur●etting and excesse , how can we looke that the lord should blesse them vnto vs ? nay we may rather feare he will curse them for our abuse and intemperancie , so that they shall hurt , yea choake vs rather then do vs good . . we must learne from hence , to vse the creatures of god with inuocation vpon his name for a blessing vpon them ; for seeing it is not the substance of bread that nourisheth vs , but the blessing of god vpon the bread ▪ who seeth not , that we ought before we vse the creatures of god , to craue a blessing 〈◊〉 god vpon them ? . this should teach vs to be content with our estate , to moderate our affections , and to take heed we do not so eagerly desire & see● for abundance : for the blessing of god is riches enough , & hath not these cutting cares with it : & he which hath but a meane estate , may be as wel blessed of god , as he that hath the greatest abundance : nay this immoderate seeking for abundance , it argueth great distrust and vnbeleefe in the prouidence of god. . if mans life stands not in abundance , and our life is not preserued by bread alone , though a man had all the bread in the world , vnlesse god infuse a blessing into it : this teacheth vs , that we may not be so much intangled with the things of this life : we must not so eagerly seeke after meat , drinke , clothing , lands , liuings , gold , siluer , &c. for in taking too much care for these things , we see many mens harts are so caried away , that no grace can take place in them . but you will say , meate , drinke , cloathing , and such things , they be my liuing , i cannot liue without them . i aunswer , that our liues do not stand in these things alone , but especially in the blessing of god vpon these meanes : without which , though we had all the world at commaund , it could doe vs no good . againe , the lord can not onely preserue our liues by bread , but euen without all meanes , yea , if so it please him against meanes . now then seeing our liues stand not in these meanes , but especially in the blessing of god vpon them , we must first seeke for the blessing of god , without the which all these meanes shal become vnprofitable vnto vs and do vs no good : and it is not wisedome , too greedily to seeke for the things of the world , seeing our life is not preserued by them alone . mans life standeth not in abundance , saith christ , luk. . seeing man liues not by bread alone , that is , mans life is not maintained by these outward meanes , but by gods blessing vpon them : this must teach vs all to be content with that estate the lord sends vs , though it be poore and meane : and we must learne patience in extreame miseries and afflictions . and if the lord should deal● with vs as he did with his seruant iob , euē 〈◊〉 all from vs , yet we must be content , and take heed that we do not suffer our selues to be swallowed vp of too much griefe . for our life is not maintained by these outward meanes of themselues , but by gods blessing vpon thē , which is all in all : and when all meanes faile , the lord can preserue our life euen without bread ▪ and against meanes too , if he please ▪ indeed if a man wāted the outward meanes and the inward meanes too , namely , gods blessing , then he had some cause to be grieued : but seeing the lord can saue our liues both without all outward meanes , and against meanes : though we want bread , yet let vs cast our selues vpon the lord , and neuer distrust his mercie ; but say with iob : though the lord kill me , yet will i trust in him . and let vs know , the lord can increase the poore womans cruse of oile , and make it last as well as the rich mans abundance , this should teach vs all to moderate our affectiones , and to carrie an euen saile , so as neither in the estate of wealth and abundance , we be not puffed vp with pride : nor yet in pouertie to be ouerwhelmed with sorrow . for though a man haue abundance , it followes not that he is therefore blessed ; nor if he be poore and want riches , that he is therfore cursed , and wants the blessing of god : but in wealth and pouertie , the blessing of god is all in all to make men happie . lastly , this should teach euery one of vs to labour all our life long to know the prouidence of god , and to depend vpon it in all estates of life , whatsoeuer the lord shall send vs : and when we can see this prouidence of god , we must then hang vpon it , as well in aduersitie as prosperitie , in sicknes and health , in life and death . true it is , men can acknowledge gods prouidence in prosperitie : but we must learne to see the prouidence of god aswell in aduersity , and then to hang vpon it with both the hands of faith , so as we can roule our selues vpon it , and can euen wholly depend vpon it , and commit our selues and all our waies to the lord. the children of israel were fortie yeares learning this lesson : which shewes it is an excellent point , and not easily learned . and therefore seeing it is of so great vse , and so necessarie , let vs studie to know the prouidence of god , and shew the true vse of it in our liues and conuersations . then the diuell tooke him into the holy citie , &c. ] now followeth the second conflict betwixt the diuell and christ , in the . . . verses . now though s. luke chap. . . placeth this temptation in the last place , yet doth this breede no great difference betwixt the euangelists : for luke in pēning of the words and deeds of christ , sets them downe as the spirit of god directed him , not regarding precisely the time when they were done , but sometime setting that first which was done last : but mathew he sets thē down in order as they were performed by our sauiour christ. then the diuell tooke him , &c. ] in this second cōflict , we are to consider three points . first , the diuels preparation to the combat , vers . . secondly , the temptation it selfe , vers . . thirdly , the answer of christ , vers . . in the diuels preparation : first , the time , then : secondly , the parts of his preparation , which be two . first , he tooke christ from the wildernesse , and caried him to the holy citie . secondly , he setteth him there vpon a pinnacle of the temple . first , in the circumstance of time , then : that is , as soone as satan had taken a repulse and was foiled of christ in the wildernesse , he presently setteth vpon him afresh , and caries him to the holy citie to tempt him there . by this we may perceiue the malice of the diuell , who as soone as he hath ended one temptation ceasseth not there , but presently prouideth another . the diuell neuer maketh truce with man , but either he is busie in tempting of vs , or else he is deuising and plotting new temptations ; for he is neuer idle . againe , hence we learne , that when we haue ouercome in one temptation , we must presently prepare our selues for another : we must not look to be at ease when we haue giuen the diuell the foile : for he will set vpon vs afresh , and tempt vs againe and againe . nay , our life is a continuall warfare against sinne and satan : & therfore we must euer be in a readines to encounter with our enemie . and if this lesson were well learned , and as well practised , men would not be so impatient in temptations when they befall thē : then temptations would be farre more easie to them , so as a man wold willingly and chearefully indure them , & vndergo them though neuer so many . the diuell tooke him to the holy citie : here is the first part of the diuels preparatiō . now by the holy citie is meant ierusalem , as luk. . . it is plaine . but how did the diuell carie our sauiour christ from the wildernesse to ierusalem ? he might do this three waies : first , in vision : secondly , by the ordinarie way : thirdly , cary him in the aire , first , by vision , as it was vsuall in the time of the prophets . so ieremiah was caried in vision to the riuer euphrates : but christ could not thus in vision be caried from the wildernesse to ierusalem ; for then it should haue bene no temptation vnto him in vision onely to cast ▪ himselfe from the top of the temple . secondly , our sauiour christ might be led by the ordinarie way , and so indeed the words will beare it : but i take it , it is not the sense and meaning of this place . for if the diuell led our sauior from the wildernesse to ierusalem , then either with or against his will ; either of his owne accord , or else at the perswasion of the diuell . but he went not of his owne accord : for seeing he was led into the wildernesse , and came to be tempted there , he now being in the conflict , and it being not yet ended , he would not of his owne accord depart thence to ierusalē . secondly , he would not go at the perswasion of the diuell : for we neuer reade that he would do any thing at the diuels perswasion , though in it selfe lawfull . thirdly , the diuell might conuey and carie the bodie of our sauiour christ in the aire , from the wildernesse to ierusalem : and this is the opinion of the best diuines , that the diuell had power by gods permission , to transport the bodie of christ in the aire , from the wildernesse to the holy citie : and this seemeth to be confirmed by the words following , where it is said , that the diuell set him on a pinnacle of the temple . now it is as likely that he caried christ from the wildernesse thither , as that the diuel had power to place and set him on the top of the temple . now then if the diuell had permission to transport the bodie of christ from the wildernesse to ierusalem : this makes for that opinion which is common in the world , that the diuell can carrie a man or woman from one countrey to another , if god giue him leaue : but so as he cannot do it with such celeritie and expedition as men imagine . some foolishly thinke , he can carrie one many hundred miles in an houre , which is a thing impossible : for such a violent motion would stop a mans breath ; as we see if a man fall from the toppe of an high steeple , his wind is gone ere he come halfe the way to the ground . againe hence we see , that the diuell may by gods permission haue power ouer the bodies of godly men , and those which haue greatest graces , and strongest faith in god. for seeing he had power ouer the bodie of christ , to transport it from place to place by the permission of god , why may he not if god giue him leaue , haue power of any mās bodie , though he be neuer so true a beleeuer ? if he had power in the head , why not in the mēbers ? if he had power to annoy iob , to kill his childrē & destroy thē , though they were no doubt the holy seruants of god , why may not the diuell haue power ouer our bodies , to carie a mā frō one place to another ? if the diuell could by gods permissiō tormēt the bodie of one that was a daughter of faithfull abraham , and euen . yeares afflict her , so as she was bruised and bowed together by satan ; then no doubt he can do the lesse , to remoue mens bodies from place to place . and this may serue to admonish those , who thinke their faith is so strong , that the diuel cannot annoy thē or any way bewitch them . but if the diuell haue power by gods permission to torment the bodies of the faithfull , yea to destroy the bodies of iobs childrē , who no doubt were the true seruants of god , he may if god giue him leaue , bewitch the godliest man that liueth . for we know what the holy ghost faith : that all things fall out , and all things come alike to good and bad ; and there is no difference in outward things oftentimes betweene the children of god and the wicked . to the holy citie ] that is ierusalem , luk. . . now this citie was called holy for sundrie causes . first , because in ierusalem was the temple of the lord where were the sacrifices and other ceremonies prescribe● by god for his own worship . secondly , i● the temple they had the law of god and the bookes of moses and the prophets read an● expounded vnto them . thirdly , becaus● ierusalem was a mother church , frō whenc● religion did flow and was dispersed into many places of the world . now for these considerations ierusalem is called the holy citie . this church at ierusalem though it hao many corruptions in it , yet our sauiour christ cals it holy : and it was a true church of god. then hence i conclude , that the church of god in england , though there be in it many blemishes & corruptions , yet may it be , and in truth is the true church of god. for the church of god in england is proprotionable to the church at ierusalē for as they had moses and the prophets read and expounded , so haue we : nay , we haue the gospell now soundly preached ▪ which they then had not in so plaine and plentifull manner as we haue . they had the sacraments of the old testament : so we haue baptisme and the supper of the lord. their church was a mother church to deriue religion to many other : and though our church cannot be called a mother church , yet it may be truly called a nourcing church to many neighbour churches round about vs. as christ and his apostles did not therfore separate themselues , or refuse to ioyne with them in the seruice of god , because of the corruptions in this church at ierusalem , but did teach and preach in the temple : so none may therefore separate themselues , and refuse to ioyne with the people of god in his seruice and worship , because of some few corruptions that remaine in it . nay , such as for these do separate themselues from gods people , do cut themselues from christ himselfe , seeing they seuer themselues from the church of god. if any shall say , that the church of rome is the true church of god , as well as the church of ierusalem , seeing the romish church hath as many priuiledges as the church at ierusalem ; i answer , by examining the particulars it will appeare to the contrarie . as first , the church of rome braggeth , that she hath her succession from the apostles : but i answer , succession from persons , without succession in the apostles doctrine , can be no true note of the church . secondly , the church of rome hath the sacrament of baptisme , yet that proues he● not the true church : for in samaria they had the sacrament of circumcision , and so in other places , and yet it cannot be proued that they were the true churches of god. besides , i answer , the church of rome hath baptisme no otherwise then a theefe hath a true mans purse : now it cannot be said , that a theefe is therefore a true man , because he hath a true mans purse . lastly , though the church of rome haue the outward baptisme , yet she in doctrine ouerturnes the inward baptisme : namely , the true imputed iustification and inherent sanctification of christ by the spirit . the church of rome holdeth the apostles creed , but it is onely in word : for the truth is , their god whome they worship is an idoll , and their christ is a false & counterfeit christ , forged by their owne braine , as may appeare to all that will search their doctrine . she saith , that they hold the word of god , and the writings of the apostles : but it will appeare in their writings , that they hold it but in shew , not in truth : for in the maine grounds of religion they ouerturne the doctrine of the prophets & apostles . againe , they hold the scriptures but as a lanthorn holds the candle , not for it selfe , but for those that passe by : so the church of rome haue the word of god , not for themselues , but for the good of gods children , which euer lye hid in the middest of poperie . she brags that she is the mother-church of many churches : i answer ; we must consider that citie , as rome is , and as rome was : the old rome which was in the time of paul , was the true church of god ; but as for that old rome , it is dead and buried , and this new rome is that whore of babylon , & no mother-church , but a cruell step-mother to religion . by al this we may see , that the present church of rome , is no church of god , but onely in name and outward shew . and seeing that the diuell tempts our sauiour christ in the holy citie , we learne that there is no place so holy ; but the diuell can broach his temptations in it , as we may see zach. . . . and therfore this condemnes that dotage and sorcery of the church of rome , who teach that their charmed holy water , their coniured bread , and the signe of the crosse , and such stuffe can driue away the diuel from their houses , and from their persons : and yet we see here , that neither the holinesse of christs person , nor yet of the place , could hinder satan , but he did tempt him againe , we see it is to small purpose , to the ende wee may bee freed from temptations , to change the place , or to change the aire ; for what place is there so holy , or so sound and wholesome , where satan cannot and will not set his temptation on foote and assault vs ? indeed to remoue the diseases of the body , these may be of some force , to change the ayre , &c. but to cure the conscience , and to help the diseases of the soule , this and such like can do nothing at all . and set him on a pinnacle of the temple . ] here is the second part of the diuels preparat●on , who hauing caried christ from the wildernes to ierusalē , now he placeth him vpon a pinnacle of the temple , or a litle wing of the tēple . some think that it was a sharpe broach gilded to some especiall vse : but it is either the battlements which were made by gods commaundement , least any should fall , because their houses had flat roofes , o● else some corner of the temple ; howsoeuer , it was a dangerous place . if thou be the sonne of god , cast thy selfe downe , &c. ] in this verse is set downe the second temptation , and in a syllogisme it may be thus concluded ▪ if thou be the sonne of god , then cast thy selfe downe : but thou sayest , and art perswaded that thou art the sonne of god , therefore thou mayest cast thy selfe downe . here we must marke the scope of the diuell in this second temptation , which is this , to tempt our sauiour christ to presumption , to perswade him to presume of gods mercy , and to bring him to a vaine confidence in his fathers protection , without vsing lawfull meanes . and in this second temptation we may obserue one especial thing , which the diuel aimes at in his temptations , namely , to perswade him to a vaine presumption of gods mercy . and surely we see the diuel preuails much in these days by this argument : for we see how some men crie , god is mercifull , god is mercifull , and so presume & grow secure in sinne , and take occasion of gods mercie to sooth themselues in their sins . others , they say , i am either elected or reiected , and if i be elected , i am sure i shal be saued howsoeuer i liue ; if i be reiected i am sure i shall perish , though i liue neuer so well : and thus men liue as they list . others say , i know the lord will prouide for me , and therefore refuse to liue in any calling . and as for those which make profession of the gospell , the diuell he labours to perswade them , that it is sufficient to professe religion , though they practise not the duties of religion : as the fiue foolish virgines , who held out their blazing lampes , yet wanted the vessel of oile to maintaine their lampes . this being so , it should admonish vs al to take especiall heed , that we be not ouer com● of satan in this kind , seeing the diuell knowes our nature , and seeth that to presume and thinke well of our selues , it is a thing very fitting and pleasing our nature : whereas despaire , it is a troublesome thing , and brings men often to a greater sight of their misery : and the truth is , the diuell preuailes with a thousand to one more by presumption then by despaire : despaire kils thousands , securitie ten thousands . and it is to be noted , that when the diuell had in the former temptation laboured to bring christ to despaire of his fathers prouidence , now he labours the cleane contrary , to bring him to presume of gods prouidence . and here we may see the diuels exceeding cūning , that he fought to cary our sauiour christ from one extreame to another . and thus doth the diuell deale with all men , he seeks to draw men either to presumption or else to despaire , and labors to cary them from one extreame to another , as from couetousnes to prodigalitie , and so of the rest . and therefore we must labour to auoide both the extreames , neither to presume too much , nor yet to be cast downe by despaire , but to keepe the golden mediocritie , euen as christ doth in this place . cast thy selfe downe . ] he would haue christ not to shew by his doctrine , but to worke a miracle , that he may know him to be the son of god. this shewes the nature of all wicked men ; they care not for the doctrine of god , but they crie out for miracles : as we may see in herod , he desired to see our sauiour christ worke some miracle , but he contemned his word and doctrine . and the iewes who persecuted christ and his gospel , yet when he was vpon the crosse , they would haue him worke a miracle , to come downe when he was nailed hand and foote . and all wicked men are of the same nature , more to regard and desire a miracle , then to heare the blessed doctrine of iesus christ. cast thy selfe downe ] the diuel hauing proued before the faith of christ to be most cōstant , that he would not so much as doubt of his fathers prouidence in his greatest need , now he takes occasion from the graces and gifts of christ to bring him to presume , and to haue a vain confidence of his fathers protection . and so wil the diuel deale with all the members of christ ; if he cannot preuaile by our weaknesses to bring vs to despaire , then he wil take occasiō by the graces and gifts he sees in vs , to make vs presume : as often he preuailes by this meanes to make men swell and thinke highly of themselues for some grace they haue receiued , of learning , wit , eloquence , &c. to puffe men vp with satanicall pride and ouerweening o● themselues . then cast thy selfe downe . ] the lord gaue the diuel permission to place christ in a dangerous place : but yet the diuell coul● not go any further to hurt christ there ; 〈◊〉 cast him downe he had no power , but perswades him to cast himselfe downe . where we see , the diuels power is limited , his power is not so great as his malice is to mankind ; but the lord doth limit satans power , and in all things hath care of his owne children , that satan can do them no harme . for the diuel , though he had set christ vpon the top of the temple , could not for his life cast him downe ; where we may see , the diuell for all his malice can go no further then god giues him leaue . and this must comfort vs : for as god the father limits satan in respect of christ our head , so doth he in vs his members . now followes the reason which the diuel vseth , the better to perswade christ to yeeld vnto his temptation : for it is written , he shall giue his angels charge ouer thee . when as the diuell heard our sauiour christ alleage scripture ; he like an ape imitates christ , and begins to alleage scripture roundly as wel as he . and therfore we must be wary how we entertaine doctrines of heretikes , and false teachers , though they seeme to proue them by the scriptures : for the diuel he hath his scriptum est , it is written , as ready as may be . but we must learne to proue the spirits , that is , the doctrines of men , whether they be of god or not , . iohn . . lest the diuel and wicked men deceiue vs ; for we see here how the diuel can alleage scripture , and that fitly for his purpose . and it is the subtil practise of the diuel to alleage scripture , that so he may perswade men to receiue his damnable doctrines , and become heretickes and scismatickes . and to this end he doth grosly abuse the scriptures ; yea when he would perswade men to liue in sinne , he hath his , scriptum est , very ready , and can tel them , at what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne , he shall haue mercie : and truly by his abusing of scripture he preuailes with many . the wordes which the diuell alleageth are taken out of the fourescore and eleuenth psalme , the eleuenth verse : for he shall giue his angels charge ouer thee , to keepe thee in all thy wayes , &c. now the diuell in alleaging and propounding the words is very precise , and sheweth himselfe very carefull in repeating of the words : in so much as he will not leaue out no not this particle [ for ] which might well haue bene left out . yet in the end he stickes not to leaue out a whole clause , which is the maine point and ground of gods promise : namely , this : to keepe thee in all thy wayes . where we may see , how the diuell doth most vil●ly abuse the scriptures of god : and it is vsuall with him in his allegations , to put in , or to put out something , or some way or other to depraue them , or to corrupt the sense and meaning of the scriptures , to serue his owne turne . and as this is the diuels manner in his alleaging and dealing with the scriptures , so do the papists as his scholers . for though in word they hold the scriptures , yet it is vsuall with them to put in , or leaue out , or by some meanes to corrupt and depraue thē in the sense and meaning , as might be shewed by example . well , seeing the diuell is so skilfull in the scriptures , and can alleage them so readily and so fitly for his purpose , and withall is so malicious to mince them and depraue them , it should make all men to studie the holy scriptures , that so we might be acquainted with them , and be able to disclose and to descry satans fallations and subtilties : and we should wish with moses , that all the lords people could prophecie . but especially the ministers of the word , they must labour to be thorowly acquainted with the booke of god , to obserue euen the circumstances of the text , else the diuell will cast a mist before their eyes , and beguile them with his subtill fallations : and therefore they must do as ezechiel did , eate vp the book of god. and that we might not perceiue satans subtilties and deceit , he labours to keepe men in ignorance of the word , and by all meanes to haue the scriptures hid and darke : and if it were possible , to root out the schooles of learning , and that the bible might be burned . and as he preuailes in poperie , to bring men to this , that all religion , and the scriptures might hang on mens deuises and mans learning , as they do in poperie ground all vpon lumbard the maister of the sentences , and barre the common people from the scriptures , locking them vp in an vnknowne tong : so with christians he taketh the like course , for he perswades them , that the scriptures are hard to be vnderstood , and very obscure and troublesome , and therfore he drawes men● minds from the studie of them , to reade the writings of men , because they seeme to be more pleasant and delectable ; that so 〈◊〉 being not acquainted with the text , might not descrie his deceipts and subtilties . againe , seeing the diuell can alleage the word of god and say , it is written , and that he can bring in scripture fit for his purpose ; what a shame is it for christians , if they do not labor so to know the scriptures of god , that they may alleage them as occasion shall serue : & that not as some do , to heape place vpon place without all reason , but to alleage them fitly and to the purpose ? lastly , seeing this is a diuellish and satanicall practise , in alleaging the scriptures to depraue and corrupt them , to leaue out and put in at his pleasure , it must warne vs , that when we are lawfully called , we do speake and vtter the words of other men , euen all , & no more but all , neither putting to them nor taking from thē , and that without changing their words or the sense and meaning of them . he shall giue his angels charge ouer thee ] the true sense of the place is this , that the lore had a speciall care of his people ; and when he sent any iudgement vpon the israelites , he gaue them this comfortable promise , that in the middest of all their troubles he himselfe would protect them . and as this promise was made to them , so it is generall to the whole church of god , and belongs to vs. for in all common iudgements and calamities , the children of god which walke in his waies , shal be sure to haue protection and securitie : for the angels of god , by his appointment , do hold them vp , as it were in their hands . in which words there is a comparison taken from nurses , who hauing children committed to their care , do hold them very charily and tenderly in their hands , and dare not let them go out of their armes : euen so the angels of god by his appointment ▪ become euen as nurses to his children in all their lawful wayes , and do attend vpō them , and are very carefull to protect them from danger , so long as they keepe themselues within the compasse of gods word . it is true indeed , that iudgement begins at the house of god , and he often afflicts his dearest children to trie their faith and patience , yet is is most certaine , that in commō calamities the children of god shall haue protection and security : yea the angels of god ( as it were nurses ) shal hold them in their hands , and defend them , so long as they keepe themselues in the wayes of god , and within the compasse of his will in his word ▪ but if they leaue the way of gods commandements , and wāder in by-paths , and go out of their lawfull callings , they haue no assurāce of gods protection , neither haue gods angels any charge to watch ouer them , seeing then god hath made so mercifull a promise of protection , to all them that walke in his wayes , and within the compasse of his commaundements , it should warne vs all to beware how we go out of our wayes and lawfull callings , but that we studie the law of god , and as we looke for his protection , to keepe within the compasse of it . iesus said vnto him , it is written againe , thou shalt not tempt the lord thy god. ] in these words is cōtained the answer of our sauiour christ , to the second temptation of the diuell ; wherein he doth oppose scripture against scripture . but to expound that place which the diuell alleaged , and to shew how vilely satan abuseth the word of god , he alleageth another place of scripture , wherein our sauiour christ answers the diuell , that it is true , god hath made sundry promises in his word , of protectiō to his people , but yet so , as if they refuse to walke in the cōmandements of god , and to vse such lawfull meanes as he prescribeth in his word , he is not bound to perfome them , for they be made vpon that condition , againe it is written , ] seeing our sauior christ doth alleage another place of scripture , to expound that the diuel brought against him , and to shew how he abused scripture : hence we gather , that the holy scriptures are of themselues sufficient to interprete themselues , for so christ alleageth another text of scripture to expound that which satan alleageth , and to confute his abusing of it . so we find that ezra did expound the law of god , and giues the sense of it by the scriptures , and so expounds the one by the other , nehem. . . ( iunius . ) now if the seruants of god could do this in the old testament , how much more may we in the new , wherein many things are most plainely opened and expounded by christ and his apostles ? but the papists cannot by any meanes yeeld to this doctrin , for they hold , that that which must interprete the scriptures , must haue iudiciall power and authoritie to iudge of the sense of the scriptures ; but they hold the scriptures are but a dumbe letter , and therefore are not able to iudge of the sense ād meaning of the scriptures . yet for all that ▪ we see ( by the example of our sauior christ ) that the scriptures are of sufficient power to giue the sense of the scriptures , to interprete thēselues , and to shew what is the true sense of the scriptures , though they be dumbe . and as we see , that a mā may aswel shew his mind to his friend by letters and writing , as by word of mouth : euen so the lord god speakes now to his people by the scriptures , as well as he did in olde time by his owne liuely voice from heauen . but if the papists will yet deny the scriptures to haue power to iudge and determine of the sense of the scriptures ; then would i know , who hath this power giuen vnto him ? they answer , the church must giue iudgement , and determine of the sense of the scriptures : but that is false , for the lord hath not giuen any such power to the church , to determine of the sense of the scriptures at her pleasure , but only he hath giuen to the ministery of the word , to open and expound the scriptures by the scriptures thēselues . as a lawyer hath not that power to iudge of the law of his prince , and to giue what sense he listeth , but onely to expound the law , and to giue the sense of it by the words of the law , and other circumstances cōcerning the same . the church of rome say further ; they 〈◊〉 determine of the sense of the scriptures , either by the rule of faith , or the consent of the fathers : or , if they faile , then the pope he is 〈◊〉 determine of them , as one that cannot erre . concerning the rule of faith ( by which they vnderstand vnwritten traditions ) how can they be fit iudges to determine of the sence of the scriptures , vnlesse we will gi●e more authoritie to vnwritten verities then to the written word of god ? nay onely the scriptures must be the rule of faith , and only the scriptures iudge and determine of the sense of themselues . neither is the consent of fathers a sufficient rule to giue iudgement , and to determine of the sense of the scriptures : for we know that they being men , and many of thē ( hauing not the knowledge of hebrew and greeke , yea and most of all in expounding the word ) are subiect to error , and sometimes do erre . and by the same reason the pope is no meete man to be the iudge of the scriptures , and to determine what should be the sense of thē , seeing he is subiect to manifold errors , and many popes haue erred in the foundations of religion . now follow the words of christs answer , taken out of deut. . . thou shalt not tempt the lord thy god. first we must search what this word , to tempt , signifies : secondly , the maner how god is said to be tēpted : thirdly the cause and root of this tempting of god. first , to tempt god , is to proue or to make trial whether god be such a one as the scriptures report him to be : namely , whether he be so iust , so mercifull , so mightie as the word of god describes him to be . so the propet dauid expounds it , psal. . . your father 's tempted me , and proued me in the desert . where to tempt , is to proue gods iustice and mercie , whether he were so iust and mercifull as the word sets him out to be , and as he promised to be . secondly , for the manner , it is not simply to tempt and to make triall of god , but to tempt god , is to make needlesse triall of gods power &c. when we haue no cause to try the lord : and so it is taken here in the words of christ , thou shalt not tempt , that is , thou shalt not take needlesse and vnnecessarie experience and triall of gods power and goodnesse . thirdly , the cause which moueth men to tempt god , is a distrustfull and vnbeleeuing heart , euē want of faith . so the israelites tēpted god , psal. . ver . . . they tempted god in their hearts , and required meate for their lust . and the reason is , vers . . because they did not beleeue in god , and did not trust in his helpe , because they did not relye vpon his care and fatherly prouidēce : so that vnbeleefe was the roote of this their tempting of god. so then to tempt god , is to make needlesse and vnnecessarie triall and experience of his mercie , goodnesse , power and iustice , proceeding from a distrusting heart . now god may be tempted fiue maner of wayes . first , when men will take vpon them to appoint god the time when , the place where , and the maner how god must helpe them , and accomplish his promise to them . thus the israelites in the wildernes wanting water , they say : is the lord amongst it vs or no● shewing , that through the lord had promised he would be with them , yet vnlesse he would at that time giue them water in their need , they would not giue credit to his promise . againe , psal. . ● though the lord had giuen them water , yet they say : can he giue bread also , or prepare flesh for his people● still shewing , that vnlesse the lord would at their pleasures , & now presently send them meate , they were readie to distrust his prouidence . and therefore it must admonish vs , that we must not in our requests and petitions ( as the bethulianes did ) appoint god the time , place , or meanes how we would be helped in pouertie , sicknesse , or other waies ; but cōtinuing in prayer , waite vpon the lords leysure , and leaue these circumstances to his good will and pleasure . secondly , god is tempted , when men will not beleeue his word , but do demaund signes and wonders from heauen , as the scribes and pharises did ( ioh. . . ) tempt our sauiour christ , not beleeuing his doctrine , vnlesse he would confirme it by some miracle . and thus all they tempt god , who refuse to beleeue the doctrine of god , because it is not confirmed vnto them at their pleasure by signes and wonders . but some may say : what , is it not lawfull thē to demaund and require a signe at gods hands ? yes we may sometimes : and so we reade that gedeon did require a signe of god and sinned not : so did hezechiah . . king. . . in two cases men may aske a signe of the lord. first , when the lord giues a man commaundement to aske a signe , then we may aske it lawfully : and thus the lord bid● achaz to ask a signe , and he sinned in refusing to do it . secondly , a man may aske a signe of god , when it is necessarie for the confirmation of a man in some extraordinarie calling : as we see in gedeon being extraordinarily appointed of god to be the captaine and deliuerer of gods people ; he being not fully perswaded of this his vocation , desired a signe of god , not of infidelitie , but the better to resolue himselfe of gods calling him to that busines . and so it was in hezechiah , to perswade himselfe of gods extraordinarie deliuerance from an extraordinarie di●ease . the third way whereby men tempt god ▪ is when men liue in sinne continually without repentance , and so will trie gods mercie : and thus the israelites tempted god , num. . . and so all those which liue in ●inne from day to day without repentance , do indeed tempt god and abuse his patience , mal. . . and therefore seeing that this is euen to tempt god , to liue in sinne without repentance , it must stirre vs vp all to take heed how we runne on in sinne : but that we do wi●● speed repent and breake off the course of our sins : for so long as we liue in sinne without repentance , we tempt god , and then we can promise no safetie to our selues , neither looke for the protection of gods angels , but ly euen naked to all gods heauie iudgements . the fourth manner of tempting god , is to inioyne men the obseruations of the ceremoniall lawe , as it appeareth ast. . . the iewes are said to tempt god , in that they vrged the obseruation of the ceremonies of moses . and by this we may iudge of the present estate of the church of rome , and of their religion ; which stands for the most part in vaine and superstitious ceremonies ; and that which is worse , of iudaisme and gentilisme . the last way how men tempt god , is , not to vse the lawfull & ordinarie means which god hath appointed , either concerning mens soules , or concerning their bodies : and this is here vnderstood in this place , when christ saith : thou shalt not tempt the lord thy god. when we shal refuse such lawfull and ordinarie meanes as the lord hath appointed , and vse extraordinarie ; euen as a man hauing a readie way ouer a bridge , should leaue that , and thrust himselfe into the water , what were this but to tempt god ? or when a man hath the ordinarie way to come downe by the steppes or staires , and refusing that shold cast himselfe downe from the top of a steeple ? so those men who contemne the word of god , and will not vouchsafe to heare , what do they else but euen tempt god ; seeing they refuse the preaching of the word , which is the ordinarie meanes to saue mens soules ? and thus satan tempted our sauiour christ to tempt god. for hauing now set him on the toppe of the temple , in a dangerous place , he perswades him to cast himselfe downe : and he addeth , that he may be bold to do so , because god hath giuen his angels charge to looke vnto him , that he take no harme . but our sauiour christ answers him ; that were to tempt god , seeing he had the lawfull and ordinary way to go downe by the staires , and therefore he had no reason to cast himselfe downe . in a word , all those tempt god , which either refuse the ordinary meanes god hath appointed , or do wilfully cast themselues into daunger , being not called thereunto of god : as peter hauing no calling of god , went and thrust himselfe into caiphas hall , to see what became of his maister : & the three worthies which ventured through the hoast of the philistims to fetch water at the well of bethell for dauid , whereas he might haue had it without danger at home . here some may aske , what we are to iudge of those which vse to walke on ropes on high places , and on the toppe of houses : whether do such men sin or not ? ans. these men do so either with a calling or without a calling , such as do it by vertue of their lawfull calling , as mosons and such as build churches and houses , and so by reason of their trades work on high places , cannot be said to tempt god : nay rather so long as they walke faithfully in their lawfull callings , they may assure themselues of gods blessing and his protection . but as for those who to shew their agilitie ; and to make sport , walke on ropes , or runne vpon the roofe of houses , these men hauing no calling from god so to do , they cannot looke for gods protection ; nay , they in so doing tempt god , casting themselues vpon daunger . and our sauiour christ might a thousand times better haue done this which satan wold haue him here to do● yet would he not put himselfe into needlesse daunger , lest he should tempt god ; much lesse ought any man else aduenture to do it . and in this , that our sauiour christ vseth the ordinarie way , euen the staires , we may learne , that if any man looke to haue gods protection and blessing , he must also make sure to vse the lawfull and ordinarie meanes appointed of god , & keepe himselfe within the compasse of his calling : yea if we desire to find comfort in any of gods gracious promises , we must be wary to keepe our selues within the compasse of his commaundements : but if we leaue them , then we find no true comfort , neither haue we any promise of protection from god. but so long as we walke in obedience of gods commaundements , and within the compasse of our callings , we haue this blessed promise from god , that his angels shall take the care of vs , to guard and to defend vs. againe , the diuell taketh him into an exceeding high mountaine . ] in the seuen verses going before , we haue heard of the two first temptations of our sauior christ ; now followeth the third . in this third temptation we are to consider againe three especial points first , the preparation of the diuel , ver . . secondly , the temptatiō it selfe , ver . . thirdly , christ his answer , ver . . and first of all seeing the diuell doth thus arme himselfe , and comes prepared three times , in three seuerall temptations , it should teach vs all on our parts to prepare our selues continually , and to be ready to resist his temptations . in the diuels preparation note two parts : first , he taketh him to an exceeding high monntaine : secondly , he shewes him all the kingdomes of the world , and the glorie of them . but how could the diuel cary our sauiour christ to this high mountaine ? i answer , he might do it two wayes : first , by vision : secondly , by reall transporting of his body from ierusalem to this mountaine . some thinke that this was onely in visiō : but i rather thinke our sauiour christ was caried locally and really ; for our sauiour christ his temptations are not imaginary , but true and reall temptations ; and the words import no lesse , but that he was really and locally transported from the citie to the mountaine . the reasons why the diuell caried our sauiour christ to the mountaine , are these : first , because the diuell in all things desire● to imitate god , and to become as it were gods ape . now we reade , that the lord caried moses to the mount nebo , to shew him all the land of canaan ; so the diuell to imitate god , and by imitating god , to match him , and so to disgrace the lord , carieth our sauior christ to the mountaine , as it is likely , to imitate gods dealing with moses . secondly , the diuell caried our sauiour christ to this high mountaine , as a most fit and conuenient place to broach this his third and last temptation now in hand . in that the diuell doth carie our sauiour christ from ierusalem to this hill locally ; hence we learne , that he may by gods permission , haue like power ouer the deare children of god , not once , but twise , nay thrise , & oftentimes . we see this true in our sauior christ the head : therefore if the lord permit satan , and by his permission giue the diuell libertie to transport our bodies from place to place , we must not be discouraged . seeing the same thing befell the head , it may also befall his members , which we are . the second part of the diuels preparatiō , is this , that he shewes him all the kingdomes of the world , &c. now concerning this , we may not think the diuell could do this in deed and truth , to shew christ all the seuerall kingdomes of the world , as they be here placed vpon earth , for that is a thing impossible : for there is no hill so high , that a man might see them all . nay , if a mā were as high as the sunne , and could see neuer so clearely , yet he could but see the one halfe of the earth ; and therefore we must know , he shewed them in a counterfeit vision . now these visions of the diuell , they be either of the outward senses , or else of the vnderstanding . of the outward senses , as the delusions of the diuel , making men thinke they see that they do not see indeed . so the diuel is said to shew samuel to saul in a vision in his proper habite : and this was indeed but a coūterfet samuel , not that true samuel , who rested in the graue concerning his bodie , and remained in heauen concerning his soule . secondly , there be false visions and deludings of the vnderstanding ; as the lord speaketh , that he will make the false prophets ashamed of their lying visions . and some of these visions come vnto men sleeping , called dreames . deut. . . some come waking , as to such as haue their braine crased , they oftentimes haue visions , and thinke themselues to be kings or prophets , as iohn baptist , &c. now concerning this vision of christ offered by the diuell , he did it not onely to the mind of christ , but also to his out ward eye , and visibly . by this practise of the diuell we may behold his wonderfull skill and power , in that he can resemble to the outward senses in such a strange manner , euen as he listeth , so great and wonderfull matters . and the like is done by magicians and coniurers , who by the helpe of the diuel , can reueale and shew things done in a farre countrey , or things that be lost , in a glasse : or for things long passed , can resemble them to outward sense in a glasse , or in the aire . so that those are deceiued who are of mind , that they cannot do this : for if the diuell could shew christ all the kingdomes of the world and the glorie of them in so short a time , then much more can he shew some one particular thing to the eye and sense of man. now let vs marke the diuels drift in this temptation , & setting before christs eyes this goodly and glorious sight : sure it was to this end , that the diuell might by this meanes more easily wind himselfe into the heart of christ : and therefore he sets this thing before his eyes , that christ might be moued by them , and take some delight in them , and delighting in them might desire them , and so satan might in the end ouercome him and insnare him . and this hath bene the auncient practise of the diuell , as genes . . first , to moue evah to cast her eye vpon the apple , to marke the beautie of it , then to like it , thē to desire and lust after it , and so in the end to tast of it . and thus he dealt with christ : first , he shewes this glorious sight , and the beautie of all these things , that if he could , he might haue moued him to desire them , and so make his temptation take place . seeing this is satans auncient subtiltie , it must warne vs to take great heed of our outward senses , especially the two senses of learning , namely , seeing and hearing . the eyes and the ●ares be the two windowes of the soule : and if the diuell can get in his head there , he will easily wind in all his bodie , and poison our soules . we had need therefore to counterguard our hearts , to keepe them with all diligence , euen aboue al watch and ward , and euermore to take heed who , & what enters into our eyes and eares , and to make sure w● keep carefull watch at those doores . we mu●● pray with dauid : o lord set a watch before my mouth , and keepe the doore of my lippes : and with holy iob , make a couenant with our eyes that they behold no vanitie . this if we do , death shall not enter in by these doores and windowes , but we shall preserue our soules in puritie . now when the diuell shewes our sauiour christ this goodly shew , let vs mark the maner : he shewes christ all the beautie , the glorie and delight of them : not the troubles , vexations , calamities and daungers of them . and thus will the diuel deale with vs ; if he would tempt any one to some sinne , he neuer shewes but hides the miserie & daunger , the curses and calamities that will ensue vpō that sinne : but he shewes the profit , gaine , pleasure , delight and commoditie that that sinne will affoord them : that by this meane● he may bring them to his bow , and moue them headlong to rush into the commiting of sinne . indeed when he hath got his purpose , and preuailed thus farre to bring a man into sin , then he will lay it open in most vgly maner , and lay before a poore sinner the horror and punishment due to his sinne , that so he may make a poore sinner breake the necke of his soule in despaire . further , marke how the cunning diuell shewed not these goodly and glorious sights in the first or second temptation , but reserued them for the last , and that in great subtiltie . for the diuell know very well , that if any would peruaile , then surely the desire of honor , of preferment , of profit and pleasure , would moue the heart of christ. and in this subtiltie he shewes , that this is a most daungerous temptation which comes from the right hand , that is , which proceeds from profit , pleasure , preferment and honour . and by this temptation he preuailed more against dauid , then he could when he was in great conflict , and persecuted by saule . so prosperitie and ease in the primitiue church in the dayes of constantine , did more preuaile with christians , then persecution and tribulation could do for the space of three hundred yeares before . and those which could be moued by no other meanes , yet the hope of honor , profite and pleasure hath ouercome and preuailed with them . thus ease slayeth the foolish : prosperitie is as a slipperie way : and few hauing rest are edified , and walk in the feare of the lord , & the comfort of the holy ghost , act. . . luke cap. . . he addeth the circumstance of time , that the diuell shewed all this to christ in a point or moment of time , in so short a time as possibly might be , with maruellous speed & celeritie . and this the diuell did being subtill , the more to inflame th● heart of christ to desire them : and therefore he set his wares open , and as it were in a glimpse gaue him the beholding of the beauty of thē . so we see , if mē see some st●āg● and beautifull thing , and haue but a blush or a litle glimpse of it , they desire it with mor● eagernesse , & more greedily affect it . eue● so he would haue dealt with our sauiour christ , he would haue affected his hea● with this sudden and glorious spectacle . now followeth the temptation it selfe , in these words : and said vnto him , all these will i giue thee , if thou wilt fall downe & worship me . in this temptation we must first marke the scope and drift of the diuell therein . in the first temptation he laboured to tempt christ to distrust and vnbeleefe : in the second , to puffe him vp with vaine confidence and presumption : now in this third , he tempted christ to commit idolatrie , euen to worship the diuell . and truly this hath euer bene the practise of the diuell , to seeke to ouerturne religion and good conscience by these three things , honour , profite , and pleasures . among protestants and protestant ministers he hath preuailed much by these meanes . when as for the ministers of the word , many haue in hope of profit and preferment , forsaken true religion & cleane abiured it , and taught the cleane contrarie , euen that which the papists hold and teach : so we see that protestant merchants for hope of gaine , do carrie ouer to the church of rome all such merchandize of waxe , &c. as the papistes vse to maintaine their superstitions and idolatrie . and among common professors , many of them to saue their lands , liuings , and places , haue chaunged as religion hath changed ; now papists , now protestants , like to camelions into any colour . of this we had experience in queene maries dayes : few great men remained protestants , but yeeded to the idolatrie of those times . this third temptation hath two parts : first , a promise : secondly , a condition . and here the diuell saith not : i will procure thee these things at gods hands ; but in his own● name , i will giue thee , all these , to make chrit depend vpon him for them , to trust in him , and to deny his confidence in god , and to relie vpon the diuell for an inheritance in this world . in which vile practise of the diuell , we may behold his shamelesse boldnesse , who dares offer christ the gift of all these , conditionally , if he would worship him : whereas indeed they did all most properly belong to iesus christ himselfe , and were his owne ; neither had satan any title to them , but onely by vsurpation . and as the diuel here with christ , so he dealeth with most men of the world , to tempt them to depend vpon him for the wealth of the world , and to make the diuell their god. for though mē deny this in word , and say , all they haue , god hath sent it , they thanke god : yet their wicked practises shew the contrarie , that they do indeed depend vpon the diuell for gaine and profite : seeing most men get their goods by false waight● and measures , by deceit , fraud , cousinage , by lying , swearing & forswearing . now while they get that they haue thus by such vile and wicked meanes , it plainly shewes that all they haue , they haue it of the diuell , & depend vpon him for wealth , & so make him their god , though in word they deny it neuer so much . secondly , the diuell knew christ was a king , and that his kingdome was not of this world , but spirituall , exercised especially in mens consciences : now the diuel he labours to tempt christ to become an earthly king , which if it had taken place in christ , he knew then that he could not be that true messiah , who should raigne spriritually in mens consciences . and in like maner deales the diuell with the members of christ : for the church of god hath a kingdome , and that is spiritual in the word of god. now the stewardship is the dispensation and ministery of the word preached , and against this the diuell laboureth that it may become an earthly kingdome , not spirituall but carnall , not in the power of the spirit , but in the carnall wisedome of mans eloquence ; and so by all means to ouerturne the true kingdome of christ. thirdly , we see here how the diuell maketh very large and liberall promises , though he meant to performe nothing , neither could he though he would . this must teach vs to study that we may be contrary to the diuel , and therefore that we do warily consider what promises we make , whether the thing we promise be lawfull , and in our owne power , and that we do it with sincere harts , voide of deceit , and with purpose to be as good as our word : and when we haue promised , accordingly to performe our promise ; for that is a marke of gods children , and a fruite of the spirit and true faith , in doing the duties of equitie . and in that the diuel shewed all these vnto christ , euen the seuerall kingdomes of the world , it is manifest he knew them all , and was well acquainted , and had trauelled through them , as he confesseth , ioh. . . and in that he could shew the chiefest glory and beautie of them in such a short time , it is cleare he was cunning in them , and the seuerall estates and conditions of them all . and we see , that the diuel in propounding all these glorious kingdomes vn●● christ , he did tempt him to ambition , tha● he would set his heart on them and so desir●● them . and herein note one of his most principall practises , which is the ouerturning 〈◊〉 kingdomes : for the diuell desireth to do the greatest harme and most mischiefe that he can . now in the ouerthrow of a kingdome , many go to wracke ; and to effect this , he seekes continually to puffe men vp with ambition , that they may desire and gape for preferment and honor . the lord hath in mercy placed ouer vs in this kingdome a gracious prince and a christian queene , & the diuell hath long enuied this our prosperitie , and sought sundry by-plots and manifold practises to ouerthrowe our state , to cut off the head , and to cast her crowne into the dust . and to this purpose he hath raised vp many wicked and rebellious subiects : but the lord hath in mercie brought all to nought . and therefore the remembrance of this should moue vs all to thankfulnesse , for this great mercie of god in defending both prince and people , and bringing to nought all such rebellious wretches , confounding those ambitious heads , and all their vile and trecherous plots and deuices : and we must shew this thankfulnesse in the duties of repentance and sincere obedience . secondly , this must teach vs to pray vnto god continually , for the preseruation of our prince and kingdome , that he would euermore confound and bring to nought all satans policies , and vile plots and practises of ambitious heads . and it is our duty , in token of true ioy and thankfulnesse , to do as the people did in the dayes of salomon , who shouted so loud , and cried out god saue king salomon , that the very earth rang againe : euē so should all true christians , to expresse the ioy of our hearts , pray day and night , god saue queene elizabeth . and herein is our comfort , that though the diuell with all his malice seekes to destroy both prince and people , and the whole kingdome , and hath his wicked instruments to effect the same : yet the lord god hath his angels which take care of his church and people , and stand round about them , to defend them both by sea and by land , that all the diuels in hell cannot hurt them : but the angels of god defend his children at home , and beate back all our enemies from inuading of vs. all these will i giue thee ] these words are the very words of the pope of rome , who as satans vicar , hath indeed the two hornes of the lambe , but he speakes like the dragon : he makes himselfe equall to god , he can ( as he sayth ) send to heauen and to hel , set vp and pul downe princes , he can do what he list , he can open and shut at his pleasure , pardon sinnes , and i know not what : which shewes he speakes the diuels language , the language of ashdod , not of canaan . luke . . . the diuell ads a reason further to perswade christ : for he saith , all these kingdoms are mine , and i cā giue them to whom i will. where first the diuell tels a loud lie , chalenging to himselfe the right of all the kingdomes of the world : for it is the lord his right alone , as we may see dan. . ● . where the lord speakes to that proud king n●buchadnezar by the ministerie of daniel : i beare rule ouer the kingdomes , & i alone ( sayth the lord god ) can giue them to whom i please . so then the diuell hath no power to giue them , neither hath any title to them , that he can bestow them at his pleasure : no , that belongs to god alone : yet we see satan will be an vsurper at large . secondly , marke the diuels arrogancie and shamelesse boasting , in that he dares chalenge all the kingdomes of the earth to himselfe , as though he were soueraigne lord of them , to do with thē at his pleasure . and let vs all learne by this shamelesse lying and notorious boasting of the diuel , to take heed that we be not like him in these sinnes , but study to be contrary to him : and therefore we must desire and study to speake the truth at all times , and take heed of boasting yea rather let vs thinke as humbly and basely of our selues as possibly we can , which is a good meanes to humble and cast downe our proud hearts : and let such know that are giuen to these sins , to lying and vaine boasting of this and that which they haue not , it argues great pride , and shewes they be very like the diuell himselfe in this point . if thou wilt fall downe and worship me . ] here is the second part of the temptation : namely , the condition , and the maine drift of the diuell in these words , is to bring our sauiour christ to manifest idolatrie , euen to worship the diuell himselfe . first , seeing the diuell durst be so bold to tempt our sauiour christ to idolatrie , and to worship himself ; hēce we see that the maine scope of the diuel is especially to deface religion , and the true seruice and worship of god , and therefore he assaults the church of god , and tempts men to bring them to embrace heresies , schismes , idolatry , that he might destroy the church of god : and thus he became a lying spirit in the mouth of foure hundred false prophets at one time . and when iehosuah the high priest came into the temple to performe the worship of god , he stood vp to hinder him , when he was praying for the good of the church . and so doth he in these dayes stand vp and seeke by all meanes to hinder gods ministers in the building vp of gods church . when christ hath sowne good wheate , thē the diuell soweth tares ; and whē paul would haue gone to preach the gospell to the thessalonians , the diuell hindred him ; and it is his speciall study to stop the ministery of the gospell : and therefore it is said that the diuell cast many of gods ministers into prison , reuel . . . reu. . . . there came euill and vncleane spirits out of the mouth of the beast , which entred into kings houses , to turne thē from the entertaining of the gospell , because that kings be either especiall nurses to the gospell , or else if satan can preuaile with them , become greatest enemies to hinder the course of the gospel . such frogges be these seminarie priests , monkes , friers , and popish iesuits , which lurke commonly in kings courts , and in the places of mighty men . then seeing the diuell is so painefull to stop the course of the gospell , to ouerturne true religion & the seruice of god : it must stirre vp all the ministers of the word of god , to labour and take paines , that their diligence in defending and vpholding true religion , and building the church of god , may counteruaile satans diligence in hindering of it . secondly , it behooueth all christians not onely to pray for themselues , but seeing the diuell labours the ruine of the church , specially in preuailing with princes and great men , we must pray for the good of gods church and children , and euery member of it : by name , for kings & queens , &c & good reasō is there that we should do so : for in the good and flourishing estate of the church we all receiue benefite by it , and fare the better for it . thirdly , if satan durst set vpon the sonne of god , and tempt him to idolatrie and to worship the diuell , then much more will he be tempting vs to the like sinne , and set vpō sinfull man to moue him to worship him , and make him his god. but you will say , there is none so mad to worship the diuell , to make him our god : oh we defie him . true it is , men say they defie the diuell , and spit at him , but alas if we consider their dealings , we shall see the diuell sits in their hearts , and rules there as god. do but cast your eye vpon the three maine religions of the world , the religion of the turke , of the iew , and of the papist ; and it will appeare that most men worship the diuell and make him their god : because the turke he is ignorāt of the true god : the iew worships god the father , but not by iesus christ , whom they deny : the papist worships a false and counterfeit christ forged by themselues , and neuer read of in the word of god : for they make him a sauior in part , & a priest to be creator , or the maker of his creator . that it may appeare , that these three sorts of people do not worship the true god , but euen the diuell himselfe , let vs marke these principles . first , that al doctrines set downe and inuented by man , concerning gods seruice and worship , being against the word of god , they be the doctrines of diuels : so saith paule . tim. . . . that there shall come false teachers , which shall teach doctrines of diuels : and what are these ? vers. . he saith : such as forbid to marrie : and teach men that some meates be holy in themselues , & some vnholy and not lawfull to be eaten . the second principle is this , all worship of god deuised by man , being against the word of god , is the doctrine of diuels . so the gentiles offering to idols paule saith they offered to diuels : yet none of them intended that , but rather by the idols offered to god. so whatsoeuer worship shall be inuented , being against the word of god , it is indeed the worship of the diuell , not of god. now by these two principles it appeareth , that the worship of god performed by the turkes , and by the iewes , it is no worship of god , but the worship of diuels : seeing both of them worship the father out of the sonne . and the worship of god in poperie , it is no better then the worship of the diuel , seeing they worship god out of the true christ , and haue forged to themselues a false counterfeit christ. and if paule might truly affirme of the gentiles , that they worshipped not the true god , but offered to diuels : then mnch more may it be auouched of that abominable sacrifice of the masse , that it is indeed the worship of the diuell , seeing it is more vile idolatrie then that of the gentiles . now it will be said : though the diuell preuaile thus with them , yet he cannot preuaile so with protestants , neither can they be said to worship the diuell . i answer : that in truth there be thousands of protestants in the world who do worship the diuel : for all those which do onely in outward shew professe true religion , but in heart loue the world , set their hearts vpon pleasures , profites and preferments , such professours do in truth make the diuell their god , and may be said to worship the diuell . for to whom soeuer they giue their hearts , to them they do giue worship : but while they set their hearts on these things , they do not loue god neither do they beleeue in god , and rest vpon him as their god ; and therefore they make the world their god , and so worship the diuell . fourthly , by this practise of the diuell , we see those men confuted , who thinke that the diuell cannot make a league with men , as with witches , coniurers , &c. for we reade and know such things haue bin done , and here we haue a manifest proofe of it : for the diuell offers a league to christ : there was nothing wanting but our sauiour christ his cōsent . and if sinfull mā had bene in christs stead , questionlesse there had bene a league ▪ and for so great gaine he would haue the diuell his seruice . then said iesus vnto him , auoide satan , &c. ] now followeth the answer of our sauiour christ. and first in christs answer marke , in propounding of it he vseth first a speech of indignation and of defiance to the diuell and his offer : auoide satan : as though christ should haue said : i haue heard thee blaspheme both me and my father , & haue thus long suffered thee , but i will suffer thee no longer , get thee hence satan , i will not vouchsafe to answer to thy temptations any more . marke here in the answer of christ , that he was content to endure the diuels temptations and reproches , which concerned his owne person : but when he is so bold to blaspheme god his father , he can endure him no longer . now when he makes challenge and claimes title to all the kingdoms of the world , as though he were lord of them , and could bestow them at his pleasure , therin he blasphemed god his father . then this teacheth vs , that if we shall heare vngodly wretches blaspheme the name of god , we may not endure it , but haue indignation & great dislike of it . and if we heare black-mouthed rabshekahs blaspheme the holy name of god , by swearing , cursing , banning , we must be touched with griefe , to heare the glorious name of our god dishonoured , and if time and place require , manifest our dislike in open reprehension of it . whē ahab and iezabel being both wicked , heard that naboth had blasphemed god , they rent their cloathes in token of sorrow . so when hezechiah heard the blasphemies of rabshekah , he rent his cloths and was very much grieued for it . whē dauid heard the gentiles say , where is now their god ? this blasphemous speech did greatly affect him , so as his very teares were his drinke . and the bad speeches of the men of sodome , did much affect lot , & vexe his righteous soule , . pet. . . and as all men must be grieued to heare wicked men blaspheme the name of god , so especially those that be gouernours of others , and by name , maisters of families : as dauid saith psal. . he would not suffer a talebearer in his house , much lesse a blasphemer . and the magistrate is especially bound to looke to this , seeing it is the law of god ▪ that the blasphemer should be stoned to death : now this law is perpetuall . and if a man for speaking a word of disgrace against the person of the prince wittingly and willingly , shall iustly lose his life : then he that is a blasphemer , and speakes to the disgrace of the eternall god , is much more worthie to die a thousand deaths . secondly , by this answer of christ , we learne how to behaue our selues when any shall go about to perswade vs to depart frō his church , to renounce true religion ; we must accompt of them in that respect as the instruments of satan . if the father should seeke to withdraw his owne child from the true religion , the sonne must not spare the father , but must cast the first stone at him , deut. . and when peter would haue disswaded christ from going to ierusalem , he saith : get thee behind me satan : though he was an excellent apostle , yet in this christ accompts of him as of the very diuell . againe , in that christ bids satan now auoide , and will dispute no longer with him ▪ we must hereby learne how to answer the diuell in his temptations : though at the first , when his temptations be more mild , we may reply by the word of god , yet when satan shall be more violent in his assaults , we must imitate our sauior christ , & bid him auoide , and dispute no more with him . and whatsoeuer he shall bring against vs , when we are not able to answer him , yet let vs hold the maine conclusion in the word of god , not vouchsa●ing him an answer . it is written ] seeing our sauior christ now the third time answers the diuell by the scriptures , saying , it is written : we learne that the written word beleeued and vnderstood , is the most sufficient weapon to confute & to confound satan & his vile tēptations , else christ wold not now euē the third time haue made choise of this weapon : it is written againe . this confutes the papists , who make two scriptures , one vnwritten and inward , which is traditions , the consent of the fathers which haue liued in all ages ; & the other written in the holy scriptures . now they do make their vnwritten scriptures , as they call them , and the consent of fathers , to be of equall authoritie with the written word of god , which our sauior christ doth shew here , to be the most powerfull meanes to repell all satans temptations . and the holy scriptures which they call a dead letter , and make as though it had no power in it , eue● this alone is the sword of the spirit to confound satan : and therefore damnable is that their doctrine , which so abuseth the holy scriptures , & sets vp the erronious tradition of sinfull men . for if the written word had bene but a dead letter , our sauiour christ would neuer haue made choise of it abou● all other weapons three seuerall times to confute satan , euery time answering , it is written . secondly , by this answer of christ , saying , it is written , we learne how to behaue our selues when any shall seeke to turne vs from true religion , to embrace false religion , though we cannot answer their arguments , but they set such a colour on them by their wit and eloquence , and seeme to dazle our eyes that we can not see their deceits ; yet we must sticke to the scriptures , and clea●● fast to the text of the bible : and if we find but one sentence in al the bible to perswade vs of the truth of religion , we must hang vpon it with both hands , and let not o● hold go ; nay it must be of more force & credit with vs , then a thousand arguments that tend to the contrary . thou shalt worship the lord thy god only , ] in these words is contained the answer of our sauiour christ to the third temptation of the diuell . the words are takē out of deut. ▪ . where they are read thus , thou shalt feare the lord thy god , and serue him . now there may seeme to be some difference in the words , as they be alleaged by christ : for in that place of deuteronomy it is said , thou shalt feare the lord thy god : our sauiour christ saith , thou shalt worship . againe , our sauiour christ addes a word , which is not added by moses in that place , namely , thou shalt worship the lord thy god onely : this word onely is not in that text of moses . but if we vnderstand two points concerning the alleaging of scripture , there will appeare to be no difference ; the first is this , that christ and his apostles in their alleaging of scripture , do not so much sticke to the very ●illables , as aime at the sense of the scriptures which they alleage . the second thing is this , that our sauiour christ in alleaging scripture , seekes to expound scripture , and to open it in alleaging of it ; and so doing , he may well adde a word , when as the word he addeth maketh much for the meaning of the text . and thus christ in this place chaungeth the word , not mistaking of it , but rather to expound moses ; for whereas moses saith , thou shalt feare the lord , he meaneth that religious feare whereby we feare god , and worship him . now our sauiour christ he saith , thou shalt worship , shewing moses meant that feare whereby we do with reuerence and bowing of the body and adoring of god worship him , moued thereunto by religious feare , either in praying for some mercy we want , or giuing thankes for some benefite receiued . againe , christ in alleaging this text of scripture , he addes a word , yet so , as he doth it without any fault : for though this word ( alone ) be not in moses his text expresly set downe , yet it is included , and in sense it is vnderstood : for where he saith in the thirteenth verse , thou shalt feare the lord , and ads no more ; in the fourteenth verse he saith , thou shalt not walke after any other gods ; so that a mā may easily perceiue he did in sēse include it , though not expresse it in words : and thus we see our sauiour christ cleared . in the text of scripture alleaged by christ , note two points : first , what this worship and feare is : secondly , to whom worship is due . first , worship taken generally , signifieth the giuing of honor and reuerence to another . now this honour is either ciuill or diuine . ciuill honour is that outward reuerence we giue to men , by ●rostrating of the body , or bowing of the knee ; and the end of this ciuill worship is , that thereby we might acknowledge another to be our superiour : & therfore it is giuen of subiects to princes , or of inferiours to those that by some meanes are their superiours . and thus iacob worshipped , that is , gaue ciuil worship to esau seuen times , genes . . . this reuerence abraham gaue to the hittites , gen. . . & lot to the angels bowed himselfe to the ground , gen. . . where he gaue them onely ciuill worship and honour . so then it is manifest by these examples , that we may lawfully bow and bend the knee and kneele to princes , to giue thē this ciuill honour , thereby shewing we do acknowledge them to be placed aboue vs in authoritie and dignitie in the world by god. the second kind of honour is diuine or religious worship , when we giue such honor to another , that thereby we do ascribe diuinitie & diuine power vnto it , acknowledging thereby that it is some diuine thing aboue all creatures . and this we do first , when we ascribe the godhead to it , and make it god : secondly , when we ascribe gods attributes to it , as omnipotencie , prouidence , &c. thirdly , whē we acknowledge it to be the creator and maker of all things : fourthly , when we acknowledge it to be the giuer of those good things we enioy , and the defender of vs from euill . this diuine worship is either inward in the heart , or outward in the body . inward diuine worship is whē a man giues his heart to any thing , by beleeuing in it , by louing of it , and reioycing in it aboue all other creatures ; and that because it hath in it the god-head , or diuine nature , or is god , because it hath the attributes of god , because it is the creator and defender of all things , or else because it giues vs all good things , and keepeth vs from all euill . the outward diuine worship , is when a man any wayes by prostrating himselfe and bowing of his body , doth it to manifest his faith , hope , loue , confidence , feare , or any gift in his hart , thereby confessing it is his creator , defender and preseruer . so then here is a manifest difference betweene outward ciuill worship , and that diuine worship which is outward : because by that ciuill worship we do only acknowledge them to whome we do it , to be our superious : but by this outward diuine worship , we do acknowledge that to which we do this worship to be god , creator and defender of vs and all other things . now in this place our sauior christ meaneth not that ciuill worship , but he vnderstandeth outward diuine worship . there is another seruice mentioned , which is feare : when we giue & performe obedience to another , it is either a seruice absolute or in part : absolute , when we obey the commandement of another simply without all exception : when we obey another , not onely outwardly in body , but inwardly in soule , will , affections , & with the conscience : and this is proper to god alone , neither may this absolute obedience be giuen to any creature , onely god alone is to haue this absolute worship , so as we must obey him without all exceptions or question , and that in body , soule , will , affections , and in the very conscience . there is a second seruice , which is only in part , which we may giue to men , as to the magistrate being in authoritie aboue vs , vnder god ; for god hath giuen them leaue to make lawes , and power to giue commandements ; and they must be obeyed in ciuill things , yet with condition , in the lord , so long as their commandements stand & agree with gods commandements . again , they must be obeyed onely with our bodies : their lawes cannot reach vnto mens hearts and consciences , to bind them . and of these two in this place , we are to vnderstand that obedience which is absolute , to obey the commandement of the lord absolutely and simply without condition or exception euen in all things whatsoeuer he commaunds vs : following herein our father abraham , who to performe obediēce to the lord , forsooke his natiue countrey , & was ready to offer his sonne his onely sonne , his beloued sonne , his sonne izak the sonne of the promise . now followeth the person to whom this worship must be giuen . this diuine worship , whether outward or inward , is due to god alone , neither may it be giuen to any other creature , though neuer so excellent . and this is taught vs plainly by christ his answer , and it is agreeable to the first and second commandements , where we are forbidden expresly to giue this diuine and religious worship either to any creature , or to idols , but we must haue & acknowledge iehouah to be our god alone . reuel . , . whē iohn was about to worship the angell , and to giue him some part of this diuine worship , he forbids him , and tels him that he is but his fellow seruant , and chargeth iohn to worship god alone . so then by this which hath bene said , we see how fitly our sauiour christ answered the diuell , & alleaged this place of scripture to stop his mouth . the diuell had shewed him all the kingdomes of the world and the glorie of them all : and tels christ , if so be he would but acknowledge him to be the giuer of them , he would bestow them all vpō him . now our sauiour christ answereth , that he may not giue that honour to him , which belongeth to god alone and to none else . first , we learne from this answer of christ , that it is not lawfull for vs to giue this diuine worship either inward or outward to any creature , though neuer so excellent ; neither to angels , nor saints : because it is peculiar and proper to god alone . and therfore if any mā shal prostrate his bodie before saints to pray vnto thē , he maketh them no lesse then gods , in giuing them that priuiledge which is proper to god : namely , to search the heart , that they can heare our praiers , that they be omnipotent , omni-present , that is , present in all places at once , with all things : which can be affirmed of none but god alone . and yet this is the common practise of the papists , to yeeld this diuine worship to saints , and dead men and women , and to adore and worship them . but the papists answer : they do not worship saints with that worship which belongs to god , neither do they worship thē as gods. why , no more would the diuell here haue christ so to do , neither durst he presume to tempt christ to worship him as god , but to acknowledge him to be the giuer of all the kingdomes of the earth . and the diuell requires no more but outward worship : and yet our sauior christ tels him , that this outward worship which he demaunded , was proper to god alone , & none may or ought to haue it , saue he alone . now the papists do giue that to saints , which christ denyeth to the diuell : for they auouch , that saints can deliuer them from this disease and that disease . they make them patrons not onely of priuate men , but of whole kingdomes & coūtries , as of italie s. martin , of spaine s , iames , of england s. george . &c. now to giue a kingdome ( which christ denied to satan ) is a lesse matter then to be a patron of a kingdome : for one may giue a kingdome , that cannot defend a kingdome . nay in truth , whatsoeuer they say , they make the saints gods : for they pray vnto them , they make them intercessors for them vnto god , to procure them fauour in things concerning the life to come . they call the virgin mary the queene of heauen , they make christ to be her vnderling & a punie : for they pray her to commaund her sonne , & to cause him to heare their prayers , which is to make her euen aboue god himselfe . and therfore in truth they giue more to saints , then the diuell required of christ. againe they answer : that which may be done to earthly princes , may much more be done to saints in heauen . now say they , we kneele and bow to earthly princes , and do reuerence to the chaire of estate : why then may we not to saints ? but we answer them : it is true , we do kneele and bow vnto earthly princes , but all this that we do , we do it not so much to their persons , as to that authoritie god hath laid vpon them : and we do it onely to shew our subiection vnto thē ▪ but to kneele to saints is no token of ciuill honour , as this is which we giue to earthly princes , but a part of diuine honour . for by that , they do acknowledge , that the saints can heare their prayers , search the hearts , that they be omnipotent , and present in euery place , which honour is due to god alone . yet though we may not thus adore saints as the papists do , we do acknowledge a certaine honour due vnto them : & this honour stands in three things : first , by giuing thāke● to god for them , in that the lord hath giu● his church in former times such worthy instruments . secondly , by a reuerent estimation of them , in that we accompt of them as the friends of god. thirdly , by honouring them , though not with diuine worship , yet by imitating their vertues : and this is all that honour we owe vnto the saints departed . now if that the adoring of saints be flat vnlawfull and forbidden , then it is not lawfull to appoint and dedicate solemne dayes vnto them , to fast for them , to worship the● to worship their reliques : all these be vnlawfull , and yet common among the papists . neither can the church of rome iustly accuse vs of the like , though we haue and retaine the names of saints dayes in the church of england ; because we dedicate those dayes not to the worship of saints as they do , but to the seruice and worship of god alone . we must mark how our sauiour christ in alleaging and expounding of moses ioynes worship and feare together : to shew , that none can truly worship god but they that do truly feare god. men commonly think they haue done enough if they come to church on dayes appointed , listen a while to the word , receiue the sacraments ; they thinke this is all the worship of god that he requires , though they want the feare of god in their hearts : but alas all this is to no purpose , if men want the feare of god , & practise iniustice in their particular callings . reade the first of esa. vers . . the lord hates all the seruice and worship which the iewes offered him : not simply , because these things were vnlawfull in themselues , for the lord had commaunded them : but because they ioyned not not so much to their persons , as to that authoritie god hath laid vpon them : and we do it onely to shew our subiection vnto thē . but to kneele to saints is no token of ciuill honour , as this is which we giue to earthly princes , but a part of diuine honour . for by that , they do acknowledge , that the saints can heare their prayers , search the hearts , that they be omnipotent , and present in euery place , which honour is due to god alone . yet though we may not thus adore saints as the papists do , we do acknowledge a certaine honour due vnto them : & this honour stands in three things : first , by giuing thākes to god for them , in that the lord hath giuē his church in former times such worthy instruments . secondly , by a reuerent estimation of them , in that we accompt of them as the friends of god. thirdly , by honouring them , though not with diuine worship , yet by imitating their vertues : and this is all that honour we owe vnto the saints departed . now if that the adoring of saints be flat vnlawfull and forbidden , then it is not lawfull to appoint and dedicate solemne dayes vnto them , to fast for them , to worship the● to worship their reliques : all these be vnlawfull , and yet common among the papists . neither can the church of rome iustly accuse vs of the like , though we haue and retaine the names of saints dayes in the church of england ; because we dedicate those dayes not to the worship of saints as they do , but to the seruice and worship of god alone . we must mark how our sauiour christ in alleaging and expounding of moses ioynes worship and feare together : to shew , that none can truly worship god but they that do truly feare god. men commonly think they haue done enough if they come to church on dayes appointed , listen a while to the word , receiue the sacraments ; they thinke this is all the worship of god that he requires , though they want the feare of god in their hearts : but alas all this is to no purpose , if men want the feare of god , & practise iniustice in their particular callings . reade the first of esa. vers . . the lord hates all the seruice and worship which the iewes offered him : not simply , because these things were vnlawfull in themselues , for the lord had commaunded them : but because they ioyned not to the seruice of god , the feare of god , but their hands were full of crueltie & iniustice , and they practised no mercie to men : and whatsoeuer men professe in the worship of god , and shew not the feare of god , & conscience in their particular callings and dealings with men , all is but hypocrisie . whereas we teach that a man may be certainely perswaded by faith of his election and saluation : the papists say , we cannot proue it out of the word of god. now what though we cannot find this sentence in so many words : ( i am elected ) yet as our sauiour christ by alleaging scripture gathered the sense of it : so may we without blame gather that out of the word which is the same in sense , which we hold in this point . we see it is our dutie not only to worship god with outward worship of the bodie , but with inward worship in the soule , mind , will , affections , and in the conscience . paul he preached the gospell of god vnto the the corinthians , to bring their very thoughts into subiection : that is , so to order them , that they might not thinke any thing but that which was holy and according to the will of god. then the diuell left him , &c. ] in this verse is set downe the third and last part of the conflicts of christ with the diuell : namely , the issue and euent of them , which is that glorious victorie and conquest which our sauiour iesus christ got against the diuell . and this is the most principall part of all the rest . for what comfort could we haue had in christs temptations , in the preparation , in the conflicts & seuerall temptations , vnlesse christ had vanquished satan , and got the victorie ? nay all the comfort of gods children stands in this victorie of our lord and sauiour iesus christ : because now christ stood in our stead , and was tempted for our sakes : so that he being our head , and getting victorie ouer the diuel , the church & euery member of the church in iesus christ , got victorie ouer satan . in the victorie we are to obserue two things : first , that the diuell departed from him : secondly , the angels ministred vnto him . in this departing of the diuell from christ , we may behold the vnspeakable goodnesse of god to his church , for that which befell christ , befalleth the church of god. now the diuell hauing tempted christ in three seuerall and sore temptations , he encountred him in all three , and resisted the diuell in all his temptations : and then the diuell leaueth him , and goeth his way . wherein we see the endlesse loue of god , in that he puts an end to the afflictions of his church , though they be many and sore , yet they shall last but a time and haue an end . so the lord speaketh of salomon : if he sinne i will chastise him with the rods of men and with the plagues of the children of men : such as should not be too extreame , but that he should be able to beare . so the prophet habacuck , he in the first chapter breaketh out into impatient speeches , for the afflictions of the church : but chap. . vers . . the lord bids him waite , and tels him , it shall be amended , and that he will put an end to their miseries : the lord hath promised that he will not suffer his children to be tempted aboue that they shall be able to beare , but shall find a blessed issue of their temptations . the two prophets which were slaine for doing their message , and for the testimonie of iesus , lay vnburied three dayes and an halfe : but after the lord puts into them the spirit of life againe , and they reuiued , and stood vp before the lord , and they that saw them shall be afraid , and see them ascend vp into heauen . so that we may see , the lord in mercie puts an end to all the afflictions of his children . and this we may see by dayly experience , some of gods children are visited with grieuous and fearefull temptations , some halfe a yeare , some a whole yeare , some , two , three , foure , ten yeares , yet at length the lord giues them a good issue , and puts an end to their miserie ; and in stead of horror of conscience , sends them comfort ; & in stead of griefe , ioy vnspeakable . and though the lord should suffer them to be tempted all their life long til their dying day , yet then the lord would giue them a blessed issue of all their miseries , and fill their soules with exceeding comfort . here we see a notable differēce betweene the first adam and the second adam . the first adam was tempted , and yeelded to satans temptations , and suffered the diuell to enter into his hart : the second adam iesus christ , he was likewise tempted , yet he yeelded not to the least assault of the diuell , neither could he euer enter into his holy heart , but departeth from him , and is faine to leaue him . in this departure of the diuell from christ , first , marke when he departed : secondly , for how long he departed . for the first , then the diuell left him , that is , after the three temptations were ended , and christ had in great indignation bid him auoide satan , for his blasphemous speeches , then the diuell departed . here we see the best way to put the diuell to flight , and to giue him the repulse : namely , to resist him at the first , & giue him no ground . but as s. iames saith , resist the diuell , and he will flie from thee : when as we depend on gods word , and the blessed promises of the gospell , praying for grace from god to resist satan ; he shal neuer preuaile against vs , but will depart . and therefore it is but foolishnesse to thinke or imagine that he can be put to flight by musick , merry companie , sports and pastimes , or such like vanities : but the onely meanes to cause him to depart , is the word and prayer , by them alone he is resisted . they take a bad course , who thinke they may yeeld to satans temptations when they are yong , and purpose in their old age to resist him : but if we euer yeeld vnto him , we do set open the doore of our hearts vnto the diuel , we do willingly receiue him , and bid him welcom , and then he will not easily be driuen away : nay we shal find it a hard matter , if not impossible , to put him to flight in our old age . but as men in a dropsie , the more they drinke , the more they desire : so the more men yeeld to his temptations , the more violently will he set vpon them . after that our sauiour christ saith vnto him , auoide satan , presently he departeth , and is obedient to his commaundement . what ? was this any vertue in the diuel to obey christs commandement ? no surely , it was no vertue in the diuell : for we are to vnderstand , there be two kinds of obedience , one is voluntary and chearfull , the other by constraint and forced . voluntary obedience is that , when any of the creatures of god do willingly through gods grace mouing them , obey the commaundement of god , as all the good angels of god , and adam before his fall , and all the children of god that be effectually called , iustified , and sanctified , do willingly and with chearfulnesse yeeld obedience vnto god in part . besides this , there is a constrained obedience , when one is vrged and compelled whether he will or not to obey another ; as one that is a malefactor , being condemned to die , he is obedient and yeeldeth himself to death , he submitteth him selfe , because he must neither will nor choose . so the diuell here obeyeth the voice of christ , and departeth at his commaundement : but this obedience in him is no vertue , because he was compelled to do it , and could do none otherwise . and that which here befell the diuel , shall befall all wicked & impenitent sinners if they will not now obey the commandement of christ , to repent and beleeue the gospell , they shall one day in spite of their teeth be constrained , will they nil they , to obey that commandement at the last day of iudgement , depart ye cursed into euerlasting fire , prepared for the diuell and his angels . the consideratiō of this one point , should 〈◊〉 all men now in the time of grace , to yeeld hearty and willing obedience to the voice of christ , in repenting and turning to god , le●● one day we be constrained to yeeld to our eternall confusion . luke . . he saith , when the diuel 〈◊〉 ended all the temptation , then he departed . vvhere we may note , that before the diuel● left our sauiour christ , he imployed all 〈◊〉 might , skill , subtiltie and fraud in tempti●● of christ. and from this malicious pract●● of the diuell , we may gather , that christ was tempted with no smal and easie temptation , but that he was tempted in the highest degree that could be : for the diuell made an end of his temptations before he left him , and had his will in tempting of him , and therefore no question , in these three maine temptations that we haue spoken of , he tēpted him as much as he could , and shewed his greatest extremitie and fraud . and this may appeare , in that the angels were faine to come & comfort our sauiour christ : so that he was not tempted with some light and ordinarie temptations , but in most extreame manner , so as his heart within him was in perplexitie , anguish and griefe , yet without all sinne . and this may minister comfort to the children of god ; if any man be tempted with some grieuous temptation , in some wondrous and fearefull maner , that he is almost at the point of despaire , yet let him stay himselfe , and let him not thinke that therefore he is cast away : for here we see , that iesus christ the son of god was tempted in the highest degree that might be , and therefore the dearest seruants of god may be extreamly tempted . we must learne from hence to suspend our iudgements : and if we see any so fearfully tempted , & their temptations so extreme and grieuous , that they say of them selues that they be cast-awayes , or that while they yet liue they are already in hel ; let vs take heed we be not too rash in condemning of them , neither let vs speake or thinke of them as cast-awayes : for our sauiour christ was tempted in the highest measure that could be , and why thē may not these kind of temptations befall the dearest children of god ? therefore that which is written of francis spira , that he was a reprobate & a cast-away , was penned very inconsiderately , though he affirmed the same of himself ; for there did nothing befall him , which may not befall a child of god : for we see that our sauiour christ himselfe was tempted in the greatest measure that might be , and we haue dayly experience from time to time , that some of the deare children of god haue bene in like sort assaulted to despaire for a time , to thinke themselues reprobates and cast-awayes , yet it hath pleased the lord in time to restore them to the feeling of his loue , and they haue continued the faithfull seruants of god till their dying day . and as it is said , the diuel departed as soone as he had ended all his temptations : we may gather , that these three wherewith he assaulted our sauiour christ , they be the most principall temptations of the diuell , & the very ground of all other his temptations : and therefore it shall be good for vs to learne to know them , and the daunger of them , that we may arme our selues by the example of christ against them especially . the second circumstance to be marked in the diuels departure , is that which s. luke addeth , though it be not expressed in mathew , namely , that the diuell left christ but for a season : but we neuer reade that the diuell did tempt our sauiour christ after this , but once vpon the crosse : then indeed the diuell and all his angels set vpon him , coloss. . . i answer , the diuell tempts either by himselfe , or else by wicked men . it is true indeed , we reade not that the diuell did euer tempt christ after his departure from him , but once when he was on the crosse ; but he set wicked men a work in persecuting of him continually . so he tempted euah but once by himselfe , but no doubt he tēpted her after many times by other means secondly , the diuell tempts by his instruments , namely , by wicked and vngodly mē : and thus he tempted adam , not by himselfe , but by euah : so he tempted iob , not onely by himselfe , in casting the house vpon his children , but also by his vile instruments the sabeans and caldeans , whom he set a work to rob and spoile him , and after by his mistaking friends . so though we reade not that the diuell did tempt christ all his life time after this by himselfe , yet did he it by his instruments , as the scribes and pharises , the cruell iewes , yea by herod , pontius pilate , annas and caiphas , and the rest : he neuer ceased tempting of him after this ; and these temptations by his vile● instruments were very great and grieuous vnto his sacred soule . seeing the diuell tooke this course to tempt christ , and then to depart for a while , and after to returne againe : we may see what is the estate of gods church in this world , namely , that the church of god vpon earth is in a continuall intercourse of afflictions : now afflicted ; after , the lord giues it peace for a time : and then the lord sendeth afflictions againe : and as winter followeth sommer , so doth ioy afflictions . this being the estate of the church of god vpon earth , a continuall intercourse of afflictions , we must then learne what is our own particular estate while we liue in the church , namely , a state that is in a continuall intercourse of troubles and afflictions . if we now inioy peace and rest , we must make account it cannot alwaies indure , but there must come a change : and therefore we must beware in time of peace to prepare our selues against the time of affliction and of triall , and perswade our selues the sunne will not alwaies shine , but this state will change , and triall will come . it followeth . and behold the angels came and ministred vnto him . ] here is now the second part of the victorie : when as our sauiour christ had foiled the diuell , and put him to flight , then the angels come and minister vnto him , to comfort him after this tedious combat . behold ] this word is a word of wonder , and it sheweth there is some matter of moment that followeth : and what is that ? the wonder is , that that person whom the diuell despised , and would haue troden vnder his feete , euen this person is here attended vpon by the good angels of god , who are readie to offer him their seruice , and come to comfort him . in this ministerie of these angels consider , first the bond which caused them to attend on christ : secondly , the number , how many they were : thirdly , the time when they came to him . first the bond which maketh these glorious angels and heauenly spirits to attend and waite vpon our sauiour christ , is this , that the man christ , not the manhood of christ , but christ god and man , is lord of all creatures , euen of the angels in heauen . and the manhood of christ , though it be not lord of angels , yet it is farre more excellent then any creature whatsoeuer , yea then the blessed angels . and here we may behold the great goodnesse of god , who hath exalted mans nature which was most vile by reason of sinne , to be farre more excellent then any angell in heauen , as it is ioyned to the godhead in the person of christ. so then the angels minister to christ not as simply man , but as god-man , or god and man : and so they minister to all the true members of christ iesus , which are truly coupled and vnited vnto his mysticall bodie . christ is that ladder of iacob , whereby the angels of god do ascend and descend , to do seruice to all those which are truly ioyned vnto iesus christ , gen. . this ought to make vs all admire the endlesse and vnspeakeable goodnes of god , who hath not onely giuen vs to be lords of heauen and earth by the meanes of christ , but euen the glorious angels , which are farre aboue man in excellencie , to be our seruants , to minister vnto vs , to comfort and defend vs. this should moue vs all to carrie and behaue our selues reuerently and holily in all our actions and speeches , seeing the glorious and blessed angels of god do waite and attend vpon vs. truly this ought to make vs haue great regard that no vnseemely speech or action passe from vs , seeing we be in the presence of these most excellent creatures of god , the blessed & holy angels , to behaue our selues with greater reuerence then we would before an earthly prince , and in the presence of a mightie monarch . the number of them . it is not said , there came one angell , as in the garden : but , the angels came vnto him : shewing there were mo then one . and we find in the word , that our sauiour christ had sometimes one , somtimes mo to attend vpon him . and so the wicked angels come sometimes one alone as here in christs temptations : sometimes many , as when christ was on the crosse , colossians . . and so it is likewise with the good angels of god : sometimes they come one alone , sometimes moe together . mow if this be true , then that opinion fa●leth to the ground , which holds , that euery man hath his two angels : an euill angel to tempt him , and his good angell to defend him . but if god so please , he hath a legion of bad angels to torment the bad● and ten thousands of good angels to comfort the good . the third point is the time when the●● angels came vnto christ ; [ then ] when the diuell had now ended all his temptations not in the time of the temptations whi●● christ was tempted , but immediatly after they were ended . true it is , the good angels of god be ●●waies readie to attend vpō christ & to ob●● his will ; yet here it is said , they came not 〈◊〉 our sauiour till after his temptations : 〈◊〉 then when he had most need , they are 〈◊〉 of god to comfort him : and as it is like● they tooke vpon them some bodily sh●● ●●the time , as the diuell did , that so they ●●ght the better do him seruice . and here in the person of our sauiour christ we may obserue the dealing of god ●ith his children , euen as he dealt with christ himselfe : namely , that the lord doth sometime conceale his fauour , and not ●hew his accustomed mercie to his children , 〈◊〉 least the comfortable sense and feeling of 〈◊〉 for a time , to trie his children . as here the lord with held for a time the comfort of his angels from our sauiour christ , yet after in is greatest need sent them to comfort him . ●o the lord dealeth with his children , euen 〈◊〉 a nurse dealeth with her child , setteth it ●owne , and goeth and hideth her selfe for 〈◊〉 time , letteth it sit still , so as the child ta●eth a knocke ; and it may be hurteth it selfe , so as it bleedeth againe : now all this she doth , not because she loueth not her child , 〈◊〉 that when she taketh vp her child againe into her armes , it may loue her better , and cling faster vnto her . euen so dea●eth the lord with his children , he often withdraweth the comfortable feeling of his mercie , and doth as it were hide himselfe for a time , that so we may the better 〈◊〉 what we are without his mercie , and make more accompt of it , when the lo●● doth giue vs the feeling of it againe , and 〈◊〉 we may loue him euer after more earne●● and more constantly . to conclude , most men will say , there 〈◊〉 no need of this doctrine of temptations : 〈◊〉 they neuer felt any such matter , nor are 〈◊〉 acquainted with them : nay , they hope ( th● say ) neuer to feele any such temptations : 〈◊〉 they thank god that they neuer knew 〈◊〉 temptations meant . indeed these po●● soules may thinke themselues happie , 〈◊〉 they be in a most pitifull case , and a mise●●ble estate : for whosoeuer belongs to ch●●● he must be made in some measure con●●●mable ; and if they be the true member● christ , they must be made sutable to th● head , in suffering temptations . nay , it is 〈◊〉 ioy , and we haue iust cause of reioyci● when we be tempted : especially if we 〈◊〉 able ( by the power of christ ) to resist 〈◊〉 temptations , as he did . so saith the 〈◊〉 ghost , iam. . . my brethren ( saith 〈◊〉 apostle ) accompt it exceeding ioy , when ye 〈◊〉 into diuerse temptations . and those men which say , they neuer 〈◊〉 tempted all their liues , alas they haue a 〈◊〉 full iudgement of god vpon them , 〈◊〉 ●●●dnesse of heart , which makes them that 〈◊〉 feele no temptations , though they be ●●yly tempted by the diuell to a thousand 〈◊〉 and impieties . as the disciples of christ 〈◊〉 though they saw the miracle of christ , 〈◊〉 saw that the bread was multiplied in ●eir hands , yet vnderstood it not , because 〈◊〉 the hardnesse of their hearts : so these blind ●●les , though satan tempt them from day 〈◊〉 day , yet they be so blinded & their hearts 〈◊〉 hardned , that they perceiue no such mat●● . but if these men would learne once by the ●ord of god to see and feele their miserie , ●nd so repent and be truly humbled for their 〈◊〉 , and become new creatures , they would 〈◊〉 be of another mind . and therefore let 〈◊〉 such men pray to god , that he of his mer●le giue them the sight of their wofull mise●le , that he would giue them soft and tender ●earts to be humbled for their sinnes , that so ●●ey may feele the want of grace ; and they ●●il then confesse it is not an vnneedful thing ●●or them to know and vndergo temptations , and that vnlesse they be tempted with christ , they can haue no true ioy nor sound comfort in christ. maister perkins his prayer before his sermons . oalmightie lord god , most merci●● and louing father in iesus christ , 〈◊〉 are here assembled before thy glorious mijestie , to be partakers of thy heauenly wor● which of thine infinite goodnesse and mer●● thou hast ordained to be the ordinary me●● to worke our saluation : we beseech th● therefore most mercifull father , to blesse●uery one of vs in the hearing and the sp●● king of thy holy word . good lord op●● our blind eyes , that we may be able to vnderstand it : and whereas our hearts are 〈◊〉 of hardnesse , full of sinne , full of manifo●● rebellions : good lord soften our hard ha●● graunt that thy holy word may be the tw● edged sword of the spirit to cut downe sin●● and corruption in vs , and make vs new 〈◊〉 tures in iesus christ. and whereas we 〈◊〉 troubled with many impediments in h●●ring of thy word , as wandring imagination in our hearts , suggestions of satan , and the dulnesse of our owne flesh : good lord remoue these impediments , and giue vs eue●● ●ne grace to heare thy word in feare and ●●uerence , as in thy presence ; and to receiue the same not as from man , but as from iesus christ : and when we haue heard thy word , graunt that it may be not the sauor of death to our deeper condemnation , but the sauor of life to our eternall comfort and saluation . for this cause write the same in euery one of our hearts , and tranforme vs into the obedience of the same in our life and conuersation . and because satan is a deadly enemie to the ministerie of thy word , good lord confound satan , dissolue in euery one of vs the cursed workes of the diuel , worke thine owne good works , shew thy selfe more merciful in blessing of thy word , then satan is or can be malicious in hindring of the same . heare vs , we beseech thee , in these requests , and graunt these graces to euery one of vs , not for our owne merits ( for vnto vs belongeth nothing but eternall shame and confusion for our sinnes ) but for the merites of thy deare sonne iesus christ , in whom thou art well pleased : to whom with thee and the holy ghost , be giuen of euery one of vs all praise , honor and glory , both now and for euermore . amen . the voice of a person . carnall , of euill : i do it , and will do . good : i do it not , nor will do . . regenerate , of euill : i do it , but would not do it . good : i do not that i would . . glorified of euill : i do it not , neither 〈◊〉 i do it . good : i do it , and will do it . to the right honorable and vertuous ladies , the countesse of cumberland , and the countesse of warwicke , grace and peace . right honorable , in the former 〈◊〉 is the combat of christ : in this latter is set downe the combat of a christian. he that fought with our head , will fight with the members ▪ and he that assaulted christ , will assaile all christians . but christ did beare troubles , and was borne out of them : we must haue troubles , and shall be borne out of them . if our afflictions were plagues , as to the egyptians : curses , as to cham : destruction , as to sodome : desolation , as to israel : then had we cause to flie from them , as moses did from that miraculous serpent . but since they are but the trials of faith , corrections of a father , visitations from the bishop of our soules : since they are as phlebotomie to a pleurisie , and a purgation to a plethora , they are to be endured with all patience . how christ did endure them , you may reade in that treatise : how a christian must , you may see in this . the former treatise i presented to your honorable brother : this latter to you most honorable sisters . i desired to annex this to the former discourse , because it is sutable to that present argument : and i know not to whom i may better present it , then to you who haue experience of this christian warfare . if it please you but to reade these holy meditations , and to entertaine this poore mite into your rich treasury by the reading i doubt not but you shal haue much comfort ; and by your entertaining , the church shal haue much good . now that good god who hath giuen your mind to know him , giue you also an heart to lo● him : and as you are honorable in the eyes of this world , so he make you most honorable in the eyes of his maiestie . and thus crauing pardon , i commit you to the grace of that god , who will honor them that loue him , and comfort them that seeke comfort from him . your honors in the lord , robert hill. a comfort for the feeble minded : wherein is set downe that spirituall combat which is betwixt a christian and satan . lidia . sir , i heard you with much comfort , when you preached vpon the temptations of christ. i pray you instruct me concerning the temptations of a christian , and giue me leaue to aske you certaine questic●s . paul. say on . lidia . what is it which we call christi●● warfare ? paul. christian warfare is concerning the right way of fighting in the spirituall battel . lidia which be the parts thereof ? paul. the parts thereof , are the preparation to battell , and the combat it selfe . lidia . how may i prepare my self vnto it ? paul. to the preparation , you must vse the complete armor of god. eph. . . for this cause , take vnto you the whole armour of god , that ye may be able to resist in the euill day : and hauing finished all things , stand fast . lidia . how many parts hath this armor ? paul. the parts thereof are especially six : . truth : . iustice : . euangelicall obedience : . faith : . the word of god : . continuall and feruent prayer with watching : as you may reade , eph. . . stand fast therefore , your loynes girded about with veritie , and hauing o● the brest-plate of righteousnesse , . and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospell of peace . . aboue all , take the shield of faith , wherewith ye may quench all the fierie darts of the wicked . . and take the helmet of saluation , and the sword of the spirit , which is the word of god. . and pray alwayes with all maner of prayer and supplication in the spirit , and watch thereunto with al perseuerance and supplication for all saints . . pet. . . be sober , and watch : for your aduersarie the diuel , as a roring lion , walketh about , seeking whom he may deuoure . lidia . what then is the combat ? paul. the combat is a mutuall conflict of them that fight spiritually . lidia . who are the warriors ? paul. the warriors , are the tempter and the christian souldier . ephes. . . for we wrastle not against flesh and bloud , but against principalities , against powers , and against the worldly gouernors , the princes of the darknesse of this world , against spirituall wickednesses , which are in high places . lidia . whom call you the tempter ? paul. the tempter , is the prince or his helpers . the prince is satan and his angels , which are spirituall wickednesses in high things . his helpers are the flesh and the world . lid. what is the conflict of these warriors ? paul. the conflict of all these , is temptation , whereby a man is prouoked to commit such wickednesse as is hurtfull to the saluation of his soule . . pet. . . dearely beloued , i beseech you as strangers and pilgrimes abstaine from fleshly lustes , which fight against the soule . lidia . what must i note in this christian souldier ? paul. in the souldier , two things are to be considered : his resisting , and his fall . lidia . vvhat is his resistance ? paul. resistance is an action , whereby the souldier doth withstand temptation , through grace working inwardly in him . . iohn . . i write vnto you babes , because ye haue knowne the father : i haue written to you fathers , because ye haue knowne him that is from the beginning : i haue written to you yong men , because ye are strong , and the word of god abideth in you , and ye haue ouercome the wicked . . pet. . . ephes. . . psal. . . thou shalt walk vpon the lion and asp , the yong lion and the dragon shalt thou tread vnder feete . lidia . how is this resistance confirmed ? paul. to confirme this , these preseruatiues which follow are very necessary . . when you are tempted to sinne , do not only abstaine from it , but earnestly loue and follow after the contrary . iohn . . . neuer yeeld or consent to satans words , whether he speake the truth , accuse falsly , or flatter dissemblingly . iohn . . ye are of your father the diuell , and the lusts of your father ye will do : he hath bin a murderer from the beginning , and abode not in the truth , because there is no truth in him : when he speaketh a lie , then speaketh he of his owne ; for he is a lier , and the father thereof . marke . . and cried with a loud voice , and said , what haue i to do with thee , iesus the sonne of the most high god ? and iesus said , hold thy peace , and come out of him . act. . . she followed paul and vs , and cried , saying : these men are the seruants of the most high god , which shew vnto vs the way of saluation , &c. august . serm . . . one temptation is to be looked for after another , and then especially when our enemie after he hath set his snares , is at rest : for the diuel neuer maketh an end of his malice , . pet. . . lidia . i haue heard how to resist : teach me ( i pray you ) what is his fall . paul. the fall is , whereby the souldier through infirmitie fainteth , being subdued by the power of the enemie . gal. . . brethrē , if a man be fallen by occasion into any fault , ye which are spirituall , restore such a one with the spirit of meeknesse , considering thy selfe least thou also be tempted . lidia . if i fall , how may i rise ? paul. to this appertaineth the spirituall remedie : now a remedie , is a thing hauing aptnesse to restore him which is fallen to his former estate . gal. . . and here two things must alwayes be thought on . . if there be a willing mind , euery one is accepted for that grace which he hath , not for that which he hath not . . corint . . , for if there be first a willing mind , it is accepted according to that a man hath , and not according to that he hath not . . in all these things , whosoeuer wil leade a godly life in christ , the power of god is to be made perfect through their infirmitie . . cor. . . and he said vnto me , my grace is sufficient for thee , for my power is made perfect through weaknesse : very gladly therefore will i reioyce rather in mine infirmities , that the power of god may dwell in me . . therefore i take pleasure in infirmities , in reproches , in necessities , in persecutions , in anguish for christs sake , for when i am weake , then am i strong . lidia . but since satan is mine aduersarie , instruct me how many his assaults be . paul. assaults are three-fold . lidia . vvhich is the first ? paul. the first is about the christian mans effectuall calling : and the temptation is the enterprise of the diuell , to blindfold mans mind and to harden his hart , lest the word of god should work in him to saluation . mat. ● . and as he sowed , some fell by the way side , and the fowles came and deuoured them vp . . and some fell vpon stonie ground , where they had no● much earth , and anon they sprang vp , because they had no depth of earth . . and when the sun rose vp , they were parched ; & for lack of rooting withered away . . and some fell among thornes , and the thornes sprung vp and choked them . . whensoeuer a man heareth the word of the kingdome , and vnderstandeth it not , the euill one cometh , and catcheth away that which was sowne in his heart : and this is he which hath receiued the seed by the way side . lidia . how may i resist this assault ? paul. a resistance in those that are called , is wrought by the spirit of god , that causeth men to lend their eares to heare , and doth ingraffe the word in their hearts , that the immortall seed of regeneration may spring in them . psal. . . ioh. . . act. . . iam. . . wherefore lay apart all filthinesse , and superfluitie of maliciousnes , and receiue with meeknes the word that is graffed in you , which is able to saue your soules . . pet. . . seeing your soules are purified in obeying the truth through the spirit , to loue brotherly without faining , loue one another with a pure heart feruently . . ioh. . . whosoeuer is borne of god sinneth not , for his seed remaineth in him , neither cā he sin because he is borne of god. a resistance in those that are to be called , is , when in a sincere heart they do ioyne the word which they haue heard with faith . luke . . but that which fell in good ground , are they which with an honest and good heart heare the word and keepe it , and bring forth fruit with patience , heb. . . lidia . what certaine preseruatiues are to be noted in this resistance ? paul. . premeditation of the power and vse of the word . eccles. . . take heed to thy feete when thou entrest into the house of the lord , and be more neare to heare then to giue the sacrifice of fooles , for they know not that they do euil . cha. . . be not rash with thy mouth , n● let thine heart be hastie to vtter a thing before god : for god is in the heauen , and thou art 〈◊〉 the earth , therefore let thy words be few . . diligent attentiō of the mind , act. . . . an hungring desire of the heart . ioh. . . now in the last and great day of the feast , iesus stood and cried , saying : if any man thirst , let him come to me and drinke . . integritie of life . psal. . . . the casting away of euill affections iam. . . and be ye doers of the word , and n● hearers onely , deceiuing your owne soules . . the inward consent and agreement of the heart with the word preached . act. . . . an hiding of the word in the heart lest we should sinne , psalm . . . i haue hid thy word in mine heart , that i might not sinne against thee . . a trembling at the presence of god in the assembly of the church , esa. . . for all these things hath mine hand made , and all these things haue bene , saith the lord , and to him will i looke , euen to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit , and trembleth at my words . act. . . then sent i for thee immediatly , and thou hast well done to come ; now therefore are we all here present before god , to heare all things that are commaunded thee of god. lidia . the god of power preserue me from this assault by these preseruatiues : but how may i fall in this temptation ? paul. your fall , is either by a coldnesse in receiuing the word , and a neglect therof , or else by falling into errors . lidia what then must be my remedy ? paul. the remedie for this , is subiection , which must be made to the iudgement and censure of the brethren and ministers . reuel . . . i know thy workes , that thou art neither cold nor hote : i would thou werest cold or hote . gal. . . . tim. . . of whom is hymeneus and alexander , whom i haue deliuered vnto satan , that they might learne not to blaspheme . lid. what is the second assault ? paul. the second assault is concerning faith . lid. how may one be thus assaulted ? paul. by an illusion , which the diuell casteth into the hearts of godly ones : as when he saith : thou art not of the number of the elect : thou art not iustified : thou hast no faith : thou must certainely be condemned for thy sinnes , as mat. . . then came to him the tempter , and said : if thou be the sonne of god , command that these stones be made bread . now as he dealt with christ , so will he with christians . lidia . what helpes doth the diuell abuse , for the strengthening of such illusions as these ? paul. . he abuseth aduersitie : as dangers , losses , persecutions , iealousie , grieuous offences , &c. so in dauid , psal. . . loe , these are the wicked , yet prosper they alway , and increase in riches . . certainely , i haue cleansed mine heart in vaine , and washed mine hands in innocencie . in iob . . how many art mine iniquities and sinnes ? shew me my rebellion and my sinne . . wherefore hidest thou thy face , and takest me for thine enemie ? . will thou breake a leafe driuen to and fro , and wilt thou pursue the drie stubble ? the remembrance of sinnes past . iob . . for thou writest bitter things against me , and makest me to possesse the iniquities of my youth . a feeling of death euen alreadie at hand . lidia . how may i withstand these ? paul. by a true faith , applying christ with all his merits particularly , after this manner : i assuredly beleeue that i shall not be condemned , but that i am elected and iustified in christ , and am out of all doubt that all my sinnes are pardoned . esa. . . he shall see the trauell of his soule , and shall be satisfied : by his knowledge shall my righteous seruant iustifie many : for he shall beare their iniquities . rom. . . for i am perswaded , that neither death , nor life , nor angels , nor principalities , nor powers , nor things present , nor things to come . . nor heighth , nor depth , nor any other creature shall be able to separate vs from the loue of god , which is in christ iesus our lord. lidia . giue me a preseruatiue that i may resist . paul. your best preseruatiue is , in temptation , not to behold faith , but the obiect of faith , which is christ. so did paul , philip. . . not as though i had alreadie attained vnto it , either were alreadie perfect : but i follow , that i may comprehend that , for whose sak● also i am comprehended of christ iesus . . one thing i do , i forget that which is behind , and indeuour my selfe to that which is before . . and follow hard toward the marke , for the price of the high calling of god in christ iesus . so must all . ioh. . . and as moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernesse ; so must the sonne of man be lift vp , that he that beleeueth in him should not perish , but haue life euerlasting . lid. what is my falling in this assault ? paul. your falling is doubtfulnesse , and distrust of your election , & of gods mercie psal. . . i called to remembrance my so●● in the night : i com●●ned with mine own heart and my spirit searched diligently . . will in lord absent himselfe for euer , and will he shew no more fauour ? . is his 〈◊〉 cleane gone for euer ? doth his promise faile for euermore ? so dauid of himselfe saith : psalm . . . my god , my god ; why hast thou forsaken me , and art so farre from my health , and from the words of my roaring ? lid. what is my remedie ? paul the remedie is double : first , the operation of the holy spirit , stirring vp faith and increasing the same . philip. . . i am perswaded of this same thing , that he that hath begunne this good worke in you , will performe it vntill the day of iesus christ. luk. . . and the apostles said vnto the lord , increase our faith . the second is , an holy meditation , which is manifold : that it is the commandement of god , that we should beleeue in christ. . ioh. . . this is then his commaundement , that we beleeue in the name of his sonne iesus christ , and loue one another , as he gaue commaundement . that the euangelicall promises are indefinite , and do exclude no man , vnlesse peraduenture any man do exclude himselfe , esa . . . ho , euery one that thirsteth , come ye to the waters , and ye that haue no siluer , come , buy , and eate : come , i say , buy wine and milke without siluer and without money . mat. . . come vnto me all ye that are wearie and laden , and i will ease you . ioh. . . that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish , but haue eternall life . also the sacraments of baptisme and the lords supper , do to euery one seuerally apply indefinite promises , and therefore are very effectuall to enforce particular assurance or plerophorie of forgiuenesse of sinnes . that doubtfulnesse and despaire are most grieuous sinnes . that contrarie to hope , men must vnder hope beleeue with abraham . rom. . . which abraham aboue hope beleeued vnder hope , that he should be the father of many nations : according to that which was spoken to him , so shall thy seed be . that the mercie of god , and the merit of christs obedience , being both god and man , are infinite . esa. . . for the mountaines shall remoue , and the hils shall fall downe : but my mercie shall not depart from thee , neither shall my couenant of peace fall away , saith the lord , that hath compassion on thee . psal. . . for as high as the heauen is aboue the earth , so great is his mercie toward them that feare him . . ioh. . . my babes , these things write i vnto you , that ye sinne not : and if any man sinne , we haue an aduocate with the father , iesus christ the iust . . and he is the reconciliation for our sinnes : and not for ours onely , but also for the sinnes of the whole world . psal. . . let israel waite on the lord : for the lord is mercie , and with him is great redemption . that god measureth the obedience due vnto him , rather by the affection and desire to obey , then by the act and performance of it . rom. . . for they that are after the flesh , sauour the things of the flesh , but they that are after the spirit , the things of the spirit . . because the wisedome of the flesh , is enmitie against god : for it is not subiect to the law of god , neither indeed can be . rom. . . now if i do that i would not , it is no more i that do it , but the sinne that dwelleth in me . . i find then by the law , that when i would do good , euill is present with me . . for i delight in the law of god , concerning the inner man. mal. . . i will spare them , as a man spareth his son , that reuerenceth him . when one sinne is forgiuen , all the rest are remitted also : for remission being giuen once , without any prescription of time , is giuen for euer . rom. . . for the gifts and calling of god are without repentance . act. . . to him also giue all the prophets witnesse , that through his name , all that beleeue in him , shall receiue remission of sinnes . that grace and faith are not taken away by fals of infirmitie , but thereby are declared and made manifest . rom. . . moreouer , the law entred thereupon , that the offence should abound : neuerthelesse , where sin abounded , there grace abounded much more . . cor. . . and lest i should be exalted out of measure , &c. there was giuen vnto me a pricke in the flesh , the messenger of satan to buffet me . . for this thing i besought the lord thrice , that it might depart from me . . he said , my grace is sufficient for thee . that all the workes of god are by contrarie meanes . . cor. . . my power is made perfect through weaknesse . lidia . by the blessing of god i will not forget to practise these soueraigne remedies if satan at any time seeke to take away my faith , and to cut off this hand by which i must apply , or to blindfold this eye , by which i may behold christ sitting at gods right hand , as stephen did . let me heare , i pray you , the third assault , and what it concerneth . paul. the third assault is concerning sanctification . lid. what is this temptation ? paul. the temptation is a prouoking to sinne , according as the disposition of euery man , and as occasion shall offer it selfe , . chron. . . and satan stood vp against israel , and prouoked dauid to number israel . ioh. . . and when supper was done , the diuell had now put into the heart of iudas iscariot , simons sonne , to betray him . lid. let me not be ignorant of satans enterprises . how will he allure to sinne ? paul. in this temptation , the diuell doth wonderfully diminish and extenuate those sins which men are about to commit , partly by obiecting closely the mercie of god , and partly by couering or hiding the punishment which is due for the sin . besides , there are helpes to further the diuell in this his temptation : as first , the flesh which lusteth against the spirit , sometimes by begetting euill motions and affections , and sometimes by ouerwhelming and oppressing the good intents and motions , gal. . . for the flesh lufteth against the spirit , and the spirit against the flesh : and these are contrarie one to another , so that ye cannot do the same things that ye would . . moreouer , the workes of the flesh are manifest : which are , adulterie , fornication , vncleanenesse , wantonnesse . . idolatrie , witchcraft , hatred , debate , emulations , wrath , contentions , seditions , heresies . . enuie , murthers , drunkennesse , gluttonie , and such like , whereof i tell you before , as i also haue told you before , that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdome of god. iam. . . but euery man is tempted , when he is drawne away by his owne concupiscence , and is entised . secondly , the world , which bringeth men to disobedience , through pleasure , profite , honour , and euill examples , ephesians . . among whom we also had our conuersation in time past , in the lustes of the flesh , in fulfilling the will of the flesh , and of the mind , and were by nature the children of wrath , as well as others . . iohn . . for all that is in the world , as the lusts of the flesh , and the lust of the eyes , and the pride of life , is not of the father , but is of the world . lid. how may i resist this temptation ? paul. resistance , is made by the desire of the spirit , which worketh good motions and affections in the faithfull , and driueth foorth the euill . gal. . . but the fruite of the spirit is loue , ioy , peace , long suffering , gentlenesse , goodnesse , faith , . meekenesse , temperancie : against such there is no law . . for they that are christs , haue crucified the flesh , with the affections and the lusts thereof . . let vs not be desirous of vaine glorie , prouoking one another , enuying one another . lid. giue me here some preseruariues , that i may resist . paul. the preseruatiues are these . to account no sinne light or small . gal. . . alitle leauen doth leauen the whole lumpe . rom. . . for the wages of sinne is death , but the gift of god is eternal life , through iesus christ our lord. to auoide all occasions of sinne . to these rather agreeth the prouerb vsed of the plague : longè , tardè , citò : that is , aloofe , slowly , quickly . . thessal . . . abstaine from all appearance of euill . iud. v. . and other saue with feare , pulling them out of the fire , and hate euen the garment spotted by the flesh . to accustome thy selfe to subdue the lesser sinnes , that at the last , thou maist also ouercome the greater . rom. . . . to apply thy selfe to thy appointed calling , and alway to be busily occupied about something in the same . to oppose the law , the iudgements of god , the last iudgement , the glorious presence of god , and such like , against the rebellion and loosenesse of the flesh . pro. . blessed is the man that feareth alway : but he that hardeneth his heart , shall fall into euill . gen. . . there is no man greater in this house then i : neither hath he kept any thing from me , but onely thee , because thou art his wife : how then can i do this great wickednesse , and so sinne against god ? lid. but alas , i see satan foyles me in many sins : instruct me i pray you , with some rules against them . say i be angrie vnaduisedly , or desire to reuenge wrongs done vnto me , how may i remedie this my sinne ? paul. against vniust anger , or priuate desire of reuenge . here meditate , . iniuries ; they happen vnto vs by the lords appointment for our good . . sam. . . . god of his great goodnesse forgiueth vs farre more sinnes , then it is possible for vs to forgiue men . . it is the dutie of christian loue , to forgiue others . . we must not desire to destroy them , whom christ hath redeemed by his precious bloud . . we our selues are in daunger of the wrath of god , if we suffer our wrath to burne against our brother . forgiue saith he ) and it shall be forgiuen . . we know not the circumstances of the facts , what the mind was , and purpose of them against whom we swell . bridles or externall remedies , are these : . in this we shall imitate the clemencie of the lord , who for a very great season doth often tolerate the wicked . learne of me , for i am humble and meeke . . there must be a pausing and time of delay , betwixt our anger and the execution of the same . atheno●●rus counselled augustus that he being angrie , should repeate all the letters of the alphabet , or a b c , before he against another did either speake or do any thing . . to depart out of those places where those are , with whom we are angrie . . to auoide contention , both in word and deed . do nothing through contention . lidia . say i sinne by couetousnesse and ambition : what must i do ? p. remedies against those bad desires of riches and honor , are : . god doth euen in famine quickē and reuiue them which feare him . psal. . . . the eye of the lord is vpon them that feare him , to deliuer their souls from death , and to preserue them from famine . . godlinesse is great gaine , if the mind of man can be therewith content . . tim. . . . we do waite and looke for the resurrection of the bodie , and eternall life : therefore we should not take such carking care for this present mortall life . . we are seruants in our fathers house , therefore looke what is conuenient for vs , that will he louingly bestow vpon vs. . the palpable blindnesse of an ambitious mind , desireth to be set aloft , that he may haue the greater downe-falle and he feareth to be humbled , lest he should not be exalted . . adam when he would needes be checke-mate with god , did bring both himselfe and his posteritie headlong●● destruction . . he is a very ambitious rob god , which desireth to take that comme●dation to himselfe , which is appropriate only to the lord. lidia . admit satan allures me to carnal vncleanenesse ; how may i preserue my selfe that i may with the wise virgins enter with the bridegrome ? pa. preseruatiues against the desires of the flesh : are , . he that will be christs disciple , must euery day take vp his crosse , luk. . . . they which are according to the spirit , sauour of such things as are according to the spirit , rom. . . . we ought to behaue 〈◊〉 selues as citizens of the kingdom of heauen , philip. . . . we are the temple of god● . cor. . . our members , they are the mēbers of christ. . cor. . . and we ha●● dwelling within vs the spirit of christ● which we should not grieue , eph. . . lid. how may i fall in this temptations ? paul. when you being preuented , fall 〈◊〉 some offence : gal. . . lidia . what doth satan when one is thus ●●llen ? paul. here satan doth wonderfully aggrauate the offence committed , and doth ac●use and terrifie the offender with the iudgements of god. mat. . . then when iudas which betrayed him , saw that he was condem●●d , he repented himselfe , and brought againe the thirtie peeces of siluer to the chiefe priests and elders : . saying , i haue sinned , betraying the innocent bloud : but they said , what is that to vs ? see thou to it . . and when he had cast downe the siluer peeces in the temple , he departed , and went and hanged himselfe . lid. what remedie is there if that i fall ? paul. the remedie is , a renewed repentance , the beginning whereof is sorrow , in regard of god for the same sinne ; the fruites hereof are especially seuen . . cor. . . now i reioyce not that you were sorrie , but that ye sorrowed to repentance : for ye sorrowed godly , so that in nothing ye were hurt by vs. . for godly sorrow causeth repentance vnto saluation , not to be repented of : but worldly sorrow causeth death . . for behold , this thing that ye haue bene godly sorrie , what great care hath it wrought in you : yea , what clearing of your selues : yea , what indignation : yea , what feare : yea , how great desire : yea , wh●● zeale : yea , what punishment : in all things 〈◊〉 haue shewed your selues , that ye are pure in this matter . lid. repeate out of this place those seuen fruites of repentance . paul. first , a desire of doing well . secondly , an apologie , that is , a confession of the sinne before god , with a requiring of pardon for the offence . psalm . . . then i acknowledged my sin vnto thee , neither hid i mine iniquitie : for i thought , i will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse vnto the lord , and thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne . . sam. . . then dauid said vnto nathan , i haue sinned against the lord : and nathan said vnto dauid , the lord also ha●● put away thy sinne , thou shalt not die . indignation against a mans selfe , for his offence . a feare , not so much for the punishment , as for offending the lord. psal. . . if thou streightly markest iniquities , o lord who shall stand ? a desire to be fully renewed , and to be deliuered from sinne . a feruent zeale to loue god , and to embrace and keepe all his commandements . . reuenge , whereby the flesh may be ta●ed and subdued , lest at any time afterward such offences be committed . lidia . blessed be god , that thus teacheth ●e by you . let me speake yet vnto you concerning calamities : i reade in the scriptures of the patient bearing of the crosse ; what wil it teach me ? paul. the patient bearing of the crosse , teacheth how christians should vndergo the burden . lidia . vvhat ( i pray you ) is the crosse ? paul. the crosse is a certaine measure of afflictions , appointed by god to euery one of the faithfull . math. . . if any man wil follow me , let him forsake himselfe , take vp his crosse and follow me . col. . . now reioyce i in my sufferings for you , and fulfill the rest of the afflictions of christ in my flesh , for his bodies sake which is the church . lidia . how must this crosse be taken vp ? paul. we ought to take vp this crosse willingly , euen with both hands , when it shall please god to lay it vpon vs. and after we haue taken it vp , we must beare it with patience and perseuerance . col. . . strengthened with all might through his glorious power , vnto all patience and long suffering with ioyfulnesse . luke . . possesse your soules with patience . lidia . how may i preserue patience ? paul. the preseruatiues of patience , are first strength by the holy ghost . phil. . . i am able to do all things through the helpe of christ , which strengtheneth me . phil. . . it is giuen to you for christ , that not onely ye should beleeue in him , but also suffer for his sake . . an holy meditation which is manifold . . that the afflictions of the faithful come not by chance , but by the counsell and prouidence of god , which disposeth all things in a most excellent sort . gen. . . . it was god that sent ioseph into egypt . . sam. . . the lord biddeth shemei curse dauid . psal. . . it was good for me that i was afflicted , that i might learne thy statutes . hence it is euident , that afflictions to the godly are ineuitable . act. . . by many afflictions you must enter into the kingdome of god. mat. . . the gate is streight and the way narrow that leadeth vnto life , and few there be that find it . iohn . in the world ye shall haue troubles . that albeit afflictions are grieuous , yet are they good and profitable . for they are helpes , whereby men being humbled for their sinnes before god , obtaine peace and holinesse of life . . cor. . . we receiued sentence of death in our selues , because we should not trust in our selues , but in god , which raiseth the dead . esa. . . lord , in trouble haue they visited thee , they powred out a prayer when thy chastening was vpon them . hos. . . i will go and returne to my place , till they acknowledge their fault and seeke me : in their affliction they will seeke me diligently . psal. . . when he flue them they sought him , and they returned , and they sought god early . ierem. . . i haue heard ephraim lamenting thus : thou hast corrected me , and i was chastised as an vntamed calfe : conuert thou me , and i shall be conuerted . heb. . . no chastisement for the present see●eth ioyous , but grieuous : but afterward it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousnesse vnto them which are thereby exercised . psa. . . weeping may abide at euening , but ioy commeth in the morning . iohn . . euery branch that beareth fruit , he purgeth it , that it may bring forth ●●re fruite . . pet . . . wherein ye reioyce , though now for a season ( if need require ) ye are in heauinesse through many temptations . . cor. . . the god of all comfort , which comforteth vs in all our tribulations , that we may be able to comfort them which are in affliction , by the comfort wherewith our selues are comforted of god. rom. . . we glory in afflictions , knowing that affliction bringeth patience . heb. . . he did consecrate the prince of their saluation through affliction . we permit chirurgians that they both bind vs lying diseased in our beds , and seare vs with hot irons , yea lanch and search our members with rasors : and lastly , we send them away vsually with friendly and kind speeches , & often with a golden fee for their thus handling vs. shal we thē suffer so many things of a chirurgian , to cure a bodily disease , and will we not giue god leaue to cure by afflictions the most festered diseases of our sicke soules ? lidia . what is to be gathered hence ? paul. by this we may gather , that the afflictions of the godly , are signes of their adoption . heb. . . whom the lord loueth , he chasteneth , and he scourgeth euery sonne that he receiueth . . if ye endure chastisement , god offereth himselfe vnto you as vnto sonne● . and that they are to them , the kings high way to heauen . iames . . blessed 〈◊〉 the man that endureth temptation : for when he is tried , he shall receiue the crowne of life , which the lord hath promised to them that loue 〈◊〉 . cor. . . for our light affliction which i● but for a moment , causeth vnto vs a farre more excellent and an eternall waight of glory . that god hath promised fauour , mitigation of punishment , his presence and deliuerance . philip. . . . cor. . . god is faithfull , who will not suffer you to be tempted aboue measure , but with temptation will giue deliuerance . . sam. . . psal. . . call vpon me in time of trouble , and i will deliuer thee , and thou shalt glorifie me . psal. . . he that keepeth israel , will neither slumber nor sleepe . esa. . . when thou passest through the waters , i will be with thee , and through the flouds , that they do not ouerwhelme thee : when thou walkest through the very fire , thou shalt not burne , neither shal the flame kindle vpon thee : . for i am the lord thy god , the holy one of israel thy sauiour . that in all troubles of the faithfull , christ is a companion . . pet. . . reioyce that ye are partakers of the afflictions of christ. cor. . . euery where we beare about in our bodie the dying of christ , that the life of iesus might also be made manifest in our bodies . col. . . that the angels are readie to defend such as feare god. psal. . . . kings . . feare not , there are more with vs then against vs. lidia . but of all calamities , the remembrance of death is fearful vnto me : giue me ( i pray you ) some few preseruatiues against it . paul against the feare of death , note these preseruatiues : first , death it freeth the godly from the tyrannie of satan , sinne , the world , the flesh , and eternall damnation ; yea frō infinite both perils and losses , and doth place vs both safe and happie vnder the shadow ( as it were ) of christs wings . secondly , christ by his death hath sanctified vnto vs both death and the graue . christ is both in life and death , gaine to the godly , phil. . . those consolations which the spirit of christ doth suggest to the soules of the faithful , do by many degrees surmount the dolors of death . the desire of that most bright and glorious beholding of god , and the presence of those saints which are departed before vs. in stead of our bodies we shall be clothed with glory , . cor. . . the sting of death , namely sin , is then so taken away , as that that serpent can no more hurt vs. . cor. . . o death , where i● thy sting ! o graue , where is thy victory ! heb. . . that he might deliuer all them , which for feare of death , were all their life time subiect to bondage . we should not so much thinke of our death , as to take an exact account of our life . for that man cannot die ill , who hath liued well : and he seldome dieth well , that hath liued badly . the angels they stand at our elbowes , that so soone as a saint departeth , they may with al speed immediatly transport his soule into heauen . soules being once in heauen , remain ther● till the last day of iudgement , where they partly magnifie the name of god , and partly do waite and pray for the consummation of the kingdom of glory , and ful felicitie in body and soule . reu. . . and when he had taken the booke , the foure beasts and the foure and twenty elders fell down before the lamb , hauing euery one harpes and golden vials full of odours , which are the prayers of the saints : . and they sang a new song , saying , thou art worthy to take the booke , and to open the seales thereof , because thou wast killed , and hast redeemed vs to god by thy bloud , out of euery kinred , and tong , and people , and nation . reuel . . . i heard the voice of harpers , harping with their harpes , . and they sung as it were a new song before the throne : and they cried with a loud voice , saying , how long lord , holy and true ? doest not thou iudge and auenge our bloud on them that dwel on the earth ? lidia yet for all this , satan in the time of temptation , and at the houre of death , wil go about to perswade me that these things do not belong vnto me : what must i do then ? paul. descend into your owne heart , see whether you haue gods spirit or no , testifying vnto you that you are gods child : for as many as haue the spirit of god , they are the children of god. lidia . but how shall i know whether this testimonie come from gods spirit , or from carnall presumption ? paul. first , by a full perswasion which you shall haue ; for the holy ghost will not barely say it , but perswade you that you are gods child , which the flesh cannot do . secondly , by the maner of perswasion ; for the holy ghost draweth not reasons from the works and worthinesse of man , but from gods fauour and loue : and this kind of perswasion differeth much from that which satan vseth . thirdly , by the effects of that testimonie ; for if the perswasion arise from presumption , it is a dead perswasion : but contrariwise , it is most liuely and stirring , if it come from the holy ghost : for such as are perswaded that they are elected and adopted the children of god , they wil loue god , trust in him , and cal vpon him with their whole heart . lidia . alas , i find this testimonie maruellous feeble in me : are there not other meanes by which i may be comforted in this temptation of satan , that i am not gods child ? paul. yes verily , if you feele not the flame of gods spirit in you , then must you iudge of it by the heate : and if you find the effects of sanctification in you , you are without doubt in the state of grace . lidia . which ( i pray you ) be they ? paul. of all the effects of sanctification , you may iudge of your adoption by these that follow : first , if you feele your wants , and with griefe bewaile the offence to god in euery sinne . . if you striue against the flesh , that is , resist and hate the first motions thereof , and with griefe , thinke them burthenous and troublesome . thirdly , if you desire earnestly and vehemently the grace of god , and merite of christ to obtaine eternall life . . when you haue obtained it , to account it a most precious i●well , and all things to be as dung in respect of it , phil. . . . if you loue a minister of the gospell , as he is a minister , and a christian as he is a christian ; and if need require , can be readie to giue your life for them , . iohn . . . if you call earnestly vpon god , euen with teares . . if you desire christs comming to iudgement , that an end might be made of these dayes of sin . . if you flie all occasions of sin , and endeuor to come to newnesse of life . . and last of all , if you perseuere vnto the last gaspe in these things . for , as one saith , he that wil serue god , must beleeue that which he cannot see , hope for that which is deferred , loue god when he shewes himself an enemie ; and thus remaine to the end . lidia . these indeed are sure effects of sanctification , but euen these are weake in me as the former . paul are they so ? then know that god tameth you , yet so as you must not therewith be dismaied : for it is certaine , that if you haue faith but as a graine of mustard-seed , and be as weake as a yong infant , it is sufficient to ingraft you into christ : and therefore you must not doubt of your owne election , by reason of your weaknesse . a child holding a staffe in his hand , holdeth it as well as a man , though not with so much strength ; and you laying hold vpon christ by faith , though you do it neuer so weakely , it will suffise for your saluation . nay , if one haue not yet felt these effects in his heart , he must not conclude , he is a reprobate , but must rather vse the word of god and the sacraments , that he may haue inward sense of the power of christ drawing him vnto him , and an assurance of his redemption by christs death and passion . lidia . he that opened the heart of lidia to heare paul , open my heart to know and do these things . paul. amen . sundry necessarie obseruations meete for a christian , published long since by some religious man. i. that you keep narrow watch ouer your heart , words and deeds continually . psal. . . mat. . . luke . . . cor. . . . . . . col. . . ii. that with all care the time be redeemed that hath bene idly , carelesly and vnprofitably spent . eph. . . col. . . iii. that once in the day at least , priuate prayer and meditation be made . psal. . . dan. . . luke . . ephes. . . col. . . iv. that care be had to do and receiue good in companie . . thess. . . v. that your familie be with all diligence and regard instructed , watched ouer , and christianly gouerned . gen. . . deut. . ● & , , . pro. . . eph. . . vi. that no more care be spent in matters of this world , then must needs . mat. . . col. . ● . . iohn . . . vii . that you stirre vp your selues to liberality to gods saints . gal. . . heb. . . viii . that you prepare your selues to beare the crosse , by what meanes soeuer it shall please god to exercise you . mat. . . luke . . & . . ix . that you giue not the least bridle to wandring thoughts . iob . . eph. . . x. that you bestow some time in mourning , not onely for your owne sinnes , but for the time and age wherein you liue . ezech. . . psal. . . xi . that you looke dayly for the coming of our lord iesus christ , for your full deliuerance out of this world . mat. . . xii . that you acquaint your selfe with some godly person , with whom you may conferre of your christian estate , and open your doubts to the quickning of gods graces 〈◊〉 you . iames . . xiii . that you obserue the departure of men out of this life , their mortalitie , the vanitie and alteration of things below , the more to contemne the world , and to continue your longing after the life to come . esay . . phil. . . . pet. . . reu. . . xiiii . that you meditate often vpon your death and going out of this life , how you must lie in the graue , go to dust , leaue all glorie and wealth : and this will serue to beate downe that pride of life which naturally is in you . eccles. . . & . . xv. that you reade something daily of the holy scriptures , for the further increase of your knowledge . math. . . iohn . . act. . . xvi . that you make a couenant with the lord to striue against all sinnes , especially against the specialsins and corruptions of your heart and life , wherein you haue most dishonored god : and that you carefully see that your ●ouenant be kept and continued . neh. . . ● . chron. . . xvii . that you marke how sinne dieth and is weakened in you , and that you turne not to your old sinnes againe . matt. . . . thess. . . . pet. . . xviii . that you fall not from your first loue , but continue still your affection to the liking of gods word , and to all the holy exercises of religion , diligently hearing it , and faithfully practising it : that you may prepare your selfe before you come , and meditate of that you haue heard , either by your self or with other , and so mark your daily profiting in religion . heb. . . & . . reu. . . xix . that you be often occupied in meditating vpon gods benefits and workes , and sound forth his praise for the same . xx. that you exercise your faith , by taking delight in the great benefit of your redemption by christ , and the fruition of gods presence in his glorious and blessed kingdome . psal. . . . & . . eph. . . xxi . lastly , that you make not these holy practises of repentance common for the time , nor vse them for fashion sake . luke . . in adamo potuimus non mori , in christo non possumus mori . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e mat. . mat. . . a psa. . b mat. . . c mat. . . d mat. . e . pe. . f . pet. . g ioh. . h . cor. ▪ . i ioh. . ▪ k act. . l heb. . m luk. . . a mat. . b mat. . ▪ . . c ioh. . . d luk. . . e ioh. . f ioh. . g luk. . . h luk . . i mat. . . k mat. . . l mat. . . m luk. . . n act. . . a gen. . b iob. . c . king. . . d ex. ▪ . e . tim. . . f . sa. . g . sa. . a gen. . b gen. . . c mat. . . d mat. . . reasons why god doth afflict his children ▪ e ec. . . f psal. . . g luk. . . h psal. . . i psal. . . . k ge. . l iam. . m deu ▪ . n . tim . . o ioh. . p act. . a he. . . b . pet. . c . cor. . d ruth . . e ruth . . f ion. . . g exod. . h dan. . . i . king. . . k . king. . . l mar. . m iam. . . iob. . a pro. . b mat. . . c . tim. . . d psal. . . e psal. . . f . cor. . . g phil. . h act . . . pet. . . i exod. . k ge. . . l psal. . . m ps. . n isa. . o hos. . . p luk. . . q ecc. . . a . sam. . . b ge. . c act. . . d phi. . e d . f exod. . . g . pet. . h mat. . i iob. . . k hab. . l iob . m . sam. . . n . sa. . . o . sa. . p gen. . q gen. . r gen. . s gen. . . a exod. . b exod. ▪ c . sa. . d . king. . e . kin. . f . king. . g isa. . h dan. . i dan. . k mat. . l act. . m mat. . n ro. . o ioh. . . p ioh. . q mat. . r mat. ▪ s dan. . saint andrewes in norwich . a . tim. . b . sam. . . c hos. . . d psal. . e psal. . . f mica . . . g act. . h ps. . ● . a psal. . b iob. . c . sam. . . d iob. . . e ruth . . f ecc. . . g luk. . . h isa. . . i luk. . k phil. . l psal. . m zac. . . n mat. . . a ●ud . . b . sam. . c ioh. . d exo. . e . sam. . . f mat. . g gen. . h gen. . i iob . k . thes. . . a ioh. . the golden chaine . the earle of bedford . the countesse of bedford . the countesse of cil●erland . pro. . . notes for div a -e ier. . . notes for div a -e doctr. . doctr. . exod. . . . sam. . math. . . doctr. . . king. . . king. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . obiection . ansvver . doctr. . psal. . . doctr . . cor. ▪ . doctr. . act. . . question . ansvver . pro. . . . . doctr. . vse . . circumstance . reasons why christ went into the wildernesse . . reason . eccl. . . . reason . . reason . against popish eremits and monks . . circumstance . temptation . . of god. . of man. . of satan . question . ansvver . reasons 〈◊〉 christ vvas tempted . . reason . . reason . . reason . . reason . heb. . . gen. ▪ . reu. . . doctr. . the second part of christs preparation to temptations . three kinds of fasts . iud. . . hest. . . exod. . . reasons why christ fasted so long . . king. . against popish fast in lent. vvhy christ vvas vvith vvild beasts . . circumstance . vse . . circumstance . vvhy christ was hungry . verse . the first combat . satan vvhy a tempter . . pet. . . doctr. . mat. . vvhen satan assaults christ. vse . the occasion of satans assault . mat. . . doctrine . the fourth point of satans preparation . mat. . . vse . . pet. . . question . ansvver . gen. . . vse . mar. . . . act. . . . luke . . . doctr. vse . vse . . question . ansvver . doctr. ez●ch . . . pro. . . obiection . answer . iob. . . . king. . pro. . . doctr. how christ was caried by satan . ier. . . doctr. . luk. . . vse . eccles. . . ierusalem citie holy . vse . rome no true church . doctr. vse . vse . doctr. nu● . doctr. vse . psal. . . verse . doctr. nehe. . . vvhat it i● to tempt god. hovv god is tempted . exod. . . vs● ▪ iudith . . obiection . answer . iud. . . . isai. . . . vse . verse . . doct. obiection . answer . deut. . . . sam. . zach. . . vse . prou. . . psa. . . iob. . . ver. . psal. . . gal. . . . kin . . . king. . zach. . . mat. . . thess . obiection . answer . ● cor . obiection . answer . vers. . vse . . kin. . ▪ psal. . . mat. . vse . obiection . answer . vvhat honour is due to saints . vse . vse . . mich. . . vvhat honour is due to saints . vse . vse . . mich. . . vse . . vse . . . cor. . . . vers. . vse . . . sam. . reu. . ver . . . vse . . vse . . iam. . vse . . vse . . vse . . vse . luk. . iam. . . the worldlings aduenture discouering the fearefull estate of all earthwormes, and men of this world, in hazarding their pretious soules for the enioying of worldly happines / deliuered in two sermons before the worthy visitors of the right worshipfull company of the grocers, at the visitation of their free grammar schoole at oundell in north-hamptonshire, by thomas cooper, batchelour in diuinity, imployed in that businesse. cooper, thomas, fl. . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc estc s ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the worldlings aduenture discouering the fearefull estate of all earthwormes, and men of this world, in hazarding their pretious soules for the enioying of worldly happines / deliuered in two sermons before the worthy visitors of the right worshipfull company of the grocers, at the visitation of their free grammar schoole at oundell in north-hamptonshire, by thomas cooper, batchelour in diuinity, imployed in that businesse. cooper, thomas, fl. . [ ], , [ ] p. printed by n.o. for richard redmer, and are to be sold at his shop at the west end of s. paules church, london : . includes marginal notes. signatures: a-l⁴. reproduction of original in: harvard university. library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and 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markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the worldlings aduenture . discovering , the fearefull estate of all earth-wormes , and men of this world : in hazarding their pretious soules , for the enioying of worldly happines . deliuered in two sermons : before the worthy visitors of the right worshipfull company of the grocers . at the visitation of their free grammar schoole at ovndell in north-hamptonshire . by thomas cooper batchelour in diuinity , imployed in that businesse . london , printed by n. o. for richard redmer , and are to be sold at his shop at the west end of s. paules church . . to the right worshipfull , the wardens and assistants , and the rest of the brethren of the honourable corporation of grocers , worthy patrons of religion and learning , and my very good benefactors . grace , mercie and peace from god the father , through our lord iesus christ be multiplyed . right worshipfull , and deerely beloued , in our best beloued christ iesus : vouchsafe , i pray you , the reuiew of these meditations : which as they were conceiued , especially for your sakes , so they are of all other most necessarie for the well ordering , and comfort of those callings , wherein god hath placed you . for seeing man consists of a reasonable soule and body , both which must be so prouided for in their order and measure ; as may tend to the well being of either in this life , and to the eternal happines of both in the life , to come . what so necessarie , as that one thing which indeed is onely necessarie , euen by the iudgement of him that must saue or condemne the same , namely , the welfare & safetie of the precions soule ? and yet seeing that god hath placed vs on the earth and that wisely , in seuerall callings ▪ and conditions : that so by our holy managing thereof , we may lay vp a good foundation against the life to come . how necessarie is that knowledge , which may enforme vs rightly herein ? most vsefull , and so acceptable that skill must needes bee , whereby we shall be so enabled to commerce with worldly things , as not thereby to hazard our eternall happinesse . yea , so much the more is the direction necessary ; because , as it is a mysterie concealed from nature , which knows not the things of god , neither indeede can know them , because they are spiritually discerned , when as its chiefest wisedome is enemy against god and it owne happinesse : as appeareth by the ordinary ship-wrake of the most , through the ignorance thereof : so it is the speciall gift of god to reueale the same vnto vs , as without which , it is not possible to secure our future estate , in passing through such manifolde and slipperie occasions of our present callings . and surely if wee consider that axiome of sacred truth ; that we cannot serue god & mammon , and compare therewith that damnable conclusion of the world , as subscribing to the trueth of god out of the conscience , of it owne vtter inabilitie , and sottish dotage on it owne shadowes : that conscionable seruice of god , is an hinderance to worldly thrift ; impossible to get riches , and keepe a good conscience , as implying a contradiction in those things , which by right vse are subordinate to each other . is it not then , more then necessarie to know such a way , whereby wee may so thriue in the world , as that withall wee may thriue to heauen , that we may find out and practise an holy subiection to the worde of god , and so discerne that to be possible with god , which is impossible to men . oh , how true is it which our blessed sauiour speakes in this case , that it is impossible for a rich man to enter into heauen ; meaning , such a rich man , as wanting this heauenly wisdome , to vse the world aright ; sets his confidence in riches , and rests on such slipperie foundations , forsaking the god of his strength , and rock of his saluation . and it is also most true for our eternall comfort : that though these things are snares to the wicked , to entāgle and drowne them in euerlasting perdition : yet we may take such a curse in the gayning and vse of these dangerous wares , that if we first seeke the kingdome of heauen , and the righteousnesse thereof , these shall be cast vpon vs without any great care or labour , if we make purchase of the great gaine , which is godlines , we shall finde it profitable as well for this life , both to order our worldly affaires , and also to prosper them vnto vs ; as for the life which is to come . and therefore as it is a brand of prophanenesse , to renounce our birth-right in heauen for a messe of pottage , or any earthly happinesse whatsoeuer : as if these could not well sort together ; so on the other side , it is a marke of vnbeliefe to distrust god for the well being of our bodies , seeing we haue trusted him for the happinesse of our soules . here then is wisedome to bring both ends together ; so to learne worldly thrift , as that withall we may thriue to heauen . this wisedome is best attained by experience ; & experience , which is the mistresse of fooles , is then most comfortably gained , when we can be warned by others harmes . this is my purpose in the ensuing treatise . wherein i endeauour to set before the eies of your minds , as in a cleare and true mirrour , the fearefull estate of worldlings ; aduenturing , and working out their owne damnation , by their vnsatiable and deceitfull hunting after worldly profit . here you may take notice of an ordinary bargaine , betweene the god of this world , & earthly minds ; as willingly exchanging their eternal soules , for the enioying of the pleasures and profits of sinne for a season . here you may see , that our destruction is of our selues , in that our corrupt , and greedy desires do entice satan to chaffer with vs , and to preuaile for this bargaine . here you haue the policies of satan liuely discouered , whereby he drawes vs on to the bargaine , and holdeth vs to the same ; that so we may preuent his subtill snares and delusions . lastly , you haue here the censure of the bargaine , euen by our lord iesus christ himselfe ; who onely can truely iudge of it , and shall most righteously iudge for the same ; that you may wisely looke before hand into the yssue thereof , and so fore-warned not to enter into any such couenant . this is the summe of these meditations , which i doe most zealously commend vnto your best considerations , as those that by your callings may make good vse therof . which that you may vnfeignedly doe ▪ i further promise what here you haue not ; that my requests shall be dayly manifest , at the throane of grace for your worshipfull societie : yea , whatsoeuer i am , or may be , shall be deuoted to the good of your companie : that the lord would mercifully make vp the breach among you ; or sanctifie it more graciously , to your more sure vniting to his maiestie : that hauing experience of the ficklenesse , and contentious spirits of men ; you may be carefull to builde your foundation vpon the rocke , which may endure all counter-blasts . labouring your peace with god , by the attonement of his glorious sonne , blessed for euer : that so seeking first , the kingdome of heauen , and the righteousnesse thereof , these outward things may encrease and be sanctified vnto you ; that so you may continue without offence , as you haue begun & proceeded hitherto , in all fruitfull bountie and mercifulnesse to the houshold of faith : to the happy fealing vp of your saluation in this life , and to the hastening and accomplishing of the same in the life to come . and thus humbly requesting your worships to accept of this liuely touch-stone to try your estates , by walking contrary thereto ; with my euer vnfeigned acknowledgement of your loue towards me ; i heartily take my leaue , commending your worships , and all yours , to the grace , and mercie of our blessed god , through iesus christ our lord ; in whom i rest . your worships poore remembraucer , at the throane of grace , th. cooper . math. . . for what shall it profit a man though he should win the whole world , and lose his owne soule ? in these words , the holy ghost layeth downe a reason , why we should not for the sauing of this present and momentany life , decline afflictions ; namely , because the sauing of life present in this regard , is the next way to endanget the life eternall : and if so , then no profit will redound thereby , no though we might liue to enioy the whole world . for hauing in the verse , adioyned the doctrine of his particular suffering to the former doctrine of his kingly office in gouerning and preseruing his church , that so the wise temper of these seeming contraries might confound carnall wisdome , and exercise the faith of his disciples , because the harsh newes of his suffering gaue occasion of offence to peter ; as dreaming in his carnall reach , of a temporall kingdome ; he thereby takes occasion , from the particular doctrine of his owne suffering , to gather a generall conclusion : that whosoeuer will be his disciple , must also deny himselfe , and take vp his crosse and follow him ; which bitter pill that it might be the beter digested , he wisely remoues the maine barnd hinderance of enduring afflictions ; namely , the loue of life , and that by a strange paradox to the confounding of reason , & triall of faith : affirming that the sauing of life for a time , by auoyding the crosse , was the next way to lose it eternally : and so to encourage the rather to the vndergoing of afflictions , he affirmeth contrarily , that the enduring of afflictions for his sake , though it were to the losse of life temporall , was the meanes to procure the life eternall , if not also for the preseruation of this present life . now because life were not desirable of the carnall man , but for those pleasures and profits sake which the world supplies thereto ; for otherwise these fayling , life is but a burden , and death a most desired hauen : therefore the spirit of god proceedeth in this verse to root out of our hearts this loue of the world ; and that by propounding the danger that accompanies the same ; namely , that hereby the pretious soule is fearefully ensnared ; and endangered . and concludes the folly of such a match , when we pay so deere for worldly things , namely , that they profit nothing . so that in these words we haue a discouery of an ordinary bargaine vsually made by men of this world , & that as they conceiue , to great aduantage ; namely , that they be contented for gayning of the world , to lose their soules . their soules is an ordinary price , to compasse the pleasures and profits of the world . in which bargaine there are couched these particulars . first , the ground or occasion of the bargaine ; namely , their greedy and vnsatiable desire of earthly things , implyed in these words of extent : though he should gaine the whole world . as if the holy ghost had therein discouered that roote of al mischiefe ; namely , a couetous and vnreasonable desire to compasse all , to be satisfied with nothing , but the whole world . secondly , we haue heere the driuing of the bargaine ; namely , this couetous desire is that which giues way to satan , to fetch ouer the soule . thirdly , heere is the bargaine it selfe ; namely , that the soule is lost for the gaining of the world . lastly , here is the iudgement and censure of the bargaine ; namely , that their is no profit in it . of these in their places . and first , of the ground or occasion of the bargaine . this the holy ghost discouers to be an vnsatiable desire of earthly things , teaching vs thereby , that naturally the minde of man , as it is immortall and not to be fadomed ; so it is restles and neuer satisfied . and therefore affecteth vnmeasurably the things of the world : gladly would engrosse and appropriate all things to it selfe . it cannot brooke a share in it happines , it endures not to be stinted , and measured therein . so saith the spirit . the eye is not satisfied with seeing , nor the eare with hearing , and therefore much lesse the minde . so is the practise hereof discouered : they ioyne houses to houses , and land to land , till there be no place ; and the reason hereof is added , that they may liue alone vpon the earth : and the generall conditions of all estates discouers no lesse ; no man is contented with the place and calling wherein god hath placed him , euery one aymes at the highest ; subiection is a burthen and disgrace , and soueraignty tickles with the conceit of deity ; where the soule finds no rest in god , how can it be but restles in hawking after shadows ? where pride is a chaine , how can bondage or subiection be any whit brooked ? and seeing happines is conceited in these outward things ; if caine be cast out of gods presence , he must eternize his name in building of cities , & compassing the world . who would not enioy the most of all those things , that he may haue greatest happines ? can there be a greater plague to the wicked then still to be desiring , what they compasse ? and may not this turne about to turne them home againe , that as the doue whē she found no rest for the sole of her foote in the world , returned againe to the arke from whence she was sent forth : so the poore soule being tyred in the compassing of these earthly things , and confounded in the pursuit thereof , may be forced to turne the current of her desires to the true obiect , and to seeke for happinesse in her god onely . oh that we were wise to discerne the euill sicknes , and therein to take notice of the power of corruption . are we sick of the world , and neuer satisfied therewith ? how doth this discouer our barrennes of grace , how doth it conuince our bondage vnto sinne ? where grace hath taken roote , we dye vnto the world ; where god is preferred , there mammō hath no place . how doth this discouer an impossibility in nature , to obtaine grace by it owne power , seeing the glory and wisdome of nature is enmity against god : exalting the world and it shadowes , aboue the true substance of euerlasting happines ; making the wedge of gold it hope , and it belly it god ? why do worldings engrosse and compasse the earth , but that they haue no hope of heauen ? but that their maine happines is to enioy the pleasures of sin for a season : and that they may enioy them more freely , they plot for greatnes , that none may controule them , they heape vp aboundance of treasures , that they may haue continuall matter to nourish and encrease sin . doth not affliction bridle sinne , and withdraw many encouragments there-from ? doth not troubles awake the conscence , and at least breed some remorse & outward abstinence from euill ? then well fare fulnesse to fatte the heart in sin , that it may be sencelesse thereof , and so commit it more greedily ; wel fare prosperity to drown the heart with a vaine conceite of gods fauour , as if he loued vs , because he bestoweth such a large portion vpon vs : that so though the minde be sensible of sinne , yet it may swell with presumption , & prophanesse ; that though we liue so , yet god approues thereof , we prosper and growe in greatnes , therefore all is well . and doth not this make way at length to desperate atheisme , that because we are spared , nay we prosper , and thriue in sinne , therefore the lord is like vnto vs , he likes of our sinne ? and so the conclusion heereupon followeth by degrees , that the foole saith in his heart , as hee hath proued it by his waies ; that there is no god at all , but to prosper in the world , to doe what we list : nay hence it followes in the end , that seeing we doe what we list , therefore wee are gods , knowing good and euill . this was the groūd of that grosse idolatry in deifying others and this not vnwillingly induced great ones to assume this diuine power vnto themselues , by there transcendent power and priuiledges , not onely to cōtroule their owne lawes , but euen to encroach vpon and iustle out the law of god , and so to seate themselues in the place of the most highest . thus antichrist arose by degrees from earthly happines , to a concept of diuine power , exalting himselfe aboue all that is called god , because hauing taken a surfet of worldly pompe and fulnesse , hee thereby established a visible monarchie , not only aboue emperours & the potentates of the world , but euen aboue heauen , and ouer hell it selfe , encroaching into the prerogatiue of the most highest : and making and changing the eternall decrees at his pleasure , presuming with his fained , and vsurped keyes , to shut and open heauen and hell at his will , and by his deceiuable miracles and presumed perfection exalting himselfe in the hearts of all beleeuers aboue all that was called god. and the maine ground hereof was the iust iudgement of god vpon the whore , whom as he had appointed frō all eternity to euerlasting perditiō , so to this end for the more righteous execution of his decree , he gaue her fauour with the great ones of the earth , by whom being cherrished and aduanced to bee queene and empresse of the world , heereby she was drowned in securitie , and said she sate as a queene , and should see no euill , and so by securitie was hardned in her sin , & therby committed the same more greedily ; and so being deceiued by sinne , grewe to deceiue others , that shee might the better excuse her selfe , and make prey of the blinded world : whereby as shee executed the wrath of god vpon the vtter court , and reprobates of the visible church ; so by her oppression and horrible wickednesse , by her vnsatiable ambition , and couetousnesse , by her diuellish treacheries and bloody cruelties , she is now growne hatefull to those that were her owne , being enuied for her greatnesse , hated for her wickednesse , and detested for her treacheries ; so that her owne greatnesse hath begun and will certainely accomplish her iust ouerthrow , and fatall destruction : her owne louers that formerly aduanced her , being bewitched with the cup of her fornications , as they haue hitherto , so still they shall leaue her , for her odious wickednesse : yea , they shall not cease to spoile , and vtterly roote her out , that so her destruction may be their safetie ; and the lord may be glorified in his righteous iudgements . euen so , o lord , hasten thy worke , for the comfort of thy church , and glorie of thy great name . and let this in the meane time admonish the wise , that they be not partakers with her of her sines , lest they partake with her of her plagues . aboue all : let it aduise vs , especially to take heed of these two capitall sinnes , of pride , and couetousnesse , the one being the meanes to nourish the other , and yet couetousnesse being the meanes to confound pride , in that it cannot be satisfied , cannot attaine it desire . let ieremies counsell to baruch , be seasonable in these daies ; seeke not after great things . if our hearts bee right , we haue an higher ayme ; and if they bee not , wee cannot wish a greater plague , still to be desiring what we cannot haue ; and when we haue the most , making our burthen the greater , and our account more heauy , at that great day . let this teach vs to labour contentednesse in our estates , by acknowledging our vnworthinesse of the best , and the sufficiency of the least , with the blessing of god , by dayly resigning our selues into the hands of our god : and imploying our talents faithfully to his glory , not considering so much what wee are short in of others , aboue vs ; but how many there are , that are short of our measure : labouring to supply what is wanting in out-ward things , by storing vp inward graces , which the more we heape vp , the lesse we shall desire and esteeme the others ; and the more we haue , the more we shall receiue : considering still of the shortnes of our liues , and suddainnesse of our account , that so still we may be rather carefull how to vse well , and so to account comfortably for what we haue , because we know not how soone we may leaue it : then to be desiring and caring for to morrow , because we know not what to morrow may bring . labour we therefore to rectifie our iudgements , concerning our ambirious desires , as if these did argue an ingenuous and free spirit : seeing , as there cannot be a greater marke of a degenerate minde , then to doate , and hunt greedily after earthly riches ; because where our treasure is , there also are our hearts : what we doate vpon , that wee make our god. so hereby shall wee approoue that we are risen with christ , if our affections be set vpon things that are aboue , and not on things below ; and the lesse care we haue of earthly things , the more are our hearts enflamed with the law of god : the more enliued with the hope of a better life . thus an vnsatiable desire of earthly things , possesseth euery man naturally : this conuinceth the obliquity and desperate state of nature ; this as it argueth it subiect to sathan , who is the prince of this world , so by this baite of the world he easily ensnareth vs to ineuitable destruction ; for so it followeth in the second place , had not satan matter to worke vpon from vs , he could neuer preuaile to our destruction ; were we not as tinder , apt to receiue the fire ; nay , had we not an whorish corruption in vs , alluring him to attempt vs , though he were neuer so instant , yet should he be disappointed . but behold now , the driuing of the bargaine ; what is it , that encourageth and enableth sathan to preuaile for our destruction ? there is a traytour within the citie , to open the gates to him , our vnsatiable desires of these things is that which he workes vpon . where these are , he easily fetcheth ouer the soule . the minde that is alwayes heauing after earthly things , is an easie and sure prey to sathans malice . the desire of riches is the roote of all euill , exposing to tentation and snare of sathan . and no maruaile . because as this argues 〈◊〉 of vnbeliefe , which hath renounced confidence in god , and so being iustly forsaken of god , is thereby left to the malice of satan . so these endlesse desires exclude and chase all ▪ good motions of the spirit ; yea , all law of common equitie , and so the rather expose to satans allurements : yea , where such desire hath taken hold , it exposeth greedily to any desperate wickednesse , for the accomplishment thereof , whereby the conscience becomes obdurate and senslesse , not onely of euill , but also the danger thereof : and so is the rather suppressed by the enemie ; yea , which is the worst of all ▪ this thirst of earthly things puffeth vp , and bewitcheth the minde with a false conceit of happinesse , and excellencie . as if this were the onely happinesse to engrosse and compasse all , that we may liue alone vpon the earth ; that none may share with vs ; none may controule vs : and so thereby layeth it most desperately open to satans market , as making the delusion effectuall , and so smiting the hand , for the confirmation of the bargaine . if happinesse consist in enioying the world , then what need we feare to venture the soule ; vnlesse we enuie our owne happinesse ? thus did satan fetcht ouer our first parents , abusing first their iudgements with a conceit of happinesse , in which ( indeed ) was their baine : suggesting , that if they did eate of the forbidden tree , they should be so farre from death , as that they should bee as gods ; knowing good and euill : and so by this slight easily brought them to his lure . lastly , if we consider what followes thereupon : namely , that though worldlings conceit of happinesse in these earthly things , yet they are confounded in their hopes , and fall short of their compasse ; though they desire all , yet many times they attaine not any such measure , as may satisfie their desires . how can this choose but breed despaire , and fearefull confusion ? and is not this now satans time to make prey of the soule ? now curse god and die , because we cannot haue our will. i cannot be worse ( saith the desperate soule ) and therefore the foole rageth and is carelesse ; nay , satan is not so ready to make prey of the soule , as he is to hasten the worke : achitophel now hath no helpe , but to hang himselfe ; i cannot endure this disgrace , my credite is gone , and therefore i am weary of my life ; and heere-upon i will be couragious , to let it out my selfe . behold the issue of worldly desires , they first puffe vp with pride , and then sinke in despaire , and so expose to sathans butchery . who so is wise let him vnderstand these things , and to whom the arme of the lord shall reueale them , let him cleare and iustifie the lord , seeing his condemnation is of himselfe . if wretched man doth make the wedge of gold his hope , and sets light by his soule for the obtaining of this trash , renouncing the happines of the life to come , for the enioying of this present ; is he not then the executioner of gods righteous iudgement vpon him ; doth he not subscribe to his owne condemnation ? the waies of god are equall and righteous altogether , but our wicked waies and desires do iustlie light vpon our owne pates , and our owne wisdome is our confusion . take notice therefore in the feare of god , of this euill sicknes reigning in thee naturally : & be thou wise to discerne the power and growth thereof , that so thou maiest preuent the malice of sathan . the regenerate themselues haue not beene without some spice of this disease : the apostles dreame of an earthly kingdome , and peter would faine haue tabernacles built on earth , to enioy some constant happines heere . the saints haue sretted at the prosperity of the wicked , because they haue conceited it belonged vnto them , and who should rather haue it then they , who can best tell how to vse it ? and yet all this but tentation , arising either from ignorance of better things , or ouer-prising these present . blessed be god , the saints haue acknowledged their folly heerein , and iustified the prouidence of god disposing at his pleasure these earthly things . and therefore if any such desire ouertake thee , conceiue it to bee a tentation against the power and wisdome and prouidence of god ; and thy future good : and so enter into the sanctuary of the lord ; for resolution herein pray with holy dauid ? incline my heart vnto thy testimonies , and not vnto couetousnes . that these desires may not preuaile , keepe thy selfe wisely within the bounds of gods prouidence , vsing onely lawfull meanes for the compassing of thy designes ; so shalt not thou be exposed to sathans malice . consider the shortnes of thy life , and what will serue necessitie ; and so shalt thou cut thy coate according to thy cloath , seeing thou knowest not what the morrow will bring , that care is taken . and lastly , be wise to turne the streame another way ; set thy affections on things aboue , and labour for that gaine which hath sufficiency for it vnseparable companion ; seeke to bee rich in grace , & to aboūd in euery good worke : so shall thy bloudy issue be stanched , thy thirst satisfied of earthly things ; now thou hast drunke of that fountain , thou shalt neuer thirst againe , at least thou shalt so thirst , as that thou shalt be satisfied , math. . . to conclude this point : seeing we cannot be without these things , and it pleaseth god oftentimes to cast them vpon vs ; here be thou wise to put thy knife to thy throat , to set boūds to thy desires & affections to outward things . as first , if riches encrease , set not thy heart vpon them , psal. . . and that thou mayest not be bewitched by them ; consider that they are common blessings ; which the wicked for the most are partakers of in greater measure : and therefore in these thou mayest be no otherwise happie , then that the vilest may exceed thee heerein . remember their condition , that they are slipperie and mutable , and therefore no fit matter to place thy eternall happinesse on : if they will not auaile thee in the day of wrath , pro. . . much lesse will they secure thee of constant happinesse . they are burthens at the best , and 〈◊〉 res if thou close with them ; and therefore when thou hast most thou cariest thy clogge with thee , & if thou watchest not warily , they will proue snares to entangle thee . they are onely good to these that are sanctified , and therefore labour first for the meate that shall endure for euer ; and be carefull to sanctifie them dayly vnto thee by the word , & praier , tim. . . that so the blessing of thy god may make them vsefull vnto thee . and seeing at the best they are but burdens vnto thee , and thou but a steward of them ; ease thy selfe wisely of this but then , by a bountifull communicating vnto others ; especially to the household of faith : & prepare thy soule to a dayly reckoning , either by some change in this life , or the day of refreshing , when thou must giue vp a finall account . thus shalt thou so enioy these things as not onely to preuent the snares of satan , but to lay vp a good foundation thereby against the day of christ. . tim . . if the lord hath yet kept thee short of that portion which he hath giuen wisely to others : that thou maiest herein also be maister of thy desires , learne first : to submit thy will to the will of the lord , who may do with his owne what he will. is thine eye euill because his is good ? consider that the least thou hast is more then thou deserue●●nd say with holy iacob , oh lord , i am not worthy of the least of thy mercies ; and this shall prouoke to thankefulnes for what thou hast , and teach thee to waite vpon thy god in the blessing thereof . remember that thou broughtest nothing into the world , and shalt leaue all with the world , and therefore hauing food and raiment , therewith be thou content . tim. . . . consider the wisedome and goodnes of thy god , that now thou maiest go lighter to heauen , and hast a lesse account to make in the great day : and therein blesse god for thy little , because a small thing that the righteous hath is better then great riches of the vngodly . psa. . . and if yet thy desires may be enlarged for more , yet bound them still with subiection to thy god : set not the stock vpon it , as if either thou must haue so much , or else thou canst not waite on thy god in perswasiō of his loue : but desire with condition , as it shall turne to thy good ; and so what is best shal be suplied vnto thee ; either thou shalt haue more , or that which thou hast shall giue contentment . and heere it shall much auaile to order thy desires , if in steed of enlarging the same , thou rather restrainest them : as well to be abased and emptied of what thou hast , as to abound in seeking more ; oh , how shalt thou thus maister thy greedy desires ? how maiest thou prepare thy selfe to euerlasting fulnes ? lastly , let thy rest be still vpon the prouidence of thy god , who feedeth the rauens and clotheth the lillies , though they neither spinne nor labour therefore . and shal not he much more increase thy oile in the cruse , the meale in the barrell ? if thou canst be faithfull a little , shalt thou not see greater things thē these ? thus maiest thou captiuate thy carnall affections , especially if with thy small measure of outward things , thou shalt compare thy portion of grace ; which if it be lesse , thou hast more neede to raise thy affections higher : if it bee more : why art thou troubled for this outward want ? this grace shal be sufficient , and so sathan shal be excluded . but alas , he will not be shut out so : his triumphs are too apparent , his delusions too forcible : how many are content for these things to trade with him to the losse of their soules ? how ordinarily do men transgresse for morsels of bread ? how willingly is the soule made a prey for the gaining of earthly things ? behold the bargaine , and tremble at it ; blesse thy god that thou hast not beene ouerraught ? and lamēt the misery of thy bretheren that are daily thus deceiued . how commonly do men prostitute their soules for the loue of the world ? shall wee discouer the delusions which preuaile hereunto ? they liue by sense , and not by faith , and see no better , and cannot see a farre off , . peter . . and therefore no maruaile if they dote vpon the present : and so not long able to liue by faith in the speciall prouidence of god , and hope of better things , no maruaile if they make a contradiction betweene these things which are indeede onely subordinate , concluding that they must liue ; and therefore they must deceiue , breake saboth , what not ? as if conscience to god , and care of this life , were contradictions ; we could not thriue and liue in the world ; and thriue to heauen also ▪ whereas indeede if we could trust god , & waite vpon him , we might finde that godlines hath the promise of this life as well as of that which is to come . indeed if we could trust in god , & waite vpon him , in well doing , we should verily be saued : we shold want nothing that is good . as worldlings want faith , so they want patience : and therefore seeing they cannot tary the lords leasure for the blessing of their labours , therefore they will take what is at hand , whatsoeuer it cost them : what is this birth-right vnto them , seeing they dye for hunger ? tell me not of my soule , i must not sterue , and be discredited ; i must be receiued when i am put out of my stewardship , and therefore i see no way but to deceiue and so to prouide for my selfe . thus want of patience breeds resolued wickednesse , and this exposeth the soule as a prey vnto satan . adde we hereunto that fearefull condition whereunto worldlings are subiect : that whereas they account their conscience as their greatest enemy , and their credit and estimation as their chiefe friend , nay as the onely idoll whom they worship : therefore seeing their thriuing in the world is that which may both maintain their credit , on the one side , and also either lull the conscience asleep , or flatter it on the other side : if prosper in the world , either they haue no sence of dāger ; or els all is well , because they prosper . ephraim saith , i am rich & encreased in substance , and therefore they shall find no iniquity in me , that were wickednes ; either i am senceles of euill , because my heart is fatted vp with prosperty , or if i am priuie of my selfe of any , yet god is at peace with me : i haue more then my heart can desire . is it any maruaile if now hands be strucken , the bargain is made vp ; either i haue no leasure to thinke on my soule , because the world comes so fast vpon me ; or my soule is safe enough , seeing i haue my desire : or , which is common with worldlings to wish in this case , so i may enioy this happines , let them take heauen who list , i haue my portion already , and therfore i looke for no other . the iustice of god is admirable herein , who giuing the wicked now their hearts desire ; nay , more indeed then they would desire : doth not this encrease the delusion by lulling them in securitie , and flattering them in a vaine conceit , of present happinesse , that they may willingly renounce the happinesse of the life to come ? that so they may not repent of their bargaine , but euen sticke vnto it , and so harden their necks against all contrary blasts . lastly , the policie of satan is herein also notorious , that though there should be some hucking at the bargaine , by reason of some crosses which may befall them in the world ; or some reckonings of conscience within , to confound the sin : yet herein also are they supplyed with meanes to make them sticke to their bargaine . either they haue beene too scrupulous in their dealings with men ; which may arise from the light of common equitie and selfe loue , because they expect like dealing themselues : and therefore now they must mend the matter , by letting loose the conscience to greater euils of oppression , and such like grosse wickednesse ; that so they may quiet the conscience , by deading the sence : or else , they haue beene crossed in the world , to see whether they will be daunted with a little , to try their homage thereto ; or because they haue not been carefull enough : and therefore now they must redouble their cares , and more intend the mayne ; they must now be more industrious to recouer their losses , more abiect and slauish to make vp their mouthes ▪ oh , how common are these courses with worldlings ! how fearefully heereby doe they enthrall themselues to destruction ? to conclude this point , that god may bee iustified , and satan excusable in comparison of our selues , that our destruction may appeare principally to be contriued by our selues : may we not obserue in worldly men , as an vnsatiable desire in these things , excluding all heauenly obiects , and so drawing on satan to chaffer with them , so many such desperate fetches , both in the compassing of these things , as also in the enioying of them , which doe necessarily auouch the making vp of this bargain . consider , i pray you with me , their ground , and meanes in compassing these things ; obserue now wisely their ende , in labouring for the same . touching their ground ; is it not plaine idolizing and deifying of these things , by putting their confidence in them , as if these were the god that they onely must adore ; as if happinesse , did onely consist in these ? iob . and doth not hence follow another fearefull ground ; that as these are counted the true happinesse , so they are able to make them perfectly happie , that enioy them : and therefore he that enioyes them most , hath most happinesse ; and so as god , may rule and doe what he list . and what neede he then take care for any other happines ? what need he feare whatsoeuer bug-beares of heauen or hell , that simple men are feared withall ? let vs eat and drink , for to morrow wee shall die , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . giue me the present , take the future who list . such are the grounds to compasse these things , and are not the meanes suteable ? yea surely . how can we expect grapes of thornes , or figges of thistles ? as these are perswaded , so they practise . no god in comparison of these , & therfore no god to the compassings of them . the cōscience is too nice a rule to guide thē herein . the word too precise , and enuious against their happines . and yet that they may haue some colour to deceiue , and be deceiued , heere the law of man , nay the abuse rather of the law , and custome of the time , comes in to be their warrant . thus it hath passed , and therefore it is currant . nay , is not the present euent vsually a warrant herein ? it hath sorted well ; and therefore it is well : what should i say ? a deceiued heart hath seduced them , and a deceitfull world hath bewitched them ; they must not be like no body , they shall lose their custome , if they will not buy and sell on the sabboth ; they shall be deceiued , if they studie not to deceiue : conscience goes a begging , and craft is the way to thriue ; if man see not , god will forgiue : and that man may not see , we will haue darke lights , and false waights ; the epha shall be made great , and the shekle small ; we will be at a word when we deale with professors , that we may deceiue the sooner . and we will haue three wordes to the bargaine , rating our wares at treble the value ; that we may fetch off the ideot , if not at the first , yet at the second or third rebound . is not euery trade a mysterie forsooth ? and is not this mysterie abused commonly to deceiue , and be deceiued ? my skill faileth me to diue into this mysterie ; onely i desire , that into their secrets my soule may not enter ; my glorie may not be ioyned with their assemblies . let this suffice , happy man that so toucheth pitch , as not to be defiled with it ; that so seeketh these things , as that he hazardeth not his precious soule . too manifest it is , that the most take this libertie , and which is most fearefull , they sinne euen by licence . the vsurer hath his warrant , the deuils factor ( i meane ) the stage-player , his colour to owne him to his maister . the best calling not without it snare to enthrall the soule . this shall appeare the better , if we now consider the ende of compassing these things : which what is it vsually else , but either that we may liue vncontrouled , that the soule may take it ease , and eternize it name ouer the earth , that it may out-face and dare heauen , that it may fat vp it selfe to the day of slaughter ? where church maintenance for our faithfull labour , must discharge the same , as if it were onely a-preferment of learning , and not an encouragement to painefulnesse ; where simon magus must enter in , and poore simon peter liue vpon almes ; where diotrephes that loues the preeminence must engrosse all , and gallio cares not for these things : whose god is their belly , there end must needes be damnation ; who thus sow to the flesh , shalll they not of the flesh reape corruption ? thus the ende of worldlings in heaping vp riches , discouers their deceit , and so their desperate case . and can we looke for a better haruest of such fearfull seedings ? consider we a little , how they vse these things : are they not vsually in extreames and so bode extremity ? either the loue of these so besotte them , that for feare of parting with them , they cannot affoord themselues any comfortable part thereof : it more comforts them to behold them , that they may haue the credite and possession thereof , then to take their part of them cheerefully for their maintenance : who so poore in this case , as they that are vsually most rich ? who lesse enioy that they haue , then they that haue most ? so righteous is god to make them purueyers for others , they shall hoord vp siluer as the dust , but the righteous shall diuide it : so shall the rust of what they haue hoorded vp , bee a witnesse against them , and consume them with fire : so shall the cry of the poore whom they haue oppressed in scraping , and defrauded in detaining from them , pull downe vengeance vpon their heads and hasten their owne comfort , in their iust confusion . doe they not in distrust of gods prouidence , vsually make idols of these things , and so are giuen vp to make idols of themselues ? hauing mouthes and yet dare not taste , hauing bellies , and yet pine themselues ? as they vse their goods as babies , onely to gaze and play withall ; so they make babies and sots of themselues , fit onely to be gazed at , and scorned of the world . loe , this is the man that boasted of his riches , and put his confidence in the multitude of his treasures . thus they which haue oppressed others in gathering goods , are iustly left to oppresse and defraude themselues of the lawfull vse of them , feeding themselues chiefly with the winde of credite , and vaine estimation , and so they iustly reape the whirle-winde of gods righteous vengeance . and thus are many caried with this extreame ; others that thinke to hit it , by taking their portion , yet doe they not as fooles fall into the other extreame , by prodigalitie and excesse ? witnesse their fat paunches , and leane soules ; their whorish attire , and barren possessions , where a paire of slippers shall deuoure a whole lordship ; and a cast at dice , cast the master out of all hee hath ; when the harlot shall bring another to a morsell of bread , when the contentious spirite of some , shall make them foote-stooles to set the lawyer aloft : and the idle braine of many shall make my gentleman a begger ; when the broker shall fleece him , and the vsurer flea my yong master , for his filthinesse and gaudery : who will not say that this wealth was disposed for the owners destruction ? that plenty hath brought forth vanitie , and the daughter hath deuoured the mother ? thus by the gathering and abusing of these earthly things , it is more manifest that worldlings engage their soules for them , and so following and honouring satan , herein doe bewray themselues to be his , to whom they doe homage . oh , that we were wise to try our selues hereby . is it not now a ruled case among worldlings , that there is no hell but to be in debt ? that it is madnesse to thinke that there is any such couenant with satan ? haue not the worldly wise condemned the whole doctrine and practize of witch-craft , which is by compact with satan , because they would be sure of their couenants with him ? and is not the ground thereof , that roote of atheisme , that they account of no god but mammon , no heauen but worldly happinesse ? tell a worldling that he is ruled by the god of this world , that his loue of money argues him to bee his slaue , and he will boldly reply ; that he defies the diuel , he hopes to blesse himselfe frō him as well as the best . and yet his way vtters his folly and desperate estate ; he hath made the wedge of gold his hope : and therefore his hope and foundation is built vpon the sandes , his wisedome is worldly , and therefore sensuall , and so consequētly diuellish . deceiue not therfore thy selfe in the feare of god ; thou mayest be receiued into an outward couenant with god , & yet make a secret compact with satan , for the vn doing of thy soule . oh , how many demi-asses may bee found among vs , that howsoeuer they haue giuen their names vnto christ , yet they haue giuen their hearts to the diuell ; and all by embracing this present world . shall we for our better informing take a view of some of them ? doth cain build cities , & seeke to nestle himselfe surely on the earth , to auoid the storme of heauen ? this plainely doth auouch his reiection from god. if balaam for promotion , will bring god to his wicked bent : doth he not loue the wages of iniquitie , and expose his soule to the rage of sathan ? if saul to cloake his sinne , will be hindered of the people , shall he not be reiected of god , and hasten his own confusion ? doth iudas sell his maister for the wages of vnrighteousnesse , and doth he not set his soule to sale to the deuill ? as by these , and the like examples of diotrephes , hymenius , alexander , &c , wee may take some scantling of our estates , whether wee haue made this bargaine , or no : so yet to make a more particular search hereof , let vs examine our hearts by these rules ; do we first seeke the world , and not the kingdom of heauen ? will wee make sure of thriuing first , before wee labour for knowledge , and the feare of god ? and if it come to the iumpe , that either we must straine our conscience , or lose our profit ; because we cannot bee contented with a meane , wee cannot waite vpon the blessing of god in the way hee hath commanded , wee will venture a ioynt whatsoeuer come of it . is the sabboth no barre to hinder our vnsatiable desires , but either we wish it were gone , that wee may returne to our vomit , or we cannot stay so long but euen on the lords day we will serue our lusts in buying and selling , in tossing and tumbling vp and downe , making that day of rest restlesse , by our worldly thoughts and carnall pursuites , by our prophane pleasures and pretended liberty ? haue we begun in the spirit , and haue quickly enough thereof ? and so we can easily limite our selues in heauenly things , we haue knowledge enough ; nay , we may be too zealous , too holy , more precise then wise , too much learning may make vs madde , or fooles : to leaue a bird in hand for that in the bush , that so we may enlarge our desires with hell , and stil cry with the daughters of the horseleech , giue , giue . and haue we no leasure for religion , our thrift comes in so fast , al time is too little , either to husband wel that we haue , or to better our estate ? lastly , for the better iustifying of our selus in our temporising and hypocrisie : do we now labour to stint others to our measure , both by traducing such as are before vs in grace , as vnreasonable and madde fellowes , that know no compasse , as by alluring them with our glorious shewes , to curse where they will blesse , to call light darknes , and darknes light ? surely these are more then probable coniectures , that our soules are engaged to the world , that our heauen is on earth , and our happines in hell . in a word , where credit is the guide and bridle of conscience , and profit the touchstone and square of religion ; where conscience is the broker to colour deceite , and religion the factor and handmaide for profit ; where ciuill honestie goes currant for substantiall righteousnes , and bodily seruice is a sufficient couering for secret wickednes ; where the fruite of the body must satisfie for the sinne of the soule , and the mercy of god must be the cloake to cruelty against our selues and others ; will the lord be mercifull to presumptuous sinners , can there be hope of mercy without the bonds thereof , seeing there is mercy onely with him that he may be feared ? and is there any feare of god , where prophanesse is iustified , & that by abusing and peruerting the straight waies of god ? and can these be but abused where credit is made the head , and conscience the tayle ? can the conscience be free where profit limits religion , and ciuility is the iudge thereof ? and can wee admit of any iudge then ciuill honestie ? must we not make the best of what we haue , seeing wee will haue no better ? this serues the turne for the present , and what neede we any more ? and is not now bodily seruice made an idoll , and will worship set in the seate of the scorners ? we despise all others that make conscience of their waies , they are but a base and beggerly multitude , that know not the law ; if they cannot liue by their religion , they haue a bad master . and therefore welfare worldly wisdome , that hath two strings to it bow ; if god will not helpe , yet wel fare mammon to helpe at a pinch . and seeing mammon serues our present turne , what more profit shall we haue in the seruice of god ? nay , may not our precisenesse hinder our profit ? and therefore religion must be cast off as an enemy to our owne profit , or else submitted to the compasse thereof . behold the power of delusion preuailing with worldlings , and let vs wisely trie our selues hereby . to conclude this point : seeing this bargaine is a mysterie rather performed in deedes then in words , not without it glorious pretences to ensnare vs more easily , & accompanied with dangerous sophistrie , whereby we hope to come out thereof : learne we then in the feare of god , first what these vizers and pretences are , and how we may disclaime them . the vizers vnder which this fearefull bargaine is concealed ; are first , that the blessing of god maketh rich ; to thriue and encrease in the world is the gift of god , and recompence of our labours , and therefore who would not labour for aboundance , seeing the lord giues time thereto what neede we feare danger in that which is a blessing ? which though it bee true to those that be sanctified , yet neither any childe of god must looke for this blessing , because it seemeth good to our god to giue some more , that they may be stewards for others , so also to giue some lesse , that there may be a maintenance of the holy fellowship , by this mutuall communication of each others gifts ? and so this diuersitie of outward gifts , that the rich may ease the poore of their burthen of want by communicating of their store vnto them , and the poore may also ease the rich of their burthen of riches , and further their reckoning against the day of the lord by their thankfulnes and prayers , thus the rich and the poore meete together ; the lord is the maker of them both . and the lord may haue the onely glory of his wise prouidence , though in giuing to each as pleaseth him , yea in satisfying each in this different measure here with thankfulnes and contentment . and so either of them may be prouoked to hunger after durable riches , the rich in that they are but tennants at will , and stewards for others , and therefore must giue vp their account : and the poor also hereby prouoked to hunger after heauenly treasures , in that they are wisely stinted & dieted of the present . and therefore as neither the saints must reckon of these blessings , so neither must they measure the worth of their labours hereby , as if they did not serue god aright if they were not recompenced with aboundance ; because as our seruice of god deserueth not the least , so to serue god for these things , is to serue our selues aboue him : and so though we haue our reward heere , yet we may misse of it in a better life . and therefore that iob may not be iustly challenged to serue god for these things , they shal be taken from him , that his secret corruption may be purged out , & sincerity approued . and on the contrary , many an hypocrite and earthworme shal haue his portion in this life , & be glutted in these things more then his heart can desire , that so he may be iustly deceiued , in what he desires to be flattered , namely , an opinion of goodnes ; and may also deceiue others hereby , that measure righteousnes by outward prosperitie ; & yet most fearefully also deceiue himselfe , not onely in finding no contentment in this his supposed happines , but on the contrary , being giuen vp by one delusion to another . that as he accounts it a seale of his vprightnes to be crowned with aboundance , so he shal esteeme this his happines ; either on the one side , to abuse these things by putting them to no vse but vsury , and so defrauding himselfe and others of the comfort of them ; or else on the other side , imagining this his happines to crowne his head with roses , & fare deliciously euery day , he shall be giuen vp to the abuse of these things by riot and excesse : not onely to the iust shame and confusion of all his ciuill honestie , and conceited goodnes ; but to the iust ouerthrow of his conceited happines in them ; as by his ryot and superfluity , bringing himselfe ofttimes to a morsell of bread , and yet cannot haue so much as the huskes which the swine fed on , to satisfie his necessitie ; and so hereby plunging himselfe into fearefull shifts , and wofull despaire . behold here the power of his delusion . and conclude we iustly hence , that the aboundance of outward things , as they are but common blessings , so they are often giuen to the wicked as curses , to hasten their destruction . and they are often denyed to the godly in mercy , to try their sincerity , their faith , and patience ; and also to prouoke their appetite to more heauenly treasures . so that , it is not the hauing of aboundance , but the right vse thereof , which is the blessing of god , . tim. . , . whereby wee shall lay vp a good foundation against the life to come . and therefore it is but a delusion to imagine that the more we haue , the more we are blessed , as being the colour whereby satan drawes vs on to this bargaine ; laying hereupon this false ground in our hearts , that wee must abound in these things , or else we cannot be blessed . and so vpon this sandy foundation , raysing vp this towre of babell by diuers stones : as first , to take vp our hearts especially , to the compassing hereof , and so to preuent them of the true riches : next to plunge vs into any base and carnal courses for the enioying of the same , and so harden the conscience in sinne . and lastly , to exclude repentance euer , by the enioying hereof ; as if this were our happinesse , to be secure of our estates : and why may we not be secure , seeing we sit as a queene , and shall see no euill ? we say in our prosperitie , we shall neuer bee remooued ; we haue feathered our neasts on high , and our habitations shall continue for euer . and so securitie makes way to sudden destruction ; thou foole , this night shall they fetch away thy soule : euen when thon sayest vnto thy soule ; take thine ease , thou hast goods laid vp for many years . learne we hence therefore in the feare of god , to discerne this dāgerous colour , & so be we wise to preuent the same , as heretofore hath beene directed . the second colour wherby satan draws vs on to this desperate bargaine , is the pretence of our callings : some wherof are such , as cannot be managed without aboundance ; and herein the delusion is more forcible , for the enthralling of the soule ; both in that aboundance , beeing an inseparable companion to greatnes , doth hereby puffe vp the heart , and so exalts it against the lord , as if this great babel were attained by our own wit and industrie , but vsually that we come to that fulnes without our owne labour and endeauours . hereupon we grow carelesse in the vse of what wee came so lightly by , and either vpon vaine pretence of munificence , we lauish out on such as wee purpose to honour , that so we may be as gods ; in bestowing where we will : or , we supply prodigalitie , by oppression of others ; and so affect a kinde of deitie , in taking from whom we list ; and so on either side , doe willingly endanger our precious soules , either by putting confidence in that which daily we confound in our abuse ; or els by abusing the trust that is committed vnto vs , as beeing but stewards for others , and seruants to the common good . behold here then the delusion in high callings ; and learne we thus in the feare of god , to auoid the snare thereof . consider we that high callings , though they require necessarie supply of aboundance , yet it is not so much for their owne , as the publique good : so to keepe their owne estate therewith , as that withall they remember , that they are subordinate to the highest ; who as he gaue them these things , so hee will require an account of thē . and secondly , that they are also herein but seruants to the publique ; so to carie their state , as the common-wealth may thereby flourish . and therefore they must euer bare of their fulnesse , to comfort the emptie soules : as good nehemias did not take their set allowance of the gouernour , for the reliefe of the distressed . and in this most absolute libertie , they must be confined within the boundes of best deseruing . for the casting of courtesies vpon a person , that is otherwise meritorious , is as seede that is cast into good ground : which commonly yeelds returne with much comfort ; so that our , care and paines is so farre from being cast away , as that wee reioyce therein . especially , be they carefull to honour god with their fulnesse , in emptying of themselues , for the good of the church and common benefit ; that so they may giue vp their account with ioy . this concerning high callings . as for the other ordinary , and inferiour condition , though each through pride and discontent be ayming at the highest ; yet let him here obserue the rules before set downe ; and so shall he auoid the snare which lyes therein . and thus of the second colour , drawing on to this bargaine . a third colour there yet remaines hereto ; namely , the conceit of doing the most good : which seeing we then can lest do , when we haue most ; therefore each desireth aboundance , vpon pretence hereof : and so , either vpon pretence of doing good , swalloweth vp many euils in the gayning of these things , and so committeth euill that good may come thereof , whose damnation is iust ; or else , which is worse , and yet a common case , though he hath got much wickedly , yet by doing of good therewith , he hopeth to make amends ; and so is iustly met withall by diuine vengeance : either he is taken away in his euill getting , and so depriued of his hope of doing good , or making amends thereby ; or else , if he bee spared to try his charitie , is it vsually any other , then either to giue somewhat at his death , when he can keepe his mammon no longer ? and so it is not thankes-worthy ; or if any come from him while he liues , what is it else , but either to grease a fat sow , and cast water into the sea ? or else , he parts with a godgin to catch a pike , his table is a snare , and his wealth a nette to make him friends therewith , or bridle his enemies : either he must haue a trumpet to bring him in present reward , and depriue him of the future ; or hee giues with one hand , and kils with the other ; the body must be relieued to enthrall the soule , or the soule is neglected ; so the poore carkesse may be refreshed , and that rather sparingly to kill it often with a lingring consumption ; or glutted once a yeere , to fat it vp to the slaughter . behold the ordinary charitie of worldlings , and iudge whether they proue good to themselues or others . learne we therefore in the name of god ; thus to preuent this delusion . as first , by considering , that as the holy god hath appointed lawfull meanes for the obtaining of his owne blessings , so that we may not doe euill that good may come thereof ; so he requireth no more of vs , then accordingly as he giueth : the widows mite is accepted , when we haue no more ; and the pound of the vaine glorious is reiected , where lesse will serue the turne . neither the fruite of the body will procure any satisfaction for the sinne of the soule , but to do righteously and walke with god , this is acceptable with him . no other sacrifice of distributing to others , is so pleasing vnto god , but what is especially to the houshold of faith ; what may further our owne and others saluation . aboue all know we that god loueth a cheerefull giuer : and therefore while we liue , and haue time , let vs be doing of good , lest to morrow bee too late ; and let vs send our goods before vs to make vs friends of them , not leaue them behinde vs , lest wee lose the comfort of them : and whatsoeuer we doe , let vs ayme at the glory of god , and doe it for his sake , who thought not his life to be deare for vs : that so casting our bread vpon the waters we may finde it againe . and thus of these delusions , which draw men to this bargaine . there followeth another sorte of deceits , which giues vs hope that though we haue ventured on the bargaine , yet we may be free againe ; of which we shall haue fitter occasion to speake in the last place . and so we come to the last place of obseruation ; namely the iudgement of the bargaine , which if our sauour may be iudge , will profit vs nothing ; for so his words imply : what shall it profit a man ? that is as much to say , he shall profit nothing thereby . it is a very hard match to hazard the soule , though it were for the gaining of the whole world . the reasons hereof lie couched in the words themselues , which do imply two things . first , a comparison of the price with the thing bought ; the price is amplified , first by the matter thereof , which is the soule . secondly , by the appropriation , it is our owne , as being our best part , yea indeed al in al ; that which is the life of our life , that which must continue for euer with vs , when these things perish with the body ; that which eternally shall rue this bargain , when we haue no other benefit thereof . out of which two circumstances , the holy ghost doth inferre the iniquitie of the bargaine : as that first the immortall and diuine soule being made a price for these fading and earthly things , this argueth that we haue paied more for them then they are worth ; and so withall haue made a bad market . secondly , that when as in other bargaines though we haue lost at one time , yet we may helpe our selues in another , yet this losse is irrecouerable , because our soules once thus lost can neuer be recouered againe ; if sathan haue once got hold on vs by this bond , we are like neuer to get out againe : because it is a bargain made willingly , and with great aduice and wisdome : abusing religion and conscience to the driuing thereof , and reiecting all sence of religion and common honestie for the enioying thereof : what sacrifice now is left for sinne , to such that haue thus made a mock of the sonne of god , and esteemed basely of his bloud , in comparison of the world . and therefore let no man deceiue himselfe with vaine conceits , as if hell would be satisfied , or god mocked . doth he thinke to winde out of the bargaine by deceiuing the deuill with this tricke , that his soule was not his owne , and therefore he could not sell that which was none of his ? the holy ghost here contradicts him : it is his own soule . indeede it is not his owne to saue the same , he must be bought with a price , and so is not his owne ; but yet with this condition , that not as his owne , he may glorifie god therewith in body and spirit . to destroy and vndoe the same , so it is his owne , he hath this by inheritance , to be his owne destruction ; our destruction is of our selues , & that it may appeare so , what god hath decreed , we willingly execute in our conuersing with the world : we will haue presēt payment whatsoeuer it cost vs , & so that we may enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season ; we haue no respect to that great recompense of the reward . heb. . . oh but we hope to vndoe the bargaine by doing of good herewith . so indeede we may do good to others hereby , and haply to our selues for a season . but yet withall more confirme the bargain , in that our doing good to our selues , doth but harden the heart the more in sinne , and lull it in securitie , to expose it thereby to suddaine vengance : and our well doing to others may bee the vndoing of their soules : or though they fare the better euery way hereby , yet this doth not hinder , but that we may still fare the worse : as enioying more at their thriuing vnder vs , or boasting & contenting our selues with others thriuing , as hoping to make them our trumpes , or sponges in time of neede : howsoeuer , for good to other we may looke for indulgence , yet in the meane time we are cruell to our own soules ; and so for this cruelty shal be condemned and iudged of our selues . oh but thou wilt say , though none of these things will serue the turne , yet i may repent of the bargaine , and so it may be broken . so did iudas of betraying his maister , and yet he foūd no mercy : so esau wept bitterly , and yet hee foūd no place of repentance . deceiue not thy selfe , god will not be mercifull to presumptuous sinners . it is impossible that if we thus sin willingly in the pride of our wisdome , that we shall finde mercy though we seeke the same . and alas , how doe we seeke for mercy in this case , but for feare of vengance ? and what remaines there vnto vs but a fearefull expectation thereof ? is it with purpose to be ridde of our sinnes , or rather for hope we may returne to our vomit againe ? or rather doe we not dreame of mercy , and yet when we are awake we are an hungry ? hanging in hel oftētimes without pardon about our neckes , because we haue not pleaded it in the acceptable time . oh take heede to trie such conclusions with thy soule ; it is thine owne , and these things are but lent thee ; & therefore take heed how thou part with an euerlasting inheritance , for a tēnant at wil. it is thine owne , and must euer fare wel or ill with thee : and therefore be wise not to part with it , for that which when thou hast most neede of , will part with thee , and returne thy price againe , as the iewes did vnto iudas , to beginne & encrease thine euerlasting torments . oh how gladly now would worldlings wish that they had parted with their soules , neuer to thinke of them againe ! but alas ; heerein they are miserably deceiued ; they part with the happines of their soules , which was none of theirs to giue , and all the good they gaine hereby , is , to haue their soules returned vpon them , and stick to them in their confusion , to the most desperate continuance thereof for euer . and yet in the meane time there were some miserable comfort vnto worldly men , if they could for the present enioy their bargaine . but marke i pray you how the holy ghost sets down heerein , the subtlety of sathan , and so discouers in the a place , the trechery of the bargain ; sathan will be sure of his part to fetch ouer their soules , though he neither can or would performe the bargaine vnto them . first i say , he makes sure worke with them : he binds them by their thoughts , they do dreame of no other heauen : sleeping and waking this is their compasse , to be rich , to liue in pleasure ; nay they cannot sleepe for this , they cannot wake but to this . . hee bindes them by their words , all their talke is of the world , and how to compasse the same : the saboath is no other wayes sanctified , but to conferre therof , either abroad as occasion serues , or at home in their closet . here they blesse their soules in what they haue , or may compasse : euery day too little to fetch in profit by lying or flattery , by detraction or wispering ; their very tongues are set on fire of hell , to owne them to their maister . especially , their way vttereth their foolishnesse , and slauerie to satan ; he is not so readie to offer , as they to execute : what by deceite in bargaining , and fraude in selling ; what by crueltie in oppressing , and cunning in vndermining ; what by engrossing to themselues , and encroaching vpon others . he is not wise , that hath not a tricke to deceiue the law , and so his owne soule . their purpose is well knowne to satan by their words and actions , and so hereby he surely bindes them to performance of the bargain . but now on the other side , doth hee performe with them ? nothing lesse . the holy ghost sets out his performance , which he cannot ; yet if , or though , supposing what may be , and so implying it cannot be . and indeed how can it be , that satan should performe with them ? alas , the earth is the lords , and the fulnesse thereof ; and he giues it to whom he please . but satan is the god of this world , and prince that ruleth in the ayre . true , but so onely reputed of the wicked , that adore no other thing ; so onely deputed vnder god , to deceiue and plague them therewith . he offereth to christ ; all these will i giue thee : alas , they were none of his to giue ; he cannot so much as take an haire of our head from vs , without the dispensation of the most high ; much lesse can he giue vs the least crumbe , but by leaue from god. and see herein also his notable treacherie , he offers these of gift freely , which are none of his to giue : and yet wee must exchange our soules for them , which are infinitely inualuable . thus is not satan able to giue vs these things , neither indeed are we capable of what hee so largely offers . what should wee doe with a whole world , whereof nothing is our due , and the least may serue the turne ? is it not at the least as sauls armour , too heauy a burthen for vs ? and when we haue the most thereof at the best , will it not prooue too heauie a reckoning without the blessing of god ? behold here then , the conclusion in the bargaine . neither can satan giue what he proffers , neither can we receiue the same : and indeed , neither would satan , if he could , performe with vs , to keepe our desires afoote , and so thereby our subiection to him , to any base courses for the attayning thereof . he enuies our present happinesse : and were he not bridled by the wise and mightie lord , so vnquencheable is his malice against the power and gouernment of our god ; that if there were no other reason but to disgrace the prouidence of god , he would daily breed combustions , and desolations among men . no man should enioy a day of present happinesse , he would be tormenting before his time , and make hell euen with the earth by contnuall butcheries and massacres . but he is wisely restrained by the lord , for the honour of his generall prouidence , and for the execution of his righteous iudgements against the wicked who serue him ; they shall not obtaine what they desire , to the iust confusion of their hellish homage , and yet to the hastening of their finall vengeance , by this disappointmēt of their hopes ; which either breed more griedinesse in sin to compasse the same , or els bring forth fearefull despaire , to thrust them violently vpon damnation : and all this , as righteously by the lord , vpon these that forsake him , so willing , by satan and themselues : who haue made faslhood their refuge , and are hid vnder vanitie , and so no maruaile if they reape what they haue sowen ; euen of the flesh corruption , and vtter confusion . obserue here wisely , the treacherie of the bargaine , and sit downe before hand , and cast vp thy peny-worths . is it no profit to aduenture thy soule for the world ? is the price too deare ? and yet thou shalt be deceiued too : if thou haue naama●s talents , thou must haue a leprosie also to the bargain : if thou hast thy desire , thou shalt haue 〈◊〉 in thy soule ; or though thou part with thy soule , yet shalt thou still be fed with the wind : either thou shalt not haue what is promised , or be better without it , so to be giuen vp to the abuse thereof , as thereby only to ripen thy sinne , and so hasten thy vengeance ; or els to part with it then , when thou most depends thereon . will satan play thus false with thee , and cheate thee in thy bargaine ? oh then , be wise in the feare of god , to preuent his treacherie . admire not these gallants that reauell in these things , neither enuie their happines that haue payed so deare for them , lest this doating admiration , dazle and corrupt the eye of thy iudgement , that so thou mayest wish to be like vnto them ; and enuie of their happines leaue thee to satans malice , to be ensnared in such wayes which haue set them aloft . looke into the sanctuary of thy god , to the ende of these men , that their present lustre may not bewitch thee : and be alwayes thinking of that life which is without end ; that so thy heart may bee satisfied with the hope thereof . build thy foundation by faith , vpon the rocke , that no stormes may split thee ; and let the load-starre of hope guide thee through the surges , that the billowes may carie thee ouer safely , to thy desired hauen : let patience sit at the helme , to keepe thee in a setled course , and so shall experience be thy steere-man , to stablish thee in present stormes . so experience shall giue contentment , whatsoeuer doth befall thee , and contentment shall prouoke thankfulnes , for what thou hast vndeseruedly . thankfulnesse shall prooue an holy venture , to returne thee with vsurie ; either with a greater measure of these things , as shall be fittest for thee , or with what shall be farre better : euen a supply of spirituall pouertie , to hunger after durable riches ; happy pouertie , that will make thee rich for euer , and blessed hunger that shall be thus satisfied . oh , that we were wise thus to deceiue satan ! what roome could there bee for him , if the heart were so employed ? what hope of preuailing , where the soule is thus armed ? oh , that we could be thus wise for our latter end ! if we could daily renewe our repentance , how should we preuent , or reiect satans assaults ? if we could be humbled dayly in the sence of our vnworthynesse , how should we be thankfull for the least ? how could wee enuie and fret at the prosperity of others ? we should now finde too much to doe at home , to haue any leasure to looke abroad ; or if we looke abroad wisely , it will returne vs home againe , either to examine our selues whether we are such , or else to be carefull and circumspect ouer our selues that we may not be such . what can we see abroad which may not more humble vs vnder the hand of god ? and shall not our abasing in the presence of god , be the meanes of our exalting and acceptance with him . and what need wee desire the wine and the corne , when our god is at peace with vs ? is not he our sufficient portion , and shall we not with him haue all things else ? oh , let vs then make still sure of him , by seeking all from him , by renouncing all for him , and vsing all to him ; resting in him onely , and not our selues , when we are at greatest worldly ease , and making him our refuge when we finde no rest elsewhere . how shall this tryall of our faith perfect the worke by patience , that we may be perfect and entire , wanting nothing , enioying all things , euen when we haue nothing , and being rich in content , though wee are base and contemned of the world ? happy contempt , to keepe vs from the loue thereof , and make vs long the more after heauen ; yea most happy abasing of man , that casts vs vpon our god , to haue experience of his fauour , and euerlasting compassions . let them make the wedge of golde their hope , that haue no repose in god ; and let their glory be their shame , whose belly is their god. let them take their fill of dalliance , till a dart be strucke through their liuer ; and let them be contented with the leprosie , that will needs run after the talents of deceit . miserable foole , that will be thus led to the stockes , and as an oxe to the shambles ; wretched gehezi that to receiue that which his maister refused , partakes of that plague which his maister cured . to conclude all , a bargaine you see is a bruing ; and our vnsatiable hearts driue the same . a match is made vp , and we see the danger of it : wee are deceiued therein , and yet cannot helpe our selues . let vs therefore bee wise to set bounds to our restlesse desires , and let vs turne the currant contrary , that so wee may wade safely and enioy our endeauours ; vnhappy they , that so desire , as that they can be sooner wearied , then satisfied with their labours . miserable men that seeke for happinesse in sinfull vanitie and changeablenesse , and can finde this their onely content to be restlesse in the pursuit of what they cannot compasse ; or what they compasse , increaseth their miserie : most desperate their estate that haue no hope but in this life , wherein ( notwithstanding ) they are iustly deceiued and confounded . oh then , happy they that haue the god of gods for their refuge , who sweetens vnto them all their bitter pilles , and hereby preuents surfaiting of worldly excesse : happy they that haue their affections set vpon heauenly things , which can neither be taken from them , though they are from them ; and so being from them doe encrease their spirituall appetite , that so they may neuer cease longing , till they be satisfyed with him . oh happy are they that can be contented with their estates ! because what the lord disposeth is best and fittest for them ; and yet by faith can still be restlesse after what is promised : that so god may fulfill the desires of them that feare him . yea they are happy , and euer more blessed are they that vse the world as strangers and as strangers are entertained thereof ; that so they may approue themselues to belong to another countrey , and may hasten to that countrie and citie which is aboue . this happinesse of the way , he which is the way grant vnto vs , euen for his trueth sake ; that so by him we may be conducted to the happinesse of our countrey . to whom with god the father , and the blessed spirit , three glorious persons and one god in vnitie , might and maiesty be ascribed of vs and all saints , as it is most due ; all glory , power , dominion , and thanksgiuing , with all feare and obedience , both now and for euer . amen . conclusion to the reader : resoluing certaine cases of conscience i●oident hereunto . thus hast thou gentle reader a briefe of such meditations , which by obseruatiō of worldly courses i haue conceiued , concerning the desperate estate of worldlings , endangering their soules for the gayning of worldly commodities . and for thy further satisfaction herein , that thou mayest preuent deceit in thy christian libertie , lest it be an occasion to the flesh ; and follow thy earthly plough so that the better plough still goe forward , i haue thought it necessarie to adioyne hereunto certaine cases of conscience , whereby thou mayest be resolued in such difficulties , and seeming contradictions as appeare betweene thy generall and ciuill calling ; that so thou mayest wisely subordinate the one vnto the other : and make thy ciuill calling , a furtherance to the perfection of thy generall . to this end , seeing , as the keeping of the sabboath is a speciall tryall and furtherance of synceritie in all other occasion ; so the maine quarrell of worldlings is against the same : either they would vtterly abolish the same that it may not be kept at all , or else they would delude and frustrate the power thereof vnder pretence of christian libertie . therefore the first quaere , shal be concerning the libertie which the sabboath allowes . what vse of our ciuill callings , and other accedents thereto , may bee allowed vpon the lords day . to which we answer briefly , that such liberty hereto is onely allowed herein , as the word and equitie therof doth confine vnto vs. namely . . that in case of necessitie for the preseruation of life , so that without present helpe it may be certainly endangered , wee may lawfully exercise our ciuill callings , but neither in the same manner as at other times , or to the same ends . first , i say , not in the same manner , that is ; not with the same intention of the minde , which on this day must be more abstracted from earthly affections , then another day : not so much our loue to the person , as our loue vnto god , must now beare sway in doing the thing with an entire respect to god commanding the same , that he may haue the glory of our simple obedience ; thē , that man may receiue benefit therby : which though i acknowledge is to guide vs at all times , yet specially the saboth requires this retired obediēce . and in our releeuing the person , though his body or state be in present danger , yet our principall ayme must be the reliefe of the soule by exhortation , reproof , &c. as occasion serues : and that without any respect of refreshing the minde or body by any such labour , which is lawfull at other times . thus is the different manner in regard of the minde ; and so also there must be a difference in the vse of the body : as so to exercise the body as specially to humble and abase it by the manner of our labour ; whereas at other times wee may more respect the ease thereof . and yet so farre onely to exercise it as not to tire & weary it , if vrgent occasion donot require , lest wearisomenesse require some such recreation thereof as is not meete . and if any vrgent occasion may bring wearisomenes , yet now insteed of such bodily recreation , the minde may be enlarged to heauenly meditations and thankesgiuing , thereby to refresh the wearied carcase . whence it followeth that all bodily recreations that do not further vs to diuine worship , are vnlawfull on the lords day : because they serue onely to refresh the body after labour ; which is restrained therefrō ; otherwise i say , thē they shal make vs fitter to serue god , when we haue any liberty to labour vpon case of necessity , though we may vse that liberty to wearisomnes , yet this is to be releeued specially with spirituall recreation . this inferreth that the vse of our ciuil callings on this day , is not as they are ciuill , but rather as they are abstracted from all ciuill respects . and this shall appeare the better , if we consider the different ends of imployment on this day from the other . our end on ordinary dayes , may be benefit to our selues , for the encrease of our outward meanes and maintenance in the world ; so may we not do on the lords day . here wee must labour freely without hire or see , our paines must be a free will offering without respect of recompence , to approue the sincerity of our obedience , wholy for gods sake , and not our owne . and that our labour must now be seuered from al respect or cōtentment of the body , but rather to the humiliation both of soule and body . the like must be resolued concerning such other workes as are allowed this day . as. . workes of charitie , which though they may now bee performed , ( as relieuing the poore , visiting the sicke and afflicted ) yet here they must be limited by the former circumstances , as after a diuers nature and to diuers endes then at other times . . now they are to be performed more liberally then at other times , in regard of the matter we giue ; because this day requires a restrayning of our selues herein , that we may be more enlarged to others ; both in that our lesse bodily labour hath need thereof ; and the greater labour of the mind , requires the lesse , lest it be hindred and dulled hereby . and yet in regard of the manner , they are to be performed more sparingly : lesse time bestowed thereon , lesse wearying of the body ; and all this that both bodie and soule may bee more free and ready in the worship of god. the like may be concluded of that other bodily worke allowed on the sabboath ; namely , the view of the creature : now the minde must be abstracted from all delight in them , as they serue for present vse , which may be allowed at other times ; and onely inflamed hereby to glorifie god , in the wonderfull varietie and vse to them , for the aduancement of his power and prouidence in their creation and gouernment , without any respect of right or vse of them to our selues . whence it followeth : . that all liberall vse of the creatures in prodigall feasting , &c , is now forbidden , but onely such as may serue necessitie , and bee agreeable vnto good reason . . generally no other bodily labour is now admitted , but what is confined within the former bounds of necessitie and charitie , and the like , together with such other circumstances of different manner and end , as before are laid downe . and thus of the first case and resolution thereof . a second case ariseth ; that seeing the lord hath set apart but one day for his seruice , and left vs sixe for our ciuill callings : whether it be not lawfull to spend more time in following the world , then seeking after heauen ? and so whether though our thoughts runne more vpon present occasions of this life , then vpon those of a better , we may not yet haue comfort that our estate is secure , our interest good in eternall happinesse . the resolution hereof consists , first , in the consideration of the right vse and intent of the sabboath , which is principally to confine and employ our thoughts wholie vpon heauenly things and such occasions , as that day are publikely offered to further the same , and that for two ends . one , that this heauenly employment of our thoughts on this day , and so of our words and actions sutable thereto , may be both a resemblance of our pure and perfect estate in heauen , when all our thoughts , words and actions shall be thus wholy exercised , and also on euidence of our right in that happinesse , and withall may prouoke vs to sigh and hasten to that perfect estate ; by how much our experience of fayling in these things on this day argues our shortnes and abertation from that perfection . and hereupon followes another vse and intent of the sabboath ; namely , that by restrayning and setting our thoughts now onely vpon heauen , he obiects wee may at all other times keepe them better in order , that though they may haue libertie on the other dayes to worldly occasions : yet by the former imployment of them on the sabboath , they may now be so bridled and seasoned with holy grounds and spirituall ends : as that we may so vse the world as if we vsed it not , our hearts may not bee set vpon the same , though we must conuerse therewith : but both lifted vp to god for the sanctifying of our businesse , and kept still euer with god in the prosecuting thereof , and so returne vnto god for the blessing of the same , and relie again vpon god in waiting on his prouidence , and meditating of the heauenly riches : making still these worldly occasions daily matter to humble vs hereby , in that we cannot be without what in some sort hinders our intire fellowship with god : to exercise our faith and patience ; in that our labour is nothing without the blessing of god : to try our synceritie , that we can spare time for heauenly occasions , and season our earthly affaires with spirituall meditations . and so to prepare vs by a daily viewing of our reckonings , and making euen with god , to our great account ; and so hereby to fit vs the better to the next sabboath , and so to prouoke vs to hunger after the eternall sabboath . thus doth the right vse and entent of the sabboath extend to the holy ordering of our ciuill callings . and surely if we consider rightly in the second place , the right vse and ende of our ciuill callings . which is not so much for present maintenance of life , or to thriue thereby , as to humble vs vnder the mightie hand of god , in that we haue need of such meanes , which , had not sinne entred into the world , we should not haue had ; and so daily to renew repentance and thereby to prouoke to loue and compassion towards others ; that so we may lay vp a good foundation against the life to come . the wise consideration and comparing of both these together ; both the right vse and ende of the sabboath and our ciuill callings , will happily further the resolution of these doubts , and satisfie the conscience , in any scruples that may arise there-from . for out of this comparison will arise these conclusions . first though the lord hath allowed vs sixe dayes for our ciuill callings , and but one for the generall , yet from this proportion it doth not follow , that though more time be allowed for our worldly occasions then for our spirituall , therefore wee may enlarge our thoughts so much the more after worldly things , then after those of a better life : seeing as our ciuill callings are ordained , not so much for the maintenance of this present , as that life which is to come ; so our managing of them must bee spirituall , with thoughts and actions deriued from that fountaine , guided by the same rule , and ayming at the same end. and therefore as the sabboath doth restraine vs altogether from these carnall worldly thoughts , as being simply euill on that day : so neither doe the other dayes otherwise allow them , then as they proceed from a spirituall intent to glorifie god in obedience to him in our calling , rather then to enrich our selues , and so ayme at a spirituall end , euen the furthering of vs to a better life . the summe of all is : . our ciuill callings one the lords day must wholly cease , but vpon the former occasions . . on the weeke dayes they must be followed , not with worldly but with heauenly minds . they must be begun with prayer , both priuate , and if it may be , with the familie : they must be continued with spirituall meditations , tending to weane vs from the loue of them ; by experience of the manifold distractions , the basenes , and corruption incident thereto , and so prouoking to raise vp the minde to heauenly obiects ; and they must bee ended with contentment , and thankefulnesse , with prayer , and humbly submitting to the will of god , and waiting by faith his glorious blessing . thus if we doe , our thoughts ( though conuersant with the world , yet ) shall haue sweet commerce with heauen ; our time , though more dayes spent in our ciuil callings , yet now thus employed , shall sanctifie them vnto vs , and sanctifie vs more and more by them , and so make euery day a spirituall sabboath . thus we shall walke with god , while we haue dealing in the world , & haue our conuersation in heauen , while wee are thus strangers on the earth : our thoughts though imployed vpon the world , yet shall not rest thereon , but retire againe to their true center of heauen ; and our wayes , though trauailing in the world , yet shall stil be ayming and hastening to our country which is aboue . so that , though we liue in the flesh , we shall not liue after the flesh : and though we may take care for the flesh , yet wee shall not care to satisfie the same , nor vse our libertie as occasion thereto . in a word , we shall hereby so vse the world , as that we may not loue it ; we shall so desire to liue , and seeke meanes for the maintenance thereof ; as that still wee shall bee ready to die , and to leaue all for christ. and this may serue for answere to the second question . hence ariseth a third scruple : whether it be not lawfull to desire riches and aboundance . to which we answere : . by a distinction of riches , which may be considered . as they are necessary and sufficient , and so a small thing may be counted riches , as contenting nature and being sufficient for vs. . they may be cōsidered as they are in the estimation of the world , and in their own nature , and so aboundance is to be deemed riches , & so they are vnnecessary . a . difference , now to be considered , is of the persons which may desire them , which are of two sorts . first , publike ; such whose callings cannot be well executed without aboundance , as that of the magistrate , and such other publike callings . secondly , some persons are priuate , and these also in regard of their charge and such like occasion , may lawfully desire more or lesse . a . difference is in respect of our desires , which are either absolute , such as require simply the performance of what we desire ; such as are all desires for spirituall graces , which for the grace simply must be absolute , though for the measure thereof they may be conditionall : . our desires are conditionall , with subiection to gods will , as may make most for his glorie and our good ; and so ought all our desires be for earthly things : because that god hath so onely promised them , as they shal be for our good . and so must we onely desire them . out of these distinctions arise these conclusions . first we may generally desire riches , as they are in the first sence necessary and sufficient , not as they are lesse necessary & aboundant . genes . . deuter. . . . tim. . . secondly , we may desire what may aswell fit our callings as persons ; though this may be satisfyed with lesse , yet the calling may desire more , and so such callings as require state and maiestie , may require aboūdance : yet so as that , all our desires for these things must be conditional , submitting to gods pleasure , both for the thing , as also for the meanes to obtaine the same ; and so for the measure and continuance thereof vnto vs , and so not enlarged by our owne couetous minde , but confined to the iudgement and example of the most sober and frugall persons . and therefore , all our desires for these things must be accompanied with prayers vnto god , both for the thing we desire , as also for the measure and blessing thereon . thus may we lawfully desire riches . a fourth question ariseth hereupon , whether we may vse such meanes for the gathering of riches as mans law doth tollerate , and come not within the compasse of the penalty thereof : as vsury , monopolies , letters of mart , trading with infidels and idolaters ; tentering and burnishing our wares , by pressing , sliking , and keeping in and storing our commodities ; changing of our callings , &c. to which we answer , first by some generall rules to all . . that whatsoeuer is not against the law of equitie and charitie , without intent to deceiue , as we would be done vnto , that may lawfully be done herein . that wherein the law of man is subordinate to the law of god , we may safely venture . that the law of man may dispense with some things which yet it allowes not simply , but so only tollerates as to preuēt a worse mischief ; so confines in the tolleration , as indeed in a manner implyes the impossiblitie of what it tollerates ; or condemnes the same ▪ of this nature is vsury , which though it be tollerated by mans law , yet is restrained within such straight limits , as if the law were straightly executed , it might easily restraine what it seemes to tollerate . my purpose is not to enter into the mystery and sleights of this dangerous trade . i leaue this to that worthy treasure of maister doctor fenton , who hath very profitably waded heerein . only my cōclusion is , that though couetousnes is vsually the ground and broker hereto , yet there may be some vse therof , vpon some necessary occasions & extreamities in these barren times , wherein so few will lend freely , and few make conscience to repay what they borrow ; as may tollerate the same , and that rather for the borrowers sake , then the lenders : so that oppression be hereby avoyded , and the rules of equitie be obserued : which , because each mans vpright conscience must be the iudge , therefore i leaue the discussing and ordering thereof to that soueraigne arbiterment touching monopolies , & engrossing of cōmodities though they be somewhat of diuerse nature , and being abused , may tend to the oppression of the subiect , enriching of priuate men : yet seeing the prince hath his prorogatiue , and may lawfully aduance whom it please him , seeing heereby there may be a speedier vent for the inning of commodities from abroad , if few buy vp the same , that they may not lye vpon the merchants hands , and so he hindred from his seasons and occasions of venture ; and hereby also there may be a speedier communicating of them to the subiect , that is to retaile them : i see not but that these courses may be lawfull , so that , priuate gaine eate not out the publique . the subiect be not oppressed . the magistrate defrauded , & scandalized . and so the peace and welfare of the common-wealth preserued concerning letters of mart . these howsoeuer in time of peace with forrain nations , i hold them vtterly vnlawfull , because they tend to the violation of leagues : yet in time of hostilitie , i imagine they may haue some vse , especially with the enemies of god & true religion ; because we are commanded to roote them out , and heereby wee may both discouer their designes against vs , and also wisely curbe , and defeate the same , by weakening their forces , and ouertaking them in their mischieuous intents . and therefore , so that priuate gaine be not principally aymed at . cruelty and extreamity herein be avoyded . neighbourhood be not infringed . and only the ruine of gods enemies be intended : i hold also that these may in some measure be tollerated . as for trading with infidels and idolaters , this howsoeuer it be generally forbidden in the word , as leagues & confederacies with them , . cor. . . deuter. . os. . . yet seeing we haue presidents in the word of commerce with infidels : as of abraham with escol and aner ; and abraham and isaac with abimelec , of iacob with laban , iosua with the gibeonits : these in some cases , with some special bounds , may warrant this libertie , as when we haue no other to commerce withall , and without commercing with them , we cannot be supplied with necessaries , beecause life must be maintained : & what is theirs , by al peaceable means , we may partake of . prouided that we be not drawne heereby , to any more thē necessary dealing with them for commodities , auoyding further familiaritie and neerer communion , lest we be drawne hereby , by degrees to communion in religion , and so forsake the liuing god. but rather labour hereby our constancie and wisedome , to win them to the true keeping of that golden rule : let them returne to vs , but returne not we vnto them , ierem. . . . touching those ordinary sleights of tentering , pressing , sliking , garbeling , washing , &c. of our wares ; though there be much deceit in them : yet there may bee also some lawfull vse thereof , with these conditions . . that hereby only our wares may be made more saleable , and yet so as the glosse and stretching of them , diminish not the substance , and goodnesse thereof . . be not a meanes to enhance the price , aboue the worth thereof : by making them seeme hereby finer and sounder then they are indeed . . that we propound the common rule of equitie ; to doe to others , as we would be done to our selues . the like may bee sayde , concerning our keeping in , and storing vp our wares , wherein though we may aime at a priuate gaine , to raise the present prises , or else to expect a deerer rate , &c : to defraud the common wealth of it present necessitie : yet herein also there may be some allowance , both in times of plentie , and in time of scarcitie , especially for all kinde of victuals . in time of plentie , that so excesse may be preuented for the present ; and extremitie may be relieued in time of distresse : and to this end our garners and store-houses in the citie and elsewhere haue speciall vse , to plucke downe the prises in time of dearth , and so to refresh the hearts of the poore ; as also to prouide , if supply should not come in abroad . and so also in times of penurie , that neuer there may be no extreame want . so ioseph by diuine warrant stored vp , that the church might be relieued in extremitie . so haue we relieued our neighbours , and they vs. otherwise , for those tending onely to ornament and superfluitie , i hold , that we may not keepe in our commodities , especially if it tend to the spoyling and corrupting of them ; vnlesse we cannot sell them , that we may bee sauers thereby : and yet in case of returning the price , or for the common good , we must vtter them though it be to our losse , because in such cases we are bound to giue freely , rather then our commoditie should be lost , or the poore lost for want of them ; and so to depend vpon the prouidence of god. as for changing of our callings , though this may serue to argue discontent and want of faith , in depending on the prouidence of god ; yet seeing some callings depend vpon the custome and fashion of the time , which is alterable , as of kindes of apparell : some depend vpon casualties which may ouerthrow the same : many things haue beene vsed in poperie , which now are antiquated ; many things may be currant occasions of commerce with such and such forraine nations , where the cause being taken away , the effect must cease . and the lord furnishing his children with wisedome and insight into all necessarie occasions , necessitie may force and enable them , if one will not serue for maintenance , that another may be followed : yea , it may so fall out , that our aptnesse to one may bee more then to another , to which notwithstanding we haue been bound . especially , seeing it fals out that some callings may haue for the most their ground from custome and vanity , and not from conscience ; as generally of tyring , and such like , and tend to the satisfying of the flesh : i see not but in such cases , it is not only lawfull but necessarie euen to change our callings , lest otherwise wee make ship-wracke of good conscience , and defraud our selues of that libertie which god and nature allowes , and limit the prouidence of god to our meanes , which extends it selfe to all lawfull . prouided that still we keepe the distinction betweene authoritie and subiection ; remembring that wee may so change our callings , as still to keepe our selues within the compasse of our generall bounds , which are , still to be subiect to gouernment , and so onely vnto them , as to serue them in the lord. not encroaching vpon the calling of the magistrate ; nor by our libertie , aduancing the magistrate aboue what is meet ; but still seruing one another in loue , and all studying to serue the lord christ. whether one man may haue diuers callings ? as , the minister may be also a magistate ? one trades-man may exercise diuers ciuill callings ? to the former we answer generally , that where callings are subordinate to each other , there in case of necessitie , one may supply diuers callings , as his abilitie is thereto : so the minister may in some cases and degrees , execute the office of a magistrate . . magistrates are of two sorts : . supreame , and soueraigne , as the king : and . inferior and subordinate , as such as are appointed vnder him , for the easing of his burthen , and better seruing the publike good : so a minister may be a magistrate , though he may not encroach vpon the supreame authoritie . i say hee may not vsurpe soueraigne gouernment ; because this is a marke of antichrist , . thess. . , . this is contrary to the word , which commands all both priests and people , to be subiect to the higher powers . rom. . . this cannot be for the preseruation of the common peace , which is by vnitie , and reformation of all abuses which tend to the disturbance thereof . and how shall the faults of ministers bee corrected but by the supreame magistrate ? how shall their wrongs be righted but by him ? yet i hold that a minister may be an inferiour gouernour ; because it is lawfull for the magistrate to bestow honour and authoritie , as it pleaseth him for the publike good . and this authoritie giuen to the ministerie , may tend to the publike good ; and the glory of god , as hereby , . their persons may be better accepted , and preserued from contempt . . their callings be executed more currantly , when they haue some power to restraine open and grosse euils , and compell the outward man to conformation in religion . . their constancie and courage herein , as it may ease of a burthen , so it may confirme and encourage the supreame magistrate in the loue and maintenance of the trueth : so that still the holy order of subiection bee kept , that all this bee done with direction from the supreame power , and returne thereto : and confusion be auoyded ; that we so execute these seuerall callings , as that still we reserue a distinction betweene them , and oppose not those things , which are wisely to bee subordinated , which we may doe . . if we consider that there are some speciall actions particular to each callings , which on either side may not be encroached vpon . as , the magistrate may not preach , minister the sacraments , &c , because this is peculiar to the minister . so the minister ( i meane as a minister ) may not prescribe lawes , execute the penalties of them , determine of the persons , and goods of the subiect , &c , because these are the magistrates prerogatiue . . that all things bee done with direction from the royall canon , & ayme at gods glory . . so is it in the reformed churches , where the consistorie doth as well medle in ciuill , as ecclesiasticall occasions . and is it any other in our honourable court of the high commission , and in other consistories of our clergie ? as for the other ; that one man may exercise diuers ciuill callings : as this is apparent by the practise of our land , where some merchants euer vse other trades : mercers abroad sell things belonging to many trades ; so i see not but that it may be warrantable by the word , which so enioyneth vs to be contented with the calling that god hath placed vs in ; as the seruant , while he is a seruant , is not to encroach vpon the calling of the maister ; as that it denieth not , but when we are for our selues , we may follow what calling we please , though we bee not bound thereto ; so wee haue skill therein , and respect the publike good , hinder not our spirituall calling : and obserue the sacred lawes and customes of the countrey wherein we liue : because one calling will not serue to redeeme the time , and maintaine our charge and therefore in these respects we may lawfully imploy our selues in diuers . to conclude this point , and resolue all in one case , which is mainely stood vpon : namely ; whether a man cannot liue in the world , and thriue in his calling , without ship-wrack of a good conscience . to which we answer : that though , the contrarie hereof be , vox populi , the voice of the people : that conscience is dead , or goes a begging ; meaning that the world admits not the rule of conscience , or if it do , it cannot thriue : yet , that we may liue and thriue with a good cōscience is manifest , . because it is promised as a blessing and fruit of godlinesse , psa. : so that , . tim. . . our ciuill callings in the world are subordinate , not contrarie to our christian callings ; and so , we cannot keepe a good conscience if we liue not in a calling , & perhaps thriue not thereby : except in case of triall , when god wil exercise our faith and patience , in keeping vs from hand to mouth ; or exercise our sincerity in not answering our endeuours for the present , lest we should seeme to serue god , that we may thriue : or finally , by some casualtie . of our calling may be mean , such as yeeld only so much exercise daily , as may serue necessity , and so cannot promise aboundance , but onely yeeld competency and sufficiency , for necessarie maintenance , which may be accounted thriuing , though we attaine not to great riches ; and yet euen in these the blessing of god is admirable , where religious wisedome teacheth parsimony and diligence to better our estates . or our callings may be vpon aduenture , such as depend vpon diuine prouidence , in blessing our going out , and comming home : which seeing it is arbitrary as may make most for gods glory , and our chiefest good ; therefore if hereby we attaine not to great matters , yet herein shall appeare the blessing of godlinesse , that we shall be content with whatsoeuer our wise and gracious god shall dispose , and whether it be much or little , it shal be but sufficient . he that gathered more manna had but to serue his turne , and he that gathered lesse had no want . exod. . . . to conclude all , labour we first for grace , and these things shal be castvpon vs. math. . . if not in aboundance , yet in what shal be best for vs , to further to a better life . it is good that still we should finde some want in these things , that we may not set our harts vpon thē , but hunger after durable riches . and therefore let vs liue by faith , & not by sence , waiting vpon the blessing of god in what we haue , that it may be sanctified vnto vs , and waiting vpon the power and prouidence of god in what we haue not , that wee may bee suffised in the needfull and fittest occasion : or recompensed with what shal be better for vs. and when we haue canuased and studied all , remember we that some corruption must fall out in these things , to humble the flesh , and cast vs vpon christ our sufficient riches . and that a good conscience , as it shall guide vs through each particular occasion , that wee make not ship-wrack thereof , so it shall also abase vs in our greatest sincerity , that though we know nothing by our selues , yet herein wee may not be iustified , but still labour to be found in christ , not hauing our owne righteousnesse , and endeuour to be found of him in peace , at his glorious appearance . and if this shall not sufficiently satisfie thee in whatsoeuer scruples may fall out herein : i aduise thee to cōmend thee particular doubts in humble prayers vnto thy god , who will fulfill the desires of them that feare him , and satisfie thy carefull soule that waits vpon him . and so i hartily cōmend thee to the word of his grace , whereby thou shalt be enformed sufficiently in whatsoeuer may hinder the pece of thy conscience , and build it vp further in all wisedome and spirutuall vnderstanding , that thou maiest be able to discerne of things that differ , and so trying all things , maiest hold that which is good , and grow vp thereby in all power and conscience of sinceritie and righteousnesse , that so thou mayest be perfect and intire wanting nothing , vnto the full measure of the age of iesus christ , in whom i rest thine and the churches seruant thomas couper . the contents . the coherence and sence of the wordes , with the diuision thereof . p. . . the ground of the bargaine : mans vnsatiable desire , with the reasons and vse thereof . how to preuent and remedy the same . pag. . . . vnsatiable desire make way for subiectiō to satan . reasons thereof . with the vse . . to iustifie god , seeing our condemnation is of our selues . p. . directions how to vse aboundance . p. . . how to preuent satan herein . p. . how to behaue our selues in a meane estate . ibid. . it is ordinary with worldlings to trade with satan for the world , with the losse of their soules . pag. . reasons hereof . pag. . . ground and manner of the bargaine . pag. . with the ends propounded thereof , wherein worldlings are painted out in the gathering & vse of riches . pag. . . pag. . vse hereof , . for conuictiō of worldlings . p. . for triall of our estates hereby . pag. . vizars whereby this bargaine is concealed . pag. . . . . that they are gods blessings . pag. . that our callings require them . p. . . . pretence of doing good hereby . pag. . these discouered and reiected , with the remedy against them . pag. . . obser. . it is an vnprofitable bargaine , to loose the soule for the world . pag. . reasons hereof , . because we pay too deere for them . our losse is irrecouerable . pag. . . . vse diuers collusions detected , which flatter vs in the goodnesse of the bargaine . pag. . . reason satan performes not the bargaine on his part , though he will be sure of our payment . pag. . . because he cannot performe what is not his to giue . pag. . neither we are capable of what he promiseth . . neither would he performe if he could . p. . vse hereof , . to forecast before hand . pag. . to preuent satans treachery . pag. . conclusion to the reader , where these cases are resolued . pag. . what vse of our ciuill callings and other accidents therto are allowed on the lords day . p. . whether we may imploy more time , & exercise our thoughts more vpon worldly then heauenly things , seeing we are allowed six dayes for our ciuill callings , and but one for our generall . p. . whether it be not lawfull to desire riches , and aboundance . pag. . . whether we may desire such meanes for the gathering of riches , as mans law doth allow : as , vsury . . monopolies , and engrossing of wares . . letters of mart . . trading with infidels and idolaters . . tentering , pressing and such like . pag. . keeping in of wares . pag. , changing of callings . pag. . whether one may haue diuers callings . . as the minister may be also a magistrate , one trades-man may exercise diuers ciuill callings whether a man may thriue with a good conscience . . . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e coherence . summe hereof . parts of the text. obseruation in vnsatiable earthly desires . eccles. . . isa. . . reasons . . genes . . . . vse to conince natures corruption and desperate estate . psa. . . psa. . . tit. . . . ground of idolatry . meanes of antichrists rising . ierem. . . note . coloss. . obseruation . an vnsatiable minde , lies open to satans snares . reasons . psa. . matt. . genes . . iob . . . sam. . vse . directions how to vse bargaining luk. ● . act. . luk. . . psa. . ierem. . psa. . . psa. . psa. ● . psa. . . . . tim. . ioh. . . math. . . luk. . tim. . . gal. . . directions in a meane estate math. . genes . . phil. . . . cor. . . obser. . ordinary to exchange the soule for the world . pet. . reasons . . tim. . psa. . esau. gen. . luk. . osea . . psa. . . psa. . meanes and markes of this bargaine . chryso . iob . iames . , . psa. . . vse . psa. . . rules of faith psa. . . ioh. . iob. . . pretences to colour the bargaine , with their delusion and confusion . that riches are the blessing of god , how and to whom all haue them outwardly . may be a meames to exercise spirituall graces . iob. . . wicked how they haue them . how they vse man. not the hauing but the right vse makes the blessing . how these prooue curses to the wicked . . colours of worldlings . danger of high callings . how to remedie this euill . nehe. . . . colour , pretence of doing good . the snare herein . worldly charitie decyphered . remedy hereof . euill not to be done that good may come thereof . matt. . , . true charitie , the markes . discouerie of deceits , flattering the hope of vndoing the bargaine . obseruation the iudgement of the bargaine , no profite . reasons . price too decre . no hope of recouery . because the soule thus lost cannot be recouered . answer to deceits . it is not our owne . how . deceit . hope of doing good with these things . this reiected . decei●● hope of repentance . this dilated . reasons : that the bargaine is naught , but not performed . sathan will be sure of his ; how . psal. . . satan performes not with vs. obiect . answ. matth. . , . . we not capable of them . . satan would not performe if he could . vse hereof , casting before hand . how to preuent him . . cor. , . . quaere . . case . quaere . cl●o . . iudg. . gen. . . , . . . . . tentering , pressing . keeping in of wares . genes . . changing of callings . cappes , miniuer , hoods . quaere notes for div a -e . obser. . obser. . obser. mortalities meditation: or, a description of sinne vvith a definition and plaine setting forth of mans three chiefest and greatest enemies; to wit, the world, the flesh, and the diuell. written by william hall. hall, william, fl. . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc estc s this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) mortalities meditation: or, a description of sinne vvith a definition and plaine setting forth of mans three chiefest and greatest enemies; to wit, the world, the flesh, and the diuell. written by william hall. hall, william, fl. . [ ] p. by aug. mathewes, for beniamin fisher, and are to be sold at his shop in pater-noster row, at the signe of the talbot, imprinted at london : . in verse. signatures: a-e⁴ f² . reproduction of the original in the henry e. huntington library and art gallery. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- poetry -- early works to . sin -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - john pas sampled and proofread - john pas text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion mortalities meditation : or , a description of sinne . with a definition and plaine setting forth of mans three chiefest and greatest enemies ; to wit , the world , the flesh , and the divell . written by william hall . gutta cadent lapides , non vi sed saepe cadendo : sic homo fit doctus , non vi sed saepe studendo . in english thus : by often falling , not by force doe raine the stones make soft , so man 's made learned not by force , but it s by studying oft . nemo sine crimine viuit . imprinted at london , by aug. mathewes , for beniamin fisher , and are to be sold at his shop in pater-noster row , at the signe of the talbot . to that covrteovs gentleman , and my much respected friend m. iohn lovve , iunior , esquire ; william hall humbly dedicates the buds and blossomes of these is first fruits , wishing all honour during this life , and after death life eternall . i haue presum'd to dedicate this booke to you ; on which if you 'l vouchsafe to looke , and if you please kindly to accept it , and from all slanderous tongues to protect it ; then at your feet i prostrate my burden , if you accept it i haue my guerdon : in loues vnlimited and lawles band , i vnto you so farre obliged stand , that if i should the age of nestor liue , i satisfaction to you should not giue , for vndeserued kindnesses receiuing , which makes me thankful whilst i 'ue life & breathing : for trusty friends are scarce to be gotten , hard to be kept , but nere to be forgotten : amities chiefe breach is ingratitude ; but vnto that i 'le not be seruitude ; and in requitall of the loue i owe , my weake inuention on you i le bestow : some litterate pamphlet better you befits ; then the inuention of my shallow wits . yet kind sir read them , although rude they be , iudge with iudicious eyes and you shall see my vntun'd verse ; but yet my muse is free , and so vnto the end she meanes to be : i 'le not insinuate , flatter , lie nor faine , my wit in paper ca'nt your worth explaine ; still striue with vertue for to be superiour , deiect and throw downe vice as your inferiour : goe on in vertue as you haue begun ; that godly race vnto the end out-run , then shall you be belou'd of all good men ; here stayes my muse , and here shall rest my pen. your worships to command in what he may . william hall . to the courteous and vncourteous readers . readers , reade iudge , and then say what you will , all 's one to me whether it bee good or ill : if you speake well , for that i am your debtor , and i● this be not well , i would 't were better : but if you speake ill of it , all is one , to cry you mercy , i le ne're make my mone , for ill mens tongues they say no slanders are , therefore say what you will and doe not spare . i must confesse my muse is young and tender , and this is all he scuse that i can render , this is the first time shee did euer write ; therefore with currish words doe not her bite . lest in her budding you doe spoyle her growth , if that you should doe so i should be loth : giue her no ill words with good words her nourish , that shee in time may grow , and bud , and flourish . yours , as you are his : will : hall . the avthor to his booke . now farewell booke , trauell the word so wide , hauing no tutor , truths thy only guide : from enuious tongues truth will still defend thee , to good and bad mens iudgements i commend thee . mortalities meditation , or a description of sinne. i that as yet nere tasted one poore drop , of the castalian liquor ; nor as yet did ere mine eyes behold pernassus top : how should my vnderstanding then beget , nay , or begin and frame my pen to write , since i my selfe knows not how to indite . your helpe , oh sacred muses , i must craue , but not the blotting of apolloes p●n , by any meanes i must , nor will not haue , but simply of mine owne inuention then ; and industry some simple worke i le make , since i haue gone thus farre to vndertake . cicero i want thy learned eloquence , and mars thy stout and valiantnes of heart ; and likewise sol thy shining influence , to accommodate me and to take my part . against enuious tongues that seeke to shame me , and belying me oft-times doe defame me . my inke congeales , vnwilling to fulfill , my hand vnsteady , palsie-like doth shake : my memory is dull , and i want skill , for to set forth that which my mind should speake : obliuiousnesse doth so my braines possesse , that what i should , i forget to expresse . of tilts and triumphs my muse shall not sing , ne wars nor wonders wrought within the ayre nor how tamberlaine did baiazet bring , conquered by him in the turkish warre : and carried by him in ●n iron cage , to bee a spectacle vnto that age. nor yet of ancient stories will i write ; nor trauellers that goe beyond the cope , as did parismus , huon and the like ) nor such as sacrifice vnto the pope : hel-hounds they are that denye their maker , the diuels friends , but the lords forsaker . but of a meaner subiect will i treate , that which i know is true i will reueale ; and all the follies of my youth repeate : there 's nothing hidden that i will conceale : and rip the target of my troubled heart , which long haue caus'd my wounded soule to smart . and hauing then laid open to your sight , a mappe of all my foule enormious crimes , committed both by day and eke by night in all places , all seasons , at all times : now i le begin my dolefull song to sing , and hope the same to good effect to bring . but if i faile , i pray spare not to iudge , but passe your censures on me how you will ; i care not though you owe to me a grudge , speake what you will i care not good or ill : now once againe my song i will begin , no song of songs : but it 's a song of sinne. for since the time that i was first conceiu'd within the wombe and entrailes of my mother ; before i was into the world receiu'd sinne was my father , sister , and my brother : being borne in sinne , in sinne i liued still , and vnto pleasure only gaue my will. who vrg'd and prickt me alwaies to goe forward , and follow still the same i had begun ; saying , i was a goodly child and toward ; but yet this pleasure i did seeke to shun : who luld and rockt my senses fast asleepe , which since hath caus'd me many times to weepe : to see that pleasure ouercame me so , for i no reason had it to withstand : but when i saw it was my deadly foe , i would no longer liue at her command : but threw her slauish yoake from off my necke , and then began my follies for to checke . which long time had b●reft me of my sight , that i at no time any good could see ; it kept me vnder in most slauish spight , vntill the lord was mercifull to me , opening my eyes to me the way did showe , that i must walke the gospell for to know . then i began the english tongue to learne , my vowels and my letters for to spell ; and in mine yeares i somewhat could discerne , how latin writers english doe excell : who can compare with horace , virgil , and homer , which hath all vnder his command . in which mine yeares i many sinnes committed , through ignorance against my soueraigne lord , all those i hope through christ are cleane remitted , as also those were done by my accord : as i to knowledge afterward increased , sinning i sinn'd , from sinning i nere ceased . but still prouokt the lord of hosts to ire , and had no care his statutes to obey ; the stipend due for sinners is hell fire , and those that from their maker runne astray , let them be sure to feele his scourging rod , he is a iust , a wise , and louing god. the death of sinners he doth not desire , but that they would returne and follow grace ; it 's true repentance that he doth require , that they may see his glory face to face : and praise his glorious name with one accord , with singing halleluiah to the lord. my infancie and childhood being past , my youth and manhood posting on with speed , still i my faults and sinnes behind me cast : and would not see them vntill vtmost need compel'd me from this wicked kinde of life , where was continuall wars and deadly strife . betwixt my spirit alwayes ready prest for gods seruice contrary to euill ; and my weake flesh continually opprest , hauing conflicts with the world and diuell : being thus bagirt with foes on euery side , vnto thy mercy seat i come to hide . my sences are inueloped in sinne , the waight whereof into hell would sinke me , when on the wicked life i haue liued in , and hels torments i begin to thinke me : oh how i am perplext with griefe of minde , my troubled conscience can no comfort finde . with dauid now i am enforst to crye , i am a worme of men the very scorne , my helpe on thee o lord doth still relie , and haue done euer since that i was borne : in time of old age off doe me not cast ; nor yet when strength doth faile me at the last . the sabbaths which thou vnto vs dost giue , commanding vs it holy for to keepe , giuen as a signe , or else wee should not liue amongst the flocke of thy elected sheepe : who so defiles thy sabbaths sure shall dye , wert not for mercy lord , euen so should i. for i thy sabbaths often haue prophaned , and spent them vildly to thy abusing ; against thy holy name i haue exclaimed , vnder colour of my faults excusing : i went to church gods holy word to heare , but was exempt from all paternall feare . the subtile serpent , subtiller then the rest , of all the beasts which the lord god did make , hee cunningly doth creepe into my brest , and the good sowne seed away doth take : pleasures of sinne also choake many seeds , which nere sprung vp puld down by vicious weeds . i lookt for sundayes to no other end , but take my pleasure in pastime and play , in doing so i was not my owne friend , the aged counsell i would not obay : but ran at pleasure to drinke and carouse , in some by place , or in some tipling house . i car'd not where if that i liquor had , for to content and please my fianticke braine , i car'd not greatly where 't were good or bad , if so i were in a right roring straine ; a roring straine , yea that 's the terme we vsed , whereby gods day and name was much abused , yet in this sinne i neuer was alone , but had copartners alwayes lesse or more ; for them , and i , and all , i make great mone , and pray that they , nor i doe so no more : who so doth vse it , let him marke me well , it 's both the high-way and the gate to hell. this sinne is odious in iehouahs sight , he doth abhor the person and the crime , vvith th'instrumentall meanes that gaue them light , also the place , the season and the time : yet some doe seeke this sinne for to extenuate , but yet it doth the vsers life abreuiate . vvho hath wo , babling , sorrow , who hath strife , but those that follow wine and drinke their fill ? of wine that 's mixt , ohtis a drunken life , to spend their dayes so wicked and so vile : let them be sure god will strike home at last , though he forbeare his anger is not past . with true repentance lord i come to thee , and hearty sorrowing for my former sinne ; in mercy lord vouchsafe to looke on me , to lead a new life now i will begin : grant me thy grace i beseech thee therefore , my idle wayes i may hate and abhorre . forgiue me lord the sinnes i haue committed , against thee both in word , in deed , and thought , hauing done euill but the good omitted , vvhich in thy sacred scriptures thou hast taught : godly repentance worketh to saluation , vvhereby wee shall be freed from condemnation . forgiue me lord , for mercy now i call , blot out my sinnes , no more them thinke vpon ; before thy mercy seat i prostrate fall , and begge thee bury them in obliuion : mercy good lord , mercy , i mercy craue , hoping throgh christ that thou my soule wilt saue . farewell all sinfull pleasures of my youth , thrice farewell to the exercise i haue vsed : vvhich long hath caus'd me to erre from the truth , both god contemned and his lawes abused : farewell i say ; thrice farewell and adue , too long god knowes i haue been led by you . for twenty yeares and vpward i haue led , a wicked life displeasing vnto god ; on worldly vanities i haue still fed , for which i doe do serue gods scourging rod : except his mercy , his iustice ouercome , i must expect a dismall day of doome . my life was sinfull lord i doe confesse it , spare them o lord that doe their faults confesse ; as it was sinfull now i will redresse it , and from those errors euer will i cease , then mercy on me take , heare my complaint , of a vild sinner make me a glorious saint . being with sinne poluted and defild , which cann't be clensed without christ his bloud ; ( in whose sight i a sinner am most vild ) which was shed for vs all to doe vs good ; yea for vs all which in time doe repent . that we gods future anger may preuent . there is no bondage like to that of sinne , where neither body nor yet minde is free , to slauish seruitude we are kept in , when as our soules bereft of libertie : from that bondage good lord deliuer me , that i may sing continuall praise to thee . my soule from out of prison lord then bring , as dauid prayed in like wise doe i , thy song in a strange land how can i sing , i would bee set at freedome willingly ; freedome each creature gladly doth require , and to be free from sinne is my desire . three enemies we haue with all to fight , which doe incite vs euill to commit , yea they suggest vs all wayes day and night , that the good which we should doe we omit : we commit nothing but that which is euill , these three are , the world , the flesh and diuell . the world inticeth vs to pleasures vaine , that momentary things wee more respect , then that which doe belong heauen to gaine , those things wee altogether doe neglect : we spend our time , or study and our wit , to that which turnes not to our benefit . our greatest care is how to gather wealth , to purchase land , to rise vnto promotion ; at no time wee take care for our soules health , nor to serue god with any good deuotion : that which by vs should chiefly be respected , continually by vs is still neglected . wee striue for honour , follow after pleasure , pauls exhortation seldome we obay , as for decorum we keepe little measure , our chiefe delight 's in pride and going gay : hauing good cloathes that we goe neat and fine , wee take no care how many bodies pine . dauid describeth how vaine man doth wast , and to a shadow hee doth him compare , which is no sooner seene but staight its past , so fraile , so fickle , and so weake we are : we gather wealth which turnes to our annoy , but yet know not who shall it enioy . the lillies of the field , consider how they get their liuing , for they neuer spin ; nor once take paines their bodies for to bowe , at no time they doe any worke begin : yet salomon being a mighty king , such cloathing as this was he could not bring . what are become of those that hoord vp gold , and of their gettings neuer make an end ? still scraping wealth vntill it can't be told , but yet they know not who the same shall spend : vanisht they are and gone downe to the graue , others come vp their riches for to haue . vvho will it spend faster then 't was gotten , vvhen as their meanes doe come into their hand ; those friends that it gaue shall be forgotten , to purchase parrell they will pawne their land : they 'l sell their credit all what ere they haue , but they will haue cloathes to goe neat and braue . the sonne of syrach poynteth at the pride , and vaine excesse of parell in our dayes : decking our selues much good time we let slide , and spend it all to iehouahs dispraise , pride will raigne in some men doe what they can , it 's a sinne hated both of god and man. to boast in rayment is ' gainst god a fault , knowing we are but worm ▪ s meat and dust ; likewise in honour our selues to exalt , neither in strength we ought not put our trust : help vs good tord in trouble and in paine , as for the helpe of man it is but vaine . th' apostle wils vs for to be content , and not for worldly wealth to care and cracke , it is enough if we haue food and rayment , vvhat need wee then for drossie pelfe to rake ? considering as we here this wealth did finde , vvee must depart and leaue it all behind . from the mean'st caitiue to the mightiest king , that euer breath'd , or on the earth did raigne : into this world nothing at first did bring , and sure shall carry nothing forth againe : except a coffin and a winding sheete , tied with two knots , one at the head and feete to many errors the world doth vs leade , which for to follow we are apt you see ; but in the path of vertue we nere tread , we run the race when once the raine's let free , of lustfull youth wee swagger , lye and sweare , and with blasphemous oathes the lord we teare . we ought to tremble when gods name wee heare , and not blaspheme him , nor against him spue : such oathes that stinke before him ( i doe feare , i write no more then what is too to true : ) wee still blaspheme him , and wee forget how at 's name each knee in heauen & earth shall bowe . for foure causes god bestowes on men , riches to vse , as goods vnto them lent , they must leaue all behind but knowes not when , and therefore care not how their time be spent : th'vnthrifty will spend all in prodigality , but the old miser none in hospitality . the first is for the honor of gods name , and propagation of gods holy word , still to continue and preserue the same , that we may praise his name with one accord , and that the splendent light of this cleare sun , may alwayes shine but yet be neuer done . the second vse for which our goods were giuen , is for to spend it for our countries sake ; by our wealth others might be relieuen , with it a freedome or releasment make : we ought to spend our goods , our liues , our blood , in any thing to doe our countries good . is for the good of those by whom we liue , that are in need , necessity , and want ; to them part of our meanes we ought to giue , and to relieue them if their store be scant : yea to strengthen with all our power , and to refresh their bodies euery hower . the last is for the maintenance of those which are our seruants , yea and for vs all ; yea for our selues we may thinke and suppose , and for all others that on him doe call : opening his hand each liuing thing doth fill , with plenteousnesse according to his will. saint john exhorts vs from this worldly loue , and not to loue it nor the things therein , yea , very plainly , he the same doth proue , that whatsoere is of the world is sinne : then of this enemy we must beware , that hee at no time doe our soules insnare . how many diues at this time haue wee , vvhich doe fare most deliciously each day ; in purple and fine linnen wee them see , being brauely clad in robes and rich array : these silke-wormes many lazarus will starue . rather then with their scraps they wil them serue . the second enimie's our fleshly lust , and alwaies fresh assaults with him wee haue , vnto our selues therefore we must not trust , but flye to christ , i●●● hee our soule must saue : who conquered hath the graue , yea death , and hell , all our aduersaries for to expell . each sense and member festered is with sinne , yea and corrupted in iehouas sight : such an infectious time we doe liue in , and this sinne serpent-like doth vs so bite , euen as a scurfe doth ore mans bodie spread , so soule and bodies with sinn's pestered . our bodies to sinne are so linckt and chained , euery sense of vertue is be reft . and vitiousnesse in vs so long hath raign'd , so little goodnesse in vs there is left , turning from god , wee are christs sinfull abiects , but vnto sathan very louing subiects . from top to toe we are with sinne closd fast , that in vs there is no whole part nor sound , our breath infects the ayer at each blast , our feete vnworthy to treade on the ground : sinne doth raigne in vs and about vs round , is nought but sinfullnesse for to be found . our head is the receptakle of sinnes , and first receiuer of vngodly deeds , yea the head fountaine where all vice begines , vpon mans bodie greedily it feeds : and like the horse-leach still doth cry giue , giue , seldome forsaking men whilst they doe liue . our memory with dulnesse is possest , especially in hearing of thy word ; for that wee seeke not which should please thee best , but follow vanity with one accord : we quite forsake that which being vnderstood , at present time would proue our future good . our eyes spectators on iniquity , the gate and entrance to the inward man ; delight wee take to gaze on vanity , but seldome satisfied doe what we can : wee greedily desire what we doe see , longing to haue it although ill it be . our eyes should be imployd to better vse , the sacred scripture with them we should read ; but oft we doe neglect and still refuse , the way that we a godly life might lead : we run the way that is composd of euill , following which path we walke vnto the diuell . our eares are open blasphemies to heare , and all reuilings ' gainst gods holy name , and gainst his christ which all our sinnes did beare , to free vs from that euerlasting paine : to vs belongeth both shame and confusion , to which wee are led by sathans illusion . like the deafe adder wee doe stop our eares , yea deafe and dumbe almost our selues we faine , the charmers voyce we doe refuse to heare , charme whilst he will his charming is in vaine : though he charme wisely wee don 't it respect , he and his charming both wee doe neglect . to talke of riches , of wealth and glory , to heare of newes of merriment and sport , to passe our time in things transitory , to this whole flocks of people will resort : with great attention all will hearken to it , though it be ill actors enough to doe it . our mouth the chamber of vngodlines , our lips the roofe which doth that hose couer ; through which all emitable beastlines , proceedeth forth which doth our liues discouer : and shewes the wicked life we haue liued in , which to amend wee neuer doe begin . our teeth's a hedge fos that vnruly member , which do we what we can it will breake out ; to haue a care of him we must remember , for in vaine he too fast will run about , the tongue is a good member if well vsed , but it 's the worst we haue if that abused . that godly prophet holy dauid sayes , as with a bit he will his mouth keepe fast ; looke to his tnngue take heed vnto his wayes , and speake not till the wicked ones be past : yea from good words he also did refraine , although to him it was both griefe and paine . scurrility we alwayes ought to flye , and not with cursings once our mouthes defile ; all beastly idle talke and blasphemy , wee from our mouthes should vtterly exile : paul doth will vs lying to put away , and each man to his neighbour truth to say . it s written wee a iust account must giue of euery idle word that we doe speake ; but yet alas how vainly doe we liue , and neuer care how we gods statutes breake : for by our words wee iustifide shall be , or else condemn'd to liue in miserie . a righteous mouth is like a well of life , from the which many godly streames doe flow ; a wicked mouth is alwayes fild with strife , which nought but wrath and violence doth show : knowing the best , the same we ought to choose , and from the worst refraine and it refuse . euery member of vs that 's within with wickednesse is so repleat and stuft ; wee are so soone tempted vnto each sinne , and with security we be so puft : if we consider how we are opprest , we neuer should liue quiet , nor at rest . sinne is a foe externall and internall , eternally heereafter it will shame and bring vs into the lake infernall , which still doe burne in continuall flame : both soules and bodies shall be there tormented , if in life time our sinnes be not repented . truth thou requirest in the inward parts , we should performe as much as in vs lies ; create in vs both new and contrite hearts , such ones ( o lord ) which thou wilt not despise grant wee may be amongst the sheepe elected , and not amongst the goats to be reiected . our hearts are harder then an adamant , gods law nor word we at no time will heare , so obdurate that we cannot recant our wicked life , nor of god stand in feare : we nere obey but disobey him still , and doe prouoke to wrath gods holy will. yet god is iust in all that hath beene done , vnto vs sinners euery thing is right , but we contemned haue god and his sonne , and wickedly haue wee done in his sight : yet lord forgiue vs our sinnes wee thee pray , thy heauy hand of iustice from vs stay . our mind so eleuated is with pride , our selfe-conceipt doth puffe vs vp on high , our equalls and inferiours we deride , against our betters oft-times we inueigh : what we affect to be good we approue , though it be hurtfull , yet the same we loue . modesty is a bridle to raine backe this swift wingd pride swifter then a swallow , our appetite to it wee should keepe slacke ; for if we giue way sure it will follow : if that we let it run his full careere , ore soules and bodies it will donineere . what things we doe we must of it esteeme , so that in it no pride at all we take ; better then wee are we ought not to deeme our selues ▪ but from all errors to awake : he that thinkes himselfe wise in 's own conceit , doth like a foole fill his heart with deceit . humility a curbe to keepe vs in , much like a snaffle , nay rather a bit , which doth with-hold vs from that deadly sinne , and keepe vs that we doe not it commit : who humbleth himselfe like vnto a child . of heauens ioyes shall not be beguild . like weaned children we should vs behaue , haue no proud lookes , nor yet no scornfull minde ; if that we doe intend our soules to saue , these misdemeanors wee must cast behind : our smallest thoughts on it we must not spend , on elohim should all our hope depend . the pleasures of the flesh are manifold , yea numberlesse they cannot be accounted ; which causeth all to sinne both young and old , our sinnes the sands in number haue surmounted : in number more then the haires of our head , such an impious course of life we haue led . now hauing thus describ'd each seuerall sence , throughout mans body in which sinne doth raigne ; which oft is coloured vnder good pretence , of godlines from which we doe refraine : we take no paines nor care the lord to serue , the least of 's mercies we doe not deserue . we neuer thanke god for what he hath done , creating vs after his image right ; and redeeming vs with christ his deere sonne , to sanctifie vs with his holy spirit : by our workes we expect iustification , and after death we hope glorification . my muse to the last enemy is come , with much adoe the other two are past ; my scantling glasse of time is almost runne , time is soone gone , yet comes againe as fast : lord i beseech thee guide my heart and hand , this cunning aduersary to withstand . sathan did tempt our parents first of all , and the forbidden fruite caus'd them to eate : eating this fruit it brought 's all into thrall , our misery no tongue can halfe repeate : deceiuer-like hee said yee shall not dye , to which they condiscended willingly . and eate the fruit forbidden of the lord , hee first vnto the woman did it giue , shee to her husband , thus with one accord both sure of death though promised to liue : by his inticements hee them both allured , by which he their eternall woe procured . against the feebler sexe his rage is showne , the woman he did first of all attempt ; thus his deceit was at the first made knowne , yet from seducing he would not exempt , nor free himselfe ; but like an old deceiuer , of soule and bodies good hee 's a bereauer . hee 's alwayes ready for to lay his baites to catch all silly soules and to insnare them in his subtile and deceiuing slights ; for to withstand him then we must prepare , we cannot him resist doe what we can ; helpe us lord , for vaine is the helpe of man. our sauiours presence he did not refraine , with proffer'd shew of worldly wealth and pleasure ; this worldly pleasure hee did cleane disdaine , hauing gods word farre better then all treasure : sathan did tempt , yea reattempt againe , and thrice deui'de before hee would refraine . in thousand shapes hee will to vs appeare , what wee command him he will that fulfill ; inuisible , we ca'nt him see nor heare , yet soone will bee obedient to our will : of our desire we shall not faile or misse , on the condition that wee will be his . to any thing hee 'l tempt vs that is ill , each motion that is good hee 'l from vs put ; with idlenesse allure vs he will still , our thoughts in ignorance he close will shut : and blind vs from the loue of god the highest , hee 's a deceiuer and an antichrist . hee often will insinuate into our heads , our thoughts , our hearts for to offend ; god , king , and countrey , all for to vndoe , in whose defence our deare blood we should spend : against our selues he our owne selues will set , for to destroy vs if wee haue no let . hee will attempt vs for to hang our selues , whereby gods heauy wrath we doe procure ; to die in such a case like desperate clues , a curse denounced against all its sure : yea against all that doe this sinne commit , god grant we may haue grace to witstand it . sometime he tempts vs when we are asleepe , with false deluding and deceitfuil dreames ; to drench our selues in some vast ocean deepe , and lose our liues in one of neptunes streames : god did it giue , it 's hee that must it take , a sathans sacrifice we must not make . of our owne bodies or of any other , if sathan doe intice vs for to murther ; our dearest friends , our sister , or our brother , to doe wicked deeds he will vs further : with hearty prayers we must it preuent , thinke not on future time , but on th' euent . and what will follow after shedding blood , especially of those whom god doth loue : that we nere had beene borne it had beene good , then to prouoke the holy one aboue : and grieue his holy spirit which did seale vs to saluation if wee haue true zeale . a murtherer from the originall belzebub is , the truth hee doth abhorre ; also of lies he is the principall , and is to be of vs abhord therefore , because that in the truth we should reioyce , and laud the lord both with our hearts and voice . he can transforme himselfe to any shape , his cunning purposes for to obtaine ; vnto the likenesse of a beare or ape , and then that likenesse can againe regaine : and change himselfe perchance to some creature , hee is of such a variable nature . like a camelion quickly he can change his darke and obscure forme both cleare and bright : throughout the spacious orbe he still doth range , and turnes himselfe to an angels shape of light ; prince of the ayer he is cald likewise , which workes in those that doe the lord despise . to malice , pride , and anger hee 'l prouoke vs vnto drunkennesse and letcherie ; all godly thoughts in vs he sure will choake , and stirre vs vp to wrath and trechery : to play the prodigall and the vnthrift , to win our soules to him is all his drift . each baite for vice is hidden vnder pleasure , which greedily wee follow and pursue ; and wickednesse we worke beyond measure , we nere regard , nor thinke what will ensue : so that of pleasure we may haue our fill , wee doe not care although our soules it spill . vnder the honest shew of cleanlinesse , pride walketh mask't yet all men may it see ; old griping , carking raking couetousnes , is cald of euery cloth good husbandrie , in the superlatiue degree they sweare , as if the diuell should them rent and teare . my brethren saith saint iames sweare not at all ▪ nether by heauen nor yet by the earth , nor any oth that may our soules inthrall , when euer mors doth come to stop our breath , yea , yea , nay , nay , are the oathes wee should call , least into condemnation we fall . thus swearing is the diuels instrument , on of the lowdst alarums he can found ; likewise the diuell pride did first inuent , the first author of any sinne that 's found : hee 's the first founder of iniquity , and the originall of all antiquity . we must assault this seauen headed beast , hauing ten hornes ; yet not with dint of sword , ne lance nor speare ( deceiuing hee 'l nere rest ) hee must be conquered by gods holy word : a christians armour then we must put on , and take a christians courage vs vpon . our loynes with truth they must be girded well , of righteousnes wee must haue the brest-plate , with preparation of the gospell , our feet must be shod , eschewing all hate : the shield of faith , laying aside all euill , to quench the fiery darts of the diuell . also the helmet of saluation , the spirituall sword the word of god ; still praying with prayer and suppplication , that god would turne away his scoerging rod , and all our misdeeds vtterly deface , blot out our sinnes they nere may come in place . neither in this world vs for to accuse , nor in the world to come vs to condemne ; the death of christ will all our sinnes excuse , and his bowels burie all and some : and being then from seruile sinne made free , true seruants of righteousnesse we might be . this old deceiuer will vs not yet leaue , so long as there is any sparke of life ; in our bodies he will our soules deceiue , till death doth cut it with his fatall knife : ofttimes in sicknesse he will some molest : with terrors which are not to be exprest . this is the dragon which would vs deuoure , this is the serpent which did eue beguile ; this is the roring lion which each hower , this he that seekes t' insnare vs with his wile : this is the father of falshood and lies , the worker of our woes and miseries . peter commands vs to be vigillant , this deadly aduersary to withstand ; him to resist with force and to bee valiant , our soules and bodies against him to band : and reunite our forces altogether , yea to defie him still we must perseuer . if these vngodly sinnes wee follow still , and the inticers of them doe obay ; and follow it : in folio wee shall fill a volume great compil'd against that day , in which one good deed done will profit more then thousands of gold hoorded vp in store . and hauing seru'd these maisters whilst we liue , farre worse then slaues by them wee are kept vnder ; yet vnto them by no meanes we shall giue , one inch of leaue ; for they are nere asunder : to worke our bodies or our soules annoy , they doe incite themselues both to destroy . our worldly pleasures little will auaile , our fleshly lusts will nothing helpe at all ; our hoorded wealth will naught at all preuaile , when we are summon'd by deaths fatall call : who vncertaine yet certaine will meet vs , and with , sir i arrest you , it will greet vs. like a bold sergeant with his mase in 's fist , not to be danted , for death no man feares ; who can resist him then , not he that list , the rich mans threats , nor yet the widdowes teares : hee 's vnrelenting for he neuer respects , rich , poore , faire , foule , hee all to graue deiects . hee 's so impartiall that he none will spare , both young and old , yea all death will surprize ; for fatherlesse nor orphants he doth care , weepe whilst they will he nere regards their cryes : death is the wages that is due for sinne , which all our life time wee haue liued in . certaine death will come , we must expect it , the time and place god hath from vs conceal'd ; is 't fit for vs therefore for to neglect it , because our day of death is not reueal'd : wee should thinke on it and premeditate , before it come and our selues consolate . against the time that death will vs depriue , of all this worldly pleasure wee inioy ; it is in vaine to withstand him or striue against him : for hee soone can vs destroy : and change vs as is gods decree we must , be turned into ashes and to dust . death is the depriuation of life , ordaind by god , imposd on man for sinne ; a punishment which endeth all our strift , due vnto vs since life did first begin : and by the disobedience of one man , sinne entred first , and death by him began . to seize on all the time of adams kace , vpon each creature , there 's not one that 's free , or can escape , each one must it imbrace , yea , all are subiect to mortality : be it emperour , king , potentate or prince , death stands not with him for to dispence . two kinds of death the scripture saies there are , the first whereof is called corporall ; of which each mothers sonne must haue a share ; the last and second is spirituall . ordain'd by god to be a punishment , for all hard hardned hearts that don't repent . of corporall death each creature must tast , birds , fishes , beasts , as well as mortall men ; therefore before spirituall death it 's past , as it in order first proceedeth when corporall death of life doth vs depriue , gainst which all humane creatures still do striue . betwixt mans death and beasts the difference after they are of vitall life bereauen , the spirit of man hath his perfect essence , with the immortall god that reignes in heauen : and though mans body be dissolu'd to dust , at day of iudgement rise againe we must . and hauing finished death corporall , which is the depriuation of breath ; so that our soules may become immortall , so that wee need not feare the second death : that through christ who hath bruiz'd the serpents head , our soules may liue although our bodies dead . yet dead we are not , but in christ we sleepe , though in the ground our bodies buried be ; we hope th●ogh christ that god our soules doth keep who hath redeem'd vs with his blood , and freed vs from the bondage both of death and hell , that his elected might in glory dwell . the death of a beast now is otherwise , hee being dead his body is resolued ; to the first maker his soule doth arise from the temperature , and is dissolued , to nothing , which was nothing first of all , there is the end of breath and life finall . spirituall d●ath's the totall separation , of soule and body from the loue of christ ; and from that blessed congregation , which doe remaine aboue with god the highest triumphantly reioyce and singing praise , lauding and blesse gods holy name alwaies . who would not then spend well in this little time , that is bestowed on vs , and vs lent ; we should haue a care to commit no crime , to serue the lord our chiefe care should be bent ; in prime of youth we ought to thinke on death , seeing you know not when hee 'le stop our breath . perhaps it may be at this present hower , when least of all wee thinke vpon our end ; man withereth ( saith job ) as doth a flower , so doth man perish and come to an end : christ which our sins did beare this salue did giue , being dead through sinne , to righteousnesse to liue . our youthfull dayes of iollity and pleasure , those dayes wee sacrifice vnto the diuell ; for gods seruice seldome we find leasure , our lips is ●o composed of all euill , that sin●e we doe commit whilst we haue power , and nere desist from sinning day nor hower . but to doe euill still we doe insue , all wickednesse we worke with greedinesse , each motion that is good we doe eschew , wee giue our minds vnto lasciuiousnesse , with wanton pleasures we our selues deceiue , and nere leaue sinning till sinne doth vs leaue . death in his nature fearefull is and grim , christ by his death that feare hath rane away , and with his powerfull death vanquished him , that we to death triumphantly may say : death where 's thy sting ? and likewise to the graue no victory of vs thou now canst haue . moses describes our yeares threescore and ten , but few doe liue to that , fewer to more ; so short then are the dayes of mortall men , not one to twenty liues to be foure score : that godly moses to the lord still prayes , teach me ( saith he ) for to number my dayes . that holy dauid likewise doth intreat that he the number of his dayes might know ; yea earnestly these words he doth repeate , as is apparant , wherein he doth show : to know his frailty he doth it require , which was the totall somme of his desire . my dayes thou hast made like vnto a span , mine age is nothing in respect of thee ; we must returne to dust doe what we can , euery one liuing is but vanity : like to a shadow time doth passe away , without controulement , no man can him stay . each day our life doth hasten to an end , for wee are neerer vnto death this day , then yesterday , who can with time contend , nor bostingly no man ought thus to say , i certaine am to liue till to morrow , the smallest moment of time who can borrow . man is by iob compared vnto grasse , which now doe flourish , yet cut downe ere night : or to a shadow which apace doth passe , swifter then eagles hastning in their flight : death still pursues men wheresoere they goe , friend to the godly , but the wickeds foe . life is compar'd to things of short continuance , to smoke , to flowers , which doe vanish soone ; vnto things which are of no persistance , and changeth oftner then the changing moone : vnto a dreame , or likewise vnto stubble , which fire doth burne , or to a water-bubble . seing mans life is so vncertaine then , we need not wish long liuers for to be , being certaine death will come wee know not when , and longest liuers greatest sinners be : although we liue long , yet death comes at last , and then amongst dead men we must be plast . what man is he that listeth long to liue , vnto the vtmost as long as may be , his minde to viciousnesse he must not giue , if that he doe intend good dayes to see : his heart vprightly he must keepe the while , his tongue and lips that they do speak no guile . our life 's compos'd of nought but misery , in youth , in manhood , and decrepit age ; nothing attends on these but vanity , which doth the shortnesse of mans life presage , which is compar'd to glasse that is so brittle , and flyeth faster then a weauers shittle , for in this life is nought but vexation , our minds and bodies are alwayes troubled , repleat with sorrow and contemplation , christs death these sorrowes all hath comforted , and buried them in his deare precious blood , which is the salue that should do our soules good . god grant it may , that we may raigne in heauen , and with jehoua sing continuall praise ; of care and sorrowes wee shall be bere●aen , if we take care to serue the lord alwayes : which for to doe we must our selues indeauour , from doing good we neuer must perseuer . for of wel-doing we should not be weary , as wee haue sowne so wee shall reape likewise ; yea in due time we shall reape and be merry , if that we faint not , nor gods lawes despise : we need not feare the fatall dint of death , come when it will it can but take our breath . our bodies for a while may be dissolu'd , and turn'd to dust and earth from whence t was tane : our soules shall liue w' are certainly resolu'd , to raigne with christ with whom they did remaine : when we were in our mothers wombe conceiued , before we were into the world receiued . as our soule is the vnion of life , so is ●he spirit of god the soule of ours , which cannot be diuided with deaths knife , if god his spirit into our soules once power : in the celestiall heauen we shall raigne , and neuer feele the force of death againe . the thought of death in some will terror breed , ( and like belshazzar make them trembling stand ; ) at the rememberance of each thought and deed , when all our enemies themselues doe band against vs ; and the diuell will imploy , his best indeauors our soules to destroy . death to the godly is a welcome guest , and such a one as they doe long to see , it being come their troubles shall haue rest , and they gods glory face to face shall see : blessed are those that in the lord doe die , from their labours they rest eternally . certaine vncertaine death we must expect , and at all times we must stand on our guard , no time nor moment we must once neglect , vnto our selues we must haue more regard : that death at no time vnprouided catch vs , and vnexpected to the graue do snatch vs. in dying well , god doth two things require , of euery christian man that he should saue ; at these two things i greatly doe admire , to see that men no greater wisedome haue : but to neglect a thing of greatest : good , in time to come if they it vnderstood . the first is on death to premeditate , come wh●n it will we may be ready for it ; and not deferre it till it be too late , so that wee need not feare it , nor abhorre it : to bid death welcome we should ready be , and think 't the ioyful'st day we ere shall see . the second thing god doth of vs require , at time of death well our selues to behaue ; whereby we may escape hels burning fire , and flye to christ that he our soules may saue : this wee should doe , deaths vigor to preuent , ' gainst god doth come and call vs to iudgement . vvhilst we are liuing yet we may relent , and turne from vs gods wrath and indignation , but being dead its too late to repent , there is no sacrifice nor satisfaction : for after death there is no change at all , the tree doth lie as is at first his fall . and as men die they must to indgement rise , to answer for those sinnes they haue committed ; euen as they dyed and no otherwise , they can adde nought , nor ought can be omitted : to think on death each man somtime should spend , if that hee 'l make a sanctified end . as death doth leaue them so god will them finde , and as hee finds them so they iudg'd shall be ; if to doe well they haue themselues inclin'd , from all eternall woe they shall be free : certaine all must die by gods appointment , and after death all must come to iudgement . nam scriptum est that we account must giue , of euery idle word we peake that 's bad ; in what state of condition we did liue , a redde rationem must be had : of all our sinnes we must cast vp the summe , when we before gods iudgement seat doe come . the booke laid open our offences read , before gods face all must trembling stand ; both small and great , yea all that haue been dead , being summoned by trumpets command : blessed are they thrice blessed in their heart . that in the first re●urrection had part . whether one talent be hid or destroy'd , vnder ground , account shall be demanded , to what good vse or bad it be imployed . doing gods seruice as we are commanded : that we may goe into our mosters ioy , and vtterly be freed from all annoy . the sun in that day shall be darkened quite , the firmaments of light shall be bereau●n ; the changing moone shall not renew her light , the starres likewise shall fall downe from heauen : all mortalls hearts with feare must needs be taken when as the powers of heauen shall be shaken . the earth shall be remou'd from off her place , the ayre shall be dissolu'd to drops with heate ; euery thing thus chang'd , it 's a heauy case , the terror of that day who can repeate : it would dissolue a heart harder then ire , to behold the world in a burning fire . this is a day of wrath and wearinesse , a day of clouds and of thicke gloominesse , a day of desolation and distresse , a day of trouble and of wastinesse : this day will put the stoutest heart to feare , maugre his force in it he must appeare . before the iudgement seat of iesus christ , for to receiue the guerdion for their hire ; if it be good they shall raigne with the highest ; if otherwise they are fit for hell-fire : fewell for gods wrath to be tormented , because in life their sinnes were not repented . iude , iames his brother , likewise tels vs plaine , that the angels which kept not their estate , their first estate , but follow'd pleasures vaine , their habitation they left desolate , in euerlasting chaines he them reserues , against the iudgement day , as they deserues . in what place will the sinner then apeare , no place is left for him himselfe to hide ; when god in iudgement begins to draw neere , before whose iustice he cannot abide : with all his power he will crye and call , and wish that mountaines on him then would fall . and hide them from the face of him that sitteth vpon the throne , and from the angry lambe : being a iudge , all feare to him befitteth , to him that before abram was , i am : before his face all men must trembling stand , like belshazzer summond by trumphs command . the signe of the sonne of man shall appeare , in the cloudes comming with power and glory , who will astonish all mens hearts with feare , what will profit this life transitory ? each creature for feare shall be forlorne , and all the tribes of the earth then shall mourne . in an instant god will his angels send , with trumpets sound to gather his elect ; from the foure corners of the earth hee 'l send legions of angels to call his elect : this iudgement 's generall we must surmise , all graues must open , all dead must arise . and all before the iudge must be presented , rich , poore , young , old , persons are not respected , twice happy are those that their sinnes repented , but treble woe to those that it neglected : the ioyes of one shall nere be deceiued , the others torments cannot be conceiued . this is a time of trouble and vexation , a time of griefe of sorrow and of paine ; a time of anguish and desolation , a time that former time will not regaine : one hower the worth of thousands will surmount , of howers , dayes , years , we now make no account . a separation of goates from the sheep , sheepe on the right hand , goates on left being placd : with mercy and iustice god will iudgement keepe , in no wise he will haue his saints disgrac'd : each one shall shine farre brighter then the sun , being so decreed by god it must be done . vnto the sheepe with ioy the lord shall say , come yee blessed of my father inherit the kingdome that 's prepar'd for you for aye , because in life time you the same did merit : you cloath'd me naked , hungry you me fed , and if not me , poore brethren in my stead . vnto the goates the lord will say in 's ire , yee workers of iniquity depart ; goe yee cursed into erelasting fire , i doe hate and abhorre you with my heart : i being hungry you no meate me gaue , and in my kingdome you no share shall haue . what ioy and sorrow will be vttered then , the iust to goe singing continuall praise ; that they shall raigne with god who were but men , in the fellowship of angels alwayes : continually with prayses there to sing , vnto the lord both earth and heauens king. oh endlesse ioy that doth all ioy containe , oh happy hauen whose harbor is ease ; oh place of rest for to be freed from paine , oh fruitfull tree that fruit dost neuer lack , oh place delightfull which shall neuer cease , oh blest hauen that nere sufferest wracke . euen as their ioyes be innumerable , so in likewise the wicked are in paine ; they suffer torments insupportable , and nere shall be at ease nor rest againe , a terrible woe against them is denounst , when as the sentence , goe , is once pronounc'd . woe be to them they still shall liue in paine , woe vnto them they torments shall indure ; woe to them they shall nere be freed againe , woe to their sinnes for they did this procure : wo be to them , and woe be to vs all , for sinning thus we bring our soules in thral now that we may leaue sinning god grant grace , that in the highest heauens we may raigne ; there to behold jehouahs shining face , in that celestiall place still to remaine : there we shall praise his name with one accord with singing halleluiah to the lord. memento to esse mortalem . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e tres centos fertur vixisse amos . notes for div a -e ezeck . . . reu. . . non videbo id manticae quod intergo est . psal . . . psal . . . exod. . . . pro. . . . cor. . . psal . . . the nature of most men . homo vanitate fimales factus est . psal . . . psal . . . luk. . . baruch . . . eclesiast . . . . eccles . . . eccles . . . psal . . . tim. . . tim. . . phil. . . pro. . . the third vse . pro . . luk. . . ioh. . . quisquis amat mundum , amor dei non est in illum . luk. . . mans second enemy is himselfe . psal . . . lingua quid peius eadem . psa . . . eph. . ● mat. . . mat. . . pro. . . psal . . . zach. . . modestie and humility are two bridles for pride . rom. . . mat. . . psa . . . our third enemy is the diuell . gen. . . the presumption of sathan . mat. . . ioh. . . gal. . . amen . cor. . if wee destroy our bodies , wee sacrifice them to the diuell . mat. . . ephe. . . ioh. . cor. . . cor. . . eph. . . iam. . . mat. . . reu. . . eph. . . . . . rom. . . rom. . . rom. . . reu. . pet. . . eph. . . cor. . psal . . . psal . . . psal . . . iob. . . psal . . . gal. . . ● . gen. . . reu. . ● . qualis vitae finisita . heb. . . mat. . . luk. . . reu. . . reu. . . mat. . ● . mat. . . zeph. . . cor. . . iud. . . ioh. . ● . mat. . . mat. ● . rom. . . mat. . . mat. . . a dehortation from all sinne, but particularly the sinne of drinking. by george freman sonne to sr raphe freman master of requests freeman, george, sir. approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a dehortation from all sinne, but particularly the sinne of drinking. by george freman sonne to sr raphe freman master of requests freeman, george, sir. [ ], p. , printed by a[braham]. m[iller]., london : anno dom. . reproduction of the original at the british library. printer's name from wing cd. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- sermons -- early works to . temperance -- sermons -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - robyn anspach sampled and proofread - robyn anspach text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a dehortation from all sinne , but particularly the sinne of drinking . and when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren . luke chap. . ver. . by george freman sonne to s r raphe freman master of requests . london , printed by a. m. anno dom. . a dehortation from all sin , &c. reader , if thou hast been hitherto carefull to lead a good life , according to the rule of gods word , i entreat thee to persevere for the lords sake unto the end , that thou mayest receive the end of thy ●…ope even the salvation of thy soul ; which upon thy continuance in well doing , thou shalt most certainly accomplish , to thy unspeakable comfort : but if thou art a captive to the false , and deceitfull pleasures of sin , as i have been ; hearken unto me , who can upon too too long an experience ( lord pardon my many relapses ) assure thee , that what fair appearances soever sin presents thee with in its first approaches , it will leave a sting behind , and after the commission of every sinfull act , thou wilt most certainly be so far remov'd from god as the greatness of thy sin was ; and as the testimonies of a good conscience decay , so will the accusations of an evil one come in their room , till insensibly thou fall into horror and despondencies of spirit , one of the least of which is far too dear a price for all the pleasures the world can afford thee . these are the entrances of hell into thy soul , upon the withdrawings of god and spirituall consolations ; without which the soul languisheth , as the body fainteth upon a decay of the animall , or vitall spirits : this must thou look for after the continuance in any known , and presumptuous sin , but if thou find it not , thy condition is dangerous , for the obduration , or hardening of the heart is the threshold of hell : look quickly then and seriously into thy soul ; labour to get a sight of thy sins in the book of conscience , whiles they may be blotted out ; pray earnestly to god for a true sense of them , ( for prayer is the key of heaven ; ) consider often of death , judgement , heaven , and hell ; think how odious the sin of ingratitude is between man and man , and that unthankfulness for the blood of christ is the highest of that kinde : think of the shortness of mans life , and the great business is to be done in that little life : that thy short life is posting to an end ; o the folly , and madness of sin ! it is a continuall acting against reason , a treasuring up of wrath with the god of all power , a providing for the society of devils , and damned souls , who will be cursing their maker , and one another to all eternity ; 't is that which only is dishonourable to man , a disturbance to commonwealths ; it is the satisfaction of devils ( if they could have any , ) the trouble of angels , and blessed souls , nay the grieving of the holy ghost , and the continuall murthering of the son of god. i have no design in this short discourse , but the glory of god , the conversion of souls , and the discharging of my own conscience , by testifying to as many as i can , the detestation of my former life , that so the ill consequences of my example may be in some measure repaired by this publication of my self : and therefore wish to that end that all may see this , that saw my debauchery : and i beseech god to give me boldness in the confession of my faults , and to make me only shamefull of recommitting them . above all things i advise men to beware of immoderate drinking , which duls the understanding , and makes the soul impatient of contemplation : it disposeth vehemently to the pleasures of sense , and to a gigling impertinent mirth ; it precipitateth to the acts of uncleanness , and exciteth all the passions , exposing men to many and daily hazards both of soul , and body , and rendring them unfit for any employment either in ecclesiasticall , or civill affairs . and since it is so , that some mens bodies by their temperament do require strong drinks more than others , it is not a totall abstinence but a moderate use of it which is expected : for which end i think it a very good rule by which to set some observable bounds to drinking ; that men would drink so far as to cherish the stomack , but not to the least elevation of the brain ; and the stomack is satisfied with a small quantity , unless a man lye under the cheat of a habit : but when the spirits of the wine , or any strong liquor , begin to mount up to the brain , from whence the soul doth principally , and most immediately act ; the contemplative power begins to be disquieted , and unfixt , and the soul now to fluctuating , as it were , and wavering in her motion , ( her best , and steady operations being hindred ) pleases her self with being conversant about outward things , and triviall objects , and lyes more expos'd to the danger of frequent temptations : this which i speak of is but the first change of the brain , when it is altered from its usuall tone and composure ; and although a man may drink to this pitch , and yet carry civility about him , and a favourable correspondence with men , because his tongue doth not falter , neither is his understanding so obscu'rd , as to fail , at least in matters of common converse ; yet this person who hath done nothing unacceptable to the world , hath so chang'd the scene within himself , that he is now more at the command of his sensuall appetite , than before , and his noble faculties begin to lean towards the world , and stagger in the sight of god , though his legs stand firm before the eyes of them that see him : i appeal to the consciences of any such plausible drinkers , whether they do not find themselves more cold in acts of devotion , more fond of outward pleasures , more affected with the thoughts of temporall honours , and the favour of great men , more than the love of jesus . whether the contemplation of eternity and the estate of their souls in reference to that being , doth so well relish with them at that time ? if they did so , why do they not wave a stage-play , and go to publick prayers , which are at that time ? why , instead of going to a wrangling gaming-house , do they not study the game of christianity , that they may beat that experienc'd gamester the devil , and win their souls , which lye continually at stake , and are in eminent danger of being lost ? what a sad thing is it that so noble a creature as man , should rest in , and be contented with trifles , for whom are prepar'd the glories of eternity , if here he will take upon him the easie yoke , and light burden of christ ? now although many men that drink not , may , and do often these things , and far worse ; yet drink betrays them more easily to vanities , and idle pastimes : therefore be carefull to avoid this degree of drinking , and thou wilt then be secure from the scandalous sin of visible drunkenness , which is the beastly consummation of the former : i do not speak this to perswade men from society , and chearfulness ; as if religion , and mirth were things inconsistent ; since i know that true mirth is found no where else : but we do for the most part mistake mirth the most of any thing : accounting that it consists in laughter only ; whereas properly a man may be most truly merry when he laugheth least : for none laugh more than ideots , and men of weak understanding , and sensualists ; while men advanc'd in knowledge , and quieted in mind , by serious and due reflections on themselves , do it but seldome : but none will deny but the latter sort , have the greater cause for mirth , and consequently must needs be more truly merry ; for true mirth is a complacency of the mind , arising from the apprehension of our personall happiness ; yet while we are in the body , laughter is naturall , and if it be kept within its bounds , and plac't upon right subjects , is both allowable , and conducing to health ; but is not tyed to the glass , or bowl : this caution against drinking , concerns those chiefly whose bodies require strong drinks in some small proportion , ( for none do much ) since those who are of another temperament , will abstain without any mans counsell , or any vertue of their own , which is only seen where there are propensities to the contrary ; though some men of this sort may contract habits to themselves , contrary to the first requisites of nature . i cannot methinks disswade men enough from this sin , because i have so often drawn others into it , and therefore hope to make some reparation for the spirituall hurt i may have done them who are yet living , whiles for those of my associates who are departed this life , i hope the mercies of god did overtake them ▪ and i wish from my soul that the spirituall dangers which i have experimented , and do know to be in that which we call good fellowship , or a chirping cup ( two seducing terms ) and the great scandall , besides the sin it self , which is in staggering drunkenness , may have such an influence upon those who have no account to make for any thing that they have yet done as to this sin , that they may never commit it ; and for those who have , and do yet continue in it , that considering the great dangers attending upon it , which ( though now drown'd in the lavours of the grape ) will one day rise up and shew themselves to their terrour , they may start from it with as terrible apprehensions , while they may prevent the danger , as the reprobate will do at hell when time is past , and he cannot escape it . for my own particular , i have habituated my self to this vice from my youth , and of later years have continued in it upon a misapprehension , that the predominancy of my temperament being melancholy , which is cold , and dry , it did require the supply of some accidentall heat to correct it : but i do now think i have mistaken my self all this while , since looking back upon my beginning , i do not find i was so when i was under tutelage ; and therefore do impute it to a habit contracted since , and some intervening causes of discontent : but since it is so easie a thing to be cheated into an ill custome , and so dangerous to be under it , it behoves us to be very vigilant against this adversary , which comes in the shape of nature , and hath such great advantages upon us . custome hath an interest in the actions of the whole world ; in good men it disposeth them to goodness , though the first principle that moves in them is a principle of grace ; but when the sanctified soul hath made some progress in a good life , custome comes in , and promotes it , and facilitates our perseverance : in bad men likewise it disposeth , and enclines them the more strongly to vice ; and you shall finde , that men who accustome themselves to a constant afternoons-draught in the week dayes , seldomest go to an afternoons sermon upon the sunday , if they go at all ; because the ill habit prevails so strongly , that the vitiated stomack must have its false wants supplied , though the soul miss of her spirituall repast . to prevent the contracting of this habit upon such as are yet free , and to set those at liberty who are enslav'd by it , i shall propose this generall remedy ; be alwaies employ'd in lawfull exercises : it is an epidemicall disease amongst the nobility and gentry of this nation , to be sick of their time ; which is such a burden to them , that being tir'd with the tediousness of the day , they must either drink or trifle it away to avoid a surfeit ; this as it is a disparagement to their judgements , so it is an exceeding detriment to their souls ; for since man hath a soul which must be eternally sav'd or damn'd , he is a fool that thinks he wants employment , and he doth every minute draw neerer to the ruin of himself ; therefore let none of us ever pretend that we want business : if i have no accounts to take concerning my estate ; no law-suits to follow ; though i am not a magistrate , or a divine , though i have no office at court , though i have the gout and cannot walk ; though i am blind , or shut up in a dungeon from conversing either with men or books , or whatsoever can befall me , yet still i have a soul which is in her militant estate , and in the worst of these conditions i can do acts of repentance , reflecting with sorrow and detestation upon my sins past , and renewing my purposes of amendment : i can meditate upon gods mercies and all his attributes ; i can perform acts of praise to him : and for those publike actions which i cannot do if i am denied the liberty of my body , and the society of men , yet i can have them in voto , and desiring to do what i am denied , and so i can keep on my journey to heaven , though i lie sheckel'd in a dungeon . but indeed employment is as generally mistaken as mirth ; for most men think they want it , if their time be not spent in some bodily exercise , or upon some slight or common subject ; but for meditation upon god and the soul , the concernments of it , that 's accounted a symptome of melancholly , and reading , writing , or discoursing of any thing that is serious , or profitable , which comes the neerest to it . a great cause of this evil ariseth , either from the carelesness of parents in not giving their children a literate education , or their own neglect of improving it , when they are at liberty from their tutors , or parents , or whoever had the charge of them : for as the principles of learning and knowledge do wear out , so the delight in superficiall things grows more strong and prevalent ; because the knowledge of any one thing , and the delight in it , alwayes go , and come together ; since we cannot take pleasure in any thing which we are ignorant of : therefore hawking , hunting , horse-matches , gaming , stage-plays , and the like , are made the business of our time , in which our delights do terminate , which should only be us'd to unbend the mind , and give it relief after serious employments ; and to exercise the body for the preservation of health , being altogether subordinate to greater ends ; and this is one reason why taverns are so much frequented ; because libraryes are out of request , and holy , learned , or serious communications do not relish with us : but this is not sufficient to excuse them : for though men either want education , or stifle it , yet they cannot extinguish reason , and lose the principles of religion , which they have in their catechismes , in their bibles , and by preaching ; and therefore upon that account it is expected by god , that they yeeld obedience to him proportionably to this common , and generall knowledge ; which if any man fails to do , want of education will not be a sufficient plea , because it will be found to be an act of his will , running contrary to these degrees of knowledge : if any man shall say at the tribunal of christ , that he spent his time in drinking , and idle pastimes , because he was not brought up to learning , what will that avail him , who did live under the means of grace , which were sufficient for his salvation ? for though he had no knowledge in tongues , and sciences , yet he knew the commandements of god , and could not plead ignorance in presumptuous sins ; and though he that cannot read and understand greek , or latin , yet if he can read english , let him spend a part of his time in reading the bible , and other good books , and though he cannot discourse in naturall or morall philosophy , or in the metaphysicks , nor much in practicall divinity , yet let him speak within the limits of his knowledge , let him reprove common sins , and give all encouragement to the generals of a holy life , both by word and example : and if he be sooner tir'd with discourse , than men of greater knowledge would be ; then let him betake himself ( as i advis'd before ) to some honest divertisements ; but not to any thing that hath the least appearance of evil in it ; the result of this is , that whether a man be literate , or illiterate , he may serve god : and those gentlemen of our nation that are not members of the commonwealth of learning , may yet be members of the mysticall body of christ : and though their delight in great studies , in polemicall discourses and meditations are lost , proportionably to the decay of their knowledge , yet their time may be the more spent in the agenda of religion , and they may be allow'd a more frequent use of lawfull recreations , but not of drinking though but to good-fellowship ; which though the word sounds finely , a man can hardly do it and secure his innocence : but since the remedy of continuall employment is not sufficient for an accustomed drinker , he must unravell the habit by little and little , to which the shunning of idleness will very much help him . to conclude , let us be carefull to resist all the species and kindes of sin whatsoever , for it is only sin which can deprive us of the favour of god , which if once we are excluded from , we are eternally lost ; but especially the sin of drinking , which is the unhappy parent of all other sins : and therefore the more carefully to be withstood ; which care if this short admonition may but stir up in one soul , i should more rejoyce to know than to have the greatest honour of the nation confer'd upon me . now to god the father , god the son , and god the holy ghost , be all honour , glory , praise and adoration , given by me , and by all his creatures , from hence forth to all eternity . amen . finis . the court convert: or, a sincere sorrow for sin, faithfully travers'd expressing the dignity of a true penitent. drawn in little by one, whose manifold misfortunes abroad, have render'd him necessitated, to seek for shelter here; by dedicating himself and this small poem. by h.a. gent. h. w. (henry waring) approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing w aa estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the court convert: or, a sincere sorrow for sin, faithfully travers'd expressing the dignity of a true penitent. drawn in little by one, whose manifold misfortunes abroad, have render'd him necessitated, to seek for shelter here; by dedicating himself and this small poem. by h.a. gent. h. w. (henry waring) p. printed for the author, [london] : [ ?] place and date of publication from wing. epistle dedicatory signed: henry anderson. in verse. copy stained with print show-through and tightly bound. reproduction of the original in the harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread - emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the court convert : or , a sincere sorrow for sin , faithfully travers'd ; expressing the dignity of a true penitent . drawn in little by one , whose manifold misfortunes abroad , have render'd him necessitated , to seek for shelter here ; by dedicating himself and this small poem . by h. a. gent. printed for the author . to the honoured ioseph boyeck esq r : s r the author's condition being at present on a level , and the basis of his former fortune overthrown , to get clear of the dilemma , and prevent his future interment in the ruins ; humbly takes leave to dedicate this small poem ( the off-spring of a penny-less muse ) to your kind acceptance : having nothing in this iron age , wherewith to support him , but a feeble quill . he knows it is not practicable to trade for wealth in the poets territories , he might as well depend on the wheel of fortune for a benefit , which only turns to the advantage of her favourites , than fish for pearl in the muses helicon , where are only wrecks , and no riches ; he has only play'd a little about the brink ; which , if not we done , is submitted to correction : but , b●lieving the spirit of goodness and true humility , resides in your generous breast , as rich gemm in a noble cascate , he is encourag'd to lay this the aforesaid brat a● your hospitable gate ; for they whose estimate of men , and things proceed not from a blind and popular applause ; lives u●most near the example of our saviour who , when on earth declin'd the conversation of a proud tetrarch , for that of a poor lazer , and valu'd more the holy acts of an humble fisher , then all the great and heroick deeds of a haughty caesar . i am your honours most dutiful servant , henry anderson the court convert . deluding world , which hath so long amus'd , and with false shapes my dreaming soul abus'd ; ●yrannick court , where simple mortals buy , with life and fortune , splendid slavery ; ●ence-forth adieu ; my goodly stock of years , ●aid out for that , i now lament with tears . monarchs , who with amazing splendor glare , ●nd favorites , who their reflections are ; ●oth shine , 't is true , but 't is like glass they do ; ●rittle as that , and made of ashes too : the hour is set , wherein they must disown the royal pomp , the treasure , and the throne : the dazling lustre of majestick state shall be extinguish'd by the hand of fate ; highness must stoop into the hollow grave , and keep sad court in a cold dampish cave . beauty , and jovial youth , decays apace ; age still , and sickness , oft doth both deface , the favorite whom all adore and fear , whose strength doth so unshakable appear , it 's but a tower built on flitting sands , no longer than the tempest sleepeth , stands : nor can the calm of fortune long insure ; or monarch's favour , crazy man secure : we moulder of our selves , and soon or late , we must resign beloved life to fate . from stately palaces we must remove , the narrow lodging of a grave to prove : leave the fair train , and the light-guilded room , to lie alone benighted in the tomb. god only is immortal ; man not so : life to be paid , upon demand , we owe. the rigid laws of fate , with none dispense , from the least beggar , to the greatest prince . the crooked sythe , that no distinction knows , monarchs , and slaves , indifferently mows . one day we 'd pity those we now admire , when after all the glory they acquire ; when after all the famous conquests they have made , fierce death their lawrels in the dust hath laid . those heads and hands , which states and princes steer , who rule in peace , and conquer in the war , shall , by a sad , and certain change of state , be doom'd a prize to death , and rigid fate : then be no more ; their very name will die to fame , unless preserv'd by history . 't is heaven's great king alone , whom angels serve who does our hearts , our care , our love , deserve ; to him all 's due , there 's nought at our command , but must be paid at his divine demand : to him the christian ought to make his court , his love the only matter of import : not , but that honour must to kings be paid , being by heav'n , heav'n's vicegerents made ; to such we dedicate our hearts and hands , with due submission to their just commands ; and their unjust ones , tho we cannot do , we must the mulct , with patience , undergo : t is sacrilege ( in any case ) to pry ●nto the god-like power of majesty ; and mere typheon insolence to strive , law to a king , with lawless arms to give . but all good subjects should adore the hand , by which kings , and the crowns they wear , do stand ; and while the earth's great master we revere , pay homage also to the thunderer ; to god , whom kings obey ; whose bounty gave their scepters , crowns , and all the goods they have : to god , whose sun-beams guilded royal state , and glory gives to each great monarch's fate ; with whose unknown , but to him easy , skill , manages powers , and princes as he will. now for to get in favour with this prince , there needs no more , but simple innocence : no honour at his court is bought with gold ; but for cheap love are all preferments sold : and in proportion to the love you bring , you shall have power from the king of kings : with a good stock of love there one may climb , to a great fortune , in a little time . nor is it hard me-thinks to love a god , who is himself so loving , and so good. in other courts a man doth lose himself , oft for a little , and long drudg'd for pelf ; in business bearing an uncertain state , made void ( sometimes ) by envy , or by hate , rendring possession of too short a date . for as a dropsie makes the body grow , ( at the same time , that it brings nature low ) o're-whelm'd with water , choak'd with wind , so wealth at once swells up , and starves the mind ; ●t god , the soul's capacity doth fill ; ●is bounty over-flows man's boundless will : ●nd since the earth cannot our nature bless , ●nd the great world 's too little for the less , ●is boundless self he gives us , is so good ( as romans hold ) the sacramental food ●o regale us , with 's body and his blood , with heavenly manna , angels tasteful meat , the same he gave his loving twelve to eat : ●imself the treater , and himself the treat . come all that hunger to the royal feast ; come ev'ry one and wear the nuptial vest : ●et the king's splendor dash , or dazle none ; or being mean , discourage any one . ●our host is known to be as meek , as great ; and will alike the king and beggar treat . spare not his board , you cannot make him poor ; the more he gives , the greater is his store : his bounty , like his treasure 's unconfin'd , by giving , still to give the more inclin'd . come then , and crowd into his royal court , and to the source of goodness all resort . love h i m , whose goodness words cannot express ; and whose ail-flowing bounty is not less ; lift up your reason then , and have a care , no foolish worldly baubles enter there : with such precaution you 'll acquire his grace , and purchase in his glorious court a place , where you will bless the day you first awoke , the happy time in which your slumber broke : crowds of all blessings will your hearts invade , and your fresh blooming joys will never fade . no more the storms of princes you will fear , that cause so many wrecks , and wretches here , where in a moment all the cargo's lost , which your whole stock of anxious care has cost ; one day [ with god ] affords you more content , than twenty lives , in courts of princes spent ; an angry word , a slight , a gloomy frown , will be enough to cast a courtier down : ●f he would beg a favour of his king , let his request be ne'er so mean a thing , a hundred journeys he must undertake , his suit to this and that great courtier make : thousands of legs , and cringes it will cost ; ●nd after all , perhaps his labour 's lost . ●ut with god's votaries it is not so ; we cannot ask so fast , as he 'll bestow ; his ear is still , to hear our suits , inclin'd , and to each suitor daily proveth kind . he often hears , before we are aware , and our least wants by him consider'd are ; the smallest hair falls not beside his care. on him we cannot our good thoughts displace , unless we madly throw away his grace . only to him our hearts should yield the sway , and not , by false obedience , heaven betray : for first god doth what he would have us do , love with a love , beyond example true : his charming law is love , his yoke is sweet , both for the king and poorest beggar meet : easy and light , alike to great and small , and the same hire proposed to them all . of monarchs , he to him is great alone , who to himself becomes a little one. the only greatness which poor man can have , ●s to be here his great redeemer's slave : that king that doth not heav'n's just king obey , a traitor is himself to majesty . the simple shepherd , who with chast desire , the cheerful innocence to heav'n aspires : the honest painful labourer , who sweats ●rom morn to night , to get the bread he eats ; ●f he serves heaven , is indeed more great than kings , with all their pride and purple state. thrice brave those monarchs , who had dar'd to fly ●rom all th' alluring charms of majesty ; lay down the sword , their conqu'ring troops forsake , unarm'd alone the heaven of heavens t'attack , a holy war with hosts of pleasures wage , ●nd tho the flesh did for the foe ingage , triumph'd o'er foreign and domestick rage . thrice blest are those , who fled from being great , from courts to safer cottages retreat : heaven kindly doth their humble thoughts defeat ; for greatness , while they strive to shun , they meet . they are made great , and so more glorious kings , by being just , than by all earthly things . ah! how we win , in losing for our god , while heav'n is gain'd for a poor sorry clod of earth : when for a short grief here endur'd , we are of everlasting joys assur'd : since for one pleasure we refuse our sense , we shall have millions for our recompence . poor abus'd men , unlucky flock , they stray without the shepherd , void of the right way . unthinking souls , that perish with delight , which all the threats of heav'n cannot affright : f●r sure those pains , which do on sin attend , ●ins which begin , but never must have end ; ●●e immaterial fire that burneth still , ●●t to their great misfortune cannot kill ; ●he devil's dungeon , and all sorts of pain , ●hich human fortitude cannot sustain , ●ight ( one wou'd think ) mens brutish courage shake , ●nd in our souls a noble fear awake : ●●t if the racks of hell can't sin subdue , ●ffer the lord of hosts to conquer you ; ●●pose him not unwisely , but imbrace ●●e favourable offers of his grace : ●●store him to the kingdom of your hearts , ●●st without mercy , by the devil's arts : ●he old vsurper's lawless power disown , ●epose the hellish tyrant from the throne ; ●●d let king jesus reign in it alone . his law is much more easy to observe , than those o' th' world ( which yet we gladly serve it neither hurts the body , nor the mind ; but is indeed to one and t'other kind : a check sometimes it may afford to sense ; but is , at length , it s own benevolence . o divine law ! o easy law of love ! let me observe thee , and thy wages prove : but then i' th' world a hundred laws there be , void of all sense , but full of tyranny ; where foppish form , our liberty restrains , and cripples us with false fantastick chains . you must pretend to love whom you detest ; fawn on the great one , when by him opprest ; with sneering praise guild o'er his blackest crimes , and all those humours which debauch the times : ●sk your displeasure with a smiling face , ●●d swear you 're highly pleas'd with your disgrace ; ●●iumph in shew , when you are overthrown , ●●d all your discontents and griefs disown ; ●●tting off quite ( with base uneasy art ) ●●e honest commerce of the mouth and heart . ●●hameful slavery of poor mankind , ●●worthy of a man , or christian mind ! ●●●tead of christ , whom always we shou'd own , ●●●se tyranny and passion we enthrone ; ●●●nging to those that from all vertue run , ●● serve a thousand masters in their turn . ●●e crouded way of vice cou'd never show 〈◊〉 pleasure , which true vertue doth bestow ; ●●●m innocence a native joy accrues , 〈◊〉 wracking sorrow always guilt pursues . the ill man 's never quiet nor content ; the good is full of chear , ●ho penitent . his inward calm upon his brow appears , and halcyon like , no blustring storm he fears . him , all the turns of fate 's prepar'd to find , meets frowns and favours with an equal mind . if sickness warns him of approaching death , or fortune robs him of his worldly wealth , it cannot his unshaken courage move , who , above earth , hath plac'd in heav'n his love his health , his riches , and his sole delight , is here to serve his god with all his might ; and that great master faithfully to trace , whose death was triumph , pleasure a disgrace ; he lov'd the cross ; o cross ! o happy wood ! that once was manur'd with our saviour's blood , and moisten'd with his tears , with tears of grief , whilst he that shed them , dy'd for our relief ; whose all-revenging death [ by th' cross ] did quell th' usurped force of sin , and power of hell ; the stygian monster 's power , and so set free ●enowned heroes from captivity . t was by this cross that he to heav'n did climb , ●nd order'd all mankind to follow him . ● cross ! o christ ! o wounds ! o streams of blood ! ● king ! to your ungrateful slaves too good ! ●y heart's delight , my lingring soul's desire , ●y love , that burns me with a jambent fire . ●y jesus ! blessed body , and his blood , ●rought down from heav'n above to be man's food : ●our love , i find , does to such height amount , ●y gratitude is lost in the account . when punishment was to my actions due , amazing favours my misdeeds ensue ; instead of being by your justice thrust , with sudden thunder , into native dust : while with my works i earn'd the fire of hell , and satan triumph'd o'er my wretched will ; when i provok'd your justice with the height of base ingratitude , and earth's delight , you did ev'n then , o depth of goodness ! deign , my heart of all innated vice to drain ; which first , in being yours , was truly blest , till i ( vile wretch ) my master dispossest : yov were its lord , its monarch ; and what more ? vouchsaf'd t' espouse a thing so mean and poor , to the expence of your dear blood and breath ; your purple sweat and tortures , worse than death , so dear it cost yov ; yet i bore away , tho you have ( once more ) made the wretch your prey . dear lord , i wander'd in the paths of vice , and grop'd on blindfold to the precipice : ●nstead of loving yov , the only good , 〈◊〉 made each empty vanity my god : but , o excess of mercy ! yov repay , with grace and gifts your slave 's black treachery , whom the false world , and falser court deceiv'd ; whom sin and satan wretchedly enslav'd . what dismal blindness did possess my mind , ●or silly short-liv'd toys to have resign'd a blest eternity ; and you dear lord , who can a real heavenly good afford ! eyes , on my cheeks let trickling tears run down , your guilty selves in your own waters drown . false guides , that led me to the hunter's snare ; when by my self , left wholly to your care : ah poor , ambitious , fond , deluded sight , thus on the sorry creature to delight ! your fellow-slave , a bit of earth , a dream , e'en a poor wretched nothing to esteem . for what avails a mitre or a crown , or all that here a man can call his own ? those whom our fawning flatterers call great , whom baser mankind prostrate at their feet , in the divine eternal glass appear as little as the meanest mortal here . when th' eye in darkness sets , and life's warm fire with th' ice of death , in sorrow doth expire ; what matters gold , by some men so ador'd ? what pleasure will a starry crown afford ? this garb ill fits a pale and lifeless head , and that bright metal shines not to the dead ; corruption then will not forbear its prey , for fear of dead and helpless majesty ; nor will that lustre , which amaz'd poor man , dazle the legions of bold vermin then : alas ! there 's no distinction in the grave , between the greatest king and meanest slave : all flesh is there unto one change design'd , and leaves all worldly goods and fame behind . but different fates the righteous souls attend , from theirs that here do make a wicked end. those of the good , to heaven's great king repair , the unknown pleasures of his court to share , ●n peace and glorious triumph to enjoy the fruit of their laborious victory : but those who lodg'd in bodies , did defy , with unrepented crimes , the deity , condemn'd to chains , and hopeless of relief , die to all bliss , but ever live to grief . it is a doleful scene , to see base man provoke his patient maker all he can ; shun happiness , so easy to be won , and take a world of pains to be undone ; even employ his whole life-long , to buy a wretched right to endless misery . thus he , who studies to indulge his earth , and quite neglects the meaning of his birth , into the gaping jaws of satan runs , and the inviting arms of jesus shuns : those arms that stand still open to receive all weary prodigals that sin do leave ; arms full of love and pity , which display , even to foes and traitors , sanctuary : ●or those he left his father's bright abode , made son of man , to make man son of god. to cure their wounds , he life's elixir bled , and dy'd a death , to raise them from the dead . dear jesus , who with such a charming art , ●ath soften'd and reduc'd man's sinful heart ; did likewise , on the day the church renews the annual obsequies of her dead spouse , ●rom worldly vice her votary set free , ●nd from the court an● world deliver'd me : ●o from my self , thus freed , didst after deign , ●o bind me with your love 's enlarging chain : ●or such your favours , shew me but the way , ●ood lord , my due acknowledgment must pay . ●ou had the goodness , for my sake , to dye , which i , for you , will do most willingly : and since my life cannot suffice to pay for the least breath of that you gave away ; i wish the lives of all the world were mine , that all , for your dear sake , i might resign . but a rent heart , since you will not despise , and a bruis'd reed , to you in sacrifice , my prayers i humbly offer ; and adore the god that doth accept a gift so poor . i love you , lord , as bed-rid men love health , close prisoners freedom , or starv'd beggars wealth my soul thirsts after thee , pure spring of good , as the chac'd deer after a cooling flood . nor do i love you for your heaven ; no , for your blest sake all comfort i 'll forego . the sharpest pain from thence will easy be , and nought but hell can be a grief to me . finis . one come from the dead, to awaken drunkards and whoremongers being a sober and severe testimony against the sins and the sinners, in an exact description of the nature and danger of these two soul-destroying evils : together with proper and sovereign remedies / by richard garbut ... ; with epistles to the reader, by mr. r. baxter, and mr. william jenkins. garbutt, richard. approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing g estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) one come from the dead, to awaken drunkards and whoremongers being a sober and severe testimony against the sins and the sinners, in an exact description of the nature and danger of these two soul-destroying evils : together with proper and sovereign remedies / by richard garbut ... ; with epistles to the reader, by mr. r. baxter, and mr. william jenkins. garbutt, richard. baxter, richard, - . jenkyn, william, - . [ ], , [ ] p. printed for francis smith ..., london : [ ?] reproduction of original in cambridge university library. "the epistle to the reader" by richard baxter is dated london, august , . created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- early works to . drinking of alcoholic beverages -- great britain -- controversial literature. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - mona logarbo sampled and proofread - mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion one come from the dead , to awaken drunkards and whoremongers . being a sober and severe testimony against the sins and the sinners ; in an exact description of the nature and danger of these two soul-destroying evils . together with proper and sovereign remedies . by richard garbut , b. d. who being dead , yet speaketh . with epistles to the reader , by mr. r. baxter , and mr. william jenkins . eph. . . because of these things cometh the wrath of god. london , printed for francis smith , at the elephant and castle near the royal exchange in cornhill . price bound s. imprimatur , c. smith . to the truly honourable , and good lady , the lady barwick , of toulston in york-shire . good madam , though your many former favours merit an acknowledgment from me beyond what i am capable any way to express ; and though nothing more usual than to take the opportunity of dedications , to l●…nch out into obsequious encomiums , and sometimes deserved praises of obliging great persons , yet without the consideration of your gre●…t averseness to any thing that looks like ●…ttery ( if but the modest and just mention os real worth , ) i had this onely design and ●…ope , in ●…utting this treatise into your wardship and ●…atronage ( the author being long since dead ) that your eminency in degree , together with your great eminency in piety and known enmity to vice , together with your true countenancing os vertues , and exemplary strictness , in family order and discipline might encourage many to the reading of this most useful and seasonable treatise ; and so through the grace of god may prove of great advantage to them , who otherwise would scarce give a look through the title-page : if i am blame-worthy in thus doing , it can be no reslection upon your honour , since i have done it without consulting you , or asking your consent . i shall add no more but the recognition of my inward assectiona●…e esteem of your ladyship , and fervent prayers for a blessing from the great god and our saviour , upon your person and right honourable off-spring , that you may grow in all graces , together with that approved faithsulness to god and man which runs in your veins ; and is the genius of the truly good family , ( the ancient family of the s●…ricklands , of boynton-house , where the sob●…r and learned sir thomas strickland now resi●…eth , nephew to your ladyship , and eldest son to that worthy patriot sir william strickland , whose well known piety and prudence will eternize his memory ; ) i subscribe my self ( good madam ) your honours truly devoted servant in the lord jesus , thomas hardcastle . a prefatory epistle to the reader , especially to the inhabitants of the town of leeds , in yorkshire , with some few remarques of the authors life . beloved friends and countrymen , these sermons were preached to your fathers , and the printing of them may prove good preventing physick to your children ; the wisdom of god by solomon , hath thought it meet to spend some scriptures in precautions , and particular descriptions of pit-falls , that they may be the better avoid●…d , prov. . ●… . & . . prov. . ●… . & . . of this nature are th●… fol●…owing treatises , which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…ublished many ●…ars ago , ●…d ●…or that end the manuscrip●… ( being left in the ●…ands of ●…r . mans●…ield h●…sle aster mr. 〈◊〉 death ) were delivered to * mr. na. jackson and my self : after mr. j●…ckson's death the thing lay buried , and almost qui●…e forgotten , till lately the lord brought it fresh upon my spirit , that something was to be done by me in order to the fulfilling the will of the dead , that the desires and intentions of the persons above-mentioned might be answered ; besides , i was the more willingly drawn to it upon this ground , that i have been told by some that lived in those days , that such a warning and testimony as this is as necessary , and may be as prositable now as it was then ; perhaps , also one rising from the dead may strike some terror into a sensual generation , and the fingers of a mans hand - writing , dan. , , , , . when it comes to be seen and read , may cause more change of countenances , and procure more troubled thoughts than any the loudest reproofs of the tongue preaching . this for the publication : as for the author , i never knew him , i was not come into the world when he went out of it ; onely this true and brief account of some passages of his life , noted by his intimate friends and observers , which because the genius of the present age renders emphatically seasonable , i shall communicate . that during his abode in sidney-colledge he approved himself an exemplary student , a great proficient , a ●…areful tutor , and for conversation unblameable ; so●… hi●… eminent worth he was so valued by dr. ward , the master of that colledge , that he singled him out to go with him when he went to the synod of dort ; after his return thence , when the colledge-statutes so required , he commenced batchelor in divinity , and in the year . he made solemn vows in writing ( found since his death , in his study ) to this effect ; never to take upon him any higher degree than what he already had , to yield up his fellowship , and never to have any commodity of it after december the same year ; to leave the colledge and university by such a time , never to give money directly or indirectly for any benefice , never to have two benefices at once , never to be properly a non-resident , that is ( as his words were ) to absent himself from his proper cure , and live ordi●…arily else where upon pleasure sor inter●…st , ambition , or 〈◊〉 like . according to his vow he 〈◊〉 up his fellowship , and left 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , being not then pro●… 〈◊〉 ●…y place of employment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yield him a livelihood : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was first bound to go 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 country , york-shire , and hav●…ng been tutor to a grand-child of tobit matthews , then arch-bishop of york , he found entertainment with him , till he was recommended by him as an assistant to mr. alex. cook , vicar of leeds , who was grown aged , and not able 〈◊〉 p●…each ●…wice a day ; mr. cook having made tryal of mr. garbutt's abilities , found him every way to his liking , and told him , if he would be content with fifty pounds per annu●… , he might come to his assistance ; to whom mr. garbutt replyed , it is ●…nough : he came to leeds about the beginning of . where till near the time of his marriage he was entertained by mr. john harrison , a person very rich in good works . the matter of his preaching ( as also of his conversation ) was very pious and strict . the manner of his preaching at his first coming was too academical for the community of his auditors , whereupon divers of them requested him to preach in the method they had been used to , and conceived might be most useful ; namely , by doctrine , reason , and use ; to which he readily condescended , as aiming at their profiting more than his own praise : he was observed to be very temperate in his diet , and sparing in his recreation ; he was a hard student , early and late at it , where the bible was the centre of his library , out of which his sermons were well studied , and penn'd almost verbatim before he offered them in the pulpit . at one time , upon an apprehension that his ministry was slighted , and likewise unsuccessful , and that he did no good among them , he resolved to leave them , and go preach else-where ; upon which some of the meaner and poorer sort came to him , and one of them spoke these words to him : if you will indeed go , i will give you one word , which is this ; if you have been an instrument to begin any good work of grace in the heart of any one of the congregation , and that one soul miscarry through your departure , the blood of that soul god will require at your hands , i charge you therefore not to go : whereupon he resolved to stay till his dying day , and after this the fruit of his ministry appeared to him more and more . the year before his death he said to some that he doubted his ministry had not that effect he would have it , and he feared the cause was because some paid towards his maintenance by way of collection for him ; i am resolved therefore i will not have a penny collected for me , but will depend upon god , for i know that thos●… that get good by my pains will not see me want nec●…ssaries ; and for the rest that get no good , i will have none of their mon●…es : for the manner of his delivery , he was painful in it , his matter came from him with much gravity , earnestness , seriousness , and weigh●…iness of spirit ( as some yet alive can witness , who retain the savour of his good doctrine ) for with the vehemency of s●…tting on his matter , he at length broke a vein within his breast , and spitted blood in such abundance , th●…t it brought him to a hasty consumption ; he being in this condition , was advis●…d by his physitians not to come into the pulpit any more , yet again venturing ( remembring that a minister should die preaching ) it set him on fresh a bleeding , wh●…reof he soon after died , in the year . a little before his death he did in the pr●…nce of divers with thankfulness to god , acknowledge the sweet refreshment which he received from gods bearing witness to his industry , and to his fidelity , in that to the best of his knowledge and judgment he had never delivered any thing but the councel of god. the reader in these sermons will meet with some uncouth expressions and words , which he is desired to ascribe to the dialect of his countrey , where they have their proper use and full significancy . and now , beloved friends , having this fair opportunity , give me leave in pure love and faithfulness to you , to recommend a few plain , but weighty and necessary things to your serious consid●…tion and practice . first , look upon the saving knowledge of a cruci●…ied christ to be the best , the most needful , and most excellent knowledge ; study to believe in him , to be found in him , let him be your propitiation and advocate , learn what union with him , engrafting into him , growing up in him , and living upon him , mean. secondly , maintain a conversation sutable to the gospel , make it appear that the word is your rule , the spirit your leading-principle , that grace commands you , that you live under the power of things future and invisible ; and that you are not conformed to the world , nor led by its customs , nor captivated with present things , nor guided by the stirrings and motions of prevailing and inordinate desires . thirdly , be f●…ithful to your own consciences , the most upright christian is he who walks up most to his light , and is most tender of oss●…nding here ; because some have set them in the place of christ , others have run into an extr●…am of not allowing them their ●…eputy-ship and vice-gerency , not su●…ring them to be a rule ruled . the debauchery of some hath giv●…n too much occasion to the delu●…on of o●…hers ; the best way to confute an error , is not to run into the contrar●… extream , but to make good all the good ground that li●…●…ar it as much as may be . oh , 〈◊〉 very observant of , and 〈◊〉 to ●…our scripturally enlightned cons●…iences , every sin against the light of conscience wounds terribly ; sew erre for want of light , all are guilty more or less of o●…fending against light. fourthly , be 〈◊〉 to one a●…other●… consciences ; they are the lords peculiar , the most excellent and tender part of men , and most severely guarded by the lord , by his precepts , promises , threatnings , and providences , from all manner of persecution , imposition , judging , despising , and all injurious in●…ursions whatsoever . fifthly , recoll●…ct the sabbaths and serm●…ns you have enjoyed ; it 's good to bring out of your treasuri●…s things ●…w and old , a word ●…own 〈◊〉 or thirty years ago may b●…ing ●…orth fruit now ; you have had faithful and painful * mi●… , some of which have spent moneths in premonitions about * perillous tim●…s , do not think that any thing s●…ould be forgotten , which 〈◊〉 of ●…ecessity be ac●…●…or . sixthly , walk expediently , cor. . . many things may be lawful which gospel-expediency allows not : he that will go as far as he may , will sometimes go further than he should ; an upright heart still sets his watch upon his own ground of lawfuls , and not on the disputable borders of unlawfuls . the gospel is a kind of chancery to the summum jus of the law , as in respect of the life and righteousness it discovers : so , in regard of the laws it doth declare and enjoyn . there are three special rules of gospel-chancery and expediency that i would intreat your careful keeping of . ( . ) do all to the glory of god , cor. . . will the lord get honour by this action ? will his name and religion be better thought of ? ( . ) do all to edisic●…ion , rom. . . will this be a stumbling-block and an o●…fence to others , or does it tend to edi●…ie , confirm and build up others ? will this be a conviction or an hardning to the enemy ? will this draw and sweeten the spiri●…s of men to religion , or comfort them in it ? ( . ) do as you would be done by : see m●…t . . . it seems this is the law and the prophets , and our saviours command makes it gospel too ; there is more religion in gospel-morals than most professors are aware of . seventhly , be very careful about your spe●…ch and words ; let them be few , true , savoury , charitable , and seasonable : i think the third of james hath much gospel in it , and i know not how to get over that james . . if any man among you seem to be religious , and bridleth not his tongue , but deceiveth his own heart , this mans religion i●… vain ; better any thing we meddle with prove vain than our religion ; there are many in hell that are tormented because of their tongues : consult scripture-rules and reproofs about the tongue , which are many , and know , that specious professors may be damned for errors and defects herein ; how many have cause to mourn over the liberty and lashes of that unruly member ! eightly , love not the world ; i have sometimes looked upon some texts with amazement : how many die of receiving their consolation ! what pity is it that any that are for purity of worship should go to hell for covetousness , which is idolatry ! how many are overgrown with this disease and do not know it ? this so deep and dangerous an evil , so hard to discover , that hath such plausible pr●…tences and covers , and can carry it with so much respect to , and allowance of every thing that belongs to the form of godliness ; let it be yo●…r constant prayer , from inordinate d●…sires aft●…r , secret delight , and conceited con●…idence in any of the things of this world , good lord deliver us . ninthly , be even and propor●…ionable christians , have respect to all the parts of godliness , be good at all times , and in all places , do not live as if christ and religion were divided , and the weightier and lesser matters of the law fallen out ; god has joyned all the parts of duty together , and made them subservient each to other : let your heart bear proportion to your profession , to your present outward conditions , and to your future and glorious expectations , titus . . cor. . . do not think that you can do enough in religion , so as you need not do more ; the reality of grace cannot better be proved , than by its growth , he that thinks he cannot be better , was never truly good ; not to go forward is to go backward ; let your returns bear some proportion to your receivings , and manifold means of being made better ; every sermon mercy and correction call loudly upon you for an increase in true sanctification and full conformity to gods will to believe , ●…e , and walk as he would have you . tenthly , be stedfast and unmovable in your christian 〈◊〉 , cor. . . ●…eb . . . be not you of them that draw back unto perdition ; i often think of that word , will ye also go away ? take heed of that s●…ar of man that brings a snare ; a back ▪ sliding 〈◊〉 is a monster in religion ; 〈◊〉 gospel never yields so much swe●…ness as when it is 〈◊〉 for , pr●…pare for speedy and sharp tryals ; let not carnal and slavish fear o●… outward losses make you lose all you have done in the service of god : your wisdom will be manifested , and your salvation met with by your enduring to the end , gal. . mat. . . and now , dearly beloved , if you are pleased to accept these few hints with the same candor and affection they are offered to you , i hope there may be a mutual cause of blessing the lord , and i shall reap the benesit of your prayers , which are the chief things i aim at in this under●…aking ; i subscribe my self a true well-willer to , and sincere endeavourer of the real welfare of you all , t. h. the epistle to the reader . reader , i judge these sermons worthy to be made publick . . because ●…hey speak against sins which we can hardly say too much against . as they are exceeding pernitious , so the inclination to them is born so commonly in humane nature , that as they have been the sins of former ages , so they are like to continue to the end . were sin but in mens opinions , reason might change them ; but when it is rooted in sensitive inclination , the temptation is strong , and almost constant , and reason it self is born down by the violence of appeti●…e and lust. most councils called general , have been occasioned by some heresies , but augustine would have had one called for the suppression of drunkenness : and though heresies be numbred with the fruits of the flesh , bestiality kills its ten thousands for the thousands that meer 〈◊〉 kills . though the papal cler●…y , who prefer carnal interest before hon●…sty , can b●…r with ●…en drunkards or fornicators easilier than with one that is but publickly named a heretick or a schismatick , for being against ●…heir schism , pride , and tyranny ; yet alas , it is sensuality , sensuality , that in all ages finds the greatest work for the admonitions , and the tears of faithful teachers ; and which carrieth away the a●…ultitude to perdition , and often is the spring of real heresie it self , while it must have a palliate of a carnal kind of religion to keep conscience from tormenting them before the time. even the children of pious ●…rents are born with a flesh that loveth pleasant meats and drinks , and idleness , and sports , and fil●… lusts : and if wise and godly education , and gods powerful grace do not mortisie these fleshly desires , and bring the appetite under the true government of god and conscience , beasts will spring out of the families of lords , and knights , and gentlemen ; yea , and of the most religious ●…arents and ministers themselves . the great warfare in the world , which heaven or hell must be the end of , is between the flesh and the spirit . and it is to please some beastly lusts , and that flesh which must shortly turn to ugly loathsome rottenness , and then to dust , that most sinners sell ( though they are loath to believe it ) their god , their redeemer , their souls , and their everlasting hopes . o mad and miserable bargain ! the re-view of which must be their endless torment . o that i had ●…ound no more resistance of my ministry by drunkenness , gluttony , lust●…ulness ▪ and other fleshly pleasures , and the love of pride , and plenty to maintain them , than i have found from simple here●…e ! i take it for granted , that treatises of this nature will not be like some books which i have written against some ●…alse opinions , which are up this year and down the next , and then the books are like almanacks out of date ; but they are like physick books , written for the cure of such diseases as will trouble and kill men to the end of the world , and therefore never grow out of usefulness . . and i would i had not another motive , viz. that the age and air that we live in , doth cry loud for such remedies . men use to write most of such diseases as the country and mens present danger maketh them most liable to ; as of the pes●…ilence and raging plagues , of the s●…urvy or fever in countries most infested with them , and of the ven●…real po●… a●…ng the worse than brutish letch●…rs : and by the same reason an admonition against drunkenness and w●…redom is seasonable , when mens increased abominable wickedness doth make it more than ordinarily necessary . and the rather , because as this learned author truly tells us , these sins do engage men in an enmity to the contrary truths and practices , and consequently to the preachers and practicers of piety , temperance , and sobriety ; and they that are first made so mad as to sell their own souls for an unlawful cup or lust , are not like to be very tender of the souls , or lives , or estates ▪ or names of other men. and a wicked life , as it cometh from a blinded judgment , doth blind it more , and betray more to the sottishest delusions ; and from beastiality to enmity or malignity is the ordinary stage . though yet it must be confest with shame and sorrow , that a pharisaic●…l , papal , worldly clergy , are usually made crueller persecutors by their carnal interest and superstitious zeal , than atheists or insidels do usually prove , exc●…pt when instigated by them . . and i must add , that since i read an excellent small treatise of this authors , on christ's resurrection , i the more value any thing that is his . and though these sermons are fitted to the vulgar , and have many homely phrases proper to those countries where he lived , yet are th●…y not the words of an unskilful weakness , by one that knew not how to speak exactly ( such as now the world is much troubled with ; ) but like some of dr. harris ( as his drunkards cup , &c. ) mr. william fenner's , and some others , who purposely laid by the use of their great learning , and forbore that accurateness of style , which is sutable to that matter , but not to the readers or auditors , and denyed themselves in preferring a popular style when the peoples good required it . for as we say , that is good which doth good : and augustine tells his readers , that he taketh that as not yet spoken , which is not understood . that sober readers may lend this book to drunkards and fornicators , and perswade them to read it , or read it to them , who else would take no notice of it , is the end of this recommendation , by a servant of christ for mens repentance and salvation , ri. baxter . london , august . . to the reader . as a pernicious wickedness when it becomes audacious , justly provokes holy zeal to oppose it , so that zealous opposition as duly deserves our highest commendations to encourage and increase it . the edge of these following discourses tends to cut down those two spreading boughs of sensuality , namely , drunkenness and adultery , that so hurt●…ully both drop upon the strength , and darken the glory of this english nation . the penurious praises therefore of a single epistle reflect too sl●…nder a respect upon this usefu●… e●…deavour , for which the great●…st grat●…tude and acknowledgments of all that love either co●…cience or countrey , are no more than sufficient . nor is it easie to determine whether the subjects of these ensuing discourses are more seasonable and useful , or the manner of handling them by the reverend author be more accurate and convincing . some few years since there was publish'd an excellent treatise , written by this author , to demonstrate the resurrection of christ ; the great acceptance which that treatise , tending to the advancement of christ , found among the learned , makes me confident , that this discourse , which tends to the depression of sin , will be as grateful as the former , to all intelligent and pious perusers . but instead of any further commendation of this authors worth and abilities , shewn in this excellent performance , i shall onely commend this his holy design , by joyning with him in opposing those sensual and c●…nal wickednesses , against which he so seasonably sets himself in these ensuing treatises . and i shall propound these two following directions for helping us to res●…t and subdue ●…leshly wickednesses . the first whereof is , the duty of consideration . the second is , the duty of carriage . for the first , the duty of consideration . . consider carnal ●…usts as deceitful , eph. . . when they promise pleasure , they perform nothi●… less . they betray when they ●…iss . they c●…tice ●…y baiting over a catching killing hook . if it be hard to forbear the bait , 't is m●…ch harder to endure the hook. can a short imaginary delight countervail for the wounds o●… body , estate , name , conscience , and the 〈◊〉 soul. 't is good to consider the 〈◊〉 sens●…al pleasures in their bitter farewel ; and to b●…hold their back side and departures , as well as their painted face , and deccit●…ul approaches . in a scripture glass they will appear to be but poysoned delights ; i●… their trappings be turned up , they onely discover desormity . their pleasure , which is onely in their seeds-time , produceth a crop of pain to an hundred-fold increase . they ●…nter with a pleasant perfume , but go out in a disturbing , destructive stink . . consider them as most uningenuous to divine grace and goodness . grace is the great inducement which god useth to draw us to deny worldly lusts , titus . . the grace of god ( saith the apostle ) teacheth us to deny them , even that grace which brings salvation . a grace that denies us nothing but what would damn us . it gr●…nts us the pacifying blood of christ , the ravishing joys of heaven ; yea , all the delights of this life , so far as they hinder not from that which is infinitely better . what greater un-ingenuousness than to despise a paradice of all delights , for one forbidden apple ? to contemn everlasting joy and sweetness ●…or a meer now , a moment of painted pleasure ? to forget that grace , which onely requires the lives of those lusts , that ( if spared ) will damn and undo us ; when justice might have required ev●…n our own lives as ●… due and deserved homage ? . sensual lusts , though carnal , are yet spiritual soul - enemies , pet. . . warring against the soul ; they dead , dull , damp us in holy duties ; they over ▪ charge the soul , weigh it down , and make it heavy , luke . . in spiritual perform●…nces , service to the body is the greatest disservice to the soul. the body bei●…g much attended , the soul is often as much neglected . how unfit is a full belly ●…or praying , preaching , hearing . 't is our duty indeed to eat and drink ( as isaac did ) to be fitted for prophecy and holy ▪ duties , gen. . , . but the contrary is frequently seen : fasting is the usual means to dis-entangle the wings of the soul from sensual impediments . lead tied to the birds leggs hinders it from ●…lying upwards ; sensi●…ive enjoyments damp our endeavours for heaven . . sensual lusts are tyrannical and domine●…ring . lusts are made the stronger by seeding and gratisying them . the more you obey these tyrants , the more authority do they claim : we do but add oyl to the flames . in being drunk with wine there 's excess , eph. . . lusts always cry , give , give . if a strange dog be fed he 'le come again , if beat away he re●…rains . i●… lusts be cher●…sh'd , they 'l be bold and return with increase . . sensual lusts are perishing and corruptible . all the pleasures of sin and sins are but for a season . meats for the belly , and the belly for meats are both to be destroyed , cor. . . all sensual objects perish in the using , col. . . the world passeth away , and the lusts thereof , john . . their pleas●…re slies away , when the pain and sting continues . . sensual lu●…ts are de●…iling and corrupt , eph. . . they defile the body with noysome diseases ; the swines mud and the drunkards vomit are both unclean . the soul of a glutton or drunk●…rd is as a taper in a greasie lanthorn . these lusts make the soul dirty and unclean , and insect it with an impure nastiness : as the covetous wallows in the dust , so the voluptuous in a sink or slough . . sensual lusts are debasing . the sp●…nding of our time in filling and emptying the belly , is as base an employment as to fill and empty a jakes . he serves but a dung-hill-god , who serves his belly , and makes a god of it . it degrades a man from angelical to swinish : the mortifying of sensual lusts is our great honour ; it much more honours us not to lust for , than to have many comforts . the highest of earthly potentates is not so high in being absolute from men , as is a christian in being absolute from things : he is angelus in carne ( as it were ) an angel incarnate , who in the midst of earthly com●…orts , living above those dung-hill-delights , lives on god. . sensual lusts pursued , discover that sensual comforts are our portion . 't is poor pay when god gives it us in outward pleasures . that which is our pleasure is our portion . present pay in pleasures for a season is miserable and penurious ; when we are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with them , but se●…k bett●…r , 't is a sig●… god puts us not ●…f w●…th them , god ne●…er giving a princ●…ple of in●…lination to the b●…t enjoyme●…s to disappoint , but to s●…tisfie it . . consider sensual lusts hinder from drawing others to heaven and heavenly enjoyments . the 〈◊〉 will never make ano●…her heavenly : we on●…ly bring others to look after what we our selves regard : paul had never drawn so many to christ & heaven , had he not been above the world , had he not been dead to the world , he had not been so lively in the pulpit , and done so much good to souls . had he been lively in the world he would have been but a dead preacher , and very insuccessful . he will most benefit the world , who lets it see he can despise what it admires . . sensual lusts discover an unchanged heart . they are most opposite to godliness . grace puts us upon lusting against the flesh. religion ties the heart to god. if we love the world , the love of the father is not in us , john . . the loving o●… god and pleasures are inconsi●…tent . sensuality opposeth the common nature 〈◊〉 godliness , and not one grace alone , but all graces . the common nature of religion is to be divine . and heavenly spiritual ●…njoyments are of ●… 〈◊〉 ki●…d from thos●… of sense , and so the very k●…nds of 〈◊〉 and sensuality di●…fer . ●…race is a spiritu●…l ●…lessing , ●…ut sensuali●…y 〈◊〉 to the e●…rth , and bows us down to i●… . a heart taken off ●…rom sensual 〈◊〉 discovers a character of renovati●… . t●…e old man stoops earth ward : t●…e spiritual principle looks after a spiri●…al portion . we are born again to a lively hope of a heavenly inh●…ritance , pet. , . none go to heavenly delights with the love of sensual . conversion to god puts us upon a conversation in heaven . 't is a sign we have tasted the sweetness of spiritual , when sensual joys are insipid and untoothsome ; an earthly principle never taught any to deny earthly pleasures . naturally we walk by sense , and when we do not so , 't is a sign of more than nature . as 't is given to a saint to bear the pains , so to sorbear the pleasures of the vvorld . 't is a distinguishing mercy to be above common delights ▪ it was a sign that el●…jah's mantle had touch'd el●…sha when he was withdrawn from ●…is vvorldly employments , and ran a●…ter him , kings . . . sensual lusts are commonly the inlets to apostacy . the mortifying of these , countermines s●…tans temptations . the flying bird is hardly shot by the fowlers , nor is the soul upon the wing of heavenl●… aff●…ction so much endangered by the devils offers . this , this is the soul that most disappoints the tempter : he who counts nothing better than the comforts of sense , will easily be seduced by them ●…rom holiness and faith. 't is not the enjoyment , but the loving of sensual com●…orts that takes us o●…f from god ; the s●…rongest rope could never draw us , if it were not ●…or the knot whereby it is tied to us , nor would the devils strongest temptations by sensual o●…ers withdraw us from god , were it not for the knot of our lov●… to them . a●…l these things will i give thee would then but seem a poor offer . a weaned chi●…d is not allured by the breast , the 〈◊〉 banquet provokes not appetite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ●…or do the sweetest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a s●…ul dead to the world , from 〈◊〉 . our hands easily p●…rt with t●…at 〈◊〉 our hearts have parted with before ; 〈◊〉 no pain to have that pluckt ●…rom us 〈◊〉 cleaves not : morti●…ied paul took pleasure in necessi●…ies , cor. . a morti●…ied saint can spend more for god in an hour than a sensualist can in a year . the lark sings sweetest when farthest from the earth , the place of her food , and so doth a soul in her heavenly enjoyments , though stript of the comsorts of sense . the morti●…ied to these com●…orts ●…inds that welcome , which is unavoidable death . 't is the empty traveller that alone can sing when he meets with a thie●… : a soul tak●…n o●…f from enjoym●…nts , is on●…ly will●…ngly 〈◊〉 ●…rom them , he that lodg●… in an 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , c●…n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as e●…rly in the 〈◊〉 ▪ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pleas●… , w●…ch is not 〈◊〉 t●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we lodge in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our 〈◊〉 . . 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 satis●…ying o●… 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 privil●…dges of 〈◊〉 . th●…y that are c●…rists have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wi●… the lusts thereof ; by a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 t●…at cross that s●…ved 〈◊〉 ; the pro●…cution o●… lusts confutes the true 〈◊〉 of li●… by the cross. 't is vain to t●…lk of chri●…s d●…th for thee , if it have not been 〈◊〉 in thee , if the cross merits thy p●…ace , it will be thy mo●…ive to pu●…ty . secondly , as to ●…y carri●…ge toward sensual lu●…s . . in t●…e motions of lusts study thy profession : a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be a sen●… , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , no●…n 〈◊〉 ▪ a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bet●…r th●…ngs th●… the obj●…cts of 〈◊〉 , an●…●…st look over 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 look , 〈◊〉 ; thou , o m●…n of 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ●… tim. . . t●…y 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c●…lling , phil. . . a conv●…sation in ●…eaven agrees not with s●…nsuality . . rest not in ext●…rnal 〈◊〉 to act the motions of l●…st , but advance to an intern●…l real 〈◊〉 . outward forbear●…nces are good , but not good enough ; the b●…rd that ge●…s ▪ loose 〈◊〉 a stone to whic●… it was t●…ed by a 〈◊〉 , ●…ying with the string about its leg is hamper'd in the next bough , and so will a man be overcome by lusts , who ●…orsakes the present pleasure , but crucifies not the inward af●…ection . pl●…ce not religion in parting with the object , but in rectifying the faculty . if a mole spoil a curious garden by casting up hills in it , the gardiner thinks it not enough to le●…el the mole-hills with the ground , by patting them down with hi●… sp●…de , unless he kills the mole in the earth . external abstentions avail not without inward renovation . . stifle sensual lusts in their conceptio●… , let them not gather head ; 't was the councel ( good in its kind ) of achitop●…el , to set upon david before he could gath●…r strength . crush lust in its first risings and motions ; the thickest ice that 〈◊〉 bear a cart begins with a thin ●…ilm that will not bear a pebble . c●…st out the fir●…t thoughts of a lustful temptation with indignation , let not an impudent begg●…r get over thy threshold if thou would●…t d●…y him an alms. . let moderat●…on be one dish in the richest banquet of sensual enjoyments ; go not so far as thou maist , for then 't is hard not to go further than thou shouldst : s●…tan lies in ambush behind our lawfuls , the more pleasant any thing is , ●…he more suspected let it be : put a kn●… to ●…hy throat when abundance entiseth 〈◊〉 ; in the midst of sensual enjoyments keep thy self like the bee , which inhabit●… , even her waxen cell with unsmeared wings ; the moderate use makes us ●…njoy the most and sw●…etest of the creatures : if we go deep in sensual d●…lights we draw dreggs . . pray for a rectisied judgment , a renewed understanding , rom. . . a c●…rnal eye se●…s onely an excellency in c●…rnal obje●…ts . a 〈◊〉 prefers a lock of hay before a b●…g of gold , a child an hal●…-penny picture before a conveyance of a thousand pounds per annum . a skil●…ul ●…ye onely discernes the wo●…th of art ; nature discernes not th●…ngs that disser ; p●…ul had a renewed estim●…te before he accounted all dung for christ : pray for the spirit of wisdom . . labour for a sanctified improvement of the removal of all the comforts of sense , look upon it as gods breaking down thy bridges to hinder thee in thy march after the fulfilling of thy lusts , and as the flight of joseph from his mistr●…ss to damp thy adulterous loves , oft●…n 〈◊〉 t●…y lusts with thy loss●… , think 〈◊〉 god thought the company of com●…orts wou●… have ensn●…red th●… assection●… . . lastly , in all sens●…l 〈◊〉 wisely draw o●… thy soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 objects . compare the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o●… sensual pleasures with t●…e cry●… 〈◊〉 of eternal joys ; oh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…lights were more 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o●… 〈◊〉 spi●…t more than the excesses of wine : h●… w●…o ▪ lives at the table of a king , despiseth scraps ; and such are all s●…nsual plea●…ures ●…teemed by him who hat●… t●…sted how sweet the lord i●… , this glorious sun puts o●… the kitchin-fire of sensuality : in undue lusting after m●…ats and drinks , think whose flesh and blo●…d is me●…t and drink indeed . i●… lusting after be●…uty consider c●…rist as white and ruddy , the fairest of ten thousand . if immoderately thou 〈◊〉 after re●…t and ease , study the sweet quietness that 's in god's bosom , and peace of conscience ; the fare of a sensualist is gross to that of a saint , and yet 't is obtained at a far dearer rate . but , reader , i suspect thee d●…tained too long in the porch , enter therefore the house ; view it within , observe both its strength and excellent contrivance in all the parts and rooms of every argument and instruction ; nor enter onely to contemplate the artifice of the authors house , but mo●…e to feed upon the bounty of his house-keeping : fall to with an holy hunger . in such ch●…st delights there 's no excess : and because i would not clog , but quicken thy stomach , ●…'le offer thee no more ; only that god would give thee both an appetite to feed , and nourishment by feeding , is the prayer of that unworthy servant of christ , but true friend to thy soul , w. jenkyn . one come from the dead : or , a sober and severe testimony against drunkenness and whoredom . sam . i. . count not thine handmaid a daughter of belial . chrysostom giving some reasons why he still used prefaces or introductions to his text , among others gives this for one , sc. because there were a great many of his auditors still little acquainted with the story of the bible , and theresore when his text was not an entire absolute thing of it self , but onely a parcel of some story or passage , he that should be all to all that he might gain the more , must of necessity use some presace sor the sakes o●… the ●…gnoranter sort , to explain the coherence ; otherwise , blun●…ly to propound such a text , and not to shew the coherence , how it depended upon the former matter , were ( sayes he ) all one as to bring a man upon the stage all covered and hooded over , that none could know who or what he was ; so they , ignorant of the story of the bible , have but an hood-man set before them , who have such a text propounded to them , without shewing the coherence , that unhoods and uncovers the text , that a man may ken it somewhat , who it is as 't were , and what it means , that you therefore , even the most ig●…orant , ( for to the wise and unwise also are we who speak out of this place debtors ; and it were hard conscience , if a man owed a debt to wise and unwise , to seem to make conscience of paying the wise men their debt , and none of paying the unwise theirs , ) that even you therefore the most ignorant may prosit as well as others , take this-briefly for coherence and making way to the text , that the hooded thing may be unhooded and uncovered to you , and that you may know the plain meaning of it ; there was a man , one elkanah a levite , who had two wives , hannah and peninnah : hannah was the ●…etter beloved of her husband , but barren ; peninnah the less beloved , but fruitful ; hannah being the better beloved , and at their yearly going up before the lord , her husband giving her therefore at that feast a worthy or double portion , better than to peninnah , peninnah envied her , and went about to anger and frett her , casting her in the teeth still with her barrenness ; the good poor soul had no other rem●…dy than to pour out her soul to god in prayer , that he would take away her reproach , and give her a man-child , and she would give him back again all the dayes of his life to the lord : and as she continued praying before the lord , in the bitterness of her soul , eli the priest marking her odd gesture , and the going of her lips without any voyce heard from her , thought she had been some drunken woman , overseen now at the feast with wine , and therefore said to her , how long wilt thou be drunken , &c. and thus by the dependance , you see partly the meaning of the text ; you see who this handmaid is , hannah ; who she speaks to , eli the priest ; and what it is she would not be accounted by him , under the phrase of a daughter of belial ; sc. not accounted a drunkard by him : a drunkard were a son or daughter of belial indeed . but what is this , to be a son or daughter of belial ? in few and plain words , to be a very child of the devil , to be so wicked , that one may seem to be begotten of no other than of the very wicked one : what concord hath christ with belial ? sc. the devil . a son or daughter of belial therefore in scripture-phrase , is one egregiously , notoriously , diabolically naught ; so naught as he may seem to be a very child of the devil , spit out of hi●… very mouth as 't were , bred of his very spawn , begot of his very seed , carrying the very image and picture of the father in the face as 't were , because as the father is , so is he : the ●…ather wicked , egregiously wicked , so the child wicked , egregiously wicked . thus a son of ●…elial is used sam. . . ch . . . and . and judg. . . now for the observations : in that godly hannah counts that thing , sc. drunkenness , such a gross and grievous sin , that it is enough to denote and call one a daughter of belial , a very child of the devil , which the world ( if it count it a sin at all ) counts it but a very venial sin , a very pardonable sin , a very very peccadillo , a sin just and no more ; observe hence , that the judgement of the saint , and the judgement of the world , the judgement of the godly religious heart , and the judgement of the prophane heart , there is a great deal of difference between them in the matter of juding about good and evil , vertue and vice. that which the one accounts a very very little sin , if a sin at all , the other may count ( as having a little better eyes in his head than the bleer eyed world ) a very gross , a very grievous , a very hainous sin , a sin enough to make one a very son or daughter of belial . so adultery , a sin which i doubt the world accounts no such great sin ; yet josephs godly heart , what a great sin made he of it ! how can i commit this great wickedness , and sin against god ? so single fornication , a sin much more made nothing of in the world , yet how does the apostle pauls godly heart aggravate and set it forth for a most grievous sin ? being highly injurious to our own body , to a member of christ , to a temple of the holy ghost , &c. so covetousness , meer and bare and single covetousness , so it be not attended with injustice , &c. not so much as taken notice of to be a sin in the world ; and yet what a great sin the same apostles godly heart took it for , you may know by this , in that he can scarce mention it without setting this upon the head of it ; covetousness which is idolatry . so contentious wrangling and going to law one with another , and not rather ( if possible ) labouring to end things by friendly arbitration of honest men , that the world takes this for no sin , full terms and crouded courts shew : and yet what a scandalous and ungodly thing the apostles godly heart took this kind of lawing for , you may know by his earnest reasoning against it for almost half a chapter together , and then concluding thus ; now therefore there is utterly a fault , &c. neither can any man say , that he spake onely against the christians contentious lawing before unjust and unbelieving judges , for that is but onely a circumstance aggravating their law and wrangling , not the whole thing condemned by him , as appears vers . , . so swearing , vain ordinary swearing , what fault is it counted ? and yet if the apostle james his godly heart had not taken it for a great sin , would he in such strange precise manner have forbid it ? but above all things , my brethren , swear not , &c. so ecclesiasticus , ( though no inspired man , yet no doubt an holy man , ) what a great matter does his holy heart make of it , chap. . , &c. and . . so a little pride of heart , to be lifted up for any thing that we have , above what is meet , and to proceed perhaps to some outward act expressing it , who counts of it as any great sin , or matter much to be repented of ? yet what a great sin davids godly heart when it awakened and came to it self , made of it , you may know by his confession , and setting these two upon the head of it , i have sinned greatly , i have done very foolishly . an ordinary heart would not have found any such great sin in a little numbering the people , out of a little pride and conceitedness of heart for the greatness of their number ; but davids godly heart thinks otherwise . so what a great sin did the apostle paul think bribery and corruption to be , who rather than bribe felix to procure liberty to preach the gospel , ( for it cannot be said , it was because he was not able ; for had he been but willing , the christians no doubt , ( sayes calvin ) would have made a purse for him , and found him money , ) he would lie two full years in prison to the prejudice of the gospel : and yet what great sin is bribery and corruption made now adayes , though not to procure liberty to preach the gospel , ( that they may do gratis if they will , ) but more basely to procure the means and maintenance of the gospel . so what a great sin did a●…stin make that which ordinarily would be counted but a boyes trick ; sc. robbing of an orchard , onely out of an humour and to do an ill turn , not so much ●…or any love to the fruit , for if a bit enter into his mouth , the prettiness of the prank gave the taste and relish to it : austins cons●…ss . , . &c. thus for scripture-proof of the point , great differ●…nce there is between the judgement of the saint and of the worldling , and the reason hereof ( if we would know ) may be double . first , because the me●…r worldling or unregenerate man sees not sin and vice in its own proper colour , and true nativeness of it , but onely in the picture and representation of it as 't were , and therefore cannot know and acknowledge the true ugliness and loathsomness of it , so as he who sees it in the own proper colour and true nativeness of it : as he that sees the picture of a toad , cannot know and conceit the ugliness of that creature so as he that sees the living thing crawling before his eyes . no marvel therefore if in this regard the judgement of a saint for a sin and the true ugliness thereof , be far otherwise from the judgement of a worldling , because the one hath enlightened eyes to see the sin in some sort in the own proper colour and true nativeness of it , the other glimmers but upon the picture . whereof ye are now ashamed . now that ye have enlightened eyes to see the filthiness of them in the own proper colour , now ashamed of them . secondly , the meer worldling or unregenerate man , that which he sees of the filt●…iness of sin , he barely sees it , but he hath not within him an antipathy and spirit of hatred and enmity against the sin , but the saint hath this antipathy also , a spirit of hatred within him against the sin , and therefore thereby knowes more of the filthiness , true filthiness of sin : as he knowes more of the ugliness and filthiness of the forenamed creature that hath ●… rising antipathy or spirit of hatred against her , than he ( if you can suppose any s●…ch ) that hath no natural antipathy , or rising hatred against that creature . in morals nothing helps judgement more than affection ; love and sympathy will make a man see far into the beauty and amiableness of a thing truely amiable , and hatred and antipathy will likewise make a man see far into the contrary hatefulness and loathsomness of a thing truely hatefull : nothing so amiable as vertue , and there is nothing can see so f●…r into this amiableness of vertue , as the true love of vertue ; and nothing so hatefull as vice , and nothing there is that can see so far into this hatefulness of vice , as the true hatre●… of vice. use . is there such a broad difference often times between the judgement of the saint and the judgement of the world in the matter of good and evil , vertue and vice , then , first , for caution , beware how the course and practice of the world prescribe too much upon us in the matter of what is to be done or left undone : the course and practice of the world even going in crowds and droves together , is but an ill ground to bear our selves upon ; nay , rather , argumentum pessimum turba : it is an argument the thing is worse , when all are for it . the best things do not please the most people : there is not su●…h an happiness allotted to humane matters ; therefore , beware how the course and practice of the world prescribe too much upon us : for why ? the world practiseth as it judgeth , and the world judgeth according to the power and principle of judging that is in it ; but what other power or principle in it hath the world to judge by , but that which is called the spirit of the world ? now the spirit of the world is but an unfit thing to judge of the things of god by : what can blind men judge of colours ? but the world for many things of god is stark blind ; and for other thi●…gs very s●…nded at least , and but a meer porer . now who would be any whit embo●…dened to goe such a way because he sees a multitude of blind men , or extream weak sighted , to go stalking on confidently that way ; to find out any thing , it matters not how many blind men there are ; so to find out the truth , or right way in any thing , it matters not how many blind porers there be about it . use . is there such a broad difference , &c. then for direction this may let us see who it is safest to resort to for ghostly counsel and advice , in matter of true doubt and case of conscience ; not unto those that may seem yet to be men of the world , men unregenerate and unsanctified , though they be great clerks , but rather unto the saints , and those that may seem to have the spirit of the holy one within them , and to be taught with that teaching which is called the unction of the holy one ; ye have received an unction from the holy one , &c. the judgment of one of these in matter of true scruple and doubt of conscience what is to be done or not done , especially if it be an experienced saint that through longer use hath his senses exercised to disc●…rn between good and evil. the judgement of such an one in matter of true doubt and scruple of conscience , is worth the judgement of a whole colledge of divines , bare speculative divines , that know deep mysteries in the theory , but are strangers from the life and power of godliness , and want the unction of the holy one. a man of no good conscience himself can hardly ever give good counsel for a good conscience , especially in more scrupulous and nice matters : indeed in more general and gross matters they may hit it , but how souly they may erre in more scrupulous and nice matters , the fifth of matthew shews ; where the scribes and pharisees , ( learned enough no doubt , but such as knew little of that unction and teaching of the holy one ▪ ) for general matters they hit it , but for more ni●…e matters see verses ●… , , , , , . use . is there su●…h a broad difference , &c. then this may let us see a reason why they think so strange , and wonder so at one anoth●…rs courses : the worldling thinks it strange that the saint in many things does as he does , that he is so s●…rait-laced , and can give hims●…lf no more liberty in many things than he do●…s : for example , they count it str●…nge ( sayes the apostle ) that ye run not with th●…m to ●…he same ●…xcess of riot . and the saint on the contrary thinks it as strange , that the worldling does in many things as he does , that he is so loose laced , and gives himself that scope and liberty in many things as he does ; that he can run , 〈◊〉 run into that excess of riot , in 〈◊〉 , lusts , excess of wine , revellings , ●…anquettings , &c. thus the saint and the worldling think ●…trange at one another●… courses ; and no marvel , for they are of two di●…ferent judg●…ments , th●…y walk by two dissrent 〈◊〉 , they mind two disserent ends , they heed two 〈◊〉 kind of dangers . is it any wonder if one walking on in a green smoo●…h path not knowing of any danger in it , wonder at another that he shall see turn out of tha●… green , smooth , easie path , and see goe scrambling with much toil and pains in another , rugged , un●…ven ▪ uneasie way ? or is it any wonder if this other that goes scrambling in the rugged , uneven , une●…sie way , because he knowes the danger th●…t i●… in the other way , wonder at him whom he sees stalk so considently on in the smoot●… and green way , wherein he knowes he wi●…l at last meet with such danger ? they have ●…wo different informed judgements , and therefore think strange one at anothers courses . doct. in that instead of saying , count not thine handm●…id a drunk●…rd , 〈◊〉 barely sayes not so , but points and paints , and paraphraseth the drunkard out with this description , sc. to be a very child of belial ; count not thin●… hand-maid a 〈◊〉 of b●…lial . our observation hence is ●…his : that a drunk●…d , he or she , is a 〈◊〉 s●…n or daught●…r ●…f b●…lial ; i. e. of ●…he d●…vil . before we come to shew this , we will first of all explain the phrase . secondly , enquire who he is whom we may conceive to be a drunkard ; for if to be a drunkard be enough to denominate and make one a very child of the devil , pi●…y it were to wrong any wi●…h that nam●… who deserve it not , and m●…re pity not to l●…t that man know his name who deserves it , and who ( if he kn●…w ) happily would be somewhat afraid to contin●…e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…hat state which denominates an●… mak●…s 〈◊〉 a ve●…y i hil of the devil . ●…or the first , what it is to be a son or d●…ughter or child of beli●…l , i. ●… . of the devil , you may know by considering the contrary , s●… . what it is to be a child of god ; to be a childe os god , is in all conformable ●…oliness , 〈◊〉 and goodness so to resemble god himself , th●…t we may seem to be begot o●… no other than of god himself ; born o●… his very seed , and bearing therefore his very image , so that as the father is , so are we : that this is to be a child of god , you may know by these places , mat. . , . luke . . phil. . . joh. . . and . . and so on the contrary , to be a child of the devil therefore i●… in all like conformable wick●…dness and ungodlin●…ss so to 〈◊〉 the devil himself , that for 〈◊〉 m●…n m●…y seem to be begot of no o●…her than of the very wicke●… one , bred of his very spawn , beg●…t of his very seed , bearing the very image and picture of the fath●…r in the face , so that as the father is , so in ●… great resemblenc●… are they : see for this joh. . . acts . . joh. . . now though all that in any gre●…t 〈◊〉 resemble for wickedness the very wicked one , may be said to be the v●…ry children of th●…t wicked one the devil ; yet the drunkard of all other , ( especially the true true drun●…ard indeed ) is one even of his chopping children , one of his very first-born o●…es , one of his white sons , that he may stroke on the head as his best darlings . for the second thing , who he is whom we may conceive to be a drunkard . first , distinguish between a drunken man , and a drunkard ; ebrius is he who once perhaps , or twice , or very rarely may trensgress in drink , as noah , let , &c. but ebriosus is he who ordinarily and usually does this : now it is this latter who is properly called the child o●… the devil , and not the former ; as he who by a fall or other accident should get a great coule in his forehead , whi●…h should stay with him only for a while ; or as he who upon a sudden fit of the conv●…lsion should for a whil●… writhe his mouth awry : as neither of these could be said , because the one resembles him who naturally and constantly hath a great bunch of flesh grow in his forehead , and the other him who 〈◊〉 and constantly hath a wry mouth , to be upon this resemblance as ' twe●…e their very childr●…n ; but only he who naturally and constantly should have that bunch of flesh or wry mouth , only he might be said indeed in some sort to be as 't were that or that man ; very child : so he is not properly thereupon to be said to be the child of that wicked one , who wi●…-kedly , perhaps once or twice , or the like , may through accident transgress in wine ; but he who ordinarily and usually does this , in an ordinary and usual course of wickedness resembling the wicked one : he that committeth sin is of the devil . that is habitually , and in a constant course . secondly , further , wc must not only distinguish between a drunken man and a drunkard , but also distinguish of drunkards themselves ; sor drunkards are not only they which are such sots that they would lie in the way till an iron-bound wain or cart were driven over them , or the like , this is but the statute-drunkard : but if we will weigh this point by scripture and good reason , we shall see that there are many others , who i doubt before god ( who is the author of all scripture and good reason , ) shall never be able to claw it off , but that before him they are drunkards , even true proper drunkards . consider ther●…fore wh●…ther that which i shall now say in this point , s●…em according to scripture and good reason ; and i●… it do not , the servants mi●…ake can do you no harm , if you be sure you be clear in t●…e masters books . but if it do seem to be accor●…ing to scripture and good reason , think whether it be not ●…itter to clear the books , than to quarrel only at him that shews the debt . the drunkard therefore i distinguish thus : there is the drunkard drye , and the drunkard wet . the drunk●…rd drye is he who because of his body perhaps , or because of his credit or the like , drinks it may be himself but very very little , so that there is no sensible change or a●…teration of the man , but yet he sits it out with good fellowes , as they call them , approving and delighting in their drunkenish good fellowship and excess : now see whether the books of god , sc. the scripture and good reason will quit this man from being a very drunkard . does not the scripture make him to be in any thing as bad , ( ●…y worse too ) that takes pleasure in others that d●…e a sin , than him th●…t do●…s the 〈◊〉 himself ? they do n●…t onely do such 〈◊〉 , b●…t take pleasure in them th●…t do th●…m . it seems to be made a greater ●…in to del●…ht and take pleasure in others doing wickedly , than in some sort to do wi●…kedly ones s●…lf : and the ground 〈◊〉 is pl●…in ; because for th●…m that do 〈◊〉 themselves , commonly they have some strong lust tempting them thereto : but they who delight onely and take pleasure in other mens wickedness , not acting the same themselves ; commonly it is because they have not the same strength of lust tempting them thereto , but onely delight more simply in wickedness even for wickedness sake it self , without the pleasure attending it , which is the far greater degree of sin . and not by this ground of scripture onely , but by another of good reason also may it appear that this drunkard drye in gods account shall goe for a true drunkard ; for that in gods account shall every man goe for , which his will and mind is fully for , though one way or other he be held from the acting of it . god , as in good , so in evil accounts the will for the deed ; and therefore must needs account him for a tr●… drunkard , who what his will is he shew●… plainly enough , by his taking pleasure in them that act that wickedness , t●…ough himsel●… because of his body , or his credit , or the like , be held o●…f from the acting o●… it . thus the old bawd , whose body is spent , and is no more s●…r the acting of it herself , yet is in gods account as very a whore all her life long , by her procuring , approving , and delighting in others uncleanness , as in a manner the p●…rties themselves . thus the devil because he is a spirit , and no body , he cannot act bodily uncleanness it self ; yet uncleanness and all other sin is truly his in this regard , in regard of his procuring , delighting , and approving it in others : and thus the drunkard drye , though he may come perhaps as sober almost from the ale-bench , as any true workman from his work-bench , as sober from the cellar as the student from his cell , yet in gods account he may be a true drunkard , and therefore a true child of belial . secondly , for the drunkard wet , he is of two sorts : . either the throughly steept : or , . the lightly d●…pt . ( ) the throughly steep'd , is the gross , the beastly , the very statute drunkard ; he that has so steept and soaked himself in liquor , that he is bec●…me a very sot and sodden head , and hath none or very little rule and government of himself : this drunkard is he whom the prophet ●…y calls the stagg●…ring dr●… , staggering in his own vomit ; the recling drunkard , the drunkard overcome with wine , swallowed up with wine , filling all tables with vomit and filthiness , &c. this is that drunkard that hath so lost limbs and senses , that basil likens him to those idols of the heathens that have eyes and see not , ears and hear not , feet and walk not : this is that drunkard that hath so intoxicated his brain , so outed his wits , so lost for a time his reason , that one well calls the fit and mood that now he is in , a little voluntary madness ; let that mood last but a few dayes , and you wo●…ld not doubt but the man was mad : at present he is no l●… than mad , only it continues not so l●…ng now this is of all drunkards the 〈◊〉 chil●… of 〈◊〉 , one of his best 〈◊〉 ▪ one so just the fathers son for universal resemblance of wickedness , that should the devil choose a body wherein to act that universal wickedness which is in him , a body he could not choose ●…itter than this drunkards body : this drunkard who but that he wants the devil●… cloven foot and his horns , might seem not to be one of the devils elves only , but a grand devil himself . but besides this kind of drunkard who is so throughly steept , so soaked in liquor , that he sweats wine , he rifts wine , touch and squeeze him never so little , you squeeze out wine . ( ) besides this , there is of drunkards wet another drunkard , sc. he that is not so throughly steept , but lightlier dipt , he that is not so full in the midst of the clout as the former , but he is about the clout ; aye , perhaps in a little nook and out-corner of it ; and this is he who though he do not ordinarily drink till he be forth right intoxicated , till he reel , till he stagger , till he be overcome of wine , till he be swallowed up of wine , till he fill and ●…ile all with vomit and filth , till in a word he be statute-drunk ; yet he is continually bibbing , continually sucking , continually tipling and tipling , till he be ( as they say ) somewhat ●…ine , somewhat brave , somewhat tipt , somewhat toucht , ●…omewhat pratty , and many other such pratty n●…mes , that the world calls these pratty c●…eatures by , r●…ther than by the name of drunkards : but yet that they that ordinarily and continually almost are bibbing , and lapping , and drinking , and dudling more than is meet , though it be not to the outing of wits and losing of sence , that these in gods and the s●…ripture account also are the true drunkards , c●…nsider hence ▪ fir●…t , the drunkard and the bibber , the 〈◊〉 uses indisserently and synonymously , the one for the other . jo●…l . . awake ye drunkards , howl all ye w●…-bibbers . secondly , because all sinfull excess in scripture , condemned by scripture , is referred to drunkenness , that therefore which is sinfull excess if habitually practised , makes a true drunkard , though a qualified one somewhat , and not of the debauched and beastlier sort ; but there is much sinfull excess in drinking condemned in scripture , which is not to the overturning of the brain and depriving of the sences ; see esay . , . pet. . . tim. . . tit. . . given to much wine . thirdly , because that liberal use of vvine or other strong drink , even unto some plain alteration , though not alienation of mind , to cheer up and alter , and exhilerate 〈◊〉 the mind , though not to alienate an●… besott it , such liberal use of vvine , which at some times may be very lawfull , yet if it be used unseasonably and ordinarily , for ordinary sensual pleasure and delight , it is nothing in scripture-account but meer drunkenness : joseph to welcom his brethren made them a feast , an●… they drank and were merry with him . were m●…rry with him ; were drunk with him , saith the hebrew ; sc. drunk with him so largely till their minds were very much cheared , and altered , and exhilerated up , till they were very merry with him , till indeed they were somewhat pratty : so give strong dri●…k to him that is ready to perish , &c. see neh . . now this liberal use of vvine and strong drink , which in these cases are lawfull enough , yet if it should be unseasonably and ord●…arily used for ordinary sensual pleasure and delight , it would be nothing but meer drunkenness ; as appears by these texts . blessed art thou , o land when thy princes eat in due season , for st●…ength and not for drunkenness . see is. 〈◊〉 . . . & . . 〈◊〉 . . amos . . fourthly , it appears from the ●…se of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 joh. . . compared wi●…h eph. . . w●…en m●…n have well drank , and be not drunk with wine ; so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cor. . . one is drunken ; t●…es . . . th●…y that are drunk are drunk in the night . also it appears à pari , because that which was lawful for the rich glutton to have done wi●…hout imputation of gluttony at some time , because he made an ordinary epicurish practice of it to fare deliciously every day ; that makes him generally to be termed ( though not in the text , yet in all interpreters ) the rich glutton : not that he glu●…ted h●…mself with that which was not lawfull at any day , but which was not lawful on every d●…y . now th●…se things being thus cleared , let us proceed to explain and shew the truth of the point , sc : that the true and proper drunkard in any of the so●…enamed kinds , is ( though in regard of some of them more , in regard of some of them less ) a true chil●… of the devil ; and because to be a child of the devil was in such conformableness of sin and wickedness to resemble t●…e very wicked one , he might seem to be begot of no other than of him : bred of his very spawn , begot of his very seed , bearing the very image and picture of the father , ill looking father in the face as 't were , and being the right fathers son in all conformableness almost unto him up and down ; because this was to be a child of the devil , therefore in regard of this great conformableness or likeness unto the devil , let u●… demonstrate the drunkard to be the devils very child , the elfe resembling the ouncell up and down . first therefore th●…t ouncell is a creature or miscreant rather , composed of all wickedness , and therefore called wickedness it self , and t●…e wicked one , eph. . , . because of that mass of universal wickedness that is in him . so the ouncels elfe , the drunkard , is a creature or miscreant rather composed also almost of all wickedness , no sin or wickedness almost but his miscreant nature is for it . and therefore first in this regard , he is the right ouncels elfe , the devi●…s child , because of this resembling him in the mass of universall wickedness almost . secondly , we say in a more especiall manner , that such an one is right the fathers son , because of resembling him not only in a general likeness of his nature , but also and more especially in some more speciall markes and properties ; as that he hath just the fathers wrangling humour and proud spirit , &c. that he hath just the fathers stuttering speech , ju●…t his wry-mouth , the bunch of ●…lesh just in the forehead , the long stroak on the left cheek , the wart just under the chin , &c. we say in a more speciall manner , that such an one is right the fat●…ers son , because of more special resembling him in some such more special markes and properties as t●…ese . and so we shall see in the second place t●…at in a more special manner the drunkard is right the devils child , because of more special resembling him in some more special marks and properties of the devil . but first , that he is right the devils child , the ouncels elfe , because of resembling his nature in an universall mass almost of wickedness , that look as the devil is a creature or miscreant rather ( for not his creation , but his fall and mis-creation rather g●…ve him that ) a miscreant composed of all wickedness , so the drunkard , &c. and this we will shew by considering how manifoldly the drunkard by reason of his drunkenness sins against both tables ; for drunkenness ( as some think ) is not specially forbid in any one of the ten command●…ents , beca●…se it is not the single breach o●… any one , but in 〈◊〉 the viol●…tion of all , being the 〈◊〉 't were and inlet to all other sins , so that drunkenness comprizes in it all sins ; t●…erefore against the sirst t●…ble consider these sins of the 〈◊〉 by re●…son of his drunkennesses ( for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 s●…ill the plural , to note the habit . . by reason ther●…of , a gen●…ral pros●…neness and 〈◊〉 creeps up●…n his heart , to grow sottish of religion and senseless , aye a very scorner and contemner of it ; they have l●…ft osf to tak●… heed unto the lord , i. e. they are grown generally profane and irreligious ; and what is rendered immediately as the reason ? hos. . . . whoredome and wine , and new wine ta●…e away the heart ; i. e. makes them sots and senseless ones , prof●…nishly insensible of relig on . nay thi●… wine and n●…w wine , this drinking of liquor upon liquor , it carrie●… the parties in time even unto the profaneness of scorning and contemning of religion . in the day of our ki●…g , the princes have m●…de ●…im si●…k wi●…h bottles of wine , with vessel after vessel , cup aster cup , and what then followes ? ●…e stretched out ●…is hand wi●…h 〈◊〉 . he becam●… as one of them that made a mock and jest of all religion , the word being the same us●…d psal. . . and those mockers jude . are they that walk aft●…r their own ungo●…ly lusts , th●…t is , in the pleasures of the slesh and epicurish eating and drinking . and m●…rk abroad in the world , who especially are they that prophanishly m●…ke a mock of religion and the professors thereof ; nick-naming them precisians , puritans , separatists , and many o●…her such nam●…s of scorn , ( which neither godliness wo●…ld object , nor wisdom cares for maintaining being objected ; ) who i say are these especially that thus do , but only these sensu●…l men carried after their sensual pleasures and delights ? jude . these are they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who s●…parate not themselves , but rather o●…hers in scornsully calling and accoun●…ing others separatists , puritans , and precisians , and many oth●…r such odd names of separatisme and singularity . these are the hard speeches , jude . secondly , another sin against the first table that drunkenness ( i. e. ordinary and habitual drinkings ) are apt to breed in the parties , is atheisme and infidelity ; not to believ●… verily an●… indeed the truth of christian faith , as the resurrection of the body , the d●…y of j●…dgement , ●…he after-state of the d●…mned or 〈◊〉 so●…ls , &c. nothing so apt to breed this atheisme and infidelity as 〈◊〉 : i. e. givin●… a mans self over to these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and delights . for 〈◊〉 a man l●…ves thus by sense , he is 〈◊〉 and pr●…judiced against faith ; and nothing ag●…in so ap●… to increase this sensu●…lity as 〈◊〉 . s●…nsuality breeds atheism , and 〈◊〉 it then increaseth 〈◊〉 . see both these from ground●… of s●…ripture . for the fir●…t , that t●…is sensuali●…y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is not that sor it in a●…s . . ●…n that when paul preached 〈◊〉 an●… 〈◊〉 resurrection , w●…o are they that 〈◊〉 h●…m ? then 〈◊〉 philosoph●… of the 〈◊〉 , and of th●… stoi●…ks , 〈◊〉 him , &c. the 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 sens●…al epicureans , given over to th●…se 〈◊〉 pleasures , were the fir●…t that oppos●…d t●…e doctrine of jesus and the 〈◊〉 . so the apostle brings ●…n 〈◊〉 sensual me●… walking in 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 ▪ excess ●…f wine , revellings , d●…inkings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p●… . . brings in them thinking it 〈◊〉 that believe●…s run not with them to the same excess of riot . and why think they it strange that b●…lievers run not with them , to the same sensuality ? sc. because their sensuality will not let ●…hem see th●…t ●…hich the 〈◊〉 sees ; sc. that for those 〈◊〉 they sh●…ll on●… day give account to 〈◊〉 w●…o is 〈◊〉 to judge ●…oth q●…ick and dead . s●… tho●…e 〈◊〉 walk●…ng aster their own 〈◊〉 , sensual lusts , are those w●…o a●…e brought in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prom●…se of his 〈◊〉 , pet. . . a●…d though some th●…t 〈◊〉 up 〈◊〉 in a sensual 〈◊〉 of riotou●… 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 , may retain yet the 〈◊〉 of fai●… , yet how parlous this sensu●…l epicurishness is , to rob and be●…eave them of the pow●…r of faith , t●…at 〈◊〉 epicu●…es c●…se she wes luke . who living in such s●…nsuality , co●…nted those sensual good things to be his chief good thing●… ; ver . . he had no thoughts of ●…eaven or ●…ell : a secret heartathiest he wa●… , see ver . . . this sensuality how apt is it to breed atheisme ! . atheism is then apt to increase s●…nsuality , let us eat and drink for to 〈◊〉 we shall dye , cor. . . sc. 〈◊〉 so as we look sor no resurrection , for it is spoken in the n●…me of those who believed not the resurrection ; and therefore no marvel , if they sho●…ld give themselves over to sensuality of all intempera●…e and riotous eating and drinking . so they , wisd. . we are born at all adventure , &c. come on 〈◊〉 let ●…s enjoy the good things that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. third●…y , 〈◊〉 sin ag●…nst the first ta●…le is gross 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or contempt of gods word . ●…hom shall he teach knowled●… ? &c. isa. ●… . , . having begun the chapter with an invective ag●…inst pride and drunkenness , and the verse next before , all tables are full of vomit , &c. whom shall ●…e teach know edge ? such unc●…pable sots were not fit for it ; new wea●…d children will under●…and as much as 〈◊〉 so they go into captivity , because th●…y h●…e no knowledge , isa. . , , . and th●…t they are such sots without knowledge , t●… former verses seem to intimate , that it arises from th●…ir drunkenish humour . fourthly , another sin against the 〈◊〉 table is great security , and inconsider●…ion or contempt of gods ju●…gements . and in that day , sc. in that day that god as an offended god began to reveal his judgements from heaven ag●…inst them ; isa. . . in that d●…y did the lord god of hosts call to weeping , &c. but behold drinking wine , &c. and what a great sin this gross inconsideration and contempt of gods judgements is , the next verse shewes : surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you ●…ll you dye . so what but drinking wine in bowles , and other such like sensuality reckoned up there , is intim●…ted that made them put far from them the evil day ; i.e. made them never reckon and consider ( or which is worse ) contemn gods ju●…gements . and in particular this makes m●…n senseless and inconsiderate of the l●…t judgement ; so that servant who shall begin to eat and d●…ink with the drunken , the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him , &c. his drunkenishness shall cast him into a deep sleep , and inconsideration of the day of j●…dgement , so that it sh●…ll take him tard●… , coming upon him never lookt for , luk. . . fifthly , another sin again●…t the fir●…t table is idolatry , either that idol●…try to make ones belly ones god ; whose god is their belly whose glory is in their sham●… &c. ph●…l . . . what but a very god does the glutton and the drunk●…rd m●…ke their bellies ? continually serving this god with continual meat-off●…rings and drink 〈◊〉 , and that of the best , of the 〈◊〉 of the one , and of the sweetest of the oth●…r ; either dr●…k and ros●… up to play ; s●… . in honour of th●…t idol the go●…den c●…ls , to si●…g and dance before it , as david before the ark ; so , who look to oth●…r cods and love slagons of 〈◊〉 , ●…os . . . and they drank win●… , i. e. healthed and c●…roused it ap●…ce : and what th●…n sollow●… ? and pr●…ised the gols of gold. and what is that which ushers in , and m●…kes way for all those abominable 〈◊〉 ? what but lacivionsness , lusts , excess of wine , &c. p●…t . . . the sensual man that once hath made his belly his god , will soon be apt to make a stock or a stone his god , and to fall into all abominable idolatries ; and the prophet hosea gives us to guess at the reason , when he sayes wine , and new wine take away the heart , makes men sots : and then pres●…ntly adds , my people ask councel at their stocks , and their staff declareth unto them , hos. . , . and if this sin guide or rather misguide so into idolatry , being so apt to m●…ke way for it ; what do we think of this age , this voluptuou●… sensual age ? if some son of neb●…t should set up the golden calf ag●…in , which the zealous moses's heretofore have stamped to powder ; would not many of them think we be ready to sit down to eat and drink and rise up to play ? be ready to cry , great is diana , not of ephes●… but of rome ; w●…n wine and new wine have taken away their hearts . sixthly , another sin against the first table is dishonouring god in the p●…osanation of his n●…me . holy and 〈◊〉 ( 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 ) is thy name , but how unholily and irreverently these men use gods name , in all horrible and a●…ominable swearing ; i appeal unto t●…em who more ordinarily may be in the company of this hellish crue than i thank god i my self am ; speak if every third word almost that these stutterers , these 〈◊〉 can g●…t forth be not an oath , a bloody oath ; surely if the talk of him that 〈◊〉 much , maketh the hair stand upright ; it is especially the talk of the pot-swearer , that swears in the midst of his pots and cups . what voll●…s of oath●… , thumping oaths does he then discharge and let fly against the face of heaven ? what peals and ch●…nges of oaths does he ring , in the eares of god and man ? what creatures of god are there , what attributes of god , what titles of god , what parts of god , body , blood , wounds , heart , &c. but he swears them almost over and over again ? surely such a notable swearer is this pot-swearer , that were i to choose a villain to swear for my life , 〈◊〉 would choose no other than this pot●… ; ●…his p●…t-●…wearer , whose oathes , bloody o●…the , are so great and many , 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 of his pots and cups , 〈◊〉 we●…e 〈◊〉 but by with pen and ink to note them down and present th●…m to him agai●… in his sober 〈◊〉 , i am perswaded there are not many of ●…hese villaines but in the●…r sober moods they would be somewhat ●…eared and ●…alf afraid to read over the note of the fearful o●…thes that they swore in their unsober and drunkenish moods . and the reason why this vice of drunkenness drawes unto such prosanation of gods name , in all irrevere●…t intemperate swearing , is , because it first makes the heart sotti●…h an●… senseless of god and the awful majesty of god , and no marvel if when the he●…rt is grown prophane , the tongue grow prophane too ; no marvel if when the heart is not awed with any due reverence of god , the tongue want this due reverence too . sevently , another sin against the first table is dishonouring god in the prophanation of his sabbath and worship . who are such prophaners of gods sabbaths , and 〈◊〉 or irreverent performers of of his worship as these sons of 〈◊〉 this needs not be proved out of pulpits , church-wardens and constables and other officers if they wo●…ld ●…ut now and then see a search made into bli●…d ale-houses , would make this plain eno●…gh . how many do we think they might find , 〈◊〉 of learning sobriety in the church of god , practising intemperance in those s●…ies and chappels of the devil ! how many instead of coming hither to wisdomes house , to eat of the bread and drink of the wine that she hath mingled ; come ●…at of my bread , &c. prov. . . sit there in those h●…uses of folly and madness , with no other text than that in their mouthes ; isa. . . come let us fetch wine , let us fill our selves with strong drink , and to morrow shall be as this day , and much more abundant ! but if church-wardens and officers will not by their pains help to prove this truth , these men they bewray themselves . they that are in authority know , or may know and observe , that of all brables almost that for meer matter of peace come before them , two parts of three arise from drink ; and of those , more than two parts in three from that excess in drink , which is either on market ▪ dayes or sabbath-dayes . who greater profaners therefore of gods sabbaths and neglecters of his worship than these kind of men ? or if they seem not altogether to neglect it , yet who more irreverent performers of it when they come to church ? either they come somewhat touch't and half pratty to the church , and so are fitter for two houres ●…leep than one hours sermon ; fitter for a pillow to lay their ear to tha●… , than a preacher to lend an ear to him : or if for a preacher , it must be some of those that sowe pillows under all elbowes , ez●…k . . . or else if they come sober to church , yet as the sow dreams of her drasfe , so they of their drink ; and they think all time tedious till they be removed from the church-bench to the ale-bench ; and till gods door is shut , that the devils blind wickets may the more freely open ; and so if sabbatum come of sabbas a name of bacchus , they are the best sabbatizers . eightly , another sin against the fir●…t table , is dishonouring god in the abuse of his creatures . judge but in your selves whether ye can think that god hath made his creatures to be vainly , and contemptuously used to riot and excess . will not a wise father when he sees his son play the vain wanton with his meat , stuffing and cramming himself unnecessarily with it ; or when he sees him playing the like vain wanton with his drink , bibbing unnecessarily , or only to squirt or sputter it out again , will he not be offended ? and pluck the good meat out of his mouth , and the good drink from his nose , as knowing they are too good to be so vainly abused by him ? will not a wise father do this ? and will not the wise god , the father of all living much more ●…e offended ; and take it ill then that his good creatures should be so abused unto such vanity and excess ? his good c●…eatures that how many hungry and thirsty s●…ints souls might be refreshed , by that which their intemperancies vainly and contemptuously abuse ? does not the guests abusing of their entertainment , as if after they had eaten a while so much as was sufficient , and drank a while so much as was needful , they should cast the rest of their meat to dogs , or trample it under foot ; and give the rest of their drink to the swine , or pour it down channel : does not this redound to the hosts or inviters dishonour ? well , better were it that men should cast the superfluity of their basket and store to the very dogs or trample it under foot ; better also they should give the superfluity of their vessel and cup runing over , to the very swine , or pour it down channel , than vainly and unecessarily abuse the same unto surseiting and drunkenness , the former way it did not that good it 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 way it did harme ; must not the●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gods entertainment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and vanity of riot an●… 〈◊〉 ▪ must it not highly redonnd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or entertainers dishono●…r ? 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against the sirst table is 〈◊〉 our selves and our own bodies , and that these t●…ree wayes . . as we are th●… image of god. . as our bodies are the members of christ. . as they are the temple of the ●…oly ghost . first , as we are the image of god. man is the image of god many wayes . . in regard of a divine majesty and stateliness above all other creatures , even of body and outward person ; a kind of divine majesty above all other ●…reatures , and awsull to all other creatures , being ev●…n enstamped upon the body and outward person of man ; but wh●…n the drunkard swine-like lies wallowing in his own filth , or sprawling in his own vomit , or by his continual drinkings hath deformedhi●…s body , and made it more like a monster through deformities than like a man ; where is then any of this divine stateliness ●…nd majesty , even in his body and outward person above all other creatures ? . man is the image of god in regard of soveraignty , of rule and dominion ; that as god is simply soveraign in regard of rule and dominion over all things , so he made man as it were a petty god , putting all things in subjection under his feet : but when the drunkard is laid under foot himself , sor all the creatures that wil●… to trample upon him , when he cannot well rule one member of his own body , or passion os his own mind , wheredoes any soveraignty o●… this divine-like rule and dominion appear ? if i would see the very image , not of the lord , but of a very vassal and abject slave , not fit to govern the veriest dumb creature , even the silliest of them that goes on all four ; i could not see it more lively than in the drunkard . . man is the im●…ge of god in regard of a divine like reason and understanding wherein he excels all other creatures ; but when the drink is in and wit out , as they say , when that intoxicating thing hath bereaved him of wit and understanding , ( as young cyrus thought it was plain toxicum poison , it bereaved them so of sense and understanding ; ) when it is thus with man wh●…re is any divine l●…ke reason and understanding in him ? how is he in this 〈◊〉 the image of god , and not rat●…er the image of an ass , a blo●…kish ass ? . man is the image of god in rega●…d of a divine-like holy and pure nature ; but when such a deal of impu●…ity and 〈◊〉 doth appear even in the outward man , much more when the drunkards heart by reason of drunkenn●…ss is nothing but a cage of unclean and 〈◊〉 thoughts , where is 〈◊〉 ●…his divine-l●…ke holy and pure natur●… ? ●…nd how is he then the image o●… god , that 〈◊〉 ●…nd holy spirit ; and not rather t●…e 〈◊〉 o●… him who is that un●…lean and 〈◊〉 spirit ? 〈◊〉 , by drunk●…nness we dishon●…ur god , in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…odies whi●…h are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o●… chri●…t . kn●…w ye not ( 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 of one speci●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sc. forn●…cation ) that o●…r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 ●… shall i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 christ , &c. so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 another special sin o●… t●…e 〈◊〉 we may say ; know ye not , &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…ke the members of chri●… , the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…ll 〈◊〉 , and make them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o●… 〈◊〉 that drunken 〈◊〉 ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sow , those swilling 〈◊〉 ? sur●…ly god sorbid . would not the king take it indignly as a dishonour to him , if one of you should hang out his 〈◊〉 , one part whereo●… should have t●…e 〈◊〉 o●… 〈◊〉 mon●…r , another of that ? s●…ll not 〈◊〉 much more take it indignly as a d●…shonour to him , if they that would go ●…or members of christ , appear 〈◊〉 to be memb●…rs os hog and sow thos●… swilling and drunken creatures ? who cou●…d well endure it that christs very picture should be so di●…honourably paint●…d ? how should he then well end●…re it that his v●…ry body should be thought to ●…e made up o●…●…uch dishonourable members ? thirdl●… , ●…y drunkenness we dishonour god in abusing our bodies ●…s they are the temples o●… the holy gho●…t ; kn●…w ye not ( say●…s the apostle , speaking again●…t the ●…ore-named vice of the body , sc. fornicati●…n ) that ●…our bodies are the temples of the ●…oly-ghost , and there●…ore as he intim●…tes should be kept in a●…l honour and holin●…ss , ●…ree from such a silthy de●…iling sin as fornication . so for drunkenness , know ye not th●…t our bodi●…s are temples , & c ? were it not an odious thing if the drunkard should come and lay his filthy stomach in the temple of god ? filthiness and nas●…iness does not become the very material temples of god , how much more odious and dishonourabl●… a ●…ing is it th●…t by his b●…tly 〈◊〉 he so 〈◊〉 th●… living temple of god ? for not that whi●…h comes out ( that i may invert our saviours speech ) does so defile t●…e m●…terial temple , as that which goes into the drunkards belly defiles the living temple ; and what sayes the apostle ? if any m●…n desile the temple of god , him shall god 〈◊〉 : for the t●…mple of god is holy , whi●…h templ●… ye are . cor. . , . for fins against the second table , whi●…h the drunkard by reason of his drunke●…ness is subject and very incident unto ; consider these . first , against the fi●…th commandement , honour thy father , &c. wherein are set down the duties of children to parents , and parents to children , and in g●…nerall of all inferiours to superiours , and superiours to inferiours , against this commandement how the drunkard by reason of his drunkennesses sins it is plain . . how disobedient , incorrigibly disobedient does this make children to parents , that they will not be admonished , nor hear the voice of father , or voice of mother which , what a dishonour is it to them ? in deut. . . the disobedient son is brought in , or rather brought ●…orth to be stoned for his incorrigi●…le 〈◊〉 , a●…d what is alledged for me ground of his d●…sobedience ? he is a 〈◊〉 and a drunkard : for this is not added as a part for which he was ●…oned , that was his contumacy and 〈◊〉 . v. . if a man have a stubbo●…n and rebellious son , &c. perhaps also the wise man would intimate this , when presently after he had said be not among wine-bibbers , &c , he addes . hearken unto thy father that begat thee , and despise not thy mother when she is old , prov. . , , . as if he would intimate thus much , that if he should ordinarily be among wine-bibbers and so turn drunkard , he would soon grow heedless of hearkening to his father that begat him , or of despising his mother when she is old ; and to say no more of this , how dis-obedient this vice makes children to parents , many a parents bleeding heart will witness it without any further proof ; who to no small gries of their hearts know how heady and unruly this heady and unruly drink have made their own children unto them . not accused of riot ; and what immediately followes ? not unruly , tit. . . secondly , t●…is vice m●…kes parents wrong their ch●…ldren too ; wrong them . in transfusi●…g and propagating oftentimes unto them this drunken vice . there are two sins , sc. drunkenness and whoredome , which being more properly sins of the body , are by bodily propagation derived from parents to their children . the drunken father seldom begets a sober son , nor the drabbing mother a chast daughter ; but as the mother is , so is the daughter , as is the father so is the son. this the philosopher intimated whe●… he saw a young man much in drink ; thy father surely ( sayes he ) begot thee being in drink . and perhaps also ( besides a mystical reason ) this natural reason may be aimed at by the angel , why he would not have manoah ( being to bear sampson ) drink all that time either wine or strong drink , judg. . . behold thou shalt conceive and bear a son , but drink no wine or strong drink , &c. . ag●…in this vice makes parents exceedingly wrong their children by their drunken example . example easily smites , but especially domestick and house-example , and especially of parents ; how can they ever rightly hate and abhor that vice when from the v●…ry 〈◊〉 they see it in those whom they must needs love so dearly ? how ●…hould they ever p●…ove patterns of sobriety abroad , wh●…n they are before corrupted so with su●…h ill patterns and examples of drunkenn●…ss at home . . again this vice o●…tentimes makes parents exceedingly wrong their children in ●…he point of good education and providing for them , how wi●…kedly careless and improvident does this make many how their children are brought up and how provided ●…or . indeed i will not d●…ny but some kind of drunkards there are ( sc. the mungrell or compounded drunkards , who are not pure drunkards , but make their drunkenness serve their covetuousness ; th●…y make the best bargains and strike up the best matches in their pots ) i will not deny but these mungrell compounded d●…unkards may be provident enough for their children ; but the pure drunkard how careless commonly is he , how children are brought up and how provided for ? so he may have drink he cares not though they want bread ; so he may sing and whistle on the ale-bench , he cares not though they cry and go and whistle it on the beggars-bench . and as drunkenness thus is apt to overturn the duties of children to parents , ●… c contra , so likewise o●… all inseriours to superiours , &c contra ; of subjects to mag●…rates who are civill fathers ; of people to ministers , who are ghostly fathers , &c c●…ntra . of subjects to magi●…trates . the men of sechem having gathered their vineyards , and trod their grapes , and making merry judg. . they ●…at and drank ; and what then ? and cursed abimelech . so he that wrote that wine is the strongest , esdr●…s . . among other reasons to prove it , this is one , it ma●…th ●…very heart rich , i.e. brave , brisk , fl●…sh , gallant , &c. and what then ? so that a man remembereth neither king nor governour , and causeth to speak all things by talents ; that is , huge and mighty and big swelling words , words os great contempt and dis-●…espect ; vilifying and making clouts of men in authority : so on the contrary this makes magi●…trates fail in their duties , it makes him that bears the sword that he can sometimes put no great difference between the innoceat and the offender , and so makes him erre in judgement . it is not for kings , o lemuel , to drink wine , nor for princes strong drink , least they drink and forget the law , and pervert the judgement of any of the 〈◊〉 , prov. . , . and hereupon is that wo , and that blessing , eccl. . . wo to th●… o land when thy king is a child , and thy princes eat in the m●…rning ; blessed art thou o land , &c. and after the p●…ophct 〈◊〉 had said , wo unto them that are mighty to drink wine , is●… . . . . what immediately sollows ? which justisic the wicked for a reward , &c. it makes magistrates fail in their duties . and whereas one special thing of a magistrate is to resorm abuses , and one special abuse , the ground and make-way for many others is drunkenness ; if the magistrate himself be much guilty this way , how shall he ever be hoped to do any great good in reforming this abuse ? will not his own conscio●…s self-condemning heart shut his eye that he will not see , stop his mouth that he dares not say , and dry up and wither his hand , that hand that should execute justice , that he dares not do or act much against osfenders this way ? is not that a very natural ground to take off any from proceeding in judgement against another ; that which took off ●…udah from proceeding in judgement against tamar , to burn her with ●…ire as a whore , she is more righteous than i ? but if an osfending magistrate should notwithstanding proceed to punish osfenders in the same kind , what hope th●…t he should 〈◊〉 , that he 〈◊〉 do any g●…od ther●…by ? ●…s it ●…ot n●…tural for eve●…y one wi●…h great ind●…gnation and ●…ising 〈◊〉 to sa●… , 〈◊〉 , sir●… heal thy self , 〈◊〉 searc●… 〈◊〉 me own wound , 〈◊〉 thine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; and wh●… 〈◊〉 thou that judg●…st 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 th●… 〈◊〉 ●…hings ? rom. . . and thou that sa●… 〈◊〉 a m●…n 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 thou ●…teal ? thou th●…t 〈◊〉 anoth●…r , 〈◊〉 thou 〈◊〉 ? thou th●…t sor 〈◊〉 s●…ttest 〈◊〉 by the heels , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through 〈◊〉 trip up thy own he●…ls ? and therefore though such an one should 〈◊〉 to pun●…sh 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 h●…pe he should 〈◊〉 ? and 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 wise emp●…rour sa●…d in th●… 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 , when they 〈◊〉 have b●…gun reforma●…ion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 po●…r ●…rancisc 〈◊〉 a●…d minorit●…s , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will never do good , ( sayes he ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be begun a majoritis . so ●…or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 , unl●…ss 〈◊〉 be begun a m●…joritis , from may●…rs , ●…dermen , burgesses , mea in anthorit●… , & ●… . th●…re c●…n n●…ver be ●…xpected any kindly reformation in the minorites and ●…aseriours . ag●…in for them that are 〈◊〉 superiours and inseriours , pastors and people , this sin m●…kes them sail in their duties one to another , it is a great indangering occasion to m●…ke t●…e pas●…ours 〈◊〉 in th●…ir duty . d●…es 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 of god 〈◊〉 th●…s ●…y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 g●…ven to aaron ? levit. . . do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 w●…ne ●…r 〈◊〉 dri●…k . ●…nd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 plainly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of pa●…tors and pro●…hets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and duty ? 〈◊〉 . th●…y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 throu●…h wine , th●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have erred through st●…ong ●…rink , &c. a●…d what especially but this , does the 〈◊〉 aim at , in requiring so expresly that a bishop or mini●…ter should not be given to much wine ? tim. . . one that uses to be overseen in drink , tit. . . he th●…t uses t●… be overse●…n this way ▪ will never be a good overseer in the 〈◊〉 pau●…s sence . and for the peopl●… , 〈◊〉 of their honouring their go●…ly and p●…insull minis●…ers ( or hold suc●…●…n 〈◊〉 ) what contempt doe●… thi●… c●…use tow●…rds their p●…rsons ? phil. . . it is the mo●…t ●…ikely t●…at those contem●…ers o●… the apo●…tle 〈◊〉 , ●…or a meer b●…bler , what wi●…l this babl●…r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . . that they we●…e ●…f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 seas●…al epicur●…ans who pl●…ce their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in sensu●…l 〈◊〉 ●…nd drinking , 〈◊〉 in the s●…me ver●…e . and the 〈◊〉 scossing butcher o●… 〈◊〉 fl●…ld go●…s not ●… doubt alone , w●…o hav●…ng ●…rd the minister inveigh again●…t 〈◊〉 , asterwards at his cups fe●…l a 〈◊〉 and scos●…ing at the purita●… m●…r and his s●…rmon ▪ s ; i doubt i say he goes not a●… , but hath butchers , and better men too , too many , sharing with him in his sin , tho●…gh perhaps they partake not with him presently in the same temporal judgement : for as that pro●…ane , scoffing wretch ( s●…yes my author ) was drinking , the drink or somewhat in it qu●…ckled him , and stuck so in his thro●…t that it would neither up nor down but presently strangled him . secondly , ag●…inst the next commandement , thou shalt not kill . wherein is commanded all things that make for the lise , safety , and bodi●…y welfare of our neighbour . against this the drunkard by reason of his drunkenness sins these wayes . . directly , by falling into quarrels and bloody frayes oftentimes by reason of this sin. wine is a mo●…r ( sayes the wise man ) prov. . . i. e. makes them that are given to it mo●…k and ab●…se one another ; and what then thereupon fol●…owes ? strong drink is raging ; s●… . breeds tumults and from off the poor , &c. micah . . the p●…ophet s●…ms to ●…imate that they w●…re sensual , voluptuous m●…n , given to wine and strong drink , ch●…p . . . s●… 〈◊〉 her that is filthy , or g●…s ; m●… only for s●…y and ep●…cu is●…e of e●…ing and dri●… , like t●…e craw , the birds craw : and what th●…n follow●…s ? to the op●…ssing city , zeph. . . & . . t●…us a second wa●… . . again●…t this , thou shalt not kill , the drunkards dr●… causeth him to ossend , ●…cause it dis●…oseth a●…d hardeneth his bowels to gre●…t unmerci●…ness towards the poor , le●…ing them almost rath●…r p●…ish then r●…ving him in his wants ; there are none commonly so unsensible of the em●…ty and ye●…rning ●…owels of others , as they that have th●…ir own ●…owels oppressed and surcharged still with surpluffage and a●…undance of meats and drinkes ; do not the●…e examples m●…ke this good . . of n●…bal , who bei●…g as ap●…ears v. . a sensual man , given to 〈◊〉 of meat and drink , was insensible of d●…vids and his companions mis●…ries , rating his servants with soul wo●…ds , who is d●…vid ? &c. samuel . sent them away empty . . the examp●…e of sodom , ezek. . . where 〈◊〉 ▪ o●… b●…d ( wh●…by f●…lness of d●…ink also is 〈◊〉 under●…tood ) is intimat●…d a●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 why she did not as it followes , i. e s●…n the hands of the poor and 〈◊〉 . . the example of him who faring deli●…sly everyd●…y , he and his servants living in su●…h sensua●…ity w●…re 〈◊〉 of p●…or 〈◊〉 his m●…sery lying at his g●…te and ready to dye o●… hunger as it is likely he afterwards did , luke . . . ag●… this , thou shalt n●…t 〈◊〉 , the drunkards drunkenn●…sse causeth him to osfend ; because it taketh away brothe●…ly compassions and fellow-feeling of others mis●…ries . others that are perhaps in bondage , in captivities , in hard usage under the enemy , whose cause lies a ●…leeding , whose souls a languishing , and whose necks on the very block ; and to want compassions and fellow-seeling in this kind , is a kind of bloodiness and killing cr●…lty ; but drunkenness and sensuality , nothing apter than it to 〈◊〉 the same . the king and h●…man sate down to drink , but the city shushan was p●…rplexed , esther . this sitting down to drink , to drink sensually and voluptuously made the king and haman . 〈◊〉 this , t●… shalt 〈◊〉 kill ; t●… dr●…ds drunkenness●… c●…h him 〈◊〉 oss●…d , 〈◊〉 it is ●…pt to breed 〈◊〉 killing cr●…lty , sc. wick●…d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 po●…r so●…t in 〈◊〉 ; which w●…oso do●…s is a man os blood , and ther●…by h●…th his hands in blood ; ye h●…ve condemned and killed the just , sc. he whose cause was just , him have ye in wrong judgement condemned , and so killed ; hi●… , not in p●…rson but in estate , undoing him by wrong judgment , and he does not resist you , james . , . and who are they that thus do ? ye have lived in pleasure on earth . so for a parall●…l place ; amos . . they drink the wine of the condemned in the ho●…se of their god. i. e. they condemned not ●…n their persons but their e●…ates , by wrong judgement . and b●…sides this killing of others thus by drunkenness , i might shew also how the drunkard hath of o●…n h●…nds ( by reason of that vice ) in his own b●…ood ; and that not only in reg●…rd of bre●…k-necks , and other fatal mishaps that befall him often in his drunk●…n mood ; but al●…o in regard of filling his body commonly with deathhasting sicknesses and diseases , through his intemperances and disorders . these men though they pretend he●…lths , heal●…hs , yet who commonly a●…ter a while ( except it be in some special iron-sides ) hath such diseased bodies , and so ●…ull of in●…irmities as they ? and those ver●… iron sides that last a reasonable time not withstanding all their di●…lempers , h●…d they lived 〈◊〉 l●…ke other men , might in all l●…kelihood h●…ve survive●… and f●…r 〈◊〉 o●…her men , and 〈◊〉 th●…t 〈◊〉 ●…he 〈◊〉 s●… . th●…t the ●…ly ●…n sh●…●…t live 〈◊〉 half ●…s ●…s , 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 s●…d o●… h●…m th●…t sn●…ks th●… 〈◊〉 of t●…e v●… , as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thirsts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vein , that neither of the●… com●…only shall live out th●…ir full dayes . thirdl●… . 〈◊〉 the next c●…mmandement , thou sh●…lt not commit 〈◊〉 ; wherein is for●…idden all l●… of unc●…nnes ; and poss●…ssing our vessels in s●…nctisication an●… hono●…r required at our hands : 〈◊〉 this how the dr●…nkard by reason of his drunk●…nnesses is apt , and very apt to sin , there n●…eds no proving of it . . experience is for it . where almo●…t is the p●…rty who is noted for one of these vices , that is not noted sor the other als●… ? where the p●…rty th●…t is 〈◊〉 for a m●…n of lu●…t , but he is no●…ed for a m●…n of drink too ? a●…d it will go pr●…tily the other way too , where 〈◊〉 i●… t●…e ●…rty that is noted os 〈◊〉 in drink , ●…ut he is noted of 〈◊〉 in l●… too ? an●… 〈◊〉 marvel , f●…r . r●… 〈◊〉 t●… . re●…son that intemper●…nce in drink 〈◊〉 br●…d ●…rance in 〈◊〉 too , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and seek soon 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spum●…e lust. and t●…re i am m●…re th●…n 〈◊〉 ●…f th●…t ●…s mind ; i will never think a 〈◊〉 to be a 〈◊〉 m●…n for t●…ough he ma●… 〈◊〉 sometimes 〈◊〉 ●…om the act ▪ yet he hath alwa●…es wi●…h him the inc●…tive , the ma●…ter , 〈◊〉 provocation to lu●…t . and as experi●…nce and reason , so . s●…ipture ; h●…w plain is it for this same truth too ; a●…ter 〈◊〉 upon the wine wh●…n it is red , ●…ollows next ●…erse but one , looking ●…pon the strange wo●…an , prov. . , . and what does the a●…ostle make to u●…her in chambering and wantonness , but rioting and drunkenness ? if rioting and drunkenness go before , in all likelihood chambering and wantonness will follow . and therefore david , what art or trick did he use , the likeliest as in his judgement to make uriah go and lie with his wife ? why he made him drunk , sam. . . and lots d●…ughters that they might preserve s●…ed of their father , made their father dru●…k . they remembred what the sodomites practised , a people of all unbridled lust and uncleanness ; sc. fulness of bread , whereby fulness of drink is understood also ; and therefore they doubted not if the sodomites drunkenness went before , the sodomites lust would follow after . fourthly , against the next commandement , thou shalt not steal ; the drunk●…rd by reason of his drunkennesses sins , . by stealing from the state and common-wealth . for the glutton and the d●…unkard are very state-robbers , impoverishing the state , and robbing as it were from the common store , and causing ( through their riots and excess ) dearths and famines ; but for these state-robbers the common-wealth would commonly have wealth and store enough for supply and nourishment of all ; these are like the drone bees that getting into the hive over-eat themselves , and st●…rve the other b●…s before the winter be over : but for these over-eaters , these belly-bu●…sten d●…ones that steal from the rest , there would be meat enough for the whole hive . . they steal from the poor . that which their intemp●…rance and belly bur●…tenship drinks and devours , how many hungry and thirsty souls of the needy would it h●…ve refreshed , aye and by due ought it also to have refreshed ! for , withhold not good from whom it is due , when it is in the power of thine hand to do it , prov. . . and therefore in their intemperance they are but very stealers from the poor ; thy superstuous things are but the poor mans 〈◊〉 things . . they steal , and most wickedly of all steal , from wi●…e and children , suffering her , whom if they had but two bits in the world they should seed with one ; and them whom if they had but one bit in the world they should give them half of it , su●…ering both her and them to ●…amish at home , whilst they lavish and mis-spend it abroad ; and this is the worst stealth and robbery of all , to steal thus from wise and children ; and if any high-way robber deserve a rope , there is none of these that steal from wife and children but they deserve two ; for as the wiseman hath it , whoso robbeth his father and mother and saith it is no transgression , the same is the companion of a destroyer . he is the worst robber , the worst offender of all , so he that robbeth wi●…e and children . it is well observed by aristotle , that it is the worst the●…t of all , which takes from the seed , because it is a the●…t that robs us not only of so much quantity , but whatsoever by multiplication would come of that seed . so the drunkard that robs from his child in prejudicing his education , and hindering the ground-work laying then of a 〈◊〉 means of li●…ing is the worst the●…t of all , because he deprives him not only of so much good as here is in quantity , but whatsoever also might come of that good . and thus by the drunkards sinning so mani●…oldly against both tables by reason of his drunkenn●…sses , does not the first part of the demonstration sufficiently appear , that is , that the drunkard is right the devils child , the ouncels else , b●…cause of resembling him in an universal mass of wickedness almost ? now , secondly , because we say in a more especial manner , that such an one is right the fathers son because of resembling him , not only in a general likenes of his nature , bu●… also , and more especially , in some more special markes and properties ; as that he hat●… just the fathers ●…uttering speech , &c. so let us now demon●…rate how the drunkard in this more sp●…cial manner is right the devils child because of more special resembling him in some more sp●…cial markes and properties of the devil . and . in this special property , that as the devil is obstinately and incorrigibly naught , hardned and habituated in evil ; ( for the devil sins from the beg●…nning ) that is , obstinately and incorrigibly as hardened and habituated in sin , without any hope of reclaiming him ; so among the most hopeless and unreclaimable sinners of all is the habituate drunkard . when belials and belzebubs and wicked spirits turn holy angels , then almost and not before , may it be expected that these sons of belial , these habituated drunkards should turn saints . does not the spirit of god that knowes well enough their spirits , bring the habituated drunkards in , saying thus ? they have stricken me , i. e. they have used all reproof , admonition and counsell to him , such as might fetch blood and make him sensible , if he had not a very seared , a very cauterized flesh , but he remaines senseless of all , 〈◊〉 i●… not 〈◊〉 nor tro●…bled upon any of tho●…e reproo●…s , ●…e seels none of th●… 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 ●… 〈◊〉 ; but a●… all , what s●…yes th●…s in●…orrigible drunkard ? when ●…ll i a●…e ? i will seek it yet 〈◊〉 : to it ●…ain , and that so soon as he is awak●… ; ●…ay 〈◊〉 t●…inks i●…●…g ●…ill ●…xt morning , wh●…n 〈◊〉 i 〈◊〉 ? l●… here is all the amend●… , ●…o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 me ●…n ●…s to d●…y , ●…y wo●…●…o ; so great hope i●… there of any 〈◊〉 m●…ing . come ( ●…ayes they ) i w●…ll 〈◊〉 wi●… , and we will ●…ll our s●…lves with s●…rong drink , and to morrow shall be as t●…is d●… and much more abun●…nt . if we ●…ve d●…unk s●…oopes to day , we will drink whole ●…andes to morrow . if we have whi●…d it a little to day , we will ●…sh it to morrow . if we have drunk ●…lly-●…lls to d●…y , we will drink skin 〈◊〉 to morrow ; till the u●… par●… , the ve●…y 〈◊〉 ends be 〈◊〉 to cr●…ck with 〈◊〉 : to morrow s●… as this d●…y , an●… 〈◊〉 ●…re abun●…t . ●…o here is all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of ●…e drunkard , to morrow t●… 〈◊〉 man as to day , and w●…●…o . obj. ay●… but m●…y not some drunk●…ds ●…ven 〈◊〉 drunkards turn and repent ? and 〈◊〉 w●…re so●…e of you , b●… ye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. theref●…re may not ●…e by the grace of god turn and repent ? a●…s . it is not denied but some may turn and 〈◊〉 , but as david sayes , i have been 〈◊〉 ●…nd now am old , &c. so for those that ●…ve been young and now are old , let 〈◊〉 consider how many they can remem●…r in all their lives , t●…at of drunkards , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 drunk●…ds have afterwards 〈◊〉 proved sober and temperate men , live 〈◊〉 in health , and in su●…iciency of m●…ns , and out of pure conscience , not by ends , ●…ing an●… breaking o●…f that vice ; of such m●…n i would know how many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can remember . o●…en have i been asked , and often have i enquired but never could i meet with an insta●…ce of t●…is kind but one or two at the most . s●…ndly , consider therefore that so rare are these ex●…mples , that well may we apply the word●…●…f the psalmist to such an example : this is the lords doing , his strong and mighty doing , and it is m●…rvellous in our eyes . so marvellous , that is saul among the prophets , was no such marvel , as is such and such a drunkard now among the saints ? so marvellous , that the father had good reason to say what he said , when hearing of his sons gaming , of his prodigality , yea of ●…is very whoring , said , yet there was hope ; but heari●…g afterwards of his 〈◊〉 ●…rned 〈◊〉 , he gave him ov●…r ●…r d●…d , for desperate , for one that ●…e 〈◊〉 as good as no hope at all thereof . 〈◊〉 that for my own part , of all sins ( 〈◊〉 i should know ●…e to have sinned the v●…ry sin 〈◊〉 th●… holy ghost ) of all that i 〈◊〉 have least hope to work up●…n , t●…e drunk●…rd , the old ha●…ituate 〈◊〉 i●…●…e man , the ●…tane ague f●…r the in●…ness of it ●…y any physick is said to be 〈◊〉 ●…hame of the physit●…n . the quoti●…ian dru●…kard may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to ●…e t●…e shame of the divine , 〈◊〉 of all moral 〈◊〉 , sc. counsel , r. proof , admonition , &c. thirdly , the qu●…on is not what the gr●… of god may do upon a dru●…rd , but what the justice of god upon dru●…kards useth to do . the ju●…ice of god which useth to give over some kind of sinners , ●…rious sinners to ●…inal 〈◊〉 ; where can it find a sinner composed so of all notoriousness almost , and all transgression against both tables to shew this judgment upon , as t●…e old inured habitua●…e dru●… ? more over besides this judgment o●… god to make the drunkard 〈◊〉 , there is that ; wine and new wine t●…e away the heart . make them sots , uncapable , morally uncap●…le of any right consideration ; al●…o 〈◊〉 cause inherent in the temper and body , that is , through conti●… dri●… to ●…ve the state and temper of the ●…y so 〈◊〉 and corrupted that it 〈◊〉 propends and inclincs to the same 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 a drunkennish droopish humor upon it ●…r strong 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , j●…t 〈◊〉 t●…e natural dropsie for ordin●…ry and weaker drinkes . by reason of all which , it comes sometimes to pass , that a m●…n ●…ll meet sometimes with some kind of drunk●…rd who may be●… his case , cry o●… o●… the 〈◊〉 of this 〈◊〉 , inveigh 〈◊〉 company , melt under the perswasion of friends , protest and serio●…y ●…ow against the sin ●…r afterwards , and yet this hold good no longer than till he meet his companion , and fall into the next temptation . fourthly , for the more full satisfying the two instances made in the objection , consider , that for some hope of turning and repenting there is a great difference between the night drunkard and the day drunkard ; the night drunkard is he who in the night of paganish ignorance and unbelief , not knowing the v●…leness of the sin , nor the richness of the grace of god , cont●…nues in this sin ; and of this night d●…runkard there is more hope than of t●…e other , of which kind it is most likely those mentioned by austin were , and it is plain those men io●…ed by the apostle paul were , cor. . but sor the day drunkard , who agai●…st a plain knowledge of the vileness of the sin ; and of the grace of god , continues in the s●…n ; for this day drunkard , there maybe some possibility os his tuining , but hope none at all ; the power os the grace of god may do much , but the ju●…tness of gods judgements us●…th to do little , very little in this case . how desperate and in the case of utter perishing does the scripture leave those day drunkards , these that count it pleasure to riot in the day time ; these as naturall brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed ; and indeed of all sinners any whereof does attain to he●…ven there are i am perswaded the fewest of these drunkards , especially these day drunkards there . . another specially property of the devil is to be a satan , i. e. a very enemy and utter adversary to all goodness and all good men ; and they that so are , in special manner are his children . o thou child of the devil , thou enemy to all righteousness . and they that are enemies to all good men , are not they therefore called the seed of the serpent ? gen. . but who such s●…tans , such enemi●…s unto all goodness and all good men as the ord●…nary ●…abituate drunk●…rds are ; who could sooner wish that all religion , all civility , all good honest lawes were tr●…mpled down and laid under soot than these irreligious uncivil lawless creatures ? who sooner wish there were no preaching but only preaching over a pot ; no meetof a paul but only where they met him acts . . sc. at the three taverns ; so for their satanship and utter enemi●…ship to all good men , is not that of the second of wisdom for it ? come say the drunkards , let us enjoy the good things that are present ; and then what go they on unto ? let us oppress the poor righteous man. and who but the drunkards were they that made songs , spightsul songs of good david ? the d●…unkards make songs ●…f me . psal. . . and indeed who are they that could even eat the godly with salt , but they that are still drinking the sack with the sugar ? who are they that are ready if they could to drink the v●…y destruction of the godly , but they who are drinking still the healthes the drunken healthes of others . . another special property of the devil , is to be a tempter , to tempt others unto sin and wickedness , and therefore called the temp●…er ; and in this property this piece of the devils cloven●…footship how just is the drunkard the fathers son. other sinners can be content most of them to be sinners alone ; the covetous to be covetous alone , he cares not though all his neighbours else were spend-thrifts . the proud and ambitious , to be ambitious alone ; he cares not though all the rest of his neighbours were such humble creatures that they wou●…d be content to lie in the way for meer stepping-stones for his greatness to step upon ; but the drunkard devil-like is a sinner who cannot be content to be wicked alone ; but he must needs tempt others unto the same wickedness also . do not healths and whole ones , and putting the cup to the nose , and down the throat or down the neck , look for it , and will you not do me right ? and what no mettal , no manhood ? and drink or a challenge ; do not these and many such tempting provocations witness this ? thus was not this the humour of that drunk●…rd , h●…b . . . his own drunkenness is there spoken of , and in verse the his tempting others , and putting his bottle to their nose . wo unto him that giveth ●…is neighbour drink . so this is the humour also os t●…ose drunk●…rds , amos . . their own drunkenish ship , and in ver . their tempting others , aye even the very nazarites thereunto is set sorth ; ye gave the naz ●…rites wine to drink . . another special property of the devil is to be a rejoycer in evil : to jeer , and sucer , and laugh with himself as 't were , when he hath prevailed with any in tempting them to evil. as the good a●…gels rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner , so the bad angels at the perversion of any . and how just is the drunkard the devils child in this property , in rejoyeing in evil , and at the perversion if he can work it of any ? what a joy and triumph is it to him if his man-hood , or devil-hood rather can but lay others under●…foot ; how he sneers and laughs with himself if he can but tempt and toll on others to be some-what overseen in this vice , especially if it be a saint and one that makes prosession , if he can but prevail with such an one , this fats and pleafeth him as much as it does the devil when he can but overcome a monk , as they were wont to say of old ; this devillish rejoycing of the drunkards in anothers evil , when they can see or make others drunk also , to look on their nakedness , i. e. their weakness and shame ; is not this ma●…e th●… humour of the 〈◊〉 ed 〈◊〉 , hab. . that puttest 〈◊〉 bottic t●… him ▪ an●… 〈◊〉 him drunk 〈◊〉 that thou m●…yest look ( rejoyeingly and with heart ▪ content look ) on his 〈◊〉 . ness . . another special property of the devil is to be a sl●…nderer , a traducer , a false accuser , a lyar and 〈◊〉 of all ; j●…h . . . rev. . . now the d●…unkard how just the fat●…er ; son is he in this respect ? who such a devil as he , i. e. a sl●…nderer , a traducer , false accuser , a lyar and belier of all ; being apt in his drink when that u●…ruly thing his tongue runs wild , apt then to lay sl●…nders and false c●…lumnies , and imputations and lying reviling speeches upon all ; well does the apostle couple the drunkard and the railer or evil speaker ; in the sir●…t place naming th●… fruit first and then the stalke , in the second the stalke and then the fruit , cor. . . & . b●…t howsoever intimating that if there be such fruit , it com●…s osten of such a stalk ; and if such a stalk , it brings oftentimes forth such fruit. so tim. . . not slanderers . and what presently addes he ? sober . the unsober ones are commonly sl●…nderers ; and 〈◊〉 . . not false accusers . and wh●…t 〈◊〉 addes he ? not given to much wine . ) they that are given to much wine , odds is it they will be devils , slanderers , false accusers . and as the drunkard is a slanderer , so especially upon the saints , like the beast that spoke great blasphemies against the name of god , and his tabernacle , and them that dwelt in heaven , rev. . . they that walked in lasciviousness , lusts , excess of wine , revellings , drinkings , were they that slandered and spake ill of the saints that would not so do pet. . . . another special property of the devil is to be a lucifer ; a proud and big and high conceited creature ; this pride and bigness of conceit is the devils proper sin ; now how proud and big and high conceited ones the drunkards in their drink are , tim. . . . the common phrase shews , do not we say of such when they are prettily tipt ●…nd touched with drink , that they are brave and fine , and g●…llant ? . experience shews it , for how brave , and fine , and gallant people , do those in that condition think themselves to be ? some drunkards we may see , who otherwise may secm to be but of base and abject s●…irits ; who yet in drink how will the●… stand upon it , what brags and vaunts will they make ? what hee s and some-bodies and great magnificoes will they take themselves to be , vilifying and scorning all others with their heels , when the drink is in their head ? . that text shews it ; yea also because he transgresseth by wine , he is a proud man , hab. . . the fu●…nace proveth the edge in the tempering ; so doth wine the hearts of the proud by drunkenness . . another special property of the devil is , that he is an impure unclean spirit ; called the unclean spirit a●…d belzebnb the god of dung as some read 〈◊〉 . now w●…o such an impure , unclean , dirty , ●…asty sinner , as the drunk●…rd ? wh●…t n●…stiness in his very outwards ? nastiness of person , nastiness of speech , speaking such impure words , as if his mouth were a very sink-hole ; nastiness of ●…ehaviour , in filling and filing all things with filth and vomit ? what nastiness and much more , if they could be peeped into , in his inwards ; such impure unclean and beastly though●…s lodging there : in a word , such an impure unclean nasty creature that no presenter remedy almost to make a sound man a●…er that vice for ever , than well to 〈◊〉 the nastiness of it . as the lacedemonian●… made their servants drunk , and then shewed them their children to make them abhor that filthy and nasty vice for ever . and so by these special markes and properties of the devil , does it not appear in the second place , how just the drunkard is the devils child , because of such just and jump resembling of him in these more special markes and properties , as if it were in his very cloven feet , and horns ? use . is the drunkard , ( he or she ) no other than a very son or daughter of belial , a very child of the devil ? then how great reason have we to be dehorted from this vice , which makes us no other than the very children of the devil ? and what worse thing had the scripture to call those wicked inhabitants of gibeah by , that committed such villany with the levites concubine , & would have committed wor●…e with himself : what worse thing to call them by , than children of belial ? judg. . . what worse thing had our saviour to say of those wicked jews that would have murdered him then this , ye are of your father the devil ? joh. . . what worse thing had the apostle paul to call that wicked elimas by , one full of all mischief and enemy of all righteousness , than this ? thou child of the devil , acts . . and if any know not what a fearful thing it is to be , and be called a child of the devil , let him know that it casheers him quite from being the child of god. joh. . . in this the children of god are manif●…st and the children of the devil . the children of god you see , and the children of the devil are made so opposite , that as contradistinct members they cannot stand together ; how great reason have they th●…n that can tremble at being a child os the devil , to shun and avoid drunkenness that makes all that are given to it the very sons and daughters of the devil . but because in things to be done it is good to shew , not only what we are to do , but also the way how we may do it , sc. how to avoid drunkenness , let us consider . and first , that we may avoid drunkenness , that is good counsel which in this case the father gives the son , prov. . . be not among wine bibbers . he that is still among wine bibbers , a bibber himself is soon like to prove ; the old gand●…r they say , soon teaches the young gos●…in to drink . and so the old soaker will soon teach the young beginner the way for the cup to the nose ; and he that would see the bottom were there a mile to it , will soon teach the towardly beginner to leave but a little snuffe in the cup. the phrase of the gospel is remarkable , where to eat and drink with the drunken is put for an undoubted presumption that that party proves intemperate hims●…lf . mat. . . company in any kind is a tempter ; augustine confessing his former sins , speaks of one sin that he would never have done alone but sor company ; company in any kind therefore is a tempter , but especially in this vice of drunk●…nness , which is even it self called sociableness or good fellowship ; and scarce ( i am perswaded ) one of a thousand that prove drunkards , wo●…ld ever prove drunk●…rds alone but that good fellowship tempts , and not many more also i am perswaded than one of a thousand that cas●… : them selves much upon this temptation , but drunkards , pratty drunkards in good time they prove . all have not the resolution of the rechabites , to stand firm against being overcome , when pots full of wine and cups are set before them , and when it is said unto them , and much said ; drink ye wine , jeremiah . . this is a temptation that all have not a resolution to withstand . secondly , that we may avoid drunkenness , consider another remedy in the forenamed prov. . . not to look upon the wine when it is red , when it giveth the colour in the cup , when it moveth it self aright . not to please a mans self and his appetite to much in his fancying , and conceiting the nobleness , the sparkness , the pleasantness of the liquor ; and how merrily such noble and sparke and pleasant liquor will go down . he whose fancy workes thus , whose mouth waters thus , will not long be a temperate man ; he will soon prove sor the wet , what eve proved for the dry ; when she let but her appetite once begin to work , and her mouth to wa●…er in fa●…cying the forbidden fruit , how go●…d it was to the tast , and how pleasant to the ey●…s , it was not long out of her mouth , but she took thereof , and she did ●…at , gen. . . so they that sor their liquor let their app●…tites begin thus to work , it will not be long out of their mouthes , but they will take thereof and they will drink ; look not upon the wine , &c. but rather consider that go it down never so merrily , how long will that pleasure last ? surely were it a cup the most deliciously tempered that the world could afford , yet the pleasure in the merry going down therof would last no longer than a man could hold his breath , & how short a time is that ? surely so short a time , that were it a cup of nepenthe that dainty drink of the gods , nay were it a cup out of those rivers of pleasure at gods right hand ; yet to last no longer than a man could hold his breath , what so great 〈◊〉 in it ? how much more when it is but a draught of that which let it be best that grape or barley can afford , yet to a cup of those rivers of pleasures it is but swill and swash ! thirdly , that we may avoid drunkenness , consider yet another good remedy out of prov. . . sc. to consider the latter end or farwell of this merry-go-down ; the latter end of it , ( or farwell ) is , that at the last it bites like a serpent , and stingeth like an adder . that thing which gives his colour in the cup , and moves it it self aright , that sparke , and pleasant and noble thing may have a merry-go-down , but at last it bites like an adder ▪ some of this adders stinging , and some of this serpents venemous biting is pointed at ver . . who hath wo , who hath redness of eyes , &c. we use to say of a drunkard in drink , that he is well bit ; and it is true indeed , he is serpent-bit , he is b●…t with that biting that bites wealth out of his purse , for the drunkard and the glut●…on shall come to poverty , proverbs . . which bites health out of his body , for who within a while have commonly less health , than they that still are drinking healths ? which bites wit and naturall parts out of the head ; for wine is a mocker , and whoever is deceived thereby sh●…ll not be wise , prov. . . which bites grace and gods spirit out of the heart ; be not drunk with wine but be filled with the spirit , eph. . . to be filled with the spirit of wine and with the holy spirit are made opposites , & such as cannot stand together ; he is therefore bit indeed , serpent-bit in this manner as you have heard ; and therefore what holdest thou in thy hand , thou drunkard , what holdest thou in thy hand ? is not the glass often-times thou drinkest in born up with a couple , and sometimes with a cluster of snakes or serpents ? let the serpent on the out-side put thee in mind of the serpent within ; the serpents without are toothless serpents , and cannot bite ; but the serpent within is a toothed , and a venom-toothed serpent , bites , and bites deadly , deriving poyson to the state of thy wealth , to the state of thy health , to the s●…ate of thy naturals , impairing wit and endowments natural ; and to the state most of all of thy supernat●…rals , leaving thy heart as empty of grace as thou the cup of liquor , or at most but some very snusss in it . fourthly , that we may avoid drunkenness , let us avoid drinkings , srequent and needless drinkings , though moderately enough at first , and to no great excess ; these frequent and needless drinkings , it is great danger , they will bring on drunkenness at last : all mischief commonly begins modestly , and from very minnims and least matters ; but then afterwards that commonly proves true ; he that despiseth small things , shall fall by little and little : what says augustine of his mother monica ? how this drunkenish humour stole upon her ; her parents taking her sor a very sober girle , caused her still to draw their wine , and she in wantonness , no●… h●…ving any desire to the wine , used still as she drew for h●…r parents , to sip a little , or touch it even with her lips ; but this sipping an●… touching a little with her lips , what afterwards proved it to ? by sipping a little continually , and every day more and mo●…e , she was brought to that custome , that she would even drink off whole cups : the greatest drunkard , what commonly was he at first , but only a frequent needless drinker ? at first he did but sip i●…t , and afterwards he turned to sup , and now he swoops it ; at first he was but for kissing the cup , after he learned to settle it half way , but now he can sink it , and see the bottom of it , were there a mile to it : at first by his continual drinkings , he did but learn the cup the way to the nose , but now he cannot learn his nose the way from the cup , but it dwells there ; and as ducks and water-fowl pull not up their bills from dudling there in the water , till their breath give over , and then they pull up bill a while , but e're long down again ; not his nose from the cup , till beer ath give over , and after breathing a nose is where it was again , as the ill in the water again . fifthly , that we may avoid drunkenness , let us look upon two cups : first , the cup of the lord , and then think what fellowship hath this cup of blessing with the other cup of cursing ; cup of cursing i call it , ●…ecause who but cursed ones use it , and wh●…t but cursings are used over it ? think what s●…llowship hath the cup of the s●…n of god wi●…h the cup of the sons of b●…lial ? one of you is hungry , and another is drunk , said the apostle , counting it absurd , and a great abuse of the cup of the lord , that they who partook of the cup of the lord , should partake of the cup of drunkenness ; either therefore tremble to meddle with the cup of the sons of belial , or dar not to meddle with t●…e cup of the son of god ; let the one cup shake the other out of the hand , let the right use of the blood of christ , the cup of 〈◊〉 ▪ correct the abuse of the blood of the grape in the cup of cursing . secondly , ●…ook upon another cup , the cup of gods fury and judgment due unto sinners ; in the hand of the lord there is a cup , as for the dregs thereof , all the ungodly of the earth shall drink them , and suck them out ; the wine is red , and it is full of mixture , psal. . . let th●…m that are still sucking the other cup , think of sucking the dregs of this cup : in the th . of jeremiah , there are bottles of wine , and bottles of wine ; v. . but the one is the vvine of fury and astonishment ; let them that think so of those bottles of wine , that wine that makes glad the heart of man , think also of those other bottles of wine , that wine that is the wine of fury and astonishment , dashing them together , v. . and let them , whose custome it is to drink and be drunken , and spue , and fall , and rise , perhaps , again , think of that , jer. . . drink ye , and be drunken , and spue , and fall , and never rise more . see hab. . , . sixthly , that we may avoid drunkenness , consider the apostle's remedy , or means against it ; sc. to put on the lord jesus christ ; but put ye on the lord jesus christ , and make not provision for the fl●…sh , to fulfill it in the lust thereof , rom. . . sc. in the things immediately fore-named , as rioting and drunkenness ; as if he should say , if you would but consider that you christians have in part put on , and should still more and more put on the lord jesus christ , he who was a pattern of all sobriety and temperance , and made no such provision for the flesh , to pamper any ways and fulfill the lusts thereof ; how could ye but shake off rioting and drunkenness , considering that ye had put on him that was the pattern of all soberness and temperance : why should any that have put on christ , the sober god , so live as if they had put on bacchus the drunken god ? why should any that have put on christ , who made no such provision for the flesh , so live as if they had put on epicurus , or him in the gospel , whose whole purveying and provision was about eat and drink , and take thine ease : what an indecorum and unseemliness were it , if he that should act and personate a king , should live and behave himself altogether as a scullion ? what an indecorum & unseem●…iness much more , if they that should act christ , should live as meer hogs and sows , those drunken and swilling creatures ? seventhly , that we may avoid drunkenness , consider another remedy of the apostle , sc. eph. . . to be filled with the spirit : and be not drunk with wine , wherein is excess , but be si●…led with the spirit : as if he should say , take heed of this beastly sin of drunkenness , and that you may avoid it , that you may not be drunk with wine , labour to be filled and drunk with the spirit : why do men commonly give themselves to wine and strong drink , but only that they may be merry , that they may be jovial , that they may drive away sorrow , and dumps , and discontents ? well , to do that , be ye filled with the spirit , and the spirit of comfort shall assord more comfort , and help better to drive out dumps than all the spirit of wine can . one drop o●… it makes l●…ghter hearts th●…n the ●…ull presses , and whole vintages of the other can ; therefore , as augustine hath it , let no man be drunk , yea , rather let every man be drunk ; but let him s●…e with what it is , sc. that is , with the spirit : this will make you break forth more into singing and rejoycing , in psalms , and hymns , and spiritual songs , ( as it follows ) than wine , and all the spirits of wine can make the drunkards break forth into their singing and rejoycing in their foolish and profane songs : therefore be ye filled , be ye drunk , but see with what ; with the spirit , with that inebriating cup , eat , o friends , drink , yea , drink abundant●…y , o beloved , cant. . . secondly , are drunkards the very children of the devil ? then drunkards look to it , the devil ( and there is good right and reason ●…or it ) will have his own , will one day go away with those that are his : will not every beggar contend for their own brats , and not lose one of them , but hosse and be gone ? will not the devil also , think you , contend for his brats , and not lose one of them , but hosse and be gone ? hosse and be gone with them to their fathers house , to the devils place of abode , and judge where it is : drunkards look to it , you are the devils children , and the devil certainly will one day have his own , nor will god ever go about to hinder him of his right , to hinder him of any one that is his ; nay , he will never suffer any one of the devils children to be laid at his door , to step within his threshold ; see how he thrusts and packs them out of his house and kingdom . be not deceived , neither fornicators nor drunkards , cor. . . the drunkards are among those that shall never come into gods house , never inherit his kingdom : drunkards ( i say it the third time ) look to it , as surely as the devil shall never go away with any of gods children , so ●…either will god be troubled with any one of his ; shall i take the childrens bread and cast it unto dogs ? much more shall god take the childrens inheritance , and give it unto devils , and children of devils , such as drunkards , you drunkards are . thirdly , are drunkards the very children of the devil ? then magistrates look to it , how ye may suppress and hinder this breed ; these children o●… bclial , they breed as laban's flocks did at the watering-troughs when they came thither to drink , gen. . . so these , they breed and gender at the watering troughs , at the drinking places , at blind , supersluous , by-corner ale-houses , that are in by-obscure corners , there this brood breeds , as serpents , and dragons , and hurtful beasts they breed still in holes and dens , and by-coverts , that they may be the freest and most out of the way , not to be hindred in their breed ; if the breed therefore of these so hurtful creatures , these sons and daughters of belial would be hindred , their holes , their dens , their by-coverts where they breed , sc. blind , superfluous by-corner ale-houses must be looked into . these are the devils very nurseries , and breeding-places for his brats to be nursed and brought up in ; and ●…o long as he hath such convenient nurseries , and breeding-places allowed him , no marvel if the world ( as it is ) be full of his brats ; therefore they that are in place , i would they would be pleased to let enquiry be made into such blind by-corner ale-houses , the very nurseries and seminaries for the devil to breed and bring up his brats there : they talk of dutch mens draining our english fens and overslown grounds , and how commodious it would be to the countrey ; but is by these and o●…her good means the english would seek to dram the dutch drinking that overslows all among us , how much more commod●…ous a thing would that be to the countrey ? is it not better to have a little ground drowned among us , than our selves ? and therefore is it not better to drain that overflowing that overflows our selves , than that which overflows our ground ? fourthly , are drunkards the very children of the devil ? then hostesses and good ale-wives had need look to it , how they skink and draw too much out to them that they see ready to run into intemperance and excess ; for why , they help to the begetting of sons and daughters to the devil ; and if the devil be the father of these , the hostess , in a manner , is the mother , and he begets them of her ; at least if some other thing , sc. their own intemperance and drunkenish lu●…t be the mother , yet the hostess is the midwife , and without her h●…lp they could never be brought forth ; but it is not good either to be mother or midwife to the devils brats , fifthly , are drunkards the very children of the devil ? then you that are ●…ons and daughters of god , look ye to it , how ye have too much fellowship and commumunion with these sons and daughters of belial , especially how ye make matches and marriages with them ; if we knew any that were bodily begot of the devil , as they talk that some have been , who would endure to match with such an one ? well , if there were any that were even bodily begot of the devil , yet were they not so properly his sons and daughters , as they that are begot of his spirit and spiritual generation ; because in that generation he does but beget th●…m , d●… alieno , i. e. ●…umano semine rep●…rto & s●…rvato ; but in this he ●…egets , de proprio . it is condemned as a fault , and reckoned up as a thing of great incongruity , that the sons of god should marry with the daught●…rs of m●…n , gen. . . b●…t how far more incongruous and unfitting , that the sons and daughters of god should marry with the sons and daughters of b●…lial ? ezra . . & cor. . . heb. xiii . . but whoremongers and adulterers god will judge . in the former part of this verse is set down the honour of marriage , with an implied invitation thereto of those who naturally and justly do find themselves to stand in need thereof ; as likewise the purity and undefiledness that should be in that state : marriage is honourable in all , and the bed und●…siled . in this latter part is set down gods judgments upon those , who either in single life , when god hath provided marriage an holy and honourable remedy against incontinency , do rather chuse , because of the cares and incumbrances , and many pre-conceived irksomnesses in marriage , rather chose to be made one flesh with a whore , the devil being the priest to couple together , than one with a lawful espoused vvife , god being he that ties the knot : ei●…her thu●… in single life or m●…rried 〈◊〉 , when they might d●…ink 〈◊〉 o●…t o●… t●…eir own c●…stern , thirst and se●…k ●…r ●…ollen w●…ters , ●…or 〈◊〉 a●…d un ●…th 〈◊〉 like some ●…rangely dist●…mpered and diso●…dered throat , that no 〈◊〉 out of their own cell●…r will please and quen●…h th●…ir thirst , but onely forreign drinks sought for from house to house from others g●…ile-sats ; f●…r th●…se , the one being the vvhoremonger , w●…rein th●… vvhore or drab also i●… implied ; and the oth●…r the ad●…lterer , where●…n the 〈◊〉 ●…lso is implied , for thes●… ; but 〈◊〉 , says the l●…tter p●…t of the vers●… , and adulter●…rs god will 〈◊〉 . and goo●… reason , says chrysostome , for wh●…n g●…d hath s●…nctified and indulged m●…rriage unto them ●…or a reme●…y of all incontinency , well may he judge the vvhoremong●…r and adul●…erer , who will needs be m●…dling with ●…orbidden fruit , when there is permitted fruit ●…nough to taste of ; will needs be ranging and casting up nose abroad , and scenting after forbidden bits , when he might cut bread off his own trencher : it was that whereby the spirit of god , under the parable o●… the rich man , who had many flocks of his own , and y●…t spared to kill of his own flock ●…or the traveller ●…hen he came , and took and dressed the poor mans only ew-lamb for the traveller ; that whereby the spirit of god aggravated david's adultery , that having vvives enough o●… his own , ●…ike the rich m●…n that had his flocks , none but the poor mans only ewe-lamb , uriab's bathsheba , would serve the t●…rn to satisfie his lust , when that traveller came ; well therefore may the close of that verse be , but whoremongers and adulterers , &c. the beginning whereof is , marriage is honourable . vvell may the punishment be severe , where the remedy is easie and o●…fered a●… hand : so for context . for text it self , there needs no great expounding it ; the difference between vvhoredom or fornication and adultery , appears by what is already spoken , sc. that the first properly is between single couples , when both the parties are single folk ; the second , when either one , or both the par●…ies are married people , and so make either single or double adultery ; this properly , although the use of the word is sometimes extended to comprehend adultery also under it , as mat. . . whosoever shall put away , saving for the cause of fornication . aye , and 〈◊〉 adu●…tery too , cor. . . now for the handling of the word●… , the drift of them is b●… proposing god a severe 〈◊〉 against these two 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 , whoredom and adul●…ry , thereby to deterre and 〈◊〉 there●…rom , and therefore the dri●…t of my speech sh●…ll be the same , sc. by argum●…nts included in these words , to d●…terre and ●…isswade from these two abomina●…ions ; and the a●…guments may be three . first , from consideration of the judge , who shall take the scanning , examining , ●…nd adjudging of these two sins into his own hands , being no other than god himself . secondly , from consideration of the judgments which he shall , what here , what hereafter inflict upon offenders in them , implied indefinitely in the word judicabit , he will judge . thirdly , from ●…onsideration of the grievousness of the sins themselves , impli●…d also in the judgment ; for the grievousness of judgments imply grievousness of sins ; god he proportions judgment to s●…n ; he doe●… not l●…t them feel the weight of his full 〈◊〉 who are but less 〈◊〉 , nor them t●… tip of his li●…tle finger onely , that are gross 〈◊〉 . now , according ●…o the●…e three arguments , we will h●…ndle th●…ee propositions . proposition the f●…st . that whoredom and adul●…ry is to be avoid●…d , b●…cause god will be ●…he judge of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 . god , with ●…hom there is no 〈◊〉 it out with 〈◊〉 and concealment ; god , with whom 〈◊〉 is no buyi●…g it out with bribery and corruption ; go●… , with whom there is no ●…aring it out with po●…er and greatness ; for what thinks the f●…rnicator or adul●…erer to animate them to their un●… ? but ●…ither they sh●…ll carry that wo●…k of darkness in such darkness and concealment , th●…t who shall know them ? or if their filthiness ●…e d●…scovered , they will lay on such load , ( and they half know the corr●…ption and commut●…ments of the co●…rt ) that they will bribe o●…f all shame and punishment : or pe●…haps , they are such great ones , such noli-me-tangere's , that they think who dare meddle with them ; well , but let them consider whether they be such great ones , that god dare not meddle with them ; whether they can lay on such load , as to bribe off his justice ; whe●…her they c●…n c●…rry it in such a cloud and clos●…ness as to bleer his eyes : whoredom and adultery is to be avoided , because god will be the judge . god , with whom , first , there is no boulstering it out with closeness and concealment , this is a sin of any other that hates the light , that walks in dark●…ess , that creeps in corners , that makes many doubles and squats , fits as close as it can ; and then they think all i●… well , if they can , with the adulterous woman , eat , and wipe th●…ir mouths , and say , they have done no wickedness , prov. . . if they can in such secrecy comm●…t their lewdness , as not to be suspected o●… the world ; the phrase being taken from those that munch it in private , or wi●…h head in the amry , and then wipe all clean , and come simpering forth , as though they had not eaten at all . but do they consider that for all their clean wiping of their mouths , there is one that sees all their munching in private , and with head in the amry , all their eating of their bread of secrecies , as adultery is called , prov. . . one that sees all this and will judge them ●…or it . the psalmist ( psal. . , &c. ) reckons up some close-carried sins , and and among them adultery , and brings in the lord the k●…ower and avenger of them ; when thou s●…west a thief , thou consentedst with him , and hast been partaker with adulterers , &c. but i will reprove thee , and set before thee the things which thou hast done , ver . , . o consider this , sc. that i see wel●… enough , and will avenge such secret , close-carried sins , sins with such a veil and curtain drawn between them and the 〈◊〉 eye ; and among the secreter and cunninger carried sins too that the lord threatens that he will come a swift witn●…ss against them for , mal. . . adultery is one . the world cannot , perhaps , much witness against them for these secreter , and cunninger carried sins , but i will come near you in judgment . and hence when the m●…n was jealous of his wife , and no manifest conviction could be had of it , the judgment was devolved and turned over to the lord , and the bitter water then was to try her , numb . . she might deceive her husband , but this bitter water would find her out , would make her thigh to rot , and her belly swell ; ●…f this trial were yet a foot , and some such trial ●…or us men also , may it not be doubted what would become of some thighs and some bellies ? well , beloved , he that tried and judged the guilty by the bitter water , then he knows as well the guilty now , and will surely judge them one day by the fire , that he judgeth not now by the wat●…r : christ told the samaritan woman all her p●…anks and tricks , john . use . of correction : will god , with whom there is no bolstering out with closeness , be the judge of all who●…mongers and adulterers ? then wha●… profits it any to eat and wipe their mouths , and say , they have done no wickedness ? what profits the adulterer to wait for the twi-light ? job . what profits the whorish woman or her guests to call them in thus unto her , s●…olen wat●…rs are swe●…t , prov. . . it is said by some , that that which our saviour writ on the ground , when the scrib●…s and pharis●…es were accusing the woman tak●…n in adul●…ery , be●…ore him , that it was their own sins , their own gros●… adulteries , and that they ashamed and convicted in conscience , went sliving and slinki●…g away th●…eat one by one : well ; beloved , if he that writ their sins then on the ground , should send forth the fingers of an hand , to write over the like sins ( if any of us be guilty ) on the next pillar over against us , for all to stare and g●…ze on , how would we i●…k and be ashamed , and slive and slink ●…ut as soon as we could ! wel●… , consider there●…ore what ●…t will be when he that now f●…es and says nothing , shall reprove u●… , a●…d set be●…ore us and all the world one day the things , the hidden things of dishones●…y th●…t we have done , and shall bring us ●…orth upon the stage , wi●…h b●…hold the man and his work●… . secondly , of i●…struction : will god be the judge , & c ? then hearken to solomon's instruction , why wilt th●…u , my son , ●…e ravished with a strange woman , prov. ? thus joseph , wh●…n his mistress tempted him to lie with her , how can ●… , says he , commit this great wickedness , and so sin against god ? gen. . . against god , who , though i may wipe my mouth , and stand before my mister as an hone●…t man , yet god ●…nows how mealy mo●…thed i am . and thus job upon this ground he made a co●… with his eyes , that he would not look , dishonestly look upon a maid ; d●…th not he see my ways ? job . . . a second branch of the 〈◊〉 , that wh●…redom and adult●…ry is to be avoided , because god wi●…l be the judge , with whom there is no buying it out with bribery and corruption . if in ●…eed we were onely to be judged by mans judgment , then that which 〈◊〉 s●…w in h●…s days ●…or corruption of courts , i saw ●…nder the sun the place of judgment , that 〈◊〉 was there , eccl. . . that perhaps , might be found in our days , but 〈◊〉 and adulter●…rs god will judge ; god , of whom the psalmist says , righteousness and salvation is the habitation of thy seat , psal. . . god , of whom the psalmist says again , the heavens shall declare his righteousness , for god is judge himself , psal. . . and therefore though thou mayest buy out thy white sheet , and escape thy penance here , yet there will be no buying out thy black she●…t , i mean , that blackness of outward da●…kness to envelop and enclose thee , nor escaping thy punishment there ; though thou may●…st buy out that weeping that should be in the penitents place , the seat where penance is done ; yet thou shalt not buy ou●… that w●…ping and wailing and gnashing of teeth , that will be in the damneds place , where the impenitents be ; consider therefore , that whoremongers and adulterers god will judge ; god , that righteousness and judgment is the habitation o●… his seat ; god , that hath pronounced a woe to the corrupt judges , incorrupt therefore himself surely will be . woe unto th●…m that call evil good , isa. . god , who when he begins to lay judgment to the rule , and righteousness to the b●…lance , then a great 〈◊〉 sh●…ll not re●…eem thee ; will h●… esteem thy riches ? no , not gold , job . . for the third branch , god will be judge , w●…th whom there is no be●…ring it out with p●…wer and greatness . i may be such a powerful and awous m●…n in the pl●…ce wh●…re i live , of so gre●…t might , and so great authority , and such a p●…rlous nolime-tang●…re , th●…t few d●…re meddle with me , few dare s●…y unto me so much as bl●…ck is mine eye ; but consider how he that spake out of the whirle-wind derided all power and greatness , when it should cope and have to do with him ; gird up thy loyns now like a m●…n , h●…st thou an arm like god ? job . , &c. the mountains quake at him , nahum . this is that god th●…t will judge whore-mongers and adulterers . hence abimelech , though a king , was so awed with that , b●…hold , thou art but a dead man , for the woman which thou h●…st taken , for she is a mans wife , gen. . . that he forth with restored her , and untouched : abraham he was but a poor stranger , un●…ble to revenge the wrong , but abimelech knew the dread and terror of him who had s●…id , behold , thou art but a dead man. hence david also the king , who had committed adultery with the wif●… of uriah , he , though a king , was smit , and humbled full low , when he understood the prophet nathan's parable i●… the lords name , and it got that from him in his penitential psalm , against thee , thee onely have i sinned , psal. . . and hence , when paul , though but a prisoner , disputed before felix the governour , about righteousness , and temp●…rance , and the judgment to come , f●…lix tremb●…d . act. . . for why , he was a corrupt m●…n for justice , as appears by his exp●…cting a bribe ; and an 〈◊〉 man of body , his wife drus●…lla being anot●…er mans wife , one azizus , king of 〈◊〉 , whom he had enveigled and 〈◊〉 away from her former husband ; and therefore though he were a governour , and paul but a prisoner before him , yet this judgment to come , or the power of my text , made my intempe●…ate , adult●…rous felix to tremble . and hence , lastly , 〈◊〉 baptist , though but in camels hair , snub●…ed king herod in his s●…lks and soft garments , snubbed him with , it is not lawful for thee to have thy brothers wife . all one , as if he had said , whoremong●…rs and 〈◊〉 god will judge . and hence , to add one more , holy la●…imer presented to king henry the eight , whose fault with wom●…n was well known , presented to him the new testament with this inscription embossed upon the cov●…r ; for●…catores & adulteros judicabit d●…us ; he knew not how better to deal with a great prince , but greatly , though subject to his lust. well , if abimeleches , if davides , if faelixes , if h●…rodes , if heneryes have been awed with this text , how should this awe and terrify such s●…ly sneakes as the best of us are ! think therefore wh●…n thou goest over thine own th●…eshold about such a wickedness as this , that thou 〈◊〉 there written upon the door posts wi●…hin , whormong●…rs &c. think when thy foot is entering into the house of the strange woman , that thou seest there also written upon the door-posts without , whormong●…rs and adulterers , &c. think when she that hunts after the precious life of a man hath brought thee into her chamber of folly , think that walls , and window , and curtain , and canopy , and the very face and forehead of her or him thou shouldst be naught with , all have this written upon them , fornicatores & adulteros judicabit deus . finally think whiles thou meditatest & goest about that wicked act , that every whisper , every murmur , every least noise sounds nothing in thy fearfull eares , but whor●…mongers and adulterers god will judge . think thus and if this will not serve to re●…rain thee , and make thee chast for the kingdom of ●…eaven , it were not a bad word , nor i think an ●…dle word , to say , lord h●…ve m●…rcy on thee , more than three p●…rts of four of thee are 〈◊〉 hell. and god , that works wond●…s , can indeed , if he would , pull thee back by a very hair ; but he or she is m●…re th●…n desperate , that put their salvation so to a very hair , and to odds more ( on my c●…nscience ) than a thousand to one . s●…cond p●…oposition . that whoredome and adultery is to be avoided , consid●…ring the judgments , th●…t what h●…re , what hereaf●…r shall be 〈◊〉 upon offenders after th●…se abominations . the judgments that the just providence inflicts , or le ts come upon them here , are partly spiritual , upon the soul ; p●…rtly temporal , upon th●…ir body , upon their goods , upon their good n●…me , upon their childr●…n or posterity ; spiritual upon th●…ir soul , god gives them over , first , to a spiritu●…l coecity and sottishness , not to be capable , not to be sensible of any councel , of any consideration that might reclaim them ; whoredom and w●…e , and new wine take away the heart , hos. . . these two sins make very sots ; make them that are any wh●…t sar gone in ●…hem , insensible of the vil●…ness of the sins , of the fearfulness and undoubt●…dness of the judgments , of any considerations that should reclaim them from those sins ; they consider not in their hearts , that i remember all their wickedness , hos. . . who are those sots that are so inconsiderate●… why , the whorish and adulterous sots , v. , . th●…y are all adulterers , &c. who being past f●…ling ( says the apostle ) have given 〈◊〉 over to lasciviousness , eph. . . a sign they are past fe●…ling , when they give themselves over to lasciviousness , and giving themselves over to lasciviousness , a means to make thems●…lves more past feeling : a●…d therefore well might ecclesiasticus , speaking of an old adulterer , one that has got a haunt and habit in his adultery , add this epithet , an old adulterer that dote●… , eccles. . . secondly , which sollows upon the former , god gives th●…m commonly over to final impenitency and perishing in their sins without ever being reclaimed : th●…t which z●…phar says , job . his bones are ful●… of the sins of his youth , which shall lie down wi●…h him in the dust. this sin of youth , whi●…h in gods ju●…t judgment lies down with a man in the dust , i. e. which he dies in , unrepented of , this ●…n most likelihood is the sin of incontinency , the sin of uncleanness , which begins in younger and 〈◊〉 years , and holds so long as there is any m●…rrow in their bones , and th●…n when m●…rrow and moisture is spent , and nothing but rottenness in his bones , his bones are full of the sin of his youth . solomon also is express for this judgment of final impenitency , none that go in to her return again , neither take they bold of the paths of life , prov. . . and therefore in his disswasions from this sin , he leaves them that are once taken with it as meer perdues and lo●…t men , and lodging in the chambers of death , and the guests of the depths of hell , prov. . , . & . . . . a●…d therefore also in his such plenty of 〈◊〉 in this m●…tter he directs none to the ent●…ngled , to them that are in the snare already , to rid and reclaim them out of it ( little hope he hath of that ) but to the supposed free to keep them out of i●… ; no more have i any great hope to work upon any that are old in adulteries , old in h●…rlotry and whoredom , ezek. . . few of these ever return ag●…in , but prove th●… g●…ests of the depths of hell : but my aim and hope only is by this and oth●…r arguments to do some good upon them that are free from debauchedness in that sin , from whence commonly , as from hell , there is no redemption . ecclesiasticu●… , though not out of special inspira●…on , yet out of special experience and observation he spake it ; all bread is sw●…et to an whoremonger , he will not leave off till he die , eccles. . and no marvel , for the very state of the body is so poysoned and co●…rupted with the habit of this sin , that naturally it propends and inclines to the like ; b●…ing nothing but a very seminary of lust , and the state of the mind also so poysoned , that the fancy and imagination works nothing but impure thoughts , aye , ev●…n when the body is d●…cayed and impotent , the mind yet most lustful and libidinous , as may appear by the bawdry speeches ( able to make modest ears to glow ) of old writhen 〈◊〉 , and old worn out fornicators ; th●…ir filthy speech●…s nothing but the boyling and bubling up of the poyson and puddle at heart ; what hope therefore of their recovery , that have such poysoned bodies and minds ? object . aye , but are there not divers as rahab the harlot , the woman a sinner , sc. a common w●…ore , luke . the prodigal son that wasted all his substance among harlots , luke . the woman taken in adultery , john . those , such were some of you , cor. . augustine and ambrose his , ego non sum ego , that have recovered ? answ. it is not denied that some of these the extraordinary grace of god may recover , as some some of them that have the plague ( but oh how few ) extraordinarily recover ; but for all that , some some extraordinarily recover of the plague ; would it not scare any wise man from entring into a pest-house , where he should be sure to take the plague ? god he sometimes , though it be but seldom , works a miracle in nature , so sometimes too , but it is but seldom , he works a miracle in grace ; as i count this , to conv●…rt one haunted , and old in fornications and adulteries , as far above the ordinary course of grace i count it to convert such , and cure them of th●…ir flux , as above the ordinary course of nature it was to cure the woman in the gospel of her flux , her bloody-flux ; and therefore for the woman the sinner , for her taken in adultery , sor the samaritan woman , sor them , cor. , &c. no marvel , if when miracles in nature then were so srequent , miracles in grace also to conve●…t such as th●…se were so srequent . again , ●…or the obj●…cted in●…tances , consi●…er how great means was used to their conversion , they had the ben●…fit either of extraordinary miracles , miracles wrought by christ and his apostles ; m●…racles , such , as if he that speaks the word now a days could work the works , perhaps , he might strike some of our verie●…t harlots and whoremasters ; or the benefit of extraordinary humiliation and a●…ction , as the prodigal brought so low , that he desired the swines husks , and could not have them ; or the ben●…sit of a most powerful , prepotent , importunate grace , as a●…gustine ; and yet oh what a long and hard scuffle , and conflict with his corruption before over●…me , as his own miserable complaint shews : how long , ●…ow long ? to morr●…w , an●… to morrow , why n●…t now , why not this hour should there be an end of my uncle●…nness ? thirdly , god give●… them over also to an universal profaneness , and irreligiousness , and wretchlesness in all naughtiness , to grow ●…ark naught every way ; so that un●…versal profaneness and naughtiness of the o●…d world , for which the flood was brought upon it , what begun it in , but in inordinate unruly lust ? they took themselv●…s wives , ( many wives that were before god no better than whores ) of all which they choose , gen. . . and then what follows ? v. . god saw that the 〈◊〉 of man was great . so it is not for naught that in that universal unrighteousness that the wi●…ked world was given over to , fornication leads the van ; being filled with all unrighteousness , fornication , rom. . and in reckoning up the works of the flesh , adultery , for●…ication , and such uncleanness , leads the rank too , gal. . and the profane person presently sollows the fornicator , heb. . . as all profaneness being next at hand , when the sin of uncleanness goes before : give me but a man or woman once given over to that sin , and a p●…osane he or she , i will write them in their foreheads ; that makes no great conscience of of any duty , either to god or man , except so far as some outward publick shame , and publi●…k law may , perhaps , work upon them . the heathen moral man could ob●…rve , that voluptuousness and intemperate lust cracks the practick judgment for any good moral duty to be done ; so that once a voluptuous man , an universal evil m●…n also : and these are the spiritual judgments whi●…h the just providence of god in●…icts upon offenders in this kind ; and if these be fearful judgments ( i speak to them that have not as yet through debauchedness in these sins lost all sense and spiritual feeling ) as for them that are gone in debauchedness in these sins , i look but ●…or a privy sneer from them in scorn , or a privy grin in anger : but for the other ▪ if whoredom and wine , and new wine take away the heart , make very sots , which is the first : i●… none commonly of them that go unto her return again , nor take hold of the paths of life , which is the second : if they be given over also by little and little to an universal profaneness , &c. th●…n upon peril take heed of that which gives over to a spiritual caecity , &c ▪ which draws final impenitency , which plunges into an universal profaneness . a second sort of judgments upon 〈◊〉 here in this life , a●…e temporal ; and , 〈◊〉 , upon t●…eir 〈◊〉 , god 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sin with m●…ny , and 〈◊〉 , a●…d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diseas●…s 〈◊〉 , a●… p●…x a●…d 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and unnatural , 〈◊〉 go●…ts ( t●…e ●…ssue ost●…ntimes , s●…y the learned , os i 〈◊〉 in vvi●…e and vvomen ) together 〈◊〉 w●…th shortness of days , ●…ing untimely cut osf by reason of those dis●…ases got by th●…s inte●…perance ; or if they live any time , with hudles of insirmities in their old age ; no body such a very spittle of infirmities in elder years , as the intemperate luxurious body ; and therefore some think that solomon's l●…st chapt●…r of ecclesiastes , wherein he describes a most weak i●… firm state of old age , that the keep●…rs of the 〈◊〉 tr●…ble , and the strong m●…n b●…w 〈◊〉 , &c. that that hath 〈◊〉 to his own s●…ls , and the ●…uddle ●…s insirmities , that his great intemperance with wom●…n brought his old crazed body in●…o : and 〈◊〉 's spee●…h hits upon this ; ●…is 〈◊〉 are full of the sin ●…f his youth . and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , prov. . lest thou mourn when thy fl●…sh and bo●…y are 〈◊〉 . mo●…s , or rottenness and worm●… shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…o heritage , 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 ●…fore wouldest thou hav●… 〈◊〉 to t●…y ●…vil , and m●…rrow to thy 〈◊〉 , p●…v . and wouldst thou live long , and see good days ? then avoid that sin that will be lang●…shing to thy navil , and rottenness to thy bones , and which will either make thy old body to be but a diseased spittle , or untimely make thee but a heritage for moth and worms . secondly , upon their goods ; god judges this sin with letting it bring a consumption often-times , and wasting of the estate . how many goodly estates have our own eyes ( if we would observe ) see consumed , especially by this sin ; what through the costliness of it ( for no such drainer and soaker of an estate as the whorish woman ) and what through gods curse following upon this sin ; by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread , prov. . aye , lower too , for the prodigal he spent all his substance so upon harlots , that as the parable sets him forth , he longed for the very swines husks , and could not have them ; and most just with god it is that they who through fulness of bread ( for that commonly is the occasion ) fall upon that sin , through that sin should be brought to a piece of bread : they that through riotous intemperate living , as did the prodigal , fall upon harlots , through harlots should be ●…rought to penurious a●…d miserable living 〈◊〉 ; 〈◊〉 , in purging himsels , that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had not b●…en 〈◊〉 with a woman , and th●…t 〈◊〉 had n●…t 〈◊〉 wait at his 〈◊〉 door , sc. to have been naught with 〈◊〉 neighbours wife , he useth this argument ; that h●…d ●…e done thus , he 〈◊〉 w●…ll 〈◊〉 , th●…s , as gods just 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 have be●…n ●… fire , to have 〈◊〉 ●…o 〈◊〉 ( sc. his estate ) and to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out all his increas●… , job . . a●…d 〈◊〉 love ye your goods ? love ye th●…m ? aye , that is to be fea●…d too well ; and would ye leave a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…pon th●…m ? then take h●…d o●… that sin 〈◊〉 will bring to a mors●…l os br●…ad , and will 〈◊〉 a fire from god , p●…aps , 〈◊〉 a slack fire , but a sur●… , to 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 , and roo●… out all 〈◊〉 incr●…ase . 〈◊〉 , u●…n 〈◊〉 good name ; god brands this si●… 〈◊〉 all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ●…rand of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reproach ; what a●…e t●…y and their 〈◊〉 , though musks and swe●…t-ball●… t●…y may carry about with them , what 〈◊〉 ●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the nostrils of all 〈◊〉 m●…n 〈◊〉 women ? a bywo●…d and common talk , more than they thi●…k ( excep●… t●…eir ears glow very 〈◊〉 ) in every ones mouth ? and ju●…t it is with god , that they who dishonour ●…nd m●…ke themselves vile in this 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 t●…ey should again be dishonour●…d 〈◊〉 held but vile in the repute os the world ; a wound ( sc. to his name ) and dishono●…r shall he ( or she ) g●…t , and his reproa●…h sh●…ll not be wiped away , prov. . . a●…d what reproach this sin is , 〈◊〉 's 〈◊〉 shews , let her take it ( sc. his s●…gnet an●… bracelets ) to her , lest we be ashamed , gen. . and what but to hide th●… common ●…hame , was that which made david , after he had committed adulte●…y with uriah's wise , made him send , first , for uriah home out os the c●…mp , to lie with his wife ; and when that would not do it , made him drunk the second night , that he might go and lie with his wi●…e , and so father the child ; and when that neither would do it , made him write to joab , to place uriah in such a place of the battel where he might be stain , and so david might ma●…ry 〈◊〉 , and so save his credit , in being hone●…tly reputed the father of the child ; and to fay no more , what a brand of in●…amy god hath set upon this sin , see it but hence , know ye any ( for i know them not ) that are too too presumed osfenders in this , o●…ely they have had a little better hap , than to be taken as she , john . in the very fact ; look but now full in their faces , stare on them , point towards them , and see if these very impudent ones blush not for shame , and hang down heads ; and therefore have ye any respect to your credits , would you not be vile in the eyes of all m●…n , would you not have your names to be a very stink in mens nostrils ? but rather like j●…siah's ; the remembrance of josiah is like the composition of the perfume made by the art of the apoth●…ary , ecclesiasticus . take heed of that sin , which who so commits , a wound and dishonour shall he get , and his reproach shall not be wiped away . fourthly , god punisheth them in regard of children and posterity , and that two ways ; sometimes in depriving them of posterity , sometimes in laying a curse upon posterity : . in depriving them ; so upon abimelech's 〈◊〉 s●…rah , ab●…aham's wife unto him ; god fa●…t closed up the wombs of all the house of abime●…ch , that they conceived not , nor bear him any children , till sarah being restored , abraham prayed for him , gen. . and so , they shall commit whoredom , and shall not increase , hos. . the latter being the judgment upon the ●…ormer ; their not incre●…sing , s●… . their being without po●…rity , the ju●…gment upon their committing w●…dom ; and a just judgment that th●…ir own field should be barren , that marre oth●…rs fi●…lds with ●…owing strange seed in them ; a just judgment that their own 〈◊〉 should put forth no plants , that set others stocks with bastard-slips , wisd. . . . in laying a curse commonly upon posterity , if they have any ; the common saying is , the sin of the seed shall be punished in the seed ; and most just it is , that the sin of the body should be punished in the fruit of the b●…dy ; the s●… of propagation in the posterity it sel●… , or propagation , the sin of the vvomb in the child of the vvomb ; i will not have m●…rcy upon h●…r childr●…n , ●…r th●…y be the children of whoredoms , 〈◊〉 . . a whore and a harlot their mother wa●… , and 〈◊〉 no mercy will i have o●… her c●…n ; it is spoken indeed directly of spiritual vvhoredom , sc. idolat●… ; ●…t it bea●… it self upon the suppos●…d truth , as 〈◊〉 known of god●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vvhor●… in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to 〈◊〉 the child 〈◊〉 ju●…t th●… 〈◊〉 son , ●…r the mothers 〈◊〉 , i. e. to follow their steps in vileness and uncle●…nness , to hunt the fle●…h the father loved , and to h●…nt the oven the mother was hid in ; thou art thy mothers daughter , s●…id the lord to her that was so by kind , ezek. . and i will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom , ho●… . . . vvho 〈◊〉 therefore that desires the blessing of c●…ldren , and blessed children , which is more ? let them take heed of that sin which caused all the vvombs in abimelech's house to be fast closed up ; or which , if the fruit of the vvomb be granted , m●…y cause that denunciation to be he●…rd , i will not have mercy upon their children , for they be the children of whoredoms . fifthly , god often punisheth this sin if it be in a married party , by sending a great deal of uncomfortablenes●… in the marriage-state , through j●… and jealousies of the contrary p●…rty , and 〈◊〉 it is , that they who sin against the 〈◊〉 - state , should be punished by the marriage-state ; just , that she th●…t fors●…kes the guide of her youth , prov. . or he th●…t de●…ls treacherously against the wife of his youth , mal. . that they should ●…d the punishment there , and at that p●…rty's hand , against whom the trespass is committed : thus if it be in a married party , by sending uncomsortableness ; or else by punishing the sa●…ltiness of the one party with letting the other party p●…y him or her in their own coin ; le●…g the vvoman prove a quean where the man is once a knave ; or ●… contra , because thou hast taken the wife of uriah , i will take thy wives , and give them to thy neighbour , sam. . and if my heart hath been deceived with a woman , then let 〈◊〉 wife grind unto another , job . job's imprecation is but according to the ordinary t●…nor of gods judgment , that where the husband lays wait at the neighbour●… ▪ door , there the vvife commonly grinds unto another : and in the ●…ore-named hosca . y●…ur daughters shall commit whoredom , and your spouses shall commit adultery . d●…sire ye therefore to find com●…ort in a married estate ? or d●…sire ye faithfulness in consort or yoak-fellow , forsaking all others to keep onely to your selves , so long as you both shall live ? then take heed of that sin which god punisheth oftentimes with great uncom●…ortableness in marriage-state , sowing bitter dissent●…on there where com●…ortable love and con●…ord should be , or punish●…th with letting the vvi●…e grind to another , whose husband waiteth at his neighbours doors . sixt●…ly , this also may be considered , that god appointed death to be the doom and j●…dgment of adulterers at the civil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; the man that commits adultery with another mans wife , the adulterer and a●…ss shall die the death , exod. . . and indeed if the thief deserve a rope , there is no adulterer but he deserves two , nor adulteress ; for judge but in yo●…r selves , and put it your own cases ; if the wrong be not more two to one , to be wronged and robbed o●… your body , whereof the apostle , the wife hath not 〈◊〉 ow●…r over her body , but the husband , &c. than to be wronged and robbed of the best goods and chattels you have ●…esides ; men do not despise a thief , if he steal to 〈◊〉 his soul , because he is h●…ngry , prov. . . and it is not for nought , but to shew the great di●…ference between the sin and sin , that naturally the rage of a man is far more against him that wrongs him in his vvi●…e , in that ewe-lamb that ●…ats of his own meat , and lies in his own bo●…om , sam. . than in all the flocks and herds besides that feed and lie on mountains and valleys ; neither let any body s●…y , that this was mosaical , and special to the jews onely for special reasons , to have adultery punished with death ; for ●…oth be●…ore mos●…s , and out of the jewish common-wealth , where moses's law was not on foot , even by the law and light of n●…ture they thought adul●…ery worthy to be punished with death ; as that speech of judah's abo●…t his daughter-in-law tamar , espoused to his so●… shelah , and so accounted hi●… wi●…e 〈◊〉 espousals , his speech about her being sound with child before the solemnizing of the marriage , shews , ●…ng her ●…orth , 〈◊〉 l●…t her be burnt , gen. . and job's speech , this is an hainous crime , and an iniquity to be punished by the judges , job . and further , the judgment of the king of babylon upon two adulterers , zedekiah and ahab , roasting them in the fire , is alledged by some , jer. . . further , in 〈◊〉 's time adultery by christian laws was punished with death , as may appear by that which he saith , that for all that daily some were put to death for adultery , yet adultery ceased not . and at geneva yet adultery is punished with death : and what more equal than bishop l●…timer's motion in a sermon before king edward ; that adultery the ●…irst time , if the innocent party would speak for the nocent , should be par●…oned , but the second time the adulterer or adultress should to the pot : well , it being plain by a man 's own reason , by the law of moses , by the law of nature before moses , that the right doom of adultery is death ( aye , if a thief deserve a rope , no adulterer but deserves two ) let them know there●…ore that please themselves with the impunity of this sin , that where the law of man is remiss , the law of god will be severe ; and they scape the roasting in the king of babylon's fire , yet there is another fire they shall not escape , a fire that ●…hall nev●…r be quenched , and they themselves nev●…r consumed : and so i come to the third sort of judgments . the third sort of judgments upon whoremongers and adulterers are hereafter , and , first , th●…y sha●…l be sure to have no part in the k●…ngdom o●… god , such uncle●… creatures shall never put foot over thre●…ld there , where no unclean thing 〈◊〉 in ; and be●… they are apt to think , and ●…o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dreams , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a be not 〈◊〉 ; 〈◊〉 not deceived , neither fornicators nor adulterers . fornicators and adulterers , these with the first , and these with a be not deceived , are sure not to inherit the kingdom of god , gal. . . and if one single asservation will not serve the turn , he tells them once and again , that they shall reckon of it as a truth ; of the which i tell you before as i have told you in times past : and because this onely to be deprived of the kingdom of god , might seem no such great matter to men blinde●… and violently carried away with their lusts and pleasures , if so be there were no sensible punishment to follow ; therefore unto the loss of the kingdom of god , the sustaining the wrath of god for such sinners is ●…dded , eph. . , . and among them that are to be 〈◊〉 into the lake burning with fire and brimstone , vvhoremongers are not forgot , to be sure they shall be of the number , rev. . . vvell therefore if vvhoremongers and adulterers be sure to have no part in the kingdom of god , and be sure to have a part , a peppering part in the wrath of god , and in the boyling lake ; then let us so long as we cannot blot out these texts , ( be not deceived , and let no man deceive you with vain words ) out of the book of god ; let us take heed of those sins which will blot out our names out of the book of life , and give us our portions in the boyling lake , which is the second death ; the proverb is , he poyseth ill that counterpoiseth not , that sets not one thing against 〈◊〉 , that puts all in one seak , and counterpoiseth not by putting some weight in the other scale ; will not light wares , and a very feather almost , weigh down scales where one is empty ? thou theresore that do est upon thy brutish carnal pleasure , p●…ise not so as not to counterpoise , consider what thou gettest , and what thou losest ; thou gettest a little brutes pleasure , but thou losest angels joy and pleasure , for they never marry . thou drinkest a li●…le of those stollen waters which seem sweet , prov. . and thou losest those rivers of pleasures at gods right hand for evermore ; thou solacest thy self in the bosom of a strange woman , and thou losest the solace and comfort that is in abraham's bosom ; thou feedest thine eye with the beauty of her that e●…re while shall fall into dust and ashes , an●… thou losest the glorious and blessed vision of him who is eternity of days ; thou art made one with her that is but a very fiend in the shape of flesh and blood , and thou losest thy being made partaker of that divine nature which he that hath escaped the corruption th●…t is in the world through lust shall be made partaker of , pet. . . and theresore basil being asked , what might be a sovereign remedy of lu●… ? answered , desires and thoughts upon better things ; so think but pausingly and soberly of these better things , and how canst thou then let a brutes pleasure deprive thee of angels pleasure ? let the solace in the bosom of a strange woman , &c. let the base slavery in the thraldom of lust deprive thee of the blessed liberty in the kingdom of god ? here is juster place for an , i will not buy repentance at so dear a rate ; than it was when demosthenes said it upon the corinthian 〈◊〉 asking him ten thousand drachmes for one nig●…t : ten thousand drachmes ! aye , ten t●…ousand world●… to be lo●…t for the purchasing of this pleasure will not cause such bitter r●…pentance , as , be not deceived , neither fornicators nor adulterers , &c. b●…t if the punishment of loss will not wo●…k upon the sottishness of this sin , the punishment of smart and sense let ●…t be consi●…ered , ●…nd let one sire be a remedy again●…t another sire , the fire of hell against the sire of lust ; as when one hath scorched or burnt his finger 〈◊〉 the fire , he holds it again to the fire , that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 take o●…t ●…re ; so the fire of lust if it 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 , let us set our selves a little nearer , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 within the scorch of the fire of hell , and sire will take out fire : some w●… read ( a●… ●…dict ) for the subduing of their lu●…t , tumbled their naked bodies amo●…g 〈◊〉 thorns and briars : some ( as francis ) run naked into freezing pon●… , some have used one remedy , and some another ; but no such remedy , if there be but even as much faith as a grain of mustard-seed to believe it , as that of our saviours , mat. . vvhere sp●…aking even against so much as looking upon a vvoman to lust aster her in his h●…rt , this is his argument , if thy right eye oss●…nd , &c. better that one of thy memb●…rs p●…sh , than that thy whole body be cast ●…to h●…ll , v. , . thus that chast matron , when she was sollicited to folly by a young man , called for a chafing dish of coals , and requested the young man first to hold his hand in that fire for a quarter os an hour sor her sake , which he refusing as an unkind request ; his ( replyed the m●…ron ) was far unkinder , who requir●…d that at her hands , for which not hands , but whole body should , not for a short ●…uarter of an hour , but for long and long eternity burn and broil in a far worse fire ; and so another , one of the old hermits being tempted to this sin , said to himself , that they who do such things go into everlasting sire ; prove thy self by this , if thou canst endure eternal fire , he put his fingers to the candle , and burnt all his fingers ; and when that proved so exream and unsufferable to him , have to do with that sin he durst not , which would put him to a far more extream and unsufferable torment : therefore if either depriving of the kingdom of god , or sustaining the wrath of god ; if either throwing out of the palace , or throwing into the dungeon ; if either the loss of the singing and rejoycing of the saints in heaven , or the cross of the weeping and wailing of the damned in hell will move , then let us avoid this sin ▪ third proposition . that whoredom and adultery is to be avoided , considering the grievousness of the sins themselves : when abimelech , by abraham's dissembling , as if sarah , who was his wife , had been but his sister , had like to have lien with another mans wife , what said abimelech a king , abimelech a philistine ? vvhat have i offended thee , that thou hast brought on me , and on my kingdom a great sin ? not a venial sin , a pidling peccadillo , but a grand sin ; and how can i commit this great wickedness and sin against god ? and so great and grievous a sin did the saints of old count this sin , that the villainy of the persecuting tyrants choosed rather to condemn some to the tempting bawd , rather than to the devouring lion ; as knowing that the holy saints had rather have their bodies ravined and defiled by the foaming teeth of wild and s●…vage beasts , than ravished and desiled by the silthy foamy lust of savage men : now , the greatness and grievousness of the sin , we may hence take a scantling of it , because it is a great sin , . against god. . against our selves , . against others , first , a great sin against god , in dishonouring the image of god in us , in dishonouring the member of christ , in dishonouring the temple of the holy ghost : we dishonour by this sin the image of god in us as it consists in ruledom and dominion , and a glorious divine-like majesty , to be a servant to nothing under god hims●…ls ; we dishonour this part os gods image in us by this sin , because by this s●… of all others we become the basest slaves to the basest lust ; there are two kinds of siavish sinners , the covetous , and the libidinous ; of which a man can hardly tell whether is the verier slave ; but a man may easily tell which is the baser slave , sc. the baser slave is he that serves the baser lust ; for though two ye know be equal slaves , in regard of hardness of servitude , yet he is the base slave that serves the same hard service to the baser master ; now , the baser master is carnal lust above covetous lust , as the more sneaking ashamedness to be espied going about , or taken in the service of the one rather than the other , shews , thus we dishonour this part of gods image in us ; as , what a dishonour were it if the king should make a vice-roy in principality and royal majesty to be next unto himself , and give him ensigns of his vice-roy-ship , a coronet on his head , and a robe of majesty on his back ; what a dishonour this to the king , if he bearing the kings image with a coronet on the head , and robe on the back , should basely subject himself to all scu●… and varletry , and basest of men ? again , the im●…ge of god as it consi●…ts in a right re●…son , ●…d a divine-like understanding to ●…now for practicks , what is to be d●…ne , and w●…t not to be done : we disho our this part of gods image in us , by this sin of all other sins we blind and bore out the eye of reason , and disable our selves from all soundness of practick judgment ; judgment we may have , though debauched , and drowned in all intemperance , for mechan●…cks , m●…thematicks , physicks , &c. but soundness of practical judgment for morals , this sin quite depraves it ; as the foggy smoak that came out of the bottomless pit obscured and darkned the sun and air ; or as the foggy breath cast upon the glass obscures the face and image that appeared in it ; so does this foggy sin to the image of god , and the sun and light of right reason , it quite obscures and darkens it ; so that by this sin we dishonour god much , what as he that should take a bright burning light lightned by and from the sun to shine in a dark place as the image of it self in heaven , much what , i say , as he should dishonour the sun ( supposing the sun to be a reasonable living creature work●…ng upon counsel ) who should take that light and run it up to the head in a filthy dung-hill or dirty puddle , and so quench that light kindled for the nonce from and by the sun , to be a represent and image of it self on earth ; lastly the image of god as it consists in holiness and purity and sanctity both of body and spirit ; we dishonour this part of gods image in us by this sin , because this is the most defiling contaminat●…ng sin , called theresore signanter the sin of unc●…eanness , and they that commit it in our language , filihs ; and that most rightly : and so opposite to purity and 〈◊〉 that the prime and singular thing 〈◊〉 singularly opposite to 〈◊〉 is immediately fornication thess. ▪ . fo●… 〈◊〉 is the will of god even your 〈◊〉 , that ye should abstain f●…om fornication . and keeping the body pu●…e and 〈◊〉 is called poss●…ssing ones 〈◊〉 in sanc●…ion ver . . this is a great sin 〈◊〉 god in dishono●…ng the image of god in us , wh●…ch how i●…dignely god will t●…ke , judge but by that emperours sact ●…ho made a law for ●…vere punishing them whosoever should ●…rry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o●… im●…e , 〈◊〉 but in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ring , into 〈◊〉 places , as 〈◊〉 , &c. and bv 〈◊〉 fact os that other emperour theodosius , who threatned to race the whole city of antioch , for their rasing and defacing or marring his image or statue there . . a gre●…t sin in dishonouring the member of c●…rist , this is one of the arguments w●…th great indignation used by the apostle to set out the 〈◊〉 abominable , abhorrefull nature of ●…his sin , cor. . . know ye not that your bodies are the members of c●…rist ? 〈◊〉 i then take the members of 〈◊〉 a●…d m●…ke them the m●…mbers of an 〈◊〉 ? god fo●…bid : spoken with great ind●…tion . it is not so odious , ( and yet w●…o can hear it without some horrour and ha●…f spitting at it ) not so odious , so abominable , so abhorfull , to see a kings daughter carnally coupled with a dog , as a m●…mber of christ with an harlot ; and therefore well might the apostle say , know ye not ? as if he should s●…y , you forget surely what you are , consider not that you are the members of christ ; did ye , how co●…ld you take the members os c●…rist ●…nd m●…ke them the members of an harlot ? and though some be far enough from being any members of christ truly spiritually and mystically ; yet by outward profession they are the members of christ ; they partake of that profession which makes them in outward denomination and account within the compass of that , now ye are the body of christ , and members in particular , cor. . and themselves would go for the very members of christ , and how hainously would they take it , the worst of them , if one should tell them they are no members of christ , but limb●… of satan ? well therefore all one in a manner for the indignity offered to christ , whether they that make themselves one body with an harlot , be ●…ruly spiritually and mystically the v●…ry members of christ or no ; they reckon themselves members os christ , and so would do no less were they indeed very members , and in outward profession and denomination go for members of chri●…t ; all one , i say , as such an one supposed is indeed not such an ones son , being of his own very flesh & blood , but he is a by-chop ; yet he goes for his son , he calls him father ; any indign dishonourable carriage of such a supposed son , would it not redound to the dishonour of the supposed father , as if he were his true son indeed , of his very flesh and blood ? thus the children of isra●…l , when indeed they had made themselves none of gods children , of gods people , yet usually in scripture he aggravates their sin as the sin of his children , of his people . thirdly , a great sin against god , in dishonouring the temple of the holy gho●…t : this is one of the special arguments too wherewith the apostle sets out with great earnestness , ( as his interrogatory form shews ) the indignity and vileness of this sin ; what , know ye not that your ●…ody is the temple of the holy ghost , which is in you ? cor. . . and what a vile indignity to conspur●…ate and defile , and make nothing but a bea●…tly sty of that sanctum sanctorum , which should be an habitation of so holy a m●…jesty ? you have made my fath●…rs house an house of merchandize , said our saviour in great zeal against their desiling gods material temple with buying and selling in it ; they that defile gods living temples , which themselves should be , by m●…king gods house a brothel-house and as stews , is not their sin far greater ? not a whip of small cords shall serve their turn , an iron whip that shall bite to the bone , and make yethers like furrows let them look sor ; who so d●…fileth the temple of god , him shall god destroy , cor. . . take heed therefore of this sin which is so great a sin against god himself , &c. secondly , a great sin against our selves , philosophy and glimmering twi-light reason says , that a man cannot injure or sin against himself ; but divinity , and noon-day light of scripture teacheth otherwise , teacheth that god hath not given us body and goods , &c. to be used and abused as we list without any sin against our selves , therefore whoredom and adultery ar●… great sins , in regard of our b●…dy , of our goods , of our good name : in regard of our body , so the apostle teacheth , every sin that a man does is without the body , but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body , cor. . . against his own body , sc. against the health of his body , bringing often many , and grievous , and loa●…hsom diseases upon it , with shortness of days ; again●…t the honour of his body , dishonouring thereby th●…t otherwise most sweet and gracious , and noblest cre●…ture that ever was made of mold , dishonouring it , as if you should tie a sweet and gracious , and sound excellent body with a stinki●…g , loathsom , leprous , dis●…ased body ; no sin sets that note of dishonour upon the very body as this sin of uncleanness ; the note and brand that the hot iron sets upon the malesactors body is not so infamous , as the note and brand of dishonour that this sin sets upon the fornicators body ; god gave them up to uncleanness , through the lusts of their ow●… hearts to dishonour their own bodies , ro. . and that every one kn●…w how to possess his vessel in 〈◊〉 and honour , thes. . again , in regard of our goods ; what a waste and dilapidation does this sin often make of great estates ? he that keeps company with harlots spendeth his substance , prov. . . thus the prodigal quickly spent all his patrimony among harlots , and the wickeder is the waste the worst creatures it is bestowed upon , bestowed upon them that deserve less than the doggs under our table ; the doggs better deserve the manchet than they the brown-breadcrust ; this might have been sold for much , and giv●…n to the poor , m●…t . . . said they in the gospel , concerning an imagin●…d was●…e , and too much cost , as they thought , bes●…owed by that pious woman upon our 〈◊〉 ▪ own body . but that which is bes●…owed upon the commo●… 〈◊〉 bodies of whor●…s and 〈◊〉 , how much might tha●… be sold sor , ●…nd how much better to 〈◊〉 given ●…o ●…he poor , those prec●…ou 〈◊〉 that are the very members o●… christ ; they 〈◊〉 ▪ says plutarch , like those wild fig-trees that grow upon high and inaccessi●…e rocks and clisss , whose fruit filthy ravens and vultures onely seed upon , but cannot be at●…ained to by man. ag●…in , in regard of our good name , what a wrong and injury do we to that ? jos●…ph knew this , who would not therefore make her a publick example , he saw nothing in her in the general but modest and honest carriage , what frailty and temptation might draw her ●…o , for one single slip , though otherwise a vertuous maid he could not tell , and theresore m●…ke her a publick example he would not , a●… knowing that then she were shamed sor ever ; and the text is plain , a wound and dishonour shall he get , prov. . and if any think what gr●…at sin in this to neglect our own names , and not care how we are spoken os ; these , let them know , that paul made a conscience of it , how he should 〈◊〉 spoke●… of , or thought of ; providing for honest things , not onely in the sight of the lord , but in the sight of men , cor. . . & . . and he gave it in precept to the philippians , that whatsoever things are os good report , &c. ph●…l . . 〈◊〉 . and to timothy , tim. . . and to 〈◊〉 , l●…t no m●…n despise thee , titus . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 ●…ndeed there is none but either the fool or the knave , that is regard●…ess of credit : the fool , because he wants wit to know the worth of a good name ; the knave , beca●…se he wants honesty , and will not buy it at the rate . thirdly , a great sin against others ; against ( . ) the child to be ●…orn , against the life of it sometimes , again●… the g●…od name of it , against the education ; again●…t the lise of it , to kill it sometimes by 〈◊〉 drugs in the conception ; sometimes to cause abortion after conception , sometimes even after birth it self , to be barbarously cruel to it , pre●…nding to be a still born , whereas it cry●…d , perhaps , so lou●… , that heaven 〈◊〉 the cry of it , and will all in good time revenge the blood of it ; and because the 〈◊〉 the child in the conception , or aster conception by abortion is the sr●…quentest , and scarce made any reckoning at all of sor a sin , th●…refore hear what the fath●…rs of old e●…teemed of it ; 〈◊〉 , says a●…henagoras , in his apology for christians , we that ●…ake it ho●…icidy to distu●…b conception , h●…w should we kill infants born and brought sorth into the world ? answering a slander again●…t ch●…istians arising especially upon the sacrament . and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same slander of the christians , to hind●…r the birth is a h●…stning of man-slaughter . and minutius , sp●…aking os this ha●…tened ●…omicid ; they commit murd●…r b●…fore th●…y ●…ring forth . and the 〈◊〉 os the ancyran council ( anno . ) ●…hought ti so h●…inous a sin , that they ●…ppointed t●…n years penance sor such as did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . cod. univ. . and how vehement is chrysostome against this sin ; hom. ad rom. ! what great disf●…rence were it between 〈◊〉 yo●…r tree , by striking down all the fruit , or striking it down onely in the bloom and blossom , or newly set ; they may consider this , who think it no such pi●…cular crime to keep a q●…ean , and then to get a knave to minister drugs either to disturb and hinder conception , or to make abortion after conception when it is but an embrio : what do they but onely kill the fruit when it is newly set , or in the bud and blossom ? and what is this but hastened homicid ? and yet what more common in prosessed harlotry than this ? so that hence vatablus thinks that those two that strove before solomon about the live child were not harlots , but hoslesses , as the word also signifies , because 〈◊〉 use not to bear children , but to corrupt the fruit in the womb. again , a sin ag●…st the child , in regard of the good name of it , even god ●…mself , that p●…rents might know what wrong they do their children this way , would have the child , though no sault of it●… , carry a mark of reproach upon it , even to the tenth g●…neration , for being begot of unlawful bed , deut. . . and indeed be it that the child som●…times proves fathers better , yet how irks it , how ha●…gs it down the head , how is it discountenanced at the objecting the reproach of the birth ? and how would it purchase , were it a thing possible to be born again , pur●…hase legitimation and honest birth , as he did his freedom , acts . with a great summe of money ? jepthah was a mighty man of valour , the son ( but the son ) of an harlot , judg●…s . . as naaman was a mighty man of valour , but a leper , kings . . it puts a but and blemish , does baseness of birth to other no●…lest qualities in any . again , in regard of education and providing ●…or ; children of unlawful beds how are they neglected for any education and providing for , what r●…gard is had os them ? that which is spoken in a good sence of levi , that he knew not his own children , deut. . in a wicked sence is true of parents of children unlawfully begot , they will not know their own children ; aye , if one were in their very bosoms , should not a man find that secret wish there ? why died they not in the womb , or why did not they give up the ghost when they came out of the b●…lly ? why did the knees 〈◊〉 them , or the breast that they should 〈◊〉 ? job . , . but seeing this , they did not die in the womb , &c. therefore own them they will not , to have any care of them for education and providing for them , for why , they are ashamed of them ; they are walking arguments of their par●…nts incontinency , they are witness●…s of wickedness against their parents ; and their own brethren will be ready to deal with them , as j●…pthah's ●…rethren with him ; they thr●…st out jepthah , saying , thou sh●…lt no●… i●…herit in our fathers hous●… , for thou art the son of a strange woman . secondly , a gre●…t sin against the consort , or other m●…rried p●…rty ; a greater ●…ong spare lise it self , 〈◊〉 ●…e done to the consort than to break the marriag●…-ring , i. e. the vow and cov●…nt of tro●…h and fidelity one to the other , whereof ( says the book ) the ring g●…ven and received is a token and pledge . t●… break the m●…rriage-ring is a wrong of all wrongs , and how great a wrong the vehemency and unappeaseableness of that affection of jealousie shews ; jealousie is the rage of a man , prov. . aye , so great a wrong this , that the jealous m●…n who had some presumptions , but no manifest proof ; god in the old law afforded him a miraculous trial , that trial by the bitter water , num. . and though god afforded not the jealous woman the like tryal for her suspected husband , yet the equity you know is the like , and the sin therefore on the one and the other p●…rt alike ; and this case may the r●…ther be observed , because we may here see what an high wrong ( even in the judgmen●… of god himself ) presumptio●…s to breed j●…lousie are , though the p●…rty happily in●…d may be innocent : god would never h●…ve offered such an extr●…ordinary miraculou●… tryal to free from the spirit of jealousie , if it were n●…t a mo●…t vexing tormenting thing , n●…ing but a slow fire in the very bones , and therefore an high wrong to put matter to this fire to make it burn , to minister occasion to thi●… spirit of jealousie , to make it rise ; does not the apostle paul say , spe●…king not on●…ly of what is done in the m●…rried-state , but what should be done , that he who is married cares how to please his wife , &c. but to 〈◊〉 ju●…t occasion of jealousi●… , than which what more displeasing and discontenting thing in the world ! is this to care how to please the wise ? &c. god , who was a jealous god was 〈◊〉 , and could not endure that those whom he had espo●… to himself in a spirit●…l wedlock should come into th●… harlots house , as the scripture calls the temple of ido●…s . should not cast up their eyes , amorous eyes to those fair decked h●…rlots . beauteous idol●… ; should not dandle upon the knees , as 't were , and toy , and play , and sport , an●… use any spiritual dalliance towards them : this the jealousie of god was offended at , and could not endure , though they committed no actual spiritual fornication with them in very worshipping and adoring them ; so a pari , there is the like reason with respect to corporal fornication , to go into harlots houses , &c. thirdly , a great sin against the very kingdom and place where we live ; because this sin of adultery growing common and unpunished , is one of the special sins for which god brings fe●…rful publick judgments upon a place ; when i fed them to the sull , th●…n they committed adultery ; sh●…ll i not visit for th●…se things , and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this ? jer. . , , . and they are all adulterers , as an oven heated by the baker , ezek. . . is one of the chief sins sor which god denouncing judgm●…nt against them , says , that he remembers all their wickedness , hos. . , , , , , &c. and abimelech's speech is for this , what have i offended thee , that thou hast brought on me , and on my kingdom a great sin ? gen. . . and david's prayer , praying in the latter end of that psalm , a penitential psalm for his adultery , praying that god would do good to sion , shews no less , sion and jerusalem , the church and the kingdom ( sion being the place where the temple was built , and jerusalem the chief city of the kingdom ) may feel heavy judgments for adulterers and adultery : and i pray god this be not a sin with some others among our selves at this day , that may make the patience of god at this day break out against us , with a shall i not visit for these things ? if confession were now a foot , it may be erasmus his confessor might be so blabbish , and so foolish , as to say it in some publick invective sermon against adultery , that were now stoning to death a law against adulterers , the rocky mountain hard by would soon be spent , adultery , said he , that knew it by confession , was grown so common . whoredom and adu●…tery therefore are to be avoided , considering the grievousness of the sin it self . use . are whoredom and adultery such grievous sins , and such judgments also attending them ? then this m●…y let us see the full meaning and evident reason of those two texts , the mouth of the strange woman is a deep pit , he that is abhorred of the lord shall fall th●…rein , prov. . . and i find more bitter than death a woman whose heart is snares and nets , and her hands as bands , who so 〈◊〉 god shall escape from her , but the sinner shall be taken by her , eccles. . . secondly , this may teach mothers to imitate that good mother , prov. . sc. to be careful to teach their children that which she , imprimis , and first of all was careful to teach her son lemuel . what ( sc. what shall i say ) my son , and what the son of my womb , &c. give not thy strength to women , nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings . and so the wise man intimates that parents care and instructi●… about their children , one point chiefly should be about discipline and instruction against this sin ; my son , keep thy fath●…rs commandment , sor the commandment is a lamp , and the law is light , and reprooss of instruction are the way of life ; to k●…p th●…e from the strange woman , from the flattery of the tongue of the evil woman , prov. . , , , , , &c. thirdly , this may let us see that it was material and main divinity enough , and so would go sor no less among the papists , but that fornication is counted for so slight and venial a sin among them ; material and main divinity enough , i say , which the apostle paul taught , cor. . . nevertheless , to avoid fornication , let every man have his own wife , and let every woman h●…ve her own husband . if fornication w●…re counted the sin , which it is , this ghostly couns●…l of his would not be counted such a poor rag of divinity , but material and main divinity enough ; and it may be considerable that there is not such a particular , punctual passage again in all the scripture , where the holy ghost is so particular , and so punctual in applying it to ev●…ry m●…n , and every woman ; and to th●… hus●…d , and to the wife , & vice vers●… the holy ghost knew a natural modesty and ashamedness towards this remedy of fornication , even in them , perhaps , who stand in need of it , and therefore , perhaps , was so particular and punctual therein . fourthly , let it make us more circumspect and watchsul against these sins , if they be such great sins , and such great judgments att●…nding th●…m ; and that we may watch against them , l●…t us know there are some things w●…ich dispose thereunto in gods judgment , and some in the nature of the things , again●… both whereof heed and watchfulness must be had , a●… we desire the avoiding the sins themselves ; in gods judgment . first , pride disposeth unto these sins , for just it is with god , that they who are so possessed with pride , that they think all honour too little for them , that would be half gods upon earth , and not m●…n , and not have their names mentioned without admiration , and half-worshipping of them , just that god should let these men fall into thi●… sin , that is the most dishonou●…ing sin , abasing and aviling them in the sight of all , and bringing them into open contempt and disgrace ; thu●… pride was one of the things that led so●… to that dishonouring sin of unnatural uncleanness ; this was the iniquity of sodom , pri●… , &c. ez●…k . . not that these were the great sins of sodom , but the make-ways for that great sin of unnatural uncleanness ; and more especially in gods just judgment , their pride ; they were haughty , and committed abomination . and thus for them that have a secret spiritual pride in them to be vainly puffed up by reason of spiritual excellencies . and they that think the apostle paul's thorn in the flesh ( cor. . ) was some molestful strivings with temptations of the flesh , they agree hereunto , for that thorn in the flesh was given him , lest he should be extolled above measure by reason of his so many revelations ; and no presenter remedy of being sick with spiritual pride , than to be humbled and buffetted with molestations from this dishonouring sin . secondly , profaning gods honour by spiritual fornication disposeth unto corporal fornication ; for just it is that god should let them dishonour themselves corporally , who dishonour him spiritually : thus having related in the and of judges , when things were all out of order in israel ; having related examples of spiritual fornication or idolatry , in the th . chapter he relates an example of abominable corporal uncle●…nness with the l●…vites concubine , and aimed to have be●…n at himself too , v. . kings . , . and kings . . and 〈◊〉 th●…y changed th●… glory of the incorruptible god , &c. ther●…fore ●…od also gave them up unto uncleanness , rom. . and that great whore , the mother of harlots , 〈◊〉 babylon , that commits fornication , spiritual fornication with every stock and stone ; what abominable filthiness and uncleanness , ( corporal also ) god hath given her over to , the stink of th●…ir publick t●…lerated stews , to help his unholy holiness's coffers ; the stink os their impure cloysters , of their impure clergies caelibate , ( which made the world long ag●… cry foh at these things ) shews , thirdly , depressing and disparaging too much the honour of marriage , and tyrannical rash imposing necessity of single life upon some conditions of men , without considerations had os our saviours equity , he that c●…n receive it , l●…t him receive it ▪ thi●… , in gods j●…st j●…dgment , disposeth unto the sin o●… 〈◊〉 ; for just it is with god to let th●…m ●…ll into 〈◊〉 sin which shall dishonour 〈◊〉 , who go about to dishonour his 〈◊〉 ; jus●… to let their own frailties shame and confute them , who are so rigid and inconsiderate of ot●…ers ●…railties . thus hierom , who spake so hardly o●… marriage , that he did every where at rome , malè audire for it ; none , even by his own confession , more tempted with lust than he , none that felt more of the apostle paul's u●…ion or burning . thus the story of cardinal cremensis is not un●…nown . he in a synod 〈◊〉 london called the wives of the priests concubines , after the popes late begun urging of single ●…fe upon them , hence asserting it to be the highest crime , to rise from the side of a concubine to make and consecrate the body of christ ; but he himself the night after he had been employed in the priests work of consecr●…tion , was taken in the committing of uncleanness ; the thing was notoriously evident , and did turn , as good reason it should , to his great disgrace and pepetual infamy . thus the notorious uncleanness that the popish constrained single life in gods just judgment occasioned ; every pasquil and pamphlet in our fore-fathers days spoke of it ; and the french have their proverb , that he that would have a clean house , let him neither have priest nor pigeon in it , both were such defiling creatures : aye , unto what , not onely reprobate practice , but r●…probate judgment also hath god given over the severe caelibate-mongers ? as some of them to wri●…e , that it is better to have an hundred whores than one wife ; according to b. bonner's answer , i pray god it be no worse ; when a priest accused for having secretly a wife ; no , said he , she is not my wife , she is but my concubine : some others , ( as johannes à casa archiepisc. reneventamus ) in an italian poem to desc●…ibe the praises of sodom ; aye some ( says erasmus , prefat . in milit . christ. ) publickly to a●…irm , that it is a less sin for a woman to have to do with a brute ●…east than with a priest. secondly , in the nature of the things themselves , these dispose unto the sin of uncleanness . first , that which the prophet calls fulness of bread , under which also by a figure , fulness of drink is implyed ; the iniquity of sodom was pride , fulness of bread. when i had ●…ed them to the full , then th●…y committed adult●…ry , ezek. . . th●…y w●…re as ●…d horses in the morning , jer. . , . ●…nd alter rioting and drunk●…nness , what sollows present●…y but 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 ? rom. . and eyes ●…ull of ●…dultery ●…ollows pres●…ntly , pet. . , . having spok●…n of some t●…at co●…nt it pleasure to riot ; and after looking upon the wine w●…en it is red , sollows looking upon strange women , prov. . naturally fulness o●… bread and drink makes the body rank and proud , and prone to lust , filling it full of super ●…luous spirits and humours . . that which immediatly follows in the next place , in that ezek ▪ . sc. abundance of idlen●…ss ; why was egisthus an adulterer ? the reason is apparent , he was a person addicted to idleness and laziness . so it is demand●…d , why david fell upon adultery , s●…m . . . and it came to pass ●…n an evening-tide that david arose from o●…f ●…is bed. whereby the holy ghost purposely would intimate the occasion of his falling into adultery ; he 〈◊〉 idle at home while israel and joab was in the field ; aye , he had been newly snorting and stretching hims●…lf idle upon his bed ; labour and exercise help ●…o wast rank superfluous humours , whereas idleness ●…ets them grow into nothing ●…ut matter and seminary of lust ; as a standing slank that wants motion , genders nothing because of the abundance of moisture , but silthy slimy matter and toad-stools , and the like ; so nothing but sliminess of lust , and such filthiness from idleness , from a standing slanking body . thirdly , the immediate next occasions , as too much familiar company and converse , foolish dalliance , light talk , wantonness of eye , &c. these immediately dispose unto this sin ; and they that say they will use these things , and yet be safe , they are more bold than wise ; there is none long safe , that will not keep aloof off , but still stand too neer a danger ; odds there is of slipping in for him that will needs be treading still too near the pits brink ; and danger there is of being pulled over ( for childrens sports may sometimes be grave and sage mens lessons ) sor him that will needs be as ●…ar as he may go ; and therefore observa●…le it is , that o●… joseph it is 〈◊〉 he hearkened not unto her to 〈◊〉 by h●…r or to be with her , gen. . . and the wi●…e m●…ns counsel in this case , remove thy way far from her , and come not n●…r the door of her house , prov. . he that will needs be walking too n●…ar the beasts den , may haply become the beasts prey , as that young man void of understanding , who passing through the street near her corner , near the beasts den , behold there m●…t him a woman in the attire of an harlot ( out comes the beast ) and she caught him , prov. . how much more he who will needs venture into the den it self to play with the beast ; and for other occasions also , job he made a covenant with his eyes , job . and good reason , for death comes by the windows in this sence : see gen. . . sam. . . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e * who p●…inted the autho●…s 〈◊〉 of th●… 〈◊〉 , & 〈◊〉 more if h●… had liv●…d . cor. . . phil. . . 〈◊〉 . john . . j●…hn . . & . . john . ▪ . eph. . . m●… . . . rom. . . phil. . . & . . rom. . . col. . . pet. ●… . . cor. . . rom. . . j●…r . . . john . . cor. . . prov. . z●…h . . . ep●… . . james . . rom. . . * . * . luke . . & . . james . . john . . tim. . , . psal. . . cor. . . luke . . notes for div a -e venenatae deliciae . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . notes for div a -e cor. . . sam. . . condimentum ibi saci●…us er at . rom. . . non tam bene cum rebus humanis geritur ut mel●…ora pluril us ●…laceant . sen. cor. . . eph. , , . ad aliquid invenien●…um non pr●…dest mul●…itudo caeco●…um : aug. heb. . . p●…t . . e●…rius & ebriojus . 〈◊〉 & ex 〈◊〉 ten●…re . joh. . . r●…m . . . is●… . . . & . . & . , . nunquid de sure●… dubitabis , 〈◊〉 : qu●… n●…n 〈◊〉 minor , sed 〈◊〉 . sen. 〈◊〉 . . b●…sil . prov. . . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . gen. . . . et in●…h 〈◊〉 s●…t cum eo . vulg. pr. . , . eccles. . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in se cul●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . dur●… verba plutar●…h . 〈◊〉 ▪ ism . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heb. craw. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . . eph. . . jer. . . ezek. . . pet. . . . tua super s●…ua pauper is necessaria . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deus stercoris . in saciendis non quò eundum sed quà . s●…us eg●… illud ●…on facerem , non facerem omnino solus , sed cum dicitur e●…nus , faciamus , pudet non esse impudenten . conf. . q. omne malum à minimis . the three ou ts ; drink out of the pot , wit out of the pate , wealth out of the purse . n●…n p●…terat amplius sensu recusan●…e . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . vesti●…ia nulla ●…etrorsum . q●…amdiu , quamdiu ? cras & cras , quare non modo , quare non hac 〈◊〉 sinis 〈◊〉 meae , consess . q. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . e●…hic . nicom . . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . in 〈◊〉 v●…ry 〈◊〉 . p●…atum seminis punietur in semine . de muliere sep●…es ict●… . h●…on . ep. qu●… p●…ssit illi●… esse 〈◊〉 ubi ●…ibunalia , ubi accusation●…s , ubi 〈◊〉 i●… a , ubi gladius &c. 〈◊〉 , &c. eph. . . n 〈◊〉 errare . cor. . n●… emo tanti penitere . peccatum grande . gen : . . & . . ingens flagitium , ad lenonem qu●…m ad leonem . tertul. au●…ust . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…st 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 quae ad pue●…ram 〈◊〉 data est , ad re●…is 〈◊〉 instru●… , chrys. see 〈◊〉 . . . ignominiosus ●…n d●…mo , i●…nominiosus in 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 in ●…ro , &c. chrys. nonnunquam d●…jicit d●…s hanc occultam me●…is super●…iam per manifestam carnis luxuriam . aug. ep. u●…i de ●…ncubinis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esse 〈◊〉 de l●…tere sur●…re 〈◊〉 is ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c●…m 〈◊〉 ill●… 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fuit in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ●…es 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 n●…n pet●…it , dam 〈◊〉 d●…us in su●…mum dede●…us 〈◊〉 . matt. 〈◊〉 . anno. . publicitus asseverare leviorem esse culpam , si mulier habeat rem cùm bruta pecude quàm cum sacerdote . sine cerere & 〈◊〉 friget venus . 〈◊〉 egisthus quare sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ? in 〈◊〉 ratio est , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . nemo diu tutus est 〈◊〉 pro●…imus , cypr. ep. . ignis fatuus. or, the elf-fire of purgatorie wherein bellarmine is confuted by arguments both out of the old and new testament, and by his owne proofes out of scriptures and fathers. also an annexe to this treatise of purgatorie, concerning the distinction of sinne in mortall and veniall. by m. william guild, minister at king-edvvard. guild, william, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) ignis fatuus. or, the elf-fire of purgatorie wherein bellarmine is confuted by arguments both out of the old and new testament, and by his owne proofes out of scriptures and fathers. also an annexe to this treatise of purgatorie, concerning the distinction of sinne in mortall and veniall. by m. william guild, minister at king-edvvard. guild, william, - . 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errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bellarmino, roberto francesco romolo, -- saint, - -- early works to . sin -- early works to . purgatory -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - jonathan blaney sampled and proofread - jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion ignis fatvvs . or , the elf-fire of pvrgatorie . wherein bellarmine is confuted by arguments both out of the old and new testament , and by his owne proofes out of scriptures and fathers . also an annexe to this treatise of purgatorie , concerning the distinction of sinne in mortall and veniall . by m. william gvild , minister at king-edvvard . london , printed by avgvstine mathevves , and are to bee sold at britaines burse . . to the trvely noble , right honourable , and religious , iohn , earle of laderdail , lord thirlestane , &c. one of his maiesties most honorable priuie counsell , &c. and to his most religious countesse and ladie . right honovrable , that inueterate-en●mie of gods glory & mans good , hath neuer ceased from the beginning to intermi●e in the lords field , his pes●●ent popple amongst the good seed , setting a worke the mysterie of iniquitie , euen then , when the mysterie of mans redemption was begun to be published , and by force or fraud , either as a redde dragon , or as a counterfeite of the lambe , with implacable malice ( but limit●ed power ) hee hath euer assaulted the church both in head and members : sometimes prouoking to sinne ( as balak 〈…〉 did the people in ahabs time , as in sinnes o● opinion , contra verum . this later is of two sorts either hereticall against the 〈…〉 against the body . 〈…〉 the two preceding were old heresies who long ago hath receiued their iust condemnation : the later carry the 〈…〉 of their grosse guiltinesse , and clear conuiction , specially such as are against the priesthood of christ , consisting in full satisfaction , until sole inter 〈…〉 sufferings with christs all-sufficient oblation : making that glorious worke to be as a linsey-wolsey garment , and man to share in the glory of that , in the grace whereof he hath onely 〈◊〉 . by which impious assertion , and illicit coniunction , christ is degraded , his blood vilified , his merit maimed , his crosse curtailed , his death debased , and his sufferings stained , by those who of godlinesse haue made gaine , but not made their gaine to bee godlinesse : turning gods temple againe into a denne of theeues , and therein making merchandise , not of doues , but of soules ( as is fore-prophesied of them ; ) and haue raised againe the tables of money-changers , which christ once ouerthrew . as no more plainely their owne mantuan affirmes , saying , omnia venalia , romae : then their owne pope pius confirmes , saying , nil absque argent● romana curia donat . nam peccatorum venia & spiritus dona venduntur . and indeed though these subterranean vulcans , and fire-worke men build vpon straw , stubble , and hay , their light assertion , without any more solid foundation , then the groundlesse conceit of a brainesicke head , and couetous heart can afford : yet they draw in from the seduced simple , most solid substance of gold , siluer , and large revenewes by a strange sort of alchymie , manus porrigentes indultrices , solùm manus porrigentibus adiutrices , but no pennie , no pater noster , being better seene ( as is truely said ) in the golden number of actuall reset , nor in the dominicall letter of sacred and holy writ . neither without cause does these locusts that came from the bottomlesse pit smell of fire ; or is it a wonder , that these that came out of the smoke of a great furnace , doe yet speak to poore soules of a fiery furnace ; neither can any iustly admire , that they torment the conscience , whose power giuen them , is as the power of scorpions , not to kill outright , by simply damning soules , ( for so they should get no profit nor prey ) but to torment them with the sure expecting of a purgatory fire , out of which there is no release , but by the suffrages , and soule masses , and so like beniamin , they rauen as a wolfe ▪ and as the name of the prophets sonne was , they become speedie robbers , and swift to the prey , neuer resting cruelly to sting ; and like iobs miserable comforters ▪ to propine to the dying soule in the greatest agony ▪ and thirst for cooling comfort , such a bitter potion as christ got on the crosse ▪ while the lions teeth by some bootie be baited . the zeale then which we all owe to gods glorie , and loue which we owe to our fellow members , ( as yet perhaps vncome out of babell ) hath moued me at this time to take some paines in this argument to partie the seducers , and pitie the seduced , and by the sword of the spirit , and lampe of the word to conuince the one , and conduct the other into the path of truth , if they may be cured . which paines , ●ight honourable , with no lesse affectionate heart , then an officious hand , i offer to your view , and dedicate to your name , beseeching god that in all honour it may flourish , your soule by grace , and your estate with prosperitie ; and that those singular gifts wherewith your god hath indued you , may still receiue a happy growth , for your better acquitall in that eminent station , wherein his wise dispensation hath set you , that his name may bee glorified , his church comforted , your countrey benefited , your posteritie blessed , and your owne selfe eternally may bee saued in that great day . your honours in all humble and heartie duetie , w. gvild . to the reader . covrteovs reader , considering the grossenesse of this vnwarrantable , cruell , and couetous conceit of purgatorie : so that many who in other poynts rests yet in babell , yet in this confesses the vanitie of this prop of bethauen . and perceiuing notwithstanding , how peremptorie the aduersary is , not onely against all opposers to this their fatning kitchin , by their thundring sentence ; but also against all those who giues not full assent vnto it , by their condemnatory decree , adiudging all such to hells fire for euer . so that bellarmine spares not ( as vsurping gods chaire ) determinatly to afflirme , that it is such an article of faith , adeo vt qui non credit purgatorium esse , ad illud nunquam sit peruenturus , sed in gehenna sempiterno incendio sit cruciandus . i thought my paines should not bee bestowed , nor my penne imployed amisse , if according to my penury , i should contribute somewhat heerein to the lords treasurie , that they who stand in the olde way of trueth , may bee strengthened , and these who are any one footstep come out of babell , may be helped forward ; and if it were no more but as augustine sayes , that heretikes may vnderstand , that there are not onely one or two , but many in the campes of orthodox catholikes , who dare with open face meet them . as they then who coupled an oxe and an asse together , against that command of god to the iewes , and sowe their field with diuers seeds : or as the children of those of the captiuitie , spake partly in the iewish language , and partly in the language of ammon and ashdoa : euen so , how that false prophet , who hath borrowed likewise the semblance of the lambs hornes , calling him his vicar ( that vnder that he might the more craftily vent the speech of the dragons tongue , whose mouth hee is , and whose priuiledge he claimes * . ) how he ( i say ) hath vnequally yoked , monstrously mixed , vniustly coupled , and impiously matched , that matchlesse , free , full , and perfect satisfaction of christs , with humane satisfactions in an imaginary fire , which auarice hath hatched , ignorance fosters , and crueltie with fire and faggot maintaines : loe here , courteous and charitable reader , presented to thy view . as dauid then came against goliath , armed with the name of the lord , when that gyant stood betweene the two hostes , and was a terrour to the army of israel : so for consternation likewise of this monster , which they situate likewise betweene the place of the damned and glorified , to the terrour of simple soules , armed with that armour , which experimentally hath euer giuen victorie both in the head and members , ( and wherewith therefore we are bidden be girt continually ) euen with that sling and sword of the spirit , doe we chiefly meane to come against this grand errour of poperie , the very diana of rome , that by the very presence of the arke of god set vp , that idoll dagon may fall to the ground . next , that goliahs head after his ouerthrow , may bee cut off with his owne sword : arguments god willing of their owne great warriour bellarmines , ( though adduced by him for another purpose , whether taken from fathers or reason ) shall bee clearely drawne foorth , as sauls sword , or hamans halter , to kill and strangle themselues . and last , their proofes for purgatorie , especially such as they vpbraid vs with , out of wrested and wronged scripture , wee shall faithfully , god willing , relate , as they are set downe in their foresaid champion , ( whom cheefely i oppugne ) and punctually shall answere : so that they shall bee seene to bee like short stubble , that was gathered vpon necessitie by those vnder pharaohs bondage , who otherwise could not get long straw to themselues . and to instance the same here in one particular : what will they not bring to proone purgatorie ? when bellarmine brings for it , hebr. . . and sayes , that that place is a notable proofe of purgatory ; which speakes of a fearefull looking for of iudgement , and fiery indignation , which shall deuoure the aduersaries ; and wherein the cleare words , and consent of all antiquitie doth shew , that gods aduersaries are spoken of , and not his friends , who shall bee deuoured , and not purged , and whom fearefull damnation , and consuming wrath abides ; which is not the lot nor expectation of the godly , neither heere nor hence : but theirs of whom the apostle speakes clearly of ; to wit , who treads the sonne of god vnder foot , and hath counted the blood of the couenant an vnholy thing , and done despite to the spirit of grace . so that such cleare places speaking of the wicked , and of hell , he will impudently bring to speake of the godly , and of purgatory . accept then ( courteous reader ) with a charitable hand , what with a humble one i present , and proue not a censorious waspe , but a hony-gathering bee ; and that god and common sauiour of ours , who gaue approbation to the widowes mite , and will not suffer vnrequited a cup of cold water giuen in his name , giue thee a like minde , and blesse the perusall of this , and of all other helps to thy edification . thine in the lord , w. gvild . of pvrgatory . the romish assertion . the papistes describe their purgatorie to bee a prison next to hell , where the soules of the faithfull that are defiled with veniall sinnes , and haue not satisfied heere the diuine . iustice fully for mortall sinnes , are purged by a temporarie fire , as hote as that in hell , and very long ; witnesse bellarmines expresse words , saying ; constat plurimas annas in purgatorio , 〈…〉 iudicij , id est , per multas annorum centiuias esse cruciandas . yea , non videtur negandum ( saith hee ) posse aliquos nos fidei penitentiae agendae per spatium aliquot millium annorum . our assertion . wee denie any such purgatorie , affirming that christ is our onely and perfect purger by his blood. and that the word ( purging ) is metaphorically taken from the washing of corporall vncleannesse , to signifie the cleansing of the soule from sinne , which is called the vncleannesse thereof . zech. . . so that , as an vncleane spot is said to bee purged when it is taken away ; euen so are sinnes when they are remitted . iohn . . iohn . . . also , because christ calleth our sinnes metaphorically ( debts ; ) therefore such also is the word ( satisfaction , ) god the father being the creditor , wee the debtors , and christ the cautioner ; who hauing fully satisfied our debt for vs , hath thereby freely freed vs at his fathers hands from it ; and therefore is called our payment and ransome . tim. . . math. . . in these foure poynts then consisteth all our difference . . wee say , that christ ( by himselfe ) hath fully satisfied for vs. heb. . . they ioyne mans owne satisfaction for himselfe in purgatorie also . . wee say , that it is christ ( onely ) that purgeth vs by his blood , ioh. . . they ioyne a fire that doth so also . . wee say , that his blood purgeth vs from ( all our sinnes ) ioh. . . they say , from mortall onely . . wee say , that hee perfectly purgeth vs ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) heb. . . they say , that hee purgeth the guilt only , and taketh away the eternall punishment ; but as for the temporall , we must satisfie for it our selues . arguments against purgatorie , and to prooue our assertion . . out of the old testament . ezek. . . if the wicked returne , i will not remember all his iniquities : that is , i shall forget them all ; as not to hold guiltlesse , is to hold guiltie . hence we argue : that which god forgets , as if it had neuer been ; for that hee punisheth no wayes by any satisfactory punishment , which is cleare , king. . . where punishment is made onely the sequell of remembrance . but hee forgets all the sinnes of the conuerted sinner , ezek . . ergo , for them he punisheth him no wise by any satisfactory punishment . and whereas bellarmine by not ( to remember ) would meane , not to punish eternally onely : wee answere him with his owne rule ; non nostrum est restringere , quod deus amplum esse voluit : it is not lawfull to man to make a restriction of that by a circumstance of time , which is so comfortably promised , and freely by god. isai. . . the righteous is taken away from the euill to come ; hee shall enter into peace . whence wee reason : if the righteous be taken away from a lesse euill on earth in mercie , that they may neither see nor feele the common calamitie , then they are not particularly themselues put to suffer a greater in purgatory ; and there to enter , not into peace , but torment , to satisfie iustice. but they are taken away from a lesse euill , that they see it not , in mercy . ergo , much more from the feeling of a greater themselues , in iustice. ecclesiastes . . then shall dust returne to the earth , but the spirit to god that gaue it . hence wee argue : the soule that returnes or ascends to god that gaue it , after bodily departure , descends not to the fire of purgatorie except they would make to goe to , and goe from go● and satan , ( whom they say torments the soule in purgatorie ) heauen and hell to be all one . but the soules of the godly returne to god that gaue them , and are receiued by him ; as act. . . ergo , they goe not to the fire of purgatory . psal. . , . blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiuen , whose sinne is couered , and to whom the lord imputeth not iniquitie . hence we reason : he whose sinne is forgiuen , the same is couered ( saith dauid ; ) and what is couered , is not seene ; and what is not seene , is not imputed ; and what is not imputed , cannot by any satisfactory punishment bee punished . therefore saith lombard ( as bellarmine grants ) deum tunc tegere peccata , quando ad poenam non reseruat . and to take away the evasion of meaning onely the eternall punishment , therefore ( saith chrysostome ) where there is grace , there is forgiuenes ; and where there is forgiuenes , there is no punishment at all . and augustine on this psalme saith , si texit peccata , noluit aduertere ; si noluit aduertere , noluit punire ; noluit ne vel agnoscere , maluit ignoscere . now to subsume . but so it is , that the sinnes of the godly are forgiuen , couered , vnseene , and not imputed , as saith the psalmist . ergo , they are not by any satisfactorie worke or suffering punished . punishment being euer the worke of iustice , and making the partie punished , wretched ; and pardon being euer the worke of mercy , and making the partie pardoned , blessed : and so being incompatible . psal. . . purge mee , and i shall be whiter then snow . whence we argue : if to purge away sinne , and to remit , be all one , as is euident , iohn . . and that none can remit sinne but god onely , mark. . . therefore it followeth , that god onely purgeth sinne ; and consequently no other thing can doe so . and againe ; if where god purgeth , there remaine not the least spot , but the party purged is perfectly made cleane , yea whiter then the snow : then veniall sinnes , and temporall punishments remaine not to be purged by any other purgatory . but where god purgeth , there abides not the least spot , but the party purged is perfectly made cleane , as saith the psalmist , as likewise isa. . . ergo , veniall sinnes , and temporall punishments remaine not to be purged by any other purgatory . and for this cause saith tertullian , exempto reatu , remittitur & poena . isa. . , . he hath borne our griefes , the chastisment of our peace was vpon him , and by his stripes we are healed . hence we reason : if christ bare our sinnes no otherwise then by bearing the punishment due for them , and bare the punishment to discharge vs of the same , ( nam si tulit , abstulit ; ) then the same , nor no part thereof as satisfactory to gods iustice , remaines to be borne by vs for our sinnes . but christ bare our sins , but by bearing the punishment due for them , and that to discharge vs of the same ; and therefore saith augustine , suscipiendo poenam & non culpam , & culpam deleuit & poenam . ergo , the same , nor no part thereof remaines to be borne by vs , as a satisfactory punishment . leuit. . . . . . chap. expiations & sacrifices were ordained for all sorts of sinnes , trespasses , and vncleannes , euen to the touching of the dead . but neither was there any sacrifices or seruice appointed for any that were vncleane in purgatory , ( and such sacrifices also that were for sin , were for the guilt thereof . ) neither amongst all the points and priuiledges of the high priests office , find we that hee had power by indulgence to deliuer any soule from purgatory . ergo , it followes , that no such place nor punishment after this life was . ecclesiasticus . . which our aduersaries hold as canonicall , and which we only vrge to shew , notwithstanding how clearely their purgatory contradicts the same . the words are , the soules of the righteous are in the hands of god , there shall no torment touch them : and if no torment , therefore not that of purgatorie . arguments against purgatorie , and to prooue our assertion out of the new testament . iohn . . the blood of christ purges vs from all our sinnes . whence we argue : if christs blood purgeth vs from all our sinnes , and that these only are the spots which make our soules vncleane , as the scripture shewes vs. it followes then , that if christs blood purges vs from them all , that therefore no veniall sinnes , nor vncleannesse whatsoeuer remaine to bee purged : so that there is no other purgatory at all . nam purgatorium est semper alicuius rei purgandae purgatorium . to this same sense agreeth that of the apostle , heb. . that if the blood of beasts sanctified to the purifying of the flesh , much more shall the blood of christ purge the conscience from dead workes . hebr. . when hee had by himselfe purged our sinnes , hee sate downe . whence we argue : if this belongs to christs office to purge our sinnes by himselfe , and that this priestly office of christs is incommunicable , ( as heb. . . is euident ) seeing as the apostle saith elsewhere , in himselfe all fulnesse dwels , and he hath trod the winepresse alone . then it followes , that none other can by themselues expiate any sort of sinnes , nor as bellarmine blasphemously avowes , that any can be their own redeemer in part . but the first is true , as is prov'd by the apostle . therefore the second is likewise infallible . to the same purpose is that not●ble speech of the apostle , saying , he hath giuen himselfe to bee a ransome for vs ; and therefore , not that we should bee a ransome for our selues in any degree . heb. . . by one offering he hath perfected for euer them that are sanctified : that is , as heb. . . he hath perfectly saued them . whence we reason : if christ hath perfectly saued his elect , then he hath saued them as well from the guilt of veniall , as mortall sinnes ; and as well from the temporall , as the eternall punishment ; and so left no supplement to be made to his satisfaction , by their suffering in purgatory . but he hath perfectly saued them , as the apostle prooues . ergo , he hath left no sinne , nor no punishment vntaken away ; and so no supplement to be made to his satisfaction , by their owne sufferings in purgatory . to this same purpose is it that the apostle saith , that it pleased the father , that in him all fulnesse should dwell , for reconciling all thing in heauen and earth vnto himselfe : and of his fulnesse doe we all receiue ( saith iohn . ) and by him ( and not by our selues ) euen by the blood of his crosse ( and not by our sufferings ) are all things reconciled , saith the apostle . wherefore there is no other name whereby we may be saued , ( saith s peter ) but by the name of iesus ; whether in part or whole , from veniall or mortall sinnes , temporall or eternall punishment . for according to bellarmines preceding rule , non nostrum est restringere quod deus amplum esse voluit . rom. . . saluation is a free gift : therefore we pay not for it , neither by our selues , nor other creatures , in part nor whole , here nor hence : therefore notably saith the apostle , by grace yee are saued , by faith , and not of your selues , it is the gift of god , then not by workes , least any man should boast : and so to conclude by the like reason , then neither also by sufferings ( as rom. . . ) least any man should boast ; and consequently , not by purgatory . rom. . . who shall lay any thing to the charge of the godly , that are justified ( saith the apostle ) or who shall condemne , seeing christ hath dyed for them . whence we argue : if nothing can bee laid to the godlies charge , that are reconciled or iustified , and that there is no condemnation to them that are in christ ( as verse . ) because christs death hath taken away all , then there remaines not any guilt of whatsoeuer sinne , or condemnation to any temporall fire after this life , differing only from hells fire , not in acrimony of paine , but only in length of indurance . but the hypothesis is true , and proued by the apostle . ergo , so is also the sequel that followeth thereon . to the same purpose is it said , rom. . . being iustified , we haue peace with god. whence we infer : if the godly who depart , being iustified , haue peace with god through christ , then they are not by god adiudged to a fiery torment with the damned , differing onely in indurance : for these two are contraries to bee agreed and at peace , and yet be cast in such a painfull prison , as math. . . is most euident . but the godly who depart being iustified , haue peace with god through christ , as is said . ergo , they are not cast in such a fiery prison , to satisfie for themselues . reuel . . . blessed are they who dye in the lord , for they rest from hence from their labours , and their workes follow them . hence we reason : if all these who die not onely for the lord , as well as in him ( as martyrs ) but they also who only die in the lord , ( as all the godly doe who liue in him ) if they inioy present blessednesse after death , consisting of rest and remuneration , then presently after death they are not sent to restlesse torment , and a long time delayed of their happinesse and reward , euen till the last day , ( as bellarmine would haue the sense of the word amodo . but all those who die in the lord , are pronounced presently blessed , and straightway they rest and are rewarded . ergo , they are not delaied of their blessed estate , nor sent to any restlesse torment in purgatory . to the same purpose is that which is said , timothie . . i haue finished my course ( saith paul ) and from hencefoorth is layde vp for mee a crowne , which the lord shall giue mee in that day , and not onely for mee , but to all that loue the comming of christ. . corinth . . . if our earthly habitation bee destroyed , wee haue an eternall in the heauens . in which place wee must first consider the meaning of this eternall habitation in the heauens , euen by our aduersaries exposition , that our argument may be the stronger . bellarmine saith , that thereby the fathers either meane the immortall body , which we shall haue at the last day ; or else eternall life , and the present vision of god after death : and of these he saith , sine dubio verior est haec posterior expositio ; and he giues his reason , because the apostle speaks in the present time after the bodies dissolution , saying , habemus , wee haue , which if he had spoken of the immortall body after the resurrection , and not of eternall life presently after death , hee could not haue said habe●●● sed habebimus . therefore he saith , apostoli ergo argumentio est optima , nimirum ista si vita haec mortalis perit habemus statim aliam longe meliorem in coelo : ergo bonum est cito mori in hoc mundo , vt cito vinamus in coelo . whence with bellarmine we conclude , if after the dissolution of the godly , they in the very present thereafter haue statim , or incontinently , and possesse eternall life in the heauens ; then after their dissolution , they are not a long time delayed thereof and sent to torment in purgatory . but by our aduersaries exposition and concession , after dissolution the godly presently haue , and instantly possesse eternall life in the heauens . ergo , they are not delayed thereof , nor sent to the torment of purgatory . to the same purpose is that speech of the apostle , i desire to bee dissolued , ioyning , and to bee with christ. coloss. . . for it pleased the father by him to reconcile all things to himselfe , whether they bee on earth , or in heauen . whence we argue : if the apostle speaking of the church , expressely comprehends the same in these two only , to wit , that part which is on earth , and that which is in heauen , or militant and triumphant , in via , & in patria : then he knew no third part , such as the romanists put in their diuision , and make to bee in torment , and labouring in purgatory . but the apostle comprehends the whole church in these two parts onely ; to wit , that which is on earth , and that which is in heauen . ergo , he knew no such tripartition , as the triple crowned pope , and the papists make ; and consequently , that there is no such place , nor any part of the church therein . as also , to backe this argument with our aduersaries testimony of the ancient churches beleefe . bellarmine relates , while it was vpbraided to the ancient catholikes by the donatists , that they made two churches , one consisting of good and euill on earth , and another of good onely in the heauens . the catholikes answered , that they made not two churches , but distinguished the two times onely of the church . whence we inferre : if the ancient catholikes had then beleeued purgatory , and made any such tripartition , as the new romane catholikes doe , then the donatists had vpbraided them not onely with making two churches , but with making three : and the orthodox catholikes had answered them , that they made not three churches , but distinguished the three times of the church . but this they did not . ergo , the ancient catholikes beleeued no such thing . galatians . . . hee that soweth to the spirit , shall reape of the spirit life eternall . so iob . . tim. . . reuel . . . out of all which places thus we reason : if in scripture there bee a twofold time onely of sowing on earth , and reaping in heauen ; of working in this life , and reward in the next ; of fighting here , and triumph hereafter ; of finishing our course at death , and thenceforth getting the crowne of life ; and of labouring now , and immediately resting after our departure : then surely there is no mid time nor place for the godly to feare or expect . but there is a twofold time onely as is said , and as scripture proues . ergo , there is no mid time of torment , nor mid place of purgatory . the truth of which argument most clearely doth that parable math. . . illustrate ; where straightway at the end of the day , the labourers receiue their hyre . now purgatory can bee no part of the labour ; for that is in the vineyard : nor no part of the day ; for in the last houre thereof some are called , and hyred , ( such as none are in purgatory ) nor no part of the hyre , which is desired in the amplest measure , and giuen of bountie for well doing : and so purgatory is not of all . also iohn . . the night comes ( saith christ ) when no man can worke . whence we argue : if none can worke , or doe that after this life , which is required of them in it , for attaining to their saluation ; then none can satisfie for their sins in purgatory . but the supposition is true . therefore the sequell . corinth . . , . for our light affliction for a moment , worketh for vs a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory , while wee looke not at things seene but vnseene : for the things seene are temporall , but the things that are not seene are eternall . hence we reason : if temporall sufferings go not beyond the limits of this life to the godly , and that these things that are temporall and seene , are included within the bounds thereof ; that which is thereafter and vnseene , being euer called eternall , whether the same be ioy or paine ; then surely it will follow , that the godly after this life indure no temporall paines in purgatory , the same being vnseene , and going beyond the limits of this life . but the hypothesis is true , and therefore the sequell . now , because on the distinction of poena & culpa , ( as the maine pillar whereon dagons house stood ) purgatory relies ; let vs pull this down , that all this fiery fabricke may fall into ashes . marke . . as wee are commanded to forgiue others , so will god himselfe forgiue vs in like manner . but we are commanded to forgiue others from our heart fully , without retaining the least grudge , or meanest purpose of the smallest reuenge , as math. . . is euident . ergo , according to christs promise , so will god himselfe forgiue vs in like manner , else it should follow , which is blasphemously absurd , that god would haue man more good and mercifull then himselfe , and by his example should teach men , ( that are too prone to vice of themselues ) hollow-hearted , and fraudulent reconciliations . col. . . god hath freely forgiuen all our trespasses . whence we reason : that which god hath freely pardoned , for that which he can no wise punish : seeing to pardon and to punish one and the same thing , are alwaies incōpatible ; neither is any man iustly punished , but for his fault ; which by free pardon being taken away as the cause , any satisfactory punishment must cease as the effect ; except they would make god double vniust , both in punishing wher no fault is , as also by taking twise paiment for one debt ; from christ and from vs. but so it is , that god hath freely pardoned all our trespasses whatsoeuer ▪ ( whether they call them veniall or mortall ; ) and as he is soueraignly mercifull , so is he likewise iust . ergo , for these hee can no wise satisfactorily punish . math. . . our sinnes there are called debts , which we desire to be remitted . whence out of this and the former place we argue : if our sinnes be our debts , and that all our sinns are freely remitted ; therfore all our debts are freely discharged , & consequently all their paiment , or satisfaction of them ; & it were altogether against very sense to affirme the contrary , that the whole debt should be discharged , but not the whole payment , and contrary to math. . . where debt , payment , and punishment are all quit together . but our sinnes are our debts , and they are all freely remitted . ergo , all the payment of them , or satisfaction whatsoeuer . as this errour fights with that petition of the lords prayer , math. . as also with that article of our faith , col. . . whereby we beleeue not our owne satisfaction for our sinnes , but gods free remission of our sinnes : so is it against that part of the decalogue , where god shewes , that he will shew mercy vpon the thousand generation of them that loue him : and therefore much more will he not scantle his mercy to themselues , in remitting the guilt of their sinnes , but retaining their temporall punishment . iohn . . all satisfaction for sinne to the iustice of god , must be voluntary , if it be acceptable to him , as all other things whatsoeuer we doe to 〈◊〉 in his seruice ; which if it be otherwise , he ac●●pts it not . but the satisfaction that is in purgatory to the iustice of god , is not voluntary : ( for none but would chuse rather to go straightway to heauen ; ) as also ineuitably they going there , god satisfies rather himselfe by punishing them , then they satisfie god by suffering . therefore the paines of purgatory are either no satisfaction at all to god of ours , or else no wayes acceptable to him . besides that , all satisfaction is meritorious ( else the creditor were not bound to giue a discharge vpon satisfaction to the debtor . ) but the soules merits not in purgatory , as bellarmine proues , lib ▪ . de purg. c. . ergo , they satisfie not there . galat. . . and psal. . . the fruites of the spirit are ioy and peac● , which specially kiths in the godlies death ; and their courage there in is , that although they walke thorow the valley of death , they feare no ill ▪ that doctrine then that takes away these happy fruits , and that comfortable courage , and on the contrary fills the soule with such panicke terrours , and torments the conscience with the apprehension of so long lying , ( euen hundreds of yeares ) in so fell a fire ; where to auoyd a farre gentler fire here but one houres burning , a man would giue all that hee had , that doctrine ( i say ) is to bee abhorred , and damnable : and not without cause these locusts that are the broachers thereof , are said to haue stings to torment , and lyons teeth to deuoure their prey . but so it is that the doctrine of purgatory doth all the former . ergo , the same is to be abhorred and damnable . in scripture wee haue sundry examples of soules after receiued into heauen , but neuer one sent vnto purgatory ▪ as lazarus carried straightwayes by angels into abrahams bosome , where he was comforted ; and consequently abraham also himselfe before christs death behooued to be in the same place of comfort . and this example bellarmine himselfe against the greeke church affirmes peremptorily to be 〈◊〉 parable , but a true storie . so to the conuerted thiefe , that same night paradise is promised , which before bellarmine proue ( as hee alledgeth ) to haue been extraordinary : he must prooue the going of soules to purgatory first to bee ordinary . as also vpon one extraordinary . example , no common article of faith could bee grounded , as bellarmine doth on this , saying , de fide est mox a morte impios descendere ad aeterna supplicia , vt patet , luc. . de diuite , & iustos ad aeterna gaudia , vt patet lucae . de latrone , hodie eris mecum in paradiso . so simeon desired to depart in peace , and paul to bee dissolued , which neither the one had desired , if his departure had been to enter him in so fierce a fire , nor the other , if his dissolution had not been straightway to ioyne him to christ. neither doth hee say , that at the finishing of his course , or ending of his fight , a crowne onely is laid vp for him , which should bee giuen him in that day ( to wit , of his departure , as verse . ) but likewise , that in the very like manner it abode all them that loue the lord iesus . now to close vp our arguments out of their owne distinction of culpa & poena , thus wee reason : if purgatory purge away ought , either it purgeth the fault or the punishment . but it purges not away the fault or guilt of mortall sinnes , ( by the papists owne confession ) nor the eternall punishment of them , both being before remitted . neither purgeth it away the temporall punishment ; because out of the definition of purging , which is taking away , ( as iohn . . is euident ) the same is not taken away , but on the contrary is inflicted , non aufertur enim , sed infertur . therefore of mortall sinnes it purgeth nothing ; and so in that respect it cannot bee called purgatorie . and as for veniall sinnes , which bellarmine saith , quoad culpam & poenam intrant purgatorium , we prooue thus , that it purges them not away . no transient actions can enter into purgatorie , to bee burnt vp , or purged away , which are bellarmines owne words , saying , ignis purgatory que verus & realis est non potest opera combur ●r● , quae sunt actiones transeuntes , & iam transierunt . but to subsume , veniall sinnes are transient actions , which none can deny . therefore they enter no wise into purgatorie , to bee burnt vp , or purged away ; and consequently , seeing neither mortall nor veniall sinnes , guilt nor punishment is purged away from the soule in purgatory , there is no such thing at all ▪ nam purgatorium ( as is said ) est semper alicuius rei purganda purgatorium . as also , that is not remitted ▪ which wholly is punished ( saith bellarmine , ) remissio enim sonat condonationem . but , the scripture and fathers expressely teach ( saith hee ) that light or veniall sinnes are remitted after this life . therefore ( say wee ) they are not totally punished , nor enter into purgatorie , quoad culpam & poenam , ( as hee said before ; ) nor are they punished at all , seeing their temporall punishment is their totall punishment . arguments against purgatory , and for our assertion out of bellarmin , and our aduersaries themselues . . their confession , and arguments of their owne doctors for vs. bellarmine saith , fatemur christum pro nobis , & pro toto mundo integre , imo plenissime deo patri satisfecisse . and againe , christ passions ( saith he ) omnem culpam originalem & actualem , lethalem & venialem , & omnem poenam tam sempiternam quam temporariam expiare valent , idque totum per se , etiam si nullae admiscerentur passiones sanctorum . whence it followes : that the satisfaction of men for them selues are superfluous at least , and that he who relyes only on christs satisfaction , relyes on that which for saluation is alwayes al-sufficient . that to exact that punishment of man , which christ hath already satisfied to his fathers iustice , is to make god vniust , by taking two payments for one debt , as also in not accepting christ satisfaction for as much as it is worth to the godly , being of value to free them , as well from purgatory ( which is the lesse ) as from hell ( which is the greater ) . to say , that christs satisfaction serues to make our satisfaction acceptable , is against common sense , as who would say that a cautioner had payed the debt , thereby to inable the principall debtor being vnresponsall , to pay it ouer againe to the creditor : and much more absurd is it to say , that this second payment is a grace , as after a free and full pardon of all punishment whatsoeuer , it should bee a fauour done to a malefactor to bee cast so long in prison , and cruelly whipped . dignitas satisfactionis ( saith bellarmine ) mensuram accipit a dignitate persona satisfacientis , quemadmodum grauitas offensionis a dignitate personae laesae . now betweene finite man , who is the offendor , and the infinite god , who is offended , there is no equalitie of comparison or correspondence : therefore neither of the finite satisfaction of the one , to the infinite iustice of the other , for which cause it behooued him to bee of an infinite nature , who was our redeemer . againe , christs satisfaction is infinite ( saith durand and mair●●es : ) therefore it is altogether needlesse to ioyne to christs satisfaction ( say they ) any satisfaction of the sufferings of men , which without being so ioyned to christs , wants not their owne fruits , nor are in vaine ( being indured heere ) both in respect of the sufferers their owne reformation and conformitie with christ wrought , and the confirmation of the godly , and good example to others that redounds thereby . if by the sufferings of the godly sinnes may be expiate ( saye the same men cited by bellarmine ) then it would not be absurd for them to bee called redeemers of themselues in a part . but it is absurd for them to bee called redeemers of themselues , because christ is the sole and onely redeemer of mankind , of whom saith the apostle , who is made vnto vs righteousnesse and redemption , cor. . . therefore by the sufferings of the godly , sinnes cannot bee expiate ; neither veniall nor other in regard of punishment or otherwise . to this argument of their owne doctors , bellarmine no wise answeres , but blasphemously affirming , that it is no absurditie to say , that wee are our owne redeemers in a part , seeing the councell of trent hath decreed no lesse . sess. . cap. . can. . . scriptures adduced by bellarmine , to proue , that the saints presently inioy the vision of god , making directly for vs against purgatory . ecclus. . . it is an easie thing to the lord in the very day of death ( without longer delay ) to reward a man according to his wayes ; and consequently to giue glory to the godly : et illud facile est domino , non significat ( saith bellarmine ) posset si vellet , sed reddit deus & facile reddit vnicuique secundum opera sua in die obitus , aloquisi posset , & non redderet frustra nos hoc argumento hortaretur sapiens . also , he brings that saying of paul , cor. . . where the apostle saith in the very instant and present time after the laying downe of our earthly bodies in death , wee haue an eternall habitation in the heauens ; and so the soule remaines no time without a house : but as soone as it goes out of the earthly , it presently enters into the heauenly : and therefore bellarmine sayes , apostoli argumentatio optima est , nimirum ista , si vita haec mortalis perit , habemus statim aliam longe meliorem in coelo , speaking so of all the godly indifferently . to the same purpose is that which he adduceth out of the . verse , where the apostle setteth downe , that this is the estate of the godly soule departing , without acknowledging any mid place or condition , that when it is absent from the body by corporall death , it is straightway present with the lord in life euerlasting . bellarmine likewise in his first booke of the beatitude of the saints , to shew the conformitie that is betweene christ and his members in their estate immediately after death , brings in , that as he was not after death immediately blessed in his bodie ( which rested three dayes in the graue till his resurrection , ) but that in his soule notwithstanding he was immediately blessed , and in paradise , ( according to his owne speech to the thiefe on the crosse , this day thou shalt bee with mee in paradise . ) therefore likewise , the saints ( to be conformed with christ , saith he ) while they rest in their graues according to their bodies , yet according to their soules they are happy and blessed in paradise . which conformitie then wee see will clearely euince , that there is no going to purgatorie ; but that as christs soule immediately after death went vnto paradise , and was blessed there ; so doth the soules of the godly that are christs members goe thither immediately after death , and are blessed likewise , ( else if immediatly they went any where else , in place of a conformitie there should bee a disconformitie : ) and as his bodie abode in the graue till his resurrection , notwithstanding of the present beatification of his soule after death : so that their bodies shall in like manner abide in the graue till their resurrection , notwithstanding of the present beatification of their soules likewise after death . . fathers adduced by bellarmine himselfe , to proue that the saints presently inioye the vision of god , and making expressely for vs against the dotage of purgatorie . and first dyonisius areopagita . dyonisius areopagita saith thus , the saints in their death knowe surely that , that wholly they shall attaine rest , and a full conformitie with christ , when they come to the end of this present life ; in cleerely beholding the way to immortalitie hard at hand , they praise the lords bountie , and with a heauenly mirth reioyce : speaking so of all the godly in common . whereupon belarmine doth will vs to remarke this : nota ( saith he ) dicere dyonisium animas sanctorum statim a morte hominis consequi immortalitatem : which they could not doe , nor so exceedingly reioyce in death , if ● vicino , or hard at hand , they saw the tormenting fire of purgatorie , rather then a glorious rest to abide them . iustin martyr saith thus : but after the departure of the soule from the body , statim , or instantly , there is made a distinction betweene the good and the euill : for they are carried to the places , that they are worthy of , the soules of the godly by the angels being carried to paradise , where the company and sight of the angels , and archangels is , as also the sight of christ our sauiour , according to these words , while we are absent from the body , we are present with the lord , but the soules of the wicked are carried into hell. cyprian saith ( excluding no godly soule ) o what dignity and security is it in a moment to close thy eies , whereby men in the world are seene : and to open them instantly , that god and christ may be seene . oh what great happinesse is it to bee suddenly pulled from the earth that thou mayest presently be placed in heauen . augustine saith thus , ( speaking of all the godly ) o happy soule who , how soone it is loosed from the body ▪ being set at liberty , presently goeth to heauen and is secure and at rest . and againe he saith , surely the good that are faithfull since that time that they are redeemed by that price , which christ by his blood-shedde powred forth , doe no wise know any infernall place after death . prosper saith thus , because according to the speech of scripture , the whole life of man is a temptation vpon earth , then is the temptation ended , when the fight is ended ; and then is the fight ended , when to the same secure victory succeeds , at the very end of this life : that so all the souldiers of christ , who euen to the end of this their present life , by diuine aide haue valiantly resisted their enemies : hauing ended their painefull pilgrimage , may presently thenceforth raigne happy in their natiue countrey . anselmus thus speaketh , the preachers of the church , after that they haue departed out of the body ; they are no wise delayed of the present possession of their heauenly countrey : but instantly as they depart from the flesh , whereunto the soule was formerly tyed , so soone are they made to rest in the heauenly seate . . reasons adduced by bellarmine , to proue the saints present fruition of ioy , and making directly for vs , against purgatorie . god ( saith he ) is no readier , or more inclinde to punish , then he is to reward : wherefore it followes , that if the wicked be presently cast in torment , as we see the example of the rich glutton teaches vs , that by a like equitie that the godly instantly after death , likewise receiue their owne reward . as basilius notes ( saith he ) before christs comming , the death of the godly was lamented , but since that time , the same is celebrated with mirth , and why so ? but because to die then it was a misery ▪ but now death is the beginning of happinesse , which surely it could not be ( say we ) if the soule went to a tormenting fire in purgatorie , but a greater miserie , then when the soule went before ( as they say ) to a painelesse limbo . leuit. . . thou shalt not retaine the wages of the hireling beside thee all night till the morning therefore lest god should seeme lesse iust or pitifull at the very end of the day of his life , much more wil he giue glory to the godly , according to that parable , mat. . and consequently ( say we ) he will not delay them of that reward , not only one night , but many hundreds of yeares ( as the papists hold ) tormenting their soules in purgatorie . bellarmines arguments for purgatory answered . . out of the old testament . maccab. . . it was a holy and good thought ( saith the authour ) to pray for the dead , that they might bee absolued from their sinnes . whence it followeth ( saith bellarmine ) that the dead after this life may be absolued , and may haue sinnes to satisfie for ; whereof before their death they were not absolued . and this is done in purgatorie . . our generall reply to all such arguments brought out of apocripha is , that no disputation can bee , but out of principles mutually by both parties receiued : such as these bookes are not by vs as canonicall . and therefore it is , that wee argue not with a iew out of the new testament . . our reason of reiecting them as not canonicall , is ( beside the consent of the primitiue church with vs , confessed by bellarmine , and testified by ierome ) the proofe which wee haue out of canonicall scripture , and out of themselues : for all scripture , saith paul , is by immediate and by diuine inspiration : but these books , as the authour confesseth , are not so , but a mediate abridgement of another mans bookes done with great paines , which the papists themselues hold not as canonicall ; and therefore so neither can their compend be . . the sinne of these men was mortall , ( as is euident deut. . . ) the eternall punishment and guilt whereof comes not to bee satisfied for in purgatorie , ( as the papists affirme : ) and as for the temporall , they had suffered for that already , ( as v. . is cleare ) being slaine for their sinne : euen as bellarmine saith , that the thiefes violent death on the crosse , was iustly his full temporall satisfaction ; and so these men had nothing to suffer or satisfie in purgatory . neither , saith the text , that it was to deliuer them from any temporall punishment that then they were in ; but hauing a regard to the resurrection , to absolue them from the sinne it selfe , which they had committed , that as bellarmine himselfe saith , it might not bee imputed vnto them in that day of the resurrection of all flesh . to all the subsequent places adduced out of the old testament , bellarmines owne confession sufficeth as an answere , quod solum probabiliter suade●● , but doe no wise necessarily inforce , as by a short touch of them we shall here shew . as for that of tobit . . . powre out thy bread vpon the buriall of the iust ▪ beside that the booke is not canonicall , it imports no wayes purgatory , seeing the primitiue christians , ( as witnesseth augustine ) on the dayes of the remembrance of the martyrs , had their loue-feasts , and distributions vpon the buriall places of the martyrs ; and yet this they did not to deliuer them out of purgatory , seeing they grant that the martyrs goe not thither . as for dauids mourning , and the men of iabesh gilead , for saul and ionathan , &c. it was not to deliuer saul out of purgatory , who dyed desperately , but as the text shewes , that israel for their sinnes was fallen before their enemies ▪ as ioshua for the like cause mourned . iosh. . . as for psal. . . by correction in gods wrath purgatory cannot bee meant , because the papists grant , that the partie is reconciled before hee goe thither : as also , in ira corripi , ( saith bellarmine ) secundum augustinum est , 〈◊〉 pun●r● post hanc vitam , ad correctionem tamen & emendationem , which cannot be●-in-purgatory neither . for the same bellarmine confesseth , saying , nemo negare potest poenam purgatorij non spectare ad fructum noua vitae . as for psalm . . . the two preceding verses shewe , that by fire is meant the triall of the godly ; and by water is meant affliction , when the psalmist saith , wee went thorow fire and water . and fire here is before water : but so is not purgatory ( which they meane by fire ) before baptisme , ( which they meane by water . ) as for isai. . which place ( saith bellarmine ) augustine expounds of purgatory , augustine in the place cited by him , saith , that the meaning of isai. is that same with that of malac. . . which bellarmine lib. . de purg. c. . expresly expounds to be tribulationes hujus vitae . besides that , the purging spoken of by the prophet , is said to bee by washing as well as burning , and in the middest of ierusalem ; but not vnder the earth . as for isai. . . the text speakes of deuouring , but not of purging ; and that wickednesse burnes as fire ; but not that fire burneth wickednesse . nor is it vnremarkeable that this fire of theirs is by themselues called heere iniquitie ; for so it is in deed , a maine poynt of the mysterie thereof . as for micha . . . gods indignation cannot be said to bee borne in purgatory , because ( as is confessed by the papists themselues ) the party being reconciled before he goe there , is freed therefrom . as for zechar. . . math. . . sheweth , that by that pit , is meant our spirituall captiuitie : and as augustine expounds it , humanae miseria sicca est profunditas . neither is our deliuery therefrom by our owne suffering ; but it is said to bee by the blood of the couenant . nor yet follow●s from the priuation of water , the position of fire . bellarmines arguments for purgatory answered . out of the new testament . math. . . there is a sinne which shall not bee forgiuen neither in this world , nor in that to come . ergo , this implies , that some sinnes are forgiuen in the world to come , which is in purgatory . this text speakes onely of remission of sinnes , which cannot be meant of purgatory , where there is no remission of sinnes , but punition for sinnes . neither doth the world to come signifie in scripture ▪ purgatory , or any temporall estate of man , but onely the last day , and his eternall estate : as marke . ▪ . is cleare ; where it is said , that hee that forsakes ought heere for christs sake , he shall receiue an hundred fold in this time , and life eternall in the world to come ▪ next ▪ the euangelists marke ▪ and luke as posterio● , in one cleare , word she 〈◊〉 , that 〈◊〉 that disjunctiue speed of 〈…〉 no forgiuenesse at all is meant ; or that that sinne shall neuer be forgiuen ▪ besides that , it is against the rules of right ●e●soning , ( as bellarmine is forced to grant that of a negatiue , an affirmation should follow , chiefly the one being particular , and the other generall . cor. . . if any mans worke burne he shall suffer losse , but himselfe shall be saued ; yet so as by fire . . bellarmine grants this place to be allegoricall , difficill , and variously expounded both by popes and fathers , ( from whom notwithstanding he professes himselfe to dissent ) and consequently the same is not argumentatiue . . in the exposition of all the proceeding parts of the text bellarmine consents with vs , till he come to the last words , ( but himselfe shall bee saued , yet as by fire ) yeelding that the fire which proueth the worke is not meant of purgatory ; but metaphorically to be taken : but the fire whereby the person of the worker shall be saued , is properly to be taken ( saith he ) and is that of purgatorie . but first , bellarmines owne explication of the similitude , in the beginning of the fift chapter , testifies that in all the tenure of that whole metaphoricall speach , it is but one fire that is meant , & no more sortes . and this is so vsuall in scripture , that ( except in sacramentall formes of speech ) one and the same word , in one currant of a metaphoricall speech is neuer diuersly taken : and therefore that instance of bellarmines , cor. . . is impertinent ; both the whole tenure of speech , ( as is said , ) not being metaphoricall , and it being knowne euidently , that ( according to the hebrew phrase ) how oft christ is called sinne , ( as he is there ) is vnderstood , that he was a sacrifice for sinne : besides that , the direct opposition cleareth that the word ( sinne ) in both places of that speech , cannot be of one signification . next , it is absurd , the whole discourse being metaphoricall ( as bellarmine grants ) to take the word ( fire ) to be only proper . but it is most absurd to take it only metaphorically there , when no note of similitude is perfixed thereto ( as in the second place : ) and to take it properly only there , where expreslie in the contrary , the spirit of god doth put vpon it a speciall note of similitude ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) to preuent any such fallacie , ( as he doth in the last place ) . neither is that instance of bellarmines vnto this valid to the contrary ; where out of iohn . . he would proue that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is not euer a note of militude , which wee grant : but that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is not euer a note of similitude , hee shall neuer proue . cor. . . what shall they doe then that are baptized for the dead , if the dead rise not ? where , by baptizing is meant afflicting ( saith bellarmine ) which none needed to doe for the dead , by mourning and fasting &c. if they were not in purgatorie . . this is a most difficile place ( as bellarmine grants ) and variously expounded by the auncients , ( all whose expositions hee reiect : ) and therefore no ground of faith can bee proued thereby . . admitting that to be baptized is to be afflicted , yet this is not actiuely to afflict themselues , but passiuely ( as the word beares ) to bee afflicted by others : and although it were actually to afflict themselues by mourning and fasting for the dead ; yet this will not import that therefore they are in purgatorie : for the faithfull mourned for stephen , who being a martyr , is not thought ( by the papists owne confession ) that therefore he was in purgatory . to be baptized then for the dead ( or rather for dead ) is o to be afflicted for the beleife and profession of christs resurrection , and the hope of the godlies resurrection through him ( whereof the apostle speakes ) ; so as both in others account , and their owne resolution likewise , they were esteemed as dead men through the fiercenesse of persecution , then in ieopardie euery houre , as the apostle saith , and dying daily . or else the apostles scope being to proue the resurrection , he imployeth baptisme to this his purpose , which then was by plunging the whole body in water , in token that the baptized were to die , and be buried to sin : and out of which , their comming vp againe did represent , both the dutie to rise to holinesse here , and the hope of a ioyfull resurrection hereafter . which mortification of sinne , and being baptized for dead thereto , by denying carnall pleasures to liue in them , were needlesse for any man to practise , but to liue like an epicure , if there were not a resurrection to a better life hereafter . so that , whether wee consider our promise at baptisme , to die to sinne , or the representation that is in it of dead men thereto , or the efficacie thereof flowing from christs death to mortifie sin in vs , or the hazard of christians then amongst their enemies , for the profession of christian baptisme , as the apostle shewes , the sense is euer sound , vnrested , and orthodoxe . mat. . . he shall baptize you with the holy-ghost ( to wit , heere , saith bellarmine ) and with fire , that is in purgatorie hereafter . . if by fire purgatorie were meant , then it would follow that all whom christ baptizeth with the holy-ghost here , should goe to purgatorie hereafter : which bellarmine himselfe denies . next , christ is only said to be the baptizer with fire here ; but by diuers reuelations ( saith bellarmine ) it hath beene showne , that soules in purgatorie are baptized or afflicted with deuills . but what truly is meant by fire , chrysostome on this place declares , saying , comemoratione ignis adiuncta rursus ipsius vehemens gratia et incoprehensibile signauit donum . mat. . . verily thou shalt not come out thence , till thou paye the vttermost farthing . purgatorie then is this prison , wherein men must satisfie for their veniall sinnes . . this place is only properly to be taken , as theophylact , chrysostome , tolet vpon luke , and your owne ferus on this place witnesse . christ therein perswading vnto brotherly reconciliation , if it were but for eschewing of temporall incommodities . . giuing that it were allegoricall ; yet augustine who expounds it so , makes the prison to be hell ( as bellarmine grants ) the payment eternall punishment : & , donec , to signifie no certaine time , but neuer ; as psal. . . cor. . . is euident . againe , vnreconciled persons with their aduersary , are cast into this prison ; but the godly are reconciled with god before they depart hence ( say the papists themselues ) therefore it cannot be they , that goe to this prison . and last of all , by paying the vtmost farthing , is meant ( as our vsuall phrase of speech witnesseth ) the full summe without the least want : and so it is not to be vnderstood exclusiue of the greatest part , but inclusiue of the least portion , and whereby man so , should be made perfectly to be his owne sauiour . matthew . . out of this place ( saith bellarmine ) augustine gathers , that there are three sortes of sinnes , and three sorts of punishments after this life : lighter sinnes hauing lighter punishment , which saith bellarmine is the temporall , that soules sustaine in purgatorie , compared here to the councell . . that there are diuers degrees of sinne , and diuers degrees of punishment after this life , wee willingly graunt with augustine : but that the godly sustaine any such in purgatorie , this place will neuer proue . neither from alligories can be drawne any such enforcing arguments ; or from words denotating only courts of iudiciall decrees heere , to proue places of execution or punishment hereafter ; euen as who would proue golgotha , by gabbatha . next , if it be rightly concluded by bellarmine , that punishments after this life , are here spoken of decreted in foro poli , because gehenna is mentioned : then by a like reason it will follow , that punishments inflicted only in this life are by the other ( whereby he meanes purgatory ) spoken of decreed in foro soli , because such iudicatories are only in this life ▪ and so that gehenna is the only punishment that is after the same . and last , if bellarmines exposition and argument out of this place were good , it would follow that wrath & euill speeches were but veniall sinnes , ( for such are said only to deserue the counsell ) which he expounded to be purgatorie , and yet the apostles iames and iohn , shewe that such deserue eternall death : and so both of them are belied by the cardinall . luk ▪ . ▪ make you friends of the mammon of of iniquitie ▪ that when yee faile they may receiue you into euerlasting habitations , and this is by their prayers ( saith bellarmine ) deliuering them out of purgatory . this place is most cleare against them , shewing that at the charitable christians departure , their soules are straight way received into heauen without going to any purgatory : and therefore ther is one word of the deliuerance out of the but one only of the receiuing into the other . so likewise , as little makes that prayer of the thiefe for them , luk. . . disiring of christ an entrie into his heauenly kingdome , but no egresse out of a hellish purgatorie . act. . . whom god raised hauing loosed the dolours of hell ▪ that is , deliuered soules out of purgatory . . the words are the dolours of death , and not of hell , by which , what is meant , is cleare out of psalm . . . . calling the dolours of death , the snares of death : and by the dolours of the graue , meaning the same ▪ and by both , vnderstanding so the captiuating of death , and the detayning power of the graue ; wherein our sauiour by his buriall , as deaths prisoner was inclosed ; and both which powers by his resurrection hee overcame : as by his triumph hose . . is euident : and as bellarmine grants , lib. . de christo. cap. . and that with chrysostome and oecumenius is meant thereby , either that by christ resurrection god loosed the dolours of death , that was pained in holding him so long in the graue ; or else that by his resurrection he destroyed death and all the stinging dolours thereof which accompanied the same . and so he makes him do that by the raysing vp of his body there , which by the discense of his soule he would haue him to doe here . next , if by such words purgatory were meant , then it would follow that christ should haue suffered in purgatory ; seing ( as is euident ) peter speakes of the dolours which his humane nature suffered , and his diuine loosed . and therefore it was himselfe that was loosed from them , ( as sampson from his cords at first ) because it was impossible that he ( saith the apostle and not others in purgatorie ) should be holden by them . and to vse retortion of this place against themselues , if they meane purgatory by these dolours , as bellarmine doth , the same is quite vndone ; because christ is said not to haue loosed any soules out of these dolours , but the dolours themselues : whereof it will follow , either that there is no purgatorie left at all , or else such a one as is quite dolourlesse and without paine . philip . . at the name of iesus , euery knee shall bow , of things in heauen , on earth , and vnder the earth : which last sort , seeing it is not the deuils , nor the damned that giue voluntary obedience , it must be the soules in purgatory . . bellarmine himselfe answeres for vs , and shewes that this speech borrowed from isai. is expounded by the apostle , rom. . . of christ comming to iudge all men , before whom all the wicked , sore against their wils , shal compeare , and yeeld subiection , whereof the bowing of the knee among men is a signe . neither by bowing of the knee could be meant a voluntary subiection ▪ for this reason , because then it would follow , that all the wicked , euen in this life , gaue voluntary subiection to christ ; because it is said , that euery knee on earth shall bow . as for pet. . . bellarmine prooues limbus patrum thereby ▪ therefore it cannot be adduced likewise to prooue purgatory : neither doth the word prison in scripture signifie but only the hell of the damned , when it speaks of the imprisoning of spirits . and therefore it is the wicked and disobedient that are said to bee there ; ( and so neither the fathers not the godly whom christ is not said to haue deliuered the 〈◊〉 ; but to whom he is said to haue preached by that spirit , whereby hee was quickened , which was not therefore his soule , but by his diuine spirit in the dayes of noah , while they had time then to repent by the meanes of preaching , and not after this life when there is no conuersion . and for which exposition we haue not onely the clearnesse of the text , but augustine also plainly with vs , and after him beda , as 〈◊〉 grants . iohn . . and luke . . the soule of lazarus ▪ maries brother returned ; and so did the soules of iairus daughter , and the widowes sonne , whom christ raised . now this was not from hell , they being godly ; nor from heauen , for so iniurie should haue been done to them : therefore saith bellarmine , mortui quos exitarunt christus , & apostoli creduntur fuisse in purgatorio . besides that , the secret things belong onely to god , and the things reuealed onely to vs , there could bee no iniury heere done to the creature , whose priuate good must euer giue place to the manifestation of gods glorie , whereto it was created . but more peremptorily let bellarmine in that same chapter answere this saying ; se igitur aliqui sancti redierunt ad corpus , non fuerunt beati , sed deus praevidens eorum excitationem distulit eorum beatificationem , & interim detinuit eos in optimo aliquo loco ; such as is no wayes a tormenting purgatory . yea , to shew how desperate their cause is , and how impudent themselues are , in wresting most cleare parts of scripture to prooue this fiery furnace of theirs : let vs see that place , ex quo ( saith bellarmine ) insigne habetur argumentum pro pugatorio . hebr. . . for whom remaines ( saith the apostle ) a certaine fearefull looking for of iudgement , and fiery indignation , which shall deuoure the aduersaries : speaking there no wayes of the godly that are friends , as bellarmine would haue it , that for their sinnes after baptisme , must bee temporally punished in a purging fire : but of the lords aduersaries ; as the cleare text sheweth , which the fiery indignation of god shall vtterly deuoure ; and of the fearefull iudgement , and finall damnation of those , who by wilfull apostasie from the knowne truth ( as vers . ▪ . is euident ) doe tread the sonne of god vnder foot , and count the blood of the couenant an vnholy thing , and doth despise the spirit of grace ; which none of the godly euer either did , or doth . next to such places of scripture , bellarmine brings in examples of scripture , whereby hee intends to prooue , that the guilt of sinne being remitted , the temporall punishment remaines to be satisfied for ; and wherin because many are remisse in this life ; therefore a purgatorie is appoynted hereafter . the first examples are of dauid and miriam , both pardoned , and yet temporally punished : but hee should prooue that these punishments were payments and satisfactions to gods iustice , and redemptions of themselues , ( as bellarmine calles them ) where in the contrary , the scripture clearely affirmes , that god by such corrections dealeth not as a iudge with malefactors , to satisfie iustice , but as a father with his sonnes , to manifest his mercy ; doing it not for any payment to himselfe , but for profit to them , and not to free them from any purgatory hereafter , but to make them pertakers of his holinesse here . neither auailes it bellarmine , that the cause of dauids correction is set downe to bee his sinne begun ▪ for wee confesse , that the sinnes of the godly are the efficient causes of these corrections that god layes vpon them . but all our controuersie is of the finall cause , which wee say is for example to others his children , and their owne amendment that are chastised , and which they say is , for satisfaction to his iustice , and redemption of the sufferer himselfe . the next instance that hee brings , is of death , which is the temporall punishment of sinne , and is inflicted vpon the godly , not to preuent sinne , but for satisfaction to gods iustice. whereto wee answere ; that to no purpose doth hee instance the common calamities of all men , or death of all in generall , seeing our controuersie heere , is onely of satisfactory punishment proper to the godly in particular : which bellarmine himselfe confesseth the former not to be , and so most clearly answeres for vs , saying , that indulgences take not away poenas naturales , & communes , sed illam quae infligitur in foro poenitentiario , haec enim est per quam domino satisfacimus , & cui succedit nisi domino satisfiat in praesenti purgatorii poena . so that these other naturall and common calamities are the fruites of sinne , but not satisfactions for sinne . againe , bellarmine more plainely as yet answeres for vs , saying , mortis debitum non erat solum vt moreremur , sed vt in morte perpetuò maneremus . and this debt by his satisfaction , christ hath so freed vs thereof , that death altering its nature to the godly , is now but a safe passage to life ; of a curse , made a full cure , and blessing , ending our fight , leading vs to our crowne , bringing vs to our countrey , to the sight of god , company of angels , societie of saints , and coniunction with christ : and therefore so expected with ioy , and desired with longing , which no punishment could bee . besides , that hereby he contradicts himselfe , saying , that in baptisme the whole guilt and the whole punishment of sinne is remitted : and yet sodainely after baptisme many infants die . to say therefore that the death of these is a satisfactory punishment ▪ when nothing is to bee satisfied for vnremitted fully , is an absurd contradiction . his third instance , is of violent death inflicted on some as a satisfactorie and temporall punishment after the remission of the sinne ; as exod. . of those that were killed for worshiping the golden calfe . numb . . of those that murmured against the lord. king. . of the prophet slaine by the lyon : and cor. . the death of those that vnworthily communicate . we answer , that these first that were slaine , were manifest idolaters , of whose repentance or remission we reade not : but of the iust deserued temporall punishment here , and what such merite hereafter , cor. . . next , the others that murmured , are called by the apostle hard-hearted , misbeleeuing , wicked , and disobedient : and who ( as cleerely appeares heb. . . . ) were also excluded out of the heauenly rest ; that which god remitted , being according to moses desire only their full deletion , as god had threatned , and their posterities . to the other two examples we answer , that all that they proue , we grant ; to wit , that disobedience and sinne , is the efficient cause of temporall punishments : but such punishments of the godly , are not payments to god , and redemptions of themselues . so our difference is of the finall cause , which is either for example to others to be aware , or amendment of themselues : or as augustine saith , cited by bellarmine , vel ad demonstrationem debitae miseriae , vel emendationem labilis vitae , vel ad exercitationem necessariae patientiae . neither read we of the prophets repentance , nor remission , nor of the reconcilement of these vnworthy receiuers , against whom that are such , the apostle threatneth the receiuing of their damnation . last of all , when enforced by truth , bellarmine is made to confesse , meritū christi sufficere ad omnē culpam et poenam tollendam , he comes to this shift , that it must be applyed by purgatory : and all be it that in baptisme it take away all ; yet hee saith blasphemously , quod deus tantum semel utitur ea liberalitate , et postea contrahit nonnihil manum , and will haue vs to satisfie for our selues : and that for the temporall punishment , quod vna tantum si actualis satisfactio , et ea sit nostra . whereunto wee answer , that wee grant , that christs merit is not auailable to any without application ; but the meanes are set downe expresly in the word : to wit , faith by the word and sacraments : and by which meanes , whensoeuer it is applyed , it looseth none of its full vertue : nor as they blasphemously affirme , doth the lord but once only vse such liberalitie , to accept it for as much as it is worth towards the godly : ( like the pope , who neuer but once at his coronation , scatters his copper money amongst the people ) but faith applies it euer , and he accepts it euer , according to the full vertue and value thereof : as being sufficient to free the godly as well from the temporall satisfactorie punishment , which is the lesse ; as from the eternall , which is the more . besides , likewise that the meanes of applying a thing should be actiue , and not a passion or torment , so neither should these meanes be contrary to the benefit which we enioy by them ; as who to see should cloose his eie lids , applying gods mercie by the execution of his iustice , pardon by punishment , discharge of debt by payment ; and applying the grace of christ , by a meanes derogating from his grace , which is altogether impious and absurd . as for his testimonies of councels and fathers , that he brings in for prayer for the dead , out of which hee would inferre purgatory , they neuer proue his point . . because this did proceede of an errour that sundry of the fathers did hold , and the whole greeke church as yet , ( whom bellarmine refutes ) that the soules of the godly remained till the resurrection in certaine hid receptacles , without seeing god. . their owne canon of the masse prayes for the soules of the faithfull which doe sleepe in the slumber of peace , for so are the words ▪ memento domin● animarum famulorum famularumque tuarum quae nos pracesserunt in signe fidei et dormiunt in somno pacis . and yet these soules so long since departed , cannot be said now to be in the fire of purgatory ; for none could sleepe peaceable or found in so easelesse a bed : except they make labouring and rest , sleepe and waking , peace and torment , to bee all one . . cyprian testifies , that they offered for the apostles and martyrs , whom yet they thought not to be in purgatorie : and in the ancient missalls , bellarmine grants , that on the day of pope leo the . canonized saint , the church said , annuè quaesumus domine , vt animae b. leonis haec prosit oblatio , and yet this prayer for his soule imported not ( by their owne confession ) that it was in purgatory . . likewise they prayed for the dead for declaration of their loue to them , and not doubting that the soules notwithstanding were in blisse already , and in that ioy which they prayed for vnto them : as augustines words for his mother monica , plainely manifests : et credo domine quod feceris , quod te rogo , sed voluntaria oris mei approba domine . and whereas the same augustine would seem more plainely to make for purgatorie : in other places againe , he either calles it in doubt if any such thing be , as bellarmine grants , and saith , posse dubitari , et periculosissimum esse definire ; or else expresly he sayes , that except hell and heauen , he knoweth no third place . . last of all , themselues say masse for children dying soone after baptisme , who haue not committed any actuall sinne , and to whom the whole punishment of originall is remitted , and so consequently , can not be in purgatory . an annexe to this treatise of purgatorie , concerning the distinction of sinne into mortall and veniall , which is the maine pillar of this pyrotechnie , and being pulled downe , makes the whole fabricke to fall . if we consider aright what sinne is of its own nature , as saint iohn describes it ; to wit , that all sinne whatsoeuer is a transgression of the law : or if we consider , what is the proper wages of sinne , of whatsoeuer sort it bee , as saint paul cleares it , to wit , death : or if we consider what is onely able to expiate , and doth purge vs from all sinne , ( name it as they will , ) to wit ▪ christs blood and death onely : then surely any such distinction of sinne into mortall and veniall by nature , will quite evanish , and sinne of it owne nature will bee acknowledged to bee mortall solely ; and to say peccatum , and yet veniale simply , and not mortale properly , will be 〈◊〉 to bee vertuall contradiction ; and we know that there is no composition of meerely opposites , nor construction of mutuall destructiues . yea , out of their owne mouth to condemne them , how is sinne vniuer●ally distinguished by themselues into veniall and mortall , if the veniall bee not sinne , and that properly : and if it bee sinne , ( or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) then of necessitie it must bee as is said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as saith saint iohn ; and the wages thereof ; as the lawe threatneth , is gods curse ; or as saint paul pronounceth , doome is death . so that euery sinne is as a viper : and there is no viper , if wee respect the meere nature of the best of them , but shee killeth whom shee biteth ▪ yet if one shall light on the hand of paul , shee is shaken off into the fire without any harming ▪ but not the lesse is shee to bee feared , and accounted deadly of her owne nature , although the apostle be safe . wherefore the distinction of sinne into ●ortall and veniall , ariseth 〈…〉 sed personis . from whence it followes , that all sinnes are damnable in all men , but not to all men ; all deserving , but not all receiuing damnation : for to the reprobate no sinne is finally veniall , and to the elect no sinne is finally mortall . notwithstanding that there is one sinne , which is simply , and vniuersally mortall , because it is not only punishable , but euer punished with eternall death , and is that sinne against the holy ghost ; but is no wayes incident to the elect . therefore i call sinne mortall two wayes . first , by explication and generally ; and to say a mortall sinne , is to shew the nature of all sinne . secondly , by way of distinction and specially ; and so to say a mortall sinne , is to designe that sinne against the holy ghost in particular : and which sinne impenitencie doth follow necessitate ineuitabili , as an inseparable consequent , where in all other sinnes it is rather contingent : for as no sinne can bee forgiuen without repentance ; so this sinne excludes possibilitie of repentance : and therefore is irremissible , and is called mortall in an eminent degree , and neuer becomes veniall ; not because god in his absolute power cannot forgiue it , but because in his iust will hee hath decreed neuer to forgiue it , the partie so sinning being euer obdured by his owne vniust action , and gods iust desertion . and this is that which is spoken , mathew . . and which christs beloued disciple vnderstands , saying , there is a sinne to death , and a sinne not vnto death : distinguishing so , not betweene some sinnes mortall in nature , and some sinnes veniall by nature : but betweene one sinne simply mortall in nature , and in necessary effect vnto all ; and all other sinnes simply mortall in nature also , but not in necessary effect vnto all : and therefore possibly and by repentance veniall through grace vnto the elect . whereas the same sinnes are iustly through want of repentance retained , and be comes finally mortall to the obdured reprobate . neither is it to any purpose which bellarmine alledgeth out of iames . . that because concupiscence brings foorth sinne ; and sinne consummate brings foorth death ▪ therefore that concupiscence it selfe should not bring foorth death , or be a mortall sinne , but veniall . where in the contrary it is rather to bee reasoned , that concupiscence being the euill tree budding , or poysoned spring flowing , it is the cause of all that which proceeds therefrom ; to wit , both sinne consummate , and death inflicted ; as from the seed both stalke and each eare comes . and in the very regenerate , where no consent is thereto , as it is called sinne properly , and a rebellion against the law of god , rom. . , . so the fruit and merit thereof is affirmed to be death , vers . ▪ and rom. . . and consequently it is of nature mortall . neither is it forbidden in the law with that restriction of giuing consent thereto ; but simply it is said , thou shalt not couet : and therefore to lust or couet , although it proceed no further , ( as christ himselfe expounds that precept ) is a breach of the lawe , and consequently merits death , and the curse ▪ neither may we ( according to bellarmines owne rule ) restraine that which god hath set downe more amply . and as for that out of a corinth . ● . where veniall sinne is desweined ( saith bellarmine ) ex leuitate materiae , wee may iustly say , it is leuis probatio : and whereas through wanting more solid stuffe , for proouing their distinction , they haue their recourse then to stubble ; they may fitly bee compared to that thralled people in the egyptian bondage , who wanting long straw , were forced to gather short stubble to themselues , to make vp their ●aske , which they could not accomplish : and for building such stuffe , not vpon the foundation , but rather thereby euerting the foundation , they may feare a fearefull and consuming fire at last . but heereunto wee will onely giue them but their owne answeres , and fully pay them with their owne coyne . bellarmine then testifies , that because by the builders in that place , is vnderstood doctors : therefore by the worke must bee vnderstood doctrine ; and consequently by hay and stubble , ( saith hee ) is vnderstood curious and vnprofitable doctrine . next he saith , that by the fire that burneth this combustible and light stuffe , purgatory ( wherein veniall sinnes enter ) cannot bee meant , because it purgeth not the worke , but altogether consumes the worke . this likewise is but metaphorically then so called fire : but that of purgatory is reall ; et ignis purgatoriae qui ver●● & realis est , ( saith bellarmine ) non potest opera comburero , quae sunt actiones transeuntes , & jam transierunt . and whereas the ancients seeme to poynt at this distinction , making mention of mortall sins any iudicious reader will finde , that thereby they vnderstand peccata vastantia conscientiam , or such great and gross● sinnes , as vsually exclude penitentiall grace from the presumptuous actour , by which onely our sinnes become veniall . likewise seeing euery sinne ( name it as yee will , if yee graunt it once to bee sinne , ) is mediately at least committed against an infinite obiect , who consequently requireth iustly an infinite punishment : it followeth necessarily that the same is mortall , although it were but as idle word ; which bellarmine saith , were a foolish thing in man to breake friendship for such light offences , and can not bee vnderstood in god how it can deserue eternall punishment , although in the contrary christ hath said ▪ that euen of such account shall bee giuen at the day of iudgement ; at which time onely eternall punishment shall bee inflicted , and not a temporall , such as they allot to veniall sinnes . wherefore it was requisite , that as our sauiour should haue our nature , that in it sinne might hee punished iustly : so this nature was to subsist in an infinite person , that by it sinne might bee conquered fully . but when 〈…〉 himselfe is to bee punished by god , according to the merit of his vnpardoned offence , the lord not hauing meanes to satisfie his iustice on an infinite person , to make proportion betweene his iustice , and mans sinne some way , hee chuseth an infinite time ▪ because the person punished , is no wayes match with the partie offended : therefore this punishment is truly called passion , but not satisfaction ▪ whereas the infinitenesse of christs nature in person , made his passion to bee a sufficient satisfaction . from whence it followes that nothing can bee done by man , either actiuely or passiuely in this life , nor after the same ; that can be reputed a condigne satisfaction to god for any one sinne whatsoeuer committed by vs ; the guilt and whole punishment whereof is perfectly abrogated by christ : the first being imputed to him , and the second inflicted vpon him : that so all who are engraft in him , may be freed from both ; the merit of his blood , and fire of his spirit , and not any other purgatorie effectuating that to vs. not , that by this ouerthrow of that distinction of sinne into mortall and veniall , ( which at last among the papists becomes also venall ) that we denie an inequalitie to be in sinnes , and so consequently in their due punishments . for first , wee hold sinnes to bee vnequall in respect of the obiect against , which we sinne ; and so a sin against god is a greater sin , then a sin against man ; and a sinne against the first table , is greater then a sinne against the second table ; being compared in equall and paralell acts . otherwise if we compare a sinne in the least part of a commandement in the first table , with a sinne in the greatest part of a commandement in the second table , the latter is more hainous then the first . likewise , as a sinne against god is greater then a sinne against man , for the essentiall diuersitie of the obiect ; so the sinne against one man may bee greater then a sinne against another , for the accidentall diuersitie of the obiect ; as in eminencie of place against a king , or propinquitie of blood , & bond of nature against a parent : for although all men naturally considered are alike and the same , yet ciuilly and politickly they are not . secondly , in respect of the matter wherein wee sinne , there is an inequalitie : so murder is a greater sinne then theft , because life is more precious then goods . likewise if we compare sins in the same matter , one may be greater then another , according to the extent or quantitatiue measure : as to kill three , is a greater offence then to kill one ; and to steale . pounds , is a greater theft then . thirdly , in respect of the manner how we offend , there is an inequalitie of sinning , and so a sinne of malice is greater then a sinne of infirmitie : so is that of knowledge , greater then that of ignorance . as likewise sinnes that consist only in immanent action or thought of the minde , are lesse then these that come to transient action being accomplished by the body ; euery further addition making the sinne more intense in degree . and as sins are vnequall ; so are their punishments ; god in his distributiue iustice , allotting seuerall portions of paine to the seuerall proportions of sinne . the priuatiue punishment , or poena damni , in time & degree is alike to all ; depart from me &c. the posi●iue or poe●a sensus , is partly from an inward cause , which is the gnawing worme of conscience , whose life is perpetuated in death ; or from an outward cause , which is such exquisite meanes whereby at last the whole man is afflicted , decreed by god in his wisedome , executed by his power , to demonstrate his iustice , and is ordinarily called the fire of hell. and as the outward paine of fire primarily inflicted on the body , doth worke effectually to afflict the soule ; so doth the inward paine of the worme which is in the soule , worke effectually to afflict the body : that as they were brethren in euill , and participated in sinne , so they may bee coupled likewise , and pertake in torment . and as the soule hath one estate in her selfe at death independant vpon the body by her seperation from it , and another in the body vpon her revniting with it at the resurrection : so in the first she suffereth outward paine immediately , and in the second by the body mediately . in all which , the punishment of all is equall in time , because in respect of duration , there is neither more nor lesse in that which is eternall , but the punishment is vnequall in degree , gods iustice hauing a relatiue respect to mans sinne . and so although we denie that any sinnes are veniall by nature , yet we affirme some to be lesse then others , and in a lesse measure punished : and so the vniust slander of our aduersaries , affirming that we make all sinnes , and consequently all punishments equall , may easily hence appeare . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e reuel . . . mant. de colam temp . aeneas syluius ad . pereg . ep. . cor. . notes for div a -e bell. l. . de purg. c. . aug. li. de trin . c. . & cont . mend. c. . * math. . . ephes. . bell. l. . de purg. c. . notes for div a -e bell. lib. . de purg. c. . et lib . c. . . & . bell. lib. . de indul. c. . ibidem . bell. lib. . de purg. c. . bell. lib . de pan. c. . bell. lib. . de purg. c. . lomb. l. . sent. dist . . chrys. in . ad rom. hom. . aug. ser. . de verbis domini . col. . . bell. lib. . de indul. c. . tim. . . col. . . iohn . . acts . . bell lib. . de poenit. c. . ephes. . . bell. l. . de purg. c. . bell. lib. . de sanct. c. . philip. . . tim. . . bell. lib. . de eccles. c. . iob . . exod. . . psal. . . bell. lib. . de sanct. c. . bell. l. . de purg. c. . bell. lib. . de purg. c. . ibidem . bell. lib. . de indul . cap. . ibidem . cap. . bell. lib. . de indul. c. . bell. lib. . de indul. c. . ibidem . bell. lib. . de sanct. c. . ibidem . ibidem . ibidem . bellar. lib. . de sanct. c. . bell. ibidem . iustin. quosi . bell. l ▪ . de . sanct. c. . cyprian de exhor . mart. cap. vlt. aug. med . c. . et l. . de ciuit . dei c. . prosp. l. . de . vita . contemp . c. . ansel. in . . ad . cor. bell. l. . de . sanct. c. . bell. ibidem . bell ibidem . bell. l. . de purg. c. . answere . tim. . . c. . . . . iosh. . bell. lib. . de purg. c. . bell. l. . de purg. c. . aug. confess . lib. . c. . & contra faust. l. . c. . sam. last . sam. . . bell. lib. . de indul . cap. . pet. . . & . . aug. l. . de ciuit. dei. c. aug. de ciuit. dei. l. . ● . . answere . ●o luk. . . ephes. . . marke . . luke . . answer . bell. l. . de . purg . c. . answer . rom. . . answer . bell. lib. . de purg . ca. . bell. lib. . de purg. c. . bell. lib. de purg . ca. . answer . bell. l. . de . purg. ca. . bell. lib. . de purg . ca. . answer . iam. . . ioh. . . answere . answere . answer . bell. l. . de . sanct. c. . isai. . . bell. l. . de christ. c. . reuel . . . iude . . aug. epist. . ad euodium . bell. lib. . de purg. c. ● . answer . deut. . . bell. lib. . de purg. c. . bell. lib. . de purg . ca. . sam. . numb . . hebr. . . gen. . . rom. . . rom. . . bell. lib. . de indul. c. . bell. lib. . de indul. c. . bellar. lib. . de poenit . c. . answer . heb. . . thes. . . tit. . . bell. lib. . de purg . ca. . ephes. . . rom. . . gal. . . cor. . . bell. l. . de . purg . c. . aug. l. . de ciuit . dei . c. . bell. lib. . de sanct. c. . lactan. l. . cap. . cyp. l. . epist. . et l. . epist. . bell. lib. . de purg. ca. . et ibid. ca. . aug. confess . l. . ca. . aug. l. de ciui . dei . cap. . bell. l. . de purg . cap. . aug. lib. . de ciuit . dei . cap. . . enchirid. c. . aug. c. . secundi serm. de consol . super mortuos . et . l. . hypognost bell. l. de purg . cap. . notes for div a -e iohn . . rom. . . galat. . . hebr. . . iohn . . galat. . . rom. . . actes . hebr. . . iohn . . bell. lib. . de purg . ca. . math. . bell. lib. . de poenit. c. . bell. l. . de purg . c. . bell. lib. . de purg. c. . the inequality of sinne , or degrees thereof . the inequalitie of punishment , or degrees thereof . the anatomie of a distressed soule wherein, the faults of the elect,are discerned from the sinnes of the wicked, spirituall defections cured, confused consciences resolued, all meanes of presumption and desperation remoued, the sicknesse, dulnesse, and deadnesse of the spirit releeued, crosses and temptations inward, and afflictions outward remedied, for the benefite of all that groane vnder the burthen of sinne, and feeling of gods anger, thirsting for the sense of reconciliation in the blood of the lambe. robertson, bartholomew, fl. . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc estc s this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the anatomie of a distressed soule wherein, the faults of the elect,are discerned from the sinnes of the wicked, spirituall defections cured, confused consciences resolued, all meanes of presumption and desperation remoued, the sicknesse, dulnesse, and deadnesse of the spirit releeued, crosses and temptations inward, and afflictions outward remedied, for the benefite of all that groane vnder the burthen of sinne, and feeling of gods anger, thirsting for the sense of reconciliation in the blood of the lambe. robertson, bartholomew, fl. . [ ], p. printed by nicholas okes, for daniel speed; and are to be sold at his shop vnder s. mildreds church in the poultry, london : . by bartholomew robertson. some pages marked and stained. reproduction of the original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published 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conversion the anatomie of a distressed soule : wherein , the faults of the elect , are discerned from the sinnes of the wicked , spirituall defections cured , confused consciences resolued , all meanes of presumption and desperation remoued , the sicknesse , dulnesse , and deadnesse of the spirit releeued , crosses and temptations inward , and afflictions outward remedied , for the benefite of all that groane vnder the burthen of sinne , and feeling of gods anger , thirsting for the sense of reconciliation in the blood of the lambe . rom . . . . i am perswaded , that neither death , nor life , nor angels , nor principalities , nor powers , nor things present , nor things to come . nor height , nor depth , nor any other creature , shall be able to seperate vs from the loue , &c. london , printed by nicholas okes , for daniel speed ; and are to be sold at his shop vnder s. mildreds church in the poultry . . to the right honourable , sir robert nanton , knight , one of his maiesties principall secretaries , and of his royall priuie councell , grace and peace in iesus christ. god leaues his own children oft to themselues , to driue them from the weake holde of their owne strength , to relie on himselfe ▪ yet doth he heale their backeslidings , and loues them freely , notwithstanding their reuolting and treacherous dealing against him . there is satan also sifting them , and fleshly lusts warring against their soules . they may fall in their faith , by doubtting of gods fauour , and assurance of their saluation , erre in som maine points of religion , yea dwell in that ignorance for a season , and maintain the same . they may fall also in their life , in some grosse sins , yea sleepe in them vntill they be roused vp , and then fall into them againe : and so commit rebellion against god , and yet remaine in the state of grace . for they are not senslesse , nor doe continue in their fals , hauing their conscience seared with a hot iron , without resistance , feare , or griefe ▪ nor becomes in the ende a very beast , as doth the hypocrite , who falls as the dromedary that cannot rise againe , but their corruption and temptation ouer-ruling them , doth mislead them , & cōming to themselues , condemnes thēselues for it , and cleares the lord , iustifies him in his iudgements , and magnifies the riches of his mercy , who neuer forsakes his children , but will with the tentation also make a way to escape , that they may be able to beare it . of the which both inward and outward temptations and afflictions , for keeping of the conscience tender , and sensible of the least sinne , & wilfull fechting againe the light therof : of the checkes , feares , distractions , anguishes , horrible terrours , and swoundings , with remedies to the same , according to the measure of the lords grace bestowed vpon mee . i haue written here ( i say ) which i most humbly dedicate , to bee sheltered vnder the protection of your worshippes fauour . and i beseech the god of our lord iesus christ , the father of glory , to establish your heart in his holy feare , rectifie your iudgement , sanctifie your conscience , and giue vnto you the spirit of wisedome , and reuelation , in the knowledge of him : the eyes of your vnderstanding beeing inlightened , that you may knowe what is the hope of his calling , and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saincts , and what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power to vs ward , who belieue according to the working of his mighty power ▪ to whose euerlasting blessing i leaue you : and rests , yours worships in all christian duties , barthol . robertson . to the christian reader . since it hath pleased god of his mercy to giue so good a passage vnto my former trauailes , i haue made bolde in confidence of thy fauour , to let this also see the light : i haue been moued thereunto by sundry of my friends , and truely i detest and abhorre idlenesse with all my heart , yet a brother who was in great confusion of conscience , to whom i resorted daily , looking if god would put his minde at greater libertie , from the thraldome & pangs of conscience , his case ( i say ) spurred mee to vndertake this taske : in the method i haue not beene curious , for the answere is paralelled to the interrogation so proportionably , as i could : to the which , i haue added prayers for euery day of the weeke , to season thy reading , which strike most vpon the the cord of thy conscience : and because the two extreamities , presumption , and despaire , doe most of all misleade men , i haue seasonably subioyned a short meditation of the infinit mercy and iustice of god , that to the perfecting of thy saluation , thou maiest sayle with an euen and plaine course , swaying neither to the left nor right hand , and i beseech god , the father of our lord iesus christ , to sanctifie these to thy vse , and thee to his glory . amen . thine , b. r. the anatomy of a distressed conscience : containing the discouery of spirituall assaults with the particular remedies thereof , in dialogue-wise betwixt the lord and the soule . lord. why art thou angry ; & thy countenance cast downe , if thou doest wel , shalt thou not be accepted , and if thou doest euill sin lyeth at the doore , and the iudge standeth before the dore . soule . i haue been like a horse or like a mule ( alas ) which vnderstandeth not , and am made like vnto beasts that perish . i haue wallowed in my owne vomit , in the vanity of my mind haue i euer walked , hauing my cogitations darkned , being a stranger from the life of god ▪ through the ignorance that is in me , because of the hardnesse of my heart : yet somtime i doe professe , i did knowe god , but by my workes i deny him , and am abnominable and disobedient , and vnto euery good worke a reprobate : i haue walked after my owne imaginations , and after the stubbornesse of my wicked heart , i haue despised the riches of thy bountifulnsse and patience and long suffering , not knowing that thy bountifulnesse leadeth mee to repentance , but after my hardnesse of heart that cannot repent , haue heaped vppe vnto my selfe wrath against the day of wrath , and of the declaration of the iust iudgement of god , thus haue i liued in pleasure on the earth and in wantonnes , and haue nourished my heart as in a day of slaughter , and what shall now become of mee . lord. thou hast cause poore soule to bemoane thy selfe , for the eyes of the wicked shall faile , and their refuge shall perish , and their hope shall be sorrowe of minde , his owne counsell shall cast him downe , his reioycing is but short and the ioy of an hypocrite is but a moment , for the wickeds light shall be taken away , they are snared in the worke of their owne hands , thus i will try the righteous , but the wicked and him that loueth iniquity , doth my soule hate , for i the righteous lord loue righteousnesse , and my countenance beholdeth the iust man , many sorrowes shall come to the wicked , but thou ( wretched soule ) call vnto mee and i will answere , and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not , i will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt goe , and i will guide thee with my eye . soule . can the blacke moore change his skin , or the leopard his spots , then may i also doe good that is accustomed to doe euill , i did say alas it was not yet time that the lords house should be builded in mee , but did put farre away the euill day , and approached to the seate of iniquity , as the smoake vanisheth so driuest thou sinners away , as waxe melteth before the fire so shall the wicked perish at the presence of god , how shold i then lift vp my horne on high , or speake with a stifnecke , for thou art iudge , and in thy hand is a cuppe and the wine is red , it is full of fury mixed , and thou pourest out of the same , surely all the wicked of the earth shall wring out and drinke the dregges thereof : thus the way of the wicked is as the darknesse , they knowe not wherein they shall fall , their owne iniquities shall take the wicked themselues , and they shall be holden with the cords of their owne sinne , woe be vnto the vngodly therefore , which haue forsaken the lawe of the most high , for though they increase yet shall they perish , if they be borne , they shall be borne to cursing , and if they die the curse shall be their portion ; so shall they goe from the curse to destruction , for the soule that sinneth it shal die the death . lord. i will not giue the soule of my turtle doue vnto the beast , what is thy sin written with a pen of iron and with the poynt of a diamond , and so grauen vpon the table of thy heart , wilt thou not giue thy minde to turne vnto mee thy god , is the spirit of fornication in the middle of thee , and wilt thou not knowe mee thy lord ? wilt thou not poore soule be made cleane ? when shall it once be ? i will answer thee with good words and comfortable wordes , arise my loue , my faire one and come thy way , for beholde the winter is past , the raine is ouer and gone , the flowers appear on the earth , the time of the singing of birds is com , and the noyse of the turtle is heard in our land ; arise my loue my faire one and come away , withdrawe not thy heart from mee , let me be thy hope in the day of aduersity , i create the fruite of thy lips to be peace as well to him that is farre off , as to him that is neere . as i liue i desire not the death of the wicked , but that the wicked turne from his way and liue , turne thee turne from thy euill waies , why wilt thou die ( silly soule ) i am patient towards thee , and would that all men should bee saued and none perish , but would all men should come to repentance , and to the knowledge of the truth , yea and more aboundantly to shew the stablenesse of my counsell , i haue thus bound my selfe by an oath , that by two immutable things , wherein it is impossible that i should lie , thou mightest haue a strong consolation ▪ who hast fled for refuge to lay holde vpon the hope set before ihee . soule . i am empty , & void , and waste , & the heart melteth , and the knees smite together , and sorrowe is in my loynes , and my face gathers blacknesse , for that which is crooked can none make straight , and that which is wanting cannot bee numbred , woe vnto me miserable soule , for i haue rewarded euill vnto my selfe . it is the vengeance of the lord , thou wilt take vengeance vpon mee , as i haue done , thou wilt doe vnto mee , thou art a consuming fire & a iealous god , can my heart endure , or can my hands be strong in the day that thou shalt haue ro doe with mee , thy tempest goeth forth in thy wrath , and a violent whirle-wind shall fall down vpon the head of rhe wicked , thy anger shall not reaurne vntill thou hast exeted and untill thou hast performed the thought of thy heart , in the latter dayes i will vnderstand it plainely , i am but as foame vpon the water , i haue plowed wickednesse and reaped iniquitie , and eaten the fruits of lies , i haue trusted in mine owne waies , in seruing sinne and liuing according to the flesh , and must die for i cannot please thee . lord. blessed is he whose wickednesse is forgiuen , and whose sinne is couered : blessed is the man vnto whom i impute no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile , if any man say he hath no sinne , he deceiueth himselfe and there is no truth in him , if thou acknowledge thy sinnes , i am iust and faithfull to forgiue thee thy sinnes , and cleanse thee from all vnrighteousnesse , if thou say thou hast no sinne , thou makest mee a lyer , thou maiest see adams fall and feele it in thee , noahs drunkennesse , lots incest , abrahams double deniall of his wife , rebecca her lie and deceit , iacobs lie , simeon and leuie's murder , rachels theft , the whole patriarches bloody deuise against their brother , moses slaughter , moses & aarons murmuring , dauids murther and adultery , salomons idolatry , and finally , mathew a publican , all the apostles ambitious , magdalen a notorious sinner , zacheus an oppressor & extortioner , the theefe on the crosse a notorious malefactor , peter a denier , thomas a doubter , paul a persecuter of christ. but to this purpose appeared the sonne of god , that he might loose the workes of the diuell : for surely there is none iust in the earth that doth good and sinneth not , for who can say , i haue made my heart cleare , i am cleane from my sinne , all like sheep haue gone astray , euery one hath turned to his owne way , yet i haue laide vpon my sonne the iniquity of you all : for the trangression of my people was hee plagued , though hee had done no wickednesse , neither was any deceit in his mouth , hee was counted with the trespassers , and he bare the sinne of many and prayed for the trangressors : there is none good but i , when thou hast done all is commanded thee , yet art thou an vnprofitable seruant , thou hast but done that which was thy duty to doe : now then there is no difference betwixt thee and others , for all haue sinned , and are depriued of the glorie of god : and are iustified freely by grace , thorough the redemption , that is , in christ iesus my son , whom i haue set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood , to declare his righteousnesse by the forgiuenesse of thy sins , that are passed through the patience of god ; hast thou laid vp these things in thy poore soule . soule . the heauen ( alas ) doth declare my wickednesse & the earth doth rise vppe against mee , great is thy goodnesse which thou hast laide vp for them that feare thee , and done to them that trust in thee ; but sinners are affraid , a feare doth come vpon hypocrites , who can dwell with the deuouring fire ? who shall dwell with euerlasting burningss ? wee conceiue chaffe , and bring forth stubble , our breath as fire shall deuoure vs , and we shall be as the burnings of lime , as thornes cut vp shall they bee burnt in the fire , for wickednesse shall not deliuer the possessor thereof ; thou armest thy creatures to be reuenged of thy enemies , and the world shall fight with thee against the vniust , which haue kindled a fire in thy wrath which shall burne for euer , thou art wise in heart o lord , & mighty in strength , who hath beene fierce against thee and prospered ? who shall stand in thy sight when thou art angry ? alas , my silthinesse shall bee discouered , and my shame shal bee seene . lord. i will goe and returne to my place till thou acknowledge thy offences , and seek my face in thy affliction , if thou wilt seeke mee earely , feare not , thou shalt not be ashamed , neither shalt thou be confounded , for thy maker is thy husband , the lord of hoasts is his name , and thy redeemer the holy one of israel : the god of the whole earth am i called , for i haue called thee being as a woman forsaken and grieued in spirit , and a wife of youth when thou wast refused , saith thy god , for a small moment haue i forsaken thee , but with great mercies will i gather thee : in a little wrath , i hid my face frō thee for a moment , but with euerlasting kindnesse will i haue mercy on thee , saith the lord , thy redeemer : for this is as the waters of noah vnto mee , for as i haue sworn that the waters of noah shall no more goe ouer the earth , so haue i sworne that i would not bee wroth with thee nor rebuke thee , for the mountaines shall depart and the hills be remooued , but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee , neither shall the couenant of my peace be remoued , saith the lord , that hath mercy vpon thee , this is the heritage of my seruants , and their righteousnesse is of me , saith the lord , nowe then encline thine eares and come vnto mee , heare & thy soule shall liue , and i will make an euerlasting couenant with thee , euen the sure mercies of dauid , behold i haue giuen him for a witnesse to the people , and for a leader and commander to them , therefore goe thou out with ioy , and be lead forth with peace , the mountaines and hills shall breake forth before thee in singing , and all the trees of the fielde shall clap their hands , it shall bee to mee for a name , and for an euerlasting signe that shall not be cut off . soule . i confesse thy saluation shall bee for euer , and thy righteounesse shall not bee abolished , though i saide in my haste , i am cast out of thy sight , yet thou heardest the noyse of my prayer whē i cryed vnto thee , and am fully assured that thou which hast promised , art also able to doe it . lord. thou doest well ( beloued soule ) to acknowledge thy sin , to deale with them as thou hast done , and as a iudge doth with malefactors , to apprehend , raigne , and condemne them , for he that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper , but hee that confesseth and forsaketh them shall haue mercy , for as thou hast declamed against thy sinnes , so haue the saints before thee , for they acknowledged their sinne vnto mee , neither did hide their iniquity : for they thought they would confesse against thēselues their sinnes vnto mee , and i forgaue the punishment of their sinnes , and so also my seruant said vnto mee , surely thou art iust in all that is come vpon vs , for thou hast dealt truely , but wee haue dealt wickedly . so did another protest against himselfe and his people , wee sinned and haue committed iniquity , & haue done wickedly , yea haue rebelled & haue departed from thy precepts and from thy iudgements : vncouer thou thy sinne and i will couer it , declare thou it and i will heare thee , in the worlde confession is confusion , but with mee it is farre otherwise , for if thou acknowledge thy sinnes , i am faithfull and iust to forgiue thee all thy finnes , and to cleanse thee from all vnrighteousnesse , and truly deare soule , it is of my grace begun in thee , that thou breakest out in confession of them , willingly opening them and stripping them naked before my maiesty , for he that is penitent before mee and my angels ( with whom there is greater ioy in heauen for one that repenteth , then for ninty and nine that need not repentance ) i will not sticke to confesse before the face of men : it is not of nature , for adam whilst i pushed his conscience , couered himselfe with figge leaues , i send a noyse and voyce , hee betooke him to the thicke wood , and last i vrged him with questions , yet hee shifted off his sinne to euah , and this confession that the sight of misery and feare of punishment haue taken out of thee , is a heauenly preparatiue to a greater measure of my grace to be wrought in thee . soule . if one man sinne against another , the iudge shall iudge it , but if a man sinne against thee o lord , who will pleade for him ? yea he must be swallowed vp with heauinesse : if wee say wee haue a couenant with death or with hell & are at agreement , though a scourge run ouer and passe through , it shall not come at vs ; for wee haue made falshoode our refuge , and vnder vanity are wee hid : o but how innumerable haue beene punished for their trespasses , euen here in this worlde : adam cast out of paradise , the world destroyed by water , sodome and gomorrah by fire , pharaoh by the sea , amaleck rooted out , thousand killed for the worship of the golden calfe , nadab and abihu burnt with fire , myriam stricken with leaprosie , for incredulity three hundred thousand beside young ones and seruants that came out of egypt ( except ioshuah and caleb ) fell in the wildernesse , corath & dathan swallowed quick into the earth , moses and aaron excluded the land for murmuring , the princes of the people hanged , achan stoned , the tribe of beniamim ouerthrowen for the leuites wife , eli for not correcting his children , saul for sacrificing , and after him all his house punished . what shall i say of those that died of the pestilence in dauids dayes , the disobedient prophet rent by the lion , the forty children by the bores , for mocking elizeus , of geetze , or hosiah the king , willing to burne incense , with many more , as ananias and saphyra , elimas the sorcerer , iudas and theudas and some of them for very meane sinnes to the iudgement of men , yea and the galileans , whose sacrifice pilate mixed with their blood , and the builders of the tower of shiloh which fell vpon them , which were not the greatest sinners , and vnlesse i repent i shall also be punished ; saue mee o lord , and take the glory thereof to thy selfe , for , for not giuing it thee , herod was consumed of wormes , thus thou doest lay the wickeds way vpon their owne heads . lord. the cause of all terrours and troubles in thy minde , are thy sins : i see and thou knowest it , for they doe infect thy minde and conscience with their guilt , from which guiltinesse proceedeth a fearfull expectation of these punishments thou hast spoken of , to the which thou perceiuest thou art iustly liable , neither canst thou be freed from this guiltinesse and fearefull pangs , vntill thou ( thy sinnes beeing done away ) be reconciled to me : for then , and not before , shalt thou haue peace of conscience , boldnesse and confidence , when thou art assured that i loue thee , and thou mee , and so canst rest on my promises and prouidence , for there is no feare in loue , but perfect loue casteth out feare , for feare hath painefulnesse , and hee that feareth is not perfect in loue : the wicked flye when none pursueth , but the righteous are bolde as a lion , and thouh thou shouldest walke through the valley of the shadow of death , thou wouldest feare no euill , because i am with thee , and with my rod and staffe comfort thee : so being iustified , and assured once of my loue , thou maist be fully perswaded , that nothing is able to seperate thee from my loue , which is in christ iesus ; where innocency is , there is security , for where iustification and assurance of remission of sinnes is , there is peace with mee , with the creatures , and ioy in the holy ghost . vse the meanes for obtaining of faith , as hearing , receipt of the sacraments , prayer , meditation , conference ; if thou bee not wanting to thy selfe , i will not be wanting vnto thee , and next approue thy faith by repentance , for i haue bound my selfe by promise , that all that turne from their sinnes , shall in my son be reconciled vnto mee : for i craue ▪ no more , but that thou beleeue onely , and bring foorth fruits of a new life ; for this is thy part in the couenant with mee , for sinnes repented of , are forgiuen in my estimate , as though they had neuer been committed , & because thou by these meanes art receiued vnto the protection of my prouidence ; thou maist be vndoubtedly assured , that all things whatsoeuer ( yea in thy iudgement , the worst also ) shall make together for thy good , be strong and of a good courage , it is i that am with thee , who can be against thee ? soule . is not thy worde euen like a fire o lord ? doth not my heart burne within me , while thou talkest with me , & openest to me the scriptures , and manifesteth the word , which is like a hammer that breaketh the stone , thou onely canst quicken the dead in sinne , and call those things which be not , as though they were , but ( alas ) how slow am i to beleeue , and how hard is my heart . lord. the occasion of thy euill may bee outward , but the cause is inward , else neuer should satan , flesh , or the world preuaile , my sonne was assaulted , but satan found nothing in him , neither was there guile in his lips , satan doth offer , thou doest yeelde to tentations , if thou canst bee aduersary to thy corruption , satan shall be but as a chyrurgion , which launceth thy impostumation to preserue life , howsoeuer hee purposeth to haue wounded to thy heart : ioseph by grace restrained his corruption , concerning putifars wife , dauids eyes opened the vaile to his corrupted heart , so sin in him with bethsheba grew to age , in what measure thou withstandeth thy corruption , in that measure thou art regenerate , and assured to preuaile against strongest tentations , thou maist easily espy thy corruption best , by thy afflictions or by affections , for such is a man as hee is in tentation ; the heart of man carrieth commonly all the other senses , for by it they are moderated and ruled , and therefore thou shouldest diligently keepe it : againe , it marres or makes all thy actions , for if it bee pure , thy affections are pure , yea though some defects bee mixed therewith , whatsoeuer commeth from a sound and sincere heart , in my eyes is accepted , and in my christ accounded righteousnes vnto thee : if for sins sake thou leaue sin , though the lees thereof remaine in thee , though thou doe not all the good thou louest , but in loue desireth to doe it , though thou leaue not all the sinnes thou hatest , but in hatred of them i accept the good thou doest , the euill thou desirest to leaue shall not bee imputed : thus striue to haue thy heart right within thee , with a purpose to approue thy selfe to mee , labouring to kill sinne , though the whole body of sinne be not slaine in thee . there is a wickednes in thy heart cannot easily be espied , the subtilty thereof is vnsearchable , which should bring thee out of loue with thy selfe , & watch diligently ouer it , it is like a mill euer grinding , thou must circumcise it , and make it to bleed to emptie it , for there is so much superfluous matter in it . soule . wash mee thoroughly from my iniquity , & cleanse mee from my sinne o lord , beholde i was shapen in iniquity , and in sinne did my mother conceiue mee , create in mee a cleane heart o god , and renew a right spirit within me , i feele alas in my corrupt heart such a world of sinnes , and in euery one of them a fault against thee my god , a guilt binding my conscience to the punishment of of eternall death , and a staine or blot imprinted in mee , as the fruite thereof , which is my inclination , euill disposition , prouenesse and aptnesse of heart to offend , which causeth me delight and liue in sin , which lying in sinne ( and woe is mee therefore ) is a greater cause of damnation then the sinne it selfe . lord. thou must beware of thy thoughts , which are the feet and wings , the soule walkes & flies by , yea the waggon and boate it is caried and failed in ; for an euil thought if it long tarry in the mind , it will hardly be restrained before it come to the outwarde act , and such monsters of the minde should make thee affraid , & suspect thy falling in the action of sinne , by the affection of it ; thou must therefore search thy heart , which is a bottomlesse pit of corruption , and it is a speciall grace to gage it to the deepe , for hee that maketh conscience of his thoughts , will make conscience of his deeds ; for if thy heart be found in my my statutes , thou shalt not bee ashamed ; keepe thee from thoughts iniected , as was iudas , his , cast in his heart by sathan , and of thoughts arising out of it , beware of staying in them , by taking pleasure in these immaginations , and delight in the sent of them ; for consent of will , with mee is a full action , iudas thought but to doe euill , and it is said , that thou doest , doe quickly ; after commeth deuise to bring to passe the act that followeth , whence ariseth a benummed conscience , after diuerse actions , then defence or excuse , then boasting of it , and this is the wickeds chayre , and steps to hell : then be ashamed to thinke that thou art ashamed to speake , for i see thy heart and thoughts , & know what thou art , striue against them , and if they yet remaine , haue indignation of them , feare and cry to mee that thou art troubled with them , and i will ease thee ; for iustly doe i challenge thy heart , who gaue my sonnes heart to be pierced for thee : thus thou must obey against thine inclination , and naturall reason , for what is faith but a contrariety to reason ? and hope to experience ? and lay not downe thine owne conclusions : i am wel pleased with thy intents which prepare thy heart to seeke mee , the seeds of all sinnes are in euery mans heart , which would appeare if i suppressed them not , the tongue is a worlde of wickednesse , what is the heart then , out of whose aboundance the mouth speaketh ? soule . i know that in mee , that is , in this flesh , there dwelleth no goodnesse ; but euery good and perfect gift is from aboue , from thee the father of lights , open my eyes i beseech thee , that i may see the maruellous things in thy law , i cannot leaue ( alas ) my sinne , i haue vsed it so often and so long , it is so plyable to my nature , that i would rather lose my life , hauing long accustomed it , then now cease from it , and yet i am now and then tormented with the memory of it ; my conscience is a snare to mee , yea an assize , a bench , a iudge , a iaylour , yea a hangman it selfe to me , and whither shall i flie poor wretch ? lord. it is good to learne thy inward corruptions by thy outward senses , thy sense leades thee to sinne , because thy heart leadeth thy sense , & thy corruption hath stolen away thy heart ; for outward senses bewray thy inward affections , & therefore christ will neuer bee sweet , vntill thou see , yea and feele in experience , thy naturall corruption , for none can hunger for righteousnesse except hee feele himselfe empty and wanting thereof , and where there is an exceeding hunger , there must bee an exceeding feeling , as a feeble and small hunger had the like feeling : comforte then thy selfe , in that thou feelest the impurenesse of thy heart , and want of vprightnesse and deadnesse to all goodnesse , for the feeling of their wants is quicknesse and liuing , and this quicknesse and life is by my spirit in thee , and where my spirit is , there is life euerliuing , which is regeneration or life euerlasting ; & the more thou doest feele the one , the more deepely doest thou weigh the feeling of thy confused estate , by which thou findest comfort in sorrow , & great light in darknesse : and in this , that thou both sighest and groanest for the hardnes of thy heart , it is a testimony that thy hart is not altogether hardned , for if thou feelest this in thy selfe , that thou desirest to loue mee , and to bee better , being wearied and toyled with sinne ; & comfort thy selfe , for it is in earnest of regeneration , for difference betwixt a motion to euill , and consent to it ; for the body of sinne , wicked motions , and affecons , shall neuer bee out of thee while thou liue , thou must not onely striue to presse out the breath of sin , and close vp the eyes of it at the death of it , but to follow it to the graue , and couer it that it neuer rise , for this is to ouercome and receiue the crowne , not that the life of sinne can be here destroyed , but may well be weakened , as the mangled part of a serpent cut in peeces , haue not that power to hurt as when it was whole so corruptiō hath not siercenesse to preuayle against thee , how-soeuer the reliques thereof remaine but like a mighty prince , which is become a poore prisoner . soule . i by reason of my olde custome in sinne , doe often yeelde to tentations , i doe not abound more and more in wisedome and goodnes , but rather perseuere in sinne and rebellion , lord thou knowest , and i feare ( vnlesse thy mercy be the greater ) the sentence of my conscience which is thy register , and my remembrancer , the wicked may bee secure , but neuer in safety , lord. custome is worse a hundred folde then nature , and doth greatly preuaile with my dearest children : ioseph a good man , beeing among prophane men , had some smell of their wordes and lied : the sodomites by their vniust conuersation , vexed lots righteous soule , yet hee could haue found in his heart to liue still amongst them , therefore there is nothing more fit , then to auoid all occasions of sinne , and & to procure honest things both in the sight of god & man , and then in all actions to auoide euill , thou must learne to keepe that which is good , and abstaine from all appearance of euill , bee sure it be good thou doest , but if it haue but a shew of euill auoide it , and if it be an ill fauoured thing to see to , flie it . if thou heare threatnings and tremble , heare promises and beleeue , pray in wants , be thankfull for mercies , and with reuerence receiue sacraments , they keep thee from falling , and recouer thee when thou art fallen , it goeth wel with thee ; to prosper and thriue in sinne , is a signe of my wrath , as the childe that the father hateth is giuen ouer to be ruled by his owne pleasure , but i chastise my children whom i loue , that they should not be condemned with the world : again , thou wilt neuer leaue sinne , vntill thou knowe sinne to be sinne , and be truely sorrowfull for it : presse to resist the first motions of sin , for one breedeth many , & it is hard to get out of the clawes of the diuell , thou canst without great danger touch the young thorne , dallie with the young bore , and carry a young serpent , but if these bee olde thou knowest the danger , cut the thorne in the roote , mussle the boare , bruise the head of the serpent , yea destroy it in the very egge before it be hatcht ; by the fall of others in sinne , thou maist be taught to stand , and rise if thou be fallen , and as cōcerning the accusation of thy conscience thou speakest of , thou shalt neuer labour to leaue sinne so long as thou art quiet in minde , vntill thou be stricken with feare , or cast downe with iudgements , then if thou looke to my highest maiesty offended by sinne , the benefits which bound thee to doe my will , how neare thy sinnes pierce mee , the purpose and ende thou tendest to in sinne , the time and place of transgression , & last if thou see the loathsomenesse and deformity of sinne : for that a stinching carrion is more tolerable to the sent , then a sinfull soule vnto me , if thou narrowly consider how huge and detestable thy sins will seeme , for by them thou art made like vnto the diuell himself , i haue imprinted naturally in all a condemnation of sinne , that euen committing it , thou shouldest condemne it in thy selfe , and be ashamed of it before others , wo vnto them that are depriued of this naturall remorse , & to them that account that vertue , which i condemne for a crime , though it seem little to thee in committing sinne , it was very great in my sonne in suffering for it , if sinnes were not so vsuall , they would seeme more palpeable and prodigious , and therefore the senses which are oceasions of sinne , ought to be well ordered , to make a couenant with thy eyes , with thy mouth and eares , that thy heart walke not after them , that thy step turne not out of the way , and any blot cleaue to thy hands , he that seeth his corruptions truely will bee affraid of the least shew of euill , the oftner sin is , to haue the more griefe , is a note of my children , search then the bottome of thy thoughts , feele thy grief where it lyeth , finde out the cause , seek for remedy , least it proue incurable , if thou take it not in time , it will fester more and more , and infect all . soule . o how truely is my body called a body of death , thou shouldest take vp and haue to thy glory all my cogitations , but idle thoughts , imaginations and discourses come in my ninde , to the which alas i yeeld my affection , and doe not strike at my conscience in the first motion , while reason is on my side , and wound it before it receiue a perfect shape , o that i might cherish and intertaine good motions and change them into prayer , not to smother them by other rouing cogitations , making them either die presently , or quikly fall away , and thus ( alas ) i make a mocke of sinne , yea i make a god of sinne , and serue it in thy steed , neglecting thy bountifulnesse , which leadeth me to repentance , if thou shouldest lord suffer my conscience checke me , and satan burden mee , with the least sinne , it would bee so heauy and grieuous , that a thousand worlds could not abide it , how could i then endure the greatest ? adam for eating of an apple was throwne out of paradise , moses for speaking of an angry worde died in the wildernesse , and was not suffered to goe into canaan , ezekiah did but shew his treasures , and for that he & all were carried to babell , iosiah did war against thine and his enemies , yet because hee asked not counsel of thee was slaine in battell : these ( for what sinnes are lesse ) hast thou punished in thy deare children , o what shall become of mee in my great sinnes , if the iust shal scarcely bee saued , where shall the wicked appeare ? if this shall bee done vnto the greene tree , what shall bee done to the dry ? the least offence commeth not alone , but brings a legion of transgressions with it , yea the least made thy son smart and accursed , and to say , my god , my god , ctc. and o that no sinne could escape mee without true & godly sorrow , for the lesse i fauour sinne , the nearer i am to ▪ thy fauour , small meanes doe prouoke me to it , but great meanes cannot reuoke me from it , the spirit is quickly quenched , the tender conscience is soone bruised , olde sinnes doe retire , new sinnes easily assault , and doe depriue mee of the company of a good conscience . lord. thou must ( deare soule ) beware of all sinne generally , and must looke narrowly vnto some speciall sinnes , whereunto thy nature is most inclinable and subiect : for one dead slye will corrupt a whole boxe of oyntment . oftentimes meditate of thy secret sins , which are hidden as it were in the darke corners of thy heart , which i can reueale when i will , in making my creatures bring vnto light , thy friends to open them , thy owne mouth to testifie them , thy dreames to make them knowne , in sicknesse to raue on them , or in frensie to vomit them out , the sharpe torment of conscience make thee cōfesse one priuie sinne vnrepented , for if the israelites made the beniaminites , fewer in number , and maintaining an euill cause twice to preuaile . it is not light that is heauier then all the world , i esteem one iot of my lawe , more then heauen and earth , secret corruptions be light , as baltasar was in daniels interpretation , which is the losse not of an earthly kingdome such as his was , but of the kingdome of heauen ; the maladies of the soule are contrarie to those of the body , for these the greater they be , the more we seele them , the other the lesse , while thy sinne is as a more , and may bee as it were blowen out , make thee free of it ; when it shall bee a beame , it shall scarce be haled out with horses , it shold be thy earely and morning worke to cast out sinnes , tarry not while thy sinne be great , but pray with feeling of wants and sorrowe for sinne , else sinne will deceiue thee , and deceiuing thee will harme thee , make fatte thy heart thou shalt not perceiue it , & blinde thy minde thou shalt not see it , for when wickednesse is at the ripest , then destruction is nearest at hand , wherefore while sinne is yet in the sprout , and hauing but a little course , is vnable to make any great breach , keepe it vnder and stay it , is is hard to get vnto the way of goodnesse , harder to continue in it , but hardest of all when thou art out of the way to come in again , when sinne breaketh out without controulement , and beareth the sway with delight , to the breaking of the peace with the conscience , it is very dangerous , thou oughtest of ten to say , direct my steps in thy worde , and let no iniquity haue dominion ouer mee , keepe mee from presumtuous sins , let them not raigne ouer mee , tarrie not i say vntill the dead blow commeth , but resist the first stroakes of sinne , for then thou maiest be easily hardened thorough the deceitfulnesse of sinne , to day if thou heare my voyce , harden not thy heart ; the violence of sinne is so impetuous that thou mayest soone slip , but hardly rise : blessed therefore is the man that feareth alway , but hee that hardeneth his heart shall fall into euill ; without sinne thou shalt not be , but pray it may be forgiuen , neither voyd of tentations ( for of all tentations not to bee tempted is the greatest ) but that thou bee not ouercome of them . soule . i perceiue ( sweet lord ) there is difference betwixt slumbering and dead sleeping , betweene slippes and falles , betwixt infirmities and running headlong to vngodlinesse , betwixt error with griefe and desire to be freed from it , and ignorance wherein the wicked lie still gladly , and haue no care to be rid of it : i will with my whole minde leaue my sins from hence forth , & suspect the corruptions and motions of my heart . lord. it is not sufficient ( poor soule ) for thee to learne thy sinne , for thou maiest fall into it againe , and into worse if it bee possible , but thou must weep & mourne vntil thou com to som grief , and such as is answerable to the measure of thy sinnes , as it is saide , cleanse your hands you sinners , and pufie your hearts you double minded , bee afflicted and mourne and weep , let your laughter be turned to mourning , and your ioy into heauinesse : grieuous sins must be repented of with great griefe , a sore disease must be cured with sharpe medicines , for men must mourne for their sins as one mourneth for his only sonne , and and be sorrowfull for them , as one is sorrowfull for the death of his first born , there must bee in them a great mourning , as the mourning of hadradimmon , in the valley of megiddan , for the death of the good king iosiah , euen so must thou mourne , because thou hast pierced my sonne thorough with thy sinnes , and wounded him with thy by-past abhominations , and thus thou must rent thy heart ; for a sa man that looks vpon the sunne , if hee turne his face away , remaineth turned vntill he turne himselfe againe , so hee that turneth himselfe away by sinne , maketh himselfe a sinner , and so remaineth vntill he turne himselfe againe by hearty repentance , and therefore thou must diligently examine thy sinnes , not onely in acknowledging of them , but also in sense and feeling of them , for that will make thee , not to change one sin for another , but forsake all ; not as herod , who was contented to relinquish some , but not to seperate from his incestuous whore ; and the young man would rather depart from me ( albeit that i loued him ) then from his riches . so did ananias and saphyra , it must then bee a totall not partiall forsaking , for whosoeuer shall keepe the whole law , and yet offend in one point , he is guiltie of all ; for the keeping of sinne in part is the losing of grace in whole , ye must not forsake sinne for a moment , or short time , but for euer , and not returne with the dogge to the vomit , and with the sow to the wallowing in the mire , least hauing escaped the filthinesse of this world , thou bee yet again intangled in the same ▪ for sinnes not truely repented of , are meanes to fall vnto them againe , thou must not harbour secret sinnes in thy heart and breast , but rather desire to be religious then to seeme to be ; for be assured there is nothing so secret but shal be reuealed , whether it bee good or bad , thou must not then begin in the spirit and end in the flesh , and not only art thou thus to deale with thy grosse sinnes , but also with the inwarde corruption of thy nature , and the fruits thereof , which although thou canst not altogether blot out , yet beat it downe , and keepe it short , for while the tree remayneth in the earth , there wil alwaies spring foorth some buds ; rest neuer from emptying this fountaine , from which these mudde springs are deriued . soule . by reason of my inward corruption ( good god ) i am impoysoned , for i see another lawe in my members rebelling against the lawe af my minde , & bringing me vnto captiuity , the lawe of sinne which is in my members ; oh wretched man that i am , who shall deliuer mee from this body of death : for if satan ( who neuer ceaseth ) should do nothing to me , yet this would pull and drawe mee from thee , vnlesse it be suppressed , oh that bondage of sin to bee at the commandement of euery vile wretched lust ! oh the master , the seruice and reward of sinfull persons , satan that god of this world , and prince that ruleth in the children of disobedience , hee putteth his vassailes to carry heauier burthens , and to toile themselues in baser workes then the cruell taske-masters of egypt imposed on the poore israelites , impenitent sinners are enthraled to euery bruitish lust , they must defile their bodies , corrupt their soules & consciences , and pollute all their works and wayes , when and in what manner soeuer the diuell will haue them , runne vp and downe like dregges to followe euery vaine delight , neuer peaceable by day , nor quiet by night , euermore labouring to work out their owne ouerthrow , possessed with a spirituall phrensie , and led by the suggestion of satan , and then the wages of sinne it death , to endure endlesse torments in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone , which is the second death : now lord free mee from this slauery of sinne , that beeing translated from glory to glory , and hauing thy image renued in mee daily more and more , i may purifie my selfe euen as thou art pure : oh that i might be fenced & armed against all enticements , it is a blessed thing to worke no iniquity ; what should it profit a man to win the whole worlde and lose his owne soule , it is better to suffer affliction with thy people , then to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season ; it is a ioy to liue a holy life , euen the life of thee the lord god , the life of christ , the life of angels , to bee zealous of good workes , to feele spirituall ioyes in the inward man , to looke for a crowne of glory after i haue died the death of the righteous . lord. and so it is true , therefore i say , search thy corruptions , whether thou grow in grace , or art consumed in some , i giue grace in measure , sometime more , and some time lesse ; but they that liue in ignorance and sinne , are deade for they sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death , for the life of sinne is the death of the man , when they sinne with pleasure and delight : the best flesh is most tender , and where it is most corrupt , there it is most hard , and where the flesh is nearest to healing , there it will more speedily and more freshly bleed , the more neare thou art to me , the more fearefull thou wilt bee , the more pretious thy conscience is , the more tender it is , for it is a quickning grace of my spirit whē thou feelest peace in conscience , and ioy in the holy spirit , when thou hast accesse vnto me , and reioycest vnder the hope of my glory , for blessed is that people which can reioyce in mee , they shall walke in the peace of my countenance ; vnto this peace of minde sincerity must bee linked , for blessed is the man to whom i impute no iniquity , and in whose heart there is no guile , yea blessed are those that are vpright in the way ; thou must make knowne thy faith by fruits , and feeling by sweete effects ; for loue is carefull to please mee , and fearfull to displease , and blessed is that man that feareth mee and walketh in my wayes ; this feare will breed a care of obedience of the word , and therefore blessed is hee that heareth the word of god , and keepeth that thy heart may stand in awe of mee : let mee bee thy feare and dread , where my feare is wanting , there is no tentation nor sin so great , but thou wilt fall in it , but remember i beholde all thy wayes , and tell all thy steps , hee that feareth not me shal feare the least of my creacreatures , liue in feare , and feare in loue , for tasting how gracious i am in all my saints feare , least thou lose so good a lord , this feare will make thee search thy owne corruption , the godly feare before affliction commeth , and then it ceaseth , but the wicked fear not vntill it come , and then they feare too much , for piety trembleth in prosperity , and triumpheth in aduersity , i am alwaies god , and am to bee feared of thee , for thou art a creature , and also sinfull , an iron rod can easily break an earthen pot : if the commandement onely , keepe thee in obedience , thou hast not receiued my spirit , for my feare causeth obedience , and the lawe was not giuen to the iust , but to the vniust , and therefore learne to say with thy heart , i am a man that feare god , thou canst not reioyce in mee alwaies , faith is often faint , loue and little ioy is dead , feeling is fallen asleepe , yet if thou continue in my feare , thou wilt bee zealous of thy selfe , least thou displease me , & mourn vntill these graces shine in thee againe , the godly , feare sinne more then exernall crosses ; they that feare least , when my iudgements are threatned , doe feare most when they are executed , a good conscience breedeth true boldnesse , sinne breedeth a spirit of feare in the wicked , of euills to come , the godly say , my flesh trēbleth for feare of thee , i am affraide of thy iudgements , for where feare is not there is security , security breedeth hardnesse of heart , hardnesse of heart bringeth gods wrath . soule . wee must haue feare to prepare vs to grace , & loue to continue vs in that grace ; this feare ( not that seruile and excessiue ) bringeth vs vnto thee , helpeth our praiers , causeth vs waite & continue on our duties , i must not bee without feare , neither trust in my selfe ; for when my assistance is weakest , sinne and sathan is strongest ; neither yet must i haue a cowardly feare . & fainting of heart to yeelde to tētations , but haue a moderate , and not a scrupulous feare ; alawies being strong in thee , the lord , my strength ; the ioy of the saints may bee temporally interrupted , but not finally & eternaly absent , they haue a iust and royall right in thy sonne christ ; and must maintaine it against all the staines and falls that they feare of the aduersary , thus satan would weare to a dulnesse the edge of our prayers , and draw to tedidiousnesse the fruite of our faith , and therefore they trust in the lord with all their heart , and leane not vnto their owne wisedome , in all their waies acknowledge him , and hee doth direct their waies , they are not wise in their owne eies , but feare thee and departe from euill , so health shall bee vnto their nauell , and marow vnto their bones , they reioyce in his holy name , the hearts of them that feele thee , o lord , reioyceth , they seek the lord and his strength , they seeke his face continually , for surely their heart shall reioyce in him , because they haue trusted in his holy name : they i say , doe serue the lord in feare , and reloyce in trembling , oh thy louing kindnesse o lord , is better then life , truely life is sowen for the righteous , and ioy for the vpright in heart , but ( alas good lord ) i doe euer feele within mee such procliuity and bentnesse to sinne , it is as thou saidst of my corruption , whose remnants will follow mee to the graue : i am ouer-mastered & ouerruled at all times by my actuall impieties against thee , and my neighbours , offensiue and scandalous to all , without any christian consideration , or holy remorse . lord. the cause thereof , besides those i haue spoken , are , first , because thou findest not after thy sinne a present controulement of sinne , thou thinkest thou hast not offended : i oft suffer the spirit of slumber to ouertake trangressors , that i may by my spirit more perfectly waken my saints : then doe the wicked take courage and transgresse , and doe wickedly , but i wil search them with light , and visite them that are frosen in their dregges , and say in their hearts , they lord wil neither doe good nor euill ; so because the wicked are not taken in their sin , they stretch out their hand to more wickednesse , their houses are safe from feare , neither is my rodde vpon them , they say vnto me depart from vs , for wee desire not the knowledge of thy wayes ; but they shall bee as stubble before the winde , and as chaffe which the storme carrieth suddenly away : i shall lay vp his iniquity for his children , doth the way of the wicked prosper ? yet are they prepared for the day of slaughter , and the worlde counteth the proude blessed , and they that tempt me , are deliuered , but i haue a booke of remembrance , of them that feare me , and the armes of the wicked shall be broken , but the lorde vpholdeth the iust man. the second cause is , because thou resteth in my vniuersal promises , which although they be true and comfortable , yet they can minister no true consolation to thee , except thou make a particuler application of them to thy selfe ; by the word thou seest thy sinnes pardonable , yet it is another thing to haue sinnes remissible , and another to assure thy selfe that they are already remitted , for then thou wouldest search thy selfe more narrowly , and purge thy selfe from inwarde sinne , as from outward , and bee wholly transformed vnto a new holy & righteous life , therefore the loue of righteousnesse departeth from thee , and thou retirest to thy olde sins againe , which will breed much sorrowe of heart , to remember thy former sinnes , to see the greatnesse of them , to apply my iudgements to them , and to prouoke thy selfe to sorrow for them . the third cause , is thy slacknes , in not espying thy mother , speciall and predominant sinne in thee , by marking the most checks of thy conscience , and the reproaches of thy enemies , whereof thou maiest easily bee shortly conquerour , if thou labour for the contrarie vertue , for a man of vnderstanding knoweth when hee slippeth , yea all the dayes of the afflicted are euill ; but hee that is of a merry heart hath a continuall feast , yea and a scorner loueth not one that reproueth him , neither will he goe vnto the wise : then learne to acknowledge thy speciall , secret , and seuerall sinnes , for the greatest hypocrite will generally complaine of sinne , but beeing dealt with in particular points , and application of them to their conscience , they are not able to distinguish one sinne from another : for thus indistinct knowledge cannot auayle in any terrestriall matter , much lesse in the businesse of the soule . soule . and i poore wretch in any perplexity of minde , cannot seperate the blinde and confused cause thereof , from the distinct & known , neither can eschew confusion of minde , by bringing my soule to some certaine obiect , and matter of my troubled heart , good god whence commeth this , and how shall it bee amended in mee . lord. the righteous heart knoweth the bitternesse of his soule , and the stranger shall not meddle with thy ioy , for a sound heart is the life of the flesh , and by the sorrow of the heart the minde is heauie , giue not ouer they minde to heauinesse , and vexe not thy selfe in thy owne counsell , leaue off from sinne , & order thy hands aright : a stubborne heart shall fare euill at the last , and hee that loueth danger shall perish therein . now this disordered discerning of sinne , commeth of ignorance of my lawe , and selfe-loue , whereby thou art ashamed to manifest sinne , and rip it vp to the quick , seeke to a faithfull & sound friend , or pastor , to whom thou maiest offer thy heart to bee searched deeply by the lawe , bee continually with a godly man , whom thou knowest to keepe the commandements of the lord , whose minde is according to thy minde , and will sorrowe with thee , if thou shalt miscarry , and let the counsell of thy owne heart stand , for there is no man more faithfull vnto thee then it , for a mans minde is wont sometimes to tell him more then seuen watchmen , which set aboue in an high tower , and aboue all thus pray to the most high , that he would direct thy way in truth . soule . what shall i doe , if my griefe arise of any certaine or knowne sinne . lord. then vnderstand , if thou hast done that sinne already , or else not yet committed it , but whereunto thou art tempted , for olde sinnes are represented oft to sinners , as not truely repented of , that they may the more mislike them , & that their particular sinnes may bring them to their grosse , greater , and generall sins , that there may bee a sense of both , least their griefe shold passe away without any fruit , and reason thus with thy selfe , if i bee so angry for this or that sin ( whereof thou art troubled , thy bowels swell , thy heart turneth within thee , and thou full of heauinesse ) how vexed may thou be ; the wickeds bones are full of the sinnes of his youth , and it shall lie downe with him in the dust , though wickednesse bee sweete in his mouth , though hee hide it vnder his tongue , though hee spare it , and forsake it not but keepe it still within his mouth , yet his meate in his bowels is turned , it is the gall of aspes within him ; i would therefore haue thee know ( poore soule ) that i would haue no man to perish , but all men to come to repentance . soule . how shall i then eschew sinne , and how shall i be acquited frō that sin which hath passed me ? lord. i haue oft admonished thee of thy corruption , to make account to suppresse it , labour to espy thy secret sinnes , with truth , and not in shew ; so hard a matter it is to search thy heart to the bottome , for there is not a more wicked heade then the head of the serpent , and giue any plague but the plague of the heart , and therefore in respect of sinnes past , sinnes present , priuie pride , hidden wants , secret corruptions , euer accuse thy selfe of some lurking hyprosie : for the godly tremble at the least motion of sinne , and say , i will runne the way of the cōmandements , when thou shalt enlarge my heart , bind not two sinnes together , for in one sinne thou shalt not be vnpunished , and because thy sinne is forgiuen , be not without feare , or heape sinne vpon sinne , & say not the mercy of god is great , hee will forgiue my manifolde sinnes , for mercy and wrath commeth from him , and his indignation commeth downe vpon sinners : the two fountaines and grounds of sinnes , are the inward motions of the heart , and the outward occasions of the senses , especially the eyes , for whensoeuer a man heareth the word of the kingdome , and vnderstandeth it not , the euill one commeth and catcheth away that which was sowen in his heare ; neither must thou drawe neare to mee with thy mouth , and thy heart farre off from me , and the things which proceed out of thy mouth , come from thy heart , and they defile the man , keepe thy heart therefore to lay vppe good and pretious things therein , as in a store-house , keepe it i say diligently , for thereout commeth life againe , vertue & vice dwell very neare together , learne to bee holily scrupelous , fearefull , and suspicious , for preuenting of sin to come , the heart of the wise shall know the time and iudgement , thirdly keep thy selfe from foolish venturing vpon the occasions which are the borders of sinne , when thou mayest beholde many of my children better fenced with grace then thou art , to haue beene snared : for the foolish will beleeue euery thing , but the prudent will consider his steps : let thy heart bee therefore in feare of god continually , set no wicked thing before thy eyes , hate the worke of them that fall away , let it not cleaue vnto thee . soule . alas good and mercifull father , i doe euer finde in mee so many allurements & intisements to sinne , which often i would eschew but cannot , which offer themselues to mee at euery minute , neither can i retire me selfe from them , albeit i doe sometime protest against them , and abhorre them , eyther before , or soon after the sinne is committed , with a very perfect hatred and loathsomnes . lord. thou must seriously obserue , first of the company to discerne good from euill , for good company hate the vnfruitfull workes of darkenesse , and in their eies an euill person is contemned , but honoureth them that feare the lord : with sound iudgement labour to holinesse and sincerity of life , in all things haue a sight of thy corruptions , & mourne for them , doe good to the houshold of faith , which continue in one spirite , and in one minde , fighting together thorough the faith of the gospell , longeth for the appearance of iesus christ , but these are euill , that denie the lord that bought them , & bring vpon themselues swift damnation , by whom the wayof truth is euill spoken of , and are of a prophane life , and hate to bee reprooued , but rather grow worse and worse , which persecute the saints of god , and make choyce of the pleasures of sinne for a season , who are affraide of death , and set vp their heauen and rest in this life , which put farre away the euill day , and approach to the sight of iniquity , to these thou must fay with dauid , away from mee yee wicked , for i will keepe the commandements of my god , my eyes shall bee vpon the faithfull of the land , that they may dwell with me , and therfore thou must ( beloued soule ) bee rather wearie of them , because they run the broad way , following first examples : secondly , multitudes : thirdly , time : fourthly , custome : fiftly , opinion . soule . i hate vaine inuentions , but thy law doe i loue , thou art my refuge & my shield , and i trust in thy worde , teach me ( good lord ) these things particularly , that i may ingraft them in my heart . lord. follow the godly , but so farre as they followe mee , their guide in the word , and iesus christ the author and finisher of their faith , which through faith and patience haue inherited the promises : for it is a signe thou art in the wrong way , if thou doe nothing but that the greatest part of the world doe , for how euill soeuer the way be , and whersoeuer it lyeth , euery mans way is right in his owne eyes , and will defend , or excuse whatsoeuer they doe . but i the searcher of the hearts , do say , your wayes are not my waies , nor your thoughts my thoughts , because they are wrong waies : let euery man turne from his owne wayes , their thoughts are the diuelles souldiers , which war against the soule , they followe their captaine , and thou followest them , thou may easily know whither thou goest ; the heart of man is to mee as clay to the potter , clay i say to mee , but waxe to the diuell ; for it will haue much tempering and great adoe to bring it to mee , but very plyable to any worke that satan shall put it to : for albeit thou shalt see neuer any euill example , nor bee tempted by multitude , neither outwardly assaulted at all , yet thine owne heart will teach thee wickednesse aboundantly , what auaileth it thee to forsake companies , and retaine thine olde heart still . for it is i that can restraine the issue of thy corruptions , conforme therefore thy wil to mine , hee that toucheth pitch will be defiled by it , hee is blessed that doth not walke in the counsell of the wicked , nor stand in the way of sinners , nor sitte in the seat of the scornefull , for the wicked are strangers from the wombe , they goe astray assoone as they bee borne ; they are put out of the booke of life , blessed is hee whom i choose ; and cause come to mee ; but saluation is farre from the wicked , because they seeke not my statutes , hate them therefore , that giue themselues to doe willfull vanities ; for they shall be consumed like the fat of lambs , euen with the smoake shall they consume away : thou must not then imitate them , but hate them with a perfect hatred , that hate mee ; and bee companion to all such as feare mee . there is no path , wherein there is not a snake , either to sting or impoyson , thou canst see thy selfe sooner infected , they spy how thou art infected : it is my mercy to be good with the communion of saints , so it is my iust iudgement to poure vengeance on the company of the vngodly , haue no fellowship with them in their sinne , neither draw in their yoak with them , take forth the pretious from the toile , let them returne to thee , but returne not thou vnto them , rouse vp thy heart , and reioyce in the fellowshippe which is aboue , for because of vncleanesse , inordinate affection , and euil concupiscence , my wrath commeth on the children of disobedience . soule . now doe i beginne to feele the heauy burthen of sinne more and more , with the which i am truely grieued , but i haue not duely ( alas ) repented me of them , i resolue to suppresse them with all my indeauour , but i feare my secret corruptions will breake forth , so aboundant is that roote of bitternesse in mee , remember not against mee my former iniquities , but make haste , and let thy tender mercies preuent mee , for i am in great miserie , helpe me o god of my saluation , for the glory of thy name ; and deliuer mee , and bee mercifull to my sinnes , for thy names sake ; i will acknowledge my sinne vnto thee , neither will i hide mine iniquity , for i thought i would confesse against my selfe , my wickednesse vnto the lord , and thou forgaue the punishment of my sinne : o that i might take heed vnto my selfe , & keepe my soule diligently , and thy seruant from euill , that the peace of thee o lord , that passeth all vnderstanding , may preserue my heart and minde in christ iesus , and now o lord , who can vndestand his faults , keepe mee , thy seruant , also from presumtuous sinnes , let them not raigne ouer mee , so shall i be vpright , & made cleane from much wickednesse . lord. first of all beware ( beloued soule ) of sathans flieghts , and condemning thee by presumption , say not the mercy of god is great , hee will forgiue my manifolde sinne , for mercie and wrath come from mee , and my indignation commeth downe vpon sinners , an obstinate heart shal bee laden with sorrowes , and the wicked man shall heape sinne vpon sin , make thou no tarrying to turne vnto the lord , and put not off from day to day , for suddenly shall the wrath of thē lord breake forth , & in thy security thou shalt bee destroyed , and thou shalt perish in the time of vengeance , binde not two sinnes together , for in one thou shalt not bee vnpunished , neither iustifie thy selfe before the lord , for he knoweth thy heart , thou must not learne of satans temptations , to bee bolde vpon sinne , neither vse pretenses for it , as to say i am not an angell , that my nature is corrupt &c. the preacher is but a man as an other &c. and on the other part , beware of desperation , in mocking the ouer-fearefull and superstitious ; for sathan will make of a fly an elephant , but saile with an euen course , and labour for measure , to bee sought in the word of god , which will teach not to decline , neither to the right nor left hand , but to keep the narrow way , for wisedome will be iustifled of her children . soule . remember o lord thy tender mercies , and thy louing kindenesse , for they haue been for euer , remember not the sinnes of my youth , nor my rebellions , but according to thy kindnesse remember thou mee , for thy goodnesse sake , o lord , gracious and righteous art thou , therefore thou wilt teach sinners in the way , o god , thou hast taught mee euen from my youth vntill now , & therefore will i declare thy wonderous workes , make mee flie from the lusts of youth , & sollow after righteousnes , faith , loue , & peace , with them that call on thee with pure hearts , neither write thou bitter things against mee , & make me possesse the iniquities of my youth . lord. there are sins in youth , middle , and old age , negligence , in making conscience of sinnes done long agoe , maketh falling in great terror of minde ; when violent remembrance of them surchargeth the mind , therefore betimes learne to accuse them , that sathan henceforth haue no place to doe it ; for if thou iudge thy selfe , thou shalt not bee iudged : humble thy selfe therefore vnder the mighty hand of god , that he may exalt thee in due time , cast downe thy selfe before the lord , and hee will lift the vp : i will surely gather him that humbleth , and i will gather him that is cast out , and him that i haue afflicted . soule . willingly desire i lord , to make that fruit of my falles , but ( alas ) when i looke backe to my mispent time , which is vnrecouerable , and which i cannot redeeme , then great feare and torment assaults mee , and pinches so hard , that i am at my wits end . lord. comfort thy selfe ( poor soule ) for in my best children , there is , first youthfull loosenesse , and vnstayednesse of affections , the way to lewdnesse , so dauid , o god , thou knowest my foolishnesse , and my faults are not hid from thee , seest thou not what young men did in sampsons daies in their feasting , and how hee reuealeth to the woman , which he had concealed from father and mother , and boas commendation of ruth , that shee had not followed young men : whether they were poore or rich , for childe-hood and youth are vanity : and secondly there is in them weakenesse , the way to strong vanities , and so dauid , as for me saith hee , my feet were almost gone , my steps had well-neere slipt . thus abraham made his his wife say , shee was his sister ; so the godly haue spent the time past of their life , in the lusts of the gentiles , walking in lasciousnesse , lusts , reuellings , &c. and thirdly , euen my saints haue walked in wantonnes , in the door to open wickednesse , as gluttony , drunkennesse , and abhominable idolatries , which though they breake not forth at all times , yet make them lesse carefull to glorifie me , for i keepe them that they shal not sinne against mee , and doe not suffer them to end their designements : other mens harmes may teach the blessed wisedome ; labour not onely to leaue sinne , which one may do for profit , feare , praise , or wearisomenesse , but also to repent of it for conscience sake . soule . the grieuousnesse of my sinnes filleth mee with feare of iudgement , and this feare ( i hope ) will cause the power of sinne abate in me , thou lord can giue me victory ouer sin , and make it as loathsome vnto mee , as euer it hath been pleasant ; to reioyce in the lord , to vse the meanes of my saluation diligently , and to seale vp the pardon of my sinnes in my heart , o god when shall it bee ? if thou wouldest haue destroyed mee for my by-past sinnes , thou wouldest neuer haue giuen mee vnfained hatred of thē : i consider thy mercy that striueth with mee , to bring mee to repentance , and thy iustice , that will confound such as resist : thy mercie hath giuen mee the meanes which thou hast denied to others ; thou afflictest mee lightly , but confoundest others ; thou gauest mercie , when thou mightest iustly haue punished , wherin thou doest as it were hire mee from sins : and shall i prouoke thee , and adde rebellion to sinne , o my god , i know there is a secret curse vpon euery sinner , which will consume him , if he doe not repent ; it hath gone out of thy mouth , thy word cānot change , because thou art vnchangeable . lord. i haue tolde thee , that youth the flower of thy age is of great consideration , all this haue i done , saith the yong man in the gospel , the prodigall maketh his foure stations , he hath his portion , his fathers ouer-fight , euill cōpany , but youth worse thē all : for youth hath a bundle of folly bound close in his heart , which best men haue had , neither could flee : for as a young man sets his way , hee will not departe from it when hee is olde , vnlesse by my spirit hee is restrained ; him that god will haue , his roabe must bee a branch of the almond , that is the tree that first blossomes , the first fruites was abels sacrifice , so much acceptable to me . soule . o god , i am like the possessed , that was found after sitting in a good mind , that sweet wind hath come to me , that happened to elisha , i haue felt that gentle calme , after the stormie tempest of my heart ; now may i heare the golden trumpets sounding that ioyfull retrait , blessed are the meeke in spirit , lord teach me thy commandements , & i will run them , i shall haue encrease of strength , vntill i come to the mount of god : while i was in my element of sinne , i felt not the weight of it , as nothing is heauie in his owne element : but now i by thy grace will lay aside euery waight , and the sin which doth so easily beset mee , & runne with patience to the race that is set before mee : i finde my selfe within the fadome of thy mercie , and compasse of things recouerable : the first worke of thy spirit at his comming , is to conuince the worlde of sinne , that is , to make men knowe , that without thy sonne christ there is nothing but sinne , and then to rebuke the worlde of righteousnes , to make man see that christ died not for his owne ( for the prince of this worlde found nothing in him ) but for our sinnes , that so we may see him in the lawe , with the wages thereof , and the summe in the gospell discharged : but good lord , how shall i be assured that i am not vnder the curse , but vnder grace ? for yet i finde such hardnesse in my heart , vnquietnesse and troubles in my spirit , my sins rebounded vpon mee with terrible fights , and fearfull visions which euer amazeth my vnsettled and wauering mind lord. the examination of thy sinnes , is that which first thou must begin with , and partly , those thou hast committed before thy calling , and partly , those that were done after thy calling ; for these sinnes of knowledge , of all bite sorest , for sinne is most sinfull , when thou art intelligenced with my grace in the truth , sin after knowledge , workes either hardnesse of heart , or a troubled spirit , and therefore vnderstand that commonly , men before knowledge take the trouble of minde very heauily , and standing as if neuer any one had it before but they , and after knowledge , satan is readie to accuse them of sinne against the holy ghost , as if euery sin of knowledge was a sinne of presumption : but learne thou that when tentation ariseth , to trie whether thou hast done that sinne , or such like already ; for these tentations , are either corrections for some sinnes past , or punishment for sinne present , or as warning of sinnes to come : as thou may bee tempted to adultery , and not doe it , yet it commeth to thee againe , because thou repentest not for this same , or the like in thy youth cōmitted : again , when man will not bee admonished by publique or priuate meane , there falleth tentation to sinne , differing from that wherein thou doest , and presently my iustice punishing one sinne with another , as the not repenting couetous , to fall into adultery , theft , or blood : and last there may tentation come vpon , that neither hee before , nor presently , doth like of , to aduertise , he may fall , therein hereafter : and to signifie that mans standing is not of himselfe , & none standeth but by my grace : fo as the girdle cleaueth vnto the loynes of man , so haue i tyed my children to mee . soule . beside these inward trouarising in my heart , which afflicteth mee most , the fruite of my corruption : i am pinched with sundry & diuerse outward afflictions , which agrauates and augments my sorrowe , lord thou knowest them well , i cannot finde the cause of them , for i liue as honest and quiet as any , and iniurious ( to my knowledge ) to no man in my calling . lord. vnder any crosse , endeauour to haue a cleane conscience , to comfort thee with , that there is no spirituall cause of these afflictions in thee , but that thy sufferings , are either for the triall of thy faith , beeing assured that thou hast a good conscience in all things , blessed art thou that sufferest for righteousnesse sake : then feare not the wickeds feare , neither bee troubled but count it exceeding ioy , when thou fal into diuerse temptations , that the tryall of thy faith bringeth forth patience , & let patience haue her perfect worke , that thou may bee perfect and intire , wanting nothing , that thou may say , o lord , thou knowest , remember me , and visit mee , reuenge me of my persecutors , take mee not away in the continuance of thine anger , for thy sake i haue suffered rebuke , to such belongs the kingdome of heauen : for it is better if it be the will of god , that thou suffer for well doing , then for ill doing . thou maiest know and discerne hereof , by the sicknesse of thy heart , arising of the guiltinesse of sinne , which maketh thee suspect all thy waies : for the wicked man is continually as one that trauelleth with childe , and the number of yeares is hid from the tyrant , a sound of feare is in his eares , and in his prosperity the destroyer shall come vpon him ; for thus the wicked may say , the thing that i feared is come vpon mee , and the thing that i was affraid of is come vnto mee , i haue no peace , neither had i quietnesse , neithr had i rest , yet trouble is come ; thus the sinners feare commeth like sudden desolation , and their destruction like a whirlewinde , for ease slayeth the foolish , and the prosperity of fooles destroieth them , impatient they are in aduersity , and proud in prosperitie ; yet that they haue is as a bird in captiuitie , which beeing let loose will returne to her owne liberty againe : the righteous are escaped out of trouble , and the wicked shall come in his steed : yea the godly account that the afflictions of this present time , are not worthy of the glory which shall be shewed , when as the wicked man dieth , his hopes perisheth , all afflictions end in death , and can pursue the saints no further , but i will bring an euerlasting reproach vpon the wicked , and a perpetuall shame which shall neuer bee forgotten ; for sinne not beeing cured in this world , endeth not in death ; for what was in hope recurable , finite , measurable here , becommeth in hell incurable , infinite , vnmeasurable ; which makes the godly say , how excellent is thy mercie o god , therefore the children of men trust vnder the shadowe of thy wings , they shall bee satisfied with the fulnesse of thy house , and thou shalt giue them drinke out of the riuer of thy pleasures , for with thee it is the well of life , and in my sight shall they see light , and yet neuerthelesse , for their manisolde good , and because i loue them , i chastise them : but the wicked are not in trouble as other men are , neither are they plagued as other men , and when they are raised vp , i will despise their image ; but the godly are alwaies with me , i will holde them by my right hand , i will guide them by my counsaile , and and afterwardes receiue them to glorie . soule . now i clearely perceiue lord , my misery , from that corrupt fountaine in mee , o what a blessed estate haue i fallen from , what a woefull and miserable condition hath the transgression of adam brought vpon mee , a generall infection and corruption , of all the powers and faculties of my soule and body , my soule ( alas ) spiritually 〈◊〉 , my minde through ignorance vaine in all the discourses and imaginations thereof , the vnderstanding blinde , not sauouring the things of god , my conscience wounded , and neuer soundly peaceable , my memorie fit to reckon euill , and forget good , my will altogether gaine-standing either to chuse or doe good , and my affection led by it , my conuersation loathsome to god and man , my thoughts both infinite and insatiable to euill , my members weapons of vnrighteousnesse , my best actions the greatest abhominations that minde can thinke , or tongue expresse . all the mischances of that hereditary pollution and actuall transgression which i am so propense and naturally willing vnto , as is the foule to flie , or the stone to goe downewarde , thou art i know a iust and righteous god , who will not iustifie sinners . lord. be of good comfort , sin is transgression of the law , i haue decreed a remedy from all eternity , promised immediately after the fall , and exhibited in the fulnesse of time , my son iesus christ to performe a full redemption for thee , and all the elect ; which hee performed in obedience to mee the father , in comming to redeeme and take thy nature vpon him , made obedient to the lawe in fulfilling it perfectly , which thou hadst broken , and in vndergoing the punishment due vnto thee , in obedience i say , in humility at his natiuity and whole life , suffering all the miseries that sin had drawne vpon thee , in his body , hunger , colde , pouerty , &c. in soule ignorance , temptation , faintnes , and then his death , the paines wee had deserued , but specially in his soule , griefe for the sinnes of the worlde , when hee pleadeth himselfe before my iudgement seate as guilty , for thee , who had neede of his owne creatures , the angels to comfort him , withdrawing of the diety for the present , my curse vpon him for sinne , the power of sathan preuailing for a time , the horror of beeing ouerwhelmed with my heauy wrath for thee , his detaining vnder the power & sorrowes of death , these , and much more done in his humaine nature , accompanied with the merit and efficacie of the diuine nature , made them meritorious for thy saluation , beleeue in him , and thou shalt passe from death to life . soule . o well is mee , that the curse of the lawe is deriued from mee vnto christ , that my nature beeing crusifyed with him , corruption in it may bee abolished , not to serue sinne hereafter , that hand writing of my sinne is cancelled , and shall not come to remembrance before thee , the spots of my soule purged by his blood , by the which , the eternall testimony of grace is ratefied vnto mee , now sin , and death , and the diuell , that hath the rule of death , is destroyed : thou hast deere iesus not onely not beene holden by the sorrowes of death , but also hath obtained a glorious conquest by thy resurrection , ouer all thy enemies , satan , power of hell and sinne , in taking away his sting and guiltinesse , thereof , the rage and fury of the same in weakening the force , and eating out the corruption thereof , death it selfe also , and the dominion thereof by the same meanes are subdued , and in the place of these there is recouered vnto vs the fauour of our god whose children we are become in iesus christ , who giueth faith , peace of conscience , and ioy in the holy ghost , vnto them whereby they become fruitfull to all good works , and in the end ceasing from all sinne , by him do attaine eternall glorie in the heauens , lord. yea and in heauen thou shalt be deliuered from all sorrow , haue perfect knowledge with me , perfect righteousnesse and holinesse neuer to be changed , fulnesse of ioy , immediate fruition of , and coniunction with mee , perfect loue , triumph ouer all enemies , where i shall be all in all , crowning thee and all the elect with eternall happinesse & blisse for enermore , soule . and the lord shall deliuer mee from euery euill worke , and will preserue me vnto his heauenly kingdome , to whom be glory for euer and euer , amen . a heavenly , and comfortable mould of prayers : full of feeling , tending to the calming of the conscience , for sinne ; and all other incidents in this wretched life , for the benefit of all estates , and degrees of people , whether by land or sea. iam . . if any man be afflicted let him pray . london , printed by nicholas okes : for daniell speed , and are to bee sold at his shop vnder s. mildreds church in the poultry . a prayer for munday at morning . the houshold being assembled , the master thereof , or he that shall be made the mouth to god-ward , shall with all holy behauiour say , come let vs worship , & fall downe , & kneele before the lord our maker . the houshold beeing assembled , shall pray as followeth . o lord our god , true , iust and merciful , who can vnderstand his faults ? wee come confessing and mourning in the sense of them , pouring out our whol desire before thee with plentie of teares , and bitter lamentations , and our sighing is not hid from thee ; for wee were borne in iniquity and in sinne haue our mothers conceiued vs : how corrupt are our faults ? our thoughts vaine ? our words idle ? & actions prophane ? o what good haue wee omitted ? and what euill haue we committed ? how foolish and ignorant are wee ? yea beasts before thee ; and while we know thy wil , we prepared not our selues , neither did according vnto vnto it : o lord how many sinnes and punishments haue wee beene heretofore subiect too ? how grieuous and heauie are they we presently groane vnder ? oh keepe vs deare fathe from presumtpuous sins , let them not raigne ouer vs : we and our fathers behaued our selues proudely , and hardned our necks , but thou , o god of mercies , gracious and full of compassion , of long suffering , and of great mercy , yet forsookest thē not : our kings , princes and people haue sinned against thee , yet compassion and forgiuenesse is in thee , o lord our god , albeit wee haue rebelled against thee : and now our god , what shall we say after this ? for wee haue forsaken thy commandements , therefore abhorre wee our selues , and acknowledge vs worthy to bee cut off for euer : wee yeeld our selues to thy chastisement , for our iniquities are gon ouer our heads , and as a weighty burthen they are too heauy : for vs , wee are pricked in our hearts therefore , and what shall we doe ? o lord our god , most deare father , our onely refuge is to fly vnto thee in christ , hungring and thirsting after the least drop of mercy , which wee doe preferre before all earthly comforts in the world ; intreating thee boldly and constantly in faith , to grant it , wating diligently and patiently , vntill thou answer vs , and raise some measure of sense and feeling thereof in our hearts and senses , wee call thy mercies of olde to memory , how often grace hath been shewed vs from thee our god , whē thou didst lighten our eyes , and giue vs a reuiuing from our sinnes ; wherefore most holy father , we begge most earnestly thou wouldst giue vs now also strength in christ to forsake sinne in time to come , for in heart we thoroughly purpose neuer to commit the like sins againe , bnt thorough thy grace to be changed by the renewing of our mindes ; to be fearefull of all occasions of sinne , and wisely hereafter to decline from sinne , and to bend all our strength specially against our beloued sinnes , o wee heauily complaine of our weakenesse , dulnesse , deadnesse , and inability to any christian vertue , yet will we by thy power be strengthened to loue , out of a pure heart , of a good conscience , and of faith vnfained , and constantly endeauoure to bee found in thy sonne iesus christ , and to feele the power of his death and resurrection , in sub duing of all our sinnes and wickednesse , that the life christ our sauiour may appeare in our mortall bodies , and that not we , but christ may liue wholly in vs , that wee may liue by faith in thy son , who hath loued vs , and giuen himselfe for vs : for his sake , grant o deare father , that wee may practisc these christian vertues , to the which wee finde our selues most aduerse and contrarie , that by thy grace wee may obtaine such victory and conquest ouer our most grieuous temptations and perturbations , and violence of sinne , as that wee neuer fall into them againe , and that albeit we finde in our selues pronenesse , and aptnesse to fall into some of these transgressiōs yet work in vs a godly resolution , & holy strife against them , groaning and panting vnder the loathsome burthen of vitious corruptions , for this cause o heauenly father , inspire in vs humble and submissiue mindes , to the power of thy worde , that wee may out of it haue our hereditary pollution discouered , and our corruptions more and more purged thereby , euer sighing for the day of our dissolution , and looking for the day of our lord iesus christ , to our immortality , to whom with the father and holy ghost , wee render glory , praise , and dominion now and euermore . on munday euening prayer . o lord god , deare father in iesus christ , repentance is thy proper & peculiar gift , which thou giuest to all them that aske it of thee in faith , for as by nature wee haue it not , and therefore doe renounce our selues , seeing euery good gift is from aboue , from thee the father of lights , so the time of repentance is in this life , and here while we may it must bee obtained with all speedy diligence , for ( alas ) the longer we delay and deferre , the harder it is to bee got , and more doubtfull it doth proue to be had : the fittest time o lord , is immediately after the sinne is committed , and while it is called to day , least wee be hardened thorough the deceitfulnesse of sinne : our time here is as a thought , it is cut off , and quickly doe wee flie away , wherefore deare father , we confesse the greatnesse of our sinnes committed by vs this day , how infinite in number , how dangerous & and deadly to our soules , how offensiue to them that are without , and to them also that are in iesus christ ; wee acknowledge them , thou art faithfull and iust to forgiue vs them , and to cleanse vs from all vnrighteousnesse , wee submit our selues o lord our god , willingly to thy rebukes & chastisements , which iustly thou mayest lay vpon vs , for the taming and subduing of our sinnes , wee sorrow and weep for them , our laughter is turned into mourning , and our ioy into heauines , we cast downe our selues before thee o god , that thou mayest lift vs vp , and open our eares by our corrections : that our vncircumsied hearts may be humbled , and wee willingly be are the punishments of our iniquitie , o when wee cōtemplate the incōprehensible , infinite , and glorious maiesty of thee our god , whom wee haue so heauily offendee , in doing so many , so great , and haynous wickednes , in sinning against thee , against thee only haue wee sinned , and done euill in thy sight ; o the vilenes and abiectnesse of man , that durst thus commit such wickednesse against thee , o god , how feareful by reason of our manifold iniquities , is our condition vnder satan , for of whomsoeuer a man is ouercome , euen to the same hee is in bondage , besides the dangers wee haue incurred by our sinnes , euen all the plagues and curses temporall & eternall , that are written in thy booke : wherefore o most heauenly father wee most heartily entreate thee , to remember the riches of thy mercie , in prouiding so excellent a remedy against sin , as the pretious blood of thy onely and dearely beloued sonne : as of a lamb vndefiled , and without spot , when nothing else in the world was auaileable thereto , whose sacrifice is daily and hourely effectuall vnto vs , timously preuenting sin , carefully furthering , and diligently sanctifying our cōuersation from impiety , his blood cleanseth vs from all sinne , hee is the head of his church , and sauour of his body , leading vs by the guidance of his spirit to perfection , o how excellent is the estate of them that are in thy sonne ? how many benefits and priuiledges haue they ? hee died for our sinnes , and rose againe for our righteousnesse , hee ascended on high , and ledde captiuity captiue , and if we now sinne ( as wee cannot else doe , and wo is vs therfore ) we haue an aduocate with thee o father , euen iesus christ the righteous : o how vnthankefully offend wee against the blood of this thine annoynted , in not walking worthy of the same , but treading vnder foot thy sonne , and counting the blood of the coueuenant ( so much as in vs lyeth ) as an vnholy thing , wherewith wee were sanctified , do spight and grieue the spirit of grace , dulling , yea oftentimes quenching thy spirit in vs : thus liuing in sinne , we dishonor thee , but maruailous , yea wondrous is thy patience , it is thy mercyes that we are not consumed , because thy cōpassions faile not ; and therfore when we consider deer father , how small the number of those is , which shall bee saued , and that many shall striue to enter in , but shall not be able ; and doe meditate vpon thy iudgements , from time to time & still continually inflicted vpon the world for sinne , and that if the righteous scarcely shal be saued , where shall the vngodly and sinners appeare ? whither shal wee slye from thee ? o wee haue recourse vnto thy mercie , o forgiue vs therefore all our sinnes and offences , for his sake who was crucified and did hang on the tree for vs , o giue vs thy grace , that wee may grow more and more therein , that wee thinke often of our end , and of the fearfull day of iudgement , that sinne may haue little rest in vs , but that wee may rest in thee , this night , and euermore , through iesus christ thy sonne our lod , to whom , with thee , and the holy ghost , wee giue all glory , praise , and thankesgiuing , now and euermore , amen . a prayer for tuseday at morning . o lord god , eternall and euerlasting father , with heuay griefe , & loathsome detestation of our sinnes , wee confesse them all vnto thee , o searcher of the heart and raines , there is not any creature , which is nor manifest you thy sight , but all things are naked and open to thy eyes , we acknowled them ( although our knowledge herein bee too short ) and doe yeeld our vnsearchable hearts vnto thee , o god , blaming that corrupt fountaine of our hearts against our selues , vnto thee , who art ready and able to forgiue . o lord vnto vs appertaineth open shame , but righteousnes belongeth vnto thee , wee are not worthy of the least of all thy mercies , wee detest our waies , and couer our faces , yea groane vnder the body of sinne , and desire to bee rid of it , and more carefully hereafter to please thee , wee haue felt thy punishments , and displeasure , often before for sinne , and therefore now wee cannot cease crying out against our corruptions , and rebellions , o lord wee cannot mourn enough at our priuy motions and prouocations to sinne , wee beare the traytor in our bosome , which giueth way vnto the temptation , which wee cannot of our selues subdue and captiuate , and o lord , we haue no certainty of our life , if to day , yea euen this houre thou wilt call vs , neither yet the assurance of the renewing and returne of thy mercie , which oft we haue refused , disdained and contemned : oh that wee soone , yea now , heartily repent , and earnestly conuert , the surer would be our acceptance , and the more cōfortable our after conuersation , but o thou sonne of dauid haue mercy vpon us , o thou pittifull samaritain , take vs vp , not halfe , but altogether dead in sinnes & trespasses ; make vs liue the life of grace , that wee may haue our conuersation in heauen , from whence wee looke for thee the sauiour , that wee may walke worthy of the lord , and please him in all things , beeing fruitfull in all good works , and increasing in the knowledge of our god , in dying to sinne , and liuing to righteousnesse , that wee may finde fauour , grace , peace , and contentment both with god and man , casting away euery thing that presseth downe , and renouncing our especiall sinnes , which hang so fast vpon vs , for this cause o lord , make vs surrender our hearts vnto thee , and let our eyes delight in thy waies , for if there be a willing minde , it is accepted according to that wee haue , and not according to that wee haue not , keepe our soules therefore , that they be not couered with the spirite of slumber , and sleeping in sin , but that wee may stand vp from the dead , and thou wilt giue vs light : take from stupidity , and senselesnesse , spirituall blindnesse , and hardnes of heart , that wee may walke circumspectly , redeeming the time which we haue lost , and alwaies be watchfull ouer our selues , that we may auoide presumption , by meditation of thy iustice , and despaire , by quicknesse and liuelinesse out of thy word ; for apprehending thy comfortable promises , make vs hide them in our hearts , that wee may not sinne against thee , keepe vs that we may doe all things as in thy presence , and neuer yeeld to the inward rebellions and deceitfulnesse of the heart , but wrastle by thy grace against the backewardnesse thereof , that wee may daily offer it vppe as a sacrifice of obedience vnto thy maiesty , regarding and accounting all things but losse and iudging them to bee dung , that wee may win thy loue and fauour , and so liue in the time of our perigrination here , that we may continually feare our selues , & haue a holy iealousie of all our best actions , that when the chiefe shepheard shall appeare , wee may receiue an incorruptible crowne of glory , which is promised them that growe in grace , & in the knowledge of our lord & sauior iesur christ , to him be glory , both now and for euermore , amen . a prayer for tuseday at euening . o most louing and mercifull father , if the beauty and flower of all our best actions , which is prayer , bee so sinfully stained with our naturall corruption , ( alas ) how odious and abhominable are the rest of our sinnefull workes ? thou findest no stedfastnesse euen in thy seruants , and layest folly upon thy angels : how much more on them that dwell in houses of clay , whose foundation is in the dust : thou hast no need that any should testifie of vs , for thou knowest what is in man , thou lightenest things that are hid in darknesse , & makest the counsell of their hearts manifest ; our hearts are deceitfull and wicked aboue all things , who can know it ? and if our hearts condemne vs , thou art greater then our hearts , and knowest all things : o what boldnesse might wee haue towards thee , if our hearts condemned vs not , o what treachery is in this our flesh , o the continuall readinesse that is in satan , that goeth about like a roaring lyon , seeking to deuoure vs ; and thou o lord lookest down from heauen , and beholdest all the children of men , frō the habitation of thy dwelling place thou beholdest vs all that dwell in the earth : thou fashionest the hearts of euery one , and vnderstandest our works : o lord aboue all things , giue vs an earnest striuing against our corruptions , a tendernesse of conscience in all our actions , a lowlinesse and humility in all our carriage , making conscience of the least sinnes , keeping our selues from the occasions , and all appearances thereof ; and because o lord , thou hast not appointed vs to wrath , but to obtaine saluation , by the means of our lord iesus christ , which died for vs , that whether wee wake , or sleep we shold liue together with him : grant we beseech thee , that we may entertain & stirre vp thy gifts which is in vs , and the good motions thereof , let not thy spirit lye a sleep in vs , keep vs from terrors in conscience , from loathing , coldnesse , and deadnesse in christian duties , and exercises , discontentment and blindnesse of minde , aptnesse to fall into those sinnes again , which wee either abhorre , or by thy spirit haue heretofore conquered , that we may rouse vp thy spirit , and labour more and more to be quickned in the inward man , euer making warre against some chiefe lust of the heart , to get the maistery ouer it , that by experimentall conquest of our owne , wee may learne in time to conquer all the rest , and because our heart lyeth open to all temptations , grant wee beseech thee o deare father , that casting downe the imaginations , and euery high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of thee our god , and bringing in captiuity euery thought to the obedience of christ , that we may follow after righteousnesse , godlinesse , faith , loue , patience , and meckenesse , that fighting the good fight of faith , wee may lay holde on eternall life , and now o lord , thou art in this darknesse , of night our saluation and light , wee will beholde thy face in righteousnesse , and when wee awake , wee shall bee satisfied with thy image , wherefore our heart is glad , and our tongue reioyceth , and our flesh also doth rest in hope , and now the lord deliuer vs from euery euill worke this night , and euer , & preserue vs vnto his heauenly kingdome , through iesus christ our lord and sauiour , to whom bee praise for euer and euer , amen . a prayer for wednesday at morning . vvee confesse o lord god , most mercifull father , that in vs , that is in this our flesh , there is no godnes , in such bondage are we vnto sinne , that while wee are about any good ( as very seldome alas wee are ) euill is present with vs , and wee are led captiue thereto , yet lorde by thy grace , wee striue against that slauery in very great weakenesse , and wee thank our god througe iesus christ our lord , that wee in our minde , in some small measure doe serue thy lawe , but in our flesh the law of sinne ; for it is thou o god , which workest in vs both the will and the deede , euen of thy owne good pleasure : wee haue had our conuersation in times past ( so miserable was our case ) in the lusts of our owne flesh , in fulfilling of the flesh , and of the minde ; and wee are by nature the children of wrath , walking after the course of this world , and after the prince that raigneth in the ayre , euen the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience ; but thou o god , who art rich in mercie , through thy great loue whereby thou louedst vs , euen when wee were deade by sinnes , hah quickned vs together in christ thy deare son our lord : grant good god vnto vs a rectified iudgement , proceeding frō an enlightned and sanctified vnderstanding , wrought by a liuely faith thorough thy worde , that wee may meet together vnto a perfect man , and to the measure of the age of the fulnesse of christ , vouchsafe gracious father , according to the riches of thy glory , that we may be strenthened by thy spirit , and comforted in all the faculties of our soules , that wee may know and proue the loue of thy beloued sonne iesus christ , that wee may be filled with all the fulnesse of thee our god : giue vnto vs a sanctified conscience , keeping it sensible of the least euill , desiring to liue honestly , with a continull cheerfulnesse of well doing , and holy ordering and disposing of our affections , that we may set them on things that are aboue , and not on things which are vnder the earth : for crucifying of the flesh , and natiue corruption therof , and in building more & more forward the new man , that wee may wake a most gracious conquest ouer our most vnruly thoughts , in fitting and conforming our outwarde actions , to thy most holy , acceptable , and perfect will , and serue thee the lord our god with ioyfulnesse , & with a good heart , for all thy blessings bestowed vpon vs both spirituall and temporall , that as wee haue receiued iesus christ our lord , so wee may walke rooted and built in him , and stab lisht in the faith , abounding therein with thanksgiuing , to preuent security : and giue thy grace alwaies o deare father , that wee may ioyne with this our faith vertue , & with vertue knowledge , and with knowledge temperance , and with temperance patience , and with patience godlinesse , and with godlinesse brotherly kindenesse , and with brotherly kindenesse loue , that we be not idle nor vnfruitfull in the knowledge of our lord iesus christ ; that as this same very day wee beginne heere with thee , directing our prayers as incense before thee , so by these means an entry may be ministered vnto vs aboundantly , vnto the euerlasting kingdome of our lord and sauiour iesus christ : that when we shall lay downe these our tabernacles , we may receiue the end of our faith , euen the saluation of our soules ; now the very god of peace sanctifie vs throughout , and wee beseech god , that our whole spirit , soule , and body , may be kept blamelesse both this day , and vnto the comming of our lord iesus christ , to whom with thee and the holy spirite , three persons in one godhead , we ascribe all honour , maiesty , dominion , & power , for euer and euer , amen . a prayer for wednesday euening . lord god , heauenly father , wee are come here to worshippe , and fall downe , and kneele before thee our maker , doe heere acknowledge with quaking and trembling soules , our wickednesse to be very great , and all the imaginatiōs of the thoughts of our hearts are not only euill continually , but also wee doe commit sinne in transgressing thy holy law , yea the least sinne breaketh the whole law , and maketh vs guilty of the wages therof , which is eternall death , & endlesse condemnation : o how filthy and loath some is sinne in the greatest pleasure , and most ioyful actions thereof ; by birth , wee are altogether tainted , defiled , and polluted with corruption , and vncleanesse , & who can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse , we are prone , and desperately set to commit sinne with greedinesse , wee reioyce in doing euill ( alas ) we delight and repose our chiefe contentment therein , although all the day long , thou o deare lord , stretchest forth thy hand vnto vs , disobedient and gaine-saying people , who hate to bee reformed and pluckt out of sin , yea our best actions are but beautifull sinnes , wee are all vncleane things , and all our righteousnesse is as filthie clouts , and wee all doe fade as a leafe , and our iniquities like the winde haue carried vs away : and we know good lord , that hee that committeth sinne is of the diuell , for the diuell sinned from the beginning , but for this purpose appeared thy son , o god , that hee might loose the workes of the diuell , who was to that effect decreed from all eternity , promised immediately after our fall in adam , but when the fulnesse of time was come , thou o most mercifull father , sent forth thy sonne made of a woman , and made vnder the lawe , that he might redeeme vs that were vnder the lawe , that wee might receiue the adoption of thy sonnes , who for vs hath obtained a glorious and meritorious conquest ( his humaine nature being accompanied with the efficacy of that his diuine ) ouer the curse , dominion and rigour of the lawe , chaining vppe satan , and destroying for euer the power of hell , sin , death , and condemnation : o lord our god , what can wee render vnto thee for so great graces and benefites , wee will take the cuppe of thanksgiuing , and call vpon thy name , o lord for thy mercies sake , grant vs a full assurance of our acceptation into thy fauour through iesus christ , a constant desire of the promised happinesse , that wee may hunger and thirst after righteousnesse ; a cheerfull expectation , and wayting for all these ioyes & spirituall blessings thou hast blessed vs with in heauenly places , that wee may willingly resigne our selues vnto thy holy obedience , embracing those meanes which thou hast offered for our saluation , that wee may trust in the , and doe good , commit our way vnto thee , and cast our selues vpon thee when all meanes shall faile , and rest in thee , yea , euen hope in death , reuerently depend vpon the truth of thy promises , although wee cannot see them as yet accomplished , albeit they seem against all sence and reason , & that this following night wee may not onely meditate of the true life of god , & day of resurrection , and our arising to iudgement to render account for the workes done in our flesh , whether they bee good or bad , but also may rest in the sweete bosome of thy portection , desiring at all times to bee loosed , and to bee with christ ; euer thinking the time of our departure to be at hand , and therefore to fight a good fight , to finish our course , and keepe the faith , that henceforth there may be laid vppe for vs the crowne of righteousnesse , which the lord the righteuos iudge shall giue vs at that day , and not vnto vs onely , but to all them also that loue his appearing : which shall bee cloathed in white array , and whose names are written in the booke of life , purchased by the blood of our lord iesus christ , who treadeth for vs the vine presse alone , to whom with thee and the holy spirit our comforter , be all praise , power , honor and glory , amen . a prayer for thursday morning . o eternall god , and euerlasting father , we from the bottome of our hearts do thanke thee for thy blessings spirituall and temperall , common & particular , that thou hast predestinated vs before the world begā , elected vs to be in thy christ adopted sons , called vs by thy spirit to this light of thy gospell , and giuen vs assurance in faith , of thy vnchangeable fauour , renewing in some measure this corrupt nature , and framing thy image in true righteousnes , and holinesse in our inwarde man , not making vs not onely capable of grace , in the soule of wisedome , and spirituall knowledge ; but also making some conformity in vs to thy will , in life and conuersation , these blessings wee haue receiued of thee freely , beside thy continuall prouidence , and ouer-sight ouer vs this night by-past and all the daies of our life , lord enlighten our mindes that wee may know all things in thee , and nothing any otherwise then as it commeth from thee , and as it hath relation to thee : for thou art all things in all , & all things do exist in thee , & therefore euery thing may be knowne in thee , & thou most merciful father known yea seene and felt in euery thing , euen in the least and basest creature : grant therefore , that we doe neuer rest in any thing till wee come to thee , and now beholde wee approach to renew that soundnes , wherewith wee laide downe , that no roote of bitternesse breake out at the first of this day , and to prouide for holy and setled courses in our callings all the day after , and so begin a-new to liue the daily life of grace , that thy kindnesse and mercy may follow vs all the dayes of our life , and now haue we laid our selues downe in peace , which was thy gift , & doe awake with the comfort there of , thy mercies are renewed euery morning , if we should count them , they are more then the sand , when wee awake we are still with thee , good lord assist vs that wee may daily weaken the olde man in vs , with the vitious lusts and sinneful concupiscences thereof , giue vs comfortable experience of this our corruption , that wee may be the more and more humbled in our selues , euer hungring and thirsting for that righteousnesse which is in christ iesus , our lord and sauiour , weane vs from the loue of this world , and distrustfull cares for temporall things , cōfirm our faith stedfastly in the prouidence of thee our god , for outward benefites ; giue vs confidence and boldnesse , euen to sue to thy presence , that wee may finde our life and powers quickned in holy duties , especially in prayer , zeale of thy glory , humility , patience , feare , & loue , that hauing liuely experience of the power of christ raigning in our mortall bodies wee may haue strength to perseuere vnto the end : for this cause quicken our desires and purposes , for well-doing , that wee may be humbled for our outwarde faylings and sinnes , and inwarde vnreasonable lusts , labouring more and more to discerne the deceitfulnesse of the heart , and vnsearchablenes thereof , that wee may bee euer enflamed to redresse the same : grant o heauenly father , that in our calling this day , aboue all wee may desire to glorifie thee , ayme onely at thy loue , that wee may be stirred vp cheerefully to prosecute heauenly things , and euer renew our estate in christ , by constant repentance , that beleeuing thy promises , and applying thē to our selues , wee may follow hard after the accomplishment of them , by our obedience to thy commandements , root out of vs incredulity , and couetousnes ; that setting bonds to these earthly desires , by true contentation , we may haue our eyes fixed continually vpon heauenly ; purge out of vs hypocrisie & spiritual pride , keepe vs from the raigning sinnes of this our time , that wee may follow constantly after the mark , for the high price of our calling in iesus christ , knit our hearts vnto thee , that we may fear thy name , giue vs a hatred of all euill , and loue of righteousnesse , preuent in vs presumption , that wee may worke out our owne saluation with feare and trembling , that henceforth wee doe not liue to our selues , but to him that died for vs , and rose againe , and therefore resigning our selues , bodies , and soules , into thy hands o god , wayting for thy blessings vpon vs , in all humility and lowlinesse , not sacrificing to our selues , but giuing all glory to thee our god , for we are not worthie of the least of all thy mercies , and all the truth which thou hast shewed vnto vs thy seruants , vpon thee is our fruit found , who is like vnto thee that taketh away iniquities , and pas-by the transgression of thy heritage , thou retaynest not thy wrath for euer , because mercy pleaseth thee , thou wilt turne againe , and haue compassion vpon vs , thou wilt subdue our iniquities , and cast all our sinnes in the bottome of the sea , & that onely for the merits of thy dearly beloued sonne iesus christ , on whom thou hast laid the chastisements of our peace , and doest giue thy selfe in him , who is thy loue , and in whom thou art well pleased ; to whom , with thee , and the holy spirit , one very god immortall , inuisible , infinite , and mercifull , wee render praise and glory both now and for euer . amen . a prayer for thursday euening . o eternall god , and euerliuing father , wee here abase our selues before thee , in regarde of our vilenesse , and also of the vnworthinesse of the seruice wee doe performe , for wee haue not subdued euery imagination in vs , that exalteth it selfe against thee , neither cut off the power and cords of sinne , our zeale is full of ignorance and self-loue , our religion replenished with hypocrisie , our profession with vaine-glorie , our well-doing accompanied with weariesomnes , our faith with carnalnesse , and our afflictions with impatiency , how sluggish & remisse are wee in our callings ? how haue wee been withdrawne in our vntamable lusts , wee haue not brought our thoughts in captiuity to thy obedience , wee receiue thy blessings with vnthankful hearts , neuer returning vnto thee praise ; how haue wee wasted and neglected this so gracious a time of visitation , wherein we might haue builded vppe our selues in thee , and practised good vnto others : how carelesly haue wee kept our hearts , giuing occasion to satan thereby against vs ; how much lycence haue we yeelded to the tyrany of the flesh , in not liuing soberly , and righteously , and godly , in this present worlde : how weakely and feebly haue wee wrastled against our corruptions , and which is most miserable , custome hath made vs so senslesse & past feeling , that wee cannot bee moued to beleeue that thy anger is so great , or our iniquities so hainous , or condition so wretched , as truely it is : and therefore wee are not affraid of thy maiesty , who is a consuming fire , wee doe not tremble at thy iustice , who will rewarde euery man according to his workes , for tribulation and anguish shal be vpon the soule of euery man that doth euill , neither doe wee weigh and regard thy plentifull mercies , in knowing that thy bountifulnesse leadeth vs to repentance , wherefore we humbly beseech thee , to create a cleane heart in vs , and to renew a right spirit within vs ; that we may more sensibly apprehend , how wretched , and miserable , and poore , and blinde , and naked we are ; and now good god , according to the measure of that spirituall feeling , wee haue obtayned of thee , wee most entirely entreate thee , for iesus christ thy sonnes sake , to forgiue all our sinnes whatsoeuer , whensoeuer , and wheresoeuer committed against thee , for by faith in his obedience are we made righteous , who is the end of the lawe for righteousnesse vnto euery one that beleeueth , lord we beleeue , help our vnbeliefe : hee suffered for vs such miseries as sin had drawne vpon vs , that hee might sanctifie them vnto vs , both in the humility of his natiuity , his whole life , and his ignominious and cursed death : o what grief was it to him that he came to his owne and his owne receiued him not , but was betrayed by them , and placed before thy iudgement seate , o deare father , as one guilty for vs : let our olde man o deare father , be crucified with thy sonne , that the body of sinne may bee destroyed , that henceforth wee doe not serue sin any more ; abolish for his sake that hand-writing that was against vs , that our sinnes may neuer come to remembrance before thee , who by his death hath ratefied the eternall testament of his grace vnto vs , for he was deliuered to death for vs , and is risen againe for our iustification ; for thine owne annoynted sake o lord , let the ioyfull light of thy fauour and countenance shine vpon vs , and be reconciled vnto vs , grant vs true faith in thy sonne , that beeing iustified thereby before thee , wee may haue peace of conscience with thee and our neighbours thereby , that wee reioyce with ioy vnspeakeable , and glorie in the holy ghost , and become fruitefull in all good works , and so by thee ( our god ) be made meete to be partakers of thee inheritance of the saints in light , who hath deliuered vs from the power of darknesse , and hath translated vs to the kingdom of thy deare son , in whom wee haue redemption thorough his blood , euen the forgiuenesse of sinnes , now the same iesus christ our lord , and our god , euen the father which loued vs , & hath giuen vs euerlasting consolation , and good hope through grace , comforte our hearts this night and euermore : and stablish vs in euery worde and good worke , in whose name we call vpon thee as hee hath taught vs , saying : our father &c. a prayer for friday morning . not trusting in our owne worthinesse , for there is none , but in thy great mercies doe we present our selues before thee this morning , o lord , in great weakenesse , to shew our thankefulnesse for thy vnspeakeable goodnesse , so plentifully bestowed vpon vs , most vndeseruedly : for what are wee but wormes , and what is man that thou art mindefull of him , or the sonne of man , that thou visitest him , wonderfully hast thon made him in his mothers wombe , hee is the image and glory of thee o god , thou mightest haue equalled him him with the vgliest and basest creatures , it hath pleased thee to spread forth the shadow of the wings of thy protection ouer vs this night , wee meditate in the dead of sleepe to haue our soules taken away in thy anger for the offences committed the day before , and all the daies of our life , and suddenly to haue beene arrainged at thy tribunall seate , yet thou wilt not the death ▪ of a sinner , but rather that he conuert and turne vnto thee , and now thou hast spared vs vnto this day , grant o gracious father , that wee may euer meditate of the true life of thee our god , of the day of the resurrection of these our bodies , when corruption shall put on incorruption , and of our rising to that solemne and dreadfull iudgement : o lord as thou hast banished this nights dardnesse away ( wherein wee had a sweete repose and sound rest ) that compassed vs : so grant we humbly beseech thee , that inward light in minde by the rising vnto vs of that sunne of righteousnes , thy son , the lord iesus christ , that wee may mourne for the ignorance and blindenesse that yet resteth in vs , and others also ; the night is past , and the day is at hand , vouchsafe wee may cast away the workes of darknesse , and put on the armour of light : that wee may walke honestly as in the day , not in gluttory , or drunkennesse , nor in chambering and wantonnesse , not in strife and enuying , but that wee may put on the lord iesus christ : praising his mercy and patience , that yet wee liue to praise him , and are continued in life to make our election more sure : such is the constancy of thy loue towardes vs , o lord god , father euerlasting , for whom thou louest to the ende , day vnto day vttereth the same , and night vnto night teacheth knowledge : thou hast o lord sealed vs to theday of redemption , and hast giuen vs earnest of the spirit of promise in our hearts , by the which spirit also , wee beholde as in a mirror thy glory , o lord , with open face , and are changed vnto the same image from glory to glory , o when shall we fully enioy the same in that life to come ? when shall wee cease from all sinne , & haue perfect knowledge of thee , perfect righteousnes , and holinesse , neuer to bee changed , fulnesse of ioy , immediate fruition and coniunction with thee our god , when thou shalt bee all in all , and triumph ouer all thine and our enemies ; in that inheritance immortall and vndefiled , and that fadeth not , reserued in heauen for vs : o lord giue vs the grace , that we may keepe our selues in a holy temper , and peace of mind , by a constant course in all occurrents ; and so prepare our selues vnto that crowne of glory , loking stedfastly vnto iesus the author and finisher of our faith , to breede constant affiance thereof ; for this cause o lord , let the glorious light of thy great maiesty neuer departe from the inwarde eyes of our soules , that we may bee seriously affected with the sense of our wants , benefits purchased by thy son our sauiour , and perpetually assisted by thy spirit ; to consider the great and manifolde blessings which wee haue receiued from thee , to prouoke vs to thankefulnesse , without which , all our prayers are vneffectuall , grant good lord , we may seriously bewaile our neglect of prayer , and condemne our selues for our lip-labour , and customarie deuotions , our wearisomensse in well-doing , and our contentment with small & little feelings , and finally we may rest vpon the continual mediation of our blessed aduocate iesus christ , who continually maketh intercession for vs , and is now both praying for vs , and ready to present our prayers to the throne of grace , and to couer all the infirmities and faylings of them , with the mantle of his euerlasting mercies , innocency , and holinesse ; to him therefore with the father , and the holy ghost , wee render all glory , praise , dominion , & thanksgiuing , now and euermore . amen . a prayer for friday euening . o lord god , deare father in iesus christ , thy beloued son our onely sauiour , wee thee from our very hearts , for the least of all thy blessings ( which are infinitely greater then wee can deserue ) as well as for the greatest , and do as readily praise thee for thy mercies receiued , as wee were earnest to sue for the obtaining of them : and now we offer vnyo thee sacrifice of praise , for the preseruation of vs in our callings , which are thy ordinances imposed on euery christian : lord forgiue vs for strayning our conscience in the least euill this day , giue vs thy mercifull assistance , that wee may cleaue to , & reioyce in the good testimony thereof ; that in simplicity and godly purenesse , with singlenesse and contentment , by thy grace wee haue had our conuersation in the worlde ; conuincing the hollownesse and hypocrisie of the same , which is the moath of well-doing : keehe vs good lord , from vncertaintie and dulnesse in good things , preserue vs from corruption in iudgement , and apostacy in life . inable vs to holde to the ende , and so obtaine the crowne : for this cause o lord giue vs an inclination and resolution of the heart to all goodnesse , that wee may iustifie and beautifie therby our professiō , giuing diligence to make our calling and election sure , that in doing these things wee may neuer fall , and so bee deliuered from many inwarde pangs , and outward troubles : deare father , grant wee may may euer haue righteousnesse in most precious account , prosecuting it with all zeale and courage , and rest with delight and contentation in it , and practise the same , not onely as our knowledge informeth , but euen desire beyond our knowledge perfection therein ; lord make vs renounce nature , and holde on thy sonne iesus christ by a liuely faith , and bring foorth the fruits of true righteousnesse in him ; giue vs good god a holy and settled purpose to serue thee , a plaine and sound dealing in our callings , daily repentance and coueuenanting with thee , for recouery of our decaies , make our hearts daily to be informed out of thy word , that wee may worke continually as in thy presence , with a full and strong perswasion of thy loue , and plentifull experience of the same ; and preferre it aboue all things whatsoeuer , & more and more be assured of our acceptation into thy fauour , that no trouble , or dismay ouerwhelme vs with the weight thereof ; but if it shall bee thy good pleasure wee be assaulted on euery side , yet wee bee not in distresse , if in pouerty , yet not ouercome with pouerty , if persecuted , yet not forsaken ; if cast downe , yet perish not ; that euery where wee may beare about in our bodie the dying of our lord iesus christ , that the life of christ may also bee made manifest in vs : vouchsafe vnto vs o lord , the shield of true faith , whereby wee may beat back all the fiery darts of the diuell , as carnall confidence , presumption , security , infidelity , distrust , and incredulity : giue vs a constant desire of the promised happinesse , purging and preparing our selues to it , perfect thy worke , in mortifying our sinnes , preserue thy graces in vs , with increase of new obedience ; sustaine our hearts against the deferring of thy promises , & in contrary tentations , make vs haue refuge vnto thee ; to hold fast the hope which is set before vs , which wee haue as an anchor of our soules , both sure and stedfast : confirme therefore our faith against infidelity , and discontentment ; our hope against despaire , our truth against errour ; with the which , of thine owne will thou didst begette vs , that wee should bee as the first fruits of thy creatures : confound satans kingdom , the worldes deceitfulnesse , and our hearts doubtfulnesse ; inlighten our vnderstanding with this sauing knowledge of thee o god , confirme & stablish our iudgements therein , quiet our conscinces , sub due our wils and affections to thee , and grant vs thy mercifull concurrence , that wee may finish our course with ioy : now lord wee make our prayers to thee this night in an acceptable time , euen in the multitude of thy mercies , o god heare vs , in the truth of thy saluation wee will therefore lie vs downe , and also sleep in peace , for thou lord only , maketh vs dwell in safety : to god the father our creator , to god the sonne our redeemer , to the holy ghost our sanctifier & comforter , we ascribe all honor , power , and glory now and euermore , amen . a prayer for saturday morning . praised be thou o ood , which hast not put back our prayers , nor thy mercies form vs , our life ( alas ) is subiect to many fearefull breaches , and distractions , with many false shadowes , & appearances of good ; for not onely doe we not shine as lights before others , but also in respect of our euill example , we are stumbling-blocks to them , we doe little alas , or rather nothing to edification , but to offence ; lord , wee heartily mourne for all our sinnes , whereunto wee haue yeelded our selues this night , and all our life time before , and do this morning renew our repentance and vowes vnto thee , more effectually then before ; intending our callings more carefully and conscionably then we haue done , labouring both to auoide the outwarde acte of sinne , & to haue our hearts purged from the euill thoughts thereof : that wee giue no way to our corruptions , but bee masters of them , and so bee free from the rage amd slauery of the same , which is the greatest happinesse in this worlde : for if wee say wee haue fellowship with thee and walk in darknesse , we lie , and do not truely ; wherefore o lord , grant that wee may possesse contrite and broken hearts for all our sins , with remembrance of thee in our greatest security , awake and rowse vs vp from the dead sleep of sin , make vs desire euermore carefully to serue thee , looking for and hasting vnto the comming of that great day of thee our god ; by which the heaaens beeing on fire , shall bee disolued , and the elements shall melt with heate : o sweete father , make vs diligent now , that wee may bee found then in thy beloued sonne iesus christ , our lord and sauiour , in peace , without spot , and blamelesse , hauing by thee increase of his grace in vs , experience of his raigning in our mortall bodies , by whom wee shall haue strength and assurance to perseuere and continue to the end : for this purpose deare father , daily quicken our estate in christ thy son , by constant and serious repentance , that from thee our holy purpose being renewed , we likewise also receiue strength to practice accordingly , make vs ouercome the world by thy power , which hindereth our groth in grace , pressing vs downe , euen with our own weight : enlarge our hearts , consciences , wills , and affections , that all the members of our bodies may be enliued ; restrain and bridle our corruptions , that wee may daily weaken them , heartily loath them , and groane vnder them , keepe vs from despaire , and ourwarde reproach , let not the time , multitude , and example of sinne , draw vs away which doe commit sin most greedily , and hide it most dangerously , let our hearts still cleaue vnto thee , and to thy word ; that by it daily sent out of our selues , wee may obtaine new strength in thy sonne iesus christ , to goe forward in well-doing , that discerning our inability thereto , wee may interest our selues in his pretious merits , that growing in grace , we may be perfected in glory ; for the increase of glory , shall answer to the increase of grace : lord thou knowest , wee shall haue this day , as wee haue had heretofore , more tentations and oppositions of the world , humble vs , and make vs patient , that wee may by thy spirit preuailing in vs , be euen ioyfull in all our crosses , aduersities , and troubles whatsoeuer ; charitable in iudging others , zealouse ouer our selues , holy and vpright in our duties and callings , that wee may more and more feare thee , o great and glorious god , more and more humbled in thy greatest mercie , more and more thankefull for the least of thy blessings , whereunto we haue obtained a right only in christ iesus , who accepted of vs aboue the worth of our obedience , grant vs wee may be cast downe by serious meditation of thy maiesty , power , and goodnes , as also of our owne vnworthinesse ; o how many are thy deliuerances from euill , preseruations , and goodnesse , acceptances of vnperfect seruice , renewing and increasing of spirituall and temporall blessings , preuentions of wickednesse , which we acknowledge to be thy great mercies in vs , confessing therewith our manifolde wants , desiring humbly , faithfully , continually , and constantly , suppliment of them , receiuing in the meane time euery present blessing , as steps and pledges in our right to heauen ; power , and mercy belongeth to thee , o lord , holy and fearefull is thy name , how gracious and mercifull art thou ? slowe to anger , and of great kindnesse , thou art good to all , and thy mercies are ouer all thy workes : teach vs to do thy will this day ; for thou art our god , let thy good spirit leade vs vnto the land of righteousnesse , to thee therefore , with the frther , and the holy spirit , be glorie , praise , & honour , world without end . amen . a prayer for saturday euening . lord there is risen vnto vs , and wee haue apprehended light in darkenesse , wee haue waited the accomplishment of thy promises , in thy light we shall see light , and now heauenly father , wee renew this night the memory of the by-past dayes blessings , bestowed vpon vs most vnprofitable seruants , begging , yea more and more recounting that wee haue receiued , beseeching thee to giue vs grace , that wee doe not doate or rest vpon temporary things , but rather forget them in regard of the the things of the life to come : lord grant vs true wisedome , to thinke not so much what thou canst giue vs , but what is fit for vs to receiue ; neither so much on what wee want , as what wee haue aboue many of thy most dear children , neither yet what we haue , but how we haue vsed it , and yet not so much what wee haue , as what we may haue if we doe beleeue , be thankefull and obedient vnto thee : how deare therfore are thy thoughts vnto vs o lord ? how great is the summe of them ? if we should count them , they are more then the sand , when wee awake , wee are still with the ; for when we called , then thou heardest vs , and hast increased strength in our soules ; thou art our god , heare o lord the noyse of our prayers , o lord god , the strength of our saluation , thou art our hope , and our portion in the land of the liuing , let vs heare therefore thy louing kindnesse in the morning , for in thee is our trust : shew vs the way that wee should walke in , for we lift vp our soules vnto thee , deliuer vs o lord , from all danger of body and soule , this night and euermore : for we hide vs with thee , and blessed is hee that hath thee the god of iacob for his helpe , whose hope is in the lord his god , who is neare vnto all that call vpon , yea vnto all that call vpon him in truth ; thou wilt fulfil the desire of them that feare thee , thou wilt also heare their cry , and thou wilt saue them ; thou preseruest all them that loue thee , all flesh shall blesse thy holy name for euer and euer : what a prerogatiue is this thou grantest vnto vs , o heauenly father , to attaine vnto by thanksgiuing , in that thou o god art the receiuer , and we the giuers vnto thee : and how much better it is to giue then to receiue and how small a tributerequirest thou for al thy benefits ; teach vs remember what wee haue receiued & heard , to hold it fast and repent , least thou come on vs as a theefe in the night , and it may bee this same night , for we doe not know what houre thou wilt come , but lord faithfull art thou , which hast called vs to the fellowship of iesus christ our lord , who will also do it , for thy gifts are without repentance : yea , and wee haue thy christ interceding for vs at this time , that our faith faile not ; and thy holy spirit whereby we doe call abba deare father , doth abide with vs , and shall continue vnto the worlds end : deare father , whome thou once louest thou louest to the ende , and wee are married vnno thee in holinesse and righteousnesse , because it is thy pleasure and will , we are vnited vnto thy son our head , and giuen to him of thee , and therefore wee are sure none shall take vs out of his hands , grant vs therefore euerlasting father according to the riches of thy glory , that wee may be strengthened by thy spirit in the inward man , that thy sonne christ may dwell in our hearts by faith , and we being rooted and grounded in loue , may be able to cōprehend with all thy ▪ saints what is the bredth , and length , and depth & height , and to know the loue of thy deare sonne iesus christ , which passeth knowledge , that wee may be filled with all fulnesse of thee our god , vnto thee therefore that is able to doe exceeding aboundantly aboue all that aske or thinke , according to thy power which worketh in vs , be praise in the church of iesus christ thoroughout all generations , for euer amen . a prayer for sunday morning . o lord our god , wee this day returne vnto thee , who haue fallen by our owne iniquity , now againe doe wee take hold of thee , & will not leaue thee : wee feele in this our recouery , the vndoubted grace of thee our god , in the experience of these sensible combates within vs , of the flesh and the spirite , which are constant testimonies , & sure sealings , of our begun regeneration : now are wee mercifull father ashamed of our faults , and do here this day promise to bee more fearefull of our selues , and not so venturous vpon the occasions which are the borders of sin , which haue also lessened thy grace oftentimes in vs ; but o lord our god , hide thy face from our sinnes , and put away all our iniquiries , cast vs not away from thy presence , & take not thy holy spirit from vs , restore vs to the ioy of thy saluation , and stablish vs with thy free spirit , whō wee haue ( alas ) so often grieued , especially on the solemne day of thy sabbath , wee haue polluted and prophaned the same , making vp thereby our transgression of the whole lawe , wee haue hypocritically professed , without any benefite heard thy word , so that iustly thou maiest deny vs the good occasion of this daies rest , for the which we haue deserued to bee henceforth secluded from so seasonable opportunity and visitation , thou hast offered vnto vs , that by hearing wee should heare and not vnderstand , and by seeing wee should see and not perceiue , yea our hearts doe waxe fatte , and our eares dull of hearing , least we should vnderstand with our hearts , and return that thou maist heale vs , giue vs therefore thy grace to rightly esteeme of this so great a mercy , and strengthen vs this day to sanctifie and appropriate it to the right end , to a speciall manner of hearing thee according to thy lawe , that wee shake off all impediments whatsoeuer , which may with holde from the publique and priuate duties of vnfained godlinesse , in keeping our hands from doing euill , and choosing the thing that pleaseth thee , & taking holde of thy couenant , that thou mayst make vs ioyfull in the house of prayer , and accept of our sacrifices of prayer & thankfulnesse , vpon that thy holy altar , euen iesus christ our sauiour , that we may turne away our feete from doing our will on thy holy day , & call thy sabbath a delight to consecrate it as glorious to thee , o lord ; honoring thee , not doing our owne wills , nor speaking a vaine word : and albeit we shall be assaulted o heauenly father , with many lets and incumberances , to perform this obedience , yet giue vs thy holy spirit , that we may preferre it to whatsouer motions sinne , sathan , the flesh , or the world shal suggest to the contrary , euer directing our minde to the contemplation of that euerlasting sabbath , when from moneth to moneth , and sabbath to sabbath , al flesh shall come to worship before thee : giue vs therefore o heauenly father , thy grace to sequester our selues from all kinde of seruile actions , and outward imployments , with all froward affections and lusts , that we may study to enter into that rest with thy people , and cease from our owne works , as thou o lord didst vnto thine : blessed god , strike in our hearts in time of praier , a reuerent esteemation of thy glorious maiestie , a feeling of our defects , and giue constant faith in thy sweete promises , faithfull remembrance of thy receiued blessings , louing and charitable affections towardes our neighbours , and grant vnto vs mercifull father , while wee heare , a wide and open heart to receiue , and holy ludgement to discerne , lowlinesse in minde , feeling in the inward man , and stability in the memory , and euermore in thy seruice bestow on vs an humble soule , an hungring and thirsting heart , that the blood of the lord iesus christ which thorough the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to thee our god , may purge our consciences frō dead works to serue thee the lord : vouchsafe on vs an vnfained loue to thy word , that wee may lay it vp and hide it in our soules , and euer sanctifie our thoughts , that our whole meditations may be thereon , and practise the same in life and conuersation , that all men seeing our good workes may glorifie thee our heauenly father , to thee therefore , with the sonne , and the holy ghost , we render all glory , praise and dominion , both now & for euermore , amen . a prayer for sunday euening . glory , praise , and honour , bee vnto thee most mercifull and heauenly father , who hast appointed this speciall day and ministry of thy word , for our instruction : o lord , grant wee may feele our knowledge increased , our faith strengthened , our soules , mindes , and consciences , aboundantly thereby refreshed , good god thou hast promised that if any lacke wisedome thou wilt giue it him , yea & all other things in and with thy christ ; we beseech thee therfore make thy holy worde a power of life vnto life vnto vs , yea a power of saluation vnto vs that beleeue in parte , yea lord wee beleeue , we pray thee helpe our vnbeliefe : for wee are fraught with blindesse and error , our affections frowarde , peruerse , and disordered , and reprobate to any good worke by nature , make vs good lord new creatures , that as new borne babes we may desire the sincere milk of thy word that we may grow thereby : annoynt our eyes with the eye-salue of thy holy spirit , lord ioine to thy word that penetratiue vertue to pierce and finde out our so pregnant corruptions : for it is liuely and mighty in operation , and sharper then any two-edged sword , and entereth through , euen vnto the diuiding asunder of the soule and the spirite , and of the ioynts and marow , & is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart , which we beseech thee by thy word to discouer , rip vp and ransacke to the bottome , giue vs a lowly heart to make a lowly vse of reprehensions out of thy worde , and apply them earnestly to our selues , that the righteous may smite vs , which is a benefit , and reproue vs which is as pretious oyle that shall not breake our heads , that by them wee may be reclaimed from our froward & backwarde wills : and because good lord our remembrance of good things is very short and faileable , and doth reserue very few good things against the houre of temptation , & day of death : make vs good lord carefull euer to heare , meditate , pray , and conferre , giuing alwaies thankes with a plyable obediēce to thy lawes , that in spirituall discretion , and heauenly wisdome , we may consummate our perigrination here , and worke out our saluation with feare & trembling : by thy grace establish our hearts in thy truth , that wee be not carried about with euery light winde of doctrine , but that wee may lay holde on the good , labouring daily to be led on to perfection : and most gracious father , make vs not onely to see and feele our owne defects , but giue vs a heart to lament them , lord freely and finally pardon them , for iesus christ thy deare sonne sake , moisten and water our hard & dry hearts , with the dew of thy heauēly blessings , shoure them downe vpon vs , for lightning of our minds , setling of our iudgements , cōforting of our soules , and reformation of our mis-behauiours , grant we may yeeld a full assent to the truth of thy word , not measuring it after the crooked rule of our mis-leading affections , that wee be not of those which make a show of religion but deny the power thereof , and wee beseech thee for thy tender mercies sake , this night to subdue the flesh , which lusteth against the spirit , confound satan , aduersary to our saluation , and keep vs against the example of the worlde , which is set in euill ; that we may neuer be wearie to beginne where wee left off in well-doing , neither yet breake off where thou requirest continuance of obedience , but goe from faith to faith , like the way of the righteous , which as the light shineth more and more vnto perfect day , so shall wee glorifie thy name and our owne soules be strengtheded , the weake ones by our example bee confirmed and edified , the vnruly admonished , the feeble-minded comforted , and be patient toward all men , and shall dissolue from hence in thy fauour , whilst now we liue in thy feare , hauing in our mouthes a new song of thanksgiuing occasioned by thy new blessings day by day , & heauenly graces be-bestowed vpon vs in iesus christ our lord and onely sauiour , to whom with thee and the holy spirit , be praise , and glory , for euermore amen . a meditation of the mercy and iustice of god : against declining either to the left or right hand , in presumption or despaire that wee may leade an euen course in christianity . london , printed by nicholas okes , for daniel speed ; and are to be sold at his shop vnder s. mildreds church in the poultry . . to the right worshipfull , sir william alexander , knight , secretarie , and one of his maiesties most honerable priuy councell in scotland . men to make themselues as it were eternall , they write their names on their houses ; absolon reared a piller , is not this ( said one ) niniuie which i builded for my glory , & ninus to immortalise his father belus , made for him an idoll , in whose dominions while terrah abrahams father did dwell , he became with the rest an idolater , these would haue their fame & time ending together , but they haue shot short , of the seauen wonders of the world , nothing but naked names remaine : all these are mutilate inuentions , to the iew departed , his brother or nearest kinsman must raise seed to continue his name in israell , but children beeing the lords gift , could not bee had when & as they would : books , with time that eates all , doth often smoother , may successiuely by concatenation of ages in the presse as a new phoenix reuiue , but all these to perpetuity are set apart as faulty . for as they all , monuments , children and bookes , are of this below , so shall with the same although neuer so olde bee dissolued , the godly man only and his name doth euer indure , who hath it , and himselfe also written in heauen , and registered in the booke of life , for all consuming oblusion hath no place , your vertues and graces make you liue longer then any of these post-running records : but your goodnes for euer , with the antient of daies , to whō i heartily pray that after your period shall bee faithfully finished here , you may be partaker of glory : thus i rest euer your worships , in all christian duty to be commanded , barthol . robinson . a. meditation of the infinite mercy , and iustice of god , against declining either to the left or right hand , in presumption , or despaire that we may lead an euen course in christianity . ii is certaine , caine his offence in his speech in extenuating the lords mercy , was greater then that trespasse done by his hand , in shedding his brothers innocent blood , for he might haue obtained pardon for the same if hee had beene capable of it , for although mans heart be deceitfull aboue all things , and that all the immaginations of his thoughts be euill continually , and desperately wicked , so that none can knowe it , so deepe it is : yet infinitly more deepe , yea insearchable are the riches of the mercies of christ , for what proportion is there betwixt a sparke of fire , and the great vast gulfe of the ocean to quench it , hee will turne againe saith the prophet , hee will haue compassion vpon thee , hee will subdue thy iniquity , & cast all thy fins into the depth of the sea , for he retaineth not his anger for euer , because he belighteth in mercy , yea there is no sea so large but the lord hath set a bound that it may not passe ouer , but as the heauen is high aboue the earth , so great is his mercy towards them that feare him , as farre us the east is from the west , so farre hath hee remoouer our transgressions from vs : this then so ample a depth of his mercy , easily doth swallow vp the shallow profundity of sin , how deep soeuer it be ; for with the lord is mercy , and with him is great redemption , beholde , hee doth not abhorre the confessing theefe , the weeping sinner , the hūble cananite , the lately taken adultresse , the wrongfull customer , the contrite publican , neither yet his disciple that denyed him , nor that bloody persecutor of the disciples , yea not thē that crucified him but prayed for them : how great then is thy goodnes o lord which thou hast laide vppe for them that feare thee ? and done to them that trust in thee , euen before the sonnes of men ; for the earth is full of the goodnes of the lord , taste then & see how gracious the lord is , his louing kindnesse is better then life , his mercy is aboue all his works , as oyle swimmeth aboue water : wherefore the lord takes this stile in commendation specially to himselfe , that hee will bee called the father of mercy and god of consolation , for it doth lye as ▪ it were in his bosome , and is vnto him as his daughter , euen the bowels of compassion , hee accounteth his riches not to consist in kingdomes , heauens , or angels , all which , although he possesse , yet he can create better if it were his pleasure ; but hee is rich in mercy , for there is nothing better , nothing greater , for his mercy is not onely aboue all his workes , but also it reioyceth against iudgement , and gloriously triumpheth ouer it : the mercy seate which was a type of christ , in whom god is well pleased , was without the arke but the testimony of the tables of the lawe were within , the same ▪ mercie compassing and shutting vp iustice within it : indeede the cherubins with a fiery sword debarred adam from accesse to the garden again , but in this mercy-seate the cherubins stretch out their wings on high , and couers the mercy-seate with their wings , so christ stretcheth out his hands all the day long vnto vs , gathering vs as the henne doth her chickens , yea and the lawe it selfe which is a proclamation of gods iustice , in the second cōmandement doth visite iniquity , vnto the third and fourth generation , but extendeth mercy vnto the thousand of them that loue him , herein therefore doth mercy glory , and as is were boast it selfe , for where mercy is mentioned , there is no speech made of iustice , but when iudgement is denounced , there is euery place left for mercy which is promised to the penitent , so the lord is gracious and full of compassino , what can hee deny vs that hath giuen his owne sonne for vs , and hee that hath giuen his life for vs , cannot refuse to giue vs his mercy , so maiest thou say , vnto thee o my strength will i sing , for god is my defence , and the god of my mercies , for thou lord hast not failed them that seeke thee , for as thy maiesty is , so is thy mercy , yea and to the sinfull hee doth say , thou hast rauished my heart my sister my spouse , thou hast rauished my heart , turne away thine eyes from me for thou hast ouercome mee ; yes truely , that true and liuing sampson for the loue hee did beare to thee was crucified of the iewes , as that other sampson was put to death by the philistims . and what can more liuely portrait out his mercy , then when hee saith , i am pressed vnder , as a cart is pressed that is ful of sheaues , yea lord great is thy pitty in delaying and prolongging thy wrath , thy mercie and moderation in inflicting it , great is thy goodnesse in remouing thy anger and iudgements procured thereby . dauid after he had slept as long as women vsually goe with child , or there about , when hee had trauailed with iniquity , and had conceiued mischiefe , and brought forth falshood , for when lust was conceiued , it brought forth sinne , and sin when it was finished broght forth death : yet the lord ( such is euer his clemency ) desired him to make choice of punishment , although dauid had prouoked him to wrath , against the lawe of armes , wherein the weapons shold be in the election of him that is offended , and not in his that prouokes ; o that wee were wise and vnderstoode this , that we would consider our later end , and so , albeit we grieue his spirit often and diuerse times , yet so manifold are his tender mercies , that as about the time of forty yeares god suffered the israelites manners in the wildernesse , so hath hee euen to this day sparred vs , what could he haue done any more to his vineyard that he hath not done to it : let vs now at the last search and try our waies , and turne againe to the lord , let vs lift vp our hearts with our hands vnto our god in the heouens , whom wee haue pressed with our sinnes as with a talent of leade , for hee is not slacke concerning his promise , ( as some men count slacknesse ) but is patient toward vs , and would haue no man to perish , but would all men to come to repentance . the wicked still say , because hee delayes his comming , either by continuation of present punishment , or prorogation of their life , where is the promise of his comming , for since the fathers died , all things continue alike from the beginning of the creation , and doth god know it , say they , is there knowledge in the most high ? can hee iudge through the darke clouds ? the cloudes hide him that hee cannot see , and he walketh in the circle of heauen , and so doe they think in their heart , god hath forgotten , hee hideth away his face , and will neuer see : the vision that is seene is for many dayes to come , and doth prophecy of the times that are farre off : but woe vnto them that drawe iniquity with cords of vanity , and sin as with cart-ropes , which say , let them make speed , let them hasten his worke , that wee may see , and let the counsell of the holy one drawe neare , and come that wee may knowe it . and when the seruant doth say in his heart , my master doth deferre his comming , and shall begin to smite the seruants , and maidens , and to eate and drinke , and be drunken , the master of that seruant will come in a day when hee thinketh not , and at an houre that hee is not aware of , and will cut him off , & giue him his portion with vnbeleeuers . therfore beloued sinne not because grace hath abounded , for the grace of god which bringeth saluation vnto all men hath appeared , teaching vs that we should deny vngodlinesse and wordly lusts , and that wee should liue soberly & righteously , and godly in this present world : despise not therefore the riches of his bountifulnesse , and patience , and long sufferance , knowing that the bountifulnes of god leadeth thee to repentance , least thou after thy hardnesse , and heart that cannot repent , heape vppe to thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath : and truely his long suffering is saluation , and repentance the way to bring vs thereto , that we may finde mercy with the lord at that day : thus the heart of the penitent is like waxe , it is molten in the middest of their bowels , but the wickeds is as strong as a stone , and as hard as the nether mil-stone : thus they sowe pillowes vnder their arme-holes , and make vailes vpon the head of euery one that standeth vp to winne soules , lying in sinne , and presumptuously reposing vpon vaine perswasion of the mercy of god , which they euer abuse , truely his mercie is that green-bed wherin his true members doe lie , howsoeuer the wicked make his mercy cloakes of shame , for as the apostle saith , they haue theis liberty for a cloake of malitiousnesse , saying as the iewes did , this is the temple of the lorde , rrusting in lying wordes that cannot profit , but bee thou not deceiued , god is not mocked ; let no man deceiue thee with vain wordes , for , for these things the wrath of god comes vpon the children of misbeliefe , who rest in their owne peace and security , when as hee that walketh vprightly , walketh onely boldly and in the feare of the lord , is an assured strength : wherefore well doth the wise-man aduise vs , say not gods mercy is great , hee will bee pacified for the multitude of my sins , for mercy and wrath come from him , and his indignation resteth vpon sinners , make no tarrying to turne to the lord , and put not off from day to day , for suddenly shall the wrath of the lord come forth , and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed , and perish in the day of vengeance : and againe say not , i haue sinned and what harme hath happened vnto mee ? for the lord is long-suffering , he will in nowise let thee go : and concerning propitiation be not without feare to adde sinne to sinne . is not the mercy of god great ? and nothing can be greater , & larger , as is said , the archangels and angels in heauen , prophets , apopostles , martyrs , and confessors on earth , and all things that liue , or yet are created , commend the same , & in one psalme , euery verse ( euen twenty sixe times ) endeth with this , for his mercy endureth for euer . o but beware hereof , this is satans olde subtilty , whereby hee maketh man bolde on sinne , as hee did euah , you shall not die at all said hee , hee couereth and hideth the lords iustice from mens eyes , and remoueth the euill day a far off ; thus hee lieth in waite secretly , euen as a lyon in his den , he lieth in wait to spoyle the poore , when he draweth him into his net , therefore heape of poore do fall by his might , but hee greatly enlargeth the lords bountifulnes , and patience ; for as it is true the lord is mercifull , so is this true that hee visiteth the iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generation , & therefore thou must consider that which dauid did sing , i wil sing mercy and iudgement saith hee , vnto thee o lord will i sing . and herein is god and his ministers , distinguished from satan and his ; for god euer conioyneth mercy and iustice together , but satan harpes continually on one of them onely , as hee saith , peace , peace , when there is no peace , thus these monsters draw out their breast , and giue sucke to their young ones , thus the wicked is made to boast of his owne hearts desire , hee blesseth himselfe and contemneth the lord ; the deceiuing teachers wordes , are softer then butter , yet is there warre in the heart of him they are spoken to , their wordes i say are more gentle then oyle , yet are they swords , but if thou wilt bee cured , beloued , there must be put into thy sores both wine and oyle , that thou maiest suffer the wholesome and sound doctrine , and not resemble those , whose itching eares turne away from hearing the truth , on whom while they dream on peace and safety , then sudden destruction commeth as sorrow vpon a woman with childe , and they shall not escape any wise . whenas a childe hath a bird tyed by the foot , tosseth it to and fro vntill hee kill it ; so these false teachers , & men seducing themselues , while they abuse the lords tender mercies , as if they were bound to all their youthfull sinnes , and antient follies , want only & insolently bragging of thē , and grieuing the holy spirit of israel : they turne his mercies ( i say ) thus disdained by them , vnto the bitternesse of his wrath , fooles and children they may bee called concerning vnderstanding , albeit they bee of a ripe age . and like as an olde man beeing to passe ouer a narrow and small bridge , putteth on his spectacles , in which the bridge appeareth a great deale bigger then of it selfe it is , where hee falleth to the hazard of his life in the ditch , so they that wander from this mortality to immortality by the mercies of god , not rightly esteeming the same , but walkes in the broade way that leadeth to destruction , they may i say , cry out , great is his mercy , which yet is not so great that it will fauour them which delay from time to time to turn to the sauiour of mankinde , which haue made a couenant with death , and with hell are at agreement , though a scourge run ouer , and passe thorough , it shall not come say they , at vs , for we haue made falshood our refuge , and vnder vanity are wee hid , but what followeth hereon ? - hey falling from the bridge of their vaine hope , and satan that deceiued them , shall be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone , then shall they with great griefe say to the mountaines and rockes , fall vpon vs , and hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth vpon the throne , and from the wrath of the lamb , for the great day of his wrath is come , and who can stand ? yes truely , they will wish any thing fall rather vpon them , then that they should fall into that lake . o but can a lambe wax angry , yea the more patient and slow the lord is to punish sinne , the more irefull he is when in spite hee is prouoked to his face , which the very saincts of god haue wisely fore-seen ; o lord rebuke mee not in thine anger , saith hee , neither chastise mee in thy wrath : and the prophet , lord correct mee but with iudgement not in thy anger , least thou bring me to nothing , and no maruell , for euen the angels in that vision had the face of a man and of a lion , euen as they were taught of the lord : hee had the face of a lambe to take away the sinnes of the world , yea and the face of a lion to punish the sins of the world , for this is the day of grace and acceptable time , wherein mercy is offered to the penitent , which being neglected and contemned , in his day , the day i say of the lord , hee will vtter cruelty , wherefore the prophet saith , woe be vnto them that desire the day of the lord , what haue you to doe with the day of the lord ? it is darknesse , and not light : but the godly contrarily desire the time to bee at hand , and therefore doe earnestly craue the appearance of the lord iesus , saying , euen so come lord iesus , come and tarry not : which the wicked doe tauntingly and scornefully vtter , but as sampson was reuenged on the philistims who iested at him , so beholde here is a stronger one then sampson , for now by mercy hee is a man , that is sometime to be a lyon , and the man is that lambe that taketh away the sinnes of the repentant : but then the lyon shall be to the wilfull and stubborne sinner , a boare to teare them in peeces . and thus god suffereth with long patience , the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction , and to declare the riches of his glory vpon the vessels of mercy , which hee had prepared vnto mercy : cast not away therfore beloued , thy confidence which hath great recompence of rewarde , for thou hast need of patience , that after thou hast done the will of god , thou maiest receiue the crowne , and be not one of them which with-drawe themselues to perdition , but be of faith to the saluation of thy soule , if thou cast thy selfe downe humbly at his feet , water thy couch in thy earnest repentance with teares , if thou shalt with all thy soule aske mercy and forgiuenesse , god cannot deny himselfe , hee is faithfull , and will forgiue , euen for his owne sonnes blood , as of a lambe without ipot and blemish , & let all them which are redeemed , thus refuse all things in regarde thereof , and cast downe their crownes before his feete , confessing them to haue beene , and now are most vnprofitable seruants , and hee will put away their transgressions as a clowde and like a mist : o turne vs vnto thee o lord , for thou art our sauiour , waken vs that we may strengthen the things which remaine that are ready to die , before our wickednes be full , and time of recouery past , so shalt thou redeeme our life from the graue , and crowne vs with mercy and compassions , and thereafter bestow on vs the crowne of righteousnesse layed vp for vs , which the lord the righteous iudge shall giue vs at that day , & not to vs only , but vnto all them also that loue his appearance ; wee shall euen receiue i say that incorruptible crowne of glory at the appearance of of our chiefe shepheard , not for the works of righteousnesse which wee haue done ( for our best are but glistering sins ) but for his owne bountifulnesse , ( and loue of his meer mercy , fauour , and grace , to vs which walke in the spirit , and do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh : for he that soweth in the flesh , shall of the flesh reape corruption , but he that soweth to the spirit , shall of the spirit reape life euerlasting : let vs then bee renewed in the spirit of our minde , and put on the new man , which after god is created in righteousnes and holinesse , haue the worlde crucified to vs , and vs to the world , yea & that we may liue vnto god , bee crucified with christ , and may in all soundnesse of minde say , i liue yet , not i now but christ liueth in me , and in that i now liue in the flesh , i liue by faith in the sonne of god , who hath loued mee , and giuen himselfe for mee : o that once ( to conclude ) wee might thinke all things but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of christ iesus our lord , and iudge them but dung , that wee may winne christ , setting alwaies our affections on things that are aboue , and not on things which are on the earth , that beeing dead to sinne , our life may bee hidde with god in christ , that when hee that is our life shall appeare , we may also appeare with him in glory , to whom with the father , and the holy ghost , we render all glory , praise , maiesty , and dominion , both now and euer-more , amen . a heauenly & christian caueat , whensoeuer , or wheresoeuer the diuell by suggestions , the flesh by the corruption thereof , or the world by wicked example , would allure or entice thee to sinne , then seriously bethinke thee , and guard thee with these few articles . vveigh diligently the eternity both of life which is a reward of well-doing , as also of death & paine , for yeelding to the contrary , which both are such as the eye hath not seen , the eare hath not heard , neither yet can enter into the heart of man , and shall rather by sense be felt . then by iudgement bee vnderstood . remember the nobility , worth , and dignity , of the nature of man , how gracious it is in the sight of god , while it standeth in grace ; how abiect & vile it is subiect vnder sinne . consider the value of the rest , tranquillity , and peace of a good mind , both with god , thy selfe , and thy neighbour , for while thou sinnest god is against thee , to punish thee ; in doing well satan is against thee , to assault thee . make euery day a recitall of the lords blessings vpon thee , in thy predestination and election , before thou wast created , his gifts before thou camest to knowledge , and his preseruation of thee vntill now , from deserued plagues of of pestilence , sworde , famine , fire , and water , in place whereof , hee prolongeth thy life , giueth thee food , rayment , and health of body , giueth his presence in his word and sacraments for thy soule , his spirit to thy effectuall calling to grace , benefites publicke and priuate , generall and particular , which are so infinitely and vndeseruedly poured on thee , while thou refusest thy loyalty to thy soueraigne , reuolts , & confederates with his greatest enemies . meditate the paines of christ in his whole life , what hee was before his incarnation , and what he became after , looke vnto his crosse , passion , and bitter death , and for whom he did vndergoe the same , and how wee rewarde him with despighfull vnthankefulnesse , distrusting his goodnes altogether , or else too much presumptuously re-lying thereon , in continuation of our sinnes , and postponing of repentance . consider , that without hearty and zealous remorse , neuer any shall attaine to life euerlasting , & that it is not a gift may bee had at all times , yea it is often refused , because the pretious time of visitation was neglected , than it is seldome true & liuely when it is to late , that very often impenitency is tyed to sin , with the wages thereof . . that death is a faithfull doore-keeper , which will not suffer thee to haue more with thee out of this world of the goods thereof , but so much as thou bringest in with thee , which is nakednesse , crying , and griefe : the goods of faith , hope , repentance , and charity , shall onely accompanie and follow the conscience after death , which shall neuer be seuered from the soule , either in well or euill doing , but supplies in wickednesse all the offices of a court , cites , arrests , presents , iudgeth , beareth witnesse , condemneth or iustifieth , executeth & tormenteth eternally , for it is that worme that dyeth not . death as our shadow attendeth vs in euery place , which as it is most certaine , so the day and houre is most vncertaine to vs , for who knoweth the time , houre , or place thereof . looke that the longest liuer hath beene gathered to his fathers , and hath gone the way of all flesh , our life being but a sleepe , or shadowe of longer or shorter continuance . pause vpon the inesteemable good we lose by sinning , hardly recoueraable : the infinite and vnspeakeable euill wee incurre thereby , how short pleasure is requited with vnmeasurable torment . remember the companions which euer attend vpon sinne , gods high displeasure , the losse of the right which we haue to his creatures , the grieuing of his spirit , & the banishing of his good angells from vs , confusion , storme and torture of minde , a fearfull expectation of gods insupportable wrath , the sparkes whereof doe beginne but to be kindled here , beside the loath somenesse , wearisomenesse , and anxiety wee haue in the sweetest fits of sinne . consider the patriarkes , prophets , apostles , martyres , and all the godly , how wisely they haue daunted and bridled their vitious willes and affections , and couragiously ouer-throwne the strong holde of sinne within them , for the crown of glory that was set before them , died in gods fauour , and liued all their time in his feare , left testimony and cōmendation behind them , to the end of the world , of their strong and inuincible faith , but the memory of the wicked doth rot , and his posterity is plagued . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e psa. . . cant. . hos. ▪ hos. . . luk. . . pet. . psal. . & . & act. . cal. . sam. . tim. . psal. . psal. . psa. . psa. . eph. . . iob. . rom. . . cor. heb. . eph. . . notes for div a -e gen. . iam. . psa. ier. . eph. . tit. . ier. . ro. . . iam. . iob . iob . iob . iob . psa. . ps. . . psa. . ier. ier. . hag. . iam. . psa. . psa. . pro. . pro. . eccl. . . . ezek. psa. ier. . hos. . ier. . zach. . can. . . ier. . ier. . . pet . . heb. . . na. . eccl. . esay . ier. . deut. . ier. . hos ▪ . . ioh. . rom. psa. . . . iohn . gen. gen. gen. gen. gen. gen. gen. exod. num. . sam. . kin. mat. luk. ioh. act. ioh. . eccl. . pro. esa. . . . mark. luk. . xo rom. . iob. . psa. . esa. . . eecl . . wis. . . ier. . iob. . psa. . hos. . esa. . ver . . esa. . esa. . psa. . rom. . pro. . psa. . psa. neh. . . dan. . . luk. gen. . sa. . . cor. . exod. num. num. num. num. num. . iud. . . sam. . kin. . sam. . kin. . king. . chro. act. ezek. . ioh. . pro. . psa. . rom. . rom . ier. . luk. rom. . luk. . gen. mic. ier . pro. psa. . . ps. . ioh. pro. . kin. ier. . reuel . . ger. . heb. . . cor. iob. . . ps . . iam. . . pet. pro. . rom. . . pro. . iud. mat. dan. . psa. . ps . psa. heb. psa. . iam. . . mar. . act. iam. . . rom. . ephe. . pro. . . cor. . . ioh. . luk. . heb. . rom. . luk. rom. . psa. . psa. psa. . ps. . es. . iob ps. . pro. . heb. . hab. . pro. . . ro. . ps. . . psa. . psa. . psa. . ps. hab. zeph. . iob. . ier. . . mal. . psa. . eccl. . pro. . pro. pro. . eccl. . eccl. . eccl. . lam. . iob. . . . pet. . eccl. . ps. . eccl. . eccl. . . mar. . mat. . luk. . pro. . pro. . eccl. . mat. gen. . pro. pro. . ephe. . psa. . gal. . phil. . . pet. . ephe. . . tim. ioh. . luk. . am. . psa. . heb. heb. . pro. . ese . . . pet. . eccl. psa. . ps. . psa. . psa. . ps. psa. . psa. . ier. . col. . psa. . psa. . psa. . deut. . phi. . psa. . eccl. psa. . eccl. . iob. . mat. . psa. . . psa. . . tim. iob. . . cor. . pet. . mich. . eph. . psa. . iudg. . eccl . psa. . . . pet. gen. . luk. heb. . psa. . iob . ier. . heb. . . pet. . ier. . mat. . . pet. . iob . . iob. . iob. . rom. . iob. . ier. . psa. . . psa. . gal. . esa. ro. mat. . luk. . gal. . mat. . heb. . rom. . heb. . heb. ro. . . co. . ro. . ro. . ro. . . cor. col. . . ioh. . ro. . ro. . psa. . cor. . . cor. . pet. . . tim. notes for div a -e psa. . psa. . psa. . psa. . psa. . luk. . psa . neh. . dan. . esd. . iob. psa. . rom. . . tim. . phil. . gal. . iam. . . heb. . psa. . ioh. . iam. . . iob . . leu. . gen. . psa. . rom. . ioh. . . pet. . deut. . pet. . . ioh. . eph. . eph. . . ioh. . eph. . heb. . eph. . . thes. ro. . lam. . luk. . . pet. . act. . rom. . heb . psa. . dan ro. . iam. . pro. . phil. . col. . heb. . pro. . esa. . eph. . ps. . . pet. . . pet. . iob. ioh. . . co. . ier. . ioh. . rom. . pet. . psa. . . thes. . tim. . . co. . . tim. . psa. . psa. . psa. . tim. ro. . ro. . phil. . ep. . . eph. eph. . heb. . eph. . ro. . deut. . col. . . . pet. . psa. . . ioh. . iam. . iob. . eph. . pro. . esa. . esa. . . ioh. . gal . . ro. . gal. . . co. ro. . mat. . eph. . psa. . . pro. . psa. . phil. . . tim. . psa. ▪ lam. . ps. . psa. . gen. . hab. gen. . hos. . mich. . psa. . zeph. . . cor. . ioh. tit. . eph. . heb. . rom. . psa. . ro. . rom. . heb. . luk. rom. . heb. ro. . . pet. . iob. . psal. . . cor. . ro. ● . . ioh. . psa. . eph. . co. . eph. . cor. . psa. . cor. . pet. . heb. . psa. heb. . . co. . . pet. . . co. psa. . cor. heb. . iam. . psa. . psa. psa. . mat. . . cor. . ioh. . . pet. . psa. . ps. . psa. . psa. psa. . ps. . psa. . psa. . luk. . ps. . psa. . ps. . . psa. . psa. . psa. . psa. . psa. . phil. ▪ . cor. luk. . ioh. . ioh. hos. col. ioh. ▪ eph. . hos. . cant. . luk. . mat. . psa. . eph ▪ esa. . mat. esa. . esa. . esa. . ier. . heb heb. . . heb. psa. . pro. . phil. . notes for div a -e gen. . ier. . eph. . mic. . ps. . psa. . psa. . psa. . psa. . psa. . psa. . . co. . . sa. . eph. . iam. . exo. . ro. . mat. . exod. . psa. . psa. . eccl. . can. . can. . . mac. . sa. . iam. . deu. . eph. . act. . esa. . lam. . zach. . . pet. . . pet. . psal. . iob. . psa. . ier. . es. . . luk. . tit. . rom. . pet. . psa. . eze. . cant. . . cor. . ier. . gal. . eph. . eccl. . . esa. psa. psa. psa. . ier. . lam. . psa. . psa. . . tim. . . thes. . . co. r esa. . reu. . reu . esa. . psa. . ier. . ezek. . am. . ren . iudg. . rom. heb. . . pet. . reu. . esa. , reuel . , gen. . psa. . . tim. . . pet. . tit. . rom. . gal. . gal. , eph. . gal. . gal. , phil. . col. . . a view of the threats and punishments recorded in the scriptures, alphabetically composed with some briefe observations upon severall texts / by zachary bogan ... bogan, zachary, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing b estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a view of the threats and punishments recorded in the scriptures, alphabetically composed with some briefe observations upon severall texts / by zachary bogan ... bogan, zachary, - . [ ], , - p. printed by h. hall for r. davis, oxford : . reproduction of original in bodleian library. includes index. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- early works to . punishment. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - andrew kuster sampled and proofread - andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a view of the threats and pvnishments recorded in the scriptures , alphabetically composed . vvith some briefe observations upon severall texts . by zachary bogan of c.c.c. oxon . num. . . — be sure your sinne will find you out . oxford , printed by h. hall for r. davis . . to my honovred father mr william bogan . sir , it is too well knowne to you , how for no lesse then foure or five yeares , ( by the just hand of god upon me for my many sins ; and , perhaps , more especially , for my presumption upon my power over my passions , and my phancy ; which i have most prefidently expressed , whensoever my friends bade me beware , how i yeelded to them ) i have been in a manner buried alive in melancholy , and spent my dayes in vanity . my distemper was such , as did not onely render me indisposed , by study to gather more knowledge then i had before , ( being not able for whole moneths together , to perswade my selfe to take a booke in hand ; and for severall yeares , if i had read any thing , to tell you what i had read : ) but also made me to loose a very great part of that which i had already gathered . and therefore i doubt not , but my acquaintance and country men , what ever they may think , and say too , sometimes , against mee for idlenesse : yet after a very few serious thoughts , doe abundantly excuse me . it is true , it was one of those things , which in my melancholy , my dejected spirit dwelt longest upon , that i had done god , and my brethren no service , having lived so long . but after a yeare or two , it pleased the lord ( who , i cannot say , did ever hide himselfe in my trouble , or despise my affliction ; but was ready to know me in all my adversity ) to set me in a way , wherein i might spend my time better , and passe thorow with more ease , some of the rest of those wearisome dayes , which he had appointed for me . he gave me a subject to meditate upon ( wherein he dealt suitably with my distemper , as well in the employment , as the subject : being fitter for meditation , then reading ) the mirth of a christian life , ( in opposition to those who disparage it with reports of melancholy & sadnes . ) vvhich accordingly i undertooke , and committed my meditations ( such as they were ) to paper . vvhen some yeares were past : you may remember , that the last winter , you told me in your letter , that my mother desired much to see those meditations printed . i resolved , considering the sickly condition she was then in , thoug●● they were never so unworthy the publike view , to satisfie her desire . but before ● had set upō the busines , it thus happened . being in a booksellers shop , and looking upon a treatise of god's promises ; i asked the bookeseller , whether he knew of any treatise of his threats being answered ( contrary to my expectation ) that he knew of none ; i was the more earnest to inquire further . and so i did ; but could heare of none . vvhereupon i told my bookeseller , that i resolved forthwith to read over the bible , and make a collection of them my selfe ; and , if it pleased god to incourage me in it , to print them . now the lord did encourage me , and that exceedingly ( as i shall shew you in my preface to the reader ; ) so that i have finished my worke quickly , and brought you savory meat , such as , i hope , you love . you had had it long since , had it not been longer in the printers hands , then it was in mine owne . but i hope it is not too late now . i had another reason , besides naturall and civill obligation , why i chose to dedicate this booke to your selfe . and that was this , viz. because i conceived the contents of it more proper for your family , then for any that i knew ; in regard we have had more mercies then other families , and as i feare , have abused them to security . the truth is , a booke of this nature is very proper for the whole nation ; because there have beene so many judgements of god in the earth , and in our owne land ; and yet we have not learned righteousnesse . the lord grant , that as many as yet remaine , may heare and feare , and may henceforth commit no more such evils , as they have committed . but i have held you too long . and therefore i will conclude , with this humble request , that as often as you meet with any faylings in this booke , you will beare with them in that manner , as you have been wont to beare with them in the authour : so as never the lesse to accept of the unworthy gift of c.c.c. jun. , . your obedient sonne zachary bogan . christian reader . give me leave to shew thee , what course i tooke in composing this booke . it was in very little more then a fortnight's time , that by the help of god i read the bible over : and reduced every thing that i observed , to a certaine head , in alphabeticall order . after this , i examined every place of scripture , by the originall , and the most noted translations . some few texts , besides those which i observed my selfe , i met with afterwards in other bookes . those bookes i knew not of before i had done reading the bible . which i much rejoyced for ; both because of other things , which in reading i took in , together with those that were for this purpose : and because of the abundance of time and labour , which i should have spent , in examining quotations ; which are usually heaped up without choyce , or judgement . it cost me not a little pain , to examine only those texts , which they had , and i had not : out of feare , lest they had been apply'd to a wrong head , ( a thing too ordinary in most common place bookes . ) but before i goe any further , now i have spoken of paine , give me leave to tell thee of ( that , which i tooke abundance of comfort in , and which i may not conceale ) the marvellous encouragement , which it pleased god to afford me all along in this worke . whereas ever since my sicknesse , i have not been able to read above a quarter of an houre at a time , without a great deale of wearinesse and paine : in reading the scriptures , although i read the same places ten times over , i was , i know not how , supplyed with a constant delight in what i did , and a desire to goe further . if at any time i was weary , ( as sometimes i was quite tired , through infirmities of body , and want of spirits : ) as soone as i had but turned aside , but a few minutes , i found a sudden supply of desire to follow my businesse againe , as fresh as ever . thus it was most commonly , when i was thus weary . and when it was not so , and i had noe appetite at all to the businesse : if i did but once take my bible in hand , to try how it would be then , and read a line , or two ; i presently recovered my appetite againe ; as bodies filled with winde use to get a stomack by eating . and these things i looke upon as great encouragements . whereunto i adde the health which i had , all the while i was doing this thing , better then i had these many yeares ; yea though i used no exercise , or recreation . but à diuerticulo , to shew thee in what manner i have done every thing . i have produced onely those texts , wherein mention is made , either of a punishment inflicted , or threatned for a sinne , wherewith god punisheth it ; or of an evill fruit , and effect of it , whereby it punisheth it selfe . the attendants and consequents of it , i meddle not with , except such as are necessary , or ordinary , and whereof there are severall examples also in scripture . in the titles of the chapters , when the chapters speake only of punishments threatened ; i have written , threatened . vvhen of punishments inflicted , or of fruites and effects ; punished , ( or , have cause to fear . ) when of both ; threatened , and punished . the subject threatned or punished , for the most part i make the sinne ; but sometimes the sinner ( as proud men &c : viz : ) when the punishments mentioned were indeed inflicted upon such a sinner ; but of some of them , it is not so particulary expressed , that they were inflicted for that sinne. sometimes i seeme to repeat one title twice : as in oppression , oathes , &c. and my reason is , because i find scriptures speaking sometimes in generall against oppression , and sometimes but particularly of only such and such oppression , and i would not willingly missapply any threat . in the conclusion of many chapters , after i have shewed , what is expressed in scripture , concerning punishments ; i doe shew you what may be gathered from the scripture , concerning the odiousnesse , or concerning the danger of it : either by the names that are given it , or the manner that the scriptures speake of it . and sometimes i shew you , what may be conjectured from the nature of the sinne : or from comparison of the like things among men . some more notable threats , and punishments , as being left to our selves &c. i have inserted , although the cause be not mentioned : as taking them to be of use also , as well as the rest . not onely because the greatest sort of punishments may be the just reward of the least sinne : but because reading of such a fearefull punishment , without finding for what sinne it was inflicted , may make men wary of committing any sinne , for feare of committing that . some prophecies of sinnes , as apostasie &c. i have inserted for threats : because those sinnes are punishments too , as well as sinnes ; and are so spoken of , viz. in a threatening manner : and because there can be no greater punishment , then to be left to the commission of them . in setting downe the places of scripture i have not followed the order of the bible , but of the punishments ; placing them after god's method of mercy , from lesse to greater . but in mentioning the sins , where there are severall titles under one subject , ( as in ministers , parents , &c. ) i have observed the contrary order , the lesse after the greater : the more to set forth the worth of that subject , and the greatnsse of the respect due to it . having in this manner digested my collections , i intended so to print them , without saying any thing my selfe upon any place of scripture : till by the perswasion of a friend , whom i very much esteemed , i was induced to the contrary . but i must earnestly entreat thee , to beare with my weaknesse , whensoever thou discoverest it . and if upon any subject , i have suffered my pen to run on too far ( as in the chapters of covetousnesse . company-keeping . blasphemy &c , ) beare with that too . and if thou hast not the patience to read thorow ; passe to the next chapter , and be not angry . and so likewise doe , when thou meetest with any criticall observations on the greek or hebrew : if thou dost not like them or canst not understand them ; yet keep the book still in thy hand , and passe on to other things . i speake in this manner , because i know how unwilling men are to read of threats , and punishments : and how forward , and sawcy they are to catch at the promises . i shall desire thee likewise , when thou meetest with any thing that doth not satisfie thee , or like thee ; to suspend thy judgement , till thou hast read the appendix . i will but wipe off an aspersion or two , & then dismisse thee . the first is , that i was too bold , to venture abroad so young ; unlesse i had more learning and judgement . and i confesse , this was once my owne objection to my selfe . but i thought it sufficently answered by replying , it was not i , that went abroad so much , as the scriptures ; or i , and the scriptures before me . the second aspersion is , that i was too hasty in printing a thing so suddenly attempted , and performed in so little time ; as is declared in the former epistle . to this i answer that there was not so much need of longer time ; most of the book being scripture , and not mine owne invention . i thought upon the want of a booke of this nature , and the usefulnesse of it . i understood , at every opportunity of hearing from my friends , their earnest desire of seeing what i had done . i thought that although i had made such hast , yet i might boldly say , there would be found but litle signe of it . perhaps , thou wilt meet with some oversights in the printing : but not many materiall ; and those i have affixed to the appendix . i though upon the * saying , nihil est inventum simul & perfectum , that never any thing was perfect at the first , though there were never so much time spent about it . well , i weigh not to censures . so ten may read me , i will give a hundred leave to censure me . under a good conscience , i care not what it cost me to convert a sinner . my prayer to god is , that he would incline thy heart to read the judgments of god written in his book : & when thou hast done to humble thy selfe under his mighty hand , that so he may exalt the main● thing , which in the composing of this book was aimed at , by thy servant in jesus christ z. b. the table . a adultery . affliction threatned . non affliction . ambition . angels . anger . antichrist . apostacy threatned . apostacy punished . apparell . see also clothes . ashamed of christ and his religion . b blasphemy against god. see also appendix . blasphemy against the holy-ghost . blessings turned into curses . boasters of holinesse . bribery . c carnall men . ceremonies and commandements of men . christ . such as reject christ . such as forsake christ . such as deny christ . enemies of christ . such as to whom christ is a scandall . threats and examples of his being a scandall , see appendix . such as have no union or communion with christ . church not heard . clothes of men and women promiscuously worne . communicating unworthily . company of wicked men . company of any too much kept . non-confession of sins . copulation with beasts , as likewise with men and women too neerly related . covenant breaking with god. covetousnesse . cruelty . curiosity . cursing of blessings by god. cursing of rulers . cursing of any . cursing of parents . see parents . d deceitfulnesse . delight in sinne . see sinne. desertion . despising . discord . threats of discord among all sorts . discord among the wicked as a punishment , and for the good of the godly . threats to discord , or to those that cause and maintaine it . discouraging of men in holy exercises . distrust . divination . not doing what we heare . doubting in prayer . drunkennesse . duties of religion , such as performe them with resolution to retaine their sinnes . e enemies of god's children . envy . escape of malefactours suffered . evill . calling it good . rendring it for good . extortion . f false prophets . threats to false prophets . threats of false prophets . threats or prophecies of being seduced by false prophets or false teachers . feare threatened and inflicted upon the wicked . feare of men , and fearefullnesse out of distrust of god's goodnesse . flatterers with god , with themselves , with other men . forgiving one another . frowardnesse . g giving to the rich . glory given , or taken to a man's selfe . gluttony . god , speaking ungodly for him . gospell opposed . governours , such as reject them , such as doe contrary to their sentence . such as did not serve them , although heathen . such as perswade men to revolt from them . such as doe not endevour to preserve their lives . threatning & punishing with unfit governours . with wicked governours . threatening and punishing of wicked governours . grace refused . h hardning of the heart . hardnesse of heart . hastinesse , see rashnesse . hatred . hearing the word . see word . not helping the godly . helping the wicked . heresy , see false teachers . hinderers of the good workes of others . hinderers of the conversion of others . hire detain'd . holynesse . not being humbled under judge ments . i idlenesse . idolatry . ignorance . ( or blindnesse ) threatened and inflicted . ignorance threatned & punished . impatience and murmuring . impenitence . impudence threatened and punished . incorrigiblenesse under punishments i incest . injurious dealing . injustice insensiblenesse under punishments . instruments of punishing , punished . intemperance . iudging of others . iudgement day , putting it farre away . k. kings and governers threatned , and punished . l law-righteousnesse . leaving of men by god. libertinisme . love of life more then christ . lovers of the world. lukewarmnesse . lying . m , marriage with idolatars . meanes of grace continued in anger . means of grace not profited by . men pleasers . mercies not bettered by , see unthankfulnesse , security and prosperity , ministers their duty , such as are scandalous , such as teach false doctrin . such as are covetous daubers , and menpleasers , such as are idle and neglect their duty . such as ordaine them ministers their due persecuters of them such as mock them such as despise or slight them such as believe them not such as will not suffer them to reap their carnall things such as doe not stand by them in persecution ministery , such as intrude upon the worke thereof bad ministers threatned for a punishment mirth i. e. worldly mirth mockers of the godly mockers at those that denounce gods judgements mockers at those that suffer them o oaths not kept , or taken falsely old men their duty their due opportunities of grace neglected oppressours of the poore , of the fatherlesse , widowes , strangers , and servants p parents , their duty their due such as curse them such as mock them such as slight them such as are disobedient to them , and incorrigible such as doe not honour them peace-breaking . see discord persecution , threatned , and punished pity not shewed pledges kept polititians , see also vvisedome prayer not heard praying amisse not-praying preaching of the word threatned to be removed such as hinder it preparation neglected presumptuous sinnes . see in sin presumption of perseverance pride , see proud men professours in hypocrisie , see also hypocrites , and religion onely in shew prosperity abused , see also vnthankfull sinning punishments , such as are 〈◊〉 bettered by them . see also incorrigiblenesse r rashnesse reconciliation regeneration rejoycing at other mens miseries relapsing . see also apostacy religion and religious actions used for a cloak religion only in shew repenting late reported well of by all reproaching reproof not given not taken revenging riches wrongfully gotten trusted in loved too much rich and wicked . s. sabbath breaking sacriledge scandalizing and being scandalized scorning scriptures not knowne , vvrested scrupling at gnats , and swallowing camels security as to enemies as to evill seducers and seduced selfe conceited men selfe-destruction ●elfe-feare ●elling deceitfullly ●in in generall , as sin threatned ●inning deliberatly and with delight with a high hand against knowledge enticing or causing others to sinne gods leaving of men to sin slanderers , or false aecusers t talebearers talkativenesse temple of god tempting of god thieves thoughts of wickednesse treacherous dealings trusting in the arme of flesh not-trusting in , and distrusting of god v unbeliefe as to promises as to the gospell uncharitablehesse to men in want unfruitfulnesse unthankfull sinning voluptuousnesse w warre vvatchfull vveary in well doing vvhoremongers vvickednesse in generall . more notable texts against it vvill worship vvisedome neglected vvisedome i.e. carnall wisedome punished , see also in polititians vvord of god not obeyed not believed not heard vvords idly spoken works of our own neglected vvorks of god not regarded vvorld loved vvorship of god neglected . finis severall threats and punisments for severall sinnes . adultery . when the punishments , and threats for this sinne , are mentioned , the scriptures speake either in generall , and then the punishment is aggravated , first with certainty ; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent , prov. . . ( or rather , unpunished , according to the use of the hebrew word , jer. . . and elsewhere , for he is not innocent already : ) secondly with severity ; for god telling the jewes how severely he would deale with them , sayes , i will judge thee , as women that breake wedlocke , and shed blood are judged , ezek. . . or else speaks in particular , and then the punishments mentioned are first death * both of the adulterer and of the adulteresse , by the law of god : this law was expressed in generall termes , against married women . if a man be found lying by a woman married to an husband , then they shall both of them die , deu. . . the rabbines indeed say it is to be interpreted of * strangling , and so they say of every other law for putting the offender to death where no mention is made by what kind of death , that it is to be meant of strangling ( which was the easiest kind of death in use among them ) because ( say they ) where the law for punishments doth not determine , we ought to give the most favourable exposition . which however is not so , if the verse of ezekiel but now quoted be to be interpreted by the next save one ; for then it might be as well stoning , and running through with swords o● javelins , which manner of punishment i● there expressed ( viz. vers . . ) and with the latter whereof zimri and cozhi wer● punished by phineas , num. . . but agains● women who were but betrothd , it was specified by stoning . if a damosell that is virgin be a betrothed unto an husband and a man find her in the city , and lie with her . then yee shall bring them both out unto the gate of the city , and yee shall stone them with stones that they die . deut. , , . and by burning with fire , if she were a priests daughter . and the daughter of a priest , if shee profane herselfe by playing the whore , shee profaneth her father , she shall be burnt with fire , levit. : . there is one , who ( herein a para●phrast if in nothing else ) expoundeth it of hot lead powred into her mouth , which indeed was practis'd in after times in imitation of gods manner of punishing by fire , which ( they say ) was by burning the parts within , and not hurting the outer part of the body : as in that example of nadab , and abihu , and others . the punishment of adultery by death had been executed by god , before this law was made , if the sin had been committed : as it seemes by what he said he would doe to abimelech , if thou restore her not , knowe that thou shalt surely die , thou and all that are thine , gen. . . speaking of sarah ; and by what he did to pharaoh whose house he punisht with great plagues for detaining her in his house , though ( as it is probable ) he knew her not , and though he knew not that she was abraham's wife . gen. . . it seems those people hated adultery more then a murder : for it is said that abraham gave out that sarah was his sister , lest otherwise they should have killed him , that so they might have the better liberty to enjoy her without adultery . it was executed upon the shechemites when simeon and levi put all their male to the sword for shechems lying with their sister dinah , gen. . and it was executed upon the benjamites of gibeah , for abusing the levite's concubine when he lodged there : for the israelites slew of the benjamites five and twenty thousand , and burnt the citty , judg. cap. . & cap. . judah being told that his daughter tamar had plaid the harlot , gave sentence to have her burnt , before hee knew that it was with himselfe , gen. . . see the punishment of zedekiah aud ahab for this , and other sins , jer. , . . it has been executed upon the child begotten in adultery , as upon the child begotten by david upon the wife of vriah . b because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the lord to blaspheme , the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die . . sam. . . disgrace , and infamy is the least evill that befalls such children . in job cap. . . where he sayes , let my wife grind unto another man , and let others bow downe upon her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the septuagint render the last words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , let my children be abased . it hath beene observed , that the posterity of adulterers are usually short-lived , see wisd . cap. . . if those that commit adultery escape death , à thousand to one that they escape these ensuing punishments , viz. . retaliation , or being done to as they have done to others thus david was punished , thus saith the lord , behold i will raise up evill against thee out of thine own house , and i will take thy wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy neighbour , and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of the sun sam : . . this threat was fulfilled by one that was his neighbour with a witnesse ; for his owne sonne absolom lay with his concubines upon the top of the house in the sight of all israel , cap. . . job even in the chapter of his justification , acknowledges it had bin justice for him , if he had been guilty of adultery , to be thus dealt withall , c. . , . * let my wife grind , &c. . continuall feare . they know not the light , for the morning is to them even as the shadow of death ; if one know them , they are in the terrours of the shadow of death . he is swift as the waters . their portion is cursed in the earth : he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards , job . . , . he alwaies goes swiftly for fear of being overtaken , and he never goes in usuall wayes , for feare of being seen . . disgrace . a wound , and dishonour shall he get , and his reproach shall not be wiped away , prov. . . . wasting of the body . it was lemuels advise , give not thy a strength to women , nor thy wayes to b that which destroyeth kings , prov. . . in job cap. . that which we render a fire that burneth to destruction , the septuagint render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a fire that burnes in all the members . the women under the law found experience of this punishment , if they had been guilty of the sinne and had drunke of the bitter * water . it was given for triall in case of jealousie : & at the drinking therof the priest pronounced this curse . the lord make thee a curse , and an oath amongst thy people , when the lord doth make thy thigh to rott , and thy belly to swell , num. . . galvin sayes , by the thigh in this place is meant the power of child-bearing , because o● the contrary it is said , if she were not guilty , she should conceive seed , vers . . . pareus upon rev. cap. . . where it is said hee had on his thigh this name written king of kings , saies hereby is shewed that christs name should be propagated by a long posterity . both cursing others unlawfully , & being cursed lawfully ( as by excōmunication ) the jews thought it had great effects upon mens bodies ; see the chapter of cursing the cabbalists observe upon the word cherem a curse , that the letters therof being one way transposed make it rachem mercy , because if hee that is cursed do repent , it proves a mercy to him ; but being plac'd another way they make the word ramach a dart , the letters of which word will stand for . which they say is the number of members in a mans body ; because ( say they ) if he doe not repent , the dart or the curse pierced thorow all his members : thorow all his members , say they , and i may adde , especially thorow his liver by consumptions , &c. for so the jewes expound that place in the proverbs , c. . . he goes after her straightway till a dart strike thorow his liver , saying , that lust is chiefly lodged in the liver , and that it is gods usuall manner in punishing offenders , to make them suffer most in those parts wherewith they have committed most sinne . . wasting of the estate . it is a fire that consumeth to destruction , and would roote out all mine encrease , job . . . see whoredome . . hell. but he knoweth not that the dead are there , and that her guests are in the depth of hell , prov. . . be not deceived , neither fornicators , nor idolaters , nor adulterers &c. shall enter into the kingdome of heaven , ● cor. . , . see the threat against 〈◊〉 ( if it be not meant of spirituall adultery ) rev. . . and heb. , . tertullian in his booke de pudicitia , sayes that those churches which admitted into communion those who had fallen after baptisme , notwithstanding excepted adultery , murder , and idolatry , and therefore complaines of zepherinus the bishop of rome for admitting adulterers . but yet the romish church , excluded them till after long penance , and likewise if they fell the second time . the greatnesse of this sinne , and the odiousnesse of it in the sight of god , may be further gathered out of the scriptures , first by the names that are given , either to the sinner as of a dog ( as they usually expound it deut. . . not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) and of an a oven heated by the baker b hos . . . or to the sinn● it selfe , as uncleannesse , numb . . . abomination ezek. . . neighing c jerem. . . and cap. . . secondly , by the use of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies onely sinfull , to expresse adulterous or whorish , as if such a one were more sinfull then others . so luk. . . ( according to beza . ) by that place it appears that the jewes accounted an idolatrous person ( any sinner , it cannot be , for then they must touch no body ) such an uncleane thing , that they made it religion so much as to be touched by him : for the pharisees concluded christ to be no prophet , because then he would have knowne that she was an adulteresse that washed his feete and not have sufferd her to have touched him . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , adulterous and sinfull stand like words of the same sence in mark. cap. . . . thirdly , by the use that is made of the name of adultery viz : for aggravation , to expresse the greatnesse of other abominable sins , as if it were greater then they , thus it is applied to forsaking god ( who vouchsafeth to be a husband to his church ) especially in the commission of idolatry , ezek. , , . and elsewhere . and to loving the world , jam. . . yee adulterers and & adulteresses , know ye not that the friendship , ( or love of the world ) is enmity with ( or hating of ) god : certainly the apostle being to reprove such a base and unworthy sin as that , if he could have thought of worse names then adulterers & adulteresses hee would have been sure to have used them , so our saviour calling the jews an adulterous generation seemeth to have taken it for the worst terme that he could have given them mat. . . & cap. . ; but especially mark. , . for there he seems to speak more angrily using the demonstrative , this : this * adulterous aud sinfull generation . there is no sinner so likely to be punished as an adulterer ( with another mans wife , especially because he seldome hath repentance to prevent it , and none so likely to be severely punished , because he hath no excuse to mitigate it ; and therefore chrysostome compares the adulterer to a pilot that casts away a ship in the haven , and the unmarried fornicator to him that casts her away abroad in the brunt of the weather , where it is hard to avoid it . first , this sinne is the most secret sinne to men ( committed by the body ) and such as they who commit it not onely never thinke they shall suffer , but thinke they shall never suffer for ( because the hand of man can seldome reach them ) & therefore is it the more likely to be discovered by god , and more sure to be openly punished . the most secret goodnesse , and the most secret wickednesse , have usually the most publike , and the greatest reward . secondly , it is a sinne that is soonest forgotten by men , because it leaves no footsteps behind it , and therefore it is the surer to be remembred by god. under the law the sacrifice which was offered for the woman suspected of adultery was called mincha ziccaro● , an offering of memoriall , because it was not offered to put away the sinne , but to find it out , and to bring it to mind , if it were committed , num. . . lastly , this sinne is a most pleasing sinne to men , and therefore also the more likely to be punished ; because usually such sins as are most pleasing to us , are most displeasing to god : as on the other side , such things as are most displeasing to god , a● through the cunning of the divell , mad● most pleasing to us . i say the sins that a●● most pleasing are most dangerous , and th● sins that are most dangerous the divel● makes most pleasing . he is like a cunning fisher : he will put the best bait upon the be●● hook sweetest things , turne soonest to bitternesse , and yet stoln waters none * so sweet beware therefore of believing thine enemy the divell : his good news is still too goo● to be true . mistrust him alwaies , but especially then when he comes with * gifts . thi● thou knowest , that he would have thee do nothing but what shall doe thee hurt , an● consequently , that what he is most earne● to have thee doe , that will doe thee mo● hurt . therefore as he encreases his tentations , so doe thou thy suspicion ; and b● gods assistance thou shalt be able to wors● him . i have been the longer upon this si● because i see it is thought upon so slightly committed so greedily , and lamented so sparingly . affliction threatned in the world ye shall * have tribulation , joh , , . seneca himsrlfe could say of god , bonum virum in deliciis non babet , experitur , indurat , sibi illum praeparat : he does not pamper a good man , but tries him , and hardens him , and fits him for himself● . sen. lib. cur bonis mala fiant . threats of non-affliction , and to non-afflicted . why should ye be stricken any more ? isa . . it seems to be a threat , as if he had said , yee shall not be stricken any more : but the chaldee paraphrase makes as if god did blame the jews for not saying , why are we stricken ? or not considering the cause why god did punish them . i will correct thee in measure * , and will not leave thee altogether unpunisht , implied saith god to jacob , jerem. . . as if this were a great mercie , and as if it were a great punishment to be left unpunisht . so c. . . and therefore c . the prophet if hee prayes not for correction , does not pray against it , when he saies o lord correct me but with judgement , &c. i will be quiet , and be no more angry , saith god to jerusalem , ezek . . for some think it to be spoken in anger , as well as that in hosea . . i will not punish your * daughters when they commit whordome , nor your spouses , &c. it seems the septuagint doubted not but god was angry when he spake these words , for they translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not i will not be angry but i will trouble my selfe no more : which is as much as if he had said , i am very angry with thē . adde hereunto that the words before these which we translate make my furie towards thee to rest , are the same in hebrew with those chapt . . . which we translate , cause my fury to rest upon thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the septuagint render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i will fully execute mine anger upon thee . woe to them that are at ease in zion , amos . wo to you that are rich for you have received your consolation , saith our saviour , luk. . . some of the heathen themselves accounted freedome from all manner of miserie the greatest miserie and slaverie , for seneca * saith it was the saying of démetrius , nihil videtur infelicius eo cui nihil unquam evenit adversi , nothing more unhappy then hee who was never unhappy . * philip king of the macedonians hearing of a race wonne by his coach horses at the olympicks , of the birth of a sonne , and of the overthrow of the dardanians by his leiutenant generall parmenio , all at one time , presently cried out with his hands lifted up to heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , oh give me a little bad news in the other scale , or else i shall sink to the ground . and therefore i think annibal * gave his enemy scipio very friendly advice , telling him , maximae cuique fortunae minimè credendum est , take heed of trusting fortune when shee is over kind . tacitus saies it was a saying of tiberius , quanto plus adeptus foret tanto se magis in lubrico , the lesse rubs he met with the more slippery was his condition , and consequently the greater danger of falling , & the greater fall if he fell . t is with fortune as it is with men : if she speakes me over kind , i have cause to feare she flatters me ; and if she flatter me , i have as much cause to feare she meanes to doe me hurt : and therefore i am of attalus his mind , malo me fortuna in castris suis , quàm in deliciis habeat ; i had rather my father would give me but a little now and then , and retaine me in his love then give me a great deale at once and bid me be gone and come no more neere him . i am not so hastie ; i had rather have my portion paid me in the world to come ; for then i am sure to have most , and i am sure that none but reprobates have their portion in this life , ps . . . ambition . . the ill effects , and punishments of it mentioned in scripture are . ejection out of heaven . the angels which kept not their first estate , but left their own habitation , her hath reserved in everlasting chaines under darknesse unto the judgement of the great day , jude . . ejection out of paradise , as in adam and eue : for doubtlesse ; ambition had a great stroke in making them hearken to those words of the serpent , ( wherewith their hearts were presently tickled being left to themselves ) god doth know that in the day ye eat thereof , then your eyes shall bee opened , and you shall be as gods , gen. . . miscarriage in designes ; as in the builders of babel , whose ambition may be seen in their words , let us build us a citty and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven , and let us make us a name lest we be scattered * abroad upon the face of the whole earth , gen. . . and likewise in adoniah who exalted himselfe to be king against his brother solomon , . king. . . see his successe verse . . and his end , c. . . for solomon caused him to be put to death , abasement . he that exalteth himselfe shall be abased , and he that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted , luk. . . to be ambitious , and to exalt one's selfe , when god doth not exalt him , is as if a man being invited to a feast , should take up his place himselfe at the higher end of the table ; and you know what our saviour saies of such a one , that he may with shame begin to take the lowest roome , luk. . . let ambitious men take notice of what the prophet habakuk saies , woe to him that coveteth an evill covetousnesse to his house , that he may set his nest on high , that he may be delivered from the power of evill , hab. . . adde hereunto , if not the punishments , the sad effects of ambition . vnbeliefe , in those that have not believed . how can ye believe which receive honour one of another , and seek not the honour that cometh from god alone joh. . which receive honour &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beza renders , cum captetis , which catch after honour . * to shew their ambition ; for else it had been no fault in them , only to receive honour , as it had been no dishonour to christ , onely to receive his restimonie from men , vers . . and therefore beza in that place also renders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , testimonium non capto , not , i receive not , but , i doe not catch after , or affect the testimony of men . doubtlesse christ did not so much forbid the jews to be called rabbi , as to be ambitious to bee called so , mat , . . as sitting uppermost at feasts was not the thing which he disliked , but their desire , or ambition to sit uppermost , v. . being ashamed of christ in those that have beleived . among the chiefe rulers also many believed on him , but because of the pharisees they did not confesse him , lest they should be put out of the synagogue : for they loved the praise of men , more then the praise of god ▪ joh. . . . or at least , being disobedient to his doctrine . i wrote unto the church , but diotrephes , who loveth to have the preeminence among them , receiveth us not . john ep . . . be the more carefull to avoid this sin , by how much there seems the lesse reason : for as it had no name among some of the heathen , so among many christians , it has not the name of a sin : but on the contrary is oftentimes commended under the name of * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gallantry a ; and the vertue opposed to it , usually disparag'd by the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 basenesse of spirit . angel. such as should provoke the angel whom god would send before the israelites in their journey to canaan , are thus threatned . beware of him , and obey his voice , provoke him not , for hee will not pardon * your transgressions , for my name is in him , exod. . . anger . angry men are threatned . with punishment , sure enough , & often enough . a man of great wrath shall suffer punishments , for if thou deliver him * , yet thou must doe it againe . prov. . . he will bring himselfe into danger a hundred waies , and the same way a hundred times ; for he is so blinded with passion , that hee cannot see the stone on which he formerly stumbled . indeed anger being brevis furor a madnesse for the time , makes such a change in a man , that he is not himselfe ; having neither his understanding , nor his senses , no not so much as his naturall faculties exercised : for saies one out of the talmud , * an angry man tasts not what he eats , and understands not what he does . i remember the poet saies of latona , that when shee was deni'd a little water to quench her thirst , distulit ira sitim , out of anger she forgot her thirst . committing of follies , not only against god ( for be angry & forbeare sinning if you can , eph. . . ) but against themselves , he that is soon angry dealeth foolishly , prov. . . t is a saying among the jewes , whosoever is angry , if he be a wise man , his wisdome is taken from him ; if a prophet , his prophecy . belike it was for feare hereof that cotis the king of thrace , was so carefull to keep himselfe from anger : for when a neighbour prince had sent him a present of most curious glasses , he presently brake them all to pieces himselfe , lest if any of his servants should happen to doe it , he might be moved to anger ▪ a man when he is drunk which passion , is as apt to betray himselfe , as when he is drunk with drink . hurting himselfe , either by vexing and fretting : as bildad said of job c. , , he teareth himselfe in his anger : or else by some other way , as by laying hands on himselfe , or provoking others to doe it . one way or other ( as we have often seen by experience ) wrath killeth the foolish man , job . . if he had no other executioner but his owne wrath , i le warrant you he would be sufficiently tormented . cicero in his consolation * to polybius upon the death of his friend , going to prove that his friend was happier now , then before , begins with non ira eum torquebit . anger shall not torment him , seneca * compares anger ruinis to ruines , or ruinous walls , quae super id , quod oppressere , franguntur , which perhaps may bruise the ground a little upon which they fall , but breake themselves into peeces : and therefore among other reasons which he brings , why a man should not be angry for an injury , this is one , plus * mihi nocitura est ira quam injuria , my anger will doe me more hurt then my injury . indeed how can it choose but hurt a man exceedingly , putting him so much out of order : for he boyles * within till he be ready to be skimmed , and yet he is so cold without that hee cannot forbeare shaking . * in hebrew as there is one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to boyle , and to be angry ; so there is one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to shake and to be angry . an angry man is all in a flame , but it is within , and he burnes no body but himselfe : he sets his owne house on fire about his eares to rost his egges , or to get a little revenge . m. leigh in his critica sacra observes , that the heron being a hot and angry creature , has his name in latine ardea , from ardeo to burne , and in hebrew anaphah , from anaph to be angry . for the names i know not , but for the nature , i dare believe him ; for i have known the keeping of those birds tame , and have often seen them when they have been angerd , to throw up all the meat which they had eaten a little before . the jewes have a saying . there is nothing comes into an angry mans hands , but anger ▪ no passion so unprofitable to a man , as this passion . there is nothing but anger : neither pleasure nor gaine : anger , and only anger , while it lasteth & only anger for his anger when it is over . being exposed to , and taken by their enemies ; like a city that is broken down and without walls . he that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down , & without walls . prov. . . 't is worse with a man when he is angry , then 't is with a beast in this respect : for the proverb is , let him not anger a bird that meanes to take it . judgement from god , certainly to be executed . whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause , judgement shall take hold of him mat. . . for perhaps 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be rendred better so , then if you render it , shall be in danger of judgement : damnas judicii , according to beza ; rather then reus judicio , according to the vulgar ; or obnoxius , according to erasmus : for if there were no more meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , then being liable to , or in danger of it , would not have been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the future tense , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the present tense ; for he is as liable to bee condemned before judgement come , as he is sure to be condemned when it comes , without repentance . let me exhort you therefore , as job did his friends , be ye afraid of the sword , or take heed of being angry , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword , that ye may know there is a judgment job . . . ( punishments ) so it is to be rendred if the word hanoth come from hanah : but if it come from havah , thus , wrath is the iniquities of the sword . either way , it will be bad enough for angry men : for if anger be a compound of sins , or a * very great sin ; it will have a compound of punishments , or a very great punishment . beza in his annotations upon mat. . . renders those words , scelus gladii , that is , a capitall crime , ( at least , at gods tribunall ) or a crime to be punished with the sword . whatever you doe therefore , be slow to anger , & imitate god who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 † ex. . . long ere he be angry in both his nostrils , or ( as the rabbins observe , because it is in the duall number ) in both his angers , viz. both in his anger with the godly , and in his anger with the wicked : or if it be not long ere you be angry , if your passion be like a hasty servant to run away before he has all his master's ( viz. reason 's ) directions , be sure it be not long that you are angry ; if you be naturally 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 easily provoked ; let your nature yeeld to grace , and be not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bitter , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hard to be reconciled . for shame be not out-stript by heathen men : for of some of them * ( viz. the pythagoreans ) it is reported , that if they happened at any time to be angry , at what time of the day soever it were , they were not so stiffe in their bow , a but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 † they were suppl'd or slacken'd before the sun went downe if they were now living among us , we must needs blush to looke upon them ; because we live no better after the apostl's rule , viz. let not the sun go down upon your wrath eph. . . there is no keeping like the keeping of anger : in so much that in hebrew , in the scriptures , the word , ( viz. natar ) which signifies to keep , is us'd for keeping of anger , without any other word , jer. . . ps . . . lev. , . if it be but for thine owne sake ( because perhaps thou dost not care for displeasing god ) have as little anger as possibly thou canst : for thou canst never live a merry life with it . * the saying of the jews is very true for the most part , there are three whose life is no life , the overpittifull man , the angry man , and the sad man , especially the angry man that will be a long time angry : for such are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , their owne greatest tormenters . aristotle , though he would not say of anger , as he said of the rest of the passions , that it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sorrow ( for he speakes little in discommendation of this passion in his rhetoricks a , and somewhat in commendation of it in his ethicks b , ) yet he could not say but it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with sorrow : and more then so , he addes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that it is usually for a seeming slight , or neglect : now if the cause may be a small matter , ( but a slight ) and that which is onely seeming so ; and if small matters be many , and that which is seeming be subject to be multiplyed and encreased ; how can it otherwise be , but the angry mans sorrow must needs be much , and his punishments , many ? antichrist . then shall that wicked one be revealed , whō the lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth , and shall destroy with the brightnesse of his comming , thess . . . destroyed he will be , sure enough , and to the purpose ; and therefore he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the son of destruction , or perdition , vers . . yet perhaps not so much because of a decree * of his destruction , as if he were a child , to whom his father had allotted destruction for his portion ; for as to that ( i thinke ) though the word be son , the sense may as well be father ; because his destruction came at first from himselfe , according to that of peter . ep . , . ( spoken of such as he is ) shall bring upon themselves swift destruction . he may be so called for other reasons , as . because of the certainty of his destruction : as david said , the man that hath done this thing , shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a son of death , or ( as we render it ) shall surely di● sam. . . the end may be as certaine , where there is no intention , as where there is , upon supposition that such meanes are us'd : as i may say , when i see a father let his child alone to his owne will ; that such a child is a son of destruction , because he is sure to be spoyled ; though his father should intend never so well to him . and no doubt , many places of scripture are meant only of the end , or the issue , which we take to be meant of the intention . . because of the greatnesse of his destruction : as if we might say ( after the hebrew fashion ) in the plurall number , he shall come to destructions , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , miserè periturus est he shall be miserably destroyed matth. , . thus the hebrew useth the words ben , sonne , and sera , seed , with the genitive case of that thing , the greatnesse , or abundance whereof is intended to be expressed : as beni belial , sonnes of wickednesse * . king. . . ben schemen , a son of b fatnesse , or as we render it , a very fruitfull field isa . . and sera shaked , a seed of falshood . isa . . . because of the destructive things that are in him , and committed by him , and the destructive c courses which he takes : which saint peter calls destructions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pet. . . speaking of false teachers , whose destruction is begun already , and slumbreth not ; for they shall never leave destroying a , and being destroyed , till they be destroy'd for all eternity . what some deliver concerning the place where antichrist shall be destroyed , viz. on the mount of olives ; i know no firme ground they have for it in scripture ; no more then they have for assigning the time when christ shall come to judgement , viz. five and forty dayes after antichrist's destruction . apostacie threatned . now the spirit speaketh expresly , that in the later times some shall depart from the faith , tim. . . see epist . . c. . and pet. . . even while our saviour was yet upon the earth , many of his disciples went back , and went no more with him , joh. . . depart from the faith — , we translate , and not from faith , because ( as beza also saith ) it is meant of the faith or beliefe of the gospell : and not of faith , or beliefe of election , and salvation . they that have this faith cannot lose it ( though sometimes it may be to● seeking ) because they cannot be lost : and they cannot be lost , because by it they are tyed fast unto god , as by a chaine that cannot be broken ; and kept as safe as in a garrison that cannot be taken ; for such a kind of comparison peter's word in the greeke seems to intimate , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . pet. , . apostacy * punisht . apostates , even whole nations may justly feare , . gods heavy wrath . ezra told the king of babylon , the hand of our god is upon all them for good that seek him , that is , that seek him constantly , for it follows , but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him , ezra . . his power & his wrath &c. if gods wrath edge his power , and his power back his wrath ; then wo to that man , or nation with whom he is angry . see also psalm . . . where they are compared to a broken bow . vnavoidable punishment , though their apostacy be never so secret . if we have forgotten the name of our god , or stretched out our hands to a strange god , shall not god search this out ? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart ps . . , . and yet sometimes gods anger against this sin is so great , that as if punishment were too good for it , he resolves to throw away the rod , and not to punish , which is the worst punishment of all ; they have forsaken the lord , they have provoked the holy one of israel unto anger , they are gone away backward , why should yee be stricken any more ? ye will revolt more and more , isa . . . . being depriv'd of gods ordinances , & publike worship . god appeared to solomon in a vision by night , and told him , but if ye turne away and forsake my statutes and commandements which i have set before you , and shall goe and serve other gods , and worship thē then will i pluck them up by the roots ( them insteed of you ; mark how he * changes the pronoune , as if he were so angry at the very mention of this sin , as to turne away from them ) out of my land which i have given thē ; and this house which i have sanctified for my name , will i cast out of my sight , and will make it to be a proverb , and a by-word to all nations , . chron. . . . it was said to the angel of ephesus . neverthelesse i have somewhat against thee , because thou hast left thy first love . remember therefore from whence thou art fallen , and repent , and doe thy first works , or else i will come unto thee quickly , & will remove thy candlestick out of his place , except thou repent . rev. . . god forsaking of them . ( which is but retaliation for their forsaking of him ) god said to moses concerning the israelites , when thou art dead , this people will forsake me , & break the covenant which i have made with them : then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day ; and i will forsake them , and i will hide my face from them , and they shall be devoured , &c. deut. . , . the spirit of god in azariah thus spake to king asa : the lord is with you , while ye be with him , and if ye seek him , hee will be found of you ; but if you forsake him , he will forsake you , . chron. . . see chap. . . conquest and captivitie . in the book of judges , in most places where there is mention made of any conquest had over the israelites , you shall find this mentioned for a reason , viz. that the people forsooke , or forgat the lord their god. see chap. . . and chap. . , . , . . &c. when rehoboam had establishd the kingdome , and had strengthned himselfe , he forsook the law of the lord , and all israel with him : & it came to passe that in the fift yeare of rehoboam , shishak king of egypt came up against jerusalem , because they had transgressed against the lord. . chr. . . . see vers . . so the spirit of god in zachariah told king ioash , and his princes , because ye have forsaken the lord , he hath also forsaken you , . chron. . . and according to his word , the army of the syrians came with a small company of men , & the lord delivered a very great host into their hand , because they had forsaken the lord god of their fathers : so they executed * judgement against israel , vers . . destruction . thou hast forsaken mee saith the lord , thou art gone backward ; therfore will i stretch out my hand against thee , and destroy thee ; i am weary * with repenting . jeremiah . . . t is spoken to the jews . so chap. . . the prophet is bid to answer the people , if they asked him the reason of gods judgements upon them , thus , because your fathers have forsaken me , saith the lord and have walked after other gods , and have served them , and have worshipped them , and have forsaken me , and have not kept my law : forsaken me is repeated ; as if it went very neere gods heart to be forsaken by a people whom he had chosen : or as if going to other gods , did not anger him so much as going from him , or forsaking him . under the old testament , when god made the law that if any one enticed another to worship idols he should be stoned to death , hee added this for a reason of the punishment , or at least for an aggravation of the sin , viz : because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the lord thy god which brought thee out of the land of egypt from the house of bondage , deut. . . see the words of hezekiah , . chron. . , , . psal . . . particular persons , as kings and others , have been punished or threatned . with being murdered . and he forsook the lord god of his fathers , and walked not in the way of the lord. and the servants of amon conspired against him , and slew the king in his own house , . king. , , . speaking of amon king of israel . after the time that amaziah did turne away from following the lord , they made a conspiracy against him in jerusalem , and he fled to lachish : but tbey sent to lachisb after him , and slew him there chron : , . being left to ruine themselves in their owne wayes . the backe slider in heart shall be filled with his owne wayes proverbs , , . impenitency , and incurablenes . it is impossible * for those who were once enlightned , and have tasted of the heavenly gift , and and were made pertakers of the holy ghost , and have tasted the good word of god , and the powers of the world to come . ( who have gon so farre , and received so many good things ) if they shall fall , to renew thē unto repentance hebr : , , , . if they shall fall &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not fall forward viz : remaining still in the right way : but fall aside , into another way : fall off , or fall away viz : by a totall defection , and revolting * from the faith. for otherwise , if it should be ment of only sinning againe as the syriack translation renders , ( unlesse it mean that great sin whereof we speake called in hebrew maal , a sin , and usually renderd by the septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * * apostacy ) it were a very hard saying , and who could heare it ? rejection . — if thou continue in his goodnesse : otherwise thou shalt bee cut * of . rom. , . noe pardon ( if they sin wilfully and against knowledge ) for if wee sin wilfully after wee have received the knowledge of the truth , there remaineth no more sacrifice * for sin . heb : . . and so verse . if any man draw * back my soule shall have no pleasure in him . david in his charge to his sonne solomon told him , if thou seek him hee will be found of thee ; but , if thou forsake him , hee will cast thee of for ever : chron. . . distruction temporall , and eternall . consider this , yee that forget god , least i tea● you in peices and there be none to deliver ps . . wee are not of them that draw back to perdition heb : . . those wandring starres ( to whom is reserved the blacknesse● of darknesse for ever jude . . ) are by the glosse interpreted apostates ; and it 〈◊〉 thought to be meant of the corpocratian● who denie the divinity of christ . no● only if a man doe returne back ▪ * but if h● doe but looke back , it may bee as much a● his life is worth ( as it was with lots wife remember lot's wife . luke . . . ) noe man having put his hand to the plow , and looking back , if fit for the kingdome of god luke the . . how grevious a thing apostatizing , or back sliding , is in the sight of god , may be gathered by his angry expressions concerning it ; especially such as we find in the prophets directed to the jewes calling them grievous revolters * jerem : , & , trecherous judah , four times in one chapter , viz : chap : . v. . . . . verse . he compares them to a wife that leaves her husband : and therefore his anger against this sin being exceeding great is usually called by the name of jealousy ( which is the greatest anger that can be , * and the hardest to be appeased ) as you may see in an hundred places deut. . . &c. the very heathen their constancy to their idols , will rise up in judgement against them that forsake god , hath a nation changed their gods which are no gods ? but my people have changed their glory * for that which doth doth not profit . jer. . . i will punish all such as are clothed in strange apparell : zeph. . . se isa . , to the end . jonathan the chaldee paraphrast makes these words to have been spoken of idolatry : sayes he , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated , qui perstrepunt ad cultum idolorum that make a noyse at the worsbip of idols . i believe hee meanes shouting and clapping of hands and such like expressions of exultation and joy , in use , not only amongst the gentiles , but among the jewes themselves , when they went about divineworship . psalme . verse , , where wee translate , wee walked into the house of god in company ; the septuagint , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , with consent ; the vulgar , in terrore , infeare ; the anonymous paraphrast , in hast ; the word in the original is of the same roote with the word which this paraphrast here useth : viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies also noise & it is not unlikely that the prophet meant it of no other noise then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , shouting & clapping of hands , that which he so often speakes of ( make a joyfull noise unto the lord &c. ps . . . ps . , , . ps . , , . ps . , . ps . , . ) i beleive we may doe well if we joine the exposition of this paraphrast ( for such his paraphrase is many times , being nothing neer so bare a translation as that of onkelos ) with our translation , and thence gather a reproofe both of idolatry , and and wearing strange apparell together : in regard it is not unlike that the * jewes had learnt of the gentiles to worship the moone ( whom they both called the queene of * heaven ; ) the men in womens , and the woman in men's apparell : the reason whereof was , because they tooke the moone , whom they made the same with venus , to have been both a man and a woman ( for she is as well one as the other , ) and you shall finde in old authors lunus as well as luna . ashamed of christ and religion * whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me , and of my words , in this adulterous and sinfull generation ( then we ought to be lest asham'd , when we are apt to think we have most cause ) of him also shall the sonne of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his father with the holy angels . mark , . luke hath almost the same words cap : , . this sinne is in part very often committed by many godly men in conversing with the men of the world . they are asham● to set them upon praying or hearing o● reading ; fearing or thinking it absurd ( 〈◊〉 word that occasions many a sinne , and hinders many a good duty ) to interrupt thei● filthy cōmunication with godly discourse ▪ they are as much ashamed to talke o● god and christ , as they would be to go● into company that have gaudy clothes with a torn suit . but take heed of doin● worse then he who said , he knew not t● man , by thus disowning christ , as if he we●● a contemptible man , now he has made it appeare that he is a powerfull god. nay th●● can'st not sinne lesse , to be ashamed of chri●● notwithstanding his greatnesse , and after 〈◊〉 exaltation , then the jewes did to scor● him for his meannesse in the time of his ●●miliation . thou never loved'st thy fre●● truly , if thou art ashamd to owne him●● any company whatsoever . beloved sins see sins . blasphemers against god not pardoned * in this world , but punisht with death : for god made it a law that they should be ston'd to death , upon occasio● of the blasphemy spoken by the sonne of the israelitesse woman , lev. . he that blasphemeth the name of the lord , he shall surely bee put to death and all the congregation shall certainly stone him , vers . . he that blasphemeth , &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that doth expresly name , say some ; according to the use of the word , num. . . and gen. . ; and the translation of the septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he that nameth the name of the lord ▪ the chalde● paraphrast goes further and saies , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that shall any way expresse ▪ which yet me thinks does not so wel agree with what the jewes commonly speak of the schem hamphorash ( whereby they meane the name jehovah ) as if it were a thing allowable , pherosch , to imparle , or expresse the name jehovah in other words , but not , neko● , to pierce it thorow and thorow ( as i may say ) or speak it downe right . as for them , perhaps they gather something ( though i have not read so much ) for this distinction of pherosch , and nekob , from those words of this chapter , vers . . where the word , pherosch , is used for the text saies they put him in ward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which they may render ( according to their rabbinisme ) that it might be expounded to them according to the word of god , &c. expounded , i say ; for even the witnesses against such 〈◊〉 blasphemer , when they testified what hee said , were not to speak the name as he spake it , but only to explaine it or expound it some other way . now they explain'd it or paraphras'd it , sometimes by his other names , as adonai or elohim ( which are names deriv'd from his power and strength , and not from his very essence , and therefore allow'd to be used , and applied likewise to angells & men. ) sometimes by a certaine number of letters , made into one or more names● and sometimes by severall words , wherein the letters of the name were contain'd : which were used only by some certain men of the wiser sort , and by them privately convey'd by mouth to their own posterity . such receipts of words and letters , the moderne jewes say their fathers made use of as charmes and spells for the defence of themselves , and annoyance of their enemies . you may call their practise , the * naming over a man the name of jehovah ( or the schem hamphorash ) as it is said , the jewish exorcists named the name of the lord jesus over these that had evill spirits , act. . . with such a charme they say moses slew the egyptian exod. . . ( whose son they report this blasphemer above mentioned to have been ) and they ground their opinion up-these words in the vers . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render intendest thou : but the words signifie speakest thou to kill me as thou killedst the egyptian ? and whereas it is said vers . . that moses looked this way , and that way , and when he saw there was no man hee slew the egyptian , they say he feared , if there had been some body present , hearing what he said , he might speake the same to him & kill him in the like manner . now as i told you before , how that sometimes they used a certaine number of letters ; so they say moses at that time made use of two and fortie ; which they have no other ground for , but because the letters of the word lebaddo alone ( spoken of the name jehovah , ps . . . his name alone is excellent ) will stand for that number in arithmetick . in like manner , they say , that elisha made use of two and forty letters when he cursed the children , . king. . , because there were so many children kild , a child for every letter ▪ and more then so , they say that generally in the scriptures where it is said , that an angel smote such or such , it is not meant of the smiting of the hand or the like ; but of smiting by the vertue of the name jehovah , or that schem hamphorasch . some of the jewes say that our saviour christ did his miracles by using this name ; which mee thinks might be retorted , as an argument against them , that he came from god. for otherwise , though hee might have used the name , yet he would not have been able to doe any thing with it ; but rather on the contrary , those , in whom the evill spirits were which he endeavoured to cast out , would have fallen upon him , and overcome him , & prevail'd against him , as they did against those conjurers , act. . . at least they must confesse thus much , that if hee had not moses or elisha's spirit , yet hee was a man of no ordinary spirit ; because they say , that only such men as were not of an ordinary spirit , had the priviledge of using this name , and doing miracles with it . now because they thought there was a vertue or power in the name jehovah , so used : as likewise out of a superstitious conceit common to them with other nations , of the a vertue and power of other names also , ( viz. of prophets , apostles , and martyres , both true and false ) when any one did any strange thing , they imagin'd it was by the vertue , and power of some name ; and hence perhaps was it , that they asked peter and john , b when they had cured the lame man , act. . , by what power or by what name , have ye done this ? for although the apostles when they did , or said , they did , such a thing in the name of christ , or god , had no conceipt of any vertue , or power in the name it selfe ; and though i know that by doing a thing in the name of christ , is meant the doing of it either by the power , or in the steed , or in the behalfe , or upon the account of christ , and for his sake ; yet thus much me thinks i fancy , that both the jewes for the most part did nse those words superstitiously and that the apostles many times alluded to this superstition of theirs , when they used this expression . he that blasphemeth the name of the lord &c. or ( say the jewes ) he that nameth the tetragrammaton , i. e. the name , which in hebrew consisteth of foure letters , viz. jehovah . for this name of god they forbare to expres with as much superstition as the heathen did the names of the tutelar gods of their citties and countrys ( for feare their enimies might by sacrifices and enchantments call them out , and so conquer the place . ) whence it is that many times without adding any thing els , unlesse it be , ithbareck ( blessed be it , or as we say , blessed be his name ) they expresse it by saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the name , by way of excllency , without adding any more : for so in this chapter , though in the sixteenth verse where god speakes , ( who might name his owne name ) the word jehovah be expressed ; yet where moses speakes , viz. verse . that which we render , the name of the lord , in the hebrew is only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the * name . the jewes make the naming of this name to have beene a worse sinne , then cursing : and so they might , if by the word , nokeb , only naming , were meant ; but the contrary appeares clearely , in that when moses gave order to have this blasphemer put to death , vid. v. he called him not , hanakeb , which they render , him that nameth ; but , hamkallel , which they can render no otherwise then , him that cursed ; and therefore methinkes , for shame , though the word , nakab , should signifie , blaspheme , or curse , no where else ( for , ekkob , in job . cap. . . they say comes from the radix , kabab , ) yet however in this place , they should have expounded that which is not plaine , which they acknowledge by their owne different translations to have more senses then one , by the sense of that which is plaine , and which they cannot render otherwise then they doe . however , so it hath been with them ; insomuch that by their superstitious tradition , or traditionary superstition touching this name , ( according to their practise in other things , and according to the complaint of our saviour matt. . . ) they came at length to make the commandment of god of none effect ; for they held it that if a man cursed his father or mother , unlesse he named this name , he was not to suffer death , ( as the law prescribed , levit. . . ) but only to be whipt . to say a little more yet , ( now that i have gone thus farre ; and because that i have said that allready which necessarily requires , i should say a little more ) they called the name jehovah , shem hamphorash , from its being separated apart from common use , as well as for being to be separated in parts in any use : as if it came from paros to separate , or lay apart ; as well as from parosh to explaine or lay abroad . hence is it that they never speake of it without some epithete of reverence : such as hannibdal the separated , hamiiuchad the proper , hannickbod the glorious and the like . nekob to peirce this name thorow ( as i might say ) or to pronounce it downe right , was permitted to none but the high priest ; and that but once in a yeare , viz. at the feast of expiation ; when he pronounced the solemne benediction , in every member whereof the name jehovah was plainly exprest ; as you may see , num : , , * , . and therefore ( they say ) it is added , v : , they shall put my name upon the childeren of israel : my name , that is , my proper name , or that which may not be applyed to others besides my selfe ( as the rest of my names are ) that which is my name for ever , and which denotes my everlasting essence , exod : , . and as it was pronounced only by one man , and but once a yeare : so likewise but in one place viz : in the temple at jerusalem : and therefore , ever since the destruction of the temple , and city , by vespatian ; the jewes have not knowne the pronunciation of this name . simeon justus , being the last that was high priest , was the last jew that pronounced it . but to returne to the son of the israelite woman ( for that is all the name he has here ) some think the spirit of god purposedly , because he had dishonour'd god so much by expressing his name , refused to honour him so farre as to * name , his . and you may observe how the scripture in severall places make it an expression of gods exceeding great anger against a man , to threaten to blott out his name from under heaven deut. . . &c. i have been so long in relating the jew's excesse of revereverence to the name jehovah , for these reasons first that i might reproove the christian's defect of reverence to the names of god , the lord , jesus , christ , and the spirit , which we too often use , either when we should not , or as we should not ; either not thinking of them at a●l , or not thinking of them as we should . the verb nekob which the jews translate to name , signifieth also to pierce : and though i would not be guilty either of their kabalisme or judaisme , yet this i believe , that those who pollute , and prophane those names , and make them contemptible , either by false , and frequent swearing , or by irreverent and carelesse mentioning , * pierce the heart of christ with such practises , as bad as the souldier pierced his side with the speare john. . . in zachary chap. . . it is said they shall looke upon mee , whom they have pierced . they have pierced ) &c , john in the chapter but now named speaks but of one souldier that pierc'd him with a speare ; and therefore , ( besides that it is translated , me , and not him , ) it may be appli'd to , and it is not improbable , that it was meant of piercing , by the reproach and blasphemy of others , as well as by the speare of that souldier . adde hereunto that though some greek translators read the originall , dakern , and translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , pierced ; which translation of it john useth , applying the place to christ , ( as some * of the jewes doe also to the messiah ) yet the septuagint read it rakedu , and translated , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which is a word that comes from , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to leap , or to dance : i may render it insulted . there is nothing more piercing to any man , then insulting over him . suidas paraphrases this word by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies , naso suspendere , to jeere and snuffe at a man ; and by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , when a man hath seen divine misteries and rites celebrated in secret , to goe out and divulge them , and make a sport of them . what can be more piercing and cutting , either to god or to man , ( especially if he be in power and authority ) then to be snuffed * at , and scorn'd ? to god , to have his a name polluted ; and his b sanctuary , and his most holy c things evulg'd and prophaned : to man , to have his name ( which he stands more upon then his life ) reproched ; and those things which he would have kept with secrecy , and respect , divulged with derision . the like difference of translation is there ps . , : for where we translate pierced ( my hands and my feet ) aquila translates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shamed , and might as well translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insulted over : for ( charu frō charar to leap ) is as like to have been the original word , if ours be not , as any aquila could have , of that signification . that place , psalm . . , where it is said of joseph , that iron entred into his soule , is interpreted of the griefe which joseph tooke at the reproach of adultery cast upon him by pharaohs wife , which doubtlesse pierced his very soule . and so likewise those words of simeon to mary , luk. . . a sword shall pierce thorow thy own soule also , are interpreted of the griefe , she also should take at the scornes , and reproaches which should be offered to her sonne ; which should cut , and pierce her to the heart . and it may very well be so , because of the very last words of the verse immediatly going before , which say of christ that hee should be for a signe which shall bee spoken against . it is as grievous to a mans spirit , to be made a signe , and a proverb * , and a wonder * , for misery ; as it is to suffer the misery it selfe . for a man to come from far , to his own paine and cost , to reveal a most certain and necessary truth , meerly out of love , and yet to be , not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * made to come to no purpose ; but contradicted , almost by every body , ( as our saviour was ) what can be more grievous ? the author of the epistle to the hebrews , endeavouring to stir them up to patience by christs example , bids them consider him who indured such contradictions of sinners , c. . . such contradictions . there is as much grievousnesse in evill speches as in any thing ; nay more , to the mind of a man , then in evill actions : though i doe not say , that by contradictions , there is no more meant then evill speeches . i am confident that the jewes their mocking at our saviour , and crying to him , haile king of the jews , when they crowned him with thorns , pierced a great deale deeper into his heart , then the thornes did into bis head . how many complaints has david in the psalms , ( whom we take to speak very often in the person of christ ) of scoffing , and reproachfull speeches ! and how many such speeches , and actions , have we related by the evangelists of the jewes against our saviour christ ! blaspheming , and vilifying , and reviling of him , was that which the jewes were more guilty of then any thing else . see the complaint of david ps . , , . and the prophecy of isaiah , c. . . it was the sin which they oftnest committed , and that which they never left committing , till they had killed him out of the way . contempt of christ for the meanesse of his condition ( that whereby chiefly he became a scandall to them , and for which they rejected him ) was indeed the sinne of the jewes , and that which occasioned all the rest . the second end which i had in thus lengthning my discourse of the jewes religion towardes the name of god , was ( as paul said , he would do to them by the conversion of the gentiles , rom. . . ) that i might 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 provoke the gentiles to a due reverence to it , even for indignation ) by their superstitious reverence the third and last end was to make us take heed that their superstitious reverence to the very name of god doe not rise up in judgement against us for our contempt of god himselfe . i will now proceed ( according to my main intention , when i began this chapter , and according to my sole designe when i began this worke ) to produce the punishments and threats which i finde in the scriptures concerning the sin of blasphemy . sennacherib king of assyria sent letters full of blasphemy to hezekiah king of judah . chr. . . hezekiah praying against him , to make god the more angry with him , * spred the letters before him , isa . . . an answer was presently returned , that god had taken notice of his blasphemy to punish it : which accordingly came to passe ; for an angel came that very night , and slew of his army a hundred fourescore and five thousand , kings , . , and he himself afterwards was miserably murder'd in the temple of nisroch ( whō he had idolatrously worship't insteed of the true god , whom he had blasphemed ) by his owne sons , isa . . . a fit recompence ; that the sons should murther their father that begat them , seeing the father had blasphemed ▪ the god that made him . benhadad the king of syria , though he had such an exceeding great army , yet because he blasphemed the lord in saying that he was god of the hills and not of the vallies ( wherein he was best able to fight , his strength consisting chiefly in horse ) was overthrown by ahab's little army ( which being parted in two , was but like two little flocks of kids * ) and an hundred thousand of his men slaine ; besides seven and twenty thousand more , afterwards kill'd by the fall of a wall , kings . , , . at your leasure you may see divers other examples of god's judgement upon blasphemy , in the apocryphall books , as . nicanor , who being slaine in battle by judas , had his blasphemous tongue cut in pieces , and given to the fowles , mac. . . . olophernes , beheaded by judith , ( a woman , and a jew ) as hee lay in his bed , jud. , . & cap. . . . antiochus , dying of a most loathsome disease , mac. . . . . some that were burnt alive at the taking of the citty gazara , . mac. . , . . others that were miserably slaughtered at the taking of caspis . c. . . they that commit this sin must not look to escape unpunished ; if they who doe but give occasion to others to commit it , may not ; as it is certaine they may not ; for the prophet nathan thus threatned david ▪ because by this deed , ( speaking of his adultery with bathsheba ) thou hast given occasion * to the enemies of the lord to blaspheme , the child also that is borne unto thee shall surely dye , . sam. . . it is thought that hezekiah forbad the people to answer rabshakeh , when hee was speaking blasphemy , kings . ▪ for feare they might occasion him to speak the more . though others say he did it upon the same ground that we would forbid ignorant men to dispute with such as maintaine erroneous opinions . viz. for feare of betraying and disgracing the truth , as if it could not be better defended : which will come almost to the same with the former ; for disgracing gods truth , is disgracing god , and disgracing * god , is blaspheming him . the jewes when they heard any one blaspheme &c. see the appendix . blasphemie against the holy ghost never pardon'd . but hee that shall blaspheme against the holy ghost , hath never forgivenesse ( or shall * never have forgivenesse , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 usuall in the evangelists ) but is in danger of eternall damnation , mark. , . is in danger of eternall damnation , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : so we : but the vulgar translation ( abused by the adorers thereof , the papists , for the maintenance of their veniall sinnes and purgatory ) renders , is guilty of an eternall sin . and indeed ( i speake it without any good will to the popish opinion ) methinkes , it were better to read as the ancient greeke copies read viz : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sinne , rather then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 damnation . for first , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is no where else ( that i remember ) applied to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; only once it is applied to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and that in the epistle to the hebrews , which is questioned , whether it were originally written in greek or no. neither ( if we consider it ) is the english more proper : viz : eternall damnation : then , eternall sinne ; though at the first view , it seeme so : noe more then if we said , eternall condemnation , or sentence . secondly , in other places where we render the word , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in danger , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put in the dative case , and not in the genitive , as mat : . . and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the accusative case with the praeposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verse . if wee will render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in danger , why may not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sinne , be taken for the punishment of sinne , in imitation of the hebrew ? gen. . . &c. lastly it seemes proper enough in any language , to affirme that sin to be eternall , the guilt whereof shall never be taken away . the language of the scripture concernnig sinne ( as a thing that abides , till it be taken away ) accords very well with this expression , not only in the greek in the new testament ; as when it sayes your sin remaineth john , . he that delivered me vnto thee hath the greater sinne john , . ye shall die in your sinnes ch . , , speaking conerning sin not pardon'd : and so when it sayes taketh away the sinnes of the world john , ▪ your sinnes may be blotted out acts , . to putt away sinne heb. , ; speaking of the pardon of sinne : but also , in the hebrew , in the old testament ; as when it sayes sin lyeth at the doore gen : . . died in * his owne sinne num : , . my sinne is sealed up in a bagge job , . * shall beare his sinne num. , . speaking concering sin not left unpunished ; and so on the other side , when it sayes , whose sinne is covered ps . . . removed our transgressions ps . , . blotteth out thy trangressions isa , . speaking of the pardon of sinne . sin is not a thing that is only so long as it is in acting ; like the actions of naturall creatures , or like the indifferent actions of rationall creatures . good and bad actions even towards men ( as courtesies and injuries ) will be such an hundred yeares hence , if you let them alone . so will good and bad actions towards god , be good and bad actions for ever : for both he that turneth not away from his righteousnesse , and he that turneth not away from his wickednesse , their righteousnesse and their wickednesse endureth for ever . there is a booke of remembrance for them that feare god mal. . : and they that feare him not , their iniquity is marked before him jer : , . they shall in no way lose their reward , for they shall have it for certaine , and enjoy it for ever . sin is a debt ( though it is not to be understood as when we say , pay your debts ; for then sinne should be a duty , for which the word debt is many times us'd , as that to which we are engaged , not ▪ which we have incurred ) and a debt both is as much , and is as much a debt for ever after , till the due be paid or the debt forgiven , as it was at the first minute of default of payment . sinne is visible for ever , if it be not covered ; legible for ever , if it be not blotted out ; and durable for ever , if it be not taken away . i have been the longer in this point because i heare so often those expressions of wicked men when they are told of such and such sinnes which they have committed , o , that is past and gone now ! that was in my younger yeares , and the like ; not considering that god's booke still is , and their bones also may be ( to use job's expression , ch : , . ) full of the sinnes of their youth , before they die . in vaine doth the adulterous woman wipe her mouth ; and the murtherer wash his hands ; and the drunkard sweep away his vomit ; looking the world in the face with boldnesse , as if they had done nothing ; and presuming of impunity , because sentence is not presently * executed . they shall one day find , that sinne has too wide a mouth , to be stopt with the narrow hand of a man : and that it is of too deep a die , to be gotten out only with wiping and washing . yea they shall find , that not only the sinne of the blasphemer is ; but even the lest of theirs , let it seem never so venial , without true repentance will 〈…〉 eternal sinne , 〈…〉 blesings turned into curses . if ye will not heare , and if ye will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name , saith the lord of hoasts , i will even send a curse upon you , and will curse your blessings : yea , i have cursed them already , because ye do not lay it to heart , mal. . . these words are spoken to the piests ; and so perhaps the meaning may be rather of actions then things ( though in that sense also , it will serve for my purpose ) viz. that the priests for not giving glory to god's name ( perhaps it is meant by confession of sinnes , which is usually expressed by giving glory to god , josh . , . sam. , . ) should lose that priviledge of benediction which good priests and prophets were wont to have , viz : that those whom they blessed should be blessed , and those whom they cursed should be cursed as balak told balaam num. , . the prosperity of fooles shall destroy them , prov. , , of fooles , &c. it is an ordinary thing with fooles ( i. e. wicked men ) to have that which david either prayes for , or prophecies of , fulfilled upon thē : let their table become a snare before them , and that which should have beene for their welfare , let it become a trap , ps . , . evē spiritual blessings * shall become thus unto them ; for to such has paul applyed those words in the epist . to the rom. c. . v. . as appeareth by the words before and after that verse . indeed grotius , who perhaps sometimes makes too much use of that excellent vaine which he had of finding out the literall sense ( as in exponding that place of isaiah , a virgin shall conceive &c. of hezekiah's wife , who was once a virgin : for which rivet * hath sufficiently taxed him : and likewise in expounding many other places ) sayes , that david speaking of those familiar friends ( of whom he complained before , ps . . . ) who being entertained at his table , like true parasites , and psycophants , made his freedome of entertainment a snare to entrap him , and carry tales to saul ; doth in those words wish the like usage to them againe , viz. that their table also might become a snare and a trap to them , as his was to him ; and this by way of punishment , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , for a just * reward to them for their ill rewarding him . but under correction , he interprets neither david's , nor paul's words ; nor does he set them downe ; for he leaves out the conjunction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and , and reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , let their table &c. be made a stumbling blocke , for a recompence : and so it is easie enough for any one to interpret . for it is not indifferent whether , and , be there or not ; seeing the removall thereof , both changes the use of the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for , ( as if it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that they may be rewarded ) and ▪ also the relation of the word recompence ; * which , whereas before it was related to table only , now is related to the whole prayer . but beza , methinks , expounds this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or recompence , otherwise for interpreting , table , of the law ; and saying that david in those words prophecy'd , rather then prayed ( as he does no doubt many times in such expressions , where the word lett is us'd ) that as * the birds are allur'd unto death by that in which they seek their life ; so the jewes , seeking life in the law , and rejecting the gospel , should by that meanes be ensnar'd and destroy'd ; he may seeme to have made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie as much as a bait layd before a snare ; or as a baited snare layd in the way * before a creature to take it . but to give you in a few words my owne conceit , by way of comparison . that peice of flesh wherewith the faulconer couzens his hawk , and takes him off from the bird , that he may * not eat it , me thinkes , may well be said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to such a hawke . so may any thing which we put before a mans eyes , to keep him from seeing another thing which we would not have him * see . if a man should give his child , or his servant his choice , either to take such a certaine portion , or so much wages in hand ; or else to trust to his courtesie ; with an intention hereafter to give him a great deale more then such a portion or wages comes to , if he refuse it , but to give him no more if he take it . if a friend , or a servant having done such a courtesie , or such a service , and being given to his belly , accept of a dainty dinner ( given perhaps of purpose to gull him ) for satisfaction . if a child take a glittering piece of brasse , to part with a piece of silver ; either of these things , which i have named , may be said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a recompence , or reward to the party that takes it . and indeed it is a very great punishment , for a man to have any thing from gods hands now , as a reward : as it is the greatest punishment of all , to have his reward , or his portion , in this life : for so the wicked have , ps . , . who have their portion in this life ; whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure . the wicked , filled with the things of this world , are like one that hath filled his bellyupon courser meat ( set before him first , it may be , for that purpose ) so that he has no stomach ( either of strength or desire ) to eat of finer . seeing they are for this worlds goods , they shall have their belly full , but it is their reward , and they must looke for noe * more . god seemes to have spoken to the israelites ( when they murmurd for want of flesh ) after this manner . seeing you are so much for flesh , and loath my manna , you shall have enough of it , even till it come out of your nostrills : but you shall have it for a reward ; you shall have it instead of canaan , and die as soone as you have eaten it . num. , . this having a mans reward now , our saviour used as a scar-crow , to affright men from shewing liberality to the rich : and he used also the same word that is here used by the apostle viz : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which we translate recompence . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 least they also bid thee againe , and a recompence be made thee luk : , . he sayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and without relation ( as i conceive ) of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( made ) to what was spoken before : whereby the evill of having a mans reward now , is more fully expressed ; as if he would have * a man by all meanes take heed of having , or desiring , or being content with a reward in this present world . but to give you all that i have to say of those words of the psalmist ; i observe that not only the noune 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( for so it is likely that the septuagint red it ) signifying recompence , is more especially meant of the recompence of bad works , as in isaiah ch . . . and else where ; but also the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to reward , is diverse times so used as if it were properly appliable only to rewarding by punishment , as prov. . . psal . , , &c. blindnesse see ignorance . boasters of holinesse . boasters of holinesse have cause to feare , god 's not justifying them because of their justifying themselves ( for both can never be . ) the pharisee said ; god i thank thee that i am not as other men are , extortioners , unjust , adulterers , or even as this publican . i fast twice in the weeke , i give tithes of all that i possesse , luk. . . . but our saviour saies of the publican ( who would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven , but smote upon his breast , saying , god be mercifull to me a sinner ) i tell you this man went downe to his house a justified rather then the other , vers . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , rather ( according to beza's potius ) not more , either magis , ( as austin translates ) or plus ( as hierom ) or prae ( as erasmus ) to shew that the pharisee was not justified at all , but rather condemn'd : which may be gathered also by the words immediatly following . for every one that exalteth himselfe shall be abased , and he that abaseth himselfe shall be exalted , v. . the connexion of these words with the former is such ( as appeares by the conjunction , for , ) that as it is here said of exalting and abasing , so i may boldly say of justifying , and condemning ; for every one that justifieth himselfe shall be condemned , and he that condemneth * himselfe shall be justified . theophylact puts the question , why the pharisee should be thus condemned for speaking but a few words in justification of himselfe , and there should be no notice any where taken of job for speaking so many . but the answer may be this . first , a sin of the old testament is not the lesse for not mentioning in the new. . the pharisee spake to god , and without any provocation : whereas job spake the most of what he spake to men , to cleare himselfe of their false accusations . . it appears that job condemned himselfe afterward for his justifying himselfe ; and that god hereupon accepted him chap. . , . and c. . . . . god's being exceedingly displeased with them : for thus he speaks of the jewes , ( who despised the gentiles for their barrennesse , as hagar did sara , gen. . . notwithstanding the prophecy , that the children of the desolate should be more then the children of ehe married wife , isa , . . which perhaps for that reason was the sooner fulfilled ) which say , stand by thy selfe , come not neer me for i am holier then thou ; these are a smoake in my nose , a b fire that burneth all the day behold , it is written before me ; * i will not keep silence , but will recompence c and recompence into their bosome , isa . . , . bribery . bribery is threatned * , . with punishment unavoidable . thus saith the lord , for three transgressions , and for foure , i will not turne away the punishment thereof ( speaking of judah ) because they sold the righteous for silver , and the poore for a paire of shooes , amos , . i take it to bee as much , as if he had said , there be many other sins which i meane to punish the jewes for , but i will especially make them smart for this . viz because their judges have condemned him that had right on his side , and him that had poverty to plead for him ; only for love of a little gaine . . a curse . cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person . deut. , . . if not the destruction of them and their family , at lest , the consumption of that wealth which they have gotten by * bribery . fire shall consume the tabernacles of * bribery , job . . . bribe* , so the chaldee paraphrase : understanding thereby tabernacles , or houses and estates purchased with mony taken for bribes ; which is a more plaine setting forth of the punishment of this sin ( being this way most severely , and most usually punished ) then if we translated ( after the ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the tabernacles of those that receive bribes . for then they might be punisht notwithstanding for some other sin : and god's anger against a sinne is never more visible , then when he punishes the offender in that member , or in that creature , ( by taking it away , or making it hurtful , or troublesome or uselesse ) with which he committed it . . the desolation of that countrey where it is practised . the heads thereof judge for reward , and the priests thereof teach for hire , and the prophets thereof divine for money : yet will they leane upon the lord and say , is not the lord among us ? none evill can come upon us therefore shall zion for your sakes bee plowed as a field , and jerusalem shall become heapes , &c. mic. . . see also ezek. . . , , . it were good therefore , to prevent this sin , that those laws were observed which ordaine that none shall be a judge , or in place of power and authoritie , but such as have a competent estate ; or at least that none who are in places of power and authority might be without a competent estate . those words in the proverbs , the king by judgement stablisheth the land , but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it , prov. . . the talmudists ( saies buxtorf ) interpret thus , when the judge is a king & needs nothing , then he establisheth a land ; but when he is as a priest * and beggs at every mans barne , he destroyes it . the rabbins say that those six lions placed upon each side of the six steps that went up to solomons judgement seat , king. , . had every one of them in one of their paws , a precept , and the other he held open as it were ready to teare : to shew that if he that sate in that seat neglected his duty , the hand of god was ready to punish him and teare him in pieces . now one of those six precepts was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou shalt not receive a gift ; which they say the crier was to proclaime as the judge was going up , when he came to the second step : and so the rest , when he came to the rest . the very taking of a gift ( though it be not a reward , & though thou dost not promise or resolve to give him the cause , who gave thee the gift ) is as likely to hurt thee afterward by punishment from god , as it is hurtfull to thee at the present by punishing thee it selfe ; i meane with blindnesse of judgement ; which it will doe , though thou hadst never so good a sight . thou shalt take no gift , for a gift blindeth the wise ( or the seeing * ) and perverteth the words of the righteous , exo. . . the thebans * painted justice without hands or eyes : to shew that a judge should accept neither gifts nor persons . . to shew how hardly justice can consist with receiving gifts . . to shew the danger of taking gifts ; for if shee had been painted with hands , though they had painted her with an hundred eyes , she would have put them all out with her hands . carnall men punished . with not pleasing god. they that are in the flesh cannot please god rom : , . corruption , and death . he that soweth to his flesh , shall of the flesh reap corruption gal : , . if ye live after the flesh , ye shall dye rom : , . see verse . ceremonies and commandments of men : he that observes them more then the commandements of god , that mans religion is vaine . in vaine doe they worship me , teaching for doctrines the command'ments of men . for laying aside the commandements of god , ye hold the tradition of men , as the washing of pots & cups : and many other such like things ye doe mark , , . christ such as reject christ . when the lord of the vineyard cometh , what will he doe unto those husbandmen ? our saviour asked this question of the priests and elders concerning those husbandmen in his parable that killed the heire when he was sent to receive the fruit mat : , . and they answered him v. . he will miserably destroy those wicked men and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen . those mine enimies which would not i should raign over them , bring hither & slay thē before me : our saviour thus spake of the people ( in the parable ) who rejected the noble man that came to reign over thē luk : , , . such as forsake christ punished * . with excommunication in the highest degree . if any one love not the lord jesus christ let him be anathema maranatha cor. , . it is spoken ( i suppose ) of such who once loved christ , but now had left their first * love : for what had paul to doe to judge those who were without c. , ? and some conceive it meant of such , who had not only left the love of christ themselves , but would teach men so . a it seems to be as much as if he had said , let him be accursed to the utmost , till the lord himself come b , for we have done with him . for other things , so long as a man kept the faith , the church did but deliver him to satan , * c or exclude him from the publique enjoyment of god's ordinances , trying and hoping by humiliation and prayer to restore him : and they ought to do no other ; neither ought they to count him * an enemie . but if once he denied the faith , they even delivered him to maran ; not to satan but to the lord ( for so the word maran signifies ) and were at libertie to pray , or not to pray for him , * as one whom they had discharged their hands of ; giving him over for desperate . the practise of the christians toward him who apostatiz'd from the gospel was like to the practice of the jewes toward him who apostatiz'd from the law ( if the jewes were not more severe ) for whereas , if a heathen man desired to be sacrificed for , they would do it ; if he were an apostate , ( which is the reason why they hate a samaritane worse then a gentile ) they esteem'd them selves not only not bound to do it , but bound not to do it . the christians excluded such a one from their society , not only in the church , but in any other * place ; refusing not only in publique meetings to pray for him , ( which they used to do for him who was excommunicated for lesser sins ) but when they met him in private , to salute him , or to bid him * god speed . much more might have been spoken upon occasion of these words anathema maranatha ; but perhaps i have diverted too long already ▪ see a little in the chapter of covetousnes . not bearing of fruit . as the branch cannot beare fruit of it selfe , i meane * except it abide in the vine : no more can ye , except ye abide in me john , . without me ye can do nothing john , . withering away , and being fit for nothing but the fire . if a man abide not in me , he is cast forth as a branch , and is withred , and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burn'd john , . those that deny christ are threatned with being denyed by him againe . whosoever shall deny me before men , him will i also deny before my father which is in heaven matt. , . i will deny him , not only when i come in judgment , but now ; while i am before my father and while i am an advocate with him . when he prayes , i will not owne him , nor mediate for him ; but leave him to my father , and let my father alone to doe what he will with him . see tim : , peter aggravates this sinne shall i call it ( methinks the name is too little ) or rather abominable and capitall crime ( as having that in it , then which nothing aggravates any fault more viz : ingratitude ) by calling it denying the lord that bought them pet : , . for what a base detestable act should we our selves account it for one whom we have any way free'd out of captivity or prison , ( though he were to continue in it but a few yeares ) and taken into our service ; to run a way from us . but especially if we bought him ; if we were at cost to free him : at great cost : at the cost of a great deale of gold or silver only ▪ but christ hath redeem'd us from an everlasting captivitie and was at an unspeakable greater cost . for we were not redeemed with corruptible things , as silver and gold , but with the precious blood of christ , says the same apostle ep : c. , , which words he uses as an argument to perswade christians to be holy , as he that hath called them , having also dearely bought them , is holy ; verse . and therefore in the place first cited , as he aggravated the sinne ; so he aggravated the punishment , in these words : and shall bring upon them selves swift destruction . they are in a worse condition then those that never knew christ : for , it had been better for them not to have knowne the way of righteousnesse , then after they have knowne it to turne from the holy commandement delivered unto them pet : , . those who are christ's enimies are thus threatn'd he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh the lord shall have them in derision ps . , . oh fearfull threat ! how sad is the conditon of those men at whose calamitie god rejoyceth ! or at whose wickednesse he laughes ! suffering them to run on in their sinnes because he seeth that their day of punishment is coming ps . , . give me any anger , rather then a laughing anger , whether of god , or man. see the threats ps . , . prov : , . those to whom christ is a scandal . whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken mat. . in luke you have the same words cap. . . the like threat you have in isaiah cap. . . many among them shall stumble and fall , and be broken , and be snared , and be taken . blessed is he ( saith christ himselfe ) whosoever shall not be offended in me mat. , . if a man shall be blessed , only for not being offended at , or not disliking , him whom he is bound to like ; and whom it is for his owne good to like ; and whom he hath no cause to dislike : how can his condition be better then cursed , who notwithstanding all this , is offended at him and disallow's him , and rejects him , as unsit to build upon ? those who have no vnion or commumunion with christ . verily verily i say unto you , except ye eate the flesh of the son of man and drink his bloud , ye have no life in you joh : , . ye have , ( according to beza's translation , ) and not ye shall have , ( according to erasmus , and the vulgar ) because ( saith beza ) otherwise , it may be thought that christ did not give life to us , but only keep it for us . i apply not this to those who do not imitate christ ( especially in his passion ) as grotius does , for as upon most other places he endevor'd to be as little mysticall , and spirituall , as he could be : so i think upon this , he was more socinian then he should be * for thus he speakes : hoc ergo est edere & bibere , christi uti exemplo christi perfestisimum est exemplum tum virtutum aliarum , tum praecipuè dilectionis , quam imitari compendium est praeceptorum . nam sicut cibus & potus in corpus admissi , hominem nutri●nt ; ita bona exempla in animum admissa eum mirabiliter confirmant . but whereas he sayes christ was a most perfect example of love ; and makes imitation of him to be the highest thing intended in the gospel ( for doubtlesse eating christ's flesh and drinking his blood was expressed as the highest and most principle of christianity ) let me aske , wherin this love which he ackowledges did appeare ? i believe i shall not be answer'd by those of his mind , in his dying a sacrifice for us : for then , certainely example and imitation cannot be the thing hee came for . and yet that in this chiefly both his love & the love of the father did consist , appears by the words of john : herein is love not that we loved him , but that he loved us , and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sinnes . ep : , . to conclude , if eating christs flesh , and drinking christs bloud , be imitating his example ; how did our fathers imitate him who were before him ; and yet did all eat the same spirituall meat , and did all drinke the same spirituall drink ( for they drank of that spirituall rock that followed them , and that rocke was christ ? ) cor : , , . church not heard . if he neglect to heare the church , let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican , saith our saviour to his disciples concerning one christian offending another mat : . . clothes of men and women promiscuously worne . the woman shall not weare that which pertaineth to a man , neither shall a man put on a womans garment ; for all that do so are an abomination to the lord thy god. deut. , . some do make this prohition to belong to the second commandement , and for these two reasons : first because the word which we translate abomination , is usually spoken of idolatry : but this is no reason , for it is as usually spoken of other things , both in the proverbes , and elsewhere . secondly , because maimonides saith , it was the custome of idolatrous jewes , if they were men , to stand with the ●mbrodered garments * of women a before the starre venus ; and if they were women , with mens armour before mars ( another of the planets ) in imitation of the heathen . that there was such a custome , is very likely : and there seemes to be somewhat spoken in ●avour of this report , in deuteronomy , ch . . because in the second verse , both sexes are mention'd . if there be found , &c. man , or woman , &c. and in the verse immediately following , there is mention made of worshiping the sun , or moone , or any of the host of heaven : as if it had been said , or any of the planets : such as mars and venus , and the rest . but however , if they make the prohibition to relate to this custome , onely because they thinke the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated here that which pertaineth to a man , to signifie nothing but armour ; i shall not take this for a reason neither : for they cannot deny that this word hath of it selfe a more generall signification , even as generall almost , as when we say , a man's or woman's things ; as may appear by twenty places . which being so , methinkes , it is farre better to make the more speciall word used for the woman , viz. garments , to expound this ; rather then this , which is a more generall word , to exclude that : at least let it be that which containes armour , and clothes too . viz. the habit of a man. communicating ( or partaking of christs body in the sacrament ) unworthily . it is threatned with being held guilty of the body and blood of christ : as if he , who does not care to remember him in the best manner he can now he is dead ; if he had lived , when he did , would have been little troubled to have seen him put to death ▪ whosoever shall eat this bread , and drinke this cup of the lord unworthily , shall be guilty , ( or shall be held guilty : for he is guilty already of himselfe ) of the body and blood of the lord , cor. , . it hath been punished with sicknesse * , and death : for this cause many are weake , and sickly among you ; and many sleep , cor. , . chrysostome a speakes of some possessed with the divell after it ; and cyprian hath recorded divers examples of men thus punished . one way or another ( for the most part ) they were sure to have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b some judgement , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c to be judged or punished . and it was well for the saints they were : for it may be otherwise they might have been † 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quite and cleane condemned , or damned , as the men of the world were . company of wicked men , those that keepe it threatned with their punishments . depart , i pray you , from the tents of these wicked men , and touch nothing of theirs , lest you be consumed in all their sinnes , num. , . moses thus spake to the people concerning dathan and abiram . elihu when he would convince job of being justly punished by god , told him of this sinne ; as reckoning it for a very hainous one : what man is like job , who drinketh up scorning like water ; who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity , & walketh with wicked men job , , . solomon thought that those who kept drunkards company , had cause to feare their punishments : for otherwise , that were no argument , which he brings to diswade a man from it : be not among wine bibbers , amongst riotous eaters of flesh : for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty prov. , , . the servant , that shall eat and drink with the drunken , is threatned , that his lord shall come in a day when he looketh not for him , and in an houre that he is not aware of , and shall cut him in sunder and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites mat. , , , , . hypocrites ; such as he himsefe was : for if he had been sincere , he would have loathed the very garment * spotted with the flesh . john sayes that he heard this voice from heaven concerning babylon : come out of her my people , that ye be not partakers of her sin , & that ye receive not of her plagues rev : , . partakers of her sinnes ; so it is render'd : but so they might be , if they were partakers only in the guilt , viz : by not reprooving them , or not greiving , and mourning for them ; though they did not commit the like themselves . and therefore methinkes it may very well be render'd , partakers in their sinnes viz : by approving of them , & joyning in them . the words in the originall are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which will imply asmuch . for so is the same verb us'd by paul with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 workes . have no fellowship with the unfruitfull * workes of darknesse , but rather reprove them ephes . , . where there cannot be so little meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as not reproving only ; as there cannot be so little meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 communicating with my affliction phil. , . as the philippians their not adding affliction only to paul's bonds . i thinke , that when a partakeing of that thing which an other hath , is understood , the thing is put rather in the genitive case with the adjective 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rom : , . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 phil : , . besides , to be partaker of mens sins in that manner spoken of before , is expressed by the simple verb only , as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is partaker of his evill deed's ep . john : . spoken of him who doth but bid the person god speed . now this a man shall quickly do , i meane beare a part also with wicked men in sinning ; if he once yeeld to beare them company : because their disease is so catching . sinne will hang to a mans heart , as bad as pitch will to his fingers . i may say of most sorts of sinners , as the son of syrach says of the proud man. he that toucheth pitch , shall be defiled with it ; and he that hath fellowship with a proud man will be like unto him ecclesiasticus . the rabbines have a saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every one that is prophane maketh prophane : which may be interpreted as well of society , as otherwise : as in the law , whosoever touched him that was unclean was unclean also . the infectiousnesse of sinne is prettily expressed by seneca in the word allinit besmeareth , applied to the persons with whom we converse : as if they were like new-whited walls , which a man rubs along by and thinks not o● it . he uses this word in his epistles ; and i think it not amisse to tell you part of what he hath in in those epistles delivered against using much company & for this reason , because of being drawn into sinne . he sayes we are drawn into sinne in company especially these two wayes : first , by our being pleased with other mens sinnes , nemo non aliquod nobis vitium , aut commendat , aut imprimit , aut nescientibas allinit epis . . secondly by seeing them pleased with ours ; especially if we are vaine glorious , and desirous to be conform'd * to the world , and loath to be absurd ( as they call it ) or displeasing to our company : irritamentum est omnium in quae insanimus admirator & conscius : ubi testis ac spectator abscessit , vitia subsidunt , quorum monstrari & conspici fructus sit ▪ in many sins our only aime is to please men ; and if no body saw us we would not cōmit them , ep : . which was the reason , why pericles knowing himselfe to be addicted to vaine glory , abstained altogether from feastings , and merry meetings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . plutarch , in his life . i am not of their opinion who say * aut societas , aut mors : either society , or death . seeing therefore there is somuch danger in company , either be alone without company , or ( according to the same pilosopher's advise ) as much as possibly thou canst , be alone while thou art in company : tunc praecipuè in teipsum secede , cum esse cogeris in turba epist : . be continually reflecting upon thy selfe ; keep thy heart , with as much feare and care as thou would'st thy face , if thou wert a midst a swarme of bees : watch over it and gard it with as much solicitude , as any souldier does a fort , when he lookes to be assaulted by his enimies every moment . company of any too much keeping it punished with hatred : withdraw thy foot from thy neighbours house lest he be weary * of thee , and so hate thee prov : . . not confessing of sinnes punished . if out of ignorance , . with not preventing of judgments . thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee , and they have not discovered thine iniquity , to turne away the captivity : . not obtaining of requests . solomon when he consecrated the temple , and entreated god to heare those that should pray towards it , entreated for such only as should know every man the plague of his owne heart , before they spred forth their hands towards it . kings , . see , chr : , . ezek. , , . if willfully , ( by hiding them when they know them ) with not prospering . he that covereth his sins shall not prosper * prov. , . the way to have sinnes cover'd , is , not to cover them . by covering sinne , thou robbest god of his glorie , whose glory it is to conceale a matter prov. . . thou shalt not prosper viz : by loosing not only thy labour ( for thou canst not hide any thing from god ) but thy pardon also . job in his justification , reckon'd it among those things , which if he had been gulity of ; he would acknowledge his punishment to have been just . if i cover'd my transgressions as adam ( or as a man ; for a meere naturall man can make no true confession ) by hiding mine iniquitie in my bosome job . . especially if we do not only not confesse our sinnes , but love them too , and hide them in our bosome . if thou canst not discover all , be sure to hide none . deale so with those thou canst not finde , as the jewes were wont to doe with their leaven . for their custome was two or three dayes before the feast of unleaven'd bread , to search every corner of the house for leaven ; and when thy had done ; for feare there might be any yet left , to pronounce a generall execration against it . even so do thou : when thou can'st not find every sinne , acknowlede all : for that is the way to be charged with none . copulation with beasts , as likewise with men or women too neerly related . yee shall not commit any of these abominations levit. , . ( viz : those mention'd from verse , to . ) that the land spue not you out ) like a stomach that is overburden'd or hath eaten some unwholsome meat ) as it spued out the nations that were before you . see more chap : . from v. , , to . where the punishment of some is to be put to death , of some to beare their iniquity , of some to be childlesse . that soule shall be cutt off * from his people ; * he hath broken my covenant , ( speaking of one not a circumcis'd ) gen : , . because circumcision was a condition or act of obedience on the jews part , before which indeed god had made his covenant with them , but without which he would not bind himsele to keep it . if yee shall despise my statutes , or if your soul shall abhorre my judgments ; so so that yee will not doe my command'ments ; but that yee breake my covenant : lev. , . i will also doe this unto you ; i will appoint over you terrour &c. v. . so vers . . i will set my face against you &c. these have altogether broken the yoake , and burst the bonds ; wherefore a lyon out of the forrest shall destroy them &c. jer : , , . concerning the jewes . covetousnesse . covetous men are threatn'd and punished first with not being satisfied . he that loveth silver , shall not be satisfied with silver , nor he that loveth abundance ▪ with increase eccles . . . the hebrew in scripture expresseth a covetous man by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b he that coveteth a covetousnesse , as jer. , . and chap. , . hab. , . because there is no more end of his coveting , when he hath what he coveted , then before ; but he covets , and covets without end . when he hath gotten , what he coveted , he hath not enlarged his estate , so much as his desire ; and that he enlargeth like hell , and the grave , hab. . . the apostle paul tim. , . ( as one might think though there be no necessity for it ) had allusion either to this hebrew expression , or to this quality of covetuousnesse ; when having said that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the love of money is the root of all evill , he added 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which while some coveted after ; that is , not wich mony , but wich love of money ; as if he ment to shew the covetousnesse of covetousnesse . the love * of mony growes as the mony growes ; and i believe if mony did leave growing ; the love would also in little time , there is no slavery so endlesse and importunate as the service of mammon mat. , . there is no sinne which after a man hath once begun , is so hard to leave , as covetousnesse : because of the unsatisfying nature of the things which are coveted ; or rather indeed , because of the unsatisfiablenesse of the soule which covets . for according as that is well or ill disposed , never so little is much enough , and never so much is too little . this , not being satisfied , i looke upon as a heavy punishment from god for the sinne of coveting : and such it is reckoned for , in the scriptures : see the chapter of gluttony sect : . many sorrowes . for the love of money is the root of all evill , which while some coveted after , they have erred from the faith , and pierced themselves thorow with many sorrows . tim : , . have pierced themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have peirc'd themselves all round , or on every side ; on that side on which they loose ; on that side on which they spend ; on that side on which they do not gaine ; nay lastly on that side on which they do● gaine ; because they have not their desire , though they have what they desired . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 themselves have pierced themselves ; which aggravates the misery : for a man is never more vex'd , then when he is vex'd by himself ; & never more hurted , then when he hurts himselfe . 't is an usuall way with god of punishing the wicked , to fill him with his own wayes * : and i think a covetous man is as much punished this way , as any other . nulla enim avaritia sine poena est quamvis satis sit ipsa poenarum , there is no covetousnesse without punishment , although it be punishment enough it selfe sen : epist : . . he that desires to be still loading himselfe with wealth , is like a bird that loades himself with dirt , till he cannot fly upward for the weight : and therefore , sayes the prophet habakuk , woe to him that ladeth himselfe with thick clay chap : , . the septuagint translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against himselfe ; because thereby he hurts himselfe most . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , have thrust themselves thorow with many sorrowes : there must needs be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many sorrowes ▪ where there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many lusts , ( as there are wherever there is covetousnesse ) verse . many foolish and ungodly actions to their owne hurt . the apostle in the afore quoted chapter v : . they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare , and many foolish and hurtfull lusts which draw men into destruction & perdition ( destruction , and perdition . ) so are the wayes of every one that is greedy of gaine , which taketh away the life of the owners thereof prov : , , what made the men of shechem so foolishly to yeeld to be circumcis'd , whereby they became so weak , that two men ( simeon and levi ) put them all to the sword ; but only covetousnesse ? for it is said they hearkened to hamor and shechems perswasion thereunto , assoone as they heard this argument shall not their cattel and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours ? gen : , . thus they would be punished , if god took no notice of them : but are they threatned with nothing from him ? yes they are threatned . with his hatred . — and blesseth the covetous whom the lord abhorreth ps : , . . his anger , and also punishment ; very great both , as may be gathered by his expressions . for the iniquity of his covetousnesse , i was wroth , and smote him ; i hid me and was wroth . isa : , . for the iniquity of his covetousnesse : the iniquity of covetousnesse is much ; and commonly there is much iniquity also goes with it : especially in men that exercize trades ; or are in places of power and trust . i will stretch out mine hand upon the inhabitants of the land , saith the lord ; for from the least of them even to the greatest of them every one is given to covetousnesse jerem : , . in the eighth chapter vers : . he shewes how he would punish their coveting to have more , with the losse of what they had ; and their wronging others , with being wronged themselves ( which is an usuall punishment of covetous men ) i will give their wives unto others & their fields to them that shall inherit thē : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : that shall disinherit them , may seem a better translation ; ( for so the hebrew word is used sometimes with the accusative case of the person as zach● , a . and elsewhere ) so that them shall relate to the men , & not to the fields . unlesse you had rather say to their heires ; that is , to the heires of those that marry their wives : so the vulgar and the chald : paraphrast . . exclusion out of the company of the saints in this world ( or excommunication ) for so paul would have them punished . i have written unto you not to keep company , if any man that is cal'd a brother be a fornicator or covetous &c. with such a one no not to eat . * cor. , . . exclusion from their company in the world to come ; nor theeves nor covetous men nor drunkards &c. shall inherit the kingdome of god cor : , . the very rust of their mony which they have greedily gathered , and niggardly kept , if their owne consciences would not confesse their covetousnesse , will come in judgment against them and testify it to their faces : your gold and silver is canker'd , and the rust of them shall be a witnesse against you , and shall eate your flesh as it were fire ; ye have heaped treasures together for the last dayes jam : , . covetousnesse must needes be severely punished if it be idolatry , as the apostle sayes it is , col : , . indeed it may well be counted so , rather then other sins ; yet not so much because covetous men love their wealth more then god ; ( for so the gluttons love their belly , and voluptuous men their pleasures , and other sinners other things ) as because usually they put their hope and confidence * in it , ( which are acts to be exercised upon nothing but god ) and because they think their life consists in the abundance of things which they possesse ; for somuch our saviour intimated in affirming the contrary , when he charged the people so earnestly to beware of covetousnesse , doubling the caveat : take heede and beware of covetousnesse ; for a mans life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth : luk. , . doubtlesse those who are guilty of this sinne have cause to feare god's severe punishment : for else our saviour had never spoken in this manner . i might produce many instances of severe punishments of other sinnes , of which this sinne was the occasion : as samuel's sons , sam. . saul chap. . nabal chap. . and ananias and sapphira acts . but of these in their places . cruell men are threatned and punished * . with hurting themselves . the mercifull man doth good to his owne soule , but he that is cruell troubleth his owne * flesh prov. , . a curse ( or the prayers of godly men against them . ) jacob , a little before he died , thus cursed simeon and levi ( for being brethren , not only in bloud , but in blouds , or bloudy-mindednesse and cruelty towards the shechemites ) cursed be their anger for it was fierce , and their wrath for it was cruell . i will divide them in jacob , and scatter them in israel , gen. , . for thus joyning in sinne , division and scattering shall be their punishment a . like cruelty from others . threescore and ten kings having their thumbs and their great toes cut off , gathered their meat under my table : as i have done , so god hath requited mee . thus adonibezek himselfe ( a heathen ) confessed , when the israelites of the tribes of judah and simeon tooke him prisoner , and cut off his thumbs & toes judg. , , . gods anger . heare me therefore and deliver the captives againe which yee have taken captive of your brethren ; for the fierce wrath * of god is upon you . thus spake oded the prophet to the israelites for keeping the jewes ( whom they had * taken in warre ) in slavery . chron. , . and so vers . . he tels them , that in the battell also they had exercised such cruelty as called to heaven for vengeance . ye have slaine them in a rage that reacheth up to heaven a . certaine punishment without remedy , though the cruelty be exercised upon wicked men . thus saith the lord , for three transgressions of edom , and for foure , i will not turne away the punishment thereof , because he did pursue his brother with the sword , and did cast off b all pity , and his anger did teare perpetually , † and he kept his wrath for ever . amos , . and thus the moabites ch . , . thus saith the lord , for three transgr●ssions of moab , and for foure , i will not turne away the punishment thereof , because they burnt the bones of the king of edom in lime . some say that that son whom the king of moab kill'd and offered for an offering upon the wall kings , . was the king of edoms son ( whom he had taken prisoner when he endevourd to break thorough his army ) and apply this threat to him ; adding to this act of his cruelty here express'd ( that he burnt his bones into lime ) one more * viz : that he made use of this lime to plaister his palace withall . severe punishment without mercy ; to cry him quits : he shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy james , . where it is added , for mercy rejoyceth over judgment . as mercy rejoyceth over judgment● , and love covereth a multitude of sinnes ; so judgment shall rejoyce over cruelty ; and where hatred is , not one sin of a multitude but shall be discovered . cruelty , even towards malefactors , how odious it was among the jews , appears both by what they required in those that were to be judges , and by what they allowed to them . it was required among other conditi●ions that those who were judges , should neither be eunuchs , nor such as had never any children ; because such were more likely to be cruel : and it was allowed the malefactor , even after he was sent to execution , if he had any thing more to say then what he had said already , to come back againe foure or five times . curiosity ( especially in divine things ) threatned . the lord said unto moses , goe down , charge the people lest they break thorow unto the lord to gaze , & many of them perish exod : , . charge the people — in hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 testify to them , or command them before witnesses ; for there being no law to forbid this act , they will say they were too severely dealt with , unlesse there be some to witnesse that it was forbidden by god : then again , charge them before witnesses , to shew that i am resolved to do what i say ; as joseph did his brethren gen : , . lest they breake thorow unto the lord : it may be render'd lest they destroy themselves for god , viz : out of desire to look and pry , or out of curiosity to see him . punished . and he smote the men of bethshemesh , because they looked into the ark of the lord : even he smote of the people fifty thousand , and threescore & ten men samuel , . wicked men commonly are more desirous toknow the things of god in a way of curiosity * then godly men ; and it is one great vanity of the eye ( both of the body and the mind ) to delight in seeing strang sights : which many times make them turne aside from god : moses , when the angel appeared to him in a flame o fire in a bush , seeing the bush burnt and not consumed , left the angel to turne aside , and see this great sight , why the bush was not burnt . exod : , . but god loved him well , and therefore restraind him . you know how jacob was reproved by the angel for asking his name gen : , . and manoah in the like manner jud : . . tacitus , speaking of hercules his pillars , of which it is questioned whether hercules went thither or not , sayes , sanctius & reverentius visum de actis deorum credere , quam scire . for things said to be done by the gods , i think it more religion , and reverence to believe them , then ( as we say ) to go seeke the proofe of * them . yet some are as hard to beleeve , that god is god , without too diligent inquiry , as thomas was to believe , that jesus was jesus john , . but we may not be too busie : there are some secret things , which belong only to god , deut. . . it was a saying of heraclitus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , nature loves to be hid , and the god of nature more then her . ignorance in such things , though it be not a mother , is a very great helper of devotion : & curiosity on the contrary , a very great hinderer . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . saies themistius , speaking of god , whom we reverence , & admire the more , because the knowledge of him is not easie and triviall , & ready to every mans hand . curiosity in humane things , hath been an occasiō of many sad accidents . lot's wife . gen : . out of curiosity to observe & gaze upon the destruction of sodom ( contrary to the ) angel's cōmand v : ) stealing a time when her husband did not see her , looked back from behind him , and was presently turned into a pillar of salt v. . dinah ( jacobs daughter ) gadding abroad ( forsooth ) to * see the daughters of the land ▪ gen : , . was deflowred by shechem , and became the occasion of all the sin , and misery , all the cruelty , acted and sufferd , by simeon and levi , and the people of shechem . verse . davids curiosity * and desire only to know the number of his people , cost the israelites the death of no lesse then seventy thousand men by the pestilence . sam : , . for when he commanded joab to number them , all the reason he gave why he would have it done , was , that i may know the number of the people verse . cursing of blessings . see blessings . cursing of rulers . it hath been punished with death , a long time after : behold ( says david to solomon in his charge before he died ) thou hast with thee shimei the son of gera , who cursed me with a grievous curse &c. now therefore hold him not gniltlesse : for thou art a wise man , and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him : but his hoary head bring thou downe to the grave with blood kings , , . cursing of any it is usually punished , , first , with gods blessing those , who are cursed , the more for it . david sayes of shimei , it may be , the lord will look upon mine affliction , and that the lord will requite me good for his cursing this day sam : , . and so he sayes of others , let them curse , but blesse thou : or , they will curse , * and thou wilt blesse ( meaning god ) psal . , . thus the israelites were blessed the more for it , when balak sent for balaam to curse them ; as balak himselfe complained . i look thee to curse mine enemies and behold thou hast blessed them altogether : or , thou hast blessed * a blessing num : , . at the consecration of the new wall of jerusalem , when it was read in the law , how the ammonites and moabites hired balaam against the israelites to curse them ( whereupon at that time they ordered the separation of the mixed multitude ) this passage of gods providence was observed by those that read it : howbeit ( said they ) our god turned the curse into a blessing neh : , . no punishment will vex such dispositions as are given to cursing , worse then this : and therfore ought the more notice to be taken of it . with returning the curse upon the authors : he cloathed himselfe with cursing , like as with a garment : so let it come into his bowels like water * and like oile into his bones ps . , . nothing so usuall , as for such arrowes to fly back in the face of him that shot them . cursing of parents see parents . deceitfullnesse . deceitfull men are threatned with god hatred . thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures ( some to sell with and others to buy with ) but thou shalt have a perfect and just weight ; a perfect a and just b measure shalt thou have , that thy dayes may be lengthened in the land which thy lord thy god giveth thee . ( as if otherwise they should be shortned ) for all that doe such things , and all that do unrighteously , are an abomination to the lord deut : , , , . excommunication ( out of mens houses at least . ) he that worketh deceit shall not dwell in my house ps : , . griefe , and vexation , after they have done their worke : bread of deceit is sweet unto a man , but afterward his mouth shall be filled with gravell prov. , . being deceived themselves , by other men or by god : and taken in their owne snare . he that diggeth a pit shall fall into it , and who so breaketh a hedge a serpent shall bite him . who so removeth stones shall be hurt therewith , and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby eclles : , , . some expound that place in the prov : cap. , . a wise king bringeth a wheele over the wicked , thus : as a wheele turneth round ; so , by the wisedome of a king , the mischiefe intended by wicked men to others , is brought about upon their owne heads . being deceived by themselves , i. e. by their owne deceit , which makes them believe they shall prosper , but tels them a lie : thou hast troden downe all them that erre from thy statutes ; for their deceit is a lie ( or falshood ) ps . , . shortnesse of life : bloody and deceitfull men shall not live out halfe their dayes ps . , . by bloudy men is usually ment ( in scripture ) not somuch downright murderers , who take away the life of another ; as any other wrongfull , or unconscionable and unjust dealers ; who take away that which is many times called their life viz : their livelihood . in deut : , . he that taketh a milstone , is said to take a mans life , to pledge . thus oppressours , & unjust judges , are said to have their hands full of blood isa : , with v. . see what butcherly actions are ascribed to them mic : , , , . there are very many places to this purpose in the prophets . punishment by the hand of god , not to be prevented : in most dreadfull expressions . for the prophet amos having complained of some that asked , when will the new moon be gone , that we may sell corn , & the sabbath , that we may set forth wheat , making the ephah a small and the shekel b great , and falsifying the ballances with deceit ? ch : , verse . in the seventh verse he adds : the lord hath sworn by the excellency of jacob surely i will never forget any of these workes . so in micah chap : , , , . shall i count them pure with the wicked ballances and with the bag of deceitfull weights ? for the rich men thereof are full of violence and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies , and their tongue is deceitfull in their mouth : therefore also will i make thee sick in smiting thee , in making thee desolate because of this sin . notwithstanding all these threats , ( and which it grieves my heart to see ) this sin of deceitfull dealling is swallowed with ease , and lookt upon as a small sinne by those that straine at violence , and abhore to commit it . contrary to the judgment even of an heathen man ; who sayes he lookt upon it as the wo●se crime of the two ; fraus quasi vulpeculae , vis leonis , utrumque alienissimum , sed fraus odio digna majore : couzening is for a fox , and violence for a lion ; both are very inhuman things ; but of the two , couzening is the more odious . cicero lib. . de off. delight in sinne , see sinne. desertion . spirituall desertion . i goe my way and yee shall seeke mee , and shall die in your sins , saith our saviour to the pharisees joh , , . either spirituall , or temporall , or both ( for the expressions are very dreadfull ) i have forsaken my house , i have left mine heritage , i have given the dearly beloved of my soule into the hands of her enimies jer. , . the prophet had a little before spoken of their hypocrisie towards god , viz. vers . . ( as well as towards himselfe vers . . ) and therefore that sin * is to be thought the main cause at least , why this punishment was threatned . i have taken away my peace from this people , saith the lord , even loving kindnesse , and mercies , jer. , . my peace . so that i will be their enemy . if it had beene but their peace , that is , peace among themselves , or with men : or , their prosperity : it had not , deserv'd the name of a threat in comparison of this . loving kindnesse and mercyes : or goodnesse , and bowels ( or pity ) so the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . as proper expression of desertion and anger , as may be : if god had remov'd onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his goodnesse , * or beneficence , by not doing them good ; yea if he had afflicted them with never so great judgments : yet if he had retain'd his bowels , * to pity them in their misery , ( and such mercy is properly meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bowels ) their conditiō had been hopefull . oh t is a sad thing when god strikes a man , and goes away and leaves him ; when he shews his back and not his face , in his calamity ! and yet thus are the same people threatned , against whom the former threat was denounced c. , . and both these threats were for the same sinne viz : idolatry ; as you may see verse the of this chapter and chap. , . in hosea also , you have the like threat of desertion , and for the same sinne : for the wickednesse of their doings i will drive them out of my house ▪ i will love them no more . ch . , . now this wickednesse was idolatry ; as is to be seen by those wordes in the same verse , all their wickednesse is in gilgal ( as if their other wickednesse were no wickednesse compared with idolatry which they committed in gilgal c. , . ) i will forsake them , i will ▪ hide my face from them deut : , ; for the same sinne , verse . despising . despisers punished . hagar ( abraham's maid ) despising her mistresse sarah , because she had conceived by her master , when her mistresse had not : was by her master delivered up to the will of her mistresse ; who used her so hardly , that shee was faine to runne away . gen , . , . gaal , despising abimelech , & saying to the schechemites ( whom he had caused to rebell against abimelech and to be in subjection to himselfe ) who is abimelech that we should serve him ? ( judg : , . ) when abimelech came against the towne , his army was overthrowne ; and himselfe by zebul ( abimelech's deputy governour of the place ) expelled the city , vers . , . nabal despising david , when he sent to him for provision ; saying , who is david ? and , who is the son of jesse ? ( this question , it seemes , was usuall in way of contempt ; for otherwise , you may see , he knew well enough who he was ) had not his wife appeased this son of jesse ( as contemptible as he made him ) with a present ; both himselfe and all his family had been put to the sword , sam. , , . sheba ( who drew away the ten tribes into rebellion against david ) in the same manner despised him , calling him , in contempt , the sonne of jesse . but marke his end : for god used a farre more contemptible instrument to destroy him , then the sonne of jesse : and it was done in a very contemptuous manner . for being besieged in abel ; by the advise of a woman , his head was cut off , and throwne over the wall to joab . now , whereas this fellow , when hee stirred up the people to revolt , cryed to them every man to his tents , jeering , as if they might goe every one to his home , and take no more notice of the sonne of jesse : when this was done , it is said ( as if the scripture meant to shew how it pleased god to fulfill those words one way , which he intended in another ) that they retired every man to his tent , sam. , , compared with v. . goliah ( the champion of the philistins ) despising david , and threatning him ( as we say ) to make hawkes meat of him , sam. , , . was slaine by him in a very contemptuous manner , viz : onely with a little stone flung out of a sling ; and afterward beheaded by him with his owne sword , vers . , . benhadad the king of syria , at the siege of samaria , when he was told that some of the israelites were coming forth of the city ; in a carelesse scornfull manner gave order , whether they came for peace , or warre , to take them alive . now those that came forth were in number but , and they were young men of the princes of the provinces chosen out of purpose by the advice of a prophet : but as few as they were , and though the king of syria made so little reckoning of them , they fell upon the syrian army , and slew every man his man , and put the king and his whole army to flight , king , , , , . discord . threats of discord among all sorts . by the prophet jeremy : i will dash them * one against another , even the fathers and the sonnes together jer : , . ( concerning the jews . ) by our saviour : suppose ye that i am come to give peace on * earth , ( no , my busines is to give peace in heaven , and reconciliation with god : ) i tell you , nay , but rather division luk. , . you may see those words in part fulfilled at iconium , upon pauls preaching there act : , . of discord among the wicked , as a punishment , and for the good of the godly . every mans sword shall be against his brother ( concerning gog ) ezek : : . a great * tumult from the lord shall be among them , and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour zac : , . concerning those that had fought against jerusalem . with this punishment god punished the midianites when they fought with gideon , judg. , , where it is said , the lord set every mans sword against his brother , as it was above , a great tumult from the lord : and indeed the lord's hand is especially seene in this punishment ; because there is a worke to be wrought upon the heart ; which the power of man cannot so well reach . in this manner the philistins likewise were panished , when they fought with saul sam. , . and the ammonites , and the moabites when they fought with jehoshaphat chr. , . see more in the chapter of the enemies of the church . threats to discord ( or to those that cause and maintaine it . ) of confusion , and every evill worke , so s. james sayes , where envying and strife is , there is confusion ( or an unquiet * life ) and every evill worke , jam. , . the greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : † but ( i thinke ) it may not be meant so much , every evill , or sinfull worke , or action ( which is best exprest by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) as every evill or hurtfull thing : not so much the evill sinne , as the evill of it . neither is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here a sinne ; as it is in corinth . , . ( for then there might have seemed to have beene a tautologie ) but a punishment ; as it is in cor. , . * the evill actions , which are the fruits of strife are many ; but , i believe the evill things , which are the punishments , and ill consequents of it , are a great many more : for commonly , when men agree worst , they live best . enemies being ( as they are called in hebrew , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) observers , do make men forbeare many sinnes , either for fear , or shame , or even for spite it selfe : and the want of an enemy makes them * loose and carelesse . the fruits of strife , both miseries , and sinnes , must needs be many , for these two reasons : because men at variance will not onel y not help one another ; but will do all that they can to hurt one another : because men at variance , are for the most part in passion : now passion ( usually ) considers not what is profitable , and cares not what is lawfull . which way soever you interpret the words of the apostle , they may very well be attended with those words of solomon , the beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water : therefore leave off contention before it be modled with , prov. , . this many seem to be better translated , thus : leave off contention before thou hast * intangled thy selfe : for before it be medl'd with , it cannot be left off . in like manner chap : , , i should render it , every foole will entangle himself : instead of , will be medling ; because , what ever it be that is there meant , it seems to be opposed to ceasing frō strife , expressed in the former part of the verse : which a man cannot so well be said to do , unlesse he hath already medl'd , or begun . strife is like a snare ; which at first , when a man falls into , if he goe gently to worke , he may draw his foot out againe : or , i● it be tyed , if he be not too hasty , but go wisely to worke , he may untye it againe : but if once he fall to striving ; the more he strives , the faster he is tyed . so one word drawes another , and the next is still worse then the former ; and each party more angry then before ▪ when men are farre in , they resolve to goe on ; either because they thinke they cannot come off with cred●t ; or because they will not come off without it . destroying one another . but if yee bite , and devoure one another , take heed that yee be not consumed one of another gal : , . these evills are the naturall effects of the sinne it selfe : but can it be threatend with nothing from without viz. from god , or from men ? yes it may be threatend : with gods hatred . for , him that soweth discord among brethren , solomon hath put for one of his seven things , which , he sayes are an abomination to god prov : , , . excommunication , ( or a worse matter ) i would they were cut off that trouble * you gal : , . ( spoken of them that caused division among the galatians by urging circūcision ) i would . he does but wish it ; for his authority among the galatians , was not so great as it was among the corinthians ( for if he were not an apostle to others yet doubtlesse he was to them : as he sayes cor. , . ) but among the corinthians , i believe , he meant to see it done indeed , when he told them i feare lest when i come i shall not find you such as i would , and that i shall be found unto you such as i would not ; lest there be debates , envyings , wraths , strifes , backbitings , whispering , swellings , tumults . ( behold discord's numerous and viperous brood ) cor. , . ruine of families , cities , and kingdomes our saviour used it as an argument against he pharisees to prove , that he did not cast out one divell by an other ( as they said he did ) because , sayes he , every kingdome divided against it selfe is brought to desolation : and every city , or house divided against it selfe shall not stand : and if satan cast out satan he is divided against himselfe ; how shall then his kingdome stand . mat : , , . where discord is sown for the seed , the harvest must needs be destruction . pallas ( whom the poets fain the goddesse of wisedome ) thought that cadmus intending to make himselfe king of boeotia , could not take a wiser course to destroy his enimies * , then to sow this seed among them ( which the poet ovid b describes by the sowing of vipers teeth in the ground ) which accordingly had its effect . a viperous and poysonous seed indeed it is ; as destructive in the body of a cōmon-wealth ; as any poyson can bee in the body of a man. * id unum venenum , eam labem civitatibus opulentis repertam , ut magna imperia mortalia essent ; t is the only mortall dissease that a kingdome can be sick of . exclusion out of the kingdome of god hatred , variance , emulation , wrath , strife , seditions , heresies , envyings &c. ( what a company of names * this sin hath , or what a compound of sinnes it is ! ) of the which i told you before , as i have also told you in times past , ( he could never tell them too much of it ) that they which doe such things shall not inherit the kingdome of god gal : , , . follow peace therefore with all men , if not the peace of freindship , the peace of good will. even the most wicked men , although thou doest not seek peace with them ; yet if they seek it with thee , let them be sure to find it . though the israelites might not seek the peace of the ammonites deut : , . yet might they not distresse thē c. * , . though they might not seek the peace of the ammonites with themselves , ( that is , make a mutuall league of amity and association ) yet they must seek their owne peace with the ammonites ( that is , not begin to contend with them in battell ) follow your own peace ( love and good will ) with all men , though not their peace with your selves : because it must not be gotten with enmity with god ; and it cannot be had without it . discouraging * of men in godly enterprises . it is like to be severely punished ; for , the men which moses sent to search the land , who returned , and made all the congregation to murmur against him by bringing up a slander upon the land ; even those men , that did bring up the evill report upon the land ( the sin is repeated , to shew how great it was esteemed ) died by the plague before the lord , num : , . - before the lord. ] as if the lord was so earnest to have this sinne punished , that he would stand by and see it done himselfe . disobedience to god ( either meerly disobedience without any other sinne ; or , as being the maine provoking part of other sinnes ) threatned and punished . with god's anger : the anger of the lord was kindled against moses exod : , . ( and it is likely it had burnt him , if he had still stood it out , & not obeyed at last ) for denying to goe to pharoah , three severall times , when god bid him ver : , , . even artaxerxes himselfe was sensible how it provoked god , to be disobeyed : and therefore , when he gave commission to ezra to build the temple , he gave this charge : whatsoever is commanded by the god of heaven , let it be diligently done : for why should there be wrath against the realme of the king and his sons ? ezra , . and his sons ] he feared it would not be forgotten ; but that god would visit such an iniquity of the fathers , even upon their children after them . god's curse : i sett before you this day a blessing and a curse ; a blessing , if ye obey &c. and a curse if ye will not obey the commandements of the lord your god , saith moses , deu. , , . see jer : , . thus were adam and eve punished cheifely , if not meerly for disobedience ; at least in the act it selfe was nothing sinfull but disobedience . for what sinne could there be in in eating of a little fruit , unlesse god had commanded them to the contrary ? and therefore when god pronounced judgment against them , all that he laid to their charge , was that they had eaten of the tree of which he commanded them , that they should not eate gen : , see what he sayes to the woman v. . and likewi●e to the man vers . . ( almost the same words ) when paul would shew how we were made sinners in adam , he sayes not , by the vnholynesse , or by the intemperance , or by the pride , or the like ; but by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners rom : , . so on the other side , he sayes not , we were made righteous , by christs holinesse ; or by his patience , or by his meeknesse , nay nor by his sufferings , ( for he might have suffered * without command , and then he had merited nothing at his fathers hand ) but by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous ( in the same place ) adam's disobedience was as pure disobedience as could be ; and christ's obedience . what christ did , or suffered , was neither duty ( in it selfe ) nor desert ; but meerely ( as he said ) to doe the will * of god , or to perform what the father had imposed upō him . god's setting himselfe against them . if ye will not obey the voice of the lord , but rebell against the commandement of the lord ; then shall the hand of the lord be against you , saith samuel to the israelites sam : , . voyce : and commandement ] or , as it is in the originall , mouth ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rebell against ( or provoke ) the mouth of the lord ; the aggravation is in the word , mouth . for if they should doe things not according to his mind , it were not so much ; but when they shall do them against his mouth , when he hath given them a charge with his owne mouth * to the contrary ; this is unanswerable . as our saviour sayes , if i had not come , and spoken unto them they had not * had sinne , but now have they no cloake for their sinne john , . in jeremy yon may see the sinne of disobedience often aggravated by these expressions : i spake unto you rising early and speaking but ye heard not c : . . and i have spoken unto you rising early and speaking ; but ye have not hark●ned chap : , . and so chap : , . you have the same words , oh lit must needs anger god exceedingly ( as it would any earthly father ) to speak , and speak , and speak , and no body regard to hearken to him . then shall the hand of the lord be against you : ] his power shall be employed only against you , to hurt you ; and not at all for you , to protect you . o heavy judgment ! in kings , ( in their heires a ) with the losse of their kingdomes . samuel told saul , thy kingdome shall not continue &c. because thou hast not kept that which the lord commanded thee . sam : , . yee read of no other fault reproov'd , but meere disobedience to one command onely of the prophet's . viz : to tarry seven dayes for him at gilgal chap : , . this ( perhaps ) he thought was a matter indifferent ; or he thought that he would not come : or that he had obeyed his command , having tarried till seven dayes were fully come , * ( which is enough in scripture-account to make it so many dayes . ) but yet because he did not that which doubtles he knew was the prophet's meaning viz : tarry out the full seven dayes ; it argues , he cared little to obey his command , or follow his councell ; and therefore he must suffer accordinly . so againe chap : , , he tels him thus , rebellion is as the sinne of witchcraft , and stubbornesse is as iniquity * and idolatry : because thou hast rejected the word of the lord , he hath also rejected thee frō being king. rejected ] or , slighted , ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) as if he had said thus : thou wouldest be thought to hate witchraft , and idolatry , as most abominable crimes : but i tell thee , in disobeying god's expresse command , thou doest slight and reject god , as much as he that doth worship an idol , or goe to a witch : * and therfore god hath also slighted thee & thought thee unworthy to be king any longer . here we read of no other fault but disobedience neither , viz : in sparing agag the king of the amalekites , and the best of the spoile vers : , whereas he was cōmanded to destroy every thing without exception v. . yet ( perhaps ) he thought to do god better service in reserving some for sacrifice ; therefore some observeupon the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( englished idolatry verse . but signifying images which they used to divine , and know things by ) and the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( englished stubbornesse , but , as they say , signifying to sinne by adding * to god's command , and serving him another way then he commands ) that in the verse before mentioned , saul was told thus much , viz : that by serving god one way , wben he commanded another , ( as if he knew better himselfe what way was best to serve him ) he was as bad as they that neglecting to seek to god , sought to their images or teraphim but his serving of god in his owne way when god commanded another , was but will-worship ; and i may say of obedience , as god himselfe saies of mercy hos : . * god desireth obedience and not sacrifice . even knowledge only ( as it is in the same place ) he desireth more then burnt offerings ; but , he desireth obedience and mercy , and not sacrifice . if you have no knowledge , i shall accept your offerings the worse ; but , if you doe not performe obedience to me , i will not accept of your sacrifices or your prayers at all . and therefore ( as solomon sayes eccles : , , ) be more ready * to heare , then to offer the sacrifice of fooles . you will but play the foole and loose your labour in offering sacrifices , so long as you refuse to heare and obey : in whole nations , conquest and captivity . the king of assyria did carry away israel unto assyria kings , and it followes v. the . because they obeyed not the voice of the lord their god. they were disobedient , and rebelled against thee &c. therefore thou deliveredst thē into the hand of their enimies &c. thus said the levites in their praier at the time of the fast , after the returne to jerusalem neh : . , ( speaking concerning the old israelites . ) cutting off from the congregation , ( by the leviticall law ) whosoever eateth that which is leavened , even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of the israel ex : , . surely it must be only for disobedience to a strict command ; for otherwise , doubtlesse , such an action was in it selfe indifferent . destruction and death . god told the israelites by moses , before they went into canaan as the nations which the lord destroyeth before your face , so shall yee perish because , you would not be obedient to voyce of the lord your god. deut : , . and he told the same people by jeremy , after their returne from captivity , if they will not obey , i will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation jer : , . saul's one disobedience , in sparing agag , and the spoile , is mentioned for the chiefe cause of his death : so saul died for his trangression ( as if it were said , that his grand transgression of disobedience ) which he committed against the lord , even against the word of lord which he kept not chr : , . against the lord even against the word of the lord. ] for if it had not been against the word of the lord ( that is , if the lord had not commanded him to doe , what he did not ) it had not been against the lord. what fault was there but disobedience , in the prophet of judah , in eating and drinking with the old prophet of bethel ? kin : , . and yet it is there said , that while they sate at table the word of the lord came to the man of god that came from judah saying , for as much as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the lord &c. thy carcasse shall not come unto the sepulchres of thy fathers verse , , . and accordingly , a lion met him , and killed him ( v : . ) but he was not suffered to eate him ( v. . ) belike , lest such an example of gods anger against disobedience , might be too soone forgotten . what other fault could there be in him who refused to smite the prophet , when the prophet himselfe bad him ? king : , and yet , that prophet , because he bad him in the name of the lord , told him , because thou hast not obeyed the voyce of the lord : behold , as soon as thou art departed from me , a lion shall teare thee . which accordingly came to passe , vers . . even of the righteous , when god hath made use of affliction to open their eares to discipline , job saies , if they obey not , they shall perish by the sword , and they shall dye without knowledge job , . without knowledge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the septuagint renders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , because being instructed , they would not learne , or , were disobedient . lot's wife was to blame indeed , for her curiosity ; but there is no fault of hers mentioned , besides disobedience to the angel's command of not looking backe gen. , . and yet shee was turned into a pillar of salt , verse , . jonah , for refusing to goe to nineveh , when god commanded him , was made to lie for it no lesse then three daies in the belly of hell jon. , . lastly , those who were destroyed by the flood , it seemes disobedience had a great part of the cause of their punishment ; for the terme that s. peter gives them is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which sometimes were disobedient , epist . , . disobedience to god's command , in some cases , is threatned worse , then in others : according to the quality of the person , by whom it was delivered &c. if the command were delivered by the mouth of a priest , it is threatned with death . the man that will do presumptuously , and will not hearken to the priest , &c. evē that man shall die deut. , . if it were delivered but by the letter of an apostle , with excommunioation . if any man obey not our word by this epistle , note that man , and have no fellowship with him , that he may be ashamed , thes . , . how tenderly god takes it to be disobeyed , may be gathered by his upbraiding the jewes with the obedience of the sons of rechab . who , because their father commanded them not to drinke wine , though he spake but once , and were now dead , obeyed his his command for ever : whereas the jewes , though they had beene spoken to so often , and that by the lord of hosts * , and the god of israel * , to leave their idols , yet would never obey . see jerem. , , , , . nothing ( in the scripture ) is spoken so often , and with so much emphasis , in the praise or dispraise of a man , as doing , and doing not , as the lord commanded ; or , according to the commandement of the lord. as might be shewed in an hundred places . distrust threatned * . when the israelites would have stoned joshua and caleb , for perswading them to goe , into canaan against the advise of the rest of the spies , the lord said unto moses , how long will this people provoke mee , how long will it be ere they believe mee , for all the signes that i have shewed amongst them ? i will smite them with the pestilence , and disinherit them , num. , , . provoke mee ] or slight ( or despise ) me ; so the hebrew word also signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ' . no greater slighting of a man , then to thinke him not worthy to be believed . the latine translation renders it detrahet mihi , detract from mee , or , bring a slander upon mee . and indeed nothing does more detract from the honour and reputation of god or man , then not to believe him , or to refuse to trust him ( as we say ) without ready payment . for all the signes ] or in all the signes : so it is in the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : as if they might be ashamed , in the midst ( as it were ) of so many signes of his fid●lity , and being compassed about ( as it were ) with so great a cloud of witnesses of his truth , yet notwithstanding not to trust him . disinherit them ] destroy , or consume them : so say the vulgar , septuag : and chald par . divination . diviners are usually punished . with infatuation , and madnesse , and being made lyars ; for it is said to be one of gods proper workes so to punish them . i am the lord that frustrateth the tokens of the lyars , and maketh diviners mad , and turneth wise men backward , and maketh their wisdome foolish isa : , , . their sinne appeares to be very greivous to god , in that samuel , when he would aggravate the sinfulnesse of disobedience , said it was as ba● as divination : rebellion is as the sin of divination sam : , . ( for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies , as well as * witchraft . ) such as seek to them are threatn'd or punish'd ▪ with cutting off : the soule that turnet● after such as have familiar spirits , and after wisards * to goe a whoring after them : i will even set my face against that soule , and will cut him off from amongst his people levit : , . wisard's ] the hebrew word is jiddehonim , which signifies , knowing ; and therefore no doubt , the threat is of large extent : insomuch , that unlesse astrology shrink it selfe into a narrower compasse then usually it doeth , i doe not see well how it can avoide it . indeed jonathan ( the later ) in his translation , and the jew 's in their talmudicall fables , make this word to signifie only such as inquir'd at the mouth of the creature called jiddoah ( whose head they put into their mouthes : and after that , they say , it spake ) but however , to me the word seems in its genuine signification to import , all such as are over earnest and curious to know . either such as seek to know things which divine wisedome hath reserv'd for it selfe to know ; which later sort ( perhaps ) are more especially called diviners . death : so saul died for his transgression &c. and also for asking councell of one that had a familiar spirit to enquire of it ( well might rebellion be said to be as the sin of divination ; for after saul had committed that , it was not long ere he committed this ; and he that makes no conscience of one , wili make little scruple of the other ) and inquired not of the lord ; wherefore he slew him . chr : , , . and also for asking ] 't is not said , he died for his transgression , and for asking ; as if he should not have been thus punish't , if he had committed but one of these sins : but , he died for his transgression , and also for asking , or he died also for asking , &c. as if it had beene said . hee was justly thus punished , for his disobedience : nay , he had been justly thus punished , without that sin ; or if it had bin onely for his asking councell of one that had a familiar spirit . nay ( perhaps ) there may be thus much intimated in these words , viz : that he was punished with the losse of his life , rather for this sinne , then for the former ( for , for that he was more peculiarly punished with the losse of the kingly goverment ; which was a fit punishment for his rebellion against the king of heaven , ) for these reasons . first , because the sinne is aggravated with variety of expressions ; such as , asking ; to enquire of it ; and inquired not of the lord. secondly , because the punishment is repeated presently after the mention of it ; for it was said v. , he died &c. and it is said againe v. . wherefore he slew him . he ( that is god ) slew him ] which accords with the words of the threat before mentioned , i will cut him off , i , my selfe : not onely the people shall cut him off from among the congregation ( by excommunication ) but i my selfe will cutt him quite off from amongst his people , by some extraordinary judgement . ahaziah ( king of israel ) seeking to baalzebub to know whether he should recover of his sicknesse , received it both for his punishment , & his answer , not to recover , king. , . not * doing what we heare . every one ( saith our saviour ) that heareth these sayings of mine , and doth them not , shall be likened to a foolish man , which built his house upon the sand . and the raine descended , and the floods came and the winds blew , and beat upon that house , and great was the fall of it , matth. . , . doubting in prayer . — he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea , driven with wind , and tossed . let not that man thinke , that he shall obtaine any thing of the lord , james , , . he that wavereth ] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * * he that sometimes believeth , and sometimes believeth not . we may not looke to have god's blessings descend right upon us , unlesse we stand steady to receive them . drunkennesse . drunken men , and drunkards are punished or threatned . by the sinne it selfe . by men . by god. ( hat is , more immediately , or more notoriously by him . ) they are punished by the sinne it selfe with committing of sinnes when they are drunke , which at other times they abhorred . lot , when his daughters had made him drinke wine , lay with them both , and at two severall nights , and at two nights immediately following one the other gen. , , . one would have thought , he would have remembred how he had beene deceived in his drunkennesse so little while before ; but that drunken men are likewise punished with senselesnesse , even of things present , much more of things past : so that they can neither abstaine , nor repent . he porceived not when she lay downe , nor when she arose , gen : , , . ( it is spoken of lot and his daughter . ) shame , and yet shamelesnesse . he drunk of the wine , and was drunken , and was uncovered within his tent ( concerning noah ) gen : , . was uncovered ] in the originall , t is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was uncovered by himselfe . when he had most shame , he had none at all . the latine verse holds true of all secrets , both of nature , and councell , viz : that they are discovered by drunkenesse . quid non ebrietas designat ? operta recludit . folly , & yet a conceit , that they are wise . wine is a mocker , and strong drink is raging , and he that is deceived thereby is not ( or shall not be ) wise . prov : , . in hosea , it is said , whordome , and wine , take away the heart that is , the understanding hos : , . some int●●pret it in this sense : but the meaning may rather seeme to be , that those things had stollen their hearts ( as we use to say ) that is , their affections , from god : so that they loved them , more then him . danger , and yet security ( for this is the misery of his misery , viz. to be senselesse of it : and there cannot be greater misery ) thou shalt be as he that lyeth downe in the midst of the sea , or as he that lyeth upon the top of a mast prov : , . ignorance , and errour ; whereof mention is made five times in one verse . they have erred through wine , and through strong drinke are out of the way , the priest and the prophet have erred * through strong drinke ; they are swallowed up of wine : they are out of the way through strong drinke ; they erre in vision , they stumble in judgment . isa : , . in the leviticall law god forbad the priests to drinke any wine , or strong drinke when they went into the tabernacle ; and he added this for a reason , viz. that ye may put difference between holy , and unholy , and between uncleane and cleane . lev : , . as if otherwise they could not . the eyes , both of the body , and the mind in drunken men , are so distorted * ( like the eyes of mad men ) that usually they seeme to see those things which otherwise they never saw , and which never were presented to them a : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strange things : so the chalde● paraphrast , and vatablus translate that word in the proverbes , which we translate strange women : thine eye shall behold strange women , ( or strange things ) and thine heart shall utter perverse things prov : , . solomon brings it as an effect of too much drinking : and it may very well be apply'd to what i sayd but now , of the perversion and corruption both of the understanding , & the outward sences ; seeing he speakes of the eye , and the heart . sicknesse , vexation , and sadnesse , and an hundred other ill consequents afterward ; besides the hurt which they usually take by fightings , foolish speeches , & mischances , while their drunkenesse lasts . who hath woe ? who hath sorrow ? who hath contētion ? who hath babling ? who hath wounds without cause ? they that tarry long at the wine &c. prov , , , . the wise man seems by his manner of enumeration , to have made it difficult to tell , how many punishments they have of this sort ; and by his manner of interrogation , to have thought , that no other sinners were punished with so many : or so much with this sort of punishments , as drunkards : and therfore well might he add that exhortation which he addes , backing it with that reason : looke not on the wine when it is red , when it giveth its colour in the cup , when it moveth it selfe aright . at the last it biteth like a serpent , and stingeth like an adder prov : , , like an adder 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a kind of serpent that will not be charmed jer : , . to shew the inevitably hurtfull and poysonous quality of drunkenesse . some have a conceit , that there is an affinity betwixt the two hebrew words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wine & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 howling ( because the letters of both words signify the nmmber of ) and thence observe the affinity betwixt drunkenesse , and sorrow . see ( at your leasure ) ecclus , , . they are punished or threatned by men : first , with excommuication ( at least as to the use of temporall blessings ) by saint paul's sentence : i have written to you not to keep company , if any man that is called a brother ( for he that is not only called a brother , but is one indeed , will never be a drunkard ) be a fornicator &c. or drunkard &c. with such a one , no not to eat . cor : , . conquest . benhadad king of syria , as he was drinking himselfe drunke at the siege of samaria , was assaulted and overthrowne , even by those whom he besieged kings . . murder . elah king of israel was murder'd by his servant zimri , as he was drinking hlmselfe drunk in his stewards house kings , , . so ammon was murder'd by absalom's servants , at the command of their master , when his heart , was merry with wine ( for those are the words ) sam : , . in the originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when his heart was good * : when he was so over - good , as to suspect no hurt , if a man offer'd to kill him . all good , with men in that condition ; so that they feare no evill , to avoide it ; and hate no evill , to abstaine from it . in like manner , it is said , in the story of the maccabees , that simon and his sons , when they had drunke largly , were murdered by the captaine of jericho ( who invited them into his castle for that very purpose . ) mac : , . it is likely enough , had not vriah been drunk when he was with david ( who therefore made him drunk that he might do his businesse the better ) he might have smelt out somewhat of his designe against him . sam : , . they are threatned and punished by god , in generall , with woe . woe to the crown of pride , to the drunkards of ephraim isa : , . so chap. , . woe unto them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow strong drink &c. see verse . in particular . either with loathing of those creatures which they have abused , or vsing them without delight , or not being able to use them at all ( either of these punishmēts is notable , and the hand of god especially observable in them ) they shall not drink wine with a song ; strong drinke shall be bitter to them that drink it isa : , . so as he punished their gluttonous desire of flesh viz : with making it loathsome to them num : , . i believe this is a usuall punishment with drunkards , before they die . want of those creatures . isaiah having spoken those wordes above mention'd ( c. , ) afterward addes , their honourable men are famished , and their multitude dried up with thirst verse . poverty , and want of other creatures also for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty prov : , . come to poverty ] in the originall t is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies also to be dispossessed or disinherited . but with this punishmēt wine it self will punish them , disposessing them of themselves , disinheriting them of their naturall estate of reason , and causing their parents to disinherit them of their civill estate . sometime they are , and it were good if they were oftner punished thus , by their parents . the word in the hebrew ( viz : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) which signifies wine , seems to be compounded of two other hebrew words ( viz : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) which signifie , thou shalt be poor . of these two words , for that which signifies poore , some put another like it viz : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies cheife . the word will admit of both etymologies ; in like manner , as wine produces both effects , acording as it is well or ill used . the richest wine is most dangerous in this regard , because it hath most power to tempt thee to tarry long at it . and therefore , as i would have thee to come to all pleasant meates , and drinkes , with feare : so especially would i have thee be afraid , to looke upon the wine when it is red , when it giveth his colour in the cup , when it moveth it selfe aright prov : , . sudden death ( if priests , and when they went about their office ) doe not drinke wine nor strong drinke , thou nor thy sons with thee , when ye goe into the tabernacle of the congregation , least ye die : it shall be a statute for ever throughout thy generations lev : , . some thinke that nadab , and abihu were drunk , when they took common fire instead of consecrated , ( as you may see verse . of that chapter ) and that this law was made upon that occasion , because it is mentioned presently after . now their punishmēt was also death , viz : by fire from the lord : as you may see verse . either sudden death , or surprizall by the day of judgment . but and if that evill seravnt shall say in his heart , my lord delaieth his comming ( such speeches of security are common with drunkards ) and shall begin to smite his fellow servants , and to eate and drink with the drunken ; the lord of that servant shall come in a day that he looketh not for him &c. mat : , , , . shall begin ] if ●e be thus threatned , for but beginning to drink &c. what must he expect , if he have practis'd this wickednesse for many yeares ? exclusion out of heaven . nor theeves , nor coveteous , nor drunkards , shall inherit the kindome of god cor : . . see mat : , , . such as make others drunken are thus threatned . woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink : that puttest thy bottle to him , ( the prophet could not forbeare to come from the third person to the second , for anger ; which is best expressed in that person ) and makest him drvnken also , that thou mayest look on their nakednesse . thou art filled with shame for glory ; drink thou also , and let thy foreskin be uncovered : the cup of the lords right hand shall be turned unto thee , and shamefull spuing shall be on thy glory . hab. , , . duties of religion &c. duties of religion , such as performe them with resolution to retaine their sinnes . they are threatned : first with non-acceptance as . in fasting and humiliation . when the jews demanded of god , wherefore have we fasted , and thou seest not ? wherefore have we aflicted our soule , and thou takest no knowledge ? he made them this answer , behold in the day of your fast you * find pleasure , and exact all your labours . isa : , . . in prayer or seeking to god y● pollute your selves with all your idols , even unto this day : and shall i be inquired of by you , o house of israel ? as i live , saith the lord god , i will not be enquired of by you ezek : , . by you ] in the originall t is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for you ; which will expres both senses , & more anger ▪ i will neither heare you , nor any body else for you . see zach : , , , . mic : , , , . so amos , , . though ye offer me burnt offerings , i will not accept them &c. but let judgment run downe as water &c. verse . as if he had said , though you offer me never so many offerings &c. i will not accept them , as long as you doe not execute judgment . see jer : , , . . in believing god's word , or believing in god ( or in preaching or reading ) but unto the wicked god saith , what hast thou to doe to declare my statutes , or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth ? seeing thou hatest instruction , and castest my words behind thee ps : , , . god's house is not a den for theeves &c. jer : , . and as long as we reject his ordinances to obey them , we have nothing to doe with his ordinances to enjoy them . . severe punishment . for every one of the house of israel , or of the stranger that sojourneth in israel , which separateth himselfe from mee &c. and cometh to * a prophet to enquire of him concerning me : i the lord will answere him by my selfe ; and i will sett my face against that man , and will make him a signe and a proverb &c. ezek : , , . samuel told saul , ( for all his sacrificing to the lord ) because he disobeyed his command , in not tarrying at gilgal till he came : thou hast done foolishly , thou hast not kept the commandement of the lord thy god which he commanded thee : for now would the lord have establish'd thy kingdome upon israel for ever : but now thy kingdome shall not continue . sam : , , . god's altar was not allowed for a refuge for him that slew his brother with guile exod. , . an earthly father , though his son behave himself never so respectfully , and shew him never so much reverence in his language and deportment ; yet if he be disobedient , is so farre from accepting of it , that he likes him the worse . enemies of god's children . enemies of god's children threatned and punished : first with god's enmity against them ( especially when his children are dutifull ) for thus he speaks to rhe israelites , concerning the angel whom he would send before them , if thou shalt indeed obey his voyce , and doe all that i speake , then i will be an enemy unto thine enemies , and an adversary unto thine adversaries , exod. , . secondly , a curse . isaac , when he blessed jacob , thus spake , cursed be every one that curseth thee , and blessed be hee that blesseth thee , gen. , . cursed be ] in the originall it is only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cursed : neither be , nor let , nor shall ; whereas it was before , let people serve thee , or , people shall serve thee , and nations bow downe to thee : be lord over thy brethren &c. to shew , that those who hate and curse god's children , are cursed with god presently ( ipso facto ) though they may not appeare so to them ; & though as yet , for matter of their temporall prosperity against them , it be in the future tense . they shall serve thee , and they shall bow downe to thee : but they are cvrsed , or , they are cursed already . thirdly , the increase of those whom they endeavour to diminish . it is said of the israelites in egypt , but the more they afflicted them , the more they multiplied . ex : , . the original ( word for word ) speaks thus : as they afflicted them , so they multiplied : as if god were so punctuall , and so ready in this way of avenging the godly , that presently assoon as ever men have done them hurt one way , he does them good another . many things grow the thicker for cutting short : and there is no readier way to make the godly grow , then to sow their blood upon the ground ( though for the present it may seeme to be but spilt ) sanguis martyrii est semen ecclesiae . fourthly , vexation and griefe thereupon : as it is afterward said in the forementioned verse , and they were grieved because of the children of israel . the psalmist , having spoken before of the good mans exaltation , addeth in abundance of passion the wicked shall see it , and be grieved , he shall gnash with his teeth , and melt away , the desire of the wicked shall perish , psalm : , . fiftly , non-successe . balaam ( upon balak's earnest importunity ) having tried his * enchantments severall wayes , at severall times , and in severall places , to curse the israelites ; and being still told by god , that it was to no purpose to endevour it , because he was resolv'd to blesse them ; at length sitts downe , and concludes , surely , there is no enchantment * against jacob ; neither is there any divination against israel num : , . sixthly , conquest ( at least , at the last ) these shall make war with the lamb , and the lamb shall overcome them : for he is lord of lords , and king of kings , and they that are with him , are called , and faithfull , and chosen , rev : , . seventhly , shame . isaiah song-they shall see , and be ashamed for their envie at the people ; yea the fire * of thine enimies shall devour them chap : , . eightly , punishments , many , and sure , and notoriously by the hand of god. that they are many , this whole chapter shall declare . and , that they are sure , is as sure , as god is just , in paul's opininion . his words are these : seeing it is a righteous thing with god to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you thes : , . insomuch that as he makes the persecution of the godly to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a manifest token of the righteous judgment of god , who must in justice render tribulation to them that trouble ; & rest to them that are troubled thes : , , , . so in like manner in an other place , he makes the malice of wicked men in persecuting of them , to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an evident token not only of their punishment , but perdition , or destruction phil : , . sure : and also speedy , especially if god's children be earnest with him in prayer . for our saviour , having told his disciples a parable of a judge , who neither feared god , nor regarded man , and yet resolved to avenge a widdow of her adversary , because of her importunity : asked them , whether they thought that god could be more hard-hearted then a wicked man ? and shall not god avenge his owne elect , which cry day and night unto him , though he beare long with them ? i tell you , that he will avenge them speedily ; luk. , , . beare long , and yet speedily , fo● he counteth not slacknesse , and speedinesse ; long , and short , as we doe ; because with him one day is as a thousand yeares , and a thousand yeares as one day , pet. , , . because the amalekites withstood the israelites in their journey into canaan : the lord said unto moses , write this for a memoriall in a booke , and rehearse it * in the eares of joshua : for i will utterly put out the remembrance of amalek from under heaven . ex. , . so carefull was he , lest it might be forgotten . and therefore in deut. , . he charges the israelites , to blot out the remembrance of the amalekites themselves , rather then the remembrance of their injury . remember ( saies he , ) what amaleck did unto thee by the way , when ye were come forth out of egypt : and verse . thou shalt blot out the remembrance of amalek from under heaven : thou shalt not forget it . rejoyce o ye nations with his people , for he will avenge the blood of his servants , said moses in his song , deut : , . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , so the septuagint , and after them paul rom : , . ( though some translate , rejoyce ye nations , which are his people ) it seemeth to me as if he had said : ye nations , which have not yet shewd your selves enemies to the people of god , come in , and take part with them , and congratulate their delivery from those that persecute them : for , if you take their course , you are like to fare as they have done , and god will surely punish you . smite thorow the loines of them that rise against him , said the same moses in his prayer for levi , before his death deut : , . now ( in the scriptures ) the prayers of men inspir'd with a prophetick spirit , whether for the godly , or against the wicked , have most of them , the nature of prophesies , and ( without doubt ) were so spoken , or intended ; so that many of them are not to be imitated by us . many such there are of david's , in the psalmes , to be render'd ( or interpreted at least ) rather by shall , then let : as ps : , , . &c. see deborah's prayer jud : , . joshua prophesied to the israelites peremptorily , when they had put their feet upon the necks of the five kings at makkedah , feare not , nor be dismayed : for thus shall the lord doe to all your enemies against whom ye fight , josh . , . so much for the certainty of god's punishing the enemies of his church : i proceed to the manner ; such as wherein it may be more clearly seene , it is hee . the hand of god notoriously appeares in the punishing of the enemies of the church , severallwayes : first , when he produces unnaturall , and unusuall effects , upon their minds : such as first , a strange hatred , & anger against one another from whence many times proceeds either killing of one another . thus sennacherib , king of assyria , was murthered by his owne sonnes kings , . the assyrian officers helped the jewes in the slaughter of their owne nation . esth . , . haman was hanged by his own kings command , whom he had advised to slaughter the jewes , esth . . . but see more to this purpose in the chapter of discord . or ( at least ) suspending their malice against those , whom they persecute . when the scribes and pharisees fell out , upon occasion of paul's mentioning the resurrection : the scribes who ( held the resurrection , which the pharisees deny ) spake to have him acquitted acts , . secondly , a strange pertinacie in prosecuting their malice : and with this they are punished , that they may be punished the more . so the canaanites were punished . there was not a city that made peace with the children of israel , save the hivites , the inhabitants of gibeon ; all other they tooke in battle . for it was of the lord to harden their hearts , that they should come against israell in battle ; that he might destroy them utterly , and that they might have no favour ( for , favour they were to shew them , if they had made them answers of peace , when they were summoned , deut. , . ) but that he might destroy them , as the lord commanded moses josh . , , . in like manner was the king of egypt punished that he might be punished the more ( as god professed , it was his intention before hand exod. , . ) againe , and againe , but especially at the red sea , when he resolved to pursue the israelites . for certainly , he could not thinke that he , who was for them , was for him too : and if he were not , it was strange he would not thinke , that having made the water to stand on a heap against nature , to preserve his friends , he could , and would make them returne to their naturall course , to destroy his enemies . thirdly , a strange feare , when they come to act their designes , even of those whom before they esteemed contemptible ; whereof they can give no reason . it was moses his a prophecy ( concerning the canaanites ) feare and dread shall fall upon them , by the greatnesse of thine arme ( for the greatnesse of gods arme ( or power ) appeares most in his working upon the heart , ( as by sudden passions , or otherwise ) they shall be as still , as a stone , till thy people passe over , o lord : till the people passe over , which thou hast purchased exod. , . feare and dread ] so deut , . the feare of thee , and the dread of thee : and chap. , . the feare of you , and the dread of you : to shew , it should be a meere feare , whereof they could give no cause , being greater in number , & strength . therefore it is said , it should fall upon them : that is , come upon them , they knew not from whence , nor wherefore . see josh . , . and esth . , . it was god's promise : i will send my feare before thee ex. , * . repeated deut. , * . and chap. , . this prophesie , and promise , were fulfilled and performed : according to rahab's confession to the spies , i know that the lord hath given you the land , and that your terrour is fallen upon us , and that all the inhabitants of the land faint , because of you josh . , . the like had god done for their fathers before them : viz jacob and his sonnes , when they journeyed from shechem to bethel . for , although they had lately killed the shechemites , ( and so had more cause to be afraid themselves of revenge ) and although they were flying from esau ; yet it is said , that the terrour of god was upon the cities that were round about them , and they did not pursue after the sonnes of jacob gen. , . the terrour of god ] the feare of the israelites , but the terrour of god , or a terrour from god 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. a consternation sent from him . indeed it might be rendred , a great consternation ( or terrour ) such as could come from no lesse power then god's ( it was so great : ) or such as could come frō none but god ( there being no cause of feare from man ) such as this was , because the power of man was so small . it is usuall ( you know ) in scripture , when the intention is to expresse the greatnesse or strength of a thing , to adde the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * ( or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) i. e. of god : as you may see gen : , . sam : , . psalm : , . jon : . . &c. there are other very notable examples of this terrour ; as , the philistins : for though they knew that ( unlesse it were with saul and jonathan ) there was neither sword nor speare found in the hand of the people sam : , . ( which was , because they would not suffer them to have any smiths , that might make them ) yet it is said of them chap. , that ( assoone as jonathan & his armour-bearer had made an assault upon the garison ) there was trembling in the host , and in the field , and among all the people : the garrison & the spoylers they also trembled , and the earth quaked , so it was a very great trembling . and the watchmen of saul in gibeah looked , and behold they melted away , and they went on beating downe one another ( perhaps not knowing what they did , out of extreme feare ) saul , who was afraid of david , before ever he went from the court , or had any with him to helpe him . for , it is said samuel . , . saul was afraid of david , because the lord was with him , and was departed from saul . this is also an example of the like feare without cause : for i take the reason which is added , viz. because the lord , &c. to be given by him that wrote this booke , and not as saul's reason ; for had it beene so , it is likely , it would have beene said , was departed from him , ( sibi reciprocally ) and not from saul . the assyrians . for it is said of the jewes , ( when ahasuerus had given them leave to kill those who would have murdered thē , in comparison of whom , doubtles , they were of a very contemptible number ) and no man could withstand them , for the feare of them fell upon all ( * the ) people esth . . . but ( that which is more strange yet ) it is said , verse . of the same chapter , that the feare of mordecai ( of one single jew , whom even now they had appointed to be hang'd ) fell upon all the rulers of the provinces , and the lievtenants , and the deputies , and officers of the king. lastly , judas , and his company of souldiers : who , when they came to apprehend our saviour , assoone as he said unto them , i am hee , went backward , and fell to the ground john , . i may say of all these , in the words of david , there were they in great feare , where no feare was psal . , . no feare ] that is , no cause of feare . a cause of feare there was indeed , ( for , as he sayes , psal . , . god is in the generation of the righteous ) but none in their account . i might produce many places out of the prophets , and elsewhere , which speake largely of god's way of punishing his enemies with fearfulnesse : but i will onely referre you to these three , which you may read at your leasure : viz. isa , . mic. , . zach. , . chr. , . fourthly , strange sottishnesse , and want of understanding , ( so that they have not the wit to doe hurt ) in this manner ( at least ) was nebuchadnezar punished dan. , . fifthly , strange madnesse . in this manner the enemies of jerusalem are threatned to be punished : in that day , saith the lord , i will smite every horse with astonishment , and his rider with madnesse zach. , . sixthly , strange delusion : as by sights . thus the moabites , that fought against jehoram , and jehoshaphat , were punished ; for , the water ( wherewith the valley , in which the israelites lay , was fiilled without wind or raine kings , . ) by reason of the sun shining upon it in that morning , seemed to them to be bloudy ; ( vers . , . ) which made them to thinke they had slaine one another , and so runne thither with confidence to take the spoyle . but the israelites rose up , and smote the moabites , and they fled before them v. . and thus the midianites were deceived by the pitchers with lamps in them which gideon and his three hundred men brake in pieces , when they fell upon them at moreh . for at the sight of them it is said , that , all the host r●nne , and cryed , and fled jud. , . by reports ; thus the syrians were deceived , at the siege of samaria ( when joram was king of israel ) for , the lord made the host of the syrians to heare a noyse of chariots , and a noise of horses , even the noise of a great host : and they said one to another , lo , the king of israel hath hired against us the kings of the hittites , and the kings of the egyptians , to come upon us . wherefore they arose , and fled in the twilight , and left their tents , and their horses , and their asses , and the camp as it was , and fled for their life kings , , . and likewise the assyrians , at the siege of jerusalem , ( when hezekiah was king of judah ) for god sayes of sennacherib their king : i will send a blast * upon him , and he shall heare a rumour , and shall returne to his owne land ; and i will cause him to fall in his owne land. kings , . a second way , wherein the hand of god is notoriously seen in the punishing of the enemies of the church , is , when he produces unusuall effects upon their bodies : such as blindnesse : so the sodomites were punish'd , when they came to demand the angels that lodged in lots house ; insomuch that they could not find the doore gen : , . and so the syrians , upon the prayer of elisha , at dothan ; ( whither they were sent by the king of syria , to apprehend him ) insomuch that , promising to direct them to the man whom they sought , he led them quite home into samaria king , : diseases : so the egyptians were punished with boyles , ex . the philistins with emrods sam : . gog , & his men , have been , or shall be , with the pestilence , ezek : . . strange , and violent , and untimely death's , inflicted sometimes more immediately by the hand of god ; as when all the first borne in the land of egypt were slaine in one night exod : , , and , when jehoram king judah ( who had slaine his brethren of his father's house that were better then him selfe chr : , . ) died of such a disease in his bowels , that his bowells fell out verse . hitherto may be reduc'd that deep sleep from the lord , which fell upon those that were with saul sam : , . ( insomuch that david took away his speare , and his cruse of water , close by his bolster where he lay ; and no body knew of it ) sometimes by the hand of men ; but in such a manner , as that the hand of god may be never the lesse notoriously seen . either , when it is done by those whom they most trusted : as , when jezebel was thrown out at window by her owne eunuches kings , . or , when it is done by those , to whom they intended the same death themselves ; as , when those , who gott a commission of king ahasuerus , to kill the jewes , were slaine themselves by the same jewes , and by the same autority esth : , . c. , . or , when it is done in the same manner ; as when haman was hanged on the gallows , which he made for mordecai esth : , . and those that accused daniel , and caused him to be cast into the den of lyons , were by the kings command , throwne in themselves , and devour●d dan : , . insomuch that i think , for the most part , what abigail * said to david , of his enemies , may be as truly said to any of the children of god : of theirs , the soules of thine enemies , them shall he sling out , as out of the midle of a sling : or , he shall violently , and hastily snatch them away , as in a passion : a third way , wherein the hand of god , more notoriously appeares in punishing the enemies of his children , is , when he makes use of noysome creatures for instruments ; or , renders them noysome , by changing their nature , or increasing their number , or prolonging their continuance , or making them act after a strange , and unusuall manner . thus it was seene upon the egyptians , in turning their water into bloud , ex. . . in causing an excessive number of frogges chap. , . of lice , v. . of flies v. . of locusts c. , : upon the assyrians ( sent to inhabit canaan , after they had carried the israelites captive ) by destroying them with lyons kings , . upon the egyptians , in causing an exceeding great darknesse to continue three dayes together vers . . upon the canaanites , by destroying them with hornets exod. , . josh . , . upon the five cananite kings ( when they fought with joshua at gibeon ) by destroying them with hailestones , wherewith there were more slaine , then with the sword , josh . , . as likewise upon the egyptians exod. , . see ezek. , . upon the two captaines , and their companies of fiftie ( sent by king ahaziah , to apprehend elijah ) by destroying them with fire from heaven , king. , . so upon the egyptians exod. , . and so it hath , or shall be upon gog and magog ezek. , . revel . . . upon the philistines that fought with samuel at mizpeh , by thunder sam. , . according to hannah's words in her song , out of heaven shall he thunder upon them &c. cap. , . and so upon the egyptians , exod. , . upon those five kings formerly mentioned , by causing the sunne , and moon to stand still , at the prayer of joshua ; that so it might not be darke , till the people had avenged themselves of their adversaries , who might have escaped in the night * josh . , . at that time , the sun and moone may be said to have fought for god's people , though not in their courses ( for their courses were stopt ) as deborah said in her song , the stars in their courses fought against sisera , jud. , . the jewes some of them say , that the starres had so over-heated the ground , that , with the heat the horses hoofes fell off . some , that they had so heated the men , that going into kidron to coole themselves , they tooke cold and died . others , that the starres caused * winds , and other meteors , in such extremity , that they could not fight . a fourth way , wherein the hand of god is more notoriously seene in punishing the enemies of his church , is , when he makes use of contemptible , and unlikely meanes : such as were a sling , and a stone , wherewith little david slew great goliah , and put the philistins to flight sam. , . rams hornes , at the sounding whereof the walls of jericho fell downe , josh . , . an oxe-goad * , wherewith judge shāgar is said to have slain no lesse then six hundred philistins , and delivered israel , judg. . . it is likely , that saul's army , when they went against the philistines &c. sam. . had but little better weapons , then such tooles . for they had no smiths of their owne ; and those smiths which they went to of the philistins , ( doubtlesse ) durst not make them any other things , then axes , and mattocks , and such other tooles , as belonged to husbandry , chap. , . one onely woman , and with nothing but a hammer and a naile : for therewith jael ( the wife of heber ) slew no lesse man then sisera , the king of canaan's generall , jud. , . , a mean man of no quality : such as gideon , who was of the poorest family in all the tribe of manasseth , and the least man in that family judg. , . and yet god sent him , to save israel from the hand of the moabites vers . . and also told him , that he should smite the midianites as one man , vers . . a fifth way , wherein the hand of god more notoriously appeares in punishing the enemies of his children , is , when he makes use of angels : in that manner , as he did when he punished sennacherib the king of assyria for besieging jerusalem ( in the time of hezekiah ) for the angell of the lord went out , and smote in the campe of the assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand , and when they arose early in the morning behold they were all dead corps kings , . it is not unlikely , that use was made of angels at other times also , when it is said that god smote , or the lord saved , and the lord discomfited , such or such a people : for you may observe , that for the most part it is so said , * when the number of men was so little , that it could not be done , unlesse god's hand did eminently shew it selfe either this , or some other , extraordinary way . i will instance in one place especially viz : jud : , . where it is said , that the lord discomfited sisera , and all his chariots , and all his host , with the edge of the sword before barak now it is probable , that in that fight god made use of angels , because deborah in her song of thanksgiving for the victory sayes : they fought from heaven chap : , . as also because it is said vers . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we translate , they came not to the help of the lord ; to the help of the lord against the mighty : but others translate it thus , they came not to our help : the lord was our help , even the lord with ( or in ) his mighty ones , meaning by mighty ones , angels : according as we translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( which signifies , the bread of strong or mighty ones ) the bread of angels ps . , . paul cals them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the angels of his power , or ( or as we render it ) his mighty angels . however , i must confesse , it is sometimes thus spoken , when , it is like , the intention was , only to denote the just judgment of god upon those that were smitten , for their sins : as in judg : , . and elsewhere . this is certaine , that persecuters of god's children have just cause to feare the helpe which they have of angels , in regard that ( as contemptible as they make them ) they have allowed them , angels of their owne , provided of purpose for them , continually attending upon god in their behalfe , and looking but for the word to execute vengeance upon any that shall wrong them . i say unto you , their angels doe alwaies behold the face of my father which is in heaven , saies our saviour , mat : , . and therefore was it , that in the words immediately before , he bade them take heed how they did but despise , though it were but one of those little ones , that believed in him . see hebr : , . eccles : , . and likewise acts , . for there it is said , that , when peter knocked at mary's doore , in the night ; the people of the house being cōfident it could not be peter himselfe , ( whom they knew to be in prison the day before ) said , it is his angel : which they seem to have spoken in such a manner ( not using many wordes ; for they might have said , it is an angel sent from god about some businesse concerning him ) as if it were a thing then commonly believ'd , and knowne by experience , for god's children to have angels for their guardians . but ( to say more yet ) god's children have not only each of them his angel ( as peter had ) but they have had , & i doubt not , they may have againe ( if occasiō require ) mahanaim an army of angels : such as jacob had for his guard , when esau was coming to meet him in his way homewards from haran gen : , : and such as ( 't is likely ) elisha had for his , when an army of men was sent by the king of the syrians to take him . for when his servant began to be afraid of the many horses , and chariots , which he saw of the syrians ; it is said , that , upon elisha's prayer , the lord opened the eyes of the young man ( so it is god must open our eyes by faith , before we can see the helpe which he hath laid for us , upon jesus christ , who is mighty to save ) and he saw , and behold the mountaine was full of horses and chariots of fire round about elisha . so that for horses and chariots against him , there are horses and chariots for him , even horses & chariots of fire : kin. , . besides what i have here produced , the tendernes of god's love towards his children , & the bitternes of his hatred gainst those that persecute them , may be further gathered out of the scriptures , by the tendernesse , & bitternesse , of his expressions therein , concerning them . i will produce only two places : one is in matthew , where mention is not made of persecuting them , but only of offending them . whosoever shall offend one of these little ones ( an expression of most tender love ) which believe in me , it were better that a milstone were hanged about his neck , and that he were drowned in the middest of the sea mat. . . the other is in isaiah , where god calls the slaughter of their enemies , a sacrifice ( as he does also elswhere , viz : jer : , . &c. ) and he seems by his manner of expression , to speak of it with abundance of delight and complacency : the sword of the lord is filled with bood , it is made fat with fatnesse , and with the blood of lambes , and goats , and with fat of the kidneys of rams , for the l●nd hath a sacrifice in b●zrah , & a great slaughter in the land of idumea : chap : , . to conclude , it is god's word , and i may speak it with confidence , let the wicked plot against the just , as much as he will , and gnash upon him with his teeth ▪ ( ps : , ) till his teeth break ; all the wicked , first or last , shall perish ; and the enemies of the lord shall be as the fat of lambs : they shall cōsume , into smoake shall they consume away : psal : . . it will not be done in an instant , neither are they burnt away suddenly in a flame : you must tarry god's leisure ; and if you believe , you will not make hast . the enemies of the jewish church in canaan were not destroyed at once : no more will the enemies of the church in generall . be sure , they shall by degrees wast away , as in a smoake ; and drop away like fat , by the fire of god's anger . at the feast of tabernacles , in seven dayes the israelites were to offer seventy bullocks : for the first , thirteen ; for the second , twelve ; for the third , eleven ; and so forward : every day diminishing the number by one . and the reason thereof , some jewes conceive to be this , viz : to shew , how the seventy nations ( for whom they say those sacrifices were offered ) should still grow lesse and lesse , till all were subdued to the govermēt of the m●ssias jesus christ . doubtlesse the time shall come , when that prophecy , which is twice related in the booke o● isaiah , shall be fulfilled : they shall not hurt , nor destroy , in all my holy mountaine : isa : , . chap : , . i have been the longer in this chapter of the punishments of the enemies of god's children , because i see that god's children have so many enemies , and because i see how light a matter men make it , to wrong them , and persecute them . envy . enviers are punished , with not having their desire : although ( i must confesse ) it be proper rather to emulation , then envy , to desire ( for envy is properly sorrowing at that which an other man hath , not because i have it not , but only because hee hath it : whereas emulation is , because i have it not , or because i have it not as well , as hee ) and therefore in the text which i am about to cite , after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * yee envy , before the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and cannot obtaine , you have , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( yee emulate ) and we translate it , desire to have : ye lust and have not : ye envy , and desire to have , and cannot obtaine james , . adde hereunto , that their envy is seldome to any purpose . many times those whom they envy , have the more for it ; and from esek and sitnah , they come to rehoboth . this name isaac gave to that well , in the digging whereof , the philistins , who envied at him for his prosperity , and therefore strove against him in digging of his wells before , ( called therefore esek and sitnah , both which names signifie , contention ) when they saw it was to no purpose , forbare to st●ive any longer : because ( said he ) now the lord hath made ●ome a for us , and we shall be fruitfull in the land gen : , , , , . i remember a saying of alexander's to meleager ( who was angry with him , for bestowing a thousand talents of silver upon a barbarian prince ) invidos homines nihil aliud quàm ipsorum esse tormenta , envious men are meerely their owne tormenters , and nothing else . q. curt : l. . nay , perhaps , ( for having an evill eye , because god's eye is good ) they may not only be forced to be contented with that which is their owne , but be bid to be gone too ; as the servāt was in the parable ( because he envied at those who wrought but one houre , & received a penny , as well as he : ) take that thine is , and goe thy way , i will give unto this last even as nuto thee . matt : , . not having content of mind , though they have never so much : which i take to be a very great punishment . and haman told them ( viz : his friends , and his wife ) of the glory of his riches , and the multitude of his children , and all the things wherein the king had promoted him , and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. haman said moreover ; yea , esther the queene did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet , that she had prepared , but my selfe , and to morrow am i invited unto her also with the king : yet all this availeth me nothing , so long as i see mordecai the jew sitting at the kings gate . esth : . , , . though elkanah were kinder to hannah , then he was to peninnah ; yet because peninnah had children , and she had none , she remained in bitternesse of soule , and refused to eate her meate . sam . , . consumption of their bodies ( which punishment they owe to themselves , and their own sin ; as there are scarce any sinners , but are filled with their owne devices pro : . . ) solomon saith , envy is the rottenes * of the bones . so david , ( speaking of mē envying the prosperity of the righteous ) they shall g●ash with their teeth and melt away . ps : . . elipha● told job , envy slayeth the silly one job . . when rachel saw that she bare jacob no children , rachel envied her sister , and said unto jacob , give me children or else i die gen : . . ( or , i am a dead woman , for so is the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) if envy be so much in the eye , ( as i believe it is , * ) it must needs cause a g●eat deale of paine , because it is in a very tender part it is expressed in scripture , ( as we usually expound it ) by the name of an evill eye : although that expression may be meant also of being niggardly , or hard-hearted , or not * good ( that is mercifull , liberall , or charitable ) see matt : . . prov. . . and the appendix . destruction both of body and soule . envyings , murders &c. of the which i tell you before , as i have also told you in time past , that they which do such things , shall not inherit the kingdome of god. gal : . . i might give you many instances of severe punishments , inflicted perhaps for other sinnes ; but upon such sinners , who were primarily , if not chiefly incited by envy to doe what they did . i will mention only two or three . the king of the egyptians , who tooke up his resolution to persecute the israelites ( for which he suffered all those fearefull plagues ) upon this motive , behold the people of the children of israel are more and mightier then we exod : . . dathan and abiram , and their company . they envied moses also in the camp and aaron the saint of the lord , sayes the psalmist ps : . . ( viz : for being above the rest of the congregation num. . . ) and it follows immediatly in the next verse : the earth opened and swallowed up dathan , and covered the company of abiram . the ephraimites : who envying jephtha , for conquering the ammonites without caling them , made warre against him , and were overcome by him and the gileadi●es , with the losse of no lesse then two and forty thousand men jud : . . paul threatens the corinthians well , if he found them guilty of this sinne , cor. , . but what he meant to do to them i know not . escape of malefactors suffered . king ahab , for making a covenant with benhadad king of syria after he had conquered him , was thus threatned . because thou hast let go out of thine hand , a man whom i appointed to utter destruction , therefore thy life shall goe for his life , and thy people , for his people , king. , . evill . calling it good. wo unto them that call evill good , and good evill ; that put darknesse for light , and light for darknesse ; that put bitter for sweet , and sweet for bitter isaiah . . this may be meant of judges only , ( who say unto the wicked , thou art just , prov. , . or , justifie the wicked for a reward , and take away the righteousnesse of the righteous from him : as it follows here v. . ) and it may be , it was spoken onely to priests and prophets : but this i am sure , it is a fault too cōmon now , both to ministers and others , in very many things . separating frō wicked men is called schisme : pride , neatnesse ; and neatnesse , pride : covetousnesse , frugality ; and frugality , covetousnesse ; and twenty such other mis-namings there are : whereby we see , men are very much encouraged in evill , and discouraged from good ; being naturally apt to regard more , what they are esteemed to be , then what they are . rendring it for good. in the proverbs , you have this threat , who so rendereth evill for good , evill shall not depart from his house chap : . . jeremiah , in that prayer of his against those that conspired his death , chap. . ( wherein are such bitter & passionate expressions ) the first and maine thing , that he cōplained of , was their rend'ring him evill for good viz : by endeavouring to destroy him , although he had praied to god to preserve them , v. . the hainousnesse and desert thereof , you may gather by his interrogation , shall evill be recompenced for good ? v. . the dangerousnesse thereof , and the punishment like to ensue , by his prayer immediatly following : vers . . to the end of the chapter . there are not many prayers like it ; for it begins with remember , and concludes with forgive not . extortion . extortioners are threatned with god's grievous anger . in thee have they taken gifts to shed blood : thou hast taken usury and increase , and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion , and hast forgotten mee , saith the lord god. behold therefore , i have smitten my hand at thy dishonest gaine , which thou hast made , &c. ezek. , , . thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours ] or , thou hast gained of thy neighbour by extortion ( or , oppression ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for greedily gaining of any one is naught : and i thinke , the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though it be chiefly , yet it is not necessarily meant of ungodly gaining ; as may be conjectured by the addition of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 evill , hab. , . woe unto him that coveteth an evill covetousnesse ( or gain : ) as if some such gaine as is expressed in that word , were not evill . so likewise here , there seemes to be an emphasis in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * thy neighbours ( or thy friends and familiars ) as if else , † it had not beene such a matter , simply to gaine . at least there is an emphasis , ( and indeed , i thinke that it is all ) in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by extortion ( or , oppression ) for this , i conceive , is the onely thing , besides poverty , ( now that i may call any one my neighbour , and must call nothing common , or uncleane ) that makes vsury unlawfull . as for that usuall distinction , making 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( which signifies simply encrease ) to be the lawfull excrease , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( which signifies b●ting * the unlawfull , it seemes to mee to be taken away , by the placing of the same words in the text above quoted ; for if this were necessarily worse , and an aggravation of the other , i thinke , it would have beene put after it , rather then before it . besides this , the septuagint translating the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and the vulgar , superabundantiam , ( or , superabundance ) seeme to take it for a worse thing then this : viz. not , for a bare increase of that which is lent ; but an encrease of such an encrease , or a multiplying excessive increase , or vsury . exclusion out of heaven , for the apostle saith peremprorily , — nor revilers , nor * extortioners , shall inherit the kingdome of god , cor. , . false prophets . threats to false-prophets , or , false-teachers , and seducers . they are punished , or threatned with being deceived themselves ( though they deceive others . ) but evill men , and seducers , shall wax worse , and worse : deceiving , and being deceived , tim. . . for , as ( in generall ) none hurt themselves more , then they who hurt others , most : so none are more deceived , then such deceivers . they are deceived by the devill , when they doe what they should not ; and they are deceived by god , when they suffer what they would not ; which they are sure to doe . impenitencie , and growing worse and worse . worse in sinne , and worse in misery . but evill men and seducers shall wax worse and worse , tim. , . ( as you had before ) evill men ] for such are evill in graine , wickedly ( or malitiously ) wicked , who do not only hold false doctrines themselves , but teach men so . in matthew ch . we read , that after our saviour had said to his disciples , there shall be false prophets ( vers . , ) he presently added , and because iniquity shall abound , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vers . . that grand deceiver ( antichrist , whose coming is with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse , thess . , . ) is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the ( or , that ) wicked one , ( as the devill is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; ) as if none were so wicked as hee , thess . , . seducers ] in the originall , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that is , jugglers , or witches . the apostle in his epistle to the galatians ( ch . , . ) asked them , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; who hath bewitched you ? as if he thought it impossible for them , unlesse they were bewitched , having had jesus christ so evidently set forth before their eyes ( as evidently , as if he had beene crucified among them ) yet neverthelesse , to be drawne aside from the truth , and be made to see another gospell : which indeed was not another gospell ( as it is ch . , . ) but onely those juggling fellows , by their delusions ( dazling their eyes with witty arguments , and specious pretences ) made it seeme so to them , who had but a weake sight . so in the verse of this chapter , he compares them to jannes and jambres , who ( they say ) were two of the chief of the egyptian witches . it is said of simon magus ( acts , . ) that he used sorcery , and bewitched the people of samaria . you may translate , by using sorcery he bewitched &c. as if instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : for so it 〈◊〉 expressed vers . . and so it is usuall in the scripture ( both the old and new testament ) to joyne the effect to the cause , with the conjunction and , and in the same syntaxis , were it not so , we could not render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bewitched . for the word most usually signifies , putting a man * out of his wits , or making him mad : ( at least , for a time , as in an extasie ) so that you may render it , by sorcery he sett the samaritans beside themselves . for although the word seeme to mee to be very well rendred ( according to cicero's translation in admirationem * tr●ducens , drawing the people into admiration of him , viz. by doing miracles and signes ( by his witchcraft ) as it is v. . ( as usually those do , who practise such things : ) yet because it appeares , it was no ordinary admiration to which they were drawne , but an amazement * even to stupifying ( and therefore beza translates it obstupefecerat : ) and because the word , for the most part , is so used ; and because erasmus , and likewise the vulgar ( in the verse ) have so translated it , ( not without beza's liking ) such a translation cannot be much misliked . had not that people been given up to madnes , it was impossible ▪ that they could have been deceived so many of them : to whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest verse . that they could have been deceived so long a time ; of long time he had bewitched them v. . that they could have been deceived in so grosse a manner , as to beleive that this man was the great power of god : for so he * called himselfe , and so they also esteemed of him , saying , this man is the great power of god , verse . ( in their owne wordes confessing him to be a man. ) beza upon the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( formerly mentioned ) sayes , id est , ita sibi conciliârat suis praestigiis , ut coeco quodam furore amentes , toti essent illi addicti , that is , he had so wonne them over to him by his jugling tricks , that in a blind fury , like so many mad men , they were wholy addicted to him . there hath been very often experience of the like madnesse in many countries ; and there is still . for seducers & falseteachers , although they deliver never so strange , and absurd opinions , yet you shal have the people , who were but even now of another mind , presently runne after them , & hang upon them , even to the hazarding of their lives and fortunes , in such a manner , that you would thinke they were bewitched ; even as bad as when a man is bewitched to love a deformed woman , whom formerly he loathed , by the strength of a potion which she hath given him , it is said of the whore of babylon , that all nations were deceived , ( to commit fornication with her ) by her sorceries , rev : , . and that she hath in her hand a golden cup ; ( as if she bewitched them by such a potion , ) chap . . the apostle could not have had a better word for these men , then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , jugglers ; for such kind of fellowes they doe notably resemble , both in couzening and cheating men of the truth , as they doe of their monies ; & in being as good at slight of tongue , as jugglers are at slight of hand . but they may not think to carry the matter so , for they are threatned . with discovery of their errours . but they shall proceed no further , for their folly shall bee manifest unto all men . tim : . . folly ] in the originall , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , want , ( or corruptnes ) of judgment ; as it is verse , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( which we render , men of corrupt minds ) whereby they become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( as it is in the same place ) not so much repro bates , as repro bants concerning the faith : such as have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a pallat . or judgment out of tast , that will not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , rom : . . i. e. relish and approve of the truth , or savour the things of god. matt. . . ezekiel told the false prophets in his time , that the foundatition of the wall , which they had built and daubed wih untempered morter , should be discovered , ezek : . . and the pillows , which the false prophetesses sewed under mens armes , torne of , verse . a curse . though wee or an angel from heaven preach othewise unto yon ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) then wee have preached , let him be accursed , gal : . . and againe verse . . as wee said before , so say i now againe ; if any man preach any other gospel unto you , then that ye have received , let him he accursed . in the first verse it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in the next 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : as if he had said , whosoever tells you any thing , or preaches to you any point of doctrine different from mine , let him be anathema ; but especially , if he teach you , as an evangelist , some new doctrine , altogether different ; if he goe about to gospel you , or principall you clean another way . shame * ; ( when their vizard is taken off , and every one sees their falshood ) and it shall come to passe in that day , that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his visiō , when he hath prophecied : neither shall they wear a rough garment , to deceive . but he shall say , i am no prophet , i am a husband-man ; for man taught me to keep cattell frō my youth . zach : . , . death . it was the punishment appointed appointed by the law. but the prophet , which shall presume to speake a word in my name , which i have not commanded him to speake ; or , that shall speak in the name of other god's , even that man shall die , deut : , . shall presume to speake ] in the hebrew it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be so proud as to speake : and so vers . . where we render presumptuously , in the hebrew it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e in pride . what greater pride , or arrogance , then for a man , either to take upon him the person of a king , and to be an embassadour when he hath no commission ; or , if he have a commission to be an embassadour , to goe beyond his commission , and speake what he pleases on his owne head ? it was the punishment threatned by isaiah , therefore the lord will cutt off from israel head and taile , branch and root in one day ; the ancient and honourable , he is the head : and the prophet that teacheth lies , he is the taile , isa . . , . it is the punishment prophecied by zachary ( to be executed by their owne parents ) and it shall come to passe , that when any shall yet prophecie , then his father and mother , that begat him , shall say unto him ; thou shalt not live : for thou speakest lies i● the name of the lord : and his father and mother that begat him , shall thrust him thorow when he prophecieth : chap. . . hananiah , for prophecying to the captive jewes , their returne from babylon within two yeares , was threatned by jeremie to die within a year after , & dyed accordingly jer : . , . there is abundance of anger to be read in the expressions , which the prophet used , when he threatned him : the lord ( saies he ) hath not sent thee , but thou makest this people to trust in a lie . therefore thus saith the lord , behold i will cast thee off from the face of the earth verse . i will cast thee ] in the originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i will send thee ; as we say , i will send thee going with a witnesse . as if he had said , for going , when thou wast not sent , thou shalt be sent , when thou woudst not goe . i have elsewhere observed , that it was usuall with the prophets in their threats , to make use of such words , wherewith they had expressed the sinne , which they threatned ; even as it was usuall with god in punishments , to make them have a resemblance , with the nature of the sinnes which he punished . shemaiah prophecying in the same manner , both he , and his whole family were threatned to be cut off chap. . . ahab , and zedekiah prophecying in the same manner ( and disswading the jewes from obedience to the king of babylon ) were by nebuchadnezzar rosted to death : c. . . and after their death , it became an usuall curse among the people , whom they had thus indeavoured to deceive : the lord make thee like zedekiah and like ahab , whom the king of babylon rosted in the fire , verse . when the councell of the jewes would have put the apostels to death as being false prophets , gamaliel advised them to forbeare ; as reckoning , that if they were such indeed , they would be sure to perish , though they should doe nothing to them ▪ he produced also his examples for it ; as first , theudas ; * who was slaine ( saies he ) and all that obeyed him were scattered , and brought to nought , acts . . secondly , judas of galilee , he also perished ; ( sayes he ) and all , even as many as obeyed him , were dispersed , acts . . this judas was otherwise called judas the gaulonite , and those that adhered to him , gaulonites , or galileans . some of his sect were slaine by pilate , as they were sacrificing for themselves ; because they forbad sacrificing for the safety of the romane empire ; and therfore it is said : he mixed their blood with their sacrifices luke . . the first beginning of this sect , was at the time when cyrenius was sent from augustus for raising of a taxe in syria and judea : for judas then disswaded the people from paying it , telling them , they were tributary to none but god. * you have read of the death of . prophets of baal at one time king. . and you may read of the miserable end of arrius , and divers other such hereticks . speedy destruction ( if not damnation , for so the english translations renders the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ) whose judgment now of along time lingreth not , and their damnation slumbreth not pet : . . lingreth not ] not , as if time could goe away faster ; or that time , when their judgment should be executed , come any sooner : but to shew , that the long suffering of god , which had waited a great while , and not pronouncd judgment till he saw they would not repent , resolved now to tarry no longer . god may be said to hasten a thing in ' its time ( or although it have an appointed time ) ezek : . : because he doth not deferre it , although men fear , or hope that he wil. lingreth not hence forward their judgment lingreth not , or , is not idle . * it is not at a stand , either in going or growing ; but grows greater , and greater , according as they treasure up wrath against the day of wrath . by their destructive courses which they take , or their doctrines * which they teach , if they doe not upon others , they certainly bring upon themselves swift destruction verse . i say destructive courses ; for so i think 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may well be rendered in the verse following ; though it signifies destructions , and we render it , pernicious waies . in the spanish edition ( saith beza ) and in six manuscripts , 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , & the vulgar translate it luxurias ; we may english it lascivious courses . now as beza saith , that this reading agrees well with the description which followes in this chapter of lascivious nicolaitans , so doe i say , it agrees very well with the practise of most of your false teachers of these times , both in this and other countries ; most of them walking after the flesh in the lust of uncleannesse , verse . swift destruction ] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or destruction in a short time , as it is chap. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies word for word , the leaving of my tabernale is swift . but we translate it , shortly i must put off this my tabernacle . bring upon themselves swift destruction ] any hurt that men bring upon themselves must needs be swift , because they doe not use the meanes to prevent it . in ezek. . , it is said to those false prophets , that daubed up a wall of security for the jewes , ( bearing them in hand , that they should be safe enough from their enemies , whatever god had threatned to the contrary ) so will i break down the wall that ye have dawbed of untempered morter , and bring it downe to the ground , so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered , and it shall fall , and ye shall bee consumed in the midst thereof ; and ye shall know that i am the lord. so that they shall die suddenly , as with the fall of a wall : or if they died not when the wall fell , they should not live long after . in the ninth verse they are thus threatned ; and my hand shall bee upon the prophets that see vanity , and divine lies : they shall not be in the assembly of my people , neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of israel , neither shall they enter into the land of israel , and ye shall know that i am the lord god. for whether by being written in the writing of the house of israel , be meant , being written by god afore , among those that should returne againe to canaan out of babylon ( as god seemes to have had a booke of those who should enter into it , in the time of moses exod . . ) or whether it be meant of being written afterward by men , among those who did return again out of babylon ( as you may see an account taken by ezra : ez : . & as there was an account taken by moses , when they came out of egypt num : . ) or whether somewhat more then so , be meant in those words , i know not : but it is cleare by the words following ( which it may be are but an interpretation of thē ) , that those prophets , who bare the people in hand , there would be no captivity , should suffer most by it , and never returne into the land of israel . if there had been nothing threatned in scriptures against such men , yet you may guesse their end and punishment to be bad enough , by the names which they have given them in the scriptures : as of theeves and robbers joh : . . ( for of such austin , and chrysostome thinke those words to be spoken . ) nay , of wolves , matt. . , and foxes , cant : . . these names they very well deserve , in regard of their manner of hunting after soules ( as those creatures doe after sheep ) to make a prey of them ; for this speech is used concerning the false prophetesses * in ezekiel , chap . . now we know how such beasts are used , if they are taken ; and therefore many of these are sure to be destroyed , because they are sure to be taken . saint peter saith , they are as naturall bruit beasts , made to be taken and destroied pet : . . it is but talio , like for like , that they should be so punished ; because they destroy others . for if he , who takes away the life of the body , be punished in the same manner ; why not also he , who takes away the life of the soule ? in like manner , we might guesse by the name that is given to their doctrine , being called a gangrene , tim : . . now where a gangrene is , that part of the body must be cut off ; and so paul wished they were , who with false doctrine had troubled the galatians , chap. . . threats of false-teachers . peter saith , that under the old testament , there were false prophets among the people pet : . . john saith , that under the new testament , even in his time , many false prophets were gone out into the world , epist . . ( gone out , like foxes out of their holes to make a prey of the soules of men . ) and therefore he bids them not believe every spirit , but try the spirits , whether they are of god , as it is in the same verse every spirit ] for a spirit they will all pretend , and a spirit is all they do pretend . a spirit it is that moves thē , but it is an uncleane spirit ; and therefore let thē take heed how they miscall it , and so blaspheme against the holy ghost . it was presently after our saviour had reproved the pharisees , for saying he did cast out divells by the prince of the divells ( wheras he doth it by the spirit of god ) that he added these wordes , wherefore i say unto you , all manner of sinne and blasphemy , it shall be forgiven unto men , but the sinne and blasphemy against the holy ghost shall not be forgiven unto men . mat : . . if it be not the blasphemy against the holy ghost , i am sure it is a blasphemy against it , as well to say , that the spirit of the divell is the spirit of god , as to say the spirit of god is the spirit of the divell ; or to say , that what is done by one , is done by the other . nay , methink , it brings more disgrace ( or blasphemy ) upon the spirit : because all those wicked actions , which such men commit , will be said to proceed from that spirit , which they pretended . i am sure , if the spirit of truth be not , the word of truth is very much evill spoken off ( or blasphemed ) by reason of such men , pet : . . luke , in the acts of the apostles , instances in some , that taught circumcision * at jerusalem , chap . , and some , that came from judea & taught it in antioch vers : . threats and prophesies , that there shall be false teachers , the apostles have more then one . there shall be false teachers among you , who shall privily bring in damnable heresies , pet : . . privily bring in ] or bring in by the by , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , together with some truths as one would make bad mony passe with good , & as it is said in isaiah , the lord hath mingled a perverse spirit , chap : . . they doe their worke slily , not breaking open houses , or going into them openly ; but creeping * , and slipping in with others , that are honest , tim : . . insomuch that it is a very hard thing , not to be couzend by them : and therefore the times , when such men shall abound , may well be called , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , difficult , for so they are , verse . ( though i say not for this reason . ) from our saviour's owne mouth , we are threatned twice in one chapter , matt. , and many false prophets shall arise , vers : , and so againe verse . there shall arise false christs and false prophets . shall arise ] or shall be raised , ( for so the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies . ) viz : by the power of the divell , and god's permission , like so many spirits ( for by this name they are called , tim : . . joh : . . ) conjured up , to trouble the world ▪ but this i speak not , as if i were ignorant that the word , raising , is applyed also to good prophets , both in the new testament . matt : . . and in the old , deut : . . as likewise to priests , and kings , sam : . . kings . . threats , or prophesies . of being seduced by false-prophets or false-teachers . paul sayes , some shall be seduced : now the spirit speaketh expresly , that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith , tim : . . and this they shall doe with a love to errour ( we see daily how greedily men drink in any thing that is erroneous ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , giving heed to seducing spirits ( as it is in the same verse , ) the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which we render taking heed , expresses as great diligence , as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth constancy , in adhering to any one . it is used of those that followed simon magus act . . nay they shall doe it with a loathing of the truth , such as a diseased body hath of wholsome food . for the time shall come , when they will not endure sound ( or wholsome ) doctrine ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) but after their owne lusts shall they heape to themselves teachers , having itching eares , and they shall turne away their eares from the truth , and shall be turned unto fables tim : . . peter sayes , many . and many shall follow their pernicious waies pet : . , and so our saviourhad said before him ( even of such as should believe an other christ ) many shall come in my name , saying : i am christ , and shall deceive many matt : . . there have been divers false prophets , who have not only taken upon them to come in christs name , but have taken christ's name upon them ; as dositheus , simon , theudas , manes , ( who had his twelve apostles ) the anabaptists of munster , david george &c. now their being seduced proceeds : first , from their owne hypocrisy , viz : because they never loved the truth truly , or because they received not the love of the truth , when they received the truth , thess : . . secondly , from the hypocrisy and cunning ( for usually they goe together ) of the seducers ( as the apostle saith ) speaking lies in hypocrisy tim : . . i say cunning : for , as it is said of antichrist , that he shall come : so it may be said , of most false teachers , that they doe come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * thess : . , that is , not only with all deceivablenesse , ( as we render it , meaning thereby deceitfullnesse ) for so they come even to the elect , who are not deceivable ; but with actuall deceit ( as those words litterally signifie ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to those that are to perish . had not the elect , the spirit to lead them , and the word to light them , they would never be able to avoid their snares ; for our saviour saith of some of them , and shall shew great signes , and wonders , insomuch that if it were possible , they shall deceive the very elect matt : . . thirdly , from god justice upon those who are seduced , for their hypocricy : because they received not the love of the truth &c. and for this cause , god shall send them strong delusions , that they should believe a lie , thess : . , . strong , delusion or , the efficacy of delusion ( for so the * words in the originall signifie ) i. e. delusion , that shall prevaile with them . them ] that is , those that perish ( or those that shall perish ) for with the elect & sincere christian it shall not prevaile i might name a great many more causes , or occasions of mens being seduced , but that i am loath to goe beyond my bounds . there is one , which i cannot forbeare to name ▪ because there hath been so frequent experience of it in these times ; and that is covetousnesse . according to the words of paul , for the love of mony is the root of all evill which while some coveted after , they have erred from the faith &c. tim : . . the end , for which god permits men to be thus seduced , is said to be , that they which are approved ( and are not hypocrites as they are , but sincere ) may be made manifest , cor : . . which , it seemes , is so resolutely intended to be effected by this meanes , that it is there said , not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , there shall be , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , there must be heresies among you . that those which are approved &c. they , who are thus seduced by them , shall have this punishment , if they have no other , viz : to be befooled and decieved by them , and receive no good at all of them , as they expected . god saith of the false prophets , they make you vaine ( or they deceive you , so hierom , and the chald : par . ) jer. . . and so verse , they shall not profit this people at all . feare threatned and inflicted upon the wicked . of god. it is said , that , when jehosaphat fell to teaching the people the law of god , the feare of the lord fell upon all the kingdomes of the lands that were round about judah , so that they made no more war against jehosaphat chron. . . because , though they did not acknowledge him themselves ; yet this they knew , that whoever he was , if he were able , he would protect those that did acknowledge him , when they were obedient to him , see chron. . . of the godly : egypt was glad when they departed , for the feare of them fell upon them ps . . so that the favour , which they had in the sight of the egyptians , to borrow their jewels ( exod : . . ) seemes to have had more feare in it then love ; which made them to lend , not so much to furnish them for their journey , as that they might be the sooner rid of them . for what love is so great , as to make a man lend another a great deale of money , just as he is running away . observe therefore god's wonderfull manner , of making the enemies of his children serviceable to them . of such as themselves are . behold i will bring a feare upon thee , saith the lord of hoasts , from all those that be about thee . jerem : . . to the ammonites . and so of the elamites verse . for i will cause elam to be dismayed before their enemies . i will ] indeed this worke is very proper to god , and very much to be observed ; especially when we see it in such men as were otherwise bold and fearlesse . of any thing , and for nothing . with this fear god threatned the israelites themselves , if they persisted to walke contrary to him : and upon them that are left alive of you , i will send a faintnesse into their hearts in the lands of their enemies , and the sound of a shaken leafe shall chase them , and they shall fly as flying from a sword , and they shall fall when none persueth levit : . . so deut : . , , . the lord shall give thee there a trembling heart , & fayling of eyes , and sorrow of mind &c. certainly this fearefulnes was a greater punishment to them , then their captivity : and is as great a punishment almost , as can be inflicted ; as may be guessed by the emphasis , and estimate , which seemes to be set upon the blessing that is contrary to it , viz : when none shall make us afraid . for this blessing was promised to the israelites , if they would be obedient , in the chapter of leviticus above quoted verse . it was promised by job to the godly man chap. . . and it was promised and prophecyed by the prophets to believers , in the time of the gospel , ezek : . . jer : . . &c. neither hath the punishment of fearefulnesse been only threatned , to the wicked ; or the blessing of boldnesse only promised to the godly ; but constant experience hath made it good , that the wicked are seldome free of their punishment ; or the godly to seek of their blessing . bona conscientia prodire vult , & conspici ; ipsas nequitia tenebras timet * which i cannot render in better english , then this : the wicked fly , when noe man purfueth , but the righteous is bold as a lion. prov. . . feare of men , and fearefulnesse , out of distrust of god's goodnesse . the feare of man bringeth a snare , prov : . . a snare ] to make men fall into mischife , and misery , ( for it follows , who so putteth his trust in the lord shall be safe ) as well as , or because , it is a snare to make them fall into mischeife and sinne ; even as it was to saul , when he was commanded to destroy all the amalekites , according to his owne words ▪ i have sinned , for i have trangressed the commandment of the lord , and thy words , because i feared the people , and obeyed their voyce sam : . . i say , according to his words ▪ because by these words , it may be gathered that this feare , was the cause of his sin : but otherwise , that which is immediatly intended in them , seemes to be a confession of that feare , as a sin it selfe : for the same word is prefixed to transgressed , and to feared 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because i transgressed , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because i feared . and indeed , they that are fearefull of men , if they be so out of distrust of god's providence , and doubting of his faith fullnesse * ( no question ) doe sinne very grievously . in the revelation , you have this threat : but the fearefull and unbelieving &c. shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone , chap : . . flattery . flatterers with god * punished with destruction , without god's exceeding great mercy , even multiplyed mercy ; as may be gathered by what the psalmist saith ps . . , , . neverthelesse they did but flatter him with their mouth : and dissembled with him in their tongue . for their hear● was not right with him : neither were they stedfast in his covenant . but he being full of compassion fogave their iniquity , and destroyed them not : yea , many a time turned he his anger away . yea many a time turned he &c ] in the hebrew it is , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he multiplyed to turne away his anger ; to intimate , how much their hypocri●ie provoked him ; as if he had said , his hand was up again and againe ; and had he not multiplyed to pardon , they must needs have been destroyed . flatterers with themselves punished , with certaine and severe punishment . and it come to passe , when he heareth the words of this curse , that he blesse himselfe in his heart , saying , i shall have peace , though i walke in the imagination of my heart , to adde drunknesse to thirst . the lord , will not spare him , but then the anger of the lord and his jealousie shall smoake against that man ; and all the curses that are written in this booke , shall light upon him , and the lord shall blot out his name from under heaven , deut. . , . he shall find , that he did but curse himselfe , when he thus blessed himselfe : and this shall be a great addition to his punishment , viz. vexation , upon discovery of their folly : he flattereth himselfe in his owne eyes , untill his iniquity be found to be hatefull psalm . . . but this , perhaps , is not t●ll they have eaten of the fruit of their folly , and are punished . with being made more miserable by those courses , in which they thought themselves happy . let them ( or , they shall ) be taken in their own devices : for the wicked boasteth * of ( or commendeth ) his heart's desire , psal . , , . the last verse , in the latin translation , is thus rendred . quia laudavit impius desiderium animae suae : & avarus applaudens sibi blasphemavit dominum : because the wicked hath praised the desire of his soule ; and the covetous man , applauding ( or * blessing ) himselfe , hath blasphemed god. this sinne is as dangerous , as it is common , and it is very common ; for ( as one saith a ) quis sibi verum dicere ausus est ? men are afraid to tell themselves the truth . that , they thinke , will beget nothing but vexation , and sorrow , and hatred ; ( as usually the best chirurgian puts a man to most paine in a dangerous wound ; ) and therefore they resolve rather to heale * the wound slightly , then be troubled to cure it . but alas ! what foolish courses do men take ! they are desirous ( and threfore most wicked ; ) but they are unable , ( & therefore most unhappy ) to deceive * their owne selves . they can gaine no more by so doing , then if a man should play at chesse with the right hand , and win the game of himselfe with the left . they cannot act behind the curtaine to themselves ; unlesse they could stand on both sides the curtaine ; which they can never doe . though thou hast burnt * off the hand of thy conscience , that it cannot strike thee ; thou canst not put out the eye of thy conscience , that it cannot see thee . and therefore the saying of cato major was excellent , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every man ought to reverence himselfe most , because no man can ever be out of his own sight . flatterers of other men are punished . with being looked upon as enemies , by those whom they flatter . he that blesseth his freind with a loud voyce , rising early in the morning , it shall be counted a curse to him prov : . . being hated and cursed by every one else . he that saith unto the wicked , thou art righteous , him shall the people curse , and nations shall abhorre him prov : . , for though these words , by the verse that goes before * , must be interpreted only of judges ; yet , by the verse that follows , they may be interpreted of any other men . being cutt off ▪ especially such as as flatter great men , to doe others mischeife ( such as i believe the prophet meant ) the lord shall cut of all flattering lips ps : . . of this sinne in ministers , see in the chapter of ministers . if there were no scripture at all for it , i make no question of it , that flatterers shall be severely punished , because they are so much i say not , partakers , but causers , and encouragers of other mens sinnes ; causers of pride , idlenesse , security , and of all the sinnes that follw them ; and encouragers of any besides . when one told demaratus , that orontes had not used him well , to give him ill language , he made answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he hath not offended me at all , for , i count , those that please a man , hurt him ; and not those that displease him . neither is flattering of others the occasion of much sinning only in them , but in our selves also . for as truth , or the vertue of telling truth ( for which we want a name as well as the grecians ; * ) so in like manner flattery ( or the vice of lying to a neighbour ) being an homiletick habit , is versed in actions , as well as in words . so that the flatterer , whether it be * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that makes pleasing his only end , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that makes profit his end , & pleasing the meanes , ( being not able to please without complying ) must doe , as well as speake , to please him whom he flatters . he must doe as hee does , and doe as he will have him , if it be never so bad . therefore , as i approved of what demaratus said , viz : that those who please most , hurt most : so am i also of thrasias * his mind , to say , plura peccantur dum demeremur , quàm cùm offendimus , that those who please most , doe likewise sinne most . never lesse care not to offend god , then when there is too much feare to offend men . forgiving one another . if we forgive not one another , we must expect god's not forgiving us . we owe our king ten thousand talents , and if we will not forgive a fellow servant , a debt of an hundred pence ( for the greatest offence that we can commit against a man , beares lesse proportion to an offence committed against god , then an hundred pence doth to ten thousand talents ) how shall we expect , nay doe we not confesse , that we doe not expect , that he should forgive us a debt that is so much greater ? our saviour having said of him , who imprisoned his fellow servant for debt , and his lord was wroth , and delivered him to the tormenters , till he should pay all that was due to him , mat. . , presently added , v. . so likewise shall my heavenly father doe unto you , if yee from your hearts ( for you may professe it with your mouthes , as the most malitious of us doe , and never thinke of it , in the formall use of the lord's prayer ; and as no doubt , that servant would have promised his master , if he had put him to it ) forgive not every one his brother their trespasses . herein doth the greatnesse of this sinne appeare , that , if you are guilty of it , though god or christ have forgiven you all that is past , ( as it is , mat , . . ephes . . . col : . ) yet for the future , neither this , nor any other sinne , shall ever be forgiven you . not forgiving others is a debt , which we shall never be forgiven , for it implies no repentance ; and without repentance , there can be no remission of sinne . frowardnesse . he that is froward , either towards god , or towards those that instruct him , is punished with missing a great deale of good which he desired , and consequently vexation for it afterwards . he that hath a froward heart , findeth no good , prov. , . how many good things doth a self-willed man faile of , which else he might have had ? the froward man is most in his owne light , and ( for any hurt that he can doe ) is no bodies foe but his owne . he can never doe well . he hath not the wit to advise himselfe , for then he would not ; and he hath not the goodnesse to be advised by others , for then he could not , be froward . meeting with many mischiefes , and falling frequently . thornes and snares are in the way of the froward , prov. . . he that goes many waies , must needs meet with crosse wayes ; and he that is out of the right way , must needs goe many wayes : especially if he left the right way , out of frowàrdnesse . for he takes no way upon a reasonable choyce ; and any way pleaseth him , so it be not the right , because he loveth * to wander . meeting with great mischiefes , & falling desperately . who so walketh uprightly shall be saved ; but he that is perverse in his waies , shall fall at once , prov : . . at once 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] in one way , some translate ; as if it could not be , that he who is perverse , & wanders so many waies shold be lōg safe ; but if he fall not one way must needs fal another . fall desperatly , i said ; for so he must needs , if god let go his hand of protection ; as he that is led by a string one way , & drawes with all his force another : or like a blind horse that is full of metall : as usually froward men are full of bruitish passion , and nothing else . if it be but a frowardnesse of language , it is thus threatned he that hath a perverse tongue shall fall into mischiefe prov : . . god's hatred . they that are of a froward heart , are an abhomination to the lord , but such as are upright in the way , are his delight prov : . . we see it in earthly parents ; no child is so much hated by them , as he that is froward towards them , though he be never so faultlesse otherwise , & have never so many excellent endowments . i beleive , frowardnes is a maine ingredient in all wickednesse ; and i think both with david , and his son after him ( viz : in the psalmes , and the proverbs ) not only a foole , and a wicked man ; but a froward man , and a wicked man is all one . doubtlesse were not a wicked man exceeding froward , he would not be so foolish ; and were he not exceeding foolish he would not be so froward ; & were he not both foolish , and froward , he would not be wicked at all ▪ for what is it else , but meere folly , and frowardnesse , when god directeth us one way , which will certainely be for our good , and in which we know he doth direct us meerly for our good ; and that he himselfe is never the better for it ( for our goodnes extendeth not unto him , be it never so much ps . . . zech . , ) yet not withstanding , to take another way , which will necessarily be to our hurt . what desperate frowardnesse , and folly is it , to forget god , who was our maker ; who is our father , that bought us ( which is a greater expression of love , then to say , our father , that begatt us ; who is our preserver , and not only willing to be so still if we owne him , but able to be our destroyer , if we do not owne him ? and therefore moses when the israelites had forgottē god , notwithstāding these relations , in accusation of thei● frowardnesse , and foolishnesse , thus spake . they are a perverse , and crooked generation . doe ye thus requite the lord , o foolish people , and unwise ? is not he thy father that bought thee ? hath he not made thee , and established thee ? deut : . , . you may guesse , he was very angry when he thus spake , by his changing of the person , ( which is commonly a token of it , and very usuall in scripture . ) what desperate folly , and frowardnesse is it , not to believe the gospell , or , not to believe in god ? even like the frowardnesse of one that is sick , and will not take physick . nay worse , like the frowardnes of a child , that is fallen , and will not be lifted up ; or one that stands in need of a freind , whom he knowes to be very able and willing to helpe him , and yet will not apply him selfe to him . i remember , in one or two places of scripture , frowardnesse , and unbeliefe are ▪ complained of together : as in mat : c. . . o faithlesse & perverse generation : ( and so luk . . ) in deuteron : ch : . . they are a froward generation , children in whom is no faith * the affinity between folly , & frowardnes appeared prettywell in nabal . as for the first his very name signifies a foole : and i think , he was little better by nature ; for the scripture seemes to intimate so much , when as commending his wi●e above him , it sayes she ( as if it had said , she for her part ) was a woman of good understanding sam : . . and for his frowardnesse , his owne wife complained of him ; that he was so froward that one could not speak to him verse . yet such a root of bitternes there is , in the best of us ; such an enmity and contrariety of our wills to god's will. gens humana rui● per vetitum nefas : wee presently lust , if the law say , we shall not covet , though we never lusted before ro : . . we are like some froward self-willed children , who when their mother hath provided a thing for them , which they loved ; or bids thē go to a place where otherwise they would rejoyce to goe , yet in their froward humour , refuse to take the thing , or goe to the place , because it was not of their owne choice , and because they cannot endure to doe any thing after the will of another . i am confident , many duties would be done , and commended , if they were not commanded ; and many sinnes forborne , if they were not forbidden . which puts me in mind of what tacitus sayes of the germans concerning usury , foenus agitare & in usuras extendere ignotum , ideoque magis spernitur quàm si vetitum esset , that it was not so much as knowne among them ; and that it was more scorned then it would be , if it were forbidden . if it be but a froward mouth , it hath the same threat . pride and arrogancy ( which are usuall cōpanions of frowardnes ) & the evill way , & the froward mouth , do i hate pr. , . god's walking contrary * to them , for their walking contrary to him . with the pure thou wilt shew thy selfe pure , and with the froward thou wilt shew thy selfe froward , ps . . . as if he had said , as he deligh●s to crosse mee , so will i delight to crosse him : or , let him take what course he will , he shall not prosper . if it be but children that are froward towards their parents , nay or any others that are froward towards those that advise them , you may observe , ●hat almost alwayes they are crossed in those courses , which they take against command , or advice . thou wilt shew thy selfe froward ] the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies also , thou wilt wrestle ( for as any wrestling is opposing , so any opposing may be called wrestling . ) woe to him , with whom god wrestles . he that wrestles with god , may prevaile as jacob did ; but if god wrestle with him , he is sure to have the worst . in this manner god seemes to me to have purposed to wrestle with that strong , & head strong antagonist of his , sennacherib , when he told him , because thy rage against mee is come up into my eares , therefore i will put my hooke into thy nose ▪ and my bridle into thy lips , and i will turne thee backe by the way by which thou camest , kings , . and so with the king of aegypt ezek : . . a froward man will get no more by his frowardnesse , then a dog in a string , by refusing to goe where he is led ; or an oxe in a yoke , by drawing the contrary way viz : only paine and wearinesse , and it may be death the soonner . if it be only a froward tongue , there is a threat for it , viz. that it shall be cut out , prov : . . destruction ( though god should let them alone ) through their owne willfulnesse . the integrity of the upright shall guide them , but the perversnesse of transgressours shall destroy them prov : . . all trangressours , if there were no judge to punish them , would punish themselves by their own transgression ; ( as it follows in this chapter , v. , but the wicked shall fall by his owne wickednes ; and verse , but trangressours shall be taken in their owne naughtinesse : ) but the maine thing that makes them doe it , is perversenesse and frowardnesse . the odiousnesse of this sinne to god , and the dangerousnesse of it to men , may be gathered out of the scriptures yet more waies , as first , in that they give wickednes the name of this sinne ; as if thereby it were sufficiently aggravated . it was the height of moses his complaint of the israelites , to call them a crooked and perverse generation . deut : . . and , i believe , our saviour , and saint paul , when they used the same names , had a mind to make use of bad , and so tooke them for the worst . matt : . . luk . . philip : . . secondly , in that they give this sinne the name of wickednes ; as if it were the wickednesse , or as if , when wickednes is mentioned , there need be nothing else added to expres what is ment . abigail said of her husbād nabal , he is such a son of belial ( i. e. such a son of wickednesse ) that a man cannot speak to him , sam : . . in the proverbs chap. . , the froward man is in hebrew called adam belial ; we render it , a wicked man. in other places of that book , you shall find the evill man ( or the naughty man , or the wicked man ) and the froward man , going hand in hand : as chap : . . &c. and so the evill way , and the froward mouth chap : . . it is said of nabal , the man was churlish and * evill in his doings , sam : . . in all these three places which i have quoted , for evill , the hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . that is , not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wicked , viz : out of lust , or for some selfe-ends ; but evill i. e. purely evill , out of malice , and perversnesse merely to be contrary , and because a man will be evill ; as those to whom david ( ps . , . ) prayes to god not to be mercifull . ( if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be as we render it , wicked transgressours , and not idolatrous : the word being used also for an idol , and the prophet having spoken of the heathen immediately before ) in that it is made such a punishment , to be left to this sin : for it seems to be put as a token , or a fruit of god's exceeding great anger : as you may see in isaiah , ch . . for there god first tels the jews , i hid me , & was wroth , and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart , v. . but afterwards addes , as a promise of mercy , that for the future , being reconciled unto them , he would not suffer them to do so , but would in a loving manner lead them in the way wherein they should walke , vers . . solomon , speaking of the good to be gotten by wisedome , as if frowardnesse were not so much a sin , as a misery , ( or if it were a sin , such a one as would inevitably cause misery ) said not only , it shall keep , or restrain , but shall deliver thee from the way of the evill man , from the man that speaketh froward things , prov. , . giving to the rich. giving to the rich is threatned with poverty here . he that appresseth the poore to encrease his riches , and he that giveth to the rich , shall surely come to want prov : , . no recompense hereafter , for having had it now , & sad ▪ is their conditiō who have * their reward . whē thou makest a dinner or a supper , call not thy friends nor thy brethren , neither thy kinsmen , nor thy rich ▪ nieghbours , least they also bid thee again , and a recompence be made thee luk . . and a recompence be made thee ] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . christ seemes to speake it , as if it were a bad matter , which he would have us endevour to avoid . but when thou makest a feast , call the poore , the maimed , the lame , the blind , and thou shalt be blessed ; for they cannot recompense thee : for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just . ver : . . as if otherwise he should not be blessed , nor recompensed . this sinne reignes very much every where ; and therefore i desired to tell you as much as i could find against it in the scripture , though it be never so little ; neither would i have you think it to be a little sin , because ther is little said in the scriptures against it ; for the greatest sinnes there are least spoken of . glory . those that give it to themselves are threatned with god's great displeasure , and severe punishment . marke his angry expressions to the king of egypt . son of man , set thy face against pharaoh king of egypt , and prophecy against him , and against all egypt , speake and say . thus saith the lod god , behold i am against thee pharaoh king of egypt , the great dragon that lyeth in the middest of his rivers , which hath said : my river is mine owne , and i have made it for my selfe . but i will put hookes in thy jawes , and i will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales &c. ezek : , . those hookes ( as it is likely ) were the chaldeans ; by whom the king of egypt was taken ; and all his subjects , like fish , * destroyed together with him . severe punishment , and the taking away of their glory . i will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of assyria , and the glory of his high lookes : for he saith , by the strength of my hand i have done it , and by my wisedome ; for i am prudent &c. isa : . , . and it followes vers : , under his glory he shall kindle a burning &c. the jewes say , that the angel smote his army with a secret fire which burnt their bodies without hurting their cloathes , or their armes ; and that there were not ten men that escaped alive . hierom . see jer. , , . discovery of their weaknesse and frailty , by suffering from others . wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee , i am god ? but thou shalt be a man , and not a god , in the hand of him that slayeth thee , ezek. , . those that take it , when it is given them by other men , and do not turne it off to god , have cause to feare severe punishment : for , it is said of herod , when the people gave a shout , ( after he had made an oration to them , and said , it was the voyce of a god , and not of a man ; ) that , immediately the angel of the lord smote him , because he gave not god the glory ; and he was eaten up of wormes , and died . act. , . gave not god the glory ] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that glory , viz. which the people gave him . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not-giving the glory , or , not refusing glory already made and given , must not looke to be unpunished ( being wilfull sinne , and neerer to sacriledge , then receiving stolne goods is to theft ) if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not-giving glory to god ( or , not-bringing glory to god of our owne making ) have beene so severely threatned and punished . for so it was , first in the israelite priests , with cursing of their blessings : if ye will not heare , and if ye will not lay it to heart , to give glory to my name , saith the lord of hoasts , i will even send a curse upon you , and will curse your blessings * : yea i have cursed them already , because you do not lay it to heart , mal. , . in belshazzar , with the losse of his kingdome : at least it had a great hand in that punishment ; for daniel , when he told him of his sinnes , whereby he had provoked gods anger against him , assoone as he had said , the god in whose hand thy breath is , and whose are all thy wayes , thou hast not glorified : presently added , then was the part of the hand sent from him , and this writing was written , dan. , , . gluttony . gluttons are punished , or threatened with inconsiderate , and selfe-hurtfull actions . esau was so greedy of , and so gluttonously taken with the curious red red * pottage , which his brother had made , that he sold him his birthright for a messe of it , gen. , . whence he was afterward called edom , i. e. red , and his posterity edomites . loathing of that which they loved . the full soule loatheth the hony-comb prov : . . sicknesse . the israelites ( wherein their god was their belly , for they chose to serve that , before god ) although they had no worse fare then the angels . ps : . , like so many sw●ne , snuffed at the pearle , and as if they had been in such a lamentable case , ready to starve for want of meat , fell a weeping , and crying , who shall give us flesh to eat ? num : . . but how did god answer thē ? 't is true , he gave them their * owne desire ; but as the sabines did tarpeia , who , when she had desired of thē , what th●y had in their left hands * ( meaning no more then their rings ) put upon her , rings , and shields and all , and pressed her to death with the weight . for thus was moses bid to answer them ; seeing ye are so earnest for flesh , ye shall have flesh ; but you shall have it with a vengeance ; for ye shall not eat one day , nor two days , nor five daies , nor ten days , nor twenty dayes , but even a whole month , untill it come out at your nostrills , and it be loathsome unto you , v. . . . i believe this punishment was inflicted upon them , in a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or an unsatisfied craving of the stomack in eating . it is often threatned to the wicked in scriptures ( perhaps sometimes in another sense ) in these words , ye shall eate and not be satisfied ▪ as levit , . isa : . . mic : . . as , on the contrary , it is promised as a blesing to the godly , to eate and be satisfied , deut : . . ps : . . and the reason is , because they have other food to eate with it , heavenly food with which a man may be satisfied if he have no other , & without which , nor food , nor any thing else will satisfie a man. taking away , or , marring of those creatures which they have abused . when the israelites gathered manna , if any were so greedy , as to gather more then they could eate , that , which was left till the next morning , bred wormes and stank . exod : . . hunger , and want . for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty , prov : . ; the prophet isaiah , having told the jewes of their feasts , which they kept in honour to their idols , chap : . verse . . in the verse thus threatens them , therefore thus saith the lord god , behold my servants shall eate , but ye shall he hungry ; behold my servants shall drink but ye shall be thirsty . our saviour saith , woe unto you that are full , for ye shall hunger , luk . . and so it came to passe in the prodigall son , who wasted his substance in riotous living , luk . . for afterward , it is said ( v. . ) he would faine have filled his belly with the husks , that the swine did eate , and no man gave unto him . shortnesse of life . ordinarily , by their owne intemperance , breeding diseases in their bodies : and this every man sees , and knows , see ecclus . , . extraordinarily , by the hand of god. thus hophni and phinehas , ( who out of gluttony and greedinesse , violently tooke what they pleased of the flesh of the offerings , while it was raw , to roast it ) were punished , not onely in themselves , by dying both , and shortly after , and in one day , sam. , . but in their posterity also , for , thus saith god to eli , there shall not be an old man in thine house , v. . which threat is repeated v. . with this augmentation , for ever ; as if god himselfe tooke this for a great punishment ; & would have him take notice how greatly he had offended , by the greatnesse of his punishment . a short life hath beene alwayes counted among the jewes for a very great punishment from god : and therefore it is , that to this day they have a custome , when they come to yeares of age , to hold a feast : because at that time , they say , old age begins ; the number of being contained in the letters of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used in job , ch . , . where it is reckoned for a peculiar blessing of the godly to come to his grave , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a full age , like as a shock of corne cometh in his season . vntimely death . job's sons and daughters thus suffered . while he was yet speaking , there came also another and said , thy sonnes , and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brothers house ; and behold , there came a whirlewind from the wildernesse , and smote the foure corners of the house , and it fell upon the young men , and they are dead : job . , . if they were not gluttons , then they , who are gluttons , have the more cause to feare the like punishment . no sooner had the rich man said to his soule , eate , drinke , and be merry luk. . : but god said to him , thou foole , this night thy soule shall be required of thee , v. . it is said of the israelites before mentioned , numb . . : while the flesh was yet betweene their teeth , ere it was chewed , the wrath of the lord was kindled against the people , and the lord smote the people with a very great slaughter . whether they died of a disease contracted by eating too much of the flesh ; or whether it were by a more immediate hand of god , it is not expressed : but the former seemes to be more likely , from those words before mentioned , vers . , . that gluttonous lust of the israelites was so odious to god , that , as if there were no other , or , as if it were the worst lust of all , his spirit hath set it downe under the generall name onely of lust : they lusted a lust v. . and so , to make the sin the more odious to men also , the place , where they buried the men that were punished with death for this lusting , was , called kebroth-hattavah i. e. the graves of lust , because ( saith the text ) there they buried the people that lusted v. . among the jewes , the son , that was to be stoned to death upon the complaint of his parents , the only vices to be mētioned in the complaint ( besides stubbornesse ) were gluttony , and drunkennesse ( which is a kind of gluttony , or , as they call it , intemperantia circa humidum ( deut . , . surprisall by the day of judgment ; or , the worse usage when they are surprised . take heed to your selves , least at any time your heart be overcharged with surfetting , and drunkennesse , and cares of this life , and so that day come upon you unawares luk. . , see mat : . . but especially have gluttons cause to fear god's wrath , if they are such in times of mourning , and publique calamities , for then they are sure to be punished without hope of pardon . in that day did the lord god of hoasts ( and yet they were not afraid to disregard him ) call to weeping , and to mourning , and to baldnesse , and to girding with sackcloth . and behold joy and gladnesse , slaying oxen , and killing sheep , eating flesh , and drinking wine ; let us eate and drink for to morrow we shall dye . and it it was revealed in my eares by the lord of hoasts ; surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die , saith the lord god of hoasts . isa : . , , . god. speaking ungodly for him shall have no thankes ; but anger , and punishment also , unlesse the anger be appeased for thus god spake to eliphaz ( one of job's friends , who unjustly accused him in the defence of god's justice , ) my wrath is kindled against thee , and against thy two friends , for ye have not spoken of me the tbing that is right , as my servant job hath . therefore take unto you now seven bullocks , and seven rams , and goe to my servant job , and offer up for your selves a burnt offering , and my servant job shall pray for you , for him will i accept : lest i deale with you after your folly , in that ye have not spoken of me , the thing which is right , as my servant job hath , job . , . seven bullocks and seven rams ] a great offering , and therfore doubtlesse they had sinned greatly . folly ] there is much of this foolish hypocriticall zeal amongst professours ; both doing and speaking more then they should in defence of religion . in that ye have not ] god repeats the fault , and therefore certainly he was much offended with it . observe how sharply job took up his freinds for their uncharitable zeal , c : . will ye speake wickedly for god , and talke deceitfully for him ? verse . gospel . such as oppose it they are in the same condition with selfemuderers . for paul said to the jewes that opposed him at corinth , your blood be upon your heads , i am clean &c. act : . . nay , with fighters against god , ( who are sure not only to have the worst , but to be beaten also for fighting . ) gamaliel told the councell of the jewes , when he disswaded them from medling with the apostles , if it be of god , ye cannot overthrow it ; lest happily yee be found to fight against god , act : . . they are punished . with corporall blindnesse , elymas barjesus ( the sorcerer ) resisting paul and barnabas , and disswading sergius paulus ( the deputy of paphos ) from hearkning to them , was imediatly stricken with blindnesse act : . . what fearfull expressions did paul use , when he denounced this judgment against them ! o full of all subtilty and all mischeife , thou child of the divell , thou enemy of all righteousnesse , wilt thou not cease to pervert the right waies of the lord ? vers . . he that would keep the light from another , was justly punisht not to see the light himselfe . spirituall darkenesse , both by the removall of the light of the gospel , as in the place afore quoted . from hence forth i will goe unto the gentiles act : . : and by utter rejection of the men themselves ; for so much seemes to be implyed , in paul's shaking his raiment to the jewes of corinth , that opposed him , ( in the same place . ) as if he had said with all . so god shake off you , and every one that withstand the truth ; even thus let him be shaken out and emptied . for such words nehemiah used , when he shook his lap a in the same manner ( in indignation against the jewish usurers , that detained the morgaged lands neh : . . ) 't is likely , shaking off the dust b of the feet , had the like signification . it was used by paul and barnabas , at antioch , where they were persecuted by the jewes , act : . , and prescribed , or at least permitted , to the apostls by our saivour , not only in case of resisting , but in case of not receiving them , mat. . . . indignation and wrath . but unto them that are contentious , and doe not obey the truth , but obey unrighteousnesse , indignation and wrath rom : . . governours . such as resist them they will certainly rue it one way or other : for that is the least that can be meant by the words of the apostle , they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation , rom : . the word which we translate damnation , is ( in greek ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies judgment . see cor : . . tim : . . they have been punished ; . with conquest ▪ thus the five kings were punished , that rebelled against chedorlaomer , gen : . the moabites , who paid tribute to king ahab , but rebelled against jehoram , king : . , and . yea though the governers were heathen , and the subjects the people of god : for so was hosea king of israel punished , and the israelites carried away captive ; viz. because he made himselfe servant and triburary to shalmaneser the king of assyria , and yet afterward denyed him tribute , and sent to the king of egypt to joyne with him against him , kings . in like manner zedekiah king of judah was punished ; as yon may see , kings . , &c it is said of him , through the anger of the lord it came to passe in jerusalem & judah , untill he had cast them out from his presence , that zedekiah rebelled against the king of babylon kings . . nabuchadnezzar against home he rebelled , tooke his citty , and led him away captive , and put out his eyes chap : . vntimely death . sheba , who rebelled against david , and drew all the ten tribes after him , was besieged by him in abel , and had his head cut off by the advice of a woman , and throwne out to him , sam. , . amasa , who was generall to absalom in his rebellion against his father , was treacherously slaine by joab , pretending to kisse him , vers . . the amalekite , that said , he had slaine saul , though he had not slaine him , and though he said , that saul bid him , and though saul were no righteous person ( as david saith of ishbosheth in opposition to saul , sam . . ) and though he were david's mortall enemy , was notwithstanding presently put to death at the command of david , saying thus unto him , how wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the lord 's anointed ? sam. , . and here i cannot but adde also , david's words in his epicedium upon saul's death , ( because ambrose and others thinke it to be a curse : and that those hils of gilboe , where saul was slaine , were accordingly barren ever after ) yee mountaines of gilboa , let there be no dew , neither let there be raine upon you , nor fields of offerings . for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away ; the shield of saul , as though he had not beene anointed with oyle chap. . . see in the title of murder , examples of such as seeke their places by murdering them , murdered themselves : for it cannot be safe when our spirit riseth against them , to take their places , if when their spirit riseth up against us , we may not forsake our owne places ( but of this by and by ) eccles , . if the spirit of a ruler rise up against thee , leave not thy place , &c. jeroboam indeed , prospered against rehoboam , and got away ten of the tribes to be subject to him , kings . but god had revealed thus much to him before , by the prophet ahijah king. , . otherwise , perhaps , he would hardly have ventured : for notwithstanding this his successe against the son , we have these words of the father still upon record , which we owne for scripture , viz. my sonne feare thou the lord and the king , and medle not with them that are given * to change . for their calamity shall rise suddenly ; and who knoweth the ruine of them both ? prov. , , such as resist powers , and the ordinances of god , though in appearance they resist but men , yet indeed they resist god , and shall be accordingly punished . the murmurings of the israelites against moses , are both spoken of , and punished as murmurings against god , and moses tels them , they were accounted no other , ex. . . so num. , it is said , the people chode with moses for water : and yet v. it is said , that the water was called the water of meribah , because the children of israel strove with the lord . hananiah perswaded the jewes to revolt from the king of babylon onely ; and yet it is said , that he taught rebellion against the lord , jer. . . you may not speake wickedly , though it be for god , job , . and i would wish you beware of striking rulers , especially or although , it be for equity , prov. , . such as speake against them have cause to feare severe punishment , for miriam was punished with leprosie , for speaking against moses num. . . at first indeed she spake against him , for that which might seeme to be justly blamed ( as usually in such things the first pretences are the best ) viz. his marriage with an ethiopian woman vers . . but afterward , for appropriating that to himselfe , which she said , was common also to her and aaron , viz : to be the mouth of god , vers . . but marke how quickly god was moved herewith : and the lord spake suddenly unto moses , &c. vers . . suddenly ] as it was said before , their calamity shall rise suddenly , prov. . and marke how much he detested it , so that he could not endure to tarry in the place with them : the anger of the lord was kindled against them , and he departed , and the cloud departed from off the tabernacle vers . . this leprosie , as it was no ordinary disease , so it is conceived , it was no ordinary leprosie , ( such as others now have ; ) but peculiarly inflicted by god upon the jewes , when they had committed some notorious crime , and especially disobedience to the priests , and levites : as it seemes by what is said in deut. ch . , . take heed of the plague of leprosie , that thou observe diligently , & doe according to all that the priests , and levites shall teach thee . of leprosie ] ( not in , as we translate : ) so the vulgar , and the chaldee paraphrase , and perhaps better , for these two reasons : first , because the charge is to the people , viz. to doe as the priests shall teach them in other things : whereas for those things that are to be done in the businesse of the leprosie , the charge is directed altogether to the priests , lev. . because it follows in the next verse , remember what the lord thy god did unto miriam , vers . . who was stricken with leprosie , for her murmuring against moses , who was no priest . in exod. chap . , where we render , thou shalt not * revile ( the gods ; ) the chaldee paraphrase saith , thou shalt not vilifie * and for curse ( the ruler , ) the septuagint a say , speake evill against . by speaking evill against them , is not only meant , speaking evill against them to their faces , but any speaking evill of them , behind their backs , in any manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as peter calls it , ep : , . i. e. word for word to blaspheme glorys , and to speake indignely of dignities , or to disgrace them who are in places of honour . jude saith , that michael , although he were archangell , yet durst not do so , to the very devill himselfe . jud : . to whom we have nothing to say , unlesse it be to defend our selves from him . in that place of the proverbs before quoted , for , them that are given to change , the latin renders , detractours . and wheras it is added , the ruine of them both , * hierome interprets it thus , both of him that detracts , and him that willingly heares him : so that he makes it reach further , even to the hearer . see concerning korah in the chap : of ministers . such as doe contrary to their sentence are threatned with death . and the man that will doe presumptuously , and will not hearken unto the priest , that standeth to minister there before the lord thy god , or unto the judge , even that man shall die , and thou shalt put away the evill from israel , deut : . . such as did not serve them , though they were heathen with sword , and famine , and pestilence . and it shall come to passe , that the nation and kingdome which will not serve the same nebuchadnezar the king of babylon , & that will not put their neck under the yoak of the king of babylon ; that nation will i punish , saith the lord , with the sword , and the famine and with pestilence , untill i have consumed them by his hand jer : . . such as perswade men to revolt from them are punished with death . so those prophets who spake to the jewes , of breaking the yoak of subjection to the king of babylon ▪ as namely ahab & zedekiah , who were rosted to death by nebuchadnezar , jer. , . shemaiah , whose whole family was likewise extirpated . v. . hananiah , who was threatned by the prophet jeremy to dye the same yeare , and died accordingly , c. . , . and besides this , the wooden yoake was turned into an iron yoake v. , . such as doe not endeavour to preserve their lives . in davids opinion are sons of death . for thus he spake to abner , and the rest , that were with saul , ( when he tooke away his speare , and his cruse of water , as they lay asleep ) this thing is not good that thou hast done , as the lord liveth , ye are worthy to die ▪ ( or , according to the hebrew , ye are sons of death ) because ye have not kept your master the lord 's anointed , sam. , . i have beene the longer upon this subject , chiefly for these two reasons , to shew that , however the true religion be accused of sedition and faction , ( and perhaps there are too many of those that professe it , that are sons of belial , ) yet it doth not defend them . that those who are not of the true religion , might no longer be scandalized , as they have beene ; ( for prevention whereof our saviour himselfe payed tribute , which else he was not bound to doe , matth. , . ) nor the name of god , and his doctrine blasphemed , as it hath beene very much by such practises , tim. , . threatning and punishing with vnfit governours . i will give children to be their princes , and babes shall rule over them , isaiah . . with wicked governours . in the booke of the kings , ch . . after complaint of the disobedience , and idolatry of the children of israel , you have these words in relation of their punishment for it : and the lord rejected all the seed of israel , and afflicted them , and delivered them into the hand of the spoylers , untill he had cast them out of his sight . for he rent israel from the house of david , and they made jeroboam the sonne of nebat king , and jeroboam drave israel from following the lord , and made them sinne a great sinne , vers . , . threatning , and punishing of wicked governours . with punishing their subjects . because thou obeyed'st not the voyce of the lord &c. moreover , the lord will also deliver israel with thee into the hand of the philistines sam. . , . that three yeares famine , which was in israel , in the raigne of david , the lord himselfe said , was for saul , and for his bloody house , because he slew the gibeonites , sam. . . see king. . . other wayes of punishing them , may be seen in the chapters of their sinnes , especially injustice , and oppression . grace . refusing of it , threatned & punished with conquest by enemies . our saviour told jerusalem . the day shall come upon thee , that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee , and compasse thee round , and keepe thee in on every side : and shall lay thee even with the ground , and thy children with thee , and thou shall not have in thee one stone upon another , because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation , luk. . , . desolation , o jerusalem , jerusalem , thou that killest the prophets & stonest them which are sent unto thee , how often would i have gathered thy childrē together , even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings , & ye would not ? behold your house is left unto you desolate , mat. . , . it is likely , by , house , is ment , the temple ; & by being desolate , having no more prophets , and messengers from god ; ( because he addes verse for ye shall not see me henceforth &c. ) which if it be , you may apply this place to the punishment which immediately followes , viz. deniall of the meanes of grace , such as preaching &c. paul and barnabas told the jewes at antioch it was necessary , that the word of g●d should first have been spoken unto you : but , seeing ye put it from you , and judge your selves unworthy of everlasting life , loe we turn to the gentiles , act. . . imagine they had said thus , we were cōmanded to speak to you , first , whether you would heare * , and whether you would forbeare ; you were to have the refusall of the gospel . and we had commission withall , if any were not worthy to let our peace returne to us , matt. . . now as for our parts , we did not judge you unworthy , we judge nothing before the time , cor. . . but seeing , by rejecting our letters of pardon , you yourselves have therein judged your selves to be those , who are unworthy , we take the word : we are now at liberty to goe to the gentiles . deniall of grace it selfe . if thou hadst knowne , even thou , at lest in this thy day , the things that belong unto thy peace : but now they are hid from thine eyes , luk : . . they are the words of our saviour to jerusalem . so in john ch . , . he sayes to the jewes , walke while ye have the light , lest darknesse come upon you . what a madnesse is it , for a man that is walking in the darke , when another comes by with a lanterne , to stand still , and not make use of the opportunity ! but especially if that party freely offer to light him home . how can such a man either expect that that party should tarry for him , having elsewhere to goe ; or find any fault in providence , if he loose his way , or meet with a fall . our saviour saith , that it is the condemnation of those that beleeve not the gospel , ( or the maine condemning thing in that their sinne ) that they are so froward , as , when light is come into the world , to love darkenesse rather then light , joh. . . denyall both of grace and glory . our saviour in his parable of a man , that made a supper , and invited divers , who pretending worldly busines , refused to come , brings in the master of the feast , speaking thus , i say unto you , that none of those men that were biddē shall taste of my supper , luk. , . those men which were bidden ] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , those men ; and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , those men which were bidden : it seems to be spoken with an emphasis of much anger , and detestation . doubtlesse , christ would be much displeapleased , when he knocks at a mans doore , not to be let in to suppe with him . rev. . . but woe to that man who is invited to supper with christ , and scornes to goe . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? heb. . . hardening of the heart . there is a hardening of a man's heart by himselfe , which is a sin , and not a punishment ; as that of pharaoh , which is spoken of exod. . . and there is a hardening , which is the effect of sinne , and not the reward ; as past feeling in a man's hand , is an effect of putting it into the fire too often : ( such as that which the author to the hebrews bids us beware of , lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne , cap. . ) but the hardening , which i meane , is that , which is inflicted by god , as a punishment ; which the scripture often mentions . with this punishment have been punished : pharaoh . and he hardened pharaoh's heart , that he hearkened not unto them , exod. . . according as he had said , he would before , vers . . see chap. . . chap. . . sihon king of heshbon , who refused to let the israelites passe thorow his country . for the lord thy god hardened his spirit , and made his heart obstinate , deut. . . the rest of the heathen , who most obstinately refused to make peace with the israelites , all except the hivites of gibeon . for it was of the lord to harden their hearts , that they should come against israel in battell josh . . . the jewes themselves . goe , and tell this people , heare ye indeed , but understand not , see yee indeed , but perceive not . make the heart of this people * fat , and their eares heavy , and shut their eyes , lest they see with their eyes , and heare with their eares , and understand with their heart , and convert , and be healed , isaiah . , . heare yee indeed ] as if he had said , you have not beene willing to heare hitherto : henceforward , therefore , heare as much as you will ( as you shall be sure to have enough * spoken to you , according as he speaks to jeremy c. , . ) but you shall not be able to believe , or understand . the words of the first verse might seeme to be a prophecie only of a sinne , and not a threat of a punishment : because , in the latin translation you have for , understand not , non intelligetis , which may be rendred , ye will not understand ; and our saviour citing this place cals it a prophecie . but ( to say nothing , that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prophecie , is of farre larger signification , then barely foretelling of a thing to come ) the translation of the se●tuagint , the quotation * of matthew , and luke , ( mat. , . act. . . ) and the latine translation it selfe in the next verse , speake the contrary . for though the septuagint seeme to have made that verse a complaint of a sinne , translating 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is waxen fat , ( with whom those agree who take the hebrew word in the infinitive mood , understanding the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) yet doth that translation , and the chaldee paraph. agree with ours , to read the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rather in the imperative mood . and i believe the septuagint also may well enough be interpretted of a punishment , or an act of god's , thus , the heart of this people is now grown fat ; or , i have made it fat : and therefore , if they heare never so much , they cannot understand . besides , john in his gospel brings in our saviour citing the prophet , as if he had peremptorily said cōcerning god , he hath blinded their eyes , & hardened * their hearts , that they should not see with their eyes , nor understād with their hearts , & be cōverted , & i should heale them , joh. . . and therefore , in the verse before , he said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , they could not believe . so that , as i said before , for being unwilling to hear , they were made unable to believe . theophylact following chrysostome ( who was overmuch addicted to the opinion of free will ) hath paraphrased it , noluerunt , they were not willing ( to believe . ) which indeed is true too , for ( as beza saith ) at● adeo haec est propinqua incredulitatis ipsorum causa , their unwillingnesse was the immediate cause of their not believing sed altius ascendit evangelista but the evangelist ( saith he ) goes higher , & names a more remote cause , viz. their inability to turn their stubborne wills ▪ for ( saith he ) reprobates , as they are not willing to believe , so are they not able to be willing . to conclude , what the prophet saith , and what the septuagint say ; and so what matthew , and luke say , and what s. john saith , agree all well enough in this , viz. that there was in the jewes both a hardening by themselves , complained of , as the desert ; and a hardening by god , threatened and inflicted , as a reward . because they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , shut their eyes , when they had their sight ; god 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , blinded their eyes , so that they had not their sight , when their eyes were open : because , as matthew ( sayes , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , their eares were dull of hearing ; therefore , as john sayes , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he hardened their heart , so that what they heard , came in at one eare , and went out at the other . the jewes were threatned with this punishment in isaiah's time ; they lay under it , in our saviours time , and in paul's time : and so they have ever since , till our times . but as they neither did , nor doe lye under it all of them , so they shall not alwayes . for , as paul sayes , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blindnesse hath happened to israel , but in part . ro. . . in part ] whether it be meant , for some time ; so that the words following ( viz. till the fulnesse of the gentiles be come in ) shall be exegeticall to expound these : or , to some men ; so that the blindnesse happening thus in part , ( whereby there came to be , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a diminution of believers among the jewes , as it is v. . ) shall be opposed to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or , fulnesse of the gentiles , when they shall be all converted . for when the jews see this , it shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( as the apostle's words are , ) so exceedingly provoke them , that for meere emulation , they shall come in , and have their fulnesse too , ( as it is vers . . ) and never be rejected any more . so that what seemes to be spoken to the gentiles , may be applyed also to the jews , in regard of rejection & restauration , viz. in a little wrath i hid my face from thee for a moment , but with everlasting kindnesse will i have mercy on thee , saith the lord thy redeemer , isaiah . . there are diverse other places of scripture that mention this punishment , as , isa : . . rom : . . &c : more also might be spoken concerning the manner of god's punishing men therewith , and his justice therein ; but these waters are so deep , that ( unlesse i were taller ) if i should venture to goe further , i should either be drown'd , and do nothing , or be forced to swimme , & doe it superficially . i will hasten out , with the words of the apostle , ( whether it be jew or gentile , and whether it be this gentile , or that gentile ) god hath mercy on whom he will have mercy , and whom he will he hardeneth , rom : . . hardnesse of heart . for this , men are punished with taking away of the meanes of grace , themvn-saveable . it is said of the ephesians , & paul , when divers were hardened and believed not , but spake evill of that way before the multitude : he departed from them &c ▪ act : , . renewing of the meanes of grace , to make them vnexcusable . this is a most heavy punishment , & with it some of the jews were punished , jer. . , . yet they hearkened not unto me , nor inclined their eare ; but hardened their necks : they did worse then their fathers : therefore thou shalt speake all these words unto thē , but they will not hearken unto thee ; thou shalt also call unto them , but they will not answer thee . a master will be angry , if his servant do not hearken to him , when he doth but speake to him , of his duty to come and wait upon him ; much more , if he refuse to come , when he is peremptorily called : and much more yet : if he refuse to give him an answer . doubtlesse , god was very angry , when he spake those words : and you may clearly perceive so much , by the expressions used in the rest of that chapter : for i thinke there are as great expressions therein , of gods anger against the jews , as in any other chapter throughout the prophecy : and among them the greatest is that , wherein he forbids jeremy to pray for them , vers . . losse of dominions . nebuchadnezzar , when his heart was hardened in pride , was deposed from his kingly throne , dan. . . hardened in pride ] there is nothing will harden a heart so much as pride , and stoutnesse : for it is that whereby men strengthen , themselves in their wickednesse , psal . . . ezek. . . and as the same word , viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to be strong , and to be proud : so the same word viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to strengthen , and to harden . pride makes us obstinate in our malice against men : and it is pride that makes us obstinate in our sinning against god. captivity and desolation . behold i will bring upon this city , and upon all her townes , all the evill that i have pronounced against it , because they have hardened their necks , that they might not heare my words , jer. . . they would not onely not heare , but they would not so much as turne about their heads , lest , by that means , they might heare : and therefore seeing they have thus hardened their hearts , not to heare my words , i will also harden my heart , not to depart from my word ; but to bring upon them all the evill that i have pronounced against them : for in such a manner he speakes by another prophet , the house of israel are impudent , and hard hearted . behold i have made thy face strong against their faces : and thy forehead strong against their foreheads , &c. ezek. . , , . death . pharaoh , hardening his heart , and not yeelding to let the israelites goe out of his country , was after a great many fearfull punishments , at last drowned in the red sea , he and all his army , ex. . . and it seemes , it was god's designe upon him before , through his obstinacy to bring him to this end . pharaoh shall not hearken unto you , that i may lay my hand upon egypt , and bring forth mine armies , and my people the children of israel out of the land of egypt , by great judgements , ch . . . see ch . . . if a thing be not hard , it will yeeld , or bow ; and it cannot be broken : and if it be hard , it must be broken , if it meet with a stronger . had not god made pharaoh's heart heavy ( as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render , hardened , signifies , exod. . . ) he had never made him sinke as lead * in the midst of the sea . be afraid therefore , when thou perceivest never so little ●callus , or , hard flesh growing upon thy heart , lest god have a designe to suffer thee to be still sinfull here , that so thou mayest be for ever miserable hereafter . sihon king of heshbon ( of whom i have spoken before ) through hardnesse of heart not yeelding to let the israelites passe thorowhis country , was overthrowne in battell at jahaz ; and he , and all his people , men , women , and children , put to the sword , deut. . , . and it was god's desigue upon him too , to have it so : for it is said , the lord thy god hardened his spirit , and made his heart obstinate , that he might deliver him into thy hand , saith moses to the israelites , deut. . . those heathen ( formerly mentioned , ) through hardnesse of heart , not yeelding to let the israelites dwell in their country , were utterly destroyed . and that it was god's designe upon them likewise , to bring them to destruction this way , appeares more fully by the asserting of it twice in one verse . there was not a city , that made peace with the children of israel , save the hivites the inhabitants of gibeon ; all other they tooke in battell . for it was of the lord to harden their hearts , that they should come against israel in battell : that he might destroy them utterly , and that they might have no favour , ( for then neither god's purpose could have beene fulfilled , nor his command obeyed ; ) but that he might destroy them , as the lord commanded moses , josh . . , . that he might destroy them ] as a man cannot be saved , with hardnesse of heart : so he cannot well be destroyed , without it . for if his heart be 〈◊〉 hard , he will repent ; and if he repent , he hath a promise of mercy , ezek. chap. . v. . death eternall . but after thy hardnesse , and impenitent heart ( for they are inseparable ) treasurest up wrath ( such a treasure of it , as will never be spent ) against the day of wrath , and revelation of the righteous judgement of god , rom. . . a man with a stony heart can never be saved ; for whom god saves , he gives him a heart of flesh , ezek. . , . he that hath a face that is harder then a rocke , ( jer. . . ) can never blush , ( for the blood wil not run in it . ) he that hath a neck , that is an iron sinew , ( isa . . . ● ) can never turne . he that hath a hard heart , hath both : so that he cannot be ashamed of his former way , nor turne into another way , and therefore must needs perish from the right way . a hard heart is no more capable of glory , then it is of grace ; and it is no more capable of grace ( till it be softened ) then hard wax is of an impression ( till it be molten . ) 't is with men , that are waxen fat * , as it is with bullocks , that are fatted : they are fit for nothing else ; & it is a signe , they are intended for nothing else , but slaughter and destruction , till a man be hardened in sin , god may lay his hand upon his sword , & take it off againe severall times . hee may threaten , and threaten , to punish ; and yet repent , and repent . but if once he sees a man's heart hardened , it is a thousand to one , but then he is weary of repenting * ( as a man will be of striking upon a hard piece of wood , which his axe cannot enter ; ) and his hand will take hold of judgement , deut. . . god did not leave repenting with the israelites , till they left repenting first . before they had hardened their hearts in sinning against him , he did but say , what he would do : but when once their hearts were hardened , he takes up a resolution , not to alter his resolution , and sweares unto them in his wrath , that they should not enter into his rest , ps . . . and indeed those israelites , of whō those words are spoken ( who rebelled against the lord * , & refused to goe on in their journey upon the evill report of a few cowardly spies ) who had heard and seen so many threats , & punishmēts , so many promises & mercies ( those men which have seen * my glory , & my miracles which i did in egypt , & the wildernesse : & have tempted me now these ten times ) that they notwithstanding , should harden themselves to * rebell against the lord , now at last , when they were come so neer their journeies end ; it was such a provocation , as god could not possibly put up ; surely they shall not see the land ( or , if they do &c. then i am not god ) which i sware unto their fathers , neither shall any of them that provoked mee , see it , num. . . and therefore in the psalme but now cited , ( in the verse ) david bade the jewes take heed , how they hardened their hearts , as those their forefathers did , lest god's anger should kindle against them also , in the like resolute manner , so as never to be appeased . what ever thou dost , doe not provoke god by hardening thy selfe against him . because it cannot possibly doe thee any good . it is in vaine to thinke , we are stronger then hee , cor. . . who hath hardened himselfe against him , and prospered ? job . . . because it will necessarily doe thee hurt . happy is the man that feareth alway : but he that hardeneth his heart , shall fall into mischiefe , prov. . . labour above all things to be tender-hearted ; and be wary how thou crossest a tender hearted father : for none more angry then such a one , if he be once exasperated . especially when he correcteth thee , be sure to yeeld , and amend ; for hardnesse at such a time provokes him insufferably . a father that corrects his child , if he neither weep , nor so much as seeme to care for it , will be grieved to the heart : he shakes his head , and throwes away the rod , and a thousand to one , but he resolves never to looke any more after him . hastinesse , see rashnesse . hatred . for this men are punished . . with need of their help whom they hate . the gileadites , who hated their brother jephtah , and turned him out of doores for being the son of a harlot . judg : . ; afterwards , when the ammonites made warre with them , were faine to send to him , to be their generall , vers : . . surely had men but so much policy , as they should have , they would avoid hatred and enmity . first , because there is no body so selfe-sufficient , but one time or other he may stand in need of another mans help . secondly , because there is no body so insufficient , but one time or other , his help may stand another man instead . and thirdly , because there is no body , but his necessities are so various , that , seeing god hath so variously endowed men with abilities , such a mans help may stand him in steed , when no bodies help but his will serve . god's doing good to those whom they hate ; then which there can be no greater punishment , because there can be no greater vexation , then to be so punished . when the lord saw that leah was hated , he opened her womb : but rachel was barren , gen : . . if joseph's brethren hate him , for dreaming a dreame ; he shall dreame againe , notwithstanding that , and dreame better . insteed of having obeysance made , only by their sheafes to his sheafe ; he shall have it made by the sun , and the moone , and eleven starres to his owne person , gen : . , , , : which was a more plaine revelation of his future preferment . malicious prosecuting men with hatred , is like a succeslesse assault made upon a weak fort : which doth but cause the enemy to make it the stronger , & guard it the better . god very often doth , as i have seen many parents doe , when they see one of their childrē hated by his brethren , viz : if they hated him , love him ; if they loved him , love him better , and resolve to give him the more . me thinks therefore , thou mightest forbeare to hate another , were it but for meere envy to him . their owne hurting themselves . viz : by not believing , or refusing to aske , or follow , the advice of those whom they hate . ahab said to jehoshaphat , there is yet one man micaiah , by whom we may enquire of the lord ; but i hate him , for he doth not phophecie good concerning mee , but evill , king. . . and therefore refusing his advise , viz. not to goe up to ramoth gillead , he went up , and was there wounded , and died of his wound . v. . 't is as strange to see , as it is common to be seen , how men take , and refuse , such and such courses , to their owne ruine , meerly to be contrary to one , whom they doe not like . displicet author * the author dislikes me , is all they can say . but yet so it is ; our hatred to others , is stronger then our love to our selves . justin a sayes of alexander , plus loetitiae cognitis mortibus duorum aemulorum regum , quam doloris amissi cum sopyrione exercitus suscepit , he tookemore joy at the death of two kings his confederates , whom he emulated , then then he did sorrow at the losse of his army . not-having their prayers heard , or any duty , that they performe accepted , though it be never so good , though it be as a gift , or free-will offering ; as may be gathered , by our saviour's forbidding the jewes to offer a gift , till they were in charity with their neighbours : if thou bring thy gift to the altar , and there remembrest , that thy brother hath ought against thee ; leave there thy gift before the altar ; ( we must not , as it is our common practise , forbeare duties , because we are not in charitie ; because it is our duty to be in charity , that we may not forbeare ) and goe thy way , first be rconciled to thy brother , and then come and offer thy gift . agree with thine adversary quickly &c. mat. . , , . be reconciled to thy brother ] ( though his brother had somewhat against him , and had therefore most need of being reconciled ) and , agree with thine adversary , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , be well minded towards him ; or , beare him love and good will ; do but do this , and then come , and welcome . if it be possible , reconcile thy brother to thee : if not , be sure be reconciled to him , and be friends with him . for doubtlesse , not for my adversasarie's not being friends with me , ( although i have wronged him ; ) but onely , for my not being friends with him , my offering and prayers cannot find acceptance : and this , i believe , was that which christ required . see pet. . . ( if it be towards a brother ) the same , that those , who love not god. if a man say , i love god ( for this every one will say , though he be the most wicked wretch that ever lived ) and hateth his brother , he is a liar , joh. . . if he , that is the world's friend , be god's enemy ; he that is his brother's enemy , cannot be god's friend , james . . the same , that murderers , & such as have not passed from death to life . who so hateth his brother , is a murderer : and yee know that no murderer hath eternall life abiding in him , joh. . . surely his punishment must needs be damnation . for he that lives this life in a death of sinne , must needs live the next , in a death of misery . now he that loveth not ( much more , he that hateth ) his brother , abideth in death , vers . . or , he hath not yet passed from the life of the old man , which is but death ( in comparison , ) to the life of the new man , or the life of christ ; which onely is life indeed . hearing the word . see word . not-helping the godly . or , not-helping men in the waies of god , there is cause , why we should exceedingly feare god's anger against us for it ; in regard that such who have been faulty this way , have been punished , or threatened . with excommunication * shall i call it ? or , non-communication , viz : with those whom they thus neglected to help . an ammonite , or moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the lord ; even to the tenth generation , shall they not enter into the congregation of the lord for ever . because they met you not with bread and with water in the way when ye came forth out of egypt , and because they hired against thee balaam &c. deut : . , . an ammonite , or moabite ] that is , say some , only an ammonite or moabite-man : for a woman ( they say ) of either of these nations might enter into the congregation of the lord , viz : by marrying with an israelite man although a man might not by marrying with an israelite woman . their reason is , because ruth a moabite-woman , was married to boaz an israelite man * , and that with the consent of the elders , and all the people that were in the gate * , to which they might adde also this , for a confirmation of their opinion viz : that it was the practise of the israelites , to marry with their women ; ( as may be gathered by nehemiah's complaint only of such marriages , as if they had forborne others neh : . , and likewise by the marriages permitted with the benjamite women , when it was not suffered to be with the men jud : . , . ) and that chiefly ( as i conceive ) upon these grounds : . because uncircumcision was the maine thing in a gentile , that offended them , ( as you may see gen : . . ) which they could not except against in women . because if they married only with their women , there was no fear of building up strange families : for ( according to the etymology of the hebrew word naschim signifying , women , coming from nascha , to forget , ) the children being named after the father , the families from whence they came , would be soone forgotten . but , notwithstanding this instance of ruth , and the practise of the jewes , it may be answered that the prohibition was generall : . because ruth had been sanctified , * a as i may say , by marriage with an israelite before , c : . . or rather indeed , by leaving her religion , & becoming a proselyte , c : . v. . because , there was in this marriage , a mystery , * intended by the authour of the prohibition himselfe , ( who had power to dispense : ) to signify , that , whē christ should come , ( who was to descend from david , ruth's great grandchild , ) the middle wall of partition between the gentiles & the jewes , was to be broken downe ; and the gentiles to be no more srangers and forreiners , but fellow-citizens with the saints , and of the houshold of god ( eph. . . . ) both by corporall , & by spirituall marriage , & cōmunion . insomuch that , though the apostle say of the israelites , ( in setting forth their dignity ) of whom , as concerning the flesh , christ came , rom : . : yet he might have said the same of the gentiles also . & he doth as good as say so , when he saith of christ , eph : . , having abolished in his flesh , the enmity , & v. . that he might reconcile both unto god in one body : in one body , viz. which descended both from a jew , and from a gentile . because it appeares , that , though the israelites ( according to the objection ( seem to have looked upon it as a thing allowed for their men to marry with strange women , yet nehemiah was of a nother mind . for , assoone as he had heard those words ( of the text above mentioned read by the levites , ) at the dedication of the new wall , presently he fell to separating all the mixed multitude , and made them sweare by god , saying : ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons nor take their daughters unto your sons , or for your selves ; chap : . . , you see , he forbids marriage with their daughters more punctually , and with larger caution ; adding , or for your selves , for feare they should take that libertie , which otherwise they might think they had . and if any one say . nehemiah did thus upon his owne discretion only , viz. because he saw they had been by this means tempted to idolatry before ; and to prevent it for the future : ( as may be conjectured by what he saith of solomon , v. . that his wives had caused him to sin ) & not that there was any such thing intended in god's prohibition at first , it may be answered , that the contrary is a great deale plainer from the , v. where it is said , shall we then hearken unto you , and doe all this evill to trangresse against our god , in marrying strange wives . to transgresse &c. in marrying ] not , to be made to transgresse , or to transgresse because of our wives ; but in or , by the very act of marrying . but to returne . it was said above , an ammonite or moabite shall not enter into the congregation ] that is , to marry or enjoy their priveledges ; as the israelites are forbid to come among the nations , josh : . . even to the tenth generation . ] wherein they were esteem'd seven times worse , then egyptians ; for their children might enter in the third generation v. . even to the tenth generation for ever , ] it might be interpreted , this prohibition ( of not being admitted till the tenth generation ) shall be in force against them for ever . but because in nehemiah ( c. . , where this law is recited ) the words , for ever , only are mentioned , it seems rather to be interpreted , this prohibition , ( viz. simply , of entering into the congregation ) shall be for ever . so that these words shall be either exegeticall , to expound those next before ( according to the opinion of those , who expound that of a bastard's not entering till the tenth generation , ( v. , ) of not entering for ever ) or else auxeticall , as an accession to the former . wherein god's anger against the moabites , for their unkindnes to his people , appeares the greater ; in that he could not forbeare , after he had named how he would punish them , ( as i may say ) in the same breath , to encrease the punishment . as if we would say , such a one shall not come againe to my house for this twelve month ; no , never . with this interpetation agrees the proverb ( in use among the jewes , in their ordinary commerce ) beware of a proselyte , ( i. e. a gentile turned jew ) even to the tenth generation . which puts me in mind of adding another argument , of the greatnesse of god's anger for this sin of the moabites , viz : that the punishment was without exception , even of turning proselyte , and embracing the jewish religion . because ] in the originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , for that thing ; or ( as one would say ) for that same odious thing , of the ammonites and moabites , their not comming forth to helpe the israelites with provision , for that word , which is put here to signifie because , is often so used ; and yet seldome , but then , when the thing spoken of , is a maine cause , or the cause is a maine thing , as ps . . . &c. because they. ] though this pronoune benot in the hebrew , yet may i put an emphasis on it in the english , to denote the ingratitude of these people ; in regard they were they alone , whom god had given a strict charge to the israelites , not to fight with , deut : . , who in obedience to that command , passed by them without medling with them , although they conquered sihon ( who conquered the moabites * . ) because they met you not with bread and with water , when you came forth out of egypt ] one would have thought they had been sufficiently excluded , by the prohibition of bastards , in the verse immediatly going before ; as being the children of those who were incestuously begotten , viz : by lot upō his daughters , gen : . : but as if god accounted that no exception at all , in cōparison of this , all the reasō urged for their exclusion frō the congregatiō of the israelites is , because they met thē not with bread &c. shall not enter into the congregation &c. because they mett you not ] as if he had said , because they came not to you , to help you in your necessity , they shall not come among you to be holpen by you , in your prosperity . i have often observed in this booke , how god makes the punishment to have a resemblance with the sinne . mett you not ] or , prevented you not . not , because they denied it you , when you asked them , but because they brought it not out first of their owne accord . with bread and with water when you came forth out of egypt ] viz : to congratulate so great a deliverance , as that was , when you were delivered from egyptian bondage : even as the king of sodome came forth to meet abraham ; and the king of salem came forth to meet him , with bread and wine ; to congratulate his successe , when he had conquered the kings , gen : . , . deiodate thinks this complaint is only of some of the moabites , because in the second chap : of this booke v. , , it is said that those moabites who dwelt in ar ( which god gave to the children of lot ) did give the israelites meate and water : but , i may answere , it was for money ( v. . ) which was no preventing , such as is here expressed . because they mett you not &c. and because they hired against thee balaam &c. ] 't is not said , because they met you not , and they hired against thee ; ( as if only both faults together were counted sufficient reason of this their excommunication , and not either of them singly ) but because they mett you not , and because they hired against thee balaam . the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , because , is repeated . there is in this chapter besides this , yet more punishment for these ammonites and moabites : for the israelites are forbidden , not only to seek their affinity by marriage ; but to seeke their peace , or their good , any other way , v. . thou shalt not seeke their peace , nor their prosperity all thy daies for ever . a second thing , wherewith we find not-helping god's people threatened in the scripture , is a curse . curse ye meros , ( said the angel of the lord ) curse ye bitterly the inhabitants therof , because they came not to the help of the lord , to the help of the lord against the mighty , judg. . . if you will , you may read the latter part of this verse , thus , because they came not to help : * the lord was our help ; even the lord in those that fought for us : for so the septuagint render it ( agreeably enough with the hebrew which we read ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ( see the chapter of the enemies of god's children . in the section concerning angels ) these words are in the song of deborah & barak , which they made after they had conquered jabin , and sisera . a third punishment , that the scripture reports to have befallen men for this sinne , is death . the israelites ( after their fight with the benjamites ) according to the oath * , which they had made , that whosoever came not up to mispeh to joyne with them in revenging the abuse of the levite's concubine , judg. . should be put to death , judg. . . when they found none of the city of jabesh-gilead there , they presently sent thither twelve thousand men and put them all to the sword , men , women and children , vers . . onely fourehundred virgins were suffered to live , whom they gave for wives to the benjamites ( upon their comming in to them ; v. . ) because they themselves had every one sworn before , not to give his daughter to a benjamite , v. . nabal ( that churle ) denying to help david's army with provision , was threatened with the slaughter , both of himselfe , and all his familie , sam. , , . and although david were restrained by the entreaty , and liberality of abigail ( his wife ) from avenging him with his owne hand , v. . yet in a very little while after , the hand of god found him out , and stroke him to death . and it came to passe about ten dayes after , that the lord smote nabal that he died , v. . certainly not-joyning with the godly ( in their godly designes , and especially those which they undertake upon god's command ) god cannot take it well , and it is a thousand to one , but hee punisheth it , in whomsoever it be . methinkes , i heare moses , angrily expostulating with the reubenites , and gadites , for desiring leave to take up their abode on this side jordan , and not goe over the river with the rest of their brethren . shall your brethren goe to warre , and shall yee sit here ? and wherefore discourage yee the heart of the children of israel from going over into the land ? num. , , . how angrily doth god , by the prophet ezekiel , threaten , and in his threat aggravate by expressions , the egyptians their not helping israel , according to their promise ? and all the inhabitants shall know ( shall know , viz. by sad experience ) that i am the lord , ( and therefore have power , and authority to revenge ) because they have beene a staffe of reed to the house of israel : when they tooke hold of thee by the hand , thou didst break , ( he changes the person for anger ) and rend all their shoulders : and when they leaned upon thee thou brakest , and madest all their loynes to be at a stand , cap. . , . though he punished the israelites for trusting in the egyptians , isa . . . yet will he punish the egyptians for not being trustie to the israelites . another man's wickednesse is no excuse for mine . paul prayed for those that forsooke him , when he came to his answer before nero , that it might not be laid to their charge , tim. . . and therefore surely he feared that it would . the words in the originall ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) seeme to import as much : as if it had been said i would ( or oh if ) it might not : or , i should be glad it might not , be laid to their charge ; but i feare it will. i have beene the longer upon this subject , because i perceived what an odious sin the scripture made it in the ammonites and moabites : and because i see how the best of us , make it a very little , or no sinne at all , not to help god's people , so long as we doe not hurt them . helping of the vvicked . helpers of the wicked are punished , or threatned with god's anger . jehu the seer told jehoshaphat , for helping of ahab : shouldest thou help the ungodly , and love them that hate the lord ? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the lord , chr. . . that hate the lord. ] the septuagint translate , whom the lord hates . if we may not hate , i am sure , we must not love , those whom the lord hates : i meane , we must not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( as their word is ) associate with them in friendship . we usually take it unkindly , to see our friends loving to them that hate us . do not i hate them , that hate thee ? saith david , ps . . . yea i hate them with a perfect hatred , v. . non-successe in other designes . then eliezer , the sonne of dodonah of mareschah , prophecied against jehoshaphat , saying , because thou hast joyned thy selfe with ahaziah the lord hath broken thy workes : and the ships were broken , that they were not able to goe to tarshish , chr. . . heresie , see false teachers hinderers of the good workes of others . are as sure to be punished , as they , that doe those workes , are to have their prayers heard : and surer too . nehemiah prayed , that god would thinke upon * tobias and sanballat , onely for endeavouring to affright him ( from building the wall of jerusalem ) with reports that his enemies conspired to kill him , neh. . . and as they are sure to be punished for their sinne : so ( for the most part ) they have no successe in their endeavours . that baal-zephon spoken of exod. . . is thought by the jewes a , to have beene an idol , made by the egyptian witches ; and placed in the wildernesse , to hinder the israelites in their departure from egypt . but it seems it could do nothing upon them , for all it 's looking * and staring , ( for the name comes from tsapha , to looke or watch ) but the israelites out lookt him ▪ and had a speciall command from god , to encamp just over against him , as it were on purpose to shew they cared not for him . surely there is no enchantment against jacob , neither is there any divination against israel , or any other of god's people : especially , when they are going to the land of canaan , or are doing that , for which they have god's commission , and command to warrant them . read the history of god's severe punishing the philistins , for detaining the arke , sam. . hindering conversion . hinderers of the conversion of others threatned with woe . woe unto you scribes & pharisees hypocrites : for ye shut up the kingdome of heaven against men , for ye neither goe in yourselves , neither suffer them that are entring , to goe in , mat. . . ye affright them from being my disciples , by your censures of excommunication : and yee keep them from the knowledge of the messiah , by not permitting the reading of the prophesies to any , but your selves , ( for this was the practise of the scribes , and pharisees . ) beza thought , that christ in these words , alluded to that sort of traditions amongst them , which the talmudists call sig lethorah , that is , sepimentum legis , the hedge , ( or fence ) of the law ; because forsooth , by the use of them , they kept men from transgressing the law : whereas , it was rather a blind , to keep them from the knowledge of the law. and indeed there seemes to be the more ground for this conceit of his , because our saviour calls them hypocrites ; as if he had reproved their hypocrisie , in carrying the keyes , & pretending to keep the law for the people , when they kept it from them . just as the dog that lay in the manger , kept the horse's oates for him : and just such key-keepers are the papists . you have the like threat in luke , woe unto you lawyers , for ye have taken * away the key of knowledge , &c. c. . . they took the key , & that was all : for they made no use of the key ▪ at lest not to open the door , but to shut it . there is no sin more devilish , or wherein in men shew themselves more like the devill , then this , of hindering goodnesse . neither is there any thing wherein the devill shewes himselfe more truly satan , that is , an enemy . then is the devill truly satan , when hee resists joshua , zac : , : and when hee taketh away the word that is sowen in mens hearts , mark . . * and then are men little better then divells , when they are a hindrance to others from that , which may be for the good of their soules . when peter would be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a block in christ's way to jerusalem , ( whether he went to doe the will of his father , which if he had not done , wee had perished to all eternity ) he calls him satan , mat. . . get thee behind me satan . when paul was stopt in his intention to come to the thessalonians , by the epicureans , and others at athens ; he said that satan hindered him , thess . . . and when bariesus sought to turne away the deputy-governour of paphos from the faith , he called him the child of the divell , and enemy of all unrighteousnesse , acts . . but is this all , that we have to say to such men , to call them enemies ? noe : for , as for that jew , which i mentioned , you may read , how he was stricken with blindnes , v. : and for the rest of the jewes , who forbade the apostles to speak to the gentiles , thess : . , it is said of them in the same place , the wrath is come upon them to the utmost . i could wish we were all of us so wise , as to count all them for no better then our enemies , who either hinder us from goodnesse , or entice us to wickednesse . hire . those that detaine it their punishment is certaine . thou shalt not oppresse an hired servant , that is poore and needy , whether he be of thy brethren , or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates . at his day thou shalt give him his hire , neither shall the sun goe downe upon it , for he is poore , and setteth his heart upon it ; least he cry against thee unto the lord , and it be sinne in thee , deut : . , . thou shalt not oppresse an hired servant , ] or one that workes for wages , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in malachi , ( chap. . . a participle of the same verb ( hashak to oppresse ) is joyned also with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those that oppresse the hire , the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( which signifies to to keep back that , which another should have ) is after the same manner joyned sometimes with the thing ; as by the septuagint in their translation of those places , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 &c. and sometimes with the person ; as by paul cor : . . and c. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. but perhaps by oppressing the hire , may be meant , an oppressing of the hireling , not so much by keeping his hire altogether , as by diminishing his hire , or not giving him it so soone as the master ought , or as he agreed , ( & therefore it is said , v . at his day , ) using tricks & evasions to deceive him . accordingly , some say that the word hashak properly signifies oppression by cunning , and fraud ; as gasal doth , oppression by violence : which if it doe , it is very well expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which properly signifies ( and our translation very well renders it so ) to defraud ▪ hashak or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is such a sinne in paying another too little , as batsah , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is in making another pay too much , & that not by violence , but by cunning and deceit . it is a sin as frequently committed , and as lightly esteemed of by us now , as it was by the jewes of old ; who , as in this , so in other sins , which were not point blank contrary to the letter of the law , cared not how much they offended . if they were never so outragious with their brother calling him foole , raca , & all the bad names of the world , so long as they did not kill him , mat. . . if they lusted never so much , so long as they did not cōmit adultery , v. . and so , if they defrauded never so much by keeping backe , so long as they did not steale by taking away , they thought ( or would have others to thinke ) that they did not break the commandements . but our saviour sufficiently told thē , that the meaning of god , & the cōmandements , was larger then so , as you may see , mat. . and as for this sin whereof we speak , when he shewed the young man the cōmandements , he did not only tel him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , thou shalt not steal , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , thou shalt not defraud : for so marke hath it , c. . . though matthew & luke mention it not . whether he be of thy brethren , or of thy strangers ] though he might make a stranger pay him more thē a brother ( for usury , * ) yet he himself might not pay to a strāger lesse then to a brother ( for wages . ) however ( i believe ) if he so defrauded a brother , it was a worse sin , thē if he defrauded a strāger ; according to the words of the apostle , you do wrong , & defraud , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , & that your brethren * . neither shall the sun goe down upon it ] there are two things which the scripture forbids us to let the sun goe down upō : a grudge that we owe to our neighbour * ; & the wages that we owe to a hireling . for a man to go to bed , either with a grudge in his stomacke , or the wages of a hireling in his pocket , is as dangerous to his soule , as it is hurtfull to his body , to sleep before his meat is concocted . he that doth either of these , is as one that lyeth all night with his doores open upon him . and 't is to be attributed to nothing but god's forbearance ; if such a sinne ( or the punishment thereof ) which lies at the doore as much as any , doe not come in and surprize him , ere he see the light of another day . he that sleeps with dues unpaid , and sinnes unrepented of , is like him that sleeps upon the top of a mast , * or in the sides of a ship , a when it is like to be cast * away . to conclude , he is like one that angers his enemie , and casts away his weapon : or a garrison that makes a sally , & presently throwes downe the workes . for he is poore &c. ] the scripture hath every where very high , and tender expressions of five sorts of people especially viz : the poore , the fatherlesse , the widow , the stranger , and the hireling ; making the oppressing of such people , as great a sinne , as we count it little ; or as great , as we count drunkennesse , and swearing : for we hardly count ony other sinnes great . see the chapter of oppression , and poore . and setteth his heart upon it ] the chaldee paraphrast renders , ventures his life for it : as if it had beene said , he puts his body and soule , and all his strength to it , to earne it , and therefore doe not detaine it from him , seeing he payes so deare for it . the hebrew indeed signifies , he carrieth his life or soule to , or for it : and so it may have the same signification with that phrase , shum nephesh be chaph , to put a man's life in his hands , used in judg. . . and sam. . . that , for which a man ventures life : or that , wherewith he sustaines life : any thing that concernes life , take heed of medling with it . that , for which a man ventures life ; because it were an argumēt of an hard heart . david , though he longed so earnestly , for some of the water of the well of bethlehem , ( where the philistines had a garrison ; ) yet , when it was brought by the three mighty men , who brake thorow the philistines army to fetch it , he refused to drinke it , because it was the bloud of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives sam : . . that , with which a man sustaines life ; because it would be an argument of a cruell heart . in this chapter of deuteronomic v. , where a man is forbidden to take a milstone for a pledge , the reason added is , because he taketh life to pledge . we render it man's life , but in the originall , it is only life ; which doth more emphatically set forth what account god makes of life , and how carefull he is to have it preserved , whosoever the man be . the septuagint seeme to fetch the force of the reason from this last sort of things , translating the words above quoted , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , because he hath his hope in it ; it is all he hath to trust to , or , it is that which he depends upon for his maintenance . but , methinkes , however , they had done better , if they had gone as neere the originall as they could , at lest as to the preposition , and translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to ( or of ) it : which would have suited wel with the litterall signification of the other word , he lifteth his soule , or , as our translation very well paraphrases it , setteth his heart ( upon it . ) and it is a very good argument to be used to a man , to make him pay the hireling his hire , viz. because it is that which he agreed for first ; and it is that , which his mind and his hopes ran upon , all the while he was working : and therefore be not so hard-hearted , and cruell , to let him lose his hope and expectation , than which there can be no greater cause of griefe , and vexation . as the desire of the slothfull killeth him , prov. . . ( viz. because he cannot enjoy it : ) and as hope deferred maketh the heart sicke , ch . . : so it must needs be a grievous heart-breaking to a poore man , ( and consequently cruelty in his master , whose fault it is ) to have laboured hard and long , perhaps cheerfully in hopes of a little reward , and to be deceived at last ▪ surely , if god heare not such a man's prayer to avenge him ; yet doubtlesse he will see his master's oppression to punish him accordingly ; for it followes , lest he cry against thee unto the lord , and it be sinne unto thee . cry against thee . ] and so the septuagint , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . for as the scriptures ( as i told you before ) have very high , and tender expressions of the poore , the fatherlesse , the widow , the stranger , and the hireling : so it may be gathered out of them , that god hath a speciall eye to their conditions , to pitty them , and a speciall eare to their prayers to heare them , and grant their desire . i cannot wish mine enemy a worse thing , then to have any one of these pray against him . their praying to god , when they are oppressed , is usually expressed in scripture by , crying ; because it is so loud ; and their crying , because of oppression , is in god's eares , like so much praying . every cry of the oppressed , is a powerfull prayer ; and every prayer a loud cry . this defrauding the poore hireling of his livelihood , is a murderous & bloody sinne , and therefore sure to be puished . as god said to cain , the voyce of thy brothers blood cryeth unto me from the ground , gen. . : so james saith , to the rich oppressours , behold the hire of the labourers , which have reaped downe your fields which is of you kept backe a by fraud , cryeth b ; and the cryes c of them which have reaped , are entred into the eares * of the lord of sabaoth , james . . as if he had said , the lord will surely heare them , and punish you . the lord of sabaoth ] ( or the lord of hoasts : ) he names him by the same name , that malachy doth , when he speakes of the same sinne , mal : . . to shew , that god will come as a god of power , and in a terrible manner , against such as are oppressours . and it be sinne to thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ] or , there be punishment against thee ; for ( besides that the same preposition is used to signifie , against , as well as in , or unto , as gen. . . exod. . . ) the same word is used both for sinne and punishment ; ( see the chap. of sinne ; ) and it comes all to one , to render it either way . for as long as a thing is sinne to a man , or as long as it is not pardoned , ( for when it is pardoned it is taken away , ) so long it is certaine , there shall be punishment . you have the like expression ch . . . joyned also with the other expression here used , ( viz. and he cry unto the lord against thee ) and upon the like occasion , viz. of covetousnesse , and hardheartednesse , in refusing to lend to a brother in want , so ch . . . as the punishment of such men is certaine , so it is likely to be speedy . and i will come neere to you in judgement , and i will be a swift witnesse against the sorcerers , and against the adulterers , and against false-swearers , and against those that oppresse the hireling in his wages , the widdow and the fatherlesse , and that turne aside the stranger from his right , and feare not me , saith the lord of hoasts , malac. . . the reason , why i have beene so long in this chapter , is , because i love to speake most of those sinnes , of which the world speakes least , and thinke most slight of . holinesse . there is no getting into heaven without it . follow peace with all men , and holinesse , without which no man shall see the lord , heb. . . not being humbled by iudgements . such as are not humbled by * god's judgements upon themselves or others , have cause to feare the inflicting of more punishments ; as may be gathered by these ensuing instances . when daniel told belshazzar the king of babylon , of the taking away of his kingdome ; the first sinne , that he mentioned , after he had related the heavy judgements of god upon his father nebuchadnezzar , was this , and thou his sonne , o belshazzar , hast not humbled thy selfe , though thou knewest all this , dan. . . the septuagint render it , didst thou not * know all these things ? as if it were such a strange thing ; or such a shame ; or such a crime ; to know of so many fearfull judgements of god , inflicted by reason of sinne , upon his owne father ; and yet not to lay it to heart , or be any whit moved for it . knewest . ] if a man doe but know , or be but told of god's judgements upon another , god expects hee should humble himselfe thereupon . had not jeroboam , and the princes of judah , humbled themselves , when shishak king of egypt had taken their fenced cities , and was come to jerusalem ; instead of being onely plundered by him , and made his servants , doubtlesse they had been destroyed altogether : for god himselfe mentioneth it , as a reason why he did not permit their destruction ; and there is no other reason mentioned , chron , . , , . it is likely , manasseh , had he not humbled himselfe , and that greatly ( having greatly sinned ) during his imprisonment in babylon ; though he had prayed never so much , had never beene brought againe to jerusalem , chr. , , . it is that , which the spirit of god commendeth in him afterward , when he speakes of his son amon , whom he discommends for the contrary , saying , that he humbled not himselfe before the lord , as manasse his father had humbled himselfe , v. . which perhaps is added to shew , that the punishment intended by god against him , and mentioned presently after ( in these words , and his servants conspired against him , and slew him in his owne house , v. ) was therefore executed , because he used not those meanes to prevent it , which his father had used , to remove his . it is not unlikely , that josiah himselfe , though he did that which was rig●ht in the sight of the lord , had not his hea●t beene tender , and had he not humbled himselfe before the lord , when he heard what he spake against jerusalem , and the inhabitants thereof ; he had suffered those miseries himselfe , which his successours afterward suffered by the king of egypt , and the king of assyria . for this reason god himselfe mentions ( and none else ) why he deferred his punishments , king. . , . doubtlesse , not-being humbled by judgements , ( either our owne , or of others ) is a sin , wherewith god is exceedingly provoked . and it may be gathered by this , that he is so well pleased with being humbled , though in an hypocrite ; as you may see in the example of ahab king. , . see complaints of not being humbled , concerning zedekiah , chron. , . and concerning the jewes , jer. . . but especially if the judgements be our owne , and whilst they are yet upon us ( or for a while after , before god be gone out of sight , as it were , ) if we are not humbled , this is a most confronting sinne ▪ and therefore in other places in the scriptures , where mention is made of not humbling ones selfe , it is aggravated with these words . before * the lord , chron. . . &c. as if he must needs be a most desperately , and maliciously hardhearted , & impudent wretch , who is not humbled before the lord , ( or while he is under such a mighty hand as god's , pet. . . ) but is ready to laugh in his face . our humiliation is one of gods maine ends in punishing ; and it angers him to misse of it , as much as it will a master , to misse his blow by a boyes running away from him , when he is going to strike him . humiliation , and a afflicting of our soules by our selves ; and the humiliation and affliction of our bodies by god , must goe together . the same word in hebrew ( viz. hanah ) is used for both : and so is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in greeke , jam. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be afflicted , or behave your selves like men afflicted : ( like 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be subject , pet. . . that is , behave your selves like those that are subject . ) being afflicted in prosperity , pleases god as much as any thing ; and not being afflicted in adversity , displeases him as much as any thing , for it is possible to be not afflicted , in the midst of affliction ; & not to receive * correction , though a man have it . likewise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is thus used jam. . . pet. . . luk. . . i will conclude with a promise and a threat together : and the afflicted people thou wilt save , but thine eyes are upon the haughty , that thou mayest bring them downe , sam. . . hypocrisie . hypocrisie is * in generall threatned with woe , in the old testament thus , woe unto them for they have fled from me ; destruction unto them , because they have transgressed against me : though i have redeemed them , yet they have spoken lyes against me . and they have not cried unto me with their * hearts when they howled upon their beds , hos : . . . they have spoken lyes against me , ] or to me : for the hebrew preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will beare it , being many times thus used , but so , as that withall , it signifie against . now , i conceive the prophet , as in other places of this chapter , so likewise in those wordes now mentioned , to have especially reproved the israelites , of hypocrisy ; which may very well be thus described , by speaking lyes , or lying to god ; and ( i believe ) is usually so described in the scriptures ; as likewise by flattering : as you may see ps : . , see rev : . , ch . . . the reason is , because hypocrites speak to god , or promise him , one thing ; and not only doe afterward , but meane another all the while . they draw neere unto him , with their mouth , and honour him with their lips , but remove their heart farre from him : this is god's complaint concerning the jewes by isaiah chap : . , and therefore you may see in the next chapter v. , he cals them lying children . in like manner hypocrisy towards men , is thus expressed by lying , as ps : . . they delight in lies , for i suppose david in that place complaines , not so much of his enemies telling saul , what he never did ; as of their telling him , what they never meant : and the words immediatly following are a good ground for my supposition , viz. they blesse with their mouth , but they curse inwardly . now the proper worke of lying , is to deceive ; and therefore idols , which deceive those that trust in them , are called lyes isa . * , and ( as i think ) lying vanities ps : . . jon : . . and so likewise , any child of man in whom we put confidence ps : . . the hypocrite towards god also , does what he can , to deceive him : and therefore in the sixteenth verse of this chapter of hosea , the ephraimites are compared to a deceitfull bow : and so they are by david , ps : . . and the reason is , because they bind them selves to god by covenants , and promises , to do much for him ; but their spirits are not stedfast with god , * and when they come to use , & triall , they deale * unfaithfully , like those ephraimites ; turning back in the day of battell . in the new-testament , thus : woe unto you scribes and pharisees hypocrites , for ye are like unto whited a sepulchers b , which indeed appeare beautifull outward , but within are full of dead men's bones , and of all uncleannesse , mat. . . you have woe pronounced to the scribes and pharisees , no lesse then eight times , in this one chapter ▪ and every time save one , they are called by the name of hypocrites ; as if their hypocrisie were the sinne that most of all offended god , and deserved such a threat . and indeed ( in our saviour's time especially ) the hypocrisie of the scribes and pharisees was growne to a very great height : so that there was little else , but a white out-side of religion ( consisting in wearing broad phylacteries , washing of hands , and cups , superstitious fasting , and separating from the rest of the people , and such like shels ) to be found amongst them . insomuch that there is not any sinne so often repeated , as hypocrisie : or any name named so often , and with so much indignation , as the name of hypocrites , in any one of the evangelists . the particular evills , wherewith the hypocrite may be threatned out of the scripure , or is therein said to be punished , are first , fearfulnesse . the sinners in sion are afraid , fearfulnesse hath surprised the hypocrites . who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire ? &c. isa . . . the hypocriticall jewes , out of feare of the assyrian , would have left their religion , and revolted to him . there is nothing whereby a hypocrite is better discovered , then by fearfulnesse and distrust in times of danger . for , a man that is conscious to himselfe , and remembers , that he hath beene false to god , cannot with any confidence hope that god will stand by him : whereas he , that hath a good conscience , hath alwayes a good courage . want of comfort , when he thinkes of god ; as likewise want of boldnesse to goe to god in prayer upon all occasions , ( both which , a sincere christian hath ? ) will he delight himselfe in the almighty , will he alwayes call upon god ? job . . will he delight himselfe in the almighty . ] the sept. say , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , hath he any boldnesse before him ? for so we translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eph. . . &c. but more properly confidence * , heb. . . they use this word in severall places ( somtimes joyning it with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , prov. . . ) in the same sense , as it is used in the epistles , viz. either for a boldnesse , and freedome of speaking a man's mind at all times : ( so in ephes . . . it seemes to be interpreted by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , accesse with confidence : ) or , for a boldnesse , and freedome in speaking , to speake what one will , as to ones friend whom he loves , and with whom he may be bold ; such as paul sayes he had towards the corinthians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i have much boldnesse of speech to you-ward , cor : . . now such boldnes , ( of either sort , ) a hypocrite can never have . for if a hypocrite towards his brother , although he know , he knowes not of the malice which he conceales in his heart , yet out of conscience thereof , be not able to looke directly in his face ; how much lesse shall a hypocrite towards god , be able to seeke his face , & look up to him with boldnes , when he knowes him to be a trier of hearts , & a searcher of reins ? god 's not hearing his prayer , when he doth pray ; and when he standes in need . will god heare his prayer when trouble cometh upon him ? job : . . gods not cōmunicating of his spirit to him . when simon magus would have given peter money , for the power of conferring the holy ghost , he told him ; thou hast neither part , nor lot in this matter , for thy heart is not right in the sight of god acts . . for as a hypocrite serves god , only with outward actions : so god will serve him , only with outward blessings . thy heart is not right ] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . david ( ps : . . speaking of the hypocrisy of the israelites ) sayth , their heart was not right with him : the hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is fastened , or standing upright , without leaning on any side ; as a thing that is deeply fastened in the ground : or , as a man that halts not on either legge : ( for such is the expression , king . . ) or as the sun at noone , prov : . , where that which we render perfect day , is in the hebrew , nechon haiiom , upright day , i.e. not inclining , or at an equall distance from the morning , and evening . neither of all which expressions will suit with a hypocrite . the truly godly are called josherim leb upright in heart , ps : . . where they are , they are every whit of them ; whereas the hypocrite stands in one place , and leanes towards another , seldome asking the way to sion with his face thitherward , jer : . . god 's not accepting of any of their services . this people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips , but their heart is farre from me : but in vaine doe they worship me &c. mat. . , , they are words cited by our saviour out of the prophet esay c. . . a little of this leaven will sowre a whole lump of good duties , if a man did performe never so many , and if they were made of never so fine flower , in the account of men . in the evangelist there is mention made of a leaven in doctrine : such as the leaven of herod a mark . ; and the leaven of the sadduces b mat : . , & there was likewise such a leaven of the pharisees c , vers . ; each of which , our saviour bade his disciples to beware of . but there is mention also made , of a leaven in practise , or the leaven of the pharisees which is hypocrisie , and of this leaven he bids them beware in the first place , luk. . . he began to say to his disciples , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in the first place beware of the leaven of the pharisees , which is hypocrisie : for so we should translate according to beza , placing the point at disciples . be sure therefore thorowly to purge * out this leaven of hypocrisie ( or those sinnes , which through hypocrisie thou dost conceale : ) for , if there be never so little left in any corner of thy heart , if it be with allowance and approbation ; it is enough to marre a whole seven dayes feast , of a long and specious series , of godly performances . be as carefull to purge it out of thy heart , as the jewes were to purge their leaven out of their houses before they kept the feast of unleavened bread : for they went about it two or three dayes before the feast began , and searched every little hole with a candle , and when they had done all , fearing there might be any yet left , they pronounced a solemne curse against all leaven in generall . where hypocrisie is not , never so little , will be counted much : and where it is , never so much will be nothing regarded . nay , i may boldly threaten the hypocrites with god's abhorring both those performances , a and their persons too . our saviour told the pharisees , yee are they which b justifie your selves before men , but god knoweth your hearts : for that which is highly esteemed amongst men , is abomination in the sight of god , luk. . . frustrating of their hope . the hypocrites hope shall perish . whose hope shall be cut off , and whose trust shall be as a spiders web , job . , . the reason is , because neither they , nor their hopes were ever rooted in a sincere love ephes . . . or built upon christ by an unfained faith , coloss : . . tim. . . for such a hope , is like a rush without myre : now ( as job said in the forementioned ch . v. . ) can the flag grow without water ? see c , . . discovery of their wickednesse , which by their hypocrisie they have concealed . for there is nothing covered , that shall not be revealed , neither hid that shall not be knowne , luk : . . our saviour told his disciples this , after he had bid them beware of hypocrisie ; though elsewhere this saying be applyed to another sense , as mark : . ; and in this same evangelist c. . . the two following punishments which i shall mention , are fruits of this viz. shortnesse of their joy. the triumphing of the wicked is short , and the joy of the hypocrite , but for a moment . job . . the wicked and the hypocrite , ] as in this , so in other chapters , job no sooner names wicked , but presently he falls upon the hypocrite , as if there were no wicked man like him , ch : . , . ch . . . the hypocrite is with him ; as the froward man , and the foole , were with solomon , viz. all one with a wicked man. the septuagint almost alwayes translate the word , haneph , which we translate hypocrite , either by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ungodly , as c. . . c. . . isa . . . or by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , transgressour , as in this place it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . mark , speaking of the pharisees , who dissembled with our saviour , saying , master we know thou art true , &c. saith , but he knowing their hypocrisie , c : . . but matthew saith , jesus perceiving their wickednesse , &c. c. . . an hypocrite may be honest , but he cannot be religious . the chaldee paraphrast upon job , alwayes expresses the word by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( a latine word in chaldee letters , used also by other chaldee writers ) which signifies ( as it is pronounced ) delator a promoter , or false accuser ; one , that hypocrite like , takes upon him the person of a lover of justice , out of love to bribes , to wrong an innocent person ▪ and for this translation there is some ground in the chapter , vers . . because mention is made of bribery in the same verse : & the sept. seem to accord with him herin , translating 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( the word which we translate congregation ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , witnesse . r : david * comes somewhat neere him ; but that he would have the word to be meant , rather of a wrongfull judge , then a wrongfull accuser ; for he paraphrases it , a respecter of persons . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( saies he ) est improbus , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i. e. hypocrita : that is , haneph ( the word which we render hypocrite ) is a wicked man , and respecter of persons , that is , a hypocrite for so , in mat. c. . , the syriak interpreter renders that , which we render hypocrites , accepters ( or respecters ) of persons . now all hypocrites are respecters of persons , because they have an eye only to men , in what they doe , ( viz. how they may please them , and get repute of them : ) but accepters of persons , i know not how to call them , ( unlesse you meane by accepters , takers ; ) because they doe not so much accipere personas , accept the persons of any men ; as capere personas , take upon them the persons , ( or vizards ) of good men , after the manner of stage plaiers * , and therefore i wonder the lesse at what is said , viz. the joy of a hypocrite is but for a moment job . . it is like the pleasure that a stage plaier takes , who beares the person of a king ; for when the vizard is off , & iniquity found to be hatefull , ps : . , all the vaine joy , that either of these can take , will bee presently at an end . for a moment * ] aquila , and theodotion translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : as who would say , their joy makes a great flame , but 't is only a flash , and away ; like the flame of a squib , or the crackling of thornes ecles : . . the septuagint translate it , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to destruction : for that commonly is the end of his joy , by reason of security , and presumption . shame . and therfore david praied , let my heart be sound in thy statutes , that i be not ashamed ps : . . sound , ] or entire : in hebrew tamim , in the chald. par. unspotted , or rather ( as we also render the word ps : . . ) undefiled , or not contaminated : for this construction is directly opposite to the signification of haneph ; which signifies not only hypocrite , but defiled , or contaminated , that is , defiled with a mixture of a cōtrary ; corrupted . now as a mans heart may be sound , that is entire , & not wanting any of it's own , parts ; so it may be pure , that is sincere , ( or without the mixture of a contrary , ) and yet have many faults or spots . for to be sound , that is , without distemper ; or pure , that is , not having any blemish ; this we must not expect . and i believe , it was no other soundnesse ( or purity ) which paul meant , when he praied for the thessalonians , that they might be preserved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blamlesse epist : . : or luke , when he commended zachariah , and elizabeth , that they walked in the commandements of god 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , blamelesse , luk . . a weake body may have all it's members ; and bad dough may be notwithstanding pure dough , that is , without leaven , * and mixture . a man may so give his heart to god , as not to purpose to keepe back any part from him ; and a man may so love god , as not to purpose to mixe the love of the world with it . and this i conceive paul to meane by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( sanctify you wholly , ) and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , your whole spirit , and soule and body be preserved blamelesse &c. thes . . , but i shall have occasion , to speak more to this , anon . opposition from those that are sincere . the innocent shall stirre up himselfe against the hypocrite job : . . the hypocrite , ( whether to god , or man , ) is hated of all sorts of men , good and bad . subjection to them . thus , god tells the church of philadelphia . behold i will make them of the synagogue of satan , which say they are jewes and are not , but doe lie ; behold i will make them to come and worship before thy feet , and to know that i have loved thee rev : . . . desolation . their heart is divided , they shall be made desolate , ( for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also signifies ) hos : . . their heart is divided ( halak libbam ) for , though the chald. paraphrast expound it , is divided from the law ; and the septuagint translate , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he ( that is god ) hath divided their heartes ; and others agreeing with them interpret it , of the division , ( or revolt , ) from shalmaneser king of assyria , in the reigne of king hoshea , mentioned kings : yet me thinkes , i may all as well interpret it of the division of the heart in it's selfe , and in respect to god , viz. through hypocrisy . for first , it is not so proper , to say of one heart , that it is divided from another , ( but rather that it is separated : ) and therefore the septuagint , though the hebrew word be in the singular number , used the plurall , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , hearts . in that chapter but now mentioned ( kings . ) there is a plaine reproofe of the peoples hypocrisy , and dividing of their heart , viz. betwene god and their idols , in these words , and the children of israel did secretly those things that were not right v. . this expression here of a divided heart ( to say nothing of the expression of the same prophet c. . , where he compares the same people , to a cake not turned , as if they were for god but of one side ) is agreeable to the expressions of the scripture elsewhere , concerning hypocrites , viz : that they have a double heart , or , as the hebrew reads , a heart and a heart . so psal . . . with flattering lips & a deceitfull heart ( or a heart and a heart ) doe they speake : where the word which we translate flattering , viz. halakoth , signifies likewise divisions , and comes from that word , which we here translate divided ; insomuch that the syriack renders , the lips of divisions . where i conceive , that according to the hebrew idiom ( as you may see jer. . . &c. ) divisions is to be understood passively reciprocall , as if it were lips divided : because i believe david doth not so much complaine of his enemies their flattering saul ; as of their flattering him , viz : telling him one thing , and telling saul another ; wherein their tongue was divided , as well as their heart . so in the epistle of james ch . . . they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , double souled , or double minded . for albeit in the first chapter , verse . he seemes to meane by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( double minded ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( as he calls him verse . ) him that wavereth in faith , or doubteth in prayer , ( whose heart is not , as david saith psal : . , fixed * , trusting in the lord , but is partly on , and partly off , halting , as it were , between trust and distrust : ) yet i believe in this place , he is to be understood of hypocrisie ; and the rather , because of some expressions which he uses , as of drawing nigh to god ; as if insteed of drawing nigh to god with the mouth , and removing their hearts farre from him ( which is the property of a hypocrite isa : . . ) he would have them draw nigh to him simply , and indeed . and of clensing and purifying ; as if he had respect espcially to the leaven , ( or contamination ) of hypocrisy . this interpretation of a divided heart , ( viz : that it is meant of hypocrisy , ) seemes to be confirmed , by the expressions applyed in scripture , to that which is opposite to it , viz. sincerity ; when those that serve god sincerely , are said to seek him with their whole heart ps : . . to follow the lord wholy a josh : . . . a to serve him with a perfect b heart chr : . ; and many more of the like nature . destruction , ( without mercy . ) and they remembred that god was their rock , and the high god their redeemer . neverthelesse they did flatter him with their mouth , and they lied unto him with their tongues : for their heart was not right with him , neither were they stedfast in his covenant . but he being full of compassion , forgave their iniquity , and destroyed them not &c. ps : . , to destruction without mercy , both they , and theirs . * therefore the lord shall have no joy in their young men , neither shall he have mercy on their fatherlesse , and widows ; for every one is an hypocrite , and an evill doer , and every mouth speaketh folly , for all this , his anger is not turned away ; but his hand is stretched out still , isa : . . indeed this hypocrisy seemes to have been the maine sinne that led the jews into captivity : for in the next chapter , when god speakes of sending the assyrian against them , he mentioneth no other sinne , but this ; and he hath no sooner mentioned this , but presently he cals them a people of his wrath . marke the angry expressions , that are in his threat : i will send him against an hypocriticall nation , and against the people of my wrath , will i give him a charge to take the spoile , and to take the pray , and tread them downe like the mire in the street . isa : . . see the angry expressions likewise in jeremiah's prayer c. . , compared with verse . why is not cutting off , as due to us , for having the leaven of hypocrisy in serving god , as it was to the jewes , for having leaven , when they kept the feast of nnleavened bread ? exod : . . for whosoever eateth leavened bread , from the first day till the seventh day , that soule shall be cut off from israel . lastly hell , though not expressed downe-right , yet in a worse manner ; such as whereby the certainty of falling into it , and the difficulty of avoiding it , is more fully expressed , then if it were directly threatened , viz : thus , and shall cut him asunder , and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites , mat. . . with the hypocrites ] as if , though others also come to hell , yet it were chiefly intended for hypocrites in chap. . , our saviour tels the priests and elders , ( whom he compares , for their hypocrisie , and faire pretences , to the sonne in the parable , that said , i goe sir , and went not , v. . ) verily i say unto you , that the publicans , and harlots goe into the kingdome of god before you . figge trees , that have nothing on them , but leaves onely ( mat : . . ) are neere unto cursing and burning : and to those that are wells without water , the mist of darknesse is reserved for ever , pet . . i have held you long , in relating the punishments of a hypocrite ; and not without cause . he must needs have more then one punishment , for he hath necessarily more then one sin , because otherwise he could not be an hypocrite , whose proper sin is , to cloak & conceale sins . insomuch that indeed hypocrisie may seeme not to be so properly called a sinne , ( any more then wickednesse may be called sinne , ) as , a wicked habit , of committing sinnes in secret , and pretending , and practising the contrary in publike . i will conclude with the saying of a heathen , concerning hypocrisie towards men ; who ( though he would not use our greeke name for it ) saith , hee counted it , of all injustice the most capitall , or worthy of death , totius autem injustitiae nulla capitalior est , quàm eorum , qui cum maximè fallunt , id agunt ut viri boni esse videantur . idlenesse . idle men , such as either doe nothing , or are slothfull in businesse , are usually punished with difficulty , vexation , and paine when they doe any businesse : the way of the slothfull man is as an hedge of thornes , prov. . . but the way of the righteous is made plaine . slothfull , and righteous , perhaps are put here as opposites , ( though i confesse the latter part of every verse in solomons proverbes , beginning with but , is not necessarily to be counted opposite to the former . ) for a slothfull man cannot be righteous , and a righteous man will not be slothfull . in the greeke tongue the word a , which signifies evill , is used also for slothfull , or fearfull : and the word which signifies industrious b , for good . in the chapter of this booke , verse , the word c , which in our translation , is rendred slothfull , in the septuagint , and the vulgar , is rendred deceitfull : for he that will not get his living by working , will doe it by cheating ; as we commonly see in gamesters , and others . continuall desiring , and not having their desire : which must needs be a great punishment , because it is a great vexation . the soule of the sluggard desireth , and hath nothing , prov. . . longing women can tell you best , what a punishment this is ; and i believe , it is as great a torture , as hunger or thirst . griefe , for not having their desire . the desire of the slothfull killeth him : for his hand refuseth to labour , prov. . . desire spends the spirits , and feeds upon the empty heart , as bad as hunger doth upon the empty stomacke : as the poet spake of the desire of praise , — exultantiaque haurit corda pavor pulsans , laudumque arrecta cupido . noe-pleasure , if they have it . the slothfull a man rosteth not that which he tooke in hunting a , but the substance of a diligent man is precious , prov. . . impaire of their estate , as of their houses . by much slothfulnesse the building decayeth , and through idlenesse of their hands , the house droppeth thorow . eccl. . . of their lands . i went by the field of the slothfull , & by the vineyard of the man void of understanding . and loe it was all growne over with thornes , and nettles had covered the face thereof , and the stone wall thereof was broken downe , prov. . , . poverty . yet a little sleepe , a little slumber , a little folding of the hands to sleep . so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth , and thy want as an armed man , prov. . , . you have the very same words again , chap : . , . see ch . . . ch . . . not-being relieved in their poverty ; ( for every one will say , it is good enough for them . ) the sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold ; therefore shall he begge in harvest , and have nothing , prov. . . in harvest ] or any other time of the yeare , if paul's rule were observed : for even when we were with you , this we commanded you , that if any one would not worke , neither should he eate , thess . . . drusius saith , this saying of paul's was a common proverb among the jewes . and indeed , it is not likely , that god did leave so many , & so excellent things , either for pleasure , or for every body alike . 't is our punishment ( & therefore not a matter of choyce ) to eat our bread in the sweat of our faces gen : . . we shall be accountable for every thing we meddle with ; and if we be found guilty of theft , woe unto us , when the judge cometh . paul in the chapter above mentioned , exhorteth the idle thessalonians , that , with quietnesse they worke , and eat their owne bread 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; as if without working , they could not eate their owne bread , though it were given them : at least not so much their owne , as it would be if they wrought for it ; not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , but only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . for unlesse they had every one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bread of their owne earning ; although men might give it them , god did not give it them ; and so long they were no better then theeves . * now i could reckon up sundry evills , that are the consequents of idlenesse : and among them the chiefe is * discord , for feare whereof ( they say ) the kings of egypt set their people on building of pyramyds ; and tarquin , the romans , on clensing of ditches and sinkes ; ) but i desire as much as possibly i can , to keep me within the compasse of scripture-experiences . idolatry perhaps , some will say , that i had done better , not to have mentioned this sinne at all , for these reasons ; first , for the same reason , that solon * and romulus , when they made their laws , made no mention of parricide , viz. lest the prohibition of it , to perverse natures might prove a provocation to commit it ; as tacitus * sayes , the old germans hated usury , more then th●y would have done , if it had been forbidden . because the places of scripture , which concerne this sin , are so many and obvious . but my answer as to the first reason , shall be this ; that in after times there was a law also made against parricide i doe not see idolatry so much detested now , as parricide was even in those dayes ; and i say , not only among papists , but among protestants ; who though they doe not set up idols in their houses , yet set them up in their hearts , * ( for there they will stand , even the greatest idols , as well as in the greatest roome in the world . ) besides , i hope the prohibition of idolatry , comprehends more , then the worshipping of an image ; as the prohibition of murder , doth more , then the killing of a man ; and almost every other prohibition , more then that , which the letter expresseth . insomuch , that , although we have no idols of wood , & stone , as the heathen had : yet if we have them of silver or gold ; or if we have any thing , upon which our hearts are set , as theirs were upon their idols ; i know no reason , why we may not be called idolaters , as well as they . idolatry , though it be indeed a very great sinne ; yet in this respect , is very little , viz. because it is hard to be seen , and will lye in a very little roome : so that i feare we commit it ofte●●r then we thinke of , even the best of us . at the least , the number of sinnes , that border very close upon idolatry , is exceeding great : and therefore i thought , i might doe well , if it were for nothing , but because of them , to produce the punishments concerning idolatry ; that so fearing to commit this sinne , you may the more be afraid likewise , to commit them ( being so neer it , ) for feareof committing this , before you are a ware . as to the other reason , i shall give this satisfaction ; that my purpose is , to produce only the more noted places of scripture , and where it is more plainly expressed , that idolatry , and not any other sinne , was the maine cause of such a punishment . now the threats , and punishments , which concerne idolatry , are expressed either in generall termes , or in particular : in generall thus . woe unto him that saith unto the wood , awake . &c. hab : . . if thou serve their gods , it will surely be a snare unto the , exod : . . the particular punishments are sorrowes , their sorrowes shall be multiplied , that hasten after another god , ps : . . deprivation of temporall blessings . take heed to your selves ( it is for your owne good , and you shall hurt no body but your selves , if you doe not ) that your heart be not deceived , * and ye turne aside , and serve other gods and worship them ; and then the lord's wrath be kindled against you , and he shut up the heaven that there be no raine , and that the land yeeld not her fruit &c. deut. . , . god's refusing to speak to them in his word ; or to heare them speak to him , in prayer . son of man , these men have set up their idols in their heart , and put the stumbling blocke of their iniquity before their faces : should i be enquired of at all , by them ? ezek : . . should i be enquired of ? ] the interrogation seems to imply , that they did enquire of god ; as is to be seen likewise in the following verse . men may be idolaters ( i speak this to the papists ) even when they pray to god , if they retaine their idols . in hosea , c. . , the jews are forbid to goe up to bethaven , though they sweare , * the lord liveth . in zephany c. . . there is mention made of some , that sweare by the lord , and by malcam ( or , according to the original , to the lord , and in malcham ; as the papists say , they direct their worship to god only , in , or through their images : ) but in the second , and third verses , there is almost as heavy a threat pronounced against such , as against any idolaters , in any place ; i will utterly consume all things from off the land &c. take some examples of this idoll-godlynesse ( popish linsey — woolsey-worship ; which perhaps is worse then pure idolatry ; as adultery is worse then whoredome . ) micah's mother , who said , she had dedicated that silver to the lord , ( forsooth ) whereof ( as she said ) she intended to make a graven image , and a molten image jud : . . the israelites , ( in the reigne of ahab ; ) who halted between the worship of god , and the worship of baal , kings . . the jewes , ( in the reigne of manasseh ; ) who did sacrifice still in the high places , yet unto the lord their god only chr : . . the people which were sent by shalmaneser , to inhabit the country of the ten tribes ; of whom it is said , they feared the lord , and served their owne gods kings . . but ( you may see ) such worship , and such feare , was counted as none at all by god : for in the very next verse , it followes , vnto this day they doe after their former manners , they feare not the lord , though it were said before ( even in relation of those manners ) that they feared him . excommunication , and banishment . thou shalt make no covenant with them , nor with their gods : they shall not dwell in thy land &c. exod. . , . the septuagint translate , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , thou shalt not sit with them . spirituall blindnesse . exekiel , relating the jewes their manner of making an idol , and worshipping it after they had made it , thus speaks : he hath shut their eyes that they cannot see , and their hearts that they connot understand , isa : . . and well might he say so ; for had they had any sense or understanding left in them , it was impossible they could have been so mad * , as to worship a thing that they made with their owne hands , see rom. . . delusion , every one &c. which setteth up his idoles in his heart &c : and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him , concerning me . if the prophet be decived , when he hath spoken a thing ; i the lord have deceived that prophet , ezek : . . giving up to sinne . wherefore god also gave them up to uncleannesse &c. rom. . , mention is made of idolatry in the next verses , both before and after . conquest by enemies : as is to be seen especially in judges c. . , , . where it is said , that when the israelites served baal and ashtaroth , they could not stand before their enemies , but whither soever they went out , the hand of the lord was against thēfor evill , as the lord had said , & as the lord hath sworne . he had said it , and sworne it . thus were conquered the jewes , in the reigne of rehoboam , by shishak king of egypt , king . , compared with . the israelites , in the reigne of jehoahas , by hazael king of syria , kings , : and in the reigne of menahem , by pul king of assyria kings . . the jewes againe , in the reigne of jehoiakim , by nebucadnezar king . , compared with chap : . . let rome take heed of idolatry : that which they themselves will confesse to be idolatry , continued amongst them , till honorius his time ; and austin * saies , it was the maine cause of the conquest of that city by the barbarians . captivity , and losse of liberty to worship the true god , if they would . thus were punished once , the ten tribes ( in the reigne of hoshea ) by shalmaneser king of assyria , king. . . . . the jewes , twice , viz. in the reigne of jehoiachim , ch . . ▪ . and in the reigne of zedekiah vers . . ( comp : with ch . . . ) and both times by nebuchadnezar : which punishment was no more , then what they were told of should be inflicted , if they followed idols , before ever they went into the land of canaan . for thus spake moses unto them , in the last yeare of their journey , when they were in the wildernesse on this side jordan . when thou shalt beget children , and childrens children , and shalt have remained long in the land , and shall corrupt your selves , and make a graven image , or the likenesse of any thing , and shall doe evill in the sight of the lord thy god , to provoke him to anger ; i call heaven and earth to witnesse against you this day , that yee shall soone utterly perish from off the land whereunto you goe over jordan to possesse it : ye shall not prolong your dayes upon it , but shall utterly be destroyed : and the lord shall scatter you among the nations , and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen whither the lord shall lead you ; and there ye shall serve gods , the worke of mens hands , wood and stone , which neither see , nor heare , nor eate , nor smell . but if from thence thou shalt seeke the lord thy god , thou shalt find him : if thou seeke him with all thy heart , and with all thy soule , deut. . to . shame , viz : for being guilty of such desperate folly and madnesse . confounded ( or ashamed ) be ( or shall be ) all they that serve graven images , ps . . . and moab shall be ashamed of chemosh , as the house of israel was ashamed of bethel , jer. . . death temporall , by vertue of a law. he that sacrificeth unto any god ( or unto god ; for so much onely is expressed in the originall ) save unto the lord onely , ( if he worship god , yet if he worship an image too , it is nothing ) he shall be utterly destroyed , exod. . . see deut. . , , . this law was executed by elijah , upon the prophets of baal king. . . and when the kings neglected to execute it , upon their subjects , because they were addicted to idolatry themselves ; it was executed upon themselves by god , by the hands of their subjects and serants . for so died kings of israel zachariah , king. . . pekahiah , v. , . pekah , v. . kings of judah , amon , king. . , . amaziah , chron : , . whose idolatry was the worse , ( and is so taken notice of ) ▪ that he worshiped the idols of those people whom he had conquered , and those idols which he had brought away by violence , and which he found by his own experience , could not deliver their owne people out of his hand , vers . . see a most angry threat ezek. . . denounced in very angry expressions . death eternall . be not deceived , neither fornicators nor idolaters , &c. shall inherit the kingdome of god cor : . , . see rev. . . these are the punishments , wherewith they are punished themselves . but there are punishments likewise , inflicted upon their families after them ; or ( if you will ) upon them , in their families , according to the threat in the second commandements . read the extirpation of the family of jeroboam , threatned by ahijah the prophet king. . , , ; & fulfilled by baasha his successour , who left not to jeroboam any that breathed ; no not so much as a dog , to pisse against the wall : ch : . . the odiousnesse of this sinne in the sight of god ; and the dangerousnesse of it to those that commit it , may be gathered out of the scriptures severall other wayes : viz : by the severity of the punishment inflicted upon those that enticed others to it : who were to be stoned to death , deut. , . neither shall thine eye pity him , neither shalt thou spare , neither shalt thou conceale him , but thou shalt surely kill him , &c : vers : , & . surely ] in the vulgar translation it is , * presently . and they say , that whereas in the execution of punishment for ordinary crimes , the malefactor had a day and a night , after sentence pronounced , to thinke what to speake for himselfe : for this , and ( so likewise , for being a false prophet , for stealing things out of the temple , and for lying with an idolatrous woman , or if a priest had medled with holy things , being uncleane ) the custome was to put the malefactor to death forthwith . from the curse , pronounced even against such as should either make an idol themselves : cursed be the man that maketh anygraven or moltē image , an abomination unto the lord , the worke of the hands of the craftsman , and putteth it in a secret place , deut. . . or , but onely keep it in their houses , when it had been made by others : neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thy house , lest thou be a cursed thing like it , &c. chap. . . by the passionate expressions ( if i may so speake ) of god , in his threats against it ▪ such as those of wiping jerusalem as one would wipe a dish , king. . . plucking them up by the roots , chron : . . and such like . by the passionate actions , and expressions of godly men , in detestation of it . such was moses his breaking the two tables ( which god himselfe gave him ; and wherein were the ten commandements , written with god's owne finger ) out of extremity of anger , for the molten calfe exod : . . and such was that prayer of isaiah against the jewes , that god would not forgive them , ch . . , . their land is also full of idols &c. therefore forgive them not . and lastly , by the names , that are given , to the sinne it selfe , as adultery , whoredome , fornication , jer : . . c. . . not that these sinnes are greater , but that the jewes accounted them greater : or to shew , that god was as angry with his people , for committing this sinne ; as a man will be with his wife , ( whom he loves ) for committing adultery . whence his anger is usually called jealousy ; and he , a jelous god ; being as jealous of worship , as married people are of love ; and not giving his glory to another , isa . . . to the idols . those names that are giuen to the idols , some expresse their odiousnesse ; such as , semel hakkinah , the image of jealousy . ezek. . . gillulim , which signifies dung , ezek . . so the god of the ekronites , otherwise called beelzebu b , i. e. the god of flies , kings . , in the gospel is called beelzebu l , i. e. the god of dung ( or dirt ) mat. . . aven , which signifies iniquity , isa . . . hhetzeb , which signifies , griefe : * because god is grieved with them , jer : . , or because they bring griefe to men also , at last ; according to that in ps : . . tizrim , which signifies tortures : for the same reason ; isa . . : . tohhebah , which signifies abomination ; because god does , and men should , abominate , and loath them . the * jewes in the detestation of christ , call him , tahuth , i. e. an idol . other names expresse the hurtfulnesse . of them , such as michshol , a stumbing blocke , ezek : . . mokesh , a snare , exod : . . bosheth , shame : either because men should be willingly , or because they shall be by force ( at last ) ashamed of them hos : . . miphletzeth , horrour , or , a bugbeare : because men should be afraid , to come neere them , kings . . i will conclude , with an expression or two of such , as were neither jewes , nor christians , against idolatry . against the idolatry of the egyptians , worshiping a herbs , and b beasts . cotta in cicero , c ecquem tam amentem esse putas , qui illud quo vescatur deum credat esse ; doe you think any one so mad , as to believe that which may be meat , can be a god ? against the idolatry of the roman-heathen , worshiping men , and women . xenophanes , d being asked of the people of elea , whether they should sacrifice to , and mourne for leucothea e , ( as others did : ) made answer , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( which cannot be so well rendered in english : ) if they thought she a were god , they should not mourne for her , and if they thought she were but a woman , they should not sacrifice to her . against the idolatry of the roman-christians , painting , and worshiping god , in the likenesse of man. tacitus a says of the old germans , neque deos in ullam humani oris speciem assimilare , ex magnitudine coelestium arbitrantur , that they thought it not agreable with the nature of gods , to resemble them in any human countenance . plutarch , in the life of numa , says , that , ( following pythagoras , who said that god was invisible &c , b ) he forbade the romans , to represent god in any image , whether of man or beast : and that for one hundered and seventy yeares , they had not any such image * amongst thē , but only temples . as if it * were not fitting ( sayes he ) to liken better things to worse , & as if it were not possible to comprehend god , otherwise then by the understanding . ignorance . ignorance * ( or blindnesse ) threatened , and inflicted . the jewes are the most notable examples of this punishment , that can be produced : for before the comming of christ you may see it threatened to them in micah , a even upon their prophets themselves , thus , therefore night shall be unto you , that yee shall not have a vision ; and it shall be dark unto you , that yee shall not divine ; and the sun shall not goe downe over the prophets ; and the day shall be darke over them , ch . . . you may see it inflicted in isaiah , a upon all sorts . for the lord hath powred out upon you the spirit of deepe sleepe , and hath closed your eyes : the prophets and your rulers , the seers hath he covered ; and the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a booke that is sealed , &c. ch . . . see ch . . . after the comming of christ you may see it threatened in luke thus , vnto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdome of god , but unto others in parables , that seeing they might not see , and hearing they might not understand , ch . . . see ch . . . in john thus , for judgement i am come into this world , that they which see not , might see , and that they which see , might be made blinde , ch . . . for , though grotius would have these last words to be an hebraisme , for , be made to appeare blinde ; and i acknowledge the * hebraisme : yet i rather chuse to follow beza , whose words upon the place are these , illos in densissimas ignorantiae tenebras demergam . grotius himselfe ( upon matt : . . ) produces a saying of the jews ( out of the midrash tehillim . psal . . ) that , when god should have his tabernacle among them , their teachers shall be blinde , see ch . . . ch . . . act. . . rom. . . you may see it inflicted in paul , cor. . . even unto this day , when moses is read , the vaile is upon their heart : and threatened to continue . vntill the fulnesse of the gen●●es come in : by the same apostle , rom. ● . . now this punishment is executed both ●on jew and gentile , by not destroying●e ●e vaile , that is spread over them ; but lea●ng them in the darke , esay . . by ●elivering the word in languages , which they ●annot understand . wherefore tongues are ●or a signe , not to them that believe , but to ●hem that believe not , cor. . . grotius●●deed ●●deed ( upon the same principle , as before , ) ●nterprets it , tongues are for the converting ●f those who as yet believe not . but i rather ●gree with beza , who would have this be●ng a signe , here to be meant of a punishment ; and those words of esay , ch . . . ( cited in the verse going before this ) to be meant as a threat ; and whereas it is said , and yet for all that they will not heare mee , that the meaning in the prophet , is as if he had said thus , notwithstanding this grievous punishment , of living dispersed captives among people whom they cannot understand ; yet for all that , this perverse people , will not be brought to hearken to my word . indeed ( besides that , the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , rendred , them that believe not , is seldome applyed to any but those , that never believed at all . ) i cannot be perswaded , but that delivering the gospell to a people in no other languages , then such as they cannot understand , is a signe , that god will leave them to themselves : for by this meanes it is hid ; and it is hid , to none but to them that are lost , or ( those that * shall perish● ) in whom the god of this world ( the god who is the maker , and is the owner of this world , and therefore may doe with any creature thereof , what he will ) hath blinded * the minds of them that believe not , lest the light of the glorious gospel of christ , who is the image of god , should shine unto them , cor . , . i will conlude with beza's wish , utinam vero istius horrendae maledictinis dei , domestica exempla nobis non suppeditarent eae gentes , quae solae hodiè christi nomine gloriantur , that there were no such examples of this punishment , in this manner executed ( as are ) in the popish churches ; where the people are not suffered , to have the use of the bible , in their mother-tongue . ignorance threatned , and punished it is threatned in generall termes , thus : that the soule be without knowledge , it is not good , prov : . , that is , it is very bad : as it is said c. . . to punish the just is not good , that is , it is very bad : for such is the use of the scripture , and especially in the proverbs viz : by joyning a negative to a verbe , to signifie , not barely , the not being of that which is expressed , but the cleane contrary . solomon * seemes to me , as if he had spoken thus , ( and what he said either concerning knowledge , or ignorance , you may beleeve him for his wisedome , ) how bad it is for a soule to be without knowledge , i cannot presently tell you : or how many , and what evills will befall it ; but this i am sure , it can never be good . the evills , which an ignorant man is subject to , must needs be many , both of sinne , and punishment : even as many of both sorts , as a drunken man ; whom every man knowes to be subject to infinite many . i use this comparison , because the prophet esay , hath used it before me : they are drunke , but not with wine , they stagger , but not with strong drinke : for the lord hath powred upon them the spirit of deep sleepe , and hath closed their eyes , isa : . . i say of sinne ; and therefore , those words of solomon translated by us in that manner , as you have read ; are by the septuagint , and the chald : par : rendered thus , without knowledge the soule is not good . and though ( i believe they meane in opposition only to the evill of sinne , yet according to the use of the hebrew word ( tob , ) it may be meant in opposition to both evills ; as if we said ( after our usuall phrase , ) the soule without knowledge cannot doe well , which will expresse both . the evills , & punishmēts of ignorance , more particularly expressed in the scriptures , are , errour in opinion ; for hence proceeded the opinion of the sadduces , that there was no resurrection ; as our saviour told them : ye erre not knowing the scriptures , and the power of god , mat : . , see c. . . osea , . . . the power of god ] viz : either to raise the bodies againe , or to preserve the soules without them : even as the heathen , most of their errours , both in judgment and practise , proceeded frō their ignorance of the nature of god , ( if i may so speak . ) hinc * primae scelerū causae mortalibus aegris naturam nesciredeum . rejection spirituall ( for not knowing god , not being known * of him ) cor : . : if that which we render , let him be ignorant , be to be rendred , shall not be known ; according to the vulgar , and erasmus , and according to the use of the expression of god's knowing , ( or acknowledging us ) luk. . . and our being knowne of god , cor. . but ( at lest ) of temporall rejection , you have a threat without question in hosea ch . . . because thou hast rejected knowledge , i will also reject thee , that thou shalt be no priest to me : seeing thou hast forgoten the law of thy god , i also will forget thy children . i might in the next place , threaten them with more ignorance , and produce my warrant , those words of paul ( in the place above quoted ) as we have rendered them , if any man be ignorant , ( for so i have seen them applyed ) as if the ignorant were in those words threatned , with the continuance of their ignorance : neither is it unusuall with god , to punish sinne in this manner . but i forbeare , because with beza i rather conceive it to be spoken , either by way of slighting ; or else to exhort the ignorant person to acknowledge his ignorance , and not to trouble the church by speaking , or teaching . being strangers to the life of god ; ( which they would count a very great unhapinesse , did they know what a life that is . ) having the understanding darkened , being alienated from the life of god , through the ignorance that is in them , ephes : . . being given up to sinne . and even as they did not like , to retaine god in their knowledge , god gave them up to a reprobate mind , to doe those things which were not convenient , rom . . captivity , and misery . therefore my people are gone into captivity , because they have noe knowledge ; * and their honourable men are famished , and their multitude dried up with thirst &c. isa . . no mercy . it is a people of no understanding , therefore he that made them ( whom therefore for shame , they should not have been ignorant of ) will not have mercy on them , and he that formed them ( in whose favour alone his life ) will shew them no favour isa : . . destruction . my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge , hos : . . though he had mentioned many other sinnes before , v. . , and this along with them ; yet in regard this was the worst , or because it was the fountaine of all the rest , he sayes , they are destroyed for lack of knowledge . it was told the king of assyria , when he had sent idolaters , to inhabit the land of israel , instead of the israelites : the nations which thou hast removed and placed in the cities of samaria , know not the manner of the god of the land ; therefore he hath sent lions among them , and behold they slay them , because they know not the manner of the god of the land , kings . . damnation . when the lord jesus shall be revealed from heaven , with his mighty angels , in flaming fire , taking vengeance on them that know not god &c. thes : . , . see severall punishments of him that knoweth not god , related by bildad job . , to the . the danger of ignorance may be gathered , from many other places of scriptures . our saviour sayes , he that knew not , and did commit things worthy of stripes , shall be beaten with few stripes , luk : . . and therefore he shall becertainly beaten . as paul obtained mercy , because he did it ignorantly . tim : . : so he had not escaped the punishment , but because he obtained mercy . if our saviour pray for his persecutors , father forgive them , for they know not what they doe , luk . : then surely , woe be to them who persecute him , though they know not what they doe ; unlesse god pardon them . and it is not improbable , that in those words , for they know not what they doe , he meant not so much to extenuate their sinne ; as , in a pitying manner , to aggravate their sad , and desperate condition , in sinning so as they did through ignorance ; as if he had said , they doe , they know not what . it was sayd under the law , if a soule sinne &c. though he wist it not , yet he is guilty and shall beare his iniquity , ( as well as others ) lev. . : and without an offering , it could not be forgiven him , v. . see what god sayd to abimelech gen : . . it may be aswell , because they expected to be chid for their ignorance , as for any other reason , that the disciples of christ were so afraid , to aske him the meaning of that , which they understood not , when he told them of his passion and resurrection , mark . . luk . . job , speaking of the misery of mortall men , concludes with this as the complement , they die , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & that with out wisedome , ( or in ignorance ) c. . ; even like the beasts , ecclesiast : . . ignorant men , the best sort of them , are compared to blind men , and to them that walke in the night , or in darkenesse ; and therefore , they cannot but be in danger of stumbling , and falling . but there is a worse sort , viz. those that love darknesse rather then light , joh. . ; and their condition is worse . and there is a worse then this againe ; those who should be lights of the world , and leaders of the blind ; & the condition of these men is worst of all : for other blind men , will but fall into the ditch themselves ; but these will fall , and pull others upon them , mat : . . ( i speake of ignorant pastors , and teachers . ) for if thou givest him not warnning , nor speakest to warne the wicked from his wicked way , to save his life , the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity , but his blood will i require way at thine hand , ezek : . . impatience , and murmuring . in the old testament , you shall finde it threatned . with the grant of what is desired , in anger ; which is a very sad punishment . thus the israelites were punished , for murmuring for want of flesh . therefore the lord will give you flesh , and yee shall eat . yee shall not eat one day , nor two dayes , nor five dayes , neither ten dayes , neither twenty dayes : but even a whole month , till it come out at your nostrils , and it be loathsome * unto you : because that he have despised the lord , which is among you , and have wept before him , saying , why came we forth out of egypt num : , . , . because yee have despised the lord which is among you , &c. ] as if he had said , because yee have so undervalued me , and my being among you ; chusing even to goe back againe into egypt , so you may eat flesh ; rather then goe along with me into canaan , without it . impatience under the want of temporall blessings , god takes as a d●spising , or thinking slight of him ; as if he were not a sufficient portion without them . so , distrusting of gods providence ( at such a time , ) is a polluting of his name , making it common and vile , as if hee were no more to be trusted then a creature ; and therefore those that believe him , are said to sanctify him in the eyes of others . num : , . the chald : par : at those words above cited , sayes , because the word of the lord was loathsome to you ; or , because you were weary of it : to intimate the neere resemblance of their punishment to their sinne : as if because they had loathed , ( or were weary of the word of god ) ( or rather the manna which he sent thē , v. . ) they should be brought to loath , even that which they so earnestly desired , as it is said , ( and as the chaldee also renders , as if he thought it to be thus meant ) till it be loathsome to you . . death . and that first by fire * from god : as in the israelites , for complaining , ( as 't is thought ) of their toylesome travelling . and when the people complained , it displeased the lord , and the lord heard it , and his anger was kindled , and the fire of the lord burnt among them , and consumed in the uttermost parts of the campe , num : , . secondly , by a fearefull judgement . * not specified ; for the murmuring formerly spoken of . and while the flesh was yet in their teeth , ere it was chewed , the wrath of the lord was kindled against the people , and the lord smote the people with a very great plague * vers . . i know some * interpret this plague , to be the fire spoken of vers . . and the murmuring to have beene the same , and the rather because of what is said , ps : . . . but why then is it said the children of israel wept againe , v. . and why should the same place be called taberah in the beginning * of the chapter ; and kibroth hattaavah , before you come to the * end . mark , how earnest , & hasty god was to punish this sinne . he had promised they should eat flesh for a moneth , v. . and therefore to be as good as his word , would not doe it sooner ; but let them have a full moneth of daies , as it is in the hebrew , v. . ) but as soone as ever the moneth was out , he did it presently ; so that though they tooke the meat into their mouthes , they had no time to chew it : while the flesh was yet in their teeth , the fire of the lord was kindled , &c. thirdly , by fiery serpents , for tempting * god ( as the apostle's expression is , cor. . ) to send other bread , and not being contented with , but loathing the manna which he provided for them . and the people spake against god , & against moses , wherefore have yee brought us up out of the land of egypt to die in the wildernesse ? for there is no bread , neither is there any water , and our soule loatheth this light bread . and the lord sent fiery serpents , and they bit the people , and much people dyed , num. . , . lastly , by severall wayes , for murmuring at the journey into canaan , upon the report of the cowardly spies , ( who were themselves stricken with sudden death b , num. . . ) for because of this sin , their entrance into canaan was prorogued for yeares ; & during that time , they wandered up & down in the wildernesse so long , till all that were numbred at the time of the murmuring , and were above . yeares old , were dead according to the threat , v. . , all that were numbred of you according to your whole number , from yeares old and upward , which have murmured against mee : doubtlesse ye shall not come into the land , concerning which i sware to make you dwell therein . in the new testament you shall find it threatened . with not being owned by christ . whosoever doth not beare his crosse , & come after mee , cannot be my disciple , luk. . . not having a crowne or reward , for not striving lawfully . and if a man strive for masteries , he is not crowned , except he strive lawfully , tim. . . the apostle had before exhorted timothy to patience , v. . strive lawfully ] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , unlesse he fight a good fight . tim. . . unlesse he strive justum & legitimum certamen , doing every thing as he should . you may pati ( suffer , ) & yet you may not be patiens ( patient ) in persecution . you must be sure that you suffer justly , as well as suffer unjustly : as you must suffer well , and take it patiently ; or else your suffering for doing well , will not be acceptable to god , pet. . . in james we have impatience threaten'd with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , condemnation , though it be but impatience of what we suffer from men ; & though it be never so wrongfully . what is there then , for impatience under what we suffer from god , who alwayes punisheth us lesse then we deserve ? grudge not one against another , lest yee be condemned , jam. . . not only if ye wrong first , but if you returne wrong for wrong , you may be condemned in the opinion of all good men , who would else justifie you , and commend you . the law gives an action against him that strikes again , as well as against him that struck first . and here in this place even for grudging , we have a judge ready to punish , behold the judge standeth at the doore . the word in the originall for grudge not , is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; and that it is meant of impatience , may be gathered by the verses immediately before and after . be yee also patient , stablish your hearts , for the comming of the lord draweth nigh , vers . . take , my brethren , the prophets , who have spoken in the name of the lord , for an example of suffering affliction , and of patience , vers . . impenitence * is threatened , in generall termes . with certaine punishment : for god will whet his sword ; so that it shall be sure to cut . if he turne not he , will whet his sword , he hath bent his bow , and made it ready ps : . . with severe punishment ( where there hath been extraordinary meanes * used to reclaime . ) then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty workes weere done , because they repented not . woe unto thee chorazin , woe unto thee bethsaida mat : . , . the punishments more particularly mentioned are . shortning of life . for whereas god had promised the old world , to spare them a hundred and twenty yeares , gen . : yet when he saw , they would not repent , he cut their time shorter by twenty yeares . for noah was but yeares old , when the floud of waters was upon the earth , . ; and yet he was , at the time when god made the promise c. . . thus some of the * fathers . removall of the light of the gospel . remember therefore from whence thou art fallen , and repent and doe the first works : or else i will come unto thee quickly i will remove thy candlestick out of his place , except thou repent rev : , : it is spoken to the angel of the church of ephesus . destruction temporall ( at the least . ) and i will fanne them with a fanne in the gates of of the land , i will bereave them of children : i will destroy my people , sith * they returne not from their waies , jer : . . so in the gospel : suppose ye that these galileans , were sinners above all the galileans , because they suffered such things . i tell you nay , but except yerepent , ye shall all likewise perish , luk . , you have this threat repeated v. in the samewords . destruction eternall , ( as is easily gathered . ) not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance , pet : . . the rich man in hell , supposed it for a certainty , that his brethren would come to his place of torment , unlesse they did repent , luk , , , compared with verse . greater condemnation since christ's time , then before : for thus our saviour thratened those cities above mentioned , it shall be more tolerable for tyre and sidon , at the day of judgment then for you , mat : . . the greatnesse of gods displeasure at not repenting , and the sad condition of those , that doe not repent , may be farther gathered out of the scriptures . first by god's extending mercy , upon the sight of repentance , though it were only in outward shew : as he did to pharaoh , in ceasing the thunder exod : . , ; and in removing the locusts c. . , and . to ahab , in not bringing the evill , which he had threatned , in his dayes , kings . . to cain , ( if those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be to be rendered , mine iniquity is greater then can be pardoned , gen : . * . ) in giving him a marke ( or , letter ) of protection ge : . . by the joy , which the saints have at the repentance of sinners : as a man would , when his friend hath escaped death ; or as if either condition must needs have been exceeding miserable , if they had not repented luk : . . by those speeches of paul , of being humbled for , and bewailing the corinthians , ( not those that had sinned already , but ) those that had sinned already , and had not repented cor : , : as if the condition of those , that doe not repent , were most deplorable ; and the condition of those that sinne , were cheifly made deplorable , by not repenting . by the greatnesse of the reward , which such shall have , who cause others to repent ; as having saved their soules from death , * which otherwise they could not have escaped . they that be wise , shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament , and they that turne many to righteousnesse as the starres for ever and ever , dan : . . to conclude , we may gather from our selves , that god must needs be much displeased , at not repenting , seeing we are so excedingly displeased with it our selves , if a man be not sorry , forwhat he hath done against us , if he have but troden on our foot , yea against his will. there is nothing vexes us more ; especially if he is ready to doe it againe . impudence threatened they shall not prophecy to them , that they shall not take shame , mic : , , impudence punished were they ashamed when they had committed abomination ? nay , they were not at all ashamed , neither could they blush : therefore they shall fall among them that fall : at the time that i visit them they shall be cast downe saith the lord , jer : . . it is spoken of the jewes ; and you have the same threat , in the very same words , to the same people c. . . see how god sets forth their impudence , in ezekiel c. , , to the verse : where he threatens to punish it , with very grievous punishments , nay in the very beginning of his complaint , ( as if his anger were so hot , that he could not keep it in ) before he came to the sinnes which he intended to speak of ; & when the sense was yet imperfect he cries out twice , woe , woe : and it came to passe after all thy wickednesse ( woe , woe unto thee , saith the lord ) v. . the shew of the countenance doth witnesse against them , and they declare their sinne as sodom ; a they hide it not : woe unto their soule , for they have rewarded evill unto themselves , isa : . . the shew of the countenance ] which cannot be meant of bewraying by the countenance ; for that would argue shame ; which i believe , sodome was never guilty of : but rather of putting a good face upon sin , or committing it openly and without blushing . which he that does , the rabbines say , he * reveales his face against the law . doubtlesse impudent sinners will not be forgotten : for how can we think , but god must be exceedingly provoked with impudence in his creatures ; seeing fathers & masters are so much provoked with it in their children and servants : who if they laugh , when they have done a fault , and are told of it : or if they commit a fault before their face ; nothing is more intolerable . impudence is prosperous in nothing , but in prayer , according to the saying of the talmudist , * ( calling importunity , impudence . ) . he that hardens his face ( jer : . . ) is worse then he that hardens his heart : for he that doth this , doth the other two ; but not on the contrary . the talmudists say , that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hardnesse of heart , may be taken in a good sence ; but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hardnesse of face , is alwaies taken in a bad sense . impudence must needs provoke to anger very much , for it hath more contempt in it , then any thing ; and if there were never so little esteeme in a man , of the party against whom it is committed ; it would never be . the philosopher sayes , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , * that it is onely before those , whom we much contemne , we are not ashamed . an impudent sinner vexes god , as bad as the stone did sisyphus ; which turned back upon him , as fast as he rolled him up . homer gives that stone the epithete 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , impudent . see arist . rhet. l. . c. . incorrigiblenes * under punishments threatned and punished . . with not removing the punishments . for all this his anger is not turned away , but his hand is stretched out still : for the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them , neither doe they seek the lord of hoasts , isa : . , . vnto him that smiteth them . ] in the hebrew it is as much as , close , or * quite home to him , that smiteth them . perhaps to intimate that they did turne , but not quite home , and withall their heart : and you may see their hypocrisie complain'd of , within a few words after , v. . and in the next chap. vers . . . encreasing the punishwents : for thus moses told the israelites , god would deale with them , in case they were incorrigible , after he had punished them for disobedience , lev. . . and if yee will not yet for all this hearken unto me ; then i will punish you seaven times more for your sinnes . so vers . . . if yee will not be reformed by these things , but will walk contrary unto me . then will i also walk contrary unto you , and will punish you yet seven times for your sinnes . and againe , v : . , you have the like threat . . leaving to incorrigiblenesse ; or punishing without intention to correct , ( which is the heaviest punishment . ) in thy filthines is lewdnesse : because i have purged thee , and thou wast not purged ; thou shalt not be purged from thy filthinesse any more , till i have caused my fury to rest upon thee . ezek : , . in thy filthinesse is lewdnesse . ] thy sinne is not infirmity , & barely uncleannesse : for surely then , so much purging by affliction , would have made thee cleane : but there is joyned with it ( as the word * in the originall seems to signifie ) studied and premeditated wickednesse , a resolved frowardnesse to walk contrary to me , let me doe what i will. . totall destruction to whole nations , as to the jewes , in the place above quoted : for the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them , &c. therefore the lord will cut off from israell head and tayle , branch and rush in one day , isa : . . . that god is very much provcked by incorrigiblenesse under judgements , may be gathered yet further : first out of the scriptures , where there is a mark of contempt , and hatred , set upon ahaz king of judah , for this sinne . and in the time of his distresse did he trespasse yet more against the lord : this * is that king ahaz . . chr. . . this is that king ahaz ] as it is said , num : . . this is that dathan and abiram . secondly , from reason and from our selves , because by this sinne , god is frustrated of his end and purpose , in sending the punishments : and wee see , how much it vexes us , to misse our ends and aymes , in humane affaires ; especially , if it be by such a ones interposing , who can be never the better for it . continuing in sin , notwithstanding punishments , is as flat walking contrary to god , as can be . for , in that a man knows gods end ; & that this end is solely his good , and not god's : it can argue nothing but perversenesse , and frowardnesse in him , not to turne from his sinne : as if hee did it meerely to be contrary , and because god should not have his will. * a physitian will be very angry , when be hath given his patient physick , if he shall endeavour either by using things forbidden , or by neglect of that which he should use to make it worke , to hinder it from working . for it argues extreame frowardnesse ; and it is a thousand to one , but the physician , if he be not very patient himselfe ; will resolve to meddle with him no more . if this be the condition of them , who are not better , after they have been punished ; what is provided for these , who are worse ? doubtlesse their punishments shall be more and many . for thus was israel threatened ( when he said , in the pride and stoutnesse of his heart . the bricks are fallen downe , but we will build with hewen stones , and the sycamores are cut downe , but we will change them into cedars . ) therefore the lord shall set up the adversaries of rezin against him , and joyne his enimies together , isa . . , , . incest . incest punished . . with losse of birth-right . for thus jacob ( as he was dying ) cursed reuben , for lying with ( his concubine onely ) bildad . vnstable as water , * thou shalt not excell , because thou wentest up to thy fathers bed ; then defiledst thou it : he went up to my couch . gen. . . vnstable as * water ] or ( according to onkelos , and the vulgar ) thou art powred out as water . i. e. thou hast quite lost thy selfe by doing this thing , thou hast cast thy selfe away without recovery , and art become like water spilt upon the ground , which cannot be taken up againe . thou shalt not excell . ] &c. else thou shouldest ; but now thou shalt have no more then thy brethren , * any way , either in princehood , or priesthood , or having a double portion , ( for these three things belonged to the eldest sonne ) which was accordingly fulfilled : for the first went to judah ; the second to levi , and the last to joseph . this last part of the first borne's priviledge , is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; or more especially called the birthright ; and therefore it is said in the . chr. . . ( speaking of reuben ) his birthright was given to the sonnes of joseph . so the chaldee paraphrast ( at those words in this chapter v. . the excellency of dignity , and the excellency of power ) saies , thou shouldst have had three parts , the birthright , priesthood , and kingdome . and perhaps , after this fact of reuben's , the birthright reached no farther then this part ( for thus farre it did , deut. ) because thou wentest up to thy fathers bed , then defiledst thou it . i went up to my couch ] in which words is plainly seen , how exceedingly jacob was grieved at this fact , ( even though it were done forty yeares before ) . by mentioning it often , and using severall expressions . . by changing the person ; as if he had fallen back upon his bed ; or turned aside , and spoken it to some other body he went up to my couch . * therefore in the verse next before , that which we translate the beginning of my strength , is in the vulgar , and some greeke * translations , the beginning of my greife . under the old testament , cutting off , and bearing iniquity , and dying childlesse . lev , . . . all which expressions some interpret by death , and not suffering the parties to live after the fact committed , till their children were borne . and although austin , and cajetan , and others ( i hope not out of a slight opinion of the sinne ) interpret as if it were meant , that their issue should not be counted children , but bastards ; and others , that they should be childlesse , and have no issue ( as it is v. . ) and that this was their punishment ( as being a thing which the jewes much bewailed , gen. . . ) and though i believe , that cutting off , does no more of necessitie imply death , then taken away from among you does , in . cor. . . ( being many times meant of the least excommunication , which was a cutting off indeed , but like the cutting off of a branch ; which is not presently dead , but may be grafted in againe : ) yet in this place , ( viz. v. . ) i chuse to agree with the first interpreters , at least in the interpretation of the first expressions ; and the rather because cutting off , is not attended with the usuall expression viz : from among their people : but with such an expression , ( as to my remembrance ) it is no where else viz. * in the sight of their people ; which cannot be so properly spoken of excommunication , or any other punishment , as of death . under the new testament , excommunication : according to the practise of paul , upon him , that committed incest , with his fathers wife , cor : . . being murdered . as in amnon the son of david ; who lay with his sister tamar sam : . , & was murdered by his brother absalom verse . vnnaturall lust , was punished with unnaturall cruelty . monstrous births : for the twins , which tamar had by her father in law judah ; at the delivery , one of them put forth his hand , and drew it back againe : so that the other was first borne . injurious dealing injurious * dealing is threatened in generall , with punishment ; though he , that doth the wrong be never so great ; and he that suffers be never so mean : nay in what relation soever he be towards them ( for it is spoken especially of masters in relation to their servants ) but he that doth wrong , shall * receive for the wrong which he hath done , and there is no respect of persons , col : . . punishment , i say , and that certaine and speedy , even while it is acting ; by one meanes or other , one way or other : as by remorse of conscience * , and hurtfullnesse of the creatures , wherein the injuries are done ; &c. whoso breaketh a hedge , a serpent shall bite him ; whoso removeth stones , ( or landmarkes , whereby to couzen thē of their lands , * ) shall be endangered thereby , eccles : . , . whosoever shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , goe beyond or defraud his brother ( thess : . . ) whether by adultery , and coveting his wife ; ( for so the words are limited by some : ) or by cheating , and coveting any other thing that is his ; especially in trading , ( as some expound those words , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , * in any matter : ) though the law of man do not take hold of him , ( as many times it doth not ) yet the apostle sayes , the lord is the avenger of all such ; as we have also forewarned you , and testified , thess : . . if god had not certainly determined the punishment of injurious dealing , we should not be so strictly forbidden to resist evill , as we are , mat : . . for sinne will never leave crying , till it be heard ; and justice must be executed . the punishments more particularly mentioned , may be these . ( if it be much used ) having many enemies . god said of ishmael , his hand will be against every man , and every man 's against him , gen : , : which we may see sufficiently fulfilled in his posterity , the turkes , and arabians . men's beeing hurt by that themselves , whereby they intend the hurt of others . he made a pit and digged it , and is fallen into the ditch , which he made . his mischiefe shall returne upon his owne head , and his violent dealing shall come downe upon his owne pate ps : . . come downe ] for from god this punishment comes , more notoriously then others ; and whatsoever goes up to him , is sure to come downe againe in reward ; whether good or bad , see eccles : , . desolation of whole countries . for the rich men thereof are full of violence , and the inhabitants thereof have sopken lies , and their tongue is deceitfull in their mouth : therefore also will i make thee sick in smiting thee ( for some times god makes men well , by smiting thē ) * in making thee desolate because of thy sinnes mic. , , . it is spoken to the jews . destruction of the whole world , ( which otherwise perhaps had not come before god , so soone as it did : ) the earth is filled with violence through them , and behold i will destroy them with the earth , gen : . . with violence ] in the fourth verse , where we render gyants , symmachus translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. violent men . the poet ovid speaking of the age next before the floud ( which he calls the iron age , for the heard-heartednesse , and crueltie which then reigned , ) complaines most of violence ; fugêre pudor , verumque fidesque in quorum subiere locum fraudesque dolique insidiaeque & vis , & amor sceleratus habendi ; and a litle after , vivitur ex rapto non hospes ab hospite tutus , l. . met. fab. . they that doe wrong , must needs be very unhappy , because they that suffer wrong , are so happy , mat : . , . the rabbines have a saying , be not of those that doe , but of those that suffer wrong . and the apostle wondered , why the corinthians would not chuse , to be of the number of these latter , rather then the former : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : why are you not rather wronged ? why are you not rather defrauded ? cor : . . injustice injustice * ( especially distributive , that which is practised by judges ) threatned and punished with , the hatred of men . he that saith unto the wicked thou art righteous ; him shall the people curse , nations shall abhorre him , prov : . . the hatred of god : both injustice distributive . he that justifieth the wicked , and he that condemneth the just , even they both are abomination to the lord , prov : . . and injustice communicative . ( i. e. in dealing * , ) for all that doe such things , and all that doe unrighteously are abomination to the lord thy god , deut : , , mention was made before of having divers measures , and weights v. , . woe : both in making laws that are unjust , woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees , and that write grievousnesse which they have prescribed , isa . , : and not executing , those that are just . woe unto them &c. which justify the wicked for a reward , & take away the righteousnesse of the righteous from him , cap : . , . feares and terrours , proceeding from a guilty conscience , and the execution of god's judgments , ( which none but the upright , are able to behold or endure , with comfort , or without feare . ) thus saith the lord , behold i will make thee a terrour to thy selfe , and to all thy freinds &c. jeremiah thus spake to pashur , who had smitten him , & put him in the stocks , c. . , and . translatiō * of power thus abused , to others . ( that is the least ) for ananias , having commanded paul to be smitten contrary to law ; ( according to paul's threat to him , god shall smite thee , thou whited wall , acts . . ) either died shortly after , or was removed from his place : for there was another put in his roome . the injustice of samuel's two sons , ( who were judges of israel , ) occasioned the israelites to desire a king , sam : . , ; and accordingly they had him chap. . . shortning of life . for that pashur formerly spoken of , ( whereby we may gather , that in those dayes , men lived longer then threescore and ten yeares ; for otherwise , this had been no punishment , and the time of the captivity was so many yeares ) was thus threatened , thou pashur , and , all that dwell in thy house , shall goe into captivity ; and thou shalt come into babylon , and there thou shalt die , and shalt be buried there , thou and all thy friends to whome thou hast prophecied lyes . jer : . . being given up by god , to continuance in it . he that is unjust let him be unjust still rev : . . so deiodate expounds the place , comparing it with ezek : . , and , . dan : . . am : . . destruction . the robbery of the wicked shall destroy them , because they refuse to doe judgment , prov : . . destroy them ] the originalis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; which some desire from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to draw to ground : according to the latin translation , rapinae impiorum detrahent eos : as if it were said , the weight of their money , as bad as stollen by jnjustice , & bribery , shall draw them out of their seat , and sinke them to the ground . damnation ; so certainly , that paul wonders , if a christian be ignorant of it . know ye not , that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdome of god , cor : . . the greatnesse of this sinne , and the dangerousnesse of it , may be yet further gathered out of the scriptures . from the frequent complaints made of it ; more frequent , then almost any other sin ; & in those books , where punishments are most threatened , viz : the books of the prophets . by the names * that are given it , as of robberie * prov : . . mighty sinnes am : . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * so in the same verse , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; which perhaps denoteth not so much , many , as large , and ( as our english word very well expresses it , ) manifold transgressions . ( as samuel called the sinne of the israelites in asking a king 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a manifold wickednesse . ) now the sinne , mentioned immediatly before , and after , is injustice . sutable with the first of these expressions , is that of the fist of wickednesse , ( spoken concerning the same sinne ) isa : . . and with the latter , that of wickednesse simply , v. , spoken also concerning the same sinne ) as if it were so large wickednesse , as to comprehend all wickednesse in it : or as if it were so great wickednesse , that you need not call it by any other name , to make men know what you meane . but this might more properly have beene put in the chapter of oppression . insensiblenesse under punishments threatened in their heat i will make their feasts , and i will make them drunken , that they may rejoyce , and sleepe a perpetuall sleep , and not wake , saith the lord. it is spoken of the babylonians , jer. . . instruments of punishing punished , instruments ( or men imployed by god in punishing his children ) punished themselves . the assyrians are the most notable example , that can be produced , all that found them ( meaning the israelites ) haue devoured them : and their adversaries said , we offend not , because they have sinned against the lord , &c. jer. . . but it followes vers . . i will raise , and cause to come up against babylon , an assembly of great nations from the north country , &c. though the godly are justly punished by god , that they cannot be so by men , ( nor the wicked neither without authority . ) though christ were delivered by the determinate counsell of god : yet were those hand● wicked , wherewith he was taken , and crucified , acts . . the reason , why god punisheth the instruments , wich he thus employs , is partly this ; because , though they are weapons of his indignation , ( as he cals the medes , by whom he punished the babylonians , isa : , , ) to execute his wrath ; yet they doe it not in obedience to him , or respect to his ends ; any more then a sword , ( as david called the wicked gods sword , ps : . , ) or an axe , or a saw , or a rod , ( as god calls the king of babylon , isa : , ; ) or any other senslesse instrument . nay they doe it only , with respect to their owne ends ; and out of malice , or covetousnesse , or ambition , or some such thing . the assyrian , though god sent him ; and sent him against a people of his wrath ; and gave him charge to take the spoyle isa : , : yet because his aime was not so much to punish the israelites by destroying , as to destroy by punishing ; nor so much to destroy the israelites only , and then to sit down ; as to make himselfe the monarch of all the world ; ( because he meaneth not so , neither doth his heart think so , but it is in his heart to destry & cut off nations not a few vers . . ) in the . v. he is thus threatned : wherefore it shall come to passe , when the lord hath performed his whole work upon mount sion , & on jerusalem , i will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of assyria , & the glory of his high looks . when god's own wrath against his people is out , he will make the former wrath of the wicked to praise him ; and not only restraine that which remaines of their wrath : but ( according to the chaldee par. upon that place ps . . . ) employ the remainder of his own in their destruction . such instruments are no way likely to escape punishment . . because in doing their work , they doe alwaies sinne either in the manner , ( as i have shewed you how ) and therefore it is said of babylon — all yee that bend the bow , shoot at her , spare no arrows ; for she hath sinned against the lord ; jer. . . or , in the matter ; that which they doe , being a wrong to those that are punished : and therefore in the place but now quoted , vers . . babylons punishment is called vengeance ; for it is the vengeance of the lord : take vengeance upon her ; as she hath done , doe unto her . or , in the measure . in doing more , then god would have done : i am very sore displeased with the heathen , that are at ease : for i was but a litle displeased , and they helped forward the affliction , zach. , . see esa . . . , because , after they have done their work , most commonly they provoke god to punish them , by pride ; and make themselves unfit to avoid punispments , by security , out of conceit , that their successe was to be attributed to their own strength , or the justnesse of their cause , or the like ; and not to the sinnes of those whom they have hurted . and the heathen shall know that the house of israel went into captivitie for their iniquities , because they trespassed against me . ezek. . . for their iniquities ] as if he had added , not because your were better , & they their cause was juster . and to intimate , that they being guilty of that , which the israelites were , viz : iniquities ; must take their turnes also , and be punished in the same manner . intemperance . * this will seeme to have had a great stroke , ( at least ) in occasioning the destruction of the world ; if we take the interpretation given by divers , to those words of god in genesis , ch. . . thus translated by us , my spirit shal not alwaies strive with man , for that he also is flesh . which i know no reason , but we may very well doe : especially if insteed of following arias , a and symmachus ; and translating my spirit shall not alwaies strive , &c. we follow either pagnin b ; or the septuagint chald : par : , and the vulgar , and translate thus , my spirit shall no longer remaine in man , because they are flesh . for so it will very well beare this paraphrase , viz : because i see they are altogether for their bodies , to pleasure their flesh by gluttony , and las●iviousnesse , and care not for their soules ; i am resolved to resume againe that breath , which i put into them and not to suffer my spirit any longer to lodge in such filthy carcasses . our saviour himselfe may seeme to have seconded this interpretation , when he spake of this punishment , and the security of the people in sinning , before it was inflicted , in this manner , for as in the daies that were before the flood , they were eating and drinking , marrying and giving in marriage , &c. mat. . . not as if eating , and drinking were a sin ; but either intemperance in eating and drinking , or doing that , & nothing else . so ▪ speaking of the destruction of sodom , and the security of the people in sinning before the inflicting of it , he saies in the first place , they did eat they dranke &c. luk. . . and in the like security , he told the jewes , that many should be surprized by the day of judgement , ( either generall , that which shall be to all ; or particular , that which hath beene to them ; take it how you will , ) even thus shall it be in the day , when the sonne of man is revealed , luk. . . see chap. . . mat. . . and therefore paul , speaking to the thessalonians , to prepare for the day of the lord , bids them in especiall manner to be sober and temperate , epist . . . . the intemperate man , both his danger & his hurt , must needs be great , especially from the divell , ● ( for men usually spare him , out of pity , or scorne : ) and therefore the apostle saith , be sober , be vigilant , because your adversary the divell as a roaring lion walketh about , seeking whom he may devoure : . pet. . . because , even while he is well , he is not carefull to prevent it ; only sober men will be carefull , to gird up the * loynes of their mind , . pet. . . or put on the brestplate of faith , and love , * thess . . . or watch unto prayer , * . pet. . . sober ( in the epistles ) may be meant also of being sober-minded ( as we render it in tit. . . ) or grave , humble , quiet , serious , circumspect , as it is in rom. . . . tim. . . tit. . . . but yet in these places the word in the original is different , viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : and in those which i have quoted , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : which in the place first quoted v. . . thess . . . seemes cleerly to be meant of temperance properly so called ; because in the following verse there is mention made of sleeping , and being drunken , as of things opposed to watch , and be sober : for they that sleep , sleep in the night , & they that are drunk , are drunk in the night . . because , when he hath ●urfeited , he is not able to avoid it , or receive it . receive it he cannot , for want of strength ; of which he hath as litle in minde , as he hath in body . & avoid it he cannot , because he is seldome so much as awake to foresee it . only the sober man can be watchfull . and therefore the apostle in the place above quoted , viz : thes . ▪ . knowing that a man cānot be watchfull , unlesse he be sober ; assoone as he had nam'd the former , presently added the latter ; let us watch and be sober . peter , in the place above quoted , puts them as neere together , though not in the same order . he must needs be taken napping , that cannot keep himselfe waking . but the greatest of these causes , ( as being the cause of the latter ) i take to be the former , viz : security . all sinnes , wherein men are secure , must needs be dangerous : and therefore there is no sin so dangerous , as intemperance , because there is none , wherein men are so secure . you have had three notable examples hereof . but of all the three , the first is the most notable : in regard that the people of the old world ; if they had not that time told them , ( which god had limited for their continuance ) viz : of a hundred and twenty yeares : yet had they all that time given them ( after notice of the flood ) wherein the arke was in preparing : which could be no small time , as peter seemes to intimate ; when once the long suffering of god waited in the daies of noah , while the arke was a preparing , . pet. . . besides the time , wherein the creatures were a gathering , which were to be put into the arke . if the time allotted them had been never so short ; unlesse they had been worse then beasts , they must needs have bethought themselves a litle , and not have still continued in that manner , as our saviour saies they did , eating and devouring , till the very day , that noah went into the arke ( for then they believed certainly he was not in jest . ) nay he saies , they knew not , till the flood came , and tooke them all away . beza observes how the word * in that place used for eating , is by the grāmarians said to be properly used of beasts , adding vt etiam videatur magnae esse hujus verbi emphasis ; quo significatur , homines brutorum instar fore ventri deditos . there is one thing more , that aggravates the security of those gluttons before the flood ; viz : that although for those hundred and twenty yeares ( as it is probable ) they had had noah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( as peter calls him , . pet. . . ) a preacher of righteousnesse , or a publisher of that righteous judgement of god , intended by him in the destruction of the world : ( so that by knew not , must be meant , as beza translates , acknowledged not , or did not consider a ) yet notwithstanding all this , they repented not , but remained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( as the apostl's ▪ word is ) i. e. disobedient , or not perswaded to believe what noah told them . if you observe it , you shall finde that the intemperate man ( his pleasure is so bewitching , and seemingly harmelesse b ) is the hardest to be perswaded ; and the worst to be made , either to believe a threat , or feare a punishment , or to leave his sinne c , of any in the world . you may see more of this sin in the chapters of gluttony , whoredome , drunkennesse , adultery . iudging others threatned . . with judgement . judge not ; and yee shall not be judged , luk. . . for , if that which is lesse likely , be true : that which is more likely , is not likely to be false . now it is more likely , that he who judgeth , shall be judged , then that he who judgeth not shall not be judged ; because there are other faults , for which he may be judged . and so is i● more likely , then that if we judge our selves we shall not be judged : which notwithstanding is the saying of the apostle , . cor. . . besides , in matthew it is said c. . . judge not that yee be not judged . now if not judgeing , be the way to avoid judgement ; judging must needs be a way to incurre it . judgement , i say , not only of men ; for every body will be sure to judge him , and spie and catch at every litle fault in him ; and will be glad to see him miscarry : but of god too , and such as will be damnatory , even . condemnation , against which he cannot complaine ; for he hath condemned himselfe , in condemning others for sinne , being a sinner himselfe , ( even in thus condemning ; ) which he thinkes not of ( even as david did , when he condemned the rich man in the parable of nathan , sam : . . ) so that he hath nothing to say : and therefore saith the apostle , thou art inexcusable , o man , whosoever thou art , that judgest , for wherein thou judgest another , thou condemnest thy selfe : for thou that judgest doest the same thing , rom. . . in judging others , he doth as it were , shew god the way , of judging him ; and in a manner , challenge him to do the like . condemnation , i say ; yea , and greater condemnation , perhaps , then else he should have had . be yee not many masters , knowing that yee shall receive the greater condemnation , &c. jam. . . viz. as for other sinnes , and for this to boot . no sooner had the scribes & pharisees taxed the disciples of christ , for transgressing the tradition of the elders ( in eating with unwashen hands : ) but presently , christ reproves them , for transgressing the commandements of god , in keeping the tradition of the elders , mat. . , . so the same men , had no sooner condemned the disciples , for breaking the sabbath , in plucking eares of corne , to satisfie their hunger : but presently christ condemnes them , both for unmercifulnesse in not pitying the hungry , and denying a little corne : and for injustice to boot , in condemning the guiltlesse , ch . . ; and finding fault where there was none , ( a thing usuall with them that are given to judging and censuring . ) iudgment day . take heed , how you put it f●rre * away , and so be secure in sinning : for thus saith our saviour , but if that evill servant shall say in his heart , my lord delayeth his comming ; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants , and to eate and to drinke with the drunken . the lord of that servant shall come in a day , when he looketh not for him ; and in an houre , that he is not aware of , and shall cut him asunder &c. mat. . , , , . 't is the only way , to make you neglect , to get oyle in your lamps ; the danger whereof , you may see in the parable of the foolish virgins c. . , . it will be in vaine , to plead , non putaram , i was not aware ; foolishnesse will be no excuse . you slighted your master , and the bridegroome , while he was your advocate ; and now there will be no more pleading , no more place for an advocate . i remember a saying of cicero ( speaking of minos , and rhadamanthus , whom the poets make to be universall judges in the life to come ) apud quos nec te l. crassus defendet , nec m. antonius , &c. before whom , thou shalt not have either crassus or antony ( two famous oratours of rome ) to plead for thee , l. tusc : q : kings , and governours , threatened and punished for destroying their people , with woe . wo be unto the pastors , that destroy , and scatter the sheep of my pasture , saith the lord , jer : . . the people are god's sheep , and not theirs . rulers are but shepheards ( for that is the usuall name they have , both in hebrew & greek ; ) & therefore have no right to them . nay they are shepheards , and therefore are bound to feed them ; and therefore woe , must needs be to them , if they destroy them . for oppression ; with removall from their places , & requiring the flock at their hands . thus saith the lord god , behold i am against the shepheards ; and i will require my flock at their hand , and cause them to cease from feeding the flock ; neither shall the shepheards● feed themselves any more ▪ for i will deliver my flock from their mouth , that they may not be meat for them , ezek : , , see zach : , , compared with v. , to the . see likewise the title , oppression . for injustice ; with god's unappeasable anger . the princes of judah were like them that remove the bound : therefore i will powre my wrath * upon them like water , hos : . . seeing they have removed the bounds of their injustice ; i will also remove the bounds of my wrath . for bribery ; with shame from men , and judgment from doe* love , ( or doe love that , which is a disgrace to them ) give ye , hos : , , and it followes . c. . . heare this o priests , and hearken ye house of israel , and give ye eare ye house of the king ; for judgment is toward you , because you have been a snare in mizpah , and a net spread upon tabor . her rulers ] in the hebrew , her shields ; to intimate , what they should have been . it is a signe that god is very angry , especially in his threatenings , when he calls men by such names , as expresse that duty , which they have not performed : as you may observe , the kings are , for the most part , threatned under the name of pastors ; such as they should bee . a snare in mizpeh ] as others translate , viz : not mizpeh , as a proper name , but ( as the septuagint ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or ( as jerome ) speculationi , that is , the watch ; making it an appellative ▪ or as the paraphrast , your teachers : this place may be better applied to ( that which many kings and governours are guilty of ) the hindering of the ministers , who are god's watchmen , in the worke of the gospel . see more in bribery . for feeding themselves , and not the flock ; with woe . sonne of man prophecy against the sheepheards of israel ; prophecy & say unto thē , thus saith the lord god , say unto the sheepheards ; woe be to the sheepheards of israel : should not the sheepheard , feed the flock ezek : . . for deserting their flocks , with the losse or destruction both of their power and wisdom ; woe be to the idol sheepheard that leaveth the flock : the sword shall be upon his arme , and upon his right eye ; his arme shall be cleane dried up , and his right eye shall be utterly darkened , zach : , . our english paraphrast , agreeing with hierom , in the exposition of this and the former verse , ( who applied it to antichrist ) thus speakes , woe be to that false pastour , which only carries the name , and semblance of an evangelicall shepheard ; who leaveth the flocke , to be wasted and spoiled . the just revenge of god , shall be both upon the power , and policie of that man of sin ; his power shall be abated , and utterly weakened by the breath of the mouth of god , and his craft and policy shall at the last end in disappointment and confusion . but grotius ( a most sagacious oedipus , and one that had a lyncean sight himselfe ; only his endeavour was to make the prophets look as little way as possibly he could , though i know not whether he deserve somuch blame here ) makes it to be spoken of manasses , who left jerusalem , and went and set up a temple at garizim : saying , that his arme was then dried up , when the souldiers of his father in law sanballat ( by whose assistance he did his work ) were all carried away captive by alexander the great into egypt : and that by his right eye is meant , the knowledge of divine things * ; which in short time was very much darkened , and made almost quite blind . for , not judging the fatherles & the widow &c. with removall from their places &c : in abundance of anger . they judge not the fatherlesse , * neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them , isa : . , which was no sooner mentioned , but the threat could be no lonber kept in : for it presently follows , therefore , saith the lord , the lord of hoasts , the mighty one of israel , ah i will ease me of mine enemies ( the enemies of god's people are his enemies , and those that oppresse them , oppresse him ; i will ease mee . ) and i will turne my hand upon thee , and purely purge away thy drosse , and take away all thy tinne , and i will restore thy judges , as at the first &c. verse , , . nay for ignorance , ( when insteed of being sheepheards , they are sheep themselves , bruitish , and sottish , especially in things concerning the worship of god , * ) not prosperity , and losse of their subjects . for the pastors are become brutish , and have not sought the lord , therefore they shall not prosper ; and all their flocks shall be scattered . jer : . . law righteousnesse such as trust to it , are thus threatened : christ is become of none effect to you . whosoever of you are juistified * by the law , ye are fallen from grace , gal : . . are justified ] it is spoken , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as beza says ; or it is a hebraisme , viz : for say , you are justified : for justified indeed , the jewes , ( or any other ) could not be ; otherwise it had been no threat ( as the apostle delivers it ver . . ) to be a debtour to doe the whole law ; and yet they both thought they could , & boasted , that they were able : which opinion , and boasting , of theirs , was as false , and vaine , as the present opinion of the rabbines , that whosoever professeth judaisme , let him live how he will , shall have a portion in the world to come . leaving of men by god * threatned . i will teare , and goe away , hos : . . and v. . i will goe and returne to my place , till they acknowledge their offence , &c. then , is a punishment of the sense of affliction , truely deplorable ; when it is aggravated with the losse of god's presence . god himselfe , who best knowes both our happinesse , and our misery , hath said , woe also unto them , when i depart from them , ch. . . libertinisme . the lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations , and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement , to be punished . but chiefly thē that walk after the flesh , in the lust of uncleanesse , and despise government . presumptuous are they , self-willed , &c. . pet. . , . it follows likewise , v. . but these as naturall bruit beasts made to be taken and destroyed , speake evill of the things that they understand not , and shall utterly perish in their own corruption . love. the want of it is punished with non-acceptance of , & not being the better by , any thing we doe , though it be never so specious . though i speake with the tongues of men , and of angels , and have not charity ; i am become as sounding brasse , or a tinkling cymball . . cor. . . or i am nothing , ver . . or , it profiteth me nothing , vers . . lovers of life , more then christ , threatned , with the losse of it . whosoever will save his life , shall loose it , saith matthew , c. . . whosoever shall seek to save his life , saith luke . ch . . . ( though he have not what he seeks for . ) nay further yet ( according to the title ) he that loveth his life , shall loose it , saith john ( though he never sought to save it ) ch. . . if thou doest , but in thine heart ( where i might have left out the but , because that which is least with men , is most , & almost all with god , ) preferre this life before thy saviour ; with what sense canst thou presume to have him thy saviour ; or with what face canst thou expect to have that life which thou hast by overmuch affection to this , sleighted and rejected ? lovers of the world . they are thus spoken to by james , ye● adulterers and adulteresses , know ye not that the friendship of this world is enmity with god ? whosoever therefore will be a freind of the world , is the enemie of god , c. . . god's anger against such men ( as against adulterers ) is jealousy ; and he will not spare * in the day of vengeance . if a wife should have many husbands , and yet commit adultery ; who can excuse her ? god is to us as good as many husbands . in isaiah , ch. . . where it is said , thy maker is thine husband , in the originall 't is husbands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; to shew what an excellent husband he is . lukewarmnesse . the angel of laodicea was thus threatned , because thou art lukewarme , and neither hot nor cold , i will spew thee out of my mouth , rev. . . god does loath a halting religion * , as much as a stomack doth lukewarme water . lying * threatned , and punished . . with not prevailing ( at the least ) as in false witnesse and slander , when men speak one thing , and know the contrary . a false witnesse ( or , a witnesse of lyes ) shall perish , but the man that heareth , speaketh constantly , ( or speaketh to prevaile * , & conquer in his cause . ) prov. . . discovery in a little time . the lip of truth shall be established for ever : but a lying tongue is but for a moment , prov. . . being put to silence , ( at the lest : ) let the lying lips be put to silence , ps : . . perhaps it is meant , by putting them inter silentes , or causing them to be silent in the grave by death : as in the verse next before . gods hatred : as in flattery , when men speak one thing , and doe the contrary . lying lips are abomination to the lord , but they that deale truly , are his delight . prov ; . . the hatred of men , refusing to admit such as are guilty of it , either into their service or societie . he that worketh deceit , shall not dwell in my house ; he that telleth lies , shall not tarry in my sight , ps : . . a curse , and perpetuall bondage . the gibeonites , for saying , they came from a farre country , when they did not , ( josh . . ) were thus punished by joshua . now therefore yee are cursed , and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen and hewers of wood , and drawers of water for the house of my god. josh . . . leprosy , both in the lyer himselfe , and in his posterity after him : as in gehazi ( elisha's servant , ) who partly for covetousnesse , in running after naaman the king of syria , for money for his masters curing his leprosy , ( when his master had refused it ) whereby he disgraced his master ▪ but , ( as some think ) especially for telling him , he went no whither ; was thus threatened by the prophet his master , the leprosy therefore of naaman , shall cleave unto thee , and unto thy seed for ever kings , , compared with v : , , . many sad and bitter punishments : as in the prophets , among the jewes : who for committing adultery , and walking in lies , ( which god cals 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a horrible thing ; ) are thus threatened , i will feed them with wormewood , and make them drinke the water of gall , jer : , , compared with the . whether there were in this speech , an allusion to that bitter water , which the woman dranke , that was suspected of adultery , num : . . ( there being mention made before of committing adultery ) i know not ; but it may seeme probable , because as it was said of such a woman , that if she were guilty , she should be a curse among the people : so those prophets , ( especially zedekiah , and ahab ) became a curse among the jewes . whereby i meane not , that they were cursed by them , ( neither is this the meaning of that expression , so often * used in the prophets : ) but that their condition was so bad , that the people , when they cursed any body , used to expresse it , by wishing that he were , as such men were ; as you may see it explained , jerem. . . the lord make the like zedekiah , and like ahab , &c. 't is almost the same , as to become a proverb , an expression usuall also in scripture , ezek. , , &c. even as irus , or troy , became a proverb ; being proverbially applied , to signifie a poore man , or a miserable place . now though this allusion be admitted , because of what is before spoken of adultery , v. . ( they commit adultery , and walke in lies , &c : ) so that the punishment shall looke aside to that sinne ; yet methinkes , the punishment threatened , seemes to look back more directly upon the sin of lying , by way of retaliation : as if god had resolved , that seeing those prophets , especially abused their mouths , and their tongues to lying : those same parts of theirs , should be chiefly punished , viz. in eating , and drinking the bitterest things that could be gotten , wormewood , and water of gall . in the ninth chapter verse ▪ you have the same manner of threat to all the jewes ; & there the maine sinne complained of is lying : as you may see v. . the septuagint in that place translate for , wormewood , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * , necessities , ( a word used likewise in the singular number in the same sense , both in the apocrypha , and in the new testament , as tob . . bar. . . luk. . . ) and here they translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sorrows , or griefes : in both places , they use the word , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) which signifies , to feed by little and a little at a time , as one would children : whereby the punishment is very much aggravated . to swallow downe a bitter thing at once ▪ is not so much : but , to take it by degrees ; and to be long in taking it , is a great torture . to conclude even by our english expression of feeding with wormewood , &c. can hardly be lesse signified , then a long continuance of many bitter evills , or a longcaptivity . * see the expressions of devouring by bitter destruction deut : . . god's w●i●●ng bitter things against job ▪ c. , , and the vision of the star called wormwood , rev. . . destruction . thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing , ps . . . and that unavoydable . a false witnesse shall not be unpunished , and he that speakes lies shall not escape , prov : . , see v. * . ananias , and sapphira , saying they had but so much , for the possession which they sold , whereas they had more , ( wherein they did not only lie to , but by lying endeavored to deceive , the holy ghost : for so much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in the accusative case , will import ) were both threatened by peter , with sudden death ; & accordingly fell down , as soon as he had done speaking , acts . , , , . shemaiah , and hananiah , for making the people to trust in a lie , jer : . & c. . ahab and zedekiah , for prophecying a lie , c. , v. , were punished with death . ( see the chapter of false-teachers . ) and here i cannot but say somwhat of one grand lyar more ; ( for somuch the name imports , which the jewes have given him ; viz. bar cosiba , i. e. the sonne of a lie. ) he fained himself to be that star , spoken of by balaam num : . . and therefore at first , the jewes , ( as long as they took him for the true messias ) called him bar cochba , i. e. the son of the starre . the number of those that believed this lie , was very great ; * insomuch that after a while , having slaughtered many thousands of the heathen , especially of the romans in africa and elsewhere ; he caused himselfe to be crowned king in bitter , a city in arabia . but his kingdome was short ; for after a few months , adrianus , being sent thither by trajan the emperour , wonne the city by violence , & slew both the impostour , and forty hundred thousand men of the jewes . this happened about two and fifty yeares , after the the destruction of jerusalem * . exclusion out of the holy jerusalem . there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth , neither whatsoever worketh abomination , or maketh a lye , rev. . . without are doggs , &c. and whosoever loveth & maketh a lye , ch. . . the greatnesse ; and the hurtfulnesse of this sinne may be yet further gathered out of the scriptures . first from the words of david , psal . . . for if we translate in the vocative case , what shall be given unto thee ? or what shall be done unto thee , thou false tongue ? he seemes to speake , as if the sinne were so great , that he could not tell what punishment he could name bad enough for it . if , what will be given , &c. and what will be done , &c. as if he could not expresse , but admir'd the greatnesse of the punishment , which he thought would be inflicted for it . if in the nominative case ( which better accords with other translations a and with the hebrew it selfe ) thus , what shall a false tongue give thee , or what shall it adde unto thee , ( that is , profit thee * ) he seemes to mean ( according to the usuall force of such expressions in the hebrew ) a positive affirmation of the clean contrary , viz : that it would be both unprofitable , and exceeding hurtfull . secondly , by gods aggravating the wickednesse of such as commit other sinnes , by complaining of this . they have taken of the accursed thing , and have also stollen and dissembled also ( speaking of achan ) josh . . dissembled● or lyed so the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also● marke the gradation . and therefore ch . . ▪ where we render , commit a trespasse in the accursed thing ; he chaldee paraphrast saies , lyed a lye . so likewise in ezekiel chap. . . ( where complaint is made of pharoah's breaking his promise to help the jewes ) that which we render , for his trespasse which he hath trespassed against me ; the paraphrase renders for his lye which he hath lyed : and the word in the hebrew is the same in both these places . by god's aggravating so much as he does , the punishment of other sinnes , when this is joyned with them . if a man had taken , or detain'd ought of his neighbours ; he was to restore it againe . but if he had ly●d , ( and denied it with an oath ) he was to adde a fifth part more to it , lev . and they say , that , whereas at the offering of o●her offerings , only a generall confessiō of sins sufficed ; at the offering of the oblation for this sin , a particular confession of the sinne , and a particular acknowledgement of deserving death ( which the creature offered , suffered for thē ) was required . if you say the punishment was not aggravated for lying ; but for lying with an oath , or swearing falsly : i have only this to answer , that i believe the contrary , because in num : . . you have the same punishment without mentioning any oath : for it is said , only , if a man or woman shall commit any sin : which the chaldes paraphrase renders , shall lye a lye , as in the places before quoted ▪ which i doe not alleage to prove , that speaking falsely is as bad as swearing falsely ; but only to shew how much a sinne is aggravavated by denying it , though it be not with an oath : in regard of the hurt & deceit thereby wrought ; which may be all as much . and therefore cicero * ( a heathen ) could say , that the gods were as angry for lying , as for perjurie ; and had provided the same punishments . i could wish we were as carefull against lying , as the jewes would seeme to be : who have a saying in their talmud , that none must say to a child , i will give thee such a thing , if ●e mean not to give it him ; for feare of teaching him to lye . but i may say of them also notwithstanding this , that they are not so carefull against lying , as they should be ; if they forbid it only to a jew , & allow it to a heathen ; as they say they doe : just as the papists doe , to any , whom they please to call hereticks . they may seem to have encouragement , from those words in ecclus . . devise not a lye against thy brother , &c. but i am confident , ( to use the expression there * used ) wh●soever thus * ploweth , upon what ground soever it be , his harvest will be nothing but his own cutting down to be burnt in everlasting fire . marriage with idolaters &c. was punished with the drowning of the world , ( if the most common conjecture be true ) for in genesis c. . . immediatly before mention made of god's resolution to doe it , it is said , that the sonnes of god saw the daughters of men that they were faire , and they tooke them wives of all which they chose i. e. according as their lust led them , without any regard had to religion , or goodnesse . by the sonnes of god , saies chrysostome & others , is meant the sonnes or seth , so called either from their godlinesse , and goodnesse of nature ; or from their good●inesse , and greatnesse of stature ; according to the use of the hebrews , adding the word , god , when they meane to expresse the greatnesse of any thing . but they conceit , that the posteritie of cain , through their intemperance , and for their wickednesse , had both their growth hindered , and their strength impaired ; so that their children which they begat , were for the most part daughters ; and that therefore it is said the daughters of men : and of men or adam , ( for that is the word in the originall ) because they were altogether earthly , and carnall in their affections . since that , it hath been threatened or punished , in the persons themselves . with being seduced from the true worship of god : for it was said to the israelites , concerning the seven nations , neither shalt thou make marriages with them &c. for they will turn away thy son from following me , that they may serve other gods , deut. . , . examples hereof you may see in solomon , kings ▪ . , ▪ in ahab ch . ▪ and in joram kings . . of which three the scripture speaks expressly , that they were seduced by their wives . oppression , & losse of their estates . they have dealt trecherously against the lord : for they have begotten strange * children : now shall a month devoure them with their portions , hos . . there can be no lesse herein threatned , then what i mentioned ; whether you interpret ( with the paraphrast ) i will bring people every month that shall devoure the fruit of the ground : or ( with others ) would have it to be meant of a morthly tax , put * upon the israelites by menahem king of israel , to recruite his treasure , kings . . ( for hosea prophecied in his time & long after * ) which came to a thousand talents of silver . i might adde hereunto . . destruction , being an ordinary consequent , if not a punishment . it is said in the place above quoted , for they will turne away thy sons from following me , that they may serve other gods ; so will the anger of the lord be kindled against you , and destroy thee suddainly . suddenly ] or in hast , lest they should beget children , and teach them idolatry too . in their children , it is threatned and punished with wickednesse , and misery , to the trouble and greife of the parents . as you may see in absalom , and tamar ( david's children which he had by maacha daughter to the king of geshur an idolater ( chr. . . ) tamar was forced by amnon , . sam. . . absalom caused amnon to be murdered , vers . rebelled against his father , ch . . and in that rebellion miserably died , chap. . in the prophet malachi , in whose time viz : after , and about the building of the second temple this sin very much reigned * among the jewes ) you have this threat , judah hath prophaned the holinesse of the lord , which hee loved , and hath married the daughter of a strange god the lord will cut off the man that doth this : the master and the scholler , out of the tabernacles of jacob , ch . . , . where instead of the master and the scholler , he paraphrast translates , the son and the nephew : which suits better with that which goes before it , being in the hebrew , cut off to the man. a the daughter of a strange god ] that is , a woman that worships a strange god : for , what a man counts his god , that he loves & honours , as a father : & so he may be called the son or daughter of it . se je : . . & is . . . ex. . . the odiousnesse , and hurtfulnesse of marrying with idolaters may be further gathered out of the scriptures , thus , by the passionate actions , and expressions of godly men against it . of ezra , chap. . . and when i heard this thing , i rent my garment , and my mantle , and pluckt of the haire of my head and of my beard , and sate downe astonied and of nehemiah , chap . i contended with them , and cursed them , and smote certaine of them . nay vers . . you have him praying against some , remember them , o my god , because they have defiled the priesthood , &c. by what ezra speakes of god's fierce anger by reason of it ; vntill the fierce wrath of our god for this matter be turned from us , ch . . which he thought could not be , till they had every one turned away their strange wives , and made their peace with an offering , vers . . in the end of his prayer ch . . his words are , we cannot stand before thee because of this . by what paul speakes ( as it is thought ) chiefly concerning it , cor. . vers . . to the end . where first , he cals it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to be unequally yoaked : as if ( say some ) he alluded to plowing with an oxe and an asse together ; a cleane beast , and an uncleane ; which was forbidden in the law , deut. . . now from this similitude ( or expression ) onely , may be gathered how hurtfull it is : viz. because of the many inconveniences , of trouble , and strife , and discontent , which must necessarily follow . for in that word but now mentioned , if there be not , there may be signified , not onely a being yoaked with a beast , as i may say , of another kind , ( which may be so sorted as they may draw together without trouble ; ) but after another way : as if one's face stood east , and the other's west ; whereby the paine , and difficulty , in drawing each one his way , must needs be the more . for when one drawes forward , the other must either draw backward , with a great deale of paine : or yeeld to be drawne the same way , with a great deale of danger , if the way be naught . now , how much a man must needs be hindred from good duties , that is yoked in this manner , by marrying a wicked person , especially an idolater ; every one may guesse , ( and it hath beene partly shewn in this chapter . ) and so likewise , what strife , and contention , he is like to meet with : an example whereof you may see in zipporah , and moses , about the circumcision of their child , exod. . . see the consequents of sampson's marriage with a philistin , jud. . secondly , from those words , vers . . of this chapter , for yee are the temple of the living god , as god hath said , i will dwell in them &c. may be gathered , what danger there is of god's departure from us . for he will not dwell in a temple , that is polluted : and it is a thousand to one , but it be polluted this way . you may remember , in that place of malachi formerly quoted , it was said , that judah profaned the holinesse of the lord , which he loved , &c. and it is not unlikely to be meant of the holinesse ( often mentioned in the old testament ) of being a consecrated , or peculiar people to god ; by reason whereof the jewes are forbid to profane , or defile , or make themselves common , ( viz : with the nations ) either by entertaining communion with them ( especially by marriage ) or imitating them in their practises , ( especially those of idolatry ) see * deut : . , , , . ch . and ezek. . . and dan. . . lastly , by those words vers . . wherefore come out from among them , and be ye separate , saith the lord , and touch not the uncleane thing , and i will receive you , may be gathered , what danger there is , even of god's rejecting of us , if we thus defile our selves ; in regard that being separated , seems to be required as a condition of his receiving of us . meanes of grace continued in anger * . though men have rejected them . since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of egypt , unto this day , i have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets daily , rising up early , and sending them , yet they hearkened not unto mee , nor inclined their eare , but hardened their neck ; they did worse then their fathers . therefore thou shalt speake all these words unto them , but they will not hearken unto thee : thou shalt also call unto them , but they will not answer thee . jerem. . , , . though they have mocked at them . the jewes , though they slighted the importunity of the prophets , in speaking to them so often , and laying line upon line , and precept upon precept , here a little , and there a little , isa . . ; insomuch that at length they tooke up these words for a proverb * , to sport with : ( even as they did , the burden of the lord. jer. . . ) yet notwithstanding this importunity , it was continued to them , to the ensnaring of them , and for an occasion of falling . but the word of the lord was unto them , precept upon precept , line upon line * ; line upon line : here a little and there a little : that they might goe and fall backward , and be broken , and snared and taken a vers . . though it be certaine , they will not hearken to them . you shall say unto him ( saith god to moses , when he sent him to pharaoh ) let us goe we beseech thee , three daies journey , &c. exod . . & yet he addes v. . i am sure that the king of egypt will not let you goe , &c. see ezek. . . but that they will kill the messenger . behold i send unto you prophets and wise men , and scribes , and some of them , ye shall kill and crucifie , &c. that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth mat. , , luk : . . . though it be certaine they cannot be the better for them . vnto them that are without , all these things are done in parables , that seeing they may see , and not perceive , &c. mark. . , . though god himselfe harden their hearts against them . and the lord said unto moses : when thou goest to returne into egypt , see that thou doe all those wonders before pharaoh , which i have put in thine hand : but i will harden his heart , that he shall not let the people goe , exod : . . see ch. , . ch. . . see isa : . , . continuing the meanes of grace , to such as profit not by them , heaps up wrath & coales , and aggravates condemnation more then any thing : and therefore their case is exceeding miserable , to whom they are thus continued . meanes of grace , if extraordinary , such as profit not by them are threatned . in generall , with woe . for thus our saviour threatned chorazin , and bethsaida , for not repenting , notwithstanding he had done most of his mightie workes in them , mat. . . . removall of those meanes . for thus our saviour threatned the priests , & elders of the jewes ; after he had told them a parable of husbandmen , who returned their master no fruit of his vineyard , notwithstanding he had sent so many servants , nay and his own son , and heire to receive them . the kingdome of god shall be taken from you , and given to a nation , bringing forth the fruits thereof , mat. . . now the justice of this punishment , they themselves had before in the parable , unwittingly acknowledged : evē as david did the justice of his , in the parable of nathan , . sam : . . for being asked what they thought , the master would doe to those husbandmen , when he came himselfe ; they made answer with indignation , he will miserably destroy those wicked men , & will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen , which shall render him the fruits in their season , vers . . condemnation by others ; who profited by lesse , & shall rise up in judgement against them as witnesses ; to testifie , that lesse means then they have had , are sufficient meanes for cōversion . for thus our saviour told the scribes and pharisees , they should be condemned by the ninevites , and the queen of the south : viz : because they repented not at his preaching ; and refused to heare him : whereas the ninevites repented at the preaching of jonas , for so litle while ; and the queen of the south came so farre , even from the utmost parts of the earth , and only to heare the wisdome of solomon : who were both farre inferiour to him , mat. . . greater condemnation then others . vnto whomsoever much is given , of him shal be much required , &c. luk : . . they shall have many stripes , vers . . this is the condition of all men , to whō the gospell is preached : because they have no excuse at all , to plead . if i had not come and spoken to them , they had not had sinne , but now they have no cloak for their sinne , joh. . . at least no cloak , that is great enough to cover it . men-pleasers threatned . with being disowned by christ . for if i yet pleased men , i should not be the servant of christ , gal. . . god's hatred . yee are they which justify your selves before men , but god knoweth your hearts , for that which is highly esteem'd amongst men , is abomination in the sight of god , luk. . . christ thus spake to the pharisees , who were altogether men-pleasers in every thing that they did , it was their maine fault , and it was all they car'd for . paul was one of them : and therefore in the place before quoted , he saies , if i yet please . mercies , not being bettered by them . seevnthankefulnesse , security , and prosperity . ministers , their duty . ministers , if naught , have cause to feare these ensuing punishments . such as are scandalous , and corrupters of the word . contempt . for thus were the priests among the jewes threatned . but ye are departed out of the way , ye have caused many to stumble at the law : yee have corrupted the covenant of levi , saith the lord of hosts . therefore have i also made you contemptible and base before all the people according as ye have not kept my waies but have been partiall in the law . mal. . . . in samuel it is said , even of the servant of the priests of belial , wherefore the sinne of the young man was very great before the lord , viz : because it was scandalous : for by this means men abhorred the offering of the lord. . sam. . . see ezek. . . such as teach false doctrine , whereby they cause the wicked to presume , and the godly to despaire , ( a practise very much to be lamented amongst us ) being by some severe punishment or other made to leave their function . wi● yee pollute mee among my people for handfulls of barley , and for peeces of bread , to slay the soules that should not die , and to save the soules alive that should not live , by your lying to my people that heare your lies , ezek. . . so , ver . . you have the same complaint . but it followes vers . . therefore yee shall see no more vanity , nor divine divinations : for i will deliver my people out of your hand , and yee shall know that i am the lord. for handfuls of barly , & for pieces of bread . ] hierom saies , this is most properly applied to teachers of hereticall doctrines : who ( as we have frequent experience in these dayes ) doe not take whole places of scripture , but broken pieces here & there , for the confirmation of their errors . his words are these . non propter chorum & hemichorū hordei , ut in hosea legimus c. . sed propter pugillum hordei quo bruta vescuntur animantia : & fragmentum panis , non panem integrum , nec solida testimonia scripturarum , sed quae haereticâ pravitate fracta & decurtata atque imminuta sunt , & sanctos quosque decipiant & ad mortem trahant , & peccatores vanis promissionibus vivificare contendant . see the chapter of false-teachers . such as are covetous daubers , and men-pleasers . ignorance , and shame . thus saith the lord concerning the prophets that make my p●ople to erre , that bite with their teeeh , & cry peace , and he that putteth not into their mouthes , they even prepare warre against hjm. therefore night shall be unto you , that yee shall not divine , and the sun shall goe down over the prophets , and the day shall be darke over them . then shall the seers be ashamed , and the diviners confounded : yea they shall all cover their lips , for there is no answer of god , mic. . , , . that bite with their teeth and cry peace ] chald. par. he that offereth them a feast of flesh ; to him they prophecy peace . i am ashamed to remember , how much it hath been the practise of many , to preach for entertainment , and preferment . they even prepare warre ] the hebrew word will import , sanctifie * warre : and though i know it be usuall in this sense , yet it puts me in minde of the popish pretended holinesse , in denouncing warres , and excommunications against such as doe not stop their mouthes , by feeding them with gifts . they shall all cover their lips . ] the sept. translate , they shall all of them curse , for so i chuse to translate their translation , rather then as others do , all shal curse them ; because of the hebrew * word for , all , with an affixe after it , signifying all of them reciprocally : & because of that which follows viz : insteed of , because there is no answer , because there is none to heare them . which puts me in minde of what we have known of later daies especially , both by false teachers amongst themselves , and by papists from abroad ; who having endeavour'd to seduce the people with their false doctrines , when they see it is in vaine , how doe they bite their lips for vexation ? if you translate it the other way , there is experience enough of that too , and , i doubt not , there will be more : when those who have been seduced with false doctrines , shall fret themselves , & curse their seducers , and look upward * . destruction . for thus god spake to ieremiah , when he sent him to prophecy to the jewes , be not dismaid at their faces , lest i confound thee before them , ier. , . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . as if he had said , be not confounded with feare , at their faces , lest i confound thee with destruction , before their faces : so that both thou , and they shall see what a folly it is , to feare men , rather thē god ; and how unable they are to protect those that please them , when god who is displeased , is resolved to punish them . the word for dismayd and confound , in the hebrew is the same ; and so likewise the word for their faces , & before thē . which i thought good to intimate , because i have observed in divers places ( in the prophecies especially ) the like manner of expressing a threat , viz : by the same word , that was mentioned in the sin . perhaps the more to make the persons reflect upon , and keep in memory their sin , to repent of it , and be humbled for it ; or to acknowledge god's justice . so jer. . vers . . it is said to hananiah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the lord hath not sent thee ; and vers . , he is threatened thus , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 behold i will send thee . ( or , i will cast thee , ) from off the face of the earth . so ch . . for abusing and mocking at those words of the prophets ( which they used when they delivered their messages ) the burden of the lord ; the people are threatned , that every man's word shall be his burden * . so vers . , it is said , ( if we read according to the sept. and the vulgar , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) i will beare you quite * away , ( meaning by captivity : ) as if he alluded to the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 burden . i confesse the vulgar translation in this verse pleases mee well , viz : in carrying i will carry you ( portabo vos portans , &c. agreeing with the septuagint their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , answering to their word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which they use for burthen : ) but not so well in the verse , where they translate for , what burden ? i will forsake you : vos estis onus projiciam , quippe vos , yee are the burden , i will fling you off : because i know not how to bring the hebrew to it , unlesse instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we read ( as it is likely the author of that translation did ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : which are the same letters differently p●aced . the words both of the latin and greeke translation may be thus paraphrased : if the people aske , what is the burden of the lord ? tell them , you are my greatest burden : and so you have beene a long time ; but now i will fling you off , saith the lord. or thus , i have let you lye still for a long time , but now i have taken you up , ( as a man will take up a potters vessell ) and i will dash you to pieces . for so the septuagint seeme to have conceived of the meaning of this place ; translating , for , i will forsake you , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i. e. allidam vos , i will dash you in pieces , which is not unsuitable ( especially if it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a , which i thinke properly signifies breaking one thing with another , whereas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b is breaking one thing upon another ) with what is said vers . . of god's word ( which he sends by his prophets ) viz. that it is like a hammer , which breaketh the rocke in pieces . this their translation suites very well with their word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( the word which they use for burden ) comming from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to take . which expression is usually applyed to prophecies , especially such as were bad ; for the prophets were bid to * take up such or such a message , to such or such a people . i. e. either as a burden to lay upon them ; or as a stone , to fling at them . but it is likely , that they did read the hebrew , not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as we read , ( which signifies , i will forsake : but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies , as they translate , i will dash . you may see the like in severall other places , as hos . . . &c. those words of micah above quoted , ( & the diviners confounded : they shall all cover their lips , ch . . . ) some expound them not of confusion by shame ( viz. to see the prophecy of the captivity fulfilled , which they had contradicted : ) but of this confusion ( as we usually call it ) by destruction ; making it a proverbiall speech , taken from the custome of covering the faces of such men as were condemned to die , in use ( as i thinke ) both with jewes and gentiles . see esth . . . ezek. . . nehemiah prayed , that god would think upon those prophets who were hir'd by tobiah and sanballat to discourage him from his worke , chap. . . and jude pronounces , woe , to them that ranne greedily after the errour of balaam for reward , ver . . and therefore certainly such men have cause to feare severe punishment . such as are idle , and neglect their duty , woe . necessity is laid upon mee , yea woe is unto mee if i preach not the gospel : cor. . . god's requiring mens soules at their hands . for thus god told ezekiel , ( whom he made the peoples watchman . ) when i say unto the wicked thou shalt surely die ; and thou givest him not warning , nor speakest to warne the wicked from his wicked way , to save his life : the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity , but his bloud will i require at thine hand , eze. . . the same wicked man shall die , &c. ] though it were not so ; but such a wicked man might be suffered to live ; yet such a watchman deserved to die , because his fault is alike though the other's successe be better . if a sentinell suffer the enemy to come on , & give no warning : though the enemy doe not prevaile , the sentinell shall lose his life . his bloud will i require , &c. ] that is , the spilling of his bloud ; or , the losse of his life . idle ministers are soule murderers . he that forbids not to sinne when he may , is as bad as he that bids . so , much more , he that saves not a soule when he may , and when he must too , is as bad as he that destroyes it . his blood ] and therefore paul ( where he seemes to mee to rejoyce , like a man that hath narrowly escaped danger of death ) when he was going from miletus , sent for the elders of ephesus , and told them , he was pure from the bloud of all men , because he had not shunned to declare unto them all the counsell of god , act. . , . ( as if otherwise he could not have been so ; ) and therefore strictly charged them to imitate him ; and to approve themselves pastors indeed , in feeding the flocke : to be guilty of whose bloud was no ordinary murther : in regard that god ( for so it is said ; wherein the deity of christ * is as clearly proved as by any place that i know ) had purchased them with his owne bloud , vers . . it would anger a man ; if he had beene but at a little cost , or paine , to save a thing , but of a little value ; by anothers negligence to have it lost . read also act. . . where you may see the like exulting expression of the same apostle to the jewes at corinth ; when he left preaching to them , and began to preach to the gentiles . the prophet amos , was so convinced of the danger of being negligent in an embassie from god , that he wondered how any one could dare , not to tell the people , what the lord had told him . the lion hath roared , who will not feare ? the lord god hath spoken , who can but prophecie ? am. . . the shepheards dog , that shall see the foxes , & the wolves , & the lion himself come roaring close home to the flocke , and never barke ; can deserve no lesse then hanging . much more if he fall upon the sheep himselfe , ( as those covetous pastours , in the former chapter . ) see the comparison of greedy dogges , isa . . . ministers , for shame , should not be idle , were it but for their name's sake ; for they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , workmen or labourers , mat. . . but especially for the company , & helpe which they have , being labourers with god , . cor. . . but yet i must confesse however , that , as heretofore it was the common fault to be idle : ( not only of such , who had undertaken ; but of such who intended to undertake , the worke of the ministery ; insomuch that we had cause to pray , not onely that god would utterly cast out the idlers , but violently * cast forth the labourers into the harvest : ) so now it is the common fault to be over - busie . such as are ignorant . the losse of their sheep , of whom they are to give an account . which is a sad evill , though it may not seeme so ; as it is worse , to loose what is another man's , then what is mine own . all the beasts of the field come to devoure , yea all the beasts in the forrest they are all ignorant , they are all dumb dogges , they cānnot bark , &c. isa , . . . it is able to break a man's heart , to think how many poore ignorant silly soules by reason of the blindnesse or carelessenesse of their teachers are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( as the apostles word is ) like so many sheep made a prey of , and taken captive alive by the divell at his will * . secondly , removall from their places . because thou hast rejected knowledge ; i will also reject theee , that thou shalt be no priest to mee , hos . . . this is thought to be spoken to those , who were unlawfully made priests by jeroboam , being of the lowest of the people , and not of the sonnes of levi , kings , . and therefore let men look to it , who doe not only reject a calling ( and so truly * take upon them the ministers office ) without which they should not undertake it : but doe also reject knowledge , without which they cannot discharge it . god's forgetting their children : as it followes in the same verse . seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy god , i also will forget thy children . i know not what the main fault is ; but ( that which the papists attribute to the unlawfulnesse of their marrying ) it hath been generally observ●d , that ministers are very unhappy in their children ; either for wickednes , or poverty ; either they forget god only , or else god forgets them too . the sinnes of the priests ( under the law ) were lookt upon as farre greater , then the sinnes of ordinary men : and therefore their offering was to be no ordinary offering ; and the ceremonies used about it , no ordinary ceremonies : the offering was to be a bullocke , and the blood thereof to be sprinkled seven times before the lord , &c. lev : . . . so no doubt ministers sinnes are greater then others , and and shall be more severely punished . such as ordaine them . have cause to feare their punishments . especially if they doe it rashly . lay hands suddenly on no man , neither be partaker of other mens sinnes , . tim. . . neither be partaker of other mens sinnes . ] he seems to bid him take heed of this with abundance of caution , as if he meant more to affright him with danger , then disswade him from sinne . to be partaker of other mens sinnes is a thing as dangerous , as it is often committed , and seldome taken notice of . better sinne thy selfe , then thus be partaker of other mens sin . ministers , their due . they that persecute them ( for there is a prophecy there shall be such , behold i send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves , mat. . . ) are punished and threatned . in the old testament , with making that member uselesse , which they us'd to hurt them . jeroboam's hand which he did but put forth , to lay hold of the prophet of judah ( for prophecying against his altar at bethel * ) was suddenly dried up , so that hee could not drawe it in againe to him , kings . , being beholding to them for their prayers : as in the same example . entreat now , ( quoth jeroboam to the prophet ) that my hand may be restored me againe , vers . . it is as great a punishment this : as it is vexation , viz. for a man to have need of his enemie , whom he hates . blindnesse . the army , which benhadad king of syria sent to apprehend elisha , ( for informing the king of israel of his plots ) was upon his prayer smitten with blindnesse , and led by him even into samaria , the chiefe city of their enemies , where he made them believe they should finde him , king. . . blindnesse ] the septuagint translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not-seeing : as if they had not lost their sight , but their seeing : that is , their power to see for the present . wherein , me thinkes , the hand of god doth more notoriously appeare , then in making them quite blind . the miracle would be greater ; for every one would wonder more at it : and the punishment would be greater ; for it would vexe them more : and punishments are aggravated by vexation , as much as by any thing . it is a sadder punishment to take away the use of a thing ; then to take away the thing : and it is seldome inslicted , but in anger . it is a way of punishing , as peculiar to god , and as severe , as any ; to make men not to perceive , when they see ; and , not to understand , when they heare , isa . . . the word in the originall * is in the plurall number , viz. blindnesses : and aben ezra ( a jewish writer upon the bible ) saith , it is meant of two sorts of blindnesse , viz. of the eyes , and the heart . and indeed , unlesse they had been blind both wayes , ( as it is likely ) they would not have been led in that manner , by a man , whom they did not know , in their enemies countrey . the word is used likewise in gen : . , concerning the sodomites . who , had they not beene smitten with blindnesse in another way , as well as in their eyes ; would have been able to keep lot's dore , when once they had found it , ( as once they had . ) but this is but conjecture . this place of genesis also , may not unfitly bee brought into the chapter of the punishments of those who persecute god's ministers ; although the story be concerning angels . for if ministers are not angels , ( so as we usually take the word ; ) yet are they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( the words in hebrew , and in greeke used to signifie angels ) i. e. messengers ; ( to say nothing how we render it angels in the revel . ) and angels themselves are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , spirits , that are ministers ; but ministring spirits : as if that were the end for , and the employment in which chiefly they are ) sent forth , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to minister for thē which shall be heires of salvation : as ministers are , to minister to them being persecuted themselves . the prophet micaiah threatned zedekiah when hee had stricken him , that he should be made run from chamber to chamber to hide himselfe , kings . . viz. being pursued by the syrians . this is a very great punishment , viz. to fly when a man's enemy pursues him . david's flying three moneths before his enemies , while they pursued him , was ranked with seven yeares famine , by god himselfe , sam. . . i make no doubt , but he , who is pursued , is alwayes in more torture of mind , ( to say nothing , how he is sometimes in more of the body too ) then hee who is taken . he feares more things , for he feares every thing . and he feares his enemy more , being more afraid of not having quarter , then the other is of not being suffered to live . the other hath past a great part of what is to come with him . it is lesse paine ( i make no doubt ) to be sure of hanging , then to be in suspence , whether he shall or no : unlesse there be ground of hopes . death . by sword and famine . for thus the men of anathoth were threatned , for cōspiring to kill the prophet jeremy ; behold i will punish them ; the young men sball die by the sword , their sonns and their daughters shall die by famine , jer : . . by fire . for so were two captaines with their companies of fifty ( being sent one after the other , by ahaziah king of judah , to apprehend elisha , for prophecying his death ) destroied by fire from heaven , kings . , . in the revelation it is said , of the two prophets , and if any man will hurt them , fire proceedeth out of their mouth , and devoureth their enimies , and if any man will hurt them , he must in this manner be killed , ch : . . and if any man will hurt them , &c. and if any man will hurt them ] twice the same words . why , what ? is it such a matter to hurt them ? it seemes , it is ; for else it had not been repeated . and it is repeated , because it seemes , the holy ghost , if any man did wonder and therefore aske the cause , why men should be so severely punished for so small a matter ; thought it sufficient satisfaction only to repeat the offence . if any man will hurt them ] if he doe his endeavour to hurt them , 't is sufficient : though hee have no successe . in the new testament , the punishments mentioned are both spirituall and corporall . such as removall of the gospell . for so our saviour threatned the priests and elders , after he had told them the parable of the husbandmen , who killed their master's servants , whom he had sent to receive the fruits of his vineyard . the kingdome of heaven shall bee taken from you , and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof . mat. . , requiring at their hands , the blood of the ministers and prophets that have been persecuted heretofore , because they approve of what was done to them , ( for approving of a thing done , or to be done , is as bad as doing it : ) which way god is unquestionably just , in visiting the sinnes of the fathers upon the children therefore also said the wisdome of god , i will send them prophets and apostles , and some of them they shall slay , and persecute . that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may bee required of this generation , luk. . , . desolation of their houses : thirdly , unlesse by house , you interpret the house of god , viz : the temple : which if you doe , it will amount to a worse threat , viz : the losse of god's publike worship . for though in that sense , it were no punishment to others , yet were it a very great one to unbelieving jewes , who would so account it . o jerusalem , jerusalem , that killest the prophets , and stonest them which were sent unto thee , ( in love to doe thee good . ) how often would i have gathered thy children together , even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings , and yee would not . behold your house is left unto you desolate , mat. . , . desolation of their houses , &c. not so much . or want of a dweller , as of a protectour : for it is not said , your house is left by you , but to you , viz : by christ ; who because they refused to come to him , resolved to be gone from them . at least , this is the first desertion , whereupon the other followed not long after . desolation of a house is greatest , even when it is full ; if god be away . after this interpretation , the dative case 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to you , is either by way of aggravation , to intimate their sad condition , when their house should be left to them alone , without god to protect them : or by way of indignation , onely to expresse the threat of desertion , the more angrily * ; especially , if we understand it of the temple ; that , which they stood so much upon . as if it had been said , seeing you stand so much upon your temple ; your temple shall be even left unto you : and see , what will become of it , and , you , when i am gone . in jeremy you have some of the same na●ion thus speaking , the temple of the lord , the temple of the lord , the temple of the lord are these , ch . . . which seemes to me , as if they had said , what doe these prophets meane to threaten us with captivity , and desolation ? behold , have not wee the temple of the lord ? and is not the lord among us * ? none evill can come upon us . we will never believe any such thing cā be , that god should forsake his own temple , and his own people . just as if we should say , ( as doubtlesse many do thinke , though they doe not say it ) are not we of the church of england ? have not we gods ordinances amongst us ? are we not called by his name ? are we not christians ? doubtlesse , we are secure enough ; let these calvinisticall preachers , that preach nothing but damnation , say what they will. but marke what follows in that chapter of jeremy . in the & verses , you have both a complaint and a threat from god , very like to this of our saviour : which i thinke not much to transcribe . and now because ye have done all these workes , saith the lord , and i spake unto you , rising up early , and speaking , but ye heard not , and i called you , but ye answered not : therefore will i doe unto this house , which is called by my name , wherein ye trust , and to the place which i gave to you , and to your fathers , as i have done to shiloh . so you must interpret : unlesse you make the dative case , ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to you ) to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , superfluously used , as the manner is , for it to be both in hebrew , and in other languages : for thē it is no more , thē if it had beene said , your house is , ( or , shall be ) left desolate ; or , your house is left to be made desolate ; or , so , as it shall become desolate . destruction of themselves . for hereunto those husbandmen in the parable ( formerly spoken of ) were condemned , according to luke ch : . . by our saviour ; but according to matthew ch . . . by themselves , that is , the priests and elders . so likewise in the parable of those , that murdered the kings servants , whom he lovingly sent to invite them , to his sonnes wedding , it is said , the king sent forth his armies , and destroyed those murtherers , and burnt up their cities , mat. . . see c. . . the apostle paul saies of the jewes ( after he had spoken of their killing the lord jesus , and the prophets , and persecuting his apostles ) that wrath was come upon them to the utmost , . thess : . , . in which place however ( i speake it with reverence ) i think the greeke were better translated , wrath is come to an end upon them . to an end ] i meane not of it's selfe , but of it's appointed time ; at the end whereof , it shall be kept in no longer , but break forth into * punishment . so that if you will make 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to be as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( as some doe , ) it must not be meant in perpetuum , for ever ; which is the commonly received signification of that hebrew in which sence the septuagint , doubtlesse , rendered it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in psalm . . . ) but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , unto victory , or execution ; according as that greeke is rendred in matt. . , he shall send forth judgement into victory , that is , to execution . this sense of the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; first it suits very well with those hebrew expressions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dan. . . & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ezek. . . rendered , till the indignation be accomplished ; i will accomplish mine anger . which i conceive ( the last at least ) to be spoken in that sence , as it is said , jer. . , the dayes of your dispersions are accomplished , ( in the hebrew , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , filled : ) as if it had beene said , the daies , at the end whereof your dispersions shall begin , are fully come . in the like manner , as it is said in the greeke , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . act. . . when the day of pentecost was accomplished ; or , fulfilled : that is , ( as we render it ) fully come . so on the contrary , god is said to deferre his anger , when he continues indeed his anger , but deferres the execution of it , isay . it suits very well , with what is spoken before in the same verse , of filling up their sinnes : as if god had intended , when those should be filled up , that then the time of their punishment should be fulfilled also ; that being god's appointed time . the septuagint , who usually translate the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , translating it so in jeremy . . & isa . . . ( where it is said of babylon , it shall never be inhabited ) are there interpreted , not as we , ( and the latine also , in the last place ) translate : but as the latine translates in the first of those places , viz. usque in finem , untill the end : i. e. till the end of gods appointed time , the decree whereof he will never revoke . it suits very well with the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which will signify , come upon ( as it is here translated ) that is , come suddenly ( for so wee use that expression in english ) without the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon : and cannot be so properly said of a thing in the extremity , or increase thereof ; as in the beginning . but enough of this . i shall conclude this chapter of those that persecute ministers , with what i have to say of the certainty of their punishment : and that shall be . two expressions of paul. one , to ananias the high priest , when he commanded to smite him , viz : god shall smite thee thou whited wall , act. . . god shall ] or god will certainely ere it be long ; for hee is about it already . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . whether god did in proper speech smite him indeed viz : by death : or whether he did it another way , onely by removing him from his place , is not certain ; but thus much we have read , it was not long after , that there was * another put in his roome . the other expression , is that concerning alexander the coppersmith ( who he saies , did him much evill ) viz : the lord reward him according to his works . . tim. . . the lord reward . ] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , some read : but it is in a manuscript , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , shall ( or will ) reward ( as it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in . tim. . . ) and so the syriack interpreter and augustine translate . and i must confesse , sometimes i think , that even so , as wee read viz : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , it may be also rendred in a future signification ( at lest in the minde of the speaker , according to our english phrase ) thus , the lord may reward him according to his works , if he do ; & it is a hundred to one , ( or great chance ) but he doe . so in that place of timothy but now quoted ( where we thus read the greek , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) that we may render thus : consider ( or , mind ) well what i tell thee : for i make no question then , but god will give thee understanding in all things . a prophecy of jeremy , concerning his persecuters . but the lord is with me as a mighty terrible one , therefore my persecuters shall stumble , and they shall not prevaile ; they shall be greatly ashamed , for they shall not prosper ; their everlasting confusion shall nevor be forgotten , jer : . . i might instance in a world of examples , especially of kings , and great persons : but i am loath to goe beyond my bounds . and therefore i will only mention two or three , whose persecution is spoken of in the scripture . jezabel ( the wife of ahab ) who had slaine divers prophets , and would have also slaine elijah , kings . , was throwne out at window by her servants , and troden under foot by her enemies , and eaten up by the dogs . king . . according to elijahs prophecy , king . . . herod antipas who beheaded john the baptist , mat. . , was banished into france , and there murdered , as he was a hunting * . you may marke the end also , of herod agrippa , who imprison'd peter , and james : although his death be by luke attributed to another cause , act . . the angel of the lord smote him , because he gave not god the glory ; and he was eaten of wormes , and gave up the ghost . nero , who caus'd paul to be put to death , ( he call's him the lyon tim. . ) had been drawn through the city and whipped to death , ( according to the sentence of the senate ; ) but that he cut his own throat before . lastly domitian , ( called also nero by the people , ) who banished john the evangelist into the island patmos * ; was conspired against and murdered by his own wife , ( and some of his friends : ) and after his death both his name and all his acts were eras'd and abolished by the decree of the senate . but what doe i talke of persecuting by offering violence , when as , such as mocke at them , are punished , with wrath unappeaseable . but they mocked the messengers of god , and dispised his words , and misused his prophets , untill the wrath of the lord arose against his people , till there was no remedy , chron . . against his people , &c. ] whom he was loath to be so angry with , b●t being thus provoked , he could not forbeare . severe punishment , both on them , and theirs . the jewes , because the prophets had told them so many prophecies of god's judgements for their sinnes , and of nothing else : and because they saw none of those prophecies yet fulfilled : at length began to mock at them , when they met them ; and to aske them in derision , ( because with those words , usually they began their prophecie , especially of gods * judgements ) what is the burden of the lord ; and their false prophets and priests would doe the like . but they are thus threatened by jeremy , and as for the prophet and the priests , and the people that shall say , the burden of the lord , i will even punish that man , and his house , jer. . . so v. . every man's word shall be his burden ] viz. either because god would burden them with heavie judgements , for thus speaking : or because it should lye as a burden upon their consciences hereafter , when those prophecies should be fulfilled , to have thus derided them . reproach ; for their reproach * ; and i will bring an everlasting reproach upon them , and a perpetuall shame , which shall not be forgotten , jer. . . we all know the proofe of this . the very name of a jew is ( to use the scripture language ) a reproach & a by-word , and a curse , to this day * . though i believe , these words are rather meant of their unhappinesse , then of their wickednesse . violent death by wild beasts . as elisha was going up to bethel , there came forth little children out of the city , and mocked him , and said unto him , goe up thou bald head , goe up thou bald head . and he turned backe , and looked on them , and cursed them in the * name of the lord , and there came forth two shee beares out of the wood , and tare forty and two children of them , kings . , . children ] what must the elder sort expect then ? some make this allegory : ( which i mention , because what is said , is not impertinent to the subject in hand ) christ a crucifying , was elisha : the jewes mocking him , and saying , if thou be that christ the sonne of god come down from the crosse , were the children : and titus and vespasian , ( who shortly after destroyed both them and their city ) the two bears , ( though in the masculin● gender ) because they were so fierce * , that they had better have met with a beare robbed * of her whelps , then them . such as despise them or sleight them shall be punished as despisers of christ himselfe . he that heareth you , heareth me : and he that despiseth you despiseth me , luke . . just as moses told the israelites exod. . . why chide you with me ? wherefore doe ye tempt * the lord. and ch . . . he heareth your murmurings against the lord. for what are wee , that you murmure against us ? let them put it off , how they will , viz : that they despise not god , but the men ; their distinction will not serve . for he that truly respects me , will respect any one that comes from mee , for my sake . further such as believe them not , have been punished and threatned with violent death . that lord , that would not believe elisha ( who , when samaria was besieged by the syrians , even in the extremity of the famine , prophecied , that the next day , a measure of fine flowre should be sold for a shekle , &c. was by him threatned , that he should see it indeed with his own eyes , to his conviction ; but he should but see it , to his griefe ; for he should not eat of it . which fell out accordingly : for the next day , hee was troden to death by the hungry greedy people , as they pressed out at the gate , to take the spoile of their enemies camp , to satisfie their hunger , kings . . . being worse dealt with at the day of judgement , then sodome and gomorrah : and how bad is that like to be ! whosoever shall not receive you , nor heare your words , when yee depart out of that house , or city , shake off the dust of your feet . verily , i say unto you it shall be more tolerable for sodome and gomorrah in the day of judgement then for that city , mat. , , . further , such as will not suffer them to reap their carnall things . one may conjecture , their condition is not safe , by the strictnesse of the charge given to the israelites , concerning the levites , take heed to thy selfe , ( for thou wilt hurt thy selfe most , ) that thou forsake not the levite as long as thou livest upō the earth deu. . as long as thou livest upon the earth . ] come what will ; poverty , or any condition : yet be sure to remember him : and that as long a● thou art upon the earth ; though thou art led captive out of thine own countrey . see the charge repeated deut. . . after which it is added vers . . that the lord may blesse themin all the worke of thine hand which thou doest . which seemes to be spoken , as if otherwise , hee would not in this manner blesse them . nay further yet such as doe not stand by them , in persecution have cause to to feare ; as may be gathered by what paul saies of those , who deserted him . at my first answer , no man stood with me , but all men forsook me , i pray god , that it may not be laid to their charge , tim. . see the ch . of not-helping the godly , at the end . ministery such as intrude upon the work thereof . i know not how they can be secure from punishments ; seeing under the old testament , those who intruded upon the office of the priest , were to be put to death , by a law of god's own making , when he first consecrated aaron and his family thereunto . i have given your priests office unto you as a sacrifice of gift : and the stranger * that commeth nigh shall be put to death , num. the israelites had more cause to grudge , that the priesthood sh●uld be appropriated to a family only ; then we have , that the ministery should be confin'd to learning , and gifts , and other necessary qualifications ; and yet the stranger , ( even to the family ) that commeth nigh , shall be put to death . this law , when men could not execute it , god did ; and that in a fearefull full manner . for as dathan and abiram , & all that follow'd them , with all they had , were devoured by the earth , num. . vers . : so korah , and his brethren , who sought the priesthood ( for medling with that fire which they had nothing to doe with ) were devoured by fire * , vers . . korah and his brethren were levites of the same tribe with aaron ; and yet this would not excuse them . what must men expect then , who are of another tribe , if they encroach ? if they plead necessitie , viz : because there is a defect of ministers , or because the work of the ministery is neglected , or not perform'd in that manner , as it should be : yet will this reason hardly suffice . for though there were no priests present : and though the arke sho●ke ; and though it were not carried as it ought to bee , viz : upon mens shoulders : yet it is said of vzzah ( the sonne of abinadab , ( who with his brother drave the cart , wherein the ark was carried ) that when he laid hold on the ark. the anger of the lord was kindled against vzzah , and god smote him there for his errour , and there he died by the arke of the lord ▪ sam : . . for his errour ] or , because of his errour ; for so the hebrew ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) me thinks , seemes to signifie cleare enough ; and not only , upon . and that this errour was his laying hold of the arke , me thinkes the holy ghost seemes to intimate ; having mentioned that action of his , immediately before his punishment ; which also had not beene otherwise a passage so much worth a relating , ( to say nothing that the hebrew may as well be translated this errour , as his errour : having an article before it ; which may be demonstrative * , as well as not . ) and yet because it is said onely , errour ; and not , his errour . or because the vulgar translation ( out of too much superstition , keeping closer to the words * of the septuagint , then the sence ) renders onely super temeritate , and not , propter temeritatem , upon , and not for his rashnesse ; ( and yet perhaps intending it , for , because ; * ) you will not thinke , what a company of different conjectures there are , of other causes of this punishment : as if god had beene unjust in thus punishing him , but onely for this small fault ( as they suppose ) of touching the arke . when as you may read in numbers ch . , . that the kohathites themselves , whose place was so were the arke as to beare it ; were notwithstanding forbidden to touch the arke , upon paine of death . besides , as to the septuagint , their translation ; it is well enough knowne , that the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therein used , is often put with a dative case , to signifie , because ▪ and of all it's significations besides ( of which it hath divers ) there can bee hardly any other given in this place with any propriety , neither doe i remember whē it is used for , super , in the sence as super is us'd with an ablative case . if you will needs translate upon his rashnesse , i shall give consent , so you take it , as it is said , luk. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , upon this word will i put downe the net . but enough . if it might have been safe , for any one , to medle with the office of the priest : it is likely it might be for the king , ( whose office , and the office of priesthood , were many times joyn'd together among some people . ) but yet it was not . for vzziah king of judah , for but offering to burne incense upon the altar , ( for he did not doe it , because the priests withstood him ) was suddenly struck with leprosy in his forhead , and continu'd a leper to his dying day , chr. . . josephus saies , there was also an earthquake at that time , ( as there was at that time , when korah committed the like sinne : ) and that the temple being therewith rent at the top , the sun shone in directly upon the kings head : whereupon the leprosy presently arose . hierom cyrill , origen , and chrysostome ( upon isaiah ch . . . ) say , there was another greater punishment inflicted by god for this sinne , vers . . not suffering them to have any more prophecies after that time as long as vzziah lived . there is in my minde yet one place of scripture more , whence a man may well conjecture , how likely such men are to be punished ; and that is exod. . . where it is said , that whosoever should but make the like ointment , as moses made to be used about the tabernacle , should be cut off from his people : which i produce , onely to shew , how curious god was of any thing that belonged to his sanctuary , to preserve the propriety of it : and how carefull , not to have it made common , and vile . if god doe not punish them for their sin ; yet i doubt he will ha●dly blesse them in their practise , for only aarons rod did blossome , num : . . bad ministers , threatned for a punishment . to some there seemes to be a threat of bad prophets ( or ministers ) in micah . chap. . . if any man walking in the spirit & falsehood , doe lye , saying , i will prophecy unto them of wine , and of strong drinke ; he shall even be the prophet of this people . the paraphrast upon this place thus speaks , because they have wandred after false prophets who prophecied to them with a lying spirit , and accustomed them to wine and strong drinke ; it shall bee , that the people of this generation , as they are wandered after false prophets ( in a place where they had such as were true ) shall be banished into a land of lies ( where they shall have no true prophets , if they would ) i will raise up a shepheard in the land , which shall not visit those that be cut off , neither shall seek the yong one , nor heale that that is broken , nor feed that that standeth still , but he shall eat the flesh of the fat and teare their clawes in pieces zach. . . hierom expounds this of antichrist : grotius , of manasses , who marrying with sanballats * daughter , made himselfe high priest ( against his brother , ) & built another temple upon mount garizim : whither he made the jewes goe ●ong journeyes , so that they tare their claws , and wore out their feet with going . deiodate applies this place to governours . see kings and governours . mirth ( i. e. worldly mirth ) punished with non satisfaction . i said in my heart goe to now , i will prove thee with mirth , therefore enjoy pleasure : and behold this is also vanity . eccles , . sorrow after it . woe unto you that laugh now , for ye shall mourne and weepe , luk. . . hell hath enlarged her selfe &c. and he that rejoyceth shall descend into it . isa . . . i believe , worldly men may say almost of all their sorrow , ( being the attendant either of sinfull acts , or of vain enjoyments , wherewith they made themselves merry ) gaudia principium nostri sunt , phoce , doloris , that , joyes were the begining of it as it is said , that worldly sorrow worketh death ; and it proveth true many times , of the death of the body : so i have read of joy too , that being too violent , it hath caused death . pliny saith , sophocles the tragedian died * so and plutarch a speakes of a woman that died so . nay ▪ sorrow in it . even in laughter the heart is sorrowfull , and the end of that mirth is heavinesse , prov. . . especially when men are merry in sinfull things ; and in a way , which onely seemes right unto them , ( vers . . ) quid , quod gaudia eorum trepidà sunt ? for why ? their joyes are fearefull ( and full of feare . ) as the poët a said of her , that went to commit incest with her brother , non toto pectore sentit loetitiam virgo , praesagaque pectora moerent : so their owne hearts tell them , that they have no cause to be merry , now ; and that they shall have cause , to be sad , hereafter . i may hereunto adde , ( that which is commonly observed of this mirth ) that it is many times attended with sad and unhappy accidents . and the rather , because of two examples , which i remember related in the s●ripture ▪ one is of amnon ( david's sonne ) who in the midst of his mirth , at the sheepshearing-feast ( to which his brother absolom had invited him ; ) when his heart was merry with wine , was by his brother absalom's servants , at their master ▪ s command , most treacherously murdered , sam. . . the other is job's children , who ( in the midst of their jollity , ) as they were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brothers house , were all miserably killed by the fall of the house , job . , . mockers of the godly , punished and threatened with being conquered by them . thus the ephraimites were conquered by the gileadites , because ( as the text saith ) they said ( in derision ) yee gileadites are fugitives to ephraim , among the ephraemites , and among the manassites , jud. . . this jeere cost them the lives of two and forty thousand men , vers . . and the ammonites by david . for hanun their king , having abused his embassadours ( whom he sent in a friendly way , to comfort him after the death of his father , ) by cutting their beards halfe way off ▪ and their garments up to their buttocks ; and so turning them along , sam. . . when abishai was sent to fight with them , they fled before him , vers . . and were afterward , ( upon the taking of their royall city rabbah chap. , ) for cutting other mens beards , and clothes , made to suffer the cutting of their owne bodies with sawes , and harrowes and axes of iron ; and to passe thorough a the brick kilne , v. . by mocking their enemies , ( then which nothing is more provoking , ) men doe but whet their courage with anger : and so make them fight more desperately ; not regarding their lives , so they may be revenged . you have an example hereof in the jebusites . for ( as the more b received interpretation of that place will have it in contempt of david's weakenesse , ( when he besieged them at jerusalem ) they placed blind men , and lame men in the fort , to defend i ; and in a mockery told him , except thou take away the blind and the lame , thou shalt not come in hither , sam. . . but david herewith was so enraged c , and his souldiers made so desperate ; that they presently fell on , & tooke the fort the same day , vers . . . another example you have in the philistins , who having gotten sampson into the temple of dagon , to make sport of him ; were kill'd thousands of them by the fall of the house , when sampson had pulled away the pillers , judg. . . . . barrennesse of womb . thus was michal ( davids wise ) punish'd for jeering at her husband , when she saw him dancing before the ark , with a linnen ephod about him : as if he had done a thing unbeseeming the state of a king , ( as indee● most godly , & virtuous actions , seem either absurd , or ridiculous , or disgracefull , to ungodly men ) therefore michal the daughter of saul had no child unto the day of her death , sam. . . the daughter of saul ] as if she were no longer worthy , to bee called the wife of king david : and accordingly some say * , that david never after that time us'd her as his wife . had no child ] for those five sons spoken of ch . . . which ou● hebrew saies shee brought forth ; she only brought up , and adopted them for her own . and therefore our english renders , brought up . and the chaldee paraphrase ( me thinks very well ) thus saies upon that place , the five sonnes ( viz : of merob ) which michal the daughter of saul brought up . god's hearing the prayer of the godly against them . i am as one mocked of his neighbour , who called upon god and hee answered him , job . , . . god 's not pardoning them : at least , as to this worlds punishment , ( if not also that which is to come ) for when sanballat and tobiah jeered the jewes , ( as they were building the new wall at jerusalem : ) sanballat thus , what doe these feeble jewes ? will they fortifie themselves ? will they sacrifice ? will they make an end in a day ? w●ll they revive the stones out of the heapes of rubbish which are burnt neh. . . tobiah thus * , even that which they build , if a fox goe up , he shall even breake downe their stone wall , vers : nehemiah praied to this purpose against them . if his prayer were not propheticall ( as most such mens prayers in scripture are ) yet it was the fervent prayer of a righteous man ▪ & that we know , availeth much * ; especially at such a time , as he is mocked : for then ( as 〈◊〉 said in the former punishment ) he calleth on god , and he answereth him . nehemi● words were these . heare , o our god , for● are despised ; and turn their reproach upon th● own head , and give them for a prey in the 〈◊〉 of captivity , and cover not their iniquity , 〈◊〉 let not their sin be blotted out from before 〈◊〉 for they have provoked * thee to anger bef●● the builders , neh. . . the men of the world , who so often commit this sinne , and make use of it to ma● themselves and others merry , thinke b● slightly of it ; because it steales no goods , 〈◊〉 makes no scarre in the flesh , and does a 〈◊〉 no visible hurt . but doubtlesse , it is not slightly accounted of by god ; and he w● severely punish it . in the epistle to th● hebrews ch : . mockings are put in the catalogue of the saints persecutions ; & joyn● with scourgings , vers . . and justly aggrav●ted by our translation ( for it is not in the originall ) with the epithete , cruell . othe● had triall of cruell mockings , and scourges . in the epistle to the galatians , it is said that ishmael persecuted isaack ; and therefore w● cast out . ch : . . and yet in genesis , we rea● of nothing but mocking , chap. . . i wi● conclude with one punishment more , an● that no small one ( which , though i have 〈◊〉 ●ut of the apocrypha , yet i believe for truth ) ●nd that is the vexation and sorrow , which ●ey shall have hereafter , when they shall ●e those whom they despised , in honour with god. and they repenting , and groaning for ●●nguish of spirit shall say within themselves , this was he whom we had sometime in derision , ●nd a proverb of reproach . wee fooles accoun●ed his life madnesse , and his end to be without ●onour , &c. wisd ▪ . , , , . mockers at those that denounce god's judgements , threatned with the aggravating of those judgements . now therefore be yee not mockers , lest your bands be made strong * , isa . . mockers at those that suffer them with , being mocked in the same manner . moab also shall wallow in his vomit , and hee shall also be in derision . for was not israel a derision unto thee ? jer. . , . and not onely the moabites ; but the rest of the heathen , for mocking at the jewes in their calamity , ezek. . . were thus threatened , because yee have borne the shame of the heathen , therefore thus saith the lord god , i have lifted up mine hand , surely the heathen that are about you , they shall beare their shame , vers . . . beare their shame ] better so , then ignominy , which will signifie both actively and passively ; whereas shame will not . f● though these words may seeme to signifi● ( according to the use of the word , bea●● in other places , as when it is said , beare th● iniquity , &c. and likewise the use of the hebrew word for , shame , in the verse next before ) that the heathen should certainly r● it , for reproaching god's people ( luerent co●tumeliam suam : ) yet i rather thinke , tha● which is mainly intimated in this place , to be retaliation in god's punishing of them that is , giving them like for like , or the sam● that they gave others . for in the first sence , they might beare their ignominy , that is , that wherewith they reproached others , by another way , as well as by suffering ignomin● againe : for he that is punished for a sinne , may be said to beare it , though his punishment have no resemblance with his sinne . an● this i say the rather , because the word for shame * , or reproach , with the pronoun● affixed , is seldome or never used actively ( as it is passively , ch . . . psal . . , & ps . . , &c. ) and especially , because there is a separate pronoune also put on purpose , for * they ; as if it were thus spoken ▪ they who have reproached others , eve● they , for all their confidence and prid● shall be reproached themselves , and shall beare their shame also , as the israelites have borne theirs . to say nothing how affixed possessive pronounes are many times superfluously added in such expressions , according to the manner of other languages . we say in english , he shall have , or ( he shall beare ) his punishment : and that with a kind of elegancie ; as in galat. . . where it is in the greeke onely , he shall beare * judgement , we translate , he shall beare his judgement . murderers shall be certainly punished for , thus god threatens him , that should kill cain , ( though he had murdered his brother , and was therefore cursed by god. ) whosoever slayeth cain , vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold . gen. . . if you translate ( with symmachus ) omnis qui occiderit cain , septimus ulsciscetur ; and interpret ( with hierom * ) whosoever shall kill cain , the seventh ( i. e. a man of the seventh generation ) shall execute vengeance for his murder : it will make more for our purpose , for he saith , it was the opinion of the ancient , that cain , for an example , was suffered to live till the seventh generation , and then slaine by lamech but i suppose , taking vengeance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seven times ( or sevenfold ) is only an expression , to set forth abundance of severity in revenging : as to forgive a man till he hath sinned against him seventy times seven , is only to expresse endlesnesse of mercy in forgiving : viz. without any curious respect to a certaine number of times the barbarous people of malta ( and such they were indeed , not for inhumanity , but ignorance ) when they saw a viper leap out of the fire upon pauls hand , as if they thought no sin could have drawne such a punishment upon him sooner then murder , presently said , no● doubt this man is a murtherer , whom though he hath escaped the sea , yet vengeance suffereth not to live , act. . . suffereth not ] or , hath not suffered so the originall * ; and so beza renders . as if they made it sure , he would presently die for it : and as it is said , they did , vers . . they are punished in their persons , first with a curse , executed , as it were by the earth it selfe in revenge , for defiling * it with blood . thus cain was punished . and now thou art cursed from the earth , which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brothers blood from thy hand . when thou tillest the ground , it shall not henceforth yeeld unto thee her strength a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth , gen. . . . * alexander , when hee return'd from the indians , sent letters through greece to give liberty to all banished men , to returne to their homes , excepting only such as had been so punished for murder . god's hatred , the lord will abhorre the bloudy and deceitfull man. ps . . the bloudy ] chald. pa : the shedder of innocent bloud : according to the heb : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the man of blouds : for when the word in hebrew for bloud , is in the plurall number , it is usually meant of unlawfull putting to death . and the reason may be , ( if my judgement faile not ) because the bloud of any one man cannot be unlawfully shed , * but the bloud of another also must and will bee shed for it , sooner or later : so that every murderer is a shedder of blouds . whereas , if a magistrate cause a man to be put to death according to law , only one mans bloud ( and scarce that , i meane in the scripture language , ) for the most part is shed , and wee heare no more of it . god 's not hearing their prayers . and when yee spred forth your hands ( your bloudy hands ) i will hide mine eyes : yea though yee make many prayers , i will not heare , your hands are full of bloud , isa . . of bloud ▪ ] for though , i confesse , by this word are usually expressed other sinnes , besides murder : yet i believe it is chiefly meant of wrongfull condemning men to death , which i make no question , is a breach of that commandement , thou shalt doe no murder . and that the greatnesse of those sinnes is set forth by this expression ( as the fittest for aggravation ) it makes much the more for the aggravating of this sinne . god 's not pardoning their sinne . for though there had beene three kings in judah , since manasseh's time : yet it is said in the second booke of kings ch . . v. . ( speaking of the misery that befell the jewes for manasseh's sinnes . ) and also for the innocent blood , that he shed ( for he filled jerusalem with innocent blood ) which the lord would not pardon . shortnesse of life . ( if they escape a violent death . ) bloody and deceitfull men shall not live out halfe their dayes , ps : . . violent death . before the law , threatened or prescribed . who so sheddeth mans blood * , by man shall his blood be shed , for in the image of god made he man , gen. . . so that he destroyes not meerely a man : as he that breakes in pieces the statue of a prince , doth not onely breake the wood , or the stone . it was either the death of esau , or little better , which rebeccah feared , when she bid jacob fly from him , adding this reason , why should i be deprived of you both in one day ? gen. . . vnder the law , prescribed . he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death , lev. repeated , v. . a law that admitted of no cōposition , or satisfaction . the land cannot be clensed of the blood that is shed therein , but by the blood of him that shed it * under the gospel , threatened : for our saviour told one of his company , ( who had cut off the care of a servant of the high-priest's , that came to apprehend him , ) put up thy sword againe into his place ; for all that take the sword , shall perish with the sword , mat. . . you have almost the same words in rev. . . they that take the sword ] though persecuted , yea , though christ and his gospel , be persecuted , they may not take such a armes to themselves , no more then a man could take a the priesthood to himselfe ; that is , unlesse they are called of god. even in tertullian's time , when the christians had farre lesse reason ( there were so many of them ) to fear perishing with the sword if they tooke it , then they had when christ spake those words , yet he saith , they durst not doe it . cui bello ( saith he ) non idonei , non prompti fuissemus etiam impares copiis , qui tam libenter trucidamur ; si non apud istam disciplinam magis occidi liceret , quam ●●cidere ? examples of violent death executed upon murderers , either by the magistrate , or by god , by the hands of themselves or others , the scripture affords many . i will produce some of the more noted . as zeba & zalmunna , kings of midian . being taken by gideon in fight , they were by him afterward put to death in cold bloud , for murdering his brethren , jud : . . . abimelech , with the helpe of the shechemites had murdered seventy of his own brethren , jud. . . but ( according to jothams parable . v. ) when the shechemites rebelled , a fire came first out of this bramble and devour'd them , vers . . and after that fire came out of them , and devour'd the bramble , vers . . for as abimelech was besieging the tower at thebez ; a woman threw down a piece of a milstone * upon his head , and brake his scull whereupon , lest it should be said , he was slaine by a woman , he caused his armour bearer to run him thorow , and so died , ibid. . agag king of the amalekites . for having made women childlesse , samuel hewed him in pieces , after he had taken him , in cold bloud , sam : . , and saul lost his kingdome for sparing him , vers . . . rechab and banah , two of king ishbosheths captaines . they murdered their master in his bed , and carried his head to king david , sam . . but so farre was he from commending them for what they did : that , although he , whom they had murdered , was his competitour in the kingdome , yet he caused them presently to bee put to death ; and cut off their hands , and their feet ; and hung them up for a terrour , sam . . zimri , captaine to elah king of israel . he murdered his master , and made himselfe king ▪ but being afterward besieged in tirzah by omri , ( whō the people erected in his place , ) he set his house on fire over him , and so died , kings . , . this example , jezabel used , to fright jehu with all kings . . ahab king of israel . hee caused naboth , upon false witnesse of blasphemy , to be stoned to death , that hee might get his possessions , kings . , . but hee he was afterward , in a fight with the king of syria , wounded in his chariot ; and died of the wound c. . . now his bloud run●ning out in the chariot ; when the chariot came home , it came to passe according to that which elijah the prophet threatned him , ch . . . viz : in the place where dogges licked the bloud of naboth , shall dogs licke thy bloud event hine . shallum king of israel . he ●urdered zachariah king of israel , and was murdered by menahem ; who came in his place . kings . . pekah . hee made himselfe king of israel , by the murder of pekahiah ; and was afterwards murdered by hoshea , who came in his place , , kin. . . ▪ the servants of amon king of judah . they murdered him in his house ; and were all of them afterward put to death by the people : who made josiah king in his steed , kings . , athaliah the mother of ahaziah . having made her selfe queen of judah by the murder of all the seed royall except joash ( whom jehosheba hid . kings . ) shee was afterward slaine at the command of jehoiada , v. . joash king of judah . he caused zachariah the son of jeho●ada to be stoned to death , and was afterward murdered by his own servants . chr. . . those servants but now mentioned , they were put to death by joash his sonne amaziah , who reigned after him , ch . . . the last punishment of murderers , which they s●ffer in their persons , is hell. for he , whom john saw sitting upon the throne , hath said it himselfe , that murderers shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone , rev : . . they are punished in their countries . with famine . there was three yeares famine in israel , for sauls murdering the gibeonites , sam. . . conquest and destruction by enemies . such as befell the jewes , upon the rebellion of jehoiakim . surely , at the command of the lord , came this upon judah ; to remove them out of his sight : for the sinnes of manasseh , according to all that he did ; and also for the innocent bloud which he shed , for he filled jerusalem with innocent bloud which the lord would not pardon , kings . , . they are punished in their posterity . by death , or some other great calamity : as you may see in joab , according to david's threat to him . for , when joab had trecherously murdered abner ( who came over to him ) by taking him aside to speak with him , thus he spake , i , and my kingdome are guiltles before the lord for ever from the bloud of abner the sonne of ner , let it rest on the head of joab , and on all his fathers house , and let there not faile from the house of joab , one that hath an issue , or that is a leper , or that leaneth on a staffe ; or that falleth on the sword , or that lacketh bread , sam. . , . see also solomon's threat concerning him , kings . . after which , it is said also , that hee himselfe was slaine by benaiah , at the command of solomon , even when he hung upon the altar . kings . . to . for god will not be a refuge for murderers : neither were the cities of refuge appointed for them , deut. . : in david , ( for the murder of vriah , ) according to nathans threat , now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house : because thou shast despised me , and hast taken the wife of vriah the hittite to be thy wife , sam : . . in saul ( for murdering the gibeonites ) for when the gibeonites were asked by david , what satisfaction they desired : they demanded seven of sauls sonnes ; and hung them all up with his consent , sam : in ahab , for murdering naboth . for joram his son king of israel , was by jehu ▪ ( who was already anointed king in his stead ) shot to death with an arrow , as hee sate in in his chariot , kings . . see what he sayes , when he had kil'd him , v. it was not long after , ere jehu put to death all the rest of his familie ; causing the heads of seventie of his sonnes , to be brought to him at one time , to jezreel in baskets , c . . thus you see how loud , and how long , bloud crieth : and how deeply it staineth ; so that nothing but bloud will fetch it out again ▪ especially if it be in a place , where the true religion is professed : for then the punishment will be , as to one , that hath defiled god's dwelling : which must needs anger him exceedingly , num : , , . so yee shall not pollute the land , wherein yee are : for bloud it defileth the land ; and the land cannot be cleansed of the bloud , that is shed therein , but by the bloud of him that shed it . defile not therefore the land which yee shall inhabit wherein i dwell : for i the lord dwell among the children of israel . the odiousnesse of this sinne , and how certaine it is to be punished , may be further gathered out of the scriptures thus , by the strictnesse of god's requiring the blood shed ( as if it were a thing more his owne , then other things ) even at the hand of a beast , that hath neither hand , nor reason , gen. . . for if a beast killed a man , yea , though it were an oxe ( the most usefull beast of any , ) it was to be stoned to death : and none of his flesh was to be eaten , exod. . . by the strictnesse of god's inquiring after it . i doe not read of his making inquisition , for any thing but this : and for this he allowes times of purpose , as if it were a businesse , which he constantly does , and which he will not by any meanes omit . when hee maketh inquisition for blouds , be remembreth them . ps . . . no wonder then , there are such strange discoveries of murder , so deeply concealed , so long agoe committed . sithence he , who is the searcher even of hearts , maketh inquest for it : and shall not he search * it out ? see isai . . i might produce many examples of such discoveries , if it were not beyond my bounds . by the strictnesse of the enquiry , which he prescribed to the elders of the israelites , when they found a man slaine , and it was not knowne , who kill'd him . as likewise by the forme of prayer given them , wherein they wereto desire god , not to lay even such a man's bloud to their charge , deut. . . by davids charge to solomon concerning joab , for murdering abner and amasa * : let not his hoary head goe downe to the grave in peace , kings . . by the punishment , which the shechemites suffered , for helping . abimelech in the murder of his brethren : viz : the slaughter of themselves ; and the utter ruine of their city , by the hand of abimelech himselfe . then god sent an evill spirit betweene abimelech , and the men of shechem , and the men of shechem dealt treacherously with abimelech . that the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of jerubaal might come , and their blood come upon abimelech thir brother which slew them , and upon the men of shechem , which aided him in killing of his brethren , judg. . , . lastly , by what is said of the importunate cries of such , as have been murdered : which are sure to be heard ; rev : . . how long , o lord , holy and true , dost thou not judge , and avenge our bloud , on them that dwell on the earth ? what ever thou doest , let the life of a man be precious in thy sight . if thou hast the invitation of an opportunity to save it : as thou hatest bloud , doe it . for there are but two waies , to save life , or to kill mark : . . if thou hast the provocation of an injurie to destroy it ; as thou lovest life , doe it not . for if thou hast not hated bloud , even bloud shall pursue thee , ezek : . . take heed of a bloudy hard heart . how many murderers , are there , that never lifted up their hand to hurt a man ? oathes such as doe not keep them , or take them fasly , threatened with certaine punishment . thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy god in vaine : for the lord will not hold him guiltles , that taketh his name in vaine , exod ; . name . ] what an account doth the meanest of us make of his name ? and how tender are we of it , and how doe we listen , when we heare another mention it ? thy god ] thou wouldest be wary , of using the name of thy king ; or thy master ; or thy father ; in their hearing : and why not of thy god who heareth at all times , and places ; & is then most quick of hearing , when his name is used . in vaine ] or , for a lie. for that the word * in hebrew for , vaine , will signifie , and is so used , and that when the meaning is only of assertion , and not of promise . for whereas in this chapter vers . , the word for false witnesse , is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; in deut : c. . it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . i know , they usually say , that these wordes are cheifely meant of promissory oaths , because of our saviours words , mat. . . speaking only of the forbidding of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that is , forswearing : and ( as if this word were properly meant of doing or not doing after an oath to the contrary , whereby a man does , as i may say , unsweare * himselfe , or make his swearing null and void ; and not of doing or speaking first , & then adding an oath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , upon it or for it ; ) adding , but shalt performe unto the the lord thine oathes . but as for the words of our saviour ; i conceive , he relates the cōmandement , as the scribes & pharisees related it , & according to their glosse : & not that he knew no such wordes as those , which i first produced : or that he thought , the meaning of them extended no further , then is expressed in these . and as for these words which i have quoted ; in the originall , one might think , they sound cleane contrary viz : rather for an assertory falsity , then a promissory , both because of the word translated , in vaine , signifying more properly , for , or , to vaine , ( as it is in leviticus . . he shall not sweare by my name , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a lye , ) as if it were said , thou shalt not use the name of the lord thy god to ( or for ) the confirmation of a falsehood , and because of the word taking . for in promissory perjury men may , & usually do , take god's name not in vaine : i. e. they have a resolution when they take it , to keep their oathes , though they break them afterwards . hold him guiltlesse ] or , let him goe unpunished , for so much the hebrew * will signifie ; and so it is used , and translated . jer. . , and c. . . and , me thinks , both in this , and other threats against this sinne , there seemes to be insinuated , that god may , and many times doth let such men alone for a while : ( a et st quis primo perjuria celat , sera tamen tacitis poena venit pedibus : ) but that notwithstanding he doth not hold them guiltlesse , but will certainely punish them one time or other . nay i may adde , i will not hold him guiltlesse , that is , i will most severely punish him . for that is a common hebraisme in the scriptures , by a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or , extenuation in the negative , to intend the positive in the highest degree . oathes ( and covenants ) such as doe not keep them , threatened with certaine and unavoidable punishment . and thus i speake , because in most of the threats against this sinne , there is an expression of the certainty , and of gods resolution also , not to change his mind . as first , in that concerning zedekiah , for breaking his oath of subjection , even to the king of babylon : shall he breake the covenant , and be delivered ? ( it cannot be . ) ezek. . . the septuagint translate without an interrogation ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) i. e. if he shall escape ( or be delivered ) after the manner of swearing used in scripture : as if god had sworne , that he should not . and so indeed he did afterward : and you have his oath twice related , viz. v. . & vers . . and in vers . . with notable aggravations , both of his sin , and his punishment : as i live , saith the lord god , surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king , whose oath he despised , and whose covenant he brake , even with him , in the midst of babylon he shall die . the chal. p. in those verses ; for , breaking the covenant , translates , changing the covenant : and so zedekiah did , in revolting from the assyrian , to the egyptian . now a man hath the greater cause to feare god's punishment , when hee doth not onely not doe what he promised ; but doe , and promise to doe the contrary . in that threat , to the people of tyre , for breaking the oath of friendship , which hiram their king had made with solomon * , in selling the jewes * for bond-slaves to the edomites : who were their inveterate enemies , and would use them cruelly . thus saith the lord , for three transgressions of tyrus , and for foure , i will not turne away the punishment thereof , because they delivered up the whole captivity to edom , and remembred not the brotherly covenant , amos . . this punishment was the destruction of that city by nebuchadnezar , which accordingly came to passe , after a siege of yeares , so that , ( as i said in the former chapter ) their punishment for breaking covenant , was long a comming , yet came at last . severe punishment , and many judgements . they have spoken words , swearing falsly in making a covenant : thus , ( or therefore ) judgment springeth up as hemlocke in the furrowes of the field , hos . . . the chaldee paraphrase runnes thus ; they sweare falsly , and they make a covenant in vaine . now will i bring against them the heads of noysome serpents , as a judgement for their lies , upon the borders of their countrey and they that thus take this place , interpret those words , springeth up as hemlocke , &c. of the great number of god's judgements , which should come as thick as hemlock in a furrowed or tilled field . which me thinkes seems better then to interpret judgement , of judgment among men i. e. justice : making it not a threat , but a complaint , viz : that judgement was so corrupted , that it became as hatefull to the people , when they had occasion to use it , as hemlock is to the palat . the like hurt , as they intended , or must necessarily doe to others by their perjury . thus zedekiah is threatned in the place above cited , as i live , surely ( what expressions here are to make it certaine ) mine oath that he hath despised , and my covenant that hee hath broken , even it will i recompence upon his own head , ezek : . . but especially those that promise a man help in his misery , if they break their oaths , must look to bee punished , because they doe most hurt , and men depend upon them . they are like a rotten weak staffe ; which when a man leanes upon it , breaks ; and runs into his body . the egyptians , for dealing thus with the israelites , are thus threatned . when they tooke hold of thee , thou didst break , & rent all their shoulder : and when they leaned upon thee , thou brakest and madest all their loynes to be at a stand ; therefore thus saith the lord god : behold i will bring a sword upon thee , and cut off man and beast out of thee , ezek : . , . certainly god is as angry , and therefore men are likely to be as severely punished , for this sinne , as for any even among men ( creatures exceeding contemptible in comparison ) nothing will provoke to anger , more then contempt , and slighting : especially if men are slighted , as if they wanted that which they have , viz : power or autority , or knowledge , or the like . now he that breakes an oath , despises * god ; as if he had not power , or knowledge , or justice enough , to execute that vengeance , which he himselfe submitted himselfe unto , in case of breach , and therefore in that chapter of ezekiel before quote● , god complaines twice of despising the oath , and vers : . where we translate trespassed against me , hierom renders , despised mee . now as men in such a case , will doe something , to shew that which they have , which else they would not : so god cannot forbeare in such a case , to execute punishment , if it were for nothing , but meerely that men may know ( who else would be apt to question it ) that he , whom they have taken as a knower of all things , and a revenger of sin , and a revenger of perjury , is such a one indeed . and therefore in ezek : c. . in the vers . next before the words which i quoted , thus hee speaks , and all the inhabitants of egypt shall know , that i am the lord , vers . . viz : when i shall revenge upon them their breach of promise , in this manner as i intend . neither can the perjur'd person complaine ; let it be what punishment it will , or be it never so great . for in swearing by the name of god , either he gave himselfe up to him , to doe to him what he would ; or he desired him to do his worst ( in case he sware not in truth ) if not in words , at least in meaning : as the jewes * did in their swearing , when they said , only , if i doe , or if i dot not such or such or such a thing , &c. leaving a blanck for the punishment ; as if they would acknowledge any punishment to be litle , and just enough , for such a sin , as perjurie . those ceremonies , which the jewes used at the making of covenants and leagues , viz : cutting a beast in two , and passing between the parts of it , implied ( if there were none expressed ) an imprecation , ( or a contented acknowledgement of justice , if it were so ) that , whosoever brake that covenant , his body might bee cut in two , in the like manner , and be for meat for the fowles of the heaven , and the beasts of the earth . for so much seems to be intimated in gods threatning zedekiah in these expressions , jer : . . for breaking his oath to the king of babylon ; which he had so deliberately taken , and so solemnly confirmed with those forenamed ceremonies , as you may see vers . , . and here give me leave to impart one conceit , which just now came into my mind upon this occasion . in genesis c. . . it is recorded of abraham , ( at the time that god confirmed his covenant with him in a formall manner , with these ceremonies ) that when the fowles came down upon the carcasses , he drove them away . now i say that this seemes to be a passage , which in a story of so solemne a businesse , would not have been related , but with some speciall meaning , and which i conjecture to be this , viz. to shew either abraham's faithfulnesse , that he resolved to keepe god's covenant ; or his faith , that he doubted not , but god would keepe his promise , ( and so it should never come to that passe , as the coming of the fowles would seeme to bode , which was a great temptation to him to unbeliefe ) . as if he had said withall by way of abomination , absit , away , i feare not , or , god forbid it should come to this passe , that either a covenant o● god's should be in vaine , and a sacrifice of his covenant devoured by the fowles ; or that a covenant with god should be broken ; or that ever i should come to this passe , as to be exposed to the fowles for meat , for breaking covenant . no , for my part , i am resolved : and for god's part , i am confident , that he is also ; that this covenant shall be firme and sure . the old romans , at the performance of such rites , used to expresse their imprecation : for their ceremonie was to throw a stone at a hog , ( so say some * : but i rather thinke , to knock him in the head with a flint a , and so kill b him ) with this or such like forme of words sic c a jove feriatur is , qui sanctum hoc fregerit foedus , ut ego hunc porcum ferio . so let jupiter smite him that breakes this league , as ismite this hogge . oathes , such as take them falsly , threatened with destruction of their persons , and ruine of their houses . every one that sweareth shall be cut off , as on that side , according to it ( speaking of the flying rowle with two curses , one on one side against theeves , and another on the other side against false swearers ) i will bring it forth saith the lord of hosts , and it shall enter into the house of the thiefe , and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name . and it shall remain in the midst of his house , and shall consume it with the timber thereof , and the stones thereof , zac. . , . every one that sweareth , &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ] the septuagint translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , every perjured man shall be punished ( or revenged ) by this hooke ( or sickle * : for so they translate , where we render , a rowle vers . . ) unto death . it is likely , they did read for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which wee translate , cut off , ( which suits well with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the septuagint , ) perhaps they did read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . the chald. a paraphrast seemes to have read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , translating , shall be stricken . but b others render it , is absolved : as if the rowle were a letter ( or proclamation ) of pardon ▪ which is clearly proved to be false , by what is afterward said , viz. that it shall remaine in the midst of the house , and shall consume it with the timber thereof , and the stone * thereof . it shall remaine in the midst of the house ] the house , which he hath built * with , or wherein he keeps , that which he gets by stealing , and defrauding , and forswearing . for , as it said in job that fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery , ch . . . so this curse shall consume such houses . old men , their dutie the sinner being a hundred yeares old shall be accursed is . . . for though the expositions of the former part of the verse be various : yet these words are generally expounded in this sense . their due . such as doe not honour them , may justly feare god's anger : because it is said , thou shalt rise up before the hoarie head , and honour the face of the old man ; and feare thy god : i am the lord , lev : . . as if the charge were thus , honour the face of the old man , as thou fearest god , who will punish thee if thou dost not . how tenderly god takes it to have them wronged by any ; you may gather by his complaint thereof , against the king of babylon , thou didst shew them no mercy : upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid the yoake . is : . . and what a crime he accounts it , to have them despised by the younger sort ; by his threat thereof to the jewes ( as a punishment ) isa : . . the child shall behave himselfe proudly against the ancient . such sins as are threatned for punishments , are usually great sinnes . that was a great wrong to old men ; otherwise it had not been threatned for a punishment . and if it were a great wrong , it was a great sin ; and if it were a great sinne , it must expect a great punishment . give me leave to produce what a heathen * speakes , in commendation of the practise under the golden age . when , although men had no other law besides that of nature ; yet , he saies , they counted it a capital crime , if a young man did not rise up ( as the phrase is here used likewise in the hebrew ) to an old man , though a poorman . credebant hoc grande nefas & morte piandum , si juvenis vetulo non assurrexerit , & si barbato cuicunque puer , licet ipse videret plura domi farra , & majores glandis acervos . tam venerabile erat praecedere quatuor annis . but the present age is of another mettall , wherein the disrespect commonly shewed not only to old men , but to old parents , ( and such especially ; for then doe we slight them most , when we should most respect them , ) makes this report concerning those times almost incredible , so that i may use the words of the historian * ( speaking of an army , how the younger bands gave place to the elder ) vix ut verisimile sit , parentum quoque hoc saeculo vilis levisque apud liberos autoritas . of the respect given and commanded to be given to old men in scriptures , see job . . . chr : . , , . rom : . . tim : . , . opportunities of grace , such as neglect them , threatned . with hardening . exhort one another while it is called to day * , lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin . heb. . . see ps . . . isa . . cor : , , removall of the meanes afforded them . yet a litle while the light is with you , walke while yee have the light , lest darknesse come upon you , joh : . . not being suffered to have any more , though they desire it . our saviour told his disciples , the day will come , when yee shall desire to see one of the dayes of the son of man and shall not see it . luk : . . see c. , . being suffered to dye in their sinnes . i goe my waies , and yee shall seek me , and shall dye in your sinnes : whither i goe yee cannot come , joh : . . because it is not your desire , to seek me , when i may be found : it shall bee your punishment , to seek me , when i may not . now seeing it is thus , i will exhort you in the words of jeremy to the jewes , give glory to the lord your god ( by repenting and believing ) before he cause darknesse , and before your feet stumble upon the darke mountaines , and while yee look for light , he turne it into the shadow of death , and make it grosse darknesse , jer : . . and if you will not heare it . i am sure i shall have cause to mourne , as hee had , ( saying it with confidence , as if the punishment were already inflicted , ) because the lord's flock is carried away captive , vers . . because through your inward darknesse in the midst of so much light , you are led captive by satan into outer darknesse , whence there is no returning to all eternity . oppression . oppressours of the poore , threatned . ( in generall ) with punishment , great and sure enough . for god goes solemnly about it : as if he made it his businesse to keep an assize of purpose for them . the lord will enter into judgment with the ancient of his people , and the princes thereof , for yee have eaten up the vineyard , the spoyle of the poore is in your houses , isa : . . the spoile of the poore ] &c. which is like the gold of toloze : for none can prosper , that have it . nay , he is so earnest at it , that he riseth off his seat to execute it . for the oppression of the poore , for the sighing of the needy now will i arise saith the lord , i will set him in safety , from him that puffeth at him , psal . . . poverty , and losse of their estates , which they have gotten by oppression . solomon hath a proverb for it . he that oppresseth the poore to encrease his riches , and he that giveth to the rich shall surely come to a want a , prov. . . hee that oppresseth , ( in the * septuagint , the paraphrase , and the vulgar ) he that falsly accuseth onely . amos hath a prophecie for it , forasmuch therfore as your treading is upon the poore , and yee take from him burdens of wheat ye have built houses of hewen stone , but yee shall not dwell in them , yee have planted pleasant vineyards , but yee shall not drinke of them , ch . . . this is a great punishment , and matter of much vexation : much more , then if the houses , or vineyards , had been bought , or given . it is a punishment often mentioned in the scripture . viz. not dwelling in an house that a man hath built : & not eating or gathering of the grapes of the vineyard which a manhath planted , see deut. . . & ch . . . destruction . of their persons . hee shall judge the poore of the people , he shall save the children of the needy , and shall break in pieces the oppressour , ps . . . break in pieces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] where he expresses that which he often uses : ( and the scripture intimates as much in allusion , by using the same words ; as i have often said ) his retaliating , or doing to them as they have done to others , for it is said of these oppressours , is . , , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * they beat ( or break ) in pieces my people , & grinde the faces of the poore . of their countrey . for the prophet amos cha . . after complaint made of some that swallowed up the needy , v. . and that bought the poore for silver and the needy for a paire of shooes , v. . thus threatens judea , the lord hath sworne by the excellency of judah . surely i will never forget any of their workes . shall not the land tremble for this and every one mourne that dwelleth therein , &c. vers . . . shall not &c. ] as if he had said , if the land have cause to tremble at any time , it hath now under the weight of such heavy oppressours . or , i cannot chuse but make it tremble now , unlesse i will be god no longer . oppressors of the fatherlesse , widdows , strangers , and servants . are threatned with speedy punishment : & perhaps the more speedy , because their oppressours put it so farre away : for these were the words of the jewes , where is the god of judgement ? mal : . . but in the following chapter , you have this threat , and i will come neere to you in judgement , and i will be a swift witnesse against the sorcerers , &c. and against these that oppresse the hireling in his wages , the widow and the fatherlesse : and that turne aside the stranger from his right , & feare not me , saith the lord of hoasts , vers . . and feare not me , saith the lord of hoasts ] or , feare not me , who am the lord of hosts ; and therefore able : nay , who am a father * of the fatherlesse , and a judge of the widowes , ps . . . a preserver of the stranger , ps . . . and a judge of all that are oppressed , * ps . : . and therefore willing , to punish them . oppressours of widowes , fatherlesse , and strangers , threatned & punished . with a curse . cursed be he that perverteth the judgement of the stranger , fatherlesse , and widow , deut. . . god 's not hearing their prayer in affliction . in zachary ch . . after complaint made of hardheartednesse , in oppressing , and of hardnesse of heart , in continuing to oppresse , notwithstanding god hath spoken so much against it , vers . , , , . it is added ver . . therefore it is come to passe , that as he cryed , and they would not heare : so they cried , and i would not heare , saith the lord of hoasts . oppressours of the fatherlesse , & widows threatened with death . yee shall not afflict any widow , or fatherlesse child : if thou afflict them in any wise , and they crie at all unto mee , i will surely heare their cry , and my wrath shall waxe hot , and i will kill you with the sword , and your wives shall be widows , and your children fatherlesse , exod. . , , . oppressours of the fatherlesse . their punishment is certaine . remove not the old landmarke * , and enter not into the fields of the fatherlesse . for their redeemer is mighty : he shall plead their cause with thee , prov. . , . — of widowes . their judgement is severe , ( especially if they thinke to hide it with piety . ) woe unto you scribes , and pharisees , hypocrites , for yee devour widows houses , and for a pretence make long prayer : therefore yee shall receive the greater damnation . mat . . greater damnation , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] it would be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 otherwise , ●hat is , very great : but if they seeke to cloak it with piety , creeping into their houses , like those false teachers , tim. . . it shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( as i may say ) more very great , or by much the greater . woe to that nation , where it can be said , that the people lay themselves downe upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar : and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god. am. . . — of strangers . after the cursed be ye , above mentioned deu. . . pronounced in this world , they must expect a depart yee cursed to be pronounced in the world to come . for thus our saviour hath told us , it shall bee said to him , that entertaines not the stranger , mat. . . : much more to such as oppresse him . — of servants ( see hire . ) their punishment will be not only speedy in coming , ( as i told you before out of malachy : ) but intolerable when it comes , & yet not to be avoided if i did despise the cause of my man servant , or of my maid servant , when they contended with me : what then shall i doe , when god riseth up ? and when he visiteth , what shall i answer him ? job . . . if i did despise ] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the septuagint . if i did but think slight of it ( in contempt of their condition , because they were but my servants ) to doe them right , and give them their due : ( either when they contended with me or before me * ; ) much more , if i d ee them wrong : what then shall i doe , when god riseth up , &c. what then shall i do ? ] in the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and ( or but ) what shall i doe ? as if job had tacitely ( as he does expresly in the rest of the chapter except ver . . where he does as he does here ) made an imprecation of some punishment , or acknowledged the justice of god , in punishing him so as he did ; and then added this , after this manner , if i did despise , &c. i could not but say , i were justly punished now : and , more then so ; what shall i doe , when god commeth to judgment ? when god riseth up . ] god is not said in the scriptures to arise , for any occasion , so much as for oppression , and violence : as in the place before , ps . . . and severall other places of the psalmes : and in isa : . . . &c. as if he could not otherwise deal with oppressours : who are usually the great ones of the land , and men of power . whereas those that are oppressed , are commonly the meanest , and those that can doe nothing for themselues ; and have none to speake , or doe for them . oppressours of any , threatened , and punished . in generall with woe , and unavoidable punishment . woe to them that devise iniquity , and worke evill upon their beds : when the morning is light , they practise it , because it is in the power of their hands . and they covet fields , and take them by violence ; and houses , and take them away : so they oppresse a man , a man and his house , ( which he hath to cover his head ) even a man , ( such as themselves are ) and his heritage ( which came lawfully to him from his father , and which cannot but be a great griefe to him , to be defrauded of , ) therefore thus saith the lord , behold against this family i devise * an evill ( for their devising the evill of iniquity , i will devise the evill of punishment ) from which yee shall not remove your necks , neither shall ye goe haughtily , for this is an evill time , mic : . , , . see zeph. . . jer. . . if kings , with the revolt of their subjects . rehoboam being king of israel , jeroboam & the people came to him to desire him , to make their heavy yoake lighter kings . . but he hearkening rather to the counsell of young hot spirited fellows ( who thought to gain by his oppression , & to have the more liberty to exercise it themselves ) made them answer , that , whereas his father chastened them with whips , his resolution was to whip them with scorpions , vers . . and therefore was served accordingly ; for all israel hereupon revolted from him , and made jeroboam king , vers . . god 's not hearing their prayer . for the prophet micah , after he had complained of the ravenous butcherly cruelty , of the princes of israel in their oppression , c. . , . presently added . then shall they cry unto the lord , but he will not heare them : he will even hide his face from them at that time , as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings , vers . . behaved themselves ill in their doings ] i observe , that in most places , where complaint is made of oppression , there is mention of evill : evill time , and evill doings : & still in the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . either to shew what an evill , & sinfull thing god accounts it : or what an evill , & hurtfull thing it is in a state. see the place before , jer . . mic. . . is . . . am. . . mi. . . ezek. . . destruction . the roaring of the lyon , and the voyce of the fierce lyon , and the teeth of the young lion are broken . the old lyon perished for lack of prey , and the stout lyon's whelps are scattered abroad , job : . , . comp : with vers . , . see isa . . . creatures , that never cry , will cry , when they are seized upon for a prey ; and never so loud as then . the cry of the oppressed , is a very lowdlong-lasting cry . god heareth it , saith job , chap. . : and forgetteth it not , saith david , ps . . . and therefore they are sure to be avenged . the odiousnesse of this sinne in the sight of god , and the danger of it , may be further gathered out of the scriptures , thus : by the odious names given to it . such as grinding the faces of men , isa . . . eating them , psal . . . devouring them , hab. . . plucking off their skinne , and their flesh from their bones : nay , breaking their bones , and chopping them in pieces , as for the pot , mic. . , . blood , ( which is the life ; and they that take away a man's livelyhood , in effect , take away his life ) almost every where in the prophets , isay . . ezek. . &c. by the odious names , that are given those that practise it : as of lyons , and wolves . zeph. . . ezek. . . psal . . , . by the greatnesse of god's anger , even for not helping those that are oppressed , and that speedily . for thus it was said to zedekiah king of judah , execute judgement in the morning , and deliver him that is spoyled , out of the hands of the oppressour . lest my fury goe out like fire , and burn that none can quench it , jer. . . lastly , by the greatnesse of the reward , promised to those who doe not onely abstain from it : ( for that they may out of policy onely : ) but hate it . ( for though it be not enough for such a reward ; yet it is the maine thing mentioned . ) — he that despiseth the gaine of oppression . that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes , &c. he shall dwell on high , &c. isa . . . what ever they thinke , princes can never be so safe , nor so secure , when they have the feare ; as when they have the love , of their subjects . i have been the longer upon this subject , because i see it is a sinne so much practised in most countries , even ( which i am ashamed to speake ) of christiandome . parents , their duty . such as correct not their children , rewarded with shame and sorrow . the rod and reproofe , give wisedome : but a child left to himselfe , bringeth his mother to shame , prov. . . continuation of punishments inflicted for their childrens sinne , which might else have been taken off . in that day i will performe against eli all things , which i have spoken concerning his house . when i begin , i will also make an end . for i have told him , that i will judge his house for ever , for the iniquity which he knoweth : because his sonnes made themselves vile , and he restrained them not . and therefore i have sworne unto the house of eli , that the iniquity of eli's house , shall not bt purged with sacrifice , nor offering , for ever , sam. . , , . he restrained them not , ] in the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he did not bend his brow upon them . he reproved them indeed , because he would give content to the people ; ( and herhaps god punished him partly for his hypocrisie herein ; ) but in such a manner as any other body might doe , and as if hee were loath to crosse them . marke his words , ch : . . why doe yee such things , &c. and , nay , my sonnes , for it is no good report that i heare , &c. v. . there is too much of this counterfeit reproofe , and correction in use , both among parents , & magistrates . and he restrained them not . and therefore i have sworne , &c. ] i had but told him before ; but now i have sworne . the iniquity of his house shall not be purged ] or thus , the punishment of his house which i have threatened , ( viz. ch . . . ) shall not be taken off . for i am not of their mind , who gather from this place , that eli was damned . yet let me tell you thus much ; that though it may be charity in you to thinke the best of others ; yet i count it wisedome in you , to feare the worst of your selves . parents , their due . such as curse them , threatened with death . every one that curseth * his father , or his mother , shall surely be put to death . he hath cursed his father , or his mother , ( of whom he had his life ) his blood shall be upon him , lev. . . he shall be put to death , he hath cursed his father &c. ] certainly , god accounts this a hainous sinne : for he seemes to have thought , that he gave sufficient reason for the greatnesse of the punishment of it , onely by repeating it . children might forbeare to curse their parents , even out of malice : for , no doubt , god will prosper them the better , and blesse them the more . the jewes , when they speake of a child's cursing his parents , by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , expresse it by barach , a word which signifieth , blesse . blacknesse of darknesse , ( as some compare the following expression with that in peter , epist . . . & jud. . ) who so curseth his father or his mother , his lamp , shall be put out in obscure darknesse , prov. . . when the godly die , it is no more , then if a man's candle should be put out , when the day breakes . i used the word cursing , in the title , because it is so in our translation : but yet i believe a smaller matter , then wee usually understand by cursing , will deserve punishment ; yea , though it be meant onely of evill speaking . for so in leviticus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is translated by the sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he that shall speake evill to , or of . so in marke . . we translate , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speake evill of me . the word is the same which we translate , curseth , ch . . . where this statute in leviticus is cited in these words , viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . evill speaking , i said : but i meant not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , such as that , pet. . , i. e. obtrectation and slander ; but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , such as that , eph. . . i. e. vilifying , or disgracing by reports ; though true . so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( the word used in this statute , and translated , curseth , ) shall be that thing in words , which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( rendred , despiseth , in deut. . . ) may be in any other way , viz : in mind , or behaviour . such as make mocks of them , or give them ill words , with a curse upon their posterity , viz. of serving their brethren . for noah , ( though he deserved sufficiently , to be mocked for his folly ) because his sonne cham , finding him naked , went and made sport of it ; or perhaps onely complained to his brethren , of what his father had done ; ( whereas children should cover their parents failings , in this sense ) thus saith of his son canaan , ( as some thinke , because he first saw it , and told his father , who told it to his brethren ) cursed be canaan , a servant * of servants shall he be to his brethren , genes . . . with . cursed be : ] or , cursed is . so the hebrew rather : as if he did not pray , but prophecie . and his prophecie was fullfilled : for the canaanites , being the posterity of cham , which came of canaan ( who alone is mentioned of cham's sonnes : and the ejection of whose posterity by the israelites , moses his maine designe was to relate , so that there is some ground to thinke , that canaan the grandchild , had a hand in the sinne , as i have said , before ) those that were used best ( i meane the gibeonites ) were used as servants ; the rest as servants of servants , and worse too , by the israelites : who were of the posterity of seth , and their brethren , or kinred , ( for so the word is used in scripture ) by whom they were utterly destroyed . whether noah prayed , or prophecied ; this is certaine : the prayers of parents , both for , and against their children , are very powerfull ; and many times come to passe , like prophecies . augustine * speakes of ten children , that being cursed by their mother , went about quaking and trembling from one place to another , like vagabonds . in that manner , as some conceive , cain did : because the septuagint in gen : . . for fugitive and vagabond , translate , groaning , and trembling . and there might be many other instances given . insomuch , that , as ambrose * saith , children should honour their parents , if it were for nothing but for feare : honoretpius patrem propter gratiam , ingratus propter timorem . with a most fearefull judgement , what ever it be . the eye that mocketh at his father , and despiseth to obey his mother , the ravens of the valley shall pick it out , & the young eagles shall eat it , prov : . . the eye ] the same thing ( i believe ) that is meant by lamp in c. , and so it is expounded alike , viz : of the soule . and accordingly it is thought , that by the ravens of the valley , and the young eagles , are meant the black divels of the lowest hell , and the spirits subject to that prince of the ayre ; who shall make a prey of such a mans soule , as soone as 't is got out of the cage . if these words be meant onely of blindnesse ( as the sept. seeme to have taken the other , ch . * ) yet is the punishment sad & fearefull . the eie that mocketh ] though he say nothing ; but doe it so closely , that his father shall not know it . and despiseth to obey ] or despiseth the wrinkles ( for so one a saith , the hebrew word * also signifies ; b and the septuagint render it old age ) that is , the markes of her old age , hastened with paines and care in bearing and bringing him up . so that herein he is both unreasonable , in despising , that which himselfe occasioned , and unnaturall also , and worse then the beasts : for some * of them will pay their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a great deale better , then many christians ; in feeding their old ones . so that ( understand you by ravens and eagles , what you will ) such a wretch as will mock his parents , may well feare , that the birds and beasts will rise up against him , to punish him in this world : and their naturall affection come against him in judgement co condemne him , in the world to come . such , as set light by them , threatned . with a curse . cursed be hee that setteth light by his father or mother , deut. . . seteth light . ] doth not honour , saith the paraph. and the vulgar translation this sinne is ranked with very hainous sinnes , in that catalogue , ezek. . . after which follows a fearfull threat . v. , , . such as are disobedient to them , and incorrigible . with stoning to death . if a man have a stubborne and rebellious sonne , which will not obey the voice of his father , or the voice of his mother , and that when they have chastned him will not harken unto them : then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him out unto the elders of his city , and unto the gate of his place . and they shall say unto the elders of this city . this our sonne is stubborne and rebellious , he will not obey our voice , he is a glutton , and a drunkard , being rebellious is the maine crime , and being a glutton and a drunkard , are brought in as evidences , though crimes too ) and all the men of his city shall stone him with stones that he die : so shalt thou put ●ill away frō among you , & all israel shall hear and feare , deut. . , . , . certainly , rebellious children are grievous sinners in god's account , and he will accordingly punish them ; because he aggravates the disobedience of the israelites to his own self by it , isa . . . i have nourished & brought up childrē , & they have rebelled against mee . and accordingly threatens them with grievous threats , c : . . &c. woe to the rebellious children . such as doe not honour them . have cause to feare shortnesse of life . because it is said , honour thy father and thy mother that thy daies may be long in the land which the lord thy god giveth thee , ex : . . i say , shortnesse of life , simply , because it is usually so expounded , otherwise i should say , short injoyment of their inheritances , which is no reason they should enjoy , who will not honour those from whom they have them . indeed i rather thinke that in these words is promised ( that which is promised also in other places to other things upon the keeping of the command ) , not so much living long as living long in the land which the lord thy god giveth thee . in that good good land , ( for so the septuagint translate , and so it is otherwise called ) out of which , on the contrary , they are every where threatned to be cast * out , and carried away by captivity if they kept not the cōmandments . as for living long only , a promise of that , is annexed only to letting the damme goe , when they rob'd a bird's nest , ch . . . and dying in a polluted land , though they lived never so long , was a punishment , amos . . i placed not-honouring , after not-obeying , because i take it to be lesse : as i take honouring to be more then obeying ( so farre am i from taking it for no more then it is commonly made to be , viz : honouring with cap and knee forsooth ; which they think to be enough without doing any thing , when they are bid ) viz : yeelding them help , and support , * and indeavoring to reward them with acts of piety . reward them , i say ; for so the word in the hebrew for honour , will signifie ; as well as to honour ; according * b to the use of the greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , tim. . . and v. . act . . the jewes * have a saying , what honour is to bee given to parents ? to give them meat , and drinke , & to cloath them and cover them . peace breaking , see discord . persecution . threats of it , and for it . all that will live godly in christ jesus shall suffer persecution , tim : . . all , from the divell : and most , from men ; even for so living . all that will but live honestly , suffer by so living ; but not for . but they that will live godly , who are resolved they will live godly , notwithstanding all rubs and hinderances & dangers ; they shall suffer for so living . nay , there is also a threat of persecution , even out of zeale for god ( such as is too usuall ; the more is the pity . ) yea the time commeth , that whosoever killeth you , will think that he does god service . joh. . . but there is also a threat against thē . your brethren that hated you , that cast you out for my names sake , said , the lord be glorified * : but he shall appeare to your joy ; and they shall be ashamed , isa : . . which cannot be well interpreted , but of these latter daies since christs time . pity . not pitying others * in their misery . threatned with suffering the like . woe to them , &c. that drink wine in bowles , & anoint thēselves with the chiefe ointments , but they are not grieved for the affliction of joseph . therefore now shall they goe captive with the first that go captive , &c. amos . . . they are not grieved ] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , septuagint . nihil patiebantur , lat : i.e. they suffered nothing ( or they were not moved . ) whereas , if one member suffer ; all the members should suffer with it , cor : . . god is so much for tender heartednesse in this kinde , that he would have us , not to have the heart to looke upon them . for he tells edom , thou shouldst not have looked on the day of thy brother , in the day that hee became a stranger , obad. . pledges of things necessary , such as keep them have cause to feare , what may come of the prayers of him that pawned them . for thus it is spoken , if thou at all take thy neighbour●s raiment to pledge , thou shalt deliver it to him by that the sun goeth downe . for that it is his covering only ; it is his rayment for his skin : wherein shall he sleep ? and it shall come to passe when he cries unto me , that i will he are : for i am gracious , exod. . , . god would have us be very tender of taking pledges , of any kind ; as you may see deut : . , . but especially of such things as are necessary for the sustenance of life , such as a milstone , vers . . expressedly forbidden . politicians * punished with infatuation of their mindes : so that their counsells are to their hurt . the princes of zoan are become fooles : the princes of noph are deceived : they have also seduced egypt , even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof . the lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof , and they have caused egypt to erre in every work thereof , as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit , isa : . , see v. , . those that counsel●d pharaoh , to help the jewes against the assyrians ; did it to his and their owne ruine : for the assyrians thereupon invaded egypt . frustration of their counsells : so that their desires are not accomplished . he disappointeth the devices of the crafty * : so that their hands cannot performe their enterprize , job , . let them be never so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perplexedly knit and twisted , they shall all be unravelled . see ps : , . isa : . , & . jer. and the example of the builders of babel , gen : . , , . upon the certainty of this punishment , gamaliel advised the councell of the jewes , to let the apostles alone . for ( saies he ) if this counsell , or this worke bee of men , it will come to naught , act. . . but especially they are thus punished , if their counsells are not only ungodly , but against the godly . for in the frustrating of such counsells , god hath appeared very notably severall waies , as . by discovering them himself in a dream . ( or some such way ) as he did to joseph , herod's designe of killing all the children in bethleem ; whereby he preserved the life of our saviour , mat : . . and to nehemiah , sanballat's designe , of killing the builders of the wall of jerusalem , as they were at work , neh : . . with the . by causing those whom they entrust , to discover them . as he caused jonathan , sauls own sonne ; and michal , his own daughter ; to discover sauls designe of killing david , sam : . , . by contriving strange waies of getting the godly out of their power . as he did for david , and paul : who , when their enemies had beset the house to apprehend them , were let downe at a window , and so escaped , sam : , . cor : . . and for baruch and jeremiah concerning whom , when jehoiakim had sent men to put them to death , it is said , the lord hid them , jer : . . which some conceive hee did by striking the men with blindnesse : as he did for elias , kings . . or by making him invisible ; so as they conceive our saviour did for himself , joh : . . by causing their counsells to be slighted as he did that notable councell of ahitophel to absalom , to chuse out men and goe suddenly in the night after david , and take him unprovided : which in any man's judgement was the wisest way that possibly could be taken . and therefore it could never have been , that absalom should rather hearken to hushai , one that came from his enemies ; and to such counsel as his was , to take such a tedious course of gathering all israel from dan to beersheba , sam : . : but that the lord had appointed to defeat the good counsell of ahitophel : to the intent that the lord might bring evill upon absalom : as it is said sam , . by raising up enemies against them . as hee did for ahaz king of judah , against rezin king of syriah and pekah king of israel ; who had a designe to conquer his kingdome , and set up another king . isa . but according to the the prophecy vers : . their councell was frustrated ; for tiglath pileser , king of assyria , came against rezin , and slew him , kings . . and not long after , shalmaneser king of assyria , subdued samaria , cap. . destruction of themselves , by their owne hands . for so ahitophel , because his councell was not followed , and because he knew david had intelligence of what he had done ; went presently and hung himselfe , sam. . . or at least , by their owne councels . i say , by , or with ; and not onely in : and it will stand very well with the frequent use both of the hebrew * & greek a , so to translate ( although the more ordinary signification be in ) in these following places , viz. job . . & cor. . . he taketh the wise with their owne craftinesse . which it is easie for god to doe , being wiser then they : as it is easie , for one that knoweth the foxes cunning in taking such a secret way ; to take * him sooner so , then if he went more openly . all wicked men ( as i have often shewed ) are as thorns and briars ; and their own wickednesse , as fire , isaa . . . they are like a garment , and their wickednes like a moth , job . . in regard destruction comes to them from themselves . but yet in a more speciall manner , doth god delight , to make the devices and co●ncels of * those , that proudly presume , & confidently use , their wisedome and strength against him & his ; to prove destructive to themselves : scattering them , even by the imagination of their owne hearts , luk. . . me thinkes i heare him speaking to such ; as he did once to the assyrians , yee shall conceive chaffe * ; yee shall bring forth stuble : your own breath as fire shall devoure you , isa . . . prayer not heard , for these causes ( among many other , ) viz. not-hearing god. he that turneth away his eare from hearing the law , even his prayer shall be abomination , prov. . . see ch . . . & vers . . not-hearing the poore . who so stoppeth his eares at the cry of the poore ; he also shall cry himselfe , and shall not be heard , prov. . . apostacy from the true worship of god , to idolatry . they are turned backe to the iniquities of their forefathers , which refused to heare my words , and they went after other gods to serve them , &c. therefore thus saith the lord god , behold i will bring evill upon them which they shall not be able to escape , and though they shall cry unto mee , i will not hearken unto them , jer. . , . see ezek. . . & ch . . . . contempt of the worship of god , and worshipping him negligētly . ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar : and yee say , wherein have we polluted thee ? in that yee say , the table of the lord is contemptible . and if ye offer the blind for sacrifice , is it not evill ? &c. i have no pleasure in you , saith the lord of hoasts ; neither will i accept an offering at your hand , mal. . , , . blood guiltinesse , and injustice in judgement . when yee spread forth your hands , i will hide mine eyes from you , yea , when ye make many prayers , i will not heare ; your hands are full of blood , isay . . see c. . . oppression . who eat the flesh of my people , &c. then shall they cry unto the lord , but he will not heare , mic : . , . hypocrisie . will hee heare his cry , when trouble commeth upon him ? job . . sinning with delight , and without remorse . they have loved to wander , they have not refrained their feet , therefore the lord doth not accept them , &c. jer : . . it followes v : . then the lord said unto me , pray not for this people , and vers . . when they fast , i will not heare their cry &c. god heareth not sinners ( that sin in such a manner , ) joh : , . resolving to continue in sin , when we pray . if i regard iniquity in my heart , the lord will not heare me , ps . . . intending to make ill use of what wee pray for . yee aske , and receive not , because yee aske amisse , that yee may consume it upon your lusts , jam : . . having sinfully occasioned those evills , from which we pray to be delivered . and ye shall cry out in that day , because of your king , which you shall have chosen you , and the lord will not heare you in that day . they are the words of samuel to the israelites , when they desired a king , sam : . . you may see an experience of gods refusing to heare prayer for this reason , likewise in those israelites , who fighting with the amorites against the command of god , & being overthrowne ( in the words of moses , ) returned & wept before the lord but the lord would not hearken unto them , deut : . . doubting in prayer . but let him aske in faith , nothing wavering : for hee that wavereth , is like a wave of the sea , driven with the wind and tossed . for let not that man thinke , that hee shall receive any thing of the lord. jam : . , . praying amisse , punished . with not-obtaining the request . ye aske and have not ; because yee aske amisse , that yee may consume it upon your lusts , james : . . which is a notable argument of the greatnesse of gods love , and that which wee have experience of , oftner then we take notice . it is more love to deny us a scorpion , when we aske for a scorpion ; then not to give us a scorpion , when wee aske for a fish . as it is a greater signe of love to doe good , when there is greater excuse for doing hurt ; then where there is lesse . obtaining with anger . god tells israel , i gave thee a king in mine anger ; * and tooke him away in my wrath , hos : . . obtaining with a vengeance , ( as we say . ) he gave them their request ; but sent leannesse into their soule , psalm . . . the septuagint translate for , leannesse , fulnesse , ( or saciety , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) . whether they by fulnes , meant fulnesse to loathing ( spoken of num : . . ) and so made it a cause of leannesse . and so whether we , by leannes , be to be understood of an atrophy , usually occasioned by too full feeding . againe , whether they read the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insteed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : or whether they read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( the same word that is in numbers : ) and whether this place , and that in numbers ( in ch : . ) be to be understood of a different punishment , at a different time ; i cannot determine . but only thus much i can determine from these words , viz : that the israelites lusting sinfully after flesh , when they should have been contented with what god had else provided for them , had their desire in that indeed , but were met with another way . and perhaps all that the prophet meant by calling it leannes , was onely to allude to their fulnesse with flesh , which they so eagerly desired , and obtained : and to shew , that for a litle good , they had a great deale of bad , ( of what kinde soever the punishment were . ) not-praying punished . with temptation . for thus jesus christ told his disciples , when he found them asleep , arise , ( or according to marke , watch ) and pray , lest you enter into tentation , luk. . . lest ] so we translate the greeke words , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . which yet may be rendered , that yee may not enter . as if because christs enemies , then were so eager in persecution ; he would have his disciples to pray to god for his ( according as he had taught them to pray before , mat. . . ) that they might not be tented to forsake him through feare . this is certaine ( for i have had experience of it , to my great griefe . ) not only if a man doe not forbear to pray now & then ; but if he forbeare to pray often ; he will presently lye open to the assault of all manner of tentations . besides he will be in danger of utter falling away from goodnesse , and not without abundance of difficulty , b● brought to renew his wonted course of praying againe . and here i had once concluded this chapter : but since , i though good to adde two or three words in favour of the aforesaid interpretation , to the end that i may make you more seriously ( then usually we do ) to think of these two things : one as great an evill , as we can be delivered from , viz. temptation : and the other , as necessary a duty , as we can practise , viz : prayer against it . ( which i never heard practised since the disuse * of the lord's prayer . ) in the . v. of this ch . it is said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; which cannot be otherwise translated then it is : ( viz. without a point after , pray ) pray that yee enter not into temptation . in the . v. our saviour saith , that satan had desired ( yea and obtained * ) liberty to tempt them . in the v. he saith , that hee had prayed for peter , that ( in that temptation ) his faith might not faile . he had told them all , the day before , what danger they should be in that night , of being offended at him , through temptation : and he had absolutely told peter , ( being confident to the contrary ) that he should deny him . he himselfe had prayed for the same in effect , viz. that the cup might passe from him , v. . and i must confesse , i doe not think , that by the preposition in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is meant ( as some say ) their being delivered * up to temptation ; but only their coming into that temptation , in which our saviour already was , viz. of being put to it , either to depart from god , or to part with life . . there was not any thing which they had so much need to pray against , at such a time as that was , viz. when the shepheard himselfe should be smitten ; then that the sheep might not scattered from him , and forsake him . . it was that which the shepheard had long before prescribed to them , especially to pray for , viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that god would not lead ( or bring ) them into temptation , matth. . . an expression to which this * answers , that ye may not enter into temptation , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . and whereas it is there presently added , and deliver us from evill * : so in this chapter , it is said , that satan ( that evill a one ) had begged them , to winnow them . & therefore now , if ever , they had cause , to pray to be delivered from him . the words added immediately after these , mat : . . the spirit indeed is willing , but the flesh is weake , seeme to make much for it . for i doe not thinke ( as some doe ) that they are spoken in a favourable manner to excuse their drowzinesse : because the contrary appeares by the verse next before , where there is a reason mentioned , why they were not to bee excused , viz : because christ had as yet watched but one houre ; which was urged by our saviour very sharply , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . what ? ( or , is it possible ? ) could yee not watch with mee one houre ? but rather in a friendly monitory manner , to minde them of their weaknesse , ( especially because hee saw how confident they were of their strength ) to hold out in temptation . as if hee had spoken the whole thus ; doe yee sleep , as if you were secure against , and as if you would expose your selves to temptation ? you had more need watch ; and pray that you may not be tempted : and all litle enough . i deny not , but ( according to your profession ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , * , to will may be present with you , and you may be resolv'd in the spirit to hold it out with me , even to die with mee . but , know this , your flesh is weak . so that , unlesse my father doe extraordinarily strengthen you , when it comes to , you will not tell how to finde * in your heart to perform , what you would & therfore by all means , pray that ye may not be brought to temptation . so that , if , to be free from temptation , it be needfull , not only to pray , but to pray against it : you have no cause to wonder , if they who doe not pray , do meet with it . preaching of the vvord , threatened to be removed . behold the dayes come , that i will send a famine in the land ; not a famine of bread , nor a thirst of water , but of hearing the word of the lord. and they shall wander from sea to sea , and from the north , even to the east : they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the lord , and shall not finde it , am : . , . a famine of bread ] or , a hunger for bread . so the originall , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , for the threat is not , only of a want , or scarcity : but of an hunger , & earnest desire , proceeding from that want , ( as is plaine by the verse & by the word for , of hearing , which signifies literally , to heare , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ) which aggravates the punishment very much . for they shall have paine and griefe , whiles they hunger ; and in the end , shal be starv'd to death , for want of what they would have . and yet , as we render it , ( famine : ) it makes the threat sufficiently dreadfull ; because it implies a necessity of this food , for the life of the soule . for we doe not call it a famine , although other things be never so scarce and deare ; unlesse there bee a scarcity of corne , ( or bread ) which we cannot be without . such as hinder it , have cause to feare . removall of good preachers , and havin● bad in their stead , ( which is a worse punishment , then if they had none . ) prophecy y● not , say they to them that prophecie . they sh● not prophecie to them , that they shall not ta●● shame , mic : . . and it follows vers . . if man walking in the spirit and falshood doe ly● saying , i will prophecie unto thee of wine , 〈◊〉 of strong drinke ▪ he shall even be the prophet 〈◊〉 this people . if you translate this verse wit● the vulgar , * thus : i could wish , i were not man that had the spirit ; & that which i speak were not true ▪ but yet i will prophecy to you , 〈◊〉 i have made you drunk as it were with win● ( even a full cup of judgments , which i shall denounce unto you ) it will amount to thus much viz : that when men endeavour to hinder the faithfull ministers of god's word , from preaching the truth : god will punish them with fearefull judgements ; and make even those very ministers , in spite of all their opposition his instruments to denounce them prophecy ] in the originall it is , drop , in both verses . and it is not unlike , the people did indeed use this very word , in a jeere , ( because it was a word which the prophets much used as you may see ezek : . . ch : , . ) even as they did the words , line upo● line , isa : , . & , the burden ●f the lord , jer : , . and so likewise that amaziah thus used it , amos . . drop not thy word , &c. death and ruine of their families . that amaziah but now mentioned , ( who was a priest of bethel , in jeroboam's time , ) is thus threatened by amos , thou sayest , prophesie not , and drop not thy word against the house of isaack * . therefore thus saith the lord , thy wife shall be an harlot in the city , and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword , and thy land shall be divided by line , and thou shalt die in a polluted land , &c. ch . . , . preparation before medling with god's ordinances , such as neglect it , may justly feare severe punishment . for thus it was said under the old testament , ( and doubtlesse , there is as much need of preparation for gospell services , as there was for those of the law , ) let the priests also , which come neere to the lord , sanctifie themselves ; lest the lord breake footh upon them , exod : , . the septuagint say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , lest the lord depart away from them ( as being a holy god , and therefore not enduring any unholy thing to come neere him ) which i take to be a worse punishment then the former . especially after the commission of some fowle sinne ; whereby we are defiled . for then we had need to wash our selves first , with teares of humiliation , and repentance . the man that shall be uncleane , and shall not purifie himselfe , that soule shall be cut off * from among the congregation , &c , num : . . see the practise of job , ch . . . the priests , before they went into the tabernacle , were to wash their hands & their feet upon paine of death , exod : . . what a charge did god give of preparing the people to hear him , when he intended to speak upon mount sinai , even two daies before . exod : . , . see gen : . , concerning the practise of jacob. and job : . , i wish , we were as strict in preparing for all manner of duty ; as the jewes * were , and yet are , in externall preparations for the keeping of the sabbath ▪ or , that we were as punctuall to wash our hearts , before we go to sit down at the lords table : as they were to wash their feet , and the pharisees their hands , before they would sit downe at their own tables . presumptuous sins , see sins . presumption of perseverance punished . both with sinne and sorrow . peter told our saviour , though all men shall be offended because of thee , yet will i never be offended . m●tth : . . but our saviour presently threatned him , verily i say unto thee , that this night , before the cock crow , thou shalt deny me thrice , vers : . shalt ] not wi lt , so that if it be a prophecie , it is a threatning one , marke , how these words of our saviour answer to peter's in every expression of his praefidence : as were of purpose to make him see his exceeding great weaknesse . whereas he was so confident of the continuance of his fidelity , that all should be offended in christ rather then he : he tells him ( & none but him ) most peremptorily to the contrary , verily , i say unto thee , &c. whereas he was confident , that hee should not be so much as offended * in christ , ( which notwithstanding christ had said , should be the lot of all of them , vers . . ) he tells him , that he should not onely be offended in him , but even quite deny him . whereas hee was confident , that he should never deny christ ; not once so much ; and not once for ever ( not only that night ) he tells him cleane contrary , this night , and before the cok crow , thou shalt deny me thrice . now you may see this threat fulfilled , vers . . . . and in the next verse after peters sin , you may read his sorrow . for there it is said , that upon the crowing of the cocke , being put in mind of christs words , he went out , and wept bitterly . professours * in hypocrisie , punished . with deceiving of themselves , & non-acceptance of their religion . trust yee not in lying words , saying , the temple of the lord , the temple of the lord , the temple of the lord are these . jer : . . lying words ] because they call'd it the temple of the lord , when it was not ; for the lord would no longer dwel in it , nor owne it . so it seems to be interpreted , if we translate with the latin v. , then i will * dwell with you in this place . but i rather take lying words , for , words that would deceive them , vaine and unprofitable words : as it is interpreted , and as the latine it selfe also translates ver . . thus , yee trust in lying words which will not profit * you . you will deceive your selves exceedingly , if you think you are a jot the better , for going to the house of god , hearing the word of god , living with the people of god , and having the name of god upon you ; if your lives be not answerable . being given over to death in sin. especially , if they pretend to more then others , and take the name of figtrees upon them , ( which is the greatest fruit bearing tree of any . ) our saviour , when he saw a figtree in the way , hee came to it , & found nothing thereon , but leaves onely , and said unto it , let no fruit grow on thee hence forward for ever : and presently the figtree withered away , mat : , . being given over to death in hell. many will say to me in that day , lord , lord , have we not prophecied in thy name , and in thy name have cast out divells , and in thy name done many wonderfull works ? and then i will professe unto them , i never knew you , depart from me , yee that worke iniquity , matt : . , . work iniquity ] what ? doe all these great things , and yet work iniquity ? yea , prophecy , cast out divells , preach well , pray well , even to admiration ; and yet work iniquity . there is too often experience even of such hypocrisie . such as are not professours , will rise up in judgement against such men , and condemne them . shall not uncircumcision which is by nature , if it fulfill the law , judge thee who by ( or in ) the letter , and circumcision doest transgresse the law ? rom : . . prosperity * : such as abuse it to sinne , through wantonnesse , confidence , & security , threatened with not-being pardoned . how shall i pardon thee for this ? thy children have forsaken mee , and sworn by them that are no gods . when i had fed them to the full , they then committed adultery , and assembled themselves by troopes in harlots houses , jer. . . froward children will be most froward , when their parents are most loving . but nothing will anger a parent more . when i fed them to the full ] as full-feeding on meat , disposes the body to corporall adultery : so doth being full fed with prosperity , dispose the soule to spirituall adultery . but withall it is as certaine , that as diseases are the fruits of the former ; so punishments are the reward of the latter . removall of those things which they abused , and wherein they put their confidence . as they were encreased , so they sinned against me . or , ( according to the chald. * par . ) as i multiplyed their fruits ; so they multiplyed to sinne . therefore will i change their glory into shame , hos . . . so in jeremy , the complaint is , i spake unto thee in thy prosperity ; and thou saidest , i will not heare , c. . . ( even in adversitie we doe not heare , but in prosperity we are apt to say , we will not heare ) the threat presently followes , vers . . the wind shall eate a up all thy pastours , thy lovers shall goe into captivitie , &c. so likewise vers , . it is said , o inhabitant of lebanon , that makest thy nest in the cedars ( thinking thy selfe , as secure as the eagle in his nest . jer. . . ) but it is presently added in the same verse , how gratious shalt thou be , now when pangs come upon thee ? or , if you will , how shalt thou be gracious : and obtaine favour and mercy , when adversity cometh ; having beene thus lifted up with prosperitie . see the like complaint hos . . . where israel is compared to a vine that bringeth forth fruit only for it selfe : ( perhaps only leaves † , for it 's own covert : ) & not for the use of the owner . most severe punishments without mercy . according to their pasture , so were they filled , and their heart was exalted ; therefore have they forgotten mee . therefore will i be unto them as a lyon , as a leopard by the way , will will i observe them , i will meet them as a beare robbed of her whelps , and will rent the cawle of their heart , and there will i devoure them like a lyon : the wild beast shall teare them . ( it is spoken of the israelites ) hos . . , , . as a lyon. ] seeing they have beene like idle beasts to mee ; onely growing fatt with my blessings , as beasts doe with pasture , till they kick * against their master ▪ i will be like a cruell beast to them , even like a lyon , and punish them without mercy . as a ravenous beast will i observe them , and chuse out the fattest of them for my prey . i will destroy the fat and the strong , ezek. . . full and high fed horses , and such as have layen long idle , breake and grow unruly : but they are sure to be hampered for it . and there will i devoure them . ] there , that is ( saith one * ) in the heart : as if the threat were thus , as the lyon ( when he kils a beast ) falls upon the heart chiefly , and the blood and the fat that is about it : and leaves the rest of the body to be devoured by other beasts . so i will first punish the israelites in their hearts , with sorowes , and feares : and afterward deliver them to the assyrians , to punish them in their bodies , with oppression and violence . in the places hitherto cited , you have had god's punishments for abused prosperity , upon the israelites his owne people : ( for judgement usually beginneth at the house of god ) now i shall shew you , how he threatened , and punished the heathen . as the moabites . who , for trusting * in their treasures jer : , , & their idols v. for their ease* , & obstinacy in their wickednesse , in keeping their sent , like wine setled upon the lees , because they had no changes , and because no enemy molested them vers . ; in the vers . are thus threatned , i will send unto him wanderers that shall cause him to wander , and shall empty his vessels , & break their bottels . chaldea . who for being overjoy●d with successe upon her enemies , & growing fatt with the spoyle of gods people . jer , , ; is threatned to be dealt with her selfe , as she had dealt with others chaldea shall be a spoyle , all that spoyle her shal be satisfied vers . . sodome ; the maine occasion if not the cause of whose fearefull punishments , was her idle security , and her proud confidence for her fulnes of bread ezek. , , . idlenes , as well as ful feeding , will breed dsieases in mens bodyes , & draw down judgement upon their persons . security , & confidence ; if they be not the causes , why men suffer punishments ; are the occasions , why they doe not escape them . for , like hypnotick potions they bring men asleep , with the doores open upon them : so t●at misery , and all sorts of misery , may come upon them , and take them napping in one day : as it is said of babylon . whose threat , because it is so pat to my purpose , i will produce . how much shee hath glorified her selfe and lived deliciously , so much torment and sorrow give her . for she saith in her heart , i sit a queene , and am no widow , and shall see no sorrow . therefore shall her plagues come in one day : death and mourning , and famine : for she shall be utterly burnt with fire , rev : . , . worldly men , as they abuse prosperity , so they are abused by it , and deceived , viz : by becomming so proud , as to think they can never be removed . but see how edom is threatned for his pride thus occasioned , jer : . . thy terriblenesse hath deceived thee , and the pride of thine heart , &c. be more afraid in , and of prosperity , then adversity . they who are too much taken with it , will be quickly taken by it , and ensnared . for it is no better to worldly men , then a baited snare . proud * men , have cause to feare . god's slighting and neglecting of them , ( for , however some translate ; yet the place is most easily thus interpreted : & the context seemes to require it ) though the lord be high , yet hath he respect to the lowly : but the proud he knoweth a farre off , psal . . . he knoweth them well enough ; and that they shall know one day : but he doth not acknowledge , nor respect them . thinke it not strange . the higher men are , the further from heaven see more in sect . . god's anger and resolution to punish them . for it is said even of hezekiah ; & though he were onely too glad , or ( as we say ) proud of a mercy , the recovery of his health . his heart was lifted up , therefore there was wrath upon him , and upon judah , and jerusalem , chr . . this wrath was executed , after his death : and it had beene executed before , had he not humbled himselfe for having exalted himself : hezekiah humbled himselfe for the pride of his heart , &c. so the wrath of the lord came not upon them in the daies of hezekiah , verse . . god's hatred . both when it is expressed in behaviour . these six things doth the lord hate , yea seven are an abomination * to him . a proud look , &c. prov : . . and when it is only in the heart , ( as there are too many proud hearts , with dejected looks . ) every one that is proud in heart , is an abomination to the lord , c : . . and no wonder : for god knoweth , whereof he is made ; and that he is but dust , ps : , . how doe our stomacks rise , when we see a man proud , whom we know to come of a very meane descent ? god's setting himselfe against them . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 &c. he resisteth the proud , and giveth grace to the humble . i believe this was an ordinary saying , in the times of the apostles ; like a proverb . both peter and james have it , in their epistles , pet. . . james . . it was one of solomon's proverbs , long before , surely he scorneth the scorners , but giveth grace to the lowly , prov. . . it is a fearfull thing when god resolves to punish a man after that manner * , as he sins against him : when he will walke contrary to them , that walke contrary to him ; and shew himselfe froward with the froward : or , ( as it is here ) when he scorneth , the scorners . if one scorner , or one froward man , meet with another ; woe to him that is weakest . the more proud , the more resistance ; the more resistance the more paine , and enraging of the adversary for the present ; and the greater punishment to come . god takes a kind of delight , to deale with such men : as a valiant souldier doth , to deale with a stubborn enemy , whom he hopes to conquer . if all the kings of the earth should set themselves against him ; it would be but so much laughing matter to him . psal . . , . me thinkes , i see god , like a challenged enemy , after long provocation , as it were , entring into the lists against babylon ; when i read those words of his , behold i am against thee , o thou most proud , jer. . . against thee ] or , to thee ( so the * hebrew ) as if he should say . have at thee : or , come on , babylon ; now i am for thee . now i see thee proud , now thou art a fit object to exercise my full strength upon . god doth not punish any so deliberately , ( as i may say ) or with such resolution ; as he doth a proud man. the lord of hosts hath purposed it * ( or , upon consultation determined ) to stain the pride a of all glory , and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth is : . . and no wonder : if it be according to that saying of the jewes , in whomsoever is haughtinesse * of spirit , god saies of him : i and he , cannot dwell together in one world . so that the next thing he must expect is certaine punishment , in spite of all his strength , and endeavours to the contrary . ( for to thus much the words will amount ; expound them how you will ) every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the lord : though hand joyne in hand , he shall not be unpunished , prov : . . the punishments , which the scripture mentions are abasement . it was a common saying among the jews , whosoever exalteth himselfe shall be abased , and he that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted * . our saviour ( belike ) used it often . luke speakes of twice , as c. . c. . . abasement i say : both by , and with god : whether it be pride towards him , or towards men . for one of those times , our saviour used it upon occasion of the pharisee's justifying himselfe , c. . the other , upon occasion of a mans taking the uppermost seat at a feast , without entreaty , c. . evills ( of punishment doe not spring out of the ground . they come all from above : and therefore no wonder that the highest things beare the brunt , and the lowest escape . the day of the lord of hoasts , shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty , and upon every one that is lifted up : and hee shall bee brought low . and upon all the cedras of libanon that are high and lifted up , and upon all the oakes of bashan , and upon all the high mountaines * , and upon all the hills that are lifted up &c. isa : . . to . see c. , . c. . . c. . . job . . infinite many more texts for such like threatning expressions , might be brought against pride . but i am oath to offer you to many , lest you resolve to take none at all . there be likewise many examples of men , & people that have beene abased for their pride . wherof i will only namea few , in whose relation pride is chiefly mentioned & they are the sodomites , ez : . . nebucadnezar , dan : . , belshazzar ( his son ) ibid. vers . . the tyrians , ezek : . . the assyrians , ezek : . . the moabites , isa : . . so likewise examples of evills occasioned by pride , doubtles , i might produce many : but that it is not agreeable with my purpose , to speak of consequents ; except such as are necessary , or immediate . however i will name one , viz : amaziah king of judah . who being lifted up for his victory over the edomites ; when he had no occasion given him , would needs challenge joash king of israel to fight with him ; and was overthrowne , and taken prisoner : and both the court , and temple plundered , chron : . , . and i referre you to three or foure more the like instances , in the chapter of despising . shame ( an attendant of the former punishment ) when pride commeth then commeth shame , pro : . . and indeed shame cannot come without pride : for a humble man , befall him what will , hath no cause of shame if he have of griefe . shame i say : not onely ( as we usually take the word ) being ashamed ; but , ( as the originall is ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the shame of reproach * . when a proud man falls ; many will reproach him , and no body will pity him see ps . . as likewi●e the punishment of proud women , isa : , . and the parable of the guest , who was made with shame to take the lowest roome , luk : . . diseases upon their bodies ( which they have too proudly clothed , or carried ) because the daughters of sion are haughty , and walke with stretched forth necks , and wanton eyes , walking and mincing as they goe , and making a tinkling with their feet . therefore the lord will smite with a scab the crowne of the head of the daughters of sion , &c. isa : . , . with the following verses . joash king of israel , was punished with very loathsome diseases : so that no body could endure to come near him , chr. , . and he is thought to have been thus punished , chiefly for his pride viz. in suffering men to adore him & worship him , as a god. for this hierom * and others conceive to be meant by those words , v. : of the aforesaid chapter , after the death of jehoiada ( because , say they , it could not be suffered , while jehoiada was living ) came the princes of judah , and made obeysance to the king. now saith one * , by this filthines , & uncleannes of his body , through diseases ; god did mind him of the uncleannesse of his soule , through pride . the septuagint in prov : . where we render abomination , translate , uncleane . ruine and destruction . upon their persons : hee that exalteth his gate , seeketh destruction ( and that is easie enough to be found ) prov : . as surely as he that exalteth his gate ( as we call it ) in going , and takes no notice of his way , is sure to fall . see mal : . . upon their families . the lord will destroy the house of the proud , c : . . pride will have a fall , is so true a saying : that if we once see a man proud , we may conclude , whereto he will. for he is fallen * with god already : dead in law , there wants only execution . 't is god's way , when hee will destroy a man to the purpose : to let him get up high : and then his fall will bee the greater . thus much is implied ( viz : that pride is commonly both a signe , or a means of a man's ruine ) in these words , pride goeth before destruction , and a haughty spirit before a fall , prov : . . see c : . . jeremiah knew this very well : and that was it that made him mourne so bitterly for the pride of the israelites : but if yee will not heare it , my soule shall weep in secret places for your pride , jer : . . why ? because he was certaine now , that their captivity was determined : as certaine , as if it were already fulfilled . for so he speaks in the same verse , because the lords flock is carried away . see his mourning ( for he was a man of a very pitifull spirit ; witnesse his lamentations : otherwise hee would never have mourned for proud men , above any ) for moab's destruction for the like cause , c. , . . it was said above , if yee will not heare it , my soule shall weep for your pride . now give me leave upon these words , to take occasion to tell you , that ( as i take it ) both here and in severall other places of the prophets , when complaint is made of the pride of the israelites , it is chiefly meant of stiffenesse and stoutnesse of spirit , in not believing * and fearing god's threats and judgements . and so in the proverbs and elsewhere , i believe it is many times meant of stoutnesse of spirit in refusing to heare instruction : as ch : . . &c. i say , pride ( in the scripture ) is many times meant of pride towards god ; as well as towards men . being condemned to hell ( if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be rightly rendred ) not a novice a lest being lifted up with pride , he fall into the condemnation of the divell . tim : . . yea though you should in this place , translate otherwise then we have translated : yet neverthelesse will proud men have cause to feare this punishment , because it was the divels punishment , and inflicted upon him for this sinne : as most divines say ; and as it may seeme to be proved by those wordes of jude vere . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . and the angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation , &c. for though the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( kept ) may seem to imply rather regard , then contentednesse , in keeping : ( a● in keeping the commandements , or the like : for so it is oftenest used ) and so consequently that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may not be translated otherwise then with beza , originem ; or with us , first estate , cautiously and dubiously . yet it being said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( their owne first estate ) and not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( as it is afterward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , their owne habitation . ) though this be not so much , yet it may be of some moment , to make us incline to the translation of the vulgar , who translate it principatū , principality : so that we may render it , first state ; as well as first estate : making 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be understood of honour . now hereby the ambition of the angels , in desiring to be equall with god , having an honourable condition of their owne already , is not onely expressed , but aggravated . what ever the divel's sinne was : first , he could not deserve such a punishment as he had , for any sinne , better then for such pride & ambition : if being as high as heaven already , he desired to be higher yet . no other punishment could have beene so suitable either to the sinne of pride ; or to that rule of gods providence of abasing the proud , &c. if being as high as heaven ; he was abased as low as hell . thus you see , what a numerous traine of pursuyvants attend the proud man : enough to frighten him in for all his stomack , if he would but vouchsafe to look behind * him . and therefore well might david say , that god plentifully rewardeth the proud doer , ps . . . and i may justly cry with isaiah , woe to the crowne of pride c. . . but were there never a one of these places of scripture , to threaten a proud man withall : yet hath he just cause of fearing many evills and punishments , even from the very nature and quality of his sinne : that which the scripture also takes notice of , as because it makes him contentious : ( and he that is so , can never live a quiet life . ) only by pride cometh contention , prov : . . because it makes him hated . him that hath a high looke , and a proud heart , i will not suffer , ps . . . i did not eate with him * , some translate . others , i could not be with him . because it makes him thinke , he is secure , and so deceives him ; as it did edom . the pride of thine heart hath deceived thee , thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rocks obad : . because it makes them impudent in sinning , so that they declare * their iniquities ; and cause god to punish many times , when else he would not . the pride of israel doth testifie to ( or in ) his face , hos . . . hebr. the pride * of israel doth answer * in his face . now whether by answer , be here intended , ephraim , and israel their likenesse one to another in pride : ( as it may seeme to be , because in the verses before , they are complained of together , and here in this verse it is immediately added , therefore shall israel and ephraim fall in their iniquity : ) or , whether it be meant of a defending of sinne in not hiding it , but acknowledging it , and replying in the defence of it , when they were reproved : as it is said in esaiah ( c. . . ) the * acknowledgement of their face doth answer in them ( or against them : or as we translate , the shew of the countenance doth witnesse against thē . ) either way it will be impudence enough . for they should have beene ashemed of one another ; and layne their hands upon their mouthes . no sinner can be so easily condemned for sinne , as a proud man : bec●use he needs no witnesse . he will confesse it , ( shall i say ? ) or rather , boast of it of himselfe . a man●s pride will bring him low , prov. . . you need have nothing else to do it . proud men reward evill to themselves , none like them . and therefore woe unto them , isa . . . see of this pride towards god , in the chapter of impudence . punishments * . such as are not bettered by them , have cause to feare : if the punishments are other mens ; the same , or rather worse . especially , if they knew they were inflicted for the same sinnes , that they commit . for when judah committed the same sinnes of spirituall adultery , for which god had put away israel into captivity before : having an intention thus to punish them , hee made his complaint in these words , but shee returned not : and her treacherous sister judah saw it . and i saw , when for all the causes whereby back-sliding israel committed adultery , i had put her away and given her a bill of divorce , yet her treacherous sister judah feared not , but went and plaid the harlot also , jer : . . and it follows v. . the backsliding israel hath justified her selfe more then treacherous judah . i saw ] me thinkes , i see god , when he hath punished any one , like a schoolemaster when he hath whipt a boy , looking upon the rest , to see how they stand in awe : and observing more then , than at other times , how they amend their carriage . see this complaint of judah's not taking example by his judgments upon israel , under the names of aholah and aholibah ( aholah for israel , & aholibah for judah ) ezek. . if their own ; the addition of more . but the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath , they cry not when he bindeth them job . . . if both their own , and other mens ; the extremity of punishment , or , the execution of that punishment , which those lesser punishmēts were used as meanes to make them escape . especially , if they were peculiar , and distinguishing . and for proofe of this , there is a notable place in amos : which , because it is so pathetick , i wil not think much to transcribe to your hands . and i also have given you cleannesse of teeth in all your cities , and want of bread in all your places : yet have yee not returned unto me saith the lord. and i also have withholden the raine from you , when there was yet three months to the harvest , and i caused it to raine upon one city , and caused it not to raine upon another city : one piece was rained upon , and the piece whereupon it rained not withered . so two or three cities wandered unto one city to drinke water : but they were not satisfied : yet have yee not returned unto mee saith the lord. i have smitten you with blasting and mildew ; when your gardens and your vineyards , and your figtrees , and your olive trees encreased , the palmerworm devoured thē : yet have yee not returned unto mee , saith the lord. i have sent among you the pestilence , after the manner of aegypt , your young men have i slaine with the sword , and have taken away your horses , and i have made the stinke of your camps to come up unto your nostrills , yet have yee not returned unto me saith the lord. i have overthrowne some of you , as god overthrew sodom and gomorrah , & yee were as a firebrand pluckt out of the burning , yet have ye not returned unto mee , saith the lord , amos , , . to . yet have yee not returned ] you have this cōplaint no lesse thē five times . to shew , how tenderly god tooke it , and how inexcusable they were , that they were not recalled , though he had called to them so often , & so loud , & that by so many & great punishments . but what does he threaten them with , after this long complaint ? doubtlesse that which is severe enough . but it is not expressed . only he saies , therefore thus will i doe unto thee , o israel , viz : which , though some referre to that which was threatned before ver . . viz : taking them away with hooks , &c. yet others more probably ; because that punishment seemes to be lesse then other punishments were mentioned ; and because it 〈◊〉 not likely they would be frighted with lesse , who were not frighted with greater ; make it to be an aposiopesis , or figurative expression of the greatnes of the punishment by not * expressing it . as if he had said , i know what i will doe ; or , i will doe as i purposed . how guilty have we of this nation beene of this sinne , especially of late yeares ! who though so many of god's judgements have been abroad in the earth ; yet have not learned righteousnesse . i am confident more guilty , then we dare be againe : would we but consider , that god is litle sesse angry , for not taking notice of his judgments , then he would be , if he should speake to us with his owne voice from heaven , and we should stop our eares : which i am cōfident none of us would dare to doe . all punishments * are documents , ( to teach us : ) & so they are intended , both by god and man * . in the book of ezekiel , c. . v. . where we translate , thy sister sodom was not mentioned * &c. the chald : paraphrast , saies , was not for instruction . the word , in the heb. are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was not in thy mouth for hearing ( or , a report . ) they had quite forgot the destruction of sodom : there was no more speech of it . ( god's people should love to bee talking , and hearing of his judgements . ) so in jeremy . . where we translate , i will correct thee in measure : he renders , i will bring punishment upon theee to teach thee . it is so much god's intention , & expectation , that we should learne by other mens punishments : that when he threatned to punish jerusalem , hee said he would make it an instruction a , ezek. . it is likely , that many times god would not punish men in the open sight of others * ; were it not that he would have others to feare b , and be taught , not to doe after their wickednesse c why should not amendment , and punishment , goe together ? we use one word , correct , to expresse both . and in hebrew * , and greek , † the s●me word signifies both , to punish , and to teach . rashnesse punished , with miscarriage . without counsell , purposes are disappointed : but in the multitude of counsellours they are established , prov : . . counsell ] or secret a b , which in english we usually call counsell * . taking counsell , is as necessary , that our purposes may be effected : as keeping counsell is necessary , that they may not be hindered * . in the story of the maccabees , it is said that certaine priests desirous to shew their valour , were slaine in battle for that they went about to fight unadvisedly , mac. . , . reconciliation . the neglect of it . agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way : lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge , & the judge deliver thee to the officer , and thou be cast into prison . verily , i say unto thee , thou shalt by no meanes come out thence , till thou hast paid the utmost farthing , mat : . , . regeneration , the want of it . our saviour told nicodemus ( a ruler among the jewes , ) verily , verily i say unto thee , except a man be borne of water , and of the spirit , he cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven , joh : . . rejoycing at * other mens miseries . whether the men are godly , or wicked , threatened with certaine punishment . who so mocketh the poore , reproacheth his maker : and hee that is glad at calamities , shall not be unpunished prov : . . shall not be unpunished . ] perhaps it may be meant , shall be punisht severely . for it is an usuall hebraisme in the scripture , to speake by a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , of things that are very bad , whether punishments or sinnes : meaning the more , by expressing the lesse . at calamities ] simply , without expressing a person . as if calamities themselves , upon no person , and in no case , might be the direct object of our joy . if they are our enemies , god's turning away his wrath from them ( and perhaps to us ) rejoyce not when thine enemie falleth : and let not thine heart be glad , when he stumbleth : lest the lord see it , and it displease him , & he turn away his wrath from him , prov. . , . job puts it among those sinnes , which if hee were guilty of , he wisht , or would be contented , that any misery might fall upon him . if i rejoyced at the destruction ( or misery ) of him that hated me , or lift up my selfe , when evil found him , job . . as if he had added , i would have been contented , god should have done to me what he would . lift up my selfe ] the sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , if my heart , ( onely ) did say , 't is good enough for him , ( a speech too often used . ) at the destruction ] in the hebrew . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the destruction . as if he would not rejoice , so much as at such a time when his enemie was destroyed . which is more then solomon's at , or for * , in the place above quoted . ( and indeed they are no ordinary acts of piety , which job commends himselfe for in that chapter . ) but not more then david practised , to the purpose , not only not rejoycing , but mourning at such times when they were sicke , my clothing was sackcloth , psal : . . but if the men are godly , it is threatned , with god's exceeding great anger , and the like miseries as they suffered . for now , it is true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . at the miseries of wicked men , wee may ( the philosopher * saies , wee must ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , be without sorrow : but at these we may not . there are severall instances for this . as , . the ammonites . who rejoyced at the captivity of the jewes . because , thou hast clapped thine hands , and stamped with the feet , and rejoyced in heart , with all thy despite , against the land of israel . behold therefore , i will stretch out mine hand upon thee , and will deliver thee for a spoyle to the heathen , and i will cut thee off from the people , and i will cause thee to perish out of the countries . i will destroy thee : & thou shall know that i am the lord ezek , . , . the tyrians ( though they rejoyced , because it would be for their owne good . ) because that tyrus hath said against jerusalem , aha , she is broken that was the gates of the people : she is turned unto me ; i shall be replenished , now she is laid wast . therefore thus saith the lord i am against thee , o tyrus c. . , . the people of seir. as thou didst rejoyce at the inheritance of the house of israel , because it was desolate , so will i do unto thee . thou shall be desolate o mount seir , and all idumea , even all of it : & they shall know that i am the lord. c . . such insulting wordes at the affliction of the godly , though for shame of the world , men will not cōfesse they intend it so : yet do indeede strike at god. for i am sure , he would not complaine without cause : and yet in the chapter last quoted vers . , you finde him thus complaining , thus with your mouth yee have boasted against me , and have multiplied your words against me : i have heard them . relapsing into sinne * punished , with a worse condition . for the vncleane spirit when he comes again to a house which he hath left , will bring seven more spirits along with him ; & keep it so strongly , that he will hardly be cast out . when the uncleane spirit is gone out of a man , he walketh thorow dry places , seeking rest , ( or , habitation ) and findeth none . then he saith , i will return unto my house , from whence i came : and when he is come he findeth it empty , swept , and garnished , then goeth he , and taketh with himselfe seven * ( or as many as can be gotten ) other spirits , worse then himselfe , and they enter in , and dwell therein , ( before , he did but lodge there , but now he will dwell ) and the last state of that man is worse then the first , mat : . , , . our saviour saies thus to the jewes . and his saying hath been verified in them : according to his prophecy in the same place , even thus shall it be also unto this wicked generation this parable-like speech of his , you have delivered by peter , in plainer termes ; as if hee had it in his minde to interpret it , for if after they have escaped the pollution of the world ( pollution , & unclean spirit , answer very well ) through the knowledge of our lord and saviour jesus christ , they are entangled again therin , and overcome , the latter end is worse with them then the beginning , pet. . . the clean spirit ( if i may so call the holy ghost ) when it hath left a man for a while : ( as many times in a manner it doth ) when it returnes againe , it comes with a great deale more efficacy . for it finds a man humbled for the want of it , and empty . souldiers , that have kept a castle and lost it ; if they take it againe , will goe neere to make it impregnable . if you consider it , you will finde it hold in spirituall , civill , and naturall things : that returnes to former conditions or actions ( for the most part ) improve them . threatned . with a worse punishment , our saviour said to the man , whom he had cured of an infirmity of yeares , sinne no more , lest a worse thing come unto thee , joh : . . religion , and religious actions used for a cloak * threatned . with not-being accepted . though they be of the best sort , even free-will offerings , nay the best of that sort , ( i meane the fairest and best to look to . ) thus was threatned saul's sparing ( forsooth ) the best of the oxen and sheep , to sacrifice to the lord , sam : . . ( which was but a pretext to cover his covetousnesse , & his disobedience ) for samuel told him , to obey is better then sacrifice , verse . thus the israelites their fasting for strife , isa . , , . is it such a fast , that i have chosen ? v. . so in jeremy , ( saies god ) what hath my beloved to doe in my house , seeing shee hath wrought lewdnesse with many ? ch : . . our saviour speaking of those , who denied to profit ( or , help ) their decaied parents , upon pretence that they had given their goods to the korban , for the use of the church & the poore ; applies the complaint of the prophet isay , in vaine doe they worship me , mark . . see what an epiphonema , john puts upon judas his charity ( forsooth ) to the poore , ( when he would have had the ointment spent upon our saviour's feet , to have beene spent upon them ) joh. . . this he said , not that he cared for the poore , but because he was a thiefe , and had the bag , and bare what was put therein . god 's not rewarding , or , satisfying them ( such as trust , & reliance ) the heads thereof judge for reward , and the priests thereof teach for hire , and the prophets thereof divine for mony , yet will they leane upon the lord & say , is not the lord among us ? none evill can come upon us . therefore shall zion , for your sake bee plowed as a field , mic : . , . god's abhorring of them . i the lord love judgement , i hate robbery for burnt offerings , isa . . such robberies , the scribes and pharisees , to whom christ spake those wordes before mentioned , were guilty of . who pretending they tooke it for pious uses , as for offerings , and the like ; by this means , rooked the poore widows and orphanes of their livelyhood . god abhorres such pretended religion , as much as he did the hire of an whore , or , the price of a dog , brought into his house , though it were for a vow : which , he saith , were an abomination to him , deut : . . it was the saying of an heathen * , that the gods could not be made propitious with offering sacrifices to commit wickednesse . god's being against them . behold , i am against the prophets that use their tongues & say , he saith , jer. . . god's severe punishing them . for thus he complaines , whose possessours slay them , and hold themselves not guilty , and they that sell them , say , blessed be the lord , for i am rich , zach. . . religion only in shew . threatned . with having no reward . take heed that yee doe not your almes before men , to bee seen of them : otherwise yee have no reward of your father which is in heaven , mat. . . no reward of your father . ] all the reward you have , is that which you do it for ( & how can you expect any other ? ) viz. the praise of men . they disfigure their faces that they may appeare unto men to fast , verily i say unto you : they have their reward , mat. . . they have their reward ] they are paid : and let them look for nothing in heaven hereafter . hitherto may you referre that in timothy , ( if you expound it of fasting , with beza , ) bodily exercise profiteth nothing , ep. . woe . woe unto you , scribes and pharisees : for yee make cleane the outside of the cup , and the platter , but within they are full of extortion , and excesse , mat. . . repenting late strive to enter in at the strait gate . for many , i say unto you , will seek ( which doe not strive ) to enter in , and shall not be able . when once the master of the house is risen up , & hath shut to the doores : and yee begin to stand without , and to knock at the doore , saying , lord , lord , open unto us , and he shall answer , and say unto you , i know you not whence you are &c. luk. . , . reported well of by all woe * unto you , when all men shall speak well of you , luk. . . reproaching threatned , with certaine punishment : because god takes speciall notice of it . thou hast heard their reproach o lord , and all their imaginations against me , lam : . . ps . . . whosoever shall say to his brother raka , shall be in * danger of the councell , but whosoever shall say thou foole , shall be in danger of hell fire , mat. . . with sad and heavy judgments , denounced in very angry expressions . i have heard the reproach of moab , and the revilings of the children of ammon ; whereby they have reproached my people , and magnified themselves against their border . therefore , as i live , saith the lord of hosts , the god of israel , surely moab shall be as sodom , & the children of ammon as gomorrah , even the breeding of nettles , and salt pits , and a perpetuall desolation . the residue of my people shall spoile thē , & the remnant of my people shall possesse them , zeph : . , . see eze : . . concerning the same people . exclusion out of heaven . nor revilers , nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdome of god , . cor : . . certainly a reviler is as much out of charity in his heart , as a man can be . and god lookes not so much to uncharitablenesse , what it is either in our speech or our actions ( for that is according to our power ) as what it is in our hearts . there is an example or two of reproachers severely punished . nahash the ammonite , when he besieged jabash gilead ; would not yeeld to the desire of the inhabitants , to enter into covenant with them , although they profered to serve him ; but with this condition , viz : that he might thrust out all their right eyes * , and lay it for a reproach upon all israel , sam : . . but the inhabitants sent immediatly to saul : who came with his army upon the ammonites in the morning watch , & slew them untill the heat of the day . and it came a to passe , that they which remained were scattered , so that two of them were not left together , vers . . nabal the carmelite , when david sent his servants to him for victualls for his men , gave them this reproachfull answer . who is david , and who is the son of jesse ? there be many servants now adaies , that break away every man from his master b . sam : . . now which sin it was , that was punished : whether his not giving david provision ; or his giving this reproachfull answer ; i knowe not . but it is said in the same chapter , v . and it came to passe about ten daies after , that the lord smote nabal that he died . had not his wife abigail pacified david with a present , he had been kil'd by him before , ver . . but the punishment was more notorious this way , viz : by the hand of god. reproofe , such as doe not give it if parents , they are sometimes punished by god ( of which see in the chapter of parents . ) sometimes by their children themselves . thus was david punished by his son adonijah : of whō is it said , that his father had not displeased him at any time , in saying , why hast thou done so ? kings . . but he took a course to work him trouble enough , to reward him for his gentlenesse : for hee sought to make himselfe king. ver . . if they are god's ministers ; i know not what they may expect . their case is bad enough doubtlesse : as you may gather by the prophet isai's words ( if the latine translation be right ) woe unto me , because * i have held my peace , ch : . . those who follow this translation , some of them interpret it , of the prophet's not reproving king vzziah so , boldly as he should , for medling with the priests office , chr. . . others , because he did not see him putt out of the city , according to the law for the lepers , lev. . . but this last we have the lesse cause to suspect , for what is said in that chapter but now quoted , v. : viz. that he dwelt in a severall house . such as doe not take it , punished , with errour . he is in the way of life that keepeth instruction : bnt he that refuseth reproofe , erreth . prov . . destruction . correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way ; and he that hateth reproofe shall die . prov. . . the way , againe ; as it was before . for there is no other way , to come to life . the horse that will not follow the reines : and the traveller , that will not hearken to him , that tels him when he is out ; especially where there are so many turnings : how is it likely , they can be in the right ? shall die ] and that shamefullly : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , make a shamefull end , so the sept translate . and this is often seen stubborne , and self-willed men , how are they ashamed to shew their faces , when they miscarry ! having nothing to say for , and nobody to speake against but , themselves . they miscarry shamefully , and they miscarry suddenly ( for they must of necessity , if they will not take warning . ) he that being often reproved hardeneth his neck , ( for he keeps going notwithstanding , and every step brings him neerer to the pit ) shall suddenly be destroyed , and that without remedy , prov. . . basil being asked , with what mind a man should take reproofe ? answered , with the same that a man should take a medicine , being in a dangerous disease . cyprian's * punishment for such men is excommunication . revenging . god threatens to punish it severely . in the edomites . thus saith the lord god , because that edom hath dealt against the house of judah , by taking vengeance ; and hath greatly offended , and * revenged , ( or , hath greatly offended in revenging ) himselfe upon them . therefore thus saith the lord god , i will stretch out mine hand upon edom , and will cut off man and beast , &c. and i will lay vengeance upon edom , &c. ezek. . , , . in the philistins . because the philistins have dealt by revenge , and have taken vengeance with a despitefull heart , to destroy it , for the old hatred . therefore thus saith the lord behold i will stretch out my hand upon the philistines , &c. and i will execute great vengeance , &c. dealt by vengeance ] as if their dealing with the israelites as they did , had not been so bad , if it had not bin in way of revenge . great vengeance ] or , vengeances , ( so it is in the originall . ) great , and vengeances too . vengeance ] viz : for vengeance ; after the usuall way , in most of the threats in the prophets , of punishing like with like . riches . such as gaine them wrongfully threatned , with not-being the better for them . ( which is no small punishment , considering what paines they are at in gathering them . ) treasures of wickednesse profit nothing , but righteousnesse delivereth from death , prov. . . at least in the end , they will be so punished . an inheritance may be gotten hastily , in the beginning , but the end thereof shall not be blessed , ch , . see ch . . . the diminishing of those riches thus gotten ; ( as it is commonly seen , that they moulder away they know not how ) wealth gotten by vanity shal be diminished , but he that gathereth by labour shall encrease , prov. . . poverty . he that hasteth to be rich hath an evill eye , and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him ch , . wealth hastily gotten , is like a child borne before his time ; which cannot be long-lived . and indeed , there are few rare-ripes , but are soon rotten ; whether in wealth , wisdome , or learning . he that hasteth ] there is little difference betweene him that hasteth to be rich , and him that getteth riches wrongfully . for he that is hasty , and greedy ; if hee cānot do it by right : ( yea though he can ; if that way be long about ; as usually it is ) will do it by wrong . poverty shall come upon him ] one way or other . either he shal be taken frō his riches by captivity , or such like punishment ; as the jewes were ; as the partrich sitteth on egges , and hatcheth them not : so hee that getteth riches , and not by right , shall leave them in the midst of his dayes : and in the end shall be a foole jer : , . or else his riches * shall be taken from him , the same way that hee got them . for so the israelites are threatned , who store up violence and robbery in their palaces therefore thus saith the lord god , an adversary there shall be round about the land , and he shall bring downe thy strength from thee , and thy palaces shall be spoyled , amos , . store up violence and robbery . ] the scripture in diverse places calleth * things that men have wrongfully gotten , by the names of the sinnes : & indeed t is they , that will stick longest with them . see almost the like threat against the chaldeans , hab. . , , . in the end shall bee a foole . ] or , shall appear to be so ; or be so accounted for the present , he is only counted wise , that hath worldly cunning to gett wealth , and the simple-dealing man , is counted a foole . ( insomuch that honest , & simple , are come to be used for the same with foolish . ) but in the end it shall appeare , who was indeede most wise , and who tooke the wisest course . in his poverty in temporall things poverty likewise in spirituall things ; the onely thing that makes that poverty intolerable . the lord will not suffer the soule of the righteous to famish ; but he casteth away the substance of the wicked prov : , . ( for though the hebrew word for soule , be most commonly meant otherwise , then in a spirituall sense : yet by the words * in the former verse , it seems to be so meant here , and so jerom expounds it . ) casteth away ] he doth but gently take away a godly man's substance , and put spirituall things in the roome , for a supply . but the wicked man's substance he casts away in anger ; & lookes no more after him . the disposall of his wealth ( first , or last ) 〈◊〉 the mercifull , whom he never imitated ; and the poore whom he never reliev'd . he that by usury and unjust gaine , increaseth his substance , hee shall gather it for him , that will pity the poore , prov. . . these which i have nam'd , are very usuall waies of punishing such men : i meane in the riches themselves , which they have wrongfully gotten . and although , perhaps , for the most part , punishments of this sort are slowe of coming ; ( viz : after the death of the parties : ) yet many times you may see them speedily executed ; so that the parties themselves , shall plainly perceive a curse attending their dishonest gain . such is that by the hād of god , in not prospering those things , in , and about which , their wrongs were practised : such as job speaks of , if my land cry against me , or that the furrowes likewise thereof cōplain . if i have eaten the fruits thereof without money , or have caused the owners thereof to loose their life . let thistles grow in stead of wheat , and cockle instead of barley . they are his last words , ch . . . . after all this you may say , that you often see the contrary ; and that such men come in no misfortune at all . and i grant , they may be punish'd either so invisibly , as few : or with such manner of punishments ; as none but discerning spirits , may take nocice of , as inflicted for such a sinne . but that hereafter ; and even now , one way or other ( corporally , or spiritually ) they shall be punish'd : i may undertake to assure you . * for god cannot suffer it , as a cage is full of birds , so are their houses full of deceit : therefore they are become great and waxen rich ; they are waxen fatt , they shine , yea they overpasse the deeds of the wicked : they judge not the cause of the fatherlesse ; yet they prosper : and the right of the needy doe they not judge . shall i not visit for these things saith the lord , jer. . . . . such as trust in them , punished , with a fall : for they leane upon that which cannot support them , he that trusteth in riches , shall fall , but the righteous shall flourish as a branch , prov : , . death the sooner : when they have most wealth , & most confidence : to shew the vanity of their confidence . i will say to my soul , ( quoth the rich man in our saviour's parable luk. ) soule , thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease , eat , drink , and be merry . but god said unto him ; thou foole , this night thy soule shall be required of thee , then whose shall these things , which thou hast provided . luk. , . death temporall is the least that is here meant ; and of this we have frequent experience . exclusion out of heaven . it is easier for a camel , to goe through the eye of a needle ; then for a rich man , to enter into the kingdome of heaven mark. . it is meant of him that trusts in his riches ; for our saviour himselfe expounds it so vers . . not only him that trusts in them , & therefore keeps them ( such a one , as seems to be meant in that place of the proverbs but now cited : ) but him that trusts in them , and therefore bestowes them . and so even the the righteous man ( or , the charitable man : for so it is often meant ) let him be never so righteous ; shall fall , as well as the other . doubtlesse , trusting in riches will be punished , & punished with much rigour . for thus speakes job , if i have made gold my hope , or have said to the fine gold , thou art my confidence chap : , . and afterward addes , this were also an iniquity to be punished by the judge v : : or ( as the hebrew is ) an iniquity of the judges . as if hee had said , i should answer for such a sin , not before a mercifull god ; but a just judge . it is not a sin of the preists , * like a sin of ignorance , for which the preists may make mine atonement with an offering . no , it is scelus gladii , * a sin which i must be certainly punished for , by the judge . and the reason which he adds , is , for i should have denied the god that is above . i have applyed these words to the vers . because i met with no answer to his if , betwitx this and that : and because the reason agrees as well with this * sin , mentioned in that verse ; as with the other mentioned in the a viz. the sinne of idolatry . now as job joynes the sin of trusting in riches , with idolatry : so the apostle gives covetousnesse the very name of idolatry coloss . , . which name it cannot have for any reason , so well , as because of this sinne , which covetous men are usually guilty of . see in the chapter of covetousnesse . such as love them too much ( though they came lawfully to them , ) they are alwaies punished with want of satisfaction . he that loveth silver , shall not be satisfied with silver , nor he that loveth abundance with encrease , eccels , . . he that hath it , and doth not love it , though he cannot be satisfied by it , ( as he cannot by any thing besides god , ) yet he may be satisfied with it , that is , have so much as to desire no more ; or , have what hee hath with rest and content ; which he that loves it , never will. this punishment of not-being satisfied , is a sore punishment ; and it is very usuall with god to punish wicked men with it ; as i have hinted elsewhere , see also ezek. . . they have cause to feare other punishments by the hand of god. for job in the place last quoted , immediately after those words , if i made gold my hope ( as indeed love of riches , and confidence in them , more or lesse , usually goe together ; though we doe not perceive it ) added also , if i rejoyced because my wealth was great , and because mine hand had gotten much , vers . . see for this also in covetousnesse . rich and wicked the scripture speaks against them thus , that they cannot prosper . the sunne is no sooner risen with a burning heat , but it withereth the grasse , and the flower thereof falleth , and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth . so also shall the rich man fade away in his waies . jam : . . they spring as grasse , psal : . . but it is but as grasse . for like grasse they wither , psal : . : and in litle time , like the grasse upon the top of a house , psal : . . they are fading every way . what they have , is fading : and they doe nothing , that will last , and stand by them , when what they have , faileth * . all their treasure is on earth . they have none in * heaven ; neither doe they care to lay up any * there , and therefore they must not think to be able to live there : especially having no friends there neither , to entertaine them . luk. . . they have nothing whereon to build any hope : for they doe not lay up a good foundation for the time to come ; tim : . , . life's joy , and pleasure , & content , is all that wicked rich men look after . and yet they misse of those too . for even this life is never the better for riches ( or , for having more then others ) in regard that a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he * possesseth , ( or , a man's living upon his estate , is not according to his having more then another ) luk : . . which was a reason our saviour used , to disswade his disciples from greedinesse of having a more wealth , one then another . nay it is usually the worse , as will appeare in the ensuing punishments . that they shall be ; nay , that they are very miserable , in regard of sundry evills and punishments ; some of which arise meerely from their wealth : so that the preacher had very good cause to say , there is a sore evill which i have seen under the sun , riches kept for the owners thereof , to their hurt . eccles , . . kept for them ] as who would ay , kept by god , as a scourge to punish them : not , kept by. for wicked men are not masters , but slaves of their wealth which they doe not so much use , as they are abused by it . now those evills or punishments are , want of sleep , either through intemperate use , or immoderate love of what they have . the sleep of a labouring man is sweet , whether he eat litle or much : but the abundance of the rich , will not suffer him to sleep , eccles . . trouble . in the house of the righteous is much treasure , ( and that is all ; without any sorrow added with it , prov : . . ) but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble . prov. . . being deceived by their riches , many waies ; as by security * , pride , &c. but especially that which our saviour speakes of . he that received the word among thornes , ( a very good name for riches ) is he that heares the word , and the cares of this world , and the deceitfulnesse of riches choak the word , and he becometh unfruitfull , matt. . no feare of the godly rich man his being much deceived , for he will be sure to be farre enough fro● the thornes , when he receives the word . his riches shall not be in his heart , where th● word is to come : so that he will not receive it among thornes . a diminishing , and decay of their riches , they know not how . ye looked for much : and loe , it came to little : and when ye brought it home i did blow upon it . why ? saith the lord of host● because of my house : that is wast , and ye run every man unto his owne house hag : , . they that seek the worst things first , are usually punished with not finding the best , when they seek them . whereas , if we first seek the kingdome of god , and the righteousnesse thereof , we may not only have that , which we seek for ; but those other things also added unto us over & above , before ever we seeke them . usually those things prosper most , that are least cared for . and it is commonly seen in persons too , that they have most health , & wealth , when they are least sollicitous for it . taking away of their false riches , for abusing them to sinne . so the jewes were punished for abusing their riches to the service of baal : to whom they sacrificed , & made his images of their gold and silver . for she did not know that i ( and not baal ) gave her corn , and wine , and oyle ; and multiplied her silver and gold , which they prepared for baal . therefore will i returne , & take away my corne ( for it is not baal's ; & they have forfeited their right ) in the time thereof , and my wine in the season thereof , and i will a recover my wooll and my flax given to cover her nakednesse hos : , , . see ezek : b , , , . for there , ( according to the latin translation , thereof , for , therein ) speech is made of the like abuse of their jewels and ornaments for the making of images , ( as they made the golden calfe , exod : , . ) deniall of the true riches ( grace & the gospel . ) for they are not fit to be intrusted with greater and better things , who were not faithfull in lesse and worse . if therefore ye have not been faithfull in the unrighteous mammon , who will commit to your trust the true riches ? luk. . . so that 't is as mary said , he hath filled the hungry with good things , and the rich he hath sent empty away , luk . . at his death , the taking away of his soule by the divells , * and not by god : ( because it is god that thus speakes . ) or the taking it away by god in an angry manner with a resolution to execute justice : which will come to all as bad thou foole , this night thy soule shall be required of thee . then whose shall those things be , which thou hast provided ? so is he that layeth up treasure for himselfe , and is not rich towards god , luk. , , . for though this may be also meant of temporall death : ( as i have made use of it before : ) yet is it cheifely meant of eternal death . for otherwise , here were little more threatened , to him that is not rich towards god ; then what is common to him that is . after death ( for an answer to that question , whose shall these things be ? ) the disposall of his estate to the godly ( whom he hated ; and therefore is it a great punishment . ) a good man leaveth his inheritance to his childrens children . but the wealth of the * sinner is laid up for the just , prov. . . see job . , . not having an other estate to recompence it . woe unto you that are rich , for ye have received your consolation , luk : . . they have their portion in this life , and they accept of it , without caring for more : and no more they are like to have , ps : . . eternall destruction ( as if they were not fed but for the slaughter . ) when the wicked spring as the grasse , & whē all the workers of iniquity do flourish : it is , that they shall be destroyfor ever , ps : . . either the wasting of the creatures abused through luxurie : or the rust of the money not used at all through covetousnesse , will rise up in judgment against them . goe to now , ye rich-men : weepe and howle for your miseries , that shall come upon you . your riches are corrupted , and your garments moath eaten . your gold and silver is cankered ; and the rust of them shall be a witnesse against you , and shall eate your flesh as it were fire . ye have heaped treasure together for the last day : jam : . , , . a rich wicked man is like one , that is made a steward of a great estate , and is an unthrift . he can give no good account : & yet hath a great account to give . and therefore his condition must needs be exceeding miserable . sabbath-breaking . the punishments for it , which wee may finde in the scriptures , are no-profit by that work , in doing where of it was broken . they that sought for manna upon the sabbath day , could find none . exod. . . death . every one that defileth it , shall surely be put to death . for whosoever doth any worke therein , that soule shall be cut off frō amongst his people . exod : . . so againe v. . whosoever doth any worke in the sabbath day , he shall surely be put to death . this punishment was executed when the israelites were in the wildernesse , upon him that gathered sticks upon this day , num : . . and that by speciall order from god : of whom they inquired , what they should doe with him , not out of ignorance of the law ( which had been declared unto them : ) but of the fact : which because it seemed so smal a matter , they knew not whether it were a breach of the law , or no. misery upon whole countries or nations . what evill thing is this , that yee doe & profane the sabbath day ? did not your fathers thus ? and did not god bring all this evill upon us . and upon this city ? yet yee bring more wrath upon israel by profaning the sabbath . neh : . they are the words of nehemiah to the jews : who brake the sabbath by treading wine-presses , housing of fruit , selling victuals , and going with carriages . you have a very dreadfull threat in jeremy , there where onely the last of these is mentioned : but if yee will not hearken unto me , to hallow the sabbath day , and not to beare a burden , even entering in at the gates of jerusalem : then will i kindle a fire in the gates thereof ; and it shall devoure the palaces of jerusalem , and it shall not be quenched , jer : . . even entring in ] though the things were carried into the ci●y , for which there might bee more use and necessitie pleaded . yea , and though they were carried by strangers ( whom they ought to have hindered . ) ezekiel in ch : . relating to the jewes , the story of their fathers carriage in the wildernesse , ( how they walked not in god's statutes , but despised his judgements ; for which they had severer judgements threatned them , then those , which were inflicted : which were some of them very dreadfull ones ) mentions no sin but this : as you may see vers : , , . only vers . idolatry * is mentioned along with it . nay in the priests , only negligence in seeing it strictly kept , and conniving at the breach of it , or , hiding their eyes from the sabbaths , ( as the expression is ) ezek : . . is reckoned for one of the causes of that severe punishment mentioned ver . . therefore have i powred out mine indignation upon them , i have con●umed them with the fire of my wrath . in the chap. of that prophecy , where severall punishments are threatned , and their causes declared : sabbath breaking is made an aggravation after adultery , murder and idolatry . for complaint being made of them , ver . . it is added ver : . moreover this they have done unto me , they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day , and have profaned my sabbaths . sacriledge . it is threatned with a curse . will a man rob god ? yet yee have robbed mee . but yee say , wherein have we robbed thee ? in tithes and offerings . ye are cursed with a curse : for ye have robbed me , even this whole nation , mal. . , . it hath been punished . with shortnesse of life . as in the family of eli ; whose sonnes hophni & phinehas used to take away the flesh , which the people brought for offerings , to rost it for themselves . but what said eli of this sinne ? sam : . . if one man sinne against another , the judge shall judge him ; but if a man sinne against the lord , who shall entreat for him ? notwithstanding , they hearkned not unto the voice of their father , because the lord would slay thē . see the punishment denounced from v. , to the end of the chapter . the death of the party . achan , ( who at the taking of jericho , stole some of the gold and silver , which was before consecrated for the lords treasury , josh . . . ) was by god's speciall sentence condemned to bee burnt , ch : . . and accordingly the people stoned him first , and burnt him afterwards , vers . . the conquest of the people , to which hee belonged . josh . . . hitherto may you reduce the example of belshazzar king of babylon . who upon a time ( in his jollity ) commanded to be brought forth to drink in , the golden and silver vessels , which his father nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple at jerusalem . but it is said , that before one hour passed , the hand came forth , and wrote in the wall , those words that told him , his kingdome was divided and given to the medes & persians , dan : . , , . if i would follow others , i might give you for examples , asa , and jehoash kings of judah , shishak king of egypt , and ananias and sapphira . but because i take the sin of the two last , to be no proper sacriledge ; & that it was not so much the detaining of the mony , that was punished . and because i meet with no particular relation of shishak●s punishment , as inflicted for this sinne ▪ and lastly , because of the two first , it is not onely not mentioned , that they were punished for this sin ; but said , that they were punished for other causes ; asa , for relying on the king of syria , cor. : and jehoash , for the blood of the sonnes of jehoida the priest , chron. , : i think it is not best to make this use of them . i might also present to you for your use , examples out of the maccabees . as i alcimus a commander under demetrius . who as he began to pull downe the wall of the inner court , and the works of the prophets ( haggai and zachary , by whose perswasions the walls were built ) was stricken dumb , and died suddenly , mac. . . heliodorus . who when hee came to the treasury of the temple to take it away , saw a strange apparition , and was stricken to the ground , . mac. . . and . menelaus , one who had committed much sacriledge first & last . against him it is said , the king of kings moved the mind of antiochus ; who caused him to be put to death , after the manner as sacrilegio●s persons were * wont to be at berea . mac. . . but , because the faith of these relations is suspected , i doe but name them . whether these and other examples that might be brought , bee truly related , or not ; of this you may be confident , that , hee who takes a thing sacrilegiously , is most taken himselfe . for , it is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy , prov. . being scandalized . at the waies of god. who is wise , and he shall understand these things ? prudent , & he shall know them ? for the wayes of the lord are right , and the just shall walke in them . but the transgressours shall fall therein , hos . . . at the word of god. peter saies that our saviour becomes a stone of stumbling to them , which stumble at the word , pet. . . at god himselfe . he shall be for a sanctuary : but for a stone of stumbling , and for a rock of offence , to both the houses of israel , isa . see the chapter of christ . scandalizing dangerous . for it makes god punish a sinne , which otherwise he had not punished . david said unto nathan , i have sinned against the lord. and nathan said unto david . the lord hath also put away thy sinne , thou shalt not dye howbeit , because by this deed , thou hast given occasion to the enemies of the lord to blaspheme the child also that is borne to thee , shall surely die , sam. , , . it makes him to resolve immutably , to punish : when perhaps otherwise hee would repent . especially if it be in his ministers . for thus he speaks of the priests of bethel , in jeroboam's time . because they ministred unto them before their idols , and caused the house of israel to fall into iniquity : therefore have i lift up my hand against them , saith the lord god , and they shall beare their iniquitie , ezek : , . in malachy , mention is made , how god punished such ministers in his time , viz. with the contempt of the people . yee have caused many to stumhle at the law , yee have corrupted the covenant of levi , saith the lord of hosts . therefore i also have made you contemptible ( as you have made my ordinances contemptible ) and base before all the people ; according as yee have not kept my waies , but have been partiall in the law . malach. . , . how justly the ministers of england by their scandalous life and doctrine , have suffered , & doe still suffer this punishment , i wish it were not so easie to demonstrate . the wicked , who scandalize maliciously , endeavouring to make the godly to fall into sinne , that they may laugh at them , or have somewhat to accuse them of , as hypocrisie , or the like : ( such as there are too many : ) they shall be sure to fall themselves into a pit of destruction , when the others perhaps shall escape . who so causeth the righteous to goe astray in an evill way , hee shall fall himselfe into his own pit , prov. . . the godly , who doe it by falling into sinne themselves , are as a troubled fountaine and a corrupt spring , prov. . . and therefore are they like to be purged by some chastisement : for else ( like a corrupt spring ) they will doe abundance of hurt . scorners , especially such as scorne instruction , punished , with ignorance . a scorner seeketh wisedome and findeth it not : but knowledge is easie to him , that understandeth , prov. . . here the scorner , and he that understandeth seeme to be opposed . and so ch : . . scorners , and fooles , seeme to be put for the same . being hated of men . the thought of foolishnesse is sin : and the scorner is an abomination to men , prov : . . being scorned & slighted by god ( which is a fearefull thing . ) surely hee scorneth the scorners , but giveth grace unto the lowly , prov : . . many heavy judgmentes . judgments are prepared for scorners , and stripes for the back of fooles prov : . . solomon's foole , is only the scorner : and he that is a scorner , can be no other . destruction . as sure , as the jews were punished with it , who scorned , and jeered at the prophets . for the terrible one is brought to nought , the scorner is consumed , and all that watch for iniquity shall be cut off , isa . . they think they doe a great matter , and that they have a sufficient revenge upon a man , to scorne his reproofe : but alas , they hurt none but themselves . if thou be wise , thou shalt be wise for thy selfe ; but if thou scornest , thou alone shalt beare it , prov. . . scriptures , not-knowing them punished , with errour . our saviour told the saduces , who denyed the resurrection , yee erre not knowing the scriptures . matt. . . wresting them attended , with destruction . peter speaking of paul's epistles , saith , in which are some things hard to be understood : which they also which are unlearned , & unstable , wrest to their owne destruction , . epist . . . scrupling at gnats , and swallowing camels . woe unto you pharisees , for yee tithe mint , and rue , and all manner of herbs , and passe over judgment , and the love of god ; these ought ye to have done , and not to have left the other undone . luk. . . security * as to enemyes punished ( or threatned with being conquered by them . whereof take these instances . the midianites under the command of zeba and zalmuna . they were overcome by gideon : who ( in the scriptures words ) smote the hoast ; for the hoast was secure jud. . . the people of laish : of whose security speciall mention is made thrice in one chapter . viz. jud. , , . . they were put to the sword by the children of dan ; and their city burnt , vers . . the people of kedar , and hazor ( arabians ) threatned to be destroyed by the caldeans jer : , to . the complaint is of them , that they dwelled with out care vers . , the carelesse ethiopians ezek . the ninivites , who dwelt carelesly , zeph. . , belshazzar . the same night , as he was feasting and carousing , he was slaine : and the city of babylon taken , dan. . . . those that dwell carelesly in the isles ( among whom we of england may well be numbred ) ezek. . . security as to evill such as cause it in others are threatend with the same punishments , which they promise them freedome from ; as those false prophets were , who would make the jewes believe , they should not be conquered by the assyrians , thus saith the lord concerning the prophets , that prophecy in my name , and i sent them not , yet they say , sword and famine shall not be in this land ; by sword and famine shall these prophets be consumed , jer ; . . such as are guilty of it themselves * , are in like manner threatened with those punishments , which they promise themselves freedome from . so were , the israelites . who saying , we have made a covenant with death , and with hell are wee at agreement : when the overflowing scourge shall passe throw , it shall not come unto us , &c. isa . . , are thus threatened v. . judgment also will i lay to the line , and righteousnesse to the plummet &c. by which i conjecture may be meant , that he would be so strict , in punishing them : that , whereas they presumed , that , when the scourge should passe thorow the land , it should not so much as come neere them ; his judgments should hit them so right , as if they had been directed by line and plummet : so that they should not misse them . and it followes also v. . your covenant with death shall be disanulled , and your agreement with hell shall not stand . when the overflowing scourge shall passe thorow , then shall ye be troden downe by it . the edomites . who were secure through pride of their strength ; and thought that the chaldeans could never conquer them , because they dwelt upon high hills , and in a mountainous country . whose habitation is high , who saith in his heart , who shall bring me down to the ground ? though thou exalt thy selfe as an eagle , and though thou set thy nest among the starrs , thence will i bring thee downe saith the lord , obad , . and . the chaldeans themselves ; after that god had made use of them , as he intended , for the punishing of others . heare now this , thou that are given to pleasures , that dwellest carelesly , that seyest in thine heart , i am , & none else beside mee ; i shall sit as a widow , neither shall i know the l●sse of children . but these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day , the losse of children , and widowhood , they shall come upon thee in their * perfection , &c isa . . , . in a moment , and , in their perfection . ] evills evills sudden , and great too , who can deale with ? the suddenesse of the chaldeans punishment is expressed againe verse . and indeed here is the misery of every one that is secure viz : that all his evills come suddenly to him , that is , when he is not aware ; and many of them , he himselfe also comes suddenly to them , that is , sooner then other men . . conquest , and captivity . and it shall come to passe at that time , i will search jerusawith candles , and punish the men that are setled in their lees ; that say in their heart , the lord will not doe good , neither will he doe evill . therefore their goods shall become a booty , and their house a desolation , &c. zeph : . , . i will search jerusalem with candles ] i beleeve , the meaning is the like with the meaning of that in isaiah , of laying judgment to the line ; and spoken after the same manner . viz : in answer to the peoples opinion , that there was no divine providence , to take notice of mens actions ; & that things should continue as they were without alteration . but , saith god , they shall know the contrary for i will not only punish them , but i will doe it very exactly ; so that not only , not all , but none , shall escape josephus * saith , that the romane souldiers under titus , when he tooke jerusalem , searched the very sinks , and graves , and dens , for men : and put to death those that they found . that say in their heart ] you have had the expression twice before in this chapter of security . and indeed it is proper to all secure men , so to say : * and the best of us are guilty of it oftner , then we take notice of . in their heart . ] that is enough with god , to provoke him : and we dare not say otherwise then in our hearts , for feare of provoking men . death by the sword . all the sinners of my people shall dye by the sword , which say , the evill shall not overtake , nor prevent us , amos . . sudden & unavoidable destruction . for when they shall say , peace and safety , then sudden destruction cometh upon them , as travaile upon a woman with child , and they shall not escape thess : . . all the curses written in the booke of the covenant . and it come to passe , when he heareth the words of this curse , that he blesse himselfe in his heart , saying , i shall have peace though i walke in the imagination of my heart , to adde drunkenesse to thirst . the lord will not spare him : but then the anger of the lord , and his jealousy , shall smoak against that man , and all the curses that are written in this booke , shall lie upon him , and the lord shall blot out his name from under heaven deut : . , . no wonder then that the prophet amos should say , woe to them that are at ease in sion , amos . . seducers and seduced . see false teachers selfe conceited men , punished , by their own sin , deceiving them . for if a man think himselfe to be something , when he is nothing : he deciveth himselfe , gal : . . by god , detaining from them , that which they think they have . whosoever hath not , from him shall be taken , even that which he seemeth to have , luk : . . selfe-destruction threatned to sinners . in generall , as for the prime and remote cause , any sins whatsoever are mens owne snares , and stumbling blocks : so that you may say to a man of any of them , as moses does of serving idols , it will surely be a snare * unto thee , ex : . . sinners will run themselves fast enough in , and hang themselves sure enough with the cords of their owne sins , of their own accord , although ( or rather indeed if ) god let them alone . his own iniquities shall take the wicked himselfe , and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins , prov : . . wickednesse is the fire ; and they are the briars , and thornes , isa . . . punishment by god , is but their own way brought back again upon their own head . the scripture useth this expression for it , kings . . as likewise that of eating the fruit of their own waies : pr. . . david prayed , that the way of his enemies might be dark and slippery , psal : . . jeremy threatned , that the way of the false prophets should be so , chap : . . & i make no doubt , but i may say , that the way of every sinner is so . which if it be , there needs none to throw him downe : for hee will fall soone himselfe ; and fall most dangerously : as a man must needs doe in such waies . many are the places of scripture which speake to this purpose : especially in the psalmes and the proverbs . you may see at your leasure , psal . . . . . . * . prov. . , , . ch : . , . . . . . . i say that every sinner will punish himselfe with his own courses : when once god leaves him ( or gives him leave ) to take those courses , and so to punish himselfe . now the main cause of god's leaving him in this manner , is his leaving god first : and refusing to hearken to the counsell of his word . so that still the sinners destruction is from himselfe , and he is his own greatest enemy . they would none of my councell : they despised all my reproofe . therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way , and be filled with their owne devises , prov : , . if hee will not take god's counsell , he must needs take his owne ; and his own is never good . such as will not follow advice , though it bee but man's advice , we see but few of them prosper . see more to this purpose in the chapter of god's leaving men to sin , in the title sin. now by any sin , as i told you before , men do hurt thēselves remotely , & in the end , by just desert : but there are some sins , by which they are more immediatly their own executioners . and of such sins , and the manner of being punished by them , mention is made in severall places of this book . and therefore i will instance onely in two or three , that are more noted , and these are an unruly tongue . a fooles mouth is his destruction , and his lips are the snare of his soule , prov : . . anger and envy . for wrath killeth the foolish man : and envy slayeth the silly one , job , . . frowardnesse . the integritie of the upright shall guide them : hut the perversnesse of transgressours shall destroy them . prov : . . confidence , and wantonnesse , in prosperity . the turning away of the simple shall s●ay them , and the prosperity of fooles shall destroy them , prov : . . of these you may see more in their severall chapters . this way of punishing men by themselves , is a way that god uses very much whether it be by giving them up to such sins , as are most hurtfull to the parties , that commit them : or by causing them to be wh●pt by those scourges , which they made themselves and intended for the backs of others . insomuch that , if you see men punished this way you have very good cause to think , that god hath a speciall hand in it ; and that he is very angry as david saith . the lord is known by the judgement which he executeth : the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands , ps . . . selfe-feare . see feare , and enemies of gods people . selling deceitfully , see deceitfull dealing . sinne. i meane to give you two or three of the more remarkable texts of scripture , which speak of sin in generall , as sin. now we find in the scriptures , first , that by sin there comes no good , no not in this world , every thing considered . what fruit had yee then ( then ) in * those things whereof yee are now ashamed ? rom : , and therefore sinnes are called the unfruitfull workes of darknesse , eph. secondly , that for sin there will be certain punishment . it was so before christ , as appeares , by what is threatned . god told cain , if thou dost not well , sin lyeth at the dore , gen : . . and moses told the reubenites , and cadites ( when he would have them go over jordan with the rest of the i●raelites , to help them into their possessions ; having their own already on this side the river ) but if yee will not doe so : behold yee have sinned against the lord ; and be sure , your sin will finde you out * , num : . . by what we read of to have been inflicted . which as men knew , before it was inflicted , that it would be : ( as appeares by samuels speech to the people sam : . . and solomons prayer , kings . . ) so they acknowledged , after it was inflicted , that it was meerely the fruit of sin . as ( among other places ) you may see in chron : . . where it is said , that the messengers sent about by hezekiah , with proclamatiō for keeping of a passeover , in their exhortation used these words . be yee not like to your fathers , and like your brethren , which trespassed against the lord god of your fathers : who therefore gave them up to desolation , as yee see . in the book of judges , there is seldome mention made of a victory had over the israelites , but with this preface : the children of israel did evill in the sight of the lord , &c , and such or such an enemy came against them &c. see ch : . . ch : . . . . . . the same * word in the scripture is used for sin and for punishment , and the same word in a different forme , for to sin , and to expiate sin . for sin will be either expiated or punished ; that is c●rtaine . it is so since christ : as both the threats of the gospel , and ( in part ) experience , testifie . for , in this world , sinners are punished in the worst manner , that they can be ; hat is , with spirituall punishments , which are farre the worst , and such as make way for more . in speaking of these , i might be very large , if i would descend to particulars . but because that is a worke of a volume , and not a chapter ; i will onely mention three more generall evils , that render the condition of a sinner , in this life , both miserable , and exceeding dangerous . darkenesse joh. . . &c. so that he knoweth not whither he goeth : and therefore must needs fall . slavery , to which he is sold , ( and hath sold himselfe ) & wherein he continues . ro . . see joh. . . acts . . death . co● . . perhaps he knows it not . but his condition is never the better for that ; for of those evi●s that are evils indeed , ignorance is alwaies an aggravation . in the world to come , they shall be punished with most bitter punishments . tribulation * and anguish upon every soule of man that doth evill , rom. . . and that for ever . these shall goe away into everlasting punishment , matth. . . this is all the wages which the servants of sinne have , rom. . . and this they are sure to have : unlesse by christ * they are made free * from sinne , and become the servants of righteousnesse : so that what ever their beginning be , yet their end * may be everlasting life . sinning deliberately , and with delight . woe unto them that devise iniquity , and worke evill upon their beds ; when the morning is light , they practise it , because it is in the power of their hands , mic. . . see isa . . . you that sinne thus , take heed , lest god take up a resolution against you , that he will not forget you ; as he did against the jewes , thus saith the lord unto this people , thus have they loved to wander , they have not refrained their feet ; therefore the lord doth not accept them , he will now remember their iniquity , and visit their sinnes , jer : . . sinning with a high hand by sinning with a high hand , i meane sinning ( as the word is in our translation ) presumptuously , ●iz : when men doe not only resolve , but professe to sinne , out of pride , and in contempt ▪ of authority . this manner of sinning is very frequent . so that you shall see many commit sinnes , meerly because they would not seeme to be controlled ; and to anger , and vexe those under whose command they are . but what is the danger of such sinning ? doubtlesse , great enough . for even doing ought presumptuously , god threatneth with cutting off , ( one way , or other : ) but the soule that doth ought presumptuously , whether he be borne in the land , or a stranger , the same reproacheth the lord , and that soule shall be cut off from among his people , num : . see dent : . . but if they sinne thus against the sentence of the priests and judges also , he prescribeth to have the parties put to death . and the man that will doe presumtously , and will not hearken to the priests &c. even that man shall die , and thou shalt put away the evill from israel , deut : . . the israelites going presumptuously up to the hill towards canaan , when moses had expressely forbidden them , were overcome by the amorites , deut : , . the word for presumptuously , in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you were proud . and so chap : , where we translate , the man that will doe presumtuously , the hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that will doe in pride . and the sept. translate both this , & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that place of numbers above quoted ( which we translate , presumtuously , ) after the same manner , viz : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , with a hand of pride . and indeed , pride hath the greatest hand in such sinnes ▪ whereby they either despise the word of the lord , ( as it is said in the place before quoted , num : . . ) or scorne to do after the command of another sinning against knowledge it occasions the aggravation of god's anger . and the lord was angry with solomon , because his heart was turned from the lord god of israel , which had appeared unto him twice , kings . . which had appeared unto him twice , ] viz : in adreame by night chap ▪ . , and chap. . . and ( that which still makes for the aggravation of solomon●s sinne ) the first of those times , god bestowed upon him a wise and understanding heart , so that there was none like him , before him ; neither after him , should any arise like him , chap. . . inexcusablenesse . so that they are without excuse● because that when they knew god , they glorified him not as god , &c. rom : . , . without excuse ] so we render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : though in the . chap. v. , we render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , inexcusable . and very well . for such sinners , as they cannot be excused by others ; so they have nothing to say for themselves . glorified him not &c. ] even omission against knowledge is dangerous . not being pardoned . especially , if it be also with a high hand , professedly , so that they stick not to say , we see , ( not only we heare ) and yet will not believe , or obey . our saviour told the pharisees , if ye were blind ye should have no sinne , ( you were in such a condition , as that , if you sinned , perhaps through god●s mercy , you might have had noe sinne , but it might have been taken away : ) but now ye say , we see ▪ therefore your sinne remaineth , john . . now certainely it remaineth , and will remaine still at your doore , and will not be taken away . seeing jesus● christ lived amonst them ; and did such miracles before their eyes ; if yet they would deny him to be the christ ; i doe not see how they could be excused such willfull lying . for jesus his being the christ is so plain a truth , that i may say , who is a lyar , if he be not , that denieth that jesus is the christ ? john . . for such a translation the greeke will beare , as well as but he : especially if we render , a lyar , and not , the lyar. temporall destruction by enemies : as it did in the jewes , ( perhaps the scribes and pharisees , such as i mentioned but now . ) i will get me unto the great men , and will speak unto them ; for they have knowne the way of the lord , and the judgment of their god. but these have altogether broken the yoake and burst the bonds ; wherefore a lyon out of the forrest shall slay them &c. jer : . . . see v. . damnation . especially , if it be against the knowledge of the truth , that is , the true religion , by apostacy ; & the men are also adversaries to the truth . for if we sinne wilfully , after that we have received the knowledge of the truth , there remaineth noe more sacrifice for sinne , but a certaine looking for of judgment , and fiery indignation , which shall devour the adversaries , heb : . , . greater damnation then others . that servant who knew his lord's will , and prepared not himselfe , neither did according to his will , shall be beaten with many stripes , luk . . those six men which ezekiel saw in his vision , who had a commission from god to goe thorow jerusalem , and to kill both old and young , had this order from him viz : to begin at the sanctuary ezek. . . where it is also said , that they began at the ancient men which were before the house . see james . . enticing , ( or causing ) others to sinne . doubtlesse it shall be severely punished . woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink : that putteth thy bottle to him ( the prophet changes the person for anger ) and makest him drunken also , that thou maist look on his nakednesse hab. that putteth thy bottle to him ] or . offerest the cup to him , to tempt him . how often is this sinne committed by us ! i meane our importunit with our freinds to eate , and drink which we take no notice of as a sinne : but practise it our selves , and expect it from others , as an act of civility and complement . woe unto you scribes and pharisees , hypocrites , for ye compasse sea and land to make one proselyte , and when he is made , you make him twofold more , the child of hell , then your selves , matt. . . the lord , in the prophecy of amos , being about to threaten the israelites , with most severe punishments , and beginning to reckon up the mercies which he shewed them , seemes to have had an intent , after that , of complaining of more sinnes then one , ( as may be gathered by the expression afterward used , of a cart load of sheaves . ) but yet as soone as ever he had mentioned this ( ye gave the nazarites wine to drinke , and commanded the prophets saying , prophecy not : ) as if the weight of it had forced him to speake ; he goes no further , but presently breakes out , behold i am pressed under you , as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves . therefore the flight shall perish from the swift &c. am . , , . such as are guilty of this sin , their condition is wofull , & their persons are cursed . they are exceedingly detested by god ; as those are by men , who endevour to set others against them . cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way , deut . . they shall be called the least ( methinkes there is much detestation & anger in this expression ) in the kingdome of heaven ; though it be but in the breach of the least commandement , mat. . . leaving of men in sinne threatened for , not-seeking to god in difficulties . and therefore elisha said to jehoram king of israel , what have i to do with thee ? get thee to the prophets of thy father , and to the prophets of thy mother , kings . . but especially for leaving god to serve idols . for for this are they left to serve idols longer , judges . . yet yee have forsaken me , and served other gods : wherefore i will deliver you no more . goe , and cry unto the gods which yee have chosen , let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation . and so hosea . , because ephraim hath made many altars to sin , altars shall be unto him to sin . see amos . . jer : , . after serving one or some idols , to serving of others , as the israelites for making & worshipping the golden calfe , were left to worship the hoast of heaven , act. . . god turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven . nay , they are left and giuen up to other sinnes , rom : . . wherefore god also gave them up to uncleannesse . the apostle hed mentioned the committing of idolatry v. ● . and so he doth again in verse . and brings in this as by a parenthesis . as if he were in hast , to shew how this leaving them to those sinnes , was the certaine effect of their idolatry : and as if that cause , and this effect , were inseparable . see such another parenthesis ezek. . . amaziah king of judah , for bringing home , and worshipping the gods of the edomites after he had conquered them , was left to pride , uncharitablenesse , and obstinacy : so that he would not be diswaded by joash king of israel , from the challenge which he made to fight with him . but amaziah would not heare it , for it came of god that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies , because they sought after the gods of edom. &c. chr. . . so it is said of zedekiah king of judah , for idolatry especially , ( among other sinnes ) through the anger of the lord it came to passe in jerusalem , and judah , untill hee had cast them out from his presence , that zedekiah rebelled against the king of babylon , kings . . for despising his word . because they had not executed my judgements , but had despised my statutes , and had polluted my sabbath and their eyes were after their idols . wherefore i gave them also statutes that were not good ; and judgements , whereby they should not live , ezek. . , . hierom and maldonate expound it in my sense . and so doth the chaldee * paraphrast . but they expound statutes of the idolatrous lawes and rites of the assyrians , among whom the jewes lived captive : he , of wicked decrees which they made themselves . whereby they should not live . ] god's statutes only are such , which if a man doe , he shall even live by * them , vers . . . . for stubbornnesse in obeying his word , & refusing to heare . thou shalt say unto them , thus saith the lord god , he that heareth , let him heare , and he that forbeareth , let him forbeare . for they are a rebellious house , ezek : . . he that forbeareth let him forbeare * ] aquila translates , he that leaveth shall be left : and so saith hierom , who parallels these words with those in luke , ch : . and from him that hath not , shall be taken away even that which he seemeth to have . but my people would not hearken to my voice and israel i would none of me . so i gave them up to their own hearts lust , and they walked in their own counsells , ps . . . . see mat : . . rev : . . slanderers ; or , false accusers , doubtlesse , shall suffer many punishment . for david hath many prayer-like prophecies , and propheticall praiers in the psalmes against them● usually describing them under the name of flatterers , and lyars , & deceitfull persons . among the rest , there is one dreadfull one against doeg the edomite in the psalme . where ( without speaking any thing of his killing the priests at the command of saul , sam : . . but only of his wicked tongue ) after complaint made of his lying , v. . as well as his deceitfullnesse . vers . . ( whereby it appeares he did more then tel● saul of abimelech's entertaining david , which is all that is mentioned in samuel , ● sam. . . and was true enough , as you may see ch : . . . ) in the verse thus hee speaks , god shall likewise destroy thee for ever , &c. but give me leave to shew , after my wonted manner , the severall punishments which i meet with in these and other scriptures , according to their different quality . now they are shame ( that 's the least ) by not having their wills upon those whom they slander . those who slandered the prophet jeremy to zedekiah , in saying , that hee sought * not the welfare of the people , but the hurt , jer : . , ( because he disheartned them by his prophecies , from standing out against the assyrians ) see what he saith of them , ch . . v. . i heard the defaming of many , report , say they , and we will report ( or accuse him to the king : as the scribes sent forth their spies to observe our saviour , that they might accuse him to the governour , luk : . . ) all my familiars watched for my halting ( a complaint which david often makes ) saying , peradventure he will be enticed , and we shall prevaile against him , &c. but he addes immediatly , v. . but the lord is with me as a mighty terrible one : therefore my persecutours shall stumble , and they shall not prevaile : they shall be greatly ashamed . for they shall not prosper : their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten . the evill , which they intended by slandering to bring upon others . so haman , who slandered the jewes to the king of babylon , that they kept not his lawes , esth : . , intending to have them all massacred , verse ; was put to death himselfe , and hanged upon the gallowes which he made for mordecai , esth . . . if men doe not execute this punishment , ( as it is not often that they doe ; because the hearer usually is pleased with such newes , and the other is ignorant of it : ) yet god will. for having shot their arrowes secretly , when men knew it not : so that they hurted them suddenly , before they thought of it , psal . . . god also shall shoot at them with his arrowes ; and suddenly shall they be wounded , v. . being excluded the houses of men , even of those to whom they bring their slanders ( this is the least . ) for thus david speakes , where he is telling what he would doe , when he came to be king , who so privily slandereth his neigbour , him will i cut off , psal . , . it could not be meant , of such as were slanderers in saul's time ; for such he would never admit at all . being excluded the house of god , ( as we may well conjecture . ) for david , psal . . having asked vers . . lord who shall dwell in thy tabernacle ? afterwards makes answere to himself , that such and such , & among the rest , he that backbiteth not with his tongue , vers . . a curse . cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly , deut : . . smiteth ] there is little difference betweene him , who hurts a man first , with his tongue ; and him who afterwards upon his false accusation , hurts him with his sword . smite they doe both ; only secretly , & publickly , is all the oddes ; and what is that with god ? david calls the tongue of slanderers , a sword , ps . . . see the hurtfullnesse of a slanderous tongue , notably described by the sonne of sirach , ecclus. . . to the end . vtter destruction of them and their families . amaziah a priest of bethel , accusing the prophet amos to jeroboam the king of israel , of conspiring against him , amos . v. , in the verse , is thus threatened , thy wife shall be a harlot in the city , and thy sonnes and thy daughters shall fall by the sword , and thy land shall be divided by line , and thou shalt dye in a polluted land . and thus is that of doeg's being rooted out of the land &c , in the place above quoted ps . . , interpreted ; because , say the hebrewes , the children are the root , when the tree is cut down , ( or a man is dead , ) from whence spring new branches , that is , nephewes . ezekiel chap . being about to threaten jerusalem with captivity , first makes complaint of some notorious sinnes : and among the rest this was one , in thee are men that carry tales * to shed bloud v. . to shed bloud ] there are but few such men , but are bloudy-minded . if they doe not speake to that end , that another man's bloud may be shed ; yet they would be glad , if that were the end ; and it is not seldome that it proves so . thus you have seen , what evills a slanderous tongue may occasion to the slanderers themselves . and good reason , they should have some hurt , among so much as it does . the hebrews call a slanderous tongue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an evill tongue . the chaldee paraphrase almost every where , expresseth the sinne by the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a treble tongue . and so in that chapter of ecclesiasticus , which before i referred you to , vers . , it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a third tongue . and the reason they give , is , because it doeth hurt to three persons viz : the hearer , the accused , and the speaker himselfe . it may be so likewise called from speaking three manner of waies . for the slanderer flatters the party whom he will slander , to make him the more ready to trust him . he slanders that party , to whom he means to slāder him ; that so he may speak his mind the more freely against him . he tells againe , what he hath heard the party speake . david psal . . . complaines of his slanderous enemies , that adders poison was under their lips . if they have adders poyson , they may as well have adders tongues , the epithete , that poets have for the tongue of a serpent , is , trisulca , * three-furrowed . and perhaps it was with this instrument especially , that david's backbiting enemies , plowed their furrowes upon his back psal . . . but let all slanderers know , that for this treble hurt , of part whereof they are not allwaies certaine ; they shall certainely meet with double punishment ; double destruction ; such as jeremy praies for , against those that slandered him , ch . . . paul made it so certain , that those who slandered * him , should come to punishment ; that he neither praies that they might , nor threatens that they should ; but only speakes in approbation of their punishment ; ( which he thought to be irrevocably determined against them : ) that it was good enough for them . and not rather as we b● slanderously reported , and as some affirme , that we say , let us doe evill that good may come thereof , whose damnation is just . rom. . . sorrow of the world . godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation , not to be repented of : but the sorrow of the world worketh death , cor. . . if you take this to be spoken of a tēporall death ; it is that whereof we see experience very often , viz : in such as make themselves away , by hanging , drowning , & such like waies : out of griefe for some worldly crosses . i believe , you have heard of few , that have been sorry after a godly sort , that came to such ends . tale bearers . see slanderers . talkativenesse is punished , or attended with poverty ( being usually accompanied with idlenesse * ) in all labour there is profit , but the talk of the lips tendeth only to poverty , prov : . . destruction ( as by discovery , provocation , & an hundred otherwayes ) he that keepeth his mouth , keepeth his life but he that openeth wide his lips , shall have destruction , prov : . keeping the doore of a man's mouth shut is as requisite for his safety , as the keeping the doore of his house shut : and as carefull is it to be observed , if a man would live free , not only from hurt , but from feare . the septuagint * translate the last part of this verse he that is rash in his lips , shall make * himselfe afraid . and doubtlesse , such as talk much , are seldome free ; either from feare , lest what they have not well spoken , may doe them hurt ; or from doubt , whether they have spoken so or no. we * repent often that we speak too much , but seldome that we hold our peace . temple of god. if any man defile the temple of god , him shall god destroy : for the temple of god is holy , which temple yee are . cor : . . tempting of god punished . in the israelites , when they had their will one way , with being crossed another , ( as usually it falls out , when wee are too eager in our pursuits . ) but lusted exceedingly in the wildernesse , and tempted god in the desart : and he gave them their requests , but sent leannesse into their soule , psalm . . , . see murmuring . in the same people , with the losse of canaan . wherefore i sware unto them in my wrath , that they should not enter into my rest . psal : . . they committed this sinne very many times : but this punishment was chiefly inflicted , for their refusing for to goe forward towards canaan , when they were come very neere it , numb . . if men will not go to heaven when they may , they shall seek to enter in * , and shall not be able . destruction ( in the same people also . ) neither let us tempt christ , as some of them also tempted , and were destroyed of serpents , cor. . . sudden death , in ananias and saphira . for peter told saphira , how is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the spirit ? &c. act. . . thieves . their punishment by the law was restitution ; which was in some cases a twofold , in some b foure , and ( as it is interpreted by the vulgar , prov. . . ) in some seven : and if he were found breaking up of an house , any man might kill him , exod : . . but besides this they are threatned , with a secret curse upon their estates which they have gotten by thievery , * wasting and eating them out like a canker . i will bring it forth , saith the lord of hoasts , and it shall enter into the house of the thiefe , and into the house of him that sweareth falsly by my name ▪ and it shall remain in the middest of his house , and shall consume it with the timber thereof , and the stones thereof , zach. . . he speakes of the flying roule which he saw ; wherein it seemes were two curses , one of one side against thieves , and anther on the other , against false-swearers . and it is conceived to be meant chiefly of the jewes in babylon : who for poverty would steale , and then forsweare it . exclusion out of heaven . nor thieves nor covetous &c. shall inherit the kingdome of god cor. . . thoughts of wickednesse doubtlesse , they shall be punished . for otherwise , peter had never said to simon magus ( when he offered to give him money , for the power of conferring the holly-gost ) repent ●therefore of this thy wickednesse , and pray god , if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be for given thee , acts . . if perhaps 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ] according to beza , the greek word expresseth a doubting . as if he had said , i feare god will hardly pardon thee ; yet try however . but for this , use your judgement . unlesse jerusalem did wash her he art from wickednesse , she could not be saved . o jerusalem , wash thine heart from wickednesse , that thou maiest be saved , how long shall vaine thoughts lodge within thee ? jer : . . vaine thoughts ] hierom translates , noxiae , hurtfull ; & symmachus , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , thoughts of wickednesse . the thoughts of the wicked are abomination to the lord , prov. , , much more , the thoughts of wickednesse . treacherous dealing punished . woe to thee that spoilest , and wast not spoiled , and dealest * treacherously and they dealt not treacherously with thee . when thou shalt cease to spoile , thou shalt be spoiled ; and when thou shalt make an end to deale treacherously , they shall deale treacherously with thee isa . . . threatend ( or , prophecied ) our saviour told his disciples , ye shall be betrayed , both by parents , and brethren , and kinsfolkes , and friends ; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death , luk . . trusting in the arme of flesh , punished with not prospering against enemies , so well , as otherwise they might . hanani the seer told asa k. of judah , ( because , when baasha king of israel came against him , he betooke himselfe for help to benhadad king of syria , and made a league with him , ) because thou hast relied on the king of syria , and not relied on the lord thy god , therefore is the hoast of the king of syria escaped out of thy hands , chr. . . 't is true , he overcame the k. of israel . but , it seems , he might have overcome the king of syria too , ( who was as great an enemy to judah , as he was to israel ; ) had it not been for this sinne . being overcome . sometimes by treachery of those in whom they trust : as the jews were overcome by the assyrians , being promised help , and encouraged to stand it out by the egyptians . for upon them they leaned as upon a staff ; but it proved a hollow-hearted reed , and brake under them , ezek. . . isa . . and some times without treachery ; as the same people were by the same people , when they fled into egypt ; where they , and the egyptians both , were overthrowne by nebuchadnezzar , the egyptians are men and not god , and their horses are flesh , and not spirit &c. when the lord shall stretch out his hand , both he that helpeth shall fall , and he that is holpen shall fall downe ; and they all shall faile together , isa . . . perhaps , benhadad king of syria might have prospered against ahab ( being a wicked king , ) had he not put so much confidence in the strength of his army . for the scripture relates his boasting expressions , kings . . but you may reade of his overthrow v. . see hos . . , , . shame for their folly . woe to the rebellious house &c. isa . . . ( where the latine translates , desertores , forsakers , because they forsooke god , and betooke themselves to men . ) and it followes vers . . the strength of pharaoh shall be your shame , and the trust in the shadow of egypt , your confusion . the trust ] not their being overthrowne by the enemie . for it had been no shame , to be overcome by so potent an enemie , as the assyrian . but that they should occasion their owne overthrow , by trusting in vain men , when they might have trusted in the lord of hoasts ; how could they chuse but be exceedingly ashamed , and confounded , for their folly and madnesse ? one of the sins for which god threatens to give jerusalem bloud in fury and jealousie , ezek. . , was trusting in her owne beauty , vers . . an idol especially , is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thing of nought ( or that which is not a thing . * ) and the prophet amos complaines of rejoycing in it , chap. . . but any creature to trust in , is as good as nothing , meere vanity ; and cannot satisfy his expectation . men find it so by daily experience , and yet 't is all one . but what saith job , let not him that is deceived , trust in vanity , for vanity shall be his recompence chap. . . a curse . cursed be the man ( being geber a ) that trusteth in man , ( adam a : whom he knoweth to be an earthen vessell ) and maketh flesh his arme . for he shall be like the heath in the desart , and shall not see when good cometh : but shall inhabit the parched places in the wildernesse , in a salt land and not inhabited jer. . , . trust in god. the want of it ( especially if it be distrust , and doubting of his faithfulnesse ) punished with want of assurance , and establishment . when ahaz k. of judah , being invaded by rezin k. of syria , and pekah k. of israel distrusting god's providence , intended to betake himselfe for help to the assyrians ; the prophet isaiah told him , if yee will not believe , yee shall not be established , isa . . . hebrew . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the words used for believe , and for established , are the same ; only in a different forme . and indeed , beliefe ( or , trust in god ) is the only thing , that can establish both our hearts , and our conditions . according to the hebrew , we might render thus , if yee will not be assur'd * , yee shall not bee assured * . the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies faith , ( both ours in beliefe ; & god's in faithfulnes * ) is used as if it did signifie also riches . and therefore some derive the word mammon , riches , from amun , trust . if it signifie riches , it may well be used also for trust ; because men usually trust in riches : and if it signifie trust , it may bee used also for riches ; because god ( who only is to be trusted in ) is riches enough to them that trust in him , and rich unto all that call upon him . in the . psal . vers . . where we translate , trust in the lord , and doe good , and dwell in the land , and verily thou shalt be fed , the sept. translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , thou shalt be fed with the riches of it . the hebrew for these words is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . which vatablus renders , * nourish thy selfe with faith ( that which habakkuk saies , the just shall live by . ch. . . ) god's fiery indignation , & severe punishment . yea they spake against god , they said , can god furnish a table in the wildernesse , &c. therefore the lord heard this , and was wroth , so a fire was kindled against jacob , &c. psal . , , , . and afterward in the same ps . vers . , . for all this they sinned still , and believed not , for his wonderous works . therefore their daies did he consume in vanity , and their yeares in trouble . it is strange : all the while the israelites were in the wildernesse , though they were so often punished for distrust in god's providence , yet upon every occasion they distrusted it . he was never so often tempted , and provoked through distrust of it : and yet there were never so many cleare testimonies given of it . vnbeliefe , as to promises , punished , with not enjoying those promises , when they are fulfilled . thus the noble man at samaria was punished . who because hee would not believe elisha's prophecy , of a plenty to bee the next day in that towne : although there were then a strait siege , and the want of provision was so great , that women did eate their children , so that one would think , hee had good cause to doubt of the truth of it : yet notwithstanding had this punishment threatned him by the prophet , thou shalt see it with thine eyes , but shalt not eat thereof , kings . . which came to passe accordingly . see ministers not believed . in like manner were the israelites punished , viz : with dying before they came to the promised land . and to whom sware he , that they should not enter into his rest , but to them that believed not ? so we see , they could not enter in , because of unbeliefe , heb. . , . see jude verse . with dumbnesse . thus zachary was punished , for not believing the promise sent him by the angell , that his wife elizabeth should have a son : although ( as one might think ) he had good reason to doubt of it , because he & she too were both old , luk : . . dumbnesse , i said . & i may adde deafnesse too ; if the opinion of theophylact & others be true : who would have the angel's words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to be translated , not , thou shalt be dumb : but thou shalt be deafe , and not able to speak they have some reasons for it , as because else , here were a speaking of the same thing twice . because it is said vers : . that they made signes to him , when they desired to knowe , how he would have his sonne called : which they needed not to have done , if he had not been deafe . and as for the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; it is not unlikely , it may be used as the hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is , as well for deafe * , as dumb . for so another greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used , in one and the same evangelist , mat. . a . and ch : . b ( and therefore from the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , vers . . can be nothing brought * for this purpose . ) vnbeliefe as to the gospell punished with removall of the meanes of beliefe . it is said of nazareth , that our saviour did not many mighty workes there , because of their unbeliefe mat : . . rejection . because of unbeliefe they were broken off , rom. . . because of unbeliefe , ] or through unbeliefe . vnbeliefe breaks a man off from the tree presently : and perhaps , in the originall it is so meant , * viz. though it be a meritorious cause , under the notion of an efficient . damnation . he that believeth and is baptized , shall be saved : but he that believeth not , shall be damned , mark . . shall be damned , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] or , his condemnation shall be fulfilled . for , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he is condemned , already john . * . god is so angry for this sinne , that he resolves presently to damne men for it . and his resolution will certainly be executed ; for the wrath of god abideth on him , vers . . see the thess . . . and chap. . . rev. . . wherefore see that ye refuse not him that speaketh . for if they escaped not , who refused him that spake on earth ; much more shall not we escape , if we turne away frō him that speaketh from heaven , heb. . . vncharitablnesse towards those who are in want ; the punishments for it either inflicted , or threatened , are excommunication . an ammonite or moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the lord ; even to their tenth generation , shall they not enter into the congregation of the lord forever . because they met you not with bread and with water , in the way when ye came forth out of egypt , deut. . , . see not-helping the godly . poverty . there is that scattereth , and yet increaseth , and there is that withholdeth more then is meete , but it tendeth to poverty , prov. . . withholdeth more then is meet . ] some translate * spareth , i. e. giveth not as much as he should . which if it be so ; & that such a one shall come to poverty : much more he that giveth nothing at all . they say it is usuall in the jewish writers , to compare giving almes ( a thing which they talke very much of ) to salt . and not without reason . for , as meat will putrify , if it be not salte● and fruit will rott , if it be not turned ; an● many things will be the worse , if they be no● used : so wealth is many times lost by keeping , but never by bestowing . we have an example of this punishment related by gregory nyssen , in one whose children came to poverty , though he did not . for hiding his money in holes , and walls , without acquaining any body where he put it ; he happened to dye sudenly , and so it was all lost . i believe , if it were observed , it might be as common to see the uncharitable man forsaken , and his seed begging their bread : as it is rare to see it in the righteous * and liberall , ps . . . god 's not hearing their prayers , in su● or any other condition . who so stoppeth hi● eares at the cry of the poore , he also shall cry an● shall not be heard , prov. . . at the cry● the poore ] not the call , viz : when he beggeth whensoever he cryeth only , out o● the sense of his misery ; though it be not t● thee , that he cryeth . nay , whereas it is renderred , at the cry : it may be rendere● from the cry : for the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he who never heard their cry , if it we● of his owne occasioning , that he did n● heare it , viz : by going , or looking anoth● way , or keeping at home , ( tricks too oft● used by uncharitable men : ) shall be certain ●●nished . he also shall cry , ] or , rather , 〈◊〉 shall call ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) i. e. he shall call u●on god. so the chaldee paraphrase . which 〈◊〉 worse then crying only . for his condition shall be such , that none but god shall be able to helpe him ; ( so that he shall be necessitated to call upon him : ) and yet god shall refuse to helpe him . shall not be heard ] or , shall not be answered ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a grea●er token of anger . for it argues , that god hath shut up his bowels towards him , when 〈◊〉 heares him , and doth not pity him . many curses ; not from * men only , but from god. he that giveth to the poore shall ●ot lacke : but he that hideth his eyes ( for feare of being moved to pity ) shall have many a ●urse , prov. . . thus it is with uncharitable men even in his life . and if they doe any of them escape punishments without ; they are worse punish●d within , with continuall feares , both of god , and man. as eliphaz told job , ( though 〈◊〉 had not perhaps stripped the naked of their doathing : but had only not given water to the weary to drinke , or witholden bread from ●he hungry ) therefore snares are round about ●ee , and sudden feare troubleth thee , job . ● , . but his punishment in the next life , ●specially , if he be so to christ's members , is ●o lesse then damnation . then shall he say also to them on the left hand , depart from me ye cursed , into everlasting fire prepared for the divell and his angells , mat. . . and it followes in the next verse , for i was , ( or my members were ) a hungered , and ye gave me no meat , i was thirsty , and ye gave me no drink , vers . . so in the parable , the rich man , who relieved not lazarus , is said to be in hell , luk . . and in another parable , the servant , who pityed not his fellow-servant , that owed him money , is coudemned to perpetuall imprisonment , matt. . , . and as no heaven is provided , for such as have no charitie : so , but a little heaven for such as have but a little charity . he that soweth sparingly , shall reap sparingly , and he that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully , cor : . . god himselfe says , that one of the reasons why he destroyed sodome , was , because shee did not strengthen the hand of the poore and needy , ezek. . , . job even in his impatience sayd , he would be contented , in case he had seen any perish for want of cloathing , or any poore without covering &c. that his arme should fall from his shoulder blade * , and his arme be broken from the bone , job ▪ , to . which puts me in mind of a saying among the jewes , the doore that is not opened * to the poore , shall be opened to the physicians . vnfruitfullnesse . god punisheth men for it with leaving them to the wide world . what could i have done more to my vinyard , that i have not done in it ? wherefore when i looked that it should bring forth grapes , brought it forth wild grapes ? and now goe to , i will tell you what i will doe to my vinyard , i will take away the hedge thereof , and it shall be eaten up , and break downe the wall thereof , and it shall be trodden downe isa . . , . taking away the means of making them fruitfull . it shall not be pruned nor digged : but there shall come up briars and thornes , i will also command the cloudes that they raine no raine upon it , ib. v. . taking away the power and meanes of being fruitfull ( gifts and talents . ) take therefore the talent from him , and give it unto him that hath ten talents , mat. . . so that for unfruitfullnesse the sinne , they have unfruitfullnesse the punishment ; when he saw a fig-tree in the way , he came to it , and found nothing thereon , but leaves only : and said unto it , let no fruit grow on thee hence forward for ever . and presently the figtree withered away mat. . cutting downe , as trees that have left bearing . it was john the baptist's doctrine , every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the fire , mat. . . and it was our saviours too , in in the same wordes , chap. . . luk . . he that had hid his talent in the ground , had his doome to be cast into outer darknesse , mat. . . vnthankfull sinning . ( i meane sinning against more then ordinary mercy . for otherwise , all sinning ▪ hath vnthankefulnes in it ) it hath been threatned , with god's anger ; although the party were one that god loved exceeding well . hezekiah rendred not againe , according to the benefit done unto him : for his heart was lifted up ▪ therefore there was wrath upon him , and upon judah and jerusalem , chr : . . god 's not pardoning them ( or forbearing to punish them . ) how shall i pardon thee for this ? thy children have for●aken me , & sworne by them that are no gods. when i had fed them to the full , they then committed adultery , and assembled themselves by troupes in the harlots houses , jer : . . god's punishing them severely . you only have i knowne of all the families of the earth : therefore i will punish you for all your iniquities am. . . how tenderly does god take it , to have hatred thus returned him for his good will ! even as a father does , to be hated by his children , whom he hath not onely begotten , but bred up with a great deale of love , and paines , and care . one may plainly see it in the manner of his expressions . of the rock that begat thee thou art unmindfull , and hast forgotten god that formed thee . and when the lord saw it , he abhorred them , because of the provoking of his sons , & of his daughters , deu : . , . because of the provoking of his sons and his daughters . ] if they had been strangers ; their provoking had not been so odious , nor their sins so provoking , deu : . , . heare , o heavens , and give eare , o earth : for the lord hath spoken . i have nourished , and brought up children , and they have rebelled against me . the oxe knoweth his owner , and the asse his masters crib , but israel doth not know , my people doth not consider , isa : . , . heare o heavens ] as if creatures onely naturall , would be sensible of such an unnaturall thing viz : for children to forget him that nourished and fed them . in that place of deuteron . last quoted ; where we translate formed , the sept. translate , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that nourished thee . so in hos . . . in the latine translation , the words are , i , as ephraim's * nursing father bare them in my armes . and indeed , these expressions , viz : of nourishing and a nursing father , doe aggravate ingratitude , much more then making , or begetting , or being a father . for many fathers doe hate their children ; and many cause them to be made away , as soone as they are borne . being a father is not so much a matter of love . at least , there is no love in so being ( but only from : ) unlesse it be by adoption , so , as god is a father in jesus christ . for they , to whom he is so , may well say , behold , what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us , that we should be called the sons of god ? joh : . . he did not love us as fathers love their naturall children : which is usually by force of nature , so that they cannot help it . but he bestowed his love upon us freely . to have been indeed the sons of god , had not been matter of love : but being not the sons of god ( but the children if wrath ) yet to be called the sons of god , here was love . it may be seen likewise ( viz : how tenderly god takes sinning against his love ) in another comparison , which god often useth , viz : of a wife forsaking her husband . among other places , i refer you especially to ezek. . . for in that chapt. the prophet seems to have made it his businesse , to set forth the greatnesse of the peoples ingratitude : recounting first gods mercies , from vers . . to . and after that their sins notwithstanding those mercies . see the complaint concerning ephraim , hos ▪ . . . and the threat pronounced against them vers . , see also ch. . . deniall of mercy under punishment , ( which is a very sad thing . ) when the israelites cried ro the lord for help , being invaded by the ammonites ; his answer was this , did not i deliver you from the egyptians , and from the amorites , from the children of ammon , and from the philistines ? the zidonians also , and the amalekites , and the maonites did oppresse you , and yee cryed unto mee , and i delivered you out of their hand . yet yee have forsaken mee and served other gods , wherefore i will deliver you no more , judg : , , , . it hath been punished and threatned . with many sorts of judgements . such as the jewes at severall times met with before thei● captivity . the levites in their confession ( at the time of the fast , after the peoples returne to jerusalem ) relating the manner of god's dealing with their ancestors by mercies and punishments ; and their behaviour towards him ; still made the cause of their punishments , to be their sinnes after the receit of mercies ; as you may see in nehemiah , c. . not once , nor twice , nor twenty times , in the old testament , when there is either an exhortation to the jewes to remember , or a reproofe for forgetting the lord their god : their deliverance out of the land of egypt , is presently mentioned , in these words , which brought them forth out of the land of egypt . see king . , . deut. . , . &c. the mention of this mercy alone , god knew to bee sufficient , to keep any one from wondring at any punishment , that should befall them , in case they sinned against him . and therefore , in severall places , where he shewes how severely he would punish them , if they rebelled against him ; hee tells them withall , how that , when strangers should see how they were dealt with , aud should aske the cause ; it should be answered , that it was for forgetting the lord their god , who brought them forth out of the land of egypt . as you may see chron : . , . deut : . , . kings . . &c. captivity , and by that meanes the enjoying of their labours by others , ( which is a bitter punishment . ) because thou hast forgotten the god of thy salvation , and hast not been mindfull of the rock of thy strength : therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants , and shall set it with strange slips . in the day shalt thou make the plant to grow , and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish . but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of greife , and desperate sorrow , isa . . , . as you have given those things which you had of me to idols : ( whereof see ezek. . , , , . ) so shall your land give those things which it had of you , to your enemies . it is a sad thing , when god makes a man very happy : or setts him upon hopes , and endevours to be very happy : and in the meane time , resolves to make him miserable . the totall , and unavoidable destruction of a nation . for thus said ezra in his prayer , and after all this that is come upon us for our evill deeds , and for our great trespasses ; seeing thou our god hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve , and hast given us such deliverance as this ; should we againe break thy commandement , and joyne in affinity with the people of these abominations ? wouldest thou not be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us , so that there should be no remnant , nor escaping ? ezr : . , . the prophet amos chap. , complaining first of the wickednesse of the jewes ; afterwards , to aggravate it , begins to mention some of god's mercies toward them , yet i destroyed the amorite before them &c. vers . . but having mentioned two or three , not able to hold any longer , he breaks forth into these words ; therefore the flight shall perish from the swift &c. vers . . none of them shall escape , and nothing shall stand them in steed . nay the scripture speakes of punishing vnthankfull sinners , not only in their persons , but in their posterity also . for so was jeroboam punished . forasmuch as i exalted thee . &c. says god to him by the prophet ahijah kings . , and thou hast not been as my servant david , vers . . therefore i will bring evill upon the house of jeroboam , and will cut off him that pisseth against the wall , vers . . in the chapter vers . , and , you shall find him speaking after the same manner , to baasha king of israel , by the mouth of jehu . how many strict charges may you meet with in the scriptures , against this sinne of ingratitude towards god! especially in the book of deuteronomy : where to shew what danger there is in it , they usually begin with a cavete , take heed or beware , viz : lest thou forget the lord , &c. see deut : . , , . chap , , , and read at your leasure these texts of scriptures deut. . . isa . . . ps . . . kings . . jer : . , . chap. . . hos . . , . ch . , . see likewise samuels reproofe of saul , sam : . . voluptuousnesse punished with poverty . he that loveth pleasure shall be a poore man : and he that loveth wine and oyle , shall not be rich . prov. . . vvarre nation shall rise against nation , and kingdome against kindome , &c. mat. , . vvatchfull such who are not so . they are the more exposed to temptation , and the sooner made a prey to the divell . be sober , be vigilant : because your adversary the divell , as a roaring lion walketh about , seeking whom he may devoure , pet. . . thy are most in danger of being surprized , and most dangerously surprized , by judgment . it was threatened the church of sardis , if therefore thou shalt not watch ; i will come on thee as a thiefe , and thou shalt not know what houre i will come upon thee rev. . , and perhaps here is an aposiopesis of some heavie judgment ( to be understood , though it be not expressed . ) vvearinesse in well doing it hazards the reward . let us not be weary of well doing , for in due season we shall reap if we faint not , gal : . . vvhoremongers threatened with certaine judgment . whoremongers and adulterers ( because many times men cannot or do not ) god will judge heb. , . exclusion out of heaven . they are the first in the apostles blacke roule ; neither fornicators , nor idolaters &c. shall inherit the kingdome of god , cor. . , . see rev. . . punished with death . for when the israelites committed whoredome with the moabites , god ( by a disease , or fire , or some other extraordinary plague ) slew no lesse then foure and twenty thousand of them , num. . , . the usuall evills * wherewith they punish themselves , are losse of honour , long life , wealth and health : and gaine of nothing , but repentance and griefe . remove thy way farre from her ( speaking of the strange woman ) and come not nigh the doore of her house ; lest thou give thine honour unto others , and thy yeares unto the cruell : lest strangers be filled with thy wealth , and thy labours be in the house of a stranger , and thou mourne at the last , when thy flesh and thy body * are consumed prov : . , ●o the . death . for she hath cast down many wounded : many strong men have been slaine by her ▪ her house is the way to hell , going downe to the chambers of death , prov. . , . her house is the way , and chap. . . her house enclineth unto death , and none that goe unto her returne againe , &c. v. : as if the wiseman intended to intimate , ( which is often seen ) that such as once enter into the practise of that sinne , usually continue in it , till it work their destruction . the danger of falling in this way , must needs be great ; and the fall very desperate ; because those that go in it , are usually made blind with passion : so that like blind metalsome horses they wil run , whē they know not where they goe . he goeth after her straight way as an oxe goeth to the slaughter● or a * foole to the correction of the stockes , prov. . . wicked men . when i read the bible , for the collection of these particular threats and punishments : sometimes i thought it not uselesse , to collect those places also , which concerne wickednesse in generall : and accordingly , such as are more notable , i did set them down as i met with them . but yet againe sometimes ( i must confesse ) i thought it needlesse ; because they were so many , and so easie to bee found . hence , it is possible , that i may have overslipt some . but being confident they are very few , i here give you a catalogue of those which i tooke . which i have put in figures only : both because they might perhaps seem too many to bee written out in a greater volume ; and especially , because i feared the book would bee of two great a bulk for the volume . more notable places of threats , and punishments for wicked men . gen. . . exod : . . sam : . . sam : . , . kings . . kings . : job . , . cap : . . . & . c. . , . c. . , . c. . . c. . . to the end . c. . . to the end . c. . . to the end . c. . . to . c. , . & v. . c. . , . c. . . &c. c. . . c. . . , . c. , . c. . . . c. . . psal . . . , . ps . . . ps . . . ps . . , . ps . . , , . ps . . . ps . . . . ps . . . ps . . . , , , , , , , . . ps . . . to . ps . . . to . ps . . . to , . ps . , . . ps . . , to . & . ps . , . . ps . . . . ps . . . ps . . . . ps . . . psal . . . ps . , . . ps . , . ps . . . ps . . . ps . . . prov : . . c. . . . , , . . . , . c. . . . c. . . . c. . , . . c. . . . . c. . . c. . . c. , . c. . . eccles : . . c : , : isa : . . c. . . c. . . c. . . c. . . . c. . , . c. . . c. , . jer : . . c. , , , . . par. . c : , , . c : , . c : , . to . c : , . c : . . c : , . , . c : . . , c : . . c : , . : c : , : c : , , . c : , , c : , : lament : , : c : , : , , , . , , , . ezek : , . c : , , , , c : , , , , , c : , , c. , , c : , , c : , , hos : , , , c : , , , , , c : , , nah : , , , zeph : , , , mal : , , c : , , c : , , mat : , , . , joh : , , c : , , rom : , , cor : , , , : gal : , , to , eph : , , : col. , , , pet : , . will worship . and nadab , and abihu tooke each of them his censer , and put fire therein , and put incense thereon , and offered strange fire before the lord , which he commanded not . and there went out fire from the lord , and devoured them , and they died before the the lord , lev : , . . wisedome . such as neglect it . they are certainly punished , one way or other . a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding , prov. . . this rod usually growes in their own mouth . in the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride , chap : . for by their own rash , and foolish speeches , & actions , they worke themselves abundance of misery , chap : . . for the most part , they are ( spiritually ) starv'd to death . the lips of the righteous feed many : but fooles dye for want of wisdome . ( which is the food of the soule ) prov : . , by death , i meane that which is everlasting . for the man that wandereth out of the way of understanding , shall remaine in the congregation of the dead , prov : : . shall remaine ] he shall not obtaine the resurrection from the dead , as it is said , luk : , , that is , a resurrection to happinesse ▪ which is only worthy the name of resurrection , and is called a resurrection to life * : life in misery being not worthy the name of life . wisedome i e. carnall wisedome , punished with infatuation , and ignorance in spirituall things . for it is written , i will destroy the wisdome of the wise , and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent . where is the wise ? where is the scribe ? where is the disputer of this world ? hath not god made foolish the wisedome of this world ? cor. . , . see isa . . rom : . . deniall of grace . for yee see your calling brethren : how that not many wise men after the flesh , not many mighty , not many noble are called , . cor : , . see mat : . . confusion and shame , ( when they see children and fooles get to heaven before them ; & that they , with all their wisedome cannot understand the things of god , so wel as others who have lesse knowledge . ) god hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound , or shame the wise , & god hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty , cor : . . i may adde heereunto , how men , many times ruine themselves , either by the practise , or by the over eager pursuit of human wisdom , & learning . be not righteous overmuch , neither make thy selfe over wise : why shouldest thou destroy thy selfe , ecles . . . we see , what ends many politicians , and hard students make . either they take such courses as are destructive : or growing mad , they destroy themselves . destroy thy selfe ] lat. tran. ne obstupescas , lest thou be astonished ( shall i say ? ) or stupified . for so , many times , those who have attained to most humane knowledge , are : more then those who have attained but to a little : so that though they have more understanding , they have lesse sense . the wisedome that is from above , hath none of these evils attending it . you never knew a man the worse with studying that . witnessing falsly it shall be certainely punished , one way or other : for solomon hath said it twice in one chapter , a false witnesse shall not be unpunished , prov. . , & . the manner of punishing it among the jewes , is thus prescribed , deut , from the vers . to the end . if a false witnesse rise up against any man , to testifie against him that which is wrong . then both the men , between whom the controversy is , shall stand before the lord , before the priests , and the judges which shall be in those dayes . and the judges shall make diligent inquisition : and behold , if the witnesse be a false witnesse , and doth testifie falsly against his brother : then shall ye doe unto him , as he had thought to have done unto his brother ; so shalt thou put away evill from among you and those that remaine shall heare , and feare , and shall henceforth commit no more such evill among you . and thy eye shall not pitty , but life shall goe for life , eye for eye , tooth for tooth , hand for hand , foot for foot . the hand of god appeares notably against false witnesse , in this , that many times their speech bewraieth them . so ( saith * augustine ) theirs did , who , when our saviour was risen out of the grave , said , his disciples came by night and stole him away , while we slept , matt. . . for ( saith he ) if they were asleepe , how came they to know so much . and in like manner the speech of those , whom the same men viz : the chief priests suborned to witnesse against him , to put him to death . for ( that which is strange to observe , considering what cunning men they had to teach them their tale , ) though there were many of them , and though they brought divers accusations ; yet were they not able to make any two testimonies agree together , mark. . , . word of god such as obey it not they have no title to god's covenant , nor to any thing contained in the word . but unto the wicked god saith , what hast thou to doe to declare my statutes , or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth ? seeing thou hatest instruction , and castest my words behind thee ? ps . . , . they are sure to be punished , ( especially if it be the word of the gospel . ) see that ye refuse not him that speaketh ; for if they escaped not , who refused him that spake on earth , much more shall not we escape , if we turne away from him , that speaketh from heaven , heb : . . their punishments have been great , and without remedy . because they rebelled against the word of god , and contemned the * counsell of the most high , therefore he brought downe their heart with labour● , they fell downe , and there was none to help , psalm . . , . see jer : . , . . let such heare the word never somuch ; nay declare it , and preach it never somuch ; yet , if they build upon this only , and presume thereupon , that the promises contained in the word are theirs , and that christ is their saviour ; they are in no better condition , then he that without a foundation built his house upon the sand , for that is our saviruo's comparison , mat. . . every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doth them not , shall be likened unto a foolish man , which built his house upon the sand . those that believe it not they will not be profited by it , nor be partakers of what it promiseth . for unto us was the gospel preached , as it was unto them , but the word preached did not profit them , not being mixed with faith in them that heard it , heb. . . they will without question be condemned . for the word which they have sleighted , shall judge them , he that rejecteth me , and receiveth not my words , hath one that judgeth him : the word that i have spoken , the same shall judge him in the last day , john . : and all the ministers , whom they have heard , and their writings which they have read , shall accuse them , doe not thinke , that i will accuse you to the father ( there is no need of that , though i have cause enough ▪ ) there is one that accuseth you , even moses in whom ye trust , chap. . , . mark how angrily god threatens the jews , for not believing the prophet jeremy , they have belied the lord , and said , it is not he : neither shall evill come upon us , neither shall we see sword nor famine : and the prophets shall become winde , and the word is not in them : thus shall it be done unto them . wherefore thus saith the lord god of hoasts , because yee speake this word : behold , i will make my words in thy mouth fire , and this people wood , and it shall devoure them , jer : . . , . such as will not heare it god is exceeding angry with them . they refused to hearken , and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their eares , that they should not heare . yea they made their heart as an adamant stone , lest they should heare the law , and the words , which the lord of hoasts had sent by the former prophets . therfore came a great wrath from the lord of hoasts , zach : . , . so in jeremy . to whom shall i speake , and give warning that they may heare ? their eare is uncircumcised , and they cannot harken : behold , the word of the lord is unto them a reproach : they have no delight in it . therefore i am full of the fury of the lord , i am weary with holding in , &c. ch : . , : see also vers . . and ch : . , , . they shall be certainly punished . god told moses , concerning the prophet , whom he would raise up in his roome , and it shall come to passe , that whosoever will not hearken unto my words , which he shall speak in my name , i will * require it of him , deut. , . the punishments which the scripture mentions , are god's not hearing their prayers in their misery : as in that place of zachary last quoted : therefore it is come to passe , that as hee cried , and they would not heare ; so they cryed , and i would not heare , saith the lord of hoasts , v. . nay , insteed of hearing them , abhorring of them . he that turneth away his eare from hearing the law , even his prayer shall be abomination , prov : , . giving up to their lusts . but my people would not hearken to my voice ; and israel would none of me . so i gave them up to their own hearts lust ; and they walked in their owne counsells , ps . . , : greater condemnation then those have , who never had the word to heare . whosoever shall not receive you , nor heare your words : when yee depart out of the house or city , shake off the dust of your feet . verily i say unto you , it shall be more tolerable for sodome and gomorrha in the day of judgement , then for that city , mat : , , . our saviour thus spake to the twelve apostles , when hee first sent them ; and he said the like to the seventy disciples , luk. , , . such as despise it . their end shall be destruction . who so despiseth the word shall be destroyed : but he that feareth the commandement shall bee rewarded , prov : . . words idly spoken our saviour told the jewes , i say unto you , that every idle word that men shall speake , they shall give an account thereof , matt. . . idle word . ] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not that which we usually meane by idle talke , viz : wicked and profane only : but uselesse , and needlesse , and of which there comes , or is intended , no good workes neglected no salvation . what doth it profit , my brethren , if a man * say , he hath faith , and have no workes ? can faith save him ? jam. . . offer the sacrifice of righteousnesse ( saith david ) and put thy trust in the lord , psalm . . , or else thy trust is vaine . that they might set their hope in god , and not forget the workes of god , but keepe his commandements , saith the same prophet , psalm . . , otherwise they might be one day ashamed of their a hope : faith without the observation of the commandements , being but a dead b faith , and not a lively c ashamed . the jewes were told , that unlesse they did thorowly amend their waies , and their doings &c. they did but trust in lying words , ( which would deceive them , ) to say , the temple of the lord , the temple of the lord , the temple of the lord , though they sayd it never so often , jer : . , . not every one that saith unto me lord , lord , shall enter into the kingdome of heaven , but he that doth the will of my father which is in heaven , matt. . . workes of god not regarded . because they regard not the workes of god , nor the operation of his hands , he shall destroy them , and not build them up , psalm . . . see psalm . . , . world those that love it , punished with a short enjoyment of what they love , ( which is no punishment , to them that doe not love it ) and they that use this world , as not abusing it ; for the fashion of this world passeth away , cor. . . vexation of mind . i have seen all the worke that are done under the sun , and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit , eccles . . . not being able to be christ's disciple . whosoever he be of you , that forsaketh not all that he hath , he cannot be my disciple , luk . . that forsaketh not ] and vers . . that hateth not his father &c. much lesse then can they that love , and cleave to the world , be christ's disciples . paul saith , he counted all things but dung , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : not , so he could ; but , that he might , winne christ : as if else he could not . see phil. . . surprizall by the day of judgment . take heed to your selves , lest at any time , your hearts be overcharged with surfeting , and drunkenesse and cares of this life , and so that day come upon you unawares , luk. . . worship of god neglected , yee looked for much , and loe it came to little , and when ye brought it home , i did blow upon it . why , saith the lord of hoasts ? because of mine house that is wast , and ye runne every man to his owne house . hag. . . appendix . reader , i intreat thee to lend mee the reading of a few lines more , which partly by the printers fault , and partly by mine own ( having done my work in loose papers ) were left out in the book . p. . before destruction , read , shame . o lord the hope of all israel ; all that forsake thee shall be ashamed , and they that depart from me , shall be written in the earth , because they have forsaken the lord , the fountaine of living water . jer. , . pag. . read , the jewes when they heard any one blaspheme god's name : either out of indignation against the party , for the affront ( as joshua and caleb did at the murmuring of the people , num. . * : ) or else out of griefe for god's dishonour ( as it was their custome to doe in times of mourning : ) used to rent their cloaths . and this they would doe , whosoever he were , that had blasphemed : but especially , if he were one of their own nation , and had professed himselfe to be in covenant with him , whose name hee blasphemed , ( oh ! i could teare my haire to see professours of godlinesse , dishonourers of god * . ) for this reason , ( and because he spake in the hebrew tongue ) the iewes conjecture rabsbacheh , at whose blasphemy the people in jerusalem did rent their cloaths , kings . . to have been formerly of their religion yea they thought the practice of this custome so warrantable , upon such an occasion ; that even the priests , who were expresly forbidden to use either this or any other custome used in times of mourning , yea though their owne daughters should be burnt to death , for whoredome , lev. . . : yet notwithstanding ( as it seemes ) upon the hearing of blasphemy , thought they might lawfully , & perhaps were ambitious to use it ( as they were to doe many other things , whereby they might seem to be over righteous * . ) p. . before . those who have no union &c. this chapter threats and examples of his being a scandal , he shall be for a sanctuary ; but for a stone of stumbling , * and a rock of offence to both the houses of israel ; for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of jerusalem , isa . . . behold this child is set for the fall and rising againe of many in israel , &c. luk . . see pet. . . rom. . . this stumbling at christ , was to the jewes a punishment of their disobedience . and therefore jonathan the paraphrast , in the place of the prophet before quoted , before he mentions the threat , prefixes these words , if ye shall not obey . a fruit of their blindnesse , and ignorance . for certainely , had they seen never so little ; they could not possibly have stumbled in so great a stone , as he was . no ; instead of going on till they dasht th● selves against him ; if they had perceived him to be a rock of refuge , as indeed he was ; they would have got up upon him , and have made him their sanctuary . had they known what a pretious * corner stone he was , even chosen of god , and laid in sion of purpose , ( as the fittest in whom the building of either sides , viz : of themselves , and gentiles , might be fitly knitted together , eph : . , for a living and a holy temple for god to dwell in by the spirit , insteed of their temple made with hands , which must perish : ) doubtlesse , they would never have rejected him , and have let him lye in the way , for themselves to fall in . or , if they envied so much good to the gentiles , as to make him a corner stone : yet they would have made him their foundation stone , and have built upon it themselves . and as they stumbled at him , both jewes & gentiles , because of the meannesse of his quality , & because of the danger of believing in him : so because they liked not his do ctrine , as for other reasons , so especially for these . . because of the spirituality of the expressions , and language thereof , seeming strange , & uncouth to them . pilate said , what is truth ? john . . he wondered what christ meant by truth . festus tooke paul for a mad man , acts . . nicodemus could not conceive , how a man could be born again , unlesse he could enter into his mother's wombe , and so be borne , joh. . . so when he told them , that unlesse they did eate his flesh , and drinke his blood , they had no life in them ; they sayd , how can this man give us his flesh to eate ? joh. . . nay , many that were his disciples before , tooke such offence at this hard saying , ( as they called it ) vers . , that they went backe and walked no more with him . and thus the pharisees were offended , when he told them , that not that which goeth into the mouth , defileth a man , but that which goeth out of the mouth , matt. . . they could not believe , that that which went out of a man , or that which proceeded from a man 's own selfe , should defile himselfe . many other such like things there were in his doctrine , which ( as paul saith , cor. . . ) they could not know , because they are spiritualy discerned . they stumbled at it , because of the plainnesse and simplicity of it . and thus especially the grecians , who were schollers and philosophers , and all for the words of man's wisedome . to the jewes a stumbling block , to the greeks foolishnesse , cor : . . viz : because they could see no wit , nor reason , nor philosophy it it . the apostle in expressing the stumbling of the greeks , expresseth what they stumbled at : but of the jewes , he only saith , that christ was a stumbling blocke . as if they had had no cause at all of stūbling at him worthy the naming : but only because they would stumble at him , & because they were thereunto appointed , pet. . . no cause , isay ; or that which was worse then none , even a cause why they should not stūble at him , viz : the liberty preached by his apostles . liberty from such a number of ordinances , to which they were subject . coloss . . . liberty from such weake beggerly elements , to which they were in bondage , gal : . . liberty from the grievous yoake of circumcision , which neither their fathers , nor they were able to beare , acts . . which one would have thought should have prevailed to entice them to it , and not have deterred them from it . and yet so it was : insomuch that even liberty from circumcision ( as if it were the main thing they stumbled at ) is by paul called the scandall of the crosse . nay , it was that , for which he suffered most persecution of the jewes , and judaizing christians : if i yet preach circumcision , why doe i yet suffer persecution ? then is the offence of the crosse ceased , gal : . . p. . after gen. , . in allusion to this covetousnesse of theirs , the jewes call'd him that turned pharisee for love of gaine , pharisaeum shechemitam , a shechemite pharisee . pag. . in the margin against 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , see this word , perhaps , better expounded in the end of intemperance . p , . after mat , . . so mark , after he had related this speech of our saviour's , immediatly addes , because they said , he hath an uncleane spirit . c. . . p. . before , some have , &c. but ( i must confesse ) this hebrew word is more usually rendered a basilisk : which makes mee take the more notice of the word used for colour in the verse before , viz : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies eye . because they say * , a basilisk hath such a venemous eye , that he will poyson a man at a distance ; but with this condition , if you doe not see him before he sees you . be sure therefore to see the wine first , before it see thee i mean , to see it with thy minde , before thou seest it with thine eye , and consider wel the danger of it , if thou take too much ; for so it will doe thee no hurt . in that place above cited ( viz. prov. . . ) where it is said , who hath sorrow ? in our hebrew it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , but the vulgar translation renders it cujus patri to whose father is sorrow ? and indeed there is too many a parent , who hath had many sorrowes by meanes of this sinne in their sonnes . p. . among the jewes , whereas the law was for the theruma ( or heave offering of the floore , ) that it should be the sixt part of the whole : if a man gave the fourth part , they called it theruma hhajin jopha , the offering of a faire eye ; if the fifth part , benonith , of a middle eye , but if he gave but the sixt part , just as much as was required , and no more ; they called it theruma hhajin rahha , the offering of an evill eye . p. . after slight of hand , see eph. . . p. . after ezek : . . see heb , . . p. . over against adoption , in the margin , is not he thy father that hath bought thee ? deut. . . finis errata . pag. . read with . p. . read use . p. . no break at , sinne , but at , i have been , p. . scycophants . b . for one ; are . p. . christs obedience as pure obedience . p. . reconciliation , p. . blot out , against the p. . jer. , . d. . increase . p. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. p. . punished p. . blot out , read . p. . before the figure read gen : p. . he went. p. . blot out , thirdly , p. . for , in sinne , to sinne . p. . eph. . . p. . john . . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e * cic , lih . de clar . orator . notes for div a -e * beza ( upon matth. . ) saith that this law was not executed in christs time , because then christ would not have spoken of putting away , i see not how it does necessarily follow , for doubtlesse the husband might put away his wife , and the law might put her to death too ; hee might do it ; though he need not do it , which is all that christ would have in that place . * it is said john . . moses in the law commanded us that such shold be stoned , which i know no need grotius had to take such paines to reconcile with this opinion , for first t is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such ; and i hope , 〈◊〉 betrothed woman is such . and secondly , for ought that appeare the woman-taken in adultery was a betrothed woman , 〈◊〉 the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adultery will beare it well enough , according his owne opinion upon gal. . . a grotius agreeing with the jewes ( as he doth too often ) in the opinion above mentioned gives this reason why the betrothed womans punishment was greater , because ( saith he ) she was not in her husbands custodie : as stealing a sheep out of the field , is punished worse then stealing him out of the fold ; but hee might as well have given such reasons as these : first shee gave away her virginity , which her husband most esteemed : secondly , she brake her promise , viz in so doing : see deut. . . to . thirdly , she wrought folly in her fathers house . deut. . ( where the scripture it selfe seemes to goe about to aggravate her fault . ) fourthly , shee was not onely dishonest to her husband in her first love , but shee dishonoured also her first borne , ( whose honour and priviledge among the jews was very great ) nay and god himself , to whom the first born belonged num . . to conclude , you cannot say her punishment should be lesse , because she was not another mans wife for she is call'd a neighbours wife , deut. . . and therefore is it said verse . married to an husband , as if the party were her husband before . see also for this purpose , deut. . . ch . . . ezek. . , . the later jonathan . a the septuagint ( in the old roman edition though not in the complutensis ) in translating the commandements set down adultery bef●re murther , and so doe marke , chap. . luke , chap. . . aud paul ro. . . b the jewes say these were the men that would have abus'd susanna ; & that they were put to death by the king's cōmand , & not by the jews . the gemara saies , that they suffered for enticing the king of babylon's daughter this sinne * for in this sense the old latin translation renders viz. scortum alterius sit ux or mea . but vatablus had rather have it meant of being made a slave . indeed grinding was an usuall imployment and punishment for slaves amōgst most nations . see isai . a if that he not rather meant of the strength of a mans wealth or state . b salomon knew this by his owne experience some say , these are his words , lemuel being one of his eight names : but he had them from his mother abiah the daughter of zachariah . * made of holy water and dust with the washing of the booke in which the curse was written : so that herein her end was as bitter as wormewood . prov. . . a when ishbosheth accused abner of lying with his fathers concubine , he replyed , am i a dog . sam. . . b if the meaning be not of spiritual adultery . c like horses . it is a saying in one of the jewish writers , he that lyeth with another mans wife , his soule entreth into a camell . buxtorf . in floril . which yet agrees not with the opiniō of the pharisees , who held transmigration onely of good mens soules ▪ joseph . de bello lib. . cap. . * which we commōly use when we speak in anger , as when we say , this same naughty fellow , or the like . matth. . . . david prayes that god would cleanse him from secret faults . ps . . . see prov. . . . * prov. . ● . * timeo danos & dona fere●tes . * in the orig . t is ye have . you are as sure to have it , as if you had it already , or you have it allotted for you : the present tense is usuall for the future , we say in english what hath such a one this yeare ? &c. * like this . be angry and sinne not , eph. . . implied † le misphat in the same sence ( i thinke ) that bemisphat , with judgment , c. . * this doubtlesse was a token of gods anger with them as well as a punishment upon their fathers and husbands . see chap. . . & . . * lib. cur bonis mala fiunt . * plutarc . * liv. l. ● * for god had commanded them to be gone from that place where they were then saith jo●phus . * ego captandi vocabulo uti malo ubi do studio & conatu agitur . * arist . eth. l. c. . a or neatnesse . * or he will certainly punish , for so is meant ( as i think ) by not pardoning in more places then one . jer. . . . kings , &c. * some understād this of the fathers not punishing the child , trāslating the next words in the third person , he will doe it againe . i. e. sin againe , but then it cannot be for if , & i think 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is seldome but if . * see buxtorf floril . * according to the hebrew proverb bekis bekos , be kahhas , the purse , the cup , & wrath will shew what heart he hath . * cap , . l , de ira cap. . * cap. . * as any other passionate man doth , sed cūsubsedit cupiditas , seneca , l . de ben. c. * or foam● as angry men are no better then raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame . jude . * the hebrew uses to expresse the greatnesse of a thing by putting the word in the plurall number . † 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . arist . eth. l. . c. . * plutarch . de frat. am. a they were not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as aristotles word is , eth. l. . c. . * * buxtorf . rab. lex . in voe . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a l. . c. . b lib. . c. . * as beza saies of judas upon matt. . . exitio destinatus & devotus , though i thinke it be more then perditus , as erasmus translates it ( making the hebraisme to be onely in the genitive case ) for then it had been no more then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the man of perdition , nor yet so much . * children of transgressions , isay . . b i say fatnesse and not oyle ( according to the vulgar , filius olei ) because otherwise the vineyard would have been an olive yard . c for it may be understood in an active sense as well as in a passive . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . . pet. . they shall perish in their owne corruption . * see also christ denyed , and relapse . * such changes are usuall in threatning expressions . * the latine translation ignominiosa exercuere judicia , executeth disgracefull judgments for because of his apostacy , he was buried only with his fathers , as other ordinary men were , and not in the sepulchers of the kings , . king. . . * laboravi rogans ( the latine translation ) i am weary of intreating , as if they were the prophets words resolving to intreat no more for their peace , see v , . * for these words especially the church of rome ( who was more milde towards those that fell , then other churches ) for a long time refused to admit the epistle to the hebrews into the number of canonicall bookes : for it was their practise to receive into communion againe after long repentance such as had fallen after baptisme , though they had committed idolatry : which occasiond the schisme of novatus , and novatianus * by which name the sin of apostacy is usually called . esa : , . jer : , . &c. * chr : , , c. , . & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ch : , . * god's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * gro●ius upon this place smells of poland and rome too : per nullas victimas alias as bonam frugem revocabuntur , ut veniam consequi possint . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pull away the shoulder : zach : . ● . like a backsliding heifer in the yoke hos : . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies alsoe the things that are behind , for thou●● they be good , we should with paul forget them , and be still pressi● and stretching forward toward the goale : phil : . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cheifest of revolters or their princes are revolters as hos . . . if the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 els revolting revolters : * prov. . . for jealousy is the rage of a man therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance . * the cald. paraphrast , but my people have forsaken my worship , for which i bring glory to them . it seemes in his time it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their glory , but at first ( they say ) it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my glory ; the jewes having thus alterd it , lest the glory and majesty of god should be vili●id , so chebodam for chebodo ps . , . * see clothes . * it is not unlikely , that by malcheth ha ▪ shamaiim which signifies queen of heaven : jer : , . was meant the moone , who was called also baaleth and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies , lady . nor that by molech which signifies king , and baal which signifies lord , was meant the sun. macr. sat l. . cap. . * see christ denyd ' &c. * not pardoning is often us●d in scripture , where i believe the meaning is only not leaving unpunisht according to the use of theword 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for both senses ▪ pet , galatinus l. . c. . de arcanis catholicae veritatis . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 septuagint . lev. . . a i have seen some in my owne country use the names of paul & peter at the turning of a five , for the finding of things that they have lost , suppposing that they have beene stolne . b the jews since christs time ( and the egyptians too ) when they goe to cast out divels & o. they use the name of the god of abraham isaac , and jacob. origen . lib. ad celsum . and sometimes the name adonai ▪ and the god of tzabaoth * soe likewise in the translation of the septuagint it is only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the name . * the lord ( or jehovah ) ble●e thee , and keep thee the lord make his face to shine &c. the lord lift up his countenance . * naming from superiours , is a signe of honour to inferiours : as not nameing , from inferiours , is a signe of honour to superiours . * piercing , both in hebrew and greek is appli'd to paine and vexation job . . tim. . . especially to that which is : caus'd by blasphemous , and reproachfull speehes . prov. . . which are therefore by david call'd arrowes , ps . , . and the teeth of such as use them , speares and arrowes ; and their tong a sharp sword . ps . . . * moses hadarshan upon gen. . but then it is the son of joseph and not the son of david which they mean , which are , their two messiahs . one of ▪ them a mean man , and the other a king. * mal : , . a isa , . b zeph : , . c ezek : , . * ezek. . * ps ▪ . . i am as a wonder unto many . * luk. ▪ . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 t is a wonder , if the jews have not somewhat to say upon this : as if hee meant in this manner only pharosch to explaine by spreading the letters , and not to expresse the name jehovah , as sennacherib in those letters had expressed & blasphemed it . which he did ( say the jewes ) by vertue of that name which sennacherib had blasphemed , r. bechai sect. . * . king. . . * chald. par . thou hast opened the mouth of the enemies , the sept. thou hast provoked the lord in the enemies . it is a sin as frequently committed , as it is seldome thought of : i mean this provoking god in others ; when by scandalous living we occasion their contempt of god and his truth . * isa . . . that which we render blasphemed me , in the originall is disgraced me or reproached m● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * or is never to bee forgiven , as the participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , hee that perisheth , for , hee that is to perish . so in the gospells and epistles ; and so other participles of the present tense in prophane writers ane used for participles of the future tense ; as wee say in english , such a one doth such a thin , or such a one suffereth such a thing , for such a one is to do , or to suffer . * if we render it in , as we do , & not for , whcih perhaps is better ; and the hebrew preposition is used for both . * usually spoken of him that was to suffer death for his sin , and therefore christ is said to bear the sins of many isa : ▪ . because he suffered death for them . * eccles . . . * in that place of the psalme last quoted , the chaldee parap . renders schelomim sacrifices . christ him sélfe to the jew became a snare , isa . , . * in hi● examen animadversionū hugonis grotii ; and in his grotianae discussionis dialysis . * it seemes to be as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the word in the septuagint * beza upon rom. , . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which suits well with stumbling-block . * lest they should hear &c. mat. , . * were blinded rom : , . * habeant sibi * mat. , . they have their reward ; or , all that they are lik to have . a grotius would have it approvd ( because he did not like justified in our sense ) but pray what is gods approving , other then counting us for probos , good , and not reprobous ? ( for there is none that is so himselfe , and a man may take what money he pleases ) which is that which we meane by justifying , * se cor. . ● . * chalde par. their vengeance shall be in geenna , which was a place without the citty of jerusalem , where the fire never went out , but was kept continually burning to consume the filth of the citty . c or ( if you will ) i have recompenced and will recompence . the hebrew is shillamti veshillamti . * see injustice and oppression . * see riches wrong fully gotten * bribes and injustice shall be blotted out ecclus . . * for that which in the translation is , he that receiveth gifts in the originall is isch therumoth a man of offerings i. e. apriest , to whom they paid such offerings or first fruits . terumoth is properly the first fruits of the dough , and the threshing flore . num. . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those that are open , either for hearing , or seeing : quick or cleere-sighted . * plut. de isid . * see ashamed , apostacy , and relaps . * rev. , . a buxtorf makes those wordes love not , a hebraism for , hate bitterly , for so the hebrew by a negative added to a thing , uses to expresse the extremity of the contrary . b let him be so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or excōmunicated , as to have no more to doe with him . * cor. . tim. . . * thess . . . * joh. . . * this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or separation ( for so they called excommunication , both the greater and the lesse ) was like the separation of an unclean person under the law , who might not be touched . * joh. . ep : . * i insert this as bezadoth , id est . to shew that the words following are only declaratory of those before : that so you may not think , that , if you abide in christ , you can beare fruit of your selves . * see rive● apolog : and dial : where he is sufficiently proved to have been of that sect. * as th●●e was a chang of apparel , so it is not unlike , there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a change of the naturall use of the sexe spoken of wised . . . rom. , . a why the woman should worship , or weare mens clothes in the worship of mars , i know not : but the men might weare the womens clothes in the worship of venus , because she was esteemed both a man and a woman , macrob. sat . l. . c. . for , for such a one she was worshipped in cyprus : and perhaps the people of that isle , and the phenicians , and the israelites had this idolatry from the moabites , whose god was called peor . ( num. , . ) from thence in the feminine gender aphorith , and from ●hence ( if you will ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 venus . * anselme speakes of some in his time , & sic hodiè multi variis morbis corripiuntur , quia indignè corpus domini acceperunt . a in epist . ad tim. homil. . b vers . . c vers . , . † vers . . * jude . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . rom : , . * a proverb among the jewes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * the french have a proverb : aller & , parler peut on ; boire , & manger non . * stant nulla diu deceptis gaudia divis . sil : ital : l. . he can no more p●osper , then a sick man can be cur●d , that will not discover his disease . vitia sua consiteri sanitatis indicium est sen. ep . . * with men . see oath . * that is , say the jewes , shall dye before he be . yeare old ; and they say it was observ'd that such as were not circumcis'd live not to that age a that is say the hebrewes , if he were past thirteen yeare old , for whereas before his parents or the magistrate ought to see it done , hence forward he was bound to see it done himselfe . the septuagint adde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the eighth day and so austin cites it . a this word ▪ if it signifie gaine , it signifies covetousne●●e too , as it does exod. . . which is enough to raise my observation upon . b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies also to cutt , and when it signifies to be covetous , it is properly meant of being covetous of gaine by cutting off from another , or by another's losse : as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 does signifie in greeke not so much to desire to have simply 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more , as to have more then another ; or rather to have more by anothers having the lesse , and by our meanes : and therefore it is used with the accusative of the person whom we over-reach , or are too hard for ( viz. by cunning or cozening ) out of love of gaine , as you may see in diverse places in the epistles of paul ; insomuch that it is sometimes applyed to any other out-witting and going beyond a man to his hurt : as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , thes . . . to gaine upon , or to gaine advantage of a brother . so in cor. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , lest satan get an advantage of us , viz , by his cunning . this is a thing too much delighted in by too many politicians of these times . * crescit amor num mi quantū ipsa pecunia crescit . * see selfe destruction . a where the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * this excommunication the jewes cal'd herem . he that was thus excommunicated by them was not to converse or commerce , unlesse it were in buying his victuall . for in eating he might not . there were two other excomunicattions : one lesse then this called niddui , and the other greater call'd schematha by them , by the christians maranatha . * according to that of job , if i have made gold my hope , or have said to the fine gold , thou art my confidence c : , . if i have said &c. i. e. if i have not only inconsiderately trusted to ; but if i have deliberately trusted in my wealth . * see oppression , & not pitying . * sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , destroieth his own body . a the levites ( all agree ) had no portion , but were scattered amōg the other tribes , and lived by the altar . the simeonites , the scripture sayes , had a portion josh . . . but such as was taken out of juda's portion , vers . . but the hebrews say , they had no portion , but lived scattered among the rest of the tribes , and got their living by teaching children . * or the fury of the anger . heb . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * which pekah king of israel made with ahaz king of judah . a though this expression is used sometimes when it cannot be meant of calling for vengeance as sam. . . jer. . . but only to signifie the greatnesse or extremity of a thing ▪ b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or tearing is elsewhere used of anger , as job . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 † he distroyed his bowels , which by meere for●e of nature would otherwise have rolled towards them . * so the chaldee paraphrast . see vatablus . * herod was desirous to see christ luk , . c. , . and so were the greeks john . . they that cared most to see him , cared lest to beleve in him . blessed are they that have not seen , and yet have beleeved c. , . * lycaon in the fable had better beleev'd jupiter was a god , then have sought the proof of it , as he did , by setting mans flesh before him to eat ov● met : l. . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( not simply 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) to gaze upon them and observe very earnestly their feature , and fashions and behaviour . ( the septuagint . translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to learne ) which is a practise too common among women . * joab asked him why he took delight in this thing vers . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * or , thou did'st purposedly blesse them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * like that bitter water which she that was suspected of adultery did drinke , when the priest pronounced the curse against her num , s. james compared cursing to bitter water c : , . a not too lttle b not too great . a the measure . b the weight . * see hypocrisie . * so ( i thinke ) the word properly signifies . * see crueltie sect. * the latin translation , ● separate them one frō another ; which the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will hardly beare ; yet ours & that do very well agree : for things must be first separated before you can dash them together . * which seemes to be intimated , and an emphasis to be in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on earth being placed in the end , apart frō 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 peace . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the septuagint , or madnesse : wherein the hand of god is eminent ; viz. when men fall out on a sudden , & they know not wherefore , as in jud. , . where it is also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; but there they translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 confusion , and the vulgar caed●s slaughter . * inquieta vita . beza . † like 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in greeke : and as we say in english , such a one does well , for prospers , or is well . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . themist . orat . . * in the hebrew 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those who dissettle you ; it may be meant de statu dejicientes , who make you to be of another mind : as it is v : . by whom they were removed from him that cal'd them to liberty v : . and chap : , . * those that were for draco , whom having slaine he usurped the kingdome of boeotia . b l. . met. fab : . * livy . * you may observe . both in this and the rest of the epistles , there are more names for this sinne , than any other . * some make these places to stand in need of a reconciler ; but , i believe , there needs none ; for in the first place doubtles by peace is meant their good and prosperity ; as the text it selfe will expound it . * see hindring . * see heber : , , . * the pharisees preferd their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 law dilivered by mouth ( th●ugh it it were but the mouth of men ) before the written law , mar : , . but therein they erred . * that is , not so great : or they would have said they had not had sin . a for saul was king all his life : hut after his deatb his kingdome ceased , or continued no lōger in his name and bloud ; for then david had it . * as the word is in the acts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . cap. , . * which appeared to bee so indeed afterward when he went to the witch of end or . * the chaldee par : translates it addeth to the sayings of the prophets . * i desired mercy and not sacrifice ; and the knowledge of god more then burnt offerings . * the vulgar renders multo melior est obedientia quam stulrorum victima . * see isa : ● , . * jer. , . * see also unbeliefe , and trust . * the latine transl . peccatum ariolandi . the sept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * we usually call thē cunning women . * see word * mar. , . * rom. , . * where the wine was quits with them . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . soph : a one thing seems many — ut semel icto ac cessit fervor capiti numerus que lucernis horat. serm : l . sat. . * the world uses to call good natures and boone companions , those who are this way given . * as we say when we have other work in hand , to find a time , or steale a time for our owne busine●e : or as we say , find a man , that is maintaine him . * see also vers . . * num : , . * the sept. render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in jacob , but the other passages of the story , and what is said chap. . . seeme to speake the contrary● * see isaiah , . * the originall put it into his eares : how carefull god is not to suffer the enemies of his church to go unpunished a viz. in his song presently after the passage thorow the red sea. * austin and others interpret the hornet● spoken of v. . of the sting of feare . * where it is said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall be afraid like women in travell ( we render it , shall be in anguish because of thee ) according to that ps , . feare took hold of thē there , and paine , as of a woman in travell . * in which name of his is chiefly implyed his strength or power , as who would say , all the strongs are in him alone ; or , he is all-mightie . * perhaps better so then if you render it , all people . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the septuagint render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a spirit . * sam. , . * ps . , ecclus , . * cui militataether , claudian ( speaking of theodosius fighting with eugenius . ) * for in his time there was not a shield not speare seen among fortty housand in israel . judg. , ● . * see ex. . . chr. , . sam. , . &c. * id. est , coelestes . vatablus . * id est , ( sayes be-za ) ange-los ipsis peculiari-ter adhibi-tos custo-des , &c. * the greek copies read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kill ; and so the vulgar and syriack translate , but erasmus and beza read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 envy , because else the apostle fell too much in his expression , viz. from kill , which is greater , to , desire to have which is lesse . a for so the word signifies from whence that name comes . * which is worse then what the poet saith , intactis vorat ossibus medullas : see ovids description of envy . metam . l. . fab. . * horace uses oculo irretorto , of him that doth not envy ; and ar●sto phane an●n ●n vious man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * good , and righteous is often so to be meant in scripture translation . * the word comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to feed , and it seemes properly to signifie my familiar companion , that doth eate of my bread ( as it is psal . , . ) conviva a com-pa-nion . † for unlesse the man were poore , the lender was not bound to release , deu. , . * indeed oppressing and exacting is usually described in the scriptures by eating , and devouring : see psal . , . ●ic . . . hab. , . matt. , . when one asked cato , quid est soenerari ? his answer was quid est occidere ? cic. l. . de offic. † which i believe is the english of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in lutine , rapaces , quis in rapacitate avarior ? cic. * de statu mentis dejicere . * for so the passive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is used for to admire , vers . . of that chapter , and elsewhere . * in my country we ●●ll them maz●d , who are out of their wits . * dicebat se sublimissimam esse virtutem hoc est eum qui sit super omnia pater irenaeus . * in isaiah c. . . where we translate , they shall goe to cōfusion together that are makers of idols . the latine translation renders , fabricatores errorum , makers of errours . our hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * there were two of the name . see beza . * joseph . l. . de bello , c. . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the genev : translation was long agoe not afarre o●● . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. . * some think they were men , so called because of their effeminatenes . * in detestation of this doctrine junius ( in parall : ) saith it was that the believers at antioch gave themselves the name of christians instead of nazarens : which was the common name that the jewes gave to all believers , and not as some say to the sect of circumcision , for in acts . . paul , who taught the contrary , is called the ringleader of the nazarens . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * yea and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is in the ninth verse : but perhaps it is not meant so much , with all power , as with all sorts of miracles & strange works . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * sen : epist : . * such feare , as is forbidden isa : , , matt : . . pet : . . * see hypocrifie . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * in hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we translate , blesseth the covetous whom the lord abhorreth . a sen. de tranquil . anim . c. . * jer : . . * jam : . . * tim : . . quorum conscientia cauterio resect● est ; so beza . * if there be any regard to be had to what lyes upon , and what lyes under , in a heap of proverbs . * graecia mendax . juven . * aristot . eth. l. . c. . * in tacitus . * jer. ▪ . * i confesse the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seemes to ●e better translated faithfulnes or constancie : which cannot consist with frowardnesse . * lev. . , . if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i● the verse doe not signifie , contrary ( but as it hits , or , carelesly ) yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the ver . very likely doth . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place , and elsewhere ( when it is in relation to men ) may be that which we call ill-natured or ill-conditioned . * mat. , * which they might well be compared to , the river ●ilus over flowing all their countrey once every yeare . * see blessings . * so it is in the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * ps : . . they did eate and were well filled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 over well filled . * to betray the capitol of rome liv : l. . a which puts me in mind of what q. fabius did when he went in an embassage from the romans to the saguntini . for making a lap of his gowne , he told them that he there carried peace , and warre , and they should take which they would . when they answered , he should give what he pleased , sinu effuso , ( sayes my author ) he shook out his lap , and told them that he gave them warre liv. l. . b as if they said withall , we doe shake you off , we will have no more to doe with you , or any thing that is yours , insomuch that we will not carry away your dirt with us : we renounce you . * novarum rerum studiosis the sept : it is likely , did read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for they translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. nor disobey either of them . * we doe not usually take revile in this sense , but perhaps in propriety of speech it imports the same , coming from vile . the chaldee word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * we doe not usually take revile in this sense , but perhaps in propriety of speech it imports the same , coming from vile . the chaldee word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * upon ezekiel . * ezek. . . * being fat , and waxing fat , is often used in scripture , to expresse of bruitish use of prosperity , only for the pampering of the body , whereby men become as unfit , and unwilling to serve god , as beasts are to run , or draw in the yoake , when they have beene suffered to lye too long idle , and are growne unwieldy and wanton . see deut. . . and chap. . . psal . . . jer. . . * hearing yee shall heare : is an hebraisme , for hear●ng much : as the jewes did , ( especially when christ himselfe was come ) more then any other people in the world . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * as it it had beene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in isaiah . * exod . . * see the marginall note in the chapter of hardnesse . * jer. . . * num. . & . * num. . . * vers . . * ovid met : lib. . fab. . a l. . c. . so● l. . c. . ( speaking of the thessali ) tanto odio phocensium ardentes , ut obliti cladiū suarum perire ipsi quam non perdere eos praeoptarent . * which 〈◊〉 properly of those onely , who have communicated . * ruth . * vers . . * cor. . . a there are many instāces of actiōs otherwise unlawfull , but extraordinarily commanded or tolerated by god , where a mystery was intended ; as if he meant not to bring to passe extraordinary things , but by extraordinary ways , and meanes : or as if in so doing , he would have had men to take the more notice and so to looke further into the matter . * nū ● , to . * if it had beene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it had been of the lord without question : but it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great oath . * the sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 &c. remember me in relation to tobias , viz. to punish them for what they did unto mee● a fagius in exod. the eye ( they say ) hath a great hand both in witchcraft & poysoning . nescio quis teneros oculus mihi fascinat agnos . we say , such a one hath over-looked such a thing . num. . . * perhaps he alludeth to their custome of delivering him a key , whom they admitted to the reading of the law. * where he is called satan . * ch : . . * cor. . . * eph. . . * prov. . . a jonah . . . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * like that of david ps . . . my cry came before him , even into his eares . * see punishments . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * it is added also to being humbled , king. . . &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . jam. . . a it is called afflicting the soule , num. . . le. . . . isa . . . * jer. . . * see more in professours . * the sep : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their hearts cried not unto me . * rom : . . * verse . * vers . . a paul calls ananias whited wal acts . . b as the hypocrite to god , is a close sepulcher , so the hypocrite to man , is an open sepulcher ps : . , because when he opens his mouth to speak you faire , his meaning is to swallow you up , as th● expression is ps . . , . . * by whi● we usually mean bold●nesse to speake ; whence we● say , such a● one is a ve● confident● man. a who sett up a relgion of heathanisme and judaisme . b who denyed the resurrection . c vvho hel● traditions . * cor. . , . a see duties . b or behave your selves like just men , and cause your selves to be counted so● * in libro ubi vocum sensa enarrat . * for who the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , now used for hypocrites , was first used . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * the unleavened bread of sincerity , cor. . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , of which word before . a in the hebrew it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he filled after the lord. b in hebrew shalem compleat and entire . * job . . cic : lib. . de officiis . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so used often in homer ▪ and as it is likely in that verse of epimenides , cited by paul , tit. . ▪ evil beasts , &c. for beasts cannot be evill in the other● sense : henc● the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( which seems to signifie to be evill , is used by paul● for to be weary , or faint , especially in doing of good ( gal. . thess . . . ) or , to be aff●●ghted from doing good , through lazinesse , and fearfulnesse because of other mens afflictions , eph. . see the note shortly after . b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . c ignavis precibus fortuna repugnat . ovid. a in gen. . that which wee translate a cunning hunter , the targum baraphrases an idle man. a in gen. . that which wee translate a cunning hunter , the targum baraphrases an idle man. * a monk , that labours not , is like a theefe . socrates tripart : hist : lib. . * discordiâ laboratum , cū assuetus expeditionibus miles otio laboraret tacit : in vit : agr : * cic. pro rosc . * ideoque magis spernitur quam si vetitum esset tac : de mor : germ : * ezek ▪ . ▪ ● . * rev : . . it is said of babylon's idolatry , by thy sorceries were all the nations of the earth deceived . * the chald : paraph : they sweare in vaine ; for the lord liveth . * jer. ▪ . * de civit . d. * statim interficies * the septuagint call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , kings . . kings . . * r. solom : in buxtorf : rabb : dict : a sanctas gentes quibushaec nascuntur in hortis numina &c. juvenal : sat : . b illic coeruleos , hic piscem fluminis , illic oppida tota canem venerantur &c. ibid. c l. . de nat : d. d aristot● rhet : l. . c. . t. . e otherwise called ino & matuta . she was athamas his wife ; and for drowning her selfe in the sea , ( to escape killing by her husband ) was made a goddesse . a de mor : germ : b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * see hardening . a a these two prophets prophecyed together . a a these two prophets prophecyed together . * the hebrew saies made so , o● did so , in● d●vers senses , as ●or said 't is so , le● . . where we render it , pronounced him uncleane , in the hebrew it is , make him uncleane , so job . . prov● mee perverse , in the hebrew it is , make mee perverse ; as w● say in english , you make mee very foolish , &c. for you account m● so . for prophecying it shall be so , ezek. . when i can to destroy this city : and ch . . cast them downe . f● using the meanes to have it so , jer. . . where we render it , w● would have healed babylon , in the hebrew it is , we heale for suffering it to be so , ezek. . . where we render it , i w● not let them pollute , &c. in the hebrew it is , i will not pollute . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * see thes . ▪ . * there are very many examples of it . in the psalmes , where it is said ; shal no man living be justified , in the heb : 't is all men living shall not be justified , ps : . . severall oherinstāces might be produced out of the old test . & you have the like phrase in the greek , in the new test : for where it is , said , with god nothing is impossible in the gr : it is , every thing shall not be impossible luk . . * sil. ital l. . * ambros & hierom * having eaten too much : and yet in wis . c. . . t is said they loathed those quailes , for the ugly sight of other beasts sent amōg them . * unlesse the expressions be metaphoricall and becaus● it was said . before , hi● anger wa● kindled . * see gluttony . * perhap by an angell , or as the apost●calls him . ( . cor. ● . the destroyer for by plague , is not me nt sicknes onl● * vers . . * vers . . * vers . . * distrusting god is called tempting of him , wisd . . . * in wisdome , it is said , they were thus punished by beasts , for worshiping beasts , c. . . viz. after the manner of the egyptians . ( crocodilon adorat pars haec juv. sat. . b r solomen saith , their tongues ( wherwith they spake the evill report ) swoll , and that they dyed with poyson . * see hardnesse of heart . * see meanes . hierom chrysostome &c. * methinks , it is better rendered so , then after the vulgar , and yet they returne not , from their waies : for though we should render , i have destroyed : yet that might be understood , of purpose and intention to destroy ; according to the use of the scripture , and as it is likely to be meant in this place . the sept : render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * according to the sept : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . and the vulgar , major est iniquitas mea quā ut veniam merear , where the papist cannot say the word mereri signifies to deserve , but only , to obtain ; yea the lovaine divines translate it qu' elle ne puisse estre pardonnée , that it cannot be pardoned . a buxtorf . rab. lex . in voce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where he saith , that r. simeon benchilpheta upon the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cryed mightily unto god , jon. . . ( as if it had been said , cryed impudently ) thus cōments , an impudent man will prevaile with a bad man. how much more with god , who is the goodnes it selfe of the world . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * aristot . rhet. l. . c. , * see punishments , and not being hūbled . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is in the places hereafter quoted , amos . , , , . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * the rabbins say the pronoun is thus used likewise . concerning esau . gen. . . . * this seems to be aristotle's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( one of the kinds of contempt , which are usually the cause of anger wh●ch hee defines , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hindering of another , not to doe one's selfe good , but only to crosse him rhet. l. . c. . . * the greeke translations are various . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aq. * reuben's tribe , was likewise one of the lest tribes . * i have elsewhere observed this change of the person , in the threats of the prophets . * aquila 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 symmach . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * they shall bee cut off in the sight of the people . * see injustice , deceitfull dealing & oppression . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 methinks the phrase is much like the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. beare his in iniquity . * maxima est enim factae injuriae poena fecisse , the greatest punishmet of an injurie is to have done it . sen : l. . de irâ c. . * for they , who doe so , were cursed upon mount ebal . deut : . , yet the chal : par : interprets it of worshiping images made of stone or wood . * the thessalonians were great merchants . * isa : . * se bribery and opression * 〈…〉 * because of unrighteous dealings , injuries , & riches gotten by deceit , the kingdome is translated from one people to another , eccl : . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . aquila 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , forraging or plundring : eating up of people , as they would eat bread : see opression * to doe any thing vehemently or , with boldnesse , in latinwe call it , fortiter agere to doe it strongly . * see gluttony . a who read the hebrew jadon ( frō dun ) shall strive b who read jiddon nadan● shall be sheathd vvho translate , as if they had read jalon ( frō lun ) shall lodge , or remain . vvho translate , as if they had read jalon ( frō lun ) shall lodge , or remain . vvho translate , as if they had read jalon ( frō lun ) shall lodge , or remain . * gird up the loynes of your minde and be sober . * let us who are of the day be sober , putting on the brest-plate of faith and love , ver . . but the end of all things is at hand ; be yee therefore sober , and watch unto prayer . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a the hebrew word for know is likewise thus used : it hath set him on fire round about , yet he knew not . isa , . . b it is usually said of drunkards , hee is no bodies foe but his owne . c see the wickednes of this sin , set forth by aristotle eth. l. . c ▪ ▪ where he compares lust and anger together . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , rom. . . * amos , . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * the sep : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * see ma● ▪ . . * or , for the fatherlesse , according to the septuagine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * as the kings of israel were , when they were so sottish and as brutish , as to worship stocks v. * grotius , upon this place thus speakes , qui ●â justitiâ contenti estis , quā lex producere potest , quae justitia est carnalis , & praemia ha bet terrena . i doe not conclude from this ; but i feare , he was of the number of those , of whom beza upon this place complaines , qui somniabant , sese suae justiciae suorúmque meritor●m plenos ad deum accedere , christo quasi siquid ipsis deesset supplente , &c : see rivet , apologet. sect. : and his grot : disc : dialysis , sect : . and as he speaks here , of meriting temporall rewards , by our owne righteousnesse : so had he an opinion of , redeeming temporall punishments , by our owne satisfaction : se dialys . sect. . he made both the righteousnesse , and satisfaction of our saviour , but helpes . * see leaving us to sinne , in sinne. * prov : ● ▪ . * kings , . * see false witnesse . * aquila , symmach ▪ and theodotion render le netzah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : by which though they mean in aeternum , for ever ( as they doe ps . . &c ) yet they may as well mean , ad victoriam : to prevaile ( or as we say ) to the last . that which holds longest , prevailes . * chap. . . c. . . c. . . * chrys : cor. . paraphrasp it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ▪ i. e. unavoida●●e evils , wee render , necessities . the chaldee word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is like it in sense , and sound . see chal● par . * where , for , he that speaketh lies ; in the hebrew it is●h that bloweth lies , as if he ment to kindle a fi●e : he se● . rende● it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that will kindle , or burn wickednes , as if his tongue did not only set other things on fire , but were a fire it selfe : as james saith it is , c. , . perhaps it ●s rather a metaphore from venemous creatures , ( the poyso● of aspes , being under such mens lips , ro. . . ) of whō virgil says , inspirant venenū , that they hisse , or blow forth their poyson . * buxtorf says there was one rabbi al●●ibha who had d●●ciples that adhered to him . * see bux torf . syn. jud ▪ c. a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and another ▪ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. * or bring unto thee as a fruit or reward the hebre● i●s●ph ( 〈◊〉 adde ) is often so use ▪ as prov. . . &c , sehekar scikra . * ma●hhal mahhal . * in orat. pro q. roscio comoedo . qu● semel ● veritate deflexit , hic non majore religione ad perjuriū quā ad mendaciū perduci consue●vit . prop●terea quae poe●a à diis immortalibu perjur● , haec eaden mendaci constituta est . no● enim ex pactione verborū quibus jus jurandum comprehenditur sed ex perfidiâ & malitiâ per quā infidiae tenduntur alicui , dii im●mortales hominibus ir●sci & succensere consuerunt ▪ * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * so the hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used pr. . . in ps . . . we translate it plowed . ( the plowers plowed upon my back ) as if it were meant of aration rather then exa●ation . aq and thood . translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and i know not but it may very well be interpreted of this manner ●f plowing by backbiting , and slanderous lying upon a man. for so we say in english , and so the greek in that apocryph●ll place but now quoted properly soundeth ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , upon thy brother , or against ●im behind his back . * chaldee par. children of the dau●hters of the nations , see ch. . . * the septuag . the rust shall eat up thē and their portion . * and before too : for he prophecied ( as rivet conjectures ) seaventy and nine yeares . * as you may see in the booke of ezra , ( c. . ) whom hierome and calvin conceived to be the same with malachi ; and that malachi was but a title of service , or honour ; signifying 〈◊〉 angel , or my messenger . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * neither shalt thou make marriages with them , &c. v . for thou art an holy people to the lord thy god , vers . . * see also hardening and ignorance * and therfore the paraphrast translates , ver . . because with a scoffing tongue they mocked at the prophets , &c. but the apostle otherwise , cor. . . * epiphan . advers . haer . l. . tom. . ( where he speakes of the abominable abuse of the hebrew words kau lacau by the nicolaitans , related by hierome ) translates the first words singularly , affliction upon affliction : but the others with hierome , hope upon hope : expect a little , expect a little . be●eered ●eered ; because the prophets were still warning ; but ( through god's mercy ) nothing came to passe . and the chaldee paraphrast , as well as can be , expounds this translation thus , they shall hope for redemption at such time , when i will bring upon them tribulation . a eirher b● the babylonian , or by the roman army , saith hierome . * so the septua● . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which ( if the septug did not meane so ) seemes to be more genuinely rendred , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * isa . . , . * see such as mock them . * our translation is , i will utterly forget you , fetching the word from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . b from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * this word w●h i take up ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) against you , am. . . take vp a lamentation , ezek. . . so it is said of any unpleasing speech , which a man casts at another ; he takes it up ; take vp a proverbe against , isa . . . and , take up a parable against , mic . . * his owne name is not mentioued , for foure verses before . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the word signifies . which wee render , send forth . mat. . . yet perhaps by this word is no more meant , then by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which the sept. many times render by it : as , chro. . , &c. * tim. . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , heb. . . * viz. that it should be rent ; and the priests offered upon it by josiah : which was accordingly fulfilled , . kings . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * heb. . . * as when we say , tuas res tibi habito . and as it is said luk . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , wee wipe off to you , not against you ) the dust , &c : not in scorn but by way of renouncing . * mic : . . * about twenty yeares , after these words were written , their city was de stroied by titus : at such ●imeas they were gathered thither to keepe the passeover . * ishmael phabi . * joseph . l. , c. . * rev. . * otherwise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated by the sept : symm : & theod. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , may signifie any charge , or message , which they had received of god to carry to the people . * jer. . . the word of the lord is unto them a reproach . * see jet . . . * see the chap : of blasphemy * of most boasts the she is the fiercest : especially , when she bath young . * in zach. . . for as he cryed , the chalde saies , the prophets prophecied * . cor. . . * that is , he that is not of the seed of aaron , ch . . . * yet the jews say , they were consumed , onely in their inner parts ; as they doe say of others , that suffered in this manner ▪ and therefore ( as in imitation of god ) wh●n the law prescribes , to have any one ●urnt to death , they powre hot lead into his mouth , and so kill him . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notitiae . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * as in amos & . super tribus sceleribus . * neh. . . * accept● tragicae victoriae nuntio l. nat . hist . c. . a policrate for having betrayed a castle to he countrymen plut de mul. virtut . * sen. de vit . brev . c ▪ . a ovid : met : l. ● , fab . . de myrtha . a vulg. traduxit in typo laterum : by which is meant , cutting them and chopping them , either in the place where they made brick , or after the manner that they chopped that stuffe , of which they made it . b for some expound those blind and lame , the images of their ●tutelary gods : and some otherwise . c it is said , v. . the lame and the blind , that are hated of david's sovle . scorne angers the very soule of a man , our sovle is exceedingly filled with the scorne of those that are at ease , ps . . . the word for , are at ease , is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the septuagint render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here ; but in amos , ch . . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . so that , for woe unto them that are at ease , according to their translation , it shoul● be , woe be unto them that scorne . * pineda l. de reb . salom. c. . * tobiah jeered in that maner as rhemus did his brother romulus ( when he built the wall at rome ) by leaping over it , whose ieer cost him his life . * jam. . * vulgar translat : irriserunt aedificantes ▪ they mocked the builders . * validiora fiant , saith vatablus . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * ep. . ad damasum . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * num. ● . . * just . lib. . c. . * num. . : * or , his blood shall be shed , ( that is certainly shed , one way or other : sooner , or later . ) so saith the vulgar , making haadam to be the nominative case , and baadam to look backward , translating , quisquis effuderit sanguinem humanum , fundetur sanguis illius . * num. . . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they that take ; that is , usurpe , saith beza . in parricidio n●lla satis justa causa ad sceleris patrocinia praetexi potest , justin . l. . c. . * he that kill his brethren upō a stone , was alm●st kild himselfe under a stone . * ps . . , * whom he murdered most treacherously embracing ●hē so closly that their blood came out upon his girdle , and his shooes , v. . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * i take forsweare , to be aword like , for fit , which is properly mean of undoing , or , making void a thing in force before there are divers words like it , as forbid , forwarne , forget . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a tibull . there is a proverb , sero jupiter diphtheram inspexit . aquil : & theod. in zach. . . where wee read of a rowle against false swearers , translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * kings . . * those whom they tooke in fight , theodor those that fled to them for shelter frō the assyriinvaders , vatabl : those that come to them for wares , arias . * ezek. . . * tam facile & pronum est superos contemnere testes , si mortalis idem nemo sciat , juven . sat. . speaking of swearing falsely , * thus to sweare with an imprecation is properly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to curse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . as peter did , mat. , * godwin antiq. rō . p. . a silice . liv. . b because it is said , — caesâ jungebant foedera porcá . virgil. c liv. ibid. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as that spoken of revel . . . a and so in jer. . . where we render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i will not leave thee altogether unpunished , hee translates , perdendo non perdam : i will not altogether destroy thee . vatabl. succidendo succidam . r. david ( in lib : radicum ) mundus eris , i. e. vacuus omni bono , cleane destroyed , ( as we say . ) b the syriack , and the zurich translation . * in the oracle in herodotus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . see prov. . . * zeph. . . * juvenal . satyr . . * liv. . * psal . . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . septuag . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . in the like manner do they translate ps . . . * perhaps the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used for a poore man , signifies one made poor by such oppression , or a poore man so oppressed , * nemo tam pater , nemo tam pius , tertul. de poenit . c , . * see deut , , * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bounds of little children , hieron . translates . * so perhaps the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifies : the septuagint . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , may very well be expounded so , * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the same word that is used vers . . according to the usuall manner in god's threats ( as i have often said ) to expresse a retaliation , or punishing with like for like ; much used , and prescribed in the law , exod. . * wearing them , till they looke thin with poverty . * see of this word a little after . * i conceive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not so opposite to barach , as it is to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which primarily signifies , heavie , as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth light . * parents had power of selling their children for servants , ex. . at least they practised it for the payment of debts , or the like causes , neh. . * lib. . de civ . dei c. . * lib. de bened. patriarc . c. . * translating 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not , blacknesse , but the apple of the eye , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a rab. solom . b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . it is translated by us gathering , gen. . . wrinkles are made by the gathering up of the skinne . * the storke called in greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be gratefull . i will not say that our word comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is the word in most plaes , where we have this exprssion , put away evill from among you ( used most commonly when mention is made of some desperate crime ) as deut. . . c. . . &c. it signifies burne . and it hath respect either to the incorrigiblenesse of the person : because wee use to burn such things as we cannot otherwise deale with . or else to the infectiousnesse of his sinne : because wee use to burne quite up , ( or dead ) such things as will certainly spread further , if they are not so used . a deut. . , . &c. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * and to perish frō off the good land , deut : . ▪ * such as aeneas gave to his decrepit father anchises , whō he carried upon his back ( at the destruction of troy ) and is therefore called pius aeneas by the poet , in honour and commendation , especially of this act of his aristotle saith , the you●g storke will doe the like to the old . b beza upon tim : . . honoris enim appellatione jam dixi , pium omne officium , ac subsidium hebraeorum more significari . see jer. . . &c. * buxtorf . in florileg . * so pagnine . kimchy , & moseh expound , is grievous . ( or his words are grievous ) because the hebrew word doth not signifie glorifying , in the coniugation kal. but , as r. abraham saith , he forgets that place in job . . * see rejoycing . * see wisedome . * septuag . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * the word for taketh , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beza saith , properly signifies , taking with a snare or trap . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he●od . * sicut turdus sibi malum parit . * the sep. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and they had him in my wrath . as if this punishment were repeated , that wee might take the more notice of it . * brought in instead of the misuse . * so the greek will signifie , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , we may rēder it , hath begged you . * coming in to it head and eares , without having 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a way to escape . cor. . . * beza compares them . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : not , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , so he is called , matt. . . eph. . . &c. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ro. . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * utinam non essem vir habens spiritum , & mendacium potius loquerer . stillabo tibi in vinum & in ebrietatem , & erit super quem stillabit populus iste . * they presumed much upo● their descent from isaac and jacob , as you may see mic. . . as they did in christs time upon their descēt from abraham , joh. . . * sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , shall be destroyed so we render that word , act. . . * the heathen themselves before some of their more solemne sacrifices , would 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i.e. in casto esse , prepare themselves by continence , and abstinence , from such or such things . * for though this expression be usually taken of not owning christ , yet it may be taken of lesse . * see hypocrites . & religion in shew only . * our translat . then will i cause you to dwell in this place . * for in this sense the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * see unthankfulnesse . * alluding it may be to what is said ch . . . as i take it , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to encrease any other way , as well as in number , see king. . . ezek. . . but perhaps 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here , is rather meant of encreasing in number : because it is presently after , threatned for a punishmēt , they shall commit whoredome , and shall not encrease , vers . . as if it had beene said , because they abuse their encrease in number , they shall encrease so no more , ●●ough they shall commit whoredome never so much to effect it . ●●eed , ( saith the vulgar translation ) as if it were a threat of frustrating their cōfidence in the egyptians : for that is usually meant by feeding with the wind . † leaves are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( the word here used ) i. e. soetus . * deut. . . * arias . * woe to them that are at ease , amos . . * i chuse this title , rather then pride : because , though all these punishments mentioned were inflicted upon proud mē , yet some of th●m it is not expressed , that they were inflicted for pride . * hebr. abominatiō of his soul . * this he often doth , not forgiving trespasses against him , to those , who will not forgive trespasses against them , matth. . . and executing judgement without mercy , on him that hath shewed no mercy , jam. . . &c. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i know not whether the word doth signifie onely excellencie : but here the sept. translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and the vulgar superbiam . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * buxtorf . ex sota fo . . coll . * aesop being asked , what god did in heaven ? made answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he makes high things low , and low things high . * feriunt summos fulmina montes . sen. * contumelia , hierome : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sept : who usually call pride it selfe by that name . * in his hebrew qu●stio●s . * cassian . institut . l. c. . ut carnis ignominiosa contagio patefaceret immunditiem cordis ejus occultam , quam superbiae malo contraxerat : ac manifestâ pollutione corporis probaretur impurus , qui elatione spiritus , factum se non sentiebat immundum . * illa prorsus ruina , quae fit in occulto , praecedit ruiuam , quae fit in manifesto : dum illa ruina non esse putatur , august . de civ . dei. l. . c. . * in two places of the psalmes viz. ps . . . & ps . . you have faithfull , and proud , opposed one to the other , though ( as i have elsewhere said ) in the old testament , by faithfull , is meant trusty ; or , one that may be believed : rather then one that will believe . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the vulgar translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , judicium . beza is indifferent , for criminationem , or , condemnationem . & erasmus renders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 calumniatoris , as he doth eph. . . * which is not an expression of their punishment but of their sin , as the former part of the verse is , as appeares by the conjunction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * sequitur superbos ultor à te● go deus . sen. * the septuag . & so the rom psal . * hierom. * isa . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * respondebit . hieron . as it is said , prov. . . face answereth face . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 see incorrigiblenes . * like virgil , quos ego — aen. . * esa . . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * nemo prudens punit quia peccatum est , sed ne peccetur . sen. l. . de irâ . c. . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hieron . exemplum . * job . . . b ps . . . isa . . . c ezek. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 d. † 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wee say , that is noe counsell . * the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is used for rashly , and in vaine . * q. curtius ( speaking of temerity in souldiers ) quae ubi primum impetum effudit , velut quaedam animalia amisso aculeo torpet . lib. . * see notpitying . * at calamities , hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * aristot : rhet. l. . c. . f. . see apostacie . * this nūber is used to expresse a full number , or measure , as , sam. ● . . isa . . . * comonly such as are thus used are longer , & larger , thou ordinary : fit to make cloakes of : for a pretence make long prayers . mat. . . * cic. pro cluentio . deorum mentes nō contaminatâ superstitione neque ad scelus perficiendum coesis hostiis posse placari . * non minuspericulum est ex magnâ famâ quā ex malâ , tac. in vit . jul. agri. * see mocking . * vaine fellow . such as those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jud. . . * josephus says , he did thus to all the israelites , that he could take . that so being not well able to use their shield ( which they held in their left hand ) unlesse they hindered their sight ; they might be made unfit for warre . a aristotle in his politicks l. . c. . among other occasions of the ruine of states , brings this for one , and instances in the conspiracy of decamnichus against archelaus for giving him to euripides to be whipt , whom he had formerly jeer'd for his stinking breath . b as they usually doe in a civill warre . * we translate , for i am undone , the hebrew which we have is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * ep. . ad pomp. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * see a notable place more , job . , . * job . hab. . * pagnin . in that place but now quoted , prov. translates , for casts away the substance of the wicked ; shall overthrow the wicked for their riches : meaning , which they have wrongfully gotten . * levit. . * job . . * prov. . . give me neither poverty nor riches , lest i be full and deny thee . a if i beheld the sun when it shined , or the moone , walking in brightnesse : and my heart hath beene secretly emiced , or my mouth hath kissed my hand this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge , for i should have denied the god that is above . * luk. . . * matt. . . * matt. . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which see in covetousnesse . * their riches are given them with this curse , viz. to make thē secure , and confident 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 job . a in the latin translation it is , deliver : as if it were a bōdage to the creatures ; to be subject by force , to be used to other purposes , then for which they were intended , according to that rom. . . b as for the beauty of his ornament , he set it in majesty ; but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein : therfore have iset it far from them v. . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for , though the word be impersonally used after the hebrew manner : yet i think it is seldome spoken , but of a third person . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . theoph. * especially that of the sinner in getting . de male quaesitis vix gaudet tertius haeres , whose wealth , his childrens children , seldome enjoy . * some understand by sa●baths , feasts only , but ( i believe ) in that sense , it is not used to be said my , but your sabbaths . * see the manner described macc. . , , . * see despising . * see prosperity . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * lib. . bell. c. . . * see ps . . . zeph. . . * not a snare of enticement , but of hurt and ruine : in that sense as the word snare is most commonly used , as prov. . ▪ &c. and so likewise the word stumbling-block or scandall , though in the new testament it be used metaphorically , of falling into sin : yet in the old testament , it is used most commonly more literally , of falling by sin into misery , and punishment , as ezek . . isa . . , &c. * as on the contrary , in keeping the commandements there is great reward . ps . . * see in the chapter of blasphemy against the holy ghost at the end . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 zach. . . &c. so for the verbe , in job ch . the word which we render sinne , the sep. render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be unhappy . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * joh. . . * rom. . . * vers . . ● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * because they trāsgressed against my word , and would not obey my prophets , i cast them off , & delivered thē up to their foolish lust and they went away and made decrees not right , and laws by which they should not live . * or in , if it be not better translated , by . * the sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * see also ch . . . * or men of slanders . * linguis micat ore trisulcis . virg. * saying , that his intent was to encourage mento sin , by teaching , that because sinne had so much abounded , god's grace was the more glorified . * talkative people may be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 busie bodies , like those women . tim. . . ( for to that sex this vice is most common ) but seldome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , laborious , according to the proverb alwaies busie , and never well imploy'd . mic. . . * the chal de likewise for destruction , feare . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * plutarch . nulli tacuisse nocet nocet esse locutum . * luk. . . a exod. . , . . b sam : . . * or any wrongfull dealing . i suppose by thiefe , is meant any injurious gainer . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * the latine renders it spernis as if it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but we render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same word signifies idol , and , nothing . a the best name the hebrew hath for man ; as adam is the worst . * so as not to doubt . * so as not to fayle . * ( i think ) the most natural signification . * the same word likewise signifies to nourish and to believe , * aquila renders , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * as grotius would have it . * and because of the words following , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * he that beleiveth not is condemned already . * aq. & sym. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cor . . heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * the word righteous , seems to be often taken in this sence * which we have frequent experience of . * in this expression he alludes , perhaps , to what eliphaz accused him of , that he had broken the armes of fatherlesse , chap. . . for which he would count this a just retaliation * buxtorf . in floril . * our translation . i taught ephraim also to goe , taking thē by their armes . * see adultery . * and so the apostle might very well say , he that committeth fornication , sineth against his owne body , cor. . . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sept. as a dog to the collar . * upon psal . ● . * freindlike counsell , for their owne good only . * or , and so were they . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , our translation , as well as unto them . * sep. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , vulg. ego ultor existam , i will be revenged upon him . * he might well say , say , for they doe but say , they have true faith , who have no workes . a psal . . . b james . . c pet. . . notes for div a -e * and paul and barnabas , when the people would have sacrificed to them . act. . . * every dishonour & disgrace which we bring to god & his truth , is petty blasphemy . * as their hasidim were . * the apostle applies this place to christ . rom : , * pet. , . * plin. l. . c. . speaking of a creature called catob●epas , having a very heauy head , which alwaies hangs downward ( as it were of purpose to prevent the hurt which else it might doe ) saies , omnibus qui oculos ejus vidêre expirantibus : & thē presently addes eadem est basilisci viz. and this is all that i have read to this purpose . the naked mans peace is obedience in a word to the magistrates, priests and people. to which is annexed the will of dead living, and living dead man, now called nicholas keate, with a word in generall to all sorts. written by me edmund hide. hide, edmund. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text r in the english short title catalog (wing h a). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a wing h a estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the naked mans peace is obedience in a word to the magistrates, priests and people. to which is annexed the will of dead living, and living dead man, now called nicholas keate, with a word in generall to all sorts. written by me edmund hide. hide, edmund. [ ], p. printed, and are to be sold neere fleet-bridge, london : . reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. eng sin -- sermons -- early works to . punishment -- religious aspects -- christianity -- early works to . christian ethics -- early works to . a r (wing h a). civilwar no the naked mans peace is obedience: in a word to the magistrates, priests and people. to which is annexed the will of dead living, and living hide, edmund c the rate of defects per , words puts this text in the c category of texts with between and defects per , words. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - scott lepisto sampled and proofread - scott lepisto text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the naked mans peace is obedience : in a word to the magistrates , priests and people . the sword of the righteous mans war bringeth in righteousnesse , holinesse , and peace , without which no man shall see god . true love pleads the cause of the just : behold christ rideth to jerusalem upon an asse . a naked man in true innocency is regarded more with the lord , then thousands which are cloathed , and their hearts full of hypocrisie . to which is annexed the will of dead living , and living dead man , now called nicholas keate , with a word in generall to all sorts . isaiah . ver. . for the lord will judge with fire , and with his sword all flesh , and the slain of the lord shall be many . james . ver. . of his own will begat he us , with the word of truth , that we should be as the first fruits of his creatures , verse the . read . written by me edmund hide . london printed , and are to be sold neere fleet-bridge , . friends and people , j am constrained in my self to publish to you some lines , not craveing any thing of you but what is meet . now concerning my friend and brother ; who was constrained to go naked in publike view , about ten miles , unto the town of newbery , which in appearance unto men might hazard his life , yet through that powerful operation , and constraint of that spirit of god in him , he was made to effect that which he was commanded to do , which was to go naked , and take a sword in his hand , and fire on the top of it , and a golden girdle on his loyns , and standalls on his feet ; for this his obedience he is condemned , and cried out against with scorn and contempt , saying , he is mad , and hath a devil , with more such like cruelties as their scorn can afford him , yet his joy still continues , and his heart still moveth towards god , for the day of our redemption draweth nigh . therefore hearken now my beloved friends , and you our enemies to what the lord shall speak to you in this matter , and is made good unto us by his spirit in love , and so bringing of us unto the glory of the father , and also to the fellowship of the saints , by the overturning of iniquity , and slaying of sin , and giving to us the true life of the gospell , in the spirit of peace , to walk in it in our generation , that so the light of god may shine , and have its day in true appearance and manifestation of love , then shall the fire of god be kindled in your consciences , then you shall see that you are one slaying of another , yet you shall have a pretence of godliness , but woe unto all that go down unto egypt for help , for his sword is a sword of peace . now again my beloved , the truth of religion is a mystery to magistrates , priests , and people , which have a pretence to maintain the fundamentals thereof , for they are true in none , except they ●re truly practised . therefore in the first place i shall write a word unto the magistrate , and shall bring or compare their life with the life of christ , to prove whether it is one with his . when he appeared amongst the sons of men , to make manifest his life , he appeared in the love of his fathers will , and that he might be an example of it unto us , to shew the righteousnesse of god amongst men , and that it might be followed by us who own the righteousness of god . then you magistrates take notice , had he honour of men , or did he crave it ? or was he full of pride and did use it ? was he a follower of the customes and traditions of men ? was he full of superfluities in meats , and drinks , and apparel ? or was he chiefest among them that did meet in the synagogues ? did he lord it over gods heritage as ye do ? or was he ever inriched by the things of this world , or gained he by the sword , or did he by his obedience to his fathers wil get into the honor of men , and so raign over them ? he rid unto ierusalem upon an asse , but ye rulers of men now ride upon horses , that is swift judgment to be put in execution upon the simple , the strangers , and widows , and them , which have no father on earth , he was not swift to destroy , as those are who have a pretence to the doctrine of the gospel , by one name or other , or one ordinance or other , and so call themselves saints , when they differ not from the world but in words , for who have gained honour and riches more then they that pretend for religion ? or who have divided the spoil but they ? or who are more proud then they , or have more superfluities of meats and drinks then they ; so let the light in your own consciences discover to you that you are not risen with christ , neither know you what it is to bear his cross , or religion what it is , for that is it which tyeth us to god , and also one to another , but the daughter of sion is lest as a cottage , therefore give ear ye rulers of sodom , and ye people of gomorrah , may not i say unto you , as it was said unto them , ye pray and keep daies of fasting , and appointed times , it is iniquity before the lord , your hands are full of blood , do not these things fall upon the back of the righteous ? and can such that practise these things maintain true religion ? how many were laid up in prisons of those that held up the power of antichrist , by christ or his apostles , it is the cruel one that doth imprison , but it is mercy and love that sets free ; is christ your patern , then where will you find that he imprisoned or punished any for the breach of the law of god ? if he did not so to wicked , then why are you so to the righteous ? i am now called to speak to you in truth , and let the light within you testifie that these are the enemies laws and unrighteous judgments . do we not daily see that those rulers that are put in authority , for to judg of matter concerning the civil state , will also take upon them to examine the spiritual man , and inflict , punishments if there be a crying out against wickedness , or vain-glory , or such like things , they take advantage against the simple , which do not , nor cannot do wrong unto state or people , for they have a law within them , which is christ , though they come in appearance within them , which is christ , though they come in appearance with sword , as this my brother did , where are the wrongs that are or were done by him , or any of those , who of late have been imprisoned by the officers of state ? are all magistrates full of divine mystery , surely no , but sit as judges to let barrabas go free : the people of god in former times were cloathed in sheep skins , and goat-skins , and dwelt in dens and caves of the earth , and what we may undergo now we know not , but the lord is our peace , and our all , and when christ who is your life shall appear in you , then shall you be changed even as this my brother , for all naturall men have a spirit which manifests unto them that the life which they now live shall be cast out , now he that is spiritual , his life runneth after love , after peace , even to beget , to convince , and bring deniall of all propriety upon himself , as he did , that is now gone forth from all his honour , his credit among men , his pride , his oxen , his farm , and his wife , so as not to live to his lusts , even to be stripped naked of all , and to be a sign to all , and that it might appear that it is the virgins chastity which holds forth christs divinity in all things , oh look , look , and behold it is the chast virgin which knoweth christs divinity , for the deeds thereof are not evil , neither can a virgin bind heavy burthens upon strangers , for the magistrate , the priests , and the people , are the strangers to the ministery of christ , for the magistrate is carnal , the priest is carnal , and the people are carnal ; the magistrate loveth honour with great revenues , and by that means setteth himself in judgment and places of authority , and so judgeth for money , and pass censures for reward , their friendship and love is to be obtained for money , if any one is counted wise amongst them , it is because he hath store of money , and knoweth how to oppress , so that the innocent are made beggerly by them ; but he that is born of god hateth all this , and they which live in this are carnal , and know not the fundamentals of true religion , for they that know them cannot lord and judg for money ; therefore be wise . o ye kings , and be instructed ye judges of the earth ; if you are born again , not of corruptible seed , but of immortal , you will feel within you your spirits to be renewed , your ungodly teeth to be broken and stripped of your honor , and will leave off judging for reward , and will find that you have no fellowship in the life of christ , but in simplicity , it will take you from your farms , your oxen , your wives , your lusts , and all relations , before you can dwell with christ , for whilst ye live in the ministery of a carnal government , ye deny christ , and are in propriety with the devil . now as for those poor lambs which have gone up and down your streets , some naked , some preaching the law of the father , and some destruction , which god will bring upon the man of sin , and some against the deceipt of the priests , and some against the corruption of buying and selling , and several other voices , as against crimes which you say are punishable by your law , so that the spiritual being come to preach against it , and in his conversation to deny it , you judg him mad , and imprison him , when indeed the law cannot take hold of any unrighteousness in their lives , or wrong done to any man by them ; so that all the heavy burthens which they bind upon your shoulders , are to lay open all unrighteousness which is committed in secret , and to manifest it upon the house top , so as that the deed of the wicked are not justifiable before the lord of hosts . now to the carnal priests and ministers so called , i write unto you , that you would be exhorted to amend your lives , and cease from cruelty , lest ye be dashed in pieces like a potters vessel , for the wrath of god hangeth over your heads ; to prove that you are carnal , i need not trouble my self , because ye prove your selves so to be , for ye covet a recompence for preaching , more then to preach , and will not suffer the people to be free ; if you read much , you cannot but read your own covetousness , for you eat the sins of people , and as troops of robbers wait for a man , so do the company of priests murder in the way . read the fifth of hosea , there is spoken of gods judgments against priests , and people , and princes in ver. . they will not frame their doings to turn unto their god , and the pride of israel doth testifie to their faces ; and this i say as bastards at their doors , for he that lives not the life of christ is a bastard : in all ages we find that the priests were joyned to the magistrates against the prophets and apostles , for they marry themselves one to another in deceipt , they cried not unto me with their hearts , when they howled upon their beds , they assembled themselves for corn and wine , they rebelled against me ; is it not clearly to be seen , that ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgement ? there is a broken judgment amongst professors , take therefore a view of the priests in every parish , which takes upon them to preach the gspel , they preach and pray to god for the magistrate , that they may be invested with the blessed spirit , i could rejoyce that they were so , and that they themselves were filled with that unction christ , then they would be debased in themselves , and not take upon them the title of ministers , to minister life and salvation , whilest all their ministery tends to no other end , but to serve themselves , and favour the magistrates , because they favour them ; and so stiling themselves divine ministers for their own carnal ends , deceiving the poor , by telling them that god is love , and yet they themselves are servants to malice , contentious strife and debate ; and therefore take notice , that it is not love that joyneth the priests to the people , but the power of the magistrate , for he is not tyed to the people , but hath his liberty to leave them , and so are free for their own advantage , and make gain of the peoples ruine , gathering assemblies for corn and wine ; but he that is taught of god , hath his magistrate in him , his minister in him , and by that love to the people , will follow him , and will live to that which is everlasting in god , with those have fellowship in the communion of love . there be many that give themselves the name of preachers of the word , but there are but few that are doers , for most are enemies to the cross of christ : i find them not to follow christ in love , neither in peace , for they get a prison for the poor , and cry out of blasphemy in those which are rich in the faith , and make manifest the love of god to be in them forsaking of all : another deceipt they have which take tythes , they say , they take it not for preaching , but as a gift of the state , so putting their preaching upon their own gift ; but he that lieth in wait to deceive , him will god destroy ; now true love doth spring up , the priests cry out against it , and so do the people . therefore a word to all ye people that are led by your priests , as may be witnessed by your following them , there is pride in the priest , and also in the people , covetousness in the priest , so in the people , envy in the priest , so in the people , the priest his communion is propriety , so is the peoples , the priest hath a clamorous tongue , so have the people , the priest denieth the coming of christ to be the resurrection of god in man , so do the people , the priest denieth a true judgment day of god to be come upon the man of sin and unrighteousness , and that christ will not bring us to the perfect life of holinesse here , and so do the people , the priests have not laid down their lives for christ , neither have the people ; for if the magistrates , priests , and lawyers had no greater rewards of men for following the world and its wayes , then they should have for following christ and his wayes , it 's possible we should have neither magistrates , priests , nor lawyers , to supply the places they now stand in ; therefore , o ye people , give not up your selves to others , to be led contrary to what your own consciences guideth you to , but walk according to that which ye are fully perswaded of in your own minds , for there is a light within you , to which if you take heed , will lead you into the way of all truth , and being guided by that , you need not crave the power of the magistrate to defend , nor the help of the lawyer to plead for you , neither need you go to the priest to direct you , for the children of the lord are all taught of him , and they know his voice , and the voice of the hireling they will not hear ; but if you give not heed , nor take not warning by him , he will scatter the sheep with the shepherd , and deliver you up together for destruction : and be it known unto you all , that i have not writ this out of envy to any mans person , but i have written it to that end , to shew you the envy within you , and that enmity is judge when you condemn without cause ; therefore take notice that i do not condemn the magistrate for punishing evil doers , but those that do well , and such are all those that in obedience to the will of god , go forth to manifest the things they have seen and heard from him ; neither do i condemn the lawyers , seeing there is a right amongst men for endeavouring to help each man to his right , but for coveting the reward or fee , more then the pleading the cause of the simple , neither do i condemn him that stands in the place of a minister of the gospel for doing righteousness , but because he doth it not , but walketh contrary to the life of christ , as it was made manifest amongst the sons of men . god is my witness , that this is the last will and testament of me the dead living , and living dead man , who am called nicholas keate , and have my residence in harevvel , the first of may , . yea god , and god only is my witness . first i bequeath my soul to the giver and taker of all good things , god blessed for evermore , amen . as for my body , or composed mind of inventions , it is the serpents meat , worms shall have it to heritage ; but the lord giveth the earth to the children of men , psalm . the lord giveth , and he taketh ; yea , he giveth all , and i take , and i give and keep nothing back , for i must serve the lord my god with all my heart , and all my mind and strength ; honor belongeth unto god , but shame and confusion unto the sons of men ; therefore am i no more , neither have any more , neither live i any more , but the lord only , therefore that which the lord hath lent me , and that which the law of this nation doth and must give me , do i give and bequeth all and every thing unto the saints which excell in vertue ; i , i am the god of abraham , the god of isaac , and the god of iacob , it is the god of the living that giveth and taketh at his pleasure , whose name is power and strength , and is holy and blessed in himself , it is even he which turneth men to destruction ; and then he saith , come again ye sons of men , come and sup and dine with me , saith this holy father to his sons and daughters , for in my house are all manner of varieties , with abundance of plenty ; i need nothing of yours , saith this father , save your obedience ; what would vain man give unto the lord , seeing the beasts on a thousand hills are mine , saith he , whose nature shall put fire on all the combustible matter of the earth , and sacrifice it at his pleasure . i do write unto all that are far and neer , to the end that they might know that this is the lords will , and not the will of a carnal minded man , for if i had and my had and self had , did lord it over me , i should be as all the world are , worshipping the creature more then the creator , and adore it as god ; he hath ordained the fruit of my lips , and that is peace , peace to all far and neer , all old things pass away , i have no peace , but in the new heavens , and the new earth , for all my earthly substance is become as dead carrion drawn out for all the souls to feed on , therefore it is the lords will , and that is my will , that it may be laid wast from propriety and self-interest ever hereafter , therefore let it remain as the lords free inheritance , to shelter , succour , and to be a place of refuge for the fatherless , the widows and strangers , i mean such widows and strangers as know no man , ( nor any thing that belongeth to man ) after the flesh , and such are all the fatherless , they will own no father on earth , nor call any man master on earth ; for as the lord hath bruised me , and made me to disown all relations of the flesh , and of earth and earthly things , so will he deal with many thousands , and they shall know the lord in truth , and in righteousness , and when be hath made us a poor people , he will turn to us a pure language , therefore naked , yea stark naked hath the lord appointed me to appear before multitudes of people , to shew that your hearts ought to be unvaried and uncovered , and become innocently naked before the lord , as i am in body and mind , and that not only so , but he hath made me a sign , to shew that all covetous self-seeking worldlings , such as i was , may hereafter become to obey , and do as i have done , even resign up all , as the lord hath commanded me , so that i dare not say i have one penyworth of any thing left me , of many hundred pounds worth , of that which heretofore i called mine own , and was so by the laws of this nation . i know men will pass their votes , that i am mad or drunk , but be it known unto you all people , that i am in my right sober mind , only the hand of the lord is strong upon me , prevailing over all that follishnesse and unrighteous actions , that i have heretofore , and the world now liveth in , and are glorying in their own shame and unrighteous selfish actions ; but the lord hath made me naked and bare for a sign , to shew that all their secret evil doings shall be brought into publike view before men and angels , as they are now visible in the sight of god , he hath stript me , and brought me to have no will of mine own . i live not , but the lord , he hath instructed me , and doth all his works in me , and for me ; therefore , o ye men , that cry out shame , shame , for making my body bare , know ye , that i am neither better nor worse , for that this proceeds from the work of god within me , he hath taken away the vail and covering of all deceipt in me , and take ye the shame unto your selves , for none belong unto me , because i die to all unrighteousness , the lord hath sent me forth with fire and sword , to proclaim that the day of the wrath of the lamb is neer at hand , wrath to all unrighteous and disobedient actions , and my two-edged sword , glistering with gold , with flaming fire thereon , which i received from the lord , do embleme , that god will appear in the hearts and minds of men like flaming fire , and with the bright spirit of burning , will he out and divide us with a two-edged svvord all that do oppose the righteousness and life of christ jesus , the day of the lord is come , his harvest is begun , he will now separate the tares from the wheat , and the precious from the vile ; therefore , o all ye people , my will , yea the lords will is , that ye cease from wrath , and let go displeasure , leave off from evil , and learne to do well , and as ye would that others should do unto you , so do ye unto them ; the lord hath strengthened my weak hands for this work , and bound about my feeble knees , with bright glistering gold ; he hath guarded me with strength , even to bring confusion on the rich and mighty , which say they have of their own ; and as the lord hath bound and guarded me above the brest with a golden girdle , so hath he bound my heart from doing violence to any , for that spirit which raised me up from the dead , is a loving spirit , for in love to the truth will he cut off and destroy all proud evil doers from his holy rest , but in love , and vvith love , vvhich is himself , will he exalt and strengthen the humble , the meek , the chast , and broken hearted . now to you my brethren that are thus made by god , and are become partakers of the godly nature , do i direct this copy of my own hand writing , and sure it is , that my heart and hand is guided by a power above what the world doth call meum & tuum , otherwise i should say , my house , my lands , my goods , which are proper unto me by the laws of men , and i should be like the world , having a wife and relations ; but now i am as if i had none , and use them as i do the world , which is as if i used it not ; the lord is now come to prove you , whether you be dead unto the world , with its wayes and fashions , traditions and customes , for doubtless i am the house of god where judgment is begun , and although i have had many tribulations , afflictions , and fierce trials , yet i expect many more before i enter into the lords rest ; i dare not judg any man for keeping a competent maintenance , considering the worlds cruelty ; but an heir of heaven , that is a chosen out of the world , dareth not claim the priviledg of mans law , to withhold any thing that should relieve his brothers necessity ; i write not this unto you to shame you , or boastingly , as if i , as a man were better or freer then other men , because i give so liberally , but i tell you , as i told you before , the lord is the giver and taker , it is not my will nor goods , nor my gift as i am a man , neither ought any to receive it as man willing his own will , but when the will of god is done in man , and mans will is no more , then the creature is new , and his old covetous self-seeking heart being done away , he will receive nothing but for his necessities , and that he ought freely to have given him ; and as the lord hath freely given me a new heart , so let it be freely manifested , that the sower and the reaper may rejoyce together , and how can it be otherwayes , god being in us of a truth ; but you my friends that have made your vaunts , and brags , and boasted of your freedome in and to god , and that if he would require and call for your lives and estates , you would be free to sacrifice whatsoever he would call for : consider , hath the lord spared yours and you from the hardship that others are put upon , if i speak after the manner of men , it is my own condition ; terrible things , so as to flesh and blood are required and imposed upon me by the lord , he hath snatched my life and livelihood from me , and stripped me stark naked , not suffering one friend to succour me for the present , but hath exposed my naked body to the devouring teeth of wilde savage beasts in a barren wildernesse ; neverthelesse , the spirit of the lord doth compel me to part with all , and obey , as aforesaid . now that i might not write of the judgment of others , but also write to you what is done in me by the lord , which is in love to all in general . now my deer friends and people . i will write to you in some few lines the work of god , which have been upon my spirit , & in my earth i have had fallen upon me the pure water distilled out of the rock of god , which came down to cleanse the mind , and to water my earth , so that it might be replenished to bring forth with increase that pure seed of god which he hath sown upon the well-husbandred land , for in the new earth doth god plant his paradise , and therein soweth the seed of his blessed spirit , and himself is the husbandman thereof : so that whom he hath made the earth ready , which is man , he will poure in his love , his life , his spirit , and true righteousness , and showeth to me the pure law and the gospel fellowship , enjuring no man , but looketh for encrease . truly friends , i am to write to you what i am made by god , and no more , and what he is made to me is this , in the husbandry of his own work he is this , he follows me with peace to all men , and makes me to know that a brother is as my self , in short , to express what i am , is to express , god , or that power in me , or that powerful power of god to express it self , when christ who is your life shall appear , then shall i appear with him , or that son born in me , which is the very express image of god born in man , which can declare the father , and accordingly he is love in truth , and that is the seed which god hath sown in my earth , and when the time of the harvest is , it will bring forth the same body as it was when it was sown ; and in the mean time i am but a stranger to my own countrymen , a stranger to professors , and so to the world . truly friends , love mates it self with no other then the son of love , which is to be born in our earth , and so lives in judgment within , til the day of the pure manifestation be brought forth , then love wil shine , or be like a city built upon a hill , that love of god which is born in others , is that fellowship which i have chosen above all things beside it self ; love hath compelled me , love doth bind me to the life of it , and hath governed me , and not i my self to govern it , love hath destroyed me , and bound me up again ; god will bring forth us in those things which are his own , so that we might destribute of the same one to another , which my heart have felt and known , so that i drink in the cup of my own salvation , which god gave me to drink of to you ; god is my witness , that no unrighteousness , falshood , nor injury , nor have i any toleration to it in my heart , nor against the state , in the things which are of the cruel state , nor any person whatsoever to enjure but he that is filthy , let him be filthy , where love is sown , it brings forth the same again ; love is like to the ripe grapes , which give a relish to the wine , so is the life of god in me , when it shall be brought forth in order , and have divine evidences to witness it in the demonstration of the godly nature in creature ; so he that is in true love , abideth in the life everlasting which cannot end , when god hath taught me his love by the quickning spirit , and he hath opened to me the union and communion , which is gods in fellowship , which is in order to the resurrection of that body of christ , who maketh it manifest , by subduing all things under his feet ▪ when all things are subdued , then is god all , and my self nothing ; but i have had this proclamation read in me , which is to take up the pure life of christ , and his government and to live in the family of his protection , so that they which live in it , walk as thus , so that he and his are one , so that there is a oneness in all , and all but one , so that there is but one disposition , one quality , one nature , one judgment , one in suffering ; one in life , one in death , one in mercy , one pity , one in all ruling over all , which is god blessed for ever . this being a true harmony amongst us , with such regulation as holds to the singular number one , so that all are to stand still , let god work in them by the power of his will ; so now let him that gather , gather in god , so that he that is alive , lives to god ; but god is free in me ▪ so if he please to dispose of himself , which is his own in me , it will be in the bright day of god , to manifest love to that majesty , for god doth dwell in our temples in the acting power , and we have the oneness of that divine nature planted in ours ; so now we are simeon like lord let us depart , for we know we have seen thy salvation ; and as for my part , or that party which is now in me , seeks no propriety in community , but only to know the godly nature which approves it self , and quits it self , it will spoil all our qualities , all our fashions and degrees of our flesh , and rewards of mankind , and from being our selves any longer that union and communion which i have had with my brother and others , is so unexpressible , that the carnal cannot believe , for love is to be manifested by divine acts . truly he that is born of god , and is in the life , and dwelleth in the life ; he is the true looking glass , in which love can see its self , a universal deluge is come upon our old world , but noah shall live , truth and a oneness is my delight ; where there is a true oneness in love , there can be no distance in order not being ; i am free to lay down my life to enter into the new covenant to live with god , love cannot be known by words , nor that love which we have to all men , love is to be opened , when the seven seals be opened , with the ministery of them in thy self , whomsoever thou art which hath them opened in thee , then thou vvilt knovv thy interest vvith us in true love and life , vvhich makes us one in the true love . novv this knovv , that there is a broken longing come amongst the professors hovv , and they are broken in judgment , and are torn to pieces , for they knovv not the lord , nor that love vvhich passes all understanding , so that my love to you all is peace vvithout vvrong or enjury to any , so that my brother lives to the substance , so that as he came naked out of his mothers vvomb , so he is returned again , to live in the naked truth of god vvith christ in the resurrection from dead vvorks , to live in the heavens made vvithout hands , vvhich is vvithout covetousness , vanity , or vain-glory , vvithout vvrong , and hath been to this day vvithout vvrong to any ; therefore suffer us novv both friends and people to dvvell amongst you vvithout strife , for if any injuries be done by us , vve are free that the lavv may take its course vvith us , vve crave but the same peace of you vvhich vve give unto you , but if not , vve are resolved to follovv the lavv . novv this knovv all of you , that lavv gaint peace , so farevvel , edm. hide . a song of the true life . come along come along , you virgins that pure be , and we shall enjoy the life that is free , and call up the dead , which now lye slain , to live the resurrection which christ did regain , and for to annoy that which did us destroy , which was from lust and things that be vain . a cup of love is filled up in me , and i drink of it continually : what though my love black seemeth to be , and is judged by fouls for cruelty , yet he is as the balm of gilead to me , and i know him in love in the eternity . what although christ be ascended on high , yet he is come down into humanity , that the truth of the father he might maintain , to hold forth his glory to those which are slain , showing to us the way of man is but vain , but the second adam hath restored us again . now we are restored into the right way , and for to demonstrate the ascension day of christ who i● our life 〈◊〉 in us to 〈◊〉 , 〈…〉 all one in 〈…〉 〈◊〉 to ●…ound all 〈◊〉 which it a l●… , but we shall live single in virginity . the power of love runs in me as a ●lood , to see the pure christ in pure manhood ; 〈◊〉 king there to raign , the flesh being slain , now the lord himself his own life will maintain the lord is the truth , and ever will be , 〈…〉 can be no communion but in virginity . 〈…〉 be declared , and not his life known , then the glory is lost of the resurrection ; but now i do see that christ is liberty to all that are pure in purity : the fool in his heart no god is there known , 〈…〉 perswaded by evil to the transgression . come now you worldlings and ●…arken to me , the lord is a mystery in the life of purity , the 〈◊〉 life it is now come down , and 〈◊〉 i do know without any bound , seven times in the fire love hath tryed me , but now , i know thy love , and my love knows me . now my love being pure , i am not alone , but j am touched in another by the phylosopher stone , which trieth all mistles of what sorts they be , but love is that ocean which hath swallowed up me : but for true love ; o let love try me , but now i know my love , and my love knows me . if any of you this song now can sing , you are of the truth , and in the truth are living ; and are in the being to glorifie the sun , and are partaker of christs resurrection ; but for true love it doth set free , to lead our lives in true community . now j being 〈…〉 gin , j am married to the king , and j know that his love is everlasting , and in one true nature now ●e he , and of all that is his we are now made free ; but of all the fleshly mammon which ever revived me , but j never knew true marriage , till thou marriedst me . finis a sermon preached before the king, march , / by edward stillingfleet ... stillingfleet, edward, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing s estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a sermon preached before the king, march , / by edward stillingfleet ... stillingfleet, edward, - . [ ], p. printed by robert white for henry mortlock ..., london : . marginal notes. reproduction of original in duke university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual 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marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bible. -- o.t. -- proverbs xiv, -- sermons. sermons, english -- th century. sin -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - judith siefring sampled and proofread - judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a sermon preached before the king , march . / . by edward stillingfleet , b. d. chaplain in ordinary to his majesty . printed by his majesties especial command . london , printed by robert white , for henry mortlock , and are to be sold at his shop at the sign of the white hart in westminster hall. . proverbs . . fools make a mock at sin. when god by his infinite wisdom had contrived , and by a power and goodness , as infinite as his wisdom , had perfected the creation of the visible world , there seemed to be nothing wanting to the glory of it , but a creature endued with reason and understanding , which might comprehend the design of his wisdom , enjoy the benefits of his goodness , and employ it self in the celebration of his power . the beings purely intellectuall were too highly raised by their own order and creation , to be the lords of this inferiour world : and those whose natures could reach no higher than the objects of sense , were not capable of discovering the glorious perfections of the great creator : and therefore could not be the fit instruments of his praise and service . but a conjunction of both these together was thought necessary to make up such a sort of beings , which might at once command this lower world , and be the servants of him who made it . not as though this great fabrick of the world were meerly raised for man to please his fancy in the contemplation of it , or to exercise his dominion over the creatures designed for his use and service ; but that by frequent reflections on the author of his being , and the effects of his power and goodness , he might be brought to the greatest love and admiration of him . so that the most naturall part of religion lyes in the gratefull acknowledgments we owe to that excellent and supreme being , who hath shewed so particular a kindness to man in the creation and government of the world . which was so great and unexpressible , that some have thought , it was not so much pride and affectation of a greater height , as envy at the felicity and power of mankind , which was the occasion of the fall of the apostate spirits . but whether or no the state of man were occasion enough for the envy of the spirits above ; we are sure the kindness of heaven was so great in it , as could not but lay an indispensable obligation on all mankind to perpetuall gratitude and obedience . for it is as easie to suppose , that affronts and injuries are the most suitable returns for the most obliging favours ; that the first duty of a child should be to destroy his parents ; that to be thankful for kindnesses received , were to commit the unpardonable sin ; as that man should receive his being and all the blessings which attend it from god , and not be bound to the most universall obedience to him . and as the reflection on the author of his being , leads him to the acknowledgement of his duty towards god , so the consideration of the design of it , will more easily acquaint him with the nature of that duty which is expected from him . had man been designed only to act a short part here in the world , all that had been required of him , had been only to express his thankfulness to god for his being , and the comforts of it ; the using all means for the due preservation of himself ; the doing nothing beneath the dignity of humane nature , nothing injurious to those who were of the same nature with himself ; but since he is designed for greater and nobler ends , and his present state , is but a state of tryall , in order to future happiness and misery ; the reason of good and evill is not to be taken meerly from his present , but from the respect , which things have to that eternall state he is designed for . from whence it follows , that the differences of good and evill are rooted in the nature of our beings , and are the necessary consequents of our relation to god , and each other , and our expectations of a future life . and therefore according to these measures , the estimation of men in the world hath been while they did preserve any veneration for god or themselves . wisdom and folly was not measured so much by the subtilty and curiosity of mens speculations , by the finess of their thoughts , or the depth of their designs , as by their endeavours to uphold the dignity of mankind ; by their piety and devotion towards god ; by their sobriety and due government of their actions ; by the equality and justice , the charity and kindness of their dealings to one another . wisdom was but another name for goodness , and folly for sin : then it was a mans glory to be religious ; and to be profane and vitious , was to be base and mean : then there were no gods worshipped because they were bad , nor any men disgraced because they were good . then there were no temples erected to the meanest passions of humane nature , nor men became idolaters to their own infirmities . then to be betrayed into sin , was accounted weakness ; to contrive it , dishonour and baseness ; to justifie and defend it , infamy and reproach ; to make a mock at it , a mark of the highest folly and incorrigibleness . so the wise man in the words of the text assures us , that they are fools , and those of the highest rank and degree of folly , who make a mock at sin . it is well for us in the age we live in , that we have the judgement of former ages to appeal to , and of those persons in them whose reputation for wisdom is yet unquestionable . for otherwise we might be born down by that spightfull enemy to all vertue and goodness , the impudence of such , who it is hard to say whether they shew it more in committing sin , or in defending it . men whose manners are so bad , that scarce any thing can be imagined worse , unless it be the wit they use to excuse them with . such who take the measure of mans perfections downwards , and the nearer they approach to beasts , the more they think themselves to act like men . no wonder then , if among such as these the differences of good and evil be laughed at , and no sin be thought so unpardonable , as the thinking that there is any at all . nay the utmost they will allow in the description of sin , is , that it is a thing that some live by declaiming against , and others cannot live without the practice of . but is the chair of scorners at last proved the only chair of infallibility ? must those be the standard of mankind , who seem to have little left of humane nature , but laughter and the shape of men ? do they think that we are all become such fools to take scoffs for arguments , and raillery for demonstrations ? he knows nothing at all of goodness , that knows not that it is much more easie to laugh at it , than to practise it ; and it were worth the while to make a mock at sin , if the doing so would make nothing of it . but the nature of things does not vary with the humours of men ; sin becomes not at all the less dangerous because men have so little wit to think it so ; nor religion the less excellent and advantageous to the world , because the greatest enemies of that are so much to themselves too , that they have learnt to despise it . but although that scorns to be defended by such weapons whereby her enemies assault her , ( nothing more unbecoming the majesty of religion , than to make it self cheap , by making others laugh ) yet if they can but obtain so much of themselves to attend with patience to what is serious , there may be yet a possibility of perswading them , that no fools are so great as those who laugh themselves into misery , and none so certainly do so , as those who make a mock at sin . but if our authority be too mean and contemptible to be relyed on , in a matter wherein they think us so much concern'd ( and so i hope we are to prevent the ruine of mens souls ) we dare with confidence appeal to the generall sense of mankind in the matter of our present debate . let them name but any one person in all the monuments of former ages , to whom but the bare suspicion of vice was not a diminution to an esteem that might otherwise have been great in the world . and if the bare suspicion would do so much among even the more rude and barbarous nations , what would open and professed wickedness do among the more knowing and civill ? humane nature retains an abhorrency of sin , so far that it is impossible for men to have the same esteem of those who are given over to all manner of wickedness , though otherwise of great sharpness of wit , and of such whose naturall abilities may not exceed the other , but yet do govern their actions according to the strict rules of religion and vertue . and the generall sense of mankind cannot be by any thing better known , than by an universall consent of men , as to the wayes whereby they express their value and esteem of others . what they all agree on as the best character of a person worthy to be loved and honoured , we may well think is the most agreeable to humane nature ; and what is universally thought a disparagement to the highest accomplishments , ought to be looked on as the disgrace and imperfection of it . did ever any yet , though never so wicked and profane themselvs , seriously commend another person for his rudeness and debaucheries ? was any mans lust or intemperance ever reckoned among the titles of his honour ? who ever yet raised trophies to his vices , or thought to perpetuate his memory by the glory of them ? where was it ever known , that sobriety and temperance , justice and charity were thought the marks of reproach and infamy ? who ever suffered in their reputation by being thought to be really good ? nay , it is so far from it , that the most wicked persons do inwardly esteem them whether they will or no. by which we see , that even in this lapsed and degenerate condition of mankind , it is only goodness which gains true honour and esteem , and nothing doth so effectually blast a growing reputation , as wickedness and vice . but if it be thus with the generality of men , who were never yet thought to have too much partiality towards goodness , we may much more easily find it among those , who have had a better ground for the reputation of their wisdom , than the meer vogue of the people . he who was pronounced by the heathen oracle , to be the wisest among the greeks , was the person who brought down philosophy from the obscure and uncertain speculations of nature , and in all his discourses recommended vertue as the truest wisdom . and he among the iews , whose soul was as large as the sand on the sea shore , whose wisdom outwent that of all the persons of his own or future ages , writes a book on purpose to perswade men , that there is no reall wisdom , but to fear god and keep his commandments : that sin is the greatest folly , and the meaner apprehensions men have of it , the more they are infatuated by the temptations to it . but as there are degrees of sinning , so there are of folly in it . some sin with a blushing countenance , and a trembling conscience ; they sin , but yet they are afraid to sin : they sin , but in the act of it they condemn themselves for what they do ; they sin , but with confusion in their faces , with horrour in their minds , and an earthquake in their consciences : though the condition of such persons be dangerous , and their unquietness shews the greatness of their folly , yet because these twitches of conscience argue there are some quick touches left of the sense of good and evil , their case is not desperate , nor their condition incurable : but there are others who despise these as the reproach of the school of wickedness , because they are not yet attained to those heights of impiety which they glory in : such who have subdued their consciences much easier than others do their sins ; who have almost worn out all the impressions of the work of the law written in their hearts ; who not only make a practice , but a boast of sin , and defend it with as much greediness as they commit it ; these are the men , whose folly is manifest to all men but themselves ; and surely since these are the men , whom solomon in the words of the text describes , ( . ) by their character , as fools , and , ( . ) by the instance of their folly , in making a mock at sin ; we may have not only the liberty to use , but to prove , that name of reproach to be due unto them ; and ( . ) to shew the reasonablenesse of fastning it upon them , because they make a mock at sin . but before i come more closely to pursue that , it will be necessary to consider another sense of these words caused by the ambiguity of the hebrew verb , which sometimes signifies to deride and scorn , sometimes to plead for , and excuse a thing with all the arts of rhetorick ( thence the word for rhetorick is derived from the verb here used ) according to which sense , it notes all the plausible pretences and subtle extenuations which wicked men use in defence of their evil actions . for as if men intended to make some recompence for the folly they betray in the acts of sin by the wit they employ in the pleading for them , there is nothing they shew more industry and care in , than in endeavouring to baffle their own consciences , and please themselves in their folly , till death and eternall flames awaken them . that we may not therefore seem to beg all wicked men for fools , till we have heard what they have to say for themselves , we shall first examine the reasonableness of their fairest plea's for their evil actions , before we make good the particular impeachment of folly against them . there are three wayes especially whereby they seek to justifie themselves , by laying the blame of all their evil actions , either upon the fatall necessity of all events , the unavoidable frailty of humane nature , or the impossibility of keeping the laws of heaven . but that none of these will serve to excuse them from the just imputation of folly , is our present business to discover . . the fatall necessity of all humane actions . those who upon any other terms are unwilling enough to own either god or providence , yet if they can but make these serve their turn to justifie their sins by , their quarrell against them then ceaseth , as being much more willing that god should bear the blame of their sins , than themselvs . but yet the very fears of a deity suggest so many dreadfull thoughts of his majesty , iustice , and power , that they are very well contented to have him wholly left out ; and then to suppose man to be a meer engine , that is necessarily moved by such a train and series of causes , that there is no action how bad soever that is done by him , which it was any more possible for him not to have done , than for the fire not to burn when it pleases . if this be true , farewell all the differences of good and evil in mens actions ; farewell all expectations of future rewards and punishments ; religion becomes but a meer name , and righteousness but an art to live by . but it is with this , as it is with the other arguments they use against religion ; there is something within , which checks and controlls them in what they say : and that inward remorse of conscience , which such men sometimes feel in their evil actions ( when conscience is forced to recoil by the foulness of them ) doth effectually confute their own hypothesis ; and makes them not believe those actions to be necessary , for which they suffer so much in themselves because they knew they did them freely . or is it as fatall for man to believe himself free when he is not so , as it is for him to act when his choice is determined ? but what series of causes is there that doth so necessarily impose upon the common sense of all mankind ? it seems very strange , that man should have so little sense of his own interest to be still necessitated to the worst of actions , and yet torment himself with the thoughts that he did them freely . or is it only the freedome of action , and not of choice , that men have an experience of within themselves ? but surely , however men may subtilly dispute of the difference between these two , no man would ever believe himself to be free in what he does , unless he first thought himself to be so , in what he determines ? and if we suppose man to have as great a freedom of choice in all his evil actions ( which is the liberty we are now speaking of ) as any persons assert or contend for , we cannot suppose that he should have a greater experience of it , than now he hath . so that either it is impossible for man to know when his choice is free ; or if it may be known , the constant experience of all evil men in the world will testifie , that it is so now . is it possible for the most intemperate person to believe , when the most pleasing temptations to lust or gluttony are presented to him , that no considerations whatever could restrain his appetite , or keep him from the satisfaction of his brutish inclinations ? will not the sudden , though groundless , apprehension of poyson in the cup , make the drunkards heart to ake , and hand to tremble , and to let fall the supposed fatall mixture in the midst of all his jollity and excess ? how often have persons who have designed the greatest mischief to the lives and fortunes of others , when all opportunities have fallen out beyond their expectation for accomplishing their ends , through some sudden thoughts which have surprized them , almost in the very act , been diverted from their intended purposes ? did ever any yet imagine that the charms of beauty and allurements of lust were so irresistible , that if men knew before hand they should surely dye in the embraces of an adulterous bed , they could not yet withstand the temptations to it ? if then some considerations , which are quite of another nature from all the objects which are presented to him , may quite hinder the force and efficacy of them upon the mind of man ( as we see in ioseph's resisting the importunate caresses of his mistris ) what reason can there be to imagine that man is a meer machine moved only as outward objects determine him ? and if the considerations of present fear and danger may divert men from the practice of evil actions , shall not the far more weighty considerations of eternity have , at least an equall , if not a far greater power and efficacy upon mens minds , to keep them from everlasting misery ? is an immortall soul and the eternal happiness of it so mean a thing in our esteem and value , that we will not deny our selves those sensuall pleasures for the sake of that , which we would renounce for some present danger ? are the flames of another world such painted fires , that they deserve only to be laughed at , and not seriously considered by us ? fond man ! art thou only free to ruine and destroy thy self ? a strange fatality indeed , when nothing but what is mean and triviall shall determine thy choice ! when matters of the highest moment are therefore less regarded , because they are such . hast thou no other plea for thy self , but that thy sins were fatal ? thou hast no reason then to believe but that thy misery shall be so too . but if thou ownest a god and providence , assure thy self that justice and righteousness are not meer titles of his honour , but the reall properties of his nature . and he who hath appointed the rewards and punishments of the great day , will then call the sinner to account , not only for all his other sins , but for offering to lay the imputation of them upon himself . for if the greatest abhorrency of mens evil wayes , the rigour of his laws , the severity of his judgements , the exactness of his justice , the greatest care used to reclaim men from their sins , and the highest assurance , that he is not the cause of their ruine , may be any vindication of the holiness of god now , and his justice in the life to come ; we have the greatest reason to lay the blame of all our evil actions upon our selves , as to attribute the glory of all our good unto himself alone . . the frailty of humane nature : those who find themselves to be free enough to do their souls mischief , and yet continue still in the doing of it , find nothing more ready to plead for themselves , than the unhappiness of mans composition , and the degenerate state of the world . if god had designed ( they are ready to say ) that man should lead a life free from sin , why did he confine the soul of man to a body so apt to taint and pollute it ? but who art thou o man , that thus findest fault with thy maker ? was not his kindness the greater , in not only giving thee a soul capable of enjoying himself , but such an habitation for it here , which by the curiosity of its contrivance , the number and usefulness of its parts , might be a perpetual and domestick testimony of the wisdom of its maker ? was not such a conjunction of soul and body necessary for the exercise of that dominion which god designed man for , over the creatures endued only with sense and motion ? and if we suppose this life to be a state of tryall in order to a better , ( as in all reason we ought to do ) what can be imagined more proper to such a state , than to have the soul constantly employed in the government of those sensuall inclinations which arise from the body ? in the doing of which , the proper exercise of that vertue consists , which is made the condition of future happiness . had it not been for such a composition , the difference could never have been seen between good and bad men ; i. e. between those who maintain the empire of reason , assisted by the motives of religion , over all the inferiour faculties , and such who dethrone their souls and make them slaves to every lust that will command them . and if men willingly subject themselves to that which they were born to rule , they have none to blame but themselves for it . neither is it any excuse at all , that this , through the degeneracy of mankind , is grown the common custome of the world ; unless that be in it self so great a tyrant , that there is no resisting the power of it . if god had commanded us to comply with all the customs of the world , and at the same time to be sober , righteous , and good , we must have lived in another age than we live in , to have excused these two commands from a palpable contradiction . but instead of this , he hath forewarned us of the danger of being led aside by the soft , and easie compliances of the world ; and if we are sensible of our own infirmities , ( as we have all reason to be ) he hath offered us the assistance of his grace & of that spirit of his , which is greater than the spirit that is in the world . he hath promised us those weapons whereby we may withstand the torrent of wickedness in the world , with far greater success than the old gauls were wont to do the inundations of their countrey , whose custome was to be drowned with their arms in their hands . but it will be the greater folly in us to be so , because we have not only sufficient means of resistance , but we understand the danger before hand . if we once forsake the strict rules of religion and goodness , and are ready to yield our selves to whatever hath got retainers enough to set up for a custome , we may know where we begin , but we cannot where we shall make an end . for every fresh assault makes the breach wider , at which more enemies may come in still ; so that when we find our selves under their power , we are contented for our own ease to call them friends . which is the unhappy consequence of too easie yielding at first , till at last the greatest slavery to sin be accounted but good humour , and a gentle compliance with the fashions of the world . so that when men are perswaded , either through fear , or too great easiness to disuse that strict eye which they had before to their actions , it oft times falls out with them , as it did with the souldier in the roman history , who blinded his eye so long in the time of the civil wars , that when he would have used it again , he could not . and when custom hath by degrees taken away the sense of sin from their consciences , they grow as hard as herodotus tells us the heads of the old egyptians were by the heat of the sun , that nothing would ever enter them . if men will with nebuchadnezzar herd with the beasts of the field , no wonder if their reason departs from them , and by degrees they grow as savage as the company they keep . so powerfull a thing is custome to debauch mankind , and so easily do the greatest vices by degrees obtain admission into the souls of men , under pretence of being retainers to the common infirmities of humane nature . which is a phrase , through the power of self-flattery , and mens ignorance in the nature of morall actions , made to be of so large and comprehensive a sense that the most wilfull violations of the laws of heaven , and such which the scripture tells us do exclude from the kingdom of it , do find ( rather than make ) friends enough to shelter themselves under the protection of them . but such a protection it is , which is neither allowed in the court of heaven , nor will ever secure the souls of men without a hearty and sincere repentance , from the arrest of divine justice ; which when it comes to call the world to an account of their actions will make no defalcations at all for the power of custom , or common practice of the world . . the impossibility of the command , or rather of obedience to it . when neither of the former plea's will effect their design , but notwithstanding the pretended necessity of humane actions , and the more than pretended common practice of the world , their consciences still fly in their faces and rebuke them sharply for their sins , then in a mighty rage and fury they charge god himself with tyranny in laying impossible laws upon the sons of men . but if we either consider the nature of the command , or the promises which accompany it , or the large experience of the world to the contrary , we shall easily discover that this pretence is altogether as unreasonable as either of the foregoing . for what is it that god requires of men as the condition of their future happiness which in its own nature is judged impossible ? is it for men to live soberly , righteously and godly in this world ? for that was the end of christian religion to perswade men to do so : but who thinks it impossible to avoid the occasions of intemperance , not to defraud , or injure his neighbours , or to pay that reverence and sincere devotion to god which we owe unto him ? is it to do as we would be done by ? yet that hath been judged by strangers to the christian religion a most exact measure of humane conversation ; is it to maintain an universall kindness and good will to men ? that indeed is the great excellency of our religion , that it so strictly requires it ; but if this be impossible , farewell all good nature in the world ; and i suppose few will own this charge , lest theirs be suspected . is it to be patient under suffering , moderate in our desires , circumspect in our actions , contented in all conditions ? yet these are things which those have pretended to who never owned christianity , and therefore surely they never thought them impossible . is it to be charitable to the poor , compassionate to those in misery ? is it to be frequent in prayer , to love god above all things , to forgive our enemies as we hope god will forgive us , to believe the gospel , and be ready to suffer for the sake of christ ? there are very few among us but will say they do all these things already , and therefore surely they do not think them impossible . the like answer i might give to all the other precepts of the gospel till we come to the denying ungodliness and worldly lusts , and as to these too , if we charge men with them , they either deny their committing them , and then say they have kept the command ; or if they confess it , they promise amendment for the furture ; but in neither respect can they be said to think the command impossible . thus we see their own mouths will condemn them when they charge god with laying impossible laws on mankind . but then if we enquire further into the judgements of those who it may be never concerned themselves so much about the precepts of christian religion , as to try whether they had any power to observe them or not ; nay , if we yield them more ( than , it may be , they are willing to enquire after , though they ought to do it ) viz. that without the assistance of divine grace , they can never do it : yet such is the unlimited nature of divine goodness and the exceeding riches of gods grace , that ( knowing the weakness and degeneracy of humane nature when he gave these commands to men ) he makes a large and free offer of assistance to all those who are so sensible of their own infirmity as to beg it of him . and can men then say the command is impossible when he hath promised an assistance sutable to the nature of the duty & the infirmities of men ? if it be acknowledged that some of the duties of christianity are very difficult to us now ; let us consider by what means he hath sweetned the performance of them . will not the proposal of so excellent a reward , make us swallow some more than ordinary hardships that we might enjoy it ? hath he not made use of the most obliging motives to perswade us to the practice of what he requires , by the infinite discovery of his own love , the death of his son , and the promise of his spirit ? and what then is wanting , but only setting our selves to the serious obedience of them , to make his commands not only not impossible , but easie to us ? but our grand fault is , we make impossibilities our selves , where we find none , and then we complain of them : we are first resolved not to practise the commands , and then nothing more easie than to find fault with them : we first pass sentence , and then examine evidences ; first condemn , and then enquire into the merits of the cause . yet surely none of these things can be accounted impossible , which have been done by all those who have been sincere and hearty christians ; and god forbid , we should think all guilty of hypocrisie , who have professed the christian religion from the beginning of it to this day . nay more than so , they have not only done them , but professed to have that joy and satisfaction of mind in the doing of them , which they would not exchange for all the pleasures and delights of the world . these were the men , who not only were patient , but rejoyced in sufferings ; who accounted it their honour and glory to endure any thing for the sake of so excellent a religion ; who were so assured of a future happiness by it , that they valued martyrdoms above crowns and scepters . but god be thanked , we may hope to come to heaven on easier terms than these , or else many others might nevercome thither , besides those who think to make this a pretence for their sin , that now when with encouragement and honour we may practise our religion , the commands of it are thought impossible by them . thus we have made good the general charge here implyed against wicked men , in that they are called fools , by examining the most plausible pretences they bring for themselves . i now come to the particular impeachment of their folly , because they make a mock at sin . and that i shall prove especially by two things : . because this argues the highest degree of wickedness . . because it betrayes the greatest weakness of judgement and want of consideration . . because it argues the highest degree of wickedness . if to sin be folly , to make a mock at it is little short of madness . it is such a height of impiety , that few but those who are of very profligate conscienciences can attain to , without a long custom in sinning . for conscience is at first modest , and starts and boggles at the appearance of a great wickedness , till it be used to it & grown familiar with it . it is no such easie matter for a man to get the mastery of his conscience ; a great deal of force and violence must be used to ones self before he does it . the natural impressions of good and evil , the fears of a deity , and the apprehensions of a future state are such curbs and checks in a sinners way , that he must first sin himself beyond all feeling of these , before he can attain to the seat of the scorners . and we may justly wonder how any should ever come thither , when they must break through all that is ingenuous and modest , all that is vertuous and good , all that is tender and apprehensive in humane nature , before they can arrive at it . they must first deny a god , and despise an immortal soul , they must conquer their own reason , and cancell the law written in their hearts , they must hate all that is serious , and yet soberly believe themselves to be no better than the beasts that perish , before men can come to make a scoff at religion , and a mock at sin . and who now could ever imagine that in a nation professing christianity , among a people whose genius enclines them to civility and religion , yea among those who have the greatest advantages of behaviour and education , and who are to give the laws of civility to the rest of the nation , there should any be found who should deride religion , make sport with their own profaneness , and make so light of nothing , as being damned ? i come not here to accuse any , and least of all those who shew so much regard of religion as to be present in the places devoted to sacred purposes ; but if there be any such here , whose consciences accuse themselves , for any degrees of so great impiety ; i beseech them by all that is dear and precious to them , by all that is sacred and serious , by the vows of their baptism , and their participation of the holy eucharist , by all the kindness of heaven which they either enjoy or hope for , by the death and sufferings of the son of god , that they would now consider how great folly and wickedness they betray in it , and what the dreadfull consequence of it will be , if they do not timely repent of it . if it were a doubt ( as i hope it is not among any here ) whether the matters of religion be true or no , they are surely things which ought to be seriously thought and spoken of . it is certainly no jesting matter to affront a god of infinite majesty and power , ( and he judges every wilfull sinner to do so ) nor can any one in his wits think it a thing not to be regarded , whether he be eternally happy or miserable . methinks then among persons of civility and honour , above all others , religion might at least be treated with the respect and reverence due to the concernments of it ; that it be not made the sport of entertainments , nor the common subject of playes and comedies : for is there nothing to trifle with , but god and his service ? is wit grown so schismatical & sacrilegious , that it can please it self with nothing but holy ground ? are profaness & wit grown such inseparable companions , that none shall be allowed to pretend to the one , but such as dare be highly guilty of the other ? far be it from those who have but the name of christians , either to do these things themselves , or to be pleased with them that do them : especially in such times as ours of late have been , when god hath used so many wayes to make us serious if any thing would ever do it . if men had only slighted god and religion , and made a mock at sin , when they had grown wanton through the abundance of peace and plenty , and saw no severities of gods justice used upon such who did it ; yet the fault had been so great , as might have done enough to have interrupted their peace and destroyed that plenty , which made them out of the greatness of their pride and wantonness to kick against heaven : but to do it in despight of all gods judgements , to laugh in his face when his rod is upon our backs , when neither pestilence nor fire can make us more afraid of him , exceedingly aggravates the impiety , and makes it more unpardonable . when like the old germans we dance among naked swords , when men shall defie and reproach heaven in the midst of a cities ruines , and over the graves of those whom the arrows of the almighty have heaped together , what can be thought of such , but that nothing will make them serious , but eternal misery ? and are they so sure there is no such thing to be feared , that they never think of it , but when by their execrable oaths they call upon god to damn them , for fear he should not do it time enough for them ? thus while men abuse his patience , and provoke his justice , while they trample upon his kindness , and slight his severities , while they despise his laws and mock at the breaches of them , what can be added more to their impiety ? or what can be expected by such who are guilty of it , but that god should quickly discover their mighty folly by letting them see how much they have deceived themselves , since god will not be mocked , but because of these things the wrath of god will most certainly come upon the children of disobedience . which leads to the second thing wherein this folly is seen . . which is in the weakness of judgement and want of consideration , which this betrayes in men . folly is the great unsteadiness of the mind in the thoughts of what is good and fitting to be done . it were happy for many in the world , if none should suffer in their reputation for want of wisdom , but such whom nature or some violent distemper have wholly deprived of the use of their reason and understandings : but wisdom does not lye in the rambling imaginations of mens minds ( for fools may think of the same things which wise men practise ) but in a due consideration and choice of things which are most agreeable to the end they design , supposing the end in the first place to be worthy a wise mans choice ; for i cannot yet see why the end may not be chosen as-well as the means , when there are many stand in competition for our choice , and men first deliberate , and then determine which is the fittest to be pursued . but when the actions of men discover , that either they understand or regard not the most excellent end of their beings , or do those things which directly cross and thwart their own designs , or else pursue those which are mean and ignoble in themselves , we need not any further evidence of their folly , than these things discover . now that those who make a mock at sin are guilty of all these , will appear ; if we consider whom they provoke by doing so , whom they most injury , and upon what reasonable considerations they are moved to what they do . . whom they provoke by their making a mock at sin ; supposing that there is a governour of the world , who hath established laws for us to be guided by , we may easily understand , whose honour and authority is reflected on , when the violations of his laws are made nothing of . for surely if they had a just esteem of his power and soveraignty , they never durst make so bold with him , as all those do who not only commit sin themselves , but laugh at the scrupulosity of those who dare not when dionysius changed apollos cloak , and took off the golden beard of aesculapius , with those solemn jeers of the unsuitableness of the one to the son of a beardless father ; and the much greater conveniency of a cheaper garment to the other ; it was a sign he stood not much in awe of the severity of their looks , nor had any dread at all of the greatness of their power . but although there be so infinite a disproportion between the artificial deities of the heathens , and the majesty of him who made and governs the whole world ; yet as little reverence to his power and authority is shewed by all such who dare affront him with such a mighty confidence , and bid the greatest defiance to his laws by scoffing at them . what is there , the soveraigns and princes of the earth do more justly resent , and express the highest indignation against , than to have their laws despised , their persons affronted , and their authority contemned ? and can we then imagine , that a god of infinite power and majesty , the honour of whose laws is as dear to him as his own is , should sit still unconcerned , when so many indignities are continually offered them , and never take any notice at all of them ? it is true , his patience is not to be measured by our fretfull and peevish natures , ( and it is happy for us all that it is not ) he knows the sinner can never escape his power , and therefore bears the longer with him : but yet his lenity is always joyned with his wisdom and justice , and the time is coming when patience it self shall be no more . is it not then the highest madness and folly to provoke one whose power is infinitely greater than our own is , and from the severity of whose wrath we cannot secure our selves one minute of an hour ? how knowest thou , o vain man , but that in the midst of all thy mirth and jollity , while thou art boasting of thy sins , and thinkest thou canst never fill up fast enough the measure of thy iniquities , a sudden fit of an apoplexy , or the breaking of an aposteme , or any of the innumerable instruments of death , may dispatch thee hence , and consign thee into the hands of divine justice ? and wherewithall then wilt thou be able to dispute with god ? wilt thou then charge his providence with folly , and his laws with unreasonableness ? when his greatness shall affright thee , his majesty astonish thee ▪ his power disarm thee , and his justice proceed against thee : when notwithstanding all thy bravado's here , they own conscience shall be not only thy accuser and witness , but they judge and executioner too : when it shall revenge it self upon thee for all the rapes and violences thou hast committed upon it here : when horror and confusion shall be thy portion , and the unspeakable anguish of a racked and tormented mind shall too late convince thee of thy folly in making a mock at that which stings with an everlasting venom . art thou then resolved to put all these things to the adventure , and live as securely as if the terrors of the almighty were but the dreams of men awake , or the fancies of weak and distempered brains ? but i had rather believe that in the heat and fury of thy lusts thou wouldst seem to others to think so , than thou either doest or canst perswade thy self to such unreasonable folly . is it not then far better to consult the tranquillity of thy mind here , and the eternal happiness of it hereafter , by a serious repentance and speedy amendment of thy life , than to expose thy self for the sake of thy sensual pleasures to the fury of that god whose justice is infinite , and power irresistible ? shall not the apprehension of his excellency make thee now afraid of him ? never then make any mock at sin more , unless thou art able to contend with the almighty , or to dwell with everlasting burnings . . the folly of it is seen in considering whom the injury redounds to by mens making themselves so pleasant with their sins . do they think by their rude attempts to dethrone the majesty of heaven , or by standing at the greatest defiance , to make him willing to come to terms of composition with them ? do they hope to slip beyond the bounds of his power , by falling into nothing when they dye , or to sue out prohibitions in the court of heaven , to hinder the effects of iustice there ? do they design to out-wit infinite wisdom , or to find such flaws in gods government of the world , that he shall be contented to let them go unpunished ? all which imaginations are alike vain and foolish , and only shew how easily wickedness baffles the reason of mankind , and makes them rather hope or wish for the most impossible things , than believe they shall ever be punished for their impieties . if the apostate spirits can by reason of their present restraint and expectation of future punishments be as pleasant in beholding the follies of men as they are malicious to suggest them , it may be one of the greatest diversions of their misery , to see how active and witty men are in contriving their own ruine . to see with what greediness they catch at every bait that is offered them , and when they are swallowing the most deadly poyson , what arts they use to perswade themselves that it is a healthful potion . no doubt , nothing can more gratifie them than to see men sport themselves into their own destruction , and go down so pleasantly to hell : when eternal flames become the first awakeners , and then men begin to be wise , when it is too late to be so : when nothing but insupportable torments can convince them that god was in earnest with them , that he would not alwayes bear the affronts of evil men , and that those who derided the miseries of another life , shall have leisure enough to repent their folly , when their repentance shall only increase their sorrow without hopes of pardon by it . . but if there were any present felicity , or any considerable advantage to be gained by this mocking at sin , and undervaluing religion , there would seem to be some kind of pretence , though nothing of true reason for it . yet that which heightens this folly to the highest degree in the last place is , that there can be no imaginable consideration thought on which might look like a plausible temptation to it . the covetous man , when he hath defrauded his neighbour , and used all kinds of arts to compass an estate , hath the fulness of his baggs to answer for him ; and whatever they may do in another world , he is sure they will do much in this . the voluptuous man , hath the strong propensities of his nature , the force of temptation which lyes in the charms of beauty , to excuse his unlawfull pleasures by . the ambitious man , hath the greatness of his mind , the advantage of authority , the examples of those who have been great before him , and the envy of those who condemn him , to plead for the heights he aims at . but what is it which the person who despises religion , and laughs at every thing that is serious , proposes to himself as the reason of what he does ? but alas ! this were to suppose him to be much more serious than he is , if he did propound any thing to himself as the ground of his actions . but it may be a great kindness to others , though none to himself ; i cannot imagine any , unless it may be , to make them thankfull they are not arrived to that height of folly ; or out of perfect good nature , least they should take him to be wiser than he is . the psalmists fool despises him as much as he does religion : for he only saith it in his heart there is no god ; but this though he dares not think there is none , yet shews him not near so much outward respect & reverence as the other does . every the atheist himself thinks him a fool , & the greatest of all other , who believes a god , and yet affronts him and trifles with him . and although the atheist's folly be unaccountable , in resisting the clearest evidence of reason , yet so far he is to be commended for what he sayes , that if there be such a thing as religion men ought to be serious in it . so that of all hands the scoffer at religion is looked on as one forsaken of that little reason , which might serve to uphold a slender reputation of being above the beasts that perish : nay , therein his condition is worse than theirs , that as they understand not religion , they shall never be punished for despising it : which such a person can never secure himself from , considering the power , the justice , the severity of that god , whom he hath so highly provoked . god grant , that the apprehension of this danger may make us so serious in the profession and practice of our religion , that we may not by slighting that , and mocking at sin , provoke him to laugh at our calamities , and mock when our fear comes ; but that by beholding the sincerity of our repentance , and the heartiness of our devotion to him , he may turn his anger away from us , and rejoyce over us to do us good . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e kings . , , . joh. . . tit. . ▪ gal. . . eph. . . the gushing teares of godly sorrovv containing the causes, conditions, and remedies of sinne, depending mainly upon contrition and confession. and they seconded, with sacred and comfortable passages, under the mourning cannopie of teares, and repentance. by william lithgovv. lithgow, william, - ? this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text s in the english short title catalog (stc ). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a stc estc s this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the gushing teares of godly sorrovv containing the causes, conditions, and remedies of sinne, depending mainly upon contrition and confession. and they seconded, with sacred and comfortable passages, under the mourning cannopie of teares, and repentance. by william lithgovv. lithgow, william, - ? [ ] p. printed by robert bryson, anno dom. . at the expences of the authour, edinburgh : [ ] in verse. signatures: a-m⁴ n² . running title reads: the gushing teares of godlie sorrow. reproduction of the original in the british library. eng sin -- poetry. repentance -- poetry. a s (stc ). civilwar no the gushing teares of godly sorrovv. containing, the causes, conditions, and remedies of sinne, depending mainly upon contrition and confess lithgow, william d the rate of defects per , words puts this text in the d category of texts with between and defects per , words. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - rachel losh sampled and proofread - rachel losh text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the gushing teares of godly sorrow . containing , the causes , conditions , and remedies of sinne , depending mainly upon contrition and confession . and they seconded , with sacred and comfortable passages , under the mourning cannopie of teares , and repentance . matth. . . blessed are they that mourne , for they shall be comforted . psal. . . they that sow in teares , shall reape in joy . by william lithgovv . edinburgh , printed by robert bryson , anno dom . . at the expences of the authour . to the trvly noble magnanimovs and illustrious lord , iames , earle of montrose , lord grahame , baron of murdock , &c. illustrious lord , if gratefull duetie , may be reputed the childe of reason , then ( doubtlesse ) my choisest wishes , and best affection , must here fall prostrate before your auspicuous and friendlie face , fast chayned , in the fetters of obedience . flatterie and ingratitude i disdayne as hell : and to court your lo : with elegant phrases , were indeed as much as who would light a candle , to light the sunne : your noble and heroicke vertues light this kingdome , and who can give them light : for , as the aurore , of your honoured reputation , is become that constantinopolitan hyppodrome , to this our northrene and virgine albion ; so lykewise , the same singularitie of worth , hath raised your auspicuous selfe , to be the monumentall glorie of your famous , and valiant predecessours , iustly tearmed , the sword of scotland : your morning of their summers day hath fullie enlarged , the sacred trophees of their matchlesse memorie ; best befitting the generositie of your magnanimous minde . that as the grahame , from long antiquitie , being the most ancient surname , of this unconquered nation ; so they , your old aged ancestors , have left a lineall construction of their valour and worthinesse , to bee inherent in your most hopefull personage , which god may long continue to you , your race , and your posteritie . my humble request , pleads the continuance of your favour , that as your late renowned grand-father and father , were unto mee both friendlie and favourable ( proceeding from their great goodnesse , not my deserts ; ) so expect i the same from your tender bountie , which hitherto beyond my merit , hath beene exceeding kyndlie manifested . for the which , my prayse and prayers , the two sisters of myne oblation , rest solidlie ingenochiated at the feete of your conspicuous clemencie . this present worke in its secret infancie , was both seene and perused by your lo : but now enlarged , polished , and published : i have done my best , though not my uttermost : the discourse it selfe , runneth most on the causes , conditions , and remedies of sin , and they sharply linked in generalls and particulars : the whole substance of my labours , sealing vp the happinesse of a sinners conversion to god , under the mourning cannopie , of teares , and repentance . the lynes are plaine , yet pithie ; and although the subject may carrie no loftie nor poëticke style ; yet themanner , the matter , the man , and his muse , are all , and only yours , and i left theirs , onlie to serve you , and your noble disposition . accept therefore my good lord , both the gift , and givers minde , with the same alacritie , as i offer them in love and humilitie ; which being shelterd under your pious and prudent patronage , shall enforce mee to remaine , as i vow ever to be , whilst i have being , your honours most obsequious and most observant oratour , william lithgovv . the prologue to the reader . thou mayst peruse this worke , with kynde respect , cause ; none my good intention can controule ; the style may ( not the subject ) beare defect , some painter will the fayrest face drawe foule : excuse myne age , if faultie , blame my quill , defects may fall , and not fayle in goodwill . my muse declynes , downe styde her loftie straynes and hoarie growes , succumbing to the dust ; old wrung inventions , from industrious paynes draw to the grave , where death must feede his lust : flesh flye in ashes , bones returne to clay , whence i begunne , there must my substance stay . goe thou laborious pen , and challenge tyme , for memorie , to all succeeding ages ; in thy past workes , and high heroicke ryme , and pregnant prose , in thryce three thousand pages : yet dye thou must , and tyme shall weare thee out , ere seaven tymes seaven , worne ages goe about . but vertue claymes her place , and prostrate i must yeelde due honour , to her noble name : shee taught mee to take paynes , it s done , and why ? to make her famous , in her flying fame : a sculler , may transport , a royall queene , as well as oares , and both their safeties seene . trust mee , my paynes , contend , for to bee playne no style poeticke , may this subject clayme : touch but vermilion , you shall see a stayne , no fiction , may averre , a sacred theame : nor dare panthoas , cynthias herball flowre be seene , nor spread , till rolling phoebus lowre . then read , misconster not , but wisely looke if i divinely , keep a divine stile : which done , thou mayst , take pleasure in this booke , an infant , from devotion , bred the while : like treatise i , before neere wrote ; excuse this new borne birth , from mine old aged muse . see! here in generals , thou mayst observe the cause of sinne , sinnes remedy , salt teares ; where sharpe particulars , for repentance serve to blazon wickednesse , and wicked feares : what here is done , to thee , to me , to all , may be apply'd , as each one findes his fall . yet who can stop , base critick tongues to carpe , for atheists shall , and epicures repine ; so scoffing fooles , on strings of scorne will harpe to see this myte , a part of mine engyne : but silly gnats , worse bred then berdoan beasts , i slight their spight , my muse in sion feasts . would thou contend with me , who best should write on choice of theames , select●d between its twaine , i could abide thy censure , take delite in thy defects , to censure thee againe : since thou sits dumbe , and cannot bite , but barke , peace , hold thy peace , else show me thine owne wark . but zealous eyes may come , come , and come soone , to read this task , if pleasd , lo ! i have done . to the godly and good christian , a fellow suppliant in christ , william lithgovv . the gvshing teares of godly sorrow . spring sweet coelestial muse , launch forth a flood , of brinish streams , in cristall melting woes ; rain-rill my plaints , then bath them in christs blood let pearling drops , my pale remorse disclose : sink sorrow in my soule , divulge my grief . who mourns , and mourns in time , shall finde relief . i can not reach , to what my soule would aime ! but help good god my weaknesse , and support my bashfull quill : o! teach me to disclaime my self , and cleave , to thy all-saving port : touch thou my heart , so shall my lips recoile , thine altars praise , to sing sins utmost spoile . thrice blest is he who mournes , he shall rejoyce whilst godly sorrow , shall encrease his joy : lord heare my cryes , remarke my weeping voice ! blesse thou this work , let grace my heart imploy ; that what these tears aford , in this plain storie , may tend to my souls health , and thy great glorie . great son , of the great god , fulnesse of time ! whom heavens applaude , whom earth fals down before ! the promis'd pledge , whom prophets most sublime ; foretold to come , our lord , the son of glore : to thee knee-bowd , before thy face i fall , come help , o help ! now i begin to call . most holy , mighty , high , and glorious god! most mercifull , most gracious , and kinde ; most ancient , righteous , patient , and good , most wise , most just , most bountifull of minde ; infuse thy grace , enlarge thy love in mine , confirme my faith , conforme my will to thine . eternall one ! beginner , unbegunne ! thou first , and last ; heavens founder , and earths ball ! container , uncontaind ! father , and sonne ! thou all in all ! unruld , yet ruling all ! great light , of lights ! who moves all things unmovd ! hearke , help , and heare ; for christs sake thy belovd . sole soveraigne balme ! come heale my wounded soule ! which fainting fals , under thine heavie hand ; regard my plaints , remit mine errours foule , let mercy far , above thy justice stand : be thou my heaven , place heaven within mine heart , thy presence can make heaven , where e're thou art . come challenge me ! come claime me for thine owne ! plead thou thy right , take place in my possession ; lord square my steps , thy goodnesse may be knowne , in pard'ning each defect of my transgression : arrest my sinnes , but let my soule goe free , baile me from thrall , let sinne deaths subject die . lord wing my love , with feather'd faith to flee , to thy all-burning throne , of endlesse glory ; mercie is thine , for mercy is with thee , lord write my name , in thine eternall story : o! help my strength ! farre weaker than a reed ! accept my purpose , for the reall deed . the good i would , alace ! i can not do , the ill i would not , that i follow still ; the more thou citst me , i grow stubborn too , preferring base corruption to thy will : for when thy sprite , to serve thee , doth perswade me , the world , the flesh , and satan they disswade me . what should i say ? no gift in me is left to doe , to speak , to think , one godly motion ; lord help my wants , for why ? my soule is reft , twixt feare and hope , 'twixt sinne , and true devotion : faine would i flighter , from this lust-lymd clay , but more i strive , the more i faster stay . lord , with the sonne forlorne , bring me againe , and cloth me , with the favour of thy face , the swinish husks of sinne i loath , and faine would be thy childe ( adopt'd ) the childe of grace ; thy lambe was kill'd , for my conversions sake , of which let me , some food and comfort take . thy glorious hierarchy , and martyres all , rejoyce , at the returne , of a lost sheep : lord , in that number , let my portion fall , that i with them , like melodie may keep : so with thy saints , my happynesse shall be , one , and the same , as they are blest in thee . yet whilst i pause , and duely do consider , thy will , my wayes , thy righteousnesse , mine errours , i cannot plead , to flie , i know not whidder , so grievous , are , the mountains of my terrours : my sinnes so ugly , stand before thy face , that i dare hardly claime , or call for grace . what am i in thine eyes ? if i could ponder ? but brickle trash , compos'd of slyme and clay ; a wretch-worne worme , erect'd for sinne a wonder , whilst my souls treason , is thy judgements prey : i have no health , nor truth , nor divine flashes , so wicked is this masse , of dust and ashes . lord stretch thine arme , put satan to the flight , exile the world from me , and me from it ; curbe thou my flesh , beat down my lusts delight , rule thou my heart , my will guide with thy sprit ; infuse , encrease , confirme here , from above , thy feare , thy law , in me , thy light , thy love . so shall i through heavens merit onely rise , and kisse thy soule-sought sonne , thy lambe , thy dove , for whose sweet sake , i shall thy sight surprise , and lift my hope , on his redeeming love : blest be the price , of mine exalting good ! who payd my ransome , with his precious blood . in thee i trust , lord help my wavering faith , and with thy merits , my demerits cover ; dispell my weaknesse , strengthen my faint breath , renew my life , and my past sinnes , passe over : be thou my pilot , guide this barke of clay , safe to the port , of thy coelestiall stay , grant me obedience to thy blest desire , instruct my minde , environe me with ruth ; cleanse thou my heart , with flames of sacred fire , fraught with the fulnesse , of thy saving truth : build up mine altar , let mine offerings be faith , feare , and hope , love , praise , and thanks to thee lord ! spare me for his sake , whom thou not spard , for my sake ; even for him , from thee above was sent down here and slaine : o! what regard bore thou to man ; to send thy sonne of love , to suffer for my guilt , the fault being mine , but ( ah ! ) good lord , the punishment was thine . thy love great god , from everlasting flowes to everlasting ; mans reach onely brings forth the creation ; but thy love forth showes from all eternitie , eternall springs of light unsearchable ; then praise we thee , that ere time was , ordain'd our time to be . god made all things , and god was made a man , all things he made of nothing ; but come see ? withoutten man , all things ( the truth to scan ) had turnd to nothing ; for from one degree god of himselfe , made all things : and what more ? he would not all things , without man restore . he was of god begotten , all things made , and borne of woman , all things did renew ; for without man , all things had been a shade , so nothing well , without a virgin true : thus god , and man , conjoynd in one we feele , life of our life , and soule of our souls w●le . what was he made ? and what hath he made us ? i pause with joy , with silence i admire ! this mystery i adore ! who can discusse ? that goodnesse great , sprung from so good a syre : can reason show , more reasonable way , than leave to pry , where reason can not swey . the sonne of god , ( behold ! ) was made a man ! to make us men , th'adopted sonnes of god : by which he made himself , our brotherthen , for in all kindes , he keeps our brotherhood : though judge ( save sinne ) and intercessour , see ! he brothers us , we must his suppliants be . with what assurance , then may we all hope , what feare can force , despaire , or yet distrust ? since our salvation , and our endlesse scope , hangs on our elder brother , christ the just : he 'le give us all the good , which we desire , and pardon all the sinnes , on us engyre ? the burden of our miseries he bore , and laid his merits weight , on our sick soules ; a kindnesse beyond reach ; his goodnesse more , engross'd his name , for us , in shamefull scroules : o! wondrous love , that god should humble thus , himself , and take mans shape , to rescue us . he who in heavens was admirable set , became for us , contemptible on earth ; and from the towre , of his imperiall state , imbrac'd a dungeon , for angelick mirth ; and chang'd the name , of majestie in love , to shelter us , with mercy from above . what eyes for grief , should not dissolve in floods ? whilst our vile sinnes , procur'd his wofull paine : he sought our well ( unsought ) when we in woods of wickednesse , lay wallowing amaine ; and daily yet , by sinne , distrust , and strife , we crucifie againe , the lord of life . as irne in fire cast , takes fires nature , and yet remaineth irne , though fram'd , what than ? so he , who in gods love doth burne , that creature partakes his holynesse , abiding man ; for love , seals up gods counsels , ends the law , from which we sinners , cords of mercy draw . love , is the roote of vertue , and the childe of grace ; truths mistresse , and religions glasse ; the soule of goodnesse , in perfection milde , the crowne of saints , that conquer paradise : the joy of angels : o! what springs of love ! flow from the lamb , for us , and our behove . ingratefull man ! contemner of thy good , can thou not back-bestow , thy debt-bund love ! to him , for thee , did shed his precious blood , and though rebuk'd , yet would he not reprove : why did he fast , weep , watch , and labour take ? in basenesse and contempt , but for thy sake . then be not like , that plant ephemeron ! which springs , and growes , and fades , all in one day ; but plead remorse , beg for contrition , mourne for thy sinnes , make haste , prevent delay : in this my self , shall to my self returne , he best can weep , that knowes the way to mourne . i rather seem'd , than been religious set , having jacobs voice , and esau's rough hands ; i make profession , practise i forget , my better zeale , hypocrisie commands ; i serpent like , do change my skinne , but not disgorge the poison , lurkes within the throate . vice i have us'd , under a vertuous seeming , and like the sea , though rivers in it fall ; yet not the sweeter ; or like pharaohs dreaming , the leane kine , yet were leane , when eaten all : stay then dry soule , where are thy teares ? what springs ? should thy pale eyne cast out , when sorrow sings . i meane not childrens teares , when whipt for aw , nor mundane teares , for losse of trash or geare ; nor spightfull teares , which would revenge downe draw ; nor teares of grief , for them concerne us neare ; nor teares for death , nor teares for what disasters ; nor teares for friends ; nor wives teares for men wasters . nor drunken teares , spent after sugred wine , which women waste , to colour imperfection ; nor dalilahs fained teares , to undermine , the strong mans strength , by way of fals detection : nor sinons teares , the trojane state betrayde , with the wooden horse , ulysses wit bewrayde . nor faigned teares , the crocodilean sexe , do spend ( i meane ) their husbands to deceave ; nor these courtegian teares , that love to vexe their sottish palliards , and their meanes bereave : nor teares of pitty , mercy beg from men , that 's not the drift , of my obsequious pen . looke to thy lapses , and quotidian falling , then try thy conscience , if remorse creeps in ; which if it doe , thou art brought to this calling , of godly weeping , for the guilt of sinne ! these tears are blest , and such mine eyes would borrow , but not these tears , which melt , for worldly sorrow . lord , strengthen me , with knowledge of thy word , square thou my judgement , i may walk upright ; an intellective heart , my soule aford , endue my sprite , with supernatrall light ; faine would i slaughter sinne , that would me slay , and learne thy truth , lord teach me thy right way . confound in me , this all-predominant sinne , which overrules my reason , sense , and will ; one head-strong vice , that lurkes , and lyth within the inmost center , of mine utmost ill : lord , curbe its force , and purifie my soule , from such uncleannesse , for its wondrous foule . grant ! grant remorse ! let godly sorrow show ! my full-swolne sight , my brinish tears , my sadnesse ; come sowre repentance , let sweet contrition know ! the mourning woes , of my rejoycing gladnesse : what though that grief , at morne worke me annoy , yet long ere night , thou'le turne my grief in joy . the best man lives , hath one predominant ill , oppos'd to the best good , he can effect ; the worst man breaths , though curs'd , pervers'd of will , hath some predominant good , he doth affect : even either answering , contrare to their kinde , seeme to resemble , what they never finde . lord ! what am i , whose best is even accurst , who with thy convert , is of sinners chief : a sharde unsav'rie , of thy works the worst , unlesse thy grace , renew me with reliefe : lord ! will my well ! prepare my heart , give eare , if faith can call , o! thou canst quickly heare . the poore which almes seeks , he gets not aide for any need , the giver hath of him ; but even because , he hath of us great need ; so we by faith , on christian steps must clim : for god of his great love , he freely gives us , and without need of man , he still relieves us . a cynick came , and ask'd the syrian king , antigonus ; a dram of silver coyne ; but he reply'd , it was too base a thing for kings to give , or lend so small aloane : said cynick then , i would a talent crave , but that 's too much , for thee ( said he ) to have . thus two extreams , were both extreamly met , but it s not so with god , and sinfull men ; the more we seeke , the more we 're sure to get , god of his bounty , is so good , that when we mercy crave , he grants it , gives us grace , our wills , and wayes , may in his precepts trace . lift up my falling minde , lord ! knit my heart with cords of love , and chaines of grace to thee ; as jonathans three arrows , did impart to davids woes , true signes of amitie : so rouze my sprite , let grace and goodnesse spell mine annagram . i love almighty wel . o! if i could , byte off the head of sinne ! as the shee viper , doth the male confound ; but not like her , whose brood conceiv'd within , cut forth her wombe , leave her dead on the ground : lord ! grant , i sinne may slay , ere sinne slay me , the wounds are deep , my health consists in thee . lord ! when i ponder on this worldly pride , vaine glory , riches , honour , noble birth , great lands , and rents , faire palaces beside , pastimes , and pleasures , fit-thought things on earth , without thy love , and in regard of thee , they 're nought but shaddows , of meere vanitie . all under sunne , are emblems of deceit , link'd snares , to trap , blind man , in ev'ry vice ; they 're feather'd baits , prest grines , that lye in wait , to catch the buyer , unvaluing their pryce : then carelesse soule , take heed , prevent this danger , lay hold on christ , and be no more a stranger . gods will allots , that my past curious sights , in painfull prime , all where the world abroad ; should be repaid , with as darke cloudie nights of sorrows sad ; for now i finde the rod ; sicknesse , and crosses , compasse me about , whence none but christ , can help or rid me out . listen to me , as to thy lazar poore , that 's overstamp'd with seals , of scabs , and sores : both vile and wretch'd , lyth at thy mercies doore , begging for crummes of pitie ; and implores that thou wouldst open , with lydia my heart , and make me sauls dear second , thy convert . thy lengthning hand , is now no more cut short , than in old times , of wonder-working dayes , but thou canst turne , and safely bring to port , the wilsome wandrer , from his sinfull wayes : o then great sheepherd ! pitie a lost sheep ! and bring me home ; safe in thy fold me keep . thou art the vine , i am the twisted branch , which on thy roote , my hopes must humbly twine ; for in thy sap , my sin-galld wounds , i 'le quench , no balme of gilead , to that balme of thine : o! better things , than abels blood it speaks ! it saves the world , and mans salvation seeks . how sacred were these teares ? fell from thine eyes ? when for jerusalem , thou wept so sore : mercy did plead , deploring their disease , for pitties sake , thou didst their well implore : a kindnesse passing love ! when for thy foes thou wept and cryde for ; prophecying their woes . that spikenard oyle , which on thy feet was spred ▪ doth represent to me that bloody balme ; which on the crosse , from thy left side was shed , to slay the power of sinne , make satan calme : o! let that oyle , by grace sinke in my soule , to heale my sores , and cleanse mine errours soule . breake downe the rock , of my hard flinty heart ! let moisture thence , ascend to my two springs ; the head contains these rills , let them impart , signes of contrition , godly sorrow brings : o! happy stoods ! of ever-springing joyes ! that in the midst of weeping can rejoyce . when pale remorse , strikes on my conscience sad , mov'd with the lapse , of my relapsing sinne ; faith flees above , and bids my soule be glad , where mercy enters , judgement comes not in ; one sigh in need , flowne from a mourning spirit , thou'le not reject , being cast on jesus merit . come gracious god , infuse in me full grace ! wrought by thy sprite , my souls eternall good : let mercy plead 'gainst justice ; lord , give place ? the way is thine , my right , rests in christs blood : come pardon my misdeeds ! release my smart ! then quicken me , with a relenting heart . whilst i conceive mans frailnesse , weake by nature , how wretch'd he is ? how prone to fall or sinke ? of all thy works , the most rebellious creature : clog'd with ingratenesse , ever bent to shrinke . what thing is man ( think i ) thou shouldst regard him , and with a crowne of glory to reward him . thus pausing too , on long eternall rest , that boundlesse time , which no time can containe ; how rich thinke i these soules be ? and how blest ? in time strive here , that endlesse time to gaine : strivethen poore soule , to claime and climbe this fort , for faith and violence , must force heavens port. o lord ! how wondrous is thy powerfull love ? whose mercies farre , above thy works excell ! who can thy secret cabine reach above ? or sound these deeps , wherein thy counsels dwell ? when thou for man , turnd man , and suffer'd death , to free slaine man , from thy fierce judgements wrath . thy wayes are all inscrutable to man , for who can dyve , in thy profounding love ; whose kindnesse is unspeakable ; and whan we would most comprehend , we least approve : thy wayes , thy works , so farre excell us men , the more we strive to know , the lesse we ken . to look on heavens , rich star-imbroidred coat , that cannopy , of silver-spangled skie ; the glorious firmament , clear without spot , the sphearick planets , as their orders lye ; the worlds two lamps , erect'd with mareveilous light , and elements , which blinde our dazeling sight . darknesse , and light , all quarters , and their climes , the rolling axletree , supporting all ; the airts , and seasons , in their severall times , this ovall orbe , fenc'd with a glassie wall ; these revolutions , from proud planets fall , portending comets , mans prodigious thrall . the rolling seas , against the stars that swell , their reeling tides , their turnes and quiet rest : these creatures , and hudge monsters therein dwell , nought here on earth , but that shape there 's exprest : their exhalations ( earths concavities ) and shoare-set bound , all wonders to our eyes . these phisnomies of men , their variant faces , show the creators wisedome , in creation ; not one like other , in forme , nor in graces , manners , condition , qualitie , nor station : o strange ! mans frame , should thus all times be showne , by gifts and vults divers'd , yet clearly knowne . these birds aetheriall , glyding fowles that flee , to court the clouds , alwhere the aire about ; which nest the rocks , steep walls , and springing tree , whose names , and kindes , none yet could all finde out : each keep their office , set by natures stamp , and live , and die , within thy boundlesse camp . that influence , which man , beast , hearbs , and trees , draw from the silver phebe , of the night : the signes coelestiall , aspectives to disease , the starres so different in their glorious light : time , that was creat first , and last shall be , and ev'ry creature in their own degree . how marveilous great , art thou almighty god! who by thy word , wrought all , and it was done : thou spreadst thy works , the heavens , and earth abroad ! no part left vaste , that can creation shunne : o! what is foolish man , the childe of lust ! that should not in , this great jehovah trust . dull are my senses , any way to think , my blind capacitie , can well conceave , the supreame providence , by natures wink , and bound his boundlesse pow'r , unlesse i rave : like , who can once , exhaust the occean dry ? no more can i , in his great grandure pry . a king command'd , a philosophick man , to shew him , what was god , and what his might ? he strove , and faild , and said , he could not scan that greatnesse which excelld , best natures light : the pagan king admird , and yet this wretch confess'd , there was a god , in power rich . to show us there 's deitie , all things ascend , and mount aloft , as vapour , smoake , and fire , the trees grow upward , waves when tost transcend , all birds and fowles , aetherially aspire . so words , and voices , still their ecchoes raise , and man , whose face , is made on heaven to gaze . there 's nought but worms and beasts , which sight the ground but all denote , their great eternall maker ; yet man , wretch'd man , is earth ty'd , and fast bound , to things below , whereof he 's still partaker : nay ; worse then beasts , he 's choak'd with worldly cares , and kills his heart with greed , his soule with snares . what are the humours , of our foggy braines ? but stupid thoughts , conceiv'd of doubts and feare : best pregnant wits , suspition quells their straines ; the wise , the worldlings , have their emblemes here : a shadow without substance , i finde man , nay worse ! than baalams asse , the truth to scan . he sinne reprov'd , yet never sinn'd himselfe , but wofull man , can both rebuke and sinne ; that which his words most hate , becomes the shelf , whereon his inward lusts , fall deepest in : mans lips are snares , his lips both false and double , his tongue , a sting , begets both shame and trouble . o heavie lump ! the carcasse of disease ? o masse of ill ! the chaos of corruption ; o microcosmos ! of infirmities ! o rotten slyme ! the pudle of inruption ! i mean mans stinking flesh ; who can expresse ? the worst ; its best , is but base filthynesse . a plunge of carion clay , a prey for wormes , a faggot ( without mercy ) for hells fire : a gulf , where beats , sterne deadly boystrous stormes , a whirlewinde , for airts of each attire : wherein combustion , sprung from contrare wills , makes thoughts arise , like waves , surpassing hills . and what 's our beauty ? but a flash-showne show , for when at best , its filthy , vile , and base : the nose , the mouth , our excrements we know , and breath stinke worse , than beasts of any race : nay , sweetest things , that ever time made faire , they loathsome grow , unlesse the use be rare . the soule except'd , when i consider all gods workes and creatures , man is onely worst ! the rest sublunary , succumbent fall ; mans ●ly blest , or else for ever curst : all things as servile , serve for mediate ends , save man , whose wage , on joy or woe depends . lord ! what am i , within this house of clay ? but brickle trash , compos'd of slime and dust : a rotten fabrick , subject to decay , which harbours nought , but crums of wretched lust : and if a guest , of one good thought , entreates me , i barre it out , to lodge the ill , that hates me . impietie , and custome , scale my fort , to rule my minde , like to their blinde desire : will , head-strong helpes ; corruption keeps the port , the hands and feet , set eye and tongue on fire : then eloquence breaks forth , a subtile foe , to trap the object , working me the woe . why ? cause affection , begets opinion , opinion rules the world , in ev'ry minde : then sense submits , that pleasure should be minion , to base conceit , absurdly grosse , and blinde : thus fond opinion , self loves halting daughter , betrayes my scope , commits me to sinnes slaughter . then judgement falls , and fails , and reason flees , to shelter wisedome , in some solid breast : they leave me both , left loaden with disease , whilst frailty fastens , sorrow on my creest : delite contracts despite , despyte disdaine , thus threefold chaind , their furies forge my paine . my best companion , is my deadly foe , sin is my consort , and would seeme my friend ; yea ; walks with me , where e're my footsteps goe , and will not leave me , till my journeys end : the more i flee , the faster it cleaves to me , and makes corruption , labour to undoe me . there six degrees of sinne , in man i finde , conception first , and then consent doth follow : the thirds desire , that turns his judgement blinde : the fourth is practise , ragged , rent , and hollow : the fift is flinty , keeps fast obduration , and last , the sixt , lulls him in reprobration . mans owne corruption is the seed of sinne , and custome is , the pudle of corruption : swift head-strong habit , traitour-like creeps in , and blows sinnes bellowes , to make more inruption : nay ; the worlds example , sinnes strong secourse , makes both the object , and the subject worse . how many foes hath man ? within , without him ? within , lurks concupiscence , vertues foe ; without , the world , which waits , and hangs about him , both ghostly and humane , to worke his woe : last comes the conscience , judge-set to accuse him , and verdict given , then terrour would confuse him . thus man is ev'ry way , tost to and fro , like tunneise balls , when banded , still rebound : all things have action , nature rules it so , the secret sprite of life , these motions bound : their being honours god , who gave them being , but man fals back from him , gave reason seeing . and yet to quench these fires , remorse creeps in , and brings contrition , with confession crying : faith flees before , pleads pardon for our sin , then ragged rottennesse , fals down a dying : for repentance , and , remission of sinnes , are two inseparable , sister twinnes . most have no tears for sinne , but tears of strife , to plead malicious pleyes , and waste their meanes on lawyers tongues ; that love their envious life , and what like partie loose , the cormant gleanes : their cause , and charges lost ; o spightfull pride ! they spend at last , the stock , they had beside . like to the mouse , and frogge , which did contend , which of them should , enjoy the marish ground ; the kyte as judge , discuss'd this cause in end , and took them both , from what they could not bound : so proctors seaze , on clyants lands , and walls , and raise themselves , in their contentious falls . they 're like to aesops dogge , who had a bone , when through a flood he swim'd , fast in his head : where spying his shade , he lets it fall anone , to catch the other , lost them both indeed : so spitefull men and greedy , ( well it s knowne ) in seeking others state , they loose their owne . thrice blest is he , who knowes , and flyes , like men , since greed begets oppression , or debate : and though deceivers , play politicks then , to make their wrongs , a right , to raise their state : yet forth it comes , no subtiltie can close it , for time and truth , will certainly disclose it . they thinke to hide their faults , by craft and plots , to blynde gods eyes , as they inveigle man : o strange ! what villany their soule besots , that dare 'gainst truth , the traitour play ; and than deceive themselves , by a deceitfull way , which tends to death , and make them satans prey . then , there is nought , but once will come to light , no sinne so close , but god will it discover ; no policie can blinde almighties sight , nor fault so hid , that he will once passe over : unlesse repentance , draw his mercy downe , thy darkest deeds , shall be disclos'd eftsoone . behold jonah ! from joppa when he fled ! and would not stay , to do the lords direction : clos'd in a ship , and hid ; yea , nothing dread , yet found he was , and swallowed for correction : and paul for damas bound , to persecute his saints , was stroke , yet sav'd , his drifts refute . looke to cains murder , how it was clear'd ? and davids blood-shed , with adultrie mixt : remarke the bush , whence adams voice appear'd , and israels thoughts , when they their maker vext ▪ then he who made thine eyes , and gave them sight , can he not see , who gave thy seeing light . it 's not with god as men , gods ev'ry where ! in heaven , and earth , gods presence filleth all ; in hell below , his justice ruleth there , all things must , to , his omniscience fall : man knows , but as he sees , and in a part , but god doth search the reynes , and try the heart . how swinishly ( alas ) have i then liv'd : nay , who can say , that i have liv'd at all ; whilst buried else , in sleep , in sloth , or griev'd with fals-forgd cares , conglutinating thrall : to tempt my loving , and most patient god , i have contemn'd his mercy , mock'd his rod . there 's nought so smooth and plaine , as calme-set seas , and nought more rough , when rag'd , by stormy winde ; the lead is cold as yce , or winter freize ; but when been firde , its scolding hote we finde : theirne is blunt , till toold , and edge be put , and then most sharpe , to stobbe , to shave , or cut . so patient god , is loath , and slow to wrath , his patience is as great , as great his love ; long suffring he , deferres to threaten death ! till our grosse sinnes , his just drawn-judgements move and then his anger stirr'd , it burnes like fire , consuming man , and sinners in his ire . next ; pause i on , the momentany sight , of mans short life , that like a shadow flees ; much like the swiftnesse of a faulcones flight , or like a bird , glydes by our glancing eyes : then marvell i , how man can harbour pride ? or wherein should , his vanitie confyde . to day he 's stout , to morrow laid in grave , his lookes alive , are plumd , like variant feathers : been throwne in dust , he turnes to earth a slave , and as he breaths , the crummes of lust he gathers : but would he muse , on long eternitie , he would forsake himself , and learne to die . to learne to die , that he may learne to live , for in this course , his happinesse consists ; die to himself , that grace may vice survive , in mortifying sinne , his blesse subsists : come life , come death , thus dying so , he 's blest , and doubtlesse shall , in peace of conscience rest . o jesu ! who redeemd us , being dead ! whence could thy love , so farre to us extend ; we had no merit , thou of us no need , and yet thy grace , our weaknesse doth defend ; for as man first , to be like god , condemn'd us , so god turnd man , that god should not contemne us . farre better is a life unfortunate , in end with honour , that yeelds up the breath ; than honourable life , and wealthy state , with shame to perish , and untimely death : i rather wish , to be a sheepherd borne , then live a prince , and at my death forlorne . come answer me , who would be undertaker , whether its best , to be a man or beast ? the beast dissolves , and not offends his maker , nor makes no count , save to some carnall feast : but godlesse man , in grieving god , is worse , throwne downe to hell , and with that fall , his curse . who rightly weighs , the variable kindes , of mortals all , in either death or life ? shall see their bubling breath , tost with sharpe windes , of stagring doubts , ingorgd with timerous strife : their conscience , and , their living disagreeing , in will or worke , most vanquish'd are in dying . nay , soule and body , at that dreadfull day , shall be conjoynd , and hurld downe to hell : this wretch thus damn'd , in tortring flames shall stay , chaind in that howling radamanthan cell : the beast he fals , and turnes to nought we see , but man adjudgd , his worme shall never die . as for the vertuous saint , his happinesse , begins at death , which end all worldly noyes ; he swarmes in pleasures , rich in blessednesse , death makes the passage , to his heavenly joyes : he feares no stop , nor stay , his faith instructs him , the way ( though strait ) his good angel conducts him . and wouldst thou learne whilst here , t' attaine that way , be humble first , and then religious set ; place heaven before thee , make faith thereon to stay , and then let zeale and love , fast setling get to grip christs wounds ; then feare , then praise , then pray , let earnest prayers , thy best devotion swey . for prayer is , the souls great sacrifice , which speaks to god ; and meditation , is gods speech to the soule ; an exercise conjoynd together ; two revolv'd in one : the one invelopes the other , and speaks reciprocall : both our salvation seeks . which two , like hypocrates twinnes are bred , who liv'd , fed , slept , joyd , wept , and dyed together ; so can they not be separate indeed ; though fasting doe prepare , their journey hither : this outward action , like t'a potion scoures , the other sprituall , are divinely ours . like to a paire of turtles , truely set , whereof the one by death , been slaughter'd gone , the other mournes , for loosing of her mate , and languishing doth die ; no life alone . so meditation , gives matter to the minde , and without prayer , nothing shall we finde . for both bring reconcilement , and acceptance , and makes thee , to thy father , a loving sonne ; so by his sonne , a brother of acquaintance , and by the sprite , a temple ; squard , and done : last in the court of heaven , thou art made free , a fellow , with th'angelick hierarchie . o joy of joyes ! o happy endlesse blesse ! who can expresse , that glory there reveal'd ? the eye , the minde , nor tongue can dascon this ! since ravish'd paul , amaz'd , hath it conceal'd : then labour silly soule , this marke to aime , which seen , and got , how great is thy good name ? but ( ah ! ) i stagger in the myres of sin , and daily sinks , in pudles of defects : the more i flee , the more i swallow in the stinking marish , of absurd effects : the very boggy quagmyres of vice , i plunge them all , unvaluing weight , or price . the price ( alas ! ) is great , and i must pay it , unlesse christs wounds , break open , plead for pitie ; o pledge divine ! thy merits will defray it , thou art my surety , o prevent my dittie ! evert the sentence , least i lye in jayle , stand to thy mercy , lord ! be thou my bayle . to square the lives , of godly men with mine , how farre my selfe , fled from my self , i finde ; thrice wretchd am i , to thinke me one of thine , in whom corruption , rules the inward minde : it 's more then strange , i should expect for good , whilst still i trample , on my saviours blood . there is no sense in this , that i should slay my silly soule , to crosse my crost desire : can head-strong passions , mine accounts defray ? when my just judge , my reckning shall require : nay , spare thy spurres , poore wretch , and call to minde a self-soule murdrer , can no mercy finde . that sinne which i hate worst , i follow most , yet faine would sift , the evil of deceit : loe ! with repugnants , how my breast is tost , here lyes my safety , there the snaring bait ; sinne , like a fowler , with a whistle takes me , and that good , which i would , it then forsakes me . o! love ! and love it self ! father of love ! and god of mercy , mercy is thy name ! o king of pitie ▪ all my faults remove farre from before thee , coverthou my shame : that here me to accuse , they never come , nor hence to damne me , at the day of doome . ah! wicked men ! they triumph in excesse ! to tempt thy patience , o long suffring god! they glory to cast downe , the fatherlesse , and on the widows back , they lay their rod : they lose themselves , and so would lose their brother ▪ with them ; thy honour , in their pride to smother . unwise is he , and thrice unhappy too ! who ill commits , that good thereon may follow : he 's like the crocodile , that loves to wooe the gray nyle rat , and eftsoone doth it swallow : which , when enclos'd , it cuts his wombe , seeks breath , and with its freedome , workes the others death . so haplesse man , in hurtfull wayes of sinne , his hopelesse heart , he suffocats with lust ; till custome bring , sterne obduration in , and then he turnes a reprobate injust : the doore of grace is shut , his soule wants faith , then sinne leaves him , squard for eternall death . they gallop on , in dark-drawne pathes of hell , the glen is hollow , but the way is broad ; in two extreames , the least , they quite repell , to shunne a fardell , they receive a load : the yoake of christ is light , but ah ! they swallow the weight of sinne , which all their labours follow . i crosse my crossing armes , on my crost breast , and musing lurks , to looke on humane state ; how wretch'd it is ? how carelesse ? how deprest ? to ev'ry snare , makes man unfortunate : that haplesse he ! for one small moments pleasure , dare hazard ( ah ! ) his souls eternall treasure . the will , 'twixt reason , and sensualtie plac'd , is apt to be apply'd , to either side ; but first , and firmest , will by sense is trac'd , which is of youth , and childish age the guide ! for seldome reason , can once conquer will , cause ; sense presents for good , a pleasant ill . and in that ill , a wofull sowre content , which frights it self , with shadows of despaire ▪ o! miracle of madnesse ! what intent hath my cross'd soule ? to worke my grievous care : if mercy can not move me , to amend , yet self-affection , might my good intend . why then sick soule ? dost thou not weep one teare ? o! that thy grief ! would windy sighes disclose ! let mourning sorrow , melt in holy feare , and pale remorse , dissolve , in watrie woes : for godly groanes , which deep contrition brings , they rent the clouds , and court the king of kings . whence pardon comes , and consolation too , and strength to guard us , in worst stormy times ; for what we would , the same he helps to doe , and for one teare , he 'le cover worlds of crymes : what though i faint ? 'cause , great is my transgression , yet comfort comes , when there 's a free confession . fraile is the foolerie , of my fragile flesh , still prone to fall , but never prompt to stand : i second causes , with a desperate dash , cares not for times to come , nor what 's in hand : if i finde pleasure , in the worst of ill , i murder reason , with a fearlesse will . how long shall wicked thoughts , in me remaine ? to slay my soule , and bring thy judgements downe : when wilt thou curbe my sinne , and it restraine , lest like a flood , it shall me helplesse drowne : unlesse thy grace , support me , being fraile , there 's nought with mee , that can with thee prevaile . alas ! to number , what i should not speake , of holy ones , thy prophets , and apostles ; how farre ( too oft ) from thee , were they to seek , throwne downe , 'mongst thornie briers , and pricking thistles : yet they were thine , thou suffer'd them to fall , that in thy mercy , thou might them recall . herein their weaknesse , and thy power was knowne , that to thy glorious fame , it might redound : what though they straid , these wandrers were thine owne , they knew at last thy voice , and trac'd the sound : sometimes thy saints would slip , and then repent them , with heart-swolne tears , which grief & grace had lent them , thy holy writs , bear of their names record ! to paternize my hopes , fixt on a rock ; how ev'r i faile , thou art a gracious lord , full of redemption to thy chosen flock : for their examples , teach me to beleeve , thou wilt protect me , and my faults forgive . gods champion joshua , when he jordan crost , and raz'd wall'd jericho , downe to the ground : yet sav'd he rachab , all the rest were lost , gratefull he was , this woman mercy found ; which towne lay waste , till hiel bethelite , in achabs time , rebuilt its ancient seat . this was that towne , which christ so oft past by , from galilee to jebus , sions glore ; where throngd with folk , zacheus could not spy his sacred face , but run in haste before , and top'd a fig-tree trunck : which seen by christ , come downe ( said he ) zacheus , i 'me thy guest . this day salvation , to thy house is come , i le recompense thy curious carefull eye : select'd thou art , for my coelestiall home ! great is thy faith , though small thy stature be : by grace a gyant , though a dwarfe by nature , i am thy lord , zacheus is my creature . thus joshua and jesus , sav'd two , here see ! a bordell strumpet , and this publican ; to lesson us , what kinde soe're they be , turke , jew , or arab , moore , or mussilman ? christ hath his own cornelius , and his ruth , the moabite , centurions fraught with truth . for almes deeds and prayer , pierce the clouds ! whence rills of tears , do ever springing vent , remorsefull songs , explor'd by rusling flouds , bank'd with the willow , bondage still lament : where harpes lye mute , and hearts are fill'd with plaints , deploring sore , stress'd sion , and her saints . o! if the heavens ! would now infuse in me ! some divine rapt , to lay abroad her crosses : but stay sad soule ! that is too much for thee , let pastours plunge these deepths , and blaze her losses : onely bewaile , her sorrows , and thy fall , men may have tongues , and have no grace at all . not by compulsion , as by sense we see numbers do slide , each training one another ; herod could speak , and yet with vermine die , curst cain slew , the righteous man his brother : saul he could prophecie , and yet he fell , the witch at endor , rang his passing bell . baalim could blesse , and baalim he would curse , and yet his asse did check him , but come see ! wise was achitophel , his end was worse , proud absalom was hair-hangd on a tree : like be our foes , and like our church now findes , we want but hushai , to bewray false mindes . though ezra wept , and mourn'd for judahs faults , yet had he adversars , which sought to slay him ; whilst rearing sions walls , to barre assaults , his threatning foes , sent bassads to affray him : the people wrought , and built with dextrat hand , and in the left , their swords , for guard did stand . so , so , and so , the state of saints should be , resolvd to suffer , and resolv'd to fight : yea , for the faith , should not refuse to die , since truth averres , what we acclaime by right : but we have wolves for lambes ; their coat is all , if they get means , care not who stand or fall . i scorne their checks , but more their critick censures , whilst with an honest heart , i live , to live : whose sharp-edg'd calumnies , and scurrile tonsures , retort their breasts , but with more grief , to grieve : if gods good sprite , by grace to blesse contract me , i care not , how , these turnecoat times detract me . their time is short , their sentence can not bide , like to opinion , so their verdicts follow ; they 're blinde in reason , malicious in pride , whose tongues are tombs , their hearts both false and hollow . for whilst their craft , deceives them with deceeat , they swallow up the hooke , and misse the bait . themselves they slay , with the same dart they shoot , and in the pit do fall , they digg'd for other ; to stand for ill , they will not flee a foot , their evils , with a show of good they smother : but soone mischief , can overcrush their braines , men swallow mounts , for execrable gaines . alas ! what is the bubling breath of man ? vvhose life hangs on his nostrils ; like to dew falne from the humid clouds ; and no wayes can secure it selfe , from titans scorching view : so mens conceit , in fond opinions flee , vvhiles this , whiles that , whiles naught their actions be . let davids hymnes , discover all their drifts , till that their very eyes for fat leap out : i love that soule surchargd with pious gifts , simple in life , and for his conscience stout : say though his best were nought , his good intention , cast on the lord , begets a safe prevention . the malice of each snare , my thoughts imbrace , but above all with darling sinnes i dandle ; i pleasure take , wherein there 's no solace , and with the butterflie , the flame i handle : the wings of lust i oyle , then sinne burnes me , and whilst i stand to live , i post to die . wormes are my mates , when i in grave am laid , they 'le feed on me , who lov'd to feed on dainties , my senslesse corps , shall with the senslesse spade be made a prey , to their devouring plenties : my bones shall rot , then turne in mouldring dust , this is the way of flesh , both bad and just . and yet vaine man , he little thinks or dreames , once of his death , nor what his end may be ? his sense deludes him , and the world it seemes a glasse to looke on , for his sensuall eye : he neither mournes for sinne , nor sinne forsakes , but from one ill , another worser takes . what surging follies , overcloud my minde ? with vain-wing'd fancies , and surmysing flashes ; such fleering thoughts , more lighter than the winde ! breed nought but foolerie , which opinion dashes : my wish'd for wishes , straight conceiv'd and done , the care of carelesse dreams , i scarce can shunne . i posting runne , in wayes of naughty ends , lord ! crook , and stop my course , with streames of grace ! which flood , can carry none that ill pretends , like jordan , that , receives no barbarous face , unlesse they swim : so , ( sans remorse ) they 'le drowne , who hazard here , quick sandie sins pull downe . this saving grace , the soule guards with strong hand , and if it slip , it can not fully fall : it s like maronahs , full disgorging strand , hembes in canaan , from barbarian thrall : like keeps the lord his owne , and guards their wayes , they perish not ; though chargd with fraile delayes . as jordan circuits the holy land , twixt liban , and , that south-lake smoaking show ; from the petreian soyle ; joynd with a strand , which tribute payes , 'gainst jericho i know , to famous jore : one parts the midian soyle , the other sackt , samarias confynes coyle . this is the march , girds canaans south-east side , but more the lord preserves , and guards his owne from ghostly ill , and from aetheriall pride , from terrene sprites , from hell , and what is knowne to plague the soule ; he is a bulwark strong , fens'd with good angels , free all his from wrong . then happy they , can creep within this tent ! and sheltrage seek , under his mercies wings ; sigh for thy sinnes , o! let thy soule repent ! thy misdemeanour , to the king of kings : first grieve , then weep , last seeke thy saviours face , let teares implore , for teares can plead for grace . kinde were these teares , which josephs love had spent , when with his brethren , he his brother saw : his heart , surchargd with joy , it shrunke as shent , to plunge that deep , which benjamin did draw : but loe ! moe teares ! were shed one with another , when joseph said , behold , i am your brother . feare not ( said he ) the strict aegyptian law , though to the ismaelites , my life you sold : for what was done , was done by god i knaw , no spight of yours , his providence behold ! foresaw your need , and brought me here to be , a father to my fathers miserie . there five yeares famine yet , shall worke your woe , wherein ag'd jacob , and his race may starve , unlesse he flit ; then get you up and go to fetch him downe , faile not in this , nor swerve : they went , he came , all met in melting joyes , for passions have extreames , as bairnes have toyes . since nature then , in floods of teares can melt , for joy of sight , to overjoy their love ; much more our teares , when we remorse have felt for sinne ; shall glade , the powers in heaven above : these tears are blest , and make us blest for ever , for godly grief , from grace , no crosse can sever . let patient job , be paterne in like case , whose losse was such , as never yet was none : yet shrunk he not , sound stedfast love took place , faith forc'd his hope , and both proclaim'd in one : sure my redeemer lives , and he is just , though he should kill me , yet in him i 'le trust . mine eyes shall see him , and he will me save , as i am confident , he will not faile : sterne rough calamitie , would me deceave , but that 's a shade , my purpose must prevaile : in god my soule is fixt , nought can dismay me , nay death it selfe , nor satan can betray me . see! here the columne , of a lively faith ! the type of christ , in meek and milde behaviour : his friends they slight him , he contemnes his death , and in his miserie , still avowd his saviour : this was a love , excell'd all loves on earth , for christ he lov'd , who lov'd him ere his birth . then how hate i my selfe , if i love not my loving lord , who lov'd me , from his love ; he truely loves , who for thy sake , i wot loves thee ; and himselfe for thee ; this we prove ▪ all kindes of love , without thy love , breed loathing , unlesse we love them , for thy sake , they 're nothing . great king of glory , all thy works invite ! us to love thee , since thou first loved us : as starres do from the sunne , take light and heat , for from that fulnesse , we the like discusse : how can our soules ? thine jmage , want the sight , of thy bright love , whose love is perfect light . lord ! we do all , depend upon thy love , because our being , had of thee beginning : next , thou preserves us , as we rest or move , and art our end ; controlls us , when a sinning : all what we have , we have receiv'd from thee , and what we want , thou wilt the same supply . o god of love ! thy nature is all love ! in love more glorious , than the sunne in light : thou art an infinite fire from above , which here enlightens , with its beames , each wight : a fire of love , a loving fire we finde , a light ! not burnes , a flame , not quels the minde . o lord ! if thou thy tender love withdraw : and from us slips one step , to turne thy back : are we not dead , in sloth and sleep ; no awe ; but each temptation , shall presage our wracke : then lord uphold us ! since all worldly things are ever changing , tyme their ruine brings . to day we live , the morne to grave we 're sped , we sight this world , as birds by gazers glyde ; as dreams evanish , so our dayes are fled ; like water bubles , as soone quelld as spyde : thus heart-grown man , ingorgd with pryde and lust , he posts , and posts to death , then turnes in dust . to argue on corruption , that subverts the good we would , and choaks our best desires ; it is a senslesse appetite , perverts the light of reason , with entangling fires : a head-strong blinde irregulary ill , that captives wit , and wounds both sense and will . it s strong in all infirmities injust , still fraile in goodnesse , weak in sound conception : it s rull'd by nature , and her daughter lust , which blinds the light of knowledge , with deception : like pitch , corruption , blacks the purest soule , and where it comes , makes ev'ry clean thing foule . it takes best hold , on imbecillitie , and where that fortitude , deficient is , it dare not wrestle , with dexteritie , nor count with temprance , one defective misse : much like a ruffian , or a theefe by night , it loves , and lives in darknesse , more than light . corruption , many wayes , may be defind , to be a hydra neck'd herculian snake ; stop'd at the eye , it compasseth the minde , barr'd from the soule , the heart it soone will take ; say , if the eare be deafe , the hand will feele , and if it smell not , it can taste too well . corruption , rules most states , and office places , in church and common-wealth , it beares great swey : it masks the merchants , with gibeonitish faces ! and with each trade , it can the harlot play : from mighty men to mean , see ! what i sought ? i finde them all corrupt'd , their wayes are nought . corruption , in their brybries , fraught with greed , corruption , in their flesh , subborn'd by lust , corruption , in their manners , full of need , corruption , in their sinne , and livesinjust : corruption , in their malice , flankd on pryde , corruption , in their wills , blinde natures guyde . corruption , in the treachrie of deceat , corruption , in false weights , and falser measures , corruption in vile perjurie , and hate , corruption , in the hoording up of treasures : corruption in hypocrisie and strife , corruption in a base dissembling life . corruption , ( ah ! ) injustice by the judge , corruption , too , in partiall ends 'gainst reason ; corruption , in the traitour , that dare lodge corruption , fixt on murder , and high treason : corruption , in oppression , and what then ? corruption , in the lavishnesse of men . corruption , in forg'd tales , and false reports corruption , in fraile fleshly vile desires ! corruption , in base taunts , and jeering torts , corruption , in despysing naturall syres : corruption , ( ah ! ) in negligence and slouth , corruption , from fond sports , in age or youth . corruption , in ambition , and high looks , corruption , in straind-selfe contract'd opinions . corruption , in best learneds , and best books , corruption , in great princes , and their minions : corruption , in vaine courtly courtiers stiles , corruption , in sunk worldlings greedy wiles . corruption , in abusing outward things , corruption , in vile drunkennesse , and swearing , corruption , in a wranglers crafty wrings , corruption , in delay , and long forbearing : corruption , in the ignorance of mindes , corruption , in best knowledge of all kindes . corruption , in prest complements , and phrases , corruption , in bad cariage , mask'd with guile , corruption , in poore flattrers foolish praises , corruption , in most pen-men , and their stile : corruption , in a sycophantick leyar , corruption , in the layers mouth and pleyar . corruption , in adultrie , and worse lust , corruption , in backbyters slandring tongue , corruption , in lost credit , without trust , corruption , in the gathering worldly dung : corruption , in blinde filthy criticks censures , corruption , in mechanick glyding tonsures . corruption , in corruption , sinne afords , and ev'ry way corrupt'd , corruption swallowes ; most grow absurd , corrupting deeds and words ! ●nd in the pudle of corruption wallowes : the hollow heart of man , such venome vomites of all corruptions , that they 're fixt for comets . ●ll which portend , some grievous dissolution , 〈◊〉 ev'ry state , a wofull alteration ; ●prung from enormities of pollution . this land is turnd , the face of desolation : both great and small , the scourge of fortune feele , whose fates are tost , still round about the wheele . to day a lord , tomorrow fled to warres , to day a laird , tomorrow turnd a beggar ; to day in wealth , tomorrow closd with barres ; to day in peace , tomorrow swear and swagger : to day in farme , tomorrow forcd to flee , to day puft , up , the morne , cast downe we see . ●inne is the cause , which makes such judgements fall on land-lords now , who still oppresse the poore ; they taxe and raxe them , keep them under thrall , that most are forcd , to leave both hold and doore : whose grounds in end is sold , or else ly waste , both tyrants , and th' opprest , such changings taste . lord ! save me from this all-corrupted age , where craft joynes with extortion either hand ; ●lood , and oppression , may but passions swage , ●trict law and justice , quite for sake this land : men now must gaze , like souldiers battell broke , that looke for aide , else for the fatall stroke . nay ; we 're corrupt'd , in thought , in word , and deed ! yet of all sinnes , vile drunkennesse is worst : it breeds all ill , and of all vice the seed , it harbours lust , and makes the actor curst ; and smothering shame , it wallows in despaire , where spoiling vertue , seeks examples rare . our patriarch noah , after the deludge , had shunn'd sommersing , of the first drownd world ; he planted vines for man , healths sound refudge ! yet made his toyle , the snare wherein he hurld : the grape was sweet and strong , see ! how he sunke ? he graft it first , and first with it was drunk . this worlds sole monarch , of the second age , who built the arke , which sav'd him and his race undrown'd ; behold ! was tane , and turnd the page of glutting bacchus , senslesse of his cace : was it not strange ! this columne could decline ! that scaping waters , yet was drownd with wine . but he , great he ! earths sov'raigne lord and father , had no intent , to foxe his sober senses ; but tasted , touch'd , and drunk ; then faild , or rather he seald his fault , to shelter like offences : not so ; his slip , pleads o'resight unacquainted , and reason would , he tast'd the thing he planted . like so , was lot , ensnar'd , when fled for feare from burning sodome , and cavernd at night ; was by his daughters gull'd : they thinking there ! the world was gone ; sought to restore the right of natures race : and he starke drunk imbrac'd them , but sure he griev'd , when th' action had defac'd them . but our grosse drunkards , base pedestriat natures ! will roare and quaffe , old houses , through strait windowes ; blaspheme their maker , and abuse his creatures , and swear , they 'le spend their bloud , and carve their sinnewes , to beard cold phebe ; then orlando like , rapt rodomunting oathes , and cyclops strike . whose red-ey'd sight , show faces fixt with comets , through which ( like vulcan ) they would seeme goodfellowes o here he staggers ! and there he wallowing vomits , and if mischiefe fall out , he courts the gallowes : last , friends and meanes been lost , he 's load with curses , then bends his course to steale , or robbe mens purses . what ill can hell devise ? but drunkards do it ? all kindes of vice , all kinde of lusts they swallow : for why ? its drunkennesse that spurres them to it , satan suggests , and they his counsell follow : then turne they frantick , mad distracted sots , to clout their conscience , with retorting pots . they lye and surfet , belch , and vomit blood , yea , ever rammage , brutish , and absurd ; their beastly manners , loathsome are and rude , deprav'd of senses , have their wits immurd , benumb'd , debosh'd ; last sunke in beggars brats , eate up with vermine , starve , and die like rats . worlds of examples , i could here denote , as well in ancient dayes , as moderne times : what were these pagans past ? what were they not ? what are our present judgements ? for like crymes ? may not their alcoran , serve to condemne us ? if we our selves , would from our selves exam'ne us . may not philosophers ? the light of nature ? convince us , for like riot , and excesse ? nay , even the beast ( unreasonable creature ) stand up and witnesse , of our sensualnesse : they will not once exceed their appetite , but man will surfet , with a deep delite . in using , we abuse , gods benefits , and turne his blessings , to an heavie curse ; surpassing temprance , we confound our wits , no health for body , lesse for soule remorse : all things were made for us , and we for god , but being abus'd , they serve us for his rod . alas ! where reason ? when poore man misknowes the life of knowledge , reason did infuse ; shall understanding sleep ? shall i suppose that will is weaker , than a strong excuse : he knowes ( i know ) enough , that can misknow the thing he knowes , it s well , in knowing so . well said alphonso , ( knowledge to expone ) that all what we could learne , by sight , or show ; by airts , by science , by books to study on , was the least part , of that we did not know : all what we know , we know but in a part , and that failes oft , corruption rules the heart . what thou canst know , another doth know more , and what he knowes , is but a glimpsing glance : who perfect is ? nay none ; who can deplore his weaknesse , ruld by counsell , not by chance ! mans knowledge , like the shade , is swallowed soone , that hangs between its substance , and the moone . he knowes the ill , and in that knowledge rude , and cleaves to vice , as wooll and briers are knit ; resolv'd to erre , misknowing what is good , rejects his soule ; then in a frantick fit , neglecting god , neglects his owne salvation , and quaffing excesse , drinks his owne damnation . how lord ! these faults behelpd ! teach me to mourne , that being humbled , i may call for grace : let men presumptuous , gainst thy judgements spurne , and in the pudle of their labours trace : save thou my soule , for now my quivering heart , 'twixt feare and hope , stands trembling at sinnes smart . a second jonah , from thy voice i flee , and with shrunke peter i thy name deny : i ahab-like , keep spoiles of sinne for me , and harbour lust , in lots ebrietie : these lookes , that fell , from sion on a pond , were not so foule as mine , nor halfe so fond . unworthy i , to lift mine eyes above , or that the earth , should beare me , undevour'd : nay , nor my friends , on me to cast their love , nor saints pray for me , hath the truth deflourd : yet , what god will , it needs must come to passe , he looks on what i am , not what i was . let grace take roome , that mercy soone may follow , renew my sprite , o cleanse my heart from ill ! thy blood can purge me , though my guilt be hollow ; faith and repentance , have a piercing will : infuse thy power , lord strengthen me to turne once to rejoyce , and never more to mourne . as daniel , with thy servants three forsooke to feed on babels delicates , and wine : but water , and poore pulse , they gladly tooke , and yet their faces , did for beauty shine : lord grant with them , all worldly snares i may forsake , and learne , to trace thy law , thy way . that kingly beast , or beastly king expos'd seven yeares to fields ; nev'r faild so much as i : nor these five kings , by joshua enclos'd , brought forth , and foot-neckd , shamefully did die : nev'r vex'd him more ( for they their lands defended ) than i am griev'd , for having god offended . that goshan flight , to a desartuous soile , through uncouth way , deep seas , laid up in heaps ! nev'r reft from egypt , such a swallowed spoile , with greater right ( for now my soule it weeps ) then gods just judgements , might on me befall , unlesse his mercy soone prevent my fall . these wandrings long , which israel did recoyle , tost to and fro , in vast arabian bounds ; full fourty yeares they spent , for twelve dayes toyle , starv'd , slaine , and quell'd , still galld by savage wounds : this crosse they bore , for grieving god so oft , but ( ah ! ) my sinnes , for plagues do cry aloft . now having seene , rude lybians , nak'd , and bare , sterne barbrous arabs , savage sabuncks od ; sword-sweying turkes , and faithlesse jews alwhere , base ruvid berdoans , godlesse of a god : yet when from me , on them i cast mine eye , my life i finde , farre worse , then theirs can be . the rustick moorish , sterne promiscuous sexe , nor garolines , idolatrizing shame ; the turcomans , that even the divell doe vexe ! in offring up , their first-borne , to his name : nor jamnites , with their foolish garlick god , are worse then i , nor more deserve thy rod . yet lord ! with thee , there 's mercy ; and its true , thou art not wonne , with multitude of words , its force of tears from us , thy pitie sue , which thou regards , and pardon us afords : for words are formed , by the tongue , but tears , speak from the heart , which thou most kindlie heares . use then few words ( o silly soule ) but weepe , this is the heavenly language , and strong voice , that calls to god ; for he our teares shall keep fast bottled in his pittie : makes the choise of teares ; few words , let sighs , and sobs display , thine inward grief ; then tears beginne to pray . lord ! thou wouldst not , to herod speak ; nor yet would answer pilat , urgd by humane power ; but soone thou spoke , when weeping women set their eyes on thee ; and streames of teares did powre : these judges sought , advantage for thy dittie , but sions daughters , weept for thee in pittie . these great mens words , did reach but to thine eares , but their warme drops , did pierce thee to thine heart ; lord ! thou takes care on them , and on their teares , who mourne for others , when the righteous smart : but farre more pittie , on the sinfull soule , that mournes for sinne , and wailes her errours foule . oh! that my head were waters ! and mine eyes ! a source of teares , to weep both day and night ; the peoples sinnes , with theirs , mine owne disease , which greater growes , than i to beare have might : such flouds of teares , would then my grief disclose ! in airie vapours , flanck'd with watrie woes . this world 's a valley , of perpetuall teares , and what 's the scripture ? but a springing well of gushing teares ? flow'd from remorse and feare● ; for godly sorrow , must with mourners dwell : and who can mourne , unlesse that grace begin to worke repentance ; this grief expiats sin . all night could david , wet with tears his couch , and prophets for the faults of israel mourne : but ( ah ! ) good god , when shall mine eyes avouch such happy teares , that may with thee sojourne : if not thy judgements , yet thy gracious love , might melt mine eyes , and ponds of sorrow move . thou saidst , i will , compassion have on all , that pleaseth me , compassion , for to show ; be pleas'd thy love , may me redeeme from thrall , free will to pardon , thine ; the debt i owe : how soone soev'ra sinner , should repent him , thou swore in truth , thou wouldst no longer shent him . lord ! grant my minde , may second these my words , and not invent , more then i practice can ; if i deficient prove , good will afords my sacrifice ; obedience is the man : did not abraham , this point paternize , whose purpose , was , held for a sacrifice . david resolv'd , on sions lower flat , to build a temple , for the living lord : a daughter cloure , joynd with jehosophat , benorthd , with moriahs , squink devalling bord : the lord accept'd the minde , his thought was to it , and said , thy sonne , but not thy selfe shall do it . the widows myte , was thankfully receiv'd , good wills a sacrifice ; this seldome failes ; the will , although the purpose be deceiv'd , is not to blame , the good intent prevailes : the lord accepts , even of the least desire we have to serve him , though we faint or tire . when jacob had , twice ten yeares laban serv'd , yet laban , would have sent him empty gone : but he who serves the lord , though he hath swerv'd , shall not misse his reward , nor go alone : the sprite of grace , shall second him , and love , shall fill his soule , his faith shall mount above . then forward go , so runne you may obtaine , great is the prise , hold out the journeys end ; keep course , and runne , thou'le get a glorious gaine , he who endures , shall onely there ascend : rise eare , when young , and runne , betimes then do it , who gets the start , and holds , shall first come to it . the journeys long , the path is strait , and thornes ly in the way , to prick thee , on both sides : sinne like a traitour , hourely thee subbornes , to misse the marke , and blinde thee , with crosse guides : yet constant runne , runne on , and be not sory , so runne thou mayst obtaine , a crowne of glory . we see , for a light prise , a man will runne his utmost speed ; and often loose his paines : that caledonian hunter , never wonne by strife of foote , a hare was all his gaines : but he who runs this course , shall earne a treasure , the butte of heaven , must be his marke and measure . then blest is he ! keeps dyet , for this race ! and fits his soule , to take coelestiall physick ; faith is the compound , and the potion grace , christ the physician , mercy our soules musick : then pardon seeks our suite , last , love crownes all , and raignes with glory , rivalls in one saule . for this prepare thy selfe , since our short dayes are but a blast ; and yet our longest time is scarce a thought ; looke ! what experience sayes , that space , 'twixt wombe and tombe , ( o falling slyme ! ) is but a point , then see ! and not suspend , a happy life , must have an happy end . our day of death , excells our day of birth , and better wer 't , with mourning folks to live , than like to fooles , that in the house of mirth would passe their time , and would that time survive : relenting cryes , all times more needfull growes , than laughing feasts : blest are all godly woes . how vaine are frolick youths ? to spend their prime ? in wantonnesse and slouth , lust galling joyes ; they quite forget , the substance of base slime , till rotten age , ramverse their masked toyes : and then diseases , hang about their bones , to plague their flesh with sores , their hearts with groanes . the concupiscence , of youths sqink-laid eye , which lust begets , and inflamation brangles , ●s but the bait , invelops luxurie , to follow practice , custome still entangles : the eye supports the thought , the thought desire , and then corruption , sets delight on fire . yet youth remember , in thy dayes of youth ! thy sole creator , remember thou must die ! ●est that these dayes may come , when helplesse ruth , ●hall say , no pleasure in them , thou canst see : remember ! in thy youth ! o youth remember ! thy christ and maker , thou maist be his member . ●hall youth take pleasure , in vaine wantonnesse , and with his fleshly lusts , go serve the divell : then when growne old , in midst of rottennesse , would turne to god , and shunne his former evill : this can not be , when thou canst sinne no more , thou wouldst serve god , whom thou didst hate before . ●are thou example take , of the good thief , nay , christ was once , for all but sacrifiz'd : this can not ground thy faith , nor lend relief , that one thiefs mercy , thine is paterniz'd : can thou repent at will , choose time , and place , nay , that falls short , its god who gives the grace . ●s any sure , when death shall call him hence , nothing more certaine , more uncertaine too ; time , place , and how , concernes gods providence : then arme thy selfe , take heed , what thou shouldst do ? bridle thy youth , amend thy life , repent , such fruit is pleasant , from thy spring-tyde sent . the morne is cooler , than the sun-scorch'd day , the tender juice , more sweeter then old sap : the flowry grasse , more fresh than withred hay ? the floorish fairer , than the tronke , we trap : so dayes of youth , more sav'rie are to god , than crooked age , all crooked wayes have trode . would thou live well , and live to live for aye , beginne at god , obey his word , and law : love , feare , and serve him , make him all thy stay , honour thy parents , of the judge stand awe : and neighbour love conserve : but ah ! this age ! can show none such , but rot with lust and rage . the fin-flowne dolphin , after flying fish , nev'r swim'd so swift , as youth hunt after lust ; they dip presumption in a poysond dish , and fearlesse tumble , in a fearfull gust : they wrestle not to wrest , but strives with strife to humour pleasures , in their head-strong life . it s incident to youth , to mock old age , and usuall too for age , to jeere at youth : the one he dotes , the other playes the page , a fondling foxd , with wantonnesse and slouth : yet age is best , because experience schooles him , and youth is worst , 'cause vice and pleasure fooles him . then 'twixt them both , the golden meane is best , neither too young , nor doting dayes are good ; yet happy both , if faithfully they rest with confidence , fixt on their saviours bloud : for it can purge the old , of what is past , and cleanse the young , post after sinne so fast : both timothie and titus , othersmoe , of rarest worth , though young , their youth-head chaind in cords of temperance ; made vertue grow in fortitude ; by which they glory gaind : nay ; alexander , in the prime of youth , was wondrous chast , till strangers taught him slouth . the persian manners spoild him : but behold ! what good aurelius said , the romane king ? if i were sure , that lust were not controld , nor punishd by the gods , above which ring : yet for the fact it selfe , i will disprove it , cause why ? its filthy , base , and who can love it . would god! that younglings , and the fry of nature , could so resolve , and play the pagans part ; yea , old and young , and ev'ry humane creature ! in this were blest , to take these words to heart : then modestie should live , religion flourish , and good example , one , another nourish . a noble youth , been askd , whether he went ? reply'd ; he to the house of teares did go ; to mourne with mourners , that he might lament , and learne to weep , when he did older groe : if hethnicks can show christians such instruction . our blind-set eyes , had need of their conduction . who sowe in teares , shall surely reape in joy , for godly griefe , shall blessednesse inherit : they who thus mourne , and thus their soules imploy , are firmely shelterd , under jesus merit : who shall transchange , their griefe , in glorious gladnesse , true happinesse expells , all sorrowing sadnesse . blest were these teares , were spent , neare cajaphs house ! by peter griev'd , for imbecillitie , brought downe so low he was , nought could arrouze his hope , for pardon , of infirmitie : yard-closde alone , he weept , and wofull hee , with dolefull cryes , thus spoke , on flexed knee . have i ( would he have said ) deny'd my lord , with triple oathes , before the cocke crew twice : which he foretold ; ah ! feare my faith had smord ! his looks accusd me , i had done it thrice : was it not i , who vowd with him to die , and now forsworne , i from my master flee . was i not cephas , lately thought a rock ? and now the tongue , of a base serving maide , hath made me shrinke , and turne a stumbling block ; we were but twelve , and one hath him betraide ; and i ( as worst ) have sworne , i knew him not , mov'd by the voice , of a weake womans throat . o! that a drudge ! should thus prevaile 'gainst me , who serves for wage , to him the altar serv'd : a slendrer weed , could no poore hireling be , and yet o're me shee triumphs ; i have swerv'd : this was gods will , and now it s come to passe , to show my weaknesse , with a weaker lasse . it s strange ! two drudges made me falter thrice , with quivring oathes , and shivring words deny the lord of life : how could such hounds surprise my sted fast love ? and not with him to die : no judge controll'd me , yet two slavish snakes , fill'd me with feare , with it , my lord forsakes . how fraile was i and fragile , to succumbe ? mine hopes , unto such wranglers void of grace ; i might have silence kept , and so sit dumbe , till cajaphas had tryde me , having place : but i a weakling , to a stragling sound , forsooke my vow , and did my selfe confound . a silly fisher wretch , ( no lesse he thought ) was i , when god , from slaverie did me call ; and now to shrunke infirmitie am brought , worse then judaick law , from christ to fall : who me select'd , to leave my nets , and when , he said , thou shal'st , a fisher be of men . how shall i answer make ? what shall i doe ? his sighs , thus sobd , for groanes , and melting eyes , were all his words : or what 's my kindred too ? so base neare sydon borne ? that my degrees by birth were nought , but fisher men and fooles , the scumme of nature , liv'd by warbling tooles . was i a chosen vessell , thus to shrinke , when erst in gethsemane , my sword i drew : and now beginnes , to flatter , lye , and winke , yea ; failes and falls , with words , and oathes untrue : i might have with , my fellow flyers fled , but i would follow , and forsake my head . love bade me venter , feare bade me stay back , faith forcelesse fled , a farre i followed on him ; poore fainting i , though forward now falls slack , i went to see , what doome , they gave upon him : where courting cajaphs fire ( o snaring sinne ! ) warming without , too cold i grew within . i might have fled , to hide me in some cave , but curious i , would swallow shame and feare : could i sustaine his crosse , his death and grave ? to suffer that , which nature could not beare : all helpfull he ! would he crave help unto it , nay , fond was i , to thinke that man could do it . alone would he ! o! all sufficient he ! straight undergoe , his fathers hote displeasure : both god and man , our lord behovd to be , so weighty was that wrath , laid up in treasure for sinfull man ; but he all-conquering he ! triumph'd o're hell , got us the victorie . my lord , but spoke , whom seek yee ? ( o strong power ! ) and backwards fell , the sergeants on the ground ; he knew , confess'd , it was their time , his houre , for so his love , to mankinde did abound : that as by man , all flesh , accursd , should dye , even so by man , all should redeemed bee . was i not witnes , to his word , and deed ? his miracles and mercies , workes of loue ; the dumbe did speake , the deaf did heare , the dead , hee raysd to lyfe ; the criples straight did moue ; the palseyes , paraliticks , withred hands , hee helpd , and heald ; the blynd their sight commands . was hee not christ , the lambe , the sonne of god! whom i confessd , even face to face afore ; my soules messias ! who bore that heavy loade of indignation ; sinners to restore : both sacrifice , and sacrificer plight ! a wondrous mercy , set before my sight . for which ; vile worme , how could my lips deny ? the lord of glore , my life , my love , my light ; vvas he not there ? and was not i hard by ? vvhen that his looke , gave me this sorrowing night : yet when my soules sharpe eyne , saw what was done , my carnall eyes , in floods of teares did runne . faith wrought repentance , grace laid hold on grace , my bitter streames , like brine , extreamly gush'd : i wrung my hands , and knock'd my breast apace , vvhilst sighes , sad sobs , from deep-fetchd groanings rushd : then joy appeard , my conscience was assurd , the fault was pardond , and my soule securd . thus peter shrunke , his soule was humbled low , ( not like to popes , who his succession claime ) he sorrowing fell , and made contrition show that he had faild : so did himself disclaime from first election , and from former grace , and causd remorse , give sad repentance place . then teares , o bitter teares ! relenting woes ! and airie vapours , from salt-raining eyes ; made windy sighes , and trembling groanes disclose his lip-lost fall , the cause of his unease . thus teares are blest , which godly sorrow brings , each drop doth serve thy soule , to heaven for wings . though teares distill , and trickle downe thy cheeks , so vanish quite , and seeme to thee as lost : their aire ascends , thy heart to god then speaks ! he harbours all , and is a gracious host : the font he loves , and that 's remorse for sinne , vvhich his grace works , before thou canst beginne . lord ! frame my vvill to thine , and forme my heart , to serve and feare thee , magnifie thy name ; in this obedience , thou mayst grace impart , for from thy favour , i must comfort claime ; grant me thine invvard peace , refresh my minde , with sparkes of love , let sighs thy mercy finde . all mortals are , by nature miserable , then mourning is the habit , vve should vveare ; who sinne deplores , his case is comfortable , yet none can shunne , prest natures sorrovving feare : flee vvhere thou vvilt , thou shalt not finde reliefe , though thou changst place , thou canst not change thy grief ▪ this life is but a font , of springing teares , weeping vvee come , into this vvorld , vvith cryes ; and vveeping vve go out , fraught full of feares , there 's nought but sorrovv , in our journey lyes : for vvhilst vvithin , this vaile of teares vve bide , we 're load vvith mourning , griefe is natures guide . jacob been ask'd , by pharo of his age , reply'd , that fevv , and evill , vvere the dayes of his abode , in fleshly pilgrimage : he gave this life , no better stile nor praise : then sure vve're strangers , vvandring here and there , on this vvorlds stage , each acting lesse or mair . nay , vve are pilgrimes here , tost to and fro , there 's no place permanent , on earth belovv : our dvvelling is above , then let us goe to th'heavenly canaan , vvhere all joyes flovv : jerusalem , jerusalems above , a glorious staunce , vvhere sits the king of love . it s not judeas citie , built with hands , the holy grave , and calvarie containes ; with moriah , where sal'mons temple stands , nor sions seat , where davids towre remaines , nor pilats hall , with farre moe relicks rare , this city is eternall , great , and faire . nor is it compass'd , with jehosophat , ●nd on the south , with strait gehinnons valley ; nor on the north , with ennons den halfe flat , nor wall'd about , lest arabs it assaillie : this citie is , impregnable , and more , it s fenc'd about , with everlasting power . ●deed like olivet , it overtops ●his squink hebraick citie ; and excells ●llearthly mansions , which destruction lops ●ith fatall ruine : o what sounding knells ? fall from this fabrick , angels singing musick ! to lure our soules , to take coelestiall physick . ●hen come stress'd thou , who loaden is and weary , ●nd here refresh , thy fatigating soule : ●ake haste , and come ; and now no longer tarry ! ●est others barre thee , from bethesdaes poole ; when grace would touch thy sprite , thy heart is troubled but be not slow , lest losse on losse be doubled . ●onsider lord ! these times wherein we live ! ●d harken to , thy chosen deare elect ; ●t israel joy , and thine enemies grieve , ●o time good god , their sacrifice neglect ; but heare , and help them , guard them round about , with heavenly hosts , and thine angelick rout . looke downe on thy stress'd sion , and her teares , and bottle up her woes , within the urne of thy remembrance : grievous grow her feares ! by wolves in lambskins , topsolturvie turne : most fearfull seeme , these whirlewindes of time : bred from the base , seditious dregs of slime . such wound her sides , but can not dimme her light , the blood of saints , is her espousall seed ; when darkest stormes , would theat to bring downe night , thy spouse triumphs , in christ her soveraigne head : no winde so high , nor wave so great , but grace , can calme sterne blasts , when thou seest time and place . when man is snard by sinne , and seemes as lost , then god drawes neare , and makes his sprite prepare the soule for grace : so when forlorne or crost , christs church appeares , that even her saints despaire : then comfort comes , the lord will not exile her , nor let the spight and craft , of men defile her . pure like the gold is she , and christall cleare , white as the snow , and sweeter than the hony ; thy virgine spouse , most neare to thee and deare ! is farre more precious , than ten worlds of money : the silver-fornace tryde , is not so fine , nor halfe so sweet , tasts rethimosean wine . lord ! looke upon her crosses , and relieve her troubled saints for thee , and for thy sonne : she springs through briers , and mongst sharpe thorns doth liv● like to the rose , in midst of thistles wonne : her bloudy foes confound , protect her saints , erect , maintaine their zeale ; lord heare their plaints . faire is thy sister , sweet thy spousall love , her sent is bundled myrrhe , fixt on her breasts : she 's thine cled with thy power , thine harmelesse dove ! for in the garden , of thy grace , she feasts : come clasp her in thine armes ! come gracious lord ! and shew thy virgin queene , misericord . red shines the blush of sions fragrant flowres , greene spring her boughs , like liban cedars tall ; swift flee her wings , to court her paramours , knowne to her friends , but never knowne to all : whose purple roabes are pure , and finer farre , then tyrians wore , ere they were sackt by warre . like the apple , in midst , of forrest trees , thy welbeloveds so , 'mongst sonnes of men : the fairest 'mongst women , with radiant eyes , would succour have , to save her from the den of darknesse black : lift up thy face and see ! the spices , and ripe fruit of her fig-tree . whose breasts are like two twinnes , 'mongst lillies fed , her rosie cheeks , more brighter than the sunne : one marke she beares , that in the soule is bred , another badge , lasts till our glasse be runne : the thirds a sparke , that mounts to heaven above , the light of saints , the love of endlesse love . her richest garment , truth and righteousnesse , and that 's broudred , with mercy , grace , and peace ; ●aithfull in all , and patient in distresse ; constant to stand ; unchangeable of pace : and yet her beauty , heavens no fairer fixe , than mens tradition , would the same ecclipse . she 's catholick now , not ty'd to a place , as jewrie land , where god was onely knowne ; christs church , points forth the universe ; for grace , came with th'evangel , peace to pagans showne : the gentiles then were call'd , as well as jews , for mercy came with jesus ; gospell news . and yet there many darknesse love , than light , for sinne craves silence , and umbragious places ; the cloud 's their covert , and their friend the night , the day their foe , their darling obscure faces : thus blinde inveigling vice , turnes darknesse darke , for jet-black sin , can dim their foggy warke . too many darknesse love , so sinne provides , that blinded eyes , must follow blinde tradition : blinde are they bred , but blinder far their guides , who maske poore ignorants , with superstition : whose church maintaines , false miracles and treason , blood , murther , incest , powder plots , and poyson . besides this church idolatrous , and drunk with indulgence and pardons , policies , at limbus forgd : absurd for gaine ; and sunk in purgatories , avarice , and lyes : there other orient churches , erre , and fall , from gospell truth ; they know it not at all . the aethiopian , abbasins , the moore , aegyptian gopties ; chelfanes , georgians , greeks , nostrans , syriacks , jacobines , what more ? grosse armenians , th'amaronite , that seeks talp-drawne ignorance : all of which do swerve , tradition is the mistresse , whom they serve . i could dive here , in their distract'd conceit , and blinde surmises , sowne these parts abroad : but i suspend ; yet here 's a dangerous state , to cast opinions , on the face of god : their patriarchs like themselves , do play the foole , that will not square religion , with christs rule . o! if i could with jeremie lament ! the worlds great errours , and my fallings too : and with grievd ninivie , in time repent ! lest with my slippings , justice me undo : thrice happy were i , in this resolution , ere death enhaunce my life , bring dissolution . yet soule despaire not , god is mercifull , long suffring , patient , full of kinde compassion : his love to man , is passing plentifull , whose grace and mercy , flow on our confession : for if one teare for sinne , fall from our eyes , he 's pleas'd to pardon our infirmities . how gracious then is god ? how rich i say ? is christs redemption , fraught with saving bloud : if we have faith in him , if we can pray ? and lift our eyes , fixt on the holy rude : and then to suffer , in our zeale those pangs , our saviour thold , in this our welfare hangs . my merit is thy mercy , that 's the end ! although good works , they are the way to heaven : yet not the cause , why i may there ascend , that in thy love remaines , makes mine oddes eaven : for if thou hadst not dyed ? what had i beene ? and if not risen ? what had my soule seene ? thou wilt not gracious god , break the bruisde reed , nor quench the smoaking flaxe ; for said thou hast , that if our sinnes , were dy'd in scarlet red ! thou'le make them white as snow , to let us taste of grace and gladnesse : 'cause the broken heart thou'le not reject ; contrition would convert . lord ! thou ordaind , that death no flesh should shunne , cause why ? it was , the doome and curse of sinne ; and so the punishment , of thy deare sonne , which for our sakes , thy judgements cast him in : that as the divell , prevailed by a tree , so by a tree , his power should vanquish'd be . then let the sight , of thy transgressions rude , draw drops of teares , from thine inunding eyes ; since they did draw , so many drops of bloud from thy redeemers wounds ; thy soule to ease : and looke what david said , in faith and feare , his sinnes were heavier , then his back could beare . then great was that sad burden jesus bore , in soule and body , to exstirpe this curse ; his fathers wrath ; our punishment therefore ; our endlesse doome ; eternall his secourse : his agonies , our happinesse implord , his bloody sweet , our detriments restord . as in a garden , first our sinne began , so in a garden , our redemption sprung : that in like place , where adam , the first man was by the serpents craft , exactly stung : so , so , in gethsemaine , the lord of light , triumph'd o're sinne , put satan to the flight . then christ is that pure glasse , wherein we spie our wants , our faults , or what amisse is done ; within , instruction , without , examples lye , here death proclaimd , and there salvation : the lists are set , then how can we come in , but by repentance , sorrowing for sin . how precious were these tears of magdalen ? who washt christs feet , with eye-repenting drops ; yea , with her haire , did dry these feet agen , and kiss'd them , with her lip-bepearled chops : last , did anoint them , with a costly oyle , for which the traitour judas , checkd such spoile . thrice sacred worke ! but more blest oyle and teares , spent in the presence , of her soules redeemer , to expiat sinne : whom now the dead endeares to be a saint ; for so did christ esteeme her : and for which love , its memorie should last , from age to age , till all ages be past . besides her owne salvation , she became , a dayly follower , to her lord and master ; yea , ministred things needfull ; fed zeales flame with heavenly food , whereof she was a taster : nay , to his death and grave , she never left him , and witnesse bore , how thence his godhead reft him . came not kinde mary ? weeping to this grave ? to looke for christ , but could not finde him there ; the angell spoke , and ask'd , whom would you have ? said she , to see my lord , is all my care , but he 's not here ! ( alas ! ) he 's stolne away ! and where he 's laid , i know not , nor what way . the winding-sheet she found , clos'd at both ends , and close by the tombe side , she sate her downe : she sought , she felt , she search'd , and still suspends , he was , and was not there : back to the towne she bends her face , yet staid , and cry'd , and wept , my lord is stolne , whom souldiers watch'd , and kept . the heavie stone roll'd back , which fourty men , could scarce advance ; yet where 's my loving lord ? i 'le runne and tell , let the apostles ken ! what villanies this night , the jews afford : yet gone , she soone turnd back , love masterd heart , for from the sepulchre , she would not part . nor did darke midnight fright her , nor the sight . of two bright angels , set at either end of his interrement ; nor their words afright her mourning zeale ; whose scope did deeper tend , to seeke the lord , who gave her light and grace , and till she found him , would not leave the place . at last christ , in , a humane shape appear'd , whom she mistooke , and for a gardner deemd : said he , why wepst thou ? whom seekst thou ? she feard , said , tell me , if , thou stole him , us redeemd : then jesus nam'd mary ; she turnes about , and cry'd rabboni , with a joyfull shout . this lessons us , that when we fast or pray , we should not faint , but hope our suite shall speed : he 'le come , and come in time , though he delay , our suite he 'le grant , though we mistake the deed : then mary-like , let faith , charge hope , and do it , faile not , be instant , grace shall bring thee to it . christ , from the worldly wise and great , kept back these mysteries , which silly ones did see : and why ? his will , did this poore woman take , to witnesse that he rose , and rose on hie : that by his resurrection , we might rise , to cut the clouds , and rent the azure skies . as mines of gold and silver , still are found on barren hills , and scurrile fruitlesse parts : so faith , so feare , so zeale , religion sound ! are chiefly plac'd , and fixt , in pooremens hearts : did not christs wisedome , this foresee , and choosd the scummes of nature , whom the world refusd . lord ! grant with magdalen , i spend my teares ! with sighing sadnesse , to implore thy pittie ; that when my conscience , shall be void of feares , i then may know , thou hast destroy'd my dittie : speake peace , i pray thee , to this soule of mine , since what i have , is all , and onely thine . as fire reserves , two properties well mixt , the one to warme , the other light to shoe : so mercy hath two branches , better fixt , love to give peace , and pardon to forgoe : for pittie rules the helme , and mans distresse craves calme , in midst , of stormie wickednesse . like so , are troubles , th'whetstone that doth square stress'd hearts with prayer ; humble them most low : why ? cause adversities , they still prepare the soule with patience , to sustaine the blow : all crosses to the just , their well intend , the cause being christs ▪ their suffrings in him end . thou joy of joyes , sweeter farre than sweetnesse , thy mercy is that balme , which heales my sores : thou peace , and pittie , oynt my wounds with wetnesse , no drouth of sinne , can chink , my weeping gores : why ? cause each sinne , begets a source of teares , when sinne evapourats , then grace appeares . then pardon , fraught with pittie , stops the font , lest sorrow melt the soule , in anxious sadnesse : deep sobs , and windy sighes , above they mount ! whence they returne , surcharged with godly gladnesse : no finne so sterne , but mercy can suppresse it , if with repenting grief , we but confesse it . lord save me from presumptuous sinnes , and save my soule from sinnes desert ; mercy is thine ! all my transgressions , kinde remission crave , they lye before thee ( though the fault is mine ) begging for pardon , pardon they implore , and in my frailnesse , guiltinesse deplore . a wounded conscience , who can beare that load ? o racking sting ! that galles the quivring soule : all sweet chastisements , of thy gentle rod , are cleansers , for , to purge our errours foule : but this mad grief , contracts a gnawing worme , tempestuous whirlewindes , of an endlesse storme what quick evasion ? shall my flight contrive ? to hide me from thy face , what way ? or where ? if in the depths i drench , lo ! thou canst dive : if to the utmost coasts ? lo ! thou art there ! what umbrage , cell , or cave , the world about , can menascond , but thou wilt finde me out . above , else deep beneath , or here below , thy presence is : then whither shall i flee ? there is no point , but that point thou dost know , though smaller , than , the smallest haire can bee : no rocks , nor hills , nor darknesse can me night , nor blacknesse vaile , from thy all-seeing sight . then in a word , there 's no refuge for me , but flye to thee , whose sight i can not shunne : to beg for peace , and grace to mortifie my sinfull lusts ; before my glasse be runne : lord ! let mine eyes distill , like melting sleet ! or marie-like , who washd with teares thy feet . it is the minde , and not the masse thou seeks , my sprit is thine , and longs to be refinde : by it thou knowst , my secreet wayes and creeks , whether i be , to good , or ill inclinde : my soule 's the ruther , of my journey here , be thou my pilot , safely loofe , and steere . conduct me straight , to thy coelestiall port , that in the sabboth , of eternall rest , my soule may reigne : and with the angels court thy face , with joyes , that cannot be exprest : where all content , in fulnesse of rich pleasures , shall them attend , in overjoying measures . who here within , this domicile of dust ? and boggy baggage , of a stinking lump ? would stay to eat , the excrements of lust , and feed on filthinesse , that rotten stump : nay , none but abjects ; holy ones rejoyce , to be dissolvd , make happynesse their choice . but some heart-sunke , in worldly greed and cares , would build their paradise , in this base life : and by extreames , involve them selves in snares , hating the truth , in falshood spend their strife : and what envy , can not accomplish ? they will make extortion , all their hatred swey . can thou forgivenesse crave , for thy misdeeds ? and will not first , forgive anothers wrongs : how can thou pray , or thinke thy prayer speeds ? when in thy heart , thou malice keeps ; and long : to be revengde : this is no christian life , to pray and praise , when sunke in spite and strife . away with envy , malice , pride and hate , let not the sunne go downe , upon thy wrath : live to the lord , and live in holy state , love one another , there 's the marke of faith ! live , and live holy , whom thou serves regard ! he 'le come , and come in haste , with thy reward . then be not spider-like , that doth exhaust it selfe , in workes , of little use , and time : nor like the indians rude , absurd , devast , that will give gold , for glasse , rich gemmes for slime : and precious stones , for toyes , and trifling things , which strangers bring ; knives , whistles , beeds , brasse rings all smell of greed , though not of perfect wit , then hang not downe thy head , for lack of trash : let craesus be , thy lydian mappe ! he 'le fit thy greedy humours , with a falling dash : all which are shades , of floating vanities , mans onely constant , in unconstancies . shall rich saturnia , with her cramming gold ? deceive my heart , and move my minde to swell : or with false lookes , vaine hopes to me unfold ? to snare my thoughts , which vertue may expell : a figge for worldly baits ; a tush for greed ! for being poore , i me rich in having need . and why ? 'cause povertie , that is so light , as being weigh'd , in ballance with the winde , doth hang aloft : then can not seeme no weight ! nor dare to sit , as sad , on my free minde : say , if it should , it were some fainting thought would me deject ; for povertie is nought . then all my riches , is content i see , a stock more sure , than wealth can worldlings lend : poore was i borne , and as poore must i die , unlesse good luck , a chest , to death extend : get i a sheet , to wrappe up my dead bones , i 'me richer far than gold , or precious stones . seven foot of ground , and three foot deep i crave , the passing bell , to sound mine obsequie : gold , lands , and rents , the living world i leave , else if i smart , by streames , by flouds , or sea : then shall some fishes belly , be my grave , no winding sheet , my corps shall need to have . but stay ! what passion , thus diverts my minde ? dust shall to dust , and earth to earth returne ; if i can here , true peace of conscience finde , what losse ? what trash ? what crosse ? can make me mourne : for when laid low , and having lost this frame , my soule shall mount to heaven , from whence it came . the soule it is , of heavenly substance fram'd , breathd in at mans nostrils , by his maker ; a sprit invisible , gods image nam'd , with whom of essence , infinite partaker : will , mem'rie , knowledge , faculties divine , are my soules socialls , reasondo confyne . will , is to rule , and knowledge to conceave , and memorie , a locall power assumes ; knowledge , as chief , makes understanding crave a league with love , whose worke true blesse resumes : lo ! there 's the fruit , of this coelestiall mould ! which never here shall rot , nor hence grow old . then teach me , lord ! to count my slyding dayes , that i to wisedome , may my heart apply : so shall thy statutes , guyde my slipprie wayes , and circumspection , all my actions try : who knew his date of life ? and might attaine it ? would learne to live well , else he would disdaine it . we 're apt to note , the lives of other men , but not our owne ; selfe-love , our sense divides ; like two ships , under saile , and one course , ken ? both sailers think , each other swifter glides than their owne ship : so we can check and show the lives of others , and our owne misknow : our haires growne gray , our desires then grow greene , and after earthly things , we hunt amaine ; we love this world so well , as oft it s seene ! that we are dead with grief , ere death hath slaine us with destruction : age would faine be young , to nurse the serpent , that his soule hath stung . man lives like him , who fell into a pit , yet caught a grippe , by a branch'd tree , and hung above his head , a hony combe did sit , whence his deep appetite , delight had wrung : below two gnawing wormes , razing its roote , the treefals downe , and greed devourd the fruit . the pit our grave , the tree , this mortall life , this hony combe , vaine pleasures of the world ; two gnawing wormes , the speedy thiftu'ous strife , of night and day , wherein our dayes are hurld : timeclouds our light , the glasse is runne , we fall , downe to the dust , where death triumphs o're all . then darknesse covers man , he mouldring rots , earth gluts him in her wombe , away he goes ! his better part , resumes one , of two lots , no shade , nor sepulchre , can it enclose : it either mounts above , or falls beneath , there is no midst , can stop , or stay its path . each course is violent , faith conquers heaven , by force and wrestling , in the way of light ; vvhich strait is , and few enter : most are driven downe to the gulfe , of ever-sorrowing night : that way is broad , where numbers , numberlesse , fall in earths cell , plungd in cursd wofullnesse . such as the life's , so frequently the death , the divels deceit , prolongs us in delay : then wouldst thou flee that pestilence ? set faith against temptation : runne the happy way that leads to life : make thy confession cleare ! and beg for peace , then mercy will draw neare . yet ah ! how fraile am i ? how weak ? how wretchd ? that even my conscience , trembles at my cace : alas ! poore sleeping soule ! how art thou stretchd ? in drousie dulnesse , void of good , and grace : pluck up thy selfe , condole , confesse , convert , and strive to stand , although thy steps divert . the compasse stands not , solide to the pole , though with the loadstone , any point is touchd ; but hath some variation , we controle , to the east or west , as hourely is avouchd : so none of our best deeds , though touchd with grace , points god amaine , deflection marres our pace . which made saint paul , ingenuously confesse , that by himselfe , he nothing knew , nor could be thereby justify'd ; 'cause his digresse was judg'd by god ; the loadstone true that would point forth each point ; and yet forget , forgive , the least , the maine , the guilt , for which we grieve . the woman for adultrie , been accusde , was brought to be adjudgd before our lord : their thoughts he saw , and what deceit they usde ; they fled , she stood , and found misericord : woman ( said he ) thine adversars are gone , i le not condemne thee , mercy is my throne . how good and gracious , was the light of grace , that purgd , and pardond , this woman unrequested : she 's gone , and freed , the law could take no place , no roome for moses , when his master feasted : for why ? from double death , he set her free , the judge was pleader , he discuss'd the pleye . alas ! when i recall , preteriat times , what losse finde i , in my lost dayes and deeds : for morall slips , a world of weightier crimes , and to condemne me , justice , judgement pleads : yet stay sad soule , conceive , confesse , condole , with me my sinnes , my frailties i le controule . what frivole fancies , flow from my flowne minde ? which often blinde my judgement ; and divert my better aimes ; whilst reason can not finde the cause of such delusions ; for i smart in their velocitie ; abusing will , they thrall combustion , to assist their ill . what foolish prancks , in gesture , deed , or word ? what fond conceits , in flash-flowne merryments ? what scoffing squibs , which taunting mocks afford ? what idle straines , in vaine spent complements ? have i not done ; and in such actions quick , to foole my fellows , with a jeering trick . this thought , that surmise , this flash , that reglance , of suddaine , motions , else of flowne conceats : more voluble they were , than wide-wingd chance ! which tops all things , all where , and at all dates : there 's nought more swift than fancie , nought more fond , more light than winde , which flees , and is not found . then , lord , ingraft in me , a constant heart , sound , grave , and solid , holy , wise , and just : prudent in much , and provident in part , that all , my all , may in thy mercies trust : rule thou the ruther of my foggy minde , lest in dark mists i wander , and turne blinde . bring me unto my selfe , from outward things , and from my selfe , even to thy selfe , bring me ; that i in chast will , and pure desirings , may be like thee , as i 'me in nature : see ? lord set me wholly , ●on fire with thy love , that my lights , and delights , in thee may move . this worlds a mappe , of transitorie toyes ! which to expostulate , were labour lost ; a shaddow mask'd , with hypocritick joyes , fals in the face , and hollow in the cost : and what 's our love , or life ? when dead , ere rotten ? our short stay here , is presently forgotten . man like to vapour melts , wealth as the winde , doth flee away ; and honour like fond dreames , dissolves to nought ; so parentage we finde unnaturall oft : yea , children by extreames , rebellious grow : so mighty men grow meane , and meane men great ; this change is daily seene . would god mens sonnes , could learne how storks they do ! who , when their old growne weake , diseasde , distrest , their young ones beare them , on their backs ; and lo ! they flee with them all where , from nest , to nest ; with care they keep them , bring them what they need , though they them selves , have their owne young to feed . it s strange aetheriall love , should passe humane ! for our young brood , would have their parents die ; that they might get their goods , and thereby gaine , if poore , so want , they will them straight denie : nay , slight them , scorne them , raile on their distresse , thus they decline , and here their wretchednesse . ( lovelesse age ! you might this fault amend ! and pittie nature , gave you life to live ; be not like vipers , for to make an end of these , who did , your blood and beeing give ; if not the turtle , play the eagles part , since parents are , your pelicanes in heart . all thinges runne contrare , in a head-strong change , the world growes grim , mens hearts grow false and double ; twixt sonne and father , this is nowayes strange , to see each one , forsake anothers trouble : nay , friends , familiars , blood , kinred , mother , live most in strife , no love 'twixt one another . so elements are changd , in part from nature , but above all , the earth growes bare and old ; the moones prest influence , failes in some creature , short falls her force : the sunne growes tyrde and cold , and seasons frozen ; the airie clouds convert in boistrous windes : most climes ! like tributes part . most grounds grow barren , and their fruits are blasted , and bestiall perish , by depressing stormes : the aire 's , intemperate , and the fields ly wasted with nipping frosts , and canker spoiling wormes : nay , mens conditions change , and christian love growes worse then barbarous , we hourely prove . mercy , good lord ! grant mercy , for thy name is mercy , mercy , lord of kinde compunction : father of pittie , compassion we claime , lover of love , thou life of loves conjunction : come patient syre ! o thou long suffring god! and slow to anger ; come ! spare thy threatning rod . looke downe on christendome , this westerne world , whose lands , ( with fatall sword ) are drunk with blood where kings and kingdomes , in combustions hurld ! turne spectacles of scorne , to pagans rude : there is no nation , within christian bounds , that suffers not disasters , threats , or wounds . the infidell beholds , and swearing sayes , that our religion , is a bare profession : for christs dishonourd , in our ambitious wayes , no faith we show , farre lesse of truth confession : pryde , puft with malice , is our christian marke , deceit , despight , our daylie divelish wark . here wounds , there bloud , here death , and there disasters , here mothers mourning , for their slaughterd sonnes : there widdows weeping , servants for their masters : here helplesse orphanes , bursting forth starv'd groanes : there sisters for their brothers , sorrowing sore , last fatall framelings , one another gore . this universall scourge , is grievous great , for kinred , nor alliance , nought can swage : faith , for performance , breeds but greater hate : deep words and seales , turne reason ragg'd in rage , kinde honesty is fled , true love exyld , and conscience with deceitfulnesse defyld . looke on this halfe europian angry face ! and thou shalst see , the mother of mischiefe ! point forth at rome , that hollow hellish place , eye but her prelats , hatchers of our grief ! and thou shalft finde , that antichristian whoore ! would nought but millions , for one life devoure . she hunts her hounds abroad , and they obey , some worke , some runne , some plot , some poyson nobles ; some treason hatch , some murder ! what they say , is fac'd with sophistrie ; perjurie doubles their mentall muttrings : the jesuites their trumpet ! must sound the cruelties , of that babell strumpet . at home , we have at home ! at home , alace ! a world of woes , and rogueries of like kinde : i could , i would , i should , bewray this cace ! i dare , but dare not , signifie my minde : that faction is so strong , and i so weake , that thrice the prison , they my lodging make . they bragge like butchers , of their beastly deeds , and laugh at cruelty , as at a play ? their hornes they push , and policie them leads , nought but mischief , their head-strong course can stay : and glutting gape , to have old rotten rome erect'd our mistresse , else them selves consume . what kinred can they claime , to tybers banks , ( the river shallow , and in summer dry ) we have gods word , and they posternall blanks , the light here shines , with them doth darknesse lye : or shall the truth , in foppish relicks rest , that were to britaine , an egyptian pest . but stay , o stay ! long have i liv'd , and liv'd to see their blindnesse , in dejections fall ; i know their wayes , and at their lives have griev'd , they pierce our wills , and we their projects thrall : is any under sunne , so well acquainted , vvith them , as i , whose body they tormented . they wish that malaga had burnt me quick , as doom'd i was so , by spaines inquisition : whose tortures ( ah ! ) fast to my bones doestick , and vexe mesore , with pangs of requisition : great god avenge't , confound them ; and restore me to my health ; for i le debord no more . lord , give me grace , of all things to praise thee , who never leaves thine owne , left in distresse : thou first discoverd , then deliver'd me , a worke of love , beyond my hopefulnesse , i sought , thou wrought , then did enlarge my life , free from destruction , last , from papall strife . now to observe my method , i le returne to square construction , with deploring saints : then here 's my rule , i le both rejoyce and mourne , for teares bring joy , when mercy crownes complaints : the just man sinnes , seven times a day ; and i full seventy seven times , may each houre descry . oh! if mine eyes ! like arathusean springs , ( fled greece to syracuse ) could yeeld three fonts : one to bewaile originall sinne , stings the life of nature ; the other ( ah ! ) amounts to actuall trespasse ; the last , and worst comes in , to consuetude , a deadly dangerous sinne . yet as the malefactour , when set free from death and pardond ; his heart is overjoyed ; or as the prisner , set at libertie , which long before , he never had enjoyed : so man , when freed from sinne , and satans clawes , his soule triumphs , and loves religious lawes . a ●hipwrackt man , cast on some planke to seeke , the safe set land ; which got , how glad is he ? so shipbroke sinners , in some stormie creek , of sinfull seas , and sterne iniquitie : beene free to coast the shoare of grace , and landed , more greater joy , than theirs , nev'r soule commanded ▪ a wandring sonne , long forraniz'd abroad , in parents hopes , left desolate , or slaine : yet when returnd , and shaken off the load of strangers rites ; how they rejoyce amaine ? so saints , so heavens , so angels joy , when changd , one sinner turnes , who long from god hath rangd ! these teares at babell spent , on tigris banks , where euphrates salutes , that stately station : sowre-set hebraick plaints , powr'd forth by ranks , of mourning captives , banishd from their nation , and sions face : o sad judaick songs ! wailing for sinne , and sterne chaldean wrongs . none of their teares were lost , they pierc'd the heavens , whence kinde compassion , free deliv'rance sprung , god from his deoperculate cherubins ! ●mbracd these feares , his chosen flock had stung : then mordecais sackcloth , queene esthers woes , wrought hamans death , made israel to rejoise . thus teares , and pale repentance , brought reliefe , though once exyld , see now , they 're back-reclaimd : the least construction , bred from godly griefe , begets like mercy , mercy stands proclaimd : at heavens court gate : for christ the trumpet sounds ! and bids all sinners come , he 'le heale their wounds . vvho pleads for peace , shall mercie finde with god , the oyle of grace , shall oyle their stinking gores ; all fatigating soules , griev'd with the load of sinne , may come , whose case remorse deplores : for sanctify'd crosses , all just mens troubles , are not prest sorrows ; mercy ! comfort doubles . i never finde affliction , fall on me , vvithout desert ; for god is true and just : nor shall it come , and without profit be , for god is good , as mercifull i trust : then welcome all afflictions sent from god , he whom he loves , he chastens with his rod . vvho loves his childe , administers correction , and keeps him under awe , cause of complainers ; yet notwithholds , kinde natures best affection , but curbes his will , to rectifie his manners : much more gods love abounds , cause we are fraile , and playes the jayler , then becomes our baile . he lets us fall , that he may raise us up , and though we sinke , we can not headlong drowne , by gentle stripes , he represents the cup vvhich christ drunk of ; our patience for to crowne : as peter sunke , then shrunke , was twice recall'd , so if we sinke , or slyde , we are not thralld . the love of god is free , his mercy gracious , there 's no constraint , binds god , to pittie man ; but of free will , would make our soules solacious , to glorifie his goodnesse ; if we can but apprehend by faith , what he hath done . for us , through christ , his onely righteous sonne . man pondring on his momentany dayes , may well conceive , the brevitie of time : from which extract , he should contract the praise of him , who hastes , to short the sense of slime : and if it were not , for his owne elect , he would prolong the day , and speed neglect . what is this age of ours ? much like a span ; yea ; like the water buble , shent , as swelld ; even as the glyding shade , so fadeth man , or like the morning grasse , soone sprung , soone quelld : nay , like the flowre which falls , then rots ere noone , so melt our dayes , and so our dayes are done . and yet what are our dayes , the longest liver ? as one man once , i saw , seven score yeares old : nay , diverse six score , health was such a giver of lengthning time , ere they returnd to mould : and yet a dreame , whose larger halfe of life , was spent in sleep , the rest in toile and strife . oh! if ambitious men ! their ends were showne ! that like the froth , do beat on rocks of death : that shadow short , from a fled substance flowne , much like a dreame , so vanisheth their breath : then would their deeds , forbeare to tyranize , the just might live , and offer sacrifice . but ( ah ! ) their thundring spight ! liket'a storme thuds ! and boasting men , would thereby god upbraid ; the light they scorne , and in infernall clouds , would smother vertue , with a sanguine spade ; is not this christian world , with bloud o'rewhelmde ? their swords with strife , their heads with hatred helmde . see! godlesse tyrants , tyrannizing still , and scourging saints , themselves they scourge with shame : like nimrod they , gainst heaven will have their will ! though justice , in sad judgements plague the same : at last , behold ! where they themselves sojourne , their threatning swords , back in their bosome turne . when dionisus for tyranny had fled , he kept a schoole , in calabria , eight yeares : at montecilion , opposite indeed to sicilie ; which he at last endeares : a king to turnea schoolemaster , was strange ! but back to turne a king , a rarer change . in this our age , what kings have beene dis-thrond , detect'd , cast downe , last banish'd from their bounds : i could recite , and where th'injust were crownd , and princes headlong , hurled from their grounds : pryde fosterd spight , with them the ulcer brecks , which gored the harmelesse , broke ambitious necks . would god mens choler , could with patience lurke ! to blunt the edge of anger , and to curbe with job their passion ; let forbearance worke the stress'd athenian suffring : not disturbe times meek-fac'd calmenesse , prosperous in peace . with which no soile , more blest was , once than greece . have i , said athens , beene the mother nurse ! of lib'rall airts , and science , natures light ; and now my carcase , beares the vulgar curse , of spartaes scorne ; and lacedemon spight : shall malice tread on vertue ? shall disgrace ? of neighbours hate , on my gold tresses trace . though thirty one invaders on me prey , each one triumphing , in anothers ill : yet flexe i not , though forc'd for to obey , no pride shall presse my patience ; nor good will , gaine me to flatter : nor puft tyrants shall bruise me in pieces , though i suffer thrall . yet was her virgine body , made a whoore to ev'ry proud insulter ; and her fame a strumpets voice : whom mars did once defloure , and turning harlot , robd her vestall name : the victors glutting , on her vanquishd spoyles , made griefe guide sorrow ; fortune fixt her foyles . in this digression , take a morall note , from slaughterd athens , now a village left ; that all beginnings , ( not their endings ) quote , have floorishd faces , from their spring-tyde reft : their medium is not long , the morne is all , and then their end , in lumps of fragments fall . what once was ilium ? tyrus now calld sur ? and ninivie , whose ruines are ruind : seven ported thebes , rich in silks and furre , and carthage , africks glory , now declind : nay , save of three , some monuments are showne , the other two , their seats , are hardly knowne . so antioch , whence sprung the christian name , and sions dame , judeas sacred citie : yea , alexandria , famous in her fame , with babylon , the remaindure of pittie : though not like jericho , a lumpe of stones , they 're but rent relicks , of their former ones . a wondrous thing of nature , i observe , when xerxes cross'd , the hellespontick sea : in greatest grandure , then begunne to swerve from princely courage , staid dexteritie : where when the pontick waves , with troups were cled , of numbers , numberlesse , and he the head . then brust he forth in teares , and wept amaine , ( gazing on thousands , which his puissance brought ) and said , this sight , and all this glorious traine ! within an hundred yeares , shall come to nought : i weep ( said he ) 'cause nothing here can stay , but like full streames , they slide , and steale away . my horse , my chariots , engynes , men of warre , and souldiers strong , shall all dissolve in dust ; my spight 'gainst greice , and their imperious jarre , my greed of honour , their revenge injust , which sardis bore : shall eftsoone be as they , had never beene , so mortall things decay . thus mournd this pagan king , whose rule may learne most moderne tymes , to waile like consequence : for in which mappe , true judgement may discerne , that ancient dayes , had full experience of natures frailtie , changings , mortals being , whose restlesse course , was sight-lost shadows flying . so day and night , on two extreames depend , either to lengthen , or to shorten prest : the restlesse tides , like alterations spend , by cynthias waxing , waining is exprest : the seasons runne , foure times the yeare about , and are renewd ay , as their times go out . no state doth solide stand ; man most mutable ! in fortune , or himselfe , each leaving other : he carelesse fled from meanes : if disputable ? his meanes are fled from him , to court another : what 's mine to day , to morrow may be thine , and what 's thine now , next day , it may be mine . nor is their health in beauty , nor in strength , of body soundnesse : subject to disease , is ev'ry creature ; young and old at length , shall feele infirmities ; natures worst unease , graft in corruption : none can sicknesse shunne , but he must suffer , ere his glasse be runne . such sowre flagelloes , are the rods of nature , to whippe the childe of lust , with sound correction : cause why ? they 're moulds , where grace renews each creature , and makes chastisements , signifie affection : nay , they 're preparatives , against sterne death , beene fenc'd with patience , flankd about with faith . all which denote , men should not fixe their hearts , on transitorie things , or trash below : all under sunne , in whole , in rest , or parts , are emblemes of inconstancie i know : man , beast , and tree , wealth , honour , health , and fame , are but crost changelings , of this changing frame . what 's heere ( beholde ! ) but toyle , and worldlie losses ? sinne , shame , and sorrow , trouble , griefe , and scorne , spight , strife , and malice , ignorance , and crosses , adversities sterne face ; friendship forlorne : pryde flankd with povertie , tyrants infliction , of gall'd oppression , to adde distresse affliction . such passive moods , are frequent growne , that now old crazd calamitie , begins to quiver : both rich and poore , live timerous , and how ? the one to keep what 's got : the others feaver , burnes for to get , the first , fears losse , and trembles , the seconds patience , with content dissembles . in citie , court , and countrey , here 's their fall , deceit , deceives them , with deceitfull stings ; but most in royall mansions ! there 's the gall ! where sophistrie , speaks two contrary things : and neither thinks to do : here flattrie stands , to blinde the truth , there ambodextrate hands . then blest are they ! who live at home in rest , and neither follow court , nor courtly toyes : that life is sweet , and of all lives the best , for homely houlds , are chargd with privat joyes : most courtiers mouthes , seeme kind , with hearts as hollow as derne sybillas hall , which few can follow . to day they smile , and promise what you would , and fill stress'd suppliants , with inunding hopes : to morrow as unkinde , and frozen cold , and tramp in dust , their suiters sad-sought scopes : unlesse their palmes , you oynt , with sov'raigne ore , your suite is lost , and you left to deplore . the very dunse , that yesterday was base , when having got an office , looks as hie as skie-set clouds , then will cast downe his face , and squinke acquaintance , to have courtesie : this ruffian , who did homage thee before , now thou must beck to him and him implore . tell courtiers of repentance , they will mock ! and turne their teares in taunts , and scoffing jests ; he who feares god , they hold him as a block , its vice and foolerie , their conceit digests : they never dreame of judgement , nor of death , but spend in complements , their flattering breath . let none mistake , nor misconstruct my minde , i meane of courts , in generall all where ; there 's good and bad , in any hollow kinde , both men and beasts , in this may claime their share : a savage , i have found , as kinde in part , as best thought christians , save the noble heart . all i desire , and what my soule can wish ! is that the truth may stand , and vertue flourish ; lo ! there 's the daintie , of an holy dish ! to feed poore soules , and humble ones to nourish : and for this cause , each one should pray with other , gods word may prosper , and his church our mother . lord spread the mantle , of thy mercy round about the borders , of her glorious shrine ; enlarge her power ; let earths remotest bound , stand for the limits , of her light divine : that thou who on bright cherubins doth ride , may guide , and guard , the beauty of thy bride . i 'le dive no more in sinne , and crooked wayes of rotten nature , which corruption brings : nor from the worlds example , draw these strayes of th'head-strong multitude ; confusion stings : i le lay about the ruther of my minde , to keep a safer loofe , and thirle the winde . what rapt coelestiall , forceth my desire ? to be dissolv'd ; my soule may mount aboue , to see these joyes , that blesse , that glorious hyre ? which saints enjoy ; lifes ever-springing love ! my hope resumes , i might as happy rest , in pleasures there , as they are happy blest . now i returne ( good god turne thou to me ) as travellers , who have been long abroad ; are forc'd by love , their soile and friends to see , no rest , till then , their hearts , the way have trode : so i 'me estrangd , my countrie is above , heaven is the place , thou lord , my light , my love . great is the glory , of thy glorious face ! enstall'd with angels ; saints , and martyres gone : set fore the throne , with legions of each race , singing applauses , to that blessed one , the lambe of love ; our advocate , thy sonne , who by his death , wrought our salvation . fixe fast my thoughts , to the tree of thy crosse , draw all the forces of my soule to thee : lift up my heart , let me renounce the drosse , and dregs of ill ; let me aspire on hie ! and walke 'twixt feare and love , in all my deeds , as thou 'twixt justice , and mercy proceeds . thy vertues are for us , sufficient great , like as the sunne it shines , the world all where ; yet ev'ry man , enjoyeth so much heat , , as if it shinde to him , in proper share : so are thy graces , infinite , and we enjoy the fruits of their felicitie . but what ? our lives are short , so are our dayes ! except in troubles ! miseries , alace ! our continuance certaine , in uncertaine wayes , no time of death is knowne , to us nor place : gods will is so , to have us still prepard , and set on watch , lest that our steps be snard . each minutes life , steps forward to sterne death , and ev'ry act , robs some part of our life ; like him who sailes in ships , and action hath in toylesome paines , yet forward flees his strife : we can not twice returne in natures state , 'cause time runs post , and can make no retreat . my sunne of life , hath his meridian past , and plungd i am , in th'after-noone of age ; the night of nature , fastens on me fast ! and death waits closse , to pull me from this stage : but lord , thou wilt not , leave my soule in grave , let ly the corps , they 'le once conjunction have . now having sung , of deep remorse , and teares , lord ! save me from these weeping teares of hell ; which grief declares , and ever-gnashing feares ! for losse of joy ; and sense of horrours fell : who would not here , a few spent teares disclose , shall there be waile , in floods of bitter woes . as sea-bred fishes , never saltnesse wed , but still their bodies , stay both sweet and fresh : so grant my soule , that 's with corruption cled , may live as pure , not medling with the flesh : but sinne begins first , in the sillie soule , and ends into the body , base and soule . what shall i say ? when mans rot in disease , and ulserd sore , the phisitian draws neare , to give him pills and potions , worke his ease , and lets him blood , he may his health endure : much more christs bloud , can purge and cleanse the soule , of all uncleannesse , pardon what is foule . then to great jove , the mighty king of kings , i le prostrate fall , on my low bended knees ; to beg for mercy , mercy comfort brings , and joy of sprit , works peace from gushing eyes : so lord of lords ! sweet christ , what i would have ? is knowne , and showne , i call , i cry , i crave . now by these words , whom seek you , and confession , by thy breath , made the sergeants backward fall ; by that care rouzd thine , slumbring in digression , by thy pangs in gethsemane , one , and all : by that power and patience , fore anne exprest , by that prophecie , of cajaphas the priest . by that deep agony , of bloud and sweat , by these sore scourgings , spittings on thy face , by these rough nailes , piercd thy hands and feet , by all these mockings , done thee for disgrace : by that sharpe speare , which smote thy tender heart , by that viniger thou drunk , and gall of smart . by that crowne of thornes , thrust on thy bare head , by these blood sprinklings , downe thy face that fell : by that heavy crosse , on thy shoulders spread , by thy descending downe , in earths dark cell ; by that great power , of thy great resurrection , by thine ascension : o profound election ! by thy five bleeding wounds , i thee implore , and by the vertue , of thy death and passion ; by that purple roabe , forc'd in scorne thou wore , by all these taunts , these ruffians spent for fashion : nay , by that superscription , wrote for news , jesus of nazareth , king of the jews . by thy nativitie , and incarnation , yea , by these words , mother behold thy sonne , and sonne , behold there , thy consolation ! go live , and live in peace , live both as one : nay , by this moode , for heavie was thy load . why thus forsakst thou me , my god my god : by thy baptisme , fasting , humiliation , by all thy miracles , and wonders done : by these teares thou shed , and transfiguration on tabor seene : as thou art christ , gods sonne : save , shield , and shelter , my designes , my wayes , for my souls health , and thine eternall praise . nay , by , and for , and from , thy selfe i beg , for pittie , grace , and pardon , free remission of all my sinnes : o cleanse me the least dreg , that lurkes within my temple ; thy possession : let all be cleane , lo ! there 's the totall summe ! my soule implores , come now , lord jesus come . great king of ages ! monarch , of all times ! thou first , and last , is , was , and ever blest ! redeemer , unredeemd ! purger of crymes ! thou light , of lights , thou mans sole-soveraigne rest : encrease , in me thy sprit , infuse thy grace ! confirme my heart , show forth thy loving face . sweeter than hony ! or the hony combe ! life , light , and love , all goodnesse , peace , and grace ! sonne of mercy ! that in blest maries wombe incarnate was ; left heaven thy mansion place ; where now thou art , and art all where ; come see ! my heart , my help , my health , depend on thee . in thee i rest , lord ! sanctifie my hope , in thee i trust , lord ! fortifie my faith ; in thee i grow , lord ! fructifie my scope , in thee i walk , lord ! rectifie my path : in thee i stay , in thee i live , and die : in thee i move , in thee above i flie . lord ! grant thy grace may make these teares so blest ! ( and blesse them all , shall them peruse for blis ) that godly griefe , may in their blessings rest , remorsefull soules , whose teares implore for this : lord ! pittie me , lord ! pardon my transgression , lord ! cleanse my heart ; lord blesse thou this confession finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a e- applic● on , an● vocati● ●mble 〈◊〉 the creators gre● love towards 〈◊〉 his creatures . ●rists 〈◊〉 love . love co quers h● ven . 〈◊〉 con●ions . distin●ion twixt ●orldly ●d godly ●ares . the repugnanc● of ill and good . ●ntrary 〈◊〉 . thewo is a map of evils . ●hrists ●res over ●rusalem . we sh● not des● but ho● for me● impene● trable counsel the ●orks of ●ation . 〈◊〉 of man● . ●ds ●orks ●evv his ●odhead . ●ns in●mities . mans beauty , summers blossome . ●elf-love ●ules the ●orld . sinne , and the causes of sin . mans life awarfare ▪ deceitful greed . jonah dis●ered . ●ul con●ed . gods omnipotency . repugnant comparisons . the ●eaknesse , ●nd ●hanges of ●ur nature . an objection between man and beast . the pang of hell . prayer and meditation , two heavenly exercises . the effects of prayer . christs wounds our healt● the instabilitie 〈◊〉 man . wicked men delite to make the simple sinne . moments pleasures , eternall paine . will overcomes reason . sighes an● teares are holy sacri fi●es . the godly ●ometime all , and ●e recalld . joshua's gratefuln● to racha● jesus at jericho saved zacheus . ●acelesse ●quence ●rd obdu●nce . worldly wisedome ●nd pride 〈◊〉 . saikles er●vie retor● reply . wormes are sepulchrall mates . man headlong falls . the lake marona● fathers jordan . godly teares ' saving grace ▪ ●obs pati●ce and ●nstancy . love the lord for his loves sake . gods lo● our life . the bre●itie of life corruption corrupteth all things . the povver an● varieties 〈◊〉 corruptio● the vicissitude of fortune . noah first set vines and first was drunk with it . lots drunkennesse begot incest . the shame full effects of drunkennesse . beasts and philosophers condemne excesse . no perfection in humane knowledge great defects in greatest saints . daniels dainties , poore mens plen●es . ●ges ●e better ●en bad ●ristians . in prayer use few words and many tea● christs silence , and patience . davids teares wet his couch . god accepts the will for the deed . christ is our physician . the insolencie of youth . delay in repentance is dangerous . youth and age are disagreeing . continencie by pagans commended . a brief tract of bitter repentance . peters confession ▪ peter reprehending himself peters tears consummated in peace . the blessed fruits of godly tears . mortalitie is miserable . mans a pilgrime here . our heavenly jerusalem . sions tears sions beauty . sions crosses . sinfull ●ust suddain darknesse . plenty of mercy . ●hrists ●ssion ●r salva●on . magdalen● teares . christ reveals himself to mary magdalen . fire hath two properties . ther'si no flying from gods presence . god ●aves the heart . greed breeds en● . a contempt of riches . the immortall substance of the soul . the misery and shortnesse of life . frailtie and falling follow man . the varieties of vanitie . ●gratefull ●ildren to ●ed pa●ts . elemental changes . the present miseries of christendome . the craftinesse a● cruelty of rome . compari●ons of ●reedome ●om sin . the jewish tears on babilons banks . correction begets awe . short and evil are our dayes . athens made the mother and mi●our of miseries the inconstancie of worldly pride . ambitious xerxes , bewailing the brevitie of life . this lif● is loaden with cro●ses . the flat●ry of ●ourts . sions prosperities prayed f● the sun ●ines on ●e good ●d bad . our day nor time , can never returne . ●rist is ●r phy●ian . the sufferings and passion of christ . sins overthrow: or, a godly and learned treatise of mortification wherein is excellently handled; first, the generall doctrine of mortification: and then particularly, how to mortifie fornication. vncleannes. evill concupiscence. inordinate affection. and, covetousnes. all being the substance of severall sermons upon colos. iii. v. mortifie therefore your members, &c. delivered by that late faithfull preacher, and worthy instrument of gods glory iohn preston, dr. in divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his majestie, master of emanuel colledge in cambridge, and sometimes preacher of lincolnes-inne. preston, john, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc estc s this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) sins overthrow: or, a godly and learned treatise of mortification wherein is excellently handled; first, the generall doctrine of mortification: and then particularly, how to mortifie fornication. vncleannes. evill concupiscence. inordinate affection. and, covetousnes. all being the substance of severall sermons upon colos. iii. v. mortifie therefore your members, &c. delivered by that late faithfull preacher, and worthy instrument of gods glory iohn preston, dr. in divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his majestie, master of emanuel colledge in cambridge, and sometimes preacher of lincolnes-inne. preston, john, - . preston, john, - . three godly and learned treatises. selections. aut [ ], , [ ], - , [ ], p. printed by i. beale [and augustine mathewes], for andrew crooke, at the blacke beare in pauls churchyard, london : . mathewes's name from stc. the words "fornication. .. covetousnes." are bracketed together on title page. the first leaf is blank. 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reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion sins overthrow : or , a godly and learned treatise of mortification . wherein is excellently handled ; first , the generall doctrine of mortification : and then particularly , how to mortifie fornication . vncleannes . evill concvpiscence . inordinate affection . and , covetovsnes . all being the substance of severall sermons upon coios . iii. v. mortifie therefore your members , &c. delivered by that late faithfull preacher , and worthy instrument of gods glory iohn preston , dr in divinity , chaplaine in ordinary to his majestie , master of emanuel colledge in cambridge , and sometimes preacher of lincolnes-inne . london : printed by i. beale , for andrew crooke , at the blacke beare in pauls churchyard . . the contents . first , in the treatise of mortification . docrine i. the height of glory , which we expect by christ , should cause every man to mortifie sinne . page doct. ii. the frame of our hearts ought ta suit with those conditions that we receive by our union with christ. p. explication . mortification is a turning of the heart from sinne to grace , ibid. mortification called a turning of the heart , because the heart by nature is backward and averse from god , pag. sinne seemingly mortified ; . when the occasion is removed . p . when it is not violent and raging , but quiet . ibid. . when it is but removed from one sinne to another . ibid. . when the conscience is affrighted with the judgements of god. p. . when the strength of nature is spent , ibid. . being restrained from sinne by good education , p. use i. to examine by these rules sinnes mortification , ibid. mortified lusts knowne , . by a deepe humiliation of the soule , p. . by the generality of it , ibid. . by the measure of grace , answering the measure of corruption , p. . by the continuance of them , p. motives to mortification : . there is no pleasure in sinne , p. pleasure in sinne is no true solid pleasure , but a sick pleasure , p. . . the satisfying of lust is an endlesse worke , ibid. . the great danger of sinne , p. . the deceit of sinne , p. sinne deceives foure wayes : . by blinding the understanding , ibid. . by making large promises , p. . by promising departure at our pleasure , ibid. . by making a shew of friendship , ibid. . the rebellion it occasions in us against god , p. . the slavery it brings us unto satan , ibid. use ii. to instruct us that in every regenerate man there is a free-will to doe good , p. the power of a regenerate man consists . in performing any duty god commands , according to the proportion of grace he hath received , p. . inresisting any temptation according to the same measure of grace , p. object . in the regenerate , the flesh lusteth against the spirit , &c. ibid. answ . corruption reignes not , though it may take possession in the heart of a regenerate man ; it exceeds not the measure of grace , ibid : use iii. to exhort us to abstaine from the sinne of the heart , as well as sinne in the outward actions , p. object . men shall be judged by their workes , not by the thoughts of their hearts , ibid. answ . god will judge the thoughts of the heart , as the cause ; the actions , or workes , as the effects . p. use iv. to teach us that no man is so holy , but he needs mortification . ibid. the meanes how to come by mortification , are i. outward . . moderation in lawfull things , p. the danger of excesse in lawfull things , ibid. . vowes and promises , p. the lawfulnesse of vowes , and how they are to be esteemed of , ibid. . the avoyding of all occasion to sinne , p. object . professors being strong in faith , need not avoyd occasions of sinne . p. answ . opinion of strength in faith is a weaknesse in men , for the more feare , the more strength ; besides , habituall grace is but a creature , and therefore not to be relyed on . ibid. . the lawfull exercise of fasting and prayer . ibid. ii. inward : . to get a willing heart , p. . to take paynes about it , p. two errors about mortification : . that all sinnes have a like proportion of labour to mortifie them . p. . that mortification is not a continued worke , p : the fruitlesse pains of papists in afflicting their bodies , &c. ibid. . the assistance of the spirit . p , meanes to obtaine the spirit , are . to know the spirit , p. . not to resist , grieve , or quench him . ibid. what it is to resist , grieve , quench the spirit . p. , . to use prayer , p. . to walke in the spirit . p. . to get a lively faith , p. iustifying faith onely purifieth the heart , p. the holy ghost not essentially but by a divine power dwelleth in the heart . ibid. that mortification goeth before iustifying faith , is an error , p. . to get spirituall ioy. ibid. . to get an humblenesse of minde , p. doctr . iii. that all earthly members are to be mortified , p. members are sinful , exorbitant affections of the soule , p. . for these reasons ; because . they fill up the heart , ibid. . they proceed from the unregenerate part , p. . they are weapons of unrighteousnesse , ibid. . they are deare unto the heart , as any member to the body , ibid. inordinate lust meant by earthly members , p. what it is to be earthly minded , ibid. by the power of nature a man may conceive of spihituall things and yet be earthly minded : . not spiritually , ibid. . not from an heart illightned by the spirit , p. . by the knowledge of his understanding , ibid. a man may come to know spirituall things , and not be renewed . . by seeing a vertue in heavenly things excelling all all other things , ibid. . by being of a noble spirit , ibid. . by seeing holinesse in the children of god , p. . by seeing the attributes of god , ibid. . by feeling the sweetnesse of the promises , ibid. . by beleeving the resurrection to life , ibid. the order of the faculties of the soule , p. whether nature can attaine unto true knowledge , ibid. a naturall man may know spirituall , in their substance , not as a rule of his life , p. heavenly mindednesse is the worke of a new life in a man , ibid. heavenly mindednesse admits increase in knowledge , p. the vnderstanding the seat of heavenly mindednesse , p. an enlightned understanding communicates its to the rest of the faculties ; . by taking away the lets unto good , p. . by withstanding the motions of inordinate passions , ibid. . by laying open the vilenesse of inordinate affections , ibid. . by ruling and guiding them , p. vse i. to reprove such as favour earthly mindednesse , or inordinate affections , ibid. reasons against earthly mindednesse , are i. in respect of men ; . it takes away the excellency of the creature , p. . it wounds the soule , p. ii. in respect of god : it sets up spirituall idolatry in the heart , p. iii. in respect of professors : it is unbeseeming them , and makes them like swine , p. great difference betweene the back-fliding of the saints , and of the wicked , p. back-sliding in the saints is caused , . by hollow hartednesse . . by evill example of men . . by remouall from under a powerful ministery . p. a threefold caveat to the saints . p. divers obiections of earthly mindednesse answered : obiect . . earthly things are present . answ . heavenly things present , as ioy in the holy ghost , &c. are to be preferred before earthly things . p. difference betweene nature and sense , p. obiect . . earthly things are sensibly felt . answ . men are deceived ; for the greater the faculty , the greater the sense . p. a threefold difference betweene the superlour and inferiour faculties . ibid. obiect . . earthly things make us to be well thought of . answ . a good opinion must not be regarded in any thing that shal occasion sinne . p. a remedy against opinion , is a sound knowledge in the word of god. p. obiect . . earthly things seeme of great worth vnto us . answ . they will not doe so , if compared to spirituall things . p. all mens comforts stand in gods face . p. vse ii. to exhort men to leave their earthly mindednesse . p. motives to mortifie our earthly members : . the devill ensnares us by them . ibid. . they binde us fast from god to the devill . p. meanes to obtaine the loathing of earthly things ; . sound humiliation , p. three false grounds thereof , ibid. . the royalty of spirituall things , p. . a constant and diligent watch over the heart , p. meanes to get heavenly mindednesse : . faith , p. a twofold snare of the world , ibid. . humility , p. . a iudgement rightly informed , p. . a sight into the all-sufficiency of god , p. . a remembrance from whence we are fallen , ibid. a comparison betweene a spirirituall and a bodily consumption , p. motives to heavenly mindednesse ; . heavenly things the best obiect , p. . no sweetnesse in earthly things , p. ; for two reasons : because they are mutable , ibid because they either belong to persons that are . good , belonging to god ; and therefore cannot content them , because they draw their affections from god , p. . wicked , unto whom they are not sanctified , p. . no salvation by earthly things , p. god will have all the soule , or none . p. christs two markes of a christian , p. . heavenly things are the better part : proved , ib. by scripture , ibid. a fourefold difference betweene earthly and heavenly things , ibid . by reason , p. . all things are at gods disposing , p. markes to know whether wee have lost our earthly mindednesse . . by the moderation of our care and delight in earthly things , p. signes of the excesse of our delight in them , are . our immoderate desire of getting & keeping them , ib . our excesse in our pleasures and recreations , p. recreation when lawfull . p. . by the esteeme we have of heavenly things , ibid. . by our spirituall taste , whether we rellish heavenly or earthly things best : as the word preached , p. eloquence no ornament to the word preached , p : the word should not be mixed with it , p. how learning and arts are necessary to the preaching of the word , p. ministers should not endevour to please the people with eloquence , p. . by our judgement of heavenly things , p. spiritual knowledge wrought by the spirit , able to judge of . persons , p. . things , p. spirituall renovation is discovered by the affections , p. by the speeches , p. by the actions , p. . by our brooking the word of reproofe , use. to exhort spirituall minded men to grow more and more therein , p. the least sinnes to be avoyded , ibid secret sinnes are to be looked into , p. motives to grow in heauenly mindednesse , are . hereby we are able to doe every good worke , ibid. . hereby god is honoured , p. . hereby we may prevaile with god in prayer , p. a few faithfull prayers may doe much good , ibid. of fornication . doctrine . all vncleannesse is a thing god would have mortified , and quite destroyed out of the hearts that hee would dwell in , pag. doctr . . fornication is a sinne that must be mortified , p. the haynousnesse of this sin of fornication appeares ; i. in the sinfulnesse of it : for , . it is contrary to gods spirit , p. . it makes a strangenesse betwixt god and us , ibid . it is a punishment of other sinnes , p. . it layes waste the conscience , p. . it delights the body more than any other sin , ibid ii. in the punishment of it : for , . god himselfe ●●kes the punishment of it into his owne hand , p. , god reserves filthy persons for an heavy judgement ibid. iii. in the danger of it , p. iv. in the deceitfulnesse of it , p. the deceits of the divel , whereby he enticeth us to this sin , are . hope of repentance , ibid. with considerations against that deceit , p. , . present impunity , p. considerations against it , p. present sweetnesse in sinne , p. considerations against it , p. . the falsenesse of common opinion and carnall reason , p. . hope of secrecie , p. considerations against it , p. use . to exhort all men to cleansethemselves from this filthinesse , p. use . to perswade all men to mortifie the inward corruption , aswell as to abstaine from the outward action , p. tryals whether this lust be mortified : . an vniversall change , p. . an hate an loathing to this sinne , p. . a constant keeping our selves from the acting of this sinne , p. meanes against fornication : . for such as have beene addicted to this sin ; let them . get an humble heart , p. . l●bo●r to bring their hearts to love god , who hath forg●ven so great a sinne , p. . reware lest satan beguile them . . for those that still live in this sinne ; let them labour to get assurance of pardon . endevour to have a sense and feeling of their sinne , p. lay hold on the promises , and apply them . vse abs●●nence and fasting , p. . resolve against it , p. . proportion the remedy to the disease , p. . turne their delights to god and heavenly things . accustome themselves to frequent prayer . p. of vncleannes . doctr . . vncleannesse is one of the siunes that are here to be● mortisied , p. the haynousnesse of the sin of uncleannesse , appears . because it makes the sinner herein , a man of death , . because it is a sinne against nature . . because it is against ones selfe , as selfe-murder . . because god makes it a punishment of other sinnes , p. the deceits of satan to draw men into this sin , are . hope of after-repentance . what repentance is , p. . the deferring of punishment . . the com●on opinion of this sinne , p. . the privatenesse and secrecie thereof . . the present delight they finde in it , p. of evill concvpiscence . doct. i. evill concupiscence is a sinne to b●e mortified , pag. reasons thereof , are , . it will bring forth actuall sinnes , p. . it defiles a man by hiding sinne in his heart , ibid. . it marres all good actions , ibid . it makes gods commandements grievous unto us , p. the nature of evill concupiscence what , p. the sinfulnesse of evill concupiscenee , ibid. the operation of evill concupiscence in conceiving bringing forth sinne . evill concupiscence habituall , actuall , to be mortified , p. all sinne is to be abstayned from , because god forbids it , p. acts to mortification , are . a serious meditation upon mens courses , ibid . a suppressing and keeping downe of lust , p. . a rectifying of the iudgement , p. vsei . to get free from this sinne , p. the wrathof god on the creature works terror in the conscience , ibid. three signes of mortifying this sinne ; . a generall reformation in heart and life , p. . a right iudgement of sin , and a true loathing thereof , p. . actuall abstinence from sinne , p. qvest. whether man after true mortification may fall into the same sinne againe , ibid. answ . he may fall into the act , but not the love of that sin , ibid meanes to the mortification of this sinne , are . a labour for an assurance of pardon for our sinnes , p. . abstinence from all occasion of sinne , p. . a delight in grace and holinesse , p. . ●ervent and hearty prayer , p. of inordinate affection : doctrine . all immoderate affections must be mortified , p. what affections are , p. the appetite double , sensuall , rationall , p. three sorts of affections , naturall , carnall , spirituall , p. affections when inordinate , p. trials of the inordit acy of affections , are . to examine them by the rule ; the rules are . the obiect must be good , p. . the end right . . the measure right . . the order and season sitting . . to examine them by the effects ; the effects are . the disturbance and hi●drance of reason , p. . an indisposition to holy duties , p. . the production of evill actions . . the drawing us from god , p. what it is to mortifie affections inordinate , ibid. keasons why they are to be mortified , are . they are of greatest efficacie and command in the soule , p. . they make us either good or evill . . they make way for satan to take possession of the soule , p. . they are the first movers to evill , p. vse . to exhort us to take pains in the mortification of these inordinate affections , p. meanes to mortifie them , are . knowledge of the disease , p. two wayes to discerne inordinate lusts ; by bringing them to the touch-stone , p. by considering the stops of them . . the iudgement of others concerning them , p. the causes of inordinate affection , are . mis-apprehension , p. remedies against mis-apprehension . to get strong reasons out of the scripture , p. . to get a lively faith , p. . experience of the naughtinesse of them . . example of others . . weakenesse and impotency , p. remedy against that , is to gather strength . . lightnesse of the minde , p. remedy , to finde out the right obiect , which is god. . confusion that riseth in the heart at first rising of them , p. remedy , timely prevention , p. . corruption of nature . p. remedy , to get a new nature . . oue sinne cause and root of another , p. remedy , to pull up the root . god the onely agent of mortification . use . to reprove us for sinfull affections . motives to conquer inordinate affections . . they are the root of all evill , p. . they wound the soule , p. . they breed foolish and hurtfull lusts , p. . they hinder the doing of good actions . . they bring shame and dishonour , p. . they blinde the reason and judgement , p. of covetovsnes . covetousnesse what , p. . why it is called idolatry . doctr . . to seeke helpe and comfort from riches or any other creature , and not from god alone , is vaine and sinfull , p. doctr . . that covetousnesse , which is idolatry , is to bee mortified , p. . reasons that god onely can be comfort unto us , and not the creature , are . god is all-sufficient , p. . the creature is empty and vaine , p. . we commit the sinne of idolatry in giving that to the creature which is due to god. use . to exhort men to abstain frō lusting after worldlythings , p. god can give comfort without riches , p. the creature without the creator is as the huske without the kernell . p. considerations to disswade from trusting in the creature : . the creature of it selfe hath no power to comfort , p. . the creature reaches not to the inward man , p. . a multitude of creatures must goe to the comfort of one man , p. . the comfort of the creature is but dependant felicity , p. whatsoever men leave their children without gods blessing is nothing worth , p. the deceits whereby men are hindred from mortifying this sinne , are . they thinke them gods blessings , p. blessings considered without thankefull reference to god , cease to be blessings . we receive the creatures as blessings . . when we depend on god for the disposing , continuing and want of them . . when wee thinke the same things may bee without comfort unto us , p. . when we thinke we may have comfort without them p. . they apprehend present comfort from the abounding of them , p. we may not judge of outward things by sense and feeling , but by faith , and a rectified reason . to helpe our judgement therein ; consider , . they are but vanity of vanities , p. . what other men , that have bin afflicted , think of thē . what your selves wiljudge of thē at the day of death . what you shall finde them for the time to come . sense of comfort double , preceeding from a refreshing of the heart by the creature : an appprehension of gods fauor in those blessings . ioy in the creature may be a . remisse ioy , as if we ioyed not , p. . loose ioy , that may be cast off . . dependant ioy eying the fountaine , p. they reason falsely . riches come not alwayes by labour , nor comfort by riches , p. . for . god maketh a disproportion betwixt the man and the blessing , p. . god hinders the effects , though the causes eoncurre . . god denieth successe to the causes , p. they see these things present and certain , other things doubtfull and incertaine . earthly things subiect to change , but spirituall things unchangeable . signes to know whether our love to the creature be right or no : consider , . whether our affection to the creature drawes our hearts from god , p. . when earthly and spirituall things come in competition , which we make choyce of . . what our obedience is to god. . what things trouble us most , p. our affection to riches said to be inordinate , p. . when we seeke them ; . by measure more then we should . . by meanes that we should not , p. . for wrong ends , p. . in a wrong manner ; which consists in these particulars : when we seeke them , out of love to them . to trust to them . to be puffed up by them , p. to glory in them . with too much haste and eagernesse . in the desire of riches there is a double content , p. a contentednesse , with a dependance on gods will. . a contentednesse with a submission to gods will. how farre a man may desire wealth , p. a threefold necessity of the creatures . . of expedience . . of condition and place , p. . of refreshment . a desire of riches for superfluity and excesse , sinfull ; for these reasons : . mans life stands not in abundance of excesse . . it proceeds from an evill root , p. . it may not be prayed for . . it is dangerous , for it chokes the word , p. . we have an expresse commandement against it . the end of a mans calling is not to gather riches , but to serve god , p. riches , the wages , not end of our calling . rules to direct our care in getting wealth , p. no going into other mens callings . the end must not be riches , but gods glory . the care must not be inordinate . signes of inordinate care , are . trouble in the acquiring , p. . feare of not attaining . griefe in being prevented . a man is then covetous when he strives not against covetousnesse . covetousnesse spirituall adultery , p. . aggravated in that . it makes men wicked . . it does least good . . riches are but false treasure . . they are not our owne . > a●tributes given to riches , are - they are many things . . they are unnecessary . . they will be taken from us . . they are not the best . use . to exhort men to mortifie this earthly member , covetousnesse , p. meanes thereto , are , . prayer to god. . humility for sinne . . imployment of them to better things . the doctrine of mortification . colossians . . mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth ; fornication , uncleannesse , inordinate affection , evill concupiscence , and covetousnesse , which is idolatrie . this chapter containeth divers exhortations unto heavenly mindednesse , by which the apostle labours to disswade the colossians from corruptible things , unto things not corruptible , but everlasting ; not earthly , but heavenly ; in the which the life of a christian , and true holinesse standeth . in the first verse he beginnes with an exhortation to seeke heavenly things ; if you be risen with christ , seeke those things that are above : that is , if you be risen with christ , and dead unto the fashions of men , then there is an alteration and change in your soules wrought , by which you are brought to affect that which is heavenly , and basely to esteeme of earthly things : therefore , if you be risen ; that is , if this heavenly life , and disposition , and change be in you , then let the same appeare by your heavenly mindednesse ; that is , by seeking of heavenly things . in the second verse he joynes another exhortation grounded on the first , to bee wise and to understand them ; set your affections on things above : that is , let them be specially minded of you , let all your faculties bee filled with a knowledge of spirituall things ; and this is so joyned with the former , that there can be no seeking without knowing ; for how can a man seeke that which he knoweth not ? and if thou hast no knowledge of heaven , and heavenly things , how canst thou desire them ? seeing where there is no desire , there is no seeking : and therefore if thou wouldest seeke heavenly things , as christ , and grace , and salvation , then know them first . afterwards in the third verse he goeth on , and presseth this exhortation with divers arguments ; first , because you are dead : that is , seeing you are dead unto earthly things , therefore strive not now to be earthly minded . secondly , your life is hid with christ : that is , your happinesse is not seene with the eye of the bodie by looking on these earthly things , but your happinesse and joy is by faith beholding christ , therefore set your heart and eye on him , where your life is ; that is , you looke for a perfection of glory with christ , which you cannot have by minding earthly things : therefore be heavenly minded . in the fourth verse the apostle answereth unto a demand : for they might thus object , you tell us that we shall have a perfection of glory , and that it is hid with christ , but when shall we have it ; that is , when shall it be made manifest unto us ? unto this the apostle answers , when christ , who in our life , shall appeare , then shall we also appeare with him in glorie . and hereupon he groundeth another exhortation in the verse i have read : as if he should say , seeing you expect such a perfection of glory to be revealed unto you at christs second comming , then it stands you upon to set upon your corruptions , to kill , and to slay them , that seeke to deprive you of that glory . mortifie therefore , your earthl●e members ; that is , slay every foule affection , inordinate desire of earthly things , rid your hearts of them by slaying of them ; and although it may seeme a hard worke , yet fight still , or else you shall never attaine unto that life you hope for : so that the first generall point hence , is this : that the height of glorie , which we expect by christ , should cause everie man to mortifie sinne . this the apostle makes the ground of our mortification ; if you be risen with christ , seeke the things that are above , mortifie therefore your earthlie members ; that is , except you slay sinne , that hath slaine christ , you cannot get life with christ : surely then , mortification is not as men thinke it , a needlesse worke which matters not much whether it be set upon or no , but this is mens sicknesse ; for , as a man that is sicke thinkes phys●●ke is not needfull , because hee is not sensible of his disease , when as the physician knowes that it is amatter of necessity , and that except hee purge out that corruption and humour of the body , it will grow incurable : even so , except this corruption of nature be purged out , it will-grow incurable ; that is , we cannot be saved : therefore , we know to mortifie sinne , is a worke of necessity , whereupon standeth every mans life and salvation . the second thing which we note , is this : that the frame of our hearts ought to suit with those conditions that wee receive by our union with christ. and this also the apostle makes another ground of mortification ; if you be risen with christ , seeke heavenly things , and therefore labour to mortifie your inordinate affections , and sinfull lusts , that so the frame of your hearts , and disposition thereof , may suit with heavenly things : as if he should say , you professe your selves to be risen with christ ; that is , that you are in a more excellent estate than you were in by nature , and you expect a perfection of glory ; then it must needs follow , that the frame of your hearts must suit with your conditions ; that is , you must bee such as you professe your selves to be ; and this cannot be , except you mortifie sinne , all inordinate affections , all worldly lusts , all immoderate care for earthly things : thinke not to get grace , salvation , and eternall life , except first you slay your corruptions and lusts ; for mortification is a turning of the heart from evill to good , from sinne to grace : or , it is a working a new disposition in the heart , turning it quite contrary : or else it may bee said to bee the slaying of that evill disposition of nature in us . now wee must know , that howsoever mortification is a deadly wound given unto sinne , whereby it is disabled to beare any rule or commanding power in the heart of a regenerate man , yet we say , mortification is not perfect ; that is , it doth not so slay sinne , that we have no sinne at all in us , or that wee cease to sinne ; for in the most regenerate and holiest man that lives , there is still the sap of sinne in his heart : a tree may have withered branches by reason of some deadly wound given unto the root , and yet there may remaine some sap in the root which will in time bring forth other branches : so it is with a regenerate man , there may a deadly wound be given unto sinne , which may cause inordinate affections to wither , and yet notwithstanding some sap of sinne may remaine , which had need still to be mortified , lest otherwise it bring forth other branches . mortification is not for a day only , but it must be a continuall worke ; when thou hast slayne sinne to day , thou must slay it tomorrow , for sinne is of a quickning nature , it will revive if it be not deadly wounded , and there is seed in every sinne which is of a spreading nature , and will fructifie much ; therefore . when thou hast given a deadly wound unto some speciall corruption , rest not there , but then set upon the lesser ; mortifie the branches of that corruption ; and so much the rather , because it will bee an easie worke to overcome the common souldiers , and to put them to flight , when the generall is slaine . wee call mortification a turning of the heart ; the heart by nature is backward from god ; that is , it minds and affects nothing but that which is contrary to god , it is wholly disposed to earthly things ; now mortification alters and changes the heart , turning it from earthly to heavenly things ; even as a river that is stopt in its usuall course is now turned another way ; so mortification stops the passage of sinne in the soule , turning the faculties , the streame of the soule , another way : the soule was earthly disposed , the mind , the will , and affections were wholly carried after earthly things , but now there is a new disposition wrought in the soule , the minde and affections are wholly set upon earthly things ; before he was for the world how hee might satisfie his lusts , but now his heart is for grace , justification , remission of sinnes , and reconciliation . here then , seeing mortification is a slaying of sinne , and that many doe deceive themselves in the matter of mortification , who thinke that sinne is mortified when it is not ; and contrariwise , others thinke they have not mortified sinne , that is , they have not given a deadly wound unto sinne , because they still feele rebellious lusts intheir hearts ; therefore for the better explaining of this point of mortification i will propound two questions : the first shall be , for the discovering of hypocrites ; and the second shall be , for the comforting of weake christians . the first question is , whether sinne may not seeme to bee mortified when it is not mortified , but onely asleepe ? to this i answer , that sinne may seeme to be mortified when it is not , and that in these particulars : first , sinne may seeme to be mortified when the occasion is removed : as the covetous man may not bee so covetous after the world as he was , because he hath not so good an opportunity , and thereupon hee may grow remisse ; and yet this sinne of covetousnesse is not mortified ; for let there be occasion , or an opportunity offered , and you shall finde this sinne as quicke and as lively in him as ever it was before ; and so for drunkennesse , or any other vice in this kinde : when the occasion is removed , the sinne may be removed , and yet not mortified . secondly , sinne may be mortified seemingly , when it is not violent , but quiet ; that is , when an unruly affection troubles them not , they thinke that now that sinne is mortified ; but they are deceived , for it is with sinne , as with a disease ; a man that is sicke of a feaver , so long as he is asleepe he feeles no paine , because sleepe takes away the sense of it ; but when he is awake , then presen●ly hee feeles his paine afresh : even so , when sinne doth awake them out of sleepe , then they shall finde it was not mortified , but they onely asleepe . sampson , iudg. . so long as he was asleepe in his sin , thought all was well , and that his strength was not gone ; but when hee awakes out of sleepe , his sinne awakes , and then with much sorrow hee findes that his sinne was not mortified , especially when he fell into his enemies hands . thirdly , sinne may seeme to bee mortified when it is but removed from one sinne unto another , when it is removed from a lesse to a greater , or from a greater to a lesse . as for example , a man may not be so covetous as hee was , and thinke with himselfe that this his sinne is mortified , when as indeed it is not mortified , but onely removed unto another ; for now it may be hee is growne ambitious , and seekes after honour , and therefore it stands not now with his reputation and credit to bee covetous : hereupon hee may grow bountifull , and neverthelesse his sinne of covetousnesse be unmortified : and so for drunkennesse , and such as desire pleasure , their mindes and delights may be changed , and the sinne of the soule be not yet mortified . sinne is to the soule as diseases are to the body : now we know , that diseases of the body usually remove from one place to another , or at the least grow from a lesse to a greater : so it is with sinne in the soule , it will remove from one faculty to another . fourthly , sinne may seeme to be mortified when the conscience is affrighted with the judgements of god , either present upon him , or threatned against him : now by the power of restraining grace a man may be kept from sinne ; that is , hee may so bridle his affections , that he may keepe sinne from the action , he may forsake drunkennesse , covetousnesse , pride , and the like , and yet his sinne be not mortified : for here is the difference betweene a man that hath his sinne mortified , and one that hath not ; the first is alway carefull , that his sinne come not to action , hee is carefull and watchfull over his wayes and heart , as well when the judgement is removed , as when he feeles it : but the other hinders not sinne longer than the hand of god is upon him ; remove that , and then his care is removed . fifthly , sinne may seeme to be removed and mortified when the sap and strength of sinne is dead , that is , when the strength of nature is spent . as the lampe goes out when oyle is either not supplyed or taken away , and yet the lampe is still a lampe , for let oyle be supplied , and fire put unto it , and it will burne ; so there may be not the action , and yet sinne is not mortified in the heart ; for he is as well affected to sinne as ever hee was , onely the sap and strength of nature is gone ; but if oyle were supplied , that is , if strength of nature would but returne , sinne would be as quick and vigorous as ever it was . sixthly , good education , when a man is brought up under good parents , or masters , he may be so kept under that sinne may seeme to bee mortified , but let those be once at their owne ruling , then it will appeare that sinne is not mortified in them ; that is , that they have not lost their swinish disposition , onely they are kept from fouling of themselves : as a swine so long as she is kept in a faire meadow cannot foule her selfe , but if you give her liberty to goe whither shee list , shee will presently be wallowing in the mire ; even so , these are ashamed to defile themselves whilest they are under good education ; but opportunity being offered , it will soone appeare sinne is not mortified . the use of this , briefly , is for examination unto every one to enter into his owne heart , and exam●ne himselfe by these rules whether his sinne be mortified , or no ; and accordingly to judge of him else . the second question is for the comforting of weake christians : seeing there is corruption in the heart , how shall i know that the lusts and stirrings of the heart proceed from a wounded corruption , or else is the action of an unmortified lust ? to this i answer , you shall know them by these rules : first , you shall know whether the lust in the heart be mortified , and proceed from a wounded heart or no , by the ground of it ; that is , if it proceed from the right root , or arise from a deepe humiliation wrought upon the soule , either by the law , or by the judgement , of god , whereby the conscience is awakened to see sinne in its ownenature ; and then a raising up of the soule by the apprehension of the love of god in christ , and out of a love unto god to beginne to mortifie sinne : if the heart in this case doe fight against the spirit , that is , the lust of the heart , it is because it hath received the deadly wound ; but if it bee not our of love unto god that thou mortifiest sinne , if thy heart , in this case , have much rebellion in it , whatsoever thou thinkest of thy selfe , sinne is not mortified in thee : every thing proceeds from some cause ; if the cause be good , the effect must needs bee good likewise : as ( for instance ) if the tree be good , the fruit must be good ; but if the tree be evill , the fruit cannot be good : let every man therefore examine himselfe upon this ground . secondly , you shall know it by the generality of it : for mortification is generall ; and as death is unto the members of the body , so is mortification unto the members of sinne : now you know that the nature of death is tos ize upon all the members of the body , it leaves life in none ; so , where true mortification is , it leaves life in no sinne ; that is , it takes away the commanding power of sinne : for what is the life of sinne , but the power of sinne ? take away this power , and you take away this life . therefore it is not sufficient to mortifie one sin , but you must mortifie all sins ; to which purpose the holy apostle here bids them mortifie ; when he had exhorted them unto the generall of mortification , then he subjoynes divers particulars , as , fornication , uncleannesse ; of which hereafter , ( god assisting ) you shall heare . hence then you learne it will not be sufficient for you to leave your covetousnesse , but you must leave your pide , you vaine-glory : so also when thou hast slaine sinne in thy understanding , thou must mortifie it in thy will , and affections ; slay sinne first in thy soule , and then slay it in the parts of thy body ; and so examine your selves whether you finde this worke of mortification to be generall . thirdly , you shall know whether your lust be mortified by this ; looke if there be an equality betweene the life of grace , and the death of corruption ; that is , if you find grace in measure answerable unto the measure of corruption which is mortified in thee , it is a signe thy sinne is mortified ; for as thereis a dying unto sinne , so there will be a quickening unto holinesse ; seeing the new man will beginne to revive , when the old man begins to dye ; grace will grow strong , when corruption growes weake ; and therefore the apostle saith , grow in grace , and in the knowledge of our lord iesus christ , pet. . . as if he should say , you shall find by this whether the corruption of nature be slaine in you , if you stand fast , ( as in the former verse , ) which you cannot doe unlesse grace grow , except there be a proportion betwixt the life of grace , and the death of corruption : therefore examine your selves by this , whether you doe finde that you are quickned in grace , to pray , or heare , which is an excellent signe that sinne is mortified . fourthly , you shall know whether your lasts are mortified by the continuance of them : for if sinne be mortified , and have received her deadly wound , it will bee but for the present , it will not continue ; it may well rage and trouble thee for a time , but it is onely now and then by fits ; whereas an unmortified lust ever rageth . it is with sinne in this case , as it is with a man that hath received his deadly wound from his enemy , hee will not presently flye away , but will rather runne more violently upon him that hath wounded him ; yet let him bee never so violent , in the middle of the action hee sinkes downe ; when hee thinkes to doe the most harme , then hee is the most unable , because hee hath received his deadly wound , whereby hee hath lost the strength and power of nature which otherwise might have prevailed : so it will bee with sinne , and with a mortified lust , it may rage in the heart , and seeme to beare sway and rule over thee as lord , but the power and strength of sinne is mortified , and sinkes downe , wanting ability to prevaile ; and why ? because it hath received its deadly wound : indeed the most honest man , and the most sanctified that is , may have lust in his heart , and this lust may many times for the present be violent ; yet though it rage , it cannot rule ; it may strive , but it cannot prevaile : therefore you may try your selves by this , whether the corruptions and stirrings of your hearts proceed from a mortified lust , or no. now seeing mortification is so hard a worke , and yet a worke that of necessity must bee done : men also be so hardly drawne to mortifie their lusts , which they account as a part of themselves , not to bee parted withall ; for nature her selfe hath implanted this principle in them , every man ought to love himselfe , what then should move any man to mortifie his lusts ? therefore for the better perswading of men unto this work , we will lay downe some motives to move every man to mortifie his corruptions . the first motive to move all men to mortifie sinne , is , because there is no pleasure in sinne : sinne cannot content the soule ; for this is the nature of sinne , the further a man goes on in sinne , the further he goes on in sorrow , for in every degree of sinne there is a degree of sorrow : as on the contrary , unto every degree of grace , there is a degree of joy ; i say , the more thou gettest of grace and holinesse , of faith and regeneration , the more peace of conscience and spirituall joy thou gettest ; for grace as naturally produceth joy , as sinne sorrow . now if men did but consider this , that is , if they had any spirituall understanding to know that degrees of sinne did bring degrees of sorrow , they would not so runne unto sinne as they doe . but they will object unto mee , you are deceived , for there is pleasure in sinne : wee have found pleasure in sinne , and what will you perswade us against our knowledge ? have wee not reason to distinguish betwixt things which wee know are of a contrary nature ? will you perswade men that honie is not sweet , who have tasted of it ? if you should bring a thousand arguments , they will not prevaile : even so we have felt sweetnesse in sinne , therefore we cannot be perswaded to the contrarie . to this i answer , that the pleasure that is in sinne , ( if there bee any pleasure ) is no true solid pleasure , but a sicke pleasure ; such a pleasure as a man that is sicke of a feaver hath , a pleasure to drinke ; not because he hath a love to drinke excessively , but because it is pleasing to his disease : even so , when men finde pleasure in sinne , it is not because it is true pleasure , but because it suits with their disease ; that is , with their sinne . now that this is no true pleasure , appeares , because that which gives true content unto the soule is grace , which ever is accompanied with faith in christ ; and this works that peace in the soule which passeth all understanding , phil. . . whereas sinne makes not peace but warre in the soule ; and where there is warre in the soule , that is , where the faculties of the soule are in a combustion amongst themselves , there can be no pleasure . a man that is sicke of a dropsie may have pleasure to drinke , but his pleasure depends upon his disease ; if the disease were removed , the pleasure would cease . the second motive , is , because when men goe about to satisfie their lusts , they goe about an endlesse worke : now men in outward things would not set themselves about a work if they did but know before that it would be endlesse ; that is , that they could never finish it ; for every one loves to goe about things of a finite nature , which may be accomplished : even so , if men did but know the nature of sinne , they would not give themselves to satisfie thsir lusts , because they goe about a worke that is endlesse : for the nature of sinne is like the horseleech which the wise-man speakes of , prov. , . that the more it is given , the more it craves , but is never satisfied ; so , the more you seeke to satisfie sinne , the more it desires ; like the fire , the more you cast into it , the more it burnes : but if you will quench it , then detract from it ; so , if thou wouldest have sinne to dye , then detract from thy plasure , from thy covetousnesse , from thy pride . a man that is sicke of a feaver , if you would not increase his heat , then keepe him from cold drinke , and other things that are contrary to it ; but if you doe satisfie the disease in these things , you doe increase it : so , if you would not goe about an endlesse worke , give your lusts a peremptory deniall , please not sinne ; for if you doe , you will displease god : let this therefore move men to mortifie their lusts . the third motive to move al men to mortifie sinne , is because of the great danger it brings a man unto ; it makes a man lyable unto all the judgements of god , it takes gods speciall protection from a man , it fills the heart full of slavish feare ; it is like a quagmire which may seeme to be firme and solid , but being once in it , the more you strive to get out , the greater danger you are in : like a bird that is taken with a gin , the more shee seekes to escape , the faster shee is holden by it ; so it is with sinne , it carryeth a faire shew , it will pretend much good , but take heed of falling into it , for if you be once in it , it will be a hard matter to escape . the understanding is the porter of the soule ; so long as there is spirituall life in the soule , the rest of the faculties doe parta●e of it , and so the whole is preserved ; now sinne blinds the understanding , and when the understanding is mis-informed , it mis-informes the will and affections ; that is , it breeds a disorder in the soule : and when once there is a disorder in the soule , and among the faculties , then the meanes of grace becomes unprofitable : to this effect the apostle saith , they became blinde in their understanding , and then they fell unto noysome lusts , giving themselves unto a customary sinning , they became blinde in their understandings ; that is , it put out their eyes , it made them blinde as beetles ; and when a man is blinde , he will runne upon any dauger , because he sees it not : even so , when sinne hath put out the eye of the minde , the soule is in marvellous great danger of falling irrecoverably : therefore let this move men to mortifie sinne . the fourth motive to move all men to mortifie sinne , is , because sinne will deceive men : now there is no man that would willingly be couzened , every man would be plainly dealt withall ; therefore if men did but know this , that if they gave way unto their lusts , they would befoole them , surely men would not bee so easily led away by them . but men will not beleeve this , they cannot conceive how there should bee such deceit in sinne , seeing they are of so neere a conjunction , as to be a part of themselves : and therefore i will shew you how sinne doth couzen them , and that in these particulars : first , it makes a man a foole , by blinding the understanding ; and when he is thus blinded , hee is led away to the committing of every sinne : and therefore it is said , pet. . . not fashioning your selves according to the former lusts in your ignorance ; that is , before you were inlightned , your lusts had made you fooles by taking away your understandings , and putting out the eie of your minds , but now fashion not your selvs , suffer not sin to blind you againe , seeing you now see . secondly , it doth couzen you by making large promises : if thou wilt be a wanton person , it will promise thee much pleasure ; if ambitious , much honour ; if covetous , much riches : nay , if thou wilt be secure , carelesse , and remisse for spirituall things , as grace , and justification , and remission of sins , it will make thee as large a proffer as the devil sometime made unto christ , mat. . . all these things will i give thee , if thou wilt fall down and worship me : so , it may be he will promise thee salvation and life everlasting , but he will deceivethee , for it is none of his to bestow ; if he give thee any thing it shal be that which he promised not , and that is , in the end , horror of conscience and destruction . thirdly , by promising to depart whensoever thou wilt have it : oh , saith sinne , but give me entertainment for this once , be but a little covetous , a little proud , or ambitious , and i wil depart whensoeverthou wilt have me : but give way unto sin in this case , and thou shalt find it will deceive thee ; for sinne hardens the heart dulls the senles , and makes dead the conscience , so that now it will not bee an easie matter to dispossesse sinne when it hath taken possession of the soule . it is not good to let a theefe enter into the house upon such conditions ; therefore the apostle saith , heb. . . take heedlest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne ; that is , sinne will promise you this and that , but beleeve it not , it will deceive you . fourthly , in the end when we thinke it should be our friend , it will be our greatest enemy : for instead of life , it will give us death ; it will witnesse against us , that we are worthy of death , because wee have neglected the meanes of grace , neglected to heare , to pray , and to conferre ; and what was the cause of this remisnesse but sinne , and yet it accuseth us of what it selfe was the cause . now what greater enemy can a man possibly have than he that shall provoke him to a wicked fact , and then after accuse him for it : therefore let this move men to mortifie their lusts . the fifth motive to move all men to hate sinne , is , because it makes us rebels against god ; and who would bee a rebell , and traitour against god and christ , who was the cause of his being ? the apostle saith , being servantsunto sinne , we become servants of unrighteousnesse , rom. . . that is , if we suffer sinne to reigne in us , then we become servants of unrighteousnesse , rebells unto god , and enemies unto christ , who love righteousnesse : now he that is a friend unto god , loves that which god loves , and hates that which god hates ; but he that is not , loves the contrary , for unrighteousnesse is contrary to god , and he that loves it , is a rebell against god : every luft hath the seed of rebellion in it , and as it increaseth , so rebellion increaseth : therefore let this move men to mortifie sinne . the sixth motive to move men to mortifie sinne , is , because sinne will make us slaves to satan : the apostle saith , that to whomsoever you yeeld your selves servants to obey , his servants you are to whom you obey , rom. . . that is , if you doe not mortifie your lusts , you will be slaves to your lusts , they will beare rule over you ; and miserable will be your captivity under such a treacherous lord as sinne is : therefore if you would have christ to be your lord and master , if you would be free from the slavery of satan , then fall a slaying of your lusts , otherwise you cannot bee the servants of god : let this move men also to mortifie sinne . now to make some use of it to our selves : the first consectary or use , stands thus ; seeing the apostle saith , if you be risen with christ , then mortifie your earthly members , therfore mortification is a signe whereby you may try your selves whether you belong unto god or no. if you be risen with christ , that is , if the life of grace be in you , it will not be idle , but it will be imployed in the slaying of sinne . now if mortification bee not in you , you can then claime no interest in christ , or in his promises ; for hee that findes not mortification wrought in him , he hath neither interest unto christ , nor to any thing that appertaines unto christ : and seeing this is so , let us bee taught by it , that every one should enter into examination of his owne heart , to finde out the truth of this grace of mortification , especially before he come unto the sacrament ; for if we find not mortification wrought in us , we have no right to partake of the outward signes . the second use or consectary , is , that seeing the apostle saith , mortifie ; hereby ascribing some power unto the colossians to mortifie their corruptions ; as if hee should say , you professe yourselves to bee risen with christ , then let that life which you have received , slay your corruptions . hence we note , that there was and is in every regenerate man , acertaine free will to doe good . now when wee speake of free will , i doe not meane that free-will which is in controversie now adayes , as though there were such a thing inherent in us ; but this which i speake of , is that freedome of will that is wrought in us after regeneration ; that is , when a man is once begotten againe , there is a new life and power put into him , whereby hee is able to doe more then hee could possibly doe by nature : and therefore the apostle saith unto timothie , stirre up the grace that is in thee , tim. . . that is , thou hast given thee the gift of instruction ; the life of grace is in thee , therefore stirre it up , set it on worke , use the power of grace to doe good : which shewes that there is a certaine power in the regenerate man to doe good : for although by nature we are dead , yet grace puts life into us ; as it is with fire , if there bee but a sparke , by blowing , in time it will come to a flame ; so where there is but a sparke of the fire of grace in the heart , the spirit doth so accompany it that in time it is quickened up unto every christian duty . but you will say unto mee , wherein is the regenerate man able to doe more than another man , or more then he could doe ? to this i answer , that the regenerate man is able to doe more then hee could doe in these two particulars : first , he is able to performe any duty ; or any thing god commands , according to the proportion of grace that he hath received ; but if the duty or thing exceed the grace that he hath received , then hee is to pray for an extraordinary helpe of the spirit : but hee could not doe this before , neither is it in the power of an unregenerate man to doe it . secondly , he is able to resist any temptation or sinne , if it be not greater , or above the measure of grace that he hath received ; if it be a temptation of distrust , or impatiencie , or presumption , if it exceed not the measure of grace that he hath received , he is able to put it to flight ; but if it doe exceed , then hee is to pray for an extraordinary helpe of the spirit : now the unregenerate man hath no power to resist sinne or temptation in this case . but you will say againe , that there is no such power in the regenerate man , for the apostle saith , gal. . . the flesh lusteth against the spirit , and the spirit against the flesh ; and these are contrary one to the other , so that you cannot doe the things that you would . to this i answer ; it is true , that in the most sanctified man thatis , there is corruption ; and this corruption will fight against the spirt , and may sometimes hinder good ; but it is then when it exceeds the measure of grace hee hath received ; neither is it alway prevailing in this kinde , for when it exceeds not the grace , the spirit overcomes it : neither doth it alwaies continue ; it may be in the heart , but it cannot reigne in the heart ; it may bee in the heart , as a theefe in a house , not to have residence and a dwelling place , but for a night and bee gone ; so this lust in the heart of a regenerate man dwells not there ; that is , it doth not alwayes hinder him from good , but for a time , and then departs : but it is not thus with an unregenerate man , sinne takes possession and keepes possession of his heart . the third consectary or use stands thus ; seeing the apostle saith , mortifie ; that is , do not only abstain from the outward actions of sinne , but from the thought of the heart ; for mortification is a slaying of the evill disposition of the heart , aswell as the slaying of the actions of the body ; mortification is first inward , and then outward : hence we gather this point , that it is not sufficient for a man to abstaine from the actions of sinne , but he must abstaine from sinne in his heart , if hee would prove his mortification to be true : pet. . . the apostle saith , that their eyes were fullof adulterie : now lust is not in the eye , but in the heart ; but by this he fhewes , that it is the fulnesse of sinne in the heart , that fills the eyes ; therefore looke unto the heart , for the actions are but the branches , but the root is in the heart ; that is , whatsoever evill action is in the hand , it hath its first breeding in the heart ; if therefore you would remove the effect , you must first remove the cause : now the cause , if it bring forth an evill effect , is the greater evill ; as the cause of good is greater than the effect it produceth : even so the sinne of the heart , because it is the cause of evill actions , is greater than the evill that it produceth . then think not with you selves , that if you abstaine from the outward grosse actions of sinne , that sinne is mortified in you ; but goe first unto the cause , and see whether that evill disposition of the heart be mortified , whether there bee wrought in you a new disposition to good , and a withering of all inordinate affections . but you will say unto mee , our saviour saith , that every man shall be judged by his workes : and the apostle saith , that every man shall receive according to the workes done in the bodie : by which it appeares , that a man shall not bee judged by the thoughts of his heart , but by his actions . to this i answer ; it is true , that men shall bee judged by their workes , because actions declare either that good that is in the heart , or the evill that is in the heart ; so that he will judge the heart first as the cause , and then the actions as the effects . rom. . . it is said , he that searcheth the heart , knoweth the mind of the spirit : so it is as true , that he knowes the minde of the flesh ; that is , the actions of the unregenerate part . now as the sap is greater in the root than in the branches , so the greater sinne is in the heart , and therefore it shall receive greater punishment . therefore if the root bee not purged , notwithstanding thou abstaine from the outward actions , thou hast not as yet mortified sinne , because thy heart is impure ; and seeing god will judge us by our hearts , if we have any care of our salvation , let us labour to cut off the buds of sinne that spring from the heart . the fourth consectary , or use , stands thus ; seeing the apostle exhorts the colossians to mor●ifie their lusts , who had set upon this worke already ; hence we note this point , that no man is so holy or sanctified , but he had need still to be exhorted to mortification ; for howsoever it be true , that in the regenerate sinne hath received a deadly wound , yet it is not so killed but there is still sap in the root , from whence springs many branches ; and therefore had need of continuall mortification , because the flesh wil still lust against the spirit ; and although there is such corruption in them , yet are they not under the power of it , neither doth it beare rule in them . let them therefore that have not set upon this worke of mortification , now beginne to mortifie their lust ; and let all those that have already begunne , continue in this worke . thus much for the uses . but you will say unto mee , how shall wee attaine this worke of mortification ? and therefore here will i lay downe some meanes how a man may come to this worke of mortification . the first meanes is to endevour to get a willing heart to have your sinnes mortified ; that is , a holy dislike , and a holy loathing of them , with a desire of the contrary grace : if men did butsee whatan excellent estate regeneration is , it would breed in them a holy desire of mortification ; therefore our saviour saith , when his disciples came to him , and complained of the weakenesse of their faith , matth. . if yee have faith as a graine of mustard-seed , yee shall say unto this mountaine , remove , and it shall bee removed . by setting forth the excellency of faith , he takes paines to worke in them a desire of it ; even so , if a man once can get a desire but to have his sinne mortified , hee will presently have it ; for christ hath promised it , mat. . . blessed are they that bunger and thirst after righteousnesse , for they shall be fatisfied ; that is , they which hunger in generall for any part of righteousnesse , they shall bee filled : therefore if we can come but to hunger , especially for mortification , which is the principall part of righteousnesse ; i say , if we can but come unto god in truth with a willing heart , and desire it , we shall be sure to have it : for besides his promise , wee have him inviting of us to this worke ; mat. . . come unto me all you that are weary and heavie laden , and i will ease you : now what will hee ease them of , the guilt ? no : ( though it bee not excluded ) but pricipally of the commanding power of sinne ; that he may not onely be free from the guilt of sinne , but from the power of sinne , that he may have his sinne mortified and subdued . now what else is the reason that men have not their sinnes mortified , and that there is such a complaint of unmortified lusts and affections , but because they come not with a willing heart : their hearts are unstable , they are willing , and unwilling ; willing to leave sinne , that they may be freed from the guilt ; unwilling to leave the pleasure they have in sinne : therefore , saith one , i prayed often to have my sinnes forgiven , and mortified , and yet i feared the lord would heare my prayers : so it is with many in this case , they pray for mortification , but it is but verball , it comes not from the heart ; that is , from a willing mind : therefore if thou wouldest have thy sinne mortified , labour to get a willing heart . the second meanes , if you would have your sinnes mortified , is this , you must take paines ; mortification is painfull and laborious , and yet pleasant withall ; it will not bee done by idlenesse , a slothfull man will never mortifie sinne , for indeed it is a worke that desires labour : every thing that is of great worth , if it may be atrayned by industry , deserves labour ; that is , the excellency of it challengeth it of men : even so , the excellency and preciousnesse of this work of mortification , because it is a thing of much worth , deserves labour at our hands : the knowledge of every art requireth labour and industry , and the greater mysterie that is infolded in the science , the greater labour it requireth : even so , mortification requireth much pains , for it discovereth unto us a great mystery , the mysterie of sinne , and the basenesse of our nature , and also the excellencies that are in christ , both of justification and remission of sinnes . and this necessarily flowes from the former ; for if there be a willing minde in a man to mortifie sinne , then certainly hee will take any paines that he may attaine unto it ; as the apostle saith , cor. . . i runne not in vaine , as one that beats the ayre ; that is , i take paynes , but it is not in vaine ; i take no more paynes then i must needs , for if i did take lesse , i could not come unto that i am at . the lesse labour that any man takes in the mortification of sinne , the more will sinne increase ; and the more it increaseth , the more worke it maketh a man have to mortifie it : therefore it stands men upon to take paynes with their corruptions in time , that so they may prevent greater labour : and this meets with the errours of certaine men : first , thosethat thinke that all sinnes have the like proportion of labour in mortifying ; they thinke that a man may take no more paynes for the mortifying of one sinne , than another ; but these men are deceived , for all sinnes are not alike in a man , but some are more , some are lesse violent ; and accordingly , mortification must be answerable unto the sinne . it is with mortification in this case , as it is with physicke in diseases ; all diseases require not the same physicke , for some diseases must be purged with bitter pills , others not with the like sharpnesse : againe , some physicke is for weakning , others for restoring the strength : even so there are some sinnes , like that devill which our saviour speakes of , that cannot be cast out but by fasting and prayer : that is , they cannot be mortified without much paynes ; for if it be a heart-sinne , that is , a sinne that is deere unto thee , a beloved bosome sinne , ( as all men are marvellous subject to love some sinne above another ) there must bee , for the mortification of this , a greater labour taken then for a lesse corruption : these are called in scripture , the right eye , and the right hand ; and as men are very loth to part with these members of thebody , even so are they loth to part with their beloved sinnes which are deere unto them . the second error , is of those that thinke if they have once mortified their sinnes , it is sufficient , they need not care for any more , they have now done with this work . but these men are deceived , for they must know , that the worke of mortification is a continuall worke , because the heart is not so mortified , but there is still sinfull corruption in it ; so that if there be not a continuall worke of mortification , it will prove filthy . the heart of man is like the ballast of a ship that leakes , though thou pump never so fast , yet still there is work : even so , the heart is a fountaine of all manner of uncleannesse , there is much wickednesse in it , therefore wee had need pray for a fountaine of spirituall light ; that is , of sanctification , that we may not be drowned in our corruption : or , it is like a brazen candlesticke , which although it be made marvellous cleane , yet it will presently soyle , and gather filth , so it is with the heart of man , if this worke of mortification doe not continue , it will soyle and grow filthy . now in this worke of mortification , the papists seeme to take great paines for the mortifying of sinne ; and indeed they might seeme to us to be the only men that take paynes for this grace , if wee did not meet with that clause , coll. . . where the apostle saith , that this afflicting of the body is but formall , will-worship ; they prescribe for the disease a quite contrary medicine ; for as the disease is inward , so the medicin must bee inward : now mortification is a turning of the heart , a change of the heart , a labour of the heart , but whipping and beating of the body is but , as it were , the applying of the plaister it selfe ; for an outward plaister cannot possibly cure an inward disease ; that is , a disease of the soule ; but if the disease be inward , then the cure must bee wrought inwardly by the spirit . notwithstanding , i confesse there are outward meanes to be used , which may much further the worke of mortification , but yet we must take heed of deceit that may be in them , that we doe not ascribe the worke unto them ; for if wee doe , they will become snares unto us ; and therefore to prevent all danger of deceit from thee , i will here set them downe . the first outward meanes , is , a moderate use of lawfull things ; that is , when men use lawfull things in a lawfull manner ; as a moderation in dyet , in clothes , in recreations , and pleasures , a moderate use of a lawfull calling , and many more which may bee meanes to further this worke : but yet wee must take heed of excesse in these lawfull things ; that is , wee must take heed that wee doe not goe to the utmost of them ; for if wee doe , it is a thousand to one wee shall exceed . as for example , it is lawfull for a man to eate , and to drinke , and to use the creatures of god for his nourishment ; and it is lawfull for a man to clothe his body , and use recreations so farre forth as they may serve for the good of his body ; but if hee use these inordinately , that is , if hee eate to surfet , and drinke to bee drunken , and use his pleasure to satisfie his lusts by neglecting his place and calling , they are so farre from being meanes of mortification , that they become utter enemies unto the worke ; therefore if you would have this outward meanes an helpe to mortification , that is , if you would have them to bridle nature , then looke that you use lawfull things moderately . the second outward meanes are vowes and promises , and these in themselves simply are good , and may be a good meanes to mortification , for they are as an obligation to binde a man from the doing of such or such a thing ; for so the proper signification of a vow is , to binde a man , as it were , to his good behaviour , alwayes provided , that it be of indifferent things ; that is , of things that bee lawfull , else vowes binde not a man to the doing of that which is evill : now if it be made in things lawfull , and to this end , for the brideling of our evill disposition of nature , that wee will not doe this or that thing , or if wee finde our nature more subject to fall , and more inclined unto one sinne than another , or more addicted unto some pleasure than another , to make a vow in this case , it may bee a meanes to bridle our affection in this thing . but here we must take heed , that wee make them not of absolute necessity , by ascribing any divine power to them whereby they are able to effect it , but to esteeme them things of indifferency , which may either be made or not made , or else they become a snare unto us : againe , if thou makest a vow in this case , that thou wilt not doe such a thing , or such a thing ; if it be for matter of good to thy soule , make conscience of it , take heed thou breake not thy vow with god in this case ; for as this tyes thee in a double bond , so the breach of it becomes a double sinne : againe , take heed that thy vow be not perpetuall , for then it will be so farre from being a meanes of thy good , that it will be a snare unto evill ; for when men make perpetuall vowes , at last they become a burthen , and men love not to beare burthens : therefore , if you make a vow , make it but for a time ; that is , make it so that you may renew it often , either weekely , or monethly , or according as you see necessity require ; so that when time is expired , you may either renew them , or let them cease . now if you observe this in the making of your vowes , it may be another meanes unto this worke , otherwise it will be a snare . the third outward meanes , is , the avoyding of alloccasion to sinne : when a man avoyds either the company of such men as formerly were a meanes to provoke him to sinne , or the doing of such actions as may provoke lust or sinne in this kinde , or places that are infectious this way ; this will be a meanes to mortification . and this we find was that command which god layd upon every nazarite , numb . . . they must not onely abstayne from strong drinke , but also they must cast out the huskes of the grapes , lest they bee an occasion of the breach of their vow : so in exod. . . the children of israel were not onely commanded to abstayne from the eating of unleavened bread , but it must be put out of their houses , lest the having of it in their houses should bee an occasion to make them to breake the commandement : thus wee see that the avoyding of the occasion of sinne , will bee a meanes to keepe us from sinne . but some will say , i am strong enough , i need not have such a care to avoyd the occasions of sinne : it is true , it is for babes , and such as are weake christians , to abstayne from such and such occasions ; but as for me that have beene a professor a long time , and have such a strength and measure of faith , i need not much to stand upon these termes . to this i answer , that this is mens weaknesse thus to object , for this want of feare ariseth from the want of spirituall strength ; for this is the nature of spirituall strength in a man when he feares sinne and the occasions of sinne , the more he feares in this case , the stronger he is , and the lesse hee feares , the weaker hee is ; the lesse spiritual strength he hath , whatsoever he may seeme to have : therefore , doest thou find want of spirituall feare in thee , then thou mayst justly feare thine estate ; for if thou hast true grace in thee , it will be so farre from making of thee carelesse , that it will make a double hedge and ditch about thy soule . againe , know that all the strength thou boasts of , is but habituall grace , and what is habituall grace but a creature ; and in relying upon it , thou inakest flesh thine arme ; that is , thou puttest more trust and confidence in a creature , than in god , which is a horrible sinne , and flat idolatry : therefore you see this is mens weaknesse thus to object . the fourth outward meanes is , fasting and prayer ; though abused by the papists , yet very necessary , and a good outward meanes to mortification , being used lawfully : for what is fasting but a curbing of the flesh , and a pulling of it downe , a brideling of nature , and a kinde of mortifying of the body ? and what is prayer , but a praying or begging of grace , or for the preservation of grace , and power against corruptions ? these two things are very commendable , and much used in the primitive church ; for the apostle saith , let fasting and prayer be made for all the churches : which if it had not beene necessary , he would not have commended it unto the church . and i see no reason why it should be so much neglected amongst us , especially at this time , in regard of the affliction of the church abroad , whose necessity requireth it ; and also being a thing so acceptableto god , and commendable in the church , i would it were in greater favour and request amongst us . the third meanes , if you would have your sinnes mortified , is , to labour to get the assistance of the spirit ; for this must of necessity follow , or else the other two will nothing availe us ; for what will it availe us though wee have a willing heart to part with sinne , and what though we take paynes in the mortifying of our lusts , if the spirit doe not accompany us , all is nothing worth ; therefore if thou wouldest have this worke effectually done , thou must getthe spirit . but this may seeme a strange thing , a thing of impossibility to get the spirit ; for you will say , how is it in our power to get the spirit ? how can wee cause the spirit to come from heaven into our hearts , seeing our saviour saith , iohn . . that the wind bloweth where it lusteth ; that is , the spirit worketh where it listeth : now if the spirit bee the agent and worker of every grace , then how is it in our power to get him ? to this i answer , howsoever i grant that the spirit is the agent and worker of every grace , yet i say , there may bee such meanes used by us , whereby wee may obtayne the spirit ; and therefore the apostle saith , rom. . . if you live after the flesh you shall dye , but if you mortifie the deeds of the flesh you shall live : which must bee done by the spirit ; for the apostle makes us the agents , and the spirit the instrument ; whereby hee shewes us thus much , that it is possible not onely to get the spirit , but also have the worke of the spirit ascribed unto us . now as there is a meanes to get the spirit , so also there is a meanes to hinder the spirit ; so that the spirit may be won or lost , either by the doing or the not doing of thesethreethings : first , if thou wouldest have the spirit , then thou must know the spirit ; that is , so to know him as to give him the glory of the worke of every grace ; for how shall wee give the spirit the glory of every grace if wee know not the spirit ? and therefore our saviour makes the want of the knowledge of the spirit the reason that men doe not receive the spirit ; ieh . . . i will send unto you the comforter , whom the world cannot receive , because they know him not : that is , the world knoweth not the preciousnesse of the spirit , therefore they lightly esteeme of him ; but you know him , and the excellency of him , therefore you highly esteeme of him : the first meanes then to have the spirit , is , labour to know the spirit , that you may give him the glory of every grace . secondly , if thou wouldest have the spirit , then take heed that thou neither resist the spirit , nor grieve , nor quench it . first , take heed thou resist not the spirit ; now a man is said to resist the spirit , when against the light of nature and grace he resisteth the truth ; that is , when by arguments , and reasons , and ocular demonstrations layd before him , whereby he is convict of the truth of them , yet knowing that they are truth , he will notwithstanding set downe his resolution that hee will not doe it ; this is to resist the spirit : of this resisting of the spirit we read in acts . . compared with act. . . it is said of stephen , that they were not able to resist the wisdome , and the spirit by which he spake ; that is , hee overthrew them by argument and reason , and they were convinced in their consciences of the truth : and yet for all this it is sayd , acts . . yee have alwayes resisted the spirit ; as your fathers have done , so doe yee : that is , howsoever yee were convict in your consciences of the truth of this doctrine which i deliver , yet you have set downe your resolution that you will not obey . now this is a grievous sinne ; for sinnes against god and christ shall be forgiven , they are capable of pardon , but the resisting of the spirit , that is , sinning against the light of the spirit , is desperate and dangerous . secondly , what is meant by grieving of the spirit ? now a man is sayd to grieve the spirit when he commits anything that makes the spirit to loath the soule ; and therefore the apostle saith , grieve not the spirit , ephes. . . that is , by foule speeches and rotten communication ; for the apostle in the former verse had exhorted them from naughty specches , let ( saith hee ) no evill communication proceed out of your mouthes ; and then presently adjoynes , and grieve not the spirit : for if you give your selves to corrupt communication and rotten speeches , you will grieve the spirit , it will bee a meanes of the spirits departure : the spirit is a cleane spirit , and he loves a cleane habitation , a heart that hath purged itselfe of these corruptions . therefore when you heare a man that hath rotten speeches in his mouth , say , that man grieves the spirit ; for there is nothing so odious and contrary to men , as these are to the spirit : and therefore if you would keepe the spirit , then let your words be gracious , powdred with salt ; that is , with the grace of the spirit proceeding from a sanctified heart : and as speeches , so all evill actions , in like manner , grieve the heart . thirdly , what is meant by quenching of the spirit ? a man is said to quench the spirit , when there is a carelesnesse in theusing of the meanes of grace whereby the spirit is increased ; that is , when men grow carelesse and remisse in the duties of religion , either in hearing , reading , praying , or meditating . againe , when a man doth not cherish every good motiō of the spirit in his heart , either to pray , or to heare , &c. but lets them lye without practice , this is a quenching of the spirit : therefore the apostle saith , thes. . . quench not the spirit ; that is , by a neglect of the meanes . thirdly , if you would get the spirit , you must use prayer ; for prayer is a speciall meanes to get the spirit ; and it is the same meanes that christ us●d when hee would have the holy ghost for his disciples , hee prayed for him , as you may see , ioh. . . i will pray the father , and hee will send the comforter unto you ; that is , the holy ghost ; for hee can comfort indeed , and hee is the true comforter ; and indeed there is no true comfort but what the spirit brings into the heart . now that the spirit may bee obtayned by prayer , is proved luk. . . where our saviour makes it playne by way of opposition to earthly parents ; for ( saith hee ) if your earthlie parents can give good things unto their children , then how much more will your heavenly father give the holy ghost unto them that aske him : therefore if thou wouldest draw the holy ghost into thy heart , then pray for him ; prayer is a prevayling thing with god , it is restlesse , and pleasing unto god , it will have no deniall ; and to this purpose saith god to moses , wherefore dost thou trouble me ? that is , wherefore art thou so restlesse with mee , that thou wilt have no deniall till i grant thee thy desire ? so then if you will prevayle with god by prayer , you may obtaine the spirit . the fourth meanes , if you would have your sinnes mortified , is , to walke in the spirit ; that is , you must doe the actions of the new man ; and therefore the apostle saith , galat. . . walke in the spirit . now here by the spirit is not meant the holy ghost , but the regenerate part of man ; that is , the new man , whose actions are the duties of holinesse , as prayer , hearing the word , receiving the sacraments , workes of charity , either to the church in generall , or to any particular member of it ; and there must not onely bee a bare performing of them , for so an hypocrite may doe , but there must bee a delight in them ; thatis , it must rejoyce the soule when any opportunity is offered whereby any holy duty may bee performed . but on the contrary , when wee grow remisse in prayer , or in any other duty , the devill takes an occasion by this to force us to some sinne ; hereupon wee presently yeeld , because wee want strength of grace , which by the neglect of that duty wee are weake in . wee know some physicke is for restoring , as well as for weakening , thereby to preserve the ftrength of the body ; now this walking in the actions of the new man , is to preserve the strength of the soule , it preserves spirituall life in a man , it enables him to fight against corruption , and lusts ; for what is that which weakens the soule , but the actions of the old man ? therefore if you would mortifie your lusts , you must walke in the spirit . the fifth meanes , if you would mortifie your lusts , is this , you must get faith : so saith the apostle , acts . . faith purifieth the heart ; that is , it slayeth the corruption of the heart , it mortifies every inordinate desire of the heart , it purgeth out the filthinesse of our nature , it makes it a new heart in quality ; that is , it makes it fit to receive grace , and who would not have a heart thus fitted to good ? againe , it is said , ephes. . . that christ may dwell in your hearts by faith : as if hee should say , faith will purge the heart ; for where faith is , christ is , and christ will not dwell in a rotten heart , that is impure , and not in some measure sanctified by the spirit . but you will say , there are divers kindes of faith , what faith is this then that thus purifieth the heart ? by faith in this place is meant a justifying faith ; faith that applyeth christ and his righteousnesse in particular unto a mans selfe for his justification , and hereupon he is raysed up to holinesse , and enabled , out of love unto christ , to mortifie sinne . now the order of this grace in a regenerate man , is wonderfull ; for first , the spirit , which is the holy ghost , comes and enlightens the mind , then it works faith , and then faith drawes downe christ , and when once christ comes , he takes possession of it , never resting till he hath rid the heart of the evill disposition of nature with a loathing of it ; then the regenerate man hereupon out of love unto christ , and hatred unto sinne , begins to mortifie his corruptions . but you will say , how can the spirit of christ , which is the holy ghost , dwell in the heart , seeing he is in heaven ? to this i answer , that the spirit dwells in the heart , as the sunne in a house ; now we know that the proper place of the sunne is in the firmament , yet wee say the sunne is in the house , not that wee meane that the body of the sunne is there , but the beames of the sunne are there in the house : so wee say , that the proper place of the holy ghost is in heaven ; and when we say hee is in the heart of a regenerate man , we doe not meane essentially , but by a divine power and nature ; that is , by sending his spirit into the heart , not onely to worke grace in the heart , but to dwell therein . now when the spirit hath taken possession of the heart , it drawes and expells away all the darkenesse of the minde , and makes it to looke and to see christ in a more excellent manner than before , assuring him of perfect justification , and remission of his sinnes . and here the error of many is met withall , in the matter of mortification ; they will have mortification first wrought , and then they will lay hold upon christ for remission of sinnes . oh , say they , if i could but finde this sinne , or that sinne mortified , then i would lay hold upon christ , then i would beleeve ; for alas , how can i looke for remission of sinnes , how dare i lay hold , or how can i lay hold upon christ , when i finde that my corruptions have such hold on mee ? but these are deceived , for this is contrary to the worke of the spirit : for first , faith assureth of pardon , and then followes mortification ; that is , when a man is once assured of pardon of sinne , then hee beginnes to mortifie , and to slay his corruption ; for mortification is a fruit of faith : and therefore the apostle saith , phil. . . that i may feele the power of his death , and the vertue of his resurrection : now what is meant by this but the two parts of repentance , mortification and vivification ? the apostle beleeved before , and now he would have his faith appeare in the grace of mortification , that he might sensibly feele it . and therefore , if you would have your sinnes mortified , you must by faith draw christ into your hearts . the sixth meanes , if you would have your sinnes mortified , is to get spirituall joy. but this may seeme a strange thing to mortifie corruption by ; a man or a woman would rather thinke that this were a meanes to encrease sinne : but it is not so ; for spirituall joy is a speciall meanes to mortifiesin , if we doe but consider the nature of mortification ; for as i sayd before , what is mortification but a turning of the heart , a working in it a new disposition ? now wee know when the heart is not regenerate it is full of sorrow , and joy in this estate encreaseth sinne : but when the heart is turned from sinne to grace , that is , heavenly disposed , there is a pleasant object represented unto the eye of the soule , as christ , justification , remission of sinnes , and reconciliation : and hence ariseth a spirituall joy in the soule , which rejoycing is a mortification of sinne ; for when a man or woman sees such excellencies in christ , ( as before ) hee so rejoyceth in them that hee loatheth whatsoever is contrary to them . as a man that hath gotten a faire inheritance which formerly was content with a small cottage , but now the right that hee hath to the other , makes him despise that : so it is with a regenerate man , this spirituall joy makes him basely to esteeme of sinne , and his naturall estate : and therefore saith the apostle , cor. . . i protest that by the rejoycing i have in christ iesus , i dye daily : that is , that spirituall joy which hee had in christ , of justification and remission of sins , and that sight of glory which he saw by faith , mortified sinne in him , made him basely to esteeme of his corruptions . wee see , by example , a man that is wrought upon by the law , or the judgements of god , may for a time leave some sinne , and rejoyce in good , as herod heard iohn gladly ; and yet this his joy doth not mortifie sinne , because it is not wrought by the spirit upon an apprehension of the love of god ; that is , it doth not proceed from the right root ; for spirituall joy that mortifies sin , ariseth from an assurance of remission of sins ; but this ariseth from some other sinister respect , or else for feare of hell . now that spirituall joy mortifies sinne , the wise-man proves , prov. . . compared with the . verse , when wisdome entreth into thy heart , and knowledge is pleasant to thy soule , &c it shall keep thee from the strange woman . when wisdome entreth into thy heart ; that is , when the spirit enlightens thy mind to see , grace and knowledge is pleasant unto thee ; when thou doest rejoyce in the knowledge of christ , and graces of the spirit , then it shall keepe thee from the strange woman ; that is , from inordinate affections , which otherwise would bring thee to destruction . thus you see that spirituall joy is an excellent meanes to mortification . the seventh meanes , if you would have your sinnes mortified , is , humblenesse of minde : this is an excellent meanes to mortification ; for when the heart is proud , it will not yeeld ; that is , it is unfit for grace ; for there is nothing so contrary unto the nature of the spirit , as a proud heart ; and therefore the apostle saith , pet. . . god resisteth the proud , but he gives grace to the humble . hee resisteth the proud ; that is , hee doth stand in opposition against him as one most contrary unto him ; he rejecteth his prayers and his actions , because they proceed from a proud heart : but he gives grace unto the humble ; that is , the humble heart is fit to receive grace , therefore hee shall have every grace necessary to salvation , as faith , repentance , mortification , peace of conscience , and remission of sinnes . now this humblenesse of minde is a base esteeming of a mans selfe in an acknowledgement of his unworthinesse to receive any grace with an high esteeme of gods love ; which indeed may seeme to be contrary to spirituall joy , but it is not so ; for the more humble any man or woman is , the more spirituall joy they have : it is increased by humility , it is decreased by pride ; the humble heart is alwayes the joyfullest heart ; for the more grace the more humblenesse , and themore humility the more spirituall joy , for where there is a want of grace there must needs bee a want of spirituall joy . now dejection and humility are of a contrary nature ; a man may bee cast downe , and yet not bee humble ; humblenesse of minde is more inward than outward , but the other may bee outward but not inward ; thereforeif you would have your sinnes mortified , get an humble heart , forit is said , psalm . . . the lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart : a broken heart is an humble heart : and , ezek. . . a new heart , and a new spirit will i give you : that is , when i have throughly humbled you , and cleansed you from your rebelliousnesse against mee , then i will doe this and this for you : well then , labour for humblenesse of mind , if you would have your sinnes mortified . thus much of the word , mortifie . wee now come to a third poynt , and that is , what are those things that are to bee mortified ? and these the apostle calls in generall , earthly members : hence we note , that all earthlie members are to be mortified . for the better explaining of this poynt , wee will first speake of the generall , and then of the particulars : but first of all , because the words are hard , wee will shew you by way of explanation , first , what is meant by members ; and secondly , what is meant by earthlie members . for the first ; what is meant by members ? by members is meant sinne , or any foule affection of the heart , when the heart is set upon a wrong object ; or else upon a good object , yet exceeding either in the manner or the measure , makes it a sinne : as first , when a mans heart is set upon a base object , as the satisfying of his eyes according to the lust of his heart , or set upon his pleasure inordinately to the satisfying of his lusts ; now these are base objects . againe , there are other objects which in themselves are good and may bee used , as care of the world , and the things of the world : a man may lawfully care for the things of this life that hath a charge , or a man may use his pleasure for recreation , or may seeke after his profit , thereby to provide for his family ; but if the care for the world , and the things of this world , exceed either in the manner or the measure , that is , if they be gotten unlawfully , and if the heart lust after them , if they breed a disorder in the soule , and a neglect of grace , then they become sinne . now they are called members for these reasons : the first reason is , because these base affections fill up the heart ; that is , they make the heart fit for all manner of sinne , even as the members of the body make the body fit for action : now wee know that the body is not perfect , if the members bee not perfect ; so when the heart is not filled with these members , it may be fit for sinne but not for every sinne , but this filling of it makes it fit for all sinne ; and therefore the apostle saith , pet. . . according to his divine power he hath given us all things ; that is , by his divine nature we all come to the knowledge of the faith : now that which is contrary to the spirit , and the knowledge of him , is made up by these base affections , even as the body is made up and complete by its members . secondly , they are called members because these base affections doe the actions of the unregenerate part , even as the members of the body doe the actions of the body ; for they receive into the heart all manner of sinne , and thence they send base affections into all the rest of the faculties . thirdly , they are called members , because they are weapons of unrighteousness ; for so the apostle cals them , even as the actions of the new man are called the weapons of righteousnesse ; that is , the care for the actions of the new man. now we know that it is the property of one member to fight for the good of another ; as wee see , one member will suffer it selfe to bee cut off , and separated from the bodie for the good of the rest ; and so it is in like manner with these , for all will joyne together for the mortifying of sin one in another . on the other side , these weapons of unrighteousnesse , they fight for one another against grace , they are carefull to performe the actions of the old man , and to fulfill every lust of the flesh . fourthly , they are called members , because they are as deare unto the heart , as any member is unto the body , and therefore in scripture they are called the right hand , and the right eye , mat. . . that is , they are as dear and sticke as close unto the heart , and will as hardly be separated from it , as the nearest and dearest member of the bodie : thus much of the word member . secondly , what is meant by earthly members ? by earthly members is ment al earthly affections ; as immoderate cares , inordinare lusts ; or it is a depraved disposition of the soule , whereby it is drawn from heavenly things to earthly ; that is , it is drawne from a high valuing of heavenly things to a base esteeme of them , and from a base esteeming of earthly things unto a high esteeme of them , this is earthly mindednesse . but for the better explaining of this point ; first , we will shew what it is to bee earthly minded : secondly , what it is to be heavenly minded . for the first , what it is to be earthly minded : it is to mind earthly things , or heavenly things in an earthly manner ; that is , when the soule is depraved so of spirituall life that it lookes upon grace and salvation with a carnall eye , when it is represented unto it ; because it is but naturall , it is not enlightned by the spirit ; now till a man be enlightned by the spirit , he cannot see spirituall things in a spirituall manner . howsoever , i grant that by the light of nature , a man being endued with a reasonable soule , thereby may come to discerne of spirituall things , yet so as but by a commonillumination of the spirit , as we call it ; not as they are , but onely as he conceives of them by his naturall reason : for first , by nature a man may conceive of spirituall things , but not spiritually ; for nature can goe no further than nature : now what is competible and agreeable to nature he hath a taste of , he sees things so farre as they are sutable unto his nature ; but nature can looke no further ; for this is the propertie of nature , it goes all by the outward sense and appetite ; and no man can apply spirituall things by the senses , but earthly things . secondly , by the affections a man may conceive of spirituall things , for the affections are the proper seat of love , and a man being endued with love , may bee affected with heavenly things , so farre as they are sweet unto nature ; and hence may arise feare of losing them , not because they are heavenly things , but because they are sweet unto his nature . besides , the affections may restraine him , and turne him from esteeming of things base , to an esteeming of things that are more excellent , and yet be but earthly minded : for it is not the affection to good that proves a man to bee good , but it is the rice of the affection that is the ground from whence they spring ; namely , from a heart enlightened by the spirit : herod may affect iohn , and iohns doctrine , but this is not bred by the spirit , but a carnall affection . thirdly , by the understanding , or mind , a man may come to conceive of spirituall and heavenly things ; his minde may bee enlightened with the knowledge of them , and yet bee but earthly minded : as for example : first , hee may see a vertue in heavenly things above all things in the world , he may conceive of them by looking into them , so that a vertue and power may appeare in them excelling every vertue in any thing else ; and yet not renewed . secondly , if hee be of a more noble spirit hee may doe good , either for church or common-wealth ; hee may bee very liberall and bountifull unto any that shall seeke unto him in this kinde , and hereupon may grow remisse after the things of this world , and so be not all so violently carried away after covetousnesse , and yet not be removed . thirdly , hee may come to see holinesse in the children of god , and thereupon bee wonderfully affected with it , insomuch that he may wish himselfe the like : nay more , hemay wonder at their holinesse , and bee astonished with an admiration thereof , as one overcome of it , and yet not be renewed . fourthly , he may come to see into the attributes of god , both the communicable attributes which are communicated to the creatures , as justice , mercie , righteousnesse , patience , and the like ; and also those that are not communicable , but essentially proper to god , as omnipotencie , omnipresence , and the like ; and hereupon hee may acknowledge god to bee such an one as these declare of , or else as he hath made himselfe knowne in his word : as we see in nebuchadnezar , dan. . . and yet be not renewed . fifthly , he may feele the sweetnesse of the promises , of remission of sinnes , justification , and reconciliation , and rejoyce in them , as herod heard iohn gladly , mark. . . that is , he was glad to heare iohn preach repentance and remission of sinnes , hee felt sweetnesse in this ; so hee was content to heare that it was not lawfull for him to have his brothers wife , but he was not content to obey ; in like manner , any man or woman may finde sweetnesse in the promises , and yet not be renewed . sixthly , hee may beleeve the resurrection to life , and hereupon rejoyce after it , because hee beleeves there is areward laid up for the righteous with christ , and may desire to bee made partaker of it with them , and yet not be renewed : for if you looke into this man , none of all these have the first seat in his heart , but they are , as it were , in a second roome , or closet ; for earthlie things have the first and principall seat in his heart , but these come in after , as handmaids or servants unto the other , and therefore have no spirituall tast to him . to make this plaine , let us consider the order of the faculties of the soule : the minde is the principall facultie , and this rules the will and affections : now the minde being earthly disposed , the will and affections can goe no further then the minde guides them : every facultie hath an appetite , and the soule of a man hath an understanding which governes ; now looke what the minde of a man loves or hates , that the will wils , or wils not ; for the will is but the appetite that followes the understanding . againe , every facultie in man hath a sense , and by that it is drawne to affect that which it chuseth , for the desire followes the sense ; and as it is with one facultie so it is with all the other of the faculties ; for the faculties suit all after the senses , and affect that which the minde affects : and thus the will and affections hanging upon the minde , it is unpossible that the will of a man should will and affect any other thing then that which the minde is affected with . but here some questions may be moved : the first question is this ; but is there such light in the understanding as you say , then it seemes that a naturall man m●y by the light of nature come unto true knowledge ? to this i answer , that a naturall man may come for substance as farre as a spirituall man , but not in a right manner ; the apostle saith , rom. . . they that are of the flesh , doe savour the things of the flesh : and , cor. . . the naturall man perceiveth not the things of the spirit : where the apostle saith , he doth not know them at all , for he wants a sanctified knowledge of them ; hee knowes them , but not by that knowledge which is wrought by the spirit alwaies accompanied with sanctification ; he knowes them for substance , but not in the right manner , as to be a rule to his life . a carnall man may speake of spirituall things , but not religiously ; that is , with an inward feeling of that in his heart which he speakes of : so also a carnall man may have light , but it is but a darke light ; hee may have light in the understanding , but it is not transcendent unto the rest of the faculties to transforme and enlighten them : and therefore though he have light , yet stil he remains in darkenesse . the second thing to bee considered is this , what it is to be heavenly minded : a man is said to be heavenly minded when there is a new life put into him , whereby he is able both to see and to speake of spirituall matters in a more excellent manner then ever he was : and therefore the apostle saith , ephes. . . and be renewed in the spirit of your mindes ; that is , get a new kinde of life and light in your soule ; for when christ enters into the heart of any man or woman , hee puts another kinde of life into them than that which hee had by nature ; the spirit workes grace in the heart , and grace makes a light in the soule ; it makes another kinde of light then before ; for before there was but a naturall light , a sight of christ and salvation , but with a naturall eye ; but now there is a spirituall light in his soule whereby he is able to see christ in another manner , and therefore it is called the light of the mind , the boring of the eares , and the opening of the eyes ; that is , there is a change and alteration wrought in him wherby he can perceive spirituall things ; his eares are opened to heare the mysteries of salvation , with a minde renewed to yeeld obedience unto them , making them the rule of his life ; and his eyes are opened to see the excellencies that are in christ , as remission of sinnes , justification , and reconciliation in a more excellent manner then before ; hee is , as it were , in a new world , wherehee sees all things in another mannerthen before . now i doe not say , that hee sees new things , but old things in a new manner ; hee saw justification , remission of sinnes , and reconciliation before , but now hee sees these and christ in a more excellent manner ; there is , as it were , a new window opened unto him whereby hee sees christ in a more plaine and excellent manner , and hereupon hee is assured in the way of confirmation of the remission of sinnes : hee had a generall trust in christ before , and he saw a glimpse of him , but now hee enjoyes the full sight of him ; that is , such a sight as brings true comfort unto the soule . as a man that travels into a farre countrey sees at last those things which before he saw in a map ; he saw them before , but in a dar●e manner ; but now he hath a more exact and distinct knowledge of them : even so it is with a regenerate man , hee saw christ and the privileges that are in christ before , but darkely , as it were in a map , onely by a common illumination , but now hee sees them by the speciall illumination of the spirit through grace : and therefore the apostle saith , cor. . . the eye hath not seene , nor the eare heard , neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conce●ve of those things that god hath prepared for them that love him : howsoever this place of scripture bee generally expounded and understood of the joyes of heaven , yet , in my opinion , it is much mistaken ; for by this place is meant those spirituall objects that are showne unto a man when the spirit beginnes first to enlighten him ; the eye hath not seene ; that is , which it hath not seene in a right manner : he never saw them in such a manner as now they are showne unto him , he now sees heavenly things in another manner , he sees justification in another manner then before , hec sees remission of sinnes in another manner than before : so likewise hee sees sinne in another hew than before ; for now he sees remission of sinnes follow them as a medicine to heale them : againe , hee sees justification and remission of sinnes in another hew , he sees them in an higher manner then before , he sees them now as sutable to himselfe , and necessary to salvation ; before he saw them as good , but now he sees them as most excellent . as it is with a man that is well , so it is with a man that is not regenerated : now tell a man that is well , of balsome and cordials , what restoratives they are , and what good they will doe to the body , yet hee will not listen unto them because he is well and needs them not ; but tell them unto a man that is sicke and diseased , he will give a diligenteare unto them because they are sutable for his disease : so it is with a spirituall man before he be regenerate , he listens not , he regards not spirituall things ; when hee heares of justification and remission of sinnes hee sleightly passeth them over , because he feeleth himselfe in health , and findes no want of them ; for what should a man take and apply a plaister to a whole place that hath no need of such a thing ? but when hee is once renewed and mortified , then hee findes these sutable to his disposition ; and this is to bee heavenly minded : a naturall man or wom●n may talke of grace , of justification , and remission of sinnes , but they cannot say that these are mine , or that i stand in need of them ; for so saith the apostle , cor. . . the naturall man perceiveth not the things of the spirit : that is , he may talke of deepe points of divinity , but not by the feeling of the spirit ; he may see god and christ , but not in a right manner . but you may say unto mee , if a man heavenly minded may see thus farre , then when hee comes once unto this estate , hee needs not seeke any further illumination ? to this i answer , that though the spirituall man bee thus minded and enlightened , yet hee must seeke for more ; because this knowledge is but in part ; for wee know but in part , saith the apostle , corinth . . . that is , though wee know much of heavenly things , yet it is but a part of that wee ought to know , or that wee should know : therefore wee must ever bee breeding in the spirit , wee must bee ever growing towards perfection : now there can bee no growing till the minde bee enlightened , for this is a worke of the minde ; and so farre as the minde is enlightned , so farre is the will enlightened , and not onely that , but the rest of the faculties are enlightened accordingly . but you may againe say unto mee , if this light which you speake of be seated in the mind , then how farre doth this light redound unto the rest of the faculties , seeing the other seeme not to bee sensible of this light , because many times there is such rebellions in them ? to this i answer , that earthly and heavenly mindednesse is seated in the understanding , will , or mind of a man : as for example ; a lanthorne is the proper seat of a candle , now it receives not the candle for it selfe , neither keepes it the light to it selfe , but it receives it in to preserve light , and to communicate it to others ; even so doth the understanding , it doth not onely receive light for it selfe alone , but by preserving of it , it doth communicate his light to the good of the rest of the faculties : so the apostle saith , you are begotten by the word of truth , iames . . now truth is properly in the understanding , it is first there , and thence it doth communicate unto the rest of the faculties by redundance ; i say by redundance , but not by infusion ; that is , the light that is in the understanding doth redound to the enlightning of rest , but it is conveyed to the rest by the spirit , and so a man is renewed . now for the better explayning of this , wee shall shew how the understanding being enlightned , may doe good unto the rest of the faculties . first , the reason or wisdome being first enlightned , it rests not there , but flowes by a redoundancy unto the other faculties , and thereupon may take away those lets and impediments unto good : as thus , whereas ignorance or infidelity was formerly a hinderance unto good things , making him that was ignorant , uncapable of the mysteries of salvation , so that he could not beleeve the promises of the gospell , he could not bring his will and affections to embrace the truth ; which ignorance is now taken away by that light that is communicated unto him by the understanding . secondly , although the understanding cannot remove feare and anger , because they are qualities of nature , and evill dispositions of the soule , which it got by adams fall ; yet it may hinder the growth of them , it may withstand the actions of them . as a pylot cannot hinder the raging of the seas , it is not in his power to make them calme , yet he can , by using meanes , doe so much as to save his ship : so a regenerate man , though he cannot stay his impatient anger and feare , yet hee may keepe himselfe from the actions of impatient anger , and so bridle his immoderate feare , that hee may not be distracted with it . thirdly , the understanding may doe much good by instructions , when it is renewed , and therfore it comes many times that the rest of the faculties are overturned by the reason ; as thus , when the will and affections are immoderately set upon a wrong object , the minde comes and instructs the will and affections of the vilenesse of the object , and the danger that will ensue ; and then contrarily informing them of grace , propoundeth heavenly objects unto them ; hereupon they become affected with them , and so are turned by the reason . fourthly , it may doe much good by the ruling of them , for the understanding is the superiour faculty of the soule , and therefore it becomes a guide unto the rest : now if the understanding be enlightned ( as i told you ) it doth communicate his light by redundancy unto the rest of the faculties , then it must needs follow that the understanding being enlightned truly with grace , and the other faculties partaking thereof , they must needs be ruled by it . every inferiour is ruled by his superiour , or at least should be so ; so every faculty should be subordinate unto the minde : now if there be a rebellion in them , it is the disorder of the soule , as the other is the disorder of the state. thus much for the explaining of these points , namely , what it is to be earthly minded , and what it is to be heavenly minded . the first use then shall be , to reprove sharply such as favour the members of this body , and are inordinately affected with this earthly mindednesse , such also as cannot deny these members any thing that is pleasant unto them , whereas they should be suppressed and mortified by the spirit . the rich man feeds these members with his riches , the covetous man with his covetousnesse , the proud man with his pride , and the ambitious man with his vaine-glory , when as these are their greatest enemies , howsoever they are couzened by them ; but if they did but know , if they were but truly enlightned with grace , they would perceive the evill of these members , and how great an enemy this earthly mindednesse were unto them , and then they would starve their bodies , sooner then they should deceive them of their soules . for first , as there is nothing more hurtfull unto man than earthly mindednesse ; so , secondly , there is nothing more hatefull unto god ; and thirdly , there is nothing more contrary unto the profession of christianity , than the loving of those earthly members . for the first , i say that there is nothing in the world more hurtfull unto man than earthly mindednesse , because it makes him worse than the beasts ; the beasts doe not sinne , but these earthly members are the cause of sinne in us , and sinne takes away the excellency of the creature . innocency is the excellency of the creature , simply taken as he is a creature , and this was all the excellency that we had in adam , but sinne tooke away that excellency : therefore what iacob said of reuben , gen. . . when he had defiled his bed , thou hast ( saith he ) taken away my excellencie ; that is , that which i outwardly respected most , may be said of every lust ; for what a man keepes , that is his excellency ; the wife is the husbands excellency , and therefore when shee is defiled , hee hath lost his excellencie ; for as a man keepes or loseth that outward thing which hee most respecteth , so he keepeth or loseth his excellencie : the starres that fall , when they are in the element they shine and give light , and then they are said to keepe their excellencie ; but when they once fall then they lose their excellency , because they have lost their light and splendor ; so men are said to lose their excellency when they give way unto their lusts . and the reason is , first , because when the mind affects earthly things , it mingles together two contraries , grace and christ , with sinne and the world , and so ecclipseth the excellencie of the one with the basenesse of the other : as when gold and drosse are mingled , the basenesse of the one doth corrupt the other , so as the excellency thereof doth not appeare ; but mingle gold with silver , or let it be alone , and then it keepes his excellency , and is not ecclipsed : even so , when a man is earthly minded , and his affections are set upon base objects , with that enlightned knowledge he hath , he mingleth an ignoble and base object together , and so loseth the excellency of it . now there is nothing that can make a man to lose his excellency , but sinne ; for other things that happen unto a man are not able to take away his excellencie , as reproches and imprisonments in the world ; for a man may keepe himselfe heavenly minded for all the reproches and imprisonments that he shall meet withall , if hee can keep out sin ; al other things are unto him but as a candle in a dark night , which makes a man see his way the better ; so all things in the world cannot ecclipse the grace of a christian , but in the hardest estate hee will so keepe his heavenly mindednesse that his grace shall the more appeare . secondly , sinne pierceth men through ; for that which is said of riches , tim. . . is true of every sinne , it pierceth them through with many sorrowes ; that is , it wounds his soule , and makes him to draw to his owne destruction : againe , sinne having once gotten possession , will have no deniall ; if once you give way unto it , it is restlesse ; for when a man hath satisfied one lust , another comes to bee satisfied , till at last his heart is hardened , and his conscience hath lost all sense , and when it is thus with him hee is drowned in sinne : hee is , in this case , like the silke-worme , that never rests turning her selfe in her web till at last shee destroy herselfe : so earthly minded men , when they are once catcht in this snare , they never rest turning themselves from one sin unto another , till at last they destroy themselves . secondly , there is nothing more hatefull and offensive unto god then when a man is earthly minded ; for when a man is earthly minded , hee sets up idolatry in his heart : i speake not of the bodily prostration , howsoever in time it may be hee will be such an one ; but i speake of covetousnesse , that spirituall idolatry of the heart , as the apostle cals it ; which is when the heart is once sotted with these earthly things , that it drawes all the faculties of the soule after them , so that the commandements of god become a burthen unto him . now there is nothing in the world more odious unto god than to be an idolater , for hee is a loathsome creature , one whom god hath left to himselfe : now god never leaves a man till hee forsakes him ; but when he doth forsake god , then he is left to himselfe : and this is properly called the hatred of god , for then god with-drawes from a man his spirit and speciall providence , because hee loathes him : and as it is with us , what a man loaths that he hates , and wee know that a man cares not what becomes of that which he hates ; so it is with god in this case : for , i say , the turning of a mans heart from spirituall things to earthly , is the setting up of idolatry in the heart ; and nature her selfe abhorres to have the affections drawne away : for as an adultresse is odious unto her husband , because her heart is drawne away from him ; so an idolater is odious unto god , because it drawes away the heart from god : and therfore the apostle saith , iam. . . know you not that the love of the world is enmitieto god ? that is , if you love the world it will make you commit idolatry , and then you are at enmity with god , and so consequently god and you are at odds , you stand in defiance one against another ; for who is at greater enmity with god than an idolater ? the third thing to be considered , is , that there is nothing in the world that lesse beseemeth a christian man or woman , especially one that professeth religion , than earthly mindednesse ; for this cause an unregenerate man is compared to a swine , because all his delight is to paddle in the world , and to be wallowing in it , as in his proper place ; for what would you have a swine to doe , but to delight in things that are agreeable unto his nature ? but for a man that professeth religion , to fall from his religion unto prophanenesse , and to the love of the world , this is most odious unto god , this god hates with a deadly hatred , this is a despising of god , and a trampling under foot the bloud of christ : it is nothing for a prophane man that hath not given his name unto christ , to lye wallowing in the world , and to goe from one sinne to another ; it is , as it were , but the putting off one garment to put on another , which is not unsecmely ; or the pulling of a ring off one finger to put it on to another , wherein seemes no undecency ; so the sinnes of prophane men seeme not to be unseemely in regard of the persons from whence they come ; for there is no other things , at leastwise better things , to be expected from them : but for one that hath professed christ , after long profession to fall greedily unto the world , this is unbeseeming a christian man ; other things are contrary unto grace , but this forsaking of the world is sutable unto grace . for a covetous man that is profane , there is no contrariety in that , it is sutable unto his disposition , but for any man that hath tasted of heavenly mysteries , as the apostle saith , heb. . . to fall away into a swinish disposition , as to covetousnesse , or pride , hee shall hardly be renewed by repentance ; that is , he will hardly scrape off that blot of relapse : nay , many times the lord meets with such by great judgements ; as salomon in his youth how did he maintaine religion , yet in his age how fearefully did he fall into idolatry ? asa being young , honors god in his youth , yet he fell away in his age , & the holy ghost hath branded him with three fearefull sins : and so ahaziah , he fell away from god to idolatry , and in his sicknesse sent to witches to helpe him : how unanswerable were the ends of these to their beginnings ; therefore take heed of apostacy . i speake of this the more , because wee see daily many in their youth are marvellous zealous , and pretend great love unto religion , and yet if you marke the end of these ( i speake not of all ) who greater backsliders then them ? and indeed this backsliding many times proves the portion of gods children ; the most holiest , and dearest of gods saints many times are subject unto this alteration , and yet be deare & precious in the sight of god : as we see in david and peter . but there is great difference betwixt the slacknesse of the saints , and the wicked , backsliding : the godly they may slacke , but it is but for a time ; he is cold and remisse in the duti●s of holinesse , but it lasts not , it vanisheth away : on the other side , the wickedlye & continue in apostacy unto the end ; in these it is naturall , but unto the other it is but the instigation of the devill working by some lust upon one of the faculties . now slacknesse or coldnesse of gods children may seeme to proceed from a threefold cause : first , from that hollow ha●tednesse that is in the children of god , which like a hollow wall fals when it is shaken , because it was not firm : so their hearts being not firmly established in grace , nor rooted in the knowledg of christ , when afflictions or reproches come , it shakes down that hold which they seemed to have of christ. secondly , the next cause may proceed from the evill example of men , which by their insinuation may draw their affections away , and carry them from that love that they had towards god : therefore take heed to the insinuation of wickedmen , they will first labour to know the desire of your heart , and then they will fit themselves accordingly to deceive you ; and besides , the devill workes effectually by them . thirdly , the last cause may proceed from this , that he is removed from under a powerfull ministery which formerly he lived under , unto a carelesse shepheard , or at least an unprofitable one ; hereupon he may grow remisse and cold in the duties of religion : but neverthelesse although this ariseth from men , yet the cause is in themselves ; for what is the reason that they fal , but because they find spirituall things dead in them , and an in-lacke of grace . therfore i beseech you take heed of falling away , for if a man should runne in the wayes of holinesse , and catch heat ; that is , bee enlightned , and then sit downe in a consumption of grace , or fall sicke of the love of the world , surely it is a fearefull sinne : therefore let this teach every man to take heed to his standing . first , for those that doe stand , let them take heed that nothing take away their hold , whether it be profit , pleasure , or delight : these the divell will use as instruments to beguile you , but take heed that you bee not deceived by them . secondly , for those that have fallen unto earthly mindednesse , let them learne with philadelphia to repent , and to doe their first workes ; that is , let them labour to get out of this condition . thirdly , for those that have not yet tasted of the sweetnesse of christ , let them here learne to be ashamed of themselves , because they have neglected so great salvation : and those that have had the meanes of grace a long time preacht unto them in the evidence of the spirit , and yet have not beene renewed ; that is , have not left their swinish disposition , may here be ashamed . but it is a hard matter to perswade the world of the truth of this point ; the ministers may speake and perswade , but it is god that must change the heart , and make the man willing to have his corruptions mortified . we speake but to two sorts of people , young men and old : first , young men when they are perswaded to forsake the world , they reply , it stands not with their youth to set upon this worke ; they are not able , or at least not willing , to leave their pleasure . secondly , old men , when they are perswaded to forsake the world , reply also and say , they have been instructed , & have made choyce of this , and therefore arenow unwilling to repent of their earthly mindednesse , lest they should be reputed remisse and weake in their judgements ; & therfore now they will not change their estates which they have lived so long in . but howsoever it is hard for a man to draw men out of their swinish condition , yet it is an easier worke if god will be the instructer , if hee doe put his spirit into the heart , it will easily expell the workes of the divell , those strong holds that satan hath in the heart : now the reasons that make men minde earthly things , to sticke so fast unto them , are these : first , because earthly things are present . to this may bee rereplyed , it is true , earthly things are not at all to come , for that which we have is present ; those things of the world which wee enjoy and have in possession , are present , as riches , honour , and the like : yet there are other things that are present which are of a higher nature , which we ought to set our hearts upon , if we will be lead by presents ; for joy in the holy ghost is present , and justification is present , and regeneration is present , remission of sinnes is present , reconciliation is present ; and you will say that these are farre better than the things of this world : but say that these were not present but to come , yet we account it a part of wisdome to part with a thing present that is of smal account , for hope of a better afterwards ; who is there that will not part with a smal thing present , upon condition of enjoying of a greater afterwards ? the world and the things of the world are nothing in comparison of grace and salvation ; therefore what if thou forsake all these things , upon condition you shall get eternall life for them hereafter . for this is the difference betweene reason and sense ; nature is carried away by sense , it delights in that which it feeles , now sense is present ; but reason goes according to judgement , and rests upon hope : therefore let the children of god use their spirituall reason in the forbearing of present worldly delights , in hope of enjoying of better things ; and take heed of sense , bee not led away by it , for it is usually a great meanes to draw our heart and affections from grace to earthly things . luk. . . the rich glutton when hee was in torment , had this answer from abraham , sonne , remember that thou in thy life time hadst thy pleasure ; that is , thou hadst it then when it was not a time for pleasure ; thou wast led away by sense , and now thou must be punished . the apostle , iam. . . pronounceth a woe upon rich men , because you received your consolation here , that is , youhave received plesure in a wrōg place , for the earth is no place for true pleasure ; therefore you have received your consolation : you can expect no other pleasure herafter , for you have sought true content where it is not ; therfore woe unto you . a man that minds earthly things is like a man that hath a great graspe , which cannot hold any thing more , except he let fall that which he hath . earthly minded men , they have their hearts full of earthly things and pleasure , and therefore it is not possible that they should gripe christ & grace , except they let fall that g●ipe that they have already of earthly things : therefore this is a false reason that men doe object . the second objection is , because earthly things are sensibly felt , and in things that are sensibly felt , there is sweetnesse ; but as for other things , they are onely conceived by the imagination , as grace and other spirituall things . to this i answer , men in this are exeedingly deceived ; for if the lesser faculty be sensible , then much more the greater faculties ; and if the inferiour part of the soule hath a sensible taste , then certainly the superiour part of the soule is the more sensible part ; for the greater faculties have the greater sense , and as they are larger so they grow deeper . to explaine this , take a man that hath an afflicted conscience , as the conscience is the greatest faculty , so it hath the greatest sense in it ; for what it apprehends it is presently sensible of , whether it be joy or sorrow . now in the matter of sense betweene the superiour and inferiour faculties , the schoolemen make a threefold difference . first , say they , that sense which the understanding or mind hath , is permanent , it lasts for ever , because the things themselves are permanent ; it feeles grace , justification , remission of sinnes , it feeles god , and christ , and the spirit ; but the sense of the other faculties vanisheth and passeth away : as a man that hath for the present tasted a sermon well , and another hath tasted a good worke , or a good turne done , which in time are forgotten ; the remembrance of them lasts not for ever . secondly , these naturall senses are but for the present ; that which you now taste is present , that which you tasted before is gone , this is the nature of these faculties ; but it is not thus with the understanding . thirdly , these senses lessen through defect and wearinesse ; a man will bee weary with eating of honey , though it be pleasant unto the sense ; a man is weary with meat , and with sleepe , with rest , and with pleasure , when as these are delights , and very pleasant in the fruition ; but over much of any of these makes them a burthen : but the spirituall senses are not so , for they are endlesse ; justification , remission of sinnes , and reconciliation , are without end ; therefore labour to finde the sweetnesse that is in god , rest not till thou get the spirit which brings grace into the heart ; and doe but talke with those that have tasted of this sweetnesse , that have first tasted of earthly things , and now have tasted of spirituall , and they will tell you of the excellency of the one above the other . heb. . , &c. they declare plainly , that they seeke a citie , not in this world , for then they might returne , but a heavenly place . the third objection is , because of the opinion and speech of men concerning these earthly things ; and this hath a great force : esa. . . woe is me , for i am a man of uncleane lippes , and dwell in the middest of a people of uncleane lippes : that is , i shall have a base opinion of this people , if i shall prophesie unto them . so , mat. . . many false prophets shall arise , and deceive many : that is , men shall be taken in a trap to doe evill , by the false opinion and speech of the multitude ; for men that fall into errours , are alwayes drawne by fancy . to this i answer , first , you shall finde them but mouth-friends , and therefore when they perswade men by speech and opinion , it is because they would deceive ; and therefore i beseech you take heed of them : it is a dangerous thing when the devill will plow with our heifer ; that is , when hee will use our fancy and appetite as an instrument to draw us to sinne : you see the danger that adam fell into , when eve was made the instrument , by being led by fancy and opinion ; the devill shewes her the excellency of the apple , and by his perswasion shee is drawne to taste of it . so i read of a martyr , who when hee came to suffer , his friends perswaded him to turne ; he answered thus , you speake it out of love , but there is one within who is mine enemy , that perswades you thus to speake . in like manner say you , that the opinion and speech of men is good , but there is an enemy within that useth deceit . we have a proverbe , it is good telling of money after ones father ; so it is good trying the speeches of the dearest friends , lest there be deceit in them . secondly , to this i answer , to bee sure not to be deceived by the false opinion of men , it is to get sound knowledge in the word , and from it to gather a peremptory conclusion , that wee will not be drawne no further than we are warranted by that : now a man must looke that hee stand upon his owne bottome , and not wholly on another mans judgement . a man that sets himselfe upon a good ground , will stand fast when others shake and fall ; now this ground is the word of god : and when wee have this ground , to resolve with ioshua , that whatsoever others doe , i and my house will serve the lord : and peremptorily to take up the resolution of peter , though all the world should for sake christ , yet we will not . i say , a peremptory will to doe good , is good ; though wee have not power to effect it : but wee must looke that it be upon a good ground ; for wee must know that the way to heaven is not a broad footway , where many footsteps appeare , as a path-way is to a great city ; but it is a narrow way , & therfore we must throng hard : besides , there are not many going that way ; & therefore we must not give eare unto the opiniō & speeches of the multitude . you know a man of understanding , if a child come unto him and speake of his rattles and bables , he will not answer him , because they are too base things for him to talke about ; and if hee doe speake unto him , it is because the childe wants understanding to conceive of other things : so it is with carnall men , as the apostle saith , pet. . . they speake evill of those things they know not , because they want spirituall knowledge : they are like a countrey-man , that comes , and seeing one draw a geometricall line , beginnes to wonder what it meanes , marvelling that hee will spend his time in drawing of such a line , though hee knowes well the use of it that drawes it ; and to this purpose the apostle saith , pet. . . they marvell that wee runne not with them unto the same excesse of riot : that is , they cannot see the reason why wee should not bee as prophane as they . the fourth reason wherefore men will not set upon these corruptions , is , because of a false opinion and overvaluing of them , and therefore they thinke they doe nothing in the getting of them but what they deserve , and that they are worthy their labour and paynes . to this i answer ; let men looke unto this , that they be not deceived in them , and compare them with the scriptures : for if you judge of things as the scripture doth , it will appeare that the reason is false , but if you doe not , although they bee vanity , yet they will deceive you whatsoever you esteeme of them ; for the truth is , that there is nothing in them but vexation of spirit ; you shall finde great inticements , and much evill in them : besides , they will fill your hands full of much evill and bloud ; that is , they will give thee no true joy : for what joy hath the murtherer of his murther ? now the reason wherefore they cannot give true joy , is , because they are under the faculty of joy : as the eye is weary quickly with looking on a small print , but let the print bee sutable unto it , then it will delight in it ; so it is with the facultie of joy , if there were no wearinesse brought to it by them , then men would not be weary in the acquiring of them ; but wee see there is such an awkwardnesse in the mindes of men for the getting of them , that it weares the minde , but satisfies it not . ier. . . saith the prophet , let not the wise man glorie in his wisdome , nor the strong man in his strength , nor the rich man in his riches : that is , hee hath no cause to glory in any outward thing , because it is the lord that sheweth judgement , and can dissolve any creature to nothing ; but if he will glory , let him glory that hee knowes god ; for the true knowledge of god bringeth true comfort and joy. but it is not so with the creatures , for there is no creature can bring good , or doe good or evill without god ; i say , no creature can bring comfort unto a creature without god ; for god , if hee is the sustainer of all creatures , so likewise he is the author of all . but if wee come to spirituall comfort , god doth not communicate it unto any creature , no creature hath part of it : the creature nourisheth us not simply as it is a creature , but it becomes nourishable by reason of that which is put unto it ; as the fire brings light and heat , heat is the matter of the fire , light is but a thing or quality that depends upon it : so the matter of every comfort is god , and of all things in the world , though the instruments that doe convey this comfort bee a creature : therefore you may have the huske when you want the kernell , that is , you may have these outward things , and yet want the sweetnesse of them . and this is when god turnes away his face from a man in the creatures , then the comfort in the creature is gone ; and therefore david prayed , turne not thy face away from thy servant : that is , take not away my comfort . all mens comforts stand in gods face : let a man bee never so rich , let him have wife and children , lands and possessions , give him what outward things you will , and what joy and comfort is in them if gods face be turned away ? ahab is rich enough , and haman hath a wife and children , and yet what comfort and joy had they in them ? it is not the creature that can yeeld true comfort , but it is the all-sufficiencie that is in god , and from him derived unto them : as for example , take a man that is in despaire , tel him of the world , make large promises unto him in this kinde , none of all these will comfort him , they are so farre from ministring comfort , that they adde unto his sorrow , especially if his gri●fe be for a matter of sinne ; but tell him of god , and his sufficiencie of christ , and of justification , and remission of sinnes , then hee will beginne to have some joy in god : and as the presence of god is now most comfortable , so in hell the knowledge of god and his presence shall bee their greatest torments . therefore let my advice be unto you that which the prophet david gives in the like case , psalm . . . trust not in oppression , and if riches increase , set not your hearts upon them : that is , set them not so upon them , as to place your happinesse in them . the use then may serve for the just reproofe of all earthly minded men , and for exhortation unto all to leave their earthly mindednesse : let us all therefore labour to deprive our selves of all inordinate desire of them ; especially it concernes those that abound in them , to keepe a strong watch about their hearts , lest this viper lay hold upon them : for as it is a hard thing to keepe a cup that is full without spilling , so it will be a hard worke for those that have their closets full of earthly things not to have their hearts taken up with them ; and therefore our saviour saith , it is a hard thing for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of god. what is the reason of this ? because it is hard to have abundance of outward things , and not to put trust in them : and what is said of riches may bee said of any other outward thing whatsoever , whether it be pleasure , or honour ; for these all worke the heart of a waxie disposition to evill , so as it will take any impression , it will be ready to receive into the soule any sinne , or imbrace any object , and carry the impression of it unto action . now what should move us to morifie these earthly members ? the first motive is , because if wee doe not moritifie them , the divell will ensnare us by these earthly members , though we seeme not to be within his power : as a dogge that hath broken away from his keeper , yet going with his chaine he will the more easily bee taken ; so these earthly members are as a chaine , whereby the devill layes hold on us ; therefore if you would not be taken by satan , then mortifie these earthly members . the second motive to move us to mortifie these earthly members , is , because one earthly member , or the reigning of one sinne in us , tyes us fast from god , and bi●des us fast to the devill : now what matters it whether a man bee tyed with one chaine , or twenty chaines if he be tyed fast ; so what matters it whether he be yed with one sinne , or many sinnes , if one keeps him from god : for as one grace , truly wrought by the spirit , makes a man righteous ; so one raging sinne makes a man unrighteous . men thinke that they may retaine some sinne , and yet be righteous ; but i say , if thy heart be set upon any earthly thing , if it be but an immoderate care for these earthly things , or if it bee but feare of such or such a man , which may seeme to be but a small thing , that tyes thee from god ; i say , if you looke unto such a man , if a matter of conscience come before thee , and thou dare not doe justice for feare of him , but will in this case rather breake with god , it is a signe that there is no true grace in thee , thou art as yet earthly minded : but if thou bee heavenly minded , thou wilt set thy resolution thus ; this thing i know to be just and right , it is a matter of conscience , though all the men in the world should be angry with me , yet i will doe it . and therefore our saviour saith , except hee deny himselfe , he cannot be my disciple , luk. . . that is , if hee cast off all selfe-love of these outward things , so as he will not set his heart immoderately upon them . but it is now farre otherwise with men , they will doe as other men doe ; like the planets , they will turne euery way ; and therefore it is impossible but satan should catch these men , because they love to play with his bait : deceive not thy selfe , if thou forsake some , and doe not forsake all , thou art as yet not heavenly minded : for a man may not be altogether covetous , and yet not renewed ; hee may not gripe so fast after the world as another , and yet not bee depending upon god , such an one is but an earthly minded man : so a man may be religious a while , and hee may deny himselfe either some sinne , or else the company of wicked men , and yet when he comes but unto this , that hee must deny himselfe in all his pleasures , here he stands at a stay , gods grace and salvation and he parts , hee will not buy it at so deare a rate as to lose his pleasure in these outward things . but you will say unto me , how shall we doe to get this loathing of earthly things ? therefore , for the better helping of you unto this worke , we will now come downeto consider some meanes by which you may obtaine it . first , if you would get a loathing of earthly things , the first meanes , is , to get a sound humiliation : for what is the reason men doe so minde earthly things , and why they doe not place heavenly things before , but because they have not felt the bitternesse of sinne . now the true ground of humiliation , is the hating of sinne , out of love unto god : but men turne it another way , they make another ground of humiliation . for first , it may bee they are humble because the feare of judgement that is present , or one that is likely to ensue , but not for sinne as it is displeasing to god ; their heart , it may bee , is broken , but it is not made better . secondly , it may be they are humbled because of some generall losse of outward things , or of some generall judgement that is befallen the land ; or it may be a particular losse of credit , or the like , but not for any particular sinne . thirdly , it may be there was a deeper ground , the persons of some men that were rich , but now are fallen , and therefore because their hopes depended upon this man , and now being unable to helpe them , they are dejected . but this is a false humiliation ; for true humiliation consisteth in an abstaining from sinne , because it is displeasing unto god ; and a raising up of the heart by faithin christ to beleeve the promises both of justification , and remission of sinnes , and then from hence flowes a loathing of sinne . secondly , if you would get a loathing of earthly things , you must remember the royaltie of the spirituall things , what the excellencie of them is ; they farre su●passe all the things in the world : grace hath the greatest power in it , it is able to quench fire , to stop the mouthes of lions , heb. . . now if men did but beleeve that there were such a power in grace , they would never bee brought to minde earthly things : therefore labour to ground your selves in the true knowledge of god , get good arguments in your selves of the preciousnesse of heavenly things ; for if a man be not thus grounded , but shall see greater arguments to the contrary , hee will presently beginne to suspect that spirituall things are not the best . now when a christian is thus grounded , hee is able to discerne things of a contrary nature ; therefore bring them unto the triall , and the more you try spirituall things by a sanctified judgement , the more excellent they will appeare ; but if they be not spirituall things , the more you looke upon them , the baser they seeme to be . thirdly , if you would get a loathing of earthly things , then labour to keepe a constant and diligent watch over your hearts ; for when a man sets his heart and mind upon earthly things , they will worke carelesnesse and remisnesse of better things ; it so possesseth his heart with feare , that hee altogether neglecteth spirituall things ; it will make thee carelesse in prayer , and other holy duties . take heede therefore of filling thy heart with earthly things , for it will take away the rellish of spirituall things ; and if once the sweetnesse of them be gone , thou wilt make small account of them : take heed of too much pleasure , for then you will neglect prayer in private ; and take heed of abundance of riches , for they haue a drawing power in them : and here what christ spake unto the church of smyrna , rev. . , . i know thou art rich , &c. may be said unto you , i know you are rich , by the great labour ye take after the riches : men take much paines forthe getting and keeping of earthly things , then how much more should they labour to get and keepe spirituall things ; labour to keepe your hearts in tune , labour to keepe a rellish of spirituall things in your hearts , and expell whatsoever is contrary unto it : take heed of immoderate love of riches , pleasure , or honour ; take heed that you incroach not upon the sabbath , set that apart for the inriching of your soules . i speake not this because i would have you carelesse in your places and callings , but i would have you cast off all unnecessary occasions and businesses which you draw upon your selves , by reason whereof ye neglect better things . it now remaines that i give you some meanes to get heavenly mindednesse . the first meanes , if you would get heavenly mindednesse , is this , you must labour to get faith ; for the more faith thou hast , the more thou art in heaven : faith overcomes the world , which sets upon us two wayes : first , by promising things that are good ; secondly , by threatning that which is evill . now faith overcomes both these : for , first , the world tels thee , that if thou wilt be earthly minded , thou shalt get respect and credit , thou shalt get an inheritance , thou shalt be a king ; but faith tels thee , that if thou wilt be heavenly minded , thou shalt get credit and respect with god and his angels , and an inheritance undefiled , immortall , which fadeth not away ; thou shalt be as a king , and a prince here in this life , over the world , the divell , and thine owne corruptions , over all these thou shalt bee more than a conquerour , and have a crowne of glory in the life to come . secondly , the world tels thee , that if thou wilt not be earthly minded , thou shalt lose thy wealth & riches , thy honour and thy credit , nay , thy life also ; but faith tels thee , that if thou beest earthly minded , thou shalt lose thy spirituall life , and riches , and shalt be poore in the graces of the spirit ; thou shalt lose honour and credit with god and his children ; nay , thou shalt lose eternall life . thus faith overcomes our inordinate affections to the world , and makes us heavenly minded . the second meanes , if you would get heavenly mindednesse , is this , you must labour for humilitie : this is that which the apostle iames exhorts us unto , iam. . . clense your hands you sinners , and purisie your hearts you double minded ; and then humble your selves , cast your selves downe , and the lord wil raise you up . where we may note , that before our hearts & hands can be clensed , we must be cast downe . this we may see in the parable of the sower , luk. . . two of the sorts of ground were not fit to receive seed because they were not humbled , and therfore the word had not that effect in them as it had in those that were humbled , plowed , and had the clods broken . it is with an humble soule , as it is with an hungry and thirsty man ; tell him of gold and silver , hee cares not for it , onely give him meat and drinke , for that is the thing he most desires , and stands most in need of : or like a condemned man , tel him of lands and possessions , hee regards them nothing at all ; for nothing will satisfie him but a pardon : so it is with a christian that is humbled and cast downe under the sense of the wrarh of god for sinne ; tell him of any thing in the world in the most learned and excellentest manner that possibly you can , yet nothing will satisfie him but the love and favour of god in christ , hee can rellish nothing but heavenly things ; nothing will quench his thirst but the imputed righteousnesse of christ. thus you see that humilitie is an excellent meanes unto heavenly mindednesse . the third meanes , if you would get heavenly mindednesse , is this , thou must labour to get thy judgement rightly informed , especially concerning earthly things : the reason wherefore men are so besotted with the world , is , because they doe not conceive of the things in the world so as indeed they are , they thinke better of them then they deserve , and looke for that from them which they cannot afford them : therefore heare what the preacher saith of them ; salomon saith , that they are vanitie and vexation of spirit ; yea , he cals all vanity : and in another place he compares them to things that are most variable , and most uncertaine , as to grasse that withereth , to a shadow that is suddenly gone ; this is the esteeme that the wiseman had of earthly things . and thereby we may see , that they are not truly good , because they are uncertaine things , and promise that which they cannot performe unto us ; for at the best they are but things wherein , as through a crevice , we have a small glimpse of the true good ; yet they themselves are not over-good , because they are not the cause whereby the chiefe good is produced ; neither are wee able to keepe them , for at such or such a time they will bee gone ; so that they are neither true good , nor our good : and therefore this should weane us and our hearts from them . but let us strive to set our affections on things that are durable good , and substantiall good , which will not deceive us ; and will promise us nothing but that which it will performe farre beyond our deserts : therefore labour for a right informed judgement . the fourth meanes , if you would get heavenly mindednesse , is this , labour to get a sight into the all-sufficiencie of god : remember what the lord said unto abraham , i am god all-sufficient ; walke before me and bee upright . god is an all-sufficient god for generall good ; things of this life are at the best but particular good ; as health is a particular good against sicknesse , wealth and riches a particular good against poverty , honour and credit a particular good against disgrace ; but god is a generall good , and the fountaine of all goodnesse : other things are but created , like cisternes , that good they have is put in them ; therefore the lord complaines of the people , ier. . . they have forsaken me the fountaine of living waters , and have digged to themselves cisternes that will hold no water ; that is , they have forsaken god the fountaine of all good , and have chosen unto themselves the creatures , that have no more good than that which comes from god , the fountaine : as a man that forsakes a fountaine that continually runnes , and betakes himselfe to a crack'd cisterne that hath no water but that which commeth from the fountaine , and is also subject to lose his water ; so when men set their hearts on earthly things , they forsake god who is all-sufficient for them , and seeke to his creatures which are insufficient and unable to helpe themselves : therefore you ought to thinke of these things to the end you may be heavenly minded . the fifth meanes to get heavenly mindednesse , is this , to remember from whence thou art fallen , rev. . . this is for those that have beene heavenly minded , and now are earthly minded . it is with many christians as it is with the shadow on the diall , the sunne passeth and they know not how : or as a man going to sea , first hee loseth a sight of the townes and houses , then the sight of the churches and steeples , and then hee loseth the sight of the mountaines and hils , then at last hee seeth nothing but the motion of the seas ; so there are many christians that make a godly shew of profession at first , but by degrees they fall away , till at length they become nothing ; they leave the good profession , and take up an outward professing of christianitie , and doe all in hypocrisie : it is with these men as it is with a man that hath a consumption in his bodie ; first , he growes weake ; secondly , he loseth his colour ; thirdly , hee loseth his rellish and taste , and this is the most dangerous of all : so it is in a spirituall consumption ; first , they are weake and feeble to performe holy duties ; secondly , they lose their colour , that is , their cheerefulnesse in the performance of holy duties ; thirdly , which is the worst of all , they lose their rellish , they cannot taste wholsome doctrine , they delightnot in the pure word ; and this is dangerous , and hard to be recovered . a consumption at first is more easily cured than discerned ; and at length it is more easily discovered than cured : so it is with the spirituall : the sicknesse and the weaknesse of the soule may at the first be more easily cured than discerned , but when they beginne to lose their colour and taste , it is more easily discerned then cured . this is a marvellous dangerous case , and therefore to prevent this sicknesse of the soule , let men remember from whence they are fallen : i can compare such christians to nothing so fit as unto the image of nebuchadnezar , which hee saw in a vision ; the head was of gold , the brest , shoulders , and armes of silver , the thighes and legges were of brasse and iron , and the feet were of clay : so many christians , at the first , for their zeale , knowledge , tendernesse of conscience , are as pure gold ; afterwards , they grow more cold and remisse in the performance of holy duties , than before ; as also not so carefull in the keeping of a good conscience , and this is worse than the first , even as silver is worse than gold ; againe , they come to a degree worse than that , like brasse and iron , dead and cold to every thing that is good ; then at last they come to clay ; that is , to be earthly minded , minding onely the things of the earth : and therefore if thou wouldest get heavenly mindednesse , and keepe off this spirituall consumption of thy soule , remember from whence thou art fallen . having already shewed you the difference betweene earthly and heavenly mindednesse , and also shewed you the meanes whereby you may get out of earthly mindednesse , it now remaines that we lay downe some motives to move you to this worke . the first motive to move all men from earthly mindednesse , is , because heavenly things are a better object : the desire doth not dye , but change ; the affections and desires are but changed from earthly things to heavenly things : now every desire hath a conjunction with the things that they affect ; if it bee but an earthly desire , it hath a conjunction with an earthly object ; so if it bee an heavenly desire , it hath a conjunction with an heavenly object . now if men did but know , or at least would be perswaded of this , it would bee an excellent meanes to perswade men to leave earthly mindednesse : for what is the reason that men will not professe religion , but because they say , then wee must bee crucified unto the world , and the world must bee crucified unto us ; that is , they must leave al their pleasure and delights . it is true , thou must be crucified unto the world , thou must leave inordinate care of earthly things , all distrusting care , which is a companion of earthly mindednesse in unregenerate men ; now what losse will it bee unto thee , if thou have heavenly affections for earthly ? will not a man willingly part with drosse for gold ? a man that is recovered of a dropsie , what if a necessitie be laid upon him to abstaine from excesse in drinking , would hee not rather willingly leave his desire , than have his disease to returne ? so , what if thy affections be changed from earthly to heavenly things , so as thou dost feele the burthen of immoderate cares cast off thee ? what though a necessitie bee laid upon thee not to entangle thy selfe with the things of this world ; is it not forthy soules health to keepe it from a consumption ? if men would be perswaded of the benefit that comes by this heavenly mindednesse , and that it were but a change of the desire ; not to their losse , but their great advantage , surely they would not bee so backeward from getting of heavenly mindednesse : therefore labour to perswade thy heart of the truth of this grace ; for this doth not so tye a man from the world that hee must not have any thing to doe with it , but it orders a man in the world , it keepes him from all inordinate cares of the world , and all inordinate desires of earthly things , it sets all the faculties of the soule in order , and it sets the body in order : now if men did but know the benefit of this change , they would bee more easily perswaded to leave earthly mindednesse . the second motive , to move all men to leave earthly mindednesse , is , because there is no sweetnesse in these earthly members ; there is an insufficiencie in them , they cannot give any true content to the heart of a man ; and that they cannot doe it , this is cleare by two particulars : first , this ariseth from the mutabilitie of the things ; secondly , it ariseth from the disposition of the persons . first , i say , they can give no true content unto the heart of a man or woman , because they are mutable , and subject to change : now you know that all earthly things are mutable , they have a time of being , and a time of not being : let the heart of a man or woman be set upon any of these earthly things , and the losse of it will bring greater sorrow of heart , by how much more he hath set his heart upon them ; if immoderately , then the sorrow is the greater ; if moderately , the sorrow is the lesse ; but if he set his whole heart upon any thing , whether it bee his riches , or his honour , or his pleasure , the losse thereof will cause much sorrow of heart : now it is onely grace that gives true content unto a christian ; spirituall things they change not , they are constant , immutable , and permanent , as justification , remission of sinnes , and reconciliation , these are not subject unto any change , they cannot be lost ; for when the heart is set upon heavenly things , the comfort cannot bee removed , because the cause of that comfort continues . now comfort in christ is the true content of the soule , and therefore where christ is by his grace in the heart , there is content . secondly , i say , they can giue no true content unto a man or woman , if wee consider the condition and the disposition of the persons , and that two wayes : first , if we consider them as good men , and so belong to god ; or secondly , if we consider them as bad men , and so not belonging unto god , we shall see that outward things cannot yeeld any true content unto either . first , if they be good men , and so belong unto god ; yet there cannot be such sweetnesse in them as to give true content unto the soule . for many times they are a cause , or at least a meanes to draw afflictions from god upon a man : for god is a jealous god ; that is , a god hating spirituall idolatrie . now when the heart of a man or woman is immoderately set upon , when , i say , his heart runs a whoring from god after earthly things , whether it bee after riches , honour , or pleasure , the lord will bee sure to meet with him , and whip him home for it : as we see in david and ely ; if david will set his heart upon absalom , the lord will bee sure to meet with his absalom above all the rest ; if ely will not correct his sonnes , but let them dishonour the worship & service of god , god wil correct them himselfe . and this ariseth from the nature of god ; for god hath a fatherly care over his children , and therefore will not suffer them to soile themselves with the things of the world , nor their affections to be drawne away ; and therefore the apostle saith , that he chastiseth every sonne whom he doth receive ; that is , if a man or a woman doe belong unto god , they shall be sure of sorrow and affliction ; and these are sent unto them to weane them from the things of this world , to purge out of their hearts that sweetnesse that they are ready to conceive in these outward things by reason of that corruption that is in them . secondly , if they be wicked men and doe not belong unto god , yet there shall be no sweetnesse in them ; for if he be not regenerate , outward things are not sanctified , & where theyare not sanctified unto a man or a woman , no sweetnes can be expected from them : and the reason is , because they have not peace of conscience , which proceeds from grace . now howsoever worldly men may seeme to the world to have true content , and to be filled with joy , yet the truth is , it is a sick joy ; for their consciences are ever accusing of them , and they are in a continual feare that they shall lose one another : therefore the lord will be sure to afflict them , psa. . . the lord will heare and afflict these because they have no changes ; therfore they feare not god : therfore dost thou see a wicked man prosper in the world , and is not subject to such crosses & losses as other men are , it is a foule signe that that man doth not belong unto god , but is one whom god hath appointed unto damnation : for this is the nature of earthly mindednes , it casts out of the heart the feare of god in an unregenerate man ; now where gods feare is not , gods grace wil not help that man. but this is not usual ; for the lord most commonly meets with them here either by afflicting of judgements upon them , or else with sudden death ; but if hee doe not meet with them here , it is because their judgements may be the greater , that when they have heapt up the measure of their sinne , then god wil heap up the measure of their punishment , and the measure of his wrath , to presse them downe unto hell . now what if god deferre the execution of judgement , it is not because there is any slacknesse in god , as if he did not regard them , but the apostle saith , that t is his patience , pet. . . hee takes notice of it , hee puts it upon record , hee remembers it well enough , but he is a patient god ; that is , he waits for their conversion . now patience is an attribute of god , and every attribute of god is god himselfe ; for there is nothing that is in god but it is god : patience , i say , is one of the attributes by which god hath made himselfe knowne unto us : now when men abuse this attribute of god , hardning themselves from his feare , hee will certainly meet with them : what and if god doe deferre long ? it is not because hee shall escape unpunished ; for saith god , when i begin , i will make an end : that is , i will strike but once , they shall have no more time for repentance , they shall not abuse my patience any more . this is a fearefull judgement of god , when god doth proceed by prosperitie to destroy them ; and it was the judgement the lord threatned against the two sonnes of ely , hophni and phineas , sam. . . thus you see there is no sweetnesse in outward things for a man to set his heart upon them . the third motive , to move all men to leave their earthly mindednesse , is , because if a man or woman be earthly minded , they cannot be saved : and who is there amongst us that would not willingly be saved ? all men doe desire salvation , and yet there are but few that in truth doe desire it , because their practice of life is not answerable to such a desire ; for the apostle saith , he that hath this hope , purgeth himselfe ; that is , hee will take spirituall physicke , the grace of the spirit , which will throughly purge out this earthly mindednesse , or at leastwise keepe it under , that it shall not bee able to beare dominion in his heart . now i say there is a necessitie laid upon every man to be heavenly minded ; for so our saviour saith , mat. . . no man can serve two masters , he cannot serve god and mammon ; that is , hee cannot serve god with one part of his soule , and the world with another , you cannot be earthly minded , and heavenly minded ; god will have all the soule or none , god will admit of no co-partnership , hee will not be a sharer with the world of that which is his right . againe , two contraries in nature cannot stand together ; now there is nothing so contrary as god and the world : and therefore the apostle saith , if any man love the world , the love of the father is not in him : that is , if he set the world in the first place , he cannot keepe the love of god , god and his grace will depart from that man : it is a thing contrary to nature to serve two masters , men cannot beare it , for there can be but part serving ; and surely it is not so contrary to a man , as it is contrary unto god ; therefore it is the folly of men that thinke they may retaine their earthly mindednesse , and yet serve god too ; but it is unpossible to joyne these two in any action , and yet be acceptable to god : faith is that which is the ornament of every action ; whatsoever is not of faith , is sinne : now every earthly minded man , is a faithlesse man ; it keepes faith out of the soule , whether it bee love of riches ; or honour , or pleasure , though it bee but a depending on the approbation of such or such a man , it will keepe faith out of the soule ; so saith our saviour , ioh. . . how can ye beleeve , seeing ye seeke honour one of another , and not the honour that commeth of god ? the cause that they wanted faith , was , because they preferred the approbation of m●n , and sought that before the gifts and graces of god ; for it is unpossible you should beleeve , so long as you retaine any affection of vaine-glory . luk. . . our saviour gives two markes of a true christian ; the one is , to deny himselfe ; and the other is , to take up the crosse ; therefore it is not onely required that a man deny himselfe the pleasures and profits of the world , and all inordinate affections , but he must also take up the crosse , he must be willing to suffer , for christ , reproach , disdaine , and shame ; for there is as great a necessity laid upon him to suffer , as to deny himselfe : and thinke , thinke not your selves heavenly mind●d , except you finde in you a heart willing to suffer for christ. the fourth motive to move all men to forsake earthly mindednesse , is , because it is the better part , and every man would have the best part ; but it is a hard matter to perswade men that that is the best part , for they say they have felt sweetnesse in them , and therefore now to perswade them , is to fight against reason ; which is hard to be evinced without manifest proofe : first then , we will prove it by authoritie : secondly , we will prove it by reason . first , i say , we will prove heavenly mindednesse to be the better part by authoritie or scripture . as luk. . , . where in the story of martha and mary , our saviour makes a foure-fold difference betweene earthly and heavenly things ; first , christ saith to martha , martha thou carest and art troubled ; that is , there is much care and trouble both to get and keepe earthly things , these cannot be gotten without great labour , it is a part of that curse which god laid upon adam , that in the sweat of his browes he should eat his bread ; that is , hee should finde much difficultie and labour to get outward necessaries for the sustaining of nature : mary shee sate downe , she was at rest , which showes us thus much , that it is an easie labour , and an easie worke to seeke after grace : indeed it is no labour at all , if wee compare it with the earthly labour ; the one is the delight of the soule , but the other is the burthen of the soule : now that which is the onely delight of the soule is grace , and therefore what the bodie doth to satisfie the soule in this , it accounts of it as no labour to it selfe , for it yeelds willing obedience to the soule : now where there is a willingnesse in any man to doe a thing for another , the performance of the thing is not accounted as a labour to him , but as a delight , because he is willing ; but earthly mindednesse is a burthen to the soule , becavse it is compelled by the unregenerate part to yeeld obedience unto it : therefore you see that heavenly things is the best part , because it is an easie worke . secondly , martha is troubled about many things ; that is , there are many things required to make an earthly minded man perfect , to make him such an one as he would bee : if he have riches , then he must have honor , and pleasure , and a thousand things more , and yet never come unto that which hee would bee ; it may be he is rich , but he wants honour ; it may be he is honorable , but he wants riches ; or it may be he hath both , but hee wants his pleasure , hee enjoyes something , but he wants that which hee would enjoy . but mary hath chosen but one thing , and that is christ , this satisfies her ; but shee hath not him alone , but with him shee hath grace , justification , and remission of sinnes ; one spirituall grace with christ makes christian happy , hee needs not to labour for any other ; if christ be in the heart , hee will draw all grace with him into the heart : and therefore the apostle saith , hee that gave us christ , will with him give us all things else : that is , all grace that wee shall stand in need of . thirdly , martha was troubled , but about earthly imployments , t●ings of little moment in comparison of grace : but maries was for the onething needfull ; namely , grace and holinesse , and therefore christ called it the best part ; and indeed what comparison is there betweene earthly things and grace . fourthly , martha's part is but of corruptible things , subject to change ; they were mutable , there was no solidnesse in them ; but maries part shall never bee taken away from her : now with men , that which will endure the longest , is alwayes esteemed the best : maries shall never be taken away ; which implyes that martha's was nothing so , because it was set in opposition against it . thus you see how christ judges of them , and therefore if you will beleeve christ , spirituall things are the best part . againe , luk. . , , , . there are foure differences set downe betweene earthly things and heavenly things , whereby christ proves that heavenly things are the best part . first , they make us unrighteous , and therefore they are called unrighteous mammon , vers . . they draw the affections away from god , and then a man becomes unrighteous ; but that which makes us truly righteous , is grace ; so then it cannot be denyed but that is the best part that makes us the best . secondly , they are the least part ; he that is faithfull in the least , is faithfull also in much ; that is , all outward things are lesse than grace , though they were never so great ; a little faith , a little sanctification is better than a whole kingdome without this . paul reckons all his outward privileges but dung , in comparison of grace , phil. . , . which hee would not have done if they had not beene the better part . thirdly , they make us unjust ; he that is unjust in the least , is also unjust in much ; that is , hee that sets his heart upon earthly things , it will so draw his heart from god , that hee will make no conscience of right and wrong ; now that which blindes the conscience is certainly the worst part . fourthly , it makes us unfaithfull ; if you have beene faithfull in a little wicked riches , how will you be faithfull in the true riches ? that is , hee that is earthly minded god cannot trust with any grace ; for earthly mindednesse takes away the fidelity of the creature ; now where there is no true faith , there can be no true repose in that man : a man without faith , is like a house without a solid foundation , no bodie dares trust to it , neither will god trust an earthly minded man with grace . thus you see it proved by scripture , that heavenly things are the best part . now we will prove it by reasons that it is the better part . the first reason is , because christ in the places before-named proved it to be the best part , therefore if you will beleeve christ on his word , heavenly things are the best part . the second reason is , because they make us the sonnes of god , and consequently , the heires of salvation ; wee are , saith the apostle , the sonnes of god by faith in iesus ; but the other makes us the children of the devill : and the third reason , is , because he rewardeth heavenly mindednesse with salvation , but the other he doth not reward . the fifth motive to move all men to forsake earthly mindednesse , ( if none of all these before spoken of will move thee , yet let this move thee ) is this , because all things are at gods disposing ; hee it is ( as the wise-man faith ) that gives riches and honour , poverty and want ; all things are of god , there is nothing in earth , but it is first in heaven : as the ecclipse of the sunne is first in heaven , and then in the water and land ; so there is nothing that comes to passe in the world , but it was in heaven before all eternitie . this david confesseth , psal. . . they have laid a snare for mee , but my times are in thy hands : that is , they have laid a trappe to take away my life from mee , but it was first decreed in heaven with thee what they should doe to mee , all things come from god , whether they be good things or bad , whether they come immediately from god , as life , health , joy , salvation , or the like ; or whether they come mediately by other meanes , as friends , wealth , pleasure , sicknesse , sorrow , or the like : when thou art sad , who can comfort thee if god will not ? when thou art sicke , who can heale thee ? when thou art going to hell , who can save thee ? art thou weake , who can strengthen thee ? art thou poore , who can enrich thee ? preferment saith david , comes neither from the east , nor from the west , but from god that sheweth mercie . art thou in favour with a great man , who promoted thee ? art thou in honour , who exalted thee ? perhaps thou wilt say , it was my parents , or this friend , or that man ; no , it was first decreed in heaven , or else it had never been . this made david say , psal. . . the terrors of l●fe and death are in thy power , or doe belong unto thee ; that is , nothing hath any power to doe any good or hurt , but as god wils it ; i say , good or hurt is of god : what evill is in the city , and the lord hath not done it ? that is , what evil is committed and is not first permitted by god to be done . the blessing of the creature ( as we call it ) is of god : doth the lord send any creature to hurt thee ? the creature hath no power to doe it , except the lord command him : as for example ; you know an axe is a sharpe instrument , which with helpe will doe much hurt , yet let it alone and it will doe no hurt at all ; but let a hand bee put to it , and presently you may doe much with it : so the creature hath no power to hurt thee , except they joyne with them gods command ; and this wee call the evill of the creature . againe , doth the lord send any creature to comfort thee ? it is not because the creature can comfort thee , the creature hath not any such power in it selfe , but the lord useth it as an instrument for thy good . matth. . . man liveth not by bread onely , but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of god : that is , bread , although it bee a good creature , yet it hath no power to nourish thee , except the lord put power unto it , and command it to nourish thee . now seeing all things are of god , and this heavenly mindednesse is a meanes to bring a blessing upon all the rest ; that is , to blesse them for thy good be heavenly minded : this was the encouragement the lord gave unto abraham , feare not , for i am thy exceeding great reward , walke uprightly with mee : so if thou wouldest have a rich reward , salvation and everlasting life , then get heavenly mindednesse . but you will say unto me , it is true , wee were once earthly minded , but now we are heavenly minded ; i am now another man to that i was , therefore that you may not deceive your selves to thinke that you are heavenly minded when you are not , i will give you some markes whereby upon examination you may know whether you have left your earthly mindednesse or no. the first signe whereby you shall know whether you be earthly minded or no , is , by examining your selves whether your delight in earthly things bee immoderate , or an excessive care ; examine whether your hearts are so set upon them , that it deprives you of all spirituall joy , if you doe , you are as yet earthly minded . first , if you exceed in the matter of getting of them , and then in the matter of keeping of them ; when you make them the chiefe end of your desire , and preferre your owne profit in the getting or keeping of them before gods glorie , this is to make them your god : yet i say not but it is lawfull to use things for an end ; as recreation , for this end , to fit our bodies for the performance of better things , this is as it were to take physicke for health-sake : but when men will make them their end , nay , set the creature in the place of god , which is spirituall whoredome . and this is when men will scrape riches together , so much for this childe , and so much for that childe ; so much for this use , and so much for that use , in this thou seekest thine owne ends ; but if thou wilt get them , get them for the right end , that is , gods glory , and not thine end to satisfie thy lusts , let them bee all at gods disposing : and remember , luk. . what became of the rich mans end , and the end of all his ends . i speake not this as if now but unregenerate men were troubled with immoderate cares ; for many times the dearest of gods children have excessive cares for earthly things , and many times doe exceed their bounds , but yet it is not constant but by fits and away . therefore try , is thy excessive care constant ? it is a manifest signe that thou art earthly minded , thou art not as yet crucified unto the world : tim. . , . the apostle saith , they that would be rich , pierce themselves thorow with many sorrowes : that is , they slay themselves , they are their owne greatest enemies : and pet. . . saint peter cals them naturall bruit beasts , led with sensualitie ; because when men set their hearts and affections upon earthly things , they are deprived of naturall reason : now the reason , wee know , is that which makes the difference betwixt reasonable and unreasonable creatures , and therefore when men come to lose their understandings , then they become bruit beasts ; and then no marvell ifthey have beastly affections , and bee led away with sensuality , to a satisfying of their lusts , being mad to be taken in giving way unto their lusts , and insnaring themselves with those pleasures wherein they bee delighted , and so make themselves a prey unto satan . secondly , you shall know it if you exceed in your pleasure and recreations , as gaming , and bowling , and sporting ; grant they bee lawfull , yet if they bee used excessively it is a note of earthly mindednesse . recreation should be but as a stone to whet the faith when it is dull , a meanes to sharpen the faculties , that they may bee the fitter to doe the functions of the bodie and soule , but when it is used excessively , it becomes a hurt and hinderance unto it ; when men will make a trade of recreation , and spend their time in it from day to day , and so make it their vocation ; this is a wicked thing , and this is folly in young men , who because they have meanes , therefore thinke that it is not unlawfull to spend their time in gaming , and the like ; but they are deceived , for the lord exempts them from no calling that i know of ; sure i am , idlenesse , and gaming , and other recreations are no calling for them : and this is the reason that young students wil not set themselves to their studies , but because they have wholly devoted themselves unto their recreations . and therfore examine your selues in these two , so likewise for all other in the like kinde , and accordingly judge of your selves whether you be heavenly minded or no. the second signe whereby you may know whether you be heavenly minded or no , is , by the esteeme that you have of heavenly things , whether you esteeme them as a part of your selves : every facultie or habit hath an object , if thou be a carnal man then these earthly things are that which delights thy soule , but if thou be heavenly minded , then spirituall things are the delight of thy soule . now touch a man that is not regenerate in these outward things , and you touch his life , for hee accounts his life as them , for they are part of himselfe ; but it is otherwise with the spirituall man , he accounts not of these earthly things : cor. . . the apostle saith , wee preach not our selves ; that is , we account not of the approbation of men , nor any outward thing , as a part of our selves ; therefore if wee want these , we doe not much care . hereby then examine your selves what are the things you most delight in ? what , are they earthly things , how to bee rich or honourable ? doth this take away all your time , and employ all the faculties of your soules , that you can have no time to thinke upon god ; or at least if you doe , yet it is very remissely and overly , with no zeale or affection ? then certainly as yet thou art not heavenly minded : but if thou bee enlightned by the spirit , it will be farre otherwise with thee ; these earthly things will have but the second roome in thy heart , all thy care principally will bee how to get grace , justification , remission of sinnes , and reconciliation . now if it bee thus with thee , it is an excellent signe that thou art heavenly minded ; when thou canst say with paul , rom. . . it is not i , but sinne in mee : that is , the lustings and rebellions which are in my heart after these earthly things , have not the first place in my heart : it is not i ; that is , it is the unregenerate part , which i account not as part of my selfe ; if ( i say ) it be thus with thee , it ●s a signe that thou art heavenly minded ▪ for if thou hast obtained this heavenly mingednesse , thou wil● be dispos●d like a traveller , who will ever be enquiring the way home , and whether all at home bee well : if hee can meet with any that can thus certifie him , and hee h●are that they are all well at home , then he will 〈◊〉 more cheerefully undergoe any difficultie that 〈…〉 meet with all in the way ; will undergoe 〈…〉 , hunger and cold : in like manner it is 〈…〉 heavenly ●●i●ded man , he will ever be asking the way home , ( for indeed heaven is our proper home ) and whether all be well at home ; that is , if god and christ , and the spirit and the saints be at amity with him : and in himselfe he will be inquiring if he find faith and repentance and peace of conscience , if he feeles that for matter of justification and remission of sins he be well , he respects not the world , hee cares not much what hee meets withall , whether reproach and shame , penury or want , so he find no inlacke of spirituall grace all is well with him . therefore examine your selves whether you be heavenly minded or no by the esteeme that you have of earthly members . the third signe whereby you may examine your selves whether you be earthly minded or no , is , by your spirituall taste , whether you rellish heavenly or earthly things best : and therefore the apostle saith , rom. . they that are of the flesh doe savour the things of the flesh , but they that are of the spirit the things of the spirit ; that is , if the heart be regenerate it will taste a sweetenesse in nothing but in heavenly things , or at least nothing will be so sweet unto him ; and on the contrary , they that are earthly minded they can find no sweetnesse in heavenly things . now ( as i said before ) every faculty or habit hath an object in which it is delighted , whether it bee unto good or unto evill , so that if the heart bee regenerate then it will finde sweetnesse in nothing but spirituall things , but if it be unregenerate then it can finde no sweetnesse in heavenly things , neither can it wish them so well as earthly things . therefore examine what you delight in , what delight you have of the hearing of the pure word , whether you rellish it then best when it comes in the plaine evidence of the spirit , or when it is mixt with eloquence and wit , which if you doe , it is a signe of earthly mindednesse it is said , pet. . . as new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the word ; that is , the man that is truly regenerate and renewed hoe doth best rellish the word when it is alone without any mixture , and therfore he calls it the sincere milke , that is , the pure word ; as if he should say , it is pure of it selfe , but if there be any thing added unto it or mixed with it , it detracts from the excellency of it ; for indeed the word is the purest thing in the world , all arts and sciences and knowledge of philosophy are good for morrall duties , but they are corrupt & unclean in comparison of the word ; and the reason is , because these are the works of men , now there is no worke of man but it is subject to corruption , but the word of god remaines pure ; therefore examine your selves how you stand affected with the pure word . but some will say unto me , that eloquence and wit is an ornament unto the word , it lets forth the excellency of the word the more ; therefore if it be such an ornament unto the word then it out to be used , otherwaies the excellency of the word will not appeare . to this i answer , that humane wit and eloquence is so farre from setting forth the excellency of the word , as it obscures the excellency of it : i say , there is no art , science , tongue , knowledgeor eloquence in the world that hath such excellency in them as the word hath , whether you respect the author , god , or the inditer , the holy spirit ; or the matter of it , christ and his righteousnesse . againe , the stile the spirit uses in setting downe the phrases of the scripture , shewes plainly that it is excellent of it selfe , now if any thing bee added unto a thing that is excellent , either the thing must bee as excellent , or else it detracts from the excellencie of it ; but there is no man but will confesse that the word is the most excellent thing in the world , therefore it must follow , that eloquence addes not to the excellency of the word . but you will say unto mee , may wee not use eloquence and science in the preaching of the word ? to this i answer , that it is an unseasonable thing , i say , a thing not seemely , that the word be mixt with humane eloquence ; for the pure word should bee purely delivered : and the apostle saith , corinth . . . i preach not my selfe unto you ; that is , i sought not mine owne prayse by using eloquence of words , but i preach the word purely , without any mixture of any thing with it : againe , hee saith , cor. . . when i came among you , i came not in the entising words of mans wisdome , lest the crosse of christ should be of none effect : that is , i came not with words more for shew than for substance ; hee calls the preaching of the word that hath any thing mixed with it , wh●ther wit or eloquence , but entising words , such words as doe rather feed the humour , than worke upon the conscience of a man. now a man is said to be entised , when he is drawns away from that which is good , unto that which is either evill absolutely , or else not so good as that from which he is drawn ; and the truth is , hee that ●seth eloquence in the preaching of the word , doth nothing else but draw the heart away from affecting the pure word , unto that which hath no vertue in it to save . againe , he preach'd not with entising words , lest the crosse of christ should be of none effect : that is , if i should preach my selfe in mixing any thing with the word , that would take away the power of the word , the word would not be effectuall to worke grace in the heart ; therefore i dare not preach after this manner , lest i should deprive the chuch of the power of the word , for if it want power to worke , it will also want power to save : therfore the apostle saith , cor. . . the weapons of our warfare are not carnall , but mightie through god , &c. that is , the weapons by which wee slay your corruptions and lusts , are not carnall ; that is to say , are not eloquence of speech , or any human art , but are mighty through god , that is , by god there is a secret power given unto his word , wherby it over-mastereth the lusts in the heart , and worketh in it a new kinde of quality . but you will say unto mee , what must we doe with our learning ? or what must we not learne sciences , or must we shew no learning in preaching ? to this i answer , it is true , that we had need to use all the arts , sciences , and knowledges that we can , and all will be little enough ; for as the apostle saith , who is sufficient for these things ? that is , who hath the knowledge of arts , or learning , or eloquence sufficiently to preach the word : but yet wee must take heed that wee doe not bring them unto the word as wee finde them , neither in them to shew our selves , but onely mak● them as a meanes to helpe us for this worke : as for example ; the children of israel might whet their sithes upon all the stones of the philistims : so a minister may sharpen his faculties with arts. a man that keepes sheepe , he feeds them with hay , not because he lookes that they should bring forth hay , but lambs and wooll ; even so , let a man use these arts and sc●ences , yet not to bring forth eloquence , but to make us more able to preach the pure word . it is good therefore that wee take heed that wee doe not ecclipse the excellencie of the word by these : wee know , apparell though it bee laid in pure gold , yet so much as is covered of it , detracts from the excellencie of it , therefore it were better that it were alone : so it is the word , though the word may seeme to bee gilded with eloquence or philosophy , yet it were better that it were alone , for so much of it as is covered with these , so much of the excellencie of the word is hid . but you will say unto me , that wee use eloquence and the like , that men may the better conceive us , and that our ministerie may the better bee respected ; for we finde this kind of teaching most pleaseth them , and which most men affect , therefore if we shall not use such and such phrases of eloquence , we shall be little respected amongst them . to this i answer , that every minister is , or should be a physician ; now we know that the part of a wise physicianis not to satisfie the humour of his patient , for so hee may encrease the disease , but to labour to cure him by ministring such physicke unto him , as he knowes by experience the necessitie of the disease requireth : even so , to humour men in preaching , is not the way to cure them , or to change the evill disposition of their nature , but rather a meanes to encrease their disease , and to make them obstinate and rebellious against the word , when it shall come home unto them : for what is the reason that the word is so opposed , when it is preached ( as the apostle saith ) by the evidence of the spirit and in power , but because it crosseth their corruptions ? it comes not in the same manner that it was wont to doe : therefore the best way should be to preach in the spirit ; that is , to apply the pure word of god unto the consciences of men , and so to purge out the sicknesse of the soule before it grow incurable . there is a disease that many women have at their stomackes , whereby they desire to eat ashes , and other things , which poysons nature ; now if they be not cured of it by purging out the humours that lye there , but be satisfied in it , it will at last destroy them : so it will be with these men ; to satisfie them in this sicknesse of the soule , is not the way to cure them , but to make them more incurable : therfore let ministers looke that they preach the pure word , and nothing but the pure word ; and let men examine themselves whether they bee heavenly minded or no , by their rasting and rellishing of the word when it is preached purely without any mixture , or else when it is mixed with eloquence . the fourth signe whereby you may examine your selves whether you be heavenly minded or no , is , to try the opinion and judgement you have of heavenly things , how you conceive of spirituall things . rom . . the apostle saith , and bee renewed in the spirit of your mindes , that you may know what that good , and holy , and acceptable will of god in christ is : hee that is heavenly minded hath a new judgement given unto him whereby he is able to see spiritually all things in another manner then hee did before ; i say not , that hee saw them not at all before , but he saw them not in that manner that hee doth now , for he is renewed in the spirit of his mind , saith saint paul ; he hath a change wrought in his heart and understanding , whereby hee is able to know and to doe the will of god in a more sutable manner then before ; he hath a new light in his soule , whereby he is able to know what the will of god in christ is ; that is , hee knowes what god doth require to bee done by him for christ , not carnally by a bare understanding , but spiritually by the worke of the spirit : and therefore s●ith paul , cor. . . henceforth know we no man after the flesh ; yea , though we have knowne christ after the flesh , yet now henceforth know wee him no more : that is , wee knew him before in a carnall manner , as he is man , or as he was a man amongst us , but now we know him in another manner , as he is our saviour , and our redeemer , christ my saviour and my reconciliation to the father . now it is not a bare knowledge that i speake of , such a knowledge as is attained unto by learning and art , for so a man may have knowledge , and yet not be heavenly minded ; but that knowledge i speake of , is a knowledge that is wrought by the spirit ; when it hath changed the heart , then hee is able to judge both of perso●s and things . 〈◊〉 , for persons ; hee is able to judge of the per●●●s of men , and accordingly to make a difference betweene men : if hee see a poore man that is a sound christian , though hee bee contemned in the eyes of the world , yet if it appeare to him that he hath grace in his heart , or if hee make an outward profession of love to god , hee doth highly esteeme of him because of grace ; on the contrary , if hee see a great man , though in great honour and esteeme with men , yet he respects him not if he want grace : therefore examine your selves whether you are able to distinguish of persons in this kinde . secondly , for things ; he is able to judge of things whether they be spirituall or earthly , he is able now to know what is truth , and to embrace it ; and what is error , and to refuse it ; hee hath now a touch-stone in himselfe ; that is , hee hath the spirit of discerning , whereby he makes tryall of graces , and layes hold on those which will endure the touch , those hee will receive as spirituall ; the other which will not , he casts out as counterfeit : therefore the apostle saith , cor. . . the eye hath not seene , nor the eare heard , neither have entred into the heart of man , the things that god hath prepared for them that love him : that is , hee was not able to judge of things in that manner as now hee can . therefore examine your selves whether there bee a new life put into you , whereby you are able to judge of persons and things in another manner than you did before . but you will say unto mee , how shall i know that my heart is renewed by the spirit , and that there is a new life put into me ? to this i answer , that you shall know whether your heart is renewed by the spirit , by these three things : first , by thy affections : secondly , by thy speeches : and thirdly , by thy actions . first , i say , thou shalt know it by thy affections ; for by these thou maist know whether thou be heavenly minded or no : and that thou maist not doubt of it , our saviour gives the same marke of a renewed heart , mat. . . where your treasure is , there will your hearts be also : you may know that where your heart is there is your treasure , what your heart is set upon there your affections are ; for the proper seat of love is the heart . now if the heart be renewed and regenerated by the spirit , there will be a love of spirituall things , and this love will be get heavenly affections . a man may certainly know what estate he is in , whether hee be regenerate or no by his affections , how he is affected , what love hee beares unto heavenly things ; for there is life in affections , and as a man that lives knowes that hee lives , so a man that hath spirituall love in his heart towards god cannot but certainly know it , except it be in time of temptation , and then it may be he may not find that love of god in his heart ; but this sense of the want of the love of god is but for a time , it continues not ; therfore the holy ghost when hee would describe a heavenly minded man , hee describes him by his affections , as the best marke to try him by : as abraham would command his servants to serue god , and nehemiah feared god , and david , psal. . . delighted greatly in the commandements of god : now wherfore did they obey god , and feare god , and delight in the commandements of god , but because of that inward love they beare unto him . we know every man can tell whether he loves such a man or such a thing , or whether hee hates such a man or such a thing by the affection hee beares to them ; in like manner a man may know whether hee be heavenly or earthly minded by the affections he carries towards the things he affects : therefore examine your selves , what are the things that you love most , that you thinke upon most , that you take care of most , that you take most care to get and to keepe , are they earthly or heavenly things ? those things you doe love best and your affections are most set upon , that your thoughts are most troubled withall , if they be earthly , you may iustly feare your estates ; for the affections flow from love , and therefore if you did not love them you would not set your hearts and affections upon them . secondly , you shall know whether your hearts be renewed by your speeches : now this may seeme but a slender signe of a renewed heart , because it is hard to iudge aright by outward appearances , to know the sincerity of the hart by the speeches : yet seeing christ makes it a signe of a renewed heart . i may the more safely follow him ; our saviour saith , mat. . . that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh ; that is , there is abundance in the heart either of good or evill : now if the heart be full of heavenly mindednesse , if , i say , this abundance that is in the heart be grace , then it will appeare in the speeches ; for the speeches doe naturally flow from the affections that are in the heart ; but if the abundance that is in the heart be evill , then the heart cannot but send out foule speeches and rotten communication ; and therfore our saviour saith , a good tree cannot bring forth evill fruit , nor an evill tree good fruit : it is unpossible that a heart which doth abound , and is full of earthly mindednesse , but it will breake forth and appeare by his speeches : the filthinesse that is in his heart , if it have not vent , it will burst ; as wee know a new vessell that hath wine put into it , must have a vent or else it will burst ; and by the vent you may know what wine it is : so , the speeches are the vent of the heart , and by them you may see what is in the heart ; if grace be there , the speech s will favour of it , as a caske will taste of that which is in it . but you will say , the heart is of a great depth , and who can search it ? who is able to know whether the heart be renewed or no , by the speeches ? to this i answer , i say not that a man may at all times , and in all places , judge of it aright ; but i say , that a man may certainly know himselfe whether hee be renewed or no ; which is the thing we seek to prove in this place ; that a man may know from what root they spring , whether of weaknesse , by rebellion , or naturally through unmortified lusts : i say not , but sometimes a child of god , a regenerated man may have foul speeches in his mouth , & yet his heart be good towards god ; he may have rotten talke , but it is but for a time , it will not continue , and it will cause much sorrow of heart , if hee have grace , when his conscience touches him for it . tim. . , . in a great mans house there are vessels of honour , and vessels of dishonor ; if a man therfore purge himselfe , he shal be a vessell of honor , and yet have corruption in him , there may corrupt communication come out of his mouth , and yet he keep his goodnes ; as a vessel of gold may be foule within , and yet cease not to be gold , a vessell of honor , neither lose it excellency ; so a regenerate man may have in the abundance of his heart , some chaffe aswell as wheat , some corruption aswel as grace , and yet be a vessel of gold ; that is , heavenly minded : for the apostle saith , if anyman therfore purge himselfe , he shall be a vessell of honor , notwithstanding his corruption in his heart , & it appeare in his speech ; yet if he purge himselfe , if he labor to mortifie them , if he labor to rid his heart of thē , he shal be a vessel of honor . but you will say , it may be that wee shall have not alwaies occasions to try men by their speeches , how then shall we know whether their hearts be renewed ? to this i answer , i● is true , that it may so fal out that we cannot try men by their speeches , yet silence will declare in part what is in the heart ; let a regenerate man besilent , and his silence will shew that hee hath a renewed heart ; if he be reproached or slandred , his patience in suffering showes the uprightnes of his hart ; but if he speake , it hath a greater force , and will more manifestly appeare : so on the contrary , the rottennesse that is in the heart , wil appeare in impatiency of spirit . thirdly , you may know whether your hearts be renewed , by your actions : this also our savior makes another signe of a renewed heart ; mat. . . by their works you shall know them ; that is , by their actions . now every thing is knowne by his actions ; therfore examine your selves what are your actions , are they the actions of the regenerate part , or of the ueregenerate part , are they holy actions , or are they uncleane actions ? by this you may know whether you be heavenly minded or no. now this must necessarily follow the other two ; for if the heart be renewed , then there will be heavenly affections in it towards god , and spirituall things , and if heavenly affections , then there will bee heavenly speeches ; for these flow from heavenly affections ; and if there bee these two , then there must needs bee holy actions : therefore our saviour saith , luk. . . a good man out of the good treasure of his heart , bringeth forth good fruit ; that is , if the heart have in it a treasure of heavenly affections and speeches , it cannot bee but it will send forth good actions in the life . the fift and last signe whereby you may examine your selves , whether you be heavenly minded or no , is , by examining your selves how you stand affected towards him that seekes to take these earthly members from you ; how you stand affected with him that reproves you for your earthly mindednesse . this is a signe that paul gives of an unsound heart , tim. . . the time will come that they will not endure wholesome doctrine : that is , they will not endure the word of reproofe , but will be ready to revile them that shall reprove them : and therefore hee addes , that they shall heape to themselves teachers ; they shall affect those that shall speake so as they would have them . now this is a signe of earthly mindednesse , when they are offended with him that shall reprove them for their sinne ; for if men reckon these members as a part of themselves , then you cannot touch them but you must touch their lives , for these are a part of their life ; and if you seeke to take these away , you seeke to take away their lives : ●ow what man will bee contented to part with his life ? it is a principle in nature that god hath implanted in every creature , to love their lives ; but if you account them not as a part of your selves , but as your enemies , then you wil account him as a spiritualfriend that shall helpe you to slay them ; for who is there that will not love him that shall helpe him to slay his enemie ? therefore if the heart be heavenly disposed , he reckons them as his enemies ; but if he be not renewed , hee accounts them as a part of himselfe : therefore examine your selves by this , whether you be heavenly minded or no. the use of this that hath beene spoken , is for exhortation unto all those that are heavenly minded : let mee now exhort such to persevere in heavenly mindednesse , let them labour to grow every day more heavenly minded then other . rev. . . let them that be holy , be holy still ; that is , let them bee more holy , let them labour to grow in heavenly mindednesse , let them labour to keepe their hearts pure from this earthly mindednesse , because it will soile their soules : for all sinne is of a soiling nature ; if it enter into the heart , it will leave a spot behinde it : now wee know that if a man have a rich garment which he sets much by , hee will be marvellous carefull to keepe all kinde of grease and spots out of it ; so it should bee a christians duty to labour to keepe all soile out of his soule , because it is a precious garment , and the residing place of the spirit : we know that if a man have one spot in his garment , it makes him out of love with it , and then cares not how many lights upon it ; so it is with sinne , if thou suffer thy heart to bee spotted but with one sinne , it will worke carelesnesse in thee , so that hereafter thou wilt not much care what sin thou commit , nor how thy soule is soiled : therefore it behoves you to keepe your hearts from every sinne , and to make conscience of little sinnes . and so much the rather , because the glory of god is engaged on your conversation ; if thou shalt soile thy selfe with any sinne , that hath taken upon thee the profession of the gospell , god will be dishonoured , and the gospell will bee scandaled : againe , keep thy heart , because god takes special notice of all thy actions ; as for dogs and swine , as for the actions of unregenerate men , he regards them not ; because his glory is not engaged upon their conversation , he expects nothing from them ; but as for you , he takes a particular notice of all your actions , speeches , and behaviours , and therefore you should be marvellous carefull over your hearts . againe , looke unto secret sinnes , because hee is the searcher of the heart ; let the feare of god set in order every faculty of your soules to keepe out every sinne , every evill thought , because hee takes speciall notice of it . and that i may the better prevaile with you , i will briefly lay downe some motives to move you to keepe this diligent watch over your hearts . the first motive to move every christian to continue and grow in heavenly mindednesse , is this , because by this meanes hee may bee able to doe every good worke . tim. . . if a man therefore purge himselfe , hee shall be a vessell of honour , fit for every good worke : that is , if hee labour to rid his heart of earthly mindednesse , he shall have a new life put into him , whereby hee shall bee able to performe holy duties in another manner then before . now what is the reason that there is such complaint among christians that they cannot pray , and are so dull and slaggish in the performance of holy duties , but because they have not rid their hearts of earthly mindednesse ? what is the reason that there is so much preaching , and so little practise ; and so much hearing , and so little edifying ; but because men are earthly minded ? if they would purge themselves of this earthly mindednesse , it is unpossible but that there would bee more spirituall life in them , in the performance of spirituall duties . therefore if it were for no other cause but this , that you may be inabled unto every good worke and holy dutie , and that you may keepe in you your spirituall life , feeling and moving , labour to keepe thy heart cleane from sinne . the second motive to move christians to grow in heavenly mindednesse , is , because that by this , god is honoured ; i say , it is a glorie to god if thou keepe thy heart cleane : now what man is there that would not willingly glorifie god , who stuck not to give christ for him ? it is a glorie unto god when the professors of the word live a holy life ; for what is the nature of the word but to cleanse ? now when it worketh not this effect in them , or at least when it appeares not in them , it doth detract from the excellencie of the word . the apostle layes downe the nature of a true christian , iam. . . pure religion is this , to keepe ones selfe unspotted of the world ; that is , a spotlesse life is that which best beseemes a christian man that takes upon him the profession of the gospel , and that which brings much glorie unto god is a blamelesse conversation : and to this end the apostle exhorts , let ( saith he ) your conversation be without covetousnesse , heb. . . as if hee should say , an unsatiable desire doth detract from the glorie of god : therefore let this move men to be heavenly minded . the third motive to move every christian to grow in heavenly mindednesse , is , because hee may prevaile with god in prayer : iam. . . the apostle saith , that the prayer of a faithfull man availeth much , if it bee fervent that is , it hath a great force with god for a blessing : now this should bee a marvellous encouragement to keepe the heart cleane , in regard of the great necessitie that the church hath of our prayers ; and therefore if we would not for ourselves prevaile with god , yet in regard of the great need that the church stands in at this present , we should be moved to doe this duty . but you will say , that wee are but few , or that i am but one , and how can we be able to prevaile thus with god. to this i answer , grant that you be but a few , yet a few may doe much good ; ezek. . . speaking of the destruction of jerusalem , i sought , saith the lord , for a man to stand in the gappe , and there was none : hee speakes there in the singular number , if there had beene but one ; that is , but a few , they might have prevailed much with god : so i say unto you , though we be but a few , yet if wee keepe our hearts pure , wee may doe much with god ; nay , though thou bee but a particular person , thou maist prevaile much with god ; as moses did for the children of israel : when a damme is new broken , the casting in of a little dirt will hinder the course of water , but if it be not holpen in time , it will not easily be stopt ; ●o in time a few may prevent a judgement ; nay , such a j●dgement as otherwise may destroy a whole land ; if the heart bee truly sanctified , it hath a great force with god : againe , a man that would pray if he doe not speake , but many times he is forced to send forth sighes and grones unto god , this is of great power with god ; but if hee powre out his heart in voyce , it hath a greater force : and therefore the wise-man saith , that the words of the righteous are precious ; that is , of great worth with god : and therefore let this move men to be heavenly minded . how to mortifie fornication . colossians . . mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth : fornication , uncleannesse , inordinate affection , evill concupiscence , and covetousnesse , which is idolatry . having handled in generall the doctrine of mortification , according to the method of the apostle , i am now come to descend to the considering of particulars , as they are laid downe in my text ; and would speak of them in the order as they are ranked by the holy spirit , but that the affinity and neerenesse betwixt three of these sinnes , namely , fornication , uncleannesse , and evill concupiscence , makes me to confound them , and promiscuously to mingle them together . let us therefore consider first of the nature of every of these sinnes particularly by themselves , and afterward make some use and application to our selves of them altogether . the doctrine that arises in generall from these words , is , that all vncleannesse is a thing god would have mortified and quite destroyed out of the hearts that hee would dwell in . all filthinesse and uncleannesse is a member of the old man ; now in such as christ dwels in , the old man is crucified , he is dead with christ ; now hee that is dead with him , is freed from him : and againe , he that is in the second adam , hath power to mortifie the members of the old man. all gods children must be purified and cleansed from all pollution , as the apostle expressely commands us , ephes. . . be ye followers of god as deare children : that is , be ye like unto god your father , as children resemble their naturall fathers ; now god is pure and holy , therefore must ye bee so also : and then it followes , vers . . but fornication , and all uncleannesse , or covetousnesse , let it not be once named amongst you , as becommeth saints : that is , let all such filthinesse be so farre from you , as never any mention be made of it amongst you ; if it should by chance enter into your thoughts , be sure to kill it there , let it not come no farther , never to the naming of it : as it becommeth saints ; that is , holy ones , gods children and peculiar people , it were unbecomming , and a great shame to them to be uncleane , to be unlike god their father , who is holy . in like manner , hee exhorts us to cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit , perfecting holinesse in the feare of god , cor. . . that is , let us purifie our harts from the corruption of lust and concupiscence which is therein , striving to make perfect our holinesse in the feare of the lord ; and so more fully also in thes. . , . he sets downe the particular uncleannesses should be abstained from , and mentions two of the very same spoken of in my text , namely , fornication , and lust of concupiscence the words are ( for they are worthy your marking ) this is the will of god even your sanctification , that you should abstaine from fornication : that every one of you should know how to possesse his vessell in sanctification and honour , not in the lust of concupiscence , &c. and therfore we ought to m●rtifie and destroy all the filthinesse that is in our hearts , if wee would bee accounted gods children , and have his spirit to dwell in vs. but that for the generall : we come to particulars , and will speake of the first sinne that is named in the text , fornication : whence the poynt of doctrine is this , that fornication is one of the sins that are here to be mortified . fornication is a sinne betweene two single persons , and in that it differs from adultery : and although it be not altogether so haynous as adultery , because by it the covenant of god is not violated as by the other spoken of , prov. . . neither finde wee the punishment absolutely to bee death , yet it is a grievous sinne , and to bee feared , in that it subjects those men that are guilty of it , to the curse of god and damnation : for the apostle saith cor. . . no fornicator shall enter into the kingdome of heaven ; it deprives a man of happinesse , banishes him out of gods kingdome into the dominion of the devill , and territories of hell , never to bee exempted from the intolerable torments of gods eternal vengeance . but to lay open the haynousnesse of this sinne , wee will consider these foure things : first , the sinfulnesse secondly , the punishment thirdly , the danger fourthly , the deceitfulnesse of it . first , the sinfulnesse of this sinne of fornication appeares first in great contrariety that it hath with gods spirit , more than all other sinnes . betwixt gods spirit and every sinne , there is a certaine contrariety and repugnancy , as in nature we know there is betwixt heat and cold ; now in all contraries an intense degree is more repugnant than a remisse , as an intense heat is more contrary than an heat in a lesse degree ; so it is with gods spirit and this sinne , they are contrary in an intense degree , and therefore most repugnant unto ; for the spirit delights in holinesse , and this sinne in nothing but filthinesse ; that is pure and undefiled , but this hath a great deformity in it , and therefore consequently must needs bee odious in his eyes . besides , this is contrary to our calling , as the apostle saith , thes. . . for god hath not called us unto uncleannesse , but unto holinesse . againe , it causes a great elongation from god , it makes a strangenesse betwixt god and us ; all sinne is an aversion from god , it turnes a man quite away from him , but this sinne more than any other , it is more delighted in , wee have a greater delight in the acting of this sinne than in any other , and therefore it is a most grievous sinne . furthermore , the greatnesse of this sinne appeares , in that it is commonly a punishment of other sinnes ; according to that of the apostle , rom. . . and . compared together , where he saith , because that when they knew god , they glorified him not as god , neither were thankefull , but became vaine in their imaginations , &c. wherefore god also gave them up to uncleannesse , through the lusts of their owne hearts , to dishonor their owne bodies betweene themselves . to the same purpose is that of the preacher , eccles. . . where speaking of the entising woman , whose heart is snares and nets , &c. hee saith , who so pleaseth god shall escape from her , but the sinner shall be taken by her : that is , whosoever committeth sinne shall in this be punished , that hee shall be intrapped and ensnared by the subtle enticements of the dishonest woman . so also , prov. . . the mouth of strangewomen is a deepe pit , he that is abhorred of the lord shall fall therein : now all sinne of this kind , and consequently sinners , are abhorred of the lord , and therfore hee will punish them in letting them tumble into this deepe pit of strange women here , and hereafter without repentance into the bottomlesse pit of everlasting destruction : as long as the lord lookes for any fruit of any man , hee keepes him from this pit ; but such as notwithstanding all his watering , pruning , and dressing , will bring forth no fruit , with those the lord is angry , they shall fall into it . now as in a ladder , or any thing that hath steps to ascend and descend by , that stayer unto which another leads , must needs be higher than the rest ; so in sinne , that sinne unto which other lead , as to a punishment , must needs bee greater , and of an higher nature than the other : and therefore this sinne is a most grievous sinne . besides , the haynousnesse of this sinne appeares , because it layes wast the conscience more than other sinne , it quite breakes the peace thereof ; nay , it smothers and quenches grace . the schoolemen call other sinnes , habitudinem sensus , a dulling of the senses ; but this an extinction of grace : other sinnes blunt grace , and take off the edge , but this doth as it were quite extinguish it : it makes a gap in the heart , so that good cattell , good thoughts , and the motions of the spirit may runne out , and evill cattell , noysome lusts , and corrupt cogitations may enter in to possesse and dwell there , and therefore it is a grievous sinne . lastly the greatnesse of this sinne appeares , because it delights the body more than any other sinne doth ; and therefore the apostle in cor. . draweth most of his arguments , to disswade the corinthians from the sinne of fornication , from the glory and honour of our bodies ; as that the bodie is not for fornication , but for the lord , vers . . and that our bodies are members of christ , vers . . the temples of the holy ghost , vers . . are bought with a price , vers . . and then concludes , therefore glorifie god in your bodies : and so in another place it is said , we ought to possesse our vessels in honour : now there can be no greater meanes to dishonour the vessels of our bodies , than to pollute them by this filthy sinne of fornication . secondly , the haynousnesse of this sinne will be the better seene if we consider the fearefull punishment of it , which because men are more afraid of the evill of punishment than of the evill of sinne , is therefore set downe to be the greater according to the greatnesse of the sinne it selfe : as may appeare by these two reasons : first , god himselfe takes the punishment hereof into his owne hand ; for so saith the apostle , heb. . wh●remongers and aulderers god will iudge : that god himselfe will bee the judge of all men , for the godly indeed it shall be best , because he is righteous and will render to them a crowne ; but for the wicked , it is a fearefullthing to fall into the hands of the living god. againe , god reserves such filthy persons for an heavy judgement ; according to that of peter , pet. , . the lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations , and to reserve the uniust unto the day of iudgment to be punished ; but chiefly them that walke in the lust of uncleannesse . and this is manifest in that fearefull and grievous iudgment hee brought upon the children of israel in the wildernesse , when as there fell in one day three and twenty thousand for the committing of this sinne . cor. . ; so god punished ruben for his sinne , in that hereby he lost his excellency , ge. . . and by losing this he lost three things which belonged to his birth-right as hee was the eldest ; first , the kingdome , which was given to iudah . secondly , the priest-hood , which levi had . thirdly the double portion , which his father bestowed on ioseph . further , sichem and ammon also for their filthinesse in this kinde were taken away suddenly : and how was david punished , though the deare childe of god , the sword shall never depart from thy house . &c. see also what grievous iudgments the lord threatens to them that shall commit this sin , prov. . , , , . remove thy way farre from her ( meaning the strange woman , or harlot ) and come not nigh the doore of her house ; lest thou give thine honor unto others , and thy yeeres unto the cruell ; left strangers be filled with thy wealth , and thy labours be in the house of a stranger ; and thou mourne at the last , when thy flesh and thy body is consumed , &c. so againe , prov. . . who so committeth adultery , destroyeth his owne soule : and pro. . . her feet goe downe to death ; her steps take hold on hel : as who should say , there is no escaping death but by shunning her , if not death temporal , yet surely death eternall : nay , if this will not fright you , there is no escaping betweene hell and her . besides , as in that which is good , the more a man delights , the more comfort it will bring him ; according to that in pro. . . let not mercy and truth forsake thee ; so shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of god and man : so on the contrary , those sinnes wherein ae man most delights bring greatest punishment unto him as you may see in the punishment of babylon , revel . . , where it is said , how much she hath glorified her selfe and lived deliciously , so much torment and sorrow give her . thus then yee see the grievousnesse of the punishment proves the sinne it selfe to be more haynous and fearfull . thirdly , the ha●nousnesse of this sinne will appeare , if we consider the danger therof , and difficulty to get out , when we are once fallen into it . the wise-man s●●h , prov. . . a w●o●e is a deepe ditch , and a strange woman is a narrow pi● . now as it is almost impossible for a man in a deep d●tch , or a narrow pit to get out without some helpe from another ; so is it altogether impossible for one that is fallen into this sinne of fornication , to free himselfe from it , without the speciall assistance of gods grace helping him thereto : and therefore it is said , prov . . none that goe unto her returne againe , neither take they hold of the paths of life : therefore also is , eccels . . . her heart said to he snares and nets , in respect of the entanglements wherewith shee intrappeth her followers ; and her hands to bee as bands , in respect of the difficulty to get loosed from . this sinne beso●ted salomon , the wisest among men , neverthelesseeven him did outlandish women cause to sinne , nehe. . . so also did it bewitch sampson , the strongest amongst men , one that was consecrated and set apart as holy unto god , even hee was overcome hereby , as wee may reade , iudg. . wee know by experience , as a man that is tumbling from the top of an hill , there is no staying for him till hee come unto the bottome ; so hee that hath once ventured upon this deepe pit , and beginnes to slide into it , there is no staying of him till hee bee utterly lost in the bottome thereof : or as a man in a quick-sand , the more hee stirres , the faster hee stickes in , and sinkes deeper ; so it is with him that is once overtaken with this filthy sinne , the more hee stirres in it the faster hee stickes , and harder will it bee for him to get out . therefore wee conclude this sinne is a most fearefull sinne , and hard to be overcome , or left off if once accustomed to the delight thereof . fourthly , the haynousnesse of this sinne will be discovered , if wee consider the deceitfulnesse of it : it doth so bewitch us , that we will hardly be perswaded that it is a sinne ; now if wee will not beleeve itto bee a sinne , much lesse will wee bee brought to leave the sweetnesse of it , to forsake the pleasure wee finde in it . besides , the devill , that old serpent , hee comes and tells it is either no sinne at all , or else but a small sinne , and may be easily left ; wee may turne from it when wee please ; and so he dandles us till we grow to such an height , as wee become insensible and hardned in it . here therefore i will lay downe the deceits that satan useth to beguile us in this sinne , which being detected , we may the easilier shunne and avoyd this detestable and bewitching uncleannesse . the first deceit wherewith satan useth to beguile us , is , hope of repentance ; wee thinke wee can repent when wee list , that that is in our owne power , for god will upon any of our prayers bee heard of us ; heaven gate will bee open at first knocke ; and therefore i'lecommit this sinne to day , and to morrow betake my selfe to my prayers , and all shall be well . but beware of this , lest you be deceived , god will not be mocked ; if you will sinne to day , perhaps you shall not live to repent till to morrow ; or suppose thou dost live , yet he that is unfit to day , will be more unfit to morrow : god cannot endure a man that will fall into the same sinne againe and againe , for he stiles it , deut. . . adding drunkennesse to thirst ; thatis , never leave drinking till wee bee athirst againe ; that which should extinguish and abate our thirst , is made the meanes to increase and enflame it : now what punishment followes such as doe so , you read in the next verse , and 't is a fearefull punishment ; the lord will not spare him , and then the anger of the lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man , and all the curses that are written in this booke shall lye upon him , and the lord shall blot out his name from under heaven : who is there among you that would not bee terrified at this sentence ? surely his heart is of adamant , nothing can pierce it , if this doth not : 't is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the living god : beware then of doing thus , goe not on in sinne upon hope to repent at your pleasure , lest before you thinke it time for your pleasureto doe it in , the hand of the lord be stretched out upon thee , and his jealousie smoke against thee , or one of ( if not all ) his curses light upon thee . a man would take it ill if his neighbour should wrong him to day , and as soone as he had done aske pardon , and yet wrong him againe the next day in the same kinde , and then aske pardon againe , and so the third , and fourth , and forward ; even so it is with god , we fall into this sinne to day , and perhaps at night begge pardon of him , yet to morrow commit the same sinne over againe , as if wee had asked leave to sinne the fr●er ; take heed of this , doe not blesse thy selfe in thy heart , saying , i shall have peace , or i shall repent when i list , for feare lest god presently blot out thy name from under heaven . againe , hope of after-repentance doth lead many men on to the commission of this sinne ; they hope they may repent before death , it is a great while till this come , therefore time enough to doethis in . but this god hath threatned you heard even now in the place above-mentioned , i pray consider of it . balaam his desire was but to dye the death of the righteous , therefore hee perished among gods enemies ; he desired it , and whilest hee remained onely desiring , without any labour to live the life of the righteous , god justly punished him with an utter overthrow : as hee did with those , esay . , who said , wee have made a covenant with death , and with hell are wee at agreement ; when the overflowing scourge shall passe through , it shall not come unto us : these men thought all sure , nothing could come to hurt them , they are as well as any man ; for they had an agreement with hell and death , neither should the scourge meddle with them : but these were but their owne thoughts , they reckoned without their host , as we use to say ; for see what god saith to them , vers . . your covenant with death shall bee dis anulled , and your agreement with hell shall not stand ; when the overflowing scourge shall passe through , then yee shall be trodden downe by it : they might contrive , but hee would dispose ; though they did thinke all well , and hope for peace and quietnesse , yet hee would disanull their covenant , and breakc off their agreement , so that the overflowing scourge , that is , sudden destruction should take hold of them , and utterly confound them . ammon going to his brother absalom's feast , little thought to have beene so soone cut off ; sichem preparing himselfe for a wife , never thought of a funerall ; neither is it likely that korah and his company thought their tent-dores should be their graves ; i warrant you they hop'd for repentance , yet this sudden destruction tookeaway all possibility of repenting from them . godthreatneth such , ezek. . . because i have purged thee and thou wast not purged , thou shalt not be purged from thy filthinesse any more , till i have caused my fury to rest upon thee . and indeed wee cannot repent unlesse god sends his spirit into our hearts , and hee will not send his spirit into such an heart as hath filthinesse in it : will any man put liquor into a glasse where toads and spiders are ? much lesse will gods spirit come into an heart that is uncleane . besides , such a man as is not purged from his uncleannesse , of himselfe is most indisposed to repentance ; hee is without feeling , as it is ephes. . . who being past feeling , have given themselves over unto lasciviousnesse , to worke all uncleannesse with greedinesse : now such a man as hath no sense of his misery , that cannot feele his wretc●ed condition , but is insensible of his corruption , hee can never repent ; for as the apostle saith , pet. . . hee cannot cease from sinne : and where there is not leaving off , and forsaking to sin , there can never be any true repentance . lastly , god refuseth such a man , hee will not endure to heare him if hee should begge repentance at his hands ; and the reason is , because hee cannot beg it in sincerity ; for true repentance argues a turning from , and loathing of all sinne : and therefore such a purpose as men use to have in the time of extremity , while the crosse is on them , that they will forsake sinne , that they will not doe such and such a thing , this i say , will not serve the turne , it is not sufficient ; though they should mourne and seeme to repent , yet god will not accept it , for the very beasts may doe as much ; as it is said , therefore shall the land mourne , and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish , with the beasts of the field , and with the fowles of heaven , &c. hos. . . the second deceit , wherewithall satan useth to deceive men , is , present impunitie : he labours to perswade us , because wee are not presently punished , therefore god sees it not , or will not punish it at all , and therefore will goe on in our sinne , and delight to wallow still in our pollutions , according to that of the preacher , eccles. . . because sentence against an evill worke is not executed speedily , therefore the hearts of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to doe evill . against this deceit of satan , to prevent it lest wee should bee overtaken thereby , letus remember these following considerations : consider first , that though execution bee not presently done , yet punishments are every where threatned , and gods threatning is as good as payment ; his word is sure , and one tittle of it shall not fall to the ground unfulfilled : and when god beginnes to punish , he will make an end ; as it is said , sam. . . in that day i will performe against eli all things which i have spoken concerning his house ; when i beginne , i will also make an end : if he strike once , he need not to strike any more , his blowes are sure , when hee strikes , hee never misses , his arrowes kill at first shooting . consider secondly , that either a sudden judgement shall overtake them , and so confound them in an instant ; or if it be delayed , then the feare it should light upon them , quite takes away the sweetnesse of the sinne they commit , and so makes the sinne it selfe a vexation and pu●ishment to them ; or else lastly , if god suffers them to runne on in sinne securely , and without all feare or remorse , he beares wi●h them but that he may make his power knowne , and eminent , by bringing a greater judgement on them at the last : as the apostle saith , rom. . . what if god , willing to shew his wrath , and to make his power knowne , endured w●th much long-suffering , the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction : there is a time that the wicked must bee fitting , and be a preparing for their destruction ; which once come , let them bee sure afterward god will manifest his power , will compensate his much long-suffering with the greatnesse of the judgement hee brings on them : now it is a fearefull thing , and a dangerous case , when god suffers a man thus to grow and thrive in his sinne , that so his judgement may be the greater . consider thirdly , that such goe on in their sin which hope to escape ; because they are not presently punished , they abuse the patience and long-suffering of god : now the manifestation of gods attributes , is his name ; and who so abuse them , take his name in vaine ; and you know , god will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine . let such then as thus abuse the patience of god , thinke not that they shall escape the judgement of god , but remember to take into consideration that place of the apostle , rom. . , , . where it is said , despisest thou , o man , the riches of his goodnesse , and forbearance , and long-suffering , not knowing that the goodnesse of god leadeth thee to repentance ? but after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath , and revelation of the righteous judgement of god ; who will render unto every man according to his deeds . hee shall assuredly pay for every day and houre that hee shall continue in his sinne ; god takes account of every minute , and will , when he beginnes to render vengeance , repay it to the utmost farthing ; every moment addes one drop unto the vials of his wrath , and when that is full , it shall be powred out upon them . see this in the church of thyatira , rev. . , . i gave her space to repent of her fornication , and shee repented not ; behold , i will cast her into a bed , and them that commit adultery with her , into great tribulation , except they repent of their de●ds : because shee did not repent while shee had time , therefore shee shall have great tribulation : let us consider then the fearefulnesse of despising gods patienc● and long-suffering , and not thinke ourselves in a good co●dition , because wee goe unpu●ish●d , but rath●r let his long-suffering and goodnesse lead us to repentance , while he gives us space to repent in . the third deceit , whereby satan beguiles men , is , present sweetnesse in sinne , the delight wee take in the acting of this sinne ; there is a kind of bewitching pleasure in it , that steales away our hearts from holinesse and purity , to defile them with filthinesse and uncleannesse , for if wee give never so little way to the pleasure and sweetnesse thereof , it will bring us presently to the acting of it . but for answer unto this , and to prevent being besotted with this delight and sweetnesse in sinne , take notice of these ensuing considerations . first , hee that denies himselfe in this sweetnesse and delight , shall not lose thereby , he shall be nothing prejudiced thereby , but shall find a greater sweetnesse , and of a farre more excellent kinde , a sweetnesse in the remission of his sinnes , and reconciliation unto iesus christ , a sweetnesse in the being freed and eased in the burthen of his sinnes and corruptions . but some man here will be ready to say , it is not so easie a thing to restraine ones lusts ; it is a matter of great difficulty and consequence , and of more paines and tro●ble than you spe●●e of ; why then doe you bid us deny our selves in this sweetnesse of sinne . to this i a●swer ; indeed it is true , it is hard at first to be overcome and brough● in subjection , yet in an h●art that is truly humbled , it may b● mortified ; and if it once come to that , then it will bee easie to moderate it , and bring it und●r our command . secondly , consider what christ saith , mat. . , it is better for thee to enter into life halt and maimed , rather than having two hands , or two feet , to bee cast into everlasting fire : and indeed , how much better were it for us if wee would cut off this right hand , or right eye of delight and pleasure in sinne , and cast it from us , that so wee might goe to heaven , than having pleasure here in this life for a season , to bee cast into everlasting fire , to have our part and portion with the devill and his angels : which we shall be sure to have , if wee forsake not this filt●y sinne of lust and uncleannesse ; for the apostle saith it often , and that peremptorily without exception , in many of his epistles , that no adulterer , whoremonger , formcator , or uncleane person , &c. shall enter into the kingdome of ged . thirdly , consider the more sweetnesse and delight we take in this sinne , the greater anguish and torment we shall finde in the renewing of our hearts , and the more difficult it will be for us to leave it : besides , it is a dangerous thing to take our sweetnesse fully , for then perhaps we may be so besotted therewith , as we shall hardly rellish any thing else , especially the contrary vertue , which will seeme ●ery bi●ter and distastefull unto us . and therefore let us be persw●ded not to adhere too much to the swee●nesse and delight that we finde present in the acting of this sin , lest we become so bewitched with it , as we never beable to forsake it . the fourth deceit , which satan useth to beguile men withall , is , the falsnesse of the common opinion of most men , and cunning delusion of our carnall reason , unto which it seemes either no sinne at all , or else so little as it ne●d not any great adoe be made about it : most men think this sin of fornication but a trick of youth , whose blood heated with intemperance , must have somthing to allay its lust on . now these two bee incompetent judges , both common opinion and carnall reason , they are altogether unfit to judge of the notoriousnesse of this sin , but let us bring it to the ballance of the sanctuary , and then we shall see the just weight of it , we shall see it in its proper filthinesse and native uglinesse . no man that is guilty of it can discern its depravity , for the very conscience is defiled by it : now the conscience is as it were the very glasse of the soule , and if the glasse be defiled , how can we see the spots in the soule ? and if these bee not to be discovered , then nothing is left whereby to judge aright of it ; and therefore we must needs be deceived in the perceiving the filthinesse and haynousnesse thereof . let us therfore betake our selves to the scripture , which will shew it truly in its proper colors , & then if we use the meanes , god wil assuredly send his spirit to enlighten us . when iudas had but a glimpfe of this light opened unto him , how great thinke yee , seemed that sinne to him , which before he durst commit boldly for thirty peeces of silver , yet now it drives him to desperation and present hanging himselfe . wee must pray therefore for the spirit to enlighten us , that so wee may see the filthinesse of this sinne , and be no more deceived by it , as if it were either but a small sinne , or hardly any at all , as many men thinke , and our carnall reason would perswade us unto . the fifth and last deceit , whereby our cunning adversary , the devill , labours to beguile us withall , is , hope of secrecie : men commit this in private , no spectators , no secretaries shall be intrusted therewith , the innermost closets , and most retired roomes , are the places destinated for this worke , and the time commonly is the most obscure and blackest season , the night ; and indeed not unfitly , for it is a deed of darknesse : yet let all such as be guilty hereof , let them lay to heart these following considerations : consider first , though they be never so private and secret in it , yet god sees it ; they cannot shut out his eyes , though they may the light of the sunne ; hee knowes it , and then it shall be revealed : that which is said of almes , mat. . . may very truly bee said of this , thy father which seeth in secret , himselfe shall reward thee openly : so , god that seeth thy secret adultery or fornication , he will reward it , he will punish it openly . see i● for exam●le in davids adultery with bathsheba , sam. . , , . there the lord saith , because thou hast despised mee , and hast taken the wife of vriah the hittite , to be thy wife ; behold , i will raise up evill against thee out of thine owne house , and i will take thy wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy neighbour , and hee shall lye with thy wives in the sight of this sunne ; for thou d ddest it secretly , but i will doe this thing before all israel , and before the sunne . see the justice of god in punishing ; because david did it secretly , and used all manner of meanes to conceale it , as making vriah drunke , and then sending him to his wife to lye with her , that so it might bee hidden , yet god with-held him from her , and so brought it about that david had no way to cover his sinne ; therefore also because david laboured to keepe it close and secret from all men , hee will make his punishment publike and manifest to all israell : againe , god saith , because thou hast despised me , &c. whence observe , in this secret committing of sin , a man doth despise god in a more especiall manner ; for hee feares more the sight of men than the sight of god , in that hee labours to conceale and hide it from the eyes of men , but cares not though god looke on , as if hee either would say nothing , or regarded not at all his sinne : but god hath said , them that honour mee , i will honour ; and they that despise me , shall be lightly esteemed : that is , they shall be despised . consider secondly , the divers and manifold wayes god hath to reveale it , though men bee never so close and secret , and useall possible meanes to hide their sinne , as faire outward civility , a seeming to hate such filthy notorious wickednesse , or any thing else an hypocriticall heart can invent , yet god hath su●dry wayes to detect their filthinesse , and lay open their hypocrisie : as first , by sensible things , when there is no person neere to see it , yet the v●ry birds and beasts have revealed it : secondly , hee gives them up to a reprobate sense ; and then in the end , though they have long lyen in it unseene and ansuspected , at last they become sh●melesi● , and so lye open to every mans discovery : thirdly , he can make any man living to reveale his owne sinne , as we see in iudas , though all the time he was working his wickednesse hee had carried the businesse close enough , yet in the conclusion , when hee had brought the businesse to passe , and in all probability it being now finished , should never bee concealed , even then he must confesse it , he must tell it every body : in like manner , it will be our case , though wee keep our filthinesse never so private , yet god can make us in the end on our death-beds confesse it , though all our life before we have hidden it . consider thirdly , whosoever commits this filthy sinne of fornication , makes himselfe a vile , and a base person ; what ever he was before , though never so glorious , yet now he is but as a starre f●llen to the earth , as it is in the revelation . if a man bee godly , come what will come , there is nothing can make him base , nothing can obscure him ; though hell it selfe should labour to cast a darkenesse about him , yet it shall bee but as a foyle about a jewell , or a clo●d about the sunne , make him shine brighter and brighter : wee know a torch light in a darke night will shi●e brighter than if it were at noone-day ; even so a godly man , whatever happens unto him , whatever night of affi●ctions , crosses , or other disasters come upon him , yet hee will be the more illustrious , the moreclearer will hee shine in the midst thereof ; and the more crosses happen unto him , the more will his glory appeare : but on the other side , let a man be ungodly , whatever outward glory or pompe he may have , yet he is but a base and vile person , and so hee shall ever be esteemed of , even at the last , doe all the world what they can . see this in paul , who before he was converted , whilest he was a persecutor , was counted a pestilent fellow ; but now after conversion , when he became godly , he was highly esteemed as a chosen vessell of the lord : so on the contrary , the scribes and pharises were the onely men , who but they among the jewes , yet now how odious is their names , they stinke in all mens nostrils . therefore let us have a care how wee suffer our selves to lye in sinne , lest we become in like manner hated of every man ; and on the other side , let us get our selves to be godly , and then our names shall be as precious oyntment that sends forth a sweet savour into every bodies nostrils . and thus much for the deceits whereby satan deceives men ; we will now come to some uses . the first use that may be made hereof , is , to exhort all men to be carefull to cleanse themselves from this filthinesse and uncleannesse : and to this end let them never give god rest , but with incessant prayers still call on him , till they finde that they are cleansed , that they are out of this gall of bitternesse ; for as there is nothing that will bee so bitter and distastefull , nay terrible unto them , as this being lyable to the wrath of god due to them by reason of this sinne ; so shall they never finde any thing so sweet and pleasant , nay comfortable unto them , as to be in the favor of god : for all that the creature can doe is nothing without god , there is no peace , no comfort , no rest without him ; now if a man have not this favour of god , but be without it , though he have never so many other blessings , as wealth , honours and preferrements , yet if an arrow come out of gods quiver , dipt in the venome of his wrath , bee it never so slight an affliction , it will wound deadly . see this in moses , who though the meekest man upon earth , and highly in gods favour , yet he for his impatiency had his crosse in that which he most desired , even in that he should not enter into the land of canaan . sinne conceiving must needs bring forth sorrow , and though it should faile in all other things , yet here it is true , he that so wes sin shal be sure to reap affliction ; this is the daughter , this is the fruit alwaies of such a motherbeware therfore how you take pains to serve sin , for he that does so , shall be sure to have for his wages sorrow and afflictions , nay death it self , as the apostle saith , the wages of sinne is death . a sinnefull man , one that is guilty of this sinne or any other , is like a malefactor that hath already suffered the sentence of condemnation to passe upon him , and thereby is lyable to punishment when ever it shall please the judge to send a warrant , he may be called to execution every houre , unlesse in the meane time he hath sued forth his pardon ; even so it is with the sinner , he is subiect to the wrath of god , when ever god shall please to send forth his warrant against him , he must be brought to execution , he hath no assurance , no power of resistance till hee hath got his pardon . therefore let every oae of us labour to procure our pardons in and by iesus christ , that so wee may not thus lye open to the wrath of god which will consume us when ever he shal but please to say the word in an instant . but some man will be ready to say , what needes all this ? i am strong and well , in good and perfect health , is it likely the evill day is neere me ? no surely , i will therefore goe on still in my sinne ; what need i repentance , that am so well in all things ? to this i answer , though thou beest never so well in strength and health of body , yet if god hides himselfe , if hee turnes but away his face from thee , thou shalt finde the matter changed ; where and when he is pleased but to turne himselfe , he turnes with him al things upside downe on a sudden . see this in those two hundred & fifty men of the company of korab , they thought themselves well and safe , else thinke ye they would have tooke censers and offered unto the lord , but see how in an instant , fire came out from god and consumed them . so also nadab and abihu , no sooner had they taken strange fire to offer unto the lord , but straight the iudgmēt light upon them ; for it is said , and there went out fire from the lord and devoured them , and they dyed before the lord , levit. . they were presently consumed even in the places where they stood : in like manner it will be our case if we commit sinne , god may , if he bee so pleased to deale with vs , consume us as soone as ever we have done it , nay in the very manner , it is his mercy that wee are spared . but some man will say againe , there have many men escaped unpunished , they have gone free for any thing i could ever see , why may not i escape also as well as they ? to this i answer , gods decree concerning salvation and damnation must be admired at , not pryed into : what though god in his mercy hath saved others , must he also therefore save thee , that wilt not repent , but pres●mest on his mercies ? he cals sometimes those which have beene many degrees worse than others , whom he hath passed by , and that to shew his power of the potter over the pot-sheard : but what is this to thee ? looke thou to thy selfe ; use the meanes , come unto him by true repentance , and cleanse thy selfe from thy filthinesse , and thou shalt bee sure to finde mercy . the second use to bee made hereof , shall bee to perswade every one , not onely to cease from the act of so filthy a sinne , but also to motifie these corruptions , which are the source and fountaine from whence these all uncleane actions come : there may bee a restraining of our lusts and corruptions , but it is but for a time , it will breake forth againe ; or perhaps there may bee an abhorrency and contrariety of one mans nature from this sinne , but this is not out of any hatred to the sinne it selfe , but a forbearance of the act , because his nature cannot abide it , or for some other by-respect , as credit and reputation amongst men ; but this is not to mortifie them : for mortification is then true and perfect , when there is a contrary life ; that is , when a man that before was unchaste , now if his lusts bee mortified , he lives quite contrary to that , and is now wholly chaste and undefiled : now this cannot rightly be said to be in a man where there is but onely a restraint of his lusts . as in a tree , it is in vaine to cut off the top-boughs , so to kill it ; unlesse the roots be plucked up , it will grow againe ; therefore men beginne at the root to stub up the tree : so it it is with sinne , lost is the labour that strives to keepe it in and restraine it , thinking so to kill i● , there is no other way to doe it but by mortification , by rooting it up out of the heart , not suffering it the●e to have the least roome or place ; for if it be but r●strained , at one time or other it will grow againe to full strength . and that this may the better bee dispatched , let us examine and try our selves by these rules and markes . first , examine your selves and see whether there be a particular change which doth follow the generall one of the whole frame of the heart ; whether the heart is wholly changed and turned from all sinne , for if it be not , but is changed but by peece-meale , some of it being reserved for the darling sinne , then it is not true mortification ; which is alwayes a killing , and bringing under subjection , all lust and conc●piscence . therfore see , first , whether thy heart be throughly wounded with sinne , whether thou dost grieve for all sinne as well as for some partic●lar sinne of profit and pleasure . then secondly , if thou beest thus wounded , see whether thou longest for nothing so much as pardon in christ : a condemned person desires nothing , delights in nothing but in the newes of a pardon ; as other things are not at all welcome unto him , a pardon is all that can be comfortable unto him ; so thou , if thou beest truly wounded for thy sinne , wilt desire and wish for nothing but a pardon ; the remission of thy sinnes in jesus christ will more comfort thee than all the world beside . and lastly , if a pardon be granted , see , is there a love and a delight in christ ? is he the only joy and comfort of thy soule ? then well is thy case , thou art in a good estate ; thou maist bee certaine the roots of thy lusts are plucked up , and then the branches must needs dye . secondly , examine your selves and see whether out of a loathing and hate of this sinne you be able to judge aright of it , to perceive it in its filthy colours , and loathsome pollutions : all the time a man lyes in a sinne , hee will have such a mist cast before his eyes , that hee cannot see it perfectly , but dimly , as it were by a small light , which will not lay open all the spots and blemishes thereof . to explaine this , i will use this similitude ; a man that lives continually in an house where a bad smell is , he perceives not the ill savour , it is all one to him as though it were pure and sweet ayre ; but one that comes in out of the fresh ayre , he smels it presently , to him it is exceeding offensive : even so it is with sinne , an unregenerate man that is used to it , hath long lived in it , and perhaps never knew any other , to him it is naturall , he perceives not the filthinesse thereof ; it is as good to him as the purest action in the world ; and why ? because hee is accustomed unto it : now custome , you know , is another nature : but let a regenerate man fall to commit the same sinne , why he is troubled , he is perplexed , he cannot be quiet , nor can he finde any rest in it , 't is unusuall to him , and therefore he is disturbed at it . and indeed it is a good sign of a righteous soule to be vexed at sinne ; ye may see it in lot , of whom it is said , pet. . . that rightious man dwelling among them , in seeing and hearing , vexed his righteous soule from day to day with their unlawfull deeds . try your selves therefore by this marke , and see whether you can brooke sinne well enough , or be vexed and disturbed at the com●itting of ●t . thirdly , examine your s●lves , and see whether your abstaining and keeping your selves from the acting of this sinne be generall and constant , or respecting some places or persons , and but for a short space : this is an effect of the former ; for hee that hates a thing , hates every thing that belongs unto it , and that continually : this is a sure marke and never failes . yee may see it in other things ; a dove is afraid of any feather that hath beene an hawkes , it brings a great deale of terror unto her , almost as much as if the hawke her selfe were there ; such a native dread is implanted in the poore dove , as it detests and abhorres the very sight of a feather ; so the godly man that hath once conceived a detestation against his lusts , endures not any thing that belongs to them , that comes from them . he that hates a serpent , cannot abide the skin , though it be never so finely speckled ; so , true hatred unto sinne , cannot endure motion or inclination unto it , though it bring never so faire pretences and shewes , it suffers not the least sparke to kindle or increase , as wanton speeches , lascivious lookes , &c. a sore that is healed at the bottome , is not easily hurt again , wheras if it be but skinned at top it is never the better , for in a little time it will breake forth againe , and be worse than ever : a bone broken and well set againe , is stronger than it was before : so a man that hath once slipped into this sinne , and is got out of it againe , shall finde his strength to bee encreased , and himselfe more enabled to resist that temptation than ever he was . but some man will say , i read of some of the saints that have fallen into this sinne , and that grievously , why then may not the deare children of god fall againe into it ? to this i answer , indeed it is possible , for we find it in the scripture of david and salomon , that they fell ; nay more , it hath many times so come to passe that they have fallen grievously , as in them before mentioned , and many others ; yet as wee read of their falls , so we read of their recovery out of it , they did not continue in it . here therefore i will set downe the meanes against it : and they shall be , first , for such as have long lyen in this sinne , perhaps , perhaps , or more yeares ; let such , i say , observe these rules following : first , let them labour to get an humble heart in the sight of this grievous sinne , let them bee cast downe with griefe and sorrow for so haynous a sinne , that they have offended so good and gracious a god , one that is of so pure eyes that he can endure no uncleane thing . it was the practice of the holy apostle saint paul , he was so farre humbled , that hee confessed himselfe to be the chiefest of all sinners ; and what could he say more ? so also the prodigall , luk. . when hee came to see himselfe , and to looke upon his owne condition , was so farre from being puffed up , that hee was content to stile himselfe no better than his fathers servant : in like manner doethou , thinke thy selfe the worst of men , and greatest sinner upon earth , and that god hath beene infinitly merciful unto thee , that hath not cut thee off in thy sinne , though thou so long continuedst in it unrepentant . secondly , labour to bring thy heart to so good a passe , that thou maist love god exceedingly , who hath forgiven thee so great a sinner . it is sayd of the woman in the gospell , to whom much was forgiven , that shee loved much : a great deale is forgiven thee , beyond what thy deserts are , doe thou therefore so too : love much , love christ that hath beene a mediatour to procure this thy sinne e o be forgiven ; love god much , who hath beene so mercifull as to grant thee pardon and remission of sinnes for christ thy saviours sake . thirdly , take heed lest satan beguile thee , and bring thee into the ●ame sinne againe : you know what saint peter saith , pet. . . where he exhorteth the brethren to be sober and v●gilant , from no other reason but only this , because your adversary the devill , as a a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom hee may devoure : the same shall be my argument of perswasion unto all of you , to beware of the divell , to looke to your selves , lest hee should deceive you , and entice you into the same sinne againe . secondly , for those that are guilty of this sinne still , but would faine be rid of the sore burthen which lyes heavy upon their consciences ; let them use these helpes : first , labour to get assurance of the pardon and forgivenesse of it : no man can be assured of the love of christ , till he be assured of his love and favour in the free pardoning and remission of his sinnes : for how can a man have peace and quietnesse without this , hee is still in feare of gods wrath and vengeance to light upon him , and where there is such a seare and dread , it is not likely there should bee any love . and therefore in rhe first place get thy sinnes pardoned . secondly , labour to have a sense and feeling of thy sinne ; this is a chiefe thing to be obtained ; for where there is no sense , there cannot be any remorse or sorrow for sinne , without which there can be no turning from sinne , much lesse any hatred and detestation of it . now this sense and feeling is wrought in us by gods spirit , and therefore thou must goe to god by true and hearty prayer , that hee would bee pleased to illuminate thee by his spirit , that so thou maist see the miserable and wretched condition thou art in by reason of this sinne . thirdly , lay hold on the promises , and apply them to thy selfe , make them thine owne ; for whatsoever a mans sinnes bee , if hee can come to thirst after pardon , to desire that before other things in a right way , and to a right end , then hee may be sure he hath the promises belonging unto him : if he will take them , they are his owne ; christ is his , if he will take him , onely he must take him aright , as well to be his lord , as his redeemer : his lord , to governe and rule him by his lawes and commandements , as well as his redeemer , to save him by the merit of his death and passion . christ offers himselfe to him , revel . . saying , let him that is athirst , come ; and whosoever will , let him take the waters of life freely : and what greater love can christ shew , than to set himselfe out for all to take him , and that freely too ? in the dayes of his flesh , who had more good by him than the publicans and sinners ? them he called , them he saved : the poore diseased wretches , how ready was hee to heale them ? even so he is still , hee is every whit as ready to save thee , to heale thee , as he was them , if thou wilt come unto him , and endevour to lay hold on him . to neglect christ thus offered unto thee , is to trample under foot the sonne of god , and to count the blond of the covenant an unholy thing , heb. . . now what thinke ye shall be done unto such ? read that place , and you shall finde , that a much sorer punishment than death without mercy they are worthy of , and are likely to undergoe . you read what was done to those that despised the invitation of the king to his marriage-feast , matth. . . when the king beard thereof hee was wroth , and sent forth his armies , and destroyed those murtherers , and burnt up their city : in like manner will hee deale with thee ; if thou despisest the offer of his gracious promises now made to thee , hee will account thee but as a murtherer , and will destroy both the● and thy city ; that is , all that belongs unto thee . take heed therefore that thou now layest hold on his promises , and makest them thine owne . fourthly , use abstinencie and fasting , for thereby thou mayst get the mastery over thy sinne ; give it altogether peremptory denials , suffer it not to delight thee in the least cogitation and tickling conceit : it will be easie to abstaine feom it , when the deniall is peremptory ; if we cannot put out a sparke , how shall we put out a flame ? if wee get not the mastery over the first motion to sinne , much lesse shall wee be able to overcome it when it is brought to maturity in action : sinne is like the water , give it the least way and we cannot stay it , runne it will in despight of us : and as a streame riseth by little and little , one showre encreasing it , and another making it somewhat bigger ; so sinne riseth by degrees . iam. . , . it is said , but every man is tempted , when he is drawne away of his owne lust and enticed . then when lust hath conceived , it bringeth forth sinne ; and sinne , when it is finished , bringeth forth death : where observe three degrees in sinne ; first , temptation ; secondly , conception ; and thirdly , perturbation , or bringing forth : so also hebr. . it is said of the israelites , that lust in them brought forth hardnesse of heart . beware therefore of the beginnings and occasions of sinne , and accustome thy selfe to use abstinence , thereby to master thy lust . fifthly , another helpe may be to resolve against it , to make vowes and covenants with out selves not to fall into any occasion that might bee an allurement unto it : let us binde our selves from things indifferent at first , and then afterward from the unlawfull temptations . and that wee may doe it the more easily , let us make our vowes for a certaine time , at first but for a little while , afterward for a longer season , and then at last , when we have more strength , for ever . but some man will here be ready to object and say , i finde my selfe exceeding weake and unable to keepe such vowes and covenants ; what shall i doe then , who shall be in danger every day to breake them , and so be guilty of a double sinne ? to this i answer , if our frailty herein were a sufficient argument , then would there bee no vowes at all : what though thou beest weake and fraile , and so subject to breake thy promises in this kinde , yet remember that they are gods ordinances , and hee will put to his helping hand to enable thee , hee will blesse and prosper what ever thou dost vow or promise this way , as an ordinance that hee hath commanded . againe , as thou seest thy selfe more weake , and subject to infringe those vowes , so bee sure to use the greater care and diligence to keepe them , be so much the more vigilant to avoyd all occasions that might tempt thee to breake them . sixthly , another helpe may be , to proportion the remedie to the disease ; as thy lusts are greater , so use greater abstinence , make stronger vowes against them . as in a place where the tide beats strongly , there the banke must bee stronger ; so where the current and tide of thy lusts runne more forceably , there resist them with greater strength , keepe the banke good , repaire it by new renewals of thy graces in thee , make new covenants against it : there is no man with one thousand , would meet his enemy with two thousand ; so doe thou , get as much strength to resist , as thy lusts have power to attempt thee . seventhly , turne your delights to god and heavenly things ; whereas you have long beene given to earthly mindednesse , now beginne to set your minde on heavenly things : there is no true mortification that is onely privative , it must be also positive ; a man cannot leave his earthly mindednesse , but he must presently be heavenly minded . to make this plaine by a comparison ; a man cannot empty a vessell of water , but ayre presently will come in its place : so a man can no sooner be cleansed from corruption , but grace will immediately enter and take possession of his heart ; as salomon saith , prov. . , . wisdome entreth into thine heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soule : descretion shall preserve thee , understanding shall keepe thee , &c. lastly , the last and greatest help will be , to labor by prayer : god would have thee know that it is his gift : pray therefore that christ would baptize thee with the holy ghost and with fire : that the holy ghost may like fire heat the faculties of the soule , to inflame our love to god : for as our love to god is stronger , so our love to holy things will be more earnest , and consequently our hate to unholy things more strong and perfect : the heart thus inflamed is turned quite another way ; it doth so mollifie the heart more and more , making it capable of a deeper impression from the love of god. hence it is that the spirit is compared to wine , because as wine heateth us within , and maketh us more vigorous and lively : so doth the spirit heat us with the love of god , and make us more apt to good workes : now as when a man comes nigh to any towne , he goes further from another ; so when the spirit carries us nigh to god , it carries us further from our lusts . christ by the prophet is said mal. . . to be like a refiners fire , and like fullers sope ; now as there is no way to refine silver but by fire , and no way to purge and get out a staine but by sope ; so there is no way to cleanse ones selfe from lusts , to mortifie them , but by the spirit : take ye therefore the apostles counsell , act. . . repent , and be baptized every one of you , in the name of iesus christ , for the remission of sins , and ye shall receiue the gift of the holy ghost : let us wait for it , and we shall be sure to have it , and when we once have got it , we shall finde as evident a change , as the apostles did when the holy ghost in the forme of cloven tongues came upon them , as ye may read in the same chapter . and therefore also when we finde weakenesse in our hearts , let us know that wee have not beene so fully baptized with the holy ghost , as we may be ; according to that of the apostle , tim. . . god hath not given us the spirit of feare , but of power , &c. when the spirit is powerfull ● us it will inflame us with the love of god , it keeps men in sobriety . therefore art thou weake ? art thou cold in holy performances ? labour to bee baptised with the holy ghost more fully : iohn was compassed about with the spirit as with a garment , rev. . . so should we be , for without this we are but naked : god kept abimeleech from sin , so he will keepe us if we have his spirit : and david was bound in the bond of the spirit , now the spirit is like a bond for two causes : first , every bond must be without us , and so is gods spirit , it is his and not ours within us : secondly , every bond keeps the thing that is bound in ; and so doth gods spirit , it restraines us , it keeps us in when as otherwise wee would runne into all excesse of riot . and therefore let us pray heartily and labour earnestly to be baptized with the holy ghost . how to mortifie uncleannes . colossians . . mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth : fornication , vncleannesse , inordinate affection , evill concupiscence , and covetousnesse , which is idolatry . having handled the doctrine of mortification in generall , as also come to some particulars , namely , that of fornication ; it now remaineth that in the next place , following the method and order of the apostle , i come to the next particular sinne named in the text , vncleannesse : and because these two sinnes doe in many things coincidere , and differ not greatly in any thing that i can set downe as meanes to prevent them , for what hath beene said of the one may serve for the other ; therefore i shall be the briefer in this , and may p●rchance make use of some of the things spoken formerly in the discovering of the haynousnesse of fornication . the doctrine then that we shall at this time insist on , is , that vncleannesse is one of the sinnes that are here to be mortified . this sinne of uncleannesse most interpreters make to be the sinne of onan , gen. . . and the haynousnesse thereof appeares , in that god was so displeased with him for it , that he slew him presently . besides , the grievousnesse thereof is is manifest , in that throughout the whole booke of god wee finde not any name appropriated unto it , as if god could not give name bad enough , or would not vouchsafe it any , because men should not know it at all . but now particularly i will lay open the vilenesse of it , by these foure arguments . first , the haynousnesse of it appeares , because that it makes a man that is guilty of it , a man of death ; you may see it in the example of onan , gen. . . before mentioned , god cut him off presently , hardly gave any space for repentance . where sudden judgement lights upon a man , it is a fearefull thing , and argues the greatnesse of gods displeasure against that sinne ; now where gods wrath is so exceedingly inflam'd against a sinne , we must needs conclude that sinne to bee very sinfull , and of an high nature . secondly , it is an unnaturall sinne : all sinne is so much the more haynous , as it is opposite to the nature of a man. wee read but of three sinnes against nature , whereof this is one ; namely , bestiality , sodomy , and this ; and therefore it must needs be of an high ranke , and consequently a most notorious vilde sinne . thirdly , the manner of it aggravates it exceedingly ; all things done against ones selfe , are the more hainous ; as selfe-murther is of an higher nature than murther of another ; and the reason is , because all creatures by nature seeke the preservation of themselves : in like manner , selfe-uncleannesse is a great aggravation unto it . fourthly and lastly , that sinne which is made the punishment of another , is ever the greater sinne ; now god hath made this sinne to be the punishment of all other sinnes , for after a man hath long continued in other sinnes , at last god gives him up to this sinne as to a punishment of the former : and therefore questionlesse it is a great and an haynous sinne . now since you have seene the haynousnesse of this sinne , in the next place i will shew you the manifold deceits of satan , whereby men are provoked to the commission of this filthy sinne . first , men doe goe on in the committing of this sinne , because they doe hope to repent afterwards . for answer of this , i say , that man who hath a will to sinne , doth harden himselfe more and more by sinne ; and this sinne of uncleannesse being a great sinne , it doth harden the heart the more , and doth the more indispose a man towards god. a man by common reason would thinke that great sinnes doe make the heart to be more sensible ; but indeed it doth not so , for it takes away the sense . great sinnes are a meanes to harden the heart , so that it cannot repent : prov. . . none that goe unto her returne againe , neither doe they take hold of the paths of life ; which is meant of repentance : for god doth not give repentance to this sinne , because it is a sinne so evident against the light of nature ; as ezech. . . sonne of man , behold , i take from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroake , yet neither shalt thou mourne nor weepe , neither shall thy tcares runne downe : that is , if man will refuse the time of repentance which god doth offer unto him , when he would repent then god doth deny him : it is not in him that willeth , nor in him that runneth , but of god : god will have mercie upon whom hee will have mercie , rom. . . now to shew what repentance is : repentance is a change of the heart , whereby a man is become a new creature , having an inward affection to that which is good , and a loathing and detestation of that which is bad . to shew that repentance is the change of the heart , see how the prophet hosea , chapt. . . doth reprove the israelites for their howling on their beds , because their repentance was not from their hearts ; they did howle much , as it were , for their sinnes , but yet their repentance was not from the heart , and therfore nothing availeable to them . true repentance doth turne the disposition of the heart of a man another way then it went before . another meanes that satan useth to delude the hearts of men , and cause them to be set upon evill , is , because they doe not see the punishment due for sinne to be presently executed upon sinners : for answer of this ; in that god doth spare to punish sinne , no man hath cause to joy in it . god is mercifull , and doth heare many times a long while with men not to punish them for sinne , to see if they will returne unto him , and repent : but as long as man doth continue in any sinne without repentance , so long doth hee abuse gods patience every day and howre , rom. . . thinkest thou this , o man , and despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse , forbearance , and long-suffering , not knowing that the goodnesse of god leadeth thee to repentance : vers. . but after the hardnesse and impenitencie of heart , treasurest up wrath unto thy selfe against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of god. another deceit that satan useth to provoke men unto this sinne , is , to judge of uncleannesse by common opinion ; that is , to weigh this sinne in a false ballance , and to looke upon it in a false glasse , and not to carry it to the ballance of the sanctuary of the lord , and therefore many times they esteeme great sinnes to be little sinnes , and little sinnes to be none at all ; when men doe thus mistake sinne , they judge of it otherwise than it is : as when bad company are together , they doeall allow and approve of sinne , and so evill words doe corrupt good manners ; and in their opinions doe make sinne to be no sinne at all ; not considering that place , titus . . that christ gave himselfe for us to redeeme us from all iniquitie , and to purifie unto himselfe a peculiar people , zealous of good workes . when a man hath committed sinne , his conscience is defiled , and so can no more judge of sinne aright , than one that would discerne of colours in a foule and soyled glasse ; but when the conscience is cleare , it sees things as they are , and so is able to judge of sinne by that rule by which our selves shall be judged at the last day : there is a sanctifying spirit , which if wee had , we should judge of sinne aright ; and the rule whereby we are to try sinne , is the written word of god. fourthly , satan useth to provoke men to this sinne , when they can commit it in secret , then will they bee bold to doeit : but consider , god sees in secret , and he will reward them openly : mat. . . give thine almes in secret , and thy father that is in secret will reward thee openly : now wee may judge by the rule of contrarieties , that if god doe see almes that are done in private , and will reward them openly , may not we thinke that he will doe the like of sinne : for so hee did by david , hee spared not him though he were his owne servant : sam. . thou didst this sinne secretly , but i will doe this thing before all israel , and before the sunne . and thus they goe on boldly in this sinne , thinking they shall escape well enough if they can doe it secretly , and not bee seene of men ; but they in this despising of god , make god to despise them . consider , oh man , the many wayes god hath to reveale sinne that is committed in secret : eccles. . . curse not the king , no not in thy thought ; and curse not the rich , no not in thy bed-chamber ; for a bird of the ayre shall carry the voyce , and that which hath wings shall tell the matter . sinne that hath beene committed in secret , shall bee discovered by wayes that a man thought unpossible : evill men are as a glasse that is sodered together ; as soone as the sother is melted , the glasse doth fall in peeces : so they that are companions in evill , may for a time be true the one to the other , but yet the lord will one way or other discover their iniquities , so that they shall fall in peeces like a broken potsharde ; yea , perhaps the sinner himselfe shall confesse his sinne , as iudas did . the last deceit which satan doth use to provoke men unto this sinne , is with the present delight which they have unto it : to this i answer , as christ in mat. . . thou shalt not commit adulterie , for whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her , hath committed adultery already with her in his heart . if thy right eye offend thee , plucke it out and cast it from thee , for it is profitable that one of thy members should perish , and not that thy whole bodie should be cast into hell fire . therefore , i say , it were better for thee to leave thy delight , than to have thy soule damned in hell for ever : by leaving thy sinne thou dost not leave thy delight , for then thou hast a new heart , new desires and affections to delight in better things ; so that the forsaking of sinne is but a change of delight , and those sinnes which have the greater delight in them , shall have the greater torment , as doth appeare out of revel . . . concerning babylon , the more pleasure she had , the more should her torments and sorrowes be . thus have i dispatched , in briefe , this sinne of uncleannesse , insisting and inlarging onely some two or three of the deceits whereby the devill doth beguile the sonnes of men , and lead them captive to the commission of this slavish and abominable sinne ; for motives and helpes against it , i referre you to those i produced in the handling of fornication . finis . hovv to mortifie evill concvpiscence . colos. . . mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth , fornication , uncleanenesse , inordinate affection , evill concupiscence , &c. now i should proceede to some application of this point , but because there is a third particular which hath much affinity with the two former , namely , fornication , and uncleanenesse , i will first speake of that which is here in my text , evill concupiscence . by concupiscence men doe understand a degree of this lust of uncleanenesse , and it is an evill inclination in the power of the soule . the doctrine is , this evill concupiscence is one of the sinnes which are likewise to be mortified ; wee had neede give a reason for it , because men will hardly be perswaded to thinke it a sinne , thus it was with the heathen , they thought there was no sinne in it . the first reason is , if concupiscence doe cleave unto a man , that is , evill inclinations which the soule by sinne is bent unto , then actuall sinne wil follow , which is the fruit of this concupiscence : it is as a sparke of fire , which being let alone , will grow greater and greater , and like a leven , though little at the first , yet doth it leven the whole lumpe , so that it doth produce the works of the flesh , and therefore it is to be mortified . the second reason is , although a man doe not fall into actuall sinne presently , after there is concupiscence in the heart , yet being unmortified , it hideth the sinne in a man , and so defiles him , and makes him proane to an evill disposition , and also to be abominable before god : therefore mortifie concupiscence before it come to have vigour and strength in thee . a man is said to be an evill man , when hee is distracted from good to evill , now evill concupiscence makes a man to be so . there are evill inclinations in a good man , and yet it is by way of antithesis , it is not his complexion and constitution to have them . now an evill man hath concupiscence , and the same is his complexion , and constitution so to be : therefore if evill concupiscence be not mortified , it makes a man to be bad , and in this regard wee ought to cleanse our selves from the pollution of this sinne . the third reason is , evill concupiscence being in a man , it doth marre all his good actions . to mingle water with wine , it makes the wine the worse ; to mingle drosse with silver , it makes the silver the more impure ; so evill concupiscence being in the soule of a man , it doth staine and blemish his good actions ; when the string of an instrument is out of tune ; then the musick doth jarre . a man that hath strong concupiscence in him , he will desire to come to the execution of the works of them , and so it will haue an influence to the effect , and will staine and blemish any good worke hee goes about ; so that evill concupiscence making a man to be evill , it doth blemish and staine all the good actions that man goes about , in that hee doth performe them either with vaine-glory or selfe respect . the fourth reason why evill concupiscence should be mortified , is , because that otherwise the commandements of god will be grievous unto us , . iohn . . for this is the love of god , that wee keepe his commaundements , and his commaundements are not grieuous . the commaundements of god are not onely to be kept of us , but so to be kept , that they may be delightfull unto us , psalm . . . blesse the lord o my soule , and all that is within me blesse his holy name : when concupiscence doth lye in the soule of a man , in its full vigour and strength unmortified , it doth draw in him a reluctance from good duties , as when a man doth will one thing that is good , and an evill inclination doth set upon him , then the commaundements of god will be grievous unto him , even as a man will be unwilling to carrie a burthen long . now i proceede to shew you three things observable in this word concupiscence : first , what the nature of it is . secondly , the sinfulnesse of it . thirdly , the operation or workes of it . first , for the better understanding what it is , know that in the soule of man there is a facility , secondly , there is an inclination , which doth adhere to the facultie , and thirdly there are actuall desires which flow from that inclination , by way of similitude , the better to conceive . first in the mouth there is a pallate , secondly , the desired humour , and thirdly the tast ; so in thesoule of man , first , there is the naturall affection , secondly , there is an inclination which is the tuneablenesse , or untuneablenesse of it , and thirdly , there is the desire , or actuall works of it . by concupiscence is meant , the evill inclination , and the fruits of the evill inclination , and by it the habituall concupiscence , from whence the actuall desires of evill will follow . rom. . . let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies , that yee should obey it in the lust thereof . first there is a sinne , secondly , the lust of that sinne , and thirdly the obedience , that is consent to the sinne . there is a concupiscence that is naturall , and another that is morall . as there is a concupiscence that is bad , so is there another that is good , and a third that is neither good nor evill . there was in christ a desire to live , though it were gods will he should die , yet obeying , hee did not sinne . on fast dayes we are commanded so to doe , yet the desire to tast corporall food on such a day is not sinne . secondly , it doeth proceed from sinne , and one sinne doth beget another , iames . . concupiscence doth bring foorth sinne , rom. . . let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies ( that is ) let not concupiscence : but to understand what the sinfulnesse of it is , know that sinne in speciall , is the transgression of the morall law , any facultie that is capable of a fault , it is sinne , that is the defect of it ; man shall bee subject to reason , and reason should cause him to submit himselfe unto the will of god. the morall law is a rule of action , not of habit . there is a double law , a law of action , and a law which we call that law , which god did stampe on the very creature . take an epistle , or a learned writing that is made by art , there may be logicke , rhetoricke , and grammer rules brought in to confirme it ; so in the law , there is a stampe & a rule , and every observation from it , is an errour in it . if a man did al that is in him , usedhis best endevor to subdue his evil concupiscences , & yetcannot , yet it is not sufficient for him , every man hath , or ought to have strength in him , to rule his affections . if a master command his servant to goe and doe such athing , if the seruant goe and make himselfe drunke , and then goeth about it , and cannot bring it to passe , although hee doe his good will for to do it , he is not to be excused , because he did loose his abilitie through his owne default ; so we , god at the first did make us able for to subdue our lusts , but wee in adam having lost the ability of our first estates , and yet may recover strength againe , to subdue our lusts in christ the second adam , if wee doe it not , the fault is in our selves . now we proceed unto the third particular , to shew unto you what is the operation , and working of this evill concupiscence . it is an inordinate inclination , which doth cleave unto the faculties of the soule , and doth indispose a man to that which is good , and caries him on to that which is evill , and so long as it abides in the soule , it makes him fruitfull to doe evill , and barren to doe good , so that evill actions the fruites of evill inclinations doe arise from it , even as water from the sountaine , and sparkes from the fire . concupiscence doth conceive and bring forth sinne . there is a different worke of concupiscence in man that is evill , and a regenerate man ; in an evill man it hath dominion over him , so that all his actions and desires are sinnefull : in a good and holy man , there is concupiscence also , but it doth worke in him by way of rebellion , he beholdes it as a disease , and as an enemie unto him , and doth labour to mortifie it , he is enlightened by grace to see it as a disease , and therefore doth labour to cure it , more and more . an evill man thinkes it the best way for his happinesse , and that his chiefest good , doth consist in giving satisfaction to his concupiscences , and therefore doth labour to satisfie them , and not to cure them . true it is gods children , david , peter , solomon , & other holy men , have had concupiscences in them but yet were not domineered over by them ; so long as a man doth strive against evill concupiscences , against the motions and stirrings of them , and that his owne conscience can beare him witnesse , he doeth resist them in sincerity of heart , they shall never beare sway over him : take the best actions of a wicked man , the utmost end of them are to himselfe , and if the utmost end be bad , all hee doth must needes be bad , as for example . th' end that a husbandman doeth ayme at in tilling of the ground and sowing of his seed corne , is to have a good harvest , and if his harvest prove bad , then all his labour is lost , though the beginnings of a thing be good , yet if the utmost end of that thing be naught , all is bad ; so that th' end of all things in morall actions , doeth make the thing either good or bad : every wicked man doth seeke himselfe in all his actions , hee doth worshippe himselfe in the utmost ende of all his thoughts , so that all his actions , lusts , and desires , are evill continually . now i proceed to shew you how it is the apostle paul would have you to mortifie , here some thing is presented , and to shew you plainely what it is , it doth consist in these two particulars . first , the habituall concupiscence , and secondly , the inordinate lusts and desires that doe arise from it , one wee call habituall , and the other actuall . now the apostle would have the habituall concupiscence in nature weakened , and secondly , he would have the actes of the lust to be suppressed . now that it is the apostles meaning , that he would have them mortified and that which is to be mortified is sin , marke that place i did cite before , rom. . . let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies . in these wordes are three things observable , first , there is a sinne , secondly , a lust to the sin , and thirdly obedience to the sin , thatis a wil to execute the desire of this lust . when the apostle saith , he would have thēmortified , he would have the heart to be clensed from the habitual custom of evil concupiscence , and secondly he would haue them so subdued , as not to obey them . that you may know the apostles meaning , and not to lay a straighter charge upon you , then the holy ghost doth aymeat he would have all these three to be mortified , the lust , the consent to the lust , and the act of ill . consider the nature of the things that are to bee mortified ; if you take the evill inclination , and compare it with the strength of the mind , in committing of any sin , they are all of the same nature , they differ but in degree , a lesser evill in the thought , before consent unto it is of the same nature as a greater , as it is in murther : hee that is angry with his brother unadvisedly , committeth a degree of murther ; so he that slandereth his brother by taking away of his good name , committeth a degree of murther , and is a sinne of the same nature , as if hee tooke away the life of his brother . so as in taking away the comfort of a mans life , it is a degree of murther , in as much as that man would take away the life of his brother if hee might ; so in lust , if a man desire to commit adultery with a woman , and cannot come to the execution of his will therein , to the committing of the actuall sinne , yet the adultery of the thoughts and affections , are degrees unto this sinne , and are of the same nature , as if he had committed the sin it selfe . the commandements say , thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife , that is , in no degree at all to hurt her , or to wrong her . if all be of one nature , and differ in degree , then all are to be mortified . the same nature is in one drop of water that is in a whole sea , and the same nature in a sparke , as there is in a great fire ; if there be a right enmity betweene sinne and us , wee will abstaine from all sinne ; a man doth hate the very colours of his enemie , as toades and creatures that are poysonfull : if a man doe abstaine in sincerity from sinne , hee will abstaine from all sinne . the reason why men abstaine from any sinne , is either for love of themselves or of god ; if for love of thy selfe thou doest abstaine from sinne , thou wert as good commit all as some ; if for love of god , thou wilt abstaine from all sinnes , from little sinnes as well as great sinnes . here may a question be asked , why men doe abstaine from murther and idolatry ? the answere is , because god did forbid it ; and doth not god forbid also , thou shalt not lust : god that doth forbid the one , doth forbid the other ; and for thy further consideration , know the holy spirit of god doth hate every sinne , it doth abandon and hate that heart where these thoughts of lust are nourished . now the heart is the habitation and residence of the holy ghost , wherfore all sinnes are to be mortified , that the holy ghost may come and dwell there . the acts of mortification are chiefely these , the apostle would have us take paines with our hearts , men might doe much good unto themselves , would they but take paines to consider and ponder their their wayes , but when men are carried away with the desire of riches , vaine-glory , and other inconsiderations , no mervaile if it be thus with them : if they would but sit alone , meditate , and reflect their mindes upon what they should doe , it would be a great meanes to make them to alter their courses . the apostle when he would have them mortifie these lusts , hee would have them consider the meanes how to suppresse them , there be strong reasons in the word of god for them : let them search the grounds they have for the committing of those lusts , and it will be an effectuall meanes for the mortifying of them : if mens judgements were rectified to see their follies , they would change their courses , and turne the bent of their affections another way ; i should deliver many things unto you in this kinde concerning mortification , to let it be your care , that it may worke upon your inward affections , that you may make it profitable unto your owne soules , and that you doe let it not passe from you without doing you good . the word of god which you heare is not lost , it shall certainly doe you hurt if not good , it shall harden if it doe not soften : it is an ill signe if a tree doe not bud in the spring , but to see it without leaves in the winter is no wonder at all ; so for any to heare the word of god powerfully preached , and not to have good wrought on them by it ; they have great cause to feare their estates , it is this meditating and taking to heart , which is the first means i prescribe for mortification . we are said , secondly , to mortifie , when we suppresse and keepe downe those lusts , if wee keepe them backe from their courses , that they doe not bring forth the fruite of sinne : all actions when any sinne is executed , they tend to evill corruptions . if wee abstaine from the action of sinne , then it doth kill the very inclination . take any sinne that a man is naturally enclined unto ; whether it be the sinne of uncleanenesse , the desire of riches , or whatsoever , custome doth make his lusts to be stronger , and so doth adde to the sinne , one light doth shew a thing to be so , but more lights doe make it appeare more cleare ; so there is an addition in sinne as well as in grace , the more they act in sinne , the more they encrease . now when men complaine they know not what to doe , they cannot be without their lusts ; let them thanke themselves for it in suffering themselves by custome to practise them , but by keeping downe the act of sinne , the lusts will evaporate away in time , though thy lust be strong and violent at the first ; yet if thou wilt let it alone from the execution of it , it will consume and weare away at the last ; therefore keepe downe thy lusts , and suppresse them . thirdly , to weane these lusts , inordinate affections , and concupiscences ; the rectifying of the judgement , and applying of right meanes , doth mortifie the higher reason : now for to mortifie the lower reason , is to turne away the bent of affection on another object : if grace be quicke and lively in a man , it turnes away the minde from sinne , and the way to weane these lusts , is to keepe the minde fixed and bent on better things , as temperance , chastity , and sobriety ; for all intemperance doth breed lust , and then the devill doth take occasion and advantage to worke upon a man ; but sobrietie and temperance is a great meanes to keepe backe these evill affections . now i proceede to make use of what hath beene formerly delivered concerning these three sinnes , fornication , uncleanenesse , and evill concupiscence : you may remember what hath beene said concerning the greatnesse of the sinne of uncleanenesse , it will follow then if it be so great a sinne , wee should use meanes to be freed from it . those that are guilty of it , let them give themselves no rest , their eye lids no slumber , nor god no rest , till they be delivered from the band of this iniquity . . sam. . . remember what elie said to his sonnes , if one man sinne against another , the iudge shall judge him , but if a man sinne against the lord , who shall entreate for him ? when god doth take in hand to afflict the creature , then it is intollerable , man shall finde it to be a●terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living god. take an arrowe , or a bullet , and let it be shot into the body of man , it may wound deepely , and yet be cured againe ; but let the head of that arrowe be poysoned , or the bullet envenomed , then the wound proves deadly and incurable : there may be in the body of man many great gashes and deepe wounds , and yet be cured ; but if affliction lyes on the creature from the wrath of god , he is not able to beare it ; it doth cause him to tremble , and his conscience to be terrified within him , as wee see by men that are in despaire . now the reason of it is , god when he sinites the creature in his wrath , he doth wound the spirit , and as it were doth breake it in sunder , as god doth breake the spirit , so he doth sustaine the spirit ; but when he doth withdraw himselfe from the creature , then the strong holds of the spirit are gone . this is to shew you what a terrible thing it is , to fall into the hands of the living god. this as it doth belong to all , so specially to those that have received the sacrament this day or before , that they make conscience of this sinne , if they doe not , they receive it unworthily , and he that is guilty of this , is guilty of the body and blood of christ ; hee discernes not the lords body , neither doth hee prize it as hee should , nor esteeme of the excellencie of it as hee ought : hee discernes not with what reverence hee should come to the lords table ; therefore saith the apostle , hee is guilty of the body and blood of christ , that is , hee is guilty of the same sinne that those were that did crucifie and mocke christ iesus . the sacrament of the lords supper , is a speciall meanes , and chiefe ordinance of god for the attainement of his blessings , if it be rightly received ; and so it is the greatest judgement that can befall a man , if it bee not rightly received , for christ is chiefely represented therein : the blood of christ is the most precious thing in the world , when men shall account this holy blood of the new testament , to be but an unholy thing , and to trample it vnderfoote , god will not beare with this . now when a man doth come to the sacraments in a negligent manner , in not preparing himselfe worthily to come , hee is guiltie of the blood of christ ; for ye are not onely to be carefull to prepare your selves , before the receiving of the sacrament , but also of your walking afterwards . therefore consider , you that have received the sacrament , or intend to do it , that you doe clense your selves from this pollution of heart and spirit , and that you doe put on the wedding garment , that is required of all worthy receivers , let your hearts be changed , and your affections , and actions be free from all kind of evill , and your hearts be turned to god , else you cannot bee worthy receivers , and so much shall suffice for this use , that seeing this sinne is so great , every man should endevour to free himselfe from it . secondly , seeing the apostle doth not onely exhort us to abstaine from it , but also mortifie , kill , and subdue it , if there were nothing but a meere abstinence from ill , then it is not properly a mortification , for then the impurest adulterer should sometimes bee chast after his impure manner of committing it , and therefore the cessation of it is no true mortifying of it , and that you may know mortification aright , i will give you three signes . first , you shall know it by this , if there went a generall reformation both in heart and life before , when the heart is generally set aright , is changed and renewed to good , and from thence doeth arise a dying to these lusts , then it is a good signe , but if otherwise there bee no particulars changed in thee , then it is but a cessation , not a mortification , but when the whole frame of the heart is altered , yea even from the very roote , when the old man in the body of sinne is wounded even to the heart , that is , when a man hath hath beene soundly humbled for his sinne , and afterwards hath his heart affected to christ , and is come to love god , and hath his mind changed , then he may truely reckon it mortification . secondly , you may know true mortification by this , by having a right judgement of sinne , and a true loathing and detestation of it ; it is hard for a man while hee hath any sinne in him , to judge rightly of it , for then a man is given to an injudicious minde , while hee doeth continue in it , as when a man is in prison , if hee have continued there long , though the sent bee bad , yet hee cannot discerne it , but let this man be brought to fresh ayre , and bee carryed to that prison againe , then hee will smell the noysomenesse of it . so when a man is in sinne , hee cannot truely judge of it , but when he is escaped from it , then he can rightly and truly detest , and judge of it , when a mans soule is righteous , there is a contrariety betweene him and uncleannesse , a righteous soule doeth detest sin , both in himselfe and others ; as lots soule was vexed with the abhomination of the sodomites . consider how you are affected with the sinne of others , rom. . verse . they were not onely worthy of death , who did commit sinne themselves , but also they that had pleasure in others , when a man can truely detest sinne in others , as lot did , and doeth truely loath it in himselfe , then it is a true signe of true mortification . the last thing to know mortification by , is an actuall abstinence from every sinne , it is one thing to dislike a sinne , and another thing , to bee wearie of it , and to hate the sinnefullnesse of it ; if mortification bee true , he will hate all kind of uncleannesse with an inveterate hatred , bee it of what degree it will , sheepe doe hate all kind of wolves , if a man doe truly mortifie , &c. his hatred to sinne will bee generall , not onely in abstinence from grosse sinnes , as murther , adultery , and fornication , but also from all other sinnes ; for when a man forsakes sinne , out of hatred , his rancor is of iudgement more then of passion , and so likewise his hatred will be constant . men may bee angry with their sinnes sometimes , and fall out with them at other times , and yet be friends againe , but if they doe truely hate sinne , their abstinence from sinne will be constant , when a man becomes a new creature , there will arise a contrarietie to sinne in his nature , so that if a man doe hate sin , he is truely said to mortifie . here may a question be asked . whether after true mortification a man may fall into the same sinne againe or no ? for answere hereunto i say , a man may fall againe into the act of sin and uncleannesse after mortification , for the gates of gods mercy stand open to men after their greatest relapses ; but yet he doth never fall into the love of sinne , and of purpose for to sinne . though he doe fall into the act , hee doth not returne to allow of it , and to wallow in the mire , for it is impossible to do so after grace , yet we cannot shut up the gates of gods mercie to those that have often relapsed , so that a mans conscience is witnesse unto him that he is not remisse in the meanes hee should use , though hee fall into the act of sinne unawares , yet he doth it not with set purpose : now you may judge whether you be mortified yea or no. the meanes to mortification are these . the first meanes to mortifie , is to labour for the assurance of pardon of thy sinnes ; sinne is never mortified but by the sanctifying spirit , there may bee a restrained spirit in us to keepe us from the act of fin , but it can never bee mortified but by the sanctifying spirit of god , pardon for sin is had by the assurance of faith in christ , and the way to get this for givenes , is to be truely humbled for our sinnes , acknowledging our own misery , and our owne wants , and to lay hold upon the mercies of christ iesus , and to bee lifted up by the promises of the gospel ; consider , whatsoever your sinnes be , whether against the light of nature , or against knowledge , let a mans relapses be never so great , and agravated with never so many circumstances , neverthelesse , if a man will come in , our commission is to propound unto them without all condition , or exception , that the gates of mercy stand open for them , mar. . . there is our commission , go ye into all the world , and preach the gospel unto every creature . what this is in the next verse it is sayd . if a man will beleeve , he shall be saved , but hee that beleeveth not , shall be damned . therefore whatsoever your sinne be , let nothing hinder you to come in , for if you come in , god wil receive you to mercy , all the hindrāce then is in our selves . consider these two places of scripture , . cor. . . paul speaking to the corinthians , of the greatest sinne that ever mans nature was capable of , such were ye , ( saith he ) but now ye are washed , and are sanctified , and justified in the name of the lord iesus , and by the spirit of our god ; so in the . cor. . and last ve . the apostle doth make no question , but that they might repent , and have forgivenesse , you may know how willing god was to forgive great sinners , all the matter is , if we be willing to apply this pardon to our selves . to leave our sinnes in generall , to take christ to be a king , aswell as our saviour . to deny our selves , and to take up christs crosse , and then there is no question , but we may have this pardon sealed , and assured us . certaine it is , men will not doe this , as to denie themselves , and take up christs crosse , till they bee duly humbled , and have repented their sinnes , but so it is , that men will not prize christ , untill that vengeance fall upon them for their sins , would they but doe it , they might bee sure of this pardon , were their humiliation true and sincere , it is sufficient , the last of the revel . verse . . and the spirit , and the bride say , come , and let him that heareth say , come , and let him that is athirst come , and whosoever will , let him take of the water of life freely . first , here is , let him that heareth come , that is , to all whosoever this gospel is preached unto , the promise is generall to all : here is also added , let him that is athirst come : there is further added , let whosoever will , come ; come that will come , and take of the water of life freely , seeking god in sinceritie of heart , with forsaking of all their sinnes . and so much for this meanes of getting pardon for sinne , and to come to true mortification by the sanctifying spirit . the second meanes to mortification , is to abstaine from all beginnings , and occasions of sinne , as precedent actions , and objects of ill , it is to have a peremptory abstinence and full deniall , not medling with any thing that hath any affinity with sinne ; if you doe not neglect to resist the beginnings , this is the way to come unto the utmost ends of it , there be chaines to draw to sinne , iames . . every man is tempted when hee is drawne of his owne lust , and is inticed , then when lust hath conceived , it bringeth foorth sinne , and sinne when it is consummate , bringeth forth death . this is to cleare god in the matter of temptation , a man is drawne with his owne lust unto it . first , a man doth gaze on his sinne , and dally with it , then hee comes to bee intangled in it , so that hee cannot get loose againe , even as a fish that is fast to a hooke . thirdly , followes the assent unto it , when hee is taken in the net . and lastly followes the committing of actuall sinne ; which doeth bring forth death ; so first there is the chaine that drawes to sinne , secondly the gazing on it ; thus evah did admire and gaze on the fruite , and did thinke that if shee might taste of it , shee should come to know good and evill , but she was deceived , so wee are deluded by sinne . first , by gazing on it , then by being intangled in it , afterwards proceedes a will therunto , and lastly , the committing of the sinne which doth bring foorth death , so that death followes sinne ; when a man hath committed the sinne , it causeth the hardening of the heart , and so makes him not sensible of the things of the spirit ; the greater sinnes doe cause the greater hardnings , and makes the heart for to become evill , and so a man comes to have an unfaithfull heart , as an athiest , to thinke that the scriptures are not true , that the promises of god are not true : and lastly , unfaithfulnesse , it causeth a departure from god , as in hebrewes . . an unbeleeving heart causeth a departure from the living god. take heed there bee not an evill and unbeleeving heart in you , for if there bee , then there will bee a departing from god , therefore wee should not bee led by any thing to gaze upon sinne , that wee may not bee intangled in it . therefore let us at the first checke the very beginnings of sinne , and resist all occasions . a third meanes to overcome this sinne , is to bee exercised with the contrary delights , as with grace , and holinesse . this is the meanes to mortifie the heart , and to emptie it of all kind of lusts , and they cannot be emptied out of the heart , unlesse better things be put in stead thereof ; you cannot weaken blackenesse , better then by white . therefore the way to change the heart after sinnefull objects , and the mortifying of these lufts , it is to get delight in better things , and to labour to have neerer communion with god , & to be zealous of gods cause , . cor. . last of all to conclude , the meanes for mortifying of this sinne , is , you must adde prayer unto all the rest : to pray unto god to baptize you with his holy spirit ; let a man be left to himselfe , and it is impossible for him to mortifie , except god will doe it ; therefore wee are to pray unto god to give us his holy spirit . when the spirit of god doth come into the heart , it is as fire , and puts another temper upon him then was before ; it turnes the strings of his heart to another tune , and doth make him approve of that which god doth require . this is the way to mortifie lust . the more a man is carried to the love of one , he is many times the more removed from another ; but the more a man is caried to god , the more heis wayned from inordinat lusts , & being mortified , he is the more enclined to god , mal. . . who shall stand when he appeares ? for hee is like a refiners fire , and like to fullers sope. christ shall doe that when he comes , that none else is able to doe . as in refining and purifying the heart , use what meanes you will , except you use fire , you cannot refine drosse from silver : so staines that are in a mans garment , wash them as long as you will with sope , they will but seeme the worse ; but when they are brought to the fullers hand , they are soone rubbed out : so let a man be left to his owne spirit , hee will runne into a thousand noy some lusts ; but when gods spirit is cloathed in a mans heart , then it doth keepe him from the wayes of sinne , revel . . . it is said of iohn , that he was ravished in the spirit , as a man locked in armour : when the spirit of god doth possesse the soule , and compasseth it about , it keepes it from the wayes of iniquity , and causeth an aptnesse to good , . tim. . for god hath not given us the spirit of feare , but of power , of love , and of a good and sound minde . and the reason why men doe neglect it , is , because they know not the way to get it . they know not the power and efficacie of the spirit , and that is the reason there is so little effect in this businesse . let a man bee left to his owne spirit , and gods spirit removed from him , hee will lust after all evills : take example of eliah and iohn baptist ; it is said of iohn , that hee came in the spirit of eliah , which did excell in him . take eliah , and extract that spirit from him which he had from god , and hee would be but as other men . take the deare saints of god , and take but this spirit from them , how would it be with them ? even as it was with david , when god did but as it were hide himselfe a little while from him , into what dangerous sinnes did hee fall . therefore pray to god that hee would give you his spirit , and that will bee a meanes to mortifie these lusts within you . it is the spirit that doth make difference betweene man and man , and for the getting of it , pray to god earnestly , and hee cannot denie you . i will name but one place more unto you , acts . . . repent , and be baptized every one of you in the name of iesus christ for the remission of sinnes , and you shall receive the gift of the holy ghost , for the promise is unto you , and your children , and unto all that are a farre off , even as many as the lord our god shall call . so that the men which were converted at peters sermon , did aske , what shall wee doe to be saved ? hee said , repent , and beleeve , and yee shall receive the holy ghost ; and further addeth , the promise is made to you and to your children , and you shall be partakers of it . not that the promise of the holy ghost did belong onely to those that were then present , but to all that have beene borne since , and are to be borne both of iew and gentile , to as many as shall call upon the name of the lord. therefore doe you now as the apostles did then , when christ told them hee would send them the comforter , they spent the time in prayers untill they had it : so doe you pray earnestly , and be instant with god for it , and then certainely god cannot denie it you ; and when you have the spirit ; then you will mortifie those lusts , and all other sinnes whatsoever ; when you have this spirit , of sobrietie , of temperance , of love , of weekenesse , of gentlenesse , of long suffering . the lord graunt you understanding in what hath beene spoken . and so much for this time . finis . how to mortifie inordinate affection . colo . . . mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth ; fornication , uncleannesse , inordinate affection , evill concupiscence , and covetousnesse , which is idolatry . some of those earthly members which the apostle would have us to mortifie we have already handled ; we are now come to speake of the inordinate affections . the greeke word is translated by a double word , sometimes passion , sometimes affection , but it is alone , so as the point is cleere , that : all immoderate affections must be mortified . a doctrine that may well bee handled at large , it beeing generall and universall , an vnlimited word that reacheth unto all particular affections , a doctrine that concernes every man ; men , for the most part , when they come into the open view of the world , have a certaine composed habit , but inwardly are full of inordinate affections : it is a doctrine therefore that searcheth the inward parts , the mindes and hearts of men : a doctrine of continuall use ; for though men presse outward actions , yet affections remaine unruled . besides all this , a doctrine of no small difficulty . for as there is nothing easier than to wish and desire , so there is nothing harder than to order these desires aright . for the better handling of the point , observe these three things : first , what affections are . secondly , when they are inordinate . thirdly , why they are to be mortified . in the first place i must tell you what affections are : by affections you must vnderstand all affections and passions , whatsoeuer ; for the better understanding whereof , you must know that there are three things in the soule ; first , the faculties which are to the soule , as the members to the body . secondly , the inclinations of those faculties . thirdly , the habits acquired from those inclinations : for example , the appetite or will is a faculty of the soule , and this taken in it selfe is neither good nor evill morally . againe , there are the inclinations of that will , and these are goodor evill according as the objects that they apprehend are good or evill ; and lastly , the habit is , when the soule doth accustome it selfe one way or other ; the habit is good , when the soule is accustomed to good objects , in a good manner ; and the habit is evill , when the will accustometh it selfe to evill objects , or to good objects in an evill manner . it is with the passions as it is with the senses . first , we have the sense of hearing before we heare , and of seeing before we see ; then from often hearing or seeing of the same object , proceedes an inclination more to one object than to another . from that inclination , a habit in the sense to turne it selfe with most easinesse and delight upon that object ; thus a corrupt habit is bred with us , when the mind or wil turnes it selfe often to this or that evill object ; and so gets agility and nimblene in doing , as often doing brings dexteritie to the hands ; so if the will or appetite have gotten a haunt either to vertues or vices , it contracts a habit to it selfe . now to shew you what an affection is , we define it thus ; an affection is an inclination or motion of the appetite upon the apprehension of good or evill . i call it an inclination or motion , for it is the bent of the will to this or that thing ; as for example , when we outwardly love , feare or desire , that is a motion ; and for the inclination wee are to know that in man there is a double appetite ; the first is sensuall , which apprehends things conveied to the senses , as to the eye and eare , and so is affected to loue , feare or grieve ; this i call the sensuall appetite , because it is of objects apprehended by fantasie . secondly , there is a rational appetite , the object of that is that which the understanding apprehends ; and from hence proceed affections to riches , honor , preferment , &c. the will beeingconversant about it . remember this distinction , because of the matter that followerh , namely ; that the appetite is double sensuall and rationall , and affections are placed both in the sensuall , as we love , feare or desire objects exposed to sense ; and in the rationall , as we love , feare or desire the objects which reason apprehendeth . now to draw this generall division into two maine heads : nature hath planted an appetite in the creature to draw to its selfe that which is good , and to cast away that which is evill ; therefore are these affections such as apprehend either good or evill , to keepe the one , and to expell the other ; those that apprehend good , if they see it and apprehend it , they love and desire it , and love desires to be united to the thing loved , and a desire is a making towards the thing absent ; when the thing is present we joy in it ; when it is comming towards us , and there be a probability to have it , then comes hope in ; if we bee like to misse of it , then comes feare ; if no probability of attaining , then comes in despaire ; if there be any impediments against reason and right , then we are angry at it ; and this anger is an earnest desire to remove the impediments , otherwise if we see reason and justice to the contrary , then wee are not properly angry . these are the affections that are about good , and these are the first kind of affections . the . sort of affections are those that are about evill ; as in the former there is love of god , so here to turne away from evill , is hatred ; if evill be comming , and we be not able to resist it , wee feare , if we be able to overcome it , then are wee bold and confident ; if we be not able either to overcome or resist the evill , we flye from it ; if it be unavoidably present , we grieve at it . but to handle them more severally , and so to know them as they have reference to good or evill , for , except wee know them thus , it is worth nothing to us . there are therefore three sorts of affections , naturall , carnall , and spirituall . first , naturall , these affections arise from nature , and tend to naturall objects ; as for example , to desire meate and drinke is naturall , but to desire it in excesse is not naturall ; because the objects of naturall affections are limited by nature , namely , so much and no more : nature hath certaine measures and extents and limits , and those she exceeds not : naturall affections make us but even with beasts . secondly , there are carnal affections , which are lusts that arise from the corruption of nature , and those tend to evill objects , or good objects in an evill manner : those affections make us worse than the beasts , like unto the devill , ioh. . . you are of your father the divell , and his lusts ye will doe , that is , those that have these lusts are as like the divell , as the sonne is like the father , those that are bound with these bonds , are like him ; that is , they come in a degree to the corruption the divell hath in a greater degree . thirdly , spirituall affections are such as arise from the spirit , that is , from the renewing part of man , and tend to good objects in a holy manner : naturall make us no better than beasts , carnal than devils , spirituall make us better than men , like to god , having his image new stampt on us ; they lift us up above men , and make us like to angels . thus you see the . kindes of affections in men . we must only answer one question before we go any further ; the question is this , whether there be no spirituall affections , except they proceede from a generall disposition , because many men seeme to have good flashes now and then , and so seeme to be regenerate ? i answer , no , they are not spirituall , regenerated affections , because these affections in the soule , howsoeuer they are good in regard of the author , the holy ghost that puts them in , are not so in regard of the subject , man , who is yet in corruption and not renewed . if a man have never so much skill in musicke , if the instrument bee out of tune the musicke cannot be good ; so the affections , as the spirits suggestions , are good , but in a carnall man , they are as in an instrument out of tune : it is true that those flashes make way to conversion , but only when the heart is in tune and in a good frame , then are the affections good , that is , then only effectively good , so as to make the heart good , and then the fruit wil be good , such as god wil accept . so much to shew what affections are . now we are to shew when they are inordinate : but first know , the affectiōs are placed in the soule for the safegard of it , that is , to give the watch-word , that we may repell evill when it is comming ; those that are about good to open the dores of the soule to let it in , and to make out for it , if it be wanting ; as guides that are for the service of the soule to put us on to work and to be more earnest in our actions , they bring aptnesse and diligence in doing ; when they misse these ends then they hinder us in stead of profiting us , hurt us in stead of helping us , carry us to evill objects in stead of good , then they are inordinate either in the manner or the end . this premised now , that wee may further know them when they are inordinate , observe these . things . first , examine them by the rule which is the maine way of triall , if they goe besides the rule they are inordinate . the first rule is , that the objects must be good , else the affection is inordinate ; there must be love of god , sorrow for sinne , delight in god , then it is good ; but on the contrary to disgrace holinesse , to condemne excellency in others , to hate that we should cleave to , abominate the good wee should imbrace , these affections are naught . the second rule is the end ; examine if they take their rise amisse though the object be good , yet if the manner be naught , they are inordinate ; now the manner is naught when the end is naught : as for example , many men desire and seeke for excellency of parts , but to what end ? why , for vaine glory , not to doe god service : this is for a wrong end : so zeale is an excellent affection , none better , but if the end be nought , the affection cannot be good . iehu was zealous , but hee altogether respected himselfe . the third rule is , though the object bee right , and the end right , yet if it exceed the measure , the affection is not good : davids love to his children was good , and the object good , yet hee failed in the measure . moses anger was good , yet when he cast the tables out of his hand , it was an excesse , and defective because exceeding , though excellent and commendable in another kind . the fourth rule is , though the object bee right , the end right , the measure right , yet if the affection be not in order and season , that is , if it take its wrong place , & thrust into the roome of another , it is a cause to make it inord inate : as for example , to desire to do businesse in a mans calling is good , but if this desire prevaile with him at such time as hee should bestow in prayer and holy duties ; as when he should come to heare the word , then they are inordinate ; for season must be kept to : therefore , when an affection comes , if not in season , answer it as christ did , the houre is not yet come : this is the way to iudge of them by the rule . the second way of triall , is to know them by their effects , and they are foure , as the rules are . the first effect is , if any affection hinder reason , so as to trouble the action , then it is inordinate ; for affections ought to be servants to reason ; if they disturb , then they are not right : as for example , feare is set in the soule to give the watch-word , to prevent evills ; if it shall appale a man , so as to let his weapons fall , thus it troubles reason : joy was put in the soule to oyle the wheeles , and to quicken it more ; if it do more astonish then quicken , if immoderate joy cast a man into ectasy when it should put him on action , or if it breake out into immodest reuellings , and not into praises , thy joy is not good : griefe is stirred up to ease the soule of paine ; now , if it hinder a man from enduring that he should endure , it becomes inordinate . the israelites in egypt could not hearken to moses , because of the anguish of their hearts , and worldly sorrow causeth death , that is , it causeth distempers ; and when it thus drieth up the bones , it eateth up the vigor of the soule , and makes a man out of frame , then it is amisse : though christs griefe exceeded anymans upon the crosse , yet he committed all to god without any distempers . the second effect is , when they indispose vs to any holy duty , as we judge of in distempers of the body , if there be no appetite to meat or drinke ; so affections are inordinate , when they indispose vs to pray , to doe good , or to speake good , pet. . . the apostle exhorteth husbands to dwell with their wives as men of knowledge ; that is , in such a manner , as you may moderate affections with knowledge ; that your prayers ( saith the apostle ) be not hindred ; that is , if there be any disorder in your affections one towards another , it will hinder your prayers . by your affection you may judge , and as you may judge of your affection , by your duties , so of your duties you may judge by this rule , how you are disposed to holy duties ; if there be any interruption , or indisposition , it is a signe there is some distemper in the affections ; all things are not straight in the inward man. the third effect to discouer the immoderatenesse of affections , is , when they produce euill actions , which ordinarily they doe , when they exceede the measure and the manner : anger is an affection set in the soule , to stirre up man to remoue impediments ; and thus you may be angry for sinne , and other things too ; now , if it be kept in its owne limits anger is a desire to remove impediments , and not a desire to revenge , that is the inordinatenesse of it ; to be angry for sinne , because it dishonoureth god , is good : to be angry for other things redounding on our selves is not evill , so our anger extend but so farre , as to remoue the impediments , not to revenge them : as for example , if a man takes away ones reputation , and brings disgrace upon him ; now , to desire to hurt such a man , the affection is amisse , because the carriage of other men towards vs , must not be our rule towards others ; but we are to make this use of it , to be diligent in keeping off the blow off our selves , but not to hurt another man , this is inordinate . be angry , but sinne not , you may be angry , so as it bring forth no evill actions , or evill effects ; so a man may be angry with the insensible creatures , desiring to remove the impediment , and put out of the way that which hinders the actions . the last effect , is , when affections draw vs from god , then they are inordinate , because they should draw vs neere to him . but , when they make vs to forget god , there is their inordinatenesse ; for example : we are commanded , deut. . . to reioyce in the good things of god , but when wee shall rejoyce in an epicurean manner , and forget god , it is amisse ; for wee should so rejoyce , that wee should raise up our soules to love and praise , and give thanks to him ; so also for feare and griefe , if wee feare any thing more then god , and grieve for any thing more then for sinne , for crosses , and losses , more then for displeasing god , these make us forget god , and so become inordinate . now followes what it is to mortifie them , which wee have formerly spoken of at large ; in a word , it is nothing else but a turning of carnall affections into spirituall , and naturall affections to a higher and more noble end ; that is , to eate , and to drinke , not onely for natures benefit , but for god , to doe him honour , that is the right end ; for to mortifie , is to rectifie , and to bring things that are out of compasse to rule , to see where they are inordinate , and so to turne carnall and naturall affections all into spitituall . in the next place wee will see some reasons why they are to be mortified , for reasons doe wonderfully perswade , and necessity of mortifying once apprehended , makes men goe about it ; let us but consider of what moment it is to have them mortified , what ill if we doe not , what good if we doe . the first reason is , because affections are actions of the greatest efficacie and command in the soule , they are exceeding powerfull , they are the wheeles or sailes which carrie the soule this way or that way ; in that regard , because they are so effectuall and prevalent , therefore it concernes us the more to take care that we rectifie them . time was , when affections did obey the will , and the will the spirit of god , ( in the time of innocency ) but now that subordination is taken away , and that union dissolved , and now the affections move the heart as the winde the sea , whether it will or no ; therefore it stands you upon to keepe them under . a metled horse is a delight to the rider , if hee be kept under the bridle ; so the affections , if they be good , the stronger the better , but the divell hath no better factors thē the affections are , if they be ill , they are the best opportunities for him to doe mischiefe by . the second reason why they are to be mortified , is , because they are those that make us eyther good or evill men . it is not the understanding of truth , or falshood that makes us good or evil men , that is but one opinion and judgement ; but as the affections are , and as the inclination of the will is , so is a man good or bad . iob was called a perfect man , because hee feared god ; and blessed is the man that delights in god ; and all things worke together for good to them that love god. it is the common phrase of scripture to judge of man by his affections , when his love is right , his feare is right , and his sorrow right ; therefore looke to thy affections which are the motions of thy will ; so as the affections are , so is the man , if mens actions are weighed by their affections : in other arts indeed , the worke commends the artificer , but here , though the action be good , yet it is not good , except the affections be good , because the will commands the whole man , so the goodnesse or badnesse of a man are seene in the affections . the third reason is , because inordinate affection makes much for satan to take possession of the soule , therefore it stands you upon to keepe them right and straight , ephes. . . be angry , but sinne not , that is , if anger exceed its measure , it opens a way for satan to come in , and take place in the soule . the example of saul , sam. . . will illustrate this , when the women sang , sauls thousand , and davids ten thousand , the text saith , saul was exceeding wroth , and after that time had an eye upon david ; that made way for satan , he was exceeding wroth , and the next morning , satan , the evill spirit came upon him : so that you see , strong affections open the doore for satan . iudas , when the affections came to the height , the divell entred into him . he was angry at the expence of the ointment upon iesus feet , and upon that he harboured the first conceit of betraying him , marke compared with the . witches , you know , exceed in malice , and this makes way for the divell to possesse them ; and so worldly sorrow , if it come to the height , it exposeth the heart to be possessed by satan : so by strange lusts satan slides into the hearts of men , and they see it not ; and therefore labour to mortifie them . pet. . . bee sober and watch , &c. that is , if there bee any excesse in any affection , if you keepe them not in , satan will enter ; therefore be so ber and watch , for if yee admit any distemper he will enter . the fourth reason is , because affections are the first petitioners of evill , though they doe not devise it , yet they set the understanding on worke ; now he that is onely a worker of ill , hath not his hand so deepe in the act , as he that is the first mover : if men are exhorted to abstaine from evill actions and evill speeches , men thinke that there is some reason for it , but for evill affections they see no such necessity : but consider you , evill affections produce evill actions ; evill affections communicate evill to a man , as fire heats water , and yet hath more heate in it selfe ; so affections make speeches and actions evill : and therefore god judgeth by affections ; we indeed judge affections by actions , we cannot know them perfectly , yet do we judge by the same rule as farre as we can ; let a man have an injury done him , he lookes to the affections , that is , to the man , whether it came out of anger and malice ; if a man hath a good turne done him , he lookes to the affections , if hee sees greater good in them , than in the action ; for in a good action , the will is more than the deed , the willingnesse of doing it , is of a rarer ranke than the doing the thing it selfe : so an evill affection is more than an evill speech or an evill action . in this regard , therefore , labour to mortifie them , because they are instigators of evill . if affection be of so great a moment as you have heard , then do that which is the maine scope of all , take paines with your hearts to mortify them , when they are unruly , to bring them under ; if strong affections solicite us , give them a peremptory deniall ; hearken to the physician rather then to the disease ; the disease calls for one thing , the physician for another ; if men yeeld to the disease , they kill themselves . here is the true triall of grace ; to doe some thing good , when there is no ill to oppose it , that 's a small matter ; but when strong lusts haile them to the contrary , then to resist them , this obedience is better then sacrifice : in the old law , they sacrificed their sheepe and their oxen , but in this obedience a man slaies himselfe ; this will is the best part & strength of a man ; for , when he subdues his lusts , and brings them in obedience to christ , he sacrificeth the vigor of the will : man is as his affections are ; affections are to the soule as members are to the body ; crookednesse in the members , hinders a mans going , so crookednesse in the affections hinders the soule : those that keepe clocks , if they would have them goe true , then every thing must be kept in order : so in affections , keep them straight , because they have such a hand , in the will ; one hath an affection to filthinesse , another to covetousnesse , another to good fellowship , according to these so are they carried , and such are their actions ; let their affections be straight , and they turne the rudder of the soule another way , they cast us into another mould : therefore labour to subdue them , and so much the rather , because they make a man not onely good , but abundant in good or evill ; good doth prescribe to a man exactly what he shall doe , but yet leaves some free-will offerings on purpose , to try our love , to try our affections ; the rule of duty is left partly to the rule of affections , that we may abound in good : a man may doe much in resolution , but the affection maketh it acceptable . paul might have taken for his labour of the corinthians , but the fulnesse of his love would not suffer him , that is , god and they set him on worke . thus affections make a man abound in good ; it was davids love to god , that made him build a temple to god : in short , affections make a man beautifull unto god and man. now , if affections are so rare , and yet so subject to be inordinate , it is wisdome to know how they may be helped ; if any thing doth want meanes of helpe , this doth , because it is a hard thing to keepe downe unruly affections ; therefore we will come to lay downe some meanes to helpe you to keepe them downe . the first meanes is , that we labour to see the disease ; for no man will seeke for cure , except he see the disease , the sight of the disease is halfe the cure of it ; labor to see your inordinate affections , and to be perswaded and convinced of them . this is a hard thing , a man doth not see his evill inclinations , because those very inclinations blind his eyes , and darken his understanding , and cast a mist before him ; notwithstanding which , wee must labour to doe that what we can ; as there are divers sorts of affections , so there are divers sorts of distempers , as the affection of anger hath its distemper , and this is more visible ; when anger is gone , it is daily seen , and therefore is of no great difficulty to bee discerned : there are other kind of affections which doe continue in a man , when his heart is habitually carried to an inordinate lust ; as to pride , vaine-glory , love of the world : no such affection can be wel discerned , whil'st that continues in a man ; take a man that hath a continued affection , it is hard for him to discerne it ; because , it doth with its continuance habitually corrupt the judgement , and blind the reason , and yet you are to labour to discerne it : and that you may two wayes . first , bring your affections to the rule and touchstone . secondly , that you may better know their aberration from the rule , consider , whether the affection have any stop ; an affection is like a river , if you let it run without any stop or resistance , it runs quietly , but if you hinder its course , it runnes more violently ; so it is with your affections , if you doe not observe to know the stops and lets of them , you shall not observe the violence of them so well . so then , the first way for a man to come to know his affectiōs , is to observe them in any extraordinary accident ; if any losse come to a man in his estate , or if he be crost in his sports , or hindred of his purpose , let him consider how he doth beare it , that is , try how you carry yourselves towards it ; this wil be a good meanes to discover our affections , when they come to these stops and lets , they are best discerned by us . secondly , in this case it is good wee make use of others eyes ; a man sees not that in himselfe which a stander by doth , hee is free from the affection which another is bent unto , and therefore another can better judge of it ; as a man that is sicke of a feaver , hee cannot judge aright of tasts , because hee hath lost the sense of tasting , that which is sweet may seeme bitter unto him ; but he that is in health can judge of tasts as they are : therefore , it is good to make use of friends , and if we have no friends , it is wisedome in this case to make use of an enemy ; that is , to observe what inordinatnesse hath beene in them , and what hath happened unto them therby , and so to judge of our owne . and this is the first thing that i wil cōmend unto you , to labor to see your affections , and to be convinced of them ; when this is done , in the next place we wil come to see the causes of inordinate affections ; and seeing we are applying medicines , as we shall see the causes of inordinate affections , so to each of them we shall adde their remedies . the first cause of inordinate affection , is , mis-apprehension ; that is , when wee doe not apprehend things aright , our affections follow our apprehensions , as we see in a sensible appetite , if a thing bee beautifull , we are apt to love it , and like of it ; but if it bee deformed , wee are apt to hate it ; for as things doe represent themselves to the will , so we are apt to conceive of them ; the will turnes a mans actions this way or that way , notwithstanding the understanding is the pilot that turnes the will ; so that our apprehension is the first cause of inordinat affections , by this we overvalue things that are evill , and undervalue things that are good . rectifie therefore the apprehension , and heale the disease , labour to have the judgement informed , and you shall see things as they are . affections ( as i said before ) are of two sorts , one sensuall , arising from fancy , the other rationall , arising from judgement : all that we can say for the former affections , is this , men might doe much to weaken those affections in them ( if they would take paines ) by removing the objects , that is , by with-drawing the fewell , and turning the attentions another way ; if we cannot subdue any sensuall affections in us , let us be subdued unto it , and be as any dead man ; in case that we are surprised by such vanities , yet let us not hasten to action or execution . all that in this case a man can doe , is as a pilot , whose shippe is in great danger to bee cast away by reason of a great tempest , all that he can doe , is to looke to the safety of the ship , that waters come not into it at any place , that it be not overthrowne : so these evill affections that are in our rationall appetite , are these evill inclinations of the will , that are lent either to riches , pleasure , vaine-glory , or the like objects of reason . now to rectifie your mis-apprehension of them , first get strong reasons for to doe it ; reade the scriptures , furnish your selfe with spirituall arguments , be acquainted with such places , as ye may see therby the sinfulnesse of such affections : it is great wisedome in a man , first , to finde out the thing he is inordinately affected to , and never to rest , till he find the things that are sinfull in him : therefore , the applying of reason will make us able to doe it ; and if we can doe so , we shall be able to go through the things of this world rightly : you are inordinately affected to wealth ; apply reason and scripture here , as thus ; it is a wisemans part to use earthen vessels , as silver ; and silver vessels , as earthen ; the one will serve for use as well as the other : so in the things of the world , hee that is strong in reason and wise , were they represented to him as they are ; he would use a great estate without setting his heart upon it , more then if it were a mean one ; & in the condition of this life he would would so carry himselfe , as if he used them not : this the apostle have us to doe , to use the world , as though we used it not : and then we should think the best things of the world to bee of no moment , and that we have no cause to rejoyce in them . wee are to use the world with a weaned affection , not be inordinately carried with love therupon in worldly things ; there is a usefulnesse to be looked at , but to seeke to finde baites in them , and to set our hearts upon them , that will hurt us exceedingly ; if wee looke for excellency in worldly things , and touch them too familiarly , they wil burne & scorch us ; but if we use them for our necessity , and so use them as if we did not , wee shall finde great benefit and comfort by them . this is the difference betweene earthly and spirituall things , you must have knowledge of these , and this knowledge must be affective , the more love you have the better it is ; but in earthly things , the lesse love we have , the better it is : for in earthly things , if our love exceed our knowledge , they are subject to hurt us . what is the reason , a man takes to heart the death of his friend , or the like accident ? for a while he grieves exceedingly , but within a moneth , or short time after , his grief is past ; and then he sees that the death of his friend is no such thing as he took it for , and thought it to be ; had he then seene that which now he doth , he would not have grieved so much . the second way to rectifie misapprehension , is by faith ; for , by faith we are to beleeve the vanity of these earthly things , & we are to beleeve the power of god , who is able to blow upon them , and to cause them to wither ; so that faith is a great cause to rectifie the apprehension , as well as reason : paul counted the best things of the world , but drosse and dung ; and moses cared not for the pleasures of egypt ; it was their faith that caused them to doe so , they did beleeve the true priviledge they had in christ : this doth raise up the heart , and cause us more and more to see the things that are earthly , how slippery and flitting they are . the third way to rectifie mis-apprehension is experience ; wee are not so much as to touch us of that thing we have found to be true by experience : let a souldier be told of dangerous effects in the warres , perswade him what you will , and tell him how terrible it is , he will not beleeve , till by experience he hath felt the smart of it : so when a man is entred upon the doing of any difficult thing , which he hath beene accustomed to doe , the experience hee hath of often being in such dangers , and having felt no harme , that doth rectifie his affections . experience is a speciall meanes to tame them ; let a beast be brought to a mans hand that is fearefull at the first , but by experience and daily using of it , so you tame the beast : so our affections are unruly things , like untamed beasts , but when experience hath discovered them , it is a good meanes to rectifie them : therefore it is profitable for us to call to minde things that are past : if we would but call to minde how such a thing wee joyed in , and yet it staid not with us ; our joy would not be so inordinate in other things : if wee would remember how such a crosse we survived , our griefe would not be so inordinate in future events . the fourth way to rectifie mis apprehension , is by the example of others , that is , to see how others have beene affected with the inordinate affections that we have beene in our selves ; and examples do r●nne more into the senses than rules doe ; therefore thinke of examples to stirre up affections , eyther to crosse them , or subdue them . wee see by the reading of histories , as of the valiant acts of some of the worthies , as of iulius caesar , and others , some , by reading of the great exployts that they themselves had done , have beene stirred up as much as in them lyed , to doe the like , so that examples of others are very effectuall in this kinde . if a man would consider paul , how hee carried himselfe in the things of this life , and how david , abraham , and moses were affected to these outward things , what they had , and what they might have had ; their examples , and such as we have heard of , to be holy and righteous men , or such as we now know to be such , is a great helpe to rectifie the affections , and to set the judgement straight . the second cause of inordinate affection , is weaknesse and impotency , which doth sticke in a man ever since the fall of adam , & makes him subject to passion ; and therefore yee see , the weaker sexe , as they are weaker in understanding , so they are stronger in passion ; let a man be weake , he is so much the more strong in passions ; and as his strēgth is more , so hath he more strength to resist them . the way to remedy this , is , to gather strength ; the more strength we have , the more able we are to resist temptations , and as a man is weake , so hee is the more subject unto them , ( as when hee is young ) but strength over-masters them . affections are in a man as humors are in a body , when the body is in health , it keepes in these humors that it doth not feele them ; but when a man is sicke , then these humours stirre up and trouble a man : so , when the soule is in health , these ill humors of the soule , inordinate affections are kept in by maine strength : but let the soule grow weake , and the passions get strength . now , the meanes to get strength against passions , is to get a greater measure of the spirit , the more spirit , the more strength , ephes. . . pray , that you may be strengthened by the spirit of the inward man : the more flesh we have in us , the more weaknesse wee have ; the spirit that is in us doth lust after envy , & pride , and the world . now , how shall wee helpe it , but by the spirit that is without us , that is , by the spirit of god : let a man be in such a temper , that the spirit of god may rule and possesse his heart ; while he is in this temper , his ordinate affections will not stirre , but when the spirit is away , then there is a hundred waies to cause them to be unruly : that which seasons a man is prudence , wisedome , and grace ; the more a man hath of these , the more able he is to subdue them . the third cause of inordinate affections , is , the lightnesse of the minde , when it hath not a right object to pitch it selfe upon , which when that wants , the affection being left to uncertainties , they must needs fall upon wrong objects : when a man in his course wanteth an object for his aime , the waies of his error are a thousad ; so when a man doth misse the right object in affection , they have a thousand waies to draw to inordinatenesse : men run up and downe with their affections upon uncertainty , and they never cast how to shun them afterward , till the end of their daies be runne out . now , to remedy this , our way is , to finde out the right obiect whereon the affections should be pitched , and this object is god , that is , the affections must all looke towards god , and have them fixt upon him ; you are never able to subdue your affections and to keepe them under , till you pitch them upon god : whilest our affections are loose , they are unsteddy and unconstant ; every man , till his heart be set upon god , his affections are wandring up and downe ; but when a man hath god to set his affections on , and they are once setled in him , then he seekes another kind of excellency , and frames his life after another fashion , he sets his affections upon other excellencies : as when a man hath a palace for to build , if his minde be to have it done with excellent worke-manship , then he will take none but principall stones , hewne and squared fit for his purpose to build withall , but if a man be to build a mud wall , any rubbish and trash will serve the turne to make it up : so , when our affections are on high matters , such as god and christ , they looke upon things that are noble , and not upon the rubbish and trash of the world , wee will choose the principallest stones for our spirituall building : but if otherwise , we strive to finde contentment in the creatures , we care not how wee come by them , that is , any rubbish will serve the turne to get riches withall , and honour and preferment in the world ; but , if ever you will set your affections straight , pitch them upon god. the fourth cause of inordinate affections , is , that confusion that riseth in the heart at the first rising of them ; and they are the vapours and mists that blinde the reason , and make a man unable to resist them , because the putting out of the eye of reason , must needs trouble a man exceedingly ; even as a moate in a mans eye troubles him , that he cannot see as he should doe ; and therefore these mists that are cast upon the eye of reason , doe make a man unable to resist them . in such a case , the way to helpe them is this , to make up the bankes when the river is at the lowest ebbe , that is , to make up the bankes of our affections , before the tide of inordinate affections do come in ; we are not at first , able to rule these inordinate affections , but yet if the banks be made up afore-hand , we may mortifie them . a man is to consider before , how he is able to be affected , and for this , let him looke into the former waies , and see how he hath beene affected , and how he is apt to be affected againe ; and when he is in such circumstances , let him take a good resolution , never to returne to such inordinate affections , as he did afore : when a man is sicke of an ague , to give him physicke when hee is in a sore fit , is not the fittest way , it is not then in season ; but it were best to be done in his good daies , before his fit : so we are to make up the banke of our affections , before the tide of inordinate affections doe come , to have a strong resolution , we will not be led by such an affection as before . and if this prevaile not , then we are to suspend the execution of our passions , that is , to doe nothing for a time : if a man finde any passion in himselfe , let him abstaine for that time , ( if it be possible ) from the doing of that which it moves him unto ; because , that he is then most subject to doe amisse : you see , a barrell of beere , if it be stirred at the bottome , draw it presently , and it will runne muddy , but if you let it rest a while , and then draw it , it will runne cleare : so a man in his passion , his reason is muddy , and his actions will not come off cleare ; therefore it is good to suspend the execution , howsoever : for the suspending of the action in time of passion , is very profitable , though a man thinke for the present , whilest the passion is upon him , that he doth not erre , yet because then we are most subject to erre , suspend for a while . passion is a hindrance to the faculty , as jogging is to the arme when it is a shooting , or unto the hand when it is a writing therefore , when a man doth find that passion is on him let him do nothing : a drunken mans wisest courseis to go home and do nothing that night , unlesse the good work of repentance ; our passion is a kind of drunkennes ; the one is almost as subject to mis-take an error , as the other . the fifth cause of inordinate affections , is the corruption of nature , which is in every man since the fall of adam . will you know the reason , why beares and wolves , and lyons , carry themselves so cruelly ? it is , because their nature is to doe so ; wil you know why a sinful man is subject to affect things inordinately ? the reason is , because he hath a bad nature ; it is naturall to him to doe it , and as ready to him as sparkles of fire to fly upwards ; we see some men are apt to be taken with such a disease , that is bred and borne with them , they cannot escape it . now the remedy to remove the evilnesse of nature , is , to get new natures , that is , to get another nature , a holy , regenerate disposition , untill then , men shall neuer be able to doe it ; many labour to mortifie their affections , but yet cannot , because they are busie about the particulars , and never regard the generall ; they can never make the branch good , except they make the tree good , therefore , the way to mortifie , is to get a new nature : consider whether your nature be renued , whether that be cast into a new mould , if it be , this is the way to mortifie inordinate affection , this is the way for the generall : so also it should be our care for any particular affection , that wee finde our selves most prone to by nature , labour to thwart nature in that particular : are you given to wrath by nature ? endeavour to be humbler and meeker then other men ; is your nature more inclined to desire of gain ? labour to be established with a more free spirit ; and this will be a meanes to mortifie you ; otherwise , you shall never waine your hearts from earthly things , till you have a taste of such spirituall things , that is , you shall never win your hearts from joyes , except you have joy and delight in christ , you shall never overcome the griefe of losses and crosses , except you turne your affections to see the loathsomnesse of sinne : contraries in nature do expell one another ; cold is expelled with heate , darknesse with light ; so you must expell carnall affections with spirituall . the ht cause of inordinate affections , is carelesnesse and remisnesse , that is , want of spirituall watchfulnes over the heart , when men rather give occasion unto the affections to be inordinate , than prevent the occasions of it . for the cure of this , take heed , not of sinne onely , but of the occasions of sinne ; for a man to hate sinne , and not to hate the occasions of it , is to deceive himselfe , that is all one , as for a man to walke upon ice , that is afraid of falling : iron will move , if the loadstone be neer : so the affections will stirre up , if there be any alluring sinfull object . and therefore , if sinne knock at the doore of your hearts , you must not let it in presently , but aske his errand , plead the cause with it , and consider the hindrances and inconveniences that come by it . for a man to say , i will give over my lusts , and yet will keepe such company as hee did before , and use his old haunts , he doth but deceive himselfe , prov. , . make no freindship with an angry man , and with a furious man thou shalt not goe , prov. . benot amongst wine-bibbers , that is , if thou hast used this company , and usest it stil , thou fleest not occasions of sin ; and therfore we must watch over our soules , the heart is deceitful above al things ; take heed to the beginning of your affections , and looke to the beginning of inordinate lusts , when you see it rising , if you perceive but a glimpse of it , quench and resist it , else it will cost you a great deale of more paines afterwards : the affections by little and little giving way to them , will soone get strength , if you let them alone , you set your hearts and minds on fire : a man that is full of anger , or any passion , knowes not how to help himselfe , so dangerous is it to give way to affections , that they carry a man unawares to inordinatenesse ; the best way therefore is to quench it at first ; if you cannot quench it when it is a sparke , how will you doe when it is a flame ? as you are to look to the beginning , so take heed of making false truces with them ; for inordinate affections doe more hurt by ambushes and secret invasions , then by open warre , therefore looke to them on every side , lest they rob you of grace before you are aware . the seventh cause of inordinate affections , is , the root whereon they grow , labor to see the root , and remove it : if one affection doe distemper the mind , it drawes on another distemper , and you cannot lessen that latter inordinatenesse , unlesse you weaken the former , which was the roote of it . as for example ; anger growes upon pride , you shal never lessen or cure that affection of anger , except you weaken pride : now pride causeth anger and contention , ionah was angry , whence came it but from his pride ? when a man through pride knowes not himselfe , he forgets god ; and this man that forgets god , will bee violent in his griefe , in his complaints , in his feares , in his desires , and will never be healed , till he be humbled ; and brought to a base estimation of himselfe . lastly , i would have you to know , that god is the onely agent in this worke of mortification : and therefore have dependance upon god , for it is gods spirit that must cause a man to mortifie : man is not able of himselfe , except god perswade him , psal. . , . except the lord speake once and twice to us , we will not regard it : paul was troubled with a strong affection , what doth he ? he goes to god , and prayes to him to take away that strong mist ; and so must we doe , pray to god in faith , doe but beleeve , and we shall have our requests granted : continue in prayer , and hold out without wearinesse , and bee your affections what they will bee , yea , never so strong ; such as you thought would never be mortified , yet you shall overcome them . the last use that is drawne from hence , is this ; if inordinate affections are to bee mortified , then is any excesse in any desire sinfull , and for which wee ought sharply to reprove our selves : many grieve for some or other temporall things , this is moderate , when they can yet joy in other things ; so we qualifie our griefes with joyes , and our joyes with griefes ; we are not inordinate : but we are to take heed of excesse in them , for that makes them sinful ; as our over-grieving at losses and crosses , our over-loving of earthly things , too much delight in sports ; these are turned into sinne to us , affections are set in the heart for the safegard of the soule ; a foole indeed , for want of skill may hurt himselfe with them , but he that is skilfull , knowes how to use them without prejudice to himselfe ; and if they bee thus well used , they are very serviceable to the soule ; but if they be once strong headed , that is , get the bridle betweene their teeth , so as they will not bee ruled ; then they prove hurtfull unto us . marke what the wiseman saith of the lust of uncleannesse ; and it is true of all such lusts , the strong man is slaine by them : therefore , fight against the lusts of uncleane and inordinate affections . and that you may doe it , and bee willing to part with them , marke these motives following . the first motive i take out of tim. . . the apostle speaking of covetousnesse , cals it ; the roote of all evill , &c. and what may be said of this , may be said of any other sinne very truely ; this is one motive : inordinate affections promise profit and contentment , and yet will pierce you through with many sorrowes , that is , it taketh away the health and tranquillity of the soule ; even as the worme doth eate the same tree , that doth breed it . and looke , as the inward heat of an ague is worse than the outward heat ; so these inward ulcers of the soule and affections doe trouble us , and pierce us more than any outward grievance , whatsover , that can assault the body : let a man have houses in the city , goodly gardens , orchards , lands and all contentments on every side ; yet , his inordinate affections doe not suffer him to enjoy any one of these , nay , not to enjoy himselfe , hee cannot converse , talke or meditate with himselfe , it makes a man to be wearisome to himselfe , it hinders a man altogether from doing that which is good : one disease of the body is enough to take away all comforts outwardly , that a man hath ; and one inordinate affection of the soule takes away all pleasure and contentment within ; let a man bee sicke , neither rich cloathes , nor a faire chamber , can comfort him ; so let a man have but one inordinate passion , all other things are nothing to him ; he takes no pleasure in them . the second motive is taken from that of salomon , a mans spirit will beare his infirmities , but a wounded spirit , who can beare ? that is , this doth make a man unable to beare any thing else : for example , a strong love set upon the things of this life , wounds the soule ; and so makes it unable to beare the least losse of any of them , it deads the heart within a man : so immoderate griefe addes affliction to affliction ; immoderate feares are worse than the thing feared , whereas otherwise , afflictions are nothing grievous , if they be rightly used : paul was in prison , and so were ioseph's brethren , yet you see the difference ; the one full of joy , the other full of griefe and sorrow , because they had sinned ; their consciences were not whole , they could not beare their burthen : therefore , looke to your affections , that you may passe through the changes of this life with more comfort , if you cannot bring your minde to the doing of this , then bring those things to your mind , labor to mortifie them , and that is the best way to bring your mindes to the things ; my meaning is , if you cannot bring your minde to love worldly pleasure and contentments lesse , mortifie them to your mind , that is , looke not at them , as pleasures or contentments ; if you must love them , let them seeme lesse lovely to you : dye to them in affection , or else , let them dye to you in apprehension ; true indeed , without gods over-ruling power , we can doe nothing ; yet wee must use the meanes , as we see in the casting of a dye , it is not in us to win as we please , but yet the playing of the cast is requisite ; so the mortifying of the affections , it is not in us , yet we must use the meanes for to doe it ; let us not give satisfaction to any lust , but hinder it to our powers : it is a shame for us to have our hearts affected with any sinnefull lusts , were wee more carefull of our soules , these inordinate affections would bee more broken and kept downe by us . beleeve it , strong affections breed strong afflictions , and say , thou shouldest have riches and contenment in earthly things , and yet have inordinate affections , this is no helpe for thee , it is but an applying of an outward plaister to an inward sore , that will doe it no good . the third motive is taken from timothy . . the apostle speaketh there of the desire of riches , he saith , that it breedeth many foolish and hurtfull lusts , in that regard , wee should mortifie them , because they are foolish lusts , and foolish , because hurtfull ; when a man hurts himselfe out of some mistake , or by his owne heedlessenesse , hee is properly said to be a foole : it is properly folly , when a man hurts himselfe , whil'st he seekes to doe himselfe most good ; wee seeke to doe our selves good , when we give satisfaction to every lust , but yet we hurt our selves ; strange affections invite us to sinne , and sinne brings to misery ; and thus they are hurtfull . shun them therefore , seeing god hath appointed them to be mortified , let us mortifie them ; whatsoever god hath appointed to be mortified , and we will not doe , it is as hurtfull for us , as achans wedge was to achan ; which is called a cursed thing : and so every unmortified lust is a cursed thing . take we heed of it . the fourth motive is this , because inordinatenesse of affections hinders us in the doing of the good actions , wherein our happinesse doth consist , they make the faculties of the soule unfit to doe the things they should doe : as iames . . the wrath of man worketh not the righteousnesse of god ; that is , it disableth a man to worke that righteousnesse , he should doe ; and what may be said of wrath , may be said of any other affection ; as of malice , pet. . . wherefore laying aside all malice , &c : that is , while these are in you , you cannot heare the word as ye ought ; so for inordinate desire of gaine , ezek. . the reason why the people heard without profit , was , because their hearts went after their covetousnesse : mortifie these lusts , and then you shall goe with ease and safety in the way of godlinesse , yea , we shall be carried to it , as a boate is with winde , with all facility and expeditenesse . the fift motive is , because of the shame and dishonour they doe bring men into ; men are afraid of shame in other things , it were to be wished , they were so afraid of shame in this : every inordinate affection is a short drunkennesse , and it brings the drunkards shame to a man ; drunkennes discloseth all , and so , if there be any corruption in the heart , inordinate affection drawes it forth . every man is ashamed of indiscreetnesse in his carriage , now , what is the cause of indiscreetnesse ? it is the defect of wisedome , either the forgetfulnesse or not heeding of the time , place or action we are about ; and what makes this forgetfulnes ? it is the drunkennes of passion . when the apostle iames would shew , who was a wise man , he saith , he will shew out a good conversation in his works ; there will be meekenes and gentlenesse in his carriage and behaviour ; but , if there be any envy or strife in the hart , this shews a man to be but a weak creature : whereas on the contrary , it is an honour in a man to passe by an infirmity ; that is a signe of a strong man , that is able to overcome himselfe . the sixth motive is , because they blind the reason and iudgement , which should be the guide of all our actions in the course of this life ; that which is said of bribery , that it blinds men ; and that the affection to the bribe makes the sinne a great deale more ; the like may bee said of other sins ; as long as passion rageth , thou canst neither judge of thine owne nor of others faults : if thou wouldest judge of another mans fault , take away the beame that is in thine owne eye ; and so if thou wouldst judge of thine owne faults , these affections must not blind the mind and the reason , for so they will hinder us in discerning good , and in doing any thing that is good ; for , when the mind is corrupted , the will is corrupted ; and then , instead of walking in the wayes of god , wee walke in the pathes of sinne : therefore , in regard of the safetie and security of our lives and actions , wee should mortifie these our affections . how to mortifie covetovsnesse . coloss. . . and covetousnesse which is idolatrie . covetousnesse which is idolatrie , that must bee mortified aswell as the other earthly members . now this covetousnesse is nothing else but an inordinate and sinfull desire , either of getting or keeping wealth or money . the inordinate lusting after honours that is called ambition , too much affecting of beauty , is called lustfulnesse . and lust is an inordinate affection , which when it propoundeth riches for its object , it is called covetousnesse , which is idolatrie . now idolatrie consisteth in one of these three things . first , in worshipping the true god in a wrong manner , apprehending him as a creature , giving that to himthat agreeth not with him . secondly , when as we make the creature a god , by conceiving it under the notion of a god , so did they who worshipped iove , mars , and those heathens that worshipped the creatures as gods. thirdly , when we attribute that unto it which belongeth unto god : as to trust in it , to delight in it , to put all our trust & confidence in it ; when as we think it can performe that unto us , which god onely can . now that covetousnesse is idolatrie , is meant , when as we thinke that riches can do that which god only can doe , as that they can doe us good or evill . if they are gods ( saith god ) let them doe good or evill . god only doth good and evill , therfore he is distinguished from idols , because they cannot do it , affections follow opinions , & practise followes affections . hebr. . . he that will come to god , must beleeue in him none will worship god , unlesse they beleeve that god can comfort & relieve them in all their distresses ; so when men have an opinion , that riches and wealth wil yeeld them comfort , be a strong tower of defence , to free them frō inconveniences , this makes them to trust in them , and this thought is idolatry . there are two points of doctrine that arise from these words . the first is this : that to seeke helpe and comfort , from any creature , or from riches , and not from god alone , is vaine , and sinfull . the second is this : that covetousnesse which is idolatrie , is to be mortified . for the first , for to seeke any helpe or comfort from any creature , and not from god alone , is vaine and sinnefull , and it must needes bee so , because it is idolatrie . now in idolatrie , there are three things , first , vanity and emptinesse , . cor. . . an idol is nothing in the world . here is vanitie . secondly , sinnefulnes : there is no greater sin then it is , and it is an extreame vaine , because we attribute that to it , which doth only belong to god , to thinke if that i am well , and strong in friends , have a well bottomed estate , that my mountaine is strong on every side , i shall not be moued , this is sinf●ll and vaine ; you shall not live a whit the better , or happier for it ; a strange paradoxe contrarie to the opinion & practise of most men . when we consult with our treasures , doe not we thinke that if we have such wealth , and such friends , that we should live more comfortablie and happily ? there is no man but will answere , that he thinkes so . but yet my brethren , we are deceived , it is not so : it belongs to god only to dispence of his prerogatives , goodor evill . a horse is but a vaine thing ( saith the psalmist ) to get a victorie , that is , though it be a thing as fit as can be in it selfe , yet if it be left to it selfe without god , it is but vaine , and can doe nothing . so i may say of riches , and other outward things ; riches are vaine , and honours , and friends are vaine to procure happinesse of themselves : so physicke of it selfe is vaine to procure health without god , they are nothing worth , hee that thinkes otherwise erreth . it was the follie of the rich man , that hee thought so , and therefore sung a requiem unto his soule . eate drinke , and bee merry , o my soule , thou hast goods layd up for thee for many yeeres . hee did not thinke himselfe happy , because hee had any interest in god and his favour , but because hee had aboundance of outward things , and therefore you see the end of all his happinesse , thou foole , this night shall thy soule be taken from thee , and then what is become of all thy happinesse , yet such is our folly , that most of us reflect on the meanes and on the creatures , and expect happinesse from them . but christ tels us , they will not doe the deed ; this night shall they take away thy soule , and then al thy happines is gone . the rich man thought before , he had beene sure as long as his wealth continued with him , that he needed not to expect any calamitie , but now he sees that hee built on a sandic foundation . david , though a holy man , being established in his kingdome , having subdued all his enemies and furnished himselfe with wealth , hee thought that his mountaine was then made so strong , that it could not be moved , that to morrow should bee as yesterday , and much more aboundant . but no sooner did god hide his face from him , but hee was troubled . to shew that it was not his riches and outward prosperitie that made him happy , but god onely . so dan. . . belshazzer when as hee thought himselfe happy , being inuironed with his wives , princes , and servants , when as hee praised the gods of silver , and the gods of gold , abounded with all outward prosperitie , and reposed his happinesse in it , is accompted but a foole by daniel , because he glorified not god , in whose hands his wealth and all his wayes were , and therefore he was destroyed . these things of themselves will not continue our lives , nor yet make us happy of themselves ; wee take not one step of prosperitie , or adversity , but gods hand doth lead us . my brethren that heare mee this day , that have heretofore thought , that if you had such an estate , such learning , such ornaments , and such friends , that then you were happy . to perswade you that it is not so , it would change your hopes and feares , your griefe and joy , and make you labour to be rich in faith , and in good workes . it will be very hard to perswade you to this , yet we will doe what we can to perswade you , and adde certaine reasons , which may perswade you to beleeve it to bee so ; if god shall adde a blessing to them that joyne the operation of his spirit with them to perswade you . first this must needes be so , in regard of gods all-sufficiencie , he alone is able to comfort without the creatures helpe , else there were an insufficiencie , and narrownesse in him , and so then he should not be god , if he could not fill our desires every way , even as the sunne should be defective , if it needed the helpe of torches to give light . god is blessed not onely in himselfe , but makes us all blessed : it is the ground of all the commandements . thou shalt love and worship the lord thy god , and him onely shalt thou serue . wee must love him with all our hearts , with all our soules ; let not the creature have any jot of them , because all comfort is from god , gen . . i am god all sufficient , walke before me , and be perfect , that is , love me altogether , set your affection on none but mee , ye need not go unto the creature , al is in me . if the creature could do any thing to make us happy and not god , then we might step out to it , but the creature can doe nothing to it , god only is al sufficient to make you perfect every way ; though that the creatures be used by god , yet it is only god that makes you happy and gives you comfort and not the creature . secondly , it must needs be so , because of the vanity and emptinesse of the creature , it can do nothing but as it is commanded by god , he is the lord of hostes which commandeth all the creatures , as the general doth his armie ; a man having the creature to helpe him , it is by vertue of gods commandement ; it is the vanitie of the creature , that it can do nothing of it selfe , except there be an influence from god : look not then unto the creature it selfe , but to the influence , action , & application which it hath from gods secret concurrence with it , what it is to have this concurrence & influence from the creature , you may see it expressed in this similitude . take the hand it moves , because there is an imperceptible from the will that stirres it , so the creature moving , and giving influence and comfort to us , it is gods will it should doe so , and so it is applied to this , or that action . the artificer using a hatchet to make a stoole , or the like , there is an influence from his art , that guides his hand and it ; so the creatures working , is by a secret concourse from god , doing thus and thus . and to know that it is from god , you find a mutabilitie in the creature , it workes not alwayes one way : physicke and all other things are inconstant , sometimes it helpes , sometimesnot , yea many times when you have all the meanes , then they faile , to shew that there is an influence from god , and that the creatures are vanishing , perishing , and inconstant . thirdly , it must be so , because it is sinfull to looke for comfort from any thing but from god , because by this we attribute that to the creature , which only belongs to god , which is idolatrie . the creature steales away the heart in an imperceptible manner . as absalom stole away the peoples hearts from david , or as the adulterer steales away the love of the wife from her husband ; it makes you serve the creature , it makes you settle your affection upon the creatures , if they faile , you sorrow , if they come , ye joy , and yee doe this with all joy , all delight , all pleasure , and desire , this is a great sinne , nay , it is the greatest sinne ; as adulterie is the greatest sinne , because it severs , and dissolves the marriage : so it is the greatest , because it severs us from god , and makes us cleave to the creature . the maine consectory and use from this , is to keepe you from lusting after worldly things ; men are never weary of seeking of them , but spend their whole time in getting of them , and this is the reason why the things that belong to saluation , are so much neglected , men spend so much time in a thousand other things and trifles , and have no time at all to serue god in ; they are busie about riches , honor , credit , or the things whereon their fancies doe pitch , but if this be digested , it will teach you to seeke all from god , who disposeth all things , and to whom the issues of life and death , of good or bad belong . consider with your selves and you shall finde , that the reason wherefore you doe seeke for outward content or comfort , is because you doe thinke it will do you good if you haue it , or hurt if you have it not , but herein you erre , giving that to the creature which onely belongs to god. esay . . if the idoles bee gods , let them doe good or evill , saith the lord. the scope of this place , is to cast off the whorish and adulterish affection of those that have an eager and unwearied desire after earthly things , by shewing that they cannot doe us any good or hurt . therefore god punished david exceedingly for numbring of the people , because hee thought that they could strengthen him against his enemies without gods helpe , therefore ierem. . . thus saith the lord. let not the wise man glory in his wisedome , neither let the mighty man glorie in his might , nor the rich man glory in his riches . but let him that glorieth , glory in this , that hee vnderstandeth and knoweth , that i am the lord that executeth loving kindnesse , iudgement , and righteousnesse in the earth . as if he should have sayd , if these things could doe you good or hurt , there were some reason that you might seeke them , but there is nothing in them that you should desire them , for it is i onely that execute judgement , and mercie , all good and evill is from mee , therefore psal. . wee have this caveat given us , if riches increase , set not your hearts upon them , magnifie not your selues for them and in them , for all comfort is from god onely , else you might set your hearts on them , but now all power and kindnesse is from him , therefore your wealth cannot doe it . but it may be objected , that god doth comfort us , and make us happy in this life by meanes , and that riches are the meanes , wherefore then may we not seeke to them to get this comfort ? to this i answere , that god doth reward every man according to his workes , not according to his wealth , yea , he can comfort us without these , for he is the god of all consolation , . cor. . . and that hath inclusive and exclusively all comfort in him and from him , none without him ; if we thinke to have it from honour , wealth , or friends , wee deceive our selves , for they are vaine and profit not , . sam. . . turne yee not aside , for then should you goe after vaine things , which cannot profit you , or deliver you , for they are vaine . all these things without god will profit you nothing . but will not wealth and friends profit us ? no not at all , they are vanity , they are empty in themselves , they cannot doe it , they are in themselves but vanity ; having the creature , you have but the huske without the graine , the shell without the kernell , the creature is but empty of it selfe , except god put into it a fitnesse to comfort you , all is vanity and nothing worth , and this vanity is nothing but emptinesse . and this serves to correct the thoughts of men , who thinke , that if they had such an estate , and all their debts payd , if they had such and such friends , that then all would be well with them , and who is it that thinks not thus ? but let those that entertaine such thoughts , consider the vanity of the creature ; all our sinnes proceede from the over-valuing of the creature , for sinne is nothing but an aversion of the soule from the immutable god to the creature . labour then to conceiue of the creature aright , that it is vaine ; this will keepe you aright , and hinder you from going from god , and cleaving to the creature . to presse this further , consider these foure things . first , if you goe another way to worke , all you see and seeke comfort in the creature shall be labour lost , for it is not in the power of the creature to yeeld you any comfort , if you busie your selves with seeking of comfort from it , you will walke in a vaine shadow , psal. . . surely every man walketh in a vaine shadow , surely they are disquieted in vaine , hee heapeth up riches , and knoweth not who shall gather them ; if wee looke for comfort from riches , wee looke it but from a shadow , all our labour is in vaine . there is a shadow of the almighty wherein some men walke , where they shall be sure to finde this comfort , others there are that walke in the shadow of the creatures in the vanity of their minds , seeking comfort from it : those who thus walke shall be deceived . a shadow though it seeme to be something , yet it is nothing , yee may seeme to have the lineaments of a man , or some other creature , yet it is nothing : so these outward things may seeme to have something in them , but yet indeede they have nothing , those that seeke for comfort in them commit two evils , ier. . . they forsake god the fountaine of living water , and digge unto themselves pitts that will hold no water , god having all comforts in him comforts never failing , because there is a spring of comfort in him , yet wee forsake him and digge pitts , which if they have any water , it is but borrowed , and not continuing , and that water which they have is none of the best , it is muddy , and will not alwaies continue : wherefore pitch your affections upon the true substantiall good , not on vanities . if wee see a man come to an orchard full of goodly fruits , and hee should onely catch at the shadow of them , netling his hands , and spending his labour in vaine , we would account him either a foole or a mad man ; yet we in the cleare sunshine of the gospell ( such is our madnesse ) catch and seeke after shadowes , with trouble of minde , and sorrow of heart , neglecting the substance . secondly , consider that you seeke your happinesse the wrong way , that is , you seeke it in wordly things , they are not able to helpe you , because they reach not to the inward man , the body is but the sheath and case , our happinesse lyes not in it ; so in the creatures , their happinesse consists not in themselves , but in something else , it lyes in observing the rule which god hath appointed for them . the fire observing the rule which god hath given it , is sure ; so of water , and so of all creatures animate and inanimate , their happinesse consisteth in observing the rules which god hath prescribed to them . the law of god is a rule that we must walke by , following it as a rule wee are happy , that doing well , and observing the commaundements , makes us happy ; he that keepeth the commandements , shall live in them ; he that departeth from them is dead . every motion of the fish out of the water is towards death , but every motion of it in the water is to life : so let mans motions be towards god , and then they are motions to life ; but let him move after outward things , and it is a motion towards death and misery , and therefore if you seeke this comfort from outward things , you goe the wrong way to get it . thirdly , consider that you make a wrong choise , you seeke not that which will doe it , if you seeke for this comfort in god , all is in one place ; but if you seeke for it in the creatures , you must have a multitude of them to comfort you ; if that they could comfort you , you must have health , wealth , honour , friends , and many other things , but there is one thing only will doe it , if you goe the right way to get it , you shall finde it onely in god ; martha shee was troubled about many things , when as one thing onely was necessary . if you looke for comfort in earthly things ; you must have a thousand things to help to it , but godlines which hath the promises of this life , and of the life to come doth yeeld this comfort of it selfe if you seeke it in it . it is a great advantage for us to have all the comforts in one thing , godlinesse onely hath all these comforts , therefore seeke them in it . fourthly , consider that that comfort and happinesse which you have from the creature , is but a dependant felicity , and it is so much the worse , because it depends on the creature which is mutable and uncertaine ; how much better is it to depend on god , in whom is no shadow of variety or change . every creature is weaker , by how much it hath dependance on another , and so are you weaker , by how much the more you depend on outward things ; if you depend on friends , they may change their affections and become your enemies , or death may take them away , and then your happinesse is gone : if you depend on riches , pro. . . wilt thou set thine eye on that which is not ? for riches certainely make themselves wings , and flye away as an eagle towards heaven , and then your happines is gone : but if you seeke for , and place your happinesse in god , in whom is no change or alteration , then it is perpetuall . a dependencie on things that are mutable , will yeeld no comfort , because god will have all to depend on himselfe . therefore the . cor. . . christ of god is made unto us wisedome , and righteousnesse , and sanctification , and redemption , that no flesh might rejoyce in it selse , but that he that glorieth might glory in the lord : for this end , god hath convayed christ unto us , that hee might make us beleeve that wee fare not the better for any creature , and that so wee might rejoyce onely in the lord ; therefore he hath made christ redemption from all evill , that hee might furnish us with all good , christ hath redeemed us from hell and miserie , and from want of good things , seeke not then a dependencie on the creature , thinke not that it will better you , and this will make you to depend on christ ; therefore for these regards , correct your opinion of worldly and outward things , and judge of them with righteous judgement , depend onely on god , if you will have him to be your portion as he was the levites , refuse him not as the israelites did , depend upon him in good earnest , a little you say with gods blessing will doe much ; labour not therefore , neither toyle you to leave great portions to your children , the common pretence that men have for their covetousnesse , for though you leave them never so much , if gods blessing be not on it , it is nothing , it can yeeld them no comfort , yea many times it is an occasion of their hurt . if then gods blessing be all in all , if that onely can administer comfort , and make us happy , i would aske you this question ? what if you did leave your children onely gods blessing , would it not be sufficient though you left them little or nothing else , you thinke not so , and yet whatsoever you can leave them without gods blessing , is nothing worth ; preachers labour much in this to draw you from worldly things , and all to little purpose ; it must be gods teaching , that perswades within which must effect it ; you must therefore take paines with your hearts , the generality of the disease shewes that it is hard to be cured , labour therefore to finde out the deceites which hinder your practise of these things , which are these . one deceit that deceives them , is that they are ready to say , that those things are the blessings of god. why should we not rejoyce in them ; so afflictions they are crosses , and therefore grieve for them ; if these then did not adde to our blessednesse , why count wee them blessings , and account poverty as a crosse ? to this i answere , that if you take them as blessings , you may rejoyce in them as the instruments by which god doth you good ; blessings are relative words , they have reference unto god , if you consider them without reference to him , they cease to bee blessings ; therefore if you consider them meerely as blessings , you may rejoyce in them . now yee receive them as blessings . first , if you depend upon god for the disposing , continuing , and want of them , if you thinke you shall enjoy them no longer then god will ; if you thinke thus with your selves , wee have wives , children , friends , and riches , 't is true we haue them , but yet they shal not cōtinue with us an houre or minute longer ; then god will : if you thinke so in good earnest , then yee rejoyce in them as blessings . a mā that is releeved when he is in danger , lookes more to the will , then to the hand of him that helps him ; we looke more to the good will of our friends , then to their gifts : so wee should looke more on gods will and pleasure , thē to the benefit she bestowes upon us ; the consideration of these things as blessings , must raise up your thoughts to heavenly things , to consider that whatsoever is done on earth , is first acted in heaven : the sunne is first eclipsed there , and then here ; so that your estates are first eclipsed there before that they are here ; looke therefore on god , and on these as meerely depending on gods will , and then you enjoy them onely as blessings . secondly , you looke on them as blessings , if you looke upon them , so as to know that you may have them in aboundance without any comfort ; instruments have nothing of themselves , whatsoever they have is put into them . a man may have friends , and all other outward things , his mountaine may seeme to be strong , yet without gods blessing on them hee may want comfort in them ; when as you thinke thus , that you may have those things without comfort , it is a signe that your eye is on god , that you looke on them onely as the vehiculars or conduct pipes to convay comfort . the ayre yeelds light as an instrument , though it have no light of it 's owne , the water may heate but not of it selfe , but by that heate which is infused into it by the fire ; so if a man drink a potion in beere , the beere of it selfe doth not work , but the potion worketh by the beere : so it is with all outward blessings , they of themselves can yeeld you no comfort at all , but if they would yeeld you any , it is by reason of that comfort which god puts into them . thirdly , you doe then enjoy them as blessings , if you thinke you may have comfort without them ; the ebbing and flowing of outward things , doth not augment your comfort , or diminish it . those that have not any outward blessings , may have more gladnesse and comforts in their hearts , then those whose corne and wine are encreased , psal. . . those who have but a small cottage and a bed in it , are many times more happy , more healthy , and sleepe more quietly , then these rich men whose wealth will not suffer him to sleepe , eccle. . . many there are that seeme to want all outward blessings and comforts , yet are full of inward comforts and delights . many there are who like paul & the apostles , seeme to have nothing , and yet possesse all things . as it is all one with god , to helpe with fewe or with many , so hee can comfort with fewe friends and externall blessings as well as with many ; yea , hee can make a little which the righteous have , more comfortable then all the revenewes of the ungodly , be they never so great . that which hath beene said of blessings , the like also may be said of crosses , you may greeve for them if you take them as crosses , but withall take heede that yee account not those things crosses , which indeede are no crosses : want was no crosse to paul , nor yet imprisonment , for in the one he abounded , in the other hee sung , it is advantage unto us sometimes , to have outward blessings taken from us . it is advantage for us to have blood taken away in a plurisie , it is good sometimes to loppe trees , that so they may bring foorth more fruite , so it is good for us many times to haue crosses , for to humble us , and to bring us neere unto god , yet we may sorrow for the losse of those things , and take it as a crosse . if you can say this from your hearts , that yee are not afflicted , because yee are made poore , because your wealth is taken from you , but because it is gods pleasure to take it away from you , either for the abuse of it , or else to punish you for some other sinne . so that if you bee cast into some sicknesse , you may not grieve for it as a crosse merelie , as it is a sicknesse , but as you conceive the hand of god in it , laying it on you , as a punishment foryour sin. the second let , and deceit is , the present sence and feeling which wee have of the comfort that comes from aboundance of outward things , therefore whatsoever is said to the contrarie , is but speculations & fantasies : men are guided by sense which cannot be deceived ; we finde and feele comfort in those things by experience , we see a realtie in these things , and therefore whatsoever you say to the contrarie , is but in vaine and to no purpose . to this i answere , that you must not judge of things according to sense , for sense was never made a judge of god to judge of these things , butjudge of them according to faith and rectified reason , which judgeth of all things that are to come , that are past , and present altogether , and so can best judge of these things as they are . now for to helpe your judgement in these things . first , consider what the scripture doth say of them , what it doth say of pleasures , friends and riches , the scripture presents things as they are , and that tells you that they are but vanity of vanities , all is but vanitie . secondly , consider the judgements of others concerning them , who have bin on the stage of afflictions , and have abounded in good works whilest they lived but are now gone . thirdlie , consider what you will judge of them at the day of death , then men are awaked and see these things as they are indeede , and then they bemoane themselves that they have spent so much time in seeking after those things that will not profit them , and spent so little time in looking after salvation . iudge not of them as you finde them for the present , but likewise as you shall find them , for the time to come judge of al together . now for sense , you must understand its double . first , there is a sense and feeling of the comfort of the creature , as a man that is benummed with cold , is refreshed with fire , or a man that is faint and feeble in heart , is refreshed with wine . secondly , there is a super-eminent comfort , proceeding from an apprehension of gods favour towards us in giving these blessings to us . there may bee an inward distemper which may make our ioyes to be hollow and counterfeit . there may be sadnesse of heart , when there is outward ioy , because there is an inward and supereminent sense , which affects the heart another way , & therfore eccl. . . it is called , made ioy , because we mind it not . it is the ioy of ioyes , and life of comfort , that is from within , that proceeds from the inward man ; as the soule is strong in health , so it findes-more comfort both in externall and supereminent comfort . graces are to the soule , as health is to the bodie , the more and the greater they are , the more comfort they administer . but yee may say , that the creature can administer its owne comfort , and of it selfe . to this i answere , that there is an aptnesse and fitnesse in the creature to comfort us , but yet it can yeeld no comfort without god , wherefore keepe your affections in square , have so much joy and delight in the creature , as the creature requires , and no more ; if your affections hold a right proportion with their objects they are aright , therefore thus farre you may joy in the creature and no further . first , you may joy in it , with a remisse joy , ye may also sorow with a remisse sorow , ye may joy in it as if ye joyed not , & sorrow in it , as if ye sorrowed not . secondly , you may joy in them with a loose joy , & affection , as they sit loose to you , so you may sit loose to them , . cor. . . . . brethren the time is short , it remaineth therefore that those which have wiues bee as if they had none , that those that weepe , be as if they wept not , that those that rejoyce , as if they rejoyced not , and those that buy , as though they possessed not , and those that use this world , as not abusing it , that is , let your affections be loose to these things . take any of these outward things , you may cast your affection on them in a a loose manner , goe no further then this , the fashion of the world passeth away , yee may be taken away from it , and it from you , therefore affect it no otherwise then a transitorie thing , and with a loose and transeunt affection , willing to depart from it , whensoever it shall please god to take it from you . thirdly , you may love them with a dependant affection , they are things of a dependant nature , they have no bottome of their owne to stand upon , they onely depend on god , and so you may love them as depending on him , eying the fountaine , and not the cesterne from whence they flow , take not light from the aire , but looke to the sunne from whence it comes . the third deceit is a false reasoning . wee findit otherwise by experience : we see that a diligent hand maketh rich , and bringeth comfort , wee see that labour bringeth learning , and for the labour which wee take to get it , in recompence of it , it makes us happie . to this i answere , that this clay me doth not alwaies hold , god breakes it many times , riches come not alwayes by labour , nor comfort by riches , the labour profiteth nothing , psal. . . except the lord build the house , they labour in vaine that build it . except the lord keepe the citie , the watchman watcheth but in vaine . it is in vaine to rise up early , to goe to bedde late , and to eate the bread of carefulnesse , yee shall not reape the fruite ye expect , unlesse god bee with your labour . if christ be absent , the disciples may labour all night and catch nothing ; but if he be present with them , then their labour prospereth , then they inclose a multitude of fishes ; so when wee labour and take paines , and thinke to be strong in our owne strength , without gods helpe , we go to worke with a wrong key which will not open , but if gods hand be in the businesse , we doe it with great facility and ease , which god hath appointed we should doe . you may see this in ioseph , god purposed to make him a great man ; see with what facility he was made the governour of aegypt , next to pharaoh , without his owne seeking , and beyond his expectation : so it was with mordecai , so with dauid ; god appointed to make them great , and therefore they became great , notwithstanding all oppositions . on the contrary , let man goe on in his owne strength , and hee shall labour without any profit at all : hence it is , that many times wee see a concurrencie of all causes , so that wee would thinke that the effect must needes follow , and yet it followes not , and if it doe follow , yet we have no comfort in it . first , because god makes an insutablenesse and disproportion , betwixt the man and the blessing , as betweene iudas and his apostleship : a man may have tables well furnished , riches in aboundance , a wife fit for him , and yet have no comfort in them , because god puts a secret disproportion betwixt him and them . secondly , though there bee a concurrence of things , yet god may hinder the effect , sometimes for good , and sometimes for evill , as elishas servant was readie in the nicke , when the shunamite came to begge her possessions and lands of the king , . kings . . . he was then telling the king , how elisha had restored her sonne to life : so abraham when he was to offer up his sonne isaack , in the instant god sent the ramme to be tyed in the bush : so saul when hee had purposed to kill dauid , god called him away to fight with the philistins , and as god hinders the effect for good , so he doth for evill . thirdly , god doth it sometimes by denying successe unto the causes . the battaile is not alwayes to the strong . when there are causes , and the ' ffect followes not , it is because god doth dispose of things at his pleasure , and can turne them a contrary way , health and comfort , joy and delight follow not outward blessings , except god put it into them . the fourth deceit is this , these things are certaine and present , but other things are doub●full and uncertaine , wee know not whether wee shall have them or no. to this i answere , it is not so , future , spirituall and eternall things are not incertaine , but th●se things which we enjoy here are ; those things wee here enjoy , and wee also our selves , are subject to changes and alterations . wee are as men on the sea , having stormes aswell as calmes : wealth and all outward blessings are but transitorie things , but faith and spirituall things are certaine , and endure for ever . wee have an almighty and unchangeable god , and immortall , incorruptible inheritance , which fadeth not away , reserved for us in the highest heavens . in temporall things , who knoweth what shall bee to morrow ? in them thou canst not boast of to morrow , but as for spirituall things , they are certaine , they have no ambiguity in them ; but the maine answere that i give , is that here we must use our faith . consider the grounds on which faith relies , and then the conclusions and consequences that arise from them : take heede to them , and be not deceived ; if yee beleeve god to bee the rewarder of all those that trust in him , as you say hee is , why rest you not on him , why are yee not contented with him for your portions , why thinke you not him sufficient ? if the creature be god , then follow it , but if god be god , then follow him , and bee satisfied with him ; labour therefore for faith unfaigned , and walke according to it . if then it bee vaine and sinnefull to seeke helpe and comfort from any creature , or from riches , and to thinke that they can make us live more comfortablie ; hence then consider the sinnefulnesse of it , and put it into the catalogue of your other sinnes , that formerly you have had such thoughts . every one is guiltie of this sinne , more or lesse : and this is a sin not small , but of an high nature , it is idolatrie . in the times of ignorance , sathan drew many men to grosse idolatry , to worship stocks and stones , but now hee drawes them to another idolatrie , lesse perceptible , and yet as dangerous in gods sight as the other , who is a spirit , and can discerne , and prie into it ; let us therefore examine our hearts , and consider how much we haue trusted the creatures ; let us condemne our selves , and rectifie our judgements to judge of things as they are ; let us not think our selves happy for them ; let us not thinke our selves blessed in them , but onely in christ , because it is not in their power to make us happie . if wee have so joyed in these , or loved them so , as to love god lesse , it is an adulterous love and ioy . wee have no better rule to judge of adulterous love , then this , when as our love to the creature , doth lessen our love to god. now , least wee bee deceived in our love to the creature , i will give you these signes , to know whether your love be right to it or no. first , if your affection to the creature cause you to withdraw your hearts from god. ier. . . cursed bee the man which maketh flesh his arme , and whose heart departeth from the lord. it is a signe wee make flesh our arme , when wee withdraw our hearts from god , wee make the creatures our ayme , when they withdraw us from god. . tim. . . she that is a widdow indeed trusteth in god , and continueth in supplications night and day , this is a signe that they trust in god because they pray unto him . consider what your conversation is , whether it be in heaven or no , phil. . . our conversation is in heaven . the neglecting and not minding earthly things , in the former verse sheweth him not to bee of an earthly conversation , the more our hearts are drawne from god , the more are they set and fixed on earthly things . secondly , consider what earthly choice you make , when as these things come in competition with god , and spirituall things , what billes of exchange doe you make , doe you make you friends of the unrighteous mammon , not caring for the things of this world , when they come in competition with a good conscience , or doe you forsake god , and sticke to them ? thirdly , consider what your obedience is to god , whether his feare bee alwayes before your eyes , or whether riches set you on worke or no : what mans obedience is , such is his trust , if ye obey god , then ye trust in him , and if yee obey riches , then ye trust in them , and not in god. fourthly , consider what your affections are , nothing troubles an holy man , but sin , the which makes him seeke helpe at gods hands , and not in these . on the contrary , nothing troubles a worldlie man , but losses and crosses , sinne troubles him not at all , by this judge of your love to riches , whether it bee right or no. thus much for the first generall doctrine . we come now to the second , which is this . that covetousnesse is to be mortified , that covetousnesse is unlawfull , all know it , the things therefore that will be usefull in the handling of this point , will be to shew you what covetousnesse is , and why it is to be mortified . now to shew you what it is . covetousnesse may bee defined to be a sinnefull desire of getting , or keeping money , or wealth inordinately . first , it is a sinnefull desire , because it is a lust , as lusting after pleasure , is called voluptuousnesse ; it is also inordinate , the principle being amisse , and likewise the object . the principle is amisse , when we over-value riches , set a greater beauty on them then they have , and seeing them with a wrong eye , wee lust after them , by reason that wee over-value them , and thus to over-value them , is to lust after them , and to thinke that they can make us happie , is idolatry . the object of it is as bad as the principle , when as th' end is either to raise us to a higher condition , or to fare deliciously every day , or else to spend them on some lust , as well as to keepe them . secondly , it is of keeping , or getting mony , getting it inordinately , seeking it by wrong meanes , or of keeping it , first in not bestowing of it on our selves as wee ought , there is tenacitie of this sort amongst men . eecle . . there is a sore evill under the sunne , namely , riches kept by the owners thereof , to their hurt , when as it is comely for a man to eate and drinke , and to enjoy the good of all his labours that hee hath taken under the sunne , all the dayes of his life which god giveth him , for this is his portion , and thus to rejoyce in his labour , is the gift of god. eccl. . . . secondly , thou in not giving to others , art too strait handed , having goods and seeing others to want . the last and chiefe thing in the definition is , inordinately , that is , which is besides the rule . a thing is sayd to bee inordinate , when as it is besides the square that a man doth , and in doing thus , wee doe amisse . now this affection is sayd to bee inordinate in these foure respects . first , when wee seeke it by measure more then wee should . secondly , when we seeke it by meanes that wee should not . thirdly , when we seeke it for wrong ends . fourthly , when we seeke it in a wrong manner . for the first , we offend in the measure , when as we seeke for more then god gives us ; that which god gives everie man , that is his portion here , eccle . . and he that desireth , and withholdeth more then his portiō , is he that offendeth in the measure . pro. . . but how shall i know gods will , and what my portion is . i answere by the event , see in what estate and condition god hath set you ; see what estate he hath giuen you , that is your portion , and with it you must be content , god hath a soveraigntie over us , we are but his subjects , and must bee contented with what he gives us , you are contented with that your fathers or your prince gives you , therefore you must receive that which god bestowes on you , with all humilitie , and thankefulnesse ; if we bee soundly humbled , wee will confesse our selves worthy to bee destroyed , eze. . . we will confesse with iacob . gen. . . that we are unworthy of the least of gods mercies , that the least portion is more then we deserve . the prodigall being humbled , was content with the least place in his fathers house , to be as one of his household servants , and so wee ought to bee content with that portion which god hath given us , be it never so small , because it is more then wee deserve , and if wee desire and seeke for more , this desire is sinfull . secondly , as wee ought not to seeke wealth , more then is our due . so vve ought not to seeke it by unlawfull meanes , not by vsurie , gaming , oppression , fraude , deceipt , or any other unlawfull meanes . i adde this of gaming , because it is unlawfull , though it bee little considered , for it is no meanes that god hath appointed , or sanctified to get money by , because it is neigher a gift , nor a bargaine ; i dispute not now vvhether playing for triflles to put life into the game be lawfull , but of gaming with an intent to get and gaine money or wealth . this i say is unlawfull meanes , and such as have gotten monie by such meanes , are bound to make restitution . thirdly , vvhen th' end of our seeking after monie is wrong , then our affection is sinnefull , as if wee seek it onely for it selfe , that we may be rich , or to bestow it on our lusts , and make it our ends , and not for necessaries onely , and so much as shall serve our turnes , when vve seeke it thus , vvee seeke it in excesse ; hee that desires money for a journey , desires no more then will serve to defraie his costes , and expenses in his journey ; so if a man desires monie for any other end , hee desires so much as will serve for that purpose and no more ; so in other things : hee that is sicke , desires so much physicke as vvill cure him , and no more . so wee ought to desire as much as will serve our necessities , and no more . bt if vvee desire it for our ambition , pleasure , or any other by respect , this desire is sinn●full and inordinate . lastly , it is inordinate , when vvee seeke in a vvrong manner , vvhich consistes in these five particulars . first , vvhen vvee seeke it out of love unto it , and and this manner of seeking it is spirituall adulterie , iames , . yee adulterers and adulteresses , know yee not that the friendship of the world is enmitie with god , and vvhosoever is a friend to the vvorld , is an enemie to god ; if vve be in love vvith it for its ovvne beautie , it is sinfull , it is spirituall adulterie . secondly , vvhen as vve seeke it to trust in it , vvhen as we thinke wee shall be the safer by it , and make it our strong tower , yet hee that trusteth in riches shall fall , pro. . . and therefore if wee have foode and rayment , wee ought therewith to be content , . tim. . . and not to trust in uncertaine riches . thirdly , when as we be high minded , and thinke our selves to be the better men for it , when as they make us looke bigger then wee did before , as commonly those that be rich doe ; therefore . tim. . . paul bids timothy charge those that are rich in this world , that they be not high minded . fourthly , when as wee seeke it to glory in it , as david , hee would number the people to glory and trust in them ; this is sinfull , for hee that glorieth , must glory in the lord , and not in them , . cor. . . when as wee seeke it with too much hast and eagernesle , when as all our dayes are sorrowes , travaile , and griefe , that our hearts take no rest in the night , eccle. . . when as wee seeke it , not staying gods leasure , such a desire is inordinate , importunate , and sinfull , . tim. . . . those that will be rich , that is , such as make too much hast to be rich , fall into temp●ation , and a snare , and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts , which draw men into perdition and destruction , and pierce them through with many sorrowes . but now you will say , that riches are the blessing of god , and will demand of mee whether wee may not desire riches as they are blessings . i answere , that it is true , that they are blessings , and reward of the feare of god , pro. . . by humillity and the feare of the lord , are riches and honor . therefore it is said of david , that hee died full of riches . abrahams servants reckoned them as blessings , gen. . . the lord hath blessed my master greatly , and hee is become great , and he hath given him flockes and heards , silver and gold , men servants and mayd servants , cammels , and asses . iacob counts them as blessings , gen. . . and christ himselfe saith , that it is more blessed to lend then to borrowe , to give then to receive , may wee not then desire them ? to answere this , wee must know that there is a two-fold will or desire ; first , a remisse will , which is rather an inclination then a will : secondly , there is a peremptory will , which is mature ripe and peremptory ; with this latter will wee may not desire them , but with the former we may , . tim. . . if wee have foode and rayment , let us be therewith content ; if any man hath a desire to be rich , yet having foode and rayment , let him not so desire more riches , but that hee may be content with it . now there is a double content , the first is , as when a man is sicke ( to expresse it by a similitude ) he must be content , yet he may pray for health , and use meanes to get it with a full and perfect will , yet with a depending on gods will. so wee being in want , may desire riches and wealth with a full will , sitting in the meane time quietly under gods hand , and referring and submitting our will to his will. secondly , there is a content , wherein having sufficient for foode and rayment , wee suffer not our wills to goe actually beyond the limits which god hath set us ; therefore god hath promised outward blessings as a reward of his service , and propoundeth them as so many arguments and motives to stirre us up to feare him , and wee may desire them as his blessings , with such a desire as this , when as wee set bounds and limits to the sea of our desires , which are in themselues turbulent , and to submit them wholly to gods will. christ being to die , had a will to live , yet not a full and resolute will , but a will subordinate to gods will , father if thou wilt , let this cup passe from me , yet not my will , but thy will be done . this will was but an inclination , and not a will ; so we may will riches with a remisse will and inclination , but not with a full perfect will , that is , we may not goe about to get them , with a full desire and resolution . but how farre may a man desire wealth , where must hee set limits to his desires , where must they be restrained ? i answere , that he may desire foode and rayment , hee may desire that which is necessary for nature , without which he cannot live and subsist ; as a man may desire a ship to passe over the sea from one country to another , because hee cannot passe over without it ; so a man may desire foode and rayment in the sea of this life , because without it wee cannot finish that course which god hath prescribed unto us . now there is a three-fold necessity . first , there is a necessity of expedience , as if a man hath a journey to goe , t is true hee may goe on foote , yet hee may desire an horse to ride , because it will be more expedient for him ; so you may desire with a remisse desire , so much as is expedient for your vocation and calling . secondly , there is a necessity in respect of your condition and place , as men in higher ranke and calling neede more then men of an inferiour degree , to maintaine their place and dignity ; so they may desire to have more then they , so as they desire no more then will bee sufficient to maintaine them in that ranke and degree wherein they are placed . thirdly , there is a necessity of refreshment , and you may desire as much as is needfull for your necessary refreshment , as much as hospitality requires , so that you doe not goe beyond it . and in these three respects , you may desire god to give you as much as shall be expedient for you , because it is no more then nature requires . now besides this desire of things necessary , there is a desire of superfluity and excesse ; this desire proceedes not from nature , but from lust , because that wee defire such wealth and to raise our estates , that we may bestowe it on our lusts . the end of this desire , is onely to satisfie our lusts and pleasure , that like the rich glutton , luke . wee might be well clad , and fare deliciously every day . many mens lives are nothing but playing and eating , and eating and playing , and are led alwayes in this circle . to desire wealth to this or any other superfluous end , is very sinfull , and it must needs be so for these reasons . first , because mans life stands not in abundance of excesse . therefore in luke . . . . when as a certaine man spake to christ to speake to his brother to divide the inheritance with him , he said unto him , man who made me a iudge or a divider over you , and then bad the company beware of covetousnesse , because that a mans life consisteth not in the aboundance of the things that he possesseth ; that is , though you have never so much wealth , yet yee shall not live the longer for it . your life consists not in it , no more doth you● comfort , for they will but please the sight of your eyes , they will not make you more happy then you are ; seeke not therefore superfluity , for your life consists not in aboundance . hee is but a foole that thinkes that these things will make him happy , that these will make him rich , all that are not rich in god , are poore , and if they thinke themselves happy and rich in these things , they are but fooles . secondly , the desire of superfluity is sinfull , because it proceedes from an evill roote , but this desire proceedes from an evill roote and a bitter , that is , from lust . it comes not from gods spirit , which bids every man to be contented with food and rayment , nor yet from nature which seekes not superfluities , therefore proceeding from lust , it must needs be sinfull , thirdly , what you may not pray for , that you may not desire nor seeke af●er ; but wee may not pray for superfluities , pro. . . give me neither povertie nor riches , feede mee with foode convenient for mee , not wi●h superfluities , &c. and in the lords prayer wee are taught not to pray for superfluities , give us this day our dayly bread , that is as much as is necessary for us and no more , therefore wee may not desire it . the seeking of more then is necessary , doth hinder us , as a show that is too bigge , is as unfit to trauaile as well as one that is too little . fourthly , it is dangerous , for it doth choake the word , and drowne men in perdition ; therefore it is agurs prayer . pro. . . . give mee neither povertie nor riches , feede mee with food convenient for mee , least i bee full and denie thee , and say , who is the lord. fulnesse and excesse is alwayes dangerous , full tables doe cause surfets , full cups make a strong braine giddie : the strongest saints have beene shaken with prosperitie and excesse , as david , ezcchias , salomon , they sinned by reason of excesse in outward things , it is dangerous to be rich . therefore it is davids counsaile , psal . . ifriches increase , set not your hearts upon them ; a rich man cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven , it is easier for a cammell to goe through the eye of a needle , then for him to enter into heaven . for if a man be rich , it is a thousand to one but that hee trusteth in his riches , and it is impossible that he who trusteth in his riches , shall enter into heaven . lastly , to desire superfluitie , must needes bee sinnefull , because that wee have an expresse command to the contrary , . tim. . if wee have foode and raiment , let us therewith bee content ; this is the bounds which god hath set us , wee must not goe beyond it . if that it were lawfull for any man to have and to desire aboundance , then it were lawfull for kings , yet god hath set limits to them , deut. . hee shall not multiply horses , nor wives to himselfe , that his heart turne not away , neither shall hee greatly multiplie to himselfe , silver and gold , that his heart bee not lifted up above his brethren . god hath set us downe limits and bounds , how farre we shall goe , therefore to passe beyond them is sinnefull , but wee passe beyond them when we desire superfluities , therefore the desire of superfluitie is sinfull . but may not a man use his calling to increase his wealth . i answere , that th' end of mens callings , are not to gather riches , if men make this their end , it is a wrong end , but th' end of our calling is to serve god and men , the ground hereof is this . every man is a member of the common wealth ; every man hath some gifts or other , which may not lye idle , every man hath some talents , and must use them to his masters advantage , and how can that be , except ye doe good to men : every one is a servant to christ , and must doe gods work , no man is free , every one is christs servant , and must be diligent to serve christ , and to doe good to men . hee that hath an office , must bee diligent and attend it , every man must attend his calling , and be diligent in it . if riches come in by your callings , that is , the wages , not th' end of our callings ; for that lookes onely to god , we must not make gaine th' end of our callings : there are many that make gaine their godlinesse , and th' end of their callings , some preach only for gaine , others use other callings onely for gaine , but if any man will makegaine th' end of his calling , though he may conceale and hide his end from men , yet let him bee sure , that hee shall answere god , the searcher of the heart for it . on the other side , if a man by diligence in his calling have riches following him , he may take them as a blessing of god bestowed on him , and as a reward for his calling . the diligent hand maketh rich . god will so reward it , not that we must eye riches , and make them our end . god makes a man rich , and man makes himselfe rich . god makes us rich by being diligent in our callings , and using them to h●s glory and mans good ; he doth cast riches on us : man makes himselfe rich , when hee makes riches th' end of his calling , and doth not expect them as a reward that comes from god. i expresse it by iacob ; iacob , he s●rved laban faithfully , and god blessed him , so that he did grow rich , hee went not out of his compasse and sphere , he tooke the wages that was given , and because that gods end was to make him rich , god enriched him by his wages , as a reward of his service . the more diligent a man is in his calling , the more sincere & upright , the more doth god blesse him , and increase his riches ; god makes men rich , when hee gives them riches without sorrowes and troubles , when as they come in with ease , and without expectation and disquiet . man makes himselfe rich , when as there is great troble in getting , keeping , & enjoying them , when as he useth his calling to get riches , or when as he useth unlawful meanes . the method god useth to enrich men is this ; he first bids them seeke the kingdome of god , and the righteousnesse thereof , and then all these things shall be administred unto them as wages : we must looke to our duty , and let god alone to provide , and pay us our wages . he that takes a servant , bids him only looke to his duty , and let him alone to provide him meat , drinke , and wages , we are seruants , god is our master , let us looke to our duty , and leave the wages to him . but whether may not a man take care to get wealth , is not a man to care for his estate , to increase it , and to settle it ? i answere , he may lawfully take care of it , observing the right rules in doing it , which are these . first , he mu●t not go out of his compasse , but walke within his owne pale , he must not step out of his own calling into other mens , and in his owne calling hee must not trouble himselfe with so much businesse , as that he cannot attend , or that may hinder him in his private service unto god : if he doe fill himselfe with too much businesse in his owne calling , or step into others callings , this is sinnefull and inordinate : if a man in his owne calling fill himselfe with so much businesse , that he cannot attend the things of salvation , that he is so much tired with them , that hee hath no leasure , or spare time to search his owne heart , and to doe the particular duties necessary to salvation , he then failes in this , and sinnes in his calling . secondly , his end must not be amisse , he must not ayme at riches , abraham was poore , and so was iacob , yet god made them rich and mighty , they were diligent in their callings , and god brought in wealth ; god calles not a man to trust in himselfe , to make riches his ayme and end , to seeke excesse , superfluity and aboundance , to live deliciously , to satisfie our lusts and pleasures , our ayme must bee gods glory , and the publique good , and then god will cast riches upon us as our wages . thirdly , let it be a right care , and not an inordinate care , there is an inordinate care which checks the word , you may know whether your care be such an immoderate care or no by these three signes . first , if you be troubled in the businesse you goe about , consisting either in desire , feare , or griefe , when as we either desire such a blessing exceedingly , or feare that we shall not have it , or greeve much for the losse of it . secondly , when wee feare we shall not bring our enterprise to passe , or attaine to that which we desire . when wee are troubled at it , if it be not accomplished , and greeve when wee foresee any thing that may prevent it , care being aright , sets head and hand on worke ; but when the affections are just & right , there is no tumult or turbulencie in them . when is a man covetous ? i answer , that then a man is a covetous man , when as he hath desires arising in him , which are contrary on the former rules , and hee resists them not , or else resists them so weakely and feebly , that hee gets no ground of them ; hee sees no reason why he should resist them , and therefore gives way unto them . a man is not a covetous man , nor an ambitious man which hath covetous and ambitious thoughts , for these the holiest men have , but hee that hath such thoughts , and strives not at all against them , or else strives but weakely , he is a covetous and ambitious man. a godly man may have these thoughts and desires , but hee strives strongly against them , gets ground of them , and gives them a deathes wound , but the covetous man hee yeelds unto them , the godly man he gets the victory over them . now this covetousnesse is evill in it selfe ; for first of all , it is idolatry and spirituall adultery , and then it is an evill and bitter roote , having many stalkes on it ; he that doth doe any thing to hold correspondencie with it , he that doth belong unto it , to him it is the root of all evill , luke . it keepes men from salvation , it chokes the good seedes sowen in mens hearts . secondly , it must be mortified , for the vanity of the object is not worth the seeking , therefore in the luke . it is set downe in a comparison with the true treasure , and expressed in these foure circumstances . first , it is called the mammon of unrighteousnesse and wicked riches ; because it makes men wicked , opposed to spirituall blessings which are the best . secondly , it is least , because it doth least good , it preserves us not from evill , it doth the soule no good . thirdly , it is but false treasure , it hath but the shadowe of the true , it shines as if it were true , but yet it is but false and counterfet . lastly , it is not our owne , it is another mans , riches are the goods of others not our own , luk. . . and . . . there are foure attributes given to riches . first , they are many things , and require much labour , martha was troubled about many things . secondly , they are unnecessary , one thing is necessary . thirdly , they will be taken from us ; fourthly , they are not the best , and therefore our desire after them should be mortified . from hence bee yee exhorted to mortifie this earthly member , covetousnesse , which is idolatry , a sinne unto which all men are subject : young men though they want experience of riches , are notwithstanding subject to this vice ; but olde men are most subject unto it , though they have least cause and reason for it . professours of religion are subject to it , many times it growes up with the corne & chokes it , therefore use effectuall meanes to roote it out of your hearts . first of all , pray to god not to encline your hearts to covetousnesse , it is impossible for man , but easie for god to doe it . secondly , be humbled for sinne , wee are so covetous and desirous for money , because we were never humbled for sinne so much as we should be , and this is the reason why many would rather let christ goe then their wealth and riches . thirdly , use them to better purpose then heretofore yee have done , make friends with them , and finde some better thing to set your hearts upon . except you have a better treasure , you will not vilifie and depart with these ; labour therefore for true godlinesse with content , which is great gaines , . timoth. . . which heales this malady , and takes away the false pretences of gathering , having , and affecting great riches . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e doctrine . simile . doct. . mortification what it is . simile . mortification why a turning of the heart . quest. . answer . when sinne seemes to be mortified , and is not . simile . simile . simile . use. quest. . answ. how o know when ●●st is mortified . ● simile . five motives to mortification . motive . obiect . az●●rer . simile . ●● motive . motive . simile . motive . how sinne couzens . pet. . . ● mat. . heb. . . motive . rom. . . motive . rom. . . vse . vse . tim. . . simile . obiect . . answ. . the power of a regenerate man. obiect . . gal. . . answ. . use . it is not enough to abstaine from sin in the action , but it must be in the heart . obiect . answer . vse . no man so holy but needs mortification . meanes how to come to mortification . meanes to get a willing heart august . meanes , to take paines about it . simile . errors of men about mortification . simile . simile . simile . the fruitles● paine of the papists in th● point . the outward meanes which further mortification . first , moderation in lawfull things . exces in lawfull things is dangerous . the second outward meanes , vowes and promises . vowes when lawfull . how to b● est●emed of and made . the third outward meanes , avoyding occasion to sin . obiect . answ. the fourth outward meanes , fasting and prayer . meanes , the assistance of the spirit . obiect answ. how the spirit may bee won or lost . how the spirit is resisted . acts . . & . . how the spirit is grieved ▪ how the spirit is quenched . . . thes. . . luk. . . meanes . to walke in the spirit . gal. , . simile . meanes . faith. acts . . ephes. . . obiect . . answ. . the order of faith in the regenerate . obiect . . answ. . how christ dwels in the heart . simile . error about mortification , confuted . meanes , spirituall ioy. simile . pro. . . meanes , humility . pet. . . humblenesse of minde , what it is . ezek. . doctr. what is here meant by members . why called members . reas. . pet. . . reason . reason . reason . matth. . . what is ment by earthly members . what it is to be earthly minded . how a man may come to know spirituall things , and yet not be renewed . dan. . . mar. . . . the order of the faculties of the soule . qu●st . . answ. . how a naturall man may know spirituall things . rom. . . cor. . . what it is to be heavenly minded . ephes. . . simile . cor. . . opened . simile . quest. . answ. . quest. . answ. . simile . how the understanding enlightned , may doe good to the rest of the faculties . simile . vse . nothing more hurtfull to man then earthly mindednesse . when men are said to lose their excellencie . simile . reas. . simile . sinne onely makes a man lose his excellency . reason . tim. . . simile . nothing so hateful to god as earthly-mindednesse . iam. . . nothinglesse beseemeth a professor then earthly-mindednesse . simile . heb. . . difference betwixt the backsliding of the saints , and the wicked . a threefold cause of the backsliding of the godly . cause . cause . cause . a caveat to those that stand . those that have fallen . revel . . those that have not yet tasted of the sweetnesse of christ. yong men . old men . obiections of earthly mindednesse answeted . obiect . . difference betweene nature and sense luk. . . iam. . . simile . 〈◊〉 . a threefold difference in the matter of sense , between the superiour and inferiour faculties . heb. . . obiect . . esay . . mat. . . ● the marty● speech . a good groūd required for doing of good simile . pet. . . simile . pet. . . obiect . . simile . ier. . . simile . all mens comforts stand in gods face . simile . psal . . vse . why it is hard for a rich man to be sared . motives to mortifie our earthly members . simile . one reigning sinne makes a man unrighteous . luk. . . obiect . answer . meanes to obtaine the loathing of earthly things . humiliation . false grounds of it . wherein true humiliation stands . the royaltie of spirituall things . heb. . . a constant and diligent watch ouer the heart . rev. . , . meanes to get heauenly-mindednesse . i faith. a twofold snare of the world . humility . iam. . . simile . a iudgement rightly informed concerning earthly things . eccles. . . a sight into the all-sufficiency of god. gen. . . ier. . . a remembrance from whence we are fallen . rev. . . simile . simile . a spirituall consumption compared to a bodily . such are fitly compared to neb●chadnezars●mage ●mage . dan. . . motives to heavenly things . heauenly things a better obiect . nosweetness● in earthly things . because they are mutable . because of our condition whether good . wicked . psal. . . the nature of earthly mindedness . pet. . . sam. . . no salv●tion 〈◊〉 them . mat. . . god wil have all the soule , or none . luk. . . christs two markes of a true christian it is the best part to do so . proved by authority . luk. . , opened . a foure-fold difference betweene earthly and heavenly things . gen. . . luk. . , &c. o●ened . phillip . . , . reasons . . all things are at gods disposing . psal. . . psal. . . simile . markes to know whether we have lost our earthlylymindednes marke . tim. . , . pet . recreation when lawfull . marke . cor. . . rom. . . marke . pet. . . obiect . . eloquence no ornament to the word . answ. . the ●superexcellency of the word . obiect . . answ. . the word should not be mixt with eloquence . cor. . . opened . cor. . . opened . what meant by initsing words . cor. . . obiect . . answ. . how learning and eloquèce is to be used in preaching the word . simile . imile . ●●iect . . ministers should not please their people with eloquence . simile . marke . cor. . . what knowledge is wrought by the spirit . persons . things . obiect . answ. to know whether the heart be renewed by the spirit . by his affections . psal. . . . by his speeches . mat. . . simile . obiect . answer . tim. . , opened . obiect . . answ. . by his actions . marke . tim. . . vse rev. . . simile . the least sins to be avoided secret sins to be looked into motives to keepe watch over our harts tim. . . iam. . . hebr. . . iam . . obiect . answ. ezek. . . notes for div a -e doctr. ephes. . . th. . , , . doct. . fornication what a grievous sinne . pro. . . cor. . . the sinfulnes of fornication . thes. . . rom. . . . eccles. . . prov. . . the punishment of fornication . heb. . . pet. . , . pro. . , , . prev . . . . pro. . . rev. . . the danger off●rnication prov. . . prov . . eccles. . . neh. . . simili . the deceitfulnesse of fornication . deceit , of the devill discovered . deceit . hope of repentance . deut. . . esay . . ezek. . . ephes. . . deceit . present impunity . eccles. . . ● sam. . . rom. . . rom. . , , . rev. . , . deceit . present sweetnesse in sinne . ● obiect . answ. mat. . . deceit . the falscesse of common opinion and carnall reason . deceit . hope of secrecie . mat . . sam. , , , . sam. . . ● . simile . use . simile . obiect . answer . numb . . obiect . answ. vse . simile . trial whether this lust be mortified . ● . simile . simile . pet. . . simile . obiect . answ. meanes against fornication . first , for such as have beene given to this sinne . meanes . meanes . meanes . pet. . . for such as are guilty of this sinne . helpe . helpe . helpe . revel . . . heb. . matth. . . helpe . simile . iam. . . . helpe . obiect . answ. helpe . simile . helpe . simile . frov. . . helpe . simile . mal. . . act. . . notes for div a -e doctr. the haynousnesse of the sinne of uncleannesse . . the deceits of satan to draw men on to the acting of this sinne . prov. . . what repentance is . hos. . . the second deceit of satan . rom. . . the third deceit of satan . cor. . . titus . . the fourth deceit of satan . matth. . . sam . . eccles. . . the fift deceit of satan . notes for div a -e doctrine . reason . reason . reason . reason . three things ob●erue to be in conc●piscen●e . simile . what 's meant by concupiscence . a double lavv simile , what is the operation of evill concupiscence . simile . what is to bee mortified . exod. . . note . quest. ans. acts of mortification . meditation and laying to heart , is the means to mortification . vse . reason . . signes of mortification . is a generall reformation in heart and life signe of true mortification is a right iudgment of sin & true loathing it . simile . and last signe of mortification , is actuall abstinence from sinne . quest. ans. meanes to labour for theassurance ●of pardon for one sinnes . meanes is abstinence from all occasion of sinne . . meanes , grace , holinesse . meanes is prayer . notes for div a -e doct. what affections are . three things nith● soule what an affection is a double appetite . three sorts of affections . . affections when inordinate . the first cria of the inordinate affections is to examine them by the rule . rule . rule . rule . rule . the second triall is by the effects . effect . . effect . . pet. . . effect . . ephes. . . effect . . what it is to mortifie affections . why they are to be mortified . reason . . simil. reas. . reas. . ephes. . . sam. , . pet. . ; reas. . simile . vse . simile . meanes to mortifie inordinate affections . meanes . . two wayes how to discerne a continued inordinate lust . . . simile . causes and remedies of inordinate affections . cause . simil. remedy . remedy . remedy . remedy . . cause . . remedy . simile . ephes . . cause . . remedy . the right object of our affection , god. simil● . cause . . simile . remedy . simile . simile . simil. cause . . remedy . cause . . remedy simili . prov. . . & . . cause . psal. . , . ●●e . motives to conquer and master inordinate affecti . motive . . simile . simile . motive . prov. . . simile . simile . motive . tim. . . iudg. . . motive . . iam. . . pet. . ezek . motive . iames . . motive . notes for div a -e esay . . . heb. . . doct. luke . . psal. . reason . reason . reason ob : ans. ob : ans. . deceipt . quest. ans. deceipt . ans. o● . ans. ●eipt . ans. gen. . ●● . deceipt . ob. ans. signes . signe . signe . figure . doct. ob. ans. ob. ans. reason . reason ? quaest. ans. quest. ans. rule . rule , rule , . signe . signe . signe . quest. ans. circum . . circum . . circum . . circum . . vse . meanes . meanes . meanes . aytokatakritos or, the sinner condemned of himself being a plea for god, against all the ungodly, proving them alone guilty of their own destruction; and that they shall be condemned in the great day of account, not for that they lacked, but only because they neglected the means of their salvation. and also, shewing, how fallacious and frivolous a pretence it is in any, to say, they would do better, if they could; when indeed all men could, and might do better, if they would. by one, that wisheth better to all, than most do to themselves. ford, thomas, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing f b estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) aytokatakritos or, the sinner condemned of himself being a plea for god, against all the ungodly, proving them alone guilty of their own destruction; and that they shall be condemned in the great day of account, not for that they lacked, but only because they neglected the means of their salvation. and also, shewing, how fallacious and frivolous a pretence it is in any, to say, they would do better, if they could; when indeed all men could, and might do better, if they would. by one, that wisheth better to all, than most do to themselves. ford, thomas, - . [ ], p. printed for edward brewster, and are to be sold by giles widowes, at the maiden head, over against the half-moon, in aldersgate-street, near jewen-street, london : . first word of title in greek. one, that wisheth better to all, than most do to themselves = thomas ford. copy has print show-through; tightly bound. reproduction of the original in the william andrews clark memorial library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- early works to . theology, doctrinal -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - jonathan blaney sampled and proofread - jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion ΑΥΤΟΚΑΤΑΚΡΙΤΟΣ or , the sinner condemned of himself : being a plea for god , against all the ungodly , proving them alone guilty of their own destruction ; and that they shall be condemned in the great day of account , not for that they lacked , but only because they neglected the means of their salvation . and also , shewing , how fallacious and frivolous a pretence it is in any , to say , they would do better , if they could ; when indeed all men could , and might do better , if they would . by one , that wisheth better to all , than most do to themselves . hos. . . o israel , thou hast destroyed thy self , but in me is thy help . ezech. . . o ye house of israel , i will judge you every one after his wayes . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chrysost. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . london , printed for edward brewster , and are to be sold by giles widowes , at the maiden-head , over against the half-moon , in aldersgate-street , near iewen-street , . the preface . we are all by nature , as much inclin'd to hide and excuse sin , as we are to commit it . sin and shifting ( as one saith well and truly ) came into the world together : and we have drawn both alike , from the loynes of our first parents . no sooner had they sinn'd , but they hid themselves : and no sooner had god found them out , but they fell to excuse themselves . the man puts the fault upon the woman : and she again turns it over to the serpent . yea , ( as calvin and others observe upon gen. . . ) adam spared not to charge god himself , by saying , the woman , whom thou gavest to be with me , she gave me of the tree , and i did eat . as much as if he should have said , if thou hadst left me alone , as i was , i had never done as i did . now among all those many inventions , which men have sought out , to excuse themselves in their sins , this is one , and a chief one , viz. that they never had light enough to convince them , that their way was not good before god. they confess , their ministers have cryed out against them , and often passed sentence upon them , as men running headlong to their own destruction : but they never met with such ministers , as had arguments strong enough to perswade them to alter and change their way . had this been once done to the purpose , there had been no more adoe ; they should soon have amended all , that others knew to be amiss . but in this the ministers are still wanting , and so long as they are so , they have reason ( as they think ) for what they do . for themselves , they are good natur'd , and well dispos'd , and their endeavour hath been , and still is , to do their utmost , so as if there be a fault , they know not how to help it , the blame must lye somewhere else . they love god with all their hearts , and labour ( what in them lieth ) to keep his commandments , repenting every day with hearty sorrow , for all they have done amiss . indeed , they meet with many hindrances , so as they cannot do as they would . but so long as they are willing , and well minded , they are confident god will bear with them , though they cannot make so fair a shew , nor flourish it , as some professors , who ( as they think ) in their doings and dealings are none of the best . having these , or the like perswasions , they keep up an inveterate prejudice against all pretences to more circumspect and precise walking , such as the apostle adviseth , eph. . , . and bless themselves in their own hearts , promising rest and peace to their souls , even when they walk after their own devices , because they do ( as they perswade themselves ) the best they can , and would with all their hearts do better , if they could . now , that which is intended in this ensuing discourse , is to demonstrate , that all these are fallacious pretences , and that there is no want of means and helps to their conviction and conversion , but they have light enough , which they suppress , and keep under , as the gentiles did , ro. . . and out of a desire to satisfie their fleshly lusts , refuse to follow whither scripture and reason lead them . for their quarrels and exceptions , they are like those of the iews , in our saviours time . why dost thou make us to doubt ? if thou be the christ , tell us plainly . what sign shewest thou , that we may see , and believe ? as if they wanted nothing but light , to see , whether he was the messias indee● . if they could once be assured of that , they needed not to be perswaded any further , he should have disciples and followers enough . yet none of us ( i hope ) will say of those iews , they had not light enough , when the sun of righteousness arose to shine upon them . nor dare we ( i suppose ) excuse them , notwithstanding all their exceptions from the guilt of crucifying the lord of glory . and then , how can any of us look on our selves , as more excusable than they ? hereupon all they , who retain so good an opinion of themselves , and are alwayes questioning and quarrelling others , that are dealing with them , for the good of their souls , ( just as the iews did our saviour ) might do well to enquire , whether the same spirit of contradiction be not in them , that was in those iews . to pick quarrels , and make objections , and put others to answer them , is no hard work for any to do , that have a mind to it . but to do the will of god , as he requires it to be done , is hard work to flesh and blood , and calls for self-denial , and renounicing our own wills. and what if this be it , and nothing else , that lieth at the bottom of all those fair pretences , which are made by many , of their being not convinced and satisfied in their judgements and consciences , about the matters of gods kingdom , and their own salvation . wherefore they should consider more seriously , whether he that searcheth the hearts , and will bring to light the hidden things of darkness , do not see , they pretend one thing , and mean another ; and whiles they like not the light that shines to them , they would fain excuse it , by saying , they have not light enough . wherefore i would fain perswade all , to have no such good opinion of themselves , but rather to search and try their hearts and wayes , till they discern and discover that enmity which is in them against the righteous & holy wills of god. for the apostle resolves , ro. ▪ . that such a root of bitterness there is in all men by nature , and he that knows any thing of himself , cannot be ignorant of it . i say again therefore , let no man bless himself in a fond conceit ( no better than a sick mans dream ) of the goodness of his own heart . for so long as men do this , they do but lock and bolt up all the passages of their souls , that nothing god doth or saith , can have entrance into them , or make any impression upon them . these are farr from judging themselves , or justifying god ; but say in effect , as israel of old , ezech. . . the way of the lord is not equall . these men are indeed far from righteousness , and wholly indispos'd to learn it . their souls are as some old sores , so nasty and filthy , as they must be wash'd and wip'd , before any healing plaisters can be laid on them . or as some mens bodies , so foul , and full of bad humours , as they must have preparatives , to make way for the intended medicines , which otherwise will have no efficacy or operation . now this discourse is intended only as a preparative , to make way for other physick , by rowsing men up to consider , in what a condition they are , and that there is an enmity in them against god , and his laws ; and that this enmity is it , which causes so many disputes and exceptions about gods dispensations of grace and providence ; and that they do but flatter and deceive their own souls , in thinking themselves so well inclin'd to god and goodness , and should do well enough , if they had some-what , which they want ( as they think ) without any fault of their own . for what hope is there , to perswade men out of their ungodly wayes , so long as they conceit themselves to lye under a fatal necessity of being as they are , and so it is no fault of theirs , that they are no better ? or how shall men be prevail'd with , to change their course , so long as they lye under such gross mistakes of god , and his wayes , as to think , he is wanting to them , and they are not wanting to themselves ? such mistakes do a great deal of mischief in the world , and keep up cursed prejudices in the hearts of men , against the wayes of gods commandments , and make them to cry peace to their souls , even whiles they are walking after their own imaginations , and running head-long to the pit of destruction . now this discourse be-speaks men , to consider , whether gods wayes , or their own , are unequal ; and whether god or they shall be justified in the last and great day of account . there needs no more to be said in way of preface . that the god of all grace , will vouchsafe to give his spirit , for convincing men of all their mistakes and prejudices , so as they may learn to judge themselves , and justifie him , ( which is the work the● have to do , in order to their sal●vation ) is the hearty desire an● prayer of him that penn'd , an● them that publish'd this ensuin● treatise . t. f. ΑΥΤΟΚΑΤΑΚΡΙΤΟΣ ; or the sinner condemned of himself . what the apostle saith of an heretick , after the first and second admonition , may truly be said of every one that goeth on in his wickedness , he sinneth being condemned of himself : he sinneth wilfully , and without excuse , he hath no cloak for his sin ; for he condemns himself in what he doth , in that his practise is contrary to his principle . that this is the case of all , or most ungodly sinners , i shall endeavour to make good in the ensuing treatise . and in order thereunto , i shall lay down the summe and substance of all , in one general proposition , which i offer , as the conclusion to be proved , viz. that , whatever excuses or pretences , are or may be made by any , all the mistakes , and miscarriages of men , about the matters of gods kingdome , and their own salvation , are only , and altogether from their not improving the means , and helps , which are allowed them ; and that this also is only from the sinful corruption , and cursed inbred enmity of their own hearts and nature . to prove this , i argue , first from somewhat implyed in the proposition it self , viz. the sufficiency of helps and means on gods part allow'd to men . and the argument may be formed thus : if god have sufficiently provided for mens salvation , so as he is not wanting in what lay on him to do , then mens neglect is the only cause of their destruction . but god hath sufficiently provided , &c. ergo , &c. here i shall not stand to prove the consequence of the first proposition , because if god be not , of necessity man only must be wanting to himself . if any shall alledge , that the world , the flesh , and the devil are great enemies , and hinderances to mens salvation , i grant it , but deny withall , that therefore god is to be charg'd with mens destruction , or that any man who dieth in his sins , is the more excusable . for the fault is in men only , that they willingly give themselves up to be led aside by those enemies of their souls , and so neglect their own salvation . sure i am , nor one , nor all of those enemies , could prejudice our everlasting estate , if we did not freely and willingly give our selves over to their power . and this will appear in my proving the second proposition , viz. that god hath sufficiently provided for mens salvation , &c. here i shall first instance in particulars , and therein shew , what provision god hath made . . to rise no higher than adams fall ; when man stood in most need of gods help , was there not a speedy provision made of an all sufficient saviour , and help laid upon one that was mighty , and able to save to the utmost all that come unto god by him ? heb. . . no sooner had god convinced our first parents of their sin and misery , but he presently revealed his son , to be made the seed of the woman , and in mans nature to fulfill whatever was needfull to the reconciling of the world . in this salvation so prepar'd , and promis'd , there was no defect , as appears by the apostles testimony , heb. . . the only defect is on mans part , in not coming to god through christ , that he may be saved . who dare say , that god hath made but a scanty provision for our salvation ? surely it cannot stand with his faithfulness and goodness , who commands all men every where to repent . would he ( think you ) invite so many guests , if he knew not before hand , that there is entertainment enough for them all ? no man ( for ought i have heard ) ever made question of this , that if all would come to christ , all should be saved by him . and this is the tenour of the gospel-covenant , ( which alone reveals the way of salvation ) he that beleiveth shall be saved , &c. mar. . . for any objection that may be made , i shall answer it in its due place . . as god hath provided an all sufficient salvation , so hath he also allowed sufficient means for the applying of it , so as it may be effectual . . there is the word of grace , or the gospel full and clear in all particulars , so as there is nothing necessary to be known concerning this salvation , but a man may run and read it ▪ what was sufficiently discovered in the old testament , according to the dispensation of god for those times , is more clearly revealed in the new ; so as we may well say with the apostle , tim. . . the scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation . . there is the spirit to teach us inwardly and in the heart , what is laid before our eyes in the word . and both these are promised , isa. . . if any object , that that promise is made only to the church , i may grant it , and yet answer well enough thus ; that the word and spirit promised to the church , proclaim and offer christ to the world ; and they that ar● without , are bound to receive what is offer'd ▪ and to joyn themselves to the church . for wha● is it that makes and constitutes the church ? i● it not hearkning to , and obeying the voice o● god in his word ? there is the sound of th● gospels voice , which the world is bound t● hearken to , as i hope to shew hereafter . an● if the wicked world refuse , and will not en●quire after it , that is their own fault , and go● is not wanting , as shall be more fully clear'd i● its due place . for present it may suffice , that there is a● abundance of the spirit , and of the word , e●nough to enlighten and enliven all the world if they would heed and attend them . wh● dare say , that gods word and spirit are no● sufficient to instruct us in all things necessary ▪ and to lead us into all truth ? for papists quarrelling the sufficiency of scripture-revelation , i have nothing to do with it now ; it serves my turn , if it be acknowledged , that god hath made a sufficient revelation of his will , and the way of our salvation . . that god might not leave himself without many witnesses , we have also the work of creation , that shews us the way of glorifying him , else how could the apostle upon this one ground , prove the gentiles to be inexcusable in their idolatries ? rom. . , . and is there not also a goodness of god in his providential dispensations , that leads men to repentance ? rom. . . yes , the psalmist shews it at large , psal. . and this amongst others seems to be one thing , that 's very observable in that psalm , viz. that men otherwise void of all piety , and such as care little for gods company at other times , when distresses , and dangers assault them , even by nature , and natural conscience , are led to call upon god. this shews sufficiently , that their neglect of god in times of prosperity , is a stifling the natural principles of religion , implanted in all men , for the improvement of divine providences . . to say no more , god hath made us reasonable creatures , and given us a minde to understand , so as to chuse the good , and refuse the evil . and have we not all of us a conscience to accuse and excuse , to encourage us in that which is good , and affright us from all that is evil ? in one word ; the way of life is laid before us , and we have eyes to see it , if we had a minde to walk in it . men do not go to hell as a beast goeth to the slaughter-house , or as one led blindfolded , not knowing whither he goeth , but they refuse the way of life , and chuse the ways of death ; as i hope to shew hereafter more at large . now let me summe up all that hath been said , and thus argue ; if god hath prepared an all-sufficient salvation , and provided all means necessary for the applying of it , what have we to complain of more , than what we finde in our selves ? may not the lord say as he did , isa. . . what could have been done more , that i have not done ? or as ier. . . what iniquity have you found in me ? have i been wanting to you ? rather , have not you wronged your selves , and been sinners against your own souls ? and will not the lord say thus one day ? questionless he will ; else how shall he clear himself in condemning the wicked world ? for suppose god to be wanting in any thing necessary on his part for our salvation , may not a condemned sinner justly reply thus ? lord thou hast now pass'd the sentence of death upon me , and thou art now sending me to dwell with everlasting burnings , which i should never have run my self into , if thou hadst done that which lay upon thee to do . may not such a soul say , alas ! i knew nothing of what i should have known in order to my salvation , but was left in the dark without any light to shew me the way of life . had god done his part , i might have done mine , and so it had never been with me , as now it is . shall any of the damned ( think you ) ever have cause , or just occasion to quarrel god in this manner ? or if any should , i must confess , i know not how to clear god in his condemning the world of the ungodly . but god will certainly clear himself one day , and convince all the ungodly , that their damnation is just : else why is god so often clearing himself upon all occasions , from having any hand in the destruction of those that perish ? for certain god would never clear himself ( as often he doth ) if he knew not himself to be clear ; and he must have most unworthy thoughts of god that thinks otherwise . god is not as man , to justifie himself in any thing , but what is right and true . now , how often doth god clear himself , and cast all the blame of mens destruction upon themselves ? ezech. . , . cast away all your transgressions , &c. for why will you die ? i have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth . hos. . . o israel thou hast destroyed thy self . to this purpose also read esay . v. , . obj. but some will reply and say , who denies or questions this ? you labour to little purpose , and might well have spared this pains . sol. to clear my self , give me leave to say ; . that many are charg'd with making god the author of sin , and the contriver ( in a sort ) of mans damnation . i do not say they are justly charg'd , but that some are so charg'd by others , is most true . . there are but too many in the world , who charge god foolishly as faulty and guilty of mens destruction . i say not , they do it expresly , and in terminis , but interpretatively , and by consequence they say , that the fault is on gods part , and not on theirs , if they die and are damn'd . what else is their meaning , when they pretend , as they do , so much love and good liking to god , and the wayes of his commandments ? are there not many that say in their hearts , and some upon occasion with their mouths also , far be it from us to hate god , or any of his wayes ? god forbid that we should procure to our selves the damnation of our own souls ? nay , they will not be well pleas'd with any other , that shall charge them for so doing . if others will believe them , they are as willing to be sav'd , and as willing to walk in the way of life and salvation , as any man can wish them to be . but alas ! what would you have of them ? if they knew better , they should do better ; and for their part , they do the best they can , and as far as god gives them grace . now , is not this in effect all one as to say , if we are cast away , and die in our sins , it is no fault of ours ? how could we help it ? we have done all that we were able to do , and should with all our hearts have done more , if god had given us wherewithall . is not this to quit our selves , and cast all the blame upon god only ? yes ; it is to charge it upon god alone , that we die and perish in our sins . now for the sake of these , and such as those i have undertaken to plead for god , as well as i can . for ( to speak as it is indeed ) god is much spoken against in the world ; and as there are too many of whom it may be said , god is not in all their thoughts ; or , there is no god , is all their thought , psal. . . so there are many mouths open'd against him , to charge him with all the fault of mens destruction . and i know not in my capacity , how to do him better service , than to speak a good word for him in this case , and let the world know it . to return where we left before ; i shall a little further , and more fully shew , that god is ( if i may so say ) exceeding carefull to clear himself of having any hand in the death of him that dieth : he thinks he hath done what was to be done on his part ; what could have been done more , that i have not done ? esay . , . as if he should say , there wanted nothing to their being a fruitfull people , if they would themselves . consider also what our saviour saith , john . . and ( or rather , but ) you will not come unto me , that you might have life . vers. . he had told them , that the scriptures testified of him , that he was the light and the life of men ; but ( saith he ) you will not come unto me that you may have life . is not that as much as to say , here is life laid up in me all-sufficient to all intents and uses and safe enough , but you will not come and take it , though you may have it only for the asking ? if this be not the full purport and meaning of those words , i cannot imagine what it should be . for our saviour speaks plainly to them , that if they die in their sins , 't is not because eternal life is not to be had , but because they will not have it . and is not this enough to clear god , and condemn the unbelieving world ? adde to this that affectionate passage of our saviour , mat. . . i would have gathered them as an hen gathereth her chickens , but they would not . this clears him ; and dare any man say or think , that our saviour meant otherwise than he spake ? o! how happy had that people been , if they had taken him at his word ! take one place more , luc. . , . how pathetically he wishes , if thou hadst known in this thy day , the things that belong unto thy peace ! was it not in his heart ( think you ) that ierusalem was the only cause of her destruction ? and by all you may see , the lord is willing to clear himself , and we may assure our selves he is as able to do it . he well knows , that all his dispensations of grace and providence are such , as will clear him against all the world . our saviour knew well ( and hath not forgotten it to this day ) that when he was on earth , he was no way wanting to the work which his father had put into his hands . and this appears esay . . that god will justifie him , that it was not by any default of his , that his labours had no better successe ; his judgement is with the lord , and his reward with his god. he knew ( and knows still ) that he had done all that he had to do , for the reclaiming of his countrymen , and for the reconciling of the world . did the iews want any means , whereby they might know him to be , as he was indeed , the promised messiah ? true , they thought so then , and were ever calling upon him for farther and fuller evidences ; but they were but vain , and false pretences , somewhat the same , or very like to what others still have , as i shall hereafter prove . but whatever they pretended then , i am confident they are now of another minde . whiles men are on earth they have too good thoughts of themselves , and are too apt to entertain hard thoughts of god , and his dealings with them . but i am apt to think , that the damned in hell complain most of themselves . sure the parable ( some will have it a story ) luc. . seems at least to sound this way : for though it sore troubled the rich-man to be in that place of torment , and fain would he have had some relief , though never so little , yet he complains of none beside himself for his coming thither . one saith indeed , that no man goes to hell , but he hath some excuse or pretence for it : and i am of his minde in this , if he mean it of men , whiles they are upon earth . but i much question , whether the damned , when once they arrive at their long home , be not forsaken of all those pretences , and begin to change their minds : however it be ( for i resolve nothing in the case ) the rich-mans desires for his brethren that surviv'd him , shew he thought , that while men are upon earth they may prevent their own damnation . and though he would have had some extraordinary way taken for the salvation of his brethren , yet abrahams answer clears it beyond all question , that they and others like them , have means enough if they will but use them ; they have moses and the prophets : and have not we moreover the evangelists and the apostles ? read luc. . . and resolve , if men will not hear these , no extraordinary appearances will work upon them . questionless abraham in heaven knew the truth , as well as the rich-man in hell. but for what may be said of strange providences , and the good effects of them in some , i shall have occasion to discourse hereafter . though what i have said might serve to clear god , as to his making sufficient provision of means , in order to mans salvation , yet i may not yet lay aside this part of my task . for there lies a great objection that is very obvious , and must be answer'd : the objection arises from the forlorn condition of the gentiles , whiles the partition-wall between them and the iews stood firm ; and the same objection lies now as to pagans , who are without god in the world . for it may be said , since the gentiles of old , and many now are denyed the ordinary means of grace , and saving knowledge ; how can it be maintain'd , that there is a sufficient allowance of means on gods part , and that no man hath cause to complain of any but himself . in answering this argument i have ( i hope ) the apostle to help me , and he helps me to answer thus ; that even those gentiles who had not the written law , ( which the iews had ) were without excuse , rom. . . now if they be without excuse , there needs no more to clear gods justice in their condemnation . but the apostle proves what he saith , and shews why , and how they are without excuse , vers . . because that which may be known of god is manifest in them ; for god hath shewed it unto them , therefore they are without excuse . whatever serv'd to set forth the glory of god , or whatever might excite and move them to glorifie god , all this is manifest in them . and the same interpreter thinks there is a special emphasis in the preposition [ in. ] it notes ( saith calvin ) such a manifestation , as would admit of no evasion , they could not put it off . whatever be the emphasis of that preposition , or whether any at all , it is enough for our purpose , that they withheld the truth in unrighteousness , vers . . they suppressed the inbred true notions , which they had of god. these they kept ( as we use to say ) under hatches , they obscur'd and clouded them , and would not suffer them to shine out , and shew themselves . and this they did in unrighteousness , i. e. by force and violence , saith piscator , and calvin too . some count of an hebraism in the expression ; but if it be otherwise , it serves our turn well enough . it was the base corruption of their hearts that made them oppresse , and keep under the natural light that was in them . the eternal power and godhead were manifested in them , so as they were not , could not be ignorant of them . hence i argue , that they wanted not light , or means to shew them a better way of worshipping god , than the way they took , which was indeed against all reason , as the apostle there proves . consider farther , that they liked not to retain god in their knowledge , vers . . i. e. they hated , and were willing to be rid of that knowledge of god , which they had , and v. . they changed the truth of god into a lye . they heeded not the true , implanted notions of god , but followed their own devices , which carried them to false wayes of worshipping god , under the similitudes of his creatures . now this was an act of their perverse wills , in opposition to , and in dispight , as it were , of their natural principles . nay further , saith the apostle , vers . . when they knew god , they glorified him not as god , neither were thankfull , &c. they glorified him not as became his most excellent divine majesty , which they knew , or might have known so well , as to have served him in a better manner , if they would . they were not thankfull : they had a talent , and would not improve it as they might and should have done : their returns were no way suitable to their receipts . now consider the apostles arguing in this case , and it appears plainly , that he clears god , in condemning the gentiles , upon this account , that they had means and helps to know , and do better , but they rejected them to follow their own inventions . and the same may be said now of any of the heathens alive , to shew , that they also are without excuse , as others that were before them . obj. yea , but god denied them his special grace , which being denied , though they had done their utmost , they could never have improv'd their natural light to discover christ , who is the only name given under heaven , whereby men must be saved , acts . . how then had they a sufficiency of means ? sol. this argument is grounded upon a supposition , which the apostle never takes notice of , even when he labours ex professo , to prove the gentiles justly liable to gods wrath and condemnation . and therefore such a supposition to me seems to be of no great force , though some take much notice of it in their disputings . for my part , i have nothing to do with the controversie that is among the learned , or with stating the question between them . my design in this discourse is only to remove a stumbling block out of the way of the blinde , that hinders too many from walking in the way of gods commandments . and this i may do ( i hope ) without engaging so far in the controversie , as some others have done . i am to prove , that 't is not the want of means to be allowed on gods part , but a wilfull neglect of means on mens part , that will be their condemnation : and hath not the apostle said enough to this purpose in the case of the gentiles ? rom. . yet let me argue a little : what will it avail those gentiles , or any the like , to say in the great day , by all the light which god did lend us , we could never have discovered the only way of salvation ? for may not god answer , what 's that to you ? it concern'd you not at all to enquire what would , or what would not be . i never told you , what i would , or would not do more , in case you had improv'd the talents which you had . i gave you the knowledge of my self , and mine infinite excellencies so far , as to shew you a way of worshipping me in a better manner , than under the resemblances of my meanest creatures . but you have buried your talent , and rebelled against the light you had , and therefore are wicked and idle servants . what is it to me , or any others , what god will , or will not do , in case we do our utmost with what we have ? god , i am sure , is not , cannot be bound , farther than he is pleas'd to binde himself : and how far god hath bound himself to answer the improvement of natural gifts , by an addition of super-natural grace , if i have not learned , i suppose , i need not be ashamed . scripture indeed saith , that to him that hath it shall be given , luke . . and reason shews , that the use of any gift natural , or spiritual , is a means to increase it . but seeing grace and nature are not of the same kinde , 〈◊〉 confess my self ignorant , how far the improvement of nature will avail to the procuring o● grace . and yet i dare not say , god will no● give grace to such as improve nature to the ut●most . for i know not what god will do , an● so it is meet , i leave him to his liberty , as h● hath left himself . i am bold to think , that suc● a supposition , as some make in this case , is al●most to as little purpose , as that question , whe●ther the son of god should have come in the flesh , if adam had never sinn'd ? this we are sure of , that the gentiles , and others have their talents , more or less , and all to be im●proved accordingly ; and if they be not , is go● unrighteous in requiring what he hath given ▪ the idle servant indeed charged his master with austeritie ; but they trifle lamentably , who thereupon dispute the vigour of gods dealing with men , seeing it was not in the minde of christ to note any such austerity , more than to commend usury . yet this is worthy our notice , that no servant made any complaint of his master , besides that idle one . for the scope and drift of the parable , it is to shew ( what is to my purpose ) that they have no colour of excuse in the least , who stifle the gifts of god , and make no advantage of them : yea , it proves clearly , and undeniably , that god will require of all according to the measure of their gifts , as you may see further confirmed , if you please to consult , and compare ephes. . . pet. . . and luc. . . for certain god will require no more than he hath given , and it is as certain he will require so much , and this is but reason . and now let any man that 's but reasonable resolve , whether the veriest heathens , who had the least means and helps , perished for lack of them , or for neglect of them : for to speak as it is , they are condemn'd for abusing their gifts , and chusing to walk in darkness , when they had light to lead them into better wayes and practices . obj. but may not they say , lord , if we had walkt by that light , it would not have serv'd for our everlasting salvation ? sol. and may not god stop their mouths by saying , what is it to you , whether it would have serv'd your turn or no ? what did you know of what might , or would be ? i gave you a stock to trade withall , and you have mispent and wasted it . why did not you that which was your duty to do , in using what i had given you ? you lacked nothing to that , but you had no mind to do what you might have done . you had light enough to convince you of your abominable idolatries , but you would not be turned from them . you knew , or might have known , that i cannot be resembled by any of my creatures , and yet you would needs worship me in the images of men , and beasts , and birds , and creeping things . and now what can they say in reason , to be a sufficient excuse ? they are condemn'd for their sinfull neglects , and not improving their talents : and is not their condemnation just ? whether what they had , would have gain'd eternal life , if they had done their utmost , will be no plea with god ; but they will be found guilty , for not doing what they might have done , by the means they had . take it , if you please , in a plain and familiar similitude . a master gives his servant a task , and so much light to do it : the servant saith , the light he hath will not serve him to finish his task , and therefore never takes his masters work in hand , or doth any part of it , but spends his light in doing nothing , or somewhat of his own business . i ask whether such a servant may not justly be made to suffer ? what was it to him , whether his light would serve for all his masters work ? he ought and should have done as much of it as his light would serve him for . what knew he , whether his master would not have supplied him with more light , if he had found him at work by the light which he had ? i need not apply this , but only adde , that the gentiles never had such a thought , as we suppose the servant to have : but what light they had , they resolv'd to waste it , and never to regard their masters work . nay moreover , what if there was this in it too , that if they had had more light , they would have done as they did ? sure many have far more light , and do as bad as they . but i shall discourse this supposal no farther ▪ the case , i hope , is clear enough , by what hath been said . if any shall further pose me with the case of infants , that never attain to years of discretion , i may truly and justly say , that this case is far beside the question , as i have stated it . however , i shall not so pass it by , but give an account of my thoughts and apprehensions about it , after i have first proclaim'd my ignorance in those things , wherein god hath left me no manifestation of his mind and will. that they are ( as all adams children ) dead in trespasses and sins , and by nature the children of wrath , i verily believe , because that which is born of the flesh , is flesh , john . . so as they must be born again , ere they can see the kingdom of god. that they are capable of grace , and by consequence of glory , i also believe , because the lord ordained and appointed such little ones , to receive the seal of the righteousness of faith . but for their everlasting estate , it is to me ( as i suppose to all others ) a secret , so as i can resolve nothing . only i incline to think , that some of them are saved , and some perish in their sin . but who are the one , and who the other , who can say ? one of the antients ( quoted and allowed by some of our eminent divines ) saith thus , viz. it is even by infants manifest , that many be not saved , not because of themselves , but because god will not . and that they perish not for any actual , wilfull sins , or rejecting the light either of grace or nature , we may ( i suppose ) justly and safely yield , because they never use or exercise reason or discretion . yet all of them being the cockatrice eggs , if they are some of them crush'd , and kill'd in the shell , there 's no cause nor occasion of questioning the judgement of god , since 't is for sin only they are condemn'd . may not the lord use his liberty in punishing sin sometimes in such young sinners , so long as ( we all grant it ) they are of the serpents brood ? and now i am afraid to wade any further , lest at next step i should be over head and ears . i shall therefore rest in the answer i gave at first , desiring only , it may be consider'd of , that god , who knoweth all most perfectly from eternity to eternity , cannot but know what those cast-away children would have done , if they had liv'd to years of discretion . but these are secrets , such as i should never meddle with , if i were not accasioned to it by others curiosity . that some infants are saved , no man ( i suppose ) questions , as also that they are sayed only by the grace of the covenant in our lord jesus christ. yet here is a secret of divine providence in governing the world , to cut off such grafts newly implanted into christ , so as they never grow to bear any fruit . but these ( i say again ) are secrets which belong unto the lord : the revealed things belong unto us , & with these we ought to content our selves . and the same is to be said in the case before , viz. that some sinners die in infancy , others in youth , some in middle age , and others not till they are very old , and all perish , though all attain not to the same pitch of rebellion against the lord. to say no more , in such cases , i must confess , i know not what to say , because i desire to be wise only according to what is written , and for the wayes of god in his providence ▪ i had rather in silence adore them , than in pride and curiosity ( as some ) to pry into them . if any shall object , that 't is a glorious and singular priviledge to have the means of grace , as the iews had above others , psal. . , . rom. . , . i grant it , and say also , that 't is a most dreadfull calamity to want them . but this is no argument against what i have undertaken to prove , seeing god hath not left himself without witness towards all , so as they are without excuse upon this account , viz. because they neglected , and no way improv'd the talents with which they were entrusted . god ( as we see ) gives some persons more wit , and others more wealth , &c. yet they who have less , are liable to accounts for what they have , because it is a trust , though less than some others have . as for others , who are not as the gentiles , nor as infants , one would think the case , as to them , were much clearer . for they have means as much as any ever had ; and yet even these have somewhat to say for themselves . obj. true , we have the gospel preached to us , and plenty of precious means ( as you call them ) to know christ : but to what purpose , so long as we are one way or other shut out , so as not one , nor all , nor any of these means shall ever have any effect on us for our salvation ? for this purpose they alledge , . an absolute and irrecoverable decree of god , that shuts out more than shall be received in . . the narrowing of christs death by some , as to the extent of it , that a great many may well think themselves uncapable of any benefit by it . . the lamentable estate of all men since adams fall , under an invincible inability , to recover themselves from that estate , more than a dead man hath to raise and lift himself out of the dust . these are the stumbling blocks which too many lay in heavens way , to hinder their own salvation ; and i cannot pass them by , without using my endeavours to remove them . for these have been , and still are , unhappy occasions to many , of putting off all the blame from themselves , yea , and obliquely , by consequence at least , to charge god himself . in answering these objections , i am no way bound to engage in the controversies that still are among the learned , nor shall i resolve one way or other to the prejudice of any party , but leave them to end their quarrels as they can . all the business i have to do , is to apply my self to the capacities ( and if the lord so please , to resolve the doubts ) of those that understand nothing , or very little of these matters , more than to make them so many stumbling-blocks , to hinder themselves and others in their way to heaven , and sad occasions of blessing themselves in their own hearts , whiles they walk on in their own imaginations , to adde drunkenness to thirst . and now i come to particulars after i have premised this one thing in general , viz. that let the decrees of god be as absolute , as any of the learned have made them ; or the death of christ as much narrowed in the extent of it , as ever it hath been by any , yet my conclusion will stand firm , that men only are wanting to themselves , and no charge in the least can justly be laid upon god. sol. . in answering the first objection from gods absolute decrees , i shall say enough in this , that they are to us secret things , and cannot be known by us till the event declare them . we will suppose every mans name , who is certainly and infallibly ordained to eternal life , to be recorded , and all , and every of them● and no other to be saved . this , i say , we suppose , resolving nothing in the question : but this i say too , that if this be granted , yet there will be no excuse by it for any ungodly men . and my reason is this , because no man can know himself left out of that book of life , till he comes to lye down under the power of death , and so be past all possibility of working out his salvation . whatever is said in scripture of gods electing some , and leaving others ( take it in the strictest and most rigid sense of any ) certainly no part of holy writ hath revealed to us , who those men are , so as we can know them . the day is yet to come , when the books of gods decrees shall be opened : the written word of god serves only to shew the revealed will of god , which if any man , without all exception , be carefull to observe , he is sure of eternal life , unless god fail of his promise , which indeed he cannot do . gods decrees are his arcana imperii , mysteries of state not to be pried into , but in all humility to be ador'd , because though never so secret , yet they are alwaies most righteous . in kingdomes and commonwealths on earth , subjects have nothing to do with reasons of state , but are bound to obey the known laws , which if they be careful to observe , they may justly expect to lead a peaceable and quiet life : the lord hath shewn thee , o man , what is good , and what he requireth of thee . be carefull to do this , and thou needst take no other care for thy salvation ; thou mayst assure thy self that thy name is written in the book of life . and for thy fuller assurance ▪ consider what is clearly revealed in scripture , viz. that the sentence of life and death shall pass at the last day , only according to what men have done , with respect to gods commandments . hence we read so often in scripture of gods rewarding men according to their works , and according to what they have done in the body . i need not quote the several texts that are to this purpose . the grand inquest at the great day of the lord , will not be , whether thou art elected , or not , but whether thou hast observed to do as god hath commanded thee . if thou hast received the lord jesus christ , as he is tendered to thee in the gospel , and hast denied all ungodliness and worldlly lusts , and lived soberly , and righteously , and godly in this present world , there will be no question of thy salvation in the world to come . sol. . i answer yet further , that gods decrees ( be they never so absolute and infallible ) do no way in the least infringe the liberty of second causes , but men act as freely in all they do , as if there were no decrees at all : suppose there was a decree of adams fall ( we assert nothing , but only suppose it ) yet adam was at liberty , whether to stand or fall . 't was never said by any sober man , that there was ever any decree , more than of permitting the fall of man. for certain , god did not force him to fall , or cast him down , but he might have stood if he would himself . the reverend and learned davenant ( with others ) so resolves , that man fell according to gods decree , but not because of it . and the schoolmen resolve unanimously , † that gods decrees do not infringe mans liberty . suppose again all the actions of men to be under a decree , yet no man hath said , that mens actions , good and bad , are alike under it . for if they were , no man could possibly clear god from being the author of sin : but there is this difference , that god decrees the good actions of men , so as to allow of them , yea , and to effect them by his grace and power ; the evil only to permit them , to order and overrule them , for his most righteous and holy ends . alvares and others , conceive it impossible for us in our understanding to reconcile these two , viz. the absoluteness of gods decree , and the liberty of mans will ; but they say not , that they are inconsistent , and there is reason to shew they are not : . because ( as 't is confessed by all ) when the will of man determines it self to one thing ▪ it doth not loose its liberty ; but though it actually chuse one , yet even then it hath power to chuse another . . gods decree doth not abolish , but only order mans liberty , by inclining the will one way or other , according to its nature . . the decree of god establisheth the liberty of mans will. for he so determines in his will , as the agency of second causes shall be according to their condition , i. e. natural causes shall work naturally ; voluntary causes , freely . though gods decree excludes the act o● event that 's contrary to it , yet not the liberty of man to the contrary , as was said before . moreover , god decrees , not only the things that are to be done , but also the manner how they shall be done , either voluntarily , or necessarily . now things are done necessarily or contingently , ●n respect to second causes , not to the first , who worketh all most freely , according to the counsel of his will. and so , what god hath decreed to come to pass by free agents , alwaies comes to pass most freely . iudas was as free , and might have forborn to betray his master , as ●f there never had been any thing foreseen or foretold about it . and so were the souldiers ●ree to have broken christs bones , as well as the others . i shall shut up this with what i find in one of ours , whose judgement i much value , as doth every one ( i suppose ) that 's any way acquainted with his writings . our adversaries ( saith he ) belye us , when they say , our opinion touching predestination , maketh us deny free-will . for we think indeed our will is moved effectually by gods will in all our actions : which being the most effectual and universal cause of all things , qualifies our will , and inclines it to the action : yet doth it not follow hereupon , that therefore we think our own will hath no freedome , but only that the freedome thereof depends upon a former freedome , which is the freedome of gods will. and if we hold further ( as some divines do ) that gods will determines ours , and his decree flows into all the effects of our will , so that we do nothing , but as he directs our will , and purpose ; yet this excludes not our own freedome , nor makes god the author of sin , nor implyes any inevitable necessity in our doing . the reason is , because god moves not our will violently enforcing it , but leaves an inward motive within our selves , th●● stirs it up , which is the act of our vnderstanding whereby we judge the things good or evil , that w● will or nill . for in the proceeding of our wil● first , the mind apprehends some object , and o●●fers it to the will ; then upon the full and perfe●● judgement of the understanding , the will follow● or refuses it , as the understanding judges it goo● or bad . and so this act , or judgement of our ●●●derstanding , is the root from whence the 〈◊〉 choice of our will ariseth , in such manner , 〈◊〉 whatsoever it be that goes before the act of 〈◊〉 will , or sets in with it to encline it ( as go● will doth ) as long as it destroyes not , nor enforc● this practical judgement of reason , the liberty 〈◊〉 our will is not taken away . and herein stands 〈◊〉 true concord between gods predestination and ma●● will , that the free and immutable counsel 〈◊〉 gods will , goeth indeed in order before the opera●●●on of our will , or at least together with it , 〈◊〉 determines and circumscribes it . but for 〈◊〉 much as it neither enforces our will , nor takes ●●way our judgement , but permits it freely to lea●● and perswade the will , it expels not our liberty but rather cherishes and upholds it : for wheres●●ever these two concurr , viz. freedome from vi●●lence and necessity , and the full consent of reaso● there is the whole and true reason of liberty . now i desire , it may be observ'd , that thi● reverend and learned man saith only , tha● some divines ( not all ) do hold , that gods wi●● determines ours , and his decree flows into all th● effects of our will , &c. and indeed , it is yet a great question ( as well it may ) with many ▪ ●ow farr the decree and unchangeable counsel ●f god doth determine our will about any thing we do . to me it is , and ( i think ) ever will ●e a mystery , as some profess it is to them ; and ●herefore , from a matter so difficult and disputa●le , it is dangerous and desperate in any man to ●●ferr , what is directly contradictory to his du●y , so plainly laid before him in the written word of god. for this is plain , and there can ●e no question about it : but the other ( i say ●gain ) is to us very uncertain ; and what some ●alk of gods determining our wills , and all our ●ctions , is very much question'd , and doubted of by others , and that for good reason , it being so mysterious , and so hard , if not impossible to be apprehended by us , as it is . but whatever our divines hold touching predestination , the meaning is not ( as that learned man in the place before cited hath it ) that god by his providence infuseth any constraint into the mind of man to enforce it , or any errour to seduce it , or imposeth any necessity to bind it ; but only that he enclines , and orders it to work freely , that which he hath determined for his own glory ; and besides , his preserving the faculty thereof , moves and applyes it to the object , and work , that it willeth , or nilleth . and all this is no more , than that mans will is subject to gods providence , which no sober man will deny , or question . but to reason the case more familiarly ; . let men ask themselves , whether they do not freely and willingly chuse their own ungodly wayes , and they cannot ( i am sure ) say to the contrary . for their consciences will te●● them , that in all their ungodly wayes , the● only consult to satisfie their lusts , and neve● have one thought of what god hath decreed . i ask further , . whether any man can possibly act in a way of wickedness , with a respect to the fulfilling of gods decrees , seeing no ma● can know , what those decrees are ? we re●● indeed , act. . , . that herod and pi●late , &c. did what the hand and counsel of go● had determined before-hand . yea , the devil himself , in all his doings , is within the compass o● gods counsel ; else what sad work would h● make in the world ? but how can a man act , so as to intend his action , according to that whic● he knows not , nor doth ever consider of ? wha● is it to any ungodly man , what god hath de●creed , when he resolves with himself , that 〈◊〉 will do according to his will , and serve his lust● whatever god hath said to the contrary ? tha● it falls out according to the counsel of god , 〈◊〉 beside , and against his intention , who wal● only after his own counsels : and so he do●● whatever he doth , wickedly of choice , and free●ly . how can it be otherwise ? for he doth 〈◊〉 gladly , and he rejoyceth to do evil . free-wi●● ( as one hath observ'd ) is so farr from being 〈◊〉 in a sinner , as that all , who sin with delight an● pleasure , do more especially sin by their free-wil● ▪ 't is not the absolute decree of god , that sway●● them to their ungodly courses ; but they deligh● in their abominations , and sin , and dye in thei● sin , because they freely chuse so to do . i need say no more to this , if men would spea● what they know by themselves . god is not so much ( if i may so say ) beholden to them , that they should do any thing for his s●ke . they do not damn their souls , to fullfil his will , but their own lust . they talk ●ndeed sometimes ( as men do in their sleep ) of they know not what themselves , what god hath decreed must be , and there 's no avoiding it : but they do not serve their lusts , with any respect to gods decree , more than iudas , who in ●elling his master , look'd at nothing but the money that was to be gain'd by the bargain . to shew more plainly , how little there is to be had from gods decrees , to excuse ungodly men , consider , that all who had an hand , or heart in the death of christ , were therein guilty of most horrible sin , though they did what the ●and and counsel of god had determined before , act. . , . and act. . . though he were delivered by the determinate counsel and fore-knowledge of god , yet was he crucified and slain by wicked hands . whereas ioseph , a counsellour , was a good man , and a just , though he consented not to the counsel and deed of them that slew christ : yea , therein he proved himself a good , and a just man ; whereas if he had acted , or consented , as others did , he had been guilty , as farr as they . sol. . no man sober , and in his senses , ever said , or thought , that men are damn'd , because god hath decreed them to be damn'd . scripture ( i am sure ) speaks another reason of mens damnation . death is the wages of sin , ro. . . tribulation and anguish upon the soul of every man that doth evil , ro. . . god shall come in flaming fire , to render vengeance on them that know not god , and that obey not the gospel of our lord iesus christ , thess. . , . the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of god ▪ cor. . , . and in this place we have a catalogue of them who shall be damn'd ; as also eph. . , . where , after the naming o● some , as whoremongers , unclean persons , th●● shall not inherit the kingdom of christ , and 〈◊〉 god , v. . the apostle gives this caution , l●● no man deceive you with vain words , for because of these things , cometh the wrath of god upon th● children of disobedience . for these , and such a● these , fornication , adultery , and all uncleanness , drunkenness , and prophane swearing , &c ▪ for these men are damn'd . there 's no noti●● taken of gods decree , as the cause or occasio● of mens damnation . they on christs left hand at the last day , plead indeed , that if they we●● faulty , it was unwittingly , and they were not a●ware of it : but not one word of gods decree fore-ordaining them unavoidably to damnatio● as some men plead now . and as wise as the count themselves , i am confident , they will se● better at the last day , and know , that their ow● evil wayes , and doings , and not gods decree● brought death and destruction upon them . in●deed , god never passed any decree to condem● any man , but for his sin and impenitency ; 〈◊〉 which , if he be not found guilty , i know of 〈◊〉 decree of god to damn him . but as we say o● some men , for their excessive feeding , that they digg their graves with their own teeth : so w● may say of others , for their inordinate living , that they digg their hell with their own hands . they are damn'd for nothing , but their wickedness , wherein they were incorrigible , and would not be reclaimed . would ungodly ones repent , and reform , and chuse the wayes of gods commandements , they would answer this objection to better purpose , than i , or any man else can . and yet this i 'le warrant them , upon no worse ground than gods word , that if they repent , and cast away all their transgressions , there is no decree of god shall rise up in judgement to condemn them . but for the further clearing of this d. answer , i shall add somewhat out of some of the ancients . god may save a man , without his merits , because he is good : but he cannot damp a man , without his demerits , because he is just . for ( as another hath it ) when god shews mercy , and pardons , he gives of his own , and doth it of himself : but when he condemns , and punishes , he could not be righteous , if there were not something in us to deserve it . how farr god may use his absolute soveraign power , and prerogative-royal , in exposing the most innocent creature to suffer torments , i have no mind to dispute , though i am not wholly ignorant , of what some have discoursed about it once ; this i am confident of , that god never dealt so with any of his creatures , nor ever will , lam. . . he doth not afflict willingly , &c. his bounty and kindness floweth from him freely of it self : his severity ariseth from somewhat in us . true , he inflicted the greatest torments , that ever were , upon his own son , who was in himself more innocent and unspotted than any angel. but the reason is obvious . the son of god voluntarily engaged himself to be surety for sinful man , and so by his own act and deed contracted a debt , which he was bound to pay upon that account , and not otherwise . and now , though i have said so much , i must yet say more , in answer to this first objection ; for it will be said , obj. that where there is an absolute decree ( as some hold ) there is an impossibility , for some at least , to escape damnation . and though god damn no man , but for his sin ; yet the event is infallible , so as they who are not under the decree of election , must needs be damn'd however . sol. . we know no decree , leaving men destitute of all such grace , as would save them , i● themselves were not in fault . sol. . all necessity is not inconsistent with mans liberty , but he may be said to chuse his own destruction , notwithstanding any such dedree . when a man is doing any thing , it is necessary , because he cannot do , and not do at once , but when he is in doing , he hath still hi● liberty , not to have done it , or to have done otherwise . though there be a necessity of the consequence , there is none of the consequent . and if there be any force in this argument , then by the same reason , god must be ignorant , who shall be saved , and who damn'd . for let it be granted , that god knows precisely , who shall be saved , and who damn'd , there is an unavoidable necessity of the event accordingly , or god must not be omniscient , and infallible . obj. if any object , a knowledge in god , whereby he foresees things to come , not absolutely , but conditionally , what men , or angels may do , by the freedome of their will , ( no decree of god going before ) considering them in such and such a condition , with such and such circumstances . sol. i answer , that god knows such conditional things absolutely and perfectly , though they never take effect . so he foresaw , that abimelech would have defiled sarah , and therefore hindred him . he knew certainly , that the men of keilah would have delivered up david , and therefore prevented it , by sending david away ▪ he saw the people would repent , when they should see war , and return into egypt , and therefore led them about by another way . these were things that should come to pass in case only , if they had not been prevented , and yet god knew them absolutely and certainly . for an hypothetical may be true in the connection and consequence , though it be false in both the parts of it . saul came not down , nor was david delivered up to him ; yet this was true , that if saul had come down , the keilites would have delivered up david : and this god knew absolutely and infallibly . and as certainly doth god know , what wicked men will do , if he leave them to themselves , and what will be the end of them ; and cannot , by reason of his infinite understanding , he puzzled ( as we poor creatures are ) with conditionalities . now if he certainly knows the end of ungodly men , ( whatever his decree be ) the event must be according , or god is not infallible in his fore-knowledge . i would also be answer'd in this , viz. why men quarrel so much with the decrees of god , in the matters and concernments of their souls , and never make any question about them in other things ? why do they dress , and plow , and sow their land , and never question , what god hath decreed about the harvest ? for , i hope , all men will grant , that when they have us'd their utmost skill and endeavour in husbandry , they may yet carry out much , and bring in little , and perhaps nothing . else , why do they say their prayers , and begg of god their daily bread ? i take it for granted also , if they pray at all , they pray for grace to do gods will , and to keep that way , wherein they may have eternal life . and do not they in these prayers acknowledge , that whatever their endeavours are , the end and event of all is from god only ? now here is somewhat which i cannot sufficiently wonder at , viz. that men will neglect no means , likely to effect their ends , in and about civil and worldly affairs ; and yet in the matters of their souls , will not be perswaded to use the means which god hath appointed , pretending they know not , what god hath decreed . no man saith , let my land lie fallow as it is , i 'le not be at the trouble or charge to plow or sow : if god have so decreed , i shall have a good harvest however . or if any man should so argue , and make no improvement of his estate , but come to beggery , his neighbour-good husbands will not be much puzzled , to give a reason of it . they will say presently , he might have maintain'd himself as well as they , if he would have been a good husband . for they find by experience , that by their pains in manuring their land , they have enough to live upon ; and whiles they do what belongs to them , and leave the issue to god , he is not wanting to them , in his blessing upon their endeavours . i need not apply this to the present case , whoever reads , may do it . i shall therefore proceed to tell thee , whoever thou art that repliest , or disputest so much in this case , that gods decree ( whatever it be ) never excludes , but alwayes implies the use of means on our part , for obtaining our desired ends . thou knowest not the number of thy dayes , and yet wilt not forbear thy daily bread , and say , i shall live so long as god hath determined : nor wilt thou , for that reason , stabb thy self at the heart . why wilt thou be so perverse , as to argue so unreasonably about thy soul , and salvation , when thou never dost so about any thing else , that concerns thee never so little . but 't is no hard matter to know the reason ; and these men might easily see it , if they had but a mind to it . they are wedded ( as we say ) to their wills , and resolv'd to serve their lusts : and being thus resolv'd , they are asham'd to own so base a design ; and therefore set their wits on work , to find out somewhat , that may serve to set a fair gloss upon their unworthy and base practices . and this will one day be found to be so indeed , however they state the question now . they love their 〈◊〉 and will not leave them , though they lose 〈◊〉 souls : but they would not have others think so of them ; nor can they abide to reason it alone , with their consciences in cool blood . hence they consider , how they may lay the blame some-where beside themselves ; and rather than fail , let god himself bear it , though of all others he least deserves it . this , and nothing else , causes all the adoe , that 's made in the world about gods decrees . but learn in time , o vain men , whoever you are , that so quarrel : for god will easily wipe off all these aspersions , and needs not for your sakes , to lay aside his infinite excellencies . what! must god have no certain fore-knowledge of things future , nor any disposing hand or counsel over and about his creatures , but presently they must rise up , and say , he hath determin'd them by an infallible decree , ( no less in effect , than to say ) he hath enforc'd them against their wills , to do wickedly , and to damn themselves for ever ? i tell thee , in gods name , whoever thou art , whatever god hath decreed , ( for that i determine not ) life and death are before thee , and thou art free to chuse which thou wilt . he doth indeed order and over-rule thee ▪ in all thou dost : how else should he be , what he is ? but he doth not compel , or enforce thee to any thing ; but leaves thee to act , as a reasonable creature , according to thine own choice ; as i shall hereafter shew in my answers to the third grand objection . what hath been said in answer to this first , may suffice , i hope , to satisfie such as have indeed a mind to save their souls . for such as will not leave tampering with gods decrees , in hope to find some colour for their impenitency , and obstinacy in sin , i shall leave them to try it out with god , when he shall come to judge the world , in assured confidence he will then plead his own cause , as they shall have nothing to answer . the second great objection against my conclusion , may be thus formed . obj. . if christ died not for all , and every man , ( as many say ) then god hath not sufficiently provided for all mens salvation : but christ died not for all , &c. ergo , &c. the force and strength of this argument lieth on this , that our salvation depends upon christs satisfaction for us . hence it follows , that if christ , by his death , have not satisfied for a great many , they are left to perish , for want of that provision ▪ and so they are not to be blam'd , though they die in their sins . sol. the dispute , that hath been , and still is , about the extent of christs death , i shall not meddle with , so as to determine any thing one way , or other , because i hope to do my work , without engaging my self so farr . for gods intent and counsel in delivering his son to death , and christs intention in undergoing death , they are to me , and ( i suppose ) to others also , hidden , so as we cannot say , for these christ died , and not for those . it belongs to gods will of purpose , whatever it be , and therefore we cannot resolve any thing about it . for gods will of precept , we know what it is , viz. he that believeth , shall be saved ; and he that believeth not , shall be damned , marc. . . this is the gospel , which christ before his ascension charg'd his apostles to preach , and i know of no other , god so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten son , that whosoever believeth on him should not perish , but have everlasting life , joan. . . this gospel i believe with all my heart , because i never find in scripture , that men are condemn'd , because no price was paid for them , but only for unbelief . heb. . . so we see , they could not enter in , because of unbeleef . an evil heart of unbelief , is all they are warn'd to beware of , v. . vid. also heb. . fin . with many places besides in the new testament , which i need not cite . hence i am bold to resolve , that no man lieth under a necessity of perishing in his sin , who lives and dies not in unbelief : or thus , that christ died , and satisfied so farr , as whosoever believeth , shall he saved ; and that men shall be damn'd , only upon the account of unbelief . for this ( i say again ) is the gospel we are bound to preach ; and this is the gospel , according to which god will judge the world. in that day , the question will not be , whether we were of the number , for whom christ died ; we shall be question'd only , why we did not believe in christ , offer'd to us in the gospel . quest. but here it will be ask'd by some ▪ whether they , who never had the gospel preached to them , as we , and many others have had it , shall be condemn'd for not believing on christ , whom they never heard of ? sol. . i dare not say ( as some ) that if they had improv'd their natural knowledge of god to the utmost , they might have been sav'd by the kindness and mercy of god , without the knowledge of christ the mediator , because the scripture saith , there is no other name given under heaven , &c. act. . . . whatever the account be , upon which they perish , the apostle hath resolv'd in terms , ro. . . that they are inexcusable . . i am not able to apprehend , how gods works of creation , as sun , moon , and stars , &c. did preach christ to them . . i shall only offer somewhat , wherein i dare not be peremptory , but shall leave it to the consideration of such as are judicious , viz. that the heathen of old , who had not the law of god , as israel had ; yet heard the report and fame of the god of israel , and thereupon ought to have enquir'd after him , the only living and true god , who alone is to be praised , and served in such wayes , as he himself hath appointed . and the rather , because by their natural light , they might have discover'd , that what they worshipp'd , could not be god , and that the true god cannot be worshipp'd by mens hands , act. . . that which first enclined and encouraged me to this conceit ( as most may count it ) was , what the apostle hath said of rahab , heb. . . by faith the harlot rahab perished not , with them that believed not , &c. here are two things , which i desire may be observed concerning her . . her faith , which was no less than a justifying , saving faith ; else her name had not been enroll'd amongst those worthies , that are there recorded . and iac. . . she is said , to be justified , in the same manner as abraham was . . that she came by he● faith , only by the report she heard of the god of israel , as she professeth ; iosh. . . th● lord your god , he is god in heaven above , an● in earth beneath . and v. , . she professeth , she had heard , what god had done for israel , such as no other god could do ; and for this cause she desired to joyn her self to the people of the god of abraham , and to have her lot with them . and so doing , she perished not with those that believed not . who were they ? questionless her neighbours , the men of iericho , and all the am●rites ( except the gibeonites ) who , notwithstanding they heard the same things reported , resolved to fight it out against god , and his people israel . and did not the gibeonites the same ? iosh. . . for they so answered for themselves , when ioshua questioned them : it was certainly told thy servants , how that the lord thy god commanded his servant moses to give you all the land , and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you ; therefore we were afraid of our lives , because of you , and have done this thing . what they did , the rest of the canaanites should have done , and have been content to be hewers of wood , &c. that so they might serve and worship the living and true god. sure , the rest of the inhabitants of cana●n heard and knew as much as the gibeonites did ; but they hardned their hearts , and so perished in ●heir unbelief . we read also of the kenites , who were the children of hobab , the father in law of moses , who chose to joyn themselves to the israelites ; and why might not others have done ●he like ? and may not the queen of sheba be ●n instance to the same purpose ? read the sto●y , reg. . and mat. . . and why should not the syrians all believe , as well as naaman , reg. . seeing they knew as well as he , the miracle which the god of israel had wrought upon him ? questionless , that and other miracles were done to convince the heathen . once this is clear and certain , that the iews were a people hated of all other nations , and that upon this account only , because their laws were different from all people , ester . . how should they be otherwise ? for they were the laws of iehovah , the living and true god , condemning all the ●dolatries , and superstitious vanities of the heathen . but the heathen should not therefore have hated the israelites , as they did ; but rather have cast away their abominations , and sought , and served the god of israel , as he had commanded . questionless the spite of all other nations against israel , was the old hatred , that is in all men by nature , against god , and all that is of god. it might be said of the israelites then , as some of them said of the christians afterward : they were a sect ( or sort of people ) every where spoken against . now 〈◊〉 could never have been so , but that the gentiles had heard of the israelites way of worshipping the lord iehovah , and yet hated them upon that account . and do not all nations , at this day , hear the report of our lord jesus christ ? do not turks and tartars know the god of the christians , and blaspheme him ? so do infidel iews , and all the pagans at this day in asia , africa and america ; and yet they enquire not after him , care not to own , or serve him ; but still worship the works of their own hands , yea , ( to speak with scripture ) devils . may we not therefore say , have they not heard ? yes verily the sound of christ , and the gospel , is gone out into all the earth . quest. if any shall yet quarrel gods dispensations towards the gentiles , both of old , and now adayes , because the light of gospel-truth is not alike imparted to all , by an equal proportion of means ; for that end , sol. i shall ask them , whether god may not take the same liberty , that men do many times , and yet are no way questioned for it ? must he be tied up , and bound to terms , such as we our selves would not ? may not he take , and use his liberty , in the dispensing of his own gifts , specially when he leaves none without witness ? i wish men would read and meditate on mat. . . where you may see , how ill the lord takes it , to be questioned and quarrelled in that inequality , which seems to be so to us . what if god see , that if they had more light and means than we , and some others have , that they would rebel the more , as we , and many others do ? is it not enough , to make them inexcusable , that they hear , where life and salvation is to be had ? sure , they cannot say truly , they have not heard . they hear ( for ought i know ) as much as rahab did ; and they must say , if they speak truth , we have heard of jesus christ , but we did not like him , to believe in him , as the christians do . and may they not then be said to perish , as the men of iericho , heb. . . who believed not ? they should have given credit to those common and confessed reports of god , and his wonderful works for his people : but they despised them , as light news ; and refused to be at the pains of any further enquiry after god. and for this they are charged with unbelief , as rahab , on the contrary , is commended for her faith. and do not the turks and heathen now the same , or the like ? i have yet one thing more to offer , viz. that the gentiles of old , who were a people farr off , had wilfully separated themselves from noah's and shem's families , in which the worship of god was preserved , and kept pure for a while : and so did others , before the flood , separate themselves ▪ and therefore in their idolatries ( unto which they were given up ) received the recompence of their errour , that was meet ; god most righteously punishing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children in after-ages , by leaving them without the means of grace and knowledge , which some others had . and yet ( as you heard before , he left not himself without sufficient witness against them . but the chief design of this discourse being 〈◊〉 shew , how inexcusable they are , who have th● light of gospel-truth , but do nor walk in it ; shall proceed to enquire into the case of these that turn the grace of our lord jesus christ into wantonness , some way or other receiving it i● vain . for these ( i say again ) do not perish for want of a remedy , but only for not applying it . for proof hereof , i appeal to ioan . ▪ god so loved the world , that he gave his only be●gotten son , that whosoever believeth on him , shoul● not perish . here 's enough said , to shew , tha● god is not wanting to men , but that they ar● wanting to themselves . there 's provision made such , and so much ▪ as none can perish , 〈◊〉 they who refuse to make use of it . whosoeve● believeth on him , shall have everlasting lif● ▪ what can be said or done more on gods part ▪ what constructions are made of this scripture b● many , i shall not mention , but shall give th● sense of calvin upon it . the love of go● here testified ( saith he ) respects humanugenus , mankind ; and a note of universality 〈◊〉 added , to invite all promiscuously to the par●taking of this life , and to cut off all excus● ( observe that ▪ from such as believe not . fo● this purpose ( saith he ) the word [ world ▪ is used , to shew , that though there be nothing in the world worthy of gods love and favour● yet to shew himself gracious to the whole world , he calls all without exception to the faith of christ. indeed he saith too , that life eternal is offer'd unto all , so as notwithstanding faith is not of all . and in this he confesseth , the special grace of god to some particular persons . let it also be considered , that the word [ world ] cannot rationally be taken in any other sense . for in the next verse , it is meant of the world , whereof some are saved , and some perish , ( as reverend davenant observes ) and that they who perish , perish only because they believe not on the son of god. i shall not debate , what advantage the coming of christ into the world brought to such , as make no use , reap no benefit by it . certainly it states the question beyond all dispute , that as faith only saves , so unbelief only condemns , which is all i have to prove . for there 's not the least hint of any defect on gods part , but all the fault is said on man alone , in not believing on the son of god sent into the world , not to condemn , but to save it . and here let calvin speak what he thought in this case : certum quidem è , non omnes ex christi morte fructum percipere : sed hoc ideo fit , quia eos impedit sua incredulitas . in ep. ad heb. cap. . v. . 't is only by infidelity , that all are not partakers of the benefits of christs death . let me now argue a little further , why do we perswade all men , without exception , to believe on christ , with a promise of salvation by him , if they believe ? is it reasonable to do so , if we are not perswaded , there is sucfficient provision made , so as nothing is wanting , if there be faith to receive it ? as i take it , we should not perswade men to believe on christ , by telling them , if they believe , then christ died for them : rather , as i suppose , we may safely tel● them , that christ died for them , and thereupon perswade them , to believe on him . we are bound to believe , that the thing is true , before we can believe our share in it . the object is in order of nature , before the action . my belie● makes not a thing true ; but it is true in it self ▪ and therefore i believe it . and this is the method of scripture ▪ as farr as i know . the feas● was first prepared , and then the guests were invited : all things are ready , come unto the marriage , mat. . . the iews , who are the guests there invited , refus'd to come : but were they not cast utterly off , and put into that condition , wherein they abide unto this day , upon this account , that the son of god came to his own , and his own received him not ? how could they refuse , if there were no provision made for them ? or justly perish only for refusing ? i am very willing to believe , that christ was offer'd for me , before he was offer'd to me ; and that , if i dye in my sins , it is only for my not receiving christ offered to me . sure i am , that scripture never layeth the death of sinners , upon the want of a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or price of redemption ; but alwayes upon unbelief , disobedience , neglect of , and setting light by christ , and the things of christ. and this is enough to ser●e my turn ▪ that scripture never hints any impediment to mens salvation , more than an evil heart of unbelief . for the intention of god , and christ , what is that to me , or any man else , seeing it is secret ? the revealed things belong to us ; and we shall ( for certain ) be question'd one day only , why we did not accept of christ , when he was tendred to us ? it will not then excuse us , to say , we could not tell , whether we were of those , whom christ intended to save . once we have the command of god , to believe on the son of god ; and we have a sure promise , if we believe , to be saved . and this , and nothing else , will be the condemnation of the world , viz. that they disobeyed gods command , and believed not his promise . thus all gods messengers have a warrant to invite all men to believe . but not to invite the devil , though they had an opportunity to speak with him , as any man may speak to another : yea , i am bold to think , it would be any mans sin , to promise salvation to the devil , upon his believing in christ. it were indeed a belying the lord , and saying , he saith , what he hath not said . and it were a deceiving the devil , in telling him , that which is not so . for the consequence of this hypothetical [ if thou believest on the son of god , thou shalt be saved ] is true , as to any man , without exception : but as to the devil , it is ( for ought i know ) false in the connexion , as well as in the parts of it ; because he is none of those , to whom god hath promis'd salvation , upon condition of believing on christ , ioan. . . for the command of god to believe , and his promise of life upon believing , is all the ground-work upon which our faith is built ; and this foundation the devil hath not , for his warrant and encouragement to believe on the son of god. for the son of god took not on him , or took not hold on , or helped not the angels , heb. . . but the seed of abraham . where [ abrahams seed ] notes not the iews only ( as all will grant ) but the gentiles also ; and that expression is us'd , to shew , that christ was the same , that was promis'd to the fathers ; and sets out the benefit of redemption , as belonging to mankind , but not ( if i may so speak ) to devil-kind . beside , it is not the devils sin , not to believe on christ , or not to receive him : he hath sins enough besides , both for number and nature ; and questionless is a greater sinner , than any man can be ; having sinn'd himself out of the greatest happiness ( and that in actual possession ) that a creature is capable of , and sinn'd against that light , which no man on earth can attain unto . but unbelief is not his sin , because there is no command obliging , nor any promise inviting him to believe on christ. but unbelief is the sin of men , yea it is in a manner all sin , as it seals upon a man his other sins , and causeth the wrath of god to abide upon him , ioan. . fin . yea , it is the great aggravation of all sins in this respect , that they might have been all pardon'd , on such easie terms , as believing in the lord iesus christ. we may now bespeak sinners , as naamans servants bespake him : if the prophet had commanded thee some great matter , wouldst thou not have done it , &c. so , if god had requir'd some great matter of us , for our salvation , should we not willingly have done it ? but 't is a very easie thing , that he requireth us to do . the word is nigh us , as the apostle shews , ro. . . we have nothing to do , or suffer , for ●he appeasing of gods wrath , or for the satisfy●ng of his justice , or for purchasing the heavenly ●nheritance . the son of god , in our flesh , hath ●one and suffered all ; and we have nothing to ●o , but to receive him , as he is freely tendred ●nd offer'd to us . the feast is prepared , without any cost or care of ours ; and we are call'd ●o partake of it , with a sure promise of welcome . all this while i forget not , what a contro●ersie there is among the learned , about the extent of christs death , but i dare not touch with it ; and the rather , because it no way concerns me , in the main design of this discourse . ● have no controversie , but with the frowardness and wilfullness of sinners , who are willing to make god the author , both of their sin , and condemnation ; and pretend , that if all men would believe on the lord jesus christ , as they are requir'd , they should not however be saved . these are the men i now deal with , and these i desire to try , ( whatever is controverted amongst the more learned ) whether this be not a truth , viz. that christ hath satisfied so farr , as they shall be saved , if they believe : and to these i say , if they dye in their sins , it is not upon the account of christs not dying for them , but only for their not-believing on him . and for this i appeal to the whole tenour of scripture , and in particular to ioan. . . where the gift of christ is common , but the efficacy of it limited to believing . and good cause why , since christ dyed for none , to save them whether they believe , or not . 't is neither my design , nor desire , to disput● with any , but with unreasonable and wicke● men . and therefore i shall take no notice , 〈◊〉 what is commonly said , viz. that christ dye in the stead , and sustain'd the persons of all , un●to whom the benefit of his death was intende● ▪ only i say , if a summ be paid , sufficient to re●deem so many poor captives , provided the● shall all their dayes serve him that is their r●●deemer ; are they not all redeem'd , thoug● some should refuse the condition , and chuse 〈◊〉 be slaves still ? however , this i affirm , th●● the extent of christs death is such , and so gre●● as i never read , or heard of any one , that p●●rished in his sin , because christ had paid 〈◊〉 price for his redemption . for the tenour of 〈◊〉 gospel , i gave it before , and i have 〈◊〉 learnt any other , than , that he that believe●● shall be saved ; and he that believeth not , shall 〈◊〉 damned . let others dispute , for whom chr●●● dyed , ( i cannot hinder them ) i am sure chr●●● never suffered or satisfied for any , so as th●● shall have the saving benefits of his death , wi●●●out laying hold on him by a lively faith. an● i shall be as sure , on the other side , that wh●●●ever shall believe on the lord jesus , with all 〈◊〉 heart , he shall be saved by him . and this i tak● to be sound doctrine , that may be safely preach●ed to all , and every one , without exception viz. thou , o man , whoever thou art , chri●● dyed for thee ; and if thou believe on him , wit● all thine heart , as god hath commanded thee thou shalt be saved . in this we preach the tenour of the gospel , as you have it before ; and he that thus preacheth christ , will give little encouragement to sinners , except to repent , and turn to god ; and so all sinners should by all means be encouraged . but here is no encouragement to impenitency , or unbelief , because there 's no promise of any benefit by christs death , but only to true believers , and penitents . this then i resolve , that if i , or any other , dye in our sins , it is only , because we believe not on the son of god. for of a truth , i know not how to clear and justifie god , ( as i desire to do ) if any thing done , or not done on his part , be it , that shuts us out from having eternal life . i am ( i confess ) altogether for this , that a wicked , proud , filthy , evil heart of unbelief , and nothing else , stands in the way of mens salvation ; and if that be once taken away , there will be no other hinderance . i have such thoughts of god , as i cannot think , but he hath done his part , so as nothing will be wanting , if we are but heartily willing to do ours . i could indeed say ( what is sufficient in this case ) that no man knows , or can know , ( supposing christs death to be so confin'd , as some will have it ) whether he be one of those , for whom christ dyed not . and therefore , if it were an adventure , a man had better run the hazard , than do worse , by wilfull shipwracking himself , through final impenitency and unbelief . as a man ( one would think ) should not refuse to cast the dice for his life , though he knew for certain , that some or other must dye ; and he cannot be sure , that he shall not be one of them ▪ only ( i say still ) there 's no hazard in believi●● on christ , but in t●is i desire to be resolv'd , whethe● he that beileves not on christ offered in the go●●pel , doth not refuse a fair offer of somewha● that he might have had , if he had believed ? th●● is no position , but only a quaere . if it be an●swered , that unbelievers are damn'd for not obeying gods command , and for not-believin● his promise , i grant , it is so , and their con●demnation , upon that account , is most just ▪ only give me leave to think still , that such re●fuse , what they might have receiv'd , and so 〈◊〉 guilty , as they were , who made light of the i●●vitation , mat. . . and went their waye● ▪ they might have shar'd in the wedding feast , 〈◊〉 well as others , if they would have come . an● therefore i wish all , whom it may concern , t● be very wary , that poor ignorant souls , wh●● are too much bent , and set upon undoing themselves , may have no occasion given them of so doing . for what danger can there be , in saying indifferently , what scripture saith often in terminis , and so pressing all to believe on him ? herein they will remove a stumbling-block ▪ which otherwise many will set up , to cast themselves down . but there is no occasion of stumbling , unless they preach and teach , what they never learn'd from scripture , viz. that chris● gave himself a ransome for all , live as they list , and do as they please , their redemption is purchas'd , and they are sure to be saved however . this indeed would be false doctrine , with a witness , yea , and a vengeance too upon many . but no poor souls will ever complain of their ministers , for telling them the good news of christs dying for them , so long as they tell them withall , how the death of christ will be effectual to them , and not otherwise , viz. by a sound , and a working faith. for the question about absolute and conditional redemption , i am not wholly ignorant of it : but i still resolve to wave all controversies of that nature , and only reason the case with poor souls , that they may not cast themselves away in their perverse disputings , about they know not what ; and in their wilfull neglecting of that salvation , which they are sure to obtain , in a way of believing , and obeying god , and not otherwise . to these i say again , that which is the word of god , who cannot lye : let them repent of their unlawful deeds , deny all ungodliness , and worldly lusts , lead sober , and righteous , and godly lives ; and therein give a sure evidence and proof of their reall closing with , and accepting of christ by faith , that they shall be as certainly saved , as any that are now in heaven . for this is indeed gospel , and this is the word of grace , as they may easily read , if they will but open their bibles . but they may turn over their bibles long enough , or ever they find any text to this purpose , that christ dyed to save them , though they never believe . paul and silas told the jaylor , act. . . believe on the lord iesus christ , and thou shalt be saved . they never scrupled , whether he were one of them , for whom christ dyed ; but preached to him the gospel , as they had received it of the lord : and he doing , as he was commanded , had forthwith as much as he desired , or needed . before i close up this , i shall add one thing more . is there any man alive , of whom any other can , or dare say , this is one of them , for whom christ dyed not ? if there be not , then make no difference , where thou knowest none ; but be wise according to that which is written . this we may all safely resolve upon , we shall never suffer at gods hand , for our ignorance , or neglect of any thing , that god hath not revealed in his word . the things that are revealed , belong unto us , &c. these we are to believe , and obey , and so live . and if there be any man excepted in the act of pardon , except unbelievers , and that only for their unbelief , it is more than i ever read of , or could learn by reading the bible . the third great objection answered . obj. . what is all this that you have said , of christs dying for us , in case we believe , so long as we have no power of our selves to believe , or do any thing , towards the working out of our salvation ? alas ! we would fain relieve our selves , and rise out of the misery we lye under : but we are insufficient of our selves to do any thing ; and thus we have been alwayes taught by our ministers . now it being thus with us , whose fault is it , if we perish , and die in our sins ? sol. let the fault lye where it will , i hope to make it certain and clear , that it lyeth not on gods part ; yea more , that it lyeth only on our part . . if i say , there is no inability in sinful men , but what they have brought upon themselves , i suppose , much is said , for the clearing of god in this case : and this is most certainly true , but i shall not insist upon it , because there is much more to be said , and more to our purpose . . i say , in answer to this grand objection , that there is no inability in man to repent , and believe in christ , and to bring forth good fruits , such as become repentance and faith , which he might not put off , if he himself would . and if this be made good , i suppose , the objection from mans inability , will have little force in it . that man hath brought himself into a miserable incapacity , there is no question ; and that the devil helps to keep him under it , is as unquestionable : but that man may put it off , if he will , may seem at first to be strange , however i hope anon to prove it true . for the insufficiency and inability of a natural man to all , or any spiritual good , i am ( i hope ) as much as any man else , can justly and reasonably be , and i hope to shew my perswasion in this sufficiently , by what i have to say . only i am impatient to hear some discourse ( as sometimes they do ) of mans inability by nature , as if it were a natural and necessary , more than a sinful infirmity . to prevent all mispr●●ion of me in this point i profess my unfeigned faith in these particular● viz. that no man can come to christ , except th● father draw him , joan. . . that chri●● dyed for us , when we were weak , ro. . . s● weak , as if he had not lifted us up by his power we should never have risen again . i know an● acknowledge , that the carnal mind is enmity 〈◊〉 the law of god , and cannot be subject , till go● circumcise the heart , and take away the stone 〈◊〉 of it . i willingly grant , that god works in 〈◊〉 both to will , and to do , philip. . . that 〈◊〉 begins , continues , increases , and accomplishe● the work of his grace in all his people . no● have i any quarrel against any , that cry dow● the ability of man by nature ; for i am fully 〈◊〉 wholly with them , if they will say ( as i ) th●● mans weakness is also his wickedness : as 〈◊〉 law also determines , that there is infirmitas , 〈◊〉 well as necessitas culpabilis . here it will be said , that every one saith 〈◊〉 much . and i take it for a satisfying answer , 〈◊〉 as we shall not further quarrel about it . all tha● i aim at , is this , that they that understan● would express themselves in this , so as vain an● foolish men may not please themselves , in a mis●conceit of their natural infirmity and weakness , 〈◊〉 if it were not their wickedness , and they we●● to be pittied only , but not blam'd for it , or ( a●●most ) not very much . for thus , or to th● purpose , many will discourse upon occasion ▪ that as farr as god shall give them grace , and wherewithall , they are not , and they will not be wanting in their endeavours , to do the best they can . they are by nature , and of themselves , able to do little , or nothing , that good is ; and wish it were otherwise , but how can they help it ? they have a good heart and will ; but they want strength to do what they desire . and what is this , but a favouring themselves , with a kind of reflection upon god , as if he were wanting in somewhat ; and that they might do better , if he had done his part ? besides , i am not ignorant , what an argument is urg'd by some , upon this ground of pleading mans natural inability , and what ado there is to answer it ; when ( i think ) one word would be enough to choak it , as i hope to shew anon . now , for the satisfaction of all these , i grant , there is a lamentable inability in every man by nature ; but this i contend for , that man hath a liberty also , which he shews abundantly , upon all occasions ; and never more , than in his sin , and his resisting god , in all the saving methods used for bringing him to repentance . whatever inability he hath , ( and let him make as much as he can of it ) he hath a liberty too , so much , as he doth most freely chuse all the ungodly wayes , wherein he walks . and this i intend to discourse a while , in answer to the third objection . to say , that a man by nature hath free-will , may seem strange to some ; but it is true however ; and no disparagement at all to the free grace of god , but serves to make all flesh inexcusable before gods judgement seat . to clear this , we must distinguish , as zanchy , and others do , between the nature , and the power of mans free-will . and to this purpose speaks zanchy , in tractat. de lib. arbit . cap. . if we respect the nature of free-will in man , it is alwayes free : but if we consider the power of it , it is a servant to sin , and can of it self do nothing but sin . and to this purpose he cites august . tom. . in euchirid . ad laurent . cap. . man using his free-will amiss , or abusing it , lost both himself , and it . and therefore learned men teach , † that mans will is rather a slave than free . yet the same men , with one consent , write , that the will of every man , whether good or evil , is alwayes free ; so as whatever he wills , whether good or evil , he wills it freely , and without force . and then again he cites august . tom. . contra iul. pelag. lib. . cap. . * free-will is so farr from being lost in a sinner , as by it all do sin , specially such as sin with delight , &c. and then he prosecutes this thesis , † that man after his fall , though he became a servant of sin , hath not lost all his liberty , but still retains that which is natural . and this is nothing else , than what the greek fathers call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which imports a man to be sui juris * , as every man is to the elicite acts of his will , wherein he cannot be forc'd , absolute freedome of will is properly in god , who can neither be compell'd , nor yet order'd , or over-wrought by any other : but we give it to man , so farr , as he is free from all force and compulsion . so any man uses his free-will , as often , as according to the judgement of his own reason , he chuses that which seems best to him ; not forc'd by any principle without , but freely inclin'd by a principle within him . this then is the worst of my meaning , that a sinner is a reasonable creature , and follows the determination of his own reason and judgement , in what he doth . and if man have not this liberty , i know not how he can be a sinner . he hath indeed no good will to what is of god , but the best part of him is enmity against it , ro. . . yet he retains his liberum arbitrium , though he hath lost facultatem ad bonum . the imaginations of mans heart , since the fall , are only and continually evil * . he hates the good , and loves the evil , but both freely . † we have not lost our free-will , but our good-will . indeed we have too much free-will , unless we could use it better ; and this will be our condemnation , that we so willingly and wilfully refused the good , and chose the evil . * we cannot now will that which is our only good , but we freely and willingly refuse it . man alone hath cast himself down : but he cannot alone raise himself up again . it is god that worketh in us , to will , and to do , philip. . . and in this we are his workmanship , eph. . . therefore one hath resolv'd in this case ( to my thinking ) as well as can be : take away grace , and there 's nothing to save : take away free-will , there 's nothing to be sav'd . god gives all grace to all ; but he gives not grace to any , but reasonable creatures . and when he gives that grace , which effectually changeth the heart , he no way infringeth mans liberty . for though it be granted , that god working the will to determine it self , it must determine accordingly ; yet gods working takes not from mans will the power of dissenting , and doing the contrary ; but so inclineth it , as having liberty to do otherwise , yet it actually determineth one way , and not another . so mans free-will is still preserv'd , since without it , i know not , how he can do any thing commendable , or blameable . for what any man is enforc'd unto , is not his good , or evil . paul saith indeed , that he compell'd some to blaspheme , act. . . which cannot be understood otherwise , than that he used all rigour and extremity to draw and drive them to it . but they were not purely compell'd ; if so , the sin had been his , and not theirs . but they chose to blaspheme , rather than suffer ; and this was their sin , which they would have avoided , had they been sound in the faith , as those worthies mentioned heb. . though perhaps paul speaks more his own endeavour , than the event or effect of it upon others . here by the way observe , what a great de●●sion there is in the world , in and about this ●articular , viz. if men be strongly tempted to 〈◊〉 , by any sore penalty threatned , and ready to 〈◊〉 inflicted , they presently call it a [ force ] ●nd perswade themselves , the sin is only theirs , ●ho compell'd them to it . this is a delusion , ●or no man can be forc'd to sin , though he may ●e strongly tempted more wayes than one . for ●o farr as a man is forced , he doth not sin . the force of temptation may make a man do , what else he would not : as a storm causes the mariners sometimes to cast their lading over●oard . but the casuists resolve all mixt actions of this kind , to be more free , than otherwise . men would not indeed do such things , if there were not some weighty consideration moving them ; yet they are not compell'd , for they might do otherwise . a man may be purely forc'd to do somewhat , that he would not ; but his will cannot be forc'd without destroying the nature of it . as farr as a man wills or nills any thing , he wills or nills it freely , though the will hath ( as most think ) necessary dependance in its elicite acts , upon the understanding . obj. but though the will be thus free , yet there is an unavoidable necessity on every man , in his natural estate , so as he cannot but sin in all he doth : for a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit , luc. . . a man by nature is dead in trespasses and sins , eph. . . can a dead man raise himself to life again ? can the aethiopian change his skin , or the leopard his spots ? then may ye also do good , who are ac●customed to do evil , jer. . . sol. for what is urg'd from scripture , i a● farr from gainsaying it , because it contradict● not me , in saying , that every man sins willingl● and wilfully . a man by nature is dead in 〈◊〉 and say , the spiritually dead can no more rai●● themselves to life , than they who are naturall● and corporally dead ; yet know , there is a vast● difference between the one , and the other . h● that is spiritually dead , hath a will : but the n●●turally dead , hath none at all . the spirituall● dead , shews a wicked will , in resisting th● means used for his recovery ; whereas he that naturally dead , cannot be said to be unwilling 〈◊〉 rise again . a man in his sin , is as a sick ma●● yet the sick in body , and the sick in soul , are no● in all alike ▪ a man sick in body , would with 〈◊〉 his heart rise , if he could ; and keeps his 〈◊〉 only , because he is forc'd to it , and cannot sit up ▪ a soul-sick man , let him be , as you will hav● him , i am sure , is as unwilling , as he is unabl● to rise . he is indeed like the sluggard , tha● will not rise , because of cold , finding his be● warm and easie . so is a sinner , in his sinfu● condition , he loves and likes it , and is loth t● change . nay , he will quarrel any one , tha● goes about to rouze or raise him ; he will not en●dure any rebukes for sin , but loves it , so as t● hate any , that would divorce him from it . not is he as a block , or a beast : he sees what is good ▪ as god hath shewed it him , and he abhorrs it ▪ and chuses to abide in the condition wherein he is , as best for him . and thus scripture speaks of mans weakness , as his wickedness , and his infirmity is his iniquity too . take him as he is , and you will find him thus : he cannot will that whith is good , because he will not : his [ can ] and his [ will ] being all one . such is his natural bent to evil , that he voluntarily chuseth it , and refuseth the good . and now let any man judge , whether such an inability can be any excuse for sin , it being at most but a moral impotency ( as we call it ) and not a natural . hence ( methinks ) i cannot make good sense of what some are wont to say , that they would repent , if they could . i suppose , it would be more sense , to say , they would repent , if they would . for certain , if a man be heartily willing to repent , there is nothing left to hinder his repentance . a serious and instant will to repent and believe , includes in it the hatred of sin , and a purpose of not sinning . he that truly desires to repent , doth indeed repent , because he hates his own evil wayes . i grant it willingly , that no man can turn to god , without the grace of god ; but that is all one , as to say , no man will turn to god , without the grace of god. for there is nothing that hinders him , but his wicked , froward will. a man may have a charitable disposition , and be heartily willing to relieve others in their necessities , and yet may not , because he hath not wherewithall to do it . his heart may be large , when his estate is strait enough . and in this case , the will is accepted for the deed . for almes-deeds are imperate , outward acts , wherein the will cannot sway all ; and therefore it may be rationally said of such a man , he would with all his heart , if he could . but to repent and believe are elicite , inward , immediate acts of the will , and are not exercised by another power , as the imperate are . with the heart man believeth , and with the heart man repenteth . there is , i grant , an outward reformation of the life , which is a fruit of repentance ; but repentance is a root in the heart , and when a man is changed , so as to hate the evil , and love the good : or when ever a man of unwilling , is made willing , then he repents . and therefore it cannot be said with good sense , men would repent , if they could : there 's more sense , and truth too , in saying , men could repent , if they would . to say , i am willing to repent , but i cannot ; is all one , as to say , i am willing to repent , but i will not . i may be willing to work , or to walk ; but because i am sick and weak in body , i cannot . but if i am willing to repent and believe , the work is done : for these are the immediate acts of my will. obj. but some may object , that many gracious souls may heartily desire , what they cannot do ; and divines commonly resolve , that good desires are accepted with god , when there are failings in the performance . sol. i fully accord with all those divines in this , and say , that the best on earth are defective in doing what they desire : their desires are indeed beyond what they are able to do . they would pray with more fervency , and ardent affection ; they would hear with more attention and intention , than they do ; and this is their great burden , that they cannot do as they would . but it must be considered too , that they are defective in their desires also ; and then we may soon answer , what is here objected , viz. that as to the immediate acts of the will , they cannot what they would . for they would love god more than they do ; and it is their burden , that they love him no more : and blessed ( say i ) are all such poor souls , and i wish there were more of such in the world . for too many ( i fear ) think they love god well enough , and that in this , they are not wanting . but to answer the objection , consider , . that the fervency of the saints love to god , is much allayed by many things without them , such as are unavoidable to them , whiles they are in flesh . . all the defects of their love , and other spiritual affections , are from the imperfection of the work of grace ; their wills being not so throughly sanctified , but that there is flesh lusting against the spirit . hence , when the spirit is willing , the flesh is weak , so as they cannot do what they would . they cannot love god so , as they would love him . but this makes nothing against what i said before . for so farr as they are sanctified , they are willing ; but so farr as they are flesh , they are not so . the spirit makes them willing , to what the flesh will not suffer them : and this is their burden , that they have so much of the body of death in and about them . but i say again , so farr as a mans heart is renewed , so farr he loves god ; and the imperfection of his love , is from the defects of his will , not throughly and perfectly sanctified and changed . but still i am to seek , and cannot imagine , how any man can be willing to love god , and not actually love him at all , as certainly they that are carnally minded , do not . a man may not love god , so much as he would , and i have given a reason why . but i cannot apprehend , how a man can be willing to love god , and not love him at all . and the case is all one in faith and repentance . a man by nature loves not christ , but loves his sin ; and this makes him distaste the terms , upon which christ is offered to him ; and he is unwilling to believe on him , because of the old hatred . this natural old enmity makes him unwilling to close with christ ; but if that were once cured , he would forthwith believe , to the saving of his soul. now if it be mans enmity ( as indeed it is ) that makes him unable , consider , i pray , how farr such an inability will excuse . i never heard , that any man was an enemy to another , against his will. there 's no vertue , or gift of god in us , without our wills ; and in every good act , gods grace , and mans will concurr . the voice of the corrupt will of man , is , i do that which is evil , and i will do it : i do not that which is good , and i will not do it . that which keeps men fast bound in the cords of their sins , is the frowardness of a wicked heart , wilfully chusing to walk on in their ungodly wayes , and refusing all means of reclaiming them . quest. but how shall that enmity and wilfullness be removed ? or is it their fault , that it abides upon them ? it hath been preach'd for sound doctrine , that a man can never repent . or believe , till god circumcise the heart , and take away the stony heart , and give a new heart , and a new spirit . sol. and i do allow of this doctrine with all my heart . but what then ? all this will not clear us , if we do not repent . for our sin is never the less sinful , because ( as i said before ) we love it , and will by no means part with it . i subscribe to what luther saith : impius lubenti voluntate malum facit , & haec est voluntas : verum hanc lubentiam faciendi malum , non potest omittere , aut coercere , & haec est necessitas . i know well , that the infirmity of a natural man is great upon him , and invincible to any thing , but almighty grace . but i know too , that a natural man loves his sin with all his heart , and resolves to serve his lusts , and will not be perswaded to renounce them . and for the wayes of god , he hates and scorns them , and will not walk in them ; yea , and doth what he can , to keep up the old hatred , resisting all the assaults , that are made upon him , for the subduing of him to the obedience of christs laws . what think you ? is not every wicked man free , in making all the opposition that he can , against the means of his conversion ? and now let any man ask himself , whose fault it is , that he is an enemy to god , and the wayes of godliness : or that he chuseth the wayes of death , when he is often and earnestly invited to walk in the way that leadeth unto life ? what kind of question is this ? i wonder men are not ashamed to ask , how the enmity of their hearts against god shall be removed ? they may answer themselves if they please , thus , that they love their lusts , and for their lusts sake they cannot abide gods laws . i ask them therefore in the name of god , and let them answer as they should , or ( i assure them ) they shall answer one day as they would not : why do not all you prophane , ungodly , debauched men , leave your wicked wayes ; and why are you so unwilling to leave them ? why do you slight , and set at naught , scorn and deride the wayes of god and godliness ? i hope you will blush to say , you are forc'd to do so , when your hearts know , you take pleasure in so doing . is it not your delight and pastime to do wickedly ? and are not the wayes of god , the things you abhorr , and cannot abide ? are you reasonable men , and can you say or think , you are necessitated and compell'd to take these vain and wicked courses , when your own hearts know , you love them , and chuse them , and will not be perswaded to the contrary ? hence i say further , that i cannot believe , god will damn any man , for doing that , which he was heartily unwilling to have done , but could not , or was not able to refrain . i believe also , that god will damn no man , for not doing the good , which he was heartily willing to have done , but could not . and i believe , all men shall be condemn'd for this , that they would not walk in gods wayes , and for that they would goe on in their own wayes . and if the whole tenour of scripture speak not this , i may be asham'd to understand it no better . and to say no more , i confess my self unable to conceive , the righteousness of god in his judgements , if he should pass sentence of death and condemnation upon any poor souls , that have been sincerely willing to do what he commanded , and only wanted strength and ability to do it . the natural man cannot know spiritual things : but 't is also said , they are foolishness to him , and he scorns them . as to what is alledged from ier. . . i answer , there is so great a dissimilitude , as the argument a simili will not hold , to prove what is pretended . the aethiopian , though he be never so willing , cannot change his skin . hence we say of a man that labours in vain , that he is washing a blackmore . and the leopards spots are of the same nature . but the wickedness of the wicked is not so . i am apt to think , many a blackmore would be made white , if he could : but no wicked man is willing to be made clean . i have heard indeed ( how true it is i know not ) that the blackest aethiopians with them , are the beauties , even as the fairest are with us . now if a blackmore might change his skin , and would not , i should think him to be a just and fit resemblance of ungodly sinners . for these aethiopians ( as i may call them ) are not willing to change their skins : such black souls will not be made white . nay , the blacker they are , the better they seem in their own eyes ; and the deeper they are dipt in that dye , the more they are pleas'd with their black hue . and let it be observ'd , what that text hath in terminis : how can ye that are accustomed , &c. or , ye that have learnt , and are instructed ? for the original hath in it the notion of teaching or learning . they had enur'd themselves to do evil . old sinners accustom'd to their wicked wayes , are as one that hath learnt what he cannot forget . and yet if a man learn any thing that 's bad and base , he is never the more commended , nor yet the less blam'd , because he cannot forget it . a custome in evil is farr worse , than the first single act of sin . and i have yet one consideration more , that will clear this matter beyond all exception , and it is this , that the more unable any man is to repent , the more hatefull he is in the sight of god. custome in sin , draws a crust upon conscience , hardens the heart , and makes a man more unable to repent . and will any man say , that such an obdurate sinner , is therefore the more excusable ? nay , he is the more abominable , even for that reason , in the sight of god and man. the more sick and weak in body any one is , the more he is pitied , because men know , he would be better if he could , and is glad to hear of any good means to recover him . but we cannot so pity sinners , that have an hard and impenitent heart ; but account them therefore the greater sinners , because they cannot repent . they cannot indeed , because they will not ; and their greater inability is nothing , but their greater obstinacy and malignity ; so as the best that can be made of it , is no more , than if a thief should plead for himself at the barr , that he hath been us'd to filching and stealing so long , as he cannot leave it . the same plea it is for any man to say , i have sinn'd so long , and am so much hardned , as i cannot repent . and though every sinner be not alike hardned in sin , yet every one hath the same inclination , which by frequent and continued exercise , will become a custome . for the difference of sinners is much in degrees ; and if the impotency of an old sinner be no plea , neither will the impotency of any . obj. if any yet say , it is no fault of ours , that we are so much inclin'd to evil , and so averse to god , and all that 's good , sol. i hope they will remember , that god made man righteous , or upright , eccl. . ult . and that we are now born in sin , is the corruption of our nature , for which we are beholden to our selves , as much as adam was to himself , for his first transgression , and falling from god. for we sinn'd as well as he , and then contracted the guilt and filth we now lye under , even before we are born . and so much the apostle aver●s plainly , ro. . . which if it be denied , all the apostles argument in that place , to prove the lord christ to be our righteousness , will be of little force , or rather none at all , as i conceive , with submission to better judgements . obj. if it be said , man had never fallen at first , if god had not left him to himself ? sol. i answer , that god did not first leave man , but man first left god ; and judge , if it were not so : for god gave him a power to stand , if he himself would : if he gave him not a will to use that power , is god to be faulted for that ? would you have god to make him unchangeable ? obj. but man might have stood unmoveable though he had not been made unchangeable , 〈◊〉 god had upheld him , as he did the elect an●gels . sol. no question , but god could , and migh● have upheld him ; but he was not pleased so t● do . and yet he is not to be charged with th● fall of man. for he gave him sufficient powe● and strength to stand , if he would , and was 〈◊〉 this enough ? if a father gives his son a stock 〈◊〉 money , or an estate , whereupon he may liv● comfortably , by his good management of it ; an● the son do ( as we read of one luc. . ) spen● and waste all , and come to beggery ; can an● man justly say , the father did not his part for h●● sons good ? what would men have of god ▪ or what they make of him ? god made man 〈◊〉 glorious creature , and gave him a reasonabl● soul , and liberty to chuse for himself , such as 〈◊〉 other earthly creature had . and when god had made him a reasonable creature , he dealt with , and by him , as became the nature and quality of such a creature . if god had divested man of his liberty , he had abas'd his nature below it self , and indeed made him to be no man , or reasonable creature . obj. but god might have preserv'd him in the estate , wherein he was first made , holy and righteous . sol. what will men make of god ? we read how ill god takes it , to be thought such a one as we are , psal. . . the men that argue thus , do much worse . for they would make god to be such , as they themselves would not be . they will not be tyed up to the wills of other men , ( though perhaps better than themselves ) in every transaction , or concernment of their own . they will say , why should we be bound to them ? these are our own concernments , and why should we give others an account of them ? may not we do with our own , as we will ? and no ma● questions such men for their doings , specially so long , as nothing is done , but what is comely and equall . but when the great and mighty god doth any thing like , and disposeth of his creatures with infinite wisdome , vain men will presently question , why doth he so ? let any man shew any the least unrighteousness in god , or that man could not have preserved himself , in that blessed estate , wherein god had set him , and then they say somewhat . but the contrary is most certain and true , viz. that man might , and should have been happy , if he had not wilfully cast himself away . and therefore , why doth a living man complain , a man for the punishment of his sin ? let us search and try our wayes , and turn again unto the lord , let us lift up our hearts , with our hands , unto god in the heavens . we have transgressed and rebelled , and thou hast not pardoned , lam. . , , , . nothing becomes us in our sinfull condition , so well as such a confession . do we believe , there is a god that made us , and dare we question his dealings , as if he punish'd us upon any account , but our transgressions ? surely god will not do wickedly , neither will the almighty pervert judgement , job . . and v. . you have an argument for it : the work of a man shall be render unto him , and cause every man to find according to his wayes . had man continued in his obedience , ; or being fallen , humbled himself , and then god had rejected him , there migh● have been suppos'd some occasion of complaining ▪ but it is quite otherwise : for god ran after man , when man had run away from him ; an● provided for his recovery , to a more blessed an● glorious estate , when he could think of nothing ▪ but a few figg leaves to cover his shame . an● god is still reaching out his merciful armes , to lay hold on him , inviting and wooing him , and never refuseth any soul , that turns to him ; and what would men have more ? obj. but if it be said , i cannot , in the case i am , turn my self ▪ sol. i say thou lyest in what thou sayest : for , to speak as it is , thou art not willing to turn unto the lord ; and this , and nothing else , will be thy condemnation in the great day of account * ▪ there is a price paid , and a purchase made , and thou art invited to come , and take possession of it . but thou hadst rather abide where thou art , and holdest thy sins as sweet-meats under thy tongue , and wilt not let them goe , though thou hast been often told , they will be the bane of thy soul. and how dar'st thou say , thou canst not turn thy self ; when god , and thine own heart , and the world too , know , thou art enamour'd on thy sin , and hast such a liking to it , ●s thou wilt by no means be perswaded to part with it ? wilt thou wilfully prosecute thy sinful designs and courses , and set thine heart upon ●hine iniquity , and say , thou canst not turn ●rom it ? for shame speak sense , and talk no more so absurdly . will a man be at cost and ●ains to serve and feed his lusts , and he not love ●hem ? and if thou love them , they have thy will ; and when thou art willing to part with ●hem ( i say ) heartily willing , the work of conversion is done . but whilst thou art not willing to part with thy lusts , say as it is , i will ●ot , i will not . say the truth , for so it is . thou hadst rather part with thy soul for ever , than part with the pleasures of sin for a season . thou delightest in thy own wayes , and art one of them that say unto god , depart from us , for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes . it is not with ungodly ones , as they pretend : for they chuse their own wayes , and when they eat the fruits of them , they are but filled with their own devices . they first sow iniquity , and then reap shame and misery . when they goe down to hell , they goe where they had a mind to be . they have been often and earnestly call'd upon , to pity and favour their poor souls , but they would not be perswaded . how many a sinner hath parted with his life for his lusts sake ? and all do so , as to their souls . if men would study scripture more , and search their own hearts more , than they do , they would soon answer their own arguments . let me now commend ●o them one place , viz. pro. . from v. . to the end of the chapter ; and let them consider what the wisdome of god judgeth , concerning the wicked wayes of men . and o! that me● would read , and weigh our saviours words ioan. . , . this is the condemnation , tha● light is come into the world , and men loved darkdess rather than light , because their deeds were evil . christ , and his word , and all his ordinances , are a light ; and wicked men , lik● thieves , cannot abide them , because they would not be discovered by them . this is th● judgement , that scripture passeth upon ungodly men ; and if they would pass the same , and s● judge and condemn themselves , they might fin● peace in approaching to god. but to argue an● whartle about the wayes of gods providence an● grace , as if they were not equal ; when god and their own hearts know , they are passionately in love with , yea and madd upon their idols ▪ i mean their lusts , and loose practices ; th● will turn to no good account one day , whateve● men count of now . they that are so apt t● quarrel god , should rather call themselves to an account ; and if they would be exact in this work ▪ we should have more complaints of themselves , that their own wayes are unequal , and all the wayes of god most equal , and just , and good . to shut up this , i shall only mention one text , pro. . . all that hate me , love death . they are the words that were spoken by the infinite and eternal wisdome of god ; who saith a● much in effect , ioan. . , . before cited ▪ wicked men love darkness , and death . they are not damn'd ( as they pretend ) to sin and hell against their wills ; but they love them , and chuse them , when they might forbear and avoid them . they love their sins , and therefore hate their souls : they love sin , and in so doing love death : they are willing to be damn'd , as willing ( for certain ) as a man that wittingly takes poyson , is willing to kill himself . obj. but some will say , that few are so willfull , till god hardens them , and makes them to erre from his wayes , esay . . sol. for gods making men to erre , &c. i think the learned annotator hath rightly observ'd , that the original notes only a permission , and therefore might be rendred , why dost thou suffer us to wander out of thy wayes ? for god tempteth no man to sin , jac. . , . but a man is led away by his own lust . and how did god harden pharaoh ? no other way , than by delivering him up , and leaving him to the hardness of his own obstinate heart , by gods forbearance and mercy , more and further obdurated , as is to be seen in the story . god doth thus harden others , and leave them to themselves ; and then it is sad with them , as it is with a child left to himself , pro. . . but when is it ? even when they give themselves up to serve their own desires , and resolve to walk after their lusts , hating to be reformed , and casting gods word behind them , as is to be seen , psa. . , , , , . this is cleared from psa. . . harden not your heart . on which place calvin : non ex alio fonte manare nostram adversus deum rebellionem , quam ex voluntaria improbitate dum illius gratiae aditum obstruimus . calv. i. e. our rebellion against god , flows from no other fountain , than our own perversness , whilst we shut up the passage to his grace , that it cannot enter . one thing more , that may be objected , must be answer'd , and 't is this : obj. that the special grace of god puts th● last difference between man and man ( as some say ) and that grace is not given to all . how then can it be said , that god hath sufficiently provided for all ? or how can he be clear'd , 〈◊〉 his condemning some , seeing these also woul● have repented , and closed with christ , if th● lord had perswaded , and over-power'd them by his effectual grace , as he did others ? sol. and yet god will clear himself ; and for this purpose consider , . that there is little more in this objection than in somewhat before , about the fall of our first parents . and as god was righteous in letting them fall , because they might have stood , 〈◊〉 they would : so god is righteous in his dealing● with men , notwithstanding he deny them tha● special grace , he gives to others , because they might be saved , if they would . when i say , men may be saved , if they will , my meaning is , that they are not saved , because they will not , and that their wilfullness is their condemnation . for if christ , and the word of grace revealing christ , and all the methods of conveying him to poor souls , and exhortations , and entreaties to accept of him , be enough , then god is not wanting on his part . for i may now ask all who complain , what is lacking to them more ? were there not an all-sufficient saviour , and sufficient means of knowing him to salvation , there might be perhaps some occasion of complaint . but it is farr otherwise ; and if men will make use of these means , as they are commanded and intreated to do , i am sure , they shall be saved , because the mouth of the lord hath spoken it . never did any man dye in his sins , that was heartily willing to receive christ offer'd to him , and to improve the means of grace allowed him for that end . and may i not then say , men may be saved , if they will ? they have enough to live upon for ever ; and when they play the unthrifts part , have they any cause to blame god , and say , he might have done more for them ? what should he have done more for them ? and what can they answer to this question , when their own hearts know , they never lik'd or lov'd christ , or any of his wayes ; but wilfully scorn'd and rejected all ? they lik'd and lov'd a saviour to deliver them from death and hell , after they had taken their full swinge in their own wayes , and sinn'd themselves out of breath , and could no longer serve their lusts . but they would not have christ to reign over them , so , as for his sake , and at his command , to deny themselves , and all ungodliness , and worldly lusts . they know , that the power of godliness was the thing their souls loathed , and they scorn'd it , as savouring of nothing but folly and fancy , calling it a precisian nicety . and when christ called them to suffer for his sake , ( who suffered so much to save their souls ) they would not part with a penny , or lose an hair of their head for him . i say then , in one word , look what hindred israel from seeing the good land which god had promised them , the same hinders these men from possessing the heavenly inheritance , heb. . ult . they could not enter in , because of unbelief ▪ and yet , as moses tells them , deut. . . the lord had not given them an heart to perceive , and eyes to see , and ears to hear . . how would men have god to save them ? would they be saved in such a way , as if a block should be lifted from the earth , and carried up to heaven ? this cannot be , without perverting the whole course of gods providence , in governing his reasonable creatures . for they being made after gods image , and acting by an inward principle of reason , must be governed in a way and manner suitable to their nature . god indeed draws men thitherward ; but i never read , he drives them against their wills , or without their privity , hos. . . i will allure her , &c. though conversion be not altogether suspended on the liberty of mans will , but god undertakes for it ; yet his way is sweet , and taking with sinners , who are allured , as one observes on the place . god by grace destroyes not nature , but rectifies and perfects it , whiles ( as austin saith ) omnipotenti facilitate ex nolentibus facit volentes . he bends and enclines mens hearts , as the rivers of wa●e● , pro. . . now water , that runs one way , may be turned , and made to run another way : but the water in its course , alwayes runs according to its natural inclination . certainly , the worst these men can say of god , is , that he would have turned them , and they would not be turned ; but they resisted him , in all his strivings with them . and then where lyes the fault ? let any reasonable man judge . . this argument ( as i said before ) aimes at making god to be not only such a one as our selves , but much lower . . god is just , as well as mercifull ; and his justice is as natural , and as essential to him , as his mercy . and if so , why ( i pray ) may not god glorifie himself in the one , as well as in the other ? if he may not , give some reason , why. but if god may glorifie his justice , as well as his grace , i ask , how god can glorifie it more , beyond all exception , otherwise than thus , viz. in destroying those who have had all means sufficient to save them , and willingly rejected all , because they did not like them ? . i have yet somewhat more to say , in answer to this objection ; and it is so much , as ( i hope ) may satisfie any , that are soberly minded . they who thus argue , might do well to consider , what that grace is , which ( they say ) is not given them . for that grace , where-ever it comes in its full power and efficacy , sets men at the greatest distance , yea and defiance with all their wonted sinful wayes . now here may be a great mistake ; and these men may seem to desire , they themselves know not what . i believe , they would fain have the grace of god , to preserve them from suffering hell-torments , when they are going out of the world , never again to serve the desires of their flesh . but do they desire indeed , to shake hands with , and to bid an everlasting farewell to their filthy lusts , so long as they have any ability or opportunity to serve them ? for to this the grace of god calls them , and for this they have had many gracious earnest invitations , which they have sufficiently slighted , and cast off , with as much scorn and contempt as could be . they have never heeded , what they have heard from god himself , speaking and calling to them , by the commands , promises , and threatnings of his written word , or by the motions of his spirit , or the checks of their own consciences , or any dispensations of his , in any providences . now , what do these men mean , in saying , god hath not given them grace , when they slight and set at naught all the saving methods , which he makes use of , to affect their hearts , and work them over to ● thorough-compliance with himself ? why do not they attend their own work , which is , to heed what god commands , promises , and threatens in his word , and to reform their hearts and lives accordingly ? why do they not lament and bewail the baseness of their own sinfull hearts and natures , humbly acknowledging all their iniquities , and loathing themselves , because they are loathsome in the sight of the lord ? why do they not confess and forsake their sins , that so they may find mercy , as solomon assures them , pro. . . why do they not begg of god strength to resist sin , and use the means which god hath ordered for that end , viz. fasting and beating down their bodies ? why do not they avoid the occasions of sin , and keep themselves farr from those places and companies ▪ where they are sure to meet with many temptations ? why do they not frequent the company of those , who will admonish them upon all occasions , and advise them about ordering all their wayes ? no , they 'l do nothing of what is their duty , nor what ( i am sure they have power to do , but only sin , and seek all occasions to sin ; and then quarrel god , and say , he hath not given them grace . this is in effect to say , they would have god to save them against their wills . obj. but god can make me willing , if he please . sol. i know god hath a soveraign power over the hearts of all men , but what then ? would they have god to alter all the saving methods of his grace , and force upon them , what they have refus'd so often , with all disdain and indignation imaginable ? they desire no grace , but what may keep them out of hell : and scorn all grace that 's offered them , for reforming their hearts and lives . they are like those froward patients , that would have their physicians cure them , without any applications made to them ; as our saviour heal'd the lame , and the blind , by a word of his mouth , working wonders , such as had not been heard or known . not to say , that such arguings are absurd and unreasonable , these men must have low thoughts of god , and his infinite excellencies , who would have him shape the whole course and method of his grace and providence , according to their sinfull interests and humours . to say no more , make it our own case . when once we have done our endeavours , us'd all intreaties , yea , and ( it may be ) added due corrections to our instructions and admonitions , and waited long for a desirable issue , knowing the party we have to deal with , might , if he had a mind , change his course ; we think we can acquit and clear our selves ( as indeed we may ) before all the world , from having any hand in his undoing himself . and will not the righteous judge ( think we ) acquit himself at the last day , in condemning all the ungodly refusers and despisers of his grace and mercy ? i shall say no more , but as god said to iob , he that reproveth god , let him answer it . as if he should say , he that reasons the case ( so the word may well be rendred ) or argues against me , let him answer , if he can , what i have said , and have yet to say . thou job hast been very bold and forward to question and quarrel my wayes of providence , as if they were not such as they should be . but i would have thee know , i am able to guide and govern the world , without any assistance or advice of thine . hast thou so mean , low , and unworthy thoughts of me , and mine infinite excellencies , as to imagine , i am to learn of thee , or any other , how to order and dispose the works of my hands ? i think , i have said enough to convince thee : but if this do not satisfie thee , i have yet more to say , and beware in time to provoke me no further ; for if thou do , thou shalt be sure to know after another manner , that i will not be taught by thee . so i shall answer no more , but only advise all who thus argue , to read how iob answered the lord , and to give over such malepert daring him , with their disputing his royal prerogatives ; which if they considered , as they should , they would count such reasonings but a little beneath blasphemies . i shall only say further , though we may awhile plead our weakness , yet god , and our consciences know , it is only our wickedness , that hinders our salvation . for my part , i , and others too , can say very much of our weakness , that when we have promised fairly many times , we have performed little or nothing answerable . but we can say much more of our natural wickedness , and the baseness of our deceitfull hearts . others may speak as they list , i think it best and safest for me , and every one else , to shame our selves before the lord , by charging home upon our selves the frowardness of a deceitful naughty heart . for this we may know , if we have a mind to it , that we love sin too much , when it is best with us ; and god too little , when we love him most ; and whom can we blame for this , but our selves ? therefore , god forbid , i should entertain the least thought of charging god foolishly . let me ever say , god hath not been wanting to me , only i have been wanting to my self . i dare not say , i would be , or do better , if i could ; seeing god , and my conscience know , i could be , and do better , if i would . it is not any fault in god , but my self , that i have no more grace , and that i walk not more uprightly and evenly . for i do willingly yield too often to the suggestions and insinuations of sin and satan : and i do not entertain and cherish the sweet motions of gods spirit , nor improve the means of growing in grace , as i might , and ought to do . and , in a word , i am verily perswaded , if any thing undo me , it is the frowardness of an evil heart of unbelief . in hac fide vivo , in hac moviar . so let me justifie god , both in life and death , whatever becomes of me . and now i remember , what i before referr'd to this place , concerning an objection , that is commonly made to this purpose . obj. that all exhortations to faith and repentance are absurd and vain , if men are unable to do any thing of themselves , without the effectual grace of god over-powering them . sol. i shall say nothing of the answers , that have been made to this objection by others ▪ but only say , there is no such absurdity , as is imagin'd , because men are exhorted to that which they are unwilling to do . now what absurdity is there in this ? or if there be , i am not able to see it . nor can i apprehend it unreasonable , to perswade a man to that , which is for his good , when we find him not willing to it . for mans natural inability to any spiritual good , i do not question it , if we count of it , as i said before , and as ( i think ) we ought . but i know full well , that mans weakness is his wickedness , and his inability is his untowardliness ; and how can we deal with a froward wilfull man more rationally , than to lay before him the errour , and the evil of his way ; and by reasoning the case , perswade him to leave it ? they , whom we deal with , are men , and have reason , whereby they are able to judge of what is spoken to them ; and they can discern of good and evil , and so chuse , as they see cause . and when the most is made , that can be , of mans insufficiency , we cannot ( as i shew'd formerly ) deny him a liberty . and then , where ( i pray ) lies the absurdity ? deny a natural man that liberty , which ( as i said before ) must be allowed , i must confess , that to admonish or exhort him , is all one , as to exhort or perswade a beast , or a block . but so long as wicked men do wilfully refuse the wayes of god , and as wilfully goe on in the wayes of their own hearts , i am bold to think , the absurdity will lye at their doors , who say , it is absurd , to perswade a wicked man , to turn from his evil wayes . and how much less absurdity is there , in exhorting those , in whom the spirit is willing , though the flesh is weak ? and now i shall proceed to prove by other arguments , that men are wilfull in their own wayes , and willingly neglect the things of their peace , and so perish only upon that account , and no other . arg. . my next argument shall be , from the equity and reason that is and appears in all things , which concern mens salvation , so as it is easily discernable by mans natural light and understanding . men ( as you have seen before ) are apt to quarrel god for his dealings , as if his wayes were not equall : and my design is to prove them alone guilty of their own destruction , and that they shall one day appear so to their own consciences , and before all the world. and my argument is this , that all the wayes of god towards men , and all the mean● he useth for the reclaiming of them , are so rational , even to mens natural understanding , a● they can have no cause to quarrel any but themselves . and you may draw the argument into a narrower compass thus : if all the counsels and wayes of god , and his methods about men● salvation , be equitable to the apprehension of sou●● reason in men themselves , then they can lay the blame of their destruction upon nothing besides thei● unreasonable , wilfull , and peevish disposition ▪ this i intend to exemplifie in some particulars and add further , that all the sins of men , fo● which they are damn'd , are against natural re●son , as well as against divine revelation . but before i proceed , let me premise the reason , for which i urge this argument : and it is this , because god , to clear himself , doth eve● and anon appeal to men ; which he doth , because he knows , that the reason and conscience● of men , when they are put to it , must give evidence on his side . to mention one text , that was hinted before somewhere , esay . , . iudge , i pray you ( saith god ) between me , and my vineyard . who are the parties appeal'd unto in that case ? if you look ; you shall find none other than the delinquents themselves , the men of judah , and the inhabitants of jerusalem . why so ? even because god knew , that nothing could be pleaded , wherefore he should come short of what he expected ; but the case was so clear , as he would leave the delinquents themselves to be judges . surely god would not do thus , if he knew not , that he hath a witness for himself in every mans conscience ; and that his wayes are rational and equal , even when men themselves are judges . and now i make this challenge in gods name and behalf , shew he that can , what in all the counsels and wayes of god , is dissonant or contrary to right and sound reason . my meaning is this , there is nothing in any of them , but what by sound natural reason , a man may apprehend to be equal , righteous , and rational . and yet in all this , i shall ( i hope ) keep my self free , and farr enough from over-magnifying of mans reason ; and also from any thought , that the corruption of mans nature is not in his understanding , as well , and as much , as in his other faculties . i willingly grant , what i heartily believe , that we are all born blind , and that ignorance is no small part of mans inbred corruption , and original sin. notwithstanding , i say again , that natural reason in men , is light enough to descry , that the wayes of god , and all his transactions with men , are reasonable ; that is , none of them are against reason , though some of them be infinitely farr above it . and now i come to particular instances . first , i instance in such things , as god hath offer'd us in his word , to be believed by us . . and what one among all those seems more incredible and irrational , than the resurrection ? yet the apostle thus reasons , act. . . why should it be thought a thing incredible with you , that god should raise the dead ? the apostle ( you see ) makes strange of it , that any of the● should strange at it , as a thing incredible . 〈◊〉 confess , he had then to deal with the iews , an● such as own'd the iewish religion ( at least many of them ) and therefore might well ask the● the question , because the whole worship o● god , upheld amongst them , was an unreasona●ble thing , if the dead should never rise agai● ▪ but ( as i take it ) he might as well question 〈◊〉 gentiles , after the same manner . though know , some may reply , that there is not 〈◊〉 same reason , because the gentiles might ( 〈◊〉 they did ) exercise some religion ( such ar● was ) upon the account of the souls immortali●● whilst they believed no resurrection of the b●●dy . and that * some of them had some noti●● of the souls immortality , without any appr●●hension of the rising again of the body , i do 〈◊〉 much question ; though those notions , in all 〈◊〉 them , were but empty conceits , and as co●●●sed as a sick mans dreams . but this i desire● be observ'd , that the apostle , cor. . ● argues the resurrection thus , that if the de●● rise not , the epicures opinion may take place but that opinion is erroneous ( saith the apo●stle ) and pernicious too , and not to be allow●● among christians , who ought to believe firm●● the resurrection of the dead . the apostle argument is à consequente absardo , and he sai●● in effect this , if there be no resurrection , they might then side with the epicures , and sin● their † song , let us take our pleasure while w● live , for after death we shall have none . yet observe also , v. . if after the manner of men , that is , as farr as men could do , or with regard only to this present life , which all men live , i have fought with beasts at ephesus , what advantageth it me , if the dead rise not ? doth not the apostle lay the ground-work and foundation of * all religion , upon the resurrection ? it is as much as to say , what need i suffer , and ( by the same reason ) what need i do any thing about religion , if there be no resurrection ? his whole argument is grounded upon reason , and his conclusion is the absurdity of religion , if there be no resurrection . and that it is so , appears from his reasoning , v. . thou fool , that which thou sowest , is not quickned , except it dye . where calvin observes , that the apostle might have answer'd their question , [ how are the dead raised , &c. ] by shewing , how easie it is to god almighty , though it seem incomprehensible to us , and that we are not to judge of such things by our own sense , but according to his infinite power . but the apostle answereth otherwise , by shewing , that the resurrection is so farr from contradicting the course of nature , as we have continually a clear proof and instance of it , in the fruits of the earth , which arise and grow out of the seeds that are sown , and rot in the ground . now seeing all generation is from corruption , in the seed sown , we have therein an image and resemblance of the resurrection . and the effect of all the apostles discourse is this , that there is as much reason for the bodies rising again , as there is for the growing again of the grain we sow in the earth . and hence he rebukes them thus , thou fool , confuting atheists from the course o● nature , as men that have not common sense . a● if he should say , how unreasonable are you , t● question the resurrection , when the like thing● before you every day , and you see with you● eyes ordinarily , what is as strange as that ? fro● the whole ( to say no more ) it is clear , that there is a ground in reason , for every man to be●lieve the resurrection ; though i deny not , tha● it is further clear'd , and we are most confirm'● in the belief of it , by the written word ; ye● and that our blind reason would never have dis●cover'd it , without divine revelation . . the incarnation of the son of god , is 〈◊〉 thing ( i confess ) above all mans reason , an● yet not therefore against reason . . the apostle stands admiring , o the depth , 〈◊〉 how unsearchable are his judgements , and 〈◊〉 wayes past finding out ! and yet whoever believ● these , as they are by the spirit revealed in the word , doth nothing but what is most rational ▪ for if there be one almighty , infinite , eterna● god , ( as socinians , i hope , grant ) then it is most absurd to think , that his judgements , wayes , works , and counsels are such , as can be measured by the standard of mans reason . no reason will perswade a man to measure what is infinite , by that which is finite , more than to think of taking up the ocean in a nut-shell . and if it should be thought , that the socinians have the advantage at reason against us ( if it were not for scripture ) in the highest mysteries o● divinity , i thing otherwise , because it is against all reason , to allow of nothing in the counsels and wayes of god , that is not commensurable with mans understanding . for that is all one , as to make him such a one as our selves ; whereas our owning him as god , is an acknowledgement of his beeing and excellencies infinite beyond all our reason . . reason is not able to apprehend the mystery of the trinity : and yet it is but reasonable for us to believe , what scripture hath reveal'd about it , because it is agreeable to reason , that god must be such an essence and existence , as no creature is able to comprehend . for god were not god indeed , nor like himself , if his subsistence were such as we could apprehend . even reason will enforce us to grant , that god can be comprehended by none but himself . for how can a man apprehend god aright , without apprehending him infinite ? that which is finite , even in the judgement of reason , cannot be god. and therefore the heathens were most absurd in their polytheism , or multiplicity of gods , because there can be but one infinite , and so but one god. now the true god being indeed such , it is unreasonable in us to think , by searching , to find him out in his essence , subsistence , or attributes . and for this purpose , let it be considered , what the apostle saith concerning mans reason , when it is us'd about the things of god , cor. . how should a beast understand the things of a man , and how much less can a man understand the things of god ? i think i may rationally say , he must be a god , that knows perfectly what god is . true , we may understand what he hath revealed for our learning ; but our understanding is according to his revealing it , only by our faith , which sees that which reason cannot discern ; and yet our faith is not unreasonable : for we can give a reason of our believing such things , as god hath revealed , viz. infallible , divine authority , though we cannot give a reason of some things believed by us . and there is nothing more reasonable , than to believe , whatever god saith , to be true ; though we can give no reason more , than that god saith it . for a god that can lye , reason it self will say , is not , cannot be god , but an idol , or a devil . and hence i infer● that reason teacheth us to believe the highest mysteries revealed in scripture , as the trinity , the incarnation , &c. and they that think otherwise , therein shew themselves unreasonable . and for the counsels of god , in disposing of his creatures according to his pleasure , what reasonable man can question them ? or if any man do it , may it not justly and rationally be said to him , as elihu spake unto iob ? behold , in this , thou art not just : i will answer thee , that god is greater than man. why dost thou strive against him ? for he giveth no account of his matters . and if so , it is indeed most unreasonable in any man to expect it . certainly , if any , god may challenge this prerogative , viz. to give no account of his wayes and counsels . and for men to pry into them , further than he hath reveal'd ; and demand a reason of his will and pleasure , when he is pleas'd to give none , is indeed to do against reason . for there is nothing more reasonable than this , that god may do what he pleaseth , and not to be question'd by any for it , seeing all things else are the works of his hands . and this was the apostles mind , when he said , ro. . , . nay but o man , who art thou , that repliest against god ? shall the thing formed , say to him that formed it , why hast thou made me thus ? hath not the potter power over the clay , &c. and doth not the prophet ( whom the apostle cites , or alludes to in that place ) say as much , and more ? esay . . woe to him that striveth with his maker , &c. i. e. quarrels god about his providences , as if he meant to controll him . to clear and confirm my argument yet further , doth not the apostle argue from reason , upon all occasions , even about the things of god , specially when he had to do with heathens ? act. . . saith he to those who would have sacrificed to to him , we preach unto you , to turn from these vanities , unto the living god , which made heaven and earth , &c. as if he should have said , if you will serve a god , serve him that is god indeed , and who is the living and 〈◊〉 god , your own reason will shew you : it is he that made heaven and earth , &c. you are unseasonable in sacrificing to any other , because no other can be god. 〈◊〉 v. . he goes on to shew , that they , and their forefathers , had light enough from gods providential dispensations , to teach them , that iupiter , mercurius , and such vanities , or idols , could not be the true and living god , so as they were inexcusable . and so he argueth , act. . that we ought not to think the god-head like unto gold or silver , &c. seeing it is against all reason , as he proves from v. , to v. . so likewise ro. . he proveth the gentiles idolatry , in making images and representations of god , to be against the light of nature , and natural reason , which was able to see so much of his eternal power and godhead , in the things that are made , as they might easily conclude , that god was not to be represented by any similitude of earthly things , because they cannot be like him , act. . . i shall yet in other instances labour to evidence , that there is nothing in true religion , but what is reasonable . for moral duties towards men , our saviour layeth down an undoubted principle of reason , mat. . . and addeth , that this is the law , and the prophets , i. e. this is the summ and substance of all they have taught , concerning the duty of man to man , the most equal law , to do , as we would be done unto . all the commandments against murder , adultery , theft , &c. are principles of common reason , and the law of nature . for children to obey their parents , is reasonable ; and so the apostle presseth it , eph. . . because it is just , or right . how can children be thankful , but in being dutiful to their parents ? and for servants to obey their masters , it is equal , for they maintain and fro● them necessaries for their lives . and to obey principalities and powers , is but reason , because by them the people are kept in peace ▪ and there would be otherwise no safety or society amongst men . whatever some may fancy or feign , true religion , in the highest and strictest practice of it , is no teacher of mis-rule ; but teacheth obedience for conscience sake , and sheweth the right way of yielding it according to gods commandment . and 't is not reasonable to think , it teacheth obedience in some only , and not in all relations . yea , it is impossible to serve god , as we ought , and not to serve one another in love . nay , the most spiritual duties of denying our selves , and crucifying our lusts , are most reasonable . to part with our lives , and all we have , for christs sake , is most equal , seeing he dyed for us . and if i were to dispute for the christian religion , against an infidel , i would dare him to shew any one thing in scripture , that is contrary to sound reason ; or any article of the christian faith , that is not rational , as i have shewed before in some of them . and now i lay down these three conclusions , which i avouch rational , and by reason demonstrable , viz. . that there is more reason in any religion , than in no religion at all . . that there is more reason in the true christian religion , than there is in any other . . that there is more reason in the life and practice of true religion , and the power of godliness , than in the empty form , and out-side profession of it . these i should further dilate upon , but that all of them are most excellently , and undeniably , of late , discoursed at large by others . yet i shall not content my self with the bare naming of them . st . for the first , i say , that the wayes wherein atheists have gone about to undermine scripture-authority , and so overthrow all religion , are contrary to sound reason . for is it not more rational in us , to believe , that one eternal , infinite beeing , made this whole frame of heaven and earth , than to fancy an empty , infinite space , and an infinite number of atomes coursing up and down in it , and by a fortuito● concourse ( as it were , by hap-hazard , no sobe● man can imagine how ) to fall into order , an● so produce this frame of the world , as now we see it ? i shall not dispute in the case , but on●● appeal to the judgement of any man that 's sobe● and in his senses , which of those two is most cre●dible to the apprehension of reason . and is no● our faith of one eternal god , as rational , as ●●thers conceit of an eternal pre-existent matte●● not to say , how precarious the principles of ●●thers , that are against us , are , i add , how absurd and unreasonable they are to the apprehension of any sober intelligent man , and farr more incredible and improbable , than what we believe of the worlds creation , according to the written word . let those who count so light of scripture-doctrine , and set so highly by some alery speculations and notions ( whether of old , or of late cryed up ) shew us somewhat more rational , than what is scriptural . and whether the phylosophy of moses , &c. be not as agreeable to any sober mans reason , as any opposition of science , which by some is so much admired . it is not my design , to engage with such notionists , who had best deal first with others , that have said enough . i think it enough to declare , that they have done little to satisfie the sober reason of intelligent men . for ( i say again ) let all be weighed , not in the ballance of the sanctuary ( which they sufficiently slight ) but by the standard of true reason , and if they be not found too light , i grant , they have said somewhat to their purpose . there is a world fram'd and constituted , as we see ; and a dispute there hath been , and ( i think ) still is with some , how it came to be so fram'd and constituted ? now i only plead , that the account , which moses hath given of the worlds beginning , is much more credible to meer reason , than any other . and thereupon ask , why should it seem incredible , that one who had his beeing from none , but of himself , should make all things out of nothing ? they , whose interest it would be , to have no god , are willing to perswade themselves , and others too , that there is none . and these say , that some men have , for their own turns , made others believe , there is a god , and so the world is troubled about something , which is indeed nothing . we who believe the beeing of one god , appeal not to scripture ( of which these men count nothing ) but ask them , how this frame , and all its furniture , came to be first set up ? that this world made it self , is an absurdity , beyond all reason , and common sense . hence some have devised wayes of fashioning the world , such as i hinted some before , that they may stand in no fear of any god or devil , nor live in expectation of any hell or heaven hereafter . but herein they goe against all reason , which is the only judge , to whose sentence they are content to stand . that the true notion of a deity is most consonant to reason , and the light of nature , is excellently proved by the learned stillingfleet . and they that deny , there is a god , do assert other things ( as he saith ) on farr less evidence of reason ; and must by their own principles , deny some things , which are apparently true . and he instances in these , viz. that the world was as it is , from all eternity , or else it was first made by a fortuitous concourse of atomes , both which hypotheses being urged with the same , or greater difficulties , are more weakly proved , than the existence of a deity . and whoever shall be pleas'd to enquire , will find it so , therefore we contend for religion against atheists , upon grounds of reason . and i say again , that none of them all have produced any thing so rational , as that which is scriptural . dly . and for the truth and reason of the christian religion , the same learned author hath said enough in the learned discourse aforesaid . all that i shall say , is this , that if any man please to examine all the several religious perswasions , that are , or have been in the world , beside that which scripture hath reveal'd and warranted , and weigh them in the ballance of sound reason , he need not be much puzzled about the choice of his religion : for it will soon appear , even to reason , that all religions , beside the truly christian , are unreasonable . if any strange at this , because many in all ages , who had good natural reason , have rejected the christian religion . i answer , . that they had reason , but made not a due and right improvement of it , and therefore shewed themselves unreasonable , as the apostle proves it against them , ro. . , , &c. and that god did therefore give them up to vile affections , as a punishment of their unreasonable idolatries . . we having scripture-light , which they had not , have our reason more rectified and enlightned , than they had , or could have . and without the light of divine revelation , we , in all probability , might have been as vain in our imaginations , as they . but then , i say , both we and they had been unreasonable . and god himself useth no other argument against the gentiles idolatries , than the absurdity and unreasonableness of them , esay . they that make a graven image , &c. they are their own witnesses . they see not , nor know , that they may be ashamed . and after a large account of their doings about their images and idols , v. , . he saith , they have not known , nor understood . and again , none considereth in his heart , nor is there knowledge or understanding , &c. as if he should say , these makers of idols , that know whereof they are made , and how handled in the making , are the best witnesses , that can be brought against them : for if they were not sadly besotted , and void of common sense , they would never imagine , the stock of a tree could be made a god. the main thing to be observ'd for my purpose , is this , that they had light enough by their own reason , to discover the vanity of making idols . for this they are charged with , that they did not debate the matter with themselves , nor reason the case as they might ; which if they had done , they could never have been so bruitish and senseless , as they shewed themselves to be , in saying to the work of their own hands , ye are our gods. and now , let none desire me to instance in any other , having spoken of idolaters , because all the world of mankind , that worship not the true and only god , in the alone mediator , and no other , are idolaters . this is plain and clear ▪ and needs no proof ; except any will say , the turks are no idolaters , because they like no images . but however , they are affected to images , they must be ranked amongst idolaters , that honour a varlet ( such as mahomet was ) more than the lord jesus christ. they have not the son , and therefore have not the father , ioan. . . and then , what can they be other , than idolaters ? the same is to be thought of the iews , who worship the true god , but not in our lord jesus christ. to instance in the particular absurdities of all other religions , would be endless , and ( for ought i know ) to no great purpose . it may suffice to hint in general , what any man may improve , ( when ever he pleases , in his own thoughts ) by running over in his mind , the wayes and doings of all that serve not one god only in the mediation of the lord jesus christ. though we had our religion by revelation , and that be enough to confirm our faith ; yet we have this to boot , for our further confirmation in it , that it hath more of reason in it , than any other . hence we inferr , that an atheist is the veriest fool of all , that for the pleasures of this world , which he may not enjoy one hour , cannot ( by his own confession ) enjoy one hundred of years , dares run the hazard of losing himself for ever . as long as it is disputable with him , whether there be a god , or no , his wisest and safest way were , to chuse the strongest side : for if it prove at last , that there is no god , he gains a very little , as much as comes to nothing , no more than a beast , that hath as much as he , and more too . but if there be a god ( such as we believe ) in what a case will he be , at the great day of account ? and to think , there is a god , that cares not what becomes of the world , and will never judge the world , is all one , as to say , there is no god. now a man had need of infallible and undeniable principles , to prove , there is no god , who dares to live in this world , as if there were none ; because the adventure is of infinite concernment and consequence . and for the choice of a mans religion , i say again , he need do no more than use his reason , that will give him light enough to chuse the best . i do not say , nor mean , that reason alone could ever have discover'd the only way of salvation , or the right way of worshipping god , so as to please him in it . but when god hath in his word discover'd to us his good will , in all that concerns his glory , and our everlasting good , we dare appeal to reason , for the truth and goodness of our religion ; and challenge all the world , to shew us any other , that is half so rational . dly . i should be much more large in proving my third position , about the power and practice of true religion , if another hand had not of late so happily prevented me ; yet somewhat i have to say of this also . 't is no strange , or new thing , to see all godliness , and circumspect walking , cryed down , under an odious imputation of folly and fancy . 't was said of christ , he is beside himself , mar● ▪ . . or one transported with a fanatique extasie . and of the blessed apostle , that too much learning had made him madd , act. . . his plain manner and method of preaching christ crucified , was by the worldly-wise counted and call'd , the foolishness of preaching , though it were indeed , the wisdome and power of god to salvation ▪ cor. . . therefore we have the less need to be troubled at the language of many in our times , seeing they speak but what they have learn'd from their fore-fathers . for certain , we pretend to no enthusiasms , beyond all sense and reason ; but appeal to christ , and his written word , to be tryed by them in all things ; for which we are counted fanatiques . for the aspersion of folly , upon all that desire to remember god in his wayes , and to walk humbly with him , we may safely appeal to the same judges , now before spoken of , because the wisdome of god in scripture give the name of [ fool ] to none but to such as are ungodly ; witness davids psalmes , and solomons proverbs , &c. but i shall argue a little further thus : if the principles of our religion be such , as we are bound to contend for it against all adversaries , then the practice which agrees best with , and comes nearest to those principles , deserves not the imputation of folly , nor can be so accounted of by any , but unreasonable men . hence i am bold to ask , who are the veriest fools ? they that know the laws of christ , and labour to walk accordingly : or they that pretend to know them , but in all their works deny them ? the principles of true christian religion are these , tit. . , . that we deny all ungodliness , and worldly lusts , and live soberly , &c. that for every idle word that men shall speak , they shall give an account , mat. . . that god shall bring to light the hidden things of darkness , and bring them to judgement , cor. . . eccles. . . now compare mens practices with these principles , and it may be easily seen , who are the veriest fools . many there are , that glory much in their being protestants ; and will sometimes pity papists , for being mis-led , as to their religious perswasions . but i am bold to think , that some protestants have as much need to pity themselves , for their ungodly practices . for if any under heaven , be in the way to hell , some of these protestants are . if you desire to know , which of them ? i answer , all those , who are common ordinary drunkards , swearers , fornicators , and adulterers , with all of the same stamp ; and that ( to fill up the measure of their sins the faster ) do shew the greatest hatred and scorn , that can be , of all that profess and practice godliness . this i have against these protestants ( or rather for them , if they will make a right use of it ) that a papist , leading an honest , temperate , and sober life , can give a more rational account of his religion , than any of them , or any others like them . but i say further , doth not reason teach every man , to be true to his own principles ; and that we should not profess one thing , and practice another quite contrary ? nay , do not lewd and vicious persons cry out against others , that they are not , what they seem to be ? these ( say they ) are your great professors , and they can do so and so . is this according to their profession ? and i say , if great professors , be not also precise and strict practisers , they are to be blamed , yea , and without repentance , shall be damn'd . but i say withall , that whoever proclaims himself a protestant , is a great professor in so doing . for the true protestant religion teaches and obliges to all possible circumspection , and holy conversation , and godliness . the gospel is call'd , the doctrine that is according to godliness , tim. . . as for any , that are accounted more than ordinary professors , i heartily wish , that none of them might deserve the charge , that 's commonly made against them ; and to them i say , if they be indeed faulty , they shall dearly rue it : i mean , they must reform their lives , or their profession will stand them in no stead one day , when all shall be judged according to their works . and for many of them , i am confident , and well assured , that such a charge is no better than a calumny , and reproaching of christ in his members . for there are many of them ( i hope ) nathaniels , and true israelites , in whom there is no guile . however it be , this agreed upon , on all hands , that 't is unreasonable , to profess one thing , and practice another . and hence i say , that all protestants , so call'd , who are vicious in their lives , do therein shew themselves unreasonable ▪ as well as ungodly men . for many of them , i believe , ( and not without reason ) that they know not well themselves , what they profess . sure many of them ( the more pity ) are profoundly ignorant of the very first principles of the protestant-religion ? and can give no rational or tolerable account , why they are protestants , and not papists , or pagans . but whatever they know of their religion , i am sure , many of them little consider of any conversation suitable to it . and therefore i shall mind them of what they do profess , and it is this , that they profess the strictest and precisest way of serving god , and walking with god , that ever was made known to the children of men. they profess to believe the gospel of christ , and that gods written word is the only rule of faith and manners . now the gospel , and the word of grace , do certainly prescribe the most exact and accurate way of life , that can be . and i need not be long in proving this to any professed protestants . but if any make question of it , let them enquire , what they engaged for , and to , when they were baptized . for then they must acknowledge themselves professors of a very strict religion , unless they will renounce their baptism . the fanatiques are not the only great professors ; but every one , that owns himself for a protestant , must either disown his baptism , and blaspheme christ , and the gospel openly ; o● else he must look on himself as a great professor of godliness . for as christ commanded , so baptism obligeth to the most severe and precisest way of godliness . and if he live in the constan● practice and allowance of all uncleanness , he is an unreasonable , as well as a wicked man. the apostle joyns both those together , thes. . . and if those wicked ones there meant ( perhap● professed infidels ) were unreasonable , mu●● more they that profess the faith , and are in thei● conversation worse than infidels . those indeed contradicted their own principles : but professe● christians much more , and are therefore most unreasonable and wicked men . for grace an● nature , law and gospel , cry out against them ▪ and will one day come in , as witnesses for their conviction , because they walk'd contrary to them all . let them count of themselves as they please for a while , christ , when he comes to judge , will number them with those , who cry , lord , lord , and do not the will of his father which is in heaven ; and therefore they must depart , and be gone , because they are the workers ●f iniquity . and what do these mean by their going to church , and joyning in publick prayers , and hearing of sermons , and receiving the sacraments ? sure in these they profess , and pretend to somewhat . they will not ( i hope ) say , they profess adultery , and swearing , and drunkenness , &c. and yet all the world knows , many of them live in the constant practice of such , or the like abominable vices . . these i wish first to consider what they do , when they mock and scoff at others , for their preciseness . for if they dealt , as becomes rational men , they would , as often as they see any more strict and precise , presently say , these men do honestly , and rationally too , for they practice , as they profess ; whereas we profess as much as they , but do nothing alike . . i wish them also to consider , that when they cry out against others , as hypocrites and dissemblers , in so doing , they condemn themselves . for they profess the religion that christ taught , and they will not say ( i hope ) that christ taught men to be swearers , and drunkards , &c. now they must say thus , and so be most horrid blasphemers ; or confess themselves to be dissemblers , for practising quite contray to what they profess . and that they do so , is beyond all contradiction ; and when they can prove others to be the same , we will say as much of them . but till then , we have reason to look on these , as unreasonably wicked , so unreasonably uncharitable towards others , to say no worse of them . i might here enlarge my self , by shewing the unreasonableness of most sins , that are of ordinary and daily practice , with many call'd protestant . but somewhat tending this way , was hinted before , in shewing the reason that is in all the commandments . yet i shall add , that whereas they have cryed out against their ministers , for being so harsh and severe , they forget what their own consciences have told the● oftner , and more sharply , than ever any minister did , or could . but of this i may say mor● elsewhere . for present , i urge them with th● unreasonableness of their constant daily practices , and ask them , is not prophane swea●ing an unreasonable sin , when there is not 〈◊〉 ( as in some other fleshly wickedness ) any the least seeming sensual profit or pleasure ? a 〈◊〉 may be a very epicure ( as one saith ) and 〈◊〉 bate swearing . what doth a drunkard make himself to be , more than a two legg'd bea●● ▪ nay , is there any beast almost , that will 〈◊〉 to drunkenness , except it be a swine ? i 〈◊〉 not instance in more particulars . but to shut 〈◊〉 this , all or most of the ten commandments have been , and still are , justly accounted 〈…〉 of moral and natural equity . and the fourth ▪ though yielded to be but positive-moral , hath so much reason in it , that since god hath allowed us six dayes , we may well allow him the seven●● . and they that make no conscience of this , 〈◊〉 many other commandments , as appears by their practices , are unreasonable men , which was the thing to be proved . arg. . another reason , to prove ungodly men guilty of their own destruction , and so altogether inexcusable before the lord , may be drawn from the inward secre● workings of their own consciences . for whe● they pretend , that they want light , to see the good , and the right way , their consciences will rise up , and be as so many swift witnesses against them . how many times have they been rounded in the ear , and told by a voice within them , that their way was not good before the lord ? how often hath conscience stood , as the angel did in balaams way , with a drawn sword in his hand , to turn them back again ? what dumps , and fits of melancholly ( as some call them ) have they had , when those everlasting burnings have flash'd in their faces , to fright them out of their ungodly wayes ? and will they yet say , they had not light enough , to see the good , and the right way , when they notwithstanding have posted on still , and press'd forward against all opposition and contradiction of consciences ? for certain , many wicked ones have had much of their h●ll upon earth ; so much , as might have serv'd ( if they had been wise enough ) to mind them of heavens way . it may be , that some of them have their heaven here , though a very short , uncertain , and inconsiderable felicity . but there are few of them , that meet not with rubbs enough , to stop them in their career hell-ward , if they would but heed them . they are not so merry , as the world takes them to be ; but even in the midst of laughter , the heart is sorrowful , to think what will be the end of their madd mirth . i need not say more to these , than only advise them to abide at home , and hear what their consciences tell them . but this perhaps is labour in vain , when they are resolv'd before-hand , to give conscience as good as it brings . however , i cannot forbear to stick this , as an arrow in their sides , and let them pluck it out again , if they can : that they can with no face , or colour of truth , say , they have not light , to see the good , and the right way . for god hath put a light into their hands , and they have put it out on purpose , that they may goe on in darkness . and this god himself charges them with , psa. . . have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge , & c ? the interrogative hath in it a more vehement deniall . it is not of ignorance , or infirmity , they do thus wickedly ; but wittingly , and willingly , against all conviction of conscience . and therefore there will be need of no other witnesses against these men one day , than what they themselves shall bring forth ; and god will , in his judging of them , appeal to their own consciences , that will then be ready to justifie him before all the world , that he gave them a light to see plainly the perverseness of their own way ; but they cast it away , or put it out , and would not walk by it . i need say no more , but only desire men to consider , how they will answer their own consciences , in the great day of account , when they have resisted so long , and so often gone against , what they have known by the light that is within them . if they can deal with conscience hereafter , a● they do at present , they may do themselves a pleasure : but i much doubt it . arg. . i shall add another reason , to prove , that men have had light enough shining round about them , and would not endure it . and this is their impatiency , and peevishness of spirit , when they have been again and again admonished of their faults , by such as have known them , and have had opportunities of doing them such a good office. and here i may , upon this occasion , take up a complaint , and say , who , or where is he , that will bear a seasonable reproof , when it is given him ? some such ( i hope ) there are ; but truly it is not easie to light on them . a man had need run to and fro to seek them ; and if any should ask me , where such dwell ? i cannot easily give an answer , such as i would . 't is said of cranmer , that to do him a shrewd turn , was the way to make him a friend for ever . if it were so indeed , i cannot enough admire the most excellent frame of his spirit , that could turn poyson into medicine ; and take occasion to love , even from that which only tends to hatred and strife . surely the contrary is to be seen in too many . do them the best office of love , that can be done , you make them your enemies for ever , they will never care for you more . and this is an infallible demonstration , of what i am now discoursing . how can men say , they want light , when they run from it , and will not suffer it to come near them . the law is a light , and the reproofs of instruction are the way of life , pro. . . so saith the wiseman , by the wisdome of god in him . and i may say of christian brotherly admonition , that it is a a most singular help to preserve and improve the life and practice of godliness . it is , as it were , the snuffing of the lights , to make them burn more clearly . i need not shew how much the scripture commends it : he that turns over the bible , cannot be ignorant of it . it is , in one word , a duty , that lies on all men ; but on professed christians more especially ; to give it wisely , as there is occasion ; and take it kindly , when it is given . now for men to storm and rage , upon all occasions , against all reproof , and shew themselves such , as others dare not come near them , is a sufficient argument of conviction , and cannot be answer'd . for with what face can a man plead , that he is well dispos'd , and willing to do what 's right , when , be he never so much out of his way , be scorns to be told of it ? yet many such there are , who have shut up their consciences under hatches ; and for others , they dare not tell them of their faults , lest they be made to feel their fingers . and i wish this were the fault of ruffians and roysters only : but many more sober to look upon , and perhaps inoffensive otherwise , as to other men , will rage like madd , if you come near them , with the least touch of a reproof , though never so gentle and seasonable . yea , a man had need beware of them , lest th●y make him an offendor for a word , and lay a snare for him in the gate . nor i , nor others need to marvell at the great miscarriages of so many , if we but duly consider , what i am now speaking of . there must needs be an abounding of all ungodliness , when it overflows all the banks , and no man dares put a stop to it , by saying to another , why do you thus ? and this , to say no more , is enough to shew , that men might , if they would , know more of god , and his will , but that they despise admonition , and will not abide reproof . they cannot pretend want of light , who put it away , whensoever it is offer'd to them ; and would , if they could , put it quite out , that they may goe on in darkness . arg. . there is yet more light to shew men their way , if they would but heed it , and not wilfully shut their eyes against it . every sincere and sound believer is a light , shining in the midst of a crooked nation . and herein ungodly men condemn themselves , that they cannot abide the light of other mens profession and practice , holding forth the word of life . they are ever quarrelling those , that are more eminent in profession , for their miscarriages in practice , whether truly or falsely charg'd upon them . for what is this more , or better , than the enmity that is in their hearts against god , and his wayes ? and let it not offend any , that i say so , till they have heard what i have yet to say . that many eminent professors have faulted and fallen , and that most foully , cannot be denied , because the scriptures have furnish'd us with so many sad instances in this kind . and that the most of gods faithful servants have been fam'd , or defam'd rather , as guilty of the same , or the like , is clear from scripture , and from experience in all ages . but whether the faults of professors be reall , or only feigned , still ( i say again ) the scandall that is taken by so many , is an argument of the old hatred ; and shews an inbred desire , to have the wayes of god slurr'd , that they may have an excuse for slighting them . and if it be so ( as i hope to make it appear ) we have another evidence , that men have light enough , but have no mind to walk by it . for why should any man cry out ( as many do ) against professors , and profession of religion , if there were not somewhat more , than what they are willing to have known by themselves ? but i shall argue it a little further thus . first , i 'le suppose the scandall to be indeed reall : what then ? is that a ground sufficient to say , i will never goe in the way , that such pretended to ? a man indeed may , and ought to say , i will never do , as such have done , wherein they have done amiss . and this both religion and reason will teach us . but therefore to slight , and set at naught all profession , and the very face and shew of religion ( to say no more ) is most unreasonable , and a sufficient evidence of that enmity , which is by nature in the hearts of all men against god , and his wayes . for what is gods way the worse , because such and such have turn'd aside from it ? nay , is it better than blasphemy , to cry out with open mouth , against that which is of god , because of that which is vile and base in men ? david committed adultery , and murder too , and therein occasion'd the enemies of god to blaspheme , which was the great aggravation of his sin and punishment . but observe , it was blasphemy in the enemies of god ; and they were gods enemies , that took occasion to blaspheme . for those enemies might have known , and should have taken notice , that david's god had forbidden those horrid sins , by his righteous laws , written in the hearts of all men ; and therefore had no cause to speak or think the worse of him , for his servants offences . was christ the worse , or the less to be esteem'd , because peter denied and forswore him ? what reason then is there , in making the wayes of god to suffer for the faults of those that pretend to them ? the wayes of the lord are right , and the just shall walk in them ; but the transgressours shall fall therein , hos. . . the best master may have a base servant , and the best prince may have a traytor amongst his subjects ; must the good prince or master bear the fault of the bad subject or servant ? or is subjection and service to be denied by others , because some servants and subjects are not so good as they should be ? and in such cases , every man will say , there is no cause . and what reason , i pray , is there in this case , more than in those ? these be the people of iehovah , said the enemies of both , ezech. . . these be your great professors , say many : but who ? none but enemies to god and godliness . oh! say they , see what such an one hath done . we will grant it , and 't is but too true . he hath done , what he ought not to have done ▪ but why is this cast , as dirt , in the face of all professors , and profession of religion ? the god whom they serve , alloweth them not in their so doing : he hath forbidden them to do so , and commanded them the quite contrary . and all the wayes of his commandments are holy , just , and good . to profess the true religion is good , and according to the mind of god , though it be not all that 's good : for to a good profession , must be added a good conversation ; and the power of godliness must goe along with the form of it . if a man profess , and practice not accordingly , thou hast no cause to slight his profession ; but rather to do what he did not , viz. adorn thy profession with a suitable conversation . in this i plead not for empty , outside professors , that dishonour , as much as may be , the profession of religion . i shall rather advise them to one of these two , viz. to let their conversation hold pace with their profession , that the name of god be not blasphemed ; or else to lay aside their profession . for such loose professors of religion exceedingly wrong themselves , and others , and god most of all , as might be easily shewn in many particulars . but i shall only say what is enough , that they do , as if they design'd to make all the world scorn and hate god , and his wayes . men should not indeed slight gods wayes , for the looseness of those that pretend to walk in them , as was said before . but too many are so minded , as they will blaspheme ; and these professors give them occasion of so doing . and just so in a manner do all they , who from their pulpits will declame against the vices of others , when all their auditors know them to live in some or other of those same vices , and repent not . such preaching of such preachers , is a fair argument , to encourage the looser sort in slighting all preaching , and all profession of religion . for what will they say , other than this ? if there be such danger in such wayes , as we are told ; and so much necessity of taking up a more precise course , why doth not our minister , and others like him , practice their own doctrine ? whatever they say , when they are in the church , we see well enough , what they do elsewhere , and at other times . why may not we run the adventure , as well as they . and indeed , it is the ready way to perswade people , that all the matters of god and religion , are of no great concernment , when they see , they are discours'd of sometimes for fashion , and in a form , by such as believe not what themselves say . they that preach thus , as it were , in jest , are not likely to bring others to practice in good earnest . and to speak all in a few words , such preachers and professors ( as before ) if they would set their wits on work , to make all the world atheist ( as once it was arian ) cannot devise a more compendious way and method for the purpose . but though such preachers and professors there be , yet whoever shall therefore stand off , or turn aside from the wayes of gods commandments , will in the day of account be inexcusably guilty before the lord , of neglecting his duty . is there so much as common sense , in saying , why should i do what 's good and right ▪ when others do not ? even reason may teach us , that since god is so much dishonour'd by the looseness of others , we should labour the more , by an unblameable conversation , to vindicate the honour of gods name , in despite of the devil , and all his devices . for this ungodly humour in many , to cry down all religion , and profession of it , upon the account of some professors miscarriages , argues nothing more , than enmity against all godliness ; which yet they would fain hide and excuse , by the faults of others , that pretend to more than themselves . he that 's glad of any occasion , to pick ( as we say ) a quarrel with another , for certain hates him , and hath not the least respect for him . and to clear it yet farther : secondly , such wretches , when they can find no occasion , will be forward enough to feign and frame one . hence have sprung all those reproachful nick-names , cast upon professors , and the profession of religion . hence are false reports rais'd on purpose , to cause an odium amongst all that hear of them . and if there were no more , i should say less . but god himself is reproached , and made to suffer . for all these lyes and falsities are intended , to make religion and godliness to be an abhorring ( if it were possible ) to all flesh . this , this is the design , that lies in the bottom , to render the wayes of god ( in themselves most amiable ) as odious as may be , so as men may have the greatest prejudice that 's possible against them . for when they have so disguis'd them , they , and others have a fairer pretence to shun and scorn them . thus , as little children , they make the bug-bears , wherewith they affright themselves , and their fellows . and do as the heathens of old , who first cloath'd poor christians in the spoyles of beasts , and then expos'd them to be worried , and torn in pieces by lyons , and other ravenous creaures . there is certainly a beauty in holiness , and all her wayes are wayes of pleasantness , pro. . . but to a man in his natural condition , they are not pleasing , but rather hateful and loathsome . and hence he doth by them , as men do by those whom they hate , and cannot abide , render them in all companies , as odious as may be , that others may hate them , as well as themselves do . when iohn hus was brought forth to be burnt , his enemies put on his head a triple crown of paper , painted over with devils ; and the bishops said , when it was set on his head , now we commit thy soul unto the devil . such in a manner is the rage and madness of all ungodly men . they would damn , if they could , all whom they hate and persecute for christs sake ; and therefore raise the vilest reports of them they can , to make the world believe , they are gone to hell , as soon as they are gone hence . and why is all this adoe ? only to obscure and stifle all the glorious beauty of holiness , that shines in gods servants , so as it may not be seen . and this out of hatred against god , who sets up his people , as so many lights in the world , to shew men the way wherein they should goe . but the world , that lieth in wickedness , hates the good , and the right way ; and therefore doth what it can ▪ to put out those lights ; and therein prove , that they love darkness . but however , all that pretend to the wayes of god , do not walk in them ; yet ( blessed be god ) there have alwayes been such , as will not be turn'd out of them , for all that can be said or done against them . and these will be witnesses one day , against all that have rejected them . and in this sense ( if in no other ) the saints shall judge the world , cor. . . ye● , in this sense , they do now judge and condemn the world. their piety , faith , holiness , and fear of god , are a light , and leave wicked men without excuse : and as noah by his faith prepared an ark , by which he condemn'd the world , heb. . . so do they . some indeed , too many pretenders , have caused many to stumble and fall : but through the grace of god , all are not such . as there is indeed , and in truth , such a thing as true holiness ; so there are israelites indeed , shining as lights , and holding forth the word of life , philip. . , . and these lights many times are so bright , as their enemies are forc'd to bear witness unto them , as saul did to david , sam. . . thou art more righteous than i. they cannot , after all their prying , find so much as a flaw in them , so as to have a just complaint against them . and this will be one day a convincing argument against ungodly ones , that they had seen so many examples of those , that loathed their wayes of excess , and ryot , and uncleanness , and yet refused to follow them ; but rather set them at ●ought , upon this account , that they would not run into the same excess with themselves , pet. . . now the reall apologies of christians examples , being so many witnesses for god , and his wayes , how can men say , they want light , to shew them , what they have to do ? how must they not one day be without all excuse , even upon this account ? arg. . another argument for proving my general proposition , is this , that the failings of all men are mostly , if not altogether , in practice ; so as they know , but do not . this shews , that 't is not for want of light , that they walk on in darkness . the first and chiefest part of mans sinful corruption lieth in his will and affections . the woman indeed was deceiv'd , tim. . . but it was by deceitful lust , gen. . . when she saw , that the tree was good for food , and pleasant to the eye , and a tree desirable to make one wise , she took of the fruit of it , &c. it was the inordinacy of her appetite , that transported her to taste , what god had forbidden her , so much as to touch . i grant , she was deceiv'd , and that the serpent deluded her , to believe a lye . and it is ( i conceive ) a truth , that in every evil , there is an errour . hence we read , heb. . . of the deceitfulness of sin ; and eph. . . of deceitful lusts . we should not sin , if we were not deceiv'd . lust is as a mist , that mis-leads us . a man that hath eyes , cannot see his way in a mist , but roves and runs up and down , and cannot hit on the right . a man would never chuse the worse , and leave the better , if he were not in a mistake . the apostle describes the gentiles , as strangers to the life of god , through the ignorance that is in them , eph. . . and the first work of grace on any soul , is , to turn it from darkness unto light , act. . . and to turn a man from the errour of his way , iac. . . but all this ( for ought i can see ) doth not contradict what i said before , viz. that a mans inordinate affections , and his enraged appetite , do raise the mist , that clouds and darkens him , so as to wander after vanities and lye● , and forsake his own mercies . and all serves ( as i suppose ) to our present purpose . men are commonly worse in their practices , than in their principles , as i said before ; and yet i deny not , that they are corrupted in both . for it is not , to me , imaginable , how a man should be corrupted in one , and not in the other . but this we find by experience ( which is all i mean ) that men commonly have better principles than practices . hence so many , that are sound in the faith , as to their perswasions of the truth of religion , in their lives are most abominable . and what need we any more witnesses , to convince and condemn these men ? their own opinions are enough to confute their practices , and prove ●hem rebels against the light . and can they complain , they have not light to see their way ●o heaven ? they have enough , and too much , unless they could use it better . how usual is it for notorious sinners , and most abominable vicious persons , to plead for the ten commandments , when i know no body against them , but such as they , and their fellows ? they know , and can repeat the ten commandments , and say they are gods commandments : and yet a civil man cannot abide within the breath of these men , because every other word almost is an oath with them . a man would hardly believe , that men should lead their lives all the week in such excess , and all manner of uncleanness , and yet on sundayes cry out so devoutly ( as they seem to do ) at the reading of every commandment , lord have mercy upon us , and encline our hearts to keep this law. do not these men proclaim gods commands to be their principles , and yet contradict them in all their practices ? they dare not , they cannot for their hearts , say with their mouths , that swearing , and drunkenness , and adultery , &c. are not sins , and transgressions of gods laws ; and yet they live in a constant practice of all such abominations . now what shall we think of these men ? they have a light sufficient to shew them the errour of their way . they do not indeed set it on a candlestick , but rather under a bushel . though it be not quite put out , yet it shines not so , as they can see any thing by it , as they ought . and i can conceive no other reason , why the light in these men is so useless , but only that it was never strong enough , to work an absolute thorow conviction , as when gods spirit convinceth of sin , &c. ioan. . . the lusts of these men were never subdued to the power of their principles . th●y could perhaps , some of them , discourse the vanity of the creature , and the emptiness of all worldly things , even to admiration ; and ye● all the while , love the world , and the things of the world , no men more . grant that there is in such men sometimes a reluctancy , it cannot but be faint and feeble , and in effect as good as none at all . nay , what if i say , it serves only to enhance their lusts the more , as weak opposition gives an enemy the greater advantage , 〈◊〉 let out more of his rage and strength , than otherwise perhaps he would . certainly , men ●o made up of a mixture of passion , and some reason , are as much plung'd into all sensual and beastly pleasures , as any ; becau●e the stream of their lusts is stronger , than to be stopt by any principles they have . yea , they are in a more ready way , to put darkness for light , and to call evil , good , than any men alive ; so as at last ▪ the light that is in them , is no better than the blackness of darkness it was even so with the pharisees , luc. . . when our saviour had most excellently discours'd the right use of all earthly riches , and shew'd , that men cannot serve god and mammon , they heard these things , and derided him . a practice too common amongst others , when a savory doctrine about some duty , press'd home upon conscience , hath found no better entertainment with many of the auditors , than a dry scoff , or some bitter reproachful language against the preacher . but why did the pharisees deride our saviour ? there was a reason , and it is express'd in the same place , they were covetous . the love of money is the root of all evil , tim. . . there never was an heretique , or apostate , or any man reprobate to every good work , that had not this , or some other root of bitterness springing up , and turning him aside to be hardned , past all hope , in his ungodly way . demas hath forsaken me , tim. . . and if you read on , it is to be seen in the next words , why ? he had embraced this present world. all ages afford great store of such s●d instances . many , like ionathan ( as one saith ) follow the chase with a greedy pursuit , till they light on the honey . demas had no sooner left paul , but he went to thessalonica , where he became an idol-priest , as some report . when such men have been provoked , by missing of expected preferments , or have had the lure of promotion flung out to them , the next news you hear of them , is , that they are not where you left them , but are gone some-where ; and if you desire to know , look in iud. v. . and you sh●ll find , what way they are gone , and upon what account , and what will be the issue of all at last , if you please to observe that also by the way . they ( you must know ) hoyse up , and strike sayl again , as the wind serves , and sometimes tack about , only to steer a course , that will serve for present security , or future further advantages . when religion is in fashion , they presently fall in with a goodly out-side profession , so as few can keep pace with them . but when once the wind , that was on their backs , begins to turn , and blow in their teeth , then ( as we say ) faces about , and who more zealous persecutors , than such hot-spur professors ? now may i not say of these , have they not heard and known ? doubtless they cannot be ignorant . balaam knew well enough , that he ought not to curse israel ; and yet the wretched wizard attempted it again and again , because he loved the wages of unrighteousness ; and balack's proffer'd rewards blear'd his eyes , as he saw not , what he did see . so is it with every man , that hath no more grace than he . 't is no hard task for any man of ordinary understanding , to conclude , that the way of uncleanness , drunkenness , swearing , &c. is not for professed christians , or civil rational men to walk in . yea , many have sometimes resolv'd against them , with vows and imprecations ; and yet the next opportunity of a temptation breaks all these bonds , and the doggs are turned to their vomit again . the reason of all is clearly to be seen , and it is this : they have their lucid intervals , as other madd men have ; and then they can see a little , the baseness of their own wayes . but as soon as lust is stirr'd , there rises a mist , and then they are as if they had no eyes ; and whatever principles they have , they serve them for nothing that good is . the light in these men , is as the uncertain blazings of a candle , burnt down into the socket , that will not serve a man to do any work ; and after it hath flash'd a while , goes out with a snuffe , and a stink . 't is not long e're these men lye down in a dead sleep , and there 's no hope of awakening them , after their interests and passions have subdued their principles , so as to have no more reflection upon their consciences and practices . these are awhile perhaps orthodox in their principles , but no thanks to them , for they are honest only , because not tempted to be otherwise ; and being alwayes hypocrites in heart , no marvel , if they come at last to be heretiques , not only in their practices , but in their opinions also . however , we must say of these , that they say , and do not : or ( which is all one ) they know , and do not . they profess what they do not practice ; and is not this enough to silence them , when they say , if we had known , we would have done better ? for they lye in what they say ; and if they had a mind to fight it out with their lusts , they would never complain , they have not light enough . no wicked men are so ignorant , as not to know , that they are out of the way : only the violence of their sinful affections hurry them o● against their reason . and will this ( think you ) excuse them ? it may indeed blind them a w●ile , but it will not bear them out , when god sh●ll call to an account . arg. . and now i shall a little enforce the former reason , by adding another argument , if you please to ●all it so , viz. that prophane and ungodly wretches , who profess the faith of christ , do condemn themselves , by allowing the practices of the saints recorded in scripture . they say , the apostles , and others , were good men , and are now in heaven . and what can they answer , if they be ask'd , why do you not then trace their footsteps ? they dare not say , those saints in heaven , ( whom they so much magnifie ) went thither in that way they themselves walk in . and truly it is much , that some men should so magnifie th● dead saints , and shew themselves devils all the while , in vexing those that are alive . a man may truly say to those wretches , that the saints in heaven , led not such lives on earth , as they do , and therefore will be witnesses against them . i have heard indeed , that some impudent hardned sinners have been so bold , as to speak of the saints infirmities , recorded in scripture ; as if their own enormities might be pass'd over , as well . but if they were not unreasonable , as well as ungodly , they might know , that those good men once fell into great sins , but did not lye in them , or make a trade of them . if these men would repent and turn , as those saints did , their case were quite otherwise , than now it is . those saints were in their constant practice holy and righteous men , no such debauch'd and vicious persons as these . and how comes it to pass , that they have so much respect for those holy men , whose lives and conversations they never care to follow ? certainly , in honouring those good men , they in a sort allow of goodness and holiness , and so condemn themselves , in doing contrary to what those men did . saint paul , and saint peter , and the rest , were men that led their lives in all puritie and holiness , free , and far from the pollutions , and unclean practices of these men , that so much cry them up . what do they then , in their thus magnifying the saints of old ? why , they do , as the scribes , and pharisees , mat. . . who built the sepulchres of the prophets , &c. and thereby laboured to gain a reputation with the vulgar , for bearing so much respect to the memorie of those men of god. for by this , they seemed to assert their doctrine , and so would make the world believe , that they were zealous professors , and followers of that way of worshipping of god , which the old prophets had taught long before . but alas ! they were strangers , and enemies to all that the prophets had taught , and practiced . and just such hypocrites are others , who pretend to honour , and respect very much the old saints , and martyrs , and yet are in their affections , and conversations all one , with those that slew them , and shew'd all rage , and madness against them . nor will it suffice to say , as the scribes , and pharises did , vers . . if we had been in the dayes of our forefathers , we would not have been partakers with them , &c. for ( as one saith well on this place ) an herod , and herodias to iohn baptist , would have been an ahab , and a iezabel to elias . they that declare against their forefathers cruelties , do not thereby disclaim them ; specially , when they are the same to good , and godly men now , as their fathers were to those of old . for what do many wicked wretches ha●e , and scorn , and persecute now ? is it not the life of holiness , and power of godliness ; such as was in the saints of old ? nay ; they cannot abide to hear the very doctrine of the apostles and prophets preach'd to them , in the manner that the apostles and prophets preach'd it of old in their times . and do not these ungodly men prove by their dayly practices , that they are such as they who persecuted the prophets , and apostles . well ; however they hav● this as an evidence against them , that they seem'd so much to allow of holiness and godliness in the saints departed , and yet walk'd clean contrary to them . they that will but observe the acts of the apostles , and their epistles ▪ may easily perceive the vast difference and dissimilitude , that is in the lives and doctrines of them , and these that pretend so much reverence to their names . and whatever men may imagine for a while , those old saints will one day be so many swift witnesses against all that have seemed to reverence their memories ▪ and yet never imitated their examples . for the most they do , is no more than the pope doth : he is ( if you will believe him ) peter's successor ; but for life and doctrine ho● like to peter , any man may see that reads the scripture . even as many others , who would be thought of the same religion with the primitive christians and antient martyrs , but if they would live as holily and unblameably as they did , what they say would be sooner believed by others , than now it can be . arg. . men say , they want light , and means to know , and do better ; but they lie in so saying : for they will not endure sound doctrine , nor any that preach it . in this i appeal to the practice of ungodly men in all ages , which furnish us with instances enough , of such rebels against the light . for scripture-instances , they are well known to all that have read the bible : there is to be seen , how the iews mocked the lords messengers , and despised his prophets ; so as stephen makes the challenge , which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted ? and what they did to gods servants , the prophets , the same and worse they did to him that was the son of god ; they cast him out of the vineyard , and slew him , mat. . . and afterwards held on to persecute the apostles and other dispensers of gospel-grace , seeking , if it had been possible , to extinguish that light which the sun of righteousness had brought into the world . and was it not so with others afterwards ? how long did the roman heathen emperours persecute the faith of christ , in the preaching and profession of it ? in one word , they did what they could , to make the name of christ and christian to be no more remembred . and for their successors , ( excepting constantine the great , and some that succeeded him at times , ) they drave on the same wicked design , though in a way somewhat differing : iulian ( who came not long after constantine ) is infamous among all to this day , for his apostasie and politick designs to root out all christianity . and what hath been since done by the power of the beast , is well known to all that felt his clutches by sad experience , and to all others by certain report . the gospel is still , through gods mercie , preach'd and professed , yea more openly and avowedly in this and the last age , than in many ages before . but no thanks to many ungodly men , who have let the light shine , b●cause they could not put it out . who hath not read , or heard what hazards the first reformers ran , and what despightfull opposition they met withall ? and to this day , how impatient are many of some kinde of preachers and preaching ? o the frequent quarrels that have been against the most able and painfull ministers , for nothing but their labours and endeavours to turn the people committed to their charge , from their ungodly wayes ! the same spirit that swayed the scribes and pharises , and others against our saviour , in his time on earth , breathing still in too many , who will have always somewhat to say against faithfull and painfull ministers , as the iews had against christ , though to no purpose more , than to bewray their own ignorance , malice , and madness . and i shall now give some instances , as i finde them , that so men may see themselves precedented in the scribes and pharises , and infidel hard-hearted iews that liv'd in our saviours time . mat. . . the sadduces could not believe the resurrection , and a stout argument they bring to puzzle our saviour withall ; an instance of a woman that had seven husbands successively , &c. and what did all this prove more , than their ignorance of scripture , as christ tells them ? vers . . at another time , when some said , this is the christ ; others said , shall christ come out of galilee ? ioan. . . and they alledge scripture for it , that christ cometh out of bethlehem , v. . and this bred a quarrel among them , of which there was no cause , nor the least occasion , more than their own ignorance : for had they had more grace , or wit , they might easily have reconciled themselves by knowing that christ was born in bethlehem , though bred up in galilee , for good reason , according to the scripture , mat. . . such was their exception against christ , ioan. . . is not this the son of ioseph ? he was indeed god manifest in the flesh ; and the scriptures had plainly enough pointed him out as abraham's seed , and david's son. to say no more in this kind ; nothing but ignorane of the mysterie of faith , and a froward humour could make them say , how can this man give us his flesh to eat , ioan. . . it shews they had a minde to quarrel , and nothing else ; as when ioan. . . they askt , how knoweth this man letters , having never learned ? saith calvin on the place , hoc ipso despiciunt gratiam dei , quia ipsorum captum superat . nam ea est hominum ingratitudo , ut in aestimandis dei operibus , semper sibi accersant errandi materiam : men study wayes and means to make themselves mistake , when they have to deal in the matters of god , and their own salvation : they are blind enough in the thing● of gods kingdome , and yet quick-sighted too in devising stumbling-blocks to hinder themselves and others from obtaining a sound and saving knowledge of the truth . and hence , ioan. . . when they were a quarrelling , and saying , when christ cometh , no man knoweth whence he is , he cryed in the temple as he taught , ye both know me , and ye know whence i am . where ( saith calvin ) christ inveighs against their madness , that pleasing themselves in their false conceits of him , they shut up against themselves the right way of knowing him as they ought : as if he should have said , by your knowing all things , you know nothing at all . and so they were , as some since , apt to pick quarrels with some ministers especially , and to gain a reputation of knowing men , do talk at a very high rate of others low parts ▪ and learning : these are the champions , that lead up others to quarrel all doctrines preach'd , unless they please their humour , or sute with their high-flown conceits and notions : but ( as calvin hath it somewhere , ) there is no worse plague or pestilence can take hold of men , than to be intoxicated with a conceit of their own understanding , and to be carried by it , to a confident slighting whatever agreeth not with their own opinion ; s●ch great rabbies are ready to say , this people who knoweth not the law , are cursed ; they know so much , as others can know nothing ; and yet know nothing as they ought to know , or what 's worth others learning ; seeing in their lives they savour nothing of true religion and godliness : whatever their learning be , their religion ( if any ) is very ordinary , and they are ignorant enough too of the right way and method of bringing poor ignorant souls to the sound and saving knowledge of christ. there is ( let me say ) a simplicity in the mysterie of christ , and of godliness , which if a man once savour , he hath the only best way to teach others convincingly ; and he that 's not acquainted with it , will be but a sounding brass , and a tinckling cymbal , though he should speak with the tongue of men and angels . and therefore , if the men that quarrel the simplicity of preaching , that sutes best with the capacities of people , be not guilty of ignorance , it is to be feared , there is somewhat else as bad , or rather much worse . they had need look , that this quarrelsom humour proceed not from a root of malice , and enmitie against the things of god , as i fear it doth ; for the mysteries of gods kingdome being of highest concernment , and most excellently usefull to all , deserve none of our quarrellings . but when men cannot abide to deny their humours and interests , to receive the kingdome of god as little children , no marvel if they kindle a fire , and are all in a flame , even to rage against god and his pure word ; which because they are asham'd to own , they must colour it over with somewhat that may be thought worthy of their indignation . and 't is strange to see , how witty the most are , to cover the shame of their malice , in devising and finding out occasions of quarrelling at those things which concern their salvation . sometimes they have quarrell'd a ministers infirmities of body , which are not his sins , but his sufferings ; and if they can spy out any other failings , ( though no more than infirmities , incident to the best of men ) what sad work will their little wit make of them , to hold up a cursed prejudice against all that is taught them , in order to the saving of their souls ? sometimes he is a man of no great parts , and sometimes he is not so well bred , as to know very much of complement ; or is utterance is bad , or somewhat else there is , that they do not like him : some are too wordly , and many are too fashionable . and i verily believe , there is not one of them without his faults ; nor am i now about to excuse any thing that 's blame-worthy . onely , i say again , there 's a root of bitterness in the hearts of all men , and from this root spring all , or most of the quarrels , that are against painful , and faithful ministers . were it not for this , men could never be so apt to pick up , and spy 〈◊〉 so many occasions of exception against them . in a word , they like not the doctrine , and how should they be pleased with him that brings it ? he that likes not the physick , will never be pleased with the doctour , whatever he be . truly , that which the holy ghost hath recorded of ahab is worthy our observation : when iehoshaphat said , is there not here a prophet of the lord besides , that we might enquire of him ? yes saith ahab , there is yet one man , but i hate him ; for he doth not prophesie good concerning me , but evil , reg. . . he confesses him to be a prophet of the lord , but yet he cannot away with him , and you see his reason for it . alas ! what should a man of god ( as micaiah was ) prophesie other than evil , concerning such a one as ahab , who had sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the lord , reg. . . i know no occasion given by some ministers , more than micaiah gave to ahab ; and yet they are hated . and therefore the quarrels of many ( whatever they say ) are against god , and his word . 't was god that put the word into the mouth of micaiah , and 't is god that puts the sentence of condemnation into the mouths of ministers , that ungodly sinners are damn'd , if they live and die impenitent . and all these quarrel some people cannot but know , it is so . and yet they quarrel the ministers , for preaching damnation , and driving men to despair . for my part , i never knew , or heard of a minister , that had forgotten god and himself so farr , as to pass sentence upon sinners , otherwise than as god hath pass'd it in his written word , and as christ hath twice expressed it , luc. . v. , and . except ye repent , ye shall perish . and this exception is alwayes intended and implyed , though in many texts of scripture it be not express'd in terminis . and thus the most thundring denunciations of vengeance , against ungodly sinners , from the ministers , should be by all understood ; so as there would be no quarrel upon that account , if there were not in mens hearts a root that beareth gall and poyson . ro. . . the apostle joyns the contentious , and the disobedient together . and why ? because they never goe asunder . when a man cannot frame himself to obey , then he seeks out some occasion or other , to contend against the truth ; else how shall he satisfie himself and others in his disobedience ? seldome do men arrive at such an height of desperate rebellion against god , as to proclaim their enmity , with open mouth , in plain down-right terms : no , there must be some colour , and this is one , that they are not satisfied about their ministers . and 't is not strange , for they are indeed unsatisfied with the very word of god. and hence some are ever and anon questioning , how such or such a place of scripture may be reconcil'd with another . now , for my part , i blame no man for seeking to satisfie himself in any seeming contradiction : and more than seeming , i am sure , there is none ; unless the transcriber , or printer , may have abused the text in some one copy or edition . but men had need look to their own hearts , whether there be not an inward secret desire , to find out somewhat , that may countenance that contradiction , which is naturally in all men against the laws & wills of god. one thing i have observ'd too often , that some are very inquisitive this way , who seem not to be overmuch affected towards scripture : or , however they be affected , they shew little conformity to it in their conversations . now , my advice , upon this occasion , is ▪ that most men would let more difficult places of scripture alone , and study those which are more easie to be understood . there can be nothing plainer than gods commandments , and all those precepts which concern our duty in denying all ungodliness , &c. in all those ▪ i am sure , there is not the least shew of contradiction , and for the places , that seem not so well to agree , let the advice of sober and learned men be desired , with an unfeigned intention , to know the mind of god , in order to our practice . 't is the observation of one , that it is the sign of a man inclin'd to atheism , to keep a register of many difficult places , not to be satisfied himself , but to puzzle others . sure , they that are often in setting many places of scripture to fight one against another , may be suspected of a desire to make a real contradiction , where there is but a seeming one . to say no more of this , the contradictions in scripture , that seem so to us , are not therefore such indeed ; and if we , and others , cannot reconcile them , we should rather impute ignorance to our selves , and think , that we mistake things that differ , as if they were contradictory . the argument i have next before prosecuted , was drawn from the aptness that is in most to quarrel their ministers . and what manner of ministers are they , who are so much expos'd to quarrels ? to be sure , they are none of the worst . for they that are so apt to quarrel some , upon any account , can like others well enough , though indeed they deserve little respect , being the unsavory salt , fit for no place , but the dunghill . but they like them well enough ; the worse they are in themselves , the better they are to them . if the ministers will deal by them ( as david would have had his beloved absalom dealt withall ) gently and fairly , and not speak too loud , for fear of waking them , 't is as much as they care for . so there be somewhat , call'd preaching , and the minister be sometimes in the pulpit , no great matter what he , or his preaching be . they love a sermon , that will lay them asleep ; and sometimes somewhat , that will set them ( perhaps ) a laughing . and when 't is so , they can sit out a whole glass , and have much patience . but they cannot abide ▪ rayling ( as they call it . ) they would have preachers keep to their texts , when indeed they cannot abide sound doctrine , that ransacks conscience , and searcheth out their sins , though it be deliver'd in the very language of scripture , and be the express doctrine of the prophets and apostles . and yet they are pleas'd at heart many times , to hear , that which is rayling indeed , that is , gibing , and jeering , and girding at the wayes of truth and holiness , under such nick-names and misprisions , as the devil hath devis'd to put upon them . these are the men , that in all their lives , never met with any solid arg●ments , or reasons sufficient to convince them ▪ they could never light on such preaching , or preachers , as could perswade them to goe in some mens wayes of preciseness , or prevail with them to change their way . and all this is too true , and i am sorry for it ; though not so sad , as these men will be one day , if they be no better perswaded . true , they have heard some of those ministers , that are so much cryed up by some ; but they could never see in them , any such light , as was to them convincing . and all this i believe , without any more proof , though it be nothing to their purpose . there were multitudes that heard the son of god preaching to them , and were not perswaded or convinced , but many were the more hardned : what then ? was it because there was not light enough in the sun of righteousness , that so many did not see it ? he knew well enough how to preach so , as the auditory might be most profited . he taught ▪ ●s one having authority , and not as the 〈◊〉 ▪ never man spake , as he spake , joan. . . at nazareth all bare him witness , and wondred at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth , luc. . . and yet were offended at him , as appears in the next words : is not this joseph 's s●n ? so it is still ( as one saith on that place ) the course of our hearers is , to look round about , if possibly they may find any hole in our coat , through which to slight , and slip the cords of our doctrine , though they cannot but admire it . our saviours doctrine was not his own , but his fat●ers that sent him , joan. . . and for the manner , he had the tongue of the learned , esay ● . . he deliver'd himself so plainly , that the simplest might understand him ; and yet so powerfully , th●t his enemies confess'd , he t●●ght the way of god truly , mat. . . he was none of those illiterate , careless , and cold preachers , that can only tire out their auditors , o●●●ll them asleep . and yet all his labour was in vain , as to the most of those that heard him . surely the fault was in them . for they must needs have seen the glorious light , that shin'd in his sermons , if they had not shut their eyes , that they might not see it . we may well think of them , as of others , who will goe after their ●●ind guides , even when the light of the glorious gospel shines most clearly before them . our saviour in the dayes of his flesh , was as much cryed down by many , yea , as any of his servants since , or before . this is an hard saying , who can hear it ? ioan. . . so spake some of his doctrine . yet there are none amongst us , but will say , it was the fault of his auditors ; and that all his doctrine was true , and right , and good . if an angel from heaven should preach the gospel of christ , he should not perswade , or please some men . and 't is no marvel , seeing god himself could not preach to perswade the unbelieving iews . there 's light enough in the sun , though blind folk cannot see it . surely , the light of gospel-grace hath broken out , and shone most gloriously in these our times , though many thousands have shut their eyes against it ▪ and still remain in the blackness of sin and ignorance , because they loved darkness rather than light , joan. . . and as light as men make of it now , god will come , and not keep silence ; 〈◊〉 fire shall devour before him , and it shall be very tempestuous round about him : he shall call to the heavens from above , and to the earth , that they may judge his people . his people are israel after the flesh * , such as were outwardly in covenant with him , and an holy nation , to whom were committed the oracles of god , as they are now to others . they are in our english translatio● call'd his saints , or holy ones ; by others , his meek ones . the original ( as farr as i understand ) notes those that have obtained favour and kindness from the lord : so had all abrahams seed , in comparison of the gentiles ; though we may say with good reason , that all are so called , because some among them were truly sanctified , inwardly and really in covenant with god. certain it is , that god in that place , sounds an alarum to all ungracious and hypocritical professors , that applaud themselves in the ceremonious outside of true religion , when they are as farr from the life and power of it , as professed infidels . such are too many now adayes , that have nothing of true religion , beside the name and profession ; shewing in their lives and conversations , an implacable dislike of true holiness . they will abide no more , than a bare outside form of somewhat that 's call'd religion ; and a ministry they will have for the management of this religion , as suitable as ieroboams priests were to his calves . as for such a dispensation of gods ordinances , as hath life and power in it , they will not endure it ; for they are resolv'd to serve their ●●sts , in all manner of unrighteousness and ungodliness . and these are the men , that cry out , they are not satisfied in their consciences , but they must have more light to convince them , and better arguments to perswade them , or ever they can embrace those precise wayes , which some would have to be the only good way , that leads men to their happiness . such were the iews of old , that persecuted the prophets , and would abide none , but those that cryed peace , peace to them , even whilst they walked after their own imaginations , and did those things that brought upon them the curse and vengeance that god had threatned against them . now , whether these , and such as these , have any just cause to complain of god , for being wanting to them in the means of grace , and saving knowledge , let any judge . i must proceed . arg. . to all aforesaid , i shall add that humour in many , so like to what was in the scribes , and pharisees , and others in our saviours time , who would have of him a sign from heaven . so are many now adayes , that cannot be satisfied , without some extraordinary appearances of god , that may be an infallible demonstration of the doctrines , so much commended to them , for their instruction in righteousness . no question , they that have fill'd the world with stories of strange miracles , pretended to be done by their party ▪ in all ages , for confirmation of their way , were sufficiently aware of this humour in men ; and the apostle hath given all the world a fair warning of it , thess. . , . the rich man in h●● was of the mind ▪ that if one went from the dead unto his brethren , they would repent . but we have no great cause to be much taken with his opinion , when we consider in what place he was ▪ specially when we have the opinion of abraha● in heaven to the contrary . he was indeed in a great mistake , as well as many others on earth . an uncircumcised heart will not regard the commands of god , though they be sent by the hand of an angel. israel had the law from the mouth of god himself , and yet they continued not in his covenant * . many instances there have been of men , that , in the midst of gods most terrible and miraculous appearances , have taken occasion of letting out their malice the more . israel provoked god at the sea , even at the red sea , psa. . . psa. . . for all this they sinned still , and believed not for his wondrous works . i will not say , that all wicked men have been alwayes alike affected , as they were then and there : for gods judgements in the earth , have sometimes cool'd the courage of his stoutest enemies , so as they have not dared to go forward , as otherwise they would have done . the plagues upon egypt , put pharaoh sometimes into a good mood , and made him to relent a little for the present : but he was never the better , though awed a while by the hand of god against him . we read indeed , act. . . that the lord jesus appeared to saul ( afterwards call'd paul ) in a dreadful manner , and struck him down to the ground , in order to his conversion : but that was only to tame him , that so he might be talk'd withall . if the lord had then left him , and taken no more thought and care of him , i may well question , whether saul would have ever been the better man , for that terrible appearance of god to him . sure i am , that god instructed him by his own immediate voice from heaven , and then afterwards sent him to a●anias , by whom ( as a minister of god ) he was taught , what he must do . and if it had not been thus , we may justly doubt , whether paul had ever been setled in a sound belief , or encouraged to a zealous profession , and preaching of the gospel . i am willing to grant , that the lord hath taken some such course with some others , for their conversion : i mean , he hath , by his hand , brought them down to the earth ▪ and made afflictions to tame their proud and haughty spirits , so as they have said , it was good for them , that they were so handled and humbled . but afflictions do but tame men , gods word and spirit alone teach them , and bring the heart to a due acknowledgement of gods authority . and this is certain , because though some have been wrought upon by gods more than ordinary appearances to them , in his providential dispensations ; yet others have remain'd as pharaoh did , and never were humbled so , as to make their peace with god. men may think ▪ if an angel from heaven did preach to them , o● a damned soul from hell appear to them , to confirm by their testimony , the truths that are often tendred them , by men like themselves , they should certainly believe , and obey , and make no further question : but they know not of what spirit they are . never was there such a sign from heaven , as the son of god dwelling in our flesh ; and yet how little were the iews satisfied with it ? no , not in the least , but they must have some other sign to demonstrate him , to be what he was , or else they could not believe on him . yea , and though they had their desire in this also , yet all was to as little purpose : for though he had done so many miracles before them , yet they believed not on him , joan. . . if any suppose , they could not see the sun of righteousness , because he was clouded over with our flesh : i say , that that veil served only to allay the exceeding brightness of his glory , which otherwise no mortal eye could have been able to approach or behold . it did not hide him so , as they could not possibly see him ; but it shewed him so , as they might be able to look on him , as we can abide to look on the sun , shining through a bright cloud , which would dazle , and almost put out our eyes , if it shin'd out in his full strength . and therefore our saviour appeals to his works and doings , which were abundantly enough to shew , what he was , though covered under a cloud . if i had not done among them the works that no other man did ( saith he ) they had not had sin : but now have they both seen , and hated both me , and my father , joan. . . where by [ works ] he means all the evidences and demonstrations of his divine power , given by him , for their conviction . and to instance only in one , did ever man command and controll the devil , as he did , and that only in his own name and power ? this work of his , was such a clear and undeniable proof , as he thereupon charged some of them with the unpardonable sin , because they said , he had an unclean spirit , marc. . . they said , that what he did , was no more , than what witches and conjurers can do , by virtue of a compact ; when they could not but see , it was by the finger and power of god. this was blasphemy , not of ignorance , as pauls was , tim. . . but of voluntary contumacy . for ( as calvin ) they sin against the holy ghost , who maliciously pervert , to gods dishonour and reproach , the mighty works of god , manifested to them by his spirit for this end , that they might thereupon shew forth his glory ; and so profess themselves enemies of god , such as the devil is . hence our saviour chargeth them with malice , ioan. . . ye have seen and hated both me , and my father ; because they so basely undervalued and blasphemed that power , which shewed it self in him , to be altogether divine . for he was not wanting to the work , which his father had given him to do ; and that work was , to shew himself to the world , to be , as he was , the son of god. for this end and purpose he did , what no other had done , or could do . but all could not satisfie an evil and adulterous generation , as he calls them , mat. . . they were still calling upon him for a sign from heaven . he had done indeed some miracles ( they could not deny it ) in curing some poor , sick and leprous persons : but what were these ? not enough , nor great enough to convince them , that he was the very christ. they must have a sign from heaven , such as ioshu● shewed , when the sun stood still , ios. . . or as esaias shewed , when the sun went backward , 〈◊〉 reg. . . or as moses shewed , when he mad● bread to come down from heaven . and thi● last they mention , ioan ▪ . , . what sign shewest thou , that we may see , and believe the● ▪ our fathers did eat manna , as it is written , he gave them bread from heaven . they must have such a demonstration , as might be an evidence beyond all contradiction . alas ! our saviour knew , as well as themselves , nothing he could do , would keep them from contradicting him . 't was only a vain and wicked pretence in them ▪ that if they could be assured , he was the messias , they would forthwith believe in him . but they dissembled , and christ calls them hypocrites , luc. . . and he sighed deeply in his spirit , marc. . . knowing it was their hardness and mal●ce , to make so much adoe about miracles . and this he proves , luc. . . ye can discern the face of the sky , &c. they were wise enough in other matters , and could make observations one day , what weather would be the next . and therefore he pincheth them close , v. . yea , and why even of your selves judge ye not what is right ? if they would but have examin'd their own consciences , and enquired there , what was right , and to be resolved upon in the case , they need be no longer in doubt . i have been the larger in this instance , because it serves to shew , what spirit they are of , who are ever and anon harping upon the same string , and making in a manner the same demands . o! if they had but a sign from heaven , if they could once be certainly assur'd of such and such matters , what would not they do ? they are as ready , as any men alive , to receive and entertain whatever shall be offer'd to them , as the mind and command of god. 't is pity they should live , that are otherwise minded . but you must bear with them , if they are not so well satisfied with some things ; for truly ( believe them he that lift ) they never had light clear enough as yet , to convince them . if these preachers , and they that pretend so much to preciseness , could but shew some sign from heaven , could but give some evidence of their way , such as could not be contradicted , they need not compass sea and land to make proselytes ; for they , and many more , would be at their devotion . but all this while , these men , that cannot be satisfied with any arguments ▪ can satisfie themselves in the constant practice of such abominations , as the heathens would be ashamed of , and swallow down every day such foul evils , as the light of nature and reason have sufficiently discover'd to all . truly these men are sick of the iews disease , who expected a messiah , such as god never promis'd or intended ; and when the messiah came in another way than they counted on , they would none of him , he was not for their turn , what should they do with such a one ? or what could he do for them ? they must have a messiah to reign in all worldly pomp and state , so as they might be a people , to rule over all the nations . a poor despised fellow , with a few fishermen to attend him , to be the messiah , so long expected . they can never be perswade● to this , unless there were more cogent arguments , than he had given them . just so do ●thers fancy to themselves a way to heaven , such as god never counted upon ; but the way of god indeed , such as christ hath laid out in his word , and traced it himself before them , a way of self-deniall , and crucifying the flesh , with the affections and lusts , who shall perswade them , that this is the way to heaven ? they can never believe it , unless a man come from the dead to assure them of it . and so they goe on quarreling with any thing , that looks but like true religion , and holiness , and circumspect walking , which scripture makes the only way to heaven . they see no such thing in scripture , nor can those strait lac'd preachers say enough to perswade them , there 's any necessity of so much preciseness , unless they could work some strange and unheard of thing , to demonstrate their nice opinions . and for the parts and gifts of those preachers , they know not but some others have as much learning as they , and yet are not of their mind . they must therefore do somewhat more than ordinary , or these men will never be perswaded to their way . to these men i shall say no more , than that the mind of god in scripture hath as full and uncontrollable authority , as any extraordinary revelations possibly can have ; and let them except what they can , i 'le undertake to shew as much , and more to be excepted against any way of revelation which they would have . they who are not satisfied with scripture , will be satisfied with nothing , whatever some pretend or imagine . and to say no more , it is a most absurd and unreasonable thing , for any man to expect revelations of gods will , in an extraordinary way , when he hath so fully and plainly made known all things , in a way less lyable to exception than any other . 't were easie to shew , how hard it would be for most men to discern true miracles from false . and what a business would it be , for every particular person to have a particular revelation . besides , such appearances of god would be more dreadful to poor creatures . not to say , how often the devil might transform himself into an angel of light . whereas scripture is a sure word , that hath been tryed , and alwayes found constant and consistent with it self . and for the truth of it , ( if there were no more ) it may contend upon rational grounds , for probability , with any pretence , that hath been , or ( i think ) can be to the contrary . and therefore to those that must have extraordinary wayes to convert them , i say , they are tempters of god , in tying him to miracles , when he hath appointed ordinary means ; and do in effect refuse the food that 's offer'd them , looking when god will rain bread from heaven upon them . arg. . that i may yet further evidence , that men want not light , but only neglect the means allowed them , i give this reason , that so many make a kind of profession , to be what indeed they are not , and cannot abid● to be counted as they are , and to be call'd by their own names . they that are as debauch'd as any mis●reants on earth , will not abide to be so accounted , yea , will avouch themselves to 〈◊〉 farr otherwise . he that uses deceit in bargaining upon all occasions , would be thought as honest as any man alive . the adulterer waitet● for the twilight , job . . and the adulteress wipeth her mouth , and saith , i have done 〈◊〉 wickedness , pro. . . now , when the vilest of men give it out , and would have others believe , that they are such as they should , and ought to be , is not this an argument of conviction , that they do know what they ought to do , and do the contrary ? where do you meet with any , that will openly proclaim their wickedness , or affirm that vices are vertues ; that drunkenness , swearing , &c. are duties that ought to be done ? no , for the most part , men are asham'd , and will not own these ; and yet continuing in the practice of them , do they not sin condemn'd of themselves ? they do know the baseness of their evil wayes , and notwithstanding goe on in them . and with what face can they plead , that if they had known the good , and the right way , they would have walked in it ? wherefore they shall be their own judges , when they are to be condemn'd before the lord at the last day . arg. . and why do many betake themselves to do somewhat for making their peace ( as they pretend ) with god ? this ( if there were nothing else ) serves to prove , they are somewhat convinc'd of their wayes and doings , that they are not so good as they should be . but in the doing of it , they discover the wretched untowardliness of their hearts , and how little they prize the things , which god hath promised to all them that diligently seek him . for commonly they betake themselves to pitiful poor shifts . it may be , when they are going out of the world , they can find in their hearts to spare a little somewhat to some good uses , after they have all their life long been making more poor , than all their estates are able to relieve ; yea , done more wrong , than their estates are able to recomp●●ce . and some will keep their church better , than ever before , if they live to it ; and sometimes read a chapter , or in some good bo●k . but for ransacking of conscience ▪ and ripping up old sins to the bottom , and renouncing the vain wayes , whereunto they are ( as all others ) inclin'd , and turning from all iniquity , and betaking themselves to the most strict and precise way of walking with god , in all his commandments blameless , as zechariah and elizabeth did , luc. . . as they never knew before , what belongs to them , so they are still willing to let them alone . they cannot be ignorant ( unless willingly ) that their duty is to be humbled , as low as hell , and to receive the sentence of death in themselves , and shew it in all possible contrition and humiliation , and denying themselves in all they formerly delighted in , and in walking so , as all that see them , may have cause to say , surely god hath wrought some great change upon them . but they can content themselves with less , and hope , god will be as well pleas'd with it , as they themselv●● are . so you shall have some turn'd , it may be from open prophaneness and debauchery , to 〈◊〉 more sober civil way of life , and perhaps somewhat of an empty outside formality . this is an acknowledgement , that god must have somewhat more , than he hath had formerly . but this poor pittance will be a strong evidence against them one day , that they did not follow hard after god , as they might and should have done . for if men did not wilfully shut their eyes against the light that shines in scripture , to shew the good and right way of see●ing after god , they could not but know , that the utmost degree of self-denial and mortification , with deepest humiliation before god , and all holy conversation and godliness , is the only way to find him . such slight work as they make , serves only to shew , they are not willing to do better , and therefore can in reason expect no great reward . for ( i say again ) men cannot be ignorant ▪ ( except willingly ) that the enjoying of god for their portion , is so rare and rich a prize , as nothing can be thought enough for procuring it ; and such a slight dealing in a matter of so great concernment , is an argument to evidence , that they goe against their own light , and so are condemned of themselves . and what do many in the whole course of their lives , more than trifle about somewhat , which is indeed nothing to any purpose ? they know after a sort , the only true way to eternal life , which is believing on the son of god. they are also ( we suppose it however ) sober and ci●il in their behaviour towards others . but for their religion towards god , it being ( we grant ) as to the outward profession , right as it should be , they content themselves with the outside , which is the easiest part of it , being least irksome to the flesh , and that which pinches least upon their worldly and fleshly interests . and thus they approve their skill , in finding out an easie way to heaven . for this i may ( i hope ) affirm without offence to any , that the protestant religion ( so call'd , and to me the only true religion ) in the bodily exercise , and outside observance , is farr more easie than any other . and there is good reason for it , seeing the grace of god , in these gospel-times , calls mostly for worshipping god in the spirit . the iews had an hard task ( indeed a kind of bondage ) in the outside of gods service , which put them to great pains and cost . but christians now have as little as may be of the bodily exercise , because the more full discoveries of gospel● grace call us now , to offer up our selves , as so many living sacrifices , holy and acceptable unto god , and call'd a reasonable service , because according as god hath prescrib'd . and ' ti● indeed the main and chiefest part of gods service now , to mortifie our earthly members , and crucifie the flesh , with the affections and lust● ▪ with abridging our selves in all that may gratifie self ; conforming our selves , and coming as n●●r as possible , to that more blessed and glorious 〈◊〉 ▪ wherein there will be no use or need at all o● these present comforts and accommodations . now what do many call'd protestants othe● ▪ than by their practices deny the great things o● the gospel , and contradict our saviour jes●● christ , in what he said , mat. . . that the gate which leads to life eternal , is strait , and the way narrow ? for they make it as wide and easie as any man can devise to make it . surely it is no● hard labour to goe to church once in a week , and receive the sacrament once or twice in a year , and say over by rote a few conn'd prayers once or twice in a day , when they are half asleep : and yet this is the most service that many do to god , and it may be doubted if many do so much . now , if the course these men take , b● the good , and the right way , they need not strive much , the gate is wide , and the way is broad enough , who can miss it , or goe beside it ? questionless , the very heathens serve the devil ▪ and their idols , at more cost , and charge , and pains taking , than all this comes to . to speak as it is , the true religion is the most easie of all others , as to the outward bodily exercise ; and all the difficulty that attends it , is in self-denial , being crucified to the world ; and in the more spiritual part of worship , whiles a man labours to keep his heart in a due frame and order , by watching against the secret risings of his inward corruptions , with all the subtle insinuations of satan , so as at all times , and upon all occasions , as well as in his more direct addresses to god , he is put to watch and ward , to fence and fight , and all little enough to prevent the assaults of his enemies , and preserve himself from the infection of sin . oh! what a difficulty is there in gathering up a mans thoughts and affections in duty , and keeping a strait hand upon them all the while ? to abandon vanity in discourse , and in our own hearts , to curb , and keep in , what will be ready to break out , yea ▪ and to nipp the early buddings of corruption , e're they grow , and get head , is work that will require labour , and care , and pains . so is it also , to have our conversation alwayes in heaven , by setting our affections on things above , continually musing and meditating on eternity , and that happiness which never shall have end ; with minding alwayes what may serve for the accomplishment of our desires , in the enjoyment of god ; and watching against all hindrances from the world , the flesh , and the devil , that may obstruct our passage ▪ whiles we are here in our pilgrimage . 't is no easie matter to deny our selves , in the desires of the flesh , specially , when we see the most to use a liberty , with a fair pretence of conveniency , and necessary accommodation . 't is hard to keep a bridle on our lips , and much harder to keep it on our hearts . and what ad● must there be , to observe and try our wayes , so as all may be according to rule ; and what diligence also is required , in calling our selves to an account every day , so as to clear up our evidences , that there may be nothing to interru●● a fair and free correspondency between god 〈◊〉 our souls ? now this harder part of christianit● many curtall , yea , cut it off , and cast it quite ●way , never caring for it , so much as seriously 〈◊〉 have any thoughts about it ; and content the●selves with an outside carkass ( as i may call it ) of the true religion , that hath nothing of life 〈◊〉 soul in it . however , they will one day fi●● ▪ that this easie and empty formality of bodily exercise , will be a swift witness against the● ▪ that they might have done better , if they would . arg. . to say no more in way of argument , let it be consider'd , wh●t many , yea most are wont to do , when they ar● in apparent hazards of death , or in any deadly dangers . do they not then , as the mariners , cry every man to his god ? then men are affected mostly one of these two wayes : either they cry out lamentably , yea , even howl for vexation of spirit ▪ bewailing their loss of precious time and their mis-spending those talents , which might have been employed for their souls advantage : or they lye as men struck in the head , and their heart ( as nabals ) dyes within them , so as they become as stones or stocks , that have no sense . now what doth this signifie ? even that , which i have been discoursing hitherto . so long as men have ease and health , youth and strength , and feel no evils or troubles , their lusts are lively , and alwayes kindling into a flame ; and hence there 's alwayes a mist of smoke and darkness in their souls , such as hides and overwhelms all the notions they have of god , or any thing that 's good , so as they never consider , what shall be the end of their madd mirth , sinf●ll vanities , or horrid impieties . but the sense of approaching death quenches all the ●lame of th●ir lusts , and when the smoke of that fire is ●●ce dispell'd , their natural principles , or any other light they have had , appear again to act , as they would have done before , had they not been ●●ppress'd , and as it were buried under the rubbish of fleshly and filthy lusts . to this purpose we may observe , what the psalmist hath , psal. . . put them in fear , o lord , that the nations may know themselves to be but men . they were intollerably insolent and outragious , taking no notice of god , nor caring for him , so long as they had their wills , and felt no troubles . hence the psalmist prayes god , to put them in fear , i. e. to bring upon them some horrible tempest of his wrath , and to give a proof of his power in some remarkable judgement , that so they might come to themselves . i have cited this text only to shew , that david was of this mind , that men will quake and tremble at the sense of gods judgements , which they would not before , so long as they feared no danger . and why ? because in times of prosperity , the smoke of mens lusts smothers the operation of all their principles , so as they can have no effect . but death hath a gastly look ▪ because it is a fore-runner of judgement , and men are appal'd at the very thoughts of it , p●●ting them off so long as possibly they can . however at last it comes , and then , when there 's ●o longer help nor hope , oh no such welcome ●●sitants as good people , nothing so desirable 〈◊〉 their prayers . they do not then rejoyce , 〈◊〉 boast themselves in their wickedness . no , 〈◊〉 are sorry for their sins , and wish they had 〈◊〉 their lives in wayes of godliness , truth and rig●teousness . questionless they are then tam●● ▪ and may be talk'd withall , at least the most of them . for now their eyes are opened , to see , what before they would not , but might have seen if they would . and is not this a cogent argument , to convince ungodly sinners , that they wittingly and willingly stifled the light that shin'd in them , to shew them the only way to rest and peace . who then shall bear the blame , but themselves ? this one evidence , if there were no more , is enough to give the verdict for god , against all ungodly men . i hope now enough hath been said , to prove the general proposition , laid down in the beginning , so as i may now proceed to make some application of the whole . but there 's one objection more , that must be removed , and it is this , or to this purpose , vizt . obj. that i have discours'd a great deal , to prove men guilty of their own destruction , by shewing , that they goe against their own light ●nd consciences , and so condemn themselves in what they do . but i have not all this while shewed them , how to find that good and right way , which leadeth unto life . this had need be done , and never more , than in these , and the late times . you tell us ( will some say ) a great ●eal of our wilfullness and frowardness , in going ●gainst our light . but can you tell , what light ●●all lead us , in so many perplexities of opinions , ●hen every one calls us to his way , and none of ●hem knows how to assure us , which is the good , and ●he right way ? you seem to make but one right 〈◊〉 , and how shall we know where it lyeth , when ●●ere are so many wayes cryed up , and every one is ●●tended to be the only good way ? we have need of ● clue to lead us out of such a labyrinth , for else 't is impossible for us to find our way . sol. this is indeed a question worth the an●wering , and 't will not be much beside my de●ign , to say somewhat about it . for the many various and different perswasions of men , in matters of religion , are enough ●o stumble those , who will be glad of any occa●●on , to quarrel the way of their own salvation . ●nd for their sakes , i shall say , what i am able , ●o give them satisfaction , if it may be . that there are many and different perswasions 〈◊〉 men , about the matters of god , is that which cannot be denied . but that those different perswasions ought to hinder our enquiries , or are a sufficient excuse for our carelessness , about the concernments of our souls , i deny , and for my denial i give these following reasons . first , if such differences were a ground su●●●cient to excuse us , then all that went heave● way , since the beginning of the world almost might plead it , as well as we . for what age or time can be shewed , when it was otherwise ▪ differences of religion are indeed sad , but th●● are no new things . adam's children were 〈◊〉 divided about religion , or else we had not 〈◊〉 of the sons of god , and the daughters of men , 〈◊〉 early in the world. 't is plain , they all 〈◊〉 profess'd not one way ; or if they did , they 〈◊〉 farr divided in their practices . as noah walk●● with god , when all flesh had corrupted his way ▪ and after the flood , were they not divided i● their religions , as much as in their language● ▪ who so reads the story recorded in genesis , may see the world was peopled with those , tha● serv'd some one god , and some another ; and few were they that serv'd the living and tru● god , in a right manner , and yet some such ther● were in all ages . how was israel divided , abou● the way of worshipping god , after the re●● made by ieroboam ? and not to be tedious in i●●stances , how many sects were there in chris● time , and before ? yea , and presently after th● gospel was published , how did sects arise an● swarm in every corner of the world ? and 〈◊〉 it hath been ever since , they must be very ign●●rant , that do not know . but what of all this ? god had his faith●ul servants , that followed him in the good old way of truth and holiness , in all those times ; and we never read or hear of any complaints they made , that there were so many opinions and perswasions , as they could not tell which to follow . no , they did , as all others ought to do , apply themselves to search and enquire what way god had prescribed , and seeking it in sincerity , with all their hearts , they found out that way , wherein they found rest to their souls . for this purpose , observe the resolution of gods people , as you have it , micah . . though other people pleased themselves in their superstitions , and opposed themselves against them , yet they resolved to stick fast to the wayes of god in his word . god indeed suffered all nations to walk in their own wayes , before christs coming in the flesh , otherwise than afterwards , in that gospel-grace was not published throughout the world equally and indifferently to the gentiles , as to the iews . and god hath since suffered men to arise in the christian church , and teach perverse things , and so there have grown many sects and parties in matters of religion , very different and contrary . but god never left men without light , to discern of things that differ , and to descry the good , and the right way , if they had pleas'd to make use of it ▪ the apostle faith , cor. . . there must be heresies , or sects , and gives a good reason for it , as our saviour saith , it must needs be , that offences come , mat. . . yet no man hath any cause to complain , and say , we cannot see which is the right way , because of those heresies and offences . god by them puts us to use our best skill and endeavours , for finding out the good , and the right way ; and by those differences makes appear , who are sincere and sound at heart . for such there were , notwithstanding those differences , and such there are , and will be to the worlds end . hence nothing can be spoken more frivolous , than to say , there are so many religions , a man cannot tell which to chuse . it is all one , as for a man to say , there are so many lanes and turnings in his way to such a place , as he will never think of going thither , though his whole estate be in hazard , and no way to help it , but by such a journey ▪ what do men , when they are bound to travel , but resolve to goe on , and make the best enquiry they can to find out the way ? and so should we in this case ; and to be otherwise minded , is a very madness . dly . the way to heaven is not so hard to be found , if we had hearts resolved to walk in it . there 's a great fallacy in the argument , which had need be discovered . for in truth , men deceive themselves by it , whiles they consider not , that their hearts are naturally at enmity with god , and his wayes ; and because they have no mind to goe where god commands and sends them , they frame an excuse , and pretend there are so many wayes , as 't is impossible to find the right . and to speak as it is , this is all the cause , and here lies all the fault . if men were willing to goe in gods wayes , they would never complain so much , of the difficulty in finding them . 't is an easie matter to find an excuse , when a man wants a good will to any thing , whatever it be . a lion is in all wayes , where the slothful man is to goe . dly . and for this purpose consider farther , that the way to heaven must be discern'd and discover'd , by that which is the proper mark and character of it , as we find it in scripture . now , in the matters of gods kingdom , some are more essential , substantial , and of greater consequence , than others ; so as they who differ about some particulars , may yet be right in the main , and all in heavens way . 't were sad indeed , if every difference in a punctilio , should make another way to heaven . where are there two men in all the world , that are of one mind in every thing ? god forbid , that among the different perswasions , that are about some things , in the way of administring christs ordinances , we should allow of none to be in the way to heaven , that is otherwise minded in some particulars , than we our selves are . there are many roads to a great city , and yet they that goe the one , or the other , come alike to it , because all those several wayes have a tendency towards it . all the question is , and must be , whether the way we take , be such , as hath a tendency towards heaven ? and by the way , i think it the great mistake of some , to value men mostly , according as they are affected to their own private way , whatever it be ; whereas the valuation ought to be according to what men are in the main and great matters of godliness , viz. faith , hope , love , and all the fruits of them , righteousness , mercy , &c. for he that in these things serveth christ , is acceptable to god , and approved of men , ro. . . there are some foundation-truths of the gospel , wherein to mistake deliberately and constantly , is of desperate consequence . and there are the great matters of the law , wherein a willful constant neglect is inconsistent with true holiness . yea , though the errour or evil be in it self none of the greatest , yet when there is a persisting in them , after conviction , and against admonition , out of malignancy , i know not what to resolve better , than that the way of such men is not safe . but when there is an unfeigned desire , and an earnest endeavour , to know the good and right way , and a constant course in the practice of all services and duties to god and men , with a conscionable carefulness to avoid offence towards all , i know no reason , why such , though under different perswasions , in some particulars of no great concernment , should be otherwise looked on , than as the children of our father in heaven . therefore , as for the different perswasions of so many divided about some things , for want of light , they need be no occasion of stumbling to any . the way to heaven is easie to be seen , notwithstanding those differences . for whoever they be among those parties , that , in obedience to christ , have learn'd to deny themselves , and all ungodliness , &c. and to take up christs cross , and to live in the constant exercise of mortification , and crucifying the flesh , and do indeed lead their lives , in the main , according to the only rule of righteousness , they are in heavens way . thou , it may be , dost not like the perswasions of some of them : and i say , if thou lik'st them not , for me thou mayest let them alone . but thou perhaps likest not holiness , self-denial , and crucifying of thy lusts neither ; but art resolved to take thy full swinge in the pleasures of sin , and thy daily practice is , to serve thy fleshly desires to the utmost . thou art ( may be ) a drunkard , a common swearer , an unclean beast , living , lying down , and wallowing in the mire . now to thee , i say , whoever be in heavens way , ( to be sure ) thou art out of it . and thou must certainly resolve , to change thy way , or perish for ever . thou sayest , there are so many religions , a man cannot tell which to chuse . but in the mean time , thou art of no religion , thou hast not so much as a form and face of it . set aside thy going to church on sundayes , ( with what mind , thou thy self best knowest ) what is there of religion to be seen in thee ? in thy family , there is no shew of it , in prayer , and praise , and reading the scripture , and catechizing thy children and servants . there is to be seen all the week , labouring for the food that perisheth , by early rising , and late going to bed . there a man may hear oaths , and curses , and lyes , and filthy communication , and the best but vain and idle discourses ; but not a savory word , to shew any sense of god , and his goodness , from morning to night . there 's provision for the necessities of nature , to cloath the back , and fill the belly ; and provision too for the flesh , to fullfil the lusts thereof : but there 's nothing of god and godliness to be seen , no conscience made of sin to shun it , or of any thing that 's good to practice it . now , whoever thou art , that leadest such a life , i tell thee , whatever becomes of others , it cannot be well with thee in these wayes of ungodliness . thou vain foolish man , thinkest thou , that any religion can be worse than thine ? thou hast none at all , no not so much as a shew of it ▪ even turks and pagans may be , and some of them are , sober , temperate , just , and honest in their doings and dealings with others , which thou art not . wherefore , let there be never so many religions , i 'le rather chuse the worst of them , than to do as thou dost . and this i assure thee , whatever becomes of those many sects and parties , thou art in a sad condition , and hadst need think of changing it , as soon as thou canst . and if thou ask , which way thou shalt take among so many , i answer thus , that i will not perswade thee any way , but what ( i am sure ) is right , viz. to be honest and godly , and to forsake those wayes , wherein , whoever walks , shall never find rest . to follow peace and holiness , without which no man shall see the lord. to repent of all thy ungodly courses , and wayes of wickedness , whether open or secret . to walk circumspectly , and make straight steps to thy feet . to be holy and unblameable in all conversation , and to make conscience of every duty , according to the rule of the word . and this thou mayest do , without much adoe or dispute , except it be with thine own wicked heart . for those many parties that are , i am bold to tell them all , and every one of them , that they will find no comfort one day , in being of this side , or that , if they be not found in wayes of righteousness and holiness . and these are the wayes i would have thee take , and these thou mayest soon learn from scripture , where they are so plain , as a man may run , and read them . but one thing i must mind thee of again , viz. that thou who so quarrell'st at the many religions abroad , hast perhaps a quarrel in thy heart against god and godliness , and thou canst not endure any religion so , as to be tyed to any rule or law , more than thine own lusts. thou lovest to live at ease and pleasure , and likest no religion , but such a one , as will give thee leave to be licentious . to thee i say again , dipp and chuse , thou canst never change thy religion for a worse . and to change it , thou hast need , as soon as may be : for 't will be sad with thee , to dye in such a religion , which is indeed none at all , or good for nothing . do not thou look , how many religions and opinions there are , for that 's nothing to thee : but look to thy conversation , and see , whether that be such as becomes a christian. do thou love christ , and fear to sin , as much as any of all those different perswasions ; and shew thy self as humble , as honest , as upright , as conscionable , and every way as carefull to please god , as any of them all , and then thou dost well indeed . alas ! poor soul , what will it avail thee , to say , there are so many religions , thou knowest not which to take , so long as thou art resolved to walk in wayes of ungodliness , and to serve divers lusts and pleasures , and deny thy self in nothing , that will serve to please the flesh . this , to be sure , is not heavens-way , whatever it be . and therefore make no more question , about the many religions ▪ that are in the world , till thou art better resolved for that religion , which is plain and easie enough to be learn'd by any , that hath not a wicked heart against god , and all that is good ▪ resolve once to serve sin no more , and thou wil● presently see the way to heaven , as plain before thee , as thou knowest the way to thine own house or home . and now i shall make some application ●f all that hath been said , after i have giv●n one proviso , to prevent a mistake that may be ▪ i have hitherto shewed , how willful the wick●● world is , and how apt to take offence , even t● contend with god himself , about the wayes and workings of his grace and providence . say and do what you can or will , they will not be perswaded , but perhaps the more hardned . bu● though it be so with most of the world , yet beware , whatever you do , you give them no occasion of falling or stumbling . say not in thine heart , they are such as will perish , and it matters not , how we carry our selves towards them ; if they will be offended , let them be offended , we cannot help it . some , yea too many , will be offended ; yet take heed of giving them the least occasion of offence : for so hath the lord commanded , levit. . . thou shalt not put a stumbling-block before the blind , but shalt fear thy god. yea , deut. . . there is a curse upon him , that maketh the blind to wander out of the way . and our saviour denounceth a woe to him , by whom the offence cometh , mat. . . they are blind , and out of the way ; but in that , they deserve the rather , to be the object of thy pity , and prayers , and endeavours , to turn them from the errour of their way . what knowest thou , that they may not recover themselves , and come to repentance ? secret things belong to the lord , deut. . . that we are to labour their repentance , and by all possible means to endeavour it , in our capacities and relations , is revealed to us as our duty ; and if they will perish notwithstanding , we have delivered our own souls , their blood will be upon their own heads . our saviour indeed said of some , let them alone , &c. mat. . . i. e. have no regard to them , trouble not your selves about them , if they be offended , be not you offended however , because of them . but he allows not his disciples to offend them in the least . if men shew themselves contentious , malicious , and wilfully contumacious , as the scribes and pharisees , some of them were , let them alone , pass them by , but yet provoke them not to be more wicked than they are . true , we cannot do , what is our duty , but some will be offended , as the scribes and pharisees were at christ , for doing the will of him that sent him . but the offence was only taken by them , there was none given by him . he prov'd to be by accident a stone of stumbling , and a rock of offence , but never offended any . if we cannot do , what is our duty , without offence to some , the fault is theirs , not ours , because we may not , to please them , offend god , by disobeying his commands . some will be offended , if we will not pledge them in a drunken health : let them be offended , it need not trouble us . if we tamely do , as they do , we encourage them in their debaucheries , and so we offend them indeed , by helping them on towards the pit of destruction . wicked men make too much hast to the devil , we need not provoke ▪ or put them forward . indeed we have need be very careful , and as the apostle , iude v. . adviseth , to put a difference . some perhaps will rage , if we will not run to the same excess of riot with them : but better they rage , than we , by doing what they would have us , to provoke gods wrath against our own souls . a patient forbearance to do , as they do , and a with-drawing from them ▪ may be an effectual reproof , and work upon them afterwards . if there be no hope to fasten an admonition , solomon hath resolv'd the case for us , pro. . . reprove not a scorner . however comply not with him , to allow of his wickedness in the least . but be sure , not to give any occasion of falling to such as are weak , lest thy poor brother perish , for whom christ dyed , ro. . . the apostle was a singular precedent for this , he would eat no flesh whiles he lived , rather than offend his brother , cor. . fin . how did he yield upon occasion , to avoid offence to the weak ? but as farr as i can remember , not otherwise . he yielded in those things , wherein he was fully satisfied in his own conscience and judgement . but how , and upon what terms ? never ( as i remember ) but to prevent the offence , that might be taken by weak brethren ; lest they might take occasion , by his not yielding in some things , to cast off all , and turn back again with the dogg to his vomit . we do not read of his so yielding to wicked willful sinners , that would have made no other use of it , than to reproach him , and ( which is worse ) the gospel too , by saying , he was a man of no principles , that would comply with any thing , to save his skin . we have a notable instance for this in galat. . , , ▪ when false brethren went about to infringe the liberty of christians , and bring them into bondage , 〈◊〉 gave no place by subjection , no not for an hour . for therein he had built again the things that he had destroyed , and encouraged the enemies of the truth in their opposition against it . yield i● any thing thou canst , to save a soul , to draw men on to a good liking of gods wayes , and putting them forward in them : but not one hairs breadth , to encourage them in their ungodliness ; for that 's offending them , contrary to the command of christ. and now i must call loud upon many , and even conjure them , to consider their wayes , whereby they have given so great occcasion of offence , to such as are openly and avowedly wicked . o! do not say , or think , such ungodly men shew themselves , what they are ; when they declare their sin as sodom , they are past shame , and past hope ; let them dye , and be damn'd , who can help it ? it may prove so , that they will dye , and be damn'd , and nor thou , nor any man else can help it , because they will not help themselves . but thou hast need look to it , that their death and condemnation add nothing to thine account . they perish for their contempt or neglect of that , which they should more carefully have look'd after : but what if your careless and loose walking , have been the occasion of making them to think , they need not be so carefull ; yea , perhaps , of slighting and setting at nought all the wayes of gods commandments ? surely , if it be so , the best that can be made or said of it , is this , that they are principals , and you are accessaries , as to their destruction ; and what comfort you can take in that , i beseech you seriously to consider . for be you well assured , that the ungodly lives of professed christians , will one day be aggravated by this , that when they lived ( as many thousands now do ) amongst professed infidels , they gave them occasion to have hard thoughts of christ and christianity , and to resolve , they would never goe to that heaven , where christians hope to come . for how shall such poor souls be brought to enquire after god , when they that profess themselves to be his servants , walk ordinarily in wayes of uncleanness , excess and deceit , &c. such as heathens know by natures light , to be against the mind of god ? the devil himself ( whom those barbarians serve ) can teach them no worse , than what they are learn'd by the evil conversations and examples of christians . how shall they be turned from the power of satan unto god , when they cannot see it will be for the better , but rather for the worse ? here i cannot omit , what the turks are wont to say , when another will not believe them , what dost take me for a christian ? it seems they have observed too much falshood amongst christians . now this is a lamentation , and let it be a lamentation , that the mouths of infidels are so much opened against all christians , and the mouths also of many professed christians against more eminent professors , to blaspheme , and say , are these the wayes and doings of those that serve christ ? are these practices becoming them , that pretend so much to godliness , and would be thought more ex●ellent than their neighbours ? what inference ( think you ) will infidels , and ungodly prophane men make from it ? surely this , and no other , let them goe alone for us , we are as well where we are already , we are not like to mend our silver , by taking the courses and wayes of these christians , these great professors ; nor can we be worse in the way wherein we now are : if they be not in all , as we are , they are certainly in some things as bad as we can be . and now i could ex tempore , and without any study , draw up a black bed roll of many and manifold gross miscarriages of many , that would be thought more eminent christians than their neighbours . but i shall content my self with this general admonition , in hope it may be improved to the right end of it , by such as cannot but know themselves faulty in many particulars , unless the god of this world hath quite blinded the eyes of their minds . o that these men would consider as they should , what to answer in the great day of account ! specially when it cannot be denied , that such horrid things have been done , as natures light ( if there were no other evidence ) cannot but condemn . i shall only add , they have been such , as whosoever ( that is but civil and sober ) hears , his ears cannot but tingle at the very report of them . the application . if all the ground and reason of all mistakes and miscarriages about the matters of gods kingdom , and our salvation , be our contempt or neglect of the means and helps which god hath allowed us , let every one by himself , make a serious enquiry , how he shall be able to clear himself in the great day of account . for god will certainly come , and judge , and try every mans work , and reward accordingly . and in this application of the foregoing discourse , i shall apply my self to all , and every one , that hath but so much of religion , as to acknowledge , that there is a world to come , after a little time spent here on earth , and that men shall be rewarded hereafter for ever , according to their present behaviour . this is no more of religion , than all , or most of heathens ever had , and still have ; though their conceptions about it , have been , and still are , but confused , general , imperfect notions , without any effect considerable . but yet , the main intent of all , shall be with a more especial respect to such as do , or might know more clearly , the things of their peace , than heathens can . to these i say , they cannot but know , that all who have lived since the world began , and shall live till it have an end , shall not be for ever as they were here on earth . and this our saviour shews plainly in the parable ( as i take it to be ) of the rich man and lazarus , luc. . v. . — . some receive their good things here , and some must wait for them till hereafter . and a great turn there will be , so as the scene shall be quite changed , as you may see v. . of luc. . for lazarus is comforted , and the rich man is tormented . now consider what hath been discoursed before , and see whither you are a going , and where you make account to arrive at last . there is , by your own confession , an happy estate and condition for some in glory , and honour , and immortality . and by what hath been said before , you may see ( if you will ) that nor you , nor any others , lye under any fatal necessity of perishing in your sins ; but that if you dye , and be damn'd , it is only through your own default . now be intreated , whiles it is called , to day , to consider your wayes , and bethink your selves , how those blessed souls , that have all their desires and hopes accomplished in the sight of god for ever , came to the enjoyment of their happiness . was it not in the way of repentance towards god , and faith towards our lord jesus christ ? did they know by immediate and extr●ordinary revelation , before they repented and believed , that they were of the number that should be saved ? or was the book of life opened to them , that they might read their own names there recorded , and so be encouraged to repent , and turn to god ? you cannot , when you are awake , imagine it ; or if you should , it is but as a sick mans dream , that never entred into the head of one that 's sober , and in his right senses . alas ! those now blessed soul● were once ( while upon earth ) foolish and disobedient , serving divers lusts and pleasures . they were by nature the children of wrath , even as others . they were of themselves inclin'd to th● things of this world , and traded and traffiqu● for them , as others do , till afterwards they came to know better . yea , all that died in the faith , before god was manifested in the flesh , and never had the discoveries of saving grace , such as have been since , even they by dimmer light chose the way to that place , where they shall be for ever with the lord. and who among us now , would not desire to be with those patriarchs , and prophets , and other holy men of god before and since the coming of christ ? now consider well , whether we take the same course that they took . read the eleventh chapter of the epistle to the hebrews , and see , what so many worthies of old did and suffered , and so by faith and patience inherited the promises . they stood not arguing and whartling , as many now do , putting questions , and framing exceptions , to excuse themselves from necessary duties , and to gain a little allowance to their fleshly desires . they were not frighted out of gods way , by bugg-bears of their own fancies , no nor by reall fears and expectations of the greatest hazards . you never read in scripture , that they made queries about gods decrees ; or resolved , as some do , that if they were elected , they should be saved however ; or that , if christ died not for them , there was no hope . you never read , that any of those , who are now in heaven , reasoned thus , that they could do nothing of themselves , and therefore would sit still , and fashion themselves to this world , because if god had any grace or mercy in store for them , they should be sure to have it in his time , though they never sought after it . did any of them do thus , and let all the care of their salvation lie somewhere else , without ever looking after it ? where do you read these things , or who told you so , that others may learn and know as much as you ? i have read much of their faith and patience , and patient continuance in well-doing ; and how by these they possessed the kingdom , prepared for them , through the grace of him that is heir of all things : but amongst them all , i read not of one , that took the course , that so many do now adayes . they were all of them humble souls , submissive in all things to the wills of god , and resolv'd to walk with god , in the midst of all the ungodly ones amongst whom they liv'd . they denied themselves , many of them , to the very death , and took joyfully the spoyling of their goods , and would not renounce the wayes of god , for all that a wicked world could do unto them , or lay upon them . this ( i say ) this was the way , wherein they went to heaven ; and they that know of any other way thither , than that of self-denial , and crucifying the flesh , with the affections and lusts , have made a discovery , such as none , who are now in heaven , could make before them . what remains then , but that we tread in their steps , do and suffer as they did , if we are call'd to it , and so wait for our happiness , and try , if we fare not as well as others that went before us . 't is sad to think , how most men fool themselves out of all their hopes , by their dallying about their greatest and only concernments , and flatter themselves to their destruction , by conceits and fancies of their own framing . the way to heaven is now as open , as ever it shall be , till christs coming again ; and the doctrine of our salvation , as much cleared up , in all particulars , as nothing can stumble us , if we will but lay aside our peevish and froward humours . were we but once resolved to deny our selves , and to follow christ where-ever he goes before us , whatever the way be , fair or foul , the work is done , we need make no other question : there 's as good security , as can be given , and we may safely build upon it . but alas ! it is not so with us , as it was with the saints , who are now in heaven . we stand blessing our selves in our own way , be it never so bad ; and think we do well in all we do , though all scripture and reason be against it . this is the trade that sinners drive , as the devil would have them , and their own hearts incline and carry them . the devil ( you must know ) ever since he undid himself , hath made it his business to undoe all the world of mankind , as much as in him lieth . and he is now as hard at work as ever he was , and drives as great a trade , for gaining souls to himself , as ever he did . and what is his way , to cheat the world , and gull men of all they have , worth saving or losing ? truly , the very same , or very like to that , which i have before discoursed . he cannot by all the arts and methods he useth , heighten mens sinfull corruption to the same degree of malice and madness against god , that himself is guilty of . but yet he hath a way that serves his turn , to bring men into the same place of torment with himself for ever . and what way is it ? it i● even this , and no other , viz. to keep men in a perswasion , that their way is good , and that they have no such enmity in their hearts against god , as some charge them with ; but that they love him , and all his commandments truly , and do the best they can , to chuse the best way to their everlasting happiness . and these conceits are strong in those that have them , so as it is no easie matter to convince them of the contrary . these they nourish and cherish , even when they are in wayes of all ungodliness , running headlong to their own destruction . now my desire is , to reason the case a little further with these men , and try , if god may be pleased to give them repentance , that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil . . and first , i ask them , if turks , and infidel - iews , are not as much perswaded , that their several respective wayes are good , yea , and better than any other ? yea , do not all men , of what sort and sect soever , though never so vile , and vicious , and barbarous , perswade themselves , that their way is good ? can you light on man , woman , or child , that will not say , they hope to be saved ; and the way they take ( whatever it be ) is , as they think , the ready way to heaven ? nay , if you tell them , they are in the broad way towards hell , will they not be ready to flie in your face , and say , you do them wrong ? yet no sober man will say , that all and every one of these is in the right , but many of them ( whoever they be ) are quite beside the way to heaven . . i ask , if any of all those persons and parties ( which are numerous and various ) do not so farr allow of their own respective wayes , as to abhorr the different wayes that others take , and count them accursed of god for abusing themselves in their mistaken wayes , as to undoe their souls for ever ? do not turks and iews condemn all christians to the pit of hell ? and i know but few others , that are better minded towards all , that are not of their own way . papists say for certain , there 's no salvation for any out of their church . and the vilest of men amongst us , spare not to pass sentence upon others , that dare not be so vile as themselves . now when god shall come to judge all , will he ( think you ) allow of every plea , that shall be made by every one of these , and say , well done , you are all my faithfull servants ? will he commend and reward all , according as they all perswaded themselves , that their way was good ? no certainly , he will not so acquit the wicked world , that condemn all besides themselves , and their followers . nor will he count , that every man hath a right to eternal life , of what religion soever he is , ( as some have dream'd ) because he seem'd to mean well in it . the lord hath shewed all men , what is good , and what he requireth of them , and that so fully and plainly , as he will have ground enough to proceed against them , and to execute vengeance on all idolaters , and all other ungodly and unrighteous men , whatsoever religion they professed . he will easily and suddenly find out all , that have enquir'd and sought after the only true way of worship , which himself had appointed , and have made conscience of walking before him in holiness and righteousness , with an utter abhorring of all false wayes . and to these only will he say , well done , good and faithfull servants , you , and you only , have done as i commanded you . if any shall say , that an allowance must be given to some , because all that goe in the good way , walk not at one rate , but some come behind and faulter sometimes : i say so too ; and that the righteous god will put a difference between those that are upright in the main , though falling behind others in degrees of true grace ; & others , that wilfully chuse their own wayes , which god hath expresly forbidden , and as wilfully refus'd the good old way of gods commandments . he knows , and will own all , that have denied themselves , and made it their work to find and keep the way of god. there are , and alwayes have been such in the world , ( though a few in comparison ) that knew the streight way to heaven , amongst all the crooked wayes of mens devising ; and set themselves to keep that way , notwithstanding all opposition or temptation . and these only will god look after in the great day of account . for others , he will have enough to answer them , though they were of never so many and different perswasions , in point of religion ▪ they must be all pack'd together in that day , and bound in bundles , to be cast into the fire , because they were all in their life time , workers of iniquity . they shall prevail little by pleading then , they could never see reason enough , to perswade them out of the way that they took ; for they shall be made to see in that day , there was a right and good way of holiness and righteousness , wherein they should have walked , ( and it was easie enough to be seen ) but they would not walk therein . nay , they found fault with it , and rais'd false reports of it , and us'd all the arguments they could , to keep themselves and others from walking in it . they would never stoop their high spirits , to enter into the strait gate ; nor would they bear the contempt of the world , and the reproach that must be undergone for christs sake , and the gospels . they thought , to be religious , was to be melancholick ; and thought it an hard bargain , to part with the pleasures of sin , for somewhat ( that some crack-brain'd people talk'd much of ) in another world to be had , but no man knew when or where . they were such , as would be merry while they might , and take as much of this world as they could ; and for religion , in respect to another world , they could never well understand it . there were indeed some , that talk'd much that way , but they could not well agree among themselves , and therefore they left them to quarrel about it , and took the way that themselves best liked . for the religion which some cried up , as the only way to heaven , they conceiv'd it very strait and narrow ; nor could they see so much in it , as might perswade them to it . in a word , they never liked any religion , that would tie them to deny all ungodliness , and worldly lusts . and hence it is easie to conceive , how god will proceed against all sects and sorts of men , of what perswasion soever , that never were perswaded to deny themselves for god , and the gospels sake . it should be also considered , that , though all men have not talents alike ( as that may be granted ) either for weight or number , yet all have enough , to shew them a better way , than what the most take , and that their way is not good before the lord. hence it will be clear , that there hath been a wilfull neglect of the trust that was committed to them , and so without further evidence , the verdict will pass against them . they all know ( though not all alike ) their masters will , and yet do it not , and therefore must be all beaten , though not with the same number or measure of stripes . this the devil knows well enough , and that no plea ( such as men frame many to themselves now ) will then find place . and therefore , his work is to blindfold men with such conceits as were mention'd before , and so fill them with as many prejudices against god , and his wayes , as they can possibly hold , that when they are hood-wink'd , he may carry them whither he pleaseth . men are not easily ( if possibly ) brought to despite god as the devil doth : therefore they must be deal● with so , as to be perswaded , there is some cause without them , and without any fault of theirs , which puts them upon those vain and vile waye● and courses wherein they walk . what those pretences are , you have heard before , and i need not repeat them . only i say , that so lon● as the devil can hold men under such mistake● ▪ and prejudices , or the like , he hath them fast enough , and doth not fear an escape . men , i say , will have excuses for the worst of their evil wayes , and this is one , and a great one , that the way they are in , is the best they can see ; and they could never meet with any , that could shew them a better . they are willing enough to save their souls , and have done as much as lieth in them for that end . they love god heartily , and abhorr , that any should say , they hate his commandments , which they labour to keep as well as they can . and all this serves to clear themselves , and cast all upon god : but he will not bear all , that men cast upon him ; nor will he say in the great day of account , alas ! poor souls , you were willing enough to be saved , 〈◊〉 loved me , and my wayes well enough , and would have walked in them , if i had tendred your souls , as much as you your selves did . will the lord ( think you ) at that day , take upon himself all the blood of so many , as shall then be condemned to hell for ever , and say , if i had done for these , as i might , and ought to have done , they had never come into this place of torment ? will the lord say , that he made men as he pleased , and then cast them away , and left them to suffer shame and confusion of face , for no fault of theirs , but only because he had a mind to see his creatures slain , and tormented before him for ever ? will he say , it was in his heart to damn them before they were born , and that for nothing , but because it was his will and pleasure ? and that he sent his son into the world , to condemn the world , and not that the world through him might be saved ? will he say indeed , that he set men in such a way , as they could not but perish in it , and left them wholly depriv'd and destitute of all means and helps to save themselves from wrath to come ? consider , i say , and bethink your selves before-hand , whether the righteous god will take home all this to himself , and say , it was he alone that hath been the cause of all the ruine and misery that is come upon his creatures ; and so quit them from any the least blame of their destruction . yet this is it , or very like it , that men would fasten upon god , if they knew how to do it . this is the tendency of all their disputes about gods decrees and dispensations of grace and providence . it is this , and no other , even to charge it on god , that if he had purposed and provided better for them , it had never been so sad with them , but they might have been happy and blessed for ever . but le● god alone , and it will appear one day , where the fault lieth . he is the judge of all the earth , and will not he do right ? yes , he will do right to all ; and this the apostle layeth down , as a● unmoveable principle , ro. . , . god is not unrighteous , who taketh vengeance . for then ho● shall god judge the world ? he will then acquit himself , and say for ever , these are the work of my hands , and i made them so , as they might have been happy for ever in communion with my self . i allowed them means sufficient for that en● ▪ but they cast me off , and chose somewhat else to 〈◊〉 their only good ; and though i have besought 〈◊〉 intreated them , again and again , with all poss●●●● earnestness , and admonished them of the danger of their own wayes , they would goe on however ; 〈◊〉 their frowardness and wilfullness in their own devices , against my express command to the contrary , hath brought them to this , which they now see and feel , but would never believe till now . i have passed the sentence of condemnation upon them , an● it cannot be recall'd , nor can there be any reprieve or respite . but i have not done it without cause , and only for that i had a mind to see them lye for ever in torments and misery . it was indeed 〈◊〉 will to damn them , but i will'd their damnatio● only for their sin , and because they would not be re●claimed . i delighted not in their damnation , 〈◊〉 as to condemn them , meerly for my will and pleasure . i have only done justice upon incorrigib●● offendors , such as have despised my grace an● mercy , and the reward of these wicked ones is according to their works , yea as they would have it . for i fore-warn'd them of it , as often and as earnestly as needed , and they would not beware ; nor could any intreaties prevail , to turn them from those ungodly wayes , which led them to their destruction , as they knew . let men say now as they please , this is that which god will say , to justifie himself against all the world. and o! that men were wise , to consider it in time , and apply themselves to make their peace with god , which i assure them they may do , if they be not wanting to themselves . and for their encouragement ▪ i shall give them the best account i am able , how , and in what manner , god will proceed in the last and general judgement . the way that he will take in that day , will be this , that every man shall be tried according to a known law. 't is a gross mistake in men , to imagine , that god will judge the world according to that , which was never made known . the question will not be , whether a mans name were written in the book of life , but how he hath behaved himself , according to the rule laid down in the bible . that is more particularly and plainly thus , whether , when christ was offered to them , they accepted of him , and closed with him upon his own terms . for as they have answered the dispensations and overtures of his grace , so shall their doom be . if they counted all but loss and dung , for the excellency of the knowledge of him ; and valued nothing else in comparison , so they might serve and honour him , whether by doing or suffering , in life or in death , peace , and life , and glory , and immortality , will be their portion , and the lot of their inheritance for ever . the cause will for certain goe on their side , for the mouth of the lord hath spoken it . but if they have been contentious , and disobedient , and would not have the lord christ to reign over them , but would walk after their ungodly lusts , whatever could be said or done to reform them , th●re's a declared law to condemn them ; god will not , needs not look into any other records about it . obj. if any say , that all shall not be judged by the gospel : sol. i shall not contend , but only say , that all shall be condemned by a known law , one or other . and if it be said further , that as many as have sinned without law , shall perish without law : i answer , that the apostle shews what he means in the th . verse of the same chapter . they that sin , and shall be condemned without law , are the gentiles , who had not the law delivered to them ( as the iews had it ) in writing : but yet they had the law written in their hearts , and that will be plain enough , because it bare witness , and accus'd them , while they were in their sins . and this we may well inferr from that place , that if there be a law , that condemns men now in this world , by witnessing against their wickedness , much more will there be a law found , for their condemnation , in the last day of account . or this , that the same law that condemns them now , will certainly condemn them then . and let that be observ'd also , that as sin is the transgression of the law , so condemnation for sin cannot be otherwise , than according to that law. once , it cannot be according to that which never was a law ; and that cannot be a law , which was never declar'd to be a rule of life and duty . gods decrees and counsels are all righteous , but they were never made known to us , as a rule of moral actings . when god is pleased to declare his counsell by the event , we cannot without sin goe against it , and it is impossible for us to alter it . but still the rule we are to walk by , is the will of god ▪ reveal'd for that end and purpose , that ●e may know what to do , in obedience to him who is our soveraign lord. and as we do , or 〈◊〉 not , according to this will of god , so we are guilty or innocent before him . and good rea●on why it should be so , and not otherwise . for , . how can we be obedient to god in any thing , but that which we know to be his will ? obedience in the very notion of it , imports as much as hearing and understanding what the will of the lord is . nor will the righteous lord of all , expect obedience to any will of his , we ●ever heard of . sure we are , that he never declared to the sons of men any way of life , but in ●he two covenants , viz. of works before the ●all , and of grace ever since . and though the means and manner of imparting to men the way of life , have been various ; yet no man can , or could ever say , that god had conceal'd his mind from him , that he could not know , and so do it . we read , that there are decrees and counsels of god : but who knows , what they are , besides god himself , till he is pleas'd to declare them , in the events of them ? and those events shew us only , what god will do , and not what we are to do . . we shew no faith in god otherwise , than in obedience to his commandments . this is the only way of walking with god , as noah , gen. . . when a man hath the promise of god in his eye , and the commands of god in his heart , and the encouragements he hath by the one , lays an obligation and engagement to the other . so did all those worthies , heb. . who are recorded for example , to all that shall come after . the believing of the promises , and obedience to the commands of god , are the triall of men on earth , and that by which they shall be tried hereafter . he that hath not faith , cannot forgoe what is in hand , to purchase a reversion of he knoweth not what . faith alone is the ground of things hoped for , &c. heb. ▪ . and so it sets a man on work to do and suffer the wills of god , because it assures a man of gods faithfulness and all-sufficiency . this obedience of faith is that , which god rewards in his servants , and nothing else . this is that which ( as i may say ) takes much with god , when men can pass by present enjoyments , only because of his promise , who cannot forget any work , or labour of love , which they have shewed unto his name . . a man shews no love to god , in doing according to his decree and counsel , because he cannot but do it , whether he will or no. now god rewards no work , but the labour of love , when we delight to do his will , psa. . and desire the knowledge of his wayes , as david did , psa. . that we may walk in them . . the devil , and the worst of wicked men , fullfil the counsels of god , in all they do , and cannot do otherwise . herod and pilate , &c. in crucifying christ , did nothing , but what the hand and counsel of god had determined before , act. . . act. . . and yet it was their sin ; and their condemnation too . ioseph of arimathea is commended , for a good man , and a just , luc. . , . because he consented not to the counsel and deed of them , who crucified christ. the way of gods commandments , is the only way to life , and this the devil and his followers cannot abide to walk in . for the way of his counsels , they are alwayes in it , and cannot go besides it , even when they do their worst . and indeed , how should they ? unless we will suppose ( what is not to be imagin'd ) that god should lay by all care , and looking after the affairs of the world , and leave them to be managed and ordered , as the devil , and his instruments will have them . to say no more of this ; god hath laid before us the way of faith and obedience , or the way of truth and holiness , and commanded it , as the way that leadeth unto life ; and in this way alone , can we find rest unto our souls . away therefore with all disputes and questions about gods decre●s in this case , as being no rule for us to walk by : and look only , what god hath commanded , and be carefull about that , and you need not fear , it will be well with you for ever . the whole course and tenour of scripture speaks this , if it say any thing about the things of god , or the concernments of mens souls . secondly , considering the premises , we have occasion to enquire , and search diligently , till we come at the root of all our sinfull mistakes and miscarriages . and here i shall first admonish you of that , which most are not aware of : and secondly , i shall advise , what is best to be done about it . first , whereas there is such an aptness and inclination in all to excuse and put off all from themselves , yea , and to put upon god himself , as much as in them lieth ▪ the sin and misery which they alone have procur'd ; i cannot forbear to fore-warn all of that accursed bad humour , which hath no other rise or root than ignorance , and want of acquaintance with themselves . this , and nothing else , causeth them to quarrel , and pick occasions of so doing , with god , and his wayes of grace and providence , and any thing , but that which alone is in the fault . poor souls , ever since the old serpent dropt his poyson into them , are infected with the same disease that the devil is sick of . and what is that ? even all the sinfull corruption , that he contracted to himself , by his rebellion against god. his fall began in his pride , and that pride abides upon him ▪ as our saying is , as proud as the devil . certainly man , since his fall , is extreamly proud and conceited of himself , though there be no cause for it , and cannot abide to be thought , what indeed he is . and yet he is but a proud fool , that thinks himself somewhat , when he is indeed nothing , or that which is worse . and this proud fool stayes not at home , but is alwayes abroad , looking to what others do , and living in a gross mistake of himself , and all his wayes . he thinks little of that inbred corruption , which hath leaven'd the whole lump of his nature , both in soul and body . he is asleep , and dreams of a good nature , and of an honest heart towards god , and a good desire after the things that concern his salvation . he cannot believe himself to be an enemy to god , and his own soul , and that he was born so . farr be it from him ( he thinks ) to be such a one , as procures and works out his own damnation , and is willing to think of nothing else . yea , this proud fool will be very pettish , if he be told , that the best part about him , is enmity against god ; and that he hates the wayes of gods commandments , and therein shews , that he loves death . but whatever he thinks , and will not believe it , all this is true ; and that which he helieves of himself , is a very falsity and lye . and being a fool , he doth as a fool , and no instruction or correction will put him out of his foolish conceits . truly in this , the misery of sinfull man is great upon him , viz. he never looks inward or homeward , to consider how it is with him , notwithstanding there are so many witnesses against him , of his folly and madness . . scripture is large and plentiful in setting out the corruption of mans heart and nature . if i should mention particular texts , i should abuse the reader , who cannot but know them . but if any desire to peruse any of them , let them turn to gen. . . ro. . . &c. eph. . , , . tit. . . &c. . wofull experience ( if there were no more ) is enough to convince men , if they would but sit down , and consider , how it is with them . what sober man can doubt of it , when he cannot but see , that he is much inclin'd to the earth , the world , and the flesh ; and so averse from , yea and contrary to the things that concern his soul ? doth not every man find it so , or might he not , if he would ? i wish men would but question themselves sometimes about such matters , and say to their own souls , what ayles me ? i can think and talk of this world , from morning to night , and never be weary , nay , i am alwayes so : and for heaven , and the estate of my soul , and how i shall do to eternity , i never think , nor care to think of it . if men ( i say ) would but sit down sometimes , and consider , what they affect , and what they abhorr most , could they possibly be ignorant of the natural inclination that is in them to present things , with a neglect and loathing the matters of another world ? . there is one thing more , that puts it beyond all dispute or question . how apt are all men , even from the cradle , to close with , and run after the toyes and vanities of this world ? and how , without any teaching or prompting , they learn to do vainly and wickedly ? they need not be learn'd to lye , and swear , and curse , and speak untoward things . and yet what adoe is there , to make them heed or learn any thing that good is ? zophar was right in what he saith . iob . . man is born a wild asses colt. an asse , and a wild asse , and the colt of a wild asse : and all little enough , to set forth the desperate bruitish perverseness and blockishness of mans nature . the apostle calls a natural mind , not an enemy , but enmity it self , ro. . . and so it is , whatever men may think . we are all born , as full of enmity against god , and all that concerns our everlasting good , as we can possibly hold ; and there is not one piece or particle of us , but is wholly depraved by that enmity . now man by nature so fram'd , shews himself an asses colt , in his blockish brutish ignorance , and lamentable unacquaintedness with his own estate . there is somewhat , which the world calls wisdom , but it is indeed folly. the sound knowledge of god , and ones self , is the only true wisdom . sure , whatever a man knows else , whiles he is ignorant of these , he knows nothing as he ought to know . and since it is thus , we may soon discover , whence it comes , that men are so captious and quarrelsome , to catch at any thing , that may serve to excuse themselves , though it be with charging god foolishly and wickedly . when people are sick and sore , they will complain of their beds , and those that attend them , and every thing about them , though 't is their grief and disease within , that alone troubles them . so do men in their sins , complain of every thing , but that which is indeed the only cause of all that ayles them . and now the work that lieth upon us , is to get an inward lively sense and feeling of all those disorders and distempers of our own hearts and natures , that carry us on to all the wayes of our undoing . he that hath a due and right apprehension of his own condition , as it is by nature , will soon perceive , that he hath no cause to complain of any thing more , than his own wicked heart . but herein the devil hath the advantage against poor souls , that are already intangled in his snares , that he keeps them in a g●zing posture , to look on every thing without them , and so their eyes are held , as they see nothing of that which is the true cause both of their sin and misery . now to such i say , that our own hearts and natures , infected with the poyson of the old serpent , procure and cause to us all that we shall suffer for ever hereafter . the devil tempts and enticeth us , and the world is an object , that occasions our corrupt hearts to work and move disorderly . but neither of these could hurt us , if it were not for our flesh , i. e. the sin that dwelleth within us . but this we take no notice of , and so are out at first step , and run on in mistakes , till we come to charge god himself with our mis●arriages , rather than fail of an excuse for our selves . if any ask , what is to be done in the case ? the answer is obvious , and at hand , and it is this , viz. that every man that wisheth well to himself , begin the work of his salvation at home . i mean it thus , let every man resolve , that he is of himself an enemy to god , and his own soul , and inclin'd to nothing so much , as to his own utter undoing . for certain , such is every man by nature ; and he that thinks otherwise , knows not himself , which to do is the beginning of wisdom . to know ones disease is the first step to health , and without it all medicines applyed are but arrowes shot at random , that seldom or never hit . the method of god , in turning a poor sinner to himself , is first to open his eyes ▪ and the first sight that such a soul hath , is the sinfulness of his way , whence he comes to loath it , and can no longer abide in it . this discovery of sin to a soul never stops , till it come to see all the sink and puddle , or ( as i may call it ) the hell of corruption and filthiness that is in it , so as it cannot abide it self upon that account . and when any man comes once to such a discovery , then he finds so much at home , as he never complains of any but himself . he is so farr from charging god , as he takes no great notice of the devil , but he falls foul only upon his own heart , and saith , that , and nothing else , hath undone him , as farr as he is undone ; and if he could but obtain a better heart , the work of his salvation would goe on as well as he could wish . my advice therefore in the case is this . o all you poor souls , that are so unsatisfied about the matters of your salvation , as you are ready to call even god in question , goe home , and search diligently , what you find in your own hearts . if you please once to do this to some purpose , i 'le be your warrant for quarrelling and questioning the wayes of gods providence and grace hence-forward . you will then be ready to justifie god , whatever he doth ; and as ready to say , 't is i , 't is i , and no other , that have brought my self to this , that now i am ; and if god leave me to suffer for ever , i have none to thank for it , but mine own wicked heart . when men are ( as too many ) ignorant of the rule to try themselves by , or else unwilling to search and know their own estates , it is no marvel if they quarrel at others . but he that knows himself , as he ought to know , hath no quarrel in comparison against any thing but himself . this therefore is my advice , that every poor sinner fall to study himself , and never leave , till he apprehend the height , and depth , and length , and breadth of his natural sin and corruption . and for all that undertake the charge of souls , i believe it to be the first and main part of their work , to bring poor silly people to a true sight and sense of the badness and baseness of their hearts and natures ; and in order thereunto , to bring them to a right understanding of the law , that discovers sin , and worketh wrath ; i mean , to understand it , in the spiritual sense of it . as long as people think the commandments are not broken , otherwise than in overt acts of cruelty , uncleanness , deceit , &c. 't is no marvel if they please themselves in a pharisaical righteousness . a right understanding of the commandments , in the spiritual sense of them , will lay open many evils , that otherwise men are not aware of ; and lead them on to see the root of bitterness , that bears all those cursed fruits . as long as people are perswaded they are born christians , so as to need no conversion , but only goe on in an outside profession of that religion , which they never chose for themselves , but was chosen to their hands , it 's no marvel if they are pleas'd with their condition , and look no further . but they should be made to know , that the children of christians , notwithstanding the priviledge of the covenant , are by nature , and of themselves , the children of wrath , and born in sin , even as others . they should be made to know , the absolute necessity of the new birth , and that there must be a thorough change of the whole man , so as to be no more , what they were by natural generation ; but to be renewed in the spirit of their minds , to the putting off the old man , and putting on the new , which after god is created in righteousness , and true holiness . and for this end , there ought to be a frequent and earnest inculcating of such doctrines , as serve to discover the sin and misery of man by nature , and the method of mens being translated out of the power of darkness , into the kingdom of christ. a learning of the creed , the lords prayer , and the ten commandments , ( though that must be ) and a rehearsall of them , being only learn'd ( as we say ) by rote , is not enough to bring men to a due apprehension of their natural condition , and the way of recovering out of it . no , the mystery of all those is to be opened to them , with all plainness and power ; and they must be call'd upon , to consider , what kind of creatures they were in their conception and nativity , and what course must be taken for their recovery from under the bondage of sin and satan . and if poor ignorant souls were once throughly inform'd of their sinfull and sad condition , as they are descended from , and bear the image of the first adam , they would find such distempers and disorders , such horrid unreasonable lustings in way of rebellion to all that is of god , as no complaints should be heard out of their mouths , except of their own base and wicked hearts . these therefore i advise , first , to study and know themselves in manner and form aforesaid : and when that 's once done to the purpose , i am confident , they will find themselves more inclin'd to a favourable construction of all the wayes of gods grace and providence . pride and ignorance ( that seldome goe asunder ) are the main things that engage men to dispute and quarrel about those matters , which can never be apprehended aright by any but humble souls . for mens parts and learning , i am willing to value them , as farr as they may deserve . but i cannot account of them , in comparison of learning christ , as the truth is in him . and if there were more of this spiritual christ-learning , there would be less of dispute about the counsels of god , which are rather to be ador'd in silence and reverence , than prated of by every audacious , malepert and pragmatical spirit , ( as some●imes they are ) without either fear or wit. for whatever be the pretence , 't is a wicked design to excuse our selves , that makes us so willing to find out somewhat else-where , that may serve our turn . and when we are once humbled low enough , in the sense of our own baseness , we shall have so much work at home , to keep us doing , as we shall have no list nor leisure to quarrel any other . and to enforce this part of the application a little further , by shewing the desperate untowardness of man by nature ; consider , how farr it is infected with the poyson of satan , to oppose , and ( if it were possible ) to abase god , and all his infinite excellencies . the devil ( whatever his sin was ) for certain , did not submit to gods order , and thereby he forfeited his right to all the glory and happiness in which he was first placed . and his doings ever since his fall have been such , as have shewed his pride , and spite against god , to the utmost . and is there not a spice of this in all the children of men ? are they not inclin'd to set up themselves , in opposition to god , upon any occasion ? hath not every sin somewhat of this in it ? and is it not evident , in that we are so prone to contradict , and goe against the will of god , even where we have no temptation by the profit or pleasure of sin , more than augustine , who bewails his robbing of gardens and orchards in his youth : when ( as he saith ) the fruits were sowre , and had no ●auce , more than the sin of the eater . nay , is there not in every sin more than an intimation , that we would have gods will stoop to ours , and so have our wills to countermand his ? there is certainly so much of disdain in us , as if it were in our power , god should have no authority over us . we cannot indeed break his yoak from off our necks : but would we not break it off , if we could ? would any man , by his good-will , and of his own inclination , be restrain'd from his sinfull pleasures , or give any account to god of any thing he doth , if he could help it ? nay , doth not the spirit in us , lust towards dethroning him , that he may have no command in the world ? and if any question this , i referr them to all those insolent , proud and arrogant expressions and practices of many wicked ones , of which there are so many instances in scripture , and other stories . and to shut up this ; if all be well considered , it will appear , that all the questions and quarrels of men about the matters of gods kingdom , and the methods of salvation , are chiefly occasioned , because there is so much of the devil , and so little of god in us . were there in us a due acknowledgement of gods infinite excellency , and soveraign authority , we should never question in the least , whatever he doth , to be holy , just and good . yea , we should confess roundly , that whatever befalls us , or however it be with us , we our selves have procur'd and caus'd it , by our own wayes and doings . we should say ( as gods servants did of old ) we have trespassed , and done foolishly and wickedly , unto us belongs shame , and confusion of face for ever : and blessed be the lord for evermore . if any desire further advice in this case , i say , whoever thinks there is a god , must think of him so , as may become his infinite excellency and glory . psal. . . we have this property of an ungodly man , god is not in all his thoughts . not that he thinks , there is no god ; but that he thinks not , there is a god , i. e. he never minds or heeds him , in the whole course of his life and actions . so many never eye or heed god in his excellencies , to stand in awe of him , and tremble before him . they are too bold with him upon any occasion , and their words and deeds shew , they are not seasoned inwardly , with an holy humble reverence of his infinite majesty . they speak not ( it may be ) at the same rate as pharaoh , ex. . . who is the lord , that i should obey his voice , &c. i know not the lord , &c. as if he should have said , you ( moses and aaron ) come , and command me , in the name of jehovah , who is israels god , as you say . who is this jehovah ; i pray , that i must be commanded by him ? i tell you , i know him not , nor do i care for him . i 'le do what i have a mind to , let him command what he will. though few act to such an height of insolency , as appear'd in him ; yet there is the same haughty spirit of disdain in all men by nature against the heavenly majesty . they think much to be order'd and over-rul'd by one , of whom they know so little . and whoever observes , may easily see , that god hath little regard amongst worldly men , who will talk indeed a little sometimes , as if there were somewhat call'd a god ; and yet in all their words and deeds , shew no apprehensions of his excellencies , such as do awe them to reverence and obedience , becoming his absolute soveraign majesty . now , as to believe , there is a god , and yet live as if there were none , is practical atheism ; so to speak and think of him , otherwise than he is , is little better than blasphemy . and of such atheism and blasphemy the world is full ; and it is evident by this , that most have so little respect for god , and shew it in all they say and do . respect , i say , for god , such as should be , and such as becomes his infinite glory . and how unreasonable are men in this ? hear and consider what god himself saith , malac. . . a son honoureth his father , and a servant his master . if then i be a father , where is mine honour ? if i be a master , where is my fear , saith the lord of hosts unto you , o priests , that despise my name ? here the lord complains of their slighting him , more than any creature , calling for such respect , as was by any man commonly given to his betters . a master or father could get more respect than he , who was both , in an eminent way , to that people . and here one observes it , as the grand delusion , that blinds the visible church , to give good words , and fair titles to god , when no care is had of answerable walking . and the lord makes use of that , which every one acknowledges to be a witness in the case , and so proves , that men in their duties to god , come farr short of that , which very nature will teach them is due to creatures , standing in 〈◊〉 same relation . and this also , that want of reverence to , and an high estimation of god , is the root and rise of all our miscarriages , and an evidence , that we behave our selves neither as sons nor servants . not to esteem of god as he deserves , is to dishonour him ; as not to bless him , is in a sort to blaspheme him . god hates and abhorrs base and unworthy conceits of him , and his majestick name , when men take him not into their hearts , under the notion of an infinite highnesse . it shews , there is no awe of god upon them , and that they count of him , as one like themselves , yea , and much below them . and here i could easily enlarge in many instances of a prophane and proud spirit in ungodly men , not only in speaking and acting , as if there were no god above them , but speaking and acting many times in such a way , as if they studied to make god as vile as might be . in one word , shewing no reverent esteem , but rather a base undervaluing and contempt of him . they do not only act , as if there were no god , that would call them to an account , but in a way of opposition and scorn , as to shew , how little account they make of him . and for instance ; let one that fears before the lord , be so bold , as to check a rude and ungodly company , met about some lewd and vile pranks and practices , ( such as are too frequent and familiar ) by minding them of god , and his commands ; how ordinary is it , for such a knot of companions , to vent themselves the more in scorn and indignation , as if they were affronted by one , that hath nothing to do with them . he that comes among them ▪ with no better authority to awe them , had need look to himself , that they fall not down right upon him . when righteous lot said no worse to the sodomites , than , i pray you , brethren , do not so wickedly , gen. . . they said , stand back , and they said again , this one fellow came in to sojourn , and he will needs be a iudge : now will we deal worse with thee , than with them . a command or intreaty in the name of god ( though the highest majesty ) commonly proves an occasion , through mens devilish pride and disdain , of more and greater impieties and indignities . and if any should question this , let them but open their ears and eyes , and there need be no great dispute about it now adayes , oh! look round about , and see , how little regard there is of god , and his commands in the world ; and whether there be any account had or made , whether god be pleas'd , or no , with that which is commonly done among men . this , this is enough to sadden any gracious soul in the expectation of gods appearances , to vindicate the honour of his great name , by some remarkable judgements on the world. and therefore i advise once more , and intreat , that there may be some regard had of god , and that it may be shewed so , as it may be seen , that god is in mens hearts and thoughts . an awfull regard , or reverential esteem of god , would put a check upon mens ungodly practices , and upon their malepert disputes and questions about his wayes and doings . there would need no arguments in print , to confute them in what they say and do : the awe of god would soon order them to another behaviour , than what commonly appears in the most . and therefore i say again , goe alone , and seriously resolve thy self of this , that there is a god , who made thee , and all this world , which thine eyes behold . and if thou art once so resolv'd , thine own reason , and common sense , will teach and prompt thee to a further consideration , that this god , as he is infinitely above thee , so he is to be admir'd and ador'd with all possible humble reverence , such as becomes an incomprehensible heavenly majesty . if thou once resolve , that he is in heaven , and thou upon earth : that in him thou livest , and movest , and hast thy being ; and that he alone disposeth of thee , and all thy wayes , and will one day call thee to account for all that thou hast done , thou wilt then see cause enough to fear and tremble at any the least mention of his name and glory . thou wilt no more dispute , what he is pleas'd to do ; but presently bethink thy self , how thou mayest do in every respect , so as to please aim . men talk much in ordinary discourse , of serving god , and a service there is done to god by many ; but whether any were done at all , or none , such as many perform , may be a question , as to the advantage of them that do it . * where-ever god is acknowledg'd and own'd in the way of worship which he hath commanded , there is an honour given him , more than amongst infidels and idolaters . but they that serve the lord in his own wayes of worship , must look further , and consider , whether the service be such , as doth some way sute with the glory of his most excellent majesty , so as he will accept it . the iews after their return from captivity , were much in sacrifices and offerings : but yet saith the lord , ye despise my name , because they offered polluted bread , v. . the blind , and the lame , and sick , v. . this god takes in scorn , and bids them offer it to their governour , to try , if he will be pleased with them , v. . nay , he curses the deceiver , v. . for offering a corrupt thing . and why ? because ( saith he ) i am a great king , and my name is dreadful among the heathen . god expects to be dealt withall in such a way , as men may shew that awfull regard they have of him , which when they neglect , it is all one to him , as if they did nothing at all . the customary , formal and superficial service done to god by many , is of as much account with him , as if they mocked him to his face * . and that for this reason , viz. because they shew no regard of god , such as they owe to his infinite soveraignty , power and glory . the service of god so performed , shews mens prophanness and impiety ▪ more than their devotion . and yet this prophane contempt of god is born with us , and bred ( as i may say ) in our bones . and till we be throughly convinc'd of it , and humbled for it , we are in no capacity to close with god , so as he may be pleased with us . if thou wilt serve god with acceptance , resolve first of this natural enmity , that is in thee against god , and be humbled as low as hell , for the pride of thine heart , swelling so much against him . and when thou knowest indeed , as thou ought'st , the distance 'twixt the glorious god of heaven , and such an earth-worm as thy self , thou wilt find thine heart inclin'd to more favourable thoughts of god and his wayes , which is the main thing i am perswading men to , in this discourse . i shall yet a little further inforce that which hath been formerly hinted , more than once , viz. a serious consideration of that enmity which is naturally in us against our selves , and our own souls . there is indeed a cursed self-love in all men by nature , which causeth them to walk contrary to god ; yea , and in some degree , to despite him , as the devil doth : and this appears to be the root of all mans rebellion against god , in that our saviour , calling all men home to god again , imposeth upon them nothing else but self-denial , mat. . . but this natural , sinfull self-love , is indeed no other than perfect enmity to our selves ; so as we may truly say , we are such as hate our own souls : how else do we all that we can , to undo and destroy our selves ? and do we not thus ? and are we inclin'd by nature to any thing else ? for certain , there 's no way to advance , and ( as i may say ) to make our selves , but by walking in the way , wherein we may come to the enjoyment of god ; and this is not the way of our own hearts , nor the way of the wicked and corrupted world of mankind ; for the world lieth in wickedness , ioan. . . or , in the wicked one , i. e. is wholly under the power and vassallage of the devil . and this appears by the constant inclination of all the world , to walk in those wayes , unto which the devil prompts , and tempts them , i. e. the ways of sin and rebellion , against the righteous and holy wills of god. this is the way of death and destruction , wherein men depart from god , and so cause him at last to say unto them , depart from me , &c. how can we come to god , but in the wayes of his commandments ? this is the way wherein he hath promised to be found of us ; and to leave this way , and go in the way of our own hearts , is no other than turning our backs upon god , and casting him off , in hope to be happy in the enjoyment of somewhat else ; this is the way of self-destruction , wherein men run on to ruine and perdition . now i say again , consider , and that sadly , whether we are not all enemies to our selves , and our own souls , in chusing those wayes , which we cannot but know , have a direct tendency to our everlasting undoing ? true , men do not consider this , but that 's their folly and madness ; the same that is in many , who never look after their worldly estates to improve them , but spend ; and squander them away , they care not ●●ow ; we use to say of such ill husbands , that they are enemies to themselves , and will undo themselves and their families , as indeed they do , according to what the wise man saith , the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty , and drowsiness ( or sloth ) shall cloath a man with rags . just so do men impoverish , and undo themselves , as to their everlasting estates , by taking those wayes and courses , that carry them on to the bottomless pit . the glutton and the drunkard would not be poor , nor would ungodly men go to hell ; yea but both the one and the other , take the ready way to their undoing ; and it is all one , as if they said , we will undo our selves , and we will be damn'd ; seeing they go on in those ways wherein they cannot avoid and escape damnation : whatever they pretend , they do just as a man that should cast himself into the wide sea , and say , i will not be drown'd , but swim out again ; or should stab himself at the heart , and say , i have no intent to kill my self : let such intend what they will , all rational and sober men know , they cannot live , but must die . there 's an indissoluble tie between sin and death , so as we cannot take the one without the other . cast away from you all your transgressions , &c. for why will you die ? ezech. . . as if he should have said , if you do not the former , you must have the latter , and in the way you now go you seek your own death . he that sinneth against me , wrongeth his own soul , prov. . ult . and how doth he wrong it ? the next words shew , he loves death . to hate , and scorn the wayes of christ , is to love death , it is so in the effect : he that hates to be reformed , ( and too many such there are ) hates to be saved ; he that loves to be wicked , loves to be damn'd . the wicked world is wilde , and stark mad in this respect , and doth as all mad men do ; a mad man casts off all care of himself , and is pleas'd in nothing , but his ravings and frantick pranks , and will not be perswaded to any better : such mad men are we in our sins , pleas'd with nothing so much , as that which most displeaseth god , and hath a direct tendency towards our own destruction . bring a physician , or chyrurgeon to a mad man , and you set him the more a raving , so as you must bind him , and over-master him by force , or he will admit of no applications to be made for curing him ; all hi● business is to do that which doth torment him , and will undo him : so do all wilfull sinners ; they devise , and do nothing , but what makes for working out their damnation ; they are troubled about nothing , but that they cannot sin enough , and serve their worldly and fleshly desires , so much as they would ; and is not this enmity against themselves , and their own souls ? for what can a man do , to destroy his soul , and pull upon himself the most intollerable condemnation , more than to sin , as much as possibly he can ? the wayes of sin are the wayes of destruction to poor souls ; and the only way to life is a turning from all the wayes of sin , with loathing and indignation ; and this no sinner will deny , if he please to sit down and consider it . but such is the impetuousness of our lusts , as they will not give us leave to entertain one serious thought , about the sad consequence of what we are a doing . mad men have sometimes their lucid intervals , but so soon as any occasion sti●● their frantick humour , they are as mad as ever ; in those intervals they are as mad as before , but do not act their madness so much . the worst of men are not alike wicked at all times , in acting their wickedness , though their hearts are alwayes set upon their wicked wayes . for their fair promises sometimes of amendment , they are no more than what a mad man will promise in a good mood . and now , all you poor sinfull souls , consider your wayes , and be wise ; be not as the horse and mule , that have no understanding , psal. . . you are so by nature , and of your selves , through the poison which the devil hath infus'd to you ; only you have reason , which beasts have not ; and you have a liberty to do otherwise than you do , if you had a mind to it : you are told , and you know the dangerous consequence of your sinfull wayes , and why will you die ? is there profit in destruction ? can there be pleasure in sinning for a moment , when the pains of hell will be endless , and intollerable ? or can you devise a way , how you may enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season , and yet escape the torments of hell for ever ? have you so much power in your hands , as to reverse the acts and decrees of heaven , established by a declared law , so as death shall not be the wages of sin ? or do you think to put off the righteous judge of all the earth , in the last day , as well as you can abuse and baffle your consciences , and faithfull ministers now ? i believe you have some such thoughts , or you would not take the courses that you do : but o ye fools , when will you be wise ? the lord knoweth the thoughts of man , that they are vanity . can you be such bruitish sots , as not to know , that the world to come will be quite another thing than this present evil world ? here is a place to sin in ; there will be only suffering for impenitent sinners ; here wicked men talk wildly , as if their tongues were their own , and there were no lord over them : there the righteous lord will deal with them , and they will not have a word to answer . consider how dead folk are dealt with here ; are they not bound , and laid up where they cannot stir oh! think of it , as a presage of that estate wherein your souls , as well as your bodies , wil● be in another world. there your hands and feet will be tyed , and your mouthes will b● stopp'd , so as you shall not be able to peep , o● mutter one word : or if you should rage , and cry out in those everlasting burnings , what wil● it avail you , so long as your bonds are made strong , and you cannot break them ? oh! think of this you presumptuous , daring sinners , while there is time for repentance ; for this is the sad condition you are hastning to , and nothing can be said or done to stop you in your career . when you are most frolick , you are but heaping up fewel , to feed the everlasting burnings . and when you are most froward in your wayes , you shew only the enmity that is in you , against your own souls . you say in effect , let us alone , and trouble us not , we are in the way to hell and destruction , and we will not be turn'd out of it ; you are not willing to be damn'd , you 'l say , but hope to be sav'd , as well as others : so are robbers and murderers , &c. not willing to be hang'd , more than honest men ; but honest men know that rogues and thieves take the ready way to the gallows . they may , some of them , escape mens judgement , and no question , some of them sometimes do , but how will you escape the judgement of god , who knoweth all , and can do every thing ? and will he not ( think you ) make good his word , and execute his own lawes ? how else shall he quit himself , and shew that he is above you ? think , when you see dead folk imprisoned , and bound up in their graves , how you will be hamper'd , and pinion'd , when you shall be brought forth to judgement , and what pittifull poor sneaking worms you will then appear to be , when god shall sit on the throne of his glory , and call all nations before him , to be judged by him . now this is all the work you are a doing , viz. to pinion your selves , and lay upon you , those everlasting chains of darkness , wherewith you shall be bound , and cast into the fire unquenchable . every sin you commit with greediness , and will not be perswaded to lay it aside , is one twist more , to strengthen the cords that shall bind you fast for ever , and puts more fewel to those everlasting burnings . if all this do not convince you , cast your eyes back , and take a review of all those reasons , i have formerly given to prove , that you your selves only are in the fault , and that god is in no respect wanting to you . i shall repeat , and press some of them a little further . not to say ( what is most certainly true ) that gods decrees have left you at liberty , to choose the way you have most mind to , and that you are not left out , as excepted persons , in the act of general pardon , if you will be perswaded to receive christ , as he is offered to you ; and also that you have a liberty to act in order to your happiness , if you would use it , and not wilfully run on in your own wayes . . consider , what equity , and reason there is in all the wayes of gods commandments , specially now under the new testament , when we have that , which the apostle calls our reasonable service ; we need not be prompted ( as the iews were ) to understand why they are enjoyn'd us , for that , they are not good , because they are commanded ; but rather commanded , because they are good . and for the wayes of his providence and grace , i would have you ask your own consciences , what prerogative god challengeth to himself , more , than even mortal men are ready to count their due . oh! that men would but think , how he can be indeed a god , and not have liberty to do what he himself pleaseth . though i stand still to defend , that all gods wayes are righteousness and truth , being all according to the counsel of his will , and managed by infinite wisdome . yea our belief of a deity , and one absolute soveraign lord god , doth necessarily inferr a belief of all his wayes to be most holy , just , and good . and will you not then obey , and submit ? oh! consider , what can be said against it . . consider further what your own consciences say in this case , and if they speak out now , what sometimes you would not hear , how will you be able to abide the clamours of them , when there will be no way left you , to bribe them , or stop their mouthes , as now you can make a shift to do . you now find them to stir , and work strongly upon occasion , and therefore may presume , they will one day be too hard for you , and have the dominion over you . i tell you , those consciences of yours , are gods witnesses against your wicked wayes , and your forewarnings to flee from the wrath to come ; so that you have no excuse upon this account . . ask your selves , so as to answer the question seriously , why you are so impatient of sharp rebukes , and sound admonitions , from the word , whether by faithfull ministers , or others , applyed to you . will not your own consciences then tell you , that your case is the same with those sick and wounded people , who had rather dye , than endure the pain of having their wounds search'd , or their diseases cur'd by untoothsome medicines ? yea , will not your consciences say , that you might have been healed , as well as others , that were content to submit to the methods of cure prescrib'd them ? you cannot say , there is no balm in gilead , there is no physician there : why then is not your health recovered ? surely , for this reason , and no other , that when the lord would have healed you , you would not be healed . . ask your selves again , how it comes to pass , that you are alwayes wharting and quarrelling those , that pretend so much to god , and the wayes of his commandments ? is it indeed , because they are so bad and base , as you would make them ? or is it not rather , because they shine before you , to shew you the good , and the right way , and you have no mind to walk in it ? is not their eschewing your ungodly wayes , ● check upon you , that you cannot so freely take your swinge in them , and therefore you hate the light of their good works , because it discovers the filthiness of your beastly conversation ? oh! remember and consider , they shall be your witnesses , to l●●ve you without excuse . yea , if they were as bad as you would make them , yet that will be no excuse to you , who should have done what they did not , your own consciences being judges . . once more . do not you accuse your selves , in calling so often for such extraordinary appearances of god in providence , as may convince you , when you have had many such , and are but the more hardned and enrag'd against god ? how usuall is it , for men to have strange and almost miraculous rescues and recoveries , or to see and observe such in others , and yet 't is not easie to give many instances of converts by occasion of such wonderful deliverances . to say no more , the appearances of god in this age have been as remarkable and admirable almost , as in any , and yet the ungodliness of men generally , is most notorious notwithstanding . now , what have you to say against this ? shall not these be witnesses against you ? . answer me yet in one question more . why ( i pray you ) do you so much magnifie the sain●● of old , who are now in heaven ? shall not they ( think you ) be your judges ? why , ( sirs , ) they were all of them holy men , that led their lives on earth , as becommeth saints ? and they were so farr from spending their time in sinful● pleasures , as you do , that their righteous soul● were vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked , pet. . , . your consciences wil● tell you , that you lead a life , as contrary to theirs , as black is to white , or darkness to light ▪ do not you then , in your applauding them wit● your mouths , and confessing them to be now saints in heaven , judge and condemn your selves , and call them to witness against you , that you had light held out to you by their examples , but you wilfully refus'd to walk in the way to heaven , wherein they went before you ? . i shall say no more of this , after i have pos'd you with this one question more . there are some of your good fellows ( you know it to be so ) that have cried out most lamentably upon their death-beds , as one did once , o! call time again , call time again . o! what would not they have given , to have recovered the time which they had mis-spent ? now these will be your judges . for whatever they thought before , then they were of the mind , that a wise and carefull expending our time here , whiles we are alive , is the way to obtain peace and comfort when we come to dye . they could not then say ▪ ( as some do in their youth and strength ) if we are elected , we shall be saved , and if not , we must be damned ; and so quietly sleep away , and put it to the adventure . no ; conscience ( if it be then awakened ) will tell you somewhat else . it will tell you then , that you might have employed your selves to better purpose ; and that if you had taken the same course , that the saints do , while they are on earth , you might depart in peace , as well as they . yea , let me tell you , conscience , when you come to dye , will not trouble you about any other matters , than your wilfull rejecting the offers of grace and mercy , when they were made to you ; and your chusing the wayes of sin , when you had been often told , they were the ready way to hell and destruction . and now i say again , whatever disputes and reasonings there be among some , about the method , and manner , and matter of gods decrees , let all poor souls consider , in due time , what is that way of life , which is held out , and offered to them in the gospel . we cannot know , what god hath decreed , till it be some way reveal'd to us : but we may know ( if we will ) what is the way of life , as certain as god is true , who hath reveal'd it . god ( i am sure ) cannot lye , and his mouth hath spoken it , and his finger hath written it , that whoever believeth , shall be saved . i need not cite or quote the texts of scripture , that speak , with one mouth , the mind of god in this : whoever hath read or heard the scripture , cannot but know this to be an unmoveable foundation-truth . and therefore i desire men seriously to consider , how they will excuse themselves one day , when they shall be question'd , why they did not believe on christ offered to them in the gospel . for no doubt , if they do this , as god commands and requires , they shall be saved , or god must prove a lyar . and for any decree of god , to hinder men from believing on christ , i hope enough hath been said before , to shew , there is no such thing . besides , the extent of christs death ( as hath been shewed ) is large enough to reach , and take in all , that will come to him . and there is nothing but a froward wicked heart stands between men , and their happiness , in the enjoyment of god. wherefore , i say again , in the name of the lord , as our saviour in a different sense said to martha , ioan. . . if thou wouldst believe , thou shouldst see the glory of god. he that believeth not god , hath made him a lyar , because he believeth not the record that god gave of his son. and this is the record , that god hath given to us eternal life , and this life is in his son. he that hath the son , hath life ; and he that hath not the son , hath not life , joan. . , , . he that believeth on the son , hath everlasting life ; and he that believeth not on the son , shall not see life , but the wrath of god abideth on him , joan. . . here we see , as in all the scripture beside , that faith , and faith only , gives us an interest in eternal life ; and that this , and nothing else , will be the condemnation of the world , that they believed not on the son of god tendred to them , as one that can save to the utmost , all that come unto god by him . if any say , that some have never heard of christ , and then how can they believe on him , of whom they have not heard ? ro. . . i shall not here dispute with them about this , but re●er● them to what i have said before , desiring them withall , to understand me now , as meaning all that have heard of christ , amongst whom there have been many that shall not be sav'd . and of these i say again , their condemnation shall be only upon the account of their unbelief . either because they set light by christ , when they heard of him , as many do to this day , not so much as owning the profession of the gospel ; or else they receive the gra●e of god in vain , and turn it into wantonness , by using it , as an occasion to the flesh . now , for a conclusion of this whole discourse ; i shall deal with these last , desiring them to consider , whether they give all diligence , to walk in the way of life , which god hath laid before them . and all that i intend , is to shew their mistakes about it , and to advise and direct them in it . but whiles i was about this , there were brought me some objections , which though they be ( as i conceive ) sufficiently answered already , at least the chiefest of them , yet somewhat i shall add further , to explain what was said before . obj. if god be so willing , that men should repent and believe , why do they not repent and believe ? for who hath resisted his will , ro. . . this we find by our selves , that if we will do ought , we do it if we can ; and if we do it not , it is because we have not power to do as we would . sol. for the will of god , as to the salvation of all , in case they repent and believe , there is no question ; and so ( as i remember ) some understand the apostle , tim. . . but that is not the question , but this rather , how god wills the repentance of men , who never repent . for seeing god can do whatever he will , why are not they also converted ? and to this i answer , that god wills the conversion of sinners , so as their conversion is well-pleasing to him ▪ and accepted with him ; as on the contrary , he is displeased with sinners , so long as they live in impenitency . the holy angels rejoyce over one sinner that repenteth , and god much more , seeing it is his command , that they repent . and how should god will mens repentance , otherwise than he doth ? he declares his will in his command , and in his promise of acceptance , and in his refusing none upon their repentance ; and for any other will of god , concerning this or that mans repentance , who knows it , or where hath god reveal'd it ? what! would you have god to decree and effect the conversion of all and every one , whether they will or no ? if any say , no ; but we would have god to deal with all indifferently , as being all the work of his hands : i answer , that saving to god but so much liberty , as all men ordinarily take to themselves , his dealings with men are indifferent , and his wayes most equall , seeing he hath so prepar'd , as men need not perish , except they will themselves . and therefore , i say once more , they perish and dye in their sins , only because they chuse the wayes of their destruction . how then dare any man make any further question about gods will of saving men , when he hath so decreed , and so provided , that men may be saved if they will ? i mean it thus , if they do not wilfully refuse their salvation , when it is offered them ; by an obstinate rejecting the way he commands them to walk in , and to which they are invited and encouraged by his promise , wherein it is impossible that he should lye . and this we affirm still , according to what hath been said before . obj. seeing it is gods will , that men shall be damned , in case they believe not ; it doth not appear , that there is in god a will of saving , rather than of damning , because there is in all men a proneness and inclination to unbelief and impenitency , more than to faith and repentance . sol. we grant , there is a proneness and inclination in all men by nature , to unbelief and impenitency , with an untowardness and enmity to faith and repentance . but we say again , as before , that men may repent and believe , if they will. for men are not damn'd , for that they cannot repent , though they be never so willing to it ; but they are damn'd only , because they will not repent , nor turn from their evil wayes , but wilfully goe on in them , against all means and methods us'd for the reclaiming of them . and may not god then say , and swear too , as he doth , ezech. . . as i live , saith the lord god , i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked , but that the wicked turn from his way , and live . obj. i want the helps that others have , and was never brought up in learning , as many are . sol. to this i answer , that christ may be learn'd by the veriest ideots , if they have but a willing mind , as soon , and as easily , as by the greatest masters of arts and sciences . and in this case we may say , what hath been commonly said in a different sense , that the greatest clerks are not alwayes the wisest men . the devil is certainly the greatest schollar below heaven , as to all things pertaining to this world : yet he is never the nearer to the learning of christ , and the knowledge of god in christ. humane learning is a very precious ornament and endowment in them that have it : but through the sinfull corruption of man , it many times proves to be an occasion of hindring them , in their being taught by christ , as the truth is in him . the great rabbies ( you know ) were christs most bitter enemies ; and not many wise men , after the flesh , are called , saith the apostle , cor. . . the gospell preacheth only christ the power of god , and the wisdome of god ; so as the weakest understanding is as capable of this heavenly and spiritual learning as any others . suppose thou canst not so much as read a chapter , what hinders , that thou dost not hear others read ? whatever thy apprehension , and memory be , there wants nothing to thy denial of thy self , and all ungodliness , and worldly lusts , if thou do not retain a wilfull , and froward heart against christ , and his commands . learn only what the grace of god teacheth thee , tit. . , . and thou hast learnt enough . 't is not thy want of other learning , can hinder , or keep thee from heavens way , if thou wilt repent heartily of thy sinnes , and turn from all iniquity , with a full and absolute resignation of thy self to serve the lord christ. this knowledge ( i may truly say ) is easie to him that doth understand , prov. . . where he that doth understand , cannot be meant otherwise , than of a man that hath an humble and an honest heart ; because in the same place , he is set in opposition to a scorner , who seeketh wisdome , ( as 't is there said ) and findeth it not . the original is only [ and not , ] and the meaning is plainly this , that proud scornfull men can never attain to true wisdome , which is easie to an humble , and willing minde . and this you have set forth at large , prov. . , . to the perusal of which place i refer the reader , and so proceed . obj. i want time to attend the working out of my salvation ; for i am a servant , and must work to please my master , &c. i have but little to live upon , and must spend all my time , to maintain my self , and my family . sol. strange ! cannot servants work to please god , and their masters too ? the apostle thought they might do both , though servants then were mostly slaves , and many of them had heathens and infidels to their masters . thou art a servant , and canst not have so much time , as others who are free ; yet know this for thy comfort , that thy faithfulness , and diligence in thy masters business , is pleasing to god , and an honour to the gospel . if thou hast not so much time as some others , for waiting on god in his ordinances , and in all the duties of his worship and service , yet a carefull improvement of the time thou hast ; and what cannot be denyed thee ▪ will be accepted , when thou hast no more . i say not , thou should'st serve thy master in the wayes of sin , with a neglect of thy duty towards god : but i say , use the time thou hast , to the best advantage ; and thou shalt be accepted according to what thou hast . but beware , thou be not one of those servants , who have masters , that are willing to teach them , and they have no minde to learn the wayes of god : beware also , thou pretend not thy masters business , when thou art not carefull to redeem the time , and improve the seasons , which may be recovered by thy diligence , and care . the same in effect i say to such as are poor ; if they cannot spare so much time , as others can , they may be accepted in what they have , if there be but a willing minde . and to all these i say further , though there is need for all to address themselves to god in prayer and praise , &c. as we all need our ordinary repasts to recruit our faint spirits , and frail bodies ; yet the life of religion is shew'd most in the duties of our particular callings , and personal relations ; in these we must spend , and express the strength , and grace we obtain of god , by our waiting upon him in ordinances , and religious exercises . a christian is not bound to spend all his time in reading , and hearing , &c. much , yea most of it , must be laid out on the works of their callings , wherein our diligence , and integrity , and faithfulness is our living to god. and if in our earthly employments , we retain heavenly affections , making conscience of all we do , as desirous , to approve our selves to god , in this we do gods work , and keep on , in our way to heaven . no honest calling is , or can be any hinderance to the life of godliness , if we labour , in all we do , to keep a good conscience . if our small stock , or mean estate will not allow us so much time , for some religious exercises , as others have , we may notwithstanding practise holiness , and exercise our selves unto godliness , in our lawfull employments , if we have honest hearts , as well as they . obj. god requires no more than he gives ; now god hath not given me to repent , &c. and what can i do ? sol. this ( i think ) hath been sufficiently answer'd already , yet i shall add a word or two more . god requires no more than he gives ; so say i ; but i say also , he will require so much as he gives . now canst thou , or dar'st thou say , that god hath not given thee time , and space to repent ? yea hath he not waited long for thee ? yea dar'st thou say , he hath not given thee to repent , &c. when he hath given thee light , to see the errour , and the evil of thy wayes ? what would'st thou have ? god hath commanded thee , and intreated thee , and by many , and sundry motions made to thee , sometimes allured thee , and at other times affrighted thee . his word , his spirit , his works of mercy and judgement , have bespoken thee , again and again , to cast away thy transgressions , but thou would'st not ; and only because thou loved'st thy ungodly wayes , and found'st pleasure in them , thou would'st not be perswaded to leave them . and wilt thou say yet , that god hath not given it thee ▪ to return to him ? i hope thou wilt not blaspheme god openly , in saying , that he hath tempted thee to thy evil wayes . neither did he , or any other force thee , for thou wast wholly inclin'd , and addicted to them , and angry at all ▪ that would put thee out of them . i shall say no more , but only desire thee , to answer thy self , and thine own conscience , in this one question , viz. why thou dost not forsake thy wicked ways ? i say again , ask , and answer that question sincerely , and as in the sight of god , and thou shalt finde thine own heart will tell thee , that thou lik'st , and lov'st the profits , and the pleasures of thy sinfull wayes , so as thou hast no minde to leave them . and if thou finde it not so , call me lyar upon this account . now whose fault is it , that thou lovest thy sins ? but i must go on to finish this discourse . and for a conclusion , i shall very plainly and briefly , shew the mistakes of men , about the only way of life , with the best advice i can give about it . the only way of life , that i know of , is believing on the lord jesus christ. for this we have a command , and a promise , as is to be seen in very many texts , which i need not mention , because they are obvious to the meanest understanding . this is the tenour of the only covenant of peace and life , if thou believest with all thine heart , thou shalt be saved , ro. . , , . joan. . , & , &c. yea this is receiv'd among all professed christians , that believing on the son of god is the way of life , and salvation . but the most of those , who profess the faith of our lord jesus christ , are much to seek , and at a great loss , about the way of believing , to the saving of their souls . for their sakes therefore , i shall lay before them , the good , and the right way of salvation , by faith in the son of god , and assure them in the name of god , that whoever is resolv'd to walk in that way , shall as certainly be saved , as those who are already in heaven . and this i shall do , that ( if it be possible ) they may be perswaded , no more to dispute , or quarrel gods decrees , or christs dying for all sinners ; or the inability , that is in all men by nature , to all that 's spiritually good , or any thing else , besides the frowardness of their own corrupt , and perverse hearts . for the way of salvation by faith only , it is this : the gospel , which only reveals the way of living by faith , makes an offer of christ , to all without exception , in case they believe , ioan. . . and many other places . and when any man is effectually perswaded to receive christ , as he is offer'd , then he believes , to the saving of his soul. if any desire to know further , what it is to receive christ , i answer , that it is the souls hearty consenting to have him , upon the same terms , on which he is offer'd . this is that , which ( as i may say ) makes up the match between christ , and any soul ; so as thence forward , it stands in relation to christ , as a woman to her husband , after her consent obtain'd , and declar'd , and so hath an interest in him , and all his estate . this is the eminency , and precedency of faith , to all other graces , that it is the souls consenting to have christ , as her all in all . for when the soul so consents , a man is thereupon justified , and accepted with god. this consent indeed doth imply love and obedience , and faithfulness to christ , all our dayes ; and if there be not afterwards a performance of all accordingly , for certain the consent at first , was not sincere , and hearty . for we are delivered from the hands of our enemies , that we may serve him , &c. luc. . . we are redeem'd from all iniquity to be a peculiar people , zealous of good works , tit. . . but yet the consent which is first given , sets a man in the state , and relation of a justified person , which afterwards he proves himself to be , by yielding willing obedience to all the commands of christ. for love , and all the fruits of it in a christians whole course , are but the performance of what was promis'd , when he first consented to have christ for his only lord and saviour ; and where these do not attend , there never was any hearty consent . but faith ( i say again ) hath the precedency , in that it is the souls consenting to take christ upon his own terms , and so faith alone justifies us . now , if what hath been s●id of our being justified by faith alone , be rightly apprehended , there will need no dispute about the concurrence of works in our justification . but leaving all such disputes , as no way concerning my present purpose , i shall only take notice of such mistakes , as are ordinary , and do offer themselves ( as it were ) to us , upon this occasion , to be considered of . for certain , the way of believing , is the only way of living with god for ever . but the mistakes of men about this way , are the great occasion of their miscarriage : i mean it of such as hear the gospel , have christ offered to them , and do profess to believe on him , as all or most do with us . there are only two that deserve our notice , and if there be any other , they may be reduc'd to these . and these two are extremes , not so farr from one another , as both are from the right way of living by faith. first , some ( though they pretend not to merit ) do almost turn the covenant of grace into a covenant of works , and so pervert the gospel of christ to their own destruction . i do not mean , that they make account to be saved by vertue of the first covenant , made with adam in innocency : for never was there a man , iew or gentile , that did not acknowledge himself a sinner . and this appears , in that all of them have used means , true or false , right or wrong , to make an attonement for their souls . but i mean such as the iews , who attained not to the law of righteousness , because they sought it not by faith , but as it were by the works of the law , ro. . , . [ as it were ] not wholly , or altogether , but in a sort , as it were , or after a manner . and how was that ? surely thus ▪ when they knew themselves sinners before the lord , and should have look'd to christ only , as the alone propitiation for sin , they applyed themselves to their legal services and sacrifices , hoping to find acceptance with god , though they look'd not at all by faith unto him , who was the end of the law , and all the righteousness of men before god. thus they perverted the covenant of grace , and made it of none effect to them , and so do others to this day . and if you desire to know how and wherein , i answer , thus : when god hath shewed us christ , as our only salvation , and given us means for bringing us near to him , and building us up in acquaintance with him , viz. his word and sacraments , &c. what do the most of professing christians count of more , than hearing , and receiving the sacraments , and their good prayers , &c. as so much good service done to god ; and make account they please god well enough , so long as these services are not wholly omitted or neglected by them . this is a great mistake , and for a further discovery of it , take notice , . that working and doing what is commanded us of god , being the condition of the covenant made with adam , there is in every man since , an inclination to think of pleasing god , by somewhat that he himself doth . and this is to be ignorant of the righteousness of god , which is nothing else , but the obedience of the lord jesus christ to the will of his father . for this the apostle avouches , ro. . . that by this alone we are made righteous . for our own performances , they are all imperfect ; and when we do our utmost , we do but endeavour to perform the promise which we made to christ , when we first consented to receive him as our lord and saviour ; and those performances have all of them need to be pardoned , as to the defects of them , through the application of his righteousness to our selves by faith . yea , and if we are not first united to him , by a sincere and sound faith , all our performances are an abomination , as the scripture speaks often , pro. . . pro. . . psal. . . &c. . the way that god hath laid out for us to walk in , that we may live , is first to know and acknowledge our own lost estate and condition by sin , with an utter impossibility to recover our selves otherwise , than in a way of free pardon by grace , which we receive by faith . and when we have thus clos'd with christ , and receiv'd him , as our only righteousness before god , then in way of thankfulness for such an unspeakable grace , we are to set our selves about the service of christ our lord redeemer . this our obedience to our lord and saviour , is not any the least part of that price , whi●h was paid to procure and purchase our pardon . nor is our consenting to receive christ , as he is offered to us , by faith , any part of amends made to god , for the wrong done him by mans sin and transgression . only the righteousness and obedience of the son , in doing and suffering all that was enjoyn'd him by his father , is the price of our redemption , and that wherein god is well pleased . and so is christ offer'd to us , as our all and only righteousness , which we receive by faith , as a man receives a rich gift freely given him , upon no other condition , than his willing and hearty acceptance of it . the gift is not the less free , because a man cannot be enriched by it , unless he receive and take it . no more is our justification by christs righteousness less free , because we have not the benefit , till by faith we apply it to our selves . the feast is prepared without our cost or care ; and all we do , is but to come and partake of it , which is done only by our believing on the lord our righteousness . as for our obedience to christ , and serving him all our dayes in holiness and righteousness before him , it is but going on to the full possession of the heavenly inheritance , and the same with working out our salvation , philip. . . or , finishing our sanctification , cor. . . that is , employing all our abilities , and using all the means which god hath appointed for the accomplishment of our salvation . when we first believe with the heart , we are put into the right way ; but we are not presently at the end of our race . we are only as travailers , pressing on toward our home ; or as racers , posting towards the goal . there is a rich inheritance purchas'd for us , without any cost of ours ; only we must go , to take possession of it . and this cannot be in works , and wayes of ungodliness , ( for they tend to hell , and destruction ) but in wayes of righteousness and holiness , which god hath appointed to be the way to the kingdome , though not the cause of reigning . besides , in the wayes of righteousness , we shew , and approve our selves , to have believed from the heart , which is the justification by works , which the apostle meant , iac. . . and v. . he clears it sufficiently in saying , by works was faith made perfect . that is , declared , or shewed , and prov'd such as it is , even as gods power is said to be perfected in weakness , cor. . . that is , declared to be as it is , all-sufficient for our relief , and so to be acknowledged by us . and thus are our works the only good evidence , of our believing on the lord jesus christ , to the saving of our souls . for by adding one grace to another , i. e. acting every grace in its due season , and order , we give all diligence , to make our calling and our election sure , pet. . , . this , and this alone will be the evidence of our faith , in the great day of account ; and hence it is said so often in scripture , that god will judge every man according to his works : that is , he will judge , and try men by what they have done , to prove and approve themselves sound believers , in the sight of god , angels , and men. now by what hath been said , many may learn to know their foul mistake in this particular . 't is not , o vain man , the good service , thou hast done to god , that is , or will be thy righteousness before him . what is it to him , that thou hast wept , and prayed before him , or been at any , never so great cost , and pains about doing any work , that he hath commanded thee . he hath no need of thy services , or sacrifices , psal. . . . neither canst thou be profitable to god , as thou mayst be to thy self , or another . and when thou hast done thy best , thou hast need of grace to pardon that which is wanting . tell me , did'st thou ever pray , or praise god so , as thou durst expect acceptance , upon thine own account ? sure , thy desire to be heard , and accepted upon the account of the lord jesus christ , shews the contrary . why dost thou then talk idly , of what thou hast done and suffered ? obj. i make no account of meriting at the hands of god ? sol. i know not what thou mak'st account of ; but why dost thou build so much upon so rotten a foundation , as thine own works , and doings ? and that thou dost so , is apparent , by thy pharasaical boastings , that thou art not , as other men are . why do so many , when they are asked a reason of the hope , that is in them , so readily answer , that they have not so behav'd themselves , as not to hope well about their salvation ? the best saints have made it an evidence of their faith , and hope , and joy in god , as nehemiah , and paul , &c. but too many ( we may fear ) make it the ground , and foundation , and therein miserably deceive themselves . for 't is faith alone receiving christ , as he is freely offer'd , that gives us all our interest in god , as it disclaims all self-righteousness , and creature-confidence , and gives god all the glory of our salvation , by his rich grace . for our good works ( whatever they are ) they are no part of our righteousness before god , but only our evidences , that we have believed , as god hath commanded ; and so are in the only right way to our everlasting salvation , as we hope for it in heaven . but this is a mystery far above thy reach , viz. to do all , as if thou must be saved by thy works ; and yet when all is done , to look on all , as abominable before god , and to rest thy self , and all thy works , upon gods free grace in our lord jesus christ for acceptance , as much as if thou had'st done nothing at all . thou reckon'st upon works of piety , mercy , and charity , which thou hast done ; not considering , that thou hast somewhat even in them to be p●rdon'd , and that no satisfaction to gods justice can be made by any thing , never so well done , by any creature , or by all of them together . if any shall think i wrong them in this , i confess ( what i hope , and believe ) that there are many sound , and sincere believers , who are really acquainted with the mysterie of living by faith. but i have not charity enough , to perswade my self , that all professing christians are such , as know by experience , what it is to live by faith in the righteousness of the alone saviour , whiles they see nothing in themselves , but just matter of condemnation : once , for certain , to deny our own righteousness , is the hardest part of self-denial , and every experienc'd christian , will ( i am confident ) be ready to avow this . but too many , that profess faith in christ , are too like the iews , who made great account of sacrifices , and offerings ; not understanding , or heeding christ in them , though he was the life , and soul of them , and without him , they were but an empty shadow , or an unsavoury carcass , indeed an abomination . what adoe is made by many about the sacraments , to be applyed to young , and old ; as if the opus operatum in gods ordinances , were of such avail , where , there is no grace concurring with them ? the sacraments are indeed necessary , by reason of gods command , and as means of his appointment , for our edification in grace , and communion with god. they are the seals which god hath annex'd to the new covenant ; and the contempt , or neglect of them , when they may be us'd , and applyed in gods way , and order , is no small transgression . nor can we justly expect the end , so long as we neglect the means , which god hath appointed for obtaining it . but yet there is not such a necessity of the sacraments , as of christ , and faith in him ; and we may have , and hold fast these , without the sacraments ; else woe to those poor souls , who by the hand of god one way , or other in any kind , are debarr'd the use of them . 't is more than probable , that many children died in israel , before they were circumcised , which was not , by gods order , till the eighth day : and yet we dare not therefore say , they were cast-awayes . the passover was probably , in some of the kings reigns , utterly neglected , ( or else observ'd only in private , if yet it was so ) as in ahaz his time : for he shut up the doors of the lords house , which so stood shut , till hezekiah opened them , in the first year of his reign ▪ and how could the iews in babylon keep the passover , or offer any sacrifice , for . years together ? and yet who dare say , that the faithfull and godly among them , all that while , had no communion with god ? was not the ark in a private place , so as the people enquir'd not at it , in the dayes of saul , chron. . . true ; the want of ordinances duly administred , in the publique assemblies , is a sad calamity , and a token of gods displeasure against a people . but yet god never leaves his people , without sufficient helps , to acquaint themselves with him , in such a sad condition ; and there is no such necessity of them , as enforces any to an undue and disorderly administration of them , besides the rule of that word and law , which hath enjoyn'd them . we had need beware of giving to them , what we owe to christ alone , and faith in his name , lest we be guilty of seeking after righteousness , as it were , by the works of the law , ro. . . what adoe is made also , by too many , about duties of worship , when it is to be fear'd , their religion goes very little further , and there is little care of improving the word and prayer to any other purpose , after attendance on them is once at an end . the word is precious , and so are all duties of worship , to all such as know by experience the blessed effects of them upon their own souls . but 't is an easie mistake for men to rest in the duty done , and think all is well , if they have been at it , though little be done after it , to express the vertue and power of it , or to shew any impressions of it on the soul. there are other duties to be done of all christians , to shew the life and power of godliness in them , and if these latter be wanting , all attendance on ordinances will be little other than an empty outside formality . the same may be said of family-duties ▪ morning and evening daily perform'd , if there be not a conscionable performance of the moral law in justice , fidelity , mercy and charity , us'd and practic'd in all our dealings with men . and when we have done all , both the one and other , yet christ , and his righteousness , are all in all to us , and the rest no better than a filthy ragg . but of this more in the next that follows . secondly , a second mistake seems to lye as much on the other hand , viz. when men count of being s●ved by faith and hope in christ alone , and live all the while in a constant practice of all ungodliness and unrighteousness , which is to turn the grace of our lord iesus christ into wantonness or lasciviousness , jude . such were the iews of old , that cried , the temple of the lord , &c. ier. . . and yet continued to steal , murder , and commit adultery , and swear falsely , &c. v. . and what account god had of them , is to be seen at large , esay cap. . — . v. esay . . — . psal. . and many other places to the same purpose . the summ of all is this , that they , and all their services , were an abomination to the lord. and so is the faith of all prophane and ungodly men , who profess their hope in christ alone , to be saved by him . such faith as saint iames saith , cap. . is dead , having no works to prove and justifie the life and power of it . the devils believe , and tremble , which these prophane wretches do not . and shall their faith save them ? just as the devil's faith shall save him , and no otherwise . these are the believers , that have so much faith , as carries them to the places of publique worship , where perhaps they sometime laugh , or sleep out the time , as if they had nought else to do there . and what is done there by their ministers , somewhat , or nothing , or somewhat to no purpose , with them , it matters not . the worse , and the less , the better . as for heeding what they hear , or practicing as they have prayed , ( alas poor souls ) they regard little more than the doggs , that goe to church on sundayes sometimes , as well as their masters . these are believers , that live in all manner of sensual delights and pleasures , and make no conscience , no not so much as heathens , of any thing that savours of common honesty . but because this hath been touch'd upon before by the way , i shall say no more of it here . only these men , all of them , are out of the way of life , which is believing with all the heart ; and what believing with all the heart is , i shall yet shew as plainly , and as briefly as i can . when once a poor sinner is convinc'd of the errour and evil of his way , and also of the infinite transcendent excellencies of christ , as all in all to him , he then sees , there is somewhat hereafter to be expected , more than can possibly be had here . and thereupon he is wholly and altogether taken up in his thoughts and affections , about those things which are laid up in christ , and never to be enjoyed , till his appearing in glory . this hope and expectation of future glory , so works upon him , as he becomes every day more and more crucified to the world , and all things here below , and accounts them ( as they are indeed ) nothing but vanities and lyes . and as all his hopes are in heaven , so all his endeavours are only for this , that he may not fail & fall short of those everlasting enjoyments . and ●ccordingly he resolves , that whatever it costs him in doing or suffering for christs sake , come life , come death , he cares not , so he may have his desires in these . in this way of believing , all the saints now in heaven came thither . no temptation on the right hand , or the left , could turn them aside , but they would still hold on in the way of gods commandments , whatever became of them . so did moses , heb. . , , . who refused to be called the son of pharaoh 's daughter , chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of god , &c. not as elihu charged iob , job . . that he had chosen iniquity , rather than affliction . but as zuinglius hath it , * what deaths had we not better chuse , what torments , yea , what hell not suffer rather , than go against conscience rightly inform'd ? so did all those worthies , recorded heb. . . ad fin . these are the saints indeed , that take heaven by violence ; and they that are not such , at least in the purpose of their hearts , will never approve themselves in gods account , to be sound believers . i know well , there are many sects in the world , but all those are but of two sorts , and no more will be found at the last day . one of these is that company of men , which will have their reward here , and their portion in this life . it is all they look after , and the best heaven they desire , is to be left here upon earth for ever ; and to these , the thoughts of death are very terrible . ●ut there is another sort , who count this earth to be their hell ; and all their expectation and hope is after they are gone hence ; and upon this account , they little value what befalls them here . and these are christians , and believers indeed : their ●aith is the ground of things hoped for , and the evidence of things not seen : it is such a confidence of the heavenly inheritance , as makes a man fear nothing ; having his eye upon the recompence of the reward , and as seeing him that is invisible . such believers will not be frighted , nor flatter'd out of gods wayes , because they know them to be the only way to life eternal . canst thou do thus , and for the joy set before thee endure the cross , and despise the shame ? if thou canst , this is a sound faith indeed , that will get thee a living , and that for ever . obj. if any object , that some good men have been afraid , and yielded in suffering times . sol. i say so too : but i say withall , that never any good man did wholly , and finally deny , and forsake the cause of truth , for any torments , and sufferings , and for those who staggered a while , and perhaps recoil'd , they came on again , and found no comfort , till they had recanted their recantations . all may not have the same degree of confidence and courage ; but all sound believers will hold out to the end , though some with more adoe , than others . it cannot be a sound faith , that can be totally overcome by any temptation . to believe sincerely , is the work of christ , in a soul ; and , he is stronger than he that is in the world , joh. . . so as true believers are sure at last , to overcome , whatever be their conflict . but thou art one , that carest not for fighting , or striving against sin , with the least hazard , to any of thy smallest earthly comforts . thou art more like those souldiers that watch'd our saviour whiles he lay in the tomb , mat. . . &c. who though they knew , that he was risen , as they had seen , and could not but know it ; yet vers . . took the money , that was offer'd them , and said as they were taught , i. e. quite contrary , to what they knew in their consciences . if there be any thing to be got , money , or money-worth , thou wilt deny christ , and his truth , or any thing thou know'st of god. or if any thing be to be suffer'd for the truth , let it go for thee , 't is not worth the purchase . i shall say no more to discover , who are sound believers , and who not . i shall only add a word of advice to such as profess their faith , and hope to be saved by christ ; but for certain , never yet gave any proof of it : because of this sort are many , that quarrel the wayes of gods grace , and providence , as not equal . . know o vain man , that god hath promised thee eternal life , as much as any other ; and there is no hinderance to thy enjoyment of it , but thine impenitency , and unbelief : and what that is , hath been plainly shew'd before . there is , i say again , no barre to thy believing , unto the saving of thy soul , but what thou thy self hast put , by thy wilfull and wayward rejecting of christ , tender'd to thee . consider it therefore , and look to it in time , for thine eternity depends upon it . . thou hast nothing to do , but to humble thy self before the lord , and acknowledge thine iniquities , and loath thy self for them , and so flee to lay hold on the hope set before thee , counting all but loss and dung , for the excellency of the knowledge of christ iesus the only lord and saviour ; and resolve , to serve him all thy dayes , in holiness , and righteousness before him . if this be done , thou shalt be saved , and shalt never meet with any decree of god , to reject thee . and for the merits of christ , thou shalt finde them as all-sufficient to thee , as to any saint in heaven . and now say not , thou would'st believe , if thou could'st ; for the contrary is most true , as hath been proved before . o! be at last perswaded , to quarrel no more , about what will avail thee nothing , but presently set about the work , that lieth plain before thee . if thou wilt know what , i say again ; . love thy sinnes no more , count not the profits , and pleasures of them , to be so sweet , when they will be bitterness in the latter end . for they are but well-tasted poyson , that goes down sweetly , but works sadly in the bowels afterward . this poyson indeed , is in thee already ; but it will not kill thee , if thou art perswaded to cast it up . and this i give thee to encourage thee , that i know some sinners yet alive , that have taken in as much poyson as thou hast , who , by casting it up , as i have now perswaded thee , have much sweet peace , and comfort in believing , whiles they tread another trace , than once they did . they are now holy , devout , and righteous ; who were before ungodly , profane , and vicious . go thou , and do likewise , and try , whether god will save thee , or no. . lay hold on the wayes of gods commandments , and write them upon the table of thine heart , prov. . . were thou may'st read more to this purpose ; as also prov. . . besides many , very many places of scripture , which all cry loud upon thee , to hearken , and hear what god requireth of thee , to the saving of thy soul. be but once perswaded to believe , that god knows the way to heaven , better than thou dost , and that he hath told thee plainly enough what that way is . and then consider , whether god hath , or can have it in his heart , to abuse , and deceive thee . yea , to put no further trouble upon thee , go to thine own conscience , and ask seriously , whether the wayes of sinfull vanity , and all manner of iniquity are , or can be the way to heavenly happiness , in the enjoyment of god. and for a conclusion ; be pleas'd to consider of all that hath been aforesaid , whether thou hast nothing to do , about the work and business of thine own salvation . for one of these two must be : either thou hast something to do , or nothing at all . if there be somewhat for thee to do , ( as i suppose there is ) why art thou not about it , and hard at it , and that presently , without delay ? canst thou be so unreasonably negligent about thy soul , when thou art so uncessantly , and excessively carefull of every other , the least concernment ? is it nothing to thee , what becomes of thee to all eternity ? hath god will'd thee to be doing , all thou canst , for thy present subsistence , and nothing at all for thy everlasting salvation ? or hath he left it to thy choice , whether thou wilt do any thing , or nothing at all ? read the scriptures once more , and see , if there be nothing commanded thee in order to this ? and be sure in the first place , that thou art left to thy liberty , and under no obligation ; or else consider , how thou wilt answer for thy disobedience to gods commands . but if there be nothing for thee to do , or if it be in vain for thee , to bestow thy care , or pains about it , because there is somewhat impossible to be done , without any fault of thine ; i shall say no more , but leave thee to be tryed by what thou know'st to be gods law , at the last , and great day of account ; resolving for my self , that if i am saved from wrath , and death , it will be only through gods free mercy , and grace ; and if i perish , and die in my sinnes , it will be only through mine own default , because i would not ( whil'st i might , ) know the time of my visitation , and the things of my peace . an appendix to the whole discourse foregoing , which may be call'd a seal , set to the only way of life and salvation , by the alone saviour . luc . , , &c. then said one unto him , lord , are there few that be saved ? and he said unto him , strive to enter in at the strait gate , &c. he that made this question , seems to be ( upon what occasion soever he made it ) of a curious and inquisitive humour , ( as most men are ) desirous to know , what no way concern'd him . he would be satisfied , whether few or many shall be saved . our saviour in answering him , sufficiently shews his dislike of such an impertinent question : for he resolves nothing about it directly , but clearly intimates to him and others , that it concerns them not to be resolv'd in it , one way or other : but falls upon that , which every man is bound to look after , viz. a carefull endeavour to do the will of god , reveal'd in his word , which shews the way of life , so as whoever walks in it , is sure to be saved . now this one scripture is enough , to stop the mouths of all , that quarrel and question ( as many do ) the wayes of god in his decrees and counsels about the salvation of men . for our saviour not only intimates , that all such questions are impertinent ; but he fully shews , upon this occasion , what is the only way to life , wherein whoever goes , is sure to be saved , whatever becomes of others : and never takes the least notice of any barr , by reason of gods decrees , or any thing else of that kind . we must strive , &c. i. e. we must not think the kingdom of heaven can be gotten by a lazy and empty profession of true religion , or by having the external means of grace , and the outside priviledges of christians , ( as 't is said ) v. . but we must strive for it , by sound deniall of our selves , renouncing all worldly and fleshly delights and contents , and a serious industrious endeavour after godliness , which will put us to hard labour , and pain , and trouble . and then he makes affidavit for it , that whoever is resolv'd to seek heaven and happiness in this way , shall not miss , or fall short . goe thou , and do thus , and thy work is done , if god be true in his word . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e gen. . neque hoc cont●ntus d●um simul accip●t in c●●men , &c. joan. . . joan . . notes for div a -e tit. . , . the general proposition to be proved ▪ argument . gen. . . act. . . psal. . , , . jude . obj. sol. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , quod de deo cognosc●re fas est , vel expedit . calvin . indicat manifestationem quâ proprius urgeantur , quam ut r●fugere queant . mat. . . gen. . . ro. . ● . aust. ep. . ad vital . deut. . . tit. . . mic. . in suum exitium insaniunt qu●cunque omisso christo quidnam de se in arcano dei consilio constitutum sit , in quirunt . calv. in ep ▪ . joan. c. . v. . non negamus decretum permissionis , &c. illud tamen a●ctè tenemus adami peccatum non ab hoc decreto , sed s●cundum hoc decretum evenisse . determinat . qu. . † decret●m non tol●it lib●●tatem . luc. . . joan. . . . io. white , the way to the true church , sect. . digress . . nihil m●gis subest ●ibero arbitrio quam quod ab eo fluit libenter , & gaudenter . parisienfis . potest deus sine bonis meritis liberare , quia bonus est : non potest qu●mquam sine malis meritis damnare , quia justus est . august . ep. ● . deus de suo bonus est , de nostro justus . tertul. de resur . ca●n . davenant against hoard . omne quod est , quando est , necesse est . gen . sam. . ex. . . israelit or fuerunt depositariē , & oeconomi foederis , calvin in rom : c : : v : : ● : ● : they had the honour and favour to carry the light , which others were bound to follow . heb. . . judic . . . act. . . ro. . . joan. . reg . marc. . . deut . . ro. . . we have not ( as papists report us ) turn'd men into beasts or stones , by taking away free-will ; but acknowledge it so farr , as to make al● fl●sh unexcusable before gods judgement seat . io white , way to th● true church , s●●t . . i do not mean by free-will , a power in man to will good and evil alike : nor do i set free-will against the grace of god , as papists do . liberum arbitrium per peccatum factum est servum . liberum arbitrium semper liberum est , non semper est bonum . † libera est homini voluntas , sed ad malum . aust. contr . pelag . ep. lib . * per illud p●ccant qui cum delectione peccant . † serva voluntas est , quae propter corruptionem sub malorum cupiditatum imperio captiva tenetur , ut nihil quam malum eligere possit , etiamsi id sponte , & libenter faciat . calv. de lib. arb . * free-will is the operation of the will , in chusing , or refusing , what the judgement of our understanding offereth . nos non alibi statuimus peccandi necessitatem , quam invitio voluntatis , unde spontaneant esse ipsam sequitur . calv. de lib. arb . ex ho● enim quod ratio deliberans se habet ad oppofi●a , voluntas in utrumque potest . aq. . qu. . . solumid quod habet intellectum potest age●● judicio libero in quantum cognoscit univérsalem rationem bonis ex quâ potest judicare hoc , vel illud esse bonum . aqu. p. ● . q. . c. . * gen : : : † non amisimus naturam , sed gratiam . * voluntas in naturâ , &c. à bono patest declinare , ut faciat malem , quod fit libero arbitrio : et à malo , ut faciat bonum , quod non fit sine divino adjutorio : august : de civit : lib : . c : . tolle gratiam non est , quod salvet : tolle liberum arbitrium , non est quod salv●tur . voluntas etiam a deo cogi non potest , etsi possit ab illo de necessitate mutari , operando in illâ sicut in natuâ : aqu : : q : : contra rationem ipsiu● actûs voluntatis est , quod sit coactus , &c : : qu : : a : : c : passiones animi non possunt cogere voluntatem , licet alit . moveant inclinando affectum : aquin : perkins of gods free-grace , and mans free-will . ro. . mat. . . perkin● of gods fr●e grace , and mans free-will . luth. de serv. arbit . neque enim sic necessariò peccare impios dicimus quia voluntariâ deliberatâ que malitiâ peccent . calvin . de lib. a●b . contra pighium , in . lib. cor. . . obj. from ier. . answer'd . ier : : : they have taught , &c. i. e. enured , or accustomed themselves , they have g●t such an habit and custome of sinning , that they cannot leave it . [ they ] i : e : mankind : it was not adams sin alone ; so some understand it . posse quod voluit . v●lle quod potuit : * c●sset voluntas propria , & non erit infernus : there would be no hell , but for our wicked will. job . non appetitu naturali , aut per electionem , sed in natur● . aquin. job . . job . , . * the platoniks , though far wide from the mark , as beza in arg . psal. . observes . † ede , bibas , ludas , post mortem nulla vo●ûpt 〈◊〉 . humanae vitae respectu , it● ut nobis constet praemium in hoc mundo . calv. * not this , or that , but all . ro. . job . , . orig. sac. lib. . c. . esay . . who hath formed a god , & c ? i. e. who but a mad man , &c. ga●âk . annotat. in loc. vindicia pietatis , , by r. a. vix compos mentis . mat. . , , . annòn sibi sunt conscii ? esay . . philip. . . nullum unquam peccatum errore vac●t . nam ut maximè sciens , ac vo●ens quis pecc●t , excaecatum tamen suâ cupiditate esse oportet , ne r●ctè jud●cet im● ut se ac deum obliviscatur . nunquam enim in suum exitium ruérunt homines , nisi satanae fallaciis implicit , a recto judicio aberrarent . calv. in ep. ad . hebr. c. . v. . pet. . . pet. . . mat. . . chron. . . acts . . joan. . . mat. . . psal. . , . * saints at large . exod. . . mat. . . luc. . , . * r●●d act. . , . where we have an instance , what miracles will do upon some men . pet. . . jon. . ▪ . psa. . . gen. . . ibid. act. . . pro. . . heb. . . tit. . . eph. . . gen. . . ro. . . luc . , . ro. . , . thes. . , . ro. . , . heb. . . tim. . . ro. . . joan. . , & . tit. . , , . eph. . , — . eph. . , . august . in confess : ex. . . reg. . . esay . , . ezech. . . sam. . . dan. . , , , . psal. . . deum si quis param metuit , ● valde contemnit : fulgent . act. . . * read for this , chron. . , . malac. . . v. . * hag. . , , , . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 · in maligno positus est . mat. . . prov. . . psal. . . vers . . rom. . . eph. . . jer. . ult . heb . . cor. . . jude . gal . . luc. . . ezech. . , , . eph. . . cor. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tim. . , . tit. . , . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . luc. . quòd ve●a ●sse indè comprobe tur . calvin . materiam habet se exerendi , quam se prodit hominum infirmitas . id. job : , . luc. . , . neh. . ● ▪ & . cor. . . nec●ssitate p●aecepti , medii . chron. . . chron. . . ezech. . . jac. . . ro. . , . * quas non o●or●●t m●rt●s p●aeeligere , &c. zuingl . ep . praeparaetione animi . heb. . . heb. . , . phil. . . luc. . . the seduced soul reduced and rescued from the subtilty and slavery of satan ... by r. junius ... younge, richard. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text r in the english short title catalog (wing y ). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a wing y estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the seduced soul reduced and rescued from the subtilty and slavery of satan ... by r. junius ... younge, richard. p. sold onely by james crump ... and by henry cripps ..., [london] : [ ] r. junius is a pseudonym for richard younge. caption title. place and date of publication suggested by wing. imperfect: pages stained. reproduction of original in the huntington library. eng salvation -- early works to . sin -- early works to . a r (wing y ). civilwar no the seduced soul reduced, and rescued from the subtilty, and slavery of satan, that bloody devouring dragon, and vowed enemy of all mankind. younge, richard d the rate of defects per , words puts this text in the d category of texts with between and defects per , words. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - ali jakobson sampled and proofread - ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the seduced sovl reduced , and rescued from the subtilty , and slavery of satan , that bloody devouring dragon , and vowed enemy of all mankind . together with provision that none may be disappointed of their end , by mistaking their way : would men but now hearken unto christ , as they would have christ another day , hearken unto them . by r. junius , in reference to levit. . . isa. . . prov. . . to the end , and . . acts . . tim. . . james . . jude . cyprian brings in satan , triumphing over christ in this manner ; as for my followers , saith he , i never laid down my life to redeem them , as christ hath done for his ; i never promised them so great reward , as christ hath done to his : and yet i have more followers then christ , and they do far more for me , then his do for him . and indeed , to whom we yield our selves as servants to obey , his servants we are to whom we obey ; whether of sinne unto death , or of obedience unto righteousnesse , rom ▪ . . and in case we do the devils works , we are the devils servants , as our saviour affirms , john . , . again , it is the abstract of religion , to imitate him whom we worship . neither are we worthy to be called christians , except we imitate christ , and square our lives according to the rules he hath given us , luke . . pet. . . cor. . . tim. . . who then shall compare mens lives with christs life , or those rules set down in his gospel , but must be forced with lynacre to confesse ; that either the gospel is none of christs , or very few amongst us are christians . observe it i pray , for it falls heavy on many thousands , that think they are christians beyond all exceptions . but to bring this point more close , and home to mens consciences . we read , that the greatest number go the broad way to destruction , and but a few the narrow way that leadeth unto life , matth. . , . that the whole world lieth in wickednesse , john . . that the number of those whom satan shall deceive , is as the sand of the sea , rev. . . that many are called , and but few chosen , matth. . . & . . that though the number of the children of israel are as the sand of the sea ; yet onely a remnant of them shall be saved , rom. . . sad predictions ! how then does it concern every man of us , to be-think our selves , whether we be of that small number , and to mistrust the worst , as all wise , and sound-hearted christians use to do , matth. . , . and indeed , they are texts of scripture , that would make the most in these dayes to tremble ; yea , they could not ( without gods great mercy ) but be swallowed up of their own confusion , were they not spiritually blinde and deaf , and dead . for experience shews , that amongst those that call themselves christians , scarce one of an hundred , whose knowledge , belief , and life , is answerable either to the gospel , their christian profession , or the millions of mercies they have received . yea , notwithstanding the holy ghost tels us in the word ; and we hear the same daily ; that every man shall be judged according to his works , be they good or evill , rev. . . & . . that we shall give an account at the day of judgement for every idle word we speak , matth. . . that there needs no other cause of our last and heaviest doom , then ye have not given , ye have not visited , &c. matth. . . to . that the righteteous shall scarcely be saved , pet. . . that many shall seek to enter in at the straight gate , and shall not be able , luke . . that no unrighteous person shall inherit the kingdome of god ; but shall have their part and portion in that lake , which burneth with fire and brimstone , which is the second death , cor. . , . gal. . . revel. . . that except our righteousnesse exceeds the righteousnesse of the scribes and pharisees , ( who were no mean men for outward and formal performances ) we shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven , math. . . and that without holinesse , no man shall see the lord , heb. . . ( which scriptures if they be true , what manner of persons ought we to be ? in all holy conversation and godlinesse , as the apostle speaks , pet. . . ) yet most men live , as if the gospel were quite contrary to the rule of the law : as if god were neither to be feared , nor car●d for : as if they were neither beholding to him , nor afraid of him , both out of his debt and danger ; yea , as if there were no god to judge , nor hell to punish , nor heaven to reward , i cannot think of it without astonishment . but to all these , let me add one thunder-bolt more out of gods artillery , which you shall finde , deut. . where he expresly tels us , that he will not be merciful ( i pray mark it ) unto such as flatter themselves in an evill way , but that his wrath and jealousie shall smoak against them , and every curse that is writ in his book shall light upon them , &c. vers. , . and that if we will not regard , nor hearken unto him when he cals upon us for repentance : he will not heare nor regard us , when in our distresse and anguish we shall call upon him for mercy ; but even laugh at our destruction , and mock when our fear cometh , prov. . . to . neither is salvation more promised to the godly , in any part of the bible , old testament , or new , then eternal death and destruction is threatned to the wicked . for though to all repentant sinners he is a most merciful god ; yet to all wilful and impenitent sinners , he is a consuming fire , and a jealous god , heb. . . deut. . . these are dreadful threats , from the mouth of an almighty , and terrible god , who is truth it self , and cannot lie . neverthelesse , mens obdurate and adamantine hearts , brawned and hardned with the custome of sinne , will tremble and relent no more at the hearing of them , then the seates they sit on , or the stones they tread on . their supine stupidity is no more capable of excitation then the sea rocks are of motion , or the billows of compassion . they are like the catadupans , inhabitants of the cataracts , who hear not the roarings of nilus . as drums and trumpets ( we know ) and that loud rupture of the aire with ordnance , is but like soft musick to the eares of some fleshed souldiers , hardned with often successe . and the reason is , they will rather hearken to their own deceitful hearts , and believe satan , that would gull them of their soules , and plunge them into eternall torments , then they will hearken to , or believe the god of truth . and the reason of this reason is , when men reject all g●od meanes , and refuse to serve the true god , he in justice gives them over to the false to be taught , and governed by him ; for which you have an express place , thes. . , , . and likewise an example thereof in ahab , king. . . to . yea , how could i here inlarge ? as would you know , why many men in this , and other ages before us , have been such superlavive monsters in wickedness , as striving after perfection of evill , counting it the greatest honour to commit the greatest sinnes , and being sorry , as it were , that they could not commit a sinne beyond president , and be like their father the devill , such as blasphemous and impudent pharoah , who being bloodied with his unresisted tyranny , could belch out defiance in the face of heaven , saying , who is god ? or nicanor , who being perswaded from cruelty upon the sabbath-day , in that god had appointed it holy ; answered , if god be mighty in heaven , i am also mighty on earth : though the same tongue that spake it , was cut into little pieces and flung to the fowls : and the same hand that smote , was cut off , and hung before the temple . or as pope hildebrand , who asked the sacrament of christs body before all the cardinals , how he should destroy henry the emperour ; and having no answer , flung it into the fire , saying , co●ld the idoll gods of the heathens tell them what should succeed in their enterprizes , & canst not thou tel me ? how others could wholly spend and imploy their time , & strength , and meanes ? how they should take such pains , and be at such cost , to commit robberies , rapes , cruel murthers , treasons ? blow up whole states ? depopulate whole towns , cities , countries ? seduce millions of soules , as mahomet and the pope have done ? make open war against the church of god , as herod , antiochus , and others have done ? persecute the known truth , as julian the apostate did ? invent all new vices they could , and destroy the memory of all ancient vertues , as heliogabalus did ? make it their trade to swear and forswear , if any wil hire them , as our post● knights do ? not unlike those turkish priests , called seitie , and cagi , who for a double ducket will make a thousand false oaths before the magistrate , and take it to be no sinne , but a work deserving praise , by lies , swearing , and for-swearing , to damnifie christians what they can . or would you know why our land ( notwithstanding we excell all nations under heaven , for meanes of light and grace ) hath such monsters ? as upon an hours warning will lend jezabel an oath , to rob poor naboth of his li●e and vine-yard ? such vultures , irreligious harpies , that have consciences like a barn-door , that seldome awake but to do mischief . some men and women , that will be bawds to their own wives and daughters ? ( but , ô that the sun should shine upon her , that will sell for gain unto hell that body which she brought forth , with so much pains and danger to this earth . certainly , there was never woman more deserved to be call'd the devils dam then shee . ) why , there are some that dare the day to witnesse their ungodlinesse , and do their villanies to be seen of men ? that zim●i like , dare bring whores to their tents openly . yea , like absalom , dare spread a tent on the top of the house , and go in to their concubines in the sight of all men . i have my selfe heard a cauterized gallant boast of his lying with women of all conditions , save witches , and protest that should be his next attempt . yea , how often shall you hear old men glory of their fore-past whoredoms , boast of their homicides , cheats , and the like ? yea , if it be possible , make themselves worse then ever they were : and rather then want matter of ostentation , they will boast of the foulest vices ; for their excrements , they account ornaments , and make a scarfe of their halter . again , others there are , who like them of gibeah , judg. . and the sodomites , gen. . are not content with the common way of sinning ; but are mad with a prodigious lust ; being forth the men , that we may know them , vers. . let any reasonable man judge , whether they could be thus desperately wicked , if the just and true god had not for their rebellious and damnable wickednesse , in rejecting him , given them up to be ruled by the false ; namely , the god of this world , and all wicked men in it . even as a just judge having passed sentence upon some heynous malefactor , gives him up to the jaylor , or executioner , as you may see by sundry places , tim. . . ephes. . . john . . acts . . chron. . . gen. . to . rev. . . gen . . john . . & . . & . . cor. . . ephes. . . but to enlarge yet more , how many amongst us have their consciences so feared up with the custome of sin , that they had rather be confounded , then reformed : that will grudge to be stayed in their way to hell ? ( whereby they become wilfull murtherers of their own souls . ) yea , they will flie upon those that shall oppose their perdition , and more then spurne at christs messengers , that are sent to save them , ( which is to strike at him , whose message they bring : ) and others so reprobate , that their utmost endeavour is , to damn others souls with their own . these are your seducing drunkards , devisers and broachers of damnable errours ; projectors of unknown villanies , exemplary leaders into wickednesse ; who jeroboam , or mahomet-like , cease not to sinne , and tempt , and damne , though they cease to live : for though they die , they leave their sinne behinde them , and that propagates , who resemble a malicious man sicke of the plague , who runs into the throng to disperse his infection ; whose sinne seems to out-weigh all penalty . others there are , that through a presumptuous confidence , think they may run upon score with satan , and sin boldly and freely , because christ is able to pay all ; so making christ a bolster , or patron of sin . yea , they will also boast , what a strong faith they have ; when yet they fall short of the very devils in believing : for they believe the threats that are written in the word , and tremble for feare , jam. . . again , others you have , so civilly righteous , that they see no need they have of a saviour : and the lesse sensible they are , the more sick they are ; for as nothing is more easily broken , then those things that are most hard : so notorious offenders are nothing so hard to be convinced and converted , as the civilly righteous , that seems to live un-reproveably . lastly , to passe by those many millions of soules , who are so invincibly ignorant , that remaining so , it is impossible they should be saved ; for they do not know wherein they have broken this or that commandement in particular ; what wicked hearts they have by nature , nor what need they have of a saviour . nor to say any thing of that , which cost the lives of so many thousand israelites , i mean murmuring , and unthankfulnesse , which is the sin of almost who not ; and such a sinne as few , even of the better sort of christians have the wit to consider . to passe by these ( i say ) how many through prejudice , so blinde their own eyes , that they will decoct everything the godly do or say into poyson : yea , they will not onely pick strawes , to put out their own eyes withall ; but they even protest against their own conversion , as esteeming , and accounting all religion , and devotion meer foolishness . yea , they will scoffe at the meanes to be saved , and make themselves merry with their own damnation : so that good counsel to them , is but offering aqua-vitae to the dead . a man would admire and wonder how mens soules should be so drowned in their senses ; how any one that is endowed with a reasonable soule , should be of so reprobate a minde , as most men are ; did not the frequency of sin take away the sense of sin . as ô how the soule , that takes a delight in lewdnesse , is gained upon by custome ▪ do not all cauterized sinners , drunkards , blasphemers , defrauders , and the like ? yea , and civill men too , account it a crime to be holy ? or to have a tender conscience ? or to be so careful to serve their redeemer ? as themselves are industrious to serve the devill , and satisfie their own hearts lusts . yea , and custome hath so bleared them , that they cannot distinguish nor discern the true visage of things . yea , the most of men amongst us so delude themselves with mistakes , and false surmises , against religion , and the religious , that piety and goodnesse is so despised ; loosenesse and prophanesse so set by , and defended , by some ignorantly , by others maliciously : and this also by reason of long custome runs so deep and strong , that wee can never look to have it mended , untill christ comes in the clouds . what this may bring upon us , onely the lord knows , and knows to prevent : but sure i am , it hath already been so long neglected , and so little opposed and laid to heart ; that it hath almost over-grown both corn and good hearbs . insomuch that the wickednesse of the greater part , hath brought such a scandall upon the better part : that our religion is even abhorred of the heathen . and how can it other , then cut the hearts of those that have felt the love of christ ? to heare him so wounded at home with oathes and blasphemies , abroad with reproaches ; who is the life of their lives , and the soul of their souls . speake we must , endeavour what we can . cry aloud , saith god , spare not , lift up thy voyce like a trumpet , and shew my people their transgressions , and the house of jacob their sins , isa. . . but alasse , little comes of it ; for let all the ministers unanimously say what can be said , blinde sensuallists will confute all that can be alleadged ; with god is merciful . and christ died for all . onely believe and thou shalt be saved ; no matter how they live : a reprobate , yet common errour : as thinking with eunomius , that faith without works will serve : insomuch that every drunken beast , and blasphemer , thinks to speed as well , and goe to heaven , as soon as the best . one mindes nothing but his cups , another nothing but his coyne , a third onely his curtizan ; yet all these promise to meet in heaven . the jewes thought we may put away our wives , we may sweare , we may hate our enemies , we may kill the prophets , subject the word of god to our traditions , and follow our own wayes . why ? abraham is our father , john . . but by their leave , christ calls them bastards , and findes out another father for them , ver. . ye are of your father the devill , and the lusts of you● father ye will do . prophane libertines , such as account not themselves well , but when they are doing ill . yea , the most covetous oppressors , who may say as pope leo did , i can have no place in heaven , because i have so often sold it upon earth . every man of them hopes to have bene●i● by the gospel , when they will not be tied to the least little of the law . but if christ be not our king to govern us , he will neither be our prophet to fore warn , nor our priest to exp●ate . except we forsake our sins , god will never forgive them . yea , he hath sworn by an oath , that whomsoever he redeemeth out of the hands of their spirituall enemies , shall serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of their lives . neither can it consist with his justice , to pardon such as continue in an evill course of life . neverthelesse , there is scarce a wicked man upon earth , but he thinks to go to heaven . but what 's the reason ? consider that , and you will cease to wonder . for what the apostle speaks , cor. . is appliable unto all natural men . their mindes were blinded ; for untill this day remaineth the same vaile upon their hearts , un-taken aw●y in the reading of the old testament , which vail , when they shall turn to the lord , shall be taken away in christ , vers. , , . here you see they have a vail or curtain drawn over their hearts , which keeps them from the knowledge of gods word : but that 's not all ; they have so hardned their hearts with a customary sinning , even from their infancy , that a man were as good speake to a stone , as admonish them , jer. . . & . . zach. . . jude . ez●k. . . thirdly , the gospel is hid unto them , because the god of this world hath blinded their mindes , lest the light of the glorious gospel of christ should shine unto them , as the same apostle speaks , ●cor. . , . finally , they have phraoh's curse upon them , a hard heart , and a seared conscience : so that they are no way capable of yielding to , or hearing god speak by his ambassadors , say they what they will . whence it is , that st. cyprian useth these words : it is as much lost labour ( saith he ) to preach unto men the things of god , before they are humbled with the sight of their wants , as to offer light to a blinde man , to speak to a deaf man , or to labour to make a brute beast wise . see revel. . . in the mean time thoughts of eternity never trouble them ; they are at peace with satan , the world , and their own consciences ; have made agreement with hell , and with death ; they satisfie their lusts to the full : so like men sleeping in a boat , they are carried down the stream of this world , untill they arrive at their graves-end [ death ] without once waking to be-think themselves , whether they are going [ to heaven or hell . ] they slumber , and suppose themselves good christians ; their faith is but a dream , their hope but a dream , and so of their obedience and whole religion , all is but a dream . they have repentance in conceit , they serve god well in conceit ; and they shall , if they look not to it , goe to heaven onely in conceit , or in a dream , and never awake , until they feel themselves in the burning lake . for he that makes a bridge of his own shadow , how can he choose but fall into the water . in which case , what heart would it not make to bleed , that hath any christian blood in his veins , to see what multitudes there are that go blindfold to destruction , and no man offer to stop or check them ; before they arrive there , from whence there is no redemption . i remember st. bernard useth these words ; had we stood by , saith hee , when adam was between the perswasion of his wife , and the precept of his god , when the one said , adam eate , and the other said , adam eate not ; for if thou dost , thou shalt die the death , and all thy posterity . had it been an ill office to have cryed out , and said , ô adam , take heed what thou dost ! or would he have had cause to complain of being prevented ? i trow not , yea , i think it had been a seasonable piece of high friendship , and none can deny it . i remember also what a merchant once did ; he comes to his friend upon the exchange , and fals to boxing him , with these words ; i have often enough told you of your whoring , but you will never leave it . know you not , that it will p●ove your ruine in the end ? 〈…〉 h●ld to be a little crackt in brain , & perhaps you will think 〈…〉 often times , from the rarest and quickest agitations of 〈…〉 the most distempered and out-ragious frenzies , there want●●g 〈…〉 a pegs turne to passe from the one to the other : so in mad mens 〈…〉 see how fitly folly suiteth , and meets with the strongest operation 〈…〉 . yea , who knows not , how un-perceivable the neighbour-hood is between folly , and the liveliest elevations of some mens wits . and indeed , when i consider , how our carnal friends will curse us ( when they come in hell ) that we did not our utmost endeavour to stop them . i could afford to lay hands upon a drunkard , a blasphemer , or a murtherer to stay 〈◊〉 , from the evill he is going to commit . yea , to kneel down upon my knees , and beg of him , that he would not so desperately damn his own soul . and indeed could , a man save his friends soule by so doing ( as possibly he might , jude . jam. . . tim. . . ) he needed not much to care , though the world reputed him a mad man , or spent their verdicts on him . o my brethren think of it , before it be too late ! and seriously consider what one soule is worth , and what you would take to be in that condition with them , as you were once . ( for i speak to enlightened souls ) yea , how should not the very thought of it , make all that are got out of satans clutches , to plot , study , and contrive all they can , to draw others of their brethren after them ? we read , that andrew was no sooner converted , and 〈…〉 christs disciple , but instantly he drew others after him to the same faith , john . . and the like of philip , vers. . and of the woman of samaria , john . . to . and of peter , luke . . acts . . and chap. & . . and so of all the apostles . yea , moses so thirsted after the salvation of israel ; that rather then he would be saved without them , he desired the lord to blot him out of the book of life , exod. . . and paul to this purpose saith , i could wish my self to be separated from christ , for my brethren , that are my kinsmen according to the flesh : meaning the jewes , rom. . . and indeed , all heavenly hearts are charitable . neither are we of the communion of saints , if we desire not the blessednesse of others ; it being an inseparable adjunct , or relative to grace ; for none but a cain will say , am i my brothers keeper ? yea , where the heart is thankful , and inflamed with the love of god , and our neighbour ; this will be the principal aime : as by ●y si●s , and bad example , i have drawn others from god ; so now i will 〈…〉 i can , draw others with my selfe to god . saul converted , will build up as fast , as ever he plucked downe ; and preach as zealously as ever ●e persecuted , and we are no what thankful for our own salvation ▪ if we do not look with charity and pity upon the grosse mis-opinions , and mis-prisions of others , and at least do something for the saving of those poor , ignorant , & impotent wretches , that are neither able nor willing to help themselves . neither needs there ( as one would think ) any spurring or prompting of the thankful or charitable to this duty . and what though we cannot do what we would ? yet we must labour to do what we can to win others ; not to deserve by it , but to expresse our thanks . besides , it were very dishonourable to christ not to do so : did you ever know , that wicked men , thieves , drunkards , adulterers , persecutors , false prophets , or the like , would be damned alone ? no , they mis-lead all they can , as desiring to have com-panions . yea , the tharisees would take great pains , compasse sea and land , to make others twofold more the children of hell then themselves , as our saviour expresly witnesseth , matth. . . which may cast a brush upon our cheeks , who are nothing so industrious to win souls to god . therefore what a worldling would do , to get himselfe an hundred pounds , that a christian should do to win a soule to christ : or he is unthankful to his redeemer , that hath done , and suffered so much for him . but i have known a very small matter , ( with gods blessing upon the meanes ) as the lending of a book to an acquaintance , or towling him to hear an efficacious sermon , prove the saving of his soul . and that hath been a greater cause of rejoycing to both parties ; then others have , when their corn and their wine increaseth , psalm . . weak means shall serve the turne , where god inten●s successe . even a word seasonably spoken ( god blessing it ) like a rudder , sometimes steers a man quite into another course . antiocl●us by hearing from a poor man , all the faults which he and his favourites had committed , carried himself most vertuously ever after . antoninus amended his future life and manners , by onely hearing what the people spake of him . the very crowing of a cock occasioned peters repentance . augustine , that famous doctor , was converted , by onely reading that text , rom. . . let us walke honestly , as in the day-time , &c. learned junius , with reading the first chapter of saint johns gospel , was wonne to the faith of christ . and melancthon much a●ter the same manner . i have read of two famous strumpets , that were suddenly converted , by this onely argument , that god seeth all things , even in the dark , when the doors are shut , and the curtains drawn . bilneys confession , converted latimer : yea , ad●i●nus was not onely converted , but became a martyr too , by onely hearing a martyr at the stake alleadg that text , eye hath not seen , nor eare heard , &c. cor. . yea , even those iewes that crucified the son of god , were converted by hearing those few words of peter , acts . and it pleased god , when i , my self , was in as hopelesse a condition , as any ; that a poor mans perswading me to leave reading of poetry , and fall upon the bible , was a meanes of changing my heart , before i had read out genesis , being but twenty years of age . whom i more blesse god for , then for my parents , from whom i received life . and this ( because i know no better way , to expresse my thankfulnesse to him , who hath freed me from frying in hell-flames , for ever and ever ; then by endeavouring to win others from satans standard to christs ) makes me doe the like to others . and that is by giving and lending well-chosen books , fit and proper for the parties condition , whether he be meerly civill , or vicious ; a scoffer , swearer , excessive drinker , miser , oppressor , prodigal , or the like . and have sometimes found the same so succesful , that it hath put me upon a more generall , and publique piece of service , that may extend it self to thousands , if men have but halfe that affection to spirituall , and eternall riches , namely , wisdome , grace , and glory ; as they have to temporary , and transitory . i know well , that a great many will spend more time and money in an alehouse in one day , then in gods service , or upon their souls , in many moneths . yea , ( as if the best part : were least to be cared for . ) how many thousands will bestow more upon their very hair , or upon a needlesse , indian wanton weed , in one moneth , then upon god , and their souls in a whole yeare . a signe how they love him , who laid down his life to redeem them ! and how wise , and thankfull they are , though these also dream they are good christians , true protestants ; and perhaps are so accounted by the most . as he that hath but one eye , may be king amongst the blinde , and the commonnesse of offenders , may even benumbe the sense of offending . and i take this their little regard of god , their owne soules , and honesty withal , not onely to be the cause of mens prospering no better , but likewise of their sadnesse , complaining , melancholy , and discontent , ( as one of these two ( poverty , or melancholy , ) is commonly the lot of every impenitent person . ) for how should they have merry hearts , that have not good consciences . but all are not alike , ●linde , sensuall , ingratefull : for though some by losse of conscience , are become atheists ; and by loss of reason , beasts ; and though they that have no reason , will hear none , ( whereof you have a lively instance or president , at the conclusion of this discourse , purposely set there to be sunn'd and scorn'd ) yet others there are , will be more ingenuous , i meane , they have not been too long sick to be recovered ; to whom a word or two by way of advice . such therefore as had not rather live in the darknesse of egypt , then in the light of goshen : such as would not ( with those foolish virgins , matth. . ) lose their inheritance , to save charge of the conveyance . and ( with that rich fool , luke . ) be disappointed of their end , by mistaking their way , let them at least , lay out the third part of a shilling upon these three new books . an experimental index of the heart . a short and sure way to grace and salvation . the tryal of true wisdome . as treating upon the most needful subjects , and being purposely projected and contrived for their eternall wel-fare , that are altogether mindlesse of their own : and possible it is , that many thereby may receive more good , then at present they have the wit to wish for , or desire : it being sage , seasonable , and wholsome instruction , to prevent destruction . and that no man may imagine it a matter of benefit : the projector ( contrary to other projectors ) will not onely lose thereby ; but in case any shall repent their bargain , the venders of them ( henry cripps in popes-head alley , and iames crump in little bartholmews well-yard ) shall return them their money when they please . a charge drawn up against drunkards , in a clearer print , that themselves also may read it . the drunkard is a strange chymaera , more prodigious then any monster ; being in visage a man , but a brotheus : in heart , a swine : in head , a cephalus : in tongue , an aspe : in belly , a lump : in appetite , a leech : in sloth , an ignavus : a ierff , for excessive devouring ; a goat , for lust ; a syrene , for flattery ; a hyaena , for subtilty ; a panther , for curelty . in envying , a basiliske : in antipathy to all good , a lexus : in hindering others from good , a remora ; in life , a salamander ; in conscience , a ostrich ; in spirit , a devill ; in surpassing others in sin . in tempting others to sin . in drawing others to perdition . even the most despicable piece of all humanity , and not worthy to be reckoned among the creatures which god made . these being small picces , are sold onely by james crump , in little bartholmews , wel-yard ; and by henry cripps , in popes-head alley . finis . the eighth book of mr jeremiah burroughs. being a treatise of the evil of evils, or the exceeding sinfulness of sin. wherein is shewed, there is more evil in the least sin, than there is in the greatest affliction. sin is most opposite to god. sin is most opposite to mans good. sin is opposite to all good in general. sin is the poyson, or evil of all other evils. sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it. sin makes a man conformable to the devil. all these several heads are branched out into very many particulars. / published by thomas goodwyn, william bridge, sydrach sympson, william adderly, [double brace] william greenhil, philip nye, john yates. burroughs, jeremiah, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing b thomason e _ estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (thomason tracts ; :e [ ]) the eighth book of mr jeremiah burroughs. being a treatise of the evil of evils, or the exceeding sinfulness of sin. wherein is shewed, there is more evil in the least sin, than there is in the greatest affliction. sin is most opposite to god. sin is most opposite to mans good. sin is opposite to all good in general. sin is the poyson, or evil of all other evils. sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it. sin makes a man conformable to the devil. all these several heads are branched out into very many particulars. / published by thomas goodwyn, william bridge, sydrach sympson, william adderly, [double brace] william greenhil, philip nye, john yates. burroughs, jeremiah, - . goodwin, thomas, - . [ ], , - , [ ] p. printed by peter cole in leaden-hall, and are to be sold at his shop at the sign of the printing-press in cornhil, neer the royal exchange., london, : . the words "thomas goodwyn, .. adderly," and "william greenhil, .. yates." are bracketed together on title page. text continuous despite pagination. includes index. with a final advertisement leaf. annotation on thomason copy: "decemb. th.". reproduction of the original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by 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to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - john latta sampled and proofread - john latta text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the eighth book of m r jeremiah burroughs . being a treatise of the evil of evils , or the exceeding sinfulness of sin . wherein is shewed , there is more evil in the least sin , than there is in the greatest affliction . sin is most opposite to god. sin is most opposite to mans good. sin is opposite to all good ▪ in general . sin is the poyson , or evil of all other evils . sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it . sin makes a man conformable to the devil . all these several heads are branched out into very many particulars . published by thomas goodwyn , william bridge , sydrach sympson , william adderly , william greenhil , philip nye . john yates . london , printed by peter cole in leaden-hall , and are to be sold at his shop at the sign of the printing press in cornhil , neer the royal exchange . . m r burroughs on the evil of sin. a testimony to the world , concerning several books of m r jeremiah burroughs , that are printing , and will shortly be published . what we have by way of preface set before the several books already published of this reverend author , mr. jeremiah burroughs , may sufficiently serve for all that are come forth : so that we only need now , to give letters testimonial to the world , that these ( viz. the sermons on job , . chapt . . verse : the second epistle of peter , the . chapter , the . verse : the first epistle of john , the . chap. . verse : the second epistle to the corinthians , the . chapter , . verse : matthew , the . chapter , , , and . verses : the second epistle to the corinthians , the . chapter , the , , and . verses , which are , or will shortly be printed ) we avouch likewise to be the painful and profitable labors of the same author , and published by the best and most authentick copies . thomas goodwin , william greenbil , william bridge , sydrach simpson , philip nye , john yates , william adderley . to the reader . reader , the creatures vanity and emptiness , the abounding sinfulness of sin , and christs all-sufficiency and fulness , and how to live the life of faith in christ , are subjects containing the sum and substance of religion , and much treated on promiscuously amongst divines . and i think amongst all the treatises of this blessed man , mr. jeremiah burroughs ( now triumphing in glory above all sin and sorrow ) which have been received with so much acceptation amongst the saints , there hath not been presented to thy view a more practical piece than this now under thy hands : and though divers divines have written and spoken much concerning this subject , yet in my poor judgment , this out-goes all of this nature , that ever my eyes beheld , setting forth with life and spirit the subject in hand , and bringing it down powerfully in a practical way to convince the judgment , and work upon the affections of the weakest reader . that which is the undoing of those who think themselves no small christians , is resting in a bare notion of the creatures emptiness , sins filthiness , christs fulness , and having some high towering speculations concerning the nature and object of faith : and to be able to discourse of these things in company , and upon occasion , is the religion of the world , and more especially of our formal professors . now the reality of these confest principles are not made powerful upon the conscience by the cleerest natural aquired light in the world : but when the lord is pleased to set home those over-awing , soul ballasting-thoughts of eternity , then , and never till then , shall we live , act , and walk as a people who acknowledg these principles of christianity to be true : whilst the things of religion , and thoughts of eternity lie swimming only in our brains , they never conquer , command , and subdue the heart in a way of practical obedience . many mens thoughts language , and lives are such , that if they were certain there is no god , no sin , no hell , no wrath to be feared , no grace to be minded and attained , no judgment day when they must give an account , they could not be worse than they are , nor do worse than theydo ; oh the horrid athiesm bound up in mens hearts , and they see it not , how else durst men be so prophane in their lives under gospel light ? how durst they sit so stupidly under the powerful awaking means of grace ? how else could such vile thoughts be cherish'd , and such cursed practises and principles maintained ? how else durst men chule sin rather than affliction when they are brought into streights ? how otherwise are men more afraid of open shame than of secret sins ? in a word , how durst men walk without god in the world , at least without secret prayer and communing with their own hearts , dayes , weeks , months , years together ? i am perswaded more souls drop down to hell in our dayes under the abuse os gospel light , than ever did in the gross darkness of popery ; they then better improved their talents according to the light afforded , and walked better and more sutably to the light they receiv'd ; wheras these gospel truths which now shines more fully and cleerly in the faces of so many thousands , are not so much improved in a more circumspect , holy , and humble walking , but rather abused to a more loose and wanton carriage and censorious judging of one another , men sinning the more because grace so much abounds ; how could the saints then love and embrace with singleness of heart ? but now the foundations of love are shaken , and a perverse spirit is mingled amongst us ; oh how heavily doth the wrath of god lie upon the professors of our age for the abuse of gospel light , and they feel it not ; gods administrations in this latter age of the world , being more subtil and spiritual , and therefore more undiscernable than in former ages : oh how many have we now adaies , who think they walk cleerly in the midst of gospel light , magnifying and exalting free grace , triumphing in their christian liberty , looking upon others as kept in bondage , who come not up to their pitch and practice , and yet are no better than solomons fools , who make a mock of sin , being conceitedly set at liberty , but really sin and satans bond slaves : certainly , till mens consciences be made tender and fearful of the least touches and appearances of evil , they have good cause to suspect , not only the strength , but the soundness of their hearts in grace : whilst men are bold with sin , and can put it off at an easie rate of sorrow , let their attainments seem never so high in understanding the mysteries of the gospel , they never yet knew truly what it is to exalt christ and free grace , for look in what measure we slight sin , in the same measure we slight god himself in his persons and attributes ; and how can that great gospel duty of walking humbly with god , be expressed ? how can christ be rightly lifted up and advanced in our souls without a right sight and sence of sin ? never wil christ be wonderful christ , and grace wonderful grace , till sin be wonderful sin , and experimentally apprehended as out of measure sinful ; never till sin be seen and sorrowed for as the greatest evil , wil christ be seen and rejoyced in as the greatest good ; were we once throughly convinced of the infinite evil in sin , as containing in it the evil of all evils ( nothing being an evil indeed properly , but as it hath the bitter ingredient and cursed sting of sin in it ) how would sin be hated and shunned more than the most deadly poyson , and feared more than the devil , more than hell it self ? seing nothing hath made and founded hell but sin , nor made the devil such a black feind but sin ; nay , nothing is so much a hell , i mean a torment , as sin it self ; nothing binds the creature in such chains of misery as when it is held in the cords of its own sin , prov. . . men look upon sin through false mediums , and beleeve the reports and interpretations which the world and the flesh gives of sin , and thus are cheated to their own destruction : could we but a little lay our ears to hell and hear the howlings and yellings of those damned spirits aggravating sin , we should then have a true comment upon the subject in hand : afflictions in this world now and then awaken the conscience , reviving the sight and sence of sin by some grievous pains ; but one half hour in hell , being separated from the comfortable presence of all good and blessed●… will make the evil of sin rightly understood . certainly there 's an evil in sin beyond what the largest created understanding is able to fadam , sin being one of those things which can never be punished enough , which appears in that all those unspeakable , unsufferable torments inflicted upon the damned through all eternity , is but a continual paying this sad debt , and giving satisfaction to divine justice for the wrong which sin hath done , in regard divine justice shall not otherwise sufficiently in time have taken it's due out of the sinner . now the judg of all the world who is the standard of justice it self , neither can , nor will do any wrong to his creature in punishing it more than it's iniquity deserves . reader , i shall say no more now , but beseech the lord to carry home these truths by his spirit into thy bosom , that there may be a divine impression made upon thy heart in reading , sutable to the authors in preaching , and that thou mayest ( out of love to holiness ) so fear and hate sin now , that thou mayest never suffer the vengeance of eternal fire ( the wages of sin ) hereafter : which is the unfeigned and earnest desire of thy souls well-wisher in christ jesus , john yates . the contents . chap. that it 's a very evil choice , to choose sin , rather than affliction . page chap. the servants of god , have chose the most dreadful afflictions , rather than the least sin. chap. there is some good in affliction , but none in sin : first , no good of entitie : secondly , no good of causalitie : thirdly , no good principle from whence sin can come : fourthly , no good anexed as is to afflictions , viz. of promise . of evidence . of blessing . also five different workings of the hearts of the saints under sin , and under affliction . fifthly , it 's not capable of any good , adde all the good to sin that all the creatures in heaven and earth have , yet it cannot make sin good . good ends , though to help against temptation , to do good to others , to glorifie god , cannot make sin good , god cannot make sin good . sixthly , it 's not comparatively good . chap. vses : and nine consectories of excellent use , viz. sin is not the work of god. sins promises are all delusions . sin cannot be the object of a rational creature . nothing that 's good should be ventured for sin . nothing that 's good to be made serviceable to sin . the mistake of making sin the chiefest good . time spent in sin , lost . the wicked , useless members . sin needeth no debate whether to be done , or not . chap. there is more evil in the least sin , than in the greatest affliction ; opened in six particulars , being the general scope of the whole treatise . chap. sin most opposite to god the chiefest good , opened in four heads : sin most opposite to gods nature . sin opposite in its working against god. sin wrongs god more than any thing else . sin strikes at gods being . chap. sin in it self opposite to god , shewed in five things : nothing directly contrary to god but sin : god would cease to be god , if but one drop of sin in him : sin so opposite to god , that he cease to be god , if he did but cause sin to be in another : he should cease to be god , 〈◊〉 he did but approve it in others : sin would cause god to cease to be , if he did not hate sin as much as he doth . chap. the workings of sin is alwayes against god. the scripture cals it , enmity . walking contrary . fighting . resisting . striving . rising against god. chap. how sin resist god : it 's a hating of god. it 's rebellion against god. it 's a despising of god. chap. sin is a striking against god. the sinner wisheth god were not so holy , &c. it seek the destruction of god. also sin is a wronging of god. chap. how sin wrong god : in his attributes . relation of father , son , and holy ghost . his counsels . in the end for which god hath done all he hath done . and first , sin wrong gods attributes : his all-sufficiency , shewed in two particulars . it wrong his omnipresence , and omnisciency . sin wrong his wisdom . wrong his holiness . sin wrong-god , in setting mans will above gods. sin wrong gods dominion . sin wrong gods justice . sin wrong god in his truth . chap. . how sin wrongs god in his personal relations . the father . the son. the spirit . chap. sin wrong the counsels of god in setting that order in the world that he hath set . chap. . sin wrong god in the end for which he hath made all things . chap. the first corollary . ] it appears by this , that but few men know what they do , when they sin against god. chap. the second corollary . ] the necessity of our mediators being god and man. chap. the third corollary . ] that but few are humbled as they should for sin . it will not be deep enough , except it be for sin as it 's against god. it will not sanctifie the name of god. it will not be lasting . else it will never make a devorce between sin and the soul . chap. the fourth corollary . ] admire the patience of god , in seeing so much sin in the world , and yet bear it . chap. the fifth corollary . ] hence see a way to break your hearts for sin : and also to keep you from temptation . chap. a sixt corollary . ] if sin be thus sinful , it should teach us not only to be troubled for our own sins , but the sins of others . chap. a seventh corollary . ] if sin hath done thus much against god , then all that are now converted had need do much for god. chap. the eight corollary . ] if sin doth so much against god , hence see why god manifest such sore displeasure against sin as he doth : against the angels that sinned . against all adams posterity . see it in gods giving the law against sin . see it in gods punishing sins that are accounted smal . see it in gods destroying all the world for sin . see his displeasure in punishing sin eternally . chap. a seventh discovery of gods displeasure against sin , opened from the sufferings of christ . first , see the several expressions of scripture : he was sorrowful to death . he began to be amazed . he began to be in an agony . secondly , see the effects of christs being in an agony : he fell grovelling on the ground . he swet drops of blood. he cries to god , if it be possible to let this cup pass from me . thirdly , there is eight considerations of christs sufferings . the second part . sin is most opposite to mans good ; and far more opposite to the good of man than affliction . chap. first , sin make a man evil , but no affliction can make him so : those that are in affliction are not the worse , but those that are wicked , are vile persons , though they be the greatest princes . chap. secondly , sin is more opposite to the good of man than afflictions , because most opposite to the image of god in man : three particulars instanced , and a question resolved . chap. thirdly , sin is opposite to the life of god in man. chap. fourthly , sin is opposite to mans good , because it is most opposite to the last end for which man was made . chap. fifthly , sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction , because 't is a defilement of the soul. it defiles all a man medleth with . sin is the matter the worm shall gnaw upon to all eternity . chap. sixtly , sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction , because sin is the object of gods hatred ; but god hateth not any for affliction . chap. seventhly , sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction , because sin brings guilt upon the soul . chap. eightly , sin is a greater evil to man than affliction , because it 's that which put the creature under the sentence of condemnation . chap ninthly , sin is a greater evil to man than affliction , because it breaks the vnion between god and the soul. chap. tenthly , sin is more against mans good than affliction , for that it stirs up all in god to come against a sinner in way of enmity . chap xi . sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction , for that sin makes all the creatures of god at enmity with a sinner . chap. xii . sin is a greater evil to man than affliction , because it puts a man under the curse of god. chap. xiii . sin is the seed of eternal evil , therefore more hurtful to man than affliction . an use thereof , then see that those men are deceived that think to provide well for themselves by sin . use the ministry of the word is for our good , as well as gods glory . chap. xiv . sin is worse than affliction , because it hardens the heart against god , and the means of grace . chap. xv. sin is worse to us than affliction , because sin brings more shame than affliction ▪ chap. he that sins , wrongeth , despiseth , and hateth his own soul. use then see the maliciousness that is in sin . use to pitty those that go on in sinful wayes . use let sin be dealt hardly with . the third part . chap. sin is opposite to all good , and therefore a greater evil than any affliction , opened in five things : sin take away the excellency of all things : it brings a curse upon all : sin is a burden to heaven and earth , and all creatures : sin turn the greatest good into the greatest evil : sin ( if let alone ) would bring all things to confusion . the fourth part . chap. that sin is the evil and poyson of all other evils , shewed in several particulars : first , it 's the strength of all evils . secondly , it 's the sting of affliction . thirdly , it 's the curse of all evils , opened in five particulars . fourthly , sin is the shame of all evils . fifthly , the eternity of all evil comes from sin. the fifth part . chap. sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it : opened in seven particulars . first , because nothing but an infinite power can overcome it . secondly , sin hath a kind of infinitness , because it hath an infinite desert in it , expressed in three particulars : the desert of the loss of an infinite good. it deserves to put an infinite distance between god and thee . it deserves infinite misery . thirdly , sin hath a kind of infinite evil , because there is required an infinite price to make an attonement between god and man. fourthly , there is a kind of infinit evil in sin , because we must hate it infinitely . fifthly , sin is an infinite evil , because it is the vniversal cause of all evil. sixthly , the scripture make use of evil things , to set out the evil of sin. seventhly , there 's an infiniteness in sin , because the scripture set out sin , by sin it self . the sixt part . chap. sin makes a man conformable to the devil , opened in six particulars . first , sin is of the same nature with the devil . secondly , sin is from the devil . thirdly , sin is a furtherance of the devils kingdom in the world : for by sin we oppose christs destroying the devils kingdom in the world. by sin thou opposest thy prayers when thou prayest , thy kingdom come . by going on in a way of sin , thou becomest guilty of all the sin in the world. fourthly , sinning is a fulfilling the will of the devil . fifthly , sin sells the soul to the devil . sixtly , sin , it turns the soul into a devil . corollaries and consequences from all the former particulars . chap. the first corollary . ] it 's worse for a man to be sinful , than to be turned into a beast chap. the second corollary . ] it 's worse to be sinful , than to be afflicted with temptation from the devil . chap. the third corollary . ] it 's worse to be under sin , than to be haunted by the devil . chap. the fourth corollary . ] it 's worse to be given up to any way of sin , than to be given up to the devil . quest . how the delivering up to satan can be for the saving of the soul. chap. the fifth corollary . ] it is worse to be given up to one sin , than to be actually possessed by the devil . chap. the sixt corollary . ] sin brings to wicked men , the same portion the devils have chap. use . shew that trouble of conscience for sin , is another manner of business than melancholly , or ●…merousness . chap. the former vse further prosecuted . first , against those that have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience , which ariseth either from gross ignorance , or atheism , or desperate slighting of god. secondly , trouble of conscience is the beginning of eternal death . thirdly , those that have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience , can never prise christ . fourthly , those that have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience now , shall one day alter their opinion . fifthly , it were just with god to let those sinkunder the burden of conscience that have slight thoughts of it now . sixtly , those that have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience , those very thoughts do take away a chief restraint from sin . seventhly , slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin , are , a high degree of blasphemy . and a degree towards the unpardonable sin . chap. six differences between melancholly and trouble of conscience . diff. melancholly may be in those that are most grosly ignorant ; but trouble of conscience cometh with some enlightening work . diff. . melancholly prevails on men by degrees , but trouble of conscience many times comes suddenly , as lightening . diff. melancholly trouble is exceeding confused , but troubles of conscience are more distinct . diff. . the more melancholly any hath , the less able are they to bear outward affliction ; but the more trouble of conscience , the more able to bear outward afflictions . diff. . melancholly puts a dulness upon the spirits of men , but trouble of conscience for sin puts a mighty activity upon mens spirits . diff. . trouble of conscience cannot be cured the waies melancholly may . chap. a second vse from the whol treatise , shewing that a man may be in a most miserable condition , though he be delivered from outward affliction . first , if a man be prosperous by sin , if a man raise himself to a prosperous condition by any sinful way , let such men consider three things : what is got by sin , it cost dear . what is got by sin is accursed to thee . what is got by sin , must he cast away , or thy soul is cast away . secondly , when men come to be more sinful by their prosperity : explained in three particulars : when prosperity is fuel for their sin . when it gives men further liberty to sin . when it hardens in sin . chap. liv. use . if there be so much evil in sin , then it 's a mighty mercy to get the pardon of sin . chap. lv. use . if there be so much evil in sin , this justifie the strictness and care of gods people against sin . two directions to those that make conscience of smal sins . first , be even in your waies , strict against all sin . secondly , be very yeilding in all lawful things . chap. lvi . use . if there be so much evil in sin , hence then is justified the dreadful things spoken in the word against sinners . chap. lvii . use . if there be so much evil in sin , it shew the miserable condition of those whose hearts and lives are filled with sin . chap. lviii . use . if there be so much evil in sin , how dreadful a thing it is for men or women to delight in sin . chap. lix use . if there be so much evil in sin , then every soul is to be humbled for sin . chap. lx. use . if there be so much evil in sin , this should be a loud cry to stop men , and turn them from sin . chap. lxi use , & . if there be so much evil in sin , then turn to christ , and bless god for christ . chap. lxii . use . if there be so much evil in sin , then it is of great concernment to be religious betimes , and thereby prevent much sin . chap. lxiii . use . if there be so much evil in sin , then it 's a fearful thing for any to be instrumental to draw others to sin . chap. lxiv . use . if there be so much evil in sin , then there ought to be no pleading for sin . chap. lxv . use . if there be so much evil in sin , then of all jvdgments , spiritual judgments are the greatest . chap. lxvi . use . if there be more evil in sin than in affliction , then when sin and affliction meet they make a man most miserable . chap. lxvii . use . being of reprehension to six sorts of people . first , it reprehends those that are more afraid of affliction than sin. secondly , it reprehendeth those that are careful to keep themselves from sin , but it 's meerly for fear of affliction . for this may be without change of nature . thy obedience is forced . thou art not unbottomed from thy self . thou art not like to hold out . also two answers to an objection of those that think they avoid sin for fear of hell : . thy sensitive part may be most stirr'd up by fear ; but yet thy rational part may be most carried against sin as sin . . those that avoid sin meerly for fear , never come to love the command that forbid the sin . . they are willingly ignorant of many sins . . those that avoid sin , and not out of fear ; even when they fear , god will destroy them ; then they desire god may be glorified . . those that avoid sin out of fear , do not see the excellency of godliness , so as to be inamored with it . thirdly , it reprehends those that will sin to avoid affliction . fourthly , it rebukes such , as when they are under affliction , they be more sensible of affliction than of sin . also there is five discoveries whether mens affliction or sin trouble them . fifthly , it reprehends those that get out of affliction by sinful courses , and yet think they do well . sixthly , it reprehends those , that after deliverance from affliction , can bless themselves in their sins . the evil of evils : or , the exceeding sinfulness of sin . job . . . later part . — for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction . chap. i. that it 's a very evil choice , to choose sin rather than affliction . in these words is drawn up elihues false charge against holy job wherin he did shamefully scan dalize this man of god , concerning whom the lord himsel gives in this letter testimonial that he was perfect and upright , one that se●e● god a● schewed evil , job . . and yet elihue speaks here to this effect against him , that he chose iniquity rather than affliction ; that he should see less evil in sin , then he did in affliction : that for his affliction he was troubled but for his sin he was not afflicted ; that the burthen of his affliction lay heavy as a talent of ●ead upon him , but his sin was lighter than a feather . or thus , thou hast chosen iniquity , rather than affliction ; whereas god requires of thee to give him glory in thy humble submission unto him in thy patience , under his mighty hand , thou hast behaved thy self stubbornly and stoutly , and hast denyed to give god the glory of his soveraignty , majesty , holiness , justice , and purity ; and this thou hast chosen rather than to be content to lie under the afflicting hand of god : which way so ever it be taken , it was a heavie charge had it been true ; so for it to be alleadged against any souls , that they chuse iniquity rather than affliction , is a great and heavy charge . the doctrinal truth which ariseth from the words thus opened , is this , that it is a very ●v● choice for any soul under heaven , to choose the least sin , rather then the greatest affliction . better be under the greatest affliction then be under the guilt or power of any sin : it is true , that neither sin , nor affliction is to be chosen : affliction in it self is an evil , and sin is an evil , but the object of the will is good , and choice is of the will , therfore neither ( barely considered as in themselves ) can be chosen ; but because of some evils , the less in comparison of the greater , may come under a notion of good , and so may be somtimes chosen the will cannot chuse any thing but under the notion of good , either real , or in appearance : and though affliction be in it self an evil , yet in regard of sin , it may come under the notion of good , and that 's to be chosen rather than sin : now this is the work i have to do , to make out this conclusion to you , that any affliction is to be chosen rather than any sin ; that there is more evil in any sin , the least sin , than in the greatest affliction . my principal business is , to charge mens consciences with the evil of their sin , and shew to them how much evil there is in sin : all men are a raid of afflictions , and troubled at affliction , but wher 's the man or woman that fears sin , and ●●yes from it as from a ser●ent , and is troubled at sin more then any affliction ? that there is more vil in sin than in affliction , in the general ( i suppose is granted of all , none dare deny it ; but because they do not see how this is , they have not convincing arguments to bring this truth with power unto their souls : but i hope before i have done with this point , that i shal make it clear to every ones conscience , that there is more evil in sin , than in affliction ; not only more evil in sin , than in outward trouble in the world but more evil in sin , than in al the miseries and torments of hel it self : suppose that god should bring any of you to the very brink of that bottomless gulf and open it to you , and there you should see those damned creatures lie sweltring under the wrath of the infinite god , and there you should hear the dreadful and hideous cryes and shreeks of those that are under such soul amazing , and soul-sinking torments through the wrath of the almighty ; yet i say there is more evil in one sinful thought , than there is in all these everlasting burnings : and that is that which i shal endeavor to clear and prove to every mans conscience , that we shal not only see it an ill choice that we chuse sin rather than affliction , but ( if it come in competition ) to chuse sin rather than al the tortures and torments of hell , howsoever many of you admit of sin upon very easie terms ; yet the truth is , that if it should come into competition whether we would endure al the torments that there are in hell to all eternity rather than to commit one sin , i say , if our spirits were as they should be , we would rather be willing to endure al these torments , than commit the least sin . and brethren do not think this is a high strain , for that com to speak in the name of god come not to speak hyperbollically , to raise expressions higher than the things are in their reality ; no , i come not for that end , and i should take the name of god in vain if i should do so , therfore i dare not raise things beyond that which they are in reality in themselves : therfore know , whatsoever i shal say unto you in this thing , that they are not words or expressions , but i speak as in the name of god as i would take it upon mine own conscience , having to deal between god and you in this great work , and in this place to deliver this truth , that there is more evil in the least sin , than in al the miseries that possible a creature is capable of , either here or in hel besides : i hope if i shal make out this to you , you wil then beleeve that sure you have not yet understood the sinfulness of sin , that yet the burthen of sin hath not lain upon you to be felt as the burthen of sin ▪ now then that i may fully convince you , that there is more evil in the least sin , than in any affliction . chap. ii. the servants of god , have chose the most dreadful afflictions rather than the least sin. first , those servants of god that have been guided by the wisdom of god , to make their choice , they have rather chose the sorest and most dreadful afflictions in this world than willingly to commit the least sin : as now , if you would but turn your thoughts to what you have read or heard of the martyrs , what hideous , and grievous torments did they suffer ; the boyling of their bodies in scalding lead , laying of their naked backs upon hot gridirons , and ●ending and tearing their members a pieces with horses , the pulling of their flesh off from their bodies with pinchers , and others by red hot burning tongs , their enduring their flesh to be scorched with broyling of it , first on the one side , and afterward on the other side ; yea , weak women have endured this , to have their flesh harrowed with stones and sharp irons , to have their bodies flayed , and then thrown into rivers of cold ice ; and a thousand more whatsoever hel and wicked men could devise : they were content to endure al this , and certainly could they have devised ten thousand times more exquisite torments then they did , they would have been content to have endured that , and whatsoever else , rather than to act against their consciences the least sin , and they accounted this to be a good choice , when as they saw sin against their consciences on the one hand , and al their torments on the other , they did rather embrace these tortures , then embrace that sin ; and for this their choice they are renowned in the hearts of the saints to al generations : yea , the holy ghost doth witness , that they have a good report , heb. . those that suffered sawing asunder , and scourging , and went up and down in sheeps-skins and goats skins , in leather breeches and doublets , and suffered the spoyling of their goods and of al that they had , these had a good report , and the holy ghost commends them for their choice . many of you when it comes to it wil be loather to loose a groat than commit a sin , loather to endure the least shame or a nick-name , than to commit a sin : are there not many servants here , or children , wil tel a lye ( when they have done an evil ) rather than suffer a little shame in the family from their parents , or masters , or fellow servants , and children . what a difference is there between thy heart , and the heart of the martyrs ? they could endure al tortures on their bodys that could be devised , rather than to commit any known sin against their consciences ; and thou wilt venture to commit a known sin against thy conscience , rather than to be found out in some fault , and have an angry word , or a little shame : if it be but to gain two pence they wil tel a lye , and are willing to chuse sin rather than endure the least trouble ; a mighty difference between thee and them . you know how it was with paul , when he speaks of afflictions these be his expressions , but light and momentary , but for a moment , but they work an exceeding weight of glory : ( mark ) light afflictions , what were they ? you would account them heavie if they were upon you . blessed paul ( that great vessel to bear the name of god as great an instrument of gods glory as any in the world except christ himself , and yet this paul ) was whipt up & down as if he had been a rogue , put into the stocks , had not cloaths to cover his nakedness , had not bread to eat , and was accounted the off scouring of the world ; and yet he accounts all this but light : but when he comes to sin , that is heavie , oh wretched man that i am ! thus he gives a dreadful shreek at sin ; see what a difference he makes between affliction and sin , and accounts it abundantly more evil to be in sin , than in affliction . and so christ himself ▪ that is the wisdom of the father , and therfore could not chuse but judge right , and yet he was content for the sake of poor souls , to come and under go al kind of affliction , and pain , and sorrow , so as to be made a man of sorrows , according as the scripture speaks ; how was he content to have his body whipt and scourged , was laughed at and scorned , and though he was possessor of heaven and earth , yet had not a house to put his head in ; yea , to bear the wrath of god for the sin of man , to be made a curse for man , under the curse of ●he law , and to be under that pain & extremity through the wrath of his father , when he sweat great drops of bloud ? all this christ would endure : but now if it had been to have committed the least sin to have saved al the world , christ would never have done it : though christ could be content to suffer all kind of miseries , yea , the wrath of his father ; yet had it been to have committed the least sin , christ would have let al the world be damned eternally rather than he would have done that , there is so much evil in it . afflictions taken in the strength and latitude of them , yet they have no greater evil in them then christ is capable of . i say , take them in the strength and latitude of them , certainly there was never any affliction since the world began endured like christs , and yet these be no other than christ , god and man , is capable of ; and it may stand with the blessedness of his divinity , that that person , both god and man , could be under such afflictions : christ was content with these , he made his soul an offering for sin : but sin is so great an evil , that christ is not capable of it ; christ never entertained the least thought of it , but cast it off if it came to him : therfore certainly there is more evil in the least sin , than there is in the greatest affliction : the afflictions that christ indured , though they were not every way the same with the damned in hell , yet certainly there was the wrath of god as really and truly upon christ , as truly as upon the damned in hell , as really though i say not in every kind in the same way and manner ; and therefore see , christ was capable of that evil , of the wrath of the almighty upon his soul , and yet not capable of sin , he was willing to undergo that , and yet not to have the least guilt of sin applied to him ; and therefore certainly there is more evil in the least sin , than in the greatest affliction . chap. iii. there is some good in affliction , but none in sin : first , no good of entitie : secondly , no good of causality : thirdly , no good principle from whence sin can come : fourthly , no good anexed as is to afflictions , viz. of promise . of evid●nce . of blessing . also five different workings of the hearts of the saints under sin and under affliction : fifthly , it 's not capable of any good , adde all the good to sin that all the creatures in heaven and earth have , yet it cannot make sin good . good ends though . to help against temptation , . to do good to others , . to glorifie god cannot make sin good . god can not make sin good . sixthly , it 's not comparitively good . wel , for further arguments , though this one thing were enough to stop all mouths in the world , and make every soul subscribe and acknowledg that there is greater evil in the least sin , than in any affliction : i shal be large in this argument , because it is of wonderful concernment , to stop men in their course of sin , and to humble them for sin , and make them resolve against sin , and to see their miserable estate in sin , and so see their need of christ . first , i shall fully make it out , that affliction is to be chosen rather than sin . first , because there is some good in affliction , but none in sin. because sin hath more evil in it , than affliction . this second i shal shew in the following chapters . first , affliction hath some good in it , but sin hath none : you know what david saith , ps . . it is good for me that i have been afflicted ; thus he spake of affliction : but when st. paul speaks of sin , he saith , in me ( that is in my flesh ) dwelleth no good , rom. . as if he should say , so far as i am unregenerate , in my unregenerate part there is no good at all ; he cals sin by the name of flesh ; there is no good at all in sin. first , there is no good of entity or being ; all things that have a being , there is some good in them ; for god hath a being , and every thing that hath a being hath some good in it , because it is of god ; but sin is a non entity , a no being : it s rather the deprivation of a being then any being at al ; & here is a great mystery of iniquity , that that which is a non-entity in it self , yet should have such a mighty efficacy to trouble heaven and earth . this is a great mystery . secondly , it hath no good of causallity : that is , sin is so evil , as it can bring forth no good : afflictions bring forth good : sin is such an evil as it cannot be made good : not an instrument for good : afflictions are made instrumental for good . object . no , wil you say , cannot god bring good out of sin ? and doth not god bring good out of sin ? answ . to this i answer , true , god brings good out of sin , that is occasionally , but not instrumentally : he may take occasion to bring good out of sin committed : but ( mark ) god never makes sin an instrument for good ; for an instrument comes under somwhat as an efficiency : for an instrument gives some power towards the effect ; but thus god never useth sin , god never made sin an instrument of any good ; that is , that sin should have any power any influence into that good effect that god brings out of it as afflictions have ; god doth not only take occasion by afflictions to do his people good , but he makes them channels to convey the mercies to their souls : and thus afflictions have an instrumental efficacy in them , to do men good : therefore saith the holy ghost in heb. . he chastens them for their profit , that they might be partakers of his holiness : the greatest good the creature is capable of , affliction is made oftentimes the instrument to convey : and in isa . . by this the iniquity of jacob shal be purged : that is , by this as an instrument ; but sin is never thus : sin is never sanctified by god to do good to any soul : afflictions are sanctified by god to do good ; therefore sin is a greater evil than affliction : sin is so evil that it is not capable of any work of god to sanctifie it for good ; but no afflictions are so evil but that they are capable of a work of god to sanctifie the●…r abundance of good . this is the second . thirdly , sin hath greater evil than affliction in the rise of it ; there is no good principle whence sin comes , but there are good principles from whence afflictions arise : as thus , whom he loves he chastens , he chastens every son whom he receives ; so that chastisement hath a principle of love , but it cannot be said whom god loves he suffers to fal into sin , that this can be a fruit of his love : it can never be said that it is a fruit of gods love that such a man or woman commits sin ; but it may be said it is a fruit of gods love that such a man or woman is afflicted , therefore there is more good in afflictions than there is in sin. nay , observe this , many times god doth not afflict a man or woman because he doth not love them , but it can never be said god suffers not a man or woman to sin because he doth not love them : i say , there is many a man or woman goeth on in a prosperous condition , and they meet not with such afflictions as others meet withal ; and the reason is , because god hath not such a love to them as to other men , but it cannot be said thus , that there be such men that keep them selves from such sins that others do wallow in , & therfore they do it because god hath not such a love to them as to others , it cannot be said so ; but it may be said such be not afflicted so much as others because god doth not love them as well as others : it is a dreadful fruit of gods hatred that he doth not afflict them , but it is not a fruit of his hatred ●ot to let them fall into sin . i remember a speech an ancient hath upon that place of hosea , i will not punish their daughters when they commit adultery , hos . . . saith he , oh dismal wrath of god that god will not afflict them and punish them ! but now if this be so that want of afflictions may come from gods wrath and the being put into affliction may come from gods love , certainly then there is not so much evil in affliction as is in sin ; for it can never be said so of sin . fourthly , there is no good anexed to sin as is to affliction : as thus , not the good of promise : ly not the good of evidence : ly not the good of blessing anexed to sin as is to affliction . . as now afflictions hath abundance of promises , i wil be with you in the fire and in the water : and by this shal the iniquity of jacob be purged : and i could spend the remainder of the book to open the many great promises god hath annexed to afflictions : but god hath not annexed any promise of good to sin ; when god afflicts then you may challenge gods promise , psal . . . saith david , in very faithfulness hast thou afflicted me , o lord : this is but a fruit of thy promise afflictions : and thou art faithful in afflicting , but sin hath no promise annexed to it : yet it may be you wil say that all shal work together for the good of them that love god : but this doth not go in way of a promise ; this scripture will not beat it , though it be true god may occasionally work good to his people by sin ; but this scripture cannot bear it , that there is any promise for it in that place : for , first it is against the scope of that text , for the scope of that place is to uphold the hearts of gods people in afflictions : for he saith , all things : but sin is no thing ; and all things work together : and so he speaks of that which hath an efficacy in it , that will together with god , work for good ; but sin hath not any efficacy to work on , for god will not work by that . that is one thing then , affliction hath the good of promise annexed to it , but so hath not sin : therefore there is some good in affliction , but none in sin. ly . affliction hath the good of evidence : god makes our afflictions signs of our son ship and adoption ; if you be not afflicted then are you bastards , and not sons : and phil. . be not troubled , or terrified : trouble of the saints is an evidence of salvation to them , but a token of their perdition who are the terrifiers or troublers of them , but a sign of your salvation : but it is not so of sin . ly . further , there is a blessing propounded to afflictions , blessed be those that mourn , and blessed be the man whom thou chastisest and teachest in thy law ; but there is no blessing allowed to sin , it is not capable of it : there is not that good annexed to sin that is to affliction ; and therefore affliction is to be chosen rather than sin. and from hence see the different working of the hearts of the saints under their sin , and under their affliction ; that follows from this head , that there is some good annexed to affliction that is not to sin. . first , hence it follows , that the saints can cry to god with liberty of spirit under affliction , but they cannot under sin : they can go to god , and tell god their afflictions , and challenge god with a holy boldness in afflictions ; but who can go to god and challenge god because he hath told a lye , or the like ? doth this make them go with a holy boldness to god , and challenge gods promise , because i have committed such and such a sin ? secondly , when affliction doth come , a gracious heart can kiss the rod and accept of the punishment of his sin , but now a gracious heart can never be well pleased with his sin , can never accept of sin , though god punish one sin with another sometimes , yet i say , there cannot be a well pleasedness with sin , and a kissing of that . thirdly , a gracious heart may rejoyce in affliction , and have abundance of comfort in afflictions , account it all joy ( saith the holy ghost ) when you fall into trials and afflictions , but now he can never rejoyce in sin , no man can rejoyce in sin though god should turn sin to never so much good : one cannot rejoyce in sin , and have that comfort he may in affliction . fourthly , a gracious heart may bless god for afflictions , bless god that ever he did cast him into an afflicted estate ; but he can never bless god for putting him into a sinful estate , though god do work good out of it : nay further , that good a gracious heart hath sometimes by afflictions may incourage him to be more willing to go into affliction again when god calls him to it , but if a gracious heart should get good occasionally by sin , yet this good cannot incourage him to fall into sin again , this were a desperate wickedness if he should . fifthly , a gracious heart may desire of god that he would not take away affliction till it be sanctified , and that he would continue it till it be sanctified ; but no man may or ought to pray thus , lord , continue me in this sin till i am humbled : therefore you see there is abundance of difference between affliction and sin , one hath a great deal of good annexed to it , and the other hath none at all . . sin it is so evil that it is not capable of any good at all ; the air though it be dark , yet it is capable of light ; that were a dismal darkness that were not capable of light to come to it : and that which is bitter , though never so bitter , yet it is capable of receiving that which will sweeten it : that which is never so venemous , yet is capable of such things as will make it wholsom ; but sin is so dark that it is uncapable of light ; so bitter , as there is no way to make it sweet ; so venemous as it is no way capable of any wholsomness : now for the clearing of this , consider these three things : . put all the good in heaven and earth , and in all the creatures in heaven and earth together : suppose the quintiscence of all the good of all the creatures of heaven and earth were put together , and bring that to sin , and ad it to it , it would not make it good : no , sin would remain still as evil as before it was . now that must needs be poyson indeed , that bring all the soveraign things in the world and put to it , yet there would not be a deminishion of the least strength of that poyson , and so it is with sin : therfore ( i beseech you brethren observe it ) those men and women be mightily mistaken , that think ( i have been a sinful creature indeed , but now i wil amend and reforme and be better ) that by adding some good to their former sinful lives , it will make all good : oh! know that there is so much evil in sin , that the addition of all the good of all the creatures in heaven and earth cannot make it less evil than before ; so that you must not only now think to live better & ad good unto your former evil , but you must take a course for the taking away of the former evil , for the delivering you from the guilt and stain and filth of your former sin . . sin is not capable of good ; all those good ends that any men have in the cōmission of sin , yet do not make their sin the better : that cannot make sin good , because they have good ends : as thus , there may be three good ends some may think they have in the commission of sin . they may perhaps think that by commission of some sin they may further some grace , do good to others , or glorifie god ; there may be such deceit in the heart : as thus , they may think such a sin will help such a grace , and help against such a temptation , and such a sin may help my humility ; and it is ordinary this temptation ( when in trouble of conscience ) make away thy self , and then thou wilt sin no more ; for so long as i live i shall sin against god , & therfore make away thy self and so cease to sin : but know , if thou lay violent hands upon thy self , and think thou shalt have this good by it to sin no more ; yet thy sin is wicked and abominable , though thou put this good end upon it , though it were possible to in crease grace never so much by the least sinful thought , we must not commit this least sinful thought for never so good an end , as to help forward such a grace . a second end may be to do good to others , and i say if it were possible , if a man might be a means to save the whole world if he would commit one sin , if he could save the whole world from eternal torments by the commission of one sin , you should suffer the whole world to perish rather than commit one sin , there is so much evil in sin . it is the expression of augustine in a tractate of his concerning an officious lye , a friend of his wrote to him to answer this question about telling of a lye , whether he might not tell a lye , to do good to another man ? many think , what though i do tell a lye so i do another good ; indeed if i may do hurt then i must not , but if i may do good , may i not tell a lye , ( well ) this question was brought to augustine , and saith he , thou must not tell a lye to save the whole world : this was his answer . suppose that the soul of thy father , mother , or child , ( this is but a supposition ) or the like , should lie upon it to be saved , or damned if thou wilt commit one sin , suppose such a temptation should come , thou must not commit one sin , though the soul of thy father or mother , or all the world lay upon it ; now it is another manner of thing to commit a sin to gain a groat ; oh now by a deceitful word i may have this gain , if it were twenty shillings , thou must not venture upon sin to save the world ; therefore not to gain six pence or a shilling : certainly these be the truths of god , and for one to come and speak these things in a solemn manner in the presence of god if it were not upon deliberation and good search , it were a great boldness ; and therefore certainly beleeve there is such evil in sin : and though you pass by a thousand idle thoughts and evil actions and they be gone with you and you make little of them : but if you did know what the evil of sin were , you would look upon them with amazement , and cry out , lord what have i done ! men and women go abroad , and before they come home meet with company , and there swear many oaths commit lewdness , have told lyes , and done wickedness ; oh did they but know what they have done that day , they would come home wringing their hands and ready to tear their hair , and lie tumbling upon the very ground for the evil that they have done . . further , we must not commit sin though for the glory of god : for many put this end upon it : as the papists , this is their principle , to advance the catholick cause they think they may do any wickedness , murther princes , blow up parliaments , keep no faith , promises , oathes : take liberty to rise in rebellion , to commit all outrages , and cut all the protestants throats ; and to advance the catholick cause take the sacrament upon it , and yet think because t is for so good an end ( as they conceive ) therefore they may commit any wickedness . it is certain god needs not the devil to help his cause : but suppose by sin gods glory might be furthered in some particular , yet we must not commit the least sin for the greatest glory of god that can be imagined : so much evil there is in sin . and therfore , for such that many times strain their conscience to do that which their consciences have regreet upon , and their conscience told them they should not do it , yet meerly upon this pretence , that they might do service in the church , oh their ministry is dear , to do good to souls , to preach to so many souls , by this means god may have glory , and hereupon they venture to strain their consciences to have liberty to preach ; this certainly is a great evil , we must not strain our consciences in any thing to commit the least sin upon imagination of the greatest glory that can be brought to god. good ends put upon sins , cannot make them better . this is the second thing . fourthly , all the good that god himself can bring from sin , can never make sin good : such evil there is in it , that the infinite power and goodness of god can never make sin good : true , god may destroy sin , yet that which is sin all the power of god cannot make that good : such evil there is in sin. this is a fifth thing . . there is no good in sin , not comparatively . that is , though it be true one sin is less than another ; yet no sin is good in comparison of another . in affliction , as one affliction is less than another , so one affliction is good in comparison of another : a less affliction is good in comparison of a greater ; and all affliction is good in comparison of sin. but in sin , though one sin be less than another , yet the least sin is not good in comparison of the greatest : and take the least sin of all it is not good in comparison of any affliction . and you shall see how this is useful to us . chap. iv. vses : and nine consectories of excellent use , viz . sin is not the work of god. . sins promises are all delusions . . sin cannot be the object of a rational creature . . nothing that 's good should be ventured for sin. . nothing that 's good to be made serviceable to sin. . the mistake of making sin the chiefest good . . time spent in sin lost . . the wicked , useless members . . sin need no debate whether to be done , or not . hence we see for our instruction , that that maxime many have , hath nothing to do in point of sin ; to wit , of two evils you must chuse the least : true , in regard of the evil of affliction , comparing one affliction with another , so we may chuse the least ; but this cannot have truth in matter of sin , that of two sins we may chuse the least ; because though one sin be less than another , yet the least sin can never come under the notion of good comparitively . as all other evils be good comparatively , though never so great evils , yet comparatively they may be good . yet sin can have no goodness any way comparatively . therefore of two evils we must not chuse the least , in this sence . because sin in it self is sinful : and because , chusing the least can never be a means to prevent the greater , but rather to make way for the greater . and brethren obseive it , ( for it may be useful in the course of our lives ) god never brings any man or woman to such straits , that of necessity they must chuse one sin , chuse this or the other sin. when two sins shall stand in competition , we may conceit such straits to our selves , yet there is no such real straits . though god doth bring men into such straits that of necessity they must chuse one affliction , either this or that affliction : so david was brought into such a strait , that he must chuse famine , sword , or pestilence ; yea , god doth never bring men into such straits , that of necessity they must chuse this or that sin ; thou deceivest thine own heart if thou thinkest thou art brought into such a strait . therefore this is a vain thing , and savors of an exceeding carnal heart , when men are doing that which is evil , for them to say , i were as good do this as worse : as for instance now , suppose some keep at home upon the lords day and mend their cloaths , if any rebuke them , they will say , better do this than worse ; better do this than go to the ale-house : this is true , but this savors of a carnal heart , to think that you must chuse one sin rather than another ; thou must not chuse any of them , both of these are evil , though one may be less evil than the other . or if some spend their time in play , when they are rebuked , they put it off with this shift , better do this than worse : and so they go abroad and spend their time in seeing playes ; and say , better do this then worse ; 't is yet true though this be not so great a sin as others , if it be a sin it must not be done upon any terms ; and thou deceivest thine own heart in this conceit , that thou wert better do this than worse , for sin cannot be good , and so not to be chosen at any time . thus we see there is no good in sin , and a great deal of good in affliction . hence there follows these nine consectorys , of exlent use for us . first consectory . if there be no good in sin ; then certainly sin is not the work of god , for god saw all his works and they where very good , but sin hath no goodness in it , therefore not of god. god disclaims it . the second consectory . if this be so , then hence whatsoever promises sin do make to any people , certainly they be al but delusions . why ? because sin is not good in any kind : sin can bring no good to any soul if any one say ; oh but sin bring pleasure ; and doth it not bring profit , and honors in the world ? do not many live in high esteem in the world by sinfull courses ? have they not pleasures and delights in sinful courses ; but cursed be the pleasures , honors , profits that come in by sin . certainly if sin promise any good , it deludes you , & thy seduced heart deceivs thee , and thou dost feed upon ashes : for there is no good in sin . the third consectory . hence it follows , that no sin can be the object of the will of a rational creature ; because the true object of the will , for it to close withal , is good . oh the desperat deceit in the hearts of men in the world , that whereas god hath made the will , ( and put it into a rational soul ) to be of that nature , that the only object of it , is good one way or other , yet they are so miserably mistaken that they chuse sin under colour of good : certainly there is no good in sin . the fourth consectory . hence it follows , that nothing that is good should be ventured for sin , why ? because sin hath no good : and will you venture the loss of good to get that which hath no good ; sure if sin have no good in it , then there should not be the loss of any good ventured for it . you would not venture at sea or land , any good for that which hath no good . oh how infinitely be men deoeived , that venture the loss of god , peace of conscience ; loss of credit , health , estate , loss of all for their lusts . oh this is a mighty mistake , thou hast ventured the loss of a great deal of good , for that which hath no good at all . know this day god presents to thy soul the desperate delusions of it , what ? wilt thou lose god , heaven , and christ , and al for that which hath no good ? but thus do many venture all the good in god , in christ , in heaven , in eternal life ; they are laid on the one side as it were , and their lusts on the other ; and they will venture the loss of all that good that they may attain the supposed good in sin . what hast thou done oh man or woman ; that hast vetured the loss of all good for that which hath no good at all , nay all evil in it ? the fift consectory it follows , if there be no good at all in sin , then we ought to make nothing that is good to be any way serviceable to our sin ; as thus we must not take the good creatures of god and make them serviceable to our lusts that have no good at all ; take not the faculties of your souls and members of your bodyes to make them serviceable to your lusts . oh how do men and women abuse the good things of god to make them serve their corruptions . yea brethren , there be many that abuse the ordinances of god , the dutyes of gods worship , the graces of gods spirit , to make them serviceable to their lusts ; to serve their pride , and self ends , and self seekings . do but think of it , if it be a great wickedness to take meat and drink , any of gods good creatures and make them serviceable to thy lusts , oh how great a wickedness is it to take the graces of gods spirit , working of gods spirit , enlargment in prayer , and following of sermons , and profession of religion , to make these serve thy lusts that have no good at all in them ? the sixt consectory . hence ( if sin have no good at all in it ) follows this ; how be they mi●taken that make sin their chiefest good as thousand thousands in the world , their chief good that their hearts are set upon , is , satisfying themselves in some base lust . i put it to your souls this day as in the name of god , what is it that thy heart is set upon as thy chiefest good ? is it not that height of wickedness that i speak of ? such a secret lust thou livest in ? that thou venturest thy eternal estate upon ? oh wickedness above measure . the seventh consectory . hence followeth this then , that all the time that we spend in a sinfull estate is all lost time . oh look to this you yong ones , all the time that you spend in the vanity of your youth is all lost time ; and you that have lived til you are old , & a long time in a sinful estate , you have lost all your time . oh the time upon which eternity depends is all lost ; for you have spent it in the wayes of sin , that hath no good in it . the eight consectory if sin have no good in it , then all wicked men that live in the wayes of sin , are useless members in the world ; burthens upon the earth ; unprofitable members , that go on in the wayes of sin , that neither have nor can have anie good . the ninth consectory . lastly , if sin have no good at all in it ; hence then when ther is a temptation to sin there needs no deliberation about it , whether it should be admited or not ; if once thou knowest it to be a sin , thou needest not reason the condtion of admition or not , or what will follow , but presently reject it , without deliberation . why ? because there is no good in it ; any thing that hath but a little good , we may ( though a greater good be offered ) deliberate the business before we accept of the one , & cast off the other , but if there be no good there needs no deliberation , if any thing be pronounced to be sin , to be prejudicial to the estate of thy soul , this must not be deliberated upon . therfore this is a vain plea that men have , what kind of * government must we have if this be taken away ? first examine if this be evil or not evil that we have , if evil , it must be rejected without deliberation what we must have in the stead . indeed if it ▪ were good we might deliberate , but if be it evil and a sin , it must be cast off without deliberation . brethren , it is of great use this i speak of , because that strength sin hath usually got , is from deliberation about it . i beseech you observe this ; take heed for ever of reasoning with temptation , of consulting and casting about in your thoughts , what will become of it ? what trouble may come by this if i hearken not to this ? take heed of reasoning , if the devil do but get you to reason about it , he hath got it half granted already : you need not reason with any temptation , but cast it off presently , because sin hath no good in it . oh that god would convince al our hearts of these things . chap. v. there is more evil in the least sin , than in the greatest affliction , opened in six particulars , being the general scope of the whol treatise . to go on to that which remains . i am yet further to make out to you , that sin is worse than affliction . first i have shewed , that there is no good at all in sin ; and there is good in affliction . now secondly , there is more evil in the least sin , than there is in the greatest affliction . this i am now to make out unto you in these six particulars . first , sin is most opposite unto god himself , the chiefest good. secondly , sin is most opposite unto mans good : affliction is not so opposite to the good of the creature as sin is . thirdly , sin is opposite unto all good in general ; and so will be discovered to be an vniversal evil. fourthly , sin , it is the evil of all other evils ; it is that which is the very venom and poyson of all other evils whatsoever , therefore greatest . fifthly , there is a kind of infinitness in sin , though not properly infinite , it cannot be so , yet in the nature of it , it hath a kind of infinitness . sixtly , the evil of it is discovered , in the conformity sin hath with the devil ; there is no creature that conspires against god , but only devils and sinful men. these be the six things to be opened , for the discovery of the evil of sin : and i beseech you seriously attend to what shall be delivered in these , for i hope before i have done to make it appear to every ones conscience that shall vouchsafe to read , attend , and consider what i say , that sin is another manner of business than the world thinks it to be . oh that your hearts might come to see your selves to be as you are , in an ill case , in a worse condition than you imagin : and 〈◊〉 beseech you give way to this , and be willing to hear it , for though it seem a hard doctrine , yet it is a soul saving doctrine ; and for want of this , many thousand thousands of souls perish , because they never understood what sin meant : many thousands in ●ell if they had known what sin had been , it might have delivered them from everla●●ing flames . god hath reserved you alive , and who knows but for this end , to understand what sin is , that so your hearts may be humbled , and so everlastingly saved through christ . brethren , but that the way to understand sin , is the way to be humbled for sin ; and to be humbled for sin , is the way to have sin pardoned , and the soul saved , i should never treat upon such a doctrine as this is : therefore i beseech you mark what i say , and see whether i do not make out these things i undertake . chap. vi. sin most opposite to god the chiefest good , opened in four heads : . sin most opposite to gods nature . sin opposite in its working against god. . sin wrong god more than any thing else . . sin strikes at gods being . first , it is most opposite to god who is the chiefest good. the meanest capacity may easily understand , that which is most opposite to the chiefest good , that must needs be the chiefest evil : i suppose the weakest in this congregation will understand this way of reasoning , that evil that is most opposit to the chiefest good , that must needs be the chiefest evil ; but sin is that which is most opposite to god , who is the chiefest good , and therfore must needs be the chiefest evil . that then is that i must make good . quest . how doth it appear that sin is most opposite to the chiefest good ? answ . brethren , when i have made out this , i shal shew sin to be very sinful , and the greatest venom of sin lies in this one thing i am now opening . should i tel you never so much of the evil of sin , in the danger that comes by it , hell that follows it : should i write a book about hel and damnation for sin , it hath not so much to humble the soul in a saving manner , as this i now treat about : perhaps i might scare you in preaching of hell and damnation , but discovering this i now speak of , the opposition sin hath unto god ; it hath more in it to humble the soul in a saving manner , and to cause the soul to feel sin to be most evil where it is most evil ; to be the greatest burden where it is most waighty . this point i say hath more power in it than any other ; therefore let me set upon this , and see how i make this good , that sin is most opposite to god the chiefest good . there be these four things discover the truth of this . first , sin in its own nature , is most opposite to the nature of god. secondly , sin in the working of it , is a continual working against god. the nature of sin is opposite to gods nature , and the working of sin is most opposite to god. thirdly , sin , it doth wrong god more than any thing else . fourthly , yea , sin strikes at the very being of god so far as it can do . so then let us sum it up again : that which in its own nature is most opposite to god , ly that which in its working , is continually working against god , ly that w ch doth most wrong god , and ly that which strikes at the very being of god himself , that must needs be the greatest evil : but so doth sin . chap. vii . sin in it self opposite to god , shewed in five things , . nothing directly contrary to god but sin : . god would cease to be god if but one drop of sin in him : . sin so opposite to god that he cease to be god if he did but cause sin to be in another : . he should cease to be god if he should but approve it in others : . sin would cause god to cease to be , if he did not hate sin as much as he doth . first , that sin in it self is most opposite to god. to understand this , take these five things ; and they rightly understood will make it as cleer as the sun at noon day . the nature of sin is so opposite to god , that there is nothing so contrary to him as sin god hath nothing but sin contrary to him ( take it so● ) therfore it must needs be opposite ; for god hath nothing contrary to his own nature but sin , it is the only contrary , the only opposit to god. there is nothing perfectly contrary to another , but it is so contrary as there is nothing but that which is so contrary as that is ; for that is the rule of contraries , that there must be one to one : there may be diversity and difference of many things to one ; but an absolute perfect contrariety , can be only of one to one . now there is nothing contrary to gods nature but only sin ; god hath no object that he can look upon contrary to himself in all the world , but only sin : for there is nothing else except sin , but it is from god , and by god , and for god : now that which is from him , and by him , and for him , cannot have contrarity to him : but sin is neither from him , nor by him , nor for him ; but that is directly contrary unto him : therfore there is more evil in sin than in any other thing . it is not so with affliction , affliction is from god , and by god , and for god , and is not contrary unto god , because it is from himself . sin is so opposite to god , that if it were possible that the least drop of it could get into gods nature , god would instantly cease to be a god , he could not continue one moment to be a god any longer ; such evil there is in sin . if there should be such a poyson , that if one drop of it should come into the ocean , all the whol ocean would be at an instant poysoned ; yea , all destroyed and anihilated in one instant ; you would say that were a very fearful poyson . if a drop of poyson should be so poysonful , that if one drop of it got into heaven , that then presently the sun , moon , and stars would fal down , and be anihilated ; you would say this were a venemous poyson . certainly if but one drop of sin should get into god , the infinite being of god would instantly cease to be . the sea , though vast , is not infinite ; the heaven , though vast , is not infinite ; the infinite god would have no being at all if sin should get into god ; therefore it is very evil : therfore ( also ) we ought to have holy thoughts of god , seeing sin is so infinitely contrary to his nature . . so opposit is sin to god , that if god should be but the cause of any sin in any other ; he would instantly cease to be a god. it strikes at the very life of god , he would cease to be god , he could be god no longer if he should be the cause of any sin in any other . we had need take heed therefore how we father sin upon god , that he should be the cause of sin , for such is the evil of sin that god must cease to be , if he should be but any cause to give any efficacy to sin in us . indeed for afflictions god will own that , he saith in amos . . is there any evil in a city and the lord hath not done it ? and in mich. 〈◊〉 . . it is said there that god deviseth evil : if there be no evil in the city but god doth it , yea ( saith the prophet ) god deviseth evil ; there is no evil of punishment , but god deviseth it , god will be content to own it , to be the author of all the torments , of the damned in hel , god will own ; god will say i have done it , and i am the author of al the torments of al the damned in hel ; but such is the evil of sin , if god were the author of that , he could not be god any longer but would cease to be god. . such is the evil of sin , that if god should but approve of it and like it , if he should but like it when another have commited it , even that would cause him to cease to be god. wicked men be ready to think because god is patient and long suffering , that god is of the same judgment with themselves , psal . . . because i held my peace thou thoughst that i was altogether such an one as thyself ; but i will reprove thee , and set them in order before thine eyes ; it is the just temper and frame of wicked and ungodly men to this day ; because god holds his peace , and comes not upon them to revenge sin presently ; they be ready to think that god approves sin , and is of their judgment . indeed ( saith a wicked man ) many ministers cry out of sin that it is very grievous , but i hope god wil give liberty to my wayes and walkings , sure god is not against them , he approves of them ; otherwise why should god suffer me in them , and be so patient towards me in them ? oh! know when thou hast any such thought of god as this , thou blasphemest god : if that were true that thou thinkest , that god did approve of thy wicked wayes , god must cease to be god , god would be god no longer . quest . why ? how doth this appear ? answ . this is the reason of it : because then god were not infinitely holy , and holiness is gods being ; and if god be not infinitely holy , he is not god at all , but ceaseth to be presently . which is impossible , and blasphemous to think . . such is the evil of sin , so opposite to gods nature , that if god did not hate sin as much as he doth , he would cease to be a god , not only if he did allow of it , and like of it ; for he may permit it in his creature and not like of it : but i say , if god did not hate sin so much as he doth hate it , if it could be conceived that god could but hate sin somwhat less than he doth ( i say ) he would instantly cease to be a god ; he could not remain to be god one moment if he did cease to hate sin in any degree less than he doth . quest . why ? how doth this appear ? answ . thus ; if god cease to hate sin ( i do not speak of the manifesting of his hatred , but that which is his nature , that is proportionable to hatred , as we say ) if god did not hate it so much as he doth , then he did not hate sin infinitely , for there cannot be any infinite and less than infinite stand together , these two cannot ever stand , that it should be infinite and less then so and remain infinite , if it be infinite it remains so ; if there should be a degree under that , it must be finite : now if gods hatred to sin were less than it is , it would be but a finite hatred , and if it were a finite hatred , then god could not be infinitely holy ; for infinite holiness must needs have infinite hatred against sin . i beseech you observe this , for you are ready to think , though god be against sin , and hate it , yet i hope god hates it not so much as many ministers make of it , tush god is not so much against sin as they speak of ; though its true when we do a miss we must cry god mercy , and pray god to forgive us ; yet to make so much of sin as they do ; and that god sets himself so much against it as they say ; this is but their opinion ; and he hopeth god doth not hate it so much as they say . oh! brethren take heed of this opinion , for if god should hate sin less then he doth , he should cease to be ; either he must hate sin with infinite hatred , or he ceaseth to be god : so evil and opposite is sin to gods nature . and if these things be true , there is a great deal of evil in sin . if there be nothing so opposite to god as sin ; and if but the least drop of sin should get into god , it would make god cease to be god ; and if he should be but the cause of any sin in his creature he would cease to be god ; and if he should but like it in his creature , he would cease to be god ; and if he should but hate it less then he doth , he could not be god : but al this is true ; then we had need take heed to our selves , and think certainly there is more evil in my heart , more opposition in my heart against god than i have been aware of . what say you now ? will you venture to commit sin for a groat or six pence , if there be so much opposition against god in it ? were it not better to be under any affliction than under the guilt of sin , if there be in it such opposition to god ? this is the first general head , nothing is so opposite to god as sin : i say sin is most opposite to god. chap. viii . the workings of sin is alwayes against god. the scripture calls it , enmity . walking contrary fighting . resisting . striving . rising against god. secondly , as the nature of sin is opposite to god ; so in the workings of sin there is a continual working against god ; a sinful heart that is alwayes stirring and working , is alwayes working againk god : and therefore you shall observe these several expressions the holy ghost hath concerning sin. the holy ghost calls it , enmity to god , rom. . . the wisdom of the flesh ( the best part the flesh hath ) is enmity against god. yea , the holy ghost saith it is a walking contrary unto god , levit. . you shall have it there in many places if you walk contrary unto me : . and . vers and divers others . it is a fighting against god , acts . . and acts . . in these two places rejecting of the gospel is called a fighting against god. and in acts . . you do alwayes resist the holy ghost ; there is a company of men naturally walk contrary ; resisting , and fighting against god. we see we had need take heed of opposing the ministery of the gospel , for while you do that , you fight against god. you think you do but oppose such and such men , but half a dozen in the parish that you oppose but certainly the opposing the golpel is not a fighting against us men , but against god : you may turn it off with what names you will , and put what pretences you wil upon it , let me tell you , they that strike upon the lanthorn , offer violence to the candle therein . sin , in scripture is called striving against god , isa . . . wo unto him that striveth with his maker : let the potsheard strive with the potsheards of the earth : so far as sin doth prevail in thy heart , or in thy life , so far thou art guilty of striving with thy maker . a rising against god : by sin the soul doth rise against god. and for that you have an expression in the . micah , . even my people of late are risen up as an enemy . these be strange expressions ; enmity , walking contrary , striving , fighting , resisting , rising against god ; and yet this is in sin. but that i may open it further , i shall shew how sin doth fight , strive , and rise against god. chap. ix . how sin resist god : it 's a hating of god. it 's rebellion against god. it 's a despising of god. first , sin doth resist god in his authority ; in his soveraignty , in his dominion over the creature ; the language of sin is , god shall not reign . it is the setting of the will of a base wretched creature , against the will of the infinite , eternal , glorious god. and is there not evil in this ? though it may be thou doest not on purpose do so , set thy will against god , yet it is so in sin , there is the setting of thy will against the will of the infinite eternal god : resisting the soveraignty , and majesty , and dominion of the infinite god. yea , thou doest resist-god in his law , thou resisteth and opposeth god in that righteous law of his , which he gave thee to obey . quest . but how is this in every sin ? it may be in some great and notorious sins this may be , but is this fighting against god , striving , and rising , and walking contrary to him , ( and so of the rest ) is this in every sin ? answ . for that i answer , that every sin comes from the same root , and look what venom there is in any one sin , for the nature of it , it is in every sin , though not for its degree : 't is true , one sin may have a higher degree of evil in it than another , but every sin is invenomed with the same evil : that which is the venom of any one sin , is the venom of all ; all comes from the same root . as in a tree , there is more sap in an arm of the tree , than in a little sprig ; but the sprig hath the same sap for kind that the arm of the tree hath , and it al comes from the same root . so though there be more venom in some gross , crying sins , than in some others ; yet there is no sin but hath the same sap , and the same venom , for the kind , that every sin hath , that the worst sin hath . yea , consider further , that god doth not account sin only according to mans intentions in sinning ; what man intends , but what the nature of the sin tends unto , not what i do aim at in my sinning , but what my sin doth aim at . there is the end of the agent , and the end of the act , now t is true though the end of a sinner be not alwaies to strive against god , and f●ght with god , yet the end of his sin is so , though not of the sinner ; i beseech you observe how god may lay grievous sins to their charge , and that he doth not account of a mans sins according to his intentions , but according to that which is in the nature of his sin as now , you would think it a strange sin , to charge any man in the world with hating of god , come to any man though the greatest sinner in the world , the most notorious villain , and charge him thus , thou art a vile wretch thou hatest the living god ; he would revile you and be ready to to spit in your face : and yet it is said , he hates god : in the rom. the apostle in the catalogue of sins ( when he would shew the state of all men by nature , for the first seven chapters of the epistle to the romans are to shew the nature of the jews and gentiles ) and among others , he tels them there were those that were haters of god , among other notorious sins haters of god is one : but i will shew it in a more plainer wav , in the second commandement ; the veriest villain in the nation would spit in vour face if you should say he hates god : what say you to him that will seem devoute , and worship god in a more glorious way then he hath appointed ; the scripture saith , he hates god : see the second commandement , thou shalt not make unto thy self an , graven image , nor &c. thou shalt not bow down thy self to them , nor worship them , &c. for i will visit the sin of the fathers upon the children , unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me : why is this set in the second commandement rather than any other ? that god will visit the sins of them that hate him , those that sin against the second commandement seem to honor god , and to love god more than any other , they be not only content to worship god in that ordinary way others do , but in a more glorious , and pompeous way ; well , it may be the breaker of the second commandement pretends more love to god than any , and yet there god saith they be those that hate him , so that you see god doth not reek on sin according to mans intentions . certainly the worshippers of images do not intend to hate god , but god accounts of sin what it is in its own nature , it is as if god should say , if you wil not worship me according to my way of worship , will not be content with that , but will set up a new devised worship of your own , do you call it what you will , i account it hatred of me . secondly , sin is rebellion : what man in the world will be convinced that he doth any thing in way of rebellion against god , and yet mark , god chargeth sin with rebellion even in that which they pretend they do all for gods glory ; see in that example of saul , sam. . you shall find there , when saul did but spare ●gag and the fat of the cattel , and pretends to offer sacrifice to god ; samuel comes to him in the name of god , and saith he , rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft . why ( might saul say ) lord , have mercy upon me , is this such rebellion ? i did it for the honor of god , i did it to sacrifice to god ; and yet the prophet of god in gods name chargeth saul with rebellion . now brethren , sin you see hath that in its own nature that is not intended by men in their sinning : therfore while i speak of the nature of sin , some may say , indeed this my be true of sinful , wicked , notorious wretches ; but is this true of me ? yea , it may be true of the most civil man or woman in gods presence this day ; god may charge them with hatred and rebellion . thirdly , sin is a dispising of god. who would acknowledg in the way of sin they despise god ? scarce any in the world is so wicked as to acknowledg they despise god. and yet mark , god chargeth david with this for the commission of that one sin : see the sam. . . david did despise god. well , if hatred , and rebellion , and despising of god , though neither of them all be in the intention of the man in committing of them , yet god seeth it in the nature of them . so then if sin be a despising of god , rebellion against god , walking contrary , and enmity , &c. if there be all this in sin , though in every sin the creature intend not this , but god seeth this in the root of every sin , in the venom of every sin : therefore then , you that have gone on in the course of sin , lay but this second thing to heart , that you are those , who have walked in the course of your lives in an opposition against the infinite dreadful god of all the world ; against the infinite god , this hath been the course of your life . truly brethren , it is enough , this that i speak of , to pluck down the stoutest heart , the wickedest and wretchedest hard heart in the world ; for a minister of god to come and charge them in gods name , thou hast gone on in all thy life hitherto , ever since thou wast born , in a continual opposition to god himself , unto the infinite lord , the eternal first being of all the world ; thy life hath been nothing but enmity to this god : thou hast as directly opposed , and striven against , and resisted him , as ever man did oppose , and resist , and strive with another man , and this thou hast done in the whol course of thy life : certainly there is more in this to humble a man than any thing that can be spoken to shew him the evil of sin . when christ would humble sauls heart , what doth he do ? he comes and saith , saul , saul , why persecutest thou me ? alas , thou thinkest thou hast to deal with these poor creatures , who are not able to right themselves : but be it known to thee , thou hast to deal with me , the ever living , eternal god. why persecutest thou me ? who art thou lord ? as if he had said , lord , i did not think i had to deal with thee , who art thou lord ? i am he whom thou persecutest . he said no more , but as if should have said thus , look upon me , i am that great and glorious god that hath thee at an advantage , and can tread thee under my feet : presently saul fals down ( the text saith ) trembling , and astonished , and saith , lord what wilt thou have me to do ? oh that it might be so this day , that some heart might fall down trembling , and astonished : and when you get alone , and think on what hath been declared , say , lord , in the waies of sin have opposed , resisted , and been an enemy to thee ; oh lord never thought it , oh now lord forgive . it is time , it is time brethren , to cease resisting of god , and walking contrary to god ; for he is above you , and wil have the victory and the glory over all creatures oh perhaps thou hast been an old enemy , an old sinner , that all thy daies hast walked on in a course of sin ; yea , perhaps thy father hath been an enemy , thou his enemy , and thy father his enemy ; an old adulterer , a swearer , a wicked opposite to god ; and perhaps thou nourishest up children to be enemies to god ; thou nourishest and breedest up a company of brats to be enemies to god ; thou breedest them in the waies of sin and wickedness , and so there is a generation of enemies against god oh brethren , that god would but stir your hearts and make you fal down before him , and see your selves guilty of so great an enmity . many be ready to excuse themselves and others thus ; he is no bodies enemy but his own , a good natured man , and i am no bodies enemy but my own : yes , besides thy own , thou art an enemy to the eternal god ; and thy waies hath been a way quite contrary to the eternal god , and this thou art guilty of , and the lord chargeth thee with it this day . i remember when daniel comes to belshezzar , he comes to him , and thinks he hath enough to humble that proud king belshezzar , when he saith thus to him : that god in whose hands the breath of thy nostrils , and al thy waies are , that god thou hast not glorified : and it hath a mighty deal of power to bring down the proudest and stoutest spirit upon the earth ; when god shall give commission to conscience to come and charge him and say ; oh thou wicked wretch , remember that , that god in whose hands all thy waies , and the breath of thy nostrils are , that god thou hast not glorified : and suppose conscience hath commission to come thus , and say , that god in whose hands the breath of thy nostrils and all thy waies are , that god in all thy life thou hast walked quite cross unto , in all thy life . i say it would have a great deal of power in it to humble the proudest heart in the world . and this is the second particular of the operations of sins workings ; it is a going cross to god. there are two more in this branch , how sin is opposite to god. sin wrongs god , and sin is a striking at god. but because the fourth is shorter than the third , i shall begin with the fourth , and make the third last . i said before , sin was continually working against god ; but now i say , chap. x. sin is a striking against god. the sinner wisheth god were not so holy , &c. it seek the destruction of god. also sin is a wronging of god. thirdly , sin is a striking against god. i told you sin was an opposing of god , and all his waies : but now i say , sin is a striking at god ; at the very life of god. a man may fight with another , and yet not seek to take away his life , to destroy him ; but sin strikes at the very being of god. i remember an expression in the of levit. . speaking of the blasphemer that blasphemed the name of god ; the words are translated in the latine , he did strike through the name of god : certainly sin is a striking of god. indeed god is not a body that we can strike through him with our hands ; but god is a spirit , and so the spirits of men may by their sins strike through god himself : so strike at god ( observe it ) as for the maintenance of thy sin , thou dost wish god might cease to be god ; this is horrible wickedness you wil say indeed what will you say to such a wickedness as this , that it should enter into the heart of any creature , oh that i might have my lust , and rather than i will part with my lust , i had rather god should cease to be god ; rather than i would leave my lust , i had rather god should be no more ; this is horrible wickedness . but what wil you say if i convince your consciences that this is in your bosoms , that you have been guilty of this sin ? yea in some measure , every sin may justly be charged with this , that rather than the sin should not be committed , thou wouldst rather have god to cease to be . you will say , lord , have mercy upon us , though you have told us some other things hard , and strict , and yet they seem to be true ; but you shal never make me beleeve this , all the men in the world shal never make me to beleeve this ; that i should be guilty of so much wickedness , as to be set upon my lusts so , as to desire rather god not to be god at all , rather than i lose my lust ; i hope there is not such wickedness in me . i beseech you hearken , and i hope to convince you that there is so much wickedness in the heart of man ; that they be set upon their sins so , that they had rather god were not god at all , than they lose their lusts ; and to this end , observe these two things . . first , do you not think it in the nature of a sinner , so far as sin prevails in his heart , to come to this ( so far as sin prevails i say ) that he could wish god were not so holy as he is : hated not sin so much as he doth ; that he were not so just , and so strict , and severe against sin as he is : is not this in every sinners heart in the world ' certainly you deceive your selvs if you do not own this ; i say so far as sin prevails in your hearts , could not you wish that god were not so holy , to hate those sins you love , and not so just , to be so severe against sin as he is , is not this in your hearts ? it is impossible for any creature to love any thing , and yet not wish that another did not hate it so much as he doth . well , if there be this in thee , that thou lovest such a sin , that thou couldest wish god did not hate it so much as he doth , that he were not so just , holy , and severe against sin as he is ; this is to wish in thy heart that god were no god at al , that the life of god , and being of god were gone : so that thy heart in this sinful frame and disposition of it , it is no other but to strike at the very being of god : for it is the work of the heart wishing that god were not god , for if he did not ( as i told you ) hate sin as much as he doth , he could not be a god at al. now this is plain , and there is scarce any one bosom , but is guilty of this , scarce any of you , but may lay your hand upon your hearts and say , this breast of mine is guilty of this , that when my heart is set upon any evil way , i could wish that god were not so holy to hate this ; i had rather god should like of this : i hear of gods justice , but doth not my heart rise against gods justice ? and i could wish that god were not so just as he is : certainly there is this in some degree or other ; therfore charge your hearts with this ; and know , that so far as you have been guilty of this , you have struck at the being of god ; and this horrible wickedness is charged upon you , that your hearts have been set so far upon sin , that you could wish god had not been god rather than you lose your sin . you would think it a horrible wickedness for any man to be so far in lust with another woman , as to wish his wife dead , that he might have his fill of lust with that woman ; this were a horrible wickedness ; and yet this is in your hearts , to wish god had no being , so that you might have your sin : especially those that be prophane ones , they , if they could have their wish , would desire there were no god at al. the scripture saith , that the fool saith in his heart , that there is no god at all . that man or woman that could wish that there were no god at all , so he might have his lust ; and to wish god were not so holy , and did not hate sin so much as he doth , so he might have his lust ; this is a horrible wickedness . oh that god would make thee fall down and think , oh the horrible wickedness and abomination of my heart , that i should be set so far upon any base lust , as to wish that god were not god rather than i not be satisfied with my lust ; and yet this is in sin , i and in every sin , so far as it prevails in thy heart . secondly , it must needs be thus , because it it is the nature of contraries , to seek the destruction of one another , as it is the nature of fire to seek the destruction of water ; so of any thing contrary to another it is the nature of it to seek the destruction of the contrary . but now you have heard there is nothing contrary to god ( to speak properly ) but only sin ; and if sin be the only contrary that god hath , then certainly sin doth seek the destruction of god , so much as it can : though it be true , a sinner can never do god hurt , nor cannot hinder gods working , or being at al : whatsoever become of this wretch , though he be destroyed , and perish to al eternity , god will remain blessed for ever . but this is the nature of sin , to seek the destruction of the eternal god of glory . oh charge your hearts with this ; do not stay till god come at the day of judgment to charge you with this ; for many poor sinners that went on blind-fold all their daies , and never saw sin what it was , then comes god upon their death bed , and chargeth them with this , and then their hearts are full of horror . and so at the day of judgment , when god comes to charge them with this , then they will be amazed , and will see the truth of this . therfore , seeing god doth it now before the day of judgment , do you now charge it upon your own hearts , that so you may be humbled . this is the third particular , it strikes at god. fourthly , sin wrongs god exceedingly . it doth that wrong unto god , that all the angels in heaven , and men in the world cannot make up again . any one sin , take but the least sin that thou dost commit , i say it doth that wrong unto god , that all the angels in heaven , and men in the world can never make up again : if all the angels in heaven , and men in the world , should come and say , lord god , this poor wretched creature hath committed this sin this day , o lord we are content to suffer ten thousand yeers torment in hell , to satisfie for that wrong that is done to thee by this man or womans sin ; god would say , it cannot be done by all men and angels , they can never make up this wrong : and yet ( as i shall shew hereafter ) god wil have this wrong made up , or thou must perish eternally . many men plead thus , who can challenge me and say , i have wronged them in al my life ; they think this enough : well , suppose thou hast lived so , that thou hast not wronged man , either in word or deed ; oh but thou hast wronged god , the living eternal god can charge thee ( though man cannot ) that thou hast done him that wrong that all the creatures in the world cannot make it good . it were a sad thing if a man had done that wrong to a kingdom , that all the blood in his veins , and in ten thousand generations more could not make up again , he would be weary of his life . you have done that wrong to the god of heaven , that all the angels in heaven , and men in the world can never make up again . well , to conclude , though the things be hard , and sad to think on , god knows i treat in tender bowels and compassion to you : and i do not know that ever i spake to any people in the world with more compassion , and that in this particular : and know , though i speak of these things now , yet if god give liberty , i shall be as glad and willing to be large in shewing you the riches of the grace of the gospel in christ : and gods mercy in christ . and i hope your hearts will be as free and large in this , as i am in speaking of this . and if i were now treating never so much of the riches of gods mercy in christ , i could not do it with more bowels of compassion than i do this : but i do this that you may come to know your selves ; that you may come to know christ ; that christ may be precious in your thoughts : for the special end of christs coming was , to take away sin , to deliver from sin ; therfore we must know sin , and charge our souls with sin , that christ may be precious . therefore if any soul shal go away and say , wo to me what have i done ? yea then , such a soul is fit to hear of the doctrine of grace and mercy in christ , and that in due time ( if god give liberty ) may be declared to such a soul . but now for the present i beleeve this is a necessary point for you to know ; and this is that ( though some may perhaps rise against it ) that thousand thousands wil have cause to bless god for to all eternity when it is preached home upon their consciences by the spirit of the lord which convinceth of the sinfulness of sin . chap. xi . how sin wrong god : in his attributes . relation of father , son , and holy ghost . his counsels . in the end for which god hath done all he hath done . and first , sin wrong gods attributes : his all-sufficiency , shewd in two particulars . it wrong his omnipresence , and omnisciency . sin wrong his wisdom . wrong his holiness . sin wrong god in setting mans will above gods. sin wrong gods dominion . sin wrong gods justice . sin wrong god in his truth . this was that which we proposed in the third place ; but we shall handle it in this fourth place , that we may enlarge upon it . but how doth sin wrong god ? the wrong you do to god by sin , is such wrong , that if all the angels in heaven , and men in the world , would be content to endure thousands of yeers of torment in hell to make up that wrong , it could not be ; any one sin that you commit doth such wrong to god. how doth this appear ? to make it out , i shal shew unto you four things . how sin doth wrong god in all his attributes . how it wrongs god in his personal relations , father , son , and holy ghost . how it wrongs him in his counsels , in that order he hath set in the world in all creatures . how it wrongs god in the very end for which he hath done all that he hath done , in the end of all his works , even his glory . first , sin wrongs god in his attributes : as thus , first , sin doth hold forth this , that there is not a sufficiency of good in god , for the satisfying of a soul ; this language is apparant in every sin , and it holds this forth ; so far as sin doth appear , it holds this forth before all , and speaks this language , that there is not enough good in god , that is , the blessed , glorious , al-sufficient eternal , unchangable good and fountain of all good : yet sin makes this profession , that there is not enough good in god to satisfie this soul : or else why doth the soul depart from him in any sinful way , and go to the creature for any good , if there be enough in god himself ? now there is great wrong done to that blessed god , who is goodness it self ; for any creature to hold this forth , that there is not sufficient good there , but that the creature must be fain to seek for it elswhere out of god. so long as we seek comforts in the creature in order to god , we seek for it in god , though in the creature , if in order unto god : but when we come to seek for any good , any comfort in any way of sin ( as no sin can be committed , but there is this in it ) though deliberately you do not say , that you think there is not comfort enough in god , but you will have it in this sinful way , you do not say so : but there is this in thy walking in the way of sin , god seeth this in the nature of every sin . would not a father think it a wrong to him , or a master think it a wrong , to have his son , or his servant , go and complain to his neighbor and say , he hath not meat enough ? that wrong you would think your child doth to you , in going to shark at your neighbors door for meat ; this you do to god when you go to sin : as if you should say , notwithstanding there is so much said of the infinit goodness of god , and that infinite satisfaction in him ; for my part i find not enough in him , i must have it elswhere . this is a wrong to gods al-sufficiencie in this first regard . secondly , a sinner , going in waies of sin , wrongs god thus ; he holds this forth , that there is more good to be had in a sinful lust , than there is to be had in all the glorie and excellencie in the infinite blessed god. this you will say is a wrong , if this can be made out that there is this evil in sin , holding this forth , that there is more good to be had in a base sinful lust , than in all the glorie in heaven , and comfort in god. certainly this is so , and god seeth it so ; and except god be satisfied for this sin in christ , god will charge this upon thy soul another day , that hast been guilty of this great sin . and that i may cleer it to your conscience , that in every evil way there is this : thus it appears ; because everie sinful way is a departing from god , and all that good in god : now this in the account of reason may appear to the weakest capacity , that where there stands two goods propounded , and i depart from one , and chuse the other ; by my chusing , though i say nothing , when i chuse the one , when i cannot injoy both together ; i do thereby profess i account more good to be in that other i chuse , than in that former i parted from : thus it is in the waies of sin , god sets forth himself to the soul , and shews his goodness and excellencie , as appeareth in all his glorious works ; and those that live under the gospel , as appeareth in his word to them ; and god woes the soul , my son give me thy heart , and here i am willing to communicate my self to thee , and all that good in me to thy soul ; if i have anie good , anie thing in that infinite nature of mine , to comfort thy soul , and make thee happie , here i am willing to let it out and communicate it to thee : thus god professes to all the world , all the children of men , to whom at least the ministerie of the gospel comes , if thy soul will come in and close with him in that way he reveals to thee , he is readie to communicate that goodness in him to thy soul to make thee blessed . but now anie man or woman in anie sinful way , though they do not say so , yet they profess by their practice this , that though there be such goodness in thee , yet here is such a sinful lust , i expect more goodness in this than in thy blessed majestie : certainly there is this in everie sin , and god seeth it , and god will deal with a sinner according to this if he come to answer for his sin himself . for ( brethren ) thus it stands , we cannot enjoy god and sinful waies both together ; so far as any decline to sinful waies , so far they venture the loss of god eternally , and all that good in god. it may be god may have mercie upon thee , and bring thee into christ ; and christ may satisfie god for that wrong thou didst to him , this is nothing to thee , but there is this evil in thee , there is not one sinful way that thou closest with , but thou venturest the loss of all that infinite good to be injoyed in the blessed god , in that sin : here is the evil of sin : and is not this a wrong to god ? what is god , if not better than a base lust ? the devil himself is better than a base lust , that is , the devil hath an entitie in him , he is of god , though he be a devil by sin , yet he is a being that is of god ; but sin hath no good , and therfore sin is worse than the devil : it is that which makes the devil so evil as he is , and yet thou in thy sinful way doest profess , thou accountest more good to be in sin than in all the good of god himself , as if sin were better than god himself : for thou venturest the loss of god that thou maiest have thy sinful way . oh sinner ! stop in thy way , and consider what thou doest : and know all thy life long which thou hast lived , hath been nothing else but a continual profession before all the world by thy sinful life , that thou accountest more good in a lust , than all the good in the blessed god to be enjoyed to al eternitie . ii. thou wrongest god in the way of thy sin thus , in his omnipresence , and omnisciency : to put them both together . in that thou darest do that before the very face of god , that god infinitely hates : is it not a wrong to any king , yea , to your selves though mean , for those that are your inferiors to do that before your face that you hate above all things in the world ? thus a sinner doth , al the wayes of thy sin are before the very face of god , and they are such things as god infinitely hates , yet thou darest do that before the face of god in some sin , that thou darest not do before the meanest boy or girle in thy house . what a wrong is this to gods omnisciency and omnipresence ! nay , perhaps thou darest not do it before a child of six years old , and yet darest do it before the face of the infinite blessed god , if a man should be afraid to do a thing before any servant in his house , the very scullion of the kitchin , and yet when he comes before the king , doth it there ; were not this a wrong to his majesty , that any dare be so bold before him ? again , thou wrongest his omnipresence in this , in that thou darest to cast that which is filthy before his presence , to cast carrion , a dead dog , before a prince , is a wrong : men in sinful wayes do nothing but cast vomit and filth before the presence of a most holy ▪ god : thus thou wrongest god in his omnipresence and omnisciency . thirdly , thou wrongest god in his way of wisdom , because in sin thou professest gods wayes are not wayes of wisdom , but thou knowest better to provide for thy self , than in that way god hath set thee ; how doest thou cast folly on the waies of god , and settest thy shallow way and heart of thine before gods , as if thou couldest provide for thy self and thy own good more wisely than god hath set thee in a way to do ; the word of god and that revealed in the light of nature , is nothing else but several beams of the infinite wisdom of god for the guiding of manking unto happiness and glory ; the light of nature helps somwhat , though it reach not far enough , yet i say , the light of nature is made up of several beams of gods wisdom , but the light of the word is made up of beams of wisdom , a great deal more bright than the beams of nature , now any sinner that forsakes the waies of god , rejects these beams of wisdom as if they were dark , and doth as if he should say , i know how better to provide by this way . hence carnal men account the waies of god foolishness , and preaching of the word foolishness , and the usual title that they give to those that walk more strict than others , is this , what fools they are , nothing but a company of fools that keep such a stir : and it is an ordinary thing in the world for carnal hearts to cast folly upon the waies of god ; and for themselves , they can sit at home and applaud themselves in their wisdom , as if they go in a neerer way than others ; and why should they be such fools as others ? and it is usual for parents that be carnal , to come to their children and cast folly upon them when they look after the waies of god , some do it openly , but every sin doth cast folly upon god and his blessed way ; and in every sin thou settest thy wisdom above gods wisdom . fourthly , in sin thou doest cast dirt on the holiness of god. holiness is the brightness of of gods glory , and in the waies of sin thou castest dirt upon the face of holiness it self : gods nature is pure , thy sin is filthy and vile , and contrary to him , and doth what it can to darken the brightness of the infinite holiness of god. fifthly , thou wrongest god in this , that thou settest up thy will above the will of god ; gods will is to be the rule of all the actions and waies of the creature , but thou comest and settest up thy will above gods ; there is this hidious wickedness in every sin , at least in every wilful sin when it comes into the will , then the will of man is set up above the will of the infinite and glorious god : do not you account your selves wronged when you will have your will , and a poor boy saith he will have it otherwise ? do not you account your selves wronged when he dares set his will before yours ? oh consider this you that are wilful , you cannot bear to have your will crost , to have an inferior , or a child set their will against yours , you are not able to bear it : oh consider what you do when you set your will against the will of the infinite god : nay , above it in two regards . because when gods will is one way , and yours another , you will rather have yours , than god shall have his . though god doth onlie will that which is right and good , and is content to have his will satisfied in nothing but in things good , you will have yours right or wrong , good or bad ; god will have his in onlie that which is righteous and good , if you were set upon your will in that which were good , it were another matter ; but in that you will have your will right or wrong , good or bad , as come to men in their passion , and reason with them , why this is not wel , yet say they , i wil ; and this carries it : what a proud spirit is this that dares set up his will against gods will ; good or bad , right or wrong i must have it , and this is in sin . sixthly , sin wrongs god in the dominion and power , and soveraigntie of god , which with men is a verie tender thing , where there is sovereigntie , there cannot be endured the least wrong . men be mightie tender of power and sovereigntie ; sure if they be so , god may much more be tender of his , which is as the apple of his eye . let me suggest one consideration to you , which should make anie mans heart to bleed to consider how god is wronged in the world ; and that is this , you shall have poor men and servants , that dare not do anie thing to displease those that have power over them , if but a master , or landlord , or justice of the peace ( especially if it come higher ) oh how they shake and tremble if they be displeased , and if anie thing go against their mind they dare not do it ; but there is not the basest fellow , the vilest wretch that lives , the poorest worm , but he dares venture to sin against god , blaspheme the name of god , shakes at the word of a man of power , or a man but a little above him ; but he dares fill his mouth with oaths even in the face of god himself , there he hath courage and valor , and he scorns to be afraid , what to fear an oath ! he hath too brave a spirit to be afraid of that : oh horrible wrong to the infinite god! what is anie superioritie in man so great that men dare not offend them , and yet the poorest spirit that is , dares wrong and blaspheme the name of god. seventhly , there is a wrong to god in his justice : sin wrongs god in his infinite justice . in that it is not afraid of god ; god expects all creatures should fear him because of his justice . thou doest wrong to his justice , in that by waies of sin , thou doest as much as in thee lies even accuse the waies of god for unjust-waies , and not equal , but that your waies be more just and equal than gods. therefore god in scripture reasons the case with his people , what are not my waies equal , are not your waies unequal ? ezek. . . certainly there is this in sin , for if you account not your waies more equal , why chuse you them ? eightly , you wrong god in his truth : as if all gods threatnings against the waies of sin you walk in were nothing but a tale and a lie , as if all the promises god hath made in his word of grace and mercy to poor sinners that will come in and repent , they were all but a lie : thus sin wrongs god in his truth , hence it is that a sinner is in a woful estate , because he hath thus wronged god ; he hath therefore all the attributes of god pleading against him , yea , they are continuallie against thee . therefore look to it , till your sins be done away in christ , and your souls clensed in him , both night and day all the attributes of god are pleading against thee for to require that wrong you have done to them may be righted upon thee . a man is in a sad condition if he have but divers thousands of men come to plead against him , and these cry out for justice , justice , upon him ! but if a man have a whol kingdom , and everie one comes and cries justice ! justice ! upon this man that hath wronged this kingdom , this man is in a woful estate , but i speak of everie sinner before god , if that thy sins be not done away in christ , know it is not a whol kingdom speaks against thee , but all the divine attributes , al the attributes of god be continuallie before the lord , crying out against thee , justice against this sin ; he hath wronged me saith one , and me saith another , and me saith another , and thus , and thus , and thus , and therefore thou art in an evil condition , and it is much that thou shouldest sleep quietlie when all gods attributes plead against thee , it is a hard case when the devil pleads against a man , and but accuse him , and plead against him before god , but when all the attributes of god plead against him ( as i might shew you more at large ) how woful is his condition . object . but you will say , though all the other attributes plead against me , yet i hope mercy will plead for me answ . but that pleads against thee too , for thou wrongest his mercie also . indeed there is no attribute more wronged by sinners ordinarily than the mercy of god is . the mercie of god , doest thou think that shall plead for thee ? that is wronged especiallie : why ? because there is no attribute abused to be an abettor to sin , more than the mercie of god is ; and it s abused and made to harden the hearts of men and women in sin , no attribute so much abused . the justice of god thou thinkest that pleads against thee , but mercie thou thinkest pleads for thee ; justice is not so much wronged by sin as mercie is : the justice of god is not made an abettor of sin : now that is the greatest wrong that can be for gods mercie to be made a means to abet sin , and to harden mens hearts in sin. it is a great wrong to make use of any creature to be serviceable to our sin ; if a man make meat , or drink , or cloathes , or anie creature serviceable to his lust , it is a wrong to that creature and to god the creator of that creature that thou makest serviceable to thy lust : but if it be a wrong to the creature , what is it to make the mercie of god serviceable to your lusts ? and who is there almost but makes the mercy of god in some degree or other serviceable to his lusts ? it is a horrible thing thus to abuse mercie : how doest thou think the mercie of god should plead for thee when thou doest it such infinite wrong ? when thou venturest upon sin because god is a merciful god. thus you wrong the attributes of god by sin . chap. xii . how sin wrongs god in his personal relations . the father . the son. the spirit . secondly , now for the personal relations of god ; father , son , and holy ghost ; how they be wronged in way of sin . first , god the father . consider of these in those operations most proper , and especially attributed to them . as now , that attributed to the father , is the work of creation : now thou wrongest god the father in this especial operation , in that thou abusest the gifts god hath given thee ; that body and soul god hath made , thou abusest it to gods dishonor ; abusest his creatures ; takest gods own creatures , and abusest them to his dishonor : yea , thy own members that god made thee to honor him withal , thou takest them , and with his own weapons fightest against himself : not only fightest against him , but with his own weapons , faculties and gifts he hath given thee , thou fightest against him . thus thou wrongest god the father in his work of creation . secondly , thou wrongest christ in the work of redemption . because the least sin thou committest ( if ever it be pardoned ) it is that which stab'd jesus christ to the very heart : i say , thy sin was that which pierced christ , and brought forth blood and water from him ; it was that which whipt christ ; it was that which put christ to death , that shed the blood of christ , that crucified christ . i may say to every sinner that expects to be saved by christ , as peter in the . acts said to those jews , whom you have crucified , and the text saith , that then they were pricked to their hearts . certain it is , thou sinner ( man or woman , whosoever thou art ) that dost expect to have part in the blood of christ , thy sin crucified christ , made christ cry out upon the cross , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? what dost thou think of thy sins now ? and if thou be such an one as hath never been affected with the blood of christ that was shed for thy sins , then thou wrongest the blood of christ more , for then thou dost trample the blood of the everlasting covenant under thy feet , and accountest it a common thing . most men and women be such that live under the light of the gospel , that like swine trample the very blood of christ under their feet , and make nothing of the blood of christ , go to the sacrament hand over head unpreparedly , and so come to be guilty of the body and blood of christ . certainly these be not strains of wit above the truth and reality of things ; there is a reality in it , that thy soul is charged from god this day of wronging christ the second person . thirdly , thou wrongest the spirit of god , in defacing of the work of sanctification ( what in thee lies ) in opposing the work of gods spirit in thy soul , in resisting the motions of gods spirit . who is there but is guilty of resisting the motions of the holy ghost ? who is there but at some time or other when they have been at the word , but they have had some stirrings of the spirit of god within them , when they have heard such and such truths of god ? but they have gone to company , and laughed it away , drunk , and played it away talked it away . what a wrong is this to the holy ghost ? thou wrongest the holy ghost by defiling thy body , which should be the temple of the holy ghost . chap. xiii . sin wrong the counsels of god in setting that order in the world that he hath set . thirdly , thou wrongest the counsels of god in setting that order in the world which he hath set . to understand it know this , god in his eternal counsel hath set a due order in all his creatures , they walk in an orderly way to fetch about that end that he himself did intend . as a workman that makes a curious work , puts everie wheel and piece in a right frame , and due order , that so by that order his art hath placed in the work , the work may attain unto that end he made it for : so god hath done , he hath made all things by weight and measure in due order . god made all things good , very good , and all that one creature might be serviceable to another ; as one wheel to a curious watch is serviceable to another , and all to bring about the end of the workman ; so god in his eternal will and counsel hath set all things in that proportion and order that he may fetch about his own end . but sin is the thing , and the only thing that break the order of god in the world , and strikes at gods work to break it al to pieces what lies in the sinner . if we should suppose that all the cunning artificers in the whol nation , nay in all the world , should joyn together to make a curious work in a curious frame , perhaps they have been seven years in making of it , and at length bring it to perfection , and things be made in that order and exactness , that it is to admiration , so that this work is worth more than can be imagined , because of the curious art and order in this work : but suppose now , one should come , and ( through ignorance , much more if knowinglie ) give it a blow and strike it al to pieces ; what a mischievous thing were this ? certainlie there is this in sin , for there is infinite depth of counsel and wisdom of god in setting all things in frame , that one thing should be serviceable to another ; and at length all should come to be for gods glorie . now there is no creature can break the order god hath made but men and angels , none but those creatures that are capable of sin. and certainlie sin doth not onlie aim to break gods order , but doth it actuallie ; sin brings disorder , and doth break the order god hath set : onlie god by his mightie power knows how to bring sin it self to that , that he will have his glorie from it , to take occasion at least by it to bring things into their right order again . but were it not that god were of infinite wisdom and power , sin would break all that curious work god hath made , and bring it all to confusion . now we know art and wisdom ads to anie thing ; as suppose some curious building were all beaten too pieces and rubbish , there were no material less in the rubbish than in the building , only the art of the workman , the art and the order that makes the beautie of the work , and the difference in excellencie from a heap of rubbish . so it is the order god hath set in the world that makes the beautie of gods work , and sin doth do all it can to make all the work of god to be a heap of rubbish , a meer confusion . indeed when there is such a curious piece of work of a workman broke all in pieces on a sudden , if he had so much skill and power instantly to put it in frame again , his art would exceedingly be admired and wondered at . thus it is with god ; certainly were it not for gods infinite wisdom and power , wherby he can bring all in order again , sin would bring all to rubbish ; and know thou hast a hand in this that hast a hand in sin. chap. xiv . sin wrong god in the end for which he hath made all things . fourthly , sin wrongs god in the end for which he hath made all things , which is his own glory . now we know that of all things a man cannot endure to be wronged in his end , when he hath an end to such & such a thing , and aims to bring such and such a thing to pass , though he should be frustrated in regard of some means , this troubles him not , but when he comes to lose his end , this troubles him exceedingly . thus it is with a sinner , he sets himself against god to do what lies in him that god should lose his end of all that ever he hath done : and if so be god were not almightie to over power things , certainly sin would quite frustrate god of his end of his works , for which he did make all things , to wit , his glory . now a sinner doth what he can to darken the glory of god , doth in effect stand up and say , if i can help it , god shall have no glory in the world . i say , you that walk on in waies of sin , this you are charged with in the name of god this day , that you are guiltie of this , you have in effect stood up , and as it were said , if i can help it god shall have no glory in the world : and yet it was for his glory that god made all things . truly brethren , it cannot but be a soul-piercing consideration for any stout stubborn sinner in the world for to have this one thought ( take it with you , and work it upon your hearts , see what it will do ) to think thus , had i never been born , god had never been so much dishonored : this one thought hath a mightie power to pierce the stoutest hearted sinner in the world . oh! is not god infinitely worthy of all glory and honor in the world ? hath he not made all creatures for his glory ? and if i had never been born , and never had had a being , god should never have been so dishonored , he would have had more glorie if i had never been . if god had made me a dog or a toad , a snake or a serpent , god should have had more glory than by making me a man. true , god will bring about his glory , and have more glory from thee another way , than if thou hadst been made a dog or a toad ; but no thanks to thee , thou dost what thou canst in way of sin to hinder his glory , gods almightie power brings this to pass . but if thou goest on in waies of sin , it may be said of thee , that if thou hadest been made a dog or toad , god would have had more glory in the world than now he hath in making thee a man : yea , thou art so far from bringing god glory that thou dishonor'st god as much as in thee lies . and this , if it lies upon the heart as it should is a sad consideration to humble the proudest heart in the world ; to think that thou livest , and god hath no glory by thee , though this be the end for which god made the world . think thus , suppose god should have no more glorie by all the world , than by me , to what end were the world made ? suppose one that lives in a meer atheistical way , and takes no notice of the majestie and glorie of god , but lives only to eat and drink , and play and swear , and the like ; now if his conscience tell him this hath been his way , i speak to such a one in these words , suppose god had never had more glory from any creature than from thee ? to what purpose had the world been made ? for god that hath wrought so wonderfully and gloriously in raising such a glorious edifice and frame , certainly it was , that he might have some glory from what he hath done . no man works any thing but for some end , and wisdom directs every man that his end be worth his labor , that , that which he aims at shall be worth all his work . now god had some end therefore in making thee , and he must needs have some excellent end ; but now , what do i think in my conscience was the end of god in making of the world and me ? what was it for no other end but that men and women might live and eat and drink , and lye , and swear , and commit such wickedness ? was this gods end ? i put it to your conscience every sinful man or woman ; think how hast thou lived ? what hast thou done in all thy life ? look back to thy former life , and think how hast thou spent it ? i have gotten money , and what to do ? is it only to eat and drink , and the like ? and thou hast lived in a course of nature thy conscience tells thee thus , now i put this to thee , doest thou think in thy conscience this is the end thou livest in the world for ? did god ( when from all eternity he intended to make such a creature as thou art , to live in such a time in such a place , and preserved thee all this while from such dangers at sea , or at land ) i say , did god aim at no other end but this that thou shouldest live to do thus ? certainly thy conscience will condemn thee if thou hast but a heart for to think of it . thou wert upon thy sick bed , and then thou cryedst to god to spare thee ; well , thou didest escape , now i put this to thee , dost thou think god spared thee , and gave thee thy life , to live to no other end but this ? dost thou think this was the only end ? take heed thou dost not go on in waies of crossing god in his end , for god will have his end one way or other . if a man have been at a great deal of cost to deliver another man from misery , redeemed him from captivitie , and when he hath brought him home , he rails at him that did this for him , and doth him all the mischief he can : and in any mans account he is exceedingly wronged that hath done thus and thus for one that is thereby as it were his creature , and yet he live and do thus and thus wrong and abuse him . certainly then , god is wronged when he hath given thee a body , delivered thee from such and such dangers , and thou livest to no other end but to satisfie thy lust ; thou exceedingly wrongest god. this is so cleer , that a man would wonder where mens consciences are , that they live quietly , and that their consciences flies not in their faces continually . certainly , when god shall enlighten the conscience , and bring these things with power to their souls , then sinners will stand amazed and wonder they saw not this before : these things be so clear , that its a wonder i was so blind , that i had not eyes to see these before , and yet who laies these things to heart ? and thus we have done with this first thing in the explanation , the wrong sin doth to god in his nature , working against , and striking at god , and in his relations , &c. now there are , i confess , those things i most aimed at in this work behind , therefore i will wind up in a word or two , in some corollaries , and consequences , to be drawn from hence : only thus much , when i have told you sin is a greater evil than affliction ; yea , a greater evil than all the torments of hell , as i said in the beginning . then you may see by what i have said , how this truth results out of these consequences , because it wrongs god , and god is so infinitely good . if anie man be afflicted , or perish in hell eternally , it is but the good of a creature , and the comfort of a creature crossed in this , but in sin there is the crossing of the good of an infinite god , and of his glory ; and there is more good in gods glory , than in all the peace and comfort of all creatures in the world : and if so , then certainly there must be more evil in sin that is cross to gods glory , than in all pains and torments that are but only cross to the peace and comforts that are in the creature : i say , hence followeth these corollaries . chap. xv. the first corollarie . ] it appears by this , that but few men know what they do when they sin against god. first from this , certainly it doth evidently appear that there are but few men that know what they do in sinning against god , nor have not known all this while . it was the complaint of the prophet jeremiah , no man saith , what have i done ? certainly men in waies of sin never say , oh lord , what have i done ? give me but that man or woman that have gone on in waies of sin , that have imagined they have wronged god so much ; that they have done so much against the infinite eternal glorious god. they think indeed they have done amiss , what they should not do ; but it is another manner of matter , it is not only doing what you should not do , but it is a wrong to the infinite glorious god , and therefore certainly it appears but few men know god , or know sin ; neither know what that god is with whom they have to deal ; neither know what sin is , and how it makes against that god with whom they have to deal ; if men did only know god , it were enough to keep them from sin . and there is a notable place in the john . he that saith i know him and keepeth not his commandements is a liar , and the truth is not in him . if there be any man in the congregation that saith he knows god , and keepeth not his commandements , he lies saith the holy ghost . what , doest thou know god , man or woman ? sinner , man or woman doest thou know god , that infinite glorious eternal god , with whom thou hast to do ? and not to keep his commandements , but goest on in waies of sin ? certainly thou art a liar . it may be many of you are apt to say , we know god , what need we have so much of god preached ? if you say you know god and keep not his commandements , you are a liar . but now joyn these together , to know what a glorious god this is , and how sin works against this god. some knows somwhat of gods attributes , and can discourse of him , yet perhaps never knew before how sin made against this god , this is that people fail in ; certainly both together hath not been known by most people . i remember a speech i have read of a german divine upon his sick bed ; he cryes out thus , in this disease i have learned what sin is , and how great the majestie of god is : these together . we cannot know what sin is , except we know how great the majesty of god is ; put these together , and these two together , will make men understand that they did never consider of before , what their lives are , and how people go on in a resolute , inconsiderate way , and know not what they do , and what god is . therefore we may pray as christ in another case , father forgive them they know not what they do : poor creatures they know not what they do ; they never imagined what the greatness of the glory of god is . chap. xvi . the second corollarie . ] the necessity of our mediators being god and man. secondly , hence appeareth , the necessity that our mediator between god and us , must be god as well as man : great is the mysterie of godliness that god is manifest in the flesh . well , but what is the reason of this mysterie of godliness ? how comes it to pass that there is a necessity of such a mysterie of godliness for saving of poor souls ? that god must be manifested in the flesh ? that god must be man ? that all the angels in heaven , and men in the world , could not be a mediator between god and us , but our mediator must be truly and verily god as wel as man ? what is the reason of this ? that that i have been speaking of gives a full reason of it , our sins have so wronged god , hath been so much against god , that it is only god can make up the wrong , onlie such a mediator as christ that is both god and man , that can make it up . i suppose most of you know so far in your catechism , that christ is god and man ; but suppose i should put this question to you , you say christ is god and man ; but give me a sound reason , why it is necessary that christ must be god and man ? why cannot man be saved by any savior but such a one as must be verily and truly god and man ? i suppose you will give a sound substantial reason , and say , god appointed and hath ordained it should be so : but though it be gods will , and god hath ordained it , yet there is another reason , and this it is ; you may say ( when you hear christ was god and man that mighty savior ) here is the reason of all that , because sin doth so wrong and strike at god , and oppose god , that of necessity whosoever comes to be a mediator between god and us , must be god as well as man. therefore the scripture saith of christ , his name shall be called wonderful , counsellor , the mighty god. isa . . . christ is the mighty god , and the mighty god in the work of reconciliation , in reconciling god and us together , then he shews himself mighty . because if all the world had undertaken to meditate between god and us , such is the breach between god and us , that all the men in the world could have done no more than if so be you had gone and put a picec of paper to a mighty flame , as if one had a mighty flame coming upon him , and he puts a piece of paper to keep it off ; we know that will quickly burn it ; he must put some brass or iron . so that wrong is done to god by the sin of man , that if all the men in world , all the created powers in heaven and earth , had come to have stood between god and us , to have satisfied god for that wrong sin did to him , it had been but just like a piece of brown paper against a mighty flame . but whosoever comes to stand between god and us , must be one infinite , as well as that person is infinite against whom we have offended , and that is christ the mediator , the mighty god , god and man. oh know the mediator by which you must be saved must be very god ; and the reason is , because sin hath done such infinite wrong to god. chap. xvii . the third corollarie . ] that but few are humbled as they should for sin. it will not be deep enough except it be for sin as it s against god. . it will not sanctifie the name of god. it will not be lasting . else it will never make a divorce between sin and the soul. thirdly , that which follows hence , that sin is so much against god as hath been shewed , we see that there are but very few that are humbled for sin aright : it will follow from hence , i shall make it out from the point , that if sin be of this nature so much against god as you have heard , certainly there are few people in the world are humbled for sin aright . there are many people that are troubled for sin , and will cry out of their sin , are struken with many feares and terrors for sin , and yet never humbled for sin aright , and it is clear from that you have heard out of this point . why ? because that humiliation for sin that is aright , it must needs be an humiliation for it as it is the greatest evil of all ; and it is the greatest evil as it is against god himself . now the humiliation of most in the world it is not so much for this , because sin is so much against god , because it opposeth god , strikes at god , and wrongs god so much : this is not the thing that doth usually take the hearts of men and women ▪ in their trouble for sin ; but for the fear of the wrath of god , and of hell , and an accusing conscience that doth flash the very fire of hell in their faces ; this troubles them . and well were it for many that they were but troubled so far ; true , this trouble is that which god doth many times bless , and there is great use of it , but this is not all ; no nor the chief trouble of the soul for sin . these fears and horrors ( i say ) are not the chief ; the chief of all is the humiliation of the soul for sin , as it is against god ; then is the heart humbled aright for sin , when it apprehends how by sin the soul hath been against the infinite glorious first-being of all things . all other humiliations in the world is not sufficient without this . for , it is not deep enough , there can be no humiliation deep enough , except the soul be humbled for sin , as it hath sinned against god : yea , though the heart be so burdened with fears and horrors as to be sunk down into despair , yet i do not call that a depth of humiliation , it is not from the depth of humiliation that the soul despairs , for certainly ( consider what i say brethren ) there is a mistake in this , to think that those that despair are humbled too much : no , despair is for want of humiliation , for despair and pride may stand both together ; for the devil is proud ; you will say as proud as lucifer ; the devils despair , they be the most despairing creatures in the world , and yet the most proud creatures in the world ; therefore despair doth not come from the depth of humiliation , but rather from the want of humiliation . certainly the hearts of men and women in despair fly against god , many times flies most desperately and proudly against god : in despair therefore the heart is not humbled enough when it hath only terrors and fears , except it be humbled for sin when it seeth it against the majestie of god as here hath been opened to you : nothing doth cast down the soul so low in true humiliation as the sight of sin against god. oh what have i done against god ? what hath my life been against that infinite , glorious , eternal first-being of all things ? when the soul comes to see that effectually , then it falls down , and falls down low too . certainly brethren , the heart is never humbled throughly till it come to feel the burden of sin to be heaviest there where it is heaviest ; mark , i say , till the heart feel the burden of sin to be heaviest where it is heaviest , it is not brought low enough : but the burden of sin it is heaviest as it is against god , rather than as it is against the good of the creature ; that though it be a wonderful burden , yea ( if god put not under his hand ) an intollerable burden if the conscience only apprehend sin as against the good of the creature ; but the apprehension of sin as against god is a great deal more , it doth shew the burden of sin , and make the burden of sin to be far more weighty than the other can possibly be . the apprehensions of sin any other way but this , it doth not so sanctifie the name of god as this doth . when the soul shall be cast down before the lord for sin , as it is against himself , as it is against his glory , as it hath wronged him ; i say , that this doth sanctifie the name of god a great deal more than any other humiliation doth : for other humiliation , other trouble for sin ( for i will rather call it trouble for sin than humiliation ) if this be not in it , there may appear in it much self-love , and a forced perplexitie of spirit : but now the name of god is not sanctified so as when the heart shall fall down and be humbled because that god hath been wronged , his attributes wronged , because he hath been opposed in his glory . now this humiliation doth especially lift up the name of god , and sanctifie the name of god. take any other humiliation , and it is not such an abiding humiliation as this is ; this humiliation for sin will more abide upon the spirit than any other doth , many are troubled for sin , have a great deal of horror and perplexity of spirit in some fits , in some moods , at some times ; but this their trouble is but for a flash , and it goes away , vanisheth and comes to nothing : when trouble is only from the apprehension of danger and miserie in it felf , i say it usually vanisheth and comes to nothing ; why ? because when there comes but any thing to make you to think that this danger may be in any degree over , or that things are not so bad as i was afraid , now the trouble presently vanisheth upon that . in times of sickness , the soul apprehends it self in danger of perishing , i am now going , i see my self at the brink of the pit ; now the soul is troubled for sin , but when the danger appeareth to be a little over , the trouble for sin ceaseth . but when the soul is troubled for sin as against god , this trouble cannot but abide , though afflictions be gone , yet my trouble abide . what 's the reason many people upon their sick beds be so troubled for sin ( as they think ) and cry out , oh! if god ever restore them , they will never do as they have done , and yet as soon as they are well they fall to their sin again : here is the reason , because only their danger troubled them . but now let the soul be kindly humbled for sin as against god , oh i have wronged god that infinite deitie , that infinite glorious first being of all things ; let such an one be in sickness or in health , whatsoever condition such an one is in , the trouble abides upon the spirit , yea brethren it abides upon the spirit even then when the soul hath hope sin shal be pardoned , yea when the soul knows certainly sin shal be pardoned , yet will the humiliation abide upon the heart of such a man or woman there 's a great mistake in the world in the matter of trouble for sin ; they think repentance or mourning for sin , is but one act , that if once they have been troubled for sin , they need never be troubled any more it is a dangerous mistake , for we are to know , true sorrow for sin , true repentance , is a continual act that must abide all our lives : and it is not only at that time when we are afraid that god will not pardon our sins , when we be afraid we shall be damned for our sins , but when we come to hope that god will , yea when we come to know that god hath pardoned our sins , yet then it will abide , only working in another manner , and it must needs be so if the heart be humbled for sin thus against god , for suppose god come in and graciously tell the soul , though thou hast wronged me , yet through the mediation of my son , i will forgive thee ; will this quiet the soul so as it will be no more troubled and sorrie for sin ? no. now the sorrow comes in another way : and is this the god i have wronged , the gracious merciful god i have wronged , that notwithstanding all the wrong i have done him , that when he had my soul at an advantage , and might justly have sent me down to the nethermost hell , and will he yet pardon though no goodness in me ? and yet will he have such thoughts of mercy , as to send his own son to make up that wrong , and satisfie for the evil i have done ? oh now the heart bleed afresh upon this , and mourns more than ever it did before . many can say of this , that after they have apprehended their sin to be pardoned , then their souls have mourned and melted more than ever they did before in the apprehension of horror and fear of gods wrath ; and all upon this , because they did not see sin to be an evil only as it brings danger of punishment , but they did see the evil of sin as against a god , as i have wronged god , stroke at the infinite glorious first-being of all things ; and this will abide upon the heart : therefore this is another manner of trouble for sin than the other ; and because this trouble for sin is so effectual , and so good , therefore it is that i have endeavored the more to open unto you how sin is against god : therefore when i come to the other to shew how it is against our selves , i shal be but brief in that because i know that this is the principal . the trouble for sin if it be apprehended evil any other way but this ( or if this be not chief ) cannot be so good , because there is no trouble for sin but this that ever will make a devorce between sin and the soul ; all other trouble will not do it unless this come in . and indeed it is to admiration to consider how strong the union between sin and the soul is , and how hard to make the devorce ; that take a man or a woman that apprehends never so much the wrath of god against sin ; take a man that lies as it were scalding in gods wrath , his conscience burning and bringing even hell to him , that he cries , and roars , in the anguish of his soul for sin ; one would think certainly this man will never have to do more with sin , that is in this horror and anguish , and trouble for sin , certainly he will never keep company , be drunk , be unclean , or cozen any more : but this may be to the admiration of men and angels , to see how men and womens hearts are set upon sin , that notwithstanding al that anguish and horror , that they have many times for it , yet they will to it again , and that as greedily as ever ; yea , and somtimes more greedily : for if once a man ( consider i beseech you what i say ) hath overcome the trouble of conscience for sin , and fallen to it again , he will then be more greedy ; he will slight conscience then , and scorn at conscience then , and make nothing of it if once he have out stood conscience . as an unruly horse , if he have but once cast his rider , then let him come on his back he cares not for him , he contemns him , he will quickly throw him off again : so when the stubborn unruly lusts of a mans heart have once cast off conscience , that a man or woman have been once under terrors of conscience for sin , and yet fall to it again , such a mans condition is very lamentable ; i● say not wholly desperate , i dare not say so , for gods thoughts are higher than ours as high as the heaven is above the earth : but this mans condition is very lamentable : there is this strength in sin in the soul , that all the terrors in the world will not breed a devorce between sin and the soul . but when once the soul can come to say with david , against thee , against thee only have i sinned ; in my sins i have gone against that god who is so infinitely above all praise and glorie : this is the humiliation ; if any thing make a devorce between sin and the soul this will do it . this is the third corollarie , that therefore there be verie few humbled for sin aright , because not thus humbled . chap. xviii . the fourth corollarie . ] admire the patience of god in seeing so much sin in the world , and yet bear it . fourthly , if this be so , that sin is so much against god , doth so much wrong god , hence then we have all cause to stand and admire at the infinite patience of the great god that shall behold so much sin in the world from such poor wretched vile creatures , and yet shall bear it : 't is true , those that do not know how sin doth make against god , strikes at him , and wrongs him ; they are not so much taken with the patience of god , and with the long suffering of god : but now that man or woman that comes to know how sin wrongs god , and comes to understand this , such a one cannot but to amazment stand and wonder at gods infinite patience ; that such a great god who seeth himself so struck at , fought against , opposed , and wronged by such wretched creatures , that yet he doth forbear crushing them too pieces presently . i beseech you brethren consider , do but take along with you what i have said about sin , how it is against god , and then consider , how all sins that are committed , god is present at it , stands and looks upon it . do but think somtimes with your selves , when you are among a great concourse of people , among a company of prophane wretched people , as in markets , fairs , taverns , inns , and ale-houses , how is gods name blasphemed there ? what daring of the blessed god ? what scorning and contemning of his word and sacraments and ordinances ? well , and now carry along that thought , how god is wronged in all these , struck at in all this , and what an infinite god this is ; and then think how god stands by them , heareth every oath , seeth every filthy act of uncleanness , seeth every drunkard , and yet when the least word of his mouth were enough to sink them to the bottomless-pit ; yet god is patient the first , second , and third time ; yea , a hundred times : perhaps thou hast been a blasphemer twenty years ; forty years a swearer : and when thou comest in company , oh the wicked oaths that come from thee ! and hidious uncleanness , and abominable wickedness ! and yet god stands by , and looks upon the swearer , and is patient all the while . certainly brethren , there is no man in all the world that is wronged as god is , and yet man is not able to bear wrong from his equal if he have power in his hand to prevent it . what! shall he wrong me ? i will make him know what it is to wrong me . you cannot bear any wrong from your fellow creature ; oh consider what wrong god hath born from you and others , stand and admire at the infinite patience and long-suffering of the lord ! truly brethren , when any mans conscience comes to be inlightened and awakened , then the greatest wonder in the world to such a conscience is the patience and long-suffering of god. oh! that god should be so patient and long-suffering unto me all this time of my life that i am out of hell , he stands and wonders that he is out of hell , and wonders at others , that others should not be affected with the patience of god. certainly brethren , that wrong is done unto god by sin , as that if any one man that had all the patience of all the men and women in the world , put into his heart ; all the patience and meekness that ever was in all the saints , since the beginning of the world , if it were all distilled into the heart of one man or woman , and suppose that this man or woman were but wronged as god is , it were impossible but that that man or woman should break forth with revenge against those wrongs done to him or her ; it were impossible for such an one to bear , so far as he can see himself able ( i mean ) to right himself , so far he could not bear the wrongs done to him : but now god shews himself here to be infinite in patience and long-suffering , as well as infinite in any other attribute of his . brethren it wil be an especial part of the glory of the great day of judgment , that when all the wrong that ever was done to god from the beginning of the world by sinners , shal then be opened at the day of judgment : alas , we see but little wrong done to god now ; we look upon notorious wretches and think they wrong god ; now we see but little , but at the day of judgment , then all the secret villanies and wickedness that ever was committed in secret places , since the beginning of the world , in all places of the world ; then shal it all appear : and then how will it appear to men and angels how god was wronged by his creature ? and then there will be the patience of god seen that he should be so patient so many thousand years together , notwithstanding there was so much wrong done to god and never discovered to man , but god sees it all this whil●… this will be a great part of the glorie of the day or judgment . if our hearts were e●…ed we would begin now to give god the glorie of 〈◊〉 patience which we shall see at that day . chap. xix . a fifth corollarie . ] hencesie a way to break your hearts for sin. and also to keep you from temptation . fifthly , a fifth corallarie . hence is this , if sin be so much against god as you have heard , then here you may find a means and way both how to break your hearts for sin , and how to keep your selves against temptation for the time to come : i put them both together for brevitie . this is the strongest way and means i can shew you to break your hearts . would you fain break your hearts for sin ? oh saith some , what a hard heart have i ? many put up papers complaining of the hardness of their hearts , and desire the minister and congregation to seek god to break their hearts : well , would you fain have broken hearts ? have your hearts troubled in such a manner as you may give glorie to god ? this is the way . there is two waies to humble the heart for sin , there is looking upward unto god , and seeing whom it is thou hast sinned against : and looking downward to thine own miserie , and what thou hast deserved by sin . now many altogether pore downward , and look nothing but downward to sin , and what is the desert , and punishment , and miserie ; but their hearts though they be troubled and vexed , yet they are not kindly broken ( as i shewed before ) but now if you would have your hearts kindly broken for sin ( for this is one use of direction , that we may get our hearts broken for sin ) look upwards and behold him whom you have pierced : that is , behold , god in his infinite glorie , and what an infinite blessed being god is , and how worthy of all the honor the creature can give : set this before your eyes in a fixed and setled way . look upon god , in all the relations god hath to you , as your creator from whom you had your being ; as he that preserves your being everie moment ; look upon him as your lord , infinitlie above you , at whose mercie you wholly lie : thus view god , and see him in his glorie , and the relations he hath to you ; and thus by beholding god in such a manner is an especial way to work stronglie upon the heart . for hereby i come to see , as it were , the present evil of sin ; the other is but onlie a sight of the evil of sin to come ; as when a man or woman looks upon sin as bringing hell , that is but onlie to look upon that evil of sin that is to come hereafter . but we know that present things do most affect ; as now any good thing , if it be to come , it doth not take the heart so much as a present good . as when the soul makes the good of the promises to be present , then they affect the soul ; but if the soul look upon them as to come , they do not so much affect : so if the evil of sin be look't upon as bringing hell and miserie , this is looked upon as to come hereafter , so that it may be avoided ; but if i look upon sin as against god , then i look upon sin as a present evil upon me , that flows from the very nature of sin , and cannot be avoided , and this evil is even now upon me , and doth as immediatly flow from the nature of sin , as light doth from the sun it self : and now looking thus upon sin , is a mightie means to break the heart . and then for avoiding sin for the time to come ; when temptation come , you say it is strong , and overcomes me : now would you avoid sin for the time to come in temptations ? then do as we reade of joseph ; you know how he beat off the strength of the temptation , and when he might have done the evil in secret ; see what prevails with him , oh how shall i do this great wickedness and sin against god ? not , how shal i do this great wickedness , and bring danger and miserie upon me ? but , how shall i do this and sin against god ? so if you can have your eye upon sin , and remember what especial things you have heard of the evil of sin , and when temptations come , you can say , how shall i do this , and sin against god ? oh remember this you servants that have opportunitie in secret to do evil . josepth was a servant , and yet this kept off that temptation from him , when he was a yong man , that is the honor of joseph , a yong man and a servant , when the temptation comes , oh this breaks his heart , how shall i do this and sin against god ? so you yong ones and servants go away with this lesson , when any temptations to sin comes , think , oh! i have heard in such a point , and out of such a text , how sin makes against god , strikes at him , wrongs him , how shall i do this and sin against god ? impossible , unreasonable it should be done upon any terms . set but this one argument against the most powerful temptation , and certainlie it wil prevail . psal . . . ye that love the lord hate evil : what! do ye hear how sin is against god , strikes at god! that it is evil , not onlie against you , and indangers you , but strikes at god. oh all you that love god , hate sin ; let your hearts be set against sin , because so much against god. oh brethren , there be many people do indeed avoid sin , but it is upon poor low grounds , very low and mean be the grounds of many people upon which they avoid sin : there be many , oh they will not do such and such evils , they will resist a temptation to such and such a sin , why ? mark the ground , according as the grounds of men and women are , upon which they do , or stay from doing of a thing ; so judg of your hearts ; if the grounds be high and raised , then their spirits are high and raised ; if their grounds be but low and mean , then their spirits be low and mean : as thus , many abstain from such and such sins , why ? oh if i do it , it will be known , and i shall be made ashamed , therfore i will not do it : it is good to resist sin upon any terms , but if this be the chief cause , it is a poor low base thing , and argues a great deal of lowness in the heart , to resist sin upon this , oh if i do this , i shall be known , and incur the displeasure of my father , or master , or such a dear friend ; it may incur punishment , or it may be i shall be turned out of the family , and such like arguments . i say it is true , it is good to bring in all the arguments we can to oppose sin withal , but when these be the chief things , when these be the only grounds , that keeps thee from such wickedness that thy heart is set upon ; and thou wouldest be glad to tamper withal : couldest thou be sure it should not be known , and thou shouldest not be brought to shame for it , and have the displeasure of such a friend , thou couldest find in thy heart to be medling with it ; couldest thou ? oh! know thou hast a base heart that hast no other grounds to keep thee from sin withal . whereas know if thou be a christian indeed , and that god hath aright made known sin to thee , thou wouldest rise higher , oh i am to deal with god , an infinite glorious first-being , and if it be sin only that strikes at this infinite glorious eternal first-being of all things , then i will avoid sin whatsoever become of me ; yea , whatsoever i suffer i will not have to do with it : this is a raised spirit ; this heart is like to stand out against sin : alas ! those poor low grounds upon which many resist sin ; though they may stand out against sin a little , against a weak temptation , yet if there come a strong temptation , will quickly break through the hedg : al those poor low grounds and arguments , temptation will quickly break through them . but when the heart is raised to oppose sin , upon such high grounds as this is , certainly this notes a true raised heart by god , and such an one is like to stand out against temptations , in another manner than others do . and truly when the heart is possessed with this thought , it cannot perhaps parley and reason with the temptation as others can ; yea , this one principle of sinning against god , will so fill the heart of a man or woman , that though it doth not stand reasoning and answering every thing , yet it will even burst out , either in tears , and fal a lamenting that it should be pestered with temptation ; or burst out into resolution against it . i remember an excellent story reported in the book of martyrs , you may find it in king edwards life ; that yong prince , that died at some fifteen years of age , in his time , there were two bishops ( otherwise good , and proved martyrs , and yet you may see what the best of them were in those times ) they came to perswade the king to yeild to a tolleration of the mass , and it was but for his sister neither , not for the whole kingdom , but meerly for his own sister , to yeild to a tolleration of it in her chappel , he stood out against it though yong , thought it a dishonor to god ; well , they plead and reason with him , telling him it was best in state policy , and other grounds they use to perswade a tolleration of popery , ( thus you see what kind of men these in these waies are , and if you do not know , yet you are like to know more in this kind about these wayes ) but this i bring it for , when the poor king , though yong , having his heart possessed with this principle , that he should not do any thing against god , he could not answer the bishops that came so subtilly ; but instead of answering their reasons , he burst out with tears , and then they were convinced , and confessed the king had more divinity in his little finger than they had in all their bodies . so i apply it to you yong ones , perhaps temptations to that which is a sin against god , comes subtilly , strengthned with this argument , and the other argument ; but if you have your hearts possessed with this truth , it is a sin against god ; oh when you cannot answer the particulars of temptation , burst out and weep , and cry either for your condition , or that you should be pestered with that you know is a sin against god , and say , i had rather lose my life , suffer any thing in the world , than sin against god. if your hearts be filled with this principle , when temptation to sin comes , you will be ready to burst out and weep before the lord ; and this will be as strong an answer to temptation as can be , and satan will quickly avoid , if you can when you find your selves pestered with temptation , and it follows and dogs and pursues you , if you can being filled with this principle , that sin is against god , if you can get alone , and fall a weeping , and lamenting , that your hearts are even ready to break , from the consideration of this principle , this will be the strongest way and means to resist temptation that can be . chap. xx. a sixt corollarie . ] if sin be thus sinful , it should teach us not only to be troubled for our own sins , but the sins of others . sixtly , a sixt corollarie , if sin be so much against god , and wrong god so , hence it should teach all those that know god , and have any love to god , to be troubled , not only for their own sins , but for the sins of others , for sin wheresoever they see it . oh i see the blessed god wronged , fought against , stroke at ; and this should go neer the heart of all those that have any love to god at all : as with david in the . psalm , . rivers of water run down mine eyes because they keep not thy laws : 't is true , every man and woman should especially look to themselves , and their hearts should especially be troubled for their own sins ; but mark the saints that know how sin is against god , their hearts cannot but be wonderfully troubled when they see that god , so dear and precious to them , thus wronged ; rivers of water run down mine eyes because they keep not thy law. oh when ( i put it to thee in the name of the lord ) in all thy life didst thou shed one tear for the sins of those among whom you live ? for the sins of thy familie ? and vers . . i beheld the transgressors , and was grieved : oh i was grieved and pained at my heart ; yea , thus it will be with thee if thou lovest god. when thou in the familie , may be thou art a child , when thou beholdest thy father or mother carnal , and spending all their lives without the knowledg of god , and in waies of sinning against god , thou shouldest get alone , and mourn and lament for it : oh it is that , if any thing in the world , that would break a parents heart , if there be a yong child , a youth , or a maid , that god begins to reveal himself unto them , and the parent speaks , may be against them , and gods people , and swear , or profane gods day , or speak against his ordinances , though it may be it do not become thee to speak to them ; but if thou canst before them , let tears drop from thine eyes ; or get alone , and fall down and lament before god , if thou canst by lamenting reprove their sins ; that they shall see thee lament for them , this may break their hearts it may be : notwithstanding if it do not break their hearts , it hath this in it ; certainly , if any thing in the world will stir us and break our own hearts , this should be it , to see god dishonored in the world as he is , though our hearts be never so much hardened otherwise . there is a storie of a child of cressus that was born dumb , he seeing a soldier readie to strike at his father and kill him , the affection to his father brake the bars of his tongue , and he cried out , oh why will you kill the king ? then he cried out thus though he never spake before ; but the stroke against his father made him speak . so thou man or woman , shouldest have thy heart dead in other things , and have no mind to speak , yet when you see wretched men and women strike at god , ( as they do , as i have shewed in their sin ) if thou have any heart in the world ; any life in the world , when thou seest this stroke at god , now speak ; oh that should burst all bars asunder . though thou beest never so meek in thy familie , and canst bear other things , yet thou shouldest shew that thou canst not bear sin against god. oh i beseech you consider this , and see how neer this comes to you ; how many if any thing be done in your familie against you , or among your neighbors that is against you , you cannot bear it ; but you can bear that which is done against god , and never be troubled at it . as many a master , let the servant neglect his work , and displease him , he cannot bear it ; but let his servant be wicked , and break the sabbath , denie god his time , let his servant perhaps swear , or do such wickedness , he goes away and saith it may be , why do you so ? or , you should not do so ; or it may be , takes no notice of it : certainlie that man knows neither god nor sin , or hath little relation to god that takes so little notice of that done against god ; and yet that done against himself , he cannot bear it . take this along with you , if you have anie relation to god , your hearts will be more troubled for the wrong done to god by your children and servants , than when your selves are wronged by your servants or children . oh how manie men and women would go and wring their hands to their neighbors and friends , oh! never man or woman so miserable as i ! my own child out of my bowels wrongs me , and doth what hurt he can to me ! this is accounted matter of bitter lamentation : but now why should not thy heart melt and lament when thou canst say , oh the child out of my loins and bowels , how doth he wrong the blessed god of all the world ? oh that i should be so miserable to bear in my bowels one an enemie to the infinite blessed god! oh that an enemie to god should ever come out of my loins ! my thinks this should move tender hearted mothers , to see that they should bring forth such that should go on in waies of enmitie against god himself . suppose one out of your bowels should be a traitor to the parliament , and do mischief to the state , would not this trouble you , that one out of your bowels should be a traitor to the common-wealth ? this would be a grievous vexation . now is it not more if that thou hast a wicked child , one out of thy bowels that strikes at god , and is a traitor to the god of heaven ? these do more mischief than to destroy a whol nation ; i say , if a man should live to destroy , to undo a whol land for their outward estate , there were not so much evil in it , as in one sin against god. you would say , that were a misereant that should be born to undo a whol nation , and wo to me that i should bear one that should live to do such mischief to undo a state : now if thou bear one that strikes against god , and wrongs god in waies of sin , this should trouble thee as much as the other : therefore never be at quiet till thou see some work of grace , till thou see the heart of thy child called in . i remember augustine saith this of his mother , and i propound this for mothers example , he being verie wicked a while , and his mother godlie ; oh it grieved her heart that she should have a child go on in such wickedness against god , and she praid and wept , so that augustine saith of her , after god had enlightened his eyes to consider what she did for him , saith he , i perswade my self my mother did as much labor , and endure as much pain for my second birth , as ever for my first birth : this is his testimonie of her , that by her prayers and tears for her childs salvation that was wicked , he did verilie beleeve it cost her as much labor for the second birth , as for the first : upon which , when she comes and complains to ambrose of her child , well saith he , be of good comfort , surely a son of so many prayers and tears can hardly perish ; and he did not indeed , for he proved a worthie instrument of gods glorie afterward in the church . now is there anie mother in this congregation that can say , i have labored as much , and it hath cost me as much pain for the second birth of my child , as ever it did for the first ? certainlie did you know what sin were , and how against god , it would cost you a great deal of travail when you see your children wicked , and much prayer and cost , that you might not have a child an enemie to god , a traitor to the crown , scepter , and dignitie of jesus christ . oh brethren , doth it not pitie your souls to see that infinite , blessed , holy , dreadful god so much wronged in the world as he is . it should move us to pitie to see any saint , a man or a woman of an excellent gracious spirit , to see such a soul abused and wronged ; as solomon saith , there was a wise man in the city and not regarded , though he delivered the citie ; to see but one man of wisdom that hath but any excellencie in his spirit to be wronged , it should trouble any ingenious heart . but then i reason thus , if it would be , and should be such a trouble to any ingenious heart to see any one man of a gracious spirit wronged and abused , then how should it trouble any ingenious , any gracious heart in the world to see the infinite blessed glorious god to be wronged in the world by sin , as i have alreadie shewed he is in everie sin , when i discovered to you how sin is against god that i might possess your hearts with this principle , for i know no principle of greater power through the strength of christ to do good upon your spirits than this . chap. xxi . a seventh corollarie . ] if sin hath done thus much against god , then all that are now converted had need do much for god. seventhly , another is this , if sin have done so much against god , and so much wronged god , hence it follows , that all those that have heretofore lived in a sinful way , and god hath now been pleased to enlighten them , and work upon their hearts , had need now do much for god : this follows cleerly , thou didst heretofore live in waies of sin , and what didst thou do in all this ? nothing but strike at god , and wrong god all that time of thy natural estate , till god opened thine eyes , and awakened thy conscience : oh think now what a deal of wrong have i done to god all my life , if i have done nothing else ? well , now god opens thine eyes , oh now thou hadst need to do much for god. if god have shewed himself , and given hopes of mercie , and that he hath pardoned me ; this will certainly prevail with any heart that god hath turned : what! have i done so much against god heretofore ! oh i have cause to seek the honor of god upon my hands and feet all my daies , that if i can do any thing for god : what! i such a vile wretch , and yet out of hell ! yea , and hope to be pardoned ! oh any thing i can do for him , though to creep upon my hands and feet all my daies in this world , to suffer all the hardships in the world , shame , loss of estate , any thing in the world ; no matter how great and hard the suffering be that god calls for . there is infinite reason i should do and suffer all for god , for i have wronged god by sin , and thus we shall turn sin to grace as it were , and of poyson make an antidote against poyson , by taking advantage by sin to be more obedient unto god. you that have been swearers and wronged god that way , now sanctifie gods name the other way : you that have broken so many sabbaths , now sanctifie sabbaths : true , all that you can do cannot make up the wrong , but that will shew thy good will , that thou wilt do what thou canst , and manifest to god and all the world , that if thou hadst ten thousand times more strength than thou hast thou couldest lay it out for god ; and certainly any man or woman that have been great sinners , if god have humbled them and pardoned them , they wil be great saints for the time to come : carry this home with you , any that have been vile , perhaps you think you have grace because you are not so vile as heretofore you have been ; but certainly if you have grace , there will be a proportionableness between the holiness of your lives now , and your wicked life before ; you will take advantage , i have wronged god so before , now i must live thus and thus : it will be so between man and man , if one have wronged you , and you have pardoned him , you expect he should do , what he can for you : thus it should be with god and you , you have wronged god , others have sinned as well as you , and others sins have been furthered by you ; this now should inflame your hearts , i have sin enough in my self , and i have been the cause of it in thousand thousand sins in others , my sins strike against god , yea , and i have caused others to sin and strike against god : now if i could draw some from sin , i should think it the happiest thing in the world ; i would creep upon my hands and knees to draw others from sin to god , to be in love with the waies of god , and of religion . oh you that have been forward in sin , don't think it enough that now you be troubled for your sins and leave them ; but know , you must do for god now as much as you have done against him ; he requires it of you : oh go to your friends , and acquaintance , and kindred , and labor to draw them off from sin ; tell your kindred , and friends , and acquaintance , oh brother , that you did but know what sin means ; oh sister , that you did but understand what it is to sin against god : god hath shewed me in some measure ; yea , i that went on in such and such sins ; oh i see how i struck at god , and what an evil this is ; oh that god would enlighten your eyes : come and hear the word , i thought lightly of sin before , now i have gone and heard , and god hath shewed me what it was ; oh that god would make you see : and pray for them , and take no nay , but to them again and again , that so you may do somwhat for god as you have done abundance of wrong against god. chap. xxii . the eight corollarie . ] if sin doth so much against god , hence see why god manifest such sore displeasure against sin as he doth : against the angels that sinned . against all adams posterity . see it in gods giving the law against sin . see it in gods punishing sins that are accounted smal . see it in gods destroying all the world for sin . see his displeasure in punishing sin eternally . eightly , this is one consequence follows , if sin be so great an evil as you have heard , so much against god , wrongs god so much as it doth , and strikes at god ; hence then we see the reason why god manifests such sore displeasure against sin . we find ( brethren ) most dreadful manifestations of gods displeasure against sin , and the ground and bottom of them is in these things which you have heard opened unto you . and indeed did you understand and beleeve what hath been opened unto you concerning sins opposition of god , you could not then wonder at gods manifestation of his displeasure against sin . there are manifold manifestations of gods displeasure against sin , which when they be spoken of , and opened unto people that do not understand the dreadful evil that is in sin , they stand and wonder at it , and think , oh they be hard and severe things . when ministers reveal the threatnings of god against sin , oh say they , god forbid , we hope god is more merciful than so ; and all because they apprehend not what dreadful evil there is in sin . that soul that apprehends and beleeves these particulars that have been opened unto you , cannot but justifie god when they hear the revelation , and the manifestation of the displeasure of god against sin . as now in these particulars : that which hath been delivered is the bottom and ground of these that we shall mention , and we see the reason of all these . as first , that dreadful manifestation of the displeasure of god against the angels that sinned against him : there is that revelation of the displeasure of god against the angels , that might cause all our hearts to tremble before the lord at the very thought and hearing of it . i beseech you consider , you who think that god is only a god of mercie , and god is not so severe against sin as many ministers would make him ; do but attend to what i shall say unto you , how god hath manifested his displeasure against sin in the angels : consider of these five or six particulars , i will but onlie mention them . that god should cast so manie glorious creatures as the angels are , for ever from himself , considering the excellencie of their nature . consider their multitude . consider , that the chains of darkness that they be cast into , are eternal miseries . consider , that this was but for one sin . and consider , that this was but the first sin that ever they committed . lastly , consider , that god should not now enter so much as into any parley with them about anie terms of peace ; nor never would , nor never will : this is the sore displeasure of god against them , that god ( i say ) should not look upon the angels that he hath made glorious creatures , the most excellent of all the work of his hands : and when there were manie thousand millions of them , for so the scripture speaks of legions , even in one man legions of devils : though there were thousands and millions of such glorious creatures that god made ; and these were in heaven about his throne , beholding his glorie , and when these committed but one sin against him , never but one before their fall , and the first that ever was committed ; they had no example before them of gods wrath , but upon the verie first sin , though it were but one that all these glorious creatures committed , they were presentlie cast down from heaven , and of angels made devils , and reserved in chains of eternal darkness : and so is god set against them all for that one first sin , that he would never enter into any parley with them , to be reconciled upon any terms ; never to consider of any terms of peace , but cast them away from him unto eternal torments without anie recoverie ; this is the dreasul displeasure of god against sin . now brethren , this i speak of , is that which there is no doubting or controversie about ; anie one that knows the scripture knows this . in some things there may be controversies about them ; but no divine that hath knowledg of anie thing of scripture , but will confess this that i speak of ; and if you know not this , certainlie you were never acquainted with the scripture : though other points be controverted , yet none that know gods word make question of this , this is cleerlie granted of all . and the consideration of this might strike abundance of fear & terror into the hearts of wicked and ungodlie men and women , to think , lord , how have i thought of thee al this while , and have looked upon god as a merciful god , that though i have sinned , i have thought things would not be with me as i have heard by such and such ministers ; but this day i have heard , such was the sore displeasure of the infinite god against sin , that when he had to deal with those glorious angels for one sin , he cast thousands of them into eternal miserie , and upon no terms will be reconciled , nor never will. you think if you sin against god , you will crie god mercie , and so hope god wil pardon : true , there is a difference between man-kind and the angels , because we have a mediator , and they have not ; but most people that speak of crying to god for mercie , they look upon god , as gods nature meerlie being merciful , and not through a mediator ; they do not understand the necessitie of a mediator between god and them , but they apprehend that that god that made them wil hear their crie : now god made the angels and they were more noble creatures than you abundantlie ; now the angels that sinned but once , for that one sin are cast for ever , and god resolves , though they should crie and shreek , and shed thousands of tears for sin , god wil never hear them ; gods displeasure against sin is so great : certainlie then sin is a dreadful evil . suppose a prince were so wrath with a great companie of his nobles , that he casts a great multitude of them into a dungeon , and there they endure torment , and the king would not vouchsafe so much as to enter into a parley , to be reconciled upon any terms ; everie one would say , surelie 't is some great matter that hath provoked the king : if they understand this prince is verie just , and withal verie merciful ; to be sure he would do none any wrong , but were verie merciful above al men in the world ; and yet for but one offence he should cast these his nobles down into a dungeon to be tormented , and would by no means be reconciled : everie one would conclude , certainlie there was much evil in that offence if it deserved thus much ; and certainlie for the prince to deal thus with them there was much in it : would you not make such a conclusion from thence ? then learn to make such a conclusion from gods dealing with the angels ; that seeing god is just , and can do no creature wrong ; yea , god is infinitely merciful , and yet he doth cast his noble creatures , those creatures that were the highest that ever he made any creature , for one sin without any means of reconciliation : certainlie sin hath more evil in it than men are aware of , for though god hath not dealt thus with man-kind , yet he might ; there is so much evil in sin that god might have done thus with anie of us ; and had it not been for the mediation of his son , we had been thus irrecoverably miserable to all eternitie . secondly , consider , that for one sin in our first parents ( and not in our own persons ) that all the children of men by nature are put in such an estate to be children of wrath , and liable to eternal misery , and that for the sin of our parents : that will shew the wonderful justice of god : how unsearchable are his judgments , and his waies past finding out ! certainlie god is infinitelie displeased with sin , that when the first parents of man-kind did offend , then upon that all their posteritie to the end of the world are put into a damnable condition , all of them are children of wrath , and heirs of eternal perdition as in themselves . certainlie my brethren , this is a truth , and none can denie it that understand scripture , and if you do not understand this , you have not understood a great and necessarie truth of the word of god , that is necessarie to eternal life , that all man-kind are by the sin of their first parents put into a condemned estate , so as they are all the children of wrath by nature as the scripture saith : so that we are not onlie in danger of gods eternal wrath through the sin that we in our own persons do actually commit , but though we had never committed any actual sin in our own persons , yet the sin of our first parents is enough to make us children of wrath , and be our eternal ruine . certainlie there is a great deal of evil in sin more than the world thinks of , when it shall so provoke god as that he shall have such displeasure to put all man-kind to be in the state of children of wrath for the sin of our first parents . this is a second manifestation of gods displeasure against sin . thirdly , a third manifestation of gods displeasure against sin is in that fiery law ( as the scripture cals it ) that god hath given for forbidding and threatning of sin . consider the dreadful manner of gods giving the law , that it was with fire , lightning , thunderings , and earthquakes , and smoke , so as the scripture saith moses did shake and tremble at the very sight of the dreadfulness of the law when it was first given . that was only to set forth thus much to us , that if the law that god gave be broken , that then god will be very dreadful to those that break it ; therefore he gives it at first in such a dreadful manner . it may be many bold presumptuous sinners think it nothing to break the law of the infinite eternal god ; but in that god gives the law in such a dreadful manner as you may read in the . of exodus , how dreadfully god gave the law ; god doth thereby declare to all the world , how dreadful sinners are to expect him to be , if they do break the law. but especially consider that dreadful curse annexed to the law , cursed is every one that abides not in every thing that is written in the law ; to do that which the law of god pronounces to be done : a curse to every one that doth any thing at any time that shall break it . that there should be such a dreadful curse annexed ; this manifests the sore displeasure of god against sin . fourthly , a fourth manifestation of the sore displeasure of god against sin ( all this but to shew you further how sin is a greater evil than affliction ) the manifestation i say of gods displeasure against sin is seen , in that we find in gods word god hath so severely pun●sh'd some sins that do appear to us to be very smal , little sins : and yet god hath been exceedingly severe against those sins which appear to us to be exceeding smal : to instance in three . in sam. . . there you have this example , that the men of beth-sh●●esh , when the ark came to them they did but look into the ark out of curiositie , for ought we know for no other end but meerly out of curiositie : now because the ark was a holy thing , and none but the priests of god were to meddle with it , god did presently at an instant slay fiftie thousand , and three score and ten men of them : upon this the text saith , these men beholding this severitie of god for this offence , they all said , oh! who shall stand before the holy god! if god be so holy that he cannot bear so smal a sin as this did appear to men , that but for looking into the ark so many thousands shall be slain presently : who can stand before the holy lord ! many of you have slight thoughts of the lord and his holiness , and think you may be bold and presumptuous , you venture upon greater offences than this was ; but these men upon the venturing upon this one thing , above fiftie thousand are slain presently : this is the displeasure of god against sin , though very smal to our thoughts . again , a second example you have in uzzah that did but touch the ark out of a good intention , as being ready to fall , yet that not being according to the law , god struck him with death presently ; it cost him his life , he was struck with sudden death . we are terrified when we see one fall down suddenly : now upon that offence , though he had a good meaning , and good intention , yet god brake in upon him with his wrath , and struck him dead presently . consider this you that think you have good meanings , and good intentions , yet not doing according to the law ; the least breach of the law , though we have a good meaning , doth provoke the wrath of god , and god when he pleaseth lets out this his wrath . a third example you have in that poor man that we reade of , who did but gather sticks upon the lords day , and by the command of god from heaven this man must be stoned to death : you would think these things little matters . alas poor man , he might have need of them : how many of you venture upon other manner of things upon the lords day , profaning of it ? and yet god speaks from heaven , and gives command to have this man stoned to death . now brethren , though it be true , that god doth not alwaies come upon men for such little sins , it may be to make known his patience and long-suffering . perhaps the lord doth let others go on for a long time in greater sins : but yet god by a few such examples doth declare to all the world what the evil of the least sin is , and how his displeasure is out against the least sin . if he do forbear , that is to be attributed to his patience and long-suffering , but not to the littleness of the sin , or the littleness of the evil that is in that sin . this is a fourth . fifthly , a fifth thing wherein god manifests his displeasure against sin , is in those dreadful and hidious judgments that the lord executes abroad in the world that we have the stories of in the scripture , and all ages : as that god should come and drown a whol world except eight persons , all the whol world swept away and drowned . and so that god should command fire and brimstone to come down from heaven , and burn and consume whol cities , sodom and gomorrah , and the cities adjoyning ; yea , and all the men , women , and children , but only lot , and those few with him . and so the fire to come down upon those captains and their fifties , kings , . and the earth swallowing up corah , dathan , and abiram . there is no age but hath some one or other dreadful example of his judgments against sin. the wrath of god is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness . now brethren , though some people have scaped , and these manifestations of gods judgments are not so general and ordinary ; yet when they are but now and then , god manifests what his displeasure is against sin , and what might be to all that sin against him . sixthly , a sixt manifestation of gods displeasure against sin , is in those eternal torments and miseries in hell that the scripture speaks of : the worm that never dies , and the fire that never goes out : when you hear ministers speak of fire that never is quenched ; for poor people to lie burning in fire thousands of thousands of years in eternal flames , scalding under the wrath of god ; you stand agast at the dreadfulness of these expressions . certainly these are only to reveal the displeasure of god against sin , because there is no finite time can be sufficient to manifest to the full the displeasure of god against sin : therfore those that perish , must perish eternally . chap. xxiii . a seventh discovery of gods displeasure against sin , opened from the sufferings of christ . first , see the several expressions of scripture : he was sorrowful to death , he began to be amazed , he began to be in an agony . secondly , see the effects of christs being in an agony , he fell grovelling on the ground , he swet drops of blood , he cries to god if it be possible to let this cup pass from me . thirdly , there is eight considerations of christs sufferings . seventhly , and that is greater than all that hath been said : put all the former six together ; his dealings with the angels , and with man-kind ; the dreadful giving of the law ; his dreadful judgments for smal sins ; and examples of his wrath abroad in the world ; and the eternal torments in hell : put all these six together , and yet i say all these six is not so much to manifest the displeasure of god against sin as this one that now i shall tell you of : and if there be any thing in the world that should make us to see the evil of sin , it should be this ; if any thing make our hearts to shake and tremble at the evil of that sin of which it is so much guiltie , then this i say that now i speak of should do it ; and that is this , the dealings of god the father with his son : when jesus christ that was the second person of the trinity , god blessed for ever , came to be our mediator , and to have but our sins imputed unto him ; and according to scripturs phrase , to be made sin : do but then take notice how god deals with him , how god manifests himself to his own son , when his own son did but take mans sin upon him , to answer for it : do but then consider how god the father did deal with him . the scripture saith , he did not spare his son , but let out the vials of his wrath upon him in a most dreadful manner . if we do but consider , first , that christ god blessed for ever should come and be in the form of a servant , should be a man of sorrows as the scripture speaks , that in the whol course of his life should live a contemptible life before men , and undergo grievous sufferings . but because i must hasten , do but look upon christ in his agony , and upon the cross at his death , and there you will see the dreadful displeasure of god against sin , and in nothing more than that . true , there is the bright glass of the law wherein we may see the evil of sin : but there is the red glass of the sufferings of christ , and in that we may see more of the evil of sin than if god should let us down to hell , and if there we should see all the tortures and torments of the damned in hell , see them how they lie sweltring under gods wrath there ; it were not so much as beholding sin through the red glass of the sufferings of jesus christ , and that of his agony . and give me leave a little to shew to you how god let out himself against his son when he came into the garden ; and a little before when he was to die and suffer upon the cross . and for this consider these two things : first , the several expressions the holy ghost useth in the several evangelists for the setting out of those dreadful things christ suffered as a fruit of gods displeasure upon him . one evangelist saith that christ was very sorrowful even to the death , mat. . . he began to be ( the word in the original signifies ) compassed about with sorrows , to have sorrows round about him , and as it were beset and besieged with grief ; and it was to the very death , usque ad mortem , sorrowful to the very death : what was it for ? upon the apprehension of the wrath of his father , which he was to endure for the sin of man : he was sorrowful to the death in the apprehension of it . you it may be upon the sight of sin content your selves with some slight little sorrow . you will it may be , when you are told of sin , cry , lord have mercy upon me , i am sorry for it , and so pass it away . but christ when god comes to deal with him , he makes his soul to be compassed about with sorrows , sorrowful to the death for our sins . another evangelist tels us he began to be amazed , mark , . . that is , when christ came to drink the cup of the wrath of his father , due for our sins , he stood amazed at the sight of the dreadfulness of that cup he was to drink of ; because he knew what gods wrath was , he understood what it was before he drunk of it ; and this made him stand amazed at it . many sinners hear gods wrath , and this makes them fear , but they be not amazed at it , they can pass it away and they be not affected with it afterward ; because they understand it not , they know not what it is for a creature to stand before the wrath of an infinite deity : who knows the power of thy wrath ? saith the scripture : therfore they be not amazed . but christ that knew full well what the wrath of god was , and saw to the bottom of it , he understood to the dregs what that cup was ; and he stood amazed at the sight of it when he was to drink it . another evangelist hath this expression , ( 't is in luke . . ) christ began to be in an agony : now the word agony , signifies a strife , a combat ; it is taken from the word that stgnifies a combate in battel . christ was in an agony , in a combate : combate , with what ? with whom ? with the wrath of god , he saw coming out upon him to sink him ; he saw the curse of the law come out upon him ; he saw the infinite justice of god , of the infinite deity come out upon him : and he was in an agony , in combate with the infinite justice and wrath of god , and the dreadful curse of the law , and so christ came to be in an agony . these be the three expressions of the evangelists . secondly , consider the effects of christs being in an agony , and apprehending the wrath of his father for sin . one effect was this , you shall find it in the story of the gospel , that the text saith , he fell grovelling upon the ground upon the apprehension of gods wrath and displevsure upon him for sin , which he was to suffer : he fell down grovelling upon the ground . when he that upholds the heavens and the earth by his power , now falls grovelling upon the earth , having the weight and burden of mans sin upon him he falls upon his face , he falls to the ground . certainly brethren , christ had that weight and burden upon him , that would have prest all the angels in heaven , and men in the world down to the bottomless gulf of despair : if all the strength of all the men that ever were since the beginning of the world , and all the angels in heaven were put into one , and he had but that weight upon him that christ had , it would have made him sink down into eternal despair : for had not christ been god as well as man , he could never have born it , but would have sunk down eternally : but the burden and weight was so great that he sinks down to the ground . a second effect of christs bearing the wrath of god for sin is this , he sweat great drops of blood ; the word in the original is clodders of blood ; blood thickned into clods . never was there such a sweat ; it was in the winters night , a cold night , abroad upon the ground in a cold winters night , and he had nothing else upon him to make him sweat but the burden of sin , and the weight of the wrath of god being upon him , he being under that burden sweat , and such a sweat as made the very blood break through his very veins and run to clodders , and so run down upon the ground clodders of blood : and all this but upon the apprehension of the wrath of god his father against him for our sin. now you know when porters be under great burdens , somtimes they sweat ; but never did any sweat like this sweat of christ , being under the weight of mans sin , sweat so as clodders of blood should fall from him : one would think fear should rather draw in the blood ; fear naturally draws in the blood to the heart : therefore it is that men and women when they are skar'd , and are afraid , they are so pale in their countenance ; fear causeth paleness in the outward parts , because the blood retires to the heart when they be afraid . but such was the amazement upon christ , upon the apprehension of the wrath of his father for sin , that it sends out blood in clodders trickling down his sides . and then a third expression which shew the effect of gods wrath on christ , is the prayer of christ ; christ doth as it were shrink under this weight and burden of sin , and cries to god , if it be possible let this cup pass from me . when we cry with vehemency , we say , if it be possible let it be thus or thus ; but christ cries out so three times . we may apprehend christ taking as it were the cup of the wrath of his father in his hand , and because he knew it was the end wherefore he came into the world , that he must drink of it for satisfaction for mans sin ; and being willing to save man-kind , that he knew could not be saved but he must drink the cup , he takes it in his hand readie to drink it ; but beholding the hidiousness and dreadfulness of this cup , and knowing what was in it , he puts it away , and cries , father if it be possible , let this cup pass : but now he sees if he did not drink it , all the children of men must be eternally damned ; for such was our miserie , if christ had not drunk this cup , we had all eternally perish't ; therefore christ puts it to his mouth again ( as it were ) the second time ; but yet seeing what dreadfulness was in this cup , and he knowing it , he takes it away again , and cries , if it be possible , let this cup pass : but yet having love to man-kind , being loth to see so many thousands of poor creatures perish eternally , he puts it to his mouth again a third time ; and yet seeing the dreadfulness of it , puts it away again , and yet saith , if it be possible let it pass . this might make a man tremble to think that he shall ( as job saith . job ) drink of the wrath of god : thus it was with christ , and all this while he did not drink it : but afterwards when he comes to the cross , there he drunk the cup of gods wrath , and there he cries out with another cry more bitter than all the other , and that is , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? so that he apprehends himself forsaken . oh the wrath of the almighty that then was upon the spirit of jesus christ at that time : what! for the son of god blessed for evermore thus to cry out , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ! oh you heavens how could you be able to behold such a spectacle as this was , or the earth be able to bear it ! truly , neither heaven nor earth were able ; for the scripture saith , that the sun withdrew his light , and was darkened so many hours ; it was from twelve to three , that the sun withdrew his light and did not shine , but there was dismal darkness in the world as not being able to behold such a spectacle as this : and the earth shook and trembled , and the graves opened , and the rocks clove in sunder , the very stones themselves were affected with such a work as this ; and the vale of the temple rent asunder : these things were done upon christs bearing of the wrath of his father for sin. here you have the fruits of gods displeasure for sin , and in this you may see , surely sin must needs be a vile thing that causeth god the father thus to deal with his own son , when he had mans sin upon him . thirdly , consider yet further , for there is much in it , and if this do not shew the evil of sin , and cause you to fear and tremble , those that be guilty of sin , and their consciences tell them so ; if their hearts tremble not , certainly their hearts be hard , and their minds be blinded , and little hopes can they have for the present of ever having their parts in these sufferings of christ ; what shall christ suffer such sufferings , and wilt thou go away and have slight thoughts of sin ? shall sin be so great a burden to christ , and wilt thou be so merry under it ? certainly you see it is more than you were aware of : for you to say , i trust in jesus christ , and hope to be saved by jesus christ ; you see how christ felt sin , the scripture saith he was made a curse : were it not we had it from the holy ghost , no man or angel durst say so , that christ should be made a curse ; in the abstract , not cursed , but made a curse : what! he that was god and man , by the sin of man was made a curse ! oh the displeasure of god against sin ! but yet to give it you a little more fully , see these aggravations , and you will say , certainly the displeasure of god was great against his son. as first , all that christ suffered he perfectly knew it long before he suffered , and yet it was so dreadful unto him . oh brethren , there be many men and women understand nothing at all of the wrath of god against sin , these think there is no great matter in it : of all the men and women in the world , when they come to suffer this wrath , it will be dreadful to them , because it come unexpectedly ; they that went on merrily and cheerfully in the waies of sin , and for the wrath of god , never thought of it ; now then when the wrath of god comes on them , it will be more dangerous and intollerable : this is the reason why many people when their consciences are awakened upon their sick beds , then they despair , crying and roaring under gods wrath and rage with despair : why ? because they never in their lives came to understand the danger of sin , and of gods wrath for sin ; and because it comes now suddenly upon them , they be not able to bear it . but it was not so with christ , christ understood this long before ; he knew what it would be before he took our nature , and he knew what it would be when he came in humane nature to undertake it . those men and women that know not what storms and tempests are , it is grievous to them when they come to know them suddenly ; when they are in the midst of a storm or tempest at sea , oh they are grievous : but marriners that know beforehand what they are like to meet withal , it is not grievous to them . but christ though he knew it beforehand , yet how dreadful was it to him when it came ? consider , christ had no sin in himself to weaken his strength , and take away his strength , and so make the burden greater ; he had no sin but only by imputation . but now when the wrath of god comes upon us , we having so much sin in our natures , this weakens us , and will therefore make the burden of divine wrath so much the more intollerable to us : for as it is with a sound man , if a great weight be laid upon a man healthful and strong , he feels not the burden of it ; but if you lay the same weight upon a man very sick and weak through distemper of body , it is grievous to him : so here , if the weight of sin were so grievous to christ that had no distemper of weakness , how grievous will it be to a sinner that is distempered , and so weakened with sin ? if the shoulders of a porter be sore , and all the skin off , and a boyl upon his shoulder , how grievous would the burden be then ? so it is with us , when god comes to lay the burden of his wrath upon us , we be but weak creatures at the best , but through the distemper of sin in our hearts we are more weak and more unable to bear : because we be sore , and have boyls of sin ; this makes gods wrath much more dreadful ; but it was not so with christ . christ had absolute perfect patience , there was not the least impatiency in christ : therefore when christ that had perfect patience , and yet did thus cry out and sweat , and was thus sorrowful under it , surely there was some fearful burden in this . some men and women will lie and roar out under some pains , and it may be it is great , but had they perfect patience , they would not make such dolor and out-cries : it is through the weakness of their patience that they make such out-cries , and manifest such sence of their affliction . but christ made not such out-cries through impatiency . consider , christ had the strength of an infinite deity to support him : he had the strength of god , he was god and man , he had the strength of the divine nature to support the humane nature which no creature can have as christ had ; for there was an hypostatical union between the divine and humane nature at that time , and yet notwithstanding the hypostatical union of both natures , yet christ expresseth himself thus , and is thus sensible of the wrath upon him for the sin of man. consider , christ was the captain of all that were to suffer hereafter : and therfore he would if he had had no more upon him than that which the humane nature could have born , have manifested ( one would think ) abundance of resolution and magnanimity , and not have cried out so : and surely had there not been the suffering of the wrath of the deity , and the curse of the law in it ; certainly he that was the captain of all that were to suffer , he would have manifested it to be a light burden he met withal ; for there be many martyrs have suffered outwardly as great extremities as ever christ did , for outward torture , and born them with joy ; therfore seeing the martyrs many of them suffering greater tortures to their bodies , and have born them with joy ; no sorrow , nor crying out , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? nor , if it be possible , let this cup pass , but endured them with a great deal of joy. now how comes it to pass that the martyrs did bear them with such joy , and christ the captain of them all falls to the earth , and cries out so ? certainly there was more in christs sufferings than in all the sufferings in the world , more of the displeasure of god. consider , that it was through the strength of christ that all that ever did suffer were inabled to suffer what they did undergo . now if christ had that strength , that through him all the martyrs were inabled to suffer what they did ; certainly christ had abundance of strength in himself to suffer when he came to it : how comes it to pass then that the strength whereby they were inabled to suffer being from christ , they manifested not that horror and trouble that christ himself did ? certainly therefore christ suffered other manner of things than they did . consider this , christ did know what an infinit good his sufferings would do : that by suffering he should save so many thousands , reconcile god and man , glorifie his father , that he should do the greatest work for god and his father that ever was ; that by his sufferings there should be that work done that should be matter of eternal praise , and hallelujahs of the saints and angels eternally in the heavens : and yet though christ knew and understood what good should be done by his sufferings , yet see how sensible he was of the greatness of it . one would have thought the good he saw to be done should much have lightened it ; and so certainly it did . consider , christ did know his sufferings were to continue but a litle while ; though they were extream , yet that they should last but for a few hours , and then he should be glorified . and yet though he did understand his sufferings were to last but a few hours , and then himself should come to glory ; yet for all this they were thus hidious and dreadful to him . oh lord , then how hidious shall the sufferings of the damned be to them , when as every damned soul that goes to hell , knows certainly how he must lie to all eternity ; after thousands of thousands , and ten thousand millions of years ; after so many thousands of years as there be drops in those mighty waters which you sail over ; yet the time is no more expired than the very first moment they enter'd into those miserable torments . consider of this thus you that have to do in the great waters , consider how many drops there might be in the sea , as big as the bill of a bird could carry , and that this bird should be supposed once in a thousand years to carry away one drop , yet this bird would sooner empty that mighty sea than the torments of the damned should be at an end . oh how dreadful will it be to them when as christs tortures which he did endure but a little while , made him to cry out so . oh brethren , put all these together and then know the evil of sin . oh that we could apprehend it now before we come to feel it . for this is the end for which i speak of these things and present them before you , that you may now know them , and never come to feel experimentally what they be . blessed be those that in hearing tremble and beleeve , and do not come to know by experience that dreadful evil in them . if god should in his infinite wisdom have studied ( as one may so speak ) from all eternity to have found out a way to have presented sin to be dreadful to the children of men , we could not conceive how infinite wisdom should from all eternity have found out an argument to manifest the evil of sin more , or so much as in the sufferings of jesus christ : so that in them god doth as it were say , wel , i see wretched men and women will not beleeve the evil of sin ; well , among other arguments , i will have one , that if possible , shall convince all wicked hard hearts in the world to make them see what sin is , and that is in my son , in my dealings with my son ; and that wrath of mine i shall lay upon my son ; this shall make it appear to them what sin is . now if god have done this on purpose to render sin odious and abominable , and a most dreadful evil ; oh wo then to that soul , that after all this shall go on in waies of sin pleasingly and delightfully , and easily entertain sin. the second part of this treatise . sin is most opposite to mans good ; and far more opposite to the good of man than affliction . it may be by all that hath been said of sins being against god , the hearts of some ( at least ) may not be so much as turned : therefore now we come to shew how sin is against the good of man ; not only against god , but against our selves . certainly brethren , sin makes the sinner to be in an evil case : from that which hath been said we may conclude , that of a truth a sinner , a wicked man or woman must needs be in an evil case . this is the subject which i am to open , what an evil case sin brings our selves into : and thereby we shall see that sin is a greater evil than affliction . though we have spent divers exercises upon this , yet it is as various as if we had several texts . now this is the argument to demonstrate , that a sinner doth not only dishonor and strike at god ; but sin is against his own soul , against his own life , against his own peace and comfort , against his own happiness ; he doth undo himself by sin . this is that which i am now to declare to you ; and for the opening of this , divers particulars offer themselves to be handled . chap. xxiv . first , sin make a man evil , but no affliction can make him so : those that are in affliction are not the worse , but those that are wicked are vile persons , though they be the greatest princes . first , more generally thus , sin is against man more than any affliction . for , first , sin makes a man to be evil : no affliction makes him to be evil but only sin : i beseech you observe it , a man or woman is not a worse man or woman because afflicted , not worse than they were before ; but sin makes the man or the woman to be worse : and there is a great deal in this to shew the evil of sin to be beyond the evil of affliction . take a man that is never so sorely afflicted , suppose the affliction to be as grievous as the afflictions of job , suppose a man scraping off his sores upon the dunghil as job did , this affliction makes him not a worse man than he was before ; only it may occasion sin somtimes , and so make him worse : but take job , considered in his afflictions only , and he was not a worse man than in the greatest prosperity , when the candle of the lord shined upon him , and all his parts , only it occasioned some sin in job , otherwise he had not been the worse ; and in conclusion he was not the worse , for as it occasioned some sin , so it stirred up a great deal of grace ; as the apostle saith cor. . , . for neither if we eat , are we the better ; neither if we eat not , are we the worse : so i may say of all outward things in the world : if a man have riches , it makes him not the better ; if he be in poverty , it makes him not the worse : if he have honor , he is not better ; if disgrace , he is not worse , his condition may be worse , but himself not at all the worse : therfore you shall observe it , that when the scriptures speaks of gods people afflicted , yet it speaks of them as most honorable , and in a most excellent condition notwithstanding their afflictions : but when it speaks of some in great prosperity , but wicked , it speaks of them as most contemptible and vile . i will give you an example of each , the most remarkable in all the book of god. those that are most sorely afflicted , yet to shew that they are not the worse for their afflictions , see the . heb. , , . verses ; i suppose you that are acquainted with the word of god , know the story , that the christians went up and down the world in sheep skins and goats skins , persecuted and afflicted , and dwelling in the caves of the earth ; they had tryals of cruel mockings , and scourgings ; yea , moreover , of bands , and imprisonment : they were stoned , they were sawn asunder , were tempted , were slain with the sword ; they wandered about in sheep skins and goat skins , being destitute , afflicted , tormented . what can be said be more of affliction ? if affliction can make a man miserable , surely these must needs be miserable : they were mocked and slouted , and made the off-scouring of the world ; driven from house and home , and went in sheep skins and goat skins : many think themselves miserable if they cannot go fine and brave ; these went in sheep skins and goat skins , and were sawen asunder , miserably tormented and afflicted : it may be some will say , certainly these were in a most miserable condition : now mark the next words of the holy ghost , of whom the world was not worthy : they were under such sore afflictions , and yet they were such excellent persons as the world was not worthy of them in their worst condition , they were so excellent that the world was not worthy of them : they were thought to be such as were not worthy to live in the world , thus the evil world thought of them ; but mark the difference of the judgment of god from the judgment of the world ; the world thinks they are so vile that they are not worthy to live in the world ; and god thinks they are so excellent that the world is not worthy that they should live amongst them . i remember chrysostom hath this upon it , that they were so excellent , as all the men in the world were not worth one of them ; put all the other men in the world together , and they were not worth so much as ( at least ) a few of these afflicted , persecuted , tormented christians : as if he should say , do you see a company of poor creatures walking in sheep skins and goat skins , and live in caves and dens of the earth ; look upon them , and take all the men of the world , kings , princes , and monarchs , rich men , and mighty captains of the world , all other men , and put them all together , they are not all worth these few poor creatures that go up and down in sheep skins and goat skins . thus afflictions make not a man a pin the worse : man he is exceeding glorious in gods eyes notwithstanding afflictions . but now secondly , come to sin , let there be sin , although a man have never so much outward prosterity and glory in the world , he is a most vile abominable creature , when sinful . see one famous example for this parallel to this on the other side , in the prophesie of daniel , . dan. verse . and there shall stand up a vile person : now who is this vile person that the holy ghost speaks of ? it is according to interpreters antiochus epiphanus , the great king of assyria ; and his very name signifies illustrious , so the word epiphanus signifies , illustrious , famous , glorious ; so that he hath these two titles , the great king of assyria , and the great king , famous , illustrious , glorious . and josephus writing of this man , hath this story , that the samaritans when they saw how he persecuted the jews , they sought his favor , and would not own themselves jews ; and they writ to antiochus the mighty god , this was their title in a letter they sent to him , antiochus the mighty god : well , now see here is one that hath outward glory enough ; the great king of assyria ; antiochus , famous , illustrious , that hath the title of the mighty god ; but now because he is a wicked man , the scripture saith , there shall a vile person arise ; a vile person notwithstanding his greatness ; let him be never so glorious a king , and called the mighty god , yet a vile person . i beseech you in your thoughts put these two scriptures together , these that go up and down in sheep skins and goat skins , are such that the world is not worthy of ; and antiochus the gloriousest king in the world , in gods judgment is a vile person . thus you see afflictions make not a man worse , but under them he may be as good as he was before ; and prosperity makes not a man better , but he may be as vile in prosperity as he was before : therfore though a man may have his estate encrease , and his estate bettered , yet he is not better : we speak of such or such , oh he is the best man in the parish , or the best man in the town : what do you mean by that ? oh he hath so much by the year , and so great a stock at sea , he is owner of ships , and hath part of so many ships ; and he is a great man , worth so much : true , his estate is worth somthing , but he ( if he be a wicked man ) is worth nothing : in the mean time , oh he is worth so much : yea , but you are deceived , his mony or his land is worth so much , or his ships are worth so much , but he is worth nothing himself : therfore the scripture speaks of the wicked , prov , . . the heart of the wicked is little worth : now the heart of a man , that is his soul , and that is the man ; the mind of a man , is the man ; the spirit , that is the man : now the heart of the wicked is little worth ; his house and his land may be worth somthing , but the heart of the wicked , he himself , is worth nothing . so that sin makes a man an evil man , but afflictions doth not make him evil : therefore sin is more against the good of a man , than afflictions possibly can be . this is the first . chap. xxv . secondly , sin is more opposite to the good of man than afflictions , because most opposite to the image of god in man : three particulars instanced , and a question resolved . seecondly , this will come more close , and particularly to demonstrate it more plainly to you , how that sin is more against the good of a man , than ever afflictions and troubles can be ; because sin is most against the image of god in man , most opposite unto the image of god in man , it defaceth that image : therefore it must needs be a greater evil than afflictions : for brethren , of all creatures in the world that god made , angels and men were the only creatures that god stamped his image upon ; for as it is with princes , they use not to stamp their image ( if they be glorious magnificent princes they use not to stamp their image ) upon brass , or copper , or leather , upon base mettals , but upon pure mettals , gold or silver ; and it is a sign the state grows low , when the kings image must be stamped upon lower mettals : so here , god would have his image stamped upon some of his creatures ; now he would not take the lowest meanest creatures , but god takes the most excellent creatures , as i may so say , gold and silver ; the angels i may compare to gold , and the children of men to silver ; and god makes the same image ( as the same image that is upon the gold , is upon the silver ) god makes the same upon man that is upon the angels : the same image of god that makes the angels glorious creatures , doth make man kind to be glorious too in the same image ; and our natures be capable of the very same image of god that the angels themselves have ; and this is the excellency of man-kind . now it is needful to shew the excellency of gods image in man , that so i may shew you the evil of sin ; in that it defaceth such an excellency of man , and therfore it is more against the good of man than any affliction can be . now the image of god in man is a glorious excellency , for it is that whereby men come to resemble god in his highest excellency ; it is not a likeness unto god in some inferior thing ; for though it be true , all in god is alike glorious , yet to our apprehensions some things appear more glorious than other : now the image of god in man , is that whereby man resembles god in that which doth appear to be the highest excellency in god himself . for as in an image or picture of a man ; when i draw the image of a man , i draw not the resemblance of a man in in some inferior thing , but i labor to draw the lively countenance ; in that is the greatest excellency of a man. and so in the image of god , now the image of god is the holiness of god , and so in mans soul the impression of gods own holiness , that is the image of god in man ; and by that , man comes to resemble god in the top of his glory and excellency . now this must needs be glorious for the creature to come so neer unto god as is possible for the creature ; for there is no excellency any creature is capable of , higher than the image of god , only that hypostatical union of the two natures . upon this god must needs take an infinite delight in looking upon the souls of the children of men ; as you know a man takes delight in looking upon his own image where ever he seeth it : so god takes delight in looking upon his own image ; there is nothing in all the world can take the eye of god so much as looking upon angels and the souls of men , and god sees the very same thing in the souls of men as he did in his angels . the most glorious object god hath to behold , is to behold himself in the creature ; the more god seeth of himself in any creature , the more delight must he needs take in viewing and looking upon that creature . now no creature in this inferior world had so much of gods work in it as man-kind had , having the image of god. hence it follows , that all the creatures in the world were brought under the dominion of man to be serviceable unto man ; why ? because he had so much of the image of god in him : upon that all creatures in the world were to lie under his feet , to be perfectly subject to the dominion of man. now if the image of god be such a glorious thing as it is , then what would you say of that which doth deface this image ? that must needs be an evil thing , and do much to the hurt of man that shall deface such an ezcellency as this is . now certainly sin doth so ; sin doth cast dirt into this image of god , and doth deface it : and therefore in the . col . the apostle there speaking of renewing grace , sanctifying grace , it is said , by it we come to have the image of god renewed : by grace ; then it is apparent , by sin the image of god is defaced . now prethren , if a man did take delight in a curious piece , as there be some men that will give five hundred pounds , a thousand pounds for some curious thing drawn with art : suppose such a one that prizeth such a piece , and there should come one and quite deface it ; would he not account this a great evil , and his heart rise against him ? thus it is in this case , the image of god in the soul of man , is the curiousest piece that ever was drawn in the world by the finger of gods spirit ; all creatures in heaven and earth could never draw such a piece , but sin defaceth it ; nay , such is the evil of sin , that one sin is enough quite to deface , and take away the image of god : as we know in adam , that was made according to the image of god , one sin quite defaced the image of god : as we account a house quite defaced and demolished , though here and there a little rubbish and stones remain : as in your monasteries or abbies that are demolished , though there be a few stones and rubbish left , yet the house is demolished . so all that is left in man of gods image , is but as the little rubbish of such a house left after its demolishing ; yea , that which is left , according to the opinion of many of the learned , is not a remainder of the image of god in man that he had at first creation ; but rather a smal pittance of some common gifts of gods spirit : for many wise and godly men hold that the remainders of that which we usually conceive to be the ruines and remainders of gods image since the fall , is not the remainders of what is left , but that which god ( for societie sake in the world , and that he may have a church in the world ) was pleased by some givings out of his spirit to renew somwhat in those that shall not be saved ; and so they come to have some light of knowledg even by jesus christ himself , christ enlightens every man that comes ▪ into the world , saith the scripture ; that is , if a man have common light , christ enlightens that man ; if a man have saving light , christ enlightens that man with saving light : so that the image of god was quite defaced by one sin . oh the evil and venom of sin , that one sin quite takes away the image of god. quest . but you will say , why is it not so now , for in the regenerate , there is the image of god in part renewed in them , and yet they commit many sins ? how comes it to pass sin quite defaceth not the image of god in those regenerate , that have it not perfectly , as well as the image of god in man that had it perfectly at first ? answ . to this i answer : this is not from a any reason of want of malignity in sin , for sin would do it ; but because of the strength that is in the covenant of grace , that god hath made in christ , hence god preserveth his image in those that be regenerate , notwithstanding they commit many sins : and it is a demonstration of the infinite power of god , that notwithstanding there is so many sins in those regenerate , that yet there should be preserved the image of god in man , which was not in adam : because god entred not into such a gracious covenant with adam to preserve him , therefore god leaving adam to a common course of providence , and had to do with him in a covenant of works , therfore god leavs that for sin to do in him , that it should not in us . but now there is more strength in the covenant of grace , and therefore it is , that 't is not every sin we commit that doth deface the image of god : but this is no thank to sin , nor doth it argue the less evil in sin . but be it known unto you that be sanctified , when you give liberty to sin , there is this in it , that in its own nature it would quite take away all the image of god renewed in you : and certainly thofe that understand what a blessing there is in this , to have gods image renewed in them , cannot but see that there is greater evil in sin than in any thing in the world ; that i should commit that which in its own nature would quite deface the whol image of god in me . and this is the second argument to declare the evil of sin against mans good . chap. xxvi . thirdly , sin is opposite to the life of god in man. a third particular to discover the evil of sin as opposite to mans good is this , because sin is opposite to the life of god in man. before i shewed sin strikes at the life of god in himself : now i am to shew you how sin strikes at the life of god in mans soul : for brethren , certainly this is the happiness of the children of men above other creatures , that god did make them to be of such a nature that they should live that life the lord himself lived , in a kind ; and so the scripture is very plain , ephes . . the text saith there , that they were alienated from the life of god through the darkness of their minds : it was the sinfulness of their hearts that did alienate them from the life of god ; therefore it is apparent that they were capable of the life of god ; and the life of god is the excellency of the children of men : now the sin of their hearts alienated them from the life of god. quest . now you will say , what do you mean when you speak of the life of god , and that the soul of man is capable of the life of god , and shew how sin is opposite to god ? certainly if i should come and tell you of the flames of hell , and torments of hell due to sin , perhaps i might scare some more that way : but for those that have any understanding , and truly know the excellency of man , their hearts will more rise upon the opening of this , than if i should spend many sermons to open the torments of hell to you : well then , what is this life of god ? answ . . that everlasting principle of grace in the souls of men united unto christ by his spirit , whereby men come to act and work as god doth act , and as god doth work for his own glory as the utmost end . as life is a principle whereby the creature moves within himself unto perfection , unto that which tends to perfection ; an active principle within it self to move towards perfection , that we account life . now that principle whereby a man shall come to move and work just as god moves and works ( still speaking after the manner of man ) that is , to have the likeness of god ; not in the very same thing , but the same in proportion of likeness , as the creature is capable of : how is that you will say ? thus ; this is the life of god ( so far as we can conceive of him ) that god is a continual act alwaies working for himself , and willing of himself as the last end of all : the very life of god consists in that , and in that consists the nature of holiness . now then when a man hath such a principle within him as that he can work unto god , as his last and highest end , and obey god as his chiefest good , he works as god himself doth . now brethren , this is the life of god that the children of men be capable of above all other creatures ; and it is this that makes them fit to converse with god himself ; i say , it is that which makes the children of men to be fit to converse with that infinite , glorious , eternal first-being of all things : and here is the happiness of man , that he is of that nature that he is capable of this excellency , to have to do with the infinite eternal first-being : for many know no more excellency than to converse with meat and drink ; that swine , and dogs , and other peasts do : but know , you be of more noble natures than so ; god hath made the meanest and poorest in this congregation , god hath made you of so noble a nature , that you may come to converse with the infinite , glorious , first-being of all things . as we know the excellency of men , that which puts a difference between man and man is this ; that this man that lives in a mean condition , their meanness consists in this , that they spend all their daies in converse with bruit beasts , and turning the clods of the earth ; but noble and great men are busied in state affairs , they be raised higher because they converse with princes , and great affairs of state ; the things they converse about are higher , and therefore they are more noble and higher than other men . as some children of men know no other excellency than to eat and drink , and play , and be filthy , and have nothing but that which the beasts have : but others , to whom god hath revealed himself , and hath made them of such a noble nature , that when others be in base acts of uncleanness , that know no other way of rejoycing in time of joy , but laughing , and eating and drinking , and filthiness : but others can get alone , and there contemplate of the glory of the great god , and their souls be opened to god , and god lets in beams of himself to them , and they let out beams of their love to god , and their desires to god , there is an intercourse between heaven and them ; god opens himself to them , and they open their souls to god , and so enjoy communion from god ; and they because they have the life of god in them , they be fit to converse with god : for mark , those things that converse one with another , they be such things that must live the same life ; as now , man can converse with man ; why ? because he lives the same life that man lives : but man is not so fit to converse with beasts , because they live not the same life ; though some men live even the very life of beasts : as a beast cannot converse with plants ( but only devours them ) because they live not the same life ; but those that live the same life be fittest for converse . so if man did not live the same life god doth , he could not converse with god : hence wicked and ungodly men cannot converse with god , because they live not the same life of god : when you talk of conversing with god , it is a riddle to many men ; why ? because they are strangers to the life of god , they have nothing of the life of god in them , but it is strange to them ; therfore they cannot converse with god. but now that which strikes at this life , and is the death of the soul , is sin ( for sin is the death of the soul ) therefore ephes . . beginning , you be dead in trespasses and sins , sin brings death ; he means not a bodily death , though that be a truth , but there is this death , the life of god is gone : all men by nature have the life of god gone ; and if ever it be renewed , it is by a mighty work of gods spirit : but sin strikes at the life of god in us , at this candle of the lord in this earthen pitcher . again , the excellency of the life of god will consist in this , as to make a man converse with him , so in this , that god must needs take infinite delight in the souls of those that live his life : as before in looking upon his image , now much more when he can see his creatures work as he himself works : this is the delight of god to see his creatures work just as himself . as a man takes delight to see his pictute , but abundantly more to look upon himself in his child , and to see his life in his child that comes from him , to see it able to work as he works . as suppose any artificer , or one skilled in navigation , suppose he see a picture drawn of navigation , he takes delight in that because there is somthing of himself in it ; but now suppose he hath a child , and he puts skill into him and he seeth him work as he works , and discourse about naval affairs as he discourseth ; this is wonderfully delightful to him . so when god shall see the same life in his creature that is in himself , that he works and wills as he doth , this takes the very heart of god ; and this shews the excellency of grace . but sin is that which strikes at this life of god , and brings death to the soul , wholly takes away this life : and were it not for the covenant of grace even one sin would take away this image of god ; for sin did it in adam , and so would in the regenerate , if it were not for the covenant of grace . my brethren , life is the most excellent of any thing : as augustine saith , the life of a fly is more excellent than the sun ( it is his expression , not mine ) because the sun though an excellent creature , hath not life , but a fly , though little , yet it hath life ; though we know little of it ▪ yet it shews the excellency of god to make a living creature : but if the life of a fly , or a beast be so excellent , much more the life of man. now then , what is the life of god! now if that be evil which strikes at the natural life of the body , the life of man ; we account those diseases most grievous that are mortal ; as if a man have a disease only painful , this is not so much if they be painful if not mortal , as those that be mortal . if a physitian come and tell one , you must endure pain , but be of good cheer , your life is sure ; this comforts him : but take a disease that he feels no pain of , it may be the sence of pain is gone , but if the physitian come and tell him , oh you be dangerously ill , because your distemper is like to prove mortal : we account that without pain that strikes at life , more than that with a great deal of pain that doth not strike at life : skin for skin , and all that a man hath will he give for his life . now that which strikes at the highest life , even the life of god , and makes the creature appear so vile before god , as certainly sin makes the creature more vile than any dead carrion that lies stinking in a ditch ; sin is more vile in gods eyes than any dead dog on the dunghil is in your eyes . this is the third particular , how sin is most opposite to mans good more than affliction ; therefore a man were better bear the greatest affliction , than commit the least sin , because affliction never strikes at the life of god : nay , many live not the life of god so gloriously as they do in affliction ; many seem to have their hearts dead in times of prosperity , but when afflictions come then they manifest a glorious life of god. chap. xxvii . fourthly , sin is opposite to mans good , because it is most opposite to the last end for which man was made . a fourth thing wherein the evil of sin consists as most opposite to mans good is this , because it lies most opposite to the last end for which man was made . in that other passage i opened before , i shewed how sin opposeth god in his own end , & therfore there was a great deal of evil in sin : but now i must shew how sin opposeth man in that end god made man for . i am afraid some of these things are such that some cannot go along with me in them ; it is my endeavor to make things ( though spiritual , and above our natural reach , to make them ) as low as i can : but if there be some that do not understand , i hope others do , and such ( i hope ) will make use of what i speak . for certainly these things i speak of do more declare the evil of sin , and will keep an ingenuous spirit more from sin , than all the evils and torments of hell. it is more against mans last end. now we use to say the end and the good of a thing is the same : that which is the last end is better than the thing it self , therfore whatsoever strikes at the last end is the greatest evil of all . that is the happiness of any creature to enjoy its last end : as thus , the greatest good or the last end of a plant or a tree is to flourish and bear fruit , and be sitted for the service of man , this is its end . and what is the evil of a tree ? when it comes to flourish , and when fruit hangs full upon it , if it be blasted , and never come to attain to its utmost end , to be serviceable for that for which it was appointed ; that is the evil of it . and we account it a great evil if we see this flourishing tree when it is full of fruit , if before it come to maturity it be blasted . so look upon mans end , and if that be blasted , that is his great evil . now the end of man is this , to live to the eternal praise of god , in the everlasting injoyment of him . god made the children of men for this end , that they might eternally live to his praise in the eternal injoyment of himself . now if man be blasted in this , there is his great evil , to blast man in this end for which he was made . now no affliction doth it , all the afflictions in the world doth not hinder man from the attaining to his end . but sin comes , and directly opposeth that end for which man was made , and crosseth him in this excelleney of his , in living to the praise of the infinite eternal first-being of al things . now before , i could not shew you the evil of sin , but by shewing you the excellency of the image and life of god : so here i cannot shew the evil of sin , being opposite to mans last end , but by shewing you the excellency of mans last end . now the excellency of mans last end , i mean the good god hath made man for , it appears in this . it is such a kind of excellency as is worthy of all the good that there is in mans nature , or that mans nature is capable of . for the end and happiness of any thing , must be that that must have as much excellency in it , that all in the thing must tend to the making of him happy . mans nature is capable of the image and life of god. now that which must be the happiness of such a creature must be worthy of such an excellency as the image of god , and the life of god in man ; therfore it must be a very high and glorious excellency . that which is mans happiness and end is that which is worthy of al the wayes of god toward mankind . now i beseech you observe this thing , the wayes of god towards the children of men in bringing them to his last end , be the most glorious of all gods wayes to any creature ; god did never manifest so much glory in all the world , nor never wil manifest so much glory to al eternity in any thing , as he hath manifested in these waies of his to bring mankind to the attaining his last end , for which he made him . now if god be so glorious in that way of his concerning his working , in bringing man to his last end , then certainly that end of man , that happiness man was made for must be very glorious : because it must have so much glory and excellency in it as must be worthy all the glorious wayes of gods working towards him . 't is thus with man. there is no wise man that doth any great work , manifests any great skill , or layes out great cost , but will do it for such an end , as that end , if ever it be attained , shall be worth all his cost , and skill , and pains . for a wise man to bestow much cost , skill , and pains upon a mean thing , is absurd and ridiculous ; and no wise man but if he bestow much cost and pains , and manifest much skill , but he will be sure it shall be for that , which if he attain to that he aims at , it shall be worth all . if a man be at a great deal of charge in a voyage , he aims at such an end as may be worth his charge : so when god above all things layes out his wisdom , power , and mercy , & goodness , & faithfulness ; and sets at work all his counsels to be laid out upon such a business , as to get man to attain to his last end ; then certainly mans end and happiness must be worth it all . and it must needs be a glorious thing , god intends for the children of men to make them happy withal , when the great counsels of god , and wayes of gods wisdom and power be so about this business of bringing man to happiness . now if there be such a glorious happiness for mankind , then that which is most opposite to this great happiness , must be very evil . now sin directly opposeth mans happiness , the end man was made for : and thus you see the evil of sin . when god comes to awaken mans conscience , and inlighten mans soul to see how sin crosseth their happiness more than any affliction , they will chuse rather to be under the greatest affliction , than the least sin . object . i but it may be you will say it doth not s● cross mans happiness , but that he may come to be happie for all sin ? answ . i answer , of its own nature it directly crosseth mans happiness ; quite undoes man ; and if god by his power fetch it about another way , this is no thank to sin , but to god. chap. xxviii . fifthly , sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction because t is a defilement of the soul. it defiles all a man medleth with . sin is the matter the worm shall gnaw upon to all eternity . fifthly , the evil of sin against a mans good appeareth in this , in that it is the defilement and corruption of the soul , a rottenness in the soul. affliction is not the filth and corruption of the soul , the soul may be as clear from filth and corruption , notwithstanding affliction , as it was before man sinned . sin , it is the rottenness of the soul , and therefore such a kind of defilement , as , it defiles all things a man medles withal , and al his actions ; it makes a man vile , and defiles every thing that comes from him . to the unclean all things are unclean and impure , tit. . . it defiles the creature and every thing he hath to do withal , and every thing he medles withal . and especially it appeareth in this , that it is no other than the matter for the worm to breed in that shall gnaw upon the soul of the wicked to all eternity . you reade in scripture , that the damned shall be punished with fire that shall never go out ; and the worm that shal never dye . what is that worm that shall never dye ? the worm of conscience that shall gnaw upon their spirits to all eternity . now , what breeds this worm , and supplies it with matter ? no other but the corruption of sin in the soul . for as with worms ( as the holy ghost makes use of that meatopher ) that breed in the corruption and filth in a mans body , there are some worms that breed in the body which are deadly . but out of what do those worms breed ? out of the filth and corruption of the body , and the corruption of the body supplies matter for the worm to gnaw upon . and so in trees , and timber , there breeds worms ; upon what do they breed but upon the corruption of the timber when it begins to rot . so then worms breed out of corruption , and live upon corruption ; so that worm of conscience that shall lye gnawing upon the souls of those that perish to al eternity , is nothing else but that which breeds from the filth of their hearts while they live here the worm breeds : therefore you that live a long time in sin , old sinners , gray headed sinners , though you do not feel the worm gnaw for the present ; yet ever since you were born the worm was breeding , and it will be a great and a dreadful worm hereafter : and know you supply abundance of corruption for to feed that worm that will gnaw another day : you feel it not now , but the longer you be before you feel it , the dreadfuller will it be then . all those that have corrupt hearts , and have this worm breed , if god would make the worm gnaw now , it would be wel for them ; for there be wayes to kill it here , to kill the worm of conscience . if it gnaw , there is a soveraign medicine , the bloud of christ : and certainly there is no medicine in the world to kill this worm but the bloud of christ , and those that god doth intend to kill this worm in , and those that shall not have it gnaw to all eternity , god lets it gnaw now , the ministery of the word makes it gnaw and pain them , and they feel such pain that wheresoever they go , or whatsoever they do yet the worm lies gnawing upon their hearts , they cannot sleep , or eate their meat : alas ! what should i eat , and have my worm gnaw there ! and they can never be at rest till god apply the bloud of christ , and then they void the worm as it were . how will you rejoyce when your children , if the worms be great and put them to pain , if the physitian give them that which makes them void them , how do you rejoyce to see the worm that would have been the death of your child ? it might have grown bigger and bigger , if it had not been taken away . so i dare say there is never a soul here before the lord , but hath , or had a worm in their breasts , i say , there was a time you had this worm in your breasts , that without it were cured , would lie gnawing to all eternity , it is that which breeds of the filth and corruption of your hearts . suppose a man had a little dirt on his face , this endangers not the life of the body , but when there is corruption within , and defilement of the body within , that breeds diseases , and will breed worms , it may be it wil breed the wolf that lies gnawing at their breasts ; many women have had it in their breasts that lies gnawing upon their flesh : but know , your sins breed another manner of worm or wolf that will gnaw worse than ever that did . and this is the evil of sin , it is not only the defilement of the soul , but such a defilement that breeds such a worm that will gnaw upon conscience to all eternity . chap. xxix . sixtly , sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction , because sin is the object of gods hatred ; but god hateth not any for affliction . sixtly , sin is the only object of the hatred of god , nothing is the object of gods hatred but sin : god doth not hate a man or a woman because they are poor , god may love them as wel as any monarch or prince in the world , though they be poor : god hates not a man because he is sick , you hate not your children because they be sick or weak : all the afflictions in the world make not a man an object of gods hatred , but sin doth : mark that expression in scripture , psalm , . . the fool shall not stand in thy sight , thou hatest all workers of iniquity ; so that sin makes the creature the object of gods hatred : god saith not ( mark ) he hates the work of iniquity only ; but the worker of iniquity : god hates not the creature as he made them , but through sin the creature come● to be hated ; even the workers of iniquity . now observe the strength of the reason , that which makes a man the object of gods hatred , must needs be a greater evil than that which can stand with gods everlasting love : for afflictions in the strength of them , and bitterness of them , may stand with gods eternal love ; nay observe , they may stand with the same love wherwithal god the father loved his son jesus christ ; for so in the . of john , latter end ; there christ praies to the father , that thou maiest love them with the very same love with which thou lovest me : now god the father loved christ , and yet god the father afflicted christ , and christ was under sore afflictions , and yet at that very time god the father loved him : so a man or a woman afflicted , notwithstanding all their afflictions , they may have the very same love of god the father that jesus christ himself had , in a manner the very same : and my thinks this might be a mighty encouragement to afflicted souls ; are you afflicted with poverty , bodily sickness , persecution , any thing ? know , for all this affliction , god may love you with the same love he loved his son : but sin makes the creature the object of the hatred of god. but you will say , gods children have sin . of its own nature , it would make them objects of gods hatred , but there comes in the blood of christ , and the purchase of his blood procures peace between god and man ; but i speak of it in its own nature ; and those that god looks upon in a sinful condition , he cannot look upon them but he hates them . now that which makes a man the object of gods hatred , must needs be very evil ; as thus , when any affection runs in one current , it must needs run very strongly ; as in the sea , suppose there were many arms and rivers to break the strength of the current , it would not run so powerfully ; but when there is but one current , the current of the ocean there runs very strongly . so in the affections , when the affections be only set upon one object , then they be strong : when love is scattered upon this and the other thing , then 't is not strong , but when it is upon one , then it is strong . when parents have many children , and they love this , and this , then it may be they love not any so strongly ; but when they have but one there is great love . so in hatred , where there is a hatred of many , there is not so much hatred against one ; but where it runs in one current only , there it is strong . so here , there is no object that gods hatred runs out against but only sin , therefore the hatred mustneeds be very powerful . oh for a man or woman to live to be the object of the hatred of the eternal god , how dreadful an evil is this ! we desire to be beloved where we are , of every one ; what a sad thing is it to live in a family , or a town , and no body love them : men desire to be beloved though it be of a dog , and they will boast somtimes , such a dog , or a horse loved such an one , loved his master ; when he doth but come home , they will leap , and skip , and faun on him . do we take delight to have our neighbors , or the family love us ? nay , for the dog to love us ? oh what is the love of an infinite , eternal , glorious god! a man accounts it an evil if the dog only snarl and bark at him , this we account an evil : oh what an evil is it then , to have the infinite , eternal , only wise god to be an enemy , and i the object of his hatred ! oh think of these things . and brethren , in these times it is to be feared you contract abundance of sin ; you will have more to answer for before these * twelve daies be gone , than you had before . oh let this stop the course of some sin , that otherwise might be committed in these times of sensuallity ; therefore when you see some go on in sinful waies , do you stop and say , god forbid i should do as they do ; i have been in such a place , and heard what sin is , heard how it is against god , and this might stop me ; but this day i have heard how it is against me and my own soul , and how it destroyes my own soul , therefore i will hate sin everlastingly . chap. xxx . seventhly , sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction , because sin brings guilt upon the soul . seventhly , there is more evil in sin than in affliction , because sin is more opposite against our own good than affliction , and that in this seventh respect , sin brings guilt upon the soul , it makes the creature stand guilty in the presence of god : now guilt upon the soul is a greater evil than any affliction can be : that is the thing i am now to open . guilt , what is that ? it is the binding over of the sinner to gods justice , and to the law , to answer , and be liable unto what the law requires as punishment due to the sinner : so that then for a creature to stand bound over to gods infinite justice , and the law , hath more evil in it against mans good than all the afflictions and miseries in the world ; this is the thing i am to make good . a sinner goeth up and down with the chains of guilt upon him ; iron chains grating upon the sore flesh of a man , is not so tedious and grievous as the chains of guilt upon conseience . certainly this is one especial reason why many wicked men and women are so froward as they are , because they have much guilt upon their spirits , that as iron ch●ins would grate the raw flesh , so doth that guilt lie upon conscience , and that makes them so froward & peevish as they are ; froward against god , and against man. many men that you are to deal withal , you shal find them against the word extream froward , & pervers against their acquaintance , neighbors , & family , & neerest friends , & we cannot imagine somtimes what is the reason : certainly this is one especial reason , there is much guilt upon their consciences , and spirits ; and this doth so disquiet and vex them , that they fling out at god , and his word , and every one ; they can have no quiet they be so vexed and gauled with that guilt upon their spirits : there is a great deal of cause to suspect much guilt to be upon those that be so outragious , and can bear nothing ; that have their hearts rise against the word especially . brethren , if you see any one that hath any light of conscience , and hath made profession heretofore , if such an one shall frowardly flie out against the word , and those that be godlie , you may conclude there is some woful guilt upon that mans spirit , he is so froward , and peevish , and disquiet as he is : and so we find it in saul , he was a man at first of a very quiet spirit , and very moderate ; but after , saul being a man much enlightened , and had forsaken god , and had contracted abundance of guilt upon his soul , he was a most froward perverse spirit as any we reade of in the book of god ; then how froward was he with david , and the priests of god , and so outragious as that he slaies them all ; a bloody man after he had contracted much guilt . do you see men so froward , and outragious , and bloodie ? oh there is much guilt within upon their spirits , great breaches between god and their souls , and the guilt of sin within grates upon their hearts , and that makes them so outragious as they are : if guilt be upon the soul , it takes away al the comfort of every thing ; that man or woman that hath an enlightened conscience , and hath guilt upon them , there 's little comfort such a one can take in any thing they enjoy . no affliction in the world can take away the comfort of what we enjoy , as guilt can do ; if you have afflictions one way , you have comforts another : if a man go abroad and meet with hard dealings , he comes home and hath comfort it may be in his wife , a comfortable yoke-fellow , this rejoyceth him ; or may be he hath comfort in his children , or in such or such a friend : but now let a man or a woman have guilt upon conscience , abroad he hath no comfort , at home he hath no comfort ; yea , the more comfortable things he doth enjoy , the more trouble there is in his spirit : as thus , take a guiltie conscience , and when he comes and looks upon a comfortable familie , comfortable estate , means coming in , a sweet yoke-fellow , good friends ; oh but if i had not some guilt upon my soul , i could rejoyce in these ; but that guilt that lies upon his conscience take away all the comfort of these ; and if he sees others that enjoy these , oh saith he , this man may have comfort in a comfortable yoke-fellow , children , or friends , and a good estate ; but he hath not guilt upon his spirit , and that breach between his god and he as i have . may be the world knows not where his ●hoo pincheth him , and what sadens his spirit : many men that have comforts about them ( though they cannot be said to enjoy them ) yet their hearts be troubled and disquieted , and no bodie knows the matter ; oh there is guilt upon their spirits : they think within themselves , oh , if it were with me as it is with such a one , it would be well , sure they have not that guilt i have , if they had they could not but be disquieted as i am . again , guilt brings woful fear upon the conscience ; no affliction can bring such fear upon the conscience . though there should be never such troubles and fears , and confusions in the world , alas this is not so terrible and fearful as that fear the guiltie conscience hath . take a man or woman whose conscience is delivered from the guilt of sin , such a one , though heaven and earth should meet , is not so much troubled . certainly brethren , in these great fears amongst us , that you be skar'd at everything , it is partly because you have not throughly made up your peace between god and your souls , and some guilt lies upon your spirits and consciences ; and this indeed will make every thing terrible to you , if that lie there : guilt upon the conscience makes god , the thoughts of god seem terrible . now it is a greater evil for the creature not to be able to look upon god , & to have thoughts of god without being pierced with terror , than to be under any affliction in the world ; sorrows , fears , and disgrace and persecutions are not so terrible as this , that i am in such a condition that i cannot look up to god , nor think upon god without having the thoughts of his majesty to be terrible to me a guilty conscience cannot endure to have a thought of god , it is terrible to him , and therefore he labors by going into company , and sports , and business in the world , to take off the thoughts of god , because the thoughts of god peirce his heart . and so the presence of god is very terrible where guilt is upon the conscience , and the conscience of such a one cannot endure to come into gods presence ; nor into the communion of saints where gods presence is . and he cannot endure to pray , the thoughts of that strike his heart ; to go alone to pray , the presence of god when alone is extream terrible . and this is a sader condition than to be under any affliction : better be under any affliction than in such a case , as that the presence of god is terrible : the presence of god in prayer , and so the presence of god in his word ; oh the word is terrible to such a one , the word of god speaks nothing but terror so long as guilt remains upon the conscience . this is worse than affliction that that word which is a treasure of sweetness , and goodness , and comfort to those that are gracious and godly , should be filled with terror to the soul of one that is full of guilt . yea , to such a one all the wayes of gods providence are full of terror ; if there be any judgment of god abroad , oh the terror that this brings upon his foul . brethren , sin is committed quickly , you have a temptation comes , and you fall upon the sin and act it ; the sin , the act of it , is transient and quickly gone ; the guilt that sticks to you . when a man or woman hath satisfied their iust in a sinful way , the guilt sticks behind : may be the time is gone for the pleasure of it ; it was perhaps yesterday , or such a night or time thou hadest the pleasure of it , but now the sin is gone the pleasure of it , but the guilt sticks , and that abides upon thy spirit to all eternity if thou look not to it . nay , certainly it must stick upon the spirit , it is not in the power of any creature in heaven or in earth to deliver thee from it : yea the guilt so remains , that though thou feel it not now for the present , it may stick terriblely many years after . but affliction is terrible only for the present , not for afterward ; but guilt and sin laies a foundation of mis●… for many years after . nay , many times it is grievous painful to the soul long after it is committed : as it was in josephs brethren , we reade of them that they committed that great sin against their brother , and it troubled them not a great while ; but twenty two years after when they were in an affliction , then the guilt of their sin comes a fresh , oh then we sinned against our brother ; when they were in prison there : now it was twenty two years from the time they committed that sin to that time when they were in trouble there . so you that have committed sin and think some slight sorrow may wash it away , know the guilt may abide upon your spirits perhaps twenty , may be forty years after . and you that are yong take heed and know that sin is more evil than any affliction , for the sin that you commit when you are yong in your masters families , the guilt may abide upon you , and youthful sins may prove ages terror . it may be with you as with a man that gets a bruis , when he is yong he feels it not , but when he is old than it ach in his bones , and puts him to terrible pain many times ; so many yong people feel not sin when their bloud is hot , but afterward , the guilt of sin abides upon them , and is the torment of their souls when their bloud is cold . now what evil is there in sin that may do a man mischief perhaps twenty or forty years hence . as it is with some poyson , there are some poysons men have skill in , that they can give poyson shall not work in three or four , perhaps not till seven years afterward , and yet they know certainly , that if that man be not cut off before ( except god work extraordinarily ) he shall dye at the seven years end of that poison he took seven years before . so sin is such a thing that it wil do a man a mischief many years after . again , the guilt of sin hath this evil further in it , which appears in that difference between men that come to suffer with guilt , and those that come to suffer without guilt : take them that have come to the most grievous sufferings in the world , and had not the guilt of sin upon their consciences , who had all cleer between god and their souls ; their sufferings be joyful , and they can rejoice in tribulation and troubles , as the martyrs in persecution , how did they rejoyce and glory in their sufferings ? with what a spirit of magnanimitie did they come to their sufferings ? but take those who suffer through guilt , as malefactors , when they come to suffer , what shame and confusion is upon them ! thus affliction is nothing to them that have no guilt , but those that have the guilt of sin upon them when they come to suffer their guilt is a thousand times more than their affliction . there is a great deal of difference between a man guilty of treason when he come to suffer for it , there is shame and confusion , and dismal darkness in the spirit where there is guilt : but let one be accused for treason , or any such horrible crime , and no guilt upon the spirit , such a one can go on with joy , and comfort , and peace ; whatsoever can be done to him is very little or nothing when guilt is removed . the truth is , there is no suffering can countervail the suffering that guilt makes . the guilt makes the suffering evil , otherwise not . if one man come upon another man with suffering , it is nothing without guilt ; so it is true , when god comes it is nothing if god and we be at peace : but now when god comes with any such affliction as the very affliction shall have the mark of the sin upon it , and so shall stir up conscience to accuse you for it , then the heart is ready to sink when the affliction shall bear the name of the sin together with it . i remember the difference of davids spirit at several times ; one time , though an host incampe about me , yet will i not fear , and though i walk in the valley of the shadow of death , i will fear no evil ; psal . . another time he is afraid when he flies from absolon ; and when there was a breach between god and his soul , when he had brought guilt upon his spirit , then david was quickly cooled ; and upon any occasion of trouble , david was quickly frightened . this is a seventh thing wherein sin appears to be a greater and more evil thing than affliction , because it makes the soul guiltie before god. chap. xxxi . eighthly , sin is a greater evil to man than affliction , because it 's that which put the creature under the sentence of condemnation . eighthly , sin is a greater evil than affliction , because it is that which puts the creature under the sentence of condemnation , and so makes more against the good of man than any affliction can do . for a poor creature to see himself stand before the great judg of all the world , and have the sentence of condemnation come out against him ; this is a greater evil than to have any affliction that all the creatures of heaven and earth could bring upon him . as now , take a malefactor that is to stand before mans judgment seat , and to receive sentence of condemnation ; is not this a greater evil unto him than if he should hear of loss in his estate , than if he had sickness in his bodie , any pain in his limbs ; to stand thus to receive the sentence , he looks upon it as a greater evil than possibly can befal him in this world otherwise . but then , when the soul shal see it self stand before the infinite glorious , eternal first-being of all things , and looks upon god sitting upon his tribunal passing sentence of eternal death upon him ; this is another manner of evil than any affliction and suffering that can befal him . but now , know there is not any one sin that thou committest ( but if you look upon it as in it self ) god sits , i say , upon his trone , and passeth sentence of death upon thee for it as really as ever he will do at the great day of judgment ; it is done now as really and as truly in this world as ever it shall be at the day of judgment , only here is the difference , then it is irrecoverable ; nay , shall i say it cannot be recalled here ; no certainly it shall not , only it may be transmitted to christ , he must bear it , he must have the sentēce ; so that it is not properly recalled , god doth not as a judg that passeth sentence , and afterward nullifies it : no , but god passeth sentence and condemns the sinner ; only christ comes in and takes the sentence upon himself ; so that the sentence goeth on still , only it is transferred from one person to another ; christ comes in , and he puts on the sentence of condemnation for thee that hast it passed against thee , so that the sentence is not properly nullified , but transferred to christ : eccles . . . saith the text there , because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed , therefore the heart of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil . ( mark ) the sentence against an evil work is not speedilie executed : so that it appears there is a sentence against every evil work : the sentence is out brethren ; thou goest and art drunk , or to the commission of such a sin , i say , presentlie the sentence of death is clapt upon thee , the sentence is out against all sinners : you see men go on and live in prosperitie a great while in the world ; but they be under the sentence all the while , sin is not removed by the blood of christ , and all the comforts ( i beseech you observe that ) that any man or woman have in the world that are in their natural condition , and are not delivered from condemnation by christ , they are all but just as meat and drink , and some refreshments that are grantnd to a condemned malefactor before execution . suppose a malefactor is condemned , but now execution is not till two or three daies after ; in that space of time he hath granted unto him libertie to have meat and drink , and friends come to him , and he may refresh himself in those two or three daies ; but he hath forfeited all his estate , and the tenure now upon which he holds any comfort , it is not the same which he had before , but meerly through the bountie of the prince it is that he hath comforts . so here , wicked men have committed sin , and the sentence of death is out against them , and they have forfeited all the comforts of their estates , and of their lives , only god in patience grants unto them some outward comforts here a few daies before execution ; and upon this tenure do all wicked men hold their estates : i will not say that every wicked man is an usurper of their estates , as some perhaps have held , that they have no right at all before god ; some right he hath , as you cannot say a malefactor hath no right ( when he is condemned ) to meat and drink before execution ; he hath right to what is given to him of donation and bountie , but not that right which he had before : so i say , for wicked men that have estates in this world , they have a kind of right to that they have ; but how ? just that right that a condemned man hath to his dinner or supper before execution ; this is the right of wicked men to their estates ; that is , god of his bountie grants a little while before execution they shall have a few comforts to them in this world : and this is the evil of sin , and the least sin , there is not any one sin , but the fruit of it is condemnation . and brethren , you must not mistake , to think that wicked men are never condemned until they come before god in the day of judgment ; they be condemned here , mark that , john , . . he that beleeves not is condemned already : now condemned , not hereafter , but a condemned man already : this is a sad condition indeed . if a man had the sentence of death so past that the whol parliament could not help him , you would think that man in a sad condition . now let me speak it , and god speaks it to the conscience of every sinner ; i say , thou that standest before god in any one sin , and not delivered through the blood of his son christ , thou standest so under the sentence of condemnation , as all the creatures in heaven and earth cannot help and deliver thee , thou must have some help beyond the help of all the creatures in heaven and earth to deliver thee : when paul would comfort the saints against all troubles and afflictions they meet withal , rom. . he begins thus , there is no condemnation to them in christ jesus : as if he should say , this is the comfort , no condemnation . if i know i am delivered from the sentence of condemnation , let what will fall out i am well enough ; but this be sure of , there is condemnation to those that are not in christ . i remember luther had this speech when he had got assurance of pardon of sin , that he was freed and absolved by god ; he cries out , lord strike , lord , now strike , for i am absolved from my sins , thou hast delivered me from sin ; now strike , now let any affliction befal that possibly can ; let never so much trouble attend i am absolved from sin ; now lord strike . this is the eighth , sin is more opposite against the good of man than affliction , for it brings them under the sentence of condemnation . chap. xxxii . ninthly , sin is a greater evil to man than affliction , because it breaks the vnion between god and the soul. ninthly , sin is a greater evil than affliction in this , in that it is the very thing that breaks the vnion between god and the soul : it is that doth it , and no affliction doth it . now brethren , this i confess might seem to be less than that of hatred , and might have come before it ; but now i bring it in here , that it breaks the union between god and the soul , isa . . . your sins have separated between you and your god! we are to know , the souls of men are capable of a very near and high union between god and them ; the more spiritual any thing is , the more power hath it to unite , and the more neer the union : as thus , the beams of the sun because they be very spiritual , they can unite a thousand of them into one point as it were ; but grosser things cannot so unite themselves together . so brethren , god being a spirit , and our souls being spirits , they come to be capable of a most neer communion one with another . and the souls of men are neerer a glorious union with god , in this regard more neer than any creature but the angels . because the object of mans understanding is not any particular truth , but veritas , truth in general , truth it self in the whole latitude is the object of mans understanding . so the object of mans will , is not this good , or that good in particular ; but bonitas , good in general , in the full latitude of it . it is not so with other creatures , they have their objects in some particular thing , in such a limit and compass , and they can work no further , nor higher . but it is otherwise with mans soul , god hath made man in such a kind , that the object of his soul should be truth and goodness in the full latitude , in the infinitness of it , take it in the utmost extent that can be , yet still it is the object of the soul of man. now hence it is that the soul of man is of such a wonderful larg extent , even capable of god himself , of enjoyment of union and communion with god himself , which otherwise could not be . no other creature hath to do with infiniteness , nor can have to do with it but men and angels , and upon that ground , because god hath made them of such a nature so large that their faculties should be of so large a nature . now hence it is that man being capable of the enjoyment of god in such a glorious manner : we have these expressions in scripture , he that is joyned to the lord , is one spirit : cor. . . made one spirit with god. a most strange expression that the soul of a poor creature should be made one spirit with god , and yet so it is . and so john . . we have two or three notable expressions , that they may be all one , as thou father art in me , and i in thee , and that they may be one in us . christ prayes that the saints may be one in him , and in the father , as the father is in him , and he in the father : so they may be one with them . and vers . . and the glory which thou gavest me , i have given them : that they may be one , even as we are one . christ hath given the saints the same glory god the father gave him . and to what end ? what was the effect of that glory christ gave to the saints ? it was that they may be one with the father and one with the son. so that you see mankind is capable of a wonderful neer union with god ; oh consider this to raise your spirits . you that look after such low things and think there is no higher good than to eat , and drink , and to have your pleasures in the flesh : know that the meanest and poorest in the congregation , are capable to receive that glory god gave his son christ ; that you may be one with god the father and the son , as god the father and the son are one ; not every way : but know there is a likeness , christ himself hath exprest it . therefore you that have your hearts so low , that mind nothing but these things below , know that you have more noble things to mind if your hearts consider it . but here is the evil of sin ; sin breaks the union between god and the soul ; it separates between god and the soul , it keeps off god that infinite , eternal , glorious fountain of all good ; it keeps him off from you ; it makes you lose god , and all the good in god : by sin you depart from god , which is the curse of the damned at the day of judgment , depart from me you cursed : you here , for the present , in every sin , do begin to have that dreadful sentence executed on you : depart from me ye cursed . you do it your selves while you live in sinful waies , there is a real actual departing from god , and executing of that dreadful sentence , depart you cursed . you think there is little evil in sin ; but if you knew that god is an infinite good , and then knew the union you are capable of with god , and then see sin break this union ; this would make you see sin the greatest evil in the world . chap. xxxiii . tenthly , sin is more against mans good than affliction , for that it stirs up all in god to come against a sinner in way of enmity . tenthly , the evil of sin as against our good , consists in this , it stirs up all in god to come in way of enmity against a sinner : and this is another manner of business than to suffer affliction . a most dreadful place of scripture we have for this , levit. . verse . . if you walk contrary to me , i will walk contrary unto you : what is that ? all my glorious attributes shall work against you ; as if god should say , is there any thing in me can make you miserable ? you have it ? if all my power or wisdom can bring evil upon you , you shall have it : i will walk contrary in all the working of my attributes , and waies of my providence ▪ and a most dreadful place we have , psalm , . . there god saith , the face of the lord is against them that do evil : mark , the face of the lord : what is gods face ? the manifestation of himself , and his glorious attributes ; the face of the lord is against them that do evil . oh that thou wouldest consider this thou that dost evil , whose conscience cannot but tell thee thou dost evil ; know , the face of god is against thee : and is this nothing to have the face of god against thee ? the face of god is terrible in the world when he meets with a sinner ; one sight of the face of god against a soul , cannot but overwhelm the soul and sinke it down to the bottomless gulf of eternal despair , if god hold him not by his mighty hand , there is so much terror in it : and yet the scripture saith , the face of god is against them that do evil . another text very remarkable we have in the sam. . . with the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure , and with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward ; or unsavory : but it may be translated , with the perverse thou wilt wrastle : so that those that be froward and perverse , and will walk on in a sinful way , god wrastles it out with them ; god puts forth his power to wrastle , and certainly if god wrastle with thee , he will lay thee upon thy back . it is a dreadful thing that god should use such a speech , that he will wrastle with man ; for all men in sin , as i shewed before , they wrastle with god , as if they would have the day ; god will have his will , and thou shalt have the fall ; thou wrastlest , and god wrastle : you know wrastlers put forth all their strength against one another , and know , god puts forth all his strength against every sinner . and that i may bring it more full to your sences , consider this , from whence hath any creature power to bring evil upon thee , or to torment thee ? surely it hath somwhat of god in it : as thus , fire hath power to torment the bodie , and it is only one spark of god let out through the power of that creature , otherwise it had no power . and again , another creature , swords and weapons , they have power to gash and wound the body ; whence have these instruments their power ? it is but some drop of gods power through these instruments . so one disease hath power to torment one way , and another , another way ; whence hath any disease power to torment ? only there is some little of gods power let out through that disease . now if all creatures tormenting hath only power through gods letting out his power , then what a dreadful thing will it be when gods power shal be infinitely let out against the creature ? so that take all creatures in their several powers to torment , and put them all together , one creature in one kind , and another in another , and put them all together , this would be great torture : now all the power of god is the several powers of all the creatures put together in one , and infinitely more ; and when that comes against the creature , it must needs make them miserable : it s another manner of matter than afflictions , when all in god comes out against the soul ; and there is not any one sin but endangers this . chap. xxxiv . xi . sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction , for that sin make all the creatures of god at enmity with a sinner . xi . further , in the next place , the evil that sin hath beyond all the evil of affliction is this : that sin , it doth make all the creatures of god to be at an enmity with a sinner : i say , sin puts a sinner in this condition , that all the creatures of god are enemies unto the sinner ; they be all as the host of god that come out against a sinner , ready armed with gods wrath , ready bent to execute the wrath of god against a sinner : the creatures of god are called gods host , not only because they be armed with gods wrath , but because there is in them a propencity to destroy those sinners that sin against the god of their being . every creature is ready and doth as it were cry to god , oh lord , when wilt thou give me commission to take away such a wretch , lord , such a one is a filthy , wretched blasphemer , a sabbath breaker , a drunkard , and thou livest all this while , and hast been at peace , and yet they are still crying , lord , shall i go and take him away , and send him to his own place ? if thou couldest hear it , all the creatures in the world cry thus , and they be all desirous to send thee to thy own place , and take thee away . my thinks when i see a sinner , i hear all the creatures cry as he in the 〈◊〉 sam. . . abishai the son of zerviah ; abishai was one of davids soldiers , when shimei cursed david : shall i go and cut off this dead dogs neck ? so he saith concerning shimei , let me go over i pray thee , and take off his head ; why should this dead dog curse my lord ? so when thou art blaspheming god , the creatures look upon thee with disdain , and they rise against thee , and all the creatures say , oh this dead dog , this wretched creature , how long shall he live to blaspheme god ? shall i cut off his head ? shall i go and send him down to his own place ? it would terrifie thy heart if thou shouldest hear every creature crying to god to be thy executioner from him . and certainly when god gives commission , and god falls upon thee , every creature wil fal upon thee : as you read in the sam. . when joab fell upon absalom , presently the ten men fell upon him , and slue him too , as soon as joab gave the stroke . so , as soon as god gives the stroke against the sinner , certainly all other creatures be ready to fall upon the sinner also : so that sin brings a man to such a condition that all creatures are at enmity with him ; whereas when once the soul is reconciled to god , and sin pardoned , all creatures be at peace with you , you are then in league with all the creatures . we should account it an evil condition to be in such a place where all the men in the nation are our enemies , and stand ready to murder us : certainly all the sinners in the world are in the middest of the creatures of god that stand ready armed with gods wrath against them . hence it is , that when once god inlightens ( i beseech you observe it ) the conscience of a sinner , he feareth every thing ; the wicked flie , when none pursueth them . it is very observable of cain , after he had committed that sin of slaying his brother , then saith cain , every one that meets me , will slay me : who was there then in the world ? no body but his father and mother : and yet every one that meets him will slay him , he was afraid of every thing , and every one , because he had sinned against the lord. so every inlightened conscience that knows what sin means , when he comes to have conscience awakened , they be afraid of every thing : if there be thundrings , & lightenings , & storms , & tempests , it sees the wrath of god in this storm and tempest , thunder and lightening ; any stirs abroad in the world be but as messengers of gods wrath against me , saith the awakened conscience : this is the misery of a sinner ; and then how much is the evil of sin greater than affliction ! chap. xxxv . xii . sin is a greater evil to man than affliction , because it puts a man under the curse of god. xii . nay further , it puts the creature under the curse of god : it doth separate the creature for evil . psal . . . it is said , god separates the righteous man for himself . so sin separates the creature for evil , and makes him anathema , accursed : for god in deut. . saith , cursed is every one that abides not in every thing that is written in the law to do it ; he is accursed in all that he hath and doth : the curse of god is against him . and here observe , sin doth not only deserve a curse , that the creature should be accursed , but of its own nature it is a curse , and makes the creature accursed in its own nature . as thus , you may see the evil of sin by the excellency of grace : thus grace doth not only bring excellency upon the creature , and brings a blessing , but of it self it separates the creature for a blessing . for what is holiness but grace ? they be usually exprest for one and the same ; now what is holiness but the consecration of a thing for god ; so that when holiness comes into the heart , that is nothing else but that gracious principle whereby the soul of a man or woman , before common to lust and sin , is now come to be separated from al these things and to be consecrated and given up to god himself , that 's holiness . now sin must needs be contrary unto holiness . as holiness is a separation of the creature from other things , and a consecration of it unto god ; so sin is a separation of the creature from god and all good , and devoting of it up unto wrath , and misery , and a curse , and al evil whatsoever in its own nature ; it is not in the desert only . many men think sin in its desert deserves a curse , but they understand not how sin in its own nature separates the heart from god , and so gives it up to al evil , and all misery , as grace doth to all good . this is the evil of sin , and therefore another manner of evil than there is in affliction . chap. xxxvi . xiii . sin is the seed of eternal evil , therefore more hurtful to man than affliction . an use therof , then see that those men are deceived that think to provide well for themselves by sin. use . . the ministry of the word is for our good , as well as gods glory . xiii . further , sin it is a principal evil ; so i call it , because it is a principal of eternal evil to the creature , ( i beseech you observe what i mean ) i do not mean that it deserves eternal evil only , but of it self it is eternal evil . as thus , grace doth not only deserve eternal happiness , but it is the seed of eternal happiness , it is that principle , that if let alone wil grow to eternal happiness . so sin doth not only deserve eternal misery , but it is the seed of eternal evil , and sin it self will be executioner upon the soul , and will prove an intollerable misery to the soul . though sin be the very element in which many men and women live and so delight themselves : yet be it known , that this sin doth not only deserve that god should bring his wrath upon thee for it , but that sin will prove eternal torment to thee . as thus , the fish that playes and leaps in the water , the water is the element to the fish that it delights in ; but if you put fire under this water if in a vessel , then that water that was the element in which the fish skipt , and playd , and delighted it self , that water will be torture and torment to the fish boyling hot : so sin is the element where men play , and delight in sinful wayes , as the fish in the water , but when god comes and mingles wrath with sin , then that very sin which was thy delight , shall be torture and torment , and so a principle of eternal evil it shall be to you . thus sin is another manner of evil than affliction ; as thus , afflictions though in diseases they bring pains and sorrows to the body , the matter of this will wear out in time , and so the disease will fall ; but sin is such a principal evil and misery to the creature , as it will never go out , but continues a principal of eternal misery . thus you have seen how sin is against our own good . somwhat i would fain say by way of application in this work . vse . sin is against our own good : hence all those promises that any sinful way hath to you , to provide for your own selves in , and your own good , they be all deceitful , and will deceive you the way of the wicked deceives them . certainly thou art mistaken , if thou thinkest to make any provision for thy self in sinful wayes . and the best way for any man or woman to provide for themselves , is to abandon sin : wouldest thou provide for thy self , for thy own good , and be a true self-lover , abandon sin , for sin is against thy own good . vse . again , hence you see , that the minestry of the word is that that is for our good , and that that makes for your good , as well as for gods glory . god in sending the ministry of the word , sends it for your own good as well as his own glory . why what doth it do ? only seeks to get away your sins , and make them bitter and grievous unto you . i have in many particulars opened the nature of sin , and how grievous and evil t is : now what is the intendment of this , but to get the serpent out of your bosoms , that which will do you mischief , and all for your own good certainly if ever god open your eyes , you wil then desire , with your faces upon the ground , to bless god that ever he sent his ministers to shew you what sin is . many times mens spirits rise against the word , and they take the ministers as enemies , oh he speaks against me : no it is not against any ones person , but against thy sin , man or woman , that which wil do thee mischief , and undo thee . again , many cry out against the minister as that man against christ , he comes to torment us before the time . no it is against thy sin man , it is to take away that which will undo thee . many are ready to say of the minister as he to the prophet elijah , what hast thou met me , oh my ennemy ! but as the prophet saith , doth not my words do you good ? certainly that which makes sin grievous to you , doth you as much good as creatures can be done to for the present . many have sin in their stomachs , that rise against the minister and the word , as the sick mans stomach against the glass or the pot in which the physick is , but when for that evil grief within , he takes a vomit , it makes him sick it may be for a while , and the man casts up many filthy things and noysom stuffe ; and then he cryes out , oh! blessed be god , though i had pain , yet this takes away a great deal of that bad stuffe that would have bred diseases . so though our ministry may put you to pain , yet you will bless god when that is cast out that it hath to deal withal . many when they hear the word , their spirits rise against it ; but when it hath pleased god to get away their sins , though upon hard terms , they have blest god that ever they heard the word that did trouble them , or ever saw such a mans face . i remember an expression of one to my self , that when he sate and heard me , he was perswaded every thing i spake was against himself , though a stranger whom i never knew , and he professed his spirit rose both against the word and the speaker , going home , and the word working , and working out sin , he comes not long after and blessed god that ever he heard that sermon : and so certainly it will be . i have shewed you in these thirteen particulars how evil sin is against your own souls ; know then , if the minister by the word can but get away your sin , oh you will see it above the greatest good and happiness that ever you had in all your lives , that ever you did understand that which would do you so much hurt : alas you will say , i did not see sin would do me so much hurt ; wo to me if i had not heard the evil of sin ; if i had known the evil of sin by feeling , what had become of me ? you have heard and read much of the evil of sin ; now think , if these things be so grievous in the hearing or reading , what a woful condition will that soul be in that must feel it ? that must have every one of these particulars made good to the full ? certainly such a soul must needs be in a woful condition . now the lord so sanctifie and bless unto you the reading or hearing of all these evils , that none of your souls may ever come to feel them . chap. xxxvii . xiv . sin is worse than affliction , because it hardens the heart against god and the means of grace . the opposition sin hath to our own good , it hath more evil against our selves than any affliction ; & for the manifesting that we have opened thirteen particulars : thus far we have gone . there is two particulars more to discover the evil of sin as against our good more than afflictions . xiv . sin is worse than affliction as against our selves , for it is that which hardens the heart against god , and the means of grace more than any affliction . i do not speak now of hardening the heart against god in opposition to him ; but as in opposition to our own good that we should receive from god , in the use of the means of grace ; and so sin is more opposite to our good than afflictions ▪ affliction rather , usually , doth further the means of grace , and prepare the heart for the entertaining of the means of grace ; affliction doth : but sin hardens the heart against it , and hinders the efficacy of the means of grace upon the souls of men and women ; hosea , . and the last , in their afflictions they will seek me early : then the more afflictions are upon them , the more ready are they to seek me ; isay , . . when thy chastening was upon them , they powred forth their prayer . many men and women that never knew how to pray , that would say they could not pray in their families , that they could not pray in secret , any otherwise than to say a prayer , or that they had learned when they were children to say so many words ; they could not pray otherwise : but when their afflictions are upon them , then their hearts could be driven to god , and they could find how to pray otherwise . there is a speech concerning marriners , he that knows not how to pray , let him go to sea : noting , that when he comes into the waves , and tempests , and storms , that would teach him to pray : you marriners , consider if ever it have taught you to pray : my thinks , of any sort of men in the world , marriners should have the gift of prayer , because so often in affliction , and in danger of their lives ; and many times they find , though they know not how to use their mouthes , to fashion their tongues to any thing but oaths at other times ; yet when in danger of their lives , they can fall to prayer , and powr forth their prayer ; when thy chastening is upon them , they powr forth their prayer : and that word there translated prayer , in the original is a word that signifies to inchant ; and the reason comes from hence , because inchanters did put a great deal of efficacie in a few words , closed their sentences in a few words , and thought there was much efficacie in them : so the prayers that comes from men & women in affliction hath much efficacie in them , they be not vain light words , but have abundance of efficacie : so that afflictions further the means of grace in the hearts of men and women ; it brings them to the word , and furthers that also ; it is as the rain that softens the earth , and fits it for the plow ; plow up the fallo● ground of your hearts , saith the lord : the word of god is as the plow , to plow up the fallow ground of your heart ▪ now husband-men know when the earth is dr●e and hard they cannot plow , their plows are kept out ; but when rain comes and softens the earth , then their plows can go . many times it is so with the hearts of manie men and women when they are in prosperitie , the sun-shine of prosperitie being upon them , the plow of the word cannot get into their hearts ; but when afflictions or sickness comes , then the plow of the word can get in , and cast up the fallow ground of their hearts : times of affliction do bring men and women to the word . therfore i remember i have read of chrysostom , in a sermon of hi to the people of antioch , where he preached , he tells them , when they were in trouble , then their congregations were thrust and filled : it was at such a time when theodocius the emperor by the instigation of the empress , his wife , was angrie with the citie , and threatned to come against it and destroy it in a warlike manner : then all the people got together , and the congregations were thrust ; and then they prayed and sighed , and great and much prayer there was , when they were afraid the king would come in anger against the citie to destroy it : so that afflictions and troubles , and fears , they do bring men and women to the means of grace , and they do further the means of grace , and make the means to be profitable many times : as it is with the seed that is sowen , if there be a dry hot time after the sowing , it lies under the clods , and comes not up ; but if there come rain , then that which was sowen divers weeks before , springs up . so we sow the word of god in your hearts , but the seed lies under the clods so long as there is the hot sun-shine of prosperitie , till afflictions come , and the rain of affliction brings the word out , and then somwhat appears . we have known men that never seemed to be wrought on by the word , yet when god hath laid his hand upon them in some affliction , then there hath been brought to their remembrance such a truth that they heard such a time , and then they have acknowledged the power of the word , and conscience hath then been awakened , and not before . i remember it is reported of beza , that famous instrument of god in the church , that being a papist , and living in paris , and in great honor , as he was there , being a man of great esteem , and good birth , and had preferments there ; yet he had often times misgiving thoughts that he was not right , that the popish religion was not right , and that the protestants were in the right , because he had read the scriptures and compared the controversie ; yet because of his great honors and preferments in paris , all went away and could not prevail : but god laid upon him a great sickness , and great afflictions , and then that which he had but overly upon his spirit before , now sunk into his heart more deeply , that as soon as he began to recover , he left paris , and all his preferments , and got to genevah , and there made publick profession of the truth . thus afflictions further the means of grace ; but it is otherwise with sin , that , if let alone , hardens the heart desperately against all the means of grace : though it be true , god may somtimes put forth his almightie power , and notwithstanding all the sin in the soul of a man or woman , he may make the means of grace effectual ; though mans heart be never so stout and stubborn in their waies of sin , yet god may please to come by his almightie power , and over power the heart , as he doth manie times ; yea , god sometimes lets men go on in horrible wickedness , to manifest his power the more : as the prophet elijah ; when he would have fire come to devour the sacrifice , he poured much water upon it , that so the power of god might the more be manifested : so god suffers deluges of sin to be somtimes in men and women , that he might magnifie his power so much the more in the efficacie of the means of grace : but yet we are to know that sin , and every sin of its own nature , doth harden the heart against god in the use of all the means of grace ; yea , and so hardens the heart , that if men and women live any long time under the means of grace , and continue in the waies of sin , it is a thousand to one whether ever they be wrought upon afterward : usually we find where the means of grace comes to any place , it works for the most part at the first ; i do not , nor will not limit god , but for the most part at first it works upon men and women , before they have by sin hardened themselves against it ; if once they have continued some little time under it , and their hearts have followed their sin , and so come to be hardened , it is i say a most dangerous thing , and manie times god for ever leaves them to their hardness ; yea , such evil there may be in sin , as if a man or woman hath an enlightened conscience , and shal go against the light of their conscience , when they live under the means of grace , any one sin against the light of conscience may for ever harden them . thou that hast come to the word and hast heard , these things thou knowest hath come neer to thy soul , and yet there hath been that violence of corruption to go against the light of thy conscience , and that particular truth that hath been made known unto thee from god , that one sin may be enough evil to harden thy heart , that the means shall never do thee good ; therefore there is a great , deal more evil in sin than in any affliction . i beseech you consider of this one note further in it ; god comes manie times , yea , usually with abundance of grace to the souls of men and women in their affliction , and that in the continuance of their afflictions , and in the encrease of their afflictions , yet the means of grace work ; but god can never come with grace while they sin , except sin be decreased ; i say , god never comes to make any means of grace effectual , but it must be with the decrease , and with the taking away of sin ; the means of grace may be effectual with the encrease of affliction , but the means of grace can never be effectual but with the decrease of sin : therefore there is more evil in sin than in affliction , as against our selves . chap. xxxviii . xv. sin is worse to us than affliction , because sin brings more shame than affliction . xv. there is more evil in sin than in affliction as against our selves , in regard of the shame that it doth bring ; sin brings more shame than any affliction brings , rom. . . what profit , or what fruit had you in those things whereof you be now ashamed ? sin , it is that which brings shame , not only to a man or woman in particular , but likewise to a whol nation , when sin prevails . prov. . . righteousness exalteth a nation , but sin is a reproach to any people . afflictions are not a reproach any further than as they be the fruit of sin , and then there is shame in them ( but this we shall speak of afterward ) but sin is the proper cause of any reproach and shame : and certainly this scripture hath been fulfilled concerning us ; our sin hath been a reproach to this nation : there was a time , this nation was honored among other nations , and a terror to them ; but of late since we have sinned and grown superstitious , and come neerer unto poperie , since there hath been more wickedness among us . this nation hath been an exceeding reproach : we may apply for that , that in the , of hosea , according to the interpretation of most , when ephraim spake , trembling , he exalted himself in israel ; but when he offended in baal , he died ; thus interpreters carrie it : there was a time when ephraim spake , then was trembling in all nations about him , and he exalted himself above other nations : but when he sinned in baal , then he died , his honor died , he was a dead nation , and no body regarded him . true , time was , when england spake , there was trembling , and england exalted himself above other nations ; but since we sinned in baal , and there hath been so much idolatry and superstition , we have been a dead nation in respect of what we have been before . sin is a reproach , to any nation a shame : there is no such shame in affliction as there is in sin ; that brings shame . that which argues worthlesness in any , that which argues there is little good or worth in any : or if any one should do any thing unbeseeming either his own excellency , or that supposed to be in him ; as to lie in the mire , or to go naked , or in their carriage , or by any deportment , to behave themselves besides that excellency supposed to be in him , this brings shame . job . . those that went up and down braying among the bushes , it was contemptible , and it was a shame : so for any man to do any thing beneath the excellency of a man , is a shame . now there is nothing so below the excellency of a man as sin , no affliction brings a man under his excellency as sin doth , therefore no affliction can be such a shame to man as sin . now the rational creature that is guided by counsel in his actions is the proper subject of shame : bruit beasts cannot be capable of shame , because they have no counsel to be the cause of their actions , but the reasonable creature failing in that which is his aim , coming short of the rule of his work , through his unskilfulness this causeth shame . as now , take any workman , if he do any work beneath the rule of the work through unskilfulness , it causeth shame , he comes to be ashamed of it . now sin must needs bring shame , because it comes beneath the rule of eternal life , and therefore must needs cause shame . it is true , in natural things to fail through ignorance is a greater shame than to fail through wilfulness ; but in spirituals , the greater shame is to fail through wilfulness . and the greater the art , the greater the shame to come short of the rule of that art : as suppose a general ; it is a greater shame for him to fail , and come short of the rules of military art , than for a country-man to come short of his rules of husbandry , because one is more noble than the other . now brethren , the art of divinity to guide to eternal life , is the most noble of any art ; and for any creature to fail and come short of this art , is the greatest shame that can be . though men be ashamed of any thing else , take a painter , or any workman or a husbandman , if he come short of the rule , he is ashamed , but if men fail of the rule of eternal life , they are not ashamed then . i remember augustine hath this expression , saith he , a scholler if he fail in pronouncing a word and pronounce it amiss , if he pronounce omer for homer ( he instanceth in that ) he is ashamed of that ; but men be not ashamed of breaking the rules of divinity : and there is more failings in the breach of the rule of divinity and in failing there , than in any art whatsoever . now sin is the greatest shame , and the reason why sinners be not ashamed , is , because they know not the excellency of man ; they know not wherein the excellency of the rational creature consists , and therefore they are not ashamed of that which brings them under the excellency of the rational creature . besides , they know not gods infinite holiness , therefore are not ashamed ; they be now among other sinners , and they think though some seem to be religious , yet they think others are as bad as themselves in their hearts at least , though not in practice : as nero , because he was bad , he thought others were as bad as himself . so a wicked man , when he cannot see others break out in such great sins as he doth , yet he thinks they are as bad some other way , and have some other sins as great . and because they live among them that are as bad as themselves , and live in the same sins , therefore they are not ashamed : for as a collier living among colliers is not ashamed , but if he lived among princes and noblemen , he would be ashamed . so wicked men in this world because they live in this world among sinners , they conceive to be sinners like themselves they be not ashamed ; but when god shall come to open what sin means , and what the holiness of god means , and they see themselves stand in the presence of the holy god , then they will be ashamed . but certainly sin is a greater-shame than affliction ; none need be ashamed of affliction any further-than it hath a connexion to some great sin ; but sin in the greatest prosperity hath shame with it . chap. xxxix . he that sins , wrongeth , dispiseth , and hateth his own soul. use . then see the malitiousness that is in sin. use . to pitty those that go on in sinful wayes . use . let sin be dealt hardly with . thus we have discovered how sin makes more against our good , than affliction doth . now there be divers things which follow hence as consequences : i spake of one or two before , i will name them no more : but only thus far , hence we see that sin makes more against our selves , than any thing else ; therefore it is the worst way for any to provide for themselves by giving way to live in any sinful course . and for this i shall ad two or three scriptures i spake not of before , to shew how men go against themselves , and those men that think to provide best for themselves , the truth is in the wayes of sin , they go most against themselves : you have these three notable expressions for this in scripture : first , that men by sin , wrong their own souls . secondly , that they dispise their own souls . thirdly , they hate their own souls . if i should charge these three things upon the most vile sinner at this present before the lord ; oh thou dost wrong thy own soul , thou dost despise thy own soul , thou hatest thy own soul , he would be loth to yeild to it ; and yet the scripture chargeth this upon sinners , prov. . . he that sins against me , wrongs his own soul : he doth not only wrong god , that was in the first thing we opened ; but by sin he wrongs his own soul : you will say somtimes , i do no body wrong , i thank god none can say i wrong them ; but thou wrongest thine own soul , and certainly it is as great an evil to wrong thy own soul , as to wrong the body of another , and a great deal more . nay further ( mark ) all they that hate me ( that is , wisdom and instruction , the rule of lise ) they love death : it is a strange expression ; if any minister should say thus to you , you love death , you would think it a rash speech from us : the holy ghost saith so of al that hate instruction ; if there be any truth of god revealed against sin , and thy heart rise against it , thou lovest death , thy own ruine , and thy own destruction : and what pitie is it for men and women to die ? who can pitie them that die eternally , when as they love death ? if they love death , they must have it : so the holy ghost saith , they wrong their souls , and they love death ; and prov. . . he that refuseth instruction , destiseth his own soul : when you come and hear any instruction against any sinful way , and refuse it , you despise your own souls ; as if your own souls were worth little . hence it is that men and women , though they hear sin tends to the death of their souls , to their eternal ruine , yet if they have but any temptation , but to get a groat or sixpence , they will venture upon it : what is this but to despise thy soul ? that is to despise a thing , to account it little worth : though thy soul be worth a whol world . there is none so poor in this place , the meanest boy , servant ; or girl , but hath a soul more worth than heaven and earth ; but though the meanest here hath a soul more worth than the world , yet we see it ordinarie , that to get twopence or a groat , they will venture the ruine of their souls : is not this to despise their souls ? as if they were not worth a groat or sixpence ; and they will lye or steal to get that which is less : nay , not onlie so , but they are haters of their own souls ; and this you have prov. . . he that is partner with a thief , hates his own soul : there is an instance in that one sin , but it is true of everie sin ; for this must be taken as a rule to help you to understand the evil of sin , know what is said of any one sin , is vertually true of all ; that evil which is in any one sin , is vertually in any sin , he hates his own soul that goes on in anie one sin : therefore if you will provide for your own good , you must abandon sin . object . but it may be said , is that lawful for a man to abstain from sin out of self respects ? for this i am upon , i am shewing how sin is against our selves , and therfore urge you to abandon , and take heed of sin as it is against our selves ; then this question ariseth , what should we abstain from sin out of self respects ? what good is in this ? is that from grace ? to that i answer three things . answ . . that at first when god doth begin to work upon the soul , god doth usually move us from self most ; and these self grounds works most to take men and women off from the acts of their sin ( from outward acts at least ) and to stop them from the commission of sin and bring them to the means of grace ; self motives god makes use of at first : but yet the work is not done till the soul goeth beyond these : it is good for men and women to abstain from sin upon any grounds ; there is so much evil in sin , that upon any grounds men and women abstaining from sin , it is well , but only except it be such a ground , that the ground it self be a greater sin than the sin i abstain from . but yet the work is not done : therefore . know , that though when grace is come into the soul , god useth self arguments , and self motives to further the abstaining from sin ( and it is lawful to do so ) yet self motives , and self arguments be not the chief and highest of all . but . that which i most pitch upon , and most fully answereth this question is this ; that if we did but know wherein our self good consists , which is certainly to live to god ; our self good is in this , not only the glory of god , but our own good and happiness ; our self good is in our living to god , that infinite first-being of all things . now if we understand this , i say , that thing which is our self good , we may make to be our highest aim in abstaining from sin , and in doing any good ; that thing w ch is our self good : but we must not make it our highest aim as it is our self good , we must look to god above our selves ; but still the same thing that is our self good , our own good , may be made our highest aim of all , which is our living to god and his praise . thus god hath connexed our good and his glorie together , that the same thing which is the highest end of all i must aim at , to wit , gods glorie and his praise , that is also our highest good ; and so we may aim at it in our chief aims . secondly , if sin make so against us , i shall give you three uses of it . vse . then we from hence see the desperate maliciousness that is in sin . it follows thus : what for a creature to sin against the blessed god , and to get no good to himself neither , yea , to do hurt to himself too ; this is horrible mischief and malice . we account it horrible malice against man , if any man be so notoriously malicious , that he seeks to do mischief to another man though he get no good , yea , though he hurt himself by it , yet he will do another man a mischief : certainly if this be maliciousness against man , then there is certainly malice in sin against god : for when thou sinnest against god ; suppose thou shouldest get never so much good , suppose thou by sin , one sin , couldest get the the greatest good that ever any creature had , yet thou must not commit it ; it were wickedness to do it : but what sayest thou to this , that when thou sinnest against god , thou mischiefest thy self ; not only gettest no good , but doest that which is the greatest wrong and evil to thy self , and yet wilt thou go on in sin against god ? oh what dost thou think of god ? and what hurt hath god done to thee that thou shouldest be so malicious against him ? that thou wilt dishonor him , and strike at him ? though thou gettest nothing thy self , nay , though thou doest undo thy self by it : men will rather go on in that way that is dishonorable to god though they venture their own damnation to do it . it is one of the highest expressions we can have against our enemies , i will be even with him , i will have my mind of him , or i wilspend al i have to a groat ; this is desperate malice in man , we account it so . thou dost more against god , though thou saiest not so , it may be , in word , yet god sees that there is this language in it , well , i will do that which the word forbids though i undo my self , i will venture my own perishing , my own eternal destruction , rather than that shall not be done that i hear god will not have done : there is this in every sin. brethren , because we do not examine what is in sin , we think it but a little , we see but the outside ; but when god comes to unravle out sin , and to pick out all that his omniscient eye seeth in sin , then it will appear to be evil , transcendantly evil . vse . if sin have so much evil in it more than affliction as against our selves , then it should teach us all to look with pity , and abundance of commisseration upon men and women that go on in waies of sin . ah poor creatures , they undo themselves , their waies are against themselves , and they wil work their own ruine and misery by these waies of theirs : you that are tradesmen , if you see a man going on in way of trading , so that you know certainly that he will undo himself , you look upon him with pitie ; poor yong man , he goeth on in such a way as he will undo himself ; you pitie him upon that ground , because he undoes himself : the more hand a man hath in doing himself hurt , the more he is to be pitied : as you marriners , if you see one at sea , go through ignorance , so that he will be by and by split into the sea , or you know he will be by and by upon the rocks and sands , and he is wilful in his way , you pitie him , he is an object of pitie doest thou see any man or woman , thy father or mother , brother or sister , husband or wife , or any thou lovest dearly , going on in wayes of sin , oh pity them ; let thy heart bleed over them poor wretches , they will undo themselves , split themselves eternally . if thou shouldest see a company of men stab and murder themselves , and lying dead in the streets , if it should be asked how came they dead ? and it should be answered every one of them murthered himself ; were it not an object of pity ? if you see men & women go on in sin , every one stabs , and murders , and mischiefs themselves , and cuts their own throats , this is the way of sin : and though they do not see it themselves , yet if god open their eyes they will see it ; and certainly they shall see it ere long , and they will be forced to cry out in the bitterness of their souls , wo to me , wo to me , i am lost and undone , and i have uddone my self . therefore brethren we should not look upon sinners now as they are in the height of their prosperity and the rufe of their pride , but look upon them as within a little time they will be ; look upon them in their end , and then learn to pity them . although sinners go on conceitedly , and boast themselves in their evil wayes for the present , pity them so much the more , for the more any sinner is conceited and boasts in his way , the more dangerous is his condition , the more dangerous sign the seal of god is upon him to seal him to destruction . the more conceited any man is in any thing that will ruin him , the more lamentable is the object therfore . though we many times when we see men under grievous afflictions , you go to your neighbors and see them lie under gods hand , grievous pains and tortures of body , crying out dolfully , it makes your hearts bleed , and drawes tears from your eyes ; and you say , oh the lamentable condition this man or woman is in ; you pity them in affliction , because they are in such grievous pain . but now you have another neighbor by , and you hear him swearing , certainly though you pity the other neighbor under affliction , yet to hear him swear is more pitiful than to hear the other roar out in the most grievous torture that any man or woman was ever in ▪ when we hear them in torture , we have our hearts bleed , and are not affected with their sinning , this is a sign we know not the evil of sin . further , if you should hear one in the anguish of conscience crying out , i am undone , i am damned , i am damned ; in the anguish of his conscience thus crying out , of hell , and of the devil , you look upon such with pity : now this i say , those that are in the greatest torment of conscience for their sin , they are in a better case than those that go on most conceitedly , and boasting in their sin . do you see one that is your neighbor , or in your family , or friend , when he is rebuked or reproved for any sin , that is careless and hardened in sin ; i say , this man or woman , servant or child , is in a worse condition and a more lamentable object than if you should see another in the greatest horror , and anguish , and trouble of conscience , crying out most bitterly of sin : for there is a great deal more hope of this man or woman that cryes out in anguish of conscience for sin , he may be saved , and not eternally ruined by sin , there is more hopes a great deal ; therefore learn who is to be pitied ; for sin is more against our own good , than any affliction . vse . if sin be so much against our selves , then learn to have sin hardly dealt withal : for thus it follows , that which we look upon as our own enemy , we are willing should be hardly dealt withal : now , nothing such an enemy to our good , as sin is . if you apprehend any one hath done you hurt , or intends to do you hurt , you think you may take liberty to let out your self to the utmost to revenge your self ; but this is sinful , and the distemper of your hearts to do so : but you men and women that have your hearts filled with revenge , because you conceive others have done you hurt ; here is an object god gives you leave to let out your revenge to the full upon ; other men do you hurt , therefore you think you may let out revenge , that is your wickedness , for vengeance belongs to god ; but sin doth you hurt more than any man can , and in this god lets you have leave to revenge your selves upon sin . revenge your selves as much as you can ; look upon it as most mischievous . there be some such spiteful and revengful men , revengeful and spiteful dispositions that have it lie mouldring at their hearts , because they cannot let it out upon objects , so much as they would ; now here is an object you may let it out as much as you can , to revenge your selves , and to seek the ruine and destruction of sin ; and to labor to use it as hardly as possibly you can : yea , it is made in scripture a sign of true repentance to be willing to revenge ones self upon sin , cor. . . when they had committed sin , what revenge was there , saith the apostle ; they manifested their repentance by revenge upon sin : follow thy sin with a deadly hatred if thou wilt ; thou hast a hateful disposition against others , follow sin with as deadly a hatred as thou canst . it was an argument of davids heart cleaving to absalom when joab was to go against him , vse the yong man kindly for my sake , saith he ; this was an argument davids heart was with him : so when you would fain have sin used kindly , gently , it is an argument your hearts are not set against sin so much as they should : no , you should not say , use sin kindly , but roughly and hardly ; as the prophet said of one that came to destroy him , use him roughly when he comes at the door : so when sin comes to the door , when temptations be seeking to have entrance , use them roughly at the door , and say , let the righteous smiteme , oh that the word might come as a two edged sword to stab and slay my sin ; oh that when i go to hear the word , i might meet with some hard thing against sin . thus we should come when we come to the word , and when sin hath got a blow by the word of god , bless god , and say , blessed be god , my sins this day have got a blow ; this sin of mine that hath done me so much hurt , and so pestered me , and so hindred my peace and comfort , blessed be god this day it hath got a blow : thus we should do because sin makes so much against our selves . and thus we have finished the two first heads of sins being against god , and against our selves . now there be four more . the third part of this treatise . chap. xl. sin is opposite to all good , and therefore a greater evil than any affliction , opened in five things : sin take away the excellency of all things : it brings a curse upon all : sin is a burden to heaven and earth , and all creatures : sin turn the greatest good into the greatest evil : sin ( if let alone ) would bring all things to confusion . thirdly , sin is opposite to all good in general . sin is opposite to god , and to our selves ; and i say in the third place , it 's against all kind of good , and therefore a greater evil than any affliction : now for that there be five things to be opened : only in the general , take this sure rule , there must needs be more evil in sin than in any affliction , because there is no other evil , but is opposite to some particular good ; an affliction is opposite to the particular good contrarie to that affliction : but sin is opposite to everie good ; not only is sin opposite to the contrarie vertue , but it is opposite to everie good , so divinitie teacheth us ; though heathens in moralitie teacheth , that one sin is opposite to the contrarie vertue , but divinitie teacheth , that one sin is opposite to everie vertue , and everie good : which appears in five things . first , sin spoils all good , takes away the beauty and excellency of all good whatsoever : it may be said of any thing that hath an excellencie when sin comes , as it s said of reuben , gen. . . his excellency is gone , is departed , he shall not excel : therefore rom. . . it is said ( through the sin of man ) all creatures be subject to vanity , the whol world is put under vanitie through mans sin. now then it appears by that , that the lustre , and beautie , and excellencie of glorie of all things in this world , are spoiled by the sin of man , for all is put under vanitie by sin ; and sin not only makes the heart vain , and so is against our selves , but all things in the world is put under vanitie by sin ; the excellencie of thy estate , of thy parts , the excellencie of any creature thou doest enjoy , all is spoiled through sin : therfore tit. . . it is said , all things be unclean to the sinner : saith he , to him that is unclean , al things are unclean . this is the first , your sin is opposite to al good , spoils al good. secondlie , sin brings a curse upon all : i opened before how it puts man under a curse ; but now i am to shew how it brings a curse upon the whol world , gen. . cursed shall the earth be for thy sake ; and so by the same reason upon the whol world that thou hast to do withal : not only the sinner , but through mans sin the world is under a curse ; and therefore it is a most dangerous thing for any man or woman to seek after happiness in the things of the world , when as the whol world is under a curse , and wilt thou seek thy happiness in that which is under a curse ? no mervail though the devil himself be called the god of this world ; why ? because the world is accursed through the sin of man : sin brings a curse upon the whol world. thirdly , sin is a burden to heaven and earth , to all creatures : rom. . . the whol creation groans and travels in pain to be delivered , and that through the sin of man. now what is the evil of sin , when it is so weightie , that it makes the whol frame of heaven and earth to groan to bear the burden of it ? it may be thy sin is light to thy soul , thou earriest it lightlie , but as light as it is to thee , it is such a heavie burden to heaven and earth , and the whol frame of the creation , that if god did not hold it by his mightie power , it would make it not only shake , but fall down . fourthly , sin turns the greatest good into the greatest evil , therefore opposite to all good. as thus , take the greatest good of man in prosperitie : the more prosperitie thou hast , though a fruit of gods bountie , yet thy sin turns it to the greatest evil to thee : as if poyson get in wine , it works more strongly than in water : so sin in a prosperous estate , usually works more strongly to turn it to a greater evil , than sin in a lower estate . poor men by sin , have their water poysoned ; and rich men by sin , have their wine poysoned : now poysoned wine hath more strength than poysoned water . and it turns not only prosperitie , but the best means , not only the means of grace , but the better any means is thou injoyest , the more evil it is turned into to thee , except the means take away the sinfulness of thy heart : if thou retainest the sinfulness of thy heart , the more powerful sermons thou hearest , and the more glorious truths laid open , the worse will be thy condition , and thou wilt one day curse the time that ever thou hadst such means . yea , sin turns god to be the greatest evil , and makes him the greatest evil in all his attributes : and christ himself ( though infinitely good ) to be the greatest evil : christ is a stumbling stone to wicked men , and laid by god a stumbling stone : what! christ the precious corner stone , that hath infinite treasures of all excellencie , in whom the fulness of the god head dwels bodilie , yet this christ a stumbling stone , and the greatest evil through sin to wicked men ; so that one day they will curse the time that ever they heard of christ . so sin is opposite to all good , because it turns the greatest good to the greatest evil . fifthly , and lastly , sin is the greatest evil , because if let alone , it would bring all things to confusion : therfore it is said , by christ all things subsists ; were it not for christ who sets himself against the evil of sin , al things would be brought to confusion : joh. . . the whole world lies in wickedness : just as a carrion lies in slime and filth , and there rots ; so the whol world would be in the same case that the carrion is that lies in filth and brought to confusion ; were it not that god hath his number of elect , and they keep the world from confusion . now put all these together , sin spoils all , brings a curse upon all , is a burthen to heaven and earth , turns the greatest good to the greatest evil , and would bring all things to confusion if let alone : this is the evil of sin in opposition to all good . there be but three more , and they be , to shew how sin is the evil of all evils whatsoever . hath a kind of infiniteness in it . and , it hath reference to the devil : but these i cannot come to in this chapter , but shall in the following to conclude all ; much you have read of the evil of sin , and how it is above all afflictions ; afflictions are of a lower nature : oh brethren , this is that we should seek for and prise , to injoy those means , that may lessen sin , and oppose wickedness among us : and of all others these be the two great means to crush sin , and bring down , or make it less in all places ; the great ordinance of the magistracy , and the great ordinance of the ministry . now ( as i told you before ) reproach hath come to our nation through sin , and from whence is it sin hath grown to that height it hath , but because there hath been corruption in both , great corruption in magistracy , and ministery , among us . as we read of dan and bethel , two calves set up there : dan signifieth judgement ; and bethel the house of god. so there was great corruption in dan and bethel places of judgement magistracy , and bethel the house of god in the ministry . now it hath pleased god of late , to begin to be merciful to us , this way ; through that great ordinance of good , he hath appointed for us , the assembly of parliament , to purge both dan and bethel , magistracy , and ministry , to cast out corruption from places of judgement , and the house of god. and as we are to bless god for this ; so we are to further this work of theirs , and stand by them to the utmost that we are able in all good wayes those worthies of god in that great assembly for the finishing of that work which they have begun : and that our sins and wickedness may be done away from among us . and for that which hath been done , certainly god hath received much praise , and we have cause to bless god for it . and those that have gone on in a good way according to what the law doth permit them they are to be incouraged . and in a more especial manner , you that be the especial means of good to this land , i mean in regard of safety , and your imployment ; the marriners , in whom much of the strength of this nation consists , for our walls be water and wooden walls : seas and ships be the walls of this land , and therefore much of the good , and of the safety , and prosperity of this state depends upon those . and if god stir up their hearts to the maintainance of their protestation , and parliament , and liberties , and to set themselves against popery and superstition , and to incourage the parliament in their good way ; this is that we be to bless god for , and incourage you in . we reade in judges . several tribes when the people of god were in straits , would not go up but had many excuses : others did go to help in the cause of god , judg. . . see how many excuse themselves , but especially in the . vers . why abodest thou among the sheep-folds to hear the bleatings of the ●locks ? oh ru●en said , we must not leave house and cattel , we must not go out : and giliad abode beyond jordan ; and dan abode in ships ; some think dan did not live neer the sea , but thought they ran to ships and abode there : and asher continued by the sea shore , and abode in his breaches : he pleads thus , we must continue our business , in making fences against the sea ; we have many breaches , and we must continue there and look to our business . but zebulon and naphtali they jeoparded their lives to the death in the high places of the field . who be those two zebulon and naphtali that were full of courage and zeal , when others were-full of pleas and would not venture their lives ? who be these that ventured their lives ? these two were the especial tribes of marriners that were forward rather than others . that these were marriners appears matt. . . the land of zebulon and nephtali by the way of the sea beyond jordan these that lived by the sea. others would not stir that lived by the sea , but zebulon and nephtali , these joparded their lives : now mark , god seems to remember this : they did not jeopard themselves in a good cause in vain : god remembers it many hundred years after . when christ comes , the first tribes that seem to be inlightned were these ; the people that sate in darkness saw a great light , and to them that sate in the region and shadow of death , light is sprung up : they sate in darkness , a company of poor marriners , exceeding ignorant of the ways of god ; and christ comes first to them , and brings light to them . it may be god might aim to shew mercy to these tribes the rather for this that they did in appearing in a good cause , though it were with jeopardy to themselves . so go you on , and in a good cause appear and venture your selves to assist these worthys of ours in whom so much of our good conssists , and god will remember this in spiritual mercies . would you have the means of grace continued , and the means of light come to them that sit in darkness ; if you would have the blessing of zebulon and nephtali , then be zebulons and nephtalies to go out , whatsoever excuses others have , and jeopard your selves for the good , of this common-wealth . the fovrth part of this treatise . chap. xli . that sin is the evil and poyson of all other evils , shewed in several particulars : first , it s the strength of all evils . secondly , it s the sting of affliction . thirdly , it s the curse of all evils , opened in five particulars . fourthly , sin is the shame of all evils . fifthly , the eternity of all evil comes from sin. there are four things , which except we be well instructed in , and know , we know nothing to purpose : except we know god , and sin , and christ , and eternity : these are the four great things that you had need to be well instructed in : the knowledge of sin i have endeavored to set before you : in this argument i have shewed you the evil of fin above al affliction . the next thing i am to open to you , is the fourth general head , propounded in the fifth chapter . fourthly , therefore , that sin is the evil of all other evils . it is the very pith of all other evils ; there 's nothing that would be scarce worthy the name of evil , if sin were not in it . that it is the evil of all other evils , will appear in these particulars : first , it is the strength of all other evils . the strength , the prevailing strength that any evil hath against man , it is from sin. there is no evil would have any prevailing strength to do us any hurt were there not sin in it . that is certain , nothing in heaven , or earth , or hel , would do any of the children of men any hurt , were it not for sin , if there were not sin to give it strength . the strength of any evil that can do us any hurt , is from sin. let the evil be never so smal , yet if it come armed with the strength of the guilt of sin , it is enough to undo any man or woman in the world . this is the reason of the difference of the power , the prevailing power , of any cross and affliction in some more than in others ; you shall have some , that let there be but the least cross and affliction upon them , it sinks their hearts , they are not able to stand under it ; others that have a hundred times more upon them , they go under it with joy : this is the especial difference , one having the guilt of sin in ●he evil , and the other being delivered from it . it is a comparison i remember of a learned man , to express the difference of afflictions ; afflictions are like water , and a little water upon a mans shoulder in a leaden vessel , is a great deal heavier than much more water in a vessel of leather or wood ; take a leather bucket filled with water , it is not so heavie as a little water in a leaden vessel ; so a little affliction where there is much guilt of sin is abundantly more heavie than a great deal of affliction where there is not the guilt of sin . haman could not stand before such a pettie cross as that mordacai would not bow his knee ; being a wicked man , that cross being with sin , troubled him sore : and achitaphel when he was crossed in his way could not bear it . therfore brethren , if you would bear afflictions , this is your way ; your wisdom is to labor to know wherein the strength of an affliction lies , if you would overcome it . as you know the philistims that desired to overcome sampson , their great care was to know wherein his strength lay , if they could by dalilahs means find out the strength of sampson , they thought they might easilie overcome him . so certainlie if you could but find out where the strength of your afflictions ●lie , it is easie then for you to have fears and disquiets taken away : the reason why fears and disquiets overcome you as they do , is , because you find not out the strength of them ; if that were found out and gotten away , you might quicklie overcome afflictions , and they would be light to you . the prevailing strength of all afflictions is from sin : this is the first thing to shew sin is the evil of all evils . secondly , not only the prevailing strength , but the bitterness , the sting of affliction , that which makes it bitter to the spirit , is sin ; sin makes it come like an armed man with power : and besides , sin makes it inwardly gaul at the very heart , sting like a serpent , as the apostle cor. . saith of death , the sting of death , is sin , saith the apostle : so that which he saith of death , it is true of all evils , of all afflictions , that are but makers of way to death ; the sting of a sickness , the sting of the loss of your estates , the sting of discredit , the sting of imprisonment , the sting of all afflictions , and that which makes them bitter to the soul is sin : you have a notable place ; jer. . . thy waies , and thy doings have procured these things unto thee , this is thy wickedness , because it is bitter , because it reacheth unto thy heart : in the greek it is , this is thy wickedness , and because it is bitter it reacheth unto thy heart , that interprets the word : saith he , thy wickedness hath procured this , and the punishment to thy wickedness is bitter , and reacheth to thy heart ; because it comes as a punishment of thy wickedness , so it comes to be bitter , and reacheth to thy very heart . oh when sin is in affliction , it comes to the heart , and is very bitter : were the guilt of sin taken away in any affliction , the soul might be able to make use of that expression of agag in a better way than he did , and come joyfullie and cheerfullie to look upon anie affliction , and say , the bitterness of death is past : so doth god lay any affliction upon me , or my familie , the bitterness of death is gone ; the bitterness is gone , because my sin is gone : sin is as it were the rotten core in an apple , or fruit , it will make all the fruit to be bitter and rotten : and so sin , that is the rotten core , take away , cut out the rotten core , and then you will not tast so much bitterness in the fruit : so if sin , the rotten core be cut out , affliction will not be so bitter . this is the second , all the prevailing strength of affliction is from sin , and the bitterness and anguish of spirit in affliction , is from sin . thirdly , the curse of all evil is from sin ( the strength of all evil , the bitterness of all evil , and the curse of all evil ) i have shewed before , sin brings a curse upon our selves , yea , how it brings a curse upon all good . now i am to shew you how sin brings a curse upon all evil ; it is that which makes the affliction to be accursed : we have a most excellent scripture for this , to shew the difference between gods afflicting of his people whom he hath pardoned , when sin is pardoned and removed ; and gods afflicting of the wicked and ungodly , whose sin is yet upon them : a most admirable text for this , and the difference between these two , that you may see what a difference sin puts upon affliction when it is upon us ; the text is , jer. . . compared with verse . we have before ( in the chapter ) gods expression of the differing estate of his people by the basket of good figs , and evil figs ; those that were godlie , like good figs , and the wicked by the evil figs : mark the different dealing of god with both : both were in captivitie , both good and evil , they must both be delivered into the hand of their enemies ; but see with what difference , vers . . like the good figs , so will i acknowledg them whom i have carried away captive into the land of the caldeans for their good : mark , they must go into the land of the caldeans , but it must be for their good : saith god , though i do afflict them , yet because i have pardoned them , let them know i aim at nothing but their good . then he speaks of the bad figs , the wicked men in captivitie , vers . . i do deliver them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth for their hurt : i will send them , they shall go into captivitie , but i intend them no good , it shall be for their hurt ; to be a reproach , and a proverb , a tant and a curse in all places , whither i shall deliver them . i beseech you keep this text by you , that which is said of this particular affliction is true of everie affliction : when god doth bring any evil upon any wicked man or woman , looking upon them , saith he of such as are in their sins , god certainly intends their hurt , he brings it for their hurt , even the same affliction that befals one whose sin is pardoned , and god intends for their good : so the priviledg of godly men that have their sins pardoned through christ , how different that is from the estate of wicked men that have the guilt of sin upon them : sin is the curse of all evils ; i will deliver them for their hurt that it may be a curse to them . now this argument would enlarge it self ( but that i studie brevitie ) to shew how sin brings a curse upon everie affliction , and what that is ; and that thereby we shall make it appear , sin is a greater evil than affliction , because it brings a curse upon affliction . i will but briefly name what might more largely be insisted upon . when there is sin and affliction , affliction comes out of gods revenge for sin : god looks upon the guiltie creature with indignation and wrath : here 's a wretch that hath been bold , thus to sin against me , and now my hand shall be upon him . and so when the sinner is under gods hand , god is so far from looking upon him with pitie and compassion , that he looks upon him with indignation and wrath , as an enemy to him when he looks upon the sinner that is got under him : and this is a sore evil , that when god , that is the god of all mercy , and of infinite compassion , yet when he gets a wretched sinner under him , he shall look upon him in the depth of his affliction , with indignation and wrath , as a loathsom creature , as loathing and abhorring this creature under his wrath : he shall be cast out in his wrath , god casts out a sinner and curses him , when he looks upon him in such a manner . the curse of afflictions when it comes in such a manner in way of sin is in this , god regards neither the time , nor the manner , or the measure of the affliction : whether it be a time sensonable for the sinner or no , nor the manner , nor the measure , whether it be such as the sinner can bear ; no , let that go , god minds not that . indeed when god comes with his afflicting hand upon those to whom sin is pardoned , whom he looks upon in christ , he weighs out their afflictions : god comes , and with his wisdom doth order it , for the due time , and weighs it out for the due proportion , that there shall not be one dram put into it ; any further than their strength can bear ; he doth not tempt us beyond our strength , he laies not upon us what we cannot be able to bear ; this is true of his people . but when god comes upon those that have the guilt of sin lying on them , he will come at that time that is most unseasonable for them , at the worst time that can be : as thus , when a husband-man would cut a tree , to make it fruitful , he will observe his time , and lop his tree in its season , perhaps about this * time of the year , and then it will grow up ; but if he mean to have it die he lops it about midsummer , when the tree hath sent forth his sap , and then the tree dies . so god , when he comes to his children with afflictions , he will come in a seasonable time , such a time to lop when lopping may make them more fruitful : but when he afflicts wicked men , he comes to them as to a tree at midsummer , when as they be flourishing , and then cuts them down , and then they perish ; god regards not the time and season for their good when he comes in a way of a curse for sin . and so for the manner and measure of affliction : when god comes to his children when sin is pardoned , god weighs it out : as a skilful physitian weighs out physick , though that which the patient takes , it may be is poyson in it self , yet the physitian will be sure there shall not be one dram too much , and there shall be enough mixt with it , that shal be proportionable to weaken the strength of that poyson , that it shall do no hurt , but good : but now if he give poyson to vermine , he gives it without mixture , or weight , he never stands weighing for them , let them eat and burst themselves , he will mix no help there : when he gives poyson to vermine , 't is to destroy them . so all afflictions that come to wicked men , when god comes upon them in a way of a curse for sin , god gives it to them as we give poyson to vermine to destroy them : but the afflictions that come to saints , when sin is pardoned , god gives that which indeed in its own nature is poyson , but it is so weighed out , that there is not one dram too much , and so mixed with ingredients of the mercie and goodness of god , as only it works good to them to work out corruption , and do them no hurt at all : here 's the difference of afflictions upon those whose sins be pardoned , and those who have guilt upon them . hearken to this you that have the guilt of sin , when any evil comes to you , for ought you know it comes as poyson to vermine to kil you ; whereas if your hearts be humbled for sin , and sin ▪ pardoned , if you be under never so much affliction , it comes but as from a skilful loving physitian , that weighs out the physick , to do the patient good . this is the second thing wherein the curse of affliction consists when it comes for sin . the curse of afflictions when they come for sin , is in this , that all afflictions that come meerly for sin , they are but forerunners of the miseries of hell it self ; i say they are the forerunners of the very forments of hell : let the affliction be never so little in it self , yet it is the harbenger and forerunner of those dreadful eternal torments that thou must bear ; it is but a messenger from the lord , whatsoever they are : what dost thou feel them grievous and tedious for the present ? some grievous tedious distemper , trouble or disease thou hast ; they are but a tast of that bitter cup full of wrath , and they do but give thee notice of what dreadful things thou art to endure when time shall be no more . nay , they are not only forerunners to give notice of what is like to be , but they be the very beginnings of the miseries of hell : every evil a wicked man doth suffer , he may look upon it but as the beginnings of everlasting torments , if he die so , if he be not delivered from the guilt of sin , and this is that which makes it grievous : 't is not so much the pain that lies upon a man for the present , as that he by this pain is told what he shall have for ever ; it is as a summons of him to bear the wrath of god eternally ; and this is that which is the beginning of that everlasting torment he shall endure . suppose there were one to be executed , and he were to die some grievous and fearful death ; well , it may be when the tormenter comes at first , he doth but a litile pain his hand , put his wrist to pain , tyes his hands , and he cryes out of the pain of his wrist . alas ! what is this ? doth he cry for this ? what is this but a preparation for those dreadful torments that are now about to be executed upon him . so all men and women in the guilt of sin , when they have any affliction , sickness , or trouble , i say , so long as they be in that estate they may look upon it but as the girting of their hands with the cords . a little pain they be put to by the strictness of the cord that binds them , but this is but to the body , and so prepares them to be cast out into utter darkness , as you know the phrase is , take him that came without the wedding garment , and bind him hand and foot and cast him into utter darkness . thy afflictions be but as bindings of thee , they are but the beginnings of those everlasting pains thou art like to have : and that should make the least affliction of any ungodly man or woman in the world exceeding dreadful to them ; now i feel pain , but what is this but the beginning of sorrows ? i am now a sinking , but how far i shall sink , i do not know . . again , all afflictions when they come in a way of a cuase for sin , they be sent to ripen men and women for destruction , and therefore they harden their hearts and make them often flie out against god. there is no affliction sent in a way of a curse , but doth ripen any man or woman for eternal misery . oh consider this you that have been under great afflictions , it may be you are delivered from the pain , and you think your selves safe : examine , how is it ? are not your hearts more hard than before ? are you not more greedy upon sin than before ? know then that is a dangerous sign that that affliction was but sent to ripen you for destruction and eternal misery ; though you be escaped for a time , yet they only were ripeners to hasten you to everlasting destruction . and in these things consists the curse of sin ; in all evils that befal us . this is the third . fourthly , sin is the evil of all evils , for it is the shame of all evils ; it is that which makes any affliction to be a shame to us : i remember before in the opening the nature of sin as it is against our own good , there i shewed , sin was a shame to the soul ; whether there be affliction or no ; but now i am to shew you how sin puts shame into other evils , not only brings shame to our selves , but puts a shame upon the evils and afflictions that are or shall be upon us : as thus , a male factor is stigmatized , is branded ; well , there is pain to his body in the branding , and then there is the shame that is in the brand that goeth along with the pain ; and therefore it is , that it might be a note of perpetual shame and reproach . so in afflictions , there is the pain of the affliction , and then there is the shame that is upon men through the affliction . let men be branded , and if it be not for their sin , if it be for righteousness , then their brands are honorable , let them be stigmatized never so much ; let their ears be cut off , and branded with an . s. or any other brand in the cheeks , or foreheads ; if it be for righteousness ; this is their honor and glory . as the apostle speaks in a triumphing way , i bear about with me the marks of the lord jesus : and he glories in it . so for any man to be branded for christ , he bears the marks of jesus christ , though there be pain , there is no shame . so in any affliction god sends , if there be no sin , there may be pain but no shame : but when god comes upon men for sin , and by the very affliction god doth as it were point out the sin of man ; oh! then it is not only painful , but abundance of shame and confusion goes along with it . and therefore in that text , jer. . . god saith , he would cast them out for a reproach , and a taunt , and a by-word . for a reproach as well as trouble . the shame of affliction comes from sin : this is the fourth thing . fifthly , the eternity of all evil comes , from sin : i remember i shewed before , how sin was a principle of eternal evil ; but this is in another regard . i speak not of sin now , as than ; that was , as it is in its own nature , sin it self was a principal evil , and brought an eternal evil . but thus i say here , sin puts an eternity upon that present evil thou dost suffer , if the guilt be not taken away . no creatures but only the reasonable creatures , men and angels , be subject to any eternity of evil . what ever evil is upon any other creature it cannot have that denomination of eternity ; but the evils upon a sinner may have a denomination of eternity upon them . for this , observe this one note ( though it be high ) as in grace that is in it self ( i told you ) an eternal good , and brought eternal good : but further , grace is not only in it self a principle of eternal good , and brings eternal good , but grace doth make that very good that now we have , to have an eternity upon it . it dot● not only procure that hereafter it shall have eternity , but makes our present good to be eternal , though it be conveyed in another way . as now , we have abundance of comforts from creatures , and gods ordinances ; it is true , we shall not have our comforts conveied to us from creatures , and ordinances , but those that have grace shal have the same comforts that now they have from the creature , and the ordinances , conveyed immediatly from god , as from the fountain : that which thou now hast from cisterns and conduits of conyeyance , thou shalt come to injoy the same from god immediatly , and really , another way . so that no man or woman in affliction ( if gracious ) need to be troubled for any thing . for this is a true maxim in divinity , a christian may have many crosses , but no losses . a christian never lost any thing . how can that be ? a christian receives good , in husband , and wife , and children , and estate , and they have losses in these as well as others . no , they be crost for the present , but never any christian had any loss : this we may ( as a certain truth ) assent to , never any godly man or woman that had sin pardoned , never had after that time , any loss . grace ( me thinks ) should be very precious in your thoughts if this be true , if i can make this good ; if i should come and tel you marriners , or merchant adventurers in dangerous seas , wel , i will come and shew you what course you shall take , and you shall never have loss more ; you would think this good news , if it were not a fancy , and deceit , if you found it so , you would account your time well spent if you could but find this to be true , though you heard nothing but this . certainly i can tell you a way where you shall never have loss in the world ; the way of godliness . get but sin once pardoned in christ , and you shall never have any loss . suppose i had a pipe that were laid into a fountain of water that brought water to me ; well , afterward this pipe is stopped , and there comes no more water through this pipe , but though this pipe be stoped , yet if i come to injoy the very fountain , i have no loss of water , for i have it from the fountain , though the pipe be stopped yet i have the same water i had before : so it is with a christian that have any loss in the creature . for thus we are to know , all creatures be but as so many pipes of conveyance of comfort , and good , from god the fountain of all good in the creature , and he is pleased with one kind of pipe , to convey comfort from one creature , and from another another way , some have greater , and some smaller pipes , as god shall minister in his wisdom and providence to his servants . but now , one that is godly , though the poorest man or woman in the world , hath an interest in god himself , the fountain of all good : and therefore if any pipe be cut off and stopped , as perhaps such a time thou didst loose a thousand pound , perhaps three or four thousand pound ; there was three or four pipes cut off , but stil thou hast a god and an interest in him , and there all is made up . and there is this art in godliness , and the skill , that still thou maiest come and injoy that immediately from god , and suck that from the fountain , that thou didest from the pipes . so that a christian may loose much of his estate , or comfort in friends , so as he shall never receive it from them any more , but he goeth to god and injoyes it in god : so that that present good which he had here , he makes it all up in god. thus grace makes that good and comfort you have here now , an eternal good ; only the conveyance is in another way , more immediately from god , and therefore the sweeter and the fuller . so sin puts an eternity , in every evil ; observe sin doth not only deserve , that thou shouldest have eternal evil befal thee hereafter ; but whatsoever evil thou hast now , sorrows , distresses , anguish , or troubles upon thee ; sin wil make that sorrow , and anguish , and distress , to be eternal : though not perhaps conveyed that way , by that channel , yet thou shalt have that to be immediately let out through gods warth and justice . all that evil that ever thou didest bear here from any creature ; here perhaps thou hast a grievous disease ; oh! it doth ( it may be ) extreamly afflict , and torment thee ; perhaps thou diest ; the strength of that evil is gone : but that torment upon thee by the disease was nothing else but the wrath of god working through that channel ; and let out through that ; though now thou die , and the matter of the disease be gone , yet when thou comest to hell , there thou shalt meet with the same grievous pain ; only in another way . that is , the wrath of god shall let out this evil immediately , through his wrath , which was mediately through the creature before , and now it is immediately from himself . and this meditation rightly considered , is enough to bring down the proudest , stoutest sinner on the earth ; to consider how the wrath of god is all that evil to a sinner that all the creatures in heaven and earth are able to convey , and much more . and thus you have this opened how sin is the evil of all evils . the fifth part of this treatise . chap. xlii . sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it : opened in seven particulars . first , because nothing but an infinite power can overcome it . secondly , sin hath a kind of infiniteness , because it hath an infinite desert in it , expressed in three particulars : the desert of the loss of an infinite good. it deserves to put an infinite distance between god and thee . it deserves infinite misery . thirdly , sin hath a kind of infinite evil , because there is required an infinite price to make an attonement between god and man. fourthly , there is a kind of infinite evil in sin , because we must hate it infinitely . fifthly , sin is an infinite evil , because it is the vniversal cause of all evil. sixthly , the scripture make use of evil things , to set out the evil of sin. seventhly , there 's an infiniteness in sin , because the scripture set out sin , by sin it self . a fifth general head that was propounded in the beginning is this : sin hath a kind of infiniteness of evil in it . it is true , we must acknowledg that nothing but god can be properly said to be infinite : there is not an infiniteness in a strict sense in sin , for then certainly all the mercy of god , and all the power of god , could never overcome it , if properly and absolutely sin had an infiniteness in it ; therefore i do not say it is properly infinite . well , but there is a kind of infiniteness , it comes exceeding neer to infiniteness ( if we may so speak , though it is somwhat improper to say it comes neer , but we must speak so as we can to our own apprehensions , you shall see in the opening what i mean ) as thus , there is a kind of infiniteness of evil in sin beyond all bounds . first , because there is nothing but infinite power can overcome it . take the least sin that any man or woman lies under the power of ; nothing but the infinite power of god can overcome that sin : and this is the reason that many that have had many convictions of conscience of the evil of sin , many resolutions against sin , many vows and covenants , and promises they have made against sin : oh when they are sick , now they see the evil of sin , now they promise if god will restore them ▪ they will never do the like ; and they speak from their hearts , they do not only dallie , but they do verily think they will never come in companie more , and commit sin more because it is so evil : but when they be well , they be under the power of sin as before , and al their resolutions and experiences , and all their own strength and power , and all the means they have , are nothing ; though sin be opened to be never so vile , and they be convinced thereof , yet al comes to nothing . certainly there is more dreadful evil in sin than we be aware of ; and all the pleasure and profit we have by sin can never countervail that evil that is in sin : and this they see , and therefore promise and hope they shal never commit such sins again . perhaps there hath been such thoughts in your hearts , may be god hath had some beginnings to come in by his power into your souls : this is the way of gods coming in to the hearts of men and women , when he comes to convince and give them such resolutions . but know , all thy resolutions cannot overcome sin ; perhaps you may forbear for the present , the acts of sin a while may be restrained ; but nothing but the infinite power of an infinite god can overcome any one sin , any one lust , sin shall not have dominion over you , rom. . . for you are not under the law , but under grace , saith the holy ghost : as if he had said , if you be not now under the grace of the gospel , in which the infinit power of god comes upon the soul to deliver them from the dominion of sin , sin would for ever have dominion over you ; but sin shall not have dominion over you , because you be not under the law , but under grace : it is the grace of the gospel through which this infinite power of god comes upon your hearts , that keeps sin from having dominion over you . this is the first , there is a kind of infiniteness in it , because nothing but the infinite power of god can overcome it . secondly , there is a kind of infiniteness in it , because it hath an infinite desert , it doth deserve that which is infinite : there is an infinite desert in it , therefore a kind of infiniteness in it . as thus , the infinite desert of sin , may be set out in these three particulars : the desert of the loss of an infinite good , all the good in god : by every sin thou dost deserve to be deprived of that good there is in god ; that desert comes upon thee , to lose all the good there is in the infinite god , not in this or that particular good , but in the infinite god , and all the good in him . every sin doth make an infinite breach between god and you ; not only you do deserve to lose all the good in god , but it puts an infinit distance between god and thee . abraham could say to dives when lazarus was in his bosom , there is a great gulph between you and us : there is a great gulph between the sinner , and those that are godly ; but what a gulf is there between god himself and a sinner ? if there be such a gulf between abraham and dives , surely a greater gulf between god himself , and a sinner . the desert of sin is infinite , in regard of the infiniteness of misery , and pain , and tortures that sin deserves , which becaus they cannot possibly be infinit in degree , for it is impossible for a finite creature to bear any one moment , pains infinite in degree : but because it deserves infinite torment , it must therefore be infinite in time , because it cannot be infinite in degree : and so it is infinite this way , in duration , because it cannot be infinite in degree : thus sin is infinite . certainly that which makes such an infinite loss , and such an infinite breach , and brings such infinite tortures ; this must be an infinite evil in a kind . thirdly , sin is a kind of infinite evil , because there is required an infinite price to make an attonement : nothing can make an attonement between god and a sinner , but an infinite price paid . you may think when you have sinned , it may quickly be made up again : every fool can sin , can be drunk , be unclean , and wicked ; but when you have sinned , how will you get it away ? all the angels in heaven , and men in the world cannot do it ; all the creatures in heaven and earth connot get away one sin : you let out your thoughts idlely ; take the guilt of one sin , of an idle thought , i say , it is beyond the power of al the angels in heaven , and creatures in the world to get away that sin : it must be an infinite price ; there must be more done for to get away the guilt of this sin , than if god should say , here is a poor creature hath sinned , and is guilty , i will make ten thousand worlds for his or her sake , and they shall be all given that i may manifest my mercie towards them : now if god do but deliver thee from one sin , he doth more for thee , than if thou shouldest hear him speak from heaven , and say , he would do all that for thee : for you know what the apostle saith , pet. . . for as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things , as silver and gold from your vain conversation , received by tradition from your fathers , but with the precious blood of jesus christ as of a lamb without spot or blemish ▪ not with gold and silver ▪ if it were gold and silver , all the gold and silver in the world would not redeem one ; but it was with an infinite price with which you were redeemed : and mark , from your vain conversation ; he doth not say , your vain wicked , notorious idolatry , but vain conversation ; yea , and that vain conversation which you might have some plea for , received from the tradition of your fathers : you will keep your old customs you received from your fathers , received a great while ago ; you crie out of new things , new kind of waies , now i am sure i have lived this thirtie , or this fourtie years , and i never knew such things , and heard of such things , and so you will rest on the traditions of your fore fathers : mark what the scripture saith , speaking of those that were delivered from their vain conversation , and the vanities received by tradition ; these were redeemed by the precious blood of jesus christ , not with gold and silver : though you stick to them as being such as you received from your fathers , yet know all the world cannot deliver you from the guilt of one of these vain conversations : if you knew all you would see there were so much evil in one sin , as required a price to ransom you from it● of more worth than heaven and earth , yea , than ten thousand heavens and earths : there must be a price laid down of infinite worth : and observe this before you go away ; there may be a price laid down to ransom a captive , and this price may note not so much the greatness of the deliverance , as the worth of the person for whom this price is laid down ; because the person is worthy , not from the miserableness of the bondage , but the greatness of the person : but it is not so here , the reason of the greatness of the price for your ransom , is not from the worthiness of the person , we be poor , vile , dirt , and dross , and filthy before god : what if you were all buried to all eternity , what great matter were it ? but god hath paid a great price to note the greatness of your misery , and evil you have brought upon your selves by reason of sin , and therefore this is the price of our ransom . this is the third thing wherein the infiniteness of sin appears . a fourth thing to discover a kind of infiniteness of evil in sin is this , that sin , it is so evil , that let there be never so much hatred against it in thy soul , let there be as much hatred against it as possibly can be ; yet there is enough evil in sin to raise this hatred higher and higher , if it were possible to an infinite hatred : therefore there is a kind of infiniteness in it . if sin were but a meer finite evil , then there might be some bounds and limits set to the hatred of our sin ; but that cannot be , there can be no bounds nor limits set to the hatred of our sin , but we are to hate it more and more still , and if we could , grow to an infinite hatred : therefore there must be some kind of infinite evil in it . other things be not so ; we may set bounds to our hatred in other things : but when it comes to sin , there is no limits to be set to the hatred of it . as brethren thus , it doth note the infiniteness of goodness that there is in god , why ? because we are to love god , and our love to god must be without any bounds at all : we love him thus much , and still our love is to go further , and higher and higher , and if possible to raise our love to be infinite , because he is an infinite good who is the object of our loves . so hatred on the other side ; we are to hate sin , we are to hate it more and more , and still grow up in hatred , and never set bounds to our hatred : why doth not this as well argue a kind of infinitness in fin ? and here then brethren by the way you may have a note of your true love to god , and true hatred against sin , whether it be right or no : as now , if you will know if you love god truly , then you set no bounds to your love , not only to your love to him , but to your love to his waies , and your love to grace , and christ , and the like , you set no bounds : that man or woman that would be religious but so far , and saith , why will you be so strict , and so hot ? and sets bounds to the working of their hearts in religious waies ; let such men and women know , their religion is in vain , it is but meerly a natural one . i remember a speech seneca a heathen hath , though he applies it another way , yet he makes it appear , he had some understanding of this truth , saith he , would you know when desires be natural , and when not natural ? if they be natural , then they be in bounds , and you set limits to them ; but when they break bounds , then they be no more natural : but he applies it to sinful desires ( for he knew no better than desires at the highest , as they had some naturalness in them ) and saith he , speaking of sinful desires so long as you keep your desires in certain bounds , they be natural and good , but when once you let them out beyond bounds , they be no more natural . we may very well applie it to speak of the work of nature , and the work of grace : would you know whether the ground of your desires , or work , be natural , or supernatural ? you may know them by this , if you propound limits , thus far you will go ; this certainlie is a natural work : but when the heart lets out it self to god without any limits or bounds ; this is a supernatural work . so you dislike sin , and oh you would not commit it ; but this is the question , whether your dislike or hatred be natural or supernatural ? if natural , then there be some limits and bounds you propound , that is , you will not commit such gross sins , and live in such open sins ; and upon such and such grounds , you will abstain from such and such sins : but if there be a supernatural work , your hearts are set against all sins with a kind of infiniteness , without anie bounds or terms , you will set no bounds to your hatred of anie sin : that man or woman that so hates sin , as to set no bounds at all unto their hatred , and will admit it upon no terms ; this is a supernatural hatred . manie are against sin naturally ; but in that true hatred , it is so boundless , that there must be no bounds set to your hatred : it evidentlie shews sin to have a kind of infinitness of evil in it . fifthly , sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it in that it is the vniversal cause of all evil : as god appears to be an infinite good , because he is the universal cause of all good ; this doth much set out the infiniteness of gods goodness in that he is the universal cause of all good so it doth set out the infiniteness of sin , in that sin is the universal cause of all evil , all evils flow from it . this is the fifth thing . sixthly , there is an infiniteness of evil in sin ; it appeareth thus , that as the infiniteness of good in god is shaddowed out unto us by all good things , and in as much as we and the scripture makes use of all good things to shaddow out the goodness of god , this manifests an infiniteness of good in him : so in as much as the scripture mak●s use of all kind of evil things , only to set and shaddow out the evil in sin ; this makes it appear there is a kind of infiniteness of evil in it : as thus , that all those creatures , vipers , serpents , dogs , cockatrices , dragons , wolves : all deadly creatures the scripture makes use of but to shaddow out the evil in sin. as if the holy ghost should say , do you see any evil in such creatures that you account the worst : put them all together , and that is in sin and more . so take all kinds of uncleanness , the vomit of a dog menstruous cloaths , all this doth but shaddow out the evil in sin. look at sicknesses , leprosies , plague , and death it self , and darkness , any hidious evil , all these do but shaddow out the evil of sin. we might mention many more to shew you the evil of sin. and in that the scripture makes use of so many evil things to shew the evill of sin. this shews sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it . seventhly , as gods infinite goodness is set out thus , that he is his own happiness and blessedness ; in this god doth appear to be infinitely good , because he is his own good and happiness , there is no higher good to be the goodness of god ; no higher blessedness to be the blessedness of god but himself ; because he is infinitly good and blessed . so the scripture sets out to us the evil of sin by it self , because there is no greater evil to set sin out by , but by it self : therfore this shews there is a kind of infiniteness of evil in sin. and therefore you have that of rom. . . was that then that was good made death to me ? god forbid , but sin that it might appear sin working death in me by that which was good : that sin by the commandement might become exceeding sinfvl . he doth not say that sin might appear to be exceeding miserable : but that it might become exceeding sinful : so that the sinfulness of sin is that which sets out the evil of sin more than any other thing doth . it was the speech of the heathen seneca , it is the punishment of sin , to have sin : so it is the reward of vertues to have them . godliness in it self is the excellency of a man ; and sin in it self is the misery of a man : and this is a proof of this , that there is a kind of infiniteness of evil in sin. now then by all these seven discoveries of the evil in sin , having a kind of infiniteness in it , this one thing comes fully and powerfully from them ; that for to fall into sin again , and for to be prevailed withal by any such temptation as this , oh it is no great matter , if i do no worse than this , i hope it is well , and others do worse : i say , to yield again to the commission of any sin upon such a temptation , is a great wickedness . what dost thou make any comparison in sin , and use any such words , when thou hast heard it , or read it proved to thee , that sin hath a kind of infiniteness of evil in it . nay , which i thought to have finished here , but cannot now come to it , but shal in the next chapter shew the reference sin hath to the devil ; this shews the greatness of sin above all evils : sin is that which makes the soul conformable to the devil . afflictions doth not , they make the soul conformable to jesus christ : i suppose you know that place , phil. . . mark there the difference between sin and affliction , paul there accounted all things dung and dross for the excellency of the knowledg of christ : and what more ? that he might be found in him , and that he might know him , and the power of his resurrection , and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death . he did desire above all things to have the fellowship of his sufferings , and to be conformable to his death : he accounts all the world as dung and dross to be conformable to christ by afflictions , or sufferings . it is true , it may be many account all the world to be nothing , to be conformable to christ in glory in heaven . but here is the work of grace ( and i beseech you observe this in the conclusion , and carry it away ) that a gracious heart accounts all the world dung and dross to be conformable to jesus christ in his sufferings ; there is so much excellencie and glorie in the sufferings of jesus christ . now you see the wide difference between afflictions and sin : sin makes a man conformable to the devil ; afflictions make a man conformable to jesus christ . i would have shewed wherein , in several particulars , how sin makes us conformable to the devil : i will but name this one now , and that which might be enough to make every soul out of love with sin , in that by sin thou joynest with the devil , and conspirest with the devil against god himself . there is no creature that is against god , but men and devils : the devil was gods first enemie , and now man comes in and conspires with the devil . now we account it a great evil if you had a child ; and if there were but one traitor in the common wealth , and you hear , oh my child is joyned with this traitor , and conspireth against me and the state. before sinful man , there was but one sort of sinful creatures in the world , the devils : now by sin , man comes in , and joyns in conspiracie against the blessed god ; and so one generation after another : perhaps the father comes and conspires with the devil , and then the child ; and so along in a succession . and this should come neer our hearts to humble us for our sins and wickedness , that in this we be those that of all creatures that ever god hath made , conspire with the devil against the blessed god , the fountain of all good. the sixth part of this treatise . chap. xliii . sin makes a man conformable to the devil , opened in six particulars . first , sin is of the same nature with the devil . secondly , sin is from the devil . thirdly , sin is a furtherance of the devils kingdom in the world : for by sin we oppose christs destroying the devils kingdom in the world. by sin thou opposest thy prayers when thou prayest , thy kingdom come . by going on in a way of sin , thou becomest guilty of all the sin in the world. fourthly , sinning is a fulfilling the will of the devil . fifthly , sin sells the soul to the devil . sixtly , sin , it turns the soul into a devil . the sixt and last demonstration of the evil of sin ; it is from that reference sin hath to the devil . the scripture speaks of afflictions , that they make us conformable to christ ; but sin makes us conformable to the devil . there are six things to be opened about this : i have mentioned the first , which was this , that sin was of the same nature with the devil : every sin hath the same kind of malignity in it , that the devil hath . but , secondly , all sin , it is from the devil , either originally , or at least by way of a cause , helping it forward : sin is the work of the devil , not only a joyning with him , but his work : therefore christ is said to come to dissolve the works of the devil : sin is from the devil , therefore it is said in john , . . he that commits sin is of the devil , for the devil sinneth from the beginning ; and to this purpose the son of man was manifest , that he might destroy the works of the devil : he that commits sin is of the devil , it comes from the devil . and so john , . . brethren ( these things which i speak concerning the reference sin hath to the devil , though they may seem hard and harsh , yet ) it is to be observed , none speaks so much of sins coming from the devil as john , who was of the most loving , sweet nature of any of the disciples ; and yet when he comes to speak of sin , he speaks of it in the most harsh terms that possibly can be ; so that it comes not from harshness , but may stand with a loving and sweet nature to speak of sin in the harshest terms that we can do : for john the most loving , and beloved disciple of christ , so full of love ; and yet none spake so harshly of sin , especially in its reference it hath to the devil , as he saith here , joh. . . you are of the devil , and his lust you will do : thus sin , the lusts of sin come from the devil , and it makes a man or a woman to be the child of the devil : so the scripture is clear it comes from him originally ; all sin that is in you , is originally the spawn of the very devil himself in your souls ; and originally it comes from him : as all sin originally comes from his temptations and suggestions , so also the devil helps forward and furthers all sin that is in your souls , this is the evil of it . but here understand this aright , the devil is not so the cause of all sin , as god is the cause of all grace , not so : it is true , the devil hath a hand in every sin , but not such a hand in sin , as god hath in grace ; for god hath such a hand in the work of grace , that he doth not only give a principle of grace , but all the operation of grace is so from him , as it would never stir but by him , he gives the will to work and do all ; the will and the deed are from him : but all sin is not so from the devil , though originally it is , and the devil puts it on ; yet we are to know , though the devil now should tempt no more , yet there is enough in the hearts of men and women to sin against god all manner of sin , even from their own innate corruption that now is in them ; if the devil were destroyed , sin would not be destroyed : in grace there is no power to work but by gods working together with it ; but in sin there is a power to work without the devils working : though the devil is forward enough to work with our corruption , yet i say there is corruption enough in our hearts for to work al kind of sin , though the devil should not tempt us any more ; therfore we must not lay all upon the devil , as many do ; when they fall into any wickedness , they will say , this is the devil , and lay all the fault upon the devil , and so think to take it off from themselves by laying it upon the devil : no , know , though the devil labors to further it what he can , yet there is such corruption in you , that it would stream forth from you though the devil stir it not at all : therefore charge your own hearts as well as the devil . in the work of grace , we must give all the glorie to god ; but in the work of sin , we cannot allot all the fault to the devil ; we are not to take any of the glorie of the work of grace to our selves , but we are to take a great part , yea , somtimes the greatest part of sin to our selves : but however the devil is the cause of sin originally , and helps forward to it . thirdly , all sin is the furtherance of the kingdom of the devil in the world. you know that the scripture saith , that the devil is the prince that rules in the air , and is called the god of this world , because he rules in the children of disobedience . there is a kingdom of the devil set up by sin in the world , and maintained by sin in the world ; it hath a succession in the world by sin : so that all sinners that continue in waies of sin , they do what in them lies to uphold the kingdom of the devil in the world , and the rule of the devil in the world. therefore men in sin , are exceeding opposite to the end of christs coming in the world : for it is christs end in coming into the world to dissolve the kingdom of the devil , as you had it before in john , . . it is an especial end why christ came into the world , for to bring down the kingdom of the devil , and yet thou by sinning upholdest the kingdom of the devil ; so thou dost what in thee lies to oppose and resist the very end of christs coming into the world . there is very much in this consideration to humble the hearts of all wicked men for sin ; thou hast lived in a course of sin it may be many yeers ; now brethren know , the lord charges thee with this , this day , that all this time that thou hast lived in a course of sin , thou hast done what in thee lies to oppose the end of christs coming into the world ; that if thou couldest thou wouldest hinder the end of the death of christ , and of all that he hath done : for the especial end why christ is come into the world , it is to dissolve the work of the devil ; and thou keepest up the work of the devil . again , it follows hence , that thou dost directly contradict thy own prayers : when thou prayest , thy kingdom come , in the lords prayer , thou prayest there that the kingdom of christ might come : but in every way of sin that thou takest liberty in , thou dost oppose the kingdom of christ : how dost thou take the name of god in vain , and mock god in this prayer ? every wicked man and woman in the world mocks god in praying the lords prayer , when they say thy kingdom come , and yet live in such waies as upholds the kingdom of the devil , instead of the kingdom of christ . yea further , this follows , that by going on in waies of sin , thou comest to be guilty , and standest charged for all the sins that ever were committed in the world : this may seem to be a hard thing , to charge any man or woman that now lives in waies of sin , that by that sin of thine that thou now livest in , thou comest to be guilty of all the sins that ever was done in the world , since the beginning of the world . i undertake to make that good thus ; you know the scripture chargeth those that persecuted the prophets , as guilty of all the persecution of the prophets that ever were , all the blood that was shed from abel to zacharias shall come upon this generation , saith christ ; why so ? why should all the blood shed from abel to that time , come upon that generation ? the reason is this , because they continued the succession of that sin of persecution of the prophets , that as there was a persecution of the prophets before , so they go on and uphold this succession of that sin . now by the holding of the succession of a way of sin , we come to be guilty of all that sin that went before : as for example , suppose there should be treason against a king or state , by some vile treasonable act ; now the father commits the first act , the son afterward goeth on in the same way , and his children come after him , and goeth on in the same way , and their children after them : now i say , the children , and the grand-children , and the great grand-children , are guilty of the first treasonable act that was committed ; why ? because they uphold the succession of the treasonoble act . so now , sin that was in the beginning of the world , was to bring in the kingdom of satan ; and the next generation upheld it , and the next upheld the same , and the next generation went on the same way ; so that every generation is not only guilty of those particular sins which they commit ; but they be guilty of all that went before , because they uphold the succession of the kingdom of the devil , and the opposition of the kingdom of jesus christ : as for instance , take a scorner of religion , that is one sin ( for we cannot open things but by instancing in particulars ) i say , take a scorner of religion , know thou art not guilty of these acts of scorning only in thy self , but art guilty of all the scorning of godliness since the beginning of the world ; why ? because thou holdest a succession of that way of scorning of religion . so a blasphemer may be said to be guilty of all the blasphemies in the world ; why ? because he upholds the succession of that way of sinning against god ; and so opposing the kingdom of christ , and upholding the kingdom of the devil . this is the third thing , sin is the upholding of the kingdom of the devil in the world. fourthly , a fourth thing is this , that sin , it is a fulfilling of the will of the devil : that is another distinct consideration , and you shall see that in the opening of it , it will be of distinct use to you : i say , it is a fulfilling the will of the devil ; that place is very famous for that in the tim. . . that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil , who are taken captive of him at his will : there wicked men be taken captive by the devil at his will , or to do his will , so you may reade it : some they be insnared by satan to do his will , his lusts you do , as christ speaks : you may think you do your own will in sinning , but certainly you do the will of the devil as well as your own : as for instance , that of passion and anger ephes . . . be angry , but sin not , let not the sun go down upon your wrath ; neither give place to the devil : you think you give place to your own passion , but you give place to the devil , and fulfil the will of the devil : you come by sin to do the devils drudgery and slavery ; you do his work he sets you about , and his will you fulfil . now for such a noble creature as man is , to come to be a slave of the devil , that is the lowest now of all creatures ; it must needs be a very dreadful thing ; it is an evil to be in slavery to any thing vile or base . i remember i have read a story of one gunno , king of the danes , that having overcome a people , he set a dog over them to be their governor ; that is thus , he would have all commands to go out under the name of the dog , and they should be under the government of the dog ; this he did in disdain and indignation against those people he overcame . but now , as he would shew the baseness of that people that he designed to be under a dog ; much more debasement is it for an immortal soul to be under the command of the devil , as all wicked men are under the command of the devil himself . thou wilt not fulfil the will of god when it is opened to thee out of his word and will , what thou oughtest to do ; thou standest out against the will of god : but now you that think it such a bondage to be obedient to the will of god , you be brought under a worse bondage , you are fain to be obedient to the will of the devil . and certainly those men and women that think they be at most liberty when they be free from obedience to the will of god ; by that libertie they come to be under bondage , under slavery to the devil all wicked men that think much to obey god , they must be obedient one way or other ; we must be all servants , and obedient either to the will of god , or the devil : which is best then ? wicked men think it a brave life that they may have their own will ; true , if they might have their own will , they might think it a brave life : but know , you have rather the will of the devil than your own , in that you do his will , you fulfil the will of the devil . to be in slaverie , not only to the devil , but to any man , is a great evil , to be at the wil of man , yea , to be at the will of a good man is an evil : i should be loth to live in any such common-wealth , as that i should be under the will of man in it , any further than might be revealed and bounded by some set law. the difference between a slave and a subject is this , a slave is such a one as lives under arbitrary government , that is the will of such as are in authority , is their law , and they are ruled by no other law but by the will of such as govern them , there is no law set , to know when they shall offend , and when not ; but when their rulers say , this is an offence , that his will is crossed , that is an offence , and they be therefore punished : but now subjects , they be bound to no obedience to any man , any further than some set law doth require their obedience ; that is a subject , and that is the very difference between a slave and a subject . if men in authority should command any thing , though good ( i mean only indifferent ) yet i am not bound in conscience to obey at al , because they command , except it be by a law , except they command it by a law : if he command it meerly as his will , and only say , i will , here is no tie upon the conscience . it is ordinarie for people to think , if men in authoritie command , they will have such a thing done , oh say they , authoritie commands : we deny it , authoritie commands nothing but what it commands by a law ; and then we are bound to obey , or to suffer , if it be a law once : but if it be not a law , though it should be the will of men in authoritie , it doth not bind us at all , till it come to be a law , any further than there is equity it self in the thing , in its own nature : for then doth a people come to be in slavery when they come to be subject to the will of men without a law. now brethren thus ; if it be a slavery , and a great evil to be subject to men , though good men , subject to their will , and nothing else , without law ; then what an evil is it to be in subjection and slaverie to the will of the devil ? meerly at his will ? and yet every wicked man is so . we should account it a very sore thing if we should come under arbitrary government , to be subject to the will of men . now so long as thou remainest under the power of sin , thou remained under the government of the devil himself ; this is a sorer evil than affliction : a man were better live in any countrie , though not so fruitful as england , and suffer hardship in his estate , so he live like a free man , than to live here , or in any other fruitful countrie , and live under arbitrary government . this we hope for , not to be under the wills of men , but the laws made by them . then it were better to endure hardship and any affliction , than bear this , to be at the will of the devil , and ful●l his will. fifthly , in reference to the devil , sin hath this evil in it , if it grows to a height , itsels the soul to the devil : as with ahab , kings , . . when elijah met ahab , hast thou found me , o my enemy ? ( saith ahab ) and he answered , i have found thee , because thou hast sold thy self to work evil in the sight of the lord : now if he sell himself , he must sell himself to some body , to somwhat , we cannot sell a thing but we must sell it to some body , or to somwhat ; now to what must ahab sell himself ? certainly , to no body but to the devil ; he sold himself to work iniquity and wickedness , and wickedness when it comes to the height , is a selling of our selves to the very devil himself . we cry out of those poor , miserable creatures that sel themselves to the devil , we say , oh how be they deluded and besotted that sell themselves to the devil ? certainly every wicked man and woman in the world , when sin groweth to the height sell themselves to the devil . sixthly and lastly , sin when it grows to a height , it doth turn the soul into a devil ; it makes men and women to become devils , when it grows once to a height : the scripture is very clear in that ; you know what is said concerning judas , john , . . have not i chosen you twelve , and one of you is a devil ? and so ordinarily the scripture speaks in this kind of phrase , revel . . . fear none of these things you shall suffer , behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison : why ? is the devil come to be a pursevant , or an officer , or to give warrants to cast into prison ? no , but it is spoken of wicked persecutors that the devil sets on work , they be called by the name of the devil . sin when it comes to a height , it makes the sinners to be such , that they are pronounced to be devils : the devil shall cast some of you into prison ; and one of you is a devil : that is a strange metamorphosis . we reade of strange fictions , of some creatures turned into other creatures ; but this , for the creature to be turned into a devil , is the strangest metamorphosis that can be . brethren , what made the devil a devil ? they were once glorious angels , more glorious creatures than men and women , but what is it that should make them devils now ? nothing but sin ; it is sin that hath made angels to be devils : and therefore do not so much wonder that sin should make men and women to be devils incarnate . do not wonder at the phrase of scripture , seeing angels by sin , yea , the sin that the angels did commit , did presently turn them into devils : therefore wonder not , that the continuing the acts of sin , when it groweth to the height , should turn men and women into devils . these be the six particulars in this head , of sins reference to the devil . it is of the same nature with the devil , joyns with him against god. it is the work of the devil , that is , he is the original , and helping cause of it . it furthers the kingdom of the devil . it fulfils the will of the devil . when it grows to a height it sels the creature to the devil . it turns them into devils . these be the six particulars of the evil of sin in the reference it hath to the devil . from these six , follow these notable corollaries and consequences , to shew the dreadful evil in sin beyond all affliction . corollaries and consequences from all the former particulars . chap. xliv . the first corallarie . ] it s worse for a man to be sinful , than to be turned into a beast . first , hence then it is worse for a man to be sinsul and wicked , than if he were turned into a beast : it is worse to be like the devil to fulfil his will , to be a servant to him , to be turned into a devil , than to be turned into a beast . and yet we should account it a great misery if god should put any one under such a punishment to turn your bodies into beasts . i remember i have read out of lactantius of a place he quotes out of tully , who would not rather die ( saith he ) than have his body , the body of a man , turned into the shape of a beast , though he should retain the mind of a man , under this condition ? as if god by his power should turn the fashion of a mans body , to be just like a dog or a swine , and yet he should have the mind of a man the soul should be kept within such a body , of such a forme , of a dog or a swine , and he should go up and down in the world as a dog or a swine , with the mind of a man : now this heathen saith , a man had rather die than be so ; then how great an evil ( saith he ) is it for a man to have the soul of a man turned into the fashion of a beast , though his body continue still in the form of a man , this a heathen could say . by this it appeareth , though we see not god work such miracles , as to turn the bodies of men and women , by his judgements , into the fashion of swine , or dogs , or such creatures as he might do if he pleased ; but this we see ordinary that the souls of men and women , be turned just into the very fashion and shape ( as i may so speak ) of the sensitive souls of bruit beasts ; as a drunkard , or a glutton , his soul is justlike to the sensitive soul of the swine . and those that do rail against religion , their souls be turned just like the sensitive soul of a barking dog , and they do bark like ( nay , a great deal worse than ) a dog . and those that are wickedly subtile , they are like to foxes . and the scripture speaks of men cruel , like to wolves : their sins do turn their souls to be like the very spirit and sensitive souls of the bruit beasts . so that they are in a worse condition than if their bodies were turned into the shape of bruit beasts . but when their souls be turned to be like the devil , this is worse a great deal than if they were like bruit beasts . this is the first . chap. xlv . the second corollarie . ] it s worse to be sinful , than to be afflicted with temptation from the devil .. secondly , from the reference sin hath to the devil , it followes , that for any man or woman to be wicked , it is worse a great deal than to have the greatest trouble and affliction by any temptation from the devil . there be many men and women exceedingly pestered with hidious and horribl temptations by the devil , and so troubled with them that they be even weary of their lives , and know not what to do . many send up papers to the minister in publick , desiring to be prayed for , because of that sore affliction upon them , those dreadful temptations of the devil ; whersoever they go , whersoever they be , whatsoever they be adoing , when a hearing , a reading , and if they go to prayer , still hidious temptations of the devil comes upon them , and this wearies their lives : they had rather indure any misery in the world . i dare appeal to you that be troubled with hidious temptations of the devil , which dog , and follow you ; had you not rather indure loss of estate , sickness , poverty , and shame , and disgrace , rather than have these hidious temptations follow you ? oh you should have many quickly make their choice , rather let any thing befal me than have such hidious temptations pursue & pester me . now if such hidious temptations , be a greater evil in your account than all afflictions that can befal your body ; than much more evil are your sins than all afflictions ; for sin hath greater reference unto the devil than temptations , and make you more like the devil than temptations do : for temptations may be no other but such as did befal the son of god himself . christ was pestered with temptations , hidious temptations , temptations to deny god , and to tempt god , and to worship the devil himself : as hidious temptations befel christ as could befal any one , yet the son of god , beloved of god , therefore your temptations are no other , no greater than might befal christ , and therefore not so great evils as sin. they make you not so like the devil as sin ; if temptations come from the devil , if not entertained , though they be afflictions , yet not sin. now in that sin hath such reference to the devil it appeareth that sin is worse than all the annoyance you can have by any temptation . chap. xlvi . the third corollarie . ] it s worse to be under sin , than to be haunted by the devil . thirdly , hence it follows , that sin is worse than to be continually in the presence of the devil : it is worse for a man or woman to be under the power of any sin , than to be continually haunted by devils , and to have the sight of devils before their eyes , and be in company with them . if god should lay such a judgment upon a man or woman , that wheresoever they should be , they should see devils before them ; to be under the power of any one sin is worse than if god should lay such a judgment upon thee . many be mightily terrified in the dark , oh! there is the devil in the room , and oh! he comes to them , and there be apparitions of devils , this they be troubled with ; oh! these men and women haunted by devils , and houses haunted by devils , this is a miserable condition : now art thou haunted by any wicked lust and sin , certainly thou art in a worse condition than any man or woman haunted by devils , or house haunted by the devil . is there any house in your parish where there is blaspheming , and oaths , and railing at goodness , and sabbath breaking , and such things ? this house is worse than any house haunted by devils : for sin is worse a great deal , than the meer presence of the devil . i remember i have read of a tyrant , one maxensius in hetrusia , he invented this torment to put men to death , he would have a dead mans carkass tyed about their bodies and so let them go wheresoever he would , but he still carried the dead carkass about him , and at length the stench put them to death : this was his tyrany . if you should have a dead man or woman tied about your bodies ; may be the face of a dead man is hidious to you , but if they should be tied about you , so that when you lie in bed , and when you rise , when you sit at meat , it should be alwaies with you , and you should indure the stink and putrefaction ; what a sore evil would this be ? now if in the presence of a dead carkass there is so much evil , than in the presence of the devil there is much more . now sin , any one sin , tied close to your hearts , that you carry about with you , wheresoever you go ; know there is in that a greater evil upon you , than if a dead carkass should be tied to you ; yea , than if the devil should haunt you wheresoever you go : because the presence of the devil , is not so much , as turning of the souls of men and women into the nature of the devil ; and making the souls of men and women so like to him . chap. xlvii . the fourth corollarie . ] it s worse to be given up to any way of sin , than to be given up to the devil : quest . how the delivering up to satan , can be for the saving the soul ? a fourth corollarie hence is this , that for any man or woman to be left to one sin , it is worse than to be given up to the devil . i say , it is a greater evil , a greater judgement for any man or woman to be left to any way of sin , than to be given up to satan : is thy soul given up to the power of any one sin ? i dare here as i stand in the presence of god , to speak the truths of god , i dare avow it ; you are in a worse condition than if you should be given up to the devil . i make that good thus , in scripture , cor . . we have an example of one that was given up to the devil , and that in a right way , there is an incestuous person that committed that horrible wickedness , not named among the gentiles , that had his fathers wife and committed incest with her : the apostle commands him to be delivered to satan for the destruction of the flesh , that his spirit might be saved in the day of the lord jesus : he was delivered to satan ; but for the destruction of the flesh ; but to the end that he might have his spirit saved in the day of the lord jesus : so that the delivering up to satan was a means appointed by god to save his soul : but to deliver up any one to the power of sin , is no means to save his soul , that is a means to damn the soul , and not to save it . so then , you see the reason grounded cleerly upon scripture , that it is worse to be delivered up unto any sin than to be delivered to the devil ; for he that was delivered to satan , it was for the saving of the soul ; but he that is delivered to sin , it is for the damning of his soul . this requires a little opening . quest . you will say , how can the delivering up to santan be for the saving of the soul ? answ . it will be needful for cleering of this , to tell you what this delivering up to satan was ; and the truth is , this delivering up to satan , or excommunication from the church , this was a most dreadful thing when done in a right way ; it was done when the church was gathered together by the power of jesus christ : as certainly where there are a company of saints , that at least outwardly so appear ; a church , that in a solemn manner is gathered together , through the power of jesus christ , having their elder going before them the officer of the church ; when they in a solemn manner ▪ in the power of christ , shall cast out any one deservedly from church communion ; this is a delivering a man or woman to satan ( this is another manner of business than ordinarily we were wont to have , by the ordinary , or commis●ary , and dean , in the prelates courts ; certainly they were but wooden daggers in comparison of this dreadful sword , to cut off from the communion of the church ) it was when the church was assembled , not the commissary and officers , but when the church was gathered together , to cut such a one from the church of christ , for some vile act ; not for not paying of their fees , or the like , these things only scared people ; but if this censure of excommunication were in a right way executed , it were the most dreadful thing in the world : it is that which hath awed and terrified the most proud and stout sinners ; the very sight of anothers excommunicating , it hath terrified the conscience of those that have been by : it is a delivering them to satan , and putting them from under the protection of god , giving them up to the devil , to take power over them , except they come in , and repent : and this is a way to save the soul , because if there be any way in the world to cause men to see their sin , and repent , and be humbled , and come in , this is it ; and when no other way would do it , this many times hath done it . and therefore those people that live in such a condition , that want this ordinance of excommunication in the right way , want an especial means to keep off sin , both to keep them from sin before they are fallen , and of delivering of them from sin when they have fallen into it . but to be given over to the power of sin , is a greater evil than to be delivered to satan . chap. xlviii . the fifth corollary . ] it is worse to be given up to one sin , than to be actually possessed by the devil . fifthly , shall i say further ( and this will make it pla●●ly appear what abundance of 〈◊〉 ●ere ●s i● sin , more than in affliction : for though ●…oken abundance of it , yet all this 〈…〉 draw the point higher and higher , and ●…ve the nail deeper and deeper , that this truth of god might settle upon your spirits ; and therefore a fifth is this , which follows from this reference sin hath to the devil ) that it is worse to be given up to any one sin , than to be actually possessed by the devil , than for the devil to come and actually possess us as those poor creatures were in the gospel ; and this is worse than to be given up to satan : there is a spiritual possession of satan , as in judas , and that is a spiritual possession of their hearts to rule them : but there is a temporal possession spoken of in the gospel , and that is of their bodies , that the devil possest them , and caused them to rage and foam at the mouth , and rend and tear : and the men we reade of in the gospel that lived among the graves and dead people , and cut themselves with knives and stones ; this was a grievous thing to see men thus possest . many men have extraordinary fits of the convulsion ; and the like , and men think they be possessed ; we ordinarily mistake , and it is but a meer fit of the convulsion ; but if we did know they were really possessed , we should be terrified : oh such a friend , such a neighbor lived wickedly before , and now the devil hath possessed him ; we thought it a disease till now , we thought it the convulsion , but now we see it is from the devils possession of them . would you not endure any affliction in the world rather than god should say of you , the next oath you swear , when you open your mouthes to swear , the devil shal come in and take possession of your bodies ; or the next evil language you speak , the devil shall come in and possess you ; this were a fearful thing , and you would take heed of this . but this i am to make good , that when you go on in sin , in any one sin , it is a greater evil than if never so many devils possest you , if there should be legions ; as he said to christ when he asked his name , he said , legion , because we be many . it is not so great an evil if god should give up your bodies to be possessed by legions of devils ; you will say , surely that is a great evil , but not so great as to be under the power of one sin . how will that appear you will say ? thus : possession makes you not hateful to god , and guilty before god , and loathsom to god ; nor is it that which god hates , but it is an object of pitty ; christ pittied them when he saw them thus : but sin makes a man odious and hateful to god. i remember an excellent observation gregory hath on the book of job , ( saith he ) what is the reason when god gave up job to the devil , and bid him do what he would , but spare his life ? ( saith he ) what is the reason the devil did not possess him when he was given up to his hands , for so the words are , he is in thy hands , only spare his life ? so that it appears , he was in his power to possess him , but yet he did not ; and what is the reason ? this is the answer that ancient gives , the reason is this , because if he had possest him , then though job had fretted , and frowned , and torn himself , it had not been his sin , his impatiency , so as it was when he was not possessed : now because the devil envied job , the devil would bring that upon job which he knew to be the greatest evil as much as he could ; for so all envy doth . one that envies another , labors to bring the greatest evil on him that he can . so certainly the devil envied job , and therefore he labored to bring the greatest evil on him that he could . now it seems possession was not the greatest evil ; but the devil would go so to work , as if he could possibly he would get job to be impatient , and make job curse god , and sin against god. if job should have cursed god in word by possession of the devil , the devil cursed god in him , it had not been jobs sin so much as if he had got him to curse god otherwise : now the devil would have him so curse god , as to be a sin to him ; and therefore the devil would not possess him because that was the lesser evil : so that to be given up to sin is a greater evil than to be possest . therefore all you that have friends and children , which you see wicked and licentious , and you see some cause to fear they be given up to the power of sin for the present , it should cause fathers and mothers to come to christ , as earnestly as ever those poor creatures did , that had children possessed with the devil , in the gospel ; poor women had children possessed , and so men ; fathers that had children possessed with the devil , that did rent and tear him in the presence of christ , he cries out mightily to christ , if he could , oh that he would come and help him : and so the woman of canaan for her daughter , cries after christ to help her daughter , for she was miserably vexed with an unclean spirit . so you should even go and cry to god , lord , help if possible , and have mercy upon my son , upon my daughter , for they have unclean spirits ; yea , they are in a worse condition than if possessed by the devil : i have a son , a swearing yong man ; a daughter , that is vain , and profane , and wicked , and licentious , and stubborn , and unruly , oh if it be possible help me : if you could be as sensible of the sins , and wickedness of your children , as in the time of the gospel , fathers and mothers were of the possession of their children , much might then be done . chap. xlix . the sixt corollary . ] sin brings to wicked men the same portion the devils have . sixtly , hence it follows , if sin hath such reference to the devil , then this must needs follow , that the same portion that the devils have , must needs be at last the portion of wicked men : the scripture expresseth it , mat. . go you wicked into the portion prepared for the devil . and so in timothy , the same portion that the devil hath , shall be the portion of wicked and ungodly men . we reade in the book of the revelations , of fearful judgments that shall befal such as have the mark of antichrist upon them , revel . . , . an angel followed , saying with a loud voyce , if any man worship the beast , and his image , and receive his mark in their foreheads , or in their hands , the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of god poured out without mixture , and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of god , and his holy angels , and of the lamb. mark the dreadful judgments upon such as have the mark of antichrist , either openly in their foreheads , in profession , or more privately in their hands , he shall drink of the wrath of god , &c. now if such as have but the mark of antichrist upon them shall have such dreadful punishment ; pray what shall those have that have such a likeness unto the devil himself ? the mark of the devil , that are even turned into the very nature of the devil , that are children of the devil , what shall the end of such wicked and ungodly men and women be ? and now brethren , we have finished all these six particulars , in opening the evil of sin ; and therein shewed that there is more evil in sin , that there is in any affliction . and now i had thought to have made some good entrance into the application of this ; for though all this while in the explanation , i have mingled some application , yet there remains very many excellent useful considerations , which doth flow from all that hath been said of the evil of sin , that if possible it may be brought to your hearts , that all may not vanish and come to nothing in the conclusion . now this one use i had verily thought to have gone through ; i shall only name it , and shew what i intend in it , and i shal finish it in the following discourse . chap. l. use i. shew that trouble of conscience for sin , is another manner of business than melancholly , or timerousness . use i. hence follows this plainly from all that have been spoken , if sin be worse than any affliction , and not to be chosen rather than affliction ; hence it follows , then that trouble of conscience for sin certainly is another manner of business than meerly melancholly distemper , it comes not from melancholly , nor foolish timerousness , and the like . there is another manner of business in trouble of conscience for sin then the world thinks for ; this is the first use that followes from all that hath been delivered . me thinks all of you should yeild to the strength of this consequence : if you have heard or read what i have opened : you that have heard al , or read it , it should take this effect in you all : well then by what i have heard now , i come to understand what the meaning of trouble of conscience for sin is . i have heard ( heretofore ) of many men and women troubled for sin , and i wondered what it meant , i wondered what it was that troubled them ; many yong people may be heirs of great estates and excellent good friends , of healthful bodies , in good trades , all well about them ; and yet mightily troubled for sin . yea , perhaps some that to the view of the world lived very civilly , yet had in secret been guilty of some notorious profane course , and yet when god shall but settle any one sin upon their hearts , and trouble their consciences for any one sin ; they could not bear the horror of their conscience for this one sin . well , this i have heard of the evil of sin , tells me i have had mistaken thoughts about it ; i thought all was melancholliness , and even madness , and the physitian must be sent for , and merry company sent for , because men and women have such poor and mean apprehensions of the evil of sin . and therefore when any are troubled in conscience for sin , oh then get him into merry company , get a pair of cards , make them play a fit of musick , go to some business in the world , put themselves upon business , one thing or other , drink down their trouble , play down their trouble , thus many have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience : and therefore when in their children , they cry out , oh! my child will certainly run mad , is grown mad ; many carnal men and women when their children begin to think of sin , they think verilie they begin to run mad : i remember in the storie of erancis spira , he saith thus ( because his friends thought it a kind of frenzie , and that it was not trouble of conscience for sin ) oh saith he to his friends , i would to god it were frenzie , either feigned or real ; if it were feigned frenzie , then i could put it off when i pleased : if it were a real frenzie , there were a great deal more hope of gods mercy , i should not apprehend gods wrath as i do , but it is otherwise with me . brethren , those that have felt trouble of conscience for sin , upon whose hearts god hath setled , but the guilt of any one sin : what do you think of trouble of conscience for sin ? they feel reallitie , they find that there is reallie unto them , that which is a greater burthen , and grief , and trouble than all the miseries of the world . dreadful expressions are many of them that francis spir●● hath , which is a most dreadful example of horror of conscience for sin ; oh! ( saith he ) i feel the very torments of hell within me , and this afflicts my conscience with intolleroble pain : oh! that some body would let out this tyred soul out of my body ; oh! that i were in the place of the damned , that i might be but free from fearing any thing that is yet worse to come . for though he did acknowledg , there was greater torments in hell , yet he professed he did desire to be in hell , that he might be freed from the torture of his spirit , that was still in fear of worse , that was to come . and verily a most hidious story it is , that shews the dreadfulness of a wounded and troubled conscience for sin. certainly if sin be all that which you have heard , or read , well might the holy ghost say , a wounded spirit , who can bear ? a man may sustain his infirmities , whatsoever his infirmities and troubles are in the world , it is no great matter to sustain them ; but a wounded spirit who can bear ? for a wounded spirit seeth it hath to deal with the infinite god , the glorious eternal deity : and you must not tell such a one of melancholliness , and such grounds of trouble ; for such a one knows , the arrows of the almighty stick in his heart , and it is another manner of business than so . i might here have enlarged my self , and have spoken much to those that have such mean apprehensions of trouble of conscience for sin ; and have shewed the difference between melancholly and trouble of conscience for sin ; but i shall not at present , only i shall wind up all now briefly , and prosecute it further in the next chapter . certainly it is not melancholliness , it is another manner of business than melancholliness . what think you of the lord christ himself in his agony ? that sweat drops of water and blood , which you see was the fruit of sin ? was that melancholly ? certainly that was of the same nature that the troubled in conscience feel for sin . the angels that sinned against god , the devils themselves , they are not capable of melancholiness , they have no bodies ; and yet none have such horrors for sin as they have : and so the souls of wicked men many times they have horrid apprehensions of the wrath of god for sin . but certainly , if the souls of wicked men and women go out of their bodies without pardon , the very first instant the soul is departed from the body , it hath other manner of horrid , dreadful , and dismal , apprehensions of the wrath of god for sin , then ever it had before . i remember further , luther had such a speech concerning trouble of conscience for sin , in his comment upon genesis ; it is a harder matter to comfort an afflicted conscience for sin , than to raise one from the dead . this was a speech of luther , he saw what was in an afflicted conscience for sin . further , surely melancholly 't is not ; no nor timerousness , nor folly ▪ do but take an example or two , and so i shall conclude . ●hat of david , you shall find in david that he was a man most free from melancholly , for the temper of his body it was a most cheerful disposition , and a warlike spirit , and very wise : and yet there is none in the book of god more troubled in spirit ●or sin , than he was . first , i will shew you what manner of man david was ; and then what his troubles of conscience were for sin : sure he was no melancholly man ▪ for first ) you shall find it in sam. . that he for his bodily constitution was sanguine , and not melanchollie ; he was of a ruddy and beautiful countinance , and goodlie to look upon : so that david for the constitution of his bodie , was of a sanguine constitution . and then , for the valor of david , he was a mightie man of valor , sam. . . and he was valiant whose heart ●as as the heart of a lion : this was the commendation of hushay , sam. . . concerning david . and he was verie cheerful who made so manie psalms , and was so musical as david ? sam. . . he is called the sweet singer of israel ; and had such a sweet complexion , was sanguine , and a great deal of valor , and the sweet singer of israel . and for wisdom , he was as an angel of god , as the woman of tekoa spak to him . and yet , who ever in such anguish and distress for sin as david was ? this you shall find if you read his penitential psalms ; i cannot mention all , take but some few ; psal . . there he is in trouble of spirit ; and then psal . . when i kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long : mark , david felt the weight of sin so upon his heart that his bones waxed old through his roaring all the day long ; he found not sin a light matter as many ordinary people do . and psal . . there is notable expressions , vers . . thy arrows stick fast in me , and thy hand presseth me sore : there is no soundness in my flesh because of thy anger , nor rest in my bones because of my sin. vers . . and vers . . my iniquities have gone over my head as an heavie burthen , they are to heavy for me : vers . . my wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness . vers . . i am troubled , i am bowed down greatly , i go mourning all the day long . see what sin cost david . and i beseech you take this note along with you ; you that will make use of davids sin to incourage you , and harden your hearts in sin ; you will say , why ? did not david commit adultery & sin , that was a man according to gods own heart ? yea , but mark , you that will make use of davids sin , make use of what david felt for sin , you see david's sin cost him dear , and made the arrowes of the almightie stick fast in him , and caused him to roar out in anguish and distress of spirit , all day long , and he professes , he watered his couch with tears . and that psal . restore to me the joyes of thy salvation , that the bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce . david 's bones were broken through the trouble of his spirit , that is the strength of his spirit ( not bones litterally ) as bones are the strength of the body , so the strength of his spirit was overcome by the anguish and trouble of his soul for sin . thus it was with david that was such a sanguine , such a pleasant , and such a valiant man , and such a wise man , and yet he felt this trouble of spirit ; trouble of conscience for sin. you think slight , and make a light matter of it , oh you have brave stout spirits , you will scorn to be so afraid , what! afraid of every thing the minister speaks , i scorn to be such a fool ; you think you be sermon proof , and can hear all this dreadful evil of sin , opened without anie fear or trembling : well , you that have so stout spirits , know davids spirit was as valiant as yours , his heart was as valiant as a lion , and yet the weight of sin brok his heart , and so it will yours too if god lay it aright upon your spirits : oh! it is not timerousness that causeth this trouble of conscience ; for let god come and lay afflictions , his afflicting hand on them , they can bear that as nothing in comparison of sin . i remember i have heard a storie of a woman that had nine children , and great pains with them all , and yet having afterward trouble of conscience , oh! saith she , all the pains i have had with my nine children , is nothing to that which i have felt in a little time , in trouble of conscience . so certainly , all pains are nothing , in comparison of the pains of spirit when sin is settled by strong conviction upon your souls . so you have many that are troubled for sin , that could bear outward affliction , but can not bear that . and you that speak of the valor of your spirits , that are so valiant , that can bear trouble for sin so easily as you think , and are so full of courage ; when afflictions are upon you , your hearts are down , and are poor , low , spirits ; white liver'd , and can bear nothing , no cross , and affliction , this shews you have no true courage ; you have courage to resist conscience and the motions of the holy ghost , and the word ; but no true courage , it may be you have impudent spirits . and mark one example more : one of the wisest men that ever lived upon the earth , yet greatly troubled for sin , all his days , and this is the example of heman , such woful trouble of spirit had he on him for sin : see psal . . reade the whole psalm and you shal see the trouble of his spirit for sin , especially the . vers thy wrath lies har● upon me , and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves . and the . vers . lord , why castest thou off m● soul ? why hidest thou thy face from me ? i am afflicted and ready to die ( mark ) from my youth up god was pleased to exercise him from a yong man & it is a blessed thing when god begins with yong ones , & makes them kn●w what sin means , when they are yong , as heman did , from my youth up . while i suffer thy terrors i am distracted : & v 〈…〉 . thy feirce wrath goeth over me , thy terrors even cut me off . well , who was this heman ? for this is not a psalm of david ; you ▪ shall see in the title it was a psalm of heman , and you shal find , that he was one of the wisest men that lived upon the earth , ● kings , . . there he speaks of heman , he was brought in , in the story among the most wise men that lived upon the earth , he is compared with solomon ; it is said of him , he was exceeding wise , and of excellent wisdom , more wise than the children of the east country , for he was wiser than all men , than heman ; for he was one of the wisest of all , though solomon excelled him ; yet next him , he was one of the wisest : and how comes he to be thus wise ? it is like that was one means that caused him to be so wise , he was afflicted , and ready to die ; from his youth up , he was troubled for sin all his daies . what is the folly of yong people ? they go up and down , and take liberty in wickedness and sin , and never feel the weight of sin ; but if god please to begin with them , and make them to see the evil of sin rightly , this is the way for them to come to have true wisdom ; if god train them up in trouble of conscience for sin , it is the way to make them wiser than their teachers , rhan their fore-fathers , and to bring them to the wisdom even of the most wise . chap. li. the former vse further prosecuted . first , against those that have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience , which ariseth either from gross ignorance , or atheism , or desperate slighting of god. secondly , trouble of conscience is the beginning of eternal death . thirdly , those that have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience , can never prize christ . fourthly , those that have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience now , shall one day alter their opinion . fifthly , it were just with god to let those sink under the burden of conscience that have slight thoughts of it now . sixtly , those that have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience , those very thoughts do take away a chief restraint from sin . seventhly , slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin , are , a high degree of blasphemy . and a degree towards the unpardonable sin . we have entred upon the application of all that hath been said concerning the evil of sin. and you may remember i have only named one use that do arise from all that hath been said about the evil of sin : and that we shall now prosecute . the use is this , if there be so much evil in sin as you have heard opened unto you , beyond all the evil of any affliction , hence then we see that the wounds and trouble of conscience for sin , certainly it is no melancholly conceit , it is not a fancy or imagination , as many in the world think of it . many men have very slight thoughts about the trouble of conscience for sin ; and when they hear of men or women troubled for their sin , they think , it is nothing but melancholly , or temptation , or some kind of frenzy , or madness , or folly , or weakness of spirit , or timerousness : these be the thoughts men have of trouble of conscience , and according to their thoughts that they have of it , such are their cures that they seek for it . i spake som what of it in the last chapter : but now certainly , if these things be true , as verily they are the truths of god that have been delivered concerning the evil of sin ; then we are not to wonder at men and women that have troubles of conscience for sin . i shewed by some examples , that trouble of conscience was not melancholly ; especially in the example of christ himself , that had the burden of sin , troubles of spirit ; i cannot so properly cal it trouble of conscience , for there is a substantial difference between the wrath upon his soul that he felt , and the wrath of god that others feel upon their consciences ; but in effect , the wrath of god is the same , that was upon him by imputation of sin ; and upon others by reason : of their own proper guilt : and it was not melancholliness in him , nor in david , as i shewed in the last chapter . now to proceed . there be two things i desire to proceed in : and first , i have many things to say unto those that have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin , somwhat to say to those ; and if there be any in this place that have wondred at men and women that have been troubled in their conscience for sin ; let them attend to what they read , i have divers things to say unto them . secondly , i am to shew you some difference between melancholly distempers , and trouble of conscience for sin first , these thoughts of thine , they certainly eome from either abundance of ignorance ; or , atheism ; or , desperate slighting of god : one of these three causes ordinarily these thoughts that men have of trouble of conscience , to be no greater matter than such melanchoby conceits , they do come from gross ignorance : thou knowest not god , thou knowest not what it is for a soul to have to deal with an infinite deity ; thou never yet hadest a real sight of an infinite deity , with whom thou hast to deal : and it is a sad thing to think , that men and women should live a long time , and never in all their lives come to have a real sight of that infinite majestie and deitie , with whom we have to do : it comes from ignorance of the nature of sin ; thou dost not know what sin is , god hath yet blinded thine eyes that thou shouldest sin , but not know what sin is . certainly thou dost not know the law of god , the spiritualness of it , and the d●eadfulness of the wrath of god revealed against sin : thou dost not know what eternty means , thou dost not apprehend what it is for a soul to be in hazard of miscarrying to all eternity . it was the speech of francis spir● ( as i opened in the former chapter ) i shall make use of that example further , because a notable ezample : oh saith he , if i might endure the heavy wrath of god , but for twenty thousand years i should not think it much ; but it must be eternally , eternally ; i must endure the eternal wrath of god : that lay heavy upon his spirit . let any man or woman in the world , the stoutest , proudest spirit that lives upon the face of the earth , think what it is to miscarry to eternity , and this will make his spirit be troubled . therefore its gross ignorance in men , that makes many have such slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin . again , if not from ignorance , yet from atheism : for many men that seem to have excellent parts , and are not ignorant sots , and yet have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin . it is not so much to be wondred at , to see a company of ignorant sots , that know nothing of god , and the principles of religion , that they should have such slight thoughts , and wonder what men mean to be troubled for sin : but men , that have good parts , perhaps men of great gifts , and pregnant wit , and great schollers , and yet they have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin . now in them , vsually the cause is atheism , or slighting of god. woful desperate atheism is in the hearts of many great schollers , many pregnant wits , many that w●ll speak much of religion , yet they are desperate atheists in their hearts , therfore from thence it comes . therefore when you see learned men , understanding men , go on in such and such sinful waies , and slight all that is said concerning the evil of sin , do not wonder at it ; for woful desperate atheism lies under abundance of knowledg , a great deal of knowledg , learning , wit , and parts ; and yet slight sin : this is the cause , the atheism in their spirits . compare these two scriptures together , psalm , . . the fool hath said in his heart , there is no god : and in prov. . . fools make a mock of sin : that is , those fools that do say in their hearts , there is no god , those fools make a mock of sin , and they think lightly of all that hath been said of the evil of sin : and what need so much ado about the evil of sin ? they can slight it , and make light of it ; well , it is such that make a mock of sin , as say in their hearts , there is no god ; or otherwise , it comes from desperate wickedness , slighting of god : perhaps men are not grown so far , to be plain , downright atheists , yet they have slight thoughts of god : oh what slighting the majestie of god is this , for any man or woman , to think it a light matter to sin against god ? or for trouble of conscience for sin , to be a slight matter : thus it will appear to spring from some of these causes . perhaps if thou thy self beest but crost in any thing , or any thing come cross to thy will , thou thinkest it a great thing , and art troubled wofully , and art in a rage ; when thou art crost , thou thinkest it intollerable , it must not be born or suffered , that any should cross you : but when it comes to cross god , and sin against him ; thou hast slight thoughts of it , and it is a matter of nothing to cross god , or sin against god is a slighte matter : to cross you , or to do any evil against you is unsufferable ; what a slighting of god is this , that if you be crost in your will , it is so unsufferable ; and yet to have such slight thoughts of sinning against god. this is the first . secondly , thou that hast slight thoughts concerning troubles of conscience , consider that what thou hast slight thoughts of , in it self , in its own nature , it is no other but the very beginnings of eternal death , of the second death , the very beginnings of hell. the principal torments of hell , lie in the perfection of that trouble now , that for the present , is upon conscience ; and yet this thou makest nothing of , as if it were but melancholly , as if the wrath of god that shall lie upon the damned in hell to all eternity , were but a frenzie . certainly that which the lord will at the last torment the souls of the damned withal to all eternity , it is the principal of that , it is of the very same nature with the wounds and horrors of conscience in this world : it is true , that god doth indeed often times bless the horrors of conscience to the saving of the soul , to bring the soul to christ ; but horrors of conscience in their own nature ( i say ) are the beginnings of the second death : as pains , and sicknesses of the body of a man or woman , are the beginnings of the first death ; so wounds and horrors of conscience are the beginnings of the second death . the soul of man is a subject of more large capacity for torments than the body can be : now the principal way that god hath to torment the soul , that we know of , in hell it self , it is by the horrors and wounds of conscience . i remember therefore it was the speech of francis spira , saith he , i feel in me the wrath of god , as the torments of hell ; and he was not mistaken , for they be the beginnings of the torments of hell : and therefore god many times , to keep men from being swallowed up in those torments , he makes them feel these torments , they have some sparks of these torments of hell upon their souls now , that they may be delivered from the flames of hell to all fternity . troubles of conscience for sin , is nothing else , but gods letting out some sparks of hell upon the soul. now what a mistake is this , thou thinkest this but melancholly , when the truth is it is nothing else but the sparks of hell upon the soul . this is the second . thirdly , thou thinkest this a melancholly conceit : certainly , it is impossible for such a man or woman , ever , so long as they thus continue , to prize christ , or love christ : i say , whosoever thou art that hath such conceits , if this abide in thee , i dare as from the lord charge thee , that , thou didest never yet in all thy life prize jesus christ , and love jesus christ . but how doth this appear ? thus : thou didest never prize christ , and love christ aright , if thou hast this conceit , because thou canst never know what christ suffered for thee . the principal thing christ suffered for sinners , was the bearing of the wrath of the father upon his soul , his soul sufferings were more than his bodily sufferings . thou hearest somtimes of christs shedding his precious blood for thee , and dying upon the cross ; but the death of his body , shedding of his blood , was not the principal thing christ suffered for thee if thou ever beest saved ; but the sufferings of the wrath of god upon his soul , when his soul was troubled , when he cried out , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? and yet thou hast slight thoughts of these sufferings . if you see a man or woman in tortures in their body , in some disease , thou thinkest , there is some reallity in that , but for the sufferings of the soul , thou hast poor thoughts of these , and canst not imagine what they should mean when they speak of the wrath of god to be upon the soul. now if thou hast slight thoughts of the wrath of god upon the soul , it is impossible thou shouldest price christ , because thou knowest not what he suffered . but a man or woman that hath felt the wrath of god upon their souls , in the wounds of conscience for sin , such a one hath a little intimation of what things the lord christ indured for them , such a one can tell what christ indured , and so can price christ , and love christ , such a one can reason thus , what ? is one spark of the wrath of god upon the soul so terrible ? and the tortures so sore ? what then did the flame of gods wrath that was let out upon the soul of jesus christ ? for so it was . if thou hast a little trouble of soul under the sence of sin now ; know it is but as a spark of that fire that did blaze out upon christ ; if thou hast one drop upon thee , it is but as one drop of those flood gates let out upon the soul of jesus christ ; the floud gates of gods displeasure were let out upon the soul of christ . this certainly is one reason , why god will have sinners that be saved eternally , to feel trouble of soul for sin , that they may know how to prise christ , and love christ more , and understand what the sufferings of the soul of christ were for sin . as ( brethren ) christ did suffer in his soul , that he might be a merciful high priest , and have compassion upon us , and help us , when we need , as t is a comfort to one that suffers in soul , that christ suffered in his soul , and so knows how to compassionate such : so , on the other side , god causeth poor souls to suffer trouble , that they might be sensible of christs sufferings , and so praise and love him the more . fourthly , thou that hast slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin ; certainly whosoever thou art , this is a most certain truth , these thoughts of thy heart shall certainly be altered one day , though they be slight now : this i dare affirm of every one that have slight thoughts of sin , and the troubl for it ; these thoughts of their hearts shall be altered . you must come to know sin in another manner than now you do ; you must come to feel what sin is , in another manner than now you do . i remember i once heard a credible relation of a scholler , that was in jovial company , and very merry , and yet one that had some inlightnings of conscience , and being very prophane , there was occasionally , one in the company , speaking of a wounded conscience , he presently claps his hand upon his brest , well , saith he , one day this breast of mine must know what a wounded conscience means : he being conscious to himself of abundance of guilt in him , for he had light , and yet was prophane , and his conscience told him , though now he was merry , yet one day that breast of mine , must know what a wounded spirit means . so i say to you , is there any prophane person this day before the lord , that hath had , or stil hath , slight thoughts of the evil of sin , and trouble of conscience for sin : well , go thy waies , and lay thy hand upon thy breast , and say to thy self , one day this breast of mine must know what a wounded spirit is , and must have other manner of thoughts about a troubled conscience for sin. if thy heart be not yet troubled for sin , if thou feelest not the weight of sin now , it is a dangerous sign , that thou art reserved to feel the weight of sin in torment , to know what the meaning of sin is , in the burthen of it in torment . if now thou hast slight thoughts concerning trouble for sin ; i say , take it as from the lord this day as spoken to thee , it is a fearful sign , a brand upon thee , that thou art reserved to feel trouble for sin eternally . god hath time enough to trouble you for sin hereafter , and therefore it may be he lets you go on in these slight thoughts for the present , and you do bless your selves in your own conceits ; and god doth not now convince you , because he hath time enough hereafter . a fifth thing i would say to those that have slight thoughts about trouble for sin , is this , that if ever god should in this world come to awaken your conscience , and lay the weight of sin upon your souls : it were just with god then to let you sink under the burthen . i say it were just with god so to wound you for sin , as to see you sweltring in your wounds , and deny compassion . why ? because you have had slight thoughts of such a wound . certainlie brethren ( observe what i say unto you ) the very reason why men and women are so long in anguish of spirit for their sin , and under such sore troubles , and distress of conscience , by reason of their sin , and can have no comfort ; it is because heretofore they have had such slight thoughts of trouble of conscience . perhaps when they were in their jollitie and mirth , they made a mock of it , made nothing of it ; heard dreadful threats against sin , and made light of it , and thought people were troubled more than needs . well , you once had such slight thoughts of trouble of concience for sin ; now god comes upon you for it , and this hand of god lies upon you , and it is just with god you should feel it to purpose , that you should have smart enough ; that god might instruct you , and convince you , of your error , and might now come and teach you after another manner . what do you think now of trouble of conscience for sin ? you had such and such thoughts of it heretofore , what be your thoughts of it now ? i remember there was one not far from the place where i ordinarily lived , and it was a yong maid , hearing of many troubled in conscience for sin , she in a kind of scorn and contempt of it , would feign her self troubled in conscience for sin , and ô , she was mightily troubled , and in scorn of the ministers , oh these and these ministers must be sent for to comfort her , meerly out of contempt and scorn ; but afterward god laid on in good earnest upon her conscience , and then she was troubled to purpose ; and so , that she was at the very brink of making away her self , and it was very much feared by al her friends ; indeed she would have made away her self , and atempted it many ways , if god had not wonderfully hindred it . so those that have light thoughts of perplexities of conscience for sin , when it comes indeed , it may be just with god it should be so heavy , that they should not be able to bear it , but sink under it ; then it will be so strange a thing , to such as have slight thoughts of it , that the very strangness of trouble of conscience for sin , will amaze them , that they , wil not know what in the world to do . this is a fifth thing , when trouble comes upon them , god may justly leave them under trouble . a sixth thing , i would say to such that have slight thoughts about trouble of conscience for sin , is this . these thoughts of yours do take away a chief restraint of sin , and causes you to disregard all the authority of the word : there be these two fearful evils that do , follow upon your slight thoughts of trouble of conscience , for sin . they take away that which is the chief restraint of sin. there are many outward restraints to keep men and women from sin , but all outward restraints from sin are nothing to the restraints of conscience ; a man that hath a tender conscience , hath the greatest restraint of sin that can be , no restraint like to that ; but one that is so far from a tender conscience ; that he thinks trouble of conscience is a melancholly conceit , such a man hath no restraint ( to purpose ) from sin : he may have restraints from outward and gross sins , but from close , secret sins , he hath none . now it is a great evil to a man , that the hinderances to secret sins be taken away , and he gives himself liberty in secret sins . and then for the authority of the word : it is a great mercy for men and women , to be in such a condition , that their heart should be continually under the authority of the word ; howsoever you think it a brave thing that you can get your hearts above the word : but certainly it is one of the greatest mercies of god upon the earth , for god to keep the hearts of men and women under the authority of the word . but that man or woman that thinks lightly of troubles of conscience , such a one can slight the word , regards it not , let what will be spoken , he can easily put it off , because the main hold that the word hath , upon the heart of a man or woman , it is upon their conscience , the word takes hold upon their conscience , and brings down the heart under the power of it : but if the word take not hold upon conscience , it takes not hold at all . but let a man or woman come to know what trouble of conscience for sin is , and what the power and authority of the word is , and how then doth the soul prise the word ? no man or woman ever comes to prise the word tell they have felt the pow●er of the word troubling their conscience ; then they come to prise the word . you have a famous place for this , job . . then he opens the , ears of man , and seals their instruction . that is , god coming upon men , in times of affliction , opens their ears , and seals their instructions ; that is , makes the word come with power and authority . as a thing sealed , comes with more authority , than a blank , or a writing not sealed ; sealed , that is when the word comes with power ; that , i may with-draw man from his purpose , and hide pride from man : that is , having sealed instruction , ●he humbles the heart ; first , he causeth the word to come with power , and then he humbles the heart , he keepeth back his , soul from the pit , and his life from perishing , he is chastened also with paine upon his bed , and the multitude of his bones with strong pains , ( and so forth ) and in vers . . if there be a messenger with him , an interpreter , one among a thousand , to shew unto man his uprightness : then he is gracious unto him , and saith , deliver him from going down unto the pit . that is , when god comes to ●eal instruction , and to humble the heart , ●and to cause pains to be upon the man , and so make them sensible of their sin ; then let a messenger , an interpreter be found ▪ one of a thousand : such a one doth account a messenger and interpreter that shal be able to declare the way of righteousness , and shew him a ransom how to be delivered from sin ; he accounts him a man of a thousand ; oh he is a man of a thousand : wheras , if he should come thus before , ●he were no body , and the word nothing , a meer silly business ; but now he is a man of a thousand , oh such a messenger , let such a one come and welcome : and therefore you shall have many men slight a consciencious minister in their health , and prise those that preach slightly ; but in their sickness , when conscience is open , they will not send to a slight vain minister , that preach and never touch conscience ; but they will have those that have preached most to conscience , they shall be most prised by them upon their sick and death beds ; when conscience is awake , such a one will be one of a thousand then . this is the sixt. seventhly and lastly , and indeed one of the principallest ; and i desire all those that have had slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin to attend to it ; & it is this : those slight thoughts of thine about trouble of conscience for sin , they are a high degree of blasphemy against the holy ghost . if i make this plain , that they be guilty of a high degree of blasphemie against the holy ghost , ( this should ●…we the hearts of men and women , and make them take heed● what they do , in giving way to these vain thoughts , about trouble of conscience ) yea , such a degree i will not say it reacheth the highest degree of blasphemie , yet i shall make it out to you , that they come neer it . it is a high degree of blasphemie against the holy ghost : it appeareth thus ; because trouble of conscience for sin , it is an especial work of the spirit of god upon the soul of a man or woman , wheresoever it is : such a work of the spirit of god , as from thence , the spirit of god , the holy ghost , hath the denomination , so as he is called the spirit of bondage : no , god hath no denomination from any light and slight work , there must be some especial , and great work of god , in which god doth much glorie , that he hath a denomination from it ; now rom. . . the spirit of god hath this denomination , it is called the spirit of bondage : for you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear ; but you have received the spirit of adoption , crying abba father : ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear ; as if the holy ghost should say , there was a time when you had the spirit of bondage ; and what was this spirit of bondage ? it was no other but the spirit of god , discovering unto , and setting upon the heart of a man or woman , that bondage that they be in under the law , and corrupttion , and satan : this is the spirit of bondage ; when gods spirit shall come to enlighten a man , and convince the conscience , and so lay this upon the conscience of any man or woman ; thou art by reason of sin , a bond-slave to the devil ; under bondage of all the curses of the law , by reason of sin ; yea , a bond-slave to thy lusts : this the spirit discovering , and making the soul sensible of this bondage , is that which causeth this denomination to the spirit of god , to be called the spirit of bondage . now for thee to attribute that to foolish melancholly conceits , that is one of the especial works of the holy ghost in the soul , and is the spirit of bondage : is not this blasphemie against god ? this is gods work , and it is a work of gods glory ; for all the works of god be his glory ; and that which the spirit of god glories in , as that work proper to him , thou saiest it is but folly , and melancholly conceits , and the like ; is not this blasphemie and reproach to the spirit god ? certainly it is no other but reproach and blasphemy against the holy ghost , in attributing the trouble of conscience to these conceits . nay further , it is a great degree towards the unpardonable sin , if ye do it out of malice and knowledg , by it you come to the unpardonable sin ; take for that this one place of scripture , mark . compare the . verse with the . . verse . when christ cast out devils , the text saith of the scribs and pharisees that came from jerusalem , that they said , he hath belzebub ; and by the prince of the devils , casts he out devils : they attributed the work of christs casting out devils , to the power of the devil ; he casts out devils by the devil . but now it was by the finger of god : well , christ calls them to him , and said , how can satan cast out satan ? there he convinceth them , satan could not cast out satan ; and told them it was by the spirit of god they were cast out : mark how he goeth on in the . verse , verily i say unto you , all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men , and blasphemies , wherewith soever they shall blaspheme : but he that shall blaspheme against the holy ghost , hath never forgiveness , but is in danger of eternal damnation . because they said , he hath an unclean spirit , christ tells them , other blasphemies shall be forgiven , but the blasphemies against the spirit of god shall never be forgiven . why doth christ speak of this , how comes it in ? ( mark ) the text saith , christ spake it , because they said he hath an unclean spirit : mark , christ casting out devils , the scribes and the pharisees attribute this to an unclean spirit , and therfore they sinned against the holy ghost , meerly because they attributed that which christ did by the finger of god , to an unclean spirit ; and therefore christ tels them they sinned against the holy ghost , and they shall never be forgiven . now brethren , see how neer you come to this sin , for the scribes and pharisees saw christ cast out devils ; they did it out of malice , they could not but know , and yet they say it was by the devil . you see one troubled in conscience , which is by the holy ghost , and you say it is a foolish and a mad spirit , and somtimes . 't is an unclean spirit ; but it is worse when you say it is a foolish and melancholly spirit , you do more blaspheme the holy ghost , and come neerer this sin . oh take heed , and be humbled , your condition is dangerous , that have had , or have any such low thoughts about trouble of conscience for sin. object . but we see by experience men and women troubled for sin , be very melancholly , and heavy . answ . to speak to this : true , sometimes god may be pleased to sanctifie , even that humor of melancholliness , so as to further such a work as this ; yea , god may cause a work on conscience to be furthered by melancholly , and yet a great deal of difference between melancholly and this . as first , god may make use of melancholly to bring in trouble of conscience : as thus ; if it be not too prevailing , to besot men and women , as somtimes it doth ; but if it be no more prevailing but thus , to make men seriously consider , and ponder , and weigh things , then god makes use of a degree of melancholly , to make men and women to know themselves ; and sin , and the things of their eternal estate , and such a melancholly is a blessed melancholly , and you have cause to bless god for it . melancholly in some inferior things is very useful ; and the phylosophers say , that the most eminent men in the world for great matters , were melancholly , because they were serious in their thoughts ; whereas othermen be of slight , vain , frothy spirits . many that never had melancholly , they conceive of things , and it passeth , and they never ●ay any thing to heart , they never knew what it was for one half hour to be serious in their thoughts all their lives : many that be sanguine , be of a light , vain spirit , and it is a heavy judgment of god to be given over to a light vain spirit , that considers nothing . now when god makes use of this particular degree of melancholly , to make men and women serious , to consider what shall become of them another day , what the terms between god and they are ; what if i were now to die ? and what if i were now to stand before god ? then it is a good help to this work : but yet because this work is a work beyond any melancholly conceit , we shal give you in the differences . but yet further , it must be acknowledged , when god comes with trouble of conscience , it may be so mighty , and strong , that it may alter the body , and consume the very spirits in the bodies of men and women , and alter the temper of blood , it may be so strong and powerful , and so there may come melancholly in afterward ; but yet there is abundance of difference between melancholly and trouble of conscience , and that will appear in these six particulars . chap. lii . six differences between melancholly and trouble of conscience . diff. . melancholly may be in those that are most grosly ignorant ; but trouble of conscience cometh with some enlightening work . diff. . melancholly prevails on men by degrees , but trouble of conscience many times comes suddenly , as lightning . diff. . melancholly trouble is exceeding confused , but troubles of conscience are more distinct . diff. . the more melancholly any hath , the less able are they to bear outward affliction ; but the more trouble of conscience , the more able to bear outward afflictions . diff. . melancholly puts a dulness upon the spirits of men , but trouble of conscience for sin puts a mighty activity upon mens spirits . diff. . trouble of conscience cannot be cured the waies melancholly may . first , melancholly , it is many times in men and women where there is most gross ignorance of god , and of sin , and of the things of their eternal estate ; it may consist with gross ignorance : many melancholly people are most ignorant and sottish , and know nothing of the principles of religion : but troubles of conscience can never come without some new light of god darted in , and setled upon the hearts of men and women ; it comes alwaies with some inlightning work of the spirit . melancholly is many times with a great deal of darkness within ; the mind is dark where melancholly prevails , and many times gross ignorance ; but never any true trouble of conscience , but god comes in with some light . and therefore if any man or woman be troubled , and say it is for sin , i put this to you ; what hath god discovered to you now , more than before ? what truths of god hath god setled upon their hearts more than before ? if they can give no further account of no other light let into them , than before , or further truth let in upon their hearts than before ; then indeed it may be suspected not to be trouble for sin ; as many melancholly people have the name of being troubled for sin , and they have fears of hell , because of dark thoughts : but 't is not the true work of the spirit upon the soul , except it be with convincement of some new light , or settling some truth more upon the soul than before . secondly , melancholliness comes by degrees upon men and women ; alterations of the body are not sudden things , the temper of men and womens bodies cannot suddenly be altered to any extremity , but gradually , from one degree to another : but trouble of conscience comes many times as a flash of lightning from heaven . many men and women have come to the congregation with scornful spirits , prophane , wicked , and ungodly ; never knew what sin meant , nor trouble for sin meant , and god hath met with them in the word , and fastned some sentence upon their hearts so , that they fall down under the power of it : that comes just as an arrow struck into their liver , and they could never get out of it , & have gone away with horrors of soul ; and therfore this hath not been melancholliness certainly the humors of the body , never so suddenly alters the spirits of men : but when god comes to work , when the spirit of god , and bondage comes to work , it needs no matter before , no preparative matter , for the work of the word is such , as it works immediately , without any preparation : therfore many men that understood as little of trouble of conscience as ever any did in their lives , and yet god lets some truth reach them , fitted to their hearts and dispositions ; that he finds his own sin come to be discovered , and the man is smitten : as he in cor. . . the ignorant man that comes into the church , and hears there the saints prophesie , he is convinced , and falls down , and saith , verily god is among them , of a truth god is in them : it is a remarkable text : what ever he thought before ; it may be he heard strange stories of the church of christ , of prophane meetings , that gods people , when they met together , they blew out the candles , and committed uncleanness , and wickedness . as there be notorious lies reported abroad of such sects in the world ; for certainly there is no such sect in the world ; but such reports are raised , meerly to make the meettings of gods saints odious in the esteem of others . as the jesuite said , do you but calnmniate strongly , somewhat will stick , though nothing be true : well , what ever thoughts they had of the assemblies of the people of god ( for it is like the heathens had strange thoughts ) but when he came in , and heard what was done , he is convinced , and judged , and the secrets of his heart came to be discovered ; the text saith , the man falls down and worships god , and reports god is among them . so many people hear great relations of such men , and such preachers , and sermons , and they go to hear what they can say , and what they do ; and may be go with an intention to scorn ; as i have known some , come and sit close to a pilar , and with an intention to jeer , and scorn , but before they have been gone , god hath darted some truth into their conscience , and they have been struck with the word , and gone away with terrors in their conscience , this cannot be melancholly . as paul , when god converted him , god comes and meets him , with light from heaven , and strikes him from his horse , and he stands trembling , and cries out , lord ! what wilt thou have me to do ? there is a great deal of difference between this and melancholly . a third difference is this , melancholly is exceeding confused , they are exceeding confused in their thoughts , and the trouble of their spirit : and many times they have troubles , and sinkings , but they can give no account of it at all ; yea , their troubles be beyond their ground , the grounds that they be troubled about , are very confused , that they understand them not themselves ; but troubles of conscience are a great deal more distinct , and there the soul seeth ground for the trouble beyond the trouble . as in melancholly , the trouble is beyond the ground of trouble ; so in affliction of conscience , the ground is beyond all trouble ; i am troubled indeed ▪ but i see cause to be troubled more ; and this is a great part of many mens trouble , that they can be troubled no more . a fourth difference is this , the more melancholly there is in any man or woman , the less able are they to bear any outward affliction that befals them : but the more trouble of conscience , the more able shall they be to bear afflictions that befals them . those who feel the trouble of sin heavie , do account all other afflictions light : but melancholly people do feel all afflictions heavie , they cannot bear the least cross , their hearts are ready to sink upon any thing , and the more melancholly increaseth , the more weak are their spirits , and the less able to bear any cross . but now , trouble of conscience , the more sin , and the heavier the butthen of sin lies upon the soul , the more slight thoughts hath the soul of outward crosses . alas , it may be he hears of some that have some grievous diseases in their bodies ; oh saith he that is troubled in conscience , oh if it were no worse with me than so , it were but a flea bite , but it is another manner of matter : if god would change my trouble , i could easily bear that . as francis spira hath this expression , oh! ( saith he ) were i but released , and set free , as before , from trouble of spirit , my thinks i could scorn all the threatnings of cruel tyrants , and with undaunted resolution bear all torments : so that the height of this trouble makes the other less . it was a good speech of a reverend divine of our times , when he heard any impatient under afflictions ; he used to say thus , surely the reason why affliction is heavie upon you , is because sin is light . those that be impatient under afflictions , it is a●sign sin is light , because afflictions are heavie ; troubles of conscience would make all afflictions light , melancholly wil not . fifthly , a principal difference above all that hath been named is this , melancholly doth mightily dull the spirit of any man or woman wheresoever it prevails it makes them heavie , and dull , and unapt : but now , trouble of conscience for sin , it puts a mighty quickness in men , it puts an activity , another manner of activity and stirring in the spirit than ever was before . you shall have many men and women sit dully under a minister many years , under the word , and never act ; but when god comes to stir , and awaken conscience for sin , their spirits be active and stirring then , in another manner than they were before . whereas poor people , overwhelm'd with melancholly , they sit moping , and heavie , and dull , and lumpish , and no activity of spirit at all ; but trouble of conscience for sin , is as fire in his bones . as jeremiah said , he would speak no more in the name of the lord ; but the word of god was as fire in his bones , and made him active and stirring , so trouble in conscience makes them active and stirring ; now they can pray , they could not pray before ; now they be active , and working ; as acts . when god troubled paul , the text saith , behold , paul prayes : go saith the lord to annanias to saul , behold he prayes : as if paul never prayed in all his life before . certainly you that cannot pray , that never prayed , but read a prayer , or prayers your mothers taught you ; you cannot pray : but if ever god troubles your consciences for sin , then you will pray , as if you were in heaven , oh mighty prayers then , oh for christ , oh pardon of sin , and peace ; then there is another manner of acting , and stirring of his spirit , in prayer ; than ever was before . but melancholliness , will not do it ; but makes a man heavie , and dull , in the very act of prayer . there is a notable example of the actings of spirit in troubles that come from sin , whereas the other makes them dull : 't is that in the book of ezra , chap. . vers . . and . verse . and when i heard this thing , i rent my garment and my mantle , and pluckt off the hair of my head , and of my beard , and sate down astonied . this you will say made him dull ; mark what follows : verse . . and at the evening sacrifice i arose up from my heaviness , and having rent my garment and my mantle , i fell upon my knees , and i spread forth my hands unto the lord my god , and said , oh lord my god , i am ashamed and blush to lift up my faee to thee my god , for our iniquities are increased over our heads , and our trespasses are grown up to the heavens , &c. there mark the prayer ezra makes at the evening sacrificed when the time was come that he should stir and seek god , then his spirit was mighty active , and stirring , though he were astonished before . if it had been melancholly , his heart would have sate still then ; so that trouble of conscience puts life into the soul in prayer . and so it makes the soul active in meditation and contemplation ; melancholly people be dull , and heavie , and know not how to meditate , nor what to meditate on . those troubled in conscience , oh what quick thoughts have they about god , & christ , and eternity , and the law , and sin ; and their souls work about such objects , that they can have no help unto from their bodies and senses , and yet their spirits are raised higher than before , in their workings●… and so when they come to hear the word , oh how active be their spirits ; in catching of the word , and at every truth . i appeal to you that are troubled , what difference there is between your spirits now , and what they were before you were troubled for sin , before you came to the congregation , to see and be seen , and wondered what men meant to be so earnest ; and now , you mark every tru●h , and catch hold of every sentence , and mark the mind of god , and understand what is said : before you came and heard , and never understood what was meant by such and such things ; you saw the minister earnest , but you could not conceive what the man meant in his earnestness , but now you see what he means in his earnestness , and understand what weight is in those truths , you hear revealed : this is som●what like , when the spirit is thus ●…ed , and acted in prayer , and pearing . and in conference , when you were in conference with good men , before , conference about good things was dry , and a dull thing , and you savored not the things confered on , but presently were asleep : but now , if you come where there is conference of god and his word , and christ , and the like , your mind closeth with this . if you were only melancholly , this would make you more dull and heavie , but this makes you more lively and active , therefore there is a great deal of difference . lastly , trouble of conscience cannot be cured as melancholly is . melancholly many times is worn out with time , and physick cures that , and outward comforts and contentments cures that , but trouble of conscience is a wound of a higher nature . as francis spira said , when they brought physitians , and thought it trouble of body ; alas poor men , they think to cure me by physick : ah it is another manner of malladie , and must have another manner of medicine than plaisters and drugs to cure a fainting soul and spirit for sin. conscience must have gospel antidotes ; therefore you that thought you had trouble of conscience for sin , and you are now eased , or perhaps not so much troubled now as before ; look back what cured you , how comes it to pass you be less troubled than before ? hath time worn it away ? such a sermon , and such apprehensions of such a truth , darted into you mightily , and troubled you ; you had such troubles , but what hath cured you ? many times one can give no account but this , sure time hath worn it away ; if so , then it was not a right trouble . so it may be you took physick , your body was troubled before , now it is lively , and more blood in your veins , more spirit now , and may be now your affliction is taken away , and this hath ●ured you : if there be no other trouble than this , certainly you know not what trouble of conscience means , at least not in a saving way ; either it was not trouble of conscience at all , or else it is not cured aright , but as the thorn that lies rotting and rankling in the flesh ; a thorn when it first gets in , puts one to a great deal of pain ; perhaps if it be let alone , the pain will be over for the present ; but it lies rankling , and will put you to pain afterward , if it be not cured : so of trouble of conscience for sin , and if nothing have cured it , but these things , it is like the thorn in the flesh , and will trouble you afterward . there is another manner of cure , for it is the greatest thing god can do to comfort a troubled conscience , it must be the bloud of christ applied by the holy ghost ; it must be a plaister made of the bloud of jesus christ , and applied by the holy ghost to cure this . and therefore i beseech you consider what hath been said about this argument ; and as the psalmist saith , blessed is the man that wisely considereth of the poor , so i say blessed is the man and woman , that wisely considereth of these troubles ; in this , dont cast it upon your children , & friends , oh they be froward , or mad-men , or melancholly , oh do not say so . you that are acquainted with storms and tempests , you think them dreadful , it may be some of your friends have lately known what dreadful storms there have been ; now if any of them should make relation of it , and another should sa● , this is but a conceit , and a fancy , and no reallity but a dream ; would you think these men spake like wise men ? certainly , if any storm you have met withal at sea hath terror in it , know , stroms in conscience hath a thousand times more than storms at sea : therfore when you see any troubled in conscience for sin , fear and tremble , let your conscience shake at it , and make use of their trouble . i remember a story of one vergerius that came to comfort francis spira , and he came to comfort him as other men did ; but he saw such dreadfulness upon francis spira , that it struck terror in his soul , that he left his bishopprick , and went to basil , and became a famous protestant . thus when we hear of troubles of conscience , slight it not , but let the fear of god be upon you ; go and renounce sin. oh if some of our friends did know what slighting of a troubled conscience were , it would make them do as he did ; though he had a rich bishopprick , he renounced all . and thus we have done with this first use . chap. liii . a second vse from the whol treatise , shewing that a man may be in a most miserable condition , though he be delivered from outward affliction . first , if a man be prosperous by sin , if a man raise himself to a prosperous condition by any sinful way , let such men consider three things : what is got by sin , it cost dear . what is got by sin , is accursed to thee . what is got by sin , must be cast away , or thy soul is cast away . secondly , when men come to be more sinful by their prosperity : explained in three particulars : when prosperity is fuel for their sin . when it gives men further liberty to sin . when it hardens in sin . we are yet upon the great doctrine of the evil of sin , shewing that there is more evil in sin than in any affliction . many things you know have been delivered in the explanatory part of it , wherein i have endeavored to set before you , the vileness of sin , to paint it out unto you in the true colors of it , as i was able : and having set sin before you in the vileness of it , we have begun the applicatory part of this point , to draw some collections by way of use from what hath been said concerning the dreadful evil of sin. i have finished the first use : i shall now proceed to the second . vse . and that is this , if there be such dreadful evil in sin above all evils of affliction , hence then it follows , that a man or woman may be in a most miserable condition , a miserable estate although they be delivered from affliction : i say , it is possible for a man or woman to be a most miserable creature , though they have no outward affliction ; yet their condition may be very miserable , because there is evil enough in sin to make one miserable without affliction . most people in the world know no other miseries than that miserie that comes by affliction , and they make afflictions to be the only rule and measure of a miserable condition : so much afflicted , so miserable is their estate ; and so little afflicted , so happie is their estate : they think that those people that are delivered from affliction , are happie people ; and those people that are under affliction , are miserable people ; oh he hath lost his estete , suffered shipwrack , hath grievous diseases in his bodie , is put in prison , and so lives miserably all his daies : thus people look upon men and women in affliction , as if they were only miserable . before i have done with this use , i shall i hope , convince you , that it is not affliction , yea , all afflictions , miseries , troubles outwardly , do not make us miserable , but only sin ; where there is most sin , there is most miserie , though less affliction . it is a great mistake in people to judg of happiness or unhappiness by these outward things : you shall have many people when they see men and women very poor , that have no houses , nor clothes , nor meat and drink , that are fain to work hard for their livings , that are sickly and weak , oh they be in a pitiful condition : but when they see others provided of houses and land , that have attendance , and are gorgiously attired , brave diet , and good trades ; these be happy men . now the point that hath been opened to you , will serve to rectifie your judgments in these things , and not to make afflictions or no afflictions to be the rule of happiness ; but to make sin , or no sin ; or less sin , to be the rule of judging of the happiness of our condition . it was the speech of luther , one drop of an evil conscience is enough to swallow up all the joyes in the world , all the prosperity in the world : there is so much evil : in sin , that though a man or woman had all the joyes and prosperitie that possibly the world can afford , yet one drop of an evil conscience , the guilt of one sin in an evil conscience , is enough to swallow up all , and make this man miserable in the height of all prosperitie . let a man be raised up as high as the world can raise him , set upon a throne , having a scepter in his hand , and a crown upon his head , having all the pomp and glorie the world can afford ; yet if sinful , yea , if he have but the guilt of any one sin upon his spirit , this man is a miserable man. but let any one be as poor as job , and sitting upon the dunghil scraping his sores , if delivered from the evil of sin , this man is a happie man. i remember a speech of anselm that i have read ; that he had rather be in hell without sin , than in heaven with sin : looking upon sin as so great an evil , as if to be rid of sin would make a man happy under the torments of hell : and being under the guilt of sin , it would make a man miserable , though in heaven . certainly then the guilt of sin , makes a man miserable in al outward prosperity ; and the deliverance from sin , will make a man happie under all outward afflictions and miseries . so though a man be prosperous in his worldly estate , yet if sinful , that hath enough in it to make a man miserable : especially considered in this , if there be these two branches in it : first , if a m●n be prosperous by sin. or , secondly , be sinful by his prosperity . then he is indeed a miserable creature notwithstanding all his prosperity , i beseech you observe it , and it follows from the point that hath been opened , that there is so much evil in sin. as first , if there be so much evil in sin , let a man be never so prosperous , if prosperity be furthered by sin , or sin furthered by prosperity , he must needs be a m●st wretched miserable creature . if prosperity be furthered by sin : as thus ; if any man raise himself to any outward prosperous estate in a sinful way , although the world may judg such a man happy , having his hearts desire satisfied yet it is most certain , this man is a wretched man. as suppose a man get preferment by a sinful way , oh his heart is eagerly desirous to get up to preferment , to get livings and estate in the world , and he doth strain his conscience for it ; and when there is a sin between him and his preferment , he will get over the sin he wil climb and scamble over this sin to get the preferment ; rather than lose the preferment , he will scamble over sin , and go through sin unto his preferment : so eagerly desirous are men of preferment , that though sin be between them and their preferment , they will break through ; they will break through the hedg but they will gain it . oh how many schollers , and others , especially such whose educations have been mean , when they see any way of preferment , livings , or estates , though they have some sin between them and preferment , how have they got it , and think themselvssafe when they have got livings and preferment : oh these men be miserable , and therefore miserable because preferred , because prospered in their hearts desire . and so for men that get riches and estates otherwise than by right , by deceit and oppression ; in any sinful wicked way ; it may be now they have got fair houses , and well furnished , and means coming in , and they bless themselves , and think now they be happy ; yea , and others also , they think them happy , and live bravely in the world : but if you knew all , you would look upon these men as most wretched cursed creatures . certainly those men will one day curse the time that ever they had such an estate , and will wish rather , that they had begged their bread from door to door , than have got their estate by sin . seeing there is so much evil in sin , let these men consider these things . such as have prosperity by sin , let them consider , this thy pros●… it cost dear ▪ exceeding dear ; of thou make up thy reckoning , and put all in that it cost thee , you will find you be no gainers at all . when men have got any thing in possession , they usually reckon , i but , what did this cost me ? thus much , or thus much ; and if they see that the costs and charges comes not so high as the benefit , then they applaud themselves as gainers . well , you have gotten estates , preferments , honors , be it what it will in the world ; but what did it cost you ? some sin or other , did you not strain your conscience in that benefit you have got ? and if did so , certainly if this be put in the reckoning , if there were any sin in it thou hast got nothing by the bargain : what hope hath a hipocrite though he hath gained ? though he may seem to have gained his own hearts desire , yet if all be reckoned , put in what sin it cost , and there is no gain at all . if any of you should go to sea , and when you come there , you suffer shipwrack , and yet thou makest a shift to get home , by boat or some other way , saving your life , and when you come home , you have brought a toy or trifle to your wife ; now hath this been a good voyage ? do you reckon this a good voyage ? perhaps it was for a toy you suffered shipwrack , and you bring this home ; do you think this will make the voyage good when you have cast up your reckoning ? how many men and women in the world for trifles and toyes , suffer shipwrack of a good conscience ? when you look upon that you have got , it is but a trifle and a toy ; you might have been happie without it , and you have ventured shipwrack of a good conscience for this ; do you think your prosperitie to be delighted in that you have got in sinful , and vile evil waies ? i remember the prophet when he came to ahab , when he had gotten naboths vineyard by most cursed , sinful , wicked waies , kings , . . god bad him go and meet ahab , and say , what hast thou killed , and gotten possession ? as if the prophet should say , oh wretched man that thou art , thou hast gotten possession of the vinyard , but hast thou killed , and gotten possession ? so may i say to anie wicked man or woman in the world that hath got by waies of sin ; what hast thou sinned , and gotten possession ? lyed , and gotten possession ? cozened and cheated , and gotten possession ? dost thou think good will come of this ? art thou happie in the enjoyment of this ? well , know , whatsoever thou hast gotten by sin , it is accursed to thee : thou maiest look upon every bit of bread thou eatest , that thou hast got by sinful waies , look upon it as having death in it ; and everie draught of beer , & wine , thou drinkest , thou maiest look upon it , as having the wrath of the almightie mixed with it . you have got an estate , perhaps you were poor , and mean before ; but now you have wronged , and cheated , and cozened others in sinful waies , and now you have your tables furnish't , and can go to the tavern , and drink : in this meat and drink of thine , there is the wrath and curse of god. suppose a man had stollen a garment , and it proved to be in a house that had the plague ; suppose a theef got into a house that hath the plague , and hath got cloathes , and perhaps the bed-cloathes of one that died of the plague , and if one tel him what they be , can he have delight in them ? perhaps he hath them upon his bed , but the plague is in them . certainly whatsoever any of you in all your lives , have got by any way of sin , the plague is in it : that is a certain truth , there is the plague , the very curse of the almightie in it . therefore , whatsoever is got by sin , it must be cast away , or else thy soul is cast away : it must be restored again , there must be restitution made to the utmost of thy power , for any thing got in a sinful way ; for there is so much evil in the way of sin , that god will not have any man by any means in the world , enjoy comforts that come that way ; god himself doth so hate sin , and he would have all his people so hate sin , that he would not have any one in the world have any comfort by sin. therefore as soon as ever anie ones conscience comes to be enlightened , to understand what sin means , if they find that there be any thing in the house , got in a sinful way , they can never be quiet til they have render'd it back again ; the sight of it strikes terror into them , they cannot endure to come into the room to see that got in a sinful way . there have been some have got much by waies of sin , and when they have lain upon their sick and death beds , and conscience awakened , oh they have cried for gods sake take them from my sight ; they could not bear such things in their sight , that they have got in the waies of sin . as ●udas got thirtie pieces , out of a covetous hu●or he would have money , and not be so poor as the other disciples , but he gets mony in a sinful way : but when conscience came to be awakened , and terrified , he goeth , and a kind of vengeance goeth with him , he goeth and throweth it to the scribes and pharisees ; he throws them down , they were to hot for him , he could not indure the scalding of them in his conscience , they were even as it were melted in his soul , he could not keep the thirtie pieces , they were so terrible to him . so certainly that 's thy . peeces , any houshold stuffe , any thing thou hast got in a sinful way , oh it will be terrible to you one day i beseech you brethren take notice of it , any one that hath got by waies of sin anie thing , it is not enough to the salvation of that soul that it hath been never so much sorrowful ; all the sorrow in the world , and repentance thou canst have for sin , will not save thy soul , except thou dost restore , except restitution , to the utmost of your abilitie be made , you can never have comfort and assurance that sin is pardoned . it is an old speech of an ancient , the sin is not remitted , till that taken away be restored . there are many men and women ▪ they think if they can get anie thing by sinful waies , they will repent , and pray to god for forgiveness , and be sorrie , and yet keep that gotton in a sinful way . no , that will not serve the turn , all thy praying to god with never so much sorrow , yet there must be restitution of what you have sinfully gotton to the utmost of your abilities , though the partie be dead , you must not keep it : suppose whomsoever you have wronged are dead , you must not keep it if they have anie heirs , or executors ; suppose you know not them , then you must give it to the poor , you must be rid of it . so much stain and evil is in sin , that anie thing that comes by way of sin must not be kept . and this is not so strange a thing but that the heathen have been convinced of it : i remember a storie of a heathen that did but owe to a shoomaker for a pair of shoos , and no bodie knew he owed it , when the shoomaker was dead , he thought to save it ; but his conscience was so troubled , though the man was dead , and no bodie could charge him with it , that he could not sleep , or rest , and be quiet , but riseth with amazement and trouble in the night , and runs to the shoomakers house , and throws the money in , and saith , though he be dead to others , yet he is alive to me . if a heathen had such convictions of conscience , that he must not keep that which was gotton by sin , if he could see sin so sinful , that what was gotten by sin must be cast out ; surely you christians must be so wise ; oh consider this , you are a multitude , come together , is there never a man or womans conscience now in the presence of god , that tells them , that there is something that they have gotten by such a sinful way . now this is the charge of god to you upon your spirits , that as ever you do expect to find mercie from god , that you do forth with and immediatelie restore that which you have gotten by anie sinful way , it will be your bane , and your ruine , you will venture your souls else ; that must be restored , or your souls must go for it ; and all your sorrow and trouble , will not do , ezcept these be restored , these be restored to your power ; either that , or some other thing in lieu of it , you must not think to live upon sin . it may be servants , in their masters service , pilfered and purloined ; whatsoever you got for your selves , perhaps you have spent it , but hereafter , either your souls must perish , or else you must , if god have made you able , restore it , though it be all your estates , you be bound to cast up those sweet morse●s you have taken . there was once one that had wronged a man in five shillings , and it was fiftie years after that wrong was done , that he sent to these hands of mine , those five shillings , and desired me to restore it ; conscience now did so sting him , that he could not injoy it . so though it be fortie , fiftie , or threescore years ago , when you were yong , that you did the wrong , you be bound , as you do expect mercie from god , to restore what you have wronged , because there can no prosperitie come in by sin , no good , there is so much evil in sin . this is the first , when a man comes to be prosperous by sin , then he may be miserable notwithstanding his prosperitie . secondly , when a man comes to be sinful by prosperity : as when a man comes to prosper by sin , so when sin comes in by prosperitie : and for this , three considerations likewise . sin sometimes comes in , by prosperitie , a man is more sinful , because more prosperous ; certainlie this man may be miserable notwithstanding his prosperitie as , first , when prosperitie is fuel for sin . secondly , when it gives them further license , and liberty to sin . thirdly , when it more hardens them in sin . certainlie this man , though he be freed from afflictions all his daies , yet is a most miserable man ; because he is delivered from afflictions . he comes to have prosperity fuel for sin : that is matter for sin to work upon ; so that prosperitie nourisheth and fattens up sin . as manie men , because they have prosperitie , their sins grow to a mightie height by prosperitie : prosperitie is fuel for lust , fattens your malice , and o●asions pride . were it not he had such an estate as he hath , and a healthful lustie bodie , then he could not be guiltie of so much lust , uncleanness , drunkenness , pride ; so much malice and revenge ; the more god doth deliver them from afflictions , sickness , povertie , the more feuel hath he for sin , wickedness , and the lusts of his heart to burn upon , and grow up to a flame . as it is with a bodie , those humors of the bodie , are matters for the disease to grow upon , and feed the disease ; they be no good to the bodie , but mischief to it : some men have great big arms and legs , but what bigness is it ? a bigness that comes by disease by dropsies , such humors their bodies being full of them , they feed the disease of the bodie : now be these humors anie such things as that we should rejoice in ? do they make for the good of the bodie ? they make for the bigness , but not the goodness of the bodie . so anie mans estate , that makes matter to feed lust upon , and nourish and grow upon this ; such a man is so much the more miserable , by how much the more prosperous he is : as usuallie wicked men , through the malignitie in their hearts , they do make all their prosperitie to be nothing else but nourishment for lust to breed on . as it is with a gracious heart , it will turn al things he doth injoy , to be matter for his grace to work upon , and to further the work of grace : so a wicked heart will turn all he doth injoy , to be matter for his lust to work upon , and to further his lust ; the excellencie of grace appears in the one , and the malignitie of sin appears in the other . now if sin be so great an evil , then whatsoever a man injoys , if it be a furtherance of sin , and nourish sin , it makes him the more miserable , a miserable creature ; though a prosperous man , yet this man is miserable , because his prosperitie makes him more sinful . if his prosperitie doth give him further liberty in sin ? as thus , manie men that be poor , be quicklie restrained , they have manie restraints , alas , they be afraid the law will get hold of them if they be drunk , or unclean , he is quicklie restrained ; may be he dares not for fear of the displeasure of some friend he depends upon : a hundred things keeps in men in affliction from taking ▪ their libertie in sin , which otherwise his heart would have committed , whereas , a man prosperous in the world , takes libertie , and who shall controule him ? he will be drunk , and unclean , and break the sabbath , and who dares controule and speak to him ? and i beseech you observe this , manie men account that the greatest happiness of prosperitie , that by this means they may come to have their wils , their sinful wills , that they shall live without controul in the satisfying their sinful lusts ; this they account the happiness of prosperitie . this is a most abominable cursed happiness , to account the good of prosperitie to consist in this , that it gives more libertie to sin ; oh it is a most pestelentious power that inables to do mischief , to hurt ones own soul , or others : so that is a most pesteferous estate & condition , that gives a man libertie to satisfie his lusts the more . brethren , consider of this , it is a most dreadful curse of god upon a man , that god wil let a man go on smothlie in waies of sin , without controul , that he shall have libertie without controul ; if there be anie brand of reprobation that one may give , this is it , as black a brand as can be given , that god suffers a man to go on smoothly in sin without any controul , that he can have full libertie . it is a speech of barnards , therefore doth god spare the rich , because his iniquitie is not found only to displeasvre , but to hatred ; because god is not onlie now angry , but he hates him for sin : that is a speech of barnard , therefore doth god spare the rich , and deliver manie wicked men from affliction , because sin is grown to the height , that it is above gods displeasure , god may be displeased with his children for sin , but he doth not come to hate them ; they be not children of hatred , because of infirmitie ; but now when god suffers a wicked man to go on smoothlie without anie affliction in his way of sin , and so take libertie in sin , this mans sin it is to be feared is grown to the height , that it comes to the verie hatred of god , not onlie to displeasure . i remember barnard in another place calls this kind of mercie in god , to deliver men from affliction in a sinful way , he cals it a mercie more cruel than all anger , and praies god to deliver him from that mercie . that is , that he should go on prosperously in a wicked way . and if you knew all , it would be one petition to god ( you in a prosperous way , it would be one petition you would put up to god ) everie day , oh lord , never let me prosper in a sinful way and course , oh lord , rather let any affliction be upon me , than that my smoothness in my way should make my sin more smooth and delightful . i appeal to you marriners , suppose you were sailing neer rocks or sands , and were becalmed , till you come just there where they are , and then you should have a wind come full upon you , and fill your sails to the full , your sails perhaps are all up , and a wind comes that fills them to the full with wind , i but this wind carries you directlie upon the sands , or rocks , would you not rather have the wind a little more still ? would you not rather have a half wind ? or a side wind ? would you not rather have your sails down ? or not half so much filled as they are , when they carrie you upon the rocks and sands ? so here , it is just as if you should see a man rejoice that his sails be filled with wind , and all his sails up , when another that stands by knows , it carries him upon the sands that will undo him . so it is with a man that rejoiceth in prosperitie , that carries him with full sail to wickedness . god fills their sails , their hearts be filled to the full , with all that their hearts can desire , and they be filled with all their braverie , but this ( as the sail ) carries them on further to sin and wickedness ; upon the rocks and sands to eternal destruction : it were better for these men , that their sails were down , and all under the hatches , a thousand times better than to have all the libertie to sin. i beseeeh you brethren , observe the difference between gods dispensations and his dealings with the wicked , and his dispensations and dealings with his children , in this one thing it is verie observable ; with the wicked god deals thus , in just judgment he suffers stumbling blocks to lie in the way of religion , that they stumble therein , and find abundance of difficultie , when they have some good stirrings of their affections , and good motions , and intentions ; but there is such a stumbling block they be offended at , and such a thing lies there and hinders them , and makes the waies of religion difficult : but when they come to the waies of sin , there all their waies be smooth , there 's no stumbling block lies there , but all is clear , and god suffers them to prosper and go on a pace ; the way to life is full of stumbling blocks , but the way to destruction is clear : thus god deals with the wicked . but with his children god will make the way to life and salvation to be very smooth and clear ; the way of the upright is plain : if the heart be upright , those things others be offended at , and stumble at , they be delivered from ; those stumbling blocks be taken away : gracious hearts find the waies of godliness , plain , comfortable , and smooth waies : but now , the waies of sin to gods children , they be full of stumbling blocks , there god is pleased to lay stumbling blocks ; when god seeth his children hanker after sinful waies , god makes this let , and the other let , this affliction , and the other affliction ; one thing or other they shall find in gods providence to stop them in the way . a most excellent promise for this to the children of god , when god was in a way of mercie to them , you have in hosea , . , . therefore behold , i will hedg up thy way with thorns , and make a wall that she shall not find her paths : ( mark ) when god intends good to his church , he promises to hedg up the way , and wall it up ; that is , the way to idols , that they should not find it so easilie as before : oh take notice of this , oh all ye servants of god , when you have found your hearts hanker after evil waies ; oh the goodness of god , he hath laid stumbling blocks in the waies of death ; whereas others when they have come to the waies of death , all is clear and smooth before them , and they have their hearts desire . this is the difference between gods dealings with his people , and the wicked . as prosperitie is fuel for sin , and gives libertie to sin , so it hardens the hearts of men and women in sin : as it is with the clay , when the sun shines upon it , it grows harder , mire and dirt grows harder with the shining of the sun ; so wicked and ungodly men , their hearts grow hard in the waies of sin , with the shine of prosperitie upon it . as the iron is soft when the fire is in it , but harder when the fire is out ; so with men and women , in affliction they seem soft , but they are the harder when out again : we have a notable place for this , job , . from the . verse , to the . there is a description of the prosperous estate of the wicked ; now at the . verse , see how their hearts be hardned , therefore they say to god , depart from us , we desire not the knowledg of his way ; because he had said before of them , their houses are safe from fear , neither is the rod of god upon them . their bull gendreth and faileth not , their cow calveth and casteth not her calf . they send forth their little ones like a flock , and their children dance . they take the timbrel and harp , and rejoyce at the sound of the organ . they spend their daies in wealth . they live merrie , brave lives ; therefore their hearts be hardened in sin , that they say to the almightie , depart from us , what need we the knowledg of god ? what need so much preaching ? and so much ado ? we desire not such things . i beseech you mark , and observe what kind of men those are , that so slight the word of god , and disesteem of it ; and that in their carriage and actions , do as it were , say unto god himself , depart from us ; for so it is , though it may be they think not so , when the word and ordinances depart ; yet they do as much as if they should say to god , depart from us , we desire not the knowledg of thy way : i say , observe what kind of men these are , not men under gods wrath , or afflictions , observe what men they are , and when they say so , i say , not when they be under gods wrath , but those that live in authoritie , and flourish , and have delights and contentments to the flesh ; these say , depart . i confess , many poor people that know nothing of god , and that be meer atheists , that live all their daies in meer atheism , to hear them say so , it is no wonder : but i speak of men inlightened , and where , almost , have you anie so readie to say , depart from us , let the word and ordinances depart , and that slight god in his ordinances , as men do that are in the greatest prosperitie , that enjoy comforts , and brave lives , and have the world at will. now let all such know , that though they may bless themselves , and the world may bless them ; yet wo to them , when god saith , let them prosper in sin ; hosea , . . i will not punish your daughters when they commit iniquity : god threatens it as a judgment not to afflict them . i remember origen upon that text hath this note ; will you hear the terrible voice of god ? god speaking with indignation ? i will not visite when you sin ; this he calls the terrible voice of god , speaking with indignation : this is the most extream of gods anger , when thus he speaks . and so luther hath such an expression , wo to those men at whose sins god doth wink and connive , and that have not afflictions as other men . and so jerom , in writing to a friend that prospered in wicked waies , saith he , i judg thee miserable , because thou art not miserable : so certainly , those men are therefore miserable , because they be not miserable ; and it were a thousand times better for these men , to lie under some heavie and dreadful affliction in this world . and this is the second use , if there be so much evil in sin , then a man may be a miserable man , though he be not an afflicted man , because there is evil enough in sin alone to make a man miserable without affliction . chap. liv. use . if there be so much evil in sin , then it 's a mighty mercy to get the pardon of sin . use iii. if there be so much evil in sin as you have heard of , then certainly this must needs follow , that to get pardon of sin is a mighty mercy . it must needs be a wonderful thing to have the pardon of sin , to get to be delivered from that which hath so much evil , that is so dreadful , it must needs be very hard to be obtained ; grievous diseases be very hardly cured . certainly brethren , those men and women that do think , that to get pardon of , and power against sin , is a little or light matter , i dare charge them as in the presence of god , they never yet knew what sin meant ; and all that i have delivered about the evil of sin , hath been but as the beating of the air to them , to no purpose , that yet make but light of the great work of procuring pardon for sin , and making peace with god for their sin . if all the world were in a confusion , turned into a chaos , we should think it a great work of god to bring all in frame and o●der again : certainly it is a greater work of god , for to deliver the soul from the evil of sin , and free the soul of it , than it would be for to raise up the frame of heaven and earth again , if all were turned into a chaos . therefore numbers , . , . verses , where moses speaks of pardon of sin ; see how moses speaks of it there : and now i beseech thee ( saith he ) let the power of my lord be great , according as thou hast spoken , saying . what was this concerning which god had spoken , that he would shew his great power in ? see the . verse , pardon i beseech thee the iniquity of this people , according to the greatness of thy mercy : ( mark ) let the power of my lord be great , and then pardon the iniquitie of thy people : as if moses should say ; oh lord , this requires great power , the almightie power of god is required for pardoning of iniquitie , as well as the infinite mercy of god oh consider this , you that think lightly of getting pardon of sin , this is the greatest business in the world , and certainly that soul that god doth set in good earnest about this work , to get the pardon of sin , that soul is the most busie creature in all the world : never was the soul taken up about a more blessed work , since it had a being , than this is ; if it understand what it is about , it takes up the whol strength of soul and bodie , when the soul is about so great a work : therefore you that come to have some inlightenings to shew you the evil of sin , and you be about that work of getting pardon ; oh you had need intend it ; and work mightily and strongly indeed ; for know this , you are about the greatest business , the greatest work that ever creature was about in the world ; there is no creature in all the world was ever about so great a work as thou art about ; when thou art about the getting pardon of sin , thou hadst need mind it , and follow it , and not have thy heart taken up about other things , for it is the great work of the lord , that infinitely concerns thee ; oh that men and women had cleer apprehensions about the sweetness of this work ; 't is true , gods mercie is above all our sins , and he is readie to pardon , and to forgive ; but the lord will have his creatures know , that it is the greatest work that ever he did : yea , and take altogether justification of a sinner , is as great a work as ever god did ; the means that tend to it , and the work of a soul about procuring pardon , is the greatest work that ever soul was about : so you must understand it ; and you cannot but understand it , if you understand what hath been delivered . this is the third use . chap. lv. use . if there be so much evil in sin , this justifie the strictness and care of gods people against sin . two directions to those that make conscience of smal sins . first , be even in your waies , strict against all sin . secondly , be very yeilding in all lawful things . use iv. if there be so much evil in sin , hence then is justified the strictness and care of the people of god against sin . they be afraid of everie sin , they dare not be so bold in the waies of sin as others are , but they tremble ; when any sin is presented to them , they be afraid , and tremble ; others go on boldly , and presumptuously , and laugh at such as be afraid ; oh such scrupulous consciences ! oh they dare not do such a thing because 't is a sin they say ! oh they dare not by any means because they dare not sin : thus others laugh at them , because they think they be more scrupulous than they need be , that should be afraid to do things so little as they think these are . i beseech you observe the perversness of mens hearts ; you shall have them if men offend the law of man , them that are in authoritie , the commands of men , in things that they themselves will profess to be verie little , and smal , then they will cry out of such its rebellion , and rebels against authoritie , and they are not worthie to live , and they would have the severest punishments that can be , against them that will not obey mans authoritie in little things : but mark , these men that will so urge small things , and where they be small , the worse the disobedience ( say they ) in disobeying in small things . yet these men that seem verie consciencious in such things , when they see men afraid to offend god , that dare not do little things if sinful , dare not speak an idle word , and be sinfullie merrie as others are , that are afraid of intemperance , and everie small thing , ( as they think ) these men will jeer such ; what a horrible sin is this ? what! urge mans authoritie in small things , and jeer those that be consciencious to gods authoritie in small things ! what shal the authoritie of man put weight upon smal things , and not the authoritie of the almightie put weight in small things ? well , whatsoever they think , brethren go on , and make conscience of small things , and never call anie sin little , because you have heard of so much evil in it , go away with this impression of the evil of sin on your hearts ; well , by this i have heard of the evil of sin , i have learned to account no sin smal , though never so little in the eye of the world . is it a sin ? if so , do thou never admit of it ; if it be a sin , abhorre it : let this temptation never prevail with thee ; what ? will you not do this , you may do worse ? this i would advise those gracious and godlie , that do indeed make conscience of small sins , and do well in making conscience of small things ; i give you these two instructions to carrie along with you , as you do make conscience of small things , and you do well in it , because there is so much evil in sin. so , the first instruction , be sure your course be even this way , that as you seem to make conscience of some things smal ; so make conscience of all : let not men of the world , that observe your waies , find you tripping , and have just cause to say , these men seem scrupulous in small things , but in otherwaies , they give libertie enough to themselves . and ( say they ) though they will not swear , they will lye ; and such like aspertions , sometimes through malice , the men of the world cast upon profession . but i speak to you in the name of the lord , take heed you give not occasion to the men of the world to say so ; to say , i , these be so scrupulous in ceremonies , and so nice in these things ; though certainlie we are bound to be so , for god is a jealous god , and if in anie thing we be consciencious , we must in his worship be consciencious there ; but then you had need be so much the more careful , that they find you exact in everie thing that you do . you servants , perhaps you inquire after the worship of god , you yong people ; and it is a great mercie of god , that god stirs up yong ones to inquire after the true worship of god , and not to worship god in that ignorance that your fore-fathers did ; that took up everie thing upon custome , or the use of the parish they lived in ; for certainlie it is not the practise of manie ; nor the command of authoritie can make it lawful , if not warranted by the word : well , perhaps manie yong ones now begin to inquire after the way of gods worship ; and perhaps your masters , or parents , or may be husbands be angry , and vexed , and wonder what is come to you ; because grown so scrupulous of these things : now i say , you had need be verie exact in your masters familie , that you may not be found tripping in other things ; and you wives had need be verie exact , that your husbands find you not faultie in other things ; and you children had need be verie respectful to your parents , and careful of your duties to them , because they be more apprehensive of anie failings in that which is due to them , then they are of any thing in the worship of god ; and they know god tyes you to the practice of those duties . now if you cannot joyn in their practice , and such superstition as your masters do . now if these servants be unfaithful in service , and carelesss , and stubborn , and stout in answering again : how doth this harden their masters against this way of worship ; and harden their hearts against them ? what ? you make conscience of superstition because sinful , and is not this sin , as well as that ? to be unfaithful , and stubborn , and stout ; if you make conscience of one sin , why not of another ? therefore all you that seem to have more tender consciences than others , and more afraid of the least sin than others ; be sure you walk exactly , and especially have a care of your duty towards men , with whom you walk ; for they can spy you presently , if you trip . a second instruction i commend to those that make conscience of little , of the least sin ; is this , be sure you be as yeilding and tractable in all other things as possible you may , in all things lawful : i ground it upon this , because those whose consciences be tender , and dare not commit the least sin , for anie seeming good ; they cannot but stand out rather than commit some evils , some things that they be required to do they dare not do , because sinful , it cānot be but in some things they must stand out , because they be convinced that it is a sin : now this the world judges stoutness , and pride , you make conscience of it , but they think it pride , and stoutness of spirit , why ? cannot you do this as well as others ? when alas god knows , and your consciences tels you , that you would with all your hearts , but cannot ; you should sin against , and wound your own consciences , therefore let them do what they will , you cannot do what is required ; let masters rage , and be angry , and husbands be displeased , you cannot yeeld , your consciences will not suffer you . now that you may convince them , that it is conscience , and not stubbornness , how shall this be known , that it is consciousness , and not stubbornness ? for we cannot see into your consciences ? i give you this note to discover it , to them ; be more pliable and yeilding in all other things , and there , to go beyond all other women , or children , or servants . as now , if there be a woman whose conscience cannot yeild to some things , and her husband is displeased because he beleeves it is stoutness , now that her husband may beleeve it conscience and not stoutness , it concerns that woman to observe whatsoever gives content to her husband in everie thing else ; & to be more yeilding , and pliable , and tractable , and herein denying her own will , to give content to her husband in other things , and herebie he will be convinced , sure she is not stout and stubborn in other things ; why ? because in this i find her more pliable , and yeilding , and willing , than before . so for servants , if you cannot yeild in that your masters would have you ; strive to give him the more content in other things : children to your parents , in other things be more dutiful , and one neighbor to another ; if neighbors would have you do that which is against your conscience , when you cannot do that , yet in other things yeild to your own prejudice , to convince them , that in what you do not yeild , it is meerlie out of conscience , and not stubbornness . this is the fourth use i might here have gone further , and ( if there be so much evil in sin , i would ) have labored with men and women to come to be sensible of all the evil of sin , and to have stopped sinners in their sinful waies , and courses ; and likewise to have drawn sinners to christ , and to have made men and women to prise jesus christ , by whom all their sins may possibly come to be forgiven ; who is the onlie ransom & propisiation for sin : for this brethren , is the ground of all i have said , that we might be made to esteem christ , and prise christ . and in this regard , though what i have said , seems legal , yet certainlie it is a fond unistake in people that think christ is not preached , except the word christ be named . but know all that hath been said about the sinful ness of sin , hath been a preaching of christ , for it hath been in way and order to bring souls to christ , that i might cause souls to flie to christ , and go to him that is the onlie propisiation for sin , and the onlie ransom for souls . and certainlie brethren , if once these things i have delivered concerning the evil of sin , come to be apprehended , and the soul made sensible of them ; oh! how sweet , and precious , and dear will christ be to such a soul ? and the name of that great god will be honored in such a soul : but i shall prosecute this in the following discourse . chap. lvi . use . if there be such evil in sin , hence then is justified the dreadful things spoken in the word against sinners . there is more evil in sin , than in all affliction : that 's the argument we have been long upon ; and have made some good entrance into the application of it , there hath been four uses made of this point already , that hath flowed naturally from the evil of sin. there are yet divers more uses which are of great concernment : wherefore we proceed to it . vse v. if there be such dreadful evil in sin , hence then the word of god that speaks such dreadful things against sinners , cannot but be justified of all those that know what sin is . there are verie severe and fearful things , revealed in the word against sin. now , such as understand not what the evil of sin is , are readie to think them verie hard . for indeed , it is onlie by the word , we come to understand , wherein the true evil of sin lies . paul to the romans tels us , that before the law came , he knew not sin : and had i preached these sermons concerning the evil of sin before the athenians , the wisest of phylosophers , they would have said as they did concerning paul , what new ? what strange doctrine is this ? and so it is like it hath been unto all those who have no other rule to judge of things by , than carnal reason and sence . those who are not acquainted with the mind of god , revealed in his word ; they perhaps have strange thoughts concerning all that hath been delivered ; and think i have been but an hyperboler al this while : but certainly those that judg of things according to the word , they see that there is a realitie in all that hath been delivered , and they justifie the word in all ; yea , they justifie the severitie of the word against sin , when they see it even against themselves , for their own sins ; that 's a good sign , when the heart of a man or woman , doth not onlie justifie the word in general , but when the word comes most powerfullie , and sharplie against his own sins ; yet he lies under the power of the word , and saith , it is good , and holy , and righteous , the word of the i ord ; though it speaks bitter things against his own sins . there are many men and women that have some seeming good affections , and some tenderness of spirit , and would seem to melt at a sermon , when some truths be delivered to them : but when the severitie and strictness of gods justice , in the word is presented before them , their hearts flie off , and they seem to be verie hard things . we have a notable example for this in luke . if you read in the storie before , you shall find the people spoken of , were much stirred , with many things they heard of in the word : but in the . verse , when christ told them he would come and destroy those husband-men that had used the messengers so ill that were sent for fruit , and the kings only son too : he shal● come and destroy those husbandmen , and give the vinyard unto others ; and when they heard it , they said , god forbid . oh god forbid that there should be so much severitie : those people , in this particular , discovering a slightness of spirit ; that though they were people that seemed to have tender hearts , and were much stirred , and their hearts melted at some truths delivered : well , but yet when they heard of the severe judgments against evil men ; oh they had more compassion in them than god had , & said , god forbid that things should be so hard ; what ? is not god a merciful god ? and we hear of nothing but severity ; that there should be such severitie in god , utterly to destroy , god forbid . thus people now a daies , when they hear arguments of gods goodness , and mercy , their hearts be ready to melt and yeild , and they be affected , and stirred ; but when they hear the severitie of gods justice against sin , oh then god forbid that there should be such hard things , god forbid these things should be true . certainly brethren , you cannot have any true meltings of spirit wrought in you , nor work of gods sanctifying spirit , unless you find such a principle in your hearts , as should cause you to fall down and tremble , and yeild unto the justice of god , and the severity of the word against sin ; except you find a willingness to justifie god and his word in all the severity that he doth reveal against you in your own sins . i his is the fifth . chap. lvii . use . if there be so much evil in sin , it shew the miserable condition of those whose hearts and lives are filled with sin . use vi. another use is this , if there be so much evil in sin , then what a miserable condition are those in that be full of sin , w●ose hearts and lives are filled up to the brim , to the very top , exceeding full of sin . is there all this evil ( that i have spoken of ) in the nature of sin ? in one sin ? ( as you have heard ) such dreadful evil in the least sin ? oh lord , what a condition are those in ( i say ) that are guilty of an infinite number of sins ? it is said , eccles . . . the hearts of men are full of evil , full of sin : it is true of all the sons and daughters of men in the world that their hearts be full of sin . a toad is not so full of poyson as the heart of every man and woman in the world is full of sin : and that which thou art full of , is such an abominable thing in the eyes of god , as you have heard : yea , and as their hearts are full of sin , so they be fully set to do evil , eccles . . . because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed , therefore the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil : this is true of all ; in their natural condition , their hearts are full of evil , and their hearts are fully set in them to do evil . all the actions that ever thou didst do , all the thoughts of thy mind , and the words of thy mouth ; all the actions of thy life , ever since thou wert born , hath been nothing else but sin , if thou be in thy natural estate . this we dare avow , and speak as in the presence of god , that every man and woman not yet converted , had never any thought ▪ never spake word , never did any action in all their lives , but they sinned against god. and if sin be to evil , what an evil case are those men in , who be so full of sin ? in all that ever they did in all their lives , yea , their best actions ; how full of sin be those ? and how miserable is their condition , in that regard ; who have given up themselves to follow sin with greediness ? are there not some of you before the lord , whose consciences cannot but ●el you that you have given up your selves to follow the lusts of your own hearts with greediness ? to satisfie them to the full ? and all your grief hath been , that you could satisfie them no more : this hath been the condition of many who have lived in a course of sin all their daies ; yea , and it may be against conscience also ; who have been guilty , not only of multitudes of sin , but guiltie of such multitudes with woful aggravations , as against light , against means , against vows : certainly if sin be such an evil in its own nature , though but any one , if god should set but the least sin , but of thought , upon a mans heart as he may do , he would ●ink the stoutest-heart down to the bottomless gulph of despair ; then what will become of thee if god come to settle all thy abominations upon thy heart altogether ? the floods of ungodly men ( saith david , psal . . . ) hath made me afraid : the word men there , is not in the original ; but translated by some , the floods of wickedness have made me afraid . certainly if god discover the floods of those wickednesses that your consciences may tell you , you have been guiltie of it cannot but make you afraid : if god come , and set all those sins in order before thy face , it will be a most dreadful object and spectacle . let me make use of that phrase , job , . . is my strength the strength of stones ? and my flesh of brass ? so may i say unto those who have such woful guilt of sin upon them ; what is thy strength the strength of stones , and thy flesh of brass ? that thou canst bear the weight and burden of so many , and such horrible transgressions as thou hast been guiltie of ? when thou hearest that there is so much evil in one sin , and that in the least sin. we reade , leviticus , . , . of the scape goat , that when aaron and his sons the priests , should come and lay his hands upon it , and put the sins of the people upon him , he was to go into the wilderness , into a desolate place among the wild beasts there ; to note the woful condition of a sinner that hath the guilt of multitudes of sins upon him ; when he is like that scape goat to go into the wilderness among wild beasts readie to tear him . thy condition is worse , except thou art delivered from the guilt of sin ; i speak of one under the guilt of sin , it is like to be worse with thee , thou art in a worse condition , than if thou wert to live among tigers , and bears , and dragons , readie to tear thee : certainly thy estate is far worse . if thy bodie were full of sores , thou wouldest think thy condition very sad , it would cause much dejection of spirit ; but for thy soul to be full of sin , to have so much sin , is worse than if thou hadest plague sores upon thy bodie from head to foot . if you should see a man , all over from the crown of the head to the soal of the foot , full of plague sores , you would think that man in a sad condition : certainly the state of every man unconverted , is far worse , because he is all over full of sin , that hath so much evil in it . as for that doctrine of the fulness of sin in the heart and life of man , that will require another and larger treatise by it self ; therfore i do not intend to fall upon that doctrine , how man is full of sin in his heart and life ; that may be done hereafter : but only for the present , to present this meditation before you ; if so much evil be in every sin , then the fulness of sin must needs put a man or woman in an evil and sad condition : psal . . . god saith , he will wring out to the wicked , a full cup of wrath , to those full of sin. job , . . there it is spoken of the wicked and ungodly , that their bones are full of the sins of their youth : thy life is full of sin , thy bones may be full of the sins of thy youth : many youths , yong people , run on in great iniquities in the times of their youth ; and multiply sins , and ad sin to sin : well , know that thy youthful sins , may prove thy ages terror ; and thou that art so full of sins when yong , and given up to all kind of sin now , hereafter thy bones may be full of the sins of thy youth . thus much for this use likewise , because that it would require a doctrine by it self . i proceed to another . chap. lviii . use . if there be so much evil in sin , how dreadful a thing it is for men or women to delight in sin . use vii . if there be so much evil in sin as you have heard , mark then further what follows : what a dreadful thing is it for men and women to delight in sin , and rejoyce in sinful waies , to make a sport of sin : what infinite impudency is this for a creature to make merry and rejoyce in sin against god ? hast thou nothing to be merry withal ? hast thou nothing to rejoyce in but sinning against the almighty ? what ? shall there be so much revealed to thee concerning the dreadful evil of thy sins , and yet you so far from being convinced , that there is so much evil in it , as you rather look upon it , as having more good in it , than there is in god himself , and christ , and heaven , and all the glorious things of eternal life ? for so doth everie man and woman that makes anie sinful way their chief joy ; i say , they are so far from being convinced of so much evil in it , as hath been declared , as that they do rejoyce in it , as if there were more good in it , than there is in god himself , or christ , or anie thing revealed in the word concerning the treasures of the riches of the grace of god in christ ; this is horrible wickedness : it is an horrible evil in thy heart , that such an evil as sin is , should be so suitable to thy heart ; that there should be anie suitableness between thy heart , and so great an evil as sin is : yea , note that thou hast a verie cursed heart , that should be suitable to that which is so evil ; a verie poysonous heart , that there should be so much agreement between that which is so poysonous , and the temper of thy heart : true , a toad will take poison , and it is suitable to it , it lives upon it , and takes delight in it , as you do in meat and drink : now those that can make sin their meat and drink ; as christ saith , it is meat and drink to do the will of my father ; so it is meat and drink to manie ungodly men and women to do wickedlie . now hereby thou art declared to be a toad , to be of a venemous nature , that hast such a suitableness between thy nature and sin. sure nothing but a venemous toad can delight in poison : so nothing but a heart more venemous and loath som than a toad is to the daintiest ladie in the world to put a toads head to their mouth ; i say , none but such a heart can take delight in a sinful and ungodlie way . suppose there were a suitableness between the corrupt humors in thy soul and sin ; yet now thou hast heard so much of the evil of it , it is a cursed madness in thee to take delight in it , because it is suitable to thy nature : what canst thou delight to drink sweet poison ? because poison is sweet , and comes to be suitable because of the sweetnesse ? if thou know it to be poison , and strong poison , what a madnesse were it in thee , to drink a ●●ll draught only because 't is sweet ? there is the same madnesse in all men and women in the world that can take pleasure in sin , because there is sweetness in it , and the suitablenesse of it unto their corrupt nature . there is not only difference , but contrarietie between thy heart and a godlie mans ; a godlie man or woman had rather suffer all the torments in the world , than endure that which thou makest thy chief joy. what a contrariety to god , and the nature of god ? what a difference between the nature of god and thee ? that which is a burthen to the spirit of god , is the most delightful thing in the world to thy spirit . yea , what a desperate heart hast thou , that that which murthered christ , thou canst delight in . certainlie where there is delight and pleasure in sin ; sin increaseth infinitelie ; there must be most desperate increase of sin. for as it is with grace , those men and women that have gracious hearts , and come to make the waies of godliness their delight once ; oh they grow up in godliness ; no men and women grow up in godliness so as these do that come to make the waies of god their delight . if you would grow up in grace , make the waies of god your delight , and then you will grow in grace . so contrarilie , those men and women that come to make anie waies of sin their delight , and joy of their hearts , they grow up in sin , in a most dreadful manner . and be it known unto you , that according unto the measure of your delight in sin , so shall be the bitterness and torment that you shal indure herafter . as rev. . . it is said of babilon , so much as she hath glorifed her self , so much torment give her : so god will say of all sinners , that hath taken pleasure in unrighteousnesse ; so much as you have rejoyced in sin , so much torment give that soul . yea , the time will come that god will take as much delight in your destruction , as you have delighted in sinning against him . prov. . latter end , god will laugh at their destruction , and mock when their fear cometh : is there never a man or woman here in this congregation that hath committed sin and laughed at it ? or made some others commit sin and laugh at it ? i speak to you as in the name of god , is there not one man or woman whose conscience tels them , i have sworn an oath , or told a lye , and laughed at it ? made another drunk and laughed at it ? dost thou laugh at sin ? rejoyce at sin ? take heed , come in quicklie , thou hadsi need fall down and mourn bitterlie at christs feet ; otherwise certainlie thou art the man or woman at whose destruction god will laugh another day . it were thy wisdom rather to howl and cry out in anguish of spirit , because of sin , than to make it matter of jollitie and joy ; let us all take heed of making our selves merrie with sin : we must not play with edge tools : there is a notable place we have prov. . , . as a mad man , who casts fire brands , arrows , and death , so is the man that deceaves his neighbor , and saith , am i not in sport ? i beseech you consider this text , many of you will cozen and cheat your neighbors , and when you have done , make a jest , and mock of it that you cozened and cheated : so what the holie ghost speaks to such a man , and this scripture culs out that man and woman whosoever they be that ever deceaved their neighbor . and afterwards when they come among their companions , laughed at it . as mad men or women ( mark what the text saith ) who casts fire-brands , arrows , and death ; so is the man that deceives his neighbor , and saith , am i not in sport ? and it is but a jest , and a matter of nothing , and can jeer him , when he hath done : mark , this is a mad man that casts fire-brands , arrows , and death ; oh that god this day , would cast a fire-brand , and arrows , and every sentence of death upon thy heart that hast been guiltie of this , and not humbled to this day for it , oh it is the fool as i have shewed , makes a mock of sin . what ? canst thou commit a wickednesse , be drunk , or unclean , or filthie , and then thou afterward go and tell thy companions , and make a sport , or a mock at sin ? thou art one of the fools in israel , and god this day casts shame in thy face ; thou hast shame cast in thy face even by the almightie this day out of his word . certainlie brethren , if we understand what the evil of sin is , when we are in any company , where men and women be never so merry ; if there were but one wilful sin committed among them , anie one apparent sin , it were enough to damp all the joy that day ; and indeed it should be so . we reade of david when he carried the ark , a gracious work , and there was but one sin committed , in touching the ark unadvisedly , and it damped all the joy . and certainlie , it was the sin from which there was more cause of damping the joy , than from the punishment ; for there was more evil in the sin , than in the punishment : now you shall have many men and women in merrie meettings , and companie , they be merry , and eat , and drink , and laugh : well , but abundance of sin is committed in the companie , but not one whit dampt all that day ; but can go on in their mirth , and tales , and laughing ; go on as freelie and fullie , as if there were no sin committed . be it known to you this day from the lord , any of you that have been in anie companie , merrie and jollie , and yet sin hath been committed before your eyes , and you have heard it with your ears , if it have not dampt your joy and mirth ; know your hearts be not right with god ; and it is a sign your hearts have been vile , cursed hearts , that when you have seen sin committed in your companie , yet you can go on with joy . suppose in your company , in the midst of your mirth , one takes a knife and stabs himself into the heart ; would not this damp your joy ? would you goon in your mirth still ? would not all your joy be gone ? when you be in companie and hear one swear , if you had eyes you would see them even stab them selves to the heart : and there is more evil in this , than in the other ; and yet you can go on in your joy and mirth , though since you sate down there hath been fortie oaths sworn there . we reade in the sam. . . at the feast of davids sons , absaloms inviting of amnon to dinner , absalom bids his servants , whem amnon was merrie , to strike him to the wall ; and they did so : and then every one of the king's sons gat up , and all their mirth was done , though they were very merrie before . so if your hearts be right when you are in companie , and hear one swear , or blaspheme gods name , or speak against religion , it would be as much as if one were stab'd in the room , all the mirth of that day would be gone if your hearts were right . and do not think this too strict , that sin committed by others should damp your joy : certainlie , the thing is most reasonable , and apparent as possibly can be , to convince anie mans conscience , that understands what the evil of sin means : and yet many of you have not onlie continued your joy , but have been joyful and jocond , the rather because sin is committed in the companie . as suppose one make a jest upon religion , and scorn profession , you laugh with them , and make merrie with them . when one makes a lye upon religion , you can laugh and be merrie : oh certainlie , if you have anie conscience at all , you cannot but be this day convinced of horrible sin against god. suppose thou wert in merrie companie , and thou shouldest hear of a certain , that tydings is come , that thy ship is cast away , and that thou hast lost all that ever thou didst venture in that ship , wouldest not thou give over ▪ wouldst thou go on ? wouldst not thou say it is time for me to be gone now ? and dost thou not account more the hazard of thy own soul ? and the soul of thy brother ? than of thy goods ? certainlie , thy heart cannot be right with god. oh! take heed than in your merrie meettings ; we do not denie but men and women may be ioyful , and eate , and drink together , and delight themselves in the creature , but it must be so , that it must be without apparent sin : i know there will be natural infirmities in anie action ; but i speak of open and apparent wickednesse ; joy must not be when there is apparent wickednesse . you think godlie people are not for societie and good-fellowship ; indeed you cannot expect they should be joyful and merrie , but that they should rather be melancholly and heavie , and sad in your companie , when they see so many sins committed there : what would you have them merrie when they see the companie inbrue their hands in their fathers bloods ? would you have the son merrie , when the companie imbrue their hands in his fathers blood ? certainlie everie godlie man or woman , when they come in companie , and see so manie sins committed , they do actuallie and reallie see you stab and imbrue your hands in gods blood : when you rejoyce in the lord , they can be as merrie and joyful as anie of you all : and have sweet comfort in your companie ; but not when sin is there committed . manie of you when you have been in merrie companie , when you are gone , you can report , oh we were to day in such a place , and we had such merrie companie , it would do ones heart good to be among them ; we were so merrie and jocund , we had a brave time . well , but was there no apparent wickednesse committed in your companie ? never an oath sworn ? no excess in the creature in drinking ? no ribaldry talking ? you never think of that , as if that were nothing at all , it did not abate the least of thy joy : certainlie thy heart is not right , thou knowst not what sin means , thou must know it after another manner . one particular more , because t is useful , and these * merry times are most pleasing among the yonger people , when they come abroad in company , they will make a sport of sin , and think nothing of it . i will apply one text of scripture to that sport of yong men , when they seek to make one another drunk , or swear , and speak wickedlie , and rejoice in it : 't is just like that sport , sam. . abner saith to joab , let the yong men arise and play before us : and observe what play this was ; then there arose and went over twelve men of benjamine , which pertained to ishbosheth the son of saul , and twelve of the servants of david , and they caught every one his fellow by the head , and thrust his sword in his fellows side , so they fell down together : and this was their play . so it is with yong men , many times when they come into companie , yong prophane men , they come to play , and make sport , but it is in the furtherance of sin one in another ; and they do but as it were take the sword and thrust it in one anothers bowels , and what in them lies , to be their ruine and eternal destruction for ever . chap. lix . use . if there be so much evil in sin , than every soul is to be humbled for sin . use viii . if there be so much evil in sin as you have heard , hence the consideration of what hath been delivered , should cause al your hearts to be humbled for the sins your consciences tels you , you be guilty of : not onlie those that are so full of sin , but everie womans child hath cause to apply what hath been said , and to be humbled in their souls before the lord for that woful guilt they have brought upon themselvs . and now i speak to every soul , for there is none here but have much sin , they be guiltie of : now oh thou sinner whosoever thou art , charge upon thy soul what thou rememberest concerning the evil of sin , charge it upon ●hy own heart , labor to bring it with power upon thy own spirit ; bring thy sin with all the aggravations of it that possible thou canst , and lay it upon thy heart , and labor to burden thy heart , to make thy spirit sensible of it : open thy conscience , and let in all these truths thou hast heard , suffer the law to come with power , and though it doth slay thee ( as paul saith , when the law came , sin revived , and i died ) though it slay thy soul , open thy bosom , and let it come : go to the verie pits brink that sin endeavors to plunge soul and bodie in eternallie ; be willing to go to the pits brink , and see what there is in the verie pits brink , and upbraid thine own heart for the hardness of it , and think with thy self thus , lord , what a heart have i ? i can be troubled for everie little loss and affliction , but oh the hardness of my heart , for sin i cannot be affected , it yeilds and stirs not ; for anie pettie loss , or if anie cross me , what a disturbance is there in my spirit then ? but little or nothing for my sin ; oh what shall become of this heart of mine ? what shall i do with this heart of mine , thus hardened from the fear of the lord ? what ? wil sin bring confusion upon the whol creation ? what shall then become of my soul , if ever i come to answer for my sin my self ? certainlie my brethren , god must have glorie , and therefore we must be humbled for sin , seeing there is so much evil in it : it cannot possibly be , but that god must expect to see all his poor creatures that have been so guiltie , to lie down abased , and humbled , as poor , wretched , miserable , forlorn undone creatures by reason of sin . it is a mightie dishonor to god that ever we have sinned thus against him , as we have done : but that we should not be sensible of it ; this ads as great dishonor unto god as the former sin did . when a man or a woman commits sin , they dishonor god in that ; but being not sensible of it after committed , is a greater dishonor to god than the commission of it was : and the longer they continue unsensible of their sin , the more desperate their sin against god grows : for if thou hast not anie sence of sin , but goest on , in a little time thou maiest come to be past feeling , as the scripture hath the phrase , being past feeling : so manie men and women , first they begin not to be troubled for sin , and put it off ; at length they come to be past feeling , and if thy heart be unsensible of the evil of it , then sin grows exceedingly : so saith the scripture , being past feeling they give up themselves with greediness to all lasciviousness , and wantonness . what is the reason men and women give up their souls to sin , to lasciviousness and wantonness with greediness ? because they be past feeling . oh the hardness of the heart in sin ; the stone in the heart , is worse than the stone in the bladder . object . but you will say , if i labor to bring the weight of sin upon my soul , you have told us there is so much evil in sin , that if god should but bring , and set it upon my heart , it would sink my heart , and bring me to despair ; we had need labor to put off the weight and burden of it then ; and yet now , after you have told us the heavy weight of it , do you labor now to bring the weight and burden of it upon our souls ? answ . yes brethren , to bring the weight and sence of sin , is that i labor for ; not to bring more guilt , but the sence and burden of sin ; and this is not the way to bring you to despair . but first learn what i mean by this , that you may learn , not to be so shie of bearing the weight of sin , as before you have been ; but to be willing to take up the burden ; for there is no danger of despair in this : if there come despair , it is rather when god shall force the burden of sin upon your souls ; but if god see a man and woman free and willing to lay the weight and burden of sin upon themselves ; to that end that they may be humbled before the lord , and give glorie to god : certainly god will take care of that soul , it shall never sink under the burden of sin . this now , as in the name of the lord , i pronounce to you ; everie soul that is willing to bring the weight of sin upon himself , to that end that it may be humbled , and give glorie to god ; my life for that soul , that soul shall never sink under the burden of sin ; certainlie god will take care of such a soul , that it shall not sink under that burden : therfore be as willing as you will , to let as much weight of sin as will , be upon your heart , and the more willing you be , the greater is the care of god over that heart , that it shal not perish . but 't is the way to despair , if you upon the hearing of these things , come to be shie of meditating upon sin , and be loth to entertain those meditations , that may work the weight of sin upon your own souls . now it is just with god , when he shall come and force the weight of sin upon you , and lay the burden of it upon your spirits , then to let you sink under the burden of it , for god to behold you sweltring under the burden of it without pittie and compassion ; and your own conscience will be readie to tell you so ; yea , now the weight of sin is upon me , but is forced whether i will or no ; now god may justlie let it lie : this is a sad and a sinking thought ; and if anie thing let sin lie upon the soul , that it shall never be purged , it will be this ; when the spirit would have brought sin in the weight of it upon my conscience , i put it off , and now god puts it upon me , and therefore it troubles me thus . therefore be willing to be humbled , and know , if you be willing , jesus christ is appointed for that end to raise you up ; and there is as much power in the gospel to raise your heart , as there is in sin to press down your heart , if you be rightlie burdened with it . chap. lx. use if there be so much evil in sin , this should be a loud cry to stop men , and turn them from sin . use ix . another use is this , if there be so much evil in sin , then the consideration and meditation of all that hath been said , should be a mighty cry unto all , to turn back , and stop in the waies of sin . oh thou sinner , whosoever thou art , in whatsoever place of the congregation thou art ; god hath brought thee by his providence to hear or reade these sermons concerning the evil of sin ; know that all these sermons that have been preached unto thee , they be all but as one loud , loud crie to thy soul , stop , stop ; oh sinner in thy sinful courses , stop here , turn , turn ; oh sinner out of thy sinful waies , turn , turn , why wilt thou die ? why wilt thou die ? oh wretched , sinful soul , thou art lost , cursed , undone , and wilt perish eternally in that way thou art in ; turn , turn , while thou hast time : god cries , his word cries , his ministers cries , conscience cries , all those that have known what the evil of sin means , cry to thee , unless thou wilt destroy thy self , undo thy self eternallie , stop in that way , for it is a dangerous desperate way thou goest in , the verie road way to the chambers of eternal death . as ever thou wouldest be willing god shall hear thy crie upon thy sick bed , in the anguish of thy soul ; thou wilt then crie , now lord have mercie upon a poor , wretched , sinful soul : thou wouldest be glad ( i say ) that the lord should hear thy crie upon thy sick bed and death bed : now then , as ever you would have god hear your crie , when you are in the greatest anguish of your souls upon your sick bed , and see death before you , be willing to hear the crie of god to your souls at this present : and know , if you do not hear the crie of god that cries to you , to stop you in sinful waies ; then these verie words i have spoken to you at this present , may come in your mind , when you crie for mercie ; and then you may think , oh wretch , now i crie to god for mercy , but do i not remember such a time ? was there not a loud crie in my ears and conscience , as from god , that i should stop in my sinful waies and courses ? and was not i then charged as in the name of god , and as ever i expected god should hear my crie in such a time , that i should hear his voyce ? oh it will be dreadful for you to hear such a voyce as this , because you would not hear me , therfore i will not hear you . therfore behold , i crie again in the name of god , stop , stop , turn thee ; oh sinful soul ; alas ! whether art thou going ? from god , from comfort , from life , from happiness , from all good whatsoever , thou art going ! i call heaven and earth to record , that these things that i have delivered to you concerning the evil of sin , are the truths of god , and have been the truths of god : and certainlie what i have delivered , and you read , concerning the evil of sin , it will come and rise up one day against everie sinful man and woman that doth go on in anie known way of sin ; and it will prove as scalding lead in thy conscience : everie truth thou hast heard , and everie chapter thou hast read , concerning the evil of sin , i say , if yet thou goest on in any one known way of sin , it will one day be as scalding lead in thy conscience ; the dropping of scalding lead in the eyes of a man , will not be more terrible to him , than the droppings in of these truths will be in thy conscience another day . now it will be a sad thing , my brethren , if god should send me amongst you by his providence , onlie to aggravate anie of your condemnations : god forbid , there should be this errent sent amongst you , that anie of his messengers should be sent for this end , to aggravate your condemnation : this is that which is the prayers of my soul , that this may not be the errent i am sent for , if possible ; not to seal the condemnation of anie one soul : but this i know , except there be great reformation among manie , certainlie the verie errand god intended in the conclusion ( though i do not say that is the primarie , and first end , but it is that which will prove so in the conclusion ) through the stubbornness of the hearts of sinners , that will prove the aggravation of their condemnation . wherefore yet let me labor with your souls ; who knows whether anie of you shall hear me preach anie one sermon more ? whether ever god will call after you any more ? to stop or turn in the waies of sin ? whether ever you shall hear the word more ? perhaps god will sear your conscience , and say to him that is filthie , let him be filthie ▪ god now speaks to you , and cries after you , if you harden your hearts now , it is more than angels or men know , whether ever you will have one crie more . therefore let me abide here ; tell me oh sinner what is it thou gettest in waies of sin that thou wilt dwel here ? what is it the world hath to draw thy heart from the strength of all these truths delivered in these sermons ? sure it must be some mightie thing when such truths as these , backed with arguments from scripture , strength of reason ( as all these be ) cannot restrain thee . sure it must be some wonderful thing , that must over ballance all these sermons , and all these things : what hast thou such a heart , that is set upon any sinful way , anie secret hant of sin , that thou findest such good in it ? that by it all these truths are over ballanced ? certainlie there is no such good in the world , if all creatures in the world should joyn together , to give some comfort to ballance these truths delivered concerning the evil of sin , all the creatures in heaven and earth could not give such things as would ballance it ▪ therefore certainlie thou art deceived ; the refore return , return , oh shulamite , return ▪ return . oh that the truths delivered in this point might be as that sudden amazing ●igh that came to saul , when he was going o● i● courses of sin , acts , . there was an amazing light came and stopt saul in his course . oh that god would cause the light of these glorious truths delivered concerning this argument , to be as an amazing light to thy soul , to stop you in the waies of sin. object . oh but you will say , we cannot stop , you put that upon our power , that god must do . answ . first , for that act ( i have told you ) what power god gives , though you have none of your own ; god gives power for the bare outward act ; and do not say you cannot do this ; you know what convincements you have had of that , therefore say no more you cannot : and though you cannot , yet god useth to convey power through the word , while god calls upon sinners to stop and mend , gods way is then to convey power : but in the mean time though there be no saving work of grace come in ; yet thus much by an ordinarie and common work of gods spirit may be done , god may cause a sinner to resolve whatsoever come of it , that way of sin i dwelt in , i will never meddle withal ; and so there may be a sequestration of the heart from sin , though not a full possession of gods spirit come into the soul . as thus , it is many times with god and the sinner , as with man and man ; a man in debt , and not able to pay , an ar●est comes on his goods , and there is a sequestration of the goods , but so as they are to lie in other mens hands ; so as though they , be not quite take ●…way from the debtor , yet they be out of his power , he can have no use of thē for the present , til the debt is paid ; but whosoever wil come & pay the debt , he shal have the goods . so w th the heart , when the siner comes to venture on christ for pardon of sin ; the sinner seeth i cannot over-rule my self , sanctifie my heart , overcome my lusts ; however , god sequesters the heart for the present so far from them , that i will not go on in these waies again , i will not follow that company again ; there is a forbearance of those acts of sin ; that though the heart could not sanctifie it self ; yet it lies thus before the lord , oh lord , do thou pardon , do thou come in , and oh , let christ pay the debt for my sin , and let him take possession of my heart , but in the mean time , satan shall not use it , as before ; and the waies of sin , those gross waies i will forbear , though i die for it : i will rather sit still all my daies and never stir off my seat , than go to such wicked companie ; and i will rather never open my mouth again , than swear , and speak so filthilie ; but oh lord , do thou discharge my soul , and take it to thy self : and then comes in a sanctifying work of god , to sanctifie the soul , and save it . but oh! that i might prevail thus far , that there might be but a sequestration of the soul from sin this day ; though sanctification come not in , though the holy ghost come not to rule in thy soul ; yet that there might be a sequestration , that the heart might come and lie down , and say , lord , come thou in , and take possession ; but for those delights and contents , i took in sin before ; i am resolved , though i perish for ever ; i will not go on in them hereafter . here would be a good stop in the waies of sin ; for a man that goes in a dangerous way , he must make a stop before he turns , and consider , oh lord , where am i ? and whether am i a going ? and is this my way ? and then he turns . now this i endeavor , if possible , to make a stop in sinful waies ; that you might consider , oh lord , where am i ? what am i a doing ? what will become of me ? oh! that you might go away with such thoughts in your bosoms . and then followes the next . chap. lxi . use , & . if there be so much evil in sin , than turn to christ , and bless god for christ . use x. to labor to drive your hearts to christ ; oh then flie to christ : here you have revealed to you that which one would think would terrifie the hearts of men and women , and make them flie to christ . one would think that revealed concerning the evil of sin , should make heaven ring with cries to god for christ ; oh! none but christ , none but christ ; what would become of all your souls , if it were not for jesus christ ? were it not for that glorious mediator sent to be a propisiation for sin , and to make an attonement to the father for sin. christ is set up as that brasen serpent , that al those stung in conscience with the venom and poison of sin , might look up to the brasen serpent , and be saved . is there anie soul , that by all i have said , of the evil of sin , finds it self stung with the poison of sin ? know christ is that brasen serpent that is set up for thee to look upon . if thou find sin , as the avenger of blood pursue thee , oh now run to christ . if thy heart burn , and scorch in the apprehensions of sin ; as the hart brays after the water brooks , so let thy heart bray after christ , there are cooling and refreshing waters : then indeed , shal that i have delivered , be useful for the souls of poor creatures . when the soul hath been before the lord , crying mightilie to heaven for pardon , and part in jesus christ , if so be after i have preached all these sermons , if god shall hear of souls , getting alone in their closets , and crying out , oh lord , i never understood what the meaning of sin was ; oh what a wretched creature have i been all my daies ? now lord , except thou have mercie in thy son , in the mediation of jesus christ , through his blood , his heart blood that was shed for sinners ; i am a lost and undone creature for ever : oh lord , that wch is done can never be undone ; oh lord , let me find favor in thy son , here i am , do with me whatsoever thou please , onlie a pardon ; a pardon in jesus christ , to deliver me from the guilt , and uncleaness of my sin . yea , now will god say here is somewhat done , when sinners cries come up to heaven ; what hath been doing in this congregation ? what is the matter you come crying for christ ? heretofore your hearts were never stirred after christ , what is the matter ? why stir you so ? who hath told you anie thing ? as god said to adam , when god called , and he hid himself , when he comes out , he saith , i was afraid because i was naked : saith god , who told you that you were naked ? so when poor souls cry to heaven for christ , god may say to the poor soul , why ? what is the matter ? who hath told thee any thing ? as christ said to the pharisees , who hath forwarned you to fly from the wrath to come ? so god will say , why ? what is the matter ? who told you this ? i hope some poor soul will have experience of this , when you go to pray for christ , and you shall pray after another manner than formerlie , when your prayers shall be , even cries to heaven ; when god shall say , why ? what is the matter ? why cry you more than before ? i hope some poor souls , can give a good account of it , and say , i see my self lost and undone without christ ; better be a dog , or a toad , or anie thing , than a man , if i have not christ ; because they are not capable of sin , and my heart is full of sin ; and i have heard the evil of it , and therefore oh give me christ or i am undone : oh! such a soul will be exceeding acceptable unto god. and therefore , to such a soul , i propound in the name of the lord , the doctrine of life , and salvation , and peace ; be it known therefore to you , god the father , looking upon the sinful children of men , and seeing them all in a perishing condition by sin , out of infinite bowels of tender compassion , he hath provided a glorious way of mediation , of propisiation for sin ; and to that end he hath sent his onlie beloved son , out of his bosom , that hath taken mans nature upon him , united in a personal union , to that end that he might be a fit mediator to stand between a provoked god and sinful souls ; and this christ hath born the full vials of the wrath of his father , the curse of the law due to sin ; satisfied infinite divine justice , made a full attonement between god and sinful man. onlie upon these terms now , he doth tender and offer to everie poor wearied distressed soul , al that his son hath purchased by his blood , all his merits , that they might be an attonement for thy sin , a propisiation for thy soul , to discharge all thy sin , that thou mightest come through him to stand acquited before the father for ever more . this is the sum of the gospel , and this i present and preach it , and offer it to you , and this not onlie to the least sinner , but to the greatest sinner in the world , this i present , as in the name of god , that is the message we have in the name of god to deliver unto you ; and now whatsoever your sins have been heretofore , god onlie requires that your souls should now stand admiring at the infinite riches of his grace in his son , and that your souls should be taken off from the creature , and sin , and live upon christ , surrender your souls to him , and cast your souls on that infinite rich grace of god in him , and upon that instant , every one of your sins , though never so great and hainous , yet i pronounce in the name of the lord , everie one of them is pardoned , and all done away , as if they had never been committed , this is the sum of the gospel unto those that come to see their sins , and be sensible of their need of christ by their sin. object . but you will say , this makes all you have done , but a little matter ; if sin may be done away thus , what need all this discovery of the evil of sin ? it is not so great an evil , if it may be thus wash't away ? answ . ah poor carnal heart , that speaks thus ! is this a light or little matter ? true , it is in a few words , in the end of a sermon ; but be it known to you , there is more in these words i have spake in this last half quarter of an hour , there is more of the glorie of god in them ; than in heaven and earth beside ; not because they come from me , but because i have spoken that which is the sum of the gospel ; and in truth , in one sentence of the gospel , there is more of the glorie of god , than in all heaven and earth besides . you must be convinced of this , and know it is so ; and if ever you come to be partakers of the good of the gospel , you will see it to be so . oh brethren ! in that i have said , there is the glorious mysterie of godliness ; great is the mysterie of godliness , god manifest in the flesh ; the great counsel of god , working from all eternitie , is in this , in the sum of the gospel . the greatest work that ever god did , was in sending his son , and in the offer of his son to sinners that their sins might be pardoned . therefore think it not a smal thing , and hear when i call upon sinners to come and cast their souls upon christ . it is one of the gloriousest works that ever was done , for a sinful soul to come and close with christ the mediator ; and if once you come in , your hearts will be so full of the glorie of god , that presentlie all the glorie of the creature will be darkned in your eyes , and you will be so filled with the glorie of god , that you wil come to see the filthiness of sin this way as much as in anie way . all the sermons i have delivered concerning the evil of sin , will not set out the filthiness of sin to you , as that glorie of god that your hearts will be filled withal , as soon as you come to close with god in this mysterie of the gospel . perhaps it is not so apparant to everie soul ; but wait a while , and there will more of the evil of sin be discovered in this , than in anie way . vse xi . and then the use that i shall make of it is this , if there be such evil in sin , then bless , bless god for christ ; blessed is that man and woman whose sin is pardoned , psalm . oh blessed is he whose sin is forgiven . certainly it is a blessed thing , that sin should be forgiven ; this requires a whol sermon by it self : i shall but name it now , because i shal ( it may be ) hereafter speak of this particularly , of the great blessedness of the pardon of sin , onlie take notice of it ; any that hath a comfortable assurance of their sin being pardoned , go away rejoycing , son , daughter , rejoyce , your sins are pardoned ▪ there is enough in that word to bring comfort and joy to your souls . chap. lxii . use . if there be so much evil in sin , then it is of great concernment to be religious betimes , and there by prevent much sin . use xii . again ; one use more . if there be such evil in sin , then it is of great use to begin to be godlie and religious betimes , for yong ones to come to be godlie betimes : why ? because they may come to prevent so much evil and so much sin. oh happie those that begin to be godlie when yong ; you prevent a thousand sins , that others commit by their not knowing sin betimes . true , if there were no other use of godliness , than meerlie to bring you to heaven , then you might stay till your sick and death beds , and then be religious , it were enough : but besides bringing you to heaven , there is use of godliness to keep you away from sin and ungodliness ; and there is enough in that to countervail anie pleasure : suppose you yong people abstain from some pleasure , or joy that others have ; the truth is , you have greater and better pleasures ; but suppose you had none but keeping of your souls from sin , this meerlie were enough to countervail whatsoever you suffer in the waies of god. there are manie converted when they were old , and what would these give for to be delivered from the guilt of some sins committed when they were yong ? when they look back to their lives , oh this sin i committed in such a familie , and when i was an apprentise in such a place ; oh that i were delivered from them ! oh they lie upon my heart ! oh that vanitie and wickedness ! oh those oaths i swore in such a companie , among yong men ! oh those sabbaths i brake ! oh those lyes i told , and the drunkennesse i was drawn to ! oh i cannot look back to these , but my thinks i could even tear my heart from my bellie , to think what a heart i had , to sin against god , and multiplie sin against him. thus at the best , when god awakens their hearts , they would give ten thousand worlds to be delivered from the sins of their youth : and therefore now , you yong ones , seeing there is such evil in sin , oh prevent it : you know how the sins of youth lay upon david , remember not against me the sins of my youth ; therefore now prevent those sins that otherwise will lie so heavilie upon you , as that you will be forced to crie out , oh remember not against me , the sins of my youth : oh it is a happie thing to see yong ones good ; and it is the greatest hope that god will shew mercie to england , in that god begins to draw yong ones on in the waies of godliness , so that we hope there will not be so manie sins committed in the age to come . we have cried out of the sins of yong ones ; and one generation that hath followed another , hath been but like the kennel , the lower and further it goeth , the more filth it hath gathered ; and so the lower generations have gone , the more filthie they have been . but we hope god intends to turn the course , and to make godliness as much honored , as it hath been dishonored heretofore , and that there should not be so much sin in the next generation . heretofore yong people when they had daies of recreation , what did they but multiplie sin ? what abundance of wickedness was committed by youth then ? and on shrove-tuesdaies , abundance of wickedness committed by youth then ; and so the generation was filled with sins of youth . but now god is pleased to stir up the hearts of yong ones , that instead of multiplying of sin , they be got together on such daies , to fast , and to pray , and make daies to attend upon the word , and so avoid sin : it is that certainlie , that doth encourage the hearts of gods people to pray to him , and to seek him for mercie , that god gives hearts to yong people that they multiplie not sin as heretofore . if there be anie here that have begun this , oh go on in that way , and when others multiplie wickedness upon such daies , get alone , and attend upon the word , and recreate your souls in the word , and holie conference : true , god gives libertie to recreate , but let it he as it was wont to be with the companies in london , though they did recreate , they would have their sermons too . so instead of horrible wickedness that was wont to be upon those daies , as i suppose some of you can remember ; upon shrove-tuesdaies infinite wickednesses was committed in the citie , and thereabouts : we hope instead of wickedness , and joyning together in wickedness , there will be joyning together in the waies of god : and thus doing , you wil encourage us in the waies of god ; and peace and mercie will be upon you . chap. lxiii . use . if there be so much evil in sin , then it s a fearful thing for any to be instrumental to draw others to sin . wee are now to finish that tractate about the greatness of the evil of sin : it hath been an argument that hath much encreased in our hands , like unto the bread , the loaves that christ did break unto the people , that in the verie breaking did multiplie ; and so hath this argument done : but we are now to put a period to it . manie uses you know hath been made alreadie , as corollaries and consequences , from that great doctrine of the evil of sin , that sin is a greater evil than affliction : the last day the especial aim and intention of the application was , therefore to drive sinners to jesus christ , seeing there is so much evil in sin more than in all affliction : oh what need have we ( who are such great sinners ) of jesus christ , that is the propisiation for sin ? i have only one note to ad further on that , and we shall proceed ; it is an excellent expression i find in luther , saith he , there is a great deal of difference between the consequencia legis , and consequencia evangelii . there is a consequence of the law , and that is this , thou hast sinned , and therefore thou must be damned : but the consequence of the gospel is this , thou hast sinned , therefore go to jesus christ ; that is the argument the gospel uses from sin. but passing by all we have said concerning that use , we proceed to further applications that are behind . four or five uses we are to speak of , and then we shall have done with the point : i will be brief upon the first two or three , and the two last we shall stick most upon . vse xiii . if there be such evil in sin as you have heard , hence then it is a fearful thing for any one to be instrumental to draw others to sin . all that hath been said in the opening of the evil of sin , must needs speak very terribly unto all that ever have been any way instruments to draw others to sin in all their lives . now , oh that god would speak to every man and womans conscience in this congregation , that are conscious to themselves , that ever they have been any cause to draw others to sin : is there not one whose conscience presently at the naming of this use doth even tell you , well , now god speaks to me , for certainlie there hath been some that i have drawn to sin , that i have been a means to further sin in . if any one of you have ever been a means , by counsel , or advise , by approbation , by perswasion , by encouragement , by abetting of any , by joyning with any in anie sinful course to draw them to sin ; know , that god speaks to you . first , god tells you this ; that if you had been born to do mischief , you could not do a greater mischief than this is ; if you had been the means to undo men and women in their outward estate , it had been nothing so much ; but thou hast what in thee lies , been a means to undo an immortal soul ; yea ; and to cause them to sin against the infinite god ; so that thou art guiltie of everie sin thou hast been a means to draw others to , and thou art worse than those that have sinned ; for thy act in drawing them to it , is a dreadful evil , and then that which they have done is thine too : hast not thou sins of thine own enough to answer for before the lord , but thou must have the sins of another also ? dost thou know what thou hast done , in enticing others to sin ? either to uncleanness , drunkenness , to companie keeping , and breach of the sabbath , and other sins : perhaps thou hast brought them to pilfering and purloining , and many other particulars , and other waies that might he named ; for indeed if we should enlarge our selves in this point , it might well require a whol treatise , but we must contract our thoughts . it may be there are some in this congregation , that have been a means to draw others to sin , and they be now in hell at this instant for that sin thou wert a cause of . what a sad thing is this for any man or woman , to have this to lay to heart ; i know i have drawn such and such to sin , i have been a means ( at least ) to further sin in them ; well , they be dead and gone , and they manifested no repentance before they died , and therfore for ought i know , yea , it is much to be feared that they be now in hell , and now a tormenting for that verie sin i was the cause of , and if the lord gives me wages according to my works , i must thither to them : what ? shall they be in ▪ hell for the sins i brought them to , and shall i escape ? is it anie way likelie and probable , but that i must follow , when as they be there for the sins i brought them to ? what shall the accessarie be condemned and executed , and shal not the principal ? i am the principal , and the other is but the accessarie . certainly there had need be a mightie work of humiliation , for thou art in exceeding danger that art the cause of bringing anie other to sin , for it is that must needs lie exceeding heavie upon the soul of anie man and woman ; if god never give you a sight of this great evil ; certainlie you perish : but suppose god do give you the sight of so great an evil , and you begin to be humbled ; oh this very meditation wil cause your humiliation to be full of bitterness , and will cause it to be very hard for you to lay hold upon mercie and pardon ; when you shall think thus , ah were it for my own sins only i were to answer for , i might have greater hope ; but there be others sins i drew them into , and they be condemned perhaps , and in hel , and how shall i escape condemnation my self ? i do not say that there is an impossibilitie of pardon , for the grace of god is infinite ; and were it not infinite , it were impossible for such a soul to perish , and thou ( that art the cause of it ) come to be saved : i say , there is a possibilitie , but it is as if it were through the fire , if ever thou escape ; do but thou consider , if it should be , that thou shouldest die in impenitencie also , as the other did , and that thou didest go to hell , when you two should meet at the day of judgment , and he should see thee , the cause that drew him to sin , oh what a grief it would be to thee , how would he curse thee and the time that ever he saw thy face ? that ever he lived in that familie where thou livedst ? it may be some parents have been a means to draw by counsel and advice , the child to sin ; oh the child when he sees his parent at the day of judgment ; how will he curse the time that ever he came from such loyns ? and such a womans womb ? oh that rather he had been the off-spring of a dragon , and the generation of a viper , than from the loyns of such a man and woman ; you encouraged me to such and such waies of sin , to opposition , and hatred , and speaking evil against the people of god , the servants of god that were strict in their way ; and now you and i must perish eternally : sure in hell they will be readie to cast fire-brands in one anothers faces that have been the cause of sin in one another in this world : and so husband and wife , that lie in one anothers bosoms , if they be the cause of any sin in one another , it may cause woful terror to them , and appear worse than if a serpent had lay in their bosom ; for those that draw others to sin , do worse mischief than any serpent or viper in the world can do . you had need look to it betimes ( i shall wind it up with this one note ) whosoever hath been the cause to draw others to commit any sin ; know this , that the least that can be required , if god do give thee a sight of thy sin , and to be humbled for it , if thou doest go away out of the presence of god , as having an arrow darted into thy bosom for this , then i say , go away with this one note : you be bound to make some restitution in a spiritual way as much as you can . for this you know ( i shewed before ) in a mans temporal estate when you have wronged , you must make restitution ; if you will have mercie , you must make up the wrong as you are able : much more here , when you have wronged any in their souls ; a soul wrong calls for spiritual restitution , as well as body wrong , or estate wrong , calls for a bodilie , or estate restitution . quest . what do you mean ( will you say ) by this spiritual restitution ? answ . this i mean , that if those be alive that thou hast drawn to sin , thou art bound to this part of restitution ; that is , to go to them and to undo what possibly thou canst what thou hast done ; and now to tell them of the evil of that sin , and to do them all the good for their souls that possibly thou canst : now to shew to them , how god hath convinced thee , and what the work of god hath been upon thee , and how heavie and dreadful sin hath been made to thee , and to beseech them for the lords sake , to look to themselves , and to consider of their estates , and to repent of that their sin , that you were the cause to bring them to : and so , if there be anie means in the world wherbie thou canst do good unto their souls , thou art bound to do it ; yea , to them , their children , their friends , as you are bound to make restitution unto the next friends and heirs of those that you have wronged in their goods , if the partie wronged be dead . so if those should be dead thou hast drawn to sin , suppose when thou wast yong , thou drewest such a man to drunkenness , adulterie , or the like , and they be dead and gone ; thou art bound to do good to the souls of their children : for know , according to the nature of the wrong , must the restitution be ; one text is observable for this , to shew that according to the nature of the wrong must the restitution be to the utmost that can be , exod. . . if a man shall cause a field , or vinyard to be eaten , and shall put in his beast , and shall feed in another mans field : of the best of his own field , and of the best of his own vinyard shall he make restitution . this is the scope of the holy ghost in this text of scripture , that if anie one shall wrong another in his vinyard , or his field , he shall make restitution : ( and mark what the text saith ) not in anie slight manner , but of the best of his field , and vinyard : he must not say , i warrant my cattel did not do any hurt , but eat a little of the worst , and i will make restitution of the worst ; no , but must make restitution of the best of his field and vinyard : he must not think to get off with a barren peice of ground , but with the best must he make restitution . this shews what a full restitution god will have . so then if a man hath wronged his neighbor in his vineyard , t is not enough for him to say , i will make restitution in my barren ground ; no , but out of his vinyard must he make restitution ; so if he have wronged his neighbor in his field , he must not go and say , i will give a part of the common , but of the best of his field must he make restitution ; so if he have wronged another in his estate ; he must give of his estate : and if the wrong be to the soul , the restitution must be to the soul ; according to the wrong must be the restitution : and i beseech you be convinced of this , all the sorrow in the world is not sufficient , without you make restitution ; this is so cleer out of the word , and even by the light of nature and of conscience , that they may easilie convince themselves , whosoever doubts of the thing ; nothing in religion more cleer than this is , therefore restitution is required by god of thee , as ever thou wilt expect to find mercie . this argument ( if god be pleased to set it home ) will make many men and women , who when they were yong , were ring leaders to wickedness to others , oh how forward would they be to good now , they would be ring-leaders to good to others now . i pronounce it as in the name of god , you can have no assurance of the truth of repentance , except there be some indeavor in some degree to be as forward for god , now as thou hast been in the waies of sin before , if you have been ring-leaders to the sin of sabbath breaking , you must be ring-leaders to draw others to keep the sabbath ; and if you have been ring-leaders to ungodlinesse , you must be forward to draw others to godlinesse . oh take heed of this , it is a woful thing to draw others to sin , seeing there is so much evil in sin as there is . chap. lxiv . use . if there be so much evil in sin , than there ought to be no pleading for sin . use xiv . if there be so much evil in sin as you have heard , hence then surely there ought to be no pleading for sin ; there is too much evil in it for any one in the world to plead for it ; to make any excuse , or any plea for it : as if there be a notorious wicked house where there is much evil done in it , we account it a great disgrace for any to plead for it : if it be in question , and any justice of peace plead for wicked ale-houses it is a blot to him . if there were no sin committed in it , it were not much ; but if it be a notorious house for sin , to plead for it , is accounted a great blot . and now you that have heard of the great evil of sin , will you ever open your mouths to deminish and excuse sin ? and yet how ordinarie is this in the world ? some go to evil wicked company , and when they spend their times in drinking ; plead , why ? they must have recreation ? i pray , what work do they tire themselves withal that needs so much recreation ? what service do they do for god wherein they spend their spirits ? and the strength of their souls in serving god , that they need so much refreshing ? and so when they spend whole daies in drinking and eating , why ? they do but rejoice in the use of the creature ; and may they not keep companie with such men that be honest men ? and so anie kind of sin , wicked ribaldry talking , is but mirth ; and notorious covetousnesse , but providing for their familie ; and horrible pride , but handsomnesse ; somwhat they will have to say , pleas and excuses for almost anie sin . certainlie brethren , if we understood the nature of sin , we would say as jerubael , let baal plead for himself : so let sin plead for it self ; never be heard to open thy mouth to plead for sin in others , excuse it in others ; much lesse in thy self . those that be so full of excuses and pleas for sin , it is an evident argument god never discovered the evil of sin yet to them ; never caused the weight and burthen of sin to lie upon their conscience , nor what we have mentioned of the evil of it . oh! know thou hast to deal with the infinite god , it is a matter of thy soul and eternal estate ; and think not to put it off with vain pleas and excuses ; but set thy self in the presence of the eternal infinite god. indeed if you have to deal with your mothers , or friends , you may put them off with excuses for sin ; but if you would set your selves as in the presence of god , and there set sin before your eyes , you would not so easilie put it off with excuses , as you do . chap. lxv . use . if there be so much evil in sin , then of all jvdgements , spiritual judgements are the greatest . use xv. if there be so much evil in sin as hath been delivered , then above all judgements spiritual judgements are the greatest . oh! what a dreadful thing then is it for god to give men or women up to sin , this is the most fearful judgement that can befal anie man or woman in the world , except god should send them quick down to hell . yea , it may be , if god should send them quick down to hell , and cause hells mouth to open presentlie , it would not be so great a judgement as to give them up to sin . and yet this the scripture speaks of ; much of gods wrath burning this way ; god hardened the heart of pharaoh , god gives up to a reprobate sence ; he that wil be filthie , let him be filthie still ; he gives men up to their own counsels : i might shew you divers texts of scripture for this , but there are two things in this point , that requires large discusion . how can god that is so infinitly good , have a hand in sin , that have so much evil in it ? we must clear god , that he is not the cause of sin in anie , but to shew how far god hath a hand in sin , this would require a long time to open , which i cannot now do . to shew how much dreadfulnesse there is in this miserie to be given up to sin ; to open to you the dreadfulnesse of spiritual judgements will require a long time also : therefore because i have resolved to make an end of this at this time , therefore i must reserve these two things to larger discusion . only thus for the present upon what hath been said , let this be the prayer of everie one of you ; oh lord , whatsoever judgement thou sendest upon us , deliver us not up to spiritual judgments ; lord , give us not up to sin ; do not punish sin with sin ; rather punish sin with anie affliction than with sin : when god doth come to punish sin with sin , the condition of that man or woman is a very dreadful condition , because there is so much evil in sin. chap. lxvi . use . if there be more evil in sin than in affliction , then when sin and affliction meet , they make a man most miserable . now we come to the two last uses ; we must insist a little longer upon them : especially the last , as having several branches . vse xvi . therefore if there be more evil in sin than in affliction ; hence , what a miserable condition be those in , that have both these evils upon them , and that in a high degree . that affliction doth make a man in a very sad and miserable condition , that sence teacheth men and women ; every one doth account those men and women that are under great afflictions to be under great miseries : well , but now you have heard in these many sermons , how that there is another evil , greater than all afflictions . now then , what if both these evils come together , and concur both together to make a man miserable ? then he is a miserable man every way . then he is a miserable man to sence and reason of men , to the judgment of the world ; and then he is a miserable man in the judgement of the holy ghost too ; in the judgment of god , and the saints , in the judgment of the word : when both shall come and joyn together to make a man to be miserable , sure these be miserable persons indeed . if a child of god see a man in affliction , he will not presently judg him miserable , because he doth not know ; it may be he is godlie , if he be godlie , he is not miserable , though he be afflicted ; but the world presently judges him miserable , because afflicted : on the other side , the world judges him not miserable though he be sinful , if he be not afflicted : on the one hand , the godlie man judges that man in affliction , not miserable , if not sinful ; on the other hand , the world judges that man not miserable that is not afflicted , though he be sinful . but now when both these be together in one man , as a sinful man , so an afflicted man in a high degree ; this all judg miserie . and what a companie of most miserable wretches have we in this world ? how manie in woful straits and extremities , for the bodie ? in their estates , for want of bread , for want of cloaths , in want of house , in want of fire , in want of all necessaries that can be ; their bodies diseased , full of pains , their bodies deformed , their very parts of nature exceeding loathsom , unfit for service every way , in all outward appearance , for their outward estates extreamly miserable ; and yet together with this extreamly wicked also , extreamly sinful : go into their houses , there is nothing but beggerie , and miserie there , and there is as much wickedness and iniquitie , as beggerie and miserie : it may be these poor creatures thus miserable , their hearts be full of atheism , live without a god in the world , know not god , know not christ , know nothing of their immortal souls , know nothing of another life , live just like bruit creatures , in all filthie uncleannesse ; it may be suffer for their wickedness before men , are whip't , put in the stocks , or cage , lie in dark dungeons , in cold , nakedness , and hunger , and all for their sin and wickedness : what woful creatures are these , and how many hundreds , nay thousands , have you of this kind of creatures in this stepney , that are such objects of pittie , that me thinks should make all your hearts bleed when you consider them , and how many you have of them in this place : were it , i confess , that the charge of souls in this place should lie upon me , i should think i had work enough to do with such poor creatures as these ; if i should live methuselah's daies , and should make everie day to be more hours than twenty four ; yet work enough for all my time ; i should think i had little time for any refreshment any other way ; knowing how many poor souls are in such a condition that perhaps are not onlie outwardlie miserable , and inwardlie poor ; but their outward miserie , encreaseth by their inward miserie , the one encreaseth the other : as it is a great evil for sin to bring affliction ; so a great evil for affliction to encrease sin as their affliction doth ; there affliction puts them upon swearing , lying , prophanness , cozening , keeps them from sanctifying the sabbath , seldom come in the congregation : i perswade my self , there be thousands belonging to this place , scarce ever heard sermon in this place , scarce know whether christ be man or woman , scarce know any more than if they had lived among the turks ; and yet these poor creatures live miserable lives every way for their bodies : alas , i suppose there be very few of these i preach to now , that be hearers of me now ; perhaps god may have some love to some poor creatures that may come creeping into the congregation , that may hear me : this exercise was intended for such poor that might come in the morning , for many of the richer sort had rather take their ease , and give them room enough ; they might supply the want of their room , and yet how few of them come here : they , it may be , are at home ( many of them ) mending their cloaths , or perhaps at some worse exercise on the sabbath ; and thus have neither god , nor the world ; are miserable here , and like to be eternally miserable . if there had been given to this place by the parliament , or any other , so much , as that everie sabbath day morning , sixpence a piece should have been given by way of dole ; nay , if it had been but a twopenny dole , we should have had abundance ; whereas now scarce any once come : and as , not many mightie , not many rich or noble come , so not many very poor , and outwardly miserable come . me thinks when any of you look upon their condition , you should have your hearts raised to bless god that hath made a difference between you and them : and when you be crost in your families , think with your selves , why should i be discontented because i have this or that cross ? doth not god make my condition a thousand times better than many hundreds that live neer to me ? do not i everie day , nay every hour almost in the street , see hundreds of people , i would be loth to change conditions withal ? and who hath made the difference ? who hath put a difference between you and them ? you that have estates , and comfortable yoke-fellows , and children about you , that have your tables spread , and houses furnish't , and lodging , and good friends , and god hath made known himself , and given his ordinances unto you , and hopes of eternal life ; oh what a difference is between you , and such wretched creatures as these are ? and yet there are many of such poor creatures thus afflicted , that ( may be ) look upon themselves , and do acknowledg they be miserable creatures in regard of affliction , but never think themselves miserable in regard of sin , they understand not that miserie . but now i speak to you who have heard these sermons of the evil of sin , or read them , i hope by this time you come to understand what a deal of evil there is in sin , that so you may put both together , woful affliction , and sin. if there be anie here account themselves miserable by affliction , as i suppose ( though you be not in that extremitie of povertie that others are , yet ) many think themselves miserable by affliction , that little think your selves miserable by sin all this while : nay , some may be have thought themselves so miserable by affliction that you have made out and measured gods intentions of good to you hereafter by that ; you have your hell here for the present , and therefore think you shall have heaven hereafter . this is the great argument many men and women have , because they have a hell here , therefore they shall have heaven hereafter . but be it known unto thee , if together with thine affliction thou still remainest sinful and wicked , thou maiest have a hell here ; and a hell eternal hereafter also . mark what is said of sodom , unclean and filthy sodom who lived in all manner of filthiness like bruit beasts ; it is said of them in the epistle of jude , ver . . even as sodom and gomorah , and the cities , about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication , and going after strange flesh , are set forth for an example , suffering the vengeance of eternal fire . mark , sodom suffered the vengeance of eternal fire , and yet sodom suffered the vengeance of present fire ; there came fire in this world , and brimstoue , and consumed them for uncleannesse who burned in lust ; and yet for all the fire and brimstone upon them in this world , the holy ghost saith , that they suffered the vengeance of eternal fire ; they were sent down from fire in this world , to eternal fire in that world to come so certainly , many people be sent from misery in this world to eternal misery ; and all the miseries on them in this world , be but the beginnings of misery , but as the per-boyling of flesh to the roasting hereafter ; they have a little heat of misery here , but 't is but as the per-boyling to the roasting in hell hereafter . know therefore , all those that are miserable here , and sinful , and wicked ; let them know , the justice of god is an infinite stream , and there is never a whit the less to run because of al that hath run before , but his hand is stretched out still ; as in isa . . . after god had spoken of dreadful wrath against his people , saith he , therefore is the anger of the lord kindled against his people , and he hath stretched out his hand against them , and smitten them , and the hills did tremble , and their carkasses were torn in the midst of the street ; for all this his anger is not turned away , but his hand is stretched out still . mark , gods wrath is so terrible , that hills and mountains tremble at it : we hope now , we that endured so much shall endure no more ; mark what he saith next , for all this , his anger is not turned away , but his hand is stretched out still : so though god have manifested some displeasure , or brought woful miserie upon thy body , estate , or name , and yet thy heart not brought to the true work of repentance ; for all this , the hand of god is stretched out still , and eternally against thee , if so be thou return not from sin . for thee to think there will be an end at last , because thou hast endured hard things , is just like the fool i have read of , one that sate by a running stream , a river , and he would have gone over , but he thought he could not yet ; but there had a great deel of water run away , and he saw it still running apace , and so sate still , hoping it would have done running before night , nay saith he , it hath run a great deal , at last i hope it will be dry , and never considered it was fed by the fountain , and was a running stream : such is the folly of many people that think because that they suffer somewhat now , ere long they shall suffer no more : doest thou not know gods wrath is a continual stream , fed from an eternal fountain ? some reason thus , because i prosper , therefore i hope god loves me : and others reason thus , because i am afflicted , i hope he loves me : but both these reasons will certainly deceive thee . oh that i had here many of these people to speak to , i would enlarge my self much to them , for my soul even bleeds over them : oh consider , thou that art under great afflictions ( if god have brought any such poor creature to this exercise ) consider you are under great and sore afflictions , and sensible of them ; oh if thou wert but delivered from sin and wickedness , the greater part of thy misery by far , were gone and over : what wouldest thou do to deliver thy self from misery ? thou art in woful poverty , and in painful diseases , and grievous extremities ; oh if one should come to help thee , he would be a good master that could but deliver thee from thy woful pain , and thy miserable poverty and extremity . we know , if god do but give a heart to turn from sin , the greatest of thy misery were gone , and thou wilt presently be in a better condition than the greatest emperor , or monarch , or prince in the world , in a sinful condition . i would but put this to any of those poor sinful creatures , sensible enough of their misery by affliction ; suppose thou wert quite delivered from outward miserie , and thou hadest an estate given thee to live bravely , and in as great pomp as any gentleman or knight ; so that thou that wert in great beggery and misery , now comest to live like a man of fashion : wouldest not thou think it a woful evil for thee , upon a sudden to be put in the same beggery thou wert in before , in rags , and beggest for a farthing ? if now thy estate be changed , and thou ridest in thy coach , and hast all thy heart can dedesire , wouldest not thou account it a woful condition to be presently put in that woful beggery and penury thou wert in before ? this would sink thy heart . know , the commission of any one sin , is a greater misery than if there should be such a change of thy estate ; if god should give thee a heart to turn from thy sin , perhaps thine affliction might be taken away , for it 's a punishment for sin ; and as you know david saith , i have been yong , and now am old , yet never saw i the righteous forsaken , and his seed begging their bread . and truly that he hath said , i verily beleeve most of you may say , that in all your lives you never saw one , that you had good evidence of , to be truly godly and gracious , to go up and down as our common beggers in that woful perplexity . i do not say but godly righteous men may be in want and in need , but for my part i never knew any godly and righteous , but one way or other , god stirred up some to releive them : or if they have been forced to seek relief of some , they have gone and made known their condition to others their neighbors , and so they have commended them to others , and those to others , and so they are commended from one to another , that either know them , or by the recommendation of them that do know them , and so are releived . but to go in such an extravagant way , from door to door a begging their bread , i hardly think you can give example of any godly have been so : and if god would but turn the heart of some poor , wretched , miserable creature , so that there might appear godlinesse in them , god would provide for them . it s true , though there be not godlinesse , we should not let them perish , god forbid ; let them not want that which is absolutely necessary , let them not starve ; yet the scripture saith , let them that will not work , not eat ; let not us do more than the scripture commands , to give liberty in such waies as increaseth sin ; and let not us nourish that which nourisheth sin ; but inquire after them that be godly , and releive them : and if poor people would depend upon god in his wayes , he would provide for them . and know if thy afflictions should not be taken away , if thy sin were gone , thou wouldest be far more able to bear thy affliction : for a man that hath a sore shoulder cannot bear a burthen , but if the sorenesse be gone , he can bear it the better : so thy affliction would not be so heavy , if thou wert godly , as it is now ; nay , it would be sanctified to thee , and thon wouldest bear them the better . i confesse , this is hard to convince them that be ignorant of god & the nature of grace ; but certainly there is a truth in these things ; therefore though it be rare for god to come in with his saving grace into the heart of such that be miserably afflicted ; though it is true , their affliction doth not hinder , for were it not for their wickednesse , they might be happy ; i would not make their affliction greater than it is , they might be happy were it not for their wickednesse : but we see it so rare , because their education is such , there is no good principle in them , and nothing to work upon in them ; being bred up in atheism , therefore it is very rare . but because it is so rare , so much the greater will gods grace be , if god have some of these poor creatures in this congregation at this present , and speak to their hearts ; how much more rare would it be because it is not often seen ? what if god pass by great , rich men , noble men , princes , and shall look into thy cottage , and on thy miserable estate , and convert thy soul , and shew mercie to thee : what! for god to set his heart upon thee ! and give the blood of his son for thee ! and to make thee an heir with jesus christ ! give thee an inheritance in the kingdom of glory , and in life ! to make thee come and reign with him eternally ! oh the infiniteness of gods grace , that ever god should set his heart upon such a poor creature as thou art ! therfore go away with these thoughts ; oh wretched creature , how have i lived without god in the world , and look't for nothing but a little bread and drink , and thought my self happy if i could but get this ; and thus lived miserably here , and i confess have thought my self a miserable wretch all this while ; but god hath told me this at this present , there is a worse evil than all this ; the evil of sin i have been full of all my life ; and put both together , how miserable are we ? and therefore the lord be merciful to me : if god strike thy heart , know , thy soul is as precious in gods eyes as the richest man in the world , as king or prince ; the greatest noble man 's in the land is not more precious in gods eyes than thine : yea , and the ministers of the gospel be sent by god to preach jesus christ to thee , as well as to preach to the richest and greatest in the world ; christ came to shed his blood for thee , as wel as for the greatest in the world ; and the kingdom of heaven is opened as wide to thee as to the greatest and richest ; though 't is true , thou canst not deliver thy self from outward affliction , yet thou maist deliver thy soul from hell as well as the greatest in the world : therefore be not miserable here , and miserable hereafter , but look after god , and christ , and eternal life ; though thou beest not like to be great here , yet who knows but that thou maiest be crowned with glory eternally hereafter ? there is fulness of mercy in god. poor creatures , if they see a coach come , if they think a gentleman be there , or a noble man , how they run , and cry out , oh good my lord , or your worship , and lift up their voyces for alms : if an ordinary man come , they will desire relief , and beseech them for a halfpenny or a farthing : but if a rich and a great man pass by , then they cry and lift up their voyces ; why ? because they think there is more to be had . oh know , there is fulness of riches and grace in god , to turn thy misery to eternal felicity ; there is mercy enough in god to raise thee from thy low , weak , miserable estate , to the height of glory and happiness : and if god cause his word to prevail with thy soul , thou maiest go away with the best dole that ever thou hadest in all thy life . and thus much i thought to speak to those poor people that were both sinful , miserable , and afflicted . chap. lxvii . use being of reprehension to six sorts of people . first , it reprehends those that are more afraid of affliction than sin. secondly , it reprehendeth those that are careful to keep themselves from sin , but it 's meerly for fear of affliction . for this may be without change of nature . thy obedience is forced . thou art not unbottomed from thy self . thou art not like to hold out . also two answers to an objection of those that think they avoid sin for fear of hell : . thy sensitive part may be most stirr'd by fear ; but yet thy rational part may be most carried against sin as sin . . those that avoid sin meerly for fear , never come to love the command that forbid the sin . they are willingly ignorant of many sins . . those that avoid sin , and not out of fear ; even when they fear , god will destroy them ; then they desire god may be glorified . . those that avoid sin out of fear , do not see the excellency of godliness , so as to be inamored with it . thirdly , it reprehends those that will sin to avoid affliction . fourthly , it rebukes such , as when they are under affliction , they be more sensible of affliction than of sin . also there is five discoveries whether mens affliction or sin trouble them . fifthly , it reprehends those that get out of affliction by sinful courses , and yet think they do well . sixthly , it reprehends those that after deliverance from affliction , can bless themselves in their sins . use xvii . come we now to the last thing . the last use is this ( i wil but shew what might have been said , and so wind up all ) there are six sorts of people , that from this point are reprehended . you shall see all naturally follow from the point in hand , that there is greater evil in sin than in affliction . first , such kind of people as be more afraid of affliction than of sin . there be many people very ●hy of affliction and solicitous to prevent affliction , but not to prevent sin. many reason thus , i had need be a good husband , and lay up somwhat , i know not what i may meet withal before i die , i may want before i die : many are penurious and covetous , and will not enlarge themselves to good uses when god calls , because they be afraid they and their children may want before they die ; who knows what we may meet withal ? and thus they are careful to prevent affliction . but for sin , they do not lay up to prevent that ; whereas we should be very solicitous , least we should be drawn into temptation , and therefore we are taught to pray , lead us not into temptation , as well as , forgive us our trespasses : true , god keeps me from such and such sins , but what if god should leave me to temptation ? what a wretched creature should i be if ever this corrupt heart of mine should prevail against me ? as i have cause to fear , i find such wickedness boyling and bubling up , and such pronenesse to such and such sin ; if the lord be not infinitely merciful to me i shall break out to the dishonor of his name , scandal of religion , and wounding of my conscience ; and this god knows causes the most solicitous care that i ever had , least my heart should break out against god , to the scandal of that holy profession i have taken upon me . oh is it thus with you ? oh this were a happy thing indeed as when men hear of one that is broke , they wil inquire what is the reason ; he had such an estate , what is the reason he broke ? one ( may be ) saith , he trusted servants too much , and that caused him to break ; oh this will cause him to look so to it , that he will never trust his servants too much : another ( may be ) saith , because he lived above his means ; and this makes him that he will not live above his means : and another , he will have his country house , and his servants riot at home when he is abroad : and another , he trusted too much , and such like reasons : now we will be wise to take heed of that which brings others to afflictions . so it should be with us when we see any fall into sin ; professors that made a shew of religion , and afterwards fall foully , inquire now , what is the matter this man broke ? he broke his conscience , what is the matter ? one that had such admirable gifts , and made such a profession ; oh may be all the time he had a proud heart ; therefore i will keep my heart humble : oh he had excellent gifts , and enlargements in prayer ; but he had a slight vain spirit ; oh let me take heed of this root of bit ternesse in my soul : he is broke now , but what is the matter ? oh he began to be sluggish and cold in closet work , and such duties in his family ; oh let me take heed , and keep up communion with god in secret in my closet , and in my family : he broke indeed , but how ? oh some secret sin he kept in his bosom , there was some secret sin he let his heart hanker after , and now god hath left him to it ; now by gods grace i will look to my self , i will by the grace of god take heed of secret sins . thus brethren , if we were sensible of the evil of sin , we would be thus careful to prevent the evil of sin , as well as the evil of affliction . and so many , for their children , oh they will be providing for their children , that they may live like men , and have somwhat to take to : but if you were apprehensive of the evil of sin , you would provid for their souls as well as their bodies ; and therefore , oh let me put him in a good family , and there he may learn to prevent sin . this is the first , to reprove those that labor to prevent affliction , but not sin. secondly , it serves to reprove those that be careful to keep themselves from sin , but 't is meerly for fear of affliction , only upon that ground : as if there were not evil enough in sin it self , but all the evil were in affliction . certainly these men and women understand not this , that there is more evil in sin , than in affliction ; if thou didest understand , and wert sensible of this point i have treated upon , thou wouldest find arguments enough from sin it self to keep thee from sin , though no affliction should follow . thou abstainest from sin , what is the reason ? not because of any great evil thou seest in sin , but because of affliction ; thy conscience tells thee it will bring thee to trouble , and into affliction , and this keeps away sin : 't is true , it is good for men and women to avoid sin upon any terms , and this is one motive god propounds to avoid sin by , but this is not all or the chief motive ; because of affliction , and trouble , conscience tells thee , god will be even with thee , and the wrath of god pursues thee : very few come so far , to have such apprehensions of the evil consequences of sin , and to avoid sin upon them grounds : but you should labor , not only to avoid sin from the evil consequences of sin , but for the evil of sin it self ; for if thou avoid sin only from the evil consequences of sin : know , this may be without change of nature ; a man or a woman may be in such an estate , as they may not dare to commit some sin out of fear of trouble that may follow , and yet not his nature changed : as a wolf chained up , may be the same that he was before he was chained up ; his nature is not changed . if meerly for fear of trouble thou forbearest sin ; then know , thy service and obedience is forced service and obedience , and so not accepted when meerly forced . if thou avoid sin meerly for fear of affliction , then thou art not yet unbottomed off from thy self , not quite taken off from thy self . if thou avoid sin meerly to prevent affliction , then thou art not like to hold out ; that is a principle in nature , nothing is perpetual that is violent ; and this is violent , to avoid sin meerly for fear of affliction : such men and women will not hold out , if there be no other principle than this , they will fall off at last , they will abate at last , and so they will come to fall off . but you will say , oh lord , this is my condition ; i am afraid . there are i suppose many in this congregation may , and do apply these things , and it strikes to their hearts to think , lord , then i am afraid i have no grace at all ; for it is true , i have avoided sin , and have not gone on in the same sins others have done ; but for my own part , for ought i know , meerly out of fear of hell and affliction , and trouble that will follow , rather than from any other evil in sin : what is there no grace in me that avoid sin for fear of affliction ? for the helping of them that apply it otherwise than it should be , to conclude there is no grace at all . therefore , know , that though the sensitive part may not be so much stirred from the beholding the evil of sin , as of affliction , yet the rational part may more work against sin as sin , than from affliction that follows . how will this follow ( will you say ) that the rational part is not ordered by the sensitive ? thus : if i put my finger in the fire , there will be more pain to sence , than if i endured that which is a hundred times worse : as , suppose a prince should lose his kingdom , that is a greater evil than to have his finger a little burnt ; yet there would be more to sence for the instant , than can be in the other : but if he come to the rational part , to chuse which he will take , he will rather take that which is most painful for the present . so the troubled soul , though to sence it find more from the fear of evil ; but if it were put to its choice , he will chuse any affliction rather than sin ; so that the rational part fears its sin more than its affliction : for if it were thus , that it might have its choice , that it might commit such a sin without any affliction , or such an affliction without sin ; which will you take ? certainly that soul in the rational part , will chuse the affliction without sin , rather than the sin without the affliction . but yet i have here more to say to such , to satisfie the consciences of those that are troubled , and that say they be afraid that they avoid sin from fear of affliction : to see if there may not yet be grace . know therefore , that man or woman that avoids sin meerly from fear of affliction , though he avoids the sin , he never comes to love the command that forbids that sin ; but is weary of gods command : but now a soul that doth not only avoid sin through fear , but withal hath a love to that command that binds his spirit also : if thou find it thus , that thou hast a love to that command that forbids that sin that thou doest avoid ; certainly thou doest not avoid it meerly from fear of affliction . those that avoid sin meerly from fear of affliction , they do not commit sin because they dare not ; but in the mean time would be glad if there were no command against it . as it was the speech of one that cried out , oh that god had never made the seventh commandement : he had an inlightened conscience , but a filthy heart ; but conscience now stood in his way , he hates therefore the command that forbid that sin ; oh that that command had never been made , saith he . so those that meerly refrain sin from fear of trouble and hell , though they keep from the sin , yet they never love the command that forbids sin : but if thy heartclose with the command , and saith it is good , holy , and righteous , and blessed be god for this holy law ; peace be to thy soul : it is not thy case to avoid sin for fear of affliction , but for sin it self . to satisfie those consciences : those that avoid sin meerly from fear of affliction , they are willingly ignorant of many sins ; they do willingly turn their eyes from the law of god that forbids sin : true , they dare not go on in the commission of those sins directly against conscience , conscience will not suffer them : now because they have a mind to sin , they wink with their eyes , and be loth to be convinced that it is a sin , because that they have a heart delighting to close with the sin : there is a great deal of deceit this way . but now when a mans or a womans conscience tels them this ; it is the desire of my soul to know any sin , and if i find there be a sin that i am ignorant of in the way i walk , i could spend night and day till i come to know it ; and when i have found it out , i hope my soul should come to rejoyce that god hath revealed that to be sin , that before i knew not to be sin . but now one that avoids sin for fear of affliction , if he know it not , he can go on quietly , and therefore is willing to go on in that ignorance , and therefore is loth to take pains to know a sin to be sin ; if he have any fear of , or suspition that such a gainful way , or pleasant way be sin , if he fear it , saith he , give me time to examin whether it be sin or no , & he is willing to pass over examinatiō , that so he may go on & injoy his lust without fear . but now wher the heart is right , if there come to be suspition that such a way is sinful , though i have got never so much by it , yet it must be left off ; i must , if this be sin , come to live lower than i have done ; yea , my conscience tells me , if this be found to be sin , i must come down ; yet my heart tells me , i would with all my heart know it , and ask counsel of them that know the mind of god , and beg of god that he would discover to me whether this be a sin or no. but now those that avoid sin for fear , they when they ask counsel , will be sure to ask their advice ( whether such a sin be a sin or no ) that be of their mind . those men that are willing to avoid sin , not out of fear , but because of the evil of sin it self , they shall find this disposition in their souls ; at such a time as they be even afraid god will destroy them for sin , they even then desire god may be glorified ; though i perish , let god be glorified . but those that avoid sin out of fear , when they apprehend there is no hope , they be ready to fly in gods face : nay , if i must be damned , i will be damned for somwhat ; if i must perish , i will perish for somwhat : but that soul that fears sin for the evil of it , it saith , well , though i perish , and am damned , yet let god be glorified , though i perish : certainly thou avoidest not sin meerly out of fear . again , those that avoid sin out of fear , they do not see the beauty and excellency of godliness in others , so as to be enamored with it . some avoid sin out of dislike and hatred of sin ; and doest thou see a beauty in these , and doest thou say , oh that i were in such a condition . those that can see the excellency of grace in others , and prise and love it in others ; certainly there is some seed of that grace in their souls . so now , they that have no grace , envy others that have grace : but they that have grace rejoyce in those that they see have any grace . this is the second particular , rebuking those that avoid sin meerly out of fear of affliction , together with satisfaction to that case of conscience , because i know it lies heavy upon men and womens souls thirdly , the consideration of this point , doth rebuke such as are so shy of affliction as that they will fall into sin to prevent affliction . certainly this is a foolish choise , for any to be so afraid of affliction , as to prevent affliction , rather venture upon sin . as if a man should see a craggy way , and he will rather turn into a puddlely way , one all mire and dirt , than endure one hard and craggy : thou seest the waies of god hard and craggy , and thou turnest into the puddlely and dirty waies of sin to avoid that hard craggy way : well , if god have a love to thee , he will bring thee back again , and thou must go that way that thou wilt not now . augustine hath this expression in his confessions , saith he , when god first convinced me , i was convinced of the rightness of gods way , but i saw the trouble in it , and i cried out , it pleaseth not me well to go in such troublesom waies . so many men and women , be convinced of gods waies , but they shall suffer such trouble in them , and they must go through such traits ; and to prevent this , they will chuse sin . certainly brethren , it was not long , since there was a time , that those that made conscience of sin , were subject to many troubles , and suffered much ; when ( we know ) if a man departed from evil , it was enough to make him a prey : i beseech you , see if you did not ( to prevent some suffering ) commit some sin : some of you when brought to be sworn vassals to those courts , that never were by gods institution ; had you not some remorse in conscience ? ( i mean the church-wardens , as they stiled them ) and when you were put to such oaths , had you never inward regreet in your consciences ? but yet you must be excommunicated if you did not take the oath ; and if you did , then you bound your selves , not only to be their vassals ( which were not of god ) but besides , you bound your selves to be persecutors of the saints by it : for certainly , the fulfilling of all their cannons , it was meerly persecution , and yet you were their sworn vassals ; and yet because you were afraid of trouble , you ventured and made bold with your conscience ; oh look back to these things . if you will say , now ministers speak against such things ; you should have done so two or three yeers ago . for my own part , i did then , two , three , four , or five yeers ago , and was of the same mind i am now ; and through the strength of christ and gods mercy to me , i ventured somwhat , and therefore i may the more freely and boldly speak now ; not because it was meerly to keep from danger that i have spoke no more , for i did speak it hertofore . but now look back what regreet of conscience you had ; and yet meerly for fear of affliction , thou pasedst through that regreet of conscience : it were just with god to make affliction more sore and heavy ; and those that will avoid the affliction by sin , god may justly bring back that affliction : but this would be a large argument , to speak to those that will not venture upon suffering , but run upon sin . fourthly , this rebukes such , that when they be under affliction , yet they be a great deal more sensible of affliction than of sin . this is against the point , that saith there is more evil in sin than in affliction ; and yet when you be under affliction , you be more sensible of the evil of affliction than of sin . there be divers sorts of these , and divers things to be said to these . as some prophane wicked men that commit horrible wickednesse , that it is a wonder their conscience flies not in their faces , and tears not their hearts out of their bosom , for the woful guilt upon them ; and yet they are never stirred : but when gods hand is upon them , in some grievous sicknesse , they cry out for pain , but not one whit sensible of sin , that never comes in their minds ; but their pains and disease : and when their friends come , they complain of grievous nights , and what heat they be in with their feaver , and how they burn , and have been tormented , but not a word of sin ; all their guilt , the sabbath breaking , oaths , company keeping , opposition of goodnesse , this lies not upon their conscience at all : oh! these be wretched creatures , besotted , guilty , hard hearted , left of god to the day of his righteous judgement . others , when they be under gods hand , they lie fretting , and vexing , and murmuring , and repining : as solomon saith , prov. . . man perverts his way , and his heart frets against god : first perverts his way , and yet when gods hand is upon them , fret against gods way ; thou shouldst fret against thine own heart for sin ; but thou fretest against god for affliction . a third sort , and these principally i intend , and they be such that when they be in affliction , will complain much of sin , and seem to put all the trouble upon sin ; but in truth their trouble is more for affliction than sin . now i would find out these ( it will require time ) i suppose i might cull out a great many that it may be make a great complaint of sin , and yet the truth is , that which lies at the heart and pincheth there , is affliction rather than sin . how do you know this ? if a man come and complain , oh this wretched heart of mine , and pray help me against it ; how can you tell it is for affliction and not for sin ? perhaps they have had great losse by sea ; brought their names into disgrace , lost such a friend , are pincht with poverty ; and then come and lay all upon sin : whereas it is the affliction that lies in the heart , this pincheth them most . many men and women , account it a kind of shame to complain of affliction , this they think a disgrace , and therefore that they might not have the disgrace of complaining of affliction , they turn all upon sin ; and t is sin troubles them . now i would find them out thus . you shal find many that come and complain of sin : who do they complain to ? to strangers , that know little of them and their condition , rather than to others that are acquainted with al their wayes , and their whole-courses , though able to help them : for there is a great deal of suspition in that ; for certainly if your heart be right , you will make complaint to those that know most of your waies and courses ; but those that be strangers , you can go and complain to in some general way ; and perhaps to some that may be some way able to help and relieve you in affliction ; but wil not complain to those that may help you against sin , if they be not able to help otherwise . another is this , those that make complaint of sin ( and indeed not true ) it is affliction , not sin ; you may know it by this , though they complain of sin , it is in general terms , oh! they be vile sinful creatures , but never come to rip up the secrets of their hearts to those that they complain unto : but now any secret sins that might cause shame , they be kept in , and never opened . but that is their general complaint , that they be vile sinful creatures ; whereas if it were sin that lay upon thy heart , thou wouldest come and open all thy secret sins to those that are faithful and willing and able to help thee , if thou judgest them faithful , if thou dost not judge them so , why complainest thou , to them ? if thou thinkest they be , thou wilt be willing to open all thy sins to them . but if thou art all upon general terms , it is a dangerous sign , it is affliction , and not sin. again , many complain to others , but very little between god and their own souls in secret ; their complaints be more large , when they come to them than when they are between god and their own souls in their clossets : now if it be for thy sin thou complainest , then though thou dost complain to them that through gods blessing may help , yet thy chief complaint will be to god at the throne of grace , and there thou wilt pour forth thy soul in the bitternesse of thy heart . many come to the minister and complain that they be wretched sinners , but scarce go to god in secret : or content themselves with some prayers , just as they are in the book , or the like , but never pour forth their souls in secret for sin . this is another note that it is rather for affliction , than for sin . another note is this , if it be for affliction more than for sin , any one that hath grief upon them , according to that grief that is upon them , they be ready to aggravate that grief : as thus , suppose a man or a woman troubled for the death of their father , or husband , or wife , oh such a ones dear friend is dead , father dead , or husband , or wife is dead ; well , they be mightily troubled and perplexed for this : now if any come and speak any thing to aggravate their sorrow , they close with it presently ; as thus , you complain of sorrow for your father ; i he was a loving father , and they presently close with it , and this aggravates their sorrow ; and so you have lost your husband ; oh! never woman lost so precious a husband as i ! so that which is spoken to aggravate that which lies upon the spirits of men and women they be ready to close withal . so now , if you would know what lies upon your spirits , when men and women be troubled , for tryal , what they be troubled for , here is the art of a minister , or a christian to find out what lies upon the spirits of men or women ; some say sin ; well , but it may be it s not that ; how shall we find it out ? thus , whatsoever lies upon the heart that troubles them , they will be very willing to acknowledge any thing said to agravate it that lies upon their spirits most . if any come and tell them of the evil of sin , and agrravate it , and say , this is an evil condition , and you must be humbled for it , and throughly apply the word of god to them , to shew how deeply they are to be humbled , and lay sin before them in its right colours : if sin trouble them , they joyn with it , and say , it is evil indeed , the lord humble me , and shew me more of this evil of sin , and they like that word of god that layes home the evil of sin most . but if it be not sin that they are troubled for , by these speakings against sin their hearts be hardened , and their hearts rise against the aggravation of sin ; but if it be affliction , come and pitty and condole them , and say , alas ! you have such sorrows , and troubles , and oh! poor creatures it is pitty but some others should help you ; i , they take this , and this aggravates their sorrow . 't is observable in david when he fled from absalom , how ready he was to entertain any thing that might aggravate his sorrow . when ziba came and accused mephibosheth , though it were very unlikely , he presently embraceth it . so when a man is under affliction , he will readily hear , and embrace what may aggravate it , and a man under trouble for sin , will readily embrace that which will aggravate his sin ; this is an excellent note to come to know where the burthen pincheth , whether it be sin , or affliction . the last note to try whether sin or affliction trouble thee , is this , there is according to the trouble of the heart for sin , a favorinesse of spirit to the contrary good : thy heart will in some measure have a love to , and a favor and relish of that spiritual grace contrary to that sin of thine that thou complainest of . but now you have many that complain of sin , they say , but yet their hearts be still as unsavory , and they do no more relish spiritual and heavenly things , contrary to that sin that they complain of , than ever they did before . therefore the burthen and weight lies not upon sin , but affliction . take heed , examine thine own heart , there is much deceitfulnesse in the spirits of men and women . thou takest the name of god in vain , when thou comest and complainest of sin , and the truth is , thine affliction is upon thee , and if thine affliction were gone , thou wert well enough : perhaps thou art crost in thy family , if that were taken away thou wert well enough for all sin . therfore be sure thou beest faithful with god , and thine own soul. a fift sort of people to be reprehended are such that get out of affliction by sinful wayes , and think they do well . but if there be more evil in sin than in affliction , then it must be a woful getting out if by way of sin. many people in straits , if they can get out any way , by hook or by crook , so they get out , they care not how : what! hast thou gotten out of prison by sin ? thou hast broke prison : just like a malefactor that hath broke prison , but then there is hue and cry sent after him , and the constable pursues him , and if he be taken , he is laid in the dungeon , and bolts put upon him , and is used more hardly . so i say , if thou art in any affliction , thou shouldest lie there till god let thee out ; but if you break out before god let you out , hue and cry follows you ▪ and you will be certainly ●ver taken ; the remedy is worse than the disease : this is to skip out of the frying-pan into the fire . like a man in a burning feaver , should he drink a pint of cold water to ease himself , this may ease him a while , but he is scorched and parched with heat afterward . this is like as if a man should run from a little cur that barks at him , and he runs into the mouth of a lyon. are you in affliction , and to prevent it run to sin ? this is just as if some little whelp should come at thee , and thou runnest from it to a lyon. so much difference there is between sin and affliction : just as if you should say , god will not , and therefore the devil shall : every man that takes sin to help him , doth as much as if he should say , well , i see god will not help , therefore the devil must : for what god doth , he doth by lawful means , and if thou must not have it by lawful means , thou must say , well , this way i shall not have help , and yet thou wilt have it , and therefore thou wilt to the devil for it . certainly if thou knewest all , thou wouldest have little comfort in this . wilt thou break thy bounds in sinful waies to get out of affliction ? as many apprentises , because their masters chastise them , run away into many hardships : so many men and women , because they have crosses in their yoke-fellows , break away , and will not live together ; and a hundred other particulars i might shew how men break from affliction by sinful waies : but i must hasten , only take that place for this in jeremiah , . . go tell hananiah , saying , thus saith the lord , thou hast broken the yokes of wood , but thou shalt make for them , yokes of iron : when god sent a yoke of wood to declare what affliction the people should bear , hananiah breaks it ; yea saith god , hath he broke them ? go tell him , he shall have a yoke of iron . thou breakest off the yoke of affliction ; know from god , thou shalt have a yoke of iron . sixtly , this reprehends those , that after deliverance from affliction , can bless themselves in their sin , though they be not delivered from that . there was such a sickness thou hadest , and there thou laiest in anguish of spirit , and every one thought thou wouldest die , then thou thoughtest thou shouldest to hell ; well , thou art delivered , and art as bad as ever , as unclean as ever , as covetous as ever , as malicious and prophane as ever ; oh know thy condition is woful . i remember austine hath this speech of one , thou hast lost the benefit of affliction as well as thou hast lost the affliction : oh it is a heavy loss , to lose affliction without profit , for this is the last means god usually useth , and therefore thou art worse than before thou wert : it may be thou wert troubled with the stone , and thou art cut of the stone , but hast as hard a heart as ever ; what is the stone gone from the bladder , and the stone in the heart still ? oh! god it may be sent this to cure thy heart , and thou art delivered from the one , and thou art glad of that ; oh know , that thou art in a woful case , for sin by this means hath gotten firmer root , because it hath withstood affliction ; as if the arrow were taken out , and the venom still remains . now all i shall say is this , the lord seal all these truths about the evil of sin upon your hearts , all i have said of the evil of sin. i must be brought at the day of judgment to avouch and justifie what i have delivered : and know every one of you here , at that great audit day , must be brought to answer , what , and how you have heard , and what effect it hath had upon you all . consider what hath been said , and the lord give you understanding in all things . finis . the names of several books printed by peter cole in leaden-hall , london ; and are to be sold at his shop at the sign of the printing-press in cornhill , neer the royal exchange . eight books of mr. jeremiah burroughs lately published : as also the texts of scripture upon which they are grounded . the rare jewel of christian contentment , on phil. . . gospel-worship , on levit. . . gospel-conversation , on phil. . . to which is added , the misery of those men that have their portion in this life only , on ps . . . a treatise of earthly-mindedness , on phil. . part of the . vers . to which is added , a treatise of heavenly-mindedness , and walking with god , on gen. . . and on phil. . . an exposition on the fourth , fifth , sixth , and seventh chapters of the prophesie of hosea . an exposition on the eighth , ninth , and tenth chapters of hosea . an exposition on the eleventh , twelfth , and thirteen chapters of hosea , being now compleat . the evil of evils , or the exceeding sinfulness of sin : on job , . . latter part . twelve several books of mr. william bridge , collected into one volumn . viz. the great gospel mystery of the saints comfort and holiness , opened and applied from christs priestly office. satans power to tempt ; and christs love to , and care of his people under temptation . thankfulness required in every condition . grace for grace ; or the overflowing of christs fulness received by all saints . the spiritual actings of faith through natural impossibilities . evangelical repentance . the spiritual-life , and in-being of christ in all beleevers . the woman of canaan , the saints hiding-place in the time of gods anger . christs coming is at our midnight . a vindication of gospel ordinances . grace and love beyond gifts . six several books , by nich ▪ culpeper , gent. student in physick and astrology . a translation of the new dispensatory , made by the colledg of physitians of london . wherunto is added , the key to galen's method of physick . a directory for midwives , or a guide for women . newly enlarged by the author in every sheet , and illustrated with divers new plates . galen's art of physick , with a large comment . the english physitian : being an astrologo-physical-discours of the vulgar herbs of this nation : wherein is shewed how to cure a mans self of most diseases incident to mans body , with such things as grow in england , and for three pence charge . the anatomy of the body of man , wherein is exactly described the several parts of the body of man , illustrated with very many large brass plates . a new method both of studying and practising physick . six sermons preached by doctor hill , viz. the beauty and sweetness of an olive branch of peace and brotherly accommodation budding . truth and love happily married in the churches of christ . the spring of strengthning grace in the rock of ages christ jesus . the strength of the saints to make jesus christ their strength . the best and worst of paul. gods eternal preparation for his dying saints . the bishop of canterbu●●es speech on the scaffold . the kings speech on the scaffold . king charles his case , or an appeal to all rational men concerning his tryal . a congregational church is a catholick visible church , by samuel stone , in new-england . mr. owens stedfastness of the promises . mr owen against mr baxter . a vindication of free grace , by john pawson . the magistrates support and burden , by john ●ordel . the discipline of the church in new-england , by the churches and synod there . a relation of the barbadoes . a relation of the repentance and conversion of the indians in new-england , by mr eliot and mr mayhew . an exposition on the gospel of the evangelist s. matthew , by mr ward . clows chyru●ge●y . marks of salvation . an exposition of the whol first epistle of peter , by mr. john rogers of d●… in essex . christians engagement for the gospel , by john goodwin . great church ordinance of baptism . mr love's case , containing his petitions , narrative , and speech . vox pacifica , or a perswasive to peace . dr prest●●s saints submission , and satans overthrow . a treatise of the rickets , published in latin by dr glisson , dr bate , and dr regemorter , now translated into english . mr symsons sermon at westminster . mr feaks sermon before the lord major . mr phillips treatise of hell. — of christs geneology . mr eaton on the oath of allegiance and covenant , shewing that they oblige not . the alphabetical table . a addition no addition to sin can make it good . page affliction affliction is better than sin . it 's light . ibid christs the greatest . some good in it . it is instrumentally good . it is sanctified to the soul. ibid a fruit of gods love . good annexed to it . good of promise . ibid good of evidence . good of blessing . ibid affliction cannot make a man evil . affliction may stand with gods love . affliction to sinners the beginning and forerunner of all evil . , . — ripens them for destruction . it is not mercy to be delivered from affliction when we are in a sinful way . it is sometimes a judgement not to be afflicted . approve god approves no sin . abstain some abstain from sin for fear of affliction only avoid some sin to avoid affliction authority sin resists gods authority attributes sin wrongs god in his attributes — they plead against sinners alsufficiency sin wrongs god in his alsufficiency b beams beams of gods wisdom in the light of nature bitterness sin makes affliction bitter bless saints bless god for afflictions — not for sin ibid bless god for christ burden christs burden sin a burden to heaven and earth beast a sinner worse than a beast , bondage sinners in bondage to the devil , bounds no bounds to be set to our love of god , and hatred of sin , , . c capable sin is not capable of good men and angels only capable of sin charge job's false charge saints must charge their hearts choice sin a worse choice than affliction the wicked choice conscience conscience must not be strain'd trouble of conscience being overcome , if men return to sin , they are worse make conscience of all sins conscience troubled for sin what : , &c. — it is the beginning of the second death , cry saints cry unto god creator sin wrongs god as a creator contrary nothing contrary to god but sin contraries seek the destruction one of another cause god no cause of sin creature creature comforts in order to god all creatures against sinners the devil the lowest creature curse christ made a curse sinners under the curse sin is a curse ibid sin brings a curse upon the whole world sin brings a curse upon al evil . comforts — of wicked men , what : no comfort by sin confusion sin would bring all to confusion conformity — to christ , in sufferings ; to the devil in sin , , , . condemnation sin brings men under the sentence of it condemnation not recalled but transmitted to christ communion — with god , what : converse they fit to converse that live the same life , covenant the covenant of grace keeps sin from taking away the image of god in the regenerate consequence — of the law and gospel course some get from affliction by sinful courses d death sin the death of the soul deliberation sin needs no deliberation because wholly evil disease sin compared to a disease despise sin is despising of god who despise their souls destruction sin seeks gods destruction devil the devil better than a base lust sin is originally from the devil , lay not all upon the devil sins reference to the devil , , , , , , do few men know what they do when they sin against god deceive the way of the wicked deceiveth deliver delivering up to satan , what : some bless themselves in sins , after their deliverance from affliction dealings god 's dealings with the wicked and godly are different draw draw not others to sin defile sin defileth the soul it defileth all things man meddleth with ibid delight vide joy delight in sins dreadful , , &c. god takes delight in the souls that converse with him departing sin a departing from god despair despair is not from the depth of humiliation — but from want of it ibid divorce it is hard to make a divorce between sin and the soul displeasure gods displeasure against sin — against angels — against men — manifested in his law — in its terror and curse — in his severity against smal sins , — his wrath & hell gods dealing also with his fore-shews his displeasure against sin , , &c. gods displeasure with his people , deceit against deceit e enemy who gods enemies to whom god an enemy , all the creatures are enemies to sinners , encourage saints encouraged to bear afflictions end men think of three good ends in committing of sin no good end in sin ibid the end of the agent and of the act loss of the end worse than loss of means gods glory his end of creation mans end what endless — torments , enjoy we cannot enjoy god and sinful wayes together estate , vide gettings wicked men usurpe not their estates — have right to them and how ibid eternity the eternity of all evil from sin evil — sin the greatest of two evils to choose the least , no god axiome in point of sin sin makes a man evil it 's better to hear & reade evils than feel them f face gods face what fight who fight against god froward guilt causeth frowardness fuel prosperity is fuel to sin full mens hearts full of sin flouds flouds of wickedness fear , vide terror sin causeth fear you must not fear affliction more than sin feeling past feeling g god god needs not the devil to help his cause good good in comparison vide affliction good of entity and causality good by occasion good instrumentally ibid good and end is the same sin spoyls all good grief — must be for others sins as well as for our own guilt sin brings guilt guilt what ibid guilt makes men bloudy guilt takes away comfort guilt brings fear , , , only guilt makes sufferings evil gettings gettings by sin cost dear gettings by sin are accursed , &c. glory sin labors to frustrate god of his glory it cannot frustrate gods glory god wil have his glory one way or other our good and gods glory connexed grace an eternal good , in grace no power to work except god works with it h hearts the different working of the saints hearts the way to break a heart sin hardens the heart hell hell is better than sin humble the way to humble the soul , & , , few humbled truly holiness sin casts dirt upon gods holiness holiness what horror — is not true humililiation house the house where sin is , is worse than that which is haunted by the devil , harden prosperity hardens hands concerning such as lay violent hands upon themselves hate god hates sin who hate god the object of gods hatred , , sinners hate themselves humiliation — for sin against god sanctifies his name — it abides after pardon — makes a divorce from sin , exhortations to humiliation for sin i image sin most opposite to the image of god in man , the excellency of the image of god in man holiness the image of god , , , , infinite infinite and less than infinite cannot stand together a kind of infinitness in sin infinite power must overcome sin sin hath infinite desert sin deserves infinite misery ibid infinite in time , and in degree an infinite price paid for sin justice sin wrongs god in his justice judgement examples of gods judgements upon sin , , , , the difference of the judgment of god , from the judgment of the world spiritual judgements the worst joy against joy in sin , , , sin damps joy , k know few men know god or sin , sinners know not the excellency of the rational creature they know not gods holiness four things must be known knowledg knowledg of sin makes christ precious kingdom — of christ , and of satan , what , , l law — the glass to see sin light common light , and saving light little call no sin little , , lye an officious lye lye not to save the world life sin strikes at the life of god in man , , , what the life of god in man is the life of man excellent losses a christian may have many crosses , but no losses liberty prosperity gives liberty to sin m mercy sin wrongs gods mercy mediator — must be god & man ministry ministry of the word is for our good — and gods glory ibid — it makes sin bitter ib. — makes stomachs rise against it — a great ordinance magistracy — a great ordinance marriners — englands strength , , mean mean-men , who malliciousness maliciousness in sin means means to crush sin melancholly — distinguished from trouble of conscience , , , , , , , — six differences of it , &c. misery men freed from affliction may be in misery great misery when sin and affliction meet n nature sin in its nature opposite to god mans nature necessity no man brought to a necessity of sinning o omniscience gods omniscience wronged by sin omnipresence gods omnipresence wronged by sin ib. opposition — of sin to god in four things order sin breaks the worlds order occasion god takes occasion by sin affliction may occasion sin p persecute who persecute god pitty sinners to be pittied , , pleased saints never well pleased with sin pleased with affliction ibid price a great price notes greatness of inisery , or of the person promises the promises of sin are delusions possession satans possession of the heart god hates not people possessed , but pitties them portion the devil and wicked men have the same portion prosperity of prosperity by sin , of sin by prosperity , , prosperity a judgment to the wicked plead plead no● for sin pardon some saints grieve most after apprehension of pardon pardon is a great mercy , patience — of god to be admired — of christ is perfect power sin wrongs god in his power power in creatures a drop of gods power in them pray afflictions teach to pray r rebellion sin is rebellion report martyrs have a good report repentance — a continual act resist sin resists god , how revenge let out revenge upon sin root all sin comes from the same root rejoyce saints rejoyce not in sin saints rejoyce in affliction ibid redemption sin wrongs christ in his work of redemption restore ill gotten goods must be restored , , , restitution — according to the nature of the wrong s satisfie sin denies good in god to satisfie the soul serviceable no good thing ought to be serviceable to sin seed sin the seed of evil grace the seed of good ibid shame shame better than sin , sin brings shame , , why sinners not ashamed sufferings — of martyrs the red glass of christs sufferings more in christs sufferings than in any speak — for god , strength — of christ sin the strength of all evil , striving striving against god , what striking sin is a striking at god spirit sin wrongs the spirit of god sweat christs sweat strictness strictness of gods people justified stubbornness stubbornness distinguished from from conscientiousness separate what separates men for god what separates men from god slave , vide subject soul christs soul sufferings sorrow christs sorrow sin — more evil than any misery , &c. — a heavie thing — a non-entitie — no good in the being of it ibid — it is cause of no good — it comes not from good — no good annexed to it — no good of promise ibid — of evidence ibid — of blessing sin is opposite to all good sin in its self is misery sin sells the soul to the devil — turns the soul into a devil sensible some more sensible of affliction than sin sinner every sinner guilty of all the sins in the world succession — of sin , subject difference between a slave , and a subject t temptation — to avoid — edward the th avoids it with tears — no sin if not entertained terror what causeth terror , thoughts thoughts of god terrible to some time time spent in sin is lost truth sin wrongs god in his truth truth in its latitude , the object of mans understanding turns sin turns all good into evil exhortation to turn from sin v venture no good should be ventured for sin venome — of sin vile a wicked person is a vile person , useless wicked men useless men undo man doth undo himself by sin , union what breaks union . spiritual things unite why mans soul is capable of uuion with god , w wisdom sin wrongs god in his wisdom weapons sinners fight against god with his own weapons way — of the godly and wicked difference worse no man is worse for affliction , but for sin worth all the men in the world not worth one christian , the end is worth the means , work sin is not the work of god sin opposite to god in its working world sin would destroy the world , were it not for gods wisdom wrong what wrong sin doth to god they who have wronged god , must do much for god , , , — sin wrongs the soul wrath — of god christ drinks the cup of gods wrath what the wrath of god is will a sinner exalts his will above gods , fulfils the devils will , , walk how god walks contrary to sinners word the word must be prized , the word justified for threatning , worm sin is the matter whereon the worm breeds wayes to kill the worm of conscience here the blood of christ cures the worm here weight — of sin , what god weighs out afflictions to saints , it is good to bring sins weight upon our selves y youth it is good to be godly in youth finis . there are these several books of mr. jeremiah burroughs that will shortly be published , viz. his sermons on job . . the second of peter the . and . the first epistle of john . . the second of corinthians . . matthew . , , . the second of corinthians . , , . there are also in the press seventeen books ( being the substance of many sermons ) preached at harford in new england ; by mr. thomas hooker , somtime fellow of emanuel colledg in cambridg , in england ; which are discourses on seventeen several scriptures . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e reader , ●…is trea●ise was first preached at stepney , neer london , on the lordsday mornings ●t was begun nov. . and finished feb. . it is thought good ●o give the reader notice hereof , in espect to ●ome expressions ●…d in 〈◊〉 trea●…e . doct. * this was written in the year . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praepositio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , auget significationem , declarat animum undique maerora obsessū & circum vallatum . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat attonitum esse ex significationem auget , ita ut sit animo & corpore per horrescere . medici v●cant horripilationem . gerrh . in harm . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . beza hesychius dicit significare palaestrum & bellum proprle est timor quo corripi solent in certamen descensury . stephan . in thes . notes for div a -e * this was preached on the . of january notes for div a -e * this was . of january . notes for div a -e * this was preached at stepney the . of february . a treatise of the dominion of sin and grace wherein sin's reign is discovered, in whom it is, and in whom it is not : how the law supports it, how grace delivers from it, by setting up its dominion the heart / by john owen ... owen, john, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing o estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a treatise of the dominion of sin and grace wherein sin's reign is discovered, in whom it is, and in whom it is not : how the law supports it, how grace delivers from it, by setting up its dominion the heart / by john owen ... owen, john, - . [ ], p. printed by j. l. for william marshall ..., london : . reproduction of original in bristol public library, bristol, england. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- early works to . grace (theology) - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - simon charles sampled and proofread - simon charles text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a treatise of the dominion of sin and grace , wherein sin 's reign is discovered , in whom it is , and in whom it is not : how the law supports it : how grace delivers from it , by setting up its dominion in the heart . rom. vi . . for sin shall not have dominion over you , for ye are not under the law but under grace . by the late pious and learned minister of the gospel john owen , d. d. london , printed by j. l. for william marshal , at the bible in newgate-street , . to the serious reader . one of the great gospel enquiries that a christian ought to be most critical and curious in resolving to himself , upon the most impartial examination of his own heart , concerning his spiritual state , and standing in grace , is , whether he be in the faith or no ? which doubt can be resolved but two ways , either by faith it self , closing with its true objects as offered in the gospel in its direct act ; and so it evidenceth it self , being the evidence of things not seen , as all the natural senses evidence themselves by their own acts upon their proper objects : for he that sees the sun , hath argument enough to himself , that he is not blind , but hath a seeing eye , and faith , therefore is frequently represented to us by seeing as john vi . . and elsewhere ; which evidence is according to the degrees of faith , weaker or stronger , and hence carries lesser or greater assurances with it ; but such as are of the highest and best nature , giving the greatest glory to the grace and truth of god , and the firmest stay to the soul in the greatest storms of temptation , being as an anchor fastened within the vail sure and stedfast . or else additionally , that our joy may be full ; and , for further confirmation , especially in such cases wherein our faith seems to fail us , and we are like thomas , god hath out of his abundant grace in the gospel provided arguments for us to raise from spiritual sence , to judge of our state and standing by . but this requires the teachings of the spirit , and thence a spirit of discerning , experience of , and insight into our own hearts and ways , with senses exercised by reason of use , that these grounds and arguments may be matter of comfort and establishment unto us . i call these latter evidences , subordinate ones , and additional to that of faith , of great use by way of establishment and confirmation unto believers , provided they be not abused to sole resting and reliance upon them , to the great prejudice of our life , of faith , for we live by faith ( so must all repenting sinners when they have attained to the highest pitch of holiness in this life ) and not by sense , no not spiritual sense ; it 's a good hand-maid to faith , but no good mistress to it . moreover trials of this nature are often of a marvellous awakening , and convincing nature unto poor secure sinners , formal and hypocritical professors , for many of them hold true with great demonstration in the negative , joh. iij. . he that loveth not his brother , abideth in death . and v. . in this the children of god and the children of the devil are manifest , whosoever doth not righteousness is not of god , neither he that loveth not his brother . now these tests come upon an unregenerate man , as clear and strong convictions of his undone estate , when by gospel light shining into his dark heart , it evidently appears , that there is a total absence of such eminent graces , that are inseparable from a child of god ; but when a poor broken-hearted , self-condemning sinner comes to try himself by these tests , especially under great temptation , he chargeth all that he finds in himself for hypocrisy , formality and sin , sits altogether in darkness in respect of those sparks of internal light , and is fain at last when he hath broken all his flints , and worn out all his steel , in compassing himself about with sparks of his own kindling , to turn unto christ by faith , as a prisoner of hope , believing in hope against hope ; and from him to fetch by a direct act of faith , as from the sun of righteousness , all his light of life and comfort , and then he will be able to light all his small tapers , yea all inferiour arguments of his good estate will , flow in with much enlargement , and increase of consolation . as streams of living water flowing forth of the fountain , set open for sin and for vncleanness , into the belly of the true believing sinner , receiving by faith of the fulness of christ through the spirit , abundantly supplying him with rivers of true substantial living graces and consolations , being filled with the fruits of righteousness , to the praise and glory of christ. now among disquisitions of this latter nature and use , this is none of the least , whether we are under the dominion of sin or no ? either we are or are not ; if we are , our state is most certainly dangerous ; for such are under the law , and the law hath concluded all under wrath. if we are not under sin 's dominion , we are in a blessed and happy estate , being under grace ; for these two dominions divide the world , and every son and daughter of adam is under one or the other , and none can be under both at the same time . now our being under grace can be no way better evidenced than by our being in christ by faith , for he that is so is a new creature , is passed from death to life , will still be mortifying sin , the strong man in sin 's dominion being cast out , and therefore faith is said to be our victory , through the supply of all grace received from jesus christ. indeed it calls for no small spiritual skill and understanding to pass aright judgment in these matters : undoubtedly many are deceived in taking wrong measures to search out these deep things of god , taking them to belong to the mere faculties and endowments of a natural man , not considering that they are of the spirits revelation only : and hence it is that many poor creatures in a bondage state under the law , and therefore under sin 's dominion , do work like slaves in the dunghil of their own hearts , to find out some natural religion or moral goodness in themselves , to recommend them unto god ; but such recommendation must be under the law , it cannot be under grace ; and therefore such are under the dominion of sin infallibly as the israelites were , which followed after the law of righteousness but attained not unto the law of righteousness . wherefore , because they sought it not by faith , but as it were by the works of the law , for they stumbled at that stumbling stone , rom. ix . . and it is greatly to be bewailed , that many professors that sit under the means of grace , are so tender of their secure and palliated consciences , that they cannot indure that the rays of true gospel light should shine directly into their hearts , being contented with a name only , that they do live ; they are loath to come to any narrow search or trial , least they should be found out and appear to themselves in their ugly shapes , whilst they are willing that all the world should have a good opinion of them , under which they cannot admit of any inward disturbances , but desire to sleep in a whole skin . others there are , sincere , broken-hearted believers , scared at the rock of presumption , on which they see so many professors wracked daily , are apt to fall upon the other extream , and too wrongfully , to free grace , condemn themselves , as being under the dominion of sin , and therefore censure themselves to be under the law and wrath , notwithstanding all their seeming faith and holiness , calling that presumption and this hypocrisy : hence returning to a kind of spirit of bondage again to fear , their faith is shaken by prevailing unbelief , their peace is broken , and all gospel ordinances rendred ineffectual , as to their true ends of profit , edification and comfort . hence , though they are truly under grace , they do not know , or rather through temptation , will not acknowledge it , but go mourning all the day long , because of the oppressor , and the enemy : but i beseech such a poor soul to consider a little , and not to receive the grace of god in vain , dost thou groan under the vsurpation and oppression of remaining sin , and is this the dominion of it ? is there no difference between sin 's dominion , and sin 's tyranny and vsurpation ? dominion is upon account of right of conquest , or subjection , there is upon both that sin reigns in , carnal and unregenerate men , who yield up their members as instruments of vnrighteousness unto sin , but you reckon your selves dead unto sin , having no joy in its prevalency but grief , being planted in this respect , in the likeness of christ's death , who died unto sin once , but dieth no more . sin shall have no more dominion over him ; likewise reckon ye also your selves dead indeed unto sin , but alive unto god through jesus christ our lord , i. e. to be under grace , to put your self freely and joyfully under the conduct and dominion of jesus christ , and to keep up a continual fight and opposition against the prevailing power of sin. indeed sin will often , as an out-lying watchful enemy , make its assaults and incursions on the best of god's children , as it did on david , hezekiah , peter , and though it may make breaches upon them , sin shall not have a dominion , and set up a throne of inquity in their hearts . grace will beat out sin 's throne ; for , indeed , the words of this text , that is , the subject of the ensuing treatise , carry the force of a promise to the saints , to animate and encourage them to fight against sin under the banner of our lord jesus , the captain of our salvation made perfect through sufferings ; for sin shall not have dominion , &c. in treating of which text , this late learned and reverend author hath acted the part of a good work man , that rightly divided the word of god ( as in all his other writings of the like nature ) giving every one their portion , as it belongs to them , with so much perspicuity and demonstration , that if ( christian reader ) thou wilt afford a little time and pains to read , meditate , dilate and digest well the truths here laid before thee , through the blessing of the god of all grace , thou wilt find much satisfaction , and real spiritual advantage unto thy soul , either to awaken and recover thee from under the dominion of sin ( the dangerous and palpable symptoms thereof , being here plainly made manifest ) or else to discover thy happy estate in being taken from under the law , and brought under the dominion of grace , whereby thou maist assume great encouragement to thy self , to proceed more chearfully in running the race set before thee . it 's enough to say , that the author hath left his encomium firmly rooted in the minds of all pious and learned men , that are acquainted with his writings , polemick or practical : yea , his renown will always be great in after generations among the churches of christ , and all true lovers of the great truths of the gospel . and that he is the author of this small tract is sufficient to recommend it to thy most serious perusal , taking this assurance , that it was left ( among other writings of great value ) thus perfected for the press by his own hand , and is now by his worthy relict published for the benefit of others besides her self . i doubt not but thou wilt say , that it will answer the several lines that hath been drawn in thy heart , by sin or grace , as face answereth face in a glass , and that this may be the effect of thy perusal thereof , in order to thy spiritual and eternal wellfare , is the hearty desire and prayer of thy unfeigned well-wisher , j. c. the contents . chap. i. what sin is consistent with the state of grace , and what not . sin 's great design in all , to obtain dominion : it hath it in vnbelievers , and contends for it in believers . the ways by which it acts . page chap. ii. the enquiries for understanding the text proposed ; the first spoken to : viz. what is the dominion of sin , which we are freed from , and discharged of by grace . page chap. iii. the second enquiry spoken to ; whether sin hath dominion in us or no ? in answer to which it 's shewed , that some wear sin 's livery , and they are the professed servants thereof . there are many in which the case is dubious , where sin 's service is not so discernable . several exceptions are put in against its dominion , where it seems to prevail . some certain signs of its dominion . graces and duties to be exercised for its mortification . page chap. iv. hardness of heart spoken to , as an eminent sign of sin 's dominion , and is shewed , that it ought to be considered as total or partial . page chap. v. the third enquiry handled , viz. what is the assurance given us , and what are the grounds thereof , that sin shall not have dominion over us ? the ground of this assurance is , that we are not under the law but grace . the force of this reason shewed , viz. how the law doth not destroy the dominion of sin , and how grace dethrones sin and gives dominion over it . page chap. vi. the practical observations drawn from , and application made of , the whole text. — page . a treatise of the dominion of sin and grace , rom. vi . . for sin shall not have dominion over you , for ye are not under the law but under grace . chap. i. what sin is consistent with the state of grace , and what not . sins great design in all , to obtain dominion : it hath it in vnbelievers , and contends for it in believers . the ways by which it acts . the psalmist treating with god in prayer about sin , acknowledgeth , that there are in all men unsearchable errors of life , beyond all humane understanding or comprehension ; with such daily sins of infirmity , as stand in need of continual cleansing and pardon , psal. xix . . who can understand his errors ? cleanse thou me from secret faults . but yet he supposeth that these things are consistent with a state of grace , and acceptation with god. he had no thought of any absolute perfection in this life ; of any such condition as should not stand in need of continual cleansing and pardon . wherefore there are or may be such sins in believers , yea many of them , which yet under a due application unto god , for purifying and pardoning grace , shall neither deprive us of peace here , nor endanger our salvation hereafter . but he speaks immediately of another sort of sins , which partly from their nature , or what they are in themselves ; and partly from their operation and power , will certainly prove destructive unto the souls of men wherever they are . v. . keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins ; let them not have dominion over me , then shall i be upright , and i shall be innocent from the great transgression . this is the hinge whereon the whole cause and state of my soul doth turn . although i am subject to many sins of various sorts , yet under them all i can and do maintain my integrity and covenant vprightness in walking with god ; and where i fail am kept within the reach of cleansing and pardoning mercy continually administred unto my soul by jesus christ. but there is a state of life in this world wherein sin hath dominion over the soul ; acting it self presumptuously , wherewith integrity and freedom from condemning guilt are inconsistent . this state therefore , which is eternally ruinous unto the souls of men , he deprecates with all earnestness , praying to be kept and preserved from it . what he there so earnestly prays for , the apostle in the words of the text promiseth unto all believers , by virtue of the grace of christ jesus administred in the gospel . both the prayer of the prophet for himself , and the promise of the apostle in the name of god unto us , do manifest of how great importance this matter is , as we shall declare it to be immediately . there are some things supposed or included in these words of the apostle . these we must first a little enquire into , without which we cannot well understand the truth it self proposed in them . as , it is supposed , that sin doth still abide in and dwell with believers . for so is the meaning of the words . that sin which is in you shall not have dominion over you ; that is , none of them who are not sensible of it , who groan not to be delivered from it , as the apostle doth , rom. vij . . those who are otherwise minded , know neither themselves , nor what is sin , nor wherein the grace of the gospel doth consist . there is the flesh remaining in every one which lusteth against the spirit , gal. v. . and it adheres unto all the faculties of our souls ; whence it is called the old man , rom. . . ephes. . . in opposition unto the renovation of our minds , and all the faculties of them called the new man , or new creature in us . and there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , rom. xiij . . a continual working and provision to fulfil its own lusts : so that it abides in us in the way of a dying , decaying habit , weakned and impaired ; but acting its self in inclinations , motions and desires , suitable unto its nature . as scripture and experience concurr herein , so a supposition of it is the only ground of the whole doctrine of evangelical mortification . that this is a duty , a duty incumbent on believers all the days of their lives , such a duty as without which they can never perform any other in a due manner ; will not be denied by any , but either such as are wholly under the power of atheistical blindness , or such as , by the fever of spiritual pride , have lost the understanding of their own miserable condition ; and so lie dreaming about absolute perfection . with neither sort are we at present concerned . now the first proper object of this mortification is this sin that dwells in us . it is the flesh which is to be mortified , the old man which is to be crucified , the lusts of the flesh with all their corrupt inclinations , actings , and motions that are to be destroyed , rom. vi . . gal. v. . col. iij. . unless this be well fixed in the mind , we cannot understand the greatness of the grace and privilege here expressed . . it is supposed that this sin which in the remainders of it , so abides in believers , in various degrees , may put forth its power in them , to obtain victory and dominion over them . it is first supposed , that it hath this dominion in some , that it doth bear rule over all unbelievers , all that are under the law ; and then that it will strive to do the same in them that believe , and are under grace . for affirming that it shall not have dominion over us , he grants that it may or doth contend for it , only it shall not have success , it shall not prevail . hence it is said to fight and war in us , rom. vij . . and to fight against our souls , pet. ij . . now it thus fights and wars and contends in us for dominion ; for that is the end of all war : whatever fights , it doth it for power and rule . this therefore is the general design of sin in all its actings . these actings are various , according to the variety of lusts in the minds of men ; but its general design in them all , is dominion . where any one is tempted and seduced of his own lusts , as the apostle james speaks , be it in a matter never so small or so unusual , or the temptations thereunto may never occurr again ; the design of sin lies not in the particular temptation , but to make it a means to obtain dominion over the soul. and the consideration hereof should keep believers always on their guard against all the motions of sin ; though the matter of them seem but small , and the occasions of them such as are not like to return . for the aim and tendancy of every one of them is dominion and death , which they will compass , if not stopt in their progress , as the apostle there decalres , james i. , . believe not its flatteries , is it not a little one ? this is the first or shall be the last time : it requires only a little place in the mind and affections , it shall go no farther : give not place to its urgency and solicitations ; admit of none of its excuses or promises ; it is power over your souls unto their ruine that it aims at in all . . there are two ways in general whereby sin acts its power , and aims at the obtaining this dominion , and they are the two only ways whereby any may design or attain an unjust dominion ; and they are deceit and force ; both of which i have fully described in another discourse . with respect whereunto it is promised , that the lord christ shall deliver the souls of the poor that cry unto him , from deceit and violence , psal. lxxii . . these are the two only ways of obtaining an unjust dominion ; and where they are in conjunction , they must have a mighty prevalency , and such as will render the contest hazardous . there are few believers but have found it so , at least in their own apprehensions ; they have been ready to say at one time or another , we shall one day fall by the hand of this enemy ; and have been forced to cry out unto jesus christ for help and succour with no less vehemency than the disciples did at sea , when the ship was covered with waves , lord save us , we perish , matth. viij . , . and so they would do , did he not come in seasonably to their succour , heb. ij . . and herein the soul hath frequently no less experience of the power of christ in his grace , than the disciples on their out-cry had of his soveraign authority , when he rebuked the winds and the seas , and there was a great calm . this dominion of sin is that which we have here security given us against : though it will abide in us , though it will contend for rule by deceit and force , yet it shall not prevail , it shall not have the dominion . and this is a case of the highest importance unto us . our souls are and must be under the rule of some principle or law. and from this rule , our state is determined and denominated . we are either servants of sin unto death , or of obedience unto righteousness , rom. vi . . this is the substance of the discourse of the apostle in that whole chapter ; namely , that the state of the soul , as unto life and death eternal , follows the conduct and rule that we are under . if sin have the dominion , we are lost for ever . if it be dethrown'd , we are safe . it may tempt , seduced and entice , it may fight , war , perplex and disquiet , it may surprize into actual sin ; yet if it have not the dominion in us , we are in a state of grace and acceptation with god. chap. ii. the enquiries for understanding the text proposed ; the first spoken to : viz. what is the dominion of sin , which we are freed from , and discharged of by grace . we shall enquire into three things from the words of this text. i. what is that dominion of sin , which we are freed from , and discharged of by grace . ii. how we may know whether sin hath the dominion in us or no. iii. what is the reason and evidence of the assurance here given us , that sin shall not have dominion over us ; namely , because we are not under the law , but under grace . . as unto the first of these , i shall only recount some such properties of it , as will discover its nature in general ; the particulars wherein it doth consist , will be considered afterwards . . the dominion of sin is perverse and evil , and that on both the accounts which render any rule or dominion so to be . for , . it is vsurped . sin hath no right to rule in the souls of men. men have no power to give sin a right to rule over them . they may voluntarily enslave themselves unto it ; but this gives sin no right or title . all men have originally another lord , unto whom they owe all obedience ; nor can any thing discharge them from their allegiance thereunto : and this is the law of god. the apostle saith indeed , that unto whom men yield themselves servants to obey , his servants they are to whom they obey , whether of sin unto death , or of obedience unto righteousness , v. . and so it is , men are thereby the proper servants of sin ; they become so by their own voluntary subjection unto it : but this gives sin no title against the law of god , whose right alone it is to bear sway in the souls of men . for all that give up themselves to the service of sin , do live in actual rebellion against their natural leige lord. hence sundry things do follow : first . the great aggravation of the evil of a state of sin. men who live therein , do voluntarily wrest themselves , what lieth in them , from under the rule of the law of god , and give up themselves to be slaves unto this tyrant . could it lay any claim to this dominion , had it any title to plead , it were some alleviation of guilt in them that give up themselves unto it . but men yield up themselves to the slavery of sin , as the apostle speaks ; they reject the rule of god's law , and chuse this foreign yoke , which cannot but be an aggravation of their sin and misery . yet so it is , that the greatest part of men do visibly and openly profess themselves the servants and slaves of sin. they wear its livery , and do all its drudgery ; yea they boast themselves in their bondage , and never think themselves so brave and gallant , as when by profane swearing , drunkenness , uncleanness , covetousness , and scoffing at religion , they openly disavow the lord whom they serve , the master to whom they do belong . but their damnation sleepeth not , whatever they may dream in the mean time . . hence it follows that ordinarily all men have a right in themselves , to cast off the rule of sin , and to vindicate themselves into liberty . they may when they will , plead the right and title of the law of god unto the rule of their souls , to the utter exclusion of all pleas and pretences of sin , for its power . they have right to say unto it , get thee hence , what have i to do any more with idols ? all men , i say , have this right in themselves , because of the natural allegeance they owe to the law of god ; but they have not power of themselves to execute this right , and actually to cast off the yoke of sin ; but this is the work of grace . sin 's dominion is broke only by grace . but you will say then , unto what end serves this right , if they have not power in themselves to put it in execution ? and how can it be charged as an aggravation of their sin , that they do not use the right which they have , seeing they have no power so to do ? will you blame a man that hath a right to an estate if he do not recover it , when he hath no means so to do ? i answer briefly three things . st . no man living neglects the use of this right , to cast off the yoke and dominion of sin , because he cannot of himself make use of it ; but meerly because he will not . he doth voluntarily chuse to continue under the power of sin , and looks on every thing as his enemy , that would deliver him . the carnal mind is enmity against god , it is not subject unto his law , nor can it be , rom. viii . . when the law comes at any time to claim its right and rule over the soul , a man under the power of sin , looks on it as his enemy that comes to disturb his peace , and fortifies his mind against it . and when the gospel comes and tenders the way and means for the souls delivery , offering its aid and assistance unto that end ; this also is looked on as an enemy , and is rejected , and all its offers unto that end . see prov. i. , , , , , . and john iii. . this then is the condition of every one that abides under the dominion of sin : he chuses so to do ; he continues in that state by an act of his own will ; he avows an enmity unto every thing which would give him deliverance ; which will be a sore aggravation of his condemnation at the last day . ly . god may justly require that of any , which it is in the power of the grace of the gospel to enable them to perform and comply withal . for this is tendred unto them in the preaching of it every day . and although we know not the ways and means of the effectual communication of grace unto the souls of men ; yet this is certain , that grace is so tendred in the preaching of the gospel , that none go without it , none are destitute of its aids and assistances , but those alone , who by a free act of their own wills , do refuse and reject it . this is that which the whole cause depends on ; you will not come unto me , that you may have life . and this all unbelievers have or may have experience of in themselves . they may know on a due examination of themselves , that they do voluntarily refuse the assistance of grace , which is offered for their deliverance . therefore is their destruction of themselves . but , ly . there is a time , when men lose even the right also . he who gave up himself to have his ear bored , lost all his claim unto future liberty ; he was not to go out at the year of jubile . so there is a time when god judicially gives up men to the rule of sin , to abide under it for ever ; so as that they lose all right unto liberty . so he dealt with many of the idolatrous gentiles of old , rom. i. , , . and so continues to deal with the like profligate sinners . so he acts towards the generality of the anti-christian world , thess. ii . , . and with many despisers of the gospel , isa. vi . , . when it is come to this , men are cast at law ; and have lost all right and title unto liberty from the dominion of sin. they may repine sometimes at the service of sin or the consequence of it , in shame and pain , in the shameful distempers that will pursue many in their uncleanness ; yet god having given them up judicially unto sin , they have not so much as a right to put up one prayer or petition for deliverance ; nor will they do so , but are bound in the fetters of cursed presumption or despair . see their work and wages , rom. ii . , . this is the most woeful state and condition of sinners in this world ; an unavoidable entrance into the chambers of death . you that have lived long under the power of sin , beware least that come upon you which is spoken of in these scriptures . you have as yet a right unto deliverance from that bondage and servitude wherein you are , if you put in your claim in the court of heaven . you know not how soon you may be deprived of this also , by god's giving you up judicially unto sin and satan . then all complaints will be too late , and all springs of endeavours for relief be utterly dry'd up . all your reserves for a future repentance shall be cut off , and all your cries shall be despised : prov. i. , , , , . whilst it is yet called to day harden not your hearts , least god swear in his wrath , that you shall never enter into his rest. that you may be warned , take notice that the signs or symptoms of the approach of such a season , of such an irrecoverable condition , are ( . ) a long continuance in the practice of any known sin . there are bounds of divine patience . the long suffering of god for a time waits for repentance , pet. iij. . pet. iij. . but there is a time , when it doth only endure vessels of wrath , fitted for destruction , rom. ix . . which is commonly after a long continuance in known sin . ( . ) when convictions have been digested , and warnings despised . god doth not usually deal thus with men , until they have rejected the means of their deliverance . there is a generation indeed , who from their youth up do live in a contempt of god ; such are those proud sinners whom the psalmist describes , psal. x. , , , , , , &c. there are seldom any tokens of the going forth of the decree against this sort of men. the appearing evidences of it , are their adding drunkenness unto thirst ; one kind of sin unto another , making a visible progress in sinning , adding boasting and a profane contempt of all things sacred , unto their course in sin. but ordinarily those that are in danger of this judicial hardness , have had warnings and convictions , which made some impression on them ; but are now left without any calls and rebukes , or at least any sense of them . ( ) . when men contract the guilt of such sins , as seem to entrench on the unpardonable sin against the holy ghost . such as proud , contemptuous , malicious reproaches of the ways of god , of holiness , of the spirit of christ and his gospel . this sort of persons are frequently marked in the scripture , as those who at least are nigh unto a final and fatal rejection . ( . ) a voluntary relinquishment of the means of grace , and conversion unto god , which men have enjoy'd . and this is commonly accompanied with an hatred of the word , and those by whom it is dispensed . such persons god frequently , and that visibly , gives up in an irrecoverable way unto the dominion of sin. he declares that he will have no more to do with them . ( . ) the resolved choise of wicked , profane , unclean scoffing society . it is very rare that any are recovered from that snare . and many other signs there are of the near approach of such an hardning judgment , as shall give up men everlastingly to the service of sin. oh that poor sinners would awake , before it be too late . . this dominion of sin is evil and perverse , not only because it is unjust and usurped , but because it is always used and exercised unto ill ends , unto the hurt and ruine of them over whom it is . an usurper may make use of his power and rule for good ends , for the good of them over whom he rules . but all the ends of the dominion of sin are evil unto sinners . sin in its rule will pretend fair , offer sundry advantages and satisfactions unto their minds . they shall have wages for their work : pleasure and profit shall come in by it . yea on divers pretences it will promise them eternal rest at the close of all ; at least that they shall not fail of it by any thing they do in its service : and by such means it keeps them in security . but the whole real design of it , that which in all its power it operates towards , is the eternal ruine of their souls ; and this sinners will understand when it is too late , jerem. ij . , . dly . this dominion of sin is not a meer force against the will and endeavours of them that are under it . where all the power and interest of sin consists in putting a force on the mind and soul by its temptations , there it hath no dominion . it may perplex them , it doth not rule over them : where it hath dominion , it hath the force and power of a law in the wills and minds of them in whom it is . hereby it requires obedience of them , and they yield up themselves servants to obey it , rom. vi . . wherefore unto this dominion of sin , there is required a consent of the will in some measure and degree . the constant reluctancy and conquering prevalency of the will against it , defeats its title unto rule and dominion ; as the apostle declares at large in the next chapter . the will is the sovereign faculty and power of the soul ; whatever principle acts in it , and determines it , that hath the rule . notwithstanding light and conviction , the determination of the whole , as unto duty and sin , is in the power of the will. if the will of sinning be taken away , sin cannot have dominion . here is wisdom . he that can distinguish between the impressions of sin upon him , and the rule of sin in him , is in the way of peace . but this oft-times ( as we shall farther see , with the reason of it ) is not easily to be attained unto . convictions on the one hand , will make a great pretence and appearance of an opposition in the will unto sin , by their unavoidable impressions on it , when it is not so . and disturbed affections under temptations , will plead , that the will it self is given up unto the choice and service of sin , when it is not so . the will in this matter is like the thebans shield , whilst that was safe they conceited themselves victorious , even in death . however this case is determinable by the light of scripture and experience , and it is here proposed unto a determination . dly . it is required unto this dominion of sin , that the soul be not under any other supreme conduct ; that is , of the spirit of god , and of his grace by the law. this is that which really hath the sovereign rule in all believers : they are led by the spirit , guided by the spirit , acted and ruled by him , and are thereby under the government of god and christ , and no other . with this the rule of sin is absolutely inconsistent . no man can at once serve these two masters . grace and sin may be in the same soul at the same time ; but they cannot bear rule in the same soul at the same time . the throne is singular , and will admit but of one ruler . every evidence we have of being under the rule of grace , is so , that we are not under the dominion of sin. this therefore is the principal way and means which we have to secure our peace and comfort against the pretences of sin , unto the disquietment of our consciences . let us endeavour to preserve an experience of the rule of grace in our hearts , col. iij. . under a conduct and rule whence our state is denominated , we are and must be . this is either of sin or grace . there is no composition nor copartnership between them , as to rule : as to residence there is , but not as unto rule . if we can assure our selves of the one , we secure our selves from the other . it is therefore our wisdom , and lies at the foundation of all our comforts , that we get evidences and experience of our being under the rule of grace ; and it will evidence it self , if we are not wanting unto a due observation of its acting , and operation in us . and it will do it , among others , these two ways . . by keeping up a constancy of design in living to god , and after conformity unto christ , notwithstanding the interposition of surprizals by temptations , and the most urgent solicitations of sin : this is called , cleaving unto god , with purpose of heart , acts xi . . this will be , where-ever grace hath the rule . as a man that goeth to sea , designs some certain place and port , whither he guides his course ; in his way he meets , it may be , with storms and cross winds , that drive him out of his course , and sometimes directly backward , towards the place where he set forth ; but his design still holds , and in the pursuit thereof , he applies his skill and industry , to retrieve and recover all its losses and back-drivings ; by cross winds and storms . so is it with a soul under the conduct of grace ; its fixed design is to live unto god ; but in its course it meets with storms and cross winds of temptations , and various artifices of sin. these disturb him , disorder him , drive him backwards sometimes , as if it would take a contrary course , and return unto the coast of sin from whence it set out . but where grace hath the rule and conduct , it will weather all these oppositions and obstructions ; it will restore the soul , bring it again into order , recover it from the confusions and evil frames that it was drawn into . it will give a fresh predominancy unto its prevalent design of living unto god in all things . it will do this constantly as often as the soul meets with such ruffles from the power of sin ; when there is a radical firmitude and strength in a cause or design , it will work it self out , through all changes and variations . but when the strength of any cause is but occasion , the first opposition and disorder will ruine us . so , if mens purposes of living unto god , be only occasional from present convictions , the first vigorous opposition or temptation will disorder it , and overthrow it . but where this is the radical design of the soul , from the power of grace , it will break through all such oppositions , and recover its prevalency in the mind and affections . hereby doth it evidence its rule , and that the whole interest of sin in the soul is by rebellion , and not by virtue of dominion . . it doth so , by keeping up a constant exercise of grace in all religious duties ; or , at least , a sincere endeavour , that so it may be . where sin hath the dominion , it can allow the soul to perform religious duties , yea , in some cases , to abound in them . but it will take care that divine grace be not exercised in them . whatever there may be of delight in duties or other motions of affection , which light , and gifts , and afflictions , and superstition will occasion , there is no exercise of divine faith and love in them : this belongs essentially and inseparably unto the rule of grace . where-ever that bears sway , the soul will endeavour the constant exercise of grace in all its duties , and never be satisfied in the work done , without some sense of it . where it fails therein , it will judge it self , and watch against the like surprizals ; yea , unless it be in case of some great temptation , the present sense of the guilt of sin , which is the highest obstruction against that spiritual boldness , which is required unto the due exercise of grace , that is of faith and love in holy duties , shall not hinder the soul from endeavouring after it , or the use of it . if by these means , and the like inseparable operations of grace , we can have an assuring experience , that we are under the rule and conduct of it , we may be free in our minds from disturbing apprehensions of the dominion of sin ; for both cannot bear sway in the same soul. thly . it is required hereunto , that sin makes the soul sensible of its power and rule , at least doth that which may do so , unless conscience be utterly seared and hardned , and so past feeling . there is no rule nor dominion , but they are or may be sensible of it , who are subject thereunto . and there are two ways whereby sin in its dominion , will make them sensible of it in whom it rules . . in repressing and overcoming the efficacy of the convictions of the mind . those who are under the dominion of sin ( as we shall see more immediately ) may have light into , and conviction of their duty , in many things . and this light and conviction they may follow ordinarily , notwithstanding the dominion of sin. as a tyrant will permit his slaves and subjects ordinarily to follow their own occasions ; but if what they would do , comes either in matter or manner to enterfere with or oppose his interest , he will make them sensible of his power . so sin , where it hath the dominion , if men have light and conviction , it will allow them ordinarily and in many things to comply therewithal . it will allow them to pray , to hear the word , to abstain from sundry sins , to perform many duties , as is expresly affirmed in the scripture , of many that were under the power of sin , and we see it in experience . how much work do we see about religion and religious duties ? what constant observation of the times and seasons of them ? how many duties performed morally good in themselves and useful , by them , who on many other accounts , do proclaim themselves to be under the dominion of sin ? but if the light and conviction of this sort of persons do rise up in opposition unto the principal interest of sin , in those lusts and ways wherein it exerciseth its rule , it will make them , in whom they are , sensible of its power . they that stifle , or shut their eyes against , or cast out of mind , or go directly contrary unto their convictions ; light in such cases will first repine , and them relieve it self with resolutions for other times and seasons ; but sin will carry the cause by virtue of its dominion . hence two things do follow . . a constant repugnancy against sin , from light in the mind and conviction in the conscience , doth not prove that those in whom it is , are not under the dominion of sin. for until blindness and hardness do come on men to the uttermost , there will be in them a judging of what is good and evil , with a self-judging with respect thereunto , as the apostle declares , rom. ij . . and herein many do satisfie themselves . when their light condemns sin , they suppose they hate it ; but they do not . when convictions call for duties , they suppose they love them ; but they do not . that which they look on as the rule of light in them , in opposition unto sin , is but the rebellion of a natural enlightned conscience , against the dominion of it in the heart . in brief ; light may condemn every known sin , keep from many , press for every known duty , lead to the performance of many ; yet sin have a full dominion in the soul. and this it will evidence when it comes to the trial , in those instances where it exercises its ruling power . . that miserable is their condition whose minds are ground continually between the conduct of their light , with the urgency of conviction on the one hand , and the rule or dominion of sin on the other . where-ever light is , it is its due to have the rule and conduct . it is that act whereby the mind loads it self . for men to be forced by the power of their lusts , to act for the most part against their light , as they do where sin hath the dominion , it is a sad and deplorable condition . such persons are said to rebel against the light , job xxiv . . because of its right to rule in them , where it is deposed by sin. this makes most men but a troubled sea that cannot rest , whose waves cast up mire and dirt . dly . sin will make those in whom it hath dominion sensible of its power , by its continual solicitations of the mind and affections , with respect unto that sin , or those sins wherein it principally exerciseth its rule . having possessed the will and inclinations of the mind with the affections , as it doth where-ever its dominion is absolute , it continually disposeth , enclineth and stirreth up the mind towards those sins . it will level the bent of the whole soul towards such sins or the circumstances of them . nor is there a more pregnant discovery of the rule of sin in any than this , that it habitually engageth the mind and affections , unto a constant exercise of themselves about this or that , some sin , and evil way or other . but yet we must add , that notwithstanding these indications of the ruling power of sin , they are but few in whom it hath this dominion , that are convinced of their state and condition . many are so under the power of darkness , of supine sloath and negligence , and are so desperately wicked , as that they have no sense of this rule of sin. such are those described by the apostle , ephes. iv . , . and whereas they are the vilest slaves that live on the earth , they judge none to be free but themselves : they look on others as in bondage to foolish and superstitious fears , whilst they are at liberty to drink , swear , scoff at religion , whore , and defile themselves without controul . this is their liberty ; and they may have that which is as good in hell ; a liberty to curse and blaspheme god , and to fly with revengeful thoughts on themselves , and the whole creation . the light in such persons is darkness it self ; so as that they have nothing to rise up in opposition unto the rule of sin , whence alone a sense of its power doth arise . others ( as we observed before ) living in some compliance with their light and convictions , abstaining from many sins , and performing many duties , though they live in some known sin or other , and allow themselves in it , yet will not allow that sin hath the dominion in them . wherefore there are two things hard and difficult in this case . . to convince those in whom sin evidently hath the dominion , that such indeed is their state and condition ; they will with their utmost endeavour keep of the conviction hereof . some justifie themselves , and some will make no enquiry into this matter . it is a rare thing , especially of late , to have any brought under this conviction by the preaching of the word ; though it be the case of multitudes that attend unto it . . to satisfie some , that sin hath not the dominion over them , notwithstanding its restless acting it self in them , and waring against their souls ; yet , unless this can be done , it is impossible they should enjoy solid peace and comfort in this life . and the concernment of the best of believers , whilst they are in this world , doth lie herein . for as they grow in light , spirituality , experience , freedom of mind and humility , the more they love to know of the deceit , activity and power of the remainders of sin. and although it works not at all , at least not sensibly in them , towards those sins wherein it reigneth and rageth in others ; yet they are able to discern its more subtil , inward and spiritual actings in the mind and heart to the weakning of grace , the obstructing of its effectual operations in holy duties , with many indispositions unto stability in the life of god , which fills them with trouble . chap. iii. the second enquiry spoken to ; whether sin hath dominion in us or no ? in answer to which it 's shewed , that some wear sin 's livery , and they are the professed servants thereof . there are many in which the case is dubious , where sin 's service is not so discernable . several exceptions are put in against its dominion , where it seems to prevail . some certain signs of its dominion . graces and duties to be exercised for its mortification . these things being thus premised in general , concerning the nature of the dominion of sin , we shall now proceed unto our principal enquiry ; namely , whether sin have dominion in us or no ? whereby we may know , whether we are under the law or under grace , or what is the state of our souls towards god. an enquiry this is , which is very necessary for some to make , and for all to have rightly determined in their minds , from scripture and experience . for on that determination depends all our solid peace . sin will be in us ; it will lust , fight , and entice us ; but the great question , as unto our 〈◊〉 and comfort is , whether it hath dominion over us or no ? . we do not enquire concerning them in whom the reign of sin is absolute and easily discernable , if not to themselves , yet to others . such there are , who visibly yield up their members instruments of vnrighteousness to sin , rom. vi . . sin reigns in their mortal bodies , and they openly obey it in the lusts thereof , v. . they are avowedly servants of sin unto death , v. . and are not ashamed of it . the shew of their countenance doth witness against them ; they declare their sin as sodom ; they hide it not , isa. iij. . such are those described , eph. iv . , . and such the world is filled withal . such as being under the power of darkness and enmity against god , do act them in opposition to all serious godliness , and in the service of various lusts. there is no question concerning their state : they cannot themselves deny that it is so with them . i speak not for the liberty of censuring , but for the easiness of judging . those who openly wear sin 's livery , may well be esteemed to be sin 's servants ; and they shall not fail to receive sin 's wages . let them at present bear it never so high , and despise all manner of convictions , they will find it bitterness in the latter end , isa. l. . eccles. xi . . . but there are many in whom the case is dubious , and not easie to be determined ; for on the one hand , they may have sundry things in them , which seem repugnant unto the reign of sin , but indeed are not inconsistent with it . all arguments and pleas from them in their vindication may fail them on a trial . and on the other hand , there may be some in whom the effectual working of sin may be so great and perplexing , as to argue that it hath the dominion , when indeed it hath not , but is only a stubborn rebel . the things of the first sort which seem destructive of , and inconsistent with the dominion of sin , but indeed are not , may be referred to five heads . . illvmination in knowledge and spiritual gifts , with convictions of good and evil , of all known duties and sins . this is that which some men live in a perpetual rebellion against , in one instance or another . . a change in the affections , giving a temporary delight in religious duties , with some constancy in their observations . this also is found in many who are yet evidently under the power of sin , and spiritual darkness . . a performance of many duties both moral and evangelical , for the substance of them ; and an abstinence , out of conscience , from many sins . so was it with the young man in the gospel , who yet wanted what was necessary to free him from the dominion of sin , matth. xix . , , , . . repentance for sin committed . this is that which most secure themselves by ; and a blessed security it is , when it is gracious , evangelical , a fruit of faith , comprizing the return of the whole soul to god. but there is that which is legal , partial , respecting particular sins only ; which is not pleadable in this case . ahab was no less under the dominion of sin , when he had repented him , that he was before . and judas repented him before he hanged himself . . promises and resolutions against sin for the future . but the goodness of many in these things , is like the morning cloud , and as the early dew it passeth away , as it is in the prophet , hos. vi . . where there is a concurrence of these things in any , they have good hopes , at least , that they are not under the dominion of sin ; nor is it easie to convince them , that they are : and they may so behave themselves herein , as that it is not consistent with christian charity to pronounce them so to be . howbeit , the fallacy that is in these things , hath been detected by many ; and much more is by all required to evidence the sincerity of faith and holiness . no man therefore can be acquitted by pleas taken from them , as unto their subjection to the reign of sin. the things of the second sort , whence arguments may be taken to prove the dominion of sin in any person , which yet will not certainly do it , are those which we shall now examine . and we must observe . . that where sin hath the dominion , it doth indeed rule in the whole soul , and all the faculties of it . it is a vitious habit in all of them , corrupting them in their several natures and power ; with that corruption whereof they are capable . so in the mind , of darkness and vanity ; the will , of spiritual deceit and perversness ; the heart , of stubbornness and sensuality . sin in its power reaches unto , and affects them all . but , . it doth evidence its dominion , and is to be tryed by its acting in the distinct faculties of the mind ; in the frame of the heart , and in the course of the life . these are those which we shall examine ; first , those which render the case dubious ; and then those that clearly determine it on the part of sin. i shall not therefore at present give positive evidences of mens freedom from the dominion of sin ; but only consider the arguments that lie against them , and examine how far they are conclusive , or how they may be defeated . and , . when sin hath in any instance possessed the imagination , and thereby engaged the cogitative faculty in its service , it is a dangerous symptom of its rule or dominion . sin may exercise its rule in the mind , fancy , and imagination , where bodily strength or opportunity give no advantage for its outward perpetration . in them the desires of sin may be enlarged as hell , and the satisfaction of lust taken in with greediness . pride and covetousness , and sensuality may reign and rage in the mind , by corrupt imaginations , when their outward exercise is shut up by circumstances of life . the first way whereby sin acts it self , or coins its motions and inclinations into acts , is by the imagination , gen. vi . . the continual evil figments of the heart , are as the bubbling of corrupt waters from a corrupted fountain . the imaginations intended are the fixing of the mind on the objects of sin , or sinful objects by continual thoughts , with delight and complacency . they are the minds purveying for the satisfaction of the flesh in the lusts thereof , rom. xiij . . whereby evil thoughts come to lodge , to abide , to dwell in the heart , jer. iv . . this is the first and proper effect of that vanity of mind whereby the soul is alienated from the life of god. the mind being turned off from its proper object with a dislike of it , applies its self by its thoughts and imaginations unto the pleasures and advantages of sin , seeking in vain to recover the rest and satisfaction which they have forsaken in god himself . they follow after lying vanities , and forsake their own mercies , jonah ij . . and when they give themselves up unto a constant internal converse with the desires of the flesh , the pleasures and advantages of sin , with delight and approbation ; sin may reign triumphantly in them , though no appearance be made of it in their outward conversation . such are they who have a form of godliness , but deny the power thereof ; their hearts being fill'd with a litter of ungodly lusts , as the apostle declares , tim. iij. . and there are three evils , with respect whereunto , sin doth exercise its reigning power in the imagination , in an especial manner . . pride , self-elation , desire of power and greatness . it is affirmed of the prince of tyrus , that he said , he was a god , and sat in the seat of god , ezek. xxviij . . and the like foolish thoughts are ascribed unto the king of babylon , isa. xiv . , . none of the children of men can attain so great glory , power and dominion in this world , but that in their imaginations and desires they can infinitely exceed what they do enjoy ; like him who wept , that he had not another world to conquer . they have no bounds but to be as god , yea , to be god ; which was the first design of sin in the world. and there is none so poor and low , but by his imaginations , he can lift up and exalt himself almost into the place of god. this vanity and madness god reproves in his discourse with job , chap. xl . , , , , , . and there is nothing more genuine and proper unto the original depravation and corruption of our natures , than this self-exaltation in foolish thoughts and imaginations ; because it first came upon us through a desire of being as god. herein therefore may sin exercise its dominion in the minds of men ; yea , in the empty mind and vanity of these imaginations , with those that follow , consists the principal part of the deceitful ways of sin. the ways of men cannot satisfie themselves with what sins they can actually commit ; but in these imaginations they rove endlessly , finding satisfaction in their renovation and variety , isa. lvij . . . sensvality and vncleanness of life . it is said of some , that they have their eyes full of adulteries , and that they cannot cease from sin , pet. ij . . that is , their imaginations are continually working about the objects of their unclean lusts. these they think of night and day , immiring themselves in all filth continually . jude calls them filthy dreamers , defiling the flesh , v. . they live as in a constant pleasing dream by their vile imaginations , even when they cannot accomplish their lustful desires . for such imaginations cannot be better expressed than by dreams ; wherein men satisfie themselves with a supposed acting of what they do not . hereby do many wallow in the mire of uncleanness all their days ; and for the most part are never wanting unto the effects of it , when they have opportunity and advantage . and by this means the most cloystered recluses may live in constant adulteries , whereby multitudes of them become actually the sinks of uncleanness . this is that , which in the root of it is severely condemned by our saviour , matth. v. . . vnbelief , distrust and hard thoughts of god , are of the same kind . these will sometimes so possess the imaginations of men , as to keep them off from all delight in god , to put them on contrivances of flying from him ; which is a peculiar case , not here to be spoken unto . in these and the like ways may sin exercise its dominion in the soul , by the mind and its imagination . it may do so , when no demonstration is made of it in the outward conversation . for , by this means , the minds of men are defiled ; and then nothing is clean , all things are impure unto them , tit. i. . their minds being thus defiled , do defile all things to them , their enjoyments , their duties , all they have , and all that they do . but yet all failing , and sin in this kind doth not prove absolutely , that sin hath not the dominion in the mind that it had before . something of this vice and evil , may be found in them that are freed from the reign of sin. and there will be so , until the vanity of our minds is perfectly cured and taken away , which will not be in this world. wherefore i shall name the exceptions , that may be put in against the title of sin , unto dominion in the soul ; notwithstanding the continuance in some measure of this work of the imagination , in coining evil figments in the heart . and , . this is no evidence of the dominion of sin , where it is occasional arising from the prevalency of some present temptation ; take an instance in the case of david . i no way doubt , but that in his temptation with bathsheba , his mind was possess'd with defiling imaginations . wherefore on his repentance , he not only prays for the forgiveness of his sin , but crys out with all fervency , that god would create a clean heart in him , psal. li. . he was sensible not only of the defilement of his person by his actual adultery ; but of his heart , by impure imaginations . so it may be in case of other temptations . whilst men are entangled with any temptation , of what sort soever it be , it will multiply thoughts about it in the mind : yea its whole power consists in a multiplication of evil imaginations . by them it blinds the mind , draws it off from the consideration of its duty , and enticeth it unto a full conception of sin , jam. i. . wherefore in this case of a prevalent temptation , which may befal a true believer , the corrupt working of the imagination , doth not prove the dominion of sin . if it be enquired , how the mind may be freed and cleared of these perplexing , defiling imaginations , which arise from the urgency of some present temptation , suppose about earthly affairs , or the like ? i say , it will never be done by the most strict watch and resolution against them ; nor by the most resolute rejection of them . they will return with new violence , and new pretences , though the soul hath promised it self a thousand times , that so they should not do . there is but one way for the cure of this distemper , and this is a thorough mortification of the lust that feeds them , and is fed by them . it is to no purpose to shake of the fruit in this case , unless we dig up the root . every temptation designs the satisfaction of some lusts of the flesh or of the mind . these evil thoughts and imaginations are the working of the temptation in the mind . there is no riddance of them , no conquest to be obtained over them , but by subduing the temptation ; and no subduing the temptation , but by the mortification of the lust , whose satisfaction it is design'd unto . this course the apostle directs unto , col. iij. , . that which he enjoins is , that we would not set our minds on the things of the earth , in opposition unto the things above ; that is , that we would not fill our imaginations , and thereby our affections with them . but what is the way whereby we may be enabled so to do ? that is , saith he , the universal mortification of sin , v. . for want of the wisdom and knowledge hereof ; or for want of its practice , thorough a secret unwillingness , to come up unto a full mortification of sin , some are galled and perplexed , yea , and defiled with foolish and vain imaginations all their days . and although they prove not the dominion of sin , yet they will deprive the soul of that peace and comfort which otherwise it might enjoy . but yet there is much spiritual skill and diligence required to discover , what is the true root and spring of the foolish imaginations that may at any time possess the mind . for they lie deep in the heart ; that heart which is deep and deceitful , and so are not easily discoverable . there are many other pretences of them . they do not directly bespeak that pride or unclean lusts which they proceed from ; but they make many other pretences , and feign other ends. but the soul that is watchful and diligent may trace them to their original . and if such thoughts are strictly examined at any time , what is their design , whose work they do , what makes them so busie in the mind , they will confess the truth , both whence they came , and what it is they aim at . then is the mind guided unto its duty , which is the extermination of the lust , which they would make provision for . . such imaginations are no evidence of the dominion of sin , in what degree soever they are , where they are afflictive ; where they are a burthen unto the soul , which it groans under and would be delivered from . there is a full account given by the apostle , of the conflict between indwelling sin and grace , rom. vij . and the things which he ascribes unto sin , are not the first rising or involuntary motions of it , nor merely its inclinati●ns and disposition : for the things ascribed unto it , as that it fights , rebels , wars , leads captive , acts as a law , cannot belong unto them ; nor doth he intend the outward acting or perpetration of sin , the doing , or accomplishing , or finishing of it : for that cannot befal believers , as the apostle declares , joh. iij. . but it is the working of sin by these imaginations in the mind , and the engagement of the affections thereon , that he doth intend . now this he declares to be the great burden of the souls of believers , that which makes them think their condition wretched and miserable in some sort , and which they earnestly cry out for deliverance from , v. . this is the present case . these figments of the heart , these imaginations will arise in the minds of men. they will do so sometimes to an high degree . they will impose them on us with deceit and violence , leading captive unto the law of them ; where they are rejected , condemned , defied ; they will return again while there is any vanity remaining in the mind , or corruption in the affections . but if the soul be sensible of them , if it labour under them , if it look on them as those that fight against its purity , holiness and peace , if it pray for deliverance from them , they are no argument of the dominion of sin. yea , a great evidence unto the contrary may be taken from that firm opposition unto them , which the mind is constantly engaged in . . they are not a proof of the dominion of sin , when there is a prevalent detestation of the lust from whence they proceed , and whose promotion they design , maintained in the heart and mind . i confess , sometimes this cannot be discovered ; and all such various imaginations are but mere effects of the incurable vanity and instability of our minds . for these administer continual occasion unto random thoughts : but for the most part , ( as we observed before ) they are employed in the service of some lust , and tend unto the satisfaction of it . they are that which is prohibited by the apostle , rom. xiij . . make no provision , &c. and this may be discovered on strict examination . now when the mind is fixed in a constant detestation of that sin , whereunto they lead , as it is sin against god , with a firm resolution against it , in all circumstances that may occur ; no proof can be thence taken for the dominion of sin. . sometimes evil thoughts are the immediate injections of sathan , they are on many accounts most terrible unto the soul. usually for the matter of them , they are dreadful , and oft-times blasphemous . and as unto the manner of their entrance into the mind , it is , for the most part , surprizing , furious and invisible . from such thoughts many have concluded themselves to be absolutely under the power of sin and sathan . but they are by certain rules and infallible signs , discoverable from whence they do proceed . and on that discovery all pretences unto the dominion of sin in them , must disappear . and this is the first case which renders the question dubious , whether sin have the dominion in us or no ? dly . it is a sign of the dominion of sin , when in any instance it hath a prevalency in our affections : yea , they are the throne of sin , where it acts its power . but this case of the affections , i have handled so at large in my discourse of spiritual mindedness , as i shall here very briefly speak unto it , so as to give one rule only to make a judgment by , concerning the dominion of sin in them . this is certain , that where sin hath the prevalency and predominancy in our affections , there it hath the dominion in the whole soul. the rule is given us unto this purpose , joh. ij . . we are obliged to love the lord our god with all our hearts , and all our souls . and therefore if there be in us a predominant love to any thing else , whereby it is preferred unto god , it must be from the prevalency of a principle of sin in us . and so it is with respect unto all other affections . if we love any thing more than god , as we do if we will not part with it for his sake , be it as a right eye , or as a right hand unto us , if we take more satisfaction and complacency in it , and cleave more unto it in our thoughts and minds than unto god , as men commonly do in their lusts , interests , enjoyments and relations ; if we trust more to it , as unto a supply of our wants , than unto god , as most do to the world ; if our desires are enlarged , and our diligence heightned , in seeking after and attaining other things , more than towards the love and favour of god ; if we fear the loss of other things , or danger from them more than we fear god ; we are not under the rule of god or his grace ; but we are under the dominion of sin , which reigns in our affections . it were endless to give instances of this power of sin in and over the affections of men. self-love , love of the world , delight in things sensual , an over-valuation of relations and enjoyments ; with sundry other things of an alike nature , will easily evidence it . and to resolve the case under consideration , we may observe , . that the prevalency of sin in the affections , so far as to be a symptom of its dominion , is discernable unto the least beam of spiritual light , with a diligent searching into , and judgment of our selves . if it be so with any , and they know it not , nor will be convinced of it , ( as it is with many ) i know not what can free them from being under the reign of sin. and we see it so every day . men , all whose ways and actions proclaim , that they are acted in all things , by an inordinate love of the world and self , yet find nothing amiss in themselves ; nothing that they do not approve of , unless it be that their desires are not satisfied according to their expectations . all the commands we have in the scripture for self-searching , trial and examination ; all the rules that are given us unto that end , all the warnings we have of the deceitfulness of sin , and of our own hearts ; they are given us to prevent this evil of shutting our eyes against the prevalent corruption and disorder of our affairs . and the issue of all our endeavours in this kind , is in the appeal of david to god himself , psal. cxxxix . , . . when men have convictions of the irregularity and disorder of their affections , yet are resolved to continue in the state wherein they are , without the correction and amendment of them ; because of some advantages and satisfaction , which they receive in their present state ; they seem to be under the dominion of sin. so is it with those mention'd , isa. vij . . upon the account of the present satisfaction , delight and pleasure , that their corrupt affections do take in cleaving inordinately unto their objects , they will not endeavour their change and alteration . . this then is the sole safe rule in this case . whatever hold sin may have got in our affections ; whatever prevalency it may have in them , however it may entangle and desile them ; if we endeavour sincerely the discovery of this evil , and therein set our selves constantly unto the mortification of our corrupt affections by all due means , there is not in their disorder any argument to prove the dominion of sin in us . our affections , as they are corrupt , are the proper objects of the great duty of mortification ; which the apostle therefore calls our members that are on the earth , col. iij. . this is a safe anchor for the soul in this storm . if it live in a sincere endeavour after the mortification of every discoverable corruption , and disorder in the affections , it is secure from the dominion of sin. but as for such , as are negligent in searching after the state of their souls , as unto the inclinations and engagement of their affections , who approve of themselves in their greatest irregularities , resolvedly indulge themselves in every way of sin to gratifie their sensual affections , they must provide themselves of pleas for their vindication ; i know them not . but the meaning of our present rule , will be farther manifest in what ensues . dly . it is a dangerous sign of the dominion of sin , when after a conviction of their necessity , it prevaileth unto a neglect of those ways and duties , which are peculiarly suited , directed and ordained unto its mortification and destruction . this may be cleared in some particulars . . mortification of sin , is the constant duty of all believers , of all who would not have sin have dominion over them . where mortification is sincere , there is no dominion of sin ; and where there is no mortification , there sin doth reign . . there are some graces and duties that are peculiarly suited and ordained unto this end , that by them and their agency , the work of mortification may be carried on constantly in our souls . what they are , or some of them , we shall see immediately . . when sin puts forth its power in any especial lust , or in a strong inclination unto any actual sin , then it is the duty of the soul to make diligent application of those graces and duties , which are specifical and proper unto its mortification . . when men have had a conviction of these duties , and have attended unto them according unto that conviction ; if sin prevail in them to a neglect or relinquishment of those duties , as unto their performance , or as unto their application unto the mortification of sin , it is a dangerous sign that sin hath dominion in them . and i distinguish between these things , namely , a neglect of such duties , as unto their performance and a neglect of the application of them unto the mortification of sin. for men may , on other accounts , continue the observance of them , or some of them , and yet not apply them unto this especial end. and so all external duties may be observed , when sin reigneth in triumph , tim. iij. . the meaning of the assertion being stated , i shall now name some of those graces and duties , unto whose omission and neglect sin may prevail , as unto an application of them unto the mortification of any sin. the first is , the daily exercise of faith on christ as crucified . this is the great fundamental means of the mortification of sin in general , and which we ought to apply unto every particular instance of it . this the apostle discourseth at large , rom. vi . , , , , , , , . our old man , saith he , is crucified with christ , that the body of sin might be destroyed , that henceforth we should not serve sin. our old man , or the body of sin , is the power and reign of sin in us . these are to be destroyed ; that is , so mortified , that henceforth we should not serve sin ; that we should be delivered from the power and rule of it . this , saith the apostle , is done in christ : crucified with him . it is so meritoriously in his actual dying or being crucified for us ; it is so virtually , because of the certain provision that is made therein , for the mortification of all sin. but it is so actually by the exercise of faith on him as crucified , dead and buried , which is the means of the actual communication of the virtue of his death unto us for that end. herein are we said to be dead and buried with him , whereof baptism is the pledge . so by the cross of christ , the world is crucified unto us , and we are so to the world , gal. vi . . which is the substance of the mortification of all sin. there are several ways whereby the exercise of faith on christ crucified , is effectual unto this end. . looking unto him as such , will beget holy mourning in us , zech. xij . . they shall look on him whom they have pierced , and mourn . it is a promise of gospel times and gospel grace . a view of christ , as pierced , will cause mourning in them that have received the promise of the spirit of grace and supplication there mentioned . and this mourning is the foundation of mortification . it is that godly sorrow which works repentance unto salvation , not to be repented of , cor. vij . . and mortification of sin is of the essence of repentance . the more believers are exercised in this view of christ , the more humble they are ; the more they are kept in that mourning frame , which is universally opposite unto all the interest of sin , and which keeps the soul watchful against all its attempts . sin never reigned in an humble mourning soul. . it is effectual unto the same end , by the way of a powerful motive , as that which calls and leads unto conformity to him . this is pressed by the apostle , rom. vi . , , , . our conformity unto christ , as crucified and dead , consists in our being dead unto sin , and thereby overthrowing the reign of it in our mortal bodies . this conformity , saith he , we ought to reckon on as our duty ; reckon your selves dead unto sin , that is , that you ought so to be , in that conformity , which you ought to aim at unto christ crucified . can any spiritual eye behold christ dying for sin , and continue to live in sin ? shall we keep that alive in us , which he dy'd for , that it might not eternally destroy us ? can we behold him bleeding for our sins , and not endeavour to give them their deaths wound ? the efficacy of the exercise of faith herein unto the mortification of sin , is known unto all believers in experience . . faith herein gives us communion with him in his death , and unites the soul unto it , in its efficacy . hence we are said to be buried with him into death , and to be planted together in the likeness of his death , rom. vi . , . our old man is crucified with him , v. . we have by faith communion with him in his death , unto the death of sin. this therefore is the first grace and duty which we ought to attend unto for the mortification of sin. but where sin hath that interest and power in the mind , as to take it off from this exercise of faith , to prevent or obstruct it , as it will do , so as that it will not , so as that it shall not dare to think or meditate on christ crucified , because of the inconsistency of such thoughts , with an indulgence unto any lust ; it is to be feared , that sin is in the throne . if it be thus with any ; if they have not yet made use of this way and means for the mortification of sin ; or if being convinced of it , they have been for any season driven or withheld from the exercise of faith herein , i have nothing to offer to free them from this evidence of the reign of sin , but only that they would speedily and carefully address themselves unto their duty herein . and if they prevail on themselves unto it , it will bring in its own evidence of their freedom . some , it may be , will say , that indeed they are unskilful in this word of righteousness , as some are , heb. v. . they know not how to make use of christ crucified unto this end ; nor , how to set themselves about it . other ways of mortification they can understand . the discipline and penances assigned by the papists unto this end , are sensible . so are our own vows and resolutions , with other duties that are prescribed ; but as for this way of deriving vertue from the death of christ unto the death of sin , they can understand nothing of it . i easily believe that some may say so , yea ought to say so , if they would speak their minds . for the spiritual wisdom of faith is required hereunto ; but all men have not faith. on the loss of this wisdom , the papists have invented another way to supply the whole exercise of faith herein . they will make crucifixes , images of christ crucified , then they will adore , embrace , mourn over , and expect great verue from them . without these images they know no way of addressing unto christ , for the communication of any virtue from his death or life . others may be at the same loss . but they may do well to consider the cause of it . for , . is it not from ignorance of the mystery of the gospel , and of the communication of supplies of spiritual things from christ thereby , of the efficacy of his life and death unto our sanctification and mortification of sin ? or , . is it not because indeed they have never been throughly distressed in their minds and consciences by the power of sin ; and so have never in good earnest looked for relief ? light general convictions either of the guilt or power of sin will drive none to christ. when their consciences are reduced unto real streights , and they know not what to do , they will learn better how to look unto him whom they have pierced . their condition , whoever they are , is dangerous , who find not a necessity every day of applying themselves by faith unto christ , for help and succour . or , . is it not because they have other reliefs to betake themselves unto ? such are there own promises and resolutions , which , for the most part , serve only to cheat and quiet conscience for an hour or a day , and then vanish into nothing . but whatever be the case of this neglect , those in whom it is , will pine away in their sins . for nothing but the death of christ for us , will be the death of sin in us . secondly , another duty necessary unto this end , is continual prayer , and this to be considered as unto its application , to the prevalency of any particular lust , wherein sin doth in a peculiar manner exert its power . this is the great ordinance of god for its mortification . for , . hereby we obtain spiritual aids and supplies of strength against it . we are not more necessarily and fervently to pray that sin may be pardoned , as to its guilt , than we are that it may be subdued , as to its power . he who is negligent in the latter , is never in good earnest in the former . the pressures and troubles which we receive from the power of sin , are as pungent on the mind , as those from its guilt are on the conscience . meer pardon of sin will never give peace unto a soul , though it can have none without it . it must be mortified also , or we can have no spiritual rest. now this is the work of prayer , namely , to seek and obtain such supplies of mortifying , sanctifying grace , as whereby the power of sin may be broken , its strength abated , its root withered , its life destroyed , and so the whole old man crucified . that which was the apostles request for the thessalonians , is the daily prayer of all believers for themselves , thes. v. . . a constant attendance unto this duty in a due manner , will preserve the soul in such a frame , as wherein sin cannot habitually prevail in it . he that can live in sin , and abide in the ordinary duties of prayer , doth never once pray as he ought . formality , or some secret reserve or other , vitiates the whole . a truly gracious praying frame ( wherein we pray always ) is utterly inconsistent with the love of , or reserve for any sin . to pray well , is to pray always ; that is , to keep the heart always in that frame which is required in prayer : and where this is , sin can have no rule , no , nor quiet harbour in the soul. . it is the soul 's immediate conflict against the power of sin . sin , in it is formally considered as the soul's enemy , which fights against it . in prayer the soul sets it self to graple with it , to wound , kill and destroy . it is that whereby it applies all its spiritual engines unto its utter ruine ; herein it exerciseth a gracious abhorrency of it , a clear self-condemnation on the account of it , and engageth faith on all the promises of god , for its conquest and destruction . it is hence evident , that if sin hath prevailed in the mind , unto a negligence of this duty , either in general , or , as unto the effectual application of it , unto any especial case , where it exerts its power , it is an ill symptom of the dominion of sin in the soul. it is certain , that unmortified sin , sin indulged unto , will gradually work out all due regard unto this duty of prayer , and alienate the mind from it , either as unto the matter or manner of its performance . we see this exemplified every day in apostate professors . they have had a gift of prayer , and were constant in the exercise of it ; but the love of sin , and living in it hath devoured their gifts , and wholly taken off their minds from the duty it self , which is the proper character of hypocrites ; will he delight himself in the almighty ? will he always call upon god ? job xxvij . . he may do so for a season ; but falling under the power of sin , he will not continue so to do . now because sin useth great deceit herein , in a gradual progress for attaining its end , and thereby securing its dominion ; we may in a way of warning or caution , take notice of some of its steps , that the entrances of it may be opposed . for as the entrance of god's word giveth light , psal. cxix . . the first puttings forth of its power on the soul , gives spiritual light unto the mind , which is to be improved ; so the entrance of sin , the first actings of it on the mind , towards the neglect of this duty , brings a deceiving darkness with them , which is to be opposed . . it will produce in the mind an unreadiness unto this duty in its proper seasons . the heart should always rejoice in the approach of such seasons , because of the delight in god , which it hath in them . to rejoice and be glad in all our approaches unto god , is every way required of us , and therefore with the thoughts of and in the approach of such seasons , we ought to groan in our selves for such a preparedness of mind , as may render us meet for that converse with god , which we are called unto . but where sin begins to prevail , all things will be unready and out of order . strange tergiversations will rise in the mind , either as unto the duty it self , or as unto the manner of its performance . customariness and formality are the principles which act themselves in this case . the body seems to carry the mind to the duty whether it will or no , rather than the mind to lead the body in its part of it : and it will employ it self in any thing , rather than in the work and duty that lies before it . herein then lies a great part of our wisdom , in obviating the power of sin in us . let us keep our hearts continually in a gracious disposition and readiness for this duty , in all its proper seasons . if you lose this ground , you will yet go more backwards continually . know therefore , that there is no more effectual preservative of the soul from the power of sin , than a gracious readiness for , and disposition unto this duty in private and publick , according to its proper seasons . . in its progress , unto unreadiness it will add unwillingness ; for the mind prepossessed by sin , finds it directly contrary unto its present interest , disposition and inclination . there is nothing in it but what troubles and disquiets them ; as he said of the prophet , who was not willing to hear him any more , it speaks not good but evil of them continually . hence a secret unwillingness prevails in the mind , and an aversation from a serious engagement in it . and the attendance of such persons to it , is as if they were under a force , in a compliance with custom and convictions . . sin will at length prevail unto a total neglect of this duty : this is an observation confirmed by long experience . if prayer do not constantly endeavour the ruine of sin , sin will ruine prayer ; and utterly alienate the soul from it . this is the way of backsliders in heart ; as they grow in sin , they decay in prayer , until they are weary of it , and utterly relinquish it . so they speak , mal. i. . behold what a weariness it is , and ye have snuffed at it . they look on it as a task , as a burthen , and are weary in attending unto it . now when i place this as an effect of the prevalency of sin ; namely , a relinquishment of the duty of prayer ; i do not intend that persons do wholly and absolutely , or as to all ways of it , publick and private , and all seasons or occasions of it , give it over utterly . few arise to that profligacy in sin , unto such desperate resolutions against god. it may be they will still attend unto the stated seasons of prayer , in families or publick assemblies , at least drawing near to god with their lips ; and they will on surprizals and dangers personally cry unto god , as the scripture every where testifieth of them . but this only i intend ; namely , that they will no more sincerely , immediately , and directly apply prayer to the mortification and ruine of that lust or corruption , wherein sin puts forth its power and rule in them : and where it is so , it seems to have the dominion . of such an one , saith the psalmist , he hath left off to be wise and to do good ; he setteth himself in a way that is not good , he aborreth not evil , psal. xxxvi . , . but such a relinquishment of this duty , as unto the end mentioned , as is habitual , and renders the soul secure under it , is intended . for there may , through the power of temptation , be a prevalency of this evil in believers for a season . so god complains of his people , isa. xliij . . thou hast not called upon me , o jacob , but hast been weary of me , o israel ; that is , comparatively , as unto the fervency and sincerity of the duty required of them . now , when it is thus with believers for a season , through the power of sin and temptation ; ( . ) they do not approve of themselves therein . they will ever and anon call things to consideration , and say , it is not with us as it should be , or as it was in former days ; this thing is not good that we do ; nor will it be peace in the latter end. ( . ) they will have secret resolutions of shaking themselves out of the dust of this evil state ; they say in themselves , we will go and return unto our first husband ; for , then it was better with us than now ; as the church did , hos. ij . . ( . ) every thing that peculiarly befals them in a way of mercy or affliction , they look on as calls from god , to deliver and recover them from their backsliding frame . ( . ) they will receive in the warnings which are given them by the word preached , especially , if their particular case be touched on , or laid open . ( . ) they will have no quiet , rest , nor self-approbation , until they come thoroughly off unto an healing and recovery ; such as that described , hos. xiv . , , , . thus it may be with some over whom sin hath not the dominion ; yet ought the first entrance of it to be diligently watched against , as that which tends unto the danger and ruine of the soul. thirdly , constant self-abasement , condemnation and abhorrency , is another duty that is directly opposed unto the interest and rule of sin in the soul. no frame of mind is a better antidote against the poison of sin ; he that walketh humbly ▪ walketh surely . god hath a continual regard unto mourners , those that are of a broken heart and a contrite spirit . it is the soil where all grace will thrive and flourish . a constant due sense of sin as sin , of our interest therein by nature , and in the course of our lives , with a continual afflictive remembrance of some such instances of it , as have had peculiar aggravations issuing in a gracious self-abasement , is the soul 's best posture in watching against all the deceits and incursions of sin. and this is a duty which we ought with all diligence to attend unto . to keep our souls in a constant frame of mourning and self-abasement , is the most necessary part of our wisdom , with reference unto all the ends of the life of god : and it is so far from having any inconsistency with those consolations and joys , which the gospel tenders unto us in believing , as that it is the only way to let them into the soul in a due manner . it is such mourners , and those alone , unto whom evangelical comforts are administred , isa. lvij . . one of the first things that sin doth when it aims at dominion , is the destruction of this frame of mind ; and when it actually hath the rule , it will not suffer it to enter : it makes men careless and regardless of this matter , yea , bold , presumptuous and fearless : it will obstruct all the entrances into the mind of such self-reflections and considerations , as lead unto this frame : it will represent them either as needless or unseasonable ; or make the mind afraid of them , as things which tend unto its disquietment and disturbance , without any advantage . if it prevail herein , it makes way for the security of its own dominion . nothing is more watched against than a proud , regardless , senseless , secure frame of heart , by them who are under the rule of grace . fourthly , a reserve for any one known sin , against the light and efficacy of convictions , is an argument of the dominion of sin . so was it in the case of naaman ; he would do all other things , but put in an exception for that , wherein his honour and profit did depend . where there is sincerity in convictions , it extends it self unto all sins : for it is of sin as sin , and so of every known sin equally , that hath the nature of sin in it . and to be true to convictions is the life of sincerity . if men can make a choice of what they will except , and reserve , notwithstanding , their being convinced of its evil , it is from the ruling power of sin . pleas in the mind , in the behalf of any sin ; that is , for a continuance in it , prevalent thereunto , ruines all sincerity . it may be , the pretence is , that it is but a little one , of no great moment , and that which shall be compensated with other duties of obedience ; or , it shall be retained only until a fitter season for its relinquishment ; or , men may be blinded after conviction to dispute again , whether what they would abide in be sinful or no , as is the case frequently with respect unto covetousness , pride and conformity to the world ; it is a dreadful effect of the ruling power of sin. whatever impeacheth the universality of obedience in one thing , overthrows its sincerity in all things . fifthly , hardness of heart , so frequently mentioned and complained of in the scripture , is another evidence of the dominion of sin. but because there are various degrees also hereof , they must be considered , that we may judge aright what of it is an evidence of that dominion , and what may be consistent with the rule of grace : for it is that mysterious evil whereof the best men do most complain ; and whereof the worst have no sense at all . chap. iv. hardness of heart spoken to , as an eminent sign of sin 's dominion , and is shewed , that it ought to be considered as total or partial . hardness of heart , is either total and absolute ; or , partial and comparative only . total hardness , is either natural and universal ; or , judiciary in some particular individuals . natural hardness , is the blindness or obstinacy of the heart in sin , by nature , which is not to be cured by the use or application of any outward means . hardness and impenitent heart , rom. ij . . this is that heart of stone , which god promises in the covenant to take away , by the efficacy of his almighty grace , ezek. xxxvi . . where this hardness abides uncured , unremoved , there sin is absolutely in the throne ; this therefore we do not enquire about . judiciary hardness , is either immediately from god ; or , it is by the devil , through his permission . in the first way , god is said frequently to harden the hearts of men in their sins , and unto their ruine , as he did with pharaoh ; and he doth it in general two ways , ( . ) by with-holding from them those supplies of light , wisdom and understanding , without which they cannot understand their condition , see their danger , nor avoid their ruine . ( . ) by with-holding the efficacy of the means which they enjoy for their conviction and repentance ; yea , and giving them an efficacy unto their obduration , isa. vi . , . and concerning this divine induration , we may observe , ( . ) that it is the severest of divine punishments in this world ; ( . ) that therefore it is not executed , but towards those that are habitually wicked , and so do , of choice , harden themselves in their sins , rom. i. , . ( . ) for the most part it respects some especial times and seasons , wherein are the turning points for eternity . ( . ) that the condition of those so hardned is remediless , and their wounds uncurable . where any are thus hardned , there is no question about the dominion of sin. such an heart is its throne , its proper seat next to hell. there is a judiciary hardness , which sathan , through god's permission , brings on men , cor. iv . . and there are many ways whereby he doth effect it , not here to be insisted on . but there is an hardness of heart , that is indeed but partial and comparative , whatever appearance it may make of that which is total and absolute , where the enquiry ariseth , whether it be an evidence of the dominion of sin or no. there is an hardness of heart , which is known and lamented in them in whom it is . hereof the church complains , isa. lxiij . . o lord , why hast thou hardened our heart from thy fear ? or suffered it so to be ; not healing , not recovering our hardness . and there are sundry things which concurr in this kind of hardness of heart . as , . want of readiness to receive divine impressions from the word of god. when the heart is soft and tender , it is also humble and contrite , and ready to tremble at the word of god. so it is said of josia , that his heart was tender , and he humbled himself before the lord , when he heard his word , kings xxij . , . this may be wanting in some in a great measure , and they may be sensible of it . they may find in themselves a great unreadiness to comply with divine warnings , reproofs , calls . they are not affected with the word preached , but sometimes complain that they sit under it like stocks and stones . they have not an experience of its power , and are cast into the mould of it . hereon they apprehend that their hearts are hardned from the fear of god , as the church complains . there is indeed no better frame of heart to be attained in this life , then that , whereby it is to the word , as the wax to the seal , fit and ready to receive impressions from it . a frame that is tender to receive the communications of the word in all their variety , whether for reproof , instruction or consolation ; and the want hereof , is a culpable hardness of heart . . there belongs unto it an affectedness with the guilt of sin , as unto the sorrow and repentance that it doth require . there is none in whom there is any spark of saving grace , but hath a gracious sorrow for sin , in some degree or other ; but there is a proportion required between sin and sorrow . great sins require great sorrows ; as peter on his great sin , wept bitterly . and all , especial aggravations of sin , require an especial sense of them . this the soul finds not in it self . it bears the thoughts of sin , and the rebukes of conscience , without any great concussion or remorse . it can pass over the charge of sin , without relenting , mourning , dissolving in sighs and tears ; and it cannot but say sometimes thereon , that its heart is like the adamant or the flint in the rock ; this makes many fear , that they are under the dominion of sin ; and they fear it the more , because that fear doth not affect and humble them as it ought . and it must be granted , that all unaffectedness with sin , all want of humiliation and godly sorrow upon it , is from an undue hardness of heart . and they , who are not affected with it , have great reason to be jealous over themselves , as even unto their spiritual state and condition . . of the same kind in its measure , is unaffectedness with the sins of others , among whom we live , or in whom we are concerned . to mourn for the sins of others , is a duty highly approved of god ; ezek. ix . it argues the effectual working of many graces , as zeal for the glory of god , compassion for the souls of men , love to the glory and interest of christ in the world. the want hereof is from hardness of heart , and it is that which abounds among us . some find not themselves at all concerned herein , some make pretences why they need not so be , or , that it is not their duty ; what is it unto them how wicked the world is , it shall answer for its own sins . nor are they moved when it comes nearer them . if their children come to losses , ruine , poverty , then they are affected indeed . but so long as they flourish in the world , be they apostates from profession , be they enemies to christ , do they avowedly belong unto the world , and walk in the ways of it ; they are not much concerned , especially if they are not scandalously profligate . but this also is from hardness of heart , which will be bewail'd , where grace is vigilant and active . . want of a due sense of indications of divine displeasure , is another instance of this hardness of heart . god doth oft-times give signs and tokens hereof ; whether as unto the publick state of the church in the world , or , as unto our own persons , in afflictions and chastisements . in the seasons hereof , he expects that our hearts should be soft and tender , ready to receive impressions of his anger , and pliable therein unto his mind and will. there are none whom at such a time he doth more abhorr , than those who are stout-hearted , little regarding him or the operation of his hands . this in some measure may be in believers ; and they may be sensible of it , to their sorrow and humilition . these things , and many more of the like nature , proceed from hardness of heart , or the remainder of our hardness by nature , and are great promoters of the interest of sin in us . but where any persons are sensible of this frame , where they are humbled for it , where they mourn under and cry out for its removal , it is so far from being an evidence of the dominion of sin over them , in whom it is , that it is an eminent sign of the contrary ; namely , that the ruling power of sin is certainly broken and destroyed in the soul. but there are other instances of hardness of heart , which have much more difficulty in them , and which are hardly reconcilable unto the rule of grace . i shall mention some of them . . security and senseless under the guilt of great actual sins . i do not say this is or can at any time be absolute in any believer . but such it may be , as whereon men may go on at their old pace of duties and profession , though without any peculiar humiliation , albeit they are under the provoking guilt of some known sin , with its aggravations . it will recurr upon their minds and conscience , ( unless it be seared ) will treat with them about it . but they pass it over , as that which they had rather forget , and wear out of their minds , then bring things unto their proper issue by particular repentance . so it seems to have been with david after his sin with bathsheba . i doubt not but that before the message of god to him by nathan , he had unpleasing thoughts of what he had done . but there is not the least footsteps in the story , or any of his prayers , that he laid it seriously to heart , and was humbled for it before . this was a great hardness of heart , and we know how difficult his recovery from it was . he was saved but as through fire . and where it is so with any one , that hath been overtaken with any great sin , as drunkenness or other folly , that he strives to wear it out , to pass it over , to forget it , or give himself countenance from any reasoning or consideration against the especial sense of it , and humiliation for it ; he can , during that state and frame , have no solid evidence , that sin hath not the dominion in him . and let such sinners be warned , who have so passed over former sins , until they have utterly lost all sense of them , or are under such a frame at present ; that they recal things to another account , and suffer no such sin to pass without a peculiar humiliation , or whatever be the final issue of things with them , they can have no solid ground of spiritual peace in this world. . there is such a dangerous hardness of heart , where the guilt of one sin makes not the soul watchful against another of another sort . where-ever the heart is tender , upon a surprizal into sin , it will not only watch against the returns thereof , or relapses into it , but will be made diligent , heedful and careful against all other sins whatever . so is it with all that walk humbly under a sense of sin . but when men in such a state are careless , bold and negligent , so as that if they repeat not the same sin , they are easily hurried into others . thus was it with asa ; he was wroth with the prophet that came unto him with a divine message , and smote him , and cast him in prison , for he was in a rage , chron. xvi . . a man would think that when he was recovered out of this distemper , it might have made him humble and watchful against other sins : but it was not so ; for , it is added , that he oppressed some of the people at the same time ; and he rested not there , but in his disease he sought not to the lord , but unto physicians ; unto persecution he added oppression , and unto that unbelief . v. . yet notwithstanding all this , the heart of asa was perfect with the lord all his days , kings xv . . that is , he had a prevalent sincerity in him notwithstanding these miscarriages . but he was doubtless under the power of great hardness of heart . so is it with others in the like cases , when one sin makes them not careful and watchful against another . as when men have stained themselves with intemperance of life , they may fall into excess of passion in their families and relations ; or into a neglect of duty , or take any other crooked steps in their walk . this argues a great prevalency of sin in the soul , although as we see in the example of asa , it is not an infallible evidence of its dominion ; yet of that nature it is , wherewith divine peace and consolation are inconsistent . . when men fall into such unspiritual frames , such deadness and decays , as from which they are not recoverable by the ordinary means of grace ; it is a certain evidence of hardness of heart , and the prevalency of sin therein . it is so , whether this be the fault of churches or of perticular persons ? the preaching of the word , is the especial divine ordinance for the healing and recovery of backsliders in heart or life . where this will not effect it in any , but they will go on frowardly in the ways of their own hearts , unless god take some extraordinary course with them , they are on the brink of ruine , and live on sovereign grace alone . thus was it with david . after his great sin , there is no doubt but he attended unto all ordinances of divine worship , which are the ordinary means of the preservation and recovery of sinners from their backslidings . howbeit they had not this effect upon him ; he lived impenitently in his sin , until god was pleased to use extraordinary means in the especial message of nathan , and the death of his child , for his awakening and recovery . and thus god will deal sometimes with churches and persons . where ordinary means for their recovery will not effect it , he will by sovereign grace , and it may be by a concurrence of extraordinary providence , heal , revive and save them . so he promiseth to do , isa. lvij . , , , . but where this is trusted unto , in the neglect of the ordinary means of healing , seeing there is no direct promise of it , but it is a case reserved unto absolute soveraignty , the end may be bitterness and sorrow . and let them take heed who are under this frame : for although god may deliver them , yet it will be by terrible things ; as psal. lxv . . such terrible things as wherein he will take vengeance of their inventions , psal. xcix . . though he do forgive them : so david affirms of himself , that god in his dealing with him , had broken all his bones , psal. li. . i fear this is the present case of many churches and professors at this day . it is evident that they are fallen under many spiritual decays . neither have the ordinary means of grace , repentance and humiliation , though backed with various providential warnings , been efficacious to their recovery . it is greatly to be feared that god will use some severe dispensation in terrible things towards them for their awakning ; or , which is more dreadful , withdraw his presence from them . . of the same nature it is , and argues no small power of this evil , when men satisfie and please themselves in an unmortified , unfruitful profession ; a severe symptom of the dominion of sin. and there are three things that manifest the consistency of such a profession , with hardness of heart ; or , are fruits of it therein . . a neglect of the principal duties of it . such are mortification in themselves , and usefulness or fruitfulness towards others . a deficiency and neglect in these things , are evident amongst many that profess religion . it doth not appear that in any thing they seriously endeavour the mortification of their lusts , their pride , their passion , their love of the world , their inordinate desires and sensual appetites . they either indulge unto them all , or , at least , they maintain not a constant conflict against them . and , as unto usefulness in the fruits of righteousness , which are to the praise of god by jesus christ , or those good works , which are the evidence of a living faith , they are openly barren in them . now , whereas these are the principal dictates of that religion which they do profess , their neglect of them , their deficiency in them proceeds from an hardness of heart , over-powering their light and convictions . and what shall long , in such a case , stop sins out of the throne ? self-pleasing and satisfaction in such a profession , argues a very dangerous state and habit of mind . sin may have a full dominion under such a profession . . the admission of an habitual formality into the performance of religious duties , is of the same nature . in some the power of sin ( as we observed before ) prevails unto the neglect and omission of such duties . others continue the observation , but are so formal and lifeless in them , so careless , as unto the exerting or exercise of grace in them , as gives an uncontroulable evidence of the power of sin , and a spiritual senselesness of heart . there is nothing that the scripture doth more frequently and severely condemn , nor give as a character of hypocrites , than a diligent attendance unto a multiplication of duties , whilst the heart is not spiritually engaged in them . for this cause the lord christ threatned the utter rejection of the luke-warm church of laodicea . and god pronounceth a most severe sentence against all that are guilty of it , isa. xxix . , . yet thus it may be with many , and that thus it hath been with them , many do manifest by their open apostacy , which is the common event of this frame and course long continued in ; for some in the daily performance of religious duties for a season , do exercise and preserve their gifts , but there being no exercise of grace in them , after a while those gifts also do wither and decay . they are under the power of the evil whereof we treat , namely , an hard and senseless heart , that can approve of themselves in such a lifeless , heartless profession of religion and performance of the duties thereof . . when men grow senseless under the dispensation of the word , and do not at all profit by it . the general ends for preaching the word unto believers are ( . ) the encrease of spiritual light , knowledge and understanding in them . ( . ) the growth of grace enabling to obedience . ( . ) holy excitation of grace by impressions of its power in the communication of the mind , will , love and grace of god unto our souls , which is attended with ( . ) an impression on the affections , renewing and making them more holy and heavenly continually ; with ( . ) direction and administration of spiritual strength against temptations and corruptions ; and ( . ) fruitfulness in the works and duties of obedience . where men can abide under the dispensation of the word , without any of these effects on their minds , consciences or lives ; they are greatly hardened by the deceitfulness of sin ; as heb. iij. , . this case is stated . now whether this be , . from that carelesness and security which is grown on all sorts of persons , against which god doth justly express his indignation , by with-holding the power and efficacy of his word , in its administration from them : or , . from an encrease of an unsanctified light and gifts , which fill men with high thoughts of themselves , and keep them off from that humble frame which alone is teachable : or , . from a loss of all due reverence unto the ministry , as god's ordinance for all the ends of the word , with a secret fortification of conscience by prejudices against its power , from the suggestions of sathan : or , . from the love of sin , which the heart would shelter and secure from the efficacy of the word ; or from what other cause soever it be , it proceeds from a dangerous hardness of heart , from the power of sin. where this is the state of the minds of men , where this hardness is thus prevalent in them , i do not , no man can give them assurance that sin hath not the dominion in them . but because all these things are capable of various degrees , it may not be concluded absolutely from any or all of them in any degree , that so it is . but this we may safely conclude , ( . ) that it is impossible for any man in whom this evil frame is found in any degree , and not sincerely endeavoured against , to keep any true solid peace with god , or in his own soul ; what seems to be so in him is but a ruinous security . ( . ) that this is the high road unto final obduration and impenitency ; and therefore , ( . ) it is the present duty of those who have any care of their souls , to shake themselves out of this dust , and not to give themselves any rest , until they are entered into the paths of recovery . the calls of god for a return unto such backsliders in heart are multiplied , the reasons for it and motives unto it are innumerable ; this ought never to depart from their minds , that without it they shall eternally perish , and know not how soon they may be overtaken with that destruction . thus far have we proceeded in the enquiry , whether sin hath the dominion in us or no ? there are on the other side many evidences of the rule of grace , sufficient to discard the pleas and pretences of sin unto the throne : but the consideration of them is not my present design ; i have only examined the pleas of sin , which render the enquiry difficult and the case dubious . and they arise all from the actings of sin in us , as it fights against the soul , which is its proper and constant work , pet. ij . , . it doth so against the design of the law , which is to live to god ; against the order and peace of it , which it disturbs ; and against its eternal blessedness , which it would deprive it of . the examination of the pretences insisted on , may be of some use to them that are sincere . but on the other hand , there are uncontroulable evidences of the dominion of sin in men , some whereof i shall mention , and only mention , because they need neither proof nor illustration . ( . ) it is so where sin hath possessed the will. and it hath possessed the will , when there are no restraints from sinning taken from its nature but its consequents only . ( . ) when men proclaim their sins , and hide them not ; when they boast in in them , and of them , as it is with multitudes ; or , ( . ) approve of themselves in any known sin , without renewed repentance ; as drunkenness , uncleanness , swearing and the like : or , ( . ) live in the neglect of religious duties in their clossets and families ; whence all their publick attendance unto them is but hypocrisy : or , ( . ) have an enmity to true holiness , and the power of godliness : or , ( . ) are visible apostates from profession , especially if they add , as is usual , persecution to their apostacy : or , ( . ) are ignorant of the sanctifying principles of the gospel and christian religion : or , ( . ) are dispisers of the means of conversion : or , ( . ) live in security under open providential warnings and calls to repentance : or , ( . ) are enemies in their minds unto the true interest of christ in the world. where these things and the like are found , there is no question what it is that hath dominion , and bears rule in the minds of men. this all men may easily know , as the apostle declares , rom. vi . . chap. iii. the third enquiry handled , viz. what is the assurance given us , and what are the grounds thereof , that sin shall not have dominion over us ? the ground of this assurance is , that we are not under the law but grace . the force of this reason shewed , viz. how the law doth not destroy the dominion of sin , and how grace dethrowns sin and gives dominion over it . and thus much hath been spoken unto the second thing proposed at the entrance of this discourse ; namely , an enquiry , whether sin have the dominion in any of us or no ? i proceed unto that which offers it self from the words in the third place ; what is the assurance given us , and what are the grounds of it , that sin shall not have dominion over us ; which lies in this , that we are not under the law , but under grace . where men are engaged in a constant conflict against sin , where they look upon it , and judge it their chiefest enemy , which contends with them for their souls , and their eternal ruine ; where they have experience of its power and deceit , and , through the efficacy of them , have been often shaken in their peace and comfort ; where they have been ready to despond , and say , they shall one day perish under their powers : it is a gospel word , a word of good tidings that gives them assurance , that it shall never have dominion over them . the ground of this assurance is , that believers are not under the law , but under grace . and the force of this reason we may manifest in some few instances . . the law giveth no strength against sin unto them that are under it ; but grace doth . sin will neither be cast nor kept out of its throne , but by a spiritual power , and strength in the soul , to oppose , conquer and dethrown it . where it is not conquered it will reign ; and conquered it will not be , without a mighty prevailing power : this the law will not , cannot give . the law is taken two ways . ( . ) for the whole revelation of the mind and will of god in the old testament . in this sence it had grace in it , and so did give both life , and 〈◊〉 , and strength against sin , as the psalmist declares , psal. xix . , , . in that sence it contained not only the law of precepts , but the promise also , and the covenant which was the means of conveying spiritual life and strength unto the church , in this sence it is not here spoken of ; nor is any where opposed unto grace . ( . ) for the covenant rule of perfect obedience , do this and live . in this sence men are said to be under it in opposition unto being under grace . they are under its power , rule , conditions and authority as a covenant . and in this sence all men are under it , who are not enstated in the new covenant through faith in christ jesus , who sets up in them and over them the rule of grace . for all men must be one way or other under the rule of god ; and he rules only by the law , or by grace : and none can be under both at the same time . in this sence the law was never ordained of god , to convey grace or spiritual strength unto the souls of men : had it been so , the promise and the gospel had been needless . if there had been a law given which could have given life , verily righteousness should have been by the law , gal. iij. . if it could have given life or strength , it would have produced righteousness , we should have been justified by it . it discovers sin and condemns it , but gives no strength to oppose it . it is not god's ordinance for the dethrowning of sin , nor for the destruction of its dominion . this law falls under a double consideration ; but in neither of them was designed to give power or strength against sin. . as it was given unto mankind in the state of innocency . and it did then absolutely and exactly declare the whole duty of man , whatever god in his wisdom and holiness did require of us . it was god's ruling of men according to the principle of the righteousness wherein he was created . but it gave no new aids against sin ; nor was there any need that so it should do . it was not the ordinance of god to administer new or more grace unto man , but to rule and govern him according to what he had perceived . and this it continueth to do for ever . it claims and continues a rule over all men , according to what they had , and what they have . but it never had power to barr the entrance of sin , or to cast it out when it is once enthroned . dly . as it was renewed and enjoined unto the church of israel on mount sinai , and with them unto all that would join themselves unto the lord out of the nations of the world. yet neither was it then , nor as such , designed unto any such end , as to destroy or dethrone sin , by an administration of spiritual strength and grace . it had some new ends given then unto it , which it had not in its original constitution . the principal whereof was to drive men to the promise and christ therein . and this it doth by all the acts and powers of it on the souls of men. as it discovers sin , as it irritates and provokes it by its severity , as it judgeth and condemneth it , as it denounceth a curse on sinners , it drives unto this end. for this was added of grace in the renovation of it ; this new end was given unto it ; in it self it hath nothing to do with sinners , but to judge , curse , and condemn them . there is therefore no help to be expected against the dominion of sin from the law. it was never ordained of god unto that end ; nor doth it contain , nor is it communicative of the grace necessary unto that end , rom. viij . . wherefore those who are under the law , are under the dominion of sin. the law is holy , but it cannot make them holy , who have made themselves unholy : it is just , but it cannot make them so ; it cannot justify them whom it doth condemn : it is good , but can do them no good , as unto their deliverance from the power of sin ; god hath not appointed it unto that end. sin will never be dethroned by it ; it will not give place unto the law ; neither in its title , nor its power . those who are under the law ; will at some seasons endeavour to shake off the yoke of sin , and resolve to be no longer under its power . as , . when the law presseth on their consciences , perplexing and disquieting of them . the commandment comes home unto them , sin reviveth and they die , rom , vij . , . that is , it gives power to sin to slay the hopes of the sinner , and to distress him with the apprehension of guilt and death . for the strength of sin is the law , cor. xv . . the power it hath to disquiet and condemn sinners , is in and by the law. when it is thus with sinners , when the law presseth them with a sense of the guilt of sin , and deprives them of all rest and peace in their minds ; they will resolve to cast off the yoke of sin , to relinquish its service , that they may be freed from the urgency of the law on their consciences . and they will endeavour it in some instances of duty , and abstinence from sin. . they will do the same under surprizals with sickness , pain , dangers , or death it self . then they will cry , and pray , and promise to reform , and set about it , as they suppose , in good earnest . this case is fully exemplified , psal. lxxviij . , , , , . and it is manifest in daily experience amongst multitudes . there are few who are so seared and profligate , but at such seasons they will think of returning to god , of relinquishing the service of sin , and vindicating themselves from under its dominion . and in some it worketh a lasting change , though no real conversion doth ensue . but with the most , this goodness is as the morning cloud , and as the early dew , so passeth it away . . the same effect is produced in many by the preaching of the word . some arrow of conviction is fastened in their minds , whereon their former ways displease them ; and they judge it is better for them to change the course of their lives , and to relinquish the service of sin : these resolutions for the most part abide with them , according to the society which they have or fall into . good society may much help them in their resolves for a time ; when by that which is evil and corrupt they are presently extinguished . . sometimes merciful , endearing providences will have the same effect on the minds of men , not obdurate in sin. such are deliverances from imminent dangers , sparing the lives of near relations and the like . in such seasons men under the law will attend unto their convictions , and endeavour for a while to shake off the yoke of sin. they will attend unto what the law saith , under whose power they are , and endeavour a compliance therewith ; many duties shall be performed , and many evils abstained from , in order to the quitting themselves of sin 's dominion . but alas the law cannot enable them hereunto : it cannot give them life and strength to go through with what their convictions press them unto ; therefore , after a while , they begin to faint and wax weary in their progress , and at length give quite over . it may be they may break off from some great sins in particular ; but shake off the whole dominion ●f sin they cannot . it is otherwise with them that are under grace . sin shall not have dominion over them ; strength shall be administred unto them to dethrone it . grace is a word of various acceptations in the scripture . as we are here said to be under it , and as it is opposed unto the law , it is used or taken for the gospel , as it is the instrument of god for the communication of himself , and his grace by jesus christ unto those that do believe , with that state of acceptation with himself , which they are brought into thereby , rom. v. , . wherefore to be under grace , is to have an interest in the gospel covenant and state , with a right unto all the privileges and benefits thereof , to be brought under the administration of grace by jesus christ , to be a true believer . but the enquiry hereon is , how it follows from hence , that sin shall not have dominion over us ; that sin cannot extend its territories and rule into that state ; and in what sence this is affirmed ? . is it that there shall be no sin in them any more ? even this is true in some sence . sin , as unto its condemning power , hath no place in this state , rom. viij . . all the sins of them that believe are expiated or done away , as to the guilt of them in the blood of christ , heb. i. . joh. i. . this branch of the dominion of sin , which consists in its condemning power , is utterly cast out of this state . but sin , as unto its being and operation doth still continue in believers , whilst they are in this world : they are all sensible of it . those who deceive themselves with a contrary apprehension , are most of all under the power of it , joh. i. . wherefore to be freed from the dominion of sin , is not to be freed absolutely from all sin ; so as that it should in no sence abide in us any more . this is not to be under grace , but to be in glory . . is it that sin , though it abides , yet it shall not fight nor contend for dominion in us ? that this is otherwise , we have before declared ; scripture and the universal experience of all that believe , do testifie the contrary : so doth the assurance here given us , that it shall not obtain that dominion . for if it did not contend for it , there could be no grace in this promise . there is none in deliverance from that whereof we are in no danger . but the assurance here given is built on other considerations ; whereof the first is , that the gospel is the means ordained , and instrument used by god for the communication of spiritual strength unto them that believe , for the dethroning of sin. it is the power of god unto salvation , rom. i. . that whereby and wherein he puts forth his power unto that end . and sin must be really dethroned by the powerful acting of grace in us , and that in a way of duty in our selves . we are absolved , quitted , freed from the rule of sin , as unto its pretended right and title , by the promise of the gospel . for thereby are we freed and discharged from the rule of the law , wherein all the title of sin unto dominion is founded . for the strength of sin is the law. but we are freed from it , as unto its internal power , and exercise of its dominion , by internal spiritual grace and strength in its due exercise . now this is communicated by the gospel ; it gives life and power , with such continual supplies of grace , as are able to dethrone sin , and for ever to prohibit its return . this then is the present case supposed ▪ and determined by the apostle . you that are believers , are all of you conflicting with sin. you find it always restless and disquieting , sometimes strong and powerful . when it is in conjunction with any urgent temptation , you are affraid it will utterly prevail over you to the ruine of your souls . hence you are wearied with it , groan under it , and cry out for deliverance from it . all these things the apostle at large insists on in this and the next chapter . but now , saith he , be of good comfort . notwithstanding all these things , and all your fears upon them , sin shall not prevail , it shall not have the dominion , it shall never ruine your souls . but what ground have we for this hope ? what assurance of this success ? this you have , saith the apostle , you are not under the law , but under grace ; or , the rule of the grace of god in christ jesus , administred in the gospel . but how doth this give relief ? why it is the ordinance , the instrument of god which he will use unto this end , namely the communication of such supplies of grace and spiritual strength , as shall eternally defeat the dominion of sin. this is one principal difference between the law and the gospel , and was everso esteemed in the church of god , until all communication of efficacious grace began to be called in question . the law guides , directs , commands all things that are against the interest and rule of sin. it judgeth and condemneth both the things that promote it , and the persons that do them : it frightens and terrifies the consciences of those who are under its dominion . but if you shall say unto it , what then shall we do ? this tyrant , this enemy , is too hard for us ▪ what aid and assistance against it will it afford unto us ? what power will it communicate unto its destruction ? here the law is utterly silent , or says , that nothing of this nature is committed unto it of god. nay , the strength it hath it gives unto sin for the condemnation of the sinner ; the strength of sin is the law. but the gospel , or the grace of it , is the means and instrument of god , for the communication of internal spiritual strength unto believers . by it do they receive supplies of the spirit , or aids of grace for the subduing of sin , and the destruction of its dominion . by it they may say , they can do all things through him that enables them . hereon then depends in the first place the assurance of the apostles assertion , that sin shall not have the dominion over us , because we are under grace . we are in such a state , as wherein we have supplies in readiness to defeat all the attempts of sin , for rule and dominion in us . but some may say hereon , they greatly fear they are not in this state ; for they do not find such supplies of spiritual strength and grace , as to give them a conquest over sin . they are still perplexed with it , and it is ready to invade the throne in their minds , if it be not already possessed of it . wherefore they fear least they are strangers from the grace of the gospel . in answer hereunto , the things ensuing are proposed . . remember what hath been declared concerning the dominion of sin. if it be not known what it is , and wherein it doth consist , as some may please themselves , whilst their condition is deplorable , as it is with the most ; so others may be perplexed in their minds without just cause . a clear destinction between the rebellion of sin and the dominion of sin , is a great advantage unto spiritual peace . . consider the ends for which aids of grace are granted and communicated by the gospel . now this is not , that sin may at once be utterly destroyed and consumed in us , that it should have no being , motion , or power in us any more . this work is reserved for glory in the full redemption of body and soul , which we here do but groan after . but it is given unto us for this end , that sin may be so crucified and mortified in us , that is , so gradually weakened and destroyed , as that it shall not ruine spiritual life in us , obstruct its necessary acting in duties , and prevalency against such sins as would disannul the covenant-relation between god and our souls . whilst we have supplies of it which are sufficient unto this end , although our conflict with sin doth continue , although we are perplexed by it , yet we are under grace , and sin shall have no more dominion over us . this is enough for us , that sin shall be gradually destroyed , and we shall have a sufficiency of grace in all occasions to prevent its ruling prevalency . . live in the faith of this sacred truth , and ever keep alive in your souls expectation of supplies of grace suitable thereunto . it is of the nature of true and saving faith , inseparable from it , to believe , that the gospel is the way of god's administration of grace for the ruine of sin. he that believes it not , believes not the gospel it self , which is the power of god unto salvation , rom. i. . if we live , and walk , and act as if we had nothing to trust unto but our selves , our own endeavours , our own resolutions , and that in our perplexities and surprizals , it is no wonder if we are not sensible of supplies of divine grace ; most probably we are under the law , and not under grace . this is the fundamental principle of the gospel state , that we live in expectation of continual communications of life , grace and strength from jesus christ , who is our life , and from whose fulness we receive , and grace for grace . we may therefore in this case continually expostulate with our souls , as david doth ; why go you mourning because of the oppression of the enemy ? why are you cast down , and why are you disquieted within us ? still hope in god , he is the health of my countenance ; we may be sensible of great oppression from the power of this enemy ; this may cause us to go mourning all the day long , and in some sence it ought so to do . howbeit we ought not hence to despond , or to be cast down from our duty or our comfort . still me may trust in god through christ , and live in continual expectation of such spiritual reliefs , as shall assuredly preserve us from the dominion of sin. this faith , hope , and expectation we are called unto by the gospel . and when they are not cherished , when they are not kept up unto a due exercise , all things will go backward in our spiritual condition . . make especial application unto the lord christ , unto whom the administration of all spiritual supplies is committed , for the communication of them unto you , according unto all especial occasions . hath sin got the advantage of a powerful temptation , so as that it seems to put hard for dominion in the soul , as it was with paul under the buffetings of sathan , when he had that answer from god upon his reiterated prayer , my grace is sufficient for thee , sin shall not have dominion over thee ? hath it by its deceitfulness brought the soul into a lifeless , senseless frame , makes it forgetful of duties , negligent in them , or without spiritual delight in their performance ? hath it almost habituated the soul unto careless and corrupt inclinations unto the love , of or conformity to the world ? doth it take advantage from our darkness and confusion under troubles , distresses or temptations ? on these and the like occasions it is required , that we make especial , fervent application unto the lord christ , for such supplies of grace as may be sufficient and efficacious to controul the power of sin in them all . this under the consideration of his office and authority unto this end , his grace and readiness from especial inducements , we are directed unto , heb. iv . , , . . remember always the way and method of the operations of divine grace , and spiritual aids . it is true in our first conversion to god , we are as it were surprized by a mighty act of sovereign grace , changing our hearts , renewing our minds , and quickening us with a principle of spiritual life . ordinarily many things are required of us in a way of duty in order thereunto . and many previous operations of grace in our minds in illumination , and the sense of sin do materially and passively dispose us thereunto , as wood when it is dried , is disposed to firing . but the work it self is performed by an immediate act of divine power , without any active co-operation on our parts . but this is not the law or rule of the communication or operation of actual grace , for the subduing of sin. it is given in a way of concurrence with us in the discharge of our duties , and when we are sedulous in them , we may be sure we shall not fail of divine assistance according to the established rule of the administration of gospel grace . if therefore we complain that we find not the aids mentioned , if at the same time we are not diligent in attendance unto all the duties , whereby sin may be mortified in us , we are exceedingly injurious to the grace of god. wherefore notwithstanding this objection , the truth stands firm , that sin shall not have dominion over us , because we are not under the law , but under grace ; because of the spiritual aids that are administred by grace , for its mortification and destruction . secondly , the law gives no liberty of any kind ; it gendreth unto bondage , and so cannot free us from any dominion , not that of sin. for this must be by liberty . but this we have also by the gospel . there is a two-fold liberty ; ( . ) of state and condition ; ( . ) of intern●● operation . and we have both by the gospel . the first consists in our deliverance from the law and its curse , with all things which claim a right against us by virtue thereof ; that is , sathan , death and hell. out of this state from whence we can never be delivered by the law , we are translated by grace into a state of glorious liberty . for , by it the son makes us free , and we receive the spirit of christ. now where the spirit of the lord is , there is liberty , cor. iij. . this liberty christ proclaims in the gospel unto all that do believe , isa. lxi . . hereon they who hear and receive the joyful sound , are discharged from all debts , bonds , accounts , rights and titles , and are brought into a state of perfect freedom . in this state sin can lay no claim to dominion over any one soul. they are gone over into the kingdom of christ , and out from the power of sin , sathan and darkness . herein indeed lies the foundation of our assured freedom from the rule of sin. it cannot make an incursion on the kingdom of christ , so as to carry away any of its subjects into a state of sin and darkness again . and an interest in this state ought to be pleaded against all the attempts of sin , rom. vi . , . there is nothing more to be detested , than that any one who is christ's freeman , and dead to the power of sin , should give place again unto any of its pretences to , or endeavours for rule . again , there is an internal liberty , which is the freedom of the mind , from the inward powerful chains of sin , with an ability to act all ●●e powers and faculties of the soul in a gracious manner . hereby is the power of sin in the soul destroyed . and this also is given us in the gospel . there is power administred in it to live unto god , and to walk in all his commandments . and this also gives evidence unto the truth of the apostles assertion . thirdly , the law doth not supply us with effectual motives and encouragements to endeavour the ruine of the dominion of sin in a way of duty , which must be done , or in the end it will prevail . it works only by fear and dread , with threatnings and terrors of destruction . for although it says also , do this and live , yet withal it discovers such an impossibility in our nature , to comply with its commands in the way and manner wherein it enjoins them , that the very promise of it becomes a matter of terror , as including the contrary sentence of death upon our failure in its commands . now these things enervate , weaken and discourage the soul in its conflict against sin : they give it no life , activity , chearfulness or courage in what they undertake . hence those who engage themselves into an opposition unto sin , or a relinquishment of its service , meerly on the motives of the law , do quickly faint and give over . we see it so with many every day . one day they will forsake all sin , their beloved sin , with the company and occasions enducing them thereunto . the law hath frighted them with divine vengeance . and sometimes they proceed so far in this resolution , they seem escaped the pollution of the world ; yet soon again they return to their former ways and follies , pet. ij . , , . their goodness is as the morning cloud , and as the early dew so passeth it away . or if they do not return to wallow in the same mire of their former pollutions , they betake themselves to the shades of some superstitious observances ; as it is in the papacy . for they openly succeed into the room of the jews , who being ignorant of the righteousness of god , and not submitting thereunto , went about variously to establish their own righteousness , as the apostle speaks , rom. x. , . for in that apostate church where men are wrought on by the terrors of the law to relinquish sin , and set themselves in opposition unto its power , finding themselves altogether unable to do it by the works of the law it self , which must be perfectly holy ; they betake themselves to a number of superstitious observances which they trust unto in the room of the law , with its commands and duties . but the law makes nothing perfect , nor are the motives it gives for the ruine of the interest of sin in us , able to bear us out , and carry us through that undertaking . but the motives and encouragements given by grace to endeavour the utter ruine of sin in a way of duty , are such as give life , chearfulness , courage and perseverance , they continually animate , relieve and revive the soul in all its work and duty , keeping it from fainting and despondency . for they are all taken from the love of god and of christ , from the whole work and end of his mediation , from the ready assistances of the holy ghost , from all the promises of the gospel , from their own with other believers experiences , all giving them the highest assurance of final success and victory . when the soul is under the influences of these motives , whatever difficulty and opposition it meets withal from solliciting temptations or surprizals , it will renew its strength , it will run and not be weary , it will walk and not faint , according to the promise , isa. xl . . fourthly . christ is not in the law , he is not proposed in it , not communicated by it , we are not made partakers of him thereby . this is the work of grace , of the gospel . in it is christ revealed , by it he is proposed and exhibited unto us ; thereby are we made partakers of him , and all the benefits of his mediation . and he it is alone who came to , and can destroy this work of the devil . the dominion of sin is the complement of the works of the devil , where all his designs center . this the son of god was manifest to destroy . he alone ruines the kingdom of sathan , whose power is acted in the rule of sin. wherefore , hereunto our assurance of this comfortable truth , is principally resolved ; and what christ hath done , and doth for this end , is a great part of the subject of gospel revelation . the like may be spoken of the communication of the holy spirit , which is the only principal efficient cause of the ruine of the dominion of sin. for where the spirit of christ is , there is liberty , and no where else . but we receive this spirit not by the works of the law , but by the hearing of faith , gal. iij. . chap. vi. the practical observations drawn from , and application made of , the whole text. having opened the words , and made some improvement of them ; i shall now take one or two observations from the design of them , and issue the whole in a word of application . i. it is an unspeakable mercy and privilege to be delivered from the dominion of sin. as such it is here proposed by the apostle , as such it is esteemed by them that believe . nothing is more sweet , precious and valuable unto a soul conflicting with sin and temptation , than to hear that sin shall not have the dominion over them . ah what would some give that it might be spoken unto them with power , so as that they might stedfastly believe it , and have the comfort of it . fools make a mock of sin , and some glory in the service of it , which is their shame . but those who understand any thing aright , either of what is present , or what is to come , do know that this freedom from its dominion , is an unvaluable mercy . and we may consider the grounds which evidence it so to be . . it appears so to be from the causes of it . it is that which no man can by his own power , and the utmost of his endeavours attain unto . men by them may grow rich , or wise , or learned ; but no man by them can shake off the yoke of sin. if a man had all the wealth of the world , he could not by it purchase this liberty ; it would be despised . and when sinners go hence to the place where the rich man was tormented , and have nothing more to do with this world , they would give it all if they had it , for an interest in this liberty . it is that which the law and all the duties of it cannot procure . the law and its duties , as we have declared , can never destroy the dominion of sin. all men will find the truth hereof , that ever come to fall under the power of real conviction . when sin presseth on them , and they are affraid of its consequents , they will find , that the law is weak , and the flesh is weak , and their duties are weak , their resolutions and vows are weak ; all insufficient to relieve them . and if they think themselves freed one day , they shall find the next that they are under bondage ; sin for all this will rule over them with force and rigour . and in this condition do some spend all their days in this world. they kindle sparks of their own , and walk in the light of them , until they lie down in darkness and sorrow . they sin and promise amendment , and endeavour recompences by some duties , yet can never extricate themselves from the yoke of sin. we may therefore learn the excellency of this privilege , first from its causes , whereof i shall mention some only . . the meritorious procuring cause of this liberty , is the death and blood of jesus christ. so is it declared , pet. i. , . cor. vi . . chap. vij . . nothing else could purchase this freedom . under the power and dominion of sin we were , and could not be delivered without a ransom . christ died and rose , and lives again , that he might be our lord , rom. xiv . . and so deliver us from the power of all other lords whatever . it is true there was no ransom due to sin or sathan , who was the author of it . they were to be dethroned or destroyed by an act of power . both the devil , and sin , which is his work , are to be destroyed not appeased , heb. ij . . john iij. . but the strength of sin is the law , cor. xv . . that is , through the righteous sentence of god , we were held by the law obnoxious unto the condemning power of sin. from that law we could not be delivered but by this price and ransom . two things hence follow : . those who live in sin , who willingly abide in the service of it , and endure its dominion , do cast the utmost contempt on the wisdom , love , and grace of christ. they despise that which cost him so dear . they judge that he made a very foolish purchace of this liberty for us , with his dearest blood. whatever it be , they preferr the present satisfaction of their lusts before it . this is the poison of unbelief . there is in it an high contempt of the wisdom and love of christ. the language of mens hearts that live in sin , is , that the liberty which he purchased with his blood , is not to be valued or esteemed . they flatter him with their lips in the outward performance of some duties ; but in their hearts they despise him , and the whole work of his mediation . but the time is approaching wherein they will learn the difference between the slavery of sin , and the liberty wherewith christ makes believers free . and this is that which is now tendred unto sinners in the dispensation of the gospel ; life and death are here set before you , chuse life that ye may live for ever . . let those that are believers in all their conflicts with sin , live in the exercise of faith , on this purchace of liberty made by the blood of christ. for two things will hence ensue , ( . ) that they will have a mighty argument always in readiness to oppose unto the deceit and violence of sin. the soul will hereon say to its self , shall i forego and part with that which christ purchased for me at so dear a rate , by giving place to the solicitations of lust or sin ? shall i despise his purchace ? god forbid . see rom. vi . . by such arguings is the mind frequently preserved from closing with the enticements and seductions of sin. ( . ) it is an effectual argument for faith to use in its pleading for deliverance from the power of sin. we ask for nothing but what christ hath purchased for us . and if this plea be pursued it will be prevalent . dly . the internal efficient cause of this liberty , or that whereby the power and rule of sin is destroyed in us , is the holy spirit himself , which farther evinceth the greatness of this mercy . every act for the mortification of sin , is no less immediately from him , than those positive graces are , whereby we are sanctified . it is through the spirit that we mortify the deeds of the flesh , rom. viij . . where he is , there and there alone is liberty . all attempts for the mortification of sin without his especial aids and operations , are frustrate . and this manifests the extent of the dominion of sin in the world. he alone by whom it can be destroyed , and all those efficacious operations of his whereby it is so , are generally despised . and they must live and die slaves unto sin , by whom they are so . wherefore a great part of our wisdom for the attaining and preserving this liberty , consists in the acting of faith on that promise of our saviour , that our heavenly father will give the holy spirit to them that ask him of him . when sin in any instance , by any temptation , urgeth for power and rule in us , we are ready to turn into our selves and our own resolutions , which in their place are not to be neglected . but immediate crys unto god for such supplies of his spirit , as without which sin will not be subdued , we shall find our best relief . bear it in mind , try it on the next occasion , and god will bless it with success . dly . the instrumental cause of this freedom is the duty of believers themselves , in and for the destruction of sin. and this also manifests the importance of this privilege . this is one of the principal ends of all our religious duties ; of prayer , of fasting , of meditation , of watchfulness unto all other duties of obedience ; they are all designed to prevent and ruine the interest of sin in us . we are called into a theater to fight and contend , into a field to be tried in a warfare . our enemy is this sin , which strives and contends for the rule over us . this we are to resist even unto blood , that is , our utmost in doing and suffering . and certainly that is in it self and unto us of the highest importance , which on divine appointment and command , is the great end of the constant endeavours of our whole lives . secondly , it appears so to be from the consideration of the bondage which we are delivered from thereby . bondage is that which humane nature is most averse from , until it be debased and debauched by sensual lusts. men of ingenuous spirits have in all ages chosen rather to die than to be made slaves . but there is no such bondage as that which is under the dominion of sin. to be under the power of base lusts , as covetousness , uncleanness , drunkenness , ambition , pride and the like , to make provision to fulfil their desires in the wills of the mind and the flesh , is the worst of slavery . but we may say what we please on this subject ; none think themselves so free , none make such an appearance of generous freedom unto others , as those who are avowed servants of sin. if those are not freemen , who do what they please , and are for the most part approved in what they do , who puff at all their enemies , and scorn such as pusillanimous slaves , who go not forth unto the same compass of excess with them , who shall be esteemed free ? they plead with the pharisees that they are the only freemen , and were never in bondage to any . the servile restraints of fear from divine judgment and future accounts they wholly despise . see the description , psal. lxxiij . , , , , , , . who so free , so joyous as such persons ; as for others , they are plagued all the day long , and are chastened every morning , v. . yea , they go heavily and mournfully under the oppression of this enemy , crying out continually for deliverance . but the truth insisted on is not at all impeached by this observation . it is a great part of the slavery of such persons , that they know not themselves to be slaves , and boast that they are free . they are born in a state of enmity against god , and bondage under sin , and they like well of it , as all abject slaves do , under the worst of tyrants ; they know no better . but true liberty consists in inward peace , tranquillity of mind , designs for and inclinations unto the best things , the most noble objects of our natural , rational souls . all these they are utter strangers unto , who spend their lives in the service of vile and base lusts. envy not their gallantry , their glistering appearances , their heaps of wealth and treasures , they are in the whole vile and contemptible slaves . the apostle determines their case , rom. vi . . it is a matter of eternal thankfulness unto god , that we are delivered from being the servants of sin. yea , it is an evidence of grace , of a good frame of spirit , when a soul is made really sensible of the excellency of this freedom ; when it so finds the power and interest of sin to be weakned , as that it can rejoice in it , and be thankful to god for it , rom. vij . . thirdly , it is so , with respect unto the end of this bondage , or what it brings men unto . if after all the base drudgery which sinful men are put unto in the service of their lusts , if after all the conflicts which their consciences put them on with fears and terrors in the world , they could expect any thing of a future reward hereafter , something might be spoke to alleviate their present misery . but the wages of sin is death , eternal death under the wrath of the great god , is all they are to look for . the end of the dominion of sin , is to give them up unto the curse of the law , and power of the devil for evermore . fourthly . it keeps men off from the participation of all real good here and hereafter . what men under the power of sin do enjoy , will quickly appear to be as a thing of nought . in the mean time , they have not the least taste of the love of god , which alone takes out the poison of their enjoyments . they have not the least view of the glory of christ , without which they live in perpetual darkness , like those who never behold the light nor sun. they have no experience of the sweetness and excellency of the gracious influences of life , and strength , and comfort from the holy ghost ; nor of that satisfaction and reward which is in holy obedience ; nor shall ever come to the enjoyment of god. all these things and sundry others of the like sort might be insisted on and inlarged , to manifest the greatness of the mercy and privilege which is in a freedom from the dominion of sin , as it is here proposed by the apostle . but the principal design i intended is accomplished , and i do but touch on these things . i shall add one observation more , and with it put a close to this discourse . ob. . it is the great interest of a soul conflicting with the power of sin , to secure it self against its dominion ; that it is not under its dominion ; not to have the cause hang dubious in the mind . to clear the truth hereof , we may observe the things that follow . . the conflict with sin , making continual repentance and mortification absolutely necessary will continue in us whilst we are in this world. pretences of perfection here , are contrary to the scriptures , contrary to the universal experience of all believers , and contrary to the sense and conscience of them by whom they are pleaded , as they make it evident every day . we pray against it , strive against it , groan for deliverance from it , and that , by the grace of christ healing our nature , not without success . howbeit this success extends not unto its absolute abolition whilst we are in this world. it will abide in us until the union of the soul and body wherein it hath incorporated it self , be dissolved . this is our lot and portion ; this is the consequent of our apostasie from god , and the depravation of our nature thereby . you will say then , whereto serves the gospel , and the grace of our lord jesus christ in this case , if it be not able to give us deliverance herein ? i answer , it doth give us a fourfold relief , which amounts virtually to a constant deliverance , though sin will abide in us whilst we are in this world. . it is so ordered , that the continuance of sin in us shall be the ground , reason and occasion of the exercise of all grace , and putting a lustre on our obedience . some excellent graces , as repentance and mortification could have no exercise if it were otherwise . and whilst we are in this world , there is a beauty in them , that is an over-balance for the evil of the remainders of sin : and the difficulty which is hereby put on our obedience , calling continually for the exercise and improvement of all grace , renders it the more valuable . herein lies the spring of humility , and self-resignation to the will of god. this makes us love and long for the enjoyment of christ , putting an excellency on his mediation ; whence the apostle on the consideration of it , falls into that ejaculation ; i thank god through jesus christ my lord , rom. vij . . this sweetens unto us our future rest and reward . wherefore the continuance of us in this state and condition in this world , a state of spiritual warfare , is best for us , and highly suited unto divine wisdom , considering the office and care of our lord jesus christ for our relief . let us not complain , or repine , or faint , but go on with christian fortitude unto the end , and we shall have success . for , . there are by the grace of christ , such supplies and aids of spiritual strength granted unto believers , that sin shall never proceed further in them than is useful and needful for the exercise of their graces . it shall never have its will upon them , nor dominion over them , as we have before declared . . there is mercy administred in and by the gospel , for the pardon of all that is evil in it self , or in any of its effects . there is no condemnation unto them that are in christ jesus . pardoning mercy , according to the tenor of the covenant , doth always disarm this sin in believers of its condemning power . so that notwithstanding the utmost endeavours of it , being justified by faith , they have peace with god. . there is a season , when by the grace of christ it shall be utterly abolished ; namely , at death , when the course of our obedience is finished . wherefore to affirm that this sin , and consequently a conflict with it , doth abide in believers whilst they are in this world , is no disparagement unto the grace of christ , which gives such a blessed deliverance from it . secondly , there is a double conflict with and against sin. the one is in those that are unregenerate , consisting in the rebellion of light and conscience against the rule of sin , in many particular instances . for although sin be enthroned in the will and affections , yet the knowledge of good and evil in the mind , excited by the hopes and fears of things eternal , will make head against it , as unto the performance of sundry duties , and abstinence from sin. this conflict may be where sin is in the throne , and may deceive themselves , supposing it may be from the rule of grace , when it is only from the rebellion of light , and the charge of a conscience yet unseared . but there is a conflict with sin where grace hath the rule and is enthroned . for although grace have the sovereignty in the mind and heart , yet the remainders of sin , especially in the corrupt affections , will be continually rebelling against it . now this we say is the interest of all , namely , to enquire of what sort and kind that conflict with sin is , which is in them ; if it be of the first sort , they may yet be under the dominion of sin ; if of the latter , they are freed from it . wherefore whilst the mind is dubious in this case and undetermined , many evil consequences it will be perplexed withal . i shall name some of them . . such a soul can have no solid peace , because it hath not satisfaction what state it doth belong unto . . it cannot receive refreshment by gospel consolations in any condition ; for its just fears of the dominion of sin , will defeat them all . . it will be dead and formal in all its duties , without spiritual courage and delight ; which will at length make it weary of them . so , . all grace , especially faith , will be weakened and impaired under this frame continually . . fear of death will hold the soul in bondage ; wherefore it is highly necessary to have this case well stated and determined in our minds ; whereto if the foregoing discourses may contribute any thing , it is what was designed in them . there remains only to give some few directions , how the prevalency of sin unto such a degree , as to render the case about its rule dubious in the mind , may be obviated and prevented . some few of the many that might be given , i shall propose . . the great rule of preventing the encrease and power of vitious habits ; is , watch against beginnings . sin doth not attempt dominion but in particular instances , by one especial lust or another . wherefore , if any sin or corrupt lust begin as it were to set up for a peculiar predominancy , or interest in the mind and affections ; if it be not entertained with severe mortification , it will ruine the peace , if not endanger the safety of the soul. and when this is so , it may easily be discovered by any one who keepeth a diligent watch over his heart and ways . for no sin doth so entirely advance it self in the mind and affections , but it is promoted therein either by mens natural inclinations , or by their circumstances in occasions of life , or by some temptation which they have exposed themselves unto , or by some such neglect wherein the frequency of acts have strengthened vitious inclinations . but these things may be easily discerned by those who are in any measure awake unto their soul's concernments . the strict charge given us by our lord jesus christ to watch , and that of the wise man , above all keepings to keep our hearts , have especial regard unto those beginnings of sin 's obtaining power in us . so soon as a discovery is made of its coincidence or conjunction , with any of those ways of the promotion of its power , if it be not opposed with severe and diligent mortification , it will proceed in the method declared , james i. , . those who would be wise , must familiarize wisdom unto their minds , by a continual free converse with it . they must say unto wisdom , thou art my sister , and call understanding , thy kinswoman , prov. vij . . so will wisdom have power in and over their minds . and if we suffer sin by any of the advantages mentioned , to familiarize it self into our minds ; if we say not unto it , get thee hence upon the first appearance of its activity for power in us , it will put hard for the thron ▪ . carefully enquire and try whether such things which you may do or approve of in your selves , do not promote the power of sin , and help on its rule in you . this method david prescribes , psal. xix . . secret sins , such as are not known to be sins , it may be to our selves , make way for those that are presumptuous . thus pride may seem to be nothing but a frame of mind belonging unto our wealth and dignity , or our parts and abilities ; sensuality may seem to be but a lawful participation of the good things of this life ; passion and peevishness , but a due sence of the want of that respect which we suppose due unto us ; covetousness a necessary care of our selves and our families . if the seeds of sin are covered with such pretences , they will in time spring up and bear bitter fruit in the minds and lives of men. and the beginnings of all apostasie both in religion and morality , lie in such pretences . men plead they can do so and so lawfully , until they can do things openly unlawful . . keep your hearts always tender under the world. this is the true and only state of inconsistency with , and repugnancy to the rule of sin. the loss hereof , or a decay herein , is that which hath opened the flood-gates of sin amongst us . where this frame is , a consciencious fear of sinning will always prevail in the soul ; where it is lost , men will be bold in all sorts of follies . and that this frame may be preserved , it is required , ( . ) that we cast out all vicious habits of mind that are contrary unto it , james i. . ( . ) that we preserve an experience of its power and efficacy on our souls , pet. ij . , , . ( . ) that we lay aside all prejudices against those that dispence it , gal. iv . . ( . ) to keep the heart always humble , in which frame alone it is teachable , psal. xxv . every thing in the preaching of the word comes cross and unpleasing to the minds of proud men. ( . ) pray for a blessing on the ministry , which is the best preparation for receiving benefit by it . . abhorr that peace of mind which is consistent with any known sin. men may have frequent ▪ surprizals into known sins ; but if , whilst it is so with them , they refuse all inward peace , but what comes in by most fervent and sincere desires of deliverance from them , and repentance for them , they may be safe from the dominion of sin. but if men can on any hopes , or presumptions , or resolutions preserve a kind of peace in their minds , whilst they live in any known sin ; they are nigh the borders of that security , which is the territory wherein sin doth reign . . make continual applications unto the lord christ in all the acts of his mediation for the ruine of sin , especially when it attempts a dominion in us , heb. iv . . this is the life and soul of all directions in this case , which needs not here to be enlarged on ; it is frequently spoken unto . lastly , remember , that a due sence of deliverance from the dominion of sin , is the most effectual motive unto universal obedience and holiness ; as such it is proposed and managed by the apostle , rom. vi . finis . the sound beleever, or, a treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of christs spirit in reconciling of a sinner to god / by tho. shepard ... shepard, thomas, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing s estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the sound beleever, or, a treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of christs spirit in reconciling of a sinner to god / by tho. shepard ... shepard, thomas, - . [ ], p. : table printed for r. dawlman, london : . reproduction of original in bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - john latta sampled and proofread - john latta text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the sound beleever . or , a treatise of evangelicall conversion . discovering the work of christs spirit , in reconciling of a sinner to god. by tho : shepard , sometimes of emmanuel colledge in cambridge , now preacher of gods word in new-england . mat. . . i came to save that which was lost . london , printed for r. dawlman . . to his deare friend , mr w. greenhill . sir , many struglings i have had about publishing these notes : i have looked up to god , and at last been perswaded upon these grounds : . the many desires both of friends and strangers , both by private speeches and letters , which i thought might be the voice of christ. . some good ( as i heare ) those which are already out have done , and which the rest might doe , which i have looked on as a testimony of the lords acceptance of them . . i knew not what the lords meaning should be to bring to light by his providence without my privity , knowledge , or will , the former part , unlesse it was to awaken and enforce me ( being desired ) to publish the rest ; our works i thought should resemble gods works , not bee left imperfect . . i considered my weake body , and my short time of sojourning here , and that i shall not speak long to children , friends , or gods precious people , i am sure not to many in england , to whom i owe almost my whole selfe , whom i shall see in this world no more ; i have beene therefore willing to get the wind , and take the season , that i might leave some part of gods precious truth on record , that it might speak ( oh that it might be to the heart ) among whom i cannot ( and when i shal not ) be . i account it a part of gods infinite grace to make me an instrument of the least good to any . if the lord shall so far accept of me in publishing these things , it is all that i would desire ; if not , yet i have desired forgivenesse in the blood of his sonne , for what ever errors or weaknesses may be in it , or are in my self , which may hinder successe , and frustrate its end ; only what i have in much weaknesse beleeved , i have written , and sent it unto you , leaving it wholly with your selfe , whom i much love and honour , that you would adde or detract any thing you see meet , ( so as it be not crosse to what i have writ ) and if you then think it meet for publike view , you see upon what grounds i am content with it ; but if you shall bury it , and put it to perpetuall silence , it shall be most pleasing to him who thinks more meanly of it then others can , tho : shepard . the sound beleever . chap. i. as the great cause of the eternall perdition of men is of themselves ; so the onely cause of the actuall deliverance and salvation of man , is jesus christ : view this text , hoseah . . oh israel , thou hast destroyed thy selfe , but in me is thy help . sect . i. these words as they are set down in the hebrew are ( according to the style of this prophet ) very short and sententious , & therefore difficult to translate into english without some periphrasis , but the sence is here truly exprest , in me is thy help ; which you may see confirmed from v. . there is no saviour beside me , and verse 〈◊〉 i will ransome them from the power of the grave , oh death i will be thy plague , o grave i will be thy destruction ; suppose the prophet should speak here of temporall salvation , help and ransome , ( which he doth not ) yet the argument is strong ; if there be no saviour from temporall woe and misery but only the lord jesus , how much more is hee from woes eternall ? only understand me here aright ; i am not now speaking of mans deliverance and salvation by price in way of satisfaction of justice ( for that i have already handled ) but of his deliverance and salvation , by power ; not of mans purchased deliverance , which is by the blood of christ , but of mans actuall deliverance , which is by the efficacy & power of the spirit of christ. some captives among men are redeemed by price only , some by power without price ; but such is the lamentable captivity of all men , under the severity of justice , and the power of sinne , that without the price of christs blood , eph. . . and the power of christs spirit , iohn . . there is no deliverance ; the lord jesus having paid the price for our deliverance . yet it is with us as with a company of captives in prison ; our sins like strong chaines hold us , satan our keeper will not let us goe , the prison doores through unbeleefe are shut upon us , rom. . . a●d thereby god and christ are kept out from us ; what power now can rescue us , that are held fast under such a power , even after the price is paid ? truly it can be no other but that in my text , in me is thy help ; when our ransom is paid , the lord must come himselfe and fetch us out by strong hand . isay . . to whom is the arme of the lord revealed ? truly to very few , yet to some it is ; and certainly , look as they make christ no saviour indeed who deny his salvation by price and satisfaction , so those also make him an imperfect saviour who deny salvation and actuall deliverance of man to be only by the almighty arme and efficacy of his spirit and power : excellent therefore is the speech of the apostle , acts . . . god hath exalted iesus to give repentance and remission of sins to israel ; look as jesus was abased to purchase repentance and remission , so he is now exalted actually to give and apply repentance and remission of sinnes ; whose glory is it to remit sinnes , but god in christ and by christ only ? whose glory is it to give repentance ( which in this place comprehends the work of conversion & faith , as beza observes ) whereby we apply remission , but the same god only ? the one is as difficult to be conveyed as the other , and we stand in as much need of christ to doe the one as the other ; all the power of christ exalted , is little enough to give us repentance and remission , the condition of the covenant exprest in repentance , and the blessings in the covenant summed up in forgivenesse of sins ; the socinians deny redemption and salvation by price ; the arminians by christs power , leaving suasion only to him , but power of conversion to the power and liberty of the will of man ; oh adulterous generation that are thus hacking at and cutting the cords of their owne salvation ! i shall here speak onely to one question , which is the principall and most profitable , and that is this , how doth christ redeem and save thus by his power , out of that miserable estate , and consequently what is the way for us to seek , and so to find & feel deliverance by the hand of christs power ? as there are foure principall meanes and causes , or wayes , whereby man ruines himselfe , . ignorance of their owne misery ; . security and unsensiblenesse of it ; . carnall confidence in their owne duties ; . presumption or resting upon the mercy of god by a faith of their owne forging : so on the contrary , there is a fourefold act of christs power whereby he rescues and delivers all his out of their miserable estate . the first act or stroake is conviction of sin . the second is compunction for sin . the third is humiliation or self-abasement . the fourth is faith : all which are distinctly put forth ( when he ceaseth extraordinarily to work ) in the day of christs power , and who ever looke for actuall salvation and redemption from christ , let them seek for mercy and deliverance in this way , out of which they shal never find it ; let them begin at conviction , and desire the lord to let them see their sins , that so being affected with them and humbled under them , they may by faith be enabled to receive jesus christ , and so be blessed in him . it is true , christ is applyed to us nextly by faith , but faith is wrought in us in that way of conviction and sorrow for sin , no man can or will come by faith to christ to take away his sins , unlesse he first see , be convicted of , and loaden with them . i confesse the manner of the spirits work in the conversion of a sinner unto god is exceeding secret , and in many things very various ; and therefore it is too great boldnesse to mark out all gods footsteps herein , yet so farre forth as the lord himselfe tels us his work and the manner of it in all his , wee may safely resolve our selves , and so farre , and no farther shall we proceed in the explication of these things . it is great prophanesse not to search into the works of common providence , though secret and hidden ▪ psal. . . and . . much greater it is not to doe thus into gods works of speciall favour and grace upon his chosen . i shall therefore beginne with the first stroake of christs power which is conviction of sin . sect . ii. first act of christs power , which is conviction of sinne . now for the more distinct explication of this , i shall open to you these things . . i shall prove that the lord christ by his spirit begins the actuall deliverance of his elect here . . what is that sin the lord convinceth the soule thus first of . . how the lord doth it . . what measure and degree of conviction he works thus in all his . . for the first , it is said , iohn . , . that the first thing that the spirit doth when he comes to make the apostles ministery effectuall is this , it shall reprove , or convince the world of sinne ; it doth not first work faith , but convinceth them that they have no faith , as in verse . and consequently under the guilt and dominion of their sin ; and after this , he convinceth of righteousnesse , which faith apprehends , verse . it is true that the word conviction here , is of a large extent , and includes compunction and humiliation for sin , yet our saviour wraps them up in this word ; because conviction is the first , and therefore the chiefe in order here : the lord not speaking now of ineffectuall , but effectuall and thorow conviction exprest in deep sorrow and humiliation . now the text saith , the lord begins thus not with some one or two , but with the world of gods elect , who are to be called home by the ministery of the word ; which our saviour speaks ( as any may see who consider the scope ) purposely to comfort the hearts of his disciples , that their ministery shall be thus effectuall to the world of jews and gentiles ; and therefore cannot speak of such conviction as serves onely for to leave men without excuse for greater condemnation ; ( as some understand the place ) for that is a poore ground of consolation to their sad hearts . secondly , i shall hereafter prove that there can be no faith without sense of sinne and misery , and now there can be no sense of sinne without a precedent sight or conviction of sin ; no man can feel sin , unlesse he doth first see it ; what the ey sees not , the heart rues not . let the greatest evill befall a man , suppose the burning of his house , the death of his children , if he doth not first know , see , and hear of it , he will never take it to heart , it will never trouble him ; so let a poor sinner lye under the greatest guilt , the sorest wrath of god , it will never trouble him untill h● sees it and be convinced of it , act. . . when they heard this , they were pricked ; but first they heard it and saw their sin , before their hearts were wounded for it ; gen. . . they first saw saw their nakednesse before they were ashamed of it . thirdly , the maine end of the law is to drive us to christ rom. . . if christ be the end of the law , then the law is the means subservient to that end , and that not to some , but to all that beleeve , now the law though it drive to christ by condemnation , yet in order it begins with accusation . it first accuseth , and so convinceth of sin , ro. . . and then condemneth : it 's folly and injustice for a judg to condemn & bring a sinner out to his execution before accusation & conviction ; and is it wisdom or justice in the lord or his law to doe otherwise ? and therefore the spirit in making use of the law for this end first convinceth as it first accuseth , and layes our sins to our charge . lastly , look as satan when he binds up a sinner in his sin , he first keeps him ( if possible ) from the very sight and knowledge of it ; because so long as they see it not , this ignorance is the cause of all their woe ; why they feele it not , why they desire not to come out of it ; the lord jesus ( who came to unty the knots of ●atan , iohn . . ) begins here , and first convinceth his , and makes them see their sin ; that so they may feele it , and come to him for deliverance out of it . oh consider this all you that dreame out your time in minding only things before your feet , never thinking on the evills of your owne hearts ; you that heed not , you that will not see your sins , nor so much as ask this question , what have i done ? what doe i doe ? how doe i live ? what will become of me ? what will be the end of these my foolish courses ? i tell you , if ever the lord save you , he will make you see what now you cannot , what now you will not , he will not only make you to confesse you are sinners , but he will convince you of sinne , this shall be the first thing the lord will doe with thee . but you will say , what is that sin which the lord first convinceth of ? which is the second thing to be opened . i answer in these three conclusions . the lord jesus by his spirit doth not only convince the soule in generall , that it is a sinner and sinfull ; but the lord brings in a convicting evidence of the particulars ; the first is learnt more by tradition ( in these dayes ) by the report and acknowledgement of every man , rather then by any speciall act of conviction of the spirit of christ ; for what man is there almost but lies under this confession , that he is a sinner ? the best say they are sinners ; & if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves , and i know i am a sinner ; but that which the spirit principally convinceth of , is some sinne or sins in particular : the spirit doth not arrest men for offences in generall , but opens the writ , and shewes the particular cause , the particular sins ; rom. . . we have proved , saith the apostle , that iewes and gentiles are under sinne , but how doth the apostle ( being now the instrument of the spirit in this worke of conviction ) convince them of this ? marke his method , verse , , , , , , , , . wherein you you shall see it is done by enumeration of particulars ; sins of their natures , there is none righteous ; sins of their minds , none understandeth ; sins in their wills and affections , none seek after god ; sins in their lives , all gone out of the way ; sins of omission of good duties , there is none that doth good ; their throats , tongues , lips , are sepulchres , deceitfull , poysonfull ; their mouthes full of cursing , their feet swift to shed blood , &c. and this is the state of you jewes , ( verse . ) as well as of the gentiles ; that all flesh may stand convinced as guilty before god. if it be here demanded , what are those particular sins which the lord convinceth men of ? i answer , in variety of men there is much va●iety of speciall sins , as there is of dispositions , tempers , and temptations ; and therefore the lord doth not convince one man at first of the same sins of which he doth another man , yet this we may safely say , usually ( though not alway ) the lord begins with the remembrance and consideration of some one great , if not a mans speciall and most beloved sin ; and thereby the spirit discovers gradually all the rest : that arrow which woundeth the heart of christ most , the lord makes it fall first upon , the head of the sinner that did shoot it against heaven , and convinceth , and as it were hits him first with that : how did the spirit convince those , those patterns of gods converting grace ? acts . . did not the lord begin with them for one principall sinne , viz. their murder and contempt of christ by embruing their hands in his blood ? there is no question but now they remembred other sinfull practises , but this was the imprimis , which is ever accompanied with many other items which are then read in gods bill of reckonings where the first is set downe : israel would have a king , sam. . . samuel for a time could not convince them of their sin , herein , what doth the lord doe ? surely he will convince them of sin before he leaves them , and this he doth by such a terrible thunder as made all their hearts ake ; and how is it now ? what sin doe they now see ? they first see the greatnesse of that particular sin , but this came not to mind alone , but they cryed out , sam. . . we have added unto all our evills this , in asking to our selves a king. look upon the woman of samaria , iohn . the lord christ indeed spake first unto her about himselfe the substance of the gospell , about the worth of this water of life ; but what good did shee get untill the lord began to convince her of sin , and how doth he that ? he tels her of her secret whoredome she lived in , the man that now shee had was not her husband ; and upon the discovery of this , shee saw many more sins ; and hence verse . she cries out , come see the man that hath told me all that ever i did in my life . and thus the lord deales at this day ; the minister preacheth against one sin , it may be whoredome , ignorance , contempt of the gospell , neglect of secret duties , lying , sabbath-breaking , &c. this is thy case , saith the spirit unto the soule , remember the time , the place , the persons with whom you lived in this sinfull condition ; and now a man begins to goe alone , and to think of all his former courses , how exceeding evill they have been ; it may be the lord brings upon a man a sore affliction , and when he is in chaines crying out of that , the lord saith to him as to those , ier. . . why criest thou for thy affliction ? for the multitude of thine iniquities i have done this ; it may be the lord sometimes strikes a mans companion in sinne dead , by some fearfull judgement : and then that particular sinne comes to mind , and the lord reveales it , arm'd with multitudes of many other sins ; the causes of it , the fruits and effects of it ; as a father whips his child upon occasion of one speciall fault , but then tells him of many more which he winked at before this , and saith , now sirrah remember such a time , such a froward fit , such undutifull behaviour , such a reviling word you spake , such a time i called , and you ran away and would not heare me ; and you thought i liked well enough of these wayes , but now know that i will not passe them by , &c. thus the lord deales with his ; and hence it is many times , that the elect of god civilly brought up , doe hereupon think well of themselves , and so remaine long unconvinced of their wofull estates , the lord suffers them to fall into some foule , secret , or open sin ; and by this the lord takes speciall occasion of working conviction and sorrow for sinne , the lord hereby makes them hang down the head and cry uncleane , uncleane ; paul was civilly educated , he turned at last a hot persecutor , oppressor , blasphemer ; the lord first convinced him of his persecution and cryed out from heaven to him , paul , paul , why persecutest thou me ? this struck him to the heart , and then sin revived , rom. . . many secret sins of his heart were discovered , which i take to begin and continue in speciall in those three dayes , acts . . wherein he was blind and did ( through sight of sin and sorrow of heart ) neither eat nor drink . as a man that hath the plague not knowing the disease , he hopes to live ; but when he sees the spots and tokens of death upon his wrist , now he cryes out , because convinced that the plague of the lord is upon him ; so when men see some one or more speciall sins break out , now they are convinced of their lamentable condition : yet it is not alway , ( though usually thus ) for some men the lord may first convince of sinne by shewing them the sinfulnesse of their owne hearts and wayes ; the lord may let a man see his blindnesse , his extreame hardnesse of heart , his weaknesse , his wilfulnesse , his heartlesnesse ; he cannot pray , or look up to god , and this may first convince him ; or that all that he doth is sinfull , being out of christ : the lord may suddenly let him see the deceipts of his owne heart , and the secret sinfull practises of his life ; as if some had told the minister , or as if hee spake to none but him ; that he is forced to fall down being thus convinced , and to confesse , god is in this man : cor. . . nicodemus●●ay ●●ay first see and bee convinced of the want of regeneration , and thereby feel his need of christ ; the lord may set a man upon the consideration of all his life past , how wickedly it hath been spent ; and so not one , but a multitude of iniquities compasse him about : a man may see the godly examples of his parents , or other godly christians in the family or town where he dwels , and by this be convinced ; that if their state and way bee good , his own ( so far unlike it ) must needs be starke naught : the lord ever convinceth the soule of sins in particular , but hee doth not alway convince one man of the same particular sinnes at first as hee doth another ; whether the lord convinceth all the elect at first of the sin of their nature , and shewes them their original sin in and about this first stroake of conviction , i doubt not of it ; paul would have been alive , and a proud pharisee still , if the lord had not let him by the law see this sin , rom. . . and so would all men in the world , if this should not bee revealed first or last , in a lesser or greater measure , under a distinct or more indistinct notion : and hence arise those confessions of the saints , i never thought i had had such a vile heart ; if all the world had told me , i could not have beleeved them ; but that the lord hath made me feel it , & see it at last ; was there ever such a sinner ( at least in heart , which is continually opposing of him ) whom the lord at any time received to mercy , as i am ? the lord jesus by his spirit doth not only convince the soule of its sinne in particular , but also of the evill , even the exceeding great evill of those particular sins . the lord jesus doth not onely convince of the evill sinne , but of the great evill of sinne . oh thou wretch , saith the spirit , ( as the lord to cain , gen. . . ) what hast thou done , whose sins cry to heaven , who hast thus long lived without god , and done this infinite wrong to an infinite god , for which thou canst never make him amends ? that god who could have long since cut thee off in the midst of thy sins and wickednesse , & crusht thee like a moth , and sent thee down to those eternall flames where thou now seest some better then thy self mourning day and night , but yet hath spared thee out of his meere pity to thee , that god hast thou resisted and forsaken all thy life time ; and therefore now see and consider what an evill and bitter thing it is thus to live as thou hast done , ier. . . look as it is in the wayes of holinesse , many a man void of the spirit may see and know them in the literall expressions of them , but cannot see the glory of them but by the spirit , and hence it is hee doth not esteeme and prize them and the knowledge of them above gold ; so in the wayes of unholinesse , many a man void of the spirit of conviction of sin , may and doth see many particular sins and confesse them , but he doth not , cannot see the exceeding evill of them , and thence it is though he doth see them , yet he doth not much dislike them , because he sees no great hurt or evil in them , but makes a light matter of them ; & therefore when the spirit comes , it lets him see and stand convinced of the exceeding greatnesse of the evill that is in them , ioh. . , . in the time of affliction ( which is usually the time of conviction of a wild unruly sinner ) he shews them their transgressions , but how ? that they have exceeded , that they have been exceeding many and exceeding vile . oh beloved , before the lord jesus comes to convince , we have cause to pray for a pity every poore sinner , as the lord jesus did , saying , lord forgive them , they know not what they doe . you godly parents , masters , how oft doe you instruct your children , servants , and convince them of their sinfulnesse , untill they confesse their faults ? yet you see no amendment , but they goe on still ; what should you now doe ? oh cry out for them , and say , lord forgive them , for they know not what they doe . their sins they know , but what the evil of them is , alas ! they know not ; but when the spirit comes to convince , he makes them see what they doe , & what is the exceeding evill of those sinnes they made light of before ; like mad men that have sworne , and curst , and struck their friends , when they come to be sober againe , and remember their mischievous wayes and words , now they see what they have done , and how abominable their courses then were . oh you that walk on in the madnes of your minds now , in all manner of sinne , if ever the lord doe good to you , you shall account your wayes madnesse and folly , and cry out , oh lord , what have i done in kicking thus long against the pricks ? the lord jesus by his spirit doth not only convince the soule of the evill of sin , but of the evill after sin , i meane of the just punishment which doth follow sin , and that is this , viz. that it must dye , and that eternally for sin , if it remaines in this estate it is now in . rom. . . the law works wrath , i. e. sight and sense of wrath , rom. . . when the law came , sin revived , and i dyed : i. e. i saw my selfe a dead man by it ; so the soule sees cleerly god hath said , the soule that sinneth shall dye : i have sinned , and therefore if the lord be true i shall dye , to hel i shall , if now the lord stop my breath and cut off my life , which he might justly and may easily doe . death is the wages of sin , even of any one sin , though never so little ; whan then will become of me who stand guilty of so many , exceeding the number of the haires on my head , or the stars in heaven ? whoremongers and adulterers god will judge , the minister hath said so , the lord himselfe hath told me so , heb. . . i am the man , my conscience now teares me and tells me so , what will become of me ? the lord iesus will come in flaming fire to render vengeance against all that know not god ; and that obey not the gospell . this i beleeve , for god hath said it , thes. . , ▪ . and now i see i am he that hath lived long in ignorance , and know not god ; i have had the gospel of grace thus long wooing and perswading my heart , and oftentimes it hath affected me , but yet i have resisted god and his gospel , and have set my filthy lusts , my vaine sports , my companions cups and queanes at a higher price then christ , and have loved them more then him ; and therefore though i may be spared for a while , yet there is a time wherein christ himselfe will come out against me in flaming fire . to this purpose doth the spirit worke ; for beloved , the great meanes whereby satan overthrew man at first in his innocencie , was this principle , although thou dost eate , and so sin against god , yet thou shalt not dye . gen. . . ye shall not surely die ; the serpent doth not say , ye shall not die , for that is too grosse an out-facing of the word , gen. . . but he saith , ye shall not surely die : that is , there is not such absolute certainty o● it ; it may be you shall live , god loves you better then so , and is a more merciful father then to be at a word and a blow . now look as satan deceived and brought our first parents to ruine by suggesting this principle ; so at this day he doth sow this accursed seed , and plant this very principle in the soyl of every mans heart by nature , they do not think , they cannot beleeve that they are dead men , & condemned to dye , and that they shall dye eternally for the least sinne committed by them . men nor angels cannot perswade them of it , they cannot see the equity of it , that god so mercifull will be so severe , for so small a matter ; nor yet the truth of it , for then they think no flesh should be saved . and thus when the old serpent hath spit this poyson before them , they sup it up , and drink it in , and so thousands , nay millions of men and women are utterly undone . the lord christ therefore when he comes to save a poore sinner , and raise him up out of his fall , convinceth the soule by his spirit , and that with full and mighty evidence , that it shall dye for the least sin , and tels him as the lord told abimelech in another case , gen. . . thou art but a dead man for this ; and if the spirit set on this , let who can claw it off . i tell you beloved , never did poore condemned malefactor more certainly know and hear the sentence of condemnation past upon him by a mortall man , then the guilty sinner doth his , by an immortall and displeased god : & therefore those three thousand cry out , act. . . men and brethren , what shall we doe to be saued ? we are condemned to dye , what shall we doe now to be saved from death ? now the soule is glad to enquire of the minister , oh tell me , what shall i do ? i once thought my selfe in a safe and good condition as any in the town or countrey i lived in , but now the lord hath let me heare of other newes ; dye i must in this estate , and t is a wonder of mercies i am spared alive to this day . there is not onely some blind fea●es and suspitions that it may possibly be so , but full perswasions of heart , dye i must , dye i shall in this estate ; for if the spirit reveale sin , and convi●ce not of death for sin , the soule under this work of conviction being as yet rather s●nsuall then spirituall , wil make a light matter of it , when it sees no sensible danger in it ; but when it sees the bottomlesse pit before it , everlasting fire before it , for the least sin , now it sees the hainous evill of sin ; the way of sinne though never so peaceable before , is full of d●nger now , wherein it sees there are endlesse woes and everlasting deaths that lye in wait for it , rom. . . and now saith the spirit , you may goe on in these sinfull courses as others doe , if you see meet , but oh consider what will be the end of them ; what it is to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season , and to be tormented for ever for them in the conclusion , for be assured that will be the end : and hence the soule seeing it selfe thus set apart for death , looks upon it selfe in a farre worse estate then the bruit beasts , or vil●st worme upon the earth ; for it thinks when they dye there is an end of their misery ; but oh then is the beginning of mine for ever : hence also arise those feares of death & of being suddenly cut off , that when it lyes downe , it trembles to think i may never rise againe , because it 's convinced , not only that it deserves to dye , but that it is already sentenced for to dye : hence also the soule justifies god , if he had cut him off in his sin ; and wonders what kept him from it , there being nothing else due from god unto it : hence lastly , the soule is stopt and stands still , goes not on in sin as before ; or if it doth , the lord gives it no peace : ier. . . why doth the horse goe on in the battell ? because it sees not death before it ; but now the soule sees death , and therefore stops : oh remember this all you that never could beleeve that you are dead condemned men , and therefore are never troubled with any such thoughts in your mind ; i tell you , that you are far from conviction , and therefore far from salvation : if god should send some from the dead to beare witnesse against this secure world concerning this truth , yet you will not beleeve it , for his messengers sent from heaven are not beleeved herein ; woe be to you if you remaine unconvinced of this point . but you will say , how doth the lord thus convince sin , and wherein is it exprest ? which is the third particular . all knowledge of sin is not conviction of sin , all confession of sin is not conviction ; there is a conviction meerely rationall , which is not spirituall ; there are three things in spirituall conviction . there is a cleare , certaine , and manifest light , so that the soule sees its sin , and death due to it clearely and certainly ; for so the word , ioh. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to evidence a thing by way of argumentation , nay demonstration ; the spirit so demonstrates these things as that it hath nothing to object , a mans mouth is stopped , hee hath nothing to say but this ; behold i am vile , i am a dead man : for if a man have many strong arguments given him to confirme a truth , yet if he have but one objection or doubtfull scruple not answered , he is not fully as yet convinced , because full conviction by a cleare sun-light scatters all dark objections ; and hence our saviour iude . will one day convince the wicked of all their hard speeches against him , which will chiefly be done by manifesting the evill of such wayes , and taking a way all those colours and defences men have made for such language : before the spirit of christ comes , man cannot see , will not see his sin nor punishment ; nay , he hath many things to say for himselfe as excuses and extenuations of his sin ; one saith , i was drawne unto it , ( the woman that thou gavest me ) and so layes the blame on others : a●other saith , it is my nature ; others say , all are sinners , the godly sinne as well as others ; and yet are saved at last , and so i hope shall i : others professe they cannot part with sin , they would be better but they cannot , and god requires no more then they are able to performe ; another saith , i will continue in sin but a little while , and purpose hereafter to leave it ; others say , we are sinners , but yet god is mercifull and will forgive it ; another saith , though i have sinned , yet i have some good , and am not so bad as other men ; endlesse are these excuses for sin . in one word , i know no man , though never so bad , though his sin be never so grievous , but he hath something to say for himselfe , and something in his mind to lessen and extenuate sin ; but beloved when the spirit comes to convince , he so convinceth as that he answers all these , pulls down all these fences , teares off all these fig-leaves , scatters all these mists , and pulls off all these s●ales from the eyes , stops a mans mouth , that the soule stands before god , crying , oh lord guilty , guilty ; as the prophet ieremy told them , ier. . . why dost thou say , i am innocent ? looke upon thy way , &c. so the spirit saith , why dost thou say thy sin is small ? it is disobedience , ( as samuel said to saul , sam. . ) . which is rebellion , and as the sinne of witchcraft ; and is that a small matter ? the spirit of conviction by the cleare evidence of the truth , binds the understanding that it cannot struggle against god any more ; and hence let all the world plead to the contrary , nay let the godly come to comfort them in this estate , and think and speak well of them ; yet they cannot beleeve them , because they are certaine their estates are wofull : hence also we shall observe the soule under conviction , instead of excusing sin , it aggravates sinne , and studies to aggravate sinne ; did ever any deale thus wickedly , walke thus sinfully , so long , against so many checks and chidings , light and love , meanes and mercies , as i have done ? and it is wonderfull to observe that those things which made it once account sin light , make it therefore to think sin great : ex . gr . my sin is little ; the more unkind thou ( saith the spirit ) that wilt not doe a small matter for the lord : my sin is common ; the more sinfull thou that in those things wherein all the world rise up in arms against god , thou joynest with them : god spares me after sin ; the greater is thy sin therefore that thou hast continued so long in , against a god so pitifull to thee ; the dearest sins are now the vilest sins , because though they were most sweet to him , yet the spirit convinceth him , they were therefore the more grievous unto the soule of god ; you poore creatures may now hide , and colour , and excuse your sins before men , but when the lord comes to convince , you cannot lye hid ; then your consciences ( when jesus christ the lord comes to convince ) shall not be like the steward in the gospell that set down . for a l. no , the lord will force it to bring in a true and cleare account at that day . there is a reall light in spirituall conviction , rationall conviction makes things appear notionally ; but spirituall conviction , really : the spirit indeed useth argumentation in conviction , but it goes farther and causeth the soule not only to see sin and death discursively , but also intuitively and really : reason can see and discourse about words and propositions , and behold things by report , and so deduct one thing from another ; but the spirit makes a man see the things themselves , really wrapt up in those words ; the spirit brings spirituall things as well as notions before a mans eye , the light of the spirit is like the light of the sun , it makes all things appeare as they are ; iohn . , . it was ierusalems misery , she heard the words of christ , and they were not hid from them , but the things of her peace shut up in those words were hid from her eyes . discourse with many a man about his sin and misery , he will grant all that you say , and he is convinced , that his estate is most wretched , and yet still lives in all manner of sin ; what is the reason of it ? truly he sees his sin only by discourse , but he doth not , nay cannot see the thing sin , death , wrath of god , untill the spirit come ; which only convinceth or sheweth that really . a man will not bee afraid of a lyon when it is painted only upon the wall , why ? because therein he doth not see the living lyon : when he sees that , he trembles . so men heare of sin , and talke of sin and death , and say they are most miserable in regard of both ; yet their hearts tremble not , are not amazed at these evills ; because sinne is not seen alive , death is not presented alive before them , which is done by the spirit of conviction only , revealing these really to the soule ; and hence it is that many men in seeing see not , how can that bee ? thus , in seeing things notionally , they see them not really . and hence many that know most of sin , know least of sin , because in seeing it notionally , they see it not really ▪ and therefore happy were it for some men , schollers and others , that they had no notionall knowledge ●f sin , for this light is their darknesse , and makes them more uncapable of spirituall conviction : the first act of spirituall conviction is to let a man see clearly that he is sinfull and most miserable ; the second act is to let the soule see really what this sin and death is . oh consider of this , many of you know that you are sinfull , and that you shall dye ; but dost thou know what sin is , and what it is to dye ? if thou didst , i dare say thy heart would sinke ; if thou dost not , thou art a condemned man , because not yet a convinced man. if you here aske , how the lord makes sin reall ? i answer . by making god reall , the reall greatnesse of sin is seen by beholding really the greatnesse of god who is smitten by sin ; sin is not seene because god is not seen , iohn . ep . v. . he ●hat doth evill hath not seen god. no knowledge of god is the cause why blood toucheth blood : the spirit casts out all other company of vain and foolish thoughts , and then god comes in and appeares immediately to the soul in his greatnesse and glory , and then the spirit saith , lo , this is that god thy sins have provoked . and now sin appeares as it is , and together with this reall sight of sin , the soule doth not see painted fire , but sees the fire of gods wrath really , whither now it is leading , that never can be quencht but by christs blood : and when the spirit hath thus convinced , now a man begins to see his madnesse and folly in times past , saying , i know not what i did . and hence questions , can the lord pardon such a wretch as i , whose sinnes are so great ? hence also the heart beginnes to bee affected with sinne and death , because it sees them now as they are indeed , and not by report only . a man accounts it a matter of nothing to tread upon a worme , wherein there is nothing seen worthy either to bee loved or feared ; and hence a mans heart is not affected with it : before the spirit of conviction comes , god is more vile in mans eye then any worme ; as christ said in another case of himselfe , psal. . i am a worme and no man ; so may the lord complaine , i am viler in such a ones eyes then any worme , and no god : and hence a man makes it a matter of nothing to tread upon the glorious majesty of god , and hence is not affected with it ; but when god is seen by the spirit of conviction , in his great glory ; then as he is great , sin is seene great ; as his glory affects and astonisheth the soule , so sin affects the heart . there is a constant light ; the soule sees sinne and death continually before it ; gods arrowes stick fast in the soule , and cannot be pluckt out ; my sinne is ever before me , said david , ( in his renewing of the work of conversion . ) for in effectuall conviction , the mind is not onely bound to see the misery lying upon it , but it is held bound ; it is such a sun light as never can be quenched , though it may be clouded . when the spirit of christ darts in any light to see sin , the soule would turne away from looking upon it , would not heare on that eare , felix-like . but the spirit of conviction sent to make thorow work on the hearts of all the elect , followes them , meets them at every turne , forceth them to see and remember what they have done , the least sinne now is like a moath in the eye , it s ever troubling . those gastly , dreadfull objects of sinne , death , wrath , being presented by the spirit neare unto the soule , fixe the eye to fasten here ; they that can cast off at their pleasure the remembrance and thoughts of sinne and death , never prove sound , untill the lord doth make them stay their thoughts , and muse deeply on what they have done , and whither they are going . and hence the soule in lying downe , rising up , lyes downe and rises up with perplexed thoughts , what will become of me ? the lord somtimes keeps it waking in the night season , when others are asleep , and then t is haunted with those thoughts , it cannot sleep ; it looks back upon every day , and week , sabboth , sermon , prayer , speeches , and thinks all this day , this week , &c. the goodnesse of the lord and his patience to a wretch hath been continued , but my sins also are continued ; i sin in all i doe , in all my prayers , in all i think , the same heart remaines still not humbled , not yet changed . and hence you shall observe , that word which discovered sin at first to it , it never goes out of the mind ; i think saith the soule i shall never forget such a man , nor such a truth . hence also if the soule grow light and carelesse at some time , and casts off the thoughts of these things , the spirit returnes againe , and falls a reasoning with the soule , why hast thou done this ? what hurt hath the lord done thee ? will there never be an end ? hast not thou gone on long enough in thy le●d courses against god , but that thou shouldst still adde unto the heap ? hast thou not wrath enough upon thee already ? how soone may the lord stop thy breath ? and then thou knowest thou hadst better never to have beene borne ; was there ever any that thus resisted grace , that thus adventured upon the swords point ? hast thou but one friend , a patient , long-suffering god , that hath left thy conscience without excuse long agoe , and therefore could have cut thee off , and dost thou thus forsake him , thus abuse him ? thus the spirit followes ; and hence the soule comes to some measure of confession of sinne ; oh lord i have done exceeding wickedly ; i have been worse then the horse that rusheth into the battle , because it sees not death before it ; but i have seen death before me in these wayes , and yet goe on , and still ●inne , and cannot but sinne : behold mee , lord , for i am very vile . when thus the spirit hath let into the soule a cleare , reall , constant light , to see sinne and death , now there is a thorow conviction . but you will say , in what measure doth the spirit communicate this light ? i shall therefore open the fourth particular , viz. the measure of spirituall conviction in all the elect , viz. so much conviction of sin as may bring in and work compunction for sinne , so much sight of sinne as may bring in sense of sinne , so much is necessary and no more . every one hath not the same measure of conviction , yet all the elect have & must have so much : for so much conviction is necessary as may attaine the end of conviction . now the finis proximus , or next end of conviction in the elect , is compunction , or sense of sinne ; for what good can it doe unto them to see sin , and not to be affected with it ? what greater mercy doth the lord shew to the elect herein , then unto the devils and reprobates , who stand convinced , and know they are wicked and condemned ; but yet their hearts altogether unaffected with any true remorse for sin ? mine eye , saith ieremy , affecteth my heart . the lord opens the eares of his to instruction , that he might humble . some think that there is no thorow conviction , without some affection . i dare not say so , nor will i now dispute whether there is not something in the nature and essence of that conviction the elect have different from that conviction in reprobates and devils ; t is sufficient now ; and that which reacheth the end of this question , to know what in asure of conviction is necessary , i conceive the cleere discerning of it is by the immediate and sensible effect of it , viz. so much as affects the heart truly with sin . but if you aske , what is that sense of sin , and what measure of this is necessary ? that i shall answer in the doctrine of companction . let not therefore any soule be discouraged , and say , i was never yet convinced , because i have not felt such a cleare , reall , constant light to see sin and death as others have done : consider thou , if the end of conviction be attained , which is a true sense and feeling of sin , thou hast then that measure which is most meet for thee , more then which the lord regards not in any of his ; but you that walke up and downe with convinced consciences , and know your states are miserable and sinfull , and that you perish if you dye in that condition , and yet have no sense nor feeling ; no sorrow nor affliction of spirit for those evills . i tell you the very devills are in some respect nearer the kingdome of god then you be , who see , and feele , and tremble ; woe , woe to thousands that live under convicting ministeries whom the word often hits , and the lord by the spirit often meets , and they heare and know their sins are many , their estates bad , and that iniquity will be there ruine , if thus they continue , yet all gods light is without heat , and it is but the shining of it upon rocks , and cold stones ; they are frozen in their dregs : be it knowne to you , you have not one drop of that conviction which begins salvation . before i passe from this to the second work of compunction , let me make a word of application . if the spirit begins thus with conviction of sin , then let all the ministers of christ co-work with christ , and begin with their people here ; bee faithfull witnesses unto gods truth , and give warning to this secure world , that the sentence of death is past , and the curse of god lyes upon every man for the least sin ; lift up thy voyce like a trumpet , was the lords words to isaiah . isay . . and tell them of their sin ; those bees wee call drones that have lost their sting . when the salt of the earth ( the ministers of christ , matth. . ) have lost their acrimony and sharpnesse , or saltnesse , what is it good for but to be cast out ? your hearers will putrify and corrupt , by hearing such doctrines only , as never search . when the lord inflicted a grievous curse upon the people , ezek. . . the lord made ezekiel dumbe that hee should not be a reprover to them ; what was the lamentation of ieremy ? thy prophets have seen vaine and foolish things for thee , and have not discovered thine iniquity : how would you have the lord jesus by his spirit to convince men ? must it not bee by his word ? verily you keep the spirit of christ from falling down upon the people , if you refuse to indeavour to convince the people by your word . other doctrines are sweet and necessary ; but this is in the first place most necessary . beware of personating , beware of bitternesse and passion , but oh convince with a spirit of power and compassion ; and hee that shall bee instrumentall unto christ in this or any other work for christs sake , unto him the lord will be the principall agent , and by him will attaine his own ends , finish his great work , gather in his scattered sheep , who are in great multitudes throughout the kingdome scattered from him ; if once they be throughly convinced , that they are utterly lost , and gone out of the way . may not this also be sad reproofe and terrour to them that stand it out against all means of conviction , and will not see their sin , nor beleeve the fearfull wrath of god due to them for sin ; not a man scarce can be found , that will come to this conclusion ; i am a sinfull man , and therefore i am a dead , i am a condemned man : but like wild beasts fly from their pursuers into their holes , and thickets , and dens ; their sinfull extenuations , excuses , and apologies for sin , and for themselves ; and if they bee hunted thither , and found out there , then they resist , and article against that truth which troubles them ; they flatter themselves in their owne eyes , untill their iniquities be found most hatefull . many a man dislikes the text , the use , especially the long use wherein his sinne is toucht , and his conscience tost ; especially if it be his darling sin , his herodias , his rimmon ; especially , if withall he thinks that the minister meanes him , he will not see it nor confeste it ; especially if hee apprehends he shall lose his honour , or his silver shrines and profit by it ; he will not see his ●in , that he may not be troubled in conscience for his sin , that so he may not be forced to confesse and forsake his sinne , and condemne himselfe for it before god and men . oh lord , i mourne that i can scarce meet with a man that either cares to be , or will be convinced ; but hath something alway to say for himselfe , their sins are not so great , they are not so bad , but have some good , and therefore have some hope ; and if god be mercifull , it is no great matter though they be exceeding sinfull , or some such thing ; their mouths are not stopped to say nothing for themselves , but guilty . there is lesse conviction in the world in this age , then many are aware of . for i believe that all the powers of hell conspire together to blind mens eyes and darken mens minds in this great work of christ : principiis obsta , it is policy to stop christ in his entrance , in this first streake upon the soule ; but oh , little doe you think what you doe herein , and what woe you work to your selves hereby ; dost thou stifle and resist the first breathings of christs spirit when he comes to save thee ? what hurt will it be to know the worst of thy condition now , when there is hope hereby of comming out of it ; who must else one day see all thy sins in order before thee to thy eternall anguish and terrour ? ps. . . when the lord shall say to thee as unto dives , remember in thy life time thou hadst thy good things ; remember such a time , such a place , such a sin ; which then you would not see . but now thou shalt see what it is to strike an infinite god. remember thou wast forewarned of wrath to come , but thou wouldest not beleeve thy selfe accursed , that so thou mightest have felt thy need of him that was made a curse to blesse thee ; and therefore feele it now : oh you will wish then that you had knowne this evill in that your day . what dost thou talke of grace ? thou thinkest thou hast grace , when as thou hast not the first beginning , nay not the most remote preparation for it in this work of conviction ; what should wee doe for such as these , but with ieremy ier. . . if you will not heare , my soule shall weep in secret for your pride ? oh be perswaded therefore to remember your sins past , and to consider of your wayes now . all the prophanenesse of thy heart , and life , all the vanity of thy youth , eccles. . . all your secret sins , all your sinnes against light and love , checks and vowes ; all that time wherein thou didst nothing else but live in sin ; thus gods people have done , ezek . . thus all the elect shall doe ; oh consider the lord remembers them all , and that with griefe of heart against thee , because thou forgettest them , hos. . . hee that numbers thy haires , and tels the sparrowes that fall , numbers much more thy sins that fall from thee ; they are written down in his black book . they are not trifles , for hee minds not toyes ; the bookes must bee opened : oh reckon now , you have yet time to cal them to minde , which it may be shall not continue long ; it is the lords complaint , ier. . . of a wicked generation , that hee could heare no man say , what have i done ? winnow your selves , ( as the word is , eph. . . ) oh people not worthy to be beloved . i pronounce unto you from the eternall god , that ere long the lord will search our ierusalem with candles , he will come with a sword in his hand to search for all secure sinners in city and country , unlesse you awaken ; hee will make inquisition for blood , for oaths , for whoredomes which grow common ; for all secret sins we are frozen up in ; oh be willing , be but willing that the lord should search you and convince you , now in this evening time of the day , before the night come , wherein it wil be too late to say , i wish i had considered of my waies in time ; of all sins , none can so hardly stand with uprightnesse , as a secret unwillingnesse to see and be convinced of sin , iohn . . . the helps and meanes for attaining hereunto are these . bring thy soule to the light ; desire the lord in prayer as iob did , what i see not , oh lord , shew me , iob. . . set the glasse of gods law before thee , look up in the ministery of the word unto the lord , and say , oh lord search me : the sunne of this holy word discovers motes : on the sabbath day attend to all that which is spoken , as spoken unto thee , then examine thy selfe when thou hast leisure . when david saw ( psal. . ) how pure the law was , he cryes out , who knowes his errors ? look upon every conviction of thy conscience for sin , as an arrest and warning given from the lord himselfe ; for sometimes the word hits , and conscience startles , and saith , this is my sinne , my condition ; yet how usuall is it then for a man to put a merry face upon a foule conscience ? how oft doe men think this is but the word of a man who hath a latitude given him of reproving sin in the pulpit , and wee must give way to them therein ? or else their hearts rise and swell against the man and word also ; and why is it thus ? because hee thinks it is man only that speaks ; whereas did he see and believe that this was a stroke , a warning , an arrest , a check from the omnipotent god , would he then grapple think you with him ? would it passe lightly by him then ? when eli heard samuel denounce sad things against his house , it is the lord said eli , sam. . . when paul saw jesus speaking , why pers●cutest thou me ? acts . he falls downe astonished , and dares not kicke against the pricks any longer : an arrest in the kings name comes with authority , and awes the heart of the man in debt . doe not judge of sinne by any other rule , but as god judgeth of it according to the rule of the word by which all mens wayes shall be judged at the last day : what made saul , sam. . extenuate his sin to samuel ? he judged not of it as the lord in his word did : for had hee done so , hee would have seen disobedience to a command as bad as witchcraft , as samuel told him ; which also made his proud heart sink , and say , i have sinned : remember for this end these scriptures , rom. . . rom. . . rom. . . gal. . . by which thou maist see , either i must dye , ( in the state i am ) or god himselfe must lye . remember that an angry look , or word is murder in gods account ; a wanton eye , an unchast thought is adultery before a holy god ; before whose tribunall thou must give an account of every vaine thought and word . and therefore doe not judge of sinne by the present pleasure , gaine , honour , or ease in it ; for this is a false rule : moses forsook the pleasures of sin for a season , heb. . . nor yet by not feeling any punishment for it , for god reserves wrath , nahum . . till the day of reckoning ; nor yet by the esteem that others generally have of it , who make no more of wounding the sonne of god by sin , then they doe of crushing vermine under their feet : nor yet by the practise of others , every man sins , and therefore i hope i shall doe as well as others : nor yet by seeing thy selfe better , and thanking god thou art not as other men ; it may be so , thou didst never steale , nor whore , nor murder as yet ; that is not the question , but hast thou had any one vaine thought in prayer ? hast thou heard one sermon unprofitably ? hast thou sinned ? then know god spared not the angels that sinned , and how wilt thou escape , unlesse the lord dye for thee ? nor yet lastly judge of it by thy own opinion of god , in thinking god is like unto thee , that as thou makest light of it , so hee maketh lesse ; psal. . . oh take heed of judging the evill of sin by any of these rules : oh remember all men are apt to thinke of themselves better then they are , are we also blind ? say the pharisees : take heed that by judging of sin by these false rules , you deceive not your selves . let this lastly be a use of thankfulnesse , to all those whose eyes the lord hath opened to see , and so convinced you of your sinnes . when david was going in the heat of his spirit to kill nabal , and abigail met him and stopt him , what said he ? oh blessed bee the lord for thy counsell ; so when thou wert going on in the heate and pursuit of thy sin , toward eternall death ; that the lord should now meet thee in thy way , and convince thee of thy folly , and so stop thee ; what a world of sin else wouldst thou have committed , how vile wouldst thou have bin ? oh say therefore , blessed be that minister of the lord , and blessed for ever be the name of the lord that gave me that counsell . it is said , christ will send the comforter to convince of sinne ; is it a comfortable thing to see sin ? yes , it shall one day bee matter of unspeakable comfort to you that ever you saw sin ; that ever he shewed thee that mystery of iniquity in thy heart and life , those arcana imperii , those secrets of the power and dominion of sinne over thee : thou shalt not hate , but reprove thy brother . if the lord should secretly keep thy sinne glowing in his owne bosome against thee , and never reprove thee for it , nor convince thee of it ; no greater signe of gods everlasting hatred against thee . oh it is infinite love that he hath called thee aside and dealt plainly and secretly with thee , and will you not be thankfull for this ? the lord might have left thee in thy brutish estate , and never made known thy latter end ; never have told thee of thy sinne or stood before it comes . it may be you will say , if i felt my sinne , and were deeply humbled for it , i could then be thankfull that ever i saw it ; what is it to see sin ? this is a favour the lord shewes not to all mankind , many have no meanes to bring them to the knowledge of it , and those that have yet are smitten with a deep sleep under those meanes that they know not when death is at their doores , nor what sin meanes ; and this it may be is the condition of some of thy poore friends and aquaintance , that think it strange that thou runnest not with them in the same way as they doe . suppose some reprobates doe see sin , yet the lord puts a secret vertue in that work of conviction upon thee , which makes thee cry to heaven for a spirit of brokennesse for sin ; which without this sight of sinne , thou wouldst never so much as have desired ; and this they have not . however , conviction is a work of the spirit , though it should be but common ; and wilt not be thankfull for common mercy , suppose it be but outward ? how much more for this that is spirituall , though it should be common ? especially considering that it is the first fundamentall work of the spirit , and is seminally all . sense of sin begins here , and ariseth hence ; as ignorance of sin is seminally all sin : remember that the discovery of faux in the vault , was the preservation of england ; we use to remember the day and houre of the beginning of some great and notable deliverance ; oh remember this time wherein the love of christ first brake out in convincing thee of thy sin , who els hadst certainly perished in it ; and thus much of this first work of conviction ; now the second followes , compunction . sect . iii. the second act of christs power , in working compunction or sense of sin . compunction pricking at the heart or sense and feeling of sin , is different from conviction of sin ; the latter is the work of the understanding , and seated in that principally ; the other is in the affections and will , and seated therein principally : a man may have sight of sin , without sorrow and sense of it ; dan . . with . . iames . . rom. . , . yet that conviction which the spirit workes in the elect is ever accompanied with compunction , first or last . for the better unfolding of this point , let me open these foure things to you . . that compunction or sense of sin , immediately follows conviction of sin in the day of christs power . . the necessity of this work to succeed the other . . wherein it consists . . the measure of it in all the elect. that compunction followes conviction , is evident from scripture and reason ; acts . . when they heard this , that is , when they saw and were convinced of their sinne in crucifying the lord of life , which they did not imagine to be a sinne before , what followes next ? it is said , they were pricked at the heart ; loe , here is compunction . ephraim also in turning unto god , ier. . . hath these words , after that i was instructed , i smote upon my thigh ; ( as men in great calamity befallen 〈◊〉 use to doe ) i was ashamed , even confounded , because i did beare the reproach of my youth . the men of nineveh hearing by the prophet they were all to dye within forty daies , it is said , they beleeved god , ( in the work of conviction ) and then fell to sack-cloth and ashes ( in the work of compunction ) which did immediately follow . iosiah , chron. . . in his renewed returne unto god , after hee heard the words of the law , his heart melted , and he wept before the lord. for what is the end of conviction ? is it not compunction ? for if the lord should let a man see his sin , and death for sinne , and yet suffer the heart to remaine hard and unaffected , the lord did but leave him without excuse , nay the lord should but leave him under greater misery , & under a more fearfull judgement ; viz. for a man to see and know his sin , and yet unaffected with it , and hardned under it ; hardnesse of heart is one of the greatest judgements ; to see sinne and not to be affected with it , argues greater hardnesse . for it is no wonder if they that see not and know not sin , remain senselesse of sin ; alas ! they know not what they doe ; but for a man to be enlightned , and see his sinne , and yet unaffected ; lord , how great is this hardnesse , and how unexcusable will such a man be left before god , when the lord shall reckon with him for his hardnesse of heart ● what is the end of that light the lord lets into the understanding in other things ? is it not that thereby the heart might be affected throughly with it ? why doth the lord let in the light of the knowledge of christ and of his will ? is it that this knowledge should like froth float in the understanding , and be imprisoned there ? no verily , but that the heart might be throughly and deeply affected therewith . and doe you think the lord will in the light of conviction imprison it up in the mind ? is there not a farther end that by this light the heart might be deeply affected with sinne ? if any say that the end of conviction is to drive the soule to christ , i grant that is the remote and last end of it , but the next end is compunction . for if the understanding be convinced of misery , and the heart remain hard , the mind may see indeed that righteousnesse and life only is to be had in christ , yet the heart remaining hard , the wil and affections will never stir toward christ , its impossible a hard heart remaining such wholly unaffe●ted with sin or misery , should be truly affected with jesus christ ; but of this more hereafter . what necessity is there of this compunction , to succeed conviction ? i speak now of necessity in way of ordinary dispensation , not of gods unusuall and extraordinary way of working , where hee useth neither law nor gospell ( as ordina●rily he doth ) to work by . many have been nibling lately at this doctrine , and demand , what need is there of sorrow and compunction of heart ? a man may be converted only by the gospell , and god may let in sweetnesse and joy without any sense of sinne or misery , and in my experience i have found it so ; others godly and gracious also feele it so ; why therefore doe any presse such a necessity of comming in by this back-doore unto christ ? this point i conceive is very weighty , and much danger in denying the truth of it ; yet withall , there needs much tendernesse in handling of it , lest any stumble ; and therefore before i lay downe the reasons to shew the necessity of it ; give me leave to propound these rules both for the clearing of the point , and answering sundry objections usually made about this point . in this work of compunction , doe not think that the lord hath not wrought any true sense of sinne , because you find it not in such a measure as you imagine you should , desire to have , and that others feele ; sense of sin admits degrees . i doubt not but iosephs brethren were humbled , yet ioseph must be more , he must be cast into the ditch , and into the prison , and the iron must enter not onely into his legs , but into his soule ; psal. . . he must be more afflicted in spirit , because he was to doe greater work for god , and was to be raised up higher then the rest , and therefore did need the more ballast ; some are educated more civilly then others , and thereby have contracted lesse guilt and stoutnesse of heart against god and his wayes , therefore these have not such cause of trouble ; and being lesse rugged , have lesse need of axes to hew them : some mens sorrow breaks in upon them more suddenly , like storms and breaches of the sea , and the lord is resolved to hasten and finish his work in them more speedily , and it may be more exemplarily ; ( for every christian is not a faire coppy ) as in those acts . . in others their sorrowes soake in by degrees , gutta cavat lapidem , the lord empties them by continuall droppings , and hence feele not that measure of sorrow that others doe : every christian is not a heman , psal. . who suffers distracting feares and terrours from his youth up , ver . who is afflicted with all gods waves , ver . . for he was a man of exceeding high parts and gifts , as you may see , king. . . and therefore the lord had need of hanging some speciall plummets on his heart to keep it ever low , lest it should be lifted up above measure . some sense of sin the lord will work in all he sayes , but not the same measure ; the lord gives not alway unto his , that which is good in it self , ( its good i confesse to be deeply affected and humbled ) but that which is fit , and therefore best for thee . doe not think there is no compunction or sense of sin wrought in the soule , because you cannot so cleerly discern and feele it , nor the time of the working and first beginning of it . i have knowne many that have come with complaints , they were never humbled , they never felt it so , nor yet could tell the time when it was so , yet there it hath been and many times they have seen it by the help of others spectacles , and blest god for it . when they in esay . . complained , lord why hast thou hardned our hearts from thy feare ; doe you think there was no softnesse , nor sensiblenesse indeed ? yes verily , but they felt nothing but a hard heart , nay such hardnesse as if the lord had plagued them with it by his owne immediate hand , and not borne and bred with them onely , as with other men . many a soule may think the lord hath left it , nay smitten it with a hard heart , and so make his mone of it , yet the lord hath wrought reall softnesse , under felt-hardnesse ; as many times in reprobates there is felt softnesse , when within there is reall hardnesse . the stony-ground-hearers were plowed and broken on the top , but were stony at the bottome . some men may be wounded outwardly and mortally , this may easily be discerned . the lord may wound others and they may bleed out , their sorrow is more inwardly and secretly , and therefore cannot point with their finger to their wound as others can . doe not think the lord works compunction in all the elect in the same circumstantiall work of the spirit , but onely in the same substantiall work : the lord works a true sense of sin for the substance and truth of it , yet there are many circumstantiall works , like so many inlargements and comments upon one and the same text. ex. gratia . the same sin that affects paul , it may be doth not affect lydia or apollos . the same notions for the aggravation of sinne in one , doe not come into the mind of the other ; the same complaints , and prayers , and turnings of spirit in the one , may not be in the same circumstances , and with the like effects as in the other , and yet both of them feele sin , and therefore complaine ; they both feele sin , yet by means of various apprehensions and aggravations . this i speak , because you may the better understand the meaning of gods servants i● opening the work of humiliation . you may heare them say , the soule doth this , and thinks that , and speaks another thing ; it may be every one doe not so think in the same individuall circumstances , and therefore are to be understood as producing onely exemplum in re simili , something like this or for the substance of this is there wrought . in this work of compunction we must not bring rules unto men , but men to rules ; crook not gods rules to the experience of men , ( which is fallible , and many times corrupt ) but bring men unto the rule , and try mens estates herein by that : for many will say , some men are not humbled at all , never had any precedent sorrow for sinne , gods mercy onely hath melted their hearts , and experience proves this , and many finde this , who are sincere and gracious christians . i answer , we are not in this or any other point to be guided by the experience of men onely , but attend the rule ; if it be proved that according to the rule men must be broken and affected with their sin and misery before mercy can be truly apprehended or christ accepted , what tell you me of such or such men ? let the rule stand , but let men stand or fall according to the rule : many are accounted godly and gracious for a time ▪ much affected with mercy and christ jesus ; yet afterward fall or wizen into nothing , and prove very unsound . what is the reason ? truly the cause was here , their first wound and sorrow for sin was not right , as hereafter shall be made good ; many thousands are miserably deceived about their estates , by this one thing , of crooking and wresting gods rules to christians experiences ; let all gods servants tremble and be wary here ; wrack not the holy scriptures , nor force them to speak as thou feelest , but try all things by them , thes. . . doe not make the examples of converted persons in scripture patternes in all things of persons unconverted : do not make gods work upon the one , run parallel with gods work upon the other . some say , that many in scripture are converted to christ without any sorrow for sin , and produce the example of lydia , whose heart god sweetly opened to receive christ ; and the eunuch , acts . converted in the same manner . i answer , these are examples of persons converted to god before , who did beleeve in the messiah , but did not know that this jesus was the messiah , which they soon did when the lord sent the meanes to reveale christ ; and therefore lydia , a jewish proselyte , is called a worshipper of god , act. . . and so was the eunuch , act. . . and in the same condition as the centurion , act. . . who feared god , and whose prayers were accepted , ver . . ( which cannot be without faith ) yet did not know that this jesus crucified was the messiah , untill peter came unto him . so that suppose here was no sense or sorrow for sinne , at this time ; doth it therefore follow they never had any when the lord at first wrought upon them ? are these examples in persons converted , fit to shew forth gods work in persons unconverted ? in some things indeed they are examples , in others not so : their examples of beleeving in christ are not in that act examples of sorrow for want of christ. and yet let me adde , to say that god opened lydia's heart to beleeve in christ , and yet opened not her heart to lament her sinne and misery in her estate without christ , ( suppose she were without christ ) is more then can be proved from the text ; for t is said , her heart was opened to attend unto the things that were spoken by paul ; and can any think that paul , or any apostle , ever preached christ without preaching the need men had of him ? and could any preach their need of christ , without preaching mens undone and sinfull estate without christ ? and doe you think that lydiae was not made to attend unto this ? doe you think that when philip came to open the . of esay to the eunuch , that christ was bruised for our iniquities ; that he did not let him understand the infinite evill of sinne and misery of all sinners , and of him in speciall , unlesse the lord jesus was bruised for him ? in examples recorded in the scripture of gods converting grace , doe not think they had no sorrow for sinne , because it is not distinctly and expresly set downe in all places : for the scripture usually sets downe matters very briefly , it oftentimes supposeth many things , and refers us to judge of some by other places ; as acts . . it is said , many of the priests were obedient to the faith ; doth it therefore follow that they did immediately beleeve without any sense of sinne ? look to a fuller example , acts . and then we may see , as the one were converted to the faith , so were the other , having a hand in the same sin . tim. . , . paul , he was a persecuter , but the lord received him to mercy , and that gods grace was abundant in faith and love ; doth it hence follow that paul had no castings down , because not mentioned here ? if we look upon acts . we shall see it otherwise . doe not judge of generall and common workings of the spirit upon the souls of any to be the beginnings of effectuall and special conversion ; for a man may have some inward and yet common knowledge of the gospel and of christ in it , before there be any sorrow for sinne ; yet it doth not hence follow that the lord begins not with compunction and sorrow , because common work is not speciall and effectuall work ; when the spirit thus comes , he first begins here , as we shall prove . the terrours , and feares , and sense of sinne and death , be in themselves afflictions of soule , and of themselves drive from christ ; yet in the hand of christ , by the power of the spirit , they are made to lead , or rather drive unto christ , which is able to turn mourning into joy , as well as after mourning to give joy : and therefore t is a vaine thing to think there is no need of such sorrows which drive from christ ; and that christ can work well enough therefore without them ; when as by the mighty power and riches of mercy in christ , the lord by wounding , nay killing his of all their carnall security and self-confidence , saves all his alive , and drives them to seek for life in his son. these things thus premised , let us now hear of the necessity of this work to succeed conviction . else a sinner will never part with his sin ; a bare conviction of sin doth but light the candle to see sin ; compunction burnes his fingers , and that onely makes him dread the fire . cleanse your hearts ye sinners , and purifie your hearts ye double minded men , ( saith the apostle iames , chap. . . ) but how should this be done ? he answers , verse . be afflicted , and mourne , and weep , turn your laughter into mourning . so ioel . . the prophet calls upon his hearers to turne from their sin unto the lord ; but how ? rend your hearts , and not your garments . not that they were able to do this , but by what sorrow he requires of all in generall , he thereby effectually works in the hearts of all the elect in particular ; for every man naturally takes pleasure , nay all his delight and pleasure is in nothing else but sinne ; for god he hath none , but that . now so long as he takes pleasure in sinne , and finds contentment by sinne , he cannot but cleave inseparably to it : oh t is sweet , and it onely is sweet ; for so long the soule is dead in sinne . pleasure in sinne is death in sinne , tim. . . so long as t is dead in sinne , it is impossible it should part with sinne ; no more then a dead man can break the bonds of death . and therefore it undenyably followes , that the lord must first put gall and wormwood to these dugs , before the soule will cease sucking , or be weaned from them ; the lord must first make sinne bitter , before it will part with it ; load it with sinne , before it will sit downe and desire ease ; and look as the pleasure in sinne is exceeding sweet to a sinner , so the sorrow for it must be exceeding bitter , before the soule will part from it . t is true , i confesse a man sometime may part with sin without sorrow , the uncleane spirit may goe out for a time , before he is taken , bound and slain by the power of christ. but such a kind of parting is but the washing of the cup , t is unsafe and unsound , and the end of such a christian wil be miserable ; for a man to heare of his sinne , and then to say , i le doe no more so , without any sense or sorrow for it , would not have been approved by paul , if he had seen no more in the carelesse corinthians , in tolerating the incestuous person ; but their sorrow wrought this repentance . no , the lord abhors such whorish wiping the lips ; and therefore the same apostle , when he reproves them for not separating the sinner , and so the sin from them , he summes it up in one word , you have not mourned , that such a one might be taken from you : because then sin is severed truly from the soule , when sorrow or shame , some sense and feeling of the evill of it , begins it . not onely sinne is opposite to god , but when the lord jesus first comes neare his elect in their sinfull estate , they are then enemies themselves by sin unto god. and hence it is they will never part with their weapons , untill themselves be throughly wounded : and therefore the lord must wound their consciences , minds and hearts , before they will cast them by . now if there be no parting with , no separation from sin , but sin is as strong , and the sinners as vile as ever before , hath christ ( who now comes to save his elect from sinne ) the end of his work ? what is the man the better for conviction , affection to christ , name what you can , that remains still in his sins ? when the apostle would summe up all the misery of men , he doth it in those words , ye are yet in your sinne : so i say , thou art convicted , but art yet in thy sinne ; art affected with christ , and takest hold of christ , but art yet in thy sin : he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin , shall find mercy . you will say , may not the sweetnesse of christ in the gospell , and sense of mercy , separate from sinne , without any compunction ? i answer , . sense of mercy and christs sweetnesse ( i conceive ) serve principally to draw the soule unto christ. ier. . . with loving kindnesse have i drawn thee . but compunction or sense of ●inne principally serves in the hand of christ , to turn the soule from sin . aversion from sin is distinct from , and in order goes before our conversion unto god. . sense of the sweetnesse of gods grace in christ keeps out sin , but it doth not thrust out sin at first . . christ cannot be effectually sweet , unlesse sinne be first made bitter ; there may be some generall notice of christs excellency , and some thirty pieces given for him ; some esteeme of his grace , and hope of his mercy , which may occasion sorrow ; but i dare not say that this is any sound or thorow work , till after sorrow . esay . . christ hath the tongue of the learned given him to speak a word in season ; unto whom ? it is added , unto the weary . they are the men that will prize mercy , and they onely to purpose ; they that have felt the bitternesse of sinne and wrath , find it exceeding hard to prize christ , and to taste his sweetnesse ; how shall they doe it indeed that find none at all ? sweetnesse before sense of sinne , is like cordials before purging of a foule stomach , which usually strengthen the humour , but recover not the man. because without this , no man will either care for christ , or feele a need of christ ; a man may see a want of christ by the power of conviction , but he will never feele a need of christ , but by the spirit of compunction . the whole need not the physitian , but they that are sick . a whole man may see his want of a physitian , but a sick man onely feels his need of him , will prize him , send for him . by the whole you are not to understand such as have no need indeed of christ ( for what sinner but hath need of him ? ) but such as feel no need of him : as by sick cannot be meant such as are sinfull and miserable , for then christ should come actually to save all men ; but those that did feele themselves so , as a sick man that feeles his sicknesse ; these onely are the men that feele a need and necessity of christ ; these onely will come to christ , and be glad of christ , and be truly thankfull for their recovery of christ. and hence ariseth the great sin of the world in despising the gospel , not at all affected with the glad tidings of it , because they are not affected with their sinne and misery ; or if they be affected but in part with the gospel , it is because they are not throughly affected with their misery before . and hence it is , that when the lord called his people to him , yet they would not come to him , because they were lords , and well enough without him . why did not they come to the supper , being invited ? it was because they had farms , and oxen , and wives to attend unto ; they felt no need of comming , as the poore , lame , blind , and halt did . the prodigall cares not for father nor fathers house , untill hee come to see , here i dye . it is true , the grace of the gospel drawes men unto christ ; but it is very observable , that the gospel reveales no grace , but with respect and in reference unto sinners , and men in extreame misery ; the gospel saith not that christ is come to save , but to save sinners , and to save his people from their sins . it reveales not this , that god justifies men , but he justifies the ungodly ; it reveales not this , that christ dyed for us , but that he dyed for them that were weak , for sinners , for enemies . and if so , can any man imagine that this newes will be sweet , unlesse men see and feele the infinite misery of sin , and the fruits of it ? will not men say or think , what great matter is there in that ? suppose we be sinners and enemies , yet we are well enough ; before christ come a mans life lies in his sinne . now suppose any should proclaime to a company of men the great favour of their prince toward them , that he is such a gracious prince , as will take away all their lives ; will this be glad tidings ? gospel grace cannot be set out , much lesse felt , but in reference to sin and misery , which must be first felt , before it can be sweet . because christ will never come but onely unto such as feele their misery ; for you will say , a man may come to christ without it : i say againe , if he doth ( as hee hath many followers ) yet christ will not come to him , nor commit himselfe to him ; i came not to call the righteous , but sinners to repentance ; in which place note that as by the righteous is not meant such as are sincerely so , but such as think and find themselves so ; so by sinners , is not meant all manner of impenitent and hard hearted sinners , but such as think and feele themselves such ; and lament under it : now god the father sent him only unto such ; he is sent not to heale the hard hearted , but the broken hearted ; indeed he is sent to make men broken hearted , who have hard hearts ; but he is not sent to heale them untill then ; the lord leaves the ninety nine that need no repentance to wilder for ever ; the one lost sheep , who feeles it selfe so , and ●eeles a need of a saviour to come and find it out ; who cannot come and find out him : the lord jesus will come unto , and unto him only , leaving all the ninety nine . this may lastly appeare by considering the end of mans fall into sin , and the publishing of the law to reveale sin ; and of the gospell also in reference unto sin ; and misery ; why did the lord suffer the fall of man ? what was his great plot in it ? it is apparent this , that thereby way might be made for the greater manifestation of gods grace in christ. the serpent poysons all mankind , that the seed of the woman might have the glory of recovering some ; this was gods last end : the perdition of some ( of themselves ) being but subordinate unto this , rom. . , . surely adam might have glorified grace if he had stood , and god had revealed his grace in preserving him ( made mutable ) from falling . but the lord saw grace should not be sufficiently advanced to its highest dignity by this , and therefore suffers him actually to fall , and that into an extreame depth of misery : now consider mans fall in it selfe cannot be a meane of glorifying grace , but rather obscures all the glory of god ; how shall the lord attaine his end then hereby ? truly if the lord let men see and feele their fall and misery by it , now grace offered will ●e accepted and glorified . and therefore the lord sends the law to reveale sin , and make it exceeding sinfull ; and death for sin ; that this end might be attained . gal. . . and therefore feeling of sin , and death and misery being the meanes , must precede the other as the end ; and therefore as grace may be seen by conviction of misery , so the sweetnesse of it only can be felt , by feeling misery in this worke of compunction . but you will say , what is this compunction , and wherein doth it consist ? this is the third particular to be opened ; in generall it is , whereby the soule is affected with sin , and made sensible of sin ; but more particularly , compunction is nothing else but the pricking of the heart , or the wounding of the soule with such feare and sorrow for sin and misery , as severs the soule from sin , and from going on toward its eternall misery : so that it consists in three things . . feare . . sorrow . . separation from sin . the lord jesus , when hee comes to rescue his elect , look as satan held them in their misery ; first , by blinding their eyes from seeing of it ; secondly , by hardening their hearts from feeling of it : so the lord jesus having cut asunder the first cord of satan by conviction , breakes asunder the second by compunction , and causing the soule to feele and be aff●cted with its misery ; and as the whole soule is unaffected before he comes , so he makes the whole soule sensible when hee comes , and therefore hee sils the conscience with feare , and the heart with sorrow , and mourning , so as now the will of sinne is broken , which was hardened before these feares and sorrowes seised upon it . let me open these particularly , that you may tast and try the truth of what now i deliver . i s●y the lord christ in this work of compunction lets into the heart of a secure sinner a marvellous fear and terrour of the di●efull displeasure of god , of death , and hell , the punishment of sin : oh beloved , look upon most men at this day , this is the great misery lying upon them , they doe not feare the wrath to come , they feare not death nor damning , even then when they heare and know it is their portion ; but their hearts are set to sin , eccles. . . the lord christ therefore lets in this feare , that look as the lord when hee came to conquer the canaanites , exod. . , . he sent his hornets before him , which were certaine feares , which made their hearts faint in the day of battell , and by this subdued them ; so the lord christ when hee comes to conquer a poore sinner that hath long resisted him , and would goe on to his owne perdition , le ts in these feares , that the soule shrinkes in with the thoughts of its woefull estate , and cryes out secretly , lord what will become of me if i dye in this condition ? paul trembles astonished at his misery and wickednesse , and now he begins to cry out ; the jay●●ur was very cruell against paul , but when the lord jesus comes to rescue him from this condition , you shall see him trembling . the lord had let in that feare , that now he is content to doe any thing to be saved from the danger he saw he was now in ; when a man sees danger and great danger neare and imminent , now man naturally feares it : before christ come , the soule may see its misery , but it apprehends it farre off , and hoping to escape it , and hence doth not feare it ; but when the lord jesus comes , hee presents a mans danger , death , wrath , and eternity neare unto him , and hence hath no hope to escape it , as now he is , and therefore doth feare ; and seeing the misery exceeding great , he hath an exceeding great ( though oft times deep ) feare of it ; as men neare death and apprehending it so , begin then to be troubled , and cry out when it is too late . the lord jesus deales more mercifully with the elect , and brings death and eternity neare them before they draw neare to it ; whiles it is call●d to day : the poore jaylor began to think of killing himselfe when feares were upon him , and so many under this stroke of christ , have the same thoughts , because they see no hope ; but this measure is not in all , this work is in all , put them in feare oh lord that they may know they be but men ; before this feare comes , men are above god , and think they can stand it out against him ; the lord therefore le ts in this feare to make them know they bee but men , and that as proud , and stout , & great as they are , yet tha● they are not above god , and that it is in vain to kick against the pricks , and go● on as they have done ; for if they doe , he will not endure it long . the spirit of bondage makes makes men feare , before the spirit of adoption comes ; these feares therefore are such , as the regenerate after they have received the spirit of adoption never have ; and therefore they are such as pursue the soule with some threatning of the word , pronouncing death and perdition to him in that estate : ex. gr . he that beleeves not is condemned already , thus the word speakes to conscience , iohn . . thou beleevest not saith a mans owne conscience , the spirit witnessing with it , therefore thou art condemned saith conscience ; now the spirit of bondage , is the testimony of gods spirit witnessing to both the premisses and conclusion : now this spirit no regenerate man indeed ever hath after this time , but the feares he hath arise from another principle of corruption of conscience , and malice of satan through the present desertion of the spirit leaving him ; not from any positive witnesse of the spirit of any such untruth , which yet is truth , while the soule is under this str●ake and not regen●●ate : marke therefore diligently that this ●eare is the worke of the spirit of the lord jesus , and hence it followes , . that these fears are not meerly naturall ( as those rom. . . ) arising from naturall conscience only , which only accuse of sinne , but never affect ; but they are supernaturall , they are arrowes shot into the conscience by the arme of the spirit ; so dreadfull that no word nor meditation of death and eternity can beget such feares , but creates them . . hence it followes , that they are cleare feares , ( for the spirits work is ever cleare before he leaves it , eph. . . ) they are not blind confused feares , and suspitious and sad conjectures , whereby many a man is afraid and much afraid and affrighted like men in a dreame , that thinke they are in hell , yet cannot tell what that evill is which they feare ; but they are cleare feares whereby they distinctly know and see that they are miserable , and what that misery is . . hence it followes that they are strong feares , because the almighty hand of the spirit sets them on , and shakes the soule ; they are not weak feares which a man can shake off , or cure by weake hopes , sleep or businesse , &c. like some winds that shake the tree , but never blow it downe : but these feares cast down the tallest cedar , and appall the heart , and coole the courage and boldnesse of the most impenitent and audacious sinner . the spirit presenting the greatest evill in eternall separation from god : hence no evill in this world is so dreadfull as this , i had better never been borne then to beare it ( saith the soule ) and hence casts off all other thoughts , and cannot be quiet ; and hence it is that these feares force a man to fly and seek out for a better condition . a man like lot lingers in his sinne , but these feares like the angell , drive him violently out , the lord saying to him , a way for thy life , lest thou perish with the world , for thy sins are come up to heaven , thou maist dye before one day be at an end , and then what will become of thee ? ah thou sinfull wretched man ! may not the lord justly doe it ? are not thy sins grown so great and many , that they are an intollerable burden for the soule of god to beare any longer ? and hence you shall observe , if the soul after sad fears grows bold & carel●sse againe , the spirit pursues it with more cause of feare , and now the soule cries out , did the lord ever elect thee ? christ shed his blood to save his people from their sins , thou livest yet in thy sins , did hee ever shed his blood for thee ? thou hast sinned against conscience , after thou hast been inlightned and fallen back againe , hast not thou therefore committed the impardonable sin ? thou hast had many a faire season of seeking god , but hast dallyed and dreamt away thy time ; is not the day of grace therefore now past ? it is true , the lord is yet patient and bountifull , and lets thee live on common mercy , but is not all this to aggravate thy condemnation against that great and terrible day of the lord which is at hand ? are there not better men in hell then thou art that never committed the like sin ? thus the spirit pursues with strong feares , till proud man falls down to the dust before god. the soule is now under feares , not above them ; and therefore cannot come out of these chaines by the most comfortable doctrine it heares , nor particular application of it by the most mercifull ministers in the world , untill the lord say , as la● . . . feare not : the lord onely can asswage these strong winds , and raging waters , in which there is no other cry heard of this soule tossed thus with tempests , but oh i perish i only the lord making way for the spirit of adoption by these in his elect ; drives them out to seek if there be any hope , and so they are not properly desperate feares ; yet as i say , strong feares , not alike extensively , yet alike intensively strong in all ; a small evill when tidings is brought of it doth not feare , but if the evill be apprehended great and neare too , the very suspition of it makes the heart tremble ; when a house is on fire , or a mighty army entred the land and neare the city , children that know not the greatnesse of the evill feare them not ; but men that know the danger are full of feare . the wrath of the lord that fire those armies of everlasting woes , are great evils , the blind world may not much feare them , but all the elect whose minds are convinced to see the greatnesse of them , cannot but feare , and that with strong and constant feares ; nor is it cowardize , but duty to feare these everlasting burnings . and hence the soule in this case wonders at the security of the world , dreads the terrours of the lord that are neare them , and usually seeks to awaken all its poore friends . i once thought my self well , and was quiet as you bee , but the lord hath let me see my woe , which i cannot but feare ; oh look you to it . thus the lord works this feare in some in a greater , in others in a lesser measure . oh consider whether the lord hath thus affected your hearts with feare ; oh secure times what will god doe with us ! many of you having heard the voyce of the lyon roaring , and yet you tremble not . the lord hath foretold you of death and eternall woe for the least sin , doe you beleeve it , and yet feare it not ? how art thou then forsaken of god ? many of you that like old mariners can laugh at all foule weather , and like weather-cocks set your faces against all winds ; and if you be damned at last you cannot help it , you must beare it as well as you can , and you hope to doe it as well as others shall doe ; oh! how far are such from the kingdome of god , the lord not yet working nor pricking thy heart so much as with feare ? . sorrow and mourning for sinne is the second thing wherein compunction consists . and look as feare plucks the soule from security in seeing no evill to come ; so sorrow takes off the present pleasure and delight in sinne , in a greater measure then fear doth . the lord therefore having smitten the soule , or shot the arrowes of feare into the soule ; it therefore growes exceeding sad and heavy , thinking within it selfe , what good doe wife or children , house or lands , peace and friends , health and rest doe me ? in the meane time , condemned to dye , and that eternally ; it may be reprobated never to see gods face more : the guilt and power of sin in heart and life lying still upon me ? and hereupon the soule mournes in the day , and in the night , desires to goe alone and weep ; and there confesseth its vilenesse before god , all the dayes of vanity , and sins of ignorance , thinking , oh what have i done ! and seeks for mercy , but not one smile , nothing but clouds of anger appeare ; and then thinks , if this anger the fruit of my sinne be so great , oh what are my sins the causes hereof ! vvhen the angel had set out the sin of the israelites in making a league with the canaanites , and told them that they should be thornes in their sides , they sate downe , ver . . and lift up their voice , and wept : so t is with a contrite sinner . note narrowly that eminent place of scripture , esay . . the lord christ is sent to appoint beauty for ashes , and the oyle of joy for the spirit of heavinesse to them that mourne . out of which , note these foure things for the explication of this sorrow or mourning . first , it is such a mourning as is precedent unto spirituall joy . and hence it is not said , i will give the spirit of gladnesse to beget mourning , ( though the lord doth so after conversion ) but this goes in order before that . ephraim-like , who seeing what an unruly beast he had been , unaccustomed to gods yoke , smites upon his thigh , and bemoans himselfe . it is gods method ( after gods people have sinned ) to sad their hearts , and then to turne mourning into joy ; much more at first beginning of gods work upon the soule , they shall first mourne , and lament , and smite upon the thigh ; if god wounds the soule for sin , it shall smart , and bleed too , before god will heale . secondly , it is a great mourning , because it is called a spirit of mourning ; as a spirit of slumber is a deep slumber . when the poore jewes shall be converted , their great sin shall then be presented before them of cursing and crucifying the lord of life ; as it was to those acts . . and by reason of this , there shall be a great mourning , that they shall desire to goe alone in secret every one apart , and take their fill of mourning , before the lord open the fountaine of grace . it is not a summer cloud , or an april showre , that is soone spent , but a great mourning . for , . before this spirit of sorrow come , a mans heart takes great delight in his sinne , t is his god , his life , and sweeter then christ , and all the joyes of heaven ; and therefore there must be great sorrow , sin must be made exceeding bitter . a man that is very hungry and thirsty after his lust , must finde such meat and drink exceeding bitter , else he will feed on it . solomon took great content in women , but what saith he when the lord humbled him ? i find a woman more bitter then death . heare this you harlots , and you that live in your wanton lusts , the lord will make your sweet morsels more bitter then death to you , if the lord saves you . . because the greatest evils are the objects of this sorrow , viz. sin and death . it is true , a man may mourne for smaller evils sooner ; but when the spirit sets on the greatest evils , then they sad much more . mine iniquities are too heavy to beare : why so ? many a man can bear them without sinking . true , but in the elect the spirit sets on , loads the soule herewith . a wounded spirit who can beare ? because the greatest evils lye upon the most tender part of a tender soule , pressed down by the omnipotent hand of christs spirit . for now the multitude of sins more then the haires on the head come now to mind ; as also the long continuance in them , cradle sins . no sooner , saith the soule , did i begin to live , but i began to sin . obstinacy also in them lyes very heavy ; i have had warnings , checks , resolutions against them , and yet have gone on . the power of sinne also sads it ; that as it is said , prov. . . when the wicked reigne , the people mourne ; so doth the soule when it feeles sin reigne . i cannot subdue it , nay the lord will not , that i feare the lord hath left me over to it . the increase of sin it feeles , makes it mourne also ; i grow worse and worse , saith the soul ; the leake comes in faster then he can cast it out ; the greatnesse of sinne makes it mourn . was there ever such a sinner as i ? and lastly , the sense of condemnation for sin lyes upon him ; this is the fruit of your evill wayes , saith the spirit . the soule doth not let sinne passe by it now as water downe the mill , but being stopt by conviction and feare of the evill of it , it swells very high , and fills the heart full of griefe and sorrow , that many times it is overwhelmed therewith . . because christ wil not be very sweet , unlesse this mourning under misery be very great ; the healing of a cut finger is sweet , but of a mortall wound is exceeding sweet ; a little sorrow will make christ sweet , but great sorrow under sense of deadly wounds is exceeding sweet ; and without this christ hath not his honour due to him , if he be not onely sweet , but also exceeding sweet and precious . . because it is such a sorrow , as nothing but that that hath wounded the soule can heale it . let men have the greatest outward troubles , outward things can cure them ; or else they will weare away . as if a man be sick , or in debt , physick and money can cure these ; but this wound , neither can , or over shall be healed but by the hand that wounded it . and hence a man can take no comfort in meat , drink , sleep , friends , mirth , nor pastime , while this wound , this sorrow lasts ; for if any thing else can heal it , it is not the right wound , or sorrow the lord breeds in his elect . an adulterous heart indeed may be quieted with other lovers , cain can build away his sorrow . nay , i le say more , this wounded soule cannot comfort it selfe by any promises , till the lord come . david had a promise of pardon from nathan , yet he cryes out to the lord to make him heare the voyce of joy and gladnesse , that his broken bones might rejoyce . did not the lord make him heare the voyce of joy by nathan ? yes , outwardly , but the lord that had broke his bones , must make him heare inwardly . nay , when the lord comes himselfe to comfort , much adoe the lord hath to make him heare it ; as the israelites , that hearkned not to moses voice , because of their hard bondage , that unlesse the lord did invincibly comfort , it would lye bleeding to death , and never live . it must needs therefore be great sorrow , which all the world , men nor angels can remove . . you may be confirmed in this , if lastly you consider the many wayes the lord takes to beget great mourning , if the soule will not be sorrowfull : as , sometimes great afflictions ; manasseh must be taken in the bushes , and cast into chaines . sometimes strange temptations , hellish blasphemies , is there a god ? are the scriptures his word ? why should the lord be so cruell as to reprobate any of his creatures , to torment it so long ? &c. sometimes long eclipsing of the light of gods countenance ; no prayers answered , but daily bills of indictment ; and sometimes it thinks it heares and feeles a secret testimony from god , that he never had thought of peace toward it , and that his purpose is immutable . sometimes it questions , can god forgive sinnes so great ? can it stand with his honour to put up so much wrong ? sometimes it feels its heart so extreamly hard and dedolent , that it thinks the lord hath sealed it up under this plague till the judgement of the great day . and sometimes the lord makes melancholy a good servant to him to further this work of sorrow . but thus the lord rebukes many a hard hearted sinner , that will not beare the yoke , nor feele the load ; and now the lord turnes the beauty of the proudest into ashes , and withers the glory of all flesh . nay sometimes you shall observe the lord though he comes not out as a lyon to rend , yet as a moth he frets out by secret pinings and languishings ; the senselesse security of man , that he shall mourne to purpose before he leave him . i doe not meane by this , as if all men had the like measure of sorrow ; but a great sorrow it is in all . every child is delivered by some throwes ; those that stick long in the birth may feele them longer and very many . nor yet doe i presse a necessity of teares , or violent and tumultuous complaints ; the deepest sorrowes run with least noyse . if a man can have teares for outward losses , and none for sins , t is very suspitious whether he was ever truly sorrowfull for sinne ; otherwise as the greatest joyes are not alway exprest in laughter , so the greatest sorrowes are not alway exprest in shedding of teares ; what the measure of this great sorrow is , we shall heare hereafter . thirdly , it is a constant mourning , for so it is here called , a spirit of heavinesse ; as that woman that had a spirit of infirmity , and was bowed downe many yeares : hannah constantly troubled , is called a woman of a sorrowfull spirit , sam. . . . as the spirit of pride and whoredome , hos. . . ●is a constant frame , where though the acts be sometime suspended , yet the spirit remains ; so a spirit of mourning , is such sorrow , as though the acts of mourning be sometime hindred , yet the spirit and spring remaines ; hypocrites wil mourn under sin and misery , but what is it ? it is the hanging down the head like a bull-rush in bad weather for a day . oh how many have pangs and gripes of sorrow , and can quickly ease themselves again ! these mourners come to nothing in the conclusion ; i grant the sorrow and sadnesse of spirit may be interrupted , but it returnes againe , and never leaves the soule untill the lord looke downe from heaven , lam. . , , . the cause continues , guilt and strength of sinne , and therefore this effect continues . fourthly , it is such a sorrow as makes way for gladnesse , for so it is here said , the lord gives beauty for these ashes , and hence it is no desperate hellish sorrow , but usually mixt with sense of some mercy , at least common , and some hope ; not that which apprehends the object of hope particulary ( which is done in vocation ) but that the lord may find out some way of saving it , ionah . . acts . . which hope with sense of mercy waiting so long , preserving from hell and death so oft , &c. doth not harden the heart , ( as in reprobates ) but serve to break the more , and to load it with greater sorrow ; thus the lord works this sorrow in all his elect , i know it is in a greater measure , and from some other grounds after the soule is in christ ; but this sorrow there is for substance , mentioned for the reasons given ; if christ hate you you shall mourne , but never till it be too late ; if he love you , you must mourne now ; how great and many are many of your sinnes , how neare is your doome , the lord only knows how fearful your condemnation will be , you have oft heard , but yet how few of your hearts are sad and very heavie for these things ? sin is your pleasure , not your sorrow ; you fly from sorrow as from a temptation of satan who comes to trouble you , and to lead you to despaire : davids eyes ran down with rivers of waters , because others brake gods law , and ieremy wisht he had a cottage in the wildernesse to mourne in , and yet you doe not , you cannot powre out one drop , nor yet wish you had hearts to lament your owne sinnes : but oh know it , that when the lord christ comes , hee will sad thy soule when hee comes to search thy old sores by the spirit of conviction , he will make them smart and bleed abundantly , by the spirit of compunction . . separation from sin is the third thing wherein compunction consists , such a feare and sorrow for sin under a sinfull estate , as separates the soule from sin , is true compunction ; without which the lord christ cannot be had : the soule is cut and wounded with sin by feare and sorrow , but it is cut off by this stroake of the spirit , not from the being , but from the growing power of sin ; from the wil to sin , not from al sin in the wil which is mortified by a spirit of holines , after the soule is implanted into christ ; for compunction , contrition , brokennesse of heart for sin ( call it what you will ) is opposite to hardnesse of heart which is in every sinner whiles christ leaves him ; now in hardnesse ( as in a stone ) there is , first insensiblenesse , secondly , a close cleaving of all the parts together , whereby it comes to passe that hard things make resistance of what is cast against them : so in compunction there is nor only sensiblenesse of the evill of sin and death , by feare and sorrow , but such as makes a separation of that close union between sin and the soule : and hence it is that the lord abhorres all fastings , humiliations , prayers , teares , unlesse they be of this stamp , and are accompanied with this effect . the lord flings the dung of their fastings and sorrowes in their faces , because they did not breake the bonds of wickednesse ; to mourno for sin and misery , and yet to be in thy sinne , is the work of justice on the damned in hell , and all the devills at this day , that are pincht with their black chains not loosened from them ; and not the work of the grace of christ in the day of his power : hee that confesseth his sins shall have mercy ; that is true , but remember the meaning of that confession in the next words , and forsaketh , he shall find mercy . what is the end of the mother in laying worme-wood and gall upon her brest , but that the child by tasting the bitternesse of it might be weaned and have his stomack and will turned from it ? what is the end of fear & sorrow , but by this to turn away the soule from sin ? this point is weighty and full of difficulty , of great use , and worthy of deep meditation . for as the first wound and stroake of the spirit is , so it is in all other after-works of it , both of faith and holinesse in the soule ; if this be right , faith is right , holinesse is right ; if this be imperfect , or naught , all is according to it afterward : the greatest difficulty lies h●re to know what measure of separation from sin the spirit makes here , for after wee are in christ , then sinne is mortified ; how then is there any separation of the heart from it , before it doth fully beleeve ; or what measure is there necessary ? here therefore i shall answer to the fourth and last particular . viz. fourthly , what is that measure of compunction the lord workes in all the elect ? so much compunction or sense of sinne is necessary as attaines the end of it : now what is the end of it ? no other but that the soule being humbled might goe to christ ( by faith ) to take away his sin ; the finis proximus or next end of compunction is humiliation , that the soul may be so severed from sin , as to renounce it selfe for it ; the finis remotus , or last end is , that being thus humbled , it might goe unto christ to take away sinne : for beloved , the condemnation of the world lies not so much in being sinfull under guilt and power of sin , as in being unwilling the lord jesus should take it away : this i say is the greatest hinderance of salvation , iohn . . iohn . . oh ierusalem wilt thou not be made cleane ? ier. . . that was their great evill , they were not only polluted , but they would not be made cleane : the lord jesus therefore rolls away this stone from the sepulchre , beats down this mountaine ; and because it must first beleeve in christ before it can receive grace from christ , it must come to christ to take away sinne , before the lord will doe it . hence , so much loosening from sinne as makes the soule thus to come , is necessary . so much feare and sorrow as loosens from sinne , and so much loosening from sinne as makes the soule willing , or at least not unwilling that the lord jesus should take it away , is necessary : for who ever comes to christ , or is not unwilling christ should come to him to take away all his sinne , hath ( what ever he thinks ) some antecedent loosning and separation from sin . oh saith a poore sinner , when the lord hath struck his heart , and he feeles guilt , and terrour , and mighty strength of corruption , if the lord jesus would take away these evils from me , though i cannot , means cannot ; that will be exceeding rich mercy . the lord doth not wound the heart to this end , that the soule should first heale it selfe , before it come to the physitian , but that it might seek out , or feeling its need , be willing and desirous of a physitian , the lord jesus , to come and heale it . it is the great fault of many christians , either their wounds and sorrowes are so little , they desire not to be healed ; or if they doe , they labour to heal themselves first , before they come to the physitian for it ; they will first make themselves holy , and put on their jewels , and then beleeve in christ. and hence are those many complaints , what have i to do with christ ? why should he have to doe with me that have such an unholy , vile , hard , blind , and most wicked heart ? if i were more humbled , and more holy , then i would goe to him , and think he would come to me . oh for the lords sake , dishonour not the grace of christ. it is true , thou canst not come to christ , till thou art loaden , and humbled , and separated from thy sinne . thou canst not be ingrafted into this olive , unlesse thou beest cut , and cut off too from thy old root . yet remember for ever , that no more sorrow for sinne , no more separation from sinne is necessary to thy closing with christ , then so much as makes thee willing , or rather not unwilling that the lord should take it away . and know it , if thou seekest for a greater measure of humiliation antecedent to thy closing with christ then this , thou shewest the more pride : therein , who wilt rather goe in to thy selfe to make thy selfe holy and humble , that then mightest be worthy of christ , then goe out of thy selfe , unto the lord jesus , to take thy sin away . in a word , who thinkest christ cannot love thee , untill thou makest thy selfe faire , and when thou thinkest thy selfe so ( which is pride ) wilt then think otherwise of christ. the lord therefore when he teacheth his people how to returne unto him after grievous sinnes , directs them to this course , not to goe about the bush to remove their iniquities themselves , or to stay and live securely in their sins , untill the lord did it himselfe ; but bids them come to him , and say , take away ( lord ) all iniquities , hos. . , , . you shall see ephraim bemoaning himselfe , ier. . . but how ? doth he say he feeles his sinnes now all removed ? no , but he desires the lord to turne him , and then ( saith he ) i shall be turned . as if he should say , lord , i shall never turne from this stubborne vile heart , nor so much as turne to thee , to take it away , unlesse thou dost turne me , and then i shall be turned to purpose . what saith the penitent church ? come , say they , let us goe unto the lord. they might object , and say , alas , the lord is our enemy , and wounds us , and hath broken us to pieces , we are not yet healed , but lye dead as well as wounded ; shall such dead spirits live ? mark what followes , true indeed , he hath wounded us , let us therefore goe to him , that he may heale us , and after two dayes he will revive us . the lord requires no more of us then thus to come to him . indeed after a christian is in christ , labour for more and more sense of sinne , that may drive you nearer and nearer unto christ. yet know before you come to him , the lord requires no more then this ; and as he requires no more then this , so t is his owne spirit ( not our abilities ) that must also work this ; and thus much he will work , and doth require of all whom he purposeth to save . if thou wilt not come to christ to take away thy sinnes , thou shalt undoubtedly perish in them . if the lord work that sorrow , so as to be willing the lord should take them away , thou shalt be undoubtedly saved from them . if you would know what measure of willingnesse to have christ take away sinne is required ; you shall heare when we come to open the fourth particular in the doctrine of faith. if you further aske , how the spirit works this loosening from sinne in the work of compunction ? i answer , the spirit of christ works this by a double act , . morall . . physicall . as in the conversion of the soule by faith unto god , the spirit is not onely a morall agent p●●swading , but also a supernaturall agent physically working the heart to beleeve , by a divine and immediate act ; so in the aversion of the soule from sinne , the spirit doth affect the heart with feare and sorrow morally , but this can never take away sinne , as we see in iudas and cain , deeply affected and afflicted in spirit , and yet in their sinne . and therefore the spirit puts forth it s owne hand physically or immediately , and his owne arme brings salvation to us , by a further secret immediate stroke , turning the iron neck , cutting the iron sinews of sin , and so makes this disunion or separation . you think it easie to be willing that christ should come and take away all your sinnes ; i tell you , the omnipotent arme of the lord that instructed ieremy in a smaller matter , can onely instruct you here ; both these acts ever goe together according to the measure mentioned ; the latter cannot be without the first , the first is in vaine without the latter . but what evill in sinne doth the spirit morally affect the heart with , and so physically turne it from sinne ? he affects the soule with it as the greatest evill ; by sinne i meane not as considered without death , ( for at this time the soule is not so spirituall , as that sin without consideration of death and wrath due to it should affect it ) but sinne and death , sinne armed with wrath , sinne working death , pricks the heart as the greatest evill , and so lets out that core at the bottome , as may fit the soule for healing . for , . if the spirit make a man feele sin truly , the soule feeles it as it is ; it is not the name , and talk of the danger of sin that troubles it , but the spirit ( ever making things reall ) loads the soule with it indeed , and as it is ; now it is the greatest evill , and therefore so it feeles sin . beleeve it , you never felt sin indeed as it is , if you have not felt it thus . . else no man will prize christ as the greatest good , without which no man shall have him . . else a man will live and continue in sinne . if sinne had been a greater evill to pilate then the losse of caesars friendship , hee would never have crucified christ. if sinne had been a greater evill to iehu then the losse of his kingdome , he had never kept up the two calves . if sinne were a greater evill then poverty , shame , griefe in this world , many a professor would never lose christ and a good conscience too , for a little gaine , profit or honour . beloved , the great curse and wrath of the lord upon all men in the world almost is this , that the greatest evils should be least of all felt ; and the smallest evils most of all complained of . what is death that onely separates thy soule from thy body , to sin that separates god blessed for ever from thy soule ? and therefore the lord jesus will remove this curse from those he saves . but you will say , what is that evill the soule sees at this time in sinne , that thus affects the heart with it , as the greatest evill ? this is the last difficulty here . there is a three-fold evill especially seen in sinne : . the evill of torment and anguish . . the evill of wrong and injury to god. . the evill of separation of the soule from god. the first may affect reprobates , as saul and iudas , who were sore distressed when they felt the anguish of conscience by sin . the second is onely in those that are actually justified , called and sanctified , who lament sinne as it is against god , and a god reconciled to them , and as it is against the life of god begun in them : and hence they cry out of it as a body of death . the third the elect feele at this first stroke and wound which the spirit gives them ; the anguish of sinne indeed lyes sore upon them , but this much more . christ is come to seek that which is lost . the sheep is lost , when first it is separated and gone from the owner ; secondly , when it knowes not how to returne againe , unlesse the shepherd find it and carry it home : so that soule is properly and truly lost , that feeles it selfe separated and gone from god , knowing not how to returne to him again , unlesse the lord come and take it upon his shoulders , and carry it in his armes ; this lyes heavy upon it , viz. that it is gone from god , and wholly separated from all union to him , and communion with him . you may observe , iohn . . that the spirit convinces of sinne , how ? because they beleeve not in me . i. because they shall see and feele themselves quite separated from me , they shall heare of my glory and riches of mercy , and that happinesse which all that have me , shall and doe enjoy , but they shal mourne that they have no part nor portion in these things , they shall mourne that they live without me , and that they have lived so long without me . i confesse many other considerations of the evill of sin come now in , but this is the maine channell where all the other rivelets empty themselves . and hence it is that the soule under this stroke is in a state of seeking onely , yet finds nothing ; it seeks god and christ , and therefore feeles a want , a losse of both by sinne ; for the end of all the feares , terrours , sorrowes , &c. upon the elect , is to bring them back againe to god , and into fellowship with god , the onely blessednesse of man. now if the soule ordained and made for this end should not feele its present separation from god by sinne , and the bitternes of the evil of it ; it would never seek to return again to him as to his greatest good , nor desire ever to come into his bosome againe ; for look as sinne wounds the soule , so the soule seeks for healing of it ; if onely the torment of sinne wound , ease of conscience from that anguish will heale it : so if separation from god wound the heart , onely union and communion with god will heale it , and comfort it againe . the lord christ therefore having laid his hand upon the soule to bring it back to himselfe first , and so to the father , being designed to gather in all the out-casts of israel , those he ever makes to feele themselves out-casts , as cast away out of gods blessed sight and presence , that so they may desire at last to come home againe : reprobates not made for this end , have not this sense of sin , the means of their return . and hence it is that the soules of those god saves , are never quiet untill they come to god , and communion with him ; but they mourn for their distance from him , and the hiding of his face , untill the lord shine forth againe : whereas every one else though much troubled , yet sit down contented with any little odde thing that serves to quiet them for the time , before the lord return to them , or they enter into their rest , in that ineffable communion with him . let me now make application of this , before i proceed to open the next particular of humiliation . this may shew us the great mistake of two sorts : . such as think there is no necessity of any sense of misery before the application of the remedy or their closing with christ ; because say they , where there is sense there is life ; ( all sense and feeling arising from life ) and where there is life , there is christ already . and hence it is that they would not have the law first preached in these dayes , but the gospell ; the other is to goe round about the bush . i answer , that for my owne part this doctrine ( of seeing and feeling our misery before the remedy ) is so universally received by all solid divines both at home and abroad , that i meet with ; and the contrary opinion so crosse to the holy scriptures , and generall experience of the saints , and the preaching of the other so abundantly sealed to be gods owne way by his rich blessings on the labours of his servants faithfull to him herein ; that were it not for the sake of some weak and mis-led , i should not dare to question it ; the lord himselfe so expresly speaking , that he came not to call the righteous , but on the contrary onely to heale the sick , who know and feele their sicknesse chiefly by the law , rom. . . dost thou think therefore , that there is spirituall life where ever there is any sense ? then i say , the devils and damned in hell have much spirituall life , for they feele their misery with a witnesse . as for the preaching of the gospel before the law to shew our misery ; it is true , that the gospel is to be looked at , as the maine end ; yet you must use the means , before you can come to the end , by the preaching of the law , or misery in despising the gospell . end & means have been ever good friends , & you may joyn them well together , you cannot sever them without danger . i doe observe that the apostles ever used this method : paul first proves iewes and gentiles to be under sinne , in almost the three first chapters of the romanes , before he opens the doctrine of justification by faith in christ. i do not observe that ever there was so cleere and manifest opening of mans misery , as by christ and his apostles , who brought in the clearest revelations of the remedy . i doe not read in moses , or in all the prophets , such full and plaine expressions of our misery as in the new testament : the worme that never dyes ; the fire that never goes out ; the wrath to come , &c. and therefore assuredly they thought this no back-doore , but faith the doore to christ , and this the way to faith . to say that a man must first have christ and life , before he feele any spirituall misery , is to say that a christian must first be healed , that he may be sick ; cured , that he may be wounded ; receive the spirit of adoption , before he receive , and that he may receive the spirit of bondage to feare againe . if ministers shall preach the remedy before they shew misery , woe to this age , that shall be deprived of those blessings , which the former gloried in , and blessed the lord for . mark those men that deny the use of the law to lead unto christ , if they doe not fall in time to oppose some maine point of the gospel . for it is a righteous thing , but a heavy plague , for the lord to suffer such men to obscure the gospel , that in their judgements zealously dislike this use of the law. you must preach the remedy ; that is true : but you must also first preach the woe and misery of men , or rather so mix them together , as the hearts of hearers may be deeply affected with both ; but first with their misery . it argues a great consumption of the spirit of grace , when christians lives are preserved onely by alchermys and choice cordials , notions about christ , nay choyce ones too , or else the old and ordinary food of the countrey will not downe . i tell you , the maine wound of christians is want of deep humiliations and castings downe ; and if you beleeve it not now , it may be , pestilence , sword and famine shall teach you this doctrine , when the lord shall make these things wound you to the very heart , and put you to your wits end , that were not , that would not in season be wounded at the heart with sin . are we troubled with too many wounded consciences in these times , that we are so solicitous of coyning new principles of peace ? what is every man by nature , but a kind of an infinite evill ? all the sins that fill earth and hell , are in every one mans heart , for sinne in man is endlesse ; and canst not thou endure to be cast downe ? nothing is so vile as christ to a man unhumbled , and can you so easily prize him , and taste him , without any casting downe ? . such as think there is a necessity of sense of misery , by the work of the law , before christ can be received ; but they think there is no such feeling of misery , as hath been mentioned ; but that it is common to the reprobate as to the elect , and consequently that in sense of sinne there is no such speciall worke of the spirit as separates the soule from sinne before it comes unto christ , but that this is done after the soule is in christ by faith , viz. in sanctification , being first justified by faith . this is the judgement of many holy and learned ; and therefore so long as there is no disagreement in the substance of this doctrine , it should not trouble us ; onely let it be considered , whether what is said , is not the truth of christ ; and if it be , let us not cast it aside . the jewish rabbins have a speech at this day very frequent in their writings , non est in lege unica literula , à qua non magni suspensi sunt montes : it is much more true of every truth ; and if i much mistake not , much depends upon the right understanding of this point . that therefore . there must be some sense of misery , before the application of the remedy . . that this compunction or sense of misery is wrought by the spirit of christ , not the power of man to prepare himself thereby for further grace . . that these terrours and sorrows in the elect doe virtually differ from those in the reprobate , the one driving the soul to christ , the other not ; these are agreed on all hands . the question onely is , whether there is this farther stroke of severing the soule from sin , conjoyned with the terrours and sorrowes in the elect before their closing with christ , which is not in the reprobate ; or in one word , whether there is not a speciall work of the spirit , turning ( at least in order of nature ) the soule from sin , before the soule returns by faith unto christ. for the affirmative i leave these severall considerations . that there is gratia actualis , or actuall grace , as well as habitualis , or habituall grace . learned ferrius makes a vast difference between them ; and therefore to think that there can be no power of sin removed but by habituall or sanctifying grace , is unsound ; for actuall grace may doe it , the spirit may take away sinne mediately by habituall grace , and yet it can doe it immediately also by an omnipotent act , by that which is called actuall actuating , or moving grace ▪ christ can and must first bind the strong man , and cast him out by this working or actuall grace , before he dwells in the house of mans heart , by habituall and sanctifying grace . the gardners knife may immediately cut-off a cyen from a tree , thereby taking away all its power to grow there any more , before it hath a power to bring forth any fruit , which is wrought only by implanting it into another stock : new creation ( which is at first conversion ) may well be without habituall graces that are but creatures . whether any man since the fall is a subject immediately capable of sanctifying or habituall grace ; or whether any unregenerate man is in a next disposition to receive such grace ; as the ayre is immediately of light , out of which the darknesse is expelled by light , and so the habits of grace doe expell the habits and power of sinne , ( say some . ) i suppose the affirmative is most false , and in neere affinity with some grosse points of arminianisme . adam , in his pure naturals , and considered meerly as a living soule , was such a subject ; like a white paper , fitted immediately to take the impression of gods image ; but since , by his fall , sinne is falne like a mighty blot upon the soule , whereby a man not onely wants grace , as the darke ayre doth light , but also resists grace , iohn . . hence this resistance must be first taken away , before the lord introduce his image againe . to say that a man can of himselfe dispose himselfe unto grace , was pelagianisme in aquinas his time : yet some disposition is necessary , saith ferrius ; not unto actuall grace , or that which is wrought upon a man , per modum actus , ( as he saith ) but unto the reception of habituall or sanctifying grace , it being in the soule per modum formae , no forme being introduced but into materiam dispositam , i. matter fitted or prepared , or into such a vessell which is immediately capable of it . there is in man a double resistance against grace . . of a holy frame of grace by originall corruption , which is opposite to originall and renewed holinesse , or to this holy frame . . of the god of grace himselfe when he comes to work it , iob . . ezek. . . the first is taken away in that which we call the spirit of sanctification , after faith ; the second is taken away not onely in the act of it , ( as by terrours it may be in reprobates , psal. . . ) but in some measure in the inward ●oot and disposition of it , ( onely in the elect ) there being ( as hath been said ) no more separation from sinne , at this time required , then so much as may make the soule come to the lord to take it away , or at least not unwilling , nor resisting the lord , when he comes to doe it himselfe . whether doth not the work of union unto christ , goe before our communion with christ ? i suppose t is undenyable , that union must be before communion ; and that union to christ is a work of grace as peculiar to the elect , as communion with him . now justification and sanctification are two parts of our communion with him , and follow our union , rom. . . our union therefore must be before these , of which there are two parts , or rather two things on our part , necessarily required to it : . cutting off from the wild olive tree , the old adam ; . implanting into the good olive tree , the second adam . the first must goe before the second ; for where there is perfect resistance , there can be no perfect union . but take a man growing upon his old root of nature , there is nothing but perfect resistance , rom. . . and therefore that resistance must first be taken away , before the lord draw the soule to christ , and by faith implant it into christ. in a word , i see not how a man can wholly resist god and christ , and yet be united unto him at the same instant : and therefore the one ( in order of nature at least ) goes before the other : and therefore let any man living prove his union to christ , and to his lust also , if he can . you will beleeve in christ , many of you , and yet you will have your whores , and cups , and lusts , and pride , and world too , and oppose all the meanes that would have you from these also . i tell you , you shall find one day how miserably deceived you have been herein . you cannot serve god and mammon . how can ye beleeve , saith christ , iohn . . that seek honour one of another ? if you can have christ , and be ambitious too , take him ; but how can you beleeve till the lord hath broken you off from thence ? whether vocation ( as peculiar to the elect as sanctification ) doth not goe before justification and glorification , rom. . . whether also there are not two things in effectuall vocation ; . . is not christ , that good , the tearme to which the soule is firstly called ? . is not sin and world , that evill , the t● arme from which the soule is called ? i suppose t is evident , that the soule is effectually called , and therefore actually and firstly turned from darknesse to light , from the power of satan unto god. first from darknesse , then unto light ; first from the power of satan , then unto god ; as is evident by the apostles owne words , act. . . where he methodically sets down the wonderfull works of christs grace by his ministery : the first is to turne them from darknes to light , and from satans power unto god , which are the two parts of vocation , that they may receive forgivenesse of sinnes in justification , ( vocation being a meanes to this end ) that they may receive an inheritance in glorification among such as being justified are sanctified also by faith in his name . the apostle doth not say , that he was to returne men to light and unto god , and so turn them from darknes , & from the power 〈◊〉 satan , ( though this is true in some sense ) but he was first to turne from darknesse and satan , and so to returne them unto light , and god in christ. for how is it possible to be turned unto christ , and yet then also to be turned to sinne and satan ? doth it not imply a contradiction , to be turned toward sinne , ( which is ever from christ ) and yet to be turned toward christ together ? all divines affirme generally , that in the working of ●aith , the lord makes the soule willing to have christ , psal. . , . but withall they affirme , that of unwilling he makes willing ; and therefore it followes , that the lord must first remove that unwillingnesse , before it can be willing , it being impossible to be both willing and unwilling together . whether the cause of all that counterfeit coyne and hypocrisie in this professing age , doth not arise from this root , viz. not having this wound at first , but onely some trouble for sinne without separation from it , sore throwes without deliverance from sinne ? is not this the death of most , if not all wicked men living ? how many are there that claspe about christ , and yet prove enemies to the crosse of christ ; fall from christ scandalously or secretly afterward ? what is the reason of it ? certainly if the lord had cut them off from their sin , they had never falne to everlasting bondage in sinne againe ; but there the spirit of god forsook them , the lord not owing so much love to them . consider seriously why the stony and thorny-ground-hearers , mat. . came to nothing in their growth of seeming faith and sanctification ; was the fault in the seed ? no verily , but onely in the ground ; the one was broken , but not deep enough , the other was broken deep , but not through enough , the roots of thorns choked them , the lusts and cares of the world were not destroyed first , & therefore they destroyed that ground . i conclude therefore with that of ieremy , break up your fallow grounds , seek to the lord to break them for you , and sow not among thornes , take heed of such brokennesse which removes not the thornes of sinfull secret stubbornnesse , lest the wrath of the lord break out against you , and burne that none can quench it . doe not cut off iohn baptists head , you that can be content to heare him gladly , and doe many things , but he must not touch your herodias , and make a divorce there , but suffer him to come in the spirit and power of eliah , nay of christ iesus , to beat downe your mountaines , fill up your vallies , make your crooked rough waies smooth , that you may see the glory of the lord jesus , without which he shall be ever hid from you . cry you faithfull servants of the lord , that all flesh is grasse , and all the glory of man , of sin , of world , is a withering flower ; that the lord jesus may be revealed ever fresh , and sweet , and precious , in the eyes of the saints . the evidence of this truth in the generall , put blessed and learned pemble upon another way ; for when he perceived ( as himselfe confesseth ) that it is the generall doctrine of all orthodox divines , viz. that actuall faith is never wrought in the soule , till beside the supernaturall illumination of the mind , the will be also first freed in part from its naturall perversenesse , ( god making all men of unwilling , willing ) hereupon he concludes that this is done by the spirit of sanctification , and one supernaturall quality of holines universally infused in all the powers of the soul at once ; so that the spirit instantly first sanctifies us , & puts life in us ; then it acts in sorrow for , and detestation of sin , and so we come actually to beleeve . and because he fore-saw the blow , viz. that in this way , christians are sanctified before they be justified ; he answers , yes , we are justified declaratively after this . others ( who follow him ) answer more roundly , viz. that we are sanctified before we are really and actually justified , & herein differ from him . now when it is objected against this , viz. that our vocation is that which goes before our justification , sanctification being part of glorification following after , rom. . . hereupon some others ( treading in his steps ) affirme , that vocation is the same with sanctification , and not comprehended under glorification . others perceiving the evill of this errour , viz. to place sanctification before justification , good fruits before a good tree , they doe therefore deny any saving worke , whether of vocation or sanctification , before justification . and hence on the other extream , they doe place a christians justification , before his faith in vocation , or holinesse in his sanctification : so that by this last opinion a christian is not justified by faith , ( which was pauls phrase ) but rather ( as he said wittily and wisely ) faithed by his justification . before i come to cleare the truth in these spirituall mysteries , let this onely be remembred , viz. that sanctification , which pemble calls out spirituall life , may be taken two wayes : . largely . . strictly . . largely , for any awakenings of conscience , or acts of the spirit of life , and so t is true , we are quickned by these acts , and so in a large sense sanctified first . . strictly , for those habits of the life of holinesse which are opposite to the body of death in us ; and that we are not first sanctified before we are justified , in this sense , we shall manifest by and by . onely let me begin to shew the errour of the last opinion first , viz. . that a christian is not first justified , before faith , or vocation , may appeare thus . . it is professedly ▪ crosse to the whole current of scripture , which saith , we are justified by faith , and therefore not before faith ; and to say that the meaning of such phrases is , that we are justifyed declaratively by faith , or to our sense and feeling in foro conscientiae , is a meere device ; for our justification is opposed to the state of unrighteousnesse & condemnation going before , which condemnation is not onely declarative and in the court of conscience , but reall , and in the court of heaven : for so saith the scripture expresly , iohn . . he that beleeveth not , is condemned already : and verse . the wrath of god abideth on him : and gal. . . the scripture ( which is the sentence in gods court ) hath concluded all under sinne . hence a second argument ariseth , . if a man be justified before faith , then an actuall unbeleever is subject to no condemnation ; but this is expresly crosse to the letter of the text , he that beleeves not , is condemned already , iohn . . and the wrath of god doth lye upon him . the subjects of non-condemnation are those that be in christ , by faith , rom. . . not out of christ by unbelief , rom. . . there is indeed a merited justification by christs death , and a virtuall or exemplary justification in christs resurrection , as in our head and surety ; and both these were before not onely our faith , but our very being ; but to say that we are therefore actually justified before faith , because our justification was merited before we had faith , gives as just a ground of affirming that wee are actually sanctified whiles we are in the state of nature unsanctified , eph. . . because our sanctification was merited by christ before we had any being in him . we must indeed be first made good trees by faith in christs righteousnesse , before we can bring forth any good fruits of holinesse . god makes us not good trees without being in christ by faith , no more then we are bad trees , in contracting adams guilt without our being first in him ; god gives us first his sonne ( offered in the gospel , and received by faith ) and then gives us all other things with him ; he doth not justifie us without giving us his son ; but having first given him , gives us this also . . that sanctification doth not goe before justification , may appeare thus : . if guilt of adams sinne goe before originall pollution , rom. . . then imputation of christs righteousnesse before renewed sanctification . . to place sanctification before justification , is quite crosse to the apostles practise , ( which is our patterne ) who first sought to be found in christ , phil. . . ( in the work of union ) not having his owne righteousnesse in the work of justification ( which in order followes that ) that he may then know him in the power of his death and resurrection in sanctification ( here comes in sanctification ) if by any meanes he might attain to the resurrection of the dead in glorification , ( the last of all . ) . this is quite crosse to the apostles doctrine which makes justification the cause of sanctification , and therefore must needs goe before it , rom. . as sin goes before spirituall and eternall death , so righteousnesse goes before spirituall life in sanctification , and eternall life in glory : the lord holds forth christ in the gospel first as our propitiation , rom. . . and then it comes dying to sinne , and living to god in sanctification , chap. . . holinesse is the end of our actuall reconciliation , col. . , . . if sanctification goe before justification by faith , then a christians communion with christ , goes before his union to him by faith ; but our union is the foundation of communion , and it is impossible there should be communion without some precedent union . cor. . . christ is made righteousnesse and sanctification , unto whom ? read the beginning of the verse , and you shall see , it is onely to those that be in christ , which is by faith . let none say here ( as some doe ) that we have union to christ , first by the spirit , without faith , in order going before faith : for understanding of which , let us a little consider of our union unto christ ; our union to christ is not by the essentiall presence of the spirit , for that is in every man , as the god-head is every where , in whom we live and move . this is common to the most wicked man , nay to the vilest creature in the world . hence it followes that our union is by some act of the spirit peculiar to the elect ( who onely shall have communion with christ ) working some reall change in the soul , ( for of reall , not relative union i now speak ) this act cannot be those first acts of the spirit of bondage , ( for they are common unto reprobates ) they are therefore such acts as are essentiall unto the nature of union . now look as disunion , is the disjunction or separation of divers things one from another ; so union is the conjunction or joyning of them together , that were before severed . hence that act of the spirit in uniting us to christ , can be nothing else but the bringing back the soule unto christ , or the conjunction of the soule unto christ , and into christ , by bringing it back to him , that before this lay like a dry bone in the valley separated from him . thus cor. . . he that is joyned , or ( as the word signifies ) glewed to the lord , is one spirit with him . the spirit therefore brings us to the lord christ , and so we are in him . now the comming of the soule to christ , what is it but faith ? iohn . . our union therefore is by faith , not without it : for by it onely we that were once separated from him by sinne , and especially by unbeliefe , heb. . . are now come not onely unto him , as iron unto the load-stone , iohn . . out ( which is most neare ) into him , as branches into the vine , & so grow one with him ; and hence those phrases in scripture , to beleeve in christ , or into christ. i speak not this as if we were united to christ without the spirit on his part ; ( for the conjunction of things severed must be mutuall , if it be firme ) i onely shew that we are not united before faith by the spirit unto christ ; but that we are by faith ( wrought by the spirit ) whereby on our part we are first conjoyned unto him ; and then on his part he by the person of the spirit is most wonderfully united unto us . the spirit puts forth variety of acts in the soule ; as it acts us to good works , t is the spirit of obedience ; as it infuseth habits of grace , so t is the spirit of sanctification ; as it assists us continually , and guides us to our end , and witnesseth favour , t is the spirit of adoption ; as it works feares of death and hell , t is the spirit of bondage ; but as it drawes us from sinne to christ , so t is the spirit of union : and therefore to imagine union before and without faith by the spirit , is but a spirit indeed , which when you come to feele it , you shall finde it a nothing , without flesh , or bones , or sinewes . as our marriage union to christ must have consent of faith on our part , wrought by the spirit , or else the lord jesus is a vaine sutor to us ; so now the spirit on christs part must apprehend our faith , and dwell in us , who otherwise shall suddenly goe a whoring from him : pet. . . eph. . . . that vocation is not all one with sanctification , may appeare thus . . vocation is before justification , rom. . . but sanctification is not before justification , as we have proved , and therefore they are not the same . . sanctification is the end of vocation , thess. . . therefore it is not the same with it . . faith is the principall thing in vocation : the first part of it being gods call , the second part being our answer to that call , or in comming at that call ; ier. . . now faith is no part of sanctification strictly taken , because it is the meanes and instrument of our justification and sanctification . acts . . our hearts are said to be purified by faith ; acts . . not our lives onely in the acts of holinesse and purity , but our hearts in the habituall frame of them . i live by the faith of the sonne of god , saith paul , we passe from death to life by faith , iohn . . therefore it is no part of our spirituall life ; you will not come to me ( which is faith ) that you may have life ; iohn . . iohn . . . therefore faith is the instrumentall means of life , and therefore no part of our life : as faith comes by hearing , and therefore hearing is no part of faith ; so justification comes by faith , and therefore is no part of sanctification : all our life both of justification and sanctification is laid up in christ our head ; this life according to gods great plot shall never be had but by coming to christ for it , heb. . . else grace and christ should not bee so much honoured , rom. . . it is of faith , that it might be of grace ; sanctification therefore is the grace applyed by faith , faith the grace applying ; by coming to christ for it , we have it ; and therefore have it not , when first we come . i am sorry to be thus large in lesse practicall matters ; yet i have thought it not unusefull , but very comfortable to a poore passenger , not only to know his journies end , and the way in generall to it , but also the severall stadia or townes he is orderly to passe through ; there is much wisdome of god to be seen not only in his work , but in his manner and order of working ; for want of which , i see many christians in these dayes fall very foulely into erroneous apprehensions in their judgments , the immediate ground of many errours in practise ; the objections made against what hath been delivered , are for the principall of them answered ; the maine end , ( my beloved ) of propounding these things is , that you would look narrowly to your union , oh take heed you misse not there ; if you close with christ , beleeve in christ , and yet not cut off from your sin , viz. that spirit of resistance of christ , you are utterly and eternally undone : this is the condemnation of the world , not that men love darknesse wholly , and hate light , but that they love darkenesse more then light ; not that the uncleane spirit is not gone out , but that he is not so cast out , as never to returne againe ; the wound of all men , yea the best of men that professe christ , and yet indeed out of christ , lyes in this : they were never severed from their sinne by all their prayers , teares , feares , sorrowes ; and hence they never truly come to christ : and hence perish in their sin . trouble me no more therefore in asking , whether a christian is in a state of happinesse or misery in this condition ? i answer , he is preparatively happy , he is now passing from death to life , though not as yet wholly passed : nor yet , whether there is any saving work before union ? i answer , no , for what is said is one necessary ingredient to the working up of our union , as cutting off the branch from the old stock , is necessary to the ingrafting it into the new ; indeed , without faith it is impossible to please god ; nor doe i say that this work doth please : i. e. it doth not pacify god , ( for that is proper to christs perfect righteousnesse received by faith ) yet as it is a work of his owne spirit upon us , it is pleasing to him ; ( as the after-worke of sanctification is ) though it neither doth pacify him ; nor doe i see how this doctrine is any way opposite to the free offer of grace , and christ , because it requires no more separation from sin , then that which drives them unto christ ; nay which is lesse , that makes them ( by the power of the spirit ) not resist , but yeeld to christ ; that he may come unto them and draw them : you cannot repent nor convert your selves ; be converted therefore , saith peter , acts . . that you may receive remission of sins , and in this offer the spirit works ; and verily hee that can truly receive christ without that sense of misery as separates him from his sin , ( as explained to you ) let him beleeve notwithstanding all that which is said ; and the god of heaven speakes peace to him ; his faith shall not trouble me , if hee bee sure it shall not one day deceive himselfe . of lamentation for the hardnesse of mens hearts in these times : as it is said the lord jesus mourned when he saw the hardnesse of the peoples hearts , mark . . are there not some so farre from this , as that they take pleasure in their sins , they are sugar under their tongues , as sweet as sleep , nay as their lives ? and you come to pul away their limbs when you come to pluck away their sinnes : though they have broke sabbaths , neglected prayer , despised the word , hated and mocked at the saints , been stubborne to their parents , curst and swore , ( which made peter goe out and weep bitterly ) though lustfull and wanton , ( which broke davids bones ) though guilty of more sinnes then there bee moates in the sunne or starres in heaven , though their sins be crimson , and fill heaven with their cry , and all the earth with their burthen , yet they mourne not ; never did it one houre together : nay they cannot doe it , because they will not ; if you are weary and loaden , where are your unutterable groanes ? if wounded and bruised , where are your dolorous complaints ? if sick , where is your enquiry for a physitian ? if sad , where are your teares , in the day , in the night , morning and evening alone by your selves , and in company with others ? oh how great is the wrath of god , hardning so many thousands at this day ! whence comes it that christ is not prized , but from this senselesnesse ? name any reason why the blessed gospell of peace , and all the sweet promises of life are undervalued , but from hence : and what doe you hereby poore creatures , but onely aggravate your sins , and make those that are little , exceeding great in the eyes of god ? whence it is that you treasure up wrath against the day of wrath , rom. . , , , . this hardnesse is that which blunts the edge of all gods ordinances , whence gods poore ministers sit sorrowfull in their closets , seeing all gods seed lost upon bare rocks ; oh this is the condition of many a man , and which is most fearfull , the meanes which should make the heart sensible , make it more proud and unsensible . tyre and sydon , and sodom , are more fit to mourne , then chorasin , and capernaum , that have enjoyed humbling means long . nay how many be there that mourne out their mournings , confesse out their confessions , and by their owne humiliations grow more senselesse afterward ? did wee ever live in a more impenitent secure age ? wee shall seldome meet with one broken with sin , but how few are broken from sinne also ? and hence it is many a tall cedar that were set downe in the table-book for converted men , once much humbled , and now comforted ; stay but a few yeares , you shall see more dangerous sins of a second growth ; one turnes drunkard , another covetous , another proud , another a sectary , another a very dry leafe , a very formalist ; another full of humerous opinions , another laden with scandalous lusts : woe to you that lament not now ; for you shall mourne . dost thou think that christ should ever wipe off thy teares that sheddest none at all ? dost thou think to reap in joy , that sowest not with these showers ? verily god will make his word good , prov. . . hee that hardens his owne heart , shall perish suddenly ; heare this you secure sorrowlesse sinners , if ever gods hand bee stretcht out suddenly against thee , in blasting thy estate , snatching away thy children , the wife of thy bosome , the husband of thy delight ; in staining thy name , vexing thee with debts and crosses , short and sore , or lingring sicknesses ; know that all this comes upon thee for a hard heart : but oh mourne for it now you parents , children , servants , the tokens of death are upon you ; desire the lord to breake your hearts for you : lye under gods hammer , be not above the word , and suffer the lord to take away that which grieves him most , even thy stony heart ; because it grieves thee least : meditate much of thy wofull condition , chew that bitter pill ; remember death and rotting in the grave , that many are now in hell for thy sins , that christ must dye , or thou dye for the least sin ; remember how patient and long suffering the lord hath bin to thee , and how long he hath groaned under thy burthen , that it may be , though hee would , yet hee cannot beare thy load long ; let these things be mused on , that thy heart may bee at last sorrowfull before it bee too late . but oh the sad estate of many with us , that can mourne for any evill , except it bee for the greatest , sinne and death , and wrath that lye upon them . of exhortation ; labour for this sense of misery , this spirit of compunction : how can you beleeve in christ , that feel not your misery without him ? a broken christ cannot doe thee good without a broken heart ; bee afflicted and mourne yee sinners , turne your laughter into mourning , tremble to think of that wrath , which burnes downe to the bottome of hell , and under which the eternall sonne of god sweat drops of blood : great sins which thou knowest thou art guilty of , cause great guilt , and great hardnesse of heart , and therefore are seldome forgiven or subdued without great affliction of spirit ; they have loaded the lord long , they must load thee . little sinnes are usually slighted , and extenuated , and therefore the lord accounts them great ; and therefore thy soule must be in bitternesse for them , before the lord will passe them by : it is not every trouble that will serve the turne ; look that it be such as separates thy soule from thy sin , or else it will separate betweene thy soule and god. i know it is not in your power to breake your owne hearts , no more then to make the rocks to bleed ; yet remember he that bids thee cast up and prepare the way of the lord , he hath promised that every mountaine shall be brought low , and the crooked wayes made plaine , and the rough smooth , and the valleys filled : he only can doe it for thee , and will doe it for some , it may be for thee ; he that broke the heart of manasseh and paul after their blood and blasphemies , when they never desired any such thing , he can break thine much more when thou art desiring him to doe it for thee ; here are many of you that feare you were never humbled nor burthened enough ; i say feare it still , feare lest there be a stone in the bottome , not so as to discourage and drive thy heart from christ , but so as to feele a greater need of his grace to soften thy heart , and to take thy senslesnesse away : the lord doth purposely command thee to plough up thy fallow ground , that thou mightest feel thy impotency so to do , and come to him to take it away : every thing will harden thee more and more , untill the lord come and take thy stony heart away by his owne hand : all gods kindnesses will make thee more bold to sin , and all gods judgements more fierce and obstinate in sinne , unlesse the lord put to his hand ; if pharaohs heart be softned for a time , it will grow hard againe , if the lord take it not away : the means therefore for thee to get this compunction , is , . to feele the evill of thy hard heart ; no surer token of reprobation then hardnesse , if continued in ; especially for thy heart to grow hard under or after softning meanes , as it was in pharaoh . . to look up to the lord in all ordinances , that he would take it away . have not you great cause of abundant thankfulnesse , into whose hearts the lord hath let in feares and sorrowes , concerning your estates ? the blind world lookes upon all troubles of conscience as temptations of the devill to despaire , and the very way to run mad ; but consider what the lord hath done for you that have such : what if the lord had left you without all feeling , as those in eph. . . what if the lord had smitten you with a spirit of slumber , as those , rom. . . would not your estate have beene then lamentable ? and have you no hearts to acknowledge his unspeakable goodnesse in awakening of you ; in shaking thy very foundations ? dost thou think that any ever had such a hard heart as thou hast ? dost not say so in secret before the lord sometimes ? oh then what rich grace is this to give thee any sence and feeling of thy sin and danger by it , though it bee never so little in thine eyes ! some think these terrors are a judgement ; it is true , if they were meerly imaginary , or worldly and desperate ; but saith the apostle , cor. . . i thanke god i made you sorry . suppose thy sorrow should be only in regard of the punishment of sin , yet this is the lords goodnesse to make thy heart so far sensible ; that once didst goe like a beast to the slaughter , fearing no danger at all ; the very meanes to prize favour from god , is to feel wrath , ( as well as sin ) and the very reason why the lord hath let thee feele thy punishment heavy , is , that thy soule might feel the evill of sin , by considering that if the fruits be so bitter , what is then the cause ? be not therefore weary of thy burthen , so as to think the lord powres out his vengeance on thee while thy trouble remaines ; oh consider that this is the hand of the lord jesus , and that he is now about to save thee , when he comes to work any compunction in thee ; especially such , as whereby he doth not onely cut thy heart with feares and sorrowes , but cut thee off from thy sin ; so far only as humbles thee and drives thee to the lord christ to take them away . and so i come to the third particular of humiliation . sect . iv. the third act of christs power , which is humiliation . the lord jesus having thus broken the heart by compunction , is not like a foolish builder that leaves off his work before he hath fully finished it , and therefore having thus wounded a poore sinner , hee goes on to humble him also ; for though in a large sense a wounded contrite sinner is an humble sinner , yet strictly taken there is a great difference between them ; and therefore , he is said to dwell with the contrite and humble , i. e. not onely with those that bee wounded with sin , but humbled for sinne ; although it is certaine the soule is seldome or never effectually wounded , but it is also humbled at the same time . a man may bee wounded sore even unto death , and yet the pride of the man is such that he will not fall downe before him that smites him : so it is with many a poore sinner , the lord hath sorely wounded him that hee will resist no more , yet he will rather fly to his duties to heale him , or dye alone and sinke under his discouragements , then stoop . oh beloved , man must downe , before the lord christ will take him up : and therefore in isay . , , . the glory of the lord is promised to be revealed ; but what meanes must bee used for this end ? cry , saith the lord ; what should i cry ? saith he ; the lord answers that all flesh is grasse , and that the glory of it fades , and that the people are this grasse ; i. e. not only that mens sinnes are vile , but that themselves also are grasse , nay their glory and excellency is withering and fading ; and therefore not only mountains must be pull'd downe , but all flesh , and the glory of it wither , before the lord shal be revealed . i shall briefly open these foure things : . what is this humiliation . . what need there is of it . . what meanes the lord useth to work it . . what measure of it is here required . what is this humiliation ? look as pride is that sinne , whereby a man conceited of some good in himselfe , and seeking some excellency to himselfe , exalts himselfe above god ; so humiliation ( in this place ) is that work of the spirit , whereby the soule being broken off from self-conceit , and selfe-confidence in any good it hath or doth , submitteth unto , or lyeth under god , to be disposed of as he pleaseth . pet. . . levit. . . that look as compunction cuts the sinner off from that evill that is in him , so humiliation cuts it off from all high conceits , and self-confidence , of that good which is in him , or which he seeks might be in him , and so the soule is abased before god. what need or necessity is there of this ? because . when the lord hath wounded the hearts of his elect , this is the immediate work of their hearts , ( if the lord prevent them not by his grace , as many times hee doth ) they look to what good they have , or if they find little or none , they then seek for some in themselves , that thereby they may heale their wound , because they think thus , that as their sinnes have provoked god to anger against them , so if now they can reforme and leave those sinnes , or if not , repent and be sorry for them ; if now they pray , and heare , and doe as others doe , they have some hope that this will heale their wound , and pacifie the lord towards them ; when they see there is no peace in a sinfull course , they will therefore try if there be any to be found in a good course : and look as adam when he saw his own shame and nakednesse , hid himselfe from god in the bushes , and covered his nakednesse with fig-leaves ; so the soule not being able to endure to see its own nakednesse and vilenesse , not knowing christ jesus , and he being far to seek , doth therefore labour to cover his wickednesse and sinfulnesse which now he feeles by some of these fig-leaves . and hence micah . . they enquire wherewith they should come before the lord , should they bring rivers of oyl , or thousands of lambes , or the first borne of their body to remove the sinne of their soule ? paul did account these duties gaine , and set them at a high rate , because he thought that god did so himselfe : when the lord hath wounded the soule , the first voyce it speaks , is , what shall i doe ? doe ? saith conscience , leave thy sins , doe as well as others , doe with all thy might , and strength , pray , heare , and confer , god accepts of good desires , and requires no more of any man but to doe what he can . hence the soule plyes both oares , though against wind and tide , and strives , and wrastles with his sinnes , and hopes one day to be better , and here he rests . and observe it , look as sinne is his greatest evill , so the casting away of his sins , and seeking to be better , is very sweet to him ; and being so sweet , rests in what hee hath , and seeks for what he wants , and so hopes all will be well one day , and so stayes here ; although ( god knowes ) it be without christ , nor cannot rest on him , though hee hath heard of him a thousand times . and hence it is if they cannot doe any thing to ease themselves , then their hearts ●ink , or it may be quarrell with god , that he makes them not better . but beloved , it is wonderfull to see how many times men rest in a little they have , and doe . . but whiles it is thus with the soule , he is uncapable of christ ; for he that trusts to other things to save him , or makes himselfe his owne saviour , or rests in his duties without a saviour , he can never have christ to save him . rom. . . it is said , the jewes lost christs righteousnesse , because they sought it not by faith , but ●ought salvation by their owne righteousnesse . he that maketh flesh his arme , ( as all duties and endeavours of man be , when trusted to ) the lord saith , cursed be that man , ier. . , . onely the lord doth not leave his elect here ; he that is marryed unto the law , rom. . cannot be matcht unto christ , till he be first divorced , not from the duties themselves , but from trusting to them , and resting in them . and therefore saith paul , i through the law am dead to it , that i might live unto god. he that trusteth to riches cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven , no more then a camell through a needles eye , because it is too big for so narrow a roome : so he that trusteth to his duties and abilities , is too big to enter in by christ , the lord must cut off this spirit , and lay it low , and make it stoop as vile before god , before it can have christ in this estate ; the lord must not onely cut it off from this selfe-confidence in duties , but also so farre forth as that the soule may lye under god , to be disposed of as he pleaseth . and the reason is , because such a soule as is unwilling to stoop , is unhumbled ; and he that is so , doth not onely on his part resist god , but the lord also resists him , iames . , . and hence you shall observe , many a one hath laine long under distresse of conscience , because they have either rested in their duties which could not quiet , or because they have not so cast off their confidence in them , so as to lye downe quietly before god , that he may doe what he will with them ; being so long objects of gods resistance , not of his grace . by what meanes doth the lord worke this ? in generall , by the spirit , immediately acting upon the soule ; for after a christian is in christ , he hath by the habit of humility , and the vertue of faith , some power to humble himselfe ; but now the spirit of christ doth it immediately by its own omnipotent hand ; else the proud heart would never down : for we are first created in christ ( which is by gods omnipotent immediate act ) unto good workes , before we do from our selves , or by the power of faith , put forth good workes , eph. . . these acts of self-confidence may not be stirring in all christians ; but in all men there is this frame of spirit , never to come to christ , if they can make any thing else serve to heale them or save them ; and therefore the spirit cuts off this sinfull frame in part in all the elect ; he hewes the roughnesse and pride of spirit off , that it may lye still upon the foundation it is now preparing for . now though the spirit works this , yet t is not without the word ; the word it works chiefly by , is the law , gal. . . i through the law am dead to it , ( i. e. from seeking any life or help from it ) that i might live unto god. now the law doth this by a foure-fold act . . by discovering the secret corruptions of the soule in every duty , which it never saw before ; it once thought , i shall perish for my sinne , if i continue therein , without confession of them , or sorrow for them ; but it also did think that this confession , sorrow , and trouble for sinne will serve to save it , and make god to accept of it ; but the law ( while the soule is earnestly striving against his sinne ) discovering that in all these there is nothing but sinne , even secret sinnes it did never see before , hereupon it begins thus to think , can these be the meanes of saving of me , which being so sinfull , cannot but be the very causes of condemning of me ? i know i must perish for the least sinne , and now i see that in all i doe , i can do nothing else but sinne . what made paul alive without the law ? you shall finde , rom. . . it was because he did not know that lust , or the secret concupiscences and first risings of the soule to sinne , were sinne ; he saw not these secret evils in all that which he did : and ●ence he rested in his duties , as one alive without christ ; but the lord by discovering this , let him see what little cause he had to lift up his hand , for any good he did : so it is here , when the soule sees that all its righteousnesse is a menstruous cloth , polluted with sin ; now those duties which like reeds it trusted to before , run into the hand , nay heart of a poor sinner ; and therefore now it sees little cause of resting on them any longer : now it sees the infinite holinesse of god by the exceeding spiritualnesse of the law , it begins to cry out , how can i stand or appeare before him with such continuall pollutions ? . by irritating or stirring up of originall corruption , in making more of that to appeare then ever before ; that if the soule thinks , all i doe is defiled with sin , yet my heart is good , and so it rests there ; the lord therefore stirres that dunghill , and lets it see a more hellish nature then ever before , in that the holy & blessed command of god ( to its feeling ) makes it worse , more rebellious , more averse from god ; when the commandement came sinne revived , saith paul , and that which was for life was death to him , sin taking occasion by the law ; and hence paul came to be slaine and dye to all his selfe-confidence . it was one of luthers first positions in opposing the popes indulgences , that lex & voluntas sunt duo adversarii sine gratiae irreconciliabiles ; for the law and mans will meeting together , the one holy , the other corrupt , make fierce opposition when the soule is under any lively worke of the law ; and by this irritation of the law , the lord hath this end in his elect , to make them feel what wretched hearts they have , because that which is in it selfe a meanes of good , makes them ( through mans corruption ) more vile to their feeling then ever before ; and hence come those sad complaints on a soul under the humbling hand of christ , i am now worse then ever i was , i grow every day worse and worse , i have lost what once i had , i could once pray , and seek god with delight , and never well but when one duty was done , to be in another ; but now , i am worse , all that joy and sweetnesse in seeking of him , and in holy walking is gone ; i could once mourne for sin , but now a hard heart takes hold of me , that i have not so much as a heart to any thing that is good , nor to shed a teare for the greatest evill . it is true , i confesse you may grow ( to your feeling ) worse and wor● , and it is fit you should feel it ; that the lord hereby might pull downe your proud heart , and make you lye low ; it is the lords glorious wisdom to wither all your flowers , which refreshed you without christ , that you might feele a need of him ; and therefore i say the lord pulls away all those broken planks the soule once floated and rested upon , that the soule may sinke in a holy despaire of any help from any good it hath ; the lord shakes down all building on a sandy foundation : and then the soule cryes out , it is ill resting here . . by loading , tyring and wearying the soule by its own indeavours , untill it can stir no more ; for this is in every man by nature ; when he sees that all he doth is sinfull , and all he hath , his heart and nature to be most sinfull ; yet he will not yet come out of himselfe , because he hopes though he be for the present thus vile , yet he hopes for future time his heart may grow better , and himself doe better then now ; and hence it is that hee strives , and seeks , & indeavours to his utmost to set up himself again , and to gain cure to all his troubles by his duties : now the law whose office is to command but not to give strength , and the spirit that should give strength withdrawing it selfe , because it knowes the soule would rest therein without christ ; hence it comes to passe that the soule feeling it selfe to labour onely in the fire , and smoake , and to be still as miserable and sinfull as ever before , hereupon it is quite tyred out , and sits down weary , not only of its sin , but of its work , and now cryes out , i see now what a vile undone wretch i am , i can doe nothing for god or for my selfe , only i can sinne and destroy my selfe ; all that i am is vile , and all that i doe is vile , i now see that i am indeed poore , and blind , and miserable , and naked ; & the truth is , beloved , here comes in the greatest dejections of spirit , for when the lord smites the soule for sin , it hopes that by leaving of sinne and doing better it may doe well ; but when it sees that there is no hope here of healing the breach between god and it selfe , now it falls low indeed : and i take this to be the true meaning of mat. . . ye that labour , i. e. you that are wearied in your own way , in seeking rest to your soules by your own hard labour or works ( as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies ) and are tyred out therein , and so are now laden indeed with sinne and the heavie pressure of that , finding no ease by all that which you doe ; come to me , saith christ , and you shall then find rest unto your soules : the jewes seeking to establish their own righteousnesse , seeking i say if by any meanes they might establish it , lost christ ; the lord therefore will make his elect know they shall seek here for ease in vaine : and therefore tyres them out . . by clearing up the equity and justice of god in the law , if the lord should never pity nor pardon it , nor shew any respect or favour to it ; for this is the frame of every mans heart , if he cannot find rest in his duties , and endeavours , as he once expected he should , but sees sin and weaknesse , death and condemnation wrapping him about ( like ionahs weeds ) in all he doth , then his heart sinkes , and quarrells , and falls off farther from christ by discouragement , and growes secretly impatient that there should be no mercy left for him , because it thinkes now the lords eternall purpose is to exclude him ; for if there were any thoughts of peace toward him , he should have found peace before now , having so earnestly and frequently sought the lord , and having done so much , and forsaken his sinfull wayes , according to his owne commandement from him ; and hence it is , you shall find it a certaine truth , that the soule is turned back as far from god by sinking discouraging sorrowes for sin , as ever it was in a state of security by the pleasures of sin ; and hence sometime it thinks it is in vaine to seek any more , and hence leaves off duties ; and if conscience force it to them , yet it sinkes againe because its foot is not stablisht upon the rock christ , but upon the weaknesse of the waters of its owne abilities and indeavours ; what therefore should the soule doe in this case , to come to god ? it knowes not , it cannot ; ●ly from him it dare not , it shall not ; the spirit therefore by revealing how equall and just it is for the lord never to regard or look after it more , because it hath sinned and is still so sinfull , makes it hereby to fall down prostrate in the dust before the lord , as worthy of nothing but shame and confusion , and so kisseth the rod , and turnes the other cheek unto the lord even smiting of him , acknowledging if the lord shew mercy it will bee wonderfull , if not , yet the lord is righteous , and therefore hath no cause to quarrell against him for denying speciall mercy to him , to whom hee doth not owe a bit of bread . and now the soule is indeed humbled , because it submits to be disposed of , as god pleaseth ; thus the church in her humiliation , lam. . . having in the former part of the chapter drunke the wormewood and the gall , at last lies down and professeth , it is the lords mercy it is not consumed ; and verse . he puts his mouth to the dust if there may be any hope : and verse . why should a living man complaine for the punishment of his sinne ? you think the lord doth you wrong , and neglects your good and his own glory too , if he doth not give you peace and pardon , grace and mercy , even to the utmost of your asking , and then thinke you have hence good cause to ●ret , and sinke , and be discouraged ; no , no , the lord will pull down those mountaines , those high thoughts , and make you lye low at his feet , and acknowledge that it is infinite mercy you are alive , and not consumed ; and that there is any hope or possibility of mercy , and that you are out of the nethermost pit : and that if he should never pity you , yet he doth you no wrong , but that which is equall and just , and that it is fit your sinfull froward wills should stoop to his holy , righteous , and good will , rather then that it should stoop and be crooked according unto yours . beleeve it brethren , he that judgeth not himselfe thus , shall be judged of the lord , how can you have mercy that will set your selves up in gods soveraigne throne to dispose of it , and will not lye downe humbly under it , that it may dispose of you ? for are you worthy of it ? hath the lord any need of you ? have you not provoked him exceedingly ? was there ever any that dealt worse with him then you ? oh beloved lye low here ; and learne of the church , micah . . i will beare the indignation of the lord , because i have sinned against him . it was a most blessed frame of spirit in aaron , when he saw gods hand against him in cutting off his children , and aaron held his peace ; so if the lord should cast thee off , or cut thee off , never take pleasure in such a polluted broken vessell unfit for any use for him , hold thou thy peace ; quarrell not , be silent before him , and say as they did , chron. . . the lord is righteous , but i am vile ; let him doe with me what seems good in his own eyes : and thus the lord jesus by the law doth dead the soule to the law , untill it be made to submit like wax , or like clay to the hand of the potter , to frame it a vessell to what use he pleaseth ; and as the apostle most excellently rom. . diverceth it from its first husband , ( i. e. sin and the law ) that it may be marryed unto iesus christ. in a word , when the lord christ hath made the soule feele not onely its inability to help it selfe , and so saith as paul , gal. . . it is not i , but also it s owne unworthinesse , that the lord should help it , and so cryes out with iob , behold , i am vile ; now at this instant , t is vas capax , a vessell capable ( though unworthy ) of any grace , iam. . . the last question remaines , what measure of humiliation is here necessary ? look as so much conviction is necessary which begets compunction , & so much compunction as breeds humiliation ; so , so much humiliation is necessary as introduceth faith , or as drives the soule out of it selfe unto christ : for as the next end of conviction is compunction , and that of compunction is humiliation ; so the next end of humiliation is faith , or comming to christ , which wee shall next speak unto . and hence it is that the lord calls unto the weary and heavy laden to come unto him , mat. . . so much as makes you come for rest in christ , so much is necessary , and no more . if any can come without being thus laden and weary in some measure , let them come and drink of the water of life freely ; but a proud heart that will make it selfe its owne saviour , will not come to the lord jesus to be his saviour ; he that will be his owne physitian , so long cannot send out for another . nay let me fall one degree lower , if the soule cannot come to christ , ( as who feel not themselves unable when the lord comes to draw ? ) and find not the lord jesus comming unto them , to draw them and compell them in ; yet if the soule be so far humbled , as not to resist the lord , by quarrelling with him , and at him , for not comming to him , as unworthy of the least smile , as worthy of all frownes ; verily the lord will come to it , and no more is requisite then this , and thus much certainly is : for thus the whole scripture runs , he gives grace to the humble , james . . i dwell with the contrite and humble , esay . . the poore afflicted shall not alway be forgotten , psal. . , . when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled , so as to accept of the punishment of their iniquity , the lord then remembers his covenant , lev. . , . conceive it thus : there can be no union to christ , while there is a power of resistance and opposition against christ. the lord christ must therefore in order of nature ( for i now speak not of order of time ) first removere prohibens , remove this resistance before he can , and that he may , unite . i doe not meane resistance of the frame of grace , but ( as was said ) of the lord of grace , when he comes to work it . now there is a double resistance , or two parts of this resistance , like a knife with two edges . . a resistance of the lord , by a secret unwillingnesse that the lord should worke grace : now this the lord removes in compunction , and no more brokennesse for sinne or from sinne is necessary there then that . . a resistance of the lord by sinking discouragements , and a secret quarrelling with him , in case the soule imagines he will not come to work grace , or manifest grace . now this the lord takes away in humiliation ; and no more is necessary here , then the removall of the power of this which makes the soule in the sense of its owne infinite vilenesse and unworthinesse not to quarrel at the lord , and devil-like grow fierce & impatient before and against the lord , in case he should never help it , never pitty it , never succour it ; the lord will not forsake for ever , if the soule thus lies down , and puts its mouth in the dust , lam. . , . which consideration is of unspeakable use and consolation , to every poore empty nothing , that feels it selfe unable to beleeve , and the lord forsaking it , from helping it to beleeve . and i have seen it constantly , that many a chosen vessell never hath been comforted till now , and ever comforted when now ; they never knew what hurt them till they saw this , and they have immediately felt their hurt healed , when this hath been removed . in comforting christians under deep distresse , tell them of gods grace and mercy , and the riches of both , you doe but torment them the more , that there should be so much , and they have no part , nor share in it , and think they never shall , because this is not the immediate way of cure ; tell them rather when they are full of these complaints , that they are as they speak , vile and sinfull , and therefore worthy never to be accepted of god , and that they have cause to wonder that they have their lives , and are on this side hell , and so turne all that they say to humiliation and selfe-loathing ; verily you shall then see , if the lord intends good , he wil by this doe them good , and the weakest christian that cannot come to christ , you shall see first or last shall see cause to lye downe , and be silent , and not quarrell , though the lord should never come to him . and that this is necessary , may appeare thus : otherwise , . the lord should not advance the riches of his grace ; the advancement of grace cannot possibly be without the humiliation and abasement of the creature ; the lord not onely saves , but calls things that are not , that no flesh might glory , cor. . , . . otherwise the lord should not be lord and disposer of his owne grace , but a sinfull creature who quarrells against god , if it be not disposed of , not as the lord will , but as the creature will. if a stranger comes to our house , and will have what he wants , and if he hath not , he quarrells and contends with the master of the house , what would he say ? away proud begger , dost think to be lord of what i have ? dost draw thy knife to stab me , if i doe not please thee and give thee thy asking ? no , thou shalt know that i wil doe with my owne as i see good , thou shalt lye downe on the dust of my threshold before i give thee any thing . so t is with the lord. it is not in him that willeth , nor in him that runneth , but in god that sheweth mercy . it is his principall name , i will be mercifull to whom i will be mercifull ; and therefore if you will not beleeve me , yet beleeve the lords oath , esay . . vnto me shall every knee bow : and doe you come to lord it over him , and quarrell , and fret , and sink , and grow sullen , and vex , if the lord stoop not unto your desires ? no , no , you must and shall lye upon his threshold , nay he wil make thee lay thy neck upon the block , as worthy of nothing but cutting off , and then when this valley is filled , all flesh shall see the glory of the lord , esay . . thus humiliation is necessary in this measure mentioned . not that i deny any subsequent humiliation , after a christian is in christ , arising from the sense of gods favour in christ , then which nothing makes a christian of an evangelicall spirit more ashamed of himselfe , yet i dare not exclude this which is antecedent , arising from the spirit of power immediately subduing the soule to christ , that it may be exalted by christ , pet. . . it is true , all things that pertaine to life and godlinesse are received by faith , pet. . . yet faith it self is a saving work , which is not received by another precedent faith . faith therefore is to be excepted , not onely as begotten in us , but as it is in the bege●ting of it in the conviction and humiliation of every sinner . hence see what is the great hindrance betweene the mercy of god , and the soule of many a man ; if it be not some sinne & hardnesse of heart under it , whereby he cares not for christ , to deliver him , then t is some pride of spirit arising from some good he hath , whereby he feeles no need of christ , hoping his owne duties shall save him , or else is above christ , and not under him , willing to be disposed of by him . and hence the lord makes this the high way to mercy , levit. . . if first they shall confesse their sinne , secondly , humble themselves , ( both which i know the lord must worke ) then he will remember his covenant . look as it is with a vessell before it can be fit for use , it must first passe through fire , and the earth and drosse severed from it , then it must be made hollow and empty , which makes it vas capax , a vessell capable of receiving that which shall be powred out into it ; if , ( o brethren ) the lord hath some vessells of glory which he prepares before-hand , and makes capable of glory , rom. . , . if the lord doth doth not sever you from sinne in compunction , and empty you of your selves in humiliation , you cannot receive christ , nor mercy , you cannot hold them ; and if ever you misse of christ by faith , your wound lies here . how many be there at this day , that were once profane and wicked , but now by some terrours and outward restraints upon them , they leave their sinnes , and say they loathe them , and purpose never to run riot as they have done , and hence because they thinke themselves very good , or to have some good , they fall short of christ , and are still in the gall of bitternes , in the midst of all evill ? it were the happines of some men , if they did not think themselves to have some good , because this is their christ. oh you that live under precious meanes , and have many feares , you may perish and be deceived at the last ; but why doe you feare ? i know you will answer , oh some secret unknown sin may be my ruine ; it is true , and you do well to have a godly jealousie thereof . but remember this also , not onely some sinne , but some good thou thinkest thou hast , and restest in without christ , and lifting thee up above christ , may as easily prove thy ruine , because a mans owne righteousnesse rested in , doth not onely hide mens sinnes , but strengthens them in some sinne by which men perish ; trusting to ones owne righteousnesse , and committing iniquity are couples , ezek. . . nor doe i hereby run into the trenches of that wretched generation of the familists , denying all inherent graces , evidence of favour from any christian obedience , or sanctification in holy duties ; or that a christian should profanely cast off all duties , because they cannot save themselves by them ; no , no , the lord will search with candles one day for such sonnes of darknesse , and exclude such foolish virgins that have neither oyle in their vessels nor light in their lamps : i onely speak of that good , that righteousnesse which is rested in without christ , and lifts up men above christ , which in deed & in truth is not true righteousnesse , but only a true shadow of it . and therefore as beza well observes from rom. . . why did not israel , that followed after righteousnesse attain it ? because they sought it not by faith , but as it were by the works of the law : they were not fruits of sincere obedience to the law , but as it were the works of the law ; now this , saith the apostle , verse . is the stumbling stone in sion . christ will have all flesh vaile , and be stript naked , and made nothing before him , before they shall ever be built upon him ; now this men stumble at , they must bring something to him , they will not be vile , emptinesse , and nothingnesse , that he may be all to them ; verily observe your selves & you shall find , if there be little humiliation , there is little of christ ; if much humiliation , much of christ ; if unconstant humiliation , uncertain fruition of christ ; if reall humiliation , reall possession of christ ; if false humiliation , imaginary fruition of christ. know it , you cannot perish if you fall not short here , you must perish if you do . be exhorted therefore to lye down in the dust before the lord , and under the lord ; nay intreat the lord that he would put thee upon his wheele , and mould thy heart to his will ; why will you rest in any good you have ? oh remember thy father was a syrian ready to perish ; and thy selfe polluted , an infinite endlesse evill . what ever good thou dost , is it not a polluted stream , of a more polluted spring ? nay , suppose the spirit works any good in thee , yet is it not polluted by thy unclean heart ? nay , suppose any actions should be perfect , yet remember the lord spared not the angels that sinned ; perfection present cannot satisfie justice for pollution past . cry out therefore , and say , oh lord , now i see not onely that my sinne is vile , but that my self and all my righteousnesse is vile also ; and now though the lord stands at a distance , speaks no peace , heare 's no prayers , yet because thou art very vile , lye downe under him , that if he will he may tread upon thee , and thereby exalt himselfe , as well as lift thee up , and exalt thee . be not carelesse whether the lord help or no , but be humble , not to quarrell in case he should not : for , . suppose thou art not onely miserable , but sinfull , and the lord ( thou sayst ) takes it not away , yet remember that to quarrell with god for withdrawing his hand , is a sin also , lam. . . and wilt thou adde sinne to sinne ? . why art thou quiet and still when the lord denyes thee any common mercy ? is it not because the lord will have it so ? now look as we say of him that hates sin as sin , that he hates all sinne ; so he that is meekned with gods good pleasure in any one thing , because of his good pleasure in it , upon the same ground will at least desire to stoop in every thing . suppose therefore it be the lords good pleasure to deny thee mercy , i grant you must pray for it , yet with submission to the good will of the lord , saying , the lords will is good , but mine is evill ; otherwise , thou hast no meeknesse in any thing , that art not meekly subject to his will in every thing . . the greatest pride that is in man , appeares here ; for suppose the lord should deny thee bread , or water , or clothes , was it your duty to murmur now ? nay , was it not pride , if the heart would not lye down , and say , lord i am worthy to have my bread pluckt from my mouth , and my clothes from my back . now if it be pride to murmur in case the lord denyes you smaller matters , the offals of this life , dost not thou see that its far greater pride for thee to sink and quarrell with him , if he denyes thee greater , and the things of another life ? is he bound to give thee greater , that doth not owe thee the least ? suppose a begger murmur at thy doore , if thou dost deny him bread , or a cup of drink , wilt thou not account him a proud stout begger ? but if thou givest him that , and then he quarrell and murmur at thee because thou dost not give him a thousand pound , or thy whole estate when he asks it , will you not say , i never met with the like insolencie ? the lord gives you your lives , blessed be his name , but you aske for treasures of grace and mercy , thousands of pounds , christ himself , and all that he is worth , and the lord seems to deny you , and now you sink , and grow sullen , and discontent , and quarrell , and murmur at god , not directly , but secretly , and slily ; may not the lord now say ; was there ever such pride and insolency ? and therefore as christ spake of himselfe , iohn . , . a corne of wheat cannot live unlesse it die first ; so know it , you shall never live with christ , unlesse you die and perish in your selves , unlesse you be sowne and lye under the clods of your owne wretchednesse , faith will never spring up in such a soule . as t is in burnings , the fire must be first taken out , before there can be any healing ; so this impatient spirit which torments the soule , must first be removed , before the lord will heale thee . . consider the approaching times ; i do beleeve the lord at this day is comming out to shake all nations , all hearts , all consciences , all conditions , and to teare and rend from you your choicest blessings , peace and plenty , both externall and internall also ; for there is need of it , our age growes full , and proud , and wanton , a mans price is falne in the market , unlesse his locks and new fashions commend him to the world . oh consider when god comes to ●end all from you , then you may finde a need of the exercise of this duty ; it may be the time is comming wherein you shall have nothing to support your hearts , you shall find rest in no way but this ; i know assurance of gods love may quiet you , but what if the lord shake all your foundations and deprive you of that ? what will you doe then ? and therefore as zephany cap. . . having foretold of the evill day , cryes unto his hearers , seeke meeknesse yee meeke of the earth ; seek meeknesse , so say i to you : for you will find all little enough . come downe from thy throne and be the footstoole and threshold of christ jesus , before the dayes of darknesse come upon you ; be content to be a cipher , a stepping-stone , the very offall of the world . but you will say , wherein should i expresse this humiliation and subjection ? bee highly thankfull for any little the lord gives , lam. . , . be humble and judge thy selfe worthy of nothing when the lord denies ; and verily you shall find the lord jesus ere long speaking peace unto you , and giving you rest in his bosome , that now art quietly contented to lye still at his feet . for some helps thereunto . . remember whose thou art , viz. the lords clay , and he thy potter , and therefore may doe with thee what he will. rom. . . . remember what thou art ; viz. a polluted vessell , a kind of infinite endlesse evill , as i have oft said ; see the picture of thy own vilenesse in the damned in hell who are full , and shall through all eternity powre out all manner of evill . iob . , . . remember what thou hast been , and how long thou hast made warre against christ with all thy might , and heart , and strength ; why should the lord the●efore choose thee before others ; ier. . . when as , ( aske thy conscience ) was there ever such a wretch since the world began as thou hast been ? . remember what thou wilt be ; fit for no use to jesus christ , good for nothing , but to pollute his holy name when thou medlest with it ; and why should the lord take up such a dry leafe , isay . . and breath upon such a dry bone ? . remember how good the lords will is , even when it crosseth thine ; he shall have infinite glory by all his denials to thee of what thou wouldst , he shall gaine that , though thou losest thy peace and quietnesse , that good which thy foolish sinfull will desires at his hand ; iohn . , . and if so , blessed be his name , let god live , but let man dye and perish , that he may be exalted of vile man. . remember the sweet rest thou shalt have by this subjection to the lord , nothing is mans crosse , but mans will ; a stubborn will like a stubborne heifer in the yoake galls and frets the soule ; learn meeknesse , saith our saviour , of me in taking my yoake on you , and then you shall find rest . hell would not bee hell , to a heart truly humbled . sometimes you find inlargements , then you are glad ; sometime none , then you sinke ; sometimes you have hope of mercy , then you are calme ; sometimes you lose your hopes , then the sea workes ; when the lord pleaseth you , then you are well , but if a little crosse befall you , then your spring is muddy , and a little thing troubles ; oh be humble & vile in thine owne eyes , and verily such uncertaine fits of peace and trouble are done , and the dayes of all your mourning are now ended . of thankfulnesse , to all those whom the lord hath truly humbled ; time was , when the lord first convinced you , that so long as you could make any shift , find rest in any duties , you would never lye down at christs feet , now the lord might have left you to have stumbled at that stumbling-stone , and to have stuck in those bushes , but you may see that the lord will save you even then when you would not be saved by him ; and especially take notice of two passages of gods dealings with you , wherein usually you find matter of discouragement , rather then of acknowledgment of gods goodnesse to you therein . . that the lord hath withdrawn all feeling of any good , which it may be once you felt , and that the lord hath let out more of the evill of your hearts then ever you imagined was in them , nay so much evill that you think there is none like unto you , who hast now no heart nor power to stirre , think , defire , will , or doe any thing that is good : oh blesse the lord for this , for this is gods way to humble , and empty , and make thee poor ; the lord saw ( though it may be you did not ) that you rested in that good you felt , and was or would be lifted up by these , and therefore the lord hath broke those crazy cr●tches , famisht now , brought you downe to nothing , made you like dry desarts ; all the hurt the lord aimeth at in this , being only to humble you , and though these desertions be bitter for the present , yet that by these he might doe you good in your latter end : oh brethren the apostle stands at a stay and desires the corinthians to consider , you see your calling , saith he , cor. . not many mighty , not many wise , but things that are not doth he call , that no flesh might glory : the lord , saith moses , deut. . , . suffered thee to want , ( that was the first ) and then fed thee , that he might prove thee and humble thee ; remember this , saith he : so say i to you ; remember this mercy , that when the lord makes you worst of all ( not really , but ) in your own eyes , that then the lord is about this glorious work . . that the lord hath kept you ( it may be a long time too ) from sight and sense of his peculiar love ; one would wonder why the lord should hide his love so much , so long , from those to whom he doth intend it ; the great reason is , because there is in many a one , a heart desirous of his love , and this would quiet them , if they were sure of it ; but they never came to bee quieted with gods will , in case they think they shall never partake of his love : but are above that , oppose and resist and quarrell with that , unhumbled under that ; the lord therefore intending to bestow his favour onely upon a humbled sinner , he will therefore hide his face untill they lye low , and acknowledge themselves worthy of nothing but extremity of misery ; unworthy of the least mercy : the people of god lam. . . cry out that the comforter which should refresh their soule was farre from them ; what was gods end in this ? you shall see the end of it , verse . the lord is righteous , ( here the church is humbled ) for i have rebelled ; or ( as sanctius reads it ) i have made his mouth bitter , that the lord speaks no peace to me , but bitter things . the cause is in my owne selfe , and therefore if he never comfort me , nor speak good word unto me , yet he is righteous , but i am vile : and you will find this certain , that as the lord therefore humbles that he may exalt , so the lord never refuseth to exalt ( in hiding his face ) but it is to humble . and is this the worst the lord aimes at , and will you not be thankfull ? why are you then discouraged when you find it thus with you ? doe not say the lord never dealt thus with any as with me ; suppose that , the reason then is , because the lord sees , never had any such a high heart as thou hast ; but oh be thankfull , that notwithstanding this , he will take the pains to take it downe . thus much for humiliation , i come now to the fourth and last , which is faith. sect . . the fourth and last act of christs power , is the worke of faith. the lord having wounded and humbled his elect and laid them downe dead at his feet , they are now as unable to beleeve as they were to humble their owne soules , and therefore now the lord takes them up into his owne armes , that they leane and rest on the bosome of their beloved by faith . after ioseph had spoken roughly to his brethren , and thereby brought the blood of their brother to remembrance , and so had humbled them ; then he can containe no longer , but discovers himselfe to them , and tells them , i am ioseph whom you wickedly sold , yet feare not ; so doth our saviour carry it towards his elect , when he laid them low : now is the very season for him to advance the glory of his grace , he cannot now containe himselfe any longer ; but having torne and taken away that vaile of sinne and of the law from off their hearts , now they see the lord with open face , even the end of that which was to be abolished , cor. . the explication of this great work , is of exceeding great difficulty ; nothing more stirring then faith in a true christian , because hee lives by it , yet it is very little known ; as children in the wombe , that know not that navill-string by which they principally live : i shall therefore bee wary , and leaving larger explications , acquaint you with the nature of faith , in this brief descrip●ion of it . faith is that gracious work of the spirit , whereby an humbled sinner receiveth christ ; or whereby the whole soule cometh out of it selfe to christ , for christ and all his benefits , upon the call of christ in his word . before i open this particularly , give me leave to premise some generall considerations ; faith is the complement of effectuall vocation , which begins in gods call , and ends in this answer to that call ; the lord prevents a poore humbled soule , with his call , either not knowing how , or not able , or not daring to come ; and then the soule comes , and hence men called , and beleeving are all one , rom. . . with . many a wounded sinner will be scrambling after christ from some generall reports of him , before the day and houre of gods glorious and gracious call . now for any to receive christ , or come to christ , before he is called , is presumption ; to refuse christ when called , is rebellion ; to come and receive when called , is properly and formally faith , and that which the scripture stiles , the obedience of faith , rom. . . and now christ at this instant is fully and freely given , on gods part , when really and freely come unto and taken on our part . this receiving of christ or coming to christ are for substance the same , though the words be diverse ; the holy ghost useth to expresse one and the same thing in variety of words , that our feeblenesse might the better understand what he meaneth . and hence in scripture , beleeving , coming , receiving christ , rolling , trusting , cleaving to the lord , &c. set out one and the same thing ; and therefore it is no wonder if our divines have different descriptions of faith in variety of words , which if well considered d●e but set out one and the same thing : and i doe conceive they doe all agree in this description i have now mentioned ; i know there are some who tread awry here , whom i shall briefly note out , and so passe on to what we intend . . the papists , with some others of corrupt judgements , at least of weak apprehensions among our selves , describe faith to be nothing else but a supernaturall assent to a divine truth , because of a divine testimony : ex. gr . to assent to this truth , that christ is come , that he is the sonne of god ; that hee was dead and is risen againe , that he is the saviour of the world , &c. and to confirme this they produce , mat. . . ioh. . . it is granted that this assent is in faith , for faith alway hath respect to some testimony , for man by his fall hath lost all knowledge of divine and supernaturall truths ; hence god reveales them in his word ; hence faith sees them and assents to them , because god hath spoken them : to see and know things by vision , is to see things in themselves intuitively and immediately ; but to see things by faith is to see them by and in a testimony given of them . iohn . . blessed is he that hath not seen , ( i. e. christ immediately ) but beleeved , i. e. his testimony , and on him in it ; this assent therefore is in faith ( for we must beleeve christ before we can beleeve in him ) but this comprehends not the whole nature of faith , i meane of that faith we are now speaking of , viz. a● it unites us to christ , and possesseth us with christ. for , . this description placeth faith onely in the understanding , whereas t is also in the will , as the words trusting , rolling , &c. intimate . . this assent is meerly generall , without particular application , which is ever in true faith , gal. . . . this is such a faith , as the devils may have , iames . . and reprobate men may have , pet. . , . heb. . . there is a wilfull refusing of the known truth . . it is the papists ayme to vilifie faith hereby , by describing it by that which is one ingredient in it , but excluding that which is principall ; those phrases therefore of beleeving christ to be come in the flesh , iohn . . and that he is the sonne of god , mat. . . as if this were the onely object of faith , are not to be understood exclusively , excluding other acts of faith , which the scripture in other places sets downe clearly ; but inclusively , as supposing them to be contained herein : for as we in our times describing faith by relying upon christ for salvation , do not exclude hereby our beleeving that he is the messiah ; but we include it , or suppose it , because that is not now questioned , the truth of the gospel being so abundantly cleared ; so in those times , they described faith by one principall act , to beleeve that he was the sonne of god , and come into the flesh , because this was the maine and principall thing in question then : and if the lord had not set out faith by other acts in scripture , we should not vary from our compasse in such expressions in the word in these dayes , for their faith then , is exemplary to us now ; but because the word doth more fully set it out in more speciall acts , hence we set it out also by them ; for t is evident , as the jews did beleeve in a messiah to come , so they did also beleeve , and look for all good from him , iohn . . he will teach us all things when he comes ; and therefore their faith did not confine it selfe to that historicall act that a messiah should come , or that this was the messiah , but they did expect and look for all good from him ; and hence the apostle expounding this saying , viz. beleeving that christ is dead and risen againe , wee shall hereby be saved : if thou beleevest ( saith he ) with thine heart this truth , thou shalt be saved . now to beleeve with the heart as it doth not exclude assent , so it necessarily includes the acts of the will and affections in relying upon him , and comming to him . and hence , when peter had made that confession , acts . . christ tells him thou art peter ; i. e. a stone resting upon the rock , ( as some good interpreters expound it ) and therefore peters faith did not exclude these principall acts of resting on christ , cleaving to christ , but did include and suppose them . . some run into another extreame , and make faith nothing else , but a perswasion or assurance that christ dyed for me in particular , or that he is mine . that which moves some thus to think , is the universall redemption by the death of christ , they know no ground or bottome for faith but this proposition , christ dyed for thee , and hence make redemption universall : and hence the arminians boast so much of their quod unusquisque tenetur credere , &c. but . this is a false bottome , for christ hath not dyed for all , because he hath not prayed for all , iohn . . t is a sandy bottome and foundation , which when a christian rests upon , it shakes under him , when the soule shall think , though christ hath dyed for me , yet no more for me then for iudas , or thousands of reprobates now in hell . indeed after faith , a christian is bound to beleeve it , as paul did , gal ▪ . . cor. . , . i conceive therefore those holy men of ours who have described faith by assurance , have not so much aymed at a description of what faith is in it selfe , as it possesseth us with christ ; but of what degree and extent it may be , and should be in us ; they describe it therefore by the most eminent act of it , in full assurance : and therefore consult with the authors of this description , and enquire of them , is there no doubting mixt with faith ? yes , say they , mans doubtings sometimes are even unto a kind of despaire , but then ( say they ) it should not be thus . the papists commend doubtings , and deny assurance , place faith in a generall assent ; our champions that were to wrastle with them , maintained it to be a particular application , ( and not onely a generall assent ) and that with a ful assurance of perswasion , which being the most eminent act of faith , excludes not other inferiour acts of it , which as they are before it , so may possesse the soule with christ without it . although withall , it is certaine , that there is no true faith , but it hath some assurance of which afterward . let me now come to the explication of the description given , where note these five things . . the efficient cause of faith , it is a work of the spirit . . the subject , or matter in which it is seated , viz. the soule of an humble sinner . . the forme of it , viz. the comming of the whole soule to christ. . the end of it , viz. for christ and all his benefits . . the speciall ground and means of it , viz. the call of christ in his word . . the efficient cause of faith. faith is a gracious work of the spirit of christ , the spirit therefore is the efficient cause or principall workman of faith ; the spirit doth not beleeve , but causeth us to beleeve ; t is not principium quod , the principle which doth beleeve , but principium quo , the principle by which we doe : the soules of all the elect ( especially when humbled ) are , of all other things , most unable to beleeve : nay look as before compunction and humiliation , satan held the soule captive chiefly by its lusts and sinnes ; so now when the lord hath burnt those cords , and broken those chaines , all the powers of darknesse strengthen themselves , and keep the soule under mightily , by unbeliefe ; what doe you tell me of mercy ? ( saith the soule ) t is mercy which i have continually resisted , desperately despised ; why doe you perswade me to beleeve ? alas ! i cannot ; t is true , all that which you say is true , if i could beleeve , but i cannot see christ , i cannot come at christ , i seek him in the meanes , but he forsakes me there , and i am left of god desolate : and here beloved , the soule had not formerly so many excuses for its sinne , as now it hath clouds of objections against beleeving ; the spirit therefore takes fast hold of the soules of all the elect , drawes them unto christ ; and therefore it is called the spirit of faith , cor. . . and that by an omnipotent and irresistable power . esay . . who hath beleeved ? and to whom is the arme of the lord revealed ? that the soule must and shall beleeve now . compell them to come in , saith the lord of the supper , luke . . this the arminians will not beleeve , for ( say they ) the question is not , whether we are enabled to beleeve by grace ? but , whe●her it be after this manner , and by this meanes , viz. modo irresistibile ? consider therefore these reasons , to cleare this point . . whence doth our call , and comming to christ arise , but from gods immoveable and unchangeable purpose ? the lord therefore must either alter his purpose , or prevail with the soule to beleeve , and over-power the heart thereunto . . is not christ jesus bound by office & promise to his father to bring in all his lost scattered sheep , that so the father and he may be glorified in them ? iohn . . other sheep i have , those i must bring home , and they shall heare my voice . you that complaine you cannot beleeve , nay that you have no heart to beleeve , the lord must fetch you in ; and you shall heare the bride-groomes voice with joy . . is not the act of beleeving wrought by a creating power ? eph. . . eph. . . esay . , . i create the fruit of the lips peace , peace to him that is near , and a far off : and is not a creating voice irresistible , though there be nothing for it to work upon ? so though you have no ability , heart , head , or strength to beleeve , yet the lord will create the fruit of the lips of gods messengers peace , peace . . doth not the lord let in that infinite and surpassing sweetnesse of grace , when he works the soule to beleeve , standing in extreame need of that grace , that it cannot but come and cleave to it ? psal. . , . i long to see thee , saith david , for thy loving kindnesse is better then life ; is it possible for a man not to cleave to his life ? much more to that which is better then life : the light is so cleare , it cannot but see and wonder at grace , the good is so sweet , it cannot but tast and accept what god so freely offers ; and therefore the poor canaanitish woman , mat. . could not be driven away , though christ bid her in a manner be gone ; but she made all the objections against her arguments for her ( as usually faith doth , when under this stroake of the spirit ) the violent take the kingdome of heaven by force ; the spirit puts a necessity upon them , and irresistibly overpowers them , and this is the cause of it . and is not this matter of great consolation to all those who feele themselves utterly unable to beleeve ? you think the lord would give peace and pardon , life and mercy , if i could beleeve ; oh consider the lord hath undertaken in the covenant of grace to worke in all his the condition of the covenant , as well as to convey the good of it . ier. . , , , . he hath done this for others by an irresistible power , heb. . , . look up to jesus the author and finisher of your faith , he came out of his fathers bosome not onely to give life by his death , but to enable his to eat and close with him by faith , that they might never dye , iohn . . so that the lord may work it in thee ; it is true also , he may not , yet it is unspeakable comfort to consider , that if the lord had put it over unto thee to beleeve , it is certaine , thou shouldst never have beleeved , but now the work is put into the hand of christ ; that which is impossible to thee , is possible , nay easie , with him ; hee can comprehend thee , when thou canst not apprehend him : this is exceeding sweet when thy body is sick ▪ and soule is deserted , incredible things to be beleeved are propounded , an impossible work to thy weaknesse urged , upon paine of gods sorest and most unappeasable wrath ; to consider it is not in me , but in the lords owne hand , and it is his office , his glory to work faith , and as the apostle speakes , to shew mercy unto them that are shut up , not onely under sinne , but also unbeleefe ; rom. . . but why hath the lord made thee feele thy inability to beleeve ? truly the end of our wants is not to make us sin and shift for our selves , but to aske and seek for supply , and the end of the continuance of those wants is , that we should continue to aske and seek . and dost thou thinke thou shalt seek to the lord by his owne hand to create faith and fetch thee in , and will not the lord take his time to work it ? he that beleeves , saith the apostle , rom. . . shall not bee ashamed ; why so ? because the lord , saith he , who is over all , is rich unto all that call upon him , verse . if thou hast not a heart shut up from asking of it ; the lord who hath power , hath not a heart shut up towards thee from working it . but withall be thankfull exceedingly , all you whose hearts the lord hath drawne and overcome ; he came to his owne people the jewes , and would oft have gathered them , but they would not , and therefore he forsook them , and left their habitations desolate ; oh how oft would the lord have gathered you , and you would not ! yet the lord hath not forsaken you , but called you in whether you would or no ; the lord hath taken many a man at his first word , and left him at the first repulse , shaken off the dust of his feet against him presently , mat. . . without any more intreaties to accept of him ; yet though thou hast not only refused , but even crucified the sonne of god , yet hee hath not been driven from thee , but his bowels have been oft kindled together , when he hath been ready to give thee up : when thou hast been under the hedges , and in the high-wayes that lead to death , & didst never think of him , nor didst desire him , yet hee hath compelled thee to come in ; hee hath made thee feel su●h an extream need of him , and made himselfe so exceeding sweet , that thou hast not been able to resist his love , but to cry out , lord thou hast overcome me with mercy , i am not able to resist any more ; nay which is more wonderfull , when thou hast been gathered , and gone from him , and lost thy selfe and him also againe , and it may be hast bin offended at him ; yet he hath gone before thee into galilee , and gathered thee up when thou hast been as water spilt upon the ground ; what should be the cause of this , but only this ? the work of faith lies upon him , both to begin and finish ; he must gather in all his lost sheep , and therefore hee hath put forth an irresistible power of his spirit upon thy heart , which must carry thee captive after him . i am afraid my faith hath been rather presumption , a work of my owne power , then faith wrought by the spirits power ; how may i discerne that ? if you are wrapt up in gods covenant , if any promise be actually yours , it is no presumption to take possession by faith of what is your owne ; dost thou seriously will christ , and resolve never to give the lord rest , untill he give thee rest in him ▪ then see , rev. . . whosoever will , let him take of the water of life . dost thou thirst after christ ? then read esay . , 〈…〉 iohn . . if any man thirst , let him come unto me and drink . when christ saw their faith ▪ mat. . , . what said he ? sonne , be of good cheere , thy sinnes be forgiven , the word signifies , be confident . it is no presumption to beleeve pardon of sinnes now thou art come unto me , not onely for the healing of thy body , but especially for pardon of sinne . it is the great sin of many saints , when they doe thirst , and beleeve , and come to christ , and so are under the promise of grace ; yet they think it presumption now to believe and take possession of all those treasures that be in christ , but look that the lord should first make them feele , and then they will beleeve ; whereas faith should now receive and drinke in abundantly of the fulnesse of christ : shall it be accounted presumption for any man to eat his owne bread , and drink his owne drink , and put on his owne cloathes ? the promise makes christ and all his benefits your owne , therefore it is no presumption to apply them . suppose you cannot find your selfe within any promise , and you see no reason to beleeve , onely you have the lords call and command to beleeve ▪ doe you now in conscience and obedience to this command , or to gods invitation and intreaty in the gospell , beleeve , because thou ●●rest not dishonour god by refusing his 〈◊〉 ? thou dost therefore accept o● it , this is no presumption , unlesse obedience be presumption ; nay the most acceptable obedience , which is the obedience of faith , iohn . . for what was the ground on which those beleeved ? acts . , . &c. peter said , repent that you may receive remission of sinnes ; now what followes ? they that gladly received the word , were baptized : oh that word , repent , i. e. as beza expounds it , return to god and come in , was a most sweet word to them , and therefore they received it ; this was no presumption , either for peter to exhort them to repent , or for them to take the lord ( as that godly man said ) at his first word . i know there is a subjection to the gospell arising only from slavish fear and carnall hopes , psal. . . psal. . . this may bee in presumptuous reprobates , but there is a subjection arising from the sense of the sweetnesse and exceeding goodnesse of gods call and promise , psal. . , . as a woman that is overcome with the words of her loving suitor , the man is precious , and hence his words are very sweet , and overcome her heart to think , why should such a one as i be lookt upon , by one of such a place ? it is no presumption now , but duty to give her consent : so it is here ; when the lord is precious and his words [ oh accept me , oh come to me ] are exceeding sweet ; and hereupon out of obedience gladly yeelds up it selfe to the lord , takes possession of the lord , this is no more presumption , then to sanctifie a sabbath , or to pray , or heare the word , because the lords commands are herein very sweet . if repentance accompanies faith , t is no presumption to beleeve ; many know they sinne , and hence beleeve in christ , trust to christ , and there is an end of their faith ; but what confession and sorrow for sinne , what more love to christ followes this faith ? truly none ; nay their faith is the cause why they have none ; for they think , if i trust to christ to forgive them , he will doe it , and there is an end of the businesse . verily this hedge faith , this bramble ●aith that catches hold on christ , and pricks and scratches christ by more impenitency , more contempt of him , is meere presumption , which shall one day be burnt up , and destroyed by the fire of gods jealousie . fie upon that faith that serves onely to keep a man from being tormented before his time . your sins would be your sorrowes , but that your faith quiets you . but if faith be accompanyed with repentance , mourning for sin , more esteem of gods grace in christ , so that nothing breaks thy heart more then the thoughts of christs unchangeable love to one so vile , and this love makes thee love much , and love him the more ; as thy sin increaseth , so thou desirest that thy love may increase , and now the stream of thy thoughts runne , how thou mayst live to him that dyed for thee . this was maries faith , who sate at christs feer weeping , washing them with her teares , and loving him much , because much was forgiven ; who though shee was accounted a presumptuous woman by simon , and christ himselfe suffered in his thoughts , for suffering of her to come so neare unto him ; yet the lord himselfe cleares her herein , and justifies her before god and men : many a poor beleever thinks , if i should beleeve , i should but presume , and spin a spiders web of faith out of my owne bowels : and hence you shall observe , this not beleeving stops up the work of repentance , mourning and love , and all chearfull obedience in them ; and on the contrary , if they did beleeve , it would be with them as themselves think many times , if i knew the lord was mine , and my sins pardoned , oh how should i then blesse him , and love him , and wonder at him ! how would this break my heart before him ! &c. now i say , let all the world judg , if that which thou thinkest would be presumption , be not rebellion , because it makes thee worse ; and stops up the spirit of grace in thee . whereas that faith which lets out those blessed springs of sorrow , love , thankfulnesse , humblenesse , &c. what can it bee else but such a saving faith as is wrought by the spirit , because it lets in the spirit more abundantly into a dry and desolate heart ? . the subject or matter of faith. this is the second thing in the description of faith , the soule of an humbled sinner is the subject or matter of faith. i doe not meane the matter out of which faith is wrought , ( for there is nothing in man out of which the spirit begets it ) but that wherein faith is seated ; i meane also the habit of faith , not the principle of it ; for that is out of man in the lord jesus , who is therefore called our hope , as wel as our strength ; the soule therefore is the subject of faith , called the heart , rom. . . compared with mat. . . for we cannot goe or come to christ in this life with our bodies , we are here absent from the lord , cor. . but the soule can goe to him , the heart can bee with him , as the eye can see a miles off , and receive the species or image of the things it sees into it , so the soule inlightned by faith , can see christ a farre off , it can long for , choose , and rest upon the lord of life , and receive the lively image of christs glory in it ; cor. . ult . if christ were present upon earth , the soule ( not the body ) onely could truly receive him ; christ comes to his elect only by his spirit , and hence our spirits only are fit to receive him and close with him ; thousands heare christ outwardly , that inwardly are deafe to all gods calls , their spirits see not , tast not , feel not ; it is therefore the soule that is the subject of faith : and i say it is an humbled empty soule which is the subject ; for a full , proud , nbroken spirit cannot , nay will not receive christ , as wee have proved ; and therefore luke . the servant is commanded to bid the poore , halt , and blind , and lame , to come in ; they would not make excuses as others did : they that were stung to death with fiery serpents , were the only men that the brasen serpent was lifted up for them to look upon , and so be healed , iohn . . and therefore the promise doth not run , if any man have wisdome let him aske it , but if any man want wisdom , iames . . so if any man want light , life , want peace , pardon , want christ and his spirit , let them aske and the lord will give , away with your mony if you come to these waters to buy , and take freely ; if any man would be wise , let him be a foole , ( saith the blessed apostle ) an empty nothing ; a soule in a perishing , helplesse , hopelesse condition , is the subject of faith ; such only feele their need of christ , are glad at the offer of christ , and therefore such only can and will receive christ , and come unto christ by faith : and truly if we had but hearts , the consideration of this might be ground of great comfort & confidence unto all gods people , whose soules come unto jesus christ ; for that which was in thomas , iohn . is in all men naturally , if we could see christ with our eyes , and feel him with our hands , and embrace him ( as mary did ) with our arms , if we could heare himselfe speake , we could then beleeve ; as they said , if he will come from the crosse , so we say , if he will come downe from heaven thus unto us , we will then beleeve ; if we want this we fear we may be at last deceived , because we want sense , and cannot come to close with our eyes and hands the objects of our faith ; but oh consider this point , we are made partakers of christs life , and salvation by him , only yet certainly by faith . now this faith is not by seeing him with our eyes , comming neare to him with our bodies , but comming to him with our soules ; the soule is the seat of faith . now this you may doe though you never thus saw him , whom though you see not , yet beleeving you rejoice : this comming of the soule to christ , doth make a firmer union between thee and christ , then if thou wert bodily present with him in heaven . for many touched and crowded him , that never were truly united to him , or received vertue from him . if our soules were in the third heaven with christ , who of us would then doubt of our portion in him ? i tell you if your soules goe out of sinne and selfe , unto christ jesus , and there rest , this makes you nearer to him , then if your soules were under his wing in the highest heavens . the poore sea-man when hee is neare dangerous shores , when he cannot goe downe to the depth of the sea to fasten his ship , yet if hee can cast his anchor twenty or forty fathom deep , and if that holds , this quiets him in the sorest stormes ; when we are tossed and cannot come to christ with our bodily presence , yet if our soules can come , if our faith our anchor can reach him , and knit us to him , this should exceedingly comfort our hearts . how , and where should my soule come to christ , who is now absent from me ? christ comes to you in his word and covenant of grace , there is his spirit , his truth , goodnesse , love , faithfulnesse ; receive this , you receive him ; embrace this , you embrace him ; as among our selves , we see great estates are conveyed and surrendred by bond and writings . act. . . when they received the word , they received christ. ioh. . . if my words abide in you , i. e. if i abide in you by my words , you shall be fruitfull . by the word let thine eye pitch upon the person ; doe not onely account the promise true , but with sarah , account him faithfull who hath promised , and then let thy heart roll it selfe upon that grace and faithfulnesse revealed in this word ; leane upon the breast of this beloved : and thus the soule by the chariot wheeles and wings of the word , is possessor of christ in it , and carryed up to christs crosse , as dying , gal. . . and from thence to his glory in his kingdo● by it , heb. . , . as a man that gives a great estate by some writing to us , we beleeve it as if he were present ; and by this we doe not onely beleeve the writing to ●e true , but the man to be be faithfull and loving to us ; and hereupon our hearts are carryed after the man himselfe , though afar off from us . thus we ascend to christ in the cloud of faith ; as iacob , though he could hardly beleeve , yet as soone as he was perswaded ioseph was yet alive , his spirit presently revived , and it was immediately with him , before his body came to him : so t is with faith ; the soule goes unto christ , before our bodies and soules both together shal have immediate communion with him . . the forme of faith. this is the third thing in the description of faith ; the comming of the whole soule out of it selfe unto christ , is the forme of faith , and that wherein the life and essence of it consists , and which doth difference it from all other graces of the spirit . the first act of faith , as it unites us to christ , is not assurance that he is mine , but a comming to him with assurance , that hereby he is become mine . come unto the waters , and so buy wine and milke , i. e. now make them your owne . the weary and heavy laden shall not have rest , unlesse they come to christ for it . faith doth nothing for life , ( for that is the law of works ) it onely receives him who hath done all for it , it comes out of all it hath or doth , ( like abraham , that left his servants behind him , when he went up to god in the mount ) unto christ for life . conceive it thus ; adam had a principle & stock of life in himselfe , in his owne hand , and therefore was to live by this , to live of himselfe , and from himselfe , and therefore had no need nor use of faith ; he lived by the law of works , which the apostle sets in a direct opposition to the law of faith ; but adam being now falne , hath lost his life , and became not like the man that fell among theeves betwixt jerusalem and jericho , stript , wounded , and halfe dead , but wholly dead , ephes. . . so that let any man seeke life from himselfe , its impossible he should live : for if there had been a law that could have given life , our righteousnesse should have been thereby , gal. . . hence it followes , if any man will have life , he must goe out of himselfe unto another , viz. the lord of life for it , iohn . . iohn . , , . now observe it , this very comming , this very motion of the soule to christ , ( a grace which adam neither had , nor had power to use ) is faith ; the spirit of christ moving or drawing the soule , the soul is thence moved , and so comes to christ , iohn . , . the soule by sinne is averted from god , and turns his back upon god ; the turning or comming of the soule ( not unto duties of holinesse , for that is obedience properly , but ) unto god in christ againe , is properly and formally faith. all evill is in mans selfe , and from himselfe ; all mans good is in christ , and from christ. the soules of all gods elect , seeing these things , forsake and renounce themselves , in whom and for whom is all th●ir evill , and come unto christ , in whom and from whom is all their good . this motion of the soule betweene these extreames , through that vast and infinite distance that is betweene a sinfull wretched man , and a blessed saviour , is faith ; for by faith principally we passe from death to life , iohn . . the soule of a poore sinner wounded and humbled , sometime knowes not christ , and then cryes out as those , act. . . what shall i doe ? whither shall i go ? sometimes dares not , sometimes cannot , it hath no heart to stir or come ; it therefore looks up , and longs , and goes unto the lord to draw it , like poore ephraim , ier. . . oh turne me lord , and then i shall be turned . lam. . . and this is the lowest and least degree of faith . but at some other time , the soule mourning for want of the lord , the lord comes unto it with great clearnesse , glory , and sweetnesse of grace and peace ; & hence the soule cannot but come and close with him , and cry rabboni , and say , oh lord , is it thy good pleasure to have respect to such a clod of earth , to tender such riches of grace to one so unworthy , and to bid , nay to beseech me to come and take ? lord behold i come : this is faith . would you have proofe of it ? consider therefore these particulars . . consider these scriptures : iohn . . i am the bread of life , he that commeth to me shall never hunger , and he that beleeveth in me shall never thirst . where you see comming to christ and beleeving in christ are all one . so iohn . . in the last day of the feast the lord christ cryrs out with much vehemencie , if any man thirst , let him come to me and drink . now in the next ver . . our saviour expounds this comming ; for , saith he , he that beleeveth on me , out of his belly , &c. so to come to christ , as upon this to drink in of christs fulnesse , is beleeving in christ. so heb. . . the apostle saith , without faith it is impossible to please god ; and then in rendring the reason of this , explaines what he meant by faith , viz. to be our comming unto god , upon a double testimony , beleeving f●●st that he is , secondly , that he is a rewarder of them that seek him diligently : or ( which is all one ) who doe come unto him . so iohn . . so many as received him , ( which is all one with comming ) he adopted them as sons , even to them that beleeve in his name . and hence we shall observe , that the scripture doth not attribute our righteousnesse and life to our beleeving of christ , but to our beleeving on christ in christ , ( a phrase peculiar to heavenly language , & therefore not found in any humane writer ) because it is not the bare beleeving of a testimony that save thus , unlesse we so beleeve it , as to beleeve in christ , which cannot be but by comming to him , and as it were in him , or into him , our union with christ being made compleat hereby . . that upon which the lord promiseth life , and salvation , and mercy , cannot be works , but faith , gal. . . heb. . . but throughout all the old and new testament , the lord promiseth life and salvation to commers , or to them that returne , ier. . . ezek. , . ioel . , . heb. . . iohn . . . if unbeliefe be nothing else but a departing from god , faith can be nothing else but a comming unto god , but that is the nature of unbeliefe , heb. . . heb. . . iohn . , , , , . iohn . , , , . the lords great plot is to gather all his elect under the wings of christ , mat. . . eph. . , . and therefore calls them to come under them by the voice of the gospel . the comming under them therefore can be nothing else but faith , the proper obedience to the gospel , as works are unto the voice of the law. thus faith is the comming of the soule to christ. but you will say , did not many come to christ that were never saved by him ? yes , many came to him with their bodily presence , that were excluded from him , iohn . . but you will say , doe not many mens soules come , are not many mens hearts moving towards christ , and yet excluded from christ ? doe not many cry lord , lord ? are not many inlightned and tast of this heavenly gift , and yet fall away ? i confesse t is very true ; and therefore it is set downe in this description of faith , that it is the comming of the whole soule unto christ. never did any yet come to christ and receive him with their whole souls , with all their hearts , but they had fruition of him , and blessednesse by him ; faith therefore is not the coming of the soul , but the coming of the whole soul unto jesus christ : and this you may be establisht in upon these grounds . . the scripture expresly calls for this , prov. . . trust in the lord with all thy heart , act. . . if thou believest with all thy heart thou shalt be saved , ioel , . . turn unto the lord with all your hearts , ier. . . you shall finde the lord when you seek him with your whole hearts . as when we have a great gift to bestow , and we ask a poor man to whom we intend to give it , whether he wil accept of it or no ? yes , saith he , with all my heart ; so t is here , the lord askes those he intends to bestow his son upon , and saith to them , you have lived thus long without him , and thus long abused him , will you now have him , and accept of him ? yes lord , with all my heart ; this is all the lord requires . doth the lord require no more of me , but to come ? lord , this voice is most sweet to me , i come , with all my heart i come . . because christ is worthy of the whole heart ; all must be sold away to buy this field , this treasure , mat. . . he that loveth father or mother more then me , is not worthy of me . a filthy lust , a base harlot hath had thy whole heart , and dost thou think the lord christ will have it divided ? is not one heart too little for him ? are not ten thousand souls too few to embrace him , or cleave to him ? . because without this your comming to him is but faigned . ier. . . they return to me not with their whole heart , but faignedly . to cleave to christ and a lust , to christ and a proud heart , cannot be unfaigned faith ; to goe to your lusts in time of peace , and fly to christ in times of extremity , is damnable hypocrisie . when conscience troubles you , you then goe to christ to ease you ; and when your unruly wills and lusts trouble you , you goe to the world to ease you , and so your hearts are divided , and you come not wholly and onely unto christ for rest . beleeve it , it is such a faith by which you may as samuel did on sauls garment , take hold of him , but the lord will never take hold of you . set a branch in the stock , if it stayes loosely in it , and is not set very neare to it , it will wither in time ; and this is the great cause of withering christians , and of so many apostates in these evill times . those that came to christ , iohn . and followed him for a time , but afterward fell away , v●●se . what was the reason of their fall ? viz. when they were offended at christ , they knew whither to goe from christ ; but what saith peter ? lord , whither should we goe ? ver . . if you lay the pipes that are to convey water from a full fountaine , but one foot or one inch short of it , there cannot be any water derived from thence . oh beloved , what is the reason that many a mans faith doth him no good , derives no life , spirit , blood , efficacy , peace , power from the lord jesus ? is it because christ is a dry christ , and unwilling to communicate ? no , no , the wound is in their faith , that pipe is laid but halfe way to him , they fall one foot short of him , their soules come , but their whole soules doe not come to him , and hence they never reach christ , they lye not in christ , and therefore receive not from christ. christ is precious , ( here their soule comes ) but not exceeding precious , preciousnesse it selfe , as the word is , pet. . . ( here the whole soule doth not come ) they cleave to christ , and rest upon christ , ( here their soules come ) but they cleave not to christ onely , ( thus their whole soules doe not come . ) . if the whole soule by unbeliefe departs from god , then the whole soule must return and come again unto god. . if the want of this be the great cause why men are rejected of god , then the whole soule must returne to him : but this is the cause why all men under the meanes are rejected of god. israel would none of me , i. e. would not be content alone with me , would not take quiet contentment in me , ( as the hebrew word signifies ) the lord was not good enough for them ; but their hearts went out from him to other things , & therefore the lord gave them up to their own hearts lust , and they walked in their owne counsels . the woman that forsakes the guide of her youth , and sets her heart as much upon other men as her husband , is an adulteresse , for which onely shee shall have a bill of divorce . . because as the gospel first reveales christ to the mind , and then offers him to the will ; so faith which runs parallel with the gospel , first sees christ , ( there the mind , one part of the soule , goes out ) then receives christ gladly , ( there the other part , the will , goes out ) and so the whole soule comes to christ. the gospel comes to all the elect , first , in great clearnesse and evidence of the truth of it , thes. . . to which the understanding assents , and is perswaded of ; secondly , in great grace and goodnesse , surpassing beauty and sweetnesse , lam. . . with which the will is drawn , and so the whole soule comes unto christ : for the gospell is not onely true , but glad tidings to all the elect , especiall when humbled at gods feet , tim. . . in whom , saith the apostle , eph. . , . you beleeved , after that yee heard the word of truth , ( there is the object of the understanding ) the gospel of your salvation , ( there is the goodnesse of it , the object of the will ) so that the whole soule is drawne to christ in the work of faith . hee that understands how liberum arbitrium may be in two faculties , must not wonder , if one grace be seated in both faculties of understanding and will ; no grace can bee compleatly seated in divers faculties , but gradually and imperfectly it may ; the work of faith is not compleat , when the understanding is opened onely to see and wonder at the mysterie of mercy in the gospel ; but when the will adheres and claspes about that infinite and surpassing good it sees ; then it is perfected and not before , iohn . . and this is the reason why saving faith ( as it is called ) doth not look only to a bare testimony and assent unto it , as humane faith doth ; because in the gospell not only divine truth is propounded to the mind to assent unto ; but an infinite and eternall good is offered to the heart and will of man to embrace , and thence it is that it is not sufficient for a christian to beleeve god or to beleeve christ , but he must also believe in him , or else he cannot be saved ; the object of believing of him being verum , or truth ; the object of the second , bonum , or good : take heed therefore a poore lost sinner , undone in its owne eyes for ever , not knowing what to doe , unlesse it be to lye downe , and lye still at gods feet as worthy of nothing but hell ; what doth the lord now doe ? the lord christ by his gospell first lets in a new light , and it sees the lord jesus there bleeding before its eyes , and held forth as a propitiation to all that believe , to all that come to him ; the mind sees this mystery , this exceeding rich grace and free mercy , and thinks happy are they that share in this mercy , but will the lord look upon such a nothing as i ? can such infinite treasures be my portion ? the lord therefore calls and bids him come away and enter into the possession of it : thy sins indeed are great , saith the lord , yet remember blood-thirsty manasseh , persecuting paul was pardoned ; nay remember my grace is free , for whose sake i invite thee ; i beseech thee to come in , thy wants indeed are many , yet remember that thou hast therefore the more need and more cause to come , and that it is i that have made thee empty and poore on purpose , that thou mightest come : it is true , i have an eternall purpose to exclude many thousands from mercy , yet my purpose is unchangeable , never to cast off any that doe come for it ; i never did it yet , i will not doe it unto thee , if thou dost come : it is true , many may presume , yet it is no presumption , but duty to obey my great command ; and it is the greatest sin that ever thou didst , or canst commit , now to reject it , and refuse this grace ; come therefore poore , weary , lost , undone creature . hereupon the heart and will come , and rest , and roll themselves upon these bowels , and there rest ; thus the whole soule comes , and this i say againe is faith. iust as it is with the loadstone drawing the iron , who would think that iron should be drawn by it ? but there is a secret vertue comming from the stone which drawes it , and so it comes and is united to it ; so who would think that ever such an iron , heavy , earthy heart should be drawne unto christ ? yet the lord lets out a secret vertue of truth and sweetnesse from himselfe , which drawes the soule to christ , and so it comes . may not the consideration of this be of great consolation to those that want assurance , and therefore thinke they have no faith ? oh remember that if thou commest unto christ , as that poor woman of canaan , she had no assurance she should be helped of christ , nay christ tells her to her teeth , that he would not cast childrens bread to such dogs , yet she came to him , and looked up to free mercy , and claspt about him and would not away ; you will say , was this faith ? yes , our saviour himselfe professeth it before men and angels , oh woman , great is thy faith , mat. . . so i say unto all you poor creatures whom the lord hath humbled , and made vile in our own eyes , unworthy of childrens bread as dogs ; yet you look up unto , and rest upon mercy wi●h your whole heart ; this is precious faith in the account of christ. but how shall i know when the whole soule comes to christ ? when the eye of the soule so sees christ , and the heart so embraceth and resteth upon christ , as that it resteth in christ , as in its portion and all sufficient good : many rest upon christ that doe not rest in him , that is , that are not abundantly satisfied with him ; and hence their soules goe out of christ to other things to perfect their rest , and so their hearts are divided between christ and other things ; oh feare this , saith the apostle , lest there being a promise left us of entring into his rest , any of you fall short of it ; for ( saith he ) we that have beleeved doe enter into rest , verse . so say i to you ; of all delusions , fear this , lest when you come to christ , and rest upon christ for life and salvation , that you rest not in christ : i tell you , saith christ to those that came to him , and were constant followers of him , iohn . . except you eat the flesh and drinke the blood of the sonne of god , you have no life in you ; what is this eating and drinking ? verily , sipping and tasting is not properly eating and drinking , tasting your meat will not satisfie you , and therefore will not nourish life in you ; to eat and drink christ is so to receive him , as to satiate and satisfy the soul with him : to quench all your desires , your hungring and thirsting in him ; untill thy soule saith , as he said in another case , it is enough that joseph lives , so lord i have enough now i have this love , this grace of christ to be my portion ; now you rest in christ. for if there be some great good a man enjoyes , if there bee any good wanting in it , it is not possible that his whole heart should be set upon it : ex. gr . a man hath food , but if hee wants clothes , and his bread will not cloath him , his whole heart will not be set upon his food , but upon that which may cloath him also : so on the contrary if there bee an eminent good , wherein he finds all in one , no good out of it , that is wanting in it ; it is certain that the whole soule is carried after this good : so it is here , when the soule so comes to christ , as that it comes for all good to him , and so finds all good in him , that he now only supports the sinking soule , verily the whole soule is now come , because as it felt before it came all wants and evills out of him , so now it finds all fulnesse in him , and whither should the whole soule be carried but after such a good ? when the lord calls to the soule to come and take all with nothing , take all or nothing . and hereupon it comes and drinkes , as it is iohn . . satisfying it selfe there , and professing , lord i now desire no more , i have enough . oh brethren , what faith there is among men at this day i cannot tell , but this i am sure was abrahams faith , gen. . . and davids faith , sam. . . and peters faith , iohn . . and pauls faith , phil. . , . gal. . . when the soule thus rests upon the rock christ , the gates of hell may availe , but never prevaile against such a one : he that hath set the whole world at his heeles , and sold himselfe out of all for this pearle , and this abundantly recompenceth all his losses , such a one hath christ his owne , and shall never be deprived of him againe ; the lord never gives his elect any rest out of christ , that they may find rest at last in christ. when thus the soule is entred into rest , the whole soule is drawne here , and this is the great reason why many men famous in their generations and times in the eyes of others for faith ; yet rotten at the heart and thence turne apostates , one proves covetous , another ambitious , another voluptuous , another growes conceipted , another growes contentious , another growes formall . what is the reason of this ? verily , they did rest upon christ , but did never find rest in christ , and therefore their whole soule never came to him ; christ after some time of profession grew a dry and common christ unto them , though at first they wondred at him , and he was very sweet unto them ; and hence they departed from him , as from an empty dry pit in summer time where they found nothing to refresh them : but the lord jesus carries it towards all the faithfull , as elkanah did toward hannah ; though she was in a fit , much vexed and troubled for want of children , yet because he loved her exceeding dearly , he quiets her againe with this , am not i better unto thee then ten sonnes ? so though they may be unquiet for some odde fits for want of many things , yet because christ loves them , hee brings them back unto their rest , saying , am not i better then then all friends , all creatures , all abilities , all spirituall created excellencies ? and hereby they find rest to their soules , in him againe . but is there any beleevers heart so knit unto christ , but that there is a heart also after other vanities ? doe they find such rest in him , as that they find no disquietnesse ? is there not an unregenerate part and much unbelief , remaining ? is any mans faith made perfect that the whole soule must come , or else there is no true faith ? it is true , there is an unregenerate and a regenerate part in a godly man , but not a heart and a heart ( the note of a wicked man in scripture phrase ) there are disquietings in the hearts of saints after that they be in christ , even solomon himselfe may sometime seek out of christ for rest in his orchards and gardens , knowledge and wisdome ; yet there is a great difference between these that are in the saints , arising from the unregenerate part , and those that be in the wicked , arising from a heart and a heart , or a double heart : and this difference is chiefly seen in two things . a double minded man who hath a double heart makes not a dayly warre against that heart which carries him away from resting only in christ : for christ quiets his conscience , and the world comforts his heart . christ gives him some rest ; and because this is not full , his heart runs out to the creature , and to his lusts for more ; and so betweene them both hee hath rest , and hee is quieted with this , because he feeles what he sought for : and therefore he must needs have christ , else his conscience cannot be quiet , and hee must needs have his lusts , his ease , and this world too , else his heart is most unquiet ; but let him have both , he is now quiet . micah . . the priests teach for hire , ( there the world quiets them ) yet they will leane upon the lord too , because this also comfo●ts them ; what doe they now ? doe they make war against this wofull frame ? no , no , but ●lesse themselves in it , saying , no evill shall come to us ; but a poore bel●●ver whose heart is upright , it is true , there are many runnings out of his heart after other vaniti●● , and much unquietnesse of spirit , yet the regen●rate part makes warre against these , 〈◊〉 gods enemies , and the disturbers of the peace of christs kingdome ; psalme . david professeth , his teares were his meat day and night , verse . and his heart was wofully sunke and fallen , yet what doth hee ? first hee chides himselfe , why art thou cast down , oh my soule ? and then secondly he makes his mone to the lord of it , verse , . lord my soule is cast downe , oh lord pity me ; you shall see also , psal. . . his eyes were dazled with the glory of the world , and the wicked in it , that he had almost forsaken god ; yet within a little while after he gets into the sanctuary of god , and then loaths himselfe for such foolish and bru●ish thoughts ; and closeth with god againe , saying , whom have i in heaven or earth but thee ? verse . all the out-runnings of the hearts of the faithfull and their disquietnesse of spirit thereby , make them to returne to their rest againe , and give them the more rest in the conclusion : david was a bird out of his nest for a time , and therefore when he considered how the lord had saved his eyes from teares , his soule from hell , returnes againe , and saith , return to thy rest oh my soule ; psal. . . it is said , his soule shall dwell at ease , or ( as the word signifies ) shall lodge in goodnesse ; some hard work full of trouble , some strong lust , or sad temptation , desertion , affliction , the lord exerciseth the soule withall for some time , and so long the soule is in heavinesse and much wearinesse of spirit , as it is pet. . . yet when this dayes work is done , when the sin is subdued , and the temptation hath humbled him , then a beleevers soule shall lodge in goodnesse ; he shall have an easie bed , and a soft pillow to rest on at night ; when have the faithfull sweeter naps in christs bosome then after sorest troubles , longest eclipses of gods pleased face ? when doe their soules cleave closer to the lord , then when they are ready to forsake the lord , and the lord them ? certainly fire is wholly carryed upward , when that which suppresseth it , makes it at last break out into greater flame ; peter falls from christ , yet he is peter , a stone cleaving most close unto christ , above all other the apostles ; because his fall being greater , his faith clave the closer to the lord christ for ever after it : solomons heart certainely never clave so unseparably unto the lord , as after his fall , wherein he did more experimentally find and feele the emptinesse and vanity of those things , wherein he did imagine before something was to be found ; but he that hath a double heart , never enters into rest , but the longer he lives the more common christ , his truth , and promises grow ; they are but fading flowers , whose beauty and sweetnesse affect him for a time ; but they wither before the sun set : and therefore the longer he lives , the lesse savour he finds in these things , and therefore takes lesse contentment therein ; the lord jesus and all his ordinances grow more flat and dry things to him , and therefore though at first he might rejoyce ( as iohns hearers , iohn . ) in these burning and shining lights , yet it is but for a season ; at last he discovers himselfe , not by a renewed returning to his rest , but by a wearyish forsaking of it . the raven never returned to the arke againe , because it could live upon the floating carrion on the waters ; whereas the dove finding no rest there , returns againe . fourthly , the end of faith. this is the fourth particular in the description of faith : the whole soule commeth to christ , for christ and all his benefits ; and this is the end of faith , or of a beleevers comming unto christ : the end of faith is sometimes exprest by a generall word life , iohn . . but you must remember that hereby is meant the lord of life first , and so all the blessings of life . the falsnesse and hypocrisie of christs followers appeared in this , iohn . . you seek me , saith christ , for loaves , that was their end ; as many a one in these dayes if they be in outward misery seek unto christ for outward mercy , corn in time of famine , health in time of sicknesse , peace upon any termes in time of warre ; and if they be in any inward distresse , now they seek to christ for comfort and quiet , and so like many sick patients desire the phisitian , not to have him married to them , but for some of his physick only , to be healed by him ; but what saith our saviour to these persons ? verse . labour not for the meat that perisheth , what should be the end of their labour then ? he tells them , but for that bread that endures to everlasting life ; what is this bread ? see the . and . and . verses , he tells them , i am the bread of life ; seek for me therefore , come for me ; and look as none can have life from the bread , unlesse he first feed upon the bread it selfe , so none can have any life or benefit from christ that comes not first to christ for christ. conceive of this thus : god in christ is the compleat object of faith under a double notion ; first as sufficient , in being all we want unto us ; secondly , as efficient , in communicating all to us , and doing all for us . in the first respect , he is elshaddai , in his promis● ; in the second respect he is iehovah , exod. . . in making good his all-sufficient promise ; hence faith comes to him for a double end , first that he would give himselfe and be all to it , secondly , that he would communicate all his blessings and benefits also , and so doe all for it . for in the covenant of grace , the lord doth not onely promise a new heart , pardon of sinne , with the rest of those spirituall benefits , but , also himselfe , i will bee their god , and they shall be my people . h●nce faith comes first for that which the lord principally promiseth , viz. god himselfe , and then for all the rest of those heavenly and glorious benefits ; and hence it is , if any man come for christ himselfe without his benefits , and regard not the conveyance of them , as the familists at this day doe , who abolish all inherent graces , and some of them all ordinances because christ is all to them ; or if any come for the benefits of christ without christ himselfe , as many among our selves doe , who never account themselves happy in him , but onely by some abilities they receive from him ; neither of these come with a single eye , nor fixe a right end in their closing with christ : you must first come for christ himselfe , and so for all his benefits . for establishing your hearts in which truth , consider these things . . consider what drives any man to christ. is not sense of wants one main thing ? now what are a christians wants , when the lord hath humbled him ? are they not , first , want of christ ; and secondly , of all the benefits of christ ? viz. righteousnesse , peace , pardon , grace glory , iohn . . if therefore the soules of all the elect feel a want of both , doth not faith come to christ for both ? iohn . . if thou knewest the gift of god , ( i. e. the worth of him , and thy want of him ) thou wouldest aske , and hee would give thee water of life . . what doth the lord offer in the gospell ? is it not first christ himselfe , and then all the benefits of christ ? isay . , . to us a sonne is borne , to us a sonne is given ; in the receiving therefore of christ by faith , what should the soule aime at , but that it may have the sonne himselfe , and so all his benefits with him ? . can any man have eternall life , that not only hath not the benefits flowing from the sonne , but that wants the son himselfe ? i am sure the apostle expressely affirmes it , iohn . . he that hath the son hath life , he that hath not the son hath not life ; faith therefore must come for christ himselfe : as in marriage the woman consents first to have the man , and so to have all other benefits that will necessarily follow upon this . . the happinesse of all the saints consists in two things : first , union to christ ; secondly , communion with christ. faith therefore pitcheth first upon christ himself , that it may have sure and certaine union to him ( for our union is not unto any of the benefits flowing to us from christ ; we are not united unto forgivenesse of sinnes , nor peace of conscience , nor holinesse , &c. but unto the person of the son of god himselfe ) and then secondly commeth , for the communication of all the benefits arising onely from union ; as paul , phil. . , . esteems all things dung and losse , first , to be found in him , that so he might have his righteousnesse in justification , and feele the power of his death and resurrection in sanctification , &c. in one word , faith first buyes the pearle it self , and then seeks to be inriched by it ; it finds the treasure of grace , glory , peace , mercy , favour , reconciliation in christ , but then buyes the field it selfe , that it may have the treasure also , mat. . . the lord christs great desire is , that all his might be with him to see his glory , iohn . . and faith desires first to have him , and be for ever with him , and so to partake of that glory : the lords great plot is first to perfect the saints in christ , col. . . yee are compleat in him ; then to make them like to christ by communicating life , grace , peace , glory from him : col. . , . iohn . , . faith therefore first quiets it selfe in him , then seeks for life from him ; it comes first for christ , and then for all the benefits of christ. oh that this truth were well considered , how would it discover abundance of rotten counterf●it faith in the world , some seeking for peace and comfort , and ca●ching at promises without seeking first to have the person of christ himselfe , in whom only all the promises are yea and amen . others despising the benefits of christ , especially grace , holinesse , and life from him ; because ( say they ) christ is all in all to them . ask them , have you any grace , change of heart , & c. ? tush ! what doe you tell them of repentance , and faith , and holinesse ? they have christ , and that is sufficient ; they have the substance , what should they doe now with shadowes of ordinances , ministeries , or sacraments ? they have all graces in christ , why should they look either for being of , or evidence from any grace inherent in themselves ? they have a living holy head , but christs body they say is a dry skeleton , a dead carcase , and they are but dry bones : & is it so indeed ? then look that god should shortly bury thee out of his sight , assuredly you that want and d●spise the b●n●fits comming from him , shall never have part nor portion in him at the great day of account ; christ is a saviour to save men from their sins , not to save men and their sins ; christ is king and priest of his church , holy and separated from sinners , heb. . . and if you have any part or portion in him , he hath made you kings and priests also to god and his father , and hath not left you in your pollution , but washt you from it in his owne blood : rev. . , . the law of god is written on the heart of christ , psal. . . with heb. . , , . and if ever hee wraps you up in the covenant of grace , he will write his law in your hearts also , heb. . . let all deluded familists tremble at this , that in advancing christ himselfe , and free grace , abolish and despise those heavenly benefits which flow from him unto all the elect . let others also mourne over themselves that have with much affection been seeking after christs benefits , peace of conscience , holinesse of heart and life , promises to assure them of eternall glory , but have not sought first to embrace and have the person of the lord jesus himselfe . oh come , come therefore unto the lord jesus for christ himselfe , and for all his benefits ; i say for all his benefits . this is that which the apostle prayes for with bended knees for the ephesians , that they might ( not take in a little , but ) comprehend the height , depth , length , bredth of christs love , that so they might be filled with all the fulnesse of god. this is that which our saviour expresly with much vehemency calls for , iohn . . let all that thirst come unto me , and drinke ; not sip and taste a little , as reprobates and apostates doe , heb. . , . but drinke , and drinke abundantly , as it is cant. . . and observe it , that upon these very termes the lord tenders grace and mercy , rom. . . the apostle doth not say , they that receive alittle , but abundance of grace , shall reign by righteousnesse unto eternall life . open thy mouth wide and i will fill it , psal. . , . and most certainely this is one principall difference between the faith of the elect and reprobates , ( and if i mistake not , the principall ) the elect close with christ for that end , for which the father offers him , which is , that they might possesse his sonne , and all his benefits , and therefore come poore and empty , for all ; the reprobate come not for all , but for so much and no more then will serve their owne turne ; in misery they would have christ to deliver them , but what care they for spirituall mercies ? in trouble of conscience , or after their foule falls into filthy lusts and sins , they come to christ to forgive them and comfort them , but what care they for holinesse and a new nature ? some sinnes they would have christ save them from , but they regard not redemption from all ; they cannot come to christ , that all the powers of darknesse may be perfectly subdued , that their owne sinnes , and selves , conceits , and wills , may be led away captive by this mighty conquerour ; that christ in all his authority , grace , peace , life , glory , might be for ever advanced in them and by them . it was austins complaint in his time of many of his hearers , that christum assequi , to have christ was pleasing to them ; but sequi christum , to follow christ , this was heavy . to close with christs person , is sweet to many ; but to close with his will , and to come to him that he would give them a heart to lye under it , this benefit they desire not . all christ is uselesse and needlesse ; but something from christ is precious to them : for the lord iesus sake beloved take heed of this delusion ; if any thing hath been bought for us at a deare rate , and cost much ; if the man should offer to hold any part of it backe , we will not abate him any thing , we will have it all , because it cost deare ; i tell you pardon of sin , peace with god , the adoption of sonnes , the spirit of grace , perseverance to the end , the kingdome of glory , the riches of mercy , have beene bought for you by a deare and great price , the precious blood of christ ; and therefore if the justice of god should hold back any thing , or thy owne unbeliefe tell thee these are too great and many for so vile a creature as thou art to enjoy , yet abate the lord nothing ; say thou art vile , yet christs blood that bought not some , but all these , is very precious , and therefore take them all to thy selfe , as thy portion for ever , and blesse the lord , as david doth , psal. . . that gave thee this counsell . whiles you are in peace , it may be you may neglect so great salvation ; but the time of distresse and anguish may come wherein you may feel a need of all , even of those hidden depths of mercy above your reach and reason ; and therefore , as bees , gather in your honey in summer time , and with ioseph lay up in these times of plenty , wherein the exceeding riches of grace is opened , and poured out at your heeles , for those times of approaching famine , and for those many yeers of spirituall desertion and distresse , wherein you may think , can it stand with the honour of god to save such a poore sinfull creature as i am ? what iron heart is not drawn by this love , for the lord to invite you to possesse 〈◊〉 or nothing ? dives in hell was desirous of a drop to coole his tongue , and behold the very depths and seas of grace are opened for thee to come in and partake of , if the lord jesus should be offered unto thee to pardon some sinnes , but not all ; to pardon all sinnes , but not to heale thy nature also ; or to heale some back-slidings , but not all ; to supply thy spirituall wants , but not outward also , as may be best for thee ; or to supply outward , but not inward and spirituall ; if he should offer to doe thee good in this life , but not in death nor after death , you might refuse to come in ; but when all is offered , all that mercy , which no eye ever saw to pitty thee ; all that love , wherewith abraham , david , paul , &c. were embraced , now to refuse to come up and possesse these ; how can you escape the sorest vengeance of a jealous god , that neglect so great salvation ? oh lord ! what extremity of anguish and bitternesse wilt thou one day be in , when the contempt of this grace , glowing upon thy conscience , shall presse thee downe with these thoughts ; i am now under all misery , but i might have had all gods grace , all christs glory , but wretch that i am i would not ? me thinks if your owne good hereby should not draw you , yet the exceeding great glory the lord shall have hereby , should force you to accept of all this grace ; for if thou didst receive a little grace , beleeve a little mercy toward thee , this makes thee sometime exceeding thankfull , doth it not ? and the very hope of more makes thy heart break forth into a holy boasting and glorying in christ , who is a god like unto thee ? suppose therefore you drank in all , and received all that which the lord freely offers , should not the lord be exceedingly magnified then ? couldst thou containe thy selfe then , without crying out , oh lord now let thy servant depart in peace , for mine eyes have seene , and my soule hath now possession of thy salvation ? wouldst not call to the hills , and seas , and earth , and heavens , and saints , and angels , to break forth into glorious praises , and blesse this god ? but what have i to doe to come , that am so poore , and empty , and full of woes , and wants , and sinnes ? never was any so miserable , and blind , and naked as i. if faith commeth for all to christ , and fetcheth all from him , then never be discouraged because thou hast nothing to bring unto him ; let all thy wants and miseries be arguments and motives therefore to come unto him , revel . . , . because thou art poore and naked , nay because thou knowest it not , and art not affected with it , therefore come unto me , and buy eye-salve , and gold , and white rayment . lord pardon my sinne , saith david , because it is great : have mercy upon me , for i am consumed with griefe , and am in trouble . let mercy and truth continually preserve me , for innumerable evills have compassed mee round about . let us returne unto the lord , because hee hath wounded us . i am a dogge , therefore let me have crums , said the woman of canaan : oh this is crosse to sense and reason , and we cannot beleeve while we are so exceeding poore , empty , vile , that the lord should look upon us ; but beloved , you little think what wrong you doe to your selves , & the lord jesus hereby : for by this means christ is not so much exalted , nor the creature humbled , both which concurring in faith , make those acts of faith most precious ; for while you stand upon something , and would have something to bring to christ , you hereby exalt your selves ; but when you come with sense of nothing else but woes and wants , and see christ now making of you welcome , oh this is not only mercy , but ravishing mercy . if you should come with sense of somewhat to christ , and to see his love to you ; you might glorify mercy in the height , and length , and breadth of it , but not in the depth of it , unlesse you see it reaching its hand to you , when you are fallen into so low and poor a condition as nothingnesse and emptinesse , and misery it selfe . and therefore doe not come to christ only for the benefits of the covenant , but for the condition of it also , when you feele a want of faith it selfe ; as hezekiah did , isay . . lord i am oppressed , undertake for me . kings . , . doe not undertake to fulfill any part of the covenant or any condition in it , or any duty required of thee , of thy selfe , but goe empty to christ , and say as david , lord i will run the wayes of thy salvation , if thou wilt set my heart at liberty . psal. . , . quicken me , and i will call upon thy name . psal. . . be strong in the lord , and the power of his might , but not of thine owne . but i come for all , and am never a whit the better , but as poor and miserable still as ever i was . if the lord keeps you poor and low , yet the same motive that made thee come , let it make thee stay ; it may be the lord sees thou wouldst grow full and lifted up if he should give thee a little , & therefore keeps thee low ; better be humble , then full and proud . let us goe unto the lord , because hee hath wounded , broken , and slaine us . but they might object , we doe come , but find no help , no cure . it may be so ; yet it is said , after two dayes he will revive us , and the third day wee shall live in his sight , and we shall know him , if we follow on to know him , verse . his goings forth are prepared as the morning , it may be night for a time , but the sun of righteousnesse will arise gradually and gloriously upon thy soule . truly brethren , when i see the curse of god upon many christians that are now grown full of their parts , gifts , peace , comforts , abilities , duties ; i stand adoring the riches of the lords mercy to a little handfull of poore beleevers , not only in making them empty , but in keeping of them so , all their dayes ; and therefore come to the lord , poore , empty , naked , nothing , cursed , in the sense of thy want of all things , for all things , and then receive with gladnesse , yet boldnesse and holy confidence , not only pardon of some sins , but of all ; beleeve , answer not to some prayers , but all . embrace in thy bosome not some few promises , but all . it is a great case of conscience , when may a christian take a promise without presumption , as spoken to him , and given to him in particular ; and the rule is very sweet , but certaine : when hee takes all the scripture and embraceth it as spoken unto him , hee may then take any particular proper promise boldly ; my meaning is , when a christian takes hold and wrastles with god for the accomplishment of all the promises of the new testament , when he sets all the commands before him , as his rule and compasse and guide to walke after ; when he applyes all the threatnings to drive him nearer unto christ the end of them ; this no hypocrite can doe , this the saints should doe , and by this may know , when the lord speaks in any particular unto them ; go i say again therefore unto the lord for all , and in the sense of all your emptinesse be abundantly comforted , that though you doe not find supply from christ , yet you come unto the lord christ for it : it is a certaine rule , you shall not alway want that good which you come to christ to supply , nor alway be mastered with that sinne which you come to christ with , to take away : only then be sure you come for all ; otherwise you doe not come truly : come first for christ himselfe , and then ( as i said ) for all his benefits . to conclude ; this is the direct and compendious way of living by faith , so much urged and pressed of gods servants , for to live by faith properly is to live upon the promise in the want of the thing , or to apprehend the thing in the promise , heb. . . now the promises are not given to the elect immediately without christ , but first christ is given , i. e. offered in the gospell and received by faith , and then with him all things also ; and therefore the scripture runs thus , isay . , , , . come unto the waters and drinke , and then , i will make an everlasting covenant , ( which containes all the promises ) even the sure mercies of david : the apostle expressely disputes the case , and saith , where there is a testament , ( containing evangelicall promises ) there must first bee the death of the testator , heb. . , . to whom we must first come by faith , before we can have right to any promise ; heb. . . . and . , , . . being justified by faith , now we have peace with god , nay , we have accesse to god , nay now we are sure of standing , now we hope in god , and glory to come ; rom. . , , , . all followes the first . how shall a christian therefore live by faith ? truly , first receive christ and come to him for the end i mention ; and then thou maist be sure all other things shall be given to thee . as for example : dost want any temporall blessing ? suppose it be payment of debts , thy dayly bread , provision for thy family , a comfortable yoake-fellow , &c. look now through the scripture for promises of these things , and let thy faith act thus ; if god hath given me christ , the greatest blessing , then certainly he will give me all these smaller matters as may be good for me ; but the lord hath given me christ , and therfore i shall not want : psal. . . the lord is my shepherd , saith david , what follows ? i shall not want ; there is the like reason in all other things , suppose it be in case of protection from enemies , if the lord hath given me christ to save me from hell , then he will save me from these fleshly enemies much more : you shal see , isa. . a promise given that syria should not prevaile against iudah : they doubted of this , how doth the lord seek to assure them ? you shall see , verse . it is by promising a virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne , and his name shall be emmanuell ; this is a strange reason , ( yet you may see the reason of it if you consider this point ) so isay . . the oppressors rod shall be broken . for unto us a sonne is borne , a sonne is given . by faith they put to flight the armies of alients , brake downe the walls of jericho , did wonders in the world . what did they chiefly look to in this their faith ? you shall see , heb. . , . it was by respecting the promise to come , and that better thing christ jesus himselfe , which we now see with open face , and therefore he concludes , heb. . , , . having such a cloud of witnesses , that thus lived and dyed by faith , let us look unto iesus the authour and finisher of ours . the prophet habbakuk , hab. . . affirmes , that the just shall live by faith ; what faith is that ? consult with the place , you shall see it was in the promise of deliverance from the chaldean tyranny , yet the apostle paul applyes it to faith in christs righteousnes , and that truly , because if their faith had not respected christ himselfe , in the first place , they could never have expected any deliverance by the promise of deliverance from the caldeans , but thus they might . . the speciall ground of faith. the last thing in the description of faith is , that the soule thus comes upon the call of christ in his word , and this is the speciall ground of faith ; wherefore the soule comes to christ : take a sinner humbled and broken for sin , he cannot prevent the lord by comming of himselfe unto christ , and therefore the lord prevents him , by his gracious call and invitation to come in ; whom god hath predestinated , them hath he called ; our translation from darknesse into gods marvellous light is by being called . the soule is lost in humiliation , the lord jesus who is come to save that which is lost , seeketh it out in vocation , or calling : sanctification is the restoring of us to the image of god we once had in adam , as corruption is the defacing of that image ; vocation is the calling of the soule unto christ , this voyce adam never heard of ; he did not need any call to come to christ , and therefore was immediately sanctified , as soone as he was made : but wee need vocation unto christ , before we can be sanctified by christ ; we need this call to make us come to christ , to put us into christ , and therefore much more before we can receive any holinesse from christ ; the ground of our coming by faith is gods call , thes. . , . chosen to salvation through sanctification ( the remote end of vocation ) and beleefe of the truth , ( the next end of it ) whereunto he hath called you ; there is the ground of it . the explication of this call is a point full of many spirituall difficulties ; but of singular use , and comfort to them that are faithfull and called ; i shall omit many things , and explicate only those things which serve our purpose here in these three particulars . . i shall shew you what this call is , or the nature of it . . the necessity of it . . how it is a ground of coming , and what kind of ground for faith. . the nature of this call i shall open for your more distinct understanding in severall propositions , or theses . our vocation or calling is ever by some word or voyce , either outward , or inward , or both ; either ordinary or extraordinary ; by the ministery of men , or by immediate visions and inspirations of god. i speak not now of extraordinary call , by dreames and visions , and immediate inspirations , as in abraham , and others , before the scriptures were penned and published ; nor of extraordinary call , by the immediate voyce of christ : as in paul and some other of the apostles : for these are ceased now , heb. . . unlesse it be among people that want ordinary meanes , and elect infants , &c. whose call must be more then by ordinary meanes , because they want such means ; we speak now of ordinary call by the ministery of men . . this voyce in ordinary calling home of the elect to christ , is not by the voyce of the law , ( for the proper end of that is to reveale sinne and death , and to cast down a sinner ) but by the voyce of the gospell bringing glad tidings ; written by the apostles , and preached to the world . he hath called you by our gospell . these things are written that you might beleeve . by the foolishnesse of preaching , the lord saves them that beleeve . i meane , preaching at the first or second rebound , by lively voyce , or printed sermons at the time of hearing , or in the time of deep meditation , concerning things heard ; the spirit indeed inwardly accompanies the voyce of the gospell , but no mans call is by the immediate voyce of the spirit without the gospell , or the immediate testimony of the spirit breathed out of free grace , without the word . eph. . , . and therefore , that a christian should be immediately called without the scripture , and the scripture only given to confirme gods immediate promise , as a prince gives his letter to confirme his promise made to a man before ; ( as valdesso would have it , ) is both a false and dangerous assertion . this voyce of the gospell is the voyce of god in christ , or the voyce of jesus christ , although dispensed by men , who are but weak instruments for this mighty work sent & set in christs stead ; but the call , the voice is christs ; it s the lords call : rom. . . it is certaine some of the messengers of christ called the romans by the gospell , yet paul saith , they were called of christ iesus , the dead heare his voyce and arise and live ; and when the time of calling comes , they listen to it as his call : and hence it is styled , heb. . . because the lord christ from heaven speakes , takes the written word into his owne lips , as it were cant. . , . and thereby pi●rc●th through the eares , to the heart , through all the noyse of feares , sorrowes , objections against beleeving , and makes it to be heard as his voyce ; the bowels of christ now yerne toward an humbled lost sinner bleeding at his feet , therefore can contain no longer , but speaks and calls , and makes the soule understand his voyce : so that this call is not a mean businesse , because the lord jesus himselfe now speaks , whose voyce is glorious . the substance of this call , or the thing the lord calls unto , is to come unto him : for there is a more common calling ( or as some tearme it , a particular calling ) of men , as some to be masters or servants , cor. . . , . or to office in church or common-wealth , as aaron , heb . . and the voyce there is to attend unto their work to which they are called . there is also a remote end of vocation , which is to holinesse , thes. . . and unto glory also , thess. . . phil. . . but we now speak of more speciall calling , the next end of which is to come unto christ , the soule hath lived many yeares without him , the lord jesus will now have the lost prodigall to come home , to come to him ; the soule is weary and heavy laden , and the lord jesus could easily ease it without its comming to him : but this is his will , he must come to him for it : mat. . . ier. . . . i said after shee had done these things turne unto me ; come unto me ye backsliding children , i le heale your back-slidings , jer. . . if thou returnest , returne unto me . this voice , come unto me , is one of the sweetest words that christ can speak , or man can heare , full of majesty , mercy , grace , and peace ; a poor sinner thinks ▪ will the lord ever put up such wrongs i have offered him , heale such a nature , take such a viper into his bosome ; doe any thing for me ? if there be but one in the world to be forsaken , is it not i ? the lord therefore comes and calls , come unto mee and i will pardon all thy sins , i will heale all thy back-slidings ; i will be angry no more . jer. . . . though thou hast committed whoredome with many lovers , yet returne unto me saith the lord. ier. . . though thou hast resisted my spirit , refused my grace , wearied me with thine iniquities , yet come unto me , and this will make me amends ; i require nothing of thee else but to come : for gods call is out of free grace , gal. . . and therefore calls for no more but only to come up and possesse the lords fulnesse , luke . . cor. . . this call to come , is for substance all one with the offer of christ ; which consists in three things . . commandement to receive christ as present and ready to be given to it : as when we offer any thing to another , it is by commanding them to take it : iohn . . and this binds conscience to beleeve , as you will answer for the contempt of this rich grace , at the great day of account . . perswasion and intreaty to come and receive what we offer : for in such an offer wherein the person is unwilling to receive , and we are exceedingly desirous to give , we then perswade ; so doth christ with us . . promise : to offer a thing without a promise of having it , if we receive it , is but a mock-offer ; and hence you shall find in scripture some promise ever annexed unto gods offer , which is the ground of faith , ier. . . this call or offer hath three speciall qualifications : first , it is inward as well as outward , for the lord calls thousands outwardly who yet never come , because they want an inward call to come ; an inward whispering still voyce of gods spirit : and therefore it is said , he that hath heard and learned ( not of man only , but ) of the father commeth unto me , iohn . . the lord doth not stand at the outward doore only and call to open , but the lord jesus comes in , he comes neare unto the very heart of a poor sinner & makes that understand , hos. . . and the lord makes his grace glorious , and his mercy sweet unto the hearts of his elect ; look ( saith the lord jesus ) how i have left thousand thousands in the world , and have had greater cause so to have left thee ; but behold i am come unto thee , oh come thou now unto me . . it is a particular call ; for there is a generall call and offer of grace to every one . now though this be a meanes to make it particular , yet the spirit of christ which is wont to apply generalls unto particulars particularly , makes the call particular , that the soule sees that the lord in speciall means me , singles out me in speciall to beleeve ; otherwise the soules of the elect will not be much moved with the call of god , so long as they think the lord offers no more mercy to me then to any reprobate ; and therefore the spirit of christ makes the call particular . esay . . i have called thee by name : iohn . . he calleth all his sheep by name ; not that the lord calls any by their christen name ( as we say ) as the lord did extraordinarily call samuel , samuel , and paul , paul ; but the meaning is , look as the lord from before all world 's writ down their names in the book of life , and loves them in speciall , so in vocation , ( the first opening of election ) the lord makes his offer and call special , and so speciall as if it were by name ; for the soule at this instant feeles such a speciall stirring of the spirit upon it which it feels now , and never felt before ; as also its particular case so spoken unto , and its particular objections so answered , and the grievousnesse of its sinne in refusing grace so particularly applyed , as if god the onely searcher of hearts onely spake unto it , and so dares not but thinke and beleeve that the lord meaneth mee . . it is effectuall as well as inward , and particular . luk. . . compell them to come in . iohn . . christs other sheep shall heare christs voice , and those he must bring home ; for every inward call is not effectuall . there came a man in without his wedding garment , mat. . , , . whence our saviour saith , many are called , but few chosen ; but this i now speak of , is a calling out of purpose , rom. . . and therefore never leaves the soule , untill it hath reall possession of christ , and rests there ; this call falls upon a sinner humbled , not hard hearted ; & hence the call is effectuall , mat. . , . chron. . , . it is such a call as was in creation , rom. . . and hence the soule cannot but come , and when t is come it cannot depart , like peter , lord , whither should we goe ? and therefore though it hath never so many objections in comming to christ , never so much weaknesse or heartlesnesse to close with christ , yet the lord brings it home , and there keeps it , and now it infinitely blesseth god that ever the lord gave it an eye to see , an heart to come and seek after jesus christ. thus much of the nature of this call , now follows the necessity of it , which appears in these three particulars . . no man should come unlesse first called ; as it is in calling to an ordinary office , so t is in our calling much more unto speciall grace ; the apostle saith , heb. . . that no man takes this honour , but he that is called of god ; so what hath any man to doe with christ , to make himselfe a sonne of god , and heire of glory thereby , but he that is called of god ? what have we to doe to take other mens goods , unlesse called thereto ? what have we to doe to take the riches of grace and peace , if not called thereto ? t is presumption to take christ whiles uncalled , but not when you are called thereunto . . because no man would come without the lords call . mat. . , . why stand you here all the day idle ? the answer was , no man hath hired , or called us thereto . when there is an outward call onely , yet men will not come in , mat. . . and therefore there must be an effectuall call to bring men home , esay . . and therefore you shall see many , let there be a legall command , suppose to sanctifie a sabbath , or to speak the truth ; they have no objections against obedience unto this : but presse them to beleeve , shew them gods call for it , they have more feares and objections rising against this then there be haires on their head , because the soul would not close with this . . because no man could come unlesse called . iohn . . no man can come to me , unlesse the father draw him ; and how doth the father draw any man , but by this call ? if the lord should not come and speak himselfe , and make his call the most joyfull tidings and the sweetest message that ever came to it , it would say , i have no heart , i cannot , i am not able , for rom. . . wee are shut up under unbeliefe ; and therefore the lord jesus , luke . . must bring his sheep home upon his shoulders , else it will dye in the wildernesse of its own droopings ; whereas when the lord effectually speaks , the soul cannot but come . lastly , how this call is a ground of faith , and what ground of faith . for answer hereunto , i doe not make this call considered without the promise , the ground on which faith rests , ( for that is gods free grace in the promise ) but the ground by which it rests , or wherefore it rests upon the promise . the mind sees ( . ) the freenesse of mercy to a poore sinner in misery , and this breeds some hope the lord may pitty it . ( . ) the fulnesse and plenteous riches of mercy , and this gives very great encouragement to the soule to think , the lord ( if i come to him ) surely will not deny me a drop , psal. . , . the prodigall comes home because of bread enough in his fathers house , though he was not certaine he should have any . ( . ) the preciousnesse and sweetnesse of mercy makes the soule long vehemently for it , psal. . , . and makes it set all other things at a low rate , to enjoy it ; but when unto all this the lord sends a speciall commandement , a speciall message on purpose , and calls it to come in , and accept of it , and take mercy as its own , and that for no other reason , but because it is commanded and called to accept of it ; this puts an end unto all doubts , all feares , all discouragements , and the soule answers as those , ier. . . behold , we come , for thou art the lord our god. as a man in great want of bread , one comes and freely offers him bread to preserve his life , the man takes it ; if you aske him , why doe you take it ? you are a poore fellow , unworthy of it , never did yet one houres work for it : he answers , t is true , i am unworthy , but yet because it is offered to me to preserve life , i gladly take it ; the man doth not promise absolutely to me , that this bread is mine , and shall feed me ; but he tels me , if i doe receive it , it shall certainly be mine to feed me ; and this is the main ground of his receiving of it . just so it is in faith ; aske an humbled sinner , why doe you beleeve ? why doe you take christ as your owne ? hath the lord said absolutely that he is yours ? no , saith the soule , but the lord freely offers himselfe unto me , who am undone without him , and saith , if i doe receive him , he shall be for ever mine , to give life to me , and therefore i thankfully accept of him ; this is the ground of faith. the scripture sets out this in a lively similitude of a great supper , to which many were invited ; what was the ground of their comming to it ? behold , all things are ready if you come and eate , they are not yours if you doe not come ; but if you come at my call and invitation , then all things shall be yours . and hence it is that they that came not , were excluded ; they that came were received with welcome . i know t is a question of some difficulty among some , viz. whether an absolute testimony of actuall favour and justification be not the first ground of faith ? they that make faith to be an absolute assurance of gods favour , must of necessity maintain this assertion , and then these things will follow . . that a christian must be justified before he beleeve ; for the cause of faith must goe before faith. this proposition , thou art justified , reconciled , is according to this assertion the cause of faith ; for no proposition can therefore be true , because we are perswaded that it is true ; but it must be first true , before i am perswaded of it ; the wall is not white , because my eye sees it so , but it must first be white , and then i see it so . now to make actuall justification before faith , is crosse to the whole current of scripture . we beleeve that we might be justified , gal. . . we are not justified that we might beleeve . we passe from death to life by faith , iohn . . we are not in a state of life before faith . when the lord iesus saw their faith , mat. . . he then said , be of good comfort , thy sinnes are forgiven thee . the word saith , he that beleeveth not , is condemned already , iohn . . and therefore ( unlesse the spirits witnesse be crosse to the word ) it doth not say to one that beleeveth not , that he is absolved already . to be justified by faith , and to be justified by christs righteousnesse is all one in the scriptures phrase and meaning , gal. . , . add therefore we may as well say that we are justified before and without christ , as before and without faith . and indeed this doctrine of being justified by faith , and by this meanes to have remission of sinnes , the apostle peter affirms to be the doctrine of all the prophets , acts . . to him give all the prophets witnesse , that whosoever beleeve in him , shall receive remission of sinnes : not that they had remission of sinnes before they did beleeve . i know not any one protestant writer that maintaines our justification before and without faith , except learned chamier ; who not knowing how to avoid the blow of bellarmines horned argument , that if faith be an assurance of our actuall justification , then we are first justified before we beleeve ; he affirmes we are justified before faith : and therefore that when the scripture saith we are justified by faith , the reason of that ( saith he ) is not because our faith doth efficere justificationem , i. e. is a cause ( meaning instrumentall ) of our justification ; but because efficitur in justificato , i. e. is wrought in a justified person : but if that be the reason of the phrase , we may affirme our justification to be as well by love , and sanctification , and holy obedience , as by faith , because these are wrought in a justified person also . then no mans ministry nor the doctrine delivered by the faithful ministers of christ frō out of the scriptures , can be any ground of faith , for before faith no minister of christ can say to any man in particular , or any men in generall , that they are already justified , and reconciled , and therefore beleeve it ; but , to deny that doctrine which is opened out of the scriptures by the ministers of christ , to be the ground of faith , is expresly crosse to the testimony of scriptures , and the end of the ministery , and of the messengers of christ , who have the keyes of office given to them , that what they bind on earth , is bound in heaven ; what they loose on earth , is loosed in heaven ; whose sins they remit , they are forgiven , whose sins they retain , they are retained . mat. . . ioh. . . most excellent for this purpose is the apostles dispute , rom. . you need not go up to heaven , nor down to hell , to fetch christ himselfe to tell you whether you shall be justified and saved . ver . , . for the word is nigh them , verse . that opens christs heart unto thy heart . but what word might some say is this ? is it not the internall word of the spirit onely ? the apostle answers , it is that word which we preach : hereby you shall know whether you shall live or no ; but what is that word paul preached ? is it not an absolute testimony that all your sins are already pardoned by christ , and therefore beleeve it ? no , but if thou beleevest with thine heart that god raised up christ from the dead , thou shalt be saved , vers . . , . what can be more full ? yet consider t●at one place more , iohn . . i pray for all them that shall beleeve on me , through their word . what is the ground or meanes of beleeving in christ ? it is said here expresly , their word : is it not the word of christ , rather then the word of the apostles and of their successors , in the doctrine they delivered , is it their word ? truly that which th●y delivered , was the word of christ , and that which is opened from their doctrine in the scriptures is the word of christ , yet as they open it , and apply it , so t is their word : and this word is the ground by which all that christ prayes for , doe beleeve in christ ; the bare word i grant cannot perswade without the spirit , yet the spirit will not give ground to faith without the word , but as by it , so upon it , will build the souls of all the elect , who are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets , iesus christ being the chief corner-stone , eph. . . how can they beleeve without a preacher ? rom. . . . then when wicked men and reprobates are commanded to beleeve , ( as they are commanded , iohn . . luk. . . iohn . . heb. . . ) they are commanded to beleeve a lye , viz. that their sinnes are pardoned , and they actually justified ; for if this testimony be the ground of faith , then when they are commanded to beleeve , they are commanded to be perswaded of this testimony . but the sinnes of wicked men , especially reprobates , are not nor never shall be forgiven , and therefore this cannot be the ground of faith. . then the spirit of adoption , which witnesseth that god is our father , and that we are his sonnes reconciled to him , goes before faith ; but the apostle expresly denyes this , ye are the children of god by faith , gal. . . and because ye are sonnes , he hath sent unto you the spirit of sonnes , crying abba , father , gal. . . . if such a testimony should be the first ground of faith , then no man should beleeve but he that hath such a testimony antecedent to his faith ; but this is crosse to the scripture ; esay . . he that sits in darknesse , and sees no light , let him stay himselfe upon his god. when ionah is cast out of gods sight to his owne feeling , yet he is bound to look againe unto the temple . . this absolute testimony is either the testimony of the word , or of the spirit ; not of the word , as is proved ; if of the spirit , then let it be considered , whether that can be the testimony of the spirit which is not according to the word , nay cont●ary to the word , for the word to say none are justified before faith ; for the spirit to testifie some are justified before faith . if it be said , that the spirit doth not witnesse these to any man before and without faith ; but yet it is without respect unto , or shewing a man his faith , ( for those that exclude sanctification from being any evidence , they meane faith as well as any other renewed work of holines , and so exclude that also ) then i say the testimony of the spirit ( which of it selfe is exceeding cleare ) is an obscure and dark testimony , because it cleares up the praedicate of this proposition , thou beleever art justified , it witnesseth to a man thou art justified ; but cleares not up the subject of it : viz. thou beleever , it makes a man beleeve a testimony without understanding the full meaning of it ; for the spirit testifying to any man thou art justified ; his meaning is , thou beleever art justified : and i doe beseech the god and father of all lights , that his poore people may be led into the truth in this particular ; for want of establishment here , you little think how many delusions you may fall into about your spirituall condition ; i remember that when satan came to overthrow the faith of christ in his second temptation , mat. . . he brought a promise out of the scriptures to him , because he saw hee held close to them , verse . and by this promise sought to lead him into temptation , how so ? observe the text , and see if it was not by hiding part of the meaning of the promise from him , and in speciall , that very condition required in the person to whom the promise is made ; for he tells him , that if he cast himselfe downe headlong , the lord hath not only said it , but writ it ; he shall give his angells charge over him , to keep him from dashing his foot against a stone : whereas if you consult with the place whence it is cited , viz. psalme . . the condition is set downe , in all thy wayes , which hee purposely hides from our saviour as much as in him lay . oh take heed therefore of receiving any testimony from word or spirit without the meaning of it , without knowing the person thus and thus qualified , to whom it belongs ; otherwise satan will hurry you headlong to a world of delusions ; and you shall find the word of god appointed to direct you , ( through your mis-application of it ) the word of satan , to deceive and damne you : doe not think that this is building faith upon works ; but to beleeve , that they that believe in christ are justified , reconciled , and saved , is building faith upon gods promise ; yea , and his free promise too : for saith the apostle , it is of faith that it might be of grace , rom. . . it is believing to have the end by the meanes , not the end without the mean of faith. it is true , we may see gods favour and love to us in the cause as well as in the effects of sanctification ; but what is that cause ? the meritorious cause is christs righteousnesse , and the instrumentall cause of applying this , is our faith ; so that as we are justified by faith , so seeing this , we may say assuredly with paul , being justified by faith , wee have peace with god. rom. . . it is true , we cannot see our justification by saith , nor the work of faith , without the shining of the spirit into our hearts ; but the question is not whether the spirit helps us to see our justified estate , but by what meanes ; by what proposition in the word wee come to see it ; which we say is not by any such absolute testimony : thou art justified already , and therefore believe ; but if thou believe and come to christ , here is then pardon of sinne , peace with god , yea all the blessings of christ ready for thee , which god intends to give and never to take away , if thou thankfully receive what god freely offers , and as it were layes downe at thy feet . the call of christ therefore is the ground by which wee first believe ; and that you may be confirmed farther herein , doe but consider the glory and excellency of this ground . it is a constant ground of faith , for if you come to christ because you have assurance , or because you feel such and such graces , and heavenly impressions of gods spirit in you , you may then many a day and yeare keep at a distance from christ , and live without christ ; for the feeling of graces , and assurance of favour are not constant ; but this call is alway sounding in thine yeares , oh come , not only because thou feelest holinesse in thee , but come , because poore , hungry , empty , naked , lost , blind , cursed , forsaken , full of sin ; there is not one moment of the day of grace , but the lord beseecheth thee to receive his grace , cor. . , , . this is an open door to christ at all times , an open harbour to put in at in all storms , a heart-breaking word ; oh thou tossed with tempests and not comforted , come unto me and thou shalt find rest to thy soule . many aske , how should i come to christ , seeing that i have no promise belonging to me ? what have dogges to doe with childrens bread ? be it so , yet gods call , command , beseechings , to come in , should be ground unto thee , to come ; as a poore begger , that hath no promise absolutely given him of reliefe , yet if a rich man sends to him , and bids him come to his doore and wait , he thinks he hath good ground and warrant to come . it is a sure ground against all feares , all doubts of presumption , all sense of unworthinesse , and of the greatnesse of the good promised , &c. for the saints have many fear●s whereby they dare not come , they feare they may presume , they see themselves most vile , and unworthy of the least smile ; the benefits are so exceeding great , to which they are called , that they think it is too good for them , &c. but beloved , when the soule sees evidently , the lord invites me , perswades me , commands me , waits for me , strives with me that i would come in , and because his grace is free , therefore requires no more but only to come & take , come and drinke : this forceth the soul to confesse , i am sure it is no presumption to obey the call of christ ; and what though i am unworthy , and this good is exceeding great and precious , yet if it be the lords grace to call such a poore wretch to receive and accept of it , why should i not rather thankfully receive it , then out of my own head superstitiously refuse it ? but this i am sure and certaine of , the lord calls me , thus to doe ; if god should speak from heaven to you to come unto his sonne , it is not so sure a ground as the call of god from out of the ora●le of his word , in the blessed gospell of his deare sonne . it is a strong ground , and of great power and efficacy to force the soule to come ; for you may object , no man can believe , or should believe , and come of himself . i say so too ; but how would you have the spirit of christ enable you to come ? verily , it is by this call ; and therefore , ier. . . when the lord said , returne ye back-sliding children , they presently answered , lord we come , the dead shall heare this voyce of the sonne of god , and live ; iohn . . thou saidst , seeke ye my face , my heart answered , lord thy face will i seeke . oh iron , stony , adamantine heart , that canst heare so sweet a voyce as this word come , and yet not be overcome ! this call honours grace most , for what more free then for the lord to say , come and take of the water of life freely ? what more free , then for a rich man to require of his debtor only to receive so many thousands of him to pay his debts , & to set him up again ? verily brethren , as the lord honors his grace by commanding us to come , so we honour it , when through the mighty power of the same call we doe come . thus much for explication of this call , now let me put an end to it in a word of application . let this perswade all sorts of persons , young and old , one and another to whom the gospell is sent , to come in to jesus christ ; for those that god calls should come : but the lord calls ( at least outwardly ) all sorts of persons ; nay every individuall person to come in : marke . , . paul told the stout jaylor , if thou beleevest thou shalt be saved : and look as the law speakes particularly to every man , thou shalt have no other gods , &c. so doth the gospell also , rom. . . that so every man might look upon himselfe as spoken to in particular . and indeed if there were not such a particular call , then men should not sin by refusing the gospell , nor should the lord be angry for so doing , but their sin and condemnation is great that so doe , iohn . . and the lord is more wroth for this sin then any other ; ps. . . luk. . . heb. . . . in one word , either the lord would have thee ( who ●ver thou art ) to receive christ , or to reject , and so despise christ ; and if the lord would have you reject him , he would then have you sin , and continue in it , which cannot stand either with the honour of gods holinesse , or of his rich grace ; i shall here therefore open two things . . set downe means to enable you to come . . shew you how and in what manner you should come . the meanes . . consider , who it is that doth call you ; is it man or ministers think you ? you might never come then ; no , it is jesus christ himselfe that calls you by them : why doe many discouraged spirits refuse to come ? it is because they think deceitfull man , or charitable men call them , but the lord hath no respect unto them ; oh foolish conceipt ! i tell you their ministery is not an act of their charity , wishing well to the salvation of all , but it is an act of christs love and soveraigne authority : mat. . , , . so that what they doe , it is in christs stead , cor. . , . if christ was present , he would call thee to him with more bowels then any compassionate minister can : & i assure you , to receive them , is to receive christ ; to despise them , is to despise christ , iohn . . and therefore eph. . . although the apostles preached to the ephesians , yet it is said , that christ came and preached to them . if any minister preacheth any other doctrine of grace then what christ hath delivered , let him be accursed : but if they publish his mind and his call , look upon them as if the lord himself called unto you , lest the lord accurse you , and all their ministery to you : the lord jesus did not cast off the jewes for crucifying of him and shedding his blood , untill the gospell of grace published by his messengers , came to them , and that was rejected ; then paul waxed bold , and said , because you put away the word from you , wee leave you ; acts . . oh beloved , if you did beleeve christ called you poore prodigalls ( that have run riot , and sinned against him as much as you could ) home unto him ; suppose christ was present , would it not draw you in ? suppose he was with thee in the chamber , where thou art crying after him , or in the church , where thou art waiting for him , and he should appeare visibly before thine eyes , opening his bosome , and bowels , and blood before thee , and calling unto thee to this purpose , i doe beseech thee and intreat thee by all these teares i have shed for thee in the dayes of my flesh , by all those bitter agonies i have suffered for thee , by all these tender bowels which have been rowled together toward thee , come unto me , embrace me , lay thy wearied head in this blessed bosome of mine , crucifie me no longer by thy sins , tre●d me not under foot by thy unbeleef any more ; and i will pardon all thy sinnes though as red as crimson , i will heale thy cursed nature , i will carry thee in my owne bowells up to glory with me , where all si●s and teares and sorrowes shall be abolished , &c. who would not now come in to him ? let me see the man that hath a heart of adamant that would not melt and come in at this ; oh my beloved , this very call is done as really by christ in his ministers now , though not so visibly and immediately as i now describe : and therefore take heed how you refuse to heare him that speakes from heaven , heb. . . consider whom the lord calls , and that is thee in particular , who ever thou art , to whom the gospell of christ is sent : for if you think christ calls some only that are so and so deeply humbled only to come , and not unto you in particular , you will never come in ; but we have proved this , that the lord calls all in generall , and consequently each man in particular ; the consideration of this may bring you in ; men fear to commit murther and steale , &c. but you feare not unbeleefe ; but the apostle bids you feare that ; for the gospell is preached ( sayth he ) unto you , as well as unto those that fell by unbeliefe : heb. . , . doe not say , he calls me indeed , but it is no more then what he doth to reprobates ; true , in the outward call it is so , yet upon this ground you may think the lord commands not , calls not you , to sanctifie a sabbath , or to honour gods name , because this is as common to reprobates as unto you ; doe not say , i am not able to come , and therefore i am not called ; no more are you able to attend the rules of the morall law : yet you look upon them as appertaining to you , and because you cannot doe them , you intreat the lord to enable you , and so because you cannot come , you should looke up to the lord to draw you : and verily many times the great reason why the lord doth not draw you , is , because you doe not deeply consider that he doth really and affectionately call you : doe not say , i am a dry tree , the lord cannot look upon me , whose condition is worse then ever i heard or read of , yet remember what the lord speaks to such ; isay . , , , . look not thou to thy barren & dead heart , but give glory unto god , as abraham did , rom. . , . and receive his grace with more thankfulnesse then any else , because none ever so miserable as thy selfe ; you young men heare this , though you have spent the flower of your yeares in vanity , madnesse , and filthy lusts , yet the lord calls you in to him ; you old men grown gray-headed in wickednesse , though it be the last houre in the day of your life , yet behold the lord would hire you , and calls you to come in , before the ●orest wrath of a long provoked god break out upon you ; you that have despised gods messengers , crucified the lord jesus afresh , embrued your hands in his blood , scorned and hated the saints , and the word of gods grace ; hear what wisdom saith , prov. . , . return yee scorners ; oh consider , you that are ignorant of christ , that never sought after christ many a yeare together , that have continually provoked him to his face , how the lord calls you , isay . , , . you , even you , are those the lord calls , and will you not come ? consider why the lord calls thee , is it because hee hath any need of you to honour him ? i tell you , he could have gone to others that would have given his gospell better welcom th●n it hath had from you ; he could have gone to many kings and princ●s , and out of that golden mettle have made himselfe vessels of honour , rather then out of such base mould as thou art made of ; hee could have honoured himselfe in thy ruine , as in many millions of other men , and lose nothing by thee neither : he could have been blessed without you in the bosome of his father ; or is it because thou hast done any thing for him ? alas ! thou hast not returned him thy nutshells , thou hast not had so much as a forme of religion , thou hast done as much mischiefe to him as thou couldst , ier. . . thou hast wearied him with thine iniquities , and made him serve with thy sins , and hast sadded his heart exceedingly by strange impenitency ; isay . . the only reason that hath moved him to call to thee , hath been pity to thee , seeing thee running to the fire that never can be quencht , without stop or stay ; chron. . , . and because thou art fallen by thine iniquities , hos. . . and shall not this bring you home ? consider for what end the lord calls thee ; is it not to come and take possession of all the grace of christ , gal. . . nay of all the glory of christ , thess. . . nay to a most neare , sweet , and everlasting fellowship with christ himselfe ? cor. . . and can i say any more ? can you desire any more then this ? if the lord should say unto any of us , come into the garden , and there watch and pray with me , sorrow and suffer with me ; who of us would not account our selves unworthy of such honour ? but for the lord to say , come and enter into your rest , the land , the kingdome of grace and glory is before you , goe up and possesse it , oh where are our hearts , if this call will not draw ? if the lord should say at the day of judgement , when the heavens and earth shall be on a light fire , and the lord jesus set upon the throne of his glory , admired of all his saints and angels ; come you blessed and take the kingdome prepared for you , would you not gladly come at that call ? oh beloved , the lord jesus now in the throne of his glory in heaven , behold he calls you unto a better good then that kingdome ; he calls you to come and take himselfe and all his precious benefits , prepared for you , though in thy selfe accursed ; and would he have you take possession of all this ? is it not the praise of the riches of his grace ? eph. . if this be his end , then if thou wilt not come for thy own good , yet for his sake , his grace sake come in . how long the lord hath called thee , how oft he would have gathered thee ; he hath stood so long untill his locks are wet with dew of the night : cant. . , . it may bee you are afraid , it hath been so long , that now time is past ; oh no , for whiles the lord calls by his word and spirit , now is the acceptable time , cor. . . i confesse there is a time wherein the lord will not be found , but whiles the lord is neare unto thee by his ministery , by his spirit , convincing , affecting , stirring , knocking at thy heart , the time is not yet past , the sun is not yet set , so long as those beames appeare , isay . . those thoughts which discourage thee from coming to christ , whiles the voyce of his call is heard , cannot be of christ but satan , whose principall work is to lay such stumbling blocks in our way to him . consider the greatnesse of your sinne in not coming to him . . this is the condemning sin ; for no sin should condemne thee , if thou didst come to him , iohn . , , . thou shouldst please him , and as it were make him amends for all the wrongs thou hast done him , by coming to him ; heb. . , , . . this aggravates all other sins ; if i had not spake to them , ( saith christ ) they had had no sin ; i. e. comparatively ; but now they have no cloak for their sin : can the sin of devills be so great as thine , that n●ver had a saviour sent unto them ? yet thou hast one sent and come out of heaven to thee , calling to thee from heaven , and yet thou despisest him . . this provokes the lord to most unappeasable & unquenchable wrath , heb. . . i sware in my wrath they should not enter into my rest ; after sins against the law , the lord did not sweare that man should dye , ( for that notes an unchangeable purpose ) but let christ be despised , the lord now sweares in his wrath against such a one : he that drawes back , my soule shall take no pleasure in him , heb. . . after sin against the law , the lord took pleasure in glorifying his grace upon man fallen , but if you draw back from the grace of christ in the gospell , the lord will take no pleasure in you . . it provokes the sorest and most unsupportable wrath , take heed you despise not him that speaketh , for if they did not escape who refused him that spake on earth , much lesse shall we that despise him that speakes from heaven ; heb. . . take heed therefore you despise not him that speaketh ; the word despise signifies in the originall to despise or refuse upon some colour of reason : every man hath some seeming reason against beleeving ; one thinks time is past , another thinks he is excluded by some antecedent d●cree of election , another thinks he is not humbled , nor holy enough , another makes excuse not by pretending his ale-house and whore-house , but his farme and merchandize , mat. . another thinks he is well enough without christ , &c. oh take heed , for the wrath of god most intolerable is your portion , the lowest dungeon of darknesse is t●y place in hell for this sin ; hear ye despisers and wonder , for i will worke ( saith the lord ) a worke in your dayes , which you shall not beleeve though it be told you , acts . . i pray you what is this worke ? certainly a work of wrath and vengeance ; but what is it ? you will not beleeve though you be told of it , oh you secure sinners ; but what is it that they will not beleeve ? nay truly the lord himselfe is silent there , and saith nothing , as if it was so great and dreadfull , that the glorious lord himselfe is not able to expresse it ; and truly no more am i : oh therfore , be not worse then that generation of vipers that cam● in to iohn because some had forwarnd them to escape the wrath to come , mat. . but come unto a saviour , that you may be ever blessed with him . but you will say , how should we come to him ? come to him mourning and loathing your selves for your long continuance in refusing of him , ier. . . ezek. . . come mourning for all thy sinnes , but especially for this , that thou hast slighted him and not sought him , shed his blood , rent his bowels ; and if thou canst not come , yet come to him and make thy moane to him of thy unbeleefe and inability to come . come with confidence that they that doe come he will never cast away , and that thou being come he will never cast thee away , iohn . . heb. . . come gladly and willingly , glorifying his grace , but abasing thy selfe , with gladnesse shall they be brought and enter into the kings presence , psal. . . doe not receive gods grace as a common thing , but thankfully and with all thy heart : for the end why the lord gives christ to any man is the glory of his grace , if the lord attaines this end , he desires no more , for why should he , when he hath his end ? doe not come and tast , but come and drinke ; iohn . . you may famish to death and pine away in your iniquities , and prove apostates , even to commit the impardonable sin , if you doe but tast of him , as those did , heb. . , . but drinke abundantly , oh ye beloved of the lord , cant. . . if you cannot satisfie your soules by what you feel already received from him , then satiate your soules by what you may find in him ; isay . . take possession of all the grace , glory , peace , promises of the lord jesus , and leave not a hoofe behind thee ; and be for ever refreshed and comforted therein . so come to him , as that you keep your confidence , and keep your savour of him and joy in him , heb. . . with . let the word that called you be ever sweet & precious , as david said , psal. . . i will never forget thy precepts , for by them thou hast quickned me . let the lord jesus be ever fresh , heb. . . and as an oyntment powred out ; take ●eed that the blood wherewith you are sanctified , doe not grow a common thing , and promises withered flowers , and sermons of christ and his grace ( unlesse there be some new notions about them ) as dead drinke , for this is the great sin of this age ; the old truths about the grace of christ , and the simplicity of the gospell is as water in mens shoes ; ministers must preach novelties , and make quintessentiall extracts out of the scriptures , and it may be , presse blood out of them sometime rather then milke , or else their doctrines are to many as almanacks out of date , or as newes they heard seven yeares since ; and they knew this before : oh the wrath of god upon this god-glutted , christ-glutted , gospell-glutted age ; unlesse it be among a very few poore beleevers , whose soules are kept empty , poore , and hungry by some continuall temptations or afflictions , and they are indeed glad of any thing , if it be any thing of christ ! verily i am afraid such a dismal night is towards of spirituall desertions , and of outward , but sore afflictions of famin , war , blood , mortality , deaths of gods precious servants especially ; that the lord will fill the hearts of all churches , families , christians , that shall be saved in those times , with such rendings , tearings , shakings , anguish of spirit , as scarce never more in the worst dayes of our fore-fathers ; and that this shall continue , untill the remnant that escape shall say , blessed be he that commeth in the name of the lord ; bessed bee the face and feet of that minister , that shall come unto us in christs name , and tell us , that there is a saviour for sinners , and that he calls us for to come . and thus i have done with this divine truth , viz. that the lord jesus in the day of his power , saves us out of our wretched and sinfull estate ; by so much conviction , as begets compunction ; so much compunction , as brings in humiliation ; so much humiliation , as makes us to come to christ by faith. chap. . that every sinner thus beleeving in christ , is at that instant translated into a most blessed and happy estate : john . . psal. . ult . if the question be , what is that happy condition they are made partakers of ? i answer , this appeares in these six priviledges or benefits , principally . . iustification , all their sinnes are pardoned . . reconciliation , peace with god. . adoption , they are made the sonnes of god. . sanctification , they are restored to the image of god. . audience of all their prayers to god. . glorification , in the kingdome of heaven , in eternall communion with god. sect . i. first , iustification . this is the first benefit which immediately followes our union unto christ by faith , that look as we are no sooner children of adam , & branches of that root by naturall generation , but we immediately contract the guilt of his sin , and so originall pollution ; so we are no sooner made branches of the second adam by vocation , and so united unto christ by faith , but immediately wee have the imputation of his righteousnesse to our justification , after which we receive in order of nature ( not time ) our sanctification ; there is no truth more necessary to bee knowne then this , it being the principall thing contained in the gospell , rom. . . the law shewing how a man may bee just and live ; but it hath not the least word how a sinfull man may be just and not dye , this is proper to the revelation of the gospell : let me therefore give you a tast of the nature of it . our justification is wrought by a double act , . on god the fathers part , he by a gracious sentence absolves and acquits a sinner , & accepts of him as righteous ; . on god the sons part , procuring the passing of this sentence by his satisfaction imputed and applyed : the father being the person principally wronged hath chiefe power to forgive , yet in justice he cannot acquit , nor in truth account a man unrighteous as righteous , unlesse the son step in and satisfie ; for whose sake he forgives : as the apostle expressely saith , eph. . ult . so that our justification is wholly out of our selves , and we are meerly passive in it . justification is not to make us inwardly just , as the papists dreame ; but it is a law-tearme , and is opposed against condemnation , rom. . . now look as condemnation is the sentence of the judge condemning a man to dye for his offence or sin ; so iustification is the sentence of god the father , absolving a man from the guilt and punishment of sin for the sake of the righteousnesse of christ : that you may more particularly understand me , take this description of it . iustification is the gracious sentence of god the father , whereby for the satisfaction of christ , apprehended by faith , and imputed to the faithfull , he absolves them from the guilt and condemnation of all sin , and accepts them as perfectly righteous to eternall life . let me open the particulars herein briefly in severall queries . what it is in generall , to justifie . t is to passe sentence of absolution , to pronounce a sinner righteous ; t is gods pardon , remission of sinnes ; this appeares from the opposition mentioned it stands in unto condemnation , as a iudge pardons a man when he saith he shall live ; or as a man manifestly forgives another when he gives him a promise , or a bill of discharge : so that ( note this by the way that ) our iustification is not gods eternall purpose to forgive , but it is gods sentence published , a sinner is justified intentionally in election , but not actually till this sentence be past and published ; the difficulty only here is , where this sentence is pronounced ; for answer where of note , that there is but a double court wherein t is passed : . publikely in the court of heaven , or in the court-rolls of the word ; ( for there is no other court of heaven where god speaks , but this . ) . privately , in the court of conscience . by the first we are justified indeed from personall guilt ; by the second we feele our selves justified by the removall of conscience guilt . the first is expresly mentioned , act. . . and rom. . . the second is expresly set downe also , psal. . . the first is the cause and foundation of this second ; the second ariseth from the first : otherwise peace of conscience is a meere delusion : the first is sometimes long before the second , psal. . . as the sentence of condemnation in the word is sometimes long before a man feeles that sentence in his own conscience ; the second comes in a long time after in some christians : the first is constant and unchangeable ; the second very changeable : he that hath peace in his conscience to day , may lost it by to morrow . so that you are not ( in seeking the testimony of your justification ) to look for a sentence from heaven immediately pronounced of god , but look for it in the court of his word , ( the court of heaven ) which though we heare not , sometime , yet it rings and fills heaven and earth with the sound of it , viz. there is no condemnation to them that beleeve : for hereby the lord mercifully provideth for the peace of his people more abundantly . as when a poore creditor is acquited , or a malefactor pardoned , i beseech you ( saith he ) let me have an acquitance , a discharge , a pardon under your owne hand , and this quiets him against all accusers : so t is here ; the lord gives us an acquitance in his vvord under his owne hand and seale , and so gives us peace , heb. . . vvho is it that justifieth ? t is god the father . rom. . . father forgive them , saith christ. and hence christ is an advocate with the father , iohn . . all the three persons were wronged by sin ; yet the wrong was chiefly against the father , because his manner of working appeared chiefly in creation , from the righteousnes of which , man fell by sinne . the father forgives primarily by soveraign authority ; the sonne of man christ jesus forgives by immediate dispensation and commission from the father , iohn . . mat. . . the apostles and their successors forgive ministerially , iohn . . the father forgives by granting pardon , the sonne by procuring , the ministers ( where the spirit also is ) by publishing or applying pardon : so that this is great consolation , that god the father the party chiefly incensed , t is he that justifieth , t is he that passeth this gracious sentence , and then who can condemne ? why doth the father thus justifie ? t is meerly his grace , and out of grace . and hence i call it his gracious sentence , rom. . . justified freely by his grace . what is his grace ? the prophet esay expounds it to be not our grace , or works of grace , ( although wrought by grace ) but his owne name sake . in some respect indeed it is just for god to forgive , viz. in regard of christs satisfaction . ioh. . . rom. . . the mercy-seat and the tables of the law in the ark , may well stand together ; but that christ was sent to satisfie justice , and that thy sinnes were satisfied for , and not anothers : thus it s wholly of grace . if therefore you think the lord pardons your sinnes because you have been lesse sinners then others ; or if you think the lord will not pardon your sinnes , because you are greater sinners then any else , you sin exceedingly against the riches of gods grace in this point . what is the meane by which the father doth thus justifie ? t is for the satisfaction or by the price of the redemption of christ , rom. . . rom. . . eph. . . for mercy would , but justice could not forgive , without satisfaction for the wrong done ; hence christ satisfies , that grace and mercy might have their full scope of forgiving . so that , neither works before conversion , which are but glistering sins , rom. . . nor works of grace in us after conversion , can be causes of our justification : for abraham when he was justified and sanctified , yet had not whereof to boast , but beleeved in him that justified the ungodly , rom. . . and the apostle paul saith expresly , we that believe have beleeved , that we might be justified , gal. . . t is therefore the price of christs redemption which doth procure our justification . but understand this aright , for this price is not applyed to each particular man as the common price , redeeming all , ( for then every beleever should be accounted a saviour , and redeemer of all ) but as the price of those soules in particular , to whom it is specially intended , and particularly applyed . christs righteousnesse is sufficient to justifie all to whom it is imputed , but it is no further imputed then to the attaining the end of imputation , viz. to justifie and save me in particular , not to make me a head of the church or a common saviour : it argues a man weakly principled , that denies the necessity of christs satisfaction to our justification , because forsooth every beleever should then be a redeemer . by satisfaction i understand , the whole obedience of christ unto the very death , which is both active and passive , by which we are justified ; heb. . . phil. . . that righteousnesse of christ ( wrought in his satisfaction ) is imputed , which satisfies the law and divine justice , gal. . , , , . which is both active and passive : the very reason why the law requires perfect obedience of us , which we cannot possibly bring before god ; is , that wee might seek for it in christ , that fulfilled all righteousnesse : and therefore he is called the end of the law for righteousnesse , rom. . , . and it is strange that any should deny justification by christs active obedience , upon this ground ; viz. because that by the works of the law ( which satisfy the law ) shall no sinner be justified ; and yet withall , say that we are justified by that which satisfies the law. this righteousnesse of christ is not that of the god-head , ( for then what need was there for christ to doe or suffer ? ) but that which was wrought in the man-hood . and hence it is finite in it selfe , though infinite in value , in that it was the righteousnesse of such a person . this righteousnesse of god-man may be considered two wayes ; first , absolutely in it selfe ; secondly , respectively , as done for us . . christs absolute righteousnesse is not imputed to us , viz. as he is mediatour , head of the church , having the spirit without measure ( which is next to infinite ) &c. for though these things are applyed for our good , yet they are not imputed as our righteousnesse ; and therefore the objection vanisheth , which saith we cannot be justified by christs righteousnesse , because it is of such infinite perfection . . the respective or dispensative righteousnesse which some call justitia fidejussoria , is that whereby christ is just for us in fulfilling the law , in bearing gods image , we once had , and have now lost by sin ; and thus we are truly said to be as righteous as christ by imputation , because hee kept the law for us : and here observe that the question is not whether all that christ did and had is imputed to us as our righteousnesse , but whether all that he did pro nobis , for us , as a surety in fulfilling the law , be not for substance , our righteousnesse ; and therefore to think that we are not justifyed by christs righteousnesse , because then we are justifyed by his working of miracles , preaching of sermons , which women are not regularly capable of , is but to cast blocks before the blind ; so that though christ doth not bestow his personall wisdome and justice upon another , yet what hinders , but that that which christ doth by his wisdome and righteousnesse for another , the same should stand good for him for whom it is done ? for thus it is in sundry cases among men ; christs essentiall righteousnesse , infinite wisdome , fulnesse of spirit without measure , &c. is not imputed to us ; yet these have conspired together to doe that for us , and suffer that for us , by which we come to bee accounted righteous before god , hee shall be called the lord our righteousnesse , ier. . . this righteousnesse therefore imputed to us justifies us , rom. . . we are said to be made the righteousnesse of god in him : not the righteousnesse of god whereby he is just , but whereby we are just ; opposed to the righteousnesse of man which is called our owne righteousnesse . rom. . . rom. . . not righteousnesse from him ( as the papists dreame ) but righteousnesse in him ; nor remission by christ only , but righteousnesse in christ ; this imputed justifies , as sin imputed condemnes . who are the persons the lord doth justifie ? they are beleevers , we are justifyed by faith , rom. . or for christs righteousnesse apprehended by faith , phil. . . it is by faith not as a work of grace , but as by an instrument appointed of god for this end . christ did not dye that our sins should be actually and immediately pardoned , but mediately by faith , iohn . . iohn . . and the lord in wisdome hath appointed this as the only means of applying righteousnes , because this above all other graces cast down all the righteousnesse of man in point of justification , and so all cause of boasting , and advanceth grace and mercy only , rom. . . rom. . . rom. . . rom. . , , . the faithfull account themselves ungodly in the businesse of justification , and thence it is said that abraham ( though a godly man in himselfe , yet ) beleeved in him that justifies the ungodly : he only is righteous whom god pronounceth and saith is righteous . now faith above all other graces beleeves the word ; and a beleever saith , i beleeve i am righteous , before god , not because i feele it so in my selfe , but because god saith i am so in his son , so that you are not justified before you beleeve ; nor then only , when you have performed many holy duties , but at the first instant of your closing with christ , you are then to see it , and by faith to admire gods rich grace for it . what is the extent of this sentenc● ? the description saith , that christs satisfaction thus applyed , the father doth two things . . he absolves them from all guilt and condemnation of sin ; so that in this sense , he sees no iniquity in iacob ; chastisements they may now have after justification , but no punishments ; crosses , not curses ; such as destroy their sins , no punishments to destroy their soules : hence those phrases in scripture , scattering sins as a mist , blotting them out , remembring them no more , setting them as farre as east is from the west : for christ being made sin for his people , and this being imputed , he abolishing all sin , by oxe offering , heb. . hence all are forgiven ; and hence it is that there can be no suit in law against a sinner , the law being satisfied , and the sinner absolved ; nay hence sin is condemned , and the sinner spared , rom. . . as christ dyed for us , so he was acquitted for us , and wee in him ; we in him in redemption , we by him in actuall faith and application . whether all sins , past , present , and to come , are actually forgiven at the first instant of beleeving , i will not , dare not determine ; this is safe to say , . that the sentence of pardon of all thy sins , is at an instant , rom. . . but not the sense , nor execution of pardon : actuall sentence of pardon , not actuall application of pardon , till they be actually committed , col. . . heb. . . heb. . , . rom. . . there is a pardon of course ( some say ) for sins of infirmities , i say there is also a pardon of course for sins of wilfulnesse , all manner of sins ; but not sense of pardon alwayes . hee accepts and accounts as perfectly righteous , rom. . . faith is accounted for righteousnesse , not the act of faith , as the arminians would , but the object of it apprehended by faith , rom. . . the lord accounts us as righteous , through christs righteousnesse , as if wee had kept all the law , suffered all the punishments for the breach of it ; who can lay any thing to the charge of gods elect , whom god hath justified ? saith the apostle , rom. . satan may answer , yes , i can , for the law saith , the soul that sins must dye : christ answers , but i have dyed for him , and satisfied the utmost farthing to justice in that point : true , may satan say , here is satisfaction for the offence , but the law must be kept also ; the lord christ answers , i am the end of the law for righteousnesse , i am perfectly holy and righteous , not for my selfe , ( for i am common person ) but for this poore sinner who in himselfe is exceedingly and wholly polluted , and hence the lord covers sinnes , as well as pardons sins ; cloathes us with christ , as well as remits sin for christs sake ; and as we are accounted sinners by imputation of adams legall unrighteousnesse , so are we accounted righteous by the second adams legall righteousnesse , and that unto eternall life : rom. . , . thus you see the nature , now the lord open your eyes to see the glory of this priviledge : you that never felt the heavie load of sin , the terrors of a distrested conscience arising from the sense of an angry god , cannot prize this priviledge ; but if you have , you cannot but say as he did , oh blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven , and whose sin is covered ; and again , blessed is the man to whom the lord imputes no sin : psal. . . the lord pity us ; how many bee there in these times , that know there is no justification but by christs righteousnesse , and yet esteem it not ? let me therefore give you one glimpse of the glory of it in these particulars . . this is the righteousnes by which a sinner is righteous , the law shewes you how a man may be righteous , but there is not the least tittle of the law , which shewes you how a sinner may become righteous , this never could have entered into the thoughts of angells how this could be ; it is crosse to sense and reason , for a man accursed and sinfull in himselfe , to be at that very time blessed and righteous in another ; to say , lord depart from me for i am a sinfull man , luke . . is the voyce of naturall conscience awakened , not only concerning god out of christ , but even when god appeares in christ as he did then to peter ; but that the lord should become our righteousnesse , when we think no sinners like our selves : no cases , no afflictions , no desertions like ours , who can beleeve this ? yet thus it is ; the very scope of the fourth chapter to the romans , is not to shew how a just man may be made righteous , but how a sinner may ; our owne duties , works , and reformation , may make us at the best but lesse sinfull , but this righteousnesse makes a sinner sinlesse . . by this a sinner is righteous before the judgement seat of god : what man that hath awakenings of conscience , but trembles exceedingly when hee considers of the judgement seat of god , and of his strict account there ? but by this wee can look upon the face of the judge himselfe with boldnesse . it is god that justifies , who shall condemne ? rom. . . can christ condemne ? hee is our advocate . can sin condemn ? why did christ dye and was made sin then ? can satan condemne , if god himselfe justifie us ? if the judge acquit us , what can the jaylor doe ? can the law condemne ? no , the lord christ hath fulfilled it for us , to the utmost ; oh the stings that many have , saying , what shall i doe when i dye and goe down to the dust ? may not the lord have something against me at the day of reckoning that i never saw , nor got cancelled ? oh poore creatures ! is christ now before god without spot ? hath he cleared all reckonings ? verily as he is before him , so are you , through that righteousnesse which is in him for you . by this you have perfect righteousnesse , as perfectly righteous , as christ the righteous , iohn . , . and . . all your owne righteousnesse though it bee the fruit of the spirit of grace , is a blotted , stained righteousnesse , very imperfect and little ; but by this , the faith of david , peter , paul was not more precious then thine is , because thou hast the same righteousnesse as they had . pet. , . what sincere soule but esteems of perfect holinesse more then of heaven it selfe ? oh consider thou hast it ( in this sense i now speak of ) in the lord jesus . by this you have continuall righteousnesse ; what dost thou complaine of dayly ? is it not because thou feelest new sins , or the same sins confessed , and lamented , and in part subdued ? nay some to thy feeling wholly subdued ; but they return upon thee againe , and the springs in the bottome fill thy soule againe , that thou art weary of thy selfe and life : oh but remember , this is not a cisterne , but a fountaine opened , zach. . . for thee to wash in ; as sin abounds , so grace in this gift of righteousnesse abounds much more ; the lord hath changes of garments for thee : zach. . , , , , , , . by meanes of which , there shall never enter into the lords heart , one hard thought toward thee of casting thee off , or of taking revenge , upon any new occasion or fall unto sin . by this you have eternall righteousnesse , that never can be lost ; if the lord should make thee as perfectly righteous as once adam was , or angells in heaven are , and put on thy royall apparell againe , thou wast in danger of losing this , and of being stript naked againe ; but now the lord hath put your righteousnesse into a safer hand which never shall be lost , heb. . . dan. . . by this you please god , and are more amiable before him , then if you had it in your selfe ; doe not say this is a poore righteousnesse , which is thus out of my selfe in another ; why doe you think righteousnesse in your selfe would be best ? is it not because hereby you think you shall please god ? suppose thou hadst it , yet thy righteousnesse should be at the best but mans righteousnes , but this is called the righteousnesse of god , which cannot but be more pleasing to him , then that in thy selfe , cor. . . what is angelicall righteousnesse to the righteous-of god ? t is but a glow-worm before the sunne : the smell of esaus garments , the robes of this righteousnesse of the sonne of god , are of sweeter odour then thine can be , or ever shall be , eph. . , . tis said by faith abel , enoch , &c. pleased god : their persons were sinfull , their owne duties were weak , yet by faith in this they pleased god : thou thinkest when thou goest to prayer , if i had no sinne but perfect holinesse in me , surely god would heare me . i tell you when you bring this offering of christs righteousnesse , the lord had rather have that , then all you can doe , you bring that which pleaseth him more , then if you brought your owne . for aske thy owne conscience if it be possible for the righteousnesse which is done by thy self to be more pleasing to god , then the righteousnesse of the sonne of god , the lord of glory himselfe , done and perfected for thee . . by this you glorifie god exceedingly , as abraham beleeved , rom. . and gave glory unto god. in the lord shall all the seed of israel be justified , and shall glory , esay . . for , . by this you glorifie him perfectly in an instant , for you continue to doe all that the law requires that instant you beleeve . the apostle propounds the question , rom. . . whether a christian by faith doth make void the law ? no , saith the apostle , but we establish the law. how is that ? paraeus shews three wayes : one is this , because that perfect righteousnesse which the law requires of us , we performe it in christ , by faith . so that in one instant thou continuest to doe all that the law requires , and hence ariseth the impossibility of a true beleevers apostacie , as from one principall cause : they that deny satisfaction by christs doing of the law , because by our own works and doings we cannot be justified before god , may as well deny satisfaction by christs sufferings , because by our owne sufferings we cannot be justified ; our obedience to the law in way of suffering , is as truly the works of the law , as our obedience in way of doing . . by this you glorifie gods justice ; what ever justice requires to be done or suffered , you give it unto god , by faith in christ. . by this you glorifie grace and mercy , ephes. . . for by this meanes mercy may over-abound toward you , and you may triumph in it as sure and certaine to you . what a blessed mysterie is this ! doth it not grieve you that you cannot glorifie god in your times and places ? behold the way , if thou canst not doe it by obedience , thou maist by faith : and thereby make restitution of all gods glory lost and stolne from him by thy disobedience to him . by this you have peace in your consciences ; by this , christs blood is sprinkled upon them , and that cooles the burning torments of them , rom. . . the commers unto the leviticall sacrifices and washings , ( types of this offering of christ ) could not thereby be perfected and bee without the guilty conscience of sinne , none of your duties can pacifie conscience , but as they carry you hither to this righteousnesse , but the commers to this have no more terrours of conscience for sinne , i meane they have no just cause to have any ; this rain-bow appearing over your heads , is a certaine signe of fair weather , and that there shall be no more deluge of wrath to overwhelme thee . by this all miseries are removed ; when thy sinnes are pardoned , there is something like death , and shame , and sicknesse , but they are not ; it 's said , isay . ult . there shall be none sicke among them ; why so ? because they shall be forgiven their iniquities : t is no sicknessse in a manner , no sorrow , no affliction , if the venome , sting , and curse be taken away by pardon of sinne ; thy sicknesse , sorrow , losses , death it selfe is better now then health , joy , abundance life ; you may here see death , hell , grave , swallowed up in victory , and now tread upon the necks of them , cor. . you may see life in death , heaven in the deepest hell , glory in shame : when thou seest all thy sinnes done away in the blood of christ jesus . this is the blessednesse of all you poore beleevers and commers to the lord jesus : what should you doe but beleeve it , and rejoyce in it ? if the wicked that apply this righteousnesse presumptuously say , let us sinne that grace may abound , and make no other use of forgivenesse , but to run in debt , and sinne with a license : why should not you say , on the other side , let me beleeve and owne my portion in this righteousnesse , that as my sinnes have abounded , so my love may abound ; as my sinnes have been exceeding great , so the lord may be exceeding sweet ; as my sinnes continue and increase , so my thankfulnesse , glory in god , triumph over death , grave , sinne , through christ , may also increase ; as you see righteousnesse in christ for ever yours , so you may from thence expect from him such a righteousnesse as may make you righteous also as hee is righteous . tremble thou hard-hearted impenitent wretch , that didst never yet come to christ , nor feele thy need of him , or prize his blood ; this is none of thy portion , all thy sinnes are yet upon thee , and shall one day meet thee in the day of the lords fierce wrath , when he shall appeare as an everlasting burning before thine eyes , and thou stand guilty before him as chaffe and stubble . sect . . secondly , reconciliation . this is the second benefit which in order of nature followes our justification , although sometime in a large sense it is taken for the whole work of justification ; strictly taken , it followes it , rom. . . being justified by faith , we have peace with god , i. e. not onely peace from god in our consciences , but peace with god in our reconcilement to him , and his favour toward us : being justified , we shall be saved from wrath , i. e. not onely the outward fruits of wrath , but wrath from whence those come ; christ is first king of righteousnesse , then king of peace , heb. . . for is not finne the cause of gods anger ? must not sinne therefore bee first removed in our justification , before wee can have gods anger allayed in our reconciliation ? so that as in our justification the lord accounts us just , so in our reconciliation ( himselfe being at peace with us ) hee accounts us friends ; indeed our meritorious reconciliation is by christs death ; as the kings son who procures his fathers favour toward a malefactor , who yet lyes in cold irons and knowes it not ; and this is before our justification or being , rom. . . but actuall and efficacious reconciliation , whereby we come to the fruition and possession of it , is after our justification , rom. . , . christ is a propitiation by faith , and here the malefactor hath tidings of favour , if he will accept of it , ephes. . , . and of this i now speake : god and man were once friends , but by finne a great breach is made , the lord onely bearing the wrong is justly provoked , isa. . , . man that onely doth the wrong , is notwithstanding at enmity with him , and will not bee intreated to accept of favour , much lesse to repent of his wrong , ier. . , , , , . the lord jesus therefore heales this breach by being mediator between both ; he takes up the quarrell , and first reconciles god to man , and man to god , in himselfe in redemption , and after this reconciles god and man by himselfe in ( or immediately upon ) our justification . this reconciliation consists in two things chiefly : . in our peace with god , whereby the lord layes by all acts of hostility against us , rom. . . . in love and favour of god , i doe not meane gods love of good will , for this is in election , but his love of complacencie and delight , for till we are justified , the lord behaves himselfe as an enemy and stranger to us who are polluted before him , but then he begins thus to l●ve us , ioh. . , . col. . , . a gardiner may intend to turne a crab-tree stock into an an apple-tree , his intention doth not alter the nature of it , untill it actually be ingraffed upon : so we are by nature the children of wrath , ephes. . . the in●ention of god the father , or his love of good will doth not make us children of favour and sonnes of peace , untill the lord actually call us to and ingraffe us into christ , and then as christ is the delight of god ; so we in him are loved with the same love of delight . peace with god and love of god are different degrees of our reconciliation : a prince is at peace or ceaseth warre against a rebell , yet he may not bring the rebell before him , into his bosome of speciall favour , delight , and love ; but the lord doth both , towards us enemies , strangers , rebels , devils , in our reconciliation with him . oh consider what a blessed estate this is to be at peace with god : it was the title of honour the lord put upon abraham to bee the friend of god , isa. . . i am not able to expresse what a priviledge this is , t is better felt then spoken of ; as moses said , psal. . who knowes the greatnesse of his wrath ? so i may say , who knowes the greatnesse of this favour and love ? . that god should be pacified with thee after anger , this is exceeding glorious , isa. . , . what is man that the lord should visit him , or looke upon him , though he never had sinned ? but to look upon thee , nay to love thee , after provocation by sinne , after such wrath , which like fire hath consumed thousand thousands , and burnt downe to the bottome of hell , and is now and ever shall be burning upon them ; oh blessed are they that finde this favour . . that the lord should bee pacified wholly and thorowly , that there should be no anger left ●or you to feele . the poore afflicted church might object against those sweet promises made her , isa. . , , . that she felt no love : you are mistaken , saith the lord , fury is not in me , vers . . indeed against bryars and thornes , and obstinate sinners that prick and cut me to the very heart by their impenitencie , i have , but none against you : out of christ , god is a consuming fire , but in christ he is nothing else but love , joh. . . and though there may bee fatherly frownes , chastisements , reproofes , and rods , though hee may for a time hide his face , shut out thy prayers , deferre to fulfill promises , &c. yet all th●se are out of pure love to thee , and thou shalt see it , and feele it so in thy latter end , heb. . , . never did david love ionathan ( whose love exceeded ) as the lord loves thee from his very heart : now thou art in christ by faith . . that the lord should be pacified eternally , never to cast thee off againe for any sinnes or miseries thou fallest into ; this is wonderfull : those whom men love they forsake , if their love be a●used ; or if their friends be in affliction , they then bid them good night ; but the lords love and favour is everlasting , isa. . . the mountaines may depart out of their places , and the hills cast downe to valleys , but the lords kindnesse never shall , never can ; he hath hid his face a little moment whiles thou didst live in thy sinne and unbeleefe , but now with everlasting mercy he will imbrace thee ; nay which is more , the abounding of thy sinne is now the occasion of the abounding of his grace , rom. . . thy very wants and miseries are the very causes of his bowels and tender mercies , heb. . , . oh what a priviledge is this ? did the lord ever shew mercy or favour to the angels that sinned ? did not one sinne cast them out of favour utterly ? oh infinite grace , that so many thousand thousands every day gushing out of thy heart , against kindnesse and love , nay the greatest , dearest love of god , should not incense his sorest displeasure against thee i the lord that powred out all his anger upon his own son for thee , and for all thy sinnes , cannot now poure out , nay he hath not one drop left ( though he would ) to poure out upon thee for any one sinne . . that the lord should be thus pacified with enemies ; a man may be easily pacified with one that offends him a little , but with an enemy that strikes at his life ( as by every sinne you doe ) this is wonderfull , yet this is the case here , rom. . , . . that the lord should be pacified , even with enemies , by such a wonderfull way as the blood of jesus christ , rom. . , . this is such love , as one would think the infinite wisdome of a blessed god could have devised no greater ; by this ( v. . ) he commanded and set out his love , which though now it grow a stale and common thing in our dayes , yet this is that which is enough to burst the heart with astonishment and amazement , to thinke that the party offended , ( who therefore had no cause to seeke peace with us againe ) should finde out such a way of peace as this is ; woe to the world that despise this peace . . that being thus pacified , you may come into gods presence with boldnesse at any time , and aske what you will : i wonder what he can deny you if he loves you , rom. . . and which is yet more , that now all creatures are at peace with you , iob . . as when the captaine of the army is pacified , none of his souldiers must hurt or strike that man ; nay , that hereby all your enemies should be forced to doe good to you ; oh death where is now thy sting ? i have oft wondred , if christ hath borne all our miseries and suffered death for us , why then should we feel any miseries or see death any more ? and i could never satisfie my owne heart by many answers given , better then by this , viz. that if the lord should abolish the very being of our miseries , they should indeed then doe us no hurt ; but neither could they then doe us any good : for if they were not at all , how could they doe us good ? now the lord jesus hath made such a peace for us , as that our enemies shall not only not hurt us , but they shall be forced ( himselfe ordering of them ) to doe much good unto us ; all your wants shall but make you pray the more , all you sorrowes shall but humble you the more , all your temptations shall but exercise your graces the more ; all your spirituall desertions shall but make you long for heaven , and to bee with christ the more : it is now part of your portion , not only to have paul , and apollos , and world , but death it self● , to doe you good : oh lord what a blessed estate is this ; which , though thousands living under the gospel of peace heare of , yet they regard not ; they can strain their consciences in a restlesse pursuit of the favour of men , and in seeking worldly ; yet peace to this day ( though born enemies to god ) never spent one day , it may be not one houre , in mourning after the lord for favour from him , nor care not for it , unlesse it be upon their owne tearmes , viz. that god would be at peace with them , but they may still remain quietly in their sins and war against god ; and thence it is , that the lord will shortly take away peace from the whole earth , and plague the world with war and blood-shed : and as it is in zach. . . deliver every man into the hand of his neighbour , and into the hand of his king , and they shall smite the land ; even for this very cause , for despising the peace and reconciliation with god , you might and should have accepted in the gospell of peace . sect . iii. thirdly , adoption . this is the third benefit , which in order of nature followes our reconciliation , whereby the lord accounts us sons , and gives us the spirit and priviledges of sons : for in order , we must be first beloved before we can be loved so as to be accounted sons ; iohn . , . for the lord of unjust to account us just in our justification is much ; but for the lord to account us hereby as friends , this is more : but to account us sons also , this is a higher degree and a farther priviledge ; and hence , our adoption followes our faith ; iohn . , gal. . . and if adoption , then the spirit of adoption much lesse doth not precede faith. by christs active obedience ( our divines say ) we have right unto life ; by adoption wee have a farther right ; the one destroyes not the other ; for a man may have right unto the same thing upon sundry grounds : we know there are sorts of sons : . some by nature , borne of our own bodies , and thus wee are not sonnes of god , but children of wrath . . some by adoption which are taken out of another family , and accounted freely of us as our sons ; and thus moses was for a time the sonne of pharao●s daughter , and of this son-ship by adoption i now speak , the lord taking us out of the family of hell to be his adopted sons , christ is gods son by eternall generation , adam by creation ; all believers are sons by adoption . now adoption is two-fold , . externall , whereby the lord takes a people by outward covenant and dispensation to be his sons , and thus all the jewes were gods first-borne , exod. . . and unto them did belong the adoption , rom. . , . and hence their children were accounted sons , as well as saints , and holy : cor. . . ezech. . , . but many fall from this adoption , as the jewes did . . internall , whereby the lord out of everlasting love , to particular persons in speciall , he takes them out of the family of satan , and by internall love and speciall account reckons them in the number of sons ; makes them indeed sonnes , as well as calls them so : isaac by speciall promise was accounted for the seed , rom. . . and of this we now speak . now this is double . . adoption begun , iohn . , . ●ow we are the sons of god. to some of which , ( though sons indeed ) yet the lord behaves himselfe toward them for some time , and for speciall reasons ; as unto servants , exercising them with many feares : gal. . , . some spirits will not bee the better for the love of their father , but worse ; and therefore the lord keeps a hard hand over them : to others , the lord behaves himself with more speciall respect , in making them cry with more boldnesse , abba father , rom. . , , who will be more easily overcome , and bent to his will by love . . adoption perfected , when we shall receive all the priviledges of sons , not one excepted , rom. . . where we are said to wait for our adoption , the redemption of our bodies ; by the first we are sons , but not seen nor known such , iohn . , . by the second , we shall be knowne before all the world to be such : we now speak principally of adoption begun , whereby we are sons in gods account , and by reall reception of the spirit of sons : the manner of this adoption is thus . . god loves jesus christ with an unspeakable love , as his only son , and as our elder brother . . hence when we are in christ his son , he loves us with the same love , as he doth his own son. . hence the lord accounts us sonnes , eph. . , . gods love is not now toward us as to adam his son by creation , viz. immediately diffused upon us ; but in loving his owne son immediately , hence he loves us , and hence adopts us , and accounts us children . oh that the lord would open our eyes to see this priviledge ; behold it , saith iohn , iohn . . stand amazed at it , that children of wrath should become the sonnes of the most high god ; for a begger on the dunghill , a vagabond , runnagate from god , a prodigall , a stranger to god , whom the lord had no cause to think on ; to be made a son of god almighty . if sons , then the lord doth prize and esteem you as sonnes : if a man hath twenty sonnes , he esteems the poor●st , least , sick child he hath , more then all his goods and servants , unlesse he be an unnaturall father ; i tell you that the least of you , the poorest and most ●eeble beleever , is accounted of god , and more esteemed then all his houshold-stuffe ; then heaven , earth , and all the glory in it , and all the kings , and great men in the world : isay . , , . not because thou hast done any thing worthy of this , but only because he accounts thee freely as his sonne . if sons , then the lord surely will take care for you as for sons ; a godly father hath a double care of his children . first , of their temporall ; secondly , and chiefly of their eternall estate ; we are ready to question in times of want , what we shall eat , drink , how we shall live ; oh consider , art thou a son of god , and will not he that feeds the ravens , and clothes the lillies , provide for thee ? yes verily , he wil take care for thy temporall good . it is true you may be brought into outward straits , wants , miseries , yet then the lord is thereby plotting for thy eternall good , for hence come all gods corrections , deut. . . heb. . . the lord took all they had from them by their enemies in warre , and carried them away captive into a strange land , yet ler. . . this was for their good ; we think the lord many times takes no care for us , & so make him of a worse nature then the savage beasts , or bloody men toward their young , but this is certain , he never denies any thing to us in outward things , but it is to further our eternall blisse with him , to doe us good in our latter end : what say godly parents ? it is no matter what becomes of my children , when i am dead , if the lord would but give them himselfe to be their portion ; if at last they may see the lord in glory : doe not wonder then if the lord keeps you short sometimes . if sonnes , then he loves you as sons , as a father doth his sons ; you think the lord loves you not , because you doe not alway feel his love , nor know his love ; is thy son not thy child , because whiles it is young , it kno was not the father that begot it , or because thou art some time departed from it , and hast it not alway in thy owne arm●● ? israel saith , my god hath forsaken me and forgotten me , isa. . . and yet no mother tenders her child , as the lord did them ; you think because you have so many sins and afflictions one upon another , that the lord loves you not : judge righteously , hath thy child no father because it is sick long together , and therefore kept under unto a spare diet ? no , he knowes our mould , and that we are but dust , and freely chose us to be his sons , and hence loves notwithstanding all our sins : psal. . , . if hee sees ephraim bemo●ning his stubbornesse , as well as his sicknesse and weaknesse , ier. . . doth not the lord professe , is he not my onely sonne ? if sons , then we are heires and co-heires with christ saith the apostle , rom. . . sonnes by nature are not alway heires , but all sons by adoption are : wee are heires with christ , the lord christ as our elder brother managing all our estate for us , because unable to doe it our selves ; wee are heires . of the kingdome of glory , pet. . , . . heires of all this visible world , cor. . . not that we have the whole world in our own hand ( it would be too cumbersome to us to manage , ) but the lord gives us the rent of it , the blessing and good of it , though it be possessed by others . thirdly , wee are heires of the promise : heb. . . heb. . . whereby iehovah himselfe comes to be our inheritance and portion for ever ; and look as christ was in the world an heire of all , though trod under foot by all , so are we ; what can we desire more ? if sons , then we have , and shall ever have the spirit of sons ; rom. . , . and what are we the better for this spirit ? truly hereby , first , we cry unto him , we are enabled to pray who could not pray before , because guilt stopt our mouths . secondly , we cry abba father , and this spirit witnesseth that we are sons of this father : it is not said that it witnesseth to our spirits , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , it witnesseth with our spirits ; i. our renewed conscience , thus ; all beleevers called and justified of god are sons , but i am such a beleever , therefore i am a son ; now the spirit beares witnesse with us in every part , both premises and conclusion only , it being the clearest and strongest witnesse , it testifies the same thing our consciences doe , but yet more clearly , more certainly , more comfortably and sweetly , ravishing the soule with most unspeakable peace and joy , especially in the conclusion . i know there is a noetick testimony , but it is lastly resolved into this ; i le not now dispute it , only this is certaine ; that this testimony all the sonnes of god have by meanes of their adoption . they may not indeed sometime heare it ; if they doe , they may object against it through the unbeleef in part remaining in them ; or if it be sometimes suspended , what you want in the witnesse and comfort of it , you have it in the holinesse of it ; and therefore the spirit sealing is called the holy spirit : eph. . . pet. . , , . & is not this a great priviledge ? thirdly , hereby you are led and guided , and that continually toward your last end . for as if adam had stood , he should have had the spirit of god , this very spirit to have kept him and all his posterity from falling at any time from god , so christ having stood for us , justified us before god ; sends the immutable constant assistance of the spirit in adoption , which though it doth not alway quicken us , nor comfort us , nor assure us , &c. yet it is every moment guiding and leading of us unto our utmost end . from hence it is , that the same sins which harden others , at last humble us , the same temptations by which others fall and perish , serve at last to purify us ; hence our decay in grace leads us to growth at last , hence our feares and doubts serve to stablish us at last , hence ou● wildrings from god , for a time , make us esteem more of the presence and wayes of god at last ; because this spirit of adoption is that by which we are led , and constantly assisted and carried toward our latret end : oh mourne thou that art as yet no son , but a slave to satan , and unto thy filthy lusts ; a servant at best , working for wages only , and feare of the whip , who shalt not alway abide in gods house as sons shall doe : nay it may be ●ast hated and reviled the sonnes of god ; time shall come that you shall wonder at their glory , who are not known now . sect . . fourthly , sanctification . this is the fourth benefit which followes in order of nature , our justification , reconciliation , and adoption , for upon our being sonnes in adoption , we receive the image of our heavenly father in sanctification ; because we are under grace . hence it comes to passe that we are freed from the raigning power of sin , rom. . . so that our sanctification followes our justification , and adoption goes not before it . in justification , we have the love and righteousnesse of the son ; in reconciliation , the love of the father ; in adoption , the love of a father and presence of the spirit assisting , witnessing ; in sanctification , the image of our father by the same spirit : and this i conceive with submission is the seale of the spirit mentioned , eph. . . the seale sealing , is the spirit it selfe ; the seale sealed , consists first in the expression of it in adoption , secondly , in the impression of it in sanctification , and that hee only shall passe as currant coyne , that hath both these ; i know the most full and cleare expression and testimony of the spirit is after all gods work is finished in glorification , but the beginning of it is here in adoption , a fuller measure of it in sanctification ; gods seale is ever set to some promise ( as mens seales to some bond , not to blanks ) the lords promise of actuall justification , and reconciliation , pertaines onely to men sanctified or called : in adoption therefore we receive the spirit , which lookes both wayes ; testifying either thou sanctified , art justified , or thou called , art justified and reconciled . i speak not now of externall sanctification by outward shew and profession , and common illumination and operation of the spirit upon men , from which many fall away . heb. . . but of internall and speciall ; the nature of which , you may best conceive in these three degrees . . it is the renewing of a man. so that by it a man is morally made a new man , another man ; all things are become new : he hath new thoughts , new opinions of things , new desires , new prayers , and praises , new dispositions ; regeneration not differing from it . . it is a renewing of the whole man. thess. . . for as every part and faculty of man is corrupt by the first adam , so they are renewed by the second adam ; not that we are perfectly renewed in this life by christ , as we are corrupt by adam , but in part in every faculty , rom. . . and from hence ariseth our spirituall combat and warfare with sin , yea with all sin ; it is not because of our sanctification simply ( for if it were perfect , we should warre and wrastle no more ; ) but from the imperfection of it . and this renewall in part , is in every part , even in the whole man : and as the first adam propagates sin chiefly and radically in the soule , especially into the heart of man ; and from thence it diffuseth it self like leven into the whole lump of our lives , so the lord jesus chiefly communicates this renewall into our hearts , and thence it sweetens our lives ; and hence it is called the inner man ; rom. . . eph. . . you see a little holinesse in a christian ; i tell you , if he be of the right make , there is a kind of infinite endlesse holinesse within him from whence it springs , as there is a kind of infinite endlesse wickednesse in a wicked man , from whence his sins spring : if a man bee outwardly holy , but not within , he is not sanctified , no more then the painted sepulchres of the proud pharisees ; if any man say his heart is good , though he makes no shew in his life , he speaks not the truth , if the apostle may bee beleeved , iohn . . for sanctification is a renewall of the whole man , within and without ; it is not for a man to have his teeth white , and his tongue tipt , and his nayles pared ; no , no , the lord makes all new where he comes . . it is a renewall unto the image of god , or of god in christ ; an unsanctified man may bee after a sort renewed in the whole man , his outward conversation may be faire , his mind may bee enlightened , his heart may tast of the heavenly gift , &c heb. . , . he may have a forme of godlinesse , tim. . . he may have strong resolutions within him unto godlinesse , deut. . . and hence with the five foolish v●rgins may be received into the fellowship of the wise , and not discerned of them neither , till the gate is shut ; but they are never renewed in their whole man after the image of god : i. they doe not know things , and judge of them as god doth , they doe not love and will holinesse and the meanes thereto , as god doth ; they hate not sin , as god doth ; they doe not delight in the whole law of god , it is not writ in their hearts , and hence they love it not as god doth : and this is the cut of the threed between a sanctified and unsanctified spirit ; by sanctification a man is renewed unto gods image , once lost , but here again restored ; eph. . . iohn . . we receive from christ grace for grace , as the seale on the wax hath tittle for tittle , to that in the seale it selfe , we are changed into the same image of christ by beholding him , in the glosse of the gospell , by faith ; cor. . . i delight in the law of god in my inward man , rom. . . and hence a christian by the life of sanctification , lives like unto god ; at least hath a holy disposition and inclination ( the habits of holinesse ) so to doe ; gal. . . i live unto god , he calleth us from darknesse into his marvellous light , that we might shew forth his vertues ; and that this is true sanctification , may thus appeare ; because our sanctification is opposed to our originall corruption , as our justification to our originall and contracted guilt of sin : now as originall corruption is the defacing of gods image by contrary dispositions to sinfulnesse , so our sanctification can be nothing else but the removall of this pollution , by the contrary habits and dispositions to be like unto god againe : our sanctification is to be holy , levit. . . our holinesse hath no other primary pattern but gods holinesse , so that our sanctification is not the righteousnesse and holinesse in as it is inherent in christ , for that is the matter of our justification , and therefore sanctification must be that holinesse which is derived unto us from christ , whereby we are made like unto him ; and thus christ is made sanctification unto us , cor. . . there should be no difference betweene christ our righteousnesse and sanctification , if that holinesse which is in christ should be both unto us . hence also sanctification is not the immediate operation of the spirit upon us , without created habits of grace abiding in us , as the spirit that came upon balaam , and mightily affected him for a time , but left him as destitute of any grace or change of his nature as the asse he rode on ; no , no , it renewes you unto the image of god himselfe , if you be truly sanctified . and therefore let all those dreames of the familists , ( denying all inherent graces , but onely those which are in christ , to be in the saints ) let them vanish and perish from under the sunne , and the good lord reduce all such who in simplicity are mis-led from this blessed truth of god. i will not now enter into that depth concerning the means of our sanctification in mortification by christs death and vivification by the resurrection of christ : this may suffice for explication of the nature of it . onely see and for ever prize this priviledge , all you blessed soules , whom the lord hath justified ; thou hast many sad complaints , what is it to me , if i be justified in christ , and be saved at last by christ , and my heart remaine all this while unholy and unsubdued unto the will of christ ; that hee should comfort me , and my holy heart be alway grieving of him ; what though the lord save me from misery , but saves me not from my sinne ? oh consider this benefit . it is true , thou findest a wofull , sinfull nature within thee , crosse and contrary unto holinesse , and leading thee daily in captivity ; yet remember the lord hath given thee another nature , a new nature ; there is something else within thee , which makes thee wrastle against sinne , and shall in time prevaile over all sinne , mat. . . this is the lords grace sanctifying of thee . oh be thankfull that the lord hath not left thee wholly corrupt , but hath begun to glorifie himselfe in thee , and to blesse thee , in turning thee from thine iniquities . . by this thou hast a most sweet and comfortable evidence of thy justification & favour with god ; he that denyes this , must ( what ever distinctions he hath ) abolish many places of scripture , especially the epistles of iames and iohn , who had to doe with some spirits , that pretended faith and union to christ , and communion with him , and so long as it was thus , this was evidence sufficient to them of their justified estates . what faith iames ? thou sayst thou hast faith , shew it me then ; prove it for my part , saith he : i le prove by the blessed fruits and works which flow from it , as abraham manifested his , iam. . , . what saith iohn ? you talk ( saith he ) of fellowship and communion with christ , and yet what holinesse is there in your hearts or lives ? if you say you have fellowship with him , and walk in darknesse , we lye and doe not the truth ; but if you walk in the light , then although your holinesse , and confession , and daily repentance for sinne doth not wash away sinne , yet the blood of christ doth wash us , iohn . , . againe , you say you know christ , and the love and good will of christ toward you , and that he is the propitiation for your sinnes : how doe you know this ? saith he : he that saith ; i know him , and keeps not his commandements , is a lyar , iohn . . true , might some reply , he that keeps not the commands of christ , hath hereby a sure evidence that he knowes him not , and that he is not united unto him ; but is this any evidence that we doe know him , and that we are united to him , if we doe keep his commandements ? yes verily , saith the apostle , hereby we doe know that we know him , if we keep his commandements , verse . and againe , verse . hereby know we that we are in him . what can be more plain ? what a vanity is this to say that this is running upon a covenant of workes ? is not sanctification the writing of the law in our hearts , a speciall benefit of the covenant of grace as well as justification ? heb. . . . and can the evidencing then of one benefit of such a covenant by another , be a running upon the covenant of workes ? is it a truth contained in the couenant of grace , viz. that he that is justified is also sanctified , and he that is sanctified is also justified ? and is an errour against grace to see this truth , that he that is sanctified is certainly justified ; and that therefore he that knowes himselfe sanctified , may also know thereby that he is justified : tell me how will you know that you are justified ? you will say , by the testimony of the spirit ; and cannot the same spirit shine upon your graces and witnesse that you are sanctified as well ? ioh . , . cor. . . can the spirit make the one cleare to you , and not the other ? oh beloved its a sad thing to heare such questions and such cold answers , also that sanctification possibly may be an evidence ; may be ? is it not certaine ? assuredly , to deny it is as bad as to affirme that gods owne promises of favour are true evidences thereof , and consequently , that they are lyes and untruths ; for search the scripture , and consider sadly , how many evangelicall promises are made unto severall graces , i. e. unto such persons as are invested with them ; you may only take a taste from mat. . , , &c. where our saviour ( who was no legall preacher ) pronounceth , and consequently evidenceth blessednesse by eight or nine promises , expresly made to such persons as had inherent graces of poverty , mourning , meeknesse , &c. there mentioned ; the lord jesus leaving those precious legacies of his promises unto his children that are called by those names of mourners , poore in spirit , pure in heart , &c. that so every one may take , and bee assured of his portion manifested particularly therein : that i many times wonder how it comes to passe , that this so plaine and ancient principle of catechisme ( for so it was among the waldenses many , yeeres since ) grounded on so many pregnant scriptures , should come to be so much as questioned in our dayes ; sometimes i thinke it ariseth from some wretched lusts men have a minde to live quietly in ; desirous to keepe their peace , and yet unwilling to forsake their lusts ; and hence they exclude this witnesse of water , the witnesse of sanctification to testifie in the court of conscience , whether they are beloved of god and sincere hearted or no , because this is a full witnesse against them , and tells them to their faces , that there is no peace to the wicked , isa. . ult . deut. . , . and that they have nothing to doe to take gods name into their lips , that secretly hate to bee reformed , psal. . . in others i think it doth not arise from want of grace , but because the spirit of grace and sanctification runs very low in them ; t is so little that they can scarce see it by the help of spectacles ; or if they doe , they doubt continually of the truth of it ; and hence , because it can speake little , and that little very darkly and obscurely for them , they have no great mind that it should bee brought in as any witnesse for them . others i thinke may have much grace and holinesse , yet for a time cast it by as an evidence unto them , because they have experience how difficult and troublesome it is to finde this evidence ; and when t is found , how troublesome to read it , and keep it fair , and thereby have constant peace and quietnesse ; and hence arise those speeches , why doe you looke to your sanctification , a blotted evidence ? you may have it to day , and lose it to morrow , and then where is your peace ? and i doe beleeve the lord deprives many of his precious saints from the comfort of this evidence ; either because they looke onely to this , and not unto christ , and their justification by faith , rom. . . or else because there is some secret lust or guile of spirit , psal. . , . which the lord by sore and long shakings about their calling and sanctification , would first winnow out , or because there is a perverse frowardnesse of spirit , whereby because they feele not that measure of sanctification which they would , do therefore vilifie and so come to deny what indeed they have ; because they feele a law of sinne in their members , leading them away captive ; will not , with paul , take notice of the law of their mindes , whereby that inner man delights in the law of god , and mournes bitterly under the body of death , by which they might see with paul , that there is no condemnation to such , rom. . . to conclude , what ever is the cause of this crookednesse of judgement , i doe beleeve that the generall cause is , want of attendance and standing unto the judgement of the scriptures in this controversie : for if this was stood unto , men would not produce their own experience ; viz. that they could never finde any evidence from sanctification , but they have met with it in another way , by the immediate witnesse of the spirit onely ; nor would men cry it down , because grace being mixt with so much corruption , it can hardly be discerned , and so will be alway lest in doubts , and that the heart is deceitfull , and many that have evidenced their estates , hereby have been deceived : i confesse thus the popish doctors argue against assurance of faith from the scriptures without speciall and extraordinary rev●lation ; but what is all this to the purpose if the scriptures make it an evidence ? away then with thy corrupt experience , shall this be judge , or the scriptures rather ? what though many judging of themselves by markes and signes have been deceived ; yet if the scripture make it an evidence , ( as we have proved ) then , though men thorow their owne weaknesse or wickednesse have been deceived in misapplying promises ; yet the scriptures cannot deceive you : what though it be difficult to discerne christs grace in us ? yet if the scriptures will have us try our estates by that rule , which in it selfe in easie , but to our blindnesse and weaknesse , difficult many times to see ; who shall , who dares condemn the holy scriptures ? which as they shall judge us at last day should judge us now . suppose that divers bookes , and many ministers sometimes give false signes of grace and gods favour , yet doth the scriptures give any ? i shall propose one thing to conscience , as the conclusion of this discourse : suppose thou wert now lying on thy death-bed , comforting thy self in thy elected and justified estate ; suppose the spirit of god should now grapple with thy conscience , and tell thee , if thou art justified , then thou art called & sanctified , thes. . , . is it thus with thee ? what wilt thou answer ? if thou sayst thou art not sanctified , the word and spirit will beare witnesse then against thee , and say , then thou art not elected nor justified ; if thou saist thou knowest not , thou lookest not to sanctification , or fruits of the spirit , they will then reply , how then canst thou say that thou art elected or justified ? for it is a truth as cleare as the sun , and as immovable as heaven and earth ; none are elected and justified , but they are also sanctified , and they that are not sanctified are not justified , rom. . , . and now tell me , how can you have peace , unlesse you make your faces like slint before the face of gods eternall truth , or heale your consciences by such a plaister as will not stick ? if therefore the lord ever made sinne bitter to thee , let holinesse be sweet ; if continuance in sinne hath been an evidence unto thee of thy condemnation , oh let the riches of the grace of christ in redeeming thee from the lamentable bondage and power of sinne , be an evidence to thee of thy salvation ; oh blesse god for any little measure of sanctification ; doe not scorne or secretly despise this spirit of grace , as many in this degenerate age begin to doe , saying , you looke to graces and fruits , and marks , and signes , and a holy frame of heart and sanctification ; what is your sanctification ? oh let it be the more precious to thee , mourning that thou hast so little , and blessing the god and father of all grace for what little thou hast , wearing it as a bracelet of gold about thy necke , knowing hereby that thou art borne of god , and that the whole world lyeth in wickednesse , and shall perish without this , ioh. . , . . this is your glory & beauty , this is glorification begun ; what greater glory then to be like unto god ? to be like unto god is to be next to god : and therefore this is called glory , cor. . . we are changed into the same image from glory to glory . every degree of grace is glory , and the perfection of glory in heaven consists chiefly in the perfection of grace ; what is the worke of some men at this day but to cast reproach upon sanctification our glory ? . this will give you abundance of sweet peace , and therefore , heb. . . it is called the quiet fruit of righteousnesse ; for from whence comes the sore troubles and continuall doubts of gods favour in many mens consciences ? is it not some decay or guile here ? psal. . , . is it not some boldnesse to sinne ; that they walke not in feare , and therefore not in the consolation of the holy ghost ? is it not their secret dalliance with some known sinne , continued in with secret impenitencie ? is it not because they labou● with some strong unmortified corruption , pride , or passions , that they are in daily pangs and throwes of conscience for ? psal. . , , , . what was the rejoycing of paul ? was it not that in all sincerity and simplicity he had his conversation among men ? cor. . . what was hezekiahs peace when dying as he thought ? was it not this , lord remember i have walked before thee uprightly ? isa. . , . not that this was the ground of their peace , for that onely is free grace in christ , but this is the meanes of your peace , ioh. . , . its a cursed peace which is kept by looking to christ , yet loving thy lust . . this is that which will make you sit for gods use , tim. . , . a filthy uncleane cleane vessell is good for nothing till cleansed ; god will not delight to glorifie himselfe much by an unsanctified person ; what is thy wife , children , friends , family , the better for thee , if thy heart remaine unsanctified ? . a little holinesse is eminently all , springing up to eternall life ; this little spring shall never cease running , but it shall fill heaven it selfe , and thy soule in it with abundance of glory , ioh. . . and . . you despise it because it is but little ; i tell you this little is eminently all , and containes as much as shall be powred out by thee so long as god is god : t is true , thou sayst its weake , and oft foiled , and gives thee not compleat power and victory over all sinne , yet know that this shall ( like the house of david ) grow stronger and stronger , and it shall at last prevaile , and the lord will not breake thee though thou art bruised by sinne daily , untill judgement come to victory ; and the prince of this world be judged , and thy soule perfected in the day of the lord jesus . sec . . fiftly , audience of all prayers . this is the fift benefit , which though it be a fruit of other benefits , yet i name it in speciall , because i desire it might be especially observed ; and i place it after our sanctification , because of davids speech , if i regard iniquity in my heart , the lord will not heare my prayer , psal. . . and that of the apostle , joh. . . wee beleeve what ever we aske we receive , because wee keep his commandements , and doe those things which are pleasing in his sight . as the lord hath respect to the prayers of his people , not only in regard of their justification , but in some sense in regard of their sanctification also ; a justified person polluted with some personall or common sins of the times , may want that audience and acceptance of his prayers i am now speaking of . that god will heare all the petitions of his people , can there be a greater priviledge then this ? yet this our saviour affirmes twice together , because it is so great a promise , that we can hardly beleeve it , iohn . , . whatsoever you aske the father in my name , that will i doe ; mark the scope of the words our saviour had promised , that he that beleeves in me , shall doe greater works then i have done ; now because this might seem strange and impossible , the lord in those verses tells them how , for ( saith he ) whatsoever you aske in my name i will doe for you , i will doe indeed all that is to be done , but yet , it shall be by meanes of your prayers ; christ did great works when he was upon the earth , but for him to doe what ever a poore sinfull creature shall desire him to doe ; what greater work of wonder can there be then this ? this is our confidence ( saith the apostle ) that what ever we aske according to his will , he heareth us : iohn . . the greatest question here will be , what are those prayers the lord jesus will heare ? i confesse many things are excellently spoken this way , yet i conceive the meaning of this great charter is fully exprest in those words , in my name . if they be prayers in christs name , they shall be heard ; and it containes these three things . . to pray in christs name , is to pray with relyance upon the grace , favour , and worthinesse of the merits of christ , thus this phrase is used , to walke in the name of their gods , is in confidence of the authority , and excellency , and favour of their gods , that they will beare them out in it ; so to pray in christs name , is to pray for christs sake thus ; eph. . . through him ( i. through his death and satisfaction rested upon ) we have accesse with confidence unto the father , eph. . . in whom we have beleeved , and accesse with confidence by the faith of him . there are three evills that commonly attend our prayers , when we see god indeed . . shame and flight from god , the apostle saith therefore , that by faith in christ we have accesse : . if we doe accede and draw neare to him , there is a secret feare and straitnesse of spirit to open all your minds ; therefore saith he , we have boldnesse , the word signifies liberty of speech to open all our minds without feare or discouragement . . after we have thus drawne neare , and opened all our desires and mones before god , wee have many doubts , viz. will the lord heare such a sinner , and such weak , and imperfect , and sinfull prayers ? & therefore he also affirms , that we have confidence and assurance of being heard ; but all this is by faith in him : for look as christ hath purchased all blessing for us by his death , and hence makes his intercession for those things dayly according to our need : so we are much more to rest upon , and make that satisfaction , the ground of our intercession ; because christs blood purchased this , therefore oh lord grant this . . to pray in his name , is to pray from his command , and according to his will ; as when we send another in our name , wee wish him to say thus , tell him that i desire such a thing of him , and that i sent you ; so it is here , and thus the phrase signifies : iohn . . i am come in my fathers name , i. by his authority and command . to pray in christs name therefore , is to pray according to the will of christ , and from the will of christ ; when we take those words the lord puts into our mouthes , hos. . , , . and desire those things only that the lord commands us to seek , whether absolutely or conditionally ; according to his will revealed , and with submission to his will concealed : iohn . . what ever we aske according to his will , he heares us ; psal. . . rom. . . if you aske any thing not according to gods will , you come in your owne name , he sent you not with any such ●●essage to the father . . to pray in his name , is to pray for his ends ; for the sake and use of christ , and glory of christ , thus the phrase is used ? mat. . , . to receive a prophet in the name of a prophet , i. for this end and reason , because he is a prophet . a servant comes in his masters name to aske something of another , when he comes , as from his command ; so also for his masters use : so when wee pray for christs sake , i. for his ends , not our owne ; these ever prevaile . iames . . you aske and have not , because you aske amisse , to spend it on your lusts ; ioh. . , . ps. . . this is to aske in truth , to act for a spirituall end ; to make it our utmost end , ariseth from a speciall , peculiar , supernaturall presence of the spirit of life : and consequently a spirit of prayer which is ever heard . and hence you shall observe , the least groan for christs ends is ever heard ; because it is the groaning of the spirit , because it is an act of spirituall life , the formality of which consists in this , that it is for god : gal. . . the lord cannot deny what we pray for christs ends , because then he should crush christs glory : and therefore let a christian observe , when he would have any thing of god that concernes himselfe , not be sollicitous so much for the thing , as to gaine favour and nearnesse to god , and a heart subject unto god in a humble contentednesse , to be denyed as well as to be heard , and he shall undoubtedly find the thing it selfe ; a lust is properly such a desire ( though for lawfull things ) wherein a man must have the thing because it pleaseth him , as when rachell asked for children , she must have them , else she must needs dye : give us water that wee may drinke , was their brutish cry , exod. . , . not that we may live to him that give● it : holy prayers or desires ( opposed unto lusts ) are such desires of the soule , left with god , with submission to his will , as may best please him : now the lord will heare the desires indeed of all that feare him , but not fulfill their lusts . these three are the essentiall properties of such prayer as is heard , or if you will , of that which is properly or spiritually prayer , f●rvency , and assurance , &c. are excellent ingredients ; but yet the lord may heare prayer without them : it is true , the lord may sometimes not heare us presently , for our praying time is our sowing time , we must not look presently for the harvest . the lord heares the prayer of the destitute , psal. . . the originall word is , of the shrub , or naked place of the desert , which the prophet saith , ier. . . sees no good when good comes , yet such as feele themselves such , the lord doth regard them ; and will have a time to answer them : and though the lord may not give us the thing we pray for , nor as good a thing of the same kind , yet he ever gives us the end of our prayers ; hee that is at sea and wants stiffe winds to carry him to his port , yet hath no cause to complaine , if the lord secretly carries him in by a strong current of the sea it selfe ; and it is certain at the end of all gods dealing with you , you shall then see how the lord hath not failed to answer you in any one particular , ios. . . oh therefore see and be perswaded of this your priviledge , that god will now heare every prayer ; many make a question , how may we know when the lord grants out any blessing as an answer to prayer ? many things are said to this purpose ; but the simplicity and plainnesse of the answer li●s in this , viz. if it be a prayer , god heares it ; if it be put up in christs name , it is then a prayer : and that you may beleeve this , and glory in this , consider these reasons only , to confirme this truth . from the promise of christ as in this place , iohn . . , . which was a promise in speciall to be accomplished when hee came to his kingdome ; and therefore , though it is true , gods grace is free , and therefore you think the lord may as well refuse to heare you , as heare ; yet consider that by his promise , he hath bound himselfe to heare . from the fatherly disposition that is in god , iohn . , . and hece he loves us , and hence cannot but heare us . because all prayers put up in christs name , christ makes intercession that they may be heard , heb. . . hee hath laid downe his blood , that all our prayers might be heard , ( as we have prov●d ) and indeed , hence ariseth the infinite ef●icacie of prayer , because it is built upon that which is infinitely and eternally worthy . because all prayers of the faithfull arise from the spirit of prayer , rom. . . because as that which is for the flesh , is of the flesh ; so that which is for the spirit , or for the sake of christ , for spirituall ends , is ever of the spirit , iohn . . because of the glory of christ , that the father may be glorifyed in the son : cannot christ be glorifyed unlesse he heare all prayers ? yes he could , but yet his will is to reveale his glory by this meanes ; so that thou and thy prayers be vile , and therefore deservest no acceptance , nor answer , yet remember that his glory is deare ; it is the glory of kings to heare some requests and petitions , but they cannot heare nor answer all ; it is the glory of christ to heare all , because he is able , without the least dishonour to himselfe thus to doe . oh be perswaded of this , how should your joy then be full , how should you then delight to be oft with him , how would you then encourage all to come unto him , how would you then be constrained to doe any thing for him , who is ready to doe all for you ? but oh , woe unto our unbeleefe , for that which ( the apostle saith , iohn . . ) was ground of his confidence , viz. that what ever wee aske according to his will , hee heares us , is no ground to us , and wee may say , and mourne to think , this is our diffidence , that what ever i aske according to christs will , he heares me not : but oh recover from such a distrustfull frame , and from all dead-heartednesse in this duty with all , lest the lord send task-masters and double our bricks , and then we groan , and sigh , and cry , and learne to pray that way , that will not pray nor beleeve now . if the lord would but give us hearts , assuredly you might not only rule your selves and families , but by the power of prayer pull down , and raise up kingdomes , dispose of the greatest affaires of the church , nay of the world , you might hereby work wonders , by meanes of him who ruling all things yet is overcome by prayer , hos. . , . sect . vi. sixthly , glorification . this is the sixth and last priviledge and benefit , and you all know is the last thing in the execution of gods eternall purpose toward all his beloved and chosen ones ; whom he hath predestinated , called , justified , them he hath also glorified , rom. . . hereby we are made perfect in holinesse , no more sinne shall stirre in us , perfect also in happinesse ; no more teares , nor sorrowes , nor temptations , nor feares , shall ever molest us : heb. . . revel . . . and all this shall bee in our immediate communion with god in christ , col. . . iohn . , . wee shall be then , saith paul , for ever with the lord : if the lord would but open our eyes , and give us one glimpse of this , what manner of persons should we be ? how would we then live ? how willingly then should wee embrace faggots and flames , prisons and penury ? the light afflictions here , would not they work for us glory ? nay the apostle useth such a phrase which i beleeve may pose the most curious oratour in the world to expresse to the life of it , an exceeding weight of glory . cor. . . what is our life now but a continuall dying , carrying dayly about us that which is more bitter then a thousand deaths ; what faith the apostle to us , you are dead , yet when christ shall appeare , you shall appeare with him also in glory ; the generall security of these times foretold by christ , ( especially when churches become virgins , and people are seeking after purity of ordinances ) it shall not be in a want of watchfulnesse against the present corruptiions of the times so much , as in a carelesse want of expectation of the comming o● christ in glory , not having our loynes girt , and lamps burning , nor readinesse to meet the lord in glory , mat. . , , , , . &c. oh that i were able therefore to give you a blush and a dark view of this glory , that might raise up our hearts to this work . consider the glory of the place , the jewes did and doe dreame still of an earthly kingdome , at the comming of their messiah ; the lord dasheth those dreames , and tells them , his kingdome is not of this world , and that he went away to prepare a place for them , that where he is , they might bee , john . , . and be with him to see his glory , john . , . the place shall be the third heaven , called our fathers house ; built by his owne hand with most exquisite wisdome , fit for so great a god to appeare in his glory ( iohn . , . ) to all his deare children ; called also a kingdome : mat. . . come ye blessed inherit the kingdom prepared for you ; which is the top of all the worldly excellencie , called also an inheritance , pet. . . which the holy apostle infinitely blesseth god for as being our owne and freely given to us , being our fathers inheritance divided among his sonnes , which is a greater priviledge then to bee borne an heire to all the richest inheritances on this earth , or to bee lord of all this visible world ; for this inheritance hee tells us is . incorruptible , whereas all this world waxeth old as a garment : . t is undefiled , never yet polluted with any sinne , no not by the angels that fell , for they fell in parad●●● , when guardians to man , whereas this whole creation groaneth under the burden and bondage of corruption , rom. . . this never fadeth away ; t is not like flowers , whose glory and beauty soone withe●s , but this shall be most pleasant , sweet , and ever delightsome , after we have been ten thousand yeers in it , as it was the first day we entred into it , ( for this is the meaning of the word , and so it differs from incorruptible ) whereas in this world ( suppose a man should ever enjoy it , yet ) there growes a secret satiety and fulnesse upon our hearts , and it growes common , and blessings of greatest price are not so sweet , as the first time wee enjoy them ; they clog the stomach , and glut the soule : but here our eyes , ears , minds , hearts shall be ever ravished with that admirable glory which shines brighter then ten thousand suns , the very fabrick of it being gods needle-work , ( if i may so say ) quilted with variety of all flowers in divers colours , by the exactest art of god himselfe , as the apostle intimates , heb. . . secondly , consider of the glory of the bodies of the saints in this place ; the lord shall change our vile bodies , which are but as dirt upon our wings , and clogs at our feet , as the apostle express●th it , phil. . ult . paul was in the third heaven , and saw the glory doubtlesse of some there ; see what he saith of them , cor. . , , . . it shall be an incorruptible body ; it shall never dye , nor ●ot againe , no not in the least degree tending that way , it shall never grow weary , ( as now t is by hard labour , and some time by holy duties ) nor faint , nor grow wrinkled and withered . adams body in innocencie potuit non mori , we say truly ; but this non potest mori , it cannot dye : and hence it is , that there shall be no more sicknesse , paines , griefes , fainting fits , &c. when it comes there . . it shall be a glorious body , it shall rise in honour , saith paul ; and what glory shall it have ? verily it shall be like unto christs glorious body , phil. . ult . which when paul saw , acts . did shine brighter then the sun : and therefore here shall be no imperfection of limbes , scars , or maimes , naturall or accidentall deformities ; but as the third heaven it selfe is most lightsome , gen. . , . so their bodies that inhabit that place shall exceed the light and glory thereof , these being more compacted , and thence shining out in greater lustre , that the eyes of all beholders shall be infinitely ravished to see such clods of earth as now we are , advanced to such incomparable beauty and amiablenesse of heavenly glory . . it shall be a powerfull , strong body ; it is sowne in weaknesse , saith paul , it shall rise in power ; it shall be able to help forward the divine operations of the soule , which are now clogg'd by a feeble body ; it shall be able to beare the weight of glory , the joy unspeakable , and full of glory , which our weake bodies cannot long endure here , but we begin to burst and breake in pieces ( like vessels full of strong spirits ) with the weight and working of them ; and therefore the lord in mercy keeps us short now of what else we should feele ; it shall be able to sing hallelu-jahs , and give honour , glory , power , to the lambe that fits upon the throne for evermore without the least weariness . . it shall be a spirituall body , our bodies now are acted by animall spirits , and being earthy and naturall , growes , feeds , eates , drinkes , sleepes , and hath naturall affections and desires after these things , and ●is troubled if it wants them ; but then these same bodies shall live by the indwelling of the spirit of god powred out abundantly in us , and upon us , and so acting our bodies , and swallowing up all such natural affections and motions as those be here ; as moses being with god in the mount forty dayes and nights , did not need any meat or drinke , the lord and his glory being all unto him ; how much more shall it bee thus then ? i doe not say we shall be spirits like the angels , but our bodies shall be spirituall , having no naturall desires after any earthly blessing , food , rayment , &c. nor troubled with the want of them : and hence ▪ also the body shall be able as well to ascend up , as now it is to descend down ; as austin shewes by a similitude of lead , which some artists can beat so small as to make it swim ; we are now earthly , and made to live on this earth , and hence fall downe to the center ; but we are made then to bee above for ever with the lord , the lord proceeding from imperfection to perfection , as the apostle here shewes ; not first spirituall , and then naturall ; but first that which is naturall , ( in this life ) and then that which is spirituall . . consider the glory of the soule ; now we know but in part , and see but in part ; now we have joy at some times , and then eclipses befall us on a sudden ; but then the lord shall be our everlasting light , isa. . . then we shall see god face to face , ioh. . , . we shall then know and see those things that have been hid , not onely from the wicked , but from the deepest thoughts of the saints themselves in this world , cor. . . paul saw some things not fit to be uttered , or that he could not utter : we shall be swallowed up in those depths of grace , glory , immediate vision , god shall be all in all . the soule shall now enjoy ▪ . the accomplishment of all promises which wee see not here made good unto us , cor. . . then you shall have restitution of all these at times of refreshing wherein your sinnes shall be publikely blotted out from the presence of the lord , act. . . if iosuah said , ios. . . when the peoples warfare was ended , see if the lord hath been wanting in one word to you : much more will the lord jesus say unto you then . . then you shall receive a full answer to all your prayers , all that grace , holinesse , power over sinne , satan , fellowship with god , life of christ , blessing of god which you sought for , and wept for , and suffered , for here , you shall then see all answered . . then you shall finde the comfort of all that you have done for god , revel . . . you works in this sense shall follow you , you shall then infinitely rejoyce , that ever you did any thing for god , that ever you thought of him , spake to him , and spake for him , that ever you gave any one blow to your pride , passions , lusts , naturall concupiscence , &c. you shall then enjoy the reward of all your sufferings , cares , sorrowes , for gods church , fastings ▪ and dayes of mourning , whether publikely , or secretly for gods people , cor. . . the same glory god hath given christ , the lord shall at that time give unto you , ioh. . . it shall not be with us there as it was with the wicked israelites , who when they came into the good land of rest , they then forgot the lord and all his workes past ; no , no , all that which god hath done for you in this world , you shall then looke backe , and see , and wonder , and love , and blesse , and sucke the sweet of , for evermore ; it s a fond weak question to thinke whether we shall know one another in heaven ; verily you shall remember the good the lord did you here , by what meanes the lord humbled you , by what ministry the lord called you , by what friends the lord comforted and refreshed you ; and there you shall see them with you ; doe you thinke you shall forget the lord and his workes in heaven , which ( it may be ) you tooke little notice of , and the lord had little glory for here ? fourthly , consider the glory of the company and fellowship you shall have here ; . angels , heb. . , . they will love you and comfort you , and rejoyce with you , and speake of the great things the lord hath done for you , as they did on earth to the shepherds , luk. . . be not afraid , said the angel , mat. . . i know yee seeke jesus : so will they say then , be ever comforted you blessed servants of the lord , for we know you are loved of the lord jesus . . saints , you shall sit downe with abraham , isaac , and iacob in the kingdome of god , be taken into the bosome of abraham , into the bosomes of all the children of abraham , and there we shall speake with them of the lords wonders , of his christ and kingdome , psal. . . and every sentence and word shall be milke and hony , sweeter then thy life now can be unto thee ; we shall know , and love , and honour one another exceedingly . . the man christ jesus , when mary cla●pt about him , ioh. . . let me alone , said hee , touch mee not , i am not yet ascended to my father . as if he had said , ( saith austin ) then shall bee the place and time wherein we shall embrace one another for evermore . never was husband and loving wife so familiar one with another , as the lord jesus will bee ( not carnally and in an earthly manner ) but , in a most heavenly , glorious , yet gracious manner with all his saints ; come yee blessed will hee then say to them ; wee shall then ever bee , not onely in the lord , but with the lord , saith paul , thes. . ult . thes. . . just as moses and elias in his transfiguration , that talked with him , ( which was a glimpse of our future glory ) so shall we then , luk. . . and you shall then see that love of his , that blessed bosome of love opened fully , which the apostle saith , passeth knowledge , ephes. . . i need not tel you of our fellowship with the father , also when the son shall give up the kingdome to him that he may be all in all . fiftly , consider the glory of your worke there ; which is onely to glorifie this god. . you shall then live like christ in glory , we shall speak and think all with glory , iohn . , . our strings shall be then raised up to the highest straine of sweet melody and glory . . you shall then blesse him , eph. . . eph. . . and that with ravishment ; you shall come then to the full acknowledgement of the sonne of god ; you shall see and say all this is the work and grace of christ , and then shall cry out , oh let all angels , saints , ever blesse him for this . what should i speak any more ? you will say , is this certaine ? can this be so ? yes assuredly , for christ is gone to prepare this place and glory for you , ioh. . , . we have also the first fruits of this glory which we feele sometimes , whereby we see , and taste , and drink , and long for more of that joy unspeakable , and peace that passeth understanding , that triumph over the rage and working power of remaining corruption , that darke vision of god , and holy glorying and boasting in him as our everlasting portion , &c. which cannot be delusions and dreams which never feed , but ever leave the deceived soule hungry , but are realities & things indeed , which satiate the weary soule , and fill it up with the very fulnesse of god himselfe , eph. . . and therefore t is certaine that we shall have the harvest that thus taste of the first fruits , and the whole summe paid us faithfully that have already the earnest penny . the lord also sits us for this , as the apostle disputes , cor. . ▪ . what means the lord to deny our requests in many things as long as we live ? what is his meaning not to let us see the accomplishment of many of his promises ? is it because he is unfaithfull ? or b●cause he would let us know there is a day of refreshing he hath reserved for us , and would have us look for , wherein we shall see it hath not been a vaine thing for us to pray , ● or him to promise ? why doth he afflict us , and keep us more miserable both by outward sorrowes and inward miseries , then any other people in the world ? doth he not hereby humble us , empty us , weane us from hence , and make us as it were vessels big enough to hold glory , which we hope for in another world ? but you will say , can this glory be thus great ? we see t is certaine it shall be so ; but shall it be so exceeding great and endlesse ? yes verily , because . the price is great which is paid for it , eph. . . t is a purchased possession , ( by the blood of christ we enter into the holy of holies ) a price of infinite value must bring a kind of infinite glory . . we are by christ nearer to god then angels are , whose glory wee see is very great . . shall not our glory be to s●t out the glory of christ ? thes. . . and if so , then it his glory be exceeding great , ours must bear a due proportion , and be very very great also . . doth not god pick out the poore and vile things of the world , to be vessels of glory ? cor. . . and is not that an argument that he intends exceedingly to glorifie himselfe on such , to raise up a most glorious building , where he layes so low a foundation ? . are not we loved with the same love as he hath loved christ ? iohn . ult . and shall not our glory abound then exceedingly ? . is not the torment and shame of the reprobates to be exceeding great and grievous ? doth not god raise them up to make his power known ? rom. . . what then shall we think on the contrary of the glory of the saints , wherein the lord shall set forth his power in glorifying them as hee doth the glory of his power in punishing others ? and therefore thes. . . the punishment of the wicked is exprest by separation of them from the glory of the lords power ; because that in the glory of the saints , the lord will ( as i may so say ) make them as glorious as by his power ruled by wisdom he is able to make them . this is therefore the great glory of all those whom god hath called to the fellowship of his deare sonne ; and which is yet more , blessed be god the time is not long , but that we shall feele what now we doe but heare of , and see but a little of , as we use to doe of things afar off : we are here but strangers , and have no abiding city , we look for this that hath foundations ; and therefore let sinne presse us downe , and weary us out with wrastling with it ; let satan tempt , and cast his da●ts at us ; let our drink be our teares day and night , and our meat gall and worm wood ; let us be shut up in choaking prisons , and cast out for dead in the streets , nay upon dung-hils , and none to bury us ; let us live alone as pelicans in the wildernesse , and be driven among wild beasts into deserts ; let us be scourged , and disgraced , stoned , sawn asunder , and burned ; let us live in sheep-skins , and goat-skins , destitute , afflicted , tor●ented , ( as who looks not for such dayes shortly ? ) yet oh brethren , the time is not long , but when we are at the worst , and death ready to swallow us up , we shall cry out , oh glory , glory , oh welcome glory . if our miseries here be long , they shall be light ; if very bitter , they shall be short ; however , long or short , they cannot be to us long , who look for an eternall weight of glory . who would not ( that considers of these things ) despise this world , and set it at his heeles , who hath all these priviledges and benefits with christ in his eye ? who would not abhor a filthy lust , to enjoy such a christ ? who would ever look back unto his flesh-pots , or fathers house , that hath such welcome made him the first moment he comes to the lord jesus , in having present fruition of some of these benefits , but present right unto all ; fruition of some by feeling , of all by faith . but oh the wrath of god upon these times , that either see not this glory , or if they doe , despise so great salvation ! christ , and pardon , and peace , adoption , grace , and glory , is brought home to our doores , but their price is falne in our market , and we think it better to be without christ with our lusts , then to be in christ with his benefits . the reproach of christ was dearer to moses ( as great a courtier , and as strong a head-piece as our times can afford ) then all the riches and honours of egypt , but the grace , and peace , and life , and glory of jesus christ , is viler to us , then the very onyons , and leeks , and flesh-pots of egypt ; if you had but naked christ ( our life ) for a prey in these evill times , you had no cause to complaine , but infinitely to rejoyce in your portion ; but when with christ you shall find all these benefits and priviledges comming in as to your portion , and yet to despise him : ? assuredly the lord will not beare with this contempt alway : away to the mountaines , and hasten from the townes and cities of your habitation , where the grace of christ is published , but universally despised , you blessed called ones of the lord jesus ; for the dayes are comming , wherein for this sinne , the heavens and earth shall shake , the sunne shall be turned into darknesse , and the moone into blood , and mens hearts failing for feare of the horrible plagues which are comming upon the face of the earth . dreame not of faire weather , expect not better dayes , till you heare men say , blessed is he that commeth in the name of the lord , who thus blesseth his with all spirituall blessings in christ , eph. . . i now proceed to the last . chap. iii. all those that are translated into this blessed estate , are bound to live the life of love in all fruitfull and thankefull obedience unto him that hath called them , according to the rule of the morall law. psal. . , . the lord doth no sooner call his people to himselfe , but as soone as ever he hath thus crowned them with these glorious priviledges , and given them any sense and feeling of them , but they immediately cry out , oh lord , what shall i now doe for thee ? how shall i now live to thee ? they know now they are no more their owne , but his ; and therefore should now live to him . if you aske moses , after all the love and kindnesse the lord had shewne israel , what israel should doe for him ? you shall see his answer full , deut. . , . and now , o israel , what doth the lord require of thee , but to fear the lord thy god , and to love him and serve him with all thy heart , and to keepe his commandements which i command thee this day for thy good ? if you aske paul ( as evangelicall a christian as ever lived ) what now we are to do when we are in christ ? hee answers punctually , cor. . , . the love of christ constraineth us , because we thus judge , that christ dying for those that were dead , they that live should not live unto themselves , but unto him that dyed for them and rose againe . if we aske peter the question , to what end the lord hath called us out of darknesse into his marvelous light ? he expresly tells you , it is to shew forth the vertues of him that hath so called , pet. . . if wee be doubtfull whether this be the lords minde , the lord himselfe resolves it by zachary , luk. . . and tells us , that t is his oath , that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies , wee should serve him without fear in holines ( in all the rules of the first table ) and righteousnesse ( in all duties of the second table ) all the dayes of our life , & that all this should not be out of a spirit of bondage and slavish feare , but without feare ; i. e. feare of our enemies , sin , death , wrath , and so consequently out of love , to him that hath delivered us ; that one would wonder it should ever enter into the heart of any christian man that hath tasted the love of christ , as to think that there is no use of the law to one in christ ; and that because they are to live the life of love to christ , that therefore they are not to looke to the law as the rule of their love , expresly crosse to the letter of the text , ioh. . . if yee love me , keep my commandements ; which commandements are not onely faith and love to the saints ; but love to enemies , and spirituall obedience unto the morall law , in a farre different manner and measure then as the pharisees instructed the people in those dayes , as you may see , matth. . . t is true indeed , obedience to the law is not required of us now as it was of adam ; it was required of him as a condition antecedent to life , but of those that be in christ it is required onely as a duty consequent to life , or as a rule of life , that seeing hee hath purchased our lives in redemption , and actually given us life in vocation and sanctification , we should now live unto him , in all thankfull and fruitfull obedience according to his will revealed in the morall law. t is a vaine thing to imagine that our obedience is to have no other rule but the spirit , without any attendance to the law ; the spirit indeed is the efficient cause of our obedience , and hence we are said to be led by the spirit , rom. . . but it is not properly the rule of our obedience , but the will of god revealed in his word , especially in the law is the rule : the spirit is the wind that drives us in our obedience , the law is our compasse , according to which it steares our course for us : the spirit and the law , the wind and the compasse , can stand well together , psal. . . teach me to doe thy will o god , ( there is davids rule , viz. gods will revealed ) thy spirit is good ( there is davids minde , that enabled him to steare his course according to it ) the spirit of life doth free us from the law of sin and of death , but not from the holy , and pure , and good , and righteous law of god , rom. . , , . the blood of christ by the spirit cleanseth us from dead workes , to serve the living god , heb. . . not to serve our owne selves , or lusts , or wills , to doe what wee please : the law indeed is not a rule of that by which we are to obey , viz. of our faith , yet it is the onely rule of what we are to obey : we are not to performe acts of obedience now as adam was to doe , viz. by the sole power of inherent grace , but we are to live by faith , and act by faith ( for without me you can doe nothing , ioh. . . ) we are not united to christ our life by obedience as adam was to god by it , but by faith : and therefore as all action ( in living things ) comes from union , so all our acts of obedience are to come from faith , from the spirit on christs part , and from faith on our part , which make our union : noah built by faith , enoch walked with god by faith , iosuah and his souldiers fought by faith . abraham travelled , dwelt in his tents , lived and dyed by faith ; they acted according to the rule , but all by the power of faith . it is a weak reasoning to imagin a man is not bound to pay his debts , because he is to goe unto another for the money : obedience is our debt wee owe to christ , luk. . . though wee are to goe to christ poore , and weake , and feeble , to enable us to pay : t is true , christ hath kept the law for us , and are we therefore free from it as our rule ? no verily , christ kept the law for satisfaction to justice , and so we are not bound to keepe the law ; he kept the law also for imitation , to give us a copy and an example of all holinesse and glorifying god in our obedience ; and thus christs obedience is so farre from exempting us from the law , as that it ingageth us the more , having both rule and example before us , ioh. . . he that saith he abideth in him ought to walke as he walked , pet. . , , . t is true , the law is writ in a beleevers heart , and if he hath a law within , what need he ( say some ) look to the law without ? when as our saviour and david argued quite contrary , psal. . , . i come , i delight to doe thy will , it being written of me that i should doe it , because thy law is within my heart ; this argues , that you are not to attend the law unwillingly as bond-men and slaves , but willingly and gladly , because the law , even the law of love is in your hearts , ioh. . . the place alledged by some for this liberty from the law , viz. the law is not made for a righteous man , tim. . . if well considered , fully dasheth this dreame in pieces ; for there were divers jewish preachers of moses law , and they had a world of scruples and questions about it , verse . and paul and others were accounted of , as men lesse zealous , because they did not sound upon that string so much ; away ( saith paul ) with those contentions , questions ; for the end of the commandement is not scruples and questions , but charity and love ( i. e. both to god and men ) out of a pure heart and faith unfained , vers . . and saith he , the law is very good , when used lawfully , that is , for this end , and out of these principles , vers . . t is not talking , but doing , and that out of love , which is the end and scope of the law ; so that note by the way , you may as well abolish love as abolish the law , love being the end and scope of the law. but to proceed ; the law is not made ( saith he ) for the righteous , i. e. for the condemnation of the righteous , i. e. of such as out of a pure heart and faith unfeined love god in the first table , love to shew all duties of respect to man in the second table ; and therefore they of all other men have no cause to abolish the law , as if it was a bug-beare , or a thing that could hurt them , but it s made for the comdemnation of the lawlesse , anomians , ( as the originall word is ) or if you will , antinomians , ( transgressors of the first command . ) and disobedient ( transgressours of the second command . ) for ungodly and sinners ( transgressours of the third command . ) for unholy and prophane ( transgressours of the fourth command . ) for murderers of fathers and mothers ( of the fift command . ) for man-slavers ( of the . ) for whoremongers and defilers of mankinde ( of the . ) for men-stealers ( of the . ) for lyars ( of the . ) and for those that in any thing walke contrary to sound doctrine , the purity of the law and will of god ( of the . ) so that this place is farre from favouring any of those that run in this channell of abolishing the law as our rule ; no beloved , the love of christ will constrain you to embrace it as a most precious treasure . it is the observation of some , that in the preface to the morall law , exod. . , . the lord reveales himselfe to bee the lord their god that brought them out of the land of egypt ; the very scope of which words , is to perswade to a reverend receiving & keeping of that good law : this law all nations are bound to observe , because he is iehovah , the lord ; but to be thy god in speciall covenant , and that redeemed thee from egypt , and from that which was typified by it , this belongs to none but unto them especially , that are already the people of god ; and therefore of all other people in the world ; they are bound to receive it as their rule ; for obedience doth not make us gods people ▪ or god our god : but hee is first our god , ( which is only by the covenant of grace ) and thence it is , that being ours , and we his , we of all others , are most bound to obey . to conclude , they that stick in these bryers , therefore cry downe the law as a christians rule , because by this means a christian shall find no peace ; because he is continually sinning against this law : the law therefore say they , will be alway troubling of him . i answer , first a corrupt heart and putrid conscience , can have no peace by the law ; isa. . . there is no peace to the wicked , and it is good it should be so . . a watchfull christian may , psal. . . great peace have they that keepe thy law. hezekiah had it , when he desired the lord to remember how he had walked before him with a perfect heart , isa. . , , . paul found it the testimony of his conscience bearing him witnesse , was his rejoycing herein ; cor. . . . if a christian ignorant of maintaining his peace with god by faith in his justification , notwithstanding all the errors in his obedience and sanctification ; if i say hee wants his peace , shall wee therefore break the law in pieces ? if a secure christian that walkes loosely want peace , by the accusations of the law ; t is gods mercy to him to give him no peace in himselfe , while he is at truce with his lust . . that peace will end in dismall sorrow which is got by kicking against the law , it is but dawbing for a man to keep his peace by shutting his eyes against the way of peace ; a servant may have peace in his idlenesse by thinking that his master requires no work from him , and by hiding his talent , yet what will his lord say to him when his day is ended , and he comes to reckon with him at sun-set ? bring the law into thy conscience in point of justification , it will trouble conscience : for there only christs righteousnesse , gods grace , and the promise are to be looked on , and our own obedience & holines laid by in the dust ; but bring it before thee as a rule of thy sanctification , and as thy copy to write after , and to imitate , and aspire after that perfection it requires , it will then trouble thee no more , then it doth a child , who having a faire copy set him to write after , and knowing that he is a sonne , is not therefore troubled , because he cannot write as faire as his copy ; hee knows if he imitates it , his scribling shall be accepted : howsoever though his father may chastise him with rods , if he be carelesse to imitate ; yet he will never cast him therefore off from being his sonne . the truth is this , it argues a most gracelesse , carnall , wretched heart , for a man to cast by gods rules , because attendance to them is his trouble and torment , which unto a gracious heart are life , and peace , and sweetnesse ; all the wayes of wisdome to him , are wayes of pleasantnesse , and her paths peace : and it is gods common curse upon them that love not the truth in these dayes , that because sin is not their sorrow , nor breach of rules their trouble ; that therefore , the observance of the law , and attendance unto rules shall bee their burden and trouble ; they feele not the plague in their owne hearts , and therefore reproofes plague them , and commands are a plague and a torment to them : crooked feet , and crooked wills , make men tread awry in such corrupt opinions . all the called ones of god are therefore to live this life of obedience , and that out of love , which i call the life of love , gal. . . for else circumcision availes nothing , nor uncircumcision , no nor faith it selfe ; unlesse it be of this nature , as that it works by love : there is much obedience and externall conformity to the law in many men , but the principall difference between these formalities , and the obedience of the saints , is love ; the obedience of the one ariseth from selfe-love , because it pleaseth themselves , and suits with their owne ends ; the other from the love of christ , because it pleaseth him , and suits with his ends : cor. . . &c. iohn . . wherein doth and should this life of love appear ? in these five particulars . in thinking and musing much on christ and upon his love , and on what you shall doe for him ; he that saith he loves another , and yet seldome thinks on him , or will seldome give him a good look when he meets him , certainly deceives himselfe ; the least degree of love appeares in thinking on what we love , because the loving kindnesse of god was better then life unto david ; hence hee did remember him upon his bed , and meditate on him in the very night : psal. . . . they that feare the lord , i. with a sonne-like feare ; where love is chiefly predominant , are such as think upon his name : mal. . . we have thought of thy loving kindesse oh lord in thy temple , psal. . . thou that canst spend dayes , nights , weeks , months , yeares ; and hast thy head all this time swarming with vain thoughts , and scarce one living thought of christ , and his love , that didst never beat thy head , nor trouble thy selfe in musing , oh what shall i doe for him , nor in condemning thy selfe because thou dost so little , verily thou hast not the least degree of this life of love . in speaking and commending of him : is it possible that any man should love another and not commend him , not speak of him ? if thou hast but a hawk or a ho●●d that thou lovest , thou wilt commend it , and can it stand with love to christ , yet seldome or never to speak of him nor of his love ; never to commend him unto others , that they may fall in love with him also ? you shall see the spouse , cant . . . when she was asked what her beloved was above others ? shee s●ts him out in every part of him , and concludes with this , he is altogether lovely , because thy loving kindnesse ( saith david ) is better then life , my lips shall praise thee , and i will blesse thee whiles i live ; psal. . , . can it stand with this life of love , to be alway speaking about worldly affayres , or newes at the best ; both week-day and sabbath day , in bed and at boord , in good company and in bad , at home and abroad ? i tell you it will be one maine reason why you desire to live , that you may make the lord jesus knowne to your children , friends , acquaintance , that so in the ages to come his name might ring , and his memoriall might be of sweet odour , from generation to generation ; psal. . . if before thy conversion especially thou hast poysoned others by thy vaine and corrupt speeches ; after thy conversion thou wilt seek to season the hearts of others by a gracious , sweet , and wise communication of savory and blessed speeches ; what the lord hath taught thee thou wilt talke of it unto others , for the sake of him whom thou lovest . in being oft in his company , and growing up thereby into a familiar acquaintance with him : can we be long absent from those we love intirely , if we may come to them ? can we love christ , and yet be seldom with him , in word , in prayer , in sacraments , in christian communion , in meditation and dayly examination of our owne hearts , in his providences of mercies , crosses , and tryals ? ( for christ is with us here , but those two wayes , in his ordinances , or providences , by his holy spirit , ) lord ( saith david ) i have loved the habitation of thy house , and the place where thine honour dwelleth , psal. . . the ground of which is set down , vers . . thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes , my soule longeth for thee as in a land where no water is , that i might see thee , as i have seen thee in the sanctuary ; the reason of it was , because thy loving kindnesse is better then life : psal. . , , . in doing much for him , and that willingly ; did not jacob love rachel ? how did hee expresse it ? his seven yeares service , in frost and snow , in heat and cold , by day and night , were nothing to him , for her sake whom hee loved : shall i serve the lord ( saith david ) of what cost me nothing ? and when he had prepared many millions for the building of the temple , yet he accounted it a small thing for his sake whom hee loved ; chron. . . he gave it out of his poverty , as he speakes ; this is love , to keep his commandements , and those are not grievous : john . . in suffering and enduring any evill for his sake . i confesse it is not every degree of love that will carry a man hither ; yet where there is great and singular love , for a good man one may be willing to dye ; rom. . . assuredly if there be any love to christ , it will in time increase to this measure ; it will think ten thousand lives too little to lay down for christs sake , that laid down his precious life for him : what tell you me , saith paul , of bonds and imprisonments ? i am ready not only to be bound , but to dye for the sake of christ at jerusalem ; my life is not dear to me , no more then a rush at my foot , that i may finish my course with joy : for thy sake we are killed all the day long . rom. . . i tell you the love of christ will make you fall down upon your knees , and blesse the lord , that he will accept of such a poore sacrifice as thy body is , though it be burnt to ashes ; and thou wilt blesse him againe and againe , that whereas he might have left thee in thy sinnes to have troden him and his glory and grace under foot , as he hath done thousands in the world ; yet that he should call thee to share in this honour not only to doe , but to suffer for his sake . now the good lord perswade all our hearts unto this fruitfull obedience and life of love . oh you young men , you have a faire time before you to doe much for christ in ; how pleasing will it bee to him to see such young trees hang full of fruit ! you aged men have now one foot in your grave , and you have forgotten the lord jesus most of your time , and your time which now remaines is very little , and then your lampe is out , your sun is almost set , and all your work is yet to be done for christ , oh therefore awaken now at last , before you awaken when it is too late ; you rich men have abilities and wherewithall to set forward christs kingdome in the townes and villages where you live ; you poore men may doe much by ardent and instant prayers day and night , for the advancement of the lord jesus . you husbands , wives , masters , servants , remember if you are not good in your places , you are not good at all , what ever your profession be ; a good woman , but a froward wife : a good man , but a haire-braind curst husband : a good servant , but a very sore tongue ; these cannot well stand together . if you have any love to christ , the life of love will make you move best in your proper place : oh therefore love much , and so think much and speak much of , and converse much with , and doe much , and suffer much for the lord jesus christ ; content not your selves with doing small things for him , that hath done and suffered much for you ; if you can doe but little , yet set god on work by being fervent and frequent in prayer , not only that christ may be honoured in your selves , but also in your families , and in all churches and kingdomes of the world . if you cannot doe much , yet maintaine alive a will to doe much , which is accepted as if you did , cor. . . if thou art a poore man , and hast nothing to give , yet keep a heart as liberall as a prince ; if you can doe but little your selves , yet encourage others that may , thou art not a preacher called to convert soules , yet doe thou encourage the messengers of christ in their worke , by thy prayers , counsell , help , and at last day the conversion of soules shall be attributed unto thee , as well as unto them ; if thou canst not doe any good , yet prevent what evill thou canst in thy place ; to keep oft judgments , at least to delay them ; mourne thou for other mens sins , as if they were thine owne , that so the lord may pity and pardon them , and it may bee convert them , who shall doe more good it may be , then ever thou canst doe : let the lord jesus be in thy thoughts the first in the morning , and the last at night ; doe what thou canst , nay , goe continually to him to enable thee to doe more then thou of thy selfe canst ; and mourne bitterly , and lament dayly what thou hast not done , either through want of ability or will : remembring his love to thee , that he came out of h●s fathers bosome for thee , wept for thee , bled for thee , powred out his life , nay , his soule to death for thee , is now risen for thee , gone to heaven for thee , sits at gods right hand , and rules all the world for thee , makes intercession continually for thee , and at the end of the world will come againe for thee , who hast loved him here , that thou mightest live for ever with him then . but is this our life , in these evill and luke-warme times ? how many bee there that beleeve in christ , that they may live as they list ? if to drink , and whore , and scoffe , and blaspheme ; if to shake a lock , and follow every fond fashion ; if to crosse and cringe before a piece of wood ; if to be weary of the word , and outwardly zealous for long prayers ; if to seek for purity of ordinances in churches , and to maintain impurity in hearts , in shops , in families ; if to set our hearts upon farmes and merchandizes , and so to bee covetous ; if to set up our owne selves , and parts , and gifts , with a secret disdaine of gods ministers ; if to cry downe learning , and set up ignorance ; if to set up christ , and destroy sanctification and obedience ; if to be a sect-master of some odde opinions ; if to cracke the nut of some superlunary and monkish notions , and high-flown speculations ; if to heare much , and do little ; if to have a name to 〈◊〉 , and yet dead at the heart ; if this be to li●e the life of love , we have many that live this life ; the lord jesus wants not love , if this be to love : but oh woe unto you , if you thus requite the lord , foolish people and unwise ! the lord knowes we may complaine as paul did , every man minds his owne things , and none the things of iesus christ ; none in comparison of that huge number that thinke they are religious enough , if they be baptized , and say that they beleeve in jesus christ : verily the time drawes neere wherein the lord will come for fruits from his vineyard ; and if he findes it not , assuredly he will not be beholding to us for obedience , he can raise his glory out of other people , and there carry his gospel to them who shall bring forth the fruits of it ; the lord will shortly lay his axe unto the root of our tree , and if wee will not serve the lord in this good land in the abundance of peace and mercy , we shall serve our enemies in hunger , cold , and nakednesse ; if we will not serve him in love , we must serve our enemies in feare ; doe not think that the lord will bee put off with venerable names and titles , shadowes , and pictures ; what is most mens profession at this day but a meer paint ? which may serve to colour them while they live , but will never comfort them ( unlesse conscience bee asleep ) when they come to dye . oh ●y●e heed of such formality ; i can never think enough of davids expression , psal. . . i have kept thy commandements , and i love them exceedingly ; should he not have said first , i have loved thy commandements , and so have kept them ? doubtlesse hee did so ; but he ran here in a holy and most heavenly circle , i have kept them and loved them , and loved them and kept them ; if we love christ we also shall live such a life of love in our measure ; and his commandements will be most deare , when himselfe is most precious . finis . a table of the principall contents . a. adoption , what it is . pag. the manner thereof . b. beleevers in a blessed condition . c. conviction of sinne wrought in every beleever . what that sin is which the lord first convinceth of . how the lord doth convince the soule of sinne . what measure and degree of conviction god workes in all his . conviction of sin to be first preached . , a sad thing to stand out against conviction . meanes of conviction . compunction immediately followes conviction . the necessity thereof . rules observable about compunction . wherein it doth consist . what measure of compunction god workes in the elect. how and where the soule should come to christ. meanes of enabling the soule to come to christ. in what manner we should come to him . e. what evill in sinne god most affects the heart withall . a three-fold evill of sinne . f. feare of gods displeasure necessary to conversion , and wherein it consists . the nature of faith. the efficient cause thereof . the subject matter of faith. the forme thereof . the end of faith. the ground and meanes of faith. how to discern faith from presumption . whether an absolute testimony of actuall favor and justification be not the first ground of faith. g. glorification , what it is . greatnesse of mens sinne in not comming to christ. h. humiliation for sinne , what it is . what need there is of it . what meanes the lord useth to worke this . what measure of humiliation is necessary . wherein to expresse humiliation . i. a christian is not justified before faith is sought . sanctification does not goe before justification . what true justification is . who is it that justifieth , and why . the meanes whereby the father justifieth . who are the persons the lord doth justifie . l. loosening from sinne , how wrought in the soule . a life of love requisite in beleevers . the life of love appears in . things . the law not to be slighted . p. how christ doth save by his power . audience of prayers , a speciall priviledge . what are those prayers , that christ will hear . why god heareth prayers . r. a double resistance of grace in men . regenerate and unregenerate , how differenced . reconciliation with god , wherein it consists . s. what is it to see sinne . sense of mercy cannot turn a soule to christ , without the sight of sinne . sorrow for sinne accompanies conversion , wherein it consists . separation from sin , wrought in beleevers . what true sanctification is . the benefits thereof . v. union unto christ , goes before communion with him . whether vocation doth not goe before iustification . vocation is not all one with sanctification . the nature of true vocation . the necessity thereof . how it is a ground of faith. w. the whole soul goes to christ in conversion . how to know when the whole soule comes to christ. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e see the sincere convert . quest. answ. quest. ans. con. . rom. . quest. answ. what those particular sinnes are , which the lord convinces men of in thei● conversio●● ●on . . ● con. . answ. luk. . ● . esay ▪ . . how god gives a reall sight of sinnes h●s . . psal. . . lam. . . job . , . vse . lam. . . prov. . vse . psal. . . vse . . help . . help . . help . cor. . . vse . sam. . , . joh. . . levit. . . obj. ans. . . . ●onah . . answ. . rule . . rule . . rule . . rule . . rule . . rule . . rule . . rule . joh. . hos. . , , . reas. . cor. . cor. . . cor. . . pro. . obj. ans. . . cor. . , . reas. . mat. . . jer. . . luke . luke . . ram. . , , . col. . . cor. . reas. . mat. . . luk. . . luk. . reas. . quest. answ. acts . . acts . psal. . . acts . psal. . . rom. . . amos . . luk. . . judg. . . jer. . hos. . , . zach. . . cap. . . eccles. . . psal. . , ● . prov. . . psal. . , . psal. . . jer. . . da● . . . jer. . ult . matth. . . hos. . , . psal. . . chron. . , . lam. . psal. . , . esay . . . . esay . . . prov. . . j●b . , , . answ. hos . . joh. . . quest. answ. jer. . . quest. answ. mat. . acts . . quest. answ. luk. . . esay . . heb . . esay . . vse . . cons. scho. orth . spec. cap. , , . . cons. . cons. . cons. . cons. jer. . , . vind. grat . p. , , john . , , . gal. . . vse . vse . esa. . . vse . jer. . . esay . . answ. answ. phil. . . gal. . . answ. rom. . , , . lam . . cor. . . levit. . . answ. vse . vse . quest. answ. . . vse . deut. . . . answ. rom. . , . rom. . . ps. . . object . answ. . . acts . . pet. . . john . . . heb. . , , . object . answ. heb. . . esay . , . mat. . psal. . . psal. . , . quest. answ. heb. . . object . answ. ps. . . eph. . , . object . answ. ps. . . & . . psal. . , . hos. . , obj. . answ. hos. . , . rom. . . rom . . pet. . . thes. . . joh. . . cor. . . with joh. . . thess. . , . isay . , . cor. . , . mark. . . luc. vse . joh. ● . . answ. . . . act. . . & . . . . quest. answ. quest. answ. . answ. . answ. esay . . . . answ. cor. . . . answ. . answ. rom. . . esa. . , . isa. . . cor. . . isa. . . mat. . , . rom. . tit. . . cor. . . rom. . , . pet. . . . . act. . . mic. . . deut. . , . col. . . rev. . , . prov. . . quest. answ. of the mortification of sin in believers: the . necessity, . nature, and . means of it. with a resolution of sundry cases of conscience thereunto belonging. by john owen, d.d. a servant of jesus christ in the work of the gospel. owen, john, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) of the mortification of sin in believers: the . necessity, . nature, and . means of it. with a resolution of sundry cases of conscience thereunto belonging. by john owen, d.d. a servant of jesus christ in the work of the gospel. owen, john, - . the third edition. [ ], , [ ] p. printed for nathanael ponder, at the peacock in the poultrey near cornhill, and in chancery-lane near fleet-street, london : . an edition of: of the mortification of sinne in believers. running title reads: the mortification of sin in believers. with two final advertisement leaves. reproduction of the original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- early works to . christian life -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - elspeth healey sampled and proofread - elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion of the mortification of sin in believers : the . necessity , . nature , and . means of it . with a resolution of sundry cases of conscience thereunto belonging . by john owen , d. d. a servant of jesus christ in the work of the gospel . the third edition . london , printed for nathanael ponder , at the peacock in the poultrey near cornhill , and in chancery-lane near fleet-street , . christian reader , i shall in a few words acquaint thee with the reasons that obtained my consent to the publishing of the ensuing discourse . the consideration of the present state and condition of the generality of professors , the visible evidences of the frame of their hearts and spirits , manifesting a great disability of dealing with the temptations , wherewith from the peace they have in the world , and the divisions that they have among themselves , they are encompassed , holds the chief place amongst them . this i am assured is of so great importance , that if hereby i only occasion others to press more effectually on the consciences of men , the work of considering their wayes , and to give more clear direction for the compassing of the end proposed , i shall well esteem of my lot in this undertaking . this was seconded by an observation of some mens dangerous mistakes , who of late dayes have taken upon them to give directions for the mortification of sin , who being unacquainted with the mystery of the gospel , and the efficacy of the death of christ , have anew imposed the yoke of a self-wrought-out mortification on the necks of their disciples , which neither they nor their forefathers were ever able to bear . a mortification they cry up and press , suitable to that of the gospel neither in respect of nature , subject , causes , means , nor effects ; which constantly produces the deplorable issues of superstition , self-righteousness and anxiety of conscience , in them who take up the burthen which is so bound for them . what is here proposed in weakness , i humbly hope will answer the spirit and letter of the gospel , with the experiences of them who know what it is to walk with god according to the tenour of the covenant of grace . so that if not this , yet certainly something of this kind , is very necessary at this season , for the pro●●●●on and furtherance of this work 〈…〉 mortification in the hearts of believers , and their direction in paths safe , and wherein they may find rest to their souls . something i have to adde , as to what in particular relates unto my self . having preached on this subject , unto some comfortable success , through the grace of him that administred seed to the sower , i was pressed by sundry persons , in whose hearts are the wayes of god , thus to publish what i had delivered , with such additions and alterations as i should judge necessary . vnder the inducement of their desires , i called to remembrance the debt wherein i have now for some years stood engaged unto sundry n●ble and worthy christian friends , as to a treatise of communion with god , some while since promised to them ; and thereon apprehended , that if i could not hereby compound for the greater debt , yet i might possibly tender them this discourse of variance with themselves , as interest for their forbearance of that of peace and communion with god. besides , i considered that i had been providentially engaged in the publick debate of sundry controversies in religion , which might seem to claim something in another kind of more general vse , as a fruit of choice , not necessity : on these and the like accounts , is this short discourse brought forth to publick view , and now presented unto thee . i hope i may own in sincerity , that my hearts desire unto god , and the chief design of my life in the station wherein the good providence of god hath placed me , are , that mortification and universal holiness may be promoted in my own and in the hearts and wayes of others , to the glory of god , that so the gospel of our lord and saviour jesus christ may be adorned in all things ; for the compassing of which end , if this little discourse ( of the publishing whereof this is the summe of the account i shall give ) may in any thing be usefull to the least of the saints , it will be looked on as a return of the weak prayers wherewith it is attended by its unworthy author , j. owen . chap. i. the foundation of the whole ensuing discourse laid in rom. . . the words of the apostle opened . the certain connexion between true mortification and salvation . mortification the work of believers . the spirit the principal efficient cause of it . what meant by the [ body ] in the words of the apostle . what by the [ deeds of the body . ] life in what sence promised to this duty . that what i have of direction to contribute to the carrying on of the work of mortification in believers , may receive order and perspicuity , i shall lay the foundation of it in those words of the apostle , rom. . . if ye by the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the flesh , ye shall live ; and reduce the whole to an improvement of the great evangelical truth and mystery contained in them . the apostle having made a recapitulation of his doctrine of justification by faith , and the blessed estate and condition of them who are made by grace partakers thereof , vers . , , . of this chapter , proceeds to improve it , to the holiness and consolation of believers . among his arguments and motives unto holiness , the verse mentioned containeth one , from the contrary events and effects of holiness and sin. if ye live after the flesh , ye shall dye . what it is to live after the flesh , and what it is to dye , that being not my present aym and business , i shall no otherwise explain , than as they will fall in with the sence of the latter words of the verse , as before proposed . in the words peculiarly designed for the foundation of the ensuing discourse , there is . a duty prescribed ; mortifie the deeds of the body . . the persons are denoted to whom it is prescribed ; ye ; if ye mortifie . . there is in them a promise annexed to that duty , ye shall live. . the cause or means of the performance of this duty , the spirit ; if ye through the spirit . . the conditionality of the whole proposition , wherein duty , means , and promise , are contained , if ye , &c. the first thing occurring in the words , as they lye in the entire proposition , is the conditional note ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , but if . conditionals in such propositions may denote two things . . the uncertainty of the event , or thing promised in respect of them to whom the duty is prescribed . and this takes place where the condition is absolutely necessary unto the issue , and depends not its self on any determinate cause , known to him to whom 't is prescribed . so we say , if we live we will do such a thing . this cannot be the intendment of the conditional expression in this place . of the persons to whom these words are spoken , it is said vers . . of the same chapter , there is no condemnation to them . . the certainty of the coherence and connexion that is between the things spoken of . as we say to a sick man , if you will take such a potion , or use such a remedy , you will be well . the thing we solely intend to express , is the certainty of the connexion that is between the potion or remedy , and health . and this is the use of it here . the certain connexion that is between the mortifying of the deeds of the body , and living , is intimated in this conditional particle . now the connexion and coherence of things being manifold , as of cause and effect , of way and means , and the end ; this between mortification and life , is not of cause and effect properly and strictly , for eternal life is the gift of god through jesus christ , rom. . . but of means and end : god hath appointed this means , for the attaining that end , which he hath freely promised . means though necessary have a fair subordination to an end of free promise . a gift , and a procuring cause in him to whom it is given , are inconsistent . the intendment then of this proposition as conditional , is , that there is a certain infallible connexion and coherence between true mortification and eternal life : if you use this means , you shall obtain that end : if you do mortifie , you shall live . and herein lyes the main motive unto , and enforcement of the duty prescribed . . the next thing we meet withall in the words , is the persons to whom this duty is prescribed ; and that is expressed in the word ye , in the original included in the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , if ye mortifie : that is , ye believers ; ye to whom there is no condemnation , vers . . ye that are not in the flesh , but in the spirit ; vers . . who are quickened by the spirit of christ , vers . . . to you is this duty prescribed . the pressing of this duty immediately on any other , is a notable fruit of that superstition and self-righteousness that the world is full of ▪ the great work and design of devout men , ignorant of the gospel , rom. . , . joh. . . now this description of the persons , in conjunction with the prescription of the duty , is the main foundation of the ensuing discourse , as it lyes in this thesis or proposition . the choisest believers , who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin , ought yet to make it their business all their dayes , to mortifie the indwelling power of sin . . the principal efficient cause of the performance of this duty , is the spirit : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , if by the spirit . the spirit here , is the spirit mentioned vers . . the spirit of christ , the spirit of god , that dwells in us , vers . . that quickens us , vers . . the holy ghost , vers . . the spirit of adoption , vers . . the spirit that maketh intercession for us , vers . . all other wayes of mortification are vain , all helps leave us helpless , it must be done by the spirit . men , as the apostle intimates , rom. . , , . may attempt this work on other principles , by means and advantages administred on other accounts , as they always have done , and do ; but ( saith he ) this is the work of the spirit , by him alone is it to be wrought , and by no other power is it to be brought about . mortification from a self-strength , carried on by way●s of self-inven●●on , unto the end of a self-righteousness , is the soul and substance of all ●alse religion in the world : and this is a second principle of my ensuing discourse . . the duty it self , mortifie the deeds of the body ; is nextly to be remarked . three things are here to be enquired into , . what is meant by the body . . what by the deeds of the body . . what by mortifying of them . . the body in the close of the verse , is the same with the flesh in the beginning . if ye live after the flesh , ye shall dye , but if ye mortifie the deeds of the body ; that is , of the flesh . it is that which the apostle hath all along discoursed of , under the name of the flesh , which is evident from the prosecution of the antithesis between the spirit and the flesh , before and after . the body then here is taken for that corruption and pravity of our natures , whereof the body in a great part is the seat and instrument : the very members of the body , being made servants unto unrighteousness thereby , rom. . . it is indwelling sin , the corrupted flesh , or lust that is intended . many reasons might be given of this metonymical expression , that i shall not now insist on . the body here is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the old man , and the body of sin , rom. . . or it may synechdochically express the whole person considered as corrupted , and the seat of lusts , and distempered affections . . the deeds of the body , the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which indeed denoteth the outward actions chiefly . the works of the flesh , as they are called ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , gal. . . which are there said to be manifest : and are enumerated . now though the outward deeds are here onely expressed , yet the inward and next causes are chiefly intended , the axe is to be laid to the root of the tree : the deeds of the flesh are to be mortified in their causes , from whence they spring : the apostle calls them deeds , as that which every lust tends unto : though it do but conceive , and prove abortive , it ayms to bring forth a perfect sin. having both in the seventh and the beginning of this chapter treated of indwelling lust and sin , as the fountain and principle of all sinfull actions , he here mentions its destruction under the name of the effects which it doth produce . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , are as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , rom. . . the wisdom of the flesh , by a metonymie of the same nature with the former ; or as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the passions and lusts of the flesh , gal. . . whence the deeds and fruits of it do arise : and in this sence is the body used vers . . the body is dead because of sin . . to mortifie ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , if ye put to death : a metaphorical expression , taken from the putting of any living thing to death . to kill a man or any other living thing , is to take away the principle of all his strength , vigour and power , so that he cannot act , or exert , or put forth any proper actings of his own ; so it is in this case . indwelling sin is compared to a person , a living person , called the old man , with his faculties , and properties , his wisdom , craft , subtilty , strength ; this ( sayes the apostle ) must be killed , put to death , mortified : that is , have its power , life , vigour and strength to produce its effects taken away by the spirit . it is indeed meritoriously and by way of example utterly mortified and slain by the cross of christ : and the old man is thence said to be crucified with christ , rom. . . and our selves to be dead with him , vers . . and really , initiàlly in regeneration , rom. . , , . when a principle contrary to it , and destructive of it , gal. . . is planted in our hearts : but the whole work is by degrees to be carr●●d on towards perfection all our dayes . of this more in the process of our discourse . the intendment of the apostle in this prescription of the d●ty mentioned , is , that the mortification of indwelling sin , remaining in our mortal bodies , that it may not have life and power to bring forth the works or deeds of the flesh , is the constant duty of believers . . the promise unto this duty is life : ye shall live . the life promised , is opposed to the death threatned in the clause foregoing : if ye live after the fl●sh , ye shall die ; which the same apostle elsewhere expresseth ; ye shall of the flesh reap corruption : gal. . . or destruction from god. now perhaps the word may not only intend eternal life , but also the spiritual life in christ which here we have ; not as to the essence and being of it , which is already enjoyed by believers , but as to the joy , comfort , and vigour of it : as the apostle sayes in another case , now i live if ye stand fast , thess. . . now my life will do me good ; i shall have joy and co●fort with my life : ye shall live , lead a good , vigorous , comfortable , spiritual life whilest you are here , and obtain eternal life hereafter . supposing what was said before of the connexion between mortification and eternal life , as of me●ns and end , i shall adde onely as a second motive to the duty prescribed , that the vigour and power and comfort of our spiritual life , depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh . chap. ii. the principal assertion concerning the necessity of mortification proposed to confirmation . mortification the duty of the best ●elievers , col. . . cor. . . indwelling sin alwayes abides : no perfection in this life . phil. . . cor. . . pet. . . gal. . . &c. the activity of abiding sin in believers : rom. . . jam. . . heb. . . it s fruitfulness and tendency . every lust aims at the height in its kind . the spirit and new nature given to contend against indwelling sin. gal. . . pet. . , . rom. . . the fearfull issue of the neglect of mortification . rev. . . heb. . . the first general principle of the whole discourse hence confirmed . want of this duty lamented . having laid this foundation , a brief confirmation of the forementioned principal deductions will lead me to what i chiefly intend . the first is , that the choicest believers , who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin , ought yet to make it their business all their dayes to mortifie the indwelling power of sin. so the apostle , col. . . mortifie therefore your members , which are upon the earth . whom speaks he to ? such as were risen with christ , vers . . such as were dead with him , vers . . such as whose life christ was , and who should appear with him in glory , vers . . do you mortifie ; do you make it your daily work , be alwayes at it whilest you live , cease not a day from this work ; be killing sin , or it will be killing you ; your being dead with christ virtually , your being quickened with him , will not excuse you from this work . and our saviour tells us , how his father deals with every branch in him that beareth fruit , every true and living branch ; he purgeth it , that it may bring forth more fruit , joh. . . he prunes it , and that not for a day or two , but whilest it is a branch in this world . and the apostle tells you what was his practice , cor. . . i keep under my body , and bring it into subjection . i do it ( saith he ) daily , it is the work of my life , i omit it not ; this is my business . and if this were the work and business of paul , who was so incomparably exalted in grace , light , revelations , enjoyments , priviledges , consolations , above the ordinary measure of believers ; where may we possibly bottom an exemption from this work and duty whilest we are in this world . some brief account of the reasons hereof may be given . . indwelling sin alwayes abides , whilest we are in this world , therefore it is alwayes to be mortified . the vain , foolish , and ignorant disputes of men , about perfect keeping of the commands of god , of perfection in this life , of being wholly and perfect●y dead to sin , i meddle not now with . it is more than probable , that the men of those abominations , never knew what belonged to the keeping of any one of gods commands ; and are so much below perfection of degrees , that they never attained to a perfection of parts in obedience , or universal obedience in sincerity . and therefore many in our dayes who have talked of perfection , have been wiser , and have affirmed it to consi●t in knowing no difference between good and evil . not that they are perfect in the things we call good , but that all is alike to them ; and the height of wickedness is their perfection . others who have found out a new way to it , by denying original indwelling sin , and a tempering the spirituality of the law of god , unto mens carnal hearts ; as they have sufficiently discovered themselves to be ignorant of the life of christ , and the power of it in believers , so they have invented a new righteousness , that the gospel knows not of , being vainly puffed up by their fleshly minds . for us , who dare not be wise above what is written , nor boast by other mens lives of what god hath not done for us , we say , that indwelling sin lives in us in some measure and degree whilest we are in this world . we dare not speak as though we had already attained , or were already perfect , phil. . . our inward man is to be renewed day by day , whilest here we live , cor. . . and according to the renovations of the new , are the breaches and decayes of the old . whilest we are here , we know but in part , cor. . . having a remaining darkness to be gradually removed , by our growth in the knowledge of our lord jesus christ. pet. . . and the flesh lusteth against the spirit , so that we cannot do the things that we would , gal. . . and are therefore defective in our obedience as well as in our light , joh. . . we have a body of death , rom. . . from whence we are not delivered , but by the death of our bodies , phil. . . now it being our duty to mortifie , to be killing of sin ; whilest it is in us , we must be at work . he that is appointed to kill an enemy , if he leave striking , before the other ceases living , doth but half his work . gal. . . heb. . . cor. . . . sin doth not onely still abide in us , but is still acting , still labouring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh ; when sin lets us alone , we may let sin alone : but as sin is never less quiet , than when it seems to be most quiet ; and its waters are for the most part deep , when they are still ; so ought our contrivances against it to be ; vigorous at all times , in all conditions , even where there is least suspition . sin doth not only abide in us , but the law of the members is still rebelling against the law of the mind , rom. . . and the spirit that dwells in us lusteth to envy , jam. . . it is alwayes in continual work , the flesh lusteth against the spirit , gal. . . lust is still tempting and conceiving sin , jam. . . in every moral action , it is alwayes either inclining to evil , or hindring from that which is good , or disframing the spirit from communion with god. it inclines to evil ; the evil that i would not , that i do , saith the apostle , rom. . . whence is that ? why because in me , thing● and it hinders from good ; the good that i would do , that i do not , vers . . upon the same account , either i do it not ; or not as i should ; all my holy things being defiled by this sin . the flesh lusteth against the spirit , that ye cannot do the things that ye would , gal. . . and it un●rames our spirit ; and thence is called the sin that so easily besets us , heb. . . on which accoun● are those grievous complaints that the apostle makes of it rom. . so that sin is al●●yes acting , alwayes conceiving , alwayes seducing and tempting . who can say that he had ever any thing to do with god , or for god , that indwelling sin had not an hand in the corrupting of what he did . and this trade will it drive more or less all our dayes ; if then sin will alwayes acting , if we be not alwayes mortifying , we are lost creatures . he that stands still , and suffers his enemies to double blowes upon him without resistance , will undoubtedly be conquered in the issue : if sin be subtil , watchfull , strong , and alwayes at work in the business of killing our s●uls , and we be slothfull , negligent , foolish , in proceeding to the ruine thereof , can we expect a comfortable event ? there is not a day but sin soils , or is soiled ; prevails , or is prevailed on ; and it will be so whilest we live in this world . i shall discharge him from this duty , who can bring sin to a composition , to a cessation of arms in this warfare ; if it will spare him any one day , in any one duty , ( provided he be a person that is acquainted with the spirituality of obedience , and the subtilty of sin ) let him say to his soul , as to this duty , soul take thy rest . the saints whose souls breath after deliverance from its perplexing rebellion , know there is no safety against it , but in a constant warfare . . sin will not only be striving , acting , rebelling , troubling , disquieting , but it let alone , if not continually mortified , it will bring forth great , cursed , scandalous , soul-destroying sins . the apostle tells us what the works and fruits of it are , gal. , , . the works of the flesh are manifest ; which are , adultery , fornication , uncleanness , l●sciviousness , idolatry , witchcraft , hatred , variance , ●mulations , wrath , strife , seditions , heresies , envyings , murthers , drunkenness , revellings , and such like . you know what it did in david , and sundry others . sin aim● alwayes at the utmost : every time it rises up to tempt or entice , might it have its own course , it would go out to the utmost sin in that kind . every unclean thought or glance would be adultery , if it could ; every covetous desire would be oppression ; every thought of unbelief would be atheism , might it grow to its head . m●n may come to that , that sin may not be heard speaking a scandalous word in their hearts ; that is , provoking to any great sin with scandal in its mouth ; but every rise of lust , might it have its course , would come to the height of v●ll●ny . it is like the grave , that is never satisfied . and herein lies no small share of the deceitfulness of sin , by which it prevails to the hardening of men , and so to the●r ruine : h●b . . . it is mo●e●t as it were in its fir●t motions and proposals ; but having o●ce got sooting in the heart by them , it constantly makes good its ground , and presseth on to some farther degrees in the same kind ; this new acting and pressing forward , makes the soul take little notice of what an entrance to a falling off from god is already made ; it thinks all is indifferent well , if there be no farther progress ; and so far as the soul is made insensible of any sin , that is , as to such a sense as the gospel requireth , so far it is hardned : but sin is still pressing forward ; and that because it hath no bounds but utter relinquishment of god , and opposition to him ; that it proceeds towards its height by degrees , making good the ground it hath got by hardness , is not from its nature , but its deceitfulness . now nothing can prevent this , but mortification . that withers the root and strikes at the head of sin every hour , that whatever it ayms at , it is crossed in . there is not the best saint in the world , but if he should give over this duty would fall into as many cursed sins as ever any did of his kind . . this is one main reason why the spirit and the new nature is given unto us , that we may have a principle within , whereby to oppose sin and lust : the flesh lusteth against the spirit : well , and what then ? why the spirit a●so lusteth against the flesh , gal. . . there is a propensity in the spirit , or spiritual new nature , to be acting against the flesh , as well as in the flesh to be acting against the spirit : so pet. . , . it is our participation of the divine nature , that gives us an escape from the pollutions that are in the world through lust : and rom. . . there is a law of the mind , as well as a law of the members . now this is , ( ) the most unjust and unreasonable thing in the world ; when two combatants are engaged , to bind one , and to keep him up from doing his utmost , and to leave the other at liberty to wound him at his pleasure . and , ( ) the foolishest thing in the world , to bind him who fights for our eternal condition , and to let him alone who seeks and violently attempts our everlasting ruine . the contest is for our lives and souls . not to be daily employing the spirit and new nature , for the mortifying of sin , is to neglect that excellent succour , which god hath given us against our greatest enemy . if we neglect to make use of what we have received , god may justly hold his hand from giving us more . his graces as well as his gifts are bestowed on us to use , exercise , and trade with . not to be daily mortifying sin , is to sin against the goodness , kindness , wisdom , grace , and love of god , who hath furnished us with a principle of doing it . . negligence in this duty cast the soul into a perfect contrary condition to that , which the apostle affirms was his , cor. . though our outward man perish , our inward man is renewed day by day . in these the inward man perisheth , and the outward man is renewed day by day . sin is as the house of david , and grace as the house of saul . exercise and success are the two main cherishers of grace in the heart ; when it is suffered to lye still , it withers and decayes ; the things of it are ready to dye , rev. . . and sin gets ground towards the hardening of the heart ; heb. . . this is that which i intend ; by the omission of this duty , grace withers , lust flourisheth , and the frame of the heart growes worse and worse : and the lord knows what desperate and fearful issues it hath had with many . where sin through the neglect of mortification gets a considerable victory , it breaks the bones of the soul , psal. . . psal. . . and makes a man weak , sick , and ready to dye , psal. . , , . that he cannot look up , psal. . . isa. . . and when poor creatures will take blow after blow , wound after wound , foil after foil , and never rouse up themselves to a vigorous opposition , can they expect any thing but to be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin ; and that their souls should bleed to death , joh. ? indeed it is a sad thing to consider the fearfull issues of this neglect , which lye under our eyes every day . see we not those whom we knew humble , melting , broken-hearted christians , tender and fearfull to offend , zealous for god , and all his wayes , his sabbaths , and ordinances , grown , through a neglect of watching unto this duty , earthly , carnal , cold , wrathfull , complying with the men of the world , and things of the world , to the scandal of religion , and the fearfull temptation of them that know them ? the truth is , what between placing mortification in a rigid stubborn frame of spirit , which is for the most part earthly , legal , censorious , partial , consistent with wrath , envy , malice , pride , on the one hand , and pretences of liberty , grace , and i know not what on the other , true evangelical mortification is almost lost amongst us , of which afterwards . . it is our duty to be perfecting holiness in the fear of the lord , cor. . . to be growing in grace every day , pet. . . pet. . . to be renewing our inward man day by day , cor. . . now this cannot be done without the daily mortifying of sin : sin sets its strength against every act of holiness , and against every degree we grow to . let not that man think he makes any progress in holiness , who walks not over the bellies of his lusts ; he , who doth not kill sin in his way , takes no steps towards his journeyes end. he who finds not opposition from it , and who sets not himself in every particular to its mortification , is at peace with it , not dying to it . this then is the first general principle of our ensuing discourse : notwith●tanding the meritorious mortification ( if i may so speak ) of all and every sin in the cross of christ ; notwithstanding the real foundation of universal mortification laid in our first conversion , by conviction of sin , humiliation for sin , and the implantation of a new principle , opposite to it , and destructive of it ; yet sin doth so remain , so act , and work , in the best of believers , whilest they live in this world , that the constant daily mortification of it is all their dayes incumbent on them . before i proceed to the consideration of the next principle , i cannot but by the way complain of many professors of these days ; who instead of bringing forth such great and evident fruits of mortification , as are expected , scarce bear any leaves of it . there is indeed a broad light fallen upon the men of this generation ; and together therewith many spiritual gifts communicated ; which with some other considerations have wonderfully enlarged the bounds of professors and profession ; both they and it are exceedingly multiplyed and increased . hence there is a noise of religion and religious duties in every corner ; preaching in abundance ; and that not in an empty , light , trivial and vain manner , as formerly , but to a good proportion of a spiritual gift ; so that if you will measure the number of believers by light , g●fts and profession , the church may have cause to say , who hath born me all these ? but now if you will take the measure of them by this great discriminating grace of christians , perhaps you will find their number not so multiplyed . where almost is that professor , who owes his conversion to these dayes of light , and so talks and professes at such a rate of spirituality , as few in former dayes were in any measure acquainted with , ( i will not judge them , but perhaps boasting what the lord hath done in them ) that doth not give evidence of a miserably unmortified heart ? if vain spending of time , idleness , unprofitableness in mens places , envy , strife , variance , emulations , wrath , pride , worldliness , selfishness , ( cor. . ) be badges of christians , we have them on us and amongst us in abundance . and if it be so with them who have much light , and which we hope is saving ; what shall we say of some who would be accounted religious , and yet despise gospel light , and for the duty we have in hand , know no more of it , but what consists in mens denying themselves sometimes times in outward enjoyments , which is one of the outmost branches of it , which yet they will seldom practise ! the good lord send out a spirit of mortification to cure our distempers , or we are in a sad condition . there are two evils which certainly attend every unmortified professor . the first in himself , the other in respect of others . . in himself , let him pretend what he will , he hath slight thoughts of sin ; at least of sins of daily infirmity . the root of an unmortified course , is the digestion of sin , without bitterness in the heart ; when a man hath confirmed his imagination to such an apprehension of grace and mercy , as to be able without bitterness to swallow and digest daily sins , that man is at the very brink of turning the grace of god into lasciviousness , and being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. neither is there a greater evidence of a false and rotten heart in the world , than to drive such a trade . to use the blood of christ , which is given to cleanse us , joh. . . tit. . . the exaltation of christ , which is to give us repentance , act. . . the doctrine of grace , which teaches us to deny all ungodliness , tit. . , . to countenance sin , is a rebellion , that in the issue will break the bones . at this door have gone out from us , most of the professors that have apostatized in the dayes wherein we live , for a while they were most of them under convictions ; these kept them unto duties , and brought them to profession . so they escaped the pollutions that are in the world , through the knowledge of our lord jesus christ , pet. . . but having got an acquaintance with the doctrine of the gospel , and being weary of duty , for which they had no principle , they began to countenance themselves in manifold neglects , from the doctrine of grace . now when once this evil had laid hold of them , they speedily tumbled into perdition . . to others , it hath an evil influence on them , on a twofold account . . it hardens them , by begetting in them a perswasion that they are in as good condition as the best professors . whatever they see in them , is so stained for want of this mortification , that it is of no value with them : they have zeal for religion , but it is accompanyed with want of forbearance , and universal righteousness . they deny prodigality , but with worldliness : they separate from the world , but live wholly to themselves , taking no care to exercise loving kindness in the earth : or they talk spiritually , and live vainly : mention communion with god , and are every way conformed to the world ; ●●a●ting of forgiveness of sin , and never forgiving others : and with such considerations do poor creatures harden their hearts in their vnregeneracy . . they deceive them in making them believe , that if they can come up to their condition , it shall be well with them ; and so it growes an easie thing , to have the great temptation of repute in religion to wrestle withall : when they may go far beyond them , as to what appears in them , and yet come short of eternal life ; but of these things , and all the evils of unmortified walking , afterwards . chap. iii. the second general principle of the means of mortification proposed to confirmation . the spirit the onely author of this work . vanity of popish mortification discovered . many means of it used by them not appointed of god. those appointed by him abused . the mistakes of others in this business . the spirit is promised believers for this work . ezek. . . chap. . . all that we receive from christ is by the spirit . how the spirit mortifies sin , gal. . , , , , . the several wayes of his operations to this end proposed . how his work , and our duty . the next principle relates to the great sovereign cause of the mortification treated of , which , in the words layd for the foundation of this discourse , is said to be the spirit , that is , the holy ghost , as was evinced . he only is sufficient for this work . all wayes and means without him are as a thing of nought ; and he is the great efficient of it , he works in us , as he pleases . . in vain do men seek other remedies , they shall not be healed by them . what several wayes have been prescribed for this , to have sin mortified , is known . the greatest part of popish religion , of that which looks most like religion in their profession , consists in mistaken wayes and means of mortification . this is the pretence of their rough garments , whereby they deceive . their vows , orders , fastings , penances , are all built on this ground , they are all for the mortifying of sin. their preachings , sermons , and books of devotion , they look all this way . hence those who interpret the locusts that came out of the bottomless pit , rev. . . to be the friers of the romish church , who are said to torment men , so that they should seek death and not find it , vers . . think , that they did it by their stinging sermons , whereby they convinced them of sin , but being not able to discover the remedy for the healing and mortifying of it , they kept them in perpetual anguish and terrour , and such trouble in their consciences , that they desired to dye . this i say is the substance and glory of their religion : but what with their labouring to mortifie dead creatures , ignorant of the nature and end of the work , what with the poyson they mixt with it , in their perswasion of its merit , yea supererogation , ( as they style their unnecessary merit , with a proud barbarous title ) their glory is their shame ; but of them and their mortification , more afterwards : chap. . that the wayes and means to be used for the mortification of sin , invented by them , are still insisted on and prescribed for the same end by some , who should have more light and knowledge of the gospel , is known . such directions to this purpose have of late been given by some , and are greedily catch'd at by others professing themselves protestants , as might have become popish devotionists three or four hundred years ago . such outside endeavours , such bodily exercises , such self-performances , such meerly legal duties , without the least mention of christ , or his spirit , are varnished over with swelling words of vanity , for the onely means and expedients for the mortification of sin , as discover a deep rooted unacquaintedness with the power of god , and mystery of the gospel . the consideration hereof , was one motive to the publishing of this plain discourse . now the reasons why the papists can never with all their endeavours truely mortifie any one sin , amongst others , are , . because many of the wayes and means they use and insist upon for this end , were never appointed of god for that purpose . now there is nothing in religion that hath any efficacy for compassing an end , but it hath it from gods appointment of it to that purpose . such as these are , their rough garments , their vows , penances , disciplines , their course of monastical life , and the like , concerning all which god will say , who hath required these things at your hands ? and in vain do you worship me , teaching for doctrines the traditions of men . of the same nature are sundry self-vexations , insisted on by others . . because those things that are appointed of god as means , are not used by them in their due place and order : such as are praying , fasting , watching , meditation , and the like ; these have their use in the business in hand . but whereas they are all to be looked on as streams , they look on them as the fountain . whereas they effect and accomplish the end as means onely subordinate to the spirit and faith , they look on them to do it by virtue of the work wrought . if they fast so much , and pray so much , and keep their hours and times , the work is done : as the apostle sayes of some in another case , they are alwayes learning , never coming to the knowledge of the truth ; so they are alwayes mortifying , but never come to any sound mortification . in a a word , they have sundry means to mortifie the natural man , as to the natural life here we lead , none to mortifie lust or corruption . this is the general mistake of men ignorant of the gospel , about this thing ; and it lyes at the bottom of very much of that superstition and will-worship that hath been brought into the world ; what horrible self-macerations were practised by some of the ancient authors of monastical devotion ? what violence did they offer to nature ? what extremity of sufferings did they put themselves upon ? search their wayes and principles to the bottom , and you will find , that it had no other root but this mistake , namely , that attempting rigid mortification , they fell upon the natural man , instead of the corrupt old man ; upon the body wherein we live , instead of the body of death . neither will the natural popery that is in others doe it . men are gall'd with the guilt of a sin , that hath prevailed over them : they instantly promise to themselves and god , that they will do so no more ; they watch over themselves , and pray , for a season , untill this heat waxes cold , and the sense of sin is worn off , and so mortification goes also , and sin returns to its former dominion : duties are excellent food for an healthy soul ; they are no physick for a sick soul. he that turns his meat into his medicine , must expect no great operation . spiritually sick men cannot sweat out their distemper with working . but this is the way of men that deceive their own souls ; as we shall see afterwards . that none of these wayes are sufficient , is evident from the nature of the work it self that is to be done ; it is a work that requires so many concurrent actings in it , as no self - endeavour can reach unto ; and is of that kind , that an almighty energy is necessary for its accomplishment , as shall be afterwards manifested . it is then the work of the spirit . for , . he is promised of god to be given unto us , to do this work ; the taking away of the stony heart , that is , the stubborn , proud , rebellious , unbelieving heart , is in general the work of mortification that we treat of . now this is still promised to be done by the spirit : ezek. . . chap. . . i will give my spirit , and take away the stony heart : and by the spirit of god is this work wrought , when all means fail . isa. . , . . we have all our mortification from the gift of christ , and all the gifts of christ are communicated to us , and given us by the spirit of christ. without christ we can do nothing , joh. . . all communications of supplyes and relief in the beginnings , increasings , actings of any grace whatever from him , are by the spirit , by whom he alone works in and upon believers . from him we have our mortification : he is exalted and made a prince and a saviour , to give repentance unto us : act. . . and of our repentance our mortification is no small portion . how doth he doe it ? having received the promise of the holy ghost , he sends him abroad for that end : act. . . you know the manifold promises he made of sending the spirit , as tertullian speaks , vicariam navare operam , to do the works that he had to accomplish in us . the resolution of one or two questions will now lead me nearer to what i principally intend . the first is , q. how doth the spirit mortifie sin ? i answer , in general three wayes . a. . by causing our hearts to abound in grace , and the fruits that are contrary to the flesh , and the fruits thereof , and principles of them . so the apostle opposes the fruits of the flesh , and of the spirit : the fruits of the flesh ( says he ) are so and so , gal. . , . but sayes he , the fruits of the spirit are quite contrary , quite of another sort , v. , . yea , but what if these are in us , and do abound , may not the other abound also ? no , sayes he , v. . they that are christ's have crucified the flesh , with the affections and lusts : but how ? why , v. . by living in the spirit , and walking after the spirit : that is , by the abounding of these graces of the spirit in us , and walking according to them . for , saith the apostle , these are contrary one to another , v. . so that they cannot both be in the same subject , in any intense or high degree . this renewing of us by the holy ghost , as it is called , tit. . . is one great way of mortification : he causes us to grow , thrive , flourish , and abound in those graces which are contrary , opposite , and destructive to all the fruits of the flesh , and to the quiet , or thriving of indwelling sin it self . . by a real , physical efficiency on the root and habit of sin , for the weakning , destroying and taking it away . hence he is called a spirit of judgement and burning , isa. . . really consuming and destroying our lusts. he takes away the stony heart by an almighty efficiency ; for as he begins the work as to its kind , so he carries it on as to its degrees . he is the fire which burns up the very root of lust. . he brings the cross of christ into the heart of a sinner by faith , and gives us communion with christ in his death , and fellowship in his sufferings ; of the manner whereof more afterwards . q. if this be the work of the spirit alone , how is it , that we are exhorted to it ? seeing the spirit of god only can doe it , let the work be left wholly to him . a. . it is no otherwise the work of the spirit , but as all graces and good works which are in us , are his : he works in us to will and to doe of his own good pleasure , phil. . . he works all our works in us , isa. . . the work of faith with power ; thess. . . col. . . he causes us to pray , and is a spirit of supplication , rom. . . zach. . . and yet we are exh●rted , and are to be exhorted to all these . . he doth not so work our mortification in us , as not to keep it still an act of our obedience . the holy ghost works in us , and upon us , as we are fit to be wrought in , and upon , that is , so as to preserve our own liberty , and free obedience . he works upon our vnderstandings , wills , consciences , and affections , agreeably to their own natures ; he works in us , and with us , not against us , or without us ; so that his assistance is an encouragement , as to the facilitating of the work , and no occasion of neglect as to the work it self . and indeed i might here bewail the endless foolish labour of poor souls , who being convinced of sin , and not able to stand against the power of their convictions , do set themselves by innumerab●● perplexing wayes and duties to keep down sin , but being strangers to the spirit of god , all in vain . they combat without victory , have war without peace , and are in slavery all their dayes . they spend their strength for that which is not bread , and their labour for that which prositeth not . this is the saddest warfare that any poor creature can be engaged in ; a soul under the power of conviction from the law , is pressed to fight against sin , but hath no strength for the combat . they cannot but fight , and they can never conquer , they are like men thrust on the sword of enemies , on purpose to be slain . the law drives them on , and sin beats them back . sometimes they think indeed that they have foyled sin ; when they have onely raised a dust , that they see it not ; that is , they distemper their natural affections of fear , sorrow , and anguish , which makes them believe that sin is conquered , when it is not touched . by that time they are cold , they must to the battail again ; and the lust which they thought to be slain , appears to have had no wound . and if the case be so sad with them who do labour and strive , and yet enter not into the kingdom ; what is their condition who despise all this ? who are perpetually under the power and dominion of sin , and love to have it so : and are troubled at nothing but that they cannot make sufficient provision for the flesh , to fulfill the lusts thereof . chap. iv. the last principle ; of the usefulness of mortification . the vigour and comfort of our spiritual life depend on our mortification . in what sence . not absolutely and necessarily . psal. . heman ' s condition . not as on the next and immediate cause . as a means : by removing of the contrary . the desperate effects of unmortified lust : it weakens the soul ; psal. . , . sundry wayes : and darkens it . all graces improved by the mortification of sin. the best evidence of sincerity . the last principle i shall insist on , omitting , . the necessity of mortification unto life : and , . the certainty of life upon mortification ; is , that the life , vigour , and comfort of our spiritual life depends much on our mortification of sin. strength , and comfort , and power , and peace in our walking with god , are the things of our desires . were any of us asked seriously , what it is that troubles us , we must referre it to one of these heads ; either we want streng●h , or power , vigour and life , in our obedience , in our walking with god ; or we want peace , comfort , and consolation therein . whatever it is , that may befall a believer , that doth not belong to one of these two heads , doth not deserve to be mentioned in the dayes of our complaints . now all these do much depend on a constant course of mortification ; concerning which observe , . i doe not say they proceed from it ; as though they were necessarily tyed to it . a man may be carried on in a constant course of mortification all his dayes , and yet perhaps never enjoy good day of peace and consolation . so it was with heman , psal. . his life was a life of perpetual mortification , and walking with god , yet terrours and wounds were his portion all his dayes : but god singled out heman ( a choice friend ) to make him an example to them that afterwards should be in distress . canst thou complain if it be no otherwise with thee than it was with heman , that eminent servant of god ? and this shall be his prayse to the end of the world ; god makes it his prerogative to speak peace and consolation : isa. . , . i will do that work , sayes god ; i will comfort him , v. . but how ? by an immediate work of the new creation , i create it , sayes , god. the use of means for the obtaining of peace is ours ; the bestowing of it is god's prerogative . . in the wayes instituted by god for to give us life , vigour , courage and consolation , mortification is not one of the immediate causes of it . they are the priviledges of our adoption , made known to our souls , that give us immediately these things . the spirit bearing witness with our spirits that we are the children of god : giving us a new name , and a white stone ; adoption and justification , that is , as to the sence and knowledge of them , are the immediate causes ( in the hand of the spirit ) of these things . but this i say , . in our ordinary walking with god , and in an ordinary course of his dealing with us , the vigour and comfort of our spiritual lives depends much on our mortification , not onely as a causa sine qua non , but as a thing that hath an effectual influence thereinto . for , first , this alone keeps sin from depriving us of the one and the other : every unmortified sin will certainly do two things : . it will weaken the soul , and deprive it of its vigour . . it will darken the soul , and deprive it of its comfort and peace . ( . ) it weakens the soul , and deprives it of its strength : when david had for a while harboured an unmortified lust in his heart , it broke all his bon●s , and left him no spiritual strength ; hence he complained that he was sick , weak , wounded , faint ; there is ( saith he ) no soundness in me , psal. . . i am feeble and sore broken , vers . . yea i cannot so much as look up , psal. . . an unmortified lust will drink up the spirit , and all the vigour of the soul , and weaken it for all duties . for , . it untunes and unframes the heart it self , by entangling its affections . it diverts the heart from that spiritual frame that is required for vigorous communion with god. it layes hold on the affections , rendring its object beloved and desirable ; so expelling the love of the father , joh. . . chap. . . so that the soul cannot say uprightly and truely to god , thou art my portion , having something else that it loves . fear , desire , hope , which are the choice affections of the soul , that should be full of god , will be one way or other entangled with it . . it fills the thoughts with contrivances about it . thoughts are the great purveyors of the soul , to bring in provision to satisfie its affections ; and if sin remain unmortified in the heart , they must ever and anon be making provision for the flesh , to fulfill the lusts thereof . they must glaze , adorn , and dress the objects of the flesh , and bring them home to give satisfaction . and this they are able to do , in the service of a defiled imagination , beyond all expression . . it breaks out and actually hinders duty . the ambitious man must be studying , and the worldling must be working or contriving , and the sensual vain person providing himself for vanity , when they should be engaged in the worship of god. were this my present business , to set forth the breaches , ruine , weakness , desolations , that one un●●c●tified lust will bring upon a soul , this discourse must be extended much beyond my intendment . ( ) as sin weakens , so it darkens the soul. it is a cloud , a thick cloud , that spreads it self over the face of the soul , and intercepts all the beams of gods love and favour . it takes away all sense of the priviledge of our adoption : and if the soul begins to gather up thoughts of consolation , , sin quickly scatters them . of which afterwards . now in this regard doth the vigour and power of our spiritual life depend on our mortification . it is the onely means of the removal of that , which will allow us neither the one nor the other . men that are sick and wounded under the power of lust , make many applications for help ; they cry to god , when the perplexity of their thoughts overwhelms them ; even to god do they cry , but are not delivered ; in vain do they use many remedies , they shall not be healed . so hos. . . ephraim saw his sickness , and judah his wound , and attempted sundry remedies , nothing will doe , untill they come ( v. . ) to acknowledge their offence . men may see their sickness and wounds , but yet if they make not due applications their cure will not be effected . secondly , mortification prunes all the graces of god , and makes room for them in our hearts , to grow . the life and vigour of our spiritual lives consists in the vigour and flourishing of the plants of grace in our hearts . now as you may see in a garden , let there be a precious herb planted , and let the ground be untilled , and weeds grow about it , perhaps it will live still , but be a poor withering , unusefull thing ; you must look and search for it , and sometimes can scarce find it ; and when you do , you can scarce know it , whether it be the plant you look for or no ; and suppose it be ; you can make no use of it at all : when let another of the same kind be set in ground , naturally as barren and bad as the other ; but let it be well weeded , and every thing that i● noxious and hurtfull removed from it , it flourishes and thrives ; you may see it at first look into the garden , and have it for your use when you please . so it is with the graces of the spirit that are planted in our hearts : that is true ; they are still ▪ they abide in a heart where there is some negl●ct of mortification , but they are ready to dye ; revel . . . they are withering and decaying . the heart is like the sluggards field , so over-grown with weeds , that you can scarce see the good corn. such a man may search for faith , love and zeal , and scarce be able to find any ; and if he do discover that these graces are there , yet alive , and sincere ; yet they are so weak , so clogged with lusts , that they are of very little use ; they remain indeed , ●ut are ready to dye . but now let the heart be cleansed by mortification , the weeds of lust constantly and daily rooted up , ( as they spring daily , nature being their proper soyl , ) let room be made for grace to thrive and flourish ; how will every grace act its part , and be ready for every use and purpose ! thirdly , as to our peace ; as there is nothing that hath any evidence of sincerity without it , so i know nothing that hath such an evidence of sincerity in it ; which is no small foundation of our peace : mortication is the souls vigorous opp●sition to self ; wherein sincerity is most evident . chap. v. the principal intendment of the whole discourse proposed . the first main case of canscience stated . what it is to mortifie any sin , negatively considered . not the utter destruction of it in this life . not the dissimulation of it . not the improvement of any natural principle . not the diversion of it . not an occasional conquest . occasional conquests of sin , what , and when . vpon the eruption of sin , in time of danger or trouble . these things being premised , i come to my principal intention , of handling some questions , or practical cases , , that present themselves in this business of mortification of sin in believers : the first , which is the head of all the rest ; and whereunto they are reduced , may be considered as lying under the ensuing proposal . suppose a man to be a true believer , and yet finds in himself a powerfull indwelling sin , leading him captive to the law of it , consuming his heart with trouble , perplexing his thoughts , weakening his soul , as to duties of communion with god , disqui●ting him as to peace , and perhaps de●iling his conscience , and exposing him to hardening through the deceitfulness of sin ; what shall he doe ? what course shall he take and insist on , for the mortification of this sin , lust , distemper , or corruption , to such a degree , as that though it be not utterly destroyed , yet in his contest with it , he may be enabled to keep up power , strength and peace , in communion with god ? in answer to this important enquiry , i shall do these things . . shew what it is to mortifie any sin ; and that both negatively and positively , that we be not mistaken in the foundation . . give general directions for such things , as without which it will be utterly impossible for any one to get any sin truely and spiritually mortified . . draw out the particulars whereby this is to be done ; in the whole carrying on this consideration , that it is not of the doctrine of mortification in general , but only in reference to the particular case before proposed , that i am treating . . to mortifie a sin , is not utterly to kill , root it out , and destroy it , that it should have no more hold at all , nor residence in our hearts . it is true , this is that which is aymed at , but this is not in this life to be accomplished . there is no man that truely sets himself to mortifie any si● , but he ayms at , intends , desires its utter destruction ; that it should leave neither root nor fruit in the heart or life . he would so kill it , that it should never move or stirre any more ; crye or call , seduce or tempt to eternity . it s not being , is the thing aymed at . now though doubtless there may by the spirit and grace of christ , a wonderfull success , and eminency of victory against any sin be attained ; so that a man may have almost constant triumph over it ; yet an utter killing and destruction of it , that it should not be , is not in this life to be expected . this paul assures us of , phil. . . not as though i had already attained , or were already perfect . he was a choise saint , a pattern for believers , who in faith and love , and all the fruits of the spirit , had not his fellow in the world ; and on that account ascribes perfection to himself , in comparison of others , vers . . yet he had not attained , he was not perfect , but was following after : still a vile body he had , and we have , that must be changed by the great power of christ at last : v. . this we would have , but god sees it best for us , that we should be compleat in nothing in our selves ; that in all things we might be compleat in christ , which is best for us , col. . . . i think i need not say , it is not the dissimulation of a sin ; when a man on some outward respects forsakes the practice of any sin , men perhaps may look on him as a changed man ; god knows that to his former iniquity he hath added cursed hypocrisie , and is got in a safer path to hell than he was in before . he hath got another heart than he had , that is more cunning , not a new heart , that is more holy . . the mortification of sin consists not in the improvement of a quiet , sedate nature . some men have an advantage by their natural constitution , so far , as that they are not exposed to such violence of unruly passions , and tumultuous affections , as many others are . let now these men cultivate and improve their natural frame and temper , by discipline , consideration and prudence , and they may seem to themselves and others , very mortified men , when perhaps their hearts are a standing sink of all abominations ; some man is never so much troubled all his life perhaps with anger and passion , nor doth trouble others , as another is almost every day ; and yet the latter have done more to the mortification of the sin , than the former . let not such persons trye their mortification by such things as their natural t●●●●● gives no life or vigour to : let them bring themselves to self-denyal , unbelief , envy , or some such spiritual sin , and they will have a better view of themselves . . a sin is not mortified , when it is onely diverted . simon magus for a season left his sorceries ; but his covetousness and ambition that set him on work , remained still , and would have been acting another way : therefore peter tells him , i perceive thou art in the gall of bitterness ; notwithstanding the profession thou hast made , notwithstanding thy relinquishment of thy sorceries , thy lust is as powerfull as ever in thee : the same lust , onely the streams of it are diverted : it now exerts and puts forth it self another way , but it is the old ga●l of bitterness still . a man may be sensible of a lust , set himself again●t the eruptions of it , take care that it shall not break forth , as it hath done ; but in the mean time suffer the same corrupted habit to vent it self some other way . as he who heals and skins a running sore , thinks himself cured , but in the mean time his flesh festereth by the corruption of the same humour , and breaks out in another place . and this diversion , with the alterations that attend it , often befalls men , on accounts wholly foreign unto grace ; change of the course of life that a man was in ; of relations , interests , designs , may effect it ; yea the very alterations in mens constitutions , occasioned by a natural progress in the course of their lives , may produce such changes as these ; men in age do not usually persist in the pursuit of youthfull lusts , although they have never mortified any one of them . and the same is the case of bartering of lusts ; and leaving to serve one , that a man may serve another . he that changes pride for worldliness , sensuality for pharisaisme , vanity in himself to the contempt of others ; let him not think that he hath mortified the sin that he s●ems to have left . he hath changed his master , but is a servant still . . occasional conquests of sin do not amount to a mortifying of it . there are two occasions or seasons , wherein a man who is contending with any sin , may seem to himself to have mortified it . ( . ) when it hath had some sad eruption to the disturbance of his peace , terrour of his conscience , dread of scandal , and evident provocation of god. this awakens and stirres up all that is in the man , and amazes him ; fills him with abhorrency of sin , and himself for it ; sends him to god , makes him cry out as for life , to abhorre his lust as hell , and to set himself against it . the whole man , spiritual and natural being now awaked , sin shrinks in its head , appears not , but lyes as dead before him . as when one that hath drawn nigh to an army in the night , and hath killed a principal person ; instantly the guards awake , men are roused up , and strict enquiry is made after the enemy ; who in the mean time , untill the noyse and tumult be over , hides himself , or lyes like one that is dead , yet with firm resolution to do the like mischief again , upon the like opportunity . upon the sin among the corinthians , see how they muster up themselves for the surprizal and destruction of it , epist. chap. . vers . . so it is in a person , when a breach hath been made upon his conscience , quiet , perhaps credit , by his lust , in some eruption of actual sin ; carefulness , indignation , desire , fear , revenge , are all set on work about it , and against it , and lust is quiet for a season , being run down before them ; but when the hurry is over , and the inquest past , the thief appears again alive , and is as busie as ever at his work . ( . ) in a time of some judgement , calamity , or pressing affliction ; the heart is then taken up with thoughts and contrivances of slying from the present troubles , fears and dangers : this , as a convinced person concludes , is to be done , only by relinquishment of sin , which gains peace with god. it is the anger of god in every affliction that galls a convinced person . to be quit of this , men resolve at such times against their sins . sin shall never more have any place in them ; they will never again give up themselves to the service of it . accordingly sin is quiet , stirres not , seems to be mortified ; not indeed that it hath received any one wound , but meerly because the soul hath possess'd its faculties whereby it should exert it self , with thoughts inconsistent with the motions thereof ; which when they are laid aside , sin returns again to its former life and vigour . so they psal. . . unto . are a full instance and description of this frame of spirit whereof i speak . for all this they sinned still , and believed not for his wonderous works : therefore their dayes did he consume in vanity , and their years in trouble . when he slew them , then they sought him , and they returned , and enquired early after god. and they remembred that god was their rock , and the high god their redeemer . nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth , and they lyed unto him with their tongues . for their heart was not right with him , neither were they stedfast in his covenant . i no way doubt , but that when they sought , and returned , and enquired early after god , they did it with full purpose of heart , as to the relinquishment of their sins : it is expressed in the word returned . to turn or return to the lord , is by a relinquishment of sin . this they did early , with earnestness , and diligence ; but yet their sin was unmortified for all this , v. , . and this is the state of many humiliations in the dayes of affliction ; and a great deceit in the hearts of believers themselves , lies oftentimes herein . these and many other wayes there are , whereby poor souls deceive themselves , and suppose they have mortified their lusts , when they live and are mighty , and on every occasion break forth to their disturbance and disquietness . chap. vi. the mortification of sin in particular described . the several parts and degrees thereof . . the habitual weakning of its root and principle . the power of lust to tempt . differences of that power to persons and times . . constant fighting against sin. the parts thereof considered . . success against it . the summe of this discourse . what it is to mortifie a sin in general , which will make farther way for particular directions , is nextly to be considered . the mortification of a lust consists in three things . . an habitual weakening of it . every lust is a depraved habit or disposition , continually inclining the heart to evil : thence is that description of him who hath no lust truely mortified : gen. . . every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually . he is alwayes under the power of a strong bent and inclination to sin . and the reason why a natural man is not alwayes , perpetually , in the pursuit of some one lust night and day , is , because he hath many to serve , every one crying to be satisfied ; thence he is carried on with great variety , but still in general he lyes towards the satisfaction of self . we will suppose then the lust or distemper whose mortification is inquired after , to be in its self a strong , deeply rooted , habitual inclination and bent of will and affections unto some actual sin , as to the matter of it , ( though not under that formal consideration , ) alwayes stirring up imaginations , thoughts and contrivances about the object of it . hence men are said to have their hearts set upon evil , rom. . . the bent of their spirits lyes towards it , to make provision for the flesh . and a sinfull depraved habit ( as in many other things , so in this ) differs from all natural or moral habits whatever ; for whereas they incline the soul gently and suitably to it self , sinfull habits impell with violence and impetuousness : whence lusts are said to fight or wage warre against the soul , pet. . . to rebell , or rise up in warre with that conduct and opposition which is usual therein ; rom. . . to lead captive , or effectually captivating upon success in battell : all works of great violence and impetuousness . i might manifest fully from that description we have of it , rom. . how it will darken the mind , extinguish convictions , dethrone reason , interrupt the power and influence of any considerations that may be brought to hamper it , and break through all into a flame . but this is not my present business . now the first thing in mortification is the weakening of this habit of sin or lust , that it shall not with that violence , earnestness , frequency , rise up , conceive , tumultuate , provoke , entice , disquiet , as naturally it is apt to doe , jam. . , . i shall desire to give one caution or rule by the way ; and it is this . though every lust doth in its own nature , equally , universally incline and impell to sin , yet this mu●t be granted with these two limitations : . one lust , or a lust in one man , may receive many accidental improvements , heightnings , and strengthnings , which may give it life , power and vigour , exceedingly above what another lust hath , or the same lust , that is of the same kind and nature in another man. when a lust falls in with the natural constitution and temper , with a suitable course of life , with occasions ; or when sathan hath got a fit handle to it to manage it , as he hath a thousand wayes so to doe , that lust growes violent and impetuous above others , or more than the same lust in another man ; then the steams of it darken the mind , so that though a man knowes the same things as formerly , yet they have no power , nor influence on the will , but corrupt affections and passions are set by it at liberty . but especially , lust gets strength by temptation ; when a suitable temptation falls in wi●h a lust , it gives it a new life , vigour , power , violence and rage which it seemed not before to have , or to be capable of . instances to this purpose might be multiplyed ; but it is the design of some part of another treatise to evince th●s observation . . some lusts are far more sensible and discernable in their violent actings than others . paul puts a difference between uncleanness and all other sins . cor. . . flee fornication , every sin that a man doth , is whithout the body , but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body . hence the motions of that sin are more sensible , more discernable than of others ; when perhaps , the love of the world , or the like , is in a person no less habitually predominant than that , yet it makes not so great a combustion in the whole man. and on this account some men may goe in their own thoughts and in the eyes of the world , for mortified men ; who yet have in them no less predominancy of lust , than those who cry out with astonishment upon the account of its perplexing tumultuatings . yea than those who have by the power of it , been hurried into scandalous sins ; only their lusts are in and about things which raise not such a tumult in the soul , about which they are exercised with a calmer frame of spirit ; the very fabrick of nature being not so nearly concerned in them , as in some other . i say then , that the first thing in mortification is the weakening of this habit , that it shall not impell and tumultuate as formerly , that it shall not intice and draw aside , that it shall not disquiet and perplex ; the killing of its life , vigour , promptness and readiness to be stirring . this is called crucifying the flesh with the lusts thereof , gal. . . that is , taking away its blood and spirits that give it strength and power . the wasting of the body of death day by day , cor. . . as a man nayled to the cross ; he first struggles and strives and cryes out with great strength and might ; but as his blood and spirits waste , his strivings are faint and seldom , his cryes low and hoarse , scarce to be heard . when a man first sets on a lust or distemper , to deal with it , it struggles with great violence to break loose ; it cryes with earnestness and impatiency to be satisfied and relieved ; but when by mortification the blood and spirits of it are let out , it moves seldome and familiarly , cryes sparingly , and is scarce heard in the heart ; it may have sometimes a dying pang , that makes an appearance of great vigour and strength , but it is quickly over , especially if it be kept from considerable success . this the apostle describes as in the whole chapter , so especially vers . . of chap. . rom. sin , saith he , is crucified ; it is fastned to the cross ; to what end ? that the body of death may be destroyed ; the power of sin weakened , and abolished by little and little ; that henceforth we should not serve sin , that is , that sin might not incline , impell us with such efficacy , as to make us servants to it , as it hath done heretofore . and this is spoken not only with respect to carnal and sensual affections , or desires of worldly things ; not only in respect of the lu●t of the flesh , the lust of the ey●s , and the pride of life , but also as to the flesh , that is in the mind and will , in that opposition unto god , which is in us by nature . of what nature soever the troubling distemper be , by what wayes soever it make it self out , either by impelling to evil , or hindering from that which is good , the rule is the same . and unless this be done effectually , all after-contention will not compass the end aimed at . a man may beat down the bitter fruit from an evil tree , untill he is weary ; whilest the root abides in strength and vigour , the beating down of the present fruit will not hinder it from bringing forth more ; this is the folly of some men ; they set themselves with all earnestness and diligence against the appearing eruption of lust , but leaving the principle and root untouched , perhaps unsearched out , they make but little or no progress in this work of mortification . . in constant fighting and contending against sin . to be able alwayes to be laying load on sin , is no small degree of mortification . when sin is strong and vigorous , the soul is scarce able to make any head against it . it sighs , and groans , and mourns , and is troubled , as david speaks of himself , but seldom has sin in the pursuit ; david complains that his sin had taken fast hold upon him , that he could look up , psal. . . how little then was he able to fight against it . now sundry things are required unto , and comprized in this fighting against sin. . to know that a man hath such an enemy to deal withall ; to take notice of it , to consider it as an enemy indeed , and one that is to be destroyed by all means possible , is required hereunto . as i said before , the contest is vigorous and hazardous ; it is about the things of eternity . when therefore man have sleight and transient thoughts of their lusts , it is no great sign that they are mortified , or that they are in a way for their mortification . this is , every man's knowing the plague of his own heart , king. . . without which no other work can be done ; it is to be feared that very many have little knowledge of the main enemy , that they carry about them in their bosoms . this makes them ready to justifie themselves , and to be impatient of reproof or admonition , not knowing that they are in any danger , chron. . . . to labour to be acquainted with the wayes , w●les , methods , advantages and occasions of its success is the beginning of this warfare . so do men deal with enemies . they enquire out their counsels and designs , ponder their ends , consider how and by what means they have formerly prevailed , that they may be prevented ; in this consists the greatest skill in conduct . take this away , and all waging of warre ( wherein is the greatest improvement of humane wisdom and industry ) would be brutish . so do they deal with lust , who mortifie it indeed ; not onely when it is actually vexing , inticing , and seducing , but in their retirements they consider , this is our enemy , this is his way and progress , these are his advantages , thus hath he prevailed , and thus he will do , if not prevented : so david , my sin is ever before me , psal. . . and indeed one of the choisest and most eminent parts of practically spiritual wisdom , consists in finding out the subtilties , policies , and depths of any indwelling sin ; to consider and know wherein its greatest strength lies ; what advantage it uses to make of occasions , opportunities , temptations ; what are its pleas , pretences , reasonings ; what its stratagems , colours , excuses ; to set the wisdom of the spirit against the craft of the old man , to trace this serpent in all its turnings and windings ; to be able to say at its most secret , and ( to a common frame of heart ) imperceptible actings , this is your old way and course , i know what you aim at ; and so to be alwayes in readiness , is a good part of our warfare . . to load it daily with all the things which shall after be mentioned , that are grievous , killing and destructive to it , is the height of this contest ; such an one never thinks his lust dead because it is quiet , but labours still to give it new wounds , new blowes every day . so the apostle , col. . . now whilest the soul is in this condition , whilest it is thus dealing , it is certainly uppermost , sin is under the sword and dying . . in success ; frequent success against any lust , is another part and evidence of mortification ; by success , i understand not a meer disappointment of sin , that it be not brought forth , nor accomplished ; but a victory over it , and pursuit of it to a compleat conquest : for instance , when the heart finds sin at any time at work , seducing , forming imaginations to make provision for the flesh , to fulfill the lusts thereof , it instantly apprehends sin , and brings it to the law of god , and love of christ ; condemns it , followes it with execution to the uttermost . now i say , when a man comes to this state and condition , that lust is weakened in the root and principle , that its motions and actions are fewer and weaker than formerly , so thay they are not able to hinder his duty , nor interrupt his peace , when he can in a quiet sedate frame of spirit , find out , and fight against sin , and have success against it , then sin is mortified in some considerable measure , and notwithstanding all its opposition , a man may have peace with god all his dayes . unto these heads then do i referre the mortification aymed at ; that is , of any one perplexing distemper , whereby the general pravity and corruption of our nature attempts to exert and put forth it self . . first , the weakening of its indwelling disposition , whereby it inclines , intices , impells to evil , rebells , opposes , fights against god , by the implanting habitual residence , and cherishing of a principle of grace , that stands in direct opposition to it , and is destructive of it , is the foundation of it . so by the implanting and growth of humility is pride weakened , passion by patience , uncleanness by purity of mind and conscience , love of this world by heavenly-mindedness , which are graces of the spirit , or the same habitual grace variously acting it self by the holy ghost , according to the variety or diversity of the objects about which it is exercised ; as the other are several lusts , or the same natural corruption variously acting its self according to the various advantages and occasions that it meets withall . . the promptness , alacrity , vigour of the spirit , or new man in contending with , cheerfull fighting against the lust spoken of , by all the wayes , and with all the means that are appointed thereunto , constantly using the succours provided against its motions and actings , is a second thing hereunto required . . success unto several degrees attends these two . now this , if the distemper hath not an inconquerable advantage from its natural situation , may possibly be to such an universal conquest , as the soul may never more sensibly feel its opposition , and shall however assuredly arise to an allowance of peace to the conscience , according to the tenour of the covenant of grace . chap. vii . general rules , without which no lust will be mortified . no mortification unless a man be a believer . dangers of attempting mortification of sin by vnregenerate persons . the duty of unconverted persons , as to this business of mortification , considered . the vanity of the papists attempts , and rules for mortification thence discovered . the wayes and means whereby a soul may proceed to the mortification of any particular lust and sin , which satan takes advantage by , to disquiet and weaken him , comes next under consideration . now there are some general considerations to be premised , concerning some principles and foundations of this work , without which no man in the world , be he never so much raised by convictions , and resolved for the mortification of any sin , can attain thereunto . general rules and principles , without which no sin will be ever mortified , are these , . unless a man be a believer , that is , one that is truely ingrafted into christ , he can never mortifie any one sin ; i do not say , unless he know himself to be so , but unless indeed he be so . mortification is the work of believers , rom. . . if ye through the spirit &c. ye believers , to whom there is no condemnation , vers . . they alone are exhorted to it . col. . . mortifie therefore your members that are upon the earth . who should mortifie ? you who are risen with christ , vers . . whose life is hid with christ in god , vers . . who shall appear with him in glory , vers . . an unregenerate man may do something like it , but the work it self , so as it may be acceptable with god , he can never perform . you know what a picture of it is drawn in some of the philosophers , sencca , tu●ly , epictetus ; what affectionate discourses they have of contempt of the world , and self , of regulating and conquering all exorbitant affections and passions . the lives of most of them manifested , that their maxims differed as much from true mortification , as the sun painted on a sign-post , from the sun in the firmament . they had neither light nor heat . their own lucian sufficiently manifests what they all were . there is no death of sin , without the death of christ. you know what attempts there are made after it by the papists , in their vows , penances , and satisfactions ; i dare say of them ( i mean as many of them as act upon the principles of their church , as they call it , ) what paul s●yes of israel in point of righteousness , rom. . , . they have followed after mortification , but they have not attained to it ; wherefore ? because they seek it not by faith , but as it were by the works of the law. the same is the state and condition of all amongst our selves , who in obedience to their convictions , and awakened consciences , do attempt a relinquishment of sin ; they follow after it , but they do not attain it . it is true , it is , it will be required of every person whatever , that hears the law or gospel preached , that he mortifie sin ; it is his duty , but it is not his immediate duty ; it is his duty to do it , but to do it in gods way . if you require your servant to pay so much money for you in such a place , but first to go and take it up in another ; it is his duty to pay the money appointed , and you will blame him if he do it not ; yet it was not his immediate duty ; he was first to take it up , according to your direction . so it is in this case ; sin is to be mortified , but something is to be done in the first place to enable us thereunto . i have proved , that it is the spirit alone that can mortifie sin ; he is promised to doe it , and all other means without him are empty and vain . how shall he then mortifie sin , that hath not the spirit ? a man may easier see without eyes , speak without a tongue , than truely mortifie one sin without the spirit . now how is he attained ? it is the spirit of christ ; and ( as the apostle sayes , ) if we have not the spirit of christ , we are none of his , rom. . . so , if we are christs , have an interest in him , we have the spirit , and so alone have power for mortification . this the apostle discourses at large , rom. . v. . so then they that are in the flesh cannot please god. it is the inference and conclusion he makes of his foregoing discourse about our natural state and condition , and the enmity we have unto god and his law therein . if we are in the flesh , if we have not the spirit , we cannot do any thing that should please god. but what is our deliverance from this condition , vers . . but ye are not in the flesh , but in the spirit , if so be that the spirit of god dwell in you : ye believers , that have the spirit of christ , ye are not in the flesh . there is no way of deliverance from the state and condition of being in the flesh , but by the spirit of christ ; and what if this spirit of christ be in you ? why then you are mortified , vers . . the body is dead because of sin , or unto it ; mortification is carryed on ; the new man is quickened to righteousness . this the apostle proves vers . . from the vnion we have with christ by the spirit , which will produce suitable operations in us , to what it wrought in him . all attempts then for mortification of any lust , without an interest in christ , are vain . many men that are ga●led with and for sin , ( the arrowes of christ for conviction by the preaching of the word , or some affliction having been made sharp in their hearts ) do vigorously set themselves against this or that particular lust , wherewith their consciences have been most disquieted or perplexed . but poor creatures ! they labour in the fire , and their work consumeth . when the spirit of christ comes to this work , he will be as refiners fire , and as fullers sope , and he will purge men as gold and silver , mal. . . take away their dross and tin , their filth and blood , as isa. . . but men must be gold and silver in the bottom , or else refining will do them no good . the prophet gives us the sad issue of wicked mens utmost attempts for mortification , by what means soever that god affords them , jer. . , . the bellowes are burnt , and the lead is consumed of the fire , the founder melteth in vain , reprobate silver shall men call them , because the lord hath rejected them ; and what is the reason hereof ? v. . they were brass and iron when they were put into the furnace . men may refine brass and iron long enough before they will be good silver . i say then , mortification is not the present business of unregenerate men . god calls them not to it as yet . conversion is their work . the conversion of the whole soul , not the mortification of this or that particular lust. you would laugh at a man , that you should see setting up a great fabrick , and never take any care for a foundation ; especially if you should see him so foolish , as that having a thousand experiences , that what he built one day , fell down another , he would yet continue in the same course . so it is with convinced persons ; though they plainly see ▪ that what ground they get against sin one●day ●day , they lose another , yet they will go on in the same road still , without enquiring where the destructive flaw in their progress lyes . when the jewes upon the conviction of their sin were cut to the heart , act. . . and cryed out what shall we doe ? what doth peter direct them to ? does he bid them go and mortifie their pride , wrath , malice , cruelty , and the like ? no , he knew that was not their present work , but he calls them to conversion and faith in christ in general , vers . . let the soul be first throughly converted , and then looking on him whom they had pierced , humiliation and mortification will ensue . thus when john came to preach repentance and conversion , he said , the axe is now laid to the root of the tree , mat. . . the pharisees had been laying heavy burthens , imposing tedious duties , and rigid means of mortification , in fastings , washings , and the like , all in vain : sayes john , the doctrine of conversion is for you , the axe in my hand is laid to the root . and our saviour tells us what is to be done in this case ; sayes he , do men gather grapes from thorns ? matth. . . but suppose a thorn be well pruned and cut , and have pains taken with him ? yea but he will never bear figgs ; vers . , . it cannot be but every tree will bring forth fruit according to its own kind . what is then to be done , he tells us , matt. . . make the tree good , and his fruit will be good : the root must be dealt with , the nature of the tree changed , or no good fruit will be brought forth . this is that i aym at , unless a man be regenerate , unless he be a believer , all attempts that he can make for mortification , be they never so specious and promising , all means he can use , let him follow them with never so much diligence , earnestness , watchfulness and contention of mind and spirit , are to no purpose ; in vain shall he use many remedies , he shall not be healed . yea there are sundry desperate evils attending an endeavour in convinced persons that are no more but so , to perform this duty . first , the mind and soul is taken up about that which is not the mans proper business , and so he is diverted from that which is so . god layes hold by his word and judgements on some sin in him , galls his conscience , disquiets his heart , deprives him of his rest ; now other diversions will not serve his turn : he must apply himself to the work before him . the business in hand being to awake the whole man unto a consideration of the state and condition wherein he is , that he might be brought home to god ; instead hereof , he sets himself to mortifie the sin that galls him ; which is a pure issue of self-love , to be freed from his trouble ; and not at all to the work he is called unto ; and so is diverted from it . thus god tells us of ephraim , when he spread his net upon them , and brought them down as the fowls of heaven , and chastised them , hos. . . caught them , intangled them , convinced them , that they could not escape ; saith he of them , they return , but not to the most high : they set themselves to a relinquishment of sin , but not in that manner by universal conversion as god called for it . thus are men diverted from coming unto god , by the most glorious wayes that they can fix upon to come to him by . and this is one of the most common deceits whereby men ruine their own souls ; i wish that some whose trade it is to dawb with untempered morter in the things of god , did not teach this deceit , and cause the people to erre by their ignorance : what do men doe ? what oft-times are they directed unto , when their consciences are galled by sin , and disquietment from the lord hath laid hold upon them ? is not a relinquishment of the sin as to practice , ( that they are in some fruits of it perplexed withall , and making head against it , ) the summe of what they apply themselves unto ? and is not the gospel end of their convictions lost thereby ? here men abide and perish . secondly , this duty being a thing good in it self , in its proper place , a duty evidencing sincerity , bringing home peace to the conscience ; a man finding himself really engaged in it , his mind and heart set against this or that sin , with purpose and resolution to have no more to do with it , he is ready to conclude , that his state and condition is good , and so to delude his own soul. for , ( . ) when his conscience hath been made sick with sin , and he could find no rest , when he should go to the great physitian of souls , and get healing in his blood ; the man by this engagement against sin , pacifies and quiets his conscience , and sits down without going to christ at all . ah! how many poor souls are thus deluded to eternity ! when ephraim saw his sickness , he sent to king jareb , hos. . . which kept him off from god. the whole bundle of the popish religion is made up of designs and contrivances to pacifie conscience without christ ; all described by the apostle , rom. . . ( . ) by this means men satisfie themselves that their state and condition is good , seeing they do that which is a work good in it self , and they do not do it to be seen . they know they would have the work done in sincerity , and so are hardened in a kind of self righteousness . ( . ) when a man hath thus for a season been deluded , and hath deceived his o●● soul , and finds in a long course of life , that indeed his sin is not mortified , or if he hath changed one , he hath gotten another ; he begins a● length to think , that all contending is in vain , he shall never be able to prevail : he is making a dam against water that increaseth on him hereupon he gives over , as one despairing of any success , and yields up himself to the power of sin , and that habit of formality th●● he hath gotten . and this is the usual issue with persons attempting the mortification of sin without a● interest in christ first obtained . it deludes thempunc ; hardens them , destroyes them . and therefore w● see that there are not usually more vile an● desperate sinners in the world , than such a● having by conviction been put on this cours● have found it fruitless , and deserted it wit●out a discovery of christ. and this is t●● substance of the religion and godliness 〈◊〉 the choisest formalists in the world ; and o● all those who in the roman synagogue a●● drawn to mortification as they drive india● to baptism , or cattel to water . i say then that mortification is the work of believers , and believers onely . to kill sin is the work o● living men ; where men are dead , ( as all unbelievers , the best of them are dead , ) sin is alive , and will live . . it is the work of faith ; the peculiar work of faith ; now if there be a work to be done that will be effected by one only instrument , it is the greatest madness for any to attempt the doing of it , that hath not that instrument . now it is faith that purifies the heart , act. . . or as peter speaks , we purifie our souls in obeying the truth through the spirit , pet. . . and without it , it will not be done . what hath been spoken , i suppose is sufficient to make good my first general rule : be sure to get an interest in christ , if you intend to mortifie any sin , without it it will never be done . ob. you will say , what then would you have unregenerate men , that are convinced of the evil of sin do ? shall they cease striving against sin , live dissolutely , give their lusts their swinge , and be as bad as the worst of men ? this were a way to set the whole world into confusion , to bring all things into darkness , to set open the flood-gates of lust , and lay the reins upon the necks of men to rush into all sin with delight and greediness , like the horse into the battle . ans. . god forbid ! it is to be looked on as a great issue of the wisdom , goodness , and love of god , that by manifold wayes and means he is pleased to restrain the sons of men from running forth into that compass of excess and riot , which the depravedness of their nature would carry them out unto with violence . by what way soever this is done , it is an issue of the care , kindness , and goodness of god , without which the whole earth would be an hell of sin and confusion . . there is a peculiar convincing power in the word , which god is often-times pleased to put forth to the wounding , amazing , and in some sort humbling of sinners , though they are never converted . and the word is to be preached , though it hath this end , yet not with this end. let then the word be preached , and the sins of men rebuked , lust will be restrained , and some oppositions will be made against sin , though that be not the effect aymed at . . though this be the work of the word and spirit , and it be good in it self , yet it is not profitable nor available as to the main end in them in whom it is wrought ; they are still in the gall of bitterness , and under the power of darkness . . let men know it is their duty , but in its proper place ; i take not men from mortification , but put them upon conversion . he that shall call a man from mending a hole in the wall of his house , to quench a fire that is consuming the whole building , is not his enemy . poor soul ! it is not thy sore-finger but thy hectick-feaver that thou art to apply thy self to the consideration of . thou settest thy self against a particular sin , and doest not consider that thou art nothing but sin. let me adde this to them who are preachers of the word , or intend through the good hand of god that employment . it is their duty to plead with men about their sins , to lay load on particular sins , but alwayes remember , that it be done with that which is the proper end of law and gospel . that is , that they make use of the sin they speak against , to the discovery of the state and condition wherein the sinner is . otherwise , happily they may work men to formality and hypocrisie , but little of the true end of preaching the gospel will be brought about . it will not avail , to beat a man off from his drunkenness , into a sober formality ; a skilfull master of the assemblies layes his axe at the root , drives still at the heart . to inveigh against particular sins of ignorant unregenerate persons , ( such as the land is full of , ) is a good work : but yet though it may be done with great efficacy , vigour and success , if this be all the effect of it , that they are set upon the most sedulous endeavours of mortifying their sins preached down , all that is done , is but like the beating of an enemy in an open field , and driving him into an impregnable castle , not to be prevailed against . get you at any time a sinner at the advantage , on the account of any one sin whatever , have you any thing to tak● hold of him by , bring it to his state and condition , drive it up to the head , and there deal with him ; to break men off from particular sins , and not to break their hearts , is to deprive our selves of advantages of dealing with them . and herein is the roman mortification grievously peccant ; they drive all sorts of persons to it , without the least consideration whether they have a principle for it or no. yea they are so far from calling on men to believe , that they may be able to mortifie their lusts , that they call men to mortification instead of believing . the truth is , they neither know what it is to believe , nor what mortification it self intends . faith with them is but a general assent to the doctrine taught in their church : and mortification the betaking of a man by a vow to some certain course of life , wherein he d●●yes himself something of the use of the things of this world , not without a considerable compensation . such men know neither the scriptures , nor the power of god. their boasting of their mortification , is but their glorying in their shame . some casuists among our selves , who over-looking the necessity of regeneration , do avowedly give this for a direction to all sorts of persons , that complain of any sin or lust , that they should vow against it , at least for a season , a moneth or so , seem to have a scantling of light in the mystery of the gospel , much like that of nicodemus , when he came first to christ. they bid men vow to abstain from their sin for a season . this commonly makes their lust more impetuous . perhaps with great perplexity they keep their word : perhaps not , which increases their guilt and torment . is their sin at all mortified hereby ? do they find a conquest over it ? is their condition changed , though they attain a relinquishment of it ? are they not still in the gall of bitterness ? is not this to put men to make brick , if not without straw , ( which is worse , ) without strength ? what promise hath any unregenerate man to countenance him in this work ? what assistance for the performance of it ? can sin be killed without an interest in the death of christ , or mortified without the spirit ? if such directions should prevail to change mens lives , as seldom they doe , yet they never reach to the change of their hearts or conditions . they may make men self-justitiaries or hypocrites , not christians . it grieves me oft-times to see poor souls , that have a zeal for god , and a desire of eternal welfare , kept , by such directors and directions , under an hard , burdensome , outside worship and service of god , with many specious endeavours for mortification , in an utter ignorance of the righteousness of christ , and unacquaintedness with his spirit , all their dayes . persons and things of this kind , i know too many . if ever god shine into their hearts , to give them the knowledge of his glory in the face of his son jesus christ , they will see the folly of their present way . chap. viii . the second general rule proposed . without universal sincerity for the mortifying of every lust , no lust will be mortified . partial mortification alwayes from a corrupt principle . perplexity of temptation from a lust , oft-times a chastening for other negligences . the second principle , which to this purpose i shall propose , is this , without sincerity and diligence in an vniversality of obedience , there is no mortification of any one perplexing lust to be obtained . the other was to the person , this to the thing it self . i shall a little explain this position . a man finds any lust to bring him into the condition formerly described , it is powerfull , strong , tumultuating , leads captive , vexes , disquiets , takes away peace ; he is not able to bear it , wherefore he sets himself against it , prayes against it , groans under it , sighs to be delivered , but in the mean time , perhaps in other duties , in constant communion with god , in reading , prayer and meditation , in other wayes that are not of the same kind with the lust wherewith he is troubled , he is loose and negligent . let not that man think that ever he shall arrive to the mortification of the lust he is perplexed withall . this is a condition that not seldom befalls men in their pilgrimage . the israelites under a sense of their sin , drew nigh to god with much diligence and earnestness , with fasting and prayer . isa. . many expressions are made of their earnestness in the work , v. . they seek me daily , and delight to know my wayes , they ask of me the ordinances of justice , they delight in approaching unto god. but god rejects all ; their fast i● a remedy that will not heal them , and the reason given of it , v. , , . is , because they were particular in this duty . they attended diligently to that , but in others were negligent and careless . he that hath a running sore ( it is the scripture expression ) upon him , arising from an ill habit of body contracted by intemperance and ill dyet ; let him apply himself with what diligence and skill he can , to the cure of his sore , if he leave the general habit of his body under distempers , his labour and travail will be in vain . so will his attempts be , that shall endeavour to stop a bloody issue of sin , and filth in his soul , and is not equally carefull of his universal spiritual temperature , and constitution . for , . this kind of endeavour for mortification , proceeds from a corrupt principle , ground and foundation , so that it will never proceed to a good issue . the true and acceptable principles of mortification shall be afterward insisted on . hatred of sin as sin , not only as galling or disquieting , sence of the love of christ in the cross lyes at the bottome of all true spiritual mortification . now it is certain , that that which i speak of proceeds from self-love . thou settest thy self with all diligence and earnestness to mortifie such a lust or sin ; what is the reason of it ? it disquiets thee , it hath taken away thy peace , it fills thy heart with sorrow and trouble , and fear , thou hast no rest because of it ; yea but friend , thou hast neglected prayer or reading , thou hast been vain and lo●se in thy conversation in other things that have not been of the same nature with that lust wherewith thou art perplexed ; these are no less sins and evils , than those under which thou groanest ; jesus christ bled for them also ; why dost thou not set thy self against them also ? if thou hatedst sin as sin , every evil way , thou wouldst be no less watchfull against every thing that grieves and disquiets the spirit of god , than against that which grieves and disquiets thine own soul. it is evident that thou contendest against sin , meerly because of thy own trouble by it . would thy conscience be quiet under it , thou would'st let it alone . did it not disquiet thee , it should not be disquieted by thee . now , canst thou think that god will set in with such hypocritical endeavours ; that ever his spirit will bear witness to the treachery and falshood of thy spirit ? dost thou think he will ease thee of that which perplexeth thee , that thou mayst be at liberty to that which no less grieves him ? no , ( sayes god , ) here is one ▪ if he could be rid of this lust i should never hear of him more , let him wrestle with this , or he is lost . let not any man think to do his own work , that will not do god's . god's work consists in universal obedience ; to be freed of the present perplexity is their own only . hence is that of the apostle , cor. . . cleanse your selves from all pollution of flesh and spirit , perfecting holiness in the fear of the lord. if we will do any thing , we must do all things . so then , not onely an intense opposition to this or that peculiar lust , but it is an universal humble frame and temper of heart , with watchfulness over every evil , and for the performance of every duty , that is accepted . . how know'st thou but that god hath suffered the lust wherewith thou hast been perplexed to get strength in thee , and power over thee , to chasten thee for thy other negligences , and common lukewarmness in walking before him ; at least to awaken thee to the consideration of thy wayes , that thou mayst make a through work and change in thy course of walking with him . the rage and predominancy of a particular lust , is commonly the fruit and issue of a careless , negligent course in general ; and that upon a double account . ( ) as its natural effect , if i may so say . lust ( as i shewed ) in general , lyes in the heart of every one , even the best , whilest he lives ; and think not that the scripture speaks in vain , that it is subtle , cunning , crafty ; that it seduces , entices , fights , ●ebells . whilest a man keeps a diligent watch over his heart , its root and fountain ; whilest above all keepings , he keeps his heart , whence are the issues of life and death , lust withers and dyes in it . but if through negligence it makes an eruption any particular way , gets a passage to the thoughts by the affections , and from them , and by them , perhaps breaks out into open sin in the conversation , the strength of it bears that way it hath found out , and that way mainly it urgeth , untill having got a passage , it then vexes and disquiets , and is not easily to be restrained ; thus perhaps a man may be put to wrestle all his dayes in sorrow , with that , which by a strict universal watch might easily have been prevented . ( ) as i said , god often-times suffers it to chasten our other negligences ; for as with wicked men , he gives them up to one sin as the judgement of another , a greater for the punishment of a less , or one that will hold them more firmly and securely , for that which they might have possibly obtained a deliverance from : so even with his own , he may , he doth leave them sometimes to some vexatious distempers , either to prevent or cure some other evil : so was the messenger of satan let loose on paul , that he might not be lifted up through the abundance of spiritual revelations . was it not a correction to peters vain confidence , that he was left to deny his master ? now if this be the state and condition of lust in its prevalency , that god often-times suffers it so to prevail , at least to admonish us , and to humble us , perhaps to chasten and correct us , for our general loose and careless walking , is it possible that the effect should be removed , and the cause continued ; that the particular lust should be mortified , and the general course be unreformed ? he then that would really , throughly , and acceptably mortifie any disquieting lust , let him take care to be equally diligent in all parts of obedience ; and know that every lust , every omission of duty , is burdensome to god , though but one is so to him. whilest there abides a treachery in the heart to indulge to any negligence in not pressing universally to all perfection in obedience , the soul is weak , as not giving faith its whole work ; and selfish , as considering more the trouble of sin , than the filth and guilt of it ; and lives under a constant provocation of god , so that it may not expect any comfortable issue in any spiritual duty that it doth undertake , much less in this under consideration , which requires another principle , and frame of spirit for its accomplishment . chap. ix . particular directions in relation to the foregoing case proposed . first , consider the dangerous symptoms of any lust : . inveterateness . . peace obtained under it ; the several wayes whereby that is done . . frequency of success in its seductions . . the soul 's fighting against it , with arguments only taken from the event . . it s being attended with judiciary hardness . . it s withstanding particular dealings from god. the state of persons in whom these things are found . the foregoing general rules being supposed , particular directions to the soul , for its guidance under the sense of a disquieting lust or distemper , ( being the main thing i aym at ) come next to be proposed . now of these some are previous and preparatory , and in some of them the work it self is contained . of the first sort are these ensuing : first , consider what dangerous symptoms thy lust hath attending or accompanying it . whether it hath any deadly mark on it or no : if it hath , extraordinary remedies are to be used ; an ordinary course of mortification will not do it . you will say , what are these dangerous marks and symptoms , the desperate attendances of an indwelling lust that you intend ? some of them i shall name . ( ) inveterateness ; if it hath lyen long corrupting in thy heart , if thou hast suffered it to abide in power and prevalency , without attempting v●gorously the killing of it , and the healing of the wounds thou hast received by it , for some long season , thy distemper is dangerous . hast thou permitted worldliness , ambition , greediness of study , to eat up other duties ; the duties wherein thou oughtest to hold constant communion with god , for some long season ? or vncleanness to defile thy heart , with vain , and foolish , and wicked imaginations , for many dayes ? thy lust hath a dangerous symptom . so was the case with david , psal. . . my wounds stink and are corrupt , because of my foolishness . when a lust hath layen long in the heart , corrupting , festering , cankering , it brings the soul to a wofull condition . in such a case an ordinary course of humiliation will not do the work : whatever it be , it will by this means insinuate it self more or less into all the faculties of the soul , and habituate the affections to its company and society ; it growes familiar to the mind and conscience , that they do not startle at it as a strange thing , but are bold with it as that which they are wonted unto ; yea it will get such advantage by this means , as often-times to exert and put forth it self , without having any notice taken of it at all ; as it seems to have been with joseph in his swearing by the life of pharaoh . unless some extraordinary course be taken , such a person hath no ground in the world to expect that his latter end shall be peace . for first , how will he be able to distinguish between the long abode of an unmortified lust , and the dominion of sin which cannot befall a regenerate person ? secondly , how can he promise himself , that it shall ever be otherwise with him , or that his lust will cease tumultuating and seducing , when he sees it fixed and abiding , and hath done so for many dayes , and hath gone through variety of conditions with him . it may be it hath tryed mercyes and afflictions , and those possibly so remarkable , that the soul could not avoyd the taking special notice of them ; it may be it hath weathered out many a thorn ; and passed under much variety of gifts in the administration of the word ; and will it prove an easie thing to dislodge an inmate pleading a title by prescription ? old neglected wounds are often mortal , alwayes dangerous , indwelling distempers grow resty , and stubborn , by continuance in ease and quiet . lust is such an inmate , as , if it can plead time and some prescription , will not easily be ejected . as it never dyes of it self , so if it be not daily killed , it will alwayes gather strength . ( ) secret pleas of the heart for the countenancing of it self , and keeping up its peace , notwithstanding the abiding of a lust , without a vigorous gospel attempt for its mortification , is another dangerous symptome of a deadly distemper in the heart . now there be several wayes whereby this may be done , i shall name some of them . as , . when upon thoughts , perplexing thoughts about sin , instead of applying himself to the destruction of it , a man searches his heart to see what evidences he can find of a good condition , notwithstanding that sin and lust , so that it may go well with him . for a man to gather up his experiences of god , to call them to mind , to collect them , consider , trye , improve them , is an excellent thing ; a duty practised by all the saints ; commended in the old testament and the new. this was davids work , when he communed with his own heart , and called to remembrance the former loving kindness of the lord , psal. . , , , . this is the duty that paul sets us to practise , cor. . . and as it is in it self excellent , so it hath beauty added to it , by a proper season . a time of tryal , or temptation , or disquietness of the heart about sin , is a picture of silver to set off this golden apple , as solomon speaks : but now , to do it for this end , to satisfie conscience , which cryes and calls for another purpose , is a desperate device of an heart in love with sin. when a mans conscience shall deal with him , when god shall rebuke him for the sinfull distemper of his heart , if he , instead of applying himself to get that sin pardoned in the blood of christ , and mortified by his spirit , shall relieve himself , by any such other evidences as he hath , or thinks himself to have , and so disintangle himself from under the yoke , that god was putting on his neck ; his condition is very dangerous , his wound hardly curable . thus the jews under the gallings of their own consciences , and the convincing preaching of our saviour , supported themselves with this , that they were abraham's children , and on that account accepted with god ; and so countenanced themselves in all abominable wickedness to their utter ruine . this is in some degree , a blessing of a mans self , and saying that upon one account or other he shall have peace , although he addes drunkenness to thirst ; love of sin , undervaluation of peace , and of all tastes of love from god , are enwrapped in such a frame : such a one plainly shews , that if he can but keep up hope of escaping the wrath to come , he can be well content to be unfruitfull in the world , at any distance from god that is not final separation . what is to be expected from such an heart ? . by applying grace and mercy to an unmortified sin , or one not sincerely endeavoured to be mortified , is this deceit carried on . this is a sign of an heart greatly entangled with the love of sin. when a man hath secret thoughts in his heart , not unlike those of naaman , about his worshipping in the house of rimmon ; in all other things i will walk with god ; but in this thing , god be mercifull unto me ; his condition is sad . it is true indeed , a resolution to this purpose , to indulge a mans self in any sin on the account of mercy , seems to be ( and doubtless in any course , is ) altogether inconsistent with christian sincerity , and is a badge of an hypocrite , and is the turning of the grace of god into wantonness , jude . but yet i doubt not but through the craft of sathan , and their own remaining unbelief , the children of god may themselves sometimes be ensnared with this deceit of sin ; or else paul would never have so cautioned them against it as he doth , rom. . , . yea indeed there is nothing more natural , than for fleshly reasonings to grow high and strong upon this account . the flesh would fain be indulged unto upon the account of grace : and every word that is spoken of mercy , it stands ready to catch at , and to pervert it to its own corrupt ayms and purposes . to apply mercy then to a sin not vigorously mortified , is to fulfill the end of the flesh upon the gospel . these and many other wayes and wiles , a deceitfull heart will sometimes make use of , to countenance it self in its abominations . now when a man with his sin is in this condition , that there is a secret liking of the sin prevalent in his heart , and though his will be not wholly set upon it , yet he hath an imperfect velleity towards it , he would practise it were it not for such and such considerations , and hereupon relieves himself other wayes than by the mortification and pardon of it in the blood of christ , that mans wounds stink and are corrupt , and he will , without speedy deliverance , be at the door of death . ( ) frequency of success in sins seduction in obtaining the prevailing consent of the will unto it , is another dangerous symptome . this is that i mean : when the sin spoken of gets the consent of the will with some delight , though it be not actually outwardly perpetrated , yet it hath success . a man may not be able upon outward considerations to goe along with sin , to that which james calls the finishing of it , jam. . , . as to the outward acts of sin , when yet the will of sinning may be actually obtained : then hath it i say success . now if any lust be able thus far to prevail in the soul of any man , as his condition may possibly be very bad and himself be unregenerate , so it cannot possibly be very good , but dangerous . and it is all one upon the matter , whether this be done by the choice of the will , or by inadvertency ; for that inadvertency it self is in a manner chosen . when we are inadvertent and negligent , where we are bound to watchfulness , and carefulness , that inadvertency doth not take off from the voluntariness of what we doe thereupon ; for although men do not choose and resolve to be negligent and inadvertent , yet if they choose the things that will make them so , they choose inadvertency it self , as a thing may be chosen in its cause . and let not men think that the evil of their hearts is in any measure extenuated , because they seem for the most part to be surprized into that consent which they seem to give unto it ; for it is negligence of their duty in watching over their hearts , that betrayes them into that surprizal . ( ) when a man fighteth against his sin onely with arguments from the issue , or the punishment due unto it ; this is a sign that sin hath taken great possession of the will , and that in the heart there is a superfluity of naughtiness . such a man as opposes nothing to the seduction of sin and lust in his heart , but fear of shame among men , or hell from god , is sufficiently resolved to do the sin , if there were no punishment attending it ; which what it differs from living in the practice of sin , i know not . those who are christs , and are acted in their obedience upon gospel principles , have the death of christ , the love of god , the detestable nature of sin , the preciousness of communion with god , a deep grounded abhorrency of sin as sin , to oppose to any seduction of sin , to all the workings , strivings , fightings of lust in their hearts . so did joseph , how shall i doe this great evil ( saith he ) and sin against the lord , my good and gracious god ? and paul , the love of christ constrains us : and having received these promises , let us cleanse our selves from all pollutions of flesh and spirit . but now if a man be so under the power of his lust , that he hath nothing but law to oppose it withall , if he cannot fight against it with gospel weapons , but deals with it altogether with hell and judgement , which are the proper arms of the law , it is most evident , that sin hath possessed it self of his will and affections , to a very great prevalency and conquest . such a person hath cast off ( as to the particular spoken of ) the conduct of renewing grace , and is kept from ruine onely by restraining grace ; and so far is he fallen from grace , and returned under the power of the law ; and can it be thought that this is not a great provocation to christ , that men should cast off his easie gentle yoke and rule , and cast themselves under the iron yoke of the law , meerly out of indulgence unto their lusts ? try thy self by this also : when thou art by sin driven to make a stand , so that thou must either serve it , and rush at the command of it into folly , like the horse into the battel , or make head against it to suppress it ; what doest thou say to thy soul ? what doest thou expostulate with thy self ? is this all ? hell will be the end of this course , vengeance will meet with me , and find me out ; it is time for thee to look about thee , evil lyes at the door . pauls main argument to evince , that sin shall not have dominion over believers , is , that they are not under the law , but under grace , rom. . . if thy contendings against sin be all on legal accounts , from legal principles and motives , what assurance canst thou attain unto , that sin shall not have dominion over thee , which will be thy ruine ? yea know that this reserve will not long hold out : if thy lust hath driven thee from stronger gospel forts , it will speedily prevail against this also ; do not suppose that such considerations will deliver thee , when thou hast voluntarily given up to thine enemy those helps and means of preservation which have a thousand times their strength . rest assuredly in this , that unless thou recover thy self with speed from this condition , the thing that thou fearest will come upon thee ; what gospel principles do not , legal motives cannot doe . ( ) when it is probable that there is , or may be somewhat of judiciary hardness , or at least chastening punishment in thy lust as disquieting ; this is another dangerous symptome . that god doth sometimes leave even those of his own , under the perplexing power at least of some lust or sin , to correct them for former sins , negligence and folly , i no way doubt . hence was that complaint of the church , why hast thou hardened us from the fear of thy name , isa. . . that this is his way of dealing with unregenerate men , no man questions . but how shall a man know whether there be any thing of gods chastening hand , in his being left to the disquietment of his distemper ? answ. examine thy heart and wayes : what was the state and condition of thy soul before thou fellest into the intanglements of that sin which now thou so complainest of ? hadst thou been negligent in duties ? hadst thou lived inordinately to thy self ? is there the guilt of any great sin lying upon thee unrepented of ? a new sin may be permitted , as well as a new affliction sent to bring an old sin to remembrance ? hast thou received any eminent mercy , protection , deliverance , which thou diddest not improve in a due manner , nor wast thankfull for ? or hast been exercised with any affliction , without labouring for the appointed end of it ? or hast thou been wanting to the opportunities of glorifying god in thy generation , which in his good providence he had graciously afforded unto thee ? or hast thou conformed thy self unto the world and the men of it , through the abounding of temptations in the dayes wherein thou livest ? if thou findest this to have been thy state , awake , call upon god ; thou art fast asleep in a storm of anger round about thee . ( ) when thy lust hath already withstood particular dealings from god against it . this condition is described , isa. . . for the iniquity of his coveteousness i was wroth , and smote him , i hid me and was wroth , and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart . god had dealt with them about their prevailing lust , and that several wayes , by affliction and desertion . but they held out against all : this is a sad condition which nothing but meer soveraign grace ( as god expresses it in the next verse , ) can relieve a man in , and which no man ought to promise himself , or bear himself upon . god oftentimes in his providential dispensations meets with a man , and speaks particularly to the evil of his heart , as he did to joseph's brethren in their selling of him into egypt . this makes the man reflect on his sin , and judge himself in particular for it . god makes it to be the voice of the danger , affliction , trouble , sickness that he is in , or under . sometimes in reading of the word , god makes a man stay on something that cuts him to the heart , and shakes him as to his present condition . more frequently in the hearing of the word preached ( his great ordinance for conviction , conversion and edification ) doth he meet with men . god often hews men by the sword of his word in that ordinance ; strikes directly on their bosome beloved lust ; startles the sinner , makes him engage into the mortification and relinquishment of the evil of his heart . now if his lust have taken such hold on him , as to enforce him to break these bonds of the lord , and to cast these cords from him ; if it overcomes these convictions , and gets again into its old posture ; if it can cure the wounds it so receives , that soul is in a sad condition . unspeakable are the evils which attend such a frame of heart : every particular warning to a man in such an estate , is an inestimable mercy ; how then doth he despise god in them , who holds out against them ; and what infinite patience is this in god , that he doth not cast off such an one , and swear in his wrath , that he shall never enter into his rest. these and many other evidences are there of a lust that is dangerous , if not mortal . as our saviour said of the evil spirit , this kind goes not out but by fasting and prayer : so say i of lusts of this kind ; an ordinary course of mortification will not doe it , extraordinary wayes must be fixed on . this is the first particular direction ; consider whether the lust or sin you are contending with , hath any of these dangerous symptoms attending of it . before i proceed , i must give one caution by the way , lest any be deceived by what hath been spoken . whereas i say , the things and evils above mentioned may befall true believers , let not any that finds the same things in himself , thence or from thence conclude that he is a true believer . these are the evils that believers may fall into , and be ensnared withall , not the things that constitute a believer . a man may as well conclude that he is a believer , because he is an adulterer ; because david that was so , fell into adultery ; as conclude it from the signs foregoing , which are the evils of sin and sathan in the hearts of believers . the seventh of the romans contains the description of a regenerate man. he that shall consider what is spoken of his dark side , of his unregenerate part , of the indwelling power and violence of sin remaining in him , and because he finds the like in himself , conclude that he is a regenerate man , will be deceived in his reckoning . it is all one as if you should argue , a wise man may be sick and wounded , yea do some things foolishly , therefore every one who is sick and wounded and does things foolishly , is a wise man. or as if a silly deformed creature hearing one speaking of a beautifull person , should , say that he had a mark or a scarre that much disfigured him , should conclude that because he hath himself scarres , and moles , and warts , that he also is beautifull . if you will have evidences of your being believers , it must be from those things that constitute men believers . he that hath these things in himself , may safely conclude , if i am a believer , i am a most miserable one . but that any man is so , he must look for other evidences , if he will have peace . chap. x. the second particular direction . get a clear sense of ( ) the guilt of the sin perplexing . considerations for help therein proposed . ( ) the danger manifold : . hardening . . temporal correction . . loss of peace and strength . . eternal destruction . rules for this management of the consideration . ( ) the evil of it : . in grieving the spirit . . wounding the new creature . the second direction is this , get a clear and abiding sense upon thy mind and conscience of the ( ) guilt , ( ) danger , ( ) evil of that sin wherewith thou art perplexed . ( ) of the guilt of it . it is one of the d●ceits of a prevailing lust , to extenuate its own guilt . is it not a little one ? when i go and bow my self in the house of rimmon , god be mercifull to me in this thing . though this be bad , yet it is not so bad as such and such an evil , others of the people of god have had such a frame ; yea what dreadful actual sins have some of them fallen into ! innumerable wayes there are whereby sin diverts the mind from a right and due apprehension of its guilt . it s noysom exhalations darken the mind , that it cannot make a right judgment of things ; perplexing reasonings , extenuating promises , tumultuating desires , treacherous purposes of ●●linquishment , hopes of mercy ; all have a share in disturbing the mind , in its consideration of the guilt of a prevailing lust. the prophet tells us , that lust will do thus wholly , when it comes to the height : hos. . . whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart : the heart , ( i.e. ) the understanding , as it is often used in the scripture . and as they accomplish this work to the height in unregenerate persons , so in part in rege●●rate also . solomon tells you of him who was enticed by the lewd woman , that he was among the simple ones , he was a young man voyd of understanding , prov. . . and wherein did his folly appear ? why sayes he , in the d vers . he knew not that it was for his life ; he considered not the guilt of the evil that he was involved in . and the lord rendring a reason why his dealings with ephraim took no better effect , gives this account : ephraim is like a silly dove without heart , hos. . . had no understanding of his own miserable condition . had it been possible that david should have lain so long in the guilt of that abominable sin , but that he had innumerable corrupt reasonings , hindering him from taking a clear view of its ugliness and guilt in thc glass of the law ? this made the prophet that was sent for his awaking , in his dealings with him , to shut up all subterfuges and pretences , by his parable ; that so he might fall fully under a sense of the guilt of it . this is the proper issue of lust in the heart , it darkens the mind that it shall not judge aright of its guilt ; and many other wayes it hath for its own extenuation , that i shall not now insist on . let this then be the first care of him that would mortifie sin , to fix a right judgement of its guilt in his mind . to which end take these considerations to thy assistance : . though the power of sin be weakened by inherent grace in them that have it , that sin shall not have dominion over them , as it hath over others , yet the guilt of sin that doth yet abide and remain , is aggravated and heightned by it , rom. . , . what shall we say then ? shall we continue in sin that grace may abound ? god forbid , how shall we that are dead to sin , live any longer therein ? how shall we that are dead ; the emphasis is on the word we. how shall we do it , who ( as he afterwards describes it , ) have received grace from christ to the contrary ? we ( doubtless ) are more evil than any , if we do it . i shall not insist on the special aggravations of the sins of such persons ; how they sin against more love , mercy , grace , assistance , relief , means and deliverances , than others . but let this consideration abide in thy mind . there is inconceivably more evil and guilt in the evil of thy heart , that doth remain , than there would be in so much sin , if thou hadst no grace at all . observe , . that as god sees abundance of beauty and excellency in the desires of the hearts of his servants , more than in any the most glorious works of other men , yea more than in most of their own outward performances , which have a greater mixture of sin than the desires and pantings of grace in the heart have : so god sees a great deal of evil in the working of lust in their hearts , yea and more than in the open notorious acts of wicked men , or in many outward sins whereinto the saints may fall ; seeing against them there is more opposition made , and more humiliation generally followes them . thus christ , dealing with his decaying children , goes to the root with them ; layes aside their profession , rev. . . i know thee , thou art quite another thing than thou professest , and this makes thee abominable . so then ; let these things and the like considerations lead thee to a clear sense of the guilt of thy indwelling lust , that there may be no room in thy heart for extenuating or excusing thoughts , whereby sin insensibly will get strength and prevail . ( ) consider the danger of it , which is manifold : . of being hardened by its deceitfulness : this the apostle sorely charges on the hebrews , ch . . v. , . take heed brethren , lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief , in departing from the living god : but exhort one another daily , while it is called to day , lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin . take heed ( saith he ) use all means , consider your temptations , watch diligently , there is a treachery , a deceit in sin , that tends to the hardening of your hearts from the fear of god. the hardening here mentioned is to the utmost ; utter obduration ; sin tends to it , and every distemper and lust will make at least some progress towards it . thou that wast tender , and did'st use to melt under the word , under afflictions , wilt grow ( as some have profanely spoken , ) sermon-proof , and sickness-proof ; thou that did'st tremble at the presence of god , thoughts of death , and appearance before him , when thou hadst more assurance of his love than now thou hast , shalt have a stoutness upon thy spirit , not to be moved by these things . thy soul and thy sin shall be spoken of , and spoken to , and thou shalt not be at all concerned ; but shalt be able to pass over duties , praying , hearing , reading , and thy heart not in the least affected . sin will grow a light thing to thee ; thou wilt pass by it as a thing of nought ; this it will grow to , and what will be the end of such a condition ? can a sadder thing befall thee ? is it not enough to make any heart to tremble , to think of being brought into that estate , wherein he should have slight thoughts of sin ; slight thoughts of grace , of mercy , of the blood of christ , of the law , heaven and hell , come all in at the same season ? take heed , this is that thy lust is working towards ; the hardening of the heart , searing of conscience , blinding of the mind , stupifying of the affections , and deceiving of the whole soul. . the danger of some great temporal correction , which the scripture calls vengeance , judgement , and punishment , psal. . , , , , though god should not utterly cast thee off for this abomination that lyes in thy heart , yet he will visit with the rod ; though he pardon and forgive , he will take vengeance of thy inventions . o remember david and all his troubles ; look on him flying into the wilderness , and consider the hand of god upon him . is it nothing to thee , that god should kill thy child in anger , ruine thy estate in anger , break thy bones in anger , suffer thee to be a scandal and reproach in anger , kill thee , destroy thee , make thee lye down in darkness in anger ? is it nothing that he should punish , ruine , and undoe others for thy sake ? let me not be mistaken , i do not mean , that god doth send all these things alwayes on his in anger ; god forbid . but this i say , that when he doth so deal with thee , and thy conscience bears witness with him , what thy provocations have been , thou wilt find his dealings full of bitterness to thy soul. if thou fearest not these things , i fear thou art under hardness . . loss of peace and strength all a mans dayes . to have peace with god , to have strength to walk before god , is the summe of the great promises of the covenant of grace . in these things is the life of our souls . without them in some comfortable measure , to live , is to dye . what good will our lives do us , if we see not the face of god sometimes in peace ? if we have not some strength to walk with him ? now both these will an unmortified lust certainly deprive the souls of men of . this case is so evident in david , as that nothing can be more clear . how often doth he complain that his bones were broken , his soul disquieted , his wounds grievous on this account ? take other instances , isa. . . for the iniquity of his covetousness i was wroth , and hid my self . what peace i pray is there to a soul while god hides himself ? or strength whilest he smites ? hos. . . i will goe and return to my place , untill they acknowledge their offence , and seek my face . i will leave them , hide my face , and what will become of their peace and strength ? if ever then thou hast enjoyed peace with god , if ever his terrours have made thee afraid , if ever thou hast had strength to walk with him , or ever hast mourned in thy prayer , and been troubled because of thy weakness , think of this danger that hangs over thy head . it is perhaps but a little while and thou shalt see the face of god in peace no more : perhaps by to morrow thou shalt not be able to pray , read , hear , or perform any duties with the least chearfulness , life or vigour ; and possibly thou mayst never see a quiet hour whilest thou livest ; that thou mayst carry about thee broken bones full of pain and terrour all the dayes of thy life ; yea perhaps god will shoot his arrowes at thee , and fill thee with anguish and disquietness , with fears and perplexities , make thee a terror and an astonishment to thy self and others , shew thee hell and wrath every moment ; frighten and scare thee with sad apprehensions of his hatred , so that thy sore shall run in the night season , and thy soul shall refuse comfort ; so that thou shalt wish death rather than life , yea thy soul may choose strangling . consider this a little , though god should not utterly destroy thee , yet he might cast thee into this condition , wherein thou shalt have quick and living apprehensions of thy destruction . wont thy heart to thoughts hereof : let it know what is like to be the issue of its state , leave not this consideration untill thou hast made thy soul to tremble within thee . . there is the danger of eternal destruction . for the due management of this consideration , observe , i. that there is such a connexion between a continuance in sin and eternal destruction , that though god do's resolve to deliver some from a continuance in sin , that they may not be destroyed , yet he will deliver none from destruction that continue in sin . so that whilest any one lyes under an abiding power of sin , the threats of destruction and everlasting seperation from god are to be held out to him : so heb. . . to which adde heb. . . this is the rule of gods proceeding : if any man depart from him , draw back through unbelief , gods soul hath no pleasure in him ; that is , his indignation shall pursue him to destruction ; so evidently , gal. . . ii. that he who is so intangled ( as above described ) under the power of any corruption , can have at that present no clear prevailing evidence of his interest in the covenant , by the efficacy whereof he may be delivered from fear of destruction . so that destruction from the lord may justly be a terrour to him ; and he may , he ought to look upon it , as that which will be the end of his course and wayes . there is no condemnation to them that are in christ jesus , rom. . . true ! but who shall have the comfort of this assertion ? who may assume it to himself ? they that walk after the spirit , and not after the flesh. but you will say , is not this to perswade men to unbelief ? i answer , no ; there is a twofold judgement that a man may make of himself ; . of his person , and . of his wayes . it is the judgment of his wayes , not his person that i speak of ; let a man get the best evidence for his person that he can , yet to judge that an evil way will end in destruction , is his duty ; not to do it , is atheism . i do not say , that in such a condition a man ought to throw away the evidences of his personal interest in christ ; but i say , he cannot keep them . there is a two-fold condemnation of a mans self : first , in respect of desert , when the soul concludes , that it deserves to be cast out of the presence of god ; and this is so far from a business of vnbelief , that it is an effect of faith. secondly , with respect to the issue and event ; when the soul concludes it shall be damned . i do not say this is the duty of any one , nor do i call them to it . but this i say , that the end of the way wherein a man is , ought by him to be concluded to be death , that he may be provok'd to fly from it ; and this is another consideration , that ought to dwell upon such a soul , if it desire to be freed from the intanglement of its lusts. ( ) consider the evils of it . i mean its present evils . danger respects what is to come ; evil what is present : some of the many evils that attend an unmortified lust , may be mentioned . . it grieves the holy and blessed spirit , which is given to believers to dwell in them and abide with them . so the apostle , ( ephes. . , , , , . ) dehorting them from many lusts and sins , gives this as the great motive of it , vers . . grieve not the holy spirit , whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption . grieve not that spirit of god ( saith he ) whereby you receive so many and so great benefits ; of which he instances in one signal and comprehensive one , sealing to the day of redemption . he is grieved by it , as a tender and loving friend is grieved at the unkindness of his friend , of whom he hath well deserved ; so is it with this tender and loving spirit , who hath chosen our hearts for an habitation to dwell in , and there to do for us all that our souls desire . he is grieved by our harbouring his enemies , and those whom he is to destroy in our hearts with him . he doth not afflict willingly , nor grieve us , lam. . . and shall we daily grieve him ? thus is he said sometimes to be vexed , sometimes grieved at his heart , to express the greatest sense of our provocation . now if there be any thing of gracious ingenuity left in the soul , if it be not utterly hardened by the deceitfulness of sin , this consideration will certainly affect it . consider who and what thou art , who the spirit is that is grieved , what he hath done for thee , what he comes to thy soul about , what he hath already done in thee ; and be ashamed . among those who walk with god , there is no groater motive and incentive unto universal holiness , and the preserving of their hearts and spirits in all purity and cleanness , than this , that the blessed spirit who hath undertaken to dwell in them as temples of god , and to preserve them meet for him who so dwells in them , is continually considering what they give entertainment in their hearts unto ; and rejoyceth when his temple is kept undefiled ; that was an high aggravation of the sin of zimri , that he brought his adulteress into the congregation in the sight of moses , and the rest , who were weeping for the sins of the people , numb . . . and is it not an high aggravation of the countenancing a lust , or suffering it to abide in the heart , when it is ( as it must be , if we are believers ) entertained under the peculiar eye and view of the holy ghost ; taking care to preserve his tabernacle pure and holy ? . the lord jesus is wounded afresh by it ; his new creature in the heart is wounded . his love is foil'd , his adversary gratified . as a total relinquishment of him by the deceitfulness of sin , is the crucifying him afresh , and the putting of him to open shame , so every harbouring of sin that he came to destroy , wounds and grieves him . . it will take away a mans usefulness in his generation . his works , his endeavours , his labours seldom receive blessing from god. if he be a preacher , god commonly blows upon his ministry , that he shall labour in the fire , and not be honoured with any success , or doing any work for god ; and the like may be spoken of other conditions . the world is at this day full of poor withering professors ; how few are there that walk in any beauty , or glory ; how barren , how useless are they for the most part ● . amongst the many reasons that may be assigned of this sad estate , it may justly be feared , that this is none of the least effectual ; many men harbour spirit-devouring lusts in their bosomes , that lye as worms at the root of their obedience , and corrode and weaken it day by day . all graces , all the wayes and means whereby any graces may be exercised and improved , are prejudiced by this means ; and as to any success , god blasts such mens undertakings . this then is my second direction , and it regards the opposition that is to be made to lust , in respect of its habitual residence in the soul ; keep alive upon thy heart these or the like considerations , of its guilt , danger and evil ; be much in the meditation of these things ; cause thy heart to dwell and abide upon them . ingage thy thoughts into these considerations ; let them not go off , nor wander from them , untill they begin to have a powerfull influence upon thy soul ; untill they make it to tremble . chap. xi . the third direction proposed . load the conscience with the guilt of the perplexing distemper . the wayes and means whereby that may be done . the fourth direction . vehement desire for deliverance . the fifth . some distempers rooted deeply in mens natural tempers . considerations of such distempers : wayes of dealing with them . the sixth direction . occasions and advantages of sin to be prevented . the seventh direction . the first actings of sin vigorously to be opposed . this is my third direction : load thy conscience with the guilt of it . not onely consider , that it hath a guilt , but load thy conscience with the guilt of its actual eruptions and disturbances . for the right improvement of this rule , i shall give some particular directions . first , take gods me●hod in it , and begin with generals , a●● so descend to particulars . ( ) charge thy conscience with that guilt which appears in it , from the rectitude and holiness of the law. bring the holy law of god into thy conscience ; lay thy corruption to it ; pray that thou mayest be affected with it . consider the holiness , spirituality , fiery severity , inwardness , absoluteness of the law ; and see how thou canst stand before it . be much ( i say ) in affecting thy conscience with the terrour of the lord in the law , and how righteous it is that every one of thy transgressions should receive a recompence of reward . perhaps thy conscience will invent shifts and evasions to keep off the power of this consideration ; as , that the condemning power of the law doth not belong to thee , thou art set free from it , and the like ; and so though thou be not conformable to it , yet thou needest not to be so much troubled at it . but , . tell thy conscience , that it cannot manage any evidence to the purpose , that thou art free from the condemning power of sin , whilest thy unmortified lust lyes in thy heart ; so that perhaps the law may make good its plea against thee for a full dominion , and then thou art a lost creature . wherefore it is best to ponder to the utmost , what it hath to say . assuredly he 〈◊〉 pleads in the most secret reserve of his heart , that he is freed from the condemning po●e● of the law , thereby secretly to countenance himself in giving the ●●●st allowance unto any sin or lust , is not able on gospel grounds to manage any evidence unto any tolerable spiritual security , that indeed he is in a due manner freed from what he so pretends himself to be delivered . . whatever be the issue , yet the law hath commission from god to seize upon transgressors wherever it find them , and so bring them before his throne , where they are to plead for themselves ; this is thy present case : the law hath found thee out , and before god it will bring thee : if thou canst plead a pardon , well and good ; if not , the law will do its work . . however , this is the proper work of the law , to discover sin in the guilt of it , to awake and humble the soul for it , to be a glass to represent sin in its colours ; and if thou denyest to deal with it on this account , it is not through faith , but through the hardness of thy heart and the deceitfulness of sin. this is a door that too many professors have gone out at , unto open apostasie ; such a deliverance from the law they have pretended , as that they would consult its guidance and direction no more ; they would measure their sin by it no more ; by little and little this principle hath insensibly from the notion of it proceeded to influence their practical understandings ; and having taken possession there , hath turned the will and affections loose to all manner of abominations . by such wayes ( i say then ) as these , perswade thy conscience to hearken diligently to what the law speaks in the name of the lord unto thee , about thy lust and corruption . oh! if thy ears be open , it will speak with a voyce that shall make thee tremble , that shall cast thee to the ground , and fill thee with astonishment . if ever thou wilt mortifie thy corruptions , thou must tye up thy conscience to the law , shut it from all shifts and exceptions untill it owns its guilt , with a clear and through apprehension : so that thence , ( as david speaks ) thy iniquity may ever be before thee . ( ) bring thy lust to the gospel , not for relief , but for farther conviction of its guilt ; look on him whom thou hast pierced , and be in bitterness . say to thy soul ; what have i done ? what love , what mercy , what blood , what grace have i despised and trampled on ? is this the return i make to the father for his love , to the son for his blood , to the holy ghost for his grace ? doe i thus requite the lord ? have i defiled the heart that christ dyed to wash ; that the blessed spirit hath chosen to dwell in ? and can i keep my self out of the dust ? what can i say to the dear lord jesus ? how shall i hold up my head with any boldness before him ? doe i account communion with him of so little value , that for this vile lusts sake i have scarce left him any room in my heart ? how shall i escape , if i neglect so great salvation ? in the mean time , what shall i say to the lord ? love , mercy , grace , goodness , peace , joy , consolation , i have despised them all , and esteemed them as a thing of nought , that i might harbour a lust in my heart . have i obtained a view of gods fatherly countenance , that i might behold his face , and provoke him to his face ? was my soul washed , that room might be made for new defilements ? shall i endeavour to disappoint the end of the death of christ ? shall i daily grieve that spirit whereby i am sealed to the day of redemption ? entert●in thy conscience daily with this treaty . 〈◊〉 it can stand before this aggravation o● 〈◊〉 ●●i●t . if this make it not sink in some 〈◊〉 ▪ and melt , i fear thy case is dangerous . secondly , 〈…〉 particulars . as under the general 〈…〉 gospel , all the benefits of it are to be considered , as redemption , justification and the l●ke ; so in particular , consider the management of the love of them toward thine own soul , for the aggravation of the guilt of thy corruption . as , . consider the infinite patience and forbearance of god towards thee in particular : consider what advantages he might have taken against thee , to have made thee a shame and a reproach in this world , and an object of wrath for ever : how thou hast dealt treacherously and falsly with him from time to time , flattered him with thy lips , but broken all promises and engagements ; and that by the means of that sin thou art now in pursuit of ; and yet he hath spared thee from time to time , although thou seemest boldly to have put it to the tryal how long he could hold out : and wilt thou yet sin against him ? wilt thou yet weary him , and make him to serve with thy corruptions ? hast thou not often been ready to conclude thy self , that it was utterly impossible that he should bear any longer with thee ; that he would cast thee off , and be gracious no more ; that all his forbearance was exhausted , and hell and wrath was even ready prepared for thee ; and yet above all thy expectation he hath returned with visitations of love ; and wilt thou yet abide in the provocation of the eyes of his glory ? . how often hast thou been at the door of being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin ; and by the infinite rich grace of god hast been recovered to communion with him again ? hast thou not found grace decaying ; delight in duties , ordinances , prayer and meditation , vanishing ; inclinations to loose careless walking , thriving ; and they who before were entangled , almost beyond recovery ? hast thou not found thy self engaged in such wayes , societies , companies , and that with delight , as god abhorres ? and wilt thou venture any more to the brink of hardness ? . all gods gracious dealings with thee in providential dispensations , deliverances , afflictions , mercies , enjoyments , all ought here to take place . by these i say , and the like means , load thy conscience , and leave it not untill it be throughly affected with the guilt of thy indwelling corruption : untill it is sensible of its wound , and lye in the dust before the lord. unless this be done to the purpose , all other endeavours are to no purpose . whilest the conscience hath any means to alleviate the guilt of sin , the soul will never vigorously attempt its mortification . fourthly , being thus affected with thy sin , in the next place , get a constant longing , breathing after deliverance from the power of it . suffer not thy heart one moment to be contented with thy present frame and condition . longing desires after any thing , in things natural and civil , are of no value nor consideration , any farther , but as they incite and stirre up the person in whom they are , to a diligent use of means for the bringing about the thing aymed at . in spiritual things it is otherwise . longing , breathing and panting after deliverance , is a grace in its self , that hath a mighty power to conform the soul into the likeness of the thing longed after . hence the apostle describing the repentance and godly sorrow of the corinthians , reckons this as one eminent grace that was then set on work ; vehement desire , cor. . . and in this case of indwelling sin , and the power of it , what frame doth he express himself to be in ? rom. . . his heart breaks out with longings into a most passionate expression of desire of deliverance . now if this be the frame of saints , upon the general consideration of indwelling sin , how is it to be heightened and increased , when thereunto is added the perplexing rage and power of any particular lust and corruption ? assure thy self , unless thou longest for deliverance thou shalt not have it . this will make the heart watchfull for all opportunities of advantage against its enemy ; and ready to close with any assistances that are afforded for its destruction ; strong desires are the very life of that praying alwayes which is enjoyned us in all conditions , and in none is more necessary than in this ; they set faith and hope on work , and are the souls moving after the lord. get thy heart then into a panting and breathing frame , long , sigh , cry out ; you know the example of david , i shall not need to insist on it . the fifth directions is , ly , consider whether the distemper with which thou art perplexed , be not rooted in thy nature , and cherished , fomented and heightned from thy constitution . a proneness to some sins may doubtless lye in the natural temper and disposition of men . in this case consider ; . this is not in the least an extenuation of the guilt of thy sin. some with an open profaneness will ascribe gross enormities to their temper and disposition . and whether others may not relieve themselves from the pressing guilt of their distempers by the same consideration , i know not . it is from the f●ll , from the original depravation of our natures , that the fomes and nourishment of any sin abides in our natural temper . david reckons his being shapen in iniquity , and conception in sin , psal. . . as an aggravation of his following sin , not a lessening or extenuation of it . that thou art peculiarly inclined unto any sinfull distemper , is but a peculiar breaking out of original lust in thy nature , which should peculiarly abase and humble thee . . that thou hast to fix upon on this account , in reference to thy walking with god , is , that so great an advantage is given to sin , as also to satan , by this thy temper and disposition , that without extraordinary watchfulness , care and diligence , they will assuredly prevail against thy soul. thousands have been on this account hurryed headlong to hell , who otherwise ( at least ) might have gone at a more gentle , less provoking , less mischievous rate . . for the mortification of any distemper , so rooted in the nature of a man , unto all other wayes and means already named or farther to be insisted on , there is one expedient peculiarly suited . this is that of the apostle , cor. . . i keep under my body , and bring it into subjection . the bringing of the very body into subjection , is an ordinance of god , tending to the mortification of sin. this gives check unto the natural root of the distemper , and withers it by taking away its fatness of soil . perhaps because the papists ( men ignorant of the righteousness of christ , the work of his spirit , and whole business in hand ) have layed the whole weight and stress of mortification in voluntary services and penances ; leading to the subjection of the body , knowing indeed the true nature neither of sin nor mortification , it may on the other side be a temptation to some , to neglect some means of humiliation , which by god himself are owned and appointed . the bringing of the body into subjection in the case insisted on , by cutting short the natural appetite , by fasting , watching , and the like , is doubtless acceptable to god , so it be done with the ensuing limitations . ( ) that the outward weakening and impairing of the body , be not looked upon as a thing good in it self , or that any mortification doth consist therein , ( which were again to bring us under carnal ordinances ) but only as a means for the end proposed ; the weakening of any distemper in its natural root and seat . a man may have leanness of body and soul together . ( ) that the means whereby this is done , namely , by fasting and watching , and the like , be not looked on as things that in themselves , and by virtue of their own power , can produce true mortification of any sin ; for if they would , sin might be mortified without any help of the spirit , in any unregenerate person in the world . they are to be looked on onely as wayes whereby the spirit may , and sometimes doth put forth strength for the accomplishing of his own work , especially in the case mentioned . want of a right understanding and due improvement of these and the like considerations , hath raised a mortification among the papists that may be better applyed to horses and other beasts of the field , than to believers . this is the summe of what hath been spoken ; when the distemper complained of , seems to be rooted in natural temper and constitution , in applying our souls to a participation of the blood and spirit of christ , an endeavour is to be used , to give check in the way of god , to the natural root of that distemper . sixthly , consider what occasions , what advantages thy distemper hath taken to exert and put forth it self , and watch against them all . this is one part of that duty which our blessed saviour recommends to his disciples under the name of watching , mark . . i say unto you all , watch ; which in luk. . . is , take heed that your hearts be not overcharged : watch against all eruptions of thy corruptions . i mean that duty which david professed himself to be exercised unto : i have ( saith he ) kept my self from mine iniquity . he watched all the wayes and workings of his iniquity to prevent them , to rise up against them . this is that which we are called unto under the name of considering our wayes : consider what wayes , what companyes , what opportunities , what studies , what businesses , what conditions , have at any time given , or do usually give advantages to thy distempers , and set thy self heedfully against them all . men will do this with respect unto their bodily infirmities and distempers ; the seasons , the dyet , the ayre , that have proved offensive shall be avoyded . are the the things of the soul of less importance ? know that he that dares to d●lly with occasions of sin , will dare to sin. he that will venture upon temptations unto wickedness , will venture upon wickedness . hazael thought he should not be so wicked as the prophet told him he would be : to convince him , the prophet tells him no more , but thou shalt be king of syria . if he will venture on temptations unto cruelty , he will be cruel . tell a man he shall commit such and such sins , he will startle at it : if you can convince him , that he will venture on such occasions and temptations of them , he will have little ground left for his confidence . particular directions belonging to this head are many , not now to b● insisted on . but because this head is of no less importance than the whole doctrine here handled , i have a● large in another treatise , about entering into temptations , treated of it . seventhly , rise mightily against the first actings of thy distemper , its first conceptions ; suffer it not to get the least ground . do not say , thus far it shall go , and no farther . if it have allowance for one step , it will take another . it is impossible to fix bounds to sin. it is like water in a channel ; if it once break out , it will have its course . it s not acting , is easier to be compassed than its bounding . therefore doth james give that gradation and process of lust , chap. . , . that we may stop at the entrance . dost thou find thy corruption to begin to entangle thy thoughts ; rise up with all thy strength against it , with no less indignation than if it had fully accomplished what it aims at . consider what an unclean thought would have ; it would have thee roll thy self in folly and filth . ask envy what it would have ; murder and destruction is at the end of it . set thy self against it with no less vigour , than if it had utterly debased thee to wickedness . without this course thou wilt not prevail . as sin gets ground in the affections to delight in it , it gets also upon the understanding to slight it . chap. xii . the eighth direction . thoughtfulness of the excellency of the majesty of god. our vnacquaintedness with him , proposed and considered . eighthly , use and exercise thy self to such meditations as may serve to fill thee at all times with self-abasement and thoughts of thine own vileness : as , . be much in thoughtfulness of the excellency of the majesty of god , and thine infinite inconceivable distance from him ; many thoughts of it cannot but fill thee with a sense of thine own vileness , which strikes deep at the root of any indwelling sin. when job comes to a clear discovery of the greatness and excellency of god , he is filled with self-abhorrency , and is pressed to humiliation , job . , . and in what state doth the prophet habakkuk affirm himself to be cast , upon the apprehension of the majesty of god ? chap. . . with god ( sayes job ) is terrible majesty , job . . hence were the thoughts of them of old , that when they had seen god they should dye . the scripture abounds in this self-abasing consideration , comparing the men of the earth to grashoppers , to vanity , the dust of the ballance in respect of god , isa. . , , . be much in thoughts of this nature , to abase the pride of thy heart , and to keep thy soul humble within thee . there is nothing will render thee in a greater indisposition to be imposed on by the deceits of sin , than such a frame of heart . think greatly of the greatness of god. . think much of thine unacquaintedness with him ; though thou knowest enough to keep thee low and humble , yet how little a portion is it that thou knowest of him ! the contemplation hereof cast that wise man into that apprehension of himself , which he expresses , prov. . , , . surely i am more brutish than any man , and have not the understanding of a man. i neither learned wisdom , nor have the knowledge of the holy. who hath ascended up into heaven , or descended ? who hath gathered the wind in his fists ? who hath bound the waters in a garment ? who hath established the ends of the earth ? what is his name , and what is his sons name if thou canst tell ? labour with this also to take down the pride of thy heart . what do●t thou know of god ? how little a portion is it ? how immense is he in his nature ? c●nst thou look without terrour into the abyss of eternity ? thou canst not bear the rayes of his glorious being . because i look on this consideration of great use in our walking with god , so far as it may have ( as it may have ) a consistency with that filial boldness which is given us in jesus christ to draw nigh to the throne of grace , i shall farther insist upon it , to give an abiding impression of it to the souls of them who desire to walk humbly with god. consider then i say , to keep thy heart in continual awe of the majesty of god , that persons of the most high and eminent attainments , of the nearest and most familiar communion with god , do yet in this life know but a very little of him , and his glory . god reveals his name to moses , the most glorious attributes that he hath manifested in the covenant of grace , exod. . , . yet all are but the back-parts of god. all that he knowes by it , is but little , low , compared to the perfection of his glory . hence it is with peculiar reference to moses , that it is said , no man hath seen god at any time , joh. . . of him in comparison with christ doth he speak , vers . . and of him it is here said , no man ( no not moses , the most eminent among them ) hath seen god at any time . we speak much of god , can talk of him , his wayes , his works , his counsels all the day long ; the truth is , we know very little of him ; our thoughts , our meditations , our expressions of him are low , many of them unworthy of his glory , none of them reaching his perfections . you will say , that moses was under the law , when god wrapped up himself in darkness , and his mind in types and clouds and dark institutions . under the glorious shining of the gospel , which hath brought life and immortality to light , god being revealed from his own bosome , we now know him much more clearly , and as he is : we see his face now , and not his back-parts onely as moses did . ans. . i acknowledge a vast , and almost unconceivable difference between the acquaintance we now have with god , after his speaking to us by his own son , and that which the generality of the saints had under the law : for although their eyes were as good , sharp and clear as ours , their faith and spiritual understanding not behind ours , the object as glorious unto them as unto us , yet our day is more clear than theirs was ; the clouds are blown away and scattered , the shadowes of the night are gone and fled away , the sun is risen , and the means of sight is made more eminent and clear than formerly . yet , . that peculiar sight which moses had of god , exod. . was a gospel-sight , a sight of god as gracious , &c. and yet it 's called but his back-parts , that is , but low and mean , in comparison of his excellencies and perfections . . the apostle exalting to the utmost this glory of gospel light above that of the law , manifesting that now the veil causing darkness is taken away ; so that with open or uncovered face we behold the glory of the lord ; tells us how : as in a glass , cor. . . in a glass . how is that ? clearly , perfectly ? alas no : he tells you how that is , cor. . . we see through a glass darkly , saith he : it is not a telescope , that helps us to see things afar off , concerning which the apostle speaks ; and yet what poor helps are they ! how short do we come of the truth of things , notwithstanding their assistance ! it is a looking-glass whereunto he alludes , ( where are only obscure species and images of things , and not the things themselves ) and a sight therein , that he compares our knowledge to : he tells you also that all that we do see 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , by or through this glass , is in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in a riddle , in darkness and obscurity ; and speaking of himself ( who surely was much more clear sighted than any now living ) he tells us that he saw but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in part ; he saw but the back-parts of heavenly things , v. . and compares all the knowledge he had attained of god , to that he had of things when he was a child , vers . . it is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 short of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : yea such as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , it shall be destroyed or done away . we know what weak , feeble , uncertain notions and apprehensions children have of things of any abstru●● consideration ; how when they grow up with any improvements of parts and abilities , those conceptions vanish , and they are ashamed of them . it is the commendation of a child , to love , honour , believe and obey his father ; but for his science and notions , his father knowes their childishness and folly. notwithstanding all our confidence of high attainments , all our notions of god are but childish in respect of 〈◊〉 infinite perfections . we lisp and babble ▪ 〈◊〉 say we know not what , for the most part ; in our most accurate ( as we think ) conceptions and notions of god. we may love , honour , believe and obey our father , and therewith he accepts our childish thoughts , for they are but childish . we see but his back-parts , we know but little of him . hence is that promise , wherewith we are so often supported and comforted in our distress ; we shall see him as he is ; we shall see him face to face ; know as we are known ; comprehend that for which we are comprehended , cor. . . joh. . . and positively , now we see him not : all concluding that here we see but his back-parts , not as he is , but in a dark obscure representation , not in the perfection of his glory . the queen of sheba had heard much of solomon , and framed many great thoughts of his magnificence in ●er mind thereupon ; but when she came and saw his glory , she was forced to confess , that the one half of the truth had not been told her . we may suppose that we have here attained great knowledge , clear and high thoughts of god ; but alas ! when he shall bring us into his presence , we shall cry out , we never knew him as he is : the thousandth part of his glory and perfection and blessedness , never entred into our hearts . ●●te apostle tells us ; joh. . . that we know not what we our selves shall be ; what we shall find our selves in the issue ; much less will it enter into our hearts to conceive , what god is , and what we shall find him to be . consider either him who is to be known , or the way whereby we know him , and this will farther appear . first , we know so little of god , because it is god who is thus to be known ; that is , he who hath described himself to us very much by this , that we cannot know him : what else doth he intend where he calls himself invisible , incomprehensible , and the like ? that is , he whom we doe not , cannot know as he is ; and our farther progress consists more in knowing what he is not , than what he is . thus is he described to be immortal , infinite ; that is , he is not as we are , mortal , finite , and limited . hence is that glorious description of him , tim. . . who only hath immortality , dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto , whom no man hath seen nor can see . his light is such as no creature can approach unto : he is not seen , not because he cannot be seen , but because we cannot bear the sight of him . the light of god ( in whom is no darkness ) forbids all access to him by any creature whatever : we who cannot behold the sun in its glory , are too too weak to bear the beams of infinite brightness . on this consideration ( as was said ) the wise man professeth himself a very beast , and not to have the understanding of a man , prov. . . that is , he knew nothing in comparison of god , so that he seemed to have lost all his understanding , when once he came to the consideration of him , his work and his wayes . in this consideration let our souls descend to some particulars . . for the being of god ; we are so far from a knowledge of it , so as to be able to instruct one another therein , by words and expressions of it , as that to frame any conceptions in our mind , with such species and impressions of things as we receive the knowledge of all other things by , is to make an idol to our selves , and so to worship a god of our own making , and not the god that made us . we may as well and as lawfully hew him out of wood , or stone , as form him a being in our minds suited to our apprehensions . the utmost of the best of our thoughts of the being of god is , that we can have no thoughts of it . our knowledge of a being is but low , when it mounts no higher but only to know that we know it not . . there be some things of god , which he himself hath taught us to speak of , and to regulate our expressions of them ; but when we have so done , we see not the things themselves , we know them not : to believe and admire is all that we attain to . we profess ( as we are taught , ) that god is infinite , omnipotent , eternal ; and we know what disputes and notions there are about omnipresence , immensity , infiniteness and eternity . we have ( i say ) words and notions about these things , but as to the things themselves , what do we know ? what do we comprehend of them ? can the mind of man do any more but swallow it self up in an infinite abyss , which is as nothing ; give it self up to what it cannot conceive , much less express ? is not our understanding brutish in the contemplation of such things ? and is as if it were not ; yea the perfection of our understanding , is , not to understand , and to rest there : they are but the back parts of eternity and infiniteness that we have a glimpse of . what shall i say of the trinity , or the subsistence of distinct persons in the same individual essence ; a mystery by many denyed , because by none understood ; a mystery whose every letter is mysterious . who can declare the generation of the son , the procession of the spirit , or the difference of the one from the other ? but i shall not farther instance in particulars . that infinite and inconceivable distance that is between him and us , keeps us in the dark as to any sight of his face , or clear apprehension of his perfections . we know him rather by what he does , than by what he is : by his doing us good , than by his essential goodness ; and how little a portion of him ( as job speaks ) is hereby discovered ? secondly , we know little of god , because it is faith alone whereby here we know him ; i shall not now discourse about the remaining impressions on the hearts of all men by nature that there is a god , nor what they may rationally be taught concerning that god , from the works of his creation and providence , which they see and behold ; it is confessedly ( and that upon the wofull experience of all ages ) so weak , low , dark , confused , that none ever on that account glorified god as they ought , but notwithstanding all their knowledge of god , were indeed without god in the world . the chief and ( upon the matter ) almost only acquaintance we have with god , and his dispensations of himself , is by faith. he that cometh to god must believe that he is , and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him , heb. . . our knowledge of him , and his rewarding , ( the bottom of our obedience or comeing to him ) is believing . we walk by faith , and not by sight , cor. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; by faith , and so by faith , as not to have any express idea , image , or species of that which we believe : faith is all the argument we have of things not seen , heb. . . i might here insist upon the nature of it , and from all its concomitants and concernments manifest , that we know but the back-parts of what we know by faith onely . as to its rise , it is built purely upon the testimony of him whom we have not seen ; as the apostle speaks , how can ye love him whom you have not seen ? that is , whom you know not but by faith that he is : faith receives all upon his testimony , whom it receives to be , onely upon his own testimony . as to its nature it is an assent upon testimony , not an evidence upon demonstration ; and the object of it is ( as was said before ) above us . hence our faith ( as was formerly observed ) is called a seeing darkly as in a glass : all that we know this way ( and all that we know of god we know this way ) is but low , and dark , and obscure . but you will say , all this is true , but yet it is onely so to them that know not god ( perhaps ) as he is revealed in jesus christ ; with them who do so , 't is otherwise . it is true , no man hath seen god at any time , but the onely begotten son , he hath revealed him , joh. . , . and , the son of god is now come , and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true , joh. . . the illumination of the glorious gospel of christ who is the image of god shineth upon believers , cor. . . yea and god who commanded light to shine out of darkness , shines into their hearts , to give them the knowledge of his glory in the face of his son , v. . so that though we were darkness , yet we are now light in the lord , eph. . . and the apostle sayes , we all with open face behold the glory of the lord , cor. . . and we are now so far from being in such darkness , or at such a distance from god , that our communion and fellowship is with the father and the son , joh. . . the light of the gospel whereby now god is revealed , is glorious ; not a star , but the sun in his beauty is risen upon us ; and the veil is taken from our faces ; so that though unbelievers , yea and perhaps some weak believers may be in some darkness , yet those of any growth , or considerable attainments have a clear sight and view of the face of god in jesus christ. a. . the truth is , we all of us know enough of him to love him more than we doe , to delight in him , and serve him , believe him , obey him , put our trust in him above all that we have hitherto attained . our darkness and weakness is no plea for our negligence and disobedience . who is it that hath walked up to the knowledge that he hath had of the perfections , excellencies , and will of god ? gods end in giving us any knowledge of himself here , is that we may glorifie him as god ; that is , love him , serve him , believe and obey him , give him all the honour and glory that is due from poor sinfull creatures , to a sin-pardoning god , and creator ; we must all acknowledge , that we were never throughly transformed into the image of that knowledge which we have had . and had we used our talents well , we might have been trusted with more . . comparatively , that knowledge which we have of god by the revelation of jesus christ in the gospel , is exceeding eminent and glorious . it is so in comparison of any knowledge of god that might otherwise be attained , or was delivered in the law under the old testament , which had but the shadow of good things , not the express image of them . this the apostle pursues at large , cor. . christ hath now in these last dayes revealed the father from his own bosome , declared his name , made known his mind , will and councel in a far more clear , eminent , distinct manner than he did formerly , whilest he kept his people under the poedagogy of the law : and this is that which for the most part is intended in the places before mentioned ; the clear , perspicuous delivery and declaration of god , and his will in the gospel is expresly exalted in comparison of any other way of revelation of himself . . the difference between believers and vnbelievers as to knowledge , is not so much in the matter of their knowledge , as in the manner of knowing . unbelievers some of them may know more , and be able to say more of god , his perfections and his will , than many believers , but they know nothing as they ought : nothing in a right manner , nothing spiritually and savingly ; nothing with an holy , heavenly light . the excellency of a believer is not , that he hath a large apprehension of things , but that what he doth apprehend ( which perhaps may be very little ) he sees it in the light of the spirit of god , in a saving soul-transforming light : and this is that which gives us communion with god , and not prying thoughts , or curious raised notions . . jesus christ by his word and spirit , reveals to the hearts of all his , god as a father , as a god in covenant , as a rewarder , every way sufficiently to teach us to obey him here , and to lead us to his bosome , to lye down there in the fruition of him to eternity : but yet now , . notwithstanding all this , it is but a little portion we know of him , we see but his back-parts . for , ( ) the intendment of all gospel revelation is not to unveil gods essential glory , that we should see him as he is , but meerly to declare so much of him as he knowes sufficient to be a bottom of our faith , love , obedience , and coming to him . that is , of the faith which here he expects from us : such services as beseem poor creatures in the middest of temptations ; but when he calls us to eternal admiration and contemplation , without interruption , he will make a new manner of discovery of himself , and the whole shape of things , as it now lies before us , will depart as a shadow . ( ) we are dull and slow of heart to receive the things that are in the word revealed . god by our infirmity and weakness , keeping us in continual dependance on him , for teachings and revelations of himself out of his word , never in this world bringing any soul to the utmost of what is from the word to be made out and discovered ; so that although the way of revelation in the gospel be clear and evident , yet we know little of the things themselves that are revealed . let us then revive the use and intendment of this consideration ; will not a due apprehension of this unconceivable greatness of god , and that infinite distance wherein we stand from him , fill the soul with an holy and awfull fear of him ; so as to keep it in a frame unsuited to the thriving or flourishing of any lust whatever ? let the soul be continually wonted to reverential thoughts of gods greatness and omnipresence , and it will be much upon its watch , as to any undue deportments ; consider him with whom you have to doe ; even our god is a consuming fire ; and in your greatest abashments at his presence and eye , know , that your very nature is too narrow to bear apprehensions suitable to his essential glory . chap. xiii . the ninth direction . when the heart is disquieted by sin , speak no peace to it , untill god speak it . peace without detestation of sin , unsound ; so is peace measured out unto our selves . how we may know when we measure our peace unto our selves . directions as to that enquiry . the vanity of speaking peace slightly . also of doing it on one singular account , not universally . in case god disquiet the heart about the guilt of its distempers either in respect of its root and indwelling , or in respect of any eruptions of it , take heed thou speakest not peace to thy self before god speaks it ; but hearken what he sayes to thy soul : this is our next direction , without the observation whereof , the heart will be exceedingly exposed to the deceitfulness of sin. this is a business of great importance . it is a sad thing for a man to deceive his own soul herein . all the warnings god gives us in tenderness to our souls , to trye and examine our selves , do tend to the preventing of this great evil of speaking peace groundlesly to our selves , which is upon the issue to bless our selves in an opposition to god. it is not my business to insi●t upon the danger of it , but to help believers to prevent it , and to let them know when they do so . to mannage this direction aright , observe , ( ) that as it is the great prerogative and sovereignty of god to give grace to whom he pleases , ( he hath mercy on whom he will , rom. . . and among all the sons of men , he calls whom he will , and sanctifies whom he will , ) so among those so called and justified , and whom he will save , he yet reserves this priviledge to himself , to speak peace to whom he pleaseth , and in what degree he pleaseth , even amongst them on whom he hath bestowed grace . he is the god of all consolation , in an especial manner in his dealing with believers : that is , of the good things that he keeps locked up in his family , and gives out of it to all his children at his pleasure . this the lord insists on , isa. . , , . it is the case under consideration that is there insisted on . when god sayes he will heal their breaches and disconsolations , he assumes this priviledge to himself in an especial manner . i create it , vers . . even in respect of these poor wounded creatures , i create it , and according to my soveraignty make it out as i please . hence as it is with the collation of grace in reference to them that are in the state of nature ; god doth it in great curiosity , and his proceedings therein , in taking and leaving , as to outward appearances , quite besides , and contrary oft-times to all probable expectations ; so is it in his communication of peace and joy in reference unto them that are in the state of grace ; he gives them out oft times quite besides our expectation , as to any appearing grounds of his dispensations . ( ) as god creates it for whom he pleaseth , so it is the prerogative of christ , to speak it home to the conscience : speaking to the church of laodicea , who had healed her wounds falsly , and spoke peace to her self when she ought not , he takes to himself that title , i am the amen ; the faithfull witness , revel . . . he bears testimony concerning our condition as it is indeed ; we may possibly mistake , and trouble our selves in vain , or flatter our selves upon false grounds , but he is the amen , the faithfull witness , and what he speaks of our state and condition , that it is indeed , isa. . . he is said not to judge according to the sight of the eye , not according to any outward appearance , or any thing that may be subject to a mistake , as we are apt to do ; but he shall judge and determine every cause as it is indeed . take these two previous observations , and i shall give some rules whereby men may know whether god speaks peace to them , or whether they speak peace to themselves onely . ( ) men certainly speak peace to themselves , when their so doing is not attended with the greatest detestation imaginable of that sin in reference whereunto they do speak peace to themselves , and abhorrency of themselves for it . when men are wounded by sin , disquieted and perplexed , and knowing that there is no remedy for them , but onely in the mercyes of god through the blood of christ , do therefore look to him , and to the promises of the covenant in him , and thereupon quiet their hearts that it shall be well with them , and that god will be exalted that he may be gracious to them , and yet their souls are not wrought to the greatest detestation of the sin or sins upon the account whereof they are disquieted ; this is to heal themselves , and not to be healed of god. this is but a great and strong wind , that the lord is nigh unto , but the lord is not in the wind . when men do truely look upon christ whom they have pierced , ( without which there is no healing or peace , ) they will mourn , zech. . . they will mourn for him even upon this account , and detest the sin that pierced him . when we go to christ for healing , faith eyes him peculiarly as one pierced . faith takes several views of christ according to the occasions of address to him , and communion with him that it hath . sometimes it views his holiness , sometimes his power , sometimes his love , his favour with his father . and when it goes for healing and peace , it looks especially on the blood of the covenant , on his sufferings ; for by his stripes are we healed , and the chastisement of our peace was upon him , isa. . . when we look for healing , his stripes are to be eyed ; not in the outward story of them , which is the course of popish devotionists , but in the love , kindness , mystery and design of the cross. and when we look for peace , his chastisements must be in our eye : now this i say , if it be done according to the mind of god , and in the strength of that spirit which is poured out on believers , it will beget a detestation of that sin or sins , for which healing and peace is sought . so ezek. . , . nevertheless i will remember my covenant with thee in the dayes of thy youth , and i will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant , and what then ? then thou shalt remember thy wayes and be ashamed . when god comes home to speak peace in a sure covenant of it , it fills the soul with shame for all the wayes whereby it hath been alienated from him . and one of the things that the apostle mentions as attending that godly sorrow which is accompanyed with repentance unto salvation never to be repented of , is revenge , yea what revenge , cor. . . they reflected on their miscarriages with indignation and revenge for their folly in them . when job comes up to a through healing , he cryes , now i abhorre my self , job . . and untill he did so , he had no abiding peace . he might perhaps have made up himself with that doctrine of free grace which was so excellently preached by elihu ; chap. . from v. . unto the th , but he had then but skinned his wounds , he must come to self-abhorrency , if he come to healing . so was it with those in psal. . , . in their great trouble and perplexity for and upon the account of sin ; i doubt not but upon the address they made to god in christ , ( for that so they did , is evident from the titles they gave him , they call him their rock and their redeemer , two words every where pointing out the lord christ ) they spake peace to themselves ; but was it sound and abiding ? no , it passed away as the early dew : god speaks not one word of peace to their souls . but why had they not peace ? why , because in their address to god they flattered him : but how doth that appear ? vers . . their heart was not right with him , neither were they stedfast . they had not a detestation nor relinquishment of that sin , in reference whereunto they spake peace to themselves : let a man make what application he will for healing and peace , let him do it to the true physitian , let him do it the right way , let him quiet his heart in the promises of the covenant ; yet when peace is spoken , if it be not attended with the detestation and abhorrency of that sin which was the wound , and caused the disquietment , this is no peace of gods creating , but of our own purchasing . it is but a skinning over the wound , whilest the core lyes at the bottom , which will putrifie and corrupt , and corrode , untill it break out again with noysomness , vexation and danger . let not poor souls that walk in such a path as this , ( they are more sensible of the trouble of sin , than of the pollution or uncleanness that attends it ; they address themselves for mercy , yea to the lord in christ they address themselves for mercy , but yet will keep the sweet morsel of their sin under their tongue , ) let them ( i say ) never think to have true and solid peace . for instance , thou findest thy heart running out after the world , and it disturbs thee in thy communion with god ; the spirit speaks expressely to thee , he that loveth the world , the love of the father is not in him , joh. . . this puts thee on dealing with god in christ for the healing of thy soul , the quieting of thy conscience ; but yet withall a through detestation of the evil it self abides not upon thee ; yea perhaps that is liked well enough , but onely in respect of the consequences of it ; perhaps thou mayst be saved , yet as through fire ; and god will have some work with thee before he hath done , but thou wilt have little peace in this life ; thou wilt be sick and fainting all thy dayes , isa. . . this is a deceit that lyes at the root of the peace of many professors , and wa●ts it ; they deal with all their strength about mercy and pardon ; and seem to have great communion with god in their so doing : they lye before him , bewail their sins and follies , that any one would think ( yea they think themselves ) that surely they and their sins are now parted , and so receive in mercy that satisfies their hearts for a little season ; but when a through search comes to be made , there hath been some secret reserve for the folly or follyes treated about ; at least there hath not been that through abhorrency of it which is necessary ; and their whole peace is quickly discovered to be weak ●nd rotten ; scarce abiding any longer than the words of begging it are in their mouths . ( ) when men measure out peace to themselves upon the conclusions that their convictions and rational principles will carry them out unto ; this is a false peace , and will not abide . i shall a little explain what i mean hereby . a man hath got a wound by sin , he hath a conviction of some sin upon his conscience , he hath not walked uprightly as becometh the gospel ; all is not well and right between god and his soul : he considers now what is to be done ; light he hath , and knows what path he must take , and how his soul hath been formerly healed . considering that the promises of god are the outward means of application for the healing of his sores , and quieting of his heart , he goes to them , searches them out , finds out some one or more of them , whose literal expressions are directly suited to his condition : sayes he to himself , god speaks in this promise , here i will take my self a plaister as long and broad as my wound , and so brings the word of the promise to his condition , and sets him down in peace . this is another appearance upon the mount , the lord is neer , but the lord is not in it . it hath not been the work of the spirit , ( who alone can convince us of sin and righteousness and judgement , ) but the mere actings of the intelligent rational soul. as there are three sorts of lives ( we say , ) the vegetative , the sensitive and the rational or intelligent . some things have onely the vegetative ; some the sensitive also , and that includes the former ; some have the rational , which takes in and supposes both the other . now he that hath the rational , he doth not onely act suitably to that principle , but also to both the others , he growes and is sensible . it is so with men in the things of god ; some are meer natural and rational men ; some have a superadded conviction with illumination ; and some are truely regenerate . now he that hath the latter , hath also both the former ; and therefore he acts sometimes upon the principles of the rational , sometimes upon the principles of the enlightened man. his true spiritual life is not the principle of all his motions ; he acts not alwayes in the strength thereof , neither are all his fruits from that root . in this case that i speak of , he acts merely upon the principle of conviction and illumination , whereby his first naturals are heightened ; but the spirit breaths not at all upon all these waters . take an instance ; suppose the wound and disquiet of the soul to be upon the account of relapses , which whatever the evil or folly be , though for the matter of it , never so small , yet there are no wounds deeper than those that are given the soul on that account , nor disquietments greater . in the perturbation of his mind , he finds out that promise , isa. . . the lord will have mercy , and our god will abundantly pardon ; he will multiply or adde to pardon ; he will do it again and again ; or that in hos. . . i will heal their back sliding , i will love them freely ; this the man considers , and thereupon concludes peace to himself ; whether the spirit of god make the application or no , whether that gives life and power to the letter or no , that he regards not . he doth not hearken whether god the lord speak peace . he doth not wait upon god , who perhaps yet hides his face , and sees the poor creature stealing peace and running away with it , knowing that the time will come when he will deal with him again , and call him to a new reckoning ; hos. . . when he shall see that it is in vain to goe one step where god doth not take him by the hand . i see here indeed sundry other questions upon this arising and interposing themselves : i cannot apply my self to them all : one i shall a little speak to . it may be said then , seeing that this seems to be the path that the holy spirit leads us in , for the healing of our wounds , and quieting of our hearts , how shall we know when we go alone our selves , and when the spirit also doth accompany us ? ans. . if any of you are out of the way upon this account , god will speedily let you know it ; for b●side● that you have his promise , that the meek he will guide ●n ●udg●ment , and teach them his way , psal. . . he will not let you alwayes erre . he will ( i say ) not suffer your nakedness to be covered with fig-leaves , but take them away , and all the peace you have in them , and will not suffer you to settle on such lees ; you shall quickly know your wound is not healed . that is , you shall speedily know whether or no it be thus with you by the event ; the peace you thus get and obtain , will not abide . whilest the mind is overpowered by its own convictions , there is no hold for disquietments to fix upon . stay a little and all th●se reasonings will grow cold , and vanish before the face of the first temptation that arises . but , . this course is commonly taken without waiting ; which is the grace , and that peculiar acting of faith which god calls for to be exercised in such a condition . i know god doth sometimes come in upon the soul instantly , in a moment as it were , wounding and healing it ; as i am perswaded it was in the case of david when he cut off the lap of sauls garment : but ordinarily in such a case god calls for waiting and labouring , attending as the eye of a servant upon his master : sayes the prophet isaiah , ch . . . i will wait upon the lord , who hideth his face from jacob. god will have his children lye a while at his door , when they have run from his house , and not instantly rush in upon him ; unless he take them by the hand , and pluck them in , when they are so ashamed that they dare not come to him . now self-healers , or men that speak peace to themselves , do commonly make haste , they will not tarry ; they do not hearken what god speaks , isa. . . but on they will goe to be healed . . such a course , though it may quiet the conscience and the mind , the rational concluding part of the soul , yet it doth not sweeten the heart with rest and gracious contention . the answer it receives is much like that elisha gave naaman , go in peace ; king. . . it quieted his mind , but i much question whether it sweetned his heart , or gave him any joy in believing , other than the natural joy that was then stirred in him upon his healing . doe not my words doe good , saith the lord , mich. . . when god speaks , there is not only truth in his words , that may answer the conviction of our understanding , but also they doe good , they bring that which is sweet and good and desireable to the will and affections : by them the soul returns unto its rest , psal. . . . which is worst of all , it amends not the life , it heals not the evil , it cures not the distemper : when god speaks peace , it guides and keeps the soul that it turn not again to folly , psa● . . . when we speak it our selves , the heart is not taken off the evil. nay it is the readyest course in the world to bring a soul into a trade of backsliding . if upon thy plaistering thy self , thou findest thy self rather animated to the battel again , than utterly weaned from it , it is too palpable that thou hast been at work with thy own soul , but jesus christ and his spirit were not there . yea and often-times nature having done its work , will ere a few dayes are over come for its reward ; and having been active in the work of healing , will be ready to reason for a new wounding . in gods speaking peace there comes along so much sweetness and such a discovery of his love , as is a strong obligation on the soul no more to deal perversly . ( ) we speak peace to our selves , when we do it slightly . this the prophet complains of in some teachers , jer. . . they have healed the wound of the daughter of my people slightly . and it is so with some persons , they make the healing of their wounds a slight work , a look , a glance of faith to the promises does it , and so the matter is ended . the apostle tells us , that the word did not profit some , because it was not mixed with faith , heb. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , it was not well tempered and mingled with faith. it is not a mere look to the word of mercy in the promise , but it must be mingled with faith untill it is incorporated into the very nature of it ; and then indeed it doth good unto the soul : if thou ha●● had a wound upon thy conscience , which was attended with weakness and disquietness , which now thou art freed of , how came●t thou so ? i looked to the promises of pardon and healing , and so found peace : yea but perhaps thou hast made too much haste , thou hast done it overly , thou hast not fed upon the promise , so as to mix it with faith , to have got all the virtue of it diffused into thy soul ; onely thou hast done it slightly ; thou wilt find thy wound ere it be long breaking out again , and thou shalt know that thou art not cured . ( ) whoever speaks peace to himself upon any one account , and at the same time hath another evil of no less importance lying upon his spirit , about which he hath had no dealing with god , that man cry●s peace when there is none . a little to explain my meaning : a man hath neglected a duty again and again , perhaps when in all righteousness it was due from him ; his conscience is perplexed , his soul wounded , he hath no quiet in his bones by reason of his sin ; he applyes himself for healing , and finds peace . yet in the mean time perhaps worldliness , or pride , or some other folly where with the spirit of god is exceedingly grieved , may lye in the bosom of that man , and they neither disturb him , nor he them . let not that man think that any of his peace is from god. then shall it be well with men when they have an equal respect to all gods commandements . god will justifie us from our sins , but he will not justifie the least sin in us ; he is a god of purer eyes than to behold iniquity . ( ) when men of themselves speak peace to their consciences , it is seldom that god speaks humiliation to their souls : gods peace is humbling peace , melting peace , as it was in the case of david ; psal. . . never such deep humiliation as when nathan brought him the tidings of his pardon . q. but you will say , when may we take the comfort of a promise as our own , in relation to some peculiar wound for the quieting the heart . a. . in general , when god speaks it , be it when it will , sooner or later . i told you before , he may doe it in the very instant of the sin it self , and that with such irresistable power , that the soul must needs receive his mind in it . sometimes he will make us wait longer ; but when he speaks , be it sooner or later , be it when we are sinning or repenting , be the condition of our souls what they please , if god speak he must be received . there is not any thing that in our communion with him the lord is more troubled with us for , ( if i may so say ) than our unbelieving fears that keep us off from receiving that strong consolation which he is so willing to give to us . but you will say , we are where we were ; when god syeaks it , we must receive it ; that is true , but how shall we know when he speaks ? ans. . i would we could all practically come up to this , to receive peace when we are convinced that god speaks it , and that it is our duty to receive it ; but , . there is ( if i may so say ) a secret instinct in faith , whereby it knowes the voice of christ , when he speaks indeed ; as the babe leaped in the womb when the blessed virgin came to elizabeth ; faith leaps in the heart when christ indeed draws nigh to it ; my sheep ( sayes christ ) know my voyce , joh. . , they know my voice , they are used to the sound of it , and they know when his lips are opened to them , and are full of grace : the spouse was in a sad condition , cant. . . asleep in security ; but yet as soon as christ speaks she cryes , it is the voice of my beloved that speaks ; she knew his voice , and was so acquainted with communion with him that instantly she discovers him : and so will you also : if you exercise your selves to acquaintance & communion with him , you will easily discern between his voice and the voice of a stranger . and take this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with you ; when he doth speak he speaks as never man spake ; he speaks with power , and one way or other will make your hearts burn within you , as he did to the disciples , luk. . he doth it by putting in his hand at the hole of the door , cant. . . his spirit into your hearts to seise on you . he that hath his sences exercised to discerne good or evil , being encreased in judgement and experience , by a constant observation of the wayes of christ's entercourse , the manner of the operations of the spirit , and the effects it usually produceth , is the best judge for himself in this case . . if the word of the lord doth good to your souls , he speaks it . if it humble , if it cleanse and be usefull for those ends , for which promises are given : viz. to endear . . cleanse , . to melt and bind to obedience , . to self-emptiness , &c. but this is not my business : nor shall i farther divert in the pursuit of this direction ; without the observation of it , sin will have great advantages towards the hardening of the heart . chap. xiv . the general use of the foregoing directions . the great direction for the accomplishment of the work aymed at . act faith on christ ; the several wayes whereby this may be done . consideration of the fulness in christ for relief , proposed . great expectations from christ : grounds of these expectations . his mercifulness , his faithfulness . event of such expectations : on the part of christ : on the part of believers . faith peculiarly to be acted on the death of christ ▪ rom. . , , , . the work of the spirit in this whole business . now the considerations which i have hitherto insisted on , are rather of things preparatory to the work aymed at , than such as will effect it . it is the hearts due preparation for the work it self , without which it will not be accomplished , that hitherto i have aymed at . directions for the work it self are very few ; i mean that are peculiar to it . and they are these that follow . first , set faith at work on christ for the killing of thy sin . his blood is the great soveraigne remedy for sin-sick souls . live in this and thou wilt dye a conqueror . yea thou wilt through the good providence of god , live to see thy lust dead at thy feet . but thou wilt say , how shall faith act its self on christ for this end and purpose . i say sundry wayes . . by faith fill thy soul with a due consideration of that provision which is layed up in jesus christ for this end and purpose , that all thy lusts , this very lust wherewith thou art entangled , may be mortified by faith ; ponder on this , that though thou art no way able in or by thy self to get the conquest over thy distemper , though thou art even weary of contending , and art utterly ready to faint , luke . . yet that there is enough in jesus christ , to yield thee relief phil. . . it staid the prodigal when he was ready to faint , that yet there was bread enough in his father's house ; though he was at a distance from it , yet it releived him , and staid him , that there it was . in thy greatest distress and anguish , consider that fullness of grace , those riches , those treasures of strength , might and help , that , are laid up in him , for our support , joh. . . col. . . let them come into , and abide in thy mind . consider that he is exalted and made a prince and a saviour to give repentance unto israel , act. . . and if to give repentance , to give mortification , without which the other is not , nor can be , christ tels us that we obtain purging grace by abiding in him , joh. . . to act faith upon the fulness that is in christ for our supply , is an eminent way of abiding in christ , for both our insition and aboade is by faith , rom. . , . let then thy soul by faith be exercised with such thoughts and apprehensions as these . i am a poor weak creature ; unstable as water , i cannot excel . this corruption is to hard for me , and is at the very door of ruining my soul : and what to do i know not : my soul is become as parched ground and an habitation of dragons ; i have made promises and broken them ; vowes and engagemens have been as a thing of nought ; many perswasions have i had , that i had got the victory and should be delivered , but i am deceived ; so that i plainly see , that without some eminent succour and assistance , i am lost , and shall be prevailed on , to an utter relinquishment of god ; but yet though this be my sta●e and condition , yet let the hands that hang down be lifted up , and the feeble knees be strengthned ; behold the lord christ that hath all fullness of grace in his heart , all fullness of power in his hand ; he is able to slay all these his enemies . there is sufficient provision in him for my relief and assistance : he can take my drooping dying soul , and make me more than a conquerer . why sayest thou o my soul my way is hid from the lord and my judgment is passed over from my god ? hast thou not known , hast thou not heard that the everlasting god , the lord , the creator of the ends the of the earth fainteth not , neither is weary ; there is no searching of his understanding ; he giveth power to the faint , and to them that have no might he encreaseth strength . even the youths shall faint and be weary , and the young men shall utterly fail ; but they that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength , they shall mount up with wings as eagles , they shall run and not be weary , they shall walk and not faint , isa. . , &c. he can make the dry parched ground of my soul to become a poole , and my thirsty barren heart as springs of water : yea he can make this habitation of dragons , this heart so full of abominable lusts , and fiery temptations , to be a place for grass and fruit to himself . isa. . so god stayed paul under his temptation , with the consideration of the sufficiency of his grace : my grace is sufficient for thee , cor. . . though he were not immediately so farre made partaker of it as to be freed from his temptation , yet the sufficiency of it in god , for that end and purpose , was enough to stay his spirit . i say then , by faith be much in the consideration of that supply and the fullness of it , that is in jesus christ ; and how he can at any time give thee strength and deliverance . now if hereby thou dost not find success to a conquest , yet thou wilt be staid in the charriot , that thou shalt not fly out of the field until the battel be ended ; thou wilt be kept from an utter despondency , and a lying down under thy unbelief ; or a turning aside to false means and remedies that in the issue will not relieve thee . the efficacy of this consideration will be found only in the practice . . raise up thy heart by faith to an expectation of relief from christ ; relief in this case from christ is like the prophets vision , hab. . . it is for an appointed time ; but at the end it shall speak , and not lye ; though it tarry , yet wait for it , because it will surely come , it will not tarry ; though it may seem somewhat long to thee , whilest thou art under thy trouble and perplexity , yet it shall surely come in the appointed time of the lord jesus , which is the best season . if then thou canst raise up thy heart to a settled expectation of relief from jesus christ ; if thine eyes are towards him , as the eyes of a servant to the hand of his master , psal. . . when he expects to receive somewhat from him , thy soul shall be satisfied , isa. . . he will assuredly deliver thee ; he will slay the lust , and thy latter end shall be peace ; only look for it , at his hand expect when and how he will doe it . if you will not believe , surely ye shall not be established . q. but thou wilt say , what ground have i to build such an expectation upon ; so that i may expect not to be deceived ? a. as thou hast necessity to put thee on this course , joh. . , thou must be relieved and saved this way or none ; to whom wilt thou goe ? so there are in the lord jesus innumerable things to encourage and engage thee to this expectation . for the necessity of it , i have in part discovered it before , when i manifested that this is the work of faith , and of believers only . without me ( says christ ) you can doe nothing , joh. . . speaking with especial relation to the purging of the heart from sin , vers . . mortification of any sin , must be by a supply of grace . of our selves we cannot doe it . now it hath pleased the father that in christ all fullness should dwell , col. . . that of his fulness we might receive grace for grace , joh. . . he is the head , from whence the new man must have influences of life and strength , or it will decay every day . if we are strengthned with might in the inner man , col. . , it is by christs dwelling in our hearts by faith , eph. . , . that this work is not to be done without the spirit , i have also shewed before . whence then do we expect the spirit ? from whom do we look for him ? who hath promised him to us , having procured him for us ? ought not all our expectations to this purpose to be on christ alone ? let this then be fixed upon thy heart , that if thou hast not relief from him , thou shalt never have any : all wayes , endeavours , contendings , that are not animated by this expectation of releif from christ and him only , are to no purpose , will do thee no good : yea if they are any thing but supportments of thy heart in this expectation , or means appointed by himself , for the receiving help from him , they are in vain . now farther to engage thee to this expectation . . consider his mercifulnesse , tenderness , and kindnesse , as he is our great high priest , at the right hand of god. assuredly he pitties thee in thy distresse ; saith he , as one whom his mother comforteth so will i comfort you , isaiah . . he hath the tendernesse of a mother to a sucking child , heb. . , . wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren , that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to god , to make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people , for in that himself hath suffered being tempted , he is able to succour them that are tempted : how is the ability of christ upon the account of his suffering proposed to us ? in that he himself hath suffered being tempted , he is able . did the sufferings and temptations of christ adde to his ability and power ? not doubtless considered absolutely and in its self : but the ability here mentioned , is such as hath readinesse , pronenesse , willingness , to put its self forth accompanying of it ; it is an ability of will against all disswasions ; he is able having suffered and being tempted , to break through all diswasions to the contrary , to relieve poor tempted souls : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he is able to help . it is a metonymy of the effect . for he can now be moved to help having been so tempted . so c. . , . for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities , but was in all points tempted like as we are , yet without sin . let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace , that we may obtain me●cy , and find grace to help in time of need . the exhortation of vers . . is the same that i am upon , namely , that we would entertain expectations of relief from christ , which the apostle there calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , grace for seasonable help ; if ever ( sayes the soul ) help were seasonable , it would be so to me in my present condition . this is that which i long for , grace for seasonable help . i am ready to dye , to perish , to be lost for ever ; iniquity will prevail against me , if help come not in ; sayes the apostle , expect this help , this relief , this grace from christ ; yea , but on what account ? that he layes down v. . and we may observe , that the word v. . which we have translated to obtain , is , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that we may receive it , suitable and seasonable help will come in . i shall freely say this one thing of establishing the soul by faith in expectation of relief from jesus christ , on the account of his mercifulness as our high-priest will be more available to the ruine of thy lust and distemper , and have a better and speedier issue than all the rigidest means of self-maceration , that ever any of the sons of men engaged themselves into . yea let me adde , that never any soul did or shall perish by the power of any lust , sin or corruption , who could raise his soul by faith to an expectation of relief from jesus christ. . consider his faithfulness who hath promised , which may raise thee up , and confirm thee in this waiting in an expectation of relief . he hath promised to relieve in such cases , and he will fulfill his word to the utmost . god tells us that his covenant with us is like the ordinances of heaven , the sun , moon and stars , which have their certain courses , jerem. . . thence david said , that he watched for relief from god , as one watcheth for the morning , a thing that will certainly come in its appointed season ; so will be thy relief from christ. it will come in its season , as the dew and rain upon the parched ground ; for faithfull is he who hath promised . particular promises to this purpose are innumerable ; with some of them ( that seem peculiarly to suit to his condition ) let the soul be alwayes furnished . now there are two eminent advantages which alwayes attend this expectation of succour from jesus christ. . it engages him to a full and speedy assistance ; nothing doth more engage the heart of a man to be usefull and helpfull to another , than his expectation of help from him , if justly raised and countenanced by him who is to give the relief . our lord jesus hath raised our hearts by his kindness , care and promises , to this expectation ; certainly our rising up unto it , must needs be a great engagement upon him to assist us accordingly . this the psalmist gives us as an approved maxim , thou lord never forsakest them that put their trust in thee . when the heart is once won to rest in god , to repose himself on him , he will assuredly satisfie it . he will never be as water that fails , nor hath he said at any time to the seed of jacob , seek ye my face in vain . if christ be chosen for the foundation of our supply , he will not fail us . . it engages the heart to attend diligently to all wayes and means whereby christ is wont to communicate himself to the soul , and so takes in the real assistance of all graces and ordinances whatever . he that expects any thing from a man , applyes himself to the wayes and means whereby it may be obtained . the beggar that expects an almes , lyes at his door or in his way , from whom he doth expect it . the way whereby , and the means wherein christ communicates himself is , and are , his ordinances ordinarily . he that expects any thing from him , must attend upon him therein . it is the expectation of faith that sets the heart on work . 't is not an idle groundless hope that i speak of . if now there be any vigour , efficacy and power in prayer or sacraments to this end of mortifying sin , a man will assuredly be interested in it all , by this expectation of relief from christ. on this account i reduce all particular actings , by prayer , meditation and the like , to this head ; and so shall not farther insist on them . when they are grounded on this bottom , and spring from this root , they are of singular use to this purpose ; and not else . now on this direction for the mortification of a prevailing distemper you may have a thousand probatum est's ; who hath walked with god under this temptat●●n , and hath not found the use and success of it ? i dare leave the soul under it , without adding any more . only some particulars relating thereunto may be mentioned . ( ) act faith peculiarly upon the death , blood and cross of christ ; that is , on christ as crucified and slain . mortification of sin is peculiarly from the death of christ. it is one peculiar , yea eminent end of the death of christ , which shall assuredly be accomplished by it . he died to destroy the works of the devil ; whatever came upon our natures by his first temptation , whatever receiv●● strength in our persons by his daily suggestions , christ died to destroy it all . he gave himself for us , that he might redeem us from all iniquity , and purifie unto himself a peculiar people , zealous of good works , tit. . . this was his aym and intendment ( wherein he will not fail ) in his giving himself for us . that we might be freed from the power of our sins , and purified from all our defiling lusts , was his design . he gave himself for the church , that he might sanctifie and cleanse it , that he might present it to himself a glorious church , not having spot or wrinkle , or any such thing , but that it should be holy and without blemish , eph. . , , . and this by virtue of his death , in various and several degrees shall be accomplished . hence our washing , purging and cleansing is every where ascribed to his blood , joh. . . heb. . . revelat. . . that being sprinkled on us , purge● our consciences from dead works to serve the living god , heb. . . this is that we aim at , this we are in pursuit of ; that our consciences may be purged from dead works ; that they may be rooted out , destroyed , and have place in us no more . this shall certainly be brought about by the death of christ : there will virtue go out from thence to this purpose . indeed , all supplies of the spirit , all communications of grace and power , are from hence , as i have elsewhere shewed . thus the apostle states it ; rom. . vers . . is the case proposed that we have in hand ; how shall we that are dead unto sin live any longer therein ? dead to sin by profession ; dead to sin by obligation to be so ; dead , to sin by a participation of virtue and power for the killing of it ; dead to sin by vnion and interest in christ , in and by whom it is killed : how shall we live therein ? this he presses by sundry considerations , all taken from the death of christ , in the ensuing verses . this must not be , vers . . know you not that so many of us as were baptized into jesus christ were baptized into his death ? we have in baptisme an evidence of our implantation into christ ; we are baptized into him ; but what of him are we baptized into an interest in ? his death , saith he : if indeed we are baptized into christ , and beyond outward profession , we are ●●ptized into his death . the explication 〈◊〉 this , of our being baptized into the death of christ , the apostle gives us , vers . , . therefore we are buried with him by baptisme into death , that like as christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father , even so we also should walk in newness of life ; knowing this , that our old man is crucified with him , that the body of sin might be destroyed , that henceforth we should not serve sin . this is ( saith he ) our being baptized into the death of christ , namely , our conformity thereunto . to be dead unto sin , to have our corruptions mortified , as he was put to death for sin ; so that as he was raised up to glory , we may be raised up to grace and newness of life . he tells us whence it is that we have this baptisme into the death of christ , vers . . and this is from the death of christ it self : our old man is crucified with him , that the body of sin might be destroyed : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is crucified with him ; not in respect of time , but of causality ; we are crucified with him , meritoriously in that he procured the spirit for us , to mortifie sin ; efficiently , in that from his death virtue comes forth for our crucifying ; in the way of a representation and exemplar , we shall assuredly be crucified unto sin , as he was for our sin. this is that the apostle intends . christ by his death destroying the works of the devil , procuring the spirit for us , hath so killed sin as to its reign in believers , that it shall not obtain its end and dominion . ( ) then act faith on the death of christ , and that under these two notions : . in expectation of power . . in endeavours for conformity . for the first , the direction given in general may suffice . as to the latter , that of the apostle may give us some light into our direction , gal. . . let faith look on christ in the gospel as he is set forth dying and crucified for us : look on him under the weight of our sins , praying , bleeding , dying : bring him in that condition into thy heart by faith : apply his blood so shed to thy corruptions : do this daily . i might draw out this consideration to a great length , in sundry particulars , but i must come to a close . i have onely then to adde , the heads of the work of the spirit in this business of mortification , which is so peculiarly ascribed to him . in one word : this whole work which i have described as our duty , is effected , carried on , and accomplished by the power of the spirit , in all the parts and degrees of it : as , . he alone clearly and fully convinces the heart of the evil and guilt and danger of the corruption , lust , or sin to be mortified . without this conviction ( or whilest it is faint , that the heart can wrestle with it , or digest it , there will be no through-work made . an unbelieving heart ( as in part we have all such ) will shift with any consideration , untill it be over-powred by clear and evident convictions : now this is the proper work of the spirit : he convinces of sin , joh. . . he alone can do it ; if mens rational considerations , with the preaching of the letter , were able to convince them of sin , we should ( it may be ) see more convictions than we doe . there comes by the preaching of the word an apprehension upon the understandings of men , that they are sinners , that such and such things are sins ; that themselves are guilty of them ; but this light is not powerfull , nor doth it lay hold on the practical principles of the soul , so as to conform the mind and will unto them , to produce effects suitable to such an apprehension . and therefore it is , that wise and knowing men , destitute of the spirit , do not think those things to be sins at all wherein the chief movings and actings of lust do consist . it is the spirit alone that can do , that doth this work to the purpose . and this is the first thing that the spirit doth in order to the mortification of any lust whatever ; it convinces the soul of all the evil of it , cuts off all its pleas , discovers all its deceits , stops all its evasions , answers its pretences , makes the soul own its abomination , and lye down under the sense of it . unless this be done , all that followes is in vain . . the spirit alone reveals unto us the fulness of christ for our relief , which is the consideration that stayes the heart from false wayes , and from despairing despondency , cor. . . . the spirit alone establishes the heart in expectation of relief from christ ; which is the great sovereign means of mortification , as hath been discovered , cor. . . . the spirit alone brings the cross of christ into our hearts , with its sin-killing power ; for by the spirit are we baptized into the death of christ. . the spirit is the author and finisher of our sanctification ; gives new supplies and influences of grace for holiness and sanctification , when the contrary principle is weakened and abated , ephes. . , , . . in all the souls addresses to god in this condition , it hath supportment from the spirit . whence is the power , life and vigour of prayer ? whence its efficacy to prevail with god ? is it not from the spirit ? he is the spirit of supplication promised to them who look on him whom they have pierced , zech. . . enabling them to pray with sighs and groans that cannot be uttered , rom. . . this is confessed to be the great medium or way of faiths prevailing with god. thus paul dealt with his temptation , whatever it were ; i besought god that it might depart from me , cor. . . what is the work of the spirit in prayer , whence , and how it gives us in assistance , and makes us to prevail , what we are to doe that we may enjoy his help for that purpose , is not my present intendment to demonstrate . finis . a catalogue of some books printed and sold by nat. ponder at the peacock in the poultry , near cornhil , and in chancery-lane near fleet-street . exercitations on the epistle to the hebrews ; also concerning the messiah : wherein the promises concerning him to be a spiritual r●deemer of mankind , are explained , and vindicated , &c. with an exposition of , and discourses on the two first chapters of the said epistle to the hebrews . by john owen , d. d. in folio , exercitations on the epistle to the hebrews , concerning the priesthood of christ ; wherein the original , causes , nature , prefigurations , and discharge of that holy office , are explained and vindicated . the nature of the covenant of the redeemer , with the call of the lord christ unto his office , are declared : and the opinions of the socinians about it are fully examined , and th●ir opp●●●●ions unto it , refuted : with a continuation of the exp●●●ion on the third , fourth , and fifth chapters of the said epistle to the hebrews , being the second volu●● . by john owen , d. d. in folio . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : or , a discourse concerning t●e ho●y ●●irit . wherein an account is given of his name , ●●●●re ▪ ●●●●●nality ▪ dispensation , operations , and effects : his whole work in the old and new creation is explained ; ●he doctrine concerning it vindicated from oppos●●●ions a●d reproaches . the nature also , and necessity of gospel-holiness ; the difference between grace and morality , or a spiritual life unto god in evangelical obedi●nce , and a course of moral vertues , are stated and declared , by john owen , d. d. in folio . a practical exposition on the psalm : where in the nature of the forgivene●●●f sin is declared ; the truth and reality of it a●●erted , and the case of a soul distressed with the guilt of sin , and relieved by a discovery of forgiveness with god , is at large discoursed . by john owen , d. d. in quarto . a practical discourse of gods sovereignty , with other material points deriving thence . londons lamentations ; or , a sober , serious discourse concerning the late fiery dispensation . by mr. thomas brooks , late preacher of the word at st. margarets new-fish street , london in quarto . liberty of conscience upon its true and proper grounds asserted and vindicated &c. to which is added the second part , viz. liberty of conscience the magistrates interest . by a protestant , a lover of truth and the peace and prosperity of the nation ; in quarto , the second edition . a discourse of the nature , power , deceit , and prevalency of the remainders of indwelling-sin in believers . together with the ways of its working , and means of prevention . by john owen , d. d. in octavo . truth and innocency vindicated . in a survey of a discourse concerning ecclesiastical polity , and the authority of the civil magistrate over the consciences of subjects in matters of religion , by joh. owen , d.d. in octa . exercitations concerning the name , original , nature , use , and continuance of a sacred day of rest ; wherein the original of the sabath from the foundation of the world , the morality of the fourth commandment , with the change of the sabbath-day , are enquired into : together with an assertion of the divine institution of the lords day . by john owen . d.d. in octavo , the second impression . evangelical love , church-peace and unity . by jo. owen , d. d. the unreasonableness of atheism made manifest ; in a discourse to a person of honour . by sir charles wolsely baronet , third impression . the reasonableness of scripture-belief . a discourse , giving some account of those rational grounds upon which the bible is received as the word of god. written by sir charles wolsely , baronet . the rehearsal transpros'd , or animadversions upon a late book , intituled , a preface , shewing what grounds there are of fears and jealousies of popery . the first part by andrew marvel , esq. the rehearsal transpros'd ; the second part. occasioned by two letters : the first printed by a nameless authors intituled ▪ a reproof &c. the second , a letter left at a friends house , dated nov. . . subscribed j.g. and concluding with these words , if thou darest to print or publish any lye or libel against dr. parker . by the eternal god i will cut thy throat . answered by andrew marvel . theopolis , or the city of god , new jerusalem ; in opposition to the city of the nations , great babylon . by henry d'anvers , in octavo . a guide for the practical gauger ; with a compendium of decimal arithmetick . shewing briefly the whole art of gauging of brewers tuns , coppers , backs , &c. also the mash or oyld-cask ; and sybrant hantz his table of area's of segments of a circle ; the mensuration of all manner of superficies . by vvilliam hunt. student in the mathematicks , in octavo . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hoc est domus mosaicae clavis : five legis sepimentum . authore josepho cooper anglo , in octavo . a vindication of some passages in a discourse concerning communion with god , from the exceptions of vvilliam sherlock , rector of st. george buttelph lane. by john owen , d. d. in octavo . a brief instruction in the worship of god and discipline of the churches of the new testament , by way of question and answer , with an explication and confirmation of those answers . by john owen , d. d. anti-sozzo , five sherlocismus enervatus : in vindication of some great truths opposed , and opposition to some great errors maintained by mr. william sherlock . a brief declaration and vindication of the doctrine of the trinity , by john owen , d. d. in . eben-ezer : or , a small monument of great mercy , appearing in the miraculous deliverance of john-carpenter , from the miserable slavery of algiers , with the wonderful means of their escape in a boat of canvas ; the great distress , and utmost extremities which they endured at sea for six days , and nights ; their safe arrival at mayork : with several matters of remarque during their long captivity , and the following providences of god which brought them safe to england . by william okeley , in octavo . the nature of apostacie from the profession of the gospel , and the punishment of apostates declared . from heb. . ver . , , . with an inquiry into the causes and reasons of the decay of the power of religion , in the world. with remedies and means of prevention , in octavo . by john owen , d. d. mortification of sin in believers : . the necessi●y , . nature ▪ and . means of it . ' with a resolution of sundry cases of conscience thereunto belonging . by john owen , d. d. in octavo . the practical d 〈…〉 y of the papists discovered to be destructive of c●ristianity and mens souls . dutch and english grammar dutch and english dictionary . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e since the first e●ition of this treatise , that other also is published . notes for div a -e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . notes for div a -e rom. . . cor. . . isa. . . notes for div a -e king. . . gen. . . cor. . . cor. . . notes for div a -e heb. . . cant , . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . notes for div a -e joh. . . psal. . . psal. . . luk. . . notes for div a -e isa. . , , , . joh. . . mat. . . rom. . . mat. . . isa. . , , . revel . . . communion with christ , chap. , . phil. . . col. . . pet. . . cor. . . pet. . . pet. . , . col. . . christ's revvard of a christians watch and ward, or, a sermon preached at the burial of mr. john berry of thorverton in the countie of devon, aug. , by john preston ... preston, john, b. or . this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text r in the english short title catalog (wing p b). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a wing p b estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) christ's revvard of a christians watch and ward, or, a sermon preached at the burial of mr. john berry of thorverton in the countie of devon, aug. , by john preston ... preston, john, b. or . [ ], p. printed by w. bentley for f. eaglesfield ..., london : . reproduction of original in harvard university libraries. eng berry, john, d. . funeral sermons. sin -- sermons. sermons, english. a r (wing p b). civilwar no christ's revvard of a christians watch and ward. or a sermon preached at the burial of mr. john berry of thorverton, in the countie of devon preston, john c the rate of defects per , words puts this text in the c category of texts with between and defects per , words. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread - emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion christ's revvard of a christians watch and ward . or a sermon preached at the burial of mr. john berry of thorverton , in the countie of devon ; aug. . . by john preston minister of the gospel there . upon these words of our saviour , luke . . blessed are those servants , whom the lord , when he cometh , shall find watching . london , printed by w. bentley , for f. eaglesfield at the marygold in s. pauls church-yard . anno dom. . to the worshipfull thomas brown esquire , alderman of london , grace and truth by jesus christ . sir , it may be said of your famous city , as sometimes of tyre . she is the crowning city , whose merchants are princes : whose traffiquers are the honourable of the earth , isa. . . but what became of tyre , that noble and ennobling city ? her crown was laid in the dust , and her honourable in the streets . and why ? they were haughty and knew not the lord , neither regarded they the god of jacob . they did not know ; in their affairs they eyed not the crown of righteousness , neither were traffiquers with heaven , therefore they perished from off the earth . your city , as a stately princess , wears a goodly rich crowns on her head , crowns her merchants and inhabitants with wealth and honour ; and you confess that it is not for your righteousness that the lord hath spared you , but that it is of the lords mercies , that ye are not consumed , because his compassions fail not . lam. . . i will not accuse you for pride and haughtiness , for trampling under foot the glory of england , the preaching of the gosple of righteousness , nor for blasphemy , heresie , apostasie , oppression , self-love , and self-seeking , serving your selves upon christ and upon his gosple , for i have often heard you , upon your publick fasting-daies and daies of humiliation , to accuse and condemn your selves for these and the like city sins , onely i grieve to see these rebels and traitors against god to get a reprieve , and i heartily wish that the day of their execution were come : for , the putting of these to death will be your life . for the prophet micah tells you how you shall be still renowned , the crowned and the crowning city . to do justly , to love mercy , and to humble thy self to walk with thy god , micah . . you must meet god every day upon the royal exchange . here you must barter nature for grace , error for truth , your own righteousness for christ ; ( and who will not part with dross for gold , pibbles for pearls , rags for robes ? you must put off ( saith the blessed apostle ) concerning the former conversation , the old man , corrupt through the deceitfull lusts , and be renewed in the spirit of your minde : and put on the new man , which after god is created in righteousness and true holiness . ephes. . , , . your main case must be for your religious factorage , and to keep up your noble trade with heaven . your merchandize must be for them that dwell before the lord , to eat sufficiently , and for durable cloathing . isa. . . let prayer continually go forth with your loaden vessels , and the spirit of god will pilot ye . then shall ye have good markets indeed : and oh , the rich returns that will flow in unto you ! blessed are the merchants , that walk and talk with god daily upon the exchange . when god and the soul are partners , oh , the sweetness and fullness of that communion and entercourse ! see how our saviour loveth such a soul as is busied in heavenly negotiations , when he likens the kingdom of heaven to such a merchant , who seeking goodly pearls , when he had found one pearl of great price , he went and sold all that he had and bought it . matth. . , &c. the true christian is this merchant ; a merchant adventurer , he ventures riches , honours , pleasures ; life and all , he trades for pearls , that is , he seeks ( with labour , cost , and danger ) for heavenly knowledge , the pearl of great price , or the peerless pearl is christ iesus . a pearl is bred of a caelestial humour or dew in shell-fishes : christ by heavenly influence was formed in the womb of the virgin . emanuel , god with us , or god-man is this pearl . the value and worth of this pearl no arithmetician can sum up , it is infinite , of wonderfull virtue , most precious , a pearl that makes pearls , it makes vile sinners to be pearls and costly jewels , malac. . . and turns every evil thing into good for us , rom. . . as the philosophers stone turns every thing it toucheth into gold . this pearl , christ iesus with all his gifts , graces , virtues , merits , and priveledges is derived to us by the means of his ordinances . these are the cabinets and caskets of this pearl . god offers christ in his word , he is willing to barter with us . come buy . isa. . . i counsel thee to buy . rev. . . in it god desires us to be good to our own souls , to receive the soul-saving , soul-enriching pearl , thus offered ( as these texts , cor. . . deut. . . luke . . do testifie . ) as there the merchant went and sold all , so doth the true christian sell all . that is first , he parts with the estimation of all in comparison of christ . secondly , he hath a heart prepared actually to part with all , if he cannot enjoy it and christ too . thirdly , and especially , he parts with his sins all , not reserving a zoar or a rimmon , not keeping any one beloved lust or forbidden pleasure . yea , fourthly , he parts with his affections , with all their branches and objects , if they will not stand with christ . whatsoever comes into competition with christ , whether honours , riches , pleasures , yea his own life , he declineth it , and looseth all for christs sake . and the gain of this merchandize , no tongue is able to express . thus do wise merchants traffique whilst they live here on earth , a countrey that is not theirs , venting their commodities and transmitting all they can into heaven , their own countrey , against their arrival and receit there , with joyfull acclamations of saints and angels , and most rich and most honourable dwelling with their blessed redeemer , soul-solacing , and hearts-satisfying friends , in perfect joy , compleat comfort , and fullness of all good things for evermore . the lord remove and take out of the way , whatsoever letteth you in this blessed merchandize , which is better than the merchandize of silver , and the gain thereof than fine gold , prov. . . let your merchandize be holiness to the lord isa. . . here : so in the ballancing of your accompt at the last day , you shall be clear out of debt with your heavenly creditor , and receive a full and final discharge , together with a full remuneration of eternal happiness to you , and all carefull accomptants with him , wayters and preparers for him . which negotiation and traffiquing with heaven ( o sedulous and rich merchant ) is set forth under many other notions in scripture . amongst which is that of watching for the masters coming . what it is ; how this watch is to be set and kept , motives to it , and the reward of it , is as laid forth in the ensuing sermon , in which your obsequious friend ( being dead ) yet speaketh . many be the epistles , ( which whilst he lived ) he wrote to you by my hand . accept i beseech you of my appearing his amanuenlis once more . and keep this by you . first , as a remembrance of him that honoured you , and was faithfull and diligent to serve you in your employments in our countrey . and second , as a funeral ribband for your soul to wear , which may daily minde you of your mortal condition , and stir you up to get such necessaries and preparatives to go hence , that when ) you shall be no more seen on earth , you may enjoy the beatifical vision of our lord jesus in heaven . so prayeth ; sir ▪ your worships servant in our great master , iohn preston . a sermon , preached at the bvrial of mr. john berry . august . . luke . ● . blessed are those servants , whom the lord when he cometh shall finde watching . here christ compares himself to a man lately married , solacing himself , preparing a place for his spouse , leaving a servant at home to wait for his return . christ hath married his church to himself , is gone into heaven to solace himself , after his sufferings ( for he ●ught his church with his bloud ) in the mean time we are to ●atch for the coming of our lord . blessed are those servants , whom ●●e lord when he cometh shall finde watching . where you have . the master . . the servants . . their works . . here is our relation . servants . . our condition , a wayting a ●●tching condition . . the encouragement . blessed are those ser●●nts , &c. . our relation , servants . doct. our greatest title of honour in this life , is to be gods servants ; his servants are kings . to serve him is to reign , that is , over lusts , over sin . his service is perfect freedom ; he is greater than alexander the great that subdueth his passions and corruptions . and hath made us kings , revel. . . ( us ) his servants , not onely in adopting us to be the heirs of his kingdom , but also ( through the power of the holy ghost ) hath made us conquerours over sin , death , hell , sathan , and all our enemies , as it is written , in all these we are more than conquerours , rom. . . and he will crown all his members with glory and honour . vse . . account it so , & make great account of , and glory we in this title . and indeed this is all our glory , our joy and rejoycing , that the lord hath vouchsafed to call us forth to serve him , to wear his badg and livery . and it is a rich and beneficial service , we serve a lord that hath the scepter of heaven and earth , that will reward to a cup of cold water . a poor man beg'd a penny of alexander , he gave the poor man a city ; what will our munificent , most magnificent lord do if we ask in faith . he will give us a kingdom , a glorious kingdom , a kingdom of glory that cannot be shaken . ask of me , and i will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance , and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession , psal. . . said god to his son ; aske of me in my sons name ( saith the same god to his servant whosoever he be ) and i will give the heaven for thine inheritance , and the uttermost parts of the boundless inheritance ( which is above ) for thy possession ; so that gods servants may say every one of them , i am a citizen of no mean city . i am a king of no mean kingdom . i am a servant of the great god of heaven . he will not set us to gather stubble as pharaoh , to work of our selves , but he will enable us to work ; where we fail , he will pardon ; and when we do his works by his own help , he will reward , crown his own works in us ; and when our enemies oppress ▪ he will take our parts . vse . . do we our duty as servants , else the lord will not own us . when david was contriving to build a temple to the lord , then 't is , go tell my servent david ; but when out of gods work , numbring the people , then onely go tell david . so when the people of israel did well , then , go tell my people , but when they committed idolatry , go tell thy people , exod. . . the lord will not own us , if we be away from his work and service . but is it for nothing that god so highly honoureth his people ? seemeth it a small thing ( saith david ) to be king sauls son in law ? so ( say i ) seemeth it to you a small thing to be the king of sauls sons by grace , to be his servants ? nay , dignity calls for duty , this honour looks for service and gods servants must be watching , which is the . part . the second part of the text is the condition . [ watching ] doct. it is the office of every christian , constantly to watch and wait for the lords coming . all wakers are not watchers . there is a natural waking , and there is a spiritual waking , and so there is of watching . waking natural is when the obstructions of the spirits being dissolved , the spirits return into the senses ( for sleep is the binding up of the senses ) when upon the discessation of vapours ( that stopped the senses before ) there is a return of the spirit into the senses ; which may be done by some call , some motion , some stirring up of the body : or by some great shining light . in a spiritual sense . worldly thoughts , and fleshly thoughts , as foggy vapours , do obstruct the workings of gods spirit , and cause the soul to sleep in sin . god calleth by his word , stirs up good motions of his spirit , sends a proclamation by his messengers , scatters , a light , either the light , the delightsome light of his mercies , or the startling terrifying light of his judgements , or the light of divine truth , and awakens these sleepers . and this waking is a preparative to waching , as watching is a i reparation for the masters advent . watching natural : is when upon waking we have our senses exercised , and are intent and carefully look about us to prevent some mischief or inconvenience , which careless security would let in upon us . spiritual watching ( of which in the text ) is when upon our waking , our souls are exercised , the faculties and powers bent and intent in the work which god hath set us to do , when we do quicken , actuate and raise up our graces , avoiding of evil , preparing for god , to prevent that hurt and dammage which a sleepy state brings upon men : here 't is spoken of the vigils of the soul , yet the body may so far be taken in , as it is an instrument of the soul in the action . in the primitive times they had their vigils , because of present persecution , or when they had some great business in hand , to seek the lord for direction or for preparation to the sacrament . in process of time it fell into superstition , and the papists rise up to their blinde devotions at certain hours of the night , which they call canonical hours . but how are we fallen from the zeal and piety of the primitive times ? — o quantum mutatus ab illo — pectore . o where is the heart , and life , and spirit , the vivacity , the constancy and continuance in the service of god ? sathans watch and play is more used than our saviours watch and pray ? but to the doctrine . it is the office of every christian to keep a constant and continual watch over his soul . reas. . because we are in danger of sin , and in danger by sin . in danger of sin , besides many other sins ; of that deadness and drowsiness and heaviness of spirit which hangs upon the best . in danger by sin , more than i can express , offending of god , the good angels , giving advantage to sathan , exposing our selves to his darts , grieve the good spirit of god , and put a sting into all other troubles , yea , sin makes the blessings of god to be no blessings , birdlimes , or clips the wings of our prayers , hinders us from praysing god for his blessings . sin is the continual make-bate between god and us , it separates all good from us , it withdraws our good god from us . it cankers our gold , blasts our good , embitters our comforts . it is cunning and will steal into our hears , unless we keep a guard and set a diligent watch . what is it but the powerfull command of sin ( which like the devil in the man possessed ) casts us sometimes into the fire , where we burn and boyl with lust ; sometimes into the water , where either we swim with vain delights ; or are drowned with the drunken pleasures of this flattering world ? sometimes it blows us up into the air , with a giddy desire to hunt and hawk after the honours and preferments of the world , and anon throws us down groveling on the ground , nailing our affections to this earth with the covetous desires of worldly goods . sin lies daily and hourly at our doors , at our beds , at our boards , in solitariness , in company , in the house , in the field , watching to surprize us , therefore we ought constantly to keep our watch , because of the danger . reas. . because the life of man is a pilgrimage , and we travel through our enemies countrey . this is sathans empire , we had need to watch , when we are in the midst of our enemies , and a traitor , a bosom-enemy within us . alas our precious iewel is in a fraile pitcher , therefore keep thy heart with all diligence , prov. . . in the kings . . a disguised prophet cries to the king , and said . thy servant went out into the midst of the battel , and behold a man turned a side , and brought a man unto me , and said keep this man : if by any means he be missing , then shall thy life be for his life , or else you shall pay a talent of silver : to our purpose , thus . as thou camest into the midst of the army , the militant church , god gave thee a soul to make thee a man , with this charge , keep this soul safe , if it be missing when i come , about the business of the world , or sin , or sathan , look to it , thy soul goes for it , and thou hast in all the world but one soul , if unprepared and unappointed , the lord will cashier it , and cast it into hell , whence thou shalt not come forth till thou hast paid the utmost farthing . it will be in vain for thee to say as the man of his prisoner vers. . as thy servant was busie here and there , he was gone : lord i had much to do in the world , many businesses , much to look after , &c. so my soul was missing when thou calledst . the lord will say as the king to the delinquent there , so shall thy judgement be , thy self hast decided it . reas. . we are runners in a race . the price set before us is eternal glory . according as the price is above all other : so in our running we should be more quick , more yarr and circumspect . reas. . we are in a warfare , and souldiers can never promise to themselves security without a strong and diligent watch ; 't is certain , the general of the enemies horse never sleeps , sathan is alwaies waking and watching to take advantage , & simon dormis tu ? christian souldier sleepest thou ? the poor disciples slept when their lord was in an agony , but iudas slept not : ah! our husbandmen slept , and the envious one hath sowed tares . christs disciples have left christ alone to his own cause , saying , as sometimes the israelites , to your own tents . now look to thine own house , o son of david . reas. . we are stewards , and must shortly give an account , how we have improved our talents . the estate of an account is a watchfull estate . our account will be strict , our thoughts words and works shall be weighed in the impartiall scales of the judge of heaven and earth , and if they be found thoughts of the flesh , words of the world , and works of the devil , we shall be sent away from the presence of god . with a go ye cursed &c. hell will be our prison , eternity our shackles , fire and brimstone our torment , the breath of the lord like a river of brimstone will kindle it . reas. . the daughter of improvidence , notably set forth , luk. . , . if the servant say in his heart , my lord delayeth his coming , and shall begin to beat the men-servants and maydens , and to eat and drink , and to be be drunken . the lord of that servant will come in a day he looketh not for him , and at an hour when he is not aware , and will cut him in sunder , and will appoint him his portion with unbelievers . swift destruction is at the heels of promisers to themselves peace and safetie . yea , then is the time of pouring down divine vengeance , when men are dissolved to a secure negligence . when they shall say peace and safetie , then sudden destruction cometh upon them , as travail upon a woman with child , and they shall not escape , thess. . . lastly , we are perpetually under observation ; conscience is an observer of us . sathan observes what we speak or do , that he may accuse us to god and witness against us . god observes us , his eyes behold , his eye-lids trie the children of men , psal. . . he knoweth our thoughts , he writes it down in his book , and the faults can never be blotted out without repentance . if conscience fail ( as for a time she may ) and lye asleep at the door of our heart , and neither bark or bite ) she will awake at last and tear thee . assure thy self , god will not fail to set thy sins in order before thee , if now thou do not examin and set them in order before thy face , judge and condemn them . the case being such , we had need to keep a perpetual watch and ward over our souls . these reasons are so many motives to this necessarie dutie of a christian watchfulness . i shall now give you a few directions for , and in watching . first , labour to have waking considerations . consideration is a help to watchfulness . know and believe that there is a god that eyeth thee , an enemie that observeth thee , and a conscience that will do his office first or last , that death is coming , and judgement draweth nigh . . consider the end of this coming into the world , and living here . what dost thou here eliah ? o baptized christian , what dost thou sullying thy self amongst the flesh-pots of egypt , lading thy self with thick clay , how long ? hab. . . how long , o ye sons of men will ye turn my glory into shame , how long will ye love vanitie and seek after leasing , psal. . . how long will ye be busied like ants about a mole-hill , carrying and recarrying in and out a little worldly trash , when you think to finish your earthly fabrick , death ( as a wild beast ) with one dash of his foot spoils all , and disperseth it and you . the time past may suffice us to have wrought the will of the gentiles , when we walked in lasciviousness , lusts , excess of wine , revellings , banquetings , and abominable idolatries . pet. . . it is enough , i , too too much , that you have revelled out the third of your life to waste , hitherto ; oh spend and end the little remnant of time wholy and holy in gods service , working out your salvation with fear and trembling . were your heaven-born souls given you to stop to this earths drudgery ? your eagle minds to resort to the carrion of this world ? was your golden time given you to gather dross ? your noble affections to run in the dirty channels of this world ? rather was not your chief end to glorifie god and enjoy him ? how sutable have been your actions to this chief end ? have they been for your good and the salvation of your souls ? consider this seriously . . have this waking consideration . is not god present ? doth not he observe all my ways and count all my steps ? if i have walked with vanity , or if my foot hath hasted to deceit job . . . . will not god finde it out ? saies joseph , how can i do this great wickedness , and sin against god , in whose presence i am , gen. . . the eyes of the lord run to and fro through the whole earth , to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him cor. . . he neither slumbereth nor sleepeth , his eyes see into the dark thoughts of our heart , all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do heb. . . this should make us watch over our secret sins . what if thou hadst no body to accuse thee ? thou hast a conscience , and a god that sees thee . when thou art in secret , think thou art in the presence of god , who is a judge . s. paul was kept in a watchfull condition upon this consideration . knowing the terrours of the lord , we perswade men . cor. . . it will be a terrible day . and when solomon would startle young men , he minds them of the day of judgement . but know that for all these things thou must come to judgement , eccles. . . . the fearfull condition to be found in an estare wherein we are not fit to dye . take heed of promising thy self pleasure , or jollity tomorrow ; it may be the day that god will strike thee . annanias and saphira were stricken suddenly ; and he who hath stricken thy neighbour ( as many now are smitten by death suddenly ) what if he smite thee ? it may befall thee when thou goest about sinfull and unwarrantable courses ( take heed ) it may be the time when god calls for thy soul . add hereunto that our l●fe is short and uncertain , and that which at any time may , why not now ? and if we wait all our daies , and every hour , it will not be long , and it is for eternity . eternity depends upon this moment of time . . labor for such inward dispositions as may dispose us to watchfullness . two affections , when they are raised , will much help us , fear and love . . fear . when iacob was afraid of his brother esau , he spent the night before in prayer . blessed is the man that feareth always , prov. . . blessed is the man that standeth constantly in aw of god , and is afraid to offend him at any time . so prov. . . be thou in the fear of god all the day long . what fear is that ? of iealousie and reverence . there is great use of this fear , it is the souls best scout-master , and will give report to the soul of her enemies approches . fear stirs up care , care rowseth duty , and performance of duty keeps us from surprizal . it is the athiesm of the times to stand in aw of nothing : but he who hath the fear of iealousie and reverence is fit for all things . . love , it is a sweet affection , and keeps the soul watchfull over any thing that may displease the person whom we love . it is also full of invention to give content to the person loved , we never sin till the soul is betraied and drawn away from these two , fear and love : and we have the soul never in better tune than when thus qualified . these are royal supports of a christians arms . his field is sincerity , charged with the deeds of piety , shall be accomplished with a crest of glory . the supporters are fear and love , with this motto , my soul watcheth . wind up the strings of your affections every day , else they will be down , wind them up with waking considerations , else they will down to these present things . finde out what sin thou art naturally prone to . be wise and foresee . know your selves both in good and evil , wherein thou art prone to be overtaken , or overcome , and what hath done thee good and use it again . no creature will be taken in a snare , if he see it , and the medicine that cured the sick one , he will use it again . take all advantages to do good , slip no opportunity , no sabbaoth , no sermon , for why , thou seest some alive and well to day are dead to morrow . when we have advantages to any thing , study to improve them and turn them to gods glory . this is a special exercise of watching . it will grieve you one day , when you shall see , that at such a time , ye lost such an opportunity , and at such a time , omitted such a duty . consider this is your seed-time . if ye sow to the flesh , ye shall of the flesh reap corruption , but he that soweth to the spirit , shall of the spirit reap life everlasting , gal. . . will ye have a harvest of glory and no seed-time of graces . every company you keep , make them better , or your self better by them : gain some spiritual encrease by them , or they by you . labor to know how to judge every thing in its due worth , and so as it deserves affect it , least you put good for evil , and evil for good . to know god in his greatness , christ in his goodness , virtue in its dignity , sin in its dangers , death in its certainty , yet times uncertainty , will be a means to stir thee up to watchfullness . let the joyes of heaven ravish thee , the torments of hell scare thee , the sound of the last trumpet ( arise ye dead and come to judgement ) sound and resound always in thine ears . mors tua , mors christi , fraus munda gloria coeli et dolor inferni , sunt meditanda tibi thy death and christs , earths fraud , heav'ns habitation and pains of hell , let be thy meditation . labour to finde out what hinders from doing good , whether too much business and pudder about the things of this world ( as if we were born to live here everlastingly . ) the scripture sets bounds & limits to us : as cor. . . use this world as not abusing it , not doting upon these passable and perishable things , as our saviour luke . . warn us to take heed that we be not overcharged , as not with surfetting and drunkenness , so not with the cares of this life . there is an overcharging of the soul with cares , as the body with meats or drinks . as the glutton and drunkard are unweildy to work : so cares eat up the power of the soul , so that they loose many opportunities to do good and to receive good . cares choke the word . but more particularly . first in the morning , begin to wake with god , and give thy soul a mornings-draught steept in the meditation of god his mercy and preservation , before the world or the flesh thrust in . bethink of all that may befall thee that day , of all the dangers , of all the troubles , what armor to encounter , surely ye have need to buckle on your armor with patience , to go up and down ( amongst men , shall i say ? ) hissing serpents of envy , poisonous adders of maliciousness , and fiery flying scorpions of slandering their neighbours , and we must fight ( as s. paul ) with beasts after the manner of men : you cannot go safe amongst these malevolent spirits without your coat of male , girded on about you by prayer . where the enemy once entered , barracado up that passage more stronngly as souldiers do , where the enemy hath broken in , or the wall is weak . take provisions for thy journey or undertakings , that ye may be able to encounter whatsoever accidents befall you . let god have the first fruits of the day , the firstlings of your hearts . begin the day with prayers , and it will sweeten all your actions of the day with comfort , and all occurrences thus : i commended my self to god in prayer , and have set upon the day with this resolution , to do nothing that may offend god or a good conscience , regarding no iniquity in my heart but to pass the day in the works of my calling under the shadow of the almighty , &c. afterwards , in the day let us do nothing wherein we conceive god ●ill not protect us , that we cannot pray to god for a blessing upon it . if men would do so , what would become of their lying , swearing , & forswearing cheating , couzning , and underminings ? drinkings , lasciviousness and vanities for why ? can they pray to god for a blessing upon these courses ? in the day-time , carry a heavenly minde in earthly business . no occurrent fa●ls out , no object is presented , but a gracious heart will draw out something of it for religious use . a good christian is an excellent chimist , and extracts heavenly things , and things for heavenly uses out of earthly minerals and materials . the present harvest puts him in minde of the day of judgement , and the reapers , of the angels . when he plows the ground he thinks upon the fallow ground of his heart how it needs turning and ripping up ; when he weaves , or sees the weavers shuttle , he meditates upon the shortness of mans life , now at this end , but presently at an end , &c. thus he reasons with himself , god hath set me in this place for a little time , and here i must work in this inferiour calling , and i must serve god with contentment in it . as for recreation make it not a vocation , you will quickly err in the use of lawfull things , if ye be not watchfull . prosperity is a slippery mountain , if you walk not warily , you will slip and slide , & glide into the forgetfullness of god , of your selves , of your duty , which is the way that leadeth to destruction , and many there be that fall into it . take heed ( saith god ) when thou art in that good land that floweth with milk and hony , that thou forget not , &c. job knew that for to get full of all was the way to be forgetfull , and therefore when his children were banqueting he was sacrificing . if athwarts and crosses of the world come , look upon the hand that orders all ; wherein thou art prone to be overtaken , take especial care to prevent , and be watchfull there . and because every man cannot use privacy well , be watchfull over thy self alone , use the ●ime of aloneness , in meditation of him that all one is , though he ●e three . let thy sequestration-time , be thy holy meditation-time , ●athan is busie still ; he will be too cunning for thee , and make thy ●eart his shop , if thou suffer it empty , and fill it not with good ●houghts . let thy company be such as to whom thou mayest do good , or ●rom whom thou maist receive good . good company strengthens ●ne another , as stones in an arch. such company as thou keepest , ●●ch thou art , or such thou wilt be shortly , or such thou wilt be ●ccounted to be . when it comes to night , reflect upon the occasions and passages ●f the day : go over all , where thou hast offended , crave pardon , ●here thou hast done well , bless the lord . if thou have done good to none , nor made thy self better , thou mayest cry out , heu ! diem perdidi . alas ! i have lost a day . suffer not thy body to rest , before thy conscience be assured of peace & reconciliation with god through iesus christ . dangerous to go to bed with a guilty conscience , what do we know whither we shall live till the morning ? if we could account religion a serious thing , as it is , we would not hear these things as strange doctrines , but we would think of them seriously , and practise them affectionately . renew your resolutions for the time to come , for we have all broken our vows and covenants with god . observe all advantages for praying to , and praysing of god , speaking of his goodness to others with thy mouth , and let thy life speak thereof lowder , let god have all the honour of his assistance of thee , & blessing thy labours . above all , remember the sabbaoth , do the work of the lord onely upon the lords day . if thou mingle thy worldly business with his service , thou spoylest all ; such mixings marr all . dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour eccles. . . so distracted thoughts , worldly mindedness , and earthly talke and business upon the lords day , will cause all thy prayers and services to stink in the nostrils of god . and if thou steal away of his time , to use it about thine own occasions , thou art a thief also to thy self , and to thine own profit . for therefore god commanded thee to keep the sabbaoth that he might bless thee , that by thy holy observation of the day , and carefull performance of the duties of the day , he might convay over to thee his blessings , for such a servant he blesseth , and he shall be blessed , which is the third and last part . the encouragement . blessed is that servant , &c. doct. blessing attends and goes along with watching . if thou wilt be blessed ? then watch for the lords coming . blessed are these servants , &c. those that keep their souls in a watchfull frame are blessed . and it is truth . the mouth of the lord hath spoken it . vse . what a motive is here to give our souls to watching . in blessedness all good things whatsoever , meet as in a centre . it is a confluence and concurrence of all good whatsoever , either honest , profitable or pleasant . and this blessedness shall meet the watchfull soul in death , and embrace it . the watching christian , his life is blessed , his death is blessed : blessed by grace , blessed by glory ; blessed in body , blessed in soul . blest soul that immediately enjoyes blessedness in the kingdom of heaven where god is all in all to his elect cor. . . where is eternal life and perfect glory . eternal , life , which is that fellowship with god , whereby god himself is through the lamb christ , life unto the elect . for in the kingdom of heaven , the elect shall not need meat , drink , sleep , air , heat . cold , physick , apparrel , or light of sun or moon , but in place of all these , shall they have gods spirit , by which immediately they shall be quickned for ever . revel. . . . and perfect glory , which is that wonderfull excellency of the saints , whereby they shall be in a far better estate than heart can wish . for first , they shall everlastingly behold the face of god , which is the glory and majesty of god , rev. . . secondly they shall be most like to christ , to wit ; just , holy , incorruptible , glorious ; honourable , excellent , beautifull , strong , mighty and nimble iohn . . phil. . . thirdly they shall inherit the kingdom of heaven pet. . . matth. . . whence proceeds eternal joy , and the perfect service of god immediately . eternal joy , had peace with safety , safety with security , security with eternity . the joyes above are for matter , spiritual , for substance , real , for use universal , for continuance , eternal , psal. . . psal. . . there the king is verity , the law charity , the peace felicity , and the life eternity . the service of god consists onely in prayse and thansgiving rev. . . and rev. . , . and . . see the texts . the manner of performing this service , is to worship god by god immediate●y . in heaven there shall neither be temple , ceremony , nor sacrament , but all these wants shall god himself supply together with the lamb that is , christ , rev. . . i say no temple therein , for the lord god almighty , and the lamb are the temple of it . the service ●hall be dayly and without intermission , rev. . . they are in the ●resence of the throne of god , & serve him day and night in his temple . vse . the consideration hereof , should stir up us to a constant ●atch and ward over our souls . if immediate communion with god through iesus christ , which is the life eternal ; if to have whatsoever heart can wish , & infinitely beyond that , which is perfect glory , where we shall for ever behold and admire the face of god , be like our blessed saviour , & inherit the kingdom of glory with the priveledges thereof in eternal joy , where our exercise shall be singing and praysing god . in a word if we would be blessed , if blessedness ( which contains all these and more ) may prevail to move us ( or else what can ) to the duty of watchfulness : then be we stirred up to be in a frame of soul fit to meet christ , have all the graces of the soul in exercise ; this is to watch . look about you , the phylistines be upon you . every day is clipping your life , and taking away part of it , what should we now do , but fit our selves for christ , seeing he is coming to us , and we are going to him by death ? you would be fit at the hour of death . that which will be good then , is good now , and the work which of necessity , must be done , or we are everlastingly undone , let us first go about it , and make an end of that once . the worst of men , when death comes will wish he had watched , done these and these good things , abstained from these and these evil things ? i exhort you to nothing , but that which is fit for you to make you fit for christ . when your faith and hope , and love have their right object , and all the graces of the soul are in exercise , then you watch , and blessed are those servants , whom the lord when he cometh shall finde watching . so much for the text . my auditours are of three sorts , either morners of our deceased brother , or rejoycers at his death , or men indifferent , neither affected with grief or joy at all at his sudden fall , a word to each of these . first , for you mourners ; wise lamenting the death of her carefull husband ; children bemoaning the death of their carefull father ; labourers and servants mourning for the loss of a work-contriving ; labour-rewarding master ; friends for the lack of their discreet , advising friend . to you i say no more but this , look up to your husband , father , friend , lord and master in heaven . it is the lord hath done it , as it is marvellous , so let it be well pleasing in your eyes . his will is done , subject your wills to his ; we are the clay , he is the potter , psal. . . shall not the potter do with his clay as he pleaseth rom. . . we read exod. . that the waters of marah were so bitter , that the people could not drink of them , then moses , at gods commandment , cast into them a tree , and the waters were made sweet . in the bitterness of soul upon the death of our brother , god shews you a tree that will turn your bitter waters of affliction into sweetness . this tree is christ , take up this blessed tree in your hands by faith ( who willingly presents himself unto you in this your agony ) cast him into your bitter waters , or cast your self upon him ; hide your self in the boughes and branches of this blessed tree , till the lords indignation be past . for , his anger endureth but a moment , in his favour is life . weeping may endure for a night , but joy cometh in the morning , psal. . . you will faint , unless you believe to see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living , psal. . . to the second sort , that rejoyce because now death hath shut him up in his cave , the spirit of god directly meets with you , prov. . , . rejoyce not when thine enemy falleth , and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth . let the lord see it , and it displease him , and he turn away his wrath from him upon thee . why shouldest thou run from thine own watch to fault finde his now ? death found him not from his calling all the day ; at mid-night , when he pierc'd him at the heart , dost thou know his vigils , his preparations , his meditations what they were ? if death had come to thee that same hour , at the second watch , should he have found thee better prepaed than he was ? what art thou that judgest another mans servant , he standeth or falleth to his own master . he hath past his day , thine is to come , if the lord finde thee in thy swearing , sabbath-breaking , coveting , wandring out of his ways , not guiding thy life by his law unprepared , unappointed , thy doom is set down luk. . . to vers. . see the place . if there be a third sort of hearers , indifferent men , without affection of the one side or other , nor caring whether he had lived or dyed , neither partake with the mourners here , nor with such as are well pleased at his death ; are nothing toutcht or smitten with this stroak : besides that they proclaim stupidity , do they not walk contrary to the command , weep with them that weep . be of the same affection one towards another , rom. . , . and shew themselves athiestical ? it is the athiesm of these times to be without dread or fear . when god gives one of his houshold-servants a blow , the rest should fear . this use should every one of us make of it . if god had so smitten me , in what case had i been ? how had it been with my poor soul ? surely i was not prepared as i ought , ought not i to accept of this acceptable time , this day of salvation , and to act and exercise my self in all these duties that tend to salvation ( that is ) to watch ? blessed are those servants , &c. when our saviour said to his disciples , one of you shall betray me ; every one of them ( suspicious of himself ) questioned him again , master is it i ? so whilst i say one of you ( beloved ) shall be the next that shall dye , it behoves every one of you to question with himself . is it i ? is it i ? what if it should be i ? am i prepared to meet the lord ? is my soul in a watchfull frame and posture ? do i perform my sentinel-charge till i be relieved ? do i wait all the days of mine appointed time untill my chang come ? job . . . the same shall be blessed . for blessed are these servants whom the lord when he cometh shall finde watching . amen . finis . the isle of man: or, the legall proceeding in man-shire against sinne wherein, by way of a continued allegorie, the chiefe malefactors disturbing both church and common-wealth, are detected and attached; with their arraignment, and iudiciall triall, according to the lawes of england. the spirituall vse thereof, with an apologie for the manner of handling, most necessary to be first read, for direction in the right vse of the allegory thorowout, is added in the end. by r.b. ... bernard, richard, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc estc s this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the isle of man: or, the legall proceeding in man-shire against sinne wherein, by way of a continued allegorie, the chiefe malefactors disturbing both church and common-wealth, are detected and attached; with their arraignment, and iudiciall triall, according to the lawes of england. the spirituall vse thereof, with an apologie for the manner of handling, most necessary to be first read, for direction in the right vse of the allegory thorowout, is added in the end. by r.b. ... bernard, richard, - . the fourth edition much enlarged. [ ], , [ ] p. printed [by eliot's court press and george miller] for edw. blackmore, at the great south doore of pauls, london : . r.b. = richard bernard. the "isle of man" in this work is an allegorical place. eliot's court press printed signatures a-k; miller printed the rest (stc). with final pages of contents and a postscript. cf. folger catalogue, which gives signatures: a-p¹² . reproduction of the original in the henry e. huntington library and art gallery. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by 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to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - ali jakobson sampled and proofread - ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the isle of man : or , the legall proceeding in man-shire against sinne . wherein , by way of a continued allegorie , the chiefe malefactors disturbing both church and common-wealth , are detected and attached ; with their arraignment , and iudiciall triall , according to the lawes of england . the spirituall vse thereof , with an apologie for the manner of handling , most necessary to be first read , for direction in the right vse of the allegory thorowout , is added in the end . by r. b. rector of batcomb . somers . the fourth edition much enlarged . london , printed for edw. blackmore , at the great south doore of pauls . . to the right worshipfull , sr. thomas thynne , knight , and to his religiously-affected ladie , the lady katherine thynne : all sauing graces in the blessed way vnto eternall comforts are vnfainedly wished . right worshipfull , since your departure , and now returne to longleate , ( where the poore feele your mercies in set times of releefe and daily almes , and your tenants and common neighbouring inhabitants good entertainment at the generall time of great house keeping ) it was my hap to trauell into , and thorowout the whole isle of man : now its vsuall with trauellers to discourse of their iourneying , and to relate their obseruations . and therefore let none obiect & say vnto mee that of persius , scire tuum nihil est , nisi te scire hoc sciat alter : for i found good in my paines taking : and bonum is communicativum & sui diffusivum , and so quo communius , eo melius . in my very entrance , and afterwards euery where i found written that old ancient precept , nosce teipsum . this lesson i began to take out with diligent obseruation . and it brought to my mind the apostles charge , quisque explorat seipsum , which i laboured to put in practice , and so sought my selfe in my selfe ; for i remembred that saying long since learned , orbis quisque sibi , nec te quaesiueris extra . thus my trauell became very profitable to mee ; and the variety of sights withall procured delight , and turned my paines into pleasure . in my trauelling , i came to the county towne , or chiefest seat there , called soule : where i rested for some time , because it fell out to be the assise weeke for all that iland . where i specially marked how in all things they proceeded against malefactors , according to the lawes of england : in this onely lyeth the difference : there is neuer but one iudge , whereas wee haue euer two appointed in euery circuit , as wee haue now in this westerne , very honorable and religious iudges , quos honoris causa , non possum non nominare , sir iohn walter , lord chiefe baron , and sir iohn denham , another worthy baron of the exchequer , louers of vertue and iustice . and indeed , such ought iudges to be , as was and is this iudge in man. he is a iudge of iethroes choice , & verax , & dei timens , & osor turpis lucri . hee is diuinely giuen , prudent , impartiall , and very quicke ( vpon good information ) in dispatch of causes . hee was worthily attended , as he ought euer to bee , with a worthy sheriffe , with iustices of peace , knights and esquires , gentlemen of singular note and fame in that countrie . this i heard of them , and it appeared by their practice , that they all stand for the maintenance of the lawes , they see their soueraigne well serued , iustice duly obserued , and iudgement executed accordingly . they neuer side with any , for they hate faction : pride and enuy , two restlesse make-bates , who for notorious misdemeanour , i saw bound to the good behauiour . so as now there a caesar-like spirit , patitur superiorem , & a pompey suum parem . they runne all one course , and as true israelites , quasi vir vnus , for publike good . therefore doe the people liue in peace , the land prospereth , iustice flourisheth , vertue is exalted , vice suppressed , and the enemies at home and abroad made to feare . the whole discourse of this excellent order , and carefull proceedings there by me obserued , from my first entrance vnto the end , i am bold here to present vnto your worships , whom i haue now found diligent readers of holy scripture , addicted to priuate prayer , besides set forme for the whole family , to be entertainers of the preachers of gods word , giuing freely to such , benefices as they hap to be void , not being seduced by mens offering large summes to procure aduousons afore hand , as too many patrons bee in these daies . now the lord god almighty hearten you in , and to these things more & more , and to euery other good grace , that may liuely demonstrate to the world the power of sauing knowledge , in the vse of gods abundant earthly blessings so largely bestowed vpon you , with which earnest prayer vnto god for you , and for a blessing vpon these my endeuours to further the same , i humbly take leaue . your worships in all christian seruices , at command , richard bernard . batcombe , may . the avthors earnest requests . first , to the worthy reader , whosoeuer , to whom let me but say thus much of this discourse and allegoricall narration ; that in it sunt bona , sunt quaedam mediocria , sunt mala nulla : yet if any thing may seeme distastfull , let thy minde be to take it well , as caesars was , to interpret well the seeming offensiue carriage of one accius the poet towards him , and thou wilt not be displeased . thy good minde will preuent the taking of an offence , where none is intended to be giuen . in discouery , attaching , arraigning and condemning of finne , i tax the vice , and not any mans person : so as i may say with one , hunc seruare modum nostri nouere libelli , parcere personis , discere de vitijs . thou hast heere towards the end of this discourse , the tryall and iudgement vpon foure notorious malefactors . two of them the very prime authors of all the open rebellion , or secret conspiracies , which at any time euer were in that iland : the other two were the principall abettours and the chiefest supporters of them . their names , their natures , and their mischieuous practices , thou mayest find at large in the narration . there should haue beene , at that assises with these , the arraignment of certaine suspected witches : but this was preuented , because the grand-iurie gentlemen could not agree to bring in their billa vera : for that they made question of diuers points , whereof they could not be resolued at that present . . whether the afflicted did suffer by onely some violent diseases in nature , producing strange effects , like practices of witch-craft ? which for want of a iudicious physitian they could not discerne . . whether the afflicted were a counterfeit , as was one marwood , the boy of bilson , and one mary brosier ? or that he or she hauing some natural disease , did make vse thereof , and counterfeited the rest , as one mainy did , who was troubled with the hysterica passio ? . whether being a disease supernaturall , yet might come vpon the afflicted by the operation of the deuill , without the association of a witch , as it happened to iob , and others in the euangelists ? or that the afflicted hath a deuill , and is a witch , and hath by his or her owne wayes , brought this euill vpon him or her , without the practice of any other witch ? . whether they might proceed vpon meere presumptions against the suspected , or rather stay till they had more certaine and grounded pro●fet ? . whether they could ( none of them being read in any learned tractates touching the practices of witches ) rightly examine the suspected to finde out a witch , and so to bring him or her deseruedly vnder the power of authority ? there is now come forth , by the leaue of authority , a guide to grand-iury men in cases of witch-craft ; my suit is , that they would be pleased to accept of my well-meaning therein . in which all these points before are fully handled ; as also , that there are witches ; who are most subiect to be made witches . how they prepare themselues for the deuill : how satan draweth thē to a league , & becommeth familiar with them . that there are good witches , and the signes to know them . that there are bad witches , and how then practise , and what it is that they can doe , and how many things must concurre in bewitching . what are the signes to know one to be bewitched . that witches may be detected . what are strong presūptions of a witch . what are the certaine euidences against such an one . how throughly to examine a witch : with many other particulars set forth in distinct chapters , fully , and yet with great breuity . the death of fiue brethren and sisters , lately condemned and executed for witches , one more yet remaining , formerly brought before a iudge , and now in danger to bee questioned againe , hath mooued mee to take this paine , not to preuent iustice , nor to hinder legall proceedings ; but that i may not be mistaken nor wronged , as i was once , and more should haue beene , had not the wisdome and goodnesse of so reuerend a iudge accepted graciously of my vpright apologie against vaine accusers . i made a petition then to my lord the iudge , to the worthy then m. sheriffe , and to all the worshipfull of the bench then present , which i am bold to renew againe more publikely , and that now this third time , because it pleased that reuerend iudge so well to like thereof , & to second it , and is wished of many to finde some good effect at the length . the state of poore prisoners is well knowne , and how their soules safety is neglected : and yet our sauiour gaue such a testimony to a penitent theefe , as hee neuer gaue to any mortall man else ; for he told him , that he should be that day with him in paradise . how blessed a worke would it be , to haue maintenance raised for a learned , godly , and graue diuine , that might attend to instruct thē daily ? twelue pence a quarter , of one parish with another in our countie , would encourage some compassionate holy man thereunto : and what is this ? not a mite out of euery mans purse to saue soules . if with this instruction there should bee meanes to set them also on worke , they might get somewhat for food , for raiment . they might so preuent the miserable fruits of sloth ; their mindes would bee imployed , their bodies bee preserued in health , and not pine away , and be consumed with vermine . yea , enforced labour there , would terrifie loose vagrants , lazie wanderers , and the idle rout , from turning the eues , more then either imprisonment or death hitherto hath done . and besides , such as should escape , would by this heauenly meanes of instruction , and bodily labour , become , through gods mercy , more profitable members in the commō-weale afterwards : whereas now they become twice more the children of belial , than they were before . oh , let me be hold earnestly to beseech you , and in all humility to craue your mercifull and tender bowels of compassion towards them . and first of you ( right honourable my lords the iudges ) who sit as gods among men , to giue iudgement vpon this so wretched , and so miserable a generation of mankinde : that , if they die , they may be more ready with all patience and submission of spirit , to receiue their iust reward , and your doome of death vpon them : or , if they be acquitted , and so liue , they may learne afterwards to liue the life of good christians , and so make a good vse of their deliuerance . and would not this reioyce your hearts , to forward such a worke , when your lordships doe know , that the blessed angels doe reioyce at the conuersion of sinners ? next of you ( worthy master sheriffe ) vnder whose wisedome , religious affection , tender mercies , and powerfull habilities the prison , and the prisoners be for the time present . shall not this worke set forward by you , be vnto you an euerlasting remembrance ? then of all you ( right worshipfull the worthy iustices of our country ) by whose authority these offenders are sent vnto prison . oh that it might not displease you , to heare me calling vpon you by name , who , i hope , are well-minded to such a blessed and charitable a worke . yee deseruedly honoured knights , sir george speke , sir iohn stowel , sir francis popham , sir henry barkley , sir iohn windham , sir iohn horner , sir edward rodney , and sir robert george ; and may i not here also name the worthily esteemed of their country , though not at this present in commission with you , sir ralph hopton , sir robert philips , sir charles barkley , and sir edward barkley ? all to be graciously pleased to commiserate their lamentable case , and to helpe forward this worke of pietie and pitie towards prisoners ? o yee other worthies of your country no lesse generously affected , iohn powlet , robert hopton , edward rogers , george lutterell , iohn may , fra. baber , ro. cuffe , tho. breerton , io. coles , william francis , rice dauys , thomas windham , iohn harrington , io. harbin , william capel , and anth. stocker esquires , let the bowels of compassion compasse you about , that you may affect this so good a deed , and be honoured for euer in bringing to passe so rare a charitie . the worke surely would blesse you all . alas , the prison now is a very picture of hell , and ( more is the pitie ) as the case now stands , is no lesse than a preparatiue thereto , for want of daily instruction . it would be , by a faithfull ministery and bodily imploiment of them , a house of correction with instruction , and so happily the way of life . then might charity quicken vp iustice to send offenders obstinately persisting in euill , and abusing their liberty , vnto prison , in good hope of their reformation . the losse of their corporall liberty , might through gods mercy , then gaine them spirituall freedome : health by labour would be preserued , and their soules by wholsome instruction saued . the father of our lord iesus christ , perswade your well-disposed hearts , to such an vnbegun worke , among so many good deeds very famous in this renowned nation . the spirit of the lord god of heauen and earth rest vpon you , to cause you to affect this , and in time to effect the same , by stirring vp the country , and by your owne mercies in your life times , you giuing , and at your deaths bequeathing something thereunto . euen so be it , and the lord god almighty be with you all herein , amen . my suit is to euerie keeper of a prison , if they bee no kinne to master newman , the gaoler in this discourse , that yet they would take acquaintance of him , and become better knowne to him . that their prisoners may by their vertues and religious care , bee betier disposed . my request to poore prisoners is , to redeeme their time ill spent ; to call to god for mercie and pardon : and to moue them hereunto , let them in serious meditation put themselues in minde of these things . . that their libertie abused , god hath by the hand of authoritie taken from them , as vnworthy to liue freely in a common-wealth . . that as they neglected and despised spirituall meanes of saluation , they are now depriued thereof . . that as before they delighted onely with wicked companie , now are they shut vp one with another together . . that their ragges are ensignes to them of their ragged conditions . . that their filth and ver mine telleth them of their filthie conuersation , and their many sinnes and corruptions . . that their want of food is a punishment for such of them , as haue abused gods blessings to gluttony , drunkennesse , and the fruits thereof , wantonnesse , and filthy vncleannesse . . that their prison is as it were , a picture of hell , to minde them of their end , whither they are going , if they doe not amend . . that their expecting of the assises , is an instruction to look for iesus , the iudge of all the world . . that their chaines , fetters and bolts teach them to consider the nature of their sinnes , which hold them bound to answer at the barre of gods iustice . . that their desire of life by a psalme of mercie , should moue them to desire eternall life , through the mercies of god in iesus christ , who will be gracious to euery true beleeuing penitent : which graces ( poore prisoners ) god send you : and feare onely to die eternally . before i end , i haue a suit to all that professe the law , that if in this allegorie , fetched from such termes , as be better knowne to them , than to my selfe , i doe mistake , they would be pleased to passe ouer that , and make vse with me of the spirituall sense , which is the drift of my labour herein . and so at the length , i take leaue , with my prayer to god for the peace of ierusalem , and for a prosperous successe to all that loue the israel of god , with our countreyes glorie and safetie . amen . the isle of man , or , the legall proceedings in man-shire . lament . . . let vs search & try our waies . the lamenting prophet ieremie in his daies full of lamentation and mourning , seeing and also partaking with others of those miseries , which befell the state of the iewes , iustly procured at gods hands for their sins , doth heere giue them aduice what was best to be done , that in this their distresse god might shew them mercy ; and that was to repent and turne vnto the lord , to the effecting whereof , hee counselleth them . things laid downe in my text. . to search out sinne , . and to put it to triall . in the handling whereof i will proceed as heere wee doe against a lewd and wicked malefactor , legally , according to the lawes of this realme . the first part of my text is to search : wee know , that when one hath offended the lawes , hath committed any felonic , murther , treason , or done any outrage , for which hee is to be apprehended , hee presently flying & hiding himselfe , is pursued , and sought after ; diligēt search is made to attach him . the malefactor heere which doth so much harm on euery one , euery where without ceasing , is sinne. this is a notable theefe and robber , daring to set vpon any . hee robbeth god of his honour , and man of gods fauour . this theefe stole from angels their excellency of glory , from our first parents their innocencie . this is hee that robbeth vs of our graces , the spirituall money which we haue in the purses of our heart , to helpe vs in our iourney to heauen . this villaine bereaueth vs of our goods , driueth away our cattell , spoileth vs of euery temporall blessing , of our health , our peace , our liberty , and plenty . he it is that vtterly vndoeth vs , and maketh our estate miserable , that we cannot thriue in any thing , body or soule . this is a murthering theefe , wheresoeuer hee breaketh in , by day or by night , there will hee either kill or be killed ; man and sinne cannot both liue together . most bloudily cruell hee is , for hee will spare none . he slayeth the hoarie head , and killeth the tender mother with the new-borne babe . hee regardeth no person , no sex , no age , of so murtherous a disposition is he , and so inhumanely barbarous . he is a very strong theefe , no human power can subdue him ; hee taketh man and bindeth him : for iniquitie taketh the wicked , and holdeth him with the cords of his owne sinnes . he will beare rule where hee commeth , all must obey him . he will command the reason , reigne ouer the will , and swagger ouer the affections , and leade captiue the whole man , and make him seruiceable to his lusts ; yea , and make him spend his whole estate to maintaine him in his lustfull humors ; whether it be in pride , or drunkennesse , or gluttony , or idlenesse , or whoredome , or whatsoeuer else it is ; he both must and will haue maintenance , else will hee set all on fire : for wickednesse burneth as fire . this is an vngratefull and mischieuous theefe : for let any entertaine him and fauour him , he will worke their ouerthrow . yea , so vile a villain is he , that the more any make of him , the worse hee is to them : for , hee with-holds all good from them , hee procureth mischiefes to light vpon them . hee keepeth out grace from hauing any entertainment . hee smothereth conscience for speaking ; hardeneth the heart for feeling ; blindeth the iudgment frō discerning ; stoppeth the eare from hearing any good counsell ; lameth the feet from walking in gods paths ; benummeth the hands from doing duties of charitie , and maketh the tongue to falter in speaking of holy things . neither yet doth he this onely ; but he worketh enmitie betwixt his fauourite & his best friend , euen betweene god and his own conscience . and to make vp the height of his mischiefe ; the more to strengthen himselfe against his foolish and vnhappie friend , hee , at vnawares to him , letteth in , and that into the best room , ( euen the heart ) his great and most deadly enemy the deuill . thus couetousnes did let him into iudas heart , and set him on work to betray christ . flatterie let him into the hearts of the false prophets , to deceiue ahab . carelesnesse lets him in , to hinder the fruit of the word . losse of gods graces lets him in , & seuen worse with him , to ruine a man vtterly . hypocriticall vain-glory , and couetousnesse did let him into the hearts of ananias and saphira : for vain-glorie made them sell all , to make a shew to bee like barnabas : but couetousnes with vnbeleefe aduised them to withhold some of the money , lest they should happen to want : but how to do this , & keep their credit they knew not ; therefore hypocrisie , vaine-glory , couetousnesse , and vnbeleefe called in satan , to heare his counsell ; who taught them to lie vnto the holy ghost , but to the death of them both . thus wee see , what an vngratefull villaine sinne is to his best friends . lastly , this theefe is a pestilent subtile theefe . sinne is deceitfull ; it beguiled adam , dauid and salomon : yea , saint paul , one once rapt vp into the third heauen , doth acknowledge that it deceiued him . and whom hath it not deceiued ? he is therefore carefully to be auoided and taken heed of : and this robbing , murthering , strong , vngrateful , mischieuous and subtill theefe diligently to be sought out . but before search can be made , a watch must bee set to espy him out , that he may be attached . the watch-man appointed for this purpose , is godly iealousie , who hath euer an holy suspicion of a mans owne waies , lest in any thing , at any time , he should mis-behaue himselfe . this vigilant watchman hath with him two assistants , euer to accompany him ; the one is loue-good , a zealous fellow for god & good duties : the other is hate-ill , an angry and waspish fellow , and of a fierce countenance against sinne . these three euer keepe together , so as sinne cannot so cunningly enter , but they can as quickly espie him , and as speedily pursue him , and put him to flight . the place where these are set watchmen , is called soules-towne , a towne of great resort , a thorow-fare , neuer without trauellers , ill motions , day and night ; and the posts , which are satans suggestions , euer and anon passe thorow , and many at the common inne , the heart , take vp their lodgings . this towne is very spacious and large , for besides many back-sides , by-lanes , and out-corners , there are foure great streets : sensestreet , thought-street , wordstreet and deed-street ; in some of which this lewd companion sinne , and his cope-mates will be found wandering . when the watch is set , they haue a charge giuen them by one in authority , which is this ; keepe thy soule diligently : and withall to haue a watchfull eye to the inne , and to take heedlest at any time there be an heart of infidelitie to depart from the liuing god : commanding also the watch-men to exhort one another daily , lest their hearts be hardened with the deceitfulnesse of sinne . these watch-men haue also a watch-word giuen them , euen a word of preuenting grace ; saying to them , this is the way , walke in it , when they are turning to the right hand , or to the left . to this watch-word , godly-iealousie with his associates doe willingly attend , keeping carefully the watch , so as the theefe is descried , & presently they make hue and crie after him . this hue and crie is written by the bible clark , and containeth infallible markes to discouer sinne , whereby it may bee certainly knowne ; and they are these : by the law of the ten commandements : for by it commeth the knowledge of sinne : for euery failing in that which is commanded , and euery thought , word & deed against that which is forbidden , is sin . by euery exhortation to vertue , and euery dehortation from vice : being appendices to the commandements , shewing what we ought to doe , and what ought to be shunned and auoided of vs. by euery threatning which is the word of gods displeasure for sinne. by punishments inflicted , which is certainly gods hand for sinne ; for were hee not prouoked by sinne , hee would not afflict vs. by the humble confession of such as haue acknowledged their sinnes in particular . by plaine accusations laying sinnes to mens charge , isai . . , &c. by reproofes & checks for sinne , chron. . . by places numbring vp sinnes by name in sundry scriptures , rom. . , , , . tim. . , . tim. . , &c. cor. . . galathians . , , . reu. . . pro. . . mich. . . by the description of sinne , shewing what it is , as in . ioh. . . & . . ro. . . pro. . . & . . & . . by the description of godly men negatiuely , by such things as they ought to auoid , as in psal . . . & . . . & . . ezek. . , . isa . . . psal . . . & . . lastly , by the description of wicked men , by their bad qualities and conditions , psal . . , . & . . . & . . the hue and cry thus set out , it is carried by the spirit of supplication , crying mightily to the lord for grace & mercy to helpe in time of need , as dauid did ; who saw sinne before him , and then made hee hue and cry , saying : haue mercy vpon mee , o lord , according to thy louing kindnesse , according to the multitude of thy mercie doe away all mine offences . this hue and cry must not be let slip at any hand , but be carried along in the pursuit , lest in following of sinne , men be deceiued , and solid vertues bee attached in stead of vices . for this wee must know , as vices haue not a few friends , ( as after shall bee shewed , ) so vertues haue many enemies ready to informe against them , that they may be pursued after as malefactors , that sinne in the meane while may seeke shelter and escape : and the enemies are these : one mr. out-side , in the inside a carnall securitan , a fellow that will come to his church , keepe his sundaies and holy-daies : but yet in the congregation while hee sitteth among others , sometimes he is nodding , and sometimes fast a sleepe ; and if he abide waking , then is his mind wandring abroad , so as he remaineth still ignorant , without any effectuall power of the word ; and being out of the church , hee is presently vpon his worldly businesse . this fellow cannot abide any after-meditation , or christian conference with others of that which he hath heard ; and if hee espie any meeting together for this purpose , then he maketh information against them , and is readie to send the hue and cry , as against a priuy schismaticall conuenticling , and vnlawfull meeting . this is a vulgar ignoramus , and a blockish aduersarie . the second is , sir worldly-wise , a very foole to god , a selfe-conceited earth-worme , whose wisdome is from below , and therefore sensuall , earthly , and deuillish , who proudly with much disdaine , condemneth and contemneth the wisdom which is from aboue , pure and peaceable , sincere and charitable ; and is ready to send the hue and crie after it , as after foolish and doting simplicitie . the third is sir luke-warm : this fellow is a temporizing time-seruer , iacke on both sides , he is all in the praise of moderation and discretion , one very indifferent between this & that : hee cannot endure feruent zeale , but would haue hue and crie sent against it , as against a fiery mad-brain'd rashnesse . the fourth is sir plausible ciuill , a fashionable fellow , framed to a commēdable outward behauiour for ciuility , but in matter of religion he hath no more , but what he hath by common education , custome , and example of others . to the life of religion hee is a stranger : strict seruing of god , and a more narrow search of our waies , he holds to bee foolish scrupulosity , and is desirous to haue the hue and crie sent out against it , as against phantasticall precisenesse . the fift is , master machiauell , a mischieuous companion : all for policy , little for piety , and then in pretence only : hee is a very iehu , zealous against baal , to root out ahabs posterity , for the more sure settling of the kingdome to him and his : but in state idolatry , a very ieroboam , to keepe the kingdome from being reunited to iudah . he cannot suffer gainfull abuses to be reformed : but if any attempt any such thing , he accuseth them for factious turbulent spirits , & so would he haue the hue and crie made against their endeuours as against some puritanicall tricke . the sixt is one libertine : this licentious fellow hath a chiuerell conscience , caring for nothing but how to passe on along his life in pleasurable contentments . religion by him is held to be but a deuised policy to keep men in awe of a deity ; and therefore when he seeth religion to be made conscience of , he presently causeth hue and cry to be made against it , as against hypocrisie . this prophane enemy laugheth at , and mocketh at christianity . the seuenth is , scrupulosity : this is an vnsociable and a snappish fellow , he maketh sinnes to himselfe more than the law condemneth , and liueth vpon fault-finding . weaker apprehension is his father , and mis-vnderstanding his mother , and an vncharitable heart his nurse . the vse of christian liberty , if it bee more in his conceit than he pleaseth to like wel of , then would hee haue the hue and cry sent against it as against carnall security . this is a riged and censorious aduersary . . the eight is the babling babylonian : this is a doating companion , and superstitiously foolish : hee boasteth of antiquitie , though his waies be nouelty : yet hee will haue it the old religion , and if any forsake it as idolatry , those he condemneth for schismatikes , and labours to haue the hue and cry sent out against all reformation in christiā churches as against heresie . this is a bloudy antichristian aduersary . these are the principall informers ( for i passe by petty companions ) which endeuour to misleade the pursuer of sinne , and to set him to attach very eminent and excellent vertues for vices . therefore it is necessary to haue sinne set out by marks infallible in the hue and crie : else this subtill villaine sinne will craftily beguile the pursuer , and will escape either by the shifts which hee can make to deceiue him , or by his many friends hee hath to keepe him from being apprehended . the shifts which commonly a theefe maketh to escape in his flying away , are two : is his counterfeiting the habit of an honest man : so sinne craftily putteth vpon himselfe the shew of vertue , as iehu did piety , for the getting of a kingdome , and establishing of it to himselfe : whose sinne was couered with a pretended & hypocriticall zeale for the lord. ananias and saphira made shew of liberality like that of barnabas , not discernable till peter discouered it . for as satan can transforme himselfe into an angell of light , and his apostles into the apostles of christ : so can sinne , the seed of satan , put vpon it selfe the counterfeit of vertue . a theefe will alter his name , and by assuming the name of an honest man oftentimes escape away ; and after this manner also escapeth sinne , vice getting vpon it the name of vertue . and so drunkennes escapeth vnder the name of good-fellowship ; couetousnes vnder the name of good-husbandry ; filthy ribaldry , vnder the name of merriment ; pride of apparell , vnder the name of decency and handsomnes ; bloudy reuenge for wrongs offered , escapeth vnder the name of valour . foolish wastfulnes , vnder the name of a franke and liberall disposition ; superstition vnder the name of deuotion of fore-fathers and the old religion . remisnesse in punishing , vnder the name of gentlenesse ; flattery , vnder the name of vnoffensiuenes ; luke-warmnes in religion , vnder the praise of discretion ; and many such like foule vices , do thus deceitfully hide themselues , and so escape vnattached . if by these his shifts hee cannot escape godly-iealousie , that constant pursuer , then will he seek to be holpen by his kindred and friends : for sin hath many , who will either so defend him , or excuse him , or deny him , or hide him , or make him so little in fault , as will almost perswade godly-iealousie , that it is euen needlesse so eagerly to pursue after him . the first of these is his grandsire-ignorance ; for he knowes no sinne , he cannot reade the hue and cry : he breedeth sin , and bringeth him vp , and maketh no conscience of it : if sinne get into his house , he holds himself safe enough . the second , his brother error , the sonne of ignorance ; this fellow mistaketh all , and misconstrueth the whole hue and cry , and can finde no fault with sin , and so endeuoureth to send the pursuer another way . the third is his cousin opinion , and this will hold the pursuer with a long and tedious disputation , questioning the act , whether it bee a sinne or no ? and will endeuour by probabilities to make it no sinne , that so hee might make the pursuer to desist . thus sinnes of profit and such as may preuent certaine dangers are disputed , pro & con , as men say . the sinne of vsury by many is brought vnder opinion , as lawfull some way . so the sinne of idolatry , to goe and heare a masse without inward reuerence , as it was disputed in queene maries daies , to preuent the eminent danger of death then ; many sins euident enough are made disputable if they yeeld profit , or be delight-some to the flesh , or such as may helpe to keepe a mans person or state in safety ; for all these opinion will be a proctor . the fourth is , one master subtiltie , his wit being attended on by little conscience of the truth . this man commeth with his distinctions to cleere an act from sinne ; thus with his latria & doulia , he will haue idolatry no idolatry : so with his biting and not biting , and lending to the rich vpon vse , but not to a needy brother , damned vsurie must bee no sinne. this subtilty of wit with a chiuerell conscience , maketh foule sinnes to passe along as no sinnes . the fift is called custome ; this old syre , patronizeth many vaine and sinfull practices . by this the iewes held it no sinne in them to demand , and in pilate to let loose to them , a wicked barrabas , one worthy to die for insurrection and murther . the sixt is a popish fellow called fore-fathers : hee aduanceth his ancestors and their worth , and thinketh so well of them , that to imitate them is no sinne . thus the samaritanes iustified their false worship . the seuenth is one sir power ; he maketh euer that warrantable , which law establisheth , ordaineth and decreeth . great and capitall sinnes in the romish synagogue are thus countenanced . the eight is sir sampler , who produceth for patternes great mens and learned mens examples , as if they could not doe amisse : but whatsoeuer they doe or say , it must be good and lawfull , and therefore imitable without sinne . the ninth is sir most-doe , who maintaineth sinne from a generall practice , because multitudes do it here , and there , and euery where ; & therefore no sinne to doe such a thing , which almost all , or the greatest part doe . the tenth is one sir silly , one made all of good meaning , who will qualifie the fact by thinking no harme , or intending well . thus would saul haue iustified his rebellion , and abimelech excused his taking of abrahams wife . and thus vaine persons excuse their wanton communication , lasciuious songs , foolish iestings , and such like , saying , they meane no harme , they only make themselues merry . thus sir silly is hee that maketh simple soules plead good meaning for all their foolish superstitions , blind deuotions , and licentious merriments . the eleuenth is vaine-hope : this teacheth to put off the fault to some other , as adam to euah , and euah to the serpent , and to deny the fact , as cain did , euen to god himselfe , hereby hoping to shift off sinne , and to escape punishment , who maketh god all of mercy . the twelfth is the lord presumption : hee feareth not iudgement , he blesseth himselfe in his euill waies , he maketh a couenant with death , and a league with hell , and suffers sinne to be his daily guest , and will let the hue and crie passe along without any feare of perill , as nothing at all concerning him . the thirteenth is sir wilfull , hating to be reformed : this is an obstinate friend for sinne , who will wilfully defend it , and bee carelesse of all reproofes . this fellow in contempt will tread downe the hue and crie vnder his feet , and maintaine sinne . the foureteenth is sir st. like , which vnder the shew and shadow of piety , and pretended honesty , wil couer much iniquity , and hide it for a time , that it be not taken by the pursuer with the hue and cry ; such were the hypocriticall scribes and pharises . these great ones , and many other moe , are the friends of this theefe and rebell : but yet for all these fauourites , godly-iealousie espies him out , and his harbour , and presently goeth to a iustice of peace , to procure a warrant for the constable to attach him , and all his companions with him . the iustice is not one of a meane ranke , or any petty iustice , but the very lord chiefe iustice of heauen and earth , the lord iesus : for it is hee that can giue the warrant to attach sinne , no other warrant will sinne obey . the warrant is the power of gods word . the forme of which warrant is , ( as you see in my text ) to search out and attach sinne with all his associates , and to bring him and them before authoritie , to answer to such things as shall bee obiected against them , in his maiestie the king of heauens behalfe . the procuring of this warrant , is by going vnto , and conferring with some of the lord chiefe iustices secretaries , the writers of holy scripture , setting downe this charge , as ieremie doth here , to search and try our waies . this warrant procured , godly-iealousie taketh and carrieth to an officer which hath authority to make search and attach sinne . this officer , without which sin neither can , nor indeed will be attached , is vnderstanding , who knoweth what sinne is . now as there bee foure sorts of officers which may attach felons by warrant , the deputy-constable , the tithingman , the petty constable , and the head constable : so is the spirituall officer fourefold . the deputy-constable is commonly some neighbour , intreated to performe the office in the others absence : this is the very shadow of a constable , and will not willingly intermeddle in any thing : so as the people where hee dwels , may do , for all him , what they list . this deputie constable in this spirituall towneship , is the vnderstanding darkened , the sonne of ignorance , and grand-childe of blindnesse of heart : this is a blinde constable , and hath neuer an eye to see with . this suffers all disorder in the whole man or soule-towne-ship . heere be such as bee alienated from the life of god , past feeling , giuen ouer to worke all vncleannes with greedinesse . all the affections are quite out of order , and no care taken for their reformation : for this foolish fellow imploieth himselfe about his grounds , cattell , sheepe and oxen , about buying and selling ; as for the estate of his soule , he is to it a very stranger : he knowes the price of corne , oxen , and sheepe ; but what is the excellencie of vertue , what the euill of vice , what the price of his soule , hee neither knowes , nor cares to know . the tithingman , which commonly is a meane fellow , and so contemptible , as few or none care for him . and therefore hereupon is very little or no reformation where hee hath his dwelling . if any amendment be sought , it is onely for some notorious shameful misdemeanours , and he must be much called vpon for this too , else no reformation thereof ; and as for many other offences , there is no care had at all . this tithing-man is grosse-vnderstanding , like one purblinde , who cannot see a farre off , but only grosse transgressions forbidden in the law , according to the sound of the bare letter only ; as theft , murther , adultery , and so forth . the spirituall meaning and large extent of the commandement , hee is wholly ignorant of . this purblinde tythingman suffers a number of disorders in his towneship , and must be much vrged to see very grosse and foule misdemeanours ; else will hee not seeke to reforme them . . the petty constable , which is some ciuill honest man of the parish , and perhaps hath some country learning , but yet is an one-eyed fellow , halfe-sighted , and so passeth by many faults . this pettie constable is the vnderstanding somewhat cleered : hee hath an insight into the morall law , who by ciuill education , some art and learning , & an outward forme of religion , and reading in the bible now and then , can speake of the gospell historically , and prettily discourse of religion . but this his knowledge is onely superficiall , for neither in the common-law , which is the law morall , neither in the statute law , the law of the gospell , or law of libertie , is he any professed student . hee is no innes of court man , neuer brought vp in the inner temple . he maketh neither the common , nor statute law his profession . as he is no student in these , so he is no practitioner , but onely aimeth at ciuill behauiour , common honestie , and careth to be held onely a christian at large , and to professe the religion of the present state , without any more curious endeuour to proceede farther to finde out the power of religion . therefore where this kinde of vnderstanding dwelleth , there care is had onely to see to disorders against ciuill honesty and common morall duties , and against courses apparantly dangerous to his outward estate ; and those things which may offend the most or the greatest sort amongst men . this halfe-sighted constable , a superficiall fellow in diuine truth , aimeth at no more . the sinnes immediately against god and against his gospell , as vnbeleefe , impatience , pride , disdaine , enuy at other mens gifts , presumption of gods mercie , abuse of his fauours , and many such , he taketh no notice of , but permitteth them to liue where he hath to do , without controule . the head or chiefe constable is a man of a right and good vnderstanding , knowing his office , and the duties thereto belonging , with care and conscience to discharge the same : for he is studious in both laws , and a good practitioner therein . this chiefe constable is illuminated vnderstanding : this is one , that hath both his eyes to see with , of nature and of grace , hee is well read , both in the common-law , the law-morall , and the statute-law , the law of liberty , the gospell of christ , he hath been a long practitioner in both , and is called the spirituall man , who can discerne and iudge of all things . the place of his common abode and dwelling , is in regeneration , a very healthfull , comfortable & commodious habitation . hee is no straggler , but loueth to keepe home , and to looke to his office . hee hath an excellent family , his wife is called grace , his two sonnes , will and obedience ; his three daughters , faith , hope , and charitie ; his two seruants , humility and selfe-deniall ; and his two maids , temperance for his summer-house of prosperity , and patience for his winter-house of aduersitie . this chiefe constable , where hee dwels , keepeth very good order , hee suffereth not the rebell sin to rule and swagger in the towne ship of his soule . if drunkennes , as once in noah , or adulterie , as once in dauid , or pride of heart , as once in hezekiah , or enuie , as once in mirriam , or such like happen to bee found where hee hath to doe , he speedily sendeth them packing . for though they may at vnawares perhaps creepe in , and bee found where hee dwelleth , in some street of his towne , yet they get there no abiding place : though hee cannot euer and at all times preuent their creeping in , yet hee alwaies taketh care that they settle not themselues where hee hath to doe , but will dislodge them whersoeuer he shall finde them : for hee is very careful in his office , to discharge it to the vtmost . this chiefe constable is hee to whom godly-ielousie bringeth his warrant , to seeke out the rebell sinne and to attach him . this constable hauing receiued the warrant , presently addresseth himselfe to make the search . but for that sin is master full ( especially euery * capitall sin , which is attended on by many other ) and will not easily submit , but dare make opposition against authority , till hee be ouer-mastered : therefore this man takes with him sufficient companie , to watch sinne for escaping , to goe very strongly to attach him , and to hold him when they haue him , so as neuer a friend may dare to side with him . first , he taketh his owne two seruants , humility and selfe-deniall , which euer in euery search necessarily attend him . then going together , hee calleth vpon his next neighbour , godly-sorrow with his seuen sonnes , ready to beare them company , cor. . . the first of these is care to finde out sinne , that it may not be hid . the second is cleering , which , when hee espieth sinne , will not winke thereat , nor partake with it . the third is indignation , a fierce fellow , which can neuer looke vpon any sinne , but with a godly anger . the fourth is feare , not naturall or dastardly feare , nor seruile feare , all too base-minded to attach sin ; but such a feare as maketh him to stand in awe of god , reiecting all fellowship with the wicked and partakers with sinne . the fift is vehement desire to apprehend sinne , to be in gods fauour , in loue with the godly , and free from his own corruptions . this is a stirring fellow . the sixth is zeale , who dare seaze vpon euen the most capitall rebell , for hee is like to phinees , ready to thrust him thorow , and to kill him wheresoeuer he findeth him . the seuenth is reuenge , who answereth to his name ; for hee desireth to pay sinne home for the wrong hee hath done him , and would haue him proceeded against to the vttermost . this fellow iustily layeth hold on sinne , and bindeth him at the chiefe constables command , to leade him away . these are able to take prisoner the sturdiest rogue , the stoutest rebell , & strongest theefe . what sinne in the soule is it , which this chiefe constable with his men , his neighbour godly sorrow , and his seuen sonnes cannot ouer-master , and leade by gods grace captiue , and make it the kings prisoner ? as the constable goeth with these his many neighbours , and with his own seruants , to the number of ten besides himselfe , a couple of busie fellowes vncalled thrust in themselues to increase the number . the one of these is selfe-loue , a pestilent fellow : for he not onely can hinder the constables diligence in taking paines to search , but in searching to be too partiall , and ouerrespectiue to himselfe , if the sinnes sought after be either pleasurable or profitable : but also withall , hee can dull the spirit of godly-sorrow , and doe his seuen sonnes very great mischiefe , as by their confessions afterward it doth appeare . therefore when the constable vnderstanding espieth him , hee commandeth forth with his seruant selfe-deniall to put him out of the company for hindering the search . the other is selfe-conceit ; the former lewd companion disordereth all the affections ; this blindeth iudgement , by the ouerweening of a mans selfe , and will picke the warrant out of the constables pocket , and will blow out the candle-light which is in the constables hand , if hee bee not preuented . this wretched fellow of all wise men is held a foole : for the way of the foole is wise in his owne eyes , and there is more hope of a foole than of him that is wise in his owne conceit ; and therefore are we dehorted from being wise in our owne eyes , or leaning to our owne wisdome ; and a woe is pronounced against such : yet is the foole a very dangerous foole , and a knaue too ; hee will so deceiue by flattery . hee will make a man beleeue his waies to be cleere in his owne eyes , when the end thereof is death . yea , can beguile a generation of men , and make them to thinke themselues pure in their owne eyes and sight , and yet are not washed from their filthinesse . such as conceited foole was the laodicean angell . the constable therefore commandeth his man humilitie , to thrust this foole and knaue out of their company , before they make search for sinne : for if these be suffered to goe along with the rest , labour is but lost , sinne will neuer bee found out and attached . now when the constable hath rid away these two troublesome companions , ( for they vsually go together ) then hee goeth on to the place where hee knoweth that sinne hath taken vp his lodging . the place is a common inne , an harlots house called mistris heart , a receptacle for all villaines , whores , and theeues , and for all dishonest persons whatsoeuer , none denied house-roome or harbour there . and that shee is such a dishonest woman , is cleere and euident , as in her arraignment shall be fully proued . but to couer her naughtinesse as much as she may , shee hath gotten into her house one called old-man , corrupted by her deceitfull lusts , to become her husband , when indeed she is his owne daughter ; and so liue they in incest together , and keepe rout and ryot night and day . if any honest traueller ( a good and godly motion ) happen sometimes to fall in there vnawares , hee is straightway denyed entertainment . her answer is by and by , that her lodgings are taken vp for other manner of men , there is no roome for any such troublesome guests as these be : none can bee merry for them where they come , hindering all good fellowship . the house which this harlotry dwelleth in , hath many in lets , fiue doores open for their guests to come in at . these fiue doores are the fiue senses . the first is the doore of hearing : the first that euer was open to let in sin , as wee may learne in the serpents beginning to tempt euah . at this doore entreth in lying , slandering , backbiting , filthy communication , flattery , swearing , error , heresie , false-doctrine , tale-bearing , blasphemie , and with these enter also ill opinions of one another , vnchari table iudging , ill-suspicion , rash credulity , and many other sinnes , caused and committed by the tongue , through want of wisdome and charity . the second is the doore of seeing , at this enter in the lusts of the eye ; fornication , adultery , couetousnesse , desire of naboths vineyard . the marriage of the sonnes of god with the daughters of men : achans theft , who saw a wedge of gold , and desired it , and tooke it : many are the sinnes which enter in by this doore , through want of chastity and contentment . the third is the doore of tasting ; at this enter in ryot , gluttony , drunkennesse , reuellings , and the fruits thereof , chambering and wantonnesse , prodigality , quarrelling , and fighting ; and many other cursed effects of seeking to satisfie the appetite : which the godly man auoideth , and also the very occasion thereof , by sobriety and temperance . the fourth is the doore of smelling ; at this enter in foolish niceties , perfumings , and other allurements to daliance , effeminatenesse , and such like . the fift is the doore of feeling ; at this doore entreth wantonnesse , lasciuiousnesse , and other fruits of the flesh . these be the doores by which all sinne ordinarily entereth into the heart , except originall sin bred within , and brought from the wombe ; as also sarans immediate suggestions , suddenly cast into the heart . when sinnes enter in , at any of these doores , they first come into the hall , where attendeth commonsense to welcome them . then they goe into a parlour , a more inner roome , and there stayeth fantasie to entertaine them . after this , they ascend into an vpper chamber , & are there receiued of intelligence , who presently acquainteth mistrisse heart , the mistrisse of the house with it , which is in her dyning-room , what are the company and number of her guests come in : for this hostesse is a stately dame , and is not to bee spoken with by and by . thus as you haue heard , are her guests entertained and brought in vnto her . with her are eleuen daughters attending her as maids , lewd strumpets , and as impudent harlots as her selfe . these eleuen waiting-maids , are the eleuen passions of the heart , corrupt , disorderly and immoderate wautons , which bee these . the first is loue , set all on pleasures , profits , honours , and wholly vpon worldly and fleshly vanities ; contrary to that in iohn . . loue not the world , nor the things that are in the world . the second is hatred , which is contrary to loue , setting it selfe against gods word , good men , & good things , a mischieuous maid euer setting one another at oddes , and disquieting often the whole house and the table of guests . the third is desire , neuer content , but would haue sometimes this , and then that , now here , now there , neuer resting , neuer satisfied with either riches or honours , or varietie of pleasures . the fourth is detestation , contrarie to desire , which loatheth and cannot endure good counsell , good companie , godly conference , much lesse reproofe or any opposition in her wayes . the fift is vaine-hope , which possessing the heart , maketh it foolishly presumptuous . the sixe is despaire , contrary to hope , which causeth acts against reason , against nature sometimes : as it did in achitophel , in saul , in zimri , in iudas , who killed themselues . it also maketh men runne into dissolute and rebellious courses , euen to walke wilfully on in euill , as being without hope . the seuenth is feare , which passion doth so slauishly captiuate the mind , as it will make a man forget his dutie to god , so as he may escape danger with men , as it did peter , and pilate : and is euer a false friend in aduersitie . the eighth is audacity , contrary to feare , which maketh a man foole-hardy , without deliberation to thrust himselfe into imminent dangers , as it did the israelites . the ninth is ioy , which cheereth a man when hee hath that which he delighteth in , be it neuer so ill , as it did the inhabitants of the earth at the destruction of the two prophets . the tenth is sorrow , contrarie to ioy , which afflicteth the soule , causing weeping and wailing , lamentation and mourning , often with an out-cry , as in the land of aegypt . the eleuenth is anger , which commeth vpon a man , not onely for apparent iniury , as on dauid against nabal , but vpon imagined wrongs , as on haman against mordecai , naaman against elisha , and ahab against micaiah . there is no passion contrarie to this : for though quietnesse be contrarie to anger , yet it s no passion : therefore they are but eleuen , as thomas aquinas reckons them . besides these attending very diligently on mistris heart , she hath a man-seruant called will. this will hath three at command vnder him , the feet , the hand , the tongue , like the hostler , tapster , and chamberlaine . all these are at mistris hearts and her maids commands . if loue in a maid affect a young man , though all her friends bee against it : yet marke how shee sets will on worke for her . i will haue him ( saith shee ) though i neuer haue good day with him . will here must make the match against all gaine-saying . iudah he lusted after one hee saw in the way ( not knowing it to be tamar : ) will must here make the filthie bargaine . what , saith she , wilt thou giue mee ? i will ( saith he ) giue thee a kid. as loue sets will a worke , so doth hatred , as we may see in esau , i will kill my brother iacob . so doth desire , as in adoniah , who said , i will be king. in gehezi , greedy of gaine , i will run after him : will heere made the feet to runne , the tongue to speake , the hands to receiue . so in iudas , to betray christ , will must doe it . what will you giue mee , and i will deliuer him into your hands ? thus to these and all other passions , this will is made a packe-horse , a slaue , and without him they can doe nothing . will is the man that must euer doe the deed for euery passion , though they bee contrarie one to another : miserable is his seruice , that must bee commanded by so many mistresses , and so disagreeing among themselues one from another . when the heart hath entertained her guests thus as you haue heard , and receiued them into her dyning-roome , prouision is presently made for them , yea shee hath it euer ready for them , as neuer being without many guests . the table is spred , which all must sit at , and this table is instabilitie : for inconstant are the thoughts of the whorish heart . the table therefore is not square , but round , turning about both for more company , and also that her guests may take their places euery one of them as they come without discontent . for albeit there bee degrees and differences of sinnes , yet to her they are alike welcome , one as well as another : although some at one time sit neerer to her than at another , as guests doe that sit at such a round table . the table-cloth that couereth it is vanity : for vpon instabilitie with such vicious guests , what can there be but vanitie ? this salomon found in all his inuentions , eccles . . the bread set on the table , is the fitnesse of euery sins proper obiect , without which , sinne actuall can no more liue than a man without bread . the salt which seasoneth sinnes appetite to feed it selfe is opportunitie , for time , for place , for person ; this sharpneth sinne to bee working , as the appetite to receiue food , when it is well seasoned . the trenchers to eat on , are strength of euery mans nature to act sinne. the napkins to make cleane their hands and mouth in eating , are the pretended shewes of vertue , contrary to these vices , by some good workes ( so they wipe their mouthes , as the harlot in the prouerbs ) and by some good deed of either one kinde or other outwardly done : and thus they wipe cleane their singers , and will not bee thought to be the vncleane persons which they are taken for . the dishes of meat set before them , are onely three . the first is the lusts of the flesh , and this is serued vp in the plate of pleasure . of this dish feedeth heartily adultery , fornication , incests , and all other of the like nature . the second dish is lust of the eyes , and this is serued vp in the platter of profit . hereon feedeth couetousnesse , vsurie , oppression , briberie , extortion , vnhonest gaine , and such like . of one of these two dishes doeall sinnes taste , except the sinne of swearing , in which is lewd prophanenesse of heart , but neither pleasure nor profit as in other sinnes : though by swearing vngodly men sometimes in buying and selling make gaine vniustly . the third dish is pride of life , and this is serued vp in the charger of worldly estimation . this is a very windy meat , which puffeth vp the minde with vaine-glory of an empty title of some honour , as a bladder is with winde , and yet is very costly feeding . on this dish feedeth arrogancie , pride of spirit , loue of eminencie , desire of superiority , and outward reuerence , and such like , for which they are made to pay well . the drinke which they drinke to make them digest their meat , is the pleasurablenesse of sinne for the present . the waiters at this table to giue attendance that nothing bee wanting , are the eleuen maids , with will their man. these harlots humour their guests , and are ready at a becke to giue contentment . where incontinencie sits , there wanton-loue will wait . where displeasure is , there hatred will attend . where couetousnesse is , there vnsatiable desire will bee . where flattery , that base-humoring disposition to get grace and fauour sitteth , there feare to offend will stand by . where impatience takes his place , there anger is ready waiting to doe his will. where inconsideratenesse sits , there audacitie and foole-hardinesse will wait . where sullen male-contentednesse sits , there despaire will soone giue attendance . where iouialitie taketh his place , there ioy will bid him welcome . where credulitie sits , there vaine-hope will be . and thus they attend vpon the table , to giue their guests all content to the vtmost . after full feeding followes the taking away of these dishes of pleasure , profit and honour . now where vanity was the table-cloth , what can the taking away bee , but vexation of spirit , as salomon speakes ? for it is with these , as with guests in an inne , all merrie and pleasant while they bee eating and drinking , till the chamberlaine commeth to take away , and giueth them a round reckoning , and then they take to their purses with almost a deepe silence : so vnpleasing is payment on a sudden . after supper , mistresse heart prouideth them their lodging . the place they lye in , is but one roome for all their guests , but it is large enough for all : the roome is naturall corruption . in this roome lyeth mistresse heart , all her maids , her man will , and all her guests together , like wilde irish . with these eleuen harlots lye these guests in so many seuerall beds . in the bed of loue , lie wanton thoughts , lasciuiousnesse , filthy communication , fornication , adultery , whoredome , and other sinfull vncleannesses . in the bed of hatred , doe lye mindfulnesse of wrongs , ill speaking , back-biting , slandering , railing , quarrelling , fighting , reuenge , murther , and such like . in the bed of desire , doe lye , couetousnesse , theft , oppression , robberie , fraud , coozenage , and such like . in the bed of detestation , lye want of charitie , dis-union of spirits , discord , plotting of destruction , and such like . in the bed of vaine-hope , lye violent assaies , to effect what they hope for : sometimes neglect of lawfull meanes , presumption of mercy , abuse of gods fauour , and prophanenesse . in the bed of despaire , lyeth male-contentednesse , vnbeleefe , seruile feare , and such like . in the bed of feare doe lye cowardlinesse , flatterie , faint heartednesse , hypocrisie and dissimulation . in the bed of audacitie lye these , headinesse , rashnesse , daring , desperate attempts , & such like . in the bed of anger doe lye , impatiencie , rayling , back-biting , quarrellings murther , and such like . in the bed of ioy lye wanton delights , foolish iesting , leuity , and a world of vanity . in the bed of sorrow lye worldly griese , vnquietnes , murmuring , discontentednesse , and such like . thus are these lodged in mistresse hearts chamber , and there shee lyeth also with the old-man , and will her man. the bed which they lye vpon is impenitencie , and the couerings are hardnesse of heart , and carnall securitie , in which they lye snorting carelesly , till the chiefe constable come vpon them , and attach them all one after another , the greater villaines , and the lesser theeues , not sparing any : he feareth not to attach the capitall , neither passeth hee by any of their meanest associates . the attaching of sinne is nothing eise but the apprehension of gods wrath , striking vs with feare , through the terrour of the law , and our guiltinesse of the breach thereof . for in this spirituall attaching , it is as in the attaching of felons , who knowing themselues guilty of the breach of the lawes , are strucken with feare , in their apprehension of death , which they know they cannot escape . these theeues thus apprehended , the constable carrieth them to the next iustice , by authority of his warrant . the iustice is wel-informed iudgement , able to examine euery malefactor , that is , euery sin , brought before him . a iustice of peace must bee a man of wisdome and experience : so this spirituall iustice must bee a iudgement well-informed in wisdome and discretion , wisely to proceed against sinne. it is meet that a iustice be learned in the lawes , to know how to proceed legally : so must this spirituall iustice bee learned both in the law and gospell , to know what sins are committed against either of them , and thereafter to proceed . a iustice is commonly to bee one in that country where he is an inhabitant : so this iustice must be euerie mans well-informed iudgement within himselfe , not another mans : for it is not another mans iudgement , that can sit downe in his soule , to try and examine his heart and waies , but his owne iudgement . for who knoweth what is in a man , sauing the spirit of a man which is in him ? the iustices office is to preserue peace , and to see the lawes obserued , and to see to the suppressing of all disorders , routs , ryots , robberies & conspiracies : also to take order for all vagabonds , stout and sturdie beggers ; yea , to see the reformation of all vnlawfull gaming , and euery misdemeanour whatsoeuer , by law prohibited ; contrarie to the peace of our soueraigne lord the king , and the quiet of the weale-publike ; so this spirituall iustice , his office is to see peace kept betweene god and himselfe ; to see the lawes of god obserued , and to see all disorders in his soule , as vagrant thoughts , sturdy resolutions , riotous behauiour , euery misdemeanour , in thought , word , and deed , forbidden by gods law , contrary to the peace of a good conscience , and the quiet of the soule ; contrarie to the dignities of a christian , and the honour of our soueraigne lord the king , christ iesvs . when a malefactor is brought before a iustice , the iustice is first to examine him , then to set it downe , then to bind some ouer to prosecute against the felon at the assises , and lastly , in the meane space to send him to the goale , if hee be not baileable . hee is ( as is said ) to examine the party apprehended and brought before him , and to demand his name , then to enquire after the fact and the nature of it , with the occasions , causes and degrees , with the associates , euident signes , the fruits and effects thereof ; so this spirituall iustice is to examine sinne . to know the name and nature thereof , and to what commandement it belongeth , so that he may consider what statute of god is broken . what were the occasions offered , as dauid , by looking out , saw bathsheba washing her selfe . what were the causes mouing thereto , as enuie in the iewes to put christ to death , and in cain to kill abel . what are the seuerall sorts vnder one and the same capitall sinne : as vnder theft , couetousnesse and coozenage ; vnder adultery , fornication , selfe-pollution , &c. . what be the degrees in the same sinne ; as in stealing , not from the rich , but from the poore ; not from a stranger , but from a christian brother , from father and mother : so committing vncleannesse , not onely with one of no kinne , but with one nigh in bloud : in killing not an vnknowne person , but against nature , his father , mother , his wife , his childe , himselfe . . what sinnes accompanied the same : as the making of vriah drunke , and the murthering of him , accompanied dauids adulterie . . what are the signes thereof , as the rouling eye , filthy speech , and wanton dalliance , are signes of adulterie : all such ornaments and vanities of which esay speaketh , are ensignes of pride . . what fruits and effects did follow thereupon : as from will-worship and idolatrie commeth ignorance of god : from this libertie to sinne ; from this obstinacie ; from this contempt of gods true worship , and sincere professours thereof ; and from this at last comes bloudie persecution . . in examining , the iustice is to set downe the examination and confession of the partie : so this spirituall iustice , after hee hath thus examined his waies , he is to set it downe : this is a serious consideration of all his sinnes and offences , and such a remembrance of them , as may make a man to forsake them , and to turne his feet vnto gods statutes , as dauid did . the examination without this , will bee in effect as nothing : this must not therefore bee at any hand omitted . the iustice is to binde some ouer to prosecute against the felon , at the next assises and gaole deliuery : so doth this spirituall iustice binde ouer true repentance to follow the law , and to giue euidence against this felon , sinne ; which he is very ready to doe ; for it cannot be , ( if a mans iudgement bee well-informed vpon serious examination with a carefull and considerate remembrance of all his sinnes ) but that hee must needs perforce bee made to sorrow for them , and vpon true repentance , pursue them to the death with a deadly hatred . the iustice finding the offender not bay leable by law , hee maketh his mittimus to send him to the gaole , there to bee in durance to the next assises : so this spirituall iustice doth : for hee knowes by the law of god , that the reward of sinne ( of what kinde or degree soeuer , greater or lesse , though but in thought ) is not baileable by any man. no man is able to answer god for the least deuiation from gods law , for if hee continue not in all things which god commandeth , he is accursed . therefore none being sufficient to lay in baile to answer god for the sinne , nor sinne in itselfe baileable , hee maketh his mittimus , and deliuereth it into the constables hand , to carrie him to the gaole . the constable , you haue heard , is illuminated vnderstanding . the mittimus giuen him , is the actiue power of the well-reformed iudgement , forcing the exercise of the vnderstanding against sinne , to finde out remedies to keepe it vnder . the chiefe gaoler is master newman , placed ouer the prisoners , and made the gaole-keeper by the sheriffe ; for the prison is his , and hee is to answer the king for them . the sheriffe is true religion wrought in mans soule . the vnder-sheriffe is an holy resolution to performe what the sheriffe commandeth , and what he is by his office to doe . if any prisoner , sinne , breake out , the sheriffe , religion , must beare the blame , saying , this is your religion , is it ? the gaole is subiection : for , saith the apostle , ( as if he were the gaoler ) i keepe vnder : here is the keeper : my body ; heere is the prisoner : and bring it in subiection ; heere is the prison . when sin is brought vnder subiection , that it doth no more reigne , ( as it doth in all naturall men , but not in the regenerate ) then it is put in prison , but not before . now the chiefe gaoler , master newman , hath with him three vnder-gaolers to looke well to the prisoners , and all little enough , they bee so many and so exorbitantly vnruly , ready to breake prison daily , if they bee not diligently seene vnto . this master newmans three vnder-gaolers are his hands , his eyes , and his feet , without which hee can doe nothing , and they are these which are named by saint paul in his epistles . is sauing knowledge . this lookes to these sorts of prisoners : ignorance especially wilfull , error , vaine opinions , iangling sophistrie , false doctrine , heresies , doctrine of deuils , and such like . is true holines : he looketh to all the transgressors of the first table : as to atheisme , paganisme , iudaisme , turcisme , vnbeleefe , desperation , presumption , confidence in strength , riches , places , policy , and multitude : so also to will-worship , imagery , meere outward seruice without the inward , papistry , and all corruptions of gods worship : likewise to blasphemy , rash swearing , false swearing , cursing , idle talke of god , contempt of his word and workes , a vicious life . lastly , to sabbath-breaking , neglect of publike worship , prophanenesse , persecution of the truth , and to an infinite number of other sinnes against god & true holines . is righteousnesse : this lookes to all the sinnes against the second table ; as to rebellion , disobedience , murder , malice , adultery , fornication , theft , and coozenage , to false-witnesse-bearing , to backbiting , to discontentment , and to all other transgressions , many and manifold , comprehended vnder , these commandements . now because these prisoners be vnruly , if there bee not a strict hand kept ouer them : therefore lest they should at vnawares breake forth , to the danger of the sheriffe religion , the gaoler master new-man hath fetters , gieues , bolts and manacles to hold them in , and to haue them at command : and they are these : respect vnto the commandements of god in all our waies : holy meditations ; lawfull vowes , religious fasting , seruent prayer , and conscionable practice of our christian duties to god and man. all these are strong chaines and linkes , to keepe vnder and to fetter the body of sinne , and all the fruits thereof , and to hold them in subiection , to keep the whole man in obedience vnto god , when they bee fastned and knocked on by the hammer of gods word , and the effectuall power thereof . but it is not enough thus to imprison them , and to see them bolted and thus fettered , but also for him to see the prison bee strong : for the prisons of the best keepers that euer were , haue beene broken : drunkennesse brake out from noah , rash and vnaduised speeches from moses , idolatrie from salomon , adultery from dauid , cursing and false-swearing from peter . therefore the gaoler , master newman , must looke daily to the prisoners , and to see the prison house sure ; and to do this , hee must see the doores , which are his senses , to be shut , and to haue a care to locke vp taste ( that drunkennesse and gluttony breake not out ) with the key of moderation in eating and drinking . to locke vp hearing ( that credulity breake not out ) with the key of trying before we trust . to locke vp seeing ( that vncleannesse breake not out ) with the key of continencie ; and to barre this doore fast also with contentation , that couetousnesse breake not forth . in the next place hee must take heede that no lewd companions lurke about the prison house , either by day or by night , lest they cast in fyles , to file off the bolts ; or picklockes to open the doores , to let the prisoners escape . these lewd companions are the deuill , the wicked , and our owne corrupted reason . their files and picklookes are suggestions from satan , euill counsell from men , worldly , and fleshly arguments of our owne inuentions , to make no conscience of sinne , but to file off all those bolts , and to open the doores of senses , that sin may breake loose , and get out of subiection , to the gaolers ouerthrow and vtter vndoing , if diligent watch be not kept . hee must see to the walls of the prison , that they be strongly built with good stones cemented together . these are morall vertues , and euangelicall graces , by which , as by walls , our sinnes and our naturall corruptions are kept in . though master newman locke and barre the doores , yet if the walls bee weake , the prisoners may get out . and lastly ; hee must looke well to the foundation of the house , that it be not vndermined . the true foundation of subiection of sinne , is the power of the death of christ , and of his resurrection , into whom by faith , through the operation of his spirit , by the word , wee are engrafted . this must not be vndermined by the popish doctrine of free-will , and abilities of our selues to ouer-master sinne. all these things well and diligently looked vnto , the prisoners will bee kept safe in the gaole vnder master newman , vntill the time of the assises . and thus much for the first part of my text , the searching , the attaching , and imprisoning of sinne. the other part , which is the tryall , followeth . the second part . at the time of assises by the kings appointment , commeth the iudge , attended on by the sheriffe , the iustices of the peace , and such as necessarily are to be there , for the dispatch of such businesses as come to be tryed and adiudged . the iudge comming in place , he hath his seat or bench , and being set , the commission is read . the iudge is a iudge of oyer and terminere in the circuit where he is appointed to sit . the iudgement heere is absolute , without any appeale from his sentence . the iudge spiritually vnderstood , attended vpon by religion the sheriffe , and the vnder sheriffe resolution , is conscience . from this iudgement is no appeale , for he is in gods stead , therefore must his sentence stand , and wee must submit to it . the seat or bench on which this iudge sitteth , is impartialitie ; for conscience well-informed , will iudge in righteousnesse and truth , without all partiality , without respect of any person . he regardeth not the rich and mighty , no bribe can blinde him , neither doth hee pitty the person of the poore , to giue for pity an vniust sentence ; but as the truth is , so speaketh he . the commission is the actiue power of conscience , giuen of god by his word , to condemne the nocent , or to quit the innocent , except this commission be lost . sometimes it is lost , as when conscience is dead , as in all ignorant persons , or seared with an hot iron , as some mens haue beene and are ; such as fall from the faith and are past feeling , by reason of the blindnesse of minde , and hardnesse of heart : or else benummed , as in those that fall into some grieuous sin , as did david , who lay therein , vntill nathan found the commission , and acquainted him with it , when he said , thou art the man. if the commission bee lost , the power of conscience lyeth dead , seared and benummed , then the iudge can doe nothing till it bee found : and being found , it is read openly . the reading of this commission before the whole countie , is euery mans experimentall knowledge of the power of conscience , by which is acknowledged his authoritie , to sit as iudge ouer euery thought , word and deed of man. the circuit of this iudge is his owne soule , he is not to sit and iudge of other mens thoughts , words or deeds , but of the thoughts , words , and deeds of that man , wherein hee is . a mans owne conscience is iudge of himselfe ; to iudge another is out of his circuit , neither hath he any authoritie from the king of heauen , to inable him so to doe , knowledge may goe out to see and discerne of other mens wayes , but conscience keepeth euer at home , and sits within to iudge of that mans courses , whose conscience hee is . conscience onely troubles a man for his own sinnes , it cannot for another mans , but as farre forth as hee hath made them his owne , and being accessarie to them by commanding , alluring , counselling , commending , excusing , defending , or winking thereat , when hee ought by his place to haue punished the same . this iudge in this circuit is iudge of oyer and terminere ; hee will heare before hee doth iudge , and hee will truly then iudge as hee heareth ; for as hee is impartiall in iudging , so is he prudent and carefull to know what and whereof to giue sentence , before he doth iudge . this is the iudge . the iustices of peace in the countie are there , and doe sit with the iudge , and are in commission with him . of these some are of the quorum , and of better ranke , some are meaner iustices , and take their place lower . the iustices of peace in the soule of better ranke , are science , prudence , prouidence , sapience : the inferiours are weake wit , common apprehension , and some such like . these iustices haue their clerkes , there ready with their examinations and recognizances . iustice science , his clerke is discourse : iustice prudence , his clerke is circumspection : iustice prouidence , his clerke is diligence : iustice sapience , his clerke is exporience : iustice weak-wit , his clerk is conceit : and iustice common-apprehension , his clerk is onely sense ; a couple of poore iustices . with the iudge and chiefe iustices are in commission , the kings sergeant , and the kings atturney . the kings sergeant is diuine reason , a man of deepe iudgement in the lawes of his soueraigne , swaying much with the iudge . the kings atturney is quick-sightednesse : both are excellent helpes and assistants to search out , and to handle a cause before iudge conscience . for quicke-sightednesse will soone espy an error in pleading , and diuine reason will inforce a iust conclusion , and so moue the iudge to giue sentence according to equitie and right . if these should bee wanting , many matters would goe amisse . there is also the clerke of the assises , the keeper of the writs , that hath all the inditements . this clerke is memory , which retaineth all those names of euery sinne , with the nature of the offence : and what god hath in his word written against them , and what complaints repentance hath made against them . besides this clerke , there is the clerke of the arraignment , who readeth the inditements . this clerk is the tongue , making confession of our sinnes . lastly , there is the cryer . this is the manifestation of the spirit . before the clerke of the arraignment readeth any inditement , it is first framed by the complainant . this complainant is true repentance or godly sorrow . the framing of the inditement is the laying open of sinne , as it may be knowne and found out to be sinne , according to the true nature thereof . moreouer , an inquest , or grand-iury there must bee , by whose verdict the offender is indited , & made a lawfull prisoner ; yet is this indirement no conuiction . what these agree vpon , is deliuered vp in writing to the iustices . on the backe of this inditement , framed by the complainant , they write either ignoramus , or billa vera . if the former , then the complaint is iudged false ; it is left in record , but the prisoner is not indited . if the latter , the prisoner is indited , the inditement read , and the prisoner brought to the triall at the barre . this grand-inquest or iurie , are the holy men of god , whose writings are the holy scriptures in the old and new testament . by the verdict of these , euery thought , word and deed of man , is either freed , or made a lawfull prisoner . but yet this verdict is no lawfull conuiction of particular men , till they be rightly applyed . if they write vpon the inditement or bill framed , ignoramus ; that is , if the holy scriptures of god declare it not to bee a sinne , it is no finne : for where there is no law , there is no transgression . not the complaints of all vnder heauen , not all the lawes of men , decrees of councells , the commandements of popes , can make that a sinne , which they write ignoramus vpon . therefore the bills of inditement framed by those false informers before mentioned , formality , worldly wisdome , lukewarmnesse , meere ciuill honesty , machiauilian statisme , libertinisme , scrupulosity , & papistry , against christian conference , godly sinceritie , true zeale , strict conuersation , reformation of disorders , and the rest , are false accusers , and haue vpon their complaints , written by the graund-inquest , an ignoramus , and therefore by these worthy iustices , iustice science , iustice prudence , iustice prouidence , and iustice sapience , are not to bee admitted , nor iudge censcience to bee troubled therewith , though all the popes , the whole popish church , all popish counsels , and all the popishly-affected statists in the world pleade for them , for that thought , word , or deed is no sinne , no breach of gods law , on which these write ignoramus ; conscience ( as is said ) is not to bee troubled with such bils of complaint . but if these write billa vera , that is , if the holy pen-men haue set downe any thought , word , or deed for a sinne , not all the popes dispensations and pardons , not all the subtill distinctions of the most learned , no custome , nor any thing else whatsoeuer , can acquit it from sinne , but sinue it is , and so must it be taken as a lawfull prisoner , to bee brought to the barre , and indited , and put vpon the iurie of life and death . the bill being found true , then they proceed vnto the arraignment . the prisoners are brought forth chained together , and set to the barre before the iudge . the prisoners are sins , ( as you haue heard before ) the old-man , with mistris heart , her maids , and will her man. their bringing forth is the manifestation thereof by the gaoler , m. newman , knowledge , holinesse and righteousnesse . they are chained ; for sinnes are linked together , as adultery and murther in dauid ; pride with hatred of mordecai in haman ; couetousnesse and treason in iudas ; couetousnesse , hypocrisie and lying in ananias and saphira ; yea the breach of all the commandements in the fall of adam and euah . they therfore are brought out chained together . the barre is the apprehension of gods wrath due for sinne . after all this , when the prisoner standeth at the barre , a iurie for life and death is impannelled , who are for the king , and are sworne to giue in a true verdict , according to their euidence . this iurie is a chosen companie of excellent vertues , the fruits of the spirit , deliuered in by the sheriffe religion to be called , and to bee of this iurie in the behalfe of the kings maiestie , iesvs christ , to goe vpon the prisoners , the fruits of the flesh , which stand at the barre . their names being giuen vp , they are called , as the clerke of the arraignment , the tongue , nameth them ; then the cryer , manifestation of the spirit , calleth them one by one to appeare , as the clerke names them ; and they are these . . call faith. cryer . vous aues faith , which purgeth the heart . . call loue of god. cryer . vous aues loue of god , which is the keeping of the commandements . . call feare of god. cryer . vous aues feare of god , which is the beginning of wisdome . . call charity . cryer . vous aues charity , which reioyceth in the truth . . call sincerity , cryer . vous aues sincerity , which makes a true israelite , in whom there is no guile . . call vnity . cryer . vous aues vnity , which maketh men to be of one heart , and is the bond of peace . . call patience . cryer . vous aues patience , which worketh experience , and by which men possesse their soules . . call innocencie . cryer . vous aues innocencie , which keepeth harmelesse . . call chastity . cryer . vous aues chastity , which keepeth vndesiled . . call equity . cryer . vous aues equitie , which doth right to euery man. . call verity . cryer . vous aues verity , which euer speaketh truth . . call contentation . cryer . vous aues contentation , which euer rests satisfied . then the clerke saith countes . and so the cryer saith to them , answer to your names . then the clerke nameth them , and the cryer telleth or counteth them . faith , one . loue of god , two . feare of god , three . charitie , foure . sincerity , fiue . vnitie , six . patience , seuen . innocencie , eight . chastitie , nine . equitie , ten . veritie , eleuen . contentation , twelue . then the cryer saith , good men and true , stand together , and heare your charge . with all these graces should the soule of man bee endued to proceed against sinne , wee should be able to say , that we haue them by the manifestation of gods spirit , and also to know their power and vertue , and distinctly to be able to reckon them , and so wisely to esteeme them , as the good and true gifts and graces of god ; which haue a charge giuen them , which is euery grace his proper gift , and all coniointly haue power to discerue of any sinne , and to giue a iust verdict thereupon . this iury , thus called and impannelled , are commanded to looke vpon the prisoners at the barre , vpon whom they are to goe . this is when we oppose vertues to vices in our meditation , that so by the excellency of the one , wee may see the foulenesse of the other , and so come to the greater loue of vertue , and to the more deepe hatred of vice. this is the iury of vertues profitable looking vpon vices the prisoners at the barre . the prisoners , though they stand together , yet are they to answer one by one . so sins must distinctly one by one be arraigned : for wee cannot proceed against sin , but vpon a particular knowledge thereof . a generall , and so a confused notion of sins ( which yet is that which is in most men ) will neuer make a man truly to see how his estate standeth with god , and so to bring sinne vnto death . the prisoners , at the sight of the iurie , and naming of them , haue leaue to challenge any of them ; if they can giue good reasons against this or that man , they are put off the iurie , and other chose in their stead . these prisoners seeing such a iurie , presently begin to challenge them . vnbeleefe hee cryeth out against faith , as his enemie . hatred of god , against the loue of god , as his enemie . presumptuous sinning , against the feare of god , as his enemy . cruelty , against charity , as his enemie . hypocrisie , against sinceritie , as his enemie . discord against vnity , as his enemie . anger , rage , and murmuring , against patience , as their enemy . murther , fighting , and quarrelling , against innocency , as their enemie . wantonnesse , adultery , fornication , and vncleannes , cry out against chastity , as their deadly enemie . coozenage , theft , and vniust dealing , against honest equity , as their enemie . lying , slandering , and false-witnesse-bearing , against verity , as their mortall enemie . and lastly , greedy desire , couetousnesse , and discontentment , cry out against contentation , as their enemy . all these together challenge the whole iury , crying out and saying , ( good my lord ) these men are not to bee of the iury against vs ; for your lord-ship knoweth very well , and none better , that they are all of them our deadly enemies . your honour knoweth , that euery one of them hath petitioned the lord chiefe iustice very often and importunately , to binde vs all to the good behauiour , and to cast vs into prison , as wee haue beene by their meanes . they haue made master newman the keeper and his vnder-keepers to deale very hardly with vs. it is well knowne ( my lord ) that chastity procured master newman almost to famish incontinencie to death . good my lord , consider of vs , these are our most bloudy and cruell enemies : wee appeale to your lordship , to god and to all good men , that know both them and vs , that it is so . our humble suit to your lordship therefore is , that more indifferent persons may be chosen to goe vpon vs , else we are all but dead men . wee doe know ( my lord ) that there are heere many other of very good and great credit in the world , fit to bee of this iurie , men very well knowne to your lordship , and to master sheriffe , and the worshipfull gentlemen . these are men of worth , ( my lord ) of farre more esteeme euery where , than these meane men heere , picked out of purpose by master sheriffe . these ( my lord ) of the iurie , are men of small reckoning in the country . these liue scattered here and there , almost without habitation , except in poore cottages ; so as we maruel ( my lord ) how they can bee brought in for free-holders , hardly any one of them is of any account with men of great estates , and of worth , in the land. good my lord , consider of vs. then the iudge asketh them , what those men be , of whom they speake , and what are their names ? then they answer , my lord , they are these ; master naturalist , master doubting , master opinion , master carelesse , master chiuerell , master libertine , master laodicean , master temporizer , master politician , master out-side , master ambo dexter , and master newtralitie , all ( my lord ) very indifferent men betwixt vs and them . gentlemen , free-holders , of great meanes ; we beseech you ( my lord ) to shew vs some pitty , that they may be of the iurie . the iudge informed by those worthy iustices of the quorum , concerning these men so named by the prisoners , and knowing the honesty and good credit of the chosen iurie ; their exceptions against them are not admitted of , and so these indifferent gentlemen are passed by . the clerke therefore is commanded to goe forward , and then he readeth the inditement of euery one in order , one after another , as they be called forth by name , and set to the barre . the first which is called out , is the old-man . then saith the clerke , gaoler , set out old-man to the barre . then hee is brought to the barre , and commanded to hold vp his hand , and his inditement is read . old-man , thou art indited here by the name of old-man of the towne of euahs temptation , in the countie of adams consent , that vpon the day of mans fall in paradise , when he was driuen out , thou did dest corrupt the whole nature of man , body and soule , leading all and euery of his posterity , comming by generation , with the body of sinne ; making him indisposed to any thing that is good , framing lets to any holy duty , and polluting his best actions , but making him prone to all euill , bringing him captiue to imperious lusts , and so causing him to liue in continuall rebellion against god , contrary to the peace of our soueraigne lord the king , iesvs christ , his crowne and dignity . what sayest thou to it ? he pleades not guilty , and so puts himselfe to the triall . then the cryer calleth for euidence against the prisoner . then commeth forth dauid , whose euidence is this : i was shapen in iniquity , and in sinne hath my mother conceiued me . iobs is this ; he cannot be cleane that is borne of a woman . isaiah , his euidence is , that all are transgressours from the wombe . saint pauls euidence is most cleere ; for being asked what hee could say ? hee answered , ( my lord ) this old-man hath bin the death of very many . i haue wofull experience of him , a wretched man hath he made me . hee tooke occasion by the commandement , to worke all concupiscence in me . hee deceiued me and slew me , wrought death in mee , so that in my flesh dwelleth no good , but when i would doe good , euill is present with mee , so that through him , the good i would doe , i cannot , and the euill i hate , that i doe ; hee maketh warre against the law of my minde , and bringeth me into captiuitie to the law of sinne. thus ( my lord ) is in me the body of death , from which i desire to be deliuered : and this is that i can say . the euidence being thus cleere , the iury presently being all agreed , giue in their verdict , and being asked what they say of the prisoner at the barre , guilty or not , they answer , guilty . then he asketh what hee can say for himselfe , why sentence should not bee pronounced against him ? good my lord , saith he , i am wrongfully accused , and am made the man i am not , there is no such thing as originall corruption . pelagius a learned man , and all those now that are called anabaptists , ( who well enough know all these euidences brought against me ) haue hitherto , and yet doe maintaine it , that sinne commeth by imitation , and not by propagation , and in-bred prauity . good my lord , i beseech you , be good vnto me , and cast not away so poore an old man : ( good my lord ) for i am at this day . yeeres old . then saith the iudge , old-man , the euidence is cleere , those thou hast named , are condemned heretickes ; and as for thy yeeres , in respect of which thou crauest pitty , it is pitty thou hast beene suffered so long , to doe so great and so generall a mischiefe as these good men doe witnesse against hee . o my lord , i beseech you then a psalme of mercie . old-man , the law of the king allowes thee not the benefit of the clergie , for the reward of sin is death : this is his maiesties decree , vnchangeable , as the law of the medes and persians . good my lord , that is meant only of actuall sin , and not of me . that is not so ; for originall sinne is sinne , and all men know , that children die , that neuer sinned by imitation , nor actually , after the similitude of adams transgression . and death goeth ouer all , in as much as all haue sinned . if sinne were not in infants , they could not die , heare therefore thy sentence . thou ( old-man ) hast by that name beene indited of these fellonies , outrages , and murthers , and for the same arraigned ; thou hast pleaded not-guiltie , and put thy selfe vpon the tryall , and art found guiltie ; and hauing nothing iustly to say for thy selfe , this is the law : thou shalt bee carried backe to the place of execution , and there be cast off , with all thy deeds , and all thy members daily mortified and crucified with all thy lusts , of euerie one that hath truly put on christ . this sentence pronounced , the sheriffe is commanded to doe execution ; which religion , by his vnder sheriffe resolution , seeth throughly performed . the executioner is hee that hath put on christ , gal. . . this prisoner thus proceeded against , the gaoler is commanded to set out mistrisse heart to the barre , who is commanded to hold vp her hand , and then is her inditement read . mistrisse heart , thou art heere indited by the name of mistrisse heart of soule , in the county of the isle of man , that also vpon the day of mans fall in paradise , thou becamest corrupted , accompanying the old-man , and also will thy man , and hast beene so hardened , that thou couldest not repent , and so blinde , that thou becamest past feeling , and hast made men to giue themselues ouer to all lasciuiousnesse , to worke all vncleannesse , euen with greedinesse , to bee also very slow to beleeue all that the prophets haue spoken : and to be so enraged with choller , somtimes as to runne mercilesly on innocents to murther them , and to cause men most cursedly to depart from the liuing god. thou hast beene , and art also in confederacie with all and euery euill thought , word , and deed committed against god and man. thou hast beene a receptacle of all the abominations of euery sin whatsoeuer , and hast had conference with satan to lie vnto the holy ghost , and for greedy gaine , at the deuils suggestion , hast set some on worke to play the traitors to the shedding of the innocent blood of our soueraigne , contrary to the peace of the king , his crowne and dignitie . what sayest thou to this inditement ? guilty , or not guilty ? she answers , not guilty , and puts her selfe to the triall . then the cryer saith , if any man can giue euidence against the prisoner at the barre , let him come ; for shee stands vpon her deliuerance : then come in such as can say any thing against her , and first is moses . moses , what can you say against this prisoner ? looke vpon her , see if you know her . my lord , i know her well enough , she made me and my brother aaron to speake so vnaduisedly with our lips by her passion , that wee could neither of vs be admitted to goe into the land of canaan . this i can say of her , that euery imagination of her thought is onely euill continually , and that naught shee hath beene from her youth vp . moses hauing ended , then saith the iudge , is there any more ? to whom answer is made , yes ( my lord ) there is ieremie the prophet . ieremy the prophet look vpon the prisoner , can you say any thing on the behalfe of his maiestie ? my lord , this i can say , that shee is deceitfull aboue all things , and desperatly wicked : so that no man without gods speciall assistance can either finde out her deuices , or escape her treacheries . and this moreouer i know , that she hath been sent vnto and forewarned to wash her selfe of her wickednesse : and yet for all this she doth lodge still ill thoughts in her house . yea ( my lord ) shee hath seduced many from god , making them to walke after her euill counsels and imaginations , to their vtter destructions . and i am truly informed , that there is euer the place where the enemies of their owne soules doe worke their wickednesse and mischiefes . is there any more euidences ? yes , my lord , here is ezekiel . ezekiel , what can you say ? my lord , i can witnesse thus much ; such is her lewdnesse , that she followed after idols , and after couetousnesse , which is idolatry , both high treason and rebellion against god. yea so very shamelesly and lawlesly she carrieth her selfe , that if such lewd companions come not in to her , she will goe out and follow them . these be witnesses enow , saith the iudge , to condemne her , but is there any other ; yes my lord , please you here are more : here 's saint matthew . saint matthew , what can you say against the prisoner at the barre ? my lord , i haue heard it from the mouth of my lord chiefe iustice himselfe ( when i did attend vpon him , hee hauing occasion publikely to speake of her ) that out of the heart doe come euill thoughts , adulterics , fornications , murthers , thefts , conetousnesse , wickednesse , deceit , lasciuiousnes , an euill eie , blasphemie , pride and foolishnesse . all these euills hee witnesseth to come forth of her house : so that it is euident against her by his honours vndoubted testimony , that shee is an harbourer of a company of very bad and vnsufferable guests . saint marke , here next me , can witnesse as much . it is very true my lord. here is an harlotrie indeed ( said the iudge . ) iurie , if you be agreed giue in your verdict , what say you of this prisoner ? guilty or not guilty ? wee say guiltie , my lord. woman , what canst thou say for thy selfe , that sentence according to law should not bee pronounced against thee ? ah , good my lord , take pittie on mee , a poore weake old woman ; these men speake against me the worst that they can , because i would not be ruled by them . they speake of malice my lord. if i haue misdemeaned my selfe any way , it was by this old man my fathers misleading , ( my lord ) by whom , i thought , that being a woman i should bee wholly guided . but heare me ( good my lord ) i beseech you , let not these mens testimonies cast mee away . for i did dwell with as good men , and better than they are , or euer were ( my lord ) as other can witnes , to my great cōmendations then saith the iudge , who are those i pray you ? i dwelt ( my lord ) with king dauid , with king salomon , and was in their house held to be a perfect heart : so was i after accounted in king asa's house . yea my lord , with abraham the father of the faithfull , was i found faithfull , and such hath beene my credit , that i was well spoken of euen to god himselfe by good king hezekiah . that all this is true that i say , i beseech you to aske isaiah the prophet , as also nehemiah , and others that haue recorded the same . besides all these ( be pleased to heare me , good my lord ) aske all the country people , and they will with one mouth speake well of me . they haue ( say they ) a good heart towards god and that , euer since they were borne , they neuer found mee so wicked as these witnesses are pleased to speake . i hope therefore ( my lord ) that you will be pleased to be good to mee , good my lord pitty a very old aged poore woman , as euer you came of a womā . woman , woman , for the witnesses against thee , they are without exception , and thy owne mouth doth condemne thy selfe , in that first , thou dost confesse , that thou wouldest not bee ruled by them when these holy men were sent vnto thee , and that with speciall command from his maiestie to see thee reformed . againe , that thou doest acknowledge thy selfe to haue beene wholly led by the old-man , one now most iustly condemned by the law to be crucified . as touching dauids heart , salomon heart , asa his heart , the faithfull heart of abraham , and the vpright heart of hezekiah , neuer an one of these was thy selfe , thou dost lewdly seeke to deceiue by equiuocation , and to beguile the standers by with thy tricks of iesuiticall cousenage . true it is , that there is great commendations of an heart , and the same to be an honest and good heart , an vpright heart , a faithfull heart . but woman , this is the heart sanctified and purged by faith in all those that are borne anew of water and the holy ghost : but this is not that which thou art , the naturall and corrupt heart : thou art that commendable heart in name onely , but not in quality : therefore thy boasting is vaine , thy pleading subtiltie , verifying ieremiahs euidence of thee , that thou art very deceitfull . as for the vulgar praising of thee , it is through their owne selfe-loue , and foolish selfe-conceit , and their vtter ignorance of thee , that maketh them to speake so well of thee . thou doest therefore but trifle away the time , and trouble the assembly . as for thine age , it procureth thee no pittie at all , because thou hast beguiled , vndone , and bewitched so many . thine age should haue taught thee better things , but thy obstinacy in wickednesse would not suffer thee . heare therefore thy sentence . thou mistresse heart hast beene indited by the name of mistresse heart , of those fellonies , murthers , conspiracies and rebellions , and for the same hast beene arraigned : thou hast pleaded not guilty , hast put thy selfe to the triall , and beene found guilty , hauing nothing iustly to say for thy selfe . this is the law. thou shalt be carried back from whence thou camest , and there liue condemned to perpetuall imprisonment vnder master newman the keeper , without baile or maine prize . gaoler , take her to thee , look to the prisoner , and keepe this heart diligently , and take heed lest there be at any time in you an heart of infidelity to depart from the liuing god. master sheriffe religion , and the vnder sheriffe resolution , doe see it performed very carefully and speedily according to the sentence giuen . after mistresse hearts arraignment , and condemnation , wilfull will is commanded to the barre , and to hold vp his hand , and his inditement was read . wilfull will , thou art indited by the name of wilfull will , of the towne of free , and in the county of euill , that thou partaking with old-man , and lewdly liuing at the bent of mistris heart , hast beene a champion for them , ready to act all their villanies , and vpon euery motion of theirs , or any sollicitation of those her harlotrie maids , her passions , hast from time to time gathered together all the powers thou couldest make within this isle of man , to raise rebellion , and by force and armes hast often attempted to rush in and vpon this maiesties garrison , appointed for the safe keeping of the towne of soule , & so of the whole iland , and thereby hast giuen occasion to the enemies , to seeke to inuade the same , contrary to the peace of our soueraigne lord the king , his crown and dignitie . what sayest thou to this inditement , guilty or not guilty ? his answer was , not guilty ( my lord ) and so put himselfe vpon his triall by god and the countrey . then were witnesses called out , and the first of them was the captaine of the garrison , which was one captaine reason . this captaine comming before the iudge , was asked what he could say , for the king , against the prisoner at the barre ? my lord , saith he , by my soueraignes appointment , i was made captaine of this garrison in soule ; and his maiestie also was pleased to place this prisoner in the same for his seruice , but yet vnder mee , and at my command , and not to doe what hee himselfe listed . but he hauing conceited himselfe to be free , and not vnder controlment , & being growne full , hee hath by the bewitching of mistrisse heart , and her maids endeuoured to beare all the sway , treading downe with contempt all my lawfull commands . i made many fortifications against his violent courses , to restraine his out-roades , lest thereby he should haue made way for his enemies breaking in vpon vs , to the danger of the whole iland : but all these fortifications very often he hath defaced , and by the force of strong passions , hath borne them downe before him , without any regard of supreme or subordinate authority whatsoeuer . he may well ( my lord ) be called wilfull will , for except hee be more vnder subiection neither i his captaine , no● euer an officer in the whole band , will be obeyed , yea , assuredly ( my lord ) if he be not curbed the whole towne of soul will be ouerthrowne , and all the iland fall into the enemies hand , to the great dishonour of his maiestie and this is that which haue , for the present , to say my officers , if it please your lordship to haue them called , can say very much against him . then saith the clerke , cryer , call in captain reasons lieutenant . what 's his name , saith the cryer ? he is , saith the clerke , called discourse . lieutenant discourse , come into the court , vous aues the lieutenant . lieutenant , what can you say touching this wilfull will , the prisoner at the barre ? my lord , my captaine and i haue had many occasions of much conference vpon very serious busines , into which this prisoner hath often intruded himselfe , and thereby hath greatly hindred our designments . for say wee what we could , hee would haue all things goe after his pleasure , and onely to satisfie the lust of mistresse heart , and some of her drabs , on whom hee hath attended , and by whom he hitherto hath beene too much ruled , and i may say , most strangely bewitched , hauing no power to denie them any thing . our ancient ( my lord ) can further informe you . how call you him saith the iudge ? hee is called ( my lord ) profession . then saith the cryer , ancient profession , come into the court , vous aues , profession . ancient , what can you say for the king against the prisoner at the barre ? my lord , when i bare my colours of a holy conuersation , and displaid the same in word and deed before the company , he hath attempted , and that not seldome to rend and teare them ; and this not onely within our selues : but sometime also before , and in the very sight of the enemy hath sought to deface my colours , through his violent disposition , vntamed nature , with the helpe of enraged passions , to my vtter disgrace , and not to mine onely , but to the whole band of good qualities , gifts , and graces , in the towne of soule . so heady he is , and so peruersly bent to his owne will , that hee neuer regardeth , for the present , what may happen afterwards . our two sergeants can more at large discouer him , if it please your lordship to heare them : here they stand by me . what do you call them , saith the iudge ? my lord , saith the ancient , the one is sergeant vnity , and the other is sergeant order , worthy souldiers ( my lord ) and very seruiceable for good gouernment . sergeant vnity , come in , what can you say of this prisoner ? my lord , when all the whole band louingly , as one man , were obedient in all things , hee vpon euery least discontent did mutinie , and endeuoured to set vs at ods one against another . he hath adhered to secret conspiracies of inbred corruptions ; yea , and hath not beene only found to fauour , but also to stand for , and to grace our open enemies , euen satans suggestions , and the pompes and vanities of this wicked world ; to whom hee hath beene so seruiceable , as if he had beene a prest souldier for them , forgetting his faith and allegiance to his owne soueraigne . if he be not ( my lord ) suppressed , he will at the length be our vtter ouerthrow . my fellow , sergeant order , can say more . sergeant order , what is that you haue to witnesse against the prisoner ? my lord , whensoeuer he commeth out of that lewd harlots house , mistresse hearts , and from among her young strumpets , hee is so enraged , as hee behaueth himselfe more like a sauage beast than a man : all is by him put out of order , our captaine cannot rule him , especially when hee hath gotten a pestilent fellow , one obstinacy to accompany him , and another cogging deceitfull companion , called shew of good , to hearten him in his forward courses and bad inrendments . of himselfe he is ill enough , but these ( my lord ) make him altogether vncapable of good counsel , or of the best aduice that our captaine can giue him . where are , saith the iudge , these fellowes ; why were they not apprehended , and brought in hither with him ? my lord , as soone as he was attached and brought vnder authority , they both presently fled . our captaine reason made diligent search after them , but could not finde them . for my lord , these companions durst neuer appeare with him , but when they knew him to bee wholly bent to his owne will , and when they were very sure our captaine had not strength enough with him to withstand them , otherwise they would keepe close , and not apparantly be seene to countenance him . if order might bee taken for apprehending of these , there would be some hope of better gouernment in this prisoner , if he hap to be released . vpon this the iudge gaue order to master sheriffe , to his vnder-sheriffe , and to all the iustices of the bench for the speedy apprehending of these two lewd and rebellious companions . then the cryer was commanded to call in one witnesse more , which was one of the corporals of the band , whose name was discipline , who being there attending presently appeared . the corporall being at the barre , it was demanded of him what he could say , more than had beene spoken ? my lord , saith he , though very much hath beene spoken , and that most truly against him , yet haue i more to say than hitherto hath beene spoken by any of them . it is well knowne , my lord , to the whole corps de guard , how vnruly he hath beene after the setting of the watch . such conceit hee hath euer had of his freedome ( my lord ) that my very name hath beene odious vnto him . he hath gotten such liberty , that he could neuer endure to be disciplined . our armes hee hath taken and made them often vnseruiceable . our powder of holy affections hee hath damped , the match of feruency of spirit hee hath put out : the small-shot of spirituall eiaculations he so stopped , as in time of need they would not goe off ; of the sword of the spirit , the word of god , hee quite tooke away the edge : hee brake the helmet of saluation , brused the brest-plate of righteousnesse : the shield of faith he cast away , and vnloosed the girdle of verity . the points of all the pikes of diuine threats by presumption hee so brake off , as they had no force to pricke the heart . hee would ( after the watch was set ) of himselfe without the word goe the round , and diuers times meeting the gentlemen of the round , holy meditations and diuine motions , hee would stop their passages and turne them backe againe . and not seldome hath hee fallen vpon the sentinels , quicke apprehensions , and put out their eyes , so as they could not , if the enemies had approached , haue discerned them . my lord , by his wilfull vnrulinesse , and by his obstinate masterfulnesse , hee hath often indangered the whole iland of man , the lower part called corps , and the higher called soule ; and in a manner deliuered them into the enemies hand . for the common souldiers , the powers and faculties of both are too often swayed by him to follow him in his rebellious courses . and therefore , my lord , if he be not suppressed and brought in obedience to our worthy captaine , he will surely at the length yeeld this his maiesties right into the hands of forraigne powers , which daily watch to haue by him some opportunity to inuade vs. they haue ( my lord ) often assailed our castle of confidence , raised vpon the mount of gods mercies , hoping onely vpon his helpe to make a breach therein and entering to cast vs out ; wee therefore beseech your lordship to haue iustice against him . then saith the iudge , you aske but right , and that which in my place i am bound to yeeld you , without respect of persons . honest men of the iury , you haue heard what all these gentlemen haue witnessed against him , if you be agreed of your verdict , giue it in , what thinke you of the prisoner , guilty or not guilty ? they answer , guilty , my lord. then the iudge turneth his speech to the prisoner , wilfull-will , thou hast heard what all these haue witnessed against thee , what canst thou now say for thy selfe , why the sentence of death should not now bee pronounced against thee ? my lord , i am a gentleman free born , & euer like a gentleman brought vp in liberty . and though i was in some sort to be ordred by captaine reason ; yet i euer held my selfe his equal , and stood vpon my freedom of chusing or refusing , or of suspending the action . he had no authority to inforce me further than it pleased my selfe . i haue alwaies bin a freeman ( my lord ) from seruile obedience to any man , and owe subiection to none but only to my soueraign . i cānot deny but that captain reason hath offred daily to aduise me , & i haue not euer wholly reiected his counsell ; if i haue at any time miscarried , it was through the lewd mistresse hearts deceiueablenesse , & the violence of these her passionate affections misleading me , for want of deliberation before i either chused or refused the thing obiected before me . i doe here ( my lord ) ingenuously confesse the truth of al that which these witnesses haue spoken against mee , for which i heartily craue pardon . i also do freely acknowledge , that i stood too much vpon my birth , and gentry , as too many at this day doe , hauing neuer a good quality besides to brag or boast off . i tooke it for granted , that my gentrie stood in idlenesse , pleasurable delights , hawking , hunting , and haunting tauernes , drinking of healths , whiffing the tobacco-pipe , putting on of new and variety of fashions in hat & in haire , in cloathes and in shooe ties , in boots and in spurres , in boasting and bragging , in cracking of oaths , in big looks , great words , & in some out-bearing gestures the formes of gentry ; which i verily supposed should sufficiently of it selfe haue borne mee out , in all my extrauagant courses , in my licentious liberty , and lasciuious wantonnesse in mistrisse hearts house , through which i was brought into all these rebellious disorders , for which i iustly deserue my soueraignes indignation , of whom i humbly craue mercy and forgiuenesse . good ( my lord ) take pittie vpon me . wilfull will , i am sorrie that thy deserts are no better , being so well-borne , and that thou hast so abused thy gentry to thy shame and confusion , through thy vaine mistake , and foule abuse of the conceit of gentry , which consists of noblenesse of spirit , honourable endowments of minde , praise-worthy qualities , and seruiceable imployments for thy king and country ; and not in such base conditions as thou hast named , vnfitting altogether true gentry , being indeed the fruits either of degenerating spirits from the worth of their ancestors , or the property of new vpstarts , neuer hauing had the right breeding of true gentry , nor the vnderstanding of the true qualities of a gentleman indeed . but seeing thou art humble and penitent , and maist doe his maiesty good seruice hereafter , thy deserued sentence shall bee deferred off , till his maiesties pleasure be further known concerning thee : yet in the meane space thou art to be bound to thy good behauiour , and be carried back againe , to remaine vnder the custody of master newman . gaoler , take him to thee , and see him forth comming whensoeuer he shall be called for . then , said he , i humbly thanke your lordship , and so bowing himselfe to the bench , he is carried away from the barre , to the place from whence hee came , to remaine prisoner vntill hee should bee released . after hee was remoued , the gaoler was commanded to set mistresse hearts maids to the barre . but vpon deliberation they were sent to ward againe vnto another time . the reason was , for that two great traitors and rebels , chiefe amongst the damned crue , were presently to bee arraigned , which would take vp the allotted time before the court should breake vp and the bench arise . these two were couetousnesse and idolatry , capitall theeues , pestilently mischieuous against god , his worship and seruice , against the church , and against the cōmon-weale . couetousnesse was ioyned with idolatry , because he is also called idolatry . now all other prisoners remoued , and the iudge with the bench ready for these , the clerke willeth the crier to command the gaoler to set couetousnesse to the barre , which the gaoler doth forth with . then saith he vnto him , couetousnesse hold vp thy hand and heare thy inditement . couetousnesse , thou art here indited by the name of couetousnesse , in the towne of want , in the county of neuerfull , that from the day of thy first being thou hast beene the root of all euill , hauing made some to play the theeues , others to commit treason against our soueraigne lord the king ; others to murther innocents for their inheritance . thou art also here indited for bribery , extortion , oppression , vsurie , iniustice , cousenage , vnmercifulnesse , and a multitude of outragious villanies : besides thy hindering men in holy duties and meanes of saluation , forcing them headlong to their destruction , contrary to the peace of our soueraigne lord the king , his crowne and dignity . what sayest thou to this inditement , guilty or not guilty ? he answereth , not guilty ( my lord ) and so hee puts himselfe vpon the triall . after this , the parties that can giue euidence are called in , and first repentance is commanded to produce his witnesses . repentance , what can you say ? my lord , since the prisoner was committed to prison and put into ward , some of my witnesses are dead , as achan , ahab , and iudas . then , saith the iudge , looke the records , clerke , and reade them . my lord , i reade here that acan confessed that by couetousnesse hee was moued to looke vpon a wedge of gold , and so coueting , stole it , and with it a babylonish garment , to the death and destruction of him and all his . also i here finde , how through couetousnesse ahab longed for poore naboths vineyard , and so eagerly , as hee fell sicke for it , because hee could not haue his will. but iesabel procured by his leaue and liking the death of naboth and his sons , and so got possession of the vineyard . moreouer , i finde here , that iudas confessed how hee betrayed the innocent bloud of our sauiour through couetousnesse and desire of money . this is all the confession , my lord , in the records . then the iudge willeth the constable and his assistants which were at the apprehending of him to bee called , who make their appearance . constable , what can you say , and those that were with you , against this prisoner at the barre ? my lord , when wee went to make search for him , hee hid himselfe so close , as wee had much adoe at first to finde him in mistresse hearts house ; who had almost perswaded vs that hee had not beene there , vntill i learned it from dauid the man of god , whom i had found petitioning the lord chiefe iustice for a warrant of the good behauiour against the couetousnesse of the heart . then thought i , certainly hee is here in this house : for if dauid feared to haue him in his heart , that gaue so many millions of gold and siluer , . cart-load of treasure for the building of the temple , can i thinke him not to bee here ? i sought therefore diligently , my lord , and found him ; but before i could attach him , hee was got into a darke corner and attempted to blow out my candlelight , and to haue escaped mee . but i and my company tooke such diligent heed to him , as hee could not get from vs : yet before we could binde him , and bring him away , hee endeuoured to mischiefe as many as came neere him , & would by no meanes obey my warrant , as the rest here ( my lord ( can tell if you please to heare them . then began euery one of them to speak . care complained , that hee had almost choaked him with the world and worldly businesses , so as hee had no leasure to minde heauenly things . clearing accused him that he had so vndermined his vnderstanding at vnawares , as almost hee had broken the necke of his good name , and reputation of his profession and religion . indignation complained that hee had well nigh lost his life by him : for whereas before hee could not behold sinne , but with an holy anger , now profit of sinne , through this cursed couetousnesse , made him looke cheerefully vpon it , and heartily welcom it for profits sake . feare complained , that he did bewitch him : for said he , whereas before i was tender hearted , and trembled at gods word , desire of gaine made mee loth to lose my commodity though i got it with sin. vehement desire did greatly complaine of his violent setting vpon him , to make him eager after earthly things , so as he could hardly take any rest . zeale complained , that hee strucke himselfe hard vpon the head , as the blow made him , in hope of gain , almost without sense of gods glory , which before hee preferred aboue all things in the world . lastly , reuenge complained , that the prisoner had attempted to murther him , and so wounded him , as whereas before hee could master sinne , now hee was growne so weake , as any gainfull sinne was able to master him , and to bring him vnder command . when these had spoken what they could , the rest were brought to giue euidence , and these also were men of very good account , and of great worth in their country ; master church , master common-weale , master houshold , master neighbour-hood , and master good-worke , who hauing answered to their names , they giue in euidence one by one . master church , what can you say against the prisoner at the barre ? my lord , i am not able to reckon the particular mischiefes hee hath done against me . there falleth neuer a benefice of any reasonable value , but hee sets many to run and ride after it , and to offer largely for it , and maketh some patrons theeues , and to admit many an ignoramus into the charge and cure of soules : and many a minister to be a periured simonist before god. hee maketh not a few to heape vp meanes , not onely for maintenance , but also to make themselues great ; and many which come in freely to neglect the care of their flockes , and to seek after their fleeces , to care to bee rich , and to follow so after the world , as that either they giue ouer to preach , or doe make them preach at home very idly , seldome , and vnprofitably , though abroad , either for their hire , or applaudity more diligently and commendable . when people come to church ( my lord ) hee marreth their deuotion and haleth their soules out of the church , to make them to bee walking their grounds , talking with their friends , plotting businesses , and to bee going some iourney , to bee at some market or faire , to bee counting their debts , following their debtors , reckoning vp their loane vpon vsury , their profits and gaine , here and there , not without feare of losses . and all these things ( my lord ) with many other worldly thoughts , whilst their bodies are in church . when people come from the church , hee choaketh the seed of gods word , that it thriueth in very few , and of these few , it is more in talke than in practice . hee keepeth ( my lord ) many from the church , causing them to set the lords day apart , not for his seruice , but for their worldly affaires , because they will not take another time for hindering their profit in the weeke daies . much more ( my lord ) i haue to say , but i am loth to be too tedious . you master church , haue spoken sufficiently and enough to condemne him . call master common-weale . master common-weale , what can you say on the kings behalfe against the prisoner at barre ? my lord , this man hath entred so farre into all businesses , as hee hath almost vtterly vndone mee . hee propoundeth offices to sale , and so maketh the buyers to sell their duties for profit to make vp their monies . he hath monopolized commodities into his hands , inhanced the prices of things , to the great grieuance of the kings subiects . hee ( as your lordship well knoweth ) hath miserably corrupted the course of iustice , by briberie , by making many lawyers plead more for fees , than honestly , for the equitie of the cause ; by delaying the cause , by remouing it from one court to another , till men be vndone . he hath , to get his desire , suborned false witnesses , counterfeited euidences , and forged wils . good my lord , let some order be taken with him , else he will vtterly bring mee to ruine and all mine for euer . call master houshold . master houshold , what can you say concerning the prisoner ? my lord , this wicked couetousnesse keepes holy exercises out of priuate houses ; he will not let parents haue any time to instruct their children , hee maketh masters vse their seruants more like beasts than men , they are so wholly imployed in worldly businesses : as for their soules there is no care taken , but they are left to liue as soule-lesse men . hee causeth niggardly house-keeping , and ouer-labouring of seruants . he breedeth much contention , chiding , and too much vse of ill language by mistresses and dames , yea , betweene men and their wiues in their family , to the great griefe and ill example of their children and seruants . yea , ( my lord ) hee hath made children to bee cruel to their parents , brethren and sisters to hate one another , neere of kindred and bloud to goe to law one with another , for and about diuiding goods , lands , and inheritances ; yea , i can witnes this , that hee hath made them murther one another : children their parents , husbands their wiues , and one brother another . it would be too long to particularize , how great euils , and how many waies hee hath iniured mee and all mine . but because other witnesses stand heere by mee , i will trouble your lordship with no more complaints at this time . call master neighbourhood . friend , what is it that you can say touching this prisoner ? my lord , this vnhappy man hath altogether disunited mens affections , so as in our towne there is very little loue : hardly will one doe another a good turne freely , but either it must bee one for another , like for like , or in certaine future hope for gaine . this wretch hath almost banisht all friendly society ; euery man is so now for himselfe , as hee neglecteth his neighbor almost wholly . he maketh them trespasse one another , to rob cunningly one another in buying and selling , and to fall out with bitter rayling , & vnneighbourly languages for a penny losse , and causeth many suits and brabbles . wee are ( my lord ) indeed miserably disquieted , and almost vtterly vndone by him . for ( my lord ) we were a company of very good neighbours till he became landlord : here dwelt amitie , kindnesse , gentlenesse , loue , peace , charitie , patience , goodnesse , readie-good-will , forgetfulnesse of wrongs , sociablenesse , good-turnes , and ioy : but most vniustly by his cruelty & wrong dealing hee hath displaced them , and brought ( my lord ) a company of infernall spirits , for so i think i may without offence call them , which are these : hatred , malice , enuie , wrath , anger , churlishnesse , discord , niggardlinesse , sturdinesse , strife , debate , variance , emulation , sedition , wrangling , fraud , deceit , malignitie , despight , vnnaturalnesse , implacablenesse , vnthankfulnesse , fiercenesse , highmindednesse , selfeloue , makebate , and vnmercifulnesse . the best that hee brings in ( my lord ) are costlesse complement , faire-speech , how doe you , good-morrow , good euen , glad to see you well , word-welcome , will you drinke , fare-well , yours to command , and such like ; also one little-good , with another called soone-lost , and amongst these no-harme is greatly commended , but neuer a good man amongst them , much lesse any too-good to bee found in the parish , except more in name , than in deed . and this is that which i haue to say , my lord , at this time . call out master good-worke . master good-worke , what can you say touching the prisoner ? my lord , there hath beene so much spoken that i need say nothing : yet none haue more iust cause to complaine than i haue : for he hath endeuoured to his vtmost to root me out , and all my posterity , bounty , liberality , and hospitalitie . my lord , we by reason of him , daily stand in feare of our liues ; all the countrey crieth out of him , in their loue to vs , who well know how often hee hath attempted to murther vs. he hath put out of ioynt both the armes of my son bounty , and almost broken the backe of my son liberality , that he hardly at any time goeth vpright , and all know this , that he hath violently set vpon my sonne hospitality , and forced him out of doores , and in his stead hath let in pride of apparel , sumptuous building , affectation of vaine titles , whom hee hath made to shut vp doores , perswading them that to maintain their state , they must increase their reuenues , by new purchases , by racking of rents , by inhauncing their fines and incomes , all little enough to vphold their outward state , & vaine pompe abroad . and this ( my lord ) is that which for the present i haue to say . then it was asked if all were come in that should giue euidence ? answer was made , my lord , here is onely one man more , poore pouerty brought hither by authority to giue euidence , may it please you heare him . call in pouerty . pouerty , what canst thou say against this prisoner at the barre ? good my lord , i haue reason to curse the day that euer i knew him , and hee onely it is that hath brought mee to this poore state . i was a man of some credit , my neighbours well know , till i had to do with him , who would lend mee nothing but vpon vsurie , and that vpon great bonds and morgage of lands : and so greedy a wolfe was he vpon his prey , that if i missed but one day of payment , hee would take the benefit of the morgage , or forfeiture ; or if he forbore longer , i payed him by presents and gifts so much with the vse , as made me to groane vnder the burthen , feeling my selfe in an irrecouerable consumption . sometimes to keepe day with him , i was enforced either to buy for time , or else to sell something out of hand to make readie monies : either of which was as bad , or worse than the biting of vsurie , for when william greedy a brother of his , or also gain his cousin perceiued my need , oh how did hee in selling for time extort from mee ; and in buying for readie money presse me ? so that to escape a whirle-poole , i fell into deuouring gulfes , and thus he vndid me . and not being therewith content ( woe vnto him , ) when i became tenant ( my lord ) who was before a good free-holder , he put into our land-lords heart , to depopulate our whole parish of wealth , ( for so it was called ) and there in stead of many honest inhabitants and good house-keepers , hee set a shepheard and his curre to feed his flockes . this also is hee ( my lord ) that maketh men of faire lands ( which might liue well on their own reuenewes and demaines ) to take farmes into their hands , and to driue out such as had been mercifull releeuers of their poore neighbours . in our poore estate wee haue sought to him for releefe , but in stead of comfort , he hath railed on vs , threatned to whip vs , and to send vs to the house of correction . nothing will he doe for vs , but what by law hee is inforced vnto , though hee keepe his church , and can sometime also talke of religion . hee beggers all of vs ( my lord , ) on worke hee will not set vs , and yet will not suffer vs to seeke abroad for releefe . he neuer seeth vs , but his heart riseth against vs. he rather will aduenture his owne damnation , than part with one penny , except it be to goe gay , to buy and purchase for him and his . yea ( my lord ) that all may know his mercilesse cruelty when we haue wanted releefe , & begged of him , hee hath counselled vs to shift for our selues , and steale out of the stackes of corne in gleaning time for bread , to breake hedges , to steale wood or coale in the night , to make vs fires , to plucke sheepe , or sheere off their wooll for cloathing , to rob orchards for fruit , to steale geese , hennes , ducks , pigges and sheepe , for flesh meat , to cousen men that set vs on worke , and to make vs poore people hatefull to god and man. for hee careth not , ( my lord ) so as he may not be charged any way , what we doe , or what becommeth of vs. and yet to make vp the height of vnmercifulnesse , hee will be the first , if wee of meere extreme need doe amisse , that will cry out against vs and pursue vs to death . this hath euer been his course hitherto , ( my lord ) consider rightly of vs , and pittie our case , i beseech you , good my lord. pouerty , thy case indeed is to be pittied : iurie , you haue heard the euidence of all , what say you of the prisoner at the barre , is hee guilty , or not guiltie ? iurie , guilty my lord. couetousnesse , thou hast heard what al these witnesses haue laid to thy charge and spoken against thee , what canst thou say for thy selfe , why sentence vpon these honest mens verdict should not be pronounced against thee ? my lord , i stand for my life , let it please you with patience to heare me : and first touching this impatient ingratefull out-crying fellow pouerty ; it was not i my lord , when hee was wealthy , but his then daily and onely companions , sloth , carelesnesse , prodigality , goodfellowship , goegay good-cheere , wantonnesse , improuidence , little-worke , and many-mouthes , which ( my lord ) cast him into a consumption , and like canker wormes consumed him quickly . i confesse he came to me often to borrow , but when i saw his vaine courses of expence , i was very loth to lend to him , but that hee so earnestly intreated me , euen with teares in his eyes oftentimes protesting , that i should greatly pleasure him , yea , and saue him and his estate from ruine , if i would doe him that kindnesse , to lend him in his need . thus ( my lord ) was i moued and drawne on to lend him , according to the statute , onely i took good security , because i perceiued him to bee wastfull . aduantage i neuer tooke , but onely when i saw that he was an idle fellow and carelesse , and would neuer keepe day , then i would onely threaten him to terrifie him , ( my lord ) and if hee then brought any kindnesse to my wife , it is more than i know of , and more than i desire of him . sometimes hee would offer to sell mee the land morgaged to mee , when he could not pay , and told me that of necessitie hee must sell it , and if i would not , another should buy it . then i thought my selfe as worthy to haue it as any other in all reason . for my threatning of him and his companie , when they went a begging ; true it is , because i say , that as they had consumed themselues , they thought to relie on mee , and so in like sort to haue eaten me vp too : for idely had they liued , and worke they neither could nor would . and whereas they accuse me that i compelled them to steale , herein they very much wrong me ( my lord ) for it was their loue to liue idely , and their pinching necessitie , which led and inforced them to fall to shifting and stealing , and not i my lord. touching their landlords depopulating of the towne of wealth , they their owne selues were the very cause thereof , for that worthy knight and my kinsman , sir worldly wise , when hee saw how some by suits of law , others by drunkennesse and ryot , others by pride and idlenesse did waste their estates , so as they were neither able to till their land , nor to stock their grounds , hee bought their estates one after another , and so left them to buy or hire for themselues elsewhere . and when thus they had remoued themselues , hee sought the welfare of the common-weale , which was to hold vp cloathing ( my lord ) the chiefest meanes here to set the poore on worke , which cannot bee without wooll , and wooll cannot bee had without flockes of sheepe . if this worthy knight , and good common-wealths man tooke any aduice of mee , it was for publike good . good my lord , consider that pouertie is impatient , euer complaining , and very vnthankfull to his best friends , if they doe not alwayes supply his wants . you know this ( my lord ) to be true , and all the worshipfull iustices of the bench. touching master church his accusation ; vnworthily doth he lay the faults on me ; for when any doe ride post so for benefices when they be fallen , they are set on ( my lord ) sometime by perking pride , sometime by neighbour need , and all of them by master haste to get the liuing , and by master feare to come short of it . it was neuer i that made them offer such summes of monies to patrons , ( for it is my manner to aduise my friends to be euer sparing of their purses : ) but it was their ouer-forward friend , master hope-to-preuaile that counselled them to make such profers . i am not ( my lord ) the cause of any ministers negligence in his function , but a couple of base loytering fellowes dwelling with such ministers , commonly called ( my lord ) the parsons men ease and idle , by whom such ministers are too much led . if the people profit not vnder those that bee painfull ministers ( my lord ) the fault is not through mee , but the fault is in inbred , ignorance , dulnesse , old man , mistresse heart , and wilfull will her man , and maides hating to bee reformed , dislike of teachers either for their person or doctrine , want of loue of the truth , contentednesse to liue and die in ignorance , and the verie deuill himselfe ( my lord ) their vtter enemie . these ought to beare the blame ( my lord ) and not i. for master common-weale ( my lord ) i maruell that hee should thus abuse me , and wrong me , for ( my lord ) he knowes well , that i haue many waies enriched such as belong vnto him : his cunning merchants in trading , and his craftie lawyers in pleading . i haue holpen many a meane man to a great estate , and many a base birth to bee counted of the gentrie . forward haue i beene to helpe all sorts of euerie estate , of euery professiō & of euery trade and course of life , and must i now be questioned for my life ? concerning master houshold , hee hath no reason of all others to blame me ; for i taught him how to be warie in his house-keeping , how to manage his estate for his best thrift , how to aduantage himselfe in buying and selling corne and cattell , how to let and set , and hire grounds , to graze and fat cattell , and ( my lord ) i euer sought his profit in all my courses . hee hath no cause thus to accuse me to your lordship . he had neuer gotten vp to haue maintained so great a family , but by me . i raised his father from a base cottage , to be a free-holder , and so himselfe to be master of a great family and houshold . if any such euils haue happened vnder him , as hee complayneth of , let him accuse vnnaturalnesse , impatience , vnruly passions , and such like makebates , and withall the suggestions of satan , which doe set men on such mischiefes , and not mee ( my lord. ) for master neighbour-hood , hee may of all other be ashamed to accuse mee so , because hee hath liued much better and nothing worse by me ( my lord ) for i caused to bee remoued from him and his neighbours , in their often and idle meetings ( which they pleased to call good-fellowship ) a company of verie vnthrifts , waste , ryot , prodigalitie , drunkennes , gluttonie , idlenesse , carelesnesse , needlesse-expence , and a rout of very rascals , with reuerence be it spoken ( my lord. ) i taught him and all such as hee is , a better way to liue , and a more thriuing course , to looke diligently to their estates , and to take good courses to saue , to get , and to increase their meanes . as first hauing abandoned such lewd companie before named , in the next place , i aduised them to put away their bad men-seruants , slacke and slothfull , carelesse and wastfull , gor-belly and tospot , weake and way-ward , loue-bed & drowsie , light-finger and lurching , gamester and go-gay , slipstring and wanderer , scape-thrift & spendall , and such like vnprofitable hindes . and withall to rid themselues in like manner , of al their bad maid-seruants , such as these , pranker and prattle , wanton and loue-sick , sleepy and slugge , sweetlip and daintie , gadding and forgetfull , greene-sicknesse and tender , driuell and slut , also and aboue all the choare-woman , and her daughters pocating and filch , with all their fellowes . and in stead of these ( my lord ) i commended vnto them a company of men-seruants worth entertainement , all one mans children , the sons of mine honest neighbour good-husbandrie ; as care and forecast , makehas●e and warie , thriftie and pinch , aduantage and holdfast , cunning and catch , watchfull and toilesome , homely-fare , and meane-clad , clouted-shooe and patch , vp-betimes and labour , last vp and trustie , getting and lockfast , spend-little and get-much , take-time and lose-nought , debtlesse and gaine , with such other profitable seruants . and because i knew that maid-seruants answerable to them were as necessarie , i aduised the best i could to prouide such also , the daughters of good-hous-wiferie ; as eager and spare , quicke and nimble , trusty and timely-vp , health-full and chaste , euer-doing and silent , wittie and pliant , with other of the like nature helpfull to vphold a mans estate . by which good counsel of mine ( my lord ) neighbour-hood liueth now richly , and not beggerly , neede knockes not daily at his doore , either to begge or borrow , as he was wont to doe . concerning the last man master good-worke , he hath least cause of all others to complaine for that same which hee pleaseth to call in me oppression , vsurie , extortion , and what not , haue built many a faire almes-house , many a goodly hospitall in the land ( my lord ) and haue also giuen by will , many a large legacie to the poore , and much to publike vses . my lord , when i was a romane catholique in our forefathers dayes , none was than in more grace and fauour with all the clergie than my selfe . by mee the holy father the pope greatly increased his treasurie , by my counsells the prelates gat vp to such an infinite wealth and to such glorious dignities : by me ( they making religion a cloake for me to put on ) they got such stately houses for their dwellings , and for the varietie of their orders , built in the best places of euery nation , and such yearely reuenewes , as did exceede , for their certaine maintenance . good my lord , let it please your lordship to thinke better of me , than these men , procured for witnesses haue suggested , for falsely haue they spoken against me . good my lord , good my lord , doe me right i beseech you . stand vp , stand vp fellow , i haue heard with patience these thy verball apologies : thy subtile shifts to acquit thy selfe , thy faire shewes to winne thee credit , if it weare possible , thereby to procure thine owne release . but know , that yet for all that thou hast said , the inditement against thee standeth firme , and the euidence against thee is good , which here my brethren the kings sergeant , and the kings atturney , and these worthy gentlemen , iustices of this county likewise affirme . it is very true which your lordship saith . good ( my lord ) before you pronounce sentence against me , as you be a righteous iudge , heare me , but this once more ? what hast thou to say yet for thy selfe ? my lord i am endited by a wrong name , my name ( my lord ) is thrift , and not couetousnesse , as all this while my aduersaries haue borne your lordship in hand . then the iudge asked iustice sapience where his examination was ? the iustices clarke called experience brought it forth and read it : in which his name was found to bee couetousnesse , and that by the witnesse of his neighbours , to whom he was verie well knowne . fellow , saith the iudge , why dost thou denie thy name ? my lord i doe not denie it , for my name is thrift ; but when i get vp some wealth , the enuy of my neighbours gaue me this other nickname : and so common it grew , by their so often calling me , as i lost my other name among them . but there are diuerse of my honest neighbours , which loue me , and are glad of my welfare , they haue told me , that my name formerly was thrift ; and they do assure me , that i am vntruly called couetousnesse . then saith the iudge , who be these , and what are their names ? my lord , one is master faire-speech , a louing kind man : and another is master soothing his kinsman , both of them my familiar friends : whom i haue often enuited and welcomed to my house . also many other of my good neighbours do affirme as much to me , as my neighbour needy , retainer , dependant , workeman , hireling , tenant , feareman , fainhart , loath-to-offend , clawbacke , and fawning ; for though some of these bee but poore men , yet i haue euer knowne thē all to be so honest , that they haue hated to slatter me ; there are besids these ( my lord ) other very substantiall gentlemen , as master lucre , master bribery , master opression , master harddealing , master scrapgood , master niggard , master pinch-poore , master extortion , master basemind , master chubrich , master vsury , master hardhart , master louegood , master suckingaine , and master griphard , all these ( my lord ) and other moe of my good friends , haue much maruelled , that i would suffer my selfe to be soe falsely called couetousnesse , by these my accusars , my euer hatefull and malicious enemies , such as is master pitie , master reliefe , master liberalitie , master bountie , master hospitality with certaine lend companions such as carelesse and wastfull , pride , & prodigalitie , idle and bellicheare , with the like haters of my thriuing and prouident courses : for i haue heard some preachers say , that hee which prouideth not for his family is worse then an infidle : and i would be loath to be hold such a one , that am a christian man. and ( my lord ) if it please you to heare mee , and also to beleeue mee , i haue euer hated couetousnesse : for i keepe my church , i say daily my prayers , and now and then , as i may attend it , i heare preachers , yea such , as be held of the incercut , euer railing against the couetous ; i haue beene patron of many a good benifice , and haue euer giuen them freely ; and if it happened , that i reserued out of them any tithes ; it was then vpon my chaplens thankfulnesse , and onely vpon an honest cōposition . i haue giuen almes now and then , i haue not beene altogether soe straight handed to the poore , when i sold or let any thing as often i did , the price set vpon the same euer was so reasonable ( as my stewards and bailiffes told mee for i trusted them , ) that if one would not giue the money another would . if in house-keeping i haue beene any whit sparing , it was onely warines to auoid riot , excesse , drunkennes & gluttonie , which euery honest man hateth . if the poore ( so many as came ) were not all relieued , it was for that i saw beggers to encrease thereby , and so i may do more harme then good by my almes : for while some came from farre , for an almes or a peny , they might haue earned at home in that time perhaps two pence , yea a groate sometimes , making their going and comming a whole dayes labour , i gathered ( my lord ) what i haue gotten , by gods blessing , and great paines-taking , for present and for future maintenance of my selfe , my wife and children after me , and i meant withall , when i died , to haue giuen something to the church , something to the poore , and a reward to a preacher , to preach my funerall sermon : and somewhat more , perhaps , to other good vses . good my lord , i beseech you consider of me , i haue euer had a good mind to wrong no man , but onely haue striuen carefully and honestly to thriue in this hard world : and if all my courses bee neuer so strictly obserued , they will onely proue mee to bee thrist , ( which is my right name ) and not couetousnesse ; it hath been my ill happe , though i haue done good deeds , to be very wrongfully abused , either by such as haue enuied my good prosperitie : or by some railing tenants , or by some bordering neighbours that cannot buy of me , how , when , and what they list , at their owne prices : or by some vnthankfull persons not satisfied according to their humours , though rewarded aboue their deserts . good my lord , be good vnto mee , and bee not carried away with the words of my malicious enuious accusers . fellow ( saith the iudge ) but that i onely sit to iudge , and not to bee thy accuser , i could tell thee , first , that those thou hast before named , to prooue thee to be thrift , and not couetousnesse , are either slatterers , or fearefull to displease thee , or wretched men , companions in euill like thy selfe : and therefore their witnesse is nothing worth : next , that all thou hast alleaged concerning thy religion , thy almes-deeds , thy house-keeping , and the rest , do not cleare thee of couetousnesse : for the scribes and pharisecs would pay tithes , fast weekly ; make many and long prayers , yea they heard iohn baptist a seuere reprouer of sin and christ iesus too , who sharply reprehended them : they would giue almes , adorne sepulchers , and doe many things which thou dost come farre short off , and yet were they very couetous . the young man that came to christ , and stood vpon his well doing towards all men , and that from his youth vp : yet was he a mamonist ; and trusted in his riches . there were certaine iewes as one propher telleth vs , who would heare sermons , seeme to delight therein , shew loue to their teachers in word , and speake to others to go and heare them , yet their hearts followed after their couetousnesse . in a word , the carriage of thy owne speech vttered in thy owne praises , sauoureth strongly of couetousnesse . but as i said i will not bee both an accusar and thy iudge : we will heare witnesses for the king in this point also : call in witnesses . then the clarke willeth the crier to call in one master proofe and one master signes . master proofe and master signes come into the court , to giue euidence against the prisoner at the barre , or else you forfeit your recognisances . vous auez master proofe , and master signes . master proofe stand vp to the barre , that my lord may heare you : giue roome there . then saith the iudge , master proofe looke vpon the prisoner , do you know him ? yea ( my lord ) i haue knowne him from a child : his name is couetousnesse . but he denieth it now , saith the iudge , and calles himselfe thrift . my lord , be of late is growne ashamed of his name , but neither is , nor euer was ashamed , either of the nature or practise of couetousnesse , as i and master signes here do well know , and are able to make good against him . then you hold not his name to be thrift . no verily ( my lord ) though he hath often pretended it , to couer his odious , though very true name : yet is it not to bee denied ( my lord ) but that one thrift dwelt , where hee now dwelleth , and indeed , he is a slip of thrift , and thus it was . this master thrift , was once steward to three worshipfull gentlemen , master liberalitie , master bounty , and master hospitalitie , and carried himselfe very commendably in their seruices , and afterwards for himselfe , when hee came to be an housekeeper , vntill he fell in acquaintance with a very pestilent subtill base pettifogger , who gaue him such bad counsell as vnhappily brought him to fall into familiaritie with one distrust , and suddenly to marry a daughter of his called not content . through this his vnhappy father in law euer vrging , and his vnquiet wifes sollicitation , he was much altered in his nature and condition from that which hee was before . of this woman notcontent he had diuerse children , among the rest , care , feare , spare , hard-fare , toilesome , and with all , one called gaine : those former sonnes were soure , sad , lumpish , froward , and very vnquiet : but this lad gaine was a pleasant youth , and often made his parents very merry , and therefore though they neglected not the other , yet their chiefest delight was set vpon this . this sonne they soe cockered , and made so much off , as they suffered him to set his loue vpon one coueting , a very harlot , and withall the base daughter of desire , vpon which filthy harlotry hee begat this fellow couetousnesse , the prisoner now at the barre : who when hee was but a very babe , so continually lay sucking at his mother couetings breasts , as she had not milke inough for him , and therefore with her husband gaines consent , she put him to be nursed , and nourished vp of one grecdie , the wife of money-loue ; now so it fell out , that these two , had a daughter called hopet ' encrease , to which hee at ripe yeares was married , who betweene themselues , as also by the helpe of their parents , on both sides , of his parents gaine and coueting ; and of her parents greedy & money-loue , they did grow rich and very great . and so vnsatiable hath he beene euer in getting , as he iustly deserueth to be called couetousnesse his very true and proper name . and this is that which i haue to say ( my lord ) and i hope it may giue the iury satisfaction , that he is not indited by a false name . if you haue spoken master proofe , then cryer , call in master signes , saith the iudge . master signes saith the cryer , stand vp to the barre . then the iudge asked him , if he knew the prisoner ? my lord , saith he , i haue knowne this man of a long time , his name is couetousnesse : he was so borne , and brought vp , as master proofe hath witnessed to your lordship , and to the iury. but ( saith the iudge ) you haue heard him deny , that this is his name , what euident tokens can you therefore decipher him by , that the iury may know him to bee the very man ? my lord , though i know him to be blinded with selfeloue , and with an ouer good conceit of himselfe , as rich men commoly be , so saith salomon , as also that hee is flattered by such , as hee himselfe hath named to your lordship , that hee will neuer beleeue what i shall say ; yet will i deliuer vndoubted tokens to the iury for them to know assuredly , that he is the very man , according to his name ; a right mamonist . for , my lord he cannot deny that he was euer content with his estate , heb. . . but through the loue of money , which he coueted after , he hath laboured and made haste to be rich . . tim. . . pro. . . pro. . . and neuer would be satisfied , eccle. . . . nor haue inough , esay . . for as riches encreased , so he set his heart vpon them , psal . . . his cheifest ioy was , because his wealth was great , and because his hand had gotten much , iob. . . he hath receiued siluer , rather then instruction , and gold rather then knowledge ; pro. . . his trust was in his riches , pro. . . ier. . . his wealth was his strong city , pro. . . and as a high wall in his conceit , pro. . greedy hath he beene of gaine , and through his greedinesse , hath he troubled his owne house , pro. . . by chiding , chasing , turmoiling , pinching fare , and such like meanes ; he hath encreased his estate by vniust gaine and oppression , pro. . . and . . gifts he hath loued and receiued , pro. . . esay . . in his aboundance he hath not had power giuen him to liue plentifully , eccles . . . but hath spared more then needeth , pro. . . he hath eaten vppon other mens labours , esay . . and his neighbours labours he hath vsed without recompence , ier. . . for he alwayes onely looked to his owne wayes , and to his owne gaine , esay . . studying to ioyne house to house , and field to field , that hee might be alone , esay . . . he hath built houses by vnrighteousnesse and wrong . ier. . , hee hath made vnhonest gaine , ezech. . . . and gotten greedily by extortion . ezech. . . his eyes and his heart were only for couetousnesse , ier. . . besides all these ( my lord ) hee hath suffered the cares of this world , and deceitfulnesse of riches to choake the word of god , that it hath beene without fruit in him . mat . . hee neuer deuised liberall things , esay . . . nor to despise the gaine of deceits , esay . . any proposition tending to cost was euer displeasing to him , and like the young man in the gospel , would he go away heauily : as one grieued to part with his goods . as an ahab he neuer could see a nabothes vinyard lying commodiously for him , but he eagerly gaped after it . if he gaue to the poore , and to good vses , it was of necessitie not freely , . cor. . . sparingly , and not bountifully , not cherefully , and of a willing mind , pleading not to bee so rich , as men tooke him to bee , pro. . . and whereas this man saith , that hee hath euer hated couetousnesse , ( as indeed hee ought to haue done , ) pro. . . surely if he had , then would hee ( my lord ) with dauid ( one that bestowed infinit treasures to holy vses ) haue prayed against the couetousnes of his owne heart , psal . . . hee would haue beene more liberall , more boūtiful , more giuen to hospitallity , and more ready to good works , then he hath beene hitherto . he would be like cornelius giuing much almes . act. . . my lord i haue knowne him to watch opportunity , to get aduantages both of rich and poore : if master liberalitie , bounty , hospitality , goodworke , church , or common-weale , did euer imploy him , he then would make gaine of them all to himselfe : where hee found any good fellowes for his turne , as waste , prodigalitie , pride , idle , needy , or simple , as long as they had any thing , he would speake kindely to them , offer to lend them vpon pawnes , or morgages , till he had vndone them , which he that hateth couetousnesse would neuer haue done . to be short ( my lord ) all the witnesses produced already , with the iust complaint of poore pouerty : proclaime his name to be couetousnesse , yea , ( as your lordship hath well obserued ) his owne speeches and practises , cry shame against him . would a man hating couetousnesse commend the practise of sir worldlywise , as hee hath done ? would he commend , and entertaine in his seruice , cunning , and catch , aduantage , and holdfast , rackrent , and ouerreach , makemuch , and pinchhard , sparepurse , and niggard , hardsare , and churle , coldwelcome , and wishrid , scarcedrinke , and farewell , with a company of base hangbies , such as these , slipthrif● , and poorewage , lackmeanes , and loyterer , tag and ragge , with soliue , and orbegone . if couetousnesse did not ouersway him , hee would surely abandon all such contemptible companions which are euer a disgrace to liberality , bounty , and hospitality , such fellowes as these afore named , they s●orne to haue abiding in their mansions . i haue bene ( my lord ) somewhat to long , i feare me , but i hope , i haue satisfied your lordship and the iury : and spoken , but that which is truth . master signes ( saith the iudge ) you and master proofe , haue performed the parts of honest men . sirrha sirrha , thou that hast so impudently denied thy name , here before the face of thy country : being so clerely prooued against thee euery way , what canst thou yet alleadge for thy selfe , that now the sentence of death should not be pronounced against thee ? good my lord a psalme of mercy . what! canst thou , soe notorious a traytor to god , to his church , to thy king , and to thy country , now imagine , to reape any benefit by thy cleargy ? good my lord , i pray your lordship of mercy , good my lord. fellow hold thy peace , and heare with patience , thy iust deserued iudgement . couetousnesse , thou hast been indited by the name of couetousnesse of all the aforesaid felonies , cousenages , oppressions , and murthers , and for the same thou hast been at raigned ; thou hast pleaded not guilty , & hast put thy selfe vpon thy triall and beene found guilty , hauing no more to say for thy selfe , this is the law. thou art to be counted idolatry before god , and also the root of all euill , and so damned a sinne as not to be named amongst christians , and that such as by thee are made couetous are to be abandoned of all good men , as of god they are abhorred , being worthy of eternall death ; and haue no inheritance in the kingdome of christ and of god , but vpon them must come the wrath of god , as vpon the children of disobedience . thou art therefore as a rotten member of the flesh to bee mortified and cut off . master shireffe , do excecution which the vnder shireffe seeth performed . goaler , set papistry to the barre . papistry hold vp thy hand . papistry , thou art heere indited by the name of papistry , of the city of rome , in the county of babylon , that thou being a bastard christian begotten of heresie , iudaisme , paganism , hast by violent force and armes inuaded the territories of the church of god , and by spanish inquisitions , bloudy massacres , stabbing , poysoning , and killing of kings , gunne-powder plots , treasons , rebellions , and other hellish practices , vsurped authority and thrusts vpon gods people their humane traditions , inuentions , superstitions , will-worship , heresies , iewish ceremonies , and paganish idolatry to the damnation of many christian soules contrary to the peace of our soueraigne lord the king , his crowne and dignity , what sayest thou hereunto , art thou guilty or not guilty ? not guilty my lord. by whom wilt thou be tried ? by god and the country . but ( good my lord ) let me haue another iurie chosen , i doe not except against the former iurie , faith , loue , feare , charity , sincerity , paitence , innocencie and the rest , but ( my lord ) though they be honest men , and haue well discharged themselues in their virdict vpon other prisoners ; yet haue they not such iudgement and vnderstanding as others haue , to discerne of my case , and the truth of the euidence which shall bee brought against me . papistry , because neither thou nor any of thy slanderous fauorits may say , that thou hast beene proceeded against rigorously and vniustly , without respect to the truth of the cause , i am content to call a new iurie , if here we can haue so many as will make vp the number . i humbly thanke you ( my good lord ) god reward your lordship for it . master sheriffe , impannell a new iurie of very substantiall men , the chiefest you can finde , and fittest to goe vpon this prisoner now at the barre . my lord , i supposed , that as he would craue , so from your lordships vprightnes he should obtaine this fauour , therefore haue i prepared a full iury to this purpose . it was done wisely of you ( master sheriffe ) let them be called . cryer call in the iurie . . call common principles , vous aues common principles . . call apostles creed , vous aues the creed . . call second commandement , second commandement come in . my lord i cannot get in . what 's the matter ? my lord ( saith the cryer ) the papists keepe him out . command to let him in , vous aues the second commandement . . call pater noster , vous aues pater noster . . call holy scriptures , vous aues holy scriptures . . call the apocrypha , vous aues apocrypha . . call councells , vous aues councels . . call antient fathers for the first . yeares after christ , vous aues antient fathers . . call contradiction amongst themselues , vous aues contradiction , . call absurditie of opinion , vous aues absurditie of opinion . . call consent of their own men , vous aues consent . . call testimonie of martyrs , vous aues testimonie of martyrs . counte , saith the clerke . then the cryer bids them answer to their names . common principles , one ; creed , two ; commandement , three ; pater noster , foure ; holy scriptures , fiue , apocrypha , six ; councell , seuen ; fathers , eight ; contradiction , nine ; absurditie , ten ; consent of their owne men , eleuen ; testimonie of martyrs , twelue : good men and true , stand together and heare your charge . my lord , here are some more summoned by master sheriffes authoritie . who bee they master sheriffe ? master law with his sonnes , ciuill , canon , common , and municipall . well , let them attend the court for the kings seruice , for vse , if need be . papistrie , if thou canst ●ustly except against any , i giue thee leaue to challenge any such of the iury. good my lord , onely one of the iury i except against , which is holy scriptures , except it be our own translation . well , saith the iudge , i am content it shall bee so , let it be either montanus , or the rhemist , or the vulgar edition , we desire a iust proceeding with all the indifferencie that may be . then the crier calleth aloud ; if any man can giue euidence , or can say any thing against the prisoner at the barre , let him come in , for hee stands vpon his deliuerance . here is my lord a worthy gentleman m. verity . master verity , come neere , what can you say concerning the prisoner at the barre ? my lord , this i am able to iustisie . first , that hee hath beene a false teacher frō the beginning , fraught with error and heresies , teaching as the false teachers did , such as be recorded in scripture , if they were paralleld together , as the doctrine of diuels , tim. . , . traditions and commandements of men , mat. . . mar. . , , . col. . . veniall sinnes matt. . . . childrens neglect of parents for churches profit , as they pretended , mat. . . mar. . . superstitious obseruations in meats and holy dayes , matth . . col. . , . laying heauy burthens vpon the people , luk. . . iustification by works , therewith troubling the churches , gal. . . & . . & . . . voluntary religion and wil-worship , col. . . . the worship of angels , col. . . carnall libertie , . pet. . . reu. . ● . . and teaching for filthy lucre , tit. . . thus are they , as were the false teachers ( as the scriptures in the new testament set them out ) like in all these things . how like they are ( my lord ) to after heretiques , learned whitaker in his booke de ecclesia , in the first question , sheweth in many particulars . secondly , ( my lord ) he hath vsed the very same practises which false teachers haue vsed : hee doth to make way for his doctrine , worship and aduancement , euen as they did . a they played the hypocrites in outward humilitie , in long prayers and formes of deuotion , and so mislead silly women . b they graced their doctrine with shew of fore-fathers . c they tooke away the key of knowledge , and neither would enter into life , nor suffer others . d they told the people old wiues fables , and told lies in hypocrisie . e they vsed sleights and cunning craftinesse to deceiue . f they boasted of their learning , vsing prophane and vaine babbling , and oppositions of sciences as they termed it . g they pretended reuelations , apostolicall traditions , and alleadged counterfer writings . h they had the propheticall woman and deceiuing prophetesses , i they had their miracle-workers , casters out of diuels , and dreamers of dreames . k they would slander mens persons , and the doctrine of saithfull teachers , and lay to their charge what they could not proue , speaking of them contemptuously , and railing on them . l they boasted to bee the true church , and that by succession they were of the fathers . m they would vse faire and soothing words , and teach with inticing words , and did strine for excellencie of speech of mans wisedome to deceiue . n when they could not preuaile by faire meanes , then they would suborne false witnesses : they threatned , beat , imprisoned , banished and slew the faithfull teachers and christian beleeuers . o they would plot conspiracies to the shedding of bloud , and the priests must bee acquainted herewith before hand to encourage them hereto . p they would make open insurrections , and stir vp great personages to take part with them . and what rebellion , treasons , conspiracies , insurrections , and persecutions this papistrie hath wrought , my lord bishop of chichester hath openly discouered to the world in his booke of thanksgiuing for our deliuerance from all these traitors , morton , sands , parsons , campion , ballard , watson , clarke , garnet , priests and iesuits : stuckly , someruile , throgmorton , parry , babbington and his company ; lop us , tyrone , markam , brooke , with others ; percey , catsby , and all the gun-powder plotters ; laicks . and this ( my lord ) is not what i could , but what i thought sufficient to testifie at this time , because i would not be tedious . master veritie , by this you haue vttered , it is easie to see how this man hath followed , both the false teachers in doctrine , and the enemies of the gospell in their practises . if there be any moe witnesses , let them come foorth . yes my lord , here is sir christianitie . sir christianitie , what is it that you haue to say against this prisoner at the barre ? my lord , i was commanded to bee here to day to giue euidence what i know against this man , and this i am willing to do for the seruice of my soueraigne . this it is ( my lord ) which i haue to say , that this man with his associates , hath in stead of christian religion , set vp a seruice of iudaisme and paganisme , which i am able to prooue in a multitude of particulars : but because i am loath to be tedious in my relation , i haue brought heere with me three bookes , that the iury may iudge of all the particulars , or they may be read before the prisoner , if your lordship shall be pleased to haue it so . what bookes sir christianitie ? my lord , one is that , that is called the three conformities set out lately . the other is , de origine papatus , set out by one doctor morisin , and dedicated to his late maiesty : and the third is , our learned countriman doctor raynolds his cōference with hart neuer answered of any papistto this day , who sheweth how the popish seruice is like vnto the iewishin very many particulars and wherein they be more heathenish , then iewish . i am content to haue thē read to spare your speech touching the iewish seruice . so hauing beene read , the iudge yet wished sir christianity to declare openly how pagan like papists bee , and as the heathenish idolaters in israel and iudah were , and onely out of the vndoubted testimonies of scripture , and the apocrypha books , because those learned authors had omitted it . my lord , i shall ( saith sir christianity ) performe this taske with as great breuitie as i may : that this prisoner ( if it be possible ) may see how wickedly he hath dealt with mens soules to set vp instead of gods seruice , an idolatrous , and pagan-like worship . a these pagans set forth god like a man. b the idolatrous israelites had a queene of heauen : c they had images of gold and siluer , brasse , yron , wood , and stone , and some of clay : some molten , some carued and grauen , some portrayed vpon walls , and other pictures . some were likemen , dan. . . . sam. . , . and some like women , act. . . . machab. . . . sam. . . some lke beasts , ( like s. george and the dragon ) exod. . wisd . . . they adorned them with siluer and gold , ierem. . . and set crownes vpon some of their heads , couering them with costly garments and of diuers colours , deut. . . hab. . . baruch . , , , , , , , , . ezek. . . wisd . . carrying a scepter in the hand , or a dagger , or an axe , baruch . , . they set them vp with great deuotion & solemnity , with musick and melodie , dan. . . with singing , dancing , and other delights , exodus . . they built temples for these images , ioel . . . machab. . , . baruch . . which were the houses of their gods , iudg. . . samuel . . and called them sanctuaries , isat . . . they had chappels for them , amos . . yea , they set them vpon tops of hills , king. . . king. . . they had them in priuate houses , iudg. . . . in chambers , ezek. . . and in secret places , deut. . . they had their pleasant groues planted , ier. . . king. . and there also had their images , king. . . chron. . . king. . . they had their standing pillars and images , as the papists their crosses , deut. . . & . . . king. . , leu. . these were in the head of high-wayes and streets of cities , exek . . . ier. . . the multitude were allured by the gorgeous decking of them , wisd . . . & . . . yea , they doted vpon them , ezek. . , . they worshipped them , bowed vnto them , and fell downe before them , dan. . isa . . . ios . . . they would lift vp their eyes vnto them , ezek. . . pray vnto them , . king. . . hab. . . isa . . kisse them , hos . . . king. . . set vp candels before them , baruch . . . make vowes to them , baruch . . and goe on pilgrimage to some of them very farre , ier. . . expecting some miraculous cure from the image , bar. . . in entering into their temples they sprinkled themselues with water , altars they had of ston● , isa . . . they vsed vaine repetitions in their prayers , mat. . . they measured their religion and goodnes thereof by plenty , ier. . ● . they had their sacrificing priests , act. . . and they were shauen priests , baruch . . . sometimes they were of the basest of the people , . kings . . whosoeuer would , might for monie or for monie worth , make himselfe a priest , . king. . . . chron. . . and some serued for base wages , iudg. . they had then concubines , baruch . . hos . . . some of them would we are haire cloaths and torment themselues , . king. . . zach. . . and of a deuotion in a will-worship mac●r●te their bodies , punishing & not sparing their bodies , col. . . their teachers taught for hire , mich. . . . pet. . , . reu. . tit. . . for gifts , they would promise life & peace , ezek. . . ier. . , . in their seruice they had variety of musicke , dan. . their set holy-dayes , exod. . . king. . they had their holy women attending the idol-seruice , ezek. . . working for them , . . . king. . . and prophecying lyes , ezek. . . and were great worshippers of the queene of heauen , ier. . . & . . they had also their seuerall gods for their seuerall countries as papists haue their saints , . king. . . & . . they would pray to these and sweare by them , ier. . . & . . gē . . . . king. . . . king. . . zeph. . . some in israel which fell to heathenish idolatry were like church papists ; for they would worship idols and yet go to gods house and heare his prophets , ier. . , . . king. . . ezek , . & . , & . . when idolatry was cast our of the church ( as we haue done the idolatry of rome ) the idolaters would condemne it , as an ill act in them , and speake against the seruing of god aright , as papists doagainst vs , king. . . they worshipped towards the east , ezek. . . they were very superstitious , acts . they liued in very grosse ignorance of the truth , and in liberty of sinning , isa . . , . & . . ephes . . , . wisd . , , , . they worshipped they knew not what , ioh. . . their festiuals after their idol-seruice they spent in earing , drinking , singing , dancing , exod. . . , . they had their reuellings and meetings full of excesse ryot , pet. . . and would wonder a● , & speake ill of such as would not be like them . they had brothel houses , ezek. . . king. . . king. . , . & . . & . . they had amongst them conturers , wizards , charmers , obseruers of times , southsayers , astrologers , starre-gazers , and such like . to these the people resorted & consulted with , king. . . sam. . . chron. . . hest . . . & . . deut. . . isa . . . & . , . hos . . . ezek. . . ier. . . act. . . they sacrificed to nets , and burnt incense to draggs , hab. . . they beleeued that some of their images were approued of their great god from heauen , act. ● . . they were cruell and bloudily minded against all that were against their idolatry , hos . . . & . . . king. . , . iudg. . . chron. . , . the idolaters in israel and iudah brought in the heathen , as gods plague vpon them , to punish them for their idolatry , . chro. . . & - . . & . . & . . . . . kin. . . as the papists haue brought the turkes vpon the christian world by their imagerie and idolatry , reu. . they were stupid and without vnderstanding in their idol-making , & in setting them vp to worship them , isa . . , . and so continued therein obstinate as the papists doe . and thus haue i shewed what i can say ( my lord ) touching the heathenish idolaters and their practises . your euidence is so cleare ( sir christianitie ) as hereby all may see , how pagan-like papists bee in their imagerie , priests and temples . is there any further euidence ? thē stands vp m. atturney general : and did proue him to be guilty of high treasō both against the person and the lawes of his soueraigne . my lord ( saith he ) this fellow vnder pretence of religion ( for all must be couered with his shadow ) hath set vp another spirituall head ouer the church , besides christ , ( euen antichrist his greatest enemy ) as is sufficiently prooued . he hath set vp also mediators of intercession besides christ : also in his rebellious pride of heart he hath exalted mans merit , and made him a party sauiour of himselfe , by satisfactory punishments either heere or in their seigned purgatory . thus is he a rebell and an abettor of rebels against christ . againe , the law of christ ( the holy scriptures ) he hath notoriously corrupted and abused many wayes . he maketh it no perfect rule . . he teacheth blasphemously that the originall is corrupt , and so shaketh the faith of all such as rest on the scriptures . . he hath added to them mens writings called apochrypha , to make them canonicall●a . he hath feigned a traditionall word & equalleth the same with the scriptures . . he debarred for a long time the translating of gods word into a knowne tongue , to keepe the people from the vnderstanding thereof . . being enforced at length to translate it , hee hath or purpose done it corruptly , and with many vncouth & obscure words , hath hidden the truth still , to keepe the people in blindnesse . . yet this their so corrupt & obscure translation is not admitted indifferently to all , but to some , and to these vnder license , for which they pay money . these parties , though they may read the scriptures , yet must it bee with the popes spectacles , and may not see farther than the false teacher pleaseth , nor conceiue otherwise of the sense than he suggesteth , though the text be neuer so cleare of it selfe . they blasphemously publish , that the scriptures are a nose of wax , a dead letter , sowterly inke , dumbe iudges , and a black gospell , inkie diuinity , and may haue one sense one time , and another at another time , according to the churches state & condition . they set vp a corrupt latine translation , for as authenticall as the originalls in the hebrew and the greeke . and lastly , they brought into the church in stead of the holy bible a booke of lyes to bee read . thus is this wicked wretch guilty of high-treason against our soueraigne . besides that , hee hath counterfeited his maiesties broad seale , inuenting new sacraments neuer of christs institution , and hath conspired and plotted the death of an innumerable multitude of his maiesties subiects in a most cruell and bloudie manner , my lord , he is no way longer to be endured : for we shall neuer bee at peace as long as hee may haue libertie to liue ; for he is a ranke traitor to our king and state , an vnderminer of religion and the true church of christ , & an enemie to our peace & welfare in the common-wealth . gentlemen , ( saith the iudge ) you of the iurie haue heard master attournies witnes , also what both master veritie and sir christianitie haue spoken against him : now that you haue heard the euidence so fully , what say you touching the prisoner , is he guiltie or no ? then the foreman , in the name of all the rest , answereth ; guiltie , my lord. whereupon the iudge turneth to the prisoner , & saith ; papistry , thou hearest what grieuous iniquities , foule and filthy abominations , murthers & massacres haue beene layed to thy charge ; thou hast heard the verdict of these so learned and well approued gentlemen , chosen without all partiality to go vpon thee . and they in their iudgement , vpon their consciences , haue found thee guiltie . what canst thou say for thy selfe that sentence of death should not bee pronounced against thee . my lord , the iurie assuredly is corrupted by some meanes or other , else would they neuer haue found me guiltie : for our learned men haue cited many of these in my behalfe , and therefore i appeale from them to a generall councell , for the triall of their honestie in this verdict . vpon this lewd surmise and brazen-faced accusation , all the iury fell a murmuring , being much grieued to be taxed of faithlesnes and periurie . the worshipfull gentlemen the iustices and master sheriffe began to speak in their behalfe , but the iudge standing vp , staid them and made answer for them . papistrie : to be briefe with thee , thou art shamelesly impudent to accuse these worthy gentlemen : for iustly proceeding according to the cleere euidence to thy face . for thy learned men , they haue only cited the names of some of these , but without their knowledge or consent . yea , many testimonies they bring vnder their names , which indeed are proued to be counterfeits , abusing their vnaduised readers in their vniust defence of thee . as for thy appeale to a generall counsell , it s but to set a good face vpon an ill cause ; for thou knowest that we haue long desired a free general counsell , but not a gathering together ; like the lewd conuenticle of ●rent . but art thou not ashamed to conceit the bringing of these mens verdict to the triall ? we must by them be tried , and not they by vs. by what canst thou trie the principles of religion ? wilt thou deny them ? must fathers , councels , scriptures & al be brought vnder our iudgements ? thou haddest no cause to taxe the iurie ; if any had bin in fault , it should haue beene the witnesses : but canst thou tax verity of lying , or christianity of falsehood ? as for master attourney , his speech is no more then your owne words , writings and practise do testifie . heare therefore thy sentence , iustly deserued before god and men . papistry ; thou hast bin indited by the name of papistry , of all these former treasons , rebellions , cōspiracies , gun-powder plots , murthers , massacres , falsehood , heresies , iudaisme & paganisme , and of that thy detestable idolatry , and for the same , hast been arraigned , thou hast pleaded not guilty , hast put thy selfe vpon thy tryall , and beeing found guilty , hauing no more to say for thy selfe , this is the law. that thou the mystery of iniquitie , with the old serpent , called the diuel , or sathans , thy father , with thy lewd mother , that great whore , drunke with the blood of the martyrs of iesus , which sitteth vpō a scarlet-coloured beast , as also with that false prophet the sonne of perdition , thy guide and gouernour shall bee cast aliue where the dragon is , into the lake of fire , burning with brimstone , there to be tormented with all thy marked ones in the presēce of the holy angels , and in the presence of the lamb , without rest day & night , the smoake of which torment shall ascend vp for euer and for euer , without mercy or hope of redemption . after this sentence , there is made an oyes , and so the court breaketh vp ; the iudge ariseth , the iustices and gentle-men attend him , the sheriffe with the vnder-sheriffe & his seruants goe before with the sounding of a trumpet , and so do conduct him to his lodging , and there doe leaue him with rest and peace . laus deo. the contents of this little booke for spirituall vse , besides the literall delight in the allego●ie . in the first part . . that which is most hurt full to man is sin : set out vnder the name of a notorious malefactor , pag. . to . that god hath giuen to such as be his , heauenly graces to watch ouer their waies , and to find out their sinnes , set out by watchmen . p. . to . that god hath giuen vs helpes , in his holy word , to find out and to know sin to bee sinne ; set out vnder the name of an hue & cry , p. . to . that some people are so wickedly bent to sin , that , to hide their owne sinfull courses , they become deadly enemies to most excellent vertues : set out vnder the names of master outside , master worldliwise , and the rest . p. . to . that sinne escapeth often vnder the name and cloake , or habite of vertue ; set out vnder the shifts , which theeues vse to make , to escape their pursuers . p. . to . that sinne hath many to fauour it , and who chiesty they bee : set out vnder seuerall names . p. . to . . that yet for all these shifts and these fauourites , a godly man wil in obedience to gods commandement search it out : set foorth vnder the constables warrant from the lord chiefe iustice . p. . to . that to search out sin is required vnderstanding , set out by an officer , which hath authoritie to search . p. . that not euery vnderstanding , but the vnderstanding illuminate by grace , is that which can find out sin : set out by the deputy constable , the tythingman , the petie constable , & chiefe constable . p. . . that where such vnderstanding is , there is a gracious reformation ; set out by the chiefe constables familie . p. . to . that this vnderstanding , to apprehend sinne , needeth other graces to assist it in his spirituall search : set out by the name of the constables men seruants , his neighbor , and his neighbours children . p. . to . that truly and vprightly to proceed in search of our sinnes , we must before hand remoue selfe-loue , and selfe conceit ; set out by two busie companions . p. . to . that the place in the soule , where principally sinne is to be searched out , is the heart : set out by a common iune . p. . to . that the fiue senses are so many inlets for sinne into the heart , and what kinds of sinnes enter in at euery seuerall sense : set out by the iune-doores . p. . to . that sinnes possesse not the heart foorthwith from the sense , but in a naturall order , and by degrees ; set out by the hall , parlour , chamber , and dining roome . p. . . that the passions of the heart are many , & what is their force and effects ; set out vnder mistris hearts maids . p. . to . that the will of man is miserably misled , & made as a very slaue to the deceit of the heart , and passions thereof : set out by the name of will her master . p . that sinnes once entertained into the heart , do there finde matter of nourishment , there to abide and rest : set out by an hostesse entertaining plentifully her guests , from a table well furnished , diligent attendance , lodging roomes and beds , p. . to . that ill ordred affections , and ouerswaying passions are accompanied with many euils : set out by guests lodged in seuerall beds . p. . to . that where the heart doth nourish vp sinnes , there the sinners liue securely without repentance , through hardnesse of heart ; set out by lodging in a bed securely after full dyet . p. that where the vnderstanding is sanctified , there the heart is strucke with gods feare to shake off security : set out by the constable attaching a fellon . p. . that vpon this feare of god , a well informed iudgement will fall to a true and serious examination , of all a mans wayes , whereby godly sorrow is wrought , to follow sinne vnto the death : set out by a iustice of peace , his office , his examining a fellon , binding some ouer to prosecute against him , and sending him to prison . p. . to . that a regenerate man , horne anew , getteth at length masterie ouer his own heart , and bringeth his body into subiection : set out by master newman the goaler . p. . to . that the new man is renewed in knowledge , holynesse , and righteousnesse ; by the heauenly power whereof he is kept and preserued from all the euils of sinne & wickednesse against either god or his neighbour : set out by the three vnder goalers . p. , , . that a godly man vseth all holy meanes to curb sinne , and to keepe in corruptions of nature , that they breake not foorth to the disgrace of religion : set out by fettering of prisoners , and carefully looking to the prison house . p. . to . in the second part . that there ought to be a time of trial , and a iust condemning of sin in our selues : set out by an assises . p. . that god hath set in euery man a conscience to iudge of his own wayes without all partialitie : set out by the iudge of assises . p. . to . that conscience must bee well informed of all the particulars whereof it is to iudge , else it will not , nor cannot iudge aright : set out by the iustices and others sitting in commission with a iudge . p. . to . that the holy scriptures are the onely rule to proceed by against sinne : set out by a grand iurie . p. . to . that he which would proceed strictly against all and euery sinne , is a man to be qualified with many vertues ; set out by a pettie iurie . p. . to . that as vices be , so vicious persons are opposite to vertues , and vertuous men : set out by the prisoners challenging the iurie p. . to . that there are a generation of men setting themselues wholly for the world , which are neither true louers of vertue , nor haters of vice , but so as either may be vsefull for thēselues : set out vnder a full iurie of indifferent gentlemen . p. , . that there is in euerie one an inbred corruption foule and euill : set out vnder the name of oldman . p. to . that the heart is desperately wicked , most deceitfull and vaine ; ●et out by the name of mistresse heart arraigned and condemned . p. . to that the will of man is most rebelliously bent against all due subiection : set out by wilful will arraigned . p. . to . that couetousnesse is a most cursed sinne , the root of all euill euery where ; set out by all the witnesses produced against it . p. . to . that couetousnesse is a deceitfull sinne , hauing many pretences subtilly to couer it selfe ; set out by the answers thereof at the arraignment . p. . to . that couetousnesse is not honest thrift , as is cleare by proofe , and the euident signes of couetousnesse set out by witnesses ; master proofe and master signes . p. . to . that papistrie is idolatry , a patcherie of heresie , iudaisme , and paganisme : set out in the arraignment thereof . p. . to . that there are twelue wayes to confute papistrie ; set out by the impanelled iurie against it . p. . to that veritie it selfe , and true christianitie are against poperie : set out by the two produced witnesses , discouering the falshood , impietie , cruelty , treasonable practises , & the abominable ido latrie thereof . p . to . these things are the substance of all this booke couched within the allegoricall narration : which is no dreaming dotage , no fantasticke toy , no ridiculous conception , no old wiues tale told ; some haue an humour to delight in finding of faults ; some are so enuious that they cannot looke vpon any thing which is anothers , but they must needs disgrace it : perhaps some kicking lade in reading is galled , and therefore doth winsh . some are so ridgedly graue that , forsooth , it is a misse to reade that , wherein they may haue occasion offered any way to laugh or smile : when they may remember that euen abraham , the gray headed , old aged , and graue father once laughed ; as they themselues will also , whosoeuer they be , when the humour takes them . if any dislike this little booke for want of matter , let him be pleased to consider these one and fortie particular instructions before set downe , with the naturall and moral phylosophie cōprehended therin , how also families may be well gouerned and also religiously ; how loue may bee preserued among neighbours , what euils are the disturbance thereof , and what bee the base conditions of the nigards and pinching worldlings , contrary to such as be of a bountifull and liberall disposition . besides all these things let them bee pleased to attend to the scope of the booke , wherin two things are principally aimed at . to discouer to vs our miserable and wretched estate through corruption of nature . for the laying open hereof , there is a liuely description of sin , with the power , nature , fruites , and effects thereof ; how it first came , how intertained , bred , and brought vp , by whom , and where , with the seuerall kinds of sinne , and the differing conditions of sinfull men , opposing vertuous courses , and vnder what colour they so do , to their owne ruine at the length . to shew how a man may come to a holy reformation , and so happily recouer himselfe out of his naturall wretched estate . to worke this , here is deliuered how a man is to search out sinne , what necessarie graces are required thereto , with the helpes how to discouer sinne , and to know sinnes to bee sins ; what commonly bee the lets and hinderances in the discouery and search of our sinnes ; what to do , hauing sound out our sinnes , and how to become humbled thereby , and how to sit downe to iudge of our selues without all partiallitie . moreouer here is manifest , what gifts and graces are requisite to an holy life . lastly , how we may know sinne to be subdued , and in whom it is truly ouercome . these things being the true scope and right vse of this book , and the matters therein contained so behoofefull and necessary to euery true christian , i hope no sober minded man can , much lesse will find fault with it . if the manner laying those things downe in a continued allegorie , bee the offence to some , i doe suppose they know , that nathan did teach a dauid by an allegorie : esay and ezechiel taught the iewes so too , and that our sauiour spake many parables to his hearers . if any thinke it had binfit for a yonger wit , then for one growne old and gray headed ; surely nathan , esat , & ezechiel were not yong ; neither did those formes of speaking derogate any thing from their holy aged grauities . and it may be thus to allegorize vpon such a subiect matter from all these passages , in politicke gouernment , required some more experience , then some perhaps , conceit , though the thing done to their hand may seeme now most easie . but the fault , if a fault , peraduenture , is nor simply imputed for making an allegorie : but in following it so largely , and for inserting ( as it were interlude wise ) some things , for the weightinesse of the matter therein conteined , not seeming graue inough as the parables of christ , & his prophets were . for sinne and sinfull courses of men should be so deciphered , as the readers might rather be moued to lantēt , then occasioned to laugh . first for the largenesse , it is no more then the necessitie of the intended discourse required , as the scope before mentioned may sufficiently witnesse . the parables of our sauiour in s. luke , and of ezechiel , were large , and they were prosecuted according to the nature of those things from whence they were taken , to lay open fully thereby what they intended , and this is but so , and no more . i confesse the matter of this allegoricall discourse to be such ( as may appeare by the manifold lessons before layed down , being the summarie contents of the booke ) as ought to worke in euery christian reader sorrow of heart in the deep consideration of his miseries , till he be recouered out of his wretched estate : and withall to cause a diligent endeuour in sober sadnes to better his cōdition of liuing christian-like before god ; neither of which is preuented by the manner of handling , if all would doe , as some haue done , first to reade it after the letter , and then attend piously to the spirituall sence , they would attaine to that , which in so penning it , i aymed at . i knew the natures of men in the world ; i persuaded my self that the allegorie would draw many to read , which might be as a bate to catch them , perhaps , at vnawares and to mooue them to fall into a meditation at the length of the spirituall vse thereof : which i well hoped that others more religiously bent , would at the first discerne and make benefit of . if two or three passages carrie not that grauitie in shew , as some , perhaps , could wish they did ; let these consider therin those places the enforced nature of the allegory . then how that else wherin all the rest of the book the cariage of the matter is very far from the nature of so odious & so base a cōparison , if it be in the hand of a piously affected & wel minded reader . lastly , that euen those few passages are sharpe reproofes ; & are no more an occasion to guilty parties , with the conceits thereof to make themselues merry , then that great prophet eliah his mocking ( in a matter none more weightie ) was to the priests of baal , when yet , perhaps , some stands by of the wiser sort , abhorring baal , might smile secretly thereat . there is a kinde of smiling and ioyfull laughter , for any thing i know , which may stand with sober grauitie , and with the best mans pietie , iustly occasioned from the right apprehension of things , else had not abraham fallen into it , nor holy iob , nor the righteous in seeing ( which is strange ) matter of feare . well , i haue clothed this booke as it is : it may be some humor took me , as once it did old iacob , who apparelled ioseph differently from all the rest of his brethren in a partie coloured coat . it may also bee that i tooke ( as iacob did in his ioseph ) more delight in this lad , then in twentie other of his brethren borne before him , or in a younger beniamin brought forth soone after him . when i thus did apparell him , i intended to send him forth to his brethren , hoping hereby to procure him the more acceptance , where hee happily should come : and my expectation hath not failed ; deceiued altogether i am not , as was iacob in sending his ioseph among his enuious brethren . for not onely hundreds , but some thousands haue welcomed him to their houses . they say they like his countenance , his habit and manner of speaking well enough , though other too nice bee not so well pleased therewith . but who can please all ? or how can any one so write or speake , as to content euery man ? if any mistake me , and abuse him in their too carnal apprehension , without the truly intended spirituall vse , let them blame themselues , & neither me nor him : for the fault is their owne , which i wish them to amend ? you that like him , i pray you stil accept of him for whose sake , to further your spiritual meditation , i haue sent him out with these contents , and more marginall notes . his habite is no whit altered which he is constrained by mee to weare , not onely on working dayes , but euen vpon holy daies and sondayes too , if he go abroad . a fitter garment i haue not now for him : and if i should send out the poore lad naked ; i know it would not please you . this his coate , though not altered in the fashion , yet is it made somewhat longer . for though from his first birth into the world it bee scarce halfe a yeare , yet he is growne a little bigger ; but i thinke him to become to his full stature : so he wil be , but as a litle pigmie to be carried abroad in any mans poket . i pray you now this fourth time accept him , & vse him , as i haue intended him for you , and you shal reape the fruite , though i forbid you not to be christianly merry with him . so fare you well in all friendly wellwishes . r. b. may . . finis . errata . good reader i pray in page . for incircut reade nicer-cut . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : the scope of this booke for one to see and know himselfe . exod. . notes for div a -e oldman , madame heart . what to be considered of before men come in with a verdict against supposed witches . see doctor cotta his tryall of witches . request to grand-iury men touching my booke of witches . the summe of that booke . iudge denham . sir rob. philips . request to the iudges , the sheriffe , and iustices , for spirituall food to poore prisoners . the benefit of setting prisoners on worke . sir ioh. walter l. chiefe baron . sir io. denham . mast . symmes . if i mistake your places , i pray you pardon mee . request to the keepers of prisons . request to the poore prisoners . meditations for them while they lye in gaole . request to professors of the law. notes for div a -e a search to be made for sin . sinne is the great malefactor . sinne robbes vs. sinne doth kill if it bee not killed . sin is strong . prou. . . rom. . . isa . . . sinne doth him the most hurt that most loueth it . ierem. . . ierem. . . the euils which sinne doth . mat. . , . kings . matth. . matth. . act. . . sinne is very subtill . heb. . . rom. . . a watch set to espie out sin . the watchman is one . assistants are two . the towne watched . trauellers . posts . the inne . towne large . streets are foure . charge giuen to the watch-men . deut. . . preu . . . heb. , . a watch word . isa . . . the hue and crie . eleuen waies how to know sinne . rom. . . . . iohn . . isa . . . . . . & . . act. . . & . . ier. . . lam. . . iosh . . . psal . . , . sam. . . mat. . . tim. . . cor. . . chr. . . sam. . . who carrieth the hue and crie . psal . . , . vertues enemies . . outside , and his description . what he is an enemy to . wicked worldly-wise described . lam. . . what he is an enemy to . . luke-warme his description . what he is an enemy vnto . . plausible ciuill , his description . what he is an enemy to . . machiauell , his description . what he is an enemy to . . libertine , his description . what he is an enemy to . . scrupulosity , his description what he is an enemy to . . babylonian his description . whom he is an enemy to . shifts by which sinne escapes are principally two by a shew of vertue . cor. . , . by the name of vertue put vpon vices . what vices get the name of vertues . friends of sin , and how they shew it . . ignorance , how a friend to sinne . . error , how a friend to sinne . . opinion , how a friend to sin . . subtilty , how a friend to sin . . custome , how a friend to sinne . mat. . . . , . ioh. . , . . fore-fathers . ioh. . . . power , how a friend to sin . . sampler , how a friend to sin . ier. . . . most-doe , how a friend to sinne . . silly , how a friend to sinne . sam. . . gen. . . . vaine-hope , how a friend to sinne . gen. . & . . presumption , how a friend to sinne . deut. . isa . . , . . wilfull , how a friend to sin . . st. like , how a friend to sin . godly-iealousie will not be deceiued by these lord chiefe iustice . warrant , and he forme hereof . secretaries to the lord chiefe iustice . the officer to attach sin , is vnderstanding . vnderstanding fourefold . deputy-constable . vnderstanding darkned . eph. . . ioh. . . eph. . , . the euils vnder it committed . tithing-man . grosse-vnderstanding , and the euill thereof . pet. . . . pettie constable . vnderstanding somewhat cleered . a meere ciuill honest man , who , and what a one . what he onely lookes vnto . what sinnes he regards not . . chiefe constable . illuminated vnderstanding , and the excellency thereof . cor. . his habitation is regeneration . his family . the good he doth . this is that which apprehendeth sinne . * which hath intecedent , concomitant , & subsequent sinnes . ●ydants . two ser●ants . . neighbour . godly-sorrow , and his seuen sonnes . . care. . cleering . . indignation . . feare . . vehement desire . . zeale . . reuenge . a couple of busie fellowes . . selfe-loue , what euill he doth . selfe-deniall remoues him . . selfe-conceit , and the mischiefes therof . pro. . . & . , . isai . . . prou. . , . pro. . . reuel . . humility puts him away . the inne mistresse hearts house . old man. eph● , ● . , fiue doores . . the doore of hearing . genes . . what euils enter by hearing . . the doore of seeing . iohn . what sinnes enter by seeing . genes . . ios . . psal . . . iob . . . the doore of tasting . the sins which enter by this sense . prou. . , , . cor. . . . the doore of smelling . prou. . . what entreth here . . the doore of feeling . rom. . . what entreth here . degrees to the heart . hall-attendant , commonsense . parlour attendant , fantasie . chamber . intelligence . dyning-roome . mistris hearts maids . . passions . . loue. . hatred . . desire . . detestation . . vaine-hope . . despaire . ier. . . . feare . . audacity . numb . . . . ioy. reu. . . . sorrow . exod. . . . anger . saw. . hest . . . king. . . king. . in his summes . mistris hearts man seruant . will is made the seruant to all . loue. genes . . . hatred . gen. . . kings . . kings . . matth. . . the hearts prouision for sinnes . table , instability . table-cloth , vanity . bread. salt. trenchers . napkins . dishes of meat is the lusts of the flesh . who eats of this . lusts of the eies . who feeds on this . is the pride of life . who feeds on 〈◊〉 . drinke . waiters . how mistresse hearts maidens humour their guests , taking away , vexation of spirit . eccl. . . lodging . naturall corruption . seuerall beds . loues bedfellowes . hatreds bedfellowes . desires bedfellowes . detestations bedfellowes . vaine hopes bedfellowes . despaires bedfellowes . feares bedfellowes . audacities bedfellowes . anger 's bedfellowes . ioyes bedfellowes . sorrowes bedfellowes . the bed is impenitency . the two couerings . what the attaching of sinne is . iustice is wel-informed iudgment . what a one a iustice should be . cor. . . what his office is . what well informed iudgement is to doe . how to deale with a malefactor . . examine . examine sin in . things . name and nature . occasions . causes . kinds . . degrees . . concomitance . . signes . . fruits . . write the examination . psal . . . . bind ouer . true repentance followes sinne to the death . . the mittimus . rom. . . genes . . . ezek. . . deut. . gal. . psal . . , . mittimus . chiefe gaoler , master new-man . eph. . . sheriffe is true religion . vnder-sheriffe , holy-resolution . gaole is subiection . . vnder-gaolers . eph. . . col. . . knowledge , what prisoners he lookes vnto . col. . . holinesse , what prisoners he seeth to . ephes . . . righteousnes , what prisoners he takes care of . sinnes be vnruly . spirituall bolts and fetters . gods word an hammer . ier. . . prison to bee seene to . doores of t●● prison to be fast locked with seuerall keyes . lewd companions . files and picklocks . walls , whereof built . foundation of subiection . rom. . notes for div a -e assises , the time of triall . iudge is conscience . bench is impartiality . commission , actiue power of conscience . commission lost , is the dead , seared , or benummednesse of conscience . tim. . eph. . . sam. . . reading the commission . circuit , in which conscience sits and iudgeth . accessaries to sinne . oyer and terminere . iustices of peace . iustices of the quorum . the iustices clerkes . k. sergeant . k. atturney . clerke of assises . memory . clerke of arraignment . tongue . cryer . complainant . repentance . framing of the inditement . grand-iury . ignoramus . billavera . penmen of scriptures are the grand . iury . what gods word makes not sinne , is no sinne. rom. . . false informers what they be . that which is condemned by god , cannot be dispensed with by man. prisoners sinnes . bringing forth . chained . the barre . petty-iurie . iurie called by name . acts . . iohn . . prou. . . cor. . . iohn . . acts . . and . . ephes . . . rom. . . luke . . craces wherewith we should all be qualified . the charge what it is . the iury , look on the prisoners . iury of vertues a distinct knowledge of sinne necessary iury challenged . what vertues and vices be in opposition . vertue binds corruption to the good behauiour . the prisoners petition to the iudge . indifferent gentlemen . . old-man arraigned . his inditement . euidence . dauid . psal . . . job . . isa . . . saint paul. rom. . . rom. . . . , . . , . verdict . old-mans plea. pelagius and anabaptists . rom. . . obiect . answ . rom. . the sentence . ephes . . . colos . . . . executioner . mistrisse he tryed . her inditement . rom. . . ephes . , luke . . acts . . matth. . ●●d . . ●●hn . . acts . . iohn . . hearts accusers . moses . ●sal . . , gen. . . gen. . jeremie . ierem. . ●● ierem. . . ier. . . and . . and . . and . . psal . . . ezechiel . ezek. . . and . . s. matthew . matth. . . saint marke . mark. . , , . hearts plea for her life . psal . . . chron. . . . . nehem. . . esai . . . ignorant people praise their heart . the iudges speech to her . matth. . luke . the heart is two-fold . sanctified . corrupt . sentence against mistris heart . her punishment . prou. . . hebr. . . will arraigned . witnesses called out . captaine reason . reasons and arguments to conuince . the lieutenant his witnesse . the ancient his witnesse . sergeant vnities winesse . sergeant orders winesse . companie is to wilfull-will . corporall disciplines witnesse will is a great hinderance to spirituall war●are . will speakes to the iudge . abuse of birth and gentry . iudges speech to will. true gentry , what . two capitall sinnes . col. . . couetousnesse tryed . his inditement . tim. . . mich. . the first euidence against him is repentance . what euill couetousnesse hath done . iosh . . king. . it troubles and darkens the vnderstanding . dauids care to preuent couetousnesse . psal . . . without diligent search its hard to finde out our couetousnesse . cares complaint . clearing accuseth him . indignation complaineth . feare speaketh against him . vehement desire hurt by him . zeale blunted . reuenge made weake . other witnesses produced . master church is witnesse . people hindred by couetousnesse in the church . matth. . people hindred comming out of the church . master common-weale , his accusation . master houshold his witnesse . cruelty of couetousnesse . master neighbourhood his witnesse . good neighbours and peaceable . gal. . ill neighbors , and very vnquiet . rom. . tim. . the best kindnesses of the couetous . no-harme , the best man among the couetous . m. good-worke his accusation . couetousnesse an enemy to good workes . pouerty his grieuous complaint against couetousnesse . the couetous are vnmercifull in seeking their owne gaine . it depopulateth parishes . couetous will giue nothing but by law. couetousnesse prouoketh to theft . couetousnesse plea against pouerty . what makes men poore . excuses of the couetous in lending . in buying . in not giuing . in depopulating townes . pretence of publique good . his answer to master church . what makes ministers to run so for liuings . who make ministers so negligent . what hinders people from profiting vnder the word . psal . . . king. . ios . . mat. . answer to common-weale . answer to houshold . what 's makes debate in a family . answer to neighbour-hood bad societie . bad men-seruants . bad maid-seruants . thriftie men-seruants . profitable maids answer to good-worke . couetousnesse a romane catholique . iudges speech . couetousnesse would find an error in the inditement . the couetous will be onely held thriftie . who they bee that call couetousnesse onely thrift . friends to the couetous . enemies to coueteousnesse . what the couetous may do . couetousnesse hath saire pretences . the couetous will iustifie themselues . one may be couetous and yet do many commendable things mat. . mat. . luk. . . mat. . mar. . . eze. . . . thrift turned basely couetous and how . the deuill . the petigree of of couetousnesse shewing the true proofe thereof , in whom so euer it is . pro. . . signes of a conetous person . mat. . when doth a man bare couetousnesse . the crueltie and basenesse of couetousnesse . the sentence a 〈◊〉 couetousnesse . ephes . . . . cor. . psal . . rom. . . . ephes . . col. . . . papistry indicted papistries petition . a iurie against papistry . by these twelue meanes papistry may be confuted master law and his sonnes . holy scriptures is by papistrie chiefely excepted against . for papist may be confuted by their owne translation . see my booke of rheme , against rome . master verities euidence against papistrie . like false teachers in doctrine . . reader marke the doctrine of false teachers of old , and papists now . . . . . . . . . . . like false teachers in practices . practise of false teachers . a col. . . . . tim. . , . . pet. . , . b mat. , . & . . . pet. . . c luk. . . d . tim. . & . tim. . . e ephes . . . f . tim. . . g . thes . . . act. . . h reu. . . nehe. . . i mat. . . deut. . , . k act . . & . . & . . & . . cor. . . act. . l ioh. . . mat. . . cor. . , . m rom. . . . cor. . . n act. . . & . & . & . , . & . . & . reu. . o act. . ● . p acts . popish traytors priests and iesuits . popish traitors laicks : sir christianitie his euidence against papistrie how papists are like the gentiles , se mathias hoe on reu. , . from p. . . to . . books . three conformities . . de origine papatus . . roynolds and hart. papists like pagans in many things . a rom. . . b ier. . c dan . . isa . . and . . ier . . baruch . deut. . . & . . king . . chron . . . and . . iudg. . ezek. ● . , , . & . . numb . . . adorned images musick . dancing . temples . chappels . images in euery place . groues . standing pillars as crosses be . ignorant allured to idolatrie . doted on images praied to them . kissed them . candles set vp before them . vowes . pilgrimage . altars . set numbers of praiers . sacrificing priests . shauen . priests concubines . wearing of haire cloth . wilworship . taught for hyre variety of musik . holy-dayes . nunnes or holy women . seuerall proprotectors for countries . sweare by thē . some like to our church papists . they did speake against seruing of god after his word . worshipped god to the east . superstitious . ignorant . how they spent their holy-dayes reuellings . slewes . conturers . exod. . . isa . . . leu. . . ier. . . dan. . . deut. . . & . . isa . . dan. . . isa . . . act. . . & . . they were bloudily minded papistrie the cause of turkes preuailing . sottish in their idolatrie and obstinate . master atturney general , his euidence against papistrie . papists are guiltie of treason . they haue another head. another mediatour . how papists doe blasphemously abuse the scripture eleuen wayes . . . . . . . . . causanus in his epist . log. bohem . . counterfeit sacraments . papistrie not to he tollarated . papistries appeale . the answer to papistries appeale . a picture of papistrie . papistry condemned to the pit of hell . . thes . reu. . . & . . & . . & . . reu. . . . the court breaketh vp . notes for div a -e an answer to such as censure this booke . no want of matter for religious vses . the scope of the booke . to know our selues by nature . how to boreformed . the manner is allegoricall . . sam. . ca. . ezech. . . & . obiection answered . ca . & . ca. . & . gen. . . ca. . . psal . . . the causes of the decay of christian piety, or, an impartial survey of the ruines of christian religion, undermin'd by unchristian practice written by the author of the whole duty of man. allestree, richard, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing a estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : or : ) the causes of the decay of christian piety, or, an impartial survey of the ruines of christian religion, undermin'd by unchristian practice written by the author of the whole duty of man. allestree, richard, - . [ ], p., [ ] leaves of plates : ill., ports. printed by r. norton for t. garthwait ..., london : . "no absolute certainty has yet been reached regarding the authorship of the whole duty of man, and other treatises by the same author. the preponderance of opinion, however, is heavily in favour of dr. allestree"--halkett & laing ( nd ed.). also variously attributed to dorothy pakington, richard sterne, john fell, humphrey henchman, and others. cf. dnb. illustrated t.p. errata on p. . reproduction of originals in yale university library and the folger shakespeare library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- early works to . christian life -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - olivia bottum sampled and proofread - olivia bottum text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion imprimatur , hic liber vere christianus qui si primaevam spectes pietatem , summam eloquentiam , rationum pondus nihil in eo deest quo minus possit nos omnes quales tam accurate describit , vere christianos efficere ; puriori aevo sane dignissimus est nisi quod tam potens sit qui vel nostrum saeculum transformaret in melius . benedicat deus operi & authori. tho. tomkyns . r. rmo. in christo patri ac domino dno . gilberto divina providentia archiepiscopo cantuariensi à sacris domesticis . the causes of the decay of christian piety . or an impartial survey of the ruines of christian religion , undermin'd by unchristian practice . written by the author of the whole duty of man. inimicvs homo fecit hoc . math : . london , printed by r. norton for t. garthwait , in s. bartholomews hospital , near smithfield , . the preface . though this be the first appearance this tract has made in the world , yet its being is of somewhat a more ancient date ; it having received its lineaments and perfect form some years since : when the author not having partiality enough to think it worthy publick view ; had adjudg'd it , if not to perpetual darkness , yet at least to a long indefinite suspension from seeing light . in this interval , 't is more than probable some passages may have lost much of their propriety to the present state of affairs , they having been adapted to circumstances which may since have received some change : and herein i must be speak the readers candor , to make such allowances as the matter shall require ; of which yet i suppose there will not occur very many , or very important occasions . but would god i were to apologize for a yet far greater absurdity , that our scene were so shifted , that the whole design of the ensuing discourse , might become one entire impertinence , and that our more eminent conformity to the rules of our christian institution , might supersede these disquisitions above our failances and aberrations . but alass , i find i have pitcht upon a subject not like to be out-dated ; vice daily gaining not only strength , but impudence : nay we are not only become witnesses against our selves by declaring our sin as sodom , but we have forced god also to attest against us by punishing us in a manner no less conspicuous and manifest . and surely then 't is more than time for us to take the prophets advice , hag. . . to consider our ways , to reflect not only on those robust , gyant-like provocations which have thus bid defiance to heaven ; but also to sift out those secret incendiaries that have inflamed us to this mad daring ; to examine what that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that inflamable bitumen , the untemper'd morter is with which we build our babel , by discovering those misperswasions and false confidences , wherein many of our other guilts are founded : in order to which this slight tract offers its feeble , yet well meant aids ; being forced out of its retirement , and like craesus his dumb son , compell'd to speak by impulse of the present exigent : and how despicable soever the mite contributed be in its self , yet if it may provoke the more wealthy to cast in richer gifts , it may prove no unprofitable agent for the corban . 't is evident this is a season which not only warrants , but exacts the most importunate endeavours of perswading men to those things that belong to their peace . for although 't is true that every state of sin , sets us also in a state of hostility with god , yet our present condition seems to have advanced us beyond the common degrees even of that . 't is we know , high insolence against a prince to despise and violate his laws , but when to that are superadded contumelies , and design'd affronts to his person , this is such an accumulated outrage , as will vanquish the most resolv'd patience . and this alass appears to be our case : we have long indulg'd to our selves the breach of all divine laws , gratified every appetite , every passion and lust with the forfeiture of our allegiance , and as if this would not serve to render us irreconcilable enough to god , we are now grown to subjoyn malice to licentiousness ; project not so much to please our selves , as to displease him ; profess a contempt not only of his commands , but himself ; and seek no less to dethrone him , than abrogate those . thus have we made it a kind of personal quarrel , and by those impious blasphemies we daily dart against heaven , do as it were dare the divine majesty to vindicate its self . whether his great longanimity may have given our hectors a fancy , that they had vapour'd god ( as they are us'd to do men ) into a tameness , i shall not examine : but his late proceedings with us sufficiently testifie that he means no longer to decline our challenge . he now appears to avow the enmity as openly as we have done ; and has already given us competent essays , how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living god , heb. . . 't is true indeed that he has formerly own'd his controversie with our land , and by a long series of great and heavy calamities attested himself the god to whom vengeance belongeth , psal. . . yet as great monarchs use to quell lesser insurrections by their lieutenants , and subordinate officers , but when the rebellion grows high and desperate , then to encounter it in their own persons ; so is it here observable that god then chastised , and tried to reduce us by inferiour instruments , found us out lictors among our selves , and made one mans sin the punishment of anothers : but now as if he had the same jealousie for his honour which joab had at the siege of rabba for davids , sam. . . as if he fear'd to be rival'd in the glory of our ruine , he takes us into his own hand , marks us out , as he did pharaoh , to be the trophies of his own peculiar vengeance , appearing signally against us in all the dreadful solemnities of an enraged enemy . for first , has he not as moses speaks , deut. . . whet his glittering sword ? nay , has he not moreover ( in the scripture style ) made it drunk with blood ? by sweeping away multitudes of us in a raging pestilenge , which marcht from one part of the nation to another in a kind of triumphant progress , as if it had receiv'd the same mandate god gave abraham , gen. . . arise walk through the land , in the length thereof and in the breadth thereof , for unto thee will i give it . whether it may not thus fatally complete its course , notwithstanding the halt it seems to make , and pass from our dan to our beersheba , is a question that can with no probability be resolv'd in the negative ; for as it is not to be doubted but there were in judea as great sinners as those on whom the tower of siloam fell , luke . that those who have hitherto escaped have an equal share in the provoking cause of the iudgement : so also that great unsensibleness many of us shew of what others groan under , is a very ominous abode ; it being not only a dangerous symptome , but a probable means of drawing that calamity to our selves . when god sees we will suffer nothing by way of consent and sympathy with others , 't is but equal we have our part in a more direct and immediate infliction , and feel what we would not compassionate . thucydides mentions it as the effect of the great plague at athens that it had extinguisht humanity ; brought in a kind of ferity and barbarousness among them , rendring them openly villanous to men , and blasphemous against god ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , there was no restraint of law or religion , one part being desperate upon prospect of their danger , the other presumptuous upon the contemplation of their escape ; and sure if we look impartially , ours will appear to have had somewhat of the same operation . those compassions which the novelty it seems at first gave us to sufferers in this kind , seems now quite extinct ; so unconcern'd are we grown to every thing that touches us not in our individuals , as if we owned no relation to the species of mankind , though backt also with that closer tye , which the spiritual consanguinity has superadded . a pregnant indication of this may , i doubt not , be collected ( as from many other circumstances , so particularly ) from the great hast has in many places been made , to lay aside those publick humiliations & intercessions which were recommended to us as well by the command of authority , as the common distress ; but have been cast off without the substraction of either of those motives . whether we are duly mindful of the afflictions of joseph , that cannot afford one day in a moneth for a solemn reflection on them , i must leave to every mans conscience to discuss . but sure we are no less wanting to our selves than them in this neglect ; the office being no less designed for antidote than cure , to prevent the iudgement where it is not , than to remove it where it is : and if we will neither deprecate on our own behalfs , nor intercede on others ; we are sure as improvident , as uncharitable , and may justly expect the fatal event of both . in the interim , although the present respit from destruction , and our own deceitful hearts flatter us and say peace , peace ; we have all reason to conclude that god is not attoned , the quarrel and hostility goes on , and his hand is stretcht out still , es. . . and so indeed we find it in other dismal events . slaughter we know is not the only effect of war ; which as it destroys the lives of many , blasts the supports and ioys of more . this consequence of hostility we find well exprest by the prophet joel . . the land is as the garden of eden before them , and behind them a desolate wilderness , and herein also hath the lord of hosts , the great god of battle shewed himself mighty against us , he has invaded us not only with sword , but fire : and in so stupendous manner desolated the glory of our land , that no humane fury , could have procured , or even have wisht the like vastation and ruines . that city which was great among the nations , and princess among the provinces , lam. . . lies buried in her own ashes , and is both funeral-pile and urne to her self , and what neither foreign nor domestick enemies could in a succession of many ages effect , one blast of the breath of his displeasure , psal. . has performed in a moment . so verifying even in a literal sense the apostles affirmation , heb. . . that our god is a consuming fire . plutarch tells us when fabius sackt tarentum , he took not away their images , but said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let us leave the tarentines their gods that are offended with them . 't is our calamity to be signally under the indignation of our incensed god , which in that great captains judgement , was somewhat more dreadful than the worst inflictions of war : for what industry soever has been used to entitle either the negligence or designs of men unto our overthrow , yet sure never any judgement had more legible marks of gods immediate hand : such as shew he meant to revenge the abuse of his former gentle methods : that those who would not be reformed by the slighter corrections wherein he dallied with them , might find a judgment worthy of god , wisd. . . and sure such was this , which both for its greatness and irresistibleness does well own its author , and shews his wrath was accended to a very excessive heat , that thus poured out its self not only like , but in fire , lam. . . i shall not here assume the polititians part , and weigh the detriment we have sustained by it in our civil interest , of which perhaps nothing but time and experience can give us a full estimate ; it rather suits my design to observe what relates to our spiritual concerns , whilest gods dwelling places were involved in the same ruine with ours ; his own peculiar portion not exempted , but as the prophet complains , es. . . our holy and beautiful houses where our fathers praised him are burnt with fire : this though perhaps least considered , is sure not the least sad circumstance , had only the scenes of our luxury , or our fraud been destroyed , it might have sent us with more fervency to the places of our devotion , and we might have frequented gods houses the better , for being destituted of our own ; but when these also are made parts of the common heap , 't is a sad testimonial that our very religion was provoking ; that that pageant-like piety which we deposited in our churches , only to make a shew with on holy-days , served only to defile those holy places , and rendred them so polluted as required no slighter purgation than that of fire . 't is we know-not long , since those mansions sacred to the prince of peace , were even in the vulgar obvious sense , made magazines for war ; but yet more so in reference to that pulpitwild-fire , which set the nation in combustion ; whether that strange fire which some of our nadabs and abihu's introduced there , may not ( even at this distance ) have done its part to the drawing down this fire from heaven , i leave to their serious reflection . but neither the hypocrite nor the seditious must ingross the guilt of this ruine : the atheist vyes with both ; for alass what should god do with temples among those , who pay him no worship ? or why should he let those sacred monuments remain among them , to whom all memorials of him serve but as occasions , and incentives to blaspheme him ? they have long said with those in job , depart from us , for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways ; and now 't is but equitable ( i had almost said civil ) to take them at their word , and no longer reside among those who so avowedly disclaim him . and this , 't is much to be feared , may be the portent of this dismal vastation : we know men use not to deface those houses , where they intend to inhabit : and sure this abhorring his sanctuary , and casting off his altar , lam. . is a dreadful sign , that he means no longer to continue his residence among us ; indeed we find in scripture that his promise of cohabiting is always limited to those who own themselves his people ; and therefore when so many of us have openly renounced that relation , we can with no justice expect the blessing appendant to it . but perhaps this will seem to such no formidable thing ; gods so withdrawing of himself is but agreeable to their wishes , a kind of quitting the field to them , and so rather matter of complacency than regret : but 't is to be considered that there is another presence of god that will infallibly succeed this ; when he removes that of his grace , 't is to make way for that of his anger ; like the philistines we shall know the god of israel is among us by his plagues , sam. . or to make a yet more dreadful comparison , we shall like the damned in hell , discern his presence only in the punitive effects of it , and read his nearness in our sufferings . and sure this will be but an ill exchange , even to the profanest of us , those that have most despised or loathed the soft breathings of his word and spirit ; will find it yet harder to endure the whirlewinds of his wrath , which will snatch from us those secular advantages for whose pursuit we have neglected the better part , luke . . and leave us as little of worldly enjoyments , as we desired to have of spiritual . of this our late calamities have given us a sad preludium , and god knows how soon we may see the last scene of the fatal tragedy , it being too probable that this is gods last experiment upon us , like the causticks and scarifyings to a lethargick patient ; if this bring us not to sense we are like to sleep on to destruction : and alas what uncomfortable symtomes appear even in this point also . who is there that ( unless awakened by his personal concernments ) seems at all to startle at the noise of publick ruine ? when god in displeasure threatned the israelites that he would remit their conduct to his angel , and not go himself with them . the text says , they mourned and no man put on his ornaments on him , exod. . . or as the lxx , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and the syriack , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , they stript themselves of their armour , their ruffling garb of war , and appeared in the penitential dress of sackcloth and ashes : but now that we are given up not to a conducting but destroying angel , what signs of remorse do we shew ? what vanity ( i fear i may ask what vice ) have we substracted , upon the sense of gods anger ? what nicety in cloaths or diet have we cut off in sympathy with the nakedness and hunger of our afflicted brethren ? nay , do not the unreasonable iollities of too many among us , look as if we triumpht in their miseries , found musick in the discordant sounds of their groans , and our own laughter ; and emulated that infamous barbarity of nero , who played while rome burned ? 't is mentioned by the prophet as a most preposterous thing , a kind of impious solecism to revel under the menace of judgements . thus saith the lord , a sword , a sword , it is sharpned to make a sore slaughter , it is furbished that it may glitter , should we then make mirth ? ezek. . , . and certainly it less befits us against whom god has not only prepared , but used his sword ; who are not only under the threats , but actual execution of his vengeance , and what is it but interpretatively to prompt him , to yet sharper inflictions , by shewing him that these have not edge enough to penetrate us ? with how much indignation god resents this perverse , this contumelious behaviour , we may read , esay . , , . in that day did the lord call to weeping , and mourning , and to baldness , and to girding with sackcloth , and behold joy and gladness , slaying oxen and killing sheep , eating flesh and drinking wine ; eating and drinking for to morrow we shall dye : upon which follows , that severe denunciation : surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till you dye . of so deep a tincture is this guilt , that 't is as lasting as our lives , and like the fretting leprosie in the house , levit. . . can be removed by nothing but its dissolution . o then let us not adde this to the heap of our other provocations , mistake impudence or desperation for courage ; and frantickly defie that omnipotence which we are sure we can not resist : but since it has pleased god even in wrath to remember mercy , let us transcribe his copy , be as kind to our selves as he has been to us , and stop in our career as he has done in his ; not so madly affect a full parallel with sodom and gomorrah , as to force him to destroy that remnant , es. . . which alone distinguishes our case : but rather take pattern from nineveh ; cry , and cry mightily to god , joyn humiliation to our prayers , and reformation to both . and could we be perswaded to do this with the same sincerity , and universality , we might hope it may be with the same success also : would every one who has contributed to the accending , as industriously contribute to the appeasing of gods wrath : would all who have brought their fire-brands bring also their tears to quench them , as there would be no dry eyes in the nation at the present , so might it prevent as great a generality of weeping ones for the future ; secure us such a tranquility here , as may calmly convoy us to that impassible state , where all tears shall be wiped from our eyes , where there shall be no more death , nor sorrow , nor crying , nor pain , rev. . . the table of contents . chap. . the character of christian religion , demonstrating its aptitude to plant exemplary vertue and sanctity . chap. . the character of christian-mens practice , shewing their multiplied failance , both from the rule of that holy profession , and its genuine effect . chap. . a survey of the mischiefs arising from inconsideration . chap. . from partial consideration . chap. . from carnal consideration . chap. . from partial obedience . chap. . from mistakes concerning repentance . chap. . from mistakes concerning almighty god , and the methods of his providence . chap. . from disputes in general . chap. . from its supplanting charity . chap. . from its engaging upon ill arts and scandalous practices to sustain the espoused cause and party . chap. . from its ill effects on civil peace . chap. . of the causes of disputes . first , pride . chap. . secondly , curiosity . chap. . thirdly , interest . chap. . fourthly , passion . chap. . fifthly , zeal . chap. . sixthly , idleness . chap. . the conclusion drawn from all the premises . chap. . the close . chap. i. the character of christian religion , demonstrating its aptitude to plant exemplary vertue and sanctity . the holy psalmist gives it as part of the character of pious persons , and therewithal a description of their felicity , psal. . . that they shall bring forth more fruit in their age : and what he thus observes of the members disjunctively and apart , reason suggests to be in a higher , and more eminent manner appliable to the whole body united : and it being as well the mark as duty of every single christian to grow in grace , pet. . . we may by all rules of proportion , conclude that the collective masse of such , the whole church is by this time near attained to the measure of the stature of the fulness of christ , eph. . . and indeed this is so regular an inference , that whilest the premises stand firm 't is impossible to shake the conclusion , the entire body must necessarily augment answerably to the growth of its several parts . and if we should so far let loose to speculation as to forget our experience : if we measure the effect only by the power and energy of the cause , we should surely be as far from doubting the premises also . christianity is in its self of so prolifick a nature , so apt to impregnate the hearts and lives of its proselytes , that it is hard to imagine , that any branch should want a due fertility that is engrafted into so vigorous a stock . for first , in its spring and original it is most supernatural and divine , derived immediately from him , who had nothing more of man than he purposely assumed to draw us the nearer to him as god. he it was that disseminated this doctrine , and that in order to the purifying to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works ; and certainly his choice abundantly justifies its propriety to that end , and his descent from heaven on that errand puts so venerable a solemnity upon it , that though his descent were very astonishing , yet it will be much more so , that it should fail of the designed effect . and indeed did our faith give us no clue to lead us to the author , yet its composition would speak it to be of no humane extraction , its precepts are so excellent and refined , so agreeable to the more spiritual part of our temper , and so apt , as to forestall , so to cleanse and sublimate the more gross and corrupt , as shews flesh and blood never revealed it . nay farther , so effectually providing for all those advantages to mankind , which the wisest of mens laws have in vain attempted , that methinks they all stand before it like the magicians before moses , and by their impotence tacitly confess it to be the finger of god. 't were too large a theme to confront them in the several instances , let it suffice to observe one which has a common influence on all ; and that is the immaculate cleanness of heart , which christs , and only christs law requires . this is the only proper basis on which to superstruct , first innocency , and then vertue , and without this the most rigid exactors of outward purity , do but transcribe the folly of him , who pumps very laboriously in a ship , yet neglects to stop the leak : or the worse tyranny of pharaoh in requiring brick without straw : so far is it from a severity in our law-giver , thus to limit and restrain our thoughts , that it is an act of the greatest indulgence : by no means the laying on a new burden , but the furnishing us with an engine to bear with ease that weight which otherwise the stoutest atlas must sink under . and were but this one precept sincerely conformed to , it would not only facilitate but ascertain the obedience to all the rest . if the first sparks of ill were quencht within , what possibility is there they should ever break out into a flame ? how shall he kill that dares not be angry ? be adulterous in act , that did not first transgress in his desire ? how shall he be perjured that fears an oath ? or defraud that permits not himself to covet ? in the like manner all positive acts of vertue , are but the natural effects of the interior habit . where the love of god is seated in the heart , 't will operate in all the faculties , keep them in a busie endeavour of doing acceptable service : when fear is planted there , it will break forth in outward reverence and duty ; and so proportionably 't will be in every other instance . 't is therefore an advice well becoming the wisdom of solomon , prov. . to keep the heart with all diligence : but then it is withal the work of him who is greater than solomon , to teach us how to do this : for unless he keep that city the watchman waketh but in vain . if he instruct not to secure those issues of life , they will betray and ruine , appear indeed the savour of death unto death . now of this divine art of tacticks and defence , christianity is the only school , and therefore most fitly qualified for the producing all those supernatural excellencies to which the timely prepossession of the heart , is the rudiment and principle . and as the preceptive part enjoyns the most exact , and elevated vertue , so is it most advantageously enforc't by the promissory , which both in respect of the kind and value of the rewards ; and also the manner of proposing them , is most exquisitely adapted to the same end . for first , if we consider the nature of the things promised , we shall find they are not gross and carnal , such as may court and gratifie the bestial part of us ; but such as are proportioned to the supream and leading principle , as feast a soul , and suit with the capacities of an intelligence . all the beatitudes the gospel tenders to its votaries , either relate to the purity or peace of the mind in this life ; or else to its completer felicity hereafter . and though 't is true , the body is not wholly unconsidered , though the addition of all temporal necessaries be promised , yet even those are for the souls sake , either to secure it from the sin of solicitude and distrust , or to preserve it a useful instrument for the others service . and as for the future glory in which the body is to partake , 't is to be observed , that flesh and blood can not inherit it ; that load of earth which now engages to corruption must be put off , must be calcin'd and spiritualiz'd ; and thus made glorious , be clothed upon with glory . so that in all the gospel dispensation , there is no provision for the flesh , its lusts and sensualities . and then sure there cannot be a more unanswerable argument against our providing for it , than to see it left out of gods care . indeed had we proposals of a mahumetan paradise , were we to expect our bliss only in the satiating our appetites , it might be reasonable here to whet them before hand , to stretch them to the utmost wideness , or in the prophets phrase , to enlarge our desires as hell , and by frequent antepasts excite our gust for that profuse perpetual meal . or were we only to have our portion in this life , to enjoy an uninterrupted affluence of outward comforts , 't were but good husbandry to improve them to the height , and the wise mans advice would then cease to be eirony , eccles. . . rejoyce o young man , and let thy heart chear thee in the days of thy youth , and walk in the ways of thy heart , and the sight of thine eyes . had we only the prospect of a canaan , such an eternal inheritance as a conquering sword could give , as the salvation of a ioshua , and the affluence of milk and hony could produce . 't would be no wonder , if we never voluntarily endured the thirst and famine of the wilderness , but be always as they desiring meat for our lust , projecting the gratifying those desires in whose repletion we placed our happiness . but when our religion makes us no such tender , when all its hopes are of another make , invite to those diviner joys of which sensuality has no capacity or taste . what pretence can we have to cherish that here , which we must wholly be divested of hereafter , those immaterial felicities we expect , do naturally suggest to us , the necessity of preparing our appetites , and hungers for them , without which heaven can be no heaven to us : for since the pleasure of any thing results from the agreement between it and the desire , what satisfaction can spiritual enjoyments give unto a carnal mind ? alass , what delight would it be to the swine to be wrapt in fine linnen , and laid in odours : his senses are not gratified by any such delicacies , nor would he feel any thing besides the torment of being with-held from the mire . and as little complacency would a brutish soul find in those purer and refin'd pleasures , which can only upbraid , not satisfie him . so that could we by an impossible supposition phancy such a one assumed to those fruitions , his pleasure sure would be as little as his preparation for it was . those eyes which have continually beheld vanity , would be dazled , not delighted with the beatifick vision ; neither could that tongue , which has accustomed its self only to oaths and blasphemies , find harmony or musick in a hallelujah . 't is the peculiar priviledge of the pure in heart , that they shall see god ; and if any others could so invade this their enclosure , as to take heaven by violence , it surely would be a very joyless possession to these men , and only place them in a condition to which they have the greatest aversation and antipathy . so that holiness here , is not only necessary to the acquiring , but the enjoyment of bliss hereafter : and therefore unless men will contrive to annihilate their joys , and affect the monstrous riddle of being tormented in heaven , they cannot but from this spirituality of the promises , infer a necessity of purifying themselves , and being capable at least of innocent celestial joys : and since that only can be done by vertuous practice here on earth , the obligation thereto must needs be very pressing and indispensable . and as the nature of the promises directs to this , so does the great transcendent value encourage and animate . hope is the grand exciter of industry , and as the object of hope is more or less desirable , so is the endeavour more intense or remiss ; and upon this ground we must conclude the christian has all reason to be the most indefatigable , seeing his expectations are the noblest and most encouraging . that they are so , we cannot but acknowledge , if we admit of the description which the spirit gives : that spirit which as he seals us to it , so is himself the earnest of that inheritance . he in the sacred scriptures has drawn us a map of the countrey which we are to enter : and sure we may say of it as caleb and ioshua did of canaan , numb . . . the land is an exceeding good land . for first , if we consider the negative advantages it has , we shall find there is an absence of all the ills , destructive or affrightful unto humane nature . there shall be no more death , nor sorrow , nor crying , nor pain , revel . . . here alass we are infested by all these . sorrow and pain , prey and insult on all the comforts of our lives ; leave us not a gourd , which is not like that of ionah , smitten with these worms : and then comes death , the grand devourer , and spares not life it self . nay , those little respites which we have from these , are so embittered by unpleasant expectations and presages , that we are sad before we are afflicted : in pain without a disease , and in death in the midst of life : and then a state exempted , not only from the calamities but the fears of these , may well deserve to be lookt upon with appetite . but heaven is designed for our reward , as well as rescue , and therefore is adumbrated by all those positive excellencies which can endear or recommend . it is a crown , and that not of thorns , such as our saviours was , and such as the more affected diadems of the world oft prove unto the wearer , but one of glory : nor is that crown , nor that glory like our sublunary splendors , which suddenly vanish , and leave the possessors to the greater obscurity and contempt : but 't is permanent , such as fades not away , pet. . . or in st. pauls phrase , an eternal weight of glory . but to give you its more comprehensive character , 't is a being with the lord , thess. . . nay , 't is a possessing even god himself . he shall be their god , rev. . . and what can he want who possesses him who is all things ? how can he fail of of the most ravishing delight , that stands before him in whose presence is the fulness of ioy , and at whose right hand are pleasures , and those not short or transient , but for evermore ? so indefeisible is our estate in those ioys , that if we do not like mad prodigals sell it in reversion , we shall when we are once invested , be beyond the possibility of ill husbandry , not have it in our power to undo our selves . now surely these are great and precious promises , such as may well sustain the weight of that inference the apostle builds upon them ; and engage us to cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit , and to perfect holiness in the fear of god , cor. . . for they address to that principle which is confestly predominant in our nature ; so that if the love of christ cannot , yet the love of our selves may constrain us . how must it then affront and baffle the enticements of sin , when we compare its empty vanishing pleasures with those solid and durable joys ? what a forestalling will it be of satans markets , that god bids so much fairer for us : offers us that to which his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all this will i give ( could he make such a whole-sale ) can bear no proportion , and how then shall we ever barter it away for those little petty commodities he retails to us ; or make any other reply to his profers , than a get thee behind me satan ? for alas ! can we remember that we are candidates for a kingdom , and yet retain the abject spirits of slaves ? do we expect to reign hereafter , and yet depose our selves before hand here ? suffer every the vilest lust to rule over us ? is so glorious a prize annext to the victory , and will it not animate the faintest heart , and feeblest hands to the combate ? what lions can we fear in the way which this hope is not sampson enough to encounter ? how light are our heaviest , how momentary our most lasting afflictions , if balanced with that eternal weight of glory ? are we spoil'd of our goods , here is a reserve of treasure which no thief , neither the slye , nor the avowed , the pilferèr , nor the sequestrator can invade . are we reduced to our saviours destitution , not to have where to lay our head , yet we have a building of god , an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens . are we reproacht for the name of christ , that ignominy serves but to advance our future glory , every such libel here , becomes panegyrick there . nay , are we persecuted to death , that sends us but to take possession of the crown of life . upon such sure grounds does our christianity set us . while we make good its condition it puls out the sting of all that is most deadly . and in a more comprehensive sense , possesses us of the priviledge promised the disciples , that nothing should by any means hurt them , mar. . the most adverse chances being but like the ploughing and breaking the ground , in order to a more plentiful harvest . and yet we are not so wholly turned off to that reversion , as to have no supplies for the present ; for besides the comfort of so great and certain an expectation in another life , we have promises also for this . even of all those internal and spiritual satisfactions which attend the practice of piety . the feast of a good conscience is the true christians daily diet , and sure whatever the rich men of the world think , he only can be said to fare deliciously : nay , he has yet more supernatural food , manna rain'd down immediately from heaven : the holy spirit sent on purpose to refresh and support him : those joys which differ rather in degree than kind , from those which are to be his final portion . and that the soul may not be too much incommoded in her house of clay , there is provision made for that also , such necessaries secured to the body , as may keep it in tenantable repair : we have christs express promise for it , that to those that seek the kingdom of god , and his righteousness , all these things shall be added : if not that superfluity which may oppress and load , ( render the body rather the tomb than mansion of the soul ) yet such as may sustain and support us : and sure 't is easie to decide which is the happier lot . in short , we are sure of enough to defray the charge of that voyage , which lands us at eternal bliss : and certainly he must be of a very sluggish or querulous humour , that shall demur upon setting out , or demand higher encouragements . and as the nature and value of the promises render them most proper engagements and incentives to all vertue ; so if we consider the manner of proposing , we shall find them in that respect also highly contributive to the same end . for first , they are clear and express , not wrapt up in dark enigmatical insinuations , wherein men must exercise their sagacity aswell as their faith : but revealed with that plainness , that 't is impossible for any who knows but the letter of the gospel to be ignorant of the eternal rewards it proposes . and herein the difference belongs to christianity above all other religions , some whereof have left men so much in the dark , that many sects among them have denied the immortality of the soul , and sure they were but faint encouragements they could propose unto that vertue which was to perish with them . what should animate them to the rugged severe tastes of restraining appetites , subduing passions , eradicating habits who discerned no rewards for blameless souls . 't is true indeed vertue is in her self perfectly amiable , though she brought no dowry , but experience shews us she has not many platonick lovers : and when so few are ambitious to wed her , when she brings an eternal inheritance with her , we may easily guess how little she will be sought without it . when men once conclude that their spirits shall vanish into the soft air ; the inference is very obvious , come on , let us use the creatures as in youth ; as we find it elegantly pursued , wisd. . but of those who acknowledged a future being , their preceptions were very misty and obscure . the heathens had such confus'd notions of their elysium , that the epithet of shades belong'd more properly to the darkness than the refreshment , and was a reward fit for the votaries of those ambiguous oracles they consulted . and proportionably to the obscurity of their hopes were the exercises of their vertue : their piety was even overwhelmed and confounded by the multitude of their deities ; nay , which is yet stranger , their gods themselves seem to have been lost in their own croud : else sure the athenians would never have inscrib'd an altar to the unknown god : and indeed their offices were generally such , as if they had been devoted to no other , they having as little discerning of their worship as of their god. 't was wrapt up in clouds and darkness ; had mysterious recesses to which the common worshipper had no admittance ; such as were to acquire a veneration only by not being understood : and though this must needs deprive their services of that spirit and quickness , which constitutes the vertue of devotion , yet alas their religion had more than that negative contrariety to vertue . many of their worships being nothing but a solemnity of the foulest vices : and their divinity taught them to violate morality . a deceit satan could not probably so long have triumpht in , had they had the gospel notion of heaven , for sure they could not have suppos'd their gods of such mutable inclinations , as to affect purity in their cohabitants , and pollution in their votaries : or such incongruous dispensers of rewards , as to apportion an impeccable state hereafter to the most flagitious criminals on earth . as to the iews 'tis true , they derived their light from a clearer fountain , were under the oeconomy of immediate revelation , and therefore might be suppos'd to have had a freer prospect into that heaven , from whence their law descended , yet even they were in this , as in many other particulars , under moses his veil , had rather dark adumbrations , and those too overwhelmed with the multitude of express temporal promises . the earthly canaan lay so fair and open to their prospect , as easily intercepted their view of the heavenly ; and their faith must remove , at least overlook , that mountain before it could come to any sight of the horizon and extended sky . nay , when 't is remembred that the sadduces a great and learned part of their doctors denied all future being , we must think the intimations of it were very obscure ; it being scarce imaginable , that any considering men should think the souls expir'd with the body upon any other ground , but that they knew not what after state to assign it . so that though they wanted not figures and shadows , or as the apostle calls them , patterns of heavenly things , heb. . . yet they seem'd not to have been well understood , and the generality of men were not only in their persons , but their understandings denied entrance into the holy of holies ; penetrated not that mystical representation , which was within the veil : and answerable to this dimness of their perceptions , was the whole systeme and body of their religion , which rather entertain'd its self in those external bodily performances , which affected the sense , than in those divine and spiritual raptures , which purified and elevated the soul. 't is the apostles affirmation , heb. . that the sacrifices there offered could not make him that did the service perfect , as pertaining to the conscience , and he gives the reason in subjoyning , that they stood only in meats and drinks , and carnal ordinances . alas what propriety had all their legal purifications towards the cleansing of the mind ? that might be in the mire while the body was in the laver : and while the surface of the man was sprinkled with blood , the heart might be more beastial than those creatures who lent the ablution . and indeed if we consider their morality , we shall find that outside formal ceremony had proceeded to infect and poyson that also . the outward restraint , the bare forbearance of an actual commission , being by them thought a full compliance with all the negative precepts : so that we see christ is fain to assert the internal part of the obligation , and extend the duty to the thoughts and inclinations . besides , those acts of vertue they perform'd were commonly such as had an aspect , rather on their temporal well-being , than distant and unseen rewards their justice , and charity confin'd to their own nation , directed to the flourishing of their own common-wealth : whereas aliens were devoted to their rapine and despight ; so that if they were vertues , they were rather political than moral , and indeed while they placed so much of their hopes on earth , lookt on secular plenty and tranquillity as their reward , 't was but consonant they should square their endeavours by that measure , and consider things not simply in their native properties of good or ill , but according to their tendency towards that they esteem'd their felicity . but god has provided , as the apostle says , heb. . . better things for us , has not only made a better covenant with us , but has establisht it upon better promises , cap. . . given us clearer revelations , not only of our duty , but our recompence , the veil in christ is done away , and we all with open face , behold as in a glass the glory of the lord , cor. . . the gospel puts the evidences of our inheritance into our own hands , seal'd by his explicite and direct promise , who cannot lye : and that not only engag'd by way of munificence , but bargain and contract , as the purchase of that price , which our redeemer fully paid in our behalf . and sure this is in the apostles phrase strong consolation ; and if so , it must be forcible encitement likewise , he cannot but run alacriously , who has the prize in his eye , nor can s. paul use a more pressing argument to his corinthians , to be stedfast , unmovable , always abounding in the work of the lord , than this assurance , that their labour shall not be in vain in the lord , cor. . . and as this clear proposal of the promises is most proper to encourage and inspirit our endeavours , so is the conditionality most efficacious to necessitate and engage them . had heaven been only promis'd as a largess , and with a blind promiscuous bounty dispenc'd without discrimination , how much it might have rais'd our gratitude , i know not , but sure it would not have excited our industry , which in all instances we find is whetted by interest : and where that is otherwise secur'd , men generally estimate it a part of the benefit that their labour is superseded ; and please themselves no less in a lazy bequest , than a full enjoyment . so that indeed it is this circumstance of the promises that must give life to all the rest , and make them operative toward the producing of good life ; for admit the joys we expect never so divine and spiritual for their kind ; never so great and transcendent for degree , and these also represented to us in the most clear and convincing manner , yet if they be tendered not as objects of our choice , but the certainty of our fate , felicities which we are only concerned to enjoy , but not to acquire , they may make us glad , but surely not diligent ; it being but a cold inducement to any undertaking to be assur'd 't is perfectly needless : we have therefore all reason to confess it our greatest advantage towards vertue , that god has so linkt our hopes and our duty together : and indeed when we consider the great disproportion between the one and the other ; the infinity of the reward , with the despicableness of the service , we must resolve that he had no other design in making his promises conditional , than to engage us by our interest to that holiness , to which he saw our inclinations did not bind us : that it was an artifice of his love to ensnare us into two felicities by proposing of one , enforce us to take one good in the way to another , vertue in passage to glory . and indeed who would not think this method so invincibly efficacious , as might supersede the necessity of any other , but god who understands our thoughts , long before , psal. . . foresaw , that notwithstanding this proposal of a canaan , there would be rubenites and gadites , who would set up their rest on this side of iordan ; so intent on the commodity of their cattle , as to be content themselves to be part of the herd , and become like the beasts that perish : that there would be men of so ignoble , disingenuous tempers , as none of these cords of a man would be able to draw ; and therefore there is another part of the gospel-oeconomy fitted to their capacities ; the threats and interminations , those terrors of the lord , which as goads may drive those brutish creatures who will not be attracted : that those who think themselves perfectly unconcern'd in davids question , who shall ascend unto the hill of the lord , psal. . . may yet startle at esays , who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings ? of so formidable a kind are those menaces , as is sufficient to awake the most drowsie stupid soul , and are most apt to operate upon that part of their temper , which evacuated the gentler method : that very sensuality which made them despise heaven , may help to enhanse the dread of hell ; the lack of a drop of water will be most insupportable to him who fared deliciously every day ; those flames will be yet more scorching to those bodies , who by studious effeminacies and softness have superadded an artificial tenderness to the natural ; nor will the gnawing of the worm appear more intolerable to any , than those who here make it their business to tye up its iaws , gag or stupifie that conscience which would now admonish , but will there torment . and when to this is added the perpetuity of these pains , that the worm shall never die , the fire never be quencht , certainly this puts such an edge upon the terror , as may well make it in the apostles phrase , quick and powerful , searching even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit , the joynts and marrow . when we are assur'd that the axe is thus laid unto the root of the tree , and that every tree that brings not forth good fruit must be hewn down and cast into the fire , we shall sure be warn'd to bring forth meet fruits of repentance , and fly from the wrath to come . but because neither invitations nor threats can avail with those who are any way invincibly impeded to apply them to their benefit : since the most glorious prize , the most formidable danger , is insignificant to him , who wants power to run unto the one , or from the other ; it has pleased god to inspirit and actuate all his evangelical methods , by a concurrence of supernatural strength , makes it not only eligible but possible , i may say easie and pleasant for us to do whatever he commands us : and notwithstanding our natural debility , makes us through christ which strengthens us , able to do all things : by his spirit he prevents , assists , restrains , excites , comforts , convinces ; gives grace and adds to that the happier largess of a will to use it , and knowledge to discern the want of more : infusing to the soul an ardent thirst of greater powers , and readier means of service , which the performance actuates to greater strengths , and yet enflames to new desires , and more importunate pursuits , whilest god at once bestows and crowns his own donations ; still giving unto him that has , till that at last he gives himself ; and grace is swallowed up in glory . and to assure us of this aid , he has been pleased to oblige himself : descends to the solemnity of a pact and covenant ; has indented with us , and constituted it a principle part of the new and everlasting covenant made with mankind in the blood of the son of god , to send the comforter , his holy spirit , to be with us till the end of the world , and do all this . so that the gospel is at once the assigner of our tasks , and the magazeen of our strength ; so much spirit goes along with that letter ; so much internal grace is annexed to its outward administration , as will to all , who do not resist it , infallibly render it the power of god to salvation . for 't is not the sole priviledge of a s. paul , but the common portion of all christians , that gods grace shall be sufficient for them ; which is sure a more gospel-like promise , than that it should be too strong for them : so violent and irresistible as to commit a rape upon their spirits ; such a mighty wind as drives them headlong upon duty . indeed this competency is of all other proportions the most incentive to industry ; we see in temporals , too little makes men desperate , and too much careless ; and certainly 't would be the same in spirituals : but now when we have stock enough to set up with , and that too of so improvable a nature , that is capable of infinite advancement , and yet on the other side no less capable of total decay also , it being given with this express condition , that upon neglect it shall be withdrawn : so that our own sloth may make us poor , but nothing else can keep us from being abundantly rich : what can be imagin'd more animating to diligence and endeavour ? and this being the condition wherein our christianity has placed us , added to the former considerations , will beyond exception or subterfuge , evince its perfect aptitude and fitness for the end to which it was aim'd , the planting and nourishing all true vertue among men , the introducing the tree of life into the world again , and so forming us a paradise even amidst the briers and thorns of our exil'd state . chap. ii. the character of christian-mens practice , shewing their multiplied failance both from the rule of that holy profession , and its genuine effect . and now who can suspect that a cause so rightly dispos'd , should miss of its effect ? that this so auspicious planet should be counter-influenc't by any malevolent star ? or that what has so many tenures in us , should be finally disseis'd ? for , admit we have not the piety to be prevail'd upon by the reverence of the author ; yet the excellency of its composition does so much recommend it to our reason , that we must put off the best part of our nature to evacuate the force of our religion : nay , supposing us to have done that too , to have struck our selves out of the list of rationals , yet if we keep but the rank of animals , if we have not extinguisht passion and sense , it descends even to them ; addresses to our hopes and fears with most importunate solicitations , and convincing motives : so that unless we have the absurd ill luck to have much of the stoick , and nothing of the philosopher , 't will be impossible to resist its impressions , and sure he that comtemplates this , will be apt with some confidence to conclude christendom to be the goshen of the world , not only in respect of its light , but of its immunity from all those locusts and caterpillers , those swarms of mean and sordid vices which both cover and devour the rest of the earth . but this must be the inference of a meer contemplative , a recluse that converses only with his own meditations : for let him be so much secular , as once to look abroad , the most transient glance will serve to unravel all this hopeful speculation , & shew him that christendom may be as much heathen as america : whereas 't is usually said , that ill manners produce good laws , we have reverst the aphorism , and our good law has introduc'd the most corrupt manners . our holy faith which like a foundation should support good works , has like a gulf swallowed them up . and so universal a depravation is there among us , that we have scarce any thing left to distinguish us from the most barbarous people , but a better name and worse vices . and here , what terms of wonder or of grief can be significant enough to express or to bewail , so strange and so perverse degeneration , that the light of the world should thus darken it : the salt of the earth be the means of putrifying and corrupting it : that those who were by god drawn out from the heathen world should so outvie the gentiles crimes , as if they had forsaken them , only because they were too innocent . this indeed is one of satans subtillest stratagems , to fill christ's camp thus with his souldiers , by whose intestine treacheries , he has been more triumphant than by all his open assaults and avowed hostilities . what a late states-man said ( prophetically , if we may judge by the event ) of england , that it was a vivacious animal that could never dye except it kill'd it self , is no less true of the church , which has always been invulnerable against all darts , but what have been taken out of its own quiver . of this the primitive times were pregnant testimonies , where all the most witty cruelties , the most bloody persecutions , never made any breach in her : but she stood firmer for all those batteries , and like an arch'd building , became more strong and compact , by that weight which was design'd to crush her : but the vice of professors undermines her very foundation , and does as much exceed the destructiveness of the most hostile assaults , as intestine treachery is more ruinous and fatal , than foreign violence . as long as the lives of christians were the transcripts of their doctrine they render'd it venerable to all , and gave a presumption there was something more than humane in it , that could work such signal effects , that could so transform men as to make the adulterer chaste , the drunkard temperate , the covetous liberal , the contentious peaceable . this , this was the way to adorn the doctrine of god our saviour in all things , as the apostle speaks , tit. . . and then the rule of contraries directs us to conclude very distant effects from our now so distant practices , that our very religion should partake of the infamy of our lives , and be thought rather a mystery of iniquity than godliness . thus is christ wounded in the house of his friends , and has more reproach cast on him by those that profess his name , than by the loudest blasphemies of those that oppose it . for when those who have not opportunity to examine our faith , see the enormousness of our works , what should hinder them from measuring the master , by the disciples ? it being scarce imaginable that any one sect of men should so universally run counter to all the rules of their profession : for let any sober heathen look upon christendom , as it is at this day weltring in the bloud , not of martyrdom but war , and will it be possible for him to think it owns a gospel of peace ; or that those who so perpetually do those outrages they are unwilling to suffer , profess obedience to the the royal law of love thy neighbour as thy self , jam. . . can be see the violence and oppressions , the frauds and underminings , the busie scramblings for little parcels of earth ; and yet believe we count our selves strangers and pilgrims in it , and have laid up our treasure in heaven ? can he observe the strange and almost universal distortion of speech , whereby it has lost its native property of being interpreter of the mind , and under intelligible words so far exhibits the babel confusion , that no man understands anothers meaning ? and can he imagine we have any such precept , as lye not one to another , or any such penalty upon the infringer , as exclusion from the new ierusalem ? shall he hear our god mention'd more frequently and earnestly in our imprecations than our prayers , and every part of our crucified saviour , recrucified in our horrid oaths ; and shall he not think that his second executioners bear him as little reverence as his first : or that he has given no such command as swear not at all ? when he discerns self preservation bow'd to as the supreme law , can he ever dream of another so inconsistent obligation as that of taking up the cross ? or that suffering for righteousness sake is one of our greatest felicities when he sees us run so affrighted from it , that no crime , perjury , rebellion , murder , is block enough in our way to stop our flight ? in fine , when he considers how much of our business it is , first to excite , and then to cloy the flesh , to spurr it on to riots even beyond its own propensions , that the whole year is but one mad carnival , and we are voluptuous not so much upon desire or appetite , as by way of exploit and bravery : when i say he considers this , can he possibly guess our institution directs us to beat down the body , to mortifie the flesh with the affections and lusts , interdicts us all rioting and drunkenness , chambering and wantonness , and all provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof . certainly all rules of discourse will direct him to the quite contrary conclusion . and when he sees a set of men that have enhans'd the common humane pravity , he will be apt to infer their principles have taught them the improvement : and upon that supposal he wanted not temptation to his option that said , let my soul be with the philosophers . and while we thus misrepresent our holy profession to others , it will be no wonder if we finally do it to our selves , that we forget its native shape , and look on her only in the ugly dress our selves have put on , and that effect seems already too visible among us : our lives have so long confuted it that we triumph over it as a baffled thing ; and like amnon loath it because we have ravisht and defil'd it . many of us take notice of the better morals of turks and infidels not in reproach of our selves but our religion , and because we have so many lepers , think abanah and pharphar , better than all the waters of israel , this is openly in the mouths of many , but is so prodigiously irrational as well as unjust , that one can scarce think it possible to be in their hearts , unless they be pursued by the fate of habitual lyars , that at last come to perswade themselves . certainly there is no other parallel instance wherein men conclude so perversely : he that shews a man that precipice upon whose brink he stands , that intreats , yea importunes him to retire from the danger ; nay bribes him with the greatest rewards to chuse safety , has done all that can be expected from a friend , or charitable man : and if after all , the wretched person so advis'd , shall cast himself headlong upon ruine ; assuredly no inquest would return his murder in any other form than that of felo de se. and why then should our christianity be accus'd of those ills which it would infallibly averr , if our obstinacy would permit it : indeed the charge is so wilde , that it seems rather design'd as an artifice of diversion , a sprout of that first fig-tree which was to hide the nakedness of lapsed adam . men think it policy to transfer their guilts , and are willing , the violence of their lusts should pass for the impotence of their religion . like irregular patients blaming their physician for those ill accidents which they know owing only to their own unruliness . a pregnant testimony of the reproachful nature of sin , that men are content to betake themselves to the most forlorn shifts to avoid the owning it : but the consciousness is so pressing and intolerable , that with many it drives on to yet higher outrages : 't is not enough for men to decry their christianity as a feeble insignificant thing , but they load it even with contradictory imputations , and that which sometimes they call the foolishness of preaching , to bring it in scorn and contempt , , shall at another be stiled an art and trick to bring it into suspicion and hatred , be arraign'd for imposture and deceit , a project of imposing upon credulous souls , and gaining real advantages to the managers while they feed the silly proselyte with imaginary ones . how groundless a calumny this is , as it appears from the sanctity , and eminent simplicity of christian religion , which above all things excludes fraud and falshood ; so also from the designments and aims of its first promulgators , who as they can not be suppos'd dextrous enough to lay such a scene of taking pageantry ; so all their visible acquests were scourgings and imprisonments , persecutions and death . if this were the case it would indeed go near to reconcile the before mention'd contradictory imputations , whilst the imposing upon credulous souls at this dear rate , would be in very deed the foolishness of preaching , the greatest madness in the world . men of common reason would be asham'd to use such frivolous cavils : but who can without horror hear them from profest christians ? that while infidels are modest in their reproaches , look upon our doctrine only as erroneous , disciples should be bitter and charge it as insiduous and treacherous . thus does the church experiment the truth of her blessed lords predictions , and finds her foes are those of her own house : and though she be christs dove , yet is subjected to the fate of the viper , and has her bowels torn out by those that spring from them . these are the growing consequences of resolute impiety , he who will not be kept within the bounds of duty , seldom contents himself with that bare violation : he not only breaks the bonds in sunder , but casts them away too ; is impatient they should keep a reputation to upbraid him , when he has rob'd them of the power of restraining him : and this sure is the bottom of all that deep reasoning , by which men have learnt to argue themselves and others out of their creed : and though this be indeed the great arcanum the philosophers stone they aim at ; yet they have met with another good experiment by the way : and have , by i know not what chimistry , extracted a reputation out of these most unapt materials . he passes for a considering man that disputes principles , and is thought most to own his reason that least owns his faith : and then 't will be no wonder if this success animate , and give them not only confidence , but vanity to avow what is thus creditable . indeed satan is too subtle a manager to lose this advantage , and the event sadly shews , he has not neglected to improve it , as appears not only by the number of such pretenders unto reason , but even by their advancing to higher degrees . the voluptuary who likes his portion in this world , and fears that in another , is at first only prompted by his interest to quarrel the last articles of the creed , and so in his own defence denies the life everlasting : but when he finds his necessity made a vertue , and himself struck into the repute of a wit ; upon that account he doubts not , his fame will encrease with his irreligion , and so proceeds still to unravel farther , till at last he leaves not so much as i believe in god , that many have advanc'd so far is too evident : and by some so own'd that they will not thank his charity , that shall hope better of them . 't was once the triumph of infant christianity , that it silenc'd all the heathen oracles , and within a while demolish'd even the synagogue too : but alass its mature age gives us that effect in a most inverted sense , it now has serv'd to suppress even the common notions of a deity , turn'd out the one as well as the many gods , and instead of polytheists and idolaters has made atheists , and that which christ tells us was design'd to perfect and fill up the law , has by the strange pravity of its professors at once obliterated both law and law-giver out of mens minds , thereby exemplifying the old axiom , corruptio optimi est pessima ; and the saint as well as the angel , if he desert his innocence , commences feind and devil . these are such sad , such direful transmutations as excite not so much wonder , as grief and lamentation ; and what rivers , what oceans of tears are competent to bewail such unutterable evils . the removal of the candlestick is so formidable a judgement that the threatning of it , is us'd by christ as the most awaking menace to the seven churches revel . . . but the removing it by our own hands is yet an enhansment of that highest calamity ; when men are come to such an insensate obduration , that they court their plagues , become their own lictors and make that their choice which is their extremest punishment , they are certainly too secure of that ruine they call for ; and may we not fear it may prove general , and involve us all : that while so many cry out to be deliver'd from their christianity as their load and pressure , and so few express their dissent to that demand : god may in judgment grant it , hearken to those that cry loudest , rescue his gospel from our profane and impious violations and give it to others that may bring forth the fruits of it . nor is this to be fear'd only from the explicite importunities of the blasphemous , for it is interpretatively the vote of many others ; whoever give themselves up to the dominion of any lust , do implicitly renounce their obedience to christ , and say we will not have this man to rule over us . and when he is thus depos'd from his regal and directive power , we have reason to believe he will despise a meer titular soveraignty , not suffer the scepter of his word to remain as an empty ceremony among those , who pay it no real obedience : nor be again cloath'd with purple , crown'd , and saluted king to advance the triumph of his scorn and crucifixion . nor will the fawning professions of the demure hypocrite avert , but accelerate this fate : he that makes the golden scepter in christs hand , a rod of iron in his own , that thinks his saintship licenses him to all the severe censures , and the yet severer ( because more effective ) oppressions of others , he is certainly to be lookt on not only as a rebel , but an usurper too , and is of all others the highest provoker . he that tramples under foot the son of god , does not so much violate him , as he that pretends to erect him a throne upon bloud and rapine , on perjury and sacriledge : nor does he that accounts the bloud of the covenant an unholy thing , so much profane it , as he that uses it as a varnish to paint over his foulest lusts . the apostle has long since told us , there is no concord between christ and belial , and can we think he will be patient thus to be made subservient to his enemy : or suffer his ark to be set for the support , which should be the confusion of dagon . do we find him so severely upbraid the hypocrisie of the iews , that stole , murdered , committed adultery , and swore falsly , and yet came and stood before him in his house , jer. . . and shall we hope he will connive at it in christians ? was it intolerable profanation in them to account his house a den of robbers , and shall we be permitted to make it so : they are sent to shiloh to read their own destiny , and surely we are as likely to find ours there too ; to be deprived of those advantages which we have so unworthily abus'd : nor can we expect , that though god cause the natural sun to rise still as well on the evil as the good , yet that the sun of righteousness shall continue to shine on those who will only bask themselves in his rays , grow aethiops from his neighbourhood ; but will not work by his light . when all this is consider'd , what a sad abode does it make ? when the blasphemies of the profane , the sensualities of the voluptuous , and the mockeries of the hypocrite , send , as it were , daily challenges to heaven , we cannot but look it should at last overcome its long-suffering , awake god to vindicate the honour of his name , and not suffer it any longer to be thus prostituted and polluted : that when he sees his light serve only to aid us the more subtilly to contrive our deeds of darkness , he should withdraw it , smite us with blindness like the sodomites , whom he finds in such impure pursuits : and were that blindness such as our saviour speaks of , io. . . that inferr'd the no sin , 't were a desirable infliction , but alas it has none of that property : that which is design'd for the punishment can never be the extenuation of our guilt ; but as in hell there is an happy separation of effects , the scorching of the flame without the light , and the blackness of night without the rest : so in this nearest approach to it ; this portal to those chambers of death , there is the ignorance without the excuse , the darkness divested of its native quality of hiding : and when we are enter'd among heathens here , we must yet expect the sadder portion of apostatiz'd christians hereafter . and o that this consideration might at last have its proper operation , rouse and awake us timely to prevent those evils which it will be impossible to cure . that by bringing forth some more genuine and kindly fruits , we may avert that dismal sentence , cut it down , why cumbreth it the ground . that men would generally lay to heart both the sin and infamy of being promoters of publick ruine ; and quench that fire with their tears which their sins have kindled , that the fasting and prayers , the sighs and groans of the primitive christians may supplant the profane luxuries , the carnal jollities of the modern : and that sackcloth and ashes may become the universal mode , the only fashionable dress among us . this both reason and religion suggest as matter of our most importunate wishes ; would god our hopes were but half as pregnant . but the less appearance there is of this universal reformation , the more jealously ought every single person to look on himself , lest he be one that obstruct it : for so he does who stays till it be a fashion , but neglects to contribute his part to the making it so . men are willing to discourage themselves from attempts of this kind , and with an unseasonable modesty can reflect what a nothing one man is to so many millions , when alas all that vast empire vice has got in the world , is founded in the pravity of single persons , & would certainly be ruin'd by their reformation . the more reasonable collection would be , that he who considers himself but as one , should not suffer himself to grow into less ; to fall from that unit to a cypher , by permitting sloth or cowardize to enfeeble and emasculate him , but on the contrary should recollect his spirits , actuate all his strength , and therefore be sure to do his utmost , because that utmost is but a little . and to this certainly there want not encouragements , we see in common affairs the wonders that industry and resolution are able to effect , and a single courage being exerted has often without romance , overcome giantly difficulties . 't is a great prejudice is cast upon vertue by the pusillanimity of those that like , but dare not abet her . when most men commit all impieties daringly ▪ and openly , and those few that do mourn for it , do it but in secret , the example of the one is contagious , but the other has no means to diffuse its self . would men stoutly own duty , and not like peter , follow christ afar off , they might yet hope to make a party and gain ground in the world . and how noble an attempt were this , thus to encounter satan in his highest triumph , and recover a lost field : and methinks those who have any warmth of piety glowing within , may easily thus improve it into a flame , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adde to their faith vertue , as that signifies courage : and then readily would succeed , that train of christian excellencies reckon'd up by st. peter , ep. . . knowledge , temperance , patience , godliness , and superstruct on these , as it there follows , brotherly kindness , and the most comprehensive charity . we should be not only devout towards god , but zealous towards men , endeavouring by all prudent means to recover them out of those snares of the devil , whereby they are taken captive . and since among all those snares there is none more entangling , than the creditableness and repute of customary vices , to set themselves especially against that overgrown covering and ornament ; those locks wherein its great , its sampson-like strength lies : and strive to render it as contemn'd as it is base : and to this purpose nothing is so apt , as the exalting its competitor , fetching vertue out of the dungeon , that darkness and obscurity wherein it has long lain forgotten , and by making it illustriously visible in their own practice , put it into the possibility of attracting others . indeed there only it appears in its true splendor , they are but dead colours the sublimest speculation can put on it , he that would draw it to the life , must imprint it upon his own . and thus every pious person may , nay ought to be a noah , a preacher of righteousness : and if it be his fortune to have as imperswasible an auditory , if he cannot avert the deluge , it will yet be the providing himself an ark , the delivering , yea advancing his own soul , if he cannot benefit other mens . nay , this being a noah may qualifie him to be a moses too , give him such an interest with heaven , that he may be sit to stand in the gap , to be an intercessor and mediator for a provoking people . and god knows never any generation more needed that office : nor any part of this more than our sinful nation , which having long been in the furnace , is indeed now come out , but so unpurified , that we have all reason to expect a return , and that not upon the former frustrated design of refining ; but upon that more infallible and fatal one of consuming us . this is so dreadful , but withal so just an expectation , that if there be any iacobs among us ; any , who can wrestle and prevail with god , there never was so pressing need of their intercession . o let all that are thus fitted for it , vigorously undertake this pious work , let no moses's hands ever wax heavy , but be always held up in a devout importunity , let them transcribe that holy oratory , which he so often effectually used , plead to god his own cause , with a what wilt thou do to thy great name , and when there is nothing in us that can pretend to any thing but vengeance , ransack gods bosom , rifle his bowels for arguments of compassion , repeat to him his own titles , that he is long-suffering and of great mercy , forgiving iniquity , transgression and sin , numb . . . and by these solicite , yea , conjure him to pity . and how great an ardency is required to this intercession ? what strong cries must they be that shall drown so loud a clamor of impieties . and how does it reproach the slightness of our sleepy heartless addresses ? can we hope to bind gods hands with wit hs and straws ? to arrest his vengeance with such faint and feeble assaults ? and when nature and danger suggest to heathen nineveh , not only to cry , but cry mightily to god , shall the superaddition of our religion damp ours into a whisper , a soft unaudible sound . a storm will teach the profane mariner to pray in earnest , and alas , we have not wanted that discipline . 't is not long since we might have said with those , acts . no small tempest has long lain on us , neither sun nor stars in many days , nay in many years appearing , nothing but black and dismal portents of a final wreck to a poor weather-beaten church , and then sure 't was time to be importunate , to learn so much of instruction from the waves that tossed us , as to make our prayers keep pace with them , in swift uninterrupted succession , in loud and not to be resisted violence . that we did so then i dare not affirm , but sure i am the necessity of it is not yet out-dated ; for though the sky however black with clouds carry no thunder in it , though the impetuous winds that blow from every quarter , should not break out in tempest , and bring shipwrack to us ; yet we too fully exemplifie the truth of the prophets axiome , that the wicked are like the troubled sea , that cannot rest : we have within us a principle of ruine , which can operate though nothing from without excite it . a tempest is not always necessary to sink a ship , one treacherous leak may do it in the greatest calm , and what security can there then be to our torn vessel , whose rents our continued divisions do still keep open . indeed our preservation must be as our restoration was , the work of omnipotence ; thither therefore let us address with st. peters pathetick prayer , save lord or we perish . o that all who are concern'd in the grant of that petition , would qualifie themselves to present it . lift up such pure hands , that god who hears not sinners , io. . may yet hear them , afford a gracious ear , and give an answer of peace . chap. iii. a survey of the mischiefs arising from inconsideration . the last section having defeated all the promising hopes of the former , by shewing us how sadly we have frustrated all the designs and engagements of our profession , enervated all those apt and powerful methods , and how perfectly contrary our practices are to our rules , mere curiosity would more prompt us to enquire what are the hidden causes of those so strange effects , what unhappy propriety there is in the soil , that after so much culture and husbandry it should produce nothing but wild grapes : and by what arts and wiles satan has not only evaded , but even retorted those blows which were aim'd at him . but as in diseases the pains and languishings are obvious to the grossest sense , but the springs and originals of them most frequently lye deep , and are so complicated and interwoven , that they require much art to search and to distinguish them : nay , do often mock the most subtile inquisitor , and send him back with meer conjectures and uncertain guesses : so in this epidemick spiritual distemper , the malady is notorious and visible , but the causes of it not so easily determin'd , yet that not so much from the darkness as the number of them ; so many do pretend , and that with very good colour , to this unhappy , this monstrous birth , that a solomon himself must have made the proposal of dividing it , as not being able to have assign'd it entire to any one mother . indeed so many are the concurrents towards it , that it would far exceed the limits of this little tract , but to point at them : i shall not therefore undertake any such exact enumeration , but shall only take notice of those which either for the generality or degree of their efficacy appear the most eminent . and first the great and stupid inconsideration which most men have concerning their religion , may well pass for a main cause of its frustration . christianity may make archimedes his challenge , give it but where it may set its foot , allow but a sober advertence to its proposals , and it will move the whole world : it comes with most invincible and controuling arguments , but still they are arguments , and those must first obtain attention , before they can force assent ; they will most infallibly weigh down the scales , though the whole world were the counter-balance , but then that must presuppose their being put into those scales : being entertain'd with so much of deliberation , as may try and examine their weight . in a word , they address to us as men , that is creatures endued by god , with rational souls and discursive faculties , but if we will suppress these , and set up only the brute to give audience , we must not expect balaams prodigy shall be every day repeated , that the beast should be wiser than the rider , and consequently cannot wonder if the success vary with the auditors . and 't is to be fear'd , this is the state of most of us , that all the convincing logick , that demonstration of the spirit , as st. paul calls it : and all the perswasive rhetorick of the gospel , find us so stupid and unconcern'd , that they can make no impression : all the avenues are so blockt up , that they can find no way of approaching us . we are like the indian serpents phylostratus mentions , proof against all charms , but such as with their glittering splendor assault our eyes : nothing moves us but what courts our senses , and what is not gross enough to be seen , we think too nice to be consider'd . the form and name of christianity men find ready to their hands , and it costs them no labour to put it on : but should they be interrogated of the import and significancy of it , i fear many would be at a loss what to answer . men call themselves christians as they do french or english , only because they were born within such a territory , take up their religion as a part of their fate , the temper of their climate , the entail of their ancestors , or any thing most remote from their choice , the profession of it descends to them by way of inheritance , and like young careless heirs , they never are at the charge to survey it , to inform themselves either of the issues , or revenues of it ; what burdens it lays or what advantages it promises . every man sees they are vast multitudes that have entered the baptismal vow , and i fear no small numbers of them , that weigh it as little when they should perform it , as they did when they made it . have no other notion of baptism , but as a custom of the place , or a time of festivity : consider no farther significancy in these spiritual bands , than they do in the swadling-cloaths of their infancy , and can give no better account why they took on them christs livery , than why they wear such garments as the common fashion of their country prescribes them . this is in many the effect of gross ignorance , that really know nothing that borders upon religion : and where that is the principle , we cannot think it strange to see their practices proportionable ; this returns them into the state of heathenisin , and while they walk in that darkness , it is no wonder if they often fall : the only matter of admiration is , that there should be any such darkness among us ; that the glorious light , as st. paul terms it , of the gospel of christ , should not long ere this have dispell'd it out of our horizon , and certainly that it has not , must be owing to some very great guilt , so that concerning such persons the disciples question , io. . is very pertinent , who did sin , this man or his parents ? where men are so ignorant it must necessarily infer their parents negligence in infusing , or their own stubborn perveseness in resisting instruction , but 't is more probable to conclude the former , since if children were early instituted , knowledge would insensibly insinuate its self , before their years had arm'd them with obstinacy enough to make head against it : but when by the parents remisness the proper seeds-time is lost ; the soil grows stiffe and untractable ; the labour of learning averts their childhood , and the shame of it their manhood , and so they grow old in their ignorance , are ready to leave this world before they come to know any thing of that which is to succeed it . this is a common , but certainly a most deplorable case , and as it loudly accuses those parents , who thus wretchedly hazard their childrens greatest concernments , so certainly it reflects not very laudably upon those , who by slighting that excellent order of confirmation in this church , have besides all other advantages of it , robb'd them of that happy reserve , which the care of their spiritual parent , had provided to repair the negligence of their natural ; but guilt has a miserable kind of infinity , and lessens not by being communicated ; and therefore though these unknowing persons may with justice enough accuse others , yet can they never the more absolve themselves . indeed they cannot tax others omissions towards them , without a tacite reproach of their own : for if it were a fault in the parent , to let their infancy want those necessary infusions , 't is surely so in themselves , to let their riper years continue in that destitution . and sure 't is not probable there could be a more irrational motive to the former , than that which prevails with the later ; to wit , the fear of shame , which certainly much more properly belongs to him that lies stupidly under his want , than he that industriously sets to cure it : so that while they go thus preposterously to avert reproach , they invite it ; nay , and do besides betray one of their most important secrets , discover themselves more solicitous about appearances than realities ; to be thought knowing than to be so . a strange kind of speculative hypocrisie , which yet leads to all the practical profaneness incident to those , who live without god in the world . but would god the unchatechiz'd were the only persons we had to complain of in this matter : there is another sort as ignorant , who have not that plea ; who by a wretchless inconsideration , have made a shift to unlearn what they had once been taught . that this is naturally very possible no man can question , that observes how desuetude will rob a man of any science , or other habit . but in this case there is yet a farther concurrent towards it , christs parable tells us of fowles that devoured the seed , which himself interprets to be the wicked one , which catcheth away the word sow'n in mens hearts : when that spiritual seed lies loose and scatter'd upon the surface , and is not by deep and serious meditation , harrowed as it were into the ground , it offers it self a ready prey to the devourer , and god knows the event is too ready to attest the truth of the observation : for do we not see many whose childhoods have wanted nothing of christian nurture , that have had all advantages to the making them wise unto salvation , yet suffer their manhood to wear out and obliterate all those rudiments of their youth ; and that not only out of their practice , but even out of their memory too : this ( would we be patient to have the experiment made ) would , i doubt not , be found too true in divers , and they would appear less able to approve themselves not only to the confessor , but even to the catechist in their adult age , than they were in their minority : as having scarce ever thought of the principles of their religion , since they conn'd them to avoid correction ; and then 't is no wonder if they pass into the same forgetfulness with other the occurrences of that slippery age . but if with some the memory have been so invincibly faithful , as not to have resign'd its depositum : if it do happen obstinately to retain those early impressions which were made on it . yet alass that alone will be of little avail : 't is true that is the store-house , and 't is good to have that well replenisht ; but if its plenty be only within its self uncommunicated , if the granary though never so full , be seal'd up , it gives no security against a famine : a mans remembrance of his creed may tell him there is a god , and that he is almighty ; but if his reason be so much a sleep , as not to inferr from thence the necessity of reverencing and obeying him who is all powerful to revenge our contempts : he may repeat the article every day and yet never the less atheistically . in like manner he may go on to the birth , death , and resurrection of christ , but if he weigh not the obligations to gratitude and duty which devolve on him from thence he may remember his birth , and yet never be regenerate : his death , and yet not dye to sin : and his resurrection , and yet lie rotting in his own corruption , and not rise with him to newness of life . so he may proceed to his coming to iudge the quick and the dead , but if he reflect not on his own particular concernment in it , if he consider not that for every the secretest thing , eccl. . god will bring him , as well as others to judgment : he may talk of dooms-day as men do of such assizes as they have no trial at , but it will never set him a trembling , or give him the providence to anticipate his sentence ; so judge himself here , that he may not be judged of the lord. and so proportionably in all the parts of our christian faith : he that does not extract from them their proper and just inferences , shall never feel their efficacy . he has indeed in that excellent systeme , a most infallible catholicon , against all his spiritual maladies , but 't is a medicine , not a charm ; to be taken , not laid by him ; and if he fail in application , he will as certainly miss of the cure : and this gives us one too clear a reason , why so many , in the most fatal sense , are weak and sick among us , and faln asleep ; are first lethargick , and then stark dead in trespasses and sins . men do not by sober consideration suck out the vertue which would heal them : they look on the creed as christs badge , and so long as they bear that they think none must question their christianity : whereas 't is indeed more properly his military symbolum , or recognition of the cause , and general they fight for ; an engaging them to all the obedience , fidelity and constancy of resolute souldiers : and to this purpose it is that we stand up at the recital of the creed , as owing our baptismal promise to fight manfully under our saviours banner against sin , the world , and the devil ; and if we do not thus , 't is not material what professions we make , we are the same desertors whether we stay in our own camp , or run over to the enemies ; throw away our arms , or not use them ; renounce our christian faith , or not improve it . sloth is as mischievous in war as treachery or cowardize , and he that keeps his sword in the sheath , is as unformidable an enemy , as he that brings none into the field . and how many such insignificant combatants are there in the christian camp : that only lend their names to fill up the muster-roll : but never dream of going upon service . 't is certain there are as many such , as there are careless unconsidering professors : and these 't is to be fear'd make so great a number , that were the church put to estimate her forces , and examine what effectively her strength is , she would find the deceit of false musters as great among the spiritual as the civil souldiery . it is indeed a most amazing thing to see , that that which is the one great and important interest of all men , should of all other things meet with the least regard . if we make a proposal of worldly profit , though incumbred with many difficulties and liable to many uncertainties , we shall not only have an attentive hearing , but active care and diligent pursuit of the design , it will be driven to the last glimpse of hope and if the first attempt miscarry , the next occasion is laid hold of ; but here where the prize is so rich , the conditions so easie , the acquest so certain , yet ( as if these were deterring , averting qualities ) we cannot be got to take the matter into our deliberation . alas , what stupid folly has possest men ? and by what measures do they make their estimates ? how are their precious souls become so vile in their eyes , that they are the only part of them , which they think below their regard ? in an epidemick disease every man looks out for antidote or medicine for his own peculiar , and does not acquiesce in that silly confidence that he shall do as well as other men : yet in this greater danger , that is their avowed comfort , and keeps them as cheerful as if they had the most solid grounds of security . alas , can numbers out-face damnation , or do men hope that by going in troops to hell they shall master the native inhabitants , subdue those legions of tormentors , and become conquerors in stead of sufferers ? this is sure too wild an imagination for any to entertain , yet what more sober one can any pretend , in favour of so stupendous an improvidence ? but 't will be much more seasonable to reform than apologize or rhetoricate ; and therefore 't will import those men , who like the inhabitants of laish , dwell careless , quiet , and secure , to look about them : to enter into serious consultation how they may avert that ruine which waits upon such a supine temper , not to suffer themselves to perish in the midst of such possibilities , nay solicitations to be saved : but at last afford an audience to that embassie which is sent them from heaven . ponder well those easie terms of reconciliation which are propos'd : the inestimable advantages consequent to the embracing that amity ; and the as inestimable detriment of refusing it : in a word , not to please themselves with the empty title , but to penetrate the full purport and significancy of their christianity , and when they have done this soberly and attentively : having removed this first and most general obstruction to piety , they will find themselves assaulted by such force of reason that they must either be very ill logicians , or very good christians . chap. iv. a survey of the mischiefs arising from partial consideration . next to the stupid and meerly vegetable state of total incogitancy : we may rank that partial and peece-meal consideration , by which christianity is mutilated and deform'd , depriv'd of all its force to attract and subdue mens hearts : for as in artificial movements , there is such a dependance of one part upon another , that the substracting of any one destroys the whole frame : so in this spiritual machin design'd to raise our dull mortality to heaven ; the divine wisdom of its maker has combin'd its several parts , that he who severs ruines , he that applies it not in its united strength will find no aid from its unjoynted scattered particles . s. paul tells us cor. . that in the natural body the making it all eye , or hand , the reducing the many members to one is destructive to its being ( if they were all one member where were the body v. . ) and we in reason must expect the same event will follow here . if we advance one part of our christian faith to the annihilation of the rest , 't is impossible that should supply the place of the whole ; but the more that member is swoln above its native size , the more unwildy , not the more strong it grows : and loses that active vigor , which it receiv'd by a social communication with the other parts . 't is gods charge against the priests , mal , . that they have been partial in the law , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lifters up of faces in it ; preferr'd some more agreeable parts , and discountenanc'd others ; were not only judges of the law , but unjust judges too . and i fear the enditement may now run more generally against the people also ; that they have been partial in the gospel : culled and chosen out those softer and more gentle dictates which should less grate and disturb them : like well the oil that makes them have a cheerful countenance , but are not so forward to deal with the wine which should search and cleanse their sores . we make all our addresses to the promises , hug and caress them , and in the interim let the commands stand by neglected . a divinity indeed fitly apportion'd to the devotion of these times , which loves to make an offering to god of that which costs them nothing , and yields a preference to that way of worship which assures salvation best cheap , and at the easiest terms ; but would men consider , they would find , that the commands are the supreme and most eminent part of the evangelical covenant , the promises come but as hand-maids and attendants : an honourable retinue to invite the more respectful entertainment , and it should be remembred that of this sort are the threatnings too ; and therefore they have surely an equal right to our regard especially when many of them have the accession of gods oath , to bind and strengthen their performance . and what a scandalous and absurd partiality is this , that when the precepts come with this solemnity the more to command our reverence , we single out this one part of the train and pay our homage unto it ; lay hold on the promises , not those that speak damnation to impenitence , but the other half of them which give assurances of favour . and like the benjamites to the daughters of shiloh , run away with them , possess our selves of these by rape , in spight of all the incapacities we lye under ; though god has sworn , that no disobedient provoker , shall enter into his rest . that this is really the case of many is more than probable , for by what other artifice is it possible for them to reconcile their large hopes , with their no purifying , their confident expectations of heaven , with their greedy rapacious pursuits of earth : their secure dependance on the bloud of their saviour with their remorsless effusions of that of their brethren ? did they consider the inseparable connexion between the precepts and the promises , 't were hard for them to be so wicked , but impossible to be so sanguine . did the unclean person believe that none but the pure in heart shall see god , if he could be so much swine , as still to chuse the mire : yet sure he could not expect to be rapt from thence into heaven . did the drunkard consider the sentence of the apostle excluding all such from the kingdom of god , cor. . . if he can be content so sadly to oberbuy his sin ; as to pay that kingdom for his shot : yet certainly even he cannot be sot enough to expect the possession of what he has so sold , or hope that from one of his drunken trances , he shall awake to glory : did the covetous extortioner observe that he is involv'd in the same sentence , remember that such violents shall take not heaven , but hell , by force ; if the terrors of the lord could not have force enough to melt his bowels , to unclutch his griping hand , or disseize him of his prey : yet sure it must discourage him from grasping of heaven too , from hoping to defraud god as he has done men , and striking himself into an estate in the land of the living ; and in like manner all other hoping sinners if they would ruine , yet must cease from flattering themselves , must chuse damnation bare-faced , and not fancy that their posting on in the broad way shall ever bring them to life . and sure this discovery of their estate , were a very good step to the curing it : for though 't is possible some few may be of so sturdy an impiety as to chuse their sin with all its consequents , yet sure all sinners are not of that strong complexion , and therefore satan is put to his wiles and artifices , is fain to hoodwink those that are apt to start : and disguises the danger when he sees the true appearance of it will terrifie and avert . this was his old policy with our first parents ; he dazles their eyes with the glorious but abusive proposal of becoming like gods , that they might not discern how near they were approaching to become like devils : and this under the pretence of confidence and friendship , discovering as it were a secret to them , that god envied them that promotion , which his greater kindness was solicitous to procure for them . and as if the ruine of mankind , in massa had been too slight a trophey for that one stratagem , he repeats it again to the individuals , perswades men that the path of obedience which god has chalkt out is strait , and narrow , rugged and incumbred ; that there is a shorter cut , an easier passage to life : that they may be led into canaan a nearer way , step into it immediately from the flesh pots of egypt , and scape the tedious weary march in the wilderness : never so much as call at mount sinai , or be affrighted with the thunders of the law. in a word , they need not work out their salvation , but be they never so slothful they may inherit the promises , heb. . . this is his one grand conclusion , though he has several mediums to infer it by : wherewith as with so many tools and engines he furnishes men for the filing or breaking of that sacred link between duty and reward ; and of these he has great variety fitted to the hands , and skill of those that manage them . i shall not undertake to ransack his work-house , or give an inventory of his utensils , but shall rather in general beseech all those , who have made this unhappy separation to remember from whose forge they took their instruments : and then consider whether his officiousness in supplying them , can argue any thing but that 't is his work they are about . can any think that he whose eternal pastime it will be to torment men , can really be solicitous of their ease that he would chuse out for them the pleasantest paths , were it not that he knows they lead to the chambers of death ? when christ whose sole business it was to save mens souls , has prescrib'd us a course which shall assuredly conduct us unto happiness , what can it be but phrensie to resort to abaddon , the destroyer for an easier method , or expect more gentleness and compassion from the roaring lion than from the lamb of god. nay indeed this is not only to attribute to him more tenderness , but fidelity too : to believe him in opposition to all the express affirmations of god ; and when he who is truth its self has told us , that except we repent we shall all perish , luk. . . and that without holiness no man shall see the lord , heb. . . to disbelieve this only upon his bare credit , who was a lyar from the beginning : this indeed is a prodigious composition of blasphemy and folly : a strange contumely to god , but fatal treachery to our selves : for alas satan entertains us all this while but with a trick of leger de main , and as iuglers make us believe we have cut the string , which yet presently after they shew us whole : so he perswades us he has thus sever'd the condition from the promises , when to our grief it will finally appear their union was inviolable . 't is not all our vain confidence that can reverse the immutable divine law , we may , 't is true , delude our selves , keep up our spirits high ; in a secure jollity eat and drink , and rise up to play , and so not only loyter , but revel out our day , till the night overtake us wherein no man can work , but we shall never be able to propagate the deceit , where only it could avail us , to perswade god to pay the hire to those that have been no labourers , or give the prize to any who have not run to obtain it . let every man therefore in a just tenderness to his own soul , strictly examine his hopes , try not how high they towre , but how deep they are founded ; whether on the sand or on the rock ; the flattering delusions of satan , and the dreams of his own phancy , or on the promises of god : for though all pretend to build on the latter , yet god knows , a multitude of foolish architects there are , which mistake their ground , take that for assurance that is not : and this truly is a thing deserves to be soberly consider'd , they that most greedily catch at the promises , do often embrace a cloud instead of the deity which they so eagerly grasp , and thereby think to enjoy . but faithful obedience , and not insolent hopes , commend us unto god. the gospel indeed describes to us great and inestimable felicities , but he that can think this gives him title to them , may as well pretend to the whole world , because he has the map of it in his house : for though it mentions them to all , yet it promises them to none but the obedient . and those israelites which fled from the sight of goliah , sam. . . might as reasonably challenge the reward propos'd to the victor , as men can pretend to enter into life without keeping the commandments : this then is the one criterion , by which a man may judge of his hopes ; if they be but proportionable to his obedience , they are then regular , and such as will not make him asham'd , but prove incentives and engagements to every good work . let him obey as much as he can , and then he need not deny himself the comfort of hoping as much as he can too . but if his hopes exceed this measure , and square themselves only by his wishes ; if he look for heaven , not because he is qualified for it , but because he wants or covets it ; this is rather to dream than hope , and such whimsies will as soon invest the begger in wealth , the defam'd in honour , the sick in health , or any man in any thing he has but a mind to , as compass heaven for the bold fiduciary . it is indeed like those lunacies wherein mens fancies adopt them heirs to those kingdoms , they know nothing more of , than the names : and sure the analogy holds as well in the cure as the disease ; let these patients awhile be kept dark , taken from the dazling contemplations of their imaginary priviledges , to the sad reflection on their sins : and as god expostulates with israel , ezek. . . ye stand upon the sword , ye work abomination , and ye defile every man his neighbours wife , and shall ye possess the land ? so let them recite to themselves the catalogues of their impieties , and then ask their own hearts , whether these be the qualifications of those that shall rest in gods holy hill ? whether these marks of the beast can ever rank them among the followers of the lamb ? and let these considerations be prest home , reiterated so often , till by repeated strokes they have made good the other part of the method , made their souls bleed , and by that spiritual phlebotomy , temper'd their swelling veins , allayed the over-sanguiness of their constitution : and then there remains but one thing more to complete the course , and that is bringing them into the work-house , setting them really to work out their salvation with fear and trembling , which they had so near played away by confidence and presumption : and when they have done thus , they have verified their hopes , and then may safely reassume them : they are return'd again with advantage to their first point , and are that in soberness and reality , which they then were only in fiction and imagination . and now would god men would once be content to be thus disabus'd , that they would not be so in love with deceit , as in the prophets phrase , ier. . . to hold it fast : that they would not chuse chymaera's and phantastick images before real and substantial felicities : and prefer that hope which will be sure to ship-wrack them , before that which will be an anchor of the soul , sure and stedfast , heb. . . and if this so reasonable a proposal may be embrac't ; if the world should , as the spaniard said , but rise wise one morning , what a deal of dead merchandize would satan have upon his hands : many of those they call the comfortable doctrines would want vent , which are now the staple commodity of his kingdom . what those are , 't is no part of my design to examine , it will be every mans particular concern to do it for himself ; which he may do by this one test ; whether they more animate men to hope well , than to live well ? whether they bring alexanders sword to cut asunder the gordian knot , to sever between the promise and the condition ? or the sword of the spirit to subdue all to the obedience of christ ? if the former , we may expect the fruits of such will be all that licentiousness which st. paul describes , as the works of the flesh , gal. . . it being not to be imagin'd , that the precepts of the gospel , which they divide from the promises only , that they might fall off , shall then be voluntarily taken up in meer good nature and heroick generosity ; that those who are so industrious to avoid the necessity of christian practice , will make it their free-will-offering . if there should happen to be some few of so ingenuous a gratitude ; yet 't is certain , that is not our common mould ; few men will be better than they think their interest bids them be , and therefore such principles are dangerous seminaries of libertinism : and 't is mens very important concernment not to admit them . let not then their cheerful aspect recommend them to our embraces ; men may be kill'd with too much cordial ; that which seems to refresh the spirits may enflame the blood , and though cold poisons have gotten the fame of being the most malignant , yet there are hot that are as infallibly mortiferous . let it be our care in opposition to both , to keep our selves in that moderate , equal temper , which belongs to healthy souls : and since that is the vitallest heat which is gotten by exercise , set to our business , employ our selves diligently in all those duties the gospel exacts , and then we shall not want such an hope as may warm our hearts , keep us in a cheerful expectation , till we come to the glorious fruition of that eternal salvation which god has promised to all them , and only them that obey him . and till we do thus , till we consider as well what we are to do , as what we are to receive : there will be no hope of restoring christianity to its native vigour ; we shall make it evaporate all its strength in unsignificant hopes , convert it into air , to bear up our bubbles , instead of that firm ground , whereon we should build virtue here , and glory hereafter . chap. v. a survey of the mischiefs arising from carnal consideration . after the disadvantages of partial consideration , may fairly be subjoyn'd the ills of that advertency , which is impregnated by sensuality and sloth , and makes pretence unto right reason , but tends indeed as much as any thing to the frustrating the design , and enfeebling the force of our religion : such close reserves of deceit and malice have men to their own souls , that when they quit one strong hold of satans , 't is only to retreat to another . when they are not so brisk and aerial , as lightly to skip over those precepts , that lye in their way : they are so gross and unwary as to fall at them ; if they may not pass for straws and chaffe , such as every blast of vain confidence may blow away , they shall then be improved into heaps and mountains , become stones of stumbling and rocks of offence ; and when they are call'd upon to consider them , they do it in so perverse a manner , as if they meant to revenge themselves on that unwelcome importunity : their consideration is worse than neglect . they look into them insiduously , not as disciples , but as spies , not to weigh the obligeingness , but to quarrel the unreasonableness or difficulty of the injunctions , not to direct their practice , but excuse their prevarications . from this unsincere kind of inspection it is , that the precepts have got so formidable appearance with many , that they have fallen under such heavy prejudices , as to resolve them intolerable yokes , insuperable tasks : that this canaan is a land that eats up its inhabitants , wherein there is so little of enjoyment that it scarce affords a being . men count a life under such restraints , so joyless and uneasie , that it differs from death only , by being more passive . they think zeal like a hectick feaver , in a slow but certainly fatal fire exhausts and consumes the spirits . mortification and self-denial macerate and decay the body ; and liberality dissipates and wastes the estate : and with these apparitions which themselves have conjur'd up ; men run frighted from duty , resolve the burden is unsupportable , or at least grievous to be born , and therefore , as our saviour says of the pharisees , will not touch it , no not so much as with one of their fingers , mat. . . never make any attempt to try what indeed they are ; but take their measures from their own , or perhaps other mens prejudicate opinions , and thence take out an authentick record and patent for sloth , fancy the journey too long for them , and therefore sit still ; first call christs commandments grievous , and then improve that slander into a manumission ; absolve themselves from obeying them . and unless they may have the gate to life cut wider , made capacious enough to receive them with all their lusts about them , will never essay to enter it . but if the prince of darkness have enacted it a law , that difficulty shall pass for excuse , yet if real uneasiness may be admitted to be as deterring as imaginary ones , his own decree will retort the most ruinously on himself , and men may plead it as their discharge , from all those base drudgeries , those tyrannous impositions wherewith he loads them . the drunkard may experimentally tell him , the pain of an aking head , of an overcharged stomack , the ruine of a wasted estate , and claim a dispensation from pursuing that uneasie and costly sin . the wanton may bring his macerated body like the levites concubine iud , and urge it as an evidence how cruel a master he serves ; and from thence emancipate and free himself : and indeed every sin carries in it so much of visible toil , or secret smart , as would by force of this rule supplant and undermine its self ; and sure satan would never have arm'd men with so dangerous a weapon , had he not discern'd them so in love with slavery , as secures him it should never be us'd against him ; for if it should , nothing could give him a more mortal wound , more irrecoverably shake his kingdom . nor would only that infernal region feel the force of that destructive principle ; it would make as strange confusions in secular regiments . for if such pleas as these may be admitted , they will easily cancel all humane , as well as divine laws , and every malefactor will transfer his guilt on the severity of the legislator : the thief may say it is too great a difficulty for him to resist the temptation of an apt opportunity ; a rich prize that his fingers are too slippery even for himself , and he cannot restrain them , and then quarrel the strictness of the law , which has rais'd so high a fence about mens properties , that he who climbs it must endanger his neck . the rebel may complain that the bands of allegiance are too strait , the yoke sits too close , galls and frets his tender flesh , exclaim loudly at the tyranny of those that laid it on , and in that out-cry drown the noise of his own treason . and so every other transgressor may accuse the rule , as accessary to his swervings , till at last the laws be made the only criminals . i leave every man to judge both of the equity and consequencies of such discoursings in civil matters , and shall only desire he will apply them to spiritual also , where certainly they are neither more just , nor less ruinous ; and whilest such absurd pretences as these pass currant , no wonder if christianity languish and grow impotent , want strength to impress its self on the lives of its professors . the most infallible receipt can work no cure on him , who upon the suspicion of its bitterness , refuses to taste it . the most excellent laws must look their regulating power , where the execution of them is obstructed ; and we may as reasonably look for the efficacy of christianity among those who never heard the name , as among those , who owning the name , do yet disclaim its precepts ; and so all those interpretatively do , who by accusing them of too great rigour , avert both themselves and others from their obedience . that the charge is scandalously unjust will appear to any , who shall allow themselves the just means of information ; but alas the way of process men take in this affair is so inequitable , as certainly presages the partiality of the sentence , what person ever was there so innocent , so excellent , who if arraign'd at the tribunal of his mortal enemy could be acquitted , christ himself shall be pronounc'd a blasphemer , when a caiphas is to examine him : and no wonder if his precepts find proportionable dealing , if they be decried as impossible , tyrannical , perhaps ridiculous too , where the scanning of them is referr'd to those , whose interest it is to defame them . men enthrone their lusts , set them up in the judgement seat , and none can expect they shall pass such a sentence , as shall include their own condemnation : if they own the commandment to be holy , just and good , they must tacitely accuse themselves to be impure , unjust and wicked , and as such to be consign'd to wrath and judgment . here then we have the true account how christs commands , which are in themselves so far from grievous , have gotten so unkind a reputation among us ; this is so direct a course for it , that we may cease our wonder , though not our grief to see it , for we behold them stand to the award of those with whom they have a profest enmity : the goal gives sentence on the bench ; the bar arraigns the judgment seat. certainly when that law which is spiritual is submitted to the arbitriment of gross carnality , the law of liberty is taxed and rated by those worst bondmen who are sold under sin ; 't is impossible to find any fairer treatment . that which comes on purpose to dethrone sin , dispossess it of the empire it has usurpt , will certainly be entertain'd with the same exclamation the devils us'd to christ , why art thou come to torment us ? but as if this general antipathy were not enough to ascertain the rejection of christs command ; as if the national feud , as i may call it , between heaven and hell were not thought irreconcilable enough , men offer yet harder measure , call in the aid of personal quarrels , and when the precepts come to be consider'd , refer each of them single to that particular vice to which it has the directest contrariety . thus when christs command of meekness and forgiveness , of loving enemies , and turning the cheek , bearing the cross , or self-denial calls for audience ; they consult ( as rehoboam did with his young hot-spurs ) with their anger and malice , their rankor and revenge , and they soon give their verdict ; that to be meek is to be servile , a temper fit only for the abject . that to forgive enemies is a principle of cowardize that would emasculate the world ; to love them a piece of spaniel-like fawning ; but to turn the cheek ; not only to hazard , but invite new injuries by owning them as benefits , paying blessing for curses , kindness and good-turns for hatred , is such a ridiculous patience , as must expose to the insolence of many , and the scorn and derision of all men . and then the resolution is ready they will be no such fools for christs sake . so when the precept of humility and lowliness comes to be consider'd , their pride is deputed to hear its plea , and then though it bring the authority of christs example as well as his command , it will be judg'd invalid : christ indeed took upon him the form of a servant , and to that humility was a proportionable adjunct ; but what is that to them whose aspiring humour abhors subjection , 't is not calculated for their meridian , they are of another manner of spirit , and would not have it embased by the admission of so mean a quantity : and though christ have put poverty of spirit among his beatitudes , they resolve he shall not ensnare them with that artifice , they will not take his measures of felicity ; or resign that pleasure they have in valuing themselves , for any thing he proposes in exchange . in like manner the precepts of temperance , sobriety and chastity , are not permitted to the judgment of sober reason , nay , nor of meer natural desire ; but to appetites vitiated and inflam'd , by radicated habits ; and then the glutton thinks to eat moderately , is to be starv'd ; and will as soon put a knife , prov. . to his throat , in the vulgar sense of cutting it , as in solomons notion of restraining his excess . thus the drunkard with his false thirsts looks on sobriety as a kind of hell , where he shall want a drop to cool his tongue , and thinks the abandoning his debaucht jollities is an implicite adieu to all the comforts of life . the unclean person when his blood is high scoffs at chastity as a religious kind of impotence , and only so far considers the precept of pulling out the eye , as to infer that it were as easie literally to part with it , as to restrain its lustful range : not look at all , as not look to lust . and proportionably it fares with charity and bounty , which though our saviour recommend , mammon arraigns of robbery , and stigmatizes as a thief that picks the purse , and riffles coffers . but amidst all these the taking up the cross , suffering for righteousness sake , and the doctrine of self-denial , fall under the heaviest prejudice . these are oppos'd not by some one single vice , but the confederate arms of all ; even those whose interests are flatly opposite do here unite : herod and pilate , saduces and pharisees accord against christ , and all are freely suffer'd , nay invited to exhibit their complaints against these mandates . covetousness cries out that this is the most ruinous prodigality , casts away an estate in a lump , and lays all open to forfeiture and confiscation : and prodigality takes it as ill to be forestall'd , and have nothing left for it to dissipate . prophaness avows a contempt of it as a folly , and most open madness to part with real pleasure for an empty name , or profit for that bankrupt thing call'd conscience : and hypocrisie has a more secret hatred of it , as its detector ; that which will bring it to a test which it cannot pass . malice puts in a caveat , that this is to gratifie enemies , and lose the satisfactions of revenge : and self-love puts in another , that it is to destroy ones self . in short , every limb of the body of sin discharges a blow at this innocent and divine sanction ; as if they meant it should exemplifie its own doctrine by assuming that passive temper it recommends . but alas , who can expect any more upright verdicts from such pact , such corrupt juries , and why may not christ be permitted to claim the common benefit of our laws , to make his challenge and exceptions against this so incompetent impanel . 't is the counsel of the wise man , not to advise in common affairs with those whose tempers may be suppos'd to biass them , consult not , saies he , with a coward in matters of war , nor with a sluggard of much business , eccl. . . and sure if they be ill counsellors , they must be worse iudges : but why then do we set pride to judge of humility , lust of purity , covetousness of liberality : and make our vices the arbitrators of those laws which should restrain them ? this is such a gross injustice as common humanity abhors ; we deal by other measures with men , the most notorious and flagitious criminals : and reserve this way of process for those things only wherein our god may be concern'd . 't is a severe exprobration of a prophane people , malach. . . where god accuses them for treating him with less reverence than they would do a mortal prince . offer it now to thy prince : but alass we shall force him to descend far lower in his expostulation , so far we are from paying him the duty and regard belonging to a prince , that we yield him not the rights of common men : force him to stand to those measures which we think too unequitable to press upon a murderer , a thief , or rebel at the bar. but this waving of common rules is a plain confession that we need more indulgence , than those will allow : when mens lusts thus usurp the tribunal and judge in their own cause , 't is a palpable discovery they dare not remit themselves to any more equal determination . and indeed in this point of their interest , they pass a right judgment : for 't is certain were the case referr'd to any competent judge , indeed to any but themselves they would inevitably be cast ; and sure 't is high time that some should assist opprest vertue in its appeal ; find it out some court of equity where its plea may be heard : and we need not travel far for that purpose , every man may do it in his own breast , where in his little common-wealth he shall find a court of gods erecting : let him but draw the cause thither , discuss the matter in his own conscience ; and he will soon find the former unrighteous sentences revers'd : let him but seriously reflect on his violations of those sacred precepts of christ ; and observe what a sting and secret remorse every such breach leaves within him : and that will be a competent attestation of the equity and obligingness of those mandates : for from whence else can the regret arise ? those things that are either impossible in their nature , or unconcerning to us cannot beget it . no man accuses himself for not flying in the air , or walking upon the water : nor owns himself guilty in the non-observance of any laws , but such as have power to oblige him : and therefore these close pangs and checks of conscience are an irrefragable evidence , that men do inwardly assent to the justice and authority of those divine rules ; which their actions , yea often their words too , do most oppugn . but over and above the throws and after-pains of conscience , when sin is brought forth , the self-accusation of the criminal , when none beside controuls , nay many flatter and commend : i say beyond this secondary and reflext apology , for christs law , owed to the foregoing prevarication of it ; there is an early and immediate verdict past in its behalf , in the esteem and liking which those documents command , where ere they pass : creating an assent and veneration not only when obey'd , but from profest despisers ; who cannot chuse to think well of that vertue they desert , and the necessity of their affairs compel them to speak ill of . an event visible in the condemnation of our saviour , where the iudge who gave sentence against him , at the same moment washt his hands , and openly profest he found no fault in him . and indeed this very reflexion on the author of these precepts , if well consider'd would supersede all other arguments . the mandates of the gospel on this one score , that they are christs , are certainly both pure in themselves , and possible to us : and so most worthy not only of all obedience , but all love too . he who is our lord upon both the titles of creation and redemption , may certainly with all justice impose what laws he pleases on us . yet he , who laid down his life for the redemption of the transgressions which were under the first testament , cannot be imagin'd so inconsiderate of our frailty which himself had smarted for , as to introduce another of equal rigor , or be so prodigal of his bloud , as to pour it out for those who by a new set of impossible commands should infallibly reforfeit themselves again : and if this cannot be suppos'd , the contrary may be concluded , that he hath so far condescended to our imbecillity , as not to prescribe us any thing which he either finds or makes us not able to perform . 't is true indeed , his laws are above the reach of our corrupt and debased nature ; and they were unfit to be his , were they not so : but when he by his grace offers to elevate and refine this nature , bring it up to the pitch and purity of those laws , this is a far greater mercy than if he had descended to our corruption ; so he might have contaminated himself , given laws unworthy of him : but alass what advantage would it be to us , to have the blasphemy mention'd , psal. . so verified to have our god in this sense , such a one as our selves ? but by this other method he purifies , and exalts us : puts us in a capacity of being like unto him , in which is summ'd up at once , all both vertue and felicity . and on this glorious end every particular command of his , has a direct aspect , every one of them tending to re-impress on us some part of that divine image which was raz'd out by the first sin : and this one would think enough to recommend them to our highest value . certainly , if conscience may be iudge , it will be so : there being in this case no middle between devout reverence , and horrid blasphemy ; for he that despises such an assimulation , must necessarily also despise him who is so resembled : he who thinks meekness , purity , humility , &c. unamiable qualities , can have little esteem for him , in whom they are so transcendently eminent , but will take the prophet at his word , and say , there is no form nor comeliness in him , es. . but this sure can never be the verdict of conscience ; he that can thus pronounce , must be suppos'd to have supprest and silenc'd that . it being one of the most indelible notions there , that all that is in god , is sublimely excellent . but because 't is indeed too possible that conscience may be put under such an undue restraint , suffer the violence of a prisoner , when it should sustain the place of a iudge : because many men dare not permit their consciences to speak , lest they should say more than they are willing to hear . and lastly , since these persons make their appeal to reason , pretend the aids , and boast in the advantages of that , it may not be amiss to bring the cause unto that bar : whose empire and authority none must disclaim that own the style , and least of all those scepticks in religion with whom we have to do : who will allow of no conviction but from it . and god , who as the apostle saies , leaves not himself without witness , has so temper'd and dispos'd his precepts as to qualifie them to pass even this test also , they being not the contradictions but improvements of natural reason : and so most apt to recommend themselves to all that is man , not brute about us . indeed they have the very same aim and design with that . it has ever been the grand business of sober reason first to discover , and then to attain that one supreme good , which would give rest and felicity to the soul : in this inquisition have the philosophers and greatest masters of reason , laid out their most serious studies and deepest contemplations ; and in their indefatigable pursuits seem joyntly to sigh out david's question , who will shew us any good ? and now the gospel comes a solution of this so important a query , brings these glad tidings of joy to all people , and that not only in its credenda , by informing us what that good is : but in its agenda too , by tracing us out the way to it : beating us a path which will certainly lead us to that summum bonum which our very nature implicitly gasps after ; and sure reason can never jar with this , which comes thus as a happy auxiliary to succour its impotence : as an infallible guide to conduct its steps : and as a glorious light to give it a clear view , of what it before blindly groped after . 't is a certain indication of madness , to tear and mischief those things that would be useful to us , to curse and revile a friend , or fly in the face of those whose charity brings them to our aid ; and therefore 't is most evident that reason must first cease to be reason , and commence phrenzy , before 't is possible it can set its self in defiance of those laws of christ , which are thus accommodated to its greatest interests . and as the accord is thus observable in the ultimate , so is it in the intermediate design also . reason had by its twilight discern'd that , that soveraign bliss it aim'd at , would never be hit by an unsteady hand ; by him who was perpetually tossed and agitated by his turbulent inordinate appetites . therefore young men , yet in the heat and ferment of their bloud were solemnly proscrib'd and banisht from the schools and lectures of philosophy ; therefore lustrations and catharticks of the mind were sought for , and all endeavour us'd to calm and regulate the fury , if not extirpate ( which some contended for ) the very being of the passions : that so a preparation might be made first for the knowledge and then the attainment of felicity : now the gospel precepts have visibly the same end and purpose : every one of them expresly singling out some irregular affection to combate and subdue : so that right reason and they are evidently of a sect and party , insomuch that several of the ancientest fathers of the church attributed the excellent documents of heathen philosophers to the divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the reason and essential word of god which after was incarnate upon earth ; and brought auxiliary strengths of grace , to aid the weaknesses of nature . the blessed iesus whose bare word checkt the sea in its highest fury , and by that miracle attested his divinity ; as much exerts himself in silencing the louder tempests , and calming the intestine storms within our breasts . and certainly reason will not quarrel to have been thus reliev'd , it being the property only of proud folly to chuse rather to lose a victory than owe it to the aid of an allie . from this general view , it were easie to descend to observe the exact concurrence of particulars . god loves a reasonable service , and has so temper'd his commands , that every act of obedience we perform may be so qualified : and gain unto its votaries the elogium promis'd in the law of moses , deut. . . surely this people is a wise and understanding people . and first that the command of meekness is a most rational precept can never be doubted by any who remember but the common definition of anger , that it is furor brevis , and sure 't is very reasonable not to be mad , and he that has observ'd the unmanly transportations of that wilde passion , how that the first violence it offers is to the man within him , will certainly think it the interest , not only of his religion , but common prudence , and right reason to suppress it . and the like is to be said of the more solemn phrensie of deep malice and deliberate revenge , where the fury wants the allay of being transient and short liv'd , is embodied into complexion and temper , and grows inveterate into nature . anger indeed is a fire , and he that touches it though but lightly , will find it scorch him : but the malicious lays himself as it were to roast at it ; prolongs and spins out his own torment as if he meant to anticipate his punishment in his very crime , and commence his hell here , in unquenchable fire . truly no sin does more represent that state of horror to which it tends ; it gives a man not only a certain title , but an ample earnest , pays him part in hand of those dismal wages . this was so well understood even by the heathens that we see the poets knew not how more emphatically to describe the future torment of an envious and malicious person , than by the representation of his sin . prometheus vultur begins her quarry in this life ; every malignant thought , every spightful wish preys upon his heart that harbours it : every revengeful project puts him in the pangs of labour till it be brought forth ; and when it is , it commonly rebounds so mischievously upon the parent , that the birth seems like that of agrippina when she bare nero that murder'd her . and surely not only reason , but common sense , will say this is a state to be detested , and consequently must give its suffrage to those laws of meekness and charity which are the only expedients to prevent it . peace is deservedly reckon'd among the highest blessings of communities , and sure it has a proportionable value , in every single member of those greater bodies , it being that which is indispensably requisite to the enjoying of any other good . a war we know interrupts at once all the profits and pleasures of a nation : and this hostile temper in a mans mind does the very same , and like choler in the stomach , takes off all gust of the most delightful things , and so becomes a hell in the poena damni , as well as that of sense : and then how absurd an impatience is it , for men to think every the slightest injury from another insupportable , and yet heap such heavy pressures upon themselves , like froward children roar out for the least touch from another hand , yet knock and batter themselves without complaint : as if their only contention were , that they may be the sole authors of their own calamity . and that which adds yet more , if it be possible , to add to so vast a folly , is , that revenge never repairs any injury : if i have been reproacht or defam'd , 't is not the wounding of my enemies body that will heal my fame , i may by that means help to spread the libel by inviting many to enquire the cause of our quarrel : but that is no medium to prove him a slanderer , the world being too well acquainted with the nature of revenge to imagine it an argument of his innocency that acts it : so far it is from being such , that it gives a most violent presumption of guilt , according to that notable observation of the historian , convitia spreta exolescunt , si irascare agnita videntur . in like manner suppose me hurt in my body , retaliation brings no balm to my sores : my pains abate not by his having the like or greater ; nor would my wounds fester the less though his should gangrene . so if i am endammag'd in my goods , i may contrive to repay him that ill turn , and yet not recover my own loss ; and generally the spightful spoils that are made , are of that nature . 't is true , the law may in some cases repair the injur'd person : but then that is owing to the justice of the law , not to the malice of the plaintiffe : for he that sues upon the naked intuition of recovering his right , without any aspect of revenge on the invader , has as fully the benefit of the law ( and indeed none can innocently have it otherwise ) and then to what serves the vindicative humor , what increment or advantage can the superaddition of his revenge bring him in ? 't is sure in all these instances it often does the quite contrary : plunges him in farther troubles and dangers , and when all this is consider'd , we may certainly pronounce christs precept of meekness , partakes as well of the serpent as the dove , is as well prudent as innocent : nor is this conclusion at all shaken , by that objection which men make from the danger of inviting more injuries and affronts by this tameness : for first suppose there were truth in it ; that hazard could not ballance the many certain mischiefs which have been evinc'd inseparably to follow the contrary temper : and it were certainly less penal to endure multitudes of light and transient abuses , than those far more uneasie waies of redress , which mens revenges suggest to them : and then 't will be perfectly reasonable , of these two evils to chuse the less . as for the greater and more important violations , there are legal waies which may prove redress in some cases , or prevention in others : he that is slandered or impoverished , may take a course to clear his innocence , or recover his goods : he that is hurt or maim'd , though he is uncapable of reparations , yet the law provides for his future security , by awarding such penalties , as may discourage the offender from repeating the violence : and to these aids , a man may resort with these proviso's , first , that he abstract from all design of revenge ; and secondly , that the matter be of weight ; and certainly he that by these legal means cannot be secur'd , can be much less so by any private attempt of his own : for he that despiseth the coercive power of laws , will much more contemn the enmity of a single person . the only difficulty in this case is , when a state is in such a confusion that there is no lawful judicature to appeal to , but that implies so many sadder miseries , than the want of such a redress amounts to , that every man may patiently enough cast this into the heap of greater evils ; and not consider that one pressure , when so much weightier calamity exacts his grief : but sure the suspension of law in this particular does no more qualifie a private person to be his own revenger , than it invests him in any other part of authority , and he may with as good right place himself on the bench , and become a iudge in other mens causes , as thus become both iudge and executioner in his own . but in the last place , the ground of this objection seems weak and sandy ; for that meekness is not the way to expose a man , generally speaking , to more suffering : 't is possible indeed through the barbarity of some few insulting cowards , who love to vapour good cheap , that they may trample on those who give least resistance ; but this is not the common bent of humane nature , ( which ought to be the measure in this case ) we find men usually exasperated by opposition , who are calm'd and appeas'd by gentleness . anger is not of the nature of that monstrous fire the historian tells us of , which nothing but blows could extinguish . it is the observation of the wisest of men , that a soft answer turneth away wrath , and mens passions are like bullets which batter the walls which stand inflexible , but fall harmlesly into wool or feathers ; and i doubt not common experience will attest it , that none do generally fall under fewer of these storms than they , who are thus prepar'd to bear them . let a meek and an angry person cast up their accounts together , and compare the number of affronts and contumelies they have met with , and i believe the odds will be as great , as between sauls thousands and davids ten thousands . 't is certain that the return made to the first injury provokes a new one ; men being so partial to themselves , that he who receives a harm by way of retaliation , never reflects on his own first guilt , but looks on it as a naked injury , and so pursues his revenge , which has again the same effect on the other , and so this wild-fire runs round , till it have set all in a flame ; made the saddest vastations , not only in mens minds , but their outward concernments too , in the many fatal outrages , which these eager contentions occasion , all which would be avoided by a meek disregard of the first provocation : so that although some injuries may fall upon the passive man , yet infallibly there would be no broils and quarrels , which are alone the great accumulators and multipliers of injuries ; which alone demonstrates how unjustly meekness is charg'd with so much as an accidental production of them ; and vindicates that precept of christ which has faln under so much , not only cavil but scorn ; it appearing that to abstain from revenge , and refer the hazards of that to gods providence ( which is the importance of his command to turn the cheek ) is the greatest even moral security against violence , and so approves our law-giver ( in this so decried particular ) to be as well the wonderful counsellour , as the prince of peace . in the next place , if we weigh the precept of humility and lowliness in the balance of sober discourse , we shall certainly find it hold a just weight . indeed pride is nothing but deceit , a meer cheat and delusion , and so every man can discern it in another , we there are able to trace the windings of this serpent , and say this man thinks himself more wise , this more learned , a third more holy than he is : yet alass in our own breasts we discern not the abuse , suffer him to perswade us what he but promis'd to our first parents , that we are as gods , something so super-excellent , that all must reverence and adore : and herein we take him at his word , never suspect these glorious attributions may be no more than complement or flattery ; or what is no less obvious , derision and scorn . to a considering man 't would be a shrew'd presumption against whatever pride suggests , that 't is attended always by self-love , which is , as it were , the common setter to all those cheats which circumvent and fool us : but there want not also more convincing proofs of its deceit and unsincerity . when e're we overween and believe well of our selves , it is in contemplation of some imaginary or else real good ; somewhat a man has not , or somewhat that he has : if we do it upon the former account , that is undeniably a gross delusion ; a kind of deceptio visus , a filling the eye with phantastick aerial images , which have no solid being : and god knows , such phasmes , such apparitions are most of those excellencies which men applaud in themselves ; things conjur'd up by the magick of a strong imagination , and are only seen within that circle in which the enchanter stands : and though satan be the grand master of this black art , yet his pupils are now grown so dextrous , that he seldom needs to be call'd in ; our own partialities and fondnesses to our selves , are abundantly sufficient for the purpose . but if in the second place we suppose the things to be really existent in us , yet pride runs us upon an other error no less dangerous than the former , for it betrays us to mistake the true owner of them , emboldens us to set our own mark upon those rich wares , in whose acquest we have not been so much as factors ; god is the one great author and proprietor of all that is or can be valuable in us ; to his providence or his grace we owe all the accomplishment of our outward or inward man , and though he allows us the use and benefit of them , yet the glory is a special royalty , which ( as the gold or silver mines of a nation ) is reserved to his crown , an incommunicable piece of his regality . and how wofully does our pride befool us , when it brings us in such false inventories of our goods , makes us dream our selves rich by anothers wealth ; like children that call every thing theirs which looks splendidly , or the mad athenian celebrated by horace for his happy phrensie , that resolv'd all the ships and wares his own that came into the cities harbour : but how more sadly does it betray us , when it thus puts us upon the invasion of his propriety , who is not as the impotent monarchs of the earth , unable to assert his own rights , but can certainly vindicate himself to our confusion , against whom no rebellion can be any longer prosperous than he willingly permits it , and who has solemnly avowed he will not give his glory to another : and when our pride makes us thus both ridiculous and miserable , when it seduces us not only into the folly of children and extravagancies of lunaticks , but at once into the guilt of bold , and punishment of improsperous rebels : certainly reason can never become its advocate , or put in any demur to that sentence which excludes so treacherous a guest out of mens hearts ; which is the sole aim of those laws of humility which christ has given us . nor will the precepts of temperance and purity find any worse doom at this bar , the contrary vices being such indignities and contumelies unto humane nature , as can never find any countenance from this supreme part of it : 't is the prerogative of our reason , that it discriminates us from , and elevates us above beasts : nor can it ever be brought to resign this so glorious a priviledge , assent to the admission of those brutish appetites which would over-run the soul , level its superior with its inferior faculties ; confound the distinction of rational and sensitive , and in a word , render the beast so ravenous as to eat up the man. yet thus it is in those sordid sins of intemperance and uncleanness , unless perhaps they are so much worse than beastial that i wrong the generality of the brutes in the comparison , it being only some few of them , the very beasts of the beasts that are guilty of any such excesses , for generally their appetites do not transgress the regular ends of nature , they know no such disease as surfetting , but eat to satisfie hunger , and couple at such seasons as best tend to preserve their kind ; and then 't is to be consider'd how base , how degenerous a descent it is for us to stoop , not only below our own nature , but theirs ; what a solitude these vices reduce us to , that not so much as the nobler sort of beasts will bear us company , we must wander upon the mountains to court a goat , we must rake the mire to find a swine , before we can furnish our selves with any associates : and sure all this so open an hostility against-reason , that it can by no means be her interest to abet it . ask her whether she would be prest to death with loads of meat , whether she would be drown'd in floods of drink , whether she would be suffocated with the noisome vapours of putrefaction and rottenness , and the answer she gives to these tells you her sense of gluttony , drunkenness and uncleanness : alas she suffers from them the most barbarous outrages , is invaded not only in her authority , but her very being , and therefore even upon the so celebrated principle of self-preservation , must muster all her forces to vindicate the injury and defend her self . and then certainly christs commands of sobriety and purity must needs be entertain'd with all alacrity and gladness , as an accession of strength to her party , an aid to assist her in that just and necessary war. and as reason thus pronounces against the sins of the flesh , so in the next place does it certainly against those of the world. mammon himself will not be able to bribe this iudge , but when christs precept of charity and liberality comes before this tribunal , it will infallibly be not only acquitted but magnified and applauded , be call'd from the bar to the bench , commissioned like the iews , hest. . to bear rule over them that hated them , to dissipate at once the wealth and the covetousness of the worldling ; have the keys put into its hand , that it may have free access to his coffers ; this certainly must be the event of this trial , for 't is confessedly the part of reason to dispose every thing to those uses which are most proper and advantageous , such as may bring in most real benefit to the owner . now what other employment of wealth is there ( after competent accommodations are provided ) which can contribute to a mans felicity ? if it be laid out like the rich mans in the gospel in delicious fare , or purple and fine linnen ; certainly it makes no least approach towards it . first , for excessive fare , if a man be not excessive too in the eating , what does he enjoy of it ? meat has no natural propriety to the eye , and can make no impressions of pleasure there ; but if he be voracious and intemperate , 't is then so far from making him happy , that it dejects him into the forlorn condition , even now mentioned , sets him at odds with his reason , his very manhood , nay , i may add with his very sense too ; the displacencies that he receives by the consequencies of his excess , far outweighing all that is grateful in it . this is well describ'd by the wise man , ecclus. . . as for the gayety of apparel that can never in sober judging be thought any advantage , 't is that which only youth and folly puts a value upon , and as we out-grow the one , so we do the other : all that is convenient in cloaths is as well , nay , better provided for without it : a rich suit is only heavier , not warmer than a plain ; and it is a kind of prodigy to see how heavily vanity , which is in its self so light , sits upon some men ; who are content even to make themselves porters , so their tailors may lay on the burthen : and thus in many other instances the fineness of cloaths destroys the ease , so that it often helps men to pain , but can never rid them of any ; the body may be languishing and infirm under the most splendid cover : herods royal apparel secures him not from being eaten with worms ; and lazarus his ulcers would have been never the less painful , though they had been wrapt in dives his fine linnen . or if the wealth be laid out on any other part of that the world calls greatness , as an honourable retinue , troops of attendants , and the like ; the return will be no less empty : multitudes of unprofitable servants being a geat burthen , but no degree of advantage ; alas does my meat relish ever the better , because my table is surrounded with waiters ; or when i go out , does my train of followers make the air the more refreshing to me , does not rather the dust they raise make it less , annoy and stifle me ? as for matter of business , the number of servants tends rather to hinder than advance it ; daily experience attesting , that in crouds of domesticks every one of them thinks his idleness will be hid : the care of doing and the guilt of omitting is transferr'd from one to another , and none has any farther thought , than how he may quit himself either of the burthen or the blame ; so that upon the final account all that accrues to a master by the greatness of his family is the encrease of his care in the regiment of it : a great deal of vigilance and circumspection being requir'd , to keep it in any tolerable order , and if it be not so kept , his house becomes a wilderness , and himself a prey to the beasts he feeds : the licentiousness of the servant redounding more ways than one to the damage of the master . if we should now proceed more minutely to every other single expence which vanity and pride suggests , we should certainly find the like success of our inquest ; nothing of real felicity , but on the contrary the vanity so interwoven and incorporate with vexation of spirit , that 't is impossible to sever them : so that thus to employ ones riches is rather to suffer than enjoy them ; but if we suppose a man on the other side such a reverer of his wealth , that he dares not employ it at all , unless it be at the bank , for the bringing in of more , that keeps it as men do beasts reserv'd for breed , manumit them from all work but that of propagation . such a person is surely of all others , the farthest from receiving any advantage by it : he converts it from a servant into a tyrant , and sad experience shews us the calamity of such a transmutation . it has been always hold the severest treatment of slaves and malefactors damnare ad metalla , force them to dig in mines ; now this is the covetous mans lot , from which he is never to expect a release , as being his own remorseless and more than egyptian task-master : and the parallel holds too , in the gainlesness as well as laboriousness of the work ; those wretched creatures buried in earth and darkness were never the richer for all the ore they digg'd , no more is the insatiate miser , he has no power to dispose of any of his acquests ; and though he calls them his , yet alass he possesses them no otherwise than a prisoner does his goal , a mad-man his chains , they are only instruments of his thraldom , and the getting more serves only to add more weight to his shackles ; and certainly wealth can be no way worse dispos'd , than thus to buy so base a servitude . and now since neither the luxurious spending , nor the covetous keeping can advantage us one step towards any thing that can be call'd happy ; but do on the contrary engage us upon toil and misery : wealth seems to be a very oppressive burthen , such as we can neither cast off , nor safely bear ; and truly so it is till charity comes into our aid ; which as the proper element of wealth , renders that light which gravitates elsewhere , and as the elixir unto metals transforms them into gold , stamps purity and price upon them : by freely giving , endows the donor with what ever he bestows ; enriches him , and what is more , enriches wealth its self . without this art of using , and disposing our estates , we are those indians who change their gold for glass : that silly fisher-man , who having found a mass of ambergreece , employd it to the liquoring of his boots ; are foolish to the height of midas in the fable , who being promis'd to have what ever he would wish , made his demand that every thing he toucht might presently be gold , and run the hazard that he did of being starv'd by our unhappy affluence : men say indeed that gold by preparation becomes a soveraign cordial , but certainly it never does rejoyce the heart so much as when charity is the chymist , the poor mans hand is the best limbeck to extract this magistery and tincture , the flames of love will really perform those miracles , they of the furnace boast of , and would they employ themselves in this laboratory , they would find the omnipotent efficacy they dream of , sooner in this way of dissipating , than in all their arts , or rather fancies of generating gold. 't is certainly a most generous and enlivening pleasure which results from a seasonable liberality : when i see a man strugling with want , his very spirit as well as body stooping under the pressure ; if i then relieve him , the humane nature within me which is common to us both , does by a kind of sympathetick motion exult and raise up its self , but if i have any piety that must do it much more ; for as the former shew'd me my own image in my poor brother , so this shews me gods ; and how transcendent a satisfaction must it be , to have thus rescued him who bears so divine an impress , to have paid some part of gratitude to my creator for my own being , by making my self in my low sphere the giver or preserver of that life , which he first breath'd into another . this , and this only is the way to raise a felicity out of wealth ; and surely since the attaining of happiness , is the one grand pursuit of our reason , that must even before it has subjected its self to the faith of christ , give assent to the prudence of his command in this as well as the former instances . but there remains a precept of our saviours allied to this ; which seems by no means to comport and hold a correspondence with the dictates of right reason : the taking up the cross , and suffering for righteousness sake ; which contradicts the fundamental law of self preservation ; and the great end of being , felicity and happiness . but this suggestion , how specious soever it appear , is utterly fallacious ; for 't is no good consequence , that because reason aims at our being happy , therefore it forbids us all voluntary sufferings , since that the case may be so set , that such a suffering may be the fairest medium left us to our happiness . 't is a known rule that of two evils , the least is to be chosen ; and the election of the lesser ill , though it be no absolute , yet is a comparative good ; and its attainment as far as the necessity of our affairs permit , is our felicity : and reason can provide no farther . now this is the estate of the present instance : two evils are propos'd , a natural and a moral ; the natural , though in its self to be averted , yet much inferiour to the moral , and then reason soon resolves the dilemma , that the natural is to be chosen : all that can be question'd in this affair , is whether reason define the moral evil to be the greater , but this can bear no long dispute with any who consider but the nature of reason , which being seated in the upper soul of a man , is no way concern'd in those ills , which make their impression on the sensitive part , but moral ills strike higher , invade the mind , cloud the reason ; nay , often depose it from its regiment , as is too frequently exemplified in the force of vicious habits , and therefore by how much our reason is superior to our sense , so much are those to be accounted the greatest evils , which assault that nobler part of us . this certainly will now be the determination of reason , if she may be permitted the freedom of her vote : for thus was it formerly where she bare the most sway , and uncontrouled rule : the wisest and best considering of humane , as well as divine authors having establisht it as an undoubted aphorism , that honest is to be preferr'd before both gainful and pleasant : so that nothing renders a man so deplorable , as that which violates his integrity ; nay they have generally gone higher , exhorted men to become voluntiers in vertues warfare , not to suspend their sufferings till they were forc't out by the competition of a crime ; but offer themselves free oblations . thus to suffer for ones countrey or ones friend , was thought so worthy , so heroick a thing , that noble and ingenuous spirits were aemulous of it : and it was so stated a case that epictetus forbids a man , on such an occasion to consult with the oracle , whether he should do it or no , it being necessary to be done , what ever ill success or ruine be predicted , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and how serious they were in these perswasions , some of them have practically evidenced , as having suffered very inconsiderable pressures , nay death its self rather than they would bow to the praedominant vices of their age , or omit the occasion of eminent vertue . aristides would be just in spight of ostracism . regulus observant of his oath made to a faithless enemy , though death and torment attended the performance . lycurgus to perpetuate to his citizens the benefit of his good laws , as subtly designs perpetual banishment unto himself , as others use to contrive for honour and for empire there . codrus redeems the safety of his army with his own death : curtius makes himself a martyr for his countrey , and socrates in the stricter sense becomes one for his god : laid down his life in attestation of that most fundamental truth and leading article of faith , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the belief of one god. and yet we find not that those times , which were so ill as to shed his bloud , were yet so bad as to defame his memory , he 's not recorded either as fool or hypocondriack ; nor have his sufferings struck him out of the list of philosophers : but he stands there the more conspicuously in those bloudy characters ; and however the credit of the oracle may be otherwise disparaged , it never was on this account , that it had declared socrates to be the wisest of men. and yet both he and the rest , had either none , or very imperfect confus'd apprehensions of a future reward , when they engaged on present suffering , and death its self : so that we might be tempted to imagine , that some strange change and transmutation has now befaln vertue , that it has put on so much a distant appearance from its ancient self , that the accession of new obligations , and higher hopes , should absolve , avert and utterly dispirit us ; insomuch that what was constancy in a heathen , should be folly in a christian. certainly this is a metamorphosis of our own making , we look through deforming optick glasses , such as our avarice or effeminate sensualities convey into our hands , which give not only strange and gastly , but withall ridiculous shapes ; but if we would consult our reason , that would shew us things in their proper forms . vertue and reason are both the same they were so many hundred years ago , and where the object and the faculty admit of no mutation , 't is impossible there should really be any such variable appearance . if socrates were so zealous for the one god , that he chose rather to relinquish his life , than to consent to , or but connive at the profane rivalry of polytheisme , and yet be no fool ; certainly we may as sucurely transcribe his copy : and though the particular article may not be the same ; yet if it be any thing wherein vertue is concern'd , the cause is no less warrantable : he that suffers for a practical point , is no more a prodigal of his pains , than he that lays them out on the highest speculative . the commandments may have as good martyrs as the creed ; for the same authority has requir'd our obedience to the one , that exacts our faith of the other . nor is there any necessity of heathen or iewish tribunal , to convert our sufferings to martyrdom ; we may receive that crown from the hands of those that own the same faith with us . those that say with the most seeming vehemence let the lord be glorified , may yet hate and cast out their brethren for his name sake , isa. . . he that tells me i fear not god so much as he , may yet persecute me for honouring the king more ; and my bloud pour'd out upon that account , becomes an acceptable sacrifice to him , who has commanded my subjection to the higher powers . he who calls christ his head , may yet rend and tear his body ; and if i love its communion so well , as to take my share in the massacre , i approach toward that dignity and comfort s. paul so glories in , of filling up that which is behind , of the afflictions of christ in my flesh , for his bodies sake which is the church , col. . . he that mulcts the more indeliberate oaths , may yet enjoyn a solemn perjury : and if i chuse he should rather make havock of my goods than my conscience ; my spoils become not more monuments of his rapine , than my piety ; they plead my innocence before him who will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain : and how profanely soever my wealth is dispos'd by him that seizes it : 't is accounted to me as cast into the treasury ; and so 't is possible i may at once vie with the rich-men in the greatness of the oblation , and with the poor widow too in that higher circumstance of its being all . in sum , the opportunities of martyrdom are not restrained to those points wherein christians differ from iews or heathens , but extend to all wherein we christians differ from our rule , the commands of our blessed master . if i suffer for my constancy to any of them , i have certainly my place in gods martyrology , as well as if i had faln under any of the ten persecutions . god was not so partial to the primitive christians as to allow them the monopoly and enclosure of that dignity ; if they as our elder brethren had a double portion , yet there is still a childs part left , for every one of us enough to testifie our legitimation , and secure us from the brand of bastardy , heb. . 't was s. pauls indefinite affirmation , and all times since have born witness to the truth of it . that all that will live godly in christ iesus shall suffer persecution . some unfashionable vertues there have been in every age , which have whetted , if not the swords , yet the tongues of men : and those that happen not to fall under abels persecution , must not hope to escape that of isaac : if they meet with no cain to kill , they will undoubtedly with an ishmael to mock them . but in what dress soever our sufferings appear , a good cause divests them of their frightful shape , pulls off the ugly vizard , and shews us a beauty that lay there conceal'd ; and that not only to the eye of our faith but our reason too . fortitude was a vertue before christianity had a name in the world ; and the very instinct of our nature whispers within us , the baseness of being baffled out of a truth or vertue ; yet such a despicable coward , is every man that wants this passive valour , without which the active must find another name , rage or phrensie it may be , in some perhaps natural courage , or sanguineness of temper in others , but true valor it is not , if it knows not as well to suffer as to do . that mind is truly great , and only that which stands above the power of all extrinsick violence ; which keeps its self a distinct principality independent upon the outward man , so that it is not subjected to its fate , that can be free , when the body is fast bound in misery and iron , sound and healthy when that groans under torture , and is never more strong and vital , than when that languishes and expires ; and this is so desirable , so transcendent a priviledge , as reason cannot but aspire to : and this is it to which this excellent precept of christ advances us when we thus suffer for righteousness sake , our minds are all light what darkness soever involve our exterior part , and is like goshen exempt and secure , when that falls under all the plagues of aegypt . ' and what reason thus embraces for its self , 't is not imaginable that it should reject , because 't is richly clad , that the race should seem the more tedious , because there is a crown within view ; or that the glorious rewards our christianity proposes to our constancy , should be esteemed as menaces and threats , temptations to desert or turn apostates . no certainly , reason cannot dispute , and make an inference so utterly illogical , but will rather use it as an enforcement of its former conclusion , establish it the more firm and immovable by having the basis thus enlarged , having reward added to vertue , and happiness entail'd on duty . if in the competition between two evils , reason pronounce the lesser eligible : much more will she resolve , when the contest is 'twixt good and evil , the greatest evil and the greatest good ; and chuse that excellence which though superlative in its self , is more endear'd and heightned by comparison . if i violate my reason , if i renounce vertue , though bare and naked , then surely i do it yet more when she is thus accomplisht and adorn'd ; when beautified on purpose to allure the eye and take the heart . when over and above the positive donation of happiness , she adds a rescue and release from misery , and equally obliges by the distant prospects of a hell and heaven . so that not only the gospel promises , but even menaces and threats become a weapon in the hand of reason , when she stands upon her guard , and fights for vertue . if sin present its self as my protector from a temporal calamity , reason will tell me hence , that the profer is insidious , it exposes me to that which is infinitely worse than what it pretends to save me from ; and that not only in the former respect of guilt , but in that of punishment also . what a cheat is it to keep me out of the dungeon , and send me to the bottomless pit , to save me from a temporary fire , and thereby mark me out as fuel for eternal flames ; to take me out of their hands who can kill the body , to put me into his who can destroy both soul and body in hell. reason tells me i am to abhor the turpitude and foulness of a crime ; and it tells me too , i am to dread the misery and smart of it also . it would not have me wallow in the mire , though it were safe , much less when it is full of asps and vipers , which will infallibly sting me to death . it cries out with ioseph , how shall i do this great wickedness , and sin against god ? and it cries out with esay too , who can dwell with everlasting fire ? in a word , by the domestick native light of the candle of the lord set up within our breast , it shews the ugliness of sin ; and shews it too by the affrightful dismal blaze of those unquenchable flames it kindles : thus by the different arguments of terror and endearment , of love and fear , of interest and duty , reason asserts this scorn'd , decried , neglected precept : take her as meer paynim abstracting from the expectation of reward or punishment ; or take her as a proselyte to christ , contemplating his promises and threats , if there be honesty or if there be religion , in either instance the soul must still conclude , that affliction is to be chosen rather than iniquity . and if it be reasonable thus to resist even unto blood striving against sin , if reason blow the trumpet , sound the alarm to this solemn war , then surely it prescribes something of martial discipline to prepare and dispose us for those combats . no expert general will bring a company of raw untrain'd men into the field , but will by little bloodless skirmishes instruct them in the manner of the fight , teach them the ready managery of their weapons ; and of this sort are all those voluntary self-denials , and lighter austerities which christianity commends to us , which become necessary not simply for themselves , but as instruments towards a higher end . the military fame the romans had in the world was atchieved by the exact discipline of their camps , enuring their souldiers to labour and hardship . and , as tacitus tells us , when a long peace had slackned the reins of discipline , that active humour , which was wont to be spent on the enemy , recoil'd , and flew in the face of their commanders , begat nothing but mutinies and disorders ; and certainly 't will be the same in our christian warfare , if we abandon our selves to ease and sloth , never attempt to wrestle with a difficulty , but keep our selves in the posture the israelites camp was in at moses's descent from the mount , eating and drinking , and rising up to play ; our appetites will grow licentious and insolent , past our controle and guidance . if we treat them with such an indulgence as is recorded of david to adoniah , never say so much as why hast thou done this ; 't is not to be expected but they will rebel though a solomon sit in the throne . for alas , how is it imaginable , that he who never denied himself any the smallest or most trifling pleasure he had a mind to , shall on a sudden deny all in the gross ; he who has projected many , but never wav'd one opportunity of shewing his wit , how shall he find in his heart to become a fool for christ. he that has gratified his palate with all that pretends to be gustful to it , how shall he descend to the bread of affliction ; or he that never tried to miss a meal , how will he entertain the unwelcome contrariety of not knowing where to get one . he who has never abated any thing of the utmost pomp he could reach , how will he brook the want of necessaries ; or from his house seil'd with cedar , and painted with vermilion , be content with his saviours lot , not to have where to lay his head . in short , how shall he who never could pare off any of the excrescencies , the meer vanities and gaieties of an estate , part with it all ; or lay down that life for christs sake , from which he never substracted one smallest pleasure . suffering is a thing to which the sensitive part of us has an innate aversion , and aversions are not to be subdued at once , but by gentle and easie degrees ; and custom must have introduc'd a second nature , before that original part of our temper will be supplanted . as 't is therefore highly reasonable for every man to aspire to the dominion of himself , to keep his affections within his own power and command ; and though he have no interest at all in the greater , enjoy a soveraignty in the lesser world : so in order to that , 't is as reasonable to discipline and tame them by some voluntary acts of restraint , like hannibal , sometimes to pass by that water to which his thirsts do most importunately invite him . to try by little skirmishes what strength and skill he has , before he runs the fatal hazard of a battel . to deny himself in the lesser instances , that so when the greater come , they may not have the disadvantage of uncouthness and perfect strangeness to inhanse their difficulty ; and this must certainly be acknowledg'd reasonable , or else we must condemn almost all the receiv'd rules of humane transactions , which generally have this for their ground-work , that men must pass through the first principles and lowest rudiments of any art , before they can arrive at its height . men serve apprentiships to trades , and think not themselves the first day masters of their craft ; we advance in learning by leisurable and slow steps , and skip not from the abc to the metaphysicks : and certainly the skill of christian suffering is not the easiest of all trades or sciences ; but will require some time of initiation , many repeated trials and essays to bring us into an acquaintance with it : to convince our understandings , and perswade our wills , that to lose our lives is to save it ; and to be faithful unto the death , is the best way to gain a crown of life . if i should now proceed to every other precept of christ , and examine it by the rules of sober discourse , we should infallibly find them so rational as befits the laws of him who is the eternal reason , but having made these essays in some of the most oppos'd instances , i shall presume these may pass as the representatives of all the rest ; and the acquittal these have receiv'd at the tribunal of reason virtually involve them all . and now since both conscience and reason have pronounc'd the same of christs laws that pilate did of his person , that they find in them no fault at all ; methinks iudges should have the same priviledge that is allowed to private men , that in the mouth of two every word may be establisht : but if any man be so scrupulous as not to rest in the sentence of less than a triumvirate , let him in gods name bring in a third , and when his vicious appetites ( which were before excepted to as parties ) are set aside , he cannot be distracted in his choice , there being but one more that can possibly be call'd in , and that is experience , which being a iudge that himself must create , he can not fear it should be prejudic'd against him ; so that he may entertain full confidence of its integrity : and no less may he do of its ability , this being the most infallible of humane determinations , such as often corrects the error of speculation ; and shews us the vanity of concluding what is practicable in matter from being demonstrated in the scheme or diagram : the guidance of an illiterate traveller in the way that he has gone , being far more useful to a stranger in his journey , than the best maps and most exact descriptions of geographers . but then it must be indeed experience , and not only some slight and transient essay . we call not him an experienc'd physician that has had one patient , or a lawyer that has pleaded one cause . experience is the daughter of time , and is made up of many successive trials , as a habit is of multiplied acts : and to the verdict of such an experience christs precepts will not fear to stand ; let a man put himself into a setled course of obedience to them , abstain so long from all prohibited commissions , as may wear out the rank taste wherewith his palate has been season'd , and leave it free and disengag'd , and then infallibly he will find such a savour and sweetness in those vertues , that he will wonder how he came to be cheated into an opinion of their being bitter and unsavory ; and will have no appetite to return to his onions and his garlick after he has thus been fed with quails and manna . that this will be the event of this experiment there is all ground of certainty , and when the trial is once made , so irrefragable an evidence will follow , that it will not leave a man the power to doubt : only in the interim so much belief is requisite , as may let him in to the demonstration , make him set to that practice from whence he is to reap all this : and if any man be so much a sceptick , as not to have faith enough to put him on the adventure , i should at once for his conviction and punishment , wish but that he might a while extend the same distrust to affairs of common life : let him doubt whether his meat be savory and refuse to eat ; whether his cloaths be warm and so go naked ; whether his house be firm and lye without doors : and when he has a while thus smarted under his own discipline , let him but apply the wisdom he has thus bought to the present instance , and it will unquestionably resolve his scruple ; or if he be still too impatient to attend the ripening of his own experience , let him make use of other mens . let him appeal to any who has inur'd his neck to christs yoak , and ask him whether it be galling and pinching , or whether it be not easie , nay gracious . let him ask one who by repeated restraints hath subdued and tamed his natural rage or pride , how he likes the change , and undoubtedly he will tell him , 't is no less happy than a calm is after the noise and danger of a violent tempest , or the ease of a broken imposthume , after the painful gathering and filling of it . let him ask one who has divested himself of all his sensual sins , whether by their absence he now discern not their necessity , and he will tell him , 't is but the same the primitive christians had of those beasts skins wherein their persecutors had clad them , whose only use was by deforming to fit them for devouring . let him come to the converted mammonist , and ask him which he finds the better treasury , his own coffer or the poor mans bowels , and he will be able to assure him , he is become much richer by having less in store . let him come to the devout ascetick , and ask him what taste he finds in daniels unpleasant bread , dan. . . and he will tell him infinitely more than ever he did in dives delicious fare , that cloy'd and surfeited the flesh , this nourishes and supports the spirit . nay finally , let him come to him that is actually suffering for righteousness sake , and he will exemplifie to him the beatitude which christ has pronounc'd of such : let him visit paul and silas in the prison and he shall hear them singing ; peter and the other apostles after their stripes and beating , and he shall find them rejoycing : and stephen amidst the throng of his murderers and tempest of their stones , and he shall observe him overlooking them all , and entertaining himself with a more pleasant prospect , seeing the heavens open'd and iesus standing at the right hand of god ; and why should not other mens successes animate our endeavours here ? in temporal affairs it seldom misses to do it . the trophies of miltiades at marathon disturb'd themistocles his sleeps , till he had rais'd unto himself and countrey more glorious ones at salamine : caesar while he views alexanders image upbraids his own slackness with the memory of his conquests , and inspirits himself to great attempts . he that returns with a rich fraight from a new-found-land encourages others to trade thither also : nay , even a begger speeds not well at an hospitable door , but he is able to send sholes upon the like hopes : much less does he that has found a treasure need to use his oratory to invite partakers ; and why then should those few that have made this more precious discovery be forc'd to monopolize it , as not being able to draw in partners ; yet god knows , thus it is , those that hear of no rarity but they long for it , as david after the waters of bethlehem , can yet hear the same david cry out , how sweet the lord is ! and yet have no curiosity to taste it : those whom the very name of liberty so captivates , that they sacrifice all that is really valuable to that chimaera ; can hear the apostle speak of the glorious liberty of the sons of god , and yet like hardned gally-slaves despise the manumission . those that hunt after pleasures till the very pursuit become an unsupportable pain , can be told of those rivers of pleasures wherewith god offers to quench their thirst , and yet inflict on themselves the rich mans torment , and deny so much as to dip the tip of their finger toward the cooling their own flames . good god what strange infatuation is this , that while there is so much of vicious envy in the world , there should be nothing of vertuous emulation : that mens heat and vigour should all spend its self in childish pursuits , and leave them thus cold and stupid to their great and serious concernments . and what remains to him that ponders this epidemick folly , but to breath out moses's wish ; o that men were wise ; or if that be too hopeless a vote , o that men were not so destructively foolish ; that their rashness and error might be confin'd to their lower interests : and as fools are treated , be kept from dealing in things of consequence ; that they would not govern their souls by such an absurd kind of managery , as they will not trust with the meanest of their outward concerns . and if this might but be obtain'd , if this fatal oscitancy which has benumm'd and frozen them were but cast off , they would then from the report of the good land be animated to their journey ; and rather chuse to make the concurrent testimonies of others arguments to encourage them , than leave them as hand-writings to appale , or witnesses to condemn them . and he that shall thus borrow other mens experience with this design of copying it out , and lays it as a foundation for his own , thereby possesses himself of one of the greatest advantages of the communion of saints ; kindles himself at their fire till he grows bright and high as it ; combines his flame with theirs , and so encreases the ardors of them both ; follows example till himself grows exemplary , and in one act receives and gives . but he that thus sets out , must remember , that it is more than the journey of one day he has to go ; he must not think ( as i said before ) that every little superficial attempt is that experience which he is in quest of : he that thus phansies will be expos'd to a very dangerous deceit , for 't is sure there is in all habits such a force , that they are not to be dispossest but by a contrary violence , and therefore he that has been under the power of any vicious custom , enters at first into a state of hostility , has such a tough opposition , as rather finds him work than pleasure : now if he shall upon this first essay pronounce , he is like to pass a very unjust sentence : let him fight on a while till he have got some ground , and then though the war afforded him little pleasure , the victory will yield him much . every repeated defeat he gives his adversary will be a new triumph to him , and what the romans courted as so great a dignity he may every day enjoy . but then as he advances farther to the completing of his victories , so he does of his pleasures too : when his irregular appetites are so subdued , that they rarely make insurrection , this is such a state of tranquillity as gives him leisure to discern , and enjoy the delights of christian vertue , and will teach him to reproach the highest panegyrick he ever heard of it as flat and imperfect : so infinitely will he find it exceed the utmost description , that he will say with the queen of sheba , the one half was not told him . this is the rich prize which they shall obtain that run the race , but it is not awarded to the first step ; and hence it is so many fail of it , that when they find the uneasiness which attends the breaking off a custom ; this is such a gyant , a son of anak , as turns them back discourag'd from the canaan they went to view . but alas this discovers how small a stock of resolution they carried out with them ; for where men set out with heart and appetite , 't is not such little difficulties that will dismay them : if it be but their sports they are engag'd in , it serves to deceive the sense of many uneasinesses , nay often dangers , he that is but in chase of a silly hare is so keen upon it , that he feels not the weariness of a whole days motion , and if he meet with a hedge in his way will rather leap it with hazard than be diverted from his game . but 't is sure in their sins they suffer far greater hardships without discouragement . the puny drunkard is not disheartened by the first qualm , but repeats his excesses till he have overcome his queasiness . the cast litigant sits not down with one cross verdict , but recommences his suit , passes it through all courts , and considers not his own pains , so he may either weary or force the other out of his right . the unclean person falls not out with his sin , how sadly soever it hath macerated him , but steps out of the hot-house into the stews , and shall men be so indefatigable in their pursuits of infelicity , buy one torment with another , and drive on the year in a circle of such woful traffick , and shall vertue and pleasure be thought not worth the smallest labour ? can they keep themselves in a perpetual contention with their ease , their reason , and their god ; and can they not endure a short combate with a sinful custom , which if it have some uneasiness , yet it s both infinitely short of what they have suffered in the contrary compliance , and besides carries its remedy in its hand : for if the difficulty arise only ( as doubtless it does ) from the confirm'dness of the habit , every act of resistance as it weakens the habit , so it abates the difficulty . it is therefore a most unreasonable inference , from the trouble of the first opposition , to conclude the impossibility of the future ; for if the first were but troublesome and not impossible , the second will have yet less of the trouble , and so be yet farther remov'd from impossibility , and the third than the second , and so on till the difficulty vanish and disappear . and if men would but assume such a moderate courage , as but to keep the field , and not to run away upon the first gun-shot , they would soon find how impotent assailants they had to deal with , who can never subdue any man by strength , who is not first emasculated by his own fears . let us therefore to shun the reproach of so dishonourable a defeat awake and rouse our selves , put us in a posture of defence : and satan , who is as cowardly as any thing in the world but we , will as st. iames assures us , fly from us . let us upbraid our selves with our unseasonable hardiness and resolution in our impieties , till we have chang'd the scene , grow impatient of those servile drudgeries , and ambitious of these honourable adventures . and to animate us the more , let us fix our eyes upon the glorious prize of the victory ; and that not only the final and eternal in future glory ; but that intermediate which offers its self as the earnest of that , the calm and pleasure of a conquering piety . the roman story tells us that the flavianists had so possest their minds with the spoils of vienna , that they grew insensible of all dangers in the way to it , and even forc't their general antonio to put them upon those hazards , which his wiser conduct would have declin'd . and why should not our more worthy hopes excite as great an earnestness ? why should not we have as great an appetite to the pillaging of satans camp , plundring that infernal magazein of all its engins both of mine , and battery , its stores of arms and ammunition , leaving him naked and defenceless , unable to make any impression upon us ? and this he certainly does , who by a steddy practice of vertue , comes to discern the contemptibleness of those baits wherewith he allures us . he that seeks only the praise of god , looks upon the applause of men as a blast of air , which possibly may demolish and destroy a glorious building , but cannot give foundation or materials to it ; and therefore will not seek for , or solicit its unhappy courtships . he who desires to be great only in the kingdom of heaven , laughs at the busie aspirings to secular greatness , and wonders at the force of that enchantment , which engages men with so extreme toil , to climb a tottering pinnacle , where the standing is uneasie , and the fall deadly . he that covets to be rich towards god , and has inur'd his eyes to that divine splendor which results from the beauty of holiness , is not dazled with the glittering shine of gold : considers it as a vein of the same earth he treads on , and despises that absurd partiality whereof the prophet accuses idolaters , to employ one part to the meanest uses , and fall down to the other . in a word , he that looks on the eternal things that are not seen , will through those opticks exactly discern the vanity , and inconsiderableness of all that is visible and temporary ; and so will be equally unmoved with the terrors or allurements of the world , and neither frighted nor flatter'd out of his duty . and he that is thus fortified discourages and wearies out his tempter , deprives him not only of weapons but of heart too , and drives even satan himself to desperation ; and when the enemy is thus beat out of the field , there remains nothing but to enjoy the victory . when that reluctance and resistance of the corrupt appetite is so weakned and subdued that a man acts with freedom , he acts with pleasure too . a heart thus set at liberty , alacriously runs the ways of gods commandments : it faring with it as with a patient that is prescrib'd exercise for health ; who at first perhaps finds lassitude and trouble in it : but when the obstructions are remov'd , and nature disburthened of those noxious humors that encumbred her , that which was at first his task , becomes his recreation . for we are not to think , that it is any innate harshness in piety that renders the first essays of it unpleasant , that is owing only to the indisposedness of our own hearts . we are in the prophets phrase bullocks unaccustomed to the yoke ; and if we be galled and fretted by it , 't is because of our impatient strivings , and irregular motions under it , the yoke is really no heavier than it is afterwards when it is more tamely born : and yet the ease is very different and unequal . and this teaches us a short way to that felicity we now speak of , to wit , that we compose our selves to such a submiss and malleable temper , that christ may come only to govern us as sheep , not to be put to tame us as tigers , let us withdraw all supplies from our lusts , and not by any secret reserv'd affection give them clancular aids to maintain their rebellion , and then they will not be able long to make any vigorous opposition , nor consequently much to disturb the tranquillity of those who have thus resign'd themselves to the government of the prince of peace : and if this cannot be done in such an instant , but that there will be some previous displacencies , and uneasie struglings , yet even those like the scorpion , carry antidote against their stings , when 't is consider'd that they are but the pangs of the new-birth , they will become very supportable by the expectation of that joy to which they tend . an enslaved people think themselves fairly advanc'd to happiness , if they can get but to make head against their oppressors , though they must expect many sore conflicts and sharp engagements before they become victors : and certainly 't is matter of inestimable joy to him , who has been under that sad spiritual slavery to be set thus upon even terms , with his sword in his hand against those , who once had him in such vassalage that he durst not lift up a thought against them ; but especially when 't is remembred with what invincible aids he is backt , such as will ascertain him of victory , if he do not treacherously defeat himself . and surely he must be of a strange phlegmatick temper , whom all these considerations will not enliven , convey into him so much spirit as to make an attempt , and engage him to do that upon so pressing , so great a concern which meer curiosity prompts men daily to in common affairs . and he that is not moulded of this cold and stubborn clay , he that has not lost one of the elements of mans composition , and has but a spark of fire in his temper , will surely have some warmth towards this so inviting an experiment : and when he has once made it , i doubt not , it will then joyn with the suffrages both of reason and conscience in approbation of christs laws , and will with solomon pronounce of this spiritual wisdom , her ways are ways of pleasantness , and all her paths are peace , prov. . . and now it must be a strange violence of impiety , that must break this threefold cord , that shall disannul the joint sentence of all that are competent iudges in this matter . this is not the strength of samson that brake wit hs and cords , but of the legion that pull'd in pieces fetters and chains ; and though too many men make it their own work ; yet certainly 't is only the devils interest : he aspires to the rule and government of us ; and to that end nothing can be more contributive than these prejudices we take up against christs conduct . a soul like a nation , can neither bear two legislators , nor be without one : and satan having but that single competitor , our quarrelling with christs laws , is virtually an embracing of his . when we send christ that rebellious message , nolumus hunc regnare , we say to the other as the trees to the bramble , jud. . . come thou and reign over us . and to this defiance of the one , and invitation of his opposite , he very nearly approaches , that thus defames christs commands as irrational or severe . the traducing of a government being , we know , the immediate praeludium to the casting it off ; libelling the forlorn-hope to rebellion . but would god men would soberly weigh whither such a mutinous humor tends ; and when our outward condition has given us so many pregnant and costly proofs of its ruinous effects , take caution that it make not the like wrack within us : that we do not madly exchange christs gentle service , and glorious rewards ; for satans cruel bondage , and crueller wages : the golden chains of the one which do more adorn than tie us ; for the iron , the adamantine links of the other , which bind us till they deliver us over to those chains of darkness , where our captivity shall be irreversible . if this so reasonable , so necessary a care may be admitted ; 't will certainly confute the profane sophistry of our age , silence our impious cavils , and instead of providing us of the colour of an austere master to excuse our sloth : will engage us to that diligence that shall supersede the use of such shifts , and then we may hope to see christianity have a resurrection day again , assume a body somewhat of solidity and substance ; which now wanders about like a ghost or spectre , a shade or vanishing apparition which leaves no footsteps behind it : and to the re-union , o let us all emulously contribute , take up every one of us his dry bones and bring it to the prophet , or rather to him who spake by that prophet , to breath upon them , till at last they be cemented and inspirited in active duty to shew forth the praises of that god who hath call'd us out of darkness into his marvellous light , pet. . . chap. vi. a survey of the mischiefs arising from partial obedience . another sort of preposterous considerers there are , by whom the power and force of christianity is no less obstructed : and those are they that contrive not how they may most comply with it , but how they may best bend it to comport with them . that rebate its edge , or turn it only against such of their corruptions as they have least kindness for . that weigh the precepts with no other design but that of taking the lightest : those to which their constitutions or other circumstances carry least repugnance ; and come unto the gospel not to as a law , but to a market ; cheapen what they best like , and leave the rest for other customers . that thus it is with , many needs no other proof than the variety visible in the lives of several professors . one man behaves himself modestly , and tells you his religion commands him humility , yet at the same time transgresses the as strict precept of justice , and will defraud him he bows to . on the contrary another is just but insolent , and though his sentence do not bend , expects his clients should . that man owns the purity of his religion in visiting the fatherless and widows , yet disclaims it again by not keeping himself unspotted of the world . this person is abstemious but uncharitable , will drink no wine but thirsts for bloud . he prays much , yet curses more ; whilest he is meek but indevout . now while the rule is one and the same , how should it come , that mens practices should so vary , were it not for the unequal application : did they take it entire , though there might be difference in the degrees , yet sure not in the kinds of their vertues , and as men would not differ so from one another , so neither would they from themselves , there would be then no such thing as a charitable drunkard , a devout oppressor , a chast miser ; monsters engendred by this unnatural commixture of light with darkness , but piety would be uniform and extensive , and bring into captivity every thought unto the obedience of christ , cor. . . and till it be thus , christianity can never be thought to have atchiev'd any part of its design , which was not aim'd against any one single limb , but against the whole body of sin . alas , 't is not the lopping off one of the remote members , that will render the remaining ones any whit the less vital , the having a part less to animate , will rather serve to concenter the spirits , and make them more active in the rest : as we see the pruning of trees , makes them more prolifick . and this effect is very obvious among men : he who has no general dislike to vice , if he repudiate one , 't is commonly that he may cleave closer to another ; and what he defalks from some dry , insipid sin , is but to make up a benjamin's mess for some other more gustful . if the wanton be sober , 't is odds he thinks excess a rival to his lust , if the proud man be liberal , 't is because covetousness is inglorious ; such unevennesses are caus'd not by an unkindness to any sin ( unless possibly that aversion which natural constitution raises in some ) but by a partiality to one or more favourite vices , for whose better accommodation , and securer reign , not only vertue , but other vices also must give place . and this 't is much to be fear'd will upon a true account , be found to be the sum of many mens piety , something they think they must pay to the importunity of their religion , which upbraids them so loudly that they are willing to stop its mouth , but yet would do it with as much frugality , and good managery as may be , and so consider what 't is they can best spare : what refuse sin which brings them in little of satisfaction , and is perhaps in competition with some other more agreeable : and this they can be content to devote to the slaughter , set it to receive all the impressions of the sword of the spirit ; and so use it as a buckler to their darling lusts , to ward off those blows which must else fall heavy on them ; but alas this is not to obey , but to delude : to ransom a greater sin with a less , and to transcribe in this matter the counsel of caiphas : to let one die for the people , that the whole nation perish not . to make one forlorn guilt a patriot to the rest , whilest in the tempest which threatned a general shipwrack , the precious wares are preserv'd , by throwing the less valuable over board . and truly that is commonly the event , men are so jolly and triumphant when they have worsted a trivial inconsiderable sin , as if they had defeated the whole army : this poor despicable spoil , is set up as their trophe , and must they think witness for them both to god and man , that they are good souldiers of iesus christ : they can like saul with full confidence meet the prophet , and tell him they have fulfilled the commandment of the lord , sam. . . though agag and the best cattle , the reigning and fattest sins be spar'd : and while they are thus secure , their sins will certainly be so also , have no disturbance or disquiet from them , but lie at ease and rest , feed like canibals upon their own kind , be nourisht by the carkasses of those unlucky vices , on whom the exterminating lot hapned to fall : and by that means grow to a prodigious bulk and corpulency . and upon these terms satan himself will allow us to mortifie some sins , nay will himself cast the first stone at them : and like a rooking gamester purposely lose these petty stakes , that he may afterwards sweep the board . for if men should give themselves up universally to all sorts of ill , if they should set themselves in a total opposition to all the documents of their profession , he would lose one of his most useful engins ; there could be no such thing as a false delusive hope : they might possibly by obstinacy harden , or by diversion gag conscience , but they could not bribe and corrupt it , make it sit down well pleas'd and satisfied with its self . for when the threats against disobedience shall occurr to the mind of one who has in all instances disobey'd , 't is impossible he should find any salve , any way of evading the threats , they make so directly at him : but he who can alledge for himself that he obeys in some things , confronts that to all objections , and resolves he is not in the list of the disobedient : one or two such comfortable instances are as mighty ; as god promis'd the israelites should be , deut. . . one able to chase a thousand , and two to put ten thousand to flight ; all fears and misgiving thoughts are dissipated and fled before them : and as once the french king in his return to the numerous swelling titles of the spaniard , thought the bare repetition of france , france , france , was a full ballance to them all ; so when whole files of great and scandalous crimes present themselves , one single vertue is thought a sufficient counterpoize . he whose conscience upbraids him with all profaneness towards god , and in sobriety towards himself : yet if he can but answer that he is just to his neighbour , he thinks he has quit scores , and fears no farther reckonings : he who is immerst in all the filthiness both of flesh and spirit , has abandon'd his mind to pride and envie , his body to lust and intemperance ; and so sacrificed both those to devils : yet if he cast but some grains of this estate upon the altar ; devote any small part of that to god , for the uses of piety or charity ; he concludes that incense will send up a cloud thick enough , to obscure the other from the eyes of divine justice , and yield so sweet a savour as will perfume him in spight of all that noisomness : so extending old tobits words beyond his meaning , that alms , though alone , delivereth from death , and cleanseth from all sin . he who is deep in sacriledge and rebellion , that can daringly swallow repeated deliberate perjuries ; yet if he can get but the demure tenderness , to fear a sudden oath , he is chymist enough to extract a confidence out of that fear , and presumes that formal civility to gods name , shall expiate all the real violations and contempts of him : and while men make such use of their partial peecemeal obedience , it can never be the devils interest to disturb them in it , to awake them out of their pleasant dream , or to exact of them to deposite those poor unsignificant remains of their christianity , which serve only to make them more supine , not more safe . nay indeed his affairs are so stated , that to some he can and does , and without danger allow a yet far greater indulgence , he can permit them to bid much fairer than this for heaven , and yet knows the purchase is far from being made ; he can see them cashier not some one single sin , but whole troops together , and yet not fear the sinking of his cause : he can trust them so far , that as the young man in the gospel , they may be pronounc'd , not far from the kingdom of god : yet as long as there is but one unmortified lust , that can send them away sad from christ , his tenure is firm enough . herod may hear iohn baptist gladly , nay do many things upon it , yet let him but keep herodias , and she will soon be able to secure both her self and satan against the danger of that competition . this is indeed his main advantage that he can hold fast by the smallest threed ; and whereas to our bliss a conspiration and union of all vertues is required ; our ruine can spring from any one solitary crime : many rounds make that ladder wherewith we must scale heaven : whereas one step serves to precipitate us into the abysse ; so sadly verifying the poetical axiome , facilis descensus averni . in sum , while there is but any one single sin indulg'd to : that is the devils tedder ; and though it should be imagin'd so loose , as to give men scope to range over all other sorts of vertues , to taste the sweet and feed liberally on them ; yet still the beast is in the power of him who has fixt the line , not only to be finally led away to slaughter , but also to have the length shortned , and be either put out of the reach , or quite removed from the view of those pleasant pastures . for though the security rais'd by such an ununiform piety is in many so exactly apportioned to satans interest , that he has no cause to wish the change of his tenure ; yet where the circumstances are such , as will make it useful , he can easily twist his thred into a cable . when he thinks one monarch lust too mild a regiment , he can set up an athenian tyranny , or which is yet worse , let in the whole populacy of sin upon the soul , which like the aegyptian locusts shall over-run and devour it , not leave any green thing on the ground , and that this is in his power we have too much reason to conclude . he is we know a cunning sophister , and if he has abus'd us so far as to impose one sin upon us , he may thence very regularly deduce many more , as one false premise admitted , may be improved into thousands of false conclusions . indeed supposing a man resolute to adhere to one sin , he may with very good logick perswade him to multitudes of others . there are but two objections usually made to any temptation ; either the offence , or the danger ; and these are usually objectable to one sin as well as to another ; so that this dilemma readily offers its self : either it is reasonable to buy a pleasure at that price , or it is not : if it be , then contrive that the crime be pleasant , and that brings its dispensation with it : if it be not , then why doest thou live in this one sin in despight of both guilt and punishment ; the later part of the dilemma 't is no part of satans business to press , but the former he has too much advantage of pursuing successefully ; if he can but dress up a temptation to look invitingly , the business is done . so ridiculous a thing is an uneven piety , that it even laughs it self out of countenance , and wants only temptation to become uniform vice. how absurdly looks it , to see a man run away with ioseph from the embraces of his mistress , and yet with full as great a speed accompany gehazi in the pursuit of a bribe ; and how obvious is it to conclude that the former assault was improsperous only because not manag'd with the right weapon ; that he might have been hir'd that would not be woed ? what a mockery is it for a man to be zealous for god , and rebellious against his king ? as in the reverse , for a man to be true to his king , and a rebel to his god : and who can but think , that had either of the averted crimes been cookt to their palats , they might have chang'd messes . indeed 't is not imaginable by what rules of discourse , he that embraces one sin should reject another : if it be done only upon phancy and humour , as the repulst vice will have reason to complain of great partiality , when as bad as its self is receiv'd and cherish'd ; so it points out a way to attacque him more prosperously : let it shape its self to the phancy , and sure satan , who can transform himself to an angel of light , can soon work that easie change : let the younger brother get on the cloaths of the favourite esau , transform its self into the shape and interest of the darling sin , and it need not doubt of a free admission . but all this while to pretend conscience for such an abstinence , is of all other pleas the must absurd , for why should he scruple at one , that abandons himself to another . as s. iames argues concerning the guilt , so may we for the act of sin : he that said do not commit adultery , said also do not kill ; and 't is abusive mockery , the souldiers ave rex , to bow to his authority in the one , and resist it in the other . thus unhappy is the case of him who entertains one sin , his enclosure is broken down , and he 's a common for all : he is left destitute of a reply to any temptation , and like a bashful person will be in danger of yielding , because he is asham'd to deny : and this i doubt not , many have found experimentally true , some sins have been committed not so much upon the force of inclination , as to be consentaneous to themselves , to silence the upbraidings of their understandings for acting so unevenly , it being impossible to give a reasonable account , why this and not that , or that ; for when by one bold wilful sin a man enter'd into a state of hostility with god , 't is not a tenderness in all others will make up the breach : and then they think the rule of known enemies takes place , where all civilities are disclaim'd , and the quarrel manag'd to the most advantage . the resolv'd adulterer could perhaps without much difficulty be just , but when he considers that that one helena of his , will certainly make a war , he thinks 't is an impertinent niceness to lose a good prize , or dismiss his covetousness while he resolves to retain his lust . the incorrigible drunkard could perchance easily enough be chaste , but when he remembers that drunkenness excludes him from the kingdom of heaven : having made that sale of his eternal inheritance , he thinks 't is but good husbandry to get as much as he can for it : so treacherous a guest is any one sin admitted , and lodg'd in the heart , it despoils it of all its armour of defence , leaves it nothing wherewith to guard its self against any assailant ; and be it never so small a one , 't is like those little thieves which being put in at the window set the doors open to all the rest . but perhaps this danger may be thought in some degree warded by the natural temper and constitution of men , which necessarily renders them unapt to contradictory vices , and so will secure them at least from so many as are disagreeable to their temper : but if this should be granted , yet it confessedly leaves them open to all others , and that were certainly bad enough : he that is as wicked , as his complexion can not only encline , but permit him to be , will not want much of the utmost number of sins : but whatever we can suppose that to strike off from the tale ; yet in the second place , 't is very much to be fear'd , that will defalk nothing of the weight ; he that sins to the height of his appetite , perhaps power , shall he be ever the more innocent because there were some nauseated sins which he had not self denial enough to commit . god absolves us in proportion to the rectitude of our wills , not the niceness of our complexions : he that wills to pursue whatever he can find gustful , how impious soever ; shall it be vertue in him that some sins are unsavoury and disagreeing to his palate ; if it should , there may so many extrinsick things be by analogy brought in , either to swell or abate the accounts of our sin , that we shall be much to seek in the estimate of it . but in the third place , even these very aversions are no infallible preservative , for if they happen to be more moderate and remiss , than the love of some other sin ; that predominant inclination will subdue those dislikes , when ever its interest is to be serv'd , by those otherwise not gustful commissions . there is nothing more ordinary than to see one appetite pursued to the violation of another . a man perhaps hates drunkenness , not only as a bestial , but uneasie vice ; yet if his love to gain exceed his dislike to that ; when that is requisite to make up the price of a good bargain , that aversion must stoop , and give way . a man despises swearing , as an insipid impertinent sin , yet if he set any great value upon being in the mode , and complying with the gentile dialect , that will soon debase him to what he so much contemn'd : and truly there is scarce any other account to be given of that great and foolish sin . but in no other instance is this so notoriously visible as in that of duelling . i need not single out any one mans particular inclination , the nature of mankind doth certainly avert both killing and being kill'd : yet when that phantasm , that chimera honour , has once possest the mind , no reluctance of humanity is able to make head against it : but it commands as uncontroul'dly , as the centurion in the gospel , sayes to this man go and he goes , to another come and he comes : nay as tyrannically as the great cham of tartary , who as an essay of his soveraignty commands whole troops to ride down precipices ; nay these aversions are not only thus violently subdued by some foraign lust , but are many times destroy'd even by force of that very vicious principle which gave them birth : for we mistake if we think they are alwaies vertuous , or so much as innocently founded ; vice is often at civil wars with its self ; and the vehement inclination to one , ingenders a displacency to another ; but yet such a riddle is this mystery of iniquity , that upon the very same basis is built both the abhorrence and commission of the same sin. for example , a proud man as much hates to fawn and flatter others , as he loves to be flatter'd himself ; yet let his pride but once work the other way , and set him upon an ambitious project , then all the mean condescentions imaginable are with ease digested , he can crouch and prostrate , and as the psalmist speaks , fall down and humble himself , that by that descent he may rebound to the height he aims at : but still pride is the common cause of these so distant effects . in like manner the riotous prodigal detests covetousness , looks upon it as so sordid and base , that he brands even prudent frugality as approaching too near it ; yet let him but once find the springs to grow dry which should feed his luxury ; when he feels his riot begins to exhaust and prey upon its self , then even that despised covetousness shall be call'd in to its aid , to dig mettal for the furnace to melt , and so by a strange antiperistasis , prodigality shall beget rapine . thus unhappily prolifick is every sin , that it carries in its bowels the seed and principle even of those that seem the most heterogeneous ; and then how shall a man that has admitted but any one such teeming lust be secur'd that it shall not thus propagate , till his soul become a meer desart , fill'd with all sorts of wild and noxious creatures . there is but one hope imaginable to interpose , and that is that gods grace shall prevent this exorbitant growth of impiety in him , and i acknowledge that is sufficient to do it , where it may have its kindly operation ; but where it has so , it will uniformly suppress all sin , and therefore where any one continues in force and vigour , 't is manifest that operation of grace is obstructed , and such a man i should desire soberly to consider what assurance he has , that he who has so evacuated gods grace in one instance , shall not do so in another ? if in spight of that grace he can be lustful , why shall he not be as able to resist it in favour of drunkenness , sacriledge , rebellion , or any other crime to which he shall at any time have appetite . can he imagine that god sends forth an irresistible strength against some sins , whilest in others he permits men a power of repelling his grace ? that were to transcribe the syrians absurd phansie , that he is a god of the hills and not of the valleys : no certainly , he who has his own unhappy experience to attest the possibility of frustrating the divine succours in one particular , has too sure grounds to infer the like in others . nay alas , it does not only infer it by way of argument and deduction , but it is very apt to produce it by way of cause and efficiency : we gain a readiness to any thing by custom and assuefaction , and he who has habitually oppos'd grace in the defence of a lust , has deliver'd himself from that modesty which makes the first defiance uneasie , and so runs on with ease and boldness to future resistance . it faring with men in this violation of gods grace as it does in that of his patrimony , the first sacriledge is lookt on with some horrour , and men are fain to devise arguments and colours to delude their relucting consciences ; but when they have once made the breach , their scrupulosity soon retires ; one draught of that impious gain , has such a stupifying effect , that they can without check swallow on , till the sin flame so fiercely , that nothing but meer want of matter can extinguish it . but admit it were possible for a man to be secur'd of his own compliance with some parts of restraining grace whilest he impugnes it in others , yet who shall ascertain him of that grace ? it being gods , implies 't is not in our power , he may surely do what he will with his own , and though his promise has made a sure entail of it to all those , who humbly seek and diligently use it : yet it no where engages that it shall be the portion of any other ; much less that it shall importunately and endlesly renew its assaults on those who have often repulst and put it to flight : in that case gods resolution concerning the old world becomes appliable , my spirit shall not always strive with man ; and christ who forbids us to cast our pearls before swine , will certainly never prostitute what is infinitely more precious , his grace to those , who have so long trampled it under their feet ; and so those must be concluded to have done , who have persevered in any one sin : for grace is uniformly opposite to all , and therefore the cleaving to any is defiance and affront to it . but we need not the help of inferences and deduction , the threats of god are express in this matter : the talent is decreed to be taken from the unprofitable servant , who has not imployed it to the proper use , and such infallibly is every man who has not actuated the grace given him to the subduing of every reigning sin ; and the reprobate mind mention'd in scripture as the most dismal of all plagues , the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which yields not to the melting and the purging force of fire , and therefore does consign to that of hell , is founded upon the voluntary rejection of god in particular instances , rom. . how then can he , that in any one single thing so rejects him , assure himself that shall not be the event of it : that he who would not have christ rule entirely in his heart , shall at once be put out of his government and protection : have all those spiritual aids withdrawn , which should either assist him to good , or fortifie him against ill ; and like an outlaw'd person be expos'd to the outrage of all that will assault him . and now would god this might be sadly pondered , that men would not be their own sirens , and entertain themselves with those deceitful melodies , which will end in howlings and gnashings of teeth ; that they would not think their having some few vertues , and but some few vices will serve to satisfie the design , or procure them the rewards of their christianity : for if they should continue in this posture , and not be tempted to grow worse , they may certainly conclude 't is because satan finds they need not . and can they be proud of that vertue which the devil himself will allow them ? and think themselves good enough when they are as bad as he wishes them ? but even in this they have no other tenure than his will. when he pleases for his interest ▪ or even for his divertisement and recreation he may hurry them to all that is most enormous ; convert their hypocrisie to profaneness , their partial piety to universal ungodliness ; they have nothing to interpose in their own defence , not so much as a reasonable argument to oppose to him , they have made a voluntary sale of themselves for one or more beloved sin , and now as his vassals he may impose on them what others he pleases : and by their doting affection to their rachel take advantage also to obtrude the despis'd leah upon them . and how wretched , how deplorable is this state ? what a piety is this that we must owe to the devil , while we can be no better than he will let us ? yet this is without hyperbole , the condition of every man that is not sincerely uniformly christian ; every indulg'd sin gives satan livery and seisin of his heart , and a power to dispose of it as he please . i know men are apt to flatter themselves with other hopes , and think that those obediences they pay to god shall like a pre-ingagement disannul all after contracts made by guilt , and put them into the possession of him who is able to bind that strong man. but god will not be accessary to such a fraud , even towards the devil while they keep the price , enjoy that pleasure or profit wherewith he bought them , god will never interpose to defeat him of his purchase . and as god will not thus forcibly wrest them out of his hands , much less will he descend to a capitulation and composition with him . god is a jealous god , and what jealous husband did ever by compact divide his right with the adulterer . where he finds a persevering disloyalty he gives a bill of divorce and disclaims his relation . yet so besotted are men , as to hope god will ratifie that alienation they have made of one part of their heart , and contentedly enjoy the rest ; and as competitors use sometimes to do , share with his rival . but alas that immortal quarrel will not be thus taken up , the difference between these irreconcilable antagonists will not be so compremised . god disdains such a treaty , nor will ever come so much as to an interview with his enemy , within the lists and recesses of one heart . and while men labour such an accord , they are but combining with satan against god and their own souls : he knows well that while he holds any part , god will have none , and so the whole falls to him , and then he may very safely be modest , and demand but moderately , and by that seeming difference and yielding , gain more than by all his most eager contendings . i suppose every man will disown the having this ridiculous design of compounding the strife between heaven and hell ; but certainly it is the natural interpretation of such partial obediences , when two litigants contend for something which i have in my keeping , if i divide it between them , is it not obvious to conclude i desire to compose the dispute and satisfie both parties , and is not this the very case here ? 't is true indeed , it carries a very absurd sound , but then how more absurd is it for men to act at such a rate , that when 't is represented to them in the truest colours , themselves are ashamed to own what they have done ? and this calls loudly upon them to put themselves out of the lash of their own discipline : to recover such an innocence that they may not be forc't with david to sentence themselves , when that their crimes appear in the light disguise of a parable . and this indeed is the only proper use of all these considerations , the danger and folly are as unuseful as unpleasant speculations , unless it be in order to the reforming that wherein both are founded . let men consider themselves , as engaged in those wild projects which even themselves look on with scorn ; as ensnar'd in that unhappy contract which has rendred them part of the devils possession , and contrive how they may obliterate that reproach , and disentangle their mortgag'd souls . and for this there is but one way imaginable , and that is by quitting their hands of that which they took as the valuable consideration in that mad bargain ; restoring satans coyn to him , not only principal but use also : casting away the main sin and all the little appendages , which like offesets have shot out from that root ; retaining nothing that has his mark and impress upon it , that so he may not pretend to any thing of theirs by right of barter or exchange . this , and this only is the way to disseise him of his estate , to cancel those fatal indentures which bound them to him , and till this be done , as long as they keep any part of his wages of iniquity , his title remains in full force , they are still his servants , his vassals . even that redemption of christ has no efficacy towards the enfranchizing of such , for though it proclaim a universal iubile , yet it forces liberty upon none , he that will nail his ear to the door-post and defie a manumission , may continue his slavish state still , and indeed though christs death was design'd to rescue us from the power of satan ; yet the first essay of that rescue was to redeem us from our vain conversation : and where that is not done , which is so essentially fundamental to all the rest , 't is not possible any other part of that redemption should be atchiev'd , unless we will confound the order of nature as well as grace , and make the consequent precede the antecedent . let no man therefore upon any vain hopes delay the one only expedient to his security , but pay back the earnest-penny he has received from satan , fling away his sin , how pleasant or profitable soever , with the greatest abhorrence , as knowing 't is the price of blood , and that not only his saviours , but his own too ; and this immediately , lest the forfeiture be irreversible . we know the danger of lapsing time in case of mortgage , but here our danger is greater , because the time is so uncertain , for though god had nothing else to do in the whole transaction ( 't was wholly our own work ) yet 't is he that assigns the time of forfeiture : he alone knows how far we may go in sin , before we pass the possibility of a retreat ; how long he will be provok'd before he suffer his whole displeasure to arise ; and how many repellings of his grace , and quenchings of his spirit they are to which his desertions are apportion'd . pharaohs heart was hardened by god after the eighth resistance , and we have no security but ours may be sooner : yet if that should be taken as the standing measure , how dreadful an abode would it make to many of us ? who is there that has espoused any one beloved sin , that has not much oftner repeated the acts of it , every one of which is a resistance and a contumacy against god ? who is there that has not done it against so many express warnings and loud calls of god in his own conscience , which renders it yet a fuller parallel , and 't is to be fear'd , too many agree with it even in the last and highest circumstance , that of the plagues too , by an obstinate persisting after so many iudgements sent to mollifie and reclaim them ; and then where the premises are the same , 't is too likely the conclusion may be so also . i shall not wish any person so strictly to apply this case , as to conclude , that he is already in this state , but i should wish all men would apply it so far , as to infer how possible , nay how probable it is , that the very next resistance shall put them in it . 't is not pharaohs being a heathen and they christians that will give them any security ; it being no part of the gospel-covenant , that men shall be ever the longer allowed to trample upon grace . all the difference it makes is rather on the other side ; the contempts are enhans'd to a higher guilt , and consequently , the fewer acts may now serve to fill up the measure . and if their experience testifie to them , that in their particular god has us'd a greater long suffering , than he has given any grounds to expect , if the guilt of their consciences testifie that they have committed many more acts ; and yet some remaining tendernesses and regrets witness also , that they are not yet given up to an utter hardness and obduration , o let them not presume themselves safe , because they are not utterly desperate ; but lay their hearts open to be stampt and imprest by grace , before they grow utterly inflexible ; timely consider what is the design of this long animity , and without any more struglings and resistance suffer it to attain its aim and lead them to repentance . for though their souls be not yet wholly petrified , yet how know they in what an instant that unhappy metamorphosis may be wrought , or if it should not be so sudden , yet 't is certain every act of sin makes gradual approaches towards it : so that if god should not inflict it by way of punishment , yet the meer force of habit would produce it by way of natural efficacy : and to be convinc'd of this , i should require no more , but that men would reflect , and see what effects it has already wrought , how far it has advanc'd towards that fatal point . let them send their thoughts back through every stage and period of their sin , and observe whether as that has grown , so their tenderness and reluctance of conscience has not abated and decreas'd : let them but recollect what regrets and disquiets they had , when they ventur'd upon the first unlawful commission , and compare it with their present , and i doubt not they will discern a great inequality ; they will find that every act of sin hath allayed somewhat of the sharpness of those pangs , and proportionably to the frequency of the repetition they approach toward insensible : and then let him whose older habit has multiplied those acts , sadly consider how few steps he has to the end of his unhappy journey , though no extrinsick concurrent should hasten his pace . but when gods desertion shall , as for ought he knows , it may the next minute supervene : that as a full and violent wind drives him in an instant , not to the harbour , but on the rock where he will be irrecoverably split . nor let any man fortifie himself against these terrors , by hoping that his one single ( perhaps small ) sin shall not have this destructive force ; for if it be wilful it carries in it that which is properly the malignity of all sin , to wit , a resistance and opposition against god , and this is so mortal a venome , that the least dose of it is deadly , as a man may as certainly be poison'd by a dram of arsenick , as with the largest draught . the more natural inference lies the other way , if it be but a single or petty sin , 't is so much the easier to part with ; he that is bound with a strong cable , or with a multitude of lesser cords , may pretend some necessity of his captivity from the strength of his bonds ; but he that is tied with one slender string , such as one resolute struggle would be sure to break : he is prisoner only to his own sloth or humour , and who will pity his thraldom , where 't is so apparently his choice ? do not therefore say my sin is inconsiderable and therefore i need not relinquish it , but my sin is inconsiderable therefore i need not keep it . so slight a pleasure i may part with and find no miss : this pedling profit i may resign and 't will be no breach in my estate . and if christ require a renunciation of those sins which are as the hand and eye , shall i scruple to deposite those which are but as the hair or nails . nay he may yet argue higher , and from the smalness of the sin deduce the enhansement of the guilt : great acquisitions carry some temptation in their face , but despicable prizes do rather avert than tempt . 't was the sign of a common harlot to be hired with a kid , gen. . and sure he must be of a strange prostitute soul , that can adulterate for such low trivial wages . to dishonour god , though the whole world were to be acquir'd by it , were great impiety , but to do it for handfuls of barley and pieces of bread , ezek. . . himself brands as a yet higher pitch . and sure it argues a very light esteem of god , when one poor contemptible lust shall be able to overpoize him in our hearts . nor is the folly less than the profaneness , when there is but one ionah to be cast over-board , 't is the greater madness to hazard a wrack ; and let such a man pretend what he pleases in extenuation of his sin , make that appear never so minute and despicable , yet 't is apparent all the love which other men scatter and distribute upon several , he has united and concentred in this one lust . the most doting affection when it is summed up can amount to no more than this , that it makes a man expose himself to the greatest pain , the greatest loss for the thing beloved . and this is most visible here , hell is as certainly acquir'd , and heaven as certainly forfeited by one sin as many ; and then though there may be odds in other respects , yet what is there in this , between this more modest and the most licentious sinner , but that the former puts the same value upon one , that the other does upon many sins , and sells his soul so much the cheaper . and now would god such men would review their bargain , soberly consider what there is in this idoliz'd sin of theirs , which should exact such costly sacrifices . let him whose long intimacy and experience has given him access to its most secret recesses , that has rifled its bowels , and knows the utmost whether of pleasure or profit that lies there conceal'd . let him i say , that is thus qualified for it , make an exact inventory of its wealth , and then let him compare it with what he is to pay for it ; weigh its flat and momentary pleasures , with those most transcending and perpetual ioys which are at gods right hand ; its base and perishing commodities , with those unfailing treasures in the heaven ; and then judge of his purchase in respect of that part of his prize : and if that be not convincement enough , let him weigh the other also ; those sad pains which are too intolerable to be suffer'd , and yet so eternal , that they can never cease to be suffer'd , and think whether that be not too dear a rate for that pleasure , whose gust is so little , and whose duration is less : or what profit he will have in the revenue of his sin , that gold and silver which will finally eat his flesh as it were fire , ia. . . and prove the unhappy fuel of his flames . from all these premisses , certainly reason and religion do equally infer the same conclusion , to wit , that men should not tolerate themselves one minute in any known sin of how small a size soever it be ; nor so impertinently betray their souls to ruine for that which they call light and trivial ; and is so indeed in respect of the acquest , but overwhelmingly ponderous in regard of the effects and pernicious consequents . and o that mens practices might evince them to have made this just deduction , that those who have in many things preserv'd an innocence , would not be so ill husbands as to forfeit all the advantage of that care for want of extending it a little farther , nor suffer the whiter parts of their soul to be discolour'd or tincted by the reflection of one crimson sin ; but rather let their tears wash that into a whiteness , that they may be uniform and of a piece . for though iacob clad his darling ioseph in a party-colour'd garment ; yet god owns none either for favourite son , or so much as servant that he finds so arrayed . the followers of the lamb are all clad in white , and in that attire we must be sure to put our selves if we mean to go in with him to the marriage . and since the gospel is the invitation to that feast , let none imagine he has complied with it till he have thus fitted himself : till then he affronts and baffles his christianity , sends it away empty without its errand ; nay , which is worse prostitutes and profanes it , makes it serve only for a gourd , that he may sit under the shadow of it , and commit his sins the more undisturbed ; but let him remember that he is all this while breeding that worm , which will smite this gourd , and leave him unsheltred to that scorching wrath of god , which will make the improvement of ionahs passionate wish , that god would take away his life , his most rational desire ; render not death only , but annihilation also , as eligible as it will be impossible . chap. vii . a survey of the mischiefs arising from mistakes concerning repentance . another dangerous underminer of christian practice is the many affected mistakes in the business of repentance . men look upon that as the grand recipe of the gospel , an infallible catholicon against all their spiritual maladies ; and so far they judge right , for so indeed it is . but when they proceed to compound this sovereign medicine for their own use , they do it most deceitfully ; leave out the principal and most operative ingredients : and by being such ill apothecaries defame the gospel as the dispensatory , and christ as the physician , and likewise ruine themselves as the patients . but of those who make this imperfect and defective composition , all do it not alike ; some leave out one part , some another , and some so many that they retain nothing of its substance and reality . eat out all the heart and vertue of it , and leave only an empty shell , the gilding as it were of the pill , the form and meer outside of repentance . in this later rank i place those who suffer repentance to pass no farther than their frontiers , and outworks ; assign it its quarters in the superficies of the man , the face , or tongue , or gesture ; but if it attempt to penetrate any deeper , if it send but one serious thought to alarm the heart , then like the edomites against israel , num. . all the forces are mustered to impede its passage ; such formal penitents as these all ages have produc't . christ tells of those who disfigured their faces , mat. . . put on as it were a vizard only to act this part : and esay . . long before describes them , by the bowing down the head like a bull-rush , and certainly the race of them is not worn out in our daies ; a demure or rather a lugubrious look , a sad or whining tone , makes up , 't is to be fear'd , the sum of many mens humiliations . nay as the world has of late gone , that alone were but a modest pretence : such theatrical forms stickle hard for the prize , not of that one part but of all religion : a distorted countenance is made the mark of an upright heart , and none is thought to speak the language of canaan , that dresses it not in an uncooth sound : and then what wonder is it that they are impatient others should worship god , as david invites , in the beauty , while themselves chuse to do it in the deformity of holiness . but others make somewhat a fairer advance towards repentance , by taking in some of those things which are indeed its necessary concomitants ; of this kind is in the first place confession of sin : and this after some sort is stuck at by few ; no man who hath not herded himself with the worst sort of fanaticks , imagines himself sinless , or pretends to be thought so by others , but will very readily acknowledge to all the world that he is a sinner : and as to men , so especially and more solemnly to god. every man that but offers at praying at all , thinks confession a necessary branch of his devotion : all publick forms have ever carried that in the front , as supposing it the most principal , universal , and daily requisite to the lapsing state of humane corruption : and perhaps 't is the general innate perswasion of this , that hath secur'd that part of our liturgy , from those impertinent cavils , which have particularly aim'd at most other members of it . and i suppose this is as frequent in the closet as in the church : the only fear is , that there it is as loose and general too : that those private and particular guilts which are neither fit nor possible to be distinctly inserted in publick , do many times lose their place even in private confessions also . the shortness and the ease of general forms being very likely to recommend them to those whose numerous sins threaten too great a length , and whose confus'd snarl'd consciences render it difficult , thus to pull out thread by thread : but where sins are thus moulded up in a lump , they will like great masses of pills or confections keep the more undecay'd , retain more of their strength and vigor . so that such confessions are very indulgent to satans interest , who fears not the impressions that can be made upon him , while his body remains entire : the great execution then beginning when 't is broken and scatter'd , and each sin is singled out for a particular pursuit : and where that is not attempted , the war can never be successful , nor thought in earnest . but suppose this be done ; and by exact enumeration , each sin is parted from its fellows , as when a conqueror pursues the flying troops of routed enemies : yet if this be all , if quarter be allowed , and any mercy given , no real prize is gain'd by this atchievement . he who recounts his sins with milder purpose towards them than utter excision , he makes no approach towards the essential part of repentance . he may bring out large catalogues of his sins , and call them confessions ; but he may better express his own sense , if he term them rather inventories of his goods , for such 't is apparent he reckons them , whilest he resolves to keep them . indeed there is not a more absurd piece of pageantry , than these formal confessions , and such as shews how little , god is consider'd in his great attribute the searcher of hearts . 't is certain no man would hope to attone an offended superior , by a submiss acknowledgment of his fault , did he know that his purpose of reiterating it were discern'd : and what a tacite blasphemy is it then , to treat god at such a rate as presumes him as deceivable as a poor mortal ; and sure this were a strange ingredient in repentance . we look on it as a high pitch of impiety boastingly to avow our sins , and it deserves to be consider'd whether this kind of confessing them have not some affinity with it . should i tell a man i have injur'd and provok'd you thus and thus , and so i resolve to do again at the next opportunity : i refer it to common construction , whether this were not to justifie , not retract the unkindness . now what i suppose thus said to man , is in the secret purpose of our heart , no less articulately spoken to god , who needs not our words to discern our meaning . therefore whoever intends to repeat his sins , nay does not seriously intend to forsake them , does in truth maintain and defend his vicious practice , how loudly soever his tongue accuses it . and such clamors are but like the feigned quarrels of combin'd cheats , in order to delude some third person . but alass , the scene is here unluckily laid , for god will not be mock'd , nor will the mercy promis'd to him that confesseth and forsaketh , ever reach him that confesseth and retaineth . confession is no farther acceptable than as it either flows from , or tends to beget an abhorrence of sin , and abstracted from those qualifications it becomes loathsome and distasteful to god. alass , can we think our historical vein so pleasant , that he shall be delighted with the narrative of those crimes , whose perpetration he detested . can it be incense in his nostrils , to have our dunghils displayed ? or can his pure eyes be gratified with such polluted prospects ? true indeed , he gladly descends to all this as a physician ; nauseats not our foulest ulcers , when we bring them for cure : but when like beggars we make them openly our form of address , and dread nothing more than their healing ; certainly their view will only excite his indignation , not his pity . and this , 't is to be fear'd abodes sadly to many of us , 't is our vulgar objection to the romanist , that they make their confessions contributive rather to their confidence than to their reformation : what their share is in that guilt , i shall not here examine , but i may too truly pronounce they have not enclos'd it , that black circle of sin and confess , confess and sin , encompasses as well protestants as papists ; if possibly not quite so many , the cause 't is doubtful is ( what we need not boast ) not that more of us confess aright , but that fewer confess at all . but of those that do , if we may but cross , examine , and interrogate their actions against their words , these will soon confess ( and that not auricularly , but in a loud and audible voice ) the invalidity of their solemnest confessions . when we see a man that yesterday kept a humiliation , to day trampling on the necks , invading the possessions of his brethren , we need no other proof how vainly and unprofitably , if not how hypocritically and provokingly , he confessed his pride , or covetousness ; and the like we may infer when we see any man persevere in any gross wilful sin . and of such , god knows there are such multitudes , as will give us instances more than enough , how wide a difference there is , between a meer confitent & a true penitent . but in the next place , a passionate regret at sin , a grief and sadness at its memory , more speciously pretends to enter us into gods roll of mourners : sorrow has ( in vulgar acceptation ) so engrost the whole notion of repentance , that men are apt to secure themselves , that the wind of a penitential sigh is so mighty , as will blow away the guilt of the most mountainous sin : that if they have but wept a little upon their crimes , they have quite extinguisht the wrath they kindled : but alas these are vain dreams , god who delights not to grieve the children of men , does not project for our sorrow , but our innocence ; and would never have invited us to the one , but as an expedient to the other . 't is natural even to meer animals to shun that by which they have smarted , and therefore sorrow for sin is a very proper means to avert our appetite from it : but if we have learnt the unhappy skill of separating the effect from the cause , if our grief abate not our love ; if we can cast kind looks at our sins , even through those tears wherewith our eyes are glas'd , this will sure be as far from accomplishing our design , as gods : leave us equally unpardon'd , as unreform'd . nay alass , such sorrows as these will rather serve to enhanse than expiate our guilts ; they are loud witnesses against us that we know the malignity of those sins we commit ; that we have pois'd them , and find them as a talent of lead upon our souls , and yet prefer them before christs light burthen : that we have outvied that perverse election wherewith elihu charges iob , and chosen affliction rather than innocence , job . . and though we have felt the gnawing of the worm , yet still resolve to cherish it , till it gain its woful concomitant of unquenchable fire , and sure this resolvedness , this high fortitude in sin , can with no reason be imagin'd a preparative to its remission , 't will rather serve to list us among satans martyrs , than gods penitents . and indeed if we examine the original of this kind of sorrow , what is there that an with any face pretend to an acceptation ? alas , 't is apparent there is no dislike to the sin ; for the natural effect of that , would be the abandoning it . if i have faln into the mire , common reason directs me , not to sit down and cry that i am so defiled ; but to cleanse and wash my self , and beware of such another misadventure . now gods enmity is purely with the sin : and if we think to contract a league with him ; we must espouse his quarrel , hate what he hates : but in this case 't is quite otherwise , we dislike only the consequence , not the crime ; are dissatisfied to see that what is so pleasant , will not be safe : detest those temporal or eternal miseries , which god has annext to it : which is upon the matter to grieve , not because we are guilty , but god is just ; and to avert only that part of the evil , of which he owns to be the author , that of punishment : whilest that of sin , as our own creature we dandle and caress . and can we think it sufficient to atone an incensed majesty , that we love our own ease , while yet we love our sin so much better ? is it a vertue to have some ineffective regrets to damnation , and such a vertue too , as shall serve to ballance all our vices ? this were indeed a compendious course to block up hell gates , and leave none a possibility of ever getting thither , but those who scaled the wall and desperately resolved to possess themselves of that place of torment . but alass , they are other fruits of repentance that must deliver us from the wrath to come : for though i deny not , that the apprehension of danger , is extreamly both reasonable and useful , yet 't is only by way of preparative : 't is like the trumpet that gives the alarm , and sets us to the battail , but it must not pretend to be like those of gideon that atchiev'd the whole victory . to see our danger , may occasion , but does not cause , or necessarily infer an escape . i may madly leap into that pit which i see gaping to swallow me , and then my fore-sight serves only to render me my own murderer . in short , if that formidable aspect of our sins , make us run from them , it has done us the happiest office ; pluckt us as s. iude says , out of the fire : but if our love be so doting , as to counter-charm our fear ; if we be so bewitcht with the deceitfulness of sin , that we will have its embraces , though we know them deadly ; if we weep that we have sinn'd , and yet go on to sin ; our wilful guilt will defile our tears , but our tears will never cleanse our guilt . we only assist in the judicature against our selves ; and to gods condemnation add our own : and what we call our penitence , becomes a sad attestation of our incorrigibleness . and as this meer sorrow will never avail , so neither will a partial and imperfect reformation , and that whether it be defective in respect of the kind , or of the duration : to the former we have spoken elsewhere , and shall not need to repeat : but of the later there will need no less caution ; men being apt to obtrude fallacies on themselves in this as much as in the other . every transient gleam of piety is concluded to be that flame in which the holy ghost descended , and though it want the main circumstance of resting on them , yet serves to personate the comforter . he that whilest the soreness of his late pangs of conscience remains , finds himself a little indispos'd for a new carier in sin , presently concludes repentance hath had its perfect work in him , made that change and transmutation , which certainly denominates him a new creature , and pronounces his vicious appetites extinct and mortified : when alas they are but strew'd over with a little penitential ashes , and will as soon as they meet with combustible matter , any apt temptation , flame out as fierce as ever , and god knows the event does too often actually attest this after all the ablutions , and purification of their repentance , their next work is to divest themselves of their white robe , and those whom yesterday you saw in the laver , to day you shall find wallowing in the mire : and as with far the more guilt , so sometimes with much the greater confidence , for having been so washt : yet so strongly are some mens phancies possest with their imaginary purity , that they are the last that take notice how the scene is chang'd : they comfort themselves , that sin and they have had some little skirmishes , though but preparatory to a closer league ; that they had fixt good purposes , though there remain nothing visible but their violation ; and so will call themselves christs sheep , though their notorious impurities witness them to belong only to that herd into which the legion entred . this is a deceit which one would think should immediately detect its self , but 't is strange to see , how our wishes can prescribe to our faith ; and what a more than omnipotent power our selflove has in reconciling contradictions : yet i can scarce think this innate strength of corruption had been sufficient for the purpose , had it not had the auxiliary aid of some commodious doctrines . my present design is so far from controversial , that i am loth to point out any to which i must express unkindness : yet upon this occasion , i shall refer it to consideration , whether that method which has been us'd to quiet some consciences , be not very apt to stupifie more . when i see one who from his present reigning sins , regularly infers the illness of his state ; that is yet by his casuist , diverted from that prospect , and bid look back to see , whether no part of his life afforded any evidence of true grace , and if he can but remember any such time ; is warranted to make that his epocha , from whence to date his infallible assurance ; is told that that immortal seed , though it may be covered , yet cannot be choaked ; but will most certainly spring up unto eternal life : when i say i see this easie remedy prescrib'd to his fears , 't will be obvious for me to compound my self an antidote from the same ingredients : to fix my eye upon some mark of regeneration which at some time or other , i either have , or phancied to have had upon me , and with the stedfast beholding of that , as of the brazen serpent be fortified against all the venome of my fiery lusts . cast in this one stick , and with it sweeten all the waters of marah , secure me against all the bitter effects of my present guilts . how fatal an influence such discoursings as these are apt to have on practice , is too obvious both in the cause , and effect : i need not examine the authority of that grand principle on which they are founded ; since if that were admitted , yet it will not justifie the before mention'd superstructure : for suppose it receiv'd as an infallible truth , that grace if true can never be lost : yet 't is , by the confession of all , so easie to be deceiv'd in judging what is so , and our partialities to our selves are so likely to betray us to that deceit ; that these corallaries men deduce thence for their personal assurance , can never partake of the suppos'd infallibility of those premises they derive from , and consequently are much too slight a basis for men to trust with so great a weight , as is that of their present comfort and future state . several other pernicious errors there are in the matter of repentance which men fall into , shall i say , or rather aspire to ; make it their ambition to be under their covert and patronage , and with extreme violence to their reason as well as religion , climb up to those castles in the air , and there fortifie themselves impregnably against all the sacred artillery of divine threats . their false confidences serve them as feather-beds , not only to sleep securely in , but to dead all bullets that are shot against them . but of all those deceitful refuges , there is none more treacherous , & yet more confidently and universally resorted to , than that of a repentance in reversion , to commence no body knows when , some moneths or years hence , when this business is dispatcht , that lust satiated ; or indeed to bear the same date ( if not a later ) with their last will and testament . this is that unhappy retreat to which thousands fly as the routed syrians to aphek , kings . . till they are entomb'd in that wall , whose shelter they solicited : how desperate the hazard of such procrastination is , hath been so convincingly demonstrated by better pens ; that trumpet hath been blowed so loud by all our spiritual watchmen , that there remains nothing seasonable , but to wonder whence men have got that lethe which secures them their sleep in spight of that alarm : and certainly 't is matter of the greatest astonishment to observe the stupid , yet common boldness of men , who so fearlesly expose themselves to this most formidable of perils ; who yet in things of far less danger and lighter consequence are so nicely timorous , that no security is thought enough , every the remotest danger to their outward concerns , excites their present vigilance to avert it : but here that order is most absurdly inverted , and the present eminent danger is assign'd and put off to their future care . let the physician tell them he observes some symptomes of a latent malady , some aptitudes or first causes of a disease ; what hast is there made to meet that enemy in the frontiers , before it advance too far ? all arts of prevention are us'd , and such uneasie remedies submitted to , as perhaps out-bid the pain of the disease . in like manner let a lawyer tell them he has spied some defect in an entail , which may perhaps in the next age give some interruption to their design of having their houses endure for ever , psal. . how solicitous are they to repair that error , and leave nothing to the mercy of a law-quirk ? and in both cases thank the vigilant care of their informer that gave them notice of their danger : but let the divine tell them he sees their souls languishing under the most mortal diseases ; that they have actually forfeited their inheritance in the land of the living , they can hear it unconcernedly ; say , or at least think those cares are to be remitted to felix his more convenient season , that when their bodies are as infirm as their souls , then care may be taken for both together . that 't is enough for their spiritual life to commence when the natural is expiring , and then to provide for everlasting habitations , when they are putting off their earthly tabernacle : as for the thanks they give their monitor , 't is generally the same that st. paul received from the galatians , to count him their enemy for telling them the truth , gal. . . but alass he has no reason to resent the injury , since 't is but the same they offer to their nearest and most intimate friend , that angel guardian which god and nature has placed within their own breasts , i mean their conscience : let that at any time whisper the same admonition , and immediately they cry out as ahab to eliah , hast thou found me o my enemy . all arts are us'd to convey themselves out of its reach , business , or company , or drink , or any thing is solicited to come in to their rescue , that in that throng they may deceive its pursuit , or at least in that louder noise drown its voice ; and is not this to look on it as their enemy , while they shun it as a malefactor does the officer . yet i appeal to the breasts of those , who lean upon the broken reed of a late repentance , whether this be not the case with them : let them tell me whether they dare trust themselves alone with their conscience , give it opportunity of speaking freely to them , of laying before them the mad adventure they make of their precious souls ; which they do not only expose to as many hazards of a swift damnation , as there are accidents which may surprize their bodies with a sudden death ; but do besides by this resistance repel and quench that spirit , without which they can never hope to effect that so necessary , so difficult a work ; nay , i may , i fear , ask some of them whether they have not so often shunned these parleys , that their consciences like an abus'd friend , has at last given them over , ceast to pursue them with more of those unwelcome importunities ; and by its silence left them secur'd from all noise which may disturb that treacherous sleep into which they have lulled themselves . to those who are thus given up to the spirit of slumber , i cannot hope to speak loud enough to rouse them ; but to those that are but of the former rank , that have not yet so prosper'd in their unkind design against themselves , as quite to have alienated their bosom friend , that are yet within the reach of those amica verbera , the stripes and reproofs of their own conscience ; to such i would address with this most affectionate petition , that they would not seek to remove themselves from that wholsome discipline ; that they would not fly that chyrurgion whose lancet threatens none but the imposthumated parts ; but rather chuse to be shewed the formidableness of their danger , than by a blind embracing it , to perish in it . and if they have but any general confus'd inclinations to this so reasonable a request , i shall then put on more solemnity , assume to come as an envoy from those dreaded consciences of theirs , to mediate an enterview , to propose the fixing some time of parley , and bespeak their patience to hear it out : and let them but grant this , let them but dare to do so much in order to their own safety , and i can scarce think it possible they should after retain that daring , which only tends to their ruine . in a word , let men seriously and attentively listen to that voice within them , and they will certainly need no other medium , to convince them either of the error or danger of thus procrastinating their repentance , which themselves acknowledge must not upon their utmost peril be finally omitted , and yet nothing but an immediate dispatch can secure it shall not . 't will be needless to descend to a particular view of more of these deceits , they will easily be detected by this one general rule , that whatsoever falls short of a present , universal , permanent change , falls as much short of repentance . all the pretences that are made upon any other score are but the garments of the elder brother put upon the back of the younger , which though they might delude a blind isaac , will never be able to deceive an all-seeing god. all that remains is to offer to the readers consideration , how nearly he is concern'd to guard himself against all delusions in this so important an affair . it was an ancient stratagem of war to poison the waters in an enemies camp , that so they may drink their own deaths : but satan has here far out-vied that policy . were but our nourishment infected , we had still a recourse left us to medicine , but here he has envonom'd our very physick , and what cure remains for those whose very remedies are their disease : when that bath which was design'd to cleanse us , is its self polluted , we may well cry out as dyonisius of the corrupted river of alexandria , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what flood shall cleanse these waters ? where can we be secure , when our repentance ( which the apostle , tim. . . supposes the means of disentangling us ) is its self become our snare . this as it loudly proclaims our danger , so surely in all reason it should awake our care , teach us not to suffer our selves to be abus'd with delusive appearances and shadows of repentance , lest we finally find that ixion-like we have embrac'd a cloud . what an amazing defeat will it be to him , who presumes his tears have blotted out the hand-writing against him ; to find the full bill brought in at the great assize , and those he call'd his penitential sorrows here , to prove but the prologue to that tragedy which ends in weeping and gnashing of teeth . and therefore let every one timely provide against that fatal surprize , use this excellent receipt , not as a cosmetick only to beautifie the face , give him some fair appearance to himself , but as medicine to restore health ; reduce him to such an athletick vigorous habit , as may evidence its self in all vital actions , which will prove the best evidences in our last trial , where the inquisition will not be so much upon our mouths or eyes , as upon our hands : not how many confessions we have made , or how many tears shed , but what acts of vertue we have substituted in the room of our vices : whether we have broke off our sins by righteousness , and our iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor , and without this 't is infallibly certain , our christianity will be as ineffectual to our bliss , as it is to our piety : if we will not permit it here to bring us to the obedience of servants , it shall never instate us hereafter in the inheritance of sons . chap. viii . a survey of the mischiefs arising from mistakes concerning almighty god , and the methods of his providence . to these mistakes of our selves and interests , we have added others also concerning god , which are no less destructive to christian practice , for as the right knowledge of god is by our saviour , io. . . put as the epitome and summe of all that leads to bliss , so our misprisions and misapprehensions of him , are no less remarkable for the contrary effects ; nor can we suppose it otherwise , when we remember that this is the grand work and basis of all religion , and therefore if this foundation be deceitfully laid , the superstructure must necessarily sink and perish : and in this sense 't is possible for us at once to build on the rock and the sand too , we may fix our faith intentionally on god , and yet by absurd notions and unwarranted conceits of him , defeat in the particulars what we establisht in the gross : represent him so utterly distant from what he is , that under that disguise he will not much appear , either an encourager or rewarder of our piety , and then we may guess how 't is like to flourish , since the apostle gives it as a fundamental axiome , heb. . . that he who comes to god must believe that he is a rewarder of them which diligently seek him . of these mistakes concerning god , there are divers ; many more than the design'd brevity of this discourse will admit me to examine . i shall only mention three , those are , first , concerning his decrees , secondly , his attributes , thirdly , his providence . by his decrees , i mean not those standing rules which he has in his word set forth as the measures by which he will distribute rewards and punishments ; but those secret purposes of his will , which he neither commands us to search after , nor will permit us to know . that there are many mistakes concerning these , the numberless disputes that have been rais'd about them will sufficiently attest , it being impossible for two contradictory opinions to be both true , though in things of this abstruse nature 't is very possible both may be false . 't is not my purpose to wade into those bottomless controversies , which like a gulph have swallowed up so much time and industry of learned men : i shall only in general commend it to the readers consideration , whether it be probable or indeed possible for those opinions to be true which infer falshood in god : and then let the second enquiry be , whether that be not too evidently the result of those discourses , which set an opposition between his revealed and his secret will , his commands and his decrees , making the one a blind for the better execution of the other , as if all the transportation and zeal he expresses for us , all the passionate enamoring invitations he makes to us , were only to sport himself with our credulity : like the divertisement of those men , who court them for wives , whom they would abhor to marry : nay , as if all the protestations and most solemn oaths of god , were design'd but to advance the delusion , and raise expectations meerly to defeat them . this is such a severe sort of irony , as we would all think not only unkind but unjust in a man ; and 't is not possible that god , who appeals to us concerning the equality of his ways , should fall short of the strictest measures among us , or exemplifie to us an unsincerity he forbids us to follow . how very inauspicious influence such doctrines are apt to have on practice is too visible , for since 't is as well the instinct as duty of our nature to aspire to an assimulation with god , even that most laudable and generous ambition shall by this means become our snare ; for when god shall be thus misrepresented to us , drawn out by the black lines , not only of severity , but deceit , rendred a falsifier of his word , nay oath ; 't will give not only temptation but warrant to the like practices : we shall easily swallow up all the particular commands of god , in that fundamental one of being like him ; as we are taught himself has done both his commands and promises in his hidden decrees . this is so natural a piece of logick , that 't is very unsafe men should be trusted with those premises whence 't is deriv'd . and though we are not over apt to transcribe that copy god does really set us , yet this spurious one will not miss to be taken out : that pravity of our nature which hinders in the one , exciting and spurring us on in the other . this is a way to reconcile our vices with our reputation , and sin cum privilegio ; and there is little doubt of mens aptness to use that advantage , we see it in lower instances . the vices of a prince draw shools of followers , when his vertue leaves him the more eminent , because single , and renders him rather revered than imitated : and certainly 't was none of the devils slightest stratagems on the gentile world , to give them such gods as might exemplifie to them all those odious crimes , wherein he desir'd to immerse them . whether this may not be a branch of the same illusion , i wish the propugners of this doctrine would seriously consider . and as several ills are hereby countenanc'd and authoriz'd , so is all vertue in general discouraged and disheartned ; this benumbs us in our christian course , substracts that spirit and vigour , which should carry us through the weary stages of duty : indeed it cuts the very sinews of industry , baffles and makes ridiculous all purposes of labour ; for what should invite a man to strive for that , from which he knows he is either irreversibly precluded , or else so infallibly ascertain'd , that his negligence cannot defeat him . these are such extremes as afford no middle , wherein the vertue of industry may exist , hope being equally out-dated by the desperateness or unnecessariness of an undertaking : and how necessary hope is to excite endeavour we may learn of st. paul , cor. . . where he presses his corinthians to the constancy of christian practice upon this ground , that their labour shall not be in vain in the lord. but according to some mens doctrine , 't is scarce possible for a man to know whether his labour be in vain or no ; since the effect of it depends not upon the revealed promise but secret purpose of god , and who knows whether there may not lie some dormant decrees against him , which when he thinks he has run his race shall yet defeat him of his crown . whether a reward thus stated will much animate mens diligence , i may leave every man to judge by the like circumstances in their secular concerns ; and if they find they would there damp their courage , dispirit and dishearten them from attempting , there will be sure more reason to conclude it in these spiritual affairs , wherein our industry is commonly much less indefatigable . but i shall not farther insist on the ill consequences of particular mistakes ; there is one fundamental error , which if it could be cured , would supersede all the rest , i mean our bold folly in medling with gods decrees , which we call hidden , and yet ridiculously confute that epithet by pretending to know them . this is so much an insolence as forfeits the comparison , which might belong to it as an error ; we see secular states jealously reserve their private councils , and shall we think god so scrutable , or our selves so penetrating , that none of his secrets can escape us : or if we think him , as indeed he is , unfathomable , why do we thus madly attempt what we confess impossible ; especially since we shall not only lose the thing we so vainly pursue , but others which we might else enjoy . 't is as if a man should be so transported with a busie earnestness of knowing his princes secrets , as quite to forget his laws , and incurr capital punishment . god has given us rules of life , which upon the severest penalties he requires us to study and practice ; and we divert from these , and make it our business to trace his counsels . we are gazing at the stars to read our destiny , and look not to our feet ; and by that negligence experiment the worst fate they could have portended : for i think we may say our wild phancies about gods decrees , have in event reprobated more than those decrees upon which they are so willing to charge their ruine , and have bid fair to the damning of many , whom those left salvable . and indeed 't is to be expected from divine justice , that such bold inquisitors should find nothing but their own destruction . that ark which devoutly reverenced brought blessings , when curiously pried into diffus'd pestilence and death , sam. . . nay the very poets will tell us , that if we will have prometheus his fire , we must take pandora's box also : and sure industry cannot be worse laid out than thus to fetch home plagues , and while so much of it runs waste to such unhappy purposes , 't is no wonder if we want for better ; forget our calling by contemplating our predestination ; and let the opinion of our fate be at once the encouragement and excuse of our sloth , than which nothing can more evacuate the purpose and design of our christianity , which divines have truly defin'd to be not a contemplative but active science . to the same unhappy effect concur our mistakes of gods attributes , if i may call them mistakes , which seem to be rather wilful nescience , they being so delineated to us both in his word and his providences , that 't is not want of light , but winking against it that must leave us ignorant . what the speculative errors are in this matter concerns not my present design to examine : but there seem to be some misperswasions concerning the divine attributes , which do remarkably tend in their consequence and effect , to the corrupting mens manners ; nay , look as if they were design'd , and affectedly chosen for that purpose ; i mean especially those concerning his iustice and mercy , which being the attributes in which we have the most immediate concern , the errors in them are the more noxious and destructive . of this sort is that narrow scanty notion too many have of gods iustice , which we measure not by him but our selves , and therefore proportion it not according to his infinity , but our own concerns . that is an attribute from which we promise to our selves no advantage , and therefore we are willing to contract and shrink it up , make it serve only as a cypher to advance mercy , but are unwilling to understand it in its proper extent ; think it a word of form put in to compleat the greatness of gods stile , rather than any intrinsick part of his nature , which he must deny himself to put off . thus do we sacrilegiously steal from god a part of his being , and while other sacrileges invade only his patrimony , this commits a riot upon his very nature , yet as if we meant the proverb should indemnifie us , and exchange extinguish the robbery , we add to another attribute what we have defaulct from this , and amplifie and extend his mercy , as much as we confine and limit his iustice ; that is the one infinite ocean , wherein not only we , but himself must be swallowed up . we will think of him under no other notion , nor allow him to be any other thing , but what shall be in subserviency to this : we will have him powerful to relieve our distresses , but not to revenge our crimes ; wise to defeat the machinations of our enemies , but not to circumvent our own indirect or impious policies ; all-seeing to behold our wants and griefs , but not to discern our closer guilts ; true to perform his promises , but not his threats . in short , we model all that is in god to our own wishes ; and instead of believing him what he is , phancy him what we would have him . like micha , jud. . . making us a god for our own peculiar use , and forming the deity we mean to worship . a strange bold inversion , for creatures thus to fashion their creator , put their own stamp and impress upon him , and shape him to their phancies . and indeed 't is nothing but phancy that has to do in this attempt , and accordingly it must vanish as the operations of that illusive faculty use to do . we may represent god to our selves as we please , but that has no more real influence on him , than a deforming optick-glass has on the object it disguises , he is still the same amidst all our wilde conceits of him , and will alwaies make good the title , by which he deliver'd himself to moses , ex. . . i am that i am . all that is in him is equally immense and infinite , his mercy need not invade his justice to gain its self a larger field of action , which is already ( as the psalmist speaks ) over all his works ; neither his justice encroach upon his mercy , that having also a province wide enough ; all impenitent sinners being within its verge , and god knows how much soever we streighten it in our opinions , we do 〈◊〉 indeed too much extend it in its real force , by rendring our selves the proper objects of it . in short , god who is the author of order and peace , cannot be suppos'd to be in confusion within himself ; the divine attributes are not in strife , but perfect harmony ; 't is we only that have rais'd this more than gygantick war , not only against heaven , but in it . the several luminaries pursue the regular motions of the spheres ; but we confound at once the laws of their creation , and their author too , strive to eclipse and darken the father of light . but if the removing of an earthly land-mark be a crime punishable both by god and man , what thunder-bolts belong to those who thus attempt to set new boundaries in heaven , to limit and measure out even the divine nature by the proportions of their own phancies , and indeed such temerity as this , is too like to confute its self , and feel that justice it will not believe : yet as great and daring a crime as it is , i fear there are few that can totally acquit themselves of it : for though all avow it , yet he that shall narrowly search his own heart , will scarce find it clear from all degrees of it : we are all apt to cherish a flattering hope , that god is not so severe as he is represented , or that if in respect of his justice he be a consuming fire , yet that mercy will be sure to snatch us out of the burning ; like the angels to lot , assist our escapes , and provide us a zoar , that our souls may live : and this hope though founded only in our wishes , is very apt to slide into our faith , and make us believe what we would have : by which means this becomes a kind of epidemick heresie , the most frequent and common misperswasion that occurs concerning the divine attributes . it would be a work more long than useful to recite the several errors that have sprung from this one . that of origen , that the devils should finally be saved , is a noted and pregnant instance , which could be deriv'd from nothing but this unequal apprehension of gods justice and mercy : and besides all other ancient , we have many branches of a later growth , that spring from the same root , a set of plausible falsities , which would quench the unquenchable fire , and kill the never dying worm ; i mean those allaying softning descriptions some of this age have made of hell , some changing the kind , others abating the intensness , or at least the duration of those torments , each substracting so much from this tophet , that they have left atheism an easie task to take away the rest : and may give suspicion they mean to visit that place , which they are so industrious to make easie . but whatever they do themselves , 't is sure this is the way to send others thither , to take off their fears of it , to make them think it not so dreadful a place as they once suppos'd , and consequently less careful to decline the ways that lead to it . 't is indeed too obvious that such perswasions do mightily impugn christian practice , and embolden men in sin : and god knows we need no such encouragement ; the more general fallacious hopes of mercy being too sufficient for that purpose without these supernumerary deceits : but between the one and the other , libertinism is like to outgrow all restraints , and the opinion of gods goodness instead of leading men to repentance , will slacken those reigns wherewith our bruitish nature should be bridled and restrain'd , and we thus left unto the sway of lust and passion , must run headlong upon ruine , as the horse rusheth into the battel . for alass , we are not so generous as to do well for vertues sake , nay nor so provident as to do it for reward , 't is our fear that is the most prevalent incentive , and accordingly we find religion generally makes her first impressions there . they are the terrors of the lord that do most usually , and most effectually perswade men , cor. . . our hearts must be pricked , and at those orifices piety enters . now when all these terrors shall be superseded by the opinion of an overwhelming mercy , when hell shall either be annihilated , or suppos'd so to annihilate us , that we shall lose our passiveness with our being , and be as uncapable of suffering , as even heaven its self can make us , what will be left to engage us to vertue , or deter us from vice : alas , do we not often see a daring lust bid battel to all the artillery of heaven , meet god in his loudest thunder , and venture on damnation in its dreadfullest form ? and can we think it will be more modest , when it shall be told that they are only edgeless weapons it hath to encounter ? that gods thunder amidst all its noise carries no bolt ? and that the flames of the bottomless pit , are but a painted fire , that at a distance may fright but not hurt us , or at least so hurt us , that we shall not feel it ? when those rubs which fear interpos'd are thus removed , there is nothing to stay the course of headlong riot , but precipiciously it will on , where ever strong desire shall drive , or flattering lust allure : he that loved his sin , even when it threatned him ruine , serv'd it assiduously , when it promised no other wages than death , rom. . . how will he hug this viper when he thinks 't is stingless , and give up his ear to be bored by that master , which affords him present pleasures without future stripes : we see even in civil matters the presumption of impunity is the great nurse of disorders , and if it were not for the coercive power of laws we should soon see how little the directive would signifie ; and doubtless 't is the same in spiritual or rather worse , by how much we are more bent upon the breaking of gods laws than mens , and consequently will be the more apprehensive of any encouragement . of the truth hereof our experience gives too sad proof , none rushing so boldly upon gods justice , as those who have most fortified themselves against the dread of it , as if they meant their practice should experiment the truth of their speculation , and make the utmost trial whether god can be provoked or no. indeed men use mercy as amaz'd passengers sometimes do a plank in a shipwrack , lay so much weight upon it , as sinks both it and themselves ; so perishing by too great a confidence of their rescue , and finding a gulph where they expected an ark : not that i suppose mercy unable to support the weight of all the persons , nay , and of all the sins in the world , which have not the one ponderous adherent of impenitence superadded ; but that is a burthen which even the divine clemency sinks under , refuses to plead such a cause , and refers it to iustice as its proper court : and therefore to sin on , in hope of mercy , is to undermine our selves , and commit a folly as absurd as ruinous , i wish i could say 't were not also as frequent : but god knows 't is every where too apparent ; men openly avow it , so that 't is become the vulgar answer to every convicting reproof , that god is merciful : and surely they that observe the growth of vice , since our new descriptions of hell came abroad , will have cause to think the one has had no small influence on the other , and that while some have made it borrow the uneasiness of our humane state to make up its torments ; they have taken care it should be just , and lend us back sins of a greater magnitude : this miserable traffique have these factors setled , between the present world and the infernal region , that hell should have earths pains , and earth hells wickedness ; the later alas we are too fully possest of , which is like to send too many souls to discover the deceit of the other . in fine , our groundless confidences of mercy , and those other chimera's we forge out of that , are certainly the most frequent and dangerous underminers of christian practice : these like the sun give heat and vigor to those inordinate lusts , which a just fear of vengeance would as a winters frost nip , and destroy : and till we lay by these easie slight thoughts of god , and consider him in those more awful attributes which exact our reverence , his mercy will only serve to ripen us for his judgment , that smooth and gentle property in god , which to all who abuse it not is indeed the oil of gladness , will thus perverted acquire the more fatal quality of oil , serve only to intend our flames , and remove us as far from the rewards of piety , as our bold phancies have done from the practice . a third sort of mistakes there are by which piety is obstructed , and those are such as concern gods providence , about which the world has long since had many disputes ; some entirely denying it , as presuming god so wholly taken up with the contemplation and enjoyment of his own felicity , that he was utterly inconsiderate of that of his creatures , and an unconcern'd spectator of humane affairs ; others limiting and restraining it to those things only which themselves were pleas'd to think worthy of the divine inspection and conduct : but these questions have been more bandied among philosophers than christians , and therefore are beyond our present enquiry . yet give me leave by the way to express my fears , that these errors have yet some secret rooting in too many hearts ; that there are many who rather formally say , then cordially believe , that god governs the world , and disposes as well of humane as divine things ; a suspicion that is rendred too probable by those indirect arts men use , to possess themselves of secular advantages ; for did they seriously think that all those things are in gods hands , from whence they are neither strong nor cunning enough , either to wrest or pilfer them , 't is scarce imaginable they should attempt such painful impossibilities , disquiet themselves in vain as the psalmist speaks , and which is worse , forfeit all title to them as gods gifts , by thus assuming to make them their own . but this is a disquisition i must leave every man to make in his own heart ; only let me say , that he that has there any doubt of gods universal or particular providence , has also in it the root of all unchristian sins , of distrust , solicitude , and fraud : there being nothing that can effectually supersede our own carkings and contrivances for our selves , but the assurance that god cares for us . men being still apt to scramble , where there is none from whom they expect an orderly and sufficient distribution , and therefore this error where ever it is found , may well be reckon'd among the impeders of christian duty . but besides those who thus doubt of providence , there are others liable to great mistakes , i mean those who to their just belief of gods providence , superadd a groundless confidence of their own skill in fathoming it , that are not content to know it in its product and event , but pretend to discern it in its most secret designments and purposes ; and do not so much revers ▪ gods dispensations , as interpret them : i do not here mean to condemn all particular applications of providential events , which are sometimes so extraordinary and remarkable , that they are their own expositors , and point out the construction we are to make : and an humble advertence unto such , is not only innocent but necessary : but when men shall attempt to read every line in gods hand , to make their own inference from every efflux of providence ; these pretenders to divine palmistry , seem to differ only thus much from those who make a trade of the natural , that they cheat themselves as well as others . yet there want not some who have gone yet farther , and think not only to understand providence , but assist it : not only trace it in all its intricate windings , and concealed intendments , but help it in the execution , and give birth to its conceptions : of this sort especially are those , who having possest their brains with some conjectural expositions of obscure prophecies , will administer to providence , and call out those events they expect : and as if they were conscious that god would not make good their dreams , endeavour to do it themselves . this age has afforded too many instances of this , when the fulfilling of prophecies has by some been made the solemn summons to rebellion and bloud : and in order to the hating and destroying the whore , rev. . . men have been animated to hate and destroy all who were not infected with their own phrensie . this we know has been call'd the helping of the lord against the mighty , and something more than votive curses awarded to those who refus'd to assist . thus have they first wildly mistaken , and then no less wildly out-run gods designs : as if like baal , iud. . he were unable to plead for himself , to vindicate his own cause , or effect his purposes without their help : and having resolved what he shall do , obtrude themselves upon him as his instruments ; how repugnant such anticipations of providence are to the interests of christianity is too apparent from the many detestable effects they have produc'd . but setting aside these , let us return to those we spake of before ; who presuming to expound providential events , make them the criterion by which to judge both of persons and of causes , concluding the one loved or hated , the other approved or disallowed by god , according to their prosperous or adverse success . the first of these was by our saviour exploded , as an undue way of process in the iews , in the case of the galileans , and before him solomon had given it as a maxim , that no man could know love or hatred by all that is before him : eccl. . . and if under the iewish oeconomy , where temporal blessings made up so great a part of their promises , it was so ; much more is it under the gospel , whose frame and composure is quite distant ; which instead of proposing secular prosperities to its proselytes , assures them the contrary ; sets up the cross as the standard under which they are to fight , and affords no temporal hopes but with an allaying proviso of persecutions and afflictions ; nay , the apostle to the hebrews goes farther , makes them not only incident but necessary to christians , the badge and cognizance of sonship , whilest the no chastening is the fatallest sign , a token of bastardy and abdication , heb. . , . and doubtless the experience of every christian asserts the doctrine ; we are all apt with the prodigal to forsake our fathers house , and as long as we can have the riot and not the wants , shall never think of returning ; we must be famisht into consideration , and our husks alone will send us home to the fatted calf . and can there be a greater indulgence in god , than thus to make our iniquity our punishment , that it may not be our ruine ; to embitter those sensualities whose lusciousness serves to intoxicate us , and to clip those wings which he sees carry us from him . stories tell us that the trojan wives after the destruction of their countrey , being wearied with their restless vagrant life , necessitated their husbands to a settlement by burning their ships . and the same kind stratagem god has upon us : he sees that our worldly accessions do rather enlarge than fill our appetites , and carry us on to farther pursuits , and by drawing us still more from him the center of rest , exposes us to endless wandrings , and then what can be kinder than to rescue us from such a condition , that curse of cain , to be a fugitive , and a vagabond in the earth , to deprive us of our treacherous prosperities , and fire those ships wherein we are preparing like ionah , to fly from the presence of the lord : so by a happy necessity forcing us to fix our selves on him . and this is the worst god designs us in every adversity : and did we mean but as well to our selves , we should not miss of receiving the happiest effects , even that peaceable fruit of righteousness the apostle speaks of , heb. . this holy men so well understood , that we find them dread nothing so much as an uninterrupted prosperity ; they like the muscovite women , grew jealous of gods love when he forbare to strike , upon which score it is , that in the ancient fathers , there are so many solemn petitions for stripes ; such importunate solicitations for those medicinal corrections , wherein they judg'd both gods kindness and their own safety to consist . and then how perverse , how preposterous are our measures , when we conclude quite the other way , estimate gods love only from outward successes , and think he is never angry but when he smites : a perswasion , which as it is very false in its grounds , so very pernicious in its effects , and creates hopes and fears , as fallacious as its self . for first , if we apply it to our selves , it produces mischiefs proportionable to the divers states under which we are . if a man be full and prosperous , it makes him proud and secure , for when he has not only the possession of those things the world values , but takes them as an attestation of gods peculiar kindness and approbation , what should make him either consider or reform his guilts ? if he have sanctity enough to possess him of gods favour , and all these profitable effects of it , he will not easily be perswaded he needs more : and any man that shall tell him he does , shall be heard with the same indignation wherewith craesus entertain'd solon , when he found him question that happiness , which he expected he should have admir'd . prosperity is in its self an emboldening thing , but when backt by this opinion of it , grows into all insolence , till at last it even recoil in the face of the donor , and dare god by all those enormous riots , to which it enables men. on the other side , this opinion presents a less merry , but not less dangerous temptation to those in adversity ; for when they shall look on themselves only as the anvil for gods strokes , they will be too apt to complete the parallel by answering it in hardness and inflexibility ; have the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the father calls it , which reverberates the blow on him that gave it . persevering wickedness is so naturally the issue of desperation , that we find the iews take up the one meerly to countenance the other , pretend hopelesness to avoid reformation : thus we find it , ezek. . . our iniquities are upon us , and we pine away in them , how should we live ? and again more plainly , ier. . . there is no hope , and then the inference is ready , let us walk every one in his own ways . endeavour is the child of hope , and we attempt not to attone one whom we conclude implacable , so that wrath may consume , but will never melt us , 't is love only that has that softning , dissolving power , and unless we discern a mixture of that in gods inflictions , they will never render us malleable to his impressions . we kiss a fathers hand and rod , when an executioners stroke we suffer rather than bear . st. iohn tells us we love god because he loved us , iohn . . i wish all men would make good the inference ; but 't is sure they are too apt to do it in the reverse , and will hate if they apprehend themselves hated ; a state which at once exemplifies , and anticipates the worst part of hell to us , yet very incident to those who interpret every stroke of gods , as the effect of enmity and utter aversion . this is to do that to our selves which the devils so deprecated from christ , to torment us before our time , it being peculiar to the vengeance of the other world to be meerly punitive , that here being rather discipline than vengeance design'd to reduce , not destroy us : and indeed besides the pain of sense which this error creates , it does ( to perfect the hell ) give that of loss also ; deprives us of one of the great evangelical felicities , that of rejoycing in tribulations , which our saviour thought so considerable , as to insert amongst his beatitudes ; and his apostles frequently mention triumphantly as the great priviledge and prerogative of a christian. for if all adverse successes be a note of gods disfavour , there will be no place for joy even in the most pious sufferings . st. stephens ravishing prospect will be intercepted , and a martyrs death be as uncomfortable as a malefactors . but if these were the only sufferings to which joy were annext , there would be but too few concern'd in the deprivation ; those wherein we are more universally interessed , are those chastisements of god which our guilts provoke ; which though in respect of their cause they are matters of the greatest sadness , yet in regard of their significancy and effect , they are grounds of comfort , they signifie that god ( however displeas'd ) yet has not abandoned the care of us ; thinks us worth his correction , and designs our reducement : and the effect will ( if not obstructed by us ) be answerable to that design : our chastening here rescues us from the sins , and consequently the condemnation of the world , cor. . . and this is sure no slight motive of rejoycing ; and we are very unjust to god and our selves , if we will exchange it for the sullen murmurs of a desperate incorrigibleness . and as this perswasion is thus pernicious in reflection on our selves , so neither is it more innocent when applied to others ; for first , if we look on the men that prosper in the world , as the psalmist speaks , psal. . . we shall too often find them answer the character he gives them in the former part of the psalm , and when from their temporal affluence , we shall conclude gods favour to them , 't will be hard resisting the temptation , which ( without that argument ) the psalmist was under , of thinking it vain to cleanse our hearts , or wash our hands in innocency . nay , we shall be apt to joyn our suffrage to those in malachy . . and call the proud , happy : and if we esteem them so , 't is natural to desire to be like them ; so we shall quickly grow to despise a poor or afflicted innocence , and embrance all thriving prosperous sins . on the other side , if we look on others in an adverse calamitous state , this opinion suggests hard and severe sentences concerning them , inclines us to judge where we should succour , and how great an accumulation of misery that is , we may learn from iob , whom we find not so often nor so passionately complaining of any of his pressures , as of the unkind censures of his friends , who weighing in this deceitful balance of temporal successes , made very false judgements of him , and as if they were to glean after satan , endeavoured to despoil him of that only comfort his malice had left , the conscience of his innocency . this is as the psalmist speaks , to persecute him whom god has smitten , and to talk to the grief of those whom he hath wounded ; a thing repugnant to the common temper of humanity , and much more to that tenderness , those affections and bowels christianity requires ; and therefore in this respect also , we may reckon this perswasion very injurious to christian duty . nor is it less so when applied to causes , in which it is full as deceitful a rule as it is in persons : god has design'd us another measure of our undertakings ; his word and law , by the general proportions whereof , we are to square and accommodate our particular actions : he sends us not to his providence , and the various distributions of that , or allows us to judge of the iustice , by the success of our attempts . if that were the trial , 't were impossible for any enterprize to be lawful , since that which should legitimate it , is subsequent to it , and can have no influence on it , to the making it good or bad : and as it does not make , so neither does it infallibly signifie it to be either : and of those who presume it does , i should ask whence it came to do so ? if by any assignation of god let them produce it ; and if not thence , i 'me sure it can make no pretence to certainty , god having no where oblig'd his providence to make good our phansies and conjectures . nay , if we look into scripture examples , we shall find this irrefragably confuted ; the same cause having at several times differing success . thus the israelites were discomfited at their first assault upon ai , and yet succesful after ; 't was something extrinsick to the cause that made the variation , that still continuing the same . the like we find in the case of the benjamites , who though in as ill an engagement as can well be imagin'd , had yet two victories over the other tribes , iudg. . but there is one instance that may serve for all , and that is the taking of the ark by the philistines , he that shall contemplate that , will sure never think fit to measure causes by success , unless he will give the difference also to dagon , who then triumpht in the spoils of the god of israel . in short , 't is evident victories are not so entail'd upon the justest causes , but that they may be , and often are cut off , either by the guilts of the undertakers , or by some other secret disposal of the divine wisdom ; but the former is so frequently the obvious cause of it , that we are not often put to resort to the later . 't is no strange thing to see all israel troubled by an achan , or have the ark taken captive from off the shoulders of a hophni and phineas , nor will it ever be possible for the best cause to secure its self from the blasting influence of its abettors crimes . this is so clear and evident a truth , that 't is matter of some wonder , how the contrary perswasion should ever insinuate its self ; and indeed it is not probable it ever had , if interest , that grand sophister , had not introduced it . men engage in designs not on intuition of their lawfulness , but profit , and when they are such as nothing can warrant à priore , their only reserve is to make them good à posteriore ; to bring a licence after the fact , and justifie their beginning by their end ; which how ridiculous soever it may seem to sober reason , yet such is the natural shame , or secular inconvenience of owning an unjust act , that men will wrap themselves , though in the thinnest and most diaphanous veils , make use of the absurdest pretences , and faintest colours to shadow their guilt , and whilest consciousness bids them say somewhat for themselves , and the case affords no solid plea , they are driven to these deplorable sleights and subterfuges . indeed this is an argument that stands single , and is seldom us'd but in those causes that admit of no better ; which we may reasonably conclude to be the reason , why it was so much insisted on by our late disturbers , who in such abundance of light , as they own'd , could not be suppos'd ignorant enough to believe themselves : 't was certainly the destitution of better arguments that cast them upon this , forc't them to ransack the alcoran , and rifle a piece of turkish divinity to make good their saintship . they now discern the unskilfulness of that plea , which a little time has converted to an accusation . the great change it has pleas'd god to make among us , retorting their conquering syllogismes , and making them need a new success to justifie their vaunts of the old . god grant we may not here relieve them again , and by our personal sins , help them to that which the justice of their cause never did , nor is like to acquire them . but though this plea of success be frequently urg'd in policy , yet it prevails with many who know not that it is so ; indeed the vulgar are so much subjected to their senses , that generally the conclusions drawn thence are easily embrac'd , when those from reason and conscience have a double difficulty , first to be understood , and next to be admitted , and the most elaborate discourse shall not convince them of the right of that cause , which in the last appeal to gods tribunal by war , has been openly condemn'd ; whilest the spoils of victory as much satisfie the understanding of the justice of the prize , as the desire with the wealth or glory of it . and this is it which renders such kind of arguings very pernicious , they being so fitted to the common temper , that they seldom miss to be effectual ; and engage the heady multitude in the prosecution of the worst designs , that are recommended to them by the one catholick vertue of success . this is indeed as the prophet speaks , ez. . . to strengthen the hands of evil doers , that they turn not from their wickedness ; to dazzle their eyes so with the splendor of prosperous iniquity , that they can never come to take an exact view , and discern it in its true form : and doubtless this was none of the less-prevailing arts of seducement among us , and drew in many to abet those seditious practices , which all laws of god and man prohibited , and whereby christian religion has at once been violated and defam'd ; has not only her precepts broken , but her self asperst with the foul consequences of that disobedience , and so buys one injury with another ; the contempt of her authority with the loss of her reputation . we have now seen the ill consequences issuing from these mistakes of gods providence , but we must take notice that there remains yet as great or greater danger on the other side ; and that a total neglect is worse than an erroneous construction of it . for though god have secluded us from that more exact minute discerning of his purposes , yet he means not his dispensations should be lookt on as wholly insignificant , and therefore has given us the general scope and meaning of them , according to which we are to limit and restrain our wandring guesses , and also judge of particular events . now as gods original and primary design in the creation of man , was to render him a subject capable of eternal happiness ; so also have all his subsequent acts toward him aim'd at the same end : and because there is nothing removes man so far from that grand purpose of his being as sin ; therefore god has made the suppressing of that , the universal intendment of his disposals concerning us : so that the most different dispensations do severally pursue that one end ; prosperity and adversity in their successive changes are sent to reclaim us from the error of our ways , with this only difference , that the one leads , the other drives . this is asserted by st. paul , who tells us , that the goodness and long-suffering of god is to lead us to repentance , rom. . . and also that when we are judg'd , we are chastened of the lord , that we may not be condemned with the world , cor. . . and indeed the whole scripture runs in the same strain ; and both from prosperous and adverse successes urges the obligation to obedience . this is the notice god expects we should take of all his dealings towards us . and the want thereof we find often sharply upbraided by god to the iews : how often does he recount his redeeming them from aegypt , his enstating them in canaan , and all his wonderful works for them , with an accusing reflection upon their ingratitude ; and that we may know his iudgements are no less to be accounted for than his mercies , we find him , amos . making a catalogue of them , and closing every period with this pathetick reproof of their obstinacy , yet have ye not returned to me saith the lord. in short , god requires that we should observe every turn of his hand , in order to the reforming our own lives , and by the several mediums of gratitude or fear , infer that necessary conclusion of a sincere universal obedience ; and the neglect of this is the crime the psalmist mentions , psalm . . with so severe a menace . they regard not the works of the lord , nor the operation of his hands . and as this is requir'd from single persons , so also from societies and communities , which as they are in their publick capacities the most eminent subjects of judgements or mercies , so are they the most eminently accountable for both . and though the neglect and abuse of gods methods be a very provoking guilt when 't is only personal , yet is it much more so , when it becomes national : and therefore as it is every mans concern for his own peculiar to examine how he has answered gods methods towards him , so is it an enquiry very pertinent in relation to the publick also ; especially where the dispensations have been remarkable and extraordinary ; in which respect the inquisition cannot appear more necessary for any than this nation ; upon which consideration i hope the reader will think it no unpardonable digression , if we awhile turn aside after it . it is the affirmation of our blessed saviour , that where much is given , there shall be much requir'd ; a thing so consonant with natural equity , that we all give our suffrage to it , by making it the measure of our expectations in secular things , wherein every man looks for returns proportionable to his expence or industry . the husbandman expects a crop answerable to his seed and labour : and in the nobler cultures of the mind , we justly exact of our pupils to let their manners attest the discipline they have been under : according to which estimate we must resolve ▪ that gods expectations from us of this nation cannot but be very high , there being no people under the sun , whom he has more signaliz'd as his own immediate care , on whom the divine oeconomy has more constantly and even solicitously attended in all the variety of seasonable and powerful applications . i shall not assume the work of a chronicle , by giving a series of all those mercies , we receiv'd in the loins of our ancestors ; and of which we have provided one unhappy memorial , i mean our nauseating and despising them ; it having been the business of our days , to disentail those two most inestimable blessings , of a pure religion and outward peace , which our immediate progenitors left us ; and to derive to our posterity the contrary mischiefs of impiety and confusion . but not to ravel so far back , i shall confine my reflections to so late a date , that i shall not need to bespeak the faith afforded to historians ; scarce any that can be my reader , but is qualified to be my witness too ; and must acknowledge that there has on gods part been no method wanting , that might purifie us to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works . to that end of refining and cleansing us it was , that he kept us so long in the furnace , permitted us to those many fiery trials of our late calamitous days . 't were impertinent here to give a description of those sufferings , which every mans memory can so readily represent to him ; or to paint that flame whose scorchings we have felt ; 't is enough to say , that god appear'd in them , earnestly industrious to have reduced us ; like a skilful captain besieg'd us closely , straitned us so in all our interests , that it was scarce possible for us to fly any where but to himself . indeed he that would make up an exact catalogue of our calamities must calculate in how many instances humane nature may be passive ; there being scarce any of our suffering capacities , to which they were not liberally apportioned , our estates , our persons , our friends , and which is more than all our consciences , all groaning under the weight of that yoke , which our own sins prepar'd , and other mens sins put on . which way soever we lookt , we saw nothing but that which might consume our eyes and grieve our heart : if on the church , we saw that torn by schism , spoil'd by sacriledge ; the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place , and the house of prayer made in the most literal sense a den of thieves . if on the state , we saw the breath of our nostrils , the anointed of the lord taken in their pits , imprison'd , and arraign'd , and barbarously murder'd , by those who slew him like the heir in the gospel , that they might seize on his inheritance . we saw this and all other mischiefs establisht by a law , and made as irreversible as powerful malice could render them . and now in such a distress , who would not think that such a necessity should have become our vertue ? and so perfect a destitution compell'd our resort to the divine aid . and as little opprest states us'd to make themselves homagers to the romans , to engage their protection ; so we should have made an entire surrendry of our selves to god , that we might have gain'd a title to his rescues and deliverances . this genuine and kindly effect i doubt not but it had in some , i would fain think in many ; but we are not now considering particulars , but the community ; and therefore how sincere soever such personal reformations were , they must not come under the account of publick and general , unless for their number and eminency they had been sufficient to have overwhelmed the contrary perversness : many there might be whose hearts ( as 't is said of iosiahs , chron. . . ) did melt , and yet the far greater number of the obdurate , still justly denominate us a stiff neck'd people ; an epithet wherewith god often reproaches the iews , and sure we have no less evidenced our title to it ; for alas , as if we had meant to revenge the inexorableness of our oppressors towards us , in our obstinacy to god ; as if when we could keep nothing else , we had yet reserv'd this sullen comfort , of having our hearts impregnable , we made a shift to hold out against all these batteries ; there was little appearance , and less reality of repentance ; and if some of our lusts were at all less raging , 't was only because they were starved into a little tameness , the supplies cut off which should maintain our riot : but when any recruits could be had , they were devoted that way , and even in the worst of times we mist not to be as luxurious as we were able : and as though we resolv'd that vice like the sea , should gain in one part what it lost in another ; we took order that what was thus inevitably defalkt from those expensive sins , should be made up in the cheaper : we could curse , and swear , & blaspheme in spight of sequestration , and this wretched immunity we made abundant use of , till we even became proverbial for it ; and gave our enemies pretence , to fasten it on us as our distinctive character . yet to shew our selves generous sinners , there was one vice we bought at a dear rate , i mean our as imprudent , as unchristian animosities , and picques among our selves ; a sin that helpt to revenge all the rest : and was as well upon a humane , as divine account a grand instrument of our ruine . to these we may add our impatient murmurs at our sufferings , which did in some work so preposterously , as to reconcile them to the inflicters , made them unworthily desert that cause , they found chargeable to maintain , and contrary to the advice of solomon , chuse the ways of those oppressors whose prosperity they envied , prov. . but of these real apostates the number i hope was not great , i wish i could say so also of those seeming desertors , whose knees bowed to baal , though their hearts did not : who belied their own loyalty , and in a shew of compliance prostituted conscience in several engagements as inconsistent with each other , as they all were with duty ; and such as they pretended no excuse for their taking , but their resolutions of breaking . i was indeed a sad spectacle to see what shouls every menacing edict brought in ; while men ran in as much haste to take the opportunity of perjury , as the primitive christians were wont to do of martyrdom : indeed herein we seem'd to invade our enemies peculiar , would not suffer them to enjoy those marks of distinction , they had framed to themselves ; so that as far as oaths could signifie we were all one party . and yet while we thus disclaim'd gods reliefs by these indirect attempts of our own , we took it very ill that he left us to the success of them : that he prosper'd not those methods he had interdicted , and made us triumphant , not only over our enemies but himself too : and upon this score many mutinous blasphemies were utter'd and perhaps some more thought , though i confess , generally we were not so modest , as to stick at saying the worst we could think , and indeed they that heard the frequent doubts men own'd of gods justice , providence , nay his very being , would not think they supprest any thing as too ill to be spoken : we laid boundless expectations upon the justice of our cause , and as if we had extremely oblig'd god by not being traytors , or schismaticks , thought he wrong'd us extremely that he made us not victors . samuel tells saul that rebellion was like witchcraft , but we seem'd to think loyalty was so ; that like a spell it was to keep us invulnerable , not only against our enemies but our selves : and so countercharm all our crimes , that they should only be active to please , not hurt us . but if in the last place we reflect on our selves even in relation to that cause in which we so much confided , 't is to be fear'd all men will not be able to evince they suffer'd for god and the king , though they did it in their quarrel : 't is the intent must denominate whose martyrs they were , it being too frequent for private passions and interests , to march under the banner of conscience ; and we call that sometimes taking up the cross , which is only the taking up an animosity or humor . indeed 't is not possible for any to be gods martyr , who is not first his servant : none of us will suffer the greatest things for a person for whom we will not do the least ; and 't is absurd hypocrisie for a man to pretend he has left all for god , who we see cannot be woed to leave the most despicable lust for him . he that will not part with the noise of a loud oath , the pleasure of an intemperate cup , the applause of a profane iest for god , will surely much less expose his liberty , his estate , his life for him : and therefore what hazards soever any man ran in any of those , he can with no justice set it upon gods account , unless he can produce such other acts of obedience , as may witness this to be true and genuine . and upon this trial , i fear god's party will appear to have been but small among us , and perhaps the king 's not much greater , it being not very probable that those should have any great sense of duty to him , that had none to god : or that those should religiously revere one commandment , who despised the other nine . but we need not the help of inference and probability in this matter , the mutinous and insolent behaviour of many who profest loyalty , did too clearly evince it : and as it is said of ioab , that he turn'd after adonijah , though he turn'd not after absalom , king. . and some of ours had little private rebellions of their own even while they oppos'd the more publick . i love not to pass censures on mens thoughts , yet i doubt some would be too conscious to confute me , if i should say there wanted not those , who owed their zeal to their spleen , and did not so much love those they fought for , as hated those they fought against . and it may perhaps deserve enquiry , whether that demure pretence of holiness their adversaries had put on , did not more avert some of our libertines from them , than all their real crimes : they perhaps so far mistook them , as to suspect they might be in earnest , when they profest to advance the power of godliness , and at that took an alarm , and such men ( if such there were ) contended not for the liberty of their countrey , but their lusts ; and could with no justice , expect either a reputation , or success from that cause which they at once helpt to defame and defeat . i am loth to go farther , and suspect that even some of the devouter sort were inspir'd more by the spirit of opposition than piety ; yet i confess 't is hard to resist that surmise , when 't is consider'd that our liturgy never had its due veneration , but when the directory was set up against it . indeed he that shall remember how our private oratories were then throng'd and crouded ; and shall now compare it with our empty churches , will be tempted to think our devotion was of that sort , which is excited by interdict , and deadned by invitations ; a perverse kind of zeal kindled only by antiperistasis or collision ; none of that pure flame which descends from heaven . and then as our saviour in another case saies , if the light that is in thee be darkness , how great is that darkness , mat. . if this fairer and more specious part of us were thus reprovable , how obnoxious were the other ? and if our earnestness in a righteous cause , by its sinister motives or adherencies be unable to justifie its self , how shall it bear that heavier task we laid on it , and plead for our other guilts . this is the true though not full account of our behaviour under gods discipline , thus did we fructifie upon his pruning us ; brought forth indeed , nothing but degenerous fruit . the holy writ leaves it as a brand of most inveterate impiety upon ahaz , that in the time of his distress he sinn'd yet more against the lord , chron. . . and sure we have too just title to the same character of infamy ; those sufferings which were sent to chastise our sins , serv'd but to encrease them , and like the israelites in the brick-kilns , they multiplied the more for their oppression ; we debaucht even our executicners , and made every new calamity supply us with some new vice . and now when gods rod was thus despis'd , we were in all reason to expect he should draw his sword , revenge our resistance of his methods , by somewhat we could not resist , make our plagues as obstinate as our selves , and involve us in hopeless inevitable ruine . this certain fearful looking for of iudgment , heb. . . was all we had left our selves , of all the rich patrimony we were once possest of ; and our present misery seem'd impossible to expire any way but by dying into greater . but as great artificers are us'd to magnifie their art , by choosing the most unlikely materials ; so did it please god in this total indisposedness of ours , when we were so unapt subjects to illustrate his mercy , and as if he design'd this national deliverance should ( in its proportion ) be the transcript of our more universal redemption , he visited us not only in this state of misery , but enmity ; when we had set our selves in defiance of his judgments , he laid as it were an ambush of mercy for us , and surpriz'd us with safety : by such undiscernible ways return'd the captivity of our sion , that we were indeed delivered like them that dream , psal. . . gave us a victory without a war : without the intervention of garments rolled in bloud , esa. . . invested us in our triumphant robes , and in a word , made us insensibly to glide into our long forgotten prosperity . and now who can imagine , but this miraculous mutation without us , must also work a change within us . indeed they must have a very ill opinion of humane nature , that can think it possible it should have perverseness enough to resist such endearments ; such kindly heat must needs be suppos'd to melt us ; and if before our pride disdain'd to be compell'd , yet even that stubbornest part of us can not object against the being courted into amendment . so that when god has thus yielded to our terms , left us not so much as a punctilio in our way to piety , 't is but a reasonable expectation we should embrace it with as great an earnestness , as it was formerly rejected by us . and would god we could say we did so ; but alas , we still affect prodigies , take a kind of wanton joy in defeating gods designs , and as if we aspired to vye miracles with him , have made our returns as unparallel'd as his mercies ; so that the sum of our account is this . no nation was ever more signaliz'd by gods goodness , or its own perverseness , it being hard to determine in which of those respects it is most eminent . that this is in the general perfectly true , there are too many particulars ready to testifie , indeed a whole cloud of witnesses do concurr to the proving the charge , i shall not undertake to examine all , yet some of the principal it will not be amiss to take notice of . before we enquire into the use we have made of gods mercies , let us a little consider what our sense of them is ; and sure of all the interrogatories we can put to our selves , this appears the easiest , the most gentle favourable test , that even our own partialities could elect for us ; it being so natural to men in misery to value a rescue , and celebrate their deliverers , that the contrary would be the only wonder : we see even the iews , who were none of the most malleable people , yet deliverances made impressions on them , set them to their devout processions and solemn hymns in praise of god : nay such a piece of native religion is this , that the heathens exemplifie it to us . the philistins when they had taken samson , magnified their dagon , as having delivered their enemy and the destroyer of their countrey into their hands , judg. . . so upon the victory over saul , sam. . . they sent round about to publish it in the house of their idols . and in all stories we find , the heathen altars were never so loaden with sacrifices , as upon such occasions : and the gospel tells us that those on whom christ bestowed miraculous cures , were so transported with them , that their gratitude supplanted their obedience , and made them notwithstanding his prohibition proclaim the wonders he had done for them : but i fear if we reflect upon our selves , we shall not be able to match any of these instances . 't is true our late change was entertain'd with a joy profuse enough , but not enough religious . we saw that great things were done for us , and thereof we rejoyced , but we did not so much consider that the lord had done them , ps. . and so were rather affected with the rarity and profitableness , than the mercy and kindness of the dispensation : and though the care of our governours have provided for the religious part also , assign'd days of purim for the perpetual commemoration of our deliverance , yet our slight observance of them does too fully evince our joy was meerly secular ; and surely he that observ'd the numerous and loud acclamations in the streets , and the few faint hallelujahs in the temple , must needs say they were very disproportionate , and that how much soever the most of us rejoyc't , it was not in the lord : and then we are not to wonder that it was so transient ; since it was meerly earthly it must needs partake of the fadingness of its original : whereas had we deriv'd it higher , , it would have been lasting and durable ; it could not so suddenly have expir'd , had we fetcht it from him , in whose presence is fulness of joy , and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore . but alas , our transports were such as exhausted themselves in their own noise , we exprest our joy in bonfires , and it vapour'd away in the smoke ; there wanted that mixture of piety which should have fix'd that volatile passion , and we who at first were much more glad than thankful , within a very short time ceased to be either . and then as violent heats when once expir'd , are succeeded by the extremest cold , so has it fared with us ; we fell from our extasies not to the mean , but the contrary extreme ; our vast complacencies at their parting , carried with them , even ordinary contentation , and left us not only joyless , but impatient . it was indeed matter of equal shame and wonder , to see a scene so suddenly chang'd , wherein as in many other instances , we seem'd to have transcrib'd the copy of the mutinous israelites , who we find in the very same chapter , ex. . triumphing and repining ; and no sooner were the timbrels out of their hands , but complaints were in their mouths , vers . . what shall we drink ? and in the beginning of the next , with the same querulous importunity they require meat . but not to wrong them in the comparison , their murmurs had some extenuating circumstances which ours have not ; they lookt indeed with some appetite upon aegypt , and made some proposals of return , but it was while they suffered the hardships of the wilderness ; they preferr'd a repleted slavery , before a hungry freedom ; but even they were not so frantick in their mutinies , as to make any such offer in canaan , or have any emulation to the garlick and onions , amidst the affluence of milk and honey : no 't is we alone that have the unhappy skill of reconciling the sins of canaan , and the wilderness ; murmur as much under our vines and fig-trees , as at rephidim , or marah , and make all the outcries of want and slavery , whilest we wallow in the utmost luxury of plenty and freedom . i need not hear specifie the particulars of our murmurings , this discourse being not likely to find many whose innocence will need that information , this malignant humor having spread so , that 't is now become almost a scandalous ( because a singular ) thing to be contented . and certainly a considering foreiner , that should come among us , could not but be astonisht to see a nation so full of all those things which use to create temporal satisfactions , and yet to find no body in it satisfied ; to see so many parties among us , and none prosperous . this is such a riddle as would tempt a man to suspect his senses , and think we had all this while but dreamt of a restoration : been under the delusion the prophet describes of the hungry and thirsty man , that at his waking , finds he is empty and his soul hath appetite , esay . . 't is a sad , but visible truth , that all that god has done for us , hath been so far from filling our desires , that it has only serv'd to enlarge them : for i appeal to any of our loudest mutineers , whether if some years since the present state of affairs had been represented to them , drest in the worst circumstances they now complain of , they would not then have thought it extremely amiable , worth rachels prize of seven years more hardship ; nay whether they would not willingly have made some abatements , relinquisht part of what they now enjoy , to have had the rest secur'd ? and when god has granted us all we then askt , shall we murmer because we could now perhaps ask something more ; and like ingrate debtors , pick a quarrel to evade payment ? was it not enough that he engag'd his omnipotence for us , but must his omniscience also be prest upon the same service ? and provide all he could foresee we would wish ? alas , do we think we have the same hank upon god that some gallants have on their trusting merchants , that upon peril of losing all former scores , he must still go on to supply us ? shall we think nothing fit for oblivion but our obligations , and in this perverse sense transcribe s. paul , phil. . . forgetting those things which are behind , reach forward to the things that are before : this indeed too fully speaks us the off-spring of our first parents , we can find no gust in all the fruits of paradise , if any one be denied us ; and still look not on what we have , but what we want ; and as it is observ'd of the greedier sort of creatures that they relish not one bit for the vehement expectation of another : so is it with us , we devour , but do not enjoy our blessings ; and to require him to satisfie us , is to assign him the poets hell , set him with belus daughters to the task of filling a sieve with water , or rolling sysiphus's stone ; our growing appetites still keeping us empty and restless amidst all endeavours to make us otherwise ; so that whereas god uses to commit his favours to men , as seed to the earth , in expectation of an harvest , some fruits of gratitude and obedience ; they seem with us rather to be flung into a gulph , whose property is only to swallow never to fructifie . i know mens minds are so possest with their discontents , our daily mutinous blasts have puft up and swelled our grievances to such a vastness , that he must expect to be very impatiently heard , that shall attempt to represent them in a lesser size ; yet sure 't were not impossible even upon a direct view , to demonstrate them very light and moderate : but upon a comparative , perfectly trivial and inconsiderable ; and 't is a little strange , that we who bare our late suffering estate with so much impatience , should not have impressions enough left in our memory , to confront to all our present regrets . do we not quietly now possess the fruits of our own , or our progenitors industry , without danger of any sequestration , but what our own luxuries inflict ? are not our persons at freedom ; deliver'd from that kind word , and unkind thing , securing ? so that when we rise in the morning , we need not fear our next lodging shall be in the goal or dungeon ; nor when we sit down to our meal , suspect the intrusion of arm'd uninvited guests , who , ere whiles we know , were wont to surprise us , as the plague did the israelites , even while the meat was yet in our mouths ; are not our lives under the custody of known laws , so that no man is in danger that will but keep himself within those boundaries ; nor need fear to be mockt into his grave by shews and pageantries of justice ? and besides these real escapes from slavery , are we not rescued from the most imbittering circumstance of it , the having servants rule over us , a thing which rendred our subjection as mean and servile , as it was sharp and pressing , and which we were then so sensible of , that it never mist to bring up the rear of our complaints . lastly , if we reflect upon our higher spiritual concerns , are we not freed from those boistrous robust temptations , which with the violence of famine and sword , beggary and death assaulted our constancy , and left no mean between martyrdom and apostasie ? are we not also restor'd to all those spiritual advantages which we once profest so much to value ? that well of life now lies open before us , after which we once panted like the hart after the water-springs ; our ancient worship is revived , and wants only our attendance to make it solemn ; whereas the abomination of desolation stood in the holy place , our prayers were turned to sin ; needed , but were denied the liturgy to pray against them , or atone their guilts . we have no longer stones given us for bread , nor experiment that sad riddle of being at once cloyed and starved amidst excess of preaching , suffering a famine of the word . and now are all these worth no regard , if they are not , why did we exclaim so loudly when we wanted them ? if they are , why are we still as querulous now we have them ? 't is sure , these include all our great and substantial interests as men , and christians , and those being provided for , 't is not easily imaginable what others we should have important enough to make us querulous , unless it be those of passion and humour . one mans ambition perhaps wants a satisfaction , another mans avarice , a thirds spleen ; and this discord makes up the very unmusical harmony of our murmurs . if we see but a mordecai in the kings gate whom we wish removed , we can like haman find no gust in any thing we enjoy . if we see some , who we think have born less of the burden and heat of the day , rewarded equally or perhaps above our selves , we are sure to make out the parable , by murmuring at the good man of the house : or if nineveh be spar'd , if all be not executed to whom we have denounc'd destruction , we like ionah sit down in a sullen discontent , and grow weary of our lives , because others are permitted to enjoy theirs . to these and other heads of the like nature , 't is apparent our grievances may be reduced ; and then if the balance be put into any dispassionate hand , 't is sure they can never become a counterpoize to the other real benefits we enjoy , but will in the prophets phrase , appear lighter than vanity and nothing . but i suppose some will say , 't is not only present uneasinesses of which they are impatient , but the possibility of future , a fear of relapsing into our former estate by the ill managery of our present : to these i shall answer , that admit it were so , yet sure 't will be no wisdom to anticipate our miseries , to forestall discontents , and make foresight as painful as actual suffering . in other forbidden instances we chuse to enjoy the present , and with an epicurean indifferency cry , let us eat and drink for to morrow we dye , cor. . . how is it that we here become so unluckily sagacious , unless it be that murmuring is a sensuality we count equivalent , nay superior to all rational satisfactions ; and therefore that we may have no intermission of that delight , suborn our phancies to find occasions , and fetch in from the future those supplies which the present affords not : but besides this , i should in the second place ask these great diviners , why they do not also foresee , that this very mutinous temper of theirs is the most direct and infallible means of bringing those mischiefs they pretend to fear ; that it is so , is most evident , and so well observ'd by our adversaries , that there is little doubt , they have not only pleasure , but designs upon it ; and to that purpose have their engins on work to blow up the hot spirits among us , in expectation from thence to raise a flame . so blind a thing is passion , that it hurries on to the things which in their issue we most abhor ; makes us our enemies drudges , and the forgers of our own shackles ; and whilest we cry out of petty indulgences , we our selves give them in the lump , what we grudge them in parcels : this is a miserable infatuation , and while we act thus unreasonably , we are sure no competent declamers against ill managery . but besides this natural effect of our murmurs , we are also to remember that there is a divine vengeance attending it : when bounties and largesses are quarrell'd at , we necessitate god to another method , nay indeed , not only his vengeance , but even his kindness seems to suggest it , when he sees our constitutions such , that his gentle applications work contrary effects : 't is very apposite for him to try whether the antiperistasis will operate on the other side ; if we smart thus under lenitives , 't is but fit to essay , if corrosives will ease us ; and the only remaining experiment for the making us happy , is to make us miserable . but would god we might yet prevent the need of such unkindly expedients , and by a sober estimate , and thankful sense of what we have , provide to conserve it : not fastidiously despise great and eminent blessings , because perhaps they come not home to every part of our wishes . alas , those plenary satisfactions agree not with the nature of earthly things : 't is an observation long since rais'd from the globular and triangular form of the world and our hearts , that 't is impossible the one should be fill'd with the other , there will still be some angles , some vacuities left ; our very accessions create new wants , and like an unsound limb , the healing of one sore is the breaking out of another . every thing under the moon partakes of her vicissitudes , augments and decreases only with this difference , that though their wains be to as low a degree as hers , they never are perfectly at the full . there never was , nor never will be a state here completely happy : and as the philosopher handsomly reproacht the impatience of the persian king for the death of his wife , by undertaking to revive her , if he could help him but to the names of three men that had never griev'd to write upon her tomb ; so surely we may make the like offer to our male-contents , and engage to redeem all their uneasinesses , if they can point us out ( i say not three , but ) one age wherein there were no complaints . what then are our clamorous repinings , but so many loud invectives against gods decree ; a desire to subvert his fundamental law , and confound the distinction he has irreversibly set between our earthly and our heavenly state : and alas , what mad insolence is this , to expect that the whole oeconomy of the world must be chang'd only to humour us ? that god must replant us a paradise , pluck up every one of the briers and thorns which were our native curse ? nay , bring down heaven to us , and enstate us in undisturb'd unmix'd felicities ? this is indeed simply considered a very wild expectation , but yet more so when 't is considered how we qualifie our selves for such a priviledge : for let me ask , are we as eager to anticipate the holiness , as the happiness of heaven ? do we as passionately desire to do gods will , as that god should do ours ? and aemulate the angelical obedience and purity , as much as bliss ? these are interrogatories which need no verbal answer , our lives do too fully resolve them in the negative , and then how shameless a partiality is it , thus to carve to our selves , and chuse out of either state what we best like , reserve all the sensualities of this world , and yet cry out for the impassibleness of the next ; but alas , these are pretensions as inconsistent as they are bold , our vices having such a native inseparable adherency of pain and vexation , that 't is not the most dexterous managery of a sin that can ever sever them , but if we will retain the one , we must the other also : a truth which might be exemplified to us throughout the whole catalogue even of sensual sins ; but it is most eminently visible in this of murmuring , which stays not as others do to take pain at the rebound , and by way of result , but has it as its first element and principle ; it being its self almost as great a pain , as any it can betray us to : and yet to secure an advance and perpetuity of torment , every event serves to foment and heighten it , and the most desperate things are equally combustible to that flame . indeed he that is possest with that humour , has a kind of fury within him , that will never let him rest : and alas , what legions of such evil spirits are now among us ? how are we as it were inspir'd with mutiny , it being the universal dialect of the nation ; and of many in it , who cannot be suppos'd to found it in any observation of their own , but are led by the common genius , and bellow rather by consent with the rest of the herd , than for any uneasiness , at least of injustice and oppression ( for such only give pretence for mutiny ) that themselves feel . and since 't is become a plebeian vice , would god our gentry would use it as they do their fashions , and leave it off ( if for no better reason ) for its being vulgar : and indeed 't were but aequitable , that those who have taken up so many sins upon punctilio , should for once lay down one upon the same score . the athenian state put down their ostracisme ( which otherwise they were fond enough of ) because it was debased , by happening to fall on hyperbolus , a despicable and abject person : and there seems not much difference in the cases , save only that we are more tenacious of sins , than they of punishments ; and i fear we shall so long retain this , till we find it its own lictor , not only in the present uneasiness , but in that more fruitful harvest of mischiefs , whereof it has now sown the seeds . we see here what our thankfulness is , for those eminent miraculous mercies we have receiv'd , and the account of that is an unhappy specimen , what we are like to find , when we survey the uses we have made of them , which god knows have been so unnatural and perverse , as does too fully parallel the former instance . for first , if we reflect upon our spiritual blessings , what has the enjoyment of those advantages produced , but the contempt of them ; we have an easie free access to god in his sanctuary , our churches are no longer garrisons to keep out the worship , to which they were devoted , but like hospitable doors , are open to the regular piety of any that will enter . and now we have this liberty , now the flaming sword is removed , we have lost all appetite to the tree of life , can willingly let those everlasting gates ( as the psalmist styles them ) psal. . stand as everlastingly open ere we enter them : and though the fabricks are by gods providence rescued from their dust and ruines , yet many of us endeavour to reduce them to a yet worse desolation , strive to depopulate those sacred mansions , and execute against them that prophetick threat concerning nineveh , nahum . . leave them empty , void and waste . and indeed so they are , if not in an absolute , yet in a comparative sense ; for could we at any time of divine service make an estimate of all the persons that are absent , 't would scarce be discern'd that any are there ; were all corners ransackt , what a multitude of recusants should we find upon a far differing account from that of conscience ? some we should see stretching themselves upon their beds , keeping a sabbath indeed , but to their floth , not their god ; others perhaps we may find rous'd from their couches , upon the summons not of religion but vanity ; some new garment is to be fitted , some exotick dress essayed , and they who grudge one hour to the preachers glass , can spend many at their own ; where they are so taken up with their idolatries to themselves , that they think of no other worship ; nay , as the world goes , 't were well this were the worst diversion , that some did not keep from church , that they might in the interim , defile those lesser temples of god they carry about them , and cut themselves off from the communion of christs body , to make themselves members of an harlot : or that others were not bacchus his votaries when they should be gods , spend that time in their frantick revels , and sing a dithyrambick instead of te deum . as for the mammonist , if he keep any holy day , 't is like the israelites to his gods of gold , exod. . . he is looking with veneration on his idoliz'd treasure , numbring those bags he dares not use , or perhaps with a more active zeal pursuing the means of encreasing them . thus alas , may we go from one to another , and as it was in ezekiels vision , see still greater abominations , ezek. . and certainly that all-seeing eye , which discerns what multitudes do thus busie themselves , at the times even of his solemnest worship , cannot but adjudge us most profane despisers of his mercy in restoring it : yet would to god 't were only the absent upon whom that sentence would fall ; but alas , the behaviour of many in the church does too loudly testifie how little of devotion brings them thither , and at how mean a rate they value all that is done there : those eyes which there should wait on god , as those of a servant on the hands of his master , psal. . . are rolling about to fetch in all the vanities and temptations which can occurr to them , and look every way , but towards heaven . our tongues which should be toucht with a coal from the altar , devoted wholly to hymns and prayers , are busied in private colloquies with those about us : business , news , nay , all the impertinent chat of our most vacant hours , is then taken up to entertain us ; so that he who would know the talk of the town or neighbourhood , need go neither to exchange nor market , the church will as certainly supply him : and this ill employment of our tongues , engages the like of our ears , which when they should be hearkening what the lord god will say concerning us , are listening to those vain discourses we hold with one another , from all which outward indecencies we may too surely collect the inward irreverence of our heart . and is it possible that this should now be the temper of those , who not long since seem'd to bewail their exclusion from those sacred assemblies : did we long for them as david for the waters of bethlehem , when they appear'd unattainable , and when they are brought to us , refuse to taste them , poure them out not as he did in devotion , but in contempt ? 't is true indeed , in temporal delights possession usually proves a nauseating thing , and takes off our appetite ; but it uses not to be so in spiritual , whose peculiar property it is not to satiate , but excite by fruition : but alas , though the things we converse with are spiritual , our hearts are carnal , and that is the cause why instead of crying out with the psalmist , when shall i come to appear in the presence of god , psal. . we , like those in malachy , chap. . . snuff at his service , and say , what a weariness is it ? a weariness indeed it appears in the literal sense with many , who sleep at it as men over-labour'd , and scarce take so sound repose in their own houses as in gods ; indeed such is the variety of rude behaviour that is there us'd , that should an unbeliever come into their assemblies , he must surely ( as st. paul supposes in another case , cor. . . ) say we are mad ; to see some gazing , some whispering , some laughing , others sleeping , and perhaps the far fewer number praying ; is such a medly , as the most brutish idolaters never admitted in their worships ; and the way of worshipping mercury , by throwing stones , or hercules by cursing , is a sober and decent kind of service compar'd with this . and now alas , when will the church recover its ancient title , and become the house of prayer ; 't is sure according to the present appearance it may have many more proper names , that being the least part of the business done in it : 't is true , there are some that make it a sanctuary , but 't is only against the penalties of the law , or reproach of errant atheism ; they come to save their money or their credit ; others perhaps shun the solitariness of being at home , and come not as to a place of devotion , but concourse ; and 't is to be doubted , some visit that place as they do many others , because they have nothing else to do : they want their week-days diversion , and so are driven thither upon meer destitution of more grateful entertainments ; make it a kind of sunday play-house , sit there as spectators or judges , to see the company , or censure the preacher , but never remember that themselves have any other part to act ; or are beheld by him , who will not always be patient of such profanation ; but will , as the scripture speaks , repay them to their face , who thus contemn him to his . we know among men , every one counts his house his fortress ; and an affront offered him there , doubles the injury , and is not only a contempt , but an invasion : and shall it not be a proportionable enhansement with god also , thus to defie him within his own doors , and approach his presence in an impious bravery , the more fully to shew him , how little we regard him . at this rate while we address our selves , we may as ill manner'd guests be forbid his house : interrogated by god as the iews were , is. . why doest thou tread my courts ? a total abandoning of worship being more fair and ingenuous than such devotion : wherein like the barbarous souldiers , we bring christ a scepter only to smite him on the head with it ; and make a preface of homage to give our selves the sport of the mockery : nay , 't is sadly to be fear'd , that god may thrust us out of his house , shut his doors against us , rescue his service and himself from our profanation , and put us again under the same , ( or a worse interdict than that ) which lately lay upon us . having now seen our scandalous irreverence towards gods worship in general , 't is too easie to make application to the several parts of it ; every one of which must necessarily partake of the contempt which falls upon the whole ; for while we bring no thoughts but secular with us ; those are equally disagreeing to all the divine offices : 't will be needless therefore to trace our wandrings in each of those , since our whole behaviour in the church is one great deviation from the business we should come about : yet that supersedes not to every guilty person himself the necessity of a more distinct and particular reflection . 't is sure at the last dreadful audit , we must account for every of those spiritual advantages we have abus'd ; and alas , what a dismal reckoning will many of us have then to give up , when our prayers which we now turn into sin , shall be turn'd into perdition : and we who would not supplicate our god , shall in vain invoke the mountains and hills to hide us from the face of the lamb , when that word which we now so fastidiously despise , that it must be drest up in the colours of humane rhetorick , to make us at all patient of it , and becomes then only tolerable to us when it is farthest removed from being gods : when that word , as our saviour speaks , shall judge us , and that gracious invitation to life end in that fatal sentence , go ye cursed . nay , when our very propitiation shall plead against us , and the crucified body of our saviour , which we have in effigie so often recrucified , in our unworthy approaches , or impious neglect of the holy eucharist , shall witness against us as its murderers , when we shall be found not sprinkled as with the blood of a sacrifice , but imbrued as with that of slaughter : when all these means of our salvation , shall thus miserably convert , and from the savour of life , become that unto death , cor. . . then we shall to our amazement find , how differing our estimates of them were from gods ; and in his vengeance read the value he put upon them . what then have we now to do , but to anticipate our dooms-day , and judge our selves that we may not be judg'd of the lord : to make an impartial account of all these our profanations , and accuse our selves before his mercy seat , that so we may prevent the arraignment at his bar of iudgement . and as offenders are usually enjoyn'd to acknowledge their guilts in the very places where they committed them ; so let us make the church the scene of our penitence , as we have of our faults : by our strong crying and tears , deprecate our former indevotion , and by an exemplary reverence , redress the scandal of our profaneness . this , and only this is the way to secure us against the final vengeance of these sins ; nay , and against the intermedial also : for we are not to expect that so unkind abuse of mercy shall be wholly respited to another world , it being so exasperating a crime , as must in all probability awake gods fury , and pull down present judgments , i wish the event do not too soon attest the reasonableness of this supposal . if from our spiritual blessings , we now descend to our temporal , we shall not appear much better managers of those ; they being generally employed to purposes the most distant from those , for which they were given . and first for our peace , that great comprehensive enjoyment , upon which all others are dependent , and which is to our civil capacities , the same that health is to our natural ; the thing by which we relish and taste the rest of our comforts , we may from the song of zachary , luk. . learn for what intent god bestows it : deliverance from enemies is to no other end , but that we may serve god in holiness and righteousness all the daies of our life : but alas , he that observes how we employ our quiet , must surely say it serves little to the advancement either of holiness or righteousness : for the first of these we have already seen , how little of holiness we shew even in that place where nothing else should be admitted ; and we are not so preposterously religious , to shew more in others . that piety which is so cold and benumn'd under the warm breath of the publick ordinances ; we may well presume stark frozen , in our more retir'd offices : and if it thus faint and sink in consort , 't is sure more liable to the wise mans vae soli , and utterly dies when we are alone . 't is true indeed , these closet transactions are immediately visible to none but the searcher of hearts , yet in true devotion there is such a symmetry and proportion , that the inferences we make by analogy may be very irrefragable ; nay , 't is to be fear'd many lye open to a yet clearer conviction , and may be proved to have few or none of those private intercourses with heaven ; for though a negative be not simply evincible , yet as in civil cases we prove a man not to have been at this time in such a place , by his having actually been in another ; so were the whole week , moneth , perhaps year : of some men exactly traced , we should find them so engrossed with other diversions , that there will scarce be found any minute for devotion to interpose : mens worldly or fleshly concerns so divide their time , that god from whom 't is all deriv'd can be afforded no tribute out of it . yet alas , 't were well if this privative sort of impiety were all we had to answer for : but 't is too apparent we do not only neglect god , but reproach and violate him : what else are those bold and insolent blasphemies wherewith we daily assault him , making him the mark at which all our wild passions are shot . do we want any thing either for our use or delight , presently god is accused , his providence or his goodness questioned ; and he declaim'd against either as impotent or illiberal . does any body vex or disquiet us , god must have his share of our displeasure , his sacred name must be profaned , and we count our fiercest revilings of men , faint and insignificant , if not inspired with the most dreadful and horrid oaths ; nay , he stands obnoxious to all the displacencies we receive even from inanimate creatures , if a die or a card run amiss , our resentments are presently vented upon him ; he is profaned and vilified , as if he were the cheat that rookt us of our money , because he does not secure us from those losses , to which we wantonly expose our selves ; nor is it only our eager and warmer passions that thus invade him : our pleasanter moods do the very same , and we blaspheme by way of divertisement ; every impertinent story or insipid iest , must have the haut-goust of an oath to recommend it , as every incredible narration has to attest it : to say nothing of those more solemn and deliberate perjuries , wherein we impiously suborn gods venerable and dreadful name , to be the engin of our fraud and malice : and as if we thought he would forswear as well as we , bring him to countenance those crimes he has vowed to punish . thus do we with a prodigious impiety contaminate even divinity its self , make it the sink for all our puddles to run into ; and prostitute that name which as the psalmist speaks , is great , wonderful and holy , to all the unholy purposes , our passions , our interest , or our phancies can suggest to us . this profaneness is so proper a foundation for atheism , that we are not to wonder to see so many advance from the one to the other , they pay so little of the reverence due to god , that at last they turn their impiety into argument , and infer him not to be god , whom they treat so unlike one . and truly this seems to be the grand piece of logick , which has disputed many , not only out of christian , but all native religion . how unhappily successful it has proved among us is too apparent in those impious discourses which are every where heard , wherein men are arriv'd to such a licenciousness , that davids atheist was a modest puny , who only said in his heart there is no god , and perhaps upon that account shall by some be adjudged to deserve the epithet the psalmist gives him , and be indeed thought a fool that would not own what would now a-daies so certainly denominate him a wit , or in the solemn stile a master of reason . and indeed they will attest the propriety of the stile , they rather governing reason , than being govern'd by it ; otherwise 't would be hard to discern , how from different premises the same conclusion should be induced : and those who in the late adverse times denied god in revenge of their sufferings , should now pay their gratitude also in the same manner , and renounce him as ( or more ) loudly since his signal attestation of that righteous cause ; his not owning whereof was then their principal plea. the truth is , 't is a little strange how atheism could admit such enhansing accessions as we find it has ; for it being the completion and highest step of ill , and that to which all others do but subordinately tend , one would think it should from its first appearance in the world , have been so mature and full grown a sin , as could be capable of no improvement ; but so subtilly wicked are these later daies , that we can never be brought to a non ultra , but still find something to add to the compleatest sin : therefore though of those that are really atheists , one cannot be said to be more so than another , yet some may be more daringly , and mischievously so ; and sure in that respect our modern , surmount all former : they were generally on the defensive part , took up the tenet as a buckler against the unwelcome invasions and checks of conscience , and design'd nothing but the more peaceable enjoyment of their lusts ; but now men do not only use , but love it ; make themselves its avowed champions , seek to win it proselytes ; and in short , appear so zealous for it , as if they made it their religion to have none . and god knows , too many such reversed kinds of evangelists we now have , who with as great design unteach divinity , as the first propugners taught it , and their number and boldness have so encreas'd since the return of our peace , that sure the next age will have little cause to think religion had any share in the restoration . thus have we done our parts to supersede that obligation of serving god in holiness , by leaving no god to serve ; and after the most signal attestation of his deity in our rescue , we do like those ingrate persons , who seek to subvert those by whom themselves were establisht , and deny him because he has own'd us . this is the holiness wherewith we have serv'd him , since our being deliver'd from the hands of our enemies , and our righteousness has been very proportionable , for if we look into the dealings of all ranks of men ; we shall find the same vein of deceit run through all transactions . a few years since sequestration and plunderings , those whole-sale robberies had so over-topt the rest , that like an epidemick disease they had overwhelm'd , if not the kind , yet at least the notice of all other injustices : but since those leviathans are withdrawn , the lesser devourers supply their place ; fraud succeeds to violence ; and in all places , all occasions of commerce , we still meet with sequestrators . the adulterated wares , and false measures in shops ; the dilatory proceedings , and evasive tricks in law ; the various and unworthy cheats of creditors , and the mean and dishonest advantages which are watcht in all sorts of contracts , are too irrefragable proofs hereof . nay , not only our business , but our very recreations expose us to these deceits , as some of our bankrupted gamesters can too sadly witness , what troops of harpyes attend those sports is every mans observation : 't is strange so many should yet be to learn the prudence to avoid so known a danger , wherein a man is at once made active and passive in the same robbery , and does himself defraud his family of that , whereof he is defrauded by another . but amongst these many injustices , there is none wherein men seem generally to find such a gust and sensuality , as those wherein god is concern'd ; twenty laybooties humor them not so much as one from the clergy ; and if the quakers should be mustered according to that one tenet of not paying tythes , we should indeed find their numbers formidable . how subtle even the rudest persons are in defaulking those dues , we see by every daies experiment , the over-reaching their minister being the grand triumph of a rusticks wit ; so that not only their covetousness but their vanity is concern'd in it : i know 't is the usual apology for this kind of sacriledge , that either the maintenance of the clergy is too much , or their merit too little ; for the first , i think it may be demonstrated , that there is no liberal science , and but few mechanick trades , from which a man may not hope as plentiful a subsistence , as this affords to the generality of its professors : however i shall leave those that make this objection to dispute it with that authority , which has allotted them this proportion ; desiring them to consider , that whatever the support of the clergy is , it costs them nothing ; no man having purchast more , than what remains of the estate , after his tyth is paid . as to the second , i confess 't is extremely to be wisht , that the negligence and vice of some did not give too much pretence to the allegation ; and to such i cannot but apply the words of our saviour , mat. . . woe be to the man by whom the offence cometh ; yet certainly 't is very incompetent , to justifie the detention of their legal rights : for till the law which has assign'd them , delegate the forfeiture to me , the greatest enormities of my pastor , cannot entitle me to any thing that is his : and indeed what blame soever is really due to some , we must expect it should extend to all , if the accusers were to have the benefit of the mulct ; and ( as in the late confusions ) all ministers should be made scandalous , in order to the making them poor . 't were easie to draw up a far larger catalogue of those injustices we daily commit ; for as a man has divers other concerns besides his goods , so he may be injur'd in all those : and truly the iniquity of these daies , seems fully commensurate to all the suffering capacities of mankind : we weigh our own and others concerns , in very differing balances , and offer those injuries without any regret , which we can with no patience suffer : how nicely jealous is every one of us of his own repute , and yet how maliciously prodigal of other mens ? so that defamation is become one of our main topicks of discourse , furnishes entertainment to all companies ; the present owe their divertisement to the absent , and many would be drein'd quite dry , were it not for this reserve , which like an unexhaustible spring , still supplies fresh matter of talk . in like manner how carefully do we avert any hurt or mutilation of our own bodies , and yet how barbarously inconsiderate are we of others , to whom we do the greatest outrages rather than use any violence to our passion , or restrain an angry humor : only i confess there is one instance , wherein though we are unjust , we are not so partial ; but expose our selves also , and that is in the case of duells , a barbarous custom wherein 't is hard to define , whether the wickedness or folly be greater ; yet it maintains its way in spight of all the methods god has us'd to make us better or wiser : of this there are too many , and too noted instances since our restoration , as if we were so enamour'd of destruction , that when we are prevented of it from our enemies , we seek it from one another , or thought publick peace so intolerable , that when 't is cast upon us ( as sure ours , if ever any may be said to be ) we are fain to take in private quarrels , as our rescue from that dull quiet , and court the utmost mischiefs , to avoid the oppression of the greatest happiness . thus perversly do we countermine gods purposes of kindness , and when he has secur'd us , solicitously seek to be deliver'd from our safety ; project new dangers , and dare his power with a yet harder task , the delivering us from our selves : and whilst we thus avert our quiet , 't is no wonder that we produce no better effects of it ; nor fructifie under that , which we will not permit our selves to enjoy . and as upon this general view , we appear very ill managers of our peace , so shall we much more , if we reflect on those many particular blessings which are wrapt up in that , of which we make so perverse use , that we therein no less violate sobriety , than we have already appear'd to do piety and righteousness ; so filling up the measure of our iniquity by transgressing all the fudamental rules of christianity , living neither soberly , righteously , nor godly in this present world , tit. . . and of those advantages which are the appendages to peace , there are two most eminent ; plenty and liberty , both of which are the more remarkable in our present quiet , by how much the deprivation of each was the greater . for the first , we know the late times of rapine , had torn from many among us their whole subsistence , so entirely despoil'd them that they were reduc'd to iobs condition , and connected the two extreme points of birth and death , by a middle state of the like nakedness and destitution : and to such , our late restoration was a kind of civil resurrection ; rais'd them like elisha's dry bones , from the most hopeless state , and by a successive posseson of their own inheritances , made them heirs to themselves . and though all were not so wholly divested , yet like those canaanites whom the iews did not extirpate , they were put under tribute : and while persons who knew so well how to exact were lords paramount , a bare being was all could be expected , they seem'd rather stewards than owners of their fortunes , and had rather the trouble than advantage of their managery : and who would not think that this so long want of plenty , should have taught us sobriety in the using it ; that desuetude should have worn out the skill of luxury , and we should not have known how to be riotous : but alas , our memories have been too faithful to us in this particular , no one of our vanities is fall'n into oblivion , but on the contrary the art of voluptuousness so improved , as if all the time that was lost from the practick , had been spent in the theory , and we had for so many years been contriving new kinds and degrees of excess . indeed it is too sure we retain'd the affection when we had lost the power of rioting ; and 't is not our prosperity seduces us , but we it . for as the sun though it lends its rayes to the begetting of the vilest insects , yet makes no such production but upon apt matter , slime and putrefaction : so neither would the most opulent fortune make us sensual , did it not find us dispos'd and prepar'd for it . how forcible those propensions are , appears by the multitude of objects on which they work ; for they had need be strong inclinations that take in all opportunities , nay possibilities of actuating themselves , and such 't is evident ours are , there being nothing capable of ministring to luxury , which we use not to that purpose . our meat is no longer apportioned to our hunger , but our tasts : so that the stomach is made meerly passive in the matter of eating ; serves only to receive those loads we charge it with , whilest its elections and choices are forestall'd by the palate or phancy ; nay , 't is not permitted so much as a negative voice , not allowed to refuse what is either for kind or quantity destructive to it : we do with studied mixtures force our relucting appetites , and with all the spells of epicurism , conjure them up that we may have the pleasure of laying them again . thus unworthily treacherous are we to nature , which while we pretend to relieve , we oppress , by giving her not only beyond her need , but sufferance : and to shew we are no less dextrous in mixing sins than meats ; our very pride ( though in its self an intellectual vice ) mingles with our gluttony , every thing is insipid that is not costly ; and it is thought an ignoble peasant-like thing to eat a plain meal : nor is he now to be lookt on as a gentleman , whose single ordinary costs not as much as would be ( and himself would perhaps some years since have thought ) a fair exhibition for some whole families . and that we may not be charg'd with partial intemperance , we go not less in that of drink , wherein we are so nice and critical , that 't is become a special skill and faculty to judge of liquors : but how great soever our curiosity be , 't is sure our excess is greater , and does not only over-match but supplant it ; there being no drink so unpleasant which the love of a debauch will not reconcile us to . so great a malice do we bear to our reason , that to oppress it , we are content to expose our darling , and do violence to our very sense . how unhappily predominant this brutish vice is , need not here be told , since it too evidently attests its self , to every mans observation , it no longer seeking the shelter of night and darkness , but impatient of such delay , appears in the broadest light ; and he is now a slow-paced drunkard , that has not finisht his course , perhaps begun another , before the sun has ended his : nay , so is the scene chang'd , that sobriety is become the reproachful thing , such as even those who value it dare not own , and are either driven to preserve it by shifts and artifices , or else chuse to abandon it rather than hazard the scandal . and certainly this is the great advantage this sin has for the propagating its self , for 't is impossible bestiality should be so universally agreeable to mankind , that all should pursue it out of appetite and liking : 't is this fear that engages many in it ; and though it have too many voluntiers , yet sure 't is this press that helps to make up its numbers , which as it speaks the great baseness of those who are thus asham'd both of piety and humanity , and had rather cease to be men , than appear to be christians ; so is it a sad indication of national impiety , a fatal symptome that we have neer fill'd up the measure of our iniquities , and are ripened for the woes denounced against those who call evil good , and good evil , esa. . . which sure was never more palpably done than in this instance , wherein temperance is branded for ill nature , and dulness of humor ; whilest the most swinish excess must pass for sociableness , friendship , and hospitality ; names which have been so long prostituted that they have lost their native use , and men have forgot those very distant things to which they originally belong'd , yet sure such once there were : god made us sociable creatures , and we might still continue so upon the strength of that first principle , and need not owe our intercourse to our debaucheries ; no , nor our friendships neither , which have been so far from being preserv'd that way , that there is nothing more obviously , and frequently violates them ; nay , indeed the whole species of real friendships seems to be extinct , since this fictitious sort took place . men think it enough ( as indeed 't is too much ) to damn themselves with their friends , and all other communications are transmuted into that of sin , for we daily see those , who cleave the most inseparably in this kind to each other , will yet neither do nor suffer any thing else : and sure if this be friendship , 't is such a reverst kind of it as must have as preposterous a definition ; for none that have yet been given by divines or philosophers will fit it . the like may be said of hospitality , which sure is in its proper nature of a very distant make from this ; design'd to relieve strangers , not burthen them ; to cure their wants indeed , but not by the worse exchange of a surfet : so that the ancient and the modern hospitality , differ as much as that of melchizedeck from that of circe ; the one refreshes , the other transforms : and how great a shew soever of liberality this later may have , yet he is not to be thought to have drunk gratis , that has paid his reason for his shot . and to both these parts of intemperance , our uncleanness bears full proportion , the one makes provision for the flesh , and the other fulfils the lusts thereof . to how brutish an impudence this sin is grown is too visible : we need not trace men into their privacies and recesses , themselves willingly proclaim their guilts ; nay , dread nothing so much as the opinion of being innocent : yea so out-dated a vertue is modesty now become , that even that sex to which it was once accounted the greatest ornament , have put it off , look on it as a piece of rusticity , and countrey breeding : whether this pulling down the fence be an indication they are willing to lie common , i shall not determine : but sure that very free , and confident behaviour now in use , is too apt to invite assaults , and takes off all that extenuation of crime , which was wont to be allowed that sex upon the supposition of their being seduced ? thus do we publish our sin as sodom , and if we consider how much boldness it has gain'd since the return of our prosperity ; t will be probable that ours also has been fomented by fulness of bread , and abundance of idleness , ez. . . that our plenty is very subservient to it , appears by the vast expence wherewith many men manage this vice : and that our idleness is so too , is no less evident by the large portions of time that are spent in those pursuits , it being as the great design , so the especial business of too many mens lives . as for the remedy which god has assign'd , it serves now only to exasperate the disease . marriage with too many only advances simple-fornication to adultery , and superadds perjury to uncleanness ; those sacred bands are like samsons wit hs , broken upon every assault of the philistins , and the very thought of being confin'd makes men more apt to range ; for alas , 't is not their needs but their phancies they are to provide for , and that is so endless , that the greatest liberty of polygamy would never satisfie it : the same quarrel would lie then to multiplied wives , which does now to single ; i mean , that they were their own : and how numerous soever their flock were , 't would not secure their poor neighbours only lamb , especially when 't is consider'd , that in this they gratifie two sins at once , their vanity as well as their lust ; their complacence in undermining the husband , being generally as great , as that in enjoying the wife . and if pride abstractedly and in its own nature be , as solomon says , an abomination to the lord , certainly when 't is thus complicated , it must be infinitely more so , and ascertain a concurrence of those iudgments , which are singly threatned to each of those sins ; what those are , i wish guilty persons would seriously ponder , and then they would surely think their momentary pleasures much over-bought . but alas , such a fascinating sin this is , as allows men no liberty of consideration , they go on as the wise-man says , prov. . . with the same stupidity that an ox goeth to the slaughter : or , a fool to the correction of the stocks ; and while every body else observes the effects of their vice in their wasted bodies , and ruin'd estates ; themselves are the last that discern it , pursue the course till the very last remains of strength and wealth are exhausted , and nothing left them but disease and beggery . of the truth of this , there have been too many sad examples , though it seems not yet enough , to give caution to others . and to these lusts of the flesh , we spare not to add those of the eye also , for so surely we may properly call all those luxuries which adapt themselves peculiarly to that faculty , such are the gaity of apparel , richness of furniture , and all the splendor of equipage , which has no propriety to any other sense , but that of seeing , and is lost if it be not lookt on : and though these seem to differ much from that covetousness which st. iohn is supposed to comprehend in that phrase , the one being the tenacity , the other the profusion of money ; yet they are but several branches of the same sin , and are diversified only by a various application to the object : for in strict speaking , he that covets gold and silver to lay on his back , is as properly covetous , as he that designs it only to fill his coffers . but besides the propriety these excesses have to that title , they have no less claim to that ensuing , the pride of life ; it being evident that they are both effects and fomenters of pride : and sure this sets but an ill character upon them , that when the apostle has divided all the lusts of the world into three sorts , these bid so fair to two of them . i would not here be understood to condemn that decency and moderate expence , which agree to the several ranks and qualities of persons , there being not only a lawfulness , but some kind of civil necessity for such distinctions : nor is the levelling principle fitter to be admitted in habit , than in title or estate : that which i accuse is quite another thing , it being that inordinate profusion which does not only exceed the ability and fortune of the person , but the proportion of his rank and condition ; and so confounds that distinction it should preserve , and levels us the wrong way : it being more tolerable that all should be peasants , than all lords . and this is the irregularity that many seem to affect , there being not only an emulation of pomp and bravery among equals , but those of the most distant qualities , there seeming now no other measure than the utmost extent of their money or credit ; the later whereof is often so stretcht , that it not only cracks its self , but by an unhappy contagion , breaks those it deals with , and like a granado tears towns in pieces : the many ruin'd families of tradesmen do too sadly attest this ; would god our gallants would consider how unequal it is , that many should want necessary cloathing , only to maintain the superfluity of theirs ; an injustice which not only upon a religious , but politick account deserves the severest reproof , and since divine laws will not restrain it , 't were well if humane were provided : though i confess , 't were not easie to find out penalties to deter those whom the wants so usually attending these excesses will not discourage . this sort of vanity was once thought peculiar to women , and though i cannot say that the sexes have exchang'd faults , ( because each still keeps its own , together with those of the other ) yet 't is evident they have communicated them , and as the women of this age have transcrib'd masculine vices , so the men have feminine ; this particularly , wherein they seem fully to answer the copy , they being as critically knowing in all the mysteries of vanity , and as diligent in reducing their speculations to practice , as any the most extravagant female . indeed both the one and the other pursue this folly with so great an expence of care , time , and money , as if to be fine and happy were the same thing , and their bodies had been design'd for their cloaths , rather than their cloaths for their bodies . and now when all these luxuries are to be serv'd , it had need be an exorbitant plenty that shall supply them ; and that will unfold the riddle so frequent among us , of so many being poorer since they recovered their estates , than when they wanted them : our revenue how large soever , is so clogg'd and encumber'd with our vices , that they moulder away , and only serve to carry other mens with them , by giving credit to run in debt . there are indeed no such unmerciful exactors as our own lusts , the one gleans after the other , till they induce such a scarcity as the prophet ioel describes . . that which the palmer-worm hath left , hath the locust eaten , and that which the locust hath left , hath the canker-worm eaten , and that which the canker-worm hath left , hath the caterpillar eaten : so that in effect we have only changed our oppressors , and are as much or more exhausted by our sins , as we were before by other mens ; with this woful circumstance that now we have the guilts as well as the sufferings : thus do we rob our selves , and create want in the midst of all that abundance god has given us , using our plenty as the benjamites did the levites concubine , iudg. . force and prostitute it till we destroy it ; and the similitude holds in this also , that what we thus violate is not our own ; for let us phancy what we will , certainly our superfluities are more the poors right than ours , assign'd to them by god the grand proprietor . so that our excesses have besides their proper guilt , that of injustice superadded ; and when the cry of the poor shall be joyn'd to those of our riots , they will certainly be too clamorous to let vengeance any longer sleep . this is the account we can give of our plenty , and that of our liberty is not much better ; 't is not long since that arbitrary tyranny expir'd , which gave us no other measures of our duties or punishments , than the will or avarice of the imposers : and then how did we gasp to be under the conduct and protection of known determinate laws ? yet now we have them , who considers them , or is regulated by them ? between the licenciousness of inferiors , and the remisness of superiors , they are rendred things only of form , not use ; for while the one violates , and the other connives , what can they signifie , and though there be never so many new laws made to assert the old , yet we see they serve for little but to partake of the same contempt with the others , and are but like the chimeras of an utopian state , sagely contriv'd , but to no purpose . 't is the execution of laws that gives them a real and effective being , and without that , amidst our great volumes we are yet destitute , and may too probably experiment the truth of that axiome , that 't is better to live where nothing is lawful , than where all things are . indeed if we remember how the statutes of omri were kept , with what a tameness the severest impositions of the late usurpers were submitted to , we have reason to think coercion is the surest principle of vulgar obedience ; though withal it sets but an ill mark upon us , who know so much better how to be slaves than subjects . and as we are restor'd to our civil liberty , so as a branch or consequent of that , we are to our personal also : we were lately in the condition christ foretold to st. peter , carried by others whither we would not , io. . . but now we gird our selves and go whither we will ; and alass , what use do many of us make of this freedom ? is it not visible , that neither our publick or private affairs are the better attended : but on the contrary we are in a restless pursuit of impertinent or vicious pastimes , go pilgrimages to our pleasures , wander about from this sport , that meeting to another , till many of us forget we have any other concerns in the world , and are as much strangers to our own homes , as when we were forcibly detain'd thence : and for such i know not whether the former restraint be not eligible , to be a prisoner being a kind of rescue to him , that would otherwise be a vagrant . these are the uses we make of those advantages whereof god has repossest us . i know 't is too envious a task to distribute these accusations to every rank and order of men among us ; i have here given them in the lump , and wish that not only such degrees , but each person would adapt to himself his peculiar share , wherein contrary to other dividends , i fear the only immodesty and injustice too will generally be , for every one not to carve liberally for himself . however , 't is sure in the gross they make up the character of a most barbarously ungrateful nation . god was pleased to return our peace , before we had forsaken our sins , as if he meant to try our ingenuity ; that we who had been so much worse than beasts under the former method , that no stripes would discipline us , might have this advantage to redeem our credit , and be drawn with these cords of a man : but we have put off not only piety but humanity , and are equally untractable to all methods . and now who can refrain from moses's passionate apostrophe , do ye thus requite the lord o foolish people and unwise , deut. . . unwise indeed , that from the most benigne purposes of god , extract nothing but our own mischief : are the poorer for his liberalities , and the worse for his goodness ; by a preposterous use so wear out our blessings , that they cease to be , at least to be blessings : and if they once fall from that , there is no middle form for them to assume , they convert into the direct contrary , and become the fatallest curses , more heavy than those which were originally design'd as such ; that degeneration adding malignity , and no fury being so extreme , as that which bottoms upon repell'd and irritated love. gods mercies are like those pictures , which according to the different position of the beholder , carry different representations , if we will still stand on the wrong side , and not take them in their more amiable appearance , we shall find they can put on a dreadful : his goodness will not be finally unoperative , if we will not permit it to lead us to repentance , 't will drive us to destruction . i am sure we have all reason to expect he should exert his power as eminently against us , as he has done for us , unless perhaps he sees that is not necessary to our ruine , for indeed let him but stand by and not interpose his omnipotence for us , he may trust us to be his executioners , our vices having a natural as well as moral efficacy to destroy us . and who knows whether that be not the reason of his seeming connivance , that he forbears to strike us , to give us up to those more fatal wounds we inflict on our selves ; this alas we have too much cause to fear , for 't is sure 't is not our innocence that gives us impunity , but 't is more than probable 't is our incorrigibleness ; that god gives us over with a why should ye be smitten any more ? will not prostitute his judgments , but as the basest of malefactors leave us to the basest of executioners , and let our iniquities become our ruine . this as it is the severest purpose god can entertain towards us , so 't is our most important concern to avert . and o that we , who have so perversly resisted all the designs of his love , would now try to defeat that of his anger , rob him of those intestine avengers within our own breasts , those fleshly lusts which fight against the soul , pet. . . which do not only provoke , but execute his wrath , and make us more miserable than hell its self could do without them ; and god knows 't is more than time for us , to seek an escape from so formidable mischiefs : o let us not contract one minutes delay , let us cast our selves at the feet of our offended god , and as those who are condemn'd to disgraceful executions , use to petition for some death of less infamy , as a boon and favour , so let us beg , that he will please to think us worth his own correction ; that whatsoever we suffer from his hand , yet that we may not ( like to herod ) be deliver'd up to the loathsome fortune of being devour'd by our own putrefaction . in a word , let us form davids choice into an importunate prayer , and earnestly beg that we may fall into the hands of god , and not into the hands of men , at least not of our selves , who are more to be dreaded than all our other enemies . indeed till we do thus , our prosperities are far from real , and do in this justifie our most mutinous repinings , that we are never the better for them , nay , much the worse , yet since 't is only we that have enervated them , they will stand upon our account in their proper weight and value : when our receipts are summed up , god will charge us with them , not as those empty useless things we have made them , but as those great and solid blessings he intended them . and certainly this is most deplorable ill managery , to reserve nothing to our selves but the burthen and account of our good things ; to enjoy nothing , and yet be answerable for all . in secular things men usually pay with some regret , for those things of which they have only anticipated the use : but with what dismal reluctancies shall we come to pay for these , of which we have made no advantage , and must therefore pay the dearer because we have not ; it being not so much the things , as our employing of them to our benefit , whereof god will exact account . his anger is then only incens'd , when we resist his love ; and his only quarrel to us is , for frustrating his design of making us happy . and sure those well deserve his wrath , that will provoke it on such terms ; yet so perverse is the choice , as of all sinners in general , so especially of this nation at this time , who have all before us which might make us happy in both worlds , if we did not madly affect to be so in neither , god grant we may recover the sobriety to make wiser elections , before it be out of our power to make any , and we be found to stand to the mischiefs of our own wild option . the reader will perhaps think , i have gone beyond the limits of a moderate digression , but the too great copiousness of the theme , must be my excuse : such overgrown vices cannot well be drawn in little , and where there is such a multitude , the most superficial view of each , is rather proportional to a distinct tract , than to the few pages it has borrowed in this . my greater fear is , that the event may prove it impertinent , there being not much hope that a private whisper shall be heard by those , who are deaf to the loudest calls of heaven , and have made no other use of those various and signal providences we have been under , than to defeat the design of them . chap. ix . a survey of the mischiefs arising from disputes in general . these are some of those many artifices , whereby satan like a cunning pick-lock , slyly robs us of our grand treasure , the power and efficacy of our christianity , and leaves us only the empty casket , the name and formal profession , that which serves only to make us proud , not rich , confident , not safe : and god knows , so many are daily thus befool'd by him , so many fall as preys to these his stratagems , as might , one would think , glut the eagerest malice , and supersede all farther designs : but so insatiate is this grand devourer , that retail-prizes , though never so frequent , do rather enrage than satisfie his appetite : he is enemy not only to this or that man , but to mankind in gross , and therefore as if he fear'd that even his malice might not prove indefatigable enough for so many distinct pursuits , he contrives more compendious methods of destruction : frames such engines as take off whole ranks , nay , troops ; compounds such active poyson , as like a pestilence , kills multitudes at once . it is too trivial a mischief to annoy the outward parts , it is his mastery to spread an unseen venome in the bowels , thence to diffuse its self through 't , mix with the vital spirit , and convert that kindly heat which should animate , into those wild irregular flames which ravine and consume . and this is done , by that pestilential spirit of division , that heat of disputation , which has for so many ages possest and wasted the catholick church ; and by an unhappy kind of magick transform'd the zeal of christian practice , into an itch of unchristian dispute ; made the questions about our creed more numerous than the letters of it ; and by multitudes and contrariety of paraphrases so confounded and obscur'd the text , that what was anciently the badge and tessera of christian communion , serves us for no other purpose but as an occasion of breaking it . so long as the church retain'd the simplicity of christian doctrine , lookt on her faith as the foundation of her obedience , and endeavour'd to propagate to her children such an understanding of the one , as was most apt to promote the other ; she happily made good the title christ gives her , can. . of his love , his dove , his undefil'd one : but when the serpent had once got into this paradise , infus'd his subtilties , and nice intricacies into mens brains ; and least that should not be ruinous enough , his venome also into their hearts : then began all those unhappy metamorphoses , in comparison of which , those of the poets are as trivial as they are fabulous : then that faith which was once inseparably joyn'd with the patience of the saints , forsook that tame company , and linkt its self with the most contrary qualities of wrath and bitterness ; and those whose profession it was to resist unto blood , striving against sin , pursued to blood those that resisted them in any of their speculations : then that passive valour which had rendred them so venerable to their heathen enemies , converted some , tired out others , and amaz'd all ; sadly degenerated into that active malice , which from persecuted christians , entituled them to that monstrous style of christian persecutors . and that ardent love , which had offered up so many holocausts to god , was supplanted by that fiery hatred , that made no less acceptable oblations to satan . this miserable and destructive change was so much the interest of the enemy of souls , that we cannot wonder he should so studiously promote it ; and indeed never did he at once so approve his malice and subtilty , i would i could not say success also , as in this design ; in comparison whereof , all his other projects speak him but a puny , this is his one goliah stratagem which has serv'd him not only to defie , but even defeat the armies of the living god. nor is his sagacity more observable in the choice , and main drift of the design , than in the ways of effecting it ; had he brought into the primitive church those large scrolls of disputable points , wherewith he has fill'd the modern ; that more charitable age must needs have startled and discern'd , that that seeming iealousie for truth , was indeed nothing but a real design against peace , and would surely never have parted with that sacred depositum , that precious legacy so lately bequeath'd by christ , for those vain janglings , those school subtilties which now entertain the world . but as he that would divert a man from the guard of some important treasure , alarms him in some other of his greatest interests ; so he at first raises up heresies of the greatest magnitude , whose blasphemous consequencies so shook the whole fabrick of religion , that what was uzzahs rashness seemed then every man 's advised duty , to put his hand to the upholding of the tottering ark. how could those who had been baptiz'd into the faith of the blessed trinity , suffer the arians to rob them of the second person , the macedonians of the third , the valentinians and manichees so to despise the first , as to set up against him a rival principle of being : how could those who had so solemnly renounc'd the world , the flesh and the devil , see them all bowed to by the temporizing , unclean , idolatrous gnosticks ? these were such invasions as seemed to commissionate all that could weild the sword of the spirit to take it up , and engage in this warfare . but all this while 't was a sad dilemma to which the church was driven ; if she gave countenance to these seducers , she betrayed her faith ; if she entred the contest she violated her unity ; the one would undermine her foundation , the other would make a breach in her walls . and the devil was too old an artist to lose the advantage , he knew well that even a just and necessary defence , does by giving men acquaintance with war take off somewhat from the abhorrence of it , and insensibly dispose them to farther hostilities , and therefore he fail'd not to provide sparks for that matter , which was now grown so combustible ; nor did he always send them from the bottomless pit , but sometimes borrowed fire from the altar to consume the votaries , and by the mutual collision of well meant zeal set even orthodox christian in flame . a memorable instance of this was the dispute about easter , wherein while the veneration they had of the glorious resurrection of christ , prompted them to commemorate it in the exactest manner they could , the serpent creeps into this paradise , and though they had the same common end , yet on occasion of some little dissenting in the way , the heat of devotion insensibly degenerated into that of contention ; and by being very tenacious of a circumstance of that celebration , they lost the more essential requisite that of charity : kept the feast indeed , but with the leven of malice , and absurdly commemorate the redintegration of his natural body , by mutilating and dividing his mystical . so likewise in the business of rebaptization , while one side in a pious abhorrence of heresie , thought the stain like that of original sin could not be done away by any purgation less solemn than that of baptism , and the other in a just reverence of ancient custom , and jealousie of innovation opposed it : the dispute lasted till the scene was changed , and those who deliberated of the manner of receiving hereticks into the church , were themselves as such turn'd out of it . no less well meant were the originals of the novatian and donatist heresies , as equally unhappy were their issues : for in them all , when bitter zeal was once fermented , through its aptitude to receive , and the devils vigilance to administer occasions , the orthodoxy or heresie of lives soon became terms out-dated , and men were measur'd only by opinions : that sword of the spirit which was at first design'd against vicious practices had its edge turn'd against speculative notions , in so much , that at last like that of ioab , sam. . . it had got such an aptness to fall out , that it was always a ready instrument of execution , till even a philosophical point , as that of the antipodes was resolv'd with an anathema , and not to know the systeme of this present world , made forfeiture of that to come . but alas these , though great defections from primitive unity , were but modest essays , and feeble assaults , compar'd with those which infested the succeeding ages : this root of bitterness was then but a probationer in the soyle , and though it sent forth some offesets to preserve its kind ; yet satan was fain to be at some pains to cherish and nurse them up , placed them under the shadow of the sanctuary , and got them like the treacherous ivy , supported by that piety they were designed to destroy ; but it was not long ere they had got firmer rooting and strength , not only to propagate , but multiply . every dispute in religion grew prolifical , and in ventilating one question , many new ones were started : and as questions grew numerous , so did sects too ; every opinion almost constituted a new party , and those again subdivided into many others , so that of all the first violators of primitive unity , we scarce find any , who did not revenge their schism upon themselves , by separating from one another , as they had all done from the church ; till at last the progeny both of sects and opinions grew so numerous , that he who would exact an account , must be sent like abraham , to the sky or to the shore : the stars or sands , being as apt a subject of arithmetick as they . whence it is brought to pass , that satan now may leave his toilsome labour of compassing the earth ; men do his business for him , giving him leisure to be only a cheerful spectator of their divinityprizes ; the bloody combates of ecclesiastick gladiators . and that he may be secur'd never to want that pleasing divertisement , the later ages have been careful to train him up combatants , it being now become a distinct sort of learning , a new species of divinity , to raise nice questions , create new difficulties , branch out with fond distinctions our holy faith , which the pious simplicity of the first christians , receiv'd to practice ; not to read upon as an anatomy , unbowel and dissect to try experiments , much less to bring into the theatre , there made to fight and bleed , to shew men sport , and try the skill of the unhappy sword-men , and masters of defence . the form of sound words , which in its native frame and constitution , was most enlivening and salubrious , dissolv'd and melted by chimical preparation , ceases to be nutritive ; and after all the labours of the alembeck , and hopes of an elixir , insensibly evaporates , and vanishes to air ; or leaves in the recipient a foul empyreuma , or fretting corrosive . an endless dotage about names and words , and then as endless quarrel for them ; appearing the commensurate effect of the long studies of those distillers in divinity , who boast its sublimation . it is indeed a thing worthy of the greatest both wonder and lamentation to see how the plainest , and most simple proposition , when it falls into the hands of these artists , is mangled and disjointed , is rarified , exalted , and refin'd : he whose leisure , or indeed whole life , would serve him to survey all the subtile divisions , and distinctions of the school-men , would sure resolve , they had the power of working miracles . questions in their hands multiplying in the breaking , like the loaves in our saviours . but sure the event of the miracles are very desperate , no solid nourishment being deriv'd by the one , but on the contrary , stones given us in stead of bread , and those too for the worst purposes , even to fling at one another , as if because stoning was the death of the first christian martyr , we design'd his charity to the same fate with himself ; that divine gospel grace having since faln under as thick a showr , and with this sharp aggravation too , that whereas he suffered from iews , christians are become its executioners : whilest those who pretend to be champions of the faith , irrefragable , angelical , and seraphical doctors , not only fill the church with quarrels whilest they live , but bequeath them in their writings to posterity ; as zisca is said to have done his skin , to be made an incentive to war and confusion . it was the policy of iulian to shut up the fountains of humane learning from the christian youth , lest they should there gain such acuteness , as might render them the more formidable adversaries to paganism : but could he have foreseen that they would have employed those weapons not against the common enemy , but one another , he would surely have revers'd the stratagem , freely opened those magazeens whence they might furnish themselves for their mutual ruine , and have as solicitously promoted their learning , as ever he obstructed it . i am very far from abetting their arrogant folly , who either decry humane learning in general , or make it such a moabite , or ammonite , that however it be admitted in civil converse , must be interdicted the sanctuary . our religion prescribes us rational not brutish sacrifices , and therefore despises not any of those advantages which may improve our reason , exalt the man and depress the beast in us : yet sure we shall derogate very impiously from christs prophetick office , if we allow not divinity to be the supreme and noblest science ; such as is to be serv'd and attended , not regulated and govern'd by those inferior : but that just order seems now to be inverted ; divine learning is brought down to humane ; the simplicity of christian doctrine so perplext and confounded with philosophical nicities , that plato and aristotle are become the umpires of our religion , and we must go ask heathens how far we shall be christians . those deep things of god as the apostle calls them cor. . . and of which he pronounces the natural man an incompetent judge , are yet brought before that tribunal , subjected to be scanned by rules of art : but alas , our line is too short to sound those depths . men rashly undertake to understand incomprehensible , to order infinite , define ineffable things : and then no wonder if their conceptions differ ; for where there is no visible truth , wherein to center , error is as wide as mens phancies , and may wander to eternity : while multitudes run cariers in the dark , it is not strange to have them justle , and overthrow each other . and doubtless were the controversies which have so long harrased the church throughly examin'd , many of them would be found of this nature . an humble belief has been judg'd too sluggish and dull an exercise for men of acute parts , and therefore they would not take faith's word that so it is , unless reason will be her surety , and shew them how ; but sure it had been much for the peace of the church and safety of souls , if mysteries had been permitted to be mysteries ; that those sublimer parts of our faith had been entertain'd with more veneration , and less of disquisition , and that while even the learned'st do acknowledge them to be abysses , they would not confute that confession , by attempting to fathom them . but alas , so preposterous has been the procedure , that those things which were indeed inexplicable , have been rackt and tortur'd to discover themselves , while in the mean , the plainer , and more accessible truths , as if despicable while easie , are clouded and obscur'd ; so many subtile queries rais'd about them , that the theorick of christianity is become harder than the practick ; a grace is much more readily acquir'd than defin'd , and that key of knowledge which should give us entrance into the closets and recesses of religion , is by so much tampering and wrenching made useless ; serves only to busie us at the door , and so in effect proves rather a bar to keep us out , than a key to let us in . thus perverse are the contradictions of humane deprav'd nature , which like our first parents take it unkindly , that god has reserv'd any thing from us , and boldly attempt to break down his enclosures , to rob him of his peculiar ; and yet in the mean , as industriously contrive to rob our selves of our own , to cancelling both parts of gods distribution , neither leaving secret things to the lord our god , nor the revealed ones to us and our children , deut. . . certainly the first propagators of our faith , proceeded at another rate , they well knew that not the brain but the heart , was the proper soil for that celestial plant , and therefore did not amuse their proselytes with curious questions , but set them to the active part of their religion . we see what brief and plain instructions s. peter gives his catechumeni , act. . . repent and be baptiz'd every one of you for the remission of sins : and this it seems as a full preparation for the gift of the holy ghost , which he there promises upon these only conditions . this was that vigorous seed which at once sprung up suddenly , and rooted deep too , and produc'd the liberal harvest of that day : but sure had those three thousand souls , been catechiz'd by our modern casuists , we had seen a wide difference , not only in the expedition but success . in like manner we see act. . how short a creed qualified in s. philips judgment for the eunuchs baptism : and we find s. paul whose education enabled him for the subtilest definitions , yet delivers his whole doctrine in this compendium , act. . . repentance towards god , and faith towards our lord iesus christ ; and 't is observable how he introduces this with a profession that he had kept back nothing that was profitable for them , vers. . and seconds it v. . with another , that he had not shunned to declare unto them the whole councel of god ; from whence 't is obvious for the shallowest discourser to inferr , that the whole councel of god as far as it is incumbent for man to know , at least necessitate medii is compriz'd in that one breviat of evangelical truth : and certainly whilest all the devision of these generals , was the distributing them into practice , they were found most fertile seminaries of all vertue ; but when they came to be dichotomiz'd , and cantond out into curious aerial notions , they lost their prolifick nature : that fruitful land became a wilderness , a wild and intricate maze , where men sooner lose themselves than find either truth or holiness . when christianity first attested its self by miracles , it produced in the hearts of its converts , a firm assent to the truth of the doctrine , and an awful reverence and adoration of that god , who had given such power unto men , awaking them to an enquiry after duty , so to propitiate that omnipotence whose fury it appear'd impossible to bear : and this sure was a much more genuine effect , than if they had busied themselves in those many unprofitable curiosities , nice , yet bold enquiries into the divine attributes which now a-daies serve only to supplant that pious veneration we owe to them . in like manner the comprehensive enunciation of christ , mar. . . he that believeth shall be saved , and he that believeth not shall be damn'd , was received by the first christians , as the condition on which the two so distant states of salvation or damnation depended , and accordingly excited their diligence , to attain the one , and avoid the other . and this certainly was a much more concerning employment , than to have entertain'd themselves with the modern dispute , whether some antecedent decree of god had not irreversibly determin'd them , to the one or other ; a disquisition that has serv'd only to keep us idly busie , set our heads a working , but folds up our hands like solomon's sluggard in our bosoms . so also when s. paul affirms it the design of christs giving himself for us , to purifie to himself a peculiar people , zealous of good works ; the primitive christians had no other design than to comport with that his purpose ; to be what he died to make them , and to attest their zeal to good works , by being actually rich in them . they took christ's word , that he that gave the meanest dole for his sake , should not lose his reward ; thought themselves sure enough upon his promise , and never disputed the proportion either of worth or congruity between the work and wages ; and had the modern done the like , our works had not so unhappily evaporated into words , we had talkt less and done more . 't were easie to draw the parallel through all the points which busied the devotion of the first ages , and the curiosity of the later : by all which it would be evident , how much christian doctrine has lost in its efficacy , since it gain'd in its bulk : how we have embased our coin by multiplying it ; and have divided our sum into so many , and so small fractions , as our arithmetick can scarce number , never unite . we should think him very ridiculous , that should hope to advance his crop , by grinding the corn he sowes : yet methinks , this has bin the method of our spiritual husbandmen , who have scarce suffered one grain of our faith to scape entire . 't is said that the ant , when she lays in her winter stock , bites the ends of the corn , as being naturalist enough to know that will certainly prevent its sprouting : and sure that little contemptible creature whom solomon appoints to preach industry to the sluggard , may in this point read philosophy too , to our greatest doctors ; convince them that that seed which they mangle with so many distinctions and divisions , will never spring up into christian practice : it will rather be like the dragons teeth , cadmus is said to have sown , whose immediate production was a hostile band combating one another . a fable which god knows we have found too sadly moraliz'd in our school contentions , only with this unhappy difference , that ours are more immortal , our serpentine breed fight but never die , oppose but destroy not one another . and then 't will not appear strange to see the first seeds of discord , so prodigiously encreas'd , that they now overspread the face of the earth : for whereas in all other things there is a succession , one generation goes and another comes ▪ and so though the species continue , the individuals perish ; these seem to have the accurst priviledge of propagating and not expiring , and to have reconcil'd the procreativeness of corporeal , with the duration of incorporeal substances : this is such an advantage toward their multiplication , that we may grieve , but cannot wonder to find them swarm ; not like bees to bring profit , but like locusts to devour every green thing in the land ; nor is it now in the power of all the magicians of aegypt to cast them out : for were it possible ever to become satans interest to suppress them , he would certainly find himself in the case of one of his young conjurers , to have rais'd more spirits than he could lay . mens now irritated passions , and formed interests , the great fomenters of disputes , would prove too sturdy devils , even for beelzebub himself to exorcise . but 't is too sure his kingdom will never so divide against its self ; it suits not only with his nature , but with his ends to perpetuate our strifes , and therefore as if our doctrinal debates were not enough to secure his purpose , he has an auxiliary troop of ritual differences to attach us . the leprosie which infests the sollider parts of our religion , has past from the body to the very garments ; the most exterior adherencies , habits , gestures , days , every thing that has but the remotest subserviency to piety , are become the objects of fierce contests , and have so encreas'd the number and heat of our quarrels , that 't is unnecessary , perhaps impossible to add more if he can but keep up these , as god knows he is too like to do , his kingdom will be competently guarded , they being his greatest security against that power of godliness , that vital force of christianity , he so much dreads : that they are so , is obvious enough to him that takes but the grossest confus'd view of them . but that we may better discern the degrees of his advantage and our own mischief , 't will not be amiss to consider them more attentively , make some distinct observations , not of all , for that were endless , but of some of their most eminent effects , which we shall find so pernicious and destructive , as sufficiently speak their relation , and subserviency to the great abaddon . and in the first place if we consider them only privatively as they supplant and justle out our greater concerns , we shall find them sadly mischievous , indeed to such a degree that were they not chargeable with any positive ill , they were by this their meer negative force , competent instruments of our ruine . did they actually convey no venome , yet while they substract our nourishment , their effects will be sure to be deadly ; grace as well as nature being liable to be starv'd as well as poysoned , christianity is not a dull unactive , but stirring busie state , and therefore we still find it in the gospel represented under the metaphors which imply the greatest industry and activity ; t is a trade , a watch , a race , a combat , and it assigns us tasks enough to justifie the propriety of the tropes : and therefore as on the one hand the sleepy professor will at last find he has but dreamt of those glorious rewards he expects ; so on the other , he that frames himself another scheme , that labours but not in gods vineyard , that busies himself in things extrinsick to that one great sphere of motion the evangelical precepts , will finally discern that he has but rolled sysiphus his stone , espous'd a toyle under which he may indeed be weary and heavy laden , but will never find rest to his soul. and then what can be more perfectly adapted to his aim , who desires to propagate his own eternal restlesness unto us , than thus to commute our tasks , exchange these pleasant and gainful ones , which god assigns us , for those uneasie and fruitless , we impose on our selves . 't is true we find too many of those unprofitable works of darkness to busie and employ us : but i think no one , nay i am apt to say not all others together , have proved so effectual to his purpose , as this of raising and maintaining parties in religion . 't is too usual a policy of states to secure themselves from the fear of a potent neighbour , by fomenting a civil discord in his kingdom : satan has in this instance found it a lucky stratagem , it having proved the most powerful revulsive of his danger . i will not examine , whether he borrowed it from , or lent it to our machavilions , but sure he may from his own experience recommend it with the attestation of a probatum est . indeed this art of diversion gives him a full security against all he fears in our christianity , for 't is not the title he envies to us , or dreads himself ; we know he long since had courage to contemn the name even of christ , when invoked by those whose practices joyn'd with him in defying it ; while we are but iewish exorcists , make no other use of christ , but to get us a reputation and a trade , he can deal well enough with us . seven sons of sceva are not half so terrible to him as one st. paul , 't is him only he fears , that to the form has joyn'd the power of godliness : that exorcisme he knows he cannot resist , and therefore has very dexterously found a way to divert it , by engaging us in those contentions which allow us not to think of the practical part of our profession . by the confus'd noise of battel , quite drowning that voice behind us , which says , this is the way walk in it . nay , by this subtilty he does not only divert , but forestall also ; like the philistines , allows no spear or sword that may be us'd against him , but takes up all those instruments by which we should work the work of god. we know to all affairs of importance there are three necessary concurrents without which they can never be dispatcht ; time , industry , and faculties ; and the more weighty and difficult the business is , the greater degree of each of these is requisite . now certainly the interest of our souls is not the slightest concern we have : the avoiding eternal misery , the acquiring endless bliss is not so trivial , or so easie a matter , as to be the work of a moment , the purchase of some few yawning wishes , or volatile phancies : he who is to dispense the rewards , has propos'd us other conditions , assign'd us work which takes up no less time than that of our whole lives ; no less intention than of our whole powers : and then if we suffer any thing else to interpose , and defaulk what is thus entirely requisite , if we cut new channels for that which should run in this one full current , 't is easie to divine what the event will be : for man being finite both in his nature and operations , the time and attention he bestows on one thing , must necessarily be substracted from another . and therefore if our disputes about religion entertain and busie us , they must unavoidably interrupt our attendance on practick duties ; and so whilest we quarrel with one another , give our great master too just ground of quarrel with us all , by neglecting the great , and indeed only business entrusted to us . now indeed that our contentions do thus divert us , is too apparent to any that shall consider it in any of the three forementioned particulars ; for , first for our time , they do not only insensibly steal away much of it ( a modesty which most other diversions do still retain ) but magisterially exact it , and accordingly have large parcels of it solemnly and avowedly devoted to them ; the scanning old questions , and raising new ones , having been the profest business of many mens lives ; their very vocation and trade wherein they have arrived to such eminence , as shews they made liberal oblations of their time to it : and of this every age has left so many records , as the meer reading them would allow few vacant minutes to the succeeding : and had not time a little reveng'd his own quarrel , and consum'd many of those writings , by which himself was wasted , the hyperbole would not be very extravagant in this case , which we find warrantably us'd in another , io. . that even the world its self could not contain the books which have been written . as it is , there are more than enough to employ , nay , devour time ; for when men once launch into the vast sea of controversie , they are tossed there endlesly , and seldom recover a harbour , difficulties like waves crouding one upon the neck of another ; and accordingly we see in polemick disputes , how every rejoynder swells bigger and bigger , till like gehazies cloud , from a hand breadth it over-spread the heavens ; every little manual becomes the parent of vast volumes ; and unless the evil cure its self by majoration , unless the greatness of the task bring in despair to supplant curiosity , and keep men from reading , the spectators will have as little respite , as the combatants , both writers and readers will be so ingrost , that they will have little leisure for any thing else . and i dare in this appeal to any that have engag'd deep either way , whether they have not found it experimentally true : i wish they would but snatch some broken parcel as a plank from the common shipwrack of their time ; rescue a few minutes for a sober reflection , and audit what real profit accrues to them , from the expence of so many precious hours ; how much it advances that grand business for which their time here was allotted , and according to which their eternity hereafter will be awarded : always remembring , that if it promote it not , it hinders it , by diverting that time which should have been so employed : and indeed there cannot be a more comprehensive mischief than this of the loss of time , it being that which virtually contains the frustrating of all other advantages , whereby we should work out our salvation . the operations even of christ himself were , he tells us , limited to a certain season : i must work the work of my father whilest it is day , the night cometh when no man can work ; and if the night overtake us , it matters not how we are stored with instruments of action , since they all at once then become useless . our laws anciently set a greater penalty upon the stealing beasts of breed , than on other cattel of the same species , as calculating the dammage by the possibilities of which the owner was robb'd . time is the universal womb of things and actions ; and therefore when we lose that , we suffer an accumulative prejudice , forfeit our rights in reversion as well as our possessions , our capacities as well as enjoyments . as in an abortion the unhappy mother , besides the frustration of her hopes , and child-birth pains sustain'd , acquires an aptitude to miscarry for the future , and never to be able to bring forth a vital birth : and thus god knows multitudes of embryon purposes perish , and the misery of it is , they are our best that do so . we generally pursue our frivolous projects with an active vigour , but keep our great and concerning affairs only in design till death come and surprize us , which like the fatal metamorphoses the poets talk of , fixes us in the posture it finds us , and so presents us to iudgment . now i would know of the most eager contender , whether he would not chuse then to be found with his hands stretcht out in prayer to god , or alms to the poor , rather than dealing blows amongst his fellow servants ; if he would , certainly 't is his concern to put himself into that form he would then appear in , to husband his little span of time so , as may stand him in stead when time shall be no more . but if men will needs be improvident , yet why will they be ridiculous too , if they will barter away their time , methinks they should at least have some ease in exchange : but to be industrious ill-husbands , to lose all their advantage , and none of their toil , is such a solemn piece of folly , as is at once matter of scorn and wonder ; yet this is the very case here , our wranglings do not only exhaust our time , but our strength too : we pursue them with so vehement an intention , as if our faith propos'd not to us any other victory , but over this sort of opponents : we run our selves breathless in this race , where the prize is only a few fading leaves , or what is more transitory , a little popular applause ; and make not towards the incorruptible crown , till we are grown too feeble and decrepit for the other pursuit . men macerate their bodies , and waste their spirits in polemick studies , prescribe themselves no time of discharge from that war , till they are able no longer to weild their weapons , and then when meer impotence makes them peaceable , begin to cry out of contention , snatch up devotion when controversie begins to be too heavy for them , and at their death pray for that peace of the church , which they have made it the business of their life to disturb . this as it sufficiently attests what mens thoughts are in their cool blood , what apprehensions they have of the way when they draw near their journeys end ; so does it abundantly evince the unspeakable prejudice , piety receives from our disputes ; those have the active and vigorous abettors , while that is turn'd off to languishing bed-rid votaries . so that the division between these two , is like that of the cattel between iacob and laban , all the stronger to the one , and feebler to the other : would god the scene were not in one respect chang'd , and that the syrian had not here got the better share . but in the mean time what greater advantage can satan wish for , our strength and industry is diverted upon these foreign expeditions , and sion is left to be guarded by the lame and the blind , such only as are not able to follow the camp , and then 't is not strange to see what succesful assaults he has made , that that true practick vertue which once made such victorious salleys on the heathen world , is now baffled in its own quarters , beaten from its works , and driven to seek shelter in obscure corners , immures its self in some few private breasts , and so like an exil'd prince , makes only shift to live when it should reign . but alas , shall we for ever suffer our selves to be thus befool'd , shall this his stale stratagem after so many hundred years use , nay , and detection too , lose nothing of its efficacy ? must we always waste our strength in forging shackles for our selves ? this is such an infatuation as hosea speaks of , chap. . . the prophet is a fool , the spiritual man is mad : would god we would once put our selves under the discipline of serious recollection , it might perhaps cure the phrensie : let him who has with unwearied diligence watcht all advantage against his antagonist ; rack'd and tortured every period of his discourse , to make it confess an absurdity : let him , i say , consider , how much better that industry had been employed in discovering the fallacies of our common adversary , that old sophister , who puts the most abusive elenchs on us , whilest we are most busie in putting them upon one another . good god , how might true vital christianity at this day have flourisht , if we would have bestowed our pains the right way ? at how much a cheaper rate might we have cherisht , than we destroy her . all parties pretend to be very careful of this vine , are very busie in setting traps for the little foxes , all whom they are pleas'd to call hereticks ; and in the mean time take no care of the wild boar , let that not only spoil her branches , but stock up her roots , suffer the most savage beastial vices to destroy both power and form of godliness together . thus unhappily do we divert our intentions , from our most important concerns . and as archimedes is said to have been so vehemently intent upon a geometrical figure , that he heard not of the taking of the city , till an enemy gave him his information and death together : so do we so busie our selves in drawing our several schemes of religion ( every of which will pretend to no less than demonstration ) that in the mean , that which alone is true religion , is expos'd to the fury of the enemy , sack'd , ruinated , and like the plough'd up iewish sanctuary , not one stone left upon another . certainly most of the questions which at this day disturb christendom , have in respect of their matter no propriety toward the propagating good life , but , in reference to their way of managery , all aptness to hinder it ; how much were it then for our ease as well as profit , to turn us into the plain road , where none of these thorny difficulties will encumber us . alas , why should the romanist so sweat to maintain his purgatory flame , as if he already felt its heat , and would in this world antedate those pains , when the same industry bestowed here to purifie himself from all filthiness of flesh and spirit , would substract the matter of that fire , and leave little for that furnace to refine ; which were doubtless a much securer way , even according to his own principles , than to trust to the uncertain devotion of others , to fetch him out when once deeply ingulph't : 't is surely much better to starve that fire , by ones own innocence , than to leave it to be extinguisht by the tears and piety of surviving friends . why should the socinian so eagerly contend for the possibility of keeping the law , when one example would convince more than a thousand arguments . let him bend his study to make himself an instance of his own doctrine ; and then though he do finally fail in proving his hypothesis , yet , if he do his utmost , he will not fail of a better triumph , than that which the schools can give ; and so will even from his error extract advantage , his very straying will by a happy antiperistasis , lead him into the way . why does the predestinarian so adventerously climb into heaven , to ransack the celestial archives , read gods hidden decrees , when with less labour he may secure an authentick transcript within himself ; let him according to saint peters advice , add to his faith vertue , and to vertue knowledge , and to knowledge temperance , &c. and that chain of vertues will stand him in much more stead , than if he could as infallibly ( as some have confidently ) demonstrate every link of predestination : 't is the assiduous practice of duty will make his calling and election sure ; and unless he can confute that divine axiome , that without holiness none shall see the lord ; he cannot but confess he may more profitably busie his thoughts in labouring to become holy , than in disputing whether he can chuse to be so or not . or lastly , why do we christians of several perswasions , so fiercely argue against the salvability of each other , as if it were not only our opinion , but our interest and our wish , that all should be damn'd , but those of our particular sect ; when god knows not only every society , but every single person has enough to do , to work out his own salvation , which if we will take the apostles word , is to be done with fear and trembling , phil. . . a temper very widely distant from that of censuring and judging . and sure we should not think that malefactor more meriting , or more likely to be acquitted , who should leap from the bar to the bench , and there condemn the whole goal but himself . 't was a sober and christian reply of a late learned gentleman , who being askt by one whether a papist might be saved , answered , you may be saved without knowing that . and would we confine our cares and enquiries , to those things which concern that one great interest , we might take less pains , and yet do more work , be less busie-bodies , but more fruitful christians , and then sure 't is time we ask our selves the wise mans question , eccles. . . what profit hath he that laboureth for the wind ; and at last give over this unthriving diligence , and not so emulate the most stupid of beasts , as to make our selves burthens , only that we may couch under them . and were this only issachars lot , 't were the less to be regretted , but also zabulon herein invades his portion ; 't is they that handle the pen of the writer , that have engrost this error , and will not suffer it to be a plebeian one . none do so much this way mis-employ the two vulgar talents of time and industry , as those who have a third superadded to them , that of extraordinary faculties and endowments which they do as prodigally lavish as either of the former . the beginners or abettors of contentions have generally been persons of the most acute refin'd wits and excellent learning , which has enabled them for those quirks and subtilties , of which grosser understandings would have remain'd more happily ignorant : a strange production that the greatest beauties of nature and art , should ingender the foulest deformity in religion . thus alas have satans altars the pre-emption of gods , the fattest oblation brought to feed the fire of contention , whilest that of devotion expires for want of nourishment . it was indeed no wonder , that the blind zeal of pagans had made him so wantonly nice , that none but the choicest victimes would serve his turn ; none but an andromeda and an iphigenia , royal and virgin sacrifices propitiate his infernal deities : but that among christians he should still have the same election , have the richest treasures of those , who say they war against him , laid at his feet , have his choicest weapons out of his enemies magazeen , is a riddle that can scarce be solved , but by concluding idolatry has only chang'd its form , and that he sits as securely enshrin'd in mens passions and animosities , as ever he did in an idol temple ; so that he seems rather to have lost the pomp , than the power of regiment . but admit , that he were not herein so immediately gods rival , that these speculative debates had none of those adherencies , which do so directly gratifie him , yet still he is secur'd of gaining somewhat at rebound ; for alas , when mens faculties are thus employed , what weapons are there left for the defence of true practick vertue , and god knows , she needs them but too much : mens lusts are grown subtile disputants , so that the most improved reason may find work enough to manage the contest ; and surely would men of parts timely have bent their endeavours this way , vice could not have got so strong a party . men are ashamed to be proselytes to a weak arguer , as thinking they must part with their reputation , as well as their sin : and certainly nothing is a more general discouragement from piety , than the opinion of its votaries not being persons of parts , and exalted understandings ; a prejudice as old as the time of our saviour , as may appear from io. . would god our greatest rabbies would sadly consider how much they have contributed to this scandal , while by laying out their parts on polemick niceties , they have neglected the more weighty part of their business , & given too much attestation to that scandalous maxim , that ignorance is the mother of devotion : certainly this is quite to mistake their commission , which is not that of a herauld , to proclaim war amongst men , but that of an embassador , to reconcile them first to holiness , and by it to god : and doubtless one soul gain'd to piety , would more promote their account , than many thousands secur'd to a sect or party . we find how sad the doom was of that servant who wrapt up his talent , but we have no cause to think it would have been at all easier , if he had melted the talent into bullets , to maintain the skirmish with his fellows : whether that be not the case of some who have receiv'd not the one talent but the five , i leave it to be discussed between god and their own consciences ; but in the interim , 't is sad to see how unhappily men engage their endeavours , which seems to represent the reverse of esay's prophesie , we having beat our plough-shares into swords , and our pruning hooks into spears , all the instruments of fertility and growth in grace , into engins of war and discord ; and then it must needs be a most deplorable condition to which christianity is reduced ; which seems in this to be under the same calamity , which her distrest professors suffer from the turkish tyranny , whilest her hopefullest and most pregnant children , are like ianizaries and timariots trained up to fight against her . and let none wonder that i call it fighting against her , when yet perhaps none of them do formally renounce her ; for that circumstance only determines the war to be intestine , not foreign ; and if our own sad experiences had not too much qualified us to judge , i might appeal to the universal vote of mankind , which of those were the most destructive . indeed were there no other act of hostility discernable , but that which we have hitherto insisted on , the intercepting her supplies , the cutting off from her that time , industry and gifts , whereby she would be nourisht and supported , that were irreparably injurious to her , and consequently most grateful to that grand enemy who as hath been shew'd , makes advantage of our wranglings of dissentions with one another , to reak his more inveterate malice on us all . chap. x. a survey of the mischiefs arising from disputes , as they supplant charity . but alas , the mischief of these debates , can never be describ'd by bare negatives , there are multitudes of positive ills , that inseparably adhere to them , and those of so destructive a force , that if christianity were beleagred and famisht by the former , she is storm'd and batter'd by these , and so is ascertain'd to sink under all the methods of ruine . in the front of these we may well rank those displacencies and animosities which are the product of our speculative differences , and which do indeed so naturally result from them , that 't is not to be hoped so long as the one continues that the other will ever cease . for though in practice we often see a bewitching sin dethrone the reason , and make men act as if they had no such superior principle to guide them , yet in matters of speculation their affections are generally strongly influenc'd by their understandings . we do not only approve , but love those notions wherewith we are prepossest , which kindness as it propagates its self to the abettors of the same tenets , so also it insinuates dislikes to the opposers . and as that opposition advances , so the disgust does too , till at last the scene shifts , and the persons are at a greater war than the opinions . but we need not thus derive a proof from the causes , when the thing does too demonstrably attest its self by the effects ; for what issues are there of the mortallest hatred , which do not plentifully flow from this fountain . humane nature we know has but three waies of actuating its passions ; by thought , by word , and by deeds ; and we may surely conclude the feud very bitter that employes all these engins , as 't is too visible this does ; for though the former of these be in their own nature inscrutable , to all but omniscience , yet the two later are , according to christs own rule of the tree by the fruits , infallible criterions of them ; and those make such liberal discoveries , that i think i may appeal to any who have espous'd a party , whether they have not with the first discriminating rudiments of their own sect , imbib'd a secret confus'd prejudice to all others . nay , i fear there are but few of so mortified passions , as to have stopt there , and not advanc'd to a direct aversion , and alienation of mind . indeed were it not for this , 't were scarce possible for so many of the vulgar , to be such bigots in their several factions ; for alas , their intellects are generally too gross , to have any cleer apprehension of the points they contend for ; their leaders only give them some general confus'd notions , just enough to excite their displeasure against all dissenters , and then their anger must presently be call'd zeal , and instead of the more uneasie task of suppressing their passion , this expedient serves at once to hallow and gratifie it : nay , so ridiculous have some mens prepossessions of this kind been , that they would scarce allow those to be entire men whom they thought not sound believers , but have phancied i know not what bodily as well as mental monstrosities in those they were pleas'd to call hereticks ; a piece of childish credulity which the emissaries of some factions have not disdain'd to make their advantage of . but these inward disgusts and rancours are but the first bound of this ball of contention , when this leven is once in the heart , it will quickly diffuse its self , and both tongue and hands will be tainted with it . hence comes it , that disputes in religion are managed with such virulency and bitterness , that one would think the disputants had put off much of humanity , before they come thus to treat of divinity . the government of the tongue is a piece of morality which sober nature dictates , which yet in this instance many even of our greatest scholars seem totally to have unlearnt ; for whether we consider the unseemly reproaches , or rigid censures , wherewith almost all parties pursue their antagonists , we have reason to say with s. iames , the tongue is an unruly evil , full of deadly poyson : would god their guilt of this kind , did not so loudly proclaim its self , as to supersede the need of proof . 't is too obvious that the satyr has usurpt the chair , and polemick discourses are degenerated into libels and invectives , our controvertists fall from arguments to reproaches , as if their zeal lay more to blast their adversaries fame , than confute his error ; and were this only in personal extemporary debates , it might have the excuse of an indeliberate passion . indeed it were to be wisht that all words of this sort , might vanish in that breath that utters them ; that as they resemble the wind in fury and impetuousness , so they might do also in transientness , and sudden expiration : but alas , a course is taken to immortalize them , they become records , and our most elaborate controvertial writings , like the earth after the curse , over-run with these briers and thorns , sarcasms , contumelies and invectives filling so many pages , that were those weeded out , many volumes would be reduced to a more moderate bulk as well as temper . nor are our censures any thing more modest than our reproaches , every petty difference is mutually upbraided , to each party as a defection from the faith , so that we scarce know a milder name than heresie , nor doom than damnation . and as if the visible obliquities of errors would not afford us inditements enough against one another , there is a closer inspection made , every position is ript up , and curiously dissected , to see what embryo is in its womb , what seeds there are of monstrous productions , which though perhaps the native strength of the principle would never have animated , yet the preternatural heat of an antagonist can quickly hatch them ( like the chickens at grand-cairo ) into life , and vigorous being : and if by a long chain of ( perhaps fallacious ) inferences , some such imputation is fastned upon a thesis , then all who embrace that , are charg'd also with all this spurious brood , though they never so solemnly renounce and disclaim them . a practice sure very uncharitable , for suppose such consequencies never so regularly deduced from my opinion , yet so long as i seriously disavow and detest them , i may indeed be thought unwise in not discerning the connexion , but sure not impious . so that unless want of logick be a damning sin , no man can hence be authoriz'd to pronounce me reprobate : and i cannot think that god , whose rigor bends against the faults of our wills , rather than our understandings , and who at the last great assize will assume our own consciences into the judicature upon us , will ever sentence me for those deductions how horrid soever which i never made mine , or that i shall ever find my self in hell for a misperswasion which i never entertain'd . but there are some whose censures are not so artificial , yet no less severe , who beg their postulata , and taking it for granted that such and such are the only sanctified opinions , make them the shiboleth by which to discriminate not only their own friends , but gods too , lock up heaven gates against any who bring not that ticket for admittance ; and though they make the way wide enough to receive the most overgrown sinner of their own opinion , yet they pronounce it impossible to the strictest piety of a dissenter . and upon such grounds as these do we mutually doom one another to perdition , never considering that whilest we so briskly presage others damnation , we really prepare for our own . alas , our eagerness to heat the furnace seven times hotter for all that bow not to our dictates , does but expose us to the fate of nebuchadnezzars officers , dan. . to be our selves consum'd in that flame , wherein we cast them . 't is indeed to be wisht we would cease to invade gods peculiar , by judging those that must stand or fall to him : but if we will needs take his office , 't is but equitable , we take his rules too ; and in our wrath remember mercy : but god be blessed 't is the judgment of our upright , yet gracious master that shall finally determine us ; and not that of our passionate fellow-servants : if these were irreversible , and the key of the bottomless pit were in our custody , we might give satan a writ of ease , discharge him from his perambulations , he would need no more to walk about as a lion , but might still lie in his den , and we should bring in prey enough to glut the devourer : for could we execute all we condemn , we might ask the disciples question , mat. . . who then can be saved ? but as these severe censures , are a present violation of charity , so they tend to the perpetuating it by obstructing a return to that unity of iudgment , which might make up the very original breach : for while men reciprocally load each others opinions and persons with detestable imputations , if they really speak what they think , they do still more deeply impress upon themselves the prejudice to that which they accuse : ( hatred as well as love gathering strength by being actuated ) : but if they do indeed not believe their own charge , yet having once made it , either upon interest or passion , 't is not probable they will want pride to maintain it ; and when we consider how ruling a piece of carnality that is , we can not wonder if it indispose men to retractations . i wish we had not too many , and too late instances of some whose weightiest objection against a cause , has been their own former violence against it . when men have once fastned the brand of heresie , prophaneness or blasphemy upon an opinion , they think they cannot afterwards become its proselytes , without either seeming to assume those guilts , or at least that of having falsly charg'd them upon others : and the horns of such a dilemma do so gore their reputation , that it often tempts to salve that with the wounding of conscience , and perswades them rather to reject their convictions , than expose their credits and certainly were this the only ill consequent of our rigorous accusations , it would be enough to prejudice them as unfit instruments in a gospel design ; but though they suit not with that work to which they solemnly pretend , they are most accommodate to that they really produce : for if we examine in the third place , what influence these our eager contests have upon our actions , we shall find them fully proportionable to our words . and first negatively , 't is apparent in too many , that they are apt to confine even the common offices of humanity to their own sect : and others who do not so , yet shew so great partiality in dispensing them , as discovers the name of christian is not half so charming , as that of their own particular faction . were instances of this kind as needful as they are numerous , 't were easie to give multitudes : but i think none that has liv'd in our late confusions can have wanted occasions of observing it in others , at least , if not in himself . but alas , omissions are scarce worth our notice , when there are so many positive acts of unkindness so visible among us : they know little of ancient and less of modern times , that are unacquainted with the mutual persecutions , which almost all parties have alternately rais'd , one against another among christians : confiscations and banishments , gibbets and flames ; weapons god knows much too carnal for a spiritual warfare , yet much more in use than those s. paul recommends to timothy , gentleness , and meek instructing of opposers , tim. , . and when 't is consider'd that those opposers too were heathens , 't will be more than a little strange , that severity should be allowable to brethren , which was interdicted against aliens . is it an easier crime to reject the entire body of that faith which was once delivered to the saints , than to differ in the explication of some one branch of it ? nay , perhaps only of some corollary and deduction from it , which as far as it is humane may be fallible , and therefore can no more command my assent than it satisfies my judgment ; yet this is generally the most that can be affirmed of our differences ; for almost what party is there which do not avowedly own all that faith which constituted the first christians ; would god we did as uniformly embrace the charity too ; and then most of our disputes would be superseded , at least so calm'd , that there should be none of those destructive effects which they now produce : for alas , how many funeral piles has this preposterous zeal kindled ? so that what some said of draco's laws maw too justly be applied to our arguments , that they have been writ rather in bloud than ink. but as christ when he forewarn'd his disciples of the ensuing persecution , tels them not only they shall be kill'd , but they shall be put out of the synagogue : so now as if christians were aemulous of every branch of iewish cruelty , we transcribe that part of the copy too , and either by causless excommunicating others , or separating our selves , we deny the benefit of publick communion to each other : and this is a greater severity than the former , by how much more implacable our hate is against what we count error , than what we know to be vice ; and by how much the concerns of the soul are more estimable than those of the body . the inveterateness of those feuds which rise from opinion , may clearly be discovered in this instance ; let a man have committed all the outrages which may render him unworthy to live , yet when we prosecute him to death , we willingly afford him all helps towards his future state , and no man is so inhumane as to refuse to pray , either for or with a malefactor ; yet some few speculative differences are such a gulph betwixt us , that we cannot meet even in that we all acknowledge our common duty , the worship of our god. certainly among all the accursed issues of our contention , there is none more malignant and criminal , than this of schism and separation , and would men judge dispassionately , more irrational neither : for doubtless were our case stated to any sober heathen , he would never be able to guess , why they who equally acknowledge the advantage and necessity of prayer , confess the same god , have the same common wants in this world , and hopes in the next , may not ask in the same form , and in the same place . alas , is it not enough to be at distance where we differ , but must we be so also where we agree ? is unity so dreadful to us , that we must act contradictions to escape it . surely this is a stranger fascination of the spirit of division , than that in the gospel demoniack , which enabled him to break all bonds in sunder , and like it , abhors the approaches of a saviour , crying out , what have we to do with thee , thou iesus the son of god , art thou come to torment us ? who knows what a powerful exorcism the united intercessions of the christian world might have been ; had we joyntly deprecated our quarrels , god might have found a way to have compos'd them , though we could not ; and our tears might have cemented those breaches which our dissents made , but our separation widens . i know the venerable names of the sanctions of holy church , the hundred thirty seventh canon of the code of the universal church , which says in express terms , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that we ought not to pray with hereticks or schismaticks , and very many warm expressions of the fathers , are producible in this case : but till we excommunicate with the tears and sorrows , and publick concernment of the primitive christians , who refus'd all acts of kindness only out of love , and the most ardent charity , we may by no means lay claim to their pattern , whose estrangements only flow from malice and inveterate hate . would we indeed comport with the example of those happy times , we should have fear'd the guilt of schism in our selves so much , as not to have lightly charg'd it upon others ; we should have prayed for the conversion of dissenters , not laid anathemas upon them , and prayed for their confusion . st. paul we see , heb. . . reckons the forsaking of assemblies , as a degree , at least preparative of apostafie ; and from his time throughout all the purer ages of the church the holy fathers have generally branded it , as the highest impiety ; and no marvel , for it is one of those gyant-like sins , which not only oppresses men , but invades even god himself . 't is the mangling and assassinating that body to which christ owns an inseparable connection ; the putting him to head scatter'd limbs , instead of an entire compact body , as if we meant to refute st. paul , shew him 't is possible that christ may be divided . good god , what shall we say when we see heathen souldiers estimate christs coat higher than christians do his body ! they thought the one too good to be parted , but we cease not to tear and mangle the other , and which is yet more monstrous , make it a part of our religion to do so . we name our opinions our faith , and when under that title we have enshrin'd them , we make more barbarous immolations than ever the most savage heathens did . they sacrificed some few objects of their love , their children , but we sacrifice the very affection , and think our zeal luke-warm till it have reduced our charity to ashes . and now if we compare these our divisions , wrath and bitterness , with those fundamental , gospel precepts of unity , love and meekness , we must surely say we have not there so learn'd christ. and then how ridiculous is it , to pretend a zeal to that gospel , whose very foundations we undermine . peace is at once the blessing and duty of christians , and those heats of speculative contests which violate it , will certainly never serve to make us either good or happy . and therefore till charity cease to be an essential part of christianity ( which certainly we must burn our bibles ere we can suppose ) we must conclude , that our disputes , and the ways whereby we manage them , how much soever they pretend to preserve , do indeed evacuate and destroy true , that is , practick christianity . chap. xi . a survey of the mischiefs arising from disputes , as they engage upon ill arts and scandalous practices , to sustain the espoused cause and party . and yet so unhappily are many men mistaken , that these irregular heats which thus waste the vital spirits of religion , are thought the most soveraign cordials to support them . the highest paroxism of this feaver are deem'd the perfectest health . men esteem the overflowing of their gall , the exuberance of their zeal , and then all the promises to the faithful combatant in christs camp , they confidently appropriate to that their so eminent grace ; though indeed it can with no more propriety be call'd so , than pharaohs lean kine might be said to be fat , because they had devour'd those that were so . in plain terms , men lay so great weight upon their being of right opinions , and their eagerness of abetting them , that they account that the unum necessarium , and think the propagating of those so important a service to god , as will justifie the use of the most interdicted instruments , legitimate the most enormous commissions , that they can phancy contributive to that pious end : and moreover commute for the neglect of practick duties in the general tract of their lives . i shall not here urge the hazard of mens erring in the choice of opinions , nay , the certainty that of many opposite , one only can be the right ; and then to all such as miss , that their very ground-work fails them . i shall only confine my self to the malignant influence this perswasion has on practice , and in that respect i cannot but affirm it a most pernicious delusion , which as it tends extremely to the enhansing the bitterness of our contests , so it may justly be reckon'd among the worst effects of them , and is a most irrefragable proof how much they obstruct the vital efficacy of religion in our hearts . nor is it any new thing for men thus to deceive themselves , for we find such confidences as these frequently upbraided to the iews , both by the prophets and christ himself , they thought their zeal to the temple and ritual observances , so invincibly meritorious , as no crime could defeat , and that their legal purifications would render them acceptable in gods eyes , in spight of all their moral pollutions : but how fallacious a hope this was , the many severe increpations of god do sufficiently attest . yet certainly their guilt was far below ours , the things they so depended on were parts , though not the whole of their duty ; those ordinances , though perhaps somewhat adulterated by rabbinical mixtures , yet for the main were instituted by god himself , and that with a design of discriminating , and separating them from the rest of the world ; and such peculiarities and priviledges as these , might have an aptness to excite that presumption : but alas , the case is otherwise with most of us ; they are not the revelations of gods will , not the testament of our dying redeemer , but some codicils and annexes of our own we so earnestly abet . 't is not the text ( for then 't were impossible for any that receiv'd the same canon of scripture to differ ) but our glosses to which we pay such reverence ; and when on that account we sever our selves from those to whom the commands of god , the blood of our saviour have most closely united and cemented us : we can yet make a shift to think that there is so much of sacred in this , as shall not only render it highly rewardable , but also hallow all other profanations of our lives ; and in our iehu march upon such an expedition , can turn all regrets of conscience ( like iorams messengers ) behind us . that this is so , none can doubt who observe with what boldness men rush upon the most unchristian sins , in pursuit of what they phancy a christian cause . were it not for this amulet , how were it possible for any to think they may venture upon perjury , sacriledge , murder , regicide , any thing without impeachment to their saintship ; nay , to think that the only danger lies on the other side , in being remisly wicked , that to slack any thing of the utmost speed , is to do the work of the lord negligently . yet that this has been a prevailing perswasion , we have had too many , and too sad instances ; and god grant we may not find them so repeated , that our sense may supersede the use of our memories concerning them ; nor has this been peculiar to one only sect , but those who are otherwise at the widest distance unite in this principle . they are not only phanaticks that can say grace over the foulest crimes , and consecrate them to the use of a good cause ; if we examine the dypticks either of conclave or consistory , we shall find some saints upon that account , who could never have been so upon any other . and when we consider how often heaven has been mortgaged to gain auxiliaries from hell , how men have been encouraged to the most damning sins , by promises of being certainly saved ; we must either think that a holy cause is omnipotent enough to reverse gods decrees , to save whom he would damn , or else that this pretence is one of the most ruinous deceits , the most fatal treachery to souls that ever satan contriv'd , who though he do in all instances play the mountebank , yet sure never more than when on confidence of this antidote he perswades us thus to swallow down his deadliest poyson . i must not here attempt to enumerate all the unchristian practices , that have on this score been made , not only lawful but meritorious ; yet there is one of so frequent use , that i must needs advert unto it , and that is , those calumnies and falshoods , which are now become a piece of ecclesiastick as well as state policy , and a great part of that offensive armour wherewith our controvertists assault one another . indeed if we consider how many forges are daily going for these engines , we shall have reason to think , all parties have an high esteem of their usefulness . of these calumnies there are too many sorts and degrees to be here particulariz'd : and indeed those , who permit themselves to use any , can be suppos'd to have no other boundaries than the advantage of their cause : and accordingly as that seems to exact , they lay their scene ; sometimes they traduce the persons of their opposers , and by raising prejudices against them , hope some of it will reflect upon their doctrine : did men generally know how to distinguish between reports and certainties , this stratagem would be as unskilful as it is uningenuous : but considering the vulgar temper , it s not unaptly suited to it . this it seems was anciently understood , it being the old greek advice , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . to calumniate stoutly , for that how perfectly soever the wound of reproach be heal'd , there will remain a scar ; and though we wipe away with never so much care the dirt thrown at us , there will be left some sulliage behind : and accordingly this was the expedient the pagans us'd against the primitive christians , to put them thus in the skins of beasts , and shapes of monsters , and then worry them to death . and this is the method still , though heightned and improved , and our religion has suffered infinitely more since we us'd it against each other , than when they manag'd it against the whole community . but besides this defamation of persons , another branch of this black art is the depraving of writings , both in the sense and very letter , and direct words ; for the former of these , whosoever observes the strange perversions , and affected mistakes of mens meanings visible in many of our polemick discourses , will sure resolve that a mans intentions , as well as his words and actions may be calumniated : nor does the letter scape better , every period which threatens danger to the cause must be mutilated and dismembred , and as sampson was by the philistines , lose its hair and eyes , and then be made sport for the whole party . and i fear there are too few , who do not in this case take the iewish reparation , an eye for an eye , &c. retaliate to the adversary the foul play they receive . but some advance yet higher , and think it not enough to make an argument or testimony useless to the enemy , unless they draw it over to themselves , make it betray the side it was to maintain , and as a conqueror uses to restore arms to such of the adverse party , as will turn to his , so after they have by satisfactions secured themselves of its aid , it shall then be made as potent as is possible , and with such kind of renegado troops as these , some causes have been much supported . yet were this violation offer'd only to the writings of living men , who might vindicate it , 't were not so transcendently ignoble , but it most frequently falls upon those , who have made their beds in the dust ; who have chang'd their own form , and cannot secure their writings from the same fate : nay , 't is yet more frequently those , whom we have all reason to suppose , and most of us profess to believe , glorified saints ; and this superadds a daring presumption to all other circumstances of the guilt , and heightens an injustice into sacriledge . it has always been held the most detestable sort of forgery to counterfeit testaments , though the testator were of never so low a quality , or his bequests of never so mean a value : and shall it now pass for a piece of commendable dexterity , an art of manage to falsifie those writings by which the fathers of the church design'd to entail truth and piety , not strife and faction upon her . we know necromancy has justly been reputed one of the most horrid forms of sorcery , because it enforced dead men to speak what the living were inquisitive to hear . i leave it to be consider'd what this wants of that , besides the dreadful ceremonies of the incantation ; certainly 't is a guilt which nothing but our too familiar acquaintance with it could make unformidable . and indeed this whole method of serving a cause by such sinister means is so utterly repugnant to the principles even of ingenuous nature , that we can scarce cast a greater scandal upon an opinion , than to shew it needs such aids . 't is by historians branded as an execrable fact in him , who to secure himself from a neighbour prince , call'd in the turk into christendom : but sure those who to fortifie their side have brought in this artifice of calumniating and falsifying , have done an act no less impious ; the constitution of christianity agreeing full as well with the alcoran as with these piaefraudes ; as some of them who perhaps mean the fraud more than the piety are pleas'd to call them . nay indeed , they accord not much better with philosophy than divinity , every man knows the nature of contraries is to combate and expel , not to cherish and support one another . how absurd is it then for those , who say they design to advance truth , to make falshood their instrument . i wish they would experiment to accommodate their secular concerns at the same rate , let them cool them in the fire , warm them in the frost , and feed themselves by perpetual fasting , and when they find cause to commend the efficacy of that method , they may with fairer pretence in this higher instance reconcile the feuds of reason and of nature , and make a lye the evidence of truth . in the interim , it may well pass for sophistry as well as sin ; and doubtless whatever advantages are hop'd for to private sects and parties by this art , christian religion in general is hugely prejudiced by it : for when men shall compare the veracity of heathens with our falshoods ; learn from historians , that among the persians , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to lye was deem'd a fault of the greatest turpitude , and they therefore laid an ill character upon persons in debt , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , because he that is so must needs tell lyes : and when they shall see in the laws of cingis a barbarous tartar , lying made a capital crime , and yet among christian casuists made a holy artifice , they will be tempted to think our end as fictitious as our way ; and that our religion has little countenance from truth , which is thus fain to make lyes its refuge . thus unhappily do these arrows revert , not only on those who shoot them , but in the face of christianity its self , which is defam'd , and traduced by those slanders , we aim at our private adversaries . but besides this direct , there are other more oblique wayes of making vice subservient to religion , or to speak more properly , of making religion subservient to vice ; for some zealots of several parties , who more regard the numerousness than purity of their professors , discerning how much the sensual part of mankind startle at the strictness of gospel precepts , are industrious to take off that discouragement ; not by convincing them of the real divine sweetness and pleasantness of them , but by debasing and accommodating them more to the carnal appetite : yet here men proceed not all alike , some use christs yoke , as hananiah did that of ieremy , break it quite off ; others only essay to slacken and alleviate it , that it may not pinch the lusts of libertine proselytes : of the first sort are such , as having made the adherence to their party , the infallible mark of sanctification , and that sanctification of election , do from thence proclaim to all who are so qualified a general jubile and manumission from the bond even of christ's as well as moses's law : or if some of them allow it to remain an impotent director , yet while they affirm that god sees no sin in his elect , or if he do , beholds them as a father does the harmless falls of his child , rather with smiles than anger , they make the violations of it so safe , that they are too sure to be many , and between abrogating and thus enervating a law , the difference is meerly verbal . of the second sort are some , who by indulgent and partial glosses , seek to mollifie the severity of christs commands . that contrive for their clients not the means of obeying , but the arts of escaping them . like the unjust steward teach their lords debtors to write fifty in stead of a hundred ; and decide cases of conscience more according to the interests and passions of men , than the will of christ. there are a generation of men of whose dexterity in this faculty the world has taken so much notice that i need not name them , a sort of easie casuists who seem to have erected a court of equity to relieve men against the rigor of divine law ; and there is little doubt but they shall find enough ready to make such appeals : men love to be christians as cheap as they can , and therefore will close with that party , which offers the easiest terms : and then while these spiritual pioneers do thus enlarge the narrow way , make it a road as well for the beast as the man , the brutish sensual , as well as rational divine part of us , no wonder though shoals of converts throng in to them . but 't is to be consider'd that all this while this is winning proselytes to themselves not to god : the gaining them to a sect not a religion ; at least not to that pure religion , and undefiled which the grand author of our faith has both exemplified , and propos'd to us ; for how much that suffers by this way of propugning private opinions , is more than enough apparent . yet so ambitious are our prime leaders of such trophies that in order to them some are said to ascend yet a step higher , and besides this general encouragement they give to mens lusts by taking off restraints , do in some cases actually promote and excite them . for when they see a licentious person whose acquest they judge beneficial to their cause , they have artifices of fomenting his riots , do not only take off the bridle , but use the spur also , hoping that at the rebound it may conduce to their end. if any think it impossible it should do so , let them consider that among our various opinions some there are which sell heaven much cheaper than others dare , that allow such easie attonements as the most habituated sinner need not despair of : and then the most infallible means to ascertain such to that side , is to make them too bad for any other . for when a man is resolute to keep his sins while he lives , and yet unwilling to relinquish all hopes when he dies , 't is more than probable he will embrace that profession which bids fairest to the reconciling those so distant interests ; and therefore the greater malefactor he is , the more sure he will be to fly to the horns of this altar ; the nearer sinking , the apter to catch at these reeds ; so that the project is not impolitick , though god knows so impious that 't is much fitter for the school of machiavil than of christ ; and seems to verifie that imputation as to a part of christians , which iulian once as falsly as maliciously affixt upon the whole : that their church was an asylum and sanctuary for the most flagitious offenders , and protected those guilts to which no other religion allowed any expiation . 't is indeed so horrid that i cannot think there are many consciences so cauteriz'd by this fiery zeal as to admit it , yet that some have done it , there is too much certainty , and therefore 't is no improper instance in our present argument , for if mens eagerness to support their several sides , can transport them to such attempts as these , 't is abundant evidence how much christianity loses by these contests of under factions , which while they pretend to guard , do indeed invade her under her own colours . but besides the faults men commit with this immediate avowed aspect upon their religion , there are others which slily shroud themselves under the skirt of its mantle : i mean those sins of common life , which though they pretend not to advance the cause , yet when acted by a zealot are thought to be overwhelm'd by his heroick piety ▪ indeed men who make themselves so much work about others faith , are seldom at leisure to regulate their own practice , and so have no way of stating their accounts with god , but by balancing the excess of the one against the defects of the other : how such reckonings will pass the grand audit , 't is i think not hard to divine , but in the interim , it keeps them very cheerful and secure , teaches them a receipt to retain all their sins , and yet lose none of their confidence ; so that when they have immerst themselves in all filthiness both of flesh and spirit , they can trust their zeal to refine them from all that dross . nor does it only thus reconcile them to their own vices , but to other mens also , whose most brutish sensualities they can look on with perfect patience , nay even atheism its self can have fair quarter : they are not much discomposed to see men have no religion , 't is only the having one different from their own that awakes their indignation ; then like saul when seiz'd on by the evil spirit , they cast about their javelins , think no rigor too great on such a provocation , yet even here they have intervals , and the very same persons who are thus at odds upon a religious , can unite upon a vicious account . those who mutually denounce damnation to each other , can with full accord combine in those practices which will ascertain it to them both , as if they so much fear'd to have their predictions defeated , that they would be each others convoy to the land of darkness . those that will by no means meet at the church , know not when to part at the tavern , and though they will not joyntly partake of the cup of the lord , are yet very sociable at the cup of devils ; i mean those excessive debauches , which are a most acceptable drink-offering to those infernal spirits . have we not seen many whose distant opinions have fastned upon one another the brand of antichristianism , who have yet like gog and magog joyn'd against the holy city : and those who could never agree on the way of setting up christs throne , have yet been very unanimous in pulling down the kings . thus alas do we justle one another out of the narrow path that leads to life , but can hand in hand run our carier in the broad way of destruction . and doubtless this great unevenness , these spiritual feuds , and carnal endearments between the same persons ; this impetuous zeal , and as impetuous lusts in the same breasts could never be , did not men depend so confidently on the one , as to think it will commute , and satisfie for the other . but alas , how groundless a presumption this is , the whole tenor of the gospel does abundantly witness . in all that grand charter where is there the least clause importing such an immunity . i am sure there are multitudes that assert the contrary . indeed the whole frame of the evangelical covenant is totally against it : that requiring an entire uniform sanctity , and allowing no other priviledge to the sins of the most knowing professors , but a preheminence in punishment , the being beaten with many stripes . and when 't is consider'd that the end of all religion is but the drawing us to a conformity with god , the impressing on us some character of his eternal goodness and holiness , 't will be as absurd as impious to believe that our zeal to any religion can absolve us from that purity which is the end and design of all . and while this is the way men take to approve their piety , 't is no marvail to find so many christians , and so little christianity in the world : for that is not to be estimated by the number of its professors , but by their obedience to its rules , and he that gives up his name to it and not his heart , will receive as little advantage by it , as he brings honour to it , and how little that is in respect of its internal efficacy , is i presume competently evidenced . but that we may more throughly discern how universally destructive our wranglings are to it , in all its concerns , let us a little examine whether they do not endammage it even in respect of outward profession also . this may seem a strange quaere to those who think their desputes about religion are to denominate them the great confessors of the age : yet certainly there is but too much ground not only for the enquiry , but to resolve it in the affirmative . and if it prove so , 't will infer but sadly to those who having laid the whole stress of their hopes upon their zeal to advance their faith , will be found to have pull'd down more than they have built up . now christianity may in respect of profession decay two waies , either in its hopes , or in its possession , the one in relation to aliens , the other to disciples . the first by hindring the access of new converts , the second by staggering or alienating the old , and both these waies she visibly appears to suffer by our divisions . and first if we consult but our experience , if we trust but our own observations , we cannot but confess that the gospel has long been at a great stand . that that sun which at its first arising was like david's , ps. . surrounded the world in a vigorous efficacious motion , is since become like ioshua's , iosh. . . arrested in its course : nay like hezekiah's , gone backward , is. . . mahumetism ( if not paganism ) having long taken up its seat in divers of the most flourishing apostolick plantations . a sad change , that from the daily and numerous accession of the first times , it should now become a kind of prodigy , a piece of news , scarce heard in an age , that one single proselyte is gain'd to the church , yet that thus it is , is too obvious to be denied . and truly it is not much less apparent that our dissentions have in a great degree contributed to it . for first , as to the extirpation of the eastern churches , he that shall examine the records of those times , will have cause to say their janglings and divisions were not only in a moral or divine , but even in a proper natural sense , the instruments of it . the turk only coming in at those breaches which themselves had made , nor had their candlestick probably been removed , had they not first abus'd its light , to the setting themselves in combustion . that the same cause has not yet had the same effect among us , is owing not to its unaptness to produce it , but to the admirable patience and mercy of god , who yet withholds that fatal judgment , which we do our parts to pull upon our selves ; our mutual violences against one another herein unhappily combining and making one united force against us all . but though the divine goodness have hitherto so countermined our treachery to our selves , as not to suffer us to enjoy that state of darkness we have so courted , yet certainly our contentions are extremely accessary to the continuing it upon others , our many new and wandring lights , however they fail of having that property of the pillar of fire , ex. . of illuminating and conducting the israelites , yet too much answer its other , in becoming cloud and darkness to the aegyptians ; there being scarce any thing more apt to intercept the beams of the sun of righteousness from the heathen world , every of those little enclosures our factions have made in the church , becoming a great partition wall to keep others out of it . this may be made evident in several respects . as first , in relation to those many moral obliquities in which our eager disputes do ( as hath already been shewed ) betray us , which cannot but give so much scandal to any considering man , that we can scarce hope any can turn to us as to a better religion , but will rather think it the way to relinquish all ; to obliterate those native impressions of piety and honesty they brought with them into the world , so that if we expect any proselytes it must be only such as would live worse than meer nature allows them . but this though as important a consideration as can well be , i shall not here insist on , having in the second section given some instances how apt our morality is to defame our divinity , and confirm men in opposition to it . but though this be a great , yet 't is not the only means by which our dissentions hinder the progress of the gospel , for they do not only make infidels less inclinable to receive it , but us to propagate it . those do so busie and engross us , that there is neither leisure nor heart left for this . our activest spirits are so engaged at home in asserting their private quarrels , that all such foreign designs are forgot . for as in civil , so in ecclesiastical concerns , every one is more industrious to advance his peculiar interest than that of the community , accordingly we find innumerable promulgers of every new opinion . no sect wants its apostles to propagate and diffuse it ; but where are there any that have the like care for the main root of christian religion , which they have for these little twigs and offesets which they have planted in their own gardens ; how many ages must we look back to find a man that has made it his business to convert infidels to the faith. 't is true indeed there are some very magnificent relations of modern attempts this way , of great industry some have us'd to bring the most savage nations to the obedience of christ : but if we examine 't will be obvious , the main design was to subject them to themselves . 't was not so much their heathenism as their territories they invaded , and such apostles as these are ill qualified to make s. paul's profession , cor. . . i seek not yours but you . and the success of such essays have been answerable to the motive ; they have won riches but not souls . the gospel in one hand and a sword in the other has made many slaves , but i fear few christians . indeed , what encouragement had those poor creatures to receive a religion from their oppressors ? why should they think that those who tortured and kill'd their bodies , were really concern'd to save their souls ? or that those who would not permit them to enjoy what was their own , meant to help them to any thing better ? and while the felicities of another world were recommended to them only by such , as had deprived them of all in this , we cannot wonder at their little appetite to embrace them ; or to find the opprest indians protest against that heaven where the spaniards are to be their cohabitants . in short , this is sure such a method of evangelizing , as too widely differs from that which first planted the church , to be likely to advance its growth : so that notwithstanding all pretences of this kind , we may resume our assertion , and conclude that our intestine discords ( perhaps not those alone ) have diverted the zeal of this more christian undertaking , and left a great part of the world under that invincible ignorance s. paul mentions , rom. . . how shall they call on him , in whom they have not believed , and how shall they believe in him , of whom they have not heard ; and how shall they hear without a preacher : and god knows whether we have not herein provided better for their excuse than our own . there is yet another way by which our divisions impede their conversion , and that is by giving them prejudice to that doctrine about which our selves cannot agree . 't is an universal maxim that truth is alwaies consonant to its self ; and therefore where they see so little unity they have too much temptation to doubt of truth . he that wandring should meet a company that offer to conduct him to his journeys end , might reasonably incline to deliver himself up to their guidance ; but if he find them unagreed upon the way , one disputing for this , and another for that , and every one protesting against all but his own ; he would sure retract his confidence , and think they offer'd him only more variety of mistakes , resolve it as safe to trust himself to his own errors as other mens . and this alas seems to be too exact a parallel of the present case ; we christians do so mutually damn one another , that a poor turk or heathen will think , he rather multiplies than ends his danger by associating himself with us ; for there being so many parties , which soever he joyns himself to , there will be abundant odds against him ; so that if he could be secur'd the truth were among us , yet the great difficulty of finding it out , would be a very disheartning consideration . besides men love in transactions of great importance to have as many , and as credible vouchers as may be , and upon that score 't will sure be but a cold inducement , to any to turn christian to foresee , that when he has done so , he shall be disown'd by far the greater part of that number , and that at his entrance into the church , he shall be met with almost as many anathemas , as when he was an infidel . nay , i scarce know whether i may call it an entrance into the church , or rather into a conventicle , or particular congregation , our schisms and separations having hardly left a possibility of external communion with the universal church , since the communicating with one part of it , does infallibly excommunicate from another . thus have we placed our flaming sword ( though god knows no cherubim ) at the gate of our paradise , and when god calls all men to the waters of life , our contentions have made them like those of marah , so bitter and unpleasant , as deters and averts men from them : which as it is in the highest degree injurious to them , so is it contumelious to him , whose invitations are by this means frustrated ; 't is in some degree the evacuating one of the main purposes of christs coming into the world , which was to call men out of darkness into his marvellous light , and as he was thus sent by his father , so also were the apostles solemnly commissionated by him to preach to the gentile world , who with indefatigable industry and resolute sufferings pursued the charge ; and sure this is competent evidence , that the design was of the greatest and most weighty importance , and such as can never be out-dated , till there cease to be objects of it , unbelievers to convert : and by that let us measure the guilt of obstructing it , which if we would impartially do , i assure my self the most passionate bigot of any party must confess , that it infinitely out-weighs all the piety his doctrine can pretend to , that his peculiar church gains not so much as the catholick loses : and that how confidently soever he have canoniz'd his quarrels , they are indeed but the worst sort of heathens , and serve to keep out the better . yet besides the mischief they do in relation to those that are without , they are extremely pernicious to those that are within , and that not only to some one sect , but like an universal poyson , that is equally deadly to the most contrary complections , they operate on the most distant ranks of professors , the tender and the obdurate , the scrupulous and the profane . and first for the tender tremulous christian , 't is easie to discern how much he must be distracted and amaz'd by them , for while he hears each sect thunder out damnation against each other , he cannot but be startled at the danger of adhering to the wrong , and though that may a while excite his diligence to discover the right , yet when he comes to that inquisition , he will meet with so many polemick intricacies to entangle him , that after many turns , first to one side , and then to another , he will be apt to think the only clue to extricate him out of this labyrinth of many religions , is to abandon all . nor is this meer speculation and conjecture , god knows we have had successively through the whole round of error too many practick experiments of it . several persons there have been , whose zeal to find out truth by an unhappy rule of false , directed them to allow of every error : while like sick men , who desire to die good cheap , they put themselves into the hands of any empirick ; follow each bold pretender , that has the impudence to talk of truth , till superstition ends in profanation , godliness proves atheism , and by having been of many sects , at last have no religion . and surely this is a most unhappy effect of our discords , thus to be stumbling-blocks in our brothers way , and when we remember the woes pronounc'd against those that shall scandalize any of the little ones , 't will be strange how men can think to approve their christianity , by the ruine of their brothers , or secure themselves of heaven by keeping others thence : for though christ tells his disciples there should be some that should think it a service to god to kill their bodies , yet to phancy the destroying of souls so too , is a deception of which we have neither record nor prediction in holy writ , and is a superfaetation of the spirits of delusion , peculiar to those who have placed their own sanctity in these religious wranglings , which serve to destroy it in other men . and as they thus serve on the one side to shipwrack the faith of these weak unstable souls ; so do they on the other advance the impiely of the daring sinner ; for as they are temptation to the one , so are they pretence and excuse to the other to bid defiance to all religion . he whose dissolute affections have so long been courting his understanding to turn atheist , will sure not lose the advantage of so plausible an argument as our divisions afford him ; and since his lusts engage him in an irreconcilable war against the practick part of piety , he will most gladly embrace this occasion of quarrel against the theory also : so making himself entire , and extinguishing those uneasie regrets and misgivings arising from the repugnancy of his life to his belief . it were not hard to give a compendium of these mens logick , and draw out those schemes of discourse , by which from our differences in religion they infer the discarding of all . but i fear these are already too well known , and where they are not , i should be loth to be any mans instructor . this is i am sure too palpable , that how fallacious soever these reasonings are , they have been very operative , as appears by the number of those avowed atheists among us , who placing themselves in the seat of the scorner , give themselves much pleasing divertisement by deriding our eager scuffles about that which they think nothing . if any man thinks that the church is no loser by the defection of such libertines , i must be allowed to dissent from him : for first , there are examples of the most vicious persons , that have been reduced , and while they retain their christian belief , that lays such undeniable obligations to good life , that whenever they resume their reason , they must take up vertue also with it ; so that there is an equal possibility of their being good , that there is of their being rational : but when all hope and fear of a future estate is disclaim'd , when those cords are broken which should pull them up from the dungeon , then , and not before is their state visibly desperate . but besides this possibility of recovering them , the danger of losing others is to be considered . bold atheism is like a raging pestilence , which taints the very air , so that those impious discoursings which are the effects of some mens vices , may be the cause of others ; and we too often see that those who ascended themselves by degrees , do in an instant advance their proselytes to the height of irreligion , as appears by the strange proficiency of some , whose years allow them not to have arrived to it otherwise than per saltum . and sure this spreading contagion has been so destructive to the church , that it were to be wisht , the meer titular christians had rather remain'd such , than thus to have averted others from being so much . and now if all these scandals be worth our regret , if the emboldening and exasperating the bad , the corrupting the innocent , and the decay of christian profession consequent to both be formidable evils , we know where to charge the guilt . our contentions must be arraigned as accessaries , if not principals in the case : and then sure it will befit our angry zealots to consider , whether this be the way of advancing gods truth , or what account they will give to the lord of the vineyard , who while they pretend to dress and prune the branches , do thus debilitate and destroy the roots . nay , indeed in this they are treacherous even to their own pretensions , for all those several religions which they so tenderly cherish , have no proper root of their own , but like excrescencies , spring out of the main stock of christianity , live by its juice and moisture , and consequently , can never hope to survive it . and then certainly there can be nothing more ridiculous , than to express their kindness to the one , by ways that are so ruinous to the other . 't is as if a passenger in a ship should to fortifie his private cabin , tear up the planks and expose the whole vessel to sinking : yet thus preposterously do many of our chief pilots apply their care . in the mean time , it cannot but be a very delightful prospect to the grand enemy of souls , to see us thus busily promote his interest , lay snares for our selves , and by our own folly do that which all his subtilties could never compass . nor can we think but he will be as officious to us as is possible , while we are thus employed , will help us to contrive our turrets , whilst he sees we pluck out stones from the foundation to build them with ; nor shall we ever want new models of churches , so long as they thus help to destroy the old ; and how aptly they are fitted for that purpose , needs ( i suppose ) no farther demonstration . chap. xii . a survey of the mischiefs arising from disputes , in reference to civil peace . and now sure we cannot but conclude our contentions highly injurious to christianity , that thus assault it both in the practick and theory : and indeed how fierce soever our quarrels are with one another , the heaviest blows are sure to fall on that , which as in its constitution is of the most pacifick temper imaginable , so it has the common fate of reconcilers to suffer from all parties . but godliness having the promise as well of this life as of that which is to come , it often happens that there is such a consent between our spiritual and secular concerns , that the mischiefs that oppress the one do reflect on the other : and indeed religion when entire and united , is one of the best bonds of civil as well as ecclesiastical peace , ( as even those attest , who defying all other ends of it , do yet admit it a useful state engine ; ) from whence 't is consequent , that the distractions and divisions in that must have proportionably a contrary influence , and infect communities with discord , tumult and disorders . and this is an effect with which i think not unfit to bring up the rear of the foregoing mischiefs , it being not so purely secular as not to suit our present subject ; for outward order and unity can never be so innocently disturb'd , but that christianity must be wounded in it also : and besides , it may perhaps obtain more consideration than the former , as being of a nature wherein the generality of men will think themselves the most concern'd ; for though there be many that can look on the ruine both of christian practice and profession , with gallio's indifference , acts . . and care for none of those things , yet when the siege draws closer , when they find themselves begirt in their worldly interests , and that the same deluge that overwhelms churches , may bear down palaces also , perhaps they may think the matter not so contemptible . and first , as to the truth of the observation the world has too long groaned under the experiment to need farther proof . that bitterness which first tainted the waters of the sanctuary , hath from thence diffus'd its self into our common streams , and like the aegyptian plague , left none uncorrupted : for whether we look upon families , neighbourhoods , kingdoms , any the least , or any the greatest societies , we find the miserable trophies of our holy wars , in factions and confusions ; i wish i could not say rapine and blood also . for the first of these , the domestick jarrs caus'd by different opinions , the instances are numerous , or rather innumerable , which our own age and nation affords us . how many servants have on this score been at defiance with their masters ? children with their parents ? nay , wives with their husbands ? such an unhappy force is there in mistaken zeal , that it dissolves the closest bonds , violates all obligations natural or civil , while under pretence of service to god , like the pharisees corban , it evacuates all duty to man ; and this has made such ruptures and divisions in families , that that delightful prospect the psalmist so much commends , that of brethrens dwelling together in unity , psal. . is scarce any where to be met with ; but instead of that , such rancor and bitterness , treachery and malice , as if men either mistook christs prediction , luke . . for a precept , or at least were willing to advance his prophetick office upon the ruine of his kingly , and to verifie his praesage by breaking his command . and as the oeconomical order and peace is thus disturb'd , so if he that misses quiet at home should seek for it abroad , he will soon find himself disappointed , and discern that as the societies grow greater , so do the disorders also , and that private strifes do as much combine to make parties and factions , as families do to make cities and corporations . by this means that mutual communication by which the members of civil bodies should not only benefit one another , but secure the whole is interrupted , and men live not as neighbours but spies , always upon designs of entrapping and ensnaring , for while they look on one another as enemies to god , they think that rescinds all obligations of friendship among themselves , and when religion bears the standard , the war will be concluded necessary and honourable . but though it be so in imagination only , 't is sure there are some , who make it really profitable ; for as in most camps , the greater number are attracted rather by hope of booty than concern for the cause ; so here , many men list themselves under one party , that they may have pretence to prey upon the rest . and to that end several very commodious axioms have been taken up . as that no faith is to be kept with hereticks ; that dominion is founded in grace , &c. by such measures as these the goods of the aegyptians become lawful prizes to any , that please to call themselves israelites ; and indeed iews they may be call'd in that notion we vulgarly use it of unjust and cruel extortioner : but sure not such israelites as christ defines nathaniel , io. . . without guile : for having thus consecrated their frauds , and found an expedient of serving god and mammon together , there is no piece of deceit either too big , or too little for them ; no transaction so important , which can oblige their fidelity ; none so trivial as to discourage their rapine : opportunity is the only measure and rule of their attempts , by this means no obligation of contract , no laws of commerce can escape unviolated , every thing is lawful that may weaken the wicked , and that zeal which makes men saints in the church or conventicle , can make them thieves in the shop or market . thus is piety made an engine of rapine , and by these religious riots , all boundaries wherewith laws or equity have fenc'd mens distinct properties , are thrown down : and sure this is a most carnal consequent of our spiritual debates , and bids fair towards the reducing us to that state of common hostility , which some have phancied to be the original condition of mankind : for it renders commerce so dangerous , that men may within a while think it safer to trust their own strengths , than to the shelter of those laws and civil compacts , which they see so avowedly evacuated . and upon this account , though the injury be immediately done to private persons , it becomes a publick mischief : yet alas , these are but the more moderate effects of our dissentions ; they afford more expedite and compendious ways of publick ruine ; the defrauding or undermining of a few neighbours , are petty prizes for those that think they have the sole right to the creature , and are those meek who are to inherit the earth , and every such acquest only serves to flesh them for a farther chase . the spoils of a broken kingdom will afford something worth the scrambling for : and nothing more fit to break it than a pretence of religion , which like the stone that smote nebuchadnezzars image , has shivered the most goodly monarchies . and accordingly , we see no engine is more constantly us'd by men of seditious spirits , to disturb and subvert governments : indeed there can be nothing so advantageously fitted for the purpose . for should such persons unmask their design , and shew it in its native ugliness , should they avow the shaking of a kingdom meerly to establish themselves in a condition of wealth and grandeur , the new moulding of a government only that they might shape their own shares in it , 't were impossible they should find any abettors ; for though the multitude are always in preparation for change , yet 't is not on intuition of benefit to some private persons , but of somewhat wherein themselves may partake : nor is even the madness of the people mad enough , to expose all their own interest , and most important concerns only to promote those of others . it has therefore always been both the rule and practice for such designers to suborn the publick interest to countenance and cover their private ; to cry up diana to secure their own gain , and to make the seduced populacy like the iackeal to the lion , hunt that prey which themselves mean to devour . and of all those artifices by which such incendiaries have set kingdoms in a flame , none has been more universally succesful than the praetext of religion , which is thought so creditable a cause to engage in , as can convert the infamous titles of rebel and traitor into those of patriot and saint , and consequently , take off all discouragement arising from the disreputation of such an enterprize : and no less potent is it in solving the scruples of its unlawfulness ; for by a dexterous anticipation , it makes conscience a party , that it may exclude it from being judge , and by that one fallacy of supposing religion to be a just ground of quarrel , make way for all the wild consequences deducible from that false principle : and indeed where that is throughly fastned , the mischiefs are not only great but incurable , & yet the more so by how much the person is more zealous . for alas , what will it avail to tell such a man , 't is a sin to fight against his king : when he will tell you 't is a greater not to fight for his god : that he contracts a heinous guilt in violating the peace of the church , when he with as great confidence believes , he merits in propagating its truth . that he is accountable for the bloud of his brethren ; when he thinks he has like the levites , ex. . consecrated himself in it , and offer'd it an acceptable sacrifice to god. thus unhappily are these men fortified in their sin , by presuming it their vertue , and while the furious zeal of such is made subservient to the wicked craft of others , 't is a most apt instrument of publick mischief , there being no attempt so desperate , which such may not be put upon , who are methinks us'd as hanibal is said to have done those oxen , whose horns he first fired , and then sent them to disturb the roman camp : these men as those beasts are found very useful for the molesting of others ; but commonly all they acquire to themselves , is the smart of their own flames . few of those who thus in the simplicity of their heart follow an absolom or a sheba , that do not either miscarry together with the design , or else live to discern how much their credulity was abused ; and that both religion ( however pretended ) and those that fought for it , were only made properties to promote the lusts of those who despised both . but 't is unnecessary to insist farther on the effects of such religious fury , of which we of this nation have had so many and so costly evidences , as far transcend the most tragical descriptions . god grant we may never have other than our past experiences to measure them by : but certainly there is little reason to be secure , so long as the root of them , our speculative differences daily encrease ; for unless we could suppose an age of such innocence , that there should be none who would take and undue advantages , 't is sure there will be enough given : and indeed when we reflect upon our past distractions , and consider how trivial the matter of most of those debates was , whose manner has been so cruelly solemn ; how our slightest problemes have been writ in bloud , that many thousands have been made naked to keep the surplice off a few mens backs , and we have pulled down our churches in displeasure at the windows , when i say these and a thousand the like are considered , we must conclude that there can never want occasion to them that ( in the apostles phrase ) desire occasion . the lightest distempers in the chuch being contagious , and most apt ( when fomented by ambitious designers ) to beget an universal plague in the common-wealth . and now who can without horror consider these miserably perverted effects of christian religion , that that which was design'd the most inviolable bond of unity , should like those curles of entangled snakes with which erinnys is said to have infuriated athemas and ino , become the fatal incendiary of the mortallest hatred . that that oeconomy which was meant to regulate , should be the instrument of confounding and embroyling the world ; and a gospel of peace should thus be made the incentive to war , and create fiercer quarrels than those it was to have compos'd . to turn the grace of god into wantonness , is justly branded as a great crime , but sure to turn it into malice is yet a greater . and though every sin offers violence to our religion , yet this is of all others the most barbarous , thus to make it assassinate its self , become a kind of felo de se , and contribute to its own ruine . and that this is the case , is i presume sufficiently evident in all the foregoing instances , which as they are most obviously the effect of our eager disputes , so are they no less visibly destructive to christianity in all its interests , leaves it neither root nor branch , neither inward vigor , nor outward luster ; so at once rendring it both unfertile and unamiable . 't was a piece of hostile severity against moab , to fill the land with stones , thereby to render it barren , king. . . the slingers went about , and smote it : but what that suffered from profest enemies , the church daily sustains rom those that call themselves her best friends . our benjamites are so in love with their skill of slingling to a hairs breadth , their nice criticisms , distinctions , and subtilties , have cast abroad so many stones of contention , that the church is become perfect quarry , utterly steril and unfruitful , as to all those good works for the production whereof , she was so peculiarly fenced and cultivated by god ; nay , 't were well if barrenness were the worst , and that she had not on the other side acquir'd an unhappy degenerous fertility : but what a numerous and accursed issue spring from this unpeaceable temper , the foregoing considerations do too sadly demonstrate ; and i doubt not every attentive observer will be able to add more ( though not truer ) instances ; and besides to discern that this spurious brood like that of hagar is grown so wantonly insolent as to despise the right heir of the promise . the true gospel graces of meekness , peaceableness and universal charity are accounted earthy phlegmatick qualities , we disclaim that holy ghost which descends in the appearance of the dove , nay or in fire either , unless it be like that of elijah , to consume all that disgust us . nor do we measure our religion so much , by the opposition it makes to our lusts , as to those whom we first make , and then call our enemies . thus miserably have we changed the scene , and by calling evil good , and good evil , have accumulated injuries upon our oppressed christianity , not only rob'd it of its rule , but of its reputation also . and do we daily thus see ishmael mocking isaac , and shall we not think it time to cast out the bond-woman and her son ? shall we for ever cherish this generation of vipers to tear out the bowels of our common mother ? i pray god the question have not as much of praesage as expostulation . for if we consider the present state of things , how our contentions plead not only right but prescription , there seems not much hope of dispossessing them , and yet less , when 't is remembred , how they have entwisted themselves , not only with the passions , but interests of men ; two such potent abettors as will buoy up the most forlorn cause . the truth is , there are many subterraneous springs which feed this ocean , and though religion and piety be on all hands demurely pretended , yet as we have seen the effects of our debates very disconsonant to such a profession ; so if we examine the originals and causes , we shall find them for the most part as widely distant . it may not be amiss to take a short view of some of them ; for though i cannot hope the discovery of the causes will contribute to the general cure , yet perhaps it may prove antidote to some particular persons , who will be the less apt to admire the verdure of the leaves ( the flourishing appearances of zeal and piety ) when they find both fruit and root of so poisonous a quality . chap. xiii . a survey of the causes of disputes ; and first , pride . and in this inquest we find pride already arraigned to our hands , by the wisest of men , prov. . . only by pride cometh contention . it is indeed a most prolifick vice , and there are few sins to which it is not either a parent or nurse : but there is scarce any which does more betray its immediate descent from it than this of strife and debate , which has so many of the lineaments and features of the deform'd mother , as sufficiently attest its extraction . and as this is true of all strifes in general , so particularly of those whereof we now treat : for pride being its self an internal sin , it has such a neighbourhood with all the notions and speculations of the mind , that it easily makes impressions on them : nor are we to wonder that the sacredness of divine things is not amulet enough against its charms , when we remember that the first act of pride that ever was committed , was levelled even at god himself ; and as it took up its first seat in a spiritual substance , so has it ever since , never acted more naturally , and therefore more vigorously than about spiritual matters . of this the church in all ages has had many costly experiments , for if we trace the catalogues of heresies from simon magus his daies down to our own , we shall find pride a principal actor in every scene , though perhaps in various dresses . for though pride be alwaies in the general an affectation of some transcendency , yet it differs as to the particular object , according to the several estimates men make of excellencies . so that the propugners of new opinions , though they have this common aim , that they seek their own exaltation , yet do not alwaies do it in the same instances . for example , some have coveted the repute of profound inquisitors , and this vanity has prompted them to dive so deep into the bowels of every the plainest doctrine , till at last they have twisted and entangled them into the most perplexing difficulties . these navigators think they have never sail'd successfully till they have found out a terra incognita , though god knows they bring nothing from thence for the benefit of the habitable world ; nor make it their business to resolve doubts , but start them . another sort of men there are of so fastidious and petulant wits , that they disdain an opinion of which themselves are not the authors ; they love not to have their understandings prescrib'd to , by the preconceptions of others , how divinely soever inspir'd , and will rather have a religion of their own making , than of his whom they pretend to worship . and this , 't is to be doubted is the bottom of the great veneration some have paid to reason , which they have set up in the throne , not only in defiance of blind implicit assent , but even of divine revelation . but in the mean time 't is to be observ'd , that 't is not reason in general , the common excellency of our nature that is thus advanc'd , but every mans own private and individual ; which upon a just scanning will often be found the most distant thing from what it is call'd : passion and phancy , by that omnipotent advantage of being a mans own , often passing for deep discourse and ratiocination : and what a fruitful harvest of tares such seed is apt to produce , our reason would inform us if our experience did not . to these we may add another rank of men , who vehemently thirsting after a name in the world , hope to acquire that by being the disseminators of novel doctrines ; they think while they go on in the beaten track , they shall be obscur'd in the throng ; the only way to make themselves conspicuous is to be singular : thus fondly chusing to be eminent , though by the infamous characters of heretick or schismatick , and ( like him that fired diana's temple to secure himself from oblivion ) build themselves monuments of the churches ruines : and sure this theudas his ambition of being some body , has helpt to raise more opinions than he did men . yet commonly it answers it even in that circumstance also ; for when by separating themselves from the unity of the faith , they have rendred themselves remarkable , their next aim is to have others joyn to them ; and so they may have the honour of being leaders , care not though it be into the ditch . to be call'd of men rabbi rabbi , is enchanting musick to any pharisee , and serves like the timbrels in tophet to drown the cries not of their children , but mother scorching in the flames of their contention . indeed so impetuous and uncontroulable is this kind of vanity , that like a mighty torrent , it bears down all before it , overwhelms not only the opposite vertues , but even all vices that are not of its own confederacy . men can in this case lay severe restraints upon their most intimate sensualities , when they suspect them treacherous to this grand design . the wolf shall be muzled and made to behave himself with the meekness beseeming the sheeps cloathing . the swine shall be washt and by an unnatural violence withheld from the mire : all their rapacious and bestial appetites controul'd and made tame , that they worry not their reputation . and all this for a little naked popularity , for whose dear purchase , very many have thought fit to divest themselves , both of lawful and unlawful enjoyments ; and have thought the tumultuous applause of a few factious spirits worth all that self-denial . but all pride is not so perfectly camaelion as to subsist upon this meer air , there is another kind of it that proposes to its self something beyond this : such is the affectation of rule and dominion , which though in respect of any real good to the ruler , is as very a chimera as the former ; yet commonly they that are under such a iurisdiction , find to their cost 't is more than imaginative . and god knows this aspiring humour , has been no less fatally active in ecclesiastick than in civil affairs ; nor has the church ever been in more danger of anarchy than by those who most impatiently coveted a share in its government ; for where this spirit of ambition is the impellent , it does like the demoniack in the gospel , burst asunder all fetters and chains , violates the unity both of doctrine and discipline , nor is any attempt too bold for men thus animated : they who long to be in authority think the door opens not quick enough for their entry , and impatient of so tedious an expectation , chuse rather to make breaches in the walls ( nay sometimes to undermine the foundation ) than to want an access to their desires . neither is there any thing so sacred , which upon this occasion they cannot prostitute ; when diotrephes , ioh. . seeks preheminence , the dictates even of an apostle shall be rejected , and even the divinity of christ , god blessed for ever , be trampled on , when arius wants a footstool to climb up to his affected greatness . in a word , if we examine the occurrencies of all ages , we shall find that either the eagerness of acquiring , or the revenge of missing dignities , have been the great instigators of ecclesiastick feuds ; and sure our modern stories , are not likely to fall short of the ancient , in examples of this kind . and as pride makes some thus passionately desirous of rule , so it makes others as impatient of being ruled , and even those who cannot hope to arrive to give laws , will not endure to be under those already established . that this is indeed the christian liberty for which many in our daies have so unchristianly contended , is too apparent , the fundamental quarrel has been against subjection : yet to countenance and abett that , whole armies of frivolous cavils have been rais'd , and the church attacqued in every its remotest concern , and though there be nothing farther from that unity of mind , to which the simile was first affixt , yet in a perverse sense it imitates the ointment of aaron in descending from the head to the skirts of the cloathing : not only the supreme and more eminent parts , but the most slight extrinsick and inferior relatives to religion being asperst and depraved ; and the most innocent circumstances of civil or natural actions made criminal , when applied to divine things . a strange infective power , which these men have convey'd into gods service , that it must thus pollute every thing that approaches it . that the place where his honour dwells , must become a pesthouse , and diffuse contagion to all in it . ( i wish by the way their sacriledge had not been too valiant in despising the danger of those infected utensils , which may perhaps sadly verifie the reproach , and prove treacherous prizes ) and when mens zeal operates thus unkindly , when the pretence of internal sanctity devours all outward decency , and god is to be honoured and exalted by those ways , whereby men would think themselves affronted , and vilified ; we have too great reason to think such a zeal as little according to godliness as knowledge , and that it is not so much the tenderness of their consciences , no nor generally the weakness of their brains , but the iron sinew in their necks , which makes them at once so scrupulous , and so clamorous ; for though the former might be suppos'd owing to error , the later can surely proceed from nothing but pride . several other instances might be given to shew how that pernicious temper has contributed to the rise and first being of our divisions ; and having thus given them birth , it does not like the ostrich abandon its brood , but has as great an influence in the cherishing and maintaining , as it had in creating them . of this there need no other proof than the meer nature of pride , which as it averts nothing more than self-condemnation ; so upon pain of that appearance , 't is irreversibly engag'd in the pursuit of its first undertakings , any desisting being interpretatively a confession either of an error or a defeat , both which are insupportable to an assuming temper : so that besides the original incentives forementioned , it has this of disdain superadded to actuate its motions . and accordingly we find they are at this rebound the more violent , not only the success , but the credit of the first enterprize depending upon a vigorous prosecution : so that catilines maxim of villany seems to have been adopted into some mens divinity , and they think past crimes are only to be secur'd by more and greater . nor is it only hope to atchieve their design , or hide their shame which thus animates them , despair will do it to a yet higher degree . our concupiscible and irascible appetites dwell not so remote , but they are ready reserves to one another , and what was desire in the pursuit , becomes anger and revenge in the disappointment ; and sure we need not be told the wild effects of those passions . how many men have in a furious despair over-acted even their own projects , and have made it a malicious consolation in their ruine , to get it attended with that of the publick ? as herod , who to secure a lamentation at his death , commanded a massacre should accompany it , or ( to give a more ecclesiastical instance ) like aerius , who sought the abolishing of that order in the church , whereof himself could not partake . i wish no mans conscience in our days were qualified to suggest a fresher example . but whilest 't is so many ways the interest of pride to abet our contentions , we cannot think it so sluggish or unindustrious an agent , as not to find out expedients for its purpose . i shall not attempt to give a particular of its instruments , when i have said that schism is one of them , i need not add more , since that alone serves both to complete and perpetuate the mischief of all our speculative dissentions . how close a band of concord the communicating in holy duties is , we may learn by ieroboam , who seems so well to have understood its unitive efficacy , that he durst not trust the newly divided tribes in a joynt resort to the temple ; and therefore least the rupture he had made in the state should close again , he thinks it necessary to make another in the church , and secure his defection from his prince , by that from his god. but we need not borrow a testimony from that his impious policy , we have a more authentick attestation from the holy psalmist , who when he would describe the greatest entireness , exemplifies it by the walking to the house of god as friends , psal. . . and the apostle goes yet higher , and from our common participation of the eucharist , infers not only our union , but our incorporation . we being many are one bread , and one body , for we are all partakers of that one bread , cor. . . and then sure me may on the contrary conclude , that our separation must have the quite distant effects ; alienate our affections , and by that means still more estrange our iudgements . for besides that 't is natural to men to think they can never run far enough from that they begin to loath , they are in their own defence to amplifie the differences , that they may acquit themselves from the scandal of a causeless separation , and this god knows is the usual method among us , when we have broken communion , our only study is not how to repair , but justifie it . the adversaries tenets are rigourously scanned , new charges exhibited , and the schism defended upon those later discoveries , which were no motives to the making it . and then sure no man can doubt but this is a proper way , both to multiply and eternize disputes ; and 't is abundantly manifest , that vanity and elation of mind is the cause that men thus prefer a mistaken reputation , before their own innocence or the churches peace . indeed if we throughly consider it , we shall find pride is one of the fatallest instruments of excision , the two-edg'd sword by which adverse parties do mutually cut themselves from one another . the very elements and constitutive parts of a schismatick , being the esteem of himself , and the contempt of others . i am not as this publican was , we know , the voice of the proud pharisee , whose very name signifies separation , and our modern separatists do but echo the same note , when they pronounce all those heretical or carnal from whom they have withdrawn . or perhaps they derive from a yet more ancient president , those of whom the prophet esay speaks , esay . . which say , stand by thy self , come not near me , for i am holier than thou ; an insolent kind of language which the cathari in the primitive times did not more exactly transcribe , than many sects of differing denominations have done in ours . but 't is to be remembred , that while the pharisee lookt so fastidiously on the poor publican , he renounc'd communion in prayers much more acceptable than his own ; and those refined zealots who fear'd contagion from the approach of their more innocent brethren , could boldly venture on the pollutions of the most detestable idolatries : and god knows the note has too ready an application in both instances . in the mean time 't is a sad contemplation , that so much of that zeal which makes such a glistering in the world , shall when brought to the touch , be found adulterate , that the transcendent purity men boast of , should prove but a more sublimated wickedness , and their pretence to spirituality be verified only in spiritual pride . alas , is not the whole circuit of secular things wide enough to contain this swelling humour ? are there not pomps and vanities of the world enough to entertain this one lust , but must this moabite be brought into the sanctuary ? can we not be elevated enough unless we trample upon all that is holy , and make religion factor for our ambition ? we find some very confidently point out antichrist upon the strength of this one praedicted circumstance , that he was to sit in the temple of god. but what need we travel beyond the alps to find out that , which every where presents its self ? our pride does too unhappily answer the description ; and though there is no instance wherein it can cease to be antichristian , yet surely it is more eminently so , when it thus usurps gods seat , and rules in sacred things . would god the pains and animosity which has been spent in discovering and reviling other antichrists , had been diverted to the pulling down of this , the labour would have been more effectual even to the immediate end of the designers , for were this pride eradicated , the foundation of all spiritual usurpations were undermin'd . but alas , those who exclaim the most loudly against all foreign tyranny on their consciences , do obsequiously bow to this intestine usurper , make an entire dedition of themselves , and submit to the severest and ignoblest vassallage . they have invested it with so absolute and soveraign a power , that ( as samuel warns the israelites of their king , sam. . ) they are not to call any thing their own when it is useful to its service : all their powers , all their interests are devoted to it , and that not only to adorn its pomp , but to fight its battels . men quarrel and contend till not only themselves , but even christianity its self expire in the contest . but if it be indeed certain that every war is so far unjustifiable , as are the causes of it , 't will surely be a competent prejudice against our contentions , that our pride is so much concern'd in them , which is so unchristian a motive , as all the holy-water wherewith men have sprinkled it , can never baptize into a cleanness ; all the borrowed dresses of zeal and sanctity , however they may disguise , can never legitimate it . those arts of concealment may indeed add a new guilt , that of hypocrisie , but can never expiate , no nor extenuate the old : and how saint-like a form soever our vain-glory puts on , it does but the more own its derivation from him , who can transform himself into an angel of light , whose aspirings have first subverted himself , and now go on to propagate both his crime and ruine to us ; nor has he ever manag'd that design with more art or success , than by thus making our pride a partition wall to divide us from one another , and consequently from god too ; who being , as our church styles him , the author of peace and lover of concord , can never joyn himself with the disturbers of both , but must necessarily be disobliged by our dissentions and schisms . chap. xiv . a survey of the causes of disputes ; secondly , curiosity . if now we proceed farther in our enquiry we shall find , that another grand incendiary of our disputes is curiosity : a vice which though in some respects it may be reckoned a species of the former , that of pride , yet in others it admits a distinct consideration . this is that baneful weed which the devil made a shift to steal even into paradise , and which has ever since affected the richest soils , the most pregnant and polite wits ; nor did it only eject man from thence , but it has improved the original curse , and multiplied those briers and thorns among which he was cast , yea , transplanted them from the earth , where they could only raze the skin , into the brain , where they pierce and torture the intellectual and immortal part of man. nay farther , even that sweat of his brows , which was to extirpate them from the ground , serves but to water and cherish them in his mind ; his very industry being in this case the extremest ill-husbandry , and the more pains he takes , the farther he removes himself from all real advantages of his toil . there are some parts of knowledge which god has thought fit to seclude from us , to fence them not only as he did the interdicted tree , by precept and commination , but with difficulties and impossibilities ; made it not only our sin and danger , but our folly and madness to attempt them . of this kind are the mysterious parts of our religion , which he shews us as it were a-far off to exercise our faith and reverence , but stoops them not to our sense and disquisition . these he has placed like the sun , where they may influence , not annoy ; warm , not scorch us . and would we still permit them to remain at that safe and wholsome distance , we should find none but benigne effects ; but so importunate are the instigations of curiosity , that no bounds will keep us from the mount : we will needs break through into the thick darkness , how dreadful soever the thunders and lightnings are in the way . like bold phaetons we despise all benefits wherewith the father of light and us can court us ; unless we may guide his chariot ; and we moralize the fable as well in the tragicalness of the event , as the insolence of the undertaking ; this unhappy curiosity having not only ruin'd many of the inquisitors , but set the whole world also in a conflagration . nor is this temerity more fatal in its success , than impious in its foundation : for besides that , it is a direct invasion of gods peculiar , and violation of his command , it does evidently imply a distrust , either of his wisdom or his goodness ; supposes him either so ignorant of the strength of those faculties himself has made , that he has assigned them unproportionable objects , and so they must have new work cut out for them by our selves ; or else presumes his eye evil towards his own creatures ; that as the devil once suggested to our first parents , he fears the rivalry of poor mortals , and by an envious detention of some parts of felicity , like one that had been bountiful only upon surprize and incogitancy , illiberally retracts and contradicts his original design of making man completely happy . nay , indeed this represents him unkind , not only to us his created images , but even to that eternal and express image of his person , the son of his bosom , who may well be thought to have been , as despised in his eyes , as he was once in ours , esay . . if he have so cheaply expos'd him for their sakes , to whom he denies any of those intellectual advantages , which difference them from beasts . thus wickedly curious are we , that rather than converse with vulgar ordinary things , we create prodigies , put new forms upon him that is unchangeable , rob divinity of its most inseperable attribute , and not only disobey god , but reproach him . and then 't is no wonder if that which affords so little glory to god , hath no more good-will for men , and that which thus wars with heaven , leave little peace on earth . indeed if we will be building our babels , and thus assault omnipotence , 't is but just we should have our language confounded , and that that knowledge for which we boldly attempt to rifle gods cabinet , should like the coal from the altar , serve only to embroil and consume the sacrilegious invaders . yet besides what is owing to divine vengeance in the case , the thing has in its self a proper , natural efficiency toward it ; for when so many men are engag'd in a blind search , 't is not imaginable they should all stumble upon the same notions , and supposing them to fall upon variety , 't is impossible but mens fond overweening of their own conceits and petulant disdains of others , will improve that variety into opposition , and that opposition into set and solemn feuds . and god knows , the church is too effectively acquainted with this fatal gradation , and can experimentally attest the unhappy propriety of this sort of curiosity towards the engendring of discord and confusion . but besides this higher rank of things which god hath set so much above us , there are others of an inferior sort , as much below us , which are concealed from us , not for their sublimity , but their uselesness ; for as god on the one hand remembers that we are but flesh , unable to bear the nearer approaches of divinity , and so talks with us as once with moses through a cloud : so on the other he forgets not that he breathed into us the breath of life , a vital active spirit , whose motions he expects should own the dignity of its original , and as it was its self an emanation of the essential goodness , should aim at only real and solid good , and not evaporate and exhaust its powers in mean and impertinent pursuits . and upon this score also , he has found it necessary to hide many things from us , not that they would dazzle , but misemploy our eye ; not swallow up our understanding , but divert our attention , from what is more important : of this sort are those many thin aerial speculations , the certain knowledge whereof would bring us no real advantage , make us at all the wiser to salvation ; yet such a value does our inquisitive nature set upon every thing for its being hid , that as if our life were bound up with these secrets , and all our felicity dwelt in the shade of these recesses , we pursue this search with indefatigable industry , ransack all corners with as great diligence as the woman for her lost piece of silver , luk. . . and as if this were indeed the treasure hid in the field , sell all that we have , lay out our whole selves upon the purchase . indeed he that shall consider what solemn disquisitions there are upon the slightest , and inconsiderablest subjects , with what advertence and concern questions of this kind are bandied in the world , must wonder how men can at once be so serious and so trifling ; or that those who can say so much , should not once ask themselves to what purpose they say any thing . yet what multitudes of men are there engag'd in such chases as this ? when alas , the quarry is not worth half the toil , could it be gotten : but what solomon sayes of the sluggard , prov. . . that he rosteth not that which he took in hunting , is true of the contrary temper , these over-busie spirits whose labour is their only reward , they hunt a shadow , and chase the wind ; and when they strein to their utmost speed , there is still the wonted distance between them and their aims ; all their eager pursuits bring them no acquest ; but after they have traverst so much ground , traced all the mazes that learned curiosity could contrive to perplex men , and st●●ied to the weariness of the flesh , if not to the quenching of the spirit too , they are still in the same ignorance from whence they set out , and 't were well if they were also in the same doubtfulness : but the unhappiness of it is , they acquire a confidence without any true ground of it ; and get such a knowledge as may puff up , but not edifie . this was eminently exemplified in the gnosticks of old , whose vain chimaeras , and foolish questions , as the apostle calls them , tit. . . past with them for such a superlative wisdom , as gave them insolence to discriminate themselves from others by that swelling title , and monopolize the reputation of science , which yet if we will believe the great doctor of the gentiles , and he too brought up at the feet of gamaliel , the greatest rabbi of the iews , was science falsly so called . and god knows , they want not successors in this as well as in other particulars , men are so possest with their own phancies that they take them for oracles , and think they see visions , and are arrived to some extraordinary revelations of truth , when indeed they do but dream dreams , and amuse themselves with the phantastick ideas of a busie imagination . yet would they only please themselves in the delusion , the phrensie were more innocent ; but like the prouder sort of lunaticks , they will needs be kings and rulers , impose their wild conjectures for laws upon others , and denounce war against all that receive them not : and this is that which makes the great combustion , and confusion among us ; for while one man opines one way , another another , and each will obtrude his opinion on every-body else ; 't is impossible but the contests should be sharp and endless ; for each man labours under a double impatience , the one of having his own notions rejected , the other of having the quite contrary impos'd on him ; and though 't is true the reciprocalness of the injury ought to allay the displeasure at it , yet men so much more consider what they suffer than what they do , that every one crys out aloud of that hard measure , which himself offers without regret . and between winds so contrary and so fierce , 't is no wonder if storms arise ; and in such tempests has religion so long been tossed , that it now needs the interposition of a divine miraculous power , to keep it from sinking ; for alas , these skirmishes expire not with the first propugners of the opinions ; they perhaps began as single duellers , but then they soon get their troops about them , have their partisans and abettors , who not only enhance , but entail the feud to posterity . and indeed this propagation of strife , both in these trifling , and the former more profound speculations , is the most fatal circumstance of the whole case : were it not for this , though we might have many errors , we could have no sects . and if the church might be sometimes wounded with the darts of single adversaries , yet she could not be surrounded and besieg'd with combinations and confederacies . some straggling souldiers might prove renegados , but they would not revolt in troops and legions . we should not have such numerous parties , who with the greatest violation of christian unity , denominate themselves , not from the grand author and finisher of our faith ; but from the first brocher of their idoliz'd opinions . in the mean time , 't is a sad contemplation , that a little vain curiosity should weigh so much , or the churches peace so little with us : that we should sacrifice the one , to the satisfaction shall i say , or rather to the whetting and inflaming of the other . but 't is a yet sadder , that this should chiefly be done by those whose learning enables , and whose profession should devote to the most noble and most profitable studies ; nay have the highest obligations to correct those exorbitances in others , which with such art and labour they propagate and teach . how wounding a spectacle is it to see our greatest heroes like hercules at the distaffe , thus degenerously employed , and to find those who were by christ design'd for fishers of men , thus entertain themselves like children , with picking up shells and pebbles on the shore ; and which is yet more unmanly wrangling about them too . indeed at this rate , 't is no wonder if they make the disciples complaint , we have travailed all night and have taken nothing . this sure is so little the way to win souls , that he whose business it is to destroy them , can very contentedly refer them to this method ; can gladly leave us all our nice and subtle disquisitions , upon the very same score that one of the gothick commanders , advised the sparing of the italian schools and libraries ; let us , sayes he , leave them their books , that whilest they amuse themselves with such follies , we may subdue them at our pleasure . it is the saying of the wise-man , there is a wisdom that multiplieth bitterness ; and sure if there be a wisdom acquired by these curious enquiries , 't is of this sort , like the knowledge of good and evil attained by our first parents , which taught them to know the good only by its loss , and the evil by its smart . indeed our too high , and transcending speculations on the one hand , and our too trivial and unprofitable on the other ; are like the torrid and frigid zone , the one consumes us with its heat , the other chils , and benumns us with its cold ; that turns us to cinders , this to ice . these little trifling notions being too slight an exercise to keep heat in our christianity , which not only expresses but maintains its life by strong and vigorous motions . and therefore between these two intemperate , god has provided us an habitable clime , i mean that middle rank of divine truths which tend to practice . here he would have us dwell and converse , fix our thoughts and studies : nor need we fear that they are too dry a subject for our contemplation . we see as deep speculators , as any now assume to be , found it far otherwise . david could entertain himself with the meditation of god's law ( not his hidden decrees or counsels ) all the day , psal. . , nay it seems the matter was so copious and redundant , that it could not be confin'd within that narrow boundary of time , but invaded the night also ; forced him to defaulk from his rest , to bestow on his meditations , i have thought of thy name o lord in the night season , and have kept thy law , vers. . neither is it a vain expence of time , which it thus tempts to , but gives the happiest improvement ; lands at that harbour to which all rational studies tend , gives understanding , vers. . makes wise the simple , psal. . . and this also in an eminent degree , such as set him above his teachers , and his elders also . thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies . i have more understanding than my teachers , for thy testimonies are my study . i am wiser than the aged , because i keep thy commandments , psal. . , , . these are high and liberal elogies of this divine study : and if any shall seek to divert an unwelcome inference by saying that david spoke them only in pious raptures , that they were the transport of his zeal , rather than the estimate of his judgment ; we must resolve the objector far removed from such religious excesses , and under the contrary defect : yet the cause will so well bear an appeal , that he may be trusted to consult farther , let him advise with solomon , whose large desires and possessions too of wisdom , must suppose him no stranger to its nature , and he will tell him the very same , and that not in his devouter extasies , but in his most compos'd sedate temper , when he solemnly seats himself in his school , reads ethicks to his disciples , and professes his design of giving subtilty to the simple , and to the young man knowledge and discretion , prov. . . for if his whole book of proverbs be scanned , the sum of it will be found to be nothing else but an exhortation to the study of this practick wisdom . nay when his own understanding was improved and advanc'd by experience also , when he had not only beg'd , but bought wisdom , after he had given his curiosity its full unbounded range , compassed the whole universe , and examin'd not only in contemplation , but by sensitive experiment , whatever therein could pretend to be that good for the sons of men , eccl. . . we find after all this busie inquest , he gives up his verdict in this form , eccles. . . let us hear the end of the whole matter , fear god and keep his commandments , for this is the whole duty of man : and now methinks so solemn a decision of the wisest of men , and he too inspir'd by the omniscient god , may be thought of weight enough to acquiesce in . yet since there are some who love not to weigh in the balance of the sanctuary , and that had rather receive responses from delphos than from between the cherubims : let such at least hear even the heathen oracle attesting socrates to be the wisest man , because he directed his studies to the moral part of learning , which he did to such a degree , as to disparage all those more airy speculations , which better'd not mens manners , but were only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a noise and clattering of words . and pythagoras his school defines philosophy , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the cleansing and perfecting of humane life , which two things are said to be done , first by vertue , whose business it is to remove 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the inordination of our passions : secondly , by truth , which restores 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the image and pourtraicture of god. and since this is the joynt suffrage both of religion and reason , why should those that pretend to either defie both , and vainly consume themselves in unprofitable searches ? why should men wander to seek beggary and emptiness , who may with far less labour be rich at home ? alas , 't is not bare knowledge , how great or universal soever , that can possess us of felicity . were it possible for us to have a window into heaven , to see all the divine secrets , yet that might be but like the rich mans prospect into abrahams bosom , while himself was in the bottomless pit . they are not only the gross and illiterate souls that must feed those flames , the most aerial and sublimated , are rather the more proper fuel for an immaterial fire , and the knowledge we carry thither , render us the fitter company for him , who knew every thing but how to keep himself happy . it was at once the observation and wonder of plutarch , that whereas god has several incommunicable properties as power and immortality , &c. these all men aspir'd to , in the mean time neglected that of goodness , wherein he was willing all men should share . and sure there is now cause of the same complaint , we would have omniscience and all parts of divinity besides the holiness , yet alas , those without these would prove but fatal acquests , and that approach towards being gods , would only make us the more devils . the only advantagious as well as possible way of assimilation with god is by purity , and the means of that an attentive consideration of those divine revelations , which are to regulate our practice ; these at once dispence light and warmth , direct and revive the soul : and if men would not exhale vapours to cloud and darken them , eclipse the clearest truths by difficulties of their own creating , no man could miss his way to heaven for want of light , and yet so vain are they as to think they oblige the world by involving it in darkness , as if their mists should like that which watered the new-form'd earth , gen. . . supply the place of the dew of heaven . but certainly to all such in their profusest liberalities , we need make no other request than diogenes did to alexander , desire them only that they will not stand between us and the sun , intercept its rays , and rob us of that which is infinitely better than any thing they can give us . were this but obtain'd , we should soon discern the inconsiderableness of those things whose effects have been so sadly considerable to christendom ; those many chimaeras which we wrangle and fight about , would in this sun-shine appear but motes that dance in the air , ( though god knows as we manage them , they are the most luxurious revels to the prince that rules there . ) were but a st. pauls doctrine throughly imbib'd , our curious arts , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , superfluous unconcerning studies , would as it happened , acts . be supplanted ; and our devotion if sufficiently accended , would as theirs , burn up innumerable books of this sort . and sure as this would be the greatest , so it would be the most triumphant bonfire christendom ever saw , as being not only an indication , but a means of the mighty growth , and prevailing of the word of god , which our vain curiosities serve only to impede and obstruct , while they do as mightily advance dissentions & animosities amongst men . chap. xv. a survey of the causes of disputes ; thirdly , interest . but besides these two , there is a third fomenter of divisions , which either for its activity or success must not subscribe to either of them , and that is interest . this is the great idol to which the world bows : to this we pay our devoutest homage , give it not only our knees , but our hearts ; and as if the making us rich were a second creation , that could cancel all the obligations of the first : we sacrilegiously entitle our profit to all the prerogatives of a creator , give it an absolute unlimited dominion over us , allow it to prescribe us all our measures of good and evil ; to rule not only our reason but our passions too , ( a soveraignty alas we would never yield to our god ) and as if the giving us laws were not empire enough , we permit it to impose religions also ; for sure they that observe how great an influence it has in church affairs , will conclude it governs more than the secular part of the world . and indeed if we look back , we shall find 't is no novel usurpation , but though void of other title , has the prescription of many ages . divinity has long since been made the handmaid of policy , and religions modelled by conveniencies of state. the golden calves became venerable deities , when they were found apt to secure ieroboams jealousies : and machiavils policy , that states should serve themselves of religion , was a common practice long before 't was his rule . and this example of communities has been transcrib'd by single persons . in the old testament we find frequent mention of those mercenary prophets , that turn'd the office into a trade , divin'd for money , nay , sometimes for more contemptible hire , handfuls of barley and pieces of bread : and in the new we see the same motive of secular advantage had force enough to turn an ecclesiastick into a laick , make demas degrade himself , and desert his ministry , and as it thus stopt his mouth from preaching the truth , so it open'd those of others to divulge errors . such were those deceivers of whom st. paul speaks , tit. . . who spake things they ought not for filthy lucres sake . so when the same apostle declaims the most earnestly against the love of money as the root of all evil , we find he fetches his proof of that charge , from its having made men erre from the faith , tim. . . and 't is st. peters prediction , that the most damnable heresies , even the denying of the lord that bought them , should be introduced by those , who through covetousness should make merchandize of their proselytes , pet. . . and sure the event attests the presage to have concern'd more than the age immediately succeeding , there being none of the subsequent which hath not in some degree assisted its completion , nor have we cause to wonder here-at , since 't is obvious to discern the conjunction and dependence between covetousness and heresie . for the itching ears the apostle speaks of , being an epidemick disease , give fair opportunity to every mountebank to try his experiments . when men nauseate old truths , because they are acquainted with them , and embrace doctrines for the very same reason , they should reject them , even because they are new : when they love no teachers , but such as thus entertain them , and are bountiful to none but such as they love ; there is little doubt , but there will be mints enough set on work , when the coiners can thus at once stamp new opinions for their disciples , and money for themselves : and god knows they are not a few of our divisions , that have thence taken birth . it will be needless to ravel far into the records of elder times , every mans memory will be able to suggest to him too many , and too pertinent instances . upon which reflection 't will be too visible , that much of some mens late pretence to godliness was but a real pursuit of gain ; and the new light serv'd to guide them to their neighbours coffers : and probably many of our disputes had been superseded , had not the authors foreseen , that though they lost the question , they should gain what they more sought . a few essays had discover'd how much the populacy were pleas'd with novelties , especially such as at once gratified their levity and their pride , by casting ill reflections on the things or persons to whom they owed a reverence ; and the liberal contributions such teachers met with , serv'd still to invite more labourers into that work , where without the uneasiness of a long expectation , their very seed-time was their harvest , and by sowing tares , they immediately reaped gold : and 't is no wonder if such quick returns made them diligent at the trade , industrious to provide those wares they saw they could put off so well . and would to god we were secure , that this way of traffick were yet at an end , for so long as these spiritual merchants can thus impose on their credulous chapmen , make them buy one mischief with another , and exhaust their estates to endanger their souls , we must not hope our dissentions will ever cease , our flames ever be extinct , that have so much matter to feed them , and such importunate blasts to blow them up . but covetousness is of too unsatiable a nature to be contented with one way of supply , 't is like the sea , that receives the tribute of all rivers ( though far unlike it in lending any back again ) and therefore those who have resolv'd upon the thriving sort of piety , have seldom embarkt all their hopes in one bottom , nor so depended on the bounty of their proselytes , as to neglect other ways of preying for themselves . they wanted not providence to foresee , how uncertain a revenue popular benevolence is : that the same giddy and violent humour , which had opened their hands so wide , might by working another way close them as fast ; or if their inclinations continued , their abilities might fail ; ( a thing very possible to those , who have such suckers ) or if both these remain'd , yet that they were unlikely to grow in proportion to their own appetites , and therefore found it necessary to have some other reserve ; and besides this way of flattering , their willing benefactors out of part , contrived another of forcing their unwilling neighbours out of all their possessions : so making the spoils of some mens honesty a richer booty than that of others folly . hence shiboleths found out of covenants and engagements , to give opportunity of destroying a dissenting brother ; by this art a fat benefice became crime and witness too against its incumbent , and he was sure to be unorthodox , that was worth the plundering . thus alas has the altar of god been attended , or rather invaded by those whose very approach was a guilt , that qualified them rather to lay hold on its horns , than pretend to its service ; for sure that god , who has declar'd he hates robbery for burnt-offering , cannot much affect robbers for priests . but this is a theme , so unpleasant i delight not to enlarge on it , and rather wish that the memory of it were so extinct , that it might remain no where but in the penitential litanies of the offenders ; my design in the present reflection is only to make it an evidence how much covetousness promotes our contentions , which sure is not more visible any where than in this instance : for where there is a design of supplanting , that necessarily requires another of accusing ; ( even iezabel her self projects not to seize on naboths vineyard without a precedent charge ) to comply with which necessity , not only the lives and conversations , but the doctrines and opinions of our most eminent divines have been strangely misrepresented , and when that proved not fence enough to the reputation of their oppressors , they have thought fit to change the scene , and to combate those opinions in their true shape , upon which they could not so well fasten their disguise . i shall not here need to say with how much , or how little praetext of reason they managed those disputes : 't is enough to my purpose that such disputes there were , and those founded in the desire of acquiring secular advantages , which sufficiently attests interest to be a potent abettor of our quarrels . but god knows that is a truth of which the world affords so many proofs , that we need not confine our selves to this little angle of it , or owe our convictions only to our domestick transactions ; if we look abroad we shall find it too often exemplified . the memorable disturbance given to the church , as well as state of germany by the anabaptists , is a pregnant instance ; whose new opinion was but an expedient of investing themselves in new possessions , and their second baptism but the solemnity of espousing , not only the flesh , but the world also , which they had renounced in the first . and would god they had been the only set of men , whose doctrines were subservient to their interests , for such tumultuous and plebeian projects , though like a land-floud they make great spoil at the present , yet soon sink again . such avowed and excessive greediness devours its self , and the instruments by which it wrought : so that the defeat of the secular design , is commonly the routing those opinions , which were formed for the promoting it . but when the same desire has the advantage of a sober guidance ; when avarice puts on the canonical habit , and twists its self not only with the practice of men , but the doctrines of the church ; when articles of religion shall be estimated by their profitableness , and ecclesiasticks dispute , as lay-men fight for money ; then alas the mischief seems fatal , the disease so fixt and radicated , as at once discourages , and mocks the attempts of cure . that this is the case not only in a particular and private church , but that which assumes to be the universal and catholick is too apparent . the one position of the popes right to dispose kingdoms , outstrips all other principles of rapine : this is to drive a whole-sale trade , when all other petty merchants , deal but for parcels : which as it is a much bolder , so is it a more prejudicial attempt than the invading of private possessions , and this duo gladii , the double armature of s. peter , a more destructive engin , than the tumultuary weapon snatcht up by a fanatick : but sure s. peter's sword though once rashly managed by himself , was never design'd to arm his successors to invade kingdoms : this property of it seems rather to have been derived from the praetorian souldiers , who insolently assumed the disposing of the empire , wherein they at the last arrived to that impudence , that after the death of pertinax they made open port sale of it , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in a base and sordid manner , as if it had been of common marketable wares : i cannot say the court of rome transcribes that indecent owning of the traffick ; but it has in other instances so well attested its good managery , that 't is not very credible , that crowns and scepters are conferred gratis . and to this so advantageous a doctrine others bear proportion : those of purgatory , indulgences , and supererogation , are ready instances , wherein the assertors themselves seem to be unanimous in nothing but in a joynt reference to profit , for when they come to minute definitions they vary and disagree ; satisfie one another , as little as their common antagonists : and therefore in the council of trent they prudently chose in their decrees to propose the bare articles backt by the authority of the church , and anathemas of the council , as having by precedent discussions of the points in their congregations discern'd the small accord that was among themselves , when they descended to particulars . and indeed the opinions were so various as to the grounds of the doctrines , that one would wonder how from so differing premisses , they should all inferr the same conclusion ; were it not that the conspiration of interest was too potent for the diversity of judgment . and sure 't was a strange deference was given to it , when in the matter of indulgences , there was ( by the testimony of their own writers ) four different opinions , and yet all catholick : which moderation towards speculative dissenters , compar'd with the great severity against those that opposed its practice , speaks loud enough that the orthodoxy of the point , lay wholly in the profitableness : and that luther himself had been no heretick , had he busied himself only in such disquisitions , as impeded not the gain of that doctrine . nor is this meerly surmise and conjecture , for if we consult the memorials of those transactions , we shall find this was the thing that most alarm'd rome , put that court in almost as great a commotion as the birth of christ did herods : and accordingly in their private consults , the closer cabals of the colledge ; the securing this part of their invaded treasure was the grand deliberation , upon which account it was , that when adrian shewed some inclination to the reforming abuses both in this and other instances , one of his cardinals who better knew the entrigues of affairs , admonisht him against that unskilful piece of ingenuity , not only from the example of his predecessors , who were resolute never to confess faults by mending them , but by representing to him , that no reformation could be made , which would not notably diminish the rents of the church , which having four foundations , the one temporal , the other three spiritual , indulgencies , dispensations , and collations of benefices ; no one of them could be stopped but that one quarter of the revenues would be cut off . what a resemblance this advice carries to the oration of demetrius to his fellow crafts-men , act. . . i need not stand to demonstrate , but while such considerations as this , bear sway in church matters , where profit shall be the touch-stone both for faith and manners , we are not to wonder if no gainful tenet be deposited ; or peace bought with that which in most mens esteem is of far more value . and this is it which ominates sadly as to our divisions with the romanists , were our differences meerly the product of heat and passion , they would like the smaller clefts in the ground , want nothing but a cooler season to cement and close them : but when they are thus form'd into an interest , become the design not of single persons or ages , but of corporations and successions ; the breach seems like the scissures and ruptures of an earthquake , and threatens to swallow all that attempt to close it , and reserves its cure only for omnipotence . indeed till spiritual and secular concerns be reduced into their proper ranks , which are now mixt and confounded , the better to disguise the preposterous subordination of the nobler to the inferior ; till we have forgotten the unhappy chymistry of turning all even religion its self into gold , we must never hope to get out of the furnace ; our flames will still grow fiercer , and with this unnatural effect to consume not the dross , but the purer metal . in a word , till men can sever themselves from their avarice and mean pursuits of gain , they will never cease to seperate from their brethren . for as the most soveraign balsoms cannot cure a hurt while the arrow remains in the flesh : so neither can the most pacifick remedies at all avail , so long as the same worldly aims , which made the wound , still stick in it . but in the mean time 't is a melancholick consideration that christianity should be by its professors thus unworthily prostituted ; that the many various and opposite religions for which we severally pretend so much zeal , should be but divers waies to the same irreligious end ; wherein our elders seem to resemble those in the story of susanna , who when they meant to part with each other , yet did unawares meet by the impulse of the same lust. we find it moved the patience even of the lamb of god , to see his fathers house made a house of merchandize , though the traffick was for the furnishing of sacrifices : with what abhorrence must we think does he now behold those , who drive so much a worse trade in it : who sell not accommodations for worship , but the worship its self to accommodate their interests , and do not only make gain in the temple , but of it . a thing the sacrilegious rapine of our days has made literally true , where besides the revenues , the very fabrick and materials of churches , have been marketable ware : iudas's good husbandry has been taken up , and ad quid perditio haec ? put as the common motto upon every thing that could be sold for more , nay sometimes for less than three hundred pence . and as dionysius took away the golden beard from aesculapius , to rectifie the indecency of the sons having a beard when the father had none : and iulian robb'd the christian altars with this impious sarcasm , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; that ' t was unfit the son of mary should be serv'd in plate . so do men now a-days make themselves regulators of holy things , correct the indecorums of the sanctuary , that they may rifle its treasures . thus do we see the apostles affirmation sadly verified that those who will be rich fall into temptation , and a snare , tim. . . such is the greediness of a covetous appetite , that it swallows indiscriminately whatever looks like prize , and rather than it want its prey , god himself shall be robb'd . nay , 't were to be wisht in this instance , that that were all ; but alas he is mockt too , used not only unjustly , but contumeliously ; we thus make him a property to our sordid designs , and when he has profest that he will not be serv'd together with mammon , we attempt that which is yet far more blasphemous , and make him pay service to him with whom he disdains to share it when paid by others . neither is covetousness the only vice that serves its interest upon religion : but as 't is made a factor for that , so is it a cloak and disguise for many other . of this the catalogues of primitive hereticks give sufficient witness ; divers whereof as the nicolaitans , cerinthians , carpocratians and gnosticks seem to have constituted distinct sects in christianity , only that they might introduce the most bestial parts of heathenism , and pretended an association in religion , when indeed it was in lust . how far some of our modern sects resemble them in this particular , i will not undertake to pronounce : though there want not those who make severe , and not improbable conjectures concerning it . but whether that be the main design or no ; 't is certain both that wickedness , and many other find great shelter among them . he that brings resolution to uphold a faction shall not miss of entertainment , how many or how great vices soever he brings with it ; and he that is of a godly party , shall in spight of the loudest guilts be a godly man. so meritorious a thing is it in some mens account to be factious , that it covers the multitude of sins : hence it is that criminals so frequently fly to new churches for sanctuary : and 't will still be the concern of such to have so creditable a refuge ; and therefore we are not to wonder if this interest combine with the former in promoting our dissentions . but alas , as it advances those , so does it our guilt too , that have more than on vile end to which we accommodate our piety : and still implies the greater affront to our god , by how many the more and baser interests we shroud under his patronage . alas , is it not enough as iob speaks to hide our iniquities in our own bosomes , but must we wrap them in the veil of the sanctuary . we read that goats once lent a covering for the tabernacle ; but here by an impious inversion , the tabernacle must lend a covering to the goats ▪ the most bestial appetites be both concealed and preserv'd under the shadow of religion . plutarch tells us that when marcellus would have consecrated a temple joyntly to honour and vertue , the priests resisted it , saying , two gods dwelt not in one church : and if their vain deities exacted such a solemnity of respect , and would not be inmates to one another , can we think the true god will be content to be made so to all our vilest lusts . this is sure the highest contumely to the divine majesty ; and never could the abomination of desolation more properly be said to stand in the holy place than in this sense : for as the natures of these guilts are fitly exprest by abomination , so is the effect of them by desolation ; they having brought the most fatal mischiefs on the church . and now would god all that are concern'd in this guilt , would soberly ponder the weight of it , there are two things of which god has exprest himself peculiarly tender , his honour and his church ; this is the invading him in both ; the exposing the one to reproach and contempt , and the other to ruine and destruction ; and doubtless were there nothing of the former , this later alone must be sadly accounted for . it remains yet a character of infamy upon achan , that he troubled israel to enrich himself : and on balam that he not only loved the wages of iniquity , but ensnared the people in uncleanness : and sure the same with many aggravations belongs to those , who by the like unworthy practice , have not only rendred the church a prey to foreigners , but made it so to its self ; engag'd one part of it against another , till the whole is so wasted , that our religion seems now neerer extinction , than our quarrels about it . chap. xvi . a survey of the causes of disputes ; fourthly , passion . a fourth grand contributer to our dissentions is passion , which being by god and nature placed in a subserviency to reason , when it quits its proper station and assumes empire , it must needs disorder and subvert not only the state of the mind , but of every thing upon which it has an influence . i shall not here attempt any philosophical discourse either of their nature or number ; all that concerns the present enquiry falls under one of these two , our love , or our hate ; and is either kindness and prepossession , or spight and prejudice : for the first of these 't is a thing which common experience attests to be a most forcible corrupter of the understanding , which being by native right design'd a iudge , is by this interrupted in its office , not permitted to make those impartial enquiries , on which a right sentence should be founded . but ( as it fares sometimes with magistrates in popular insurrections ) forced to give countenance to its own violation , to own not its proper native dictates , but such as are presented to it , by the prejudicate phancy . and as it thus lays restraint upon the superior part of the mind , keeps the understanding in fetters , so ( to complete the inversion ) it takes off all ties from the inferior : gives not only licence , but incitation to the other passions to take their freest range , to act with the utmost impetuosity . and sure there can nothing more be requir'd , to render it a most apt instrument of tumult and confusion . for when every opinion that is taken up , shall instead of reason and argument , arm its self with heat and violence , there can be no end of contending . and the truth of this is , god knows , too sadly discernible in our church-controversies , which derive a great deal of their warmth and bitterness from this fountain . of this prepossession there are two sorts , the one relating to doctrine , the other to persons ; by the first i mean not a sober constancy to those principles which being first imbibed by education , are afterwards retain'd upon iudgment , but an eager tenacity of opinions , not so much upon truth or evidence , as upon a confus'd irrational kindness ; a platonick love of some doctrine meerly for themselves , and then making them the standards , by which all others are to be measured : and this kind of prepossession is no stranger in the world , there being multitudes of men , who assert opinions with all imaginable vehemence , who can give no better ground of it , but because they like them : and as the wiser sort chuse a tenet , because 't is right , so these conclude 't is right , because they have chosen it . and having thus enamour'd themselves of their helena , they expect all should adore , nor can he scape the note of profaneness that refuses . by this absurd partiality it is that some doctrines , which would themselves ill abide the test , are become the touch-stone both of doctrines and men , and no opinion or person sanctified which bears not this impress . i need not stand to give instances , either of the doctrines or the unhappy influence this espousing of them has had on our dissentions ; but indeed this kind of prepossession is oftentimes the consequent of another ; and this great veneration of some opinions is founded in the reverence of their authors . men take up a confidence of the learning or sanctity of a person , and then all his notions are received implicitly , strictly embraced , but not so much as slightly examin'd ; and this admiration of mens persons , has in all ages been of huge mischief to the church , has nurst up private phancies into solemn publick errors , and given an unhappy perpetuity to many heterodox opinions , which would else have expired with their first propugners . this seems to have been foreseen by st. paul , when he so earnestly exhorts the corinthians against the ascribing their faith , to their several respective teachers : but sure i am , 't was sadly experimented by the succeeding christians , who owed many of their divisions to it . a pregnant instance hereof was the millennium , which in spight of its improbability prevail'd long , and almost universally against the truth upon the strength of authority . papias a holy man and scholar of st. iohn , having delivered it , the esteem of his person canoniz'd his mistake , and men chose rather to admit a doctrine , whose unagreeableness to the gospel oeconomy rendred it suspicious , than think an apostolick man could seduce them . and the force of this is yet more considerable , when 't is remembred that it found proselytes , not only among the vulgar , who are commonly flexible to any new impression , but among those of a higher rank , men that were lights in their generation : iustin martyr and irenaeus having own'd the opinion , and intimated it to have been received by many others no less orthodox ; and if such a seduction could prevail , so early in those purer times , before mens interests or spleen were adopted into their religion , and begot voluntary errors , if i say the meer reputation of a teacher , was then singly so operative ; we cannot wonder at its efficacy in conjunction with those auxiliaries , which worse ▪ times have brought in . what concurrence of those there was in the several heresies , which after infested the church , i shall not now examine , but 't is visible that many of them grew considerable , chiefly from the fame of their authors , thus tatianus upon the credit of being iustin martyr's disciple , had an advantage to disseminate his errors , and not only his , but those of origen apollinaris and novatus , gain'd abettors from the reputed orthodoxy of the persons , that propos'd them , who having asserted the faith in some points , were qualified the more prosperously to appose it in others . nor has it been only the mishap of elder times to have felt the mischiefs of such praepossession ; the disease has still advanced , and every day improved in worse effect , by how much men have more degenerated from primitive integrity , so that the easie proselyte is now in danger , not only from the blindness , but the treachery of his guide , and is often led out of the common road , as thieves draw passengers into by-ways for the better opportunity of robbing them : but 't is not my present business to send hue and cry after them , to examine what the intentions of those leaders are , who misguide their tractable admiring followers , 't is enough for my purpose to observe , that those who so deliver up themselves in a blind assent to the dictates of any man , are in his power to be abused by him if he pleases : i shall leave it to others , to estimate the probability that they shall not be actually so : but certainly this may be said , that these later ages have beyond all the former given opportunities of seducing to any that will use them . the one establisht doctrine of infallibility among the romanists is eminent for its propriety that way , while under pretence of submission to something they call infallible , 't is evident that the faith of the ignorant vulgar resolves its self into that which they acknowledge most fallible ; the doctrine of their immediate teachers . but indeed take it at the best , such a perswasion is not only an error in its self , and an apt foundation for innumerable others , but it necessarily renders them incorrigible ; the least retractation of a mistake being so inconsistent with the claim of infallibility , that while they retain the one , they must never attempt the other , nor can they cease to erre , till they confess it possible they may do so . how much more than possible that has been , the many innovations of that church sufficiently witness ; and consequently the danger of presuming upon the unerrableness of a guide . but would all that upbraid it there , were themselves secure from it , and that many did not in their practice transcribe that decried doctrine , and that too with the improvement of worse circumstances . i must call them worse , by how much the probabilities of erring are greater under the extemporary conduct of a private person , than the fixt rules of a community , and by how much again the voluntary enslaving my self is more excuseless , than that which the principles of my profession , and consequently a seeming obligation of conscience exposes me to . and as to the matter of fact , i think 't is evident enough , that the admiration of mens persons is a spreading disease that has over-run christendom , and though a great part of it inveigh against implicite faith , yet if it be throughly scanned , 't will appear 't is rather the object than the act we differ about . he that vehemently opposes that homage to the conclave , will yet tamely pay it to a classis : and he that refuses it there , yields it to the votes of a congregational church ; or if he hold out against that too , yet chuses to himself some private teacher on which to cast it : like micah , iudg. . makes him a teraphim and a priest too , for his private use ; and then confidently consults his oracle , and has nothing to do but believe its responses . nay , that which makes the matter yet more sadly ridiculous , is that the very opposition to one usurpation makes them deliver themselves up to another . how many when they have heard a preacher rail fiercely at the pope , have presently made him theirs , and supposing that zeal an indication of a safe guide , have given him as absolute a rule of their consciences , as that he exclaim'd against ( perhaps envied ) elsewhere : and the like instances might be given among our other dissenting parties . and this has taught some seducers a lucky artifice , made them observe to what opinions their proselytes had the greatest aversion , and by complying with their anger so steal away their love , that they might after lead them to what they pleas'd , yea , perhaps to that which they so much detested : for there want not examples of some , who have by back ways been brought to those opinions , which at first they most defied . what have been the attempts or success of the emissaries of rome this way , i shall not pronounce , though some ( not improbably ) speak them great . from this blind and passionate esteem of several teachers have flowed many pernicious consequents , particularly those distinct appellations , which form differences into sects , many of which expresly own this original , by bearing the names of their first authors . i might here put them in mind , that they are illegitimate persons , whom our law directs to write with an alias , and ask them , whether the church from their superinduced name , has not cause so to repute them . but i am sure i may with the utmost seriousness say , that this practice is to the great violation of christian unity , and reproach of christian profession , which seems to be abandon'd and disown'd by us , who instead of denominating our selves from the author and finisher of our faith , find out new patrons , as if we were asham'd of our first relation . alas , how is the title of christian , which was so glorious to the primitive owners , that they gladly bought the occasion of boasting it with torments and death , become so despicable to us , that every the obscurest name is courted to supplant it . have any of our idolized readers bought their interest in us so dear as christ has done , why then are we rather ambitious to be accounted their dependants than his ? 't is the apostles own argument , cor. . . when he refutes their factious entitling themselves to paul and apollo , &c. by asking them if paul were crucified for them : and indeed he there says so much upon this point , that i need only refer the reader thither to learn , either the unreasonableness of this schismatical zeal for our several teachers , or the inevitable contentions and animosities which spring from it ; only let me observe , that every of his arguments are more pressing upon us , than on the corinthians ; those taken from the unreasonableness sure are , by how much the names we so adore are less venerable than those of paul and cephas or apollo , and those from the consequencies are so also . for those teachers were industrious to prevent , whereas ours commonly are no less busie to promote contentions on their behalf , and so we are more ascertain'd never to want them . but besides this kinder prepossession towards some mens persons , there is another of a different nature , a sinister one . i mean prejudice and disgust , and this has done no less harm in ecclesiastical affairs than the former . men take up piques and displeasures at others , and then every opinion of the disliked person must partake of his fate , and be engaged in the quarrel : nor will those that are enemies ever allow one another the honour of being in the right : nay , some have been so perversly malicious , that they have given up their understandings to their spleen , forsaken an opinion themselves approved , only that they might find matter of contest with one they maligned . a memorable instance of this socrates gives in his eccl. hist. in theophilus bishop of alexandria , who having formerly attested the orthodox belief , that god was incorporeal ; yet upon a sudden indignation against dioscorus and his brethren , who maintain'd the tenet , he embraced the contrary heresie of the anthropomorphites , that so under the colour of a difference in faith , he might the more advantageously pursue his malice ; & the effects of it were very tragical , not only to private persons in tumult and blood-shed , but to the church by reviving that error , which was before near expiring , and might as socrates affirms , have lain in the dust , had it not been thus awaken'd . and indeed in church story scarce any thing occurs more frequently than examples of those , who upon private grudges have either begun or fomented heresies and schisms . thus marcion being denied the communion of the roman church , having before by a scandalous crime been cut off from his own , he reveng'd himself by publishing his detestable doctrine : in like manner miletius upon a displeasure at peter bishop of alexandria , first separated from the church , and after took part with the arians : so also lucifer incensed at eusebius for not approving of his electing paulus to the see of antioch , broke communion , and gave both rise and denomination to a new sect. the like is said of apollinaris , that he was excited to the broaching his heresie by his impatience of the excommunication inflicted on him and his father , by theodotus bishop of laodicea ; and several others might be given to the same purpose , out of the records of those first ages . and certainly the world seems not to have so much improved in meekness since , as that we should think the same principle is not still as active , and if the task were not more envious than hard , many recent instances might be given to parallel the former , especially of such as having justly smarted under the stroke of ecclesiastical discipline , have sought to revenge themselves both on it and the inflicters , by factions and tumults ; so making the publick at once cloak the infamy , and bear the charge of their particular rancors . but this is a subject neither grateful nor necessary to be more distinctly spoken to . one may however in the general say , that where these private animosities are any thing violent , they usually beat down all consideration of publick good . historians observe of themistocles , that he always thwarted the councils of aristides , not that he thought it the interest of the common-wealth , but his own , to keep down the growing reputation of his competitor : and i fear that envious artifice has been too often transcrib'd , as well in ecclesiastick , as in civil transactions : no detriment is thought so formidable to a malicious mind , as the prosperity of his adversary ; and publick ruptures shall still be allowed to widen , till they swallow up the whole , rather than he will close with his antagonist . the history of the scottish church gives an apposite example of this , in a ruling presbyter , who being by king iames advis'd with about the readmitting marquess huntley , and prest with the present exigencies of church and state , which requir'd it , gave his final answer in these terms . well sir , i see you resolve to take huntley in favour , if you do , i will oppose it , chuse whether you will lose him or me , for both you cannot have . some may think the greatest propriety of this instance lies to shew the insolence of that tribe towards majesty ; but however 't is not impertinent to the matter in hand also ; and shews how light the greatest publick concerns are , when malice is the counterpoize : and indeed the naturalists experiment , that flame will not mingle with flame , never justifies its self better than when applied to minds thus accended , which however they may meet in mutual flashes , can never unite and incorporate : the sadness of it is , that they should only conspire to common vastation , and make the church its self a burnt-offering . thus fatal have our several sorts of prepossions been to our religion , for as if that were the common enemy , our most distant contrary affections , our love and our hate equally annoy it ; those brutish parts of us our passions , which like the beasts under the law , were never to be brought into the temple , but for sacrifice , are now found there upon a far differing account , not to be slain , but ador'd ; like the aegyptian isis and osyris , enshrin'd to receive our devotions , for that the zeal we pretend elsewhere is really paid to them , is alas too manifest . chap. xvii . a survey of the causes of disputes ; fifthly , zeal . to these several causes of our distractions we my add another , which though in its original it may seem more innocent , yet is in its consequents no less pernicious , and that is a mistaken zeal , which as it is fire to all about it , so is it wind to its self , fans and irritates its own flames , and by a confidence that it does well , gathers still fresh vigour to do more . how great the force of such an erroneous perswasion is , we may collect from our saviours premonition to his disciples , when he tells them , that those who kill'd them should think they did god service ; and if murder , and that of apostles too , could by the magick of blind zeal be so transform'd , we must not wonder to find other crimes so too . and what christ thus foretold was after eminently exemplified in st. paul , whom the holy writ represents under all the phrases that may denote a virulent persecutor , as breathing out threatnings and slaughter , making havock of the church , and in his own words , persecuting that way unto the death , and being exceedingly mad against them ; and all this he did being zealous towards god , and out of a perswasion that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of iesus , as we find in his apology to his countrey-men and king agrippa , act. . . & . . and of the abettors of those novel doctrines which after times produced , we have reason to think many were of this sort , especially in those heresies which though they carried secret venome in them had yet a plausible appearance of sanctity and devotion ; such was that of the encratites , which seem'd to be founded in the veneration of two great vertues continence and temperance , though by extending them beyond the due limits , they lost that sobriety they too strictly embraced , and became inordinate in their continence , and excessive in their abstinence : such again were the euchitae or massalians , who made the whole business not only of religion but even of life to consist in praying ; and though by it they evacuated all other ends of both , yet having the letter of a precept , and the pretence of devotion on their side , 't was a proper bait for those who had much zeal and little knowledge . in like manner the novatians heresie had so glorious an inscription of purity as was very apt to attract well meaning souls ; who seeing it bid such express defiance to apostacy , could not suspect that it was its self any defection from the faith ; and accordingly some of that sect approved their constancy in times both of heathen and arian persecutions . nor must we be so uncharitable to the modern times , as not to believe many , have acted upon the like principles , and meant truth and piety , even while they actually promoted the contrary . but how sincere soever the purposes of such seduced persons were , yet 't is evident the church has suffer'd no less by them , than by the more crafty designers : their misguided piety has made as great and incurable ruptures , as the most flagitious blasphemies of others . and when a rent is once made , it matters little whether it were done by error or malice ; nay perhaps as to the hopes of repairing , the former may be the more desperate : for whereas he that knowingly commits an ill , has the upbraidings of his own conscience towards his reducing ; these on the other side have its cherishings and encouragements , to confirm and animate them . and doubtless they are great advantages which satan has in all ages made of such persons , whom he seems to have deluded in the same manner , that medea is said to have done the daughters of peleas , whom she perswaded to hack their aged father in pieces , in hope that by her magick , he should not only recover life but youth : so these rend and tear their mother the church out of a hope , no less delusive , of restoring her pristine beauty and vigor ; how far the event parallels it also , the dying state of christianity does too sadly testifie . nor has it only been the heat of erring persons that has been thus mischievous , but sometimes men of right judgments have too much contributed to the breach of unity , and the intemperate and imprudent zeal of these hath serv'd to exasperate the mistaking earnestness of the other : this happens sometimes for want of distinguishing between the essentials and circumstantials of religion , and so looking upon a mistake in the later with the detestation proper only to the perverting of the former ; by this means those who have entirely embraced the same faith , have yet violated charity and broken communion : such slight minute differences when managed by eager spirits being easily blown up into solemn and lasting contentions ; so that the disputes rais'd about some pin or nail of the temple , have sometimes shaken and endanger'd the whole fabrick , robbed the church of that fraternal unity which was its fastest cement , and surest support . of this we need no more apt instance from antiquity than that which has been already mentioned upon another occasion , i mean victors unbrother-like heat towards the eastern churches in the controversie about easter , which had fomented that difference into a schism , which the meeker piety of his predecessors thought no ground of unkindness , much less of separation , as irenaeus more at large tells him ; and probably had men in all the succeeding ages deliberately poiz'd the errors they oppos'd , and proportion'd their displeasure but to the just weight of them , many of our disputes would have been so calm'd , that they should never have become quarrels . but many in this particular have only us'd the touchstone , not the scales : and of opinions that are erroneous , consider not which are more or less pernicious , but with an equal violence fly at all , as if the stoical opinion concerning sins had prevail'd in errors also , and that all were resolv'd to be of the same size . but even in those of the highest kind it may perhaps be doubted , whether too eager an opposition have not sometimes done hurt , especially in those doctrines which relate to the mysterious parts of religion , wherein a novelty is at first lookt upon with some horror , and many are willing rather to condemn in gross than nicely to examine : who yet when they find this done for them by orthodox persons , they think they may with such a guide venture to wade into the question , where many times the insinuations of error are so subtile , that all their antidotes secure them not from infection , but they are themselves captivated where they expected only to triumph . neither want there those of the vulgar that are of a more insolent temper ; and out of a vanity of making themselves umpires between learned men , greedily read the writings of both parties , who yet are able to make no solid judgment of either ; and when 't is remembred how many popular artifices there are to byasse such persons , we must confess that truth hath many to one , odds against her : besides , publick arguing oft serves not only to exasperate the minds , but to whet the wits of hereticks , and by shewing them the weak parts of their doctrines , prompts them to rally all their sophistry to fortifie them , that what they want of truth and reason , may be supplied with fallacy and little colours ; and experience shews how fitly that kind of logick is accommodated to the greatest part of the world. in short it seems not improbable , that many heresies owe much of their growth to the improper means of eradicating them : and have acquir'd a reputation from the stir that was made about them . thus socrates tells us that alexanders letters about the arian heresie serv'd to scatter that pestilent infection the more abroad , and combin'd men into parties , so that the whole world became the scene of that long tragoedy , which possibly might have had a shorter and better issue , had not the notice of the controversie been so early disperst . but if the attempts of the pen have often proved so unfit , it may be consider'd whether those of the sword are not more so , and fighting be not a worse expedient than disputing : and certainly we have great reason to conclude in the affirmative , if we weigh either the injustice , or unreasonableness of it . i know there want not those who have thought the propagating religion by arms not only lawful but meritorious , and that in order to the planting it in a nation , the soil may be mellowed with the bloud of the inhabitants ; nay the old extirpated , and new colonies planted . but we are to remember that as god is the universal monarch of the world , so we have all the relation of fellow subjects to him , and can pretend no farther jurisdiction over each other , than what he has delegated to us : and sure 't would be hard to produce any commission from him for the invading a nation only because 't is not of our faith. 't is sure , those to whom he first entrusted the promulgating of the gospel had far different instructions , and 't were fit our new evangelists should shew their later authority for this sanguinary method , in order to which though some have made use of the opinion of some schoolmen that dominion is founded in grace , yet as that is but an opinion , so were it admitted as the most certain truth , it could never warrant any enterprize of this kind , for supposing that a people by wanting spiritual blessings did lose all their right to temporal , yet that forfeiture must devolve only to the supreme lord , and when as god in another case asks , where is the bill of divorce ? esay . . so we may demand of these zealous invaders , where is the bill of assignment , by which that right was transferr'd to them ? in short , peace is the most valuable blessing of humane life , and we cannot without injustice deprive man of it , though we could as we pretend , give them truth in lieu of it ; for maugre the proverb , that exchange will still be robbery , where the parties are compell'd to make it . but alas , 't is a vain imagination to think that religion can be thus impos'd : or that we can bind the understandings and wills of men , with the same fetters we do their bodies ; 't is true indeed the apostle tells us there is a way of bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of christ , but he tells us withall that the weapons , by which that victory is atchieved , are not carnal , cor. . . indeed did religion consist only in some external conformities , external force might bear some proportion to it ( which perhaps is the cause that the one is most us'd by those whose religion is most eminent for the other ) but 't is seated in those faculties to which outward violence can have no access . alas , 't is not whole armies can besiege my reason , nor canons batter my will , 't is conviction not force , that must induce assent ; and sure the logick of a conquering sword has no great propriety that way ; silence indeed it may , but convince it cannot : its efficacy rather lies on the other side , breeds aversion and abhorrence of that religion , whose first address is in bloud and rapine : nor do such attempts gain any thing to the cause but the infamy of those rigors which are us'd to promote it . and sure since this piece of mahumetan zeal has been transplanted into christendom , it has been much more mischievous than in its native soil . christianity having been infinitely more oppressed by those that thus fought for it , than those that were in arms against it . whether upon this score the pope have not done her more harm than the turk , i leave to consideration . but what is here said of the military sword , i intend not should be applied to the civil ; for i treat not here of those legal punishments , which magistrates inflict upon their disobedient subjects ; who indeed may justly , nay indeed must necessarily require conformity to ecclesiastical laws , as well as the civil : the eruptions in the one commonly overflowing the other also , and schism usually ending in rebellion ; so that 't is apparently their interest to guard themselves from those riotous effects of pretended zeal , nor is it less their duty , they being as the ancients express it , custodes utriusque tabulae in s. paul's language , the ministers of god , rom. . and in constantines dialect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , bishops in the whole outward administration of the church , and if heresie or schism be a sin , are by their places obliged to approve themselves avengers ; to execute wrath no less there , than in other circumstances : and that they are sins and of no small bulk ; none can doubt that observes heresie ranked , gal. . with idolatry , witchcraft , hatred , murders , and other sins of the flesh ; or schism , markt out by the apostle to the hebrews , as a kind of petrifying crime , which induces that induration , to which the fearful expectation of wrath is consequent , for so we find , heb. . . that forsaking the assemblies is lookt on as previous to apostacy and final defection : and therefore sure the magistrate can do nothing kinder even to the offenders than by taking their sin early , prevent that fatal growth of it . but that his just power thus rescued i may assume my former assertion , and conclude , that all other violences are so far from advancing christianity , that they extremely weaken and disadvantage it . but of no sort is this more eminently true than of those popular heats , where the people undertakes to chastise error : for besides that the outrages then committed are very apt to avert men even from truths which they see so barbarously defended , it often happens that the multitude take causless alarms , and think their faith is invaded when it is not . a memorable instance of this kind euagrius gives in his eccl. history , where he tells us that the emperor anastatius having added to the trisagium this clause , who was crucified for our salvation , the whole city of constantinople was in an uproar , upon an ignorant jealousie that those words had some heretical meaning ; in which fury they happening to light upon a poor silly monk , they immediately kill him as the inventor of that clause , and a conspirer against the trinity : so unhappily absur'd are the transports of wild zeal , which where it rules , does besides the direct mischiefs of tumult and sedition create others at the rebound , which are more permanent , and discompose and embitter mens spirits , and render them so ambitiously greedy of quarrels for their religion , that they are not only prepar'd to receive but to seek encounters : and 't is too sure they can never be wanting to persons of such tempers , since the adversaries of truth cannot have more advantage or encouragement against it , than this unpeaceful humor of those that profess it . by these several waies has it come to pass , that even that zeal which should be the life of christianity , is become its disease ; and religion like a hectick body is consum'd by its own heats , if at least i may call those its own , which derive not from its proper and native constitution ; but are the accidents of its declining state : for how confidently soever men pronounce of themselves , and believe that they are then most pious , when they are most eager and unquiet ; yet 't is sure this is far removed from the true genius and temper of religion , which like the god it worships , makes its approaches not in winds and earthquakes , but in the still small voice , kings . . and when 't is consider'd , that the greatest part of the evangelical law is made up of precepts of meekness , long-suffering , and condescention ; we must conclude that zeal very preposterous , that pretends to obey by violating them ; or to establish religion by undermining the most essential parts of it : and to persons under that mistake , we may most properly apply the reproof given by christ to his disciples upon the same occasion , you know not , what manner of spirit you are of . it will therefore become men to look with iealousie on themselves in this particular ; not too confidently to pursue every incitation which carries a shew of piety ; but soberly to weigh how it agrees with the rules and oeconomy of that gospel for which it pretends so much concern ; for though the true christian zeal can never be too much cherished ; yet alas 't is not every warmth we feel about religion that can own that title ; and sure we do not more often , or more fatally mistake any thing than in applying that venerable name to things of a far inferior , nay sometimes of a contrary nature . how often upon this error , have men ascrib'd that to their piety which they owed to their complexions , and thought 't was their religion made them earnest , when 't was meerly their constitution : nay , how often has satan taken this advantage of transforming himself into an angel of light , and insinuating his illusions under this disguise . and truly they must still be liable to both these deceits , so long as they place the essence of christian zeal in heat and eagerness . 't is true indeed it has its heats , but actuated in a far different way ; it has flames of love , not of anger ; to melt , not consume our enemies ; and makes us apter to pour out our own bloud a sacrifice to truth than that of gain-sayers . in short , if it be a fire , 't is that pure elemental which the peripateticks talk of , which is but of a moderate heat ; apt to cherish , not devour . and would god men would so far believe this , as to think there may be moderation , without the danger of laodicean luke-warmness , and upon that supposition suffer themselves to cool into a treatable temper , and then i should humbly offer to them these few considerations . first the great and universal fallibility of humane nature , which renders it not only possible that we may , but certain that every one of us shall erre in something or other ; and this sure is very proper to perswade lenity to those whom we find actually erring . 't is the apostles argument in the case of sin , gal. . . brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault , you which are spiritual , restore such a one in the spirit of meekness , considering thy self , lest thou also be tempted . where the common peccability of mankind is urged to induce commiseration and gentleness towards the offenders ; and if this be of force in sin , where the concurrence of the will renders the person more inexcusable , it will surely hold much more in bare error , which being purely involuntary , ( for nothing is properly error farther than it is so ) 't is to be lookt on rather as the disease than crime of the person : and since we use not to exclaim against men for being sick , but compassionately to endeavour their recovery , why should we here use so much a contrary method . 't is true indeed , 't is necessary sometimes in order to the cure , and sometimes for preventing the infection of others , to do some things uneasie to the patient ; and what tends regularly to either of these ends , may in this case also be charitably done , by those that have authority : but that differs as far from our usual severities , as the lancings of a physician do from the wounds of an adversary ; or publick discipline from private spleen . so that notwithstanding this , we may resume our conclusion and infer from the errableness of our nature , the reasonableness of compassion to the seduced . and as it thus prompts us to look gently upon others , so also to reflect impartially upon our selves ; and consider how possible it is , that even whilest we condemn others , we may indeed be in the wrong ; and then all the invectives we make at their supposed errors ; fall back with a rebounded force upon our own real ones . if this possibility were but adverted to , it would make us less positive and dogmatical in our opinions , and so consequently take away one main ground of contention ; for though we often quarrel about matters , which are indeed but conjectural , yet not till we esteem them otherwise ; and when we consider how many men have vehemently believed apparent falshoods , it may well allay our confidences in all those cases , where we have not some firmer ground than our own ( or indeed any humane ) judgment to build it on . as for those who have the surest grounds of perswasion , and by their security of being themselves in the truth , have the more reason to be earnest in propagating it to others : let them in the second place consider how necessary 't is to chuse appropriate means to that good end , without which they do but undermine themselves , and defeat their own aims . indeed prudence is not only a moral , but christian vertue ; and such as is necessary to the constituting of all others : without it devotion degenerates into superstition , liberality into profuseness , and this of zeal becomes only a pious kind of phrensie . and of persons so possest , god may say as achish did of david , sam. . . have i need of mad men ? no sure , the defence of truth is too noble a cause to be so managed ; its champions are not like men in a fray to make every thing a weapon that they can first snatch up , and lay on as chance or fury guides , but are deliberately to consult the properest expedients , use not only force but stratagem against the enemy , and yet withall to take care that while they oppose one , another gain not advantage : for alas , 't is indifferent to our grand adversary , by which of his temptations we fall , and if by subverting the faith of some , he shipwrack the charity of others , he has his end , and triumphs at once both over the speculative and practick part of our religion . and this may induce a farther consideration , and prompt us to examine what degree of guilt lies on those who either out of a blind , or rash zeal have given him this advantage . and here though i cannot doubt , but god makes great allowances to the miscarriages of sincere intentions , yet perhaps we have carv'd more liberally to our selves than he designs us , and presume our security greater than in truth it is . for how innocent soever a good purpose may make our error , yet 't is a priviledge beyond all possibility of grant , that our sins should be so also ; therefore if our misperswasions beget wicked practice , we may be accountable for the one , though not for the other . we find indeed s. paul alledges his ignorance , as the cause of his finding mercy , for his persecuting the church , but we are to remember what that mercy he there refers to is ; not that of absolution , but conversion ; and had he resisted the later , though with never so full a perswasion of his doing well in it , i much doubt whether his good meaning would have secur'd him the former ; so that all the encouragement , that example can afford it , that god may probably do more for the reducing an erring than a malicious persecutor : and when 't is considered that all the odds that christ makes between him that does ill knowingly and ignorantly , is in the number of stripes : we must resolve our mistakes are no such amulets as totally to secure us . and then whether our guilts shall not swell in proportion to the ills we do , is a question that sure can never be resolved in the negative : for if a good intention cannot alter the nature of sin , sure it can as little change their degree , or make that of two persons equally mistaken , the murder of the one , shall not be a greater crime than an intemperate speech of the other . and upon this measure the accounts of erring zeal are like to rise very high with many ; unless we can think rebellion and bloudshed , sacriledge and sachism , with all that train of zealous enormities to be light and trivial . nor will it at all legitimate these , or any other , crimes , though they should happen to be committed in the defence of truth : of this st. peter is a ready instance , who when to guard him , who was truth its self , he had violated the authority of the magistrate in wounding an officer : christ apprehends his rashness , and instead of applauding his zeal , upbraids his absurdity , that could think his mean aids considerable to him , who could command legions of angels to his rescue . and sure he is not so much more impotent in his glory , than he was in his exinanition , as now to need our sins to secure any of his concerns ; and if st. peter were thus check'd for using that sword which he was a little before warn'd to buy , it must sure set an ill character upon those tumultuous reformations which have so much employed the zeal of later ages , to which there can never want a concurrence of several great sins , the guilt whereof will scarce be wiped off , by their design'd subserviency to truth ; what degree of extenuation it may afford is hard to pronounce , since we have no rule to measure it by . but whatsoever it is , we are to remember , that it can belong only to such a zeal as is purely religious , that mixes not with our passions or interests ; and therefore before men be too forward to appropriate any indulgence of that kind , 't will be necessary to examine , whether no sinister adherent have vitiated that integrity of their purpose to which alone it can ( even by their own award and sentence ) appertain . i have insisted the more on this , because many are apt to ascribe too unlimitedly to the force of a good meaning , to think that is able to bear the stress of whatsoever commissions they shall lay on it ; and by thus presuming on their antidote , venture boldly on the deadliest poisons . to such the foregoing considerations may be useful ; and by robbing them of that imaginary security , help them to a real one , by making their good purposes the director of good actions , not the apology for bad . this would make religion look consonant to its self , which now groans under the reproach of all those ills , that are acted under its patronage ; and sure to rescue her from such a scandal , is but a very moderate piece of compassion : yet would god she might obtain it even from those who profess themselves her greatest votaries : but alas , 't is one sad circumstance of her ruine , that she owes it to such ; that those weapons which should defend her , thus recoil into her bowels , and zeal should do her more mischief than prophaneness ; for while she is but scoffed at by that , she is wounded by this : nor are those wounds ever like to close , till our zeal grow more balsamick , partake of those healing qualities of love and meekness , the want whereof has rendred it so unhappily instrumental to our distractions . chap. xviii . a survey of the causes of disputes ; sixthly , idleness . but as this over-active humour has done abundant mischief to the church , so is it observable , that the direct contrary has done as much , nay , which is yet stranger , the one is frequently the product of the other , and our too busie zeal , springs from our too great idleness . how much soever this may sound like paradox , yet both reason and experience attest the truth of it ; for we are to consider that god has put an active principle into man , which 't is impossible so to suppress , as that there shall be a total cessation from motion : and therefore every intermitting of sober , regular actings , makes way for wild extravagant ones ; for as nature is said so vehemently to abhor vacuity , that the very inanimate bodies would forsake their specifick motions to prevent it . so when the mind is empty , when it has no worthy and profitable speculation to entertain it , every the most improper and preternatural object offers its self , and importunately crouds in to fill the vacuum . this seems to have been well understood , though ill applied by pharaoh , when he thought the israelites proposal of travelling into the wilderness to their devotions , was the effect of their to 〈…〉 sure at home ; and therefore encreases their tasks as the properest way of diverting their design : and in like manner we find those that treat of politicks , insist upon the necessity of keeping the people busie , in order to which it is , that they mention the use of mathematicks and other contemplative sciences , to entertain the active spirits of a nation , in demonstrating of problemes , solving phaenomenas , and drawing schemes and diagrams , who else would be practising upon the government , making new ideas and platforms for the common-wealth : and doubtless there is parity of reason in the ecclesiastick state , which would have been at more peace , had some men found themselves other diversions . and this is confirm'd to us by experiment and observation of event , for if we look into the primitive times , we shall find that when there was a necessity of defending the common faith against heathenism , when christians were employed in writing apologies and vindications , there were much fewer of these intestine debates ( at least such as were metaphysical and purely national ) they had their hands full of the foreign enemy , and had the less temptation to jangle among themselves . so also when they were under the greatest storms of persecution , when the church was most violently assaulted from without , it had the greatest calm within . they were then incessantly employed , and busied their thoughts in preparing for the fiery trial . those cloudy days made them keep close at home waiting for the bridegrooms coming , and suffer'd them not to wander abroad for those unprofitable curiosities , which though like oil they might nourish flame , yet would never furnish their lamps , or gain them admission to the wedding but in the intervals , and especially after the total cessation of their calamity , when their peace had taken them off their vigilance , than while they slept , the envious man had advantage to sow his tares . rest made them idle , idleness made them curious , and curiosity contentious ; and those who under the tyranny of a nero or domitian were in perfect harmony under the gentle pious regiment of a constantine , grew to the greatest discord , and perhaps ( besides the divine and extraordinary supports the church had in her greatest conflicts ) this may be one of the best natural accounts , how she came to flourish most under her heaviest pressures . but our observation ends not here , for besides this extraordinary importunity of thoughts , which persecuting times occasion'd , christianity is in its frame and constitution an active state , has its standing business , and besides all accidental , a series of determinate , constant employments , sufficient to entertain mens minds : from which we may infer , that when this is throughly adverted to , there will be few chasms of time to be filled with foreign impertinences . and this gives a clear account how our divisions have come to grow upon us , namely , by the neglect of practick duties , for as every age degenerated more from primitive piety , so they advanced farther in nice enquiries and new opinions ; and as the zeal of practice grew cool , so that of dispute gathered heat and vigour . so that if we consider how far our good works fall short of the first christians , we need not wonder to see our controversies so far exceed them ; that time which was gain'd from the one , being employed in hammering and forging the other . i do not forget that i have before ranked this diversion of christian practice among the effects of our contentions , and foresee it may be thought very inartificial here , to make it the cause also : but alas , its concern in them is so extravagantly great , as to have at once the relation of child and parent , to be both root and branch , fountain and stream , and like a circle unites in its self beginning and end : for as it first gave birth to our quarrels , so it finally receives encrease from them . in short , our oscitant lazy piety gave vacancy for them , and they will now lend none back again , for more active duty . and as this neglect of our general calling of christianity has been thus pernicious , so have the ill effects thereof been improved by the like ill attendance on our particular ones . we find st. paul takes notice , that the younger widows , who deserted their own ecclesiastical office , grew busie-bodies in the secular affairs of others ; and sure we may with truth invert the note , and observe that those , who either desert or neglect their secular callings , are the most perniciously medling in ecclesiastick matters . did men conscientiously employ themselves in their honest occupations , their minds would be sufficiently diverted , and it would not become the work of artificers to make new schemes of doctrines or discipline ; divinity would not then pass the yard and loom , the forge and anvil , nor preaching be taken in as an easier supplementary trade , by those that disliked the pains of their own . but all this alas we have seen to the equal shame and detriment of piety . mechanicks of all sorts have presum'd to teach what themselves never learnt ; and those that serv'd long apprentiships to other crafts , have become divines in a moment , and with the same aemulous industry wherewith they us'd to invent new fashions , have made new religions . and as idleness has thus made some preachers , so it has made more hearers , those who either by the easiness of their callings , or their slight managery of them , have had the most vacant time , have been the aptest to run after new teachers : hence it is that towns and cities have been the great nurseries of faction , the leisure of shop-men making them more inquisitive after , and receptive of novelties . and were that over-grown zeal of sermons , which has now devour'd all other parts of religion , among that sort of men throughly scanned , we should find idleness goes very far in its composition , for besides that hearing is the most lazy of all religious offices , as appears by the undisturb'd sleeps men can take at sermons ; it is manifest this insatiate appetite of it , is originally founded either in the not having business , or not attending to it . for should i ask such men , whether if necessity had enforc'd st. pauls rule upon them , that without their labour they should not eat , they would have spent their whole week at lectures , and trusted to be fed by the ear. i believe few could pretend to have begun with so exorbitant a zeal , though the truth is in the issue it sometimes arrives to it ; and men that have itching ears forget the rest of the body , whilest to gratifie them , they totally neglect all care of their secular concerns , and bring themselves and families to want and beggary . nor is it only this one rank of persons whom idleness has betrayed to faction , servants we have frequently seen under the same seducement , while either having but little work , or but little diligence in it , they have found time to listen after novel doctrines , with which being once tainted , they impatiently thirst after more , and neglecting the duties of their place , spend their time , which by compact is their masters ( and can with no more justice be purloin'd from him than his goods ) in following factious teachers , who instruct them so in their christian liberty , that they bring them to defie all subjection : and by telling them they are to call no man master upon earth , that they are to own no king nor priest but christ ; teach them to contemn all authority , domestick , civil or ecclesiastick . if we look farther into families , we shall find also that many of our she-zealots become so upon the very same ground , when women neglect that which st. paul assigns them as their proper business , the guiding of the house , their zeal is at once the product and excuse of their idleness ; and in spight of the ill character the wise-man has set on her , whose feet abide not in her house , prov. . . it becomes the mark of a saint , when a lecture or conventicle is taken in the way : and though these feminine irregularities may seem to be of no great concern to the publick , yet experience convinces the contrary ; it having been the unhappy priviledge of that sex ( as ancient as their mother eve ) to be able to do great and important mischiefs ; and doubtless many men may give the same account of their schism and sedition , that adam did of his first sin , the woman that thou gavest me , &c. this has always been well understood by seducers , who have found it the most compendious way to their designs , to lead captive silly women , and make them the duck-coys to their whole family : but even those who have mist of this influence over the minds of their husbands , have yet had it over their purses , and out of them supported the rabbies of the faction ; who in gratitude to those wise abigails give their husbands the title , and perhaps wish them the fate of nabal . and god knows , how many men have thus been made contributers to the cause they have most detested , maintain'd that fire which those incendiaries have kindled in the holy place ; money being no less the sinews of ecclesiastical than secular war. thus we see how the idleness even of the most inconsiderable persons has at the rebound been extremely pernicious to the church , which like a clock or watch may be disorder'd by the rust of the least pin ; how much more then , by that of the main wheels and springs ; if negligence in lay-callings have though but an oblique , yet so inauspicious an influence , the like neglect in ecclesiastick must needs have a worse , because more immediate and direct . and would to god we could say this had been wanting to the compleating the mischief : but alas , many of those who are called to labour in the lords vineyard , seem to have forgot their errand , and stand there all the day idle ( a much worse sight than to have seen them so only in the market-place ; ) so that i fear there is too evident ground of saying , that the slight execution of the pastoral office , has been one of the most eminent contributors to our distractions . and among all the parts of that charge , none has been more generally , or more perniciously neglected than that of catechizing ; the want whereof has left people so unbottom'd , that like a house built on the sand , every wind of doctrine blows down that faith which they only profest , but understood not . this is that which has made so many unstable souls , as st. peter observes , pet. . . to be the proper prey of deceivers . and god knows , we may from sad experiment confirm the note . i wish the same negligence do not again evidence its self by the same effects : but besides this , which is part of the publick ministry , ( and deservedly is so , being useful to the whole church , the aged as well as children ) there are private intercourses between pastor and people which are of great use , would god they were of equal practice : we know a careful shepherd does not only turn his flock into a common pasture , and then think he has done his work , but does with a particular advertence observe the thriving of every one of them , takes notice of their single strayings and diseases , and accordingly applies himself to reduce or cure them , and surely the like care is full as necessary in the spiritual shepherd , 't is not the counsel which is promiscuously dispenced in a sermon ( and whereof 't is odds every man takes that which is least proper for him ) that will do the business : converts come not in now as in st. peters days , in throngs and shoals , a more distinct and particular application is now necessary ; men must be treated with apart , their particular wants discern'd , and applications accordingly made of instructions , reproof or comfort , and 't is these appropriate medicines , that are like to make sound flocks . had ministers generally bestowed more pains this way , they might probably have frustrated the attempts of seducers , who could not so easily have insinuated themselves into the people , had they found them thus prepossest : but while these with all the arts of a subtile industry infuse their poysons into every one they meet , nothing but the like diligence in administring antidotes , is like to countermine them . how much of that has been us'd i shall leave to the consciences of concern'd persons to determine . but besides the ill influence the pastors negligence has on the people , it has in respect of themselves an immediate propriety to the advancing our debates , the leisure which is thus acquir'd , being apt to betray speculative persons , to the study of those curious questions , which are the great disturbers of our peace ; and of those that study them so few keep themselves in neutrality , that parties are still fomented by it : whereas were the practical business of their charge throughly attended , the remainder of time would not be more than the study of the more solid , useful parts of divinity would exact , and consequently there would no surplus be left for those dangerous impertinencies , which as the apostle says , serve to no profit , but to the subverting of the hearers , tim. . . but when our watchmen sleep , 't is no marvail if they dream too , and entertain themselves and others with those phantastick notions , which the great day will manifest to have had nothing of weight and reality , besides the mischiefs they wrought . and indeed if we scan the volumes of those vain speculations , we shall have cause to conclude that idleness has created as well as fomented them ; and they had as well wanted authors as abettors , had men found themselves more useful business : and that not only the extemporary chimoera's of phanaticks , but the more elaborate nicities of the schools , have been thus derived : we know air possesses no place , where it first finds not a vacuity , nor could those lighter notions , have filled mens brains , had they found them prepossest with what was more solid : but when men wanted more substantial work for their understandings , they were fain to employ them thus in making cob-webs , of which they have made a worse sort of iewish veil in the sanctuary , and have now involved the gospel in greater obscurities , than the law , was before : whence our bezaleels and aholiabs have been inspir'd for this work i shall not determine ; but sure not from him whose character s. iohn gives us ( in peculiar reference to gospel revelation ) that he is light , and in him is no darkness at all , jo. . . thus we see even idleness wants not its operation ; but is productive of great and mischievous effects ; it being the unhappy property of that vice , that it supplants its self , and by a fatal antiperistasis makes men perniciously active : so that we may truly say sloth has made more business than industry . i am sure in this instance it has cut out work for many ages , though of such a kind , that we have little reason to wish that our lord at his coming should find us so doing : yet for ought now appears , our activity is so wholly bent that way , that 't is like to be the only , at least the most intense business we shall be found at . i might here take a very apt occasion to declame against idleness , as the unhappy fountain of so great mischiefs , but that is a vice that has been so often arraign'd , that i need not repeat those charges which all authors , natural , moral and divine have laid against it . let but this of its being the original of faction be added , and there can be nothing wanting to render it a most dangerous crime : yea , and a most monstrous one too , that operates thus preternaturally , that freezes and yet inflames men at once , stupifies and enrages : and yet alas , there is as much riddle in its fate as its nature ; 't is hated , and yet embraced ; generally decried , and yet as generally cherished : and though it have no advocates , has many friends . would god men would at last be ashamed to be what they are asham'd to own , and by a diligent attendance on their proper business , secure themselves first from doing nothing , and then from doing ill ; the one being so close an attendant on the other , that 't is scarce possible to sever them . and god knows the church finds too sad proof of their connection . idleness having serv'd as ashes to keep alive that fire which has set her in combustion . thus unhappily passive is she in our disorders , and accessary to all our guilts and punishments : all our peccant humors concur to her disease , and like a common mark she receives arrows from all quarters , we have seen how many contributers there are to her ruine , every one whereof with a wanton cruelty ( like caesar's murderers ) are ambitious to inflict new wounds , and to give her supernumerary deaths ; and whilest she is thus surrounded with assassines , what can we expect but that her present languishings should end in death . that christian religion now crumbled into so many minute fractions , should like dust be scatter'd , and irrecoverably dissipated , and thus infallibly it must be , if either god do not miraculously countermine us , and do more for us than we can do against our selves , or we recover so much sobriety , as to forbear to massacre what we pretend to love , and endeavour to bind up those wounds at which our own souls are like to expire . chap. xix . the conclusion drawn from all the premises . we have hitherto examin'd the effects and originals of our contentions , and now the only remaining enquiry is concerning the ways of redress . and that will exact no long disquisition : for as in diseases 't is said , the knowing the cause is one half of the cure ; so more especially is it here , where the remedies are meerly privative , and we are not to be healed by external applications , but only by substracting those humors which feed the malady : there will therefore need no other prescription than to advise the exterminating of all those passions and interests which have appear'd accessary to our quarrels , which though they are become the publick epidemick disease , yet as the infection did , so must the cure arise from single persons : for as we look not a common pestilence should cease without due care and manage both of the sick and sound : so neither can this church plague ever abate , but by the cure , or fortifying its individual members . let every man therefore who has any way made himself a party to these contests , seriously interrogate his own heart ; what it is that has engag'd him in them : if any of the sinister motives before rehearst , let him for a while shift the scene , and instead of accusing others as opposites to truth , condemn himself as enemy to peace : remembring that how just or important soever the cause be , it is no so to him ; whilest he serves his humors and designs under its covert . the philosophers in their darker notions of truth could yet discern , that she was not accessible to any who sought her not purely for her self , with sincere and single intentions , and if she entertain no pupils that are not so qualified , is it fit she should have guardians and champions of a quite distant temper ? no , he that undertakes the defence of speculative verity , must first possess himself of that practick truth the psalmist speaks of , ps. . that in the inward parts , such a simplicity and integrity of purpose , as may supplant all those indirect aims , purge out every prejudice and passion , which may byass , and pervert him ; and by that time he has done this , 't is odds but he will find a new face of affairs , and discern that many of those things he so fiercely contended about , were either false or trivial ; acquir'd their considerableness only from those magnifying perspectives of his own lusts , through which he viewed them . however till he have thus denudated himself of all these encumbrances , he is utterly unqualified for these agones ; and how lawfully soever others may strive , 't is sure he cannot , that does it upon so unlawful grounds , and therefore upon pain of losing much more than a corruptible crown must withdraw himself . as for those who can yet acquit themselves from having fomented our distractions , i shall not forbid them to look with great complacency upon it , but rather by considering how valuable a piece of innocency it is , engage and encourage themselves to preserve it ; and to that purpose , jealously to examine the first overtures of a temptation . when they find any proneness to immerce in faction , any unwonted heat towards a dissenter , to trace it to its fountain and original ; nicely to observe whether it issue not from some of those envenom'd springs forementioned , and make as much hast to stop its currant , as they would to impede the most overwhelming inundation ; for such 't will infallibly prove to those who indulge to its course . but as a turf will at first close the breach , which neglected becomes the inlet of a mighty torrent : so had this early vigilance been us'd , it might with ease have prevented those distempers , in private beasts , from whence the general confusion has sprung . as it is , might but these two things be obtain'd , would but the guilty purge , and the innocent guard themselves , we might yet hope to see an end of our discords : not that i suppose it possible to extinguish all diversity of opinions among men , who from their differing faculties , and other guiltless occurrents , may and will have their judgments severally dispos'd . but first , were all , who have upon the former culpable motives enter'd the lists , excluded , we should find they would amount to such a number , that there would be few left to maintain the combat . nay , secondly , were it not for those conceal'd inducements , there would scarce be any combat to maintain , those are the things that convey the sting and malignity into our differences , without those we might dissent , but not fall out ; and should no more be angry to see another opine contrary to us , than we are to see him of a differing stature , or complexion . in fine , let us pretend what we will , 't is the carnality within , that raises all the combustions without : this is the great wheel to which the clock owes its motion , while the pretext of truth and piety is but like the hand , set indeed more conspicuously , but directed wholly by the secret movings of the other . this , this alone is it which creates and continues our broils , and by a monstrous conjunction of properties , is its self both flame and fuel : nor can we doubt that from hence spring those railing accusations , we bring one against another , if we remember what st. iude tells us that the angel brought them not even against the devil himself , he could calmly manage a dispute with the most execrable and provoking adversary , because his angelick nature had none of that carnal leaven which ferments to the souring of ours , an evident indication what it is that has rendred our arguings so invective , that divinity seems now an artifice to elude law by daily patronizing those libels , which would else be obnoxious to civil iustice. but i presume there need no more be said to evince this , which has , i fear , the attestation of too many consciences , to be generally doubted ; the greater difficulty will be , to perswade the depositing of those lusts , which though they are confestly the boutefieus among us , have yet by i know not what fascination so endear'd themselves , that we tenaciously retain them in spight of all their appendent mischiefs ; nay , we cherish and foster them , and for that very purpose bring them under the covert of religion . he that has but a puny vice , if he get it like ioash conceal'd and shelter'd in the sanctuary , 't will not only live , but reign too . put on a port and majesty , and appear venerable upon the pretence of that piety , whose essence and being it evacuates and undermines . indeed sin never arrives at so luxuriant a growth , as when it roots in hallowed ground , which satan so well knows , that he has ever been industrious to plant it in that soil . thus we find he had introduced the most brutish crimes into the religion of the gentiles , interwoven them into their sacred rites and mysteries , till vertue and vice had changed names , and it became piety to be wicked , and profaneness to be innocent . and when that gross deceit became detected by gospel light , when he could not in the same manner obtrude upon christians , he yet found the way to do it more obliquely , and by starting these religious quarrels , gave at once employment and reputation to the most irreligious vices . for alas , what part of wild fury was there in the heathen bacchanals , which we have not seen equall'd if not exceeded by some intoxicated zealots ? or what cruelty in their most barbarous rites , which has not been matcht by the inhumanity of dissenting christians ? so that upon a just scanning , all our splendid pretence of sanctity is but an emulation of gentile impurity under a better name ; and while we damn heathens for their moral vertues , we are yet so stupid as to hope our selves to be saved by their worst vices . and now who that does enough consider can think he can enough bewail this sad state of affairs : that christianity should thus out-run its self ▪ and bring us round to gentilism again , whilst her professors ridiculously contend for the title of the best christians , by such acts as denominate them none at all . thus have we inverted the significancy of that sacred name , and made it serve only to upbraid the contrariety of our practice ; so that that which was once the index to point out all moral and divine vertues , does now on the contrary mark out that part of the world , where least of them reside . this , this alone is the prize we have acquir'd with so much sweat and blood , this the triumph we have brought to our religion , which indeed could never have sunk to such a despicableness by any endeavours but our own ; for so long as christianity waged war only with foreign enemies she never mist to be victorious , but since that these intestine discords have turn'd her force against her self , bella geri placuit nullos habitura triumphos , there is no possibility of success , the meer fight implies a defeat , and the swords of all parties meet in her bowels . 't was a passionate expostulation that iulia is said to have us'd with her two sons antonine and geta , whose animosities having prompted them to divide the empire , which they were joyntly to have enjoyed , she askt them whether they would divide their mother also ; implying how much their discords had rackt and torn her . and sure our common mother may make a yet sadder complaint of her sons , by whose unkind dissentions she is so miserably mangled , that she may cry out with the psalmist , my soul is among lions , and i lye among the children of men that are set on fire . and now if amidst all our importunate pretences to piety , there be indeed any such thing among us , methinks it should give us some relentings , make us sadly consider to what a deplorable condition we have brought that very religion on which we profess to hang all our hopes ; and would god those who are the most nearly concerned in this contemplation would pursue it to the utmost ; let them on the one hand set the most glittering temptations to discord , and on the other let them view the dismal effects of it , and then consider at how dear a rate they gratifie a few impotent passions . can any man without horrour think that his thirst of glory has brought dishonour to his religion , and consequently to his god ; that his curious enquiries into things secret , has help't to evacuate the more useful things revealed ; or in short , that his pursuit of his various interests and appetites has destroyed what was so incomparably more valuable , the honour of the gospel , the unity of the church , and as many souls as have perisht by that scandal . 't was as infamous a character of inhumanity as the very poets could feign of diomedes , that he fed his horses with mans flesh ; but alas , that barbarity is here infinitely out-done , when men nourish far worse bruits , their own unreasonable lusts , with those things that are most sacred . certainly were the vastness of this guilt throughly weighed , 't would make men sick of those petty wretched acquests they have thus purchased , make them fling back this price of blood , i say not with the same despair , but with as great remorse and detestation as iudas did the silver pieces for which he sold his master . 't is sure the crimes have too great an affinity , as in all other circumstances , so especially in this , that as the one was , so the other is most frequently the guilt of an apostle , i mean of those to whom christ has committed the dispensing of that gospel which they thus evacuate , and doubtless this is a consideration of great enhansement , as that which superadds treachery to all the other pestilent ingredients of the crime ; 't is the falsifying the most important trust , for under words of that signification we find the office of the ministry every where represented in scripture , as stewards , ambassadors , shepherds , and consequently the accounts of the sin must swell so much the higher . for a steward to embezle those goods he undertakes to manage ; an ambassador to betray his prince for whom he should negotiate ; a shepherd to worry that flock which he is set to guard , these are crimes that double their malignity from the quality of the actors ; and yet this is undeniably the guilt of all those whose profession having devoted them to the church , have impiously chang'd the scene , and devoted the church to them , serv'd all their mean degenerous ends upon her ; and as chyrurgeons are said sometimes to deal with profitable patients , kept open , nay , widened her wounds for their own advantages . it has been the priests litany as ancient as ioels time , spare thy people o lord , and give not thine heritage to reproach ; but now alas , who shall prevail with them to do that themselves which they beg of god , to spare his people and his heritage ; to prostitute them no more to their own sinister designs , nor by their vain and endless contentions , expose them as well to ruine as contempt . he were indeed a happy orator that could in this effectually intercede with them , though one would think the wonder should lye on the other side , and the only strange thing be , that they should either need or resist such a solicitation , it being so much the concern of all that ought , as well upon the score of advantage as duty , to be dear to them ; so that the church may most aptly address to these her sons in the same form st. paul does to the philippians when he conjures them to unity , phil. . . if therefore there be any consolation in christ , if any comfort of love , if any fellowship of the spirit , if any bowels and mercies , fulfil you my ioy that you be like minded . and can it be possible for any who have tasted all or any of these , to think fit to wrangle them away ; to exchange these divine irradiations , the antepast and emblem of heaven , for those bitter dissentions , whose alpha and omega , their original and end are hell , and do as lively represent as they certainly lead to the horrour and confusion of that land of darkness . but if some mens appetites be so depraved , that they find more melody in discord , than in the harmony of the angelick quires , yet even these can discern musick in a consort of plaudites , and seldom miss to be affected with those eulogies which are given themselves ; and therefore though they disjoyn the apostles motives , phil. . . and will do nothing for vertue , yet they may be presum'd more considerate of praise : and god knows , in a wrong sense they are too much so ; and sure , as we have already observed by it , have made no small contributions to our discords : yet did they measure glory by its right and proper standard , they would find they have all this while courted a shadow , and that the substance will never be acquir'd by being fomenters of publick mischief ; but the unhappiness of it is , that our ecclesiastick as our secular duellists abuse themselves with false notions of honor , novel opinions and subtile questions they think attest the pregnancy and acuteness of their understandings , and give them reputation ; but alas , how vain an imagination is this ? who admires the sagacity of the viper , that eats her way through her mothers bowels ? or who reverences a man for the sharpness of that sword wherewith he commits his paricide ? nay , what more infamous brands have records of all ages stuck upon any , than those who were ingeniosissime nequam , & facundi malo publico , who us'd the best parts to the worst ends , and with the greatest cunning and artifice have contrived their mischiefs ? but could we abstract from these pernicious effects , and suppose that this exercise of their faculties were innocent , yet sure it would be too light and impertinent to become matter of praise . he that should spend all his time in tying inextricable knots , only to baffle the industry of those that should attempt to unloose them , would sure be thought not much to have serv'd his generation . 't is one of the certainest estimates we can make of a man , to measure him by the employments he chuses , if those be slight and trifling , they suggest the person to have low thoughts ; what an abasement of majesty was it thought in nero to become a fidler and stage-player ; and herodian tells us , that men hoped no longer for any thing princely from commodus the emperor , when he had once lifted himself among the fencers , and instead of the magnificent styles of his predecessors , derived from the conquests of great and populous nations , assumed this , the vanquisher of a thousand gladiators : and certainly 't is no less a descent and diminution for those who were design'd by god for the highest atchievements , the subduing the kingdom of satan , and pulling down his strong holds , to devote themselves to these so much ignobler contests , and account their conquests , not from the number of souls won to god , but of opposers worsted in argument . indeed , as we before observ'd , they have now rendred the church a kind of theatre , disputes are managed with such sleight and sophistry , that at the best , the litigants do but set forth a shew of fencers : 't were well if they did not sometimes play the gladiators , by that wounding deadly sharpness they use , and 't would be consider'd what a change is now made : in the primitive times , none that own'd any relation to the church were allowed to be spectators of those games , now that is made the stage , and her ablest persons the actors . but certainly 't is very little to the reputation of those who have so unworthily debaucht both it and themselves ; and therefore to all other disswasives we may add this of the uncreditableness : for let men phancy what they please of the glory acquir'd in these opportunities of shewing their parts , the best that can be said of them is , that they use wit foolishly ; a character whereof the one part devours the other , and leaves not so much as a mouthful of that popular air which these camaelions gasp after . in a word , though vain-glory be a principle i shall commend to no man , yet in this case 't were more tolerable if it would work the right way , put them upon what were really praise-worthy , and then sure 't would encline them rather to close than widen the breaches of sion . to inflict wounds on an unresisting patient , is a thing that requires neither courage nor skill : every man can do that who has but ill nature enough , but to cure them is an act at once of art and mercy , and entitles to the praise of both ; and therefore if any mans eagerness of glory , have made him over-see the way to it , let him now at last recover his wandrings , and seek it in this one only proper method . but this is , i confess , a topick of perswasion fitter for philosophers than divines , and i wish i may have urg'd it impertinently ; it being much less shame for me to have done so , than for them to need such an argument . there is another more genuine and proper , derived from the nature of distributive iustice , which requires a man to do his utmost to repair the injuries he has done to any , this is so stated a rule , that all our casuists justly press it in all cases of damage : but are there not many of them , who while they so eagerly assert that obligation in other mens cases , do as david did in the matter of the poor mans lamb , severely sentence that injustice , whereof themselves are more highly guilty . to every such i would speak in the words of nathan , and say thou art the man. alas , shall every little trifle i purloin from my neighbour have weight enough to sink me to the abysse , and shall thefts of the greatest magnitude , the robbing god of his honour , the church not only of her patrimony , but her peace , and the world of those inestimable benefits , which from a uniform consonant christianity were to have been transmitted to it ? shall these i say be so slight and inconsiderable , as not to hinder his ascent to the hill of the lord ? shall the least violence i offer to the person of an enemy oblige me to satisfaction , and shall he rend and tear the body of his saviour ( who willingly expos'd his natural body only in tenderness to that mystical one , which is thus violated ) and shall this criminous barbarity exact no offers towards amends ? certainly no man can have partiality enough to think it , and if he do not , he is to remember himself indispensably engag'd to take the same course he prescribes to others , and with his utmost industry endeavour to repair the injury he has done . and o that we might see this so essential a piece of iustice assum'd among us , that our impertinent strifes might be superseded , and all moulded into the one noble emulation , who shall fastest unravel his own mischiefs , and promote that peace he has hitherto disturb'd . this indeed were worthy to be the united design of all learned men ; and were it once so , who knows how prosperous it might be : for though some single attempts have miscarried , yet probably one great cause why they do so , was because they were single . when one person comes with pacifick arguments to part an enraged multitude , let his reasons be never so convincing , they are not like to be much adverted to ; the only effect is , that he who design'd himself the common friend , is taken as the common enemy ; but where many associate in such a design , and make a party for peace , their numbers give a considerableness to their proposal , and prepare for their success . and were there such a combination in order to the churches quiet , it were more than possible they might undermine the contrary attempts of faction and discord . and why should not every man be ambitious to make one in this so pious a confederacy , and resolve most studiously to endeavour the composing the distractions of the church , in which they may borrow something of instruction even from their past guilts , and copy out their own industry to this better purpose . this is sure ; our disputes had never so multiplied , had there not been a great deal of unhappy diligence in nourishing the seeds of them : every controverted tenet has been heightned and improved , till it have spawn'd a numerous brood , so that those who at first differ'd , perhaps but in some few things , wrangle on , till at last they agree in fewer : now were the like industry applied the other way , it might sure do much to the changing the whole scene . if men would as nicely observe the principles of agreement between dissenting parties , and with as much art and care seek to dilate and spread them ; why might not they as much overwhelm our differences , as they have been overwhelmed by them ? 't is sure that those universal truths , to which all parties assent , are , as the clearest for their evidence , so the most important for their consequence : and why should not these , if rightly managed , be a more enforcing motive to unity , than the more singular opinions ( perhaps phancies ) of some men , can be to discord ? certainly would but our moses's try what this rod of god in their hand could do , they would find it able to devour all those of the magicians . would they like benhadabs ambassadors , catch hold of every amicable expression , any thing that looks towards peace , and close in with it , they might probably see effects , beyond what can at distance be expected . for sure peace is not such a dry tree , such a sapless unfertile thing , but that it might fructifie and encrease as well as discord , were there a just care taken to cherish and nourish it . indeed this design is the only amulet which can render it safe to look into controversies , which are else apt to infuse a kind of acrimony , and venome into mens spirits ; for we see many , whose curiosity at first brought them as unconcern'd spectators , do within a while engage with all earnestness in the contest : but those who study differences only with an aim of composing them , these have their thoughts determin'd and fixt , and so not left loose to the enticements of any party . aristotle says that on the hill olympus the air is so subtil and piercing , that those who ascend thither , are forced to carry with them wet spunges , by that moisture somewhat to allay that extreme tenuity which otherwise would be deadly ; and sure they that deal in controversies , live in no less corrosive an air , and therefore had need make the like provision , and carry with them this pacifick purpose , as a lenitive and emollient against the infectious sharpness they will there meet with . and now how blessed a thing were it , if we could once thus follow the things that make for peace , that the numberless mutual enmities which are now among us , may all be reduced into one , that we may fight not against single adversaries , but against war its self , and contend against nothing but contention . and sure our victory here were worth millions of those petty conquests wherewith men please themselves , and which acquire them so little of real advantage , that the same account which was given of otho and vitellius , that the war would swallow up the one , and the victory the other , is too applicable to our combatants , who are like to be equally unhappy in defeat or success ▪ the spartans had an order that when any of their generals had compassed his design by policy or treaty , he should sacrifice an oxe , but when by force and bloudshed , a cock only : from the distant values of which oblations , plutarch observes how much they preferr'd the atchievements of calm and sober counsels , before those of strength and power : but sure the disparity is more eminent in the present instance , where if we fight we wound our brethren , but if we unite we destroy our enemy : baffle and circumvent satans master-stratagem , and not only worst but outwit him . indeed this and this only is worth our industry , whereas those little defeats we give each other , are like those in a civil war , wherein the publick is still sure to be a loser ; upon which consideration the romans allowed not their captains to triumph for such victories ; and sure our christianity is very ill bestowed on us , if it have made us so much worse natur'd , as to choose those ruinous conquests at home , before the most glorious and profitable ones abroad . 't was abner's admonition to ioab , when he was in a hot pursuit of the israelites , sam. . . shall the sword devour for ever ? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the later end ? and sure 't is more than time for our leaders to make the same reflection , and as ioab did there , call back the people from following their brethren : nay indeed , would they but attend , they might hear themselves called back ; the great captain of their salvation sounding a retreat from these fatal skirmishes . xenophon in the institution of cyrus tells us of one chrysanthus , who in the heat of battail had his hand lift up to strike an enemy , but hearing in the very instant the trumpet sound a retreat , stopt his blow . a great sobriety of courage so to shew more zeal to the obeying his general , than the annoying his enemy ; and an instance of much reproach to our spiritual combatants , who have shewed themselves so much worse disciplin'd , as in spight of daily repeated calls to peace , still to pursue their hostility : but sure such an insolence is so inconsistent with the pretence they make of fighting gods battails , that they must either reform the one , or disclaim the other . and now if after all that hath or can be said of the obligation , necessity , or advantages of peace , we are put to the psalmists complaint , that there are still those that will make them ready to battail : if men are of so untreatable a temper , that nothing can be obtain'd of them : what remains for those that are peaceable and faithful in israel , but to bewail those mischiefs they cannot redress ? if the church must perish , at least to give her funeral rites , and if they cannot quench her flames , yet to bedew her ashes with their tears . 't is true , we cannot yet say she is quite dead ; but though she breaths yet in a few pious peaceful souls , yet like a palsied person , she scarce moves a limb , she wants vigor to actuate the generality of her professors , and remains rather a trunk than a body : and sure if there be truth in that physick aphorism , which sayes that diseases which cross the temper and constitution of the patient are most dangerous ; we may well conclude her desperate , there being nothing more repugning to the very elements and principles of her being , than those contentions under which she now groans . yet there is an omnipotent power to whom no difficulties are insuperable , an unerring physician who makes the most hopeless diseases , but the triumph of his art. o let us resort to him , and invite his aids in the same pathetick form , wherewith he was solicited for lazarus , jo. . . lord behold she whom thou lovest is sick : she for whose sake thou enduredst such contradiction of sinners against thy self , is now by the contradiction of her own children , languishing and expiring : she for whom thou pouredst out thy bloud , lies weltring in her own , lord save or she perisheth : were such petitions enforced and ingeminated by the daily breathing of humble devout hearts , who knows how prevalent they might be . in this sense also heaven might suffer violence ; nor is there any better countermine to all the outrages acted upon earth than by making them thus reverberate in our cries and prayers . and perhaps this consideration will draw us all , even the most peaceful of us into the guilt of a negative accessariness to the present mischiefs . there are divers that dislike our contentions , and blame the abettors ; but yet with such unconcern'dness and indifferency , as that wherewith we commonly talk of the combustions of foreign states , wherein we rather express our iudgment than our resentments , and do make it more our discourse than our concern . and even of those who have in some degree laid it to heart , who is there that has not been some way wanting in the ardency , or frequency of his intercessions ? let every one seriously interrogate his own heart , and i fear 't will witness to him , that his own private concerns are much apter to excite his devotions . let us remember with what passion and importunity we invoke god in our particular exigents , and consider whether we are equally affected with those of the church : hast thou been like hezekiah , sick unto death ? and hast thou with him wept sore , and vehemently solicited a recovery ? has thy estate been invaded by oppression , thy fame by slander and detraction ? and hast thou with loud and earnest cries , appealed to that god to whom vengeance belongs ? or hast thou been in that condition which is proverbial for setting men to their prayers ? hast thou like ionas been in a storm , in minutely expectation of being swallowed up by the waves , if not the whale ; and in this extasie of fear , when as thy soul was as the psalmist speaks , even melted away because of the trouble , hast cried unto the lord , and even out-noys'd the billows in thy clamorous importunities for aid ? hast thou in all , or any of these estates been thus affected for thy self ? then remember whether thy resentments have been proportionable for that which is much better than thy self : if the no less imminent and pressing dangers of the church , have not as much awakened thy fervor , given as sharp and piercing an accent to thy prayers , thou must needs confess , thou hast faln short , of what thou shouldest and mightest have done towards her rescue . and if this inquisition be impartially made , who among us can plead not guilty ? and therefore in reflections upon our past omissions , we are in justice oblig'd to redouble our zeal , to say over again our tepid heartless prayers , and inflame them with a cole from the altar ; an earnest affectionate concern for all that is holy , such as may prompt us to cry , and that mightily to god : we see the ninevites could do it when there was no visible approach of danger , but meerly upon the presage of a stranger prophet , backt with the consciousness of their own guilt : i fear we more than equal them in the later motive , i am sure we far exceed them as to the former . the miseries we are to deprecate being not only under denunciation and threat , but actually upon us , though withall so improvable , that after all the black catalogue our experience brings in ; our fears meet us with the bottomless prophetick menace , esay . . for all this his anger is not turn'd away , but his hand is stretched out still . 't is the usual oeconomy of divine justice to make our crimes our punishment , and to give us up to those ills , which were at first , our own depraved choice : and god knows we have too much reason to fear this may be our case : that we who have so perversly violated all the bands of unity , wantonly wrangled our selves out of all inclinations to peace , should never be able to resume them ; that all those gentle breathings of grace , by which exasperated passions are to be cool'd and tempered , should be withdrawn , and we finally be given up to be dissipated by those whirl-winds our selves have rais'd : that christianity which we have made the stale and property to our irregular appetites , us'd only as fig-leaves to hide our shame , should wither and shrink into nothing ; and that we who could not agree in what manner to retain it , should at last too well agree to renounce it . this alas , as it is the fearfullest , so is it the probablest issue of our wild contentions , such as nothing but the miraculous effluxes of divine clemency can avert . o let us with all the groans and tears , so deplor'd a condition exacts , address thither , importune the father of mercies to pity us , who know not how to pity our selves , and that though we have cast off all bowels , yet that we may find them all concenter'd in him : that he will heal our wounds ; and which of all others is the most desperate , our unwillingness to be healed : that the spirit of peace may overshadow us , and impress on us the dove-like qualities of meekness and gentleness : that he would rescue our religion from our profanation not by taking it from us , but by conforming us to it : finally that he would do for us , not only above what we can ask or think , but beyond what we would wish or chuse , and not suffer us to acquire the miseries we so eagerly pursue . this divine interposition alone is it that can possibly secure us , and indeed the suit amounts to no less , than that he will force upon us the blessing we resist , and do us good against our wills , which is so bold a request , that they had need be more than ordinary favourites that shall prefer it . those hands must be very pure , that are lift up in such an intercession : and therefore all that undertake it are obliged to qualifie themselves for it , by purging out not only the levain of malice and strife , but all other filthiness of the flesh and spirit : without this , we can never approve our selves to intercede in earnest ; for what can be more ridiculous than to deprecate the ruine of christianity by the contentions of other men ; when our selves contrive it by some other vice of our own ? this is not to desire it should live , but that none but we should kill it . 't will therefore concern those who wish the peace of the church , to examine whether they do as much project for her purity ; otherwise 't is a mockery to pretend such a jealous tenderness for her . we have seen there are more waies than one , by which christian practice may be evacuated , and it matters little from whence that wind blows that ship-wracks our piety . yet 't is not to be denied that of all those tempestuous blasts , this of our contentions is the roughest and most fatal . 't is indeed not a single gust , but an encounter and struggling of several contrary winds ; and god knows no poetical description can out-doe the horror of the storms they have rais'd ; yet for ought i discern , there is nothing that is less vulgarly accused , which i must account to the reader , as the cause why i have detain'd him so long upon this head ; and given it a length so unproportionable to the preceding parts of this discourse . chap. xx. the close . we have now seen the unhappy riddle of the unchristianness of christians unfolded , have observ'd the originals and causes of that which is too notorious to all the world in its effects . and though in this cursory view the reader is not to think he has any such compleat discovery , as should supersede his own farther inquisition , yet as it may serve to awaken , so somewhat to assist his industry , give him some light and insight into the wiles of satan : and by branding some of the chief of those cheats which have robb'd us of our piety , prepare for the detection of the whole confederacy : in the interim this specimen may serve to stop his wonder at the ruinous estate of christianity , for though 't is true that it was compacted of all the most incorruptible materials , had all the harmony of parts which the most exact frame and composure could give it , and so was qualified both for strength and beauty , to have defied all the injuries of time ; yet while she has so many underminers , 't is not strange to see her in the dust , there being no one of these , especially that i last insisted on , which has not destructive efficacy enough ; first to deface , and then to ruine her . but it is but an unprofitable acquest to know the authors of our mischiefs if we stop there , this enquiry being matter not of meer curiosity , but of the nearest and most pressing interest : we search not after malefactors for their acquaintance , but for their punishment , and our own security ; and all our discoveries of this kind are vain , if we apply them not to that purpose . let me therefore conclude with this earnest petition to the reader , that he will not to all the native defects of this discourse , add this accidental one that it shall be perfectly impertinent ; a meer waste of his time and my own ; which it will inevitably prove , if it engage him not in an earnest prosecution of those delinquents it hath appeacht ; and in as earnest an endeavour to repair the mischiefs they have wrought . in short , let every man deposit what he has here read , not with his memory only but his conscience , let him there seriously ponder the excellency of that holy vocation , as s. paul terms it , eph. . . to which he is call'd : and then as seriously consider , whether he have as the apostle there exhorts , walked worthy of it ; if he find he have not ( as alas who is there that has ? ) let him search out as the particulars , so the causes of his miscarriages : diligently sift out those fallacies of satan , or his own heart ; those sly delusions which have made him act thus preposterously against all the convictions of common reason , natural conscience , or christian experience ; and when he has discovered , let him make no delay to rescue himself from their treacheries , but manfully break those wit hs and cords ( which are too weak to hold any that will but in earnest remember , he is a nazarite , a person consecrate to god ) resolutely resist the insidious caresses of those dalilah's , which will deliver not himself only , but the ark to the philistines . nor is he to content himself with his own single escape , but to propagate the deliverance , to as many as he can ; let him blazon and stigmatize those imposters ( for 't is a combining with them to conceal them ) warn and caution others against those jugling artifices , by which himself was entrapped , and make his own ship-wracks a sea-mark for the securing the course of other passengers . this is the effect of christs admonition to s. peter , when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren ; and a piece of that fraternal charity we all owe to every particular soul , to whom we have opportunity to dispence it . but besides that private obligation , it becomes a duty upon a higher , and more publick account , it being the only way to take off that scandal we have brought upon our religion ; which as it was not contracted by the irregularities of one or two persons , but by associated and common crimes ; so neither will it be removed by a few single , and private reformations ; there must be combinations , and publick confederacies in vertue , to ballance and counterpoise those of vice , or she will never recover that pristine honour which she acquired by the general piety of her professors . in those primitive days there was such an abhorrence of all that was ill , that a vicious person was lookt on as a kind of monster or prodigie , and like a putrified member cut off , as being not only dangerous , but noisome to the body : but alas , the scene is so chang'd , that the church is now made up of such as she would then have cast out ; and 't is now as remarkable an occurrent to find a good christian , as it was there to see a bad : and since every thing is estimated not according to its rare and casual , but frequent usual operations , 't is easie to conclude , that christianity has lost as much in its repute , as it appears to have done in its efficacy : nor will there be any way of repairing it , till we be generally rendred so malleable to its impressions , that our lives may attest its force and energy . nay indeed 't is not only its honour , but its being is concern'd in it , active principles cease to be when they cease to act . you cannot hinder the fire to burn but by putting it out : and to suppress the operation of our religion is indeed to extinguish it ; at least to deprive it of its proper and specifick act : so that if it can be said to be ; 't is only by that abuse of speech which calls a dead or painted man , a man : it may perhaps be a vizor for the hypocrite , a stale for the ambitious , a wash or tincture for the covetous ; but where it is these , it ceases to be its self . the essence and being of christianity is practice ; and according to that test and proof thereof , where almost can it be said to exist in the world ? we have indeed some images and shadows of it : some have taken its picture , but the substance and solid body is vanished , resolv'd into air , and seems sadly to have moraliz'd the poetick fable of sybills being worn into a voice , we have turn'd it into a meer noise and sound ; nay , which is worse , into an eccho , that flattering complying voice , which reverberates every mans own language to him : men dictate to their religion , and then will needs perswade themselves and others , that their religion dictates to them , will have the rebounds of their own fancy or lust pass for divine oracles ; so suborning this aiery fantastick christianity to legitimate those practices , which the real solid one forbids and execrates . to this dismal forlorn estate have we brought that which was designed to bring us to bliss , herein far exceeding the barbarity of the brutish sodomites , they would have violated the messengers of their ruine , but we those of our safety : we having not only neglected , but vilified and reproacht the embassy sent us from heaven , and instead of embracing that purity and peace it recommended to us , have done our parts to make it forgotten that ever it was sent upon any such errand ; and indeed so it is like to be , if some heroick piety do not revive its memory , and teach us to record it not so much in our books as lives : there , and there only it will be universally legible , there it would indeed appear , what it is in its own nature , the power of god unto salvation . and now why should we not all emulously contend , who shall first put off that ugly vizor we have put upon our religion , and restore it to its native form ; especially considering that with its beauty we lose its dowry too ; forfeit all those glorious rewards which it promises to them that preserve it immaculate . 't is only a pure and undefiled religion that will invest us in those white robes , wherein we are to follow the lamb. and sure those who have here endeavoured to darken and extinguish all the rays of spiritual light , that have lived as if they profest christianity meerly in spight to defame it , must never hope it shall bring them to shine as the sun in the kingdom of their father , or procure them the reward of blameless souls . no , it promises no other crown than that of righteousness , and therefore they that want the righteousness must want the crown also : nay , besides that so inestimable a reversion , they lose all those present joys and satisfactions which true christian practice would afford them , and which both in respect of the intenseness and duration , infinitely exceed the most profuse sensualities the world ever tasted . these are interests that are sure important enough , and yet we must be woed to consider them , nay , that does not prevail neither , but with a perverse coyness we hold off ; all the solicitations and importunate calls of god are lookt upon as artifices and designs , as if he had some ends of his own to serve upon us , and ( as the corinthians suspected st. paul ) meant to make a gain of us ; we treat with him as if he were the person to be advantaged , and barter for heaven with such an indifference , as if it would want us more than we it ; never considering that 't is impossible for him to have any other concern , than that which his compassion to us creates , and the more earnest and passionate that is , the more it should excite our own care , it being the extremest degree of perverse folly , to abandon and despise our own interest meerly because a friend or patron considers and prizes it . and this brand must lye upon every one of us , who still refuse to discern the things that belong to our peace , after god has done so much to render them not only visible but attainable . what shall i say more , but conclude with christs passionate wish , that we might in this our day , understand the things that belong to our peace , and o that the spirit of peace and light would descend among us , illuminate us with that true practical wisdom , which may convince us , that our duty and interest are the same thing under several forms , and that while we impiously cast off the one , we do as foolishly betray the other . that so those inestimable advantages our christianity gives towards both , may not be thus madly lost , serve only as a price in the hand of a fool , who hath no heart to it , prov. . and to this end let us humbly and earnestly invoke the father of lights , to illuminate all those whom the god of this world hath blinded , that after he hath sent into the world the image of his own eternal brightness ; caused the sun of righteousness so long to shine upon us , it may not serve only to involve us in that most dreadful condemnation , which awaits those who love darkness more than light ; but that answering the purpose of our holy calling , walking as children of light , we may vindicate that christian profession which we have so defamed , secure to our selves the light of gods countenance here , and that of his glory hereafter . finis . errata . page . line . for taught read sought , p. . l. . for diverts r. divests , p. . l. . for insiduous r. insidious , p. . l. . for them r. him , p. . l. . for one r. own , p. . l. . for owes r. owns , p. . l. . for assimulation r. assimilation , p. . l. . for shouls r. shoals , p. . l. . for avow r. disavow . a caution to stir up to watch against sin. by j. bunyan. bunyan, john, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). b wing b interim tract supplement guide c. .f. [ ] ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. b ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books; tract supplement ; a : [ ]) a caution to stir up to watch against sin. by j. bunyan. bunyan, john, - . sheet ([ ] p.) : ill. (woodcuts). printed for n. ponder [..., london : ] date of publication suggested by wing. verse: "the first eight lines one did command to mee ..." imperfect: badly stained affecting imprint and text. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- poetry -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - john pas sampled and proofread - john pas text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a caution to stir up to watch against sin . by j. bunyan , the first eight lines one did commend to me , the rest i thought good to commend to thee : reader , in reading be thou rul'd by me , with rhimes nor lines , but truths , affected be . i. sin will at first , just like a beggar , crave one penny or one half-peny to have ; and if you grant its first suit , 't will aspire , from pence to pounds , and so will still mount higher , to the whole soul : but if it makes its m● , then say , here is not for you , get you gone . for if you give it entrance at the door , it will come in , and may go out no more . ii. sin , rather than 't will out of action be , will pray to stay , though but a while with thee ; one night , one hour , one moment , will it cry , imbrace me in thy bosome else i dy : time to repent ( saith it ) i will allow , and help , if to repent thou know'st not how . but if you give it entrance at the door , it will come in , and may go out no more . iii. if begging doth not do , sin promise will rewards to those that shall its lusts fulfill : penny in hand , ye pounds 't will offer thee , if at its beck and motion thou wilt be . 't will seem heav'n to out-bid , and all to gain thy love , and win thee it to entertain . but give it not admittance at thy door , lest it comes in , and so goes out no more . iv. if begging and promising will not do , 't will by its wiles attempt to flatter you . i 'm harmless , mean no ill , be not so shy , will ev'ry soul-destroying motion cry . 't will hide its sting , 't will change its native hue , vile 't will not , but a beauty seem to you . but if you give it entrance at the door , its sting will in , and may come out no more . v. rather than fail , sin will it self divide , bid thee do this , and lay the rest aside . take little ones ( 't will say ) throw great ones by , ( as if for little sins men should not dy . ) yea sin with sin a quarrel will maintain , on purpose that thou by it might'st be slain . beware the cheat then , keep it out of door , it would come in , and would go out no more . vi. sin , if you will believe it , will accuse , what is not hurtful and itself excuse : 't will make a vice of vertue , and 't will say good is destructive , doth men's souls betray . 't will make a law , where god has made man free , and break those laws by which men bounded be . look to thy self then , keep it out of door , thee 't would intangle , and inlarge thy score . vii . sin is that beastly thing that will defile soul , body , name , and fame in little while ; 't will make him , who some time gods image was , look like the devil , love , and plead his cause ; like to the plague , poyson , or leprosie defile 't will , and infect contagiously . wherefore beware , against it shut the door ; if not , it will defile thee more and more . viii . sin once possessed of the heart , will play the tyrant , force its vassal to obey : 't will make thee thine own happiness oppose , and offer open violence to those that love thee best ; yea make thee to defy the law and counsel of the deity . beware then , keep this tyrant out of door , lest thou be his , and so thy own no more . ix . sin , harden can the heart against its god , make it abuse his grace , despise his rod , 't will make one run upon the very pikes , iudgments foreseen bring such to no dislikes of sinful hazards ; no , they venture shall for one base lust , their soul , and heav'n and all . take heed then , hold it , crush it at the door , it comes to rob thee and to make thee poor . x. sin is a prison , hath its bolts and chains , brings into bondage who it entertains ; hangs shackles on them , bends them to its will , holds them , as samson grinded at the mill. 't will blind them , make them deaf ; yea , 't will them gagg , and ride them as the devil rides his hagg. wherefore look to it , keep it out of door , if once its slave , thou may'st be free no more . xi . though sin at first its rage dissemble may , 't will soon upon thee as a lyon prey ; 't will roar , 't will rend , 't will tear , 't will kill out-right , its living death will gnaw thee day and night : thy pleasures now to paws and teeth it turns , in thee its tickling lusts , like brimstone , burns . wherefore beware , and keep it out of door , lest it should on thee as a lyon roar. xii . sin will accuse , will stare thee in the face , will for its witnesses quote time and place where thou committedst it ; and so appeal to conscience , who thy ●s will not conceal ; but on thee as a judge such sentence pass , as will to thy sweet bits , prove bitter sauce . wherefore beware , against it shut thy door , repent what 's past , believe and sin no more . xiii . sin is the worm of hell , the lasting fire , hell would soon lose its heat , could sin expire ; better sinless , in hell , than to be where heav'n is , and to be found a sinner there . one sinless , with infernals might do well , but sin would make a very heav'n a hell. look to thy self then , to keep it out of door , lest it gets in , and never leaves thee more . xiv . no match has sin save god in all the world , men , angels it has from their stations hurl'd : holds them in chains , as captives , in despite of all that here below is called might . release , help , freedom from it none can give , but he by whom we also breath and live . watch therefore , keep this gyant out of door lest if once in , thou get him out no more . xv. fools make a mock at sin , will not believe , it carries such a dagger in its sleeve ; how can it be ( say they ) that such a thing , so full of sweet , should ever wear a sting : they know not that it is the very spell of sin , to make men laugh themselves to hell. look to thy self then , deal with sin no more , lest he that saves , against thee shuts the door . xvi . now let the god that is above , that hath for sinners so much love ; these lines so help thee to improve , that towards him thy heart may move . keep thee from enemies external , help thee to fight with those internal : deliver thee from them infernal , and bring thee safe to life eternal . amen . london , printed for n. ponder at the peacock in the 〈◊〉 . the penitent pardoned, or, a discourse of the nature of sin, and the efficacy of repentance under the parable of the prodigal son / by j. goodman ... goodman, john, or - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing g estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the penitent pardoned, or, a discourse of the nature of sin, and the efficacy of repentance under the parable of the prodigal son / by j. goodman ... goodman, john, or - . [ ], , [ ] p., [ ] p. of plates : ill. printed by e. flesher, for r. royston ..., london : . reproduction of original in cambridge university library. added title page. table of contents: p. [ ]-[ ] errata: p. 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ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng prodigal son (parable) -- criticism, interpretation, etc. sin -- early works to . repentance. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - john latta sampled and proofread - john latta text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the penitent pardon'd s t. peter . cor contritum . s t. mary magdalene . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the penitent pardoned : or a discourse of the nature of sin , and the efficacy of repentance , under the parable of the prodigal son . by j. goodman , d. d. rectour of hadham . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . s. chrysost . london , printed by e. flesher , for r. royston , bookseller to his most sacred majesty , an. dom. mdclxxix . imprimatur hic liber cui titulus , the parable of the prodigal son. maii . . guil. sill , r. p. d. henr. episc . lond. à sacris domesticis . to the right honourable arthur , earl of essex , vicount malden , baron of hadham , lord lieutenant of the county of hartford , one of the lords of his majestie's most honourable privy council , &c. my lord , i have so deep a sense of those manifold and great favours which through the course of many years without interruption it hath pleased your lordship to confer upon me , that though i know it is impossible for me to make any proportionable return , yet it is equally impossible for me to omit any opportunity of making my just acknowledgments . and forasmuch as my obligations to your lordship are as well known to the world as great in themselves , i think it becomes me , and am persuaded all men ( but your lord shp ) expect it from me , that i should make some publick expression of my gratitude . i will therefore do that right to my self to acknowledge , that when i first deliberated about the adventuring these papers to the press , it was a principal argument to determine me so to do , because by the dedication of this part of my studies to your lordship's name , i should have opportunity of performing so just a duty , and of doing honour to so great vertue and goodness . but , my lord , i must needs confess , that when i came to make reflection upon the subject , and the tenour of the present discourse , i was quickly sensible how great an errour my zeal was likely to betray me into , in intitling a work almost wholly levelled against debauchery , to a personage of so severe vertue and sanctity ; for i considered your lordship's early , as well as eminent and habitual piety , and what need ( thought i ) is there of physick to those that are in perfect health ? and if as s. paul asserts , the law is not made for a righteous man , because such are able to be a law to themselves ; much less is the doctrine of repentance suitably preached to those that ( in the words of our saviour ) need no repentance : thus i felt a conflict within my self , my discretion opposing the designs of my gratitude , and my present reason staggering my former resolution . but then , my lord , i considered also on the other hand , that seeing the divine majesty himself is well pleased with those oblations that are beneficial to the world though they are not usefull to himself , nor make any addition to his own glory and happiness ; i could not doubt but your lordship who hath so great a zeal to the common good of mankind , would permit your name to be made use of to countenance a design of bringing men home to god , to themselves , and their own happiness ; and of recovering the age from the mischiefs of extravagancy and debauchery , which it too lamentably groans under . and this , my lord , re-fixed my resolutions to intitle your lordship to this plain piece of practical divinity ; and so much the rather , because it is reasonable to hope , that the directing men's eyes and thoughts to so great and rare an example of clear and unspotted vertue , amidst all the disturbances of business , and the temptations of a plentifull fortune , will be able to confute all their objections against the possibility of heroick goodness ; and may have as much efficacy to convince and shame them out of their follies , as the very reason of this discourse to incourage their amendment . and should i now , as well in pursuance of the design of my book , as of my gratitude , make a draught of your lordship in your full proportions ; that is , endeavour to represent you as great as your own vertues added to the nobility of your bloud have made you , i might ( if my skill failed me not ) exhibit to the world a piece of that masculine perfection wherein the most curious would not know what to desire , nor the most envious what to suspect . forasmuch as not only this whole kingdom , and that of ireland , but several of the neighbour states and kingdoms also , can bear witness to your lordship's steadiness in the protestant religion ; your loyalty to your prince , your piety , humanity , justice , temperance , prudence , courage , and all other great and illustrious ornaments . nor do i fear by such a character to derive any envy upon your lordship , since very few of your lawrels were the meer favours of fortune , but tht rewards of vertue , the acquests of prudence and conduct , and won by wise counsels , by generous resolutions , and noble employments ; and in such a case it is to be hoped that men will not have the impudence to envy the effects , when they have not the bravery to imitate the causes . thus my lord , i could satisfy my own conscience and do right to the world , in setting before them such a pattern as would at once inflame the generous , and shame the slothfull and vicious . but i know your lordship's temper , and the greatness of your mind too well to think , that hereby i should do an acceptable service to your lordship ; wherefore i add no more but my hearty prayers , that it will please almighty god to bless your lordship , and your most noble and pious countess with long life and prosperity , to succeed your lordship's studies and endeavours , to the benefit of religion , your prince and countrey , and to preserve your hopefull off-spring that they may uphold your family , name and honour to after generations . this my lord , is the constant duty , and shall be the incessant desire of my lord , your lordship 's most humble servant , jo. goodman . octob. . . the preface to the reader . it is not unlikely that these papers may a little surprize some of those into whose hands they may fall . not so much in regard that this subject hath been handled by others , for i modestly hope , that notwithstanding any thing i have seen or heard of from other pens , this discourse may have its place and use ; but because i am aware that some of my friends who have been privy to my intentions , and to the course of my studies , have made me a debtor to the publick of a work of a different nature from this which i now present . and i am not unwilling so far to own the obligation , as to acknowledge that i have now for a good time applied my thoughts to the discovery and explication of the nature and reason of religion in general ; and i do hope , if it please god to continue me life and health , that in due time i shall in some good measure acquit the credit of my friends in that point , and satisfy the expectation of sober men . but because a work of that nature and importance requires the most mature deliberation , and exactest discussion ; and because i willingly confess my self to be none of those who are as wise at the first prospect of a business , as ever they intend to be ; and who , as if they had an intuitive knowledge , presently jump into an infallibility of opinion , which they can never after find in their hearts to retract or outgrow : i therefore think it both fittest and safest that a work of that nature should be digested by several reflections upon it , and ripened by time , which certainly is the best counseller in the world. vpon this account kind reader , it comes to pass , that instead of a more close and speculative , this plain and practical discourse is now put into thy hand , and recommended to thy candour ; which notwithstanding , if all things be duely considered , is not altogether so remote from the design of the other , as may at first glimpse be imagined . for it is very considerable , that the apostle s. paul , gal. . . reckons heresies , amongst the works of the flesh , as if the exorbitancy of men's opinions were occasioned by the irregularity and violence of their passions , and the sentiments of men's mind depraved and byassed by the corrupt inclinations of the animal powers . and if we observe the world , we shall find not only very witty men to be oftentimes most absurdly and barbarously vicious , but which is more strange , we shall see very bad men of very good opinions ; and on the contrary , very good and vertuous persons under most silly and despicable persuasions . by which it plainly appears , that reason and the right notion of things do not so much govern the world , as either natural probity , or a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the last mentioned case ; or else interest and humour in the other . from whence it comes to pass , that as the platonist said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . one may calculate what religious pretensions most men will be of , from the contemplation of their temper or interests . for so we shall see a swaggering hector become an easy proselyte to the hobbian philosophy ; a licentious voluptuary presently commences an epicurean atheist ; and an undevout temper sets up for a theist ; or something worse . vpon consideration of all which , i am of opinion that the most successfull way of recovering the generality of men to right notions of religion , and putting them under the power of them , is to imitate physicians , who when the head is ill affected , apply not immediately to that ( which though it be the principal part , is seldom primarily affected ) but to the stomach , or hypochondria , or some other inferiour faculty which influence upon it , and make it bear a share of the consequences of their respective disorders . agreeably whereunto i have endeavoured in this treatise to strike at debauchery , as at the root of most of the calamities of religion ; and which doth not more deform men's lives , then distort their reason ; and either stifle or pervert the very principles of their mind and conscience . and though i will not be guilty of libelling the age we live in , by ripping up the disorders thereof , thereby to raise the value of this small performance ; yet i am certain of these two things , that i have both designed publick good in this undertaking , and not varied from the substance of that which i have told thee was my first projection . but dismissing all further considerations of that kind , as for the present discourse , i have neither such a fondness to my own production , nor am so much a stranger either to the humours of men , or the condition of the times , but that i think it had been much easier to have gratified the curiosity of both some other way : notwithstanding , since it is apparent that there is now a daies more light then heat , and less seriousness then either ; and consequently more need that the principles of conscience should be stirred up , then any notion started , or controversy moved : i am therefore apt to hope this labour will not seem unseasonable ; or however , i am well content to be one of those that had rather save one soul then please ten thousand . i know there is nothing so serious but may be exposed to drollery by atheistical wits , who have had the impudence not to spare the sacred scripture it self : and i know the world is never free from a sort of idle invidious persons , who finding it a far easier matter to find faults then to mend , carp at every thing that is made publick under this only security , that by reason of their own unprofitableness and sloth , no body can find any thing of theirs wherein to pay them in their own coin . neither of these sorts of men will i trouble my self about , and as for wise men i know they will see many imperfections in this book , but they will also pardon them ; especially considering that no man can think or write in all things just to the gust of another , but only those that have mercenary pens , and parasytical prostituted consciences . it may be some of those whom i design to profit by this discourse will think they observe some very necessary things omitted , or but slightly touched upon ; such as especially concerning faith in christ jesus , &c. to which my answer is , that i would as gladly , and as copiously have discoursed on that point as any other , had either the nature of my design , or indeed the series of the parable lead me thereto . vpon the whole matter i have endeavoured to do good to as many as i could , and to give offence to none ; neither to the jew nor to the greek , nor to the church of god : if any thing seem obscure in any one part of this book , i am persuaded that he that reads on shall find it cleared up in some other place . but if any thing be unadvisedly delivered ( which god forbid ) that is , either not agreeable to the doctrine of the church of england , or to the sense of wise and good men , i wish it unsaid , and hereby retract it under my hand . the bookseller was not unwilling to be at the charge to represent the principal parts of the parable in sculpture , which if it serve either to illustrate the matter , or to invite thy attention , the cost is well bestowed . the contents of the several parts and chapters of this work. part i. chap. i. the curious and admirable structure of the parable of the prodigal son briefly represented . page , . the special design and meaning of it ; the usefullness of explaining it , and the intention of the author in the present explication . p. , , . of parables in general . of the obscurity of the gentile oracles , old philosophers , &c. and of the figurative way of the holy scriptures both of the old and of the new testament . p. , . some reasons of the affected obscurity of pagan writers . p. . reasons of the allegorical way of the old testament , p. , . of the figures and parables of our saviour . p. , , . of the danger and mischief of allegorical interpretations . p. . and the caution of the author in this particular . p. . chap. ii. the self-contradiction amongst the adversaries of christianity , both jews and gentiles , some accusing it as too difficult an institution , others as a doctrine of looseness . p. , . a famous but feigned story of constantine m. to that purpose . p. . the special occasion of the jew's mistake of our saviour's designs . p. . three ranks of the jewish religionists ; a mistake of theirs built upon that distinction . p. . their misunderstanding the design of god in the covenant made with them on mount sinai , and consequently of the meaning of the prophets . p. . vpon account of both which it is no wonder that they mistake our saviour , who therefore vindicates himself by this parable . p. . a literal paraphrase of this parable . p. . particularly who is meant by the elder , and who by the younger son. p. . the division and parts of the parable . p. . chap. iii. the three sorts of laws mankind is under , ( viz. ) natural , divine , and humane ; and that all sin is a violation of some of these : the mischief of mistake herein . p. . sin is a violation of a known law , and that god hath some way or other sufficiently promulged his laws . p. . the danger of mistake herein . p. . all sin is voluntary . cautions in that point . p. . a remarkable passage in s. james paraphrased . p. . the difference between sins of infirmity and presumption . p. . instances of sins of infirmity . p. . instances of presumptuous sins . p. . s. john ep. . chap. . vers . opened . p. . about reluctancy of conscience , and whether that abates of the guilt of sin . p. . of the several stations of vertue , and divers ranks of sinners . p. . chap. iv. the sinner's progress . pride is ordinarily the first beginning of a sinfull course , as appears in the apostasy of angels , the fall of man , the temptations of our saviour , and the method of the gospel . p. . neglect of god's worship , &c. the second step towards a wicked life : the dependence between piety and morality . p. . riot and intemperance the third step towards hell ; an account of the talents god ordinarily vouchsafes men , and how vice imbezils them . p. . when men have abused their faculties , and mis-spent their talents , they become slaves to sathan . p. . the drudgery he puts them to . p. . the desolate condition of an habitual sinner when the pleasures of sin fail him . p. . chap. v. the import of the phrase [ when he came to himself . ] that sin is a kind of madness . p. . proved by the description of madness , and the usual symptoms of it . p. . an objection against this assertion answered . p. . the application and conclusion of the first part. p. . part ii. of repentance . chap. i. the general importance of repentance ; and why notwithstanding , little notice is taken of it in the law of moses . p. . three parts of repentance . . consideration . what is meant thereby , and the great necessity thereof . p. . it is usually affliction which brings vicious men to consideration ; prosperity rendring them light and vain . p. . the special considerations and thoughts of a penitent . p. . chap. ii. of resolution , the second step towards repentance . what is meant thereby , and the force and efficacy thereof , against the devil , sense , custom , example , and reason it self . p. . the properties of a penitent resolution . p. . first , it is serious and deliberate , not rash and sudden . secondly , it is peremptory . p. . thirdly , it must be present , not dilatory . p. . lastly , it is uniform and universal . p. . the principal motives that bring the sinner ( when he considers ) to a resolution of repentance . . that it will be acceptable to god , even yet . p. . . not impossible to reform . p. . . that it is easy . p. . . absolutely necessary . p. . chap. iii. of confession and contrition . the nature and instances of hearty contrition . p. . the efficacy and availableness thereof , as doing right to the divine sovereignty ; to his wisedom , justice and goodness ; to his omniscience , to the holiness and pity of his nature . p. . it gives security against relapses into sin . p. . chap. iv. of actual reformation . it consists in , . a singular care of god's worship in all the parts thereof . p. . . conscientious obedience to his commands . p. . . submission to his providence . p. . chap. v. a recital of several opinions which debauch men's minds in this great affair of repentance . p. . several arguments demonstrating the absurdity of all those opinions jointly , and the necessity of such reformation as is before described . p. . exceptions removed . p. . part iii. chap. i. of reconciliation . the passionate story of jacob and joseph parallel to this of the prodigal son. p. . the notice god takes of the beginnings of goodness , and the use of that consideration . p. . god's spirit assists all beginnings of good . p. . a memorable story out of eusebius , and reflections thereupon . p. . god fully and freely pardons all sin upon repentance . p. . . great and many sins . p. . . relapsed sinners . p. . the novatian doctrine . . without reservation . p. . applications of the former doctrine . . the comfortableness of a state of pardon . p. . . the great obligation to love god. p. . . that we imitate the divine goodness in our dealing with our brethren . p. . . it should lead us to repentance . p. . chap. ii. of sanctification . what is meant by the best robe . p. . in what sense sanctification goes before justification , and in what sense it follows after it . p. . three remarkable differences in the measures of sanctification in a beginner , and in a grown christian . p. . by what means those fuller measures of sanctification are attained . p. . chap. iii. of the gift of the holy ghost , and that by the ring this is intimated . p. . the difference between the motions of god's spirit , and the gift or residence of it . p. . the great advantages of the residence of the holy spirit in several respects . p. . a passage of the revel . . . opened . p. . whence it comes to pass that some good men have no experience of the residence of the holy spirit . p. . how to distinguish the motions of god's spirit from our own fancies , or the illusions of sathan . p. . chap. iv. the great trust god reposes in those he pardons , and their obligations to faithfullness and activity in his service . p. . several ways wherein a pious man may be serviceable to the souls of men without invading the ministerial office. p. . the peculiar fitness of those that have been converted from an evil course , for this purpose in many respects . p. . a brief description of a perfect christian . p. . chap. v. the splendid entertainment , or the joys of heaven . that by the feast upon the fatted calf those are intended . p. . several figurative expressions of that state in holy scripture : ( viz. ) paradise , rest , a city , a kingdom , a feast . p. . an essay of describing the felicities of the world to come , according to the scriptures ; especially in four particulars : . the resurrection of the body ; the wonderfullness and comfortableness whereof , although it be not doubted but souls are happy before . p. . . the perfection of all the powers of soul and body , and suitable objects to all those powers . p. . . the eternity of that state. p. . . the blessed and glorious society of god , the holy jesus , angels , and spirits of just men made perfect . p. . chap. last . a vindication of the divine goodness in all the aforesaid dispensation , or in his thus treating penitent sinners . p. . the parable . s. luke , chap. xv. vers . . a certain man had two sons : . and the younger of them said to his father , father , give me the portion of goods that falleth to me . and he divided unto them his living . . and not many daies after , the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far countrey , and there wasted his substance with riotous living . . and when he had spent all , there arose a mighty famine in that land ; and he began to be in want . . and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that countrey ; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine . . and he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat : and no man gave unto him . . and when he came to himself , he said , how many hired servants of my father have bread enough and to spare , and i perish with hunger ? . i will arise , and go to my father , & will say unto him , father , i have sinned against heaven and before thee , . and am no more worthy to be called thy son : make me as one of thy hired servants . . and he arose , and came to his father . but when he was yet a great way off , his father saw him , and had compassion , and ran , and fell on his neck , and kissed him . . and the son said unto him , father , i have sinned against heaven and in thy sight , and am no more worthy to be called thy son. . but the father said to his servants , bring forth the best robe , and put it on him , and put a ring on his hand , and shoes on his feet . . and being hither the fatted calf , and kill it ; and let us eat and be merry . . for this my son was dead , and is alive again ; he was lost , and is found . and they began to be merry . . now his elder son was in the field : and as he came , and drew nigh to the house , he heard musick and dancing . . and he called one of the servants , and asked what these things meant . . and he said unto him , thy brother is come ; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf , because he hath received him safe and sound . . and he was angry , and would not go in : therefore came his father out , and intreated him . . and he answering , said to his father , lo , these many years do i serve thee , neither transgressed i at any time thy commandment , and yet thou never gavest me a kid , that i might make merry with my friends : . but as soon as this thy son was come , which hath devoured thy living with harlots , thou hast killed for him the fatted calf . . and he said unto him , son , thou art ever with me , and all that i have is thine . . it was meet that we should make merry , and be glad : for this thy brother was dead , and is alive again ; and was lost , and is found . the parable of the prodigal son. part i. chap. i. the peculiar excellency of this parable of our saviour ; and touching parables in general . the contents . § i. the curious scheme and admirable structure of this parable , the special design of it , and the intention of the authour of this discourse in handling it . § ii. the obscurity of the gentile oracles , old philosophers , and ancient writers of all kinds . of the allegories of the old testament , and the figurative way of our saviour in the new. § iii. the reasons of the pagan obscurity , and of the figures of the old testament ; especially of our saviour's so much use of parables . § iv. of the danger of allegorical interpretations : the peculiar advantage and security of doing it in this parable : the caution of the authour therein . § i. i verily persuade my self that there is no intelligent person who shall happen to reade the passage of holy scripture now before us , but will presently , and at the first prospect of it , take notice of a very beautifull and affecting scene of things represented to him : wherein it will be very hard for him to determine , whether the variety of matter , just proportions of the particulars , or decent and natural order of things , do more vie with each other , or more equally conspire to fill his imagination , and affect his heart . for in the very letter of this parable he will see described , first , the benignity , indulgence and condescension of a father to his son , together with the folly and licentiousness of youth ; then the gradual progress and sad catastrophe of a course of debauchery ; after this the usual misgivings of heart and change of mind upon such change of affairs , the serious reflexions upon , and late repentance of such follies : then again a description of parental affections ; the exorableness of a father upon his son's submission ; the profuseness of his kindness upon his reformation ; and , lastly , the transports of his joy upon his plenary recovery . and indeed the most powerfull passions of humane nature are here drawn with that admirable skill as to equal the very life it self . it was not therefore pronounced at adventure by the learned hugo grotius , but agreeably to his usual sagacity , when he said , this parable of the prodigal son is the most remarkable of all those which were delivered by our saviour , as being the most passionate and affecting , set out and adorned with the most lively colours , and beautifull similitudes . all which is discernible upon the most transient glance upon it . but he that , not contenting himself with so superficial a view , shall defix his thoughts , and maturely consider the intendment of our saviour in this figure , will partly by the occasion upon which it was delivered , and partly by the thread of the parable it self , most assuredly be led into an apprehension of some greater mystery therein contained . for taking his view from such station , and thence attentively surveying the whole scope and design of this scripture , he will find in the general , that herein is traced out the journey from aegypt ( a state of servitude ) to the land of promise , through a troublesome and disconsolate wilderness ; or the passage from the brink of hell to the gates of heaven . more particularly he will observe the unhappy onset and beginnings , the crooked and anfractuous proceedings , the dangerous precipices , and the horrid and fatall mischiefs of a sinfull course , graphically described : he will also descry the direct , but laborious , the sorrowfull , but certain way of recovery : and lastly , the glorious triumph , the comfortable condition , and the sure station of him that hath happily conquered the aforesaid difficulties , and is arrived at the serene top of vertue ; together with the general applause , and universal jubilee of heaven and earth upon such an atchievement . and in confidence that all these things are pointed at , and intended in the scene before us , ( as i do not doubt but will be evident by and by , ) i do design to take occasion from hence to discourse somewhat fully and practically of these three very important particulars . ( viz. ) . of the nature of sin , and the mischiefs of a wicked course . . of the nature and admirable efficacy of repentance . lastly , of the exorableness of the divine majesty , and the unexpressible benignity and graciousness with which he entertains returning sinners . and , provided the management prove answerable to the design , i cannot in the least mistrust the acceptableness of a work of this nature to any sort of men , who have so much seriousness and manly sense in them , as to value things in proportion to their real usefulness ; forasmuch as there is not that subject to be treated of , which comes more close and home to the greatest concerns of all mankind . for , in the first place , there are scarcely any so prodigiously vain , as not to acknowledge themselves to be sinners : and what can be of more use to him that makes that acknowledgement , then to understand what it is which makes sin to be sinfull , what gives it its malignity , and makes guilt inseparably to adhere to it , what are the several states of sin and sinners , and especially what is the natural course and tendency , the sudden growth and unhappy progress of sin ? since hereby his conscience being inlightned , will be both better able to make just reflexions upon what is past , and also be made more cautious and diligent for the time to come . and although it be true that every man hath not run the same mad risk of sin which is here decyphered in the prodigal son : yet as that is owing to the especial providence and preventing grace of god , where-ever the case is such ; so that happy person will , by observing the wild extravagancies , the extreme follies and horrid mischiefs , which others incurr before conversion , be the more provoked to adore the divine goodness in his own preservation . again , what can be of more moment to those that are apprehensive of the majesty and purity of god , of the holiness of his laws , of the certainty of a judgement to come , and withall are sensible of the frailty of humane nature , and conscious of their own many and great miscarriages , then to behold the nature of repentance plainly described , and to be instructed in the methods of making good their retreat , of redintegrating themselves , and successfully recommending their deplorable estate and condition to the divine philanthropy and mercy ? lastly , what can be more ravishingly comfortable to a contrite sinner , then to understand the efficacy of true repentance , to see a door of hope open to the worst of sinners upon their coming to themselves , and returning to their duty , to be assured of the hearty compassions of the divine majesty , to see the arms of the almighty open to receive and embrace returning children ; and all this as it were in perspective , lively represented ? § ii. but in regard it is a parable which we have in hand , i think my self obliged ( in order to the laying a good foundation of what we shall afterwards build upon it ) here in our entrance to premise something briefly , first , touching the ancient use of this schematical and figurative way of expression , and the reason of such usage ; secondly , touching the explication and application of such kind of discourses . and for the first of these , i cannot reasonably imagine , that any man who shall peruse these papers , should be so great a stranger to all that hath past in former times , as not to be aware , that it was the general custome of wise men of old , to deliver their sentiments after this manner and in such a style ; and this not onely in meer humane and common writings , but even in sacred writ it self . to say nothing of the famous oracles of the gentiles , which in other circumstances as well as in this of mysteriousness , have been observed to ape and imitate those of the true god : and to pass by the ancient poets , who were reputed as both the divines and the philosophers of the ages in which they lived , and who were well known to have affected an oracular obscurity , as much as the oracles affected their way of versifying : if we take notice of the ancient proverbs of nations , which are supposed to carry the marks of the wisedom of their respective times and people , these we find for the most part obscure and aenigmatical . and for the ancient philosophers , and men of renown , such as the wise men of greece , distinctively so called , or such as pythagoras , socrates , &c. who were no whit inferiour to the former , he knows nothing of them that is not sensible , not onely of accidental , but also of designed obscurity in their writings and sayings . as for the sacred writings of the old testament , though with all good men i worthily adore that divine spirit which made choice of and directed the pen-men of holy scripture ; and readily acknowledge both the plainness and perspicuity thereof in the necessary rules of life , without which it could not have answered the ends of the divine wisedom in the enditing of it ; and also that wheresoever it is abstruse , it is as far from phantastry and affected obscurity , as the pagan oracles were notoriously guilty thereof : notwithstanding it cannot be denied , but that as well the prophets as other holy pen-men , do frequently make use of metaphors , allegories , and other schematical forms , which must needs be attended with competent obscurity , these being as it were a veil drawn over the face of divine truth . hence it is that solomon makes the words of the wise , and their dark sayings , to be two expressions denoting the same thing : for , as he in another place speaks , their discourses are like apples of gold in pictures of silver ; that is , besides a truth and beauty in the outside or case of the letter , they had a more rich and precious meaning within . and accordingly we may observe the apostles of our lord , in the new testament , frequently to fix upon and pursue a mystical sense of some of those passages in the old testament , which would to an ordinary reader have seemed most strictly and literally to be understood . yet i do not think this will prove a sufficient warrant for philo , or some other jewish writers , to turn all those sacred records into allegory : nor that it will altogether excuse those ancient learned christians from all mistake , who thought there was no way of reaching the full sense of the old testament , but by tracing a perpetual metaphor , and looking every-where beyond the letter . however their practice makes it sufficiently evident , that it was the common sense of antiquity , that the style of those writings was mysterious and figurative , which is enough for my present purpose . § iii. if now we proceed to enquire into the reasons of this usage ; so far as concerns the pagan mysteries , we may say with justice enough , that it was their interest to hide those things from the light , that could not endure the trial of it : and for a great many of their philosophers , they designed more to procure a veneration to their own persons , then to benefit the world ; and chose rather to seem wise themselves , then endeavoured to make others to be so . or at least the not improbable account which s. clement of alexandria gives of this matter may satisfie us ; whose words are these , the manner and style in which the greek philosophers handled their philosophy was like to that of the hebrews , dark and aenigmatical : for from them , whom they esteemed and called barbarians , did those admired sages ( as that learned authour shews at large ) borrow or steal most of that which was remarkable amongst them : and then no wonder if they took the casket with the jewel ; the manner of delivery , as well as the matter they delivered . but now if our curiosity lead us farther , to consider , what should be the reasons why the sacred writers themselves observed this style , there are several things may be noted as of great moment in the case . namely , . forasmuch as the divine wisedom saw it fit in the infancy of the world , to exhibit a discovery of his mind and will , suitable to the capacity of the men and the age , reserving the more full and adequate delivery of himself to the fulness of time , when the minds of men , having been opened and inlarged by degrees , should by those previous applications be prepared and made capable of those brighter beams of divine truth , which he ultimately intended to display : hereupon it was necessary , that the prophets and holy pen-men should be directed in such sort , as that on the one hand , and in the letter , their discourses should condescend to the present dispensation ; but yet withall should on the other hand reflect and glance upon , and give some hints of , that which was principally intended , and hereafter to be clearly revealed . from whence it must needs come to passe , ( both the aforesaid purposes being jointly to be pursued ) that there must be a frequent use of figures and allegories , and consequently some obscurity . . but then , secondly , because it was not the mind of god , wholly to cloud and obscure the glories that were afterwards to appear , he ordered it so , that such a thin veil drawn over the matter should not more set off the beauty , then stir up the attention of the mind , and allure men to a very diligent inquisition . for , as much as utter obscurity of the matter , or absolute impossibility of accomplishing what is designed , do discourage and blast both enquiry and endeavour : so much doth moderate and not insuperable , either difficulty or obscurity , inflame a generous mind to comprehend and conquer ; and as none but fools reach at plain impossibilities , so none but ignoble and little spirits are beaten off by meer difficulty . thus in effect this way of writing became a lapis lydius , or touchstone of minds , fit for and capable of excellent improvements . and this is the very account which s. justin the philosopher and martyr gives of this matter . the prophets ( saith he ) did cover the things they delivered under types and parables , insomuch that it was not easie for every one to understand many of those things which they spoke of , and the rather because they would exercise the diligence and study of those that applied themselves to their instructions . again thirdly , this way of expression recommended it self upon this account , that whatsoever was represented in this parabolical way , was apt to insinuate more closely , and work more powerfully upon the affections . forasmuch as in this case the mind was not onely addressed to , by the meer dint of reason , but truth was in a manner made visible , and set off in such lively colours , that the imagination being impregnated , the passions were easily carried along too . to which adde , that hereby also the memory was exceedingly fortified ; for such things as we feel and see , or which our imaginations have an expresse image of , and our affections relish , those things always stick by us . all which considerations laid together , will amount to a satisfaction of the reasonableness of that figurative obscurity , which we observe in the writings of the old testament , and may in part also extend to whatever is of that kind in the new. but yet perhaps there may remain some difficulty , why our saviour who came to make a full , clear and ultimate discovery of the mind of god to the sons of men , should think fit to use this figurative way of expression at so great a rate , as that the evangelist saith , without a parable spake he not unto them . touching which i have these things further to say . first , by what hath been said already it appears , the people of the jews , amongst whom our saviour came , had been always trained up in an allegorical way , and had it in such esteem , that they thought no man fit to teach that could not handsomely conceal and shade his sense , si quis noverit uti perplexiloquio , loquatur , sin minùs taceat . and therefore by an admirable dexterity in the use of parables , he marvellously recommended his discourses to the gust of that people ; and had it not been that they were filled with intolerable prejudices against him for the meanness of his outward appearance , and upon other such like accounts , they must of necessity have had his wisedom in great veneration . but besides this general account , our saviour himself gives us a peculiar reason of this his practice , especially upon that kind of people , in these words , mat. . , , , , . to you it is given ( speaking to his disciples ) to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven . but to them ( meaning the generality of the jews ) it is not given ; for whosoever hath , to him shall be given , and he shall have more abundance ; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath . therefore speak i to them in parables , because they seeing see not , and hearing they hear not , neither do they understand . and in them is fulfilled the prophecie of isaiah , saying , hearing ye shall hear , &c. as if our saviour had said , you my disciples who are of an humble and docible temper , and are content to use means , and to resort to me for the understanding of such things as i deliver ; to you it shall be no disadvantage that they are cloathed in parables : for besides that i am ready to interpret every thing to you , my discourses are so ordered , as to become plain and intelligible to such unprejudicate minds ; the truth will shine through the veil , and the shadow shall guide you to the body and substance . but as for these proud and conceited pharisees , that are transported with their own prejudices , and will neither understand nor practise things plainly delivered ; for the just hardning of them , and such as they are , i deliver my self in such a manner as will not readily be apprehended by men of their temper . they shall choak themselves with the husks whilest you feed upon the kernel . much like to this is the account which iamblicus gives of the obscurity of pythagoras ; saith he , pythagoras studied some obscurity in his dictates , to the intent that those onely who were vertuously disposed and so prepared for his notions , might be benefited by his discourses ; but as for others , they as ( homer saith of tantalus ) should be surrounded with such things as were in themselves very desirable , but not be able to touch or taste them . to which i adde in the last place , this way of parables , which our saviour made such use of , in many cases came more home to men's consciences , and carried more conviction with it , then any other more expresse and direct way of speaking . for the parables were commonly taken , è medio , from the common affairs of life , and grounded upon experience or acknowledged maximes : and now whilest men readily acknowledged that in the protasis or former part of the parable , not knowing whither it tended , or what the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would be , they were utterly surprized and confounded afterwards by the patness of the application . for though they could have been willing to have disallowed what they saw touched their concern ; yet having already unawares granted that from which it would unavoidably follow , they were intangled in a net and could neither go backward nor forward : for if they went forward , they came over to him and quitted their principles ; and to go backward , was basely to deny their own concessions . thus it fared with david in the famous parable of nathan , upon occasion of the adultery with bathsheba and murther of her husband vriah , the king presently condemns the fact , so long as he knew not the malefactour , and therefore when the prophet came over him saying , thou art the man , he was left without all evasion or apology , and so brought to repentance . and in like manner the same david was intrapped by a like parable which joah put into the mouth of the woman of tekoah , for the re-calling of absolom . and after this rate our saviour several times circumvents the pharisees , and especially in this present parable , as will evidently appear anon when we come to open the occasion of it , but so much for the first point . § iv. . touching the second , viz. the application of this kind of discourses , i am well aware that sundry judicious divines both of former and later times , have complained of great mistakes in doctrine , and many mischiefs done to religion by the too curious and particular interpretations of parabolicall passages of scripture : and not without cause ; for it is too easie to observe those that having taken their rise from the letter of a text , have soared so aloft in a strain of allegory , that they have gone a pitch beyond all sober sense , at least out of the ken of all ordinary understandings , and strained a metaphor so far that they have broken all in pieces . others have forced similitudes to run of all four , and upon some obscure and far fetched resemblance have given countenance to their own dreams and phansies , and represented the holy spirit of god as intimating what he never intended . i remember also what an acute person of the last age pronounced , that it was not to be called an exposition , but a divination , which departed from the letter ; and he that used such liberty was rather a law-maker then an interpreter of laws , and might dictate whatsoever he pleased at this rate . all this is well said . but then on the other side it must be acknowledged too , that at least the general design and greater lines of a sacred parable are argumentative , otherwise our saviour would not have made such use of them as he did , nor would they have had that effect they had frequently upon the hearers : and if this were not true , a great part of the gospels would be onely romance to amuse us , and not doctrine to instruct us . and although it be true that such proof will not be convictive upon some kind of men , yet that is no objection in the case , forasmuch as no other , the most direct proofs , will serve the turn with some persons : nor was it the design of god as i have intimated already to put a flat necessity upon men , and to render it impossible for them not to believe ; it is sufficient to the intention of the holy scripture that an honest mind , may by considering the occasion , and comparing therewith the make and fabrick of a parable , discern what is drove at through the whole . but besides , i think this parable before us hath peculiar advantages of all other , and that it was designed by the wisedom of our saviour , not onely to fit the occasion in general , but also to carry a resemblance in particular , and graphically to describe the very nature and manner of the thing he was discoursing of . and that which confirms me in this persuasion ( besides the natural accord of things , and wonderfull easiness of application without force or straining ) is , that i observe men of the greatest learning and judgement both ancient and modern , and who are apparently the most free and untainted with the aforesaid humour of allegorizing , to follow the traces of the figure with a moral application quite through this parable . out of the great number of which i will select onely two for instances , st. jerome amongst the ancients , and hugo grotius for the modern . the former of which at the intreaty of no less a man then pope damasus , makes a particular interpretation of this parable in all the branches of it , which is the substance of his . epistle , whose exposition i have for the most part followed in this present discourse . the other , i mean the judicious hugo grotius , to the words i lately cited from him , for the excellency of this parable subjoins these following , ( in ver . . ) besides a general resemblance of the thing , it seems to carry on the allegory through the particular parts also . and again a while after , though ( saith he ) we are not sollicitously to inquire for a moral meaning of every passage in these allusive discourses ; yet in this parable where the phrases made use of are by other scriptures interpreted to such a particular sense , it is unreasonable to neglect it . these reasons and authorities together , will ( i doubt not ) justifie a particular application of this parable : notwithstanding , that there may be the fullest security against the mischiefs specified in the entrance of this point , i will take care that in the following discourse , no doctrine shall be obtruded upon the bare warrant of similitude or figurative resemblance , but whatsoever shall be delivered , shall be both grounded upon some express and literal texts of scripture , and attested by the consent of the ancient fathers . and now ( these things premised ) i proceed more closely to pursue my purpose in the particular handling of the parable . chap. ii. the occasion and exposition of this parable . the contents . § i. the adversaries of our saviour's doctrine contradict each other , some accusing it of too great difficulty , others as a doctrine of licentiousness , the occasion of this latter misprision of it amongst the gentiles , a fabulous story of constantine's conversion , the occasion of the jew's misapprehension . § ii. three ranks of jews , a maxime of theirs built upon that distinction , the crasse sense they had of the mosaick covenant , which things in special gave rise to their calumnies against his doctrine and practice , from which he vindicates himself by this parable . § iii. a literal paraphrase upon the parable . § iv. the true interpretation of the parable , who is meant by the elder , and who by the younger brother , the parts of the parable , and of the ensuing discourse . it is a necessary rule amongst all expositors to look attentively on the occasion , and from the rise to judge of the scope and tendency of the discourse : and this is most especially requisite to be done in the interpretation of figurative passages , in regard there is nothing so like but it is also unlike , nor so resembles any one thing but in some respects it may resemble another , and therefore here like those that sail in a narrow channel , where the stars or the card are too general directors , they are forced to sail by coasting as they call it , so must we in the explication of a parable ( where there is not alwaies to be expected a determinate and necessary sense of every phrase as in more direct discourses , ) govern our selves by the general aim , and be sure to set out right at first from the design of it . now in order to the discovery of the true occasion of this parable it is of use to note , that as it was the lot of our saviour himself when he was arraigned by the jews , to be accused by such as agreed no better amongst themselves then with the truth ; and whose several testimonies more impeached the credit of each other then pressed him against whom they were suborned : so it hath often fared with his doctrine and religion , to be accused of things inconsistent with each other ; insomuch that commonly the several imputations mutually confuting each other , have jointly vindicated ( instead of aspersing ) christianity . the special instance which i am now concerned to assign of this matter , is , that the same institution hath by different persons been accused of difficulty and facility ; as an intolerable burthen by some , as a doctrine of looseness and licentiousness by others . the former of these accusers have commonly been a sort of loose pretenders to christianity , who because the gospell requires that we love the lord our god with all our hearts , and soul , and strength , that we live in all good conscience both towards god and man , that we restrain not onely the outward acts of sin , but subdue the very passion and inclination thereto , and upon such like accounts cry out durus sermo , that it is a strict and severe law , and if this be evangelical obedience , it is impossible , and who then can be saved ? and to help themselves out of these difficulties they run into wild persuasions , that either christ jesus himself ( who delivered this institution ) must in his own person so perform it instead of all that are to be saved , as to excuse them the doing it , or else god must be pleased by miracle to overbear them into the performance of it . but since these men profess christianity , i leave them to be silenced by the express declaration of our saviour , matth. . . my yoke is easie , and my burthen is light . the contrary sort are those i am more concerned in at present , namely such as reproach christianity as a doctrine of ease and looseness . touching whom it is plain by the former objections , that this second sort of men must be absolute strangers to the tenour of the religion they thus accuse , i. e. they must be either jews or gentiles . for the pagans , they either hearing that faith was insisted upon as the prime qualification of a christian , looked therefore upon the whole religion as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a bare credulity , a meer facility of mind , or a supine abandoning ones self to the dictates and suggestions of others ; or else considering that this religion neither required nor practised the troublesome and costly sacrifices then in use amongst other people , nor so much as made any account of those nice observances , and very austere rites , that were in great reputation with all the world besides , judged it therefore to be a very cheap and easie thing to be a christian : or lastly observing that many who were conscious of having lived wickedly heretofore , betook themselves to , and found both cure and comfort in this institution , they thereupon concluded it to be an asylum and sanctuary to looseness and debauchery . upon some or all of these accounts , the pagans were generally abused into the aforesaid misprision of christianity , touching the third and last of which stumbling blocks i think it will not be unacceptable to the reader that i rehearse a famous story from the ecclesiastical historians to this effect . when the great constantine to his own immortal glory , and the great advantage of christianity , espoused that religion ; the pagans to slurr him and religion together , devised this tale of him . that he having basely murthered his brother crispus , and others of his near kindred , and feeling some remorse in his conscience for so great barbarities , applied himself to sopater the philosopher and successor of plotinus , to be directed by him to some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or expiation , but sopater tells him , that philosophy afforded no remedy in so desperate a case . he then ( saith the story ) goes to the christian bishops to get ease to his guilty and affrighted conscience ; and they readily receiving and incouraging him that a little baptismal water would wash out all that stain , and ease the smart ; he hereupon finding this a religion wherein a man might reconcile the gratification of the most exorbitant passions with a quiet mind , became a christian . theodoret who relates this fable , thinks ( as well he might ) that it concerned his profession of christianity to shew the falshood of it . and therefore after he had first retorted it upon the pagans themselves , shewing that if it had been true , it was no more then had been allowed amongst them in the case of their famous hercules ; he afterwards demonstrates the utter absurdity and impossibility of the fiction , in regard it might appear by authentick records , that crispus was alive long after constantine became christian , surviving to the twentieth year of his reign , and subscribing laws with him . notwithstanding the story sufficiently evidences , that the pagans had entertained such a sinister conceit of christianity , as that it favoured vice and licentiousness , and thereupon were prejudiced against it . but to pass over their crasse misapprehensions , and come to the jews , they also had alike dishonourable opinions of the christian institution as a doctrine of looseness . and these they seem to have taken up , partly upon occasion that they observed our saviour to lay no great stress upon their idle traditions , which they were infinitely scrupulous about ; partly also because though they could not but observe that he was a most holy and diligent observer of the law , yet in some cases , as that of the sabbath , and such like , he interpreted it ex aequo & bono , and made the letter submit to the reason and sense of it , whereupon they cried out he dissolved the law . neither was it a small accession to their suspicions , that upon all occasions he exposed the sanctimoniousness of their admired pharisees , whose reputation was so great with them , that they were ready to think all religion was struck at , when the inward rottenness of those painted sepulchres was discovered . but above all they seem to have been confirmed in this ill opinion of christ jesus and his doctrine , when they noted that whereas the grave and demure pharisees , the learned scribes , the chief priests and rulers , and all the zealots of their religion stood at a distance , and defied this new doctrine , those that resorted to our saviour , and became his disciples , were generally persons not only of mean quality , but had been many of them formerly infamous for their life and conversation , for so we find in the first and second verses of this chapter , then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him , and the scribes and pharisees murmured , saying , this man receiveth sinners , and eateth with them , whereupon our saviour takes up this and other parables in this chapter . for the more clear understanding of which occasion , and consequently of the scope of the whole parable , these things following are to be considered . § ii. . that the jews ( as to the affair of religion ) were wont to distinguish themselves into three ranks or classes , the first and most eminent amongst them were the pharises or separatists , ( as their name from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly imports ) called also frequently in their own writings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which we may appositely render frieries or fraternities : a very precise and strict sort of men in their way , as who obliged themselves to the most strict measures of ritual observance , fasting twice a week , frequent and curious in their washings , long in their prayers , broad in their phylacteries , demure in their behaviour , stately in their meine , starched and stiff in every thing . they had a custome of disfiguring their faces to seem pale and mortified : and as they had artificial faces , so they had consciences too , wondrous tender and sensible of little punctilio's , and the veriest trifle that was out of the road of their sect , but brawny and insensible of the highest violations of the laws of god. their religion was a kind of clock-work drawn up by the hand , and moving in a certain order , but without life or sense . in short , they had all the outward shews of admirable men , but nothing else ; their devotions being calculated to take men , not to please god , and to better their interest and reputation with the people , not to benefit the world , or improve their ▪ own tempers . however what by their own confident pretensions , and what by the credulity of those that take all for gold that glisters , these men obtained the reputation of the first rate of religionists . in the second rank were those which were called sapientum discipuli , the disciples of the wise men ; these did not constitute a peculiar sect as the former , neither did they oblige themselves to all the punctuality and phantastry which the other did , but they were such as applied themselves diligently to the study of the law , and governed themselves by the traditions of the great rabbins , and by such interpretations as they had been pleased to make upon the text. these i take it are those who are commonly called by the name of scribes in the new testament , and sometimes lawyers also , for that those two names were of the same signification , seems to be evident by s. luk. . , . when our saviour had a great while inveighed against the pharisees , and at last had joined the scribes with them , then answered one of the lawyers and said , master , now thou reproachest us also . and these men whether called lawyers , or scribes , or wise men , though they distinguished themselves by no peculiar garb and cognizance as the former , nor made a sect in religion , yet because they devoted themselves to the study of their religious writings , were looked upon as conservators of their religion , and arrived at a great opinion of sanctity . insomuch that there is a well known saying amongst the jews , that if but two men were to be saved , or have a part in the other world , the one would certainly be a pharisee and the other a scribe . and in relation to this opinion of theirs , our saviour saith to his disciples , matth. . . except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven , i. e. if you be my disciples indeed , you must outstrip those two admired sorts of men , as much as they are supposed to outgoe all others . the third rank were ordinary jews , called in contempt populus terrae , the people of the land , who lived a common life without any nicety of observation , or peculiar note of distinction . these men might perhaps live honestly , and it may be also exceed both the former in real vertues of the soul ; but forasmuch as they exacted of themselves nothing singular , nor affected any curiosity , they had no remark upon them , but were valued much after the rate that we commonly signify when we say a good honest moral well-meaning man. but now for such as were found guilty of living in any open and scandalous sins , such as fornication , and the like ; these were held ( and that deservedly enough ) in no rank of religion , and amongst these they reckoned publicans also ; that is , such as being native jews , became instruments of the roman power , collecting tribute for them of their own nation , and both the one and the other of these were in no other estimation then heathens , for so we find publicans and sinners , heathens and publicans , commonly joined together under the same brand of reproach and contempt in the gospel . . it is to be observed in consequence of the former distinction , that whereas for the third sort of men of whom they had no great esteem , it was accounted no wonder that they being filii terrae , men of a meer secular character , did hold correspondence , and had intercourse with publicans and sinners , that is , such as were proscribed the cense of religion ; nevertheless for any person of the two first ranks so to have done , namely , to be found maintaining any kind of society or friendly conversation with such infamous persons , was held not only dishonourable and unbecoming , but flatly unlawfull . for according to a tradition yet extant in their writings , it is reckoned as one of the six scandals that those higher orders of religionists are charged by all means to avoid , namely , to dine , eat or drink with such . now this seems to be the first occasion of quarrel against our saviour , that he pretending to be some extraordinary person , at least a student of the law , did not use such branded persons with the same supercile and disdain that their great men were wont to do , but familiarly discoursed , eat and drank with them . for so we read , matth. . , . and it came to pass as jesus sate at meat , many publicans and sinners came and sate down with him and his disciples , and when the pharisees saw it , they said unto his disciples , why eateth your master with publicans and sinners , &c. let it be farther noted in the third place , that the covenant which god made with this people on mount sinai , admitted of propitiation by sacrifice , and thereby gave hopes of pardon onely to some smaller offences , but seemed to exclude all great and notorious transgressors , shutting them up under wrath , and appointing them to be cut off from amongst their people . and the minds of the jews not being elevated above this literal dispensation , nor being able to distinguish betwixt this political transaction , and the eternal standard of justice and mercy in the divine mind , they were induced to believe , that god would exercise mercy upon no other terms then what he therein proclaimed , and that he was inexorable and implacable in all other cases beyond the tenour of that indulgence : whence it came to pass that they themselves in proportion ( as they thought ) to the divine proceedings , abandoned all the aforesaid kinds of notorious sinners as castaways , conceiving neither hopes of their pardon , nor usefulness of indeavouring to bring them to repentance . and although the excellent discourses of the prophets might have instructed them with better and more worthy notions of god , yet they superstitiously contracting those evangelical expressions in the prophets to the narrow sense of the law , rather then improving the text of the law by the divine commentaries of the prophets , continued still under the same mean and narrow apprehensions of divine mercy , and consequently thereof must needs pronounce very sad and dismal dooms upon all great sinners . but forasmuch as they could not but remember the very great and foul miscarriages of some ( otherwise ) very holy men in the old testament , and particularly of david in his adultery with bathshebah , and the murther of vriah , for neither of which sins any sacrifice or propitiation was appointed in the law , but the offender in such cases was to be cut off without mercy : therefore that they might not be constrained in consequence of the aforesaid persuasion , to exclude such men from all hopes of pardon too , they had artifices of extenuating such mens sins , ( as no doubt they had of their own ) and rather then forgoe their hide-bound notion of god , chose against all sense to make those black crimes , meer peccadillo's , lest by the example of such great men ( as david , &c. ) other sinners should be incouraged to hope for mercy , beyond the tenour of their law. now our saviour preaching repentance , and giving hopes of pardon to the greatest of sinners , upon condition of their present , hearty , and thorough reformation ; several poor souls who had been reprobated and damned by these severe interpreters of the law , were marvellously transported at so comfortable a doctrine , and with great affection and frequency resort to it . hereupon these demure but dogged leguleians are offended , and insinuate a suspicion of our saviour , that he was a friend and favourer of lewd and vicious persons . this ( i take it ) is the true state of the case , and the rise of the excellent discourses in this chapter . for in answer to their unjust imputation , our saviour who could ( if he had pleased ) have shewed the sandy foundation of all their aforesaid hypothesis , by discovering the designs of the divine wisedom in that manner of transaction with that people in that covenant , or by large deductions from the prophets have demonstrated the uncircumscribedness of the divine goodness , or with admirable wisedom silenced them by a philosophick discourse of the divine philanthropy ; he i say that could have vindicated his own doctrine and practice , and both baffled their arrogance , and shamed their ignorance , any of these or other ways , waves all this , and takes a more plain and popular argument , confounding them by an appeal to the common sense of mankind , much after the manner that god silences the petulant disgusts of the prophet jonah . jonah was angry with god for being more exorable towards the ninevites then he expected , and would needs have had a vast and populous city destroyed , meerly to make good his own prediction . but god convinces him of his unreasonableness by a lively emblem . there was a gourd suddenly sprung up which refreshed the prophet with its verdure , and covered him with its shadow . god who had caused the gourd to grow , quickly smites it ; hereupon jonah is angry again , and expostulates the matter with his maker . thou hadst pity on a contemptible gourd for which thou didst not labour , and which came up in a night and perished in a night , and should not i spare nineveh that great city , ( upon their repentance ) wherein are more then one hundred and twenty thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left , &c. in like manner our saviour here silences the murmurings of these hard-hearted jews , by three parables : the first concerning a lost sheep , vers . . the second concerning a lost groat , vers . . and the third of a lost son , vers . . in all which he appeals to common experience and the sense of humanity , for evidence of the fitness of his proceedings , and the absurdity of their complaints ; shewing that it is the common course of men , to express most solicitude for that which is lost , and most joy upon the recovery of that which was given up as desperate . and forasmuch as the souls of men must needs be more valuable with a wise god , and a gracious creatour , then those other things can be with men , he leaves it to them to infer how reasonable it is to think that the divine goodness is both highly pleased with the recovery of lost sinners , and with the means thereunto subservient . the consequence of which would be , that they must certainly see great reason to admire our saviour's compassion , and condescension to the needs and sad condition of such men , as hugely agreeable and conducent to the ends of divine goodness , and none at all of traducing either his doctrine or carriage , as guilty of giving incouragement to looseness and extravagancy . thus we see the occasion which led our saviour to make use of this parable , and thereby we are directed to the main scope and drift of it , by advantage whereof of we will in the next place make the following paraphrastical exposition of it . § iii. as if our saviour had exprest himself more at large to this effect : a certain man had two sons , one whereof , and he the eldest , continued always in his family , content with his provision , subject to his government , and in diligent obedience to all his commands . but the other , ( viz. ) the younger , full of juvenile heat and confidence , considers himself at the age of discretion , grows impatient of restraint , and desirous of liberty , especially fancying that he could live better to his own content , and every whit as well provide for himself , if he were at his own disposal . therefore he desires his father to set him out his share , and to put his portion into his own hands , and leave him to his own conduct . the father gratifies him in all his desires , gives him his portion and his liberty . which done , the son , as if his father's presence or vicinage would put too great a restraint upon him , and give check to his freedom , betakes himself to another country , out of his fathers eye , reach , and controll , and there indulges himself the highest surfeit of licentiousness . by which means in a short time ( whilest he injoying the present took no care for the future ) the stock his father allotted him was utterly exhausted , and with that his pleasures also fail , the roots that ministred to them being thus dryed up . and where his pleasures end , his cares begin ; for now he hath leisure to look a little about him , and finds himself in a bad case , having no course left , but either to return to his father , and confessing his folly implore his compassion ; or to put himself a servant to a stranger , thereby to get a mean livelihood . the younger son gathers all together and took his journey into a far country . s t. lvke . . . non mulla posi institutionem humani aeneris , placuit animae per liberum arbitrium serre secum quandam velut potentiam naturae 〈…〉 . the former of these he was yet loth to come to , having not as he thought tryed sufficiently the folly of his own counsels ; and to take to himself the shame of his own ill conduct by so plain a retreat , was thought a sharper calamity then any he yet felt : therefore he resolves upon the latter , as if the severities of a stranger were more tolerable then the reproaches of a father ; for he concluded a man was not perfectly miserable that had no body to upbraid his folly . and now being in a strange countrey , he comforted himself with this , that if he should find none to pity him , he was sure there would be none could torture him with the grating remembrance of what he was and might have been . well , he becomes a servant , and he that could not brook the grave restraint of paternal authority , now feels the heavy yoke of servile obedience ; for he is put to the base drudgery of feeding swine , and hath the coursest fare for his maintenance , the swine and the servant seed alike , upon husks , onely with this difference , some body cares for the hoggs but no body for the slave ; and the former have enough of that which agrees with them , but the latter is pinched with hunger , having not allowance of that sordid dyet answerable to the importunity of his needs . being sorely afflicted with this , he that formerly dreamed of nothing but the sweets of liberty , and the surfeits of voluptuousness , and never once thought of that hungry wolf , want and necessity , which now stands at his door , after many a sad sigh , discourses thus with himself : ah fool that i was who knew not when i was well , that understood not contentment without satisfaction , nor could take up with the substance but must grasp at shadows till i lost both ; that knew not what it was to be happy , but by the sad experiment of becoming miserable ; that could not distinguish between the chastisements of a father and the wounds of an enemy , nor believe but all yokes were equal , untill i was convinc'd by trial ; that could not brook the government and restraints of my father's family , though indeared by the reverence of my relation , and sweetned by the benignity of his countenance and liberal provision for all necessity and delight ; nor be satisfied of my father's wisedom , but by the effects of my own rashness and folly . time was when i had the respect and dignity of a son at home , who now find the contempt of a servant abroad . i was then put to no drudgery , nor had other task then to serve the honour and interest of my father : and in so doing i consulted also mine own ; for my duty and my happiness were then united . but i am now put to the basest office , to the vilest employment , as if my drudgery were not so much imposed in order to my master's profit , as to my own contumely . but that which comes nearer to me yet , and pinches me very sore , is , that whereas in my father's house i could neither feel nor fear want , i can now hope for nothing else : there the meanest servant had bread , not onely to the full , but to superfluity ; much less was any thing wanting to me then a son. now the case is sadly alter'd , i that seldome had so much hunger as might serve for sawce to the plenty of my father's table , feel now the difference between the liberal hand of a father , and the evil and niggardly eye of a hard master . oh the difference between the sweet sumes of plenty , and the gnawing pains of wind and emptiness ! what would i give now for what i have formerly wasted or despised ! then i loathed wholsome food , and now feed upon husks . how do i now envy the meanest servant in my father's house ; they have enough of all things , and i the want of all things ; they surfeit and i starve . but alas it is to no purpose to complain here , the swine i feed cannot pity me , and the master i serve will not . there is no other choice left me now , but i must return to my father or perish ; little did i think what would come of it when i forsook him , and perhaps as little doth he think what i have suffered since . if my sufferings have brought down my proud heart and taught me submission , it may be my deplorable condition may move his bowels . it is true he cast me not out , but i forsook and abandoned him ; my youthfull heat and folly precipitated me upon my own ruine : but as he hath more wisedom then i , so perhaps the affections of a father are more strong then those of a child ; and the more he sees my foolishness , the more arguments will he find to shew me mercy . at least i will make trial of his clemency , i will humbly prostrate my self before him , i 'le embrace those knees that educated me , i 'le lick the dust of that threshold which i contemptuously forsook , i 'le own my fault and take shame to my self , and so both magnify his mercy if he receive me , and justify his proceedings if he reject me . i know my father is subject or obnoxious to no body ; who shall blame him for pardoning , or set limits to his mercy ? nay who can tell the measure of a father's bowels ? it may be too there is irresistible eloquence in misery , and the spectacle of a sons adversity may have rhetorick enough in it to carry the cause where a father is judge . or if he provoked by my folly at first , and extravagancy since , will no more own me as a son , perhaps he may receive me as a servant ; for if my rebellion hath extinguished in him the peculiar affections of a father , yet it hath not destroyed the common passions of humanity , mercy and pity . if he will receive me in that lower quality , i am now broken to the condition of a servant , and shall think his yoke easy hereafter , having been inured to so sharp and heavy an one ; i will chearfully submit my ear to be bored to his door-post , and be his servant for ever . or lastly , if he will not trust a runnagate , nor believe that he will ever prove a constant and perpetual servant that hath once deserted his station , let him be pleased to take me as an hired servant whom he may turn off at pleasure ; make trial of me , and admit me only upon good behaviour . but if all fail , and he should utterly cast me off , ( which yet i hope he will not ) i can but perish , and that i doe however . well , this being resolved , he casts a longing look towards his fathers house , and puts himself on his way thither . but no sooner was he on his way , ( though yet a great way off ) but his father spies him : those lean and wan cheeks , and the hollow sunken eyes his extremity had reduced him to , had not so disfigured him , nor those rags unable to cover his nakedness so disguised him , but his father knew him ; and the memory of his former disobedience had not so cancelled the interests of a son , or shut up the bowels of a father , but that the sight of his present misery kindled his compassion . and whilest the son , partly through that weakness which his vices and his sufferings had conspired to bring upon him , and partly through a combination of shame and just fear of his fathers indignation , with difficulty makes towards him ; the father prompted by paternal affection , and transported between joy and pity , runs to meet him , falls on his neck and kisses him . the son , though astonished at this condescension , and surprized with the unexpected benignity of such a reception , yet could not but remember what his fathers joy made him forget ; namely , his former disingenuity and rebellion : and therefore humbly falls on his knees again , and with shame and remorse makes his contrite acknowledgement after this manner . father ( for so this admirable goodness of yours gives me incouragement to call you , more then the bloud and life which i derived from you , ) i have i confess forfeited all the interest the priviledges of my birth might have afforded me in your affection , having become a rebel both towards god and you ; had i not first neglected him , i am sure i had never grieved you ; and having forsaken you , i have not onely violated the greatest obligation i had upon me , ( save that to his divine majesty ) but also despised and affronted a goodness like to his : whatsoever therefore i have suffered was but the just demerit of my folly and contumacy , and whatsoever sentence you shall pass upon me further i submit to , and here expect my doom from you : i condemn my self as no more worthy to be called your son , be pleased to admit me but into the condition of your meanest servant , and i have more then my miscarriages give me reason to hope for . whilest the son was going on at this rate , the fathers bowels yearned too earnestly to admit of the delay of long apologies , and therefore chooses rather to interrupt him in his discourse , then to adjourn his own joys or the others comfort : and because he thought words not sufficient in the case , he makes deeds the interpreters of his mind , commanding his servants forthwith to bring out the best robe and to put it upon his son , together with a ring on his hand , and shoes on his feet ; i. e. in all points to habit him as his son , and as the son of such a father , by all which he maketh the full demonstration of a perfect reconciliation : and not content herewith to give vent to his own joy , that it might not overpower him whilest he confined it to his own bosom , and perhaps also that those who had shared with him in his sorrows for the loss of a beloved son , might participate also in the joy of his recovery , he goes on , bring out also the fatted calf and kill it , and let us eat and be merry ; for this my son was dead and is alive again , was lost and is found : and they began to be merry . in the midst of this extraordinary jollity , it happens the elder son , who ( as we said before ) had always continued in his duty towards his father , comes out of the fields where he had been negotiating his fathers affairs , and wonders at the unusual jubilee : and when ( demanding the occasion ) they of the family had made him acquainted with the whole matter , he takes it ill , and interpreting this marvellous transport of joy at his brothers return to be in derogation from himself ; as if his father was too easy and inclinable towards him , but severe to himself , and unmindfull of the long and faithfull service he had done him , begins to expostulate the matter somewhat warmly with his father . but the good old man mildly replies , son i am very sensible of , and set a just value upon the long course of your obedience , and i have it both in my power and in my will to reward you : 't is true i have not hitherto made such solemn expressions of my love to you , as i have now done upon this occasion , for the case did not require it ; you , as you have been always dutifull to me , so you have had my house and all i have constantly to accommodate you ; as you have never rebelled against me , so you have never felt the hardships your poor brother hath undergone by his foolishness ; and as you that have never offended me never could distrust my favour , nor need such demonstrations of my reconciliation , which the former guilt and extravagancies of your now penitent brother renders necessary in his case ; so also was i never overwhelmed with grief for you who were never lost . but forasmuch as we have beyond all expectation received your brother again , whom we long since despaired of , and had given up for lost , you cannot wonder , and you must allow me this unusual transport ; for i say again this your brother was lost and is found , was dead and is alive again . thus far the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or letter of the parable , wherein all things are so lively and natural , and the divine wisedom of our saviour hath so accurately described the workings of humane minds , the natural motions of all the passions ; as that if the parable became matter of history , it could not be otherwise acted . but now for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or application of the parable to the matter in hand . §iv . in the first place it is certain , that by the father of the two sons in the mystical sense is meant god almighty ; of whom the whole family of heaven and earth is called . but who should be the two sons is not so universally agreed . some of the ancients have been of opinion , that by the elder son , was meant that higher order of intellectual beings which never forfeited their station , nor revolted from their allegeance : and by the younger son , the whole race of mankind under adam their head ; on whom ( being fallen ) god had such compassion , as he did not shew to the rebel angels ; for which cause amongst other they are supposed to conceive hatred against god , and envy against men . but this interpretation is rejected by others , and not without great cause ; for in this same chapter , vers . . our saviour tells us the holy angels rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner : and therefore they cannot be represented , as expostulating and murmuring at the favour extended towards such , which is said here of the elder brother . again , others have imagined that by the two brethren were meant the jews and gentiles ; the jews representing the elder brother , as having been god's ancient people ; and the gentiles the younger , as who ran on in a long course of idolatry , and estrangedness from god , till they were by the grace of god in the gospel , admitted into the birthright and priviledges of the jews , to their great regret and indignation . and indeed besides the opinion of the ancients , it is not improbale in it self , but that our saviour foreseeing the emulation which would afterwards happen between those two ranks of mankind , might have respect to it , and deliver himself suitably thereto in this parable ; notwithstanding that cannot be supposed to be the primary meaning , which is utterly besides the occasion of the discourse : for as st. jerome well observes , the controversy was not yet risen between jew and gentile about priviledges , the latter being not yet called nor admitted to the grace of the gospel ; but the question was only , whether great and notorious sinners ( though jews ) should be admitted to hopes of pardon upon repentance : and the publicans in the text , though they were ministers of the roman power , and reputed instruments of the jewish servitude , and therefore hated by them ; yet were not gentiles but a looser sort of jews , as the same st. jerome fully makes appear . therefore by the two sons here must be understood any two men , or any two sorts of men , ( whether jews or pagans it matters not ) who as to piety and vertue have for a great while run a quite contrary course , but at last happen to meet at the same point of sincere goodness . namely , by the elder son are described those , who from their younger years and minority , have been by the preventing grace of god , preserved from the common extravagancies and corruptions of the world ; and by the blessing of god upon pious education or otherwise , have been by degrees trained up , and insensibly led on in the ways of religion . as our saviour elsewhere saith of the corn , that it grows whilest men sleep and wake , that is , we can see it doth grow , but cannot discern the gradual progress it maketh : so such persons become sincerely good and run a race of vertue , though we cannot see where and when they set out , nor assign any date of their conversion , by reason the change was not so palpably great , nor so sudden as in the conversion of notorious sinners . such a person as we are now speaking of seems to have been obadiah , kings . . who sticks not to say of himself , i thy servant fear the lord from my youth . and such another was timothy , concerning whom we have the testimony of the apostle , tim. . . that by the carefull instructions of his grandmother lois , and his mother eunice , he had been from his youth principled with a sense of piety and religion . to these instances i will adde for the nearness of matter what pontius diaconus saith of st. cyprian , he so early and presently conceived a sense of piety , that his proficiency almost prevented all instruction . nor can i forget what * st. greg. nazianzen hath left upon record touching his own father , he was ( saith he ) a sheep of christ's flock before he came into his fold , and a christian before he came within the church ; the probity of his temper , and singular vertues of his life , made him a christian as it were by anticipation . but perhaps these last expressions are somewhat too florid and rhetorical , that which i am saying is plain and easy , that there are some persons of whom the grace of god takes early hold , and the good spirit of god inhabiting them , not onely prevents the enterprizes of the devil , but carries them on in an even and constant course of holiness : their christianity bearing equal date with their manhood , and reason and religion , like warp and woof running together , make up one web of a wife and vertuous life . this is a most happy case wherever it happens , for besides that there is no more sweet nor beautifull thing in the whole world then the early buds of piety , upon which account it is probably supposed , that our saviour ( who was far from a soft fondness of youth or admiration of external beauty ) gave such signal tokens of affection to st. john , that he was called the beloved disciple . besides this , i say , it is so much a more comfortable thing to escape the pollutions that are in the world through lust , by an early ingagement in a holy course , as it is more desirable to escape shipwreck , then to be saved by a plank ; or to have no wound , then to experiment the most sovereign balsom ; which if it work a cure , yet usually leaves a sear behind . moreover he that begins his race betimes hath all along the comfort of his progress and proficiency , and feels himself daily approaching towards his desired end : whereas he that sets out wrong hath the hard and uncomfortable part of going quite back again , and undoing all he hath done , besides the agonies of conscience , and the strong convulsions which he must suffer , that casts off a long settled and habitual course of sin . to which adde , that whatever diligence or zeal of god's glory a late convert that comes into the vineyard , as it were at the eleventh hour , may express at last , yet it is certain he hath done god a great dishonour heretofore : whereas he we now speak of , is one that coming in at the first hour , labours all day in god's work , and equally carries on the affair of god's glory and his own comfort here , and salvation hereafter . now all these things considered , if there shall be any man so rash and injudicious , as notwithstanding to press all men without distinction in order to their title to the mercies of god and hopes of heaven , to make the same severe reflexions upon themselves , or to shew the like sensible and discernible change in their lives , let them know by this unskilfulness of theirs , they unreasonably minister trouble to the best and happiest of men ; and have a design quite contrary to that of our saviour , who professed he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance . and in the seventh verse of this chapter he speaks of just men which need no repentance ; that is , have no need to make a change of their whole course and begin a new , as notorious sinners ought to doe . both which places , i take , to be clearly interpreted , and to the sense we are assigning to them , by that other passage of our saviour , jo. . . he that is washed , needeth not , save to wash his feet onely : that is , he that is already ingaged in a holy course , and habituate to the ways of piety , hath only need to be duely cleansed from those occasional soils and defilements , which the infirmity of humane nature and conversation in the world suffer no man wholly to escape , but not to enter upon a new state , or begin a whole course of repentance . to which effect i understand those words of origen in his books against celsus , christ jesus ( saith he ) was sent indeed a physician to cure and recover sinners , but to improve and instruct those further in the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven , that were already vertuous . i 'le conclude and confirm all i have said of this kind with the sense of manasses , which he expresses in his famous penitential prayer . thou o lord , that art the god of the just , hast not appointed repentance to the just , as to abraham and isaac and jacob , &c. but thou hast appointed repentance unto me who am a sinner , &c. this i take to be sufficient for the determination who is meant by the elder brother , and then we cannot be much to seek who is denoted by the younger ; for what we have now said being granted , it necessarily follow , that by the younger son , are described all such persons as have run a dangerous risk of sin and impiety , that have committed gross and hainous transgressions , and continued in a state of disobedience and impenitency , after such manner as the publicans and sinners in the text are supposed to have done : these are said to forsake their father's house and presence , to mispend their portion in riotous living , who yet at last being reduced to extremity , come to themselves , turn serious penitents , bewail their folly , resolve upon amendment , implore pardon , double their diligence and care for the time to come , and of old sinners become young saints , whereupon they are by a gracious god admitted to pardon and reconciliation , and adoption ; for these the best robe is fetched out , the fatted calf slain , and upon their conversion as a thing utterly despaired of and unexpected , there is joy in heaven , and amongst the holy angels . these were dead in trespasses and sins , but are now quickned and revived by the grace of god ; they were strangers and aliens from the covenant of grace , but now become of the houshold of god , and heirs of eternal life . and now these two points being resolved of , we have a key by which we may easily open all the circumstances of the whole parable , so that it will not be necessary that i insist longer upon a general interpretation . neverthelesse lest there should seem one difficulty not sufficiently provided against , or any man should yet be at a losse , how if the elder brother denote sincerely good men , it can stand with their character to grumble at the mercifull reception of poor penitents , as here he is represented to doe . and moreover it may raise another doubt , if the elder brother be set to describe men of constant and unblemished sanctity , how such a person should be fit to denote the scribes and pharisees , who were certainly very evil and corrupt men . unlesse a plain account can be given of these , it must follow , that either we have not hit the occasion of the parable , or the parable did not answer to the occasion . wherefore to these i answer joyntly , that our saviour the more effectually to convince these jews that reproached and censured him , proceeds with them upon their own hypothesis ; namely , taking it for granted that they were as eminently good and holy men , as they either took themselves , or pretended to be ; and that the publicans and sinners were indeed as bad as they esteemed them : i mean he doth not intend to signifie that these censorious persons were indeed good men , for upon all occasions ( we see ) he upbraids their rottennesse and hypocrisie ; but because they out of opinion of their own sanctity and contempt of others , reproached his carriage in this matter , therefore the designs to shew them , that if that was true which is utterly false , and they as good men as they were extremely bad , yet upon due consideration they ought not to blame his management of himself , and gracious condescension to sinners . as if he had said : you scribes and pharisees wonder that instead of applying my self to your conversation , who are men of great note for sanctity and devotion , and never blemished with any great disorder ; i rather chuse to lay out my self upon the recovery of flagitious and desperate sinners : now see your own unreasonablenesse in this instance ; you will allow a father to be more passionately concerned for , and expresse a greater joy upon the recovery of a lost son , then he usually doth about him that was always with him and out of danger ; and if that son who had never departed from his father , and so never given him occasion for those change of passions , should expostulate with his father for his affectionateness in such a case , you would in your own thoughts blame him , as envious and undutifull . now apply this to your selves , and think as well as you can of your selves , yet upon the premisses , you will see no reason to calumniate my endeavours of reclaiming sinners , or my kindnesse and benignity towards them upon their repentance . by this time i doubt not but the whole drift of the parable is made plain and perspicuous to an ordinary capacity . wherefore now i proceed to handle the particular branches of it : of which there are these three most remarkable in the parable , and which as i have already intimated , are the designed subject of the subsequent discourse . first , we have here a graphical description of the state and condition of an habitual sinner before repentance , from vers . . to vers . . secondly , a type or portraicture of true repentance and turning to god , from vers . . to vers . . thirdly , an emblematical representation of god's unspeakable mercy in the gracious reception of such penitents , from vers . . to the end of the chapter , but especially to vers . . of these three points i will treat in order according as the series of the parable leads me . but yet because i apprehend it will be not onely profitable in it self , but also peculiarly subservient to the present design , that before i apply my self to a direct prosecution of the traces of the parable , i give a strict and philosophical account of the nature of sin , and the several stations of sinners , as which will give both light and weight , especially to the first of the mentioned particulars , and in good measure to all the rest ; this therefore i will endeavour in the next immediate chapter . chap. iii. of the nature of sin , and of the divers states of sinners . the contents . § i. a definition of sin : the three sorts of laws mankind is under ; ( viz. ) natural , divine , and humane . all sin is a violation of some or other of them . the mischief of mistake herein . § ii. a law that obliges must be known or knowable . several ways of promulging the divine laws . the guilt of sin rises in proportion to the clearnesse of the promulgation of that law whereof it is a violation . the mischiefs of mistake herein , and the remedy . § iii. all sin is voluntary . cautions for the right understanding of that assertion : the proofs of the truth of it , and absurd consequences of the contrary . § iv. a passage of s. james , chap. i. vers . . &c. explained , and the nativity of sin thereby discovered . § v. the usefulnesse of the foregoing definition , and explication . the distinction between presumptuous sins , and sins of infirmity , and their different effects . § vi. of reluctancy of conscience , and whether that extenuates or increases the guilt of sin . § vii . of the several states and mansions of sinners , upon the consideration of which return is made to the parable . § i. if we take just measures of the nature of sin ( at least so far as it falls under our present consideration , for it is not within the compass of my subject to treat of original sin , ) it is thus to be defined , namely , sin is a voluntary breach of a known law. or to speak more fully and distinctly , there are these three things concurrent to make man guilty , or to denominate any action of his sinfull . . that by some act or omission of his , there be a going contrary to , and violation of some law in being . . that the law so violated , be such as is , or might have been known to the offender . . that the action or omission by which such law is violated , be consented to , and the breach voluntary . all these three things together in conjunction are the ingredients which make up the deadly poyson of sin . and for defect of due consideration of the necessary concurrence of all of them to that unhappy production , it is hard to say whether greater errours have ensued in doctrine , or more vices in practice ; whether more perplexities have infested mens consciences , or more uncharitableness hath imbittered their spirits . for if the first ingredient be left out , sin is thereby rendred either nothing at all or of so indefinite and uncertain a nature , as that loose and profane men will laugh at it : and on the contrary good and devout persons will never be free from suspicions of it . if the second be omitted , the consequence will be , that severe and sad judgments will be passed upon the finall estate of the greatest part of mankind , and therewith very unworthy reflections be made upon the divine majesty ; and if the third branch be omitted , the number of sins will be vastly multiplied , but the nature and guilt thereof so extenuated , as that men will be tempted to be more afraid of god then of sinning against him . but all this and a great deale more will better appear upon a breif explication of the particulars . first then , wherever there is sin there is a breach of some law in being : this though it be not the full and adequate notion , yet is the first reason of sin . and accordingly we may easily observe that in most if not in all languages , the very words that are made use of to express moral evil or sin , do all import the breach of some law or rule of action . especially the hebrew tongue ( which is most significant in this kind ) hath three words most usuall in the case which we find all together , psal . . v. , . and all leading us directly to this notion of sin . blessed is be whose transgression is forgiven , whose sin is covered : blessed is the man to whom the lord imputeth not iniquity . the first word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render transgression , properly signifying to pass set bounds or transgress prefixed limits . the second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we translate sin , denoteth a missing of the aim or mark we were to have directed our selves towards . and the last of the three 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iniquity , implies the making of a crooked and wandring path . so that we see whatever kind , condition or degree of sin it be that is spoken of , it is still expressed by respect to some law or rule , in deviation from which it consists . the like may be observed in the greek tongue , in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. and generally in other languages . but we need not insist upon niceties , when that which we are saying is the express assertion of two apostles st. paul and st. john , the former telling us , rom. . . where there is no law , there is no transgression . the other , ep. . chap. . vers , . he that sinneth transgresseth also the law : for sin is a transgression of the law. now for that law which sin is a violation of , it is threefold , ( viz. ) either first the law of nature and reason , that is , those differences of good and evill which the mind of man is of it self able to collect by attentive consideration of the nature of god , and our relation to him , the state of the whole creation , and the mutuall aspects of the severall parts thereof upon each other , and upon our selves ; ( of which we shall have occasion to speak more hereafter . ) or secondly the express and positive declarations of the divine will concerning things to be done or avoided by us , which is commonly called revelation or divine law. or thirdly , the institutions , commands and prohibitions of such men as it hath pleased god to invest with authority ( under himself ) of obliging others , which we call humane law. to these some would adde custome as a fourth rule of action , because they observe there are many cases wherein ( all the former ceasing ) wise and good men are wont to govern themselves by laudable and prevailing customs ; but this so far as it is obliging , may be reduced to humane law. others also would adde the law of charity , or of avoiding scandall as a fifth , but this is both provided for by the positive law of god , and also deducible from naturall principles . therefore the three aforesaid measures comprize all that which can fall under the notion of law , and consequently every such thing as is to be esteemed a sin must consist in a deviation from or going cross to either all or some one or other of them . for it is evident of it self that every thing is free till something restrain and circumscribe it , and it cannot be evill but good to make use of that liberty , which derogates from no other , which infringes no authority , being retrenched by none . and it is as evident that we owe account of our selves and carriage only to god ultimately , forasmuch as we derive our being and we have and are from him and him only : he therefore who gave us our being and all our powers and faculties and their respective accommodations , and who continually supports us in the exercise of them , may justly prescribe to us and set us what boundaries shall seem fit to his infinite wisedome . now there are but three ways wherein he hath imposed any obligation or restraint upon us . viz. either by such footsteps of his will , as the mind of man may trace in the order of the creation , those intimations of good and evill which are interwoven in the very nature and order of things , and to be observed by naturall reason . or secondly by extraordinary interposition , expresly dictating his mind and will to the sons of men . or lastly , delegating authority to those whom his providence hath constituted in superiority , to prescribe to us in all such things as were not foreprized by the two former , i. e. that in all cases where neither the laws of nature nor the divine law were infringed , there it was his will we should govern our selves by the laws of men . these i say are all the ways god hath thought fit , and all that are imaginable of laying any obligation upon us . therefore wherever there is sin , either some plain dictate of reason is contradicted , or some positive law of god violated , or the sanction of human authority opposed ; and where neither of these is done , there can be no sin upon the forecited reason of the apostle , where there is no law there is no transgression . which plain truth we have thus carefully deduced principally for the prevention or remedy of two mistakes very rife in this matter . the former is of certain honest and well-meaning , but timorous and superstitious persons , who not content to approve themselves to the aforesaid measures , nor thinking it sufficient for their security , that neither the law of nature , nor any expresse either divine or humane law disallow their actions , are afraid of their own shadows , and suspect sin and danger they know not why nor whence ; their heart misgives them , when there is nothing in the case , but either that the thing they are about is contrary to the course of their education , or forbidden by the imperious dictate of some person , to whose usurped authority they have prostituted their judgments . now would such persons be induced to consider , that lawfull and unlawfull are relative terms , and respect some definite rule or other , which must determine any action to be this or that ; that god is well pleased that his laws be observed , and is not so severe and rigid as to oblige us negatively , that is , that we shall doe nothing but what he commands ; that there is a great field of liberty interjacent between expresse sin and expresse duty , and in that we may expatiate without offence ; that all actions are good within that scope , and though they admit of such different degrees as that some may be much better then others , yet none are evil that touch not upon the bounds and limits of law : if , i say , these things were considered , which are no more then the effect of what i said before , then would those honest minds be undeceived and enfranchised , who for want of such consideration are put to the unhappy choice , either to be dispoiled of all liberty , or deprived of all peace ; besides that by such jealousies they tempt both themselves and others to think hardly of god , and consequently of that , provoke all such men as are strangers to religion to nauseate and abhorr it . the other mistake which we here seek to prevent , is of those that quite contrary to the former , are so far from thinking the three rules of action we laid down to be insufficient , that they persuade themselves it is no great matter for law or rule . the persuasion of a man 's own conscience , an honest intention and a zeal of god are able to bear out and justifie an undertaking , though against the expresse and literal direction of some law in being . this conceit , ( strange as it is , ) hath neverthelesse had its patrons and proselytes both amongst jews and christians , and been the cause of mischief enough to both . now it is true that it is within the power of conscience , to make that which was before indifferent in the general , to become good and laudable in particular ; or contrariwise by its dissent to render it evil and vicious , because god having given it a judicature , its consent is to be had in what we doe ; in which sense , i take it , that of the apostle is to be understood , whatsoever is not of faith is sin ; and for that reason an erring conscience ( as i shall shew by and by ) is also some mitigation of a miscarriage in practice . but it is far from that prerogative of being able to legitimate any action prohibited by any of the aforesaid rules , for it is but a judge not a law , and must be governed by the measures forelaid . or if we allow too , that the light of conscience is one of those measures , ( as we doe ) yet must it not bear down both the other ; that is , it is onely a law , and justifies an action when neither divine nor humane laws have restrained it , and not else . wherefore upon the whole matter it is apparent , that the three rules aforesaid in conjunction make up the standard of good and evil ; every thing is a sin that goes contrary to any of them , and nothing is so , that doth not . § ii. . but secondly , to render any action of ours culpable , it is not sufficient that some law in being be broken , unlesse that law be also promulged ; i. e. such as is or may be known , for otherwise in effect it is no law. and that government would justly be accounted arbitrary and tyrannical , and the sovereign rather thought to lie at catch for the penalty then to desire just obedience , who shall impute that for a fault , which he had not given sufficient caution against by a plain declaration of his will and pleasure . for non esse & non apparere aequiparantur in jure , that which cannot appear is in laws all one as if it were not at all ; because an unknown law can have no influence upon those it should concern , neither directing them what to do , nor forewarning what to avoid ; neither giving notice of their duty , nor their danger ; and consequently works neither upon their reason , nor their passion , and therefore not at all . it is true that all laws have not the same way and manner of publication , for even amongst men several nations have their several and peculiar forms of doing it . the old romans by tables hung up in the market , and places of publick congresse ; some have done the same thing by the voice of a publick herald , or by the sound of trumpet , &c. but however they differed in the circumstance , they all agreed in the thing , that laws were not perfect and obliging till they were promulged . and so it is with the laws of god almighty , he never expects that men should govern themselves by the secret decrees of heaven , nor leaves them to guesse at the transactions in his cabinet-counsel , but first publishes his law , and then requires conformity to it ; though that in divers manners , as it seemed best to his divine wisedom . sometimes he exprest himself by an audible voice from heaven , wherein the angels were employed as his ministers , namely , when he gave his laws upon mount sinai : other times by inspiration of prophets and holy men , and making them the interpreters of his mind to the world . when to give the more full assurance that it was he that sent and instructed them , he was wont also to send along with them some miraculous power or other , as his credential letters under his privy signet . but most gloriously of all did he proclaim his mind , when he sent his son into the world , whose every circumstance from the miracles of his birth to the glories of his resurrection and ascension , sufficiently proclaimed him the messias , the messenger of the covenant . and for the laws of nature , these , though by some perverse men they have been denied to have the nature of laws obligatory , because they have not had the like solemnity of publication , as others have had , yet * forasmuch as these have either been written upon the fleshly tables of men's hearts , where all that will look inward may read them , or rather , ( as i have intimated already ) are ingraven and inserted into the very nature of things , and texture of the universe , where whosoever hath not unmanned himself , and debauched his reason , may be able to discover them . and besides they have manifestly the sanction of rewards and punishments , in the constant experience of good and evil , attending the observation and contempt of them respectively , upon which accounts they must needs seem to all honest and unprejudiced minds , sufficiently promulged . so that constantly some way or other according as it seemed best to him , god hath always been pleased to make his mind sufficiently and certainly known to all those upon whom he intended it should have the force and obligation of a law , and he never required obedience otherwise then in proportion to such manifestation . accordingly we observe , that when he had given laws to the people of the jews , and proclaimed them very gloriously and solemnly as aforesaid ; yet in regard such proclamation could not certainly reach to all other nations , ( for that as well as for other reasons , ) he did not exact of any other people conformity to those institutions , nor judged them thereby . so the apostle assures us , rom. . . such as have sinned without the law , shall perish without the law ; and as many as have sinned under the law , shall be judged by the law. and it is further very remarkable , that even the gospell it self , which was ( what the religion of the jews was not , namely ) an institution fitted for all countries , nations , and ages ; and which therefore our lord christ took care by his apostles as his heralds to proclaim all the world over : this gospell i say , till it was fully published , and untill men had time given them to consider well of it , and to overcome their prejudices against it , made a favourable interpretation of men's unbelief . this i take to be the import of those words of our saviour , joh. . . . for judgment am i come into the world , that they that see not might see ; and that they that see , might be made blind . if ye were blind , ye should have no sin : but now ye say , we see , therefore your sin remaineth . and to the same purpose , joh. . . if i had not come , and spoken amongst them , they had not had sin : but now they have no cloak for their sin . and of the truth of this , s. paul himself was a great instance , for so he tells us , tim. . . i obtained mercy , because i did it ignorantly in unbelief . q. d. i lay under mighty prejudices by reason of my education in the stiff way of a pharisee ; and it required a great sincerity to be willing to listen to new proposals , a huge sagacity to be able to see through those mists that were cast before my eyes , and a most generous resolution to break through these and all other difficulties ; in consideration whereof , god was pleased to make abatements of the guilt of my unbelief in proportion to the temptations i had thereto . it is indeed both a well known , and as well received a maxime , ignorantia juris non excusat , that it is no excuse of a fault to say non putâram , i did not know the law ; because when a law is once promulged , every man is bound to take notice of it , and it can be imputed to nothing else but supine and affected ignorance , if he shall then continue ignorant . notwithstanding upon the self same supposition it seems to be granted , that where the case is otherwise , that is , where the law not being sufficiently published , cannot be known , by an honest diligence , there ignorance is no fault , because indeed ( as i said ) there the law is no law. those who consider not this point , must needs be tempted to passe very dismal and damnatory sentences against the greatest part of mankind , and consequently cannot avoid very hard thoughts of god : for the prevention of both which great evils , as also to confirm what hath been now said , there is nothing more usefull then to study well the parable of our saviour concerning the talents , matt. . . by the due consideration whereof , we shall amongst other instructions be led into the apprehension , that god proceeds not with men arithmetically , but geometrically , and that the vertue or vice which god rewards or punishes consists not in puncto , but is estimated according to men's diligence or neglect of improving those means and advantages which have been afforded them . for as there is the same proportion between . and . as between . and . so he that having but half ( suppose ) of the advantages which another man enjoyed , proves to be as good as that other , is really much better . whereas he that having double the advantages , is not better then he whom he this way so much excells , is not good at all , nor will be acceptable to god when he shall be weighed in the balance of the sanctuary . because whosoever had been furnished with true internal probity of mind , and was of an obedient temper , and had a sincere love of godnesse , would most certainly have advanced in the measures of vertue proportionably to the opportunities he had of so doing ; i. e. in the words of our saviour , he that was faithfull in little , would have been so in much . and on the contrary , he that under great advantages hath not been proportionable in the improvements of his temper and life , it may truely be said of such a man , god hath been very good to him , but he for his part is not good at all . which consideration will be of use , both to make us more wary in pronouncing concerning the final estate of other men , and also enable us to passe a better judgment of our own actions and state ; forasmuch as it hereby appears , that it is not the bare conformity or inconformity of our actions to a law or rule from whence their value or their guilt arises , but respect is had to the knowledge or knowablenesse of that rule . and so we have the second ingredient of sin . § iii. . lastly , to render sin compleat and perfectly criminal , it is neither enough that for the matter of it , it be against some law , nor that such law be known , but the act or omission must be voluntary ; that is , not what a man was overborn into by some fatal necessity , or compelled to by the force of some violent impression , not what he could neither help nor hinder ; but what was so far subject to his own free choice , that he willingly did what he did , and could have done otherwise , or omitted doing if he had been so pleased . for whatsoever is not of this nature is not properly an humane act , and therefore cannot involve him in the guilt of sin , no more then the effects and productions of natural causes can be esteemed vicious . and though men have understanding which those other causes are destitute of , yet that being onely the criterion or test of truth and falshood , not of moral good and evil , therefore vertue and vice are not imputable to the understanding but to the will , which being the helm of the soul determines all its motions , and accordingly is accountable for them . for the more clear understanding of which , and of whatsoever i may have occasion to say hereafter touching this matter , i think it usefull to precaution these three things . . that it is not to be doubted , but that notwithstanding the liberty which the will of man hath to chuse evil , yet it is not so uncontrollable in its elections , but that it is subject to the power of god's grace to be checked and controlled by him at his pleasure ; for the divine wisedom may well be supposed to have a thousand ways of diverting man from his course without offering any direct violence to his faculties , some of which might easily be instanced if it were needfull ; nay there is no reason to question , but divine omnipotence may ( if it so please ) irresistibly incline , move , and determine it to that which is good , of which some instances also may be assigned , though these last must be expected to be very rare , partly because that ordinarily to invert the nature of things , and put his creation out of course , makes not so much for his wisedom as it may seem to doe for the demonstration of his power , and partly also because thus taking away the natural and evident reason of rewards and punishments , would obscure that justice which he designs to glorifie . but this is all that is asserted at present , that whatsoever god may please to doe , either for the hindring of evil , or the effecting of good , he doth not necessarily determine or over-rule the wills of men to that which is evil , but therein they are left to themselves . . as some excellently good men may arrive at such a perfection , such a new nature , and such habits of goodnesse , as that it shall be morally impossible they should chuse evil ; ( of which i shall treat more at large hereafter ) so on the other side , it is neither impossible nor unusual for evil men to forfeit the freedom of their wills , so far as to bring not onely a biass upon their spirits , but a kind of fatal propension to evil , and render it in a manner necessary that they sin . namely , by long custome and inveterate habits of sin , they lose the aequilibrium and balance of their souls , and thenceforth wholly incline to evil . but forasmuch as this ( wherever it comes to passe ) is onely the effect of their own choice , it contradicts not what we are asserting ; for whereas the habits were voluntarily contracted , the effects are interpretably so too . and therefore as we noted before under the former head , that the reason why ignorance of the law did not excuse a default , was because the law being once sufficiently promulged , such ignorance must needs be supine and affected , that is , voluntary ; for the same reason such men as we now speak of , cannot excuse their miscarriages , by laying the blame upon their present necessity or impotency ; because having first crippled themselves voluntarily , their actual halting afterwards is so too , in as much as it was free in its causes , though not in the special instances . . but that which is principally to be considered , is , that there is a vast difference betwixt the power or capacity of doing good , or of avoiding evil ; or willing so to doe on the one side , and of doing or willing that which is evil on the other . for to the former of these there is a necessity of the concurrence of divine grace and assistance , which no man can deny without falling in with the pelagians ; and therefore when a man is said to have it in his power to doe good , that which is true is no more but this , that such grace and assistance which is necessary , is always ready and at hand ; which jointly concludes for god's goodness and man's liberty , making the actions of man punishable when he doth evil , because grace was ready to have assissed him otherwise if he had not refused it ; and rewardable when he doth well , because when he might have refused god's help he did not ; and in short gives god the glory of what-ever is good , because it could not be done without him ; and leaves no man without incouragement of his diligence and industry , because god will not be wanting to him . but for the latter , namely , the doing or willing that which is evil , there is nothing more requisite , but the will it self ( provided god extraordinarily interpose not to hinder it . ) these things premised , i am not aware of the least suspicion that can lie against what we are asserting ; namely , that a necessary and principal ingredient of sin , is the voluntarinesse thereof ; and of the truth hereof , the proofs are as many and pregnant , as the absurdities of the contrary are manifest . for what ground can there be imaginable , why god should use exhortations and persuasions , reproofs and expostulations with men for sin , if it were not in their power to withstand it ? wherefore should he upbraid them for their wilfullnesse , condemn them for stubbornnesse , and after all severely punish them for what they could not help ? if the insupportable weight of necessity lies upon them , or some latent and irresistible cause overpower them , they are patients rather then agents , and deserve pity rather then blame or punishment . it was a discreet saying of porphyry , a man that is moved by force onely , is properly enough said to be where he was , as if he had not been moved at all . for whatsoever seeming alteration necessity and violence may make for the present , when once the force is over , every thing returns to its own nature again , and is what it was before ; but without doubt in all moral consideration , man is reasonably to be interpreted to be in that state all the while , where he was by his own choice , and would have continued had not force expulsed him . and seneca said very well , necessity is the great sanctuary of humane infirmity ; which whosoever can lay claim to , obtains protection . for it perfectly excuses all the faults it commits . whatever can justly be pretended to be necessary , if it be evil , is a natural one and not a moral , and an unhappinesse or punishment rather then a sin . so the romans judged also in a well known case , it is the free mind which onely is capable of guilt , dull matter and body , whatsoever is passive cannot be blamed , because they cannot chuse . neither is it possible any man should repent of doing what he could not but doe , or of omitting to doe what was never in his power to effect ; no more then that he cannot fly like a bird , or move like an angel. what remorse , or shame , or trouble of conscience can there be , that a man is not another kind of creature then he was made , that he did what was natural and necessary for him to doe , or for such things as may indeed be said to be done by him , and yet not be his act , that is , the act of a man , because he could not doe otherwise ? god hath set up conscience as his vicegerent , and a judge within us ; but as we said before , it is not so absolute as to judge without a law , so neither can it be so unjust and absurd , as to condemn and torture without conviction of guilt . and though there is no doubt of the prerogative of god to impose what laws he pleases ; yet we have the manifold security of his goodnesse , wisedom and justice , besides his truth and faithfullnesse , that he will not oppresse us with his sovereignty , but in all his dispensations will consider our frame and circumstances , and remember that we are but dust and ashes . in short , if there be any so absurd , as to affirm sin to be any way necessary , to all other absurdities they bring in the surly paradox of the stoicks , and make all sins equal , representing the most pitiable infirmities of humane nature , equal to the most dissolute enormities : they infinitely increase the number of sins , but take off the weight and guilt , render it little more then a notion , and teach men to have no horrid apprehensions of it . they excuse man , and lay the fault ( if there be any ) somewhere else ; but wherever that is , it will revolve at last upon god blessed for ever . § . but i persuade my self i need not proceed further in exaggerating this matter ; wherefore both to close and to confirm what i have said , i will only subjoin the authority of the apostle s. james , in that remarkeable passage of his epistle , chap. . vers . , , . wherein he describes the conception , formation , growth , perfection and nativity of sin . the words are these ; let not any man say when he is tempted , i am tempted of god ; for god is not tempted of evil , neither tempteth he any man. but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust , and inticed . then when lust hath conceived , it bringeth forth sin ; and sin when it is finished , bringeth forth death . upon which , let me crave leave to use the liberty of this lesse strict paraphrase . as if he had said , let no man imagine , that god by any act of his providence , provokes or prompts , or much lesse puts any necessity upon men to sin ; for as he by the perfection of his divine nature is infinitely above the reach of any temptation to act it himself , so it is so contrary to him that he abhorrs it wherever it is , and therefore can by no means contribute to it , nor have any hand in the production of it . and though several of his designs suppose it , and his providence be exercised about the regulation of it ; yet this is no argument that he either ordained it , or effects it . for his wisedom is sufficient to inable him to see through all the series of causes , and to foreknow what they are pregnant with , and what they will in their respective times be delivered of , without peremptory determination of them thereunto . and again , although it be true , that sin could not have been in the world unlesse he had thought fit to permit it , yet it is never the more by him , since it takes its rise from nothing else , but the unhappy use of that great blessing and priviledge of liberty which he endowed rational creatures withal . would you then understand more particularly the generation of this sponte-nascent ? take it thus . first then you are to know , that the great and wise creatour of all things for weighty reasons thought fit to create mankind of a middle nature and condition , betwixt purely spirituall beings , and the inferiour world of meer animal and natural , making him participate of both ; and agreeably hereunto , endowed him both with intellectual and sensitive powers . the former whereof , namely the intellectual , were to enable him to serve his creatour , to render him capable of noble and excellent delights , and that he might by them order and govern the inferiour and sensitive faculties . and these latter were given him , partly to relax his mind by a moderate and seasonable condescension to the sweetnesse of the senses , but principally to be a field and exercise for those active , vigorous and noble capacities of the mind . again , secondly , you are to consider , that as that wise and benign majesty never made any thing but what was good in its kind , and happy according to its proportion ; so especially in this part of his workmanship , he prepared and apportioned objects suitable to the aforesaid different capacities , and allowed the use and exercise of both , onely with this remarkable difference , that the objects and entertainments of sense were little and narrow , but present at hand ; those of the intellectual powers great , but out of view and at distance ; by which means it became somewhat difficult , but not impossible , for those higher faculties to maintain that authority over the inferiour which he designed them for , and expected from them . . then further to afford those higher powers opportunity to shew themselves , he retrenches in some measure the liberty of the sensitive faculties , forbidding some kinds of enjoyments of their proper objects ; in which case those strong , but unjudging faculties , being restrained in those things which were natural to them , and wherein they found a quick relish and delight , have ( as it cannot be expected but they should ) a pronenesse and inclination to such things , notwithstanding the divine prohibition . this is that which the apostle calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , lust ; and which i think the schoolmen mean by motus primo-primi ; and although sin takes its rise hence , yet hitherto there is no sin ; for did the higher faculties now quit themselves as they might and ought , and in consideration of the reverence due to the divine majesty , and those boundaries he hath set , give check to these inclinations , all were well . but now begins the mischief ; for whilest those objects of sense continually present themselves to , and court their proper powers and reason , not stepping in to disturb and forbid the parly , that pronenesse or connaturalnesse ( of which we spake ) quickly starts up into the desire of such things as god hath forbidden , in which consists the first conception of sin : and hitherto the higher faculties are guilty as accessories only , because they did not interpose to hinder these beginnings . but then in the next place , phansie and imagination being employed about the object so desired , do in that manner paint and set it out , or by a kind of chymistry so wonderfully sublime and heighten it , that the value is mightily raised , the desire inflamed , and in despight of all danger must not be denied . thus the embryo is cherished in the womb of the soul , and gathers strength . and now it was high time for the higher powers to correct their first error , to rally their forces , to call in all the aids of religion , and set in vigorously , and stop the further progresse of the mischief . but reason either laid asleep by the fumes of sense forgets the danger , and le ts fall its scepter ; or those higher powers , either prevented in their preparations , or corrupted by the charms of pleasure , connive at the disorder , and making but a faint and superficial resistance , the second errour becomes worse then the first , and sin goes on and grows ripe for the birth : till at last passion still swelling , and reason yielding , consents as it were to its own deposition , and lust getting the consent of the will , hath the reins put into its hands , and so all the members of the body are subject to its command , and then is sin brought forth perfect and consummate . § . thus i have as briefly and plainly as i could , opened the nature of sin ; by the tenour of which discourse we may gain this double advantage : first , to understand what it is which fills sin with that malignity , as to make it the just hate of god and man ; and secondly , to be able to distinguish the several degrees of guilt , or principal aggravations of sin . for touching the former of these , we may easily perceive by what has been said , that guilt is not a meer arbitrary stamp that god sets upon actions , nor punishment an effect of harshnesse or severity , forasmuch as all that which god puts under that character , and punishes as such , is in the first place a contradiction to the divine will , and to that law and order of things he hath constituted in the world ; and secondly , is a contempt also of the divine wisedom , in that the sinner either turns his back upon the proclaimed laws of heaven by affected ignorance , or takes himself to be lawless , and confronts god almighty ; and lastly , there is wilfullness and contumacy in it too ; for whereas it pleased god out of special favour , to endow men with freedom , to the intent they might serve him both more honourably and more chearfully , they in sinning perversely turn this priviledge against their maker . and for the second of these , though sin admits of many heads of abatement or aggravation ; as namely , either from the matter of it , or the law it violates , whether natural , divine or humane ; or from the clearness or dimness of the light , under which men sin , the greatness or littleness of the temptation which they have to offend , and several other considerations of that kind which it is not uneasie to specifie : yet the most general and the most usefull distinction is taken from that which i reckoned , as the third and last ingredient of sin ; namely , from the consent of the will in the commission of it ; for so if we observe we shall find , that both in the esteem of scripture and conscience , the degrees of guilt are principally reckoned in proportion to the imperfectness or fullness of its consent and concurrence to any vicious action . insomuch that herein that great distinction of sin into infirmity and presumption hath its foundation ; namely , when there is but an imperfect compliance of the will , the miscarriage is of the former kind ; but when it fully yields and consents , it is a sin with a high hand . which being a matter wherein the peace of men's consciences here , and their eternal welfare hereafter is concerned , i shall not suspect it will be unacceptable to the reader , that i speak a little more fully to it . and first , to reckon up the most common instances of sins of infirmity , i take them to be properly such as these following . ( viz. ) the first beginnings of sin not pursued , when a man unadvisedly enters the confines of evil , but recovers and withdraws himself as soon as he considers the consequents , and apprehends the mischief and danger . or when by the nearness of the allurements of sense , and the quick motion of bodily passions , he begins to take fire ; or when the extraordinariness of the temptation surprized him , or the mighty prevalence of example overbore him beyond his course and intention , before he well understood where he was ; and he had no time to recollect himself , and to call in the aids of reason and religion . perhaps a mighty fear may hurry a man to some degree of indecency , or an huge advantage may sway him a little aside , till he can so far recover himself , as maturely to consider ; and then to set himself upright , he bends himself quite the other way . now in all these cases , where there was no room for deliberation , there could be no perfect judgment ; and consequently but an imperfect consent . again , whilest a man is bending himself with all his might against some one extreme which he knows to be evil , and therefore carefully declines ; he may perhaps in detestation of that , incline too much to the other : or whilest a man endeavours diligently to carry on both the affairs of this life , and the concerns of religion too ; it may happen that the solicitude and cares of the former , may sometimes unseasonably crowd in , and disturb him in the latter . nay once more , through the infirmity of memory , compared with the multiplicity of affairs , which a wise and good man's care extends to , it may not infrequently fall out , that such a person for the present forgets , or omits some duty of religion . now it cannot be said that any of these cases are perfectly involuntary , because it was not impossible , but that extraordinary diligence and watchfullness might have provided against them , nevertheless they are not deliberate sins , nor was there any full consent of the will to them ; as is evident both by what we have said already , and also by this , that such persons we speak of very quickly feel remorse for them , their hearts smite them upon the first reflexion upon what hath past , and they presently recover themselves , and double their watch and guard , where they have thus found themselves overtaken . these therefore and all other of the nature of these , are properly called sins of infirmity . but now on the other side , when the matter of fact is notorious and palpable , that it can admit of no dispute whether it be evil or no ; when a man is not surprized , but makes his election ; doth not insensibly slip awry whilest he was in his right way , but takes a wrong course ; is not overborn by an huge fear , but is allured by the pleasures of sense ; when he hath time to consider , and yet resolves upon that which is forbidden him ; here is little or nothing to extenuate the fact , or mitigate his guilt ; it is a voluntary , and therefore a presumptuous sin . such a distinction as this david seems to make , psal . . , . when he prays that he may understand his errours , to the intent that with holy joh , where he had done iniquity , he might doe so no more , but earnestly begs that he may be kept from presumptuous sins ; i. e. from such voluntary and wilfull miscarriages as we have but now spoken of : so , saith he , shall i be innocent and free from the great transgression . for though sins of infirmity in the most proper sense are not without guilt , at least if god should proceed in rigour with men , yet in consideration of the goodness of god , together with the evident pitiableness of their own circumstances , they leave no horrour upon the mind , no stain or ill mark upon the person , much less a scar or a maim ; but the other besides their great guilt , either terribly afflict , or lay waste and stupify the conscience ; they harden the heart , break the powers of the soul , and quench the spirit of god ; as we shall have occasion to speak more at large hereafter . at present i think it may be very pertinent to observe , that whereas s. john , ep. . chap. . vers . . seems to give a brief and compendious description of sin in these words , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which we render , sin is a transgression of the law ; it is not altogether improbable , but that the apostle intended to express something more then is commonly understood by those words in english ; for besides that it seems a flat saying , he that sinneth transgresseth the law , for sin is a transgression of the law ; it is noted moreover by learned men , that the apostle calls not sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which had been the most proper word to denote a meer breach or transgression of the law , but uses the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies a great deal more ; namely , lawlesness and dissoluteness , the living without , or casting off the yoke of the law : for so we find it elsewhere used in scripture , particularly , tim. . . where we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , lawless and disobedient , or ungovernable joyned together . and thus the phrase of the apostle before us will import , not so much the meer matter of sin , ( viz. ) the violation of a law , but the aggravation of it as a presumptuous sin ; namely , the wilfullness and stubbornness of the sinner . and if this gloss may be allowed we shall with much ease be able to understand a following passage in this apostle which hath not a little exercised the heads of divines , nor less perplexed the consciences of many serious persons . ( viz. ) vers . . of this chapter he writes thus , he that is born of god doth not commit sin , for his seed remaineth in him ; and he cannot sin , because he is born of god. now if we take sin strictly and rigorously here , for every thing that is contrary to the perfection of the divine law , then it will be absolutely necessary , that by the phrase , he that is born of god , we can understand none but our saviour himself ; ( which is altogether besides the business ) forasmuch as he only was without sin in that sense : but if we take the phrase in the latitude before intimated ; that is , for voluntary , wilfull , and deliberate sins ; then the sense is both easie and comfortable ; namely , that the man who is truely a christian , having not only the profession , but the new nature , temper and spirit of the gospel ; though being a man , and so incompassed with temptations and difficulties , as every one is in this world , he cannot avoid all surreptions ; yet the powerfull principles of christianity setled in his heart , will not fail to preserve him ( at least ordinarily ) from rebellion and wilfull disobedience . and this way of interpreting these and the like passages of the new testament , is strongly countenanced by what we find luk. . . where it is said of zachary and elizabeth , that they were both of them righteous before god , walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the lord blameless . that is , they were sincerely good and vertuous persons , their hearts were principled with the fear and love of god ; and though they were not without the errours and failings incident to humanity , yet they strictly made conscience of their duty , and did not deliberately depart from the way of god's commandments . and that passage concerning david , king. . . seems sufficient to put the matter out of doubt , where it is said , david did that which was right in the eyes of the lord , and turned not aside from any thing he commanded him all the days of his life , save only in the matter of vriah the hittite . notwithstanding the scripture reckons up several failings of david ; his passion for absalom , his numbring the people , his approaching too near the lord 's annointed when he cut off the skirt of saul's garment , ( for which his heart smote him ) his despondency of mind and mistrusts that he should one day fall by the hand of saul , his rage against nabal , &c. but in regard these were but imperfectly voluntary , therefore they make no blot in his character . but in the matter of vriah the fact was horrible , there was time for deliberation , the use of cunning and contrivance , and therefore full consent . wherefore this was quite of another consideration from all the rest , and left such a stain upon him , as required many tears and prayers , and a very serious and signal repentance to cleanse him from . § vi. thus much i had thought sufficient for the clearing the distinction between sins of infirmity and presumption ; but i cannot but take notice of a mistake equally common and dangerous , which where-ever it takes place , doth not only render all we have hitherto said useless , but is of fatal consequence to the souls of men . it is to this effect : when men are about the commission of some great and enormous sin , it is not unusual for them to find some reluctancy and abhorrence within themselves . now for the sake of this they think , that although they yield to the temptation , and commit the sin ; yet it will not be esteemed altogether a voluntary transgression , but will admit of great abatements , by reason of such combate and conflict which they found in themselves . and to this purpose they apply that passage of the apostle , rom. . . that which i doe i allow not , for what i would that doe i not , but what i would not that i doe . and that which follows also , vers . . so then it is no more i that doe it , but sin that dwelleth in me . but to remove so dangerous a mistake , it would be well considered in the first place , that however some have learned to call such a reluctancy as aforesaid , by the specious name of the combat between the flesh and spirit , or the regenerate and unregenerate part , as the same men love to speak ; it is certainly nothing else , but meerly some remains of natural conscience in men , and is to be found in some measure in the very worst of men ; that is , in all but those whose consciences are seared , and utterly insensible . it is the very nature of conscience it self , which is nothing else but a kind of internal sense of good and evil implanted by god in the nature of man ; and a man may more easily destroy any of his outward senses , then quite extinguish this . the apostle takes notice of it in the romans , chap. . vers . . whose vices were yet so notorious , as that they were utterly out of capacity of being accounted regenerate men . indeed , if a man found in himself so quick a sense of his duty , and were so tender of all degrees of evil , that his conscience not only checkt , but called him off , and restrained him upon the first appearance or approaches of sin ; this ( as i have intimated before ) would be a good sign of regeneration ; and such beginnings of evil so resisted , will not be imputed as wilfull transgressions . but when a man's conscience only checks him , but he goes on and commits the sin , the best that can be made of it , is only that it is not a seared conscience ; and yet such a man is in a fair way to that also ; for as a part of the body by being often rubbed and hurt , grows at last callous and insensible , so the conscience being often resisted in its intimations , and stifled and over-born by the fury of lust and passion , grows at last stupid and dead . so the apostle tells us , rom. . . because they liked not to retain god in their minds he gave them up to vain imaginations , and because they gave themselves to sensuality , he gave them up to unnatural lusts ; and so by degrees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to a reprobate mind ; to a state of stupidity , a spirit of injudiciousness to lose the feeling of good and evil . and in the mean time it is so far from extenuating the guilt of a man's sin , that his heart smote him for it ; that on the contrary , it is a great aggravation of his presumption , that he went on to the commission of it notwithstanding . if a man could say he did not so well know his duty as he should , and therefore his conscience not being rightly informed , did not give him warning of it ; or that he was in a hurry , and could not consider ; or confesses his rashness and precipitancy ; these are some mitigations , for ( as s. clemens well pronounces , ) that which is involuntary is sudden ; and where a man cannot deliberate , he scarcely consents . but when the case is such , that a man must acknowledge he knew what he did , he thought of it and condemned it , and yet did it ; this surely is an aggravation , if any thing in the world be so . it is ( saith a generous heathen , plutarch by name , ) a most unmanly and brutish thing for a man that knows what he should doe , softly and effeminately to give himself up to the swing of intemperate passions . in short , if when a man ( confessing the truth ) must say , he had reason against what he did , but confronted it ; his conscience shamed him , but he resolved to be shameless ; he had weapons in his hand to resist temptation , but he cast them down and yielded : ( all which is implied , when a man saith his conscience smote him when he went about a sin , but nevertheless he persisted and committed it ; ) i say , if this be not a voluntary sin , there is no such thing incident to mankind . § vii . thus much concerning the guilt or malignity of sin in the general : now briefly for the various states and mansions of sinners : which we shall the more easily understand , if we first consider the several degrees of vertue ; or so many higher and lower capacities as there are of being good and holy . and i know not where to find these more exactly reckoned up and described , then by s. clement of alexandria , who makes four stations of perfection . . not to sin at all , which ( saith he ) is the felicity of the divine nature , and to be sure not the condition of any meer man in this world . . not to commit any wilfull or voluntary sin , which is the attainment of the perfect man or true gnostick , as he uses to speak . . rarely to be guilty of inadvertency , or involuntary lapses ; which is the condition of a good proficient in religion . . and lastly , when a man hath sinned , to recover himself early by repentance , and not lie under the guilt , nor much less grow into a habit of sin . which lowest degree , though it be vastly different from every of the former ; yet it is tolerable , and acceptable , through the mercy of god , as we shall see anon . now in some proportion to this discourse , we will suppose stations or degrees of wickedness : . such as do nothing but sin , which we only mention for method-sake , for as we are certain non datur summum malum , or that there is no being absolutely evil , ( as the manichees imagined ) so it is very questionable whether the very devil himself do nothing but what is evil ; but it is out of all question with me , that the worst and most viciously inclined men do some good . and for those that can assert the most vertuous actions of unregenerate men to be express sins , they may pretend what patrons they will of their opinion ; but i am sure neither scripture nor reason will countenance it : for though it be true that the best actions of such men are not acceptable as the conditions of eternal life , because they are disjoined from habitual sanctification and true holiness ; yet that they are not therefore sins will sufficiently appear by what we have said not long since in the description of the nature of sin . neither because they are defective in some circumstances do they cease to be good , or become sins ; for then the best performances of the best men in this world would be sins too , because they are also defective in circumstances . . the second ( or rather first ) rank of sinners , consists of such as live in the habitual practice of great and enormous sins , whether of one kind or of many ; i confess at the first sight , one would think these should be divided into two classes , whereof the first should be those profligate wretches and sons of belial , who perfectly abandon themselves to the temptation of the devil , and the fury of their own lusts ; and adde drunkenness to thirst , as the scripture expresseth it ; or run from one kind of sin to another with a kind of greediness , as if ( were it possible ) they loved evil for its own sake , or had a spite both at god and their own souls . and the second should be those more reserved and cautious sinners , who perhaps may carry it very demurely in many respects , but maintain some bosome sin which is as dear to them as their right eye , and as necessary as their right hand ; and this they hope god will indulge them , oh it is a little one , and their souls shall live . i say i should in civility have provided these a form by themselves , and not set them with the open and scandalous sinners , but that i observe god makes no difference between them : his servants ye are ( saith the apostle ) to whom ye obey ; and it is no matter whether a man have many masters or one , he is equally a slave that is led captive either way . and so . james in that most remarkable passage , chap. . vers . . whosoever shall keep the whole law , and yet offend in one point , is guilty of all . of which seeming paradox he gives account in the next verse ; for he that said , do not commit adultery , said also , do not kill , &c. i. e. the reverence of every branch of god's law , is built upon the consideration of his sovereignty and right to prescribe to us ; which he impeaches whosoever dispenses with himself in the habitual breach of any one of his commands . for whatever particular he chooses to transgress in , he derogates from the authority of the whole . besides , it is to be considered , that all sins cannot stand together ; some sins are as repugnant and contradictory to each other , as all are to vertue ; and moreover , non omnis fert omnia tellus , it may be not the humour , or interest , or not sutable to the constitution of some man to act some sin ; when yet it is neither love of vertue , nor the fear of god which makes him abstain from it . these therefore are justly joyned together ; namely , all such as live in the habitual practice of one or more notorious sins . . a third rank are such as , though they live not in the habit , yet are guilty of the act of some very great and flagitious crime : for there are some sins very deadly , even in single acts ; as either containing a complication of many wickednesses together , as sacriledge , adultery , sedition ; or such as can never be revoked , nor amends be made for them , as taking away a man's life ; or never repeated nor repented of , as to murther a man's self , and several others . now these being of so deadly a nature , every man that hath any sense of vertue or care of his own soul , ought ever to be sufficiently guarded against them , and at utter defiance of them ; and he that can be so careless as to be found guilty of any such , betrays the great atheism and security of his heart . and for this reason the miscarriage of david , in the business of bathshebah and vriah , lays such an horrible blot upon him ; and needed all that repentance whereof we have the footsteps in the . psalm . . the fourth and last rank are they that avoid both the habit and the act of greater sins , yet allow themselves in the frequent commission of lesser , and persevere in them without repentance . by lesser sins i mean , both such as i reckoned up before under the name of infirmities , and more particularly such as these following . when a man dares not give himself up to beastly sensuality , yet will too much humour and caress his body in meats and drinks , and pleasures ; or will not steal and couzen , but will be covetous , and have his heart too much upon the world ; that dares not cast off the duties of religion , but will indulge himself to be remiss and flat in them ; and several of this nature too easie to be observed . now these kinds of sins are the more dangerous , in that partly our consciences not being presently startled at them as at greater crimes , we more easily admit them , or they insensibly steal upon us : from whence it comes to pass that they become frequent , and so arise to a great number , and seem to equal that way what they have not in weight . these therefore if they be suffered to pass unregarded , grow to a great danger , since no danger is little when once it is esteemed so : and besides , though these may pass for inadvertencies when they are once or rarely committed ; yet it must be a vicious neglect of our selves , when they are frequent and ordinary , forasmuch as all sincere vertue is awakened to greater diligence by every sensible declension : to which adde especially , that whatsoever sin , and how little soever it be , is not repented of when it is come to our knowledge , is by that means become a voluntary transgression , increasing its guilt ex post pacto . these are the principal stations of sin , or the several ways upon which a man is denominated a sinner in the language of scripture , and of wise men . but to the end we may render this important point as clear as we can , and now also come more directly to the parable before us ; we will take notice of the psalmist david's distribution of sinners into a three-fold classis ; psal . . vers . . blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly , nor standeth in the way of sinners , nor sitteth in the seat of the scornfull . first , some he calls ungodly , ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the lxxii render it , ) such as having not a true sense of piety in them , stand fair for any temptation . the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , properly signifies turbulent , male-content , and seditious persons , fit for any mischief . and such is the case of those that have not god before their eyes , nor the principles of religion in their hearts ; they are ready to list themselves for the devil's service ; therefore the psalmist describeth them as standing in counsel , as it were deliberating a defection . the second rank he calls by the name of sinners : that is , actual transgressors ; such as are not only disposed for the devil's service , by the looseness of their principles , and the turbulency of their spirits , their vicious inclination , but have actually entred into it , have ingaged themselves in a way and course of sin , and therefore are said to stand in the way : i. e. not only resolved upon their course , but proceeding and making progress from sin to sin towards destruction . . the third sort he call scornerss , those that have not onely debauched the light of their own conscience , and all other principles of vertue , but have extinguished them too ; and therefore being now arrived at the pinnacle of prophaneness , laugh at that which they formerly feared , and endeavour to make the reasons of religion as ridiculous and contemptible to others , as they are insignificant with themselves . these are in the highest form of wickedness , and therefore are said to sit in the seat of scorners , as being setled in their way , and very seldome or never reclaimed . and this brings me to the prodigal son , as we have him described in the parable : he is gone beyond the first form , being not in the deliberative , but in the actual pursuit of a sinfull course ; and yet he is not arrived at the seat of the scorner , but he is in the way of sinners . and we are now to discover and trace him in that his way and course of sin ; which we shall endeavour to doe , guiding our selves by the thread of the parable . s. luk. . vers . , , , , . . the younger son said to his father , father , give me the portion of goods that falleth to me . and he divided to them his living . . and not many days after , the younger son gathered all together , and took his journey into a far countrey , and there wasted his substance with riotous living . . and when he had spent all , there arose a mighty famine in that land ; and he began to be in want . . and he went and joyned himself to a citizen of that countrey ; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine . . and he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat : and no man gave unto him . chap. iv. the prodigal 's risk ; or sin 's progress . the contents . § i. pride is ordinarily the first beginning of a sinfull course , proved by the fall of angels , of men , the temptation of our saviour and his first doctrine , in order to the recovery of men . § ii. the second instance of defection , is , casting off the sense of god , and a providence , and laying aside the duties of worship ; the intimate conjunction and dependence of piety and morality upon each other mutually . § iii. habitual sin not onely brings a guilt , but destroys the powers of the soul : what talents god bestows upon the generality of mankind : of free will , natural reason , conscience , providence , and divine illumination ; and how vice imbezils them all . § iv. when men have abused their powers and talents , they become slaves of the devil ; how such a condition lays them both open to him , and fits them for his service . § v. sin is extreme drudgery in all the instances thereof . § vi. and makes very had returns , not affording any tolerable satisfaction when a man hath yielded to it ; particularly the unsatisfactoriness of bodily pleasure , worldly riches , and applause . § vii . the sad and desolate condition of an habitual sinner at last , when the pleasures and profits of sin fail and desert him . in the words of our saviour , now recited , we may plainly observe this to be the method of the prodigal's ruine . . he is impatient of the restraints of his father's family , and not being content with his provision , he therefore desires to be at his own disposal ; which having obtain'd , . then he departs from his father's house , and goes into a far countrey . . being there , he mis-spends his stock in riotous living . . having mis-spent his own stock , and being thereby reduced to want , he is constrained to become a slave or servant . . in his service he is put to extreme drudgery , being appointed to keep swine . . besides the baseness of his employment , he is used with great severity and hardship , forced to feed on husks . . so deplorably dealt with , as not to have husks enough to supply nature , and therefore is ready to perish . and these seven steps are as plainly discernable in the course of the mystical prodigal , as of the literal ; i mean , in him that goes on in a way of sin against god , as in him that rebells against an earthly parent : as shall be now made appear in particular . first , the praeludium to the son's defection , is his impatience of the restraint of his father's family and government ; together with an opinion of his own sufficiency to dispose of and shift for himself . thereupon he comes to his father , father give me the portion , &c. as if he had said , i am now come to years of discretion , and doubt not but i am able to govern my self and manage my own affairs ; set me out therefore my share , that i may but have whereupon to employ my self , and grant me my liberty , and i shall give you no further trouble . under the notion of a son , make me not always a boy ; give me but leave to be a man once , and i fear not to acquit my self as such . and thus it is with the sinner ; pride , elation of mind , and self-confidence make the first step to his ruine . pride goes before a fall , ( saith solomon ) and a high mind before destruction . it intoxicates the understanding , and makes the mind giddy and inconsiderate ; it suffers a man to take no sober counsel , to hearken to nothing but what sooths and flatters him ; and thence he becomes rash , precipitant , and adventurous ; it permits him not to take true measure of himself , but overrates his deserts , and overvalues his capacity . and thus being blown up with a conceit of himself , he presently grows malecontent with his condition ; and finding himself restrained , the proud waves of his passion rage and swell against all that bounds and checks them , and this rage casts up mire and dirt , wherewith divine providence it self is bespattered : as if either god knew not what was good for such a man , or envied his felicity , or grudged his satisfaction ; or at least pleased himself in putting unnecessary restraints upon him . he finds his condition not to his mind , and not being willing to bring his mind to that , he is tempted to run upon adventures , and to make experiments , that he may give his mind full scope and contentment . hence it is ( as i observed before ) that the wicked in the sacred language are called reshagnim , unquiet , seditious and turbulent : pride and discontent prompting them to unruly attempts against god , disputing his prerogative , and breaking down the laws and boundaries he hath settled . either such men conceit god hath not been benign enough , in the provisions of his care and providence ; or the instances of duty are too many and too hard , and too great intrenchments made upon humane liberty thereby ; that god consulted his own prerogative in the constitution of his laws rather then his wisedom , and the reason of things , and good of his creatures ; that man might be more happy if he were left to his own counsels . would god permit them , they think nothing so sweet , as meram haurire libertatem , pure and unconfined liberty ; that all restraint is intolerable slavery to a generous mind ; and imagining there must needs be some admirable delights in those things god forbids , have thereupon a mighty mind and huge impetus upon them , to try those things above all other , whatever come of it . such kind of mutinous thoughts , such jealousies and suspicions are the immediate issue of pride , and the seminalities of all rebellion against god. it is the current opinion of divines , that it was only this height of pride which ruined the apostate angels : for indeed , it is not easily imaginable what else should doe it , in regard they being ( before their fall ) bright intellectual beings , no cloud of ignorance could probably so overwhelm them , as to betray them to that fatal miscarriage : and being also pure spiritual substances , they lay under no corporeal allurements . it seems therefore necessary to conclude , that an overweening reflexion upon their own height , fooled them into that presumption to forget themselves , and to vie with the almighty . and this seems to be plainly enough glanced at by the prophet , when he describes the fall of proud sennacherib ; isa . . , , . how art thou faln from heaven , o lucifer , son of the morning ? — for thou hast said in thy heart , i will ascend into heaven , i will exalt my throne above the stars of god : — i will be like the most high , &c. and undoubtedly this was the ruine of our first parents , when mankind first turned prodigal . god had dealt most liberally & benignly with them , as a gracious father ; he brought not them into the world , till he had furnished it like a large house , with all things necessary for their accommodation and delight ; night and day were distinguished , sea and land separated , the earth blessed , a paradise planted with all delicacies ; and then he brings this his younger son , man , as to a plentifull table of most delightfull entertainments . besides this , he put all inferiour creatures in subjection to him , as to their young lord and master ; nay , makes that higher order of glorious spirits , the angels , to minister to him , and keep watch about him ; and above all placed him in his own eye , under the light of his countenance , designed him for yet greater and unspeakable felicities , as his favourite and darling . now if after all this , it had pleased god to have put somewhat a severe restraint upon him , it ought justly to have seemed easie and reasonable , being sweetened by so great obligations . but the divine majesty , to shew that in this also he remembred the kindness of a father , makes his laws and government as gentle as his favours were great : for in the midst of an huge indulgence , and that large scope of all the trees in the garden , he laid an interdict but upon one , saying , of all the trees in the garden you may freely eat ; save onely the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the garden ; of that ye shall not eat lest ye die . who could now think any thing should become a temptation strong enough in this case to debauch mankind ? notwithstanding , here the serpent finds occasion to set pride on work , and to raise a discontent ; and first he begins thus , gen. . . hath god said , &c. q. d. is it not a mistake that you are forbidden that fruit ? was that the meaning of the almighty ? possibly your gracious creatour had no such intention ; for why should you be restrained in this ? why not left perfectly to your own election ? have not you faculties to choose , and desires to gratifie ? why should they be curbed or denied ? sure he never made a power which was not to come into act , nor a capacity that was not to be satisfied : nay , this one abridgment despoils you perfectly of your liberty ; law and freedom are incompetible ; you are not used like sons , if you be thus chained up . and what necessity is there to set such a fence about that one tree above all the rest ? is it to exercise authority arbitrarily over you , or to tempt your patience ? or rather , is there not some great good which he knows in that fruit , and envies you the participation of ? why should not you that were made in his image , be like gods in this also , knowing good and evil ? after this manner the old enemy of god and man tempers his poisons ; partly seeming to doubt of the meaning of the command , partly insinuating suspicions of god's goodness , but principally blowing them up with pride and self-conceit ; which whilest they swell withall , they break to pieces , and thus fell our first parents . and the same tempter , both knowing now the nature of man , and encouraged also with this success , attempts the second adam , christ jesus , after the same manner , matt. . for though it be true , ( which is commonly observed ) that the devil was put to it , to try all his artifices upon our saviour , and to assail him both by the lusts of the flesh , the lust of the eye , and the pride of life ; yet if we carefully consider we shall find , that the effort of ruining him by pride and vain-glory , was that which he principally trusted to , and aimed at in all the temptations ; but more conspicuously in the two former of them ; for so vers . . when finding him an hungred , he begins thus : if thou be the son of god , command that these stones be made bread . our saviour came not long since from his baptism , and then as we reade in the last verse of the foregoing chapter , a voice came to him from heaven , saying , this is my beloved son , in whom i am well pleased . of which the devil endeavouring to make his advantage , addresses himself to him . q. d. if god own thee as his son , ( as he pretends to doe ) let him do something prodigious and pompous that may give remarkable testimony to it : use thy interest in him for some signal miracle , especially to supply thy necessity now thou art hungry ; for certainly he will rather do that , then suffer his beloved son to famish . ordinary men must depend upon common providence , but sure you may expect something more signal and worthy of that relation , if it be true , that you are the son of god. no ( saith our saviour ) man lives not by bread only , &c. if i am the son of god , as i am assured i am ; i must so much the more be at my father's disposal , and not prescribe to him . he hath several ways to supply my necessity , and i will leave the particular manner of it to his election . then the devil taketh him , and sets him upon a pinacle of the temple , and urges him , if thou be the son of god , east thy self down ; for it is written , he shall give his angels charge over thee , &c. q. d. to be the son of god , and to have it set off with no pomp nor illustrious circumstance , is a very mean thing , unworthy of you , and useless to you . assure your self , if he own you in that quality and relation , he will interpose between you and the greatest danger you can incurr ; and by some such experiment you shall draw the eyes of all men upon you . both this and the former attack are like to that of his brethren , jo. . . if thou do these things , shew thy self to the world . q. d. consult thy same and reputation , aggrandize thy self by some magnificent circumstance or other . but ( saith our saviour ) it is written , thou shalt not tempt the lord thy god. i. e. i am not to require other proofs of god's power or providence over me , then he thinks fit to give ; i must not thrust my self upon danger , but when he casts me upon it then i may assure my self of his interposition for my , safety . now since this temptation to pride was the engine with which the first adam was ruined , and the second adam assaulted ; there can be little reason to doubt , but it is so also with the generality of men . and albeit the more visible and immediate motives to some sins may be profit or pleasure , yet that which is the first wheel , and sets all on work , is ( as i have hinted ) an arrogant opinion of our own worth or wisedom , and derogation from the divine wisedom or justice in the frame of his laws , and methods of his providence : as if he had not consulted so well the conveniency of our natures , but that we could provide better for our selves then he hath done , if we were permitted to be our own carvers ; from whence proceeds an impatience of his government , and an inclination to rebell , and cast off his yoke ; as it were easie to make appear in all the instances of sin , whether intemperance , fornication , injustice , or any the like ; but that i think it needless in so plain a case . but there is one thing i cannot omit to observe in further confirmation of this point ; namely , that our saviour when he came into the world to restore mankind , knowing well their disease , ( like a wise physician of souls ) finds it necessary to cure them by the contrary : therefore in the first place , he prescribes to them a profound humility , as the most sovereign antidote against sin , and the onely principle of stability in vertue ; he i say , considering they had fallen by pride , lays the foundation of their recovery in lowliness of spirit ; injoyning that men submit their own reasonings to the wisedom of god , and by faith depend upon him . and declaring that those who will enter into the kingdom of heaven , or receive his religion , must do it as little children ; that is , must come to it without pride or prejudice , and be ready to believe what he dictates to them , without dispute or diffidence : and in short , must deny themselves and follow him . which one lesson if we thoroughly learn , we cut off all the avenues of satan , and everlastingly secure our selves against all temptation to apostasy from religion and rebelling against god. . the second instance of the son's defection , is his departure from his father . he gathers all together , and takes his journey into a far countrey . whereas the elder son always abides with his father , this youngster , as he desired not to be at his father's provision , so he was equally unwilling to be under his eye , and the awe of his presence : the inspection of a father would check his freedom , and restrain him in the full swing of pleasure he designed to take . home was an homely thing , dull and tedious to him ; but a foreign countrey would gratify his curiosity , and minister some new delights to him . besides , there he should be without controll , accountable to no body , which was the very thing his pride had made most valuable with him . now that he had obtained what he desired , his portion and his liberty , he valued not the comfort of his father's countenance ; nor needed his counsel , nor set by his blessing : for indeed , he intended so to live , as that he could not hope for it . thus the prodigal son , and every habitual sinner treads in his steps , longinqua regio , ( saith s. austin , q. evan. l. . c. . ) is oblivio dei : by the far country is meant forgetfulness of god. and saith s. jerome , to depart from god is not local , ( for god is every-where present ) but to be alienated in our minds and affections from him . agreeably to which in the . psal . v. . where we reade , they that forsake the lord shall perish , the vulgar latine strictly following the hebrew , hath it , qui elongant se à deo , those that put themselves as far off from god as they can . and so holy job , chap. . . notes it to be the humour of profane and profligate persons , to say to the almighty depart from us , we desire not the knowledge of thy way . for it is manifest , that as the sense of god is the great support and comfort of all good men in trouble , their great animation and encouragement in all good duties , and of mighty efficacy upon them to preserve them from all temptation to evil ; so it is equally the dread and torture of all wicked men , and that which if it doth not check and restrain their wickedness , will be sure to deprive them of the pleasure of it . wherefore when they cannot hinder that observant majesty from overlooking them , they are forced for their own quiet to be so absurd , as to put the grossest gullery upon themselves , and content themselves with the sottish security , of turning away their eyes from beholding him . thus adam when he had sinned hid himself in the garden from the presence of the lord ; for not only the majesty , power and justice of god , strike a terrour to a guilty conscience , but the very contemplation of such purity and perfection , shames and reproaches it . nor is the apprehension of god only troublesome to the offender after he hath committed sin , but it is able to blast the very embryo ; to nip it in the bud , to disturb the deliberations , and to be sure defeats much of the pleasure of conception . for if the presence of a grave and vertuous man carries that awe , as that the sinner is rendered impotent to his purposes , as if he were under a charm , ( the truth of which we see confirmed by frequent experience ) how much more must needs the thoughts of an omni-present majesty , an all-seeing eye , a holy and righteous judge , cool the heats , abate the courage , and stop the carreer of a sinner ? to which purpose it is the observation of several learned men upon that passage of the psalmist , psal . . . the fool hath said in his heart there is no god. they conceive , that it might as well , and as consistently with the original be rendered , the fool hath said to his heart , &c. i. e. wicked men ( to the intent that they might go on the more comfortably , and uncontrolledly in their sins , ) would fain persuade themselves there is no god. but to speak a little more closely and particularly to this matter ; forasmuch as i noted even now from s. jerome , that god being an infinite majesty , we can neither approach him , nor depart from him strictly and locally : there are therefore these three ways , by which ( according to the language of the holy scripture ) we can come near to god ; ( viz. ) either . by acts of immediate worship , as prayer and praises , and the like ; or . by living under a quick sense of his providence ; or . by yielding obedience to his commands : which three things in conjunction make up the whole nature of true piety and religion . and in respect to these the holy men of old , such as enoch , noah , abraham , &c. are said to have walked with god. that is , they framed themselves to obedience to all his commands ; they composed themselves to a submission unto , and compliance with , his providential dispensations ; and ( to the intent that they might be assisted and animated in both those ) they constantly addressed themselves to him , by acts of worship for his influence and blessing . and again , on the other side , those evil men who are said to depart from god , were such as either cast off the yoke of his obedience , or lived without a sense of his superintendence , or laid aside the care of his worship . and which is further observable , these three are hardly to be found separate from one another , because of the reciprocal influence they have upon each other . for as in the former triad or instances of piety , whosoever lives under a sense of a providence , will endeavour to propitiate the divine majesty to himself , by all worshipfull dutifull observance , and he that makes conscience of that , cannot ordinarily be so absurd , as to hope for the favour of a wise and holy majesty , by the meer importunity of his devotions , without conscience of obeying his commands ; with respect to which it was well said by a pious man in way of advice , leave not off praying to god , for either praying will make thee leave sinning , or continuing to sin , will make thee desist praying . again , he that worships and obeys a god , most certainly lives under a sense of him ; for otherwise he could give no account to himself , why he should put himself to the trouble of worship , and the care of obedience . and then for the other triad , or the three instances of impiety , he that lives wickedly , will in time lose all sense of a providence , and consequently all conscience of the duties of worship : and on the other side , he that extinguishes either the belief of a providence , or ( in a fair way to it ) casts off all care of religious worship , will not fail to run riot in his life , when he hath rid himself of those awfull principles that did curb and restrain him : of the truth of all which we have a memorable example , gen. . cain had betrayed a great remisseness in religion , by the carelesness of his sacrifice ; whereas abel , who believed firmly in god , thinking nothing too good for his service , brought of the fattest and best of his flock to god ; cain thought any thing would serve turn , and accordingly carried away the tokens of god's displeasure and disdain ; but vers . . he invites his brother abel into the field ; where , as the samaritan version intimates , some discourse passed between them : and the jerusalem targum tells us particularly , that cain stiffly denied a providence which abel as strenuously asserted ; and this doctrine of cain was very agreeable to his negligent worship before , and his exsecrable practice after : for from this denial of a providence , he presently proceeds to the murder of his brother ; and not long after that , vers . . we read cain went out from the presence of the lord : he now agreeably to those principles , and consequently of such villanous practices , cast off , renounced , and defied religion . and the text further adds , he went and sojourned in the land of nod , which , who so listed to interpret allegorically , would very agreeably to the series of my present discourse say , meant that he vagrant-like , wandered on in a course of dissoluteness , having now lost all card and compass to direct him . but what need we farther evidence in so plain a case , to which our own experience , and the observation of all the world gives testimony : for what is it that encourages any man in a generous undertaking where the exercise of vertue is attended with hazzard and difficulty , with labour and trouble , with patience and self-denyal , but the belief of a providence ? what bears him up , that the privacy of the fact abates not his edge , nor the tediousness of accomplishment wearies out his endeavours , nor the opposition quails his spirit , but only this , that he sees him that is invisible , and having god before him , thinks himself upon the most ample theatre , and is sure of success and reward . and what is there that keeps alive this sense of god and providence , that neither atheistical suggestions debauch his principles , nor multitude of ill examples cool his heat , and corrupt his resolution , but his approaches to god by exercises of devotion , whereby he refreshes the worthy notions of his mind , and hath them as it were new engraven , and made more legible upon the tables of his heart ? he goes by the duties of religion like moses into the mount of god ; and returns with the tables of god's law written a fresh by the finger of god. such a man is ashamed of sin , and disdains every ungenerous action , coming newly from the presence of god , the approaches of such a glory diffuse some rays upon him , and his face shines as the same moses's did upon the like occasion . in short , he cannot without great violence to himself , condescend to entertain the devil into his bosome , which is yet warm with that divine guest the holy ghost . contrariwise , take a man that lives without a sense of god , and he hath no care of , nor value for himself ; he hath not a mind large enough for any generous design , he is poor spirited , hurried by every fear , baffled by every danger , surprized and carried away by every temptation . the vigorous notions of god are either extinct by the profaneness of his life , or languish by the neglect of religious duties : there is no angel guardian about his soul , no generous disdain of sin in his heart , he hath neither the help of god , nor the strength of a man. upon all which it is apparent , that departing from our father's house , living beside the notions of god , and without the exercises of devotion to actuate those notions , is the ready way to all sin and folly . wherefore as pride and self-conceit begin the mutiny in our souls against god , so neglecting his presence , suffers it to grow to a dangerous head ; and as that was the first step towards a wicked course , this is the second . . thirdly , the prodigal having now gotten from under the eye of his father , gives himself a full swinge of liberty , lives 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sottishly , and viciously ; and by that means quickly exhausts the stock his father had given him . wherever there is temperance and prudent management a little will suffice , and will quickly grow to great riches : by frugality and industry most of the great states and kingdoms in the world have been raised , as well as private fortunes ; but luxury and riot have dilapidated and destroyed both the one and the other . for these making continual abstractions , without addition , quickly reduce the greatest summe to a cypher , and bring him to want of all things , who before had need of nothing , but grace and wisedom to use that which he had . this the prodigal son finds true by sad experience . and so it fares also with the sinner , or mystical prodigal ; when once he hath withdrawn himself from god's presence , that is , hath cast off the sense of god and religion , and broken those reins that restrained his extravagancy , he presently rushes into all kind of debauchery ; and in so doing , besides the black guilt he derives upon his conscience , he wastes and imbezils the very talents and abilities god had endowed him with . for the more clear understanding of which , we will briefly , but distinctly consider these two things . . what is that portion or stock which god sets mankind up withall . . how and in what manner vice and dissolution of manners mispend and exhaust it . the younger son wasted his substance with riotous living . s t luke . xv , . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . theogn : and for the former of these though it is not to be doubted , but that god according to his paternal prerogative and wisedom , may and doth variously dispense his gifts to his children ; yet it is certain he sends none of them out into the world without some talents to employ themselves upon , and to make a vertuous improvement of . and amongst all of that kind these four following are both the most rich and valuable in themselves , and also ( such is the divine bounty ) most generally bestowed . ( viz. ) . freedome of choice . . understanding , mind , or conscience . . experience of a wise and gracious intertexture of favours and chastisements in the course of providence . . special intimations of his own mind and will. in the first place i recount freedom of chusing for our selves as part of the common portion of mankind in general : which i do the rather because i observe the fathers generally to understand this to be the special intendment of this passage of the parable . divisit iis substantiam , he divided unto them his living : that is , ( saith s. * jerome ) he bound not man under the rigid bonds of necessity , whereby he should be forcibly overruled and determined to one thing , but put him in a capacity of making his own choice , to the end that being hereby distinguished from beasts , and more like his maker , he might be capable of vertue and reward : and that as nothing should make him miserable without his own act and consent , so he might have the comfort and delight of co-operating freely towards his own good and felicity . that this accomplishment of humane nature is a great and inestimable talent no man can doubt , forasmuch as hereby man is made to be what he is , that is , to be master of himself and his own actions , and obnoxious to none but god himself ; being neither drawn by invisible wires , but moved voluntarily , and from an inward principle , nor hurried by external accidents , but steers his own course , is not at the mercy of every temptation , but can make his own choice in spite of the devil . and that god set out man into the world thus endowed , there is as little reason to question . for in the first place , we are sure god made all things good , that is , designed for good ends , and also capable of attaining them . and he that sitted all the inferiour creation for their proper ends , most certainly did not leave that excellent piece of his workmanship so defective , as not to be endowed with powers sufficient for the pursuit and attainment of his peculiar happiness . at least , it cannot be imagined , that infinite wisedom should contrive such a creature as should be only able to cross and act contrary to himself , but not to comply with him ; which must be true if man had not originally a power of chusing good as well as evil . again , were it not for this , there would be an absolute impossibility of giving account how sin came into the world , and of vindicating the providence of god in tying that clog of an earthly body to an immortal soul , but that by this concession the latter is made capable of governing the former ; and abundance other great phaenomena of providence ( which it is no time now to insist upon ) are plainly insoluble otherwise then upon this supposition . but we need not insist upon the proof of fact that this was the condition of man in his first greation , when he came out of the hands of god , for it is acknowledged by all divines ; and if it be otherwise with him since , we have intimated already where the fault lies , and shall shew it more particularly by and by . . the second talent of mankind is mind or conscience , and i make use of both those terms , because i intend to join together both that which is called synteresis , and that which is called properly syneidesis , or conscience . by the former of which , man having as it were a standard within himself of good and evil , he may guide himself in the choice of his actions ; and by the latter he is able to reflect upon himself , and comparing his actions and carriage with the standard or law of reason in his own mind , pass a judgment upon himself ; that is , either blame and condemn , or acquit and comfort himself accordingly . this talent the old saint justin calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a particle of the divine and original wisedom , or a scien of the true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or eternal word ingrafted upon the soul of every man. and it is that which theophylact takes to be especially meant in this text . the substance ( saith he ) which the father divided amongst his sons was reason , which god gave in common to all mankind , and that in conjunction with freedom of mind ; for every being that hath the use of reason , hath also liberty of election ; the latter affording a field or theatre for the former to act upon , and the former enabling him to use the latter well . and indeed , it was wondrous expedient that since god had given mankind the talent of liberty , that he should therewith bestow upon him a principle of reason to restrain and govern that liberty ; that so having not only sails to move him , but a compass to direct him , he might shape his course agreeably to those ends god designed him for ; or more plainly , having a copy of the divine mind implanted in his soul , he might make the elections of his will conformable to those of his maker . for since ( as i said before ) men and angels are not naturally and necessarily carried to their ends as other beings are , but may either move regularly towards them , or decline from them at their own choice ; had not god put upon them this bias of reason to incline them the right way , they would have been in danger to have made such an exorbitant use of their freedom , as to have given the whole creation much greater disturbance then yet they have done . and as well the truth of this assertion , as the value of this talent , will appear most remarkably if we do but consider what great improvements some have attained to by the alone use of reason , having never any other talent of supernatural revelation afforded them that we know of . in contemplation of which tully recounts it a prime favour of the divine majesty to humane nature , that he had endowed their minds with natural notions , which are to them the seeds and principles of knowledge and vertue . * and he further adds , were it not that god hath thus furnished the mind with such a stock of proleptick principles of knowledge , we could not have ever come to understand any thing , and all industry , study and inquity had been utterly lost and fruitless ; but by the means of these natural notions we have a kind of anticipation , an intellectual taste and relish of truth and falshood , good and evil , and so a measure to govern our selves by in our elections and prosecutions . . the third talent given to all mankind for their improvement is the observable wise order and method of divine providence , wherein there is such an admirable intertexture of mercies and afflictions , as that neither a constant series of adversities and cros accidents shall break their spirit , or ingulph men in despair ; nor yet such a constant course of perpetual prosperity as to render them too light and airy , but a moderate interchange of both , to make them grave and serious . and besides , both these dispensed not fortuitously , but with such discrimination , as that ordinarily men may not only be assured of a providence in the general , but be able to observe the divine displeasure against sin and wickedness by the one , and his approbation of honesty and goodness by the other ; and so consequently be both directed in their choice , and provoked to an answerable prosecution . and although it be very true that such exact course of providence be not now ordinarily observable in the world , because god having now made a full and clear discovery of his whole mind to the sons of men by extraordinary revelation ; as there is no need of this lesser light when a far greater shines clearly , so also it seems good to his divine wisedom to make the course of his providence more involved and intricate in many cases , both for the tryal of good men , and the just hardening of the wicked and unbelieving , nevertheless it is not credible that such a cryptick method should be the common course of his providence where those reasons cease , and where he hath afforded no better light . and besides , we are sure de facto , that there was such a legible providence as we speak of in the most ancient and patriarchal times ; when it was common to observe the finger of god by some calamity or other , pointing out and branding the offender , and his blessing visibly descending upon and crowning worthy and vertuous persons . thus god ( whilst as yet there was no revealed law ) did confirm and bear testimony to the laws of reason , and provide against the staggering and fluctuation of men's minds , in deducing those natural conclusions by which they were then to govern themselves , by the suffrage of his own providence . consonantly to which it was , that the scripture or holy writ concerning those times , is little more then an history of providence , or remarks of the good and evil that befell men according to the demerits of their either vertuous or vicious behaviour ; as whosoever considers the books of moses must acknowledge . and for the people of the jews it is notorious , that the course of divine providence ran all along above ground amongst them , ( although they were not without written laws and the lively oracles of god , ) of which without prying into the counsels of the almighty , we may easily satisfie our selves by a double account : namely , partly to afford the more full testimony to those sanctions of his amongst a hard hearted people , partly also to supply the visible defect of those laws in the most material rules of vertue ; it pleased god to give intimation of his mind , and confirmation to the dictates of nature by such extraordinary attestations of his providence . but as for the gentiles who were destitute of the aforesaid advantage , having not the more sure word of prophecie ( as the apostle calls it ) there is no doubt to be made but the divine goodness did supply that defect , as to the greater lines of vertue and vice , by the plain legibility of his providence ; at least ordinarily and far beyond what he doth amongst those that live under the full light of the gospel : which whoso will not be induced to believe , must justifie his incredulity by perverseness , and call in question the faith of all the histories of those times and countreys . and although we cannot deny , that it pleased god sometimes , even amongst those people , to walk in the dark , suffering the good and evil things that befell men to be no sure indications of his favour or displeasure , yet the rarity of the case appears by the salvo they found out for this phaenomenon : namely , they imagined that when rewards and punishments , or rather good and evil , were mismatched , and did not apply themselves to vertue and vice respectively ; that it proceeded from some fatal necessity , which was superiour to the gods , and not to be withstood or hindred by them . by which it appears , that for the most part they observed a just nemesis , and righteous distribution of rewards and punishments in the course of the world . which direction of providence added to the two former talents might be of great advantage to them , if not to make them truely good , yet certainly to make them less evil . and being thus general as i have shewed , may be well called a third talent of mankind . . but i add in the fourth and last place , god hath so far consulted the good of mankind , and is so open handed to his children , that besides all the aforesaid , he frequently vouchsafes them some intimations or other of his mind , to enable them the better to understand their duty , and pursue their happiness . as for such as are placed in his church under the full and certain light of revelation , that are pressed upon by the mighty motives of unspeakable rewards and punishments in another world ; and these inculcated upon them by a publick ministry maintained by god for that purpose , and above all are under the vital operations of his holy spirit ; exciting their minds , fortifying their apprehensions , fixing their attentions , and giving them as it were a view of the transactions in the other world : this must be acknowledged a peculiar favour , and not common to all , as the other were ; yet if we consider well , we shall find that the advantages of god's church do in some respects extend beyond the pale of it : for as we see the sun affords some light to those upon whose horizon he doth not appear , so we find that pythagoras and several of the industrious and vertuously disposed pagans reaped great benefit by those oracles that were not given to them , but to the nation of the jews . and we may easily discover a great improvement in the moral discourses of pagans , since our saviour came into the world ; divine light reflecting as it were from the church , ( upon which the direct beams thereof fell ) to the rest of the world. besides which it is no way probable , that a good god should so far neglect so great a part of mankind as was called pagan , as to afford them no intimations of his mind , towards the bettering of their reasonings in those matters of importance which he principally created them for . in respect to which tully spake admirably , nemo unquam vir magnus sine afflatu divino , that there was never a great and brave man in the world , but had some impulses and inspirations from the almighty . and indeed , when i seriously consider either the divine attributes , or the experience of men , i see great reason to doubt whether ever there was that man that had not more or less some such kind of assistances from his maker , till he himself rendered himself unworthy thereof . which brings me to the second thing i promised to speak to ; ( viz. ) . secondly , how vice and dissolution of manners spend and exhaust this stock god hath set mankind up withall : and of this the account is very easy . for in the first place it is plain , that habits and facility of doing any thing , are procured by frequent and repeated acts : and as the more vertuous actions of any kind a man doth , the more prone he is to doe so again ; so every vicious action which a man commits begets a propension and inclination to others of the same kind . when a man hath used to subdue his passions to his reason , they easily submit and bear the yoke ; but he that hath accustomed them to their full scope , they swell and rage , and will not easily be brought into order ; and this will be true although those two men were supposed to have equally violent passions naturally , be it of what kind soever . custome we call a second nature , but it hath the power to supplant the first and original nature , putting new propensions as another bias upon the spirit . by which we see clearly how vice destroys the first talent of mankind , that freedom which god set them up withall . which point gained , affords us resolution of another question ( though not of this place ) namely , hereby we see how it comes to pass , that good and vertuous men rejoyce in the easiness and delights of a vertuous course , when contrariwise evil and vicious men complain of impotency , and pretend the horrible difficulties thereof ; for these contrary effects proceed from the same cause , and shew the mighty power of custome on both sides . and then for the second talent of natural reason or understanding , nothing is more plain then that vicious practices blind the eyes of the mind , partly as the steams of lust and passion send up a cloud which dulls the higher regions of the soul ; partly also as luxury commonly brings a stupid slothfullness upon the spirits of men , that they chuse rather to bury that talent , then be at the trouble to employ it ; but principally as all wickedness prejudices men , making it become their seeming interest to shut their eyes lest they should behold their shame , or make the prosecution of that more uneasie and uncomfortable to them , from which they are resolved not to desist . and for that faculty which is properly called conscience , we have intimated already , that the frequent injuries done to it render it callous and insensible . as for that which we called a third talent , namely , the testimony which god in his providence usually gives to vertue , and the discountenance to vice : these the vicious man either atheistically imputes to blind chance , because he observes some exceptions and irregularities in the method of their dispensation ; or else turns the arguments god affords him of gratitude into grounds of security , or his fatherly chastisements into occasion of fullenness and desperation , or one way or other renders this talent unusefull . but if it please god to do something extraordinary , and awaken him by a peculiar address to him ; he doth as the romans when petilius fortunately digged up and brought to light the sacred writings of numa pompilius , which probably would have put them upon a better devotion then they were willing to comply with . the consul swore the books were dissolvendarum religionum ; q. d. not calculated for the present age , whereupon they commanded them to be burnt . so the sinner stubbornly opposes the light which would reproach his practice , and disturb his security . and thus we have seen what stock god sets men up with , and how they mis-spend it . . but to go on with the parable , the next news we hear of the prodigal , is , that having spent all his patrimony in careless and riotous living , and a famine succeeding his profusion , he is now reduced to extremity , and knows not whither to betake himself ; wherefore having no other choice , he is constrained to join himself to a citizen of that country ; that is , to become a slave . it was wisely and truely said by one of the ancients , that frugality and temperance were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , homebred philosophy ; or the most cheap and compendious way of attaining all moral wisedom and happiness : for they make life easie , and temptation little ; they prevent care , and shut out fear ; they raise the spirit of a man by bestowing on him a kind of self-sufficiency ; such a man doth not maliciously despise the world , because he cannot attain it , for he finds it in his power to arrive at much , and in his temper to need but little , and so is truely above it . these with their inseparable companion industry , are as it were the roots of a patrimony , which not only keep it alive and flourishing , but also make it fruitfull and multiply ; but the contrary vices are such sottish sins that they destroy the very stock they grow upon , and undermine their own foundation ; that is , they eat out themselves and that which raised them , and should have maintained them . and which is yet worse , they do not only starve themselves , but cut off a man's retreat , and cast him into a condition that he could not live comfortably if he should return to sobriety . for it is in this case as cicero said of dionysius of syracuse , he had lived so wickedly , and exercised so much tyranny and cruelty , that having procured the common hatred of mankind , it was too late to think of redintegrating himself by taking up and changing his course . his wickedness had been too great to let his conversion be believed real , and his injuries too many to hope for security in a way of mildness . scelus scelere protegendum est , he must now go on and justify , or at least protect his former villanies by more and greater . so it is with voluptuous persons , by a long habit they have made excesses almost necessary to their bodies , and such excesses do so harrass men's fortunes , that they cannot long correspond with such unreasonable occasions ; together herewith ease and sloth the concommitants of luxury do so relax men's nerves and infeeble their constitution , that they are rendered incapable of supplying the defects of their fortune by their own industry ; so that between the necessity of expending much , and the impossibility of gaining any thing , the difficulties of returning to sobriety become as great and discouraging , as the pleasures of riots are charming and bewitching . hence it comes to pass , that such men usually reason with themselves , as the unjust steward in the gospel , dig i cannot , and to beg i am ashamed ; wherefore they must apply themselves to some remedy as desperate as the disease ; some bold and daring course , some great and horrible sin must relieve them out of the straits former wickedness hath cast them into . and thus the prodigal having spent all , joins himself to a citizen . who this citizen is s. jerone tells us , it is the devil , he is the busy negotiatour of this world , that goes about seeking whom he may devour , and is ready to list those into his service , who ( having mispent their talents ) are by a vicious necessity disposed for his purposes . for such as have forfeited their own liberty are fit to be his slaves ; such as have driven away the good spirit , shall be sure to be haunted with this evil spirit . and they that have put out their own eyes , and blinded their minds , are fit subjects of the kingdom of darkness . none but such as have been accustomed to debauch their own faculties and stifle their consciences , can yield him ready obedience . but those that have sotted themselves with sensuality , are swollen with pride or malice , or by some vicious habit or other have lost the command of themselves , and the protection of the almighty ; these fall readily into his snare , and according to the phrase of the apostle are taken captive by him at his will. and the use he puts them to we shall see in the next particular . for , . the prodigal is put to feed swine . it is amongst the great calamities of a riotous life that first it effeminates men by soft indulgencies whilst their fortunes hold out , and then afterwards breaks their spirits when adversity befalls them , by a shamefull reflexion upon their beastly folly . and between these two such men are seldome or never after capable of any generous and manly employment ; from whence it comes to pass , that they are ordinarily by the just judgment of god condemned either to the most ridiculous and contemptible , or to the most sordid and vile offices . and such we may be sure will be the case of the mystical prodigal being now become a slave to satan . it was a sad instance of the tyranny and insolence of the devil over apostate mankind , that he fooled them to such a base abjection of mind , as to give him a kind of religious worship , appearing to them under the form of a goat , or some other the most infamous of brute creatures . this is too well known to have been commonly done amongst the pagans ; and it seems probable that this vile idolatry was invented and required by that malicious spirit , not more to affront the almighty by intercepting his worship , then to scorn and insult over humane nature by such a sordid prostitution . but it is not onely idolatry , but all kind of sin is the devil's work . and whosoever renders himself up to the power of any sin , doth his drudgery as truely as those poor abused heathens ; for though he doth not with the same formalities ridiculously bow himself to a beast , he doth the same thing in effect when he prostitutes himself to brutality . what more ignoble thing then for him that hath an immortal soul , an understanding mind and free faculties , by which he is fit for the conversation of god and angels , to forget all this , and humble himself to serve a beast ? nor is it any matter of difference whether a man serve his own beast or another man's , i mean the beast within him or without him ; some beast or other every vicious man serves . he that indulges rage and passion ministers to a tiger ; and he that addicts himself to sordid craft and subtlety worships a fox . he that basely plays the hypocrite serves the dog , or the hyaena . he that gives himself up to lasciviousness , worships a goat ; and he that is a servant of meat and drink , makes a god of his belly , and very properly may be said to serve swine . it is a well known passage in plato , where he supposes , that when men's souls are departed from their present bodies , they are adjudged to actuate and inform some such creatures as they had most resembled in their humour and practice whilst they were alive ; but without such a transmigration after death , which we are sure is both false and ridiculous , all vicious men may be said to be transformed in this life as aforesaid : for though they retain the outward shape , they have the inside and temper of brutes . but it is not the onely calamity of serving the devil that a man must debase his nature to the vilest condition , in compliance with his commands ; for there is this farther instance of the severity of that aegyptian taskmaster , that he puts those that are under his power , to make brick without straw , i mean , ( god in just judgment permitting it so to be ) the devil drives so furiously towards man's destruction , that he will ordinarily prompt and hurry them on in sin beyond their interests ; nay their very vicious inclmation , and even the capacity of their circumstances and constitution . as if he designed that they should not onely treasure up wrath against the day of wrath , but be miserably rackt and tortured here , and tormented before their time . we count the water rack a very severe torture , to have that element forced down a man's throat , till all the vessels of his body are stretched and tympanized ; so that in stead of air he draws in water with his breath , ready to stifle him . and yet this torture we see the drunkard submit himself to at the devil's command . it is very dreadfull to have our limbs and nerves distended by pullies and such other engines . and the lascivious man is sensible of something like this , when he forces nature to comply with his vicious phancy , and a prevalent temptation . when in some kind of executions they poured scalding lead down the throat of the malefactour , which the jews called the burning of the soul ; it was doubtless very terrible : but he that suffers revenge to fry in his bosome and eat out his very heart and bowels , undergoes something not very much inferiour . to say no more , what more horried torments can any tyrant invent or inflict , or what more abominable ignominy can his malice expose any man to , then the usual effects of sensuality do either execute upon a man's person , or stigmatize his name withall ? we see in the course of nature the several parts of the universe give place to the interest of the whole ; or as we commonly speak , private nature gives place to publick , as the water ascends to prevent vacuity , &c. but in this little world , man , when the devil hath got interest in him , publick nature , humanity it self is violenced for the lust of a private person , of which the apostle gives us too sad an instance in the debauched heathen , rom. . , . which passage i have no mind to explain . this is the condition of the devil's service , in respect of which , the difficultest parts of god's service are easy and voluptuous . i 'll conclude this particular , and summe up what hath been hitherto said in the words of chrysologus : behold ( saith he ) the sad catastrophe of rash and incogitant voluptuousness , it turns him out into a strange countrey that might have lived happy in his father's house ; makes a beggar of one that was rich , changes the condition of a son into that of a slave , compells him to feed nasty swine , who declined the service of a gracious father . but this is not the full end of the sinner's tragedy . for , . the prodigal's fare is as course as his employment was sordid , he is forced to feed upon husks : some take the word in the original to signify bran , according to that of the poet , — vivis siliquis & pane secundo . but the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , properly signifies the seed of the tree ceronia or charob , which afforded a course fare , which extream necessity sometimes drove men to be content withall . but let us see the moral of it ; origen understands by husks the delights of wanton poetry , with which the devil usually feeds and entertains loose persons , making them both fit and willing to his service . i remember somewhere to have read , ( and i think it is in clemens of alexandria ) that it was his opinion , that pagan philosophy was hereby meant , which being but the exterior cortex or husk of true knowledge , served notwithstanding to amuse and busy the gentile world. but i think our saviour meant nothing else hereby , then to represent to us the pitifull entertainment , the emptiness and unsatisfactoriness of all the incomes of sin . that all the gratifications by which the devil allures men into the basest drudgery , prove upon trial the appels of sodom , perform nothing of what they promise . solomon hath told us , that an whorish woman will bring a man to a morsel of bread ; and it is true , in proportion , of all the instances of riot and luxury , which is so much the more severe calamity to such kind of persons , because they usually in their prosperity caressing themselves at the highest rate imaginable , pampering themselves and their lusts together , must needs feel the change from one extream to the other to be exceeding sharp and painfull . but let us see this a little more particularly , in order to which the apostle saint john hath summed up all the returns of sin in these words , jo. . . the things that are in the world are the lusts of the flesh , the lust of the eye , and the pride of life ; or in other words , bodily pleasure , worldly profit , and vain glory . and all these when duly considered , will prove but husks , such as our voluptuous prodigal , now the devils vassal , is constrained to feed upon . first , for bodily pleasure , that is notoriously the entertainment of beasts rather then of men . for it is they that have the quickest sense and relish of it ; man is ashamed of himself when he yields to it , and therefore seeks recesses and the dark , as being aware that he condescends below himself when he stoops to it ; therefore certainly god intended it as fodder for beasts , not food for men . sawce is the most that it can be allowed to be , and he is not to be reckoned a man that can content himself with it , or live as if he were made for it . for besides that all wise men who have tried it pronounce it to be but chaff and vanity , even those who are so silly as to pursue it with the greatest eagerness and appetite , finding themselves empty and disappointed , are constrained to hunt after variety , and to weary themselves in going from one pleasure to another , in hopes to find that satisfaction which is never there to be had . bodily pleasure is fitly represented by the stories we have of the feasts and junkettings of witches and fiends ; in which , after great appearance of delicacies , wherewithall the guests seem to satiate themselves , they notwithstanding find themselves as empty as before the banquet . the mind of man is of another make , and of a greater capacity then to be filled with such trash . it is onely intellectual pleasure , the contents of wisedome , the peace of a good conscience , the reflections upon having done some good , which are the repast of a man , and these are solid and lasting ; there is more true and manly delight in any one such instance then in all the caresses of the epicure . and then for profit , it is very inconsiderable gain that is brought in by sin , if accounts be justly cast up . for all those sins which have either any gusto of pleasure , or air of credit attending them , are usually costly and expensive ; and for those profitable sins of injustice , covetousness , oppression , &c. they are usually incumbred with so much anxiety , followed with such guilt , branded with so much reproach , that there needs a new arithmetick to be devised to make out the profit of them . above all , if we consider that thus to gain a whole world and to lose a man's soul , is the most sad and unfortunate bargain . for it is to possess a great deal for the short lease of life , and then to be turned out of all to all eternity ; and whilst he doth possess it , it is so far from satisfying his mind , or appeasing his conscience , as that it cannot allay the gout , asswage the tooth-ach , nor cure any disease of the body . in summe , what is that gain which neither makes the wiser , nor the better , nor the more comfortable man ? but then for glory and fame , these are not usually the attendants of sin , but of some kind of vertues : the portion of sin is shame and infamy , forasmuch as it is an irregularity , a deformity , and in the mildest sense , it is a confession of folly , weakness and impotency . notwithstanding it is too true , some sins carry applause with them , but amongst whom ? competent judges of honour , wise and good men ? no , but the silly vulgar , or at least such as have a feeling in the cause , and are partakers in the guilt . but let us see the instances : some man glories , that in his pot valour he can drink down whom he pleases , no man can stand before him , and upon this he swaggers as a mighty champion , whereas in truth he is but a great hogshead or a nasty sink through which a great deal of good liquor runs , and his only ability is , that he changes and corrupts it in the passage . another vaunts his courage and daring , hee 'l lay down his life upon the least provocation . but shall we think that man is conscious to himself of any worth , that will stake his life down for every trifle ? is he worthy of his life that despises it ? is he either wise or just that will cast that away in a frolick or a rage , which is owing to the service of his prince and countrey ? o but the great heroes of the world , that ransack kingdoms , and set up the monuments of their victories in every place ! these are they that fools indeed flatter , because they fear them . nevertheless whilst these live in all their greatness , they cannot avoid the horrible curses and imprecations of those they have made fatherless or childless : and these usually have that effect upon them , that they seldom descend without bloud to their graves . ad generum cereris sinè caede & sanguine pauci descendunt reges & siccâ morte tyranni . and when they are gone , their memory is blasted in the annals of time , and their great atchievements reputed magna latrocinia . but take worldly honour at the best that can be made of it , it is but a blast , a bubble , there is nothing of solidity in it , nothing that can really satisfy the mind of a man ; this is the thin and pitifull diet the devil feeds his slaves with ; all those therefore that dote upon pleasure , or riches , or glory , feed upon husks with the prodigal . . but that 's not the worst of his condition yet , if the prodigal could have had husks enough , he would have thought his condition not intolerable as the case stood , but saith the text , he desired to fill his belly with husks , but no man gave unto him . and now his condition is sad indeed . he that formerly loathed delicates , now to come to want necessaries ; he that surfeited upon viands , now to starve for want of husks ; this breaks his heart . and in this the emblem of a sinner is still carried on : all those husks of pleasure , and gain , and applause , are a course fare for a man that hath an immortal soul. but some could so far forget the dignity of their nature , and contract themselves , that they could be content if they might but have enough of these . if i say men could always swim in pleasure , flow with riches , and mount aloft in glory , they would think the wages of sin well paid ; but the time will come when these will be denied them too . as for bodily pleasure , that quickly growes out of date , and we soon lose the relish of such things as were formerly most gratefull in this kind ; the most delicious viands are nothing to him that hath no palate , and the most ravishing musick to him that hath no ear ; and what do all the charms of beauty signify to a languid body and effete nature ? the time comes on apace upon every man when he shall say with old barzillai , sam. . . can i tast what i eat or drink ? or can i hear any more the voice of singing men or singing women ? or as solomon elegantly describes the case , eccles . . , , , . &c. when the keepers of the house tremble , and the strong men shall bow themselves , and the grinders cease because they are few , and those that look out at the windows be darkened , &c. when a man shall have his winding-sheet in his eye , and his last knell in his ear ; when with great difficulty and continual labour at the pump of life , he hardly keeps his leaky vessel from sinking ; what then do all the objects of the senses gratify him , when the senses themselves are now shutting in their windows , and bidding everlasting good night ? then those entertainments become not only dull and flat , but irksome and tormenting , and only serve to upbraid his impotency . for when a man shall say with sampson , i will rouze my self as at other times , alas dalilah hath shaven his locks , betrayed his strength , and bound him down to a state of inactivity . and which is further considerable , the more a man hath indulged himself the full enjoyment of these things in his youth , the more he accelerates these infirmities and loathings of age , and far the sooner loses all gust of them . and then like tantalus , he is tormented with the sight of what he cannot reach , for he feels himself sinking and perishing . then for the riches and gain of the world , though it be commonly observed that men are so ridiculous as to be most earnest in making provision for their voyage , when they are almost at their journeys end , most carking and reaching after the world , when they have least concern in it ; yet this their way is their folly , and in a little time it will be said , thou fool this night shall thy soul be taken from thee : his beloved bags must be left behind to he knows not who ; his possessions have a new owner , his beautifull habitation another inhabitant , whilst he that gathered all these is close prisoner in the grave , and hath not so much as the beholding them with his eyes . but besides , what do these things advantage him in the mean time ? can they prolong the term of life , or bribe and stave off death ? can they support his spirit , or comfort his mind ? nay they are so far from that , that it 's well if they call not to his remembrance the unjust ways by which he heaped them together ; or if that sad circumstance be escaped , they are but monuments of his folly , that set his heart on those things that will be sure to desert him in his need : and in fine , which serve onely to make him do that unwillingly which must be done in spight of him : that is , instead of securing him from death , or preparing him for it , or fortifying him under it , they do in every respect the quite contrary ; his riches perish , and he perishes with them , and it may be by them . lastly , for that gawd of fame and worldly glory , it is of so thin a contexture , that it is disputable whether it have any substance at all or no ; or any being otherwise then in phancy and conceit . but to be sure it is far too slight to last long , and too airy to give any satisfaction to a languishing spirit or a dying man. when a man's mind comes to be serious , to retreat into it self , to feel remorse for former follies , what will it avail him that he hath a name amongst men , that he hath carried it fairly , and raised a reputation with those that see not into the inside of things ? that he hath appeared bravely upon the stage , but is stripped of all behind the curtain ; is taunted and condemned by his own conscience , and by god who is greater then his conscience , and knows all things . it is not all the plumes of fame , together with popular breath , can lift a man up when his own weight sinks him , and his guilt casts him down . especially when death approaches , how ridiculous will it be to goe about to comfort a man's self with report when he is going into the land of forgetfullness ? a good name indeed for brave and vertuous actions , embalms a man's memory to all ages ; but the name of the wicked shall rot , in despight of all the spicery of flatterers and parasites . what is there in being talked of , when i shall be no more seen ? what to be mentioned in history , unless my name be written in the book of life ? tully somewhere disputes with himself , longam an latam famam mallet , whether was most desirable , a spreading or a lasting name ? whether to be talked of in many countries , or to be remembred to many ages ? but the matter is not great which of the two , nor will both of them joyned together be of any moment , if a man either cease to be , or be in such a condition that it had been good for him never to have been . for notus nimium omnibus qui ignotus moritur sibi , he that hath not made it his care so to know himself as to secure himself of a blessed immortality , it will be little comfort or antidote against death that he shall be talked of far and near when he is gone . so that upon the whole matter in these things consisting all the maintenance and incouragement the devil can give his servants , and these being so mean and slight in themselves , and failing men too at last , they have a most uncomfortable bondage that give up themselves to his service . chap. v. the habitual sinner's case stated , or a reflection upon what hath been said in the foregoing chapter . the contents . § i. the import of the phrase [ when he came to himself ] shews , that the prodigal was all this while hitherto not well in his wits , and that the habitual sinner is in a like condition . § ii. the truth of which appears by considering either the most usual causes , or effects of distraction . § iii. objections against this inference answered . § iv. the application and conclusion of this first part of the parable . vers . . and when he came to himself he said , &c. we have in the foregoing chapter traced the prodigal from the freedome and felicities of his father's house , to the extremity of misery and servitude which his extravagant humour cast him into : and in him , and the issues of his way , we have seen the beginnings , the progress , and the result of a sinfull course lively represented . now summing up all together , and reflecting upon what hath been said , it is evident that the person here described , especially if he resolve to continue in this condition , cannot be in his right wits . the truth of which all men that seriously consider the premises cannot but bear witness to . and besides , it is plainly suggested by our saviour himself in these words , vers . . when he came to himself , &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which phrase either signifies a man dead , ( or in a swound at least ) and coming to life again ; or a man drunk , dispelling at last the cloud of his fumes , and recovering the use of his limbs and senses ; or a man distracted , and returning to his wits and understanding again . and indeed , all these are applicable enough to an habitual sinner , he is morally or spiritually dead , eph. . . you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins . the disease of willfull sin doth so deprave men's natures and disable their powers , that there appears no hope of recovery to a sense of god and goodness , no more then of a man naturally dead , unless god be pleased to breathe into him the breath of life . he is drunk , the steams of lust have clouded and besotted his understanding , and oppressed all his vital powers , that for the present he is not able to guide , nor fit to govern himself ; he hath rather the shape then the sense of a man , no man takes his judgment , nor regards what he saith or doth , but every man looks upon him as a beast ; and were it not that there is hope of his recovery , would think him fit with nebuchadnezar to be turned out to grass . but because this disturbance is usually short , it doth not therefore come so home to the condition of the sinner ; for sin is a lasting phrenzy or distraction , and agrees thereto both in the causes , and in the symptomes . the true account of the cause of distraction ( as i take it ) is this , when the animal spirits , by some accident or other , are so over-heated , that they become unserviceable to cool and sedate reasoning . and then reason being thus laid aside , phansy gets the ascendent , and phaeton like , drives on furiously and inconsistently . this combustion of the spirits happens sometimes by over great intention of the mind in long and constant study , sometimes by a feaver which inflaming the bloud , that communicates the incendium to the spirits which take their original from it . but most usually by the rage and violence of some of the passions , ( whether irascible or concupiscible , as they are wont to be distinguished ) a man setting his heart vehemently upon some object or other , the spirits are set on fire by the violence of their own motion ; and in that rage are not to be governed by reason . this we have sad examples of , in love , in grief , in jealousie , in wrath and vexation ; and indeed , bethlehem is filled with the instances . and this account fits but too well the case we have in hand , namely , of the willfull and habitual sinner . he having passionately addicted himself to some one or other of those worldly objects we lately spoke of all his spirits are ingaged in the pursuit of it , and with that heat and vehemency that nothing can stop their carrier , nor bring them under the reins of reason . no considerations of god , or a world to come , can come into play , no checks of conscience are attended to , whatsoever comes on 't the passion must be obeyed , lust must have its full swing , be the danger or consequence of it what it will. then for the usual symptoms of distraction , if we see a man that hath unspeakable danger over his head , insomuch that every man that sees him bewails and pities him , but he pities not himself ; if we see him disporting upon the brink of a precipice , and the ground breaking away under him ; nay , if we shall see him court danger , tear his own flesh , and delight in his own mischief : or again , suppose we observe a man to have rich offers made him , but he despises them , and prefers trifles before them ; or to be most fierce and injurious to those who are most earnest to do him good , do we not account these the tokens of distraction ? and is not the case the very same , when a man shall be found to go on in a course of sin that god and his own conscience have denounced damnation to , and be secure when there is nothing between him and utter destruction but the frail thred of life , the most uncertain thing in the world ; when a man shall in fondness to some sin or other , despise the counsels of god's word , slight his promises , laugh at his threatnings , and even defy the almighty ; when he shall express so much hate and indignation against none as those that reprove his folly , advise him for his good , and forewarn him of his danger ; in short , that is every moment ready to drop into hell , and yet goes on carelesly and jollily , is not this laughter of his risus sardonius , i. e. plainly and notoriously phrenetical in the highest degree ? we reade , acts . . that festus was of opinion that much study had made st. paul mad , when he took notice of such a wonderfull zeal in him for christianity , that no difficulties would abate his edge , no allurements or flatteries withdraw him , no menaces affright him , nor no sufferings prevail at all upon him . but st. paul sufficiently clears himself of that suspicion , giving a just and manly account of his persuasion , and the reasons of his resolution . and withall , vers . . he confesses time was when he was mad indeed , when he was hurried by his own passions and prejudices to make all the opposition he was able against christianity , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( saith he ) i was exceedingly mad and outragious against it . but there were a great many allowances to be made in his case , he had been bread a pharisee , the education in which sect had put him under the greatest prejudices against christianity that could be possibly ; the gospel was a new thing in the world , which character was enough to condemn it ; but besides , it lay open to a great many disadvantages which it is unseasonable here to mention , by reason of all which he thought he should do god good service to oppose it : he therefore only obeyed his erring conscience , followed the best reason he then had , and what he did amiss he did it ignorantly , and accordingly god had mercy on him . but what can be pretended on the behalf of the habitual sinner against the common law of reason and morality ? can he plead ignorance , or pretend conscience ? is morality a new opinion , or was debauchery ever espoused for the dogma of any famous sect ? was it ever a disputable point whether injustice , adultery , and other sensuality , were vices or vertues ? did ever any man think he should do god good service by complying with these ? nay , is it not evident , that the men we speak of contradict the very principles of reason , the intimations of their own consciences ? they violate all the laws of wisedome , goe cross to all rules of prudence ; nay their very interests , and the principles of self-preservation . may we not therefore direct our discourse to such men , as herod is said to have done a letter to cassius , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in short , cassius thou art mad ? but let us come to particulars , and we will begin with injustice : hath not god said , that the unnighteous shall have no inheritance in the kingdom of christ or of god ? and have we not seen the experiment of those that have raked and torn for riches as if that were the onely thing valuable and desirable , and counted all clear gain that could be gotten , who yet when death hath summoned them to the righteous tribunal of god , would gladly have refunded all again , and have chosen to have lived the poorest life in the world , so they might have gone out of it with a good conscience ? is there not just reason to expect that all unjust acquisitions will one day prove like a barbed arrow in a man's flesh , that must either be pluckt back again , ( and that not to be done without horrible pain and anguish , ) or else will destroy him eternally ? are not these courses condemned by heathens , and by all the reason of mankind ? doth not such a man make himself the hate and scorn of others , and a shame to himself ? what is there then prevails with any man to continue such a practice ? is there any necessity presses him to it ? must a man be starved else ? is there any such unspeakable felicity in being rich , that the temptations thereof are irresistible ? doth any man live more comfortably by his ill-gotten goods ? nay in truth , these imbitter the delights of all the rest . doth riches afford a man such security , quiet and repose , that no man can be at ease till he have attained it ; or is it not certain on the contrary , that the solicitude of acquiring it macerates a man with cares and projects night and day ; and when he hath attained his ends , he lies at once under the joint inconveniences of abundance and of poverty ; the cares of the one , and the burden of the other ? wherefore upon the whole matter there is nothing in the case but the impetuousness of a greedy grasping humour , that bears down his reason , fools him and destroys him . and if a milder name then madness be due to this condition , let sobermen judge . now take the voluptuous man to whom no fruit is pleasant but that which is forbidden , and who knows no measure of pleasure but a surfeit ; in the first place it is very doubtfull whether the quest of pleasures be not as troublesome as the enjoyments of them are sweet ; at least if we lay together the tedious expectations , the frequent frustrations , the certain expence of time , fortune and health , the secret guilt , the constant fear of detection , the shame and reproach upon discovery , the pressing importunities of passion before enjoyment , the follies and dangers in the midst , and the irksomness and loathing after their gratification : the little time of pleasure , and the long hours of shame and repentance , the dull relish of the bodily senses , to the quick and pungent sense of the mind and conscience ; we shall be put out of doubt and assured of the unreasonableness of such a course . but if we consider withall the severe denunciations of the almighty , the inconsistency of such a course with any interest in the joys of another life , the no compare between a fools paradise of sesuality and the felicities of the kingdom of heaven , we cannot pronounce of such a man as ( notwitstanding all these considerations ) shall give himself up to these bruitish passions , otherwise then that he hath forfeited his reason , forgoing his greatest interests for the veriest trifle , and selling his birthright for a mess of pottage . the like may be said of drunkenness ; to see a man tunn up himself like a barrel , and fill his head with froth , which his tongue discharges again ; to see a mans face deformed , his eyes staring , his feet faultering , his motions antick his thoughts open and undecent , his speech much , and reason little : and herewith to observe his estate poured down a common sewer , and his credit and reputation utterly ruined ; but above all , his soul indangered to come into everlasting burnings , and all this for the love of drink : who can chuse but in his thoughts score up such a man as fit for bethlehem ? let us take only one instance more , and that shall be in that passion which hath gotten the name from all the rest , i mean anger . every man knoweth that health is best preserved by calmness and evenness of mind , that mens interest is best secured by gentleness and an obliging temper , their safety by cession and placableness , that reason is highest when rage is down ; that business is best carried on by the most sedate prosecution ; insomuch that no men count him wise whom they observe to be violent , nor do they think those to be valiant that they see huff and swagger . besides , passion disguises a man's very countenance , dries up his body , brings wrinkles upon his face , gray hairs upon his head , hollowness of eyes , withers and destroys him : it puts him upon the most foolish , shamefull , and dangerous adventures , which at the same time it usually renders him impotent to effect , or if he effect them , he only makes matter for his own repentance as long as he lives ; or it may be work for the executioner to shorten his unhappy days . above all , it is contrary to the nature of god who is a god of peace , to the temper of the blessed jesus , who was an example of meeknesse and patience ; it utterly unfits a man for the peacefull and amicable society of saints and angels in the kingdom of heaven , and disposes him for the horrid fellowship of fell and desperate fiends in the regions below . all which things considered , when we see a man boil with choler , foam with rage , pale with envy , and indulging himself in this humour ; what can we say or think of this man , but that he hath lost the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the very principles of manhood ? but perhaps it may be said , that all this while we have but maintained a stoical paradox ; and for all this that hath been said , vicious men cannot be reputed mad , because upon other occasions we see many of them give proof of wit and parts . to which i answer , that neither do i in all this intend to intimate that they are in all respects mad , ( though it were well for many of them that it were strictly true . ) but when men shall betray the most egregious folly , and act the most extravagantly in the matters of greatest moment , i may leave it to themselves in their sober moods to judge what name they ought to be called by , whatever ingenie they may discover in lesser occasions . besides , neither is it the condition of all those that are acknowledged mad , to do nothing soberly or ingeniously ; all or most have their lucid intervals , and there are some in whom the humour betrays it self in some peculiar instances onely . melancholici quoad hoc , ( as they say . ) talk with them in the general and they are like other men , but touch upon some peculiar point and they rave presently . so it is with these men we speak of : as to common conversation and the affairs of the world they may be ingenious , and perhaps in some repartee , or other trifle , ( by reason of the heat of their spirits aforesaid ) beyond other men ; but as to the businesse of their souls and eternity , they have no manly sense at all . and indeed , there is nothing can be more pat to verify what i have been saying then this very circumstances ; for when men that otherwise have sense and understanding in lesser matters shall be so extreamly absurd in that which especially requires the most manly proceedings , it is the very symptom that we have been all this while describing . which being so , the consequence is , that in the first place it is an absurdity next to theirs to follow the counsell or example of such men . the psalmist makes it the first step to felicity , not to stand in the counsel of the ungodly . will any man think it reasonable to imitate the mad freaks of a bedlam , because he sees him jolly and brisk when he plays them ? no more let any man incourage himself in wickednesse because he sees the high rants of sinners : rather let him say in the words of our saviour , father forgive them , they know not what they doe . fools they are with a witnesse that make a mock of sin ; little do they think how ill this jollity becomes them , and lesse do they forethink what will be the end of such courses . nor let the authority of the number or quality of such persons bear us down , for folly is folly , let who will be the patron of it . can precedent change the nature of things ? is there any prescription against reason ? will publick vogue justify conscience , or multitude of voices carry it against god ? unlesse wicked men could not only efface the principles of their own minds and consciences , but also remove the pillars of the world , change the course of nature , and by a gigantick enterprize wage war against and conquer heaven ; i. e. force the almighty to alter his opinion , repeal his laws , and revoke his threatnings : sin will everlastingly be folly , and perseverance therein madnesse , in spight of multitude , fashion , custome and example . shall i therefore follow their examples that thwart god , that contradict their own consciences , whom all men at least tacitly condemn , even those that bruitishly and sillily are lead by them ? shall i make those my guide who have so little foresight as not to see beyond the short stage of life ? shall i make them my counsellors that make so foolish a bargain , as to give eternal life in exchange for momentany pleasure ? that have so bad memories as to forget they have immortal souls , or so little reason as to think there is no god ? in a word , shall i take them for wise men that have so little of man in them as to live like beasts , and to wish they might die so too ? or ( which equals any of the former ) that can be so sottish as to imagine they can goe on in a course of rebellion against god , and escape eternal destruction ? again secondly , upon the premises it is mighty reasonable , that every man in this condition should in his lucid intervals apply himself most effectually to the means of recovery . 't is not the custome of physicians to administer remedies in a paroxysm , ( but such as may abate the symptoms only ) because nature is then perverted and out of order to comply with the help offered to it ; and it were madnesse little inferiour to that of these spiritual lunaticks we speak of , to deal with them in the heat and rage of their passion , as to reprove a man when he is drunk , to preach meeknesse to a man in a fury , &c. all we can doe then is to pity and pray for them . but when the fit is over and the patient in a sedate temper , then is the time for application ; and it is the greatest uncharitablenesse in the world not to help them what we can , or to forbear to admonish them as the angel did lot when he had drawn him out of sodom , escape for thy life , look not back , &c. but especially when the sinner is in his right mind , apprehensive of his former folly , sees the emptinesse of what he so eagerly pursued , nauseates his own choice , and either feels or foresees the consequence of it ; then is the only time for him to call in his thoughts , to deplore his unreasonablenesse , to shame himself and feel remorse for his wickednesse , to take a just measure of things , to renew his vows , to fortify his resolutions , to beg god's grace , and to lay all the obligations possible upon himself , to withstand all the occasions of relapsing . to which purpose let him consider with himself , it was god's unspeakable patience and mercy to me , that i was not snatcht away in the midst of my riot and debauch . i that abused so much goodnesse , broke so righteous a law , and affronted so great a majesty , it had been just with god to have cut off the thred of my life and let me drop into hell. oh what absurd folly possessed me , that i dust and ashes should oppose my maker ! i that could not assure my self of one moments life , should yet live so as i durst not die , or if i did must expect to have been damned eternally ! or what if god sparing my life had given me up to a reprobate mind , to a profane spirit , had never solicited me by his spirit , nor awakened my conscience more , but had said , let him that is unjust be unjust still , and him that is filthy be filthy still , &c. and so i had gone blind-fold to destruction ? blessed be his holy name , and happy is it for my poor soul that i have lived to see my shame , feel my disease , and bewail my folly . o my soul sin no more , lest a worse thing happen to thee . and this brings me to the second part of the parable , ( viz. ) the prodigal's return . and he would faine have filled his belly with the husks that y e swine did eat : s t. lvke . xv. ●● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. maxim. tyr. differ . . the parable of the prodigal son. part ii. the penitent , or the prodigal returning . s. luke . vers . , , , , . and when he came to himself , he said , how many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare , and i perish with hunger . i will arise and goe to my father , and will say unto him , father , i have sinned against heaven and before thee , and am no more worthy to be called thy son : make me as one of thy hired servants . and he arose , and came to his father . but when he was yet a great way off , his father saw him , and had compassion , and ran and fell on his neck , and kissed him . and the son said to him , father , i have sinned against heaven , and in thy sight , and am no more worthy to be called thy son. chap. i. of consideration . the contents . § i. the general concern of repentance . the reason why , notwithstanding , there is little mention made of it in the law of moses . the peculiar necessity of it to those who have been great sinners : the parts thereof as they are alluded to in this parable . § ii. of the nature of consideration ; and that it usually begins conversion . § iii. affliction usually brings men to consideration , prosperity commonly rendring them either light and incogitant , or confident and presumptuous . § iv. the peculiar meditations of a returning sinner . hitherto in the former part of the parable , in the person of a light incogitant young-man , we have seen the deplorable effects of rashnesse and folly , pride and curiosity , insolence and disobedience , how they work jointly and severally together and by turns , till by degrees they have trained him on to his utter ruine . his pride raises him so high that he must fall , his licentiousnesse betrays him to slavery , and his luxury to extream necessity . and under this type we have seen lively pourtrayed the beginnings , the progresse , the upshot , the causes and the effects of a sinfull course . it was high time for the prodigal to think of returning to his father , when he was perishing by his disobedience , and had no other refuge but in his father's clemency ; and sure it is time for the sinner to repent and return to god , when ( if he be sensible of any thing ) he cannot but be apprehensive that in the course he is in , the danger of his eternal ruine is as certainly impendent as it is more intolerable . and thus far we have sadly observed the steps of descent towards hell : we come now in this second part to descry the way of recovery , to trace out a plain path towards heaven : that is , to lay open the beginnings , the motives , the whole nature and processe of repentance . and the divine wisedom of our saviour hath so contrived this parable , that all the lines of this great work are as plainly discernible in the narrative of the prodigal's return , as we have already seen the progresse of sin delineated in his former extravagancy . wherefore as i cannot but hope that the genuine efficacy of plain truth , especially invigorated by so curious a scheme , as in the former part , must needs have put every man into some concern , who hath stained his conscience with guilt , but not quite extinguished it : so i see lesse cause to doubt but that this second part will be very acceptable and usefull to all those upon whom the former made any impression . for if he that could pretend to be able to direct those who have bankrupt their fortunes , how they might certainly repair their losses , and redintegrate their estates , shall be sure to have a great many attentive auditors ; and he that should undertake the cure of those that have received a sentence of death within themselves , and have been given up as no longer men of this world , would be sure to have good store of patients : there is far greater reason to expect it , that such a discourse as pretends to give relief to guilty consciences , to open a sure port for all troubled souls , should find acceptance with all such as are not in the very extremity of one of those fits of madnesse we lately spoke of . tertvllian writing a discourse of the nature and efficacy of repentance , gives this serious account of so doing in the latter end of the treatise , being conscious ( saith he ) to my self that i am a great sinner , i cannot easily be silent concerning repentance , especially since it is preached and recommended to all posterity by our first parent adam , as that which he found by experience to have been the onely expedient of restoring him again to paradise , after he had sinned against god. and not onely our first parents but all their off-spring have been sensible of the necessity of repentance , forasmuch as all have sinned , and come short of the glory of god , and if god should be extreme to mark what is done amiss , no man living could be justified . repentance is ( as the same authour calls it , ) the pharos or watch-tower , which gives light by night to those who are bewildered by their own vanity and the illusion of the devil , and are ready to sink of their own leaks . 't is the great asylum and sanctuary of humane infirmity , the port of a troubled soul , a plank to a ship-wreckt conscience , a sovereign plaister to the sore and wounded , physick to the sick , nay , life from the dead , and resurrection from the grave . repentance is the miracle of divine goodnesse , the reconciler of the divine attributes , justice and mercy , the relief and succour of humane frailty , the envy of devils as that which they cannot attain to , and the peculiar and inestimable priviledge of mankind , that which their amendment , comfort and eternal salvation depends upon . therefore it may justly seem a wonder that the law of moses takes little or no notice of it , but the reason is , because the mosaical institution was never intended as the method of attaining eternal life , but principally as a political law , and accordingly it takes notice only of matter of fact , allows no retrieval , but saith , cursed is he that continues not in all things that are written in the book of the law to doe them . but the prophets all along earnestly recommend repentance ; with this both our saviour and s. jo. baptist began their preaching , and indeed , this is the summe of the whole gospel . that god will wink at the times of former ignorance , and now commands all men every where to repent , because he hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteousness , &c. act. . , . it is true , ( as we have intimated already ) all have not the same necessity of repentance , or at least not of the same measures and circumstances , because all have not run the same risk of folly , nor blackened their souls with the same enormous commissions that some others have , and therefore cannot have such bitter reflections , for which they have given no cause , nor can find such difficulty of recovering themselves , having never been habituated to a course of sin , and therefore as our saviour said , he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance : so we intend not this discourse principally for such persons : but for those that have run a long course of notorious sin , that have provoked god , offended their conscience , deformed their natures , and put themselves under just and dreadfull apprehensions of a sad account hereafter ; it is the infinite concern of such men , if they do not desperately abandon themselves to eternal misery , to attend to this happy expedient which now i am to explain . to come therefore to the businesse . our saviour in the part of the parable before us , represents the prodigal making his retreat in this order . . he becomes a thinking and considerative person , and debates his own case with himself . when he came to himself he said , how many hired servants of my father's , &c. before he drove on furiously , considering nothing present , reflecting on nothing past , nor regarding any thing that might come after : now he grows cool , reasons the case , and deliberates what is like to be the issue of his present state , and what is fittest to be done for the future . and thus the penitent sinner ; the first essay of repentance is a relenting thoughtfullnesse , a serious and pensive consideratenesse . as soon as he is gotten out of the noise of the world , the charms of pleasure , and the hurry of his own passions , he sits down and considers , he practises to see with his own eyes , and not be led by rumour and example ; he exercises his reason , and resolves to judge impartially of things : and from this point of time the first conceptions of good in him bear date . . from the aforesaid deliberation he proceeds to resolution . i will arise and goe to my father , and say unto him , &c. q. d. i foolishly hurried on hitherto , and was upon the brink of destruction before i apprehended my danger ; i dreamed of new discoveries , of fresh pleasures in my bold adventures , but i now perceive there is but one way with me , i must try my father's clemency or perish . whether he will receive me or no i cannot tell , but that i find must be the way or none , therefore i will make the experiment : it is better to retract my folly and live , then obstinately to maintain my post and die miserably ; there is some hope this way , and none at all the other : therefore jacta est alea , i will return . thus also the penitent sinner : now ( saith he ) mine eyes are opened , and though very late , yet now at last i see my danger , and blessed be god that i see whither i was going , before the case be utterly desperate ; i am sure to be damn'd if i continue my course , what-ever come on 't therefore i 'll return . whatsoever discouragements for my acceptance , my former rebellions set before me ; or whatsoever difficulty there may be for an old habituate sinner to change his bias , i am resolved however not to perish foolishly with my hands folded up in my bosome , i will arise , i will try . . this resolution is followed by execution and actual returning . so he arose and went to his father . he that considers and comes to no resolution , is like the man that ploughs his ground but sows nothing upon it ; and he that resolves , but executes not , is yet more sottish , for he is at all the cost , and takes all the pains , but reaps no fruit of his labours . there is such a near connexion between consideration , resolution and execution , and they are so naturally consequent upon one another ; that as on the one side , consideration brings on resolution , and that practice ; so much more on the other , from a man's practice we may ordinarily pronounce of his resolutions , and from that certainly calculate his meditations . but to the point in hand : i ( saith the prodigal ) have delayed too long already , i may consider and make resolutions , and yet sit and starve ; it must be doing must rescue me from my misery . so he arose , and so doth the true penitent . but these things are not to be passed over thus superficially , therefore we will handle them particularly . and accordingly § ii. i begin with the first , viz. consideration or deliberation . by which i mean not a mopish and ineffective dozinesse , when men seem to think profoundly , but apprehend nothing at all distinctly ; their understandings being amused and baffled with a new and strange prospect , as if looking back upon their former miscarriages had ( with lot's wife ) transformed them into a pillar of salt. much lesse do i mean a solemn austerity of temper , and rigid fixation of spirits ; as if men had forgone all touches of humanity , and were become a kind of walking ghosts . both these are passions of the body , not motions of the mind , and if they are not counterfeit , tend more to desperation then conversion ; and there is danger lest such men are falling from a vicious phrenzy ( as we not long since called it ) to a strictly literal , and more incurable madnesse . but by consideration , so far as concerns the business in hand , i understand nothing more nor less , but a manly and a serious application of our minds to take a just and impartial view of our selves , and of all such things as most concern us , to the end that we may govern our determinations and carriage accordingly . for the fuller apprehension of this , we are to remember ( what i have in part intimated before ) that the mind of man hath these four priviledges . . it hath not only a perceptive power of such things as are present , which is common to the inferiour and animal faculties , but hath a large sphere of cognizance , recalling things past , and having a solicitude and forethought of things to come . . the rational powers of the soul are not meerly passive as the inferiour are , which only take notice of such images of things in transitu and glance , as are reflected upon them from the senses , but these can fix themselves , and their objects can hold the images of things steddy , and stay and arrest their own motions towards them . . the mind of man doth not take so superficial a view of things , as to discern only the pleasantness or unpleasantness of them , wherein natural good and evil consists , but is able to discern and pronounce of an higher and more exquisite beauty or deformity , excellency or turpitude from the relation to god , to the community , to the nature of our own souls , and to the time to come ; wherein consists that which we call moral good and evil . and this is that rational sense or relish , the criterion or standard of the soul i formerly spoke of . lastly , the soul is able also to reflect upon it self , to measure its own motions , and its own state , by the standard aforesaid ; and so becomes aware of , and corrects its own errours for the time past , and takes better aim for the time to come . now the exercising of these several capacities of the soul , is that which we mean by consideration . namely , then a man considers when in the first place he suffers not himself to be carried away with the prejudice of sense , nor confines his thoughts to such things as are thereby presented to him ; but inlarges his prospect , looks round about him , takes one thing with another , and embraces in his mind the whole nature , tendency , and all the circumstances of things . this is well intimated by the latines in either of these words , contemplari and considerare , which seem to allude to astronomical calculations , wherein men ought not ad pauca respicere , to confine their observations to some one appearance , but to look round about them , to survey the whole orb , and salve all the phaenomena . thus a man considers morally that observes his own actions , that recollects what hath befallen himself , or other men upon so doing , and forecasts what may befall him or them hereafter . again , when a man lives not extempore , but premeditates , nor suffers himself to be overborn , either by the presence and importunity of sensual objects , or by the solicitation and hurry of passions , but checks his own carrier , and gives himself leisure calmly and maturely to understand the just nature of things , defixes his thoughts , and suspends his determination till he see plain reason to incline him this way , or that this is a considerative man. especially when a man takes not things in the gross , as if all were alike trivial , or alike momentous , nor suffers himself to be led along by common custome , opinion and example ; that takes not the price of things from publick fame , but appeals to and estimates all things by the just standard of reason , and accordingly governs his desires and prosecutions : the man i say , that distinguishes and makes a discrimination betwixt one thing and another , that goes not by tale and number , but by weight and proof ; is justly esteemed a thinking and serious person . for so the greek words used in this case import . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , signifying to confer , compare , and distinguish : as also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to state the matter , to cast up accounts ; and so also the latine word deliberare , which festus derives from libra , as , deciding the matter by the scale ; in like manner , examinare , to observe , quà lanx exeat , which way the scale turns . lastly , when a man turns his eyes inward , studies himself , makes himself his theam , and comments upon himself and his own actions , hath his eyes in his head , minding his own way , having propounded a destined mark and aim of his actions ; keeps it constantly in his eye , and shapes his course accordingly ; not like the fool in the proverbs of solomon , that hath his eyes roving , and in the ends of the earth . this is that the hebrews express by the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to lay to heart ; or in the other phrase of the psalmist , psal . . . to commune with ones own heart . this is that which we mean by considerativeness , or in other words , the working of conscience , and the discharge of both its offices . and by such kind of consideration as this doth the grace of god and his holy spirit begin the work of conversion ; and herein do the first strictures and essays of piety discover themselves . it was wont to be said by the platonists , that knowledge is nothing but remembrance , and that all the discovery of truth , which we in this state are able with all our labour and diligence to make , is but a revival and recovery of those idea's of things we had in a former state , and which now became obscure and confused by our being immersed in matter and body . but let that be as it may , it is true in the present case , that the first point of true practical wisedom is gained by studying a man's self , and by making himself the subject of his meditations . for as there is nothing wherein we betray more folly , nothing by which we shipwreck our consciences , and lose our selves so fatally , as by permitting our selves to run adrift without card or compass , port or pilot ; so on the other hand , there is nothing gives greater hopes of recovery , then being able and disposed to collect our selves , to call in our thoughts by serious consideration and reflection . to which purpose it was worthily said by philo , that the source of all our danger , and the first reason of our miscarriages , lay in our running on with the boisterous tide of passion ; and the first hopes of safety was in being able to stay our selves , and soberly to reason the matter . but we have greater authority for it then philo's . for upon defect of this , god himself lays the blame of men's ruine ; and in this he places the first signs of recovery . so we find him complaining of his people israel as in a very desperate condition , isa . . . my people will not consider : and therefore often calls upon them by the prophets in these words , thus saith the lord of hosts , consider your ways . but most emphatically doth he express himself , isa . . . remember and shew your selves men : bring it again to mind o ye transgressours . and it is very observable , that in that famous chapter , ezek. . where above any other passage in the old testament , god most solemnly proclaims and ratifies the efficacy of repentance , he describes the first lines at least of it to consist in consideration , vers . . a son that considereth , &c. again , vers . . because he considereth and turneth , &c. to all these adde the advice of the psalmist , psal . . . stand in awe and sin not ; commune with your own hearts upon your bed , and be still . as if the serious treating with our selves was the onely way , both to stifle the temptation to , and to extinguish the guilt of sin . the septuagint render the last phrase of the psalmist , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , q. d. consider so seriously with your selves at your best retirements , the evil of your ways , and the danger of your course , that you may feel remorse and compunction . the chaldee targum paraphraseth thus , let your hearts concur with your mouths in saying your prayers , and think of the god of death : q. d. affect your hearts seriously in secret with a deep apprehension of the danger of sin . and if we look into the n. testament , nothing can more illustriously set forth this which we are asserting , then those two parables of our saviour , luk. . . &c. of the man that intends to build a tower , and a king going to war. in both which , the design of our saviour is to shew , that serious debating , and prudent forecasting all the difficulties of the whole course of christianity , is no less necessary to him that intends successfully to undertake it , then those grave deliberations of princes , or projections of private persons , when the one intends to enter into a dangerous war , and the other a costly building . if indeed conversion to god were nothing else but a meer melancholy qualm , or a fright : if i say repentance were only a paroxysm of devotion , and the divine majesty so soft and easy as to be taken with an agony of mind , or a kind of love-fit : then an inconsiderate man might be esteemed a penitent . but repentance being nothing less then the change of a man's whole temper and life , the entring into a whole course of severe and constant vertue , the subduing our most potent passions , the denying our selves some of the most pleasant gratifications of flesh and bloud , the breaking off old and radicated customs and habits : it must be absolutely necessary , that whosoever goes through with it , do maturely consider the enterprize , and call in all his force for the atchievement of it . or again , if a man could be so vain and unreasonable , as to hope that god would save men by force , doe violence to their natures , over-bear or supersede their faculties , and plant grace in their hearts by a meer act of his omnipotency , and new make them after the manner he created them at first without their own concurrence , then indeed there would be no use of consideration ; and it would be as fruitless and unnecessary to contribute any endeavour , as impossible to make any opposition . but those that dream at this rate , neither understand god nor themselves ; neither what is fit for him to confer , nor for them to expect . they know not what vertue means , nor apprehend whence comfort arises ; they consider not what a righteous judgment to come supposes , nor what the very notion of reward and punishment speaks ; they make no difference between free and natural agents , and condomn themselves to senseless and stupid machines , in hopes to be made saints per saltum , and to come at heaven such a way as never any man did or can doe ; that is , without their own endeavour . or lastly , if a man could perswade himself , that themeans of grace , ( viz. ) the word and sacraments did use to work physically upon men , and made them good ex opere operato , ( as some speak ) after the manner of food and medicine to the body , which take place whether men consider it or no , and oftentimes work the better the less the mind is employed in thinking of that or any thing else : upon such a supposition there were no reason why any man should put himself to the trouble of that we have been speaking of . but on the contrary , it is most certain that all the means of grace have effect upon men's souls , no otherwise then by awakening the sense of the mind , and making men considerative , and then men's hard hearts are made contrine by operating upon themselves , as the diamond is known to be cut by its own dust . for it is as impossible that sermons , counsels , or any other discourses , should edify the mind of a man , unless his understanding bring them close , and make application of them to his conscience , by the way of consideration ; as it is for a man's body to be nourished by meats who hath no digestive faculty , to be or cured by medicine , where all the powers of nature are extinguished . in short , to think otherwise , is to turn devotion into conjuring , and all the divine institutions into charms and amulets . and all this is so true that nothing can be objected to it but what will convince the objector of utter strangeness and unacquaintedness with converting grace ; for we may safely appeal either to the experience of every such convert as we are speaking of , or to the observation of all those who have taken notice of others in that condition , whether any thing hath been more remarkably visible in such a crists , then a pensive , serious , and considerative temper . and it were easy to bring abundance of egregious instances hereof ; such as justin martyr , st. austin , and others : but to what i have said already , i will only subjoin two or three scriptural observations . and the first shall be what david saith of himself , psal . . vers . . i thought upon my ways , and turned my feet to thy precepts . in the next place i cannot but take notice in the story of isaac , gen. . . the scripture saith of him , he went out into the fields to meditate in the evening . the lxx render it , he went out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to talk with himself , to entertain discourse with his own heart ; and for the convenience of doing this , he chose the solitude of the fields , and the cool and quiet of the evening . and by this practice the holy ghost characterizes him , as ( though a young man yet ) beginning to be both a wise and a pious person . nor is it to be omitted which is recorded of ahab , . king. . . that when god threatned him with the utter extirpation of his family for his wickedness , he put on sackcloth , sprinkled himself with ashes , and especially amongst the rest he walked softly : that is , although he did not heartily repent , yet he knew well how to dissemble the doing it , and acted the part of a penitent in that serious and considerative posture . i will conclude this point with a passage of the prophet jeremiah , chap. . vers . , . the words are these : i have surely heard ephraim bemoaning himself thus , thou hast chastised me and i was chastised ; as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke . turn thou me and i shall be turned , for thou art the lord my god. surely after i was turned i repented , and after i was instructed i smote upon my thigh ; i was ashamed , yea even confounded , because i did bear the reproach of my youth . a memorable scripture very full and apposite to my present purpose , and withall so pathetick as that it is almost match for this parable of our saviour we have before us . the reflection upon both which together lead me . in the second place to observe the occasion , or what it was which put the prodigal into a considerative temper ; and that was the pressure of his wants : whilest wind and tide favoured him , and his affaris were prosperous , he made no reflections , nor struck sail to any thing ; but now the tide forsaking him he is becalmed , and then considers . in like manner , § iii. it is usually some affliction or other which first awakens habitual sinners into consideration , and the rudiments of piety and religion . or as serious considerativeness begins conversion , so commonly some sharp affliction or other begins that seriousness . it cannot be doubted but that the most easy and most frequently successfull way of begetting a sense of god and of piety in the minds of men is by holy education in their youth , whilest their hearts are tender and tractable , not prejudiced by actual ingagements , not confirmed by example , nor hardened by long custome and practice ; and when the grace of god anticipates the devil , and prevents all his enterprises : and perhaps if we look over the state of mankind , we shall find amongst those that are sincerely good , the number of those that have become so after a long course of sin , to be very small in comparison . we may also allow it for truth which is made a common maxime , that ingenuous minds are most wrought upon by obligation and favour , that the strongest efforts are those which are made by kindness and goodness , that this latter method will melt and dissolve such as would be broken in pieces by violence . but this prejudices not the business in hand , for we speak of such as have lost their ingenuity ; old hardened sinners , who must first be broken by the hammer of affliction before they will dissolve by the benign warmth of mercy and kindness . these last indeed carry on the work and make a perfect change , but fear and pain usually begins it . but i will not stick to grant that perhaps it may fall out , that some old sinner may have been reclaimed by the reading of a good book , hearing a serious sermon , or by the grave admonition of a faithfull friend , without any pressing affliction to prepare him for it , or as it were extort it from him . notwithstanding i verily believe , if an estimate could be taken , the instances of this kind would be found to be exceeding rare . we find pharaoh and nebuchadnezzar humbled by adversity , and their stiff necks submitted to those acknowledgements of god's power and sovereignty , which no kindness or mercy would bring them to . and manasses comes out a true convert , a new man out of the furnace of affliction . and david himself confesses of himself , that before he was afflicted he went astray , but thereby he had learnt to keep god's commandments , psal . . vers . . but the whole scripture affords no one instance that i know of , of such a person as we speak of , cured by any other method then this . and for the whole nation of the jews god himself saith thus , hos . . . i will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their transgression and seek my face . in their affliction they will seek me early . q. d. i will not only afflict my people , but i will leave them under the pressure thereof ; and by this rack as it were extort from them a confession of my sovereignty and their own guilt : for i have found by long trial that nothing else will work upon a stiff-necked generation , but in their affliction i am sure they will earnestly and instantly seek after me . it was not the peculiar jealousy of fabius concerning the romane state which made him say , se secunda magìs quàm adversa timere , that their danger was greater lest they should become rash and confident by some slight successes , then that their spirits should be broken by a disaster . for all men that understand themselves , and value their safety above their pleasure , find they have reason more to suspect the soft charm of ease , peace and plenty , then the rough attacks of adversity . because ( amongst other things ) a constant and stiff gale of prosperity carries men with too full sail to be checkt or controuled by counsel : it presents them with too many and great temptations to be easily resisted , ministers to their confident presumption , that either they are good enough already because they have so many arguments of the divine favour , or at least that he overlooks their miscarriages . and conscience is either out-faced , or hath been so often silenced and baffled , that it dares scarce mutter till the apprehension of some great danger or misery authorize and provoke it : but then it recovers its speech and tells its errand . to this purpose we have a famous instance in the brethren of joseph , gen. . they , prompted by envy , had maliciously plotted the death , or at least the perpetual servitude of their brother ; and proceeded so far in it , that to their thinking it had taken effect . then they unworthily contrive to abuse the affections of their good old father , with feigned probabilities that his beloved son was devoured by wild beasts . and now they thought all was well , they had reaked their malice , and concealed their guilt , they kept their countenances , fed upon the sweets of revenge , and all this while their conscience felt no regret . till at last , as god would have it , they themselves fall into the hands of him they thought they had made away ; their necessities compell them to goe down to aegypt , and there the man , the governour of the land lookt sternly upon them , pretends to take them for spies , and threatens to deal severely with them . then courage fails them , and conscience recovers : we are verily guilty ( say they ) of the bloud of our brother , when we saw the anguish of his soul , &c. what is the matter now , what alters the case , how comes joseph to their minds now , who had been so long forgotten ? now they find they stand in need of mercy , and therefore sadly remember how merciless they had been before ; now they pity poor joseph , for whom before they had no compassion ; now they have bowels , when their own case was sad , and their punishment leads them to a remembrance of their guilt . thus we see affliction if it doth not make men good , yet at least it will not suffer them to be at ease in their sin , and so disposes them towards repentance . but contrariwise , prosperity raises the passions and depresses conscience : it hath made many from hopefull and tolerable become bad and intolerable , but scarcely ever improved any from bad to good . it is a well known story of zeno , who was as intent as any other man upon the amassing of wealth , and as much taken with the gaiety of the world , so long as his merchandize succeeded : but when he shipwrackt his fortunes he recovered his reason , and applied himself to the study of philosophy and the inriching of his mind . naufragio tutus & foelix infortunio , his undoeing was his making , and his misfortune proved his recovery . and this the holy psalmist observes to be a common case , for psal . . . he gives this account of mens obstinate impiety , because ( saith he ) they have no changes , therefore they fear not god. and saint peter also , pet. . . represents it as the common argument upon which such men incourage themselves in the contempt of all religion , where ( say they ) is the promise of his coming ? for since the fathers fell asleep , all things continue as they were , &c. as if he had said , whilest there were visible interpositions of the divine providence in the world , and that god was wont presently by some remarkable judgment or other to revenge himself upon those that violated his laws and affronted his majesty , so long the world was kept in some awe and religion reverenced ; but from such time as there hath been a constant calme and no interruption of the course of common causes , men have called in question , whether there be any providence at all in this world ? and if once they can perswade themselves god hath left off to mind the affairs of the present world , they will confidently and with some colour of reason infer , that then he will not call things to account hereafter . wherefore it is the usuall method of the divine wisdome to make way for the reasons and motives of religion by affliction : first softning the obdurate heart by some sharp cross , taking down the pride , confuting the atheism , curing the wantonness and delicacy of men's tempers , and so bringing them to a cool and thoughtfull condition ; and to reason with themselves as the prodigal in the text. from all which we learn both the hardness of a vicious heart , in that nothing can pierce it but affliction , and also the blindness and folly of men who so passionately desire prosperity , together with the great usefullness of affliction : and from all these , that it proceeds not from harshness and severity in god that he sends calamities upon the sons of men , but there is an illustrious instance of his wisedom , and of his goodness , in those providential dispensations , since this is the only way of recovering and making men good and happy . § iv. let us now see in the last place somewhat particularly what are the considerations the prodigal entertains his thoughts upon in this his afflicted condition . and consulting the text , and carrying along with us a just notion of the nature of the case , we shall find those reducible to these four points . i. he considers what the condition was he is faln from , and how happy he might have been , had it not been for his own folly . how many hired servants , &c. q. d. i that am pinched with want now , felt none in my father's house ; i was liberally maintained , honourably treated , wanted nothing but the wisedom to understand my own felicity , and in this condition i might have continued : for neither did my father's estate complain of the burden of my accommodations , nor was he strait handed , or abated any thing of his fatherly affections towards me ; it was nothing but my own folly ruined me . and then . he proceeds to deplore the sad estate he is fallen into : when i set out from my father's house in quest of liberty , did i ever dream of becoming a slave ? when i despised the liberal provisions of his family , did i or cou'd i have thought i should come to want bread , to feed upon husks ? how sad is the change , how severe is my fate , which i know no more how to bear then how to avoid ! but that 's not the worst yet . for . he forethinks what is like to be the issue of this . it is not only feeding upon husks , but i perish for hunger . i have a prospect of nothing but death before me in the case i am in ; i am lost , undone , undone in the most dreadfull circumstances ; for i perish , and it is with hunger ; death makes its sure approaches , and that in the most ghastly shape : vivens vidénsque pereo , i see and feel my self dying . . but yet in the last place , he looks about him to see if there be not some escape . i am dying , ( saith he ) but not quite dead . whilest there is life there is hope ; who will not catch hold of any thing rather then perish ? and it agrees not with my condition to stick at any thing that can minister the least probability of safety . am not i a son , though i am here a slave ? have i not a father , and hath not he pity ? why then do i stand still and die , and not rather make the utmost experiment ? after this manner we may feel the pulse of the prodigal son to beat , and the thoughts of a sinner , whom god hath awakened by affliction , move much after the same rate . for first , as soon as his eyes are opened , he cannot choose but call to mind the blessedness of a state of innocency , and reason with himself on this wise . what-ever my case is now , sure i was made in the image of god , placed under the eye of his providence , as it were of his family and table , heaven and earth ministred to me , i was lord of the lower , and favourite of the upper world , as if the one was made on purpose to exercise and divert me , and the other to receive and reward me . i have a nature capable of immortality , and had eternal life designed for me as the inheritance of a son : and my task of obedience was as easie and honourable as my hopes were glorious . for i had no hard burthen laid upon me , nothing required of me but what was proportionable to my powers , and agreeable to the reason of my mind ; no restraint was laid upon my passions , but such as was evidently both necessary for the world and good for my self ; that it could not be drawn into an argument of harshness and severity in god , nor make apology for my transgression . all my faculties were whole and intire , i was neither tempted by necessity , nor oppressed by any fate ; i was therefore happy enough , and why am i not so still ? it is true that humane nature hath miscarried since it came out of the hands of god , and i carry the skar of that common wound ; yet is the dammage of the first adam so repaired by the second , that mankind is left inexcusable in all its actual transgressions ; but especially in a dissolute and impenitent course of rebellion . besides , i see others whose circumstances were in all points the same with mine , and their difficulties and temptations no less , to live holily and comfortably , having either escaped the too common pollutions of the world by an early compliance with the grace of god , or at least , quickly recovered themselves by repentance . i find therefore that i might have lived in the light of god's countenance , in serenity of mind , quiet of conscience , sense of my own integrity , and comfortable hopes of unspeakable glory ; in contemplation of which i might have defied death , and lived in heaven upon earth : but i have been meerly fooled by my own incogitancy , and undone by my own choice . for proceeds he . i have forfeited all this by sinning against god , and been so sottish as to prefer the satisfaction of my own humour before all the aforesaid felicities . i have been ingratefull towards my great benefactour , broken the law of my creation , confronted the wisedom of the most high , been insolent towards a mighty majesty , violated just and righteous commandments , sinned against light , knowledge and conscience , added presumption to folly , wilfullness to weakness , despised counsels , exhortations , promises , assistances ; my sins are many in number , horrible in their aggravations , deadly in their continuance , and my perseverance in them . by this means i have not onely wrought disorder in the world , but disordered my own soul , spoiled my own powers , suffered passion to get head of my reason , clouded my understanding , and so by former sins rendered it in a manner necessary that i sin still . for when i would doe good , evil is present with me ; i find a law in my members rebelling against the law of my mind , and carrying me into captivity to the law of sin . o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from this body of death ? i have driven away the good spirit of god , and put my self under the power of satan , become his slave and drudge . i know nothing now of the comforts of innocence , of the joy of a good conscience , mine is a continual torture to me , i have lost the light of god's countenance , and the very thoughts of him are dreadfull to me ; by all which together life is a burden , and yet the thoughts of death are intolerable . such reflections and considerations as these break the very heart of a sinner , and resolve him into sighs and tears . . but this is not the worst of the case , for in the third place he considers what is like to be the issue of this . this miserable life ( saith the sinner ) cannot last always , death will arrest me shortly , and present me before a just tribunal , the grave will e're ong cover me , but not be able to conceal me , for i must come to judgment . methinks i hear already the sound of the last trump , let the dead arise , let them come to judgment . i see the angels as apparitors gathering all the world together , and presenting them before that dreadfull tribunal . how shall i be able with my guilty conscience to appear upon that huge theatre , before god , angels and men ? methinks i see the devil standing at my right hand to aggravate those faults which he prompted me to the commission of . i behold the books opened , and all the debaucheries , extravagancies and follies of my whole life laid open , christ the judge of all the world coming in flaming fire to take vengeance upon them that have not known him , nor obeyed his gospel . how shall i endure his presence ? how shall i escape his eye ? i cannot elude his judgment , nor evade his sentence ; come then ye rocks and fall upon me , and ye mountains cover me from the face of the lamb , and from him that sitteth upon the throne . but the rocks rend in sunder , the sea and the earth disclose their dead , the earth dissolves , the heavens vanish as a scroll , and i hear the dreadfull sentence , depart ye cursed into everlasting fire , prepared for the devil and his angels . methinks i hear christ jesus thus upbraiding me : you have listened to the devil and not to me , i would have saved you , but you would not be ruled by me ; you have chosen the way of death , now therefore you shall be filled with your own ways : i forewarned you what would be the issue of your courses , but you would have your full swing of pleasure for the present , whatever came of it hereafter ; you laughed at judgment , and it is come in earnest ; you have had your time of jollity and sensual transports , and now your portion is weeping , and wailing , and gnashing of teeth . o therefore ( saith the sinner ) that i had never been born , cursed be the day that brought me forth , and the sun that shone upon me ; would the womb had been my grave , and i had never seen the light . thus my guilty conscience anticipates its own punishment , and i am tormented before my time . . but is there no hope left ? must i lie down thus in sorrow and despair ? these things i may justly expect , but they are not yet incumbent upon me ; i am yet alive , and they say there is hopes in the land of the living ; the door is not yet shut against me , hell hath not yet closed her mouth upon me . i have heard god is a mercifull god , and thereupon i presumed hitherto , and abused his goodness ; but sure his mercies are above the measure of a man ; if they be infinite like himself , he hath more goodness then i have ingratitude . possibly there may be some hope left in the bottom of this pandora's box of calamities ; if there be none , it is in vain to repent , fruitless to weep , endless to bewail , madness to adde to my own infelicities . if there be a rigid fate upon me , i will curse god and die . but sure whilest there is a god there must be goodness , his name speaks his nature ; will he break a bruised reed ? will he contend with dust and ashes ? can infinite perfection be implacable and inexorable ? it is true he hath no need of me , but for the same reason he cannot delight in my misery . he cannot repent and change his mind , because his wisedom foresaw from the beginning all possible contingencies ; but if i repent and change my mind , the same inchangeableness of his will oblige him as well then to save me , as before to destroy me . how far he will extend mercy , and what instances he will make of it i cannot define ; but who knows but he may yet admit of my submission ? however , i cannot be worse then i am , and it is possible my condition may be better ; here i perish certainly , if i cast my self upon his goodness i can but perish , therefore i will try , i will arise and go to my father , &c. and thus his deliberation brings him to resolution , which is the second stage of repentance . chap. ii. of resolution . the contents . § i. that consideration , and all those other previous acts of the mind mentioned in the former chapter frequently miscarry , and are nothing till they are fixed by resolution . § ii. the nature of resolution of the will , and the force and efficacy thereof ; which is shewed to be such , as that the devil , nor any other being under god can force it . the importance of that truth briefly shewed , and the proof of it from experience . § iii. the properties of a true penitent resolution . . that it be not rash but deliberate . . that it be peremptory . . present . and . uniform and universal . § iv. the inducements of a penitent resolution . . it s availableness with god by the exorableness of his nature . . the possibility of performing it . and . the easiness of it by the power of his grace . . the flat necessity of coming to it . § i. we have seen in the foregoing chapter the motions of an awakened conscience , the working of a troubled minde , and therein the first glimpses of hope , and signs of recovery . but let not any man think that when he is arrived at this condition , his work is done , his peace made with god , and he become a true convert . for if he stay here he perishes as certainly as if he had never made any reflection , or considered at all . it is one thing to be apprehensive of ones danger , and a far greater to have escaped it . the discovery of a disease is necessary in order to the cure , but it is far from the cure it self . it is an unhappy but not an unusual sight , to see men upon whom either the pain of some present affliction , or the fearfull prospect of divine vengeance hereafter , may have so far prevailed , as to make them with great shame and abhorrence reflect upon their former disorders , and cast up their pleasant morsels , who yet shall quickly return again to their own vomit , and resume their usual extravagancies . a rock it self may be observed to drop upon change of weather , which nevertheless relents not , but is as hard , and as much a rock as ever . and some extraordinary accident may rouze the most careless sinner , and put him upon an effort of purging off his impurities , who yet when the storm is over , shall settle again upon his lees. it is no very rare thing to observe men dissolve into tears , and weep as heartily over their old sins , as ancient friends doe when there is a necessity of parting ; and yet ( like them ) wish and hope to meet and enjoy each other again . therefore as we see the formerly dissolute , but now relenting son in the text , contents not himself with passionate expressions , or ineffective wishes , but resolves upon action , i will arise ( saith he ) and goe to my father : so the true penitent sinner that is in earnest to save his soul , sits not down under a dozing melancholy , pleases not himself with wishing and complaining , spends not his time in doubting and disputing , but puts himself forward upon the business : for ( saith he ) whilest i sit still , time passes away , life flies away apace , and death and judgment are coming on , wherefore some speedy course must be taken , and there is but one way what affords any hope , which is that of real reformation ; in which case no deliberations shall hold me longer in suspence , no floth shall benumb me , nothing shall tempt me to delay any longer . i am resolved i will make the experiment of becoming a new man from an old sinner , and upon these terms i will cast my self upon god's mercy , and if i perish i perish . § ii. this is the second stage of repentance , ( viz. ) resolution , which i am now further to treat of . but it is evident by what we have said already , that the resolution we are to speak of , is not a meer logical conclusion by way of inference from premises , that such or such a thing is best and fit to be done , for every man that uses his reason cannot choose but speculatively assent to this as his duty and his interest , the proceedings of reason being as natural and necessary as those of sense . insomuch that it is not in a man's power to deny a plain consequence , or disbelieve what there is evident reason for . there is therefore no moral vertue in such a conclusion , and so a man may perish notwitstanding : as it is too notorious that many dōe , who act contrary to such conclusions of their reason . but the resolution we here intend , and which we make the second step of repentance is practical , and the act of the will ; namely , its decretory and definitive sentence for the actual prosecution of such a course , as by consideration and the former process of reason is discovered to be fit and necessary . or rather , it is the wills actual application of it self to the business , in conformity to which , all the inferiour powers are put into action also , as being subject to its authority , influenced upon by its power , and carried about with the swinge of this primum mobile , this first and great orb of the soul. for the more clear understanding of this power of the will , and of the nature of resolution , let us suppose reason and sense as two parties pleading their respective causes and interests ; in which case , if we should suppose a kind of drawn battel between them , and the matter left in aequilibrio ; notwithstanding , it is within the power of the will to give the cause which way it pleases ; or suppose also , that reason acquitts it self never so well , and baffles its adversary , yet all will be but a speculation , and no effects follow till the will interposes its sovereignty , and decrees peremptorily what shall be done . and then whatever the merits of the cause be , the inferiour powers without dispute apply themselves to the execution . for ( to use another allusion ) reason is as the card which directs the course , and shews what is fittest to be done : but the will is as the helm and rudder that turns about the whole fabrick . this is that which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i. e. not a lawlesness or authority to do what we will , nor yet an ability to effect whatever we please ; but a capacity within our selves of determining our selves , and making our own choice . now that we have indeed such a capacity is matter of daily experience ; for we cannot but have observed , that oftentimes when reason and religion have recommended such things to us , and convinced us of the importance of them , yet we have followed our passions notwithstanding , and done quite contrary to the clearest dictates of our mind , in the words of the apostle , rom. . . we have found a law in our members rebelling against the law of our mind , and leading us captive to the law of sin . and contrariwise , sometimes we have checked and subdued the importunities of our passions , and cast the scale on the side of conscience and religion , and both these out of the freedom of our own souls . it is true , that very ordinarily in the former of these cases , the devil may promote the business by his temptations ; and in the latter it is certain ( as we heretofore have given caution ) that there is the concurrence of the divine grace , and influence of the holy spirit ; but both in the one and the other man acts freely nevertheless , suffering no violence nor compulsion . for though there can be no doubt , but that god ( who made man , and can dissolve him when he pleases ) by the exercise of his omnipotence may controul the elections of men , or overrule them to whatsoever he will ; yet it is not reasonable to think he will , or doth ordinarily doe so . determine them to evil he cannot , upon the account either of his own purity , justice , or wisedom ; and for his over-bearing them to the doing of that which is good , besides that we cannot understand how it leaves any room for reward in such a case ; it seems as much to reproach his wisedom in the first creation of such beings , as to display his power in controuling their actions and elections , and would be as unseemly a phaenomenon , as for him to cross and pervert the common course of naturall causes . and for the devil , though he by the order of his creation be of an higher rank , and of greater power then we ; yet he is by no means able to force our wills , or to rescind the decrees of a free mind . god permits him to use his cunning , and to shew his malice , in contriving baits to allure and catch us , and several ways to give us disturbance ; but if he should allow him to force us , we may be sure there should never have been any one good man in the world . the objects that present themselves to us from without , can but court our acceptance , not obtrude themselves upon us : they knock at our door but cannot break in upon us ; or they present us motives to alter our resolutions , but it is in our power still , whether we will revoke them . for example , and the common usage of the world , the power of which is so much magnified by some men , as if they thought it sufficient to make an apology for all our follies ; it is so inconsiderable in this case , that if we duely consider its efficacy , we must pronounce of it , that it works only metaphorically not physically , and is at most but an ideal cause , ( if we will call it so ) sufficient to abuse men of soft and easie minds , but not the manly and generous . as for the lower and meerly animal powers in us , they ( as we noted before ) may corrupt the imagination , and begin to form a seditious party within us ; but it is still in the power of the will ( till it dethrones it self ) so to suppress them that they shall never be successfull in their rebellion . but then in the last place , for reason it self , which some men governing themselves by an old maxime , ( voluntas semper sequitur dictamen intellect ûs ) suppose to prescribe so authoritatively to the will , as that the priviledge of freedom belongs rather to the former then the latter ; if that were true , ( i. e. if the will must proceed upon the dictates of reason ) there would be no such thing as liberty at all , because it is not in our power what light our understandings shall have , and as i have noted before , we cannot believe what we will , nor understand things otherwise then they are represented to us ; therefore if the will have not a power of acting contrary to our understanding , as perfect a fatality is introduced , as is to be found amongst natural agents . besides , we find by constant observation of our selves and the world , that in passion , in love , in the pursuit of riches , and honour , and most of our prosecutions , we sometimes follow our reason , sometimes go before it , and sometimes quite cross it . it is true indeed , we ordinarily have some ( either reason or pretence of reason ) or other , to countenance our elections , because otherwise it could not be called choice where there is no end propounded , or design aimed at , ( which i think is all that the aforesaid obsolete maxime intends . ) nevertheless since it is manifest we oftentimes follow that which we know , not to be the best reason , even then when we follow it , we may thereby be sufficiently convinced of the arbitrary power of our own wills . this which we have been asserting is a truth of that importance , that the denial thereof cuts the very sinews of all industry , destroys the differences of good and evil , takes away all principles of conscience , all arguments of repentance , ( as we have shewed before ) and herewith makes that natural passion of ingenuous shame , which mankind is peculiarly endowed with , utterly senseless and unaccountable . but the truth of this supposed , we easily understand both the nature and force of resolution , which is the only thing we have aimed at . to proceed therefore ; the son in the text conscious of this truth , and as well sensible of his own liberty , as certain of the necessity of taking some course or other to relieve himself , saith in the words before recited , i will arise , i will go to my father , i will say unto him , &c. and the resolutions of every penitent are to the same effect ; ( viz. ) i will not fit with my hands folded up as a man infatuated and fitted for destruction ; i will spend no more time doubting and disputing , nor abandon my self to desperation ; i 'le endeavour both to cease to do evil , and to learn to do well ; i will take shame to my self , acknowledge my folly , and accept the punishment of my iniquity . i will earnestly deprecate the divine displeasure , and implore his mercy and pardon . in short , whatsoever difficulty appear in the business , or whatsoever temptations may assault me , i will desist my former course , and make it my care to undoe all that was amiss , and make amends for my former follies by my future zeal and diligence . § iii. but that these things may be the more evident , let us now in the next place see the properties and essential requisites of a true penitent resolution . and they are these four . . it is deliberate , and taken up upon mature consideration . . it is peremptory . . it is a resolution de praesenti . . lastly , it is universal . first , a true resolution is serious and deliberate , not like those rash vows which men make in a fit or an agony ; and which last no longer then the heat , or the distress . many men there are that now and then take a pet at their old sins , when they have found themselves disappointed of either the pleasure or the security which they promised themselves in the enjoyment of them ; or that for their sake they are surprized with some calamity they did not expect ; and whilest that disgust lasts , they seem mightily resolved for ever to break with them ; but as soon as that mood is over , like old friends , they are quickly reconciled , and return to their former graciousness . it is not to be doubted but that the prodigal son had many a lucid interval before this ; and as often as he met with any sharp cross or vexation in his way , had relenting thoughts , and wished himself again at his father's house ; but it was but a flash , an extempore motion , a passion , not a cool rational choice ; there was no deliberation , and therefore no resolution , and so nothing came of it . that ( saith seneca ) which amounts to a resolution must be settled in the mind , founded in reason , rooted in the judgment , not loose , occasional , and upon emergency . when a man having considered all the pleasures and advantages of sin on the one hand , and all the difficulties and self-denial of vertue on the other , hath measured the hopes and the fears , compared the present with the future , and represented the whole series of things to his own mind ; and then comes to a conclusion , this is resolution . such a determination as this joshua puts the people of israel upon ; on the one hand he represents to them the great reasons they had to adhere to , and serve the true god of israel ; and on the other , the difficulties of so doing ; the sincerity and accuracy which his worship and service required , and the danger of his severity if they neglected it : and then he exhorts them to lay their hand upon their heart , to consider all things with themselves , to resolve of nothing rashly , but upon the fullest satisfaction : vers . . if it seem evil unto you to serve the lord , choose you this day whom you will serve , &c. and vers . . the people answered and said , god forbid that we should forsake the lord to serve other gods , &c. and then lastly , vers . . he writes all these passages in a book , makes an authentick record thereof & withal sets up a stone of memorial to make the greater impression , and to give the more solemnity to the whole business . and this same thing is that which our saviour himself intends in those two famous parables , concerning the man about to build a tower , and the prince going to war ; which we have taken notice of before . our saviour would have men that come to him , and pretend to imbrace his religion , to count the cost of it , to know the worst of things , to reckon upon all that may happen : and so also jesus the son of syrach advises , eccles . . , . my son , if thou come to serve the lord , prepare thy soul for temptation . q. d. if thou designest to enter upon a course of vertue , thou must forethink the impediments as well as the incouragements , the conflict as well as the crown , and arm thy self with resolution accordingly . it is the artifice of the devil to represent only the fair side of things to men , to hide the hook with the bait . it 's noted by the evangelist , that he shewed our saviour the kingdoms of the world , and the glory of them ; he set forth no scene of the troubles , vexations , vanities and disappointments of the world , but all was beauty and glory . for he designs to surprize and lies at catch for men , and knows it is his interest they should not consider , nor curiously inquire into the just state of things , but take a transient glance only , and do all in a hurry . but it is not god's way to surprize men , and make advantage of their inadvertency , for he is not pleased with the sacrifice of fools ; it is a reasonable service he requires , ( viz. ) that men consider what they do , and chuse him wisely and seriously . nor is it the condition of vertue to have an alluring outside , to tempt men's passions , or impose upon their imaginations ; it hath a matronal beauty , no meretricious paint ; it consists in a real and substantial excellency , which only can work upon him that considers : so that no man falls in love with it upon a glance , nor espouses it suddenly , but upon clam debate of its real and inward perfections . and his love is founded in reason , matured by time , and confirmed by experience . or if there be any man that pretends to vertue upon other terms , it is no uncharitableness to prophesie , that whatever his present heats and transports may be , they will quickly cool and come to nothing . such cases being fitly resembled by our saviour to the stony ground , which received the seed with joy at first , and promised fair for a mighty harvest ; but having not depth of earth brought nothing to perfection : psal . . . the mower filled not his hand therewith , nor the reaper his bosome . and indeed herein seems to lie the true and immediate reason of most or all of those shamefull apostasies , by which the name of god and religion are so much dishonoured : ( viz. ) that men fall off from hopefull beginnings , and end in the flesh , after they had begun in the spirit , as the apostle's phrase is , namely , there was not depth of earth , no sufficient serious consideration of what they undertook . for it is certain , there are no insuperable difficulties in religion , no irresistible temptations to the contrary ; god is not worse then his word , nor doth change his terms , nor can any man see any reason to alter his mind if he calculated as he might have done at first ; but they considered not , counted not the cost , and so are surprized and beaten off . and the holy gospel gives us no less a man then st. peter himself , for instance hereof : he in a great pang of devotion to his master goes out before the camp of israel , defies goliah and all the uncircumcised philistins , dares and challenges danger it self ; and lord ( saith he ) if all men should forsake thee , yet will not i : if i must die for thee , i will not forsake thee . but it was only an heat , and a bravery of the apostle ; he had not seriously considered the business , nor forecasted what might ensue ; there was no mature deliberation , no preparations for a real encounter , and therefore it sped accordingly , and he came off shamefully : and in him we have a standing example of the frailty of the greatest passion , and of the necessity that counsel and deliberation ground our resolutions . by which means also they will become . decretory and peremptory , which is the second property of vertuous resolution . there are some men whom an affectionate discourse , a serious sermon , or any notable accident , will put into a fit of devotion , which shall last only untill something else come in the way , and then theformer impressions give way to the latter . these we commonly call good natured men , whose facility of temper puts them at the mercy of every contingency , and they are good and bad as occasion serves : clouds they are without water , carried about of every wind , ( as st. jude expresses it , vers . . ) or as st. james , double minded men , and unstable in all their ways ; jam. . . that have no settled principle , nothing fixed and constant to govern themselves by . to these the prophecie of jacob concerning his son reuben , may fitly be applied , gen. . . vnstable as water , therefore thou shalt not excell : such irresolute tempers can never arrive at any excellency of vertue . the people of the jews had no doubt a good mind to be in possession of the land of canaan , notwithstanding when-ever they met with any difficulty , then would to god we were again by the flesh-pots of aegypt ; and none of these light and mutable persons ever came to the good land. there were anakims and giants , and a thousand difficulties ran in their heads which enfeebled them for the enterprize ; only joshua and caleb , and such as were animated by their brave example , and said , come let us go up , for we are able to conquer : only such i say came to the possession of it . kings . . how long halt ye between two opinions ? ( said the prophet to the men of israel ) if baal be god serve him , but if jehovah be god then serve him . q. d. whether you serve the true god or the false , irresolution spoils all devotion either way ; for whilst you doubt and dispute your way , you do but halt towards your end and design . accordingly moses indeavours to raise a generosity of mind in the men of israel , by those words , deut. . . thou hast vouched the lord this day to be thy god. q. d. it now becomes you to be religious in earnest , to serve god with a perfect heart and a willing mind , for you have now put it past all dispute , you have chosen and resolved the lord to be your god , and therefore be consistent with your selves . there is no vertue in a faint velleity , when men shall speak as agrippa in the acts , almost thou persuadest me to be a christian . it is no wisedome to put in cautions now , 't is only the language of the sluggard , to say there is a lion in the way . postquam consulueris maturè facto opus est . all gallantry of mind is now ( after deliberation ) to take up an immoveable resolution ; for vertue is neither a wary diffidence nor a hot fit of zeal , but a constant vital heat , and a settled temper of mind . the young man in the gospel , st. mark . . comes to our saviour , good master what good thing shall i doe that i may inherit eternal life ? he thought it a fine thing to be a candidate of the other world : eternal life which our saviour preached and promised , was a glorious and very desirable thing ; and he could be well content to become a disciple of christ , and to do some very good thing that he might attain it . for indeed , eternal life is that which no man can chuse but desire ; to have a mind to be saved is no sign of grace ; for a man must expresly hate himself should he do otherwise . thus far therefore he was right ; but after all this he went away sorrowfull without his errand ; he had not throughly resolved with himself to go through with it , he could not find in his heart ( like the wise merchant ) to sell and part with all he had to purchase this pearl of inestimable price . but the true penitent sets down an immoveable resolution to go through what-ever it cost him . i have faultered too long already ( faith he ) now stat sententia , it is as the law of the medes and persians with me , nothing shall dispense with my purpose , or assoil my resolutions . i will now return . and that brings me to the . third property of a vertuous resolution : it is de praesenti , a present resolution ; like that of the psalmist , psal . . vers . , . i thought upon my ways , and turned my feet to thy precepts . i made haste , and delayed not to keep thy righteous judgments . q. d. my consideration lead me to resolution of amendment , and i found the nature and consequence of that was such , as to admit of no delay ; i therefore set presently about it . a resolution of amendment which commences not presently , but intends to do it hereafter , is no repentance nor any good sign of grace ; forasmuch as it is probable that there is no man in the whole world , at least under the light of the gospel , and who hath ever reflected upon himself , or thought of god and another life , but hath some time or other resolved to become a new man. and indeed , this is the most fatal cheat men put upon themselves , and i fear now there are multitudes entered into the chambers of darkness , and an irreversible estate , that for a great part of their lives carried along with them both convictions of the necessity of reformation , and resolutions one time or other to set about it . for as i said before , it is but self-love to desire eternal life ; and no man that considers at all , can think but something must be done for the attainment of it ; or ( so thinking ) can so desperately abandon himself as not to intend to do it . but he understands not sufficiently either the evil or the danger of sin , much less hath any true sense of vertue , that can find in his heart to procrastinate and adjourn the resolution of casting off the former and applying himself to the latter : for where the mischief is intolerable on the one hand , and the good and happiness the most unspeakable and highest that can be , on the other ; there can be neither wisedom nor safety in any other course then that which solomon directs , eccles . . . whatever thy hand finds to doe , doe it with all thy might ; for there is no work , nor device , nor knowledge , nor wisedom in the grave whither thou goest . when once death hath closed our eyes , the time of probation is over , the day of grace certainly shuts in , and the night cometh when no man can work : and who that either understands the frail contexture of his body , or the many thousand accidents it is subject to , can be warrantie for his own life one moment beyond the present ? or if that should be continued , who shall secure us that a day of grace shall last as long as we live ? who shall prescribe to the almighty that he shall wait our leisure , and accept us at last ? all which things considered , he that only resolves to amend hereafter , is certainly resolved not to amend now ; and therefore is in no state of repentance , nor in the way of mercy . wherefore the true penitent resolves presently to arise , i have trifled too long already ( faith he ) it is no dallying any longer in a business of this nature . i have been couzened by my own heart oft enough , i will trust my self for day no longer . i do not find my heart either more willing or more able to perform by all the time i have given it : but quite contrary , my ability is less , and my debt greater ; my heart harder , my affections more ingaged , and lesse willing to come off . i do not find that the longer i serve the devil , he is ever the likelier to manumit me ; nay i feel the longer i serve him , the heavier chains he lays upon me . if he can persuade me that it is yet too soon to return to god , he will by the same logick persuade me hereafter that it is too late . and i find by experience that if my heart be bad to day , it is likely to be worse to morrow : i cannot think it reasonable to expect that god's spirit will strive with me the more i resist him ; nor dare i trust that grace should abound the more my sin abounds . a day neglected now , for ought i know , may be as much as my soul is worth , and may cost me eternity : now by god's grace i find it in my heart to return , and now i 'll put it in execution . i will no more venture upon uncertainties , nor forgo what is in my power for what is not : i will not promise to pay hereafter what i am not willing now to perform . no more therefore of the sluggard , yet a little sleep , a little slumber , a little folding of the hands to sleep . i will now arise and return to my father ; and to my duty , which is . the fourth and last property of vertuous resolution : namely , it is a through and uniform resolution which takes in the whole business and compass of religion . the historian observes of the romans in the degenerate times of their common-wealth , that now all their disputes were not an servirent sed cui , not for liberty , but who should be their lord : and they fought not to assert or recover their freedom , but meerly to have the choice of their yoke , and so whoever conquered they were certainly slaves . in like manner some men being under convictions of conscience of the evil and danger of the way they are in , resolve upon a change , but it is not to change themselves but their sins , one for another . the drunkard becomes covetous , the loose and licentious person exchanges his levity for morosity , and from a common scandal becomes a busy body , a judge , and very censorious . and so the man is disguised rather then amended ; and hath a new master , but is nevertheless a slave . others perhaps there are who will go further , and part with a sin without a succedaneum , or entertaining any other in its room , because it might happen that such a sin was grown less agreeable to their constitution , too chargeable for their profit , too dangerous to their reputation , and peradventure also too uneasy for their consciences ; but there are some other sins they can by no means think of forgoing . thus the scripture observes of some kings of israel that were great reformers , and expressed a mighty zeal against the idolatry of ahab and other corruptions ; who yet all their days stuck close to the sin of jeroboam the son of nebat : that kind of idolatry was bound up with their interest , and therefore must not be laid aside . indeed , if we consider the matter well , we shall find the power of an inlightned conscience to be such , as to prevail with any man to resolve either to forsake any one sin upon condition he might securely enjoy all the rest ; or at least not to stick at any one duty of religion , if thereby he might expiate his other commissions and omissions . and the jews had a corrupt doctrine amongst them very agreeable to this humour : namely , that if a man observed some one remarkable precept of the law , it was enough to excuse him upon the whole ; and that notion of theirs seems to have given occasion to that question so often put to our saviour ; which is the great commandment of the law ? for they disputed amongst themselves upon that supposition , which was the one surest point to trust to , whether to sacrifice as some held , or to circumcision as others , or to the observation of the sabbath as a third , &c. i say their intent was to ask his opinion what branch of the law god most insisted upon , that in compliance therewith they might compendiously secure their own interest without the trouble of universal obedience : but our saviour being aware of the subtlety directs them in all the places forementioned to that paragraph of the law which was comprehensive of the whole : ( viz. ) thou shalt love the lord thy god with all thy heart and with all thy soul , &c. the devil is so wary and frugal a trader that he will comply with the market , and is content as i noted before , to barter one sin for another ; or rather to compound for half then to lose all : and is also so good a philosopher as to know malum oritur ex quolibet defectu & bonum constat ex integris causis , that the volùntary omission of any one part of our duty nulls our obedience , and that one sin will damn a man as well as many . for he that retains a love to any one sin cannot be said to have a resolution against sin , or to hate sin for it self ; and god is resolved to have us intirely his , or not at all . for he that makes any exceptions or reservations , that capitulates with god , deals not with him as with a god. he therefore that takes up a penitent resolution is uniform and universal therein , fully decrees with himself to omit nothing that he knows to be his duty , nor to dispense with himself in the practice of any thing ( how gratefull soever to him ) that he knows to be a sin . i know ( saith he ) god by his sovereignty hath a just title to my whole life and to all my powers ; he hath obliged me beyond all that ever i can correspond with ; he is jealous of his honour , and hates to be served deceitfully and by halves ; he will admit of no rival , no sharer with him ; he sees all my wandrings , and will be sure to revenge my hypocrisy . i know he is able and ready to reward sincerity above desert , above expectation , beyond all thought and imagination . i am sensible that hitherto i have not only loitered in his service , but declined it ; nay opposed , affronted , rebelled against him ; i have listed my self under his professed enemy , and under that banner i have spent a great part of my time . now may it please his infinite goodness to accept me at last ; i vow to be intirely his , i 'll dispute no commands , i 'll make no exceptions , but i 'll double my diligence , and say with the exemplary convert st. paul , what wilt thou have me to doe lord ? § iv. thus we have seen the nature and properties of that which we called the hinge of conversion ; but let us now see what are the springs or plummets that set this great engine on work ; or what are the considerations by way of motive , that put men upon a resolution of repentance ; and they are principally these four . . a persuasion that it will not be unsuccessfull and unacceptable to god if we truely repent at last though we have been great sinners before . . an apprehension that it is not impossible to become perfectly new men , notwithstanding our pre-ingagements in the ways of sin . . that it is not onely possible but easie so to doe if we set about it in earnest . . a clear perception , that whether it be easie or difficult there is a plain necessity of it , and it must be done . . the first motive to a resolution of repentance is a persuasion of mind that god is not inexorable , but that repentance may find acceptance with him . it is a memorable story concerning the tusculani , a little people in italy , who had so highly provoked the romans that camillus was leading his army towards them to take revenge : but they growing quickly apprehensive of their danger , took an effectual course to appease a generous enemy ; for they made no shew of resistance , but set open their gates , and were found every man hard at his ordinary affairs , submitting all to the will of those they knew themselves unable to contend with . whereupon the brave camillus speaks to them to this purpose . you ( saith he ) amongst all people have only found out the true way of abating the romane fury , and your submission hath been your best defence ; upon these terms we can no more find in our hearts to injure you , then upon other terms you could have found power to oppose us . to whom the chief magistrate on the other side thus replies . * we have ( saith he ) so in good earnest repented us of our former folly , that in confidence of that satisfaction to a generous enemy , we are not afraid to acknowledge our fault . not much unlike to this is the sense of the relenting son in the text : for ( thinks he ) what i have done amiss i can neither answer to my self , nor to my father ; i can neither deny the fact , nor defend it ; therefore i must try what repentance will doe , and appeal from his justice to his mercy . it is true i forsook my father , but it was a father i forsook , and that name speaks benignity ; and what may not a son hope for from a father ? there is rhetorick in confession , and contrite submission hath mighty prevalence upon all ingenuous natures . quem poenitet peccasse paenè est innocens . repentance uses to have the success even of innocency it self , and i that have failed of the one will try the other . my acknowledgment will prevent my accusation . if i condemn my self , i save my father a labour ; and when i abhor my self , i move his pity : especially if i become another man , he will see the same reason to receive me then , as he hath to reject me now . and so the penitent towards god. i have offended the divine majesty , but he is a god , and that name speaks goodness ; if he be not as good as can be , he is not god ; and if he be , nothing but what is good can proceed from him ; and nothing that is good , but may be expected from him ; therefore there is hope of pardon . the wisedome of all the world hath agreed to make it the constant stile of god , optimus maximus , the greatest goodness , or the best greatness : goodness and mercy are as essential to him as power and justice ; nay the very latter inferr the former . for what is there can tempt an infinitely perfect being to be cruel and inexorable ? he that hath all fullness in himself , can certainly envy nothing ; can hate nothing that he hath made , but must needs pity those that are below him , and delight to communicate himself to such as need him . envy and cruelty are the issues of meer weakness , fear , want , and impotency . the poor are apt to envy the rich because they enjoy what they want ; and we commonly observe , that the weakest and most timorous creatures are most revengefull and implacable : the coward is deadly and sanguinary because he is not secure of his own strength , and therefore dares not slip his opportunity , but strikes home and mortally lest the danger should recoil upon himself . but what rich and great man envies the beggar ? or what valiant man was ever remorsless and sanguinary ? the former hath all the arguments to pity because he cannot want , and the latter all the inducements to pardon because he cannot fear . god is above all danger , can be hurt by nothing , needs nothing , hath nothing to receive , but much to bestow ; he cannot therefore be prompted to take advantage against his creatures , or delight in their misery , since the only ends he hath to serve upon them , is the enjoying his own fullness by reflection , the diffusing and communicating himself to them , and thereby making them happy . when god was highly provoked by the sin of david in numbring the people , in which fact there was a complication of many evils , there was disobedience to an express law , there was distrust of the divine providence , and a vain confidence in the arm of flesh ; it pleased the divine majesty to notify his displeasure by the prophet nathan ; and withall , gives david his choice either of pestilence , famine , or sword : the king refers it back again to god , whether he would please to punish by the famine , or by the pestilence ; for ( saith he ) let us fall into the hands of god , for his mercies are great ; but let us not fall into the hands of men . he had rather trust the mercies of an incensed god , then lie at the mercy of mortal men . he knew they were transported with rage and fury , but god was pitifull ; they often forgot themselves , but god remembred sinners were but men , and dust and ashes . they would plague one another maliciously , but god chastised in wisedom and measure . and that with him according to the phrase of st. james , mercy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rejoiceth against , glorieth and triumpheth over justice . the discourse of a brave heathen is excellent to this purpose . we think it just ( saith he ) to give both thanks and reward to him that cures our bodily infirmities , though he do it not without some pain and trouble to us ; and why should we not rather love god's methods as the physician of souls ? there is no passion , nor much less revenge , in his proceedings with us ; he neither cuts and lances us cruelly , nor uses any other sharpness then the case necessarily requires ; he doth nothing with intention to hurt or grieve us , but proceeds with art and care designing our greatest good : and in a word , is in all his actions agreeable to the goodness and benignity of his own nature . the summe of all which , and of what we intend further to say , is that of the apostle , god is good , and the goodness of god leadeth to repentance , rom. . . for the consideration of that is the spring of hope , and of all motion by way of return . there are indeed some men who having entertained very crude notions of the divine majesty , do sometimes assert on the one hand that vindictive justice is essential and natural to god , so that he is bound up to require strict satisfaction , and without it cannot properly pardon any transgression . and others on the other hand , talk at the same wild rate of his mercy and goodness , as if all the instances he makes thereof were also natural and necessary , and that he could not insist upon his own right , but must make all the expressions of kindness that are possible towards his creatures . but both these notions are equally false and mischievous : the former of them representing god a rigid majesty , and tending to desperation ; the other an easy and soft deity , and tempting men to presume upon him : the one making him an object of horrour , and the other of contempt ; for who can love him that cannot pity , and who can reverence him who hath it not in his power to do otherwise ? the truth is therefore that all particular instances both of the one kind and of the other are subject to his wisedom ; that he can exercise either mercy or severity as he sees occasion ; for after this manner the scripture speaks of him , that sometime he hath mercy because he will have mercy ; and that when he will he hardeneth sinners for destruction . and to think otherwise of god , especially in the case of mercy and pardon , as if he could not dispense it as he pleases , is to bring in a rigid fatality with the stoicks instead of a god ; and is so far from aggrandizing the divine majesty , that it is the greatest diminution of his power and glory , and renders him less then a man : for we can recedere à nostro jure , remit of our own rights , and give mercy a triumph over strict justice . and although the sinner when he offends against god , forfeits himself into the divine hand , and gives god just cause to punish him if he will , yet certainly he cannot by any act of his put a law upon god , or oblige him to punish , or if he think fit , to shew mercy . and then for the interest of god's rectourship and government of the world , it is not a necessity of punishment that conserves that , but the power or freedom of punishing or remitting accordingly as it shall seem good to his own wisedom . whereby when men are both provoked to amendment by the hopes of pardon , and restrained from disobedience by the fear of punishment . for the liberty of dispensing either of these at pleasure , is that which produces a reverence towards the divine majesty ; that is , a complication of love and fear , wherein the very notion of religion consists . it is not an impertinent passage to this purpose which we have in the historian , when the young gentlemen in the new roman common-wealth had a design to restore the kingly government in the family of the tarquins , they had speeches made amongst them to this effect . to be bound up by the rigour of laws which had no compassion , nor made allowance for contingency , was very harsh and unsafe considering humane infirmity : but under kingly government there was power of dispensation , possibility of indulgence , liberty of interpretation , room for mercy and pardon : a man that fell , did not necessarily there miscarry . for there was place for intercession , repentance might relieve him ; and the prerogative of the prince was the security of the subject . now that repentance is available with god we have all the assurance that can be desired ; for besides what we have said already from the consideration of the perfections of the divine nature , and the interest of his government , repentance is the great and principal doctrine of the gospel , which the son of god himself came to proclaim by his preaching , to confirm by his miracles , to make way for , and to procure acceptance to by his death and sacrifice , and to render throughly effectual and successfull by his intercession at god's right hand in heaven . wherefore as manoah's wife reasoned when her husband had dreadfull apprehensions of the majesty of god , who had appeared to them and concluded they should die , because they had seen god , no ( saith she ) if god intended to destroy us he would not have appeared to us , or much less have accepted a sacrifice at our hands : so assuredly if god had not great compassion to mankind , and did not design to accept them upon repentance , he would never have given his own son to be a sacrifice for sin . can any man suspect that god is indifferent whether men be saved or no , when he hath sent his son to save them ? can any man imagine him implacable towards those whose nature he sent his son to assume , and thereby to make an union betwixt the divine and humane natures ? will any man think him inexorable to sinners who pitied them , healed them , conversed with them , and died for them ? let devils despair who have not only no promise , and no saviour , but nothing pitiable in their case ; having had no tempter to abuse them ; no flesh or body to clog them , no infirmity to extenuate their presumption , they are without hope , and therefore incapable of repentance , and so go on eternally to hate and blaspheme the god that will not pardon them . but there is no cause man should do so , who as he hath all the arguments of pity in his case , so hath all the assurances of pardon from god upon his repentance . to say no more , the very constant experience of all ages , and the common sense of all mankind , leaves us without all doubt that this method of repentance pacifies the almighty ; insomuch that when he hath most exprest his angry resentments , and seems to have been most peremptory and decretal in his threatnings , yet all but mad and desperate persons have incouraged themselves to hope for impunity upon repentance , even then when there hath not been the least intimation of any such condition in his denunciations : for thus when the prophet jonas had from the mouth of god proclaimed expresly , yet forty days and forty nights and nineveh shall be destroyed ; notwithstanding the absoluteness of the sentence , and the nearness of the execution , the ninevites were not out of hope , but that if repentance were interposed , their ruine might yet be prevented ; and it succeeded accordingly with them , for as they believing god's word by the prophet , expected nothing but sudden destruction if they had not repented , so they trusting in the goodness and exorableness of the divine majesty upon repentance , applied themselves seriously thereto , and were preserved . wherefore saith the relenting sinner , forasmuch as although i know not the limits of the divine mercy , yet this i know that nothing can set limits thereto but his own wisedom ; and he is never so straitned but that if the case be pitiable , and he see reason of mercy , he can shew it ; consistently with his justice ; here i will cast anchor , i will indeavour to render my self an object of mercy , and trust upon his goodness ; i never yet heard that any man miscarried in this bottome , or that a penitent was cast away . i have often heard that god would have saved men , but they would not ; but i never heard of any that resorted penitently to his mercy and were rejected , nor do i think that hell it self can furnish one instance of the man that can upbraid god's goodness , and say i would but god would not . thus the consideration of the divine nature is everlastingly pregnant of incouragements to repentance , and is the spring of all motion to godward ; were it not for which , never any had been reclaimed from a course of sin , or begun a reformation . but so much of that . . in the second place another incouragement to this penitent resolution ( we are speaking of ) is an apprehension that it is not impossible to become perfectly new men , notwithstanding our pre-ingagements in the ways of sin . opinion of absolute impossibility ( as we have noted before ) is equal to real impotency , checks all motion , nips all indeavour in the very bud , stifles and lays asleep all the powers of the mind . but hope and apprehension of feasibleness spirits all industry , actuates all faculties , raises the spirits , and is the spring of all the great actions in the world . some daring men have effected things beyond their own expectations , but no brave exploit was ever performed by such as despaired of accomplishing it ; nor was ever any force defeated that did praelibare victoriam , and resolve to conquer . when once a conceit had possessed the midianites that they should be conquered by gideon's army , though grounded only upon an odde dream of a brown loaf tumbling down upon their tents , their hearts presently melted in them , their spirits were emasculated , and a mighty host became an easy prey to the inconsiderable numbers which gideon led against them . and the lord of hosts would never suffer israel to be led on to the conquest of the land of canaan so long as the rumor of giants and anakims and walled cities ran in the minds of the people ; nor untill they were brought to a confidence that they were able to conquer that good land. in like manner if the sinner think either his sins too great to be forgiven , or that it is too late to mend ; i. e. either despair of god's grace or of his mercy , he is utterly lost indeed ; that therefore which puts him forward upon resolution is an apprehension that god's grace is sufficient for him . the returning prodigal saith , it is true , i find i have gone a great way from my father's house , and wearied my self with my own wandrings , yet sure it is not impossible but i may reach home again . and i , saith the sinner , have gone a great way towards my own undoing , having indulged my passions , and dethroned my reason , inslaved my will , weakned all my powers , and hardened my own conscience by a long course and custome of sin ; yet ( in the words of holy job ) there is hope of a tree if it be cut down that it will sprout again , and that the tender branch thereof will not cease ; though the root thereof wax old in the earth , and the stock thereof die in the ground , yet through the scent of water it will bud , and bring forth boughs like a plant , job . , , . though i have weakened my powers , yet i am a man still ; though i have destroyed my self , yet there is hope in the god of israel , and his hand is not shortened that he cannot save . tvlly is reported to have affirmed repentance to be impossible ; namely , for a man to retrieve himself , and take up a new course contrary to that to which he hath been long habituated : and no doubt it is very difficult so to do , as may sufficiently appear , both by what we have said already , and also by that of the prophet , jer. . . can the aethiopian change his skin , or the leopard his spots ? then may ye also do good that are accustomed to doe evil . where the holy ghost intimates inveterate custome to be equal to nature it self , and accordingly we find by too sad experience , that there are very few that doe exuere hominem , shake off the yoke of custome ; facilis descensus averni , sed revocare gradus , &c. and upon this account it is , that the conversion of old sinners is called a new birth , and a new creation , in the language of holy scripture . notwithstanding , as our saviour said of rich men , that it was harder for a camel to goe through the eye of a needle then for such a man to enter into the kingdom of heaven ; yet to prevent mistakes , adds , with men it is impossible , but with god all things are possible : so it is in this case , he can cause dry bones to live ; and of stones raise up children to abraham . the holy spirit can awaken those powers that were in a dead sleep ; conscience is not so callous but it may be rendered soft and sensible again ; the will and other faculties of men , though they are perverted , yet are not extinct ; and being stirred up by the grace of god may exert themselves in a new strain , oppose their old customs , and introduce new habits . as custome bore down and overgrew nature formerly , so new customes may supplant the old ones , and make a new nature . it is a well-known story that when zopyrus ( a great pretender to the skill of reading men's temper and inclination in their countenances ) had pronounced of socrates that he was a lewd and intemperate man ; the company who knew well the remarkable vertue of socrates , laughed the cunning man out of countenance till socrates relieved him , saying , that indeed his inclination was naturally such as zopyrus had pronounced , but that philosophy and the culture and care of himself had altered him to what he was . but the holy scriptures as they contain both more excellent institutions of vertue and holiness then all philosophy , and more effectual methods of reclaiming and recovering men from vice and debauchery ; so in the history thereof , they afford us the most frequent and most remarkable instances of such conversions . in the old testament we have manasses who was an idolater , a witch , and did evil in the sight of the lord above all the abominations of the amorites , ( who seem to have been the most profligate people in the world ) and yet became at last a true penitent , a holy and a vertuous person . in the new testament , to omit st. paul , who saith of himself , that from a blasphemer , a persecutour , and the chief of sinners , he became an exemplary christian , and a zealous apostle and preacher of the doctrine which before he destroyed ; we have great numbers of the most obstinate and wicked jews converted , and no less of romans , corinthians , ephesians , and of all other cities and countries who had grown old and hardened in a course of sin , but became new and holy men . particularly the apostle assures us of the corinthians , that they had been fornicators , idolaters , adulterers , effeminate , thieves , covetous , drunkards , and yet were washed , were sanctified , were justified in the name of the lord jesus , and by the spirit of our god , cor. . , , . it is not therefore impossible ( saith the sinner ) but i may also recover my self out of the snares of the devil ; i found it in my power to chuse evil , why may i not hope to be able to chuse good ? nothing determined or necessitated me heretofore to sin , why may i not then cast off the yoke of custome , and by the grace of god apply my self to my duty ? this is a second consideration which inflames the penitent to a resolution of amendment ; which when he hath in earnest entered upon , he finds . as his third inducement , not onely to be possible , but also easy ; at least , far beyond what he heretofore imagined . it was perhaps not an extenuating but a just reflection which the historian makes upon all the famous exploits of alexander the great , in asia and in the indies , which had swelled his name to such a bulk , primus ausus est vana contemnere , that it was not so much his more then humane courage or conduct which gave him those successes , but that he had the luck or the sagacity , to see through and despise the pageantry and empty shew of force and formidableness which those soft and luxurious nations were only furnished with . so it is in this case , he that can but once despise those ludibria oculorum , those scare-crows and phantastical ideas , which men's own fear and cowardise represent to them ; he will presently find the business of religion easy and expedite , and that it is but resolving generously , and the thing is done . the way of vertue , though through the folly of men it be an unfrequented path , yet is it no sad and uncomfortable way ; no man abridges himself the delight of life by becoming vertuous , no just contentment is denied him ; no power , or so much as passion he hath , that is altogether denied its proper satisfaction : there is no inhumane austerity required of us , no contradiction to our reason , or violence to our nature imposed upon us . god is no hard pharaoh that seeks to break us with bitter bondage , requiring the tale of bricks without straw . he doth not bid us continue in the fire and not burn , or require us to converse with the occasions of sin , and escape the pollution ; but only to moderate our desires , to mind our selves , to set our intentions right ; and in a word , to resolve to doe what we can both to avoid the occasion , and to escape the infection . and as for that great bug-bear custome , why may we not break the fetters of our own making , and dissolve an habit of our own beginning ? sin it self was weak , and timorous , and bashfull at first ; but it got strength by time , and by degrees , and in the same manner it is to be supplanted ; oppose beginnings of good to beginnings of evil , and an habit will be obtained , and we shall confront one custome with another , he that goeth forth weeping , bearing precious seed , shall doubtless come again rejoycing , and bringing his sheaves with him . the way of vertue is therefore easy because it is recommended by our own reason ; though sense oppose it for the present , let us be true to the former , and the latter must and will give way . a law enacted by our own consent uses to find a ready and chearfull compliance , that which is voted within us , and carried by the free suffrage of our minds , surely can never be accounted harsh and difficult : and such are all the laws of vertue ; the rules thereof are convenient for the community , suitable to our own natures , and as fit for us to consent to , as for god to enact . all the opposition which the devil or the flesh can make to the determination of our minds will quickly cease if we stand firm to our selves ; reason is as able to restrain sense , as that is to bewitch and fascinate our minds ; or at least if we stop our ears we shall avoid all its charms , charm it never so cunningly . besides , all the importunities of the flesh will from such time as they begin to be denied , grow sensibly weaker and weaker . and for the devil there is nothing so much incourages his attempts as our irresolution and feeble opposition ; he is both a more proud and a more cunning enemy , then to endure too many repulses without hopes of success . he knows well enough he cannot force us , and if he cannot corrupt us , will not long labour in vain . this the apostle st. james assures us of , resist the devil and he will flee from you , st. james . . above all the holy spirit of god will not fail to set in with us , and make all easy to us , if we cease to resist and quench his motions . how that worketh in and upon us is not easy to discover : for as the wind bloweth where it listeth , and we hear the sound thereof , but know not whence it cometh , nor whither it goeth ; so is every one that is born of the spirit : notwithstanding we are assured that god will give his holy spirit to them that ask it ; and that that spirit hath a mighty influence upon us without doing any violence to us , and that its aids are incomparably greater then the devils opposition ; for greater is he that is in us , then he that is in the world : and this is our great incouragement to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling , because god worketh in us to will and to doe of his good pleasure . the mischief of all is therefore our want of resolution , that we do but dally and trifle in this great business : and hence all the difficulty arises . quo minùs timoris eo minùs fermè periculi . cowards run the greatest dangers in war , and irresolute men find the most opposition , and the greatest difficulty in a course of vertue . did we but collect our selves , we should quickly find the face of things altered , and all discouragements vanish . all this methinks is plain ( saith the penitent ) and i am resolved to make experiment of it , for i am not out of hopes , considering the premises , and especially the promise of my saviour , that i shall find his yoke easy , and his burden light ; and that i may doe his commandments and not find them grievous . . but the last and greatest inducement of resolution is yet behind , and that is an apprehension of absolute necessity ; that whether it be easy or difficult , it must be done . it is a well-known saying of pythagoras , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that power dwells next door to necessity : for as hierocles expounds it , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , when necessity lies upon a man it makes him confess an ability he would not acknowledge before ; it puts his powers as it were upon the rack , and extorts those secrets of nature which sloth would have concealed . who knoweth not that we owe to necessity most of the rarest discoveries and greatest improvements in all arts and sciences ; and all histories observe what great atchievements this hath been authour of . pursuant whereof those who have the conduct of great affairs , make it usually their care to put those which they make use of as instruments in their enterprizes , under as quick apprehensions of necessity as they can possibly , by that means to sharpen their resolution . and on the contrary , endeavour to keep their enemies and those they conflict with , from necessity , as being loth to experiment the efficacy of it against themselves . so it is in the present case , so long as an old inveterate sinner can find any refuge , he scarcely ever applies himself to repentance ; but when having considered , he finds himself reduced to extremity , that this must relieve him or nothing ; then and not till then he earnestly applies himself to it , as ad sacram anchoram , to his last and only remedy . for ( saith the sinner ) i cannot stand at the bar of god's justice , my appeal therefore must be to his mercy , and there can be no room for that but upon terms of submission and repentance ; either god must change , or i must resolve either to change or perish . i have gone astray to the very brink of hell , and it is unreasonable to expect god should fetch me back by irresistible power since he hath no need of me , and therefore i must seek him in the way in which he will be found . it is in vain to trust to his absolute and secret decrees , against the tenour of his known laws ; or to hope that notwithstanding all my former miscarriages , and my present impenitency added to them , my name may be written in the book of life . since god is a righteous judge , and will without respect of persons render to every man according to his doings . what shall i then do ? if i persevere in my old course , adding sin to sin , i make my case daily worse , treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath ; and if i sit still , my neglect will as certainly ruine me as my sin . whilest i delay the remedy , i cannot adjourn my own destruction ; for the judgment slumbereth not . shall i hope time may extricate me out of these difficulties ? alas , that will aggravate them , and whilest i delay i perish . it cannot be now too soon to set about it , because i know not how soon it may be too late : nor will i be fooled with that suggestion that it is now too late , for i am sure if i do it not now the time will come when i shall wish i had done it ; and if it be too late now , it will be more so hereafter . especially this would be the highest aggravation of my misery , if i should wholly abandon my self , and move nothing at all towards my own recovery . all other ways are beset with insuperable difficulties ; there is but one way of hope , and this is it ; anceps remedium potiùs quàm nullum , therefore what-ever the success be , this i am resolved to make trial of . thus the four lepers who were without the gates of samaria , when the famine was within , and the enemy laying close siege round about it , if ( say they ) we stay here we die , and if we go into the city the famine is there , and we die also . let us therefore venture upon the camp of the syrians , if they kill us we can but die ; and if they spare us , we shall live . so the sinner , i am beset with difficulties , within are fears , without is despair ; hell and damnation are round about me ; there is but one plank of escape , and that is repentance ; whether i can effect it , or god will accept it from me is a question : but hope is as cheap as despair ; if it be lost labour , it is but labour lost ; and the most doubtfull experiment is better then certain damnation . thus by all these powerfull inducements the sinner is brought at last to a resolution , and that brings him to actual returning , as we shall shew by and by . chap. iii. of confession and contrition . the contents . § i. contrition consists of four parts . . confession of guilt . . aggravation of the fault . . self-condemnation . . deprecation . all which are explained . § ii. the efficacy of contrition demonstrated . . as doing right to god's sovereignty . . to his wisedom , justice , and goodness . . to his omniscience . . to his holiness and purity . . it gives the best security against relapses into sin . § i. in the foregoing chapter we left the prodigal in a good mind , and well resolved what course to take ; now therefore no doubt we shall find him putting in practice those ingenuous purposes . and taking the whole series of this part of the parable together , our saviour represents him as wholly taken up with these two things . first , in a contrite and remorsefull confession of his former offences . secondly , in the actual returning to his father , and to his duty ; for as on the one hand ( considering his former miscarriages ) he could not take the confidence to appear before his injured father without ingenuous shame and sorrow ; so on the other side , he could neither content his own mind , nor hope for pardon from his father without real amendment and actual reformation . wherefore he joins both together , that by the former , ( viz. ) his contrition , he may appease his father's just wrath and indignation ; and that by the latter , ( viz. ) reformation , he may be re-instated in his favour . now the first of these is answerable to , and that which is most genuinely meant by the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the second , that which they express by the other word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : both which together make up the intire nature of true repentance , and therefore must be handled by us particularly . to begin with the former , ( viz. ) contrition . the son expresses himself thus , father i have sinned against heaven , and before thee , and am no more worthy to be called thy son. make me but as one of thy hired servants , &c. in which words there are these four things observable . . his confession of guilt , i have sinned . . aggravation of the fact , i have sinned against heaven and before thee . . the severe judgment he passes upon himself , i am no more worthy to be called thy son. . lastly , his deprecation , yet make me as one of thy hired servants . all which deserve a little consideration , the rather because we shall find them all exactly and literally exemplified in the true penitent . . then the son assumes to himself his own guilt , and takes shame to himself . i have sinned , &c. non in aetatem , non in malos consiliarios culpam rejicit , sed nudam parat sine excusatione confessionem , ( saith the excellent h. grotius : ) he excuses not himself by the injudiciousness of his youth , nor casts the blame upon his evil counsellors ; neither accuses god nor man , but himself by a plain and ingenuous acknowledgement . in like manner the true penitent knows it is to no purpose to play the hypocrite with god , because all things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to doe . he seeth not as men see , beholding the outward appearance ; but he searches the hearts and tries the reins of the children of men . he remembers that he that hideth his sins shall not prosper , but that he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy . therefore with blushing and confusion of face , saith , i have sinned and done very foolishly . thus the poor publican is represented by our saviour , s. luk. . . whenas the pharisee stood upon his own justification , and with a brazen impudence out-faces heaven , god i thank thee that i am not as other men are , &c. he standing afar off ( as not thinking himself worthy to approach so great a majesty ) not daring to lift up his eyes to heaven , ( as dejected with the apprehension of his own demerits ) smites upon his breast with indignation against himself , and brings out onely this contrite sigh , god be mercifull to me a sinner . and so the psalmist david in that penitential psalm of his , psal . . vers . . i acknowledge my transgression , and my sin is ever before me . against thee , thee onely have i sinned , and done evil in thy sight . behold , i was shapen in iniquity , and in sin did my mother conceive me , &c. and this is the course of every penitent , for though it be too true that confession may be without true and compleat repentance , yet it is impossible that repentance should be true without confession . i enter not into a discourse of confession to men , because my text leads me not to it , further then as it concerns the person injured ; in which case it is often necessary for the satisfaction of our consciences , and where-ever there is any ingenuity in the offended person , it must needs be very prevalent towards his forgiveness . but as for the divine majesty , who is always injured in every transgression , and can never have any reparation otherwise then by it , it must needs be always reasonable and necessary , as we shall shew more fully by and by . . but the son contents not himself with a bare acknowledgment of his fault in general , but goes on to aggravate it . i have sinned against heaven and before thee . if we consider the letter of those words , they import , i have sinned both against god and thee my earthly parent , for so the jews were wont to express themselves , calling the divine majesty by the name of heaven , as we may observe s. luke . . the baptism of john , was it from heaven or of men . i. e. was it it of god's institution , or man's invention ? so also macc. . . it is all one with heaven to save with few or with many , i. e. with the god of heaven . and we may easily take notice that in most of the parables of our saviour , that which is sometimes called the kingdom of god , is otherwhile expressed by the name of the kingdom of heaven ; and by both nothing else is meant but the gospel , that divine institution of religion : but if we attend to the intent of this acknowledgement of the prodigal son , the words import an aggravation of his disobedience . q. d. there was no necessity lay upon me to transgress ; thy yoke was easy and reasonable , and therefore in disobeying thee , i disobeyed god too : or i must first have cast off all reverence of god , before i could be undutifull towards thee . it was not the harshness and severity of my father that drove me away , but my own levity and folly that betrayed me , and my stubbornness that i forsook him . and the same consideration affects the heart of the penitent : for ( saith he ) i have not only offended the divine majesty , but rebelled both against a rightfull and a gracious sovereign ; have broken wise , and just , and equitable laws ; been ingratefull towards him that had obliged me by infinite favours ; have slighted the most glorious propositions , and neglected the most gracious and condescending conditions of being happy . there was no invincible temptation upon me , it was not in the power of example to debauch me : i was not opprest by fate , but have chosen my own destruction . it is not the apostasy of adam that can excuse me , for it was my own act : i cannot say , the fathers have eaten sour grapes , and the children's teeth are set on edge : for i sinned against light and conscience with full consent , and against the motions of god's spirit to the contrary . after this manner the penitent is apt to lay load upon himself , no body can think or speak worse of him then he thinks and confesses of himself ; so far is he from extenuating his crimes , that no malice can paint them worse , then grief and indignation at himself doth . in short , with st. paul , he esteems himself the chiefest and worst of sinners . this is a quite contrary course to that which men use to take when they plead at humane tribunals , either they deny the fact , or extenuate , or justify it ; either they plead ignorance , or pretend necessity , or prescribe for it from the custome and prevailing example of the world : but none of these ways are of use before god , and therefore are not the pleas of the penitent . the argument of the psalmist ( though it may seem a very strange one ) is frequent with such men , psal . . . o lord pardon my sin , for it is great . q. d. i am only fit to magnify thy mercy , for i have sinned beyond any mercy but thine ; my guilt is too great a burden for me to bear , if thy unspeakable mercies relieve me not . what shall i do unto thee , o thou redeemer of men ? such a soul is not only ashamed , but loaths and abhors himself ; his spirit is broken , his countenance dejected , his confidence dismounted , he feels pain and remorse , he goes heavily , he is pricked to the heart , and cries out in the anguish of his soul what shall i doe ? but . he goes on not only to accuse , but to condemn himself also ; i am not worthy to be called thy son. i deserve to be utterly abandoned , excluded your care , and cast out of your thoughts , as i cast my self out of your family . and so the penitent : i am so far lord from deserving thy favour or eternal life , that i deserve not the least crum from thy table ; less then the least of all thy mercies . nay i acknowledge i have deserved to goe with sorrow to my grave , and to undergo the dreadfullest viols of thy wrath . it is very remarkable that the prodigal doth not only thus condemn himself whilest he anxiously stands expecting his doom from his father , but even then when his father had expressed compassion to him , had ran to meet him , and kissed him , for so vers . . we find him repeating his own condemnation in the same words as before : and in like manner we observe the apostle st. paul after he had obtained pardon , and the great favour of apostleship , to be continually ripping up his former sins , and condemning himself for them ; as if the wound bled afresh as often as it was touched . thus the penitent always judges and condemns himself , that he may not be judged of the lord. by severity towards himself he recommends himself to the divine mercy ; for as tertullian expresses it , in quantum non peperceris tibi , in tantum deus tibi parcet . if we like phineas stand up and execute judgement , the plague will be stayed . he that anticipates the day of judgment by erecting a private , but impartial tribunal , prevents the dreadfullness of that day . in short , if we be just , god will be mercifull ; and therefore when the penitent hath been accuser , witness and judge against himself , he may then with hopes of success become . in the fourth place intercessour for himself also , and deprecate the divine displeasure , and implore his favour . so the son doth here , make me as one of thy hired servants . q. d. let me not be utterly cast out of thy family , but have at least this instance of thy favour , that i may still retain some relation to thee . and so the penitent now that he hath received his sentence of condemnation within himself , sues out his pardon . o take not my confession meerly as an argument of my guilt , but as an evidence of my contrition , break not the bruised reed , nor quench the smoaking flax . 't is thy prerogative o lord , to pardon , and what pleasure is there in my blood ? will the lord be angry for ever ? will his jealousy burn like fire ? o consider my frame ! remember i am but dust and ashes , call to mind thy mercies of old , thou art god and not man , and as much as the heavens are higher then the earth , so are thy mercies above the mercies of a man : turn thy face away from my sins , and blot out all my transgressions . make me a clean heart o god , and renew a right spirit in me . cast me not away from thy presence , and take not thy holy spirit from me . give me the comfort of thy help again , and stablish me with thy free spirit , &c. psal . . , , , . saint cyprian reports it to have been the custome of the primitive penitents out of their quick and pricking sense of sin , and the more effectually to recommend themselves to the mercies of god , and the favour of his church , earnestly to implore the martyrs , that in the midst of their sufferings and sharpest agonies , they would remember them in their prayers , thinking such affectionate intercession of those that poured out their blood and requests together , must needs be available both with god and man. but the penitent addresses himself also to a higher and more prevalent advocate , who adds the incense of his own sacrifice to the prayers of men , and makes them come up as sweet odours before the almighty ; and who is exalted at god's right hand to this end that he may give success to the prayers of such contrite persons . to which adde , that not only the deep apprehensions of guilt and of danger which such a person ( we now speak of ) is under , must needs mkee him ardent and importunate , and to cry mightily to god ; but also the scripture assures us that the holy ghost is wont to assist such with sighs and groans which are unutterable . § ii. now for the acceptableness of this penitent confession of which we are speaking . although it be certain that our heavenly father takes no delight in the pityfull moans , in the tears and lamentations of his creatures , and most true that he is not to be wrought upon by addresses and complemental forms , by the accent of men's voice , by the rhetorick of tears , nor any thing of that nature ; because he is not subject to passions as men are : yet having demonstrated already in the former chapter that the divine majesty hath no restraint upon him but what himself pleases , and that all his actions towards his creatures are so subject to his wisedom , that when-ever there is just cause for mercy he can shew it notwithstanding the unchangeableness of his nature , the rigour of his laws , or the demand of his justice ; if now we also make it appear from his own mouth , and from those discoveries which he hath been pleased to make of himself , that the aforesaid humble and contrite addresses are agreeable to the designs of his wisedom , and therefore required by him as the conditions of pardon ; then there can be no doubt but that they will in their kind be as acceptable to his divine majesty , and as successfull on the part of the sinner , as the penitent son's submission was with his earthly parent . and this will be easily evident if we consider that whereas the evil of sin lies principally in the dishonour it reflects upon the divine perfections , such penitential acknowledgments as we have described , do in great measure repair that injury , and do right to all the divine attributes , as we will instance in particular . . sin is an invasion of god's authority and sovereignty over us , inasmuch as he that willfully breaks any law of god proclaims himself sui juris , or lawless , and saith with those in the gospel , we will not have this lord to rule over us . now penitent acknowledgment though it cannot recall the act which is past , yet it revokes and retracts the affront , and settles god's authority again . . sin is an impeachment of god's wisedom , justice and goodness at once ; for he that allows himself in the commission of a sin , lays an imputation upon god , as if he had either not foreseen what liberty was fit to be allowed to his creatures , or had not ordered the frame and constitution of things with that decency and benignity that mankind could comfortably acquiesce in , without temptation to intrench upon that for his own necessary accommodation . now on the contrary , confession takes shame and folly , and unreasonableness to our selves , and justifies the wisedom and equity of all god's constitutions . in this sense we may take that expression , luk. . . the publicans justified god , being baptized with the baptism of john. i. e. they entring into a penitential state which john's baptism initiated them into , condemned themselves , and proclaimed the righteousness of god's methods . . sin is a tacit denial of god's omniscience , the sinner saith with them in the psalmist , tush , doth god see , and is there knowledge in the most high ? psal . . . and with those other in job , how doth god know , can he judge through the dark clouds ? thick clouds are a covering to him that he seeth not , and he walketh in the circuit of heaven , job . , . either they conclude with the epicureans that it is below the majesty of god to mind the affairs of men , or that it would create him too much trouble and business , or some odd conceit or other they may well be presumed to have , who dare adventure to sin , forasmuch as the consideration of an all-seeing eye would give the most curbing check to sin that can be . and indeed , this attribute is one of the most glorious perfections of the divine nature ; and so necessary that it is not intelligible how he should be god , that is , how he should govern the world for the present , or judge it hereafter , without it : and consequently it is ( if not the only foundation , yet ) the immediate obligation to all worship and religious observance . for suppose a god as the epicureans did , that either could not , or would not mind the actions of men , and make him otherwise as great , excellent and adorable as we will , yet will it be impossible to restrain men from hypocrisy and contempt of him whilst they are under no apprehensions that their actions and carriage towards him are eyed by him . now he that ingenuously confesses his sin , and takes shame to himself for it , doth honour to this divine perfection , and upholds the pillar of the world , and thereby recommends himself to the divine mercy . it was the saying of joshua to achan , jos . . . my son give glory to god , and confess thy fault . q. d. thou hast dishonoured god by thy sin , and both reproached his wisedom in making such a law , and also called in question his omniscience by thy daring to violate it : now therefore make him the best amends thou canst by an ingenuous confession , and make it appear , that though when thou wast tempted to doe wickedly , thou wert so foolish as to promise thy self security ; yet now upon more deliberate thoughts , thou acknowledgest there is nothing can hide thee from him . . such acknowledgements as aforesaid , do right to the holiness and purity of god : for thereby the sinner expressing his shame , and blushing at his own impurity , seems to loath himself for his unlikeness to the divine majesty , who is the chief and original perfection . to which add in the last place , that besides that in this confession of sin , the sinner places himself in the nearest posture , and under the very eye of god , and the quickest apprehensions of him , and the greatest awefullness of his majesty ; he also puts a brand and odious mark upon all sin , and by his thus suffering for sin in the sense of his soul condemns sin in the flesh ; and withal expresses a great distast of it , shews an abhorrence , a mind alienated from it , and so consequently by that sense of the bitterness of it , gives the best security against relapses into it again . upon all which it is not untruely said , quem poenitet peccâsse paenè est innocens ; and though it be best of all not to sin , yet he is in a good degree towards innocency , who is thus penitent for his offences ; and consequently in a fair way for pardon . with respect to which the psalmist who both could and would ( if that would have done as well ) have brought the most costly sacrifices to god to have atoned his sin , and made his peace with him , yet pronounces the sacrifice of god to be only a contrite spirit , and that a broken and contrite spirit god would not despise . those other sacrifices it seems though god permitted them , and in some cases accepted , yet were not of his institution at first , only they were ways which men thought apt to express their homage and dependance upon god , or by which to acknowledge their gratitude , or by the cost of them to impose a mulct upon themselves for offending , or otherwise by being converted to the use of those that attended immediately upon him , might be supposed to be a means to propitiate him towards them ; as if in the language of our saviour men sought this way to make to themselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness : notwithstanding in themselves all those costly oblations seemed to reflect dishonour upon god ; as representing him a necessitous and indigent deity ; for which cause several of the wisest and best philosophers of old forbad all costly sacrifices , and required only such things as might properly be reputed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( as the platonists express it ) i. e. the worship of a full and perfect being : and such especially is this of a broken and contrite heart , which as it is that which every man hath to give that will , so is fittest to be the sacrifice of all mankind to the common father of them ; and as it costs them least , so it doth the truest honour to him . and whereas paganism admitted no repentance , and in their philosophick writings we meet often with expiations , and lustrations , but no such thing as repentance ; the reason must be because they had no right notions of god , commonly considering him only under the notion of rigid fate , or of absolute sovereignty , without any apprehension of benignity or compassion in him : which whoso rightly understands god , must needs conceive to be in him in an eminent degree , as we have shewed before ; and he that so considers him , can have no reason to doubt but those instances of penitence we are now upon , are very acceptable to him , especially if they come attended with real reformation , which we come now in the next place to speak of , as the second part of the penitent's resolution , and the last and principal point of repentance . chap. iv. of actual returing , or reformation . the contents . actual reformation consists in three things . . care of god's worship . . conscience of all his commands . . submission to his providence . all which are described according to such measures as are practicable in themselves , necessarily required by god , and conscientiously observed by all true converts . we have hitherto in the letter of the parable seen the ( formerly extravagant ) son performing the first part of his resolution , confessing his fault , condemning his folly , falling at his father's feet , and imploring his pardon . but there was something else meant when he said i will return to my father ; and he was not ignorant that filial reverence and obedience for the future , was the best apology for his former transgressions : for though he knew how great an interest the very relation of a son gives in the affections of a father , and that the saying of the apostle is especially and most remarkably verified in the charity of parents , that it beareth all things , hopeth all things , believeth all things ; for they readily believe well of their children , because they so passionately desire it should be so : notwithstanding , the son could not think his father so soft and easy as to be imposed upon with words and ceremonies , and himself was not now so ill natured as to go about to abuse so much goodness , if it it had been in his power . wherefore the text saith , vers . . so he arose and came to his father , i. e. he did not only change his note , his address , his countenance , but he changed his course ; he returned to his father , and to the duty of a son. and we have under this type ( in the former part of it ) seen described the preface and introduction to repentance towards god ; namely , the sinner bewailing his sin , taking shame to himself , under agonies of mind , pricked to the heart , humbly imploring the divine favour , and crying earnestly for mercy . but this is not all that repentance means , the principal part of it is yet behind , ( viz. ) actual reformation . this is that which every awakened conscience in its agonies promises and resolves upon ; this god expects , and every sincere convert really performs : for without this all the rest is but empty pomp and pageantry , and meer hypocrisy , as we shall shew anon . but when this is added to the former , such a person from thenceforth is a new man , and in a new estate ; he hath compleatly made his return to god , as the son in the text is said to have actually returned to his father . i have noted heretofore that all irreligion and profaneness is wont in the language of the scripture to be expressed by the phrase of departing from god , or going out from him , or forsaking him ; and so the whole practice of religion is contrariwise set forth by drawing nigh to , or coming to god ; particularly hebr. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he that cometh to god , q. d. he that becomes a proselyte to religion , ( for from thence doth that word proselyte take its original . ) wherefore now we will first observe what is implyed by this phrase of the son 's returning or coming to his father ; and in proportion thereto describe this most important business of the penitent's returning to god , which is his actual conversion or reformation : and in the former these three things seem plainly to be comprehended . . that the son now returns home to his father's family and presence . . that he returns to the duty of a son , by obedience and compliance with his father's commands . . that he submits to his father's government and provision . therefore in the latter , namely , conversion to god , these three things must semblably be implied . . that the penitent puts himself under the eye of god , and lives in a constant practice of piety and devotion . . that he frames himself to universal obedience to all god's commands . . that he gives himself up to the divine disposal , and intirely submits to his providence and government . . concerning the first of these , there is nothing more evident or remarkable to all experience and observation , then the great fervor of devotion in all true converts from an evil life ; insomuch that there is not that man to be found under such a character , but presently with great solemnity and seriousness he sets up the worship of god ; to which purpose we find in the history of the acts of the apostles , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , worshippers , or devout persons , to be the common name by which converts to religion are expressed ; and these , acts . . are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , candidates of eternal life , or put into order and disposed for salvation . compare vers . . with . more particularly it is observable of st. paul , that when from a superstitious pharisee and bitter enemy of christianity , he was reclaimed and made a christian ; the assurance that god gives to ananias of the truth of his conversion , is acts . . behold he prays . and so of manasses , chron. . . amongst the instances of his real reformation the scripture takes especial notice of the prayer that he prayed . and this is so universal a truth , that i think from hence it cometh to pass , that those who have a mind hypocritically to put on the guise and appearance of religion , are wont to be notably carefull in this point : for so the pharisees cloaked all their villanies with this garb of piety . now hypocrisy would miss altogether of its design if it did not resemble the truth of things ; and usually their over solicitude and overdoing herein betrays them to act a part only in religion . but it is not only the duty of prayer which the true penitent expresses his conversion by , ( though this be by some too phantastically called duty , as if all piety consisted in that only , ) for as the literal prodigal returns to his father's house and family , so the mystical returns to god's house which is his church , and associates himself with god's servants in all the offices of religion : ( viz. ) in hearing the word , reading , meditation , sacraments , &c. now he thinks a day spent in god's courts better then a thousand ; and had rather be a door-keeper in the house of the lord , then to dwell in the tents of the wicked . this one thing he desires of the lord , and is most passionate in , that he may dwell in the house of the lord all the days of his life , to behold the beauty of the lord , and to inquire in his temple . and he so highly values the priviledge of god's church , that no private opinion , no trifling scrupulosity , nor petty disgust , shall ever alienate him from it . here he finds himself fortified and incouraged by the great examples of holy men , his prayers strengthened by the concurrence of all good people ; here he is under the publick dispensations of the means of grace and knowledge , the very plainness and simplicity of which he now with the great convert st. austin values , and admires more then all the greek or roman eloquence of speech , or subtilty of philosophy ; to which every thing else seemed flat and insipid before . above all , the holy sacrament puts him into an ecstasy ; in this he thinks himself in god's presence in an extraordinary manner , and admitted a guest at his table , the crums of which he thinks himself unworthy of : here he refreshes his hungry soul with the bread of life , and his wounded conscience by the bloud of his crucified saviour ; and in both he thinks he sees his provoked , but compassionate father , stand with open arms to receive him . this he approaches with great reverence , with shame and sorrow for his sins past , together with faith and hope in god's mercy , and will therefore never be negligent of it . in these and all other duties of religion , both publick and private , the convert expresses such an excellent spirit , and extraordinary zeal as cannot but be very observable ; nay , his fervor is so great in these things , that the only danger is of running into some excess , lest he outgo the health and strength of his body , and forget the necessity of the common affairs of life . it is true , there is great diversity in these passionate expressions of devotion , according to the difference of men's tempers and constitutions ; but yet in every true convert , it is at the lowest quite another thing from the common flatness and formality that is too easy to be seen in other men : nay , the transports of this kind in new converts are usually so great , that it often gives them occasion afterwards to question their station , and to doubt whether they have not apostatized and faln from their first love ; when they find they cannot maintain those spring-tides constantly at the same height through the whole course of their lives . for the sake of which this is to be added ; that it is no argument against a man's sincerity , that he wants some of the passionate expressions of devotion which he had at first , in regard then the fresh sense he had of his miscarriages , of his horrible danger , together with the ravishing joy at the first glimpse of god's mercy in christ , were able strangely to move all his powers , and to draw even those bodily passions into compliance with the sense of the mind which must certainly flag afterwards . and therefore though it be a sure sign he is no convert , ( i mean , from a debauched and wicked life ) who had no experience of something extraordinary in this kind at first ; yet on the other side , it is no sign of decaying in grace , if he find not the like all along . . but to proceed : secondly , when the son arose and went to his father , it is implied , that he became obedient to his commands , as well as that he lived in his presence and family . and accordingly the penitent in the next place contents not himself with any or all of the forementioned acts of devotion ; as not intending to put off god with complementall addresses , ( for all worship without obedience is no better ) but applies himself with all humility and seriousness to frame his life according to his commands . heretofore he was a son of belial , lawless and disobedient , but now he saith with st paul upon his conversion , acts . . what wilt thou have me to doe lord ? he hath now found what hard service the devil puts his vassals to , and having had so bad a master of him , he doth not discourage himself with suspicions , but submits his neck to the yoke of christ jesus , and doth not say it is grievous , as being of opinion with the falisci , who told fabricius , melius nos sub vestro imperio quàm sub nostris legibus victuri sumus . god's service is perfect freedom , and it is liberty enough to obey wisedom and goodness . accordingly he indeavours from henceforth to live in all the statutes and commandments of the lord blameless , and exercises himself to have a conscience void of offence both towards god and man. he confines not his care to some one branch or part of his duty , which is the common guise of hypocrites , but resolves to be universally good and holy : for he not only considers that one sin is sufficient to ruine a man as well as many , ( as one disease may destroy a man's life as well as a complication ) but also he observes , that the main difficulty of vertue lies in that men do not uniformly carry on the whole business before them , and so the devil gets that ground in one place which he seems to lose in another . besides , the very principle that acts and governs him is the hearty love of god and goodness , which makes him have an equal hatred to all sin , and a zeal of every duty . he forsakes all his debauches for the pleasure of a good conscience , and makes experiment whether victory over his passions be not as delightfull as the gratification of them ; and whether intellectual joys be not as ravishing as sensual enjoyments ; and a regular conversation as easy and agreeable as the lawless and licentious . he brings his senses in subjection to his reason , and makes all those powers and faculties tributary to religion which before made war against it . this head of mine ( saith he ) which was wont to be employed in contrivances for the world , or in catering for my lusts , shall now be exercised in studying how i may doe most honour to my maker . this wit which was wont to goe out in froth , or in scoffing at all that was serious , shall now make apologies for what before it blasphemed . this tongue shall learn to bless , that was used to cursing and swearing . my hands shall now dispense as liberally to charitable purposes , as they have sordidly raked together before ; i will be as exemplary for sobriety and chastity , as ever i was notorious for excesses ; and wherever i have wronged any body in my dealings , i will now spare from my self to make them a recompence . in short , by the grace of god from henceforward there is neither pleasure shall tempt me , nor profit allure me , nor ambition corrupt me , nor example sway me to doe any thing which i know to be evil ; and on the other side , there shall neither difficulty discourage me , nor tediousness of the course weary me in the race of vertue and holiness . and to the intent that he may always make good this ground , and persevere in this course , he calls in all the auxiliaries of divine grace , places himself under the most advantageous circumstances , and retrenches himself against all assaults or surprisals . herewithal he hath a principal care to keep his thoughts pure and holy , that there may be no combustible matter in him for the devil 's fiery darts to take hold of , nor any beginning of a mutiny within him of the flesh against the spirit , by which means a passage may be opened to the enemy . and yet when this is done he will be always upon his guard too , not trusting wholly to the innocency of his intentions , as knowing both the subtilty and enterprizing nature of the devil . and that this watch may be constantly kept up , he is sure not to allow himself the least degree of intemperance which would at least weaken his reason , and inflame his passion : and farther , he is very choice of his company , and very desirous to fortify himself by good neighbourhood and acquaintance , that he may be quickened by their examples : and lastly , he will be always doing some good thing or other , that temptation may not find him at leisure to give it entertainment . moreover , in consideration that he hath lived a great while unprofitably , and done far less then his duty , he will strive if it be possible to do more then is matter of express duty now to make amends for fomer failing , and therefore is far from the cold and frugal piety of those men that make a great stirr in seeking the minimum quod sic , as if they would divide a hair in religion , and be sure to do no more then needs must ; and were afraid of loving god too much , or bidding too high for the kingdom of heaven : for though it be true that there are no works of supererogation , erogation , as some vainly speak , i. e. whereby we may make god a debter to us , or that we shall have an overplus , and be able to contribute towards a publick stock besides our own necessitie ; yet if a man , conscious of his own many failings , shall therefore ( to shew that notwithstanding he loves god sincerely ) oblige himself , suppose to pray oftener , or give alms more liberally then is expresly required of him , this sure will not be blameable . and again , being heartily troubled for what evils he hath committed heretofore , he indeavours to retract and undoe them as much as is possible , not only labouring to prevent the contagion of his example , but where the case will admit it rescinding and nullifying the very effects . so manasses , that had set up idolatry , effectually reformed it ; and zacheus , besides the half of his goods which he gave to the poor , made a fourfold restitution wherever he had wronged nay . the jaylor washes the stripes he had inflicted , & s. paul zealously preached the doctrine which before he persecuted . lastly , such is the indignation which the true convert hath against himself for his former rebellions , and such an holy jealousy hath he over himself lest he should relapse , that he is in danger of another extream ; for whereas heretofore he too much indulged the humour of his body , now he is ready to abridge it to such a degree as to indanger his health : perhaps in times past he lived in too much gaiety , and now so gravely that there is some danger his strictness should sour into austerity ; heretofore he lived lawlesly , and now is ready by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a vehement inclining the contrary way to fall into scrupulosity , and in the words of s. austin , factum horretur licitum ob vicinitatem illiciti , which i render by those of our saviour , he strains at a gnat now , that was wont to swallow a camel. those that have had experience of new and zealous converts know this which i have last said to be too true , and therefore those that are concerned in the management of such persons , find it becoming their prudence , not only to instruct them in the holy ways of the gospel , but also to interpret to them the liberty of the gospel . for in defect of such care and prudence , it very often unhappily comes to pass , that evil men and seducers , working upon that well meant but intemperate zeal , find advantage of insinuating their curiosities , their superstitions , nay , their very morosities , and the distinctive badges of their peculiar factions ; and in consequence thereof both indispose these honest minds to some of that which is their duty in church and state , and render them uncomfortable in themselves , and scandalous to religion . but abating this last thing ( which is a bad weed , but an argument of a good soil ) all that which i have been saying otherwise , is in the temper and practice of every true convert , as is most eminently to be seen in all the primitive christians , who were converted from paganism or judaism to christ jesus , but especially the former ; the whole world saw them strangely improved and metamorphosed , to use the word of the apostle , upon which account the primitive fathers , origen , justin martyr , eusebius , lactantius , &c. gloried in the efficacy of the gospel , and shamed the blind pagans out of their contempt of it ; they despised it for the plainness and familiarity of the phrase , but could not deny but it was mighty in operation , far beyond all the admired writings of philosophers ; for whereas all the efficacy of them usually extended no further then to furnish men's heads with notions , or to guild the outside ; this changed them thoroughly , made the drunkard become grave , the lascivious person chaste and modest , the griping oppressour mercifull and liberal ; and in short , made the vicious and debauched become uniformly holy and vertuous . and this is the second thing intimated in the son 's returning to his father , he returned to his duty and obedience . but . thirdly and lastly , when the son returned to his father , it is implied that he then submitted himself to his father's providence and accommodations ; that whereas heretofore the way of his father's family was too frugal and parsimonious for him , he must live at an higher rate , and be better provided for ; and therefore desired to have his portion in his own hands , that he might please himself : now the case is altered , for he found that his prodigality had brought him to rags , and his riots to hunger , and the danger of being starved : this therefore had like to have broke his heart , but to be sure it hath broke his spirit ; and now he will not capitulate , nor prescribe rules to his father , but be content with any thing ; make me but as one of thy hired servants , &c. it was the custom of penitents of old to put on sack-cloth , and to sprinkle themselves with ashes , as acknowledging themselves to be vile earth , and unworthy of the meanest accommodations . and what was thus done emblematically on the solemn times of humiliation , is really accomplished in every sincere convert . he is sensible that ( as we have discoursed heretofore ) pride began his ruine , and therefore humility must recover him . time was , that he swelled against god , as the proud waves against their banks , strove to break down and overrun all the restraints of providence ; because he could not bring his condition to his mind , therefore he swelled and murmured , raged and blasphemed : why must he be poor and limited , sick or of short continuance ? why ( since the world was made for man ) should not he have his full swing , and like leviathan , sport himself therein ? he was ready to suspect some malevolent or evil genius governed the world , and not such a wise and benign being as men talk of . in short , as the laws of god were too strait , so was his providence , and he could brook neither of them . but as we have seen ( upon this change ) his compliance with the former , so we shall now see his conformity to the latter . he hath now like nebuchadnezzar , been turned out to grass , till by his afflictions he was brought to acknowledge that the most high ruleth in the kingdoms of men ; and now the clay hath learned not to dispute with the potter , why hast thou made me thus ? now whatever condition it pleases god to put him in , he acknowledges it is better then he deserves ; if he will that he be a beggar , in disgrace , sickness , prison ; where and what he pleases , so he have mercy upon his soul. he hath learnt to say with jacob , less then the least of all god's mercies ; and with the israelites humbled by their captivity ; thou always punishest us less then our iniquities have deserved ; or with the same in the lamentations , it is the lord's mercy that we are not consumed , and wherefore doth a living man complain , a man , for the punishment of his sins ? he not only considers the irresistible power of god , and yields , as knowing there is no contending with him ; but he acknowledges also his sovereignty , and the right which the great creatour of the world hath to dispose of him and all other creatures as he pleases ; and therefore quarrels not prerogative , but saith with old eli , it is the lord , let him doe what seemeth him good ; and with the psalmist , i was dumb and opened not my mouth , for it was thy doing . q. d. if i saw nothing but rigid fate over-bearing me , though i knew it was even then to no purpose to contend , yet i should be tempted to repine at my hard fortune ; but when i saw god in it , i laid my hand upon my mouth ; for that word speaks wisedom , justice , and goodness , as well as power ; every of which are infinitely above my match . and when i reflect upon my self , i cannot but discover , that it is not meer power and will in god that oppresses me , but it was just with him to appoint me this adversity ; nay , i cannot but own his wisedom too in it ; he understands my frame , and therefore is best able to judge what is good & necessary for me : my heavenly father knows what things i have need of : and consequently i must conclude ( since he hath ordered it so ) that it was best for me that i should be put into the condition i am in : he saw i was not able to bear a full tide of prosperity , and therefore sent cross winds to check me ; he foresaw i should be apt to luxuriate and run riot again , should he have planted me in the warm sun , and therefore he made choice of the shade for me . upon all these considerations , and especially that which i first suggested ; namely , his modest reflection upon his own demerits , and therewithall the contemplation of that transcendent happiness in another world , which will abundantly compensate all defects in this ; the penitent is brought intirely to surrender himself to the divine will. so that he doth not only patiently abide what he cannot help , but in some good measure of chearfullness , harmoniously falls in with the divine providence . i will ( saith he ) no longer have any will of my own but thy will be done : as i will indeavour to frame the course of my life and actions by thy laws and revealed will , so my mind , my will and passions ; shall be shaped in conformity to thy secret will. this temper every true penitent must and doth arrive at in good measure , for untill this be done , the principle of pride , which was the first spring of apostasie , is not destroyed in him ; and it will be impossible that he should discharge the former part of active obedience , unless this passive frame be in conjunction with it ; since a malecontent and murmuring spirit can never become a good and dutifull subject of god's kingdom , because he plainly betrays that he neither loves nor reverences him , and therefore will not obey him . besides , that most assuredly such a temper affords perpetual invitation and incouragement to the devil to be attempting upon him to inflame him into some rebellion against god. whereas the man that is contented with his condition , that submits to god , discourages satan in all his attempts of stirring up sedition , he gives him no hold , he disarms and defeats him . this therefore with the two former make up the summ of religion , and consequently the intire character of a true convert , and the just terms of his reconciliation with the offended majesty of heaven . by these three steps the son recovered himself and his father's favour : and thus the sinner returns to god. chap. v. of the necessity of actual reformation . the contents . § i. a recital of several loose opinions about repentance , which debauch men's practice in this important affair . § ii. four arguments demonstrating the absurdity of all those opinions jointly , and the necessity of bringing forth such fruits of repentance as are described in the former chapter . . from scripture . . from the nature of god. . from the nature of heaven and hell. . from the nature of conscience . whilst in the foregoing chapter i indeavoured in three instances plainly and accurately to describe actual returning to god , as the condition of reconciliation with our heavenly father , as i think i out-went not the figurative intimations of the parable , so i am most confident that therein i dealt faithfully with the souls of all such men as are concerned in that discourse ; neither requiring more , nor admitting less then what is both fit for god to accept , and for men to yield to him : therefore it was reasonably to be hoped that men's judgments being convinced herein , they would practise accordingly , and so i might proceed immediately to the third and last part of the parable ; and there shew the admirable success of this method , and the comfortable greeting betwixt the father of spirits and his returning children . notwithstanding , partly because i am aware in the general how willing men are even to put a cheat upon themselves for a cheap and an easy cure ; and that to such that which we have been discoursing will seem to be durus sermo , a hard chapter , ( as we say ; ) and partly also i am not ignorant that there are abundance of mountebanks in theology , who pretend to administer comfort to troubled consciences upon far easier terms : that therefore i may wholly omit nothing that i conceive usefull in this important affair , i will here ( though briefly ) demonstrate the truth and absolute necessity of what we have now laid down ; but first i think it not amiss to take notice of the principal of those mistakes which make it necessary that i so doe ; and they may be reduced to these four heads . . it was the opinion of some of the jewish doctours that when the messias came there would be no necessity of repentance at all , as if his intercession should perfectly excuse men all the trouble of working out their own salvation with fear and trembling . and a like absurd conceit hath possessed some christians , that nothing is to be done by us but trusting and relying upon christ jesus , and his sacrifice and satisfaction ; as if he had not only satisfied for the transgressions of the old covenant , but having brought in no new one , had set men perfectly at liberty from all moral obligation ; or as if it were a derogation from the merits of christ's death that any thing should be required of us in order to justification . this is the doctrine of the antinomians . which some carry yet higher , and suppose justification from eternity , founded meerly in the secret decree of god , and so not only exclude repentance , but even the mediation of christ jesus himself . . there is a second sort of men , and those called christians too , that require something on man's part though very little , and that they call attrition , by which they mean some slight sorrow for sin , which they say together with the sacrament of penance or confession , will reconcile a man to god , without so much as contrition , or true and hearty sorrow for the evil of sin : this is the express doctrine of the church of rome , and is very like the common doctrine of the jews , that confession and sacrifice were sufficient for repentance and reconciliation ; as if sin had no great evil in it self , or no great contrariety to the divine nature , only for form or order sake he thought fit that some shame or mulct should be put upon it ; and so a few tears , or something of no great moment , shall quit all the old score , and purchase a new licence to sin again . . another opinion goes further yet , requiring not only external expressions , and the forms and solemnities of repentance , but real and hearty sorrow for sin ; that a man's conscience be really troubled , and in great anguish for his sin ; and when this is done all is well ; from such trouble of conscience they date their conversion , and this they are always reflecting upon as a security , not only against the sins committed before it , but that from that time god sees no more sin in them ; as if , like as it was at the pool of bethesda , when the angel had moved the waters , all that stept in were healed . these men ordinarily please themselves with melancholy complaints of themselves , cry out of a naughty heart , a hard heart , &c. and think this will doe their business , as if so soon as the patient is grown sensible of his case he were cured , and to feel the smart were all one as to have the sore healed . lastly , a fourth sort go further yet , and require not only contrition , but resolution of obedience ; but content themselves , and incourage men to a great degree of confidence , though this resolution be never put in execution . thus a great many saints are canonized from the gallows , and the clinick or death-bed repentance is greatly countenanced . men commence saints per saltum as they say , as the romans made gentlemen ; momento turbinis exit marcus dama , in the turning of an hand a lewd and flagitious person starts up a great saint . the ground of this opinion is , they suppose that which is undoubtedly true , that god knows men's hearts ; but then they infer that which is very dangerous , that therefore so that be turned right , it is no matter with him whether there proceed any fruits worthy of repentance , and amendment of life . to all these i might further adde , those that reckon the change of opinion , being of an admired sect , coming over with great zeal to a new party , a demure garb , an austere temper , or at most some partial reformation to be sufficient signs of regeneration , which fancy agrees too well to the humour of a great part of men of this age ; but i shall not need to proceed further in reckoning up these mistakes , nor do i think it necessary to apply a particular confutation to doctrines so very absurd at the first view : but i will now , as i promised , demonstrate the necessity of the doctrine i have asserted , which will be an effectual detection of the fallacy of all these other now recired , and this i will do by these four arguments . § ii. first , if god in the holy scripture doth require of those that have lived wickedly , as the condition of their absolution and reconciliation to himself , that they be not only sorry for their sins , and resolve upon a new course , but expresly calls for actual performance of such resolutions and real reformation ; then those must be strangely bold and presumptuous men that will conceive hopes of pardon upon any other terms . but that this which we assert , and nothing less , is the declared condition of mercy , these following passages amongst innumerable others do abundantly evince . the first i take notice of is that of the prophet isaiah , chap. i. vers . , , &c. to what purpose is the multitude of your sacrices unto me ? saith the lord : i am full of the burnt-offerings of rams , and the fat of fed beasts ; and i delight not in the bloud of bullocks , or of lambs , or of he-goats . bring no more vain oblations , incense is abomination to me , the new moons and sabbaths , the calling of assemblies i cannot away with , it is iniquity , even the solemn meeting . and when you spread forth your hands , i will hide mine eyes from you ; yea , when ye make many prayers , i will not hear : your hands are full of bloud . wash you , make you clean , put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes , cease to do evil , learn to doe well , seek judgment , relieve the oppressed , judge the fatherless , plead for the widow . come now and let us reason together , saith the lord : though your sins be as searlet , they shall be as white as snow , &c. of like import is that of the prophet ezekiel , chap. . vers . , , . but if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed , and keep all my statutes , and doe that which is lawfull and right , he shall surely live , he shall not die . all the transgressions that he hath committed , they shall not be mentioned unto him . — because he considereth , and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed , he shall surely live , he shall not die . so also micah . , , . wherewithall shall i come before the lord , and bow my self before the high god ? shall i come before him with the burnt-offerings , with calves of a year old ? will the lord be pleased with thousands of rams , or with ten thousand rivers of oil ? shall i give my first-born for my transgression , the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul ? he hath shewed thee , o man , what is good ; and what doth the lord require of thee , but to doe justly , and to love mercy , and to walk humbly with thy god ? in all which places god puts a slight upon all the most solemn expressions of penitence , when they are dis-joined from actual amendment of life . and touching sacrifice , it is very remarkable that though that was a rite of god's own allowance for the expiation of sin , and had also conjoined with it the guilty persons confession of his fault , and that particularly ( as maimonides assures us ) and considering the usual cost of the oblation was a mulct upon the sinner , and some kind of reparation to god , yet this is declared of no efficacy without reformation . thus it was in the old testament , and in the new the case is plainer if it be possible ; for thus john the baptist preaches , that they should not think it sufficient to submit to the baptism of repentance : but bring forth fruits worthy of repentance , matt. . . and such is the discourse of our saviour himself , matth. . . not every one that saith unto me lord , lord , shall enter into the kingdom of heaven , but he that doth the will of my father which is in heaven . q. d. it is not all the importunity of prayers or addresses , that will avail without obedience . so the apostle st. paul , tim. . . the foundation of god standeth sure , having this seal , the lord knoweth who are his , and let him that nameth the name of christ depart from iniquity . q. d. the election of god shall not be frustrate , nor the ends of christ's death defeated ; nevertheless let no man pretend to be concerned in the one , nor interested in the other , but he that is really a good and holy man. and ( not to heap up scriptures unnecessarily in so plain a case ) upon this account it is , that religion is described by a walk , a course , a warfare , a life , &c. because that which god requires indispensably of men is not an agony or passion for their miscarriages , or a resolution of amendment , but an habit of vertuous conversation ; and all this is graphically represented by our saviour in a parable not unlike this before us , matt. . vers . , , &c. what think you ? a certain man had two sons : and he said to the first , son , go work to day in my vineyard . he answered and said , i will not : but afterwards he repented and went. and he came to the second , and said likewise . and he answered and said , i goe sir , but went not . whether of them twain did the will of his father , &c. the case was this , the scribes and pharisees , and rulers of the jews made a great shew of piety ; they complemented god with prayers and other addresses , and seemed ready prest for his service , whereas the publicans and harlots had lived with as little pretence of piety as morality , yet these at last being convinced of their danger come to repentance , and really perform what the other did but promise . and this puts me in mind of a story in plutarch very applicable to the present purpose . it happened that the image of minerva the great goddess of athens was to be new made ; and in a case which they esteemed of so great moment , all care was taken to employ the most accurate and able workman ; whereupon every artist both desirous of the honour and profit , by some means or other recommends himself to the employment ; but amongst the rest , appears one , who in a long and eloquent oration , magnifies his own ability in that kind , and drew all men's eyes upon him , till at last another rises up , and uses only this short , but significant saying , what-ever that man hath said i will perform . this man no doubt was entertained for the employment ; and most assuredly the man who actually performs his vows , and doth what others talk of , or make pretences to , is the only person that finds acceptance with the almighty . for secondly , it would beget in the minds of men very mean and unworthy notions of god as an easy majesty , should he suffer himself to be put off with complemental addresses , or divert his just indignation without honourable satisfaction ; and to think to prevail with him by costly sacrifices and oblations would speak him a necessitous deity , that could either be pleased with such trifles , or were fond of such empty things as men dote upon : it would also take away all the veneration of his laws , and divest him of that glorious attribute of justice , if he could be supposed to dispense with obedience upon any of these conditions . to imagine that sighs and tears , and melancholy reflections upon our selves would propitiate him , charges him with severity and cruelty , as if he took pleasure in the calamities and sufferings of his creatures ; it makes him appear like to the pagan idol baal , whose priests not onely with vehement importunity called upon him from morning till noon , o baal hear us , kings . but in a frantick mood leaped upon the altar , and cut themselves with knives and lancets till the bloud gushed out , that by this means they might move his compassion towards them . and which is worse yet , no man that considers these things , can reasonably doubt , but god may abate his creatures these things , if he pleases ; and then the consequence is very sad , for if he be supposed to require those things , as the conditions of his favour , which he may abate , all religion is made arbitrary , and the most fundamental reason of obedience destroyed ; and the horrible imputation laid upon god , that if he damn any , it is because he rigidly insists upon such things as he might have indulged . now all these things being intolerable , it must needs be true , that the only way of propitiating the divine majesty , is by being sincerely good , by ingenuous compliance with his laws , by actual reformation ; for this renders him truely great , and just , and good ; this is a reasonable service worthy of his excellency , when all the powers of man are made subject to him , and we love him with all our might , and soul , and strength . but if it be said , all this may be done by the resolution of the mind to amend , though no such thing actually follow , because god sees things in their causes , and knowing the hearts of men , needs not the fruits , since he foresees it in the roots . to this i answer , that where it pleases god by cutting off the thread of men's lives to interrupt the prosecution of their intended reformation , there it is reasonable to hope that he will accept the will for the deed ; but wherever he affords opportunity of executing men's intentions , there at least can be no just expectation that he should admit of less then what is both so agreeable to his revealed will , and also so much necessary to the interest of his glory , inasmuch as it is fit , that the divine sovereignty , as well as the justice and wisedom of his laws ( all which have been violated by sin ) should be vindicated and justified by the sinners retracting his own act , and doing contrary to that wherein he had offended , and that by letting his good works shine before men , he may glorify his heavenly father , as heretofore he hath dishonoured him by his neglects and disobedience . but thirdly , if it were both consistent with the declaration of the divine will , and also with his glory and interest to admit of any thing less then actual reformation at the hands of the sinner ; and could god be supposed inclinable to dispense with it , yet the very condition of heaven , and the state and condition of the other world will necessarily require it . the apostle tells us , hebr. . . there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i. e. some things that carry such a relation to the other world , that a man cannot be damned with them nor saved without them . or as the same apostle saith elsewhere , col. . there are certain things that make men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , meet to be partakers of the inheritance with the saints in light ; and on the other hand , it is in the nature of other things to make men vessels of wrath , and to sit them for destruction . if therefore we should suppose sin to doe no wrong to god , yet it doth wrong to our own nature , unfitting us for our ends , and making us incapable of our happiness ; and if a course of vertue be not profitable to god , nor can make him any amends , yet it amends us both in our faculties , and in our capacities . for certainly god doth not by a fatal sentence doom men to the pit of hell , nor by his almighty power precipitate them thither , untill their own wickedness had prepared them , and disposed them for that state . in which sense i see no reason ( with the pardon of a late learned person ) but to take that passage , acts . . where it is said of judas , that he went to his own place . for hell is the proper place of sin , and sin thrusts a man down thither ; or the central powers of those infernal regions , as it were draw and suck in the sinner . and therefore the very damned can never think hardly of god , as if he took pleasure in their misery , but must for ever curse their own folly , which made it fit and necessary that god should do what he doth . the apostle tells us , rom. . . the kingdom of god is not meat and drink , but righteousness , peace and joy in the holy ghost : which saying is indeed to be understood of the state of christianity ; notwithstanding , if we will consider , it will appear to us that heaven it self as it signifies the state of blessedness in the other world , consists not so much in the external glory of a palace , or any other circumstances , either to accommodate the body , or to entertain the imagination , as in a state of perfect purity , peace and love , clear knowledge of the mind , just order of all the powers , the light of god's countenance , ready and chearfull compliance with his will , comfortable reflections upon our former carriage , blessed society of saints and angels , and everlasting life for the durable enjoyment of all these unspeakably good things . and on the other side , hell is not so dreadfull for the horrid circumstances of the place , ( though that be sad enough ) as that there a man is banished from god , and all his powers in confusion , he is filled with rage , horribly and perpetually lashed by his own conscience , and scorned and tortured by infernal furies , to whose company he is for ever condemned without hopes of recovery . now though it cannot be said that every holy and vertuous man must naturally and necessarily be intitled to the happiness of heaven , because the glories of that state are of god's special provision , and therefore must be at his disposal ; and besides , there is no man whose vertue hath been such as to render him capable thereof , without the interposition of the divine mercy in jesus christ : yet it is evident , that there is a great suitableness between the temper of a brave man , and the state of heaven ; a just , wise , chaste , temperate and peaceable person , is prepared and disposed as a candidate for that state ; and on the contrary , a debaucht and vicious man is utterly unfit for it , and carries the very ingredients of hell about him . take for example a cruel , malicious , and mischievous man , whose soul is in his spleen , and who continually sacrifices to those accursed fiends , rancour and revenge ; let any man be judge , whether such a man can be a fit inhabitant of those peacefull regions above , and that amicable society of saints and angels ? or what can be more natural to him , and proper for him , then the company of devils which he so exactly resembles ? or take a turbulent and seditious person , a boutefeau , whose only pleasure hath been to disturb the world , that never discerned the beauty of order , nor tasted the sweets of peace , nor framed himself to duty and obedience ; what should such a man do in heaven where all is order and harmony ? he is only fit for the infernal hurry , and we may very aptly apply the stately expression of the prophet to his case , isa . . . hell from beneath is moved for thee , to meet thee at thy coming ; it stirreth up the dead for thee : and art thou become like unto us , &c. once more , take a man wholly addicted to sensuality , and the beastly pleasures of the body , to eat and drink , and live voluptuously , what should this man do in heaven ? what is there for him , where there is no use of the belly ; and where the pleasures are sublime and intellectual ? what delights can the presence of an holy majesty , a blessed jesus , and the harmony of an heavenly quire , minister to him that hath never relished other musick then the wild roarings of a debauch , or the soft charms of sensuality ? he that is capable of that blessed state , and of those entertainments , must be such an one as hath been habituate to sobriety and chastity , that hath learned to deny and castigate the importunities of his senses , that hath laboured to live out of the body whilest he was in it . now this is not to be performed by a sudden pang of devotion , nor by a meer resolution or intention of becoming vertuous , ( howsoever serious that may be ) but by long exercise , serious indeavour , a habit and a new nature . . but in the fourth and last place , if we could suppose , that neither the nature and state of the world to come , did necessarily require such habitual vertue , as we have shewed it doth ; nor that god had resolved to insist upon the actual performance of our resolutions : i say , if god would pardon a man upon the meer acknowledgement of his offence , and sorrow for it , yet would not the penitent pardon himself in this case : i mean , it would be impossible for him to find any quiet in his bosom , till he had in some measure effaced the memory of his former wickedness by a course of generous vertue . for when once a man's eyes are open to see his shamefull folly , and his heart made so sensible as to relent at his misdoing , he will have such an abhorrence of himself for his own unreasonableness , that he will be so far from looking up to god with comfort , or towards men with confidence ; that he will not be able to endure his own face , untill he have by a singular diligence indeavoured to rescind his own act , and in some measure repaired the injuries his lewd extravagancies have made him guilty of . accordingly st. paul , as we have noted before , seems to carry about him a bleeding sense of his former miscarriages , but cor. . . he had this to support him , that although he was as one born out of due time , coming late into christ's service ; yet from that time he laboured more abundantly then those that came earlier into the vineyard . it is a most impertinent inquiry which some melancholy persons have been taught to make ; have i been humbled enough for sin ? is the measure of my sorrow sufficient for my guilt ? have i lain long enough under the terrours of the law , and the spirit of bondage ? for god requires not sorrow for it self , but for its end ; and it is no satisfaction to him that his creatures lie under affrightfull apprehensions , besides our own consciences will tell us , we may then dry our eyes and be comfortable when the cause is taken away , and not before ; for then is it godly sorrow when it bringeth forth repentance not to be repented of , cor. . . and herein lies the great uncomfortableness of a death-bed repentance , for ( besides the horrible madness of trusting the issues of eternity , upon extempore preparations ) if it should please god to give a man both the grace and the opportunity , then at last seriously to bethink himself , to feel remorse for his sins , to make resolutions , and to renew his baptismal covenant ; yet then he can give no proof to himself of his own sincerity , because he cannot repair god's honour , he can make no conquest over satan , he can leave no example to the world , he cannot by habit and exercise make the ways of god become easy and natural to himself , he cannot be said to have lived the life of the righteous , and therefore cannot comfortably conclude that he shall die the death of such . as for the penitent thief in the gospel , that accompanied our saviour in his sufferings upon the cross , to whom our saviour pronounced , that he should that day be with him in paradise ; his case was peculiar , probably he had lived in great darkness and ignorance , and never had the means of grace till now ; but however it was not unagreeable to the divine wisedom and goodness to do something extraordinary at that great time , and to signalize the efficacy of our saviour's mediatourship by some remarkable instance at such a time , when the dignity and glory of his person was most clouded and obscured ; and as there never was nor will be such another occasion as this , so it is great and desperate folly for any man to trust to such an experiment . and whereas in the parable , matth. . vers . . those labourers that came into the vineyard at the eleventh hour are rewarded equally with those that had born the burden and heat of the day ; it is in the first place to be observed , that though they came late , yet not so late , but that they did really work in the vineyard ; and then besides , here is nothing contrary to what we are pressing , for we are far from intention of discouraging any to return at last , or from limiting the mercies of god , who is able to foresee what a late convert would have done if he had opportunity , and may accordingly extend mercy to him . all therefore which i say , is , that this is a most uncomfortable state , when a man's conscience cannot give security for him ; nor is there any thing that affords him positive grounds of hope , having not performed the conditions of the new covenant , only he hath a general refuge in the merits of christ and in god's mercy . wherefore there is all the reason , and all the wisedom in the world , that a man should not trust to prefaces and praeludia , beginnings and first eslays of repentance , but let it have its perfect work ; that with the prodigal son , he not only sit down and bewail his misery , or take up resolutions of returning to his father , but that he forthwith set about it and effect it ; so he arose and came to his father . what entertainment he meets with from his father upon so doing , i am now to shew in the third and last part of the parable . the father said to the servants , bring forth the best robe and put it on him , &c. s t. lvke . . . non patitur contriti cordis holocaustum repulsam . quotiens te in conspectu domini video suspirantem , spiritum sanctum non dubito aspirantem : cum intu●or flentem , sentio ignoscentem . cypr : serm : de coena . page . . . the parable of the prodigal son. part iii. the prodigal received and reconciled , or god's gracious reception of a penitent sinner . s. luke . vers . , , . but the father said to his servants , bring forth the best robe , and put it on him , and put a ring on his hand , and shoes on his feet . and bring hither the fatted calf , and kill it , and let us eat , and be merry . for this my son was dead , and is alive again ; was lost , and is found , &c. chap. i. of reconciliation , or justification . the contents . § i. the passionate story of joseph , gen. . parallel to this parable before us . § ii. god takes notice of the first beginnings of good in men . the use of that consideration . § iii. god's compassion and tenderness to men under agonies of mind , yet without the weakness of humane passion . § iv. god not only takes delight in beginnings of good , but promotes them by his grace . the famous story in eusebius of st. john , and a dissolute young man ; and several usefull observations thereupon . § v. the greatness of god's pardoning mercy , and the fullness and compleatness thereof upon repentance , set out in several great instances , full of unspeakable consolation to the penitent , and wherein god's mercies outgo those of mercifull men : the greatness of the sin of our first parents , and of the jews in crucifying our lord ; which notwithstanding were both pardoned . § vi. of the novation heresy , and the mischiefs of it . § vii . practical reflections upon justification . § i. it is a very lively and pathetick story which moses gives us concerning jacob and his sons , especially his beloved son joseph , to this effect . the brethren of joseph envying him that great share he had in his father's affections , resolve some way or other to dispatch him out of the way ; but that they might not imbrue their hands in his bloud they conclude to sell him a slave to the midianites , ( that happened at that time to come in the way ) and to hide their own fault from their father , they kill a kid , and dip joseph's coat in the bloud , and telling a demure story to the old man , impose upon his belief that some wild beast had devoured his son. which when the good man was possest of , he most tenderly resents the affliction , rends his cloaths , puts sackcloth upon his loins , and mourned many days . whereupon his sons and daughters , and even those especially that had raised the tragedy , personate so well as to take upon them to be his comforters ; but the wound was too deep to be easily cured , for he refuses consolation : no ( saith he ) i will go down to the grave to my son mourning : my grief shall only wear away with my life , and only the land of oblivion shall make me forget joseph . at last , after a long and sad time of lamentation , there comes the surprizing news to the good man , joseph thy son is yet alive , and ruler of all the land of aegypt . the aged father faints at the tidings , the news was too good to be true ; the apprehension of his son's death had seized him so long , that he could not believe any thing to the contrary now ; and by the report of his life his wounds bleed afresh , and the grief for the loss of him was so renewed , that the good man sinks into a deliquium . but when they had opportunity to report the whole business , to relate the message was brought from joseph , and especially came to real proof , shewing him the wagons which his son had sent to bring him down into aegypt , then ( saith the text ) the spirit of their father revived ; and he is as ready to be transported with an ecstasy of joy now , as to be overwhelmed with sadness before ; but he recovers himself , and israel said , it is enough , joseph my son is yet alive , i will goe down and see him before i die . the story , besides the unquestionable authority of sacred record , carries the natural marks of truth upon it ; all things being represented so done , as they must needs be done upon supposition of the fact . and for the lively strokes of passion in it , i know not whether any thing in all history be able to match it , grief and joy , great as their several causes , taking place successively , vying with , and setting off each other . now although the business which we have at present before us be only a parable , yet it is not much unlike that history ; for here we find a beloved son at different times under the extremities of good and evil ; one while as miserable as folly and misfortune can make him , another while recovering himself and his station again , and in all this diversity of fortune , a good father passionately concerned with him , grieving and rejoycing respectively , as the condition of his son gave him occasion , and all exprest with equal life , as in the former history ; as if it were not a representation of what might be done , but what was really matter of fact . we have hitherto seen the tragical part only , the son's folly and misery , and the father's grief ; the son running on from one intemperance to another till his father despaired of him , and he found himself ruined ; but then by a great providence he comes to himself and returns , but ( as we say ) by weeping cross . but now the scene is changed ; the son is recovered and the father revived , and all is joy and gladness . here the good shepheard bringeth his lost sheep home on his shoulders rejoycing ; here we see the good samaritan pouring in wine and oyl , and binding up the wounds of him that was miserably wounded , and in a deplorable condition . in short , here we have a kind father owning , receiving and indowing his returning son ; and here we have god almighty the father of spirits , pardoning and blessing penitent sinners . § ii. but to come to particulars , whether we attend to the literal or the mystical sense of the parable ; in this last part of it we shall easily observe these four remarkable passages . . the passionate interview , the benign aspect and kind greeting the father affords his son upon his first appearance in his way homewards . . the kind and present supply of the sons wants , or he ornaments which the father bestows upon him being t now returned . . the splendid reception and entertainment he makes for him . . and fourthly and lastly , his apology for so doing . i begin with the first , ( viz. ) the passionate greeting at the first interview expressed thus , vers . , , . but when he was yet a great way off his father saw him , and had compassion , and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him . and the son said to his father , father , i have sinned , &c. the son relents , and the father melts into compassion ; the son is ashamed , and the father's bowels yern towards him ; the affections of a father prevent the son's humiliation and acknowledgments , and yet the father's kindness will not discharge or supersede the son's duty : there is a noble contention between them ; the one would demonstrate more love , and the other strives to equal that with ingenuity . it is hard to observe order in passion ; however , in the father's carriage we take notice of these four steps . first , he takes knowledge of his son at a distance , whilest he was yet a great way off , though probably his former vices had disfigured him , and his poverty disguised him , long absence might have estranged him , and age had somewhat altered him ; yet paternal affection is quick and sagacious , he discovered and distinguished him notwithstanding . secondly , his sight affects his heart , when he saw him , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he had compassion , his bowels yerned towards him ; far sooner is the heart of a father dissolved into kindness , then that of a son into obedience ; a great deal of consideration and resolution at last brings the son to recover his sense of duty , but the father takes fire presently , and the flame is not to be concealed . for thirdly , the greatness of his passion prompts him beyond the gravity of his years , the dignity of his relation , and above the remembrance of his just offence ; for he ran to meet his son. and then lastly , he indulges his affections , or cannot command them ; he falls on his neck and kisses him ; he forgets all former undutifullness and provocation , he stands not rigidly expostulating the matter , nor scrupulously weighing formalities , but makes the fullest expressions of joy and indearment . now in a due proportion to all these particulars ( making only a just allowance for the majesty of god ) is the condescension of our heavenly father towards returning sinners , as i will shew by drawing the parallel in all the aforesaid particulars something more at large . first , as an earthly parent that has lost a son , carries the image of him in his thoughts , and never so loses the remembrance of him , but that upon every the least occasion he occurrs to his mind , and therefore he will be quick in apprehending the first approaches of him , if he happen to return : so god our heavenly father hath so tender a love to men , and such a concern for their good and happiness , that he takes notice of their first motions towards himself ; he discerns the first reasonings , the reletings , the agonies of mind , the first dawnings towards a resolution of returning . we see not the corn grow , only we discover when it is grown ; nor do we discern how our own members are fashioned in the womb ; but the curious eye of god observes the first lines and traces of nature , the first essays and palpitations of life , upon which account the psalmist admires the divine providence , psal . . , , . i will praise thee , for i am fearfully and wonderfully made : — my substance was not hid from thee when i was made in secret , and curiously wrought in the lower parts of the earth . thine eyes did see my substance being yet imperfect , and in thy book all my member were written , which in process of time were fashioned , when as yet there was none of them . and much more doth he observe the most weak and imperfect essays of the new birth , or as the apostle expresses it when christ is beginning to be formed in men . i saw thee ( saith our saviour to nathanael ) s. joh. . . when thou wast under the fig-tree ; when thou wast reasoning about me whether i was the messias or not . i was privy to that conflict of thy thoughts , between the report of the miracles wrought by me , and the prejudicate opinion concerning the supposed place of my nativity ; i was not so much offended with thy objections , as pleased with thy sincerity , in that thou didst diligently inquire , honestly debate , and proceed to resolution upon rational satisfaction . most apposite to this purpose is that passage of the prophet jeremiah , chap. . vers . , , . i have surely heard ephraim bemoaning himself thus ; thou hast chastised me , and i was chastised , as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke : turn thou me , and i shall be turned ; for thou art the lord my god. surely after that i was turned i repented ; and after that i was instructed , i smote upon my thigh : i was ashamed , yea even confounded , because i did bear the reproach of my youth . and after he had thus passionately described the first kindlings of repentance in the hearts of the people of israel , he then introduces god , taking notice and expressing his compassions in the next words . is ephraim my dear son ? is he a pleasant child ? for since i spake against him , i do earnestly remember him still : therefore my bowels are troubled for him ; i will surely have mercy upon him , saith the lord. by all which we see that god despiseth not the day of small things . now the consideration of this affords mighty incouragement to sinners to begin their motion to god-ward ; who would not put himself upon the way , when the first attempt of returning shall be taken notice of ? if a man do but consider , if he doe but pray , if but breathe and pant after god , there is a gracious eye upon him , it is not altogether lost labour ; nay , ( saith our saviour ) a cup of cold water given to a disciple in the name of a disciple , shall not lose its reward . and if such mean performances pass not unrewarded , much less doth any thing of good escape god's notice and observation . and upon the same consideration there is great reason of caution , and that men take heed of discouraging any ( though never so small ) hopes of good , and buddings of reformation in others ; for seeing god takes notice of beginnings , he must needs be offended with those that obstruct them , and will be sure severely to resent it . let therefore those that scoff at prayer and devotion as preciseness , at seriousness and self-reflection , as melancholy degeneracy of spirit , that either press men forward into the same excess of riot with themselves , and labour to divert or stifle all workings of conscience by the means of sensual entertainments , or treat those with contumely , who boggle at their extravagancies , and begin to take up and reform : let all such , i say , consider well what they doe , when god's eye is upon such beginings of good , lest they be found fighters against god. and let all that have any sense of goodness themselves , or but so much as a reverence of god's all-seeing eye , think it becomes them to incourage such beginnings , to indeavour to kindle such sparks , and blow them up into a flame of love to god and goodness ; to which purpose i take liberty to apply a passage of the prophet isaiah , chap. . vers . . thus saith the lord , as the new wine is found in the cluster , and one saith , destroy it not , for there is a blessing in it . q. d. the wise master of the vineyard ( especially in an unfruitfull time ) takes special notice of those few grapes in a cluster that have good juice in them , and will neither permit them to be carelesly crushed with the hand , nor cast away amongst refuse . so will the god of israel do by his vineyard the house of israel ; he will take notice of the few that are good in the midst of a bad generation , and not destroy all together : and in like manner , he will not despise the first essays of emergency from former vice and wickedness . but thus i am led to the second parallel . § iii. . the father as soon as he saw his son , had compassion ; so hath god to mankind , especially when he sees them on their way homeward . he had always good will towards them as they were his creatures , made in his own image , designed for his service , and for the enjoyment of himself ; and upon all these accounts hath a propension to do them good . but so long as any man continues in a course of rebellion against him , all the issues and expressions of this good will are obstructed ; which nevertheless as soon as ever he begins to relent and come to himself , break out again and discover themselves . for ( as the psalmist tells us , ) like as a father pitieth his children , so the lord pitieth them that fear him , psal . . . not that we are to imagine the divine majesty to be subject to the weakness of humane passion in a strict and proper sense , so as to feel any pain or trouble upon the account of his concern for mankind , for that the spirituality of his nature , the perfection of his understanding and his self-sufficiency , will by no means admit of . but he is pleased in holy scripture to represent himself after that manner , to the intent that we may be incouraged to hope and to indeavour , since we are assured that he is not a meer spectator of the conflicts and agonies of a penitent , but hath a real inclination to do him good , and would by no means have him perish . to this purpose ezek. . . he swears , as i live , saith the lord god , i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked , but that the wicked turn from his way and live . turn ye , turn ye , from your evil ways , for why will ye die o house of israel ? what greater passion can any father express towards his beloved son , then god here condescends to ? and what greater assurance can god give of his earnestness and reality , then that of an oath by himself ? whilest men are at the worst , the divine goodness finds out some arguments of pity , for he considers he made them fallible creatures , that he gave them not the bright and piercing intellects of angels , he joyned matter and spirit together in their composition , by means whereof there is a continual contest between sense and reason , a constant dispute betwixt bonum utile , and jucundum ; that their transgression is not like that of devils , who sinned proprio motu , without a tempter ; he knows the power of example , the prejudices of education , the long follies of child-hood ; and therefore , as i have shewed before , is not implacable towards mankind , whilest the state of life and this world lasts . but when he takes notice that any man begins to recollect himself , to emerge out of his folly , to remember his father's house , and to thirst after eternal life ; he is infinitely pleased with it , and cherishes such blossoms . thus it was prophesied of the messias , and interpreted and applied to our saviour by the evangelist , matth. . . a bruised reed shall he not break , and smoaking flax shall he not quench , untill he send forth judgment into victory . i. e. he will neither precipitate those upon utter ruine who are very near it , and have cast themselves upon the brink of danger , so long as there is any hopes remaining of their recovery ; nor much less will he despise and extinguish the least sparks and beginnings of good , but incourage and promote them . and this we observe to be verified in the young man in the gospel , of whom we have taken notice before ; he made some conscience of his ways , and inquired after eternal life , and was willing to do something to attain it ; wherefore though he was far from being generously good , nevertheless the text tells us , jesus look'd upon him , and loved him . in short therefore , whatsoever god's proceedings shall be with impenitent and incurable sinners in the other world , who have withstood the whole day of grace , and abused all his patience and kindness ; i say , whatever severity his wisedom and justice may then require , when men have treasured up wrath against the day of wrath , and fitted themselves for destruction : yet certainly in this life , and whilst there is any hope , god is compassionate towards them ; he pities those he cannot love , and loves those that pity themselves ; and delights in those that love him . but this pity of the almighty , which yet is one of the lowest instances of his benignity , consists not as it doth often in men , in a soft sympathy with the miserable , or ineffective wishes of their good ; but is like himself , great and powerfull in its effects . for in the next place , § iv. . as the father not only admits his son when he returns to him , but runs to meet him ; so doth the almighty help and bring on sinners in their way to himself . st. jerom i confess understands this passage ( in the mystical sense ) to point at the incarnation of our saviour , wherein god may very properly be said to meet man , taking our humane nature that he might make us partakers of his divine . but i rather apply it to the efficacious assistance which god gives by his grace to all beginnings of good in men . miraris homines ad deos ire ( saith seneca ) deus ad homines venit , imò ( quod propiùs est ) in homines venit , nulla sine deo mens bona est . and a little before he had said , non sunt dii fastidiosi , non invidi , admittunt , & ascendentibus manus porrigunt . which words of his may thus be rendred in a scripture phrase . god though he be the high and lofty one , inhabiting eternity , yet is not stately and disdainfull ; he neither envies nor grudges men's happiness ; and though he dwell in the high and holy place , yet to this man will he look that is of a broken and contrite spirit : and he will be so far from repulsing his endeavours of ascending up to him , that he reaches out a hand of mercy to pull him up to himself . wonder not then that men attain to god , when he vouchsafes to come down to them , nay , to come in to them ; for never was any vertuous mind without his help . to that purpose speaks the excellent moralist , but the holy scripture most expresly , phil. . . it is god that worketh both to will and to doe : and jo. . . no man cometh unto me , except my father which hath sent me draw him . and this temper is that which the prophet magnificently describes the messias by , isai . . . he shall feed his flock like a shepheard , he shall gather the lambs with his arms and carry them in his bosome , and shall gently lead those that are with young : and thus also the prophet hosea sets forth god's dealing with his people israel , hos . . . i taught ephraim to goe , taking them by their arms : i drew them with the cords of a man , with the bands of love . in which passages , though god by the prophets describe the way of his providence with literal israel the jewish nation , yet as that people was a type of the spiritual israel , so did god's methods with them resemble the gracious condescension he uses towards the souls of men in their conversion to himself . i cannot upon this occasion omit a most affecting and remarkable story which eusebius reports upon the credit both of st. irenaeus , and clemens alexandrinus to this effect . st. john the apostle in his visitation of the churches near about ephesus , happens there to fix his eyes upon a certain young man , who he conjectured ( from the comeliness of his shape , vigorous chearfullness of his eyes , and other indications of a generous spirit ) might become an eminent and usefull person , if effectual care was taken of his education . he therefore calls to the bishop of the place , and solemnly conjures him in the presence of christ and his holy church , to spare no pains or care in cultivating the mind and manners of the young man. the bishop undertakes it , and accordingly takes him into his own house , uses him as his own son , instructs him , baptizes , and at length confirms him in the christian faith : which having done , he thinks now he might be a little more secure of him , and trust him to his own conduct . but he had no sooner done so , but certain loose young men presently insinuate themselves into his acquaintance , and first debauch him with light caresses , and jovial assignations ; and then ( as it often happens ) to maintain those excesses , they draw him into a confederacy of robbery : and in that flagitious society , this young man quickly becomes so great a proficient , as to be captain and leader of the fraternity . at this season ( as god would have it ) the apostle returns again into those parts , and presently requires an account from the bishop , of the young man committed to his trust : the good old man with sorrow in his heart , and tears in his eyes , replies , alas he is dead ! dead , i say , to god and all goodness ; he is become a common thief and cut-throat , hath deserted the church where i trained him up , and now keeps his station in the mountains hard by , from whence he makes his frequent sallies to commit all kind of villany . the apostle ( aged as he was ) considers not his own infirmity , but the recovery of the young man ; and therefore calling for an horse and a guide , presently issues forth into the mountains where he had been told his haunts were . there he no sooner arrives , but he is arrested by the centinel thief : whereat he betraying no fear or surprizal , as having in part attained what he sought , shew me ( saith he ) your captain . the captain hearing this , and wondring what should be the errand , presents himself armed to receive him , till he soon perceived who it was ; but then , seized with shame , he makes from him with all the speed he could . the apostle forgetting his age and gravity , follows him with all his might , crying out my son , my son , dost thou fly thy father ? thy aged unarmed father ? fear me not , i come not armed to destroy thee , but desirous to save thee ; i 'll pray for thee , i 'll intercede with christ jesus on thy behalf ; i am ready to lay down my life to save thy soul. the revolted youth hearing this , makes a stand , and then with eyes cast down , and weapons laid aside , begins to tremble , and at last weeping bitterly , is in the words of the historian , re-baptized in his own tears . then s. john embracing him , prays for him , fasts with him , instructs him , and leaves him not till he had not only restored him to the society of the church , but settled him in the publick ministry thereof . the story is very admirable in all the parts of it , as wherein , amongst other things , we may observe in the first place , how quickly bad company insinuates its contagion , and corrupts youthfull minds ; and that neither fine parts , nor the best education , are sufficient security for a vertuous course , unless apollos water , as well as paul plant , and god also give the increase . again , it is worth observing how easy and sudden the transition is from a luxurious to a lawless life . this young man began his risk in riot , and ends it in robbery . although this be no strange thing , for besides that intemperance makes men bold and rash , and fit for any desperate enterprize , they that are come to that , that they care not what they spend , are usually forced not to regard how they get it . we note also from this story , that great wits , and curious tempers are like razor mettle quickly turned , and if they miscarry , they become the most notorious debauchees ; but if they be well set , and hold right , become most eminently usefull . moreover , we may here also take notice how a sense of guilt and dis-ingenuity baffles a man's spirit , dejects his courage , disarms and subdues him ; whereas on the other side , conscience of sincerity and good designs , spirits and actuates a man above his age , temper , and common capacity . but that which i principally remark in the story , is , the paternal affection in the aged apostle toward this dissolute and lost young man ; how fresh the concern for him was in his thoughts , when he came into those parts again where he left him ? with what strictness he requires the depositum of the bishop , how he forgets himself to recover him ; what charms there were in the countenance , voice , motion , of the aged father ; how strange a thing it was to be young hector , running away from an old apostle ; an armed captain not daring to stand before unarmed and infirm old age : to observe the spirit , the passion , the flaming love of a good man to the soul of a desperate sinner ; and in all this , to see a lively resemblance of god's goodness to men . for god doth not only ( as i have said before ) receive men upon their return , but moves towards them , invites , nay , draws them to himself . he is so far from positively hardening sinners , that he takes off their hardness ; he allures them by his promises , prevents them by his grace , way-lays them by his providence , calls upon them by his word , melts them by his kindness , works upon them by his spirit ; and this spirit takes all advantageous seasons , watches the mollia tempora fandi , suggests thoughts to their minds , holds their minds close and intent , gives them a prospect of the other world ; and by several other ways ( without violence to their faculties ) helps forward their return to god. § v. . lastly , as the earthly father for joy of his sons return , forgets all his anger , and the causes of it ; passes by his ingratitude and dissolution of manners , and treats him with infinite demonstrations of kindness , falling on his neck , and kissing him : so doth our heavenly father cast all the iniquities of the penitent ' behind his back , blots them out of his book ; makes no severe reflections , no bitter expostulations , no upbraidings , but passes an act of perfect amnesty and oblivion . justin martyr in his work against trypho , brings in our saviour , saying , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . the words are no where to be found in the gospel , but the sense is , that god takes men as they are , and considers not how evil they have been , so that now they become sincerely good . this the prophet ezekiel frequently proclaims on the behalf of god , chap. . especially vers . . all his sin that he hath committed shall not be once mentioned against him ; but in his righteousness that he hath done , he shall live . for as if men apostatize from hopefull and vertuous beginnings , it shall not at all avail them that they set out well , and began in the spirit , whenas they end in the flesh , ( upon which account it is a very vain thing for them to goe about to comfort themselves against their present looseness , by remembring the time of their conversion , and the great passion they have sometime had for religion , but which now they have apostatized from , having lost their first love : ) so on the contrary , he that was a sinner , but now is not ; i. e. is now sincerely returned from his licentiousness to his duty , shall never have his former disobedience imputed to him by god. this truth philo represents handsomly in his allegorical way ; when glossing upon what the scripture saith of enoch , after his translation he was not found , because god had translated him ; he paraphrases on this manner : god ( saith he ) having changed him from an evil to a vertuous man , the traces of his former wickedness were no more to be found , then if no such thing had ever been committed . but this gracious procedure of god with penitent sinners deserves to be more fully and particularly unfolded ; and if we diligently consider what the scripture assures us of the greatness of god's pardoning mercy , we shall observe these three remarkable circumstances all pregnant of unspeakable consolation . . he pardons great and many sins , not onely lighter provocations . . he forgives repeated follies , and relapsed sinners . . his pardon is full and absolute . . first , amongst men there are some sins that are scarcely ( if at all ) thought to be pardonable , as where there is malice and treachery involved in the fact , or where there is contumely added to the injury . and sometimes the greatness of the person injured so inhances the offence ; as that it is not thought fit to pardon : as for instance , in treason against the supream power . but most certainly there are all these , and many more aggravations in most voluntary sins committed against god , and yet he pardons : exod. . . he pardons iniquity , transgression and sin , i. e. sin of all kinds and degrees whatsoever , excepting only the sin against the holy ghost ; which our saviour hath told us shall never be forgiven . and that sin it self ( whatsoever it consists in ) is only upon this account unpardonable , because it hath a finally impenitent temper joyned with it ; otherwise were it possible that such a sinner should repent , there would be no doubt of his pardon ; but bating that peculiar case , there is no sin but god hath pardoned and will pardon . i will not take upon me to say which were the greatest sins that ever were committed by mankind ; but i will instance in two that must needs be acknowledged to have been very great , which yet have obtained pardon ; and they are the sin of our first parents , and the sin of the jews in crucifying our saviour . in the former of these there was the breach of a known law , and that so newly given , as that it could not be forgotten ; and it was also an easy and reasonable law : god having allowed them all the trees in the garden , and laid an interdict only upon that one ; and it was no hard matter to have denied themselves that for god's sake , especially considering they came newly out of his hands , and saw so freshly the display of his power and wisedom in the creation of the world , and had so many and great instances of his goodness towards themselves : besides , they had as yet no vitiated faculties , nor so much as one example of sin before them , but that of the devils , which they had seen to be most severely vindicated . it was a hard thing to be first in the transgression , and a bold thing to venture to provoke god , and to be the first instance of sin to all posterity : they had the concern of all mankind upon them , as who ( they knew ) must stand or fall with them ; and having frequent tokens of god's presence with them , to sin under his eye , and to hearken to the suggestions of a vile beast , the serpent , against god , was prodigiously strange , and yet they did it ; and god was pleased to pardon them . in the latter of the instances , namely , the jews crucifying our saviour ; besides the greatness of the person against whom they sinned , putting to death the lord of life and glory , there was designed malice , perjury and subornation ; contumely towards an holy person , ingratitude towards one that had done them all the good they were capable of ; there was contradiction to the plainest evidence of miracles of all kinds , and to the conviction of their own consciences ; notwithstanding all which , the same st. peter who , acts . . had charged them home in these words , ye men of israel have with wicked hands crucified and slain jesus of nazareth , a man approved of god among you by miracles , and wonders , and signs , which god by him did in the midst of you , as ye your selves know , &c. yet in the . verse , he exhorts the same men to repentance , and to be baptized , that they may receive remission of sins , and the singular favour of the gift of the holy ghost . to these and several other instances of great sins ( which might easily be added ) we may cast in for the greater evidence of the vastness of the divine mercy , that he pardons not only single acts of sin , ( how hainous soever ) but long courses and habits of sin , and those of several natures and kinds ; as in manasses , and in the publicans and harlots ; but that we may rise higher yet in admiration of the divine clemency , we observe . . in the second place , that he pardons also relapsed sinners . they have a saying , non licèt in bello his peccare , that the first faults in war are severely vindicated ; because there all errours are fatal , and searce leave a capacity of being repeated . and there are some relations so near and intimate , and their ligaments so nice and curious , that a breach in them can never be repaired to knit again . but the relation of a father , and the goodness of a god , leave always room for pardon . nay further , they say ( saith the prophet jeremiah ) if a man put away his wife , and she goe from him , and become another man's , shall he return to her again ? but thou ( o israel ) hast plaid the harlot with many lovers , yet return again unto me , saith the lord , jer. . , . § vi. the doctrine of the navatians carried a great breadth with it in the primitive times , which denied repentance to those that sinned after baptism ; and for that reason it is thought many holy men in those days deferred their baptism as long as they could , that they might not defile their garments , but goe from that washing unspotted out of the world . the opinion seemed to proceed from extraordinary purity and holiness , and therefore as i said prevailed much , and had a great reputation in those times , and it seems it took its rise from a mistake of a passage in the epistle to the hebrews , chap. . . however , it was damned by the most learned and holy fathers of the church , and particularly st. basil and gr. nazianzen call it a damnable doctrine , and destructive of souls , in that it discouraged and kept men off from repentance , which god is always ready to admit of if it be sincere , and such as we have before described . it is true which clemens of alexandria hath said , that to make a common practice of sinning , and then pretending repentance , ( as if we would give god and the devil their turns ) is an argument both of an impenitent and unbelieving temper ; for as he saith afterwards , * these frequent repentances as it were of course , betray rather an intention of sinning again , then any design of leaving it , and therefore find no acceptance with god. and it is also certain , that a man that hath frequently relapsed , having thereby exceedingly multiplied his guilt , must needs feel very bitter pangs and sharp remorse when he doth return , and will be ever after very apt to question his own sincerity ; and which is worse , it is to be feared , that like as it is with bones which have been often out and set again , they will be very apt to slip awry ; so this person will be justly looked upon as in great danger , and therefore hath a necessity of extraordinary watchfullness over himself . but notwithstanding all this , if such a man , after several falls and slips shall stand right and firm at last , and demonstrate the truth of his now penitent state by the following course of an holy life , there is no question to be made of his acceptance with a mercifull god. for god doth not proceed with men upon such terms as we do , our passions are stirred many times , and the provocation is too great for us to be able to concoct ; but he is pure mind and reason , hath no boiling passion , no revenge , seeks only the good of his creatures , and so they become at last capable of his favour and blessing ; he is contented , and hath his end . besides , he that hath made it our duty , that as often as our brother offends against us and repents , so often we should forgive him , doth not certainly intend to be outdone by us in mercy the most glorious of all his attributes . . god's pardon of sin upon repentance is full and compleat without any reservation ; he retains no old grudge , hath no concealed spite , never rips up the old quarrel , never upbraids men with former follies , but casts all behind him , and buries them in oblivion . it is not usually thus with men , they have a distinction , they will forgive ( they say ) but not forget ; and it is common with princes to seem to pardon only till they have opportunity of a full revenge . it was strange that a man of such sincerity as david should have such a reserve , and yet so it was , that after he had promised and sworn to shimei , that he should not die , sam. . . notwithstanding king. . . he gives it in charge to his son and successor solomon , that he should not suffer his hoary head to come to the grave without blood . but it is not thus with god , his acts of grace are without repentance on his part , he never retracts or revokes them , never clogs them with conditions , nor finds out evasions afterwards ; if he pardon , all is well and secure , he will never depart from it , unless the sinner depart from his repentance , and so exclude himself from pardon . the italians have a proverbial saying , that they will forgive an enemy , but never trust him ; for fashion sake they will seem to forgive , that is , they will cease to quarrel , or they will not directly revenge themselves , but they will only rake up the fire in its own ashes ; they will retain a perpetual jealousy of such a person , and malign him ; it shall not be said they hate him , but it shall appear they do not love him . thus like those long burning lamps which have been discovered in old monuments , whilst they are kept close under ground they burn more slowly , but so much the more lastingly . so men suppressing only their passion perpetuate it ; whereas perhaps it was more desirable they should give it vent that so it might expire . but god is not of a vindictive nature , as we have shewed before , he needs not conceal his anger , because he can execute it when he will , and there can lie no necessity upon his affairs to tempt him to pretend reconciliation when it is not cordial ; no , he is a god of peace and of truth , his mercies are as the great mountains , stable and firm , those repent he pardons , and those whom he pardons he loves , and those he loves , he will trust and admit them to honour , and treat them as friends , with the greatest security and confidence . by this means he demonstrates the greatness of his own mind , the largeness of his heart , and the infallibility of his wisedom ; that he is above fear , and above surprizal ; hereby he assures the great value he hath for true goodness , that it alone , and nothing else comparably sways with him : and hereby he lays the mightiest obligations upon men to be good , and to persevere so . thus augustus made herod of a formidable enemy become a faithfull friend , and several others have made the like experiment . and now this would lead me immediately to the second stage of this part of the parable , namely , the accumulative kindness the father shews to the son ; but i will crave the readers patience a little whilst i make a few practical reflections upon this we have said already . § vii . and in the first place , besides all we have yet behind , this that we have discoursed hitherto represents to us the blessed and comfortable condition of justification and peace with god. o blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven , and whose sin is covered . blessed is the man to whom the lord imputeth not iniquity , psal . . , . to have all a man's debts cancelled , his follies past over and buried in forgetfullness , his deformities covered , his conscience quieted , and the light of god's countenance to shine upon him ; to have no frightfull reflection upon what is past , no dismal prospect of what is to come , no old story ripped up , no former quarrel revived , no latent displeasure , no rancour nor jealousy harboured against us : this must needs fill a man with chearfullness in all conditions , and bear him up above all adversities , above poverty , reproach , sickness , confinement , and whatsoever can befall us in this world . such a man shall not need to resort to drink and jollity , to relax his thoughts , to divert his anxiety , to bear up his spirit ; he hath comfort from within , a continual feast in his own conscience . who shall lay any thing to his charge ? it is god which justifieth : who is he that condemneth ? it is christ that died , — who shall separate him from the love of god ? shall tribulation , or distress , &c. rom. . , , . the sting of all these things is taken out , since god hath pardoned his sin . but on the contrary , when a man knows god is angry with him , and his own conscience upbraids and dogs him , the sad remembrance of his many provocations terrify him , and the fearfull expectation of wrath to come alarms him ; he must needs be in a case like that of belshazzar , when the fingers of an hand were seen writing upon the wall over him in the midst of all his jollity , his countenance was changed , his thoughts were troubled , the joints of his loins were loosed , and his knees smote one against another . all the entertainments of sense do little in this case ; nay , they are flat and insipid , and the smiles of the world no whit chear a man so long as god frowns upon him . it was an ingenious device whereby a gentleman of this nation represented his condition in a public entertainment at court ; he sets out a ship bitterly opprest by a tempest , and ready to perish under its difficulties ; and in the mean while a rain-bow appearing , towards which this word is addressed , quid tu si pereo ? q. d. what am i the better for hopes and smiles , for court favour and countenance , whilst in the mean time my condition admits no delay , and i am ruined in my private fortunes ? but as the torments of guilt are incomparably more severe then the afflictions of outward fortune , so it is far more unreasonable to think to allay them by the blandishments of the world , then the other by court holy water . no , it is nothing but god's mercy in the pardon of sin that can alleviate the troubles , and abate the anguish of conscience ; and when he is pleased upon repentance to do that , then he saith to the soul , as christ jesus said to the paralytick , matth. . . son be of good chear , thy sins are forgiven thee ; or as the same our saviour to zaccheus , this day is salvation come to thy house . . secondly , since god pardons sinners in that ample manner we have before exprest ; i. e. so frankly as that neither the greatness , multitude , repetition , or other aggravation of sin hinders him ; and so fully as that no old score remains upon record against the penitent : it may raise in us great admiration of his infinite goodness , beget the most amiable notions of him in our minds , and provoke us to love him with all our hearts . so our saviour concludes in the gospel , that where most is forgiven , there must undoubtedly lie the greatest obligations of love and gratitude . the apostle tells us rom. . . that scarcely for a righteous man will one die , but for a good man some would even dare to die . all god's attributes of power , and wisedom , and holiness , are very amiable and lovely , but this of his goodness in forgiving sins comes most home to us , in that he doth not rigidly insist on his own right , but comply with our necessity , and relieve our misery . to give and bestow benefits upon us is goodness , but to forgive is greater , because here he divests himself of his own right , recedes from his own claim , and that for our unspeakable benefit . in short , he seems not to consider himself but us only , in the dispensations of his mercy : he is as good as good can be , and therefore there is all the reason in the world that we should love him as much as is possible . and one of the best and most acceptable ways of expressing that is that which . . thirdly , i make a third inference , viz. that we imitate this goodness and mercifullness of his ; this is prest upon us by our saviour , be ye mercifull as your father in heaven is mercifull . it is said of cato that the strict sanctity of his own life made him a severe and rigid magistrate ; he knew not how to pardon in other men what he would not permit in himself . if god who is a holy and immaculate being should severely animadvert our failings , we could not blame him though we were undone by it ; nay , it ought to be the greatest wonder to us in the whole world that he doth not do so , considering the greatness of his majesty , the justice and wisedom of his laws , and such other things of this nature , as we have formerly represented . but it is the most absurd thing in nature , that we who are great offenders our selves , that have infinite need of mercy at god's hands , that we should be cruel and vindictive towards each other ; that god should cover our follies , and we blazon those of other men ; shall he pardon us worms , and we be remorsless towards our brethren ? doth he consider humane infirmity , bind up the wounds of the contrite , so as to leave no scar or blemish behind of all their former miscarriages ? and do we rake in the wounds , proclaim the follies , uncover the nakedness and shame of our neighbour ? is it tolerable for us to equal our selves with god ? or are offences greater against us then against him ? shall we dare to do what we dare not wish should be done to us ? do not we pray , enter not into judgment with thy servants ? &c. and confess , that if god be extream to mark what we have done amiss , that none can abide it ; and do we scrupulously weigh , severely aggravate , and rigorously animadvert the sins of others against our selves ? doth god forgive us by talents , and we unmercifully exact the utmost farthing ? indeed , we may observe it to be the genius and custom of evil men , to remember invidiously the faults which penitent men have forsaken , to the end that they may revenge themselves upon them for that change which condemns their own obstinate perseverance in such courses ; or as hoping to excuse or justify their constant naughtiness , by remarking the temporary compliance of those other with them , whose contrary course now shames and reproaches them : but it is quite otherwise with all good men , they partly out of a sense of humanity , partly to incourage men to repentance , and partly also to confirm and secure such as have repented from all temptations to apostasy , draw a curtain over their former misdemeanours , and forget what they have forsaken and god hath forgiven ; therefore if we will either take pattern by god or them , we ought to doe so too . lastly , but above all the rest , the consideration of god's pardon , and the egregious circumstances thereof , should be a mighty incouragement to all sinners to repentance ; when we remember how gracious a father we grieve by a willfull destroying of our selves , how much he pities us , and longs for our return ; what a serene countenance , hearty welcome , full pardon , gracious reception ; and how innumerable and inestimable blessings we shall have poured out upon us at our so doing . and this brings me again to the second part of the penitent son's entertainment , to which therefore i now proceed . chap. ii. of sanctification . the contents . § i. what is meant by the best robe : and that it is the usual phrase of scripture to set out the ornaments of the mind by those of the body . § ii. sanctification ( in different respects ) both goes before , and follows after justification . § iii. three remarkable differences betwixt the measure of sanctification which god requires , and that which he accepts for the present : or the different stature of grace before justification and after it . § iv. the ways by which god works men up to those higher measures of sanctification which he requires . as . by mighty obligation , working upon their gratitude and ingenuity . . by the efficacy of faith. . by the gift of the holy ghost . § . there is a never failing spring of kindness and good will in parents towards their children , which flows with that life and vigour that nothing is able to dam it up or interrupt it so , but that if it be obstructed one way , it breaks out and discovers it self another . if the children prove singularly good and vertuous , then paternal affection bears a mighty stream , overflows all its banks ; the parents feel an unspeakable delight and satisfaction , and their children are then the crown of their age , their joy and triumph . if they happen to be but tolerable , they are ready to interpret all to the best , and prone to heap blessings and kindnesses upon them . and if they degenerate and prove very bad and undutifull , this though it checks the tide , yet cannot divert the current ; for at worst they cannot cease to pity them . there is in like manner an everlasting propension in almighty god to do good to men , insomuch that when they are very bad he pities them ; as soon as they begin to be good he loves and blesses them , but when they become generously vertuous and holy , he takes complacency in them ; and all these different degrees of divine favour we have lively represented to us in the parable before us . but we are now upon the second of them , namely , the great and singular blessings which the father frankly bestows upon his son now that he hath repented of his extravagancy , and is reconciled to him . and under this rank we may reckon these three special instances . first , whereas the father observed his son to return in a very pitifull plight , either quite naked , or at most covered with rags ; he therefore calls for the best robe and puts it on him , that not only necessity may be provided for , and his nakedness covered , but he will have him appear in an equipage suitable to the son of such a father . again secondly , whereas the son in contemplation of his present distress and former miscarriages , had no higher ambition then to be admitted into the condition of an hired servant ; now the father on the other side will have him adorned with the ensigns of a person of quality , and of a son , and therefore puts a ring on his hand which hath in all ages , and amongst most nations been used to denote either eminent quality , or singular favor . thirdly , the son in the time of his rebellion , amongst other misfortunes became a slave ( as we have observed before ) and amongst most nations it hath been the custom for such to goe bare-foot , and only freemen to be shod ; now the father in token of his son's emancipation , commands to put shooes on his feet . all which three things together amount to this , that the father having forgiven his son upon his submission and return , now puts him into as good a condition in all respects as he was in before his rebellion . and from thence according to the analogy of the parable we may infer , that our heavenly father upon the sincere repentance of sinners is so fully reconciled to them , that they stand upon the same terms with him as if they had never sinned ; they are restored to as good a condition as that of adam in innocency . and we might content our selves with this general application , but that st. chrysostom , st. jerom , st. austin , theophylact , and the generality of the ancients carry it further , and make a particular interpretation of these several passages ; in conformity to whose judgments we will thus render the meaning of the three aforesaid favours . . by the best robe is to be understood the excellent ornament of more compleat holiness and fuller sanctification , which god works in , and bestows upon a sinner upon his reconciliation to himself . . by the ring is intimated the gift of the holy ghost , which is conferred upon those men that are justified and sanctified as the pledge of their adoption , and earnest of their inheritance . . by the shooes , the honour of being imployed in the service of god for the drawing others home to him . the grounds of which interpretations i will assign as i handle the particulars severally , and i begin with the first . . the best robe , stolam ( saith st. jerom ) quam adam peccando perdiderat , stolam quae in alia parabola dicitur indumentum nuptiale , the robe which adam lost when he sinned , and in defect of which he covered himself with fig-leaves , that robe which in another parable is called the wedding garment . and st. chrysostom , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. the garment of an heavenly contexture , the white robe which they are cloathed with that are baptized with the holy ghost and with fire ; agreeably herewith theophylact , the best or first robe , ( for so the greek word in the text imports ) that is , ( saith he ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the ancient robe , which we wore before we sinned , that which the scripture means when it saith put ye on the lord jesus christ ; that is , put ye off the old vicious habits and practises , and imitate the example of christ jesus , and put on the holy temper of the gospel . whosoever hath been ever so little conversant in the holy scripture , cannot but have observed it to be the usual stile thereof , to denote both the inward qualities of the mind , and the outward accustomary actions of the life by the garments of the body ; and it would be unnecessary , and therefore tedious , to recite the many passages there to be found to that purpose . but i cannot omit that in the revelations , chap. . vers . . to her was given to be arrayed in fine linnen , clean and white , for white linnen is the righteousness of saints . by the woman is there meant the church of christ , called the lamb's wife , whose ornaments are righteousness and holiness , and they are metaphorically represented by white garments . and if we consider all the uses of garments , there is nothing more exactly corresponds therewith , nor more fit to be figuratively expressed by allusion to them , then holy and vertuous qualifications . for if garments are used for distinction , what makes a greater and truer distinction betwixt man and man then their lives and tempers ? it is not being high or low , rich or poor , noble or ignoble , learned or idiotical , which makes so great a difference betwixt them ; as when one is good and vertuous , and another vicious and prophane . if garments are for ornament , and to cover our uncomeliness , what is there represents a man more lovely and beautifull then the ornament of a quiet mind , a just temper , an holy life ? and what disguises and deforms men like to vice and debauchery ? if again , garments are for defence against the injuries of weather , and other accidents , what is there that gives a man that security and confidence which innocency of life and sincere piety affords him ? and on the other side , what exposes and lays a man open to all the calamities of this life , and to the wrath of god in the world to come , but naughty and evil practises , proceeding from a corrupt and vicious temper ? wherefore there is both plain reason , and good authority of all kinds to make this application of the first favour , which the reconciled father vouchsafes his returning son , and to say that thereby is denoted in the figurative sense , that god when he hath pardoned the penitent , then confers further measures of sanctification upon him . § ii. but if it shall be said that sanctification must goe before justification , inasmuch as though an earthly parent may be reconciled to his son that is not truely good , yet god cannot be reconciled to sinners continuing so , or untill they become new men ; and therefore some other allegory is to be sought here , and not that which we ( concurrently with the fathers ) have pitched upon . i answer , the doctrine is true which this objection is grounded upon , but the inference therefrom will not reach us ; for i have shewed already , that some measure of real sanctification must goe before justification and pardon , because god though he bear a constant good-will to mankind , yet ( as the objection well suggests , and we have acknowledged before , ) is he not transported with any fondness towards any man's meer person , so as to be reconciled to him whilst he stands at defiance with himself , because he is a pure , holy and just majesty , and consequently cannot without denying himself , and contradiction to his own nature , either delight in a vicious person , or hate a good man. and besides , if it were consistent with his nature , yet will not his wisedom , and the interest of his government of the world permit that he cause the sun of his countenance and favour to shine alike upon the vicious and the vertuous , him that feareth him , and him that feareth him not . and therefore he requires of all those sinners that hope to recover his favour , that they have not only a serious sense of , and hearty remorse for their sins ; but actual reformation of their evil ways , at least so far as they have opportunity , in which consists that repentance which we carefully described under the second part of this parable . notwithstanding , it is true also , that he accepts beginnings , and pardons as soon as the conversion is true and real , and before those vital principles of grace attain their full maturity and perfection . wherefore being both an holy and a mercifull god , as his benignity on the one hand prompts him to receive such into mercy , who have sincere though weak beginnings of the divine life ; so on the other hand , the purity and perfection of his nature puts him upon requiring fuller measures of conformity to himself in those he makes the objects of his mercy and favour , then what for the present he accepts of ; in consequence of which it is , that having ( as we have shewed ) received the penitent to pardon , he then proceeds to make him a vessel of honour fit for his use , by conferring upon him further degrees of sanctification , i. e. putting upon him the best robe . agreeably to which sense speak these following scriptures , jo. . . every branch in me that beareth fruit , he purgeth it that it may bear more fruit , ephes . . . awake thou that sleepest , and arise from the dead , and christ shall give thee light . and again , phil. . . he that hath begun a good work in you , will also perform ( or perfect , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ) it till the day of jesus christ . all which scriptures plainly intimate thus much , that some measures of sincere sanctification goe before justification , the full accomplishment of which is by the grace of god to be gradually attained afterwards . it was amongst the well known paradoxes of the stoicks , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that all vertues were equal , and that all goodness consisted in puncto , in a very point ; which notion * seneca confirms and explains thus , that as there is but one truth , for that nothing can be more then true , and therefore no one thing can be truer then another that is true ; so ( saith he ) there is but one rectitude of humane actions , vertue consists in a certain proportion , which whatsoever exactly observes not , is not vertue . and agreeably hereto plutarch reports the saying of aristo of chios , that there could be but one vertue , which therefore he calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or the health of the mind . but notwithstanding all these sayings of that stubborn sect , and whatever else may be pretended by such as tread in their steps , there is without doubt a great deal of difference between what god will mercifully accept , and what he may and doth righteously require ; between those lower degrees of grace that may be sincere , and find acceptance for the present , and that generous state of holiness which god designs to bring men to by the methods of the gospel : or to follow their metaphor , as there is a vast difference betwixt athletick health , and that proper for a student , so is there no less between the strength of a new convert , and the attainment of an old , stable , and well exercised christian ; and consequently allowing the sincerity of the former , there is still room for further improvements , and this fuller sanctification which we here understand by the best robe . for the clearer eviction of which , both because it may be of use to comfort beginners for the present , and also to cure their sloth and security for the future , i subjoin these three particulars to lay open the difference betwixt the usual stature of beginners , and the highest attainments of great proficients in religion . § iii. . when a sinner is newly converted from his evil ways , although the change be very sincere , and such as in time will draw after it an universal reformation , yet usually it expresses it self at first , by a remarkable zeal against the most gross and notorious miscarriages which such a person hath been liable to , and doth not presently amend all the lesser deviations of his life , partly because perhaps he doth not yet discern them , and partly because it is possible he hath yet so much to doe of the former kind , as to employ all his intention and power for the present . the new birth is frequently in the scripture represented by the natural , and in nothing doth the resemblance hold more true then in this , viz. as in nature there is not a perfect man formed at first , with all his members , and in his just dimensions , but only a salient particle , a little fountain of life that bubbles up , and by degrees displays it self in all the curious lines of humane shape ; so here in the works of grace , there is a vital principle , a divine particle , that in its first essays draws only a heart or some of the great viscera of the new man , but being lively and vigorous , in process of time displays it self in all the functions of holy life . they therefore that talk of an instantaneous conversion in such sort , as to imagine that a man dead in trespasses and sins should presently start up sound and perfect , and without so much as his grave-cloaths about him , neither understand themselves , nor have any experience of the orderly and almost insensible progress of the divine grace . it is true , in every regenerate person there is from the very beginning , a resolution against all sin , a detestation of , and declared hostility against , all the works of the devil ; but the war is not finished as soon as it is proclaimed or commenced . he that fights against principalities and powers must war a great while , and perhaps have the fortune of the romans , who were said , praelio saepe , bello nunquam superati , they get ground daily upon the whole , though sometimes defeated in particular designs : there is no decretorian battel , nor is the business decided upon a push : it is sincerely done to conquer our beloved lusts and greater enormities , though yet some smaller infirmities be not vanquished , so long as they are honestly resolved against ; for it is well and wisely done , first to break the head and main body of the enemy , and then it will be easy to glean up the straglers . if once the principal disease be remedied , the symptoms will by degrees be out-grown , and most men of that rank i am speaking of , find it a great while before they come to have nothing to doe but to conquer wandring thoughts , imperfect duties , and beginnings of evil . besides , it is very considerable that sins are not only contrary to vertue , but to each other : and as it is usual with wise princes against a powerfull enemy , to associate not only their friends and ancient allies , but also those they do not love , so long as they are enemies to the common enemy ; so it happens here , that a convert zealously combating against some one vice , in studious declension of that , insensibly slips into some degrees of the other extream , and then finds it a fresh difficulty , vincere eos per quos vicisti , to conquer that other infirmity by which he conquered the former . to which purpose it is remarkable concerning that holy man st. jerom , whilst he lived in the affluence of the city , and used a free conversation , he felt frequent temptations of the flesh , and setting himself with all his might to mortify these , and to do it effectually , retired into a desart , that he might both take away the cause , and the occasions of those dangers ; but whilst in that retirement he exercises himself to great severity and austerity , he insensibly grew into a blameable asperity of temper which needed a second labour to subdue . i will not say as some do , that as god would have some remainders of the seven nations preserved amongst the children of israel in the land of canaan , to be continually as thorns in their eyes , and goads in their sides ; so he orders it that there should be some remainders of the old adam in us to keep us always humble and employed ; for certainly god would have all sin expelled our natures . but this i say , that as israel was truely in possession of the land of canaan , from such time as joshua had conquered those powers that made head against them , and had put the chief cities and places of strength into their hands , notwithstanding that a long time after some of those old inhabitants remained amongst them , and were no very good neighbours ; so i affirm that so long as there is not only a resolution against all sin , but a constant hostile pursuit of it , and that a man goes on conquering and to conquer ; such a man is a true israelite , though he have not perfected his conquest ; nor can yet say with st. paul , i have fought the good fight , i have finished my course , i have kept the faith , and therefore henceforth is laid up for me the crown of righteousness . but now forasmuch as god , both for his own glory and service , the comfort of the convert's own soul , and his greater capacity of the kingdom of heaven , designs to bring men to higher degrees of sanctification then what he was pleased to accept of when he first received the penitent to mercy , therefore he afterwards puts upon him the best robe . . it is to be considered that the beginnings of all things ( that are any way notable especially ) are wrought with pain and difficulty ; insomuch that nemo repente fit turpissimus , no man finds it very easy at first to doe any egregious wickedness . men become evil by degrees , and there is proficiency even in the devil's school ; and therefore much more reasonably may it be expected that those that first enter into a strict course of vertue , should be sensible of difficulty in their first undertaking . it was an ingenious answer which plutarch reports to have been given by a lacedemonian turor , when he was asked what he pretended to , and of what avail his indeavours were ; i make ( saith he ) that to become easy and delightfull which is of it self good and necessary . it is true , christ jesus tells us his yoke is easy , and his burden is light , and without doubt it is so , but it is a yoke and a burden still , and no man finds it easy untill he have exercised himself to it : rewards and punishments set before us , and reason and resolution working thereupon will prevail with men to doe their duty ; but only practice and assuetude makes it become easy and familiar so to doe ; especially supposing ( as we do in the present case ) a man but lately accustomed to indulge himself in a course of sin , let such a man's conversion be never so real and hearty , however it cannot be expected that he should presently do christ's commands , and say they are not grievous . it is certain such a man , if he be what we suppose him , that is , sincere , will resist his inclination , and change his course ; but because it was lately a course , there will yet be an inclination towards it , and consequently a conflict and difficulty in avoyding it ; for ( as we said before ) it is only one custome can perfectly supplant another , and only habit can imitate nature , and make easy : the cutting off our corrupt members is a hard task , till by time and degrees they become mortified , and then it is done without any considerable pain or difficulty . whosoever hath any principle of divine life , or true sense of god in him , will not allow himself in the neglect of god's worship , yet he will find it no easy business to hold his heart intent and constant in it , till it have become customary and natural to him ; and then it is so far easy and delightfull to him , that he knows not how to live without it . now although that state which tuggs at the oare , and draws on heavily , may be sincere , because it discharges its duty honestly , though with great difficulty ; and therefore find acceptance with a good god : yet forasmuch as his intention is that we should become partakers of the divine nature , and that it be our meat and drink to doe his will , that the way of his commands be to us as our necessary food , that we should do his will with that alacrity on earth with which it is done by the angels in heaven , that our wills should be perfectly conformed to his , and religion become natural to us , partly to the end that we may do him the more honour ( for there is nothing doth so much reputation to the divine law and government , as the chearfull obedience of his subjects ) partly also that we may be the more fit for the kingdom of heaven , for those most easily fall in with the heavenly quire who have practised their part beforehand ; therefore since he desires that we should not only be not evil , but generously good ; nor meerly draw on heavily and uncomfortably , but fly as upon the wings of a cherub in his service ; it seems good to him when he hath pardoned a penitent to confer upon him greater measures of sanctification . . a young convert though he have all the parts and members of a perfect man in christ , and should also be supposed in great measure to have overcome the difficulties which always attend vertuous beginnings , yet he is but a beginner , and must needs be conceived weak and feeble in his whole contexture ; he is not only apt to be abused with sophistry , and carried about with every wind of doctrine , but less able to bear the burdens and to resist the temptations he must expect to meet with ; the traces of his former course are not yet worn out , and so he is the apter to return ; he is not at the top but going up hill , and may easily faint or slip ; he hath not such experience of the wiles of the devil , but he may be imposed upon ; he is not so flesht with victory , but his heart may fail him ; in short , grace is rather a disposition then an habit in him , and vertue more an inclination then a nature , and therefore he may fall away . but there is a virile state of vertue attainable when duty is turned into nature , and that which is best in it self is also most pleasant and delectable . when a man is so long exercised in the ways of holiness that it is as much a road to him , as the course of sin was , either heretofore to him , or is now to others ; and neither the length of the race is tedious to him , nor the dispatch difficult ; when a man shall neither stagger in his choice , nor be flat and formal in his prosecution ; he hath tasted the grapes of canaan , and never more longs to return to aegypt , but disdains the flesh-pots , the onion , and the garlick thereof as much as he formerly groaned under the servitude . such a man having put on the whole armour of god , is strong in the lord , and in the power of his might , and defies all the powers of darkness : the devil himself is ashamed to tempt him , having been so often baffled by him ; and he stands immovable as a rock , stable as an angel , and all the gates of hell cannot prevail against him . now because this admirable condition is both desirable and possible , and that which god designs to bring men to , therefore he proceeds to super-adde to the convert further measures of sanctification . now for the way of effecting this , besides those secret ways of working which we cannot penetrate into , by which it pleases god to bring about this glorious design , there are these three ways following which fall within our understanding . § iv. first , there is nothing more plainly discernible in a convert then that the first workings of the grace of god in his heart revive a true ingenuity of spirit in him , which is the very ground-work and foundation of all improvements ; and then god being pleased graciously and freely to give him the pardon of all his sins , lays so mighty an obligation upon that ingenuity , as is of force to put all the powers of the soul upon their utmost activity , and thereby the temper of such a person is marvellously raised and improved . for there is a vast difference betwixt the efficacy of a spirit of bondage , and the spirit of adoption : if the former may be able to restrain sin , yet it can never inflame men to generous goodness ; or if that impresses a caution of offending out of apprehension of the wrath of god , the latter rises higher , and stirs up indeavour of returning love for love ; the one is apt to inquire after the minimum quod sic ( as they call it ) the lowest measure of grace that will but serve the turn to avoid hell ; the other seeks aliquid eximium , and thinks nothing enough by way of gratefull return , and therefore courts occasions , and rejoyces in difficulties as happy opportunities of demonstrating his ingenuous sense of his obligations . when cyrus had vanquished croesus , and having it in his power to destroy him , not only preserved him but imployed him , and made him privy to his counsels ; meer generosity provoked him to become not a true prisoner , but a faithfull friend and usefull counsellor . but our saviour gives us the most illustrious example of that i am saying , luk. . . in the instance of a certain woman that had been a great sinner , who finding out our saviour where he was at dinner in a pharisee's house , brings a box of very costly ointment , and having washed his feet with penitent tears , wiped them with her hair and kissed them ; she anoints them also with the precious balm she had brought for that purpose . the pharisees murmured at the familiar approach and access of such an ignominious person ; judas grudged the cost , and all the disciples wondred at the novelty of the business , but our saviour applies himself to simon , and expounds the business to him by a parable , vers . , &c. there was a certain creditour had two debtors , &c. whereby he silences the murmurs of the one , and removes the wonder of the other , shewing the power of gratitude , and the admirable efficacy of great obligation upon ingenuous minds . secondly , when god receives the penitent into his favour , he gives him by faith a full persuasion of the great things in another world ; the real and serious apprehensions of which are able not only to place him above all the charms below , and to make him disdain all the baits of the devil , but also to transport him with love and desire , and to carry him with full fail in the prosecution of those incomparable glories thus discovered to him , and thereby marvellously heightens and improves him in holiness . so the apostle , hebr. . . pronounces of faith that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the substance of things hoped for , the evidence of things not seen , that is , it maks those things that seemed meer fables and romances to other men , to be the greatest realities in the world ; and those things that being looked upon at a distance seemed small and inconsiderable , and had little effect upon men's minds , now being made near and present are of mighty influence , as he shews at large historically throughout that long and excellent chapter . for this reason it is that all the accomplishments of a christian are ascribed to his faith , acts . . having purified their hearts by faith ; as if that sublimed a man , and drew him off from his lees , pet. . . there are given to us exceeding great and precious promises , whereby you might be partakers of the divine nature ; as if the objects of faith duely operating upon us were able not only to raise us above the world , but above our selves , and to transfuse a divine temper into us : for so he goes on , vers . , , . adde to your faith vertue , and to vertue knowledge , and to knowledge temperance , &c. the word he uses is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , q. d. faith will lead the dance to all other vertues , or do but set that on work , and it will draw on the whole encyclopaedy , and circle of graces . it is matter of daily observation , that not only men's industry is increased ( which is a great matter ) but their parts also are raised and inlarged proportionably to the incouragements set before them ; great hopes make great men , and fit them for great undertakings , insomuch that quintilian inquiring the reason why the former ages bred greater wits , and more exquisite orators then latter days , resolves it into this , that those times afforded the greatest honour and incouragement to them . and it is an ordinary remark in historians , that those princes and states have always the ablest ministers , whose fortunes have presented to them the most honourable employments and greatest rewards . but it is more to our business to observe that although in the darker times of the law there were some very great and admirable persons , who were the prodigies of the ages they lived in , yet ordinarily christianity ought to doe and doth afford far the most and bravest hero's , by reason of the mighty great and clear promises therein exhibited . the law ( saith the apostle , hebr. . . ) made nothing perfect , but the bringing in of a better hope did . for shall not the glories of heaven out-shine the felicities of a land of canaan , and the belief of the one be as operative as that of the other ? and what though the one be present , and the other to come ? yet to every good man this is as certain as that , and to every wise man the unspeakable odds in the things , abundantly recompences that disadvantage of circumstances . what man that hath a persuasion of eternal life can choose but disdain the present life , further then as it is a time of probation for the other ? and scorn that the mean pleasures and allurements here should interrupt his course thither : what difficulties will he not glory in , and what duties will he not perform to assure his interest therein ? jo. . . he that hath this hope purifies himself , as god is pure , especially when a man shall find these things not only made certain to him by faith , but made near to him also . when he shall consider himself now in a fair way to those coelestial mansions , and that every day he approaches nearer and nearer to heaven . now therefore he will cast off all the works of darkness , and put on the armour of light ; when he remembers , rom. . . that now his salvation is nearer then when he first believed , and finds that a little more exercise of faith and patience will bring him to his desired haven . thirdly and lastly , our heavenly father puts this best robe upon the son whom he hath received and pardoned , not only by the ministery of his gospel , and all the ordinary advantages of his church and family , but extraordinarily improves the sanctification of such a person , by the especial superintendency , guidance and influence of his holy spirit . the consideration of which brings me to the next member of the parable , he put a ring on his hand ; which expresses the second blessing the reconciled father bestows upon his penitent son ; which we are to treat of in the next chapter . chap. iii. of the gift of the holy ghost . the contents . § i. the difference between the visits or motions of the holy spirit , and the gift or residence of it : and that the holy ghost doth reside with , and inhabit very good men . § ii. the wonderfull comfort and advantages thereof in four respects . § iii. that although some good men have no experience of this residence of the holy spirit , it is nevertheless certainly attainable in this life , and the reasons of that case . the peculiar qualifications of persons fit for the entertainment of this divine guest . § iv. how to distinguish the motions of god's spirit from the impressions of sathan , or the results of our own temper . § . the second favour which the father bestows upon his son after he is reconciled to him , is , he puts a ring upon his hand . this hath by the common consent of the world been symbolical either of freedom and ingenuity , of riches and affluence , of singular favour and respect , or of quality and nobility . most of these things st. james bears testimony to in that passage of his , chap. . . if there come into your assemblies a man having a gold ring , and goodly apparel , and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment , and ye have respect to him in the gay cloathing , &c. and for the rest , at the famous battel of cannae where the romans suffered a total defeat by the carthaginians , the greatness of the victory was estimated by this ( as livy observes ) that more then a bushel of rings were taken by the conquerers from the hands of the slain , whereby it appeared how many principal romans and persons of quality fell in the battel . and thus the father's putting a ring on his son , should signify in the general his re-instating him in the quality and honour of a son : but st. jerom , st. austin , st. chrysostom , theophylact and others , consider here more particularly , that a principal use of the ring was for sealing , as commonly bearing the image , impress , or cognizance of him that wore it , and consequently they apply this passage in the mystical sense to the gift of the holy ghost : st. chrysostom expresses it thus ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , give my son a ring also , that he may have the earnest of the holy spirit , and carrying that about him , may be kept in safe-guard by it ; that bearing my signet , he may both become formidable to all his enemies , and publickly appear the son of such a father . and this interpretation is the more natural because this is the usual method of god's favours , that after he hath justified , then he further sanctifies , and for the completion of that gives his holy spirit . it was the saying of one of the ancients , that man is , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the wager which god and the devil contend about : but when a man hath given himself up to sensuality , or any kind of sin , then the title is decided , and such a person becomes the devil's peculiar ; and on the contrary , when he sincerely addicts himself to vertue , god recovers his right , and takes possession of him by his holy spirit : agreeably hereunto we reade , ephes . . . after ye believed , ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise : and also cor. . . who hath also sealed us , and given us the earnest of the spirit : and again eph. . . grieve not the holy spirit , whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption . for the more clear understanding of which , we are to take notice , that god doth employ his holy spirit about men before conversion , and in order to it ; so gen. . . he is said by his spirit to have striven with the old world ; and after that in like manner with his ancient people the jews , for isa . . . they are said to have vexed his holy spirit : and in general to all sorts of men both jew and gentile , especially such as have been baptized into christianity , the holy spirit applies it self , awakening conscience , suggesting good thoughts , and giving check to their course of sin , insomuch that whatsoever degree or beginnings of good there is in any man , the spirit is the first mover of it . for as no good can come but from god , so it is not reasonable to think that there is any man so despised by god , but that some overtures of good have been made to him ; nor is it worthy of god to imagine , that this good spirit doth quite abandon any man upon whom it hath begun to work , till such person hath resisted , quenched , grieved , and at last drove it away from him . but this is not that address of the holy spirit which we are considering of , these are only the motions or visits which he vouchsafes to make ( pendente lite , or ) whilst it is yet undetermined , to whom men will ultimately belong . that therefore which we are concerned about is the peculiar priviledge of very good men , such as have cherished the motions , entertained the visits , and complied with the intimations of the holy spirit ; and when it is come to that , from thenceforth he doth not visit them in transitu only , or call upon them , but resides and inhabits with them , and becomes as it were a constant principle , a soul of their souls : in short , they are the temples of the holy ghost . this i take to be that which our saviour means , jo. . . if any man love me he will keep my word , and my father will love him , and we will come unto him , and make our abode with him ; and that also of st. john in the name of our saviour , rev. . . behold i stand at the door and knock , ( which phrase signifies the previous and more ordinary motions of his grace ) and if any man open to me , ( i. e. if men attend to my admonitions and invitations , and break off their custom of sin which barrs the door of their souls against me ) then i will come in , and sup with him , &c. ( i. e. then i will be a familiar guest , or inhabitant with him ) and this is both interpreted and confirmed by st. paul , cor. . . know ye not that ye are the temple of god , and that the spirit of god dwelleth in you ? i. e. being sanctified and made fit for the residence of that heavenly guest , he hath taken possession of you as his house and temple : and more expresly yet by st. john , ep. , . he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him , and he in him ; and hereby we know that he abideth with us by his spirit , which he hath given us . § ii. now this inhabitation or residence of the holy spirit is called a seal , and men are said to be sealed by the holy spirit , because as seals use to denote propriety , so god hereby marks out as it were such men for his own ; i. e. as those that he hath a peculiar concern about , those that have an interest in him and he in them ; and this is of wonderfull comfort and advantage , especially in these four respects . . the spirit thus inhabiting men , gives them a title not only to god's care and providence , but to an inheritance of sons , to a participation of that unspeakable felicity wherewith himself is eternally happy and glorious . so the apostle concludes in the forementioned place , eph. . , . after ye believed ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise , which is the earnest of our inheritance untill the time of the purchased possession . q. d. we are hereby assured of heaven and glory hereafter , though we are not yet in possession of it : or , this is the pledge of our adoption , upon which the inheritance is intailed . hence it is that the same apostle , rom. . . makes this an assured argument of our resurrection ; but if the spirit of him that raised jesus from the dead dwell in you , he that raised jesus from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you . q. d. you cannot lie under the power of death and the bonds of the grave , but god will assert you to life and immortality , because you have a principle of life the holy spirit in you , which will as surely revive you , as it raised jesus from the dead ; for by his residence in you , you are marked out as belonging to god , and thereby he hath taken possession of you for himself . when god owned the tabernacle amongst the jews built by moses , and after that the temple built by solomon , and solemnly dedicated to him , for his house or palace wherein to dwell amongst that people , it pleased him as it were to take livery and seisin , by the cloud which on the behalf of the divine majesty hovered over them , and was therefore not improperly called by the jews the shekinah , or dwelling presence ; and god was said to dwell between the cherubims , because there this symbol of the divine presence subsisted . and as in the christian church all those miracles which the primitive christians were inabled to perform , were principally to assure their minds that god owned them ; and although they were destitute of humane help , and persecuted both by jews and gentiles , yet god was with them , in which respect the holy ghost is called the comforter so often by our saviour ; i say , in those miraculous effusions of the holy spirit , the cloud as it were sate over the mercy-seat in the christian church , which was now departed from the temple of the jews , and denoted the collection of believers , both of jews and gentiles united under christ jesus , to be now god's peculiar houshold and family : so also to all holy men in all ages god is present by his spirit , by which they become temples of the holy ghost ; upon which the apostle pronounces peremptorily , rom. . . if any man have not the spirit of christ he is none of his . which i understand in this sense . q. d. he is not arrived at the excellent state of christianity , that hath not experience of the residence of god's holy spirit in him . only this is to be remembred , that this residence of the holy spirit in good men which we speak of , is not to be judged of by miraculous effects , nor are such to be expected now , because those were proper only for the first ages , when whilst the church was under persecuting emperors , and in its infancy , god thought fit by such prodigious displays of his power and presence to make all the world see his concern for it ; and that ( as i said before ) he had taken possession of it : but ordinarily , and especially in the case of private christians , the presence of the spirit with them , discovers it self by such effects as these following . for . the spirit of god , though he doth not work miracles now , yet doth he not meerly take up his residence in the hearts of holy men , but actuates them , prompts them forward in all good actions , helps and strengthens them in their duty , and inflames their resolution and zeal in all brave and generous enterprizes ; in respect of which we are said to be lead by the spirit , to live and walk in the spirit . which is not so to be understood as if what good was done the spirit did it for men ; nor much less , as if he hurried men on whensoever they did well , and so for defect of such motion were liable to bear the blame of their irregularities when they did evil ; for as on the one side he never moves but to that which is certainly good and agreeable to the standing rules of scripture and natural reason , so neither on the other hand , when he incites to any such thing doth he overpower men , but he raises and actuates their native powers ; removes impediments , cures their sloth ; and in short , concurring with them , helps their infirmities ; with which agrees that forementioned observation of cicero , nunquam vir magnus sine afflatu divino , that there never was a brave hero , nor any admirable performance without divineinfluence . . the holy spirit residing in the souls of good men is also a spirit of confirmation , settling and establishing their souls against revolt and apostasy , and giving a kind of angelical stedfastness to them , that ill examples shall not draw them aside , nor temptation prevail upon them ; neither insinuations of false doctrine stagger them , nor prosperity and the blandishments of the world debauch them , nor afflictions and persecutions shake their constancy : for they are now built upon a rock ; and though the rains descend , and the waves rise , and the winds blow , they stand immovable ; or as st. john expresses it , rev. . . they having overcome and obtained the reward of being under the conduct of this holy spirit , are now made pillars of the temple of god , and shall goe no more out . to which add that of st. peter , ep. . . they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , kept ( in garison ) by the power of god through faith unto salvation . . besides all which in the last place , it is usual with the holy spirit to fill the hearts of those holy men he inhabits with inexpressible joy , giving them the foretasts of the blessedness which they expect to enjoy hereafter ; insomuch that they do not altogether live by faith ( which is their usual viaticum ) but in some measure by sense also , having a present glimpse of their future happiness , by means whereof they rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory ; they exult , triumph and applaud themselves in their interest in god , and their glorious portion with him . the holy spirit carries men as god did moses up to mount pisgah , to take a view of the good land of promise , and affords them the prelibations of heaven ; the very relish of which blessedness upon their spirits puts them into a kind of ecstasy , that they fell not the troubles and vexations which may assault them from below ; they triumph over mortality it self , and wish and long to die : when ( like st. stephen ) they see heaven opened , and jesus sitting at the right hand of god , their face ( like his ) shines like that of angels , and a glory incircles them ; they seem to hear the blessed quire of angels , and are ready to join in the allelujah : in short , their soul raises it self , and would fain take wing and fly thither presently . this i think is that which is figuratively but excellently set forth by our saviour in his epistle to the church of pergamos , rev. . . to him that overcometh will i give to eat of the hidden manna . manna was called angels food , and as the jews observe , it applied it self to every man's palate , and had that relish which every man desired : which admirably expresses the joys of heaven , which are for the present the entertainment of angels ; and when men come to enjoy them , shall fill all their powers , and leave no desire unsatisfied : and it is called hidden manna , because ( as saith the apostle ) it doth not yet appear what we shall be : however , it seems some taste and anticipations of this shall those have in the mean time who overcome . but that which i principally intend is the next words , and i will give him a white stone with a new name written upon it , which no man knows but he that receiveth it . this passage some take to be an allusion to the custom at athens , and some other greek common-wealths ; where in capitall causes especially , the citizens gave their suffrages by white and black stones ; and when the number of white stones was greatest , the person at the bar was absolved or acquitted . and thus the white stone in the text should in the mystical sense import justification and pardon of sin . but this comes not up to the design of the place : and there is another custome which fits it better , and most probably was here alluded to by our saviour ; ( viz. ) it was in use that those which conquered at the olympick games , had a token or ticket given them , expressing their names , and specifying the reward they were to have for their atchievements . in conformity to which our saviour here seems to promise to those who acquit themselves manfully and bravely in the conflict , or race of christianity ; that they shall receive an inward and invisible pledge and assurance of the glorious rewards in the other world ; which can be nothing else but this which we are speaking of , namely , the comforts of the holy ghost . this is now the second boon which our heavenly father bestows upon the son he receives , and is a very great and glorious one . this is the admirable effect of our saviour's ascension into heaven ; the accomplishment of his promise , and the supply of his own presence to his servants till he take them up to himself . this is the glory of christian religion , that whensoever it is vigorously pursued , it yields this present advantage besides whatever is in reversion . and this is the mightiest incouragement to men to be generously good . and although things of this nature partly because they are meerly divine favours , not naturally due to men , and so cannot be proved by reason ; partly also being in their own nature invisible and transacted in secret , cannot be understood by the generality of men who have no part nor lot in this matter , but are apt to be looked upon as dreams and phansies ( if not vain-glorious pretences and forgeries ) yet that this we have been speaking of is a great reality there can be no doubt , unless we will reject both the testimony of god and the experience of the best of men ; so that it may justly seem either unnecessary or fruitless to add any thing to what hath been already said on this point . notwithstanding , because i observe that there are two things which prejudice the minds of a great many men in this business , i will indeavour briefly to remove them , and then pass on . the first is grounded upon an observation that several good men have experience of no such matter ; i. e. they are neither sensible of such a residence of the holy ghost in them , nor of any such ravishing comforts as are pretended to accompany such a glorious guest : and therefore they are apt to suspect either all is phansy , or at best that it is only some great rarity not the common portion of god's children . again , they observe that not only many good men are without pretences to the spirit , but many evil men lay claim to it , and therewith frequently cheat themselves ; and besides , countenance their evil designs by it , and under that pretence do a great deal the more mischief in the world . therefore though they do not doubt but that god might think fit at the first planting of the gospel to give his holy spirit as aforesaid , because upon many accounts there was then extraordinary necessity for it ; and also the spirit then given was so plainly miraculous , and gave such proof of it self , that there could be no suspicion of cheat in the case : yet forasmuch as both these things fail now , ( viz. both the occasion and the discrimination ) they think it safer to reject all such pretensions , then admitting them , to lay open a way for so much cheating and imposture as may be reasonably expected , when there is no certain way of detecting it . now therefore if in the first place i can give a plain account how it may come to pass , that such men as are supposed in the first objection may be destitute of such advantages of the holy spirit as we have asserted to be the tokens of his residence ; and then secondly , if i shew also how to prevent all imposture , by distinguishing the operations of the spirit from fancy and other allusions , then both the objections will be answered , and the reader will not be offended with the digression . § iii. and to dispatch all briefly i begin with the first , to which i say , that as it is not usual with god to precipitate or prevent the course of natural causes , but to blesse and succeed them in their due and proper order ; so neither in his especial providence , or in the acts of his grace , doth he delight to work per saltum , but gradually , according to the condition of the subject , and its fitness to receive his impressions : accordingly though he be always ready to bestow his spirit , with all the comforts and advantages thereof ; yet he expects and requires all due qualifications and preparations before he confer it . now there are these three especial qualifications for the reception of the holy ghost in the sense we speak of . . ( as i have intimated already ) that a man be not only purged from grosser pollutions , and begin to have a love of holiness , but that he be singularly pure , so as at least not to admit of any voluntary transgression , and especially be above all sensuality of what kind soever . it is observable in that sad miscarriage of david ( which we have often had occasion to refer to ) that it made him justly fear , and therefore earnestly pray , psal . . that god would not thereupon take his holy spirit from him ; and the apostle when he is earnestly persuading the ephesians , not to grieve the holy spirit , whereby they were seald to the day of redemption , solemnly warns them in the verse before , that no corrupt ( or obscene and filthy ) communication proceed out of their mouths , as that which would assuredly argue their hearts to be no temple for the holy ghost ; and again , in the verse after the aforesaid exhortation , he with the same earnestness gives them caution against all bitterness , and wrath , and clamour , &c. as intimating that those also defiled the soul , and made it incapable of receiving the blessed spirit . to which purpose the jews have a common saying , super animum turbidum non requiescit spiritus sanctus , that the spirit of god requires a sedate even temper as his quiet habitation . . the spirit of god requires a lovely , sweet and benign frame of spirit , and abhors that hypochondriack sourness and austerity , which yet some place a great deal of religion in ; when men will be always sighing and complaining , and peevishly refuse consolation . jonah confidently told god he did well to be angry ; and so these men seem to think they please god by grieving his spirit , frowardly or at least phantastically resisting his consolations . but it is a mighty mistake to think the spirit of god will comfort men whether they will or no ; he requires a persuadeable , counsellable temper , and such a disposition as will work with him ; for to make a black melancholist comfortable immediately , is not to be done but by a phrenzy or a miracle , and for this last we are not to expect it now at god's hands : nay even the prophet elisha , when he desired to call up the spirit of prophecy , called for an harp , that he might put his mind in tune , and dispose himself to become the instrument of the spirit of god ; and so it is here , an harmonious soul added to the former qualification invites down the spirit of god. especially if . in the third place there be servent prayer joined herewith ; for since god expects we should make our acknowledgments of him , and demonstrate he value we have of the mercy we seek by the importunity of our addresses to him , even then when we address our selves to him for common favours ; with much less reason can we expect that he should bestow this great boon upon us , unless it be sought by ardent and instant prayer : so our saviour hath told us , luk. . . that though he have a fatherly affection to give all good things to us , yet it is upon condition that we ask him . and st. james hath further explained to us the manner of asking , chap. . , . that it must be in faith without wavering ; i. e. neither as doubtfull of god's goodness , nor as if we were indifferent whether he granted our request or not ; for ( saith he ) let not such a man think that he shall receive any thing at the hand of the lord. now forasmuch as the comfortable portion of the holy spirit is not intailed upon all the children which god receives to grace and pardon , but that all these qualifications are pre-required ; since it is also evident that some who perhaps may passionately desire it , yet have an unhappy temper that unfits them for the entertainment of this heavenly guest ; and many others that have some good measure of sincerity , which god will mercifully accept in order to eternal life , are not yet raised to such a measure of holiness as to be capable of this favour at the present : it cannot seem strange that such should remain strangers to this most happy priviledge , nor can it yet be reasonable that their want of experience of it should be any argument that there is no such thing to be expected . § iv. but then for the other difficultie , ( viz. ) how to distinguish the moti on of god's spirit from either the impressions of sathan , or the results of a man 's own temper and constitution ; i answer there are these properties of the holy spirit , which if they be attended to and laid together , will infallibly distinguish it from any other motion , and secure us from all illusion . . the spirit of god never moves any man but in an action or course warrantable by the word of god : for since the holy scripture is given for a rule of our actions , and as such confirmed in the most ample manner by the holy spirit ; the holy spirit should notoriously contradict it self , if it should contradict that . indeed , in former ages whilst the mind of god was not intierly delivered , and consigned in holy writ , there were frequent intimations of his pleasure by the spirit of prophecy to supply that defect , and several special directions given upon emergencies ; but then also it is to be observed , that such extraordinary interpositions were attended with miraculous circumstances , and thereby brought their credentials along with them , and gave assurance of their divine authority : but now those miraculous attestations being ceased , as well as the reason of them , whatsoever pretends to god , and is contrary to the holy scripture , is an illusion of the devil . to the law , and to the testimony , if they speak not according to this rule , it is because there is no light in them , isa . . . secondly , the motions of the holy spirit particularly in comforting the hearts of holy men , are rational and accountable , and consequently of that are also even and constant . it is very ordinary for some men to be sometimes marvellously cast down they know not for what , and then raised up again they know not how , and this they ignorantly call the accessions and recesses of the holy spirit , or a plerophory , and a state of desertion . whilst there is nothing to alter the case , no change in themselves , neither of apostasy from god , nor of improvement in piety , yet their state of mind is altered , as if god changed , and not themselves , but it is quite otherwise with the holy spirit , that never causlesly withdraws from men ; it never grieves those who have not first grieved it , nor doth it arbitrarily give joy and consolation to the minds of men , but upon just ground and foundations , when there is a root and cause of it within , in their own consciences . so erasmus well observes upon that passage of the apostle , rom. . . the spirit witnesseth with our spirits , that we are the sons of god. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , vt intelligas ( saith he ) geminum esse testimonium duorum spirituum nostri & dei , &c. the spirit doth not comfort against the sense of our consciences , but concurrs with , and confirms the testimony of our own spirit ; so that we may see , and understand , and can give account of our own joys . and consequently of this , these comforts are not flashy and uncertain , but stable and certain ; like those effects that proceed from known and certain causes . the joy of such men is not a blaze like a meteor , but as the shining light which shineth more and more unto the perfect day , prov. . . but on the contrary , those that have their ebbings and flowings , their sudden and unaccountable dejections , and their as sudden ecstasies and transports , very unworthily impute these motions to the holy spirit , which are only fits of the body , and the several disguises of hypochondriack passions . thirdly , the spirit of god in all its impressions upon men is gentle , sedate , and governable ; puts not men into a rage , nor disorders their reason , but is manageable by it , submits to all decorum , and complies with all decency of circumstances . this is that which is thought by the best interpreters to be the meaning of that remarkable passage of the apostle to the corinthians , ep. chap. . vers . , , , . let the prophets speak two or three , and let the rest judge . if any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by , let the first hold his peace . for the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets . for god is not the authour of confusion , but of peace , &c. i. e. ( saith the learned dr. h. hammond ) even in those effusions of the holy ghost , and in the exercise of those extraordinary gifts , you may observe method and order . for the afflations or inspirations of the prophets here spoken of may be ruled by the prophets , i. e. by them that have them ; these christian gifts being not like the afflations of evil spirits , which put men into ecstasies , &c. for the spirit of god is not a violent , ecstatical , impetuous , but a soft , quiet spirit , &c. and if it was so in those extraordinary impulses in the primitive times , much more must it needs be so now , when all those miraculous and prodigious circumstances are ceased , as i said before . therefore wherever men pretending to the spirit , are raving and furious , and pervert all order and government , or wheresoever such persons shall under such pretences thrust themselves into the ministry , or put the magistrate out of office , shall take upon them to be reformers of the world , revile authority , run upon desperate attempts , or in short , whereever there is a raging whirlwind instead of a still soft voice , god is not there , but either the devil , or at least a phrenzy . and so much for that . chap. iv. of the great honour god doth to a true penitent , putting him into his service , and the peculiar usefullness of such a person . the contents . § i. the great trust god reposes in those he pardons , and their obligations to faithfullness and activity in his service . § ii. several ways whereby all good men may be usefull towards the conversion of others , ( without taking upon them to be publick preachers ) and their incouragements thereunto . § iii. the peculiar aptness of converts from an evil life , to be serviceable to god in the reclaiming of others . § iv. the character of an accomplisht christian according to all the ornaments forementioned . § i. we come now to the third ornament which the father invests his returned son with , he puts shoes on his feet , which were the habit not of slaves , but of free-men , as we have noted before ; but what is the mystical sense of this passage , or what favour on god's part towards penitent sinners is hereby denoted , is not altogether so easy to resolve upon : st. chrysostom , and theophylact , understand hereby the grace of god , which defends the convert from the temptations of the devil ; put shoes on his feet ( saith the former ) that the old serpent may not find him naked so as to wound his heel , and that he may be able to tread upon the serpent's head , and have no disturbance in running the way of god's commandments . but st. jerom , and st. austin apprehend , that hereby is signified the honour that is put upon eminent converts , to be employed by god as usefull instruments of propagating his gospell , and of drawing in others from the evill of their ways to submission and obedience . to this purpose st. jerom applies that circumstance of the passeover , that it was to be eaten with staves in their hands , and shoes on their feet , as well as with bitter herbs ; as if the mystical reach of that injunction was to teach us , that a man delivered by the mighty power of god's grace out of aegypt , ( the state of servility to sin and satan , ) should not only solemnize the memorial of god's mercy with a sorrowfull and bitter reflection upon his former folly and misery , but stand ( as in procinctu ) ready to run on god's errand , and to call in others to him . and indeed , this same metaphor is used in that very sense ( according to the judgment of the best interpreters , ) eph. . . having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace , which seems to allude to that passage of the prophet isaiah , . . how beautifull are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace ; and the intent of the apostle seems to be to injoin a readiness to promote and set forward the christian religion . and in this sense i take it here , that when god hath pardoned a sinner , and sanctified and adopted him , he then fits him for his service , employs him in it , and expects from him that he become usefull towards the reclaiming of others . a great prince of the last age had upon some displeasure cast an old captain and a potent minister of his into prison , where he continued a long time without any hopes of restitution ; untill at length it happened that the great monarch having projected the adjoining a neighbour kingdom to his own dominions , thought none so fit to execute his design as the person he had long kept under a restraint ; him therefore he sends for out of prison , pardons him , and commissions him for so great an affair , and found the success of his courage and conduct according to his own desires . it is not easy to say whether this action argued more the wisedom of the prince , ( who knew who was fittest for his turn , and could also submit his own passion to his interest ; ) or whether it was a sign of the necessity of his affairs , and of the scarcity of expert and able servants , but it is certain it was a glorious testimony to the gallantry of him he so employed . now though it be most evident that god stands in need of no man for the execution of his designs , yet it is as certain that in all the instances of his providence he loves to employ the capacities of his creatures , and it is the greatest honour any of them are capable of to be so made use of by him . and as for rational beings who were at first designed , and admirably fitted for his service , ( as well as singularly obliged by innumerable favours to be faithfull to his interest , ) and yet have forfeited their allegeance and served against him : it is an instance of the most wonderfull goodness that he should trust them again ; for it was very much to forgive them , but to trust them , when ( as i have noted heretofore , ) it is become a rule of wisedom amongst them not to trust one another in such a case , is very admirable : and yet god doth both these , and more then all this ; for he pardons his ingratefull rebels , he fits them for service , and then trusts them . nay , it is oftentimes the aim of princes when they imploy one in any eminent service that hath been formerly faulty , to expose him to such difficulties , as that the hazard of the imployment shall either revenge the former miscarriage , or at least make him dearly earn his restitution to favour . but god as he hath no ends of his own , nor seeks any thing from them he indeavours to reclaim , but their own good and happiness ; so in those he employs in any expedition , he peculiarly aims at their honour and comfort therein . when a man of god came to old eli the priest to threaten him and his sons with the effects of god's severe displeasure for their prophaneness , and the scandal they gave to his service : he expresses it in these words , them that honour me , i will honour ; and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed . the import of which compared with the context plainly amounted to this , that as it was the highest honour and dignity to be admitted to and to continue in a relation of service to god , so it was the greatest debasement ( which that family should undergo ) to be thrust from it . the prodigal son in the text ( as we have seen ) acknowledges his unworthiness to be called any more a son , and desires to be admitted but into the lowest rank of servants , and into so mean a condition , as that he was so far from expecting any honour by it , that he thought himself incapable of any trust ; but the father honours him with the highest relation of a son , and god honours penitent sinners with the most weighty and important trust , putting shoes on their feet ; i. e. employing them in his vineyard . st. paul had a mighty sense of this , tim. . . and breaks out into a passionate adoration of the divine goodness , i thank christ jesus our lord who hath inabled me , for that he counted me faithfull , putting me into the ministry , who was before a blasphemer , &c. but we are not to understand any thing of this that hath been now said , as if all converts were to be imployed as god's ministers in the publick dispensation of the gospel ; for god doth not give to all such those peculiar abilities which are requisite to the discharge of it , nor are all persons competent judges of the necessary qualifications thereunto ; and therefore it is made a special office by god , which no man may undertake , but either he that is called thereto miraculously by god himself , ( as the first publishers of the gospel were ) or by the orderly approbation and consecration of the church ; ( as hath been the constant practice ever since . ) all therefore that is hereby intended is partly to remark the transcendent goodness of god to his penitent children , in that he is pleased to pass such a perfect act of oblivion of all their former enormities , as that he disdains not to admit even some of them to this highest trust and employment , ( all their former demerits notwithstanding , ) as we had instance in st. paul ; but principally to recommend it to the care and conscience of all those whom god hath been pleased to pardon , ( that though they may not invade the office of the ministery , yet ) they ought to think themselves concerned to use their utmost indeavours ( within their sphere ) to be instruments of spiritual good to others . this seems to be the meaning of that charge of our saviour to st. peter , luk. . . thou when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren . or if that be liable to exception , yet that of king david is not , psal . . . who vows it as the fruit of his own pardon , that then he would teach god's ways unto sinners , and transgressours should be converted unto him . it is certain religion never prospers well in the world whilst doing good is thought to be the office of some certain persons only , and not the common concern of all good men ; nor will it ever be a good world till men think themselves obliged to be as charitable to the souls of men as to an oxe or an ass , and be as ready to help them out of the snare of the devil , as the other out of a ditch . and if it should happen that a priest and a levite should pass by a man faln amongst thieves and wounded , yet sure every good samaritan will have compassion on him , and bind up his wounds ; especially he that hath been formerly a great sinner himself , and hath known by sad experience the deplorableness of that condition , and found mercy at god's hands : ( methinks ) such a person should with warm affections and tender bowels , awaken that man into an apprehension of his danger , who is in the condition he himself hath escaped , and incourage him to try those mercies of god which he himself hath experimented . for if either a righteous man that never needed repentance , ( i. e. such a change of his whole state as we have been speaking of ) should be less sensible of such a man's case ; or especially if a proud self-applauding pharisee despise him , yet it will by no means become a convert to be without compassion . for besides all other arguments to this purpose , it may be such a man may have just cause to consider whether his own example ( when he did goe on in the way of sin ) had not that pernicious contagion as to infect or confirm this man in his wickedness , which he sees him now lie under , and then it will not be only charity but justice which will oblige him to this duty . it was the opinion ( if i remember rightly ) of st. basil , that in hell the torments of the damned are daily increased in proportion as the evil seed of their corrupt doctrine , ( or the evil example ) which they sowed whilst they were alive , fructifies upon earth ; but whether that be so or no , it is certain men's sins are aggravated by the mischief they do to others , as well as by other circumstances ; and therefore every such penitent as we speak of , must think it his duty and concern , to indeavour to hinder the propagation of sin , and to stop the infection in others , as well as to destroy the malignity of it in himself . § ii. now there are many ways which an honest heart will find out of doing this we are recommending , without taking upon him to be a preacher ; solomon tells us , a wicked man speaketh with his feet , and teacheth with his fingers : that is , though he say nothing with his lips , all his life and actions do teach and instruct the world in wickedness : and there is no question but that holy men may most effectually recommend vertue to others by their own practice and example . example insinuates gently , works insensibly , but powerfully , ( as almost all great engines do ; ) it relieves men's modesty , and yet shames their sloth ; it kindles emulation , presses upon ingenuity , recommends the excellency , convinces the necessity , demonstrates the possibility of vertue . besides , that there are a great many of the most curious lines thereof that are not to be described by the pencil , or that can be expressed by words , but are to be observed in the life and conversation of good men . for this reason ( amongst others ) it pleased god to send our saviour , not only to preach the divine life to the world , but to live and converse with men , that by his example he might more plainly convince them of it ; and for this cause also we solemnly thank god for the examples of all holy men that have gone before us . and besides example , there are many opportunities and advantages , which good men have of propagating a sense of piety and religion , such as the authority of parents , influence of benefactours , interest of relations , convenience of travelling together , society of commerce , and all other bonds of conversation . every of which a mind inflamed with the love of god , and compassion to the souls of men , will find usefull to this purpose . and this was the course moses advised israel for the keeping up a sense of god and his laws in their minds , and the propagation of it to posterity . deut. . , . these words which i command thee this day shall be in thine heart , and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children , and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house , and when thou walkest by the way , and when thou liest down , and when thou risest up , &c. and for the incouragement of all good men in this business , besides the great honour it is to be subservient to god in so important an affair , and besides the unspeakable comfort to our own consciences , if by converting a sinner from the evil of his way we save a soul from death , and cover a multitude of sins , jam. . . and that by such an act of zeal we have also the happiness to efface our own former miscarriages : besides all this ( i say ) in present , we shall also advance our own glory and crown hereafter ; for in the words of the prophet daniel , they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament ; and they that turn many to righteousness , as the stars for ever and ever , daniel . . it were very easy to inlarge on this subject , but that which is most pertinent , and the peculiar consideration of this place , is , to shew the particular aptness of those , that have themselves been converted from a wicked life , to be instrumental of recovering others , which i will briefly give account of in the following particulars and so dismiss this point . and in order to this § iii. in the first place , it is considerable that those that are of sickly constitutions , are generally observed to be more pitifull and compassionate to the infirm , then those robust and healthy persons that scarce ever knew what sickness meant ; and those that have long languished under any painfull infirmity , and at last have recovered , are both the best able , and most willing , to give advice to others under the same distemper . upon which account it hath been the custom of some nations ( who had no professed physicians ) to bring their sick out into the market-place , ( where all persons that came were obliged by law to take notice of them , ) that by this means the experience of one that had escaped a disease , might afford a relief to him that now laboured under it . and so it is reasonable to think , that those who have been sick in sin , and of sin heretofore , must needs by their own experience know the baits that allure men , the charms that bewitch them , the fallacies of sathan that impose upon them , the folly and perverseness that defixes men in that unhappy estate ; the workings of passion , the regret of conscience , the thoughts and reasonings , the objections , the prejudices , and the very inside of other men in that condition . and therefore , as god commands israel , exod. . . thou shalt not oppress a stranger , for ye know the heart of a stranger , seeing ye were strangers in the land of aegypt . i. e. they knew what injuries , oppressions , insolencies and affronts a stranger was exposed to ; and what fears , anxieties , and jealousies , he must needs be always under ; and therefore it having been their own case , they ought to think it reasonable to pity such : so in the present case , the convert is furnished both with more observations to render him serviceable to the conversion of souls , and more compassion to apply and make use of his experience to that end . therefore st. paul , though he was execrated of his own countrymen , because he forsook moses to follow christ , yet shewed more dexterity in refuting their prejudices , and more tenderness to their souls then any other apostle : and particularly rom. . , , . he expresses himself thus . i say the truth in christ , i lie not , my conscience also bearing me witness in the holy ghost , that i have great sorrow and heaviness in my heart for i could wish that my self were accursed from christ for my brethren , my kinsmen , according to the flesh , &c. where whatever he mean by the expression of being accursed from christ , he certainly describes the deepest compassion that a mortal breast is capable of ; and that he had a sense of this towards his brethren , he confirms by the most solemn oath that can be made . i need not here add ( because i have touched that before ) that such persons are also filled usually with the greatest zeal of god's glory ( whom they have formerly dishonoured , ) and the greatest indignation against sin , ( by which they have been abused , ) and think themselves obliged to a double diligence , by the consideration of their former dis-service , of all which st. paul is also an example , cor. . . i laboured more abundantly then all the rest , &c. but i observe in the second place , such persons as have been formerly notorious for a course of wickedness , and now are become sincerely good and vertuous , are a standing reproof of the folly of sin ; nay , i may call them the very credential letters of vertue , and convincing arguments of the necessity of conversion , & such as strangely awaken men to consider their own station . it was a very good plea that the platonist makes for vertue in these words . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. that the ways of vertue are more pleasant to a good man , then the ways of sin and licentiousness are to an evil and vicious man ( and therefore more amiable and better in themselves ) appears ( saith he ) by this , that several men who have tasted all the pleasures of sin forsake it , and come over to vertue ; but there is scarce an instance to be found of the man that had well experimented the delights of vertue , that ever could be drawn off from it , or find in his heart to fall back to his former course . but to see a man that had ran into all excess of riot , to tack about to a quite contrary course , from a drunkard , to become sober ; from lascivious , to become chaste and modest ; from a covetous person , to become charitable ; from prophaneness , to set himself to reade and study the scripture ; and from cursing and blaspheming , to bless and pray : and this change to be wrought in health and strength , without the check of a sick-bed , or the dreadfull apprehensions of approaching death : i say , this spectacle cannot but be a most convincing argument of the necessity of repentance to all such as are yet in the gall of bitterness , and under the bonds of iniquity . lastly , ( to say no more ) such persons so changed as aforesaid , are standing monuments of the divine mercy , and of the powers of the gospel , and irrefragable arguments of the possibility of recovering the greatest sinners , if they be not wanting to themselves , or rather if they do not chuse their own destruction . for they proclaim aloud the greatness of the divine goodness , the largeness of his heart , the openness of his arms ; and they upbraid the sinner of folly , of madness , of cruelty to himself if yet he persevere . it is said miltiades trophies would not suffer themistocles to sleep ; and caesar's thoughts continually upbraided him with the great exploits alexander had effected in a few years . but when a sinner shall observe such a man that was as foolish as himself , to become wise and sober ; one that ran in the same race , and was as near the pit of hell as he , escaped , and himself still upon the brink of it ; when i say , he shall consider , that such a man that had all the temptations , pretences , excuses , examples , and every other instance of debauchment that himself hath , to find just reason to break through those obstacles , and by the mercy of god to be saved , and as a fire-brand plucked out of the fire , certainly if any thing in the world can move him , this must make him look about him . in the . chapter of this gospel , our saviour introduces a certain rich man in hell , interceding with abraham that lazarus might be sent from the dead to preach repentance to his five brethren , supposing that though they would not hearken to moses and the prophets , yet such a spectacle , and so certain intelligence from the infernal regions , must needs rouze them : father abraham denied his request , and ( god doth not use to gratify such curiosity . ) but indeed , if a man consider well , it is almost the same thing , when god affords us an example of a man that was dead in trespasses and sins , and under the very torments of hell in his conscience , but now redeemed and recovered by the grace of god , and sends him to preach repentance to us . and i think i may say in this case as the afore mentioned simplicius said of the discourses of epictetus , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . i. e. the man that is incorrigible under such a powerfull remedy , there is nothing but the very torments of the damned can work upon him . and so much also for that point . § iv. we have now seen severally the three ornaments the father puts upon his returning son , and the favours god bestows upon a sincere convert represented by the best robe , a ring on his hand , shoes on his feet . let us now take a view of them altogether ; let us i say , make a stand a little , and see the son in all his new attire ; i mean , let us suppose all these favours of god bestowed upon some pardoned sinner , and then take notice what a brave and excellent person such a man will be . it was a noble character which the historian gives of marcus cato , homo virtuti simillimus , & per omnia diis quàm hominibus propior ; qui nunquam rectè fecit ut facere videretur , sed quia aliter facere non potuit . cato ( saith he ) was vertue drawn to the life , and the resemblance was so exact , that it was hard to say whether vertue animated cato , or cato gave subsistence and visibility to vertue ; nay , such was the unshaken greatness of his mind , and the purity of his life , that he seemed more to participate of divine perfection then of humane frailty ; for he was both so far above all temptations of doing evil , and also free from the allay of mean ends and designs in doing good , that it seemed a kind of necessity of nature in him to doe well . this was bravely said , had it not been somewhat too romantick . but the man we are speaking of ( under the aforesaid qualifications ) must as much out go cato , as he out-stripped other men ; or rather as much as the advantages of christianity out-went those of philosophy . for this man is not only improved by humane discourse , but raised by divine revelation , and governed by the wisedom of god ; is not under the faint and fluctuating hopes which reason can suggest , but under the assurances of faith ; is not only eminent for some one or more vertues , but being inflamed by the love of god , and the prospect of heaven , he breaths nothing but greatness and glory ; wherever he goes , god is in his heart , heaven is in his eye , joy in his countenance ; and he spreads the sweet odours of piety , and casts a lustre upon religion . for in the first place , he is sanctified throughout , the image of god is restored upon him , and christ jesus formed in him . all the maims of his fall are cured , the confusion of his powers rectified , the tyranny of custom vanquished , his conscience is inlightned , his reason raised , his passions subdued , his will set right , and all the inferiour powers obedient . vertue is made natural , easy and delightfull to him , and it is his meat and drink to doe the will of his heavenly father . furthermore , to assure his station , he is confirmed by the grace of god , and upheld by divine power ; he is the peculiar care of god's providence , the special charge of the holy angels , and the temple of the blessed spirit ; all god's dispensations provide for his safety , consider his strength , and work for his good . the devil is so restrained that he shall not tempt him above what he shall be able to bear , and hath not so little wit with his great malice , to attempt where he is sure to be foiled . persecutions may assault him , and flatteries may undermine him ; prosperity may indeavour to blow him up , or adversity to crush him down ; raillery may goe about to shame him out of his course , or buffonry to laugh him out of it ; but his race is as certain , as that of the sun , or the stars in the firmament , and his foundation sure as the mountains ; for he knows whom he hath believed . again , he is adopted a son of god , and sealed by the holy ghost to the day of redemption ; he feels himself quickned by his vital presence , warmed with his motions , and assured by his testimony . this erects the hands that would hang down , and strengthens the feeble knees : this lifts up his head with joy , because he knows his redemption draweth nigh . every day he walks , he finds himself a days journey nearer heaven ; therefore he sets his face thitherwards , he puts on the habit , the mein , the joy , the very heart of heaven : he goes up by contemplation , and views it ; he ravishes his heart with the sight of it ; he falls into a trance with admiration , and when he comes to himself again , cries out , come lord jesus , come quickly . he needs nothing , he fears nothing , he despises the world ; life is tedious , death is welcome , to be dissolved and to be with christ is best of all . what can trouble him that hath peace in his conscience ? what can disturb him that hath heaven before him ? what can dismay him that is secure of immortality ? what can affright him whom death cannot hurt ? and what can deject him that is sure of a crown of glory ? and lastly , no wonder if after all this , such a man be active and vigorous for god , if he be used by god , and become his embassadour , beseeching men in christ's stead to be reconciled to god. for all those comforts and incouragements afore mentioned inlarge his soul like an angel , put wings upon him like a cherub , and set him on fire like one of the seraphim , with holy zeal of god's glory , and the good of men . therefore with david he tells the unbelieving world what god hath done for his soul ; and with his lord and master christ jesus , he goes about doing good ; and in this flame of holy love is contented to offer up himself a sacrifice of a sweet smell to god. here is adulta virtus , religion and piety at their highest pitch and fullest maturity that is attainable in this world ; the next step is heaven , one degree more commences glory . let the envious world now ( if they dare ) reproach religion as hypocrisy , or as meer pretences and great words ; when they observe that this glorious state is the design and the attainment of it , whenever it is wisely and worthily prosecuted ; or let them say , all this is impossible , who as tully well expresses it , ex sua ignavia & inertia , & non ex ipsa virtute de virtutis robore existimant . these things are no romances , nor have i dressed up any legendary hero : the things are true and real ; thus shall it be done to the man whom god delights to honour . all this hath been attained , and might be attained again , would men but cease to take up an opinion of their own goodness from the extream badness of others , and take their measures rather from the rules , and motives , and assistances of the gospel , then from the examples and customs of the world ; then without doubt others besides st. paul might be able to say , i have fought the good fight ; i have finished my course , i have kept the faith , from henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness , which the lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day , and not to me only , but to all them also that love his appearing , tim. . , . and that brings me to the last instance of the father's kindness , and the top of that glory which god bestows upon truely good men . chap. v. the splendid entertainment , or the joys of heaven . st. luk. chap. . vers . . and bring hither the fatted calf , and kill it , and let us eat and be merry . the contents . § i. the peculiar intendment of this passage of the parable . that by the feast upon the fatted calf are represented the joys of heaven . § ii. the several figurative expressions which the joys of heaven are set out by in holy scripture , ( viz. ) paradise , rest , a city , a kingdom , a feast . § iii. a more plain and literal account of the felicities of the other world ; especially in four particulars . . the resurrection of the body . . provision of objects fit to entertain and satisfy all the powers both of soul and body . . the eternity of that state of life and happiness . . the blessed presence of god and our saviour , and the happy society of angels and saints . § i. it was thought to be a just civility amongst the more soft and voluptuous nations ( especially those of the east ) that those who were to be the guests at a feast , should be as curious in the preparation of themselves for the solemnity , as he that made the entertainment was for their accommodation ; and for that cause usually a considerable time of notice was given them before-hand , that they might be in such circumstances as should both do honour to him that invited them , and also render them gratefull to all the society : upon which account , they were wont to bath , anoint , exercise , and perfume themselves before-hand ; and amongst other curiosities , to put on a habit which was both sumptuous , and significant of respect . agreeable whereunto is that passage in the gospel , matt. . . where the master of the feast takes it extream ill of one of his guests , that he appeared there not having on a wedding garment . and with this accords the contrivance of this parable ; for the father having ( as we have seen ) put his son into a befitting garb , now proceeds to his entertainment ; which is the third and last expression of his reconciliation . bring hither ( saith he ) the fatted calf , &c. that he intends a feast for joy of the recovery of his lost son is very plain , wherein he designs that all his family shall bear a part with him ; the fatted calf being the ancient most sumptuous treatment , as appears gen. . . for therewith abraham solemnly entertained the three angels that came to visit him in the habit of way-faring men ; and as the afore-named stuckius , and the learned bochart observe , there was not a feast of old times , especially amongst those mentioned by homer , where this was not the principal dish : and the text lays the emphasis of a double article upon it here in the parable . but what is mystically meant by this passage , or what peculiar favour of god to penitent sinners our saviour intends hereby to express , is not very easy to determine . in the foregoing particulars we have had the concurrent opinion of the fathers for the countenance of our applications ; but here i doubt we shall be deserted by them , and therefore if we walk alone must proceed the more warily . the ancients agree in the general , that hereby , is to be understood the great and inestimable gift of our lord jesus christ . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( saith st. chrysostom ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. what fatted calf doth the father call for ? what but his only son born of the virgin mary , &c. and in like manner the rest only with this difference , that st. chrysostom especially applies it to the sacrifice of christ represented in the sacrament , and st. austin to the same christ jesus preached in the gospel ; but with the leave of such great men , it may perhaps seem reasonable to pitch upon another interpretation , namely , that hereby is meant the joys and glories of the kingdom of heaven ; for the confirmation of which i offer these following considerations . first , it is well enough known that the jews had commonly such a crass notion of the happiness of the world to come ; as to think it to consist in the pleasures of the body , and particularly of eating and drinking ; agreeable to which is the fable amongst them of behemoth and leviathan , the one a prodigious beast , and the other a fish ; which together with great quantities of delicious wine , they report to be laid in store by god , for the entertainments of the life to come ; which ridiculous conceit of theirs seems to have given countenance , if not rise , to the sensual paradise of the mahumetans , and some of the eastern nations . and though menasse-ben-israel , a late learned jew , indeavours to mince the matter , and to turn the story into an allegory , yet he confesses , and strongly contends , that a great part of the paradisiacal felicity must consist in the pleasures of eating and drinking . now it is no strange thing to imagin , that our saviour speaking to the jews , should make use of their own language , and allude to their customs and conceits , how gross soever they were . and that he did so , will be the more probable if in the second place we consider , that he compares the kingdom of heaven to a feast , matt. . . that he tells his disciples he will drink no more of the fruit of the vine till he drink it new with them in his father's kingdom , matt. . . and allowed the expression of him that esteemed it to be the greatest blessedness to eat bread in the kingdom of heaven , luk. . . thirdly , even in this very chapter , our saviour telling us there is joy in heaven at the conversion of a sinner , vers . . and amongst the holy angels , vers . . he by those expressions invites and leads our thoughts to this sense , and in this very parable , vers . . the entertainment of the penitent is expressed as accompanied with dancing and mirth ; by all which , he seems to give us sufficient ground to think the entertainment we are now speaking of is no other then that of the joys of heaven . but especially if we observe in the last place , that the order of the parable requires such a sense of these words as this we have suggested . for according to the scheme of the parable , god having been hitherto represented , as bestowing all those favours and blessings upon the penitent , which render him fit for , and capable of heaven , ( as we have seen already ) what can now follow more properly , or what would one expect to be intimated in the next place , but that he should thenceforward be described conferring that happiness , and actually placing him in that state he had by all his former unspeakable favours made way for . besides , god's giving his son is the foundation of all his other favours , and our saviour's giving himself for us , is the meritorious and procuring cause of justification , adoption , sanctification ; the giving of the holy ghost , and all the great things forementioned ; and therefore it would not be agreeable to the wisedom of our saviour in the contrivance of this scene , to represent this in the last place , when all those benefits which flow from it had before been supposed to be conferred . this therefore upon the whole matter seems to be the intent of our saviour in the words we are upon , to personate our heavenly father , crowning all those former gifts he had bestowed upon sincere converts in this life , with glory and blessedness , and the joys of heaven , in the conclusion . as if in the literal sense the father of the prodigal son had said , i remember the misery , the hunger and hardship my son hath indured ; and i pitied him , even then when he well deserved all he suffered ; but since the time that i have seen him returning , not only the pale looks , sharp countenance , dejected eyes , and all other arguments of his former calamities which i have observed in him , run in my mind , but i think also of the conflicts he hath had with himself upon the point of returning ; fear turning him back , and hope incouraging him to goe on ; and the latter with great difficulty vanquishing the former : methinks i see the anguish of his mind , his indignation against himself , his shame for his own folly , and the awefull reverence he had of my presence , between all which i know how his heart panted and laboured , till at last the reviving sense of his duty , and the confidence in the benignity of a father carried him through . and now that he is returned , it is not fit to heap sorrow upon sorrow , i will wipe away all his tears , and repair all his sufferings ; he shall take his fill of refreshment , not only my heart but my hand , my purse , all my stores are open to him . i have forgotten his rebellion , and he shall forget his sorrows ; he hath by this last act effaced the memory of what he had done , and i will take care there shall remain no marks of what he suffered ; and because all my family heretofore sorrowed for him , they shall all now rejoice with me and him . enter o son into thy father's joy ; reap now the fruits of thy repentance ; i am satisfied with thy return , satisfy thy self in this , that all i have , and all that belong to me , shall speak thy welcom . or as if in the mystical sense our heavenly father should thus bespeak his penitent children : i am sensible as well as you what husks you have lived upon since you forsook me , and when you neither loved me nor your selves , i pitied you ; it was a long time before you would understand , that in forsaking me you departed from your own happiness ; and now that you have believed that it was good for you to return , you shall not find your selves deceived , your own experience shall justify your choice ; you came indeed late into my vineyard , yet i will reward you equally with those who have born the burden and heat of the day ; and though it was a great while before you would be perswaded over to my side , yet now having acquitted your selves well i will crown you . i have already set some marks of favour upon you , but those are but earnests of greater which i intend you ; and that you may be sure i sought not my self but you , when i put the task upon you of living vertuously and holily , it shall now appear , that i only educated and trained you up in that school for glory . and now that i have by these preparations fitted you for it , enter into the joy of your lord ; you shall not have only the ornaments but the inheritance of sons , and shall partake of the same blessedness which my most dutifull children ( that never went astray from me ) and which i my self am happy in , isa . . . for in this mountain will i make unto all my servants a feast of fat things , a feast of wines on the lees ; of fat things full of marrow , of wines on the lees well refined , &c. come ye blessed , inherit the kingdom prepared for you , live with saints and angels , and rejoice with them to all eternity . § ii. but to render this interpretation of this passage in the parable the more clear and satisfactory , and also to make way for some account of the admirable greatness of this favour ; let us take a little compass , and in the next place consider the several phrases that the state of coelestial happiness is expressed by in scripture ; and the most remarkable are these four : it is called paradise , a rest , a city , a kingdom . in the first place it is described under the notion of paradise , which imports a garden of pleasure ; and this name took its rise from that place and condition in which almighty god settled our first parents when they came immediately out of his hands : and as there he had ordered all things to be at hand , which ministred either to man's necessity or delight , and had fenced him from all that could disturb and annoy him ; so it is here , but in a far higher degree both of gratification and security , as we shall see by and by . . it is called a rest , hebr. . . there remaineth a rest for the people of god ; alluding to the land of canaan , where god gave the children of israel rest and quiet habitation after a long servitude in aegypt , and a tedious pilgrimage through the wilderness . so in the world to come , god gives all good men repose from all the troubles of life , and from all the solicitation and disturbances of their enemies of all kinds . rev. . . blessed are the dead which die in the lord , for they rest from their labours , &c. . it is called a city , hebr. . . a city which hath foundations , whose builder and maker is god. in opposition to that temporary and flitting accommodation which the children of israel had in the wilderness ; and to note the stability and perpetuity of the state of those that have finished their course , and attained the crown of immortal life . . it is also called a kingdom , matt. . . come ye blessed of my father , inherit a kingdom , &c. principally as a kingdom speaks grandeur , and glory , and affluence of all things , far beyond the reach and capacity of a private fortune ; and so in the world to come , god hath prepared and accumulated all the ingredients of felicity and glory . now with all these figurative representations of the state of happiness in the world to come doth this in the text of a feast very well accord , setting out the same thing in like manner by the entertainment of the senses , wherein according to the notion of it , not only the greatest delicacies , and the greatest plenty of them are implied , but also order , and joy , and unanimity in those that partake of them , which together marvellously well represent that felicity we speak of . to speak fully and clearly about that estate is beyond the ability of any mortal man : for besides that the apostle hath told us , cor. . . eye hath not seen , nor ear heard , neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what god hath prepared for those that love him ; it is obvious to consider , that infinite goodness and wisedom may easily contrive such instances of happiness , as surpass our understanding , till we come to enjoy them ; since he can either raise up new objects to entertain those faculties we have , or create new powers in our souls , which shall be able to discover fresh and more quick and admirable delights then any we are now capable of ; especially when he sets himself to make demonstration of his magnificence , and of the miracles of his love : and therefore we may very well surcease our curiosity , and rest our selves contented , since we have both assurance of such a thing in general , and of the greatness and compleatness thereof : notwithstanding , because some knowledge of particulars also , will marvellously quicken us in our race thither , and support us under the burdens we must undergoe in the mean time ; therefore i will by the guidance of the scripture , lay down these four particulars touching that estate . § iii. in the first place , it is that which the holy scripture insists upon as a principal ingredient of the happiness of the other world ; that whereas death had made a separation of soul and body , and ( whatever circumstances the former might be conceived to be in in the mean time , yet ) the latter lay under the power of the grave , and was the spoil and triumph of the prince of darkness ; now by the wonderfull power of the almighty , this is raised up again out of its own ashes , or out of whatever more desperate estate it might seem to be in , and united to the soul its old inmate again , that so the whole man may be happy . this is a point of felicity , which as it is not naturally due to men , but depends upon a voluntary act of the divine goodness , so also it can no otherwise be proved but by divine revelation . and those that were destitute of that light ( whatever raised apprehensions they might have of future rewards , and the happiness of the other life ) could never with all their philosophy make any discovery of this : nay , it was so far out of the rode of their thoughts , that it is a well known story of synesius ( who for his learning and piety was made of a philosopher a christian bishop ) that he confessed his philosophy represented this point as utterly incredible to him ; upon which account , he desired to be excused that dignity in the church ; and for the generality of the greatest pagan wits , they laughed at and derided this doctrine when it was preached by the apostles . and indeed , the thing it self is so very wonderfull , that had we not the plain and infallible promise of him to whom nothing is impossible , and therewithall a satisfaction to our reason , that he that could bring all things out of nothing at first , may well be supposed able to effect other things also above our apprehension ; it would stagger christian faith it self to assent to it : therefore for the manner of doing it , we must leave that to him ; but for the matter , it is ( as i said ) as certain as divine testimony can make it , and being believed is of unspeakable consolation . for what can be more comfortable then to be asserted from the power of the grave , and rescued from death and mortality , to have our soul refitted with organs , and all the bodily powers awakened again so as to lose nothing by our fall ; when death shall like a faithfull depositary , restore us our whole selves perfect and intire ? is not the spring very pleasant after a sharp and severe winter , wherein though the seeds of all things have been preserved , yet they have been benummed and rendred inactive ; wherein the heavens frowned , the sea wrinkled her face , and the earth grew effete and barren ; as if her youth was over : to see now god renewing the face of all things , rendring them their wonted vigour , and cloathing them with their former verdure ; to observe the sea smoothing her brow , the fields smile , every thing gay and glorious , and heaven and earth singing by way of antiphone's , to each other in praise of their great creatour ; and in a word , whole nature triumphing as in a resurrection from the dead ? but now to see man after diseases had acted all their spite upon him , and death had defloured his beauty and bound up all his powers , and the grave had held him long in possession , wherein his body had undergone a thousand changes from flesh to earth , from earth to grass , from grass to the substance of this or that beast , &c. and after all this to see him restored again fresh and glorious , sprightly and vigorous like a giant refreshed with wine , and this same body to be united to its proper spirit , by more firm and indissoluble ligaments , and be again usefull for all its offices and purposes ; how happy must this meeting , how great must this joy be ! and not much unlike that we had lately before us in the parable , when the long sorrowfull and indulgent father recovers his lost and deplored son. i do not doubt but that the souls of men when they are separated from their bodies , are able to understand and perform some of their most proper and spiritual functions ; for i see no reason why the soul should so much depend upon matter , as to be utterly inactive without it ; especially when i consider , that whilst we are in the body we govern it , prescribe to it , deny it , expose it to hardship , and sometimes act directly cross to the interest of it ; and besides this , we find that there are some things which our mind takes notice of , which the bodily faculties could give no intelligence of , and other things which our mind apprehends at first , before the exercise of any faculty at all , as in first principles , &c. all which ( were it necessary to insist upon that point now ) would afford sufficient arguments to convince the mistake of those that assert the sleep of the soul during its state of separation . nay , i make no question but that the souls of good men are in the actual perception and enjoyment of some measures of happiness before the resurrection ; for besides , that if it were not so , it would very much abate their joys here , and so be apt to take off the edge of their endeavours , but most certainly it would marvellously glue men to this life , and make them extreamly unwilling to die ; besides this i say , and all other arguments of that nature , the holy scripture is so clear and express in several places touching this point , that a man may almost with as good confidence deny the world to come as disbelieve this . amongst the rest i will only offer these two passages to the reader 's consideration ; ( viz. ) phil. . , . & . cor. . , . in the first the apostle speaks on this wise . i am in a strait betwixt two , having a desire to depart and to be with christ , which is far better . nevertheless , to abide in the flesh is more needfull for you . q. d. i cannot tell whether to desire to live longer or to die sooner , being prest with arguments on both sides ; for if i consult my self and my own good , it is doubtless better for me to die , and to enter presently into happiness ; but then if i consult your convenience , it were better i should live longer in the world , to be serviceable to your edification . now ( i think ) it is evident , that if the apostle could have supposed that he should have entered into a state of silence after death , and not presently been in the fruition of bliss ; there could have been no strait in the case , nor any dispute , but that it was better to live still in the world , and continue in the comforts of a good conscience , and of doing good to others , rather then to fall into a state of insensibility and inactivity . in the other place the same apostle expresses himself thus . for we know that if this earthly house of our tabernacle were dissolved , we have a building of god , an house not made with hands , but eternall in the heavens . for we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened , not that we would be uncloathed but cloathed upon , that mortality may be swallowed up of life . q. d. we are well assured that from such time as these bodies of ours are dissolved by death , which were intended but as tents or tabernacles for our short and temporary residence , thenceforward we shall be in a more settled state of life and happiness . and that 's the reason why we groan and desire to die , not meerly because we are weary of our station , and impatient of this present life , but because we have then hope to be forthwith in a far better condition , being put into an unalterable estate of life . notwithstanding the truth of all which , it would nevertheless be uncomfortable to good men , if they had not a prospect of the union of their souls again with their bodies ; not only because few men are so metaphysical as to have any clear and satisfying notion of this separate state ; and the most of men ( having been always used to a body ) would be in fear of losing their being , if they were not relieved with the expectation of being united to them again : but principally because it is certain , that however the soul can exist , and perform some actions of life without the organs of the body , yet it being created in a middle rank between purely spiritual and meerly corporeal beings , and being apta nata , fit and ordained to inform a body , must needs have an inclination thereunto , and especially in regard most of its accustomed actions do require the help of the bodily powers ; for though it may understand without them , love god , adhere to goodness , reflect upon it self , and feel the comforts of a good conscience , upon a well-performed life , &c. yet it is not intelligible how it can see without eyes , move locally , or apply it self to society without them . now forasmuch as god intends that the whole man should be happy , and compleatly comfortable in the other world , therefore he hath resolved with himself , and assured us that the body shall be raised again , and therefore the scripture lays so much stress upon the resurrection , as if men's happiness were adjourned to that great day . to which this is also to be added , that the bodies we then are incouraged to expect , will be , as the apostle calls them , spiritual bodies ; that is , raised and sublimed from this drossy feculency , freed from sickness , pain , weariness , hunger , heaviness , and all the other imperfections of gross matter , and so be fit to correspond with the vigour of the soul , and the glories of that blessed state . in all which together i place the first instance of the happiness of the other world , and whoever well considers , will find it to be a very great and glorious one . but secondly , man shall not only be restored to himself , and to all his capacities , but in the world to come there shall be the most delightfull objects and entertainments provided for , and presented to all his powers , so as to employ , fill , and ravish them . we intimated under the former head that the powers of the body should be raised and improved , the body being made spiritual and fine , by which means also the intellectual powers will be much advanced , having then exteriour organs capable of more generous use and imployment . but to have powers inlarged without objects whereupon to imploy , and wherein to delight themselves , would be a torment instead of an happiness . for the very reason of pain and grief lies in nothing else , but either that some powers are destitute of their proper objects , or that the powers and objects are mis-matched and unproportionate to each other . who will goe about to appease hunger with musick , or content any one sense with the objects of another ? or think to satisfy the desires of a man with the repast of a beast ? we see , both extream little and excessively great and glorious objects are alike troublesome to the eye , and as well excessive joy as grief break and disturb the mind ; all discontent and uneasiness of men's spirit with their condition is from hence , that some power of theirs is either not provided for , or less benignly dealt with then it desires . so that felicity or misery arise neither from the absolute nature of things , but from their relative consideration ; nor from that meerly , unless those things that are relatively good and proper , be also proportioned to the capacity of the power that receives and feels them . now therefore as the wise and good creatour of all things never brought any creature into being , which he had not fitted with a satisfaction in its kind , nor opened any power for which he had not provided proportionable enjoyments ; because had he done otherwise he had been the authour of evil and misery , and could not have looked over his works and pronounced of them that they were good : so much less will he permit that in the other world , wherein he intends to make the fullest demonstration of his goodness , there should be any instance of unhappiness , by reason of defect or disproportion ; or especially that such holy men as he there designs to reward for all their faithfull adherence and service to him , should have inlarged powers and scanty satisfactions , but the one answerable to the other : agreeably to which it is , that that state is represented by a feast , ( as we have observed already ) where care is always taken that there be nothing offensive to the guests , and that none of the participants may goe away without full measures of what is desirable to them ; wherewith also accord those other expressions of holy scripture , which describe god as making preparations from the beginning of the world , cor. . . matth. . . as we have intimated before . in conformity to this notion it must needs be , that in the kingdom of heaven , in the first place , the mind of man will be adorned with a greater measure of knowledge and wisedom then is attainable in this life ; partly as it is exercised about higher and more noble objects then those we converse withall here below , partly also as it will have a clearer apprehension , and quicker perception then it is capable of whilst it is clouded by the fumes of a gross body . hence it is that the apostle tells us , cor. . . here we see through a glass darkly , but there we shall see clearly , as we are seen . there we shall contemplate things in themselves , and in their causes , which here we have but a faint reflection of ; there we shall understand all the admirable wisedom of divine providence , which is here a mystery to us . whilst we were in this world we modestly and humbly believed that all things wrought for good , but then we shall clearly understand the manner thereof : here we have a narrow sphere , but there we move in a clear and free air , and have a vast and unbounded prospect before us , in which our minds may ravish themselves with admiration , and expatiate without bounds or limits . there all the secrets of nature , the mysteries of grace , the knots of theology , and the very areana imperii will be open to us , as being now interioris admissionis of the privy council of heaven . and this will be as much more pleasant then the entertainments of sense are to us now , as the pleasures of a man are beyond those of a beast ; or the faculty of reason is above the powers of the body . and although it be too observable , that in this world men are commonly more taken with the latter then with the former , it is not because this is greater then that , or comparable to it , but because the generality of men have drowned themselves in the body , and so lost all relish of intellectual pleasures ; therefore when the body is refined , and reason hath recovered thereby its just pre-eminence , and become a true test and citerion of good and evil , there will an unspeakable pleasure flow in this way . nor will the delight of the will in the close embraces of true and indubitable goodness be less ravishing then that of the mind in the apprehension of truth , forasmuch as the former is as natural to , and as peculiarly the entertainment of the one , as the latter is of the other faculty , and must most certainly afford so much a greater pleasure , as he will , which hath a kind of infinity in it self , must consequently be able to take in more largely of the pleasure of its object . and now that the man is delivered from the juggling and sophistry of sathan , and the false light of sense and carnal interest , so that he apprehends true good in its native beauty , it cannot be but he must be more taken with it , then ever he was heretofore with the empty and guilded pageantry of corporeal delights ; for it cannot be doubted but god hath taken care to reconcile every man's duty with his happiness , and made that best for man which he doth most peculiarly require of him ; and every man will find it so when once temptation being removed , he singly and sincerely applies himself to the experiment . and then for conscience , or the comfortable reflexion upon what hath been done well and vertuously . i need say the less of that , in regard every man in this life hath experience of the happy effects of it . but alas , in this world oftentimes melancholy of body so much abates the comforts of it , and either dark thoughts of god , or the just sense of our own demerits by many miscarriages in time past , do so much either disturb its reasonings , or weaken its conclusions , that few men know rightly the force of it , and fewer live under the constant consolations thereof . but when men come to heaven , and see god a god of love and goodness ; find their sincerity accepted , and their sins done away ; have no cloud of ignorance , nor melancholick panick fear upon them , then they recount with triumph all the difficulties they have conquered , the temptations they have resisted , the afflictions they have sustained , the self-denial they have used , the vertuous choice they have made , the manly prosecution they have performed , the brave examples they have left behind them , and the many evil ones they despised and escaped ; in short , the good they have done , and the evil they have eschewed ; and by all together , the demonstration they have given of sincere love and loyalty to god ; which affords them a continual feast within themselves , and then rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory . and then in the last place , since ( as we have shewed ) the body it self shall be raised again and glorified ; the meaning is not surely , that it shall only become an accession to the felicity of the soul , or be happy by reflection only ; but doubtless all such bodily powers as are fit to be restored in this glorified state of a spiritual body , shall be accommodated with their proper and peculiar entertainments : that so as that hath been denied and mortified in subserviency to the interest of the soul in its former state , it may now have its amends here . and whereas it is certain some of the more gross powers of the body shall be laid aside in this renovation of things , because our saviour hath told us , that in the resurrection they neither marry , nor are given in marriage , but are as the angels of god : mat. . . and the apostle s. paul expresses himself thus , cor. . . meats for the belly , and the belly for meats , but god shall destroy both it and them : it seems therefore not improbable , that as some of those offices shall cease , so others more generous and excellent , shall then be discovered in their stead . and for all those that are restored with the body , they shall not be in vain , but have their use , their objects , and their delights . the eyes shall probably please themselves with delightfull prospects , the ears be entertained with harmonies ; there shall be a kindly and delicious motion of the spirits , the whole fabrick shall shine with light and beauty , and shall have a wonderfull agility and vigorous motion , so as to be able to mount the heavens , as we know the body of our saviour did after his resurrection . all this , and whatsoever else is good , or desirable , or glorious , or possible , shall be the portion of good men in the other world . to which add , that as that happiness shall be of the whole man , and of all his powers and capacities , and with the highest gratifications ; so that it may be meer sincere and perfect happiness indeed , there shall be no allay or mixture of any thing that may give the least trouble or disturbance ; there shall be all the instances of joy , all the ingredients of felicity , and nothing else to the contrary . no sad circumstance to imbitter his delights , nothing to divert him , or call him off from his enjoyments , no weariness to interrupt his prosecutions , nor satiety to make the fruition loathsom and tedious ; no fear or solicitude to abate his delight , no temptation to disturb or molest him , no danger of excesses to check and restrain him . here the former prodigal may now swim in the highest and most generous pleasures without riot or intemperance ; without danger of exhausting either himself or them : in a word , here there is no fatal interchanges and vicissitudes of good and evil , bitter and sweet , as is usual in this world , but simple , unmixt , constant joy and happiness . it was a rare and unparalleled happiness of quintus metellus , of whom it is said , that he had such a benign gale of prosperity constantly attended him , that in all the tedious and perillous voyage of a very long life , he never met with storm nor calm , rock nor shelf , but arrived at his port in peace , full of days , and laden with blessings . for ( saith the historian ) he lived in the greatest honour and affluence , having had the glory of being consul ( the highest magistracy ) of being general of a roman army , ( the highest trust ) and of a triumph , ( the greatest honour and felicity . ) he lived to see his three sons all arrive at the highest dignities and preferments that magnificent state of rome could yield them ; his three daughters all married to the best families : and by all these he had a numerous and hopefull progeny of grandchildren descending from himself , and trained up under his eye . in all his life there was no other news in his family but of weddings , births , successes , jollities and triumphs ; no such thing as a funeral , mourning , or any disaster all his days : and all this crowned with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a gentle and easy death at last in the presence and imbraces of all his dearest friends , children , and family . but this ( as i said ) was a rare and extraordinary case , not to be matched again in all history ; the common method of providence in this world is to mingle sweet with bitter , grief with joy ; and so light and darkness , day and night , prosperity and adversity intercept and succeed each other ; he that is now miserable may expect to be one day happy , and he that is happy now , must expect his turn of misery . it was therefore worthily esteemed a brave and noble carriage of paulus aemilius , when he had conquered and taken captive the potent prince perseus , after he had gently treated and comforted the unfortunate prince , he turns himself to admonish the unexperienced young men of his train and family . exemplum insigne cernitis ( saith he ) mutationis rerum humanarum , vobis haec praecipue dico juvenes , ideo in secundis rebus nihil in quenquam superbe ac violenter consulere , nec praesenti credere fortunae , cum quid vesper ferat incertum sit , &c. you see here before you ( saith he ) a remarkable example of the mutability of humane affairs , a prince that was lately a terrour to the roman name now in chains , and at our mercy ; learn hereby you young men , that you neither suffer your selves to be transported with pride , nor trust too much to fortune , since you see by this spectacle what changes a little time may produce . but most memorable of all , and most accommodate to my purpose , is that carriage of the same paulus , when in the midst of all his glories and successes , the news was brought him that his two sons were dead , he recollecteth himself , and addresses himself to the people of rome in this sort . mihi quoque ipsi nimia jam fortuna mea , edque suspecta esse coepit , & postquam omnia secundo cursu fluxissent , neque erat quod ultra precarer , illud optavi ut cùm ex summo retrò volvi fortuna consuescit , mutationem ejus domus mea potiùs quam respublica sentiret , &c. i was aware ( saith he ) that my fortune was too great to hold on at that rate , and since i could not but expect an ebbe to succeed such tide , i am glad it hath pleased god that the change hath happened in my private family rather then in the publick affairs . this great man well understood the course of this world , in which nothing is so certain as uncertainty it self , nothing so sad but hath some qualifications or abatements ; nothing so perfectly happy , but it hath some grievous consequents or appendages . but in those happy regions we speak of , a constant gale breaths always from the same point ; a man is evenly carried along his course , without interruptions and turnings ; i say , in the world to come only , there is pure and unmixed joy , and there it is in the truest and fullest measures . now the result of all these things together must make it a most glorious and comfortable estate ; when a man shall arrive at the summ of all his wishes , when he shall not be put to contentment but receive satisfaction ; not shrink himself , and contract his mind to his condition , but his condition be fitted to his mind ; when there shall not be that thing which is possible , and can minister any delight , but shall be poured out upon him , and that in such full measure , as to replenish and overflow all his powers and capacities ; and where his powers shall be all inlarged and refined to that very end , that he may receive in more of happiness , and that of the noblest purest kind without mixture or allay . o happy and glorious state of things ! o happy day when these things shall come to pass ! and most happy they that shall be thought worthy of it ! stay my soul , and wonder at thy father's bounty and goodness ; ravish thy self with admiration of these glorious preparations for thy entertainment . look up hither , and comfort thy self under all the uncertainties , disappointments , adversities , conflicts of this life , turn thy eyes this way , and loath the husks of sinfull pleasure ; despise the unsincere , the guilded hypocritical treatments of the lower world , trample upon all the glories of it , and reach after this and hasten hither . . but this is not all yet , the joys of heaven are as lasting as they are great and full . when god hath recovered his lost son ( as aforesaid ) he shall never be lost again , he shall never be miserable more , he now gives him an inheritance by an indefecible title ; a crown immortal that fadeth not away , a kingdom that cannot be shaken . a house not made with hands , but eternal in the heavens : stronger then the foundations of the earth , or the poles of heaven ; for those shall be dissolved , and these shall melt away with fervent heat , but thy throne , o god , indureth for ever and ever . let there be never so many and great ingredients of felicity otherwise , if this be wanting of the duration of it , it answers not the desires of a man , and is very short and defective . for whenever it shall expire , it will be as if it never had been ; nay , if any sense of things remain afterwards , it is a great aggravation of unhappiness fuisse foelicem , that a man hath out-lived his own comforts ; and the comparing his present destitution with his former injoyments , is really a torment to him . therefore it is observed to be the humour of some of the wisest nations , to bestow as little cost as they possibly can upon feasting , and the bodily entertainments of eating and drinking , who yet are very sumptuous and magnificent in buildings , and such other things as are durable , because they consider those former perish in the using . and this is the very argument upon which the holy scripture slurs all the glories of this world , that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the scene changes ; all is but acting a part for a while , and shortly the lights are put out , the curtain drawn , and sic transit gloria mundi ; in whatever gallantry a man appeared upon the stage , he must retire and be undrest , and be what he was before ; upon which account he must be a very vain and silly man , who so little forethinks what will shortly befall him , as to bear himself high upon his present ornaments . but it was without doubt a cutting saying to the glutton in the gospel , son remember thou hast had thy good things , and lazarus evil things ; now therefore he is comforted , and thou art tormented . for although ( as we noted before ) it be the common fate of this world that good and evil take their turns , yet most certainly the relish and remembrance of good things past makes the succession of evil most pungent and intolerable . nay , which is more , the very fears and expectation of this vicissitude makes the sense of the greatest present flat and insignificant . it would questionless be a great relief to the souls in hell , and a remission of their torments , if they could conceive any hopes of emerging at last out of that condition ; and it would be a great abatement of the joys of heaven , if any suspicion should enter there , that possibly that felicity might one time or other expire . but this is the very hell of hell , that there is not the least crany through which to spy light beyond those dark regions ; no hopes , but they that come thither are for ever abandoned by god , and made the triumphs of his vengeance . and it is the glory of coelestial glory , the crown of the heavenly kingdom that it is eternal , that the river of life is inexhaustible , that the glorious enjoyments of that blessed state never fail , and that men shall ever live to enjoy them . o eternal , eternal ! that word speaks seas of comfort and a boundless glory ; it fills us with wonder and astonishment , it is that which we cannot comprehend , and therefore fit to be the supream happiness . eternal life is all the world , and more then ten thousand worlds in one word . it is higher then the heavens , greater then the universe , it is all things . it is the flower of joy , the quintessence of comfort , the pinnacle of glory , the crown of blessedness , the very soul and spirit of heaven . it is all miracle , all ecstasy , all that we can wish , all that we can receive , all that god can give ; nay , all that he himself can enjoy . but the wonder rises higher yet , if we consider who it is that is made the subject of this blessed eternity . if it had been some glorious angelical being , who was by nature removed from all matter , out of the reach of bodily contagion or infirmity ; a pure bright shining intellect : or if it had been man that had never faln from paradise , that had contracted no sickliness and infirmity , no disorder of passions , nor violence of humours , nor other presage of mortality ; or especially , if it had been a man that never had voluntarily sinned against his maker , but such an one as by prudent management and subjugation of his body under all the difficulties he is thereby exposed to , had merited some extraordinary favour at god's hand ; if , i say , any of these had been the case , eternal life had been less admirable . but that man cloathed with a body , clogged with flesh , that faln and degenerate man , nay , sickly , infirm man , a meer bundle of a thousand diseases , the triumph of death , and the prisoner of the grave , that he should become the subject of eternity , and be placed in a condition out of the reach of fate , beyond the sphere of chance and contingency , above mortality , where no time shall wear him away , no violence shall touch him , no strife of principles shall gradually work his destruction : when the everlasting springs are dried up , that he should have life in himself ; when the mountains shall be removed , the earth abolished , and the heavens pass away as a smoak , that he should survive all this , and be fresh and vigorous to a thousand ages , and feel a perpetual motion , a constant circulation of the principles of life and joy in himself ; this is the wonder of all wonders , and here we may cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , o the height , and depth , and breadth of the power and goodness of god. notwithstanding all these multitudes of wonders , this shall be done ; for besides that the divine majesty made the soul of an immortal nature from the beginning , that it cannot perish but by an act of his omnipotency , he will be so far from destroying it violently , that he will everlastingly irradiate it by his own vital spirit , and thereby perpetually improve that energy he first gave it ; and then for the body , that shall be sublimed to such a purity and perfection , that it shall admit of no corruptive fermentation , nothing shall weaken , weary or disorder it , but it shall be plainly indissoluble as the soul it self . this is the third step of heavens glory ; but there is a fourth yet behind which must not be forgotten . and that is . the consideration of the incomparably sweet and blessed society there to be enjoyed . when god had first made man , and placed him in the terrestrial paradise , where to the perfection of his nature he had furnished him also , with all things of necessary use , or delightfull entertainment , he considered yet that it was not good for man to be alone , and therefore provided a companion for him ; for in the midst of all affluence of other things solitude is most uncomfortable to humane nature , insomuch that it is not to be doubted , but that any man in his right wits , would rather chuse very mean and hard circumstances in society , then the most plentifull and commodious , with seclusion from the conversation of men like himself . for society not only relieves men's impotency , and secures them against danger , but fortifies the spirits , and raises the parts of men , as we see by daily experience ; and above all , it eases the burdens , and multiplies the joys of humane life : and touching this last , as the earth is not so much warmed and inriched by the direct , as by the reflected beams of the sun , so we find by experience that there is no happy accident or success equally refreshes us in its direct contingency , as when we perceive it in the rebound or sally , and find other men ( especially our friends ) take notice of it , and reflect it upon us : and for this reason it is , that though the world be full enough of men , yet men ( not content with that common alliance ) enter besides into more strict confederations , which we call friendships , ( which are therefore not unfitly called by some body sal societatis , infirmitatis praesidium & vitae humanae portus , ) as if life was not only an unsafe but an insipid and flat thing without friendship . and this is not only so amongst men , but something of it is discoverable even amongst those higher and more noble beings the angels themselves , touching whom though some have been too phantastical and boldly intruded into things they understand not , peremptorily defining their distinct orders and colledges , yet it 's plain enough that god placed not them in solitude , but made several orders and societies of them , and accordingly they find delight in one another , not only in the mutual assistance they give each other in the discharge of their ministeries here below , but in joyning together in blessed quires above , to admire and praise their ever glorious creatour . and perhaps it is not impertinent to add this also , that even the divine majesty it self , who by reason of his infinite perfections is seipso contentus , and can have no need of any thing without or besides himself ; yet when we say ( and that truely ) of him , that he made all things for himself , and his own glory , the meaning is , that he takes delight in the reflection of his own image , and feels his own perfections reverberated upon him from his creatures . but there is no necessity we should goe so far , since all i am concerned in at present is sufficiently manifest ; namely , that the happiness of men in the kingdom of heaven could not be compleat and full without the advantage of that blessed society which there they shall enjoy , and that added to the forementioned ingredients , raises it to the highest pitch of felicity that we can apprehend or imagine . for in the first place , there we shall enjoy the glorious presence of the divine majesty , without consternation or affrightment ; whilst men are in this world , it is not only impossible for weak eyes to behold so bright a glory , but every approach of him strikes them with terrour . when god had appeared to jacob in a vision only , it filled him with great apprehensions of so august a majesty , and he breaks out , gen. . . how dreadfull is this place , &c. and the prophet i saiah , when he saw a stately scene of the divine glory , cries out , woe is me , i am undone ; for mine eyes have seen the king the lord of hosts : isa . . . for besides that the very glory of such displays of the divinity , were wont to be very wonderfull and surprizing , the consideration also of what men had deserved at god's hands , and the reflection upon their own miscarriages , made all such appearances very formidable and suspicious to them . but now in heaven we shall see him and live ; he will not oppress us with his majesty , nor confound us with his glory ; there shall be no guilt to affright us , nor object to amaze us ; he will either fortify and sharpen our sight , or submit himself to our capacity , and shine out in all sweetness , delight and complacency towards us . now this must needs afford unspeakable felicity , for in enjoying him we enjoy all things ; forasmuch as all that is any where good and delectable , did flow from him , and is to be found in him , as in its source and original . all that can charess our powers , that can ravish our hearts , all that is good , all that is lovely and desirable , are here in their greatest perfection , and compendiously to be enjoyed . so the psalmist , psal . . . in thy presence there is fullness of joy , and at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore . again , we shall there also enjoy the society of the blessed jesus , we shall see him as he is , and behold his glory ; and be with him for ever . what a ravishment was it to the disciples , and what an ecstasy did it put them into , when he appeared again to them after his resurrection ? he had promised them he would do so , and they had reason to believe him ; having seen the miracles he had wrought already , and the wonderfull attestations to his divine power ; notwithstanding , when they saw with what malice the jews persecuted him , and with what success , that they stigmatized his reputation , insulted over his person , derided his doctrine , and put him to death , which he had now for some time lien under the power of ; their hearts mis-gave them , and they began now to mistrust they should never see him again , who they had hoped should have redeemed israel . however , they resolve to see what is become of him , and between hopes and fears they come to his sepulchre on the third day , but with more of the latter then the former , as appears by the spices they brought with them to imbalm him ; as if they resolved his memorial should be precious with them though they never saw him more . thither being come they find the watch dismayed and fled , the sepulchre open , the grave-cloaths laid in order , all which somewhat revived them ; and besides , they see an angel standing at the door , telling them that he was indeed risen from the dead , this more incourages them : but when himself appears to them as they were going pensive into galilee , and convinces them that it was indeed he , by entertaining them with the same discourses he used to have with them , by eating with them , and by shewing to thomas especially his hands and his feet , and all the characters of the same person : then what joy were they in ! lord how were they transported ! how do they wonder at their own stupidity and incredulity hitherto , and admire their own felicity now ! but when at the last day after many hundred years interruption of his bodily appearance , nay , when those good men that have not seen , but have believed ; that have lived to him , denied themselves , been persecuted , have died for him , shall see him in glory , shall behold that image of perfect goodness and loveliness , shall injoy him that died for them , that purchased them by his bloud , that opened heaven to them , shall hear him say , come ye blessed of my father , receive a kingdom prepared for you , &c. you who have imitated me in holiness , and followed me in my sufferings ; you who have not been discouraged by the meanness of my first appearance , nor the long expectation of my second coming ; whose love and resolution for me was not baffled by the contempt of the world , debauched by the examples of men , nor abated by the pretended difficulty of my institutions ; you shall now see my glory , be like me , rejoice with me , live with me , and never be separated from me more . it is in vain for me to goe about to express the transcendency of this joy , which no tongue can utter , nor any pen can describe ; we can think a great deal more then we can speak , but we shall then feel what we cannot now conceive ; when every face shall shine with chearfullness , every eye sparkle with joy , every heart overflow with gladness , and every mouth be filled with allelujah , and the whole quire sing together the new song , the song of moses , and of the lamb. but this is not all yet , for in heaven holy men shall not only enjoy the presence of their lord , but the comfortable society of all his train , the glorious host of angels ; these as they have condescended to minister to men in this world , and diligently to imploy themselves for the protection of good men , and for the recovering of evil men to god , and for the raising them from the dead , and presenting them before god in heaven ; so having now successfully finished all that ministry , shall now wellcome them to glory ; rejoice with them , and entertain them in friendly and familiar conversation : those great , and wise , and holy spirits shall recount to them all the wonders of divine providence past , which they have been imployed in , discover to them all the secrets of the other world , and as praecentors , goe before and guide them in all the joys and triumphs of that blessed kingdom . and lastly , holy men shall rejoice in the happy society of one another . some men call the betaking themselves to a cloister or monastery , by the name of forsaking the world , as if that was the greatest instance of self-denial and mortification ; whereas in truth if things be well considered ( especially if that state of retirement be ordered as it should , and pretends to be , ) it is so far from a severity to ones self , that it is the most effectually to consult a man's ease and comfort ; it is to forsake the hurry , the trouble , vexation and care of the world , and to enjoy freely and without interruption the best thing this world hath , which is the company of persons just like a man's self , without the annoyance of different humours , qualities and interests ; and doubtless were such a thing to be hoped for in this world ( which that sort of men pretend ) it were the most lovely and desirable thing that can be here , that so many good and wise men who destine themselves only to the study of vertue and knowledge , who are all of a mind , all in a like condition ; who have no cross or interfering interests amongst them , should enjoy one another constantly , under the same roof , relieve one anothers necessities , improve one anothers parts , and comfort each others minds . such a condition i say , were it any where to be found on this side heaven , would tempt men to say with st. peter , master , it is good for us to be here , &c. but alas , whatever men talk or fancy , there is no so select company , but there is some weakness and folly amongst them ; there is no such recess , but emulation and passion finds entrance ; no wilderness without a devil and temptation , nor any life whatsoever in this world , that is wholly free from care and vexation . because there is sickliness and passion , divers humours of body and different constitutions of mind , the understandings of men are of several statures , their interests thwart one another ; there will be peevishness and mis-understanding , whisperings and jealousy , passion and parties amongst men while they are here . but in the kingdom of heaven there meet the spirits only of just men made perfect , holy men freed from mis-understanding , passion , or imperfection ; no annoyance either by the vicinage of the wicked , or the infirmities of the sincerely vertuous . all are of one mind , of one lip , one heart , no saying i am of paul , i of cephas , or i of christ , for christ is all , and in them all . and what a felicity this is like to be we may partly guess by the distractions of the church here below , for want of it , which are such as that it 's hard to say whether religion suffer more by its united enemies , or by its divided friends ; and whether the uncharitableness of christians be not as lamentable , as the persecutions of pagans . but there disputes shall cease , all heats be abated , all controversies umpired , and all having one end and interest , the only emulation shall be who shall imbrace the other with the more ardent love , and more adore and magnify the divine majesty . there shall be the glorious panegyris , the assembly and church of the first born , a collection of all the good men that ever were from the foundation of the world ; and men shall come from the east and west , and from the north and from the south , and sit down with abraham , isaac and jacob , in the kingdom of god. here shall be no private spirit , no narrow hide-bound mind that can love only their own opinion , or party , or kindred , or benefactours ; but a generous love , an universal good-will : those shall imbrace that never saw each other before , because the same image of god and goodness runs through the whole society . who would not make one of this assembly ? who would not get into this ark out of a troublesome , froward , contentious world , and there live in love , in joy , in peace to all eternity ? these are some clusters of the land of canaan , this is a rude and imperfect draught of the new jerusalem ; this ( i say , ) is ( according as i am able to set it forth ) the entertainment which god gives his children when they come home to him . and so much for the third and last part of the parable . the father's apology , or a vindication of the divine goodness in the aforesaid dispensation . we have now gone through all the three parts of the parable which we observed at our entrance upon it ; and in the first of them under the type of a loose and undutifull son , we have seen the extravagant folly and madness of a course of sin . in the second , under the figure of the same son , recovering his right mind , and returning to himself , and to his father , we have had set before us a lively draught of true repentance . and in the last , by the compassions and kindness of an earthly parent , in receiving , blessing , and rejoicing in such a son upon his return , we have had some resemblance of the unspeakable mercies of god in pardoning , sanctifying , and saving penitent sinners . and now we are come to the epilogue or conclusion of the whole , which in the letter contains the apology which the father makes for this his indulgent proceedings with his son , and in the mystery and scope of it , a vindication of god's justice , wisedom and goodness , in treating great sinners , upon their repentance with all those demonstrations of favour and bounty which we have lately discoursed of . for ( as we have noted in the entrance upon this parable ) the scribes and pharisees took great offence , both at the kind and obliging conversation which our saviour used towards publicans and sinners , and at the incouragement he gave them ( in his doctrine ) to hope for pardon and reception with god upon their repentance ; the latter of these was the immediate discharge of that gracious embassy our saviour came into the world upon ; ( viz. ) to amend it , and to make reconciliation between god and man , and the former was only a prudent oeconomy of his to oblige their attention and to gain opportunities of treating with men in order to their reformation . but those ill-natured and self-weening persons who would ingross all god's favours to themselves and their own character , interpret this condescension of our saviour to bad men , to be in derogation to those that were good , and traduce the comfortableness of his gospel as an incouragement to looseness . for why ( say they ) should god the king of glory be thought to debase himself so far as to send embassadours to rebels ? hath he more kindness for them then for his most dutifull subjects ? hath he ( like david ) such soft indulgence towards a comely but disobedient absolom , that he prefers his safety before the whole host of his most loyal servants ? can it be that the almighty should ( like some good natured persons ) be so ready to forgive their enemies that , they forget their friends and themselves too ? what is there no difference between the good and the bad ? no distinction ? is heaven prepared for the one as well as for the other ? is he likely to be a messenger sent from god , and to reform the world , that is found in conversation , and maintaining friendship with those that are the scandal of it ? or why doth he not preach hell and damnation to such , rather then hopes and comfort ? why doth he not proclaim the glorious priviledges of good and holy men , rather then pardon to the bad and vicious ? at least , why doth he not reprove debauchery and prophaneness , rather then expose hypocrisy , and be always girding at the sanctified party ? we scribes and pharisees fast and pray , and oblige our selves to a thousand nice and difficult observances : we wear god's livery , and call our selves by his name ; insomuch that all the world takes us for his servants : but these publicans and sinners are meer sons of belial , have acknowledged no lord , submitted to no yoke , but given themselves up to their own will and pleasure . and we have always maintained the same tenour , kept up our profession , and drawn the eyes of all men upon us for our zeal and accuracy in our religion ; but these men with whom this pretended messias is so familiar , and whom he so much incourages , if they are good , it is very lately come upon them , and the scars of their former life must needs reflect as much scandal upon his institution , as their present discipleship can do honour to his skill in their cure and reformation . what reason can there be that he should be so fond of them , and so neglectfull of us ? how can they have equal title to , or the same shares in the other world with our selves ? such equality is the greatest inequality ; such arithmetical justice , would be the greatest injustice , and argue god guilty of accepting persons , which he declares against . this is a true copy of the thoughts of these self-conceited jews that murmured against our saviour's doctrine and management , and this is the best that can be made of their pretences for so doing ; to convince them of the weakness and absurdity whereof our saviour turns the tables , and ( as we have seen ) having introduced a foolish , disobedient , and vicious man , after a long course of wildness and extravagancy , coming at last to himself , and then returning to his father , and his duty , pardoned , and joyfully received by him . this ( saith our saviour ) is the image or likeness of the case we dispute about . but then suppose ( saith he ) this father having another son , who had not as the former , ever run into rebellion against him , and he should now expostulate with his father after this manner . lo these many years do i serve thee , neither transgressed i at any time thy commandment : and yet thou never gavest me a kid , that i might make merry with my friends : but as soon as this thy son was come , which had devoured thy living with harlots , thou hast killed for him the fatted calf . q. d. sir , i call your self to witness the sincerity and constancy of my duty towards you ; did i ever dispute your authority , boggle at your commands , or express a weariness of your service ? i never to this day rebelled against you , as this your younger son hath done ; who after he had mis-spent your substance by riot and debauches , made himself a shame to your name and family ; and now reduced to extremity ( having no other way to betake himself to ) is returned to you , and received by you with such demonstrations of unusual joy and favour . was i ever he , that by any wilfull miscarriage deserved your just displeasure ? or were you ever so kind a father to me , as to express your resentment of my duty and diligence , by any such instance as you have made to him after an extraordinary manner ? give me leave therefore to say , i cannot but wonder at the different measures you make use of towards him and me ; if this indeed be your act , and not rather the unlicensed profusion of your steward and servants , for joy that they have now found a son of your like themselves , to countenance and incourage their excesses ! sure it is not all one with you whether your children be good or bad , obedient or disobedient . i cannot suspect it should be with you as with common persons , who remember the last and freshest kindnesses , but forget old and faithfull services ; or who value their hopes above their experiences ; nor can i think it becomes me to accuse you of fondness and partiality , as the present face of things would give some colour for . it is true , your younger son is returned , but he went away first ; he is found , but i was never lost . in short , the present scene of jollity is of dangerous example , apt to incourage looseness , and discourage obedience ; therefore i hope it hath not your allowance ; or however , i cannot bear the reflection it makes upon my self , and therefore will bear no part in it . and now ( saith our saviour ) look what answer you would think the father would make in this case to the discontents of his elder son : and the same will both justify god , and vindicate me in the point in hand . and i doubt not but you imagin the father would reply thus , son thou art ever with me , and all that i have is thine ; but it was meet that we should make merry and be glad ; for this thy brother was dead , and is alive again ; was lost , and is found . and this answer will as well justify god in his proceedings with the sons of men against the murmurings of scribes and pharisees , as it will do an earthly parent in his dealings with his children : for whether we consider the literal , or the more recondite sense of the words , we shall easily observe these three things to be contained in them . . an assertion of prerogative , in that in both the cases supposed , as well the heavenly father as the earthly , do but dispose of their own . . a declaration of justice in those words , all that i have is thine . . a demonstration of wisedom , it was meet that we should make merry and be glad , &c. but these deserve to be more fully explained . first then in the cases forementioned , both the earthly parent , and especially god almighty , have just right to dispose as they please . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. ( saith st. chrysostom ) i took nothing from thee ( my elder son ) to give to my younger ; i did not strip one to adorn another ; all was my own grace and favour . there is a vast difference betwixt matters of strict justice , and matters of bounty ; or between merit and free gift . if an earthly parent should deprive one son of his right out of fondness or indulgence to the other , or should give the first less then he deserves , that he might give the second more , this were apparent injustice ; but so long as the one hath no wrong done him , though the other have more then is necessarily due to him , there is no cause of complaint . and so should god do as the people of israel charged him , ezek. . that is , should he make one man a sufferer for anothers sin , and order it that whereas the fathers have eaten sour grapes , the children's teeth should be set on edge ; this he himself acknowledges would represent his ways unequal ; or if he should ( as some have had the confidence to assert ) by an horrible decree , pre-judge a great part of mankind to eternal torments before they had done good or evil , or without respect to their carriage in times to come , meerly for the demonstration of his sovereignty , or the inhansing of his favour to others , whom he alike absoluetely decrees to save ; this would notoriously blemish his justice : and therefore he neither can nor will ever do any such thing . but now to resolve to punish one less then another , when both have deserved ill alike ; or to give more and greater favours to one then to another , when both have deserved equally well , is very agreeable to the divine majesty , and that which we see instances of in common experience . for who shall say the rest of the galileans were not as bad as those eighteen upon whom the tower of siloam fell , or those other whose bloud pilat mingled with their sacrifices ? or who will be so uncharitable as to affirm , that every man whom we observe to be rich and prosperous in this world , is a better and more vertuous man , then he whose fortune is lower and less comfortable ? in neither of these cases any man is wronged , only some are favoured ; and in the first of these two cases god remits of his own right to punish , and in the latter he exercises his bounty and liberality . so our saviour hath determined the case in the gospel , when those that came early into the vineyard expostulated , when they observed that those which came in at the last hour fared as well as they , matt. . . is thine eye evil because mine is good ? shall i not do what i will with my own ? q. d. is it any wrong to you that another speeds better then he deserves ? or must god not only give account of his justice , but of his bounty too ? and this will be as apparent if we suppose two persons to have deserved unequally , ( that is to say ) when one hath indeed deserved better in the same kind then another , but neither of them have been in any sort proportionable to the reward which is bestowed , for then it is plain that there can be no wrong because there is no merit properly so called . and this is the very case in hand , suppose a very holy man that hath constantly persevered in a course of the strictest vertue , if now another man that becomes vertuous at last be admitted into the kingdom of heaven as well as he , there can be no ground of murmuring because heaven is no man's due , no man deserves it but in the words of our saviour , st. luk. . . when we have done all that we can we must say we are unprofitable servants , and have only done what was our duty to do . in short , the great blessings of the gospel ( which we not long since spoke of ) namely , the gift of the holy ghost , the resurrection of the body , and the glories of the kingdom of heaven , are all the effects of meer and unspeakable grace , to which no man hath any right antecedent to god's promise ; and therefore since no man could have complained of god if he had not propounded them to us , no more then the posterity of esau could challenge god that he promised not the land of canaan to them as well as to the off-spring of jacob ; consequently lest of all can any man reasonably think himself injured if god by prerogative admit other men besides himself into the participation thereof . especially if we consider . in the second place , that one man's injoyment of those glories is no abatement of another man's happiness that partakes of them . for thus saith the father , son , all that i have is thine . q. d. i am still able to reward thee , though i have been thus liberal to thy brother ; i will be just to thee though i have been thus kind to him . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. i esteem thee for thy vertuous course , and have mercy on him for his wise recourse or return : i love thee for thy constant holy life , and him for his happy conclusion . thou shalt have never the less then i promised , though he have more then he could expect . now although it be somewhat difficult to make this literally true in the narrow condition of humane affairs ; for first it is very common for parents to take off that love from one child which they bestow immoderately upon another ; and again , if their affections were infinite , yet their fortunes are not ; and a great liberality to one must make the other fare the worse : yet the mystical sense is very easy , for god is neither narrow hearted nor strait handed ; he can imbrace infinite souls , and reward innumerable observances : he neither despises one when he loves another , nor is disabled to requite an old servant when he shews favour to a new convert . he ( like isaac ) hath more then one blessing , so that jacob need not plot to supplant esau , nor esau despair because jacob hath been first blessed . the feast of good things god hath prepared is sufficient to accommodate all the guests whether they come early or late , heaven is wide enough to hold both the one and the other . with this consideration our saviour comforts his disciples , jo. . . in my father's house are many mansions , if it were not so , i would have told you before . q. d. i will not deceive you with vain hopes , heaven is capacious enough to receive all you my disciples , and though i leave you for the present , there i will entertain you all ; and if there be different degrees of glory , yet no vessel shall be empty ; every man shall be as full of happiness as it is possible . therefore there can be no cause of emulation , no room for discontent where there is no power or capacity unsatisfied . besides , ( as i have shewed already ) the society in heaven is a principal ingredient of the happiness thereof , where blessed spirits communicate with , delight in , exhilarate and ravish each other : and therefore the more arrive at that state , the more glorious is the appearance , the fuller is the harmony , and the more redoubled and multiplied are the reflections of joy and blessedness . envy is common in this world , where because there is not enough for all , one man 's excessive happiness proves the disappointment of the hopes of another ; for the same wheel that brings one man up must cast another down : and the courts of princes are full of jealousies , rivalties and emulations , because the hearts of the greatest men are narrow , and cannot admit several competitors in any eminent degree of sincere affection . but where both these and all other causes of discontent are removed , that is , where the heart and good will of god , who confers this happiness , is infinite ; where the powers of those that receive it are inlarged ; where the objects to be enjoyed are unlimited and unmeasurably great , and lastly , where the duration is eternal ; no wrong is done to one man when another is happy as well as himself , nor can any complaint , murmur , or animosity enter there . . but thirdly , if it appear that there was great reason why the father should thus dispose , then his apology is the more perfect , and the murmurs of the elder brother utterly absurd . now for this the father adds , it was meet that we should make merry and be glad , for this thy brother was dead and is alive again , &c. as if he had said , son , though the prerogative of a father ought to bear down the pretensions of a son , and i might without your leave dispose as i will of my own , yet i have taken care of your interest as well as of my own authority , and have shewed you that your brothers gain shall not be your loss ; and now i will condescend further to you , and shew you what equitable considerations there were on the part of your brother , which made it becoming my wisedom to do as i have done . in the first place , when i saw in how sad and pitifull a plight your poor brother was , ( who was my own flesh and bloud as well as your self ) and thereby collected what hardships he had undergone , i should have forgotten my self as well as him , and not have deserved the name of father , if seeing his contrition as well as his distress , i had not had compassion on him . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. st. chrysost . when ( saith the father ) i saw my son , observed his submission , and heard his humble address , what could i do less then i did ? was it in my power not to pity my own son ? be thou judge that art angry at it . it was not in my nature to be cruel to him that proceeded from my own loins , &c. and by the favours which you see i have conferred upon him , i have not only melted down all the hardness of his heart , and assured him to my self for the future against all relapses , but also set open a door of hope to others of my family ( if ever such a case should happen again ) that they may have no invincible temptation to be obstinate and incurable . and if perchance you may think that by this means i as well incourage others to rebell as to return , i tell you that i for my part had rather ( if it must be so ) that many should presume upon my goodness , then that one should despair of mercy ; since the latter would seem to perish by my default , but the other only by their own folly . and again , when i considered how difficult a matter it is for any that are once intangled in a course of sin to dis-engage themselves again , because rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft ; and that to sip of the cup of meer liberty is intoxicating , and stirs up an unquenchable thirst after more ; that there are charms in debauchery , and the lips of an whorish-woman are snares and bird-lime : when , i say , i consider that a young man who hath once cast off the awe and reverence of his father , and the reins of government is like the raven out of the ark , who though she found not where to set her foot , but saw the face of all things full of horrour and desolation , yet hovered to and fro , and returned not to the ark again ; and i have observed the way of riot and licentiousness usually to end in death , and the very mouth of hell : i was therefore not only seised with admiration , and transported with joy to see your brother emerge out of all these difficulties ; but i thought it fit to set up a monument of so rare an accident , and to place some marks of favour upon him , that had with such resolution broke through and recovered . moreover , ( saith the father ) as this event was rare and extraordinary in it self , so it will have a very happy influence upon the reputation of my family and government ; for as insuccessfull rebellions in the conclusion tend to the greatning of the prince or state , from whom the secession was made , so this return of my son will repair the honour of my discipline and management as much as his miscarriage had aspersed it . and lastly , i have great reason to believe that he who hath made trial of all things , and knows so throughly both the miseries that attend an extravagant course , and the good and comfort as well as the burdens of obedience , and hath by the severity of the former been driven to return to the latter , will for ever after prove most dutifull and governable . wherefore upon the whole matter i think there is just grounds for my joy at my son's return , and that you should rejoice also . and now this apology of the father suggests to us these four things in justification of the divine wisedom as well as his goodness , in bestowing all the unspeakable favours ( mentioned in the former chapters ) upon penitent sinners . . the great interests and happy influence of such demonstrations of kindness . . the extream difficulty , and consequently the rarity of such recoveries make it very well worth a memorial when any such thing happens . . it is a vast honour to religion , and demonstrates both the efficacy of its methods , and the comfortableness and sureness of its incouragements when such persons are reclaimed . lastly , such persons are commonly very eminent and remarkably usefull afterwards , and therefore are fit objects of the divine bounty . . first , such demonstrations of favour and kindness to penitent sinners is greatly the interest of god's family and kingdom , in order both to the bringing men into it , and to the assuring their station therein . for god ( as we have said heretofore ) neither forcibly draws any into his service , nor violently detains them in his family , but leaves them to the exercise of their own liberty ; his people are a willing people , and that obedience is not worthy of god that is not voluntary and chearfull . therefore it is necessary that he propound great and mighty motives and inducements , that so he may out-bid the devil , and convince the minds of men that it is their interest as well as their duty , to forsake sin , to turn to god , and to adhere to him . the founder of rome that he might quickly furnish it with inhabitants , made it an asylum or sanctuary to all that were in danger or distress , that so men finding that security , and those advantages abroad which they could not expect at home , might make that their country where they found best entertainment . not unlike to this is the meaning of our saviour in the parable of the king which made a marriage feast for his son , and having invited his guests but they refusing , he sends his servants into the high-ways and hedges , commanding them to bring those in which they found there , that his house might be furnished with guests ; not doubting but partly the great necessity such persons were in , and partly the honour and happiness of such an entertainment would compell them to come in . upon this account god propounds not only pardon of sin , but all the forementioned inestimable benefits to repenting sinners , as well as to those just men that need no repentance . and although it be certain , that god hath neither such need of men's service , as to oblige him to resort to these great inducements ; and it be also very true , that there are but a small number of those that make up the quire in glory , who upon such motives were converted from extream debauchery : yet such is the graciousness of the good shepherd , that he carries the lost sheep home on his shoulders rejoicing ; and such is the goodness of god , that he sticks not at this price for the redemption of any one soul. besides , it is to be considered , that as we noted from the historian formerly , difficile est in tot humanis erroribus solâ innocentiâ vivere , that though no good subject will voluntarily transgress the laws of his country , and fall into the displeasure of the prince , yet the most wary and inoffensive person , that is most secure of his own integrity , would desire to live under such a government where there was room for mercy and pardon if he should offend ; and the best of men are so sensible of the power of temptation , and the slipperiness of their station ( as well as conscious of their own sincerity ) that they are marvellously comforted and incouraged by this admirable grace and goodness of god to sinners . and whereas the fear of hell may be thought sufficient both to reclaim sinners from their evil ways , and to preserve good men from apostasy , we shall find upon due consideration , that fear , let it be of what object it will , is neither so lasting a principle , nor so potent and effective a motive as hope ; for this last raises generosity , inflames the mind , spirits all the powers , despises or glories in difficulty ; and therefore all wise men imploy this engine , ( especially in all great enterprizes ) and indeavour to make men's hopes greater then their fears , and so order the matter , that those they employ may have a prospect of so great a good by success in their attempts , as shall outweigh all their apprehensions of difficulty or danger in the atchievement . and this will be the more remarkable if we observe in that famous encounter of david with goliah the giant of gath , that although there was doubtless some extraordinary impulse upon david's heart to undertake that business , yet the holy text intimates that he listned to the discourses of the people , and was inflamed by the general assurance was given him of a mighty and glorious reward to him that should effect it . since therefore the proposition of great and glorious hopes is so necessary , not only to draw men off from the present allurements of sin , and to dissolve the charms of sense which habituate sinners are bound in ; but also to comfort and incourage even good men themselves , and to ingage both the one and the other in a generous course of vertue : the divine majesty considering he hath to do with men , and resolving to deal with them agreeably to their natures , thinks it as well becoming his wisedom as his goodness , not only to proclaim impunity to his rebels upon their submission , but to assure them of the highest favours and preferments in the court of heaven . . secondly , the extream difficulty , and consequently the wonderfull rarity of examples of great sinners recovered to sincere piety makes such happy accidents deserve to be solemnized with the greater joy and triumph . st. gregory nazianzen making an oration in commemoration of st. cyprian , as well reports his flagitious life before his conversion to christianity , as his admirable vertues and piety afterwards , and makes the former a shadow to heighten and set off the latter : for ( saith he ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . it is nothing so great a matter to maintain the character of a good man when a man hath once attained to it , as to begin a whole new course of piety ; for now the one is but to be like a man's self , and to pursue a custom or habit ; but the other requires a vertuous choice , and a manly resolution able to bear down former habits , and therefore there are but few examples of the one , but many of the other . indeed , it is an unspeakable advantage to be early ingaged in the ways of vertue , for then by reason of the easiness of doing good , which is consequent of custom , a man seems to be under 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a divine fate , a peculiar predestination to happiness ; and therefore ( if it be well considered ) there is nothing in all a man's whole life that he hath greater reason to thank god for , then that good providence of his which takes hold of our tender years , and forms them to a sense of religion : for hereby sin is made dreadfull to our consciences , and upon the matter vertue is as easy as vice , and the narrow way to heaven as ready to our feet as the broad way of destruction . but on the other side , revocare gradus hic labor hoc opus , to reduce an old dislocation is very painfull , to put off the old man , to change customs , to cast out satan out of his old possession must be very difficult , and require a very brave and generous resolution . and although to omnipotent power all things are alike easy , yet forasmuch as god not only speaks after the manner of men , but also proceeds ordinarily by the course of natural causes , and doth not supersede their activity , but assist them proportionably to their natures , it must needs ( notwithstanding the divine grace ) be a very difficult thing to recover an old and deplored sinner , in whom all the powers of the mind are enfeebled , the sense of conscience stupified , and the very synteresis and natural notions of the soul are corrupted , and consequently a through reformation of such a person is like to life from the grave , and must needs draw after it , not only the eyes and admiration of men , but also the vexation of hell , and make the devil rage as disappointed of the prey he thought himself sure of , but especially must produce joy in heaven , and amongst the holy angels . it can indeed be no surprizal to almighty god who foreknows all things from the beginning , and is as far from admiration as from mutability of passions ( both which proceed from shortness of understanding ) nor to our lord jesus christ now in glory ; for we see that whilst he was upon earth he knew when vertue-proceeded from him to cure the woman of her inveterate distemper . but whereas men are wont to make some passionate expressions of their resentment of every new and admirable event , god thinks fit also in such an extraordinary recovery as this we are speaking of to set up a monument , crowning him that overcomes the aforesaid difficulties with immortal glory : inasmuch as such a vertue though it run a shorter race , yet by reason of the aforesaid difficulties it encounters withall , equalls if not exceeds that of the earliest setting out , and the longest course . . thirdly , it pleaseth god so plentifully to reward those that come into his vineyard at the last hour , and to make the condition of sincere converts equall to that of those who continued always in his service , because the return of such demonstrates both the excellency of vertue , the great comforts of religion , and the mighty efficacy of the methods of the gospel . to begin with that first which we named last , what can be a more irrefragable proof of the power of the gospel , then to see men who were given up to all debauchery , abandoned of all true reason , drowned in sensuality , careless of eternity ; in a word , dead in trespasses and sins , recover their right minds , and come to life again ? doth not this evince that which the foolish world called foolishness , to be the power of god to salvation ? doth it not bear an illustrious testimony to that divine institution in shewing such effects of it as all philosophy and humane rhetorick despaired of ? to preserve those that are in health is valuable , but to recover the sick , and especially to raise the dead is admirable . to civilize some part of mankind is all that humane wisedom can pretend to ; but to make men substantially and compleatly vertuous , to alter men's tempers , to correct their course , to reclaim the desperate , to make lewd and profligate wretches become grave , and sober , and chaste , and holy : this is a noble atchievement , and this is the pretence of the gospel , and such converts as we speak of verify all its pretensions . is it not therefore agreeable to the divine wisedom to cast a glory upon that which glorifies the wisedom of his invention ? and then for the other point , that by such conversions as we speak of , the native excellency of religion , and the solidity of the comforts of vertue , are demonstrated to be above all the gaudy outside and empty pageantry of the world , or all the temptations to sin whatsoever , is clear as the light , since these men who have made experiment of both , forsake the one for the other ; and having found the reasonableness of its injunctions , the plainness and evenness of its path , and the certainty of its upshot , the present comforts , and the future rewards , stick firmly and immovably to vertue . the apostle st. peter , ep. . chap. . vers . . tells us , that if after a man hath escaped the pollutions of the world through our lord jesus christ , he be again intangled therein , and overcome , the latter end of such a man is worse then the beginning ; and that it had been better for him not to have known the way of righteousness , then after he hath known it to turn from the holy commandment , &c. and st. paul complains of the galatians , as if they seemed to be bewitched , that having begun in the spirit they would goe about to end in the flesh , gal. . . . for besides that such apostasies render their second recovery most desperate , having eluded all the divine methods , they also sadly aggravate their own guilt , trampling under foot the bloud of the covenant ; giving the lie to god , and belying their own consciences in going cross to the convictions of their reason , and their experience of the comforts of religion ; in which doing they cannot seem other then inchanted or infatuated . on the other side , those that having tried all the pleasures of sin , and considered and cast up all the gains of the devil's service , forsake him and seriously devote themselves from thenceforth to god and his holy ways , utterly disparage the kingdom of sathan , and betray the secret weakness , the falshood , the beggery and tyranny thereof . namely , they declare that the devil performs not what he promises , nor sin what it pretends to ; that all the allurements of ease , mirth , pleasure , profit , which men were drawn to sin by , were nothing but vain boasts , all cheat and imposture . and they confute all the scandals cast upon religion , all the calumnies against god , ( as if he were an hard master ) and answer all the objections which men take up against his service , ( as difficult or uncomfortable ) as proceeding from meer cowardise and effeminacy of spirit . wherefore since such men who heretofore like sampson whilest their locks were shorn , and their eyes put out , made sport for those philistins the infernal spirits ; now calling upon god , and collecting themselves in one great effort subvert the very pillars of that kingdom ; and by this last act , giving a more fatal blow to it then otherwise they could have done in all their lives , it seems good to god to crown them as if they had always fought under his banners , as well as assisted his conquest at the last . . lastly , such men as have formerly lived flagitiously and wickedly , and are at last brought over effectually to hearty piety and devotion , prove commonly very eminent and remarkable for several vertues , to such a degree as is scarcely attainable or imitable by any others . and therefore though they come in late , they are crowned with the first . namely , such persons are generally extraordinary humble and modest in their sense of themselves , they are very charitable and free from censoriousness and severe reflection upon others , they are exceeding watchfull and cautious for the time to come , they have both a great compassion to the souls of men of whom there is any hope of recovery , and they have a wonderfull zeal of god's glory ; which things together render them both very beautifull in the eyes of god , and very usefull in the world . they are very modest and humble , as reflecting upon their former miscarriages , and being ashamed of themselves , their present attainments do not puff them up , by reason they have a thorn in the flesh ; a fresh and quick sense of their former follies and disobedience ; they remember that when they were lately in their bloud , god said to them live. and this makes them not only most highly to admire and adore the riches of god's grace to them , that he snatcht them as a brand out of the fire ; but also exceedingly contented with any condition of life his providence thinks fit to put them in . let those ( saith the convert ) who never defiled their garments , stand upon their own justification , and plead their own righteousness ; for my part , mine is but filthy rags : if i had not found a mercifull god and a gracious saviour , i had perished everlastingly . and if there be any can think god a debtor to them , they may expostulate with him about his providences ; but i of all men have least reason to do it , who am less then the least of all his mercies . now these things containing a full compliance with all god's designs , and being the most real advancement of his glory , must needs be very acceptable to him . again , in consequence of this humble sense of himself , the convert is also the most charitable and favourable judge of others , and the furthest from censoriousness . there is nothing more unbecoming that modesty which should be in all men , then to be critical and curious in espying the failings of others ; and nothing can be more arrogantly done towards god , then to take the judgment out of his hand , and place our selves in the tribunal : nay , there is nothing more infests the peace of the world then this pragmatical humour of censoriousness ; but ( saith the convert ) let those that are without sin cast the first stone at others ; for my part i have enough to do at home , and see more evil in my self then in all the world besides : i have learnt of the apostle to speak evil of no man , considering that i my self was sometime foolish , disobedient , deceived , serving divers lusts and pleasures , tit. . . thus he composes himself to be an example to the world of that temper , then which nothing is more conducent to better the estate of mankind ; he will not rake in men's wounds , nor rip up their old sores , but forgives as he hopes to be forgiven ; he will not give ear to malicious whispers , which like the arrow of the pestilence flies in the dark , and kills without noise : he will entertain no uncharitable surmises , but hopes the best ; nor aggravate men's follies , but makes the most benign and candid interpretation that that the case can bear ; and thus not judging others , he shall not be condemned of the lord. nay further , the convert is so far from all the aforesaid instances of uncharitableness , that he is the most compassionate man in the world , both towards those that are yet in a state of sin , and those also who have stumbled and faln in their race of vertue , and the most ready and officious to bring the former to an apprehension of his danger , and to restore the latter in the spirit of meekness : he knows the wretchedness of a sinfull condition ; he hath felt the pangs of a guilty conscience ; his heart trembles at the thoughts of hell , and therefore his soul is troubled for those that are insensible of their own case ; his bowels yern , his eyes weep in secret , and his heart bleeds for them ; he counsels , persuades , forewarns them , prays for them , and as the prophet towards the widows son , he as it were stretches himself upon their dead souls , and by the application of a lively example , indeavours to bring spiritual warmth and life into them . and now it cannot be imagined that such affection to souls should be unrewarded by the great lover of souls our lord jesus . besides , it is not to be doubted but the convert who hath this compassion to the souls of others , will be infinitely cautious of indangering his own ; he knows the devil continually goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour ; he understands how many artifices and strategems he hath to deceive souls , and is sensible how full the world is of charms and allurements ; he is well aware of the pit which he hath but lately escaped ; and therefore is always watchful and sollicitous of himself , careful to resist beginnings , and cautious of all appearance of evil ; and in all these things his care and circumspection surpasses that of those happy men who never foully miscarried . no ( saith he ) let those be secure that never knew what danger was but in contemplation only ; 't is not for me to live at ease , it was too much to hazard a soul once , god forbid i should do it again ; o my heart akes at the very danger it hath escaped ! methinks i am not yet safe till i am in heaven ! stand upon thy guard o my soul ! keep god in thy eye ! trust not thy self a moment , but in his and thy own keeping ! lastly , ( to add no more ) such a person hath constantly in his bosom a burning zeal of god's glory , which the consideration of god's wonderfull mercy to him hath kindled in him . he therefore loves much , because much was forgiven him ; others that have not incurred such dangers , nor been sensible of such deliverances , cannot have such raised affections as he hath . they do not hunger and thirst after righteousness as he doth , find not that savour and relish in the means of grace that he feels , perceives not those obligations upon themselves to redeem their time , and repair their former omissions by a double diligence in god's service . in consideration of all these things together ( to which severall others might have been added of like nature ) the jews have a saying in their talmud , that the most just and perfect men cannot be able to stand in judgment with the penitents ; and a rabbine of theirs commenting upon that saying , adds further , that no creature , no not the very angels themselves that never sinned , are able to compare with them . but most assuredly ( without hyperbole ) they are by all the qualifications forementioned , prepared for vessels of honour , fit objects of the divine favour , and shall be received with the joy and triumph of angels and all the celestial host into those glorious mansions , whither christ jesus the friend of penitent sinners , and the authour of eternall salvation is gone before . to whom with the father and the holy spirit be glory and adoration , world without end . amen . the end . errata . page . in the contents of § . for his reade our saviour's . p. . l. . after the word maker , add to which the almighty replies . p. . l. . for duely , r. daily . ibid. l. . r. follows . p. . l. . after rule , adde , as if . p. . l. . for not , r. or . ibid. after evil , adde but not having such imperative power , as to enforce the execution of its own dictates . p. . l. . instead of worshipfull , r. worship . p. . l. . dele , it . p. . in marg. for quum , r. quam . p. . l. . dele , or . ibid. l. . dele , when . p. . l. . for he , r. the. p. . l. . for he , r. see . a catalogue of some books re-printed , and of other new books printed since the fire , and sold by r. royston , ( viz. ) books written by h. hammond , d. d. a paraphrase and annotations upon all the books of the new testament , in folio . fourth edition . the works of the said reverend and learned authour , containing a collection of discourses chiefly practical , with many additions and corrections from the author 's own hand ; together with the life of the authour , enlarged by the reverend dr. fell , dean of christ church in oxford . i large fol. books written by jer. taylor , d. d. and late lord bishop of down and connor . ductor dubitantium , or , the rule of conscience , in five books , in fol. the great exemplar , or , the life and death of the holy jesus , in fol. with figures suitable to every story , ingrav'd in copper : whereunto is added , the lives and martyrdoms of the apostles : by will. cave , d. d. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or , a collection of polemical discourses addressed against the enemies of the church of england , both papists and fanaticks , in large fol. the third edition . the rules and exercises of holy living , and holy dying . the eleventh edition , newly printed , in octav. books written by the reverend dr. patrick . the christian sacrifice : a treatise shewing the necessity , end , and manner of receiving the holy communion : together with suitable prayers and meditations for every month in the year ; and the principal festivals in memory of our blessed saviour , in four parts . the third edition corrected . the devout christian instructed how to pray and give thanks to god : or a book of devotions for families , and particular persons in most of the concerns of humane life . the second edition in twelves . an advice to a friend . the . edition in twelves . a friendly debate between a conformist and a non-conformist , in octavo , two parts . jesus and the resurrection justified by witnesses in heaven and in earth , in two parts , in octavo new. the glorious epiphany , with the devout christian's love to it , in octavo new. the sinner impleaded in his own court , to which is now added the signal diagnostick ; by tho. pierce , d. d. dean of sarum , in quarto . the . edition . also a collection of sermons upon several occasions , together with a correct copy of some notes concerning god's decrees , in quarto . enlarged by the same authour . the history of the church of scotland , by bishop spotswood . the fourth edition , enlarged . fol. memoyres of the late duke hamilton , or a continuation of the history of the church of scotland , beginning in the year . where bishop spotswood ends , and continued to the year . fol. new. the lives of the apostles , in folio , alone : by william cave , d. d. chirurgical treatises ; by r. wiseman , serjeant-surgeon to his majesty , fol. new. go in peace . containing some brief directions for young ministers in their visitation of the sick. vsefull for the people , in their state both of health and sickness . in twelves new. the practical christian ; in four parts : or a book of devotions and meditations . also with meditations and psalms upon the four last things ; . death , . judgment , . hell , . heaven . by r. sherlock , d. d. rector of winwick . in twelves . the life and death of k. charles the first : by r. perenchief , d. d. octavo . bishop cozen 's devotions : in twelves . the true intellectual systeme of the vniverse , the first part : wherein all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted , and its impossibility demonstrated : by r. cudworth , d. d. fol. new. the end of the catalogue . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e inter omnes christi parabolas , haec sanè est eximia , plena affectuum , & pulcherrimis picta coloribus . h. grot. in v. . prov. . . prov. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . clem. alex . strom. lib. . justin in dial . cum tryphone judaeo . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . sam . l. bacon advanc . videtur autem praeter similitudinem totius , etiam partibus inesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . sicut non anxiè conquirendae sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in partibus comparationum ; ita hic non negligendae , cùm cas aliorum locorum comparatio suggerat . arias montanus in dilucid . vid. quistorp . in loc . vid. grot. in ver . . jon. . , . theophylact . in loc . st. austin q. evang. l. . praeproperâ pieratis velocitate , paenè antè coepit perfectus esse quàm disceret . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , pont. diac. in vit . s. cyprian . greg. naz. orat. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * touching this matter let the learned reader consult mr. cumberland de leg. nat. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . porphyr . de abst . lib. . magnum humanae imbecillitatis patrocinium , necessitas , quae quicquid cogit excusat . sen. mentem peccare non corpus , & unde consilium abfuerit , peccatum abesse . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . clem. alex . paedag l. . c. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . clem. alex. paedag . lib. . sciendum est non locorum distantiâ , sed affectu nos esse cum deo , vel ab eo recedere . s. hierom. ep . . * dedit eis liberum arbitrium , dedit mentis propriae libertatem , & ut viveret unusquisque non ex imperio dei , sed ex obsequio suo . i. e. non ex necessitate sed ex voluntate , ut virtus haberet locum , ut à caeteris animantibus distaremus , dum ad exemplum dei , permissum est robis facere quod velimus . chap. . sect. . just . mart. apol. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 &c. quod comprehensionem dedisset quasi nor mam scientiae & principium sui . * sine quibus nec intelligi quicquam , nec quaeri nec disputari possit . tully acad . lib. . & . see euseb . praepar , evang . l. . c. . tully de divinat . tanta autem est corruptela malae consuetudinis ut ab eatanquam igniculi à natura dati extinguuntur , cic. de leg . l. . tit. liv. lib. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 &c. chrysost . in locum . salvus esse non potuit , si sanus esse coepisset . tuse . q. . tim. . . jo. . . ecce quid faciat praeceps cupidit as , civem in peregrinum , locupletem in egenum , filiumin mercenarium convertit , junxit porcis quem à patre piissimo sejunxit , ut serviret coenoso pecori , qui pietati sanctae parere contemserit . plin. nat. hist . l. . c. . cum ipse omnium notarum sim peccator & nulli rei natus nisi poenitentiae , non facile possum super illâ ●acere , quum ipse quoque & stirpis humanae , & offensae in dominum princeps adam , exomologesi restitutus in paradisum suum non tacet . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . s. chrys . loc . priks citat . infigi debet persuasio ad totam vitam pertinens , hoc est quod decretum voco . sen. ep. . jos . . . luk . , &c. matt. . . matt. . the reader is desired to peruse three short but sad stories to this purpose in dr. j. taylor 's great exemplar . part . disc . . sect. . matt. . . mark . . luk. . . soli vos tus●ulani veras vires , vera arma quibus abira romanorum vos ●u●aremini invenistis . * crimina nostra vel fateri tu tum censemus , cùm tam serio poenituit . livy hist . lib. . sam. . st. james . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. apud regem esse gratiae locum , esse beneficio , & irasci , & ign●scere posse . leges verè rem surdam & inexorabilem esse , nihil laxamenti neceveniae habere , periculosum esse in tot humanis erroribus , solâ innocentiâ vivere . liv. hist . lib. . judg. . . judg . lact lib . de vero cultu , cites such a passage out of tullie's third book of academies , which is lost . king. . joh. . s. joh . . s. luke . . joh. . . phil. . . pythag. aurea carmina . hierocl . in aurea carmina . kings . . tert. de poenit. v. mede , disc . . in act. . . psal . . . livy , lib. . rom. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . non abscendit vitia sed abscindit . lact. li . cap. . gen. . . kimch . in isa . . c. trent . sess . . cap. . maim . in teshubha apud lightf . hor. hebr. plutarch . reip. ger . praecept . gen chap. continued to chap. . mark. . . senec. ep. . euseb . eccles . hist . li. . cap. . rev. . . philo lib. de abrahamo . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . luk. . . joseph . antiqu. li. . c. . daniel . chrysost . homilia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * nihil invenies rectius recto non magìs quàm vero verius ; omnis in modo virtus est , modus est certa mensura . senec. ep. . plutarch , de virt . moral . plutarch . de prof . in virt . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . just . mart. ep. ad diognet . by what means the further sanctification of the penitent is carried on . eph. . . kings . . vide gal. . . phil. ii. of sp. d. of alva . sam. . . prov. . . simpl. in epict. simpl. in praef. ad epict. vell. paterc . hist . lib. . a brief description of a perfect christian . vide struckium de conviv . lib. . cap. . menasse . ben isr . de resurrect . lib. . cap. . luk. . . cor. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 &c. phil. jud. de alleg. acts . . . valerius maxim. lib. . cap. . livy hist . lib. . cap. . ibid. cap. . cor. . . s. chrys . ubi priús . matth. . . luk. . . . sam. . , &c. greg. naz. orat . . andrewes caueat to win sinners a true and perfect way to win carelesse sinners (if there be but the least sparke of grace in them) vnto speedy repentance, that in the end they may obtaine eternall life. directed vnto all the elect children of god, which truly repent. newly published by iohn andrewes preacher of gods word. being first seene and allowed. andrewes, john, fl. . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) andrewes caueat to win sinners a true and perfect way to win carelesse sinners (if there be but the least sparke of grace in them) vnto speedy repentance, that in the end they may obtaine eternall life. directed vnto all the elect children of god, which truly repent. newly published by iohn andrewes preacher of gods word. being first seene and allowed. andrewes, john, fl. . [ ], , [ ] p. printed [by eliot's court press] for iohn wright, and are to be sold at his shop without newgate at the signe of the bible, london : . printer from stc. some print show-through. reproduction of the original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- early works to . repentance -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - ali jakobson sampled and proofread - ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion andrewes caveat to win sinners . a true and perfect way to win carelesse sinners ( if there be but the least sparke of grace in them ) vnto speedy repentance , that in the end they may obtaine eternall life . directed vnto all the elect children of god , which truly repent . newly published by iohn andrewes preacher of gods word . being first seene and allowed . london , printed for iohn wright , and are to be sold at his shop without newgate at the signe of the bible , . andrewes caueat to win sinners . sinne no more . the chiefe and a principall thing that ariseth to our christian consideration or meditation , out b of these words , is the comfortable practise of our c sauiour , who not only cureth this foule and loathsome diseased criple ; but sheweth him how hee should liue and continue his health ; according to that of marlarot vpon this place : qui aegrotos sanat , sanatos admonet : he that healeth the diseased , aduiseth how they should maintaine , & preserue their health , sin no d more . wée are here to consider that no man is without sinne : if we say wee haue no sinne , we deceiue out e selues , and there is no truth in vs. christ did not séeke his absolute obedience to the whole law , nor his totall immunity or fréenesse from all sinne ; for it is impossible for a man to bée f cleane without sinne in this life . and therefore our sauiour in bidding this man sinne no more : non exegit ab omni peccato vt sit immunis : requireth not that he should bee frée from g all sinne : sed comparatione vitae prioris ; but in comparison of his former life : for our sauiour * christ knew , that hee was not only impius & improbus , void of all holinesse and honesty for a time ; but that he was insignis nebulo , a notorious , grosse and grieuous sinner . therefore in bidding him sinne no more : is , that as hée hath formerly obeyed sinne , now he must withstand h it , and walke no more so inordinately in i it , and as hée was wont to yéeld vnto it , so now he must striue against it , that it may reigne k no more in him , to captiue and enthrall his soule vnto eternall l perdition : for ex sani●ate animae fit sanitas corporis : the soules soundnesse is the bodies safety ; and if his soule had not sinned , ( no doubt ) his body had not smarted ; but had beene alwayes preserued for the joyes of heauen ; m wherefore wée may gather , that the only cause of our sauiours conference with this man in the temple , was to shew him , that the first and efficient cause of his sicknesse , was nothing but his sinne . n and therefore hée admonisheth him to sinne no more , lest a worse thing come vnto him . christ would haue him to sinne no more , o neither in cogitatione , proposito , actione , nec obduratione ; neither in thought , purpose , performance , nor countenance . hee would not haue him to p sinne in thought , lest it should cause him to stumble ; nor in purpose , lest it make him fall ; nor in performance , lest it cause him to lye prostrate : neither in continuance , lest it make him become obdurate , and past all sence and féeling of sinne . but aboue all things q to abhor sinne . sinne no more . our sauiour r christ would haue this man sinne no more , which forewarning was a signe that hee loued him , and was loath ſ to lose him : but this loue was not of him to christ , but of christ to t him ; whereby wee may note , that christ leueth not only proximum , his néerest , nor amicum , his dearest ; for cum inimici essemus , when wee were his enemies , foes , and aduersaries , u he so loued vs that he dyed for vs. x if you say , this man was christs friend , because he cured him : i may answer , he cured him indeed , amicum nondum amantem , his friend , not yet louing him : sed amicum vt jam amatum , but as his friend now beloued y of him . wherefore it may truly bée said that he was , non amicus quasi amans , not his friend as z louing ; sed amicus vt amans , but his friend as beloued . but yet let vs marke ; although god loue man neuer so * dearely , yet if he continue in his sinne , he will seuerely punish a him : it is wonderfull and fearefull to remember , how god hath dealt with those that haue beene néerest and dearest vnto him , and of b him best beloued . how for sinne only , and that but once committed ( as it is thought ) hee hath changed his countenance towards them , turned ouer another leafe , and hath most seuerely punished them . the angels whom hee seated in heauen , and adorned with singular graces and perfections aboue all other creatures : for one onely sinne of pride against the maiesty of their maker , were hurled into hell , and are holden with chaines of darknesse for euer-lasting damnation . c after this , god made him a new friend of flesh and bloud ; he created adam , and placed him in paradise d whom he loued excéedingly , and liued friendly and familiarly withall ; hée made him vice-gerent and sole supreme soueraigne ouer the whole world : and as the psalmist speaketh put all things in subiection vnder his féet ; yet for all this , when once hee brake his commandement and e did eat the forbidden fruit , all friendship was broken betwixt them , and god mightily offended , insomuch , that he banished him out of paradise , and condemned him and all his posterity ( had he not repented ) to eternall misery , and euerlasting damnation . how seuerely this sentence is executed , may easily appeare by this , that many millions of people , yea all the sonnes of adam are adiudged to hell fire f for euer , saue onely those whom christ iesus hath ransomed with his precious bloud , and bitter passion on the g crosse . lastly , because i will not trouble you with a cloud of witnesses to this purpose , which filleth the booke , and are too long to repeat : king dauid , a chosen vessell , and a faithfull seruant of god ( as the texttermeth him ) a man after gods owne h heart ; yet for his adultery , i and numbring the people , god vnsheathed the sword of his vengeance , and made it drunken with the bloud of seuenty thousand for k his sake . hereupon let vs consider with our selues , search the l scriptures ; and let each of vs descend into his owne soule and conscience , and sée whether there bee any reason or cause in the world why god should spare vs , or change the course of his justice towards vs , when he hath dealt thus seuerely with great personages , and holy prophets for some few sinnes , and those only of infirmity . and let vs resolus with our selues , that vnlesse we repent vs of our sinnes , god will mete the like measure vnto vs , and our reward and punishment shal be the same , which hath be fallen vnto m others . here we may learne what it is , that is the cause of gods anger , and haleth downe a punishment vpon men : the text sets it downe in a grosse summe , and in n generall , to be sinne : for sinne causeth the children of vnbelée●e a so to dandle in the lap b of folly , that they neuer feare their fall , nor hells fury c , vntill they bée serued with a writ of present d penance . sin blindeth the sight of many , which in their owne conceit sée me to be wise e , but wanting true wisdome , separate themselues from god , and run headlong to hell , and eternall h damnation . marke i pray you , the subtilty of sin , whom it can diuert from the milke of gods i word , it politickly blotteth against , with the doctrine k of vanity : whom sinne can frustrate from the rock of l religion , it vniteth vnto the god of m ekron : whom sinne can deuorce from the spouse of n christ , it deflowreth with the foule whore of o babilon . and in the end , sinne bringeth with it such damned p spirits , howling hel-hounds q , and r roaring lyons , with vasa furoris , their vessels of fury , which euer shall be prepared ready for their ſ prey . thus sin being not forsaken , causeth a worse thing to come vnto all them whom it ruleth and * ouer-commeth : qui jam nolentes ceciderunt in paenam ; quia saepè volentes ceciderunt in culpam ; which now vnwillingly are punished in hell t fire , because they so often sinned , and so long & willingly continued in their sin , without u repentance . heare , oh therefore , heare all you that walke after the lusts of your owne hearts , and depart from bethel x the house of god , to starue your soules in bethauen the den of y iniquity : it is sinne , oh ! it is your vnrepented sinne that drawes gods anger towards you , that makes our eyes more dry than the stony z rocke , and your hearts more hard than the adamant ; that you cannot relent with any tender affection vnto your god , for all your foule a offences , which you haue daily and hourely committed against him . oh! if you did féele the smart of sinne but prick in your wounded conscience , it were b forcible enough to draw streames of teares out of the dryest eye that euer was in the head of man ; and to excite a multitude of sorrowfull groanes out of the hardest heart that euer god made : yea , it would make you ( like dauid ) to pray a and cry vnto god againe and b againe , and neuer leaue the lord vntill you obtaine his mercy and c fauour , that you may get some comfortable perswasion of gods loue in christ , for the pardon of your sinnes . vntill you do so , you shal neuer haue peace nor quietnesse of conscience , nor any sound comfort of gods holy d spirit in you . therefore , with spéed learne here of our sauiour to sinne no more e , for it is farre better for vs , that anima carnem ad coelum vehat , quam vt animam caro ad infernum trahat : the soule should carry the body to heauen , then the body should pull downe the soule to hell , f by the heauy weight and burthen of sinne . for sinne is of such an intolerable weight , that it pressed christ himselfe , as a cartis pressed that is full of sheaues : and it maketh the earth to réele to and fro like a drunken man. wherefore , let vs flye from sin as from a serpent , saith the sonne of syrach , and learne here of our sauiour g to sinne no more , lest a worse thing come vnto vs. sinne no more , lest a worse thing come vnto you . the effect of sin is punishment , h rarò antecedentem scelestum deseruit pede poena claudo , pumishment limping after with his lame foot , hath seldome forsaken the sinner going before him . thus sin goeth before , i & punishment followes after . k they are inseparable companions , like water & moysture , fire and heat , the sun and his light : yea , cause and effect , mother & daughter , which sin , no man can pardon but god , l & take this for a generall rule whatsoeuer thou bee , that peccatum puniendum est , aut à te , aut à deo : si punitur à te , tunc punitur sine te : si verò à te non punitur , tecum punietur . sinne must néeds bée punished , either of god , or of thy selfe : if by thy selfe , then it is punished without the : if of god , then thou and thy sin must be punished together , for god punisheth either sin , or n the sinner , in one , or in both , and that without respect of persons , except they repent , o and sin no more ; p whensoeuer , wheresoeuer , and in whomsoeuer he findeth it . quia abyss●s abystum inuocat , one déepe calleth another : so , the greatnes of the sin p causeth the seuerenesse of the q punishment . thus you may see that sin , non solum ponit nos contrarios deo , sed facit nos nobis ipsis graues , doth not onely set vs at varience with god , r but it maketh vs grieuous vnto our selues . sinne no more , lest a worse thing come vnto you . it is said in the holy scripture , in diuers & sundry places , that odio est deo impius & impietas eius : god hateth the wicked man & his wickednes too : he hateth all those that work iniquity ; both the wicked man , and al his wickednes , are in hatred with him ; yea , the whole life of sinners , as much as their very thoughts , t words and deeds god hateth . they are abhomination in his gracious sight , hée cannot abide them , but saith , he that committeth sin , is of the deuill a ; and therefore , their names shall b ●ot , their dwelling place shall not c remaine , for a worse thing shall come vnto * them , their destruction shall come suddenly , when they least thinke of d it : hee doth not only say , their houses shal be e destroyed , but also they themselues shal be no more f remembred , because they shall be taken in the sin of their g owne transgression : and farther yet , he cannot abide , nor permit sinners to praise h him : but cutteth them off suddenly , in so much as many haue not time to think on god , or once to cry , lord helpe me ; and therefore no maruell if he shew such rigour to sinners at the last day , when their worse thing i shall come vnto them , that is the dreadfull sentence of christ : quantum in delitiis fuit , tantum date illi tormentum : looke how much he hath béene in delights ( of his sinne ) so much torment do you lay vpon him : where and when hée or they shall behold the great , terrible k feareful , and angry countenance of that mighty god l iehouah , aboue them to be their iudge m with a sword of vengeance in the one hand to n terrifie them , and a scabart of iustice in the other hand to judge them ; and their sin on the one side , to accuse and cry for vengeance against them ; and those cursed a serpents , those vgly b monsters , those damned spirits , c those houling helhounds , d on the other side , to execute the vengeance of this worse thing that shal come vnto them , ( which is ) gods eternal wrath and damnation ; their conscience gnawing within them : without them al damned soules that continued in their sinnes , bewailing ; and beneath them , gehenna , that infernal pit of hell open , and the cruel fornace ready to deuoure them : without , and on euery side of them , all the world burning on fire . o then what shall they doe ? to goe backward is impossible , and to appeare , intollerable : oh , therefore , let vs not deferre our time , but learne of our sauiour f to sinne no g more , lest a worse thing doe come vnto vs. lastly , it was the continuing in sin , that caused the reiection of came a , the drowning of the whole world b , the burning of sodome c , the consuinption of herod d , the fall of ananias , e and the damnation of the rich glutton f , with many thousands more which now lye damned in hell : and can none of all these fore-warnings serue vs to sinne no more , that this worse thing doe not come vnto vs ? if they cannot , yet at the last , either let the miraculous deliuerance of ionah from g drowning , ichosaphat from the h amorites , ioseph in i prison , daniel in the lyons den k , sufanna from her wrongfull iudgement l , peter from sinking in the sea m , the thrée israelites from the fiery fornace n , or the most bitter death which our sauiour iesus christ suffered on the crosse for our sinnes o , be a motiue to cause vs to sinne no more , which in so doing , hée hath both couenanted and granted p , that this worse thing shall neuer come vnto vs. if you would flye the effect , shun the cause : if you would auoid the punishment , then abandon your sin ; and learne of our sauiour to sinne no more , lest that a worse thing do come vnto you . and as you were cloathed before ( like the criple ) with the garment of q vanity : you must now put on the robes of christs r humility ; & wash not your selues in sylo , nor in iordan ; but in the ſ poole bethesda , of spirituall syon ; lest a worse thing come vnto you . to conclude , séeing god , is the infinite good a that is offended : sinne the infinite euill that is committed b , & this worse thing that should come vnto vs , the infinite punishment of hell prepared for all those that continue in their sinnes without c repentance : let vs therefore learne our sauiours caueat , to forsake our d sins , that this worse thing may not come , for our sins are in the falling ; but the grace of god is in the rising : sin , the cursed worke of the deuill : but mercy , pardon , and forgiuenesse , the blessed worke of e god. and as much as god is mightier than the deuill , so much is his mercies toward repentant sinners greater than his f malice ; our disease is great , but the power of the physician is farre greater ; yea before they call i will answer , ( saith the lord ) and while they speake , i g will heare . wherefore , let vs not plead vnto god , non est factum , in denying our sinnes , which he warneth vs to sinne no more ; but let vs like good souldiers , put on the whole armour h of god , and violently resist the deuill , in the power of iesus christ , and he will flye from i vs : so often as we resist him , so often wée ouer-come , we make the angles k glad ; and glorifie god which exhorts vs to fight , and helps vs in the time of l need : he beholds our striuing , he helps vs vp , when we faint , and crownes vs with glory and honour , when we m ouercome . the greater our temptations are , the more noble must bee our n resistance ; and the more godly our life and conuersations are , the greater shall be our crowne and o glory . we must also most entirely desire almighty god , who is the author of p repentance , to giue vs his grace to q repēt , that we may record a decrée in our hearts , to kéepe all our sinnes with euerlasting exile of banishment r , and neuer admit any of them againe in our coasts . and let our hearts be pricked on with the féeling of gods ſ mercies , encouraged by his gracious promises of accepting our poore endeuours to doe him t seruice ; yea rauished with the expectation of such a u reward , as is assured vnto all those which learne this lesson of our sauiour , to sinne no w more . and withall , let vs bee ashamed x of our long continuing in sinne , that wee could repent no sooner , and condemne the carelessenes of our hearts , for doing our best workes so imperfect . and most entirely craue pardon , grace , and mercy , from the father of mercies ; and carefully searth our hearts , y find out our sinnes , that wée may learne here of our sauiour , to sinne no z more ; but each day renew our repentance . and then we shall be assured , that tha outward offering of grace , will bee euer accompanied with the inward working of the spirit . and gods holy spirit will be our conductor , his word our director , while our faith a holds the anchor ; and grace stéere b the helme : oh let our teares c bee theseas , our sighes d the gales of wind , to arriue at gods heauenly kingdome , which god hath prepared for e vs , christ hath merited for f vs , the holy spirit doth assure vs , g and our owne godly liues and conuersations in learning here of our sauiour to sinne no more , will witnesse the same vnto vs , which the father of mercies , euen for his son iesus christ his sake , for euer grant vs. and as wee haue begun to liue here in thy feare , procéed and continued in thy fauour , grow daily in thy grace : euen so we beséech thee oh lord , to let vs liue within thée thy glory . amen . euen so sweet iesus say amen . sinne no more . christs mercy is to such as doe repent , but not to sinners that remaine in sinne ; who were a sinner , if he haue intent , to change his life , he may his mercies win ; for in this world he hath his mercy plast , whilst it endures , so will it euer last . if sinners conscience tremble for to thinke , of their accompts vpon their dreadfull day ; if that their terrors make their harts to shrinke , then let their mind driue sinfull thought away . and dare not doe their wicked actions here , in which they durst not , at that day appeare . gods justice doth , as euer heretofore , call on that sinners may receiue their due ; but christs endeuour , now as euermore , for mans repentance , and saluation sue . at iesus sute , god euer granteth grace , and for repentance giueth sinners space . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e a ioh. . eccle. . . b psal . . . tim. . . c mat. . . tim. . . acts . marolat . d iohn . . eccl . . psal . . . eccl. . . . luke . . e ioh. . . esay . . pro. . . esay . . iohn . ps●l . ● . esa . . ● . rom. . . f tim. . acts . . matth. . . g ioh. . . * tim . mat. . . acts . . exod. . . pet . . pet. . . iohn . . . eccl. . h iam. . . i eccl. . . king . . kin. . . col . . k rom. . . l mar. . . dan. . . m esay . ● mat. . nahum . . ▪ acts . . mat. . . tim. . . n leu. . . . sam . . chro . , , , . num. . ● , . iohn . . o iob. . eccl. . . p wisd . . . mat. . . cor. . eccles . . ▪ mat. . . rom. . . pet. . . q ioh. . eccl. . . r tim. . acts . m●t●h . ● . ſ exo. . iohn . . gal● . . ioh . ephes . . ierem. . rom t ioh . . ier. . u ● . ●h . . x ro . . iohn ● . . rom. . . heb. . . . pet. . . iohn . . ier. . . y ioh. . . ier. . . rom. . . z ioh. . acts . . iohn . . * sam. . sam. . . sam . a nahu . . . . mar. . esa . ● . , . . b sam. . . . sam. . . matth. . . ● . . dan. . . mat. . mar. . . luk. ● . heb. . . mat. . . mat. . . luk. . mat. ● . c iude . per. . . reu. . . d gene. . . ps●l . . heb. . . e gen. . . gen. . . gen. . . f rom. . ● . g ● . 〈◊〉 . . iohn . . iohn . . ● cor. . . rom. . . cor. . tim. . . p●●● . . h sam. . . i sam. . . k sam. . . l iohn . . rom. . . nehe. . deut. . , , , . acts . ps . . . . . pro. . . psal . . , . deu. . , . iosuah . psal . . , , , . m nahu . . , , . reu. . . sam. . , . hose . n ioh. . . matth. . . matth . deut. . . . num. . , . a eph. . . b ec. . . c iud. . . d mat. . . e luke . ▪ . f rom. ● . h esay . . ier. . . eccl. . . i pet. . . k ier. . . l cor. . m kin. . . n reu. . o reu. . . p reue. . , . q mat. . luke . . psal . . . r pet. . . psal . . ſ reu. . . * rom. . . t es . . . u luk. . . nahu . ● . x gen. . ▪ y ios . . hos . . . ioh. . . z ioh. . . nah. , , . cor. . . iohn . . rom. . . rom. . . ier. . . a exod. . . num . . b iohn . . ezech. . . a sam. . . . b psal . . . , . c rom. . , . luke . . eccl. . . eph. . . col. . , . thes . . . thes . . . d cor. . . cor. ● . . cor. . . gal. . . e ioh. . . psal . . eccle. . . f es . . . amos ● . . esay . . eccl. . . g act . . h deut. . , . mat. . . i gene. . . k gen. . ● . l mat. . . hosea . . iohn . . augustine . luke . . esay . . psal . . . dan. . ● . m pet. . n luk . . esay . ● o ioh. . . eccl. . . ● p luk. . ● q matth. . r esay . ●● . pro. . . exod. . . s ioh. . . wisd . . . psal . . . psal . . . prou. . . iohn . ● . esay . . psal . . . t mat. . . wisd . . . cor. . . rom. . . eccl. . . pet. . . mat. . . a iohn . b pro. . . c iohn . . * ioh. ● . . d pro. . . pet. . . e pro. . . f iob . . g pro. ● . . h psal . . . wisd . . . psal . . . i gen. . . exo. . . num. . nu. . . acts . . luke . ● . acts. ● . . iud. . . ●● . . sam. . . k re●● . . . l exod. . . m ge. . ● . mat. . ● . mat. . ● . rom. . . heb. . . ioh. . . psal ● . . iam. . . n deut. . . a gen. . . b esay . . c mat. . . d psal . . . e pet. . . iohn . . esa . . . f acts . . mat. . . ● tim. . . g ioh. . . wisd . ● . . eze. . . ie●e . . . a gen. . b gen. . . c gen. . d acts . . e acts . f luke . . esay . . iohn . . g ionah . . h ch●o . . . i gen. . . k dan. . . l ● sam. . . m mat. . n dan. . . o ● cor. . . p ier. . . heb. . . mal. . . q eccl. . . ezec. . . r rouel . . . ſ ma. . . iames . . a psa . . . ier. . . b w●sd . . ● prou. . . esay . . d io. . . psal . . . e pet. v. . iude ● . iere. . . f rom. . . . psa . . . g es . . . h eph. . . i iam. . . k luk. . . l heb. . . m tim. . . n iames . o tim. . esay ● . . p ier. . . leuit. . . q ecc. . . psal . . . r pe. . . ſ psal . . . t cor. . . u col. . . esay . . . w iohn . x rom. . . y gor. . . z iohn . . a eph. . . b eph. . . titus . . c kings ▪ . , , . d cor. . , . e genes , . . f iohn . . g iohn . , , , . cor. . . three treatises of the vanity of the creature. the sinfulnesse of sinne. the life of christ. being the substance of severall sermons preached at lincolns inne: by edward reynoldes, preacher to that honourable society, and late fellow of merton colledge in oxford. reynolds, edward, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) three treatises of the vanity of the creature. the sinfulnesse of sinne. the life of christ. being the substance of severall sermons preached at lincolns inne: by edward reynoldes, preacher to that honourable society, and late fellow of merton colledge in oxford. reynolds, edward, - . [ ], , - , [ ] p. imprinted by felix kyngston for robert bostocke, and are to be sold at his shop in pauls churchyard at the signe of the kings head, london : . "the vanitie of the creature", "the sinfulnes of sinne", and "the life of christ" each have separate dated title page; register and pagination are continuous. a variant (stc . ) has henry curteyne's name in the imprint. reproduction of the original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic 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are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng jesus christ -- biography -- early works to . sermons, english -- th century. pride and vanity -- sermons -- early works to . sin -- sermons -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - mona logarbo sampled and proofread - mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion three treatises of the uanity of the creature . the sinfulnesse of sinne. the life of christ. being the svbstance of severall sermons preached at lincolns inne : by edward reynoldes , preacher to that honourable society , and late fellow of merton colledge in oxford . gal. . . not i , but christ liveth in me . london , imprinted by felix kyngston for robert bostocke , and are to be sold at his shop in pauls church-yard at the signe of the kings head. . honoratissimo et celeberrimo doctissimorvm iurisprudentium collegio , hospitij lincolniensis magistris uenerabilibus , socijsque universis , auditoribus suis faventissimis , edwardvs reynoldes eidem hetaeriae a sacris concionibvs ; tres hosce tractatus : de rerum secularium vanitate . de peccato supra modum peccante . de christi in renatis vitâ ac vigore : ministerii ibidem svi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quaedam , exile quidem & perexiguum , perpetuae tamen observantiae , summaeque in christo dilectionis pignus , humiliter & devotè d. d. d. a table of the contents . the first treatise . the vanity of the creature . eccles . . . proportion and proprietie the grounds of satisfaction to the soule . pag. the creature insufficient to satisfie the desires of the soule . the ground hereof ▪ the vast disproportion betweene the soule and the creature . the creature vaine , . in its nature and worth . therefore wee should not trust in it , nor swell with it . the creature vaine , . in its deadnesse and inefficacie . therefore we should not relie on it , nor attribute sufficiency to it . how to use the creature as a dead creature : . consider its dependence and subordination to gods power . . sanctifie and reduce it to its primitive goodnesse . how the creature is sanctified by the word and prayer . . love it in its owne order . the creature vaine , in its duration . the rootes of corruption in the creature . corrupt mindes are apt to conceive an immortalitie in earthly things . the proceedings of gods providence in the dispensation of earthlie things wise and iust . correctives to be observed in the use of the creature . . keepe the intellectuals sound and untainted . . by faith looke through and above them . . convert them to holy uses . great disproportion betweene the soule and the creature . it is vexation of spirit . caresare thornes , because , first , they wound the spirit , secondly , they choak and overgrow the heart , thirdly , they deceive , fourthly , they vanish . degrees of this vexation : . in the procuring of them . . in the multiplying of them , . in the use of them . discovered , . in knowledge , naturall and civill . . in pleasures . . in riches . . in the review of them . . in the disposing of them . the grounds of this vexation : . gods curse . . the corruption of nature . . the deceitfulnesse of the creature . it is lawfull to labour and pray for the creature , though it vex the spirit . we should be humbled in the sight of sinne which hath defaced the creation . wee should be wise to prevent those cares which the creatures are apt to breed . irregular cares are both superfluous , and sinnefull . how to take away or prevent vexation : . pray for that which is convenient to thy abilities and occasions . . take nothing without christ. . throw out every execrable thing . . keepe the spirit untouched , and uncorrupted . what it is to set the heart on the creature . the spirit is the most tender and delicate part of man. a heart set on the world is without strength● passive or active : . vnable to beare temptations : . because satan proportioneth temptations to our lusts . . because temptations are edg'd , with promises and threatnings . . god oftē gives wicked mē over to belieue lies . . vnable to beare afflictions . . vnable to performe any active obedience with strength how to use the creature as a vexing creature . the second treatise . the sinfulnesse of sinne. rom . . . naturall light not sufficient to understand the scriptures . how the commandement came to saint paul , and how hee was formerly without it . a man may have the law in the letter , and be without it in the power and spirit . ignorance doth naturally beget blind zeale , and strong misperswasions . saving knowledge is not of our owne fetching in . the spirit by the commandement convinceth a man to be in the state of sinne . nature teacheth some things , but it cannot thorowly convince . the spirit convinceth : first , by opening the rule , which is the law. the strength of sinne twofold to condemne us . operate or stirre in us . it hath the strength of a lord. husband . how sinne hath its life and strength from the law by the obligation . of it . irritation . of it . conviction . of it . the spirit by the commandement convinceth us , . of originall sinne ; either imputed , as adams sin . or inherent , as the corruption of nature . in naturall corruption consider , . the universalitie of it in times . persons . parts . corruption of the minde . the conscience and heart . the will. the memory and whole man. . the closenesse and adherency of it to nature . how the body of sinne is destroyed in this life . why god suffereth the remainders of corruption in us . . the contagion of it on our best workes . . the fruitfulnesse of it bringing fruit suddenly . continually . desperately . unexpectedly . . the temptations of it . . the warre and rebellion of it . . the wisedome and policies of it . . the strength and power of it . . the madnesse of it , and that twofold : . fiercenesse and rage . . inconsideratenesse and inconsistency of reason . . the indefatigablenesse of it . being naturall and unsatisfiable . . the propagation of it . the great error of those who either mitigate ▪ or denie originall sinne . in our humiliations for sinne we should begin with our evill nature . we should be iealous of our selves and our evill hearts . we should hold warre with our corruptions . we should be patient under the weight of our concupiscence . wherein the strength of lust lies . how to withstand concupiscence in all the wayes thereof . the spirit by the commandement convinceth us , . of actuall sin , with the severall aggravations thereof . the spirit convinceth , . by discovering the condition of the state of sinne . . it is an estate of extreme impotency to good , because of our naturall impuritie . enmity . infidelitie . folly. in the wicked there is a totall impotency . whether all the workes of naturall men are sinfull . how god rewardeth the good workes of wicked men . how the good workes of wicked men proceed from gods spirit . whether a wicked man ought to omit his almes , prayers , and religious services ? in the best there is a partiall impotency . what a man should doe when he finds himselfe disabled and deaded in good workes . . it is an estate of extreme enmitie against god and his waies . how the spirit by the commandement doth convince men to be in the state of sinne . the spirit by the commandement convinceth men to bee under the guilt of sinne . there is a naturall conviction of the guilt of sinne : and there is a spirituall and evangelicall conviction of the guilt of sinne . what the guilt and punishments of sinne are . rom . . . sinne will abide in the time of this mortall life in the most holie . our death with christ unto sinne is a strong argument against the raigne of it . difference betweene the regall and tyrannicall power of sinne. whether a man belong unto christ or sinne . sinne hath much strength from it selfe . from satan and the world . from us . what it is to obey sinne in the lusts thereof . whether sinne may raigne in a regenerate man ? how wicked men may be convinc'd , that sinne doth raigne in them . two things make up the raigne of sinne . . in sinne power . . in the sinner a willing and vncontroled subiection . three exceptions against the evidence of the raigne of sinne in the wicked . . there may be a raigne of sinne when it is not discerned . whether small sinnes may raigne ? whether secret sinnes may raigne ? whether sins of ignorance may raigne ? whether naturall concupiscence may raigne ? whether sinnes of omission may raigne ? . other causes besides the power of christs grace may worke a partiall abstinence from sinne , and conformitie in service : . the power of restraining grace . differences between restraining and renewing grace : . affectation of the credit of godlinesse . . the power of pious education . . the legall power of the word . . the power of a naturall illightned conscience . . selfe love and particular ends . . the antipathy and contradiction of sinnes . . differences betweene the conflicts of a naturall and spirituall conscience : . in the principles of them . . in their seates and stations . . in the manner and qualities of the conflict . . in their effects . . in their ends . why every sinne doth not raigne in every wicked man. . cor. . . the apostles reasons against idolatrous communion . the doctrine of the pollution of sinne . the best workes of the best men mingled whith pollution . the best workes of wicked men full of pollution . what the pollution of sinne is . the properties of the pollution of sinne : . it is a deepe pollution . . it is an universall pollution . . it is a spreading pollution . . it is a mortall pollution . why god requireth that of us which he worketh in us . how promises tend to the dutie of cleansing ourselves : . promises containe the matter of rewards , and so presuppose services . . promises are efficient causes of purification : . as tokens of gods love . love the ground of making , fidelity of performing promises . . as the grounds of our hope and expectations . . as obiects of our faith . . as the raies of christ to whom they lead us . . as exemplars , patterns , and seeds of puritie . . many promises are made of purification itselfe . rules directing how to use the promises : . generall promises are particularly , and particulars generally appliable . . promises are certaine , performances secret . . promises are subordinated , and are performed with dependence . . promises most usefull in extremities . . experience of god in some promises confirmeth faith in others . . the same temporall blessing may belong to one man onely out of providence , to another out of promise . . gods promises to us must be the ground of our prayers to him . rom . . . the law is neither sinne nor death . the law was promulgated on mount sina by moses onely with evangelicall purposes . god will doe more for the salvation , then for the damnation of men . the law is not given ex primaria intentione to condemne men . the law is not given to iustifie or save men . the law by accident doth irritate , and punish or curse sinne . the law by itselfe doth discover and restraine sinne . preaching of the law necessary . acquaintance with the law strengthens humility , faith , comfort , obedience . the third treatise . the life of christ. . ioh. . . all a christians excellencies are from christ. . from christ wee have our life of righteousnesse . three offices of christs mediatorship . his payment of our debt . purchase of our inheritance . intercession . righteousnesse consisteth in remission and adoption . by this life of righteousnesse we are delivered from . sinne. . law , as a covenant of righteousnesse . law full of rigor . curses . bondage . . from christ we have our life of holinesse . discoveries of a vitall operation . christ is the principle of our holinesse . christ is the patterne of holinesse . some workes of christ imitable , others unimitable . holinesse beares conformity to christs active obedience . how we are said to be holy , as christ is holy . holinesse consists in a conformitie unto christ. proved from . the ends of christs comming . . the nature of holinesse . . the quality of the mysticall body of christ. . the vnction of the spirit . . the summe of the scriptures . the proportions betweene our holinesse and christs must be , . in the seeds and principles . . in the ends , gods glory , the churches good . . in the parts . . in the manner of it . selfe-deniall . obedience . proficiencie . what christ hath done to the law for us . we must take heed of will-holinesse , or being our owne rule . christs life the rule of ours . . from christ wee have our life of glorie . the attributes or properties of our life in christ : . it is a hidden life . . it is an abounding life . . it is an abiding life . no forrsigne assult is too hard for the life of christ ▪ arguments to reestablish the heart of a repenting sinner against the terror of some great fall , from . the strength of faith. . the love and free grace of god. . gods promise and covenant . . the obsignation of the spirit . . the nature and effects of faith. the vanitie of the creatvre , and vexation of the spirit : by edward reynolds , preacher to the honourable society of lincolns inne . pax opvlentiam . sapientia pacem . fk printer's or publisher's device london , imprinted by felix kyngston for robert bostock . . christian reader , importunitie of friends hath over-rul'd me to this publication ; and importunitie of businesse crossing me in the putting of these pieces together , hath made the whole savour of my distractions , and caused more escapes in the print , then otherwise should have been . the principall i have here corrected ; those which are smaller may in the reading be easily discerned . page . line . for ieroboam , reade iehosaphat ▪ p. . l. . f. dependant , r. dependence . p. . l. ▪ f. hastned , r. hartned . p. . l. . f. enticeth , r. entitleth . p. . l. . f. bow , r. bough . p. . l. . f. he , r me . p. . l. . f. honour in , r , honour of god in . p. . l. . blot out the. p. . l. . leave out these . p. . l. . f. rageing r. raigning . p. . l. . f. darkenes , r. darke . p. l. . f. possessions , r. passions . p. . l. . f. we , r. hee . p. . l. . f. fulfill , r. fulfild . p. . l. . f. terrifire , r. testifies . p. . l. . f. discourses , r. discoveries . p. . l. . after , even as wee are knowne . adde , secondly , in regard of accomplishment and consummation . p. . l. . f. reiect , r. eiect . p. . l. . f. that faith , or made unable , r. faith , or made that unable . p. . l. . f. it , r. them . p. . l. . f. as , r. was . p. . l. . f. conviction . r. conclusion . p. . l. . f. were , r. weare . p. . l. . f. the , r. these . the vanitie of the creatvre . ecclesiastes . . i have seene all the workes that are done under the sunne , and behold , all is vanitie and vexation of spirit . to have a selfe-sufficiencie in being and operation , and to bee unsubordinate to any further end above himselfe , as it is utterly repugnant to the condition of a creature , so amongst the rest to man especially ; who besides the limitednesse of his nature , as he is a creature , hath contracted much deficiencie and deformitie as he is a sinner . god never made him to be an end unto himselfe , to be the center of his owne motions , or to be happy onely by reflection on his owne excellencies . something still there is without him , unto which he moves , and from whence god hath appointed that he should reape either preservation in , or advancement and perfection unto his nature . what that is upon which the desires of man ought to fixe as his rest and end , is the maine discoverie that the wise man makes in this booke . and he doth it by an historicall and penitentiall review of his former enquiries ; from whence he states the point in two maine conclusions . the first the creatures insufficiencie , in the beginning of the booke , vanitie of vanities , all is vanity . the second mans duty to god , and gods all-sufficiencie unto man , in the end of the booke , let us heare the conclusion of the whole matter , feare god , and keepe his commandements , for this is totum hominis , the whole duty , the whole end , the whole happinesse of man. the former of these two , namely the insufficiency of the creature to satiate the desires , and quiet the motions of the soule of man , is the point i am now to speake of , out of these words . for understanding whereof , wee must know that it was not god in the creation , but sinne and the curse which attended it , that brought this vanity and vexation upon the creature . god made every thing in it selfe very good , and therefore very fit for the desires of man some way or other to take satisfaction from . as prickes , and quauers , and rests in musicke serue in their order to commend the cunning of the artist , and to delight the eare of the hearer , as well as more perfect notes : so the meanest of the creatures were at first fill'd with so much goodnesse , as did not onely declare the glory of god , but in their ranke likewise minister content to the minde of man. it was the sinne of man that fill'd the creature with vanitie , and it is the vanitie of the creature that fils the soule of man with vexation . as sinne makes man come short of glory , which is the rest of the soule in the fruition of god in himselfe ; so doth it make him come short of contentation too , which is the rest of the soule in the fruition of god in his creatures . sinne tooke away gods favour from the soule , and his blessing from the creature . it put bitternesse into the soule that it cannot relish the creature , and it put vanity into the creature , that it cannot nourish nor satisfie the soule . the desires of the soule can never be satisfied with any good , till they finde in it these two qualities or relations , wherein indeed the formalitie of goodnesse doth consist ; namely proportion and proprietie . first nothing can satisfie the desires of the soule till it beares convenience and fitnesse thereunto ; for it is with the minde as with the body , the richest attire that is if it be either too loose or too straite , however it may please a mans pride , must needs offend his body . now nothing is proportionable to the minde of man , but that which hath reference unto it as it is a spirituall soule . for though a man have the same sensitive appetites about him which we finde in beasts ; yet , in as much as that appetite was in man created subordinate unto reason , and obedient to the spirit ; the case is plaine , that it can never be fully satisfied with its obiect , unlesse that likewise be subordinate and linked to the obiect of the superior faculty , which is god. so then the creature can never bee proportionable to the soule of man , till it bring god along with it . so long as it is emptie of god , so long must it needs be full of vanitie and vexation . but now it is not sufficient that there be proportion , unlesse withall there be propriety . for god is a proportionable good unto the nature of divels as well as of men or good angels , yet no good comes by that unto them , because he is none of their god , they have no interest in him , they have no union unto him . wealth is as commensurate unto the mind and occasions of a beggr as of a prince ; yet the goodnesse and comfort of it extends not unto him , because he hath no propriety unto any . now sinne hath taken away the proprietie which we have in good , hath unlinked that golden chaine , whereby the creature was joyned unto god , and god with the creature came along unto the minde of man. so that till we can recover this vnion , and make up this breach againe , it is impossible for the soule of man to receive any satisfaction from the creature alone . though a man may have the possession of it , as a naked creature , yet not the fruition of it , as a good creature . for good the creature is not unto any but by vertue of the blessing and word accompanying it . and man naturally hath no right unto the blessing of the creature ; for it is godlinesse which hath the promises , and by consequence the blessing as well of this as of the other life . and god is not in his favour reconciled unto us , nor reunited by his blessing unto the creature , but onely in and through christ. so then the minde of a man is fully and onely satisfied with the creature , when it findes god and christ together in it : god making the creature suteable to our inferior desires , and christ making both god and the creature ours ; god giving proportion , and christ giving propriety . these things thus explained , let us now consider the insufficiencie of the creature to conferre , and the vnsatisfiablenesse of the flesh to receive any solid or reall satisfaction from any of the workes which are done under the sunne . man is naturally a proud creature , of high projects , of unbounded desires , ever framing to himselfe i know not what imaginarie and phantasticall felicities , which have no more proportion unto reall and true contentment , then a king on a stage to a king on a throne , then the houses which children make of cards , unto a princes palace . ever since the fall of adam he hath an itch in him to be a god within himselfe , the fountaine of his owne goodnesse , the contriver of his owne sufficiencie ; loth hee is to goe beyond himselfe , or what hee thinkes properly his owne , for that in which hee resolveth to place his rest . but alas , after hee hath toil'd out his heart , and wasted his spirits , in the most exact inuentions that the creature could minister unto him , salomon here , the most experienc'd for enquirie , the most wise for contrivance , the most wealthy for compassing such earthly delights , hath , after many yeeres sitting out the finest flowre , and torturing nature to extract the most exquisite spirits , and purest quintessence , which the varieties of the creatures could afford , at last pronounced of them all , that they are vanitie and vexation of spirit : like thornes , in their gathering they pricke , that is their uexation , and in their burning they suddenly blaze and waste away , that is their uanitie . vanitie in their duration , fraile and perishable things ; and vexation in their enjoyment , they nothing but molest and disquiet the heart . the eye , saith salomon , is not satisfied with seeing , nor the eare with hearing . notwithstanding they be the widest of all the senses , can take in more abundance with lesse satiety , and serue more immediately for the supplies of the reasonable soule , yet a mans eye-strings may even cracke with vehemencie of poring , his eares may be filled with all the varietie of the most exquisite sounds and harmonies , and lectures in the world , and yet still his soule within him be as greedy to see and heare more as it was at first . who would have thought that the favour of a prince , the adoration of the people , the most conspicuous honours of the court , the liberty of utterly destroying his most bitter adversaries , the sway of the sterne and universall negotiations of state , the concurrency of all the happinesse , that wealth , or honour , or intimatenesse with the prince , or deity with the people , or extremitie of luxurie could afford , would possibly have left any roome or nooke in the heart of haman for discontent ? and yet doe but observe , how the want of one iewes knee ( who dares not give divine worship to any but his lord ) blasts all his other glories , brings a damp upon all his other delights , makes his head hang downe , and his mirth wither : so little leaven was able to sowre all the queenes banquet , and the kings favour . ahab was a king , in whom therefore wee may justly expect a confluence of all the happinesse which his dominions could afford ; a man that built whole cities , and dwelt in ivorie palaces , and yet the want of one poore vineyard of naboth brings such a heavinesse of heart , such a deadnesse of countenance on so great a person , as seemed in the judgement of iezabel farre unbeseeming the honour and distance of a prince . nay salomon , a man every way more a king both in the minde and in the state of a king then ahab , a man that did not use the creature with a sensuall , but with a criticall fruition , to finde out that good which god had given men under the sunne , and that in such abundance of all things , learning , honour , pleasure , peace , plenty , magnificence , fortaine supplies , roiall visits , noble confederacies , as that in him was the patterne of a compleat prince beyond all the plat-formes and ideas of plato and zenophon ; and yet even he was never able to repose his heart upon any or all these things together , till he brings in the feare of the lord for the close of all . lastly , looke on the people of israel ; god had delivered them from a bitter thraldome , had divided the sea before them , and destroied their enemies behind them , had given them bread from heaven , and fed them with angels foode , had commanded the rocke to satisfie their thirst , and made the cananites to melt before them ; his mercies were magnified with the power of his miracles , and his miracles crowned with the sweetenesse of his mercies , besides the assurance of great promises to bee performed in the holy land : and yet in the midst of all this wee finde nothing but murmuring and repining . god had given them meat for their faith , but they must have meate for their lust too ; it was not enough that god shewed them mercies , unlesse his mercies were dressed up and fitted to their palate , they tempted god , and limited the holy one of israel , saith the prophet . so infinitely unsatisfiable is the fleshly heart of man either with mercies or miracles , that bring nothing but the creatures to it . the ground whereof is the vast disproportion which is betweene the creature and the soule of man , whereby it comes to passe , that it is absolutely impossible for one to fill up the other . the soule of man is a substance of unbounded desires : and that will easily appeare if wee consider him in any estate , either created or corrupted . in his created estate he was made with a soule capable of more glory , then the whole earth or all the frame of nature , though changed into one paradise , could haue afforded him : for he was fitted unto so much honour as an infinite and everlasting communion with god could bring along with it . and now god never in the creation gave unto any creature a propercapacitie of a thing , unto which hee did not withall implant such motions and desires in that creature as should be some what suteable to that capacitie , and which might ( if they had beene preserved intire ) haue brought man to the fruition of that good which he desired . for notwithstanding it be true , that the glory of god cannot be attain'd unto , by the vertue of any action which man either can , or ever could haue performed : yet god was pleased out of mercie , for the magnifying of his name , for the communicating of his glory , for the advancement of his creature , to enter into covenant with man , and for his naturall obedience to promise him a supernaturall reward . and this , i say , was even then out of mercie ; in as much as adams legall obedience of workes could no more in any vertue of its owne , but onely in gods mercifull contract and acceptance , merit everlasting life , then our evangelicall obedience of faith can now . only the difference betweene the mercie of the first and second covenant ( and it is a great difference ) is this . god did out of mercie propose salvation unto adam as an infinite reward of such a finite obedience , as adam was able by his owne created abilities to have performed . as if a man should give a day-laborer a hundred pound for his daies worke , which performe indeed hee did by his owne strength , but yet did not merit the thousandth part of that wages which he receives : but gods mercy untous is this , that he is pleased to bestow upon us not onely the reward , but the worke and merit which procured the reward , that he is pleased in vs to reward another mans worke , even the worke of christ our head ; as if when one onely captaine had by his wisedome discomfited and defeated an enemie , the prince notwithstanding should reward his alone seruice , with the advancement of the whole armie which he led . but this by the way . certaine in the meane time it is , that god created man with such capacities and desires , as could not be limited with any or all the excellencies of his fellow and finite creatures . nay looke even upon corruptednature , and yet there we shall still discover this restlesnesse of the minde of man , though in an evill way , to promote it selfe : whence arise distractions of heart , thoughts for to morrow , rovings and inquisitions of the soule after infinite varieties of earthly things , swarmes of lusts , sparkles of endlesse thoughts , those secret flowings , and ebbes , and tempests , and estuations of that sea of corruption in the heart of man , but because it can never finde any thing on which to rest , or that hath roome enough to entertaine so ample and so endlesse a guest ? let us then looke a little into the particulars of that great disproportion and insufficiencie of any or all the creatures under the sun to make up an adequate and suteable happinesse for the soule of man. salomon here expresseth it in two words , vanitie and uexation . from the first of these wee may observe a threefold disproportion betweene the soule and the creatures . first in regard of their nature and worth , they are base in comparison of the soule of man : when david would shew the infinite distance betweene god and man in power and strength , he expresseth the basenesse of man by his vanitie , to be laid in the ballance , they are altogether lighter then vanitie . psal. . . and surely if we waigh the soule of man and all the creatures under the sunne together , we shall finde them lighter then vanitie it selfe . all the goodnesse and honour of the creature ariseth from one of these two grounds : either from mans coining or from gods , either from opinion imposed upon them by men , or from some reall qualities , which they have in their nature . many things there are which ▪ have all that worth and estimation which they carry amongst men , not from their owne qualities , but from humane institution , or from some difficulties that attend them , or from some other outward imposition . when a man gives monie for meate , we must not thinke there is any naturall proportion of worth betweene a piece of silver and a piece of flesh ; for that worth which is in the meate is its owne , whereas that which is in the monie is by humane appointment . the like we may say for great titles of honour and secular degrees , though they bring authoritie , distance , reverence with them from other men , yet notwithstanding they doe not of themselves , by any proper vertue of their owne , put any solid and fundamentall merit into the man himselfe . honour is but the raising of the rate and value of a man , it carrie , nothing of substance necessarily along with it : as in raising the valuations of gold from twenty shillings , to twenty two , the matter is the same , only the estimation different . it is in the power of the king to raise a man out of the prison like ioseph , and give him the ●●xt place unto himselfe . now this then is a plaine argument of the great basenesse of any of these things incomparison of the soule of man , and by consequence of their great disability to satisfie the same : for can a man make any thing equall to himselfe ? can a man advance a piece of gold or silver into a reasonable , a spirituall , an eternall substance ? a man may make himselfe like these things , he may debase himselfe into the vilenesse of an idoll , they that make them are like unto them ; hee may under-value and uncoyne himselfe , blot out gods image and inscription , and write in the image and inscription of earth and satan , he may turne himselfe into brasse and iron and reprobate silver , as the prophet speakes ; but never can any man raise the creatures by all his estimations to the worth of a man : we cannot so much as change the color of a haire or adde a cubite to our stature , much lesse can we make any thing of equall worth with our whole selves . we read indeed of some which have sold the righteous , and that at no great rate neither , for a paire of shooes . ioel . . amos . . but we see there how much the lord abhorr'd that detestable fact , and recompenc'd it upon the necke of the oppressors . how many men are there still that set greater rates upon their owne profits , or libertie , or preferments , or secular accommodations , then on the soules of men , whose perdition is oftentimes the price of their advancements ? but yet still saint pauls rule must hold , for meat● destroy not the worke of god , for money betray not the bloud of christ , destroy not him with thy meate , with thy dignities , with thy preferments , for whom christ died . we were not redeemed with silver and gold from our vaine conversation , saith the apostle . pet. . . and therefore these things are of too base a nature to be put into the ballance with the soules of men ; and that man infinitely undervalues the worke of god ▪ the image of god , the bloud of god , who for so base a purchase as monie , or preferment any earthly and vaine-glorious respect doth either hazard his owne , or betray the soules of others commended to him . and therefore this should reach all those upon whom the lord hath bestow'd a greater portion of this opinionative felicitie , i meane , of money , honour , reputation , or the like ; first not to trust in uncertaine riches , not to relie upon a foundation of their owne laying for matter of satisfaction to their soule , nor to boast in the multitude of their riches , as the prophet speakes , psal. . . ( for that is certainely one great effect of the deceitfulnesse of riches , spoken of matth. . . to perswade the soule that there is more in them then indeed there is ) and the psalmist gives an excellent reason in the ▪ same place , no man can by any meanes redeeme his brother , nor give to god a ransome for him , for the redemption of their soule is pretious . and secondly , it may teach them as not to trust , so not to swell with these things neither . it is an argument of their windinesse and emptinesse that they are apt to make men swell ; whereas if they cannot change a haire of a mans head , nor adde an inch to his stature , they can much lesse make an accession of the least dramme of merit , or reall value to the owners of them . and surely if men could seriously consider , that they are still members of the same common bodie , and that of a twofold body , a civill and a mysticall body , and that though they haplie may bee the more honorable parts in one body , yet in the other they may be the lesse honorable ; that the poore whom they despise may in christs body have a higher roome then they ( as the apostle saith , hath not god chosen the poore in this world , rich in faith , iam. . . ) i say , if men could compare things rightly together , and consider that they are but the greater letters in the same volume , and the poore the smaller , though they take up more roome , yet they put no more matter nor worth into the word which they compound , they would never suffer the tympanie and inflation of pride or superciliousnesse , of selfe-attributions , or contempt of their meaner brethren to prevaile within them . wee see in the naturall body though the head have a hat on of so many shillings price , and the foot a shooe of not halfe so many pence , yet the head doth not therefore despise the foot , but is tender of it , and doth derive influence as well unto that as to any nobler part : and surely so should it be amongst men , though god have given thee an eminent station in the body , cloath'd thee with purple and scarlet , and hath set thy poore neighbour in the lowest part of the body , and made him conversant in the dirt , and content to cover himselfe with leather , yet you are still members of the same common body , animated with the same spirit of christ , moulded out of the same dirt , appointed for the same inheritance , borne out of the same wombe of natural blindnesse , partakers of the same great and pretious promises ( there was not one price for the soule of the poore man , and another for the rich , there is not one table for christ's meaner guests , and another for his greater , but the faith is a a common faith , the salvation a b common salvation , the c rule a common rule , the d hope a common hope , one lord , and one spirit , and one baptisme , and one god and father of all ; and e one foundation , and f one house , and therefore wee ought to have g care and compassion one of another . secondly , consider that goodnesse and value which is fix'd to the being of the creature , implanted in it by god and the institution of nature , and even thus we shall finde them absolutely unable to satisfie the desires of the reasonable and spirituall soule . god is the lord of all the creatures , they are but as his severall monies , he coin'd them all . so much then of his image as nay creature hath in it , so much value and worth it carries . now god hath more communicated himselfe unto man , then unto any other creature ; in his creation we finde man made after the h similitude of god , and in his restauration we finde god made after the i similitude of man , and man once againe after the k similitude of god. and now it is needlesse to search out the worth of the creature , our saviour will decide the point , what shall a man gaine though he winne the whole l world , and lose his owne soule , or what shall a man give in exchange for his soule ? to which of the creatures said god at any time , let us create it after our image ? of which of the angels said he at any time , let us restore them to our image againe ? there is no creature in heaven or earth , which is recompence enough for the losse of a soule . can a man carrie the world into hell with him to bribe the flames , or corrupt his tormentors ? no saith the psalmist , his glory shall not descend after him , psal. . . but can hee buy out his pardon before he comes thither ? no neither , the redemption of a soule is more pretious , vers . . we know the apostle counts all things dung , phil. . . and will god take dung in exchange for a soule ? certainely , beloved , when a man can sow grace in the furrowes of the field , when he can fill his barnes with glory , when he can get bagges full of salvation , when he can plow up heaven out of the earth and extract god out of the creatures , then he may bee able to finde that in them which shall satisfie his desires . but till then , let a man have all the exquisitest curiosities of nature heap'd into one vessell , let him be moulded out of the most delicate ingredients , and noblest principles that the world can contribute , let there be in his body a concurrency of all beauty and feature , in his nature an eminence of all sweetnesse and ingenuity , in his minde a conspiration of the politest , and most choice varieties of all kinde of learning , yet still the spirit of that man is no whit more valueable and pretious , no whit more proportionable to eternall happinesse , then the soule of a poore and illiterate begger . difference indeed there is , and that justly to bee made betweene them in the eyes of men , which difference is to expire within a few yeeres : and then after the dust of the beautifull and deformed , of the learned and ignorant , of the honorable and base are promiscuously intermingled , and death hath equall'd all , then at last there will come a day when all mankinde shall be summon'd naked , without difference of degrees before the same tribunall ; when the crownes of kings and the shackles of prisoners , when the robes of princes and the ragges of beggers , when the gallants braverie and the peasants russet , and the statists policie , and the courtiers luxurie , and the schollers curiosity shall be all laid aside ; when all men shall be reduc'd unto an equall plea , and without respect of persons shall bee doom'd according to their workes ; when nero the persecuting emperor shall be throwne to hell , and paul the persecuted apostle shall shine in glory , when the learned scribes and pharises shall gnash their teeth , and the ignorant , and as they terme them , cursed people shall see their saviour : when the proud antichristian prelates , that dyed their robes in the bloud of the saints , shall be hurried to damnation , and the poore despised martyrs whom they persecuted shall wash their feet in the bloud of their enemies ; when those puntoes , and formalities , and cuts , and fashions , and distances , and complements , which are now the darling sinnes of the upper end of the world , shall be prov'd to have beene nothing else but well-acted vanities : when the pride , luxurie , riot , swaggering , interlarded and complementall oathes , nice and quaint lasciviousnesse , new invented courtings and adorations of beauty , the so much studied and admited sinnes of the gallantrie of the world , shall be pronounc'd out of the mouth of god himselfe to have beene nothing else but glittering abominations ; when the adulterating of wares , the counterfeiting of lights , the double waight and false measures , the courteous equivocations of men greedy of gaine , which are now almost woven into the very arts of trading , shall be pronounced nothing else but mysteries of iniquitie and selfe-deceivings : when the curious subtilties of more choise wits , the knottie questions , and vaine strife of words , the disputes of reason , the variety of reading , the very circle of generall and secular learning pursued with so much eagernesse by the more ingenious spirits of the world , shall bee all pronounc'd but the thinne cobwebs , and vanishing delicacies of a better temper'd prophanenesse ; and lastly , when that poore despised profession of the power of christianitie , a trembling at the word of god , a scrupulous forbearance not of oathes onely , but of idle words , a tendernesse and aptnesse to bleed at the touch of any sinne , a boldnesse to withstand the corruptions of the times , a conscience of but the appearances of evill , a walking mournfully and humbly before god , a heroicall resolution to be strict and circumspect , to walke in an exact and geometricall holinesse in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation , the so much conclamated and scorned peevishnesse of a few silly , unpolitique , unregarded hypocrits as the world esteemes them , shall in good earnest from the mouth of god himselfe bee declared to have beene the true narrow way which leadeth to salvation , and the enemies there of shall , when it is too late , be driven to that desperate and shamefull confession , we fooles counted their life madnesse , and their end to have been without honour ; how are they now reckoned amongst the saints , and have their portion with the almighty ? a second branch of the disproportion between the soule of man and the creatures , arising from the vanitie thereof , is their deadnesse , unprofitablenesse , inefficacie by any inward vertue of their owne to convey or preserue life in the soule . happinesse in the scripture phrase is called life , consisting in a communion with god in his holinesse and glory . nothing then can truely bee a prop to hold up the soule , which cannot either preserue that life which it hath , or convey unto it that which it hath not . charge those , saith the apostle , that are rich in this world , that they bee not high minded , neither trust in uncertaine riches , but in the living god , . tim. . ▪ he opposeth the life of god to the vanitie and uncertainety , the word is , to the inevidence of riches , whereby a man can never demonstrate to himselfe or others the certainety or happinesse of his life . the like opposition we shall finde excellently expressed in the prophet ieremie , my people have committed two evils , they have forsaken me the fountaine of living water , and have hewed them out cisterns , broken cisterns that can hold no water . ier. . . that is , my people are willing to attribute the blessings they enjoy , and to sue for more rather unto any cause then unto me the lord. she did not know , saith the lord else where , that i gave her her corne and her wine , and multiplied her silver and gold , &c. but said of them , these are my rewards which my lovers have given me . but saith the lord , so long as they trusted me , they rested upon a sure fountaine that would never faile them ; with thee , saith the psalmist , is the fountaine of life : and so saith the apostle too , let your conversation be without covetousnesse , that is , doe not make an idoll of the creature , doe not heape vessels full of monie together , and then thinke that you are all sure , the creature hath no life in it , nay it hath no truth in it neither , there is deceit and cozenage in riches ; but saith he , let your conversation be with contentment , consider that what you have is the dimensum , the portion which god hath allotted you , that foode which he findeth most convenient for you ; he knowes that more would but cloy you with a surfet of pride or worldlinesse , that you have not wisedome , humility , faith , heavenly mindednesse enough to concoct a more plentifull estate ; and therefore receive your portion from him , trust his wisedome and care over you , for he hath said , i will not faile thee nor forsake thee . well then , saith the lord , so long as they rested on me , they rested upon a sure supply ( all his mercies are sure mercies ) upon a fountaine which would never faile them : but when once they forsake mee , and will not trust their lives in my keeping , but with the prodigall will have their portion in their owne hands , their water in their owne cisterns , their pits prove unto them but like lobs torrent , deepe and plentifull though they seeme for a time , yet at length they make those ashamed that relied upon them . and so i finde the prophets assuring us , that israel which put so much confidence in the carnall policies of ieroboam for preserving the kingdome of the ten tribes from any re-union with the house of david , was at last constrained to blush at their owne wisedome , and to be ashamed of bethel their confidence . briefly then for that place , there are two excellent things intimated in those two words of cisterns and broken cisterns . first the wealth and honour which men get not from the lord , but by carnall dependencies , are but cisterns at the best , and in that respect they have an evill quality in them , they are like dead water , apt to putrifie and corrupt ; being cut of from the influence of god the fountaine of life , they have no favour nor sweetnesse in them . besides they are broken cisterns too , as they have much mud and rottennesse in them , so they are full of chinkes , at which whatever is cleere and sweet runnes away , and nothing but dregges remaine behinde . the worldly pleasures which men enjoy , their youthfull vigor that carried them with delight and furie to the pursuite of fleshly lusts , the content which they were wont to take in the formalities and complements of courtship and good fellowship , with a storme of sickenesse , or at farthest a winter of age blowes all away , and then when the fruite is gone , there remaines nothing but the diseases of it behinde , which there surfet had begotten , a conscience worme to torment the soule . thus the life which wee fetch from the cisterne is a vanishing life , there is still , after the use of it , lesse left behinde then there was before : but the life which we fetch from the fountaine is a fixed , an abiding life , as s. iohn speakes , or , as our saviour cals it , a life that abounds , like the pumping of water out of a fountaine , the more it is drawne , the faster it comes . we grant indeed that the lord , being the fountaine of life , doth allow the creature in regard of life temporall some subordinate operation and concurrencie in the worke of preserving life in us . but we must also remember , that the creatures are but gods instruments in that respect : and that not as servants are to their masters , living instruments , able to worke without concurrence of the superior cause ; but dead instruments , and therefore must never be separated from the principall . let god subduct from them that concourse of his owne which actuates and applies them to their severall services , and all the creatures in the world are no more able to preserue the body or to comfort the mind , then an axe and a hammer and those other dead instruments are able by themselues alone to erect some stately edifice . it is not the corne or the flowre , but the staffe of bread which supports the life , and that is not any thing that comes out of the earth , but something which comes downe from heaven , even the blessing which sanctifies the creature ▪ for man liveth not by bread alone , but by the word which proceedeth out of gods mouth . the creature cannot hold up it selfe , much lesse contribute to the subsistence of other things , unlesse god continue the influence of his blessing upon it . as soone as christ had cursed the figge-tree , it presently withered and dried up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fr●m the rootes ; to shew that it was not the roote alone , but the blessing of christ which did support the figge-tree . the creatures of themselues are indifferent to contrary operations , according as they have been by god severally applied . fire preserved the three children in the furnace , and the same fire lick'd up the instruments of the persecution . fire came downe from heaven to destroy sodome , and fire came downe from heaven to advance elias ; the same sea a sanctuarie unto israel and a grave unto egypt ; ionah had been drown'd if he had not been devour'd , the latter destruction was a deliverance from the former , and the ravine of the fish a refuge from the rage of the sea ; pulse kept daniel in good liking , which the meat of the kings table could not doe in the other children : for indeed life is not a thing meerely naturall , but of promise , as the apostle speakes ; let the promise be removed , and however a wicked man lives as well as a righteous man , yet his life is indeed but a breathing death , onely the cramming of him to a day of slaughter : when the blessing of god is once subducted , though men labour in the v●ry fire , turne their vitall heate with extremity of paines into a very flame , yet the close of all their labour will prove nothing but uanitie , as the prophet speakes . we should therefore pray unto god that we may live not onely by the creature , but by the word which sanctifieth the creature , that wee may not leane upon our substance , but upon gods promises , that we may not live by that which we have onely , but by that which we hope for , and may still finde god accompanying his owne blessings unto our soule . but here the vanitie and wickednesse of many worldly men is justly to be reproved , who rest on the creature as on the only staffe and comfort of their life , who count it their principall joy when their corne , and wine , and oyle encreaseth , who magnifie their owne arts , sacrifice to their owne net and drag ( which is the idolatrie of covetousnesse , so often spoken of by the apostle , when all the trust , and hope , and glory , and rejoycing which men have is in the creature , and not in god. ) they boast , saith the psalmist , in the multitude of their riches . nay so much sottishnesse there is in the nature of man , and so much sophistrie in the creature , that the proud foole in the gospell from the greatnesse of his wealth , concludes the length of his life , thou hast much laid up for many yeeres , and the certainety of his mirth and pleasure , take thine ease , eate , drinke , and be merry . their inward thought is that their houses shall endure for ever , and their dwelling places to all generations . and david himselfe was over-taken with this folly , i said in my prosperity , i shall never be moved . yea so much seed is there of pride in the heart of man , and so much heate ( as i may so speake ) & vigour in the creature to quicken it , as that men are apt to deifie themselves in the reflection on their owne greatnes , & to deifie any thing else which contributes to the enlargement of their ambitious purposes . the greatnesse of the persian emperors made them all usurpe religious worship from their subiects . the like insolence we finde in the babilonish monarchs , they exalted themselves above the height of the clouds , and made themselves equall to the most high , esai . . . yea their pride made them forget any god save themselves , i am , and there is none besides me , esai . . . . it was the blasphemous arrogance of tyrus the rich citty , i am a god , i sit in the seate of god , i have a heart like the heart of god , ezek. . . neither are these the sinnes of those times alone ; the fountaine of them is in the nature , and the fruites of them in the lives of those , who dare not venture upon the words : for albeit men with their mouths professe god , there is yet a bitter roote of atheisme and of polutheisme in the mindes of men by nature , which is mightily actuated by the abundance of earthly things . where the treasure is there is the heart , where the heart there the happinesse , and where the happinesse there the god. now worldly men put their trust in their riches , set their heart upon them , make them their strong citty , and therefore no marvell if they be their idoll too . what is the reason why oftentimes wee may obserue rich and mighty men in the world to bee more impatient of the word of god , more bitter scorners of the power of religion , more fearefully given over to the pursuite of fleshly lusts and secular purposes , to vanity , vaine-glory , ambition , revenge , fierce , implacable , bloudy passions , brasen and boasting abominations , then other men , but because they have some secret opinion that there is not so great a distance betweene god and them , as betweene god and other men ; but because the abundance of worldly things hath brawned their heart , and fatted their conscience , and thickned their eyes against any feare , or faith , or notice at all of that supreme dominion and impartiall revenge which the most powerfull and just god doth beare over all sinners , and against all sinne ? what is the reason why many ordinary men drudge and moile all the yeere long , thinke every houre in the church so much time lost from their life , are not able to forbeare their covetous practises on gods owne day , count any time of their life , any worke of their hand , any sheaffe of their corne , any penny of their purse throwne quite away , even as so much bloud powr'd out of their veines , which is bestow'd on the worship of god , and on the service of the altar ; but because men thinke that there is indeed more life in their monie , and the fruits of their ground , then in their god or the promises of his gospell ? else how could it possibly be , if men did not in their hearts make god a lier , as the apostle speakes , that the lord should professe so plainely , from this day upward , since a stone hath beene layed of my house , since you have put your selves to any charges for my worship , i will surely blesse you , and againe , bring all my tithes into my house , and prove me if i will not open the windowes of heaven , and powre a blessing upon you that there shall not be roome enough to hold it : and againe , he that hath pitty on the poore lendeth unto the lord , and that which he hath given , will he pay him againe : and againe , if thou wilt hearken unto me , and obserue to doe all these things , then all these blessings shall come on thee and over-take thee , blessings in the city and in the field , &c. if men did in good earnest personally , and hypothetically , beleeve and embrace these divine truths , how could it be , that men should grudge almighty god and his worship every farthing which he requires from them of his owne gifts , that they should date let the service and house of god lie dumbe and naked , that they should shut up their bowels of compassion against their poore brethren , and in them venture to denie christ himselfe a morsell of bread or a mite of monie , that they should neglect the obedience , prophane the name , word , and worship of god , use all base and unwarrantable arts of getting , and all this out of love of that life , and greedinesse of that gaine , which yet themselves , in their generall subscription to gods truth , have confessed , will either never be gotten , or at least never blessed , by such cursed courses ? so prodigious a property is there in worldly things to obliterate all notions of god out of the heart of a man , and to harden him to any impudent abominations . i spake unto thee in thy prosperity , saith the lord , but thou saidst , i will not heare . according to their pasture , so were they filled , they were filled and their heart was exalted , therefore have they forgotten me . take heede , lest when thou hast eaten and art full , thine heart be lifted up , and thou forget the lord thy god. therefore it is that we reade of the poorerich in faith , and of the gospell preached to the poore , and revealed unto babes ; because greatnesse and abundance stops the eare , and hardens the heart , and makes men stand at defiance with the simplicitie of the gospell . now then that we may be instructed how to use the creature , as becommeth a dead and impotent thing , wee may make use of these few directions . first , have thine eye ever upon the power of god , which alone animateth and raiseth the creature to that pitch of livelihood which is in it , and who alone hath infinite wayes to weaken the strongest , or to arme the weakest creature against the stoutest sinner . peradventure thou hast as much lands and possessions , as many sheepe and oxen as iob or nabal ; yet thou hast not the lordship of the clouds , god can harden the heavens over thee , hee can send the mildew and canker into thy corne , the rot and murren into thy cattell ; though thy barnes bee full of corne , and thy fats overflow with new wine , yet he can breake the staffe of thy bread , that the flowre and the winepresse shall not feed thee ; though thou have a house full of silver and gold , he can put holes into every bagge , and chinkes into every cisterne , that it shall all sinke away like a winter torrent . god can either denie thee a power and will to enjoy it , and this is as sore a disease as poverty it selfe : or else hee can take away thy strength that thou shalt not relish any of thy choisest delicates ; he can send a stone or a gowte that shall make thee willing to buy with all thy riches a poore and a dishonorable health ; and , which is yet worst of all , he can open thy conscience , and let in upon thy soule that lyon which lies at the dore , amaze thee with the sight of thine owne sinnes , the historie of thine evill life , the experience of his terrours , the glimpses and preoccupations of hell , the evident presumptions of irreconciliation with him ; the frenzie of cain , the despaire of iudas , the madnesse of achitophel , the trembling of felix , which will damp all thy delights , and make all thy sweetest morsels as the white of an egge ; at which pinch , however now thou admire and adore thy thicke clay , thou wouldest count it the wisest bargaine thou did'st ever make , to give all thy goods to the poore , to goe bare-foote the whole day with the prophet esay , to dresse thy meate with the dung of a man , as the lord commanded the prophet ezekiel , to feede with micajah in a dungeon on bread of affliction and water of affliction for many yeeres together , that by these or any other meanes thou mightest purchase that inestimable peace , which the whole earth , though changed into a globe of gold , or center of diamond cannot procure . so uttterly unable are all the creatures in the world to give life , as that they cannot preserue it intire from forraine or domestique assaults , nor remove those dumps and pressures which doe any way disquiet it . secondly , to remove this naturall deadnesse of the creature , or rather to recompence it by the accession of a blessing from god , use meanes to reduce it unto its primitive goodnesse . the apostle shewes us the way . every creature of god is good , being sanctified by the word of god and by prayer . in which place , because it is a text then which there are few places of scripture that come more into dayly and generall use with all sorts of men , it will be needfull to unfold ; . what it meant by the sanctification of the creature . . how it is sanctified by the word . . how wee are to sanctifie it to our selves by prayer . for the first , the creature is then sanctified , when the curse and poison which sin brought upon it is remooved , when we can use the creature with a cleane conscience , and with assurance of a renewed and comfortable estate in them . it is an allusion to legall purifications and differences of meates , levit. . no creature is impure of it selfe , saith the apostle , in its owne simple created nature : but in as much as the sinne of man forfeited all his interest in the creature , because eo ipso a man is legally dead ; and a condemn'd man is utterly depriu'd the right of any worldly goods ( nothing is his ex jure , but onely ex largitate ) and in as much as the sinne of man hath made him ▪ though not a sacrilegious intruder , yet a prophane abuser of the good things which remaine , partly by inditect procuring them , partly by despising the author of them , by mustering up gods owne gifts against him in riot , luxurie , pride , uncleanenesse , earthly mindednesse , hereby it comes to passe that to the uncleane all things are uncleane , because their mindes and consciences are defiled . now the whole creation being thus by the sinne of man uncleane , and by consequence unfitted for humane use , as saint peter intimates , i never eate any thing common or uncleane , it was therefore requisite that the creature should have some purification , before it was unto men allowed : which was indeede legally done in the ceremonie , but really in the substance and body of the ceremonie by christ , who hath now unto us in their use , and will at last for themselves in their owne being , deliver the creatures from that vanity and malediction , unto which by reason of the sinne of man they were subjected , and fashion them unto the glorious liberty of the children of god , make them fit palaces for the saints to inhabit , or conferre upon them a glory which shall bee in the proportion of their natures a suteable advancement unto them , as the glory of the children of god shall be unto them . the bloud of christ doth not onely renew and purifie the soule and body of man , but washeth away the curse and dirt which adhereth to every creature that man useth ; doth not only clense and sanctifie his church , but reneweth all the creatures , behold , saith he , i make all things new ; and if any man be in christ , not onely he is a new creature , but saith the apostle , all things are become new. those men then who keepe themselves out of christ , and are by consequence under the curse , as their persons , so their possessions are still under the curse , as their consciences , so their estates are still uncleane ; they eate their meate like swine rol'd up in dirt , the dirt of their owne sinne , and of gods malediction . so then the creature is then sanctified , when the curse thereof is washed away by christ. now secondly , let us see how the creature is sanctified by the word . by word wee are not to understand the word of creation , wherein god spake and all things were made good and serviceable to the use of man. for sinne came after that word , and defaced as well the goodnesse which god put into the creature , as his image which he put into man. but by word i understand first in generall gods command and blessing which strengtheneth the creature unto those operations for which they serue : in which sense our saviour useth it , matth. . . and elsewhere , if ye call those gods unto whom the word of god came , that is , who by gods authority and commission are fitted for subordinate services of gouernement under him , say ye of him whom the father hath sanctified , that is , to whom the word of the father and his commission or command came , to whom the father hath given authoritie by his z power , and fitnesse by his spirit to iudge , and save the world , thou blasphemest , because i said , i am the sonne of god ? secondly , by that word i understand more particularly the fountaine of that blessing , which the apostle cals in generall the word of truth , and more particularly , the gospell of salvation , and this word is a sanctifying word ; sanctifie them by thy truth , thy word is truth : and as it sanctifies us , so it sanctifies the creatures too , it is the fountaine not onely of eternall , but of temporall blessings . and therefore we finde christ did not onely say unto the sicke of the palsie , thy sinnes are forgiven thee , but also arise and walke , intimating , that temporall blessings come along with the gospell , it hath the promises as well of this life as that to come . i never saw the righteous forsaken , saith the prophet david ( suteable to that of the apostle , he hath said , i will never leave thee nor forsake thee ) nor their seed begging their bread ; that is , never so wholly by god forsaken , if they were the seed of the righteous , inheritors of their fathers hope and profession , as to make a constant trade of begging their bread , and so to expose the promises of christ , that they which seeke the kingdome of heaven shall have all other things added to them , unto reproach and imputation from wicked men . or thus , i never saw the righteous forsaken , or their seede forsaken by god , though they beg'd their bread , but even in that extremitie god was present with them , to sanctifie to their use , and to give them a comfortable enjoyment of that very bread which the exigencie of their present condition had constrained them to begge . thus we see in generall , that the blessing or command of god , and the fountaine of that blessing , the gospell of salvation , doe sanctifie the creature . but yet neither by the blessing nor the gospell is the creature effectually sanctified unto us , till it be by us apprehended with the word and promise , and this is done by faith ; for the word , saith the apostle , profited not those that heard it , because it was not mingled or temper'd with faith . for faith hath this singular operation , to particularize and single out god and his promises unto a mansselfe ; so then the creature is sanctified by the word and blessing beleeved and embraced , whereby we come to have a neerer right and peculiarity in the creatures which we enjoy : for being by faith united unto christ and made one with him ( which is that noble effect of faith to incorporate christ and a christian together ) we thereby share with him in the inheritance , not onely of eternall life , but even of the common creatures . fellow heires we are and copartners with him ; therefore in as much as god hath appointed him to be heire of all things , as the apostle speakes , we likewise , in the vertue of our fellowship with him , must in a subordinate sense be heires of all things too . all is yours , saith the apostle , and you are christs , and christ is gods. fidelibus totus mundus divitiarum est , the saints , saith saint austin , have all the world for their possession . and if it be here demanded how this can be true , since wee finde the saints of god often in great want , and it would doubtlesse bee sinne in them to usurpe another mans goods upon presumption of that promise that christ is theirs , and with him all things : to this i answere , first in generall , as christ though he were the heire of all things , yet for our sakes became poore , that we by his poverty might be made rich : so god oftentimes pleaseth to make the faithfull partake not onely in the priviledges , but in the poverty of christ , that even by that meanes they may be rich in faith and dependance upon god , as saint iames spake , having nothing , and yet possessing all things . secondly , all is ours in regard of christian liberty , though our hands are bound from the possession , yet our consciences are not bound from the use of any . thirdly , though the faithfull have not in the right of their inheritance any monopolie or ingrossement of the creatures to themselves , yet still they have and shall have the service of them all. that is thus ; if it were possible for any member of christ to stand absolutely in neede of the use and service of the whole creation , all the creatures in the world should undoubtedly waite upon him , and bee appropriated unto him . the moone should stand still , the sunne goe backe , the lions should stop their mouths , the fire should give over burning , the ravens should bring him meate , the heavens should raine downe bread , the rockes should gush out with water , all the creatures should muster up themselves to defend the body of christ. but though no such absolute necessity shall ever be , yet ordinarily we must learne to beleeve , that those things which god allowes us are best suteable to our particular estate , god knowing us better then we doe our selves : that as lesse would haply make us repine , so more would make us full , and lift up our hearts against god , and set them on the world ; so that all is ours , not absolutely , but subordinately , serviceably according to the exigence of our condition , to the proportion of our faith and furtherance of our saluation . the third particular inquire into was , how we doe by prayer sanctifie the creature to our selves ? this is done in these three courses . . in procuring them . we ought not to set about any of our lawfull and just callings without a particular addressing our selves unto god in prayer . this was the practise of good eleazer abrahams servant , when he was emploi'd in finding out a wife for his masters sonne , * o lord god of my master abraham i pray thee send me good speed this day : and this also was the practise of good nehemiah in the distresses of his people , * i prayed unto the god of heaven , and then i spake unto the king . and surely the very heathen themselves shall in this point rise up in judgement against many prophane christians , who looke oftner upon their gold then upon their god , as salvian speakes . we reade often in their writings that in any generall a calamitie they did joyntly implore the peace and favour of their idolatrous gods ; that in any b matter of consequence they made their entrie upon it by prayer , commending the successe thereof to the power and providence of those deities which they beleeved . in so much that we read of c pub. scipio a great romane , that he ever went to the capitole before to the senate , and began all the businesses of the common-wealth with prayer . how much more the●… ought we to doe it , who have not onely the law and dictate of nature to guide us , who have not deafe and impotent idols to direct our prayers to , as their gods were ; but have first the law of christ requiring it ; d pray alwayes . pray without ceasing . in every thing by prayer and supplication with thankesgiving , let your requests be made knowne to god. who have secondly the example of christ to enforce it , for not onely a morning and b evening was it his c custome to pray ; but upon every other solemne occasion . before his d preaching , before his e eating , before the f election of his disciples , before his g transfiguration in the mount , h before and i in his passion ; who have thirdly from christ that legitimate , ordinarie , fundamentall prayer , as k tertullian cals it , the lords prayer , as a rule and directorie by him framed to instruct us how to pray , and to bound and confine our extravagant and vast desires ; who lastly have also the altar of christ to receive , the incense of christ to perfume , the name and intercession of christ to present our prayers unto god by , who have christ sanctifying , and , as i may so speake , praying our prayers unto hi●… father for us ; as we read of the angell of the covenant , who had a golden censer and much incense , to offer up the prayers of the saints , which was nothing else but the mediation of christ bearing the iniquitie of our holy things , as aaron was appointed to doe ; nothing but his intercession for us at the right hand of his father . i say , how much more reason ●…ave we , then any gentile could have , to consecrate all our enterprises with prayer unto god ? humbly to acknowledge how justly he might blast all o●…r businesses , and make us labour in the fire ; that unlesse he keepe the city the watchman watcheth but in vaine ; that unlesse hee build the house their labour is in vaine that build it ; that unlesse he give the increase , the planting of paul , and the watering of apollo are but emptie breath ; that it is onely his blessing on the diligent hand which maketh rich without any sorrow ; that unlesse he be pleased to favour our attempts , neither the plotting of our heads , nor the solicitous●…esse of our hearts , ●…or the drudgerie of our hands , nor the whole cōcurrence of our created strength , nor any accessorie assistances which we can procure will be able to bring to passe the otherwise most obvious and feasible events : and therefore to implore his direction in all our counsels , his concurrence with all our actions , his blessing on all our undertakings , and his glory as the sole end of all that either we are or doe . for by this meanes we doe first acknowledge our dependencie on god as the first cause , and give him the glory of his soveraigne power and dominion over all second agents , in acknowledging that without him we can doe nothing , and the power of god is the ground of prayer . secondly , by this meanes we put god in minde of his promises , and so acknowledge not our dependence on his power only , but on his truth and goodnesse too : and the promises and truth of god are the foundation of all our prayers . that which encouraged daniel to set his face to seeke unto god in prayer for the restitution of libertie out of babylon was gods promise and truth revealed by ieremie the prophet , that hee would accomplish but s●…ventie yeeres in the desolation of ierusalem . that which encouraged iehosaphat to seeke unto god against the multitude of moabites which came up against him , was his promise that he would heare and helpe those that did pray towards his house in their affliction . that which encouraged david to pray unto god for the stability of his house , was the covenant and truth of god , thou hast revealed to thy servant , saying , i will build thee an house , therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee . and now , o lord , thou art that god , that is , the same god in thy fidelity and mercy , as then thou wert , and thy words be true , and thou hast promised this goodnesse to thy servant ; therefore let it please thee to blesse the house of thy servant , &c. excellent to this purpose is that which s. austin obserues of his mother , who very often and earnestly prayed unto god for h●…r sonne when he was an hereticke , chirographa tua ingerebat tibi , lord , saith he , she urged thee with thine owne hand-writing , she challenged in an humble and fearefull confidence the performance of thine owne obligations . thirdly and lastly , by this meanes wee hasten the performance of gods decreed mercies ; we retardate , yea quite hinder his almost purposed and decreed iudgements . the lord had resolved to restore israel to their wonted peace and honour , yet for all these things will i be enquired vnto by the house of israel to doe it for them , saith he in the prophet . the lord had threatned destruction against israel for their idolatry , had not moses stood before him in the breach to turne away his wrath , as the psalmist speakes . and we reade of the primitive christians , that their prayers procured raine from heaven , when the armies of the emperours were even famished for want of water , and that their very persecutors have begg'd their prayers . secondly , as by prayer the creature is sanctified in the procurement ( for no man hath reason to beleeue that there is any blessing intended vnto him by god in any of the good things which doe not come in vnto him by prayer ) so in the next place the creature is by prayer sanctified in the fruition thereof ; because , to enjoy the portion allotted us , and to rejoyce in our labour , is the gift of god , as salomon speakes . the creature of it selfe is not onely dead , and therefore unable to minister life by it selfe alone , but , which is worse , by the meanes of mans sinne , it is deadly too , and therefore apt to poyson the receivers of it without the corrective of gods grace . pleasure is a thing in it selfe lawfull ; but corruption of nature is apt to make a man a lover of pleasure , more then a lover of god , and then is that mans pleasure made unto him the metropolis of mischiefe , as clemens alexand●…inus speakes . a good name is better then sweet oyntment , and more to be desired then much riches ; but corruption is apt to put a flie of vaine-glory and selfeaffectation into this oyntment , to make a man foolishly feed upon his owne credit , and with the pharisies to doe ▪ all for applause , and preferre the praise of men before the glory of god ; and then our sweet oyntment is degenerated into a curse ; woe bee unto you , when all men shall speake well of you . riches of themselves are the good gifts and blessings of god , as salomon saith , the blessing of the lord maketh rich , but corruption is apt to breed by this meanes covetousnesse , pride , selfe-dependency , forgetfulnesse of god , scorne of the gospell , and the like ; and then these earthly blessings are turned into the curse of the earth , into thornes and briers , as the apostle speakes , they that will be rich pierce themselves thorow with many sorrowes . learning in it selfe is an honourable and a noble endowment ; it is recorded for the glory of moses , that hee was learned in all the wisedome of the egyptians : but corruption is apt to turne learning into leauen , to infect the heart with pride , which being arm'd and seconded with wit breakes forth into perverse disputes , and corrupts the minde . therefore saint paul advised the christians of his time , to beware lest any man spoile them through philosophy and begvile them with entising words . and the ancient fathers counted the a philosophers the seminaries of heresie . proofe whereof , to let passe the antitrinitarians and pelagians , and other ancient here●…ikes , who out of the nicenesse of a quaint wit perverted gods truth to the patronage of their lyes ; and to passe by the schoolemen and iesuites of late ages , who haue made the way to heaven a very labyrinth of crooked subtilties , and have weav'd divinity into cobwebs ; wee may have abundantly in those libertines and cyrenians , who disputed b with stephen , and those stoicks that wrangled with saint paul about the resurrection . and now learning being thus corrupted is not onely turned into wearinesse , but into very notorious and damnable folly , for thinking themselves wise , saith the apostle , they became fooles , and their folly shall be made k●…owne unto all men . to get wealth in an honest and painefull calling is a great blessing ▪ for the diligent hand maketh rich ; but corruption is apt to perswade unto cozenage , lying , equivocation , fals weights , ingrossements , monopolies and other arts of cruelty and unjustice , and by this meanes ou●… law full callings are turned into abominations , mysteries of iniquity , and a pursuit of death . every creature of god is good in it selfe , and allowed both for necessitie and delight ; but corruption is apt to abuse the creatures to luxury and excesse , to drunkennesse , gluttony and inordinate lusts , and by this meanes a mans table is turned into a snare , as the psalmist speakes . now then since all the world is thus bespread with ginnes , it mainely concernes us alwayes to pray , that we may use the world as not abusing it , that wee may enjoy the creatures with such wisedome , temperance , sobriety , heavenly affections , as may make them so , many ascents to raise us neerer unto god , as so many glasses in which to contemplate the wisedome , providence , and care of god to men , as so many witnesses of his love , and of our duty . and thus doth prayer sanctifie the creature in the use of it . lastly , and in one word , prayer sanctifies the creatures in the review and recognition of them . and gods mercy in them , with thanksgiving and thoughts of praise , as iacob , gen. . . . and david , . sam. . . . looked upon god in the blessings with which hee had blessed them . and now since prayer doth thus sanctifie the creatures unto us , wee should make friends of the unrighteous mammon , that wee may by that meanes get the prayers of the poore saints upon us and our estate , that the eye which seeth us may blesse us , and the care that heareth us may give witnesse to us ; that the loynes and the mouthes , the backes and the bellies of the poore and fatherlesse may be as so many reall supplications unto god for us . the third and last direction which i shall give you to finde life in the creature , shall bee to looke on it , and love it in its right order , with subordination to god and his promises ; to love it after god , and for god , as the beame which conveyes the influences of life from him ; as his instrument , moved and moderated by him to those ends for which it serves ; to love it as the cisterne , not as the fountaine of life ; to make christ the foundation , and all other things but as accessions unto him . otherwise if wee love it either alone , or above christ , however it may by gods providence keepe our breath a while in our nostrils , and fatten us against the last day , yet impossible it is that it should ever minister the true and solid comforts of life unto us , which consisteth not in the abundance of things which a man possesseth , as our saviour speakes . life goes not upward ▪ but downeward , the inferiour derives it not on the superiour ; therefore by placing the creature in our estimation above christ , we deny unto it any influence of livelihood from him , whom yet in words we professe to be the fountaine of life . but men will object and say , this is a needlesse caution not to preferre the creature before the creator , as if any man were so impious and absurd . surely saint paul tells us , that men without faith are impious and absurd men , who doe in their affections and practises as undoubtedly undervalue christ , as the gadarens that preferred their swine before him . what else did esau , when for a messe of pottage he sold away his birth-right , which was a priviledge that led to christ ? what else did the people in the wildernesse , who despised the holy land , which was the type of christs kingdome , and in their hearts turned backe to egypt ? what else did those wicked israelites , who polluted the table of the lord , and made his altar contemptible , which was a type of christ ? what else did iudas and the iewes , who sold and bought the lord of glory for the price of a beast ? what else doe daily those men , who make religion serve turnes , and godlinesse waite upon gaine ? who creepe into houses with a forme of pietie , to seduce unstable foules , and plucke off their feathers to make themselves a neast ? the apostles rule is generall , that sensuall and earthly-minded men are all the enemies of the crosse of christ , phil. . . . the third and last disproportion betweene the soule of man and the creature arising from the vanit●…e thereof , is in regard of duration and continuance . man is by nature a provident creature , apt to lay up for the time to come , and that disposition should reach beyond the forecast of the foole in the gospell for many yeeres , even for immortalitie it selfe ▪ for certainely there is no man who hath but the generall notions of corrupted reason alive within him , who hath not his conscience quite vitiated , and his minde putrified with noysome lusts , who is not wrapped up in the mud of thicke ignorance , and palpable stupiditie , but must of necessitie have oftentimes the immediate representations of immortalitie before his eyes . let him never so much smother and suppresse the truth , let him with all the arte he can divert his conceits , and entangle his thoughts in secular cares , let him shut his eye-lids as close as his naile is to his flesh , yet the flashes of immortalitie are of so penetrative and searching a nature , that they will undoubtedly get through all the obstacles , which a minde not wholly over-dawb'd with worldlinesse and ignorance can put betweene . therefore the apostle useth that for a strong argument , why rich men should not trust in uncertaine riches , but in the living god , and should be rich in good workes , that so , saith he , they may lay up in store a good foundation against the time to come , that they may lay hold on eternall life , . tim. . . . wicked men indeed lay up in store , but it is not riches , but wrath , even violence and oppression against the last day . but by trusting god , and doing good a man layes up durable riches , as the wise man speakes ; in which respect he presently addes , that the fruit of wisedome is better then gold. for though gold be of all mettals the most solid , and therefore least subject to decay , yet it is not immortall and durable riches ; for the apostle tels us , that silver and gold are corruptible things , and that there is a rust and canker which 〈◊〉 up the gold and silver of wicked men . i confesse the hearts of many men are so glewed unto the world , especially when they finde all things succeed prosperously with them that they are apt enough to set up their rest , and to conceite a kinde of stedfastnesse in the things they possesse . because they haue no changes . saith the prophet david , therefore they feare not god. but yet i say , where the lord doth not wholly give a man over to heape up treasures unto the last day , to be eaten up with the canker of his owne wealth , the soule must of necess●…y sometime or other happen upon such sad thoughts as these . what ailes my foolish heart thus to eate up it selfe with care , and to rob mine eyes of their beloved sleepe for such things , as to the which the time will come when i must bid an everlasting farewell ? am i not a poore mortall creature , brother to the wormes , sister to the dus●… ? doe i not carry about with mee a soule full of corruptions , a skinne full of diseases ? is not my breath in my nostrils , where there is roome enough for it to goe out , and possibility never to come in again ? is my flesh of brasse , or my bones of iron , that i should thinke to hold out , and without interruption to enjoy these earthly things ? or if they were , yet are not the creatures themselves subject to period and mortalitie ? is there not a moth in my richest garments , a worme in my tallest cedars , a canker and rust in my fi●…nest gold to corrupt and eate it out ? or if not , will there not come a day , when the whole frame of nature shall bee set on fire , and the elements themselves shall melt with heate , when that universall flame shall devoure all the bagges , and lands , and offices , and honours , and treasures , and store ▪ houses of worldly men ? when heaven and hell shall divide the world ; heaven , into which nothing can be admitted which is capable of moth or rust to corrupt it , and hel , into which if any such things could come , they would undoubtedly in one instant bee swallowed vp in those violent and unextinguishable flames ? and shall i be so foolish as to 〈◊〉 my felicity in that which will faile me , when i shall stand in greatest neede , to heape up treasures into a broken bagge , to worke in the fire where all must perish ? certainely the soule of a meere worldly man , who cannot finde god or christ in the things hee enjoyes , must of necessity be so f●…rre from reaping solid or constant comfort from any of these perishable creatures , that it cannot but ake and tremble , but be wholly surprized with dismall passions , with horrid preapprehensions of its owne wofull estate , upon the evidence of the creatures mortalitie , and the unavoideable flashes and conviction of its owne everlastingnesse . now if we consider the various rootes of this corruption in the creature , it will then further appeare unto us , that they are not onely mortall , but even momentarie and vanishing : first , by the law of their creation they were made subject to alterations , there was an enmitie and reluctancy in their entirest being . secondly , this hath been exceedingly improved by the s●…ne of man , whose evill , being the lord of all creatures , must needs redound to the misery and mortalitie of all his retinue . for it was in the greater world , as in the administration of a private family ; the poverty of the master is felt in the bowels of all the rest , his staine and dishonour runnes into all the members of that society . as it is in the naturall body some parts may be distempered and ill affected alone , others not without contagion on the rest ; a man may have a dimme eye , or a withered arme , or a lame foot , or an impedite tongue without any danger to the parts adjoyning ; but a lethargie in the head , or an obstruction in the liver , or a dyspepsie and indisposition in the stomake diffuseth universall malignity through the body , because these are soveraigne and architectonicall parts of man : so likewise is it in the great and vast body of the creation . however other creatures might have kept their evill , if any had been in them , within their owne bounds , yet that evill which man , the lord and head of the whole brought into the world , was a spreading and infectious evill , which conuey'd poyson into the whole frame of nature , and planted the seed of that universall dissolution which shall one day deface with darkenesse and horror the beauty of that glorious frame which wee now admire . it is said that when corah , dathan , and abiram had provoked the lord by their rebellion against his servants to inflict that fearefull destruction upon them , the earth opened her mouth & swallowed not only them up , but al the houses , and men , and goods that appertained to them . now in like maner the heaven and earth and al inferior creatures did at first appertaine to adam : the lord gave him the free use of them , & dominion over them : when therefore man had committed that notorious rebellion against his maker , which was not only to aspire like corah and his associates to the height and principality of some fellow creature , but even to the absolutenesse , wisdome , power and independency of god himselfe , no marvell if the wrath of god did together with him seize upon his house , and all the goods that belongd unto him , bringing in that cōfusion and disorder which we even now see doth breake asunder the bonds and ligaments of nature , doth unjoynt the confedera●…ies and societies of the dumbe creatures , and turneth the armies of the almighty into mutinies and commotion , which in one word hath so fast manicled the world in the bondag●… of corruption , as that it doth already groane and linger with paine under the sinne of man and the curse of god , and will at last breake forth into that universall flame which will melt the very elements of nature into their primitive confusion . thus wee see besides the created limitednesse of the creature , by which it was utterly unsuteable to the immortall desires of the soule of man , the sinne of man hath implanted in them a secret worme and rottennesse which doth ▪ set forward their mortalitie , and by adding to them confusion , enmity , disproportion , sedition , inequalitie ( all the seeds of corruption ) hath made them , not onely as before they were mortall , but which addes one mortalitie to another , even momentary and vanishing too . when any creature loseth any of its native and created vigour , it is a manifest signe that there is some secret sentence of death gnawing upon it . the excellency of the heavens wee know is their light , their beauty , their influences upon the lower world , and even these hath the sinne of man defaced . wee finde when the lord pleaseth to reveale his wrath against men for sinne in any terrible manner , hee doth it from heaven ; there shall be wonders in the heauen , blood and fire , and pillars of smoake , the sunne shall be turned into darkenesse , and the moone into blood ; and the day of the lord is called a day of darknesse , and gloominesse , and thicke darknesse . how often hath gods heavy displeasure declared it selfe from heaven in the confusion of nature ? in stormes and horrible tempests ? in thick clouds and darke waters ? in arrowes of lightning and coales of fire ? in blacknesse and darkenesse ? in brimstone on sodome , in a flaming sword over ierusalem , in that fearefull starre of fire to the christian world of late yeeres , which hath kindled those woful combustions , the flames whereof are still so great , as that wee our selves , if wee looke upon the merits and provocations of our sinnes , may have reason to feare , that not all the sea betweene us and our neighbours can bee able to quench till it have scorched and singed us . wee find likewise by plaine experience how languid the seeds of life , how faint the vigor either of heavenly influences , or of sublunary and inferiour agents are growne , when that life of men , which was wont to reach to almost a thousand yeeres , is esteemed even a miraculous age , if it be extended but to the tenth part of that duration . we need not examine the inferiour creatures , which we find expressely cursed for the sinne of man with thornes and briers ( the usuall expression of a curse in scripture . ) if we but open our eyes and looke about us , wee shall see what paines husbandmen take to keepe the earth from giving up the ghost , in opening the veines thereof , in applying their soile and marle as so many pills or salves , as so many cordials and preservatives to keepe it alive , in laying it asleepe , as it were , when it lyeth fallow every second or third yeere , that by any meanes they may preserve in it that life , which they see plainely approching to its last gaspe . thus you see how besides the originall limitednesse of the creature , there is in a second place a moth or canker by the infection of sinne begotten in them , which hastens their mortalitie , god ordering the second causes so amongst themselves , that they exercising enmitie one against another , may punish the sinne of man in their contentions , as the lord stirred up the babylonians against the egyptians to punish the sinnes of his owne people . and therefore wee finde , that the times of the gospell , when holinesse was to bee more universall , are expressed by such figures , as restore perfection and peace to the creatures . the earth shall be fat and plenteous , there shall be upon every high hill rivers and streames of water , the light of the moone shall be as the light of the sunne , and the light of the sunne sevenfold , as the light of seven dayes . and againe , the wolfe shall dwell with the lambe , and the leopard shall lye downe with the kid , and a calfe , and a young lion , and a fatling together , &c. which places , though figuratively to be understood , have yet me thinks thus much of the letter in them , to assure us that whatever blemish since the creation any of those glorious heavenly bodies are either in themselves , or by interposition of foggy vapours subject unto , what ever enmities and destructive qualities enrage one beast against another , they are all of them the consequents of that finne which nothing can remove but the gospell of christ. and this is that universall contagion which runneth through the whole frame of nature into the bowels of every creature . but yet further in a third place there is a particular ground of this mortality to many men , namely the particular curse upon that place or creature which men enioy . for as a piece of oke besides the natural corruptiblenes of it , as it is a body compounded of contrary principles , whereby it would of it selfe at last returne to its dust againe , may further have a worme like ionah his gourd eating out the heart of it , & by that meanes hastening its corruption ; and yet further besides that may be presently put into the fire , which will make a more speedy riddance then either of the former : or as in the body of a man , besides the generall consumption , which lingringly feedeth upon the whole , each particular mēber may have a particular disease , which may serve to hasten that corruption to it self , which the other threatens to the whole : so may it be , and often is in the creatures of god. besides their naturall finitenes , and their generall bondage of corruption , which by a hidden & insensible insinuation doth emasculate the vigor and strength of the creatures , there may be a particular curse , which may serve speedily to hasten that decay , which , without any such concu●…rence , would have made hast enough to leave the possessors of them in everlasting penurie . i will be unto ephraim as a moth and to the house of iuda as rottennes , saith the lord. that is gods first instrument of mortality whereby he will certainely though indeed lingtingly consume a thing . but now if for all this when the moth secretly consumes him , so that he seeth his sicknesse and feeleth his wound , he will yet trust in his owne counsels and confederacies , sacrifice to his owne net , goe to assyria or king iareb for succour , i will then be unto ephraim as a lyon , in a more sudden and swift destruction . as he dealeth thus with men , so with the things about them too , first he puts a moth into them , rust in our gold , canker in our siluer , hartlessenesse in our earth , faintnesse in the influences of heauen ; and if notwithstanding all this men will still trust in the cisterne , god will put holes into it too , which shall make it runne out as fast as they fill it ; hee will giue wings to their monie , encrease the occasions of expence : and if they clip their wings , that they fly not away , he will make holes in the bottome of their baggs that they shall droppe away : he will not onely send a ▪ moth and rust which shall in time eate them out , but hee will send a thiefe upon them too , which shall suddenly breake through and carry them away . so many steps and gradations are there in the mortality of the creature , when god pleaseth to adde his curse unto them for sin . as for ephr●…im , saith the lord , their glory shall fly away like a bird , from the birth , and from the wombe , and from the conception . observe the gradations of mortality in the best blessings we enjoy , in our very glory , namely our children , which are called an inheritance and reward to take away shame from their parents . they shall fly away like a bird , that notes the swiftnesse of the iudgement , and that first from the birth ; as soone as they are borne the murtherer shall destroy them : yea from the wombe ; before they be borne they shall perish , nothing of them shall be enjoyd but the hope , and if that be too much , here is a degree as low as can be , from the very conception they shall miscarry and prove abortive . i will smite the winter house and the summer house , the houses of ivori●… , and the great houses shall have an end . if the lord undertake to smite , if he send abroad the fire of his wrath , it shall seize on those palaces and great houses which men thought should have endured unto all generations . for that flying role , importing iudgement decreed , and sudden , which was sent over the whole earth against the thiefe and the swearer , did not onely smite the man , but his house , and like a leprosie consume the very timber and stones thereof . therefore wee read in the leviticall law of leprosies not in men onely but in houses , and garments , intimating unto us , that sinne derives a contagion upon any thing that is about us , and like ivie in a wall , or that wild caprificus , wil get rooting in the very substance of the stone in the wall , and breake it asunder . what ever it is that men can finde out vnder the sunne to fasten their hearts upon for satisfaction and comfort , this leprosie will defile it , and eate it out . if silver and gold , besides their secret rust and proper corruption , the lord can make the thiefe rise up suddenly , and bite the possessors , and so unlade them of their thicke clay : if reall substance and encrease , the lord cast●…th away , saith the wise man , the substance of the wicked , a●…d the increase of his house , saith iob , shall depart and flow away . if greatnesse and high places , the lord can put ice vnder their feete , make their places slippery , and subject to a momentarie desolation : if a great name and glory , the lord cannot onely suffer time and ignorance to draw out all the memorie of a man , but can presently rot his name from under heauen : if corne and the fruits of the earth , the lord can kill it in the blade by with-holding raine three moneths before the haruest : hee can send a thiefe , a caterpiller , a palmer worme to eate it up . if it hold out to come into the barne , euen there he can blow upon it and consume it like chaffe . however men thinke when they have their corne in their houses , and their wine in their c●…llars they are sure and have no more to doe with god , yet he can take away the staffe and lif●… of it in our very houses . yea when it is in our mouthes and bowels , he can send leanenesse and a curse after it . awake ye drunkards , and howle ye drinkers of wine , saith the prophet , because of the new wine , for it is cut off from your mouths . the lord could deferre the punishment of these men till the last day , when undoubtedly there will be nothing for them to drinke but that cup of the lords right hand as the prophet calls it : a cup of fury and trembling , a cup of sorrow , astonishment , and desolation ; a cup which shall make all that drinke thereof to bee moved and mad , to be drunken and fall , and spue , and rise up no more , even that fierce and bitter indignation , in the pouring out of which the lord shall put to his right hand , his strong arme , not onely the terror of his presence , but the glory of his power : i say the lord could let drunkards alone till at last they meet with this cup , ( which undoubtedly they shall doe , if there be either truth in gods word , or power in his right hand , if there be either iustice in heaven , or fire in hell ) till with belshazzar they meet with dregs and trembling in the bottome of all their cups : but yet oftentimes the lord smites them with a more sudden blow , snatcheth away the cup from their very mouths , and so makes one curse anticipate and preuent another . though haman and achitophel should have liv'd out the whole thred of their life , yet at last their honor must have laine downe in the dust with them ; though iudas could have liv'd a thousand yeares , and could have improv'd the reward of his masters bloud to the best advantage that ever vsurer did , yet the rust would at last have seiz'd upon his bags , and his monie must have perished with him : but now the lord sets forward his curse , and that which the moth would have been long in doing , the gallows dispatcheth with a more swift destruction . thus as the body of a man may have many summons and engagements unto one death , may labour at once under many desperate diseases , all which by a malignant con●…unction must needs hasten a mans end ( as cesar was stabd with thirty wounds , each one whereof might have serv'd to let out his soule ) so the creatures of god labouring under a manifold corruption , doe as it were by so many wings post away from the owners of them , and for that reason must needs be utterly disproportionable to the condition of an immortall soule . now to make some application of this particular before wee leave it , this doth first discover and shame the folly of wicked worldlings both in their opinions and affections to earthly things . love is blinde and will easily make men beleeve that of any thing which they could wish to bee in it : and therefore , because wicked men wish with all their hearts , for the love they beare to the creatures , that they might continue together for ever , the divell doth at last so deeply delude them as to thinke that they shall continue for ever . indeed in these and in the generall , they must needs confesse that one generation commeth and another goeth : but in their owne particular they can never assume with any feeling and experimentall assent the truth of that generall to their owne estates : and therefore what ever for shame of the world their outward professions may be , yet the prophet david assures us , that their inward thoughts , their owne retir'd contrivances and resolutions are , that their houses shall endure for ever , and their dwelling places to all generations ; and upon this immortality of stones and monuments they resolve to rest . but the psalmist concludes this to be but brutish and notorious folly , this their way is their folly , they like sheepe are laid downe in their graves , and death feeds upon them . and indeed what a folly is it for men to build upon the sand , to erectan imaginarie fabrick of i know not what immortality , which hath not so much as a constant subsistence in the head that contrives it ? what man will ever goe about to build a house with much cost ( and when he hath done , to inhabit it himself ) of such rotten and inconsistent materials , as will undoubtedly within a yeere or two after fall upon his head , and bury him in the ruines of his owne folly ? now then suppose a man were lord of all the world , and had his life coextended with it , were furnished with wisedome to manage and strength to runne through all the affaires incident to this vast frame , in as ample a measure as any one man for the governement of a private family : yet the scripture would assure even such a man , that there will come a day in which the heavens shall passe away with a noise , and the elements shall melt with heate , and the earth with the workes that are therein shall be burnt up , and that there is but one houre to come before all this shall be , behold now is the last houre : and what man upon these termes would fix his heart and ground his hopes upon such a tottering bottome , as will within a little while crumble into dust , and leave the poore soule that rested upon it to sinke into hell ? but now when we consider that none of us labour for any such inheritance , that the extremitie of any mans hopes can be but to purchase some little patch of earth , which to the whole world cannot beare so neere a proportion , as the smallest molehill to this whole habitable earth ; that all we toyle for is but to have our loade of a little thicke clay , as the prophet speakes , that when wee have gotten it , neither wee nor it shall continue till the universall dissolution , but in the midst of our dearest embracements we may suddenly be puld asunder , and come to a fearefull end , it must needs be more then brutish stupidity for a man to weave the spiders webs , to wrappe himselfe up from the consumption determined against the whole earth in a covering , that is so infinitely too short and too narrow for him . wee will conclude this particular with the doome given by the prophet ieremy . as the partridge sitteth on egges and hatcheth them not , ( shee is either caught by the fowler , or her egges are broken ) so he that getteth riches and not by right , shall leave them in the midst of his dayes , and in the end shall bee a foole . secondly , this serves to justifie the wisedome and providence of god in his proceedings with men : the wicked here provoke god , and cry aloud for vengeance on their owne head , and the lord seemes to stop his eares at the cry of sinne , and still to loade them with his blessings , he maketh their way to prosper , they take roote , and grow and bring forth fruite : they shine like a blazing comet , and threaten ruine to all that looke upon them ; they carry themselves like some tyrant in a tragedy , that scatters abroad death with the sparkles of his eyes , and darts out threats against the heaven aboue him ; they are like agag before samuel , clothed very delicately , and presume that there is no bitternesse to come . and now the impatiency of man , that cannot resolve things into their proper issues , that cannot let iniquitie ripen , nor reconcile one day and a thousand yeeres together , begins to question gods proceedings , and is afraid le●…t the world be governed blindfold , and blessings and curses throwne confusedly abroad for men as it were to scramble and to scuffie for them . but our god who keepeth times and seasons in his owne power , who hath given to every creature under the sunne limits which it shall not exceed , hath set bounds unto sinne likewise wherein to ripen . the starres howsoever they may bee sometimes ecclipsed , have yet a fixed and permanent subsistency in their orbes ; but these comets though they rise with a greater traine and streame of light , yet at last vanish into ashes , and are seene no more : the tyrant though in two or three acts or scenes he revell it , and disturbe the whole businesse , yet at last hee will goe out in blood and shame ▪ even so , though wickedmen flourish and oppresse , and provoke god every day , and rage like the sea , yet the lord hath set their bounds which they shall not passe , they have an appointed time to take their fill of the creature , and then when they have glutted and cloid themselves with excesse , when their humours are growne to a full ripenesse , the lord will temper them a potion of his wrath , which shall make them turne all up againe , and shamefull spuing shall be on their glory . thus saith the lord , for three transgressions and for foure i will not turne away the punishment of damascus and those other cities . so long as the wicked commit one or too iniquities , so long i forbeare , and expect their repentance ; but when they proceed to three , and then adde a fourth , that is , when they are come to that measure of sinne which my patience hath prefixed , then i will hasten my revenge , and not any longer turne away the punishment thereof . in the fourth generation , saith god to abraham , thy posterity shall come out of the land where they shall be strangers , and shall inherit this land , for the iniquitie of the amorites is not yet full . there is a time when sinne growes ripe and full and then the sickle comes upon it . when the prophet saw a basket of summer fruites , that were so ripe as that they were gathered off the tree , ( which was a type of the sinnes of gods people , which are sooner ripe then the sinnes of heathen that knew him not , because they have the constant light and heate of his word to hasten their maturitie ) then , saith the lord , the end is come upon my people , i will not passeby them any more , i will have no more patience towards them . ieremy what seest thou ? i see the rod of an almond tree . thou hast well seene , saith the lord , for i will hasten my word to performe it . when men hasten the maturity of sinne like the blossomes of an almond tree , ( which come soonest out ) then saith the lord will i hasten the iudgements which i have pronounced . we reade in the prophet zachary of an ephah , a measure where into all the wickednesse of that people , figured by a woman , shall bee throwne together , and when this measure of sinnes is full to the brimme , then there is a masse of lead importing the firmenesse , immutabilitie , and heavinesse of gods decree and counsell , which seales up the ephah , never more to have any sinne put into it , and then come two women with winde in their wings , which are the executioners of gods ●…wift and irreversible fury , & carry the ephah betweene heaven and earth , intimating the publike declaration of the righteous iudgements of god , into the land of shinar , to build it there an house , denoting the constant and perpetuall habitation of the wicked in that place of bondage whither the wrath of god shall drive them ( for building of houses argues an abiding . ) put you in the sickle for the harvest is ripe ; come get you downe , for the presse is full , the fats overflow , for the wickednesse is great . the revenge of sinne is here and elsewhere compared to reaping , and treading the winepresse ; and the greatnesse of sinne is here cald the ripenesse of the harvest , and the ouerflowing of the fatts , to shew unto us that there is a time and measure of sinne , beyond which the lord will not deferre the execution of his vengeance . there are dayes of visitation and recompence for sinne , which being come , israel which would not know before shall know , that god keepes their sinnes in store sealed vp amongst his treasures , and that therefore their foot shall slip in due time , namely in the day of their calamity , or in their moneth , as the prophet speakes . as gods blessings have a punctuall time , from the foure and twentieth of the ninth moneth , from this day i will blesse you : so likewise have his iudgements too . the dayes of man shall bee a hundred and twenty yeeres , to the old world : nor are yeeres onely , but even moneths determined with him , now shall a moneth devoure them with their portions , to idolatrous israel . nor moneths onely , but dayes and parts of dayes ; in a morning shall the king of israel be cut off , his destruction shall bee as sudden as it is certaine . the wicked plotteth against the 〈◊〉 , and goasheth upon him with his teeth : but though hee plot , hee shall not prosper , though hee gnash with his teeth , hee shall not bite with his teeth , for the lord shall laugh at him ▪ because hee seeth that his day is comming . so much mischiefe as he can doe within the compasse of his chaine , the lord permits him to doe ; but when he is come to his day , then all his thoughts and projects perish with him . excellently hath holy iob stated the point , with whom i meane to conclude , their good ▪ saith he , is not in their hand . riot it indeed they doe , and take their fill of pleasure for a time , as the fish of the baite , when he hath some scope of line given him to play ; but still their good , their time , their line is in gods hand , they are not the lords of their owne lives and delights . god layeth up his iniquitie for his children , that is , the lord keepes an exact account of his sinnes , which haply he will r●…pay upon the heads of his children , however hee himselfe shall have no more pleasure in his house after him , when once the number of his moneths is cut off in the midst ; and in the meane time however he be full of strength , wholly at ease and quiet , yet saith he , the wicked is reserved to the day of destructiction ; he is but like a prisoner , shackled peradventure in fetters of gold , but he shall be brought forth to the day of wrath , and though he could rise out of the grave before christs tribunall , as agag appeared before samuel delicately clothed , yet the sword should cut him in pieces , and bitternesse should overtake him . thus wee see how infinitely unable the creature shall bee to shelter a man from the tribunall of christ , and how wise , just , and wonderfull the lord is in the administration of the world in bearing with patience the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction , and suffering them to muster up his owne blessings against himselfe . lastly , this must serue for a needfull caution to us , to take heed of deifying the creatures ▪ and attributing that immortality to them which they are not capable of . but in as much as they are onely for present refreshment in this vale of misery , and have no matter of reall and abiding happinesse in them , not to looke on them with an admiring or adoring eye , but to use them with such due correctives as become such mortall and meane things . first in using the creature , be sure thou keepe thine intellectuals untainted ; for earthly things are apt to cast a filme over mens eyes , and to misguide them into corrupt apprehensions and presumptions of them . we find nothing more frequent in the prophets then to upbraid the people with their strange cōfidences which they were wont to rest upon against all the judgements which were denounced against them , by objecting their wealth , greatnesse , strong confederacies , inexpugnable munitions , their nests in the clouds , and their houses amongst the starres : they could never be brought to repent for sinne , or to tremble at gods voyce , till they were driven off from these holds . a man can never be brought to god till he forsake the creature , a man will never forsake the creature till he see vanitie in the creature . turne away mine eyes from beholding vanitie . david intimates that a man can never heartily pray against fixing his affections on earthly things , till he be really and experimentally convinc'd of the vanity of them . this rule salomon obserues to withdraw the desires of yong men , who have strongest affections and smallest experience of the deceit of worldly things , though thou rejoyce and cheere up thy selfe , and walke in the waies of thine heart , and in the sight of thine eyes , yet know thou that for all these things god will bring thee to judgement , a time will come when thou shalt be stripp'd of all these , when they shall play the fugitives , and the yeeres of darkenesse shall draw nigh , when thou shalt say , i have no pleasure in them : and then the lord will revenge thy great ingratitude in forgetting and despising him amidst all his blessings , in ●…dolizing his gifts , and bestowing the attributions of his glory , and the affections due unto him upon a corruptible creature . in the romane triumphs the generall or emperour , that rode in honour through the city with the principall of his enemies bound in chaines behinde his chariot , had alwaies a servant running along by him with this corrective of his glory , resp●…ce post te , hominem memento te . looke behinde thee , and in the persons of thine enemies learne that thou thy selfe art a man subject to the same casualties and dishonors with others . surely , if men who had nothing but the creatures to trust to , being aliens from the covenant of promise , and without god in the world , had yet so much care to keepe their judgements sound touching the vanity of their greatest honors , how much more ought christians , who professe themselves heires of better and more abiding promises . but especially arme thy selfe against those vanities which most easily beset and beguile thee ; apply the authoritie of the word to thine owne particular sickenesse and disease , treasure up all the experiences that meete thee in thine owne course , or are remarkeable in the lives of others , remember how a moment swallowed up such a pleasure , which will never returne againe , how an indirect purchase embitter'd such a preferment , and thou never didst feele that comfort in it , which thy hopes and ambitions promised thee , how a frowne and disgrace at another time dash'd all thy contrivances for further advancement , how death seised upon such a friend , in whom thou . hadst laid up much of thy dependance and assurances , how time hath not onely rob'd thee of the things , but even turn'd the edge of thy desires ▪ and made thee loath thy wonted idoles , and looke upon thy old delights as ammon upon tamar with exceeding hatred . but above all addresse thy selfe to the throne of grace , and beseech the lord so to sanctifie his creatures unto thee , as that they may not be either thieves against him to steale away his honour , or snares to thee to entangle thy soule . we will conclude this first direction with the words of the apostle : the time is short : it remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none , and they that weepe as though they weep'd not , and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not , and they that buy as though they possessed not , and they that use this world as not abusing it , that is , as not to be drown'd and smother'd in the businesses of this life , as if there were any fundamentall and solid utility in them ; for saith he , the fashion of this world passeth away . the apostles exhortation is beset at both ends with the same enforcement from whence i have raised mine . first , the time is short ; the apostle , as the learned conceive , useth a metaphor from sailes or curtens , or shepheards tents ( as ezekiah makes the comparison ) such things as may be gather'd up together into a narrow roome . time is short , that is , that time which the lord hath spread over all things like a saile , hath now this five thousand yeeres been roling up , and the end is now at hand , as s. peter speakes ; the day is approaching when time shall be no more . and so the words in the originall will well beare it , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the remainder of time is short , or time is short for so much as yet remaineth of it to be folded up , and therefore we ought so to behave our selves as men that have more serious things to consider of , as men that are very neere to that everlasting haven , where there shall be no use of such sailes any more . and in the apostles close the same reason is farther yet enforced : for the fashion of this world passeth away . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the figure , intimating that there is nothing of any firmenesse or solid consistencie in the creature ; it is but a surface , an outside , an empty promise , all the beauty of it is but skinne-deepe ; and then that little which is desireable and pretious in the eyes of men ( which the apostle cals , the lust of the world , . ioh. . . ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , it passeth away , and is quickely gone . the word , as the learned differently render it , hath three severall arguments in it to expresse the apostles exhortation . . it deceives or coozens , and therefore use it as if you used it not ; use it as a man in a serious businesse would use a false friend that profers his assistance , though his protestations be never so faire , yet so employ him as that the businesse may be done though he should faile thee . . transversum agit , it carries a man headlong , the lusts of the world are so strong and impetuous , that they are apt to enflame the desires , and even violently to carry away the heart of a man ; and for this cause likewise use it as if you used it not , engage your selfe as little upon it as you can , doe as mariners in a mighty winde , h●…ise up as few sailes , expose as few of thy affections to the rage of worldly lust as may be ; beware of being carried where two seas meet , as the ship wherein paul suffer'd shipwracke , i meane , of plunging thy selfe in a confluence of many boisterous and conflicting businesses , least for thine inordinate prosecution of worldly things , the lord either give thy soule over to suffer shipwracke in them , or strip thee of all thy lading and tackling , breake thine estate all to pieces , and make thee glad to get to heaven upon a broken planke . . the fashion of this world passeth over , it doth but goe along by thee and salute thee , and therefore use it as if thou used'st it not ; doe to it as thou would'st doe to a stranger whom thou meetest in the way , he goes one way and thou another ; salute him , stay so long in his companie till from him thou have received better instructions touching the turnings and difficulties of thine owne way , but take heed thou turne not into the way of the creature , least thou lose thine owne home . secondly , get an eye of faith , to looke through and above the creature . a man shall never get to looke of from the world , till he can looke beyond it . for the soule will have hold-fast of something , and the reason why men cling so much to the earth is , because they have no assurance if they let goe that hold of having any subsistence else-where . labour therefore to get an interest in christ , to finde an everlasting footing in the stedfastnesse of gods promises in him , and that will make thee willing to suffer the losse of all things , it will implant a kinde of hatred and disestimation of all the most pretious endearements which thy soule did feede upon before . saint peter saith of wicked men , that they are purblinde , they cannot see a farre off ; they can see nothing but that which is next them , and therefore no marvell if their thoughts cannot reach unto the end of the creature . there is in a dimme eye the same constant and habituall indisposition which sometimes happeneth unto a sound eye by reason of a thicke mist , though a man be walking in a very short lane , yet he sees no end of it ; and so a naturall man cannot reach to the period of earthly things , death and danger are still a great way out of his sight , whereas the eye of faith can looke upon them as already expiring , and through them looke upon him who therefore gives the creatures unto us , that in them we might see his power and taste his goodnesse . and nature it selfe me thinkes may seeme to have intended some such thing as this in the very order of the creatures . downeward a mans eye hath something immediately to fixe on ; all is shut up in darkenesse save the very surface , to note that we should have our desires shut up too from these earthly things which are put under our feete , and hid from our eye● , and buried in their owne deformitie . all the beauty , and all the fruit of the earth is placed on the very outside of it , to shew how short and narrow our affections should be towards it . but upward the eye sindes scarce any thing to bound it , all is transparant and d●…aphanous , to note how vast our affections should be towards god , how endlesse our thoughts and desires of his kingdome , how present to our faith the heavenly things should be even at the greatest distance . the apostle saith , that faith is the substance of things hoped for , that it gives being and present subsistency to things farre distant from us , makes those things which in regard of naturall causes are very remote , in regard of gods promises to seeme hard at hand . and therefore though there were many hundred yeeres to come in the apostles time , and , for ought we know , may yet be to the dissolution of the world , yet the apostle tels us that even then it was the last houre , because faith being able distinctly to see the truth and promises of god , and the endlesnesse of that life which is then presently to be revealed , the infinite excesse of vastnesse in that made that which was otherwise a great space seeme even as nothing , no more in comparison then the length of a cane or trunke , through which a man lookes on the heavens , or some vast countrey . and ever the greater magnitude and light there is in a body , the smaller will the medium or distance seeme from it ; the reason why a perspective glasse drawes remote objects close to the eye , is because it multiplies the species . we then by faith apprehending an infinite and everlasting glory , must needs conceive any thing through which we looke upon it to be but short & vanishing . and therfore though the promises were a farre off in regard of their owne existence , yet the patriarkes did not onely see , but embrace them ; their faith seem'd to nullifie and swallow up all the distance . abraham saw christs day and was glad , he looked upon those many ages which were betweene him and his promised seed as upon small a●…d unconsiderable distances in comparison of that endlesse glory into which they ran , they were but as a curten or piece of hangings , which divide one roome in a house from another ▪ labour therefore to get a distinct view of the height , and length , and breadth , and depth , and the unsearchable love of god in christ , to find in thine own soule the truth of god in his promises , & that his word abideth forever , and that will make all the glory of other things to seeme but as grasse . lastly , though the creature be mortall in it selfe , yet in regard of man , as it is an instrument serviceable to his purposes , and subordinate to the graces of god in him , it may bee made of use even for immortality . to which purpose excellent is that speech of holy austin , if you have not these earthly goods , saith he , take heed how thou get them by evill workes here , and if thou have them , labour by good workes to hold them even when thou art gone to heaven . make you friends , saith our saviour , of the unrighteous 〈◊〉 , that when you faile , they may receive you into everlasting habitations ; a religious and mercifull use of earthly things makes way to immortalitie and blessednesse . cast thy bread upon the waters , and after many dayes thou shalt finde it . it is an allusion unto husbandmen . they doe not eate up and sell away all their corne , for then the world would quickely bee destitute , but the way they take to perpetuate the fruits of the earth , is to cast some of it backe againe into a fruitfull soile where the waters come , and then in due time they receive it with encrease : so should we doe with these worldly blessings , sow them in the bowels and backes of the poore members of christ , and in the day of harvest we shall finde a great encrease . if then draw out thy soule to the righteous , and satisfie the afflicted soule , then shall thy light rise in obscurity , and thy darkenesse be as the noone day , then thy waters shall not lye unto thee ; that happinesse which it falsly promiseth unto other men , it shall performe unto thee . and so much be spoken touching the great disproportion between the soule of man and the creature , in regard of the vanitie of it . the next disproportion is in their operation , they are vexing and molesting things . rest is the satisfaction of every creature , all the rovings and agitations of the soule are but to find out something on which to rest ; and therefore where there is vexation , there can be no proportion to the soule of man ; and salomon tels us , that all things under the sunne are full of labour , more then a man can utter . he was not used as an instrument of the holy ghost to speake it onely , but to trie it too ; the lord was pleased for that very purpose to conferre on him a confluence of all outward happinesse , and inward abilities which his very heart could desire , that he at last might discover the utter insufficiency of all created excellencies to quiet the soule of man. but if we will not beleeve the experience of salomon , let us beleeve the authority of him that was greater then salomon ; who hath plainely compar'd the things and the cares of the earth to thornes , which as the apostle speakes , pierce or bore a man thorough with many sorrowes . first , they are wounding thornes ; for that which is but a pricke in the flesh is a wound in the spirit : because the spirit is most tender of smart : and the wise man cals them vexation of spirit . the apostle tels us they beget many sorrowes , and those sorrowes bring death with them . if it were possible for a man to see in one view those oceans of bloud which have been let out of mens veines by this one thorne ; to heare in one noise all the groanes of those poore men , whose lives from the beginning of the world unto these dayes of blood wherein we live have been set at sale , and sacrificed to the unsatiable ambition of their bloody rulers ; to see and heare the endlesse remorse and bitter yellings of so many rich and mighty men as are now in hell , everlastingly cursing the deceite and murther of these earthly creatures , it would easily make every man with pitty and amazement to beleeve , that the creatures of themselves without christ to qualifie their venome and to blunt their edge , are in good earnest wounding thornes . secondly they are choaking thornes ; they stifle and keepe downe all the gratious seeds of the word yea the very naturall sproutings of noblenesse , ingenuity , morality in the dispositions of men . seed requires emptinesse in the ground that there may be a free admission of the raine and influences of the heavens to cherish it : and so the gospell requires nakednesse and poverty of minde , a sense of our owne utter insufficiencie to our selves for happinesse , in which sense it is said that the poore receive the gospel . but now earthly things meeting with corruption in the heart are very apt , first , to fill it , and secondly , to swell it , both which are conditions contrary to the preparations of the gospell . they fill the heart . first , with businesse yokes of oxen , and farmes , and wives , and the like contentinents take up the studies and delights of men , that they cannot finde out any leisure to come to christ. secondly , they fill the heart with love , and the love of the world shuts out the love of the father , as the apostle speakes . when the heart goes after covetousnesse , the power and obedience of the word is shut quite out . they will not do thy words , saith the lord to the prophet , for their heart goeth after their covetousnesse . a deare and superlative love , such as the gospell ever requires ( for a man must love christ upon such termes as to bee ready without consultation or demurre , not to forsake onely , but to hate father and mother , and wife , and any the choisest worldly endearments for his gospels sake ) i say such a love admits of no corrivalty or competition . and therfore the love of the world must needs extingvish the love of the word . lastly , they fill the heart with feare of forgoing them ; and feare takes of the heart from any thoughts save those which looke upon the matter of our feare : when men who make gold their confidence heare that they must forsake all for christ , and are sometimes haplie put upon a triall , they start aside , choose rather securely to enjoy what they have present hold of , then venture the interuption of their carnall contentments for such things , the beauty where of the prince of this world hath blinded their eyes that they should not see . for certainly till the minde be setled to beleeve that in god there is an ample recompence for any thing which wee may otherwise forgoe for him , it is impossible that a man should soundly embrace the love of the truth , or renounce the love of the world . secondly , as they fill , so they swell the heart too , and by that meanes worke in it a contempt and disestimation of the simplicity of the gospell . we have both together in the prophet , according to their pasture so were they filled ; they were filled , and their heart was exalted , therefore have they forgotten me . now the immediate child of pride is selfe-dependence and a reflection on our owne sufficiencie , and from thence the next issue is a contempt of the simplicity of that gospell which would drive us out of our selves . the gentiles out of the pride of their owne wisedome counted the gospell of christ foolishnesse , and mocked those that preached it unto them : and the pharisees , who were the learned doctors of ierusalem , when they heard christ preach against earthlie affections , out of their pride and covetousnesse derided him as the evangelist speakes . nay further they stifle the seeds of all noblenesse , ingenuity , or common vertues in the lives of men ; from whence come oppression , extortion , bribery , cruelty , rapine , fraud , iniurious , treacherous , sordid , ignoble courses , a very dissolution of the lawes of nature amongst men , but from the adoration of earthly things , from that idol of covetousnesse which is set up in the heart ? thirdly , they are deceitfull thornes , as our saviour expresseth it . let a man in a tempest go to a thorne for shelter , and he shall light upon a thiefe in stead of a fence , which will teare his flesh in stead of succouring him , and doe him more injury then the evill which he fled from ; and such are the creatures of themselves , so farre are they from protecting , that indeed they tempt , and betray us . the pride of thine heart hath deceived thee , thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rockes , thou that sayest in thine heart , who shall bring me downe ? i will bring thee downe , saith the lord to edom. lastly , they are vanishing thornes . nothing so apt , nothing so easie to catch fire , and be presently extingvished . they are quenched like a fire of thornes . to consider yet more distinctly the vexation of the creature , we will observe first the degrees ; secondly , the grounds of it ; and thirdly , the vses which we should put it to . five degrees we shall observe of this vexation . first , the creatures are apt to molest the spirit in the procuring of them , even as thornes will certainely pricke in their gathering . they make all a mans dayes sorrow , and his travell griefe , they suffer not his heart to take rest in the night , as the wise man speakes . what paines will men take ? what hazards will they runne to procure their desires ? paines of body , plotting of braine , conflicts of passions , biting of conscience , disreputation amongst men , scourge of tongues , any thing , every thing will men adventure , to obtaine at last that which it may bee is not a competent reward for the smallest of these vexations . how will men exchange their salvation , throw away their owne mercy , make themselves perpetuall drudges and servitors to the times , fawne , flatter , comply , couple in with the instruments or authors of their hopes , hazard their owne blood in desperate undertakings , and staine their consciences with the blood of others , to swimme through all to their adored haven . ad●…rare vulgus , iacere oscula , & omnia serviliter pro imperio . the historian spake it of otho that romane absolom , he worshipped the people , dispenced frequently his courtesies and plausibilities , crouched and accommodated himselfe to the basest routs , that thereby he might creepe into an usurped honour , and get himselfe a hated memory in after ages . and that the like vexation is ordinary in the procurement of any earthly things will easily appeare , if wee but compare the disposition of the minde with the obstacles that meete us in the pursuite of them . suppose we a man importunately set to travell unto some place where the certainty of some great profit or preferment attends his comming , the way through which he must goe is intricate , deepe , unpassable , the beast that carries him lame and tired , his acquaintance none , his instructions few , what a heavie vexation must this needs bee to the soule of that man to be crossed with so many difficulties in so eager a desire ? iust this is the case with naturall men in the prosecution of earthly things . first , the desires of men are very violent ( which the scripture useth to expresse by making haste , greedy coveting , a purpose to be rich ) qui dives fieri vult , & cit●… vult fieri , they that will be rich , cannot be quiet till their desires are accomplished : and therefore wee finde strong desires in the scripture-phrase expressed by such things as give intimation of paine with them . the apostle describes them by gro●…ing and sighing ; the prophet david by panting and gasping ; the spouse in the canticles by sicknesse , i am sicke with love . thus ammon grew leane for the desire of his sister , and was vexed and sicke ; thus ahab waxed heavy , and laid him downe on his bed , and turned away his face , and would not eate because of naboths vineyard . so that very importunity of desires is full of vexation in itselfe . but besides , the meanes for fulfilling these desires are very difficult , the instruments very weake and impotent : peradventure a mans wits are not suteable to his desires , or his strength not to his wits , or his stocke not to his strength , his friends few , his corrivals many , his businesses tough and intricate , his counsels uncertaine , his projects way-laid and prevented , his contrivances dashed and disappointed , such a circumstance vnseene , such a casualty starting suddenly out , such an occurrence meeting the action hath made it unfeasible , and shipwrack'd the expectation . a man deales with the earth , he findes it weake and langvid , every foot of that must often times lye fallow , when his desires doe still plow ; with men , hee findes their hearts hard , and their hands close ; with servants , he findes them slow and unfaithfull ; with trading hee findes the times hard , the world at a stand , every man too thrifty to deale much , and too crafty to be deceived ; so that now that vexation which was at first begun with vehemency of desire , is mightily improued with impatiency of opposition , & lastly much encreased with the feare of utter disappointment at last . for according as the desires are either more urgent , or more difficult , so will the feares of their miscarriage grow ; and it is a miserable thing for the minde to bee torne asunder betweene two such violent passions as desire and feare . the second degree of vexation is in the multiplying of the creature , that men may have it to looke upon with their eyes , and to worship it in their affections . and in this case the more the heape growes , the more the heart is enlarged unto it ; and impossible it is that that desire should be ever quieted , which growes by the fruition of the thing desired . a wolfe that hath once tasted blood is more fierce in the desire of it then hee was before , experience puts an edge upon the appetite ; and so it is in the desires of men , they grow more savage and raging in the second or third prosecution then in the first . it is a usuall selfe-deceit of the heart to say and thinke , if i had such an accession to mine estate , such a dignitie mingled with mine other preferments , could but leave such and such portions behind me , i should then rest satisfied and desire no more . this is a most notorious cheate of the fleshly heart of man ; first thereby to beget a secret conceit , that since this being gotten i should sit quietly downe , i may therefore set my selfe with might and maine to procure it , and in the meane time neglect the state of my soule , and peradventure shipwracke my conscience upon indirect and unwarrantable meanes for fulfilling so warrantable and just a desire . and secondly thereby likewise to inure and habituate the affections to the love of the world , to plunge the soule in earthly delights , and to distill a secret poyson of greedinesse into the heart . for it is with worldly love as with the sea , let it have at the first never so little a gap at which to creepe in , and it will eate out a wider way , till at last it grow too strong for all the bulwarkes and overrun the soule . omne peccatum habet in se mendacium : there is something of the lie in every sinne , but very much in this of worldlinesse , which gets upon a man with slender and modest pretences , till at last it gather impudence and violence by degrees ; even as a man that runnes downe a steepe hill is at last carried not barely by the impulsion of his owne will , but because at first hee engaged himselfe upon such a motion , as in the which it would prove impossible for him to stop at his pleasure . wee reade in saint austens confessions of alipius his companion , who being by much importunity overcome to accompany a friend of his to those bloody romane games , wherein men kill'd one another to make sport for the people ; and yet resolving though hee went with his body , to leave his heart behind him , and for that purpose to keepe his eyes shut , that he might not staine them with so ungodly a spectacle , yet at last upon a mighty shout at the fall of a man , he could not forbeare to see the occasion , and upon that grew to couple with the route , and to applaud the action as the rest did . in another place of the same booke wee reade of monica , the mother of that holy man , that she had so often used to sip the wine that came to her fathers table , that from sipping shee grew to loving , and from thence to excessive drinking , which particulars are by him reported , to shew the deceitfulnesse of sinne in growing upon the conscience , if it can but win the heart to consult , to deliberate , to indulge a little to it selfe at first : for it is in the case of sinne , as it is in treason , qui deliberant desciverunt , to entertaine any the modestest termes of parley with gods enemy is downe-right to forsake him . and if it bee so in any thing , then much more in the love of the world ; for the apostle tels us , 〈◊〉 that is a roote , and therefore we must expect , if ever it get 〈◊〉 in us , partly by reason of its owne fruitfull qualitie , partly by reason of the fertile soyle wherein it is , the corrupt heart of man , partly by reason of satans constant plying it with his husbandry and suggestions , that it will every day grow faster , settle deeper , & spread wider in our soules . by which meanes it must needs likewise create abundance of vexation to the spirits of men . for as manna in the wildernesse , when the people would not be content to have from god their daily bread , but would needs be hoarding and multiplying of it , bred wormes and stanke ; so when men will needs heape up wealth and other earthly supplyes beyond stint or measure , they do but store up wormes to disquiet their minds , that which will rot and annoy the owners . they pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore , saith the prophet of those cruell oppressors that sold the righteous for shooes ; it notes how the fiercenesse of a greedy and unsatiable desire will weare out the strength of a man , make him spend all his wits , and even gaspe out his spirits , in pursuing the poore unto the dust , sucking out their very livelihood and substance , till they are faine to lye downe in the dust . woe unto him , saith the prophet , that encreaseth that which is not his , enlarging his desires as hell and death , that loadeth himselfe with thick clay , that is in other expressions , that storeth up violence and robbery , that heapeth treasures against the last day ; the words shew us what the issue of vehement and indefatigable affections is , they doe but create vexations to a mans owne soule , and all his wealth will at length lye upon his conscience like a load and mountaine of heavy earth . the third degree of vexation is from the enioyment , or rather from the use of earthly things . for though a wicked man may be said to use the creatures , yet in a strict sense he cannot be said to enjoy them . the lord maketh his sunne to shine upon them , giveth them a lawfull interest , possession , and use of them ; but all this doth not reach to a fruition . for that imports a delightfull sweet orderly use of them , which things belong unto the blessings and promises of the gospell . in which respect the apostle saith , that god giveth unto us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , all things richly to enioy . this is the maine sting and vexation of the creature alone without gods more especiall blessing , that in it a man shall still taste a secret curse , which deprives him of that dearenesse and satisfaction which he lookes for from it . false joy like the crackling of thornes he may find , but still there is some flie in the oyntment , some death in the pot , some madnesse in the laughter , which in the midst of all dampes and surprizeth the soule with horrour and sadnesse ; there are still some secret suggestions and whisperings of a guilty conscience , that through all this iordan of pleasure a man swimmes downe apace into a dead sea , that all his delights do but carry him rhe faster unto a finall iudgement , ressevera est verum gaudium : true joy , saith the heathen man , is not a perfunctory , a floating thing , it is serious and massy , it sinkes to the center of the heart : as in nature , the heavens we know are alwayes calme , serene , uniforme , undisturbed ; they are the clouds and lower regions that thunder and bluster ; the sunne and starres rayse up no fogges so high , as that they may imprint any reall blot upon the beauty of those purer bodies , or disquiet their constant and regular motions ; but in the lower regions , by reason of their nearenesse to the earth , they frequently raise up such meteors as often breake forth into thunders and tempests ; so the more heavenly the minde is , the more untainted doth it keepe it selfe from the corruptions and temptations of worldly things , the more quiet and composed is it in all estates ; but in mindes meerely sensuall the hotter gods favours shine , and the faster his raine falles upon them , the more fogges are raised , the higher thornes grow up , the more darkenesse , and distractions do shake the soule of such a man. as fire under water , the hotter it burnes , the sooner it is extingvished by the over-running of the water : so earthly things raise up such tumultuary and disquiet thoughts in the minds of men , as doth at last quite extingvish all the heate and comfort which was expected from them . give me leave to explane this vexation in some one or two of salomons particulars , and to unfold his enforcements thereof out of them . and first to begin with that with which he begins . the knowledge of things , either naturall in this present text , or morall and civill . vers . . of both which he concludeth that they are uanitie and vexation of spirit . the first argument he takes from the weakenesse of it either to restore or correct any thing that is amisse . that which is crooked cannot be made strait . wee may understand it severall waies . first , all our knowledge by reason of mans corruption is but a crooked , ragged , impedite knowledge , and for that reason a vexation to the minde : for rectitude is full of beauty , and crookednesse of deformity . in mans creation his understanding should have walked in the strait path of truth , should have had a distinct view of causes and effects in their immediate successions ; but now sinne hath mingled such confusion with things , that the minde is faine to take many crooked and vast compasses for a little uncertaine knowledge . secondly , the weakenesse of all naturall knowledge is seene in this that it cannot any way either prevent or correct the naturall crookednesse of the smallest things , much lesse make a man solidly and substantially happy . thirdly , that which is crooked cannot be made straite . it is impossible for a man by the exactest knowledge of naturall things to make the nature of a man , which by sinne is departed from its primitive rectitude , strait againe , to repaire that image of god which is so much distorted . when they knew god , they glorified him not as god , they became vaine in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned . it is the apostles speech of the wisest heathen . aristotle , the most rationall heathen man that the world knowes of , in his doctrine confesseth the disability of moral knowledge to rectifie the intemperance of nature , and made it good in his practice ; for he used a common strumpet to satisfie his lust . seneca likewise the exactest stoick which wee meet with , then whom never any man writ more divinely for the contempt of the world , was yet the richest usurer that ever wee read of in ancient stories , though that were a sinne discovered and condemned by the heathen themselves . a second ground of vexation from knowledge is the defects and imperfections of it . that which is wanting cannot be numbred . there are many thousand conclusions in nature which the most inquisitiue iudgement is not able to pierce into , nor resolve into their just principles . nay still the more a man knowes , the more discoveries he makes of things which he knowes not . thirdly , in much wisdome is much griefe , and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow . in civill wisdome , the more able a man is the more service is cast upon him , the more businesses runne through him , the lesse can hee enjoy his time or liberty . his eminence lodes him with envy , jealousies , observation , suspicions , forceth him oftentimes upon unwelcom compliancies , upon colours and inventions to palliate unjust counsels , and stop the clamors of a gainsaying conscience , fills him with feares of miscarriage and disgrace , with projects of honour and plausibility , with restlesse thoughts touching discoveries , preventions , concealements , accommodations , and the like , in one word is very apt to make him a stranger to god and his owne soule . in other learning , let a man but consider , first , the confusion , uncertainty , involvednesse , perplexities of causes and effects by mans sinne ; secondly , the paines of the body , the travell of the minde , the sweate of the braine , the tugging and plucking of the understanding , the very drudgery of the soule to breake through that confusion , and her owne difficulties ; thirdly , the many invincible doubts and errors which wil stil blemish our brightest notions ; fourthly , the great charges which the very instruments and furniture of learning wil put men to ; fifthly , the general disrespect which , when all is done , it findes in the world , great men scorning it as pedantry , ordinary men unable to take notice of it , and great schollers faine to make up a theater amongst themselves ; sixthly , the insufficiency thereof to perfect that which is amisse in our nature , the malignant property thereof to put sinne into armour , to contemne the simplicity and purity of gods word ; and lastly , the neere approach thereof to its owne period , the same death that attendeth us being ready also to bury all our learning in the grave with us : these and infinite ▪ the like considerations must needs mingle much sorrow with the choisest learning . secondly , let us take a view of pleasure . there is nothing doth so much disable in the survey of pleasure as the mixture either of folly or want . when a man hath wisdome to apprehend the exquisitnes of his delights , and variety to keepe out the su●…fet of any one , hee is then fittest to examine what compasse of goodnesse or satisfaction is in them . first then salomon kept his wisedome , he pursued such manly and noble delights as might not vitiate but rather improve his intellectuals . chap. . vers . . . . secondly , his wisedome was furnish'd with variety of subjects to enquire into , he had magnificence and provisions suteable to the greatnesse of his royall minde . sumptuous and delicate diet under the name of wine . vers . . stately edifices . vers . . vineyards and orchards , yea very paradises , as large as woods . vers . . . fish-ponds , and great waters , multitudes of attendants and retinue of all sexes . mighty heards of cattell of all kindes . vers . . great treasures of silver and gold , all kinds of musick vocall and instrumentall ; thirdly , salomon exceedes in all these things all that ever went before him . vers . . fourthly , as he had that most abundant , so likewise the most free , undisturbed , unabated enjoyment of them all , hee with-held not his heart from any joy ; there was no mixture of sicknesse , warre , or any intercurrent difficulties to corrupt their sweetnesse , or blunt the tast of them . here are as great preparations as the heart of man can expect to make an universall survay of those delights which are in the creature : and yet at last upon an impartiall enquirie into all his most magnificent workes , the conclusion is , they were but vanity and vexation of spirit , vers . . which vexation he further explanes . first , by the necessarie divorce which was to come betweene him and them , hee was to leave them all . vers . . secondly , by his disability so to dispose of them as that after him they might remaine in that manner as hee had ordered them . vers . . thirdly , by the effects which these and the like considerations wrought in him ; they were so farre from giving him reall satisfaction , as that first , he hated all his workes , for there is nothing makes one hate more eagerly then disappointment in the good which a man expected . when ammon found what little satisfaction his exorbitant lust received in ravishing his sister tamar , he as fiercely hated her after as he had desir'd her before . secondly , he despaired of finding any good in them ▪ because they be get nothing but travell , drudgery , and unquiet thoughts . lastly let us take a view of riches , the ordinarily most adored idol of all the rest . the wise man saies first in generall , neither riches nor yet abundance of riches will satisfie the soule of man. eccl. . . this he more particularly explanes . first , from the sharers which the encrease of them doth naturally draw after it . vers . . and betweene the owners and the sharers there is no difference but this , an emptie speculation , one sees as his owne , what the other enjoyes to those reall purposes for which they serve as well as he . secondly , from the unquietnes which naturally growes by the encrease of them , which makes an ordinarie drudge in that respect more happy . vers . . thirdly , from the hurt which usually , without some due corrective they bring . vers . . either they hurt a man in himselfe , being strong temptations and materials too of pride , vaine-glory , couetousnesse , luxurie , intemperance , forgetfulnesse of god , love of the world , and by these of disorder , dissolutenesse , and diseases in the body ; or else at least they expose him to the envie , accusations , violences of wicked men . fourthly from their uncertainty of abode , they perish by an evill travell , either gods curse , or some particular humour , lust , or project overturnes a great estate , and posterity is beggerd . fifthly from the certainty of an everlasting separation from them . vers . . . and this he saith is a sore evill , which galles the heart of a worldly man , that hath resolved upon no other heaven then his wealth , when sicknes comes to snatch him away from this his idoll , there is not onely sorrow , but wrath and ●…ury in him . vers . . sixthly , from the disability to use or enjoy them , when a man through inordinate love , or distrustfull providence , or sordidnesse of spirit , or encumbrances of employments , will not while he lives enjoy his abundance , and when he dies hath not , either by his owne covetous prevention , or his successors inhumanity , an honorable buriall . chap. . vers . . . . seventhly , from the narrownesse of any satisfaction which can be received from them , vers . . all the wealth a man hath can reach no higher then the filling of his mouth , then the outward services of the body , the desires of the soule remaine empty still . a glutton may fill his belly , but he cannot fill his lust ; a covetous man may have a hovse full of monie , but hee can never have a heart full of mony ; an ambitious man may have titles enough to overcharge his memorie , but never to fill his pride ; the agitations of the soule would not cease , the curiosity of the understanding would not stand at a stay , though a man could hold all the learning of the great library in his head at once ; the sensualitie of a lascivious man would never be satiated , it would be the more enrag'd , though hee should ty●…e out his strength and waste his spirits , and stupifie all his senses with an excessive intemperance . when men have done all they can with their wisedome and wealth they can fill no more but the mouth , and poverty and folly makes a shift to doe soe too . vers . . the desires wander , the soule ●…oves up and downe as ever . vers . . eighthly , from their disability to protect or rescue a man from evill , to advance the strength of a man beyond what it was before . vers . . though a man could scrape all the wealth in the wo●…ld together , he were but a man still , subject to the same dangers and infirmities as before , nothing can exalt him above , or exempt him from the common lawes of humanity : neither shall he be ever able to contend with him that is mightier then he . all his wealth shall be never able to blinde the eye , or bribe the iustice , or testraine the power of almighty god , if hee bee pleased to inflict the strokes of his vengeance vpon his conscience . the fourth degree of vexation is from the review of them . first , if a man consider the meanes of his getting them . his conscience will oftentimes tell him , that peradventure he hath pursued indirect and unwarrantable wayes of gaine , hath ventured to lye , flatter , sweare , deceive , supplant , undermine , to corrupt and adulterate wares , to hoard up and dissemble them t●…l a dearer season , to trench upon gods day for his owne purposes , that so he might not onely receive , but even steale away blessings from him . secondly , if a man consider the manner , the inordinate and over-eager way of procuring them . how much pretious time hast thou spent which can never be recal'd againe , for one houre whereof a tormented soule in hell would part with all the world if he had the disposall of it , to be but so small a space within the possibilities of salvation againe , how much of this pretious time hast thou spent for that which is no bread , and which satisfieth not ? how many golden opportunities of encreasing the graces of thy soule , of feeding thy faith with more noble and heavenly contemplations on gods truth and promises , on his name and attributes , on his word and worship , of rouzing up thy soule from the sleepe of sinne , of stirring up and new enflaming thy spirituall gifts , of addressing thy selfe to a more serious , assiduous , durable communion with thy god , of mourning for thine owne corruptions , of groning and thirsting after heauenly promises , of renewing thy vowes and resolutions , of besieging and besetting heauen with thy more vrgent and retired prayers , of humbling thy selfe before thy god , of bewayling the calamities , the stones , the dust of sion , of deprecating and repelling approching iudgements , of glorifying god in all his wayes , things of pretious , spirituall and everlasting consequence , how many of these golden opportunities hath thy too much absurd love and attendance on the world stolne from thee ? and surely to a soule illightned these must needs be matters of much vexation . thirdly , if a man consider the use he hath made of them : how they have stolne away his heart from trusting in god to rely on them ; how they have diverted his thoughts from the life to come , and bewitched him to dote on present contentmens ; to love life , to feare death , to dispence with much unjust liberty , to gather rust and securitie in gods worship ? how much excesse and intemperance they have provoked , how little of them have been spent on gods glory and church , how small a portion we have repaid him in his ministers or in his members ? how few naked backes they have clothed ? how few empty bellies they have filled ? how few langvishing bowels they have refreshed ? how few good workes and services they have rewarded ? these are considerations which unto sensible consciences must sometime or other beget much vexation . fourthly , if a man consider his owne former experiences , or the examples of others that bring the vanitie of these earthly things into minde . how some of his choysest pleasures have now out-liv'd him and are expir'd ; how the lord hath snatched from his dearest embracements those idols which were set up against his glory ; how many of his hopes have fail'd , of his expectations and presumptions proved abortive ; how much mony at one time a sicknesse , at another a suite , at a third a thiefe , at a fourth a shipwrack or miscariage , at a fifth , yea at a twentieth time a lust hath consum'd and eaten out ; how many examples there are in the world of withered and blasted estates , of the curse of god not onely like a moth insensibly consuming , but like a lyon suddenly tearing asunder great possessions . the last degree of uexation from the creature is from the disposing of them . all creatures , sinners especially , that have no hope or portion in another life , doe naturally love a present earthly immortality : and therefore though they cannot have it in themselves , yet as the philosopher saith of living creatures , the reason why they generate is , that that immortality which in their owne particulars they cannot have , they may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so farre as they are able procure in the species or kinde which they thus preserve ; so rich and worldly men , though they cannot be immortall on the earth themselves , yet they affect an immortality in their names and dwelling places , psal. . . and therefore they desire to transmit their substance unto such successors as may haue wisedome and noblenesse of minde to continue it . now then if a man either have no heire , or one that is so active as to alter , or so carelesse and supine as to ruine all , either base to dishonor the house , or profuse to overthrow it , these and many other the like doubts must needs infinitely perplex the mindes of men , greedy to perpetuate their names and places , eccles. . . . the second thing which we proposed to consider in this argument was the grounds of this vexation . i shall name but three . gods curse ; mans corruption ; and the creatures deceitfulnesse . i have at large before insisted on the curse considered alone , now i am to shew in one word the issuing of vexation therefrom . the curse of the creature is as it were the poison and contagion of it ; and let a man mixe poison in the most delicate wine , it will but so much the easier , by the nimblenesse of the spirits there , invade the parts of the body , and torment the bowels . gold of it selfe is a pretious thing , but to be shackled with fetters of gold , to have it turn'd into a use of bondage , addes mockery to the affliction ; and farre more pretious to a particular man is a chaine of iron which drawes him out of a pit , then a chaine of gold which clogs him in a prison ; a key of iron which lets him out of a dungeon , then a barre of gold that shuts him in . if a man should have a great diamond curiously cut into sharpe angles , worth many thousand pounds , in his bladder , no man would count him a rich , but a miserable and a dead man ; this is just the case betweene a man and the creatures of themselves without christ to sanctifie them unto us ; though the things be excellent in their owne being , yet mingled with our corruptions and lusts , they are turned into poison , into the gall of aspes within a man , they will not suffer him to feele any quietnesse in his belly , in the fulnesse of his sufficiencie he shall be in straights , and while hee is eating , the furie of wrath shall raine downe upon him . let a mans meate be never so sweet in it selfe , yet if hee should temper the sawce with dirt out of a sinke , it would make it altogether loathsome ; and a wicked man eates all his meate like swine wrapp'd up and over-dawb'd with dirt and curses . a little , saith salomon , which the righteous hath is better then great riches of the ungodly : in se it is not , but quoad hominem , in regard of the man it is : for that little which a righteous man hath is to him an experience of gods promise , a branch of his love , a meanes of thankefull affections in him , a viaticum unto heaven ; whereas the wicked mans abundance turnes into his greater curse , their table becomes their snare , and those things which should have been for their good prove unto them an occasion of falling . god makes his sunne to shine on the iust and on the unjust , on a garden of spices and on a dunghill : but in the one it begetteth a sweete favour of praise and obedience , in the other it raiseth up noisome lusts , which prove a savour unto death . and who had not rather be free in a cottage , then condemn'd in a palace ? saint paul distinguisheth of a reward and a dispensation . if i preach the gospell willingly i have a reward , if against my will a dispensation is committed unto me . we may apply it to our purpose . those good things which the faithfull enjoy though but small are yet rewards and accessions unto the kingdome of god and his righteousnesse , and so long they bring joy and peace with them ; but unto the wicked they are meerely a dispensation , they have onely the burden and businesse , not the reward nor benediction of the creature . the second ground is the corruption of nature , which maketh bitter and uncleane every thing that toucheth it . it polluteth holy flesh , much more will it pollute ordinary things . we reade of a roule which was sweete in the mouth , but bitternesse in the belly : such are the creatures ; in the bowels of men , their hearts and consciences ( which are the seminaries of corruption ) they turne into gall , however in the mouth they have some smatch of honie in them . for this is a constant rule , then only doth the creature satisfie a man when it is suteable to his occasions and necess●…ies . the reason why the same proportion is unsufficient for a prince , which is abundant for a private man , is because the occasions of the prince are more vast , massie , and numerous then the occasions of a private man. now the desires and occasions of a man in christ , that doth not ransacke the creature for happinesse , are limited and shortned , whereas another mans are still at large : for he is in a way , his eye is upon an end , he useth the world but as an inne , and no man that travels home-ward will multiply businesses unnecessarily upon himselfe in the way . in his house he can finde sundry employments to busie himselfe about , the education of his children , the governement of his family , the managing of his estate are able to fill up all his thoughts , whereas in the inne he cares for nothing but his refreshment and rest : so here , the faithfull make their home their businesse , how to have their conversation in heaven , how to have a free and comfortable use of the foo●…e of life , how to relish the mercies of god , how to governe their evill hearts , how to please god their father and christ their husband , how to secure their interest in their expected inheritance , how to thrive in grace , to bee rich in good workes , to purchase to themselves a further degree of glory , how to entaile their spirituall riches to their posterity in a pious education of their children , these are their employments : the things of this life are not matters of their home , but onely comfortable refreshments in the way , which therefore they use not as their grand occasions to create businesses to them , but only as interims and necessary respites . so that hereby their occasions being few and narrow , those things which they here enjoy are unto those occasions largely suteable , and by consequent very satisfactory unto their desires . but worldly men are here at home , they have their portion in this life : hereupon their desires are vast , and their occasions springing out of those desires , infinite . a man in the right way findes at last an end to his journey , but hee that is out of the way wanders infinitely without any successe . rest is that which the desires and wings of the soule doe still carry men upon . now the faithfull being alwayes in the way , doe with comfort goe on , though it be peradventure deepe and heavie , because they are sure it will bring them home at last ; but wicked men in a fairer way are never satisfied , because they have not before them that rest which their soule desires . for inordinate lusts are ever infinite . what made the heathen burne in lust one towards another , but because the way of nature is finite , but the way of sinne infinite ? what made nero that wicked emperour have an officer about him , who was called arbiter neroniana libidinis , the inventer and contriver of new wayes of uncleannesse , but because lust is infinite ? what made messalina , that prodigie of women , whom i presume saint paul had a particular relation to , rom. . . profluere ad incognitas libidines , as the historian speakes , prostitute her selfe with greedinesse unto unnaturall and unknowne abominations , but because lust is infinite ? what makes the ambitious man never leave climbing , till he build a nest in the starres ; the covetous man never leave scraping , till he fill bagges , and chests , and houses , and yet can never fill the hell of his owne desires ; the epicure never cease swallowing , and spuing , and staggering , and inventing new arts of catches , and rounds , and healths , and caps , and measures , and damnation ; the swearer finde out new gods to invocate , and have change of oathes as it were of fashions ; the superstitious traveller runne from england to rhemes , and from thence to rome , and from rome to loretto , and after that to ierusalem to worship the milke of our lady , or the cratch and tombe of our saviour , or the nailes of his crosse , or the print of his feete , and i know not what other fond delusions of silly men , who had rather finde salvation any where then in the scriptures ; what is the reason of these and infinite the like absurdities , but because lust is infinite ? and infinite lust will breed infinite occasions , and infinite occasions will require infinite wealth , and infinite wit , and infinite strength , and infinite instruments to bring them about : and this must needs beget much vexation of minde not to have our possessions in any measure proportionable to our occasions . the third and last ground is the creatures deceitfulnesse , there is no one thing will more disquiet the minde then to be defeated . those things wherein men feare miscarriage , or expect disappointment , they prepare such a disposition of mind as may be fit to beare it : but when a man is surpriz'd with evill , the novelty encreaseth the vexation . and therefore the scripture useth to expresse the greatnesse of a judgement by the unexpectednesse of it : when thou didst terrible things which we looked not for . the unexpectance doth adde unto the terror . a breach in an instant , a momentary , a sudden destruction , a swift damnation , a flying roule , a winged woman ; such are the expressions of a severe iudgement . and therefore it was a wise observation which tacitus made of a great romane , he was ambiguarum rerum sciens , eoque intrepidus ; he foresaw , and by consequence was not so much troubled with evill events , as those whom they did surprize . now men are apt to promise themselves much con●…entment in the fruition of earthly things , like the foole in the parable , and to be herein disappointed is the ground of much vexation . when a man travels in deepe way & sees before him a large smoothe plaine , he presumes that will recompence the wile he was formerly put to ; but when he comes to it , and findes it as rotten , as full of sloughs , and bogs and quagmires as his former way , his trouble is the more multiplied , because his hopes are deceiv'd : the divell and the world beget in mens mindes large hopes , and make profuse promises to those that will worship them ; and a man at a distance sees abundance of pleasure and happinesse in riches , honors , high place , eminent employments , and the like ; but when he hath his hearts desire , and peradventure hath out-climb'd the very modesty of his former wishes , hath ventur'd to breake through many a hedge , to make gaps through gods law and his owne conscience , that he might by shorter passages hasten to the idoll he so much worshipped , he findes at last that there was more trouble in the fruition , then expectation at the distance ; that all this is but like the egyptian temples , where through a stately frontispice and magnificent structure a man came with much preparations of reverence and worship but to the image of an vgly ape , the ridiculous idoll of that people . a man comes to the world as to a lottry with a head full of hopes and projects to get a prize , and returnes with a heart full of blankes , utterly deluded in his expectation . the world useth a man as ivie doth an oke , the closer it gets to the heart , the more it clings and twists about the affections ( though it seeme to promise and flatter much ) yet it doth indeed but eate out his reall substance and choake him in the embraces . first then they deceive our judgements , make us thinke better of them then they deserue ; they deale with us as the philistines with sampson , they begin at our eyes . thus the divell began to beguile eve , when she saw that the tree was good , and pleasant to the eyes , then being thus first deceived , she became a transgressor : and thus esau disputes himselfe out of his birth-right ; i am at the point of death , the pottage will make me live , the birth-right will not goe into the grave with me ; i will preferre my life before my priviledge . secondly , they deceive our hopes and expectations . achan promised himselfe much happinesse in a wedge of gold and babylonish garment ; but they were denoted and cursed things , they did not only deceive him , but undoe him ; the wedge of gold ( if i may so speake ) did serue to no other purpose but to cleave asunder his soule from his body , and the babylonish garment but for a shrowd . gehazies presumptions were vast , and the bargaine he thought very easie to buy garments , and olive yards , and vineyards , and sheepe and oxen , and man-servants and maide-servants at the price of an officious and mercenarie lye , he thought he had provided well for his posterity by the reward of naaman ; but the event proves quite contrarie , he provided nothing but a leprosie for himselfe and his seede forever . they deceive our hopes in respect of good ; they promise long life , and yet the same night a mans soule is taken from him , and they the instruments of that calamity : how many men have perished by their honours ? how many have beene eaten up by their pleasures ? how many hath the greedy desire of wealth powred out into the grave ? they promise peace and safety ( as we see how israel boasted in their mountaines , confederacies , supplies from egypt and assyria , in their owne counsels and inventions ) and yet all these end in shame and disappointment ; they promise liberty , and yet make men slaves unto vile lusts : they promise fitnesse for gods service , and nothing more apt to make men forget him or his worship : thus all those phantasticall felicities , which men build upon the creature , prove in the end to have been nothing else but the banquet of a dreaming man , nothing but lies and vanitie in the conclusion . lastly , they deceive us likewise in respect of evill . no creatures , however they may promise immunitie and deliverance , can doe a man any good when the lord will be pleased to send evill upon him . and yet it is not for nothing that a truth so universally confessed should yet bee repeated in the scripture , that silver , and gold , and corruptible things are not a fit price for the soules of men . doubtlesse the holy men of god forsaw a time when false christs , and false prophets should come into the world , which should set salvation to sale , and make merchandise of the soules of men ( as wee see at this day in popish indulgences , and penance , and the like no lesse ridiculous then impious superstitions ) . neither is it for nothing that salomon tells us , that riches yea whole treasures doe not profit in the day of death : a speech repeated by two prophets after him . for surely those holy men knew how apt wealth and greatnesse is to bewitch a man with conceits of immortality , as hath been shewed . who were they that made a covenant with death , and were at an agreement with hell to passe from them , but the scornfull men , the rulers of the people , which had abundance of wealth and honour ? who were they that did put far away the evill day , & in despight of the prophets threatnings did flatter themselves in the conceite of their firme and inconcussible estate , but they who were at ease in sion , who trusted upon the mountaines of samaria , who lay upon beds of i●…orie , and stretch'd themselves upon their couches . but we see all this was but deceite , they go captive with the first of those that go captive , & the banket of them that stretched themselves is removed . all earthly supports without god are but like a stately house on the sand , without a foundation ; a man shal be buried in his owne pride . he that is strong shall be to seeke of his strength , he that is mighty & should deliver others , shall be too weak for his own defence , he that is swift shall be amaz'd , and not dare to fly ; if he be a bowman , at a great distance , if he be a rider & have a great advantage , he shal yet be overtaken , and he that is couragious , & adventures to stand out , shall be faine to flye away naked at the last . what ever hopes or refuges any creature cā afford a man in these troubles , they are nothing but froth & vanity , the lord challenges & derides them al. and the prophet esay gives a sound reason of it all , the egyptians are men and not god , & their horses are flesh & not spirit , when the lord shal stretch out his hand , both he that helpeth , shall fall , and he that is helpen shal fal down , and they al shal faile together . before wee proceed to the last thing proposed ; here is a question to be answered . if the creatures be so full of vexation , it should seeme that it is unprofitable and by consequence unlawfull either to labour or to pray for them . which yet is plainely contrary to christs direction , give us our daylie bread , and contrary to the practice of the saints who use to call for the fatnesse of the earth and dew of heaven , peace of walls and prosperity of palaces upon those whom they blesse . to which i answere . that which is evill by accident doth not prejudice that which is good in it selfe and by gods ordination . now the vexation which hath been spoken of is not an effect flowing naturally out of the condition of the creature , but ariseth meerely by accident , upon the reason of its separation from god , who at first did appoint his owne blessed communion to goe along with his creatures . now things which are good in themselves , but accidentally evill may justly be the object of our prayers and endeavours : and so on the otherside , many things there are which in themselves alone are evill , yet by the providence and disposition of god they have a good issue , they worke together for the best to them that love god. it was good for david that he had been afflicted : yet wee may not lawfully pray for such evils on our selves or others , upon presumption of gods goodnesse to turne them to the best . who doubts that the calamities of the church doe at this time stirre up the hearts of men to seeke the lord and his face , and to walke humbly and fearefully before him ; yet that man should be a curse and prodigie in the eyes of god and men , who should still pray for the calamities of sion , and to see the stones of ierusalem still in the dust . death is in it selfe an evill thing ( for the apostle calles it an enemy , . cor. . ) yet by the infinite power and mercy of god , who delights to bring good out of evill , and beauty out of ashes , it hath not onely the sting taken away , but is made an entrance into gods owne presence , with reference unto which benefit , the apostle desireth to be dissolved and to be with christ , phil. . . now notwithstanding this goodnesse which death by accident brings along with it , yet being in it selfe a destructive thing , we may lawfully in the desires of our soule shrinke from it and decline it . example whereof we have in the death of christ himselfe , which was of all as the most bitter , so the most pretious : and yet by reason of that bitternesse which was in it , hee prayes against it , presenting unto his father the desires of his soule for that life which he came to lay downe : as his obedience to his father , and love to his church made him most willingly embrace death , so his love to the integritie of his humane nature , and feare of so heavy pressures as he was to feele , made him as seriously to decline it . and though the apostle did most earnestly desire to be with christ , yet he did in the same desire decline the common rode thither through the darke passages of death , . cor. . . vnlawfull indeed it is for any man to pray universally against death , because that were to withstand the statutes of god , heb . . but against any particular danger wee may ; as ezechiah did , . king. . , . reserving still a generall submission to the will and decrees of god. for we are bound in such a case to use all good meanes , and to pray for gods blessing upon them , which amounts to a prayer against the danger it selfe . so then , by the rule of contraries , though the creatures be full of vanitie and vexation , yet this must not swallow up the apprehension of that goodnesse which god hath put into them , nor put off the desires of men from seeking them of god in those just prayers which he hath prescribed , and in those lawfull endeavours which he hath commanded and allowed . the third thing proposed was the consideration of that vse which we should make of this vexation of the creature . and first the consideration thereof mingled with faith in the heart must needes worke humiliation in the spirit of a man , upon the sight of those sinnes which have so much defaced the good creatures of god. sinne was the first thing that did pester the earth with thornes , gen. . . . and hath fill'd all the creation with vanitie and bondage . sinne is the ulcer of the soule ; touch a wound with the softest lawne , and there will smart arise ; so though the creatures be never so harmelesse , yet as soone as they come to the heart of a man , there is so much sinne and corruption there , as must needs beget paine to the soule . the palate , prepossest with a bitter humour , findes it owne distemper in the sweetest meate it tastes ; so the soule , having the ground of bitternesse in it selfe , finds the same affection in every thing that comes neere it . death it self , though it be none of gods works , but the shame and deformitie of the creature , yet without sinne it hath no sting in it , . cor. . . how much lesse sting , thinke we , have those things which were made for the comforts of mans life , if sinne were not the serpent that did lurke under them all ? doest thou then in thy swiftest careere of earthly delights , when thou art posting in the wayes of thy heart , and in the sight of thine eyes , feele a curbe privily galling thy conscience , a secret dampe seizing upon thy soule , and affrighting it with dismall suspicions and trembling pre-occupations of attending judgements , see a hand against the wall writing bitter things against thee ? dost thou in all thy lawfull callings finde much sweat of brow , much toyle of braine , much plunging of thoughts , much care of heart in compassing thy just and lawfull intendments ? doe not lose the opportunitie of that good which all this may suggest unto thee , take advantage to fish in this troubled water . certainely there is some ionah that hath raysed this storme , there is some sinne or other that hath caused all this trouble to thy soule . doe not repine at gods providence , nor quarrell with the dumbe creatures , but let thine indignation reflect upon thine owne heart ; and as ever thou hopest to have the sweat of thy brow abated , or the care of thy heart remitted , or the curse of the creature removed , cast thy selfe downe before god , throw out thy sinne , awake thy saviour with the cry of thy repentance , and all the stormes will be suddenly calmed . certainely the more power any man hath over the corruption of his nature , the lesse power hath the sting of any creature over his heart . though thou hast but a dinner of herbes with a quiet conscience , reconciled unto god , thou dost therein finde more sweetnesse then in a fatted oxe with the contentions of a troubled heart . when ever therefore we finde this thorne in the creature , wee should throw our selves downe before god , and in some such manner as this bewaile the sinne of our heart , which is the roote of that thorne . lord , thou art a god of peace and beauty , and what ever comes from thee must needs originally have peace and beauty in it . the earth was a paradise when thou didst first bestow it upon me , but my sinne hath turned it into a desert , and curs'd all the increase thereof with thornes . the honour which thou gavest me was a glorious attribute , a sparkle of thine owne fire , a beame of thine owne light , an impresse of thine owne image , a character of thine owne power ; but my sinne hath put a thorne into mine honour , my greedinesse when i look upward to get higher , and my giddinesse when i looke downeward for feare of falling , never leaves my heart without angvish and vexation . the pleasure which thou allowest mee to enjoy is full of sweet refreshment , but my sinne hath put a thorne into this likewise ; my excesse and sensualitie hath so choaked thy word , so stifled all seeds of noblenesse in my minde , so like a canker overgrowne all my pretious time , stolne away all opportunities of grace , melted and wasted all my strength , that now my refreshments are become my diseases . the riches which thou gavest me , as they come from thee , are soveraigne blessings , wherewith i might abundantly have glorified thy name , and served thy church , and supplyed thy saints , and made the eyes that saw mee to blesse mee , and the ●…ares that heard me , to beare witnesse to me , wherewith i might have covered the naked backe , and cured the bleeding wounds , and filled the hungry bowels , and satisfied the fainting desires of mine owne saviour in his distressed members ; but my sinne hath put in so many thornes of pride , hardnesse of heart , uncompassionatenesse , endlesse cares , securitie and resolutions of sinne , and the like , as are ready to pierce me thorow with many sorrowes . the calling wherein thou hast placed me is honest and profitable to men , wherein i might spend my time in glorifying thy name , in obedience to thy will , in attendance on thy blessings ; but my sinne hath brought so much ignorance and inapprehension upon my understanding , so much weakenesse upon my body , so much intricatenesse upon my employments , so much rust and sluggishnes upon my faculties , so much earthly-mindednesse upon my heart , as that i am not able without much discomfort to goe on in my calling . all thy creatures are of thems●…lves full of honour and beauty , the beames and gli●…pses of thine owne glory ; but our sinne hath stained the beauty of thine owne handy-worke , so that now thy wrath is as well revealed from heaven as thy glory , we now see in them the prints as well of thy terrours as of thy goodnesse . and now , lord , i doe in humblenesse of heart truly abhorre my selfe , and abominate those cursed sinnes , which have not onely defiled mine owne nature and person , but have spread deformitie and confusion upon all those creatures , in which thine owne wisedome and power had planted so great a beauty , and so sweet an order . after some such manner as this ought the consideration of the thornynesse of the creature humble us in the sight of those sinnes which are the rootes thereof . secondly , the consideration hereof should make us wise to prevent those cares which the creatures are so apt to beget in the heart : those i meane which are branches of the vexation of the creature . there is a two fold care , regular and irregular . care is then regular , first , when it hath a right end , such as is both suteable with and subordinate to our maine end , the kingdome of god , and his righteousnesse . secondly , when the meanes of procuring that end are right ; for we may not do evill to effect good. recovery was a lawfull end which ahaziah did propose , but to enquire of baalzebub was a meanes which did poyson the whole businesse : nay saint austin is resolute , that if it were possible by an officious lie to compasse the redemption of the whole world , yet so weighty and universall a good must rather bee let fall , then brought about by the smallest evill . thirdly , when the manner of it is good , and that is , first , when the care is moderate , phil. . , . secondly , when it is with submission to the will and wisedome of god , when wee can with comfort of heart , and with much confidence of a happy issue recommend every thing that concernes us to his providence and disposall , can bee content to have our humours mastered , and conceits captiuated to his obedience , when we can with david resolve not to torment our hearts with needlesse & endlesse projects , but to rowle our selves upon gods protection . if i shall finde favour in his eyes , he will bring me againe , and me shew both the arke and his habitation ; but if he say thus unto me , i have no delight in thee , let him doe to me as seemeth good unto him . such was the resolution of eli , it is the lord , let him doe what seemeth him good . such the submission of the disciples of cesarea , when they could not perswade paul to stay from ierusalem , the will of the lord be do●…e . cleane contrary to that wicked resolution of the king of israel in the famine , this evill is of the lord , what should i waite for the lord any longer . now in this respect care is not a vexation but a duty ; he is worse then an infidel that provides not for his own . our saviour himselfe had a bag in his familie , and salomon sends foolish and improvident men unto the smallest creatures to learne this care . prov. . . that care then which is a branch of this vexation is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a cutting , dividing , distracting care , against which wee ought the rather to strive , not onely because it is so apt to arise from the creature coupling in with the corruption of mans heart , but also because of its owne evill quality , it being both superfluous and sinfull . first , irregular cares are superfluous , and improper to the ends which we direct them upon , and that not to our maine end onely , happinesse , which men toyling to discover in the creature where it is not , doe insteed thereof finde nothing but trouble and vexation ; but even to those lower ends which the creatures are proper and suteable unto . for unto us properly belongs the industry , but unto god the care , unto us the labour and use of meanes , but unto god the blessing and successe of all . though paul plant and apollo waters , it is god onely that can give the increase , he must be trusted with the events of all our industry . peter never began to sinke till he began to doubt , that was the fruit of his carking and unbeliefe . which of you by taking thought can adde one cubit to his stature , saith christ , our cares can never bring to passe our smallest desires ; because i say the care of events was ever gods prerogative and belonged wholly to his providence . vpon him wee must cast our care , upon him we must vnlode our burdens , and he will sustaine us . wee are all of one family , of the houshold of god and of faith , now we know children are not to lay vp for parents , but parents for children . if we should see a childe carke and toyle for his living , wee should presently conclude that he was left to the wide world , and had no father to provide for him ; and that is our saviours argument , take no thought , for your heavenly father knoweth you have need of these things . let us therefore learne to cast our selves upon god. first , infaith depending vpon the truth of his promises , he hath said i will not faile thee nor forsake thee , and upon the all-sufficiency of his power , our god whom we serve is able to deliver us . this was that which comforted david in that bitter distresse , when ziglag was burnt by the amalekites , his wives taken captive , and himselfe ready to be stoned by the people , he encouraged himselfe in the lord his god. this was that which delivered asa from the huge hoste of the lubims and ethiopians , because he rested on god ; and all which afterwards hee got by his diffidence and carnall projects , was to purchase to himselfe perpetuall warres . that which grieved the lord with his people in the wildernesse was their distrust of his power and protection , can he spread a table in the wildernesse ? can hee give bread also and flesh for his people ? and indeed as caines despaire , so in some proportion , any fainting under temptation , any discontent with our estate , proceede from this , that we measure god by our selves , that wee conceive of his power onely by those issues and wayes of escape which we are by our owne wisedomes able to fore-cast , and when we are so straitened that wee can see no way to turne , there we give over trusting god , as if our sinnes were greater then could be forgiven , or our afflictions then could be removed . it is therefore a notable meanes of establishing the heart in all estates , to have the eye of faith fixed upon the power god , to consider that his thoughts and contrivances are as much above ours , as heaven is above the earth ; and therefore to resolve with ieroboam , that when wee know not what to doe , yet we will have our eyes upon him still . sonne of man , saith the lord to ezekiel , can these dead bones live ; and hee answered , o lord god thou knowest . thy thoughts are aboue our thoughts ; and where things are to us impossible , they are easie unto thee . secondly , by prayer . this is a maine remedy against carefull thoughts . when the apostle had exhorted the philippians , that their moderation , that is , their equanimitie and calmenesse of minde in regard of outward things , should bee knowne unto all men , he presseth it with this excellent reason , the lord is at hand , he is ever at home in his owne family , he is neere to see the wants , and to heare the cries of all that come unto him ; therefore saith hee , bee carefull for nothing , but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thankesgiving ( thankesgiving for what you have , and prayer for what you want ) let your requests be made knowne unto god , and hee shall furnish you with peace in all estates . a notable example of which promise we have in anna the mother of samuel ; in the bitternesse of her soule she wept , and did not eate ( namely of the sacrifices , which were to be eaten with rejoycing ) then she prayed , and vowed a vow unto the lord , and having cast her cares upon him , she then went her way , and did eate , and her countenance was no more sad . ezekiah in his sicknesse chattered like a swallow , and mourned as a dove ; but after his prayer he sung songs of deliverance to the stringed instruments . habaknk before his prayer trembled , but after his prayer hee triumphed in the midst of death . david full of heavinesse and of gronings in his prayer , but after as full of comfort against all his enemies . secondly , as irregular cares are needlesse and superfluous , so they are sinnefull too . first , in regard of their obiect , they are worldly cares , the cares of the men of this world : therein wee declare our selves to walke in conformitie to the gentiles , as if wee had no better foundation of quietnesse and contentment then the heathen which know not god. and this is christs argument , after all these things do the gentiles seeke . we are taken out of the world , wee have not received the spirit of the world , and therefore wee must not bee conformable unto the world , nor bring forth the fruits of a worldly spirit , but walke as men that are set apart , as a peculiar people , and that have heavenly promises , and the grace of god to establish our hearts . illi terrena sapiant qui promissa coelestia non habent , it is seemely for those alone who have no other portion but in this life , to fixe their thoughts and cares here . secondly , they are sinnefull in regard of their causes , and they are principally two . first , inordinate lust or coveting , the running of the heart after covetousnesse ; secondly , distrust of gods providence , for those desires which spring from lust can never have faith to secure the heart in the expectation of them . lastly , they are sinnefull in their effects . first , they are murthering cares , they worke sadnesse , suspicions , uncomfortablenes , and at last death . secondly , they are choaking cares , they take of the heart from the word , and thereby make it unfruitfull . thirdly , they are adulterous cares , they steale away the heart from god , and set a man at enmity against him . in all which respects wee ought to arme our selves against them . which that we may the better doe , wee will in the last place propose two sorts of directions . first , how to make the creature no vexing creature . secondly , how to vse it as a vexing creature : for the former . first , pray for conveniencie , for that which is suteable to thy minde , i meane not to the lusts , but to the abilities of thy minde . labour ever to sure thy occasions to thy parts , and thy supplies to thy occasions . if a ship out of greedinesse be overloaden with gold , it will be in danger of sinking , notwithstanding the capacity of the sides be not a quarter filled ; on the other side fill it to the brimme with feathers , and it will still tosse up and downe for want of due ballasting : so is it in the lives of men , some have such greedy desires , that they thinke they can runne through all sorts of businesse and so never leave loading themselves , till their hearts sinke and be swallowed up with worldly sorrow and securitie in sinne : others set their affections on such triviall things , that though they should have the fill of all their desires , their mindes would still be as floating and unsetled as before . resolve therefore to do with thy selfe as men with their ships . there may a tempest arise , when thou must be constrained to throw out all thy wares into the sea ; such were the times of the apostles and after bloudy persecutions , when men were put to forfake father , mother , wife , children , nay to have the ship it selfe broken to pieces , that the marriner within might escape upon the ruines . but besides this , in the calmest and securest times of the church these two things thou must ever looke to , if thou tender thine owne tranquillity . first , fill not thy selfe onely with light things . such are all the things of this world in themselves , besides the roome and cumbersomenesse of them ( as light things take up ever the most roome ) they still leave the soule floating and unsetled . doe therefore as wise mariners , have strong and substantiall ballasting in the bottome , faith in gods promises , love and feare of his name , a foundation of good workes , and then what ever becomes of thy other loading , thy ship it selfe shall bee safe at last , thou shalt be sure in the greatest tempest to have thy life for a prey . secondly , consider the burden of thy vessell ; all ships are not of an equall capacity , and they must be fraighted , and mann'd , and victualed with proportiō to their burden . al men have not the same abilities , some have such a measure of grace as enables them with much wisedome and improvement to manage such an estate as would puffe up another with pride , sensualitie , superciliousnesse , and forgetfulnesse of god. againe some men are fitted to some kinde of employments , not to others , as some ships are for merchandise , others for warre ; and in these varieties of states every man should pray for that which is most suteable to his disposition and abilities , which may expose him to fewest temptations , or at least by which he may bee most serviceable in the body of christ , and bring most glory to his master . this was the good prayer of agur , give me neither poverty nor riches , feed me with food convenient for me : this is that we all pray , give us our daylie bread , that which is most proportion'd to our condition , that which is fittest for us to have , and most advantageous to the ends of that lord whom wee serve . secondly , labour ever to get christ into thy ship , hee will check every tempest , and calme every vexation that growes upon thee . when thou shalt consider that his truth , and person , and honor is imbarked in the same vessell with thee , thou maist safely resolve on one of these , either he will be my pilot in the ship , or my planke in the sea to carry me safe to land ; if i suffer in his companie , and as his member , he suffers with me , and then i may triumph to be made any way conformable vnto christ my head . if i have christ with me , there can no estate come which can be cumbersome unto me . have i a load of misery and infirmity inward , outward , in minde , body , name or estate , this takes away the vexation of all , when i consider it all comes from christ , and it all runnes into christ. it all comes from him as the wise disposer of his owne bodie , and it all runnes into him as the compassionate sharer with his owne bodie : it all comes from him who is the distributer of his fathers gifts , and it all runns into him who is the partaker of his members sorrows . if i am weake in body , christ my head was wounded , if weake in minde , christ my head was heavie unto death . if i suffer in my estate , christ my head became poore , as poore as a servant , if in my name christ , my head was esteemed vile , as vile as beelzebub . paul was comforted in the greatest tempest with the presence of an angel , how much more with the grace of christ ; when the thorne was in his flesh , and the buffets of satan about his soule , yet then was his presence a plentifull protection , my grace is sufficient for thee , and hee confesseth it elsewhere , i am able to doe all things through christ that strengthens me . christs head hath sanctified any thornes , his back any surrowes , his hands any nailes , his side any speare , his heart any sorrow that can come to mine . againe , have i a great estate , am i loden with abundance of earthly things , this takes away all the vexation that i have christ with me ; his promise to sanctifie it , his wisedome to manage it , his glory to be by it advanced , his word to be by it maintained , his anointed ones to be by it supplied , his church to be by it repaired , in one word his poverty to be by it relieved . for as christ hath strength and compassion to take of the burden of our afflictions , so hath he poverty too , to ease that vexation which may grow from our abundance . if thou hadst a whole wardrobe of cast apparrell , christ hath more nakednesse then all that can cover ; if whole barnes ful of corne , and cellars of wine , christ hath more empty bowels then al that can fill ; if all the pretious drugs in a country , christ hath more sicknes then all that can cure ; if the power of a mighty prince , christ hath more imprisonment then all that can enlarge ; if a whole house full of silver and gold , christ hath more distressed members to be comforted , more breaches in his church to be repaired , more enemies of his gospel to be oppos'd , more defenders of his faith to be supplied , more urgencies of his kingdom to be attended , then al that wil serve for . christ professeth himself to be still hungry , naked , sick , and in prison , and to stand in need of our visits and supplies . as all the good which christ hath done is ours , by reason of our communion with him , so all the ●…vill wee suffer is christs , by reason of his compassion with us . the apostle saith that we sit together with christ in heavenly places , and the same apostle saith , that the suffrings of christ are made up in his mēbers . nos ibi sedemus , et ille hic laborat . we are glorified in him , and he pained in us , in all his honor we are honored , and in al our affliction he is afflicted . thirdly , cast out thy ionah , every sleeping and secure sinne that brings a tempest upon thy ship , vexation to thy spirit . it may be thou hast an execrable thing , a wedge of gold , a babylonish garment , a bagge full of unjust gaine , gotten by sacriledge , disobedience , mercilesnes , oppression , by detaining gods , or thy neighbours rights ; it may be thou hast a da●…la , a strange woman in thy bosome , that brings a rot upon thine estate , and turnes it all into the wages of a whore ; what ever thy sicknesse , what ever thy plague be , as thou tenderest the tranquillity of thine estate rouse it up from its sleepe by a faithfull , serious and impartiall examination of thine owne heart , and though it be as deare to thee as thy right eye , or thy right hand , thy choicest pleasure or thy chiefest profit , yet cast●… out in an humble confession unto god , in a hearty and willing restitution unto men , in opening thy close and contracted bowels to those that never yet enjoy'd comforts from them ; then shall quietnesse arise unto thy soule , and that very gaine which thou throwest away is but cast upon the waters , the lord will provide a whale to keepe it for thee , and will at last restore it thee whole againe . the last direction which i shall give to remove the vexation of the creature is out of the text , and that is , to keepe it from thy spirit , not to suffer it to take up thy thoughts and inner man. they are not negotia but viatica onely , and a mans heart ought to be upon his businesse and not upon accessories . if in a tempest men should not addresse themselves to their offices , to loose the tacklings , to draw the pumpe , to strike sailes , and lighten the vessell , but should make it their sole worke to gaze upon their commodities , who could expect that a calme should droppe into such mens laps . beloved when the creatures have rais'd a tempest of vexation , thinke upon your offices , to the pumpe , to powre out thy corruptions , to the sailes and tackling , abate thy lusts and the provisions of them , to thy faith , to live above hope , to thy patience , it is the lord , let him doe as seemeth good to him , to thy thankfulnesse , the lord giveth and the lord taketh away , blessed be the name of the lord. if iob should have gazed on his children or substance , he might have been swallowed up in the storme ; but god was in his heart , and so the vessell was still safe . but what is it to keepe the creature from the spirit ? it is in the phrase of scripture , n●…t to set the heart upon riches . apponere cor , to carry a mans heart to the creature , the prophet gives a fit expression of it when hee saith , that the heart doth g●…t after covetousnesse ; when a man makes all the motions of his soule waite upon his lusts , and drudgeth for them , and bringeth his heart to the edge of the creature : for the world doth not wound the heart , but the heart woundeth it selfe upon the world . and it is not the rock alone that dasheth the ship , without its own motion being first tossed by the winde and waves upon the rocke ; so it is a mans owne lust which vexeth his spirit , and not the things alone which he possesseth . to set the heart on the creature denotes three things . first , to pitch a mans thoughts and studies , to direct all the restlesse enquiries of his soule upon them , and the good he expects from them . this in the scripture is expressed by a devising , b consulting , c thinking within ones selfe , being tossed like a d meteor with doubtfulnesse of minde and carefull suspence , e ioyning ones selfe , making f provision for lusts , &c. secondly , to care for , to employ a mans affections of love , delight , desire upon them , to set a high price on them , and over-rate them above other things . for this cause covetous men are call'd g idolaters , because they preferre monie , as a man doth his god , before all other things . when the women would have comforted the wife of phineas with the birth of a sonne , after the captivitie of the arke , it is said she regarded it not , the text is , she did not put her heart upon it : though a woman rejoyce when a man childe is borne , yet in comparison of the arke she no more regarded the joy of a sonne , then a man would doe if the sunne should be blotted out of heaven , and a little starre put in the roome ; and therefore , though children be the glory of their parents , yet shee professeth that there was no glory in this to have a sonne , and lose an arke , a starre without light , a sonne without service , a levite borne and no arke to waite upon ; and therefore she did not set her heart upon it . they will not set their heart upon us , say the people to david , for thou art worth ten thousand of us ; that is , they will no whit regard us in comparison of thee : so then a mans heart is set on the creature , when he prizeth it above other things , and declareth this estimation of his heart by those eager endeavours with which he pursueth them as his god and idoll . thirdly , to relie upon , to put trust and affiance in the creature : and this is imported in the word by which the prophet expresseth riches , which signifieth strength of all sorts , vires , and propugnaculum , the inward strength of a man and the outward strength of munition and fortification : therefore , saith salomon , the rich mans wealth is his strong city , and rich men are said to trust and glorie in their riches , examples whereof the scripture abundantly gives in tyre , babylon , ninive , edom , israel , &c. now a man ought not thus to set his heart on the creature ; first , because of the tendernesse and delicacie of the spirit , which will quickely be bruiz'd with any thing that lies close upon it and presseth it . as men weare the softest garments next their skinne , that they be not disquieted , so should we apply the tenderest things , the mercies and the worth of the bloud of christ , the promises of grace and glory , the precepts and invitations of the spirit unto our spirits . and now as subterraneous winde or ayre being pressed in by the earth , doth often beget concussions and earth-quakes ; so the spirit of a man being swallow'd up and quite clos'd in earthly things must needs beget tremblings and distractions at last to the soule . the word heere which we translate vexation is rendred likewise by contritio , a pressing , grinding , wearing away of a thing , and by depastio , a feeding on a thing , which makes some render the words thus , all is vanitie and a feeding upon winde . that as windie meates , though they fill and swell a man up , they nourish little , but turne into crudities and diseases ; so the feeding upon the creature may puffe up the heart , but it can bring no reall satisfaction , no solid nutriment to the soule of man. the creature upon the spirit is like a worme in wood , or a moth in a garment , it begets a rottennesse of heart , it bites asunder the threads and sinewes of the soule , and by that meanes workes an ineptitude and undisposednesse to any worthy service , and brings a decay upon the whole man ; for cares will prevent age , and change the colour of the haire before the time , and make a man like a silly dove , without any heart , as the prophet speakes . secondly , because the strength of every man is his spirit ; mens cujusque is est quisque . now if the creature seize on a mans strength , it serues him as dalilah did sampson , it will quickely let in the philistines to vexe him . strength hath two parts or offices , passive in undergoing and withstanding evill , and active in doing that which belongs to a man to doe . now when the heart and spirit of a man is set upon any creature , it is weakned in both these respects . first , it is disabled from bearing or withstanding evill . we will consider it , first in temptations ; secondly in afflictions . first , a man who hath set his heart inordinately upon any creature is altogether unfit to withstand any temptation . in the law when a man had new married a wife , he was not to goe to warre that yeere , but to rejoyce with his wife . one reason whereof i suppose was this , because when the minde is strongly set upon any one object , till the strength of that desire be abated , a man will be utterly unfit to deale with an enemie : so is it with any lust to which a man weds himselfe , it altogether disables him to resist any enemie : after hannibals armie had melted themselves at capua with sensualitie and luxurie , they were quite strangers to hard service and rigid discipline , when they were againe reduc'd unto it . the reason hereof is , first the subtiltie of satan , who will be sure to proportion his temptations to the heart , and those lusts which doe there predominate , setting upon men with those perswasions wherewith he is mos likely to seduce them ; as the grecians got in upon the trojans with a gift , something which they presum'd would finde acceptance . the divell dealeth as men in a siege , casts his projects , and applies his batteries to the weakest and most obnoxious place . therefore the apostle saith , that a man is tempted , when he is led away of his owne lust and enticed ; the divell will be sure to hold intelligence with a mans owne lusts , to advise and sit in counsell with his owne heart , to follow the tyde and streame of a mans owne affections in the tempting of him . adam tempted in a knowledge , pharaoh by lying b wonders , the prophet by pretence of an c angels speech , ahab by the consent of d false prophets , the iewes by the e temple of the lord and carnall priuiledges ▪ the heathen by pretence of f vniversalitie , and g antiquitie . when dauids heart after his adultery was set vpon his owne glory more then gods , how to saue his owne name from reproach , we see as long as that affection preuailed against him , as long as his heart was not so throughly humbled as to take the shame of his sinne to himselfe , to beare the indignation of the lord , and accept of the reproach of his iniquity , hee was ouercome with many desperate temptations : he yeelds to be himselfe a temper of his neighbour to unseasonable pleasures , to drunkennesse and shame , to bee a murtherer of his faithfull seruant , to multiply the guilt , that hee may shift of the shame of his sinne , and provide for his owne credit . peters heart was set upon his owne life and safetie more then the truth of christ or his owne protestations , and sathan fitting his assault to this weakenesse prevailes against a rocke with the breath of a woman . they that will be rich , saith the apostle , who set their hearts upon their riches , whose hearts runne after their couetousnesse , fall into temptation and a snare , into many foolish and hurtfull lusts . such a heart is fit for any temptation . tempt acha●…s covetous heart to sacriledge , and hee will reach forth his hand to the accursed thing ; tempt iudaes his covetous heart to treason , and he will betray the pretious blood of the sonne of god which is infinitely beyond any rate of silver or gold for a few pieces of silver , the price of a little field ; tempt gehazies covetous heart to multiply lie upon lie , and he will doe it with ease and greedinesse for a few pieces of money , and change of rayment ; tempt sauls covetous heart with the fattest of the cattell , and hee will venture on disobedience , a sinne worse then witchcraft , which himselfe had rooted out ; tempt the covetous heart of a iudge in israel to doe iniustice , and a paire of shooes shall spurne righteousnesse out of dores , and pervert iudgement ; tempt the covetous heart of a great oppressor to blood and violence , and he will lie in waite for the life of his neighbour ; tempt the covetous heart of a proud pharisee or secure people to scorne the word out of the mouth of christ or his prophet , and they will easily yeeld to any infidelitie . the like may bee said of any other lust in its kinde . if the heart bee set on beautie ; tempt the sonnes of god to forsake their covenant of marrying in the lord , the israelites to the idolatrie of baal peor , sampson to forsake his vow and calling , easily will all this bee done , if the heart haue the beauty of any creature as a treacher in it , to let in the temptations , and to let out the lusts . how many desperate temptations doth beauty cast many men vpon ? bribery to lay downe the price of a whore , gluttonie and drunkennesse to inflame and ingenerate new lusts , contempt of the word and iudgements of god to smother the checkes of conscience , frequenting of sathans palaces , playes and stewes , the chappels of hell and nurseries of vncleannesse , challenges , stabbes , combats , blood , to vindicate the credit and comparisons of a strumpets beauty , to revenge the competition of uncleane corrivals . thus will men venture as deepe as hell to fetch fire to powre into their veines , to make their spirits frie , and their blood boyle in abhorred lust . if the heart bee set on wit and pride of its owne conceits , tempt the libertines and cyrenians to dispute against the truth , the greekes to despise the gospell , the wise men of the world to esteeme the ordinance of god foolishnes of preaching , the false teachers to foist their straw and stubble upon the foundation , achitophell to comply with treason , lucian to reuile christ , and deride religion , easily will these and a world the like temptations bee let into the heart , if pride of wit stand at the dore and turne the locke . whence is it that men spend their pretious abilities in frothy studies , in complements , formes and garbes of salute , satyrs , libels , abuses , profanation of gods word , scorne of the simplicitie and power of godlinesse , with infinite the like vanities , but because the●… hearts are taken up with a foolish creature , and not with god and his feare ? if the heart be set on ambition , tempt corah to desperate rebellion , absolom to unnaturall treason , balaam to curse the church , diotrephes to contemne the apostles and their doctrine , iulian to apostacie , arius to heresie , the apostles themselues to emulation and strife , easily ▪ will one lust let in these , and a thousand more . what else is it that makes men to flatter profanenesse , to adore golden beasts , to admire glistering abominations , to betray the truth of the gospell , to smother and dissemble the strictnesse and purity of the wayes of god , to strike at the sins of men with the scabberd and not with the sword , to deale with the fancies of men more then with their consciences , to palliate vice , to dawbe with untempered morter , to walke in a neutralitie and adiaphorisme betweene god and baal , to make the soules of men and the glory of god subordinate to their lusts and risings , but the vast and unbounded gulfe of ambition and vaine glory ? the like may be said of seuerall other lusts . but i proceede . secondly a heart set on any lust is unfit to withstand temptation , because temptations are commonly edged with promises or threatnings . now if a mans heart be set on god , there can no promises bee made of any such good as the heart cares for , or which might be likely to ouer-poise and sway to the temptation , which the heart hath not already ; spirituall promises the divell will make few , or if he doe , such a heart knowes that evill is not the way to good ; if hee make promises of earthly things , such promises the heart hath already from one who can better make them , tim. . neither can hee promise any thing which was not more mine before then his ; for either that which he promiseth is convenient for me , and so is manna , foode for my nature , or else inconvenient , and then it is quailes , foode for my lust . if the former , god hath taught mee to call it mine owne already , giue us our bread , and not to goe to the divels shambles to fetch it ; if the other , though god should suffer the divell to giue it , yet he sends a curse into our mouths along with it . and as such a heart neglects any promises the divell can make , so is it as heedlesse of any of his threatnings , because if god be on our side , neither principalities , ●…or powers , nor things present , nor things to come , can ever separate from him ; stronger is hee that is with vs then hee that is with the world , it is the businesse of our calling to fight against spirituall wickednesses , and to resist the divell . but when the heart is set on any creature , and hath not god to rest upon , when a man attributes his wine and oyle to his lovers and not to god , his credit , wealth , subsistency to the favours of men and not to ●…he all-sufficiency of god , then hath the divell an easie way to winne a man to any s●…ne , or withdraw him from any good , by pointing his temptations with promises or threatnings fitted to the things which the heart is set on . let the divell promise balaam honour and preferment , on which his ambitious heart was set , and he will rise early , runne and ride , and change natures with his asse , and be more senslesse of gods fury then the dumbe creature , that he may curse gods owne people : let the divell promise thirty pieces of silver to iudas , whose heart ranne upon covetousnesse , and there is no more scruple , the bargaine of treason is presently concluded : let the divell tempt michaes levite with a little better reward then the beggerly stipend which he had before , theft and idolatry are swallow'd downe both together , and the man is easily wonne to be a suare and seminary of spirituall uncleannesse to a whole tribe . on the other side , let sathan threaten ieroboam with the losse of his kingdome , if hee goe up to ierusalem , and serve god in the way of his owne worship , and that is argument enough to draw him and all his successors to notorious and egyptian idolatry ; and the reason was because their hearts were more set upon their owne counsels , then upon the worship or truth of god. let the divell by the edicts and ministers of ieroboam lay snares in mizpah , and spreade nets upon taber , that is , use lawes , menaces , subtilties to keepe the people from the city of god , and to confine them to regall and state-idolatrie , presently the people tremble at the iniunction of the king , and walke willingly after the commaundement . let 〈◊〉 erect his prodigious ●…dole and upon on paine of a 〈◊〉 ▪ furnace require all to worship , it and all people , nations , and languages are presently upon their faces . let the divell threaten demas with persecu●…ion , and presently hee forsakes the fellowship of the apostles , and imbraceth this present world . and as it was heretofore so is it still . if a mans heart be not set on god , and taught to rest upon his providence , to answer all satans promises with his all-sufficiencie to reward vs , and all his threatnings , with his all-sufficiency to protect us , how easily will promises begvile , and threatnings deterre unstable and earthly minds ? let the divell tell one man , all this will i give thee , if thou wilt speake in a cause to pervert judgement , how quickly will men create subtilties , and coine evasions to rob a man and his house , even a man and his inheritance ? let him say to another , i will doe whatsoever thou sayst unto me , if thou wilt dissemble thy conscience , divide thy heart , comply with both sides , keepe downe the power of godlinesse , persecute zeale , set up will-worship and supersti●…ions , how quickly shall such a mans religion bee disgviz'd , and sincerity , if it were possible , put to shame ? if to another thou shalt by such a time purchase such a lordship , out such a neighbour , swallow up such a prodigall , if thou enhance thy rents , enlarge thy fines , set unreasonable rates upon thy farmes , how quickly will men grinde the faces of the poore , and purchase ungodly possessions with the blood of their tenants ? if to another , beware of laying open thy conscience , of being too faithfull in thy calling ▪ too s●…rupulous in thy office , least thou purchase the dis-favour of the world , lest the times cloud overthee , and frowne upon thee , lest thou be scourged with persecuted names , and make thy selfe obnoxious to spies and censures , how will men be ready to start backe , to shrinke from their wonted forwardnesse , to abate their former zeale , to co●…ple in with , and connive at the corruptions of the age , in one word to tremble when ephraim speakes , and not to tremble when god speakes ? so hard is it when the heart is wedded to earthly things , and they are gotten into a mans bosome , to beare the assaults of any temptation . lastly ▪ this comes from the just and secret wrath of god , giuing men over to the deceitfulnesse of sinne , and to the hardnesse of their owne hearts , to beleeve the lies and allurements of satan , because they rejected the counsell of god , and the love of his truth before . in the influences of the sunne we may observe , that the deeper they worke the stronger they worke ; the beames nearer the center meeting in a sharper point doe consolidate and harden the very element ; so the creatures by the justice of god , when they meete in a mans center , reach as farre as his heart , doe there mightily worke to the deceiving and hardning of it : the eye , nor any other outward sense , can finde no more in the creature , then is really there ; it is the heart which mis-conceives things , and attributes that deity and worth to them , which the senses could not discover . if men then could keepe these things from their spirits , they should ever conceive of them according to their owne narrow being , and so keepe their hearts from that hardnesse which the creatures , destitute of gods blessing , doe there beget , and so worke in the soule a disposition suteable to satans temptations . secondly , a heart set upon any lust is unfit likewise to beare any affliction . the young man whose heart was upon his riches , could not endure to heare of selling all , and entring upon a poore and persecuted profession . first , lusts are choice and dainty , they make the heart very delicate , and nice of any assaults . secondly , they are very wilfull , and set upon their owne ends , therefore they are expressed by the name of concupiscence , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the wills of the flesh , and wilfulnesse is the ground of impatiency . thirdly , they are naturall , and move strongly to their owne point ; they are a body , and our very members ; no marvell then if they be sensible of paine from afflictions , which are contrary unto nature . the stronger the water runnes , the more will it roare and some upon any opposition : lust is like a furious beast enrag'd with the affliction , the chaine that binds it . fourthly , lusts are very wise after a fleshly and sensuall manner , and worldly wisedome is impatient of any stoppage or prevention of any affliction that crusheth and disappoints it . therefore the apostle doth herein principally note the opposition betweene heavenly and carnall wisedome , that the one is meeke , peaceable , and gentle , the other divelish and full of strife . fifthly , lusts are a proud , especially those that arise from abundance of the creature , and pride being set upon by any affliction makes the heart breake forth into b impatience , debates , and stoutnesse against god ; a proud heart growes harder by afflictions , as metals or clay after they have past thorow the furnace . it is said of c pharaoh , that he did not set his heart to the iudgements of god , but exalted himselfe against his people ; pride grew stronger by affliction . besides , d pride in earthly things swallowes up the very expectation of afflictions , and therefore must needs leave the heart unprepared against them . sixthly , lusts are rooted in e selfe-love , and therefore when christ will have a man forsake his lusts , he directs him to f denie himselfe . now the very essence of afflictions are to be grievous and adverse to a mans selfe . seventhly , lusts are g contentious , armed things , and their h enmity is against god , and therefore utterly unfit to i accept of the punishment of sinne , and to k beare the ●…ndignation of the lord , or to submit unto any afflictions . eighthly , lusts l resist the truth , set up themselves against the word , and thereby utterly disable men to beare afflictions , for the m word sanctifies , and lightens all affliction , the word shewes gods n moderation and o intention in them , an p issue out of them , the q benefits which will come from them , the r supplies of strength and abilities to beare them , the promises of a more abundant & exceeding weight of glory , in comparison whereof they are as nothing . lastly , if wee could conceive some afflictions not contrary to lust , yet afflictions are ever contrary to the provisions of lust , to the materials , and instruments of lusts , such as are health , pleasure , riches , honours , &c. and in all these respect a heart set upon lust is weakened and disabled to beare afflictions . secondly , when the heart is set upon the creature , it is utterly disabled , in regard of its active strength , made unfit to doe any duty with that u strength as gods requires . first , because bonum fit ex causâ integrâ , a good duty must proceede from an entire cause , from the whole heart . now x lust divides the heart , and makes it y unstedfast , and unfaithfull unto god. there is a twofold unstedfastnesse , one in degrees , another in objects , the former proceeds from the remainders of corruption , and therefore is found in some measure in the best of us , the other from the predominancy of lust which overswayes the heart unto evill . good motions and resolutions in evill hearts are like violent impressions upon a stone , though it move upwards for a while , yet nature will at last prevaile , and make it z returne to its owne motion . secondly , a heart set on lusts mooves to 〈◊〉 ends but its a ow●…e , and selfe-ends defile an action though otherwise never so specious ; turnes b zeale it selfe and obedience into murder , hinders c all faith in us , and acceptance with god , nullifies all other ends , swallowes up gods glory and the good of others , as the leane kine did the fat ; as a wenne in the body robs and consumes the part adjoyning , so doe selfe-ends the right end . thirdly , the heart is a fountaine and principle , and principles are ever one and uniforme , out of the same fountaine cannot come bitter water and sweet , and therefore the apostle speakes of some , that they are double-minded men , that have a heart and a heart , yet the truth is , that is but with reference to their pretences ; for the heart really and totally lookes but one way . every man is spiritually a married person , and he can be joyned but to one ; christ and an idoll ( as every ●…ust is ) cannot consist , he will have a chaste spouse , he will have all our desires and affections subject unto him ; if the heart cannot count him altogether lovely , and all things else but dung in comparison of him , he will refuse the match , and with-hold his consent . let us see in some few particulars what impotency unto any good the creatures bring upon the hearts of men . to pray requires a hungry spirit , a heart convinc'd of its owne emptinesse , a desire of intimate communion with god ; but now the creature drawes the heart , and all the desires thereof to it selfe , as an ill splene doth the nourishment in a body . lust makes men pray amisse , fixeth the desires onely on its owne provisions , makes a man unwilling to be carried any way towards heaven but his owne . the young man prayed unto christ to shew him the way to eternall life ; but when christ told him that his riches , his covetousnes , his bosome lust stood betweene him and salvation , his prayer was turned into sorrow , repentance and apostacy . meditation requires a sequestration of the thoughts , a minde unmixt with other cares , a syncere and uncorrupted relish of the word ; now when the heart is prepossest with lust , and taken up with another treasure , it is as impossible to be weaned from it , as for an hungry eagle ( a creature of the sharpest sight to fixe upon , and of the sharpest appetite to desire its object ) to forbeare the body on which it would prey ; as unable to conceive aright of the pretiousnesse and power of the word , as a feaverish palate to taste the proper sweetnesse of the meate it eates . in hearing the word , the heart can never accept gods commands , till it be first empty , a man cannot receive the richest gift that is , with a hand that was full before . now thornes , which are the cares of the world , filling the heart , must needs choake the feede of the word . the pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsell of god against themselves , because their pride would not let them yeeld to such a baptisme , or to such a doctrine as requires emptinesse , confession of sinnes , justifying of god , and condemning of themselves ( for these were the purposes of iohus baptisme , and of the preaching of repentance . ) that man comes but to bee rejected who makes love to one who hath fixt her heart and affection already . a man must come to gods word as to a physitian , a meere patient without reservations , or exceptions , he must set his corruptions as an open marke for the word to shoot at , hee must not come with capitulations and provisoes , but lay downe the body of sinne before god to have every earthly member hewed of . till a man come with such a resolution as to be willing to part from all naughtinesse , hee will never receive the ingrafted word with meeknesse , and an honest heart ; a man will never follow christ in the wayes of his word , till first he have learned to denie himselfe , and his owne lusts . nay if a man should binde his devotion to his heart with v●…ws , yet a dalila in his bosome , a lust in his spirit , would easily nullifie the strongest vowes . the iewes made a serious and solemne protestation to ieremie that they would obey the voyce of the lord in that which they desired him to enquire of god about whether it were good or evill ; and yet when they found the message crosse their owne lusts and reservations , their resolutions are turned into rebellions , their pride quickly breakes asunder their vow , and they tell the prophet to his face that hee dealt falsly between god and them ; a refuge which they were well acquainted with before . some when then conscience awakens and begins to disquiet them , make vowes to bind themselves vnto better obedience , and formes of godlinesse ; but as sampson was bound in vaine with any cords so long as his haire grew into its length ; so in vaine doth any man binde himselfe with vowes , so long as he nourisheth his lusts within ; a vow in the hand of a fleshly lust will be but like the chaines and fetters of that fierce ●…unatick , very easily broken asunder . this is not the right way . first , labour with thy heart , clense out thy corruptions , purge thy life as the prophet did the waters , with seasoning and rectifying the fountaine : t is one thing to give ●…ase from a present paine , another thing to roote out the disease it selfe . if the chinkes in a ship bee unstopt , 't is in vaine to labour at the pumpe ; so long as there is a constant in let , the water can never be exhausted ; so is it in these formall resolutions and vowes , they may ease the present paine , let out a little water , restraine from some particular acts , but so long as the heart is unpurged , lust will returne and predominate . in a word whereas in the service of god there are two maine things required , faith to begin , and courage or patience to goe through , lust hinders both these . how can yee beleeve since yee seeke for glory one from another ? ioh. . . when persecution arose because of the word , the temporary was presently offended . matth. . . thirdly and lastly in one word . a man ought not to set his heart on the creature because of the noblenesse of the heart . to set the heart on the creature is to set a diamond in lead , none are so mad to keep their iewels in a cellar , and their coales in a closet ; and yet such is the profannesse of wicked men to keepe god in their lips only , and mammon in their hearts , to make the earth their treasure , and heaven but as an accessorie and appendix to that . and now as samuel spake unto saul , set not thine heart upon thine asses , for the desire of israel is upon thee ; why should a kings heart be set upon asses ? so may i say , why should christians hearts be set upon earthly things , since they have the desires of all flesh to fix upon ? i will conclude with one word upon the last particu lar , how to use the creatures as thornes , or as vexing things . first let not the bramble be king , let not earthly things beare rule over thy affections , fire will rise out of them , which will consume thy cedars , emasculate all the powers of thy soule . let grace sit in the throne , and earthly things be subordinate to the wisdome and rule of gods spirit in thy heart . they are excellent servants , but pernicious masters . secondly , be arm'd when thou touchest , or medlest with them : arm'd against the lusts and against the temptations that arise from them . get faith to place thy heart upon better promises ; enter not upon them without prayer unto god , that since thou art going amongst snares , he would carry thee through with wisedome and faithfulnesse , and teach thee how to use them as his blessings and as instruments of his glory . make a covenant with thine heart , as iob with his eyes , have a jealousie and suspicion of thine evill heart , lest it be surpriz'd , and bewitched with finfull affections . thirdly , touch them gently , doe not hug , love , dote upon the creature , nor graspe it with adulterous embraces ; the love of mony is a roote of mischiefe , and is enmity against god. fourthly , use them for hedges and fences , to relieve the saints , to make friends of unrighteous mammon , to defend the church of christ , but by no meanes have them in thy field , but onely about it ; mingle it not with thy corne least it choake and stifle all . and lastly vse them as gedeon , for weapons of iust revenge against the enemies of gods church , to vindicate his truth and glory , and then by being wise , and faithfull in a little , thou shalt at last be made ruler over much , and enter into thy masters ioy. finis . the sinfvlnes of sinne : considered in the state , guilt , power , and pollution thereof : by edward reynolds preacher to the honourable societie of lincolns inne . pax opvlentiam . sapientia pacem . fk printer's or publisher's device london , imprinted by felix kyngston for robert bostocke . . the sinfvlnesse of sinne . rom . . . for i was alive without the law once : but when the commandement came , sinne revived , and i died . wee have seene in the foriner treatise , that man can finde no happinesse in the creature ; i will in the next place shew ; that he can find no happinesse in himselfe ; it is neither about him , nor within him : in the creature nothing but vanitis and vexation , in himselfe nothing but sinne and death . the apostle in these words sets forth three things . first , the state of sinne , sinne revived : secondly , the guilt of sinne , i died , or found my selfe to be a condemn'd man in the state of perdition . thirdly , the evidence and conviction of both , when the commandement came , which words imply a conviction and that from the spirit . first , a conviction , for they inferre a conclusion extremely contradictory to the conclusions in which saint paul formerly rested ( which is the forme of a conviction ) saint pauls former conclusion was , i was alive ; but when the commandement came , the conclusion was extremely contrary , i died. secondly , it was a spirituall conviction . for saint paul was never literally without the law , but the va●…le till this time was before his eyes , he is now made to understand the law in its native sense and compasse ; the law is spiritual , v. . and he is enabled to discerne it spiritually . absurd is the doctrine of the a socinians , & some others , that unregenerate men by a meere natur all perception , without any divine superin●…us'd light ( they are the words of b episcopius , and they are wicked wordes ) may understand the c whol●… law , even all things requisite unto faith & godlines . foolishly confounding , and impiously deriding the spirituall and divine sense of holy scriptures with the grammatical construction . against this we shall need use no other argument , then a plaine syllogisme compounded out of the very words of scripture , darknesse doth not comprehend light , ioh. . . 〈◊〉 men are darkenesse . eph. . . . . . act. . . . p●…t . . . yea held under the power of darkenesse , col. . . and the word of god is light , psal. . . . cor. . . therefore unregenerate men cannot understand the ●…d in that spirituall compasse which it carries . there is such an asymmetry and disproportion betweene our understandings , and the brightnesse of the word , that the a saints themselves have prayed for more spirituall light , and vnderstanding to conceive it . that knowledge which a man ought to have ( for there is a knowledge which is not such as it b ought to be ) doth passe knowledge , even all the ●…ength of meere naturall reason to attaine unto , d peculiar to the sheep of christ. naturall men have their principles vitiated , their e faculties bound , that they f cannot understand spirituall things till god have as it were ●…nplanted a g ●…ew understanding in them , h framed the heart to attend , and set it at i liberty to see the glory of god with open face . though the vaile doe not keepe out grammaticall construction , yet it blindeth the heart against the spirituall light and beauty of the word . we see even in common sciences where the conclusions are suteable to our owne innate and implanted notions , yet he that can distinctly construe , and make grammar of a principle in euclide , may be ignorant of the mathematicall sense , and use of it : much more may a man in divine truths bee spiritually ignorant even where in some respect hee may be said to know . for the k scriptures pronounce men ignorant of those things which they see and know . in divine doctrine l obedience is the ground of knowledge , and holinesse the best qualification to understand the scriptures . if any m●…n will doe the will of god , he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of god. the 〈◊〉 will he teach his way , and ●…eale his secret to them that feare him , to babes , to those that conforme not themselves to this evill world . to understand then the words , we must note ▪ first , that there is an opposition between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , those two clauses in the text , once , and when the commandement came . it is the conceite of m some , that the latter as well as the former is meant of a state of unregeneration ; and that saint paul all this chapter over speaketh in the person of an unregenerate man ; not intending at all to shew the fleshlinesse and adherency of corruption to the holiest men , but the necessitie of righteousnesse by christ , without the which , though a man may , when once the commandement comes and is fully revealed , will good , hate sinne ; in sinning doe that which he would not consent unto , and delight in the law , feele a warre in his members , mourne and cry out under the sense of his owne wretchednesse , yet for all this he is still an unregenerate man : an opinion tending directly to the honour of pelagianisme , and advancement of nature , which made saint austen in that ingenuous and noble worke of hi●… retractations to recant it , and in all his writings against the pelagians ( in which , as in other polemicall workes , where the vigilancy of an enemy , and feare of advantages makes him more circumspect how he speaks , his expositions of scripture are usually more literall and solid , then where he allowes himselfe the scope of his owne conceits . ) he still understandes those passages , of the complaints of a regenerate man against his inherent concupiscence . we are therefore to resolve that the opposition stands thus . once in my state of unregeneration , i was without the law , that is , without the spirituall sense of the law , but when the lord began to reveale his mercy to me in my conversion , then he gave me eye to understand it in its native and proper compasse . the apostle was never quite without the law ( being an hebrew , and bred up at thefeet of gamali●…l ) therefore the difference betweene being without the law , and the comming of the law , must be onely in modo exhibendi ; before he had it in the letter , but after it came in its owne spirituall shape . and there is some emphasis in the word ca●…e , denoting a vital , moving ▪ penetrative power , which the law had by the spirit of life , and which before it had not as it was a dead letter . secondly , wee must note the opposition betweene the two estates of saint paul. in the first he was alive , and that in two respects . a live in his performances , able as he conceiv'd to performe the righteousnesse of the law without bla●…e phil. . . a live in his presumptions , mispersuasions , selfe-justifications , conceits of righteousnesse , and salvation . act. . . phil. . . in the second estate sinne revived , i found that that was but a sopor , a benumdnesse , which was in my apprehension a death of sinne : and i died , had experience of the falsenesse and miseries of my presumptions . the life of sinne and the life of a sinner are like the ballances of a paire of scoles , when one goes up the other must fall downe , when sinne lives , the man must dye ; man and sinne are like m●…entius his couples , they are never both alive together . many excellent points , and of great consequence to the spirits of men would rise out of these words thus unfolded : as , first , that a man may have the law in the church wherein he lives in the letter of it , and yet bee without the law in the power and spirit of it by ignorance , misconstructions , false glosses , and perverse wrestings of it ; as a covetous man may have the possession of monie , and yet be without the vse and comforts of it . . cor. . . . p●…t . . . matth. . . . . . . . . . which should teach us to beware of ignorance ; it makes the things which wee have unusefull to us . if any man have the law indeed hee will labour first to have more acquaintance with it , and with god by it . the more the saints know of god and his will , the neere●… communion doe they desire to have with him . wee see this heavenly affection in iacob . gen. . . . gen. . . in moses . exod. . . . in david . psal . . . in the spouse cant. . . in manoah . iud. . . in paul. . cor. . . phil. . . . as the queene of she ba when shee had heard of the glory of salomon was not content till she came to see it ; or as absolom being restor'd from banishment , and tasting some of his fathers love , was impatient till he might see his face ; so the saints , having something of gods will and mercy revealed to them , are very importunate to enjoy more . secondly , to be more conformable unto it , to iudge and measure himselfe the oftner by it . psal. . . the law is utterly in vaine , no dignity , no benefit nor priviledge to a people by it , if it be not obeyed . thirdly , to love and praise god for his goodnesse in it . ioh. . . secondly , ignorance of the true meaning of the law , and resting upon false grounds doth naturally beget these two things . first , blinde zeale , much active and in appearance unblameable devotion . as it did here , and elsewhere in saint paul , phil. . . act. . . in the honourable women , act. . . in the pharises , matth. . . in false brethren , col. . . in the iewes , that submitted not themselves to the righteousnesse of god. rom. . . . in the papists in their contentions for trash , rigorous observation of their owne traditions , out-sides , and superinducements upon the pretious foundation . secondly , strong mis-perswasions and selfe-justifications , dependant upon our workes , and rigid endeavors for salvation at the last , hos. . . esai . . . . . . . amos . . . . mic. . . . zech. . . . . . hos. . . . luk. . . . unregenerat men are often secure men , making principles and premises of their owne to build the conclusions of their salvation upon . but beware of it . it is a desperate hazard to put eternity upon an adventure , to trust in god upon other termes then himselfe hath proposed to be trusted in , to lay claime to mercy without any writings , or seales , or witnesses , or patents , or acquittance from sinne , to have the evidences of hell , and yet the presumptions of heaven , to be weary of one sabbath here , and yet presume upon the expectation of an eternity which shall be nothing else but sabbath . in the civill law , testes domestici , houshold witnesses ( who might in reason be presum'd parties ) are invalid and uneffectuall . surely in matters of salvation if a man have no witnesse but his owne spirit , misinform'd by wrong rules , seduc'd by the subtilties of satan , and the deceite of his owne wicked heart , carried away with the course of the world , and the common prejudices and presumptions of foolish men , they will all faile him when it shall be too late ; god will measure men by his owne line , and righteousnesse by his owne plummet , and then shall the haile sweepe away the refuge of lies , and waters over-flow the hiding place of those men that made a covenant with death . secondly , beware of proud resolutions , selfe love , reservations , wit , distinctions , evasions to escape the word ; these are but the weapons of lust , but the exaltations of a fleshly minde ; but submit to the word , receive it with meekenesse , be willing to count that sense of scripture truest which most restraineth thy corrupt humors , and crosseth the imaginations of thy fleshly reason . our owne weapons must be render'd up before the sword of the spirit , which is the word of god , will be on our side ; love of lusts and pride of heart can never consist with obedience to the word . nehem. . . ier. . . . . thirdly , converting and saving knowledge is not of our owne fetching in or gathering , but it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a doctrine that comes unto us , and is brought by that sacred blast of the spirit which bloweth where he lifteth . we doe not first come and are then taught , but first we are taught and then we come . ioh. . . esai . . . . . we must take heed of attributing to our selves , boasting of our owne sufficiencies , congtuities , preparations , concurrencies , contributions unto the word in the saving of us ; grace must prevent , follow , assist us , preoperate and cooperate , christ must be all in all , the author and the finisher of our faith ; of our selves we can doe nothing but disable our selves , resist the spirit , and pull downe whatever the word doth build up within us . ever therefore in humility waite at the poole where the spirit stirres , give that honour to gods ordinances as when hee bids thee doe no great thing , but onely wash and be cleane , heare and beleeve , beleeve and be saved , not stoutly to cast his law behinde thy backe , but to humble thy selfe to walke with thy god , and to see his name and power in the voyce which cryes unto thee . fourthly , though sinne seeme dead to secure , civill , morall , superstitiously zealous men , in regard of any present sense or sting , yet all that while it is alive in them , and will certainely , when the booke shall be opened , either in the ministry of the word to conversion , or in the last judgement to condemnation , reviue againe . all these points are very naturall to the text , but i should be too long a stranger to the course i intend if i should insist on them . i returne therefore to the maine purpose . here is the state of sinne , sinne revived ; the guilt of sinne , i died ; the conviction of it by the spirit bringing the spirituall sense of the commandement , and writing it in the heart of a man , and so pulling him away from his owne conclusions . the doctrines then which i shall insist on are these two . first , the spirit by the commandement convinceth a man to be in the state of sinne . secondly , the spirit by the commandement convinceth a man to be in the state of death because of sinne . to convince a man that he is in the state of sinne is to make a man so to set to his owne seale and serious acknowledgement to this truth that he is a sinner , as that withall he shall feele within himselfe the qualitie of that estate , and in humility and selfe-abhorrencie conclude against himselfe all the naughtinesse and loathsome influences which are proper to kindle and catch in his nature and person by reason of that estate : and so not in expression onely but in experience , not in word but in truth , not out of feare but out of loathing , not out of constraint but most willingly , not out of formality but out of humility , not according to the generall voyce but out of a serious scrutinie and selfe examination , loade and charge himselfe with all the noisomenesse and venome , with all the dirt and garbage , with all the malignitie and frowardnesse that his nature and person doe abound withall even as the waves of the sea with mire and dirt ; and thereupon justifie almighty god , when he doth charge him with all this , yea if he should condemne him for it . now we are to shew two things . first , that a meere naturall light will never thus farre convince a man. secondly , that the spirit by the commandement doth . some things nature is sufficient to teach , god may be felt and found out in some fence by those that ignorantly worship him . nature doth convince men that they are not so good as they should be , the law is written in the hearts of those that know nothing of the letter of it ; idlenesse , beastiality , lying , luxury the cretian poet could condemne in his owne countrey-men ; drinking of healths ad plenoscalices , by measure and constraint , condemn'd by law of a heathen prince , and that in his luxurie . long haire condemn'd by the dictate of nature and right reason , and the reason why so many men , and whole nations notwithstanding use it , is given by saint hierome , quia à natura deciderunt , sicut multis alijs rebus comprobatur . and indeede as tertullian saith of womens long haire , that it is , humilitatis suae sarcina , the burden as it were of their humility , so by the warrant of that proportion which saint paul allowes , . cor. . . . we may call mens long haire superbiae suae sarcinam , nothing but a clogge of pride . saint austin hath written three whole chapters together against this sinfull custome of nourishing haire , which hee saith is expressely against the precept of the apostle , whom to vnderstand otherwise then the very letter sounds , is to wrest the manifest words of the apostle unto a perverse construction . but to returne , these remnants of nature in the hearts of men are but like the blazes and glimmerings of a candle in the socket , there is much darknes mingled with them . nature cannot throughly convince . . because it doth not carry a man to the roote , adams sinne , concupiscence , and the corrupted seeds of a fleshly minde , reason , conscience , will , &c. meere nature will never teach a man to feele the waight and curse of a sinne committed aboue five thousand yeeres before himselfe was borne , to feele the spirits of sinne running in his bloud and sprouting out of his nature into his life , one uncleane thing out of another , to mourne for that filthinesse which he contracted in his conception , saint paul professeth that this could not bee learned without the law. . because it doth not carry a man to the rule , which is the written law , in that mighty widenesse which the prophet david found in it . nature cannot looke upon so bright a thing but through vailes and glosses of its owne . evill hateth the light , neither commeth to the light , cannot endure a through scrutinie and ransacking left it should be reproved . when a man lookes on the law through the mist of his owne ●…usts he cannot but wrest and torture it to his owne way , saint peter gives two reasons of it , because such men are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . . pet. . . . vnlearned men , namely in the mysterie of godlinesse , have not been taught of god what the truth is in iesus ; till that time a man will never put off his lusts , but defend them , and rather make crooked the rule , coine distinctions and evasions upon the law it selfe , then judge himselfe and give glory to god. . fickle , unstable men , men apt to be tossed up and downe like empty clouds with every blast , never rooted nor grounded in the love of the truth , unstedfast in the covenant of god , that * lay not hold on it , and are therefore altogether undisposed to * continue or hold fast the truth . a man in his lusts is like a man in a disease , not long well in one way , but is ever given to changes and experiments , and as he changeth , so doth he ever new shape the scripture and dragge it downe to the patronage of his owne wayes . so that the law in a wicked mans heart is like a candle in a foule lanterne , or as a straight oare in troubled water , or the shining of light through a color'd glasse , wried and chang'd into the image of the corrupted minde wherein it lies . the law in it selfe is a perfect , b right , c pure , d sure and faithfull , e holy , just , and spirituall , f lively and operative , and men by nature are unlike all this , g degenerate and h crooked , i wavering and unfaithfull , k deceiving and being deceived , l unholy , carnall and impure , m fleshly minded , n dead and reprobate to every good worke . such a great disproportion is there betweene nature and the law. . because it doth not drive us out of our selves for a remedie ; the sublimest philosophie that ever was did never teach a man to denie himselfe , but to build up his house with the old ruines , to fetch stones and materials out of the wonted quarrie . o humiliation , p confusion , q shame , r selfe-abhorrencie , s to be vile in a mans owne eyes , t to be nothing within himselfe , to be willing to u owne the vengeance of almighty god , and to x judge our selves , to y justifie him that may condemne us , and be witnesses against our selves , are vertues knowne only in the booke of god , and which the learnedest philosophers would have esteemed both irrational and pusillanimous things . . because naturall z judgement is so throughly distorted and infatuated , as to * count evill good and good evill , light darkenesse and darkenesse light : to a perswade a man that he is in a right way when the end thereof will be theissues of death , that he is b rich and in need of nothing , when in the meane time he is miserable , poore , blinde and naked ; c platoes community , d aristotles vrbanitie and magnanimity , e ciceroes blinding the eyes of the iudges , f and his officious dissimulation and compliancie , the stoicks apathie g and officious lies that so much admired h stoutnesse , or rather sullennesse of those rigid heathen that puld out their owne eyes that they mighy bee chaste , and kild themselves to be rid of evill times , nay more , i the pharisies strictnesse , the zeale and unblameablenesse of paul , the devotions of obstinate iewes , k all the strength of civill , morall , formall shewes and expressions of goodnesse , though specious in the eyes of men , yet in the eyes of god that seeth not as manseeth , they are all but sinfull and filthy , losse and dung . lastly , because nature in particular men never knew , nor had experience of a better estate , and therefore must needs bee ignorant of that full image in which it was created , and unto which it ought still to be conformable . as a man borne in a dungeon is unable to conceive the state of a palace , as the childe of a noble man stolne away , and brought up by some lewd begger , cannot conceive , or suspect the honour of his blood : so utterly unable is corrupted nature , that hath bin borne in a wombe of ignorance , bred in a hell of uncleannesse , enthrall'd from the beginning to the prince of darkenesse , to conceive , or convince a man of that most holy and pure condition in which hee was created , the least deviation where-from is sinne unto him . now then since nature cannot thus convince , the spirit in the commandement must . we have no inward principle but these two . we grant there is a difference to be made betweene the illumination and renovation of the spirit ; men may be illightned , and yet not sanctified ; as a false starre , or an ignis fatuus may have light without influence or heate : yet withall it is certaine too , that it is impossible to know sinne in that hatefulnesse which is in it , with such a knowledge as begets hatred and detestation of it , or to know divine things with such a knowledge a●… is commensurate to them , such as in their spirituall and immediate purity they are apt to beget , but that knowledge must worke admiration , delight , love , endeavours of conformity unto so heavenly truths . no comprehension of things divine without love . ephes. . . . the reason why god gives men over to strong delusions , to beleeve lyes , is because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved . . thes. . . . this conviction then of sinne the spirit worketh : first , by revealing the rule : secondly , by opening the condition of the state of sinne : thirdly , by giving a heart experimentally and reflexively to understand all , or by shaping and framing the heart to the word , and so mingling them both together . the apostle saith , that by the commandement sinne revived . by the life of sinne i understand the strength of it , and that is twofold : a strength to condemne , and a strength to operate , or worke in a man obedience to it selfe : a strength to hold a man fast , and to carry him its owne way . sin is a body , and hath earthly members , col. . . which are very active & vigorous ; the apostle speaketh of a holding propertie which it hath , rom. . . and this strength hath the sinewes of all strength in it ; it is a lord , and so it hath the strength of power to command , and it is a husband , and so it hath the strength of love to perswade and prevaile . first , it is a lord and master , in which respect it hath these tyes upon us : first , a covenant , there is a virtuall bargaine betweene lust and a sinner , esay . . we make promise of serving , and obeying sinne , ioh. . . rom. . . and that returneth unto us the wages of iniquitie , and the pleasures of sinne , . pet. . . heb. . . secondly , love unto it , as unto a bountifull and beneficiall lord. sinne exerciseth authority over us , and yet we account it our benefactor , hos . . . . iob . . . thirdly , an easie service , the worke of sinne is naturall , the instruments all ready at hand , the helpers and fellow-servants many to teach , to encourage , to hasten , and lead on in the broad way . fourthly , in sinne it selfe there is a great strength to enforce men to its service : first , it is edg'd with malice against the soule , arm'd with weapons to fight against it , and enmity is a great whetstone to valour . secondly , it is attended with fleshly wisedome , suppported with stratagems and deceits , hastened and set on by the assistance of satan and the world , eph. . heb. . . thirdly , it hath a iudicature and regiment in the heart , it governes by a law , it f●…nds forth lusts axnd temptations like so many edicts into the soule ; and when we object the law of god against the service that is requir'd , then as that persian king , who could not find out a law to warrant the particular which hee would have done , found out another , that hee might doe what hee would ; so sinne when it hath no reason to alleage , yet it hath selfe-will , that is , all lawes in one , gen. . . . pet. . . rom. . . in one word , the strong man is furnished with a whole armour . secondly , sinne is a husband , rom. . . . and so it hath the power of love , which the wise man saith , is as strong as death , that will have no deniall when it comes . s. paul tels vs , there is a constraining power in love , . cor. . . who stronger then sampson , and who weaker then a woman ? yet by love she overcame him , whom all the philistimes were unable to deale with . now as betweene a man and a strumpet , so betweene lust and the heart , there are first certaine cursed dalliances and treaties , by alluring temptations , the heart is drawne away from the sight of god and his law , and enticed and then followes the accomplishment of uncleannesse . iam. . . . this in the generall is that life or strength of sinne here spoken of . wee are next to observe , that the ground of all this is the law : the sting of death is sinne , and the strength of sinne is the law , . cor. . . ioh. ●… . . from the law it is , that sinne hath both strength to condemne , and to command us , or have dominion over us , rom. . . now the law gives life or strength to sin three wayes : first , by the curse and obligation of it , binding the soule with the guilt of sin unto the iudgement of the great day . every sinner hath the sentence past upon him already , and in part executed ; he that beleeveth not is condemned already , the wrath of god abideth on him . all men come into the world with the wrath of god like a talent of lead upon their soule , and it may all be pour'd out within one houre upon them , there is but a span betweene them and judgement . in which interim , first , the law a stops the mouth of a sinner , b shuts him in , and c holds him fast under the guilt of his sinne . secondly , it passeth d sentence upon his soule , sealing the assurance of condemnation and wrath to come . thirdly , it beginneth even e to put that sentence in execution , with the f spirit of bondage and of g feare , shaking the conscience , wounding the spirit , and scorching the heart with the pre-apprehensions of hell , making the soule see some portion of that tempest which hangeth over it , rising out of that sea of sinne which is in his life and nature ( as the h prophets servant did the cloud ) and so terrifying the soule with a certaine i fearefull expectation of iudgement . thus the law strengthens sinne , by putting into it a condemning power . secondly , by the irritation of the law. sin tooke occasion , saith the apostle , by the law , & so by the commandement became exceeding sinnefull . rom. . . when lust finds it selfe universally restrain'd meets with death and hell at every turne , can have no subterfuge nor evasion from the rigor and inexorablenesse of the law ; then like a river that is stopt , it riseth , and fomes , and rebels against the law of the minde , and fetcheth in all its force and opposition to rescue it selfe from that sword which heweth it in pieces . and thus the law is said to strengthen sinne , not perse , out of the intention of the law , but by accident , antiperistasis , exciting ▪ and provoking that strength which was in sinne before , though undiscern'd , and lesse operative ▪ for as the presence of an enemie doth actuate , and call forth that malice which lay habitually in the heart before : so the purity of the law presenting it selfe to concupisence in every one of those fundamentall obliquities wherein it lay before undisturb'd , and way ▪ laying the lust of the heart , that it may have no passage , doth provoke that habituall fiercenesse and rebellion which was in it before , to lay about on all sides for its owne safety . thirdly , by the conviction and manifestation of the law ; laying open the widenesse of sinne to the conscience . man naturally is full of pride and selfe-love , apt to thinke well of his spirituall estate upon presumptions and principles of his owne ; and though many professe to expect salvation frō christ only , yet in as much as they will be in christ no way but their owne , that shewes that still they rest in themselves for salvation . this is that deceite , and guile of spirit , which the scripture mentions , which makes the way of a foole right in his owne eyes . the philosopher tells us of a sea , wherein , by the hollownesse of the earth under it , or some whirling and attractive propertie that sucks the vessell into it , ships use to be cast away . in the mid'st of a calme : even so many mens soules doe gently perish in the mid'st of their owne securities and presumptions . as the fish polypus changeth himselfe into the colour of the rock , and then devoures those that come thither for shelter : so doe men shape their mis-perswasions into a forme of christ and faith in him , and destroy themselves . how many men rest in pharisaicall generalities , plod on in their owne civilities , moralities , externall iustice , and unblameablenesse , account any thing indiscretion and unnecessary strictnes that exceeds their owne modell ; every man in hell that is worse then themselves ( i am not as this publican ) and others that are better , but in a fooles paradise ? and all this out of ignorance of the law. this here was the apostles case , when he lived after the strictest sect of the pharisies ▪ sin was dead , he esteemed himself blamelesse : but when the commandement came , discoverd its owne spiritualnes , & the carnalnesse of all his performances ; remou'd his curtald glosses , and presumptuous prejudices ; opened the inordinatenes of natural concupiscence , shewd how the lest atome doth spot the soule the smallest omission qualifie for hel , make the conscience see those infinite sparkles and swarmes of lust that rise out of the hart , and that god is all eye to see , and all fire to consume every unclean thing , that the smallest sins that are , require the pretiousest of christs blood to expiate and wash them out ; then he began to be co●…vinc'd that he was all this while under the hold of sinne , that his conscience was yet under the paw of the lyon ; as the serpent that was dead in snow , was reviu'd at the fire ; so sinne that seemes dead when it lies hid under the ignorances and misperswasions of a secure heart , when either the word of god ( which the prophet calls fire ) or the last iudgement ) shall open it unto the conscience , it will undoubtedly revive againe , and make a man finde himselfe in the mouth of death . thus wee see , that unto the law belongs the conviction of sinne , and that in the whole compasse of evill that is in it . three hatefull evils are in sinne , aberration from gods image , obnoxiousnesse to his wrath , and rejection from his presence . staine , guilt , and miserie ( which is the product or issue of the two former ) . now , as wee say , rectum est sui index & obliqui , the law is such a rule as can measure and set forth all this evill ; ir is holy , iust , and good. rom. . . holy , fit to conforme us to the image of god , iust , fit to arme vs against the wrath of god , and good , fit to present us unto the presence and fruition of god. according unto this blessed and complete patterne was man created ; an universall rectitude in his nature , all parts in tune , all members in joynt : light and beauty in his minde , conformity in his will , subordination and subjection in his appetites , serviceablenesse in his body , peace and happinesse in his whole being . but man , being exactly sensible of the excellency of his estate , gave an easie ●…are to that first temptation which layd before him a hope and project of improving it : and so beleeving satans lye , and embracing a shadow , he fell from the substance which before he had , and contracted the hellish and horrid image of that tempter which had thus deceiv'd him . having thus consider'd in the generall how the law may be said to quicken or revive sinne , by the obligation , irritation , and conviction of it : wee will in the next place looke into the life of those particular species or ●…ankes of sinne which the spirit in the commandement doth convince men of . wherein i shall insist at large onely upon that sinne which is the subject of this whole chapter , and ( if not solely ) yet principally aim'd at by the apostle in my text , namely those evils which lye folded up in our originall concupiscence . here then first the spirit by the law entiseth vs to adams sinne , as a derivation from the root to the branches ; as poison is carried from the fountaine to the cisterne , as the children of traytors have their blood ●…ainted with their fathers treason , and the children of bondslaves are under their parents condition . we were a all one in adam , and with him ; in him legally in regard of the b stipulation and covenant between god and him , we were in him parties in that covenāt , had interest in the mercy , & were liable to the curse which belonged to the breach of that covenant ; and in him naturally , and therefore unavoidably subject to all that bondage and burden which the humane nature contracted in his fall . and though there be risen up a c sect of men , who deny the sinne of adam to be our sinne or any way so by god accounted , and to us imputed , yet certaine it is that before that arch-heretick pelagius , and his disciple caelestius did vex the churches , never any man denied the guilt of adams sinne ( and guilt is inseparable from the sinne it selfe , being a proper passion of it ) to belong to all his posterity . this then is the first charge of the spirit upon us , participation with adam in his sinne . and in as much as that commandement unto adam was the d primitive law , so justly required , e so easily observed , therefore exceeding great must needs be the transgression of it . pride , ambition , rebellion , infidelity , ingratitude , idolatry , concupissence , ●…heft , apostacy , unnaturall affection , violation of covenant , and an universall renunciation of gods mercy promised ; these & the like were those wofull ingredients which compounded that sinne , in the committing wherof wee all were sharers , because adams person was the fountaine of ours , and adams a will the representative of ours . the second charge is touching universall corruption which hath in it two great evils . first , a generall defect of all righteousnesse and holinesse in which wee were at first created ; and secondly , an inherent b deordination , pravitie , evill disposition , disease , propension to all mischiefe , antipathy and aversation from all good , which the scripture calls the c flesh the d wisdome of the flesh , the e body of sinne , f earthly members , the g law of the members , h the workes of the divell , i the lusts of the divell , the k hell that sets the whole course of nature on fire . and this is an evill , of the through malignity whereof no man can be so sensibly and distinctly convinc'd , as in the evidence of that conviction to cry out against it with such strange , strong and bitter complaints l as saint paul doth till his m understanding be by christ opened to understand the n spiritualnesse , o penetration , and p compasse of that holy law , which measureth the q very bottome of every action , and condemneth as well the r originals as the acts of sinne . and hence it is that s many men pleade for this sinne , as onely an evill of nature rather troublesome then sinnefull . that concupiscence was not contracted by nature de novo in the fall , but that it is annexed to nature by the law of creation , that it belongeth to the constitution and condition of a sensitive creature , and that the bridle of originall and supernaturall ri●…hteousnesse being remou'd , the rebellion of the fleshly against the spirituall , that is , as these men most ignorantly affirme , of the sensuall against the reasonable part which was by that before suspended , did discover it selfe . it will not bee therefore a misse to open unto you what it is to be in the state of originall sinn●… , and what evils they are which the commandement doth so discover in that sinne , as thereby to make a man feele the burden of his owne nature , smell the sinke and stinch of his owne bosome , and so ( as the prophet speakes ) abhorre himselfe , and never open his mouth any more , either proudly to justifie himselfe , or foolishly to charge god ; but to admire and adore that mercy which is pleas'd to save , and that power which is able to cure so leprous and uncleane a thing . first , consider the universalitie of this sinne , and that manifold . vnivers●…litie of times : from adam to mos●…s , even when the law of creation was much defaced , and they that sinned did not sinne after the similitude of adam , against the cleare revelation of gods pure and holy will. for that i take to be the meaning of the apostle in those words , untill the law sinne was in the world ; but sinne is not imputed where there is no law. though the law seemed quite extinct betweene adam and t u moses in the wicked of the world , and with it sinne , because sinne hath no strength where there is no law ; though men had not any such legible characters of gods will in their nature as adam had at first , and therefore did not sinne after the similitude of his prevarication ; yet even from adam to moses did sinne reigne over all them , even the sinne of adam , and that lust which that sinne contracted . and if sinne reigned from adam to moses ▪ in that time of ignorance , when the law of not lusting was quite extinct out of the minds of men , much more from moses after ; for the law entred by moses that sin might abound , that is , that that concupiscence which reigned without conviction before , during the ignorance of the originall implanted law , might by the new edition and publication of that law be knowne to be sinfull , and thereby become more exceeding sinful to those who should be thus convinced of it : that so the exceeding sinfulnesse of sinne might serve both the sooner to compell men to come to christ , and the grace of christ might thereby appeare to be more exceeding gratious : for the law was reviv'd , and promulgated anew meerely with relation to christ and the gospell ; and therefore the apostle saith , it was added and ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator , or by the ministery of a mediator . where there are three reasons to shew gods evangelicall purpose in the publication of the law anew . first , it was not published alone , but as an additament , with relation to the evangelicall promise which was before made . secondly , the service of angels , or messengers ; which shewes , that in the law god did send from heaven anew to instruct men , and therein to take care of them , and prepare them for salvation ; for angels minister for this purpose , that men might be heires of salvation . thirdly , the ministry of a mediator , namely , moses , who was mediator in the law , with reference whereunto christ is cald mediator of a better covenant , and was faithfull as moses . now where there is a mediator appointed , therein god declares his purpose to enter anew into a treaty with men , and to bring them to termes of agreement and reconciliation with him . men were rebels against god , held under the sentence of death and vengeance ; they are in darkenesse , know not whither they goe , are well pleasde with their owne estate , give no heed to any that would call them out . for this reason , because god is willing to pull mē out of the fire , he sends first moses armed with thunder , and brightnesse , which can not be endur'd ( for the shining of moses his face , which the people could not abide , denotes the exceeding purity and brightnesse of the law , which no sinner is able with peace to looke on ) and he shews them whither they are hastning , namely to eternall death , and like the angell that met balaam in a narrow roome shuts them in , that either they must turne backe againe , or else bee destroyed : and in this fright , and anguish , christ , the mediator of a better covenant , presents himselfe , as a sanctuary and refuge from the condemnation of the law. secondly , there is universalitie of men , and in men universality of parts , all men , and every part of man shut up under the guilt and power of this sinne . both these the apostle proves at large , iewes , gentiles , all under sinne , none righteous , no not one , all gone out of the way , altogether become unprofitable , none that doth good , no not one ; every mouth must be stopped , all the world must be guilty before god , all have sinned and come short or are destitute of his glory . god hath concluded all in unbeliefe , the scripture hath shut up all under sinne ; this shewes the universality of persons . the apostle adds , their throate is an open sep●…lcher , with their tongues they have used deceit , the poyson of aspes is under their lips , their mouth full of cursing and bitternesse , their feete swift to shed bloud , destruction and unhappinesse are in their wayes , and the way of peace they have not knowne , there is no feare of god before their eyes , these particulars are enough to make up an induction , and so to inferre a universalitie of parts . every purpose , desire , imagination , incomplete and inchoate notion , every figment , so the word properly signifies ( with reference whereunto the apostle , as i conceive , cals sinne the creature of the heart , and our saviour , the issue of the heart ) is evill , onely evill , continually evill . originall sinne is an entire body , an old man ( which word noteth not the impotencie or defects , but the maturity , wisedome , cunning , covetousnesse , full growth of that sinne in us ; ) and in this man , every member is earthly , sensuall , and divelish . as there is chaffe about every corne in a field , saltnesse in every drop of the sea , bitternesse in every branch of wormewood , so is ehere sinne in every faculty of man. first , looke into the minde : you shall finde it full of vanitie , wasting and wearying it selfe in childish , impertinent , unprofitable notions . full of ignorance and darknesse , no man knoweth , nay no man hath so much knowledge as to enquire or seeke after god in that way where he will bee found ; nay more , when god breakes in upon the minde by some notable testimonie from his creatures , iudgements , or providence , yet they like it not , they hold it downe , they reduce themselves backe againe to foolish hearts , to reprobate and undiscerning mindes , as naturally as hot water returnes to its former coldnesse . full of curiositie , rash unprofitable enquiries , foolish and unlearned questions profane bablings , strife of words perverse disputes , all the fruits of corrupt and rotten mindes . full of pride and contradiction against the truth oppositions of science , that is , setting up of philosophy and vaine deceit , imaginations , thoughts , fleshly reasonings against the spirit and truth which is in iesus . full of domesticall principles , fleshlie wisedome , humane inventions contrivances , super-inducements upon the pretious foundation , of rules and methods of its owne to serve god and come to happinesse . full of inconsistency and roving , swarmes of empty and foolish thoughts , slipperinesse , and unstablenesse in all good motions . secondly , looke into the conscience , you shall finde it full of insensiblenesse , the apostle saith of the gentiles , that they were past feeling , and of the apostates in the latter times , that they had their consciences seared with a hot iron , which things though they be spoken of an habituall , and acqui●…'d hardnesse which growes upon men by a custome of sinne , yet wee are to note that it is originally in the conscience at first , and doth not so much come unto it , as grow out of it . as that branch which at first shooting out is flexible and tender growes at last even by it owne disposition into a hard and stubbo●…e bow , as those parts of the naile next the flesh which are at first softer then the rest , yet doe of themselves grow to that hardnesse which is in the rest ; so the consciences of children have the seedes of that insensibility in them , which makes them at last dea●…e to every charme , and secure against all the thunder that is threatned against them . full of impurity and disobedience , dead , rotten , unsavorie workes . full of false and absurd excusations , and accusations , fearing where there is no cause of feare , and acquitting where there is great cause of feare as saint pauls here did . looke into the heart , and you shall finde a very he●… of uncleannesse . full of deepe and unsearchable deceit and wickednesse . full of hardnesse , no sinnes , no judgements , no mercies , no allurements ▪ no hopes , no feares , no promises , no instructions able to startle , to awaken , to melt , or shape it to a better image , without the immediate omnipotency of that god which melts the mountaines , and turnes stones into sonnes of abraham . full of impenitencie , not led by the very patience and long-suffering of god , no●… allured by the invitations and entea●…ies of god to returne to him , not perswaded by the fruitlesnesse and emptinesse of all sinnefull lusts to forsake them . full of ●…llr it is bound up , riveted fast into the heart of a 〈◊〉 , and there from childish folly growes up to wise and sober folly , ( as i may so speake ) till the heart bee changed into a cell of darknesse . full of madnesse , and ●…age , in ●…dnen is in the hearts of men while they lieu , all the creatures in the world are not able to cure it . full of infidelity . a heart that departs from god , undervalews his pretious promises , & mistrusts his power . in one word ful of all pollution and uncleannesse , that forge where all sins are framed in secret intents , desires , purposes , lusts , and from whence it springeth forth into the life , the flames of it breaking out into the tongue , and into every other member in adulteries , murthers , thefts , blasphemies , and every wicked word and worke . looke into the will , and you shall finde it , first , full of disability unto any good , it cannot hearken , nor be subject unto the law of god. but there may be weaknesse where yet there is a good will and affection ; not so here , it is secondly , full of loathing and aversation , it cannot endure to heare or see any thing that is good , casts it behind the back , and turnes away the shoulder from it . but there may be a particular nausea or lothing of a thing out of some distemper and not out of antipathy : a man may loath the sight of that in a disease , which at another time he loves . but the will doth not sometimes loath , and sometimes love , but thirdly , it is full of enmity against that which is good , it lookes upon it as a base thing and so it a scornes it , and it lookes on it as an adverse thing , and so sets up resolutions to b withstand it , and it looks upon it as an unprofitable thing and so c slights and neglects it . but enmity is seldome so rooted , but that it may bee overcome , and a reconciliation wrought ; not so here , the fleshly will may be crucified , it will never be reconcil'd ; for fourthly , it is full of 〈◊〉 , and d contrariety , which is a twisted enmity ( as i may so speake ) which cannot be broken . one contrarie may expell another , but it can never reconcile it . the flesh will never give over the combate , nor forbeare its owne contumacie and resolutions to persist in evill . looke into the memorie , and you shall finde it very unfaithfull to retaine good , very tenacious to hold anyevill ; it is like a c leaking vessell , le ts out all that is pure , and retaines nothing but mud and dregs . the lord made great promises to the people of israel to bring them into the holy land , began to fulfill them , in wonders , in terrible wonders , in mercies , in multitudes of mercies ( and nothing fo fit to make impressions on the memorie as promises , miracles , and multiplied deliverances ) and yet as if they meant to contend with god , which should be the greatest , the wonder of his goodnesse or the wonder of their unthankfulnes , all this was not long a wearing out , for it is said , they did soone forget it all . look into the whole man , and you shall finde him full of perturbation and disorder . a man cannot trust any member he hath alone , without iobs covenant , without davids bradle to keepe it in . if thou hast occasion to use thine eye , take heed unto it , it is full of the seeds of adultery , pride , envie , wrath , covetousnesse , there are lusts of the eye . if to use thy tongue , trust it not alone , set a dore before thy lips , there is a hell within thee that can set it all on fire , that can fill it with rotten and stinking communication , there is blasphemy , persecution , theft , murther , adultery , curses , revilings , clamors , bitternesse , crimson and hellish , fierie and brimstone abominations in that little member , able to set the whole frame of nature on fire about the eares of ungodly men . if to use thy hands or feete , looke unto them , there are seeds of more sins , theft , bribery , murther , adultery ( what not ? ) then there are joynts or sinewes in those members . if to use thine eare , be slow to hear , take heed how you heare , it is easily open to vanitie , lies , slanders , calumniations , false doctrines , trashie and emptie doctrines . thus all over we finde a body of sinne ; and which is yet more strange , this sinnefulnesse cleaves not to our members onely , but runnes over with a prodigious exuberancie into our very excrements , and adjacents . absolom proud of his haire , iezabel proud of her paint , herod proud of his robes ; and though the word be●… a sword and a fire , yet it cannot cut of no●… melt away any of this pride , till absoloms haire become his halter , till iezabels paint be washed of with her owne blood , and vermin make the robes of herod baser then a menstruous cloath , or a beggers rags . thus we see how universala corruption originall sinne is ; therefore in scripture the whole man is called flesh , because in carnall works we worke secundum hominem , when wee are carnall wee walke as men , as our saviour , saith of the divell when hee speaketh a lie hee speaketh de suo , of his owne , according to his owne nature ; so when men walke after the flesh , they worke of their owne , they walke according to themselves . for of our selves we can doe nothing as the apostle speakes but onely sinne , when wee doe any good it is by the grace of god , but lusts , which are the fountaine of evill , are all our owne , god gave the heathen over to the lusts of their own hearts ; and every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his owne lust and enticed . so then wee are all over flesh ; the minde , a fleshly minde , the will a fleshly will , the affections and lust , all fleshly . so that as the aposile saith of the body , many members but one ' body ; so we of originall sinne , many lusts but one body , therefore the apostle ca●…s it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the singular number sinne , upon which excellent is the observation of the author of the booke de duplici martyrio among saint cyprians workes , plus est tollere peccatum quam peccata , it is more difficult to root out this sinning sinne , then to overcome many actuall . secondly , consider the closenesse and adherency of this sinne . it cleaves as fast to our nature , as blacknesse to the skinme of an ethiopian , that cannot possibly bee washt off . as fast as ivie to a wall ( it is the similitude of epiphanius ) though a man may lop and shorten the branches , yet the rootes are so fastened to the joynts and intralls of the wall , that till the stones be puld all asunder , it will not be quite rooted out . as that house wherein there was a fretting and spreading leprosie , though it might bee scrap'd round about , and much rubbish and corrupt materialls removed , yet the leprosie did not cease , till the house with the stones , and timber , and morter of it was broken downe : so originall concupiscence cleaveth so close to our nature , that though we may bee much repair'd , yet corruption will not leave us , till our house be dissolved . as long as corne is in the field , it will have refuse and chaffe about it ; as long as water remaines in the sea , it will retaine it saltnesse , till it be defecated and clensed in its passage into the land ; and so is it with the church while it is in the world , it will have the body of sinne about it , it will bee beset with this sinne. in the apostle it is for this reason call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an encompassing sinne , a sinne that will not be cast off , that doth easily occupate and possesse all our members and faculties ; a man may as easily shake off the skin from his backe , or poure out his bowels out of his body , as rid himselfe of this evill inhabitant : it is an evill that is ever present with us , and dwelling in us . but it may be objected , doth not the apostle say , that by being baptized into christ , or planted into the likenesse of his death , our old man is crucified , the body of sinne is destroyed , we are freed from sinne , as a woman is from a dead husband , we have put off the body of the sinnes of the flesh , by the circumcision made without hands that is , by baptisme and the spirit ? doth not the apostle saint iohn say , he that is borne of god , that is , he that is regenerate by water and the spirit . sinneth not , neither can sinne ? to this i answer in generall with the same apostle , if we say wee have no sinne , we deceive our selves , and there is no truth in us . more particularly , wee must distingvish both of death and of sinne . there is a twofold death ; an actuall , or naturall death , when the essentiall parts of a living creature are taken asunder , and the whole dissolved : and a virtuall or legall death ; when though the party bee naturally alive , yet hee is dead in law , and that notes two things : first , a designation unto a certaine death at hand , and ready to bee executed : secondly , a disabilitie unto many purposes which lay before in the mans power ; as a man condemn'd , though hee have his life out of indulgence for a short space , yet hee is then set apart , and appointed for death , and in the very sentence disabled to order or dispose of any thing which was then his owne . when a woman is divorced for adultery from her husband , though she bee alive naturally , yet legally and to the purpose of marriage she is dead to her husband , so that though shee should live in the same house , yet she should have nothing to doe with his bed or body . and thus the apostle speaketh of sinfull widowes , that they are dead while they live , . tim. . . in sin likewise we may consider , the guilt of it whereby it makes us accursed ; and the dominion of it , wherewith it bringeth us into bondage : in these two principally consists the life and the strength of sinne , which it hath from the law. now by being baptized into christ wee are delivered from the law. rom. . . gal. . . first , from the covenant of the law , christ hath put an utter period to the law quoad officium iustificandi , hee is the end of the law for righteousnesse . wee are righteous now by grace and donation , not by nature , or operation : by the righteousnesse of god , not that whereby god is righteous , but that which god is pleased to give us , and stands in opposition to a mans owne righteousnesse , which is by working . secondly , from the rigor of the law which requires perfect , and perpetuall obedience , gal. . . though the gospell command holinesse , matth. . . and promise it , luk. . . and worke it in us , tit. . . . yet when the conscience is summon'd before god to bee justified or condemned , to resolve upon what it will stand to for its last triall ; there is so much mixture of sinne , that it dares trust none but christs owne adequate performance of the law : this is all the salvation , the maine charter and priviledge of the church . wee are not therefore rigorously bound either to a full habituall holinesse in our persons , which is supplied by the merit of christ , nor to a through actuall obedience in our services , which are covered with the intercession of christ. wee are at the best full of weakenesse , many remnants of the old adam hang about us , this is all the comfort of a man in christ , that his desires are accepted , god regards the sincerity of his heart , and will spare his failings , even as a man spareth his sonne that desires to please him , but comes short in his endeavours ; that he will not looke on the iniquitie of his holy things , but when he fals will pitty him , and take him up , and heale him , and teach him to goe ; thus wee are delivered from the rigour of the law , which yet is thus to be understood ; that though wee bee still bound to all the law as much as ever under perill of sinne ( for so much as the best come short of fullfilling all the law , so much they sinne ) yet not under paine of death which is the rigour of the law. and therefore thirdly , wee are delivered from the curse of the law , from the vengeance and wrath of god against sin . christ was made a curse for us , lastly , from the irritation of the law , and all compulsorie and slavish obedience : we love by christ all the principles and grounds of true obedience put into vs. first , knowledge of gods will , the spirit of revelation , wisedome and spirituall understanding . secondly , will to embrace and love what wee know . thirdly , strength in some measure to performe it . and by these meanes the saints serve god without feare , with delight , willingnesse , love , liberty , power , the law is to them a new law , a law of liberty , a light yoke , the commandements of god are not grievous to them . being thus dead to the law , we are truly dead to sinne likewise , and sinne to us , but not universally . dead in regard of its strength , but not in regard of its beeing . to apply then the premisses . sin is dead naturally quoad reatum , in regard of the gvilt of it , that is , that actuall guilt of sin , wherby every man is borne a child of wrath , and made obnoxious to vengeance , is done quite away in our regeneration , and the obligations cancell'd . col. . . secondly , sinne is dead legally , quoad regnum , in regard of the dominion and government of it , in regard of the vigorous operation which is in it . first , sinne is condemn'd , rom. . . and therein destinated , and design'd to death , it shall fully bee rooted out . secondly , in the meane time , it is disabled from a plenarie rule over the conscience , though the christian be molested and pester'd with it , yet he doth not henceforth serve it , nor become its instrument , to bee subject in every motion thereof , as the weapon is to the hand that holds it : but christ and his love beare the sway , and hold the sterne in the heart , rom. . 〈◊〉 . cor. . , . . pet. . , . thirdly , the sentence of the law against sin is already in execution . but we are to note , that sinne though condemnd to die , yet ( such is the severity of god against it ) it is adjudg'd to a lingring death , a death upon the crosse : and in the faithfull sin is already upon a crosse , fainting , struggling , dying daily ; yet so , as that it retaines some life still , so long as we are here , sinne will be as fast to our natures , as a nailed man is to the crosse that beares him . our thorne will still bee in our flesh , our canaanite in our side , our twinns in our wombe , our counterlustings , and counterwillings ; though we be like unto christ per primitias spiritus ; yet we are unlike him per reliquias vetustatis , by the remainders of our flesh ; not to sinne is here onely our law , but in heaven it shal be our reward . all our perfection here is imperfect ; sinne hath its deaths blow given it , but yet like fierce and implacable beasts it never le ts goe its hold till the last breath , animamque in vulnere ponit , never ceaseth to infest us , till it cease to bee in us . who can say , i have made my heart cleane ? cleanse thou be ( saith holy david ) from my secret sinnes . though i know nothing by my selfe , yet am i not thereby iustified , saith the apostle ; and the reason is added , he that iudgethme is the lord ; which saint iohn further unfolds , god is greater then our hearts , and knoweth all things . which places ( though most dangerously perverted by some late innovators , which teach , that a man may bee without secret sinnes , that he may make his heart cleane from sinne , and that saint paul was so ) doe yet in the experience of the holiest men that are , or have been , evince this truth , that the lusts of the flesh will be , and worke in us , so long as we carry our mortall bodies about us . and this god is pleased to suffer for these and like purposes : first , to convince and humble us in the experience of our owne vilenesse , that wee may be the more to the prayse of the glory of his great grace . as once theophilus bishop of alexandria dealt with the egyptian idols , after the embracement of christianitie ; most he destroyed , onely one of their apes and images he kept entire , not as a monument of idolatry , but as a spectacle of sinne and misery , that in the sight thereof the people might after learne to abhorre themselves that had liv'd in such abominable idolatries . secondly , to drive us still unto him , to cast us alwayes upon the hold and use of our faith , that our prayers may still finde something to aske which hee may give , and our repentance something to confesse , which he may forgive . thirdly , to proportion his mercy to his justice , for as the wicked are not presently fully destroyed , have not sentence speedily executed against them , but are reserv'd unto their day , that they may be destroi'd together , as the psalmist speakes ; even so the righteous are not here fully saved , but are reserv'd unto the great day of redemption , when they also shall be saved together , as the apostle intimates , . thess. . . fourthly , to worke in us a greater hatred of sinne , and longing after glory , therefore we have yet but the first fruites of the spirit , that we should grone and waite for the adoption and redemption , therfore are we burdened in our earthly tabernacle , that we should the more earnestly groane to be cloathed upon with our house which is from heaven . fiftly , to magnifie the power of his grace in the weakest of his members , which , notwithstanding that inhabiting traytor , which is ready to let in and entertaine every temptation , shall yet make a poore sinfull man stronger in some respect then adam was himselfe , even able to overcome at last the powers of darkenesse , and to be sufficient against all satans buffets . lastly , to commend the greatnesse of his mercy and salvation when we shall come to the full fruition of it , by comparing it with the review of that sinfull estate in which here we lived when we were at the best , without possibility of a totall deliverance . thirdly , consider the great contagion , and pestilentiall humour which is in this sinne , which doth not onely cleave unseparably to our nature , but derives venome upon every action that comes from us . for though we doe not say that the good works of the regenerate are sinnes , and so hatefull to god ( as our adversaries belie and misreport us ) for that were to reproach the spirit and the grace of christ by which they are wrought : yet this we affirme constantly unto the best worke that is done by the concurrence and contribution of our owne faculties such a vitiousnesse doth adhere , such stubble of ours is superinduc'd , as that god may justly charge us for defiling the grace he gave , and for the evill which we mixe with them may turne away his eyes from his owne gifts in us ▪ sinne in the facultie is poison in the fountaine , that sheds infection into every thing that proceeds from it . ignorance and difficultie are two evill properties which from the fountaine doe in some measure diffuse themselves upon all our workes . whensoever thou art going about any good this evill will be present with thee , to derive a deadnesse , a dampe , a dulnesse , an indisposednesse upon all thy services , an iniquitie upon thy holiest things , which thou standest in neede of a priest to beare for thee , exod. . . and to remove from thee . in the law whatsoever an uncleane person touched was uncleane , though it were holy flesh ; to note the evill quality of sinful nature , to staine and blemish every good worke which commeth from it . this is that which in thy prayers deads thy zeale , fervencie , humiliation , selfe-abhorrencie , thy importunitie , faith , and close attention , this like an evill sauour mingleth with thy sacrifice , casteth in impertinent thoughts , wrong ends , makes thee rest in the worke done , and never enquire after the truth of thine owne heart , or gods blessing and successe to thy services . this is it that in reading and hearing the word throwes in so much prejudice , blindnesse , inadvertency , security , infidelity , misapplication , misconstruction , wresting and shaping the word to our selves . this is that which in thy meditations makes thee roving and unsetled , driving to no point nor issue , running into no conclusion nor resolutions of further obedience in faith and godlinesse . this is that which in thy converse with others mingles so much frowardnesse , levitie , unprofitablenesse to or from them . this is that which in thy calling makes so unmindfull of god and his service , aime at nothing but thine own emoluments ; where is the man who in all the wayes of his ordinarie calling labours to walke in obedience and feare of god , to carry alwayes the affections of a servant , as considering that he is doing the lords worke ? that consecrates and sanctifies all his courses by prayer , that beggeth strength , presence , concurrence , supplies of spirit from god to lead him in the way which he ought to goe , and to preserve him against those snares and temptations which in his calling he is most exposed unto ? that imploreth a blessing from heaven on his hearers in their conversation , on his clients in their cause , on his patients in their cure , on himselfe in his studies , on the state in all his servlees ? that is carefull to redeeme all his pretious time , and to make every houre of his life comfortable and beneficiall to himselfe and others ? where is the man whose particular calling doth not trench and incroach upon his generall calling , the duties which he owes to god ? that spares sufficient time to humble himselfe , to studie gods will , to acquaint himselfe with the lord , to keepe a constant communion with his god ? nay that doth not adventure to steale from gods owne day to speake his owne words , to ripen or set forward his owne or his friends advantages ? in all this take notice of that naughty inmate in thy bosome ; set thy selfe against it , as thou wouldest do against the stratagems of a most vigilant enemie , or of a perfidious friend , qui inter amplexus strang●…lat ; that like dalilah never comes alone , but with philistimes too ; like iael , never comes with milke and butter alone , but withall with a naile and a hammer , to fasten not thy head alone , but , which is worse , thy heart also unto earthly things . fourthly , consider the fruitfulnesse of it . it is both male and female , as i may so speake , within it selfe , both the tempter , and the seed , and the wombe . suppose wee it possible for a man to be separated from the sight and fellowship , from the contagions and allurements of all other wicked men ; kept out of the reach of satans suggestions and sollicitations ; nay to converse in the midst of the most renowned saints that are ; yet that man hath enough in himselfe , and would quickly discover it , to beget , to conceive , to bring forth , to multiply , to consummate actuall sinnes . the apostle s. iames sets forth the birth and progresse of actuall sinne , every man is tempted when he is drawne away and enticed of his owne lust , there lust is the father , the adulterer ; and lust when it hath conceived bringeth forth sinne , there lust is the mother too ; and there is no mention of any seede but the temptation of lust it selfe , the stirrings , and flatteries , and dalliances of the sinfull heart with it selfe . iam. . , , . the same apostle compares it to hell , which notes the unsatiablenesse of the wombe of sinne , that doth enlarge its desires as the grave ; nay to the fire of hell ; nothing so apt to multiply as fire , every thing ministers occasion of encrease unto it ; but then ordinary fire workes out it selfe , and dies ; but. lust as it is like fire , in multiplying , so it is like hell fire in abiding , it is not preserv'd by a supply of outward materials to foment and cherish it , but it supports its selfe . it is like a troubled sea , which casteth up mire and dirt , a fountaine out of which every day issue adulteries , thefts , murthers , evill thoughts , &c it bringeth forth fruite like summer fruit : who hath heard such a thing , who hath seene such things ? shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day , saith the prophet : yet consider how suddenly this sinne brings forth . when you see in your children of a span long their sinne shew it selfe before their haire or their teeth , vanity , pride , frowardnesse , selfe-love , revenge , and the like , then thinke upon your owne infancie , and bewaile adams image so soone in your selves , and yours in your children . i have seene , saith saint austin , a sucking infant , that was not able to articulate a word , looke with a countenance even pale for envie , upon his fellow suckling , that shared with him in the same milke ; upon which consideration the holy man breakes forth into this pious complaint , ubi domine , quando domine , where ever was the place , o lord ; when ever was the time , o lord , that i have been an innocent creature ? secondly , consider how continually it brings forth , even every day , gen. . . or all the day long , as fast as the sunne begets swarmes of vermine , or the fire sparkles . thirdly , consider how desperately it breakes forth : when thou seest a man wallow like a beast in his owne vomit , dart out blasphemies against heaven , revile the gospell of salvation , teare the blessed name of god in pieces with abhorrid and hideous oathes ; cain murthering his brother , iudas betraying his master , ananias lying to the holy ghost , lucian mocking the lord iesus as a crucified impostor , iulian darting up his bloud against heaven in hatred of christ , the scribes and pharises blaspheming the holy spirit , then reflect on thy selfe , and consider that this is thine owne image , that thou hast the same roote of bitternesse in thy selfe , if the grace of god did not hinder and prevent thee . as face answereth unto face in water , renders the selfe same shape , colour , lineaments , proportion ; so the heart of man to man , every man may in any other mans hart see the complet image , deformities , uncleannesse of his owne . suppose we two acorns of a most exact and geometricall equality in seminall vertue , planted in two severall places of as exact and uniforme a temper of earth , needs must they both grow into trees of equall strength and 〈◊〉 , unlesse the benignitie and influences of heaven doe come differently upon them . our case is the same , we are all naturally cast into one mould , all equally partake the selfe same degrees and proportions of originall lusts , our harts equally by nature fruitfull in evill ; if then we proceed not to the same compasse and excesse of riot with other men , we must not attribute it to our selues , or any thing in our natures , as if we had made our selues to differ ; but onely to the free and blessed influences of the grace of christ , and his spirit which bloweth where it listeth . lastly , consider how unexpectedly it will breake forth . is thy servant a dog that hee should doe this great thing , to dash children to pieces , and rip up women with childe ? it was the speech of hazael to elisha the prophet . as if he should have said , i must cease to be a man , i must put off all the principles of humanity , i must change natures with fierce and bloody creatures that are not capeable of pitty , before i can do such facts as these : is thy servant a dog ? yes , and worse then a dog ; when pride , ambition , selfe-projections , the probabilities , and promises , the engagements and exigencies of a kingdome shall enliven and rouse up that originall inhumanitie that is in a man , he will then be not a dog onely , but a woolte , and a lyon. i will not denie thee , i will dye for thee , though all should be offended because of thee , yet will i never be offended . they were the words of a great disciple ; alas peter , thou knowest not thine owne hear●… ; 't is but like a quiet sea , when the winde , the temptation shall blow , thou wilt quickly be troubled and finde an alteration , thy tyde will turne , and an ebbe of thy zeale will follow . who could have expected or feared adulterie from such a man as david after such communion with god ? impatiency from such a man as ieremie after such revelations from god ? idolatry from such a man as salomon after so much wisedome from god ? fretfulnesse and frowardnesse of spirit in such a man as ionah after such deliverances from god ? fearefulnesse in such a man as abraham after so much protection from god ? cursing from such a man as iob , after so much patience and experience from god ? o in such examples learne thy selfe and feare thyself . the disciples could say , master is it i that shall betray thee . peter did not aske , master is it 〈◊〉 ? ●…or iohn , master is it thomas ? but every one , is it i ? true indeed , i have a deceitfull flesh , a revolting heart , a traytor in my bosome , it may as soone bed as another man. if anyone fall , restore him with the spirit of meeknesse , saith the apostle , considering thy self , that is , doe not rejoyce against thy brother , nor insult over him , doe not despise him in thy heart , nor exalt thy self ; thou art of the same mould , thou hast the same principles with him ; that god which hath forsaken him may forsake thee , that temptation which hath overcome him may happen unto thee , that enemy which hath sifted him may winnow thee , and therefore in his fall learne compassion towards him , and jealoufie to thy selfe , restore him , and consider thyselfe . fifthly , consider the temptations that arise from this sinne , the daylie and hourly sollicitations wherewith it setteth upon the soule , to unsettle it in good , and to dispose it unto evill . satan is emphatically in the scripture cald a tempter ; and yet as if his were but halfe-temptations , s. iames saith , that a man is indeed tempted by his owne lusts , when he is drawne away , and enticed . first , drawne away from god out of his sight and presence , and then sollicited unto euil , either evill simplie , or evill concomitantly , in doing good duties formally , blindly , unzealously , unconstantly ▪ unspiritually . if a man shoote an arrow against a rock , it may be broken , but it cannot enter : no more can satans temptations preuaile against the soule , without something within to give them admittance . therefore though he tempted christ , yet he prevailed not , and our saviour gives the reason ; he hath nothing in me , nothing to receive his darts . but now in us the flesh holdes treacherous compliancie with satan and the world , and is ready to let them in at every assault : this is a great part of the cunning of wicked angels to engage and bribe over a mans owne concupiscence to their party . seed will never grow into a living creature without a wombe to foster it , there must be 〈◊〉 cordis as well as seminarium hostis , the conception of the heart , as the temptation of satan . temptations may vex , but they cannot corrupt us without our owne sinnefull entertainement ; as a chaste woman may be sollicited by some base ruffian , but yet no whit in danger while shee retaines her chastitie , it may grieve her , but it cannot defile her . many points of temptation the divell can compasse alone . suggestions , perswasions , arguments , instigations , injections of blasphemous or atheisticall notions ; but all these are at the worst but as the violence of a man that ravisheth a virgin ; if wee can wholly keepe in our hearts from affording their embraces , and accepting the offers of satan , if wee can with all the strength of our soule cry out like the ravished woman in the law , they are the sinnes of satan and not ours but here is the miserie , satan knowes how ou●… tyde stands , he searcheth out our dispositions , and thereunto sorteth his temptations , and taketh ingredients of our own to temper with them , and to sweeten them , as agrippina when she poisoned her husband claudius temper'd the poison in the mea●…e which he most delighted in : one man hath lust and wit , satan tempteth him to scorne and slight the humility of the waies of god , and the simplicitie of the gospell ; another hath lust and monie , satan tempteth him to pride and oppression , to earthly mindednesse , and trust in his strong tower ; another hath lust and poverty , satan tempteth him to murmuring , discontent , rebellion , another hath lust and youth , satan tempteth him to vanitie and intemperance , another hath lust and learning , satan tempteth him to vaine-glory , and ambition . there is in every man much need of spirituall wisedome to observe where hee lies most obnoxious , where satan doth most plant his forces , and direct his attempts , and ever to apply our strongest watch , our most importunate prayers , to those gapps of our calling , which are most naked to those lusts in our nature which are most predominant . sixthly ▪ consider the war and rebellion of this sin ; i find a lawin my members warring against the law of my mind . the flesh lusteth against the spirit . fleshly lusts warre against the soule . which passages are not so to bee understood , as if when lust doth fight it fights against nothing but the spirit , but yet it may be so dishartned and crush'd , that it shal not alwaies rebell ( which is the late , wretched , and ignorant glosse of our new pelagians , who expressely contrary to the doctrine of s. paul , and the articles of the church of england , with the harmony of other reformed churches , deny the sinfulnes of originall concupiscence , or that it alwayes lusteth against the spirit ; ) but the meaning of them is , that while wee are in the militant ▪ church , we shall have hourely experience of this traytor in our bosome ; and whensoever we go about any spiritual worke , this evill will be present with us , and fight against us . and this warre is not at a distance , but it is an intimate and close contrariety in the same part , like the combate betweene heate and cold in the same water , no roome nor space to hold a mediatour , or to entertaine a treaty , or to shift and evade the conflict . the same soule that commands obedience doth it selfe resist it . in the same minde the wisedome of the flesh which is sensuall and divelish fighting against the wisedome of the spirit which is meeke and peaceable . in the same will a delight in the law of god , and yet a bias and counter-motion to the law of sinne . in the same understanding a light of the gospell , and yet many relikes of humane principles , and fleshly reasonings ; much ignorance of the purity , excellency , and beauty of the wayes of god. in the same heart singlenesse and sensiblenesse of sinne , and yet much secret fraud and prevarication , hardnesse and dis-apprehension of sin and wrath . in the same affections , love of god and love of the world , feare of god and feare of men , trust in god and doubting of his favour . lord , i beleeve , helpe thou mine unbeliefe , was the cry of the poore man in the gospell ; and such must bee the complaints of the best of us : lord , i will , helpe thou mine unwillingnesse : lord , i heare thee , helpe thou my deafenesse ; lord , i remember thee , helpe thou my forgetfulnesse : lord , i presse towards thee , helpe thou my wearinesse : lord , i rejoyce in thee , helpe thou my heavinesse : lord , i desire to have more fellowship with thee , helpe thou my strangenesse : lord , i love and delight in thy law , helpe thou my failings . such tugging is there of either nature to preserve and improve it selfe . iacob was a man of contention and wrestling from the beginning . contention with his brother in the birth , contention for the birth-right , contention with an angell for the blessing , contention for his wife , and for his wages with laban . he was a typicall man , his name was israel , and he was a patterne to the israel of god. we must be all men of contention , wrestlers not onely with god in strong and importunate prayers for his blessings , but with our elder brother esau , with the lusts and frowardnesse of our owne hearts . the thiefe on the crosse was a perfect embleme of the sinne of our nature , he was naild hand and foot , destin'd unto death , utterly disabled from any of his wonted outrages , and yet that only part which was a little loose , flies out in reviling and reproaching christ : our old man by the mercy of god is upon a crosse , destin'd to death , disabled from the exercise of that wonted violence and dominion which it used ; and yet so long as there is any life or strength left in him , hee sets it all on worke to revile that blessed spirit which is come so neere him . the more david prevailes the more saul rageth and persecuteth him . as in the wombe of tamar there was a strife for precedencie , zarah thrust out his hand first , and yet pharez go●… fo●…th before him : so in a christian many times the 〈◊〉 thru●… out the hand , and begins to worke , and presently the flesh growes sturdie and boisterous and gets first into the action . a man sets himselfe to call upon god , lifts up his hand with the skarlet thred , the blood of christ upon it , is in a sweete preparation to powre out his complaints , his requests , his praises to his father ; and ere he is aware , pride ln the excellencie of gods gifts , or deadnesse , or worldly thoughts intrude themselves , and justle-by gods spirit , and cast a blemish upon his offring . a man is setting himself to heare gods word , begins to attend and rellish the things that are spoken as matters which doe in good earnest concerne his peace , begins to see a beauty more then ordinary in gods service , an excellencie with david in gods law , which hee considered not before , resolves hereafter to love , frequent , submit , beleeve , prize it more then he had ever done ; presently the flesh sets up her mounds , her reasonings , her perverse disputes , her owne principles , her shame , her worldlinesse , her want of leisure , her secular contentments , and so resists the spirit of god , and rejects his counsell . i have enough already , what needs this zeale , this pressing , this accuratenesse , this violence for heaven ? strive wee what wee can , our infirmities will encompasse us , our corruptions will bee about us . but yet beloved as in a pyramide , the higher you goe the lesse compasse still you finde the body to bee of , and yet not without the curiositie and diligence of him that fram'd it : so in a christian mans resurrection , and conversation with christ in heaven , the neerer he comes to christ , the smaller still his corruptions will bee , and yet not without much spirituall industry and christian art . a christian is like a flame , the higher it ascends the more thinne , purified and azurie it is , but yet it is a flame in greene wood , that wants perpetuall blowing and encouragement . a man sets himselfe with some good resolution of spirit to set forward the honor in questioning , in discovering , in shaming , in punishing ( within the compasse of his owne calling and warrant ) the abuses of the times , in countenancing , in rewarding , in abetting and supporting truth & righteousnes : his flesh presently interposeth , his quiet , his security , his relations , his interests , his hopes , his feares , his dependencies , his plausibility , his credit , his profit , his secular provisoes , these blunt his edge , upbraid him with impoliticknes with malecontentednes , with a sullen & cynicall disposition against men and manners , and thus put i know not what ill favor'd colours upon a good face , to make a man out of love with an honest busines . in a word , good is before me , the glory , the service , the waies of god : i see it , but i cannot love it , i love it , but i cannot doe it , i doe it , but i cannot finish it ; i will but yet i rebell , i follow , and yet i fall , i presse forward and yet i faint and flagge , i wrestle and yet i halt , i pray and yet i sinne , i fight and yet i am captive , i crucifie my lusts , and yet they revile me , i watch my heart , and yet it runnes away from me ; god was at first the author of nothing but peace within me , what envious man hath sowed this warre in my bowels ? let the apostle answer this question saith saint austen , by one man sinne entred into the world . that which i would be i am not , and that which i hate i am ; o wretched man , in whom the crosse of christ hath not yet worne out the poysonous and bitter tast of that first tree . it is the patheticall complaint of bonifacius in the same father . how doth the apostle even breake with complaining of this rebellious and captivating power of originall concupiscence , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me ? though hee were delivered from the damnation , yet hee was not delivered from the miserie of this sinne , which must necessarily arise from the stirrings , and conflicts of it . though lust in the regenerate bee not damnable , because albeit it bring forth sinne , yet it doth not finish , and consummate it , for it is broken off by repentance , and disabled by the power of christs spirit , yet it is still miserable , because it disquieteth the spirituall peace and tranquillity of the soule . but there is no great danger in the warre , if the enemie bee either foolish , or weake , or treatable , that either victorie may bee quickly gotten , or some pacifications and compositions concluded . but no such things here . seventhly , therefore consider the wisedome , the policies , the unsearchablenesse of this sinne . the scripture cals it the wisedome of the flesh , earthly , sensuall , divellish wisedome , wisedome to doe evill , reasonings , strong holds , imaginations , high thoughts ; and all this wisedome is emploi'd to deceive the soule , therefore is fleshly wisedome calld by saint iames divellish ▪ because it hath the divels end to draw away men from god , and to entice , and beguile them . therefore in scripture the heart of man is said to bee deceitfull and unsearchable , and lusts are cald deceiveable lusts , and the deceitfulnesse of sinne : saint paul hath a heape of words to expresse this serpentine quality of sinne by , cogging or cheating , cunning , craftinesse , methods , deceit . eph. ▪ . but a man may be very wise , & that wisedom look upon none but mischievous and deceitfull ends ; and yet for all this no great hurt done by him , because he may be unwilling to take the paines , like him in the historian that was innocent not out of good nature , but meerely out of lazines : therfore thirdly , this deceite of sinne is actuated and set on work with very strong desires , and universall lustings , the apostle cals them not lusts onely , but wills , or resolutions of the flesh and of the minde it selfe . hence those secret sins which david himselfe was so troubled withall , those swarmes of lusts which the soule forgeth in it selfe as so many creatures : that which salomon saith of the kings heart , is true of that fleshly king in every mans bosome ; it is unsearchable , a gulfe , a hell of sinnefull profoundnesse . policies to keepe from good , policies to poison and pervert good , policies to make good unseasonable ; policies to bring to evill , policies to keepe in evill , policies to maintaine , justifie , extenuate evill . policies to make me●… rest in false principles , policies to glosse and corrupt true principles , policies on the right hand for superstition and flattering of god with will-worship , policies on the left hand for open profanenes . infinite are the windings and labyrinths of the heart of man the counsels and projects of the flesh , to establish the kingdome of sinne in it selfe . it is an argument of one of the grandest consequences in divinity , this one of the wisdome of the flesh , those wiles and principles that hold up the throne of the prince of this world . what man is there who will not in profession be ready to spit at the name of satan , and to defie him and the workes of his kingdome : and yet what man is there in whose bosome satan hath not a counsell-table , a troupe of statists , by whom hee worketh effectually the designes of his owne kingdome ? the more time any man will spend to make himselfe acquainted with himselfe , the more light of gods law hee will set up in his heart , the more he will begge of god to reveale the secrets of his evill nature unto him , to make him see that abundance of the hart , that treasure of the hart , that hell of the heart , that panoplie and magasin of sinne and temptation which is there ; the more with the prodigall hee comes unto himselfe , and views that evill heart , that bitter roote which is in him : certainely the more confusion and silence , and abhorrencie , & condemnation will there be of himself , the more adoration of that boundlesse mercie , of that bottomles puritie , which is able to pierce into every corner of so unsearchable a thing , able to clense every hole and dungeon , and to enlarge it into a fit receptacle for the prince of glory . notable to this purpose is that place of s. paul ; if all prophesie , and there come in an unbeleever or unlearned man , he is convinc'd of all , he is iudged of all , and thus are the secrets of his hart made manifest , and so falling downe on his face he will worship god. as soone as a man is convinc'd and iudg'd out of the word , and hath the secret filthinesse of his heart laid open before him , hath his conscience cut open , and unridg'd by that sacrificing sword , which is a discerner of the very intents of the heart ; he presently fals downe upon his face in the acknowledgment of his owne unworthinesse , and acknowledgeth all worship to be due to that most patient and mercifull god , that had all the former dayes of his ignorance endured such an uncleane vessell , which was from the very wombe fitted for wrath , and now at last revealed his gospell of salvation , opened the bowels of christ for a sanctuarie and refuge against all that vengeance that attendeth , and against all those spirituall enemies which did hunt his soule . when men have their owne evil waies revealed unto them ( which is ever done by gods spirit when hee will please to bee pacified with them ) then must they needs be confounded , and be loathsome in their owne sight , and never open their mouths any more , nor hold up their faces , or stand before god with their wonted confidences and presumptions . this was the bottome of davids repentance , that hee was conceiv'd in sinne , that was not the first time that hee was an adulterer , hee had it in his nature from the very wombe . men testifie their pride in their looks and fashions , in their eies and tongues , 't is the deepest , the closest , and yet one of the openest sinnes , as a great oke that spreadeth much in sight , and yet is very deepe under ground too ; but now if men did truly consider what black feete they are which doe hold up these proud plumes , what a stinking roote it is which beares these gawdie flowers , what a sulphury and poisonous soile it is that nourisheth these painted apples , they would beginne a little to new rate themselves . it is nothing but ignorance that keepes men in pride . if to be wise to doe evill , and foolish to doe good , if to take endowments from the hand of god , and to fight against him with them , if to pervert the light of reason and scripture to plead for sinne , and the purposes of satan , as lascivious poets use the chast expressions of virgil , to notifie their fordid and obscene conceits ; if to be so wise as to make evill good , and good , evill , light darkenesse , and darknesse light ; to distingvish idolatry into religion , superstition into worship , belial into christ , bee matters to be proud of , then there is in every mans nature a crop and harvest of just pride . else wee must all conclude , that hee which glorieth in any thing which is meerely from himselfe , hath chosen nothing to glory in but his owne shame . eightly , consider the strength and power of this sinne , to command , to execute , to bring about what ever it hath projected for the advancement of satans kingdome . it hath the power of a king , it reignes in our members : and it hath the strength of a law , it is a law in our members ; and a law without strength is no law : for lawes are made to binde , and hold men fast ; and therefore the apostle cals lust a law , because it commands , and holds under all our members to the obedience of it . therefore wicked men are call'd the servants of sinne , and the best of us are captives , that is , unwilling servants . which notes such a strength of sinne , as cannot ex toto be altogether withstood . so much flesh and uncircumcisednesse as a man hath in him , so much disabilitie likewise hath he to withstand sinne . in the wicked it hath an absolutenesse , an universall and uncontroled power ; first , they cannot but sinne , they can doe nothing but sinne ; without faith it is impossible to please god ; and to the impure and uncleane every thing is uncleane . his mercies cruell , his prayers abomination , his offerings the sacrifice of fooles . secondly , if they seeme to forsake any sinne , 't is not of hatred to that , as a sinne ( for he that said . thou shalt not commit adultery , said also , thou shalt not kill ) but it is because they preferre others before it . a man that hath many concubines may so dote upon some particulars , as that the rest haply may goe untouch'd , or but cursorily saluted ; and yet that is no argument of hatred to them , but of preferring the others . so a mans hart may be so takē up with the pursuit of some herodias , some darling lust , as that others may seeme utterly neglected , and scorn'd ; when the truth is , the hart that playes the adulterer with any sin doth indeed hate none . thirdly , if by the power of the word they be frighted from the sinne they most love , yet lust will carry them to it againe , as a sow returneth to the mire , or a man to his wife . fourthly , if they should be so fir'd and terrified away , that they durst never actually returne againe ; yet even then lust will make them wallow in speculatiue uncleannesse , their thoughts , their delights , their sighs , their byas would still hanker the other way . as lust may dog , and pester , and overtake a holy man that hates it , and yet hee hates it still ; so the word may frightand drive a wicked man from the sinne hee loves , and yet still hee loves it . fifthly , this sinne as it keepes men in love with all sinne , so it keepes men off from all good duties . it is as a chaine upon all our faculties , an iron gate , that keepes out any good thought , or poysons it when it comes in . in the faithfull themselves likewise it is exceeding strong , by antiperistasis from the law , to deceive , captivate , sell as a slave , to make him doe that which he hated and allowed not , and not doe that which he would , and lov'd . it may seeme a paradoxe at the first , but it is a certaine truth , originall sinne is stronger in the faithfull , then those very graces which they have received . vnderstand it thus . a man giveth to a prodigall sonne a great portion into his owne hands , and then gives over the care of him , and leaves him to himselfe ; iin this case , though the money of it selfe were sufficient to keepe him in good quality ; yet his owne folly , and the crowes that haunt the carkasse , those sharking companions that cleave to him , will suddenly exhaust a great estate . so if the lord should give a man a stocke of grace as much as david or paul had , and there stop and furnish him with no further supplyes , but give over the care and protection of him , his lusts are so strong and cunning , as they would suddenly exhaust it all , and reduce him to nothing . for this is certaine , that to be preserved from the strength of our owne lusts , we have not onely use of the good graces which god hath given us already ( per modum principij inhaerentis ) but of a continued support and under propping ( per modum principij adsistentis ) of those daily succours and supplies of the spirit of grace , which may goe before us , and leade into all truth , and teach us the way which we are to walk in , which may stil say to our lusts in our bosome , as he did to satan at the right hand of iehoiada , the lord rebuke thee ; that may still whisper in our eares that blessed direction , this is the way , walke in it . though a man were able to devoure as much at one meale as was spent upon bel the idoll , yet he would quickly perish without further supplyes : so though a man should have a great portion of grace , and then be given over to himselfe , that would not preserve him from falling againe . grace in us is but like the putting of hot water into cold , it may warme it for the time , but the water will reduce it selfe to its wonted temper , cold is predominant , even when the water scalds with heate , but that which keepes water hot , is the preserving of fire still about it : so it is not the graces which the best of us receive , if god should there stop , and leave us to them and our selves together , that would overcome sinne in us : but that which preserves us , is his promise of never failing us , of putting under his hand , of renewing his mercies daily to us , of healing our back slidings , of following us with his goodnes & mercy all the dayes of our life , of keeping us by his power unto saluation through faith , that same which fulgentius excellently calls iuge auxilium , the daily ayde and supply of grace . for grace doth not onely prevent a wicked man to make him righteous , but followes him , least hee become wicked againe , not onely preuent him that is fallen , to rayse him , but follow him after he is risen that he fall not againe . consider further what a multitude and swarme of lusts and members this body of sinne hath , and how they concurre in the unitie of one body too . for this is worth the nothing , that sometimes they are cald in the singular number a sinne to note their unitie , and conspiration ; and sometimes in the plurail number b lusts and members , to note their multitudes and serviceablenesse for severall purposes . and what can bee stronger then an army consisting of multitudes of men and weapons , reduc'd all to a wonderfull unitie of mindes , ends and order . so then both in regard of its regall authoritie , of its edicts , and lawes of government , of its multitude of members , and unitie of body , originall sinne must needs be very strong . ninthly , consider the madnesse of this sinne . the heart of man , saith salomon , is full of evill , and madnesse is in his heart while he lives . insania is a generall word , and hath two kinds or species of madnesse in it ; madnesse , or unsoundnesse in passions , which is furor , rage and fiercenes ; and madnesse or unsoundnesse in the intellectuals , which is amentia , folly , or being out of ones right mind . and both these are in originall sinne . first , it is full of fiercenesse , rage , precipitancy when ever it sets it selfe on worke ; the driving thereof is like the driving of iehu , very furious . this disposition the holy ghost takes notice of often in the nature of wicked men , that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , implacable men , whom no bounds , not limits , nor covenants will restraine , or keepe in order : and againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , fierce , headstrong , violent , rash , they know not where not when to stop . therefore the scripture compares it to a breaking forth , or violent eruption , like that of fire out of an oven , or of mire and dirt out of a raging sea. men flattet themselves in their sinnes , and thinke when they have gone thus or thus farre , they will then give over , and stop at their pleasure . sed modo & modo non habent modum , as austen said of his counterfeite and hypocriticall promises , sinne can never finde a center to rest in , a fit place to stop at . these are but like the foolish conceits of children , who not being able to discerne the deception of their owne senses , and seeing the heavens in the orizon seeme to touch the earth , resolve to goe to the place where they conceive them to meete , and there to handle and play with the starres ; but when they are come thither , they finde the distance to be still the same : so is it with the foolish hearts of men , they conceive , after so much gaine , or honour , or pleasure , i shall have my fill , and wil then give over , but as long as the fountaine within is not stopt , the pursuites of lust will bee as violent at last as at first . as he in the fable — expectat dum defluat amnis , at ille labitur & labetur : so though men thinke , that their lusts will at last grow drie ; and they shall easily step over them unto god ; yet the truth is , the cutragious desires of men will grow stronger and stronger , even as a river , the farther it goes from the fountaine , doth of ten times spread it self the wider . the heart is strongly set upon its owne sinne , as any creature is upon its owne motion . they set their heart , saith the prophet , on their iniquity , the heart of the sonnes of men , saith salomon , is fully set in them to doe evill . as impossible it is for lust to stop it selfe , as for the sea to give over swelling , or the fire devouring the matter that is before it . the man possest with a legion of divels is a notable emblem of a mans sinfull nature ( for indeed sin makes a man of the divels blood , yee are the children of your father the divell , ioh. . . ) he is conversant with nothing but death , dead workes , dead companions , death the service , and death the wages . he is full of hideous affections , he cuts and teares his owne soule ; the presence of christ is horrible and affrightfull to him , and if hee worship him ▪ 't is out of terror , and not out of love ; his name may well bee called legion , for the swarmes , the services , the strength , the warre of lusts in the heart : 't is a torment to lust to come out of a man , and to a man to be dispossest of his lusts , there will be paine at the parting of sinne , the uncleane spirit will teare when he must come out : but in this principally was he the picture of our evill nature , in that hee was exceeding fierce and untameable , no man durst passe by him , no chaines were strong enough to hold him : and this is the character of wicked men , to breake bands and cords asunder , and to bee their owne lords . examples of this fiercenesse of nature the scripture doth give us abundantly . the iewes are for this propertie compar'd to a swift drom●…dary , or to a wilde assefull of desires , that snuffeth up the winde , as the use of horses is in their lust , and cannot be turned . to a horse rushing into the battell ; 't is a similitude from the inundation and precipitancy of torrents , that carry downe all before them . to a backesliding heiser , whom no bounds can hold , but he will breake forth into a large place , and have roome to traverse his wayes . to a wilde a●…se , that goes where his owne will and lust carries him , alone by himselfe , no rider to gvide him , no bridle to restraine him , no presence of god to direct him , no law of god to over-rule him , but alone by himselfe , as his owne lord. with very fiercenesse they did even weary themselves in their way . notably did this rage shew it selfe in the sodomites ; they reject lots entreaties , they revile his person , they grow more outragious , and pressed in even to teare open the house . like where unto was the rage of the pharisies and iewes against christ , when he had fully convinc'd them of their sinne , and his owne innocency , and they could hold dispute to longer with him , they run from arguments to stones and raylings , thou art a samaritane and hast a divell . and elsewhere it is said , that they were filled with madnesse at the sight of the miracles which christ wrought . such was the rage of those which stoned stephen , they g●…ashed their teeth , they stopped their eares , they shouted with their voyce , they ran with one accord and stoned him : and saul , who was one of them , is said to have breathed out threatnings like a tyred wolfe ( unto which some make the prophecy of iacob touching beniamin , of which tribe saul was , to allude ) and elsewhere to have wasted the churches , and to have dragg'd the saints into prison , and to have been exceeding mad against them . and such measure himselfe afterwards found , combinations , uprores , assaults , draggings , wrath , clamors , confusions , rushings in , casting off of clothes , throwing of dust into the aire ; any thing to expresse rage and madnesse . but you will say , all these were at the time wicked men , what is that to nature in common ? ▪ have the saints such fierce and intemperate affections too ? surely while we carry our flesh about us , wee carry the seeds of this rage and fury . simeon and levi were patriarches of the church , and heads of the congregations of israel ; yet see how iacob aggravateth , and curseth their fiercenesse ▪ in their anger they slew a man , in their wrath they digge●… downe a wall : cursed be their anger for it was fierce , and their wrath for it was cruell . peter was a holy man , yet when the windes blew , when the sluces were open , and the water had gotten a little passage , see how it gathers rage ; how fierce and mad it growes , even against the evidences of his owne heart , against the conscience of his owne promises , a deniall growes into an oath , and that multiplies into cursings , and damnings of himselfe ; for so the word imports , an imprecating of gods wrath , and of separation from the presence and glory of god upon himselfe , if he knew the man. ionah was a holy prophet , and one whose rebellion and fiercenesse against god might in reason have been quite tam'd by the sea and the whale ; yet looke upon him when his nature gets loose , and you shall finde more madnesse and tempest in him , then in the sea into which he was throwne : angry , exceeding angry at gods mercy to ninivie , and ( with a strange uniformitie of passion in a contrary occasion ) as angry at gods severity to the gourd . that which made iob , though before full of impaciency in some particular fits , to lay his hand on his mouth , and reply no more , which was gods debatement , and expostulation with him , ionah regarded not , but reproves , and replyes with much madnesse of heart upon god himselfe , i doe well to be angry even unto death . so belluine and contumacious are the mindes of men set upon their owne end , that though god himselfe undertake the cause , they will out-face his arguments , and stand on their owne defence . asa was a holy king , his heart was perfect with the lord all his dayes , yet when the prophet sent from god told him of his folly in entertaining leagve with the syrians , and depending upon their confederacies , it is said , that he imprisoned the prophet , and was in a rage , or in a tempestuousnesse against him . theodosius was a holy and excellent prince , and amongst all other graces for none more eminent then for lenitie and compassion : yet so farre did his furie kindle , upon occasion of an uproare at thessalonica , where one of his servants had been slaine , that he commanded an universall massacre without distinction to passe upon the city , where , in a very short space of three houres , there were seven thousand men butchered by the emperours edict , and the city fill'd with the blood of innocents . and this should teach us to keepe the stricter watch over our owne hearts , since such excellent men as these have fallen , since so many occasions may throw us into the like distemper , since the sinne of our nature is but like a sleeping lyon , or at best but like a wounded lion , any thing that awakens and vexeth it begets rage and furie , to be the more circumspect over our selves , and the more jealous of our owne passions , in those particular cases especially , wherein this fi●…e is most apt to kindle . first , when thou art in disputation , engag'd upon a just quarrell to vindicate the truth of god from heresie and distorsion , looke unto thy heart , set a watch over thy tongue , be ware of wild-fi●…e in thy zeale , take heed of this madnesse of thi●…e evill nature . much advantage the divell may get euen by disputations for the truth . when m●…n dispute against those that oppose themselves , as the disciples against the samaritans , with thunder and fire from heaven , with railing and reviling speeches , such as the angell durst not give unto satan himselfe , when men shall forget the apostles rule to instruct those that oppose themselves with meeknes , and to restore those that are fallen with the spirit of meeknes . when tongve shal be sharpned against tongue , and pen poisoned against pen , when pamphlets shall come forth with more teeth to bite , then arguments to convince , when men shall follow an adversarie , as an undisciplin'd dog his game , with barking and bawling more then with skill or cunning , this is a way to betray the truth , and to doe the divell service under gods colours . it is a grave observation which sulpitius severus makes of the councel at ariminum , consisting of foure hundred bishops whereof eighty were arians , and the rest orthodox ; when after much treaty and agitation nothing was concluded but either party kept immoveable to his owne tenent , it was at last resolv'd that the sides should severally dispatch an embassage to the emperour of ten men apiece , who should make relation of their faith and opinions . and here now grew the disadvantage ; for saith hee , the arians sent aged men , cunning , and able to manage their employment to the best ; but on our part , there were young men sent of little learning , and of strong passions who being vex'd and provok'd by the adverse partie , spoild their owne businesse , though farre the better , with imprudent , and intemperate handling . secondly , when thou art upon any civill controversie or debate for matter of right , looke unto thy heart , take heed of that seed of madnesse which lies lurking in it , lest upon occasion of lawfull controversie , there breake out rage and revenge upon the persons of one another . it is not for nothing that the apostle saith , there is utterly a fault amongst you because you goe to law with one another . . cor. . . why ? the apostle doth plainely allow iudicature , vers . . a man may go to law before the saints , they may iudge small matters and things that pertaine to this life . vers . . . . and for any man from such a place to inferre the unlawfulnesse of sueing to publick justice for his right , is a piece of anabaptisme and folly justly punished with the losse of his right . what then is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that impotency and defect which the apostle blameth in them ? it consisteth in two things , first their going to law before heathen iudges , thereby exposing the profession of christianity to imputations of scisme , divisions , and worldlinesse amongst the enemies of it : in which case rather then put a rub unto the progresse of the gospell , by giving unreasonable men occasion to censure the truth thereof by their altercations , and making the ministery evill spoken o●… by their scandals , they were to suffer and to beare wrong . for those words , why doe you not rather take wrong , and suffer your selves to bee defrauded , are not a positive precept as iulian the apostate objected scornefully to the christians , unlesse it be in smaller injuries , which may with more wisedome be borne by patience , then by contention repaid or overcome ; but onely a comparative precept , that a man should rather choose to leave his name , life , estate , goods , interests , utterly unvindicated , then by defending them unavoydably to bring a scandall upon the crosse of christ. secondly , which is to my present purpose , their going to law , though in itselfe iust when before competent and fit judges , had yet an accidentall vitiousnesse that by their inadvertencie did breake out of their evill hearts , and cleave unto it , and that was , their litigations ranne from the businesses unto the persons , it brake forth into violence and wrong against one another , much perturbation of minde , revengefull and circumventing projects shew themselves under the colour of legall debatements ; nay saith the apostle , you doe wrong and defraud , and that your brethren . such a notable frowardnesse and rage lyes in the natures of men , that without much caution and watchfulnesse it will bee blowne up into a flame even by honest and just contentions . thirdly , in differences upon private conversation , looke to your hearts , give not the raines too much to anger or displeasure , to suspicions or misconstructions of your neighbours person or courses : give not the water passage no not a little . be angry , saith the apostle , but sinne not , let not the sunne goe downe upon your wrath . it is not a precept ; for such anger as is required of us by way of duty the sun may safely go down upon ; nor is it a pardon for anger whē we fal into it , to take of the inordinatenes of it ; but it is a speech by way of concession , or unavoidable supposition . it cannot bee but that the saints themselves upon severall occasions and provocations will be overtaken with anger , but yet though their infirmity break forth into the passiō , let not pride & self love harden that passion into a habit , let them be wary that the flame grow not upon them to set them on fire , give no place to the divell . the longer a man continues in anger , the more roome the divel hath to get in upon him , & enrage him . anger is the kernell and seed of malice , if it be let lie long in the heart , that is so fertile a soile , and satan so diligent a waterer of his owne plants , that it will quickly grow up into a knottie and stubburne hatred . wee read of hatreds which have runne in the bloud , and have been entaild , hereditarie malice , as the historian cals it , hatreds which have surviv'd the parties , and discover'd themselves in their very funerals , hatreds which men have bound upon their posterity by oaths , as hasdrubal took a solemne oath of hanibal that he should be an irreconcileable enemie to rome . and what doe all such expressions import , but that there is a boundlesse frenzy in the flesh of men , a fiercenesse which no lawes can tame , and that there is enough of it in the best men , to breake out into implacable affections , if grace , and prayer , and watchfulnesse doe not prevent it . fourthly , in afflictions paines of body , temptations of spirit , abridgement of estate , trials in reputation and favour or the like , looke by all meanes unto thy heart , take heede of these seedes of rage and madnesse which are in thee . never more time to looke to thy mounds , to repaire thy bulwarks , then when a tempest is upon thy sea . have you seene a beast breake his teeth upon the chaine that bindes him , or a dog poure out his revenge upon the stone that did hurt him , then have you seene some darke shadowes of that fiercenesse and furie , that is apt to rise out of the hearts of men when gods hand lies close upon them . when thou hearest of the strange impatiencie of ionah at the beating of the sun upon his head , unto whom yet it was a mercy beyond wonder that he did now see the sunne : when thou hearest of those deepe expostulations of david with god , hath he forgotten to be gracious ? forgotten his promises ? forgotten his truth ? forgotten his power and mercy ? and shut up all his kindenesse in displeasure ? when thou hearest of the impatiencies of iob , a man yet renowned for his patience , expostulating and charging god , is it good for the●… that thou should'st oppresse ? when thou hearest of those deepe curses of ●…eremie against the day of his birth ; of those froward expostulations and debates of the people of israel with moses , & of moses with god , why hast thou evill entreated this people , why hast thou sent me ? o then reflect upon thy selfe , and be afraid of thine owne evill heart , which is farre more likely to breake out against god then any of those were . and for a remedie or prevention hereof keepe in thy sight the historie of thy sinnes , make them as hainous to thine owne view as they are in their own nature ; the way not to rage against afflictions is to know our selves aright , that will make us confesse unto god with ezra , let our calamities be what they will , that the lord hath punish'd us lesse then our iniquities have deserved . the way to beare the hand of god with patience , and with acceptance , is to confesse our sinnes , and to be humbled for them . if their uncircumcised hearts bee humbled , and then they accept of the punishment of their iniquities , saith the lord : noting thus much , that the sight of our sin , and humiliation for it , makes a man willing to submit to gods chastisements . wherefore doth a living man complaine , a man for the punishment of his sins ? there are three strong reasons together why we ought not to murmur in our afflictions . first , wee are men , and what an impudence is it for the clay to swell against the potter that form'd it , and complaine why hast thou made me thus . secondly , wee are sinners , all the punishments wee suffer are our owne , the wages of our iniquities , and what a madnesse is it to complaine against the justice of our iudge ? thirdly , wee are living men and therefore god hath punished us lesse then our sinnes deserve , for the wages of sinne is death , and what ingratitude is it to repine at mercifull , and moderated punishments ? but yet such is the frowardnesse of our nature that wee are very apt thus to murmur ; what is the cure and remedy of this evill affection ? let vs search and try our waies ( saith the church ) and turne to the lord our god ; the more wee grow acquainted with our sinnefull estate , and marveilous provocations , with the patience and promises of god , the more we shall justifie god , and waite upon him , the more wee shall judge our selves lesse then the least of gods mercies and forbearances . i will beare the indignation of the lord , saith the church againe in the same case , i will not repine nor murmure at his dealing with me , i will acknowledge that righteousnesse belongeth unto him , and confusion unto me , and the ground of this resolution is the sense of sinne , because i have sinned against him . i have pressed , and wearied , and grieved , and vexed him with my sinnes , without any zeale or tendernesse of his glory ; but he hath visited me in judgement and not in fury , in wrath he hath remembred mercy , and not quite consumed me as he might have done , he hath not dealt with me after my sinnes , nor rewarded me according to mine iniquities , he hath spared me as a sonne when i dealt with him as a traytor , and hee will pleade my cause , and bring me forth to the light , and revenge my quarrell against those which helped forward my affliction . thus we see the way not to rage against afflictions is to understand and be sensible of the foulenesse of our sinnes . otherwise pride and madnesse will undoubtedly shew themselves in our afflictions . what desperate and horrible rage did the heart of pharaoh swell into , when in the middest of those fearefull iudgements hee hardned his heart , and exalted himselfe against the people of god , and trampled upon them , and did not set his heart unto the iudgement , but threatned and drave out m●…ses and aaron from his presence , and pursued them with finall and obdurate malice , through the midst of that wonderfull deliverance ? the like example we see in that impatient and fretfull reply of iehoram king of israel in the great famine : this euill is of the lord , what should i waite for the lord any longer ? if this be all the reward we haue for waiting and calling upon god , to what purpose serve our humiliations and fastings ? what profitablenesse at all is there in his seruice ? thus we find the hypocrits challenging god for afflicting them , upbraiding him with their humiliations , and the fruitlesnesse of his service : wherefore haue we fasted , and thou seest not ? wherefore haue wee afflicted our soule and thou takest no knowledge ? ye haue said it is in vaine to serue god , and what profit i●… it that wee ha●…e kept his ordinance , and that wee haue walked mourn●…fully before the lord of hoasts , & c ? and thus saul , when hee found himselfe forsaken by god , and should haue humbled himselfe , and sought his face , he proceeded in a further rage to inquire of the witches which himselfe had commanded to be destroyed . these things should teach us all to labour with god in prayer , that what ever evill hee sendeth upon us , hee would not suffer his strength and spirit to forsake us , nor giue us ouer to the rage and madnesse of our owne nature . o what hearts should men see in themselues , if they would looke upon their owne faces in other mens lives ! see ●…ulian dye with revenge and rage against christ ; iudas bursting asunder under the weight of gods wrath ; the cursed persecutors * putting of their power , retiring to a priuate life , pining away with vexation , because the gospell of christ was too hard for them ; achitophel dispatching himselfe for very madnesse , because his oracle was not beleeved ; one despaire , another blaspheme , another wrestle with his affliction as a beast in a snare , till the part swell and rancle , and grow too bigge for the punishment which is upon it ; how could not this chuse but make men out of loue with themselues , and labour to haue more holdfast of the spirit of christ ; that this madnesse of our nature may thereby betained , and our equanimity and moderation made knowne to all men ? fifthly , and lastly , in the ministery of the word , when thy bosome sinne is met with , and the plague of thine owne heart discouer'd , when thou art prick't in thy master veine , when the edge of the sword enters to the quicke sacrificeth thee , crucifieth thy lusts , cuts off thy earthly members , ransackes thy conscience , and shewes thee the inside of thy foule soule ; heere by all meanes looke unto thy heart ; never so likely a time for madnesse and fierce opposition to set up it selfe , as when a man is driven into a corner and cannot flie . sinners are all cowards , and cannot indure the brightnesse of moses face , are not able to abide the scrutinie of the word , but would faine turne their backes upon it ; not onely out of scorne , but out of feare too . many a sturdy sinner will seeme to contemne the plainenesse and power of the word , as an illiterate rude foolish thing , to scorne & undervalue the persons , companies , discourses of faithfull ministers , as of despicable , or supercilious , or schismaticall fellowes : but the truth is ( and they in their owne consciences know it too ) that though there bee indeede much stoutnesse and contempt , yet there is more cowardice : scorne is the pretence , but feare is the reason ; they cannot indure to bee disquieted and gall'd : as a diseased or wounded horse cu●…vets , and pranceth , and is very actiue and impatient ; at first sight a man would thinke it pride and metall , but the truth is t is paine and smart that causeth it . well then sinners are all cowards , and would faine fly , but even cowards themselves , when they are shutin and surrounded , will fight with more fiercenesse then other men , even for very feare . the basest vermin almost that is , when shut out of all his refuges and holes , will trie his strength before he will perish , and leape in the face of his pursuer . and this now is the property of the word to 〈◊〉 men in , the scripture , saith the apostle , hath shut up all under sinn●… . gal. . . and we shall ever finde , that the deeper the conviction hath been , the more likewise hath beene the preiudice , and the fiercer the opposition against the word : see ier. . , . . . . , . nehem. . , . ioh. . , . ioh. . , . act. . . act. . , . . . , . ier. . . . chron. . , , . as in the meeting of two contrary streames , if one prevaile not to carry away and over-rule the other , there must needs arise a mighty noyse and rage in the conflict : so is it in the wrestling and strife betweene the spirit of god in the word , and the current of a mans owne corruptions ; the greater strength and manifestation of the spirit the word hath in it , and the fewer corners and chinkes it leaves for sinne to escape at , the more fierce must needes the opposition be , if the word be not prevalent enough to turne the current . let us therfore beware whatever we do of snuffing or rebelling against the warnings which are giuen us out of the word . it is hard to kicke against the prickes ; there is no overcomming gods spirit : a man may fall upon the stone , but hee shall be broken by it ; if he be so strong , and lift so hard , as to move the stone , it shall fall upon him , and grinde him to powder . let us not resolve to baffle the ministers , and to despise their message ; ( it is a sinne that leaves no remedy for a man , to throw away the physicke , to trample under foote the playster that should heale him ) let us not thinke to blow away the words of god as if they were but so much empty winde ; for the lord saith that they shall become fire , to devou●…e the adversaries ; let us not distinguish scripture to our owne humours , nor accept or reject gods truth as will best ▪ consist with our owne resolutions ; but as it is the power of the word to captivate even rebelliousthoughts to the obedience of christ ; so let us resolve to accept of every one of gods righteous commandements , and to hate every false way , to heare christ and his ministers in all things , to answer to gods severest cals , even then when they make us tremble and doe astonish us , as saint paul did , lord what wilt thou haue me to doe ? even when the word affrights thee , yet giue this honour to it , not to reject it , nor fly from it , not to smother and suppresse it , but to endure it to search thee , and to submit thy selfe unto it . this is a notable way to abate the originall madnesse which is in thy heart . secondly , as there is furor in madnesse , so there is amentia too , a distemper in the intellectuals , as well as in the passions : every man that is throughly mad is a foole too : and therefore the same originall word is translated in one place madnesse , luk. . . and in another place , follie , . tim. . . now this distemper is twofold : for either it is an universall privation and defect of reason ; or at least it is an inconsistency , a lubricitie , a slipperinesse of reason . and these are very deepe in the nature of a man , folly is bound up in the heart of a childe , and in spirituall things we are all children . first , there is an universall ignorance and inconsideratenesse of spirituall things in the nature of man , he takes lesse notice of his condition then the very bruite beasts . the oxe knoweth his owner , and the asse his masters crib , but israel doth not know , my people doth not consider . the st●…rke in the heavens knoweth her appointed time , and the turtle , and the crane , and the swallow , but my people knoweth not the judgement of the lord. the very dumbe assereproved the madnesse of the prophet , as saint peter speakes . and for this reason it is that we shall observe that frequent apostrophe of god in the prophets , when he had wearied himselfe with crying to a deafe and re bellious people , he turnes his speech , and pleads before dumbe and inanimate creatures ; heare , o heavens , and give eare , o earth , nothing so farre from the voyce of the prophet as the heavens , nothing so dull and impenetrable as the earth , and yet the heavens likelier to heare , the earth likelier to listen and attend , then the obdurate sinners . heare o ye mountaines the lords controversie , and ye strong foundations of the earth . nothing in the earth so immoveable as the mountaines , nothing in the mountaines so impenetrable as the foundations of the mountaines , and yet these are made more sensible of gods pleadings and controversies then the people whom it concern'd , the creatures groane ( as the apostle speakes ) under the burden and vanitie of the sinnes of men ; and men themselves , upon whom sinne lies with a farre heavier burden , boast , and glory , and rejoyce in it . of our selves we have no understanding , but are foolish and sottish , as the prophet speakes , we see nothing but by the light and the understanding which is given unto us , we cannot have so much as a right thought of goodnesse . the apostle doth notably expresse this universall blindnesse which is in our nature , ephes. . . . walke not as other gentiles in the vanitie of their minde , having the understanding darkned , being alienated from the life of god , or from a godly life , through the ignorance that is in them , because of the blindnesse of their hearts . first their minds are vaine ; the minde is the seate of principles , of supreme , primitive , underived truths ; but , saith he , their mindes are destitute of all divine and spirituall principles . secondly , their understanding [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] is darkened : the understanding , or dianoeticall facultie is the seate of conclusions , and that is unable to deduce from spirituall principles ( if there were any in their mindes ) such sound and divine conclusions as they are apt to beget : so though they know god ( which is a principle ) yet this principle was vaine in them , for they conceiv'd of his glory basely , by the similitude of foure footed beasts , and creeping things , they conceiv'd him an idle god as the epicures , or a god subject to fate and necessity as the stoicks , or a sinfull impu●…e god , that by his example made uncleannesses religious , as saint cyprian speakes ; one way or other they became vaine in their imaginations of him ; but secondly though they knew him , yet the conclusions which they deduc'd from that principle , that he was to be worshipped , &c. were utterly unworthy his majesty , they worshipped him ignorantly , superstitiously , not as became god , they changed his truth into a lye . thirdly , suppose their principles to be found , their conclusions from those principles to be naturall and proper , yet all this is but speculation , they still are without the end of all this , spirituall prudence , their hearts were blinded , the heart is the seate of knowledge practicall , that by the principles of the minde and the conclusions of the understanding doth regulate and measure the conversation , but that was unable , yea averse from any such knowledge , for they held the truth of god in unrighteousnesse , they did not like to retaine god in their knowledge , they served the lusts of their owne hearts , were given up to vile affections , were filled with all unrighteousnesse , and had pleasure in evill workers , even when they did things which they knew deserved death , and provoked judgement . this is that universall defect which is in us by nature ; and very much of this remaines in the best of us . here then when we are not able to conceive the lords purpose in his word , though of it selfe it be all light , when we finde with david that it is too excellent for us , let us learne to bewaile that evill concupiscence of our nature , which still fils our understandings with mists , and puts a vaile before our faces . the whole booke of god is a pretious mine full of unsearchable treasures , and of all wisedome ; there is no scoria , no refuse in it , nothing which is not of great moment , and worthy of speciall and particular observation , and therefore much are we still to bewaile the unfaithfulnesse of our memories and understandings , which retaine so little , and understand lesse then they doe retaine . if david were constrain'd to pray open mine eyes to see more wonders in thy law , how much more are we to pray so too ? if there were a dampe of sinne in davids heart , that did often make his light dimme , that did make him as abeast in understanding , as himselfe complaines ; how much darkenesse then and disproportion is there betweene us and that blessed light ? looke upon heretiques old and new , marcions two gods , a good and an evill , valentinians thirty and odde gods in severall lofts and stories ; worshippers of caine , worshippers of iudas , worshippers of the serpent , and a world of the like sottish impiecies : nay amongst men that pretend more light , to see the same scriptures on both sides held , and yet opinions as diametrally contrary as light and darkenesse , one gospell in one place , and another gospell in another , to speake nothing of those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and naevi , those blemishes that are in the writings of the most rare and choisest instruments in gods church ; all these are notable evidences of that radicall blindnesse which is in our nature , and is never here quite removed : for if the light be not seene , it is not for want of evidence , but for want of sight . secondly , consider the slipperinesse and inconsistencie of naturall reason in spirituall things , it can never stay upon any holy notion : and this is another kinde of madnesse . mad men will make a hundred relations , but their reason cannot stand still , nor goe through with any , but roves from one thing to another , and joynes together notions of severall subjects like a rope of sand : some few lucid intervals they may haply have , but they quickly returne to their frenzies againe . this is the condition of our nature , let a man enter upon any holy thoughts , the flesh will quickly cast in other suggestions , to make him weary and faint under such unwelcome speculations . therfore it was that david prayed , vnite my hart to feare thy name ; keepe it alwayes in the thoughts of the heart of thy servant , &c. this was the businesse of paul and barnabas to the saints , to exhort them that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto god. and hence that phrase of scripture to ioyne a mans selfe to god , and to lay fast bold upon him . and this every man that sets about it will finde to bee a very hard worke ; it will give every man just cause to cry out against the intrusions of a naughty heart . this is that which makes many mens righteousnesse like the morning dew ; now the grasse seemes drunken with wetnesse , and an houre after even gapes for drought ; now a vow and resolution , anon a relapse and returne againe ; now an ●…are to christ , presently another open to sinne ; now offers and tender of peace , anon retreates and exceptions ; now a skirmish with sinne , and presently a truce ; like penelopes web , wrought in the day , and untwisted in the night . tenthly , consider the indefatigablenesse of this sinne , how unwearied it is in all the mischiefs that it is bent upon . it is said of satan that he goes about seeking whom hee may devoure , as it was of christ ▪ that he went about doing good ; i thinke wee shall never in the scripture finde the divell at a pause , or sitting still like one that were spent and tir'd . but yet i finde that for a season he hath departed , when hee had such a terrible foyle as put him out of all hope of victory ; i finde that hee may bee driven away and put to flight . resist the divell and hee shall flie from you . but now the fleshlie heart of a man will never be made sound a retreate , but sets on indefatigably upon the spirituall part : it is ( as i said ) like the thiefe , when it is nail'd and crucified it will still revile , like a wounded woolfe it runnes about to doe mischiefe , or as a tyred oxe it treads with more weight upon the soule . as the historian said of carthage that rome was more troubled with it when it was halfe destroy'd , then when it remain'd whole and entire : so the man that hath in some measure overcome his lusts , will bee farre more sensible of their stirrings and strugglings , then another in whom they rule without disturbance . wee may observe in some froward men when their causes are tried and prove desperate in right , they will yet still create perverse matters to molest their neighbors , and the more they sinke in the maine , the more clamorous they will be to proceed ; as eager gamesters the more they loose , the deeper game they play , and the harder they set to it ; so is it with the lusts of men , the more they are subdued , the more rebellious and headstrong will they be so farre as their power goes against the spirit of christ. lime is kindled by that which quencheth all other fires , and surely grace which 〈◊〉 other temptations , or at least abateth th●…m doth occasionally , and by antiperistasis enrage the flesh , though in regard of exercise and actuall power it dye daylie . the reason hereof is , first , that which is naturall can never be chang'd , neither is any thing ever tir'd in its naturall motion . the motion of a stone upward growes fainter and fainter because carried by a violent impression , but downeward stronger and stronger because it gathers strength even by sympathie to the place whereunto it moves . now originall sinne is the corrupt nature of a man , and the motions therefore of it are not violent but altogether naturall , and that naturall motion is set on and made the easier by the impulsions of satan , as a stone throwne or hurried downeward moves the swifter , because the naturall weight thereof is improv'd by the accessory impression . who ever knew the sea give over raging , or a streame grow weary of running ? now the motions of corruption are as naturall as the estuations of the sea , or the course of a river . though there may be difficulty in fullfilling lusts , there can never be any in the rising and sprouting of lusts : as there may be paines in drawing water out of a fountaine , but there can be no paines in the waters swelling or rising out of the fountaine . it is no paines to conceive seede , though it bee to bring it forth in a birth : so in the begetting of sin , there is no paines requir'd for the heart to lust , for thoughts to arise , though the finishing of sinne may bee oftentimes painefull as well as deadly . originall sinne is call'd by the aposile a law in the members , which putteth a byas into them , a forwardnesse , and propension to all evill . now as a bowle moves not with any difficultie when it followes the sway of its owne bias , so neither doth the heart in following lusts which are the weights and bias of the fleshlie soule . and therefore the longer any man lives in sinne , the sweeter 't is to him . wearinesse , and propension are termes inconsistent . secondly , nothing is weary while it workes all de suo , of it selfe , that which tyres a faculty is the fetching in of subsidiarie spirits , which being exhausted and spent the faculty giveth over working , and is said to be wearie . the eye is never weary with the act of seeing ( which is it owne worke ) but it is said to bee weary , meerely because of the deficiency of those animall spirits which are from without sent in unto it to assist it in its owne worke , which if they did in the same measure and strength without decay flow to the facultie , it could never be tired in its owne operation . so the locomotive facultie , when the hand worketh , or the foote walketh , would never be wearied in it selfe , if those spirits which are requisite to strengthen it in its exercise did not lessen , and faile , and breath out in the motion . but now our lusts make us flesh all over , in them wee worke all de nostro of our owne ; it is as naturall to the heart to lust , as it is to the eye to see , and in this respect more too ; for though the act of seeing bee the eyes alone , yet the eye stands in need of forraine assistance from the heart ( which is the forge and seminarie of spirits ) to continue the exercise of this act : but the heart is wholly within it selfe furnish'd with all the strength and principles of lusting , or if it were not , yet those spirits which the temptations of satan or the world infuse to assist it , doe never faile nor waste away , but as waters drawne out of a fountaine , the faster they are cald in , the more plentifully they come . thirdly , originall sin is indefatigable , never wearie of warring , of tempting , of raging , of intruding , of bringing forth , o●… polluting all we do , because it is unsatisfied , the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ●…are with hearing . it is of vast and infinite desires , and the more it is supplied with that in which it seeketh satisfaction , the more greedy it growes ; as naturall motions the longer they continue the swifter they are . a sinner if he should live for ever , would sin for ever , & never say it is enough . every imagination , every creature that is shap'd & form'd in the hart , every purpose , desire , motion , ebullition , is onely evill every day , saith the text ; no period , no stint , evill from the childhood , ex quo excussus est ex vtero , from the time of breaking forth out of the wombe , as the learned observe from the propriety of the word . evill comes out of the heart as sparkles do out of the fire , never cease rising while the fire continues . notably is this insatiablenesse of lust expressed by the prophet in two excellent similitudes . first , from drunkennesse , which makes a man still more greedy , doth not extinguish but enflame the perverse desire ; none cal in for wine faster , then they which have had too much before . secondly , from hell and the grave , which have no stint nor measure . the cloud which the prophet shewed his servant , was no bigger at first then a hand ; after , it grew to cover all the heavens , and the reason was , it rose out of a sea : so the sin of man will continually grow and overflow all his life , and the reason is , it hath a sea of lust continually to supply it . therfore in the scripture it is call'd an effusion , a rushing out , an aestus , like the foaming or boyling of the sea , a strange excesse of ryot , unto which , saith the apostle , wicked men runne : a greedinesse , a covetous improvement of uncleanenesse , a burning of lust , a fulnesse of all mischiefe . now from this insatiablenesse of lust must needs follow the indefatigablenesse of it too . when a thing is out of the place of its owne rest , it neuer leaves moving naturally till it have gotten to it ; therefore in as much as lust can never carry the hart to any thing which it may rest in , needs must it flutter about , & be alwayes in motion . if there were an infinite space of aire , the motion of a stone in that space ( if there were any motion ) must needs be infinite , because it would no where have a center , or middle place to hold it ( for there can be no medium where there are no extremes . ) desires are the wings upon which the soule moves , if there be stil things found to entice the desires , and none to satisfie them , no marvell if the soule be stil upon the wing , in perpetual agitation , like the wind which continually whirleth about , or the rivers which never leave running into the sea , because they never fill it . but it may be objected , that the scripture makes mention of the wearinesse which sinne brings upon men , of that impotency of sinning which growes upon them . the sodomites wearied themselves in their rage against lot. so the prophet saith of wicked men , that they weary themselves to commit iniquity . i answer , that these very places prove the indefatigablenesse of lust , in that it never gives over , even when the instruments thereof are ti●…'d . the israelites were weary of gathering straw , but were the task-masters weary of exacting it ? the members may be weary of serving their law , but is the law of the members weary of quickning or commanding them ? nay , herein is seene the cruell tyranny of lust against us , that it never leaves drawing , enticing , heartning , supplying us for sinne , even when wee are quite wearied in the service of it . thou wert wearied in thy way , yet saidst thou not , there is no hope . thou never didst consider , i have thus long drudg'd in the service of sinne , and have found no fruit , received no such satisfaction as i promis'd my selfe ; and therefore why should i weary my selfe any longer ? why should i labour for that which is no bread , and which satisfyeth not ? thou never didst bethinke thy selfe of returning to the right way , but wentest on with wonted madnesse and rage still , though thou foundedst for certaine that there was no profit in thy evill way , that thou didst sow nothing but winde , and shouldst reape nothing but a whirlewinde . baalams lust was too swift for his weary beast ; when the asse was frighted , and durst goe no further , yet the prophet was as unwearied as at the first . lust is like a furious rider , never weary of the way , though the poore beast which must serve the riders turne may quickly bee worne out . woe to him that lodeth himselfe with thicke clay , saith the prophet , how long ? he may have enough to loade him , he can never have enough to weary him . he may lod●… his house , his memory , his bagges , his wits , his time , his conscience ; but he can never fill his hell. he may quickly have enough to sinke him , but hee can never have enough to satisfie him : as a ship may be overladen with gold or silver even unto sinking , and yet have compasse and sides enough to hold ten times more : so the heart will quickly be loaded unto sinking , but never filld unto satiety . in one word , wee must in sinne distingvish betweene the act , and the concupiscence from whence that act ariseth ; or in the faculties betweene the life and the lust of them , betweene their naturall strength and activitie , and their law of corruption . the livelinesse and strength of the faculties may quickly be wasted , and yet the lust strong still . sinne in act hath a concurrence of the powers of the soule , and services of the body , which in their motions may quickly langvish . but yet as the philosophers say of the soule , though it may seeme tyr'd and spent , and waxen old , because the body in which it resides growes unfit for its service , yet the soule indeed itself doth not grow old , but if it had equall instruments would be as vigorous in the oldest man , as in the youngest : so we may say of sin , though the body may grow weary of adultery , or the mind weary of plodding mischiefe , or the thoughts weary of contriving deceit , yet concupisce●…is non senescit , lust it selfe growes never old nor weary . nay , as the water when it is stopt in its principall course , yet one way or other where it best may it will make a shift to finde a vent , and to discover it selfe : even so lust in the heart will one way or other , when the minde and faculties , the body and members are quite tyr'd out in the principall service , make a shift to breake forth into some easier vent . when the adultery in the heart hath worne out the body , and spur'd it so long in this uncleane race , that it now sinkes under the burden , and hath no more blood to lose , yet even then it will finde a vent , and such a man will have eyes full of adultery , a tongvefull of adultery , thoughts and speculations full of adultery , a memorie in the review of former lewdnesse full of adultery . the thiefe on the crosse had as good a will to crucifie christ , to naile him , and pierce him as any others , but hee was fast enough for doing this ; yet his malice will finde a vent into his tongve to revile and raile upon him . balaams tongve could not execute the office to which hee was hir'd , yet it will have a vent , and shew it selfe in journeying , counselling , and consulting how the people might draw a curse upon themselves . as a dogge may have his stomack cram'd usque ad vomitum , and yet his appetite unsatisfied , for hee presently returnes to his vomit : so though a man may lode and weary himselfe in the acting of sinne , yet lust it selfe is never satisfied , and therefore never wearied . what a watch then should we keepe over our evill hearts , what paines should wee take by prayer and unweariednesse of spirit to suppresse this enemy ? if there were any time wherein the flesh did sit still and sleepe , wherein the water did not runne , and seeke for vent , wee might then haply slacken our care ; but since it is ever stirring in us , wee should bee ever stirring against it , and using all meanes to lessen and abate it : since the heart is unwearied in evill , we should not faint , nor be weary of well-doing . since the heart is so abundant in evill , wee should abound likewise in every good work of the lord , alwayes considering what advantage this labour will give us against the toyle of sinne : in lust a man wearieth himselfe and hath no hope , but here our labour is not in vaine in the lord , wee shall reape if wee faint not ; and a little glory in heaven , nay a little comfort in earth ( though neither one nor other may be called little ) will be a most plentifull recompence , pressed downe and running over for any the greatest paines that can bee taken in this spirituall watch . yee have need of patience , saith the apostle , to goe through the will of god , to bee in a perpetuall combate and defiance with an enemy that will give no respite nor breathing time . the temptations of satan , the solicitations of the world are not so many , nor heauie clogs to men in their race , as that to which they are fastned , this weight that presseth downe , this besieging sinne which is ever enticing , clamouring , haling , rebelling , intruding , with love , with strength , with law , with arguments , with importunities calling a man from his right way . from this consideration the apostle immediately inferres this duty of patience , lay aside every waight , saith the apostle , and the sinne that doth so easily beset us , and runne with patience unto the race that is set before us . and we must not cast our eye alwayes to the clog which wee draw , that may much dis-hearten us ; but looke unto iesus , the author and finisher of our faith , hee that can carry us through all these difficulties , that gives us weapons , that teacheth our hands to warre , and our fingers to fight , that is our captaine to leade us , and our second , ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , our fellow-combatant ) that fighteth against sinne in us by his grace . looke what hee did , what contradiction hee endured , lest yee bee wearied and faint in your minds ; looke what he promiseth , a victory against our lusts , and a crowne after our victory . looke when he commeth , 't is yet but a little while ; the comming of the lord draweth nigh , the lord is at hand ; call to him , he is within the voyce of thy prayer , hee will come to strengthen thee ; waite upon him , he is within the eye of thy faith , he will come to reward thee . looke upon the cloud of witnesses , those that are now the church of the first-borne , and have their palmes in their hands ; they all went through the same combate , they were all beset with alike infirmities , they were all men of the same passions with us , let us bee men of the same patience with them . now lastly , consider the propagation of this sinne . which may therefore well be called an old man , because it dies not , but passeth over from one generation to another ; a mans actuall sinnes are personall , and therefore intransient , they begin and end in himselfe ; but originall sinne is naturall , and therefore with the nature it passeth over from a man to his posteritie . it is an entaile that can never be cut of , it hath held from adam and will so continue to the worlds end holding al men in an unavoidable service and villanage unto satan the prince of this world . in humane tenures if a man leave a personall estate to all his children indefinitely , without singling out and designing this portion to one and that to another , though it bee true to say that there is nothing in that estate which any one of the children can lay an entire clayme unto as his owne , but that the rest have joynt interest in it , ( for the children , though many in persons , are yet but one proprietarie in regard of right in the estate of their father , till there be a severance made ) yet notwithstanding a partition may be legally procur'd , and there is a kinde of virtuall or fundamentall severance before , which was the ground of that which is afterwards reall and legall : but now in this wretched inheritance of sin which adam left to all his posterity , we are to note this mischiefe in the first place , that there is no virtuall partition , but it is left whole to every childe of adam . all have it , and yet every one hath it all too . soe that as philosophers say of the reasonable soule , that it is whole in the whole , and that it is whole in every part : so wee may say of originall concupiscence , it is tota in genere humano , and tota in quolibet homine . all in mankinde , and all in every particular man. there is no law of partition for one man to have to him in peculiar the lusts of the eye , another to him the lusts of the tongue , another to him the lusts of the eare , &c. but every man hath euery lust originally as full as all men together have it . secondly , we are to note a great difference further between the soule & sin in this regard ; though all the soule be in every member as wel as in the whole body , yet it is not in the same manner and excellency in the parts as in the whole . for it is in the whole to all the purposes of life , sense , and motion , but in the parts the whole soule serves but for some speciall businesses . all the soule is in the eye , and all in the eare , but not in either to all purposes , for it sees onely in the eye , and it heares onely in the eare ; but originall sinne is all in every man , and it serves in every man to all purposes : not in one man onely to commit adulterie , in another idolatry , in another murther , or the like , but in every man it serves to commit sinne against all the law , to breake every one of gods commandements . a whole thing may belong wholly unto two men in severall , by diverse wayes of propriety , or unto sundry purposes ; a house belongs wholly to the landlord for the purpose of profit and revenew , and wholly to the tenant for the purpose of use and inhabitation ; but it seemes in ordinary reason impossible for the same thing to belong wholly to sundry men in regard of al purposes for which it serves . but such an ample propriety hath every man to originall sinne , that he holds it all , and to all purposes for which it serves . for though some sinnes there are which cannot by some men bee properly committed ( properly i say , because by way of provocation , or occasion , or approbation , or the like , one man may participate in the sinnes which another commits ) as a king cannot be 〈◊〉 to his superiors in governement , because he hath no superiors ; a lay man cannot commit the sinne●… of a minister , an unmarried man the sinnes of a husband , &c. yet this disability ariseth out of the exigence of personall conditions , but no way out of the limitednesse or impotency of originall sinne , which in every man serves to all the purposes which can consist with that mans condition ; and as his condition alters , so is it likewise fruitfull unto new sinnes . and these are two great aggravations of this sinnefull inheritance that it comes whole unto every man ; and that every man hath it unto all the purposes for which it serves . thirdly , it is to be observ'd that in originall sin ( as in all other ) there are two things , deordination or sinfulnes , and guilt or obligation unto punishment . and though the former of these be inseparable from nature in this life yet every man that beleeveth and repenteth hath the damnation thereof taken away , it shall not prove unto him mortall . but now this is the calamitie ; though a man have the guilt of this sinne taken of from his person by the benefit of his owne faith , and the grace of christ to him : yet still both the deordination , and the guilt passeth over unto his posteritie by derivation from him . for the former the case is most evident , what ever is borne of flesh is flesh , no man can bring a cleane thing out of an uncleane , an evill roote must bring forth evill branches , a bitter fountaine corrupt streames ; leaven will derive sowernesse into the whole masse , and the fathers treason will staine the blood of all his posterity : and it is as certaine for the latter , that though guilt and punishment may bee remitted to the father , yet from him it may be transmitted to his childe . every parent is the chanell of death to his posterity . totum gonu●… 〈◊〉 fecit adam is damnationis traduce●… ; adam did diffuse and propagate damnation unto all mankind . neither is 〈◊〉 any wonder , or injustice that from a cursed roote should proceed branches fit for nothing but the fire . as a iew that was circumcised brought forth an uncircumcised sonne , as cleane crne sowed comes up with chaffe and stubble , as the seed of a good olive brings forth a wilde olive : so is it with the best that are , their graces concurre not to naturall generation , and therefore from them is nothing naturally propagated . for first the wiping off of guilt while the fault abides is an act of grace and pardon ; now pardons are ever immediate from speciall favour , from direct grant , and therefore cannot runne in the bloud , nor come to a man in the vertue of his birth , or by derivation ; especially where the pardon runnes not in generall termes , but personally by way of priviledge and exemption , and that too upon certaine conditions , the performance and vertue whereof is intransient , and cannot availe any by way of imputation or redundancie . secondly , though the personall guilt be off from the man , yet the ground of that guilt , the damnablenesse , or liablenesse to be imputed unto punishment is inseparable from sin ; though sin be not mortall de facto ▪ so as to bring damnation to the person justified , yet it never ceaseth to be mortall de merito , that is , to be damnable in it selfe , in regard of its owne nature and obliquity , though in event and execution the damnable vertue of sinne be prevented by faith which cures it , and by repentance which forsakes and cuts it off . for wee must observe that to merit damnation belongs to the nature of sinne , but to bring forth damnation ▪ belongs to the accomplishment and finishing of sinne , when it is suffered to grow to its measure , never interrupted , never prevented ; god hath patience toward sinners , and waiteth for their repentance , and doth not presently powre out all his wrath ; if in this interim men will bee perswaded in the day of their peace to accept of mercy offer'd , and to breake of sinnes before the epha be full , then their sinnes shall not end in death . but if they neglect all gods mercie , and goe on still , till there be no remedie , then sinne growes to a ripenesse , and will undoubtedly bring forth death . since therefore the nature of sinne passeth to posterity , even when the guilt thereof is remitted in the pa●…ent , needs must the guilt thereof passe too , till by grace it be done away . fourthly , in originall sinne there is a twofold denomination or formalitie . it is both a sinne , and a punishment of sinne . for it is an absurd conceite of some men who make it an impossibility for the same thing to be both a sinne and a punishment . when a prodigall spends all his mony upon uncleannes , is not this mans poverty both his sin and his punishment ? when a drunkard brings diseases on his body , and drownes his reason , is not that mans impotencie and sottishnesse both his sin and his punishment ? indeed sinne cannot rightly be cald an inflicted punishment , for god doth not put it into any man ; yet it no way implies contradiction , but rather abundantly magnifies the justice and wisedome of almighty god , to say that he can order sinne to bee a scourge and punishment to it selfe : and so saint austen cals it , a penall vitiousnesse or corruption . so that in the derivation of this ●…in wee have unto us propagated the very wrath of god. it is like aarons rod , on our part a branch that buddeth unto i●…iquitie , and on gods part a serpent that stingeth unto death . so that adam is a twofold cause of this sinne in his posterity . a meritorious cause , he did deserve it by prevarication as it was a punishment , & an efficient cause , he doth derive it by contagion as it is a sinne . and this is the wretchednesse of this sinne , that it is not onely a meanes to bring the wrath of god upon us , but is also some part and beginning of the wrath of god in us , and so is , as it were the earnest , and first fruits of damnation . not as if it were by god infus'd into our nature ( for wee have it put into us no other way but by seminall contagion and propagation from adam ) but god seeing man throw away and wast that original righteousnes which he at the first put into him , and appointing him to bee the head and fountaine of all mankind not only in nature but in foro-too , in regard of legall proceeding , with-held from him and his seed that gift which was freely by him in the creation bestowed , and willfully by adam in the fall rei●…cted , and adjudg'd this miserie upon him , that hee should passe over to all his posterity the immediate fruit of his first prevarication , which was originall sinne , contracted by his owne default , and as it were issuing out of his willfull disobedience upon him , because they all were in him interessed as in their head and father in that first transgression . thus have i at large opened those many great evils which this sinne hath in it , that life of concupiscence which the apostle here speaketh of . i cannot say of it as the romane epitomizer of his historie , i●… brevit abella totanteius imagi●…m amplex●… su●… , that in a small compasse i have comprized the whole image of old adam , but rather cleane contrary , in amplatabull non dimidiam eius imaginem amplexus sum . the halfe of this sinne hath not all this while beene described unto you . now therefore to conclude this argument ( wherein i have been the larger , both because of the necessarinesse of it , that we may know whither to rise in our humiliations for sinne , and because it is the principall s●…ope of the apostle in the place , and serves most abundantly to shew our owne everlasting insufficiency for happinesse in our selves ) we see by these things which have been discovered in this sin , at what defiance we ought to stand with the doctrine of those men , first , who mince and qualifie , and extenuate this sinne as the papists doe , making it the a smallest of all sinnes ▪ b not deserving any more of gods wrath , then onely a want of his beatificall presen●…e , and that too without any paine or sorrow of minde , which might be apt to grow from the apprehension of so great a losse , nay not onely denying it after baptisme to bee a sinne , but onely the seed of sinne , an evill disease , langvor , tyranny , and impotency of nature : but that even in the wicked themselves c concupiscence is rather imputed for sinne , then is really and formally sinne , d notwithstanding it be forbidden in the commandement ; and upon these presumptions e reviling the doctrine of the reformed divines , for exaggerating this sinne , as that which overspreadeth in its beeing all our nature , and in its working all our lives . secondly , of those who heretofore , and even now deny any sinfulnesse either in the privation of the image of god , or in the concupiscence and deordination of our nature . it was the doctrine of the pelagians in the primitive times , that f mans nature was not corrupted by the fall of adam , that his sinne g was not any ground to his posterity either of death , or of the merit of death , that h sinne comes from adam by imitation , not by propagation . that i baptisme doth not serve in infants for remission of sinne , but onely for adoption and admission into heaven ; that as k christs righteousnesse doth not profit those which beleeve not , so adams sinne doth not prejudice , nor injure those that actually sinne not . l that as a righteous man doth not beget a righteous childe , so neither doth a sinner beget a childe guilty of sinne . that m all sinne is voluntary , and therefore not naturall . that n marriage is gods ordinance , and therefore no instrument of transmitting sinne . that o concupiscence being the punishment of sinne cannot bee a sinne likewise . p these and the like antitheses unto orthodox doctrine did the pelagians of old maintaine . and ( as it is the policy of satan to keepe alive those heresies which may seeme to have most reliefe from proud and corrupted reason , and doe principally tend to keepe men from that due humiliation , and through-conviction of sinne , which should drive them to christ , and magnifie the riches of christs grace to them ) there are not wanting at this day a a broode of sinfull men , who notwithstanding the evidence of scripture , and the consent of all antiquitie , doe in this point concurre with those wicked heretikes , and deny the originall corruption of our nature to bee any sinne at all , but to be the work of gods owne hands in paradise ; nay deny further the very imputation of adams sinne to any of his posterity for sinne . and now because in this point they doe expressely contradict not onely the b doctrine of holy scriptures , the c foundation of orthodox faith , the d consent of ancient doctors , and the e rule of the catholike church , but in no lesse then foure or five particulars doe manifestly oppose the doctrine of the church of england in this point most evidently delivered in f one article ; for the article saith , man is gone from originall righteousnesse ; they say , man did not goe away from it , but god snatched it away from man : the article saith , that by originall sinne man is enclined unto evill , and calleth it by the name of concupiscence and lust , they say , that originall sinne is onely the privation of righteousnes , and that concupiscence is a concreated and originall condition of nature : the article saith , that the flesh lusteth alwayes contrary to the spirit , they say in expresse termes , that this is false , and that the flesh when it lusteth indeed doth lust against nothing but the spirit , and that the apostle in that place meant onely the galatians , and not all spirituall or regenerate men : the article saith , that this lust deserveth gods wrath and condemnation ; they say , that it doth not deserve the hatred of god : and lastly , the article saith , that the apostle doth confesse that concupiscence and lust hath of it selfe the nature of sinne ; they say , that it is not properly either a sinne , or a punishment of sinne , but onely the condition of nature : in all these respects it will be needfull to lay downe the truth of this great point , and to vindicate it from the proud disputes of such bold innovators . and first let us see by what steps and gradations the adversaries of this so fundamentall a doctrine ( which as g saint austin saith is none of those in quibus optimi fidei catholicae defensores salvâ fidei compage inter se aliquando 〈◊〉 consonant , wherein orthodox doctors may differ and abound in their owne sense ) doe proceed to denie the sinfulnesse of that which all ages of the church have called sinne. first they say , that the a sinne of adam is not any way the sinne of his posterity , that it is against the nature of sinne , against the goodnesse , wisedome , and truth of god , against the rule of equitie and iustice , that infants who are innocent in themselves , should bee accounted nocent iu another ; therein taking away baptisme for remission of sinnes from infants , who being not borne with guilt of adams sinne stand yet in no neede of any purgation . secondly , they say that though b adams sinne may be thus farre said to be unto posterity imputed ; as that by reason of it they become obnoxious unto death , ( namely to an eternall dissolution of body and soule without any reunion , and an eternall losse of the divine vision , without any paine of sense ) yet that death which to adam in his person was a punishment , is not so to his posteritie , but onely the condition of their nature . thirdly , they say that c that which is called originall sinne is nothing else at all , but onely the privation of originall righteousnesse ; and that concupiscence was 〈◊〉 contracted , and brought upon nature by sinne , but was originally in our nature , suspended indeede by the presence , but actuated by the losse of that righteousnesse . fourthly , they say , d that that privation was not by man contracted , but by god inflicted as a punishment upon adam from whom it comes , but onely as a condition of nature unto us ; that man in his fall and prevarication did not throw away or actually shake off the image of god , but god pull'd it away from him ; which if god had not done , it would have remained with him , notwithstanding the sinne of the first fall . fifthly , they say , e that in as much as the privation of originall righteousnesse was a punishment by god upon adam justly inflicted , and by adam unto us naturally and unavoidably propagated , it is not therefore to be esteem'd any sinne at all , neither for it can god justly condemne any man ; nor is it to be esteem'd a punishment of sinne in us , though it were in adam , because in us there is no sinne going before it of which it may bee accounted the punishment , as there was in adam , but onely the condition of our present nature . lastly , they say that adam being by god deprived of originall righteousnesse , ( which is the facultie and fountaine of all obedience ) and being now constituted under the deserved curse , f all the debt of legall obedience , wherein he and his posteritie in him were unto god obliged , did immediately cease ; so that whatsoever outrages should after that have beene by adam or any of his children committed they would not have beene sinnes , or transgressions , nor involv'd the authors of them in the guilt of iust damnation . that which unto us reviveth sin , is the new covenant ; because therein is given unto the law new strength to command , and unto us new strength to obey , both which were evacuated in the fall of adam . vpon which premises it doth most evidently follow ; that unlesse god in christ had made a covenant of grace with us anew , no man should ever have beene properly and penally damned but onely adam ; and he too , with no other then the losse of gods presence : ( for ●… hell and torments are not the revenge of legall , but of evangelicall disobedience ) not for any actuall sinnes , for there would have beene none , because the exaction of the law would have ceased ; and where there is no law , there is no transgression ; not for the want of righteousnesse , because that was in adam himselfe but a punishment , and in his posteritie neither a sinne , nor a punishment , but onely a condition of nature ; not for habituall concupiscence , because though it be a h disease and an infirmitie , yet it is no sinne , both because the being of it is connaturall and necessary , and the operations of it inevitable and unpreventable for want of that bridle of supernaturall righteousnesse which was appointed to keepe it in . lastly , not for adams sinne imputed , because being committed by another mans will , it could bee no mans sinne but his that committed it . so that now upon these premises we are to invert the apostles words , by one man , namely by adam , sinne entered into the world , upon all his posterity , and death by sinne ; by one man , namely by christ ( tanquam per causam sine quâ non ) sinne returned into the world upon all adams posteritie , and with sinne , the worst of all deaths , namely hellish torments , which without him should not haue beene at all . o how are wee bound to prayse god , and recount with all honour the memorie of those worthies who compiled our articles , which serue as a hedge to keepe out this impious and mortiferous doctrine ( as i fulgentius cals it ) from the church of england , and suffers not pelagius to returne into his owne country . there are but three maine arguments that i can meet with to colour this heresie , and two of them were the pelagians of old . first , k that which is naturall and by consequence necessarie and unavoidable cannot be sinne ; l originall sinne is naturall , necessarie , and unavoidable ; therefore it is no sin . secondly , that m which is not voluntarie cannot be sinfull ; n originall sinne is not voluntarie ; therefore not sinfull . thirdly , no o sinne is immediatly caused by god ; but originall sinne , being the privation of originall righteousnesse is from god immediately , who pull'd away adams righteousnesse from him ; therfore it is no sinne . for the more distinct understanding the whole truth , and answering these supposed strong reasons , give me leave to premise these observations by way of hypothesis . first , there are two things in originall sinne , the privation of righteousnesse and the corruption of nature ; for since originall sinne is the roote of actuall , and in actuall sinnes there are both the omission of the good which we ought to exercise , and positive contuma●…ies against the law of god , therefore a vis formatrix , something answerable to both these must needs be found in originall sinne . this positive corruption ( for in the other all agree that it is originall sinne ) is that which the p scripture cals fl●…sh , and members , and law , and lusts , and bodie , and saint q austin , vitiousnesse , inobedience or inordinatenesse , and a morbid affection : consonant whereunto is the r article of our church , affirming , that man by originall sinne is farre gone from righteousnesse , which is the privation ; secondly that thereby he is of his owne nature enclined unto evill , which is the pravitie or corruption : and this is the doctrine of s many learned papists . secondly , the law being t perfect and spirituall searcheth the most intimate corners of the soule , and reduceth under a law the very rootes and principles of all humane operations : and therefore in a●… much as u well being is the ground of well working , and that the tree must be good before the fruite , therefore wee conclude , that the law is not onely the rule of our workes , but of our strength , not of our life only but of our nature , which being at first deliver'd into our hands entire and pure , cannot become degenerate , without the offence of those who did first betray so great a trust committed unto them . x thou shalt loue the lord thy god , ex●…ni vald●… tuo , with all thy might , saith the law ; it doth not only require us to love , but to have mindes furnish'd with all strength to love god , so that there may be life and vigo●… in our obedience and love of him . the law requires no more love then strength , therefore if it did not of us require strength to love , but onely suppose it , it could require no love neither , for the y apostle tels us that by nature we are without strength . so that if the meaning of the law be onely this , thou shalt love the lord thy god with all the strength which thou hast ; and not this , thou shalt love him with all the strength that i require thee 〈◊〉 have , and that i at first gave thee ( so that the strength and faculty , as well as the love and duty may c●…dere sub pr●…cepto , fall under the command ) the meaning of the law would amount but to this , thou shalt not , or needest not to love the lord thy god at all , because thou hast no strength so to doe , and art not to be blamed for having none . thirdly , it is not the being voluntary or involunt●… that doth make a thing sinfull or not sinfull , but being opposite to the rule , which requires complete strength to serve god withall ; now all a mans strength is not in his will , the understanding , affections , and bodie have their strength , which failing , though the will bee never so prompt , yet the worke is not done with that perfection which the law requires : yet withall wee are to note in this point two things . first , that a originall sinne is , ●…do , voluntarie too , because brought in by that will which was originally ours , for this is a true rule in divinity , b voluntas capitis totius naturae voluntas reputatur , that adams will was the will of all mankind , and therfore this sinne being voluntarie in him , and hereditarie unto us , is esteemed in some sort voluntary unto us too . secondly , that a thing may be voluntarie two wayes , first , efficienter , when the will doth positively concurre to the thing which is done ; c secondly , deficienter , when the will is in fault for the thing which is done , though it were not done by it selfe . for wee must note , that all other d faculties were at first appointed to be subject to the will , & were not to move but upon her allowance , and conduct , and therefore when lust doth prevent the consent and command of the will , it is then manifest that the will is wanting to her office ; for to her it belongs to suppresse all contumacie , and to forbid the doing of any illegall thing . and in this sense i understand that frequent speech of saint e austen , that sinne is not sin except it be voluntarie , that is , sinne might altogether be prevented , if the will it selfe had its primitive strength , and were able to exercise uprightly that office of government and moderation over the whole man which at first it was appointed unto . which thing the same f father divinely hath expressed in his confessions ; what a monstrous thing is this , saith he , that the minde should command the body and be obeyed , and that it should command it selfe , and bee resisted ? his answer is , the will is not a totall will , and therefore the command is not a totall command , g for if the will were so throughlie an enemie to lust as it ought to be , it would not be quiet till it had dis-throned it . these things being premised , wee conclude that as our nature is universally vitiated and defil'd by adam , so that pollution which from him wee derive is not onely the languor of nature , the condition and calamitie of mankinde , the wombe , seed , fomenter , formative vertue of other sins , but is it self truly and properly sin , or to speak in the phrase of the church of england , hath of it selfe the nature of sin ▪ first , where there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , transgression there is sin ; in this sin there is more , for there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ▪ rebellion , and antipathie against the whole law ; therefore concupiscence is sin . secondly , that which inferres death , and makes men naturally children of wrath , is sinne ; but lust , and fleshly concupiscence reviving , bringeth death , and wrath ; therefore it is sinne . thirdly , where there is an excesse of sinne that thing must needs be sinfull ; but concupiscence by the commandement is exceeding sinfull , ergo . fourthly , that which is hatefull is evill and sinfull ( for god made all things beautifull and good , and therefore very lovely ) but concupiscence is hatefull , what i hate , that i do . fifthly , that which quickneth to all mischiefe , and indisposeth to all good must needs be sinfull , as shee that tempteth and solliciteth to adulterie may justly be esteem'd a harlot ; but concupiscence tempteth draweth , enticeth , begetteth , conceiveth , indisposeth to good , and provoketh to evill ; therefore it is sinne . sixthly , that which is hellish and divelish must needs be sinnefull , for that is an argument in the scripture to prove a thing to be exceeding evil ; but concupiscence is even the hell of our nature , and lusts are divelish ; therefore they are sinfull too . nemo se palpet , saith saint austen , desus satanas est , de deo beatus , let no man sooth or flatter himselfe , his happinesse is from god , for of himselfe he is altogether diuelish . seventhly , that which was with christ crucified is sinne , for hee bore our sinne is his body upon the tree ; but our flesh and concupiscence was with christ crucified , they that are christs have crucified the fl●…sh with the affections and lusts ; therefore it is sin . lastly , that which is washed away in baptisme is sinne , for baptisme is for remission of sinnes ; but concupiscence and the body of sinne is done away in baptisme ; therefore it is sinne . and this is the frequent argument of the ancient doctors against the pelagians to prove that infants had sinne in their nature , because they were baptized unto the remission of sinnes . to give some answer then to those pretended reasons . to the first wee confesse that nothing can bee toto genere necessarie , and yet sinfull : neither is originall sinne in that sort necessary to the nature in it selfe , though to the nature in persons proceeding from adam it be necessarie . for adam had free will , and wee in him , to have kept that originall righteousnesse in which wee were created , and what was to him sinfull , was to us likewise , because wee all were one in him . wee are then to distingvish of naturall and necessarie , for it is either primitive and created , or consequent , and contracted necessity ; the former would indeed void sin because god doth never first make things impossible , and then command them ; but the latter growing out of mans owne will originally , must not therefore nullifie the law of god , because it disableth the power of man , for that were to make man the lord of the law. to the second three things are to be answer'd . first , the sinfulnesse of a thing is grounded on its disproportion to the law of god , not to the will of man. now gods law sets bounds , and moderates the operations of all other powers and parts , as well as of the wil. and therfore the apostle complaines of his sinfull concupiscence , even when his wil was in a readines to desire the good , and refuse the evill . ro. . . secondly , no evil lust riseth or stirreth , though it prevent the consent of the will , but the wil may be esteemed faultie , not in this that it consented unto it , but in this , that it did not , as it ought to have done , hinder and suppresse it . for the stirrings of lust before the will , is their usurpation , and inordinatenesse , not their nature , which therefore the will according to that primitive soveraignty which in mans nature shee had ought to rectifie , and order againe . thirdly , originall sin , though to persons it be not , yet to the nature it was voluntarie , and to the persons in adam as in their common father , for with them otherwise then in him no covenant could be made , and even in humane lawes the acts of parents can circumscribe their children . to the third , wee utterly deny that god did take away originall righteousnesse from man , but he * threw it away himselfe ; god indeed with-holds it , and doth not obtrude againe that upon us which wee rejected before , but he did not snatch it away , but man in sinning did nullifie it to himselfe . for what was righteousnesse in adam but a perfect and universall rectitude , whereby the whole man was sweetly order'd by gods law , and within himselfe ; now adams sinne having so many evils in it as it had , pride , ambition , ingratitude , robberie , luxurie , idolatry , murther , and the like , needs must that sinne spoile that originall righteousnesse which was and ought to bee universall . secondly , wee grant that originall sinne is not onely a fault , but a punishment too ; but that the one of these should destroy the other b wee utterly denie ; for which purpose wee may note , that a punishment may be either by god inflicted in its whole being , or by man in the substance of the thing contracted , and by god in the penall relation which it carries ordered . it is true , no punishment from god inflicted upon man can bee in the substance of the thing sinfull , but that which man brings upon himselfe as a sinne gods wisedome may order to be a punishment too . when a prodigall spends his whole estate upon uncleannesse , is not his povertie both a sinne and a punishment ? when a drunkard or adulterer brings diseases upon his bodie , and drownes his reason , is not that impotencie and sottishnesse ▪ both sinne and punishment ? did not god punish pharaoh with hardnesse of heart , and the gentiles with vile affections ? and yet these were sinnes as well as punishments . to expedite this point in one word as i conceive of it . two things are in this sinne , privation of gods image , and lust or habituall concupiscence . the privation is , in regard of the first losse of righteousnesse , from adam alone , by his voluntarie depraving of the humane nature , and excussion of the image of god ; but in regard of the continuance of it , so deficienter , gods justice and wisedome hath a hand in it , who as he is the most just avenger of his owne wrongs and the most free disposer of his owne gifts , so hath hee in both respects been pleased to whith-hold his image formerly rejected , and not to obtrude upon ingratefull and unworthy men so pretious an endowment , of which the former contempt and indignitie had justly made them ever after destitute . concupiscence wee may conceive both as a disorder , and as a penaltie . consider it as a punishment , and so though it bee not by god effected in nature , ( for he tempteth no man , much lesse doth hee corrupt any ) yet is it subject to his wisedome and ordination , who after he had been by adam forsaken , did then forsake him likewise , and give him up into the hand of his owne counsell , leaving him to transmit upon others that seminarie of uncleannesse , which himselfe had contracted . consider it as a vice , and so wee say that lust , or flesh doth not belong to the parts as such or such parts , but is the disease of the whole nature , either part whereof though it doe not equally descend from adam , yet may hee justly bee esteem'd the father and fountaine of the whole nature , because though generation doe not make all the materials and parts of nature , yet doth it worke to the uniting of them , and constituting of the whole by them . so then naturall corruption is from ad●…m alone meritoriously by reason of his first prevarication ; from adam by our parents seminally , and by generation and contagion ; but under favour i conceive that it is not from the body in the soule , but equally and universally from the whole nature as a guilty , forsaken , and accursed nature , by some secret and ineffable resultancie therefrom , under those relations of guilt and cursednesse . this with submission to the learned i conceive in that great question touching the penalenesse , and traduction of originall concupiscence , reserving to others their libertie in such things , wherein a latitude of opinions may consist with the unitie of faith and love . but to returne to those things which are more for practice . this doctrine of originall sinne doth direct us in our * humiliations for sinne , shewes us whither wee should rise in judging and condemning our selves , even as high as our fleshly lusts , and corrupt nature . let not any man say , saith s. iames , that he was tempted of god ; i shall goe further , let not any man say of himselfe by way of excuse , extenuation , or exoneration of himselfe , i was tempted of satan , or of the world ; and who can be too hard for such enemies , who can withstand such strong solicitations ; ** let not any man resolve his sinnes into any other originall then his owne lusts . our perdition is totally of our selves , wee are assaulted by many enemies , but it is one onely that over commeth us , even our owne flesh . saint paul could truly say , * it was no more i that sinned ; but did he charge his sinnes therefore upon satan , or upon the world ? no , though it was not he , yet it was something that did belong unto him , an inmate , a bosome enemie , even sinne that dwelt within him . it is said , that satan provoked david to number the people , and yet davids heart smote himselfe , and did not charge satan with the sinne , because it was the lust of his owne heart that let in and gave way to satans temptation . if there were the same minde in us as in christ , that satan could finde no more in us to mingle his temptations with all , then hee did in him , they would be equally successeles●…e ; but this is his greatest advantage , that he hath our evill nature to helpe him , and hold intelligence with him . and therefore wee must rise as high as that in our humiliations for sinne : for that will keepe us ever humble , because concupiscence will be ever sti●…ring in 〈◊〉 : and it will make us throughly humble , because thereby sinne is made altogether our owne , when wee attribute it not to casualties , or accidentall miscarriages , but to our nature ; as david did , in sinne was i shaped , and in iniquitie did my mother conceive me . it was not any accident , or externall temptation which was the roote and ground of these my sinnes , but i was a transgressour from the wombe , i had the seedes of adultery and murder sowne in my very nature , and from thence did they breake forth in my life . when men shall consider , that in their whole frame there is an universall ineptitude and indisposition to any good , and as large a forwardnesse unto all evill , that all their principles are vitiated , and their faculties out of joynt , that they are in the wombe as cockatrice egges , and in the conception a seed of ●…pers ▪ more odious in the pure eyes of god , then toads or serpents are in ours , this will keepe men in more caution against sinne , and in more humiliation for it . lastly , from the consideration of this sinne we should be exhorted unto these needfull duties : first , to much i●…alousie against our selves , not to trust any of our faculties alone , nor to be too confident upon presumptions , or experiences of our owne strength . ●…ob would not trust his eies without a covenant , nor david his mouth without a bridle ; so strangely and unexpectedly will nature breake out if it feele it selfe a little loose , as may cost a man many a cry and teare to set himselfe right againe . though a lyon seeme never so tame , though the sea seeme never so calme , give them no passage , keepe on the chaine , look still to the bulwarkes , for there is a rage in them which cannot be tamed . venture not on any temptation , bee not confident of any grace received so as to slacken your wonted zeale , count not your selves to have apprehended any thing , forget that which is behinde , presse forward to the price that is before you ; and ever suspect the treacherie and tergiversation of your owne hearts . ioseph flung out , and would not trust himselfe in the company of his mistresse , he hearkened not to her to lye by her , or to bee with her , company might easily have kindled concupiscence , a little of satans blowing might have carried the fire from one sticke unto another . david would have no wicked thing in his house , nor in his sight ; sinne is a plague , hee knew how full of ill humours , and seeds of alike evill , his heart was ; how apt to catch every infection that came neere it , and therefore he tooke care to decline the very objects and examples of sinne . god would not suffer any people , or monuments of idolaters to bee spared , lest they should prove temptations and snares to his owne people ; and their hearts should runne after the like sinnes . keepe thine heart , saith salomon , with al●… diligence , never let thine eye bee off from it , hide the word , and the spirit alwayes in it , to watch it , for there is an adulterer ever at hand to steale it away . therefore the lord would have the israelites binde ribbands upon their fringes , and the law on the posts of their dores , that by those visible remembrancers their mindes might be taken off from other vanities , and the obedience of the law more reviv'd within them . and salomon alluding to that custome shewes the vse and the fruites of it ▪ bind them , saith he , continually upon thine heart , and tye them about thy necke , make the law of god thy continuall ornament ; when thou goest it shall leade thee , when thou sleepest it shall keepe thee , when thou awakest it shall talke with thee ; in all thy wayes and conditions it shall be thy safegard , thy companion , and thy comfort . secondly , to warre and contention against so strong and so close an enemie . our flesh is our esau , our elder brother , and we must ever be wrestling with it . the flesh and the spirit are contraries , one will ever be on the prevailing side : and the flesh is never weary nor out of work to improve its owne part , therefore the spirit must bee as studious and importunate for the kingdome of christ. but you will say ▪ to what end serves any such combate ? it is impossible to vanquish , or to ouercome lust . the divell may bee put to flight , there is hope in a conflict with him , but lust may be exasperated by contention , it cannot bee shaken of . to this i answer in the generall first , that it is our dutie to fight with sinne , and it is christs office and promise to overcome it , wee must performe that which hee requireth of us , and trust him with that which hee promiseth unto us . besides , by this meanes the bodie of sinne is first weakened , though not quite destroi'd . for as in the leviticall law when a spreading leprosie was in a house , the walls were first scraped round about , the dust throwne out , new stones and new morter put to the old materials , and then last of all the house upon the uncureablenesse of it was broken quite downe , and dissolved : so in our present leprous and corrupted condition , wee are to deface , to weaken , to scrape of what wee can of the body of sinne , and leave the rest for god to doe when hee shall be pleased to dissolve us . secondly , it is by this meanes captivated likewise , though like the gibeonites , and the moabitish maides it bee not slaine , yet it is kept under and subdued . thirdly , however , by this meanes it is discover'd and it is a good part of warre to know the latitude of an enemies strength , to prie into his stratagems and contrivances . for the knowledge of sinne will make us more earnest in mourning for it , more importunate in our prayers against it , more humble in our consessions of it , more unquiet till wee be acquitted by the blood of christ and his spirit from it , more urgent to lay hold upon the victories and promises of christ against it . this is the sum of all , and a most sufficient encouragement . the grace of christ in us will weaken much , the grace and favour of christ unto vs will forgive the rest , and the power of christ at the last will annihilate all . thirdly , to patience and constancy in this spirituall combate . wee are beset , and compassed about with our corruptions , the sinne hangs on with much pertinacy , and will not be shaken of , therefore there is neede of patience to runne the race that is set before us , to doe the whole will of god , to hale perpetually our clog after us , to pull on and drive forward a backsliding and a revolting heart , to thrust still before us a swarme of thoughts and affections through so many turnings and temptations as they shall meet withall . when the spies returned from the holy land , they disheartned the people , because they had seen giants the sonnes of a●…ak : so when the spirit of man considers , i am to enter upon a combate that admits no treatie of peace , or respite , with an old man ▪ full of wisedome , furnished with a whole armorie of weapons , and with all the succors and contributions which principalities , and powers , and spirituall wickednesses can bring in , an enemie full of desperate rebellion and unwearied rage against the kingdome of christ in ●…e : and i find by daylie experience what foiles he gives me , what captivitie he holds me under , how unable i am to hold conflict with but some one of his lusts , how unfurnish'd with such generall strength as is requisite to meet so potent an adversary ; in this case a man will bee very apt to faint and bee wearied in his striving against sinne . and therefore to encourage and quicken us unto patience wee must not seeke our selves in our selves , nor fix upon the measure and proportion of our former graces , but runne to our faith and hold fast our confidence , which will make us hope above hope , and bee strong when wee are weake : wee must looke unto iesus , and consider first , his grace which is sufficient for us , secondly , his power , which hath already begunne faith and a good worke in us , thirdly , his promise which is to finish ▪ it for us , fourthly , his compassion and assistance , he is our second , ready to come in in any danger and undertake the quarrell , fifthly , his example , he passed through alike contradiction of sinners , as wee doe of lusts , sixthly , his neerenesse , he is at the dore , it is yet but a little while , and he that shall come will come and will not tarry . seventhly , his glory which is in our quarrell engaged , and in our weakenesse perfected . eighthly , his reward which hee brings with him , it is for an eternall weight of glory , that wee wrestle , ninthly ▪ his faithfulnesse to all that clowd of witnesses , those armies of saints ▪ whome he hath carried through the same way of combates and temptations before us , and whose warfare is now accomplished . lastly , his performances already . first , he maketh the combate every day easier then before , our inner man growes day by day , the house of david is stronger and stronger , and the house of saul weaker and weaker . and secondly , as in all other afflictions , so in this especially hee giveth unto us a peaceable fruit of righteousnesse after wee have beene exercised in it . but you will say these are good encouragements to him that knowes how to do this worke ; but how shall i that am ignorant , and impotent know how to suppresse and keepe downe so strong an enemie with any patience or constancy that all this workes in me ? to this i answere , first consider wherein mainely the strength of lust lies , and then applie your preventions and oppositions accordingly . the strength of lust is in these particulars . first , it 's wisdome and cunning craftinesse , whereby it lies in waite , and is upon the catch of every advantage to set forward its owne ends . secondly , it's suggestions , perswasions , titillations , treaties , flatteries , dalliances with the soule , which like the smiles of a harlot entice , and allure the heart to condescend to some experience and practice with it : thus evah being deceived fell into the transgression . for the suggestion quickly begets delight , and delight as easily growes into consent , and when the will like the master-fort is taken , the inferiour members 〈◊〉 no longer stand out . thirdly , its promises and presumptions , its threatnings and affrightments : for hopes and fear as are the edges of temptation . lust seldome or never prevailes , till it have begotten some expectation of fruit in it , till it can propose some wages and pleasures of iniquitie , some peace and immunitie against dangers or judgements denounced , wherewith men may flatter themselves : some unprofitablenesse , toyle , and inconvenience in a contrary strictnesse . lust deales with the soule , as iael with sisera , first , it calls a man in , gives him milke and butter , cove●…s him with a mantle , and casts him into a quiet and secure sleepe , and then after brings out the naile and hammer to fasten him unto death ; and yet all this while a man saith not within himselfe , what have i done , there is no hope , after all this my wearinesse , in the tent of iael , in the promises of lust , but like the mother of sisera cherisheth vast expectations , and returneth answers of spoyles and purchases to himselfe . we will 〈◊〉 incense to the queene of heaven , say the people to ●…my ; we have not onely great and publike examples , 〈◊〉 fathers , our kings , our princes , our cities , but great rewards to encourage us thereunto , for then had wee ple●…y of victuals , and w●…re well and saw no evill . i will go after my lovers that give me my bread and my water , my wool and my flax , mine oyle and my drinke ; neither did shee ever returne to her first husband , till shee found by evident experience that it was then better with her then amongst her idoles . so that which made that hypocriticall people weary of the wayes and worship of god , was the unprofitablenesse which they conceiv'd to be in his service , and the unequalnesse of his wayes : whereas indeed the fault was in their owne unsincerity and evill ends . for the word of the lord doth good to those that walke vprightly , as the prophet speakes . fourthly , its lawes and edicts , whereby it setteth the members aworke , and publisheth its owne will ; and that either under the shew of reason ( for sinne hath certaine maximes , and principles of corrupted reason , which it takes for indubitable and secure , wherewith to countenance its tyrannicall commands ) or else under the shape of emoluments and exigences , and inevitablenesse , which may serve to warrant those commands that are otherwise destitute even of the colour of reason . like that device of caiaphas , when they knew not how to accuse christ , or charge him with any face of capitall crimes , yet hee had found out a way that though there were no personall reasons , nor iust grounds to proceede upon , yet admitting and confessing the innocencie of the person of christ , the expedience notwithstanding and exigencie of state so requiring it , fitter it was for one innocent person to perish , and thereby the safety of the common wealth , which depended upon their homage to the romanes , to be secur'd , then by the preservation of one man to have the welfare of the whole people lie at hazard , and exposed to the fea●…es , and jealousies , and displeasures of the romans , who by publike fame were very suspicious of an universall prince which was to arise out of iudea , and none so likely to be the man , as he who could raise dead men out of their graves , and so be never destitute of armies to helpe him : so though there was no ●…quum est , yet there was an exp●…dit , though no reason or iustice , yet there was exigence and expediencie why hee ought to die , though not as a malefactor to satisfie for his owne offence ▪ yet as a sacrifice to expiate , and to prevent those evils of state which the fame of his mighty workes might have occasion'd . and thus doth sinne deale with men , sometimes by the helpe of corrupt reason , and counterfeite maxi ne●… it makes the sinnes which are commanded seeme warrantable and equall ; sometimes , where the things are apparantly evill , and cannot bee iustified , yet by pretence of some present exigencies it makes them seeme necessary and ●…avoydable . fifthly its violence and importuni●…e , for sinne is so wilfull that as he once answered the persian king , when it cannot finde a law to warrant that which it requires , yet it will make a law to command what it will : and it will beset and pursue , and importune the soule , and take no answere . balaams ambition was sufficiently nonplusd by the severall answeres and parables which god put into his mouth , and yet still it pursues him , and will put him upon all experiments , make him try the utmost of his divelish wit to curse gods people , and promote himselfe . io●…h his fretfulnesse had beene once put to silence , and could reply nothing when god charged him , yet upon a second occasion it gathers strength , and becomes more headstrong , even to dispute with god , and to charge him foolishly . dalilah we know was an allegorie or type of lust , and wee know how violent and urgent she was with sampson ▪ till she grieved and vexed his soule with her dayly importunities . sixtly , its provisions . those subsidiary a●…des and materials of lust which it fetcheth from abroad , those things of the world , with which the heart committeth adulterie ; for the world is the armorie and store-house of lust . lastly its instruments , which willingly execute the will of sinne , and yeelde themselves up as weapons in the warre : in these things principally doth the strength of lust consist . having thus discovered wherein the strength of lust lies , set your selves against it in these particulars thereof . first , for the wisedome and deceite of lust : first set up a spirituall wisedome , which may discover and defeate the projects of the flesh ; christs teaching is the onely way to put off the old man , and to be renewed in the spirit of the minde . secondly , mutuall exhortation is a great helpe against the deceitfulnesse of sinne , exho●…t one another while it is called to day , l●…st any of you be hardned by the deceitfulnesse of sinne . silence is the best advantage an enemie can have , when one doth not warne nor give notice to another . if a cheate or cunning spie should come to a place , and apply himselfe with severall ins●…nuations unto severall persons , for the better managing his purposes , and sifting out those discoveries which he is to make , the best way to disclose the plots and mischiefes of such an enemie would be to conferre , and compare his severall passages and discourses together ; so christians mutuall communicating of the experiments , temptations , conflicts , victories which they have had in themselves to one another , is a sure way to discover and prevent the deceit of lust . rahabs hiding and concealing the spies did much advance their project against iericho ; and so the keeping of the divels counsell , and stifling his temptations , and the deceits of lust , is one of the greatest advantages they can have . thirdly , receive the truth with love , for lies and delusions are the doome of those men who receive not the love of the truth , that they might be saved . secondly , for the perswasions and suggestions of lust , entertaine no treatie , have no commerce with it , be not in its company alone , let it not draw thee away , sit not in counsell with it . qui deliberant desciverunt , if it prevaile to get our eare ▪ and make us listen unto it , it will easily proceed further . as soone as ever saint paul was called , he immediately refused to conferre with flesh and blood , which relation elsewhere making , he useth another expression , whereupon o king agrippa i was not disobedient to the heavenly vision ; intimating thus much , that but to hold a conference with the flesh is a beginning of disobedience . if our first mother evah had observed this rule , not to deliberate , or admit any dispute with the serpent , but had at first offer rejected his motion , with this peremptorie answere , we have a law given us , and servants must be rul'd by their master and not by their fellowes , it is fitter to obey god then to dispute against him , to execute his commands then to interpret them , she might have prevented that deluge of sinne and calamitie which by this one over-sight did invade the world . therefore the lord strictly commands his people , that when they were to succeed the nations whom god would cast out before them , and should dwell in their land , they should take heed that they were not snared by following them , neither should they enquire after their gods saying . how did these nations serve their gods ▪ the very acquanting themselves with the formes of other mens idolatries might ensnare them . therefore as soone as lust stirres and offers to perswade thee , start away from it as ioseph did , come not nigh the doore of a strange womans house , though the first allurements seeme modest and moderate , yet if the serpent get in but his head , he will easily draw in the rest of his body , and if he should not , yet his sting is in his head . thirdly , for the promises and threats of lust , first , beleeve them not , for lust is a tempter , and it is given to all tempters , to be liers too . when god hath said one thing , let no arguments make thee beleeve the contrarie . as we are to beleeve above hope , so above reason too ; for though sophistrie may alledge reasons for a false conclusion which every understanding is not able to answer or evade , yet there is a voyce of christ in all saving truth , which his sheepe are apt to heare and subscribe unto , in which there is an evidence to make it selfe knowne , and to difference delusions from it , though haply a man have not artificiall logick enough to distinguish it from every captious and sophisticall argument . if an angell from heaven , saith the apostle , preach any other gospell let him be accursed ; we know what it cost the man of god , when he gave credit to the old prophet of bethel , though pretending an angels warrant , to goe backe and eate with him , contrary to the commandement which he had received before . secondly , get security of better promises ( for all the promises of the flesh if they should bee perform'd will perish with a man ) learne to rest upon gods all-sufficiencie , see thy selfe rich enough in his wayes , there are more riches in the persecutions , much more in the promises and performances of god , then in all the treasures of egypt . lust can promise nothing but either thou hast it already ( and the same water is farre sweeter out of a fountaine , then when it hath passed through a sinke ; the same monie farre better when it is a blessing from god , then when a bribe from lust ; when it is the reward of a service , then when 't is the price of sinne ; when it is given by the owner , then when deposited by a thiefe ) or else thou art farre better without it , thou walkest amongst fewer snares , hast an over-plus of spirituall goods for thy earthly defect , hast thy poverty sweetned and sanctified by better promises ; and therefore respect none of the wages of lust , consider that god is the fountaine of life , that thou hast more and better of it in him then in the creatures , that when thou wantest the things of this life , yet thou hast the promises still , and that all the offers of lust are not for comforts , but for snares , not for the use of life , but for the provisions of sin : and there is more content in a little received from god , then in whole treasures stollen from him , and all sinfull gaine is the robbing of god. fourthly , for the law of lust , setup the law of the spirit of life in thy heart . it is a royall law , and a law of liberty . whereas lust is a law of death and bondage ; and where the spirit comes , a man shall be set free from the law of sinne and of death . keepe thy selfe alwayes at home , in the presence of christ , under the eye and government of thy husband , and that will dash all intruders and adulterers out of countenance . take heed of quenching , grieving , stifling the spirit , cherish the motions thereof , stirre up and kindle the gifts of god in thee , labour by them to grow more in grace , and to have neerer communion with god ; the riper the corne growes , the looser will the chaffe be , and the more a man growes in grace , with the more ease will his corruptions be sever'd and shaken off . fifthly , when lust is violent and importunate : first , be thou importunate and vrgent with god against it too , when the messenger of satan , the thorne in the flesh , did buffet , and sticke fast unto s. paul , hee reiterated his prayers unto god against it , and proportion'd the vehemency of his requests to the violence and urgency of the enemy that troubled him ; and he had a comfortable answer , my grace is sufficient for thee , sufficient in due time to cure , and sufficient at all times to forgive thy weakenesse . in the law , if a ravisht woman had cried out , shee was esteemed innocent , because the pollution was not voluntary , but violent . and so in the assaults of lust , when it useth violence , and pursues the soule that is willing to escape and flye from it , if a man with-hold the embraces of his owne will , and cry out against it , if he can say with saint paul , it is no more i that doe it , but sinne that dwelleth in me , though in regard that the flesh is something within himselfe , he cannot therefore be esteemed altogether innocent , yet the grace of god shall bee sufficient for him . secondly , when thou art pursued , keepe not lusts counsell , but seeke remedy from some wise and christian friend by communicating with him , and disclosing thy case unto him ; sinne loves not to bee betrayde or complained on , mutuall confession of sinne , to those who will pray for a sinner , and not deride him , or rejoyce against him , is a meanes to heale it . thirdly , when thou art in a more violent manner then usuall assaulted by sinne , humble thy selfe in some more peculiar manner before god , and the more sinne cries for satisfaction , denie it and thy selfe the more : as salomon saith of children , so may i say of lusts , chastice and subdue thy lusts , and regard not their crying . sixthly , cut off the materials and provisions for lust , weane thy selfe from earthly affections ; love not the world , nor the things of the world , desire not anything to consume upon thy lusts , pray for those things which are convenient for thee , turne thy heart from those things which are most likely to seduce thee , possesse thy heart with a more spirituall and abiding treasure ; hee who lookes stedfastly upon the light of the sunne , will be able to see nothing below when he lookes downe againe ; and surely the more a man is affected with heaven , the lesse will he desire or delight in the world . besides , the provisions of sinne are but like full pastures , that doe but fatten , and prepare for slaughter . balaam was in very good plight before , able to ride with his two servants to attend him , but greedinesse to rise higher , and make provision for his ambitious heart , carried him upon a wicked businesse , made him give cursed counsell against israel , which at length cost him his owne life . lastly , for the instruments of lusts , make a covenant with thy members , keep a government over them , bring them into subjection , above all keepe thy heart , establish the inward government ; for nothing can be in the body which is not first in the heart ; keepe the first mover uniforme and right ; all other things which have their motions depending there , must needs be right too . having thus opened at large the life and state of originall sinne , it remaines in the last place to shew , how the spirit by the commandement doth convince and discover the life of actuall sinne : in omitting so much good , in committing so much evill , in swarving and deviating from the rule in the manner and measure of all our services . and this it doth , by making us see that great spiritualnes and perfection , that precise , universall , and constant conformitie which the law requires in all we doe . cursed is every one that abideth not in all things that are written in the booke of the law to doe them . perfection and perpetuitie of obedience are the two things which the law requires . suppose we it possible for a man to fulfill every tittle of the law in the whole compasse of it , and that for his whole life together , one onely particular , and that the smallest and most imperceptible deviation from it being for one onely time excepted , yet so rigorous and inexorable is the law , that it seales that man under the wrath and curse of god. the heart cannot turne , the thoughts cannot rise , the affections cannot stirre , the will cannot bend ; but the law meets with it , either as a rule to measure , or as a iudge to censure it . it penetrates the inmost thoughts , searcheth the bottome of all our actions , hath a widenesse in it which the heart of man cannot endure . they were not able to endure , saith the apostle , the things which were commanded ; and why tempt you god , saith saint ' peter to those that preached circumcision , and put a yoake upon the brethren , which neither we nor our fathers were able to beare ? circumcision it selfe they were able to beare , but that yoke which came with it , namely , the debt of the whole law was by them and their fathers utterly unsupportable . for this very cause was the law published , that sinne might thereby become exceeding sinfull , that so gods grace might bee the more magnified , and his gospell the more accepted . let us in a few words consider some particular aggravations of the life and state of actuall sinne , which the spirit by the word will present unto us . first , in the least sinne that can bee named , there is so much life and venome , as not all the concurrent strength of those millions of angels , one of whom was in one night able to stay so many thousand men , had been able to remove . more violence and injustice against god in a wandring thought , in an idle word , in an impertinent and unprofitable action , then the worth of the whole creation , though all the heavens were turned into one sunne , and all the earth into one paradise , were able to expiate . thinke we as meanely and slightly of it as wee will , swallow it without feare , live in it without sense , commit it without remorse , yet be we assured , that but the guilt of every one of our least sins being upon christ , who felt nor knew in himselfe nothing of the pollution of them , did wring out those prodigious drops of sweat , did expresse those strong cryes , did poure in those wofull ingredients into the cup which he dranke , as made him , who had more strength then all the angels of heaven , to shrinke and draw backe , and pray against the worke of his owne mercy , and decline the businesse of his owne comming . secondly , if the least of my sinnes could doe thus , o what a guilt and filthinesse is there then in the greatest sinne which my life hath been defiled withall ? if my atomes be mountaines , o what heart is able to comprehend the vastnesse of my mountainous sinnes ? if there bee so much life in my impertinent thoughts , how much rage and fury is there in my rebellious thoughts ? in my thoughts of gall and bitternesse , in my contrived murthers , in my speculative adulteries , in my impatient murmurings , in my ambitious projections , in my coverous , worldly , froward , haughty , hatefull imaginations , in my contempt of god , reproching of his word , smothering of his motions , quenching of his spirit , rebelling against his grace ? if every vaine word be a flame that can kindle the fire of hell about mine eares , o what vollies of brimstone , what mountaines of wrath will be darted upon my wretched soule , for tearing the glorious and terrible name of the great god with my cursed oathes , my crimson and fiery execrations ? what will become of sti●…king , dirty , carrion communication , of lies and scornes , and railings and bitternesse , the persecutions , adulteries , and murthers of the tongue , when but the idlenesse and unprofitablenesse of the tongue is not able to endure this consuming fire ? . if one great sin , nay one small sin be so full of life , as not all the strength , nay not all the deaths or annihilations of all the angels in heaven could have expiated , o how shall i stand before an army of sinnes ? so many , which i know of my selfe , swarmes of thoughts , steames of lusts , throngs of sinfull words , sands of evill actions , every one as heavie and as great as a mountaine , able to take up if they were put into bodies all the vast chasm●… betweene earth and heaven , and fill all the spaces of nature with darkenesse and confusion ? and how infinite more secret ones are there , which i know not by my selfe ? how many atomes and streames of dust doth a beame of the sunne shining into a roome discover , which by any other light was before imperceptible ? how many sinfull secrers are there in my heart , which though the light of mine owne conscience cannot discover , are yet written in gods account , and sealed amongst his treasures , and shall at the day of the revelation of all things bee produc'd and muster'd up against me , like so many lyons and divels to flye upon me ? fourthly , if the number of them can thus amaze , o what shall the roote of them doe ? committed out of ignorance in the midst of light ; out of knowledge against the evidence of conscience ; out of presumption and forestalling of pardon , abusing and subordinating the mercies of god to the purposes of satan , not knowing that his goodnesse should have led me to repentance ; out of stubbornnesse against the discipline , out of enmitie against the goodnesse , out of gall and bitternesse of spirit against the power and purity of gods holy law ? fifthly , not the roote onely , but the circumstances too adde much to the life that is in sinne . see how notably saint austen aggravates his sinne of robbing an orchard when he was a boy , that which others lesse acquainted with the foulenesse of sinne might be apt enough but to laugh over . first , it began in the will , and the members follow'd , i had a minde , and therefore i did it . secondly , i did not doe it for want of the things , but out of the naughtinesse of my heart , and my inward enmitie to righteousnesse . thirdly , i did it not with any aime at fruition of the fruite , but onely of the sinne ; it was not my palate , but my lust which i studied to satisfie . fourthly , the apples i stole were very unapt to tempt , no rellish , no forme in them to catch the eye , or allure the hand , but the whole temptation and rise of the sinne was from within . fifthly , i did it not alone , there were a troope of naughty companions with mee , and wee did mutually cherish and provoke the itch of each others lust . sixthly , it was at a very unseasonable time of night , when at least for that day we should have put a period and given a respite unto our lusts . seventhly , it was after wee had spent much time before ( and should now at least have been tired out ) in pestilent and foolish sports . eighthly , wee were immodest in our theft , we carried away great loades and burdens of them . ninthly , when wee had done , we feasted the hogs with them , and our selves ●…ed upon the review and carriage of our owne lewdnesse . lastly , the chiefe sport and laughter which wee had was this , that we had not only robb'd , but deceiv'd the honest ●…en , who had never so bad an opinion of us , as that wee should doe it ; and thus another mans losse was our jest . and after all this , his meditations upon it are excellent ; with david hee goes to the roote , ecce cor meum deus meus , ecce cor meum . o lord , what a nature and heart had i , that could commit sinne without any 〈◊〉 , without any incentive but from my selfe ? and againe , what shall i returne unto the lord , that i can review these my sinnes , and not be afraid of them ? lord , i will love thee , i will prayse thee , i will confesse to thy name , it is thy grace which pardoneth the sinnes which i have committed , and it is thy grace which prevented the sinnes which i have not committed : thou hast saved me from all sinnes , those which by mine owne will i have done , and those which by thy grace i have been kept from doing . if every man would single out some notable sinnes of his life , and in this manner anatomize them , and see how many sinnes one sinne containeth , even as one flower many leaves , and one pomegranate many kernels , it could not but be a notable meanes of humbling us for sinne . sixthly , not evill circumstances onely , but unpro●…ble ends adde much to the life of sinne : when men sp●…d mony for that which is not bread , and labour for that which satisfieth not ; when men change their glory for that which doth not profit , forsake the fountaine , and h●…w outbroken cisternes which will hold no water ; ●…owe nothing but winde , and reape nothing but shame and reproach . our saviour assures us , that it is no valuable price to get the whole world by sione : and saint austen hath assur'd us , that the salvation of the world , if possible , ought●…ot to be procurd by but an officious lie . but now how many times doe we sinne even for base and dishonourable end●… ▪ lie for a farthing , sweare for a complement , swagger for a fashion , flatter for a preferment , murder for a rev●…ge , pawne our soules which are more worth then the whole frame of nature for a very trifle ? seventhly , all this evill hitherto staies at home , but the great scandall that comes of sinne addes much to the life of it , the perniciousnesse and offence of the example to others . scandall to the weake , and that twofold ; an active scandall to mis-guide them , gal. . . . cor. . . or a passive scandall to grieve them , rom. . . and beget in them jealousies and suspitions against our persons and professions . scandall to the wicked , and that twofold also ; the one giving them occasion to blaspheme that holy name and profession which we beare , . sam. . . . cor. . . . . pet. . . the other hardning and encouraging , comforting and justifying them by our evill example , ezek. . , . eighthly , the evill doth not reach to men onely , but the scandall and indignity over-spreads the gospell ; a great part of the life of sinne is drawne from the severall respects it hath to gods will acknowledged . when we s●…e not onely against the law of nature in our hearts , but against the written law , nor onely against the truth , but against the mercy and spirit of god too ; this must be a heavy aggravation . o what a hell must it bee to a soule in hell to recount , so many sabbaths god reached f●…rth his word unto me , so many sermons he knock'd at my doore , and beseeched me to be reconciled ; he wo●…d me in his word , allured me by his promises , expected me in much patience , enriched me with the liberty of his owne p●…etious oracles , reached forth his blood to wash me , poured forth his teares over me , but against all this i have stopped the ●…are , and pulled away the shoulder , and hardned the heart , and received all this grace in ●…ine , and not withstanding all the raine which fell upon me , continued barren still . god might have cut me off in the wombe , and made me there a brand of hell , as i was by nature a childe of wrath , he might have brought me forth into the world out of the pale of his visible church , 〈◊〉 into a corrupted synagogue , or into a place full of ignorance , atheisme , and profanenesse , but he hath cast my lot in a beautifull place , and given me a goodly heritage , and now hee requires nothing of me but to doe justly , and worke righteousnesse , and walke humbly before god , and i requite evill for good to the hurt of mine owne soule . ninthly , the manner of committing these sinnesis is full of life too . peradventure they are kings , have a court and regiment in my heart , at best they will be tyrants in mee , they have been committed with much strength , power , service , attendance , with obstinacy , frowardnesse , perseverance , without such sense , sorrow , or apprehension , as things of so great a guiltinesse did require . lastly , in good duties whereas grace should bee ever quick and operative , make us conformable to our head , walke worthy of our high calling , and as becommeth godlinesse , as men that have learned and received christ , how much unprofitablenesse , unspiritualnesse , distractions , formality , want of rellish , failings , intermissions , deadnesse , uncomfortablenesse do shew themselves ? how much flesh with spirit , how much wantonnesse with grace , how much of the world with the word , how much of the weeke in the sabbath , how much of the bag or barne in the temple ? how much superstition with the worship ? how wuch security with the feare ? how much vaine-glory in the honour of god ? in one word , how much of my selfe , and therefore how much of my sinne , in all my services and duties which i performe ? these and a world the like aggravations serve to lay open the life of actuall sinnes . thus have i at large opened the first of the three things proposed , namely , that the spirit by opening the rule doth convince men that they are in the state of sin , both originall and actuall . the next thing proposed was to shew what kinde of condition or estate the state of sinne is . and here are two things principally remarkeable : first it is an estate of most extreme impotency and disability unto any good : secondly , of most extreme enmity against the holinesse and wayes of god. first it is an estate of impotency and disability to any good , paul in his pharisaicall condition thought himselfe able to live without blame , phil. . . but when the commandement came he found all his former moralities to have been but dung . our naturall estate is without any strength , rom. . . so weake that it makes the law it selfe weake , rom. . . as unable to doe the workes of a spirituall , as a dead man of a naturall life , for wee are by nature dead in sinne . eph. . . and held under by it , rom. . . and this is a wofull aggravation of the state of sinne , that a man lies in mischiefe ( . ioh. . . ) as a carkasse in rottennesse and dishonour , without any power to deliver himselfe . he that raised up lazarus out of his grave , must by his owne voyce raise up us from sinne , the dead shall heare the voyce of the sonne of man , and they that heare shall live . ioh. . . all men are by nature strangers to the life of god , eph. . . and sorreiners from his household , eph. . . able without him to doe nothing , no more then a branch is to beare any fruit , when it is cut of from the fellowship of the roote which should quicken it , ioh. . . . in me , saith the apostle , that is , in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing . rom. . . a man is as unable to breake through the debt of the law , or his subjection to death and bondage , as a beast to shake of his yoke . act. . . or a dead man his funerall clothes . ioh. . . in one word , so great is this impotencie which is in us by sinne , that we are not sufficient to thinke a good thing . . cor. . . not able to understand a good thing , nor to comprehend the light when it shines upon us . . cor. . . ioh. . . our tongues unable to speake a good word , how can yee being evill speake good things . matth. . . our eares unable to heare a good word , to whom shall i speake and give warning that they may heare , behold their eare is uncircumcised and they cannot hearken . ier. . . our whole man unable to obey , the carnall minde is not subiect to the law of god , neither indeed can be . rom. . . the reasons hereof are these . first , our universall both naturall and personall 〈◊〉 , wee are by nature all flesh , children of the old adam , ioh. . . children of gods wrath . eph. . . and so long it is impossible wee should doe any thing to please god , for they that are in the flesh cannot please god. rom. . . a man must first be renewed in his mind , before he can so much as make proof of what will be acceptable unto god. rom. . . this naturall impurity in our persons is the ground of all impurity in our workes , for unto the 〈◊〉 every thing is uncleane , tit. . . and all the fruit of an evill tree is evill fruit . math. . . and saint paul gives the reason of it , because our fruit should be fr●…itunto god , rom. . . and fruit unto holinesse . rom . . whereas these works of naturall men doe neither begin in god , nor looke towards him , nor tend unto him , god is neither the principle , nor the object , nor the end of them . secondly , our naturall 〈◊〉 ie , the best performance of wicked men is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the gift of an enemie , and the sacrifice of fooles . it proceedeth not from love which is the bond of perfection , that which keepeth all other requisite ingredients of a good worke together , col. . . which is the fulfilling of the law , rom. . . and the principle of obedience , and all willing service and conformity to god , gal. . . ioh. . . and ever proceedeth from the spirit of christ , gal. . . for by nature we are enemies , rom. . . thirdly , our naturall infidelity , for the state of sinne is an estate of unbeliefe , the spirit shall convince the world of sinne , because they beleeve not . ioh. . . now infidelity doth utterly disable men to please god , without faith it is impossible to please him . heb. . . there can no good worke be done but in christ ; we are sanctified in christ , . cor. . . we are created in christ unto good works , eph. . . we must be one with him before wee can be sanctified , heb. . . and this is the reason why faith sanctifies and purifies the heart , act. . . and by consequence the whole man ( for when the fountaine was clensed all the waters were sweete . . reg. . . ) because faith is the bond which fastens us unto christ. eph. . . fourthly , our naturall ignorance and follie . for the state of sinne is ever an ignorant estate . evill men understand not judgement . prov. . . the usuall stile that the scripture gives sinners , even the best of sinners , those who keepe themselves virgins , and escape many of the pollutions of the world , as saint peter speakes , . pet. . . is fooles math. . . though they know many things , yet they know nothing as they ought to know . . cor. . . now the roote of our well pleasing is wisedome and spirituall knowledge , col. . . . that is it which makes us walke worthy of the lord , and fruitfull in good works . whereas want of understanding is that which makes us altogether unprofitable , that wee doe no good . rom. . . . and now what a cutting consideration should this be to a man to consider , god made me for his use , that i should be his servant to doe his will , and i am utterly unfit for any services save those which dishonour him , like the wood of the vine , utterly unusefull and unmeete for any worke ? ezek. . . what then should i expect but to be cast out , as a vessell in which is no pleasure ? if i am altogether barr●…n , and of no use , what a wonderfull patience of god is it that suffers mee to cumber the ground , and doth not presently cast me into the fire ? that 〈◊〉 me like a noisome weed to poison the aire , and choake the growth of better things ? if i drinke in the raine , and bring forth nothing but thornes , how neere must i needs be unto cursing ? and this conviction should make men labour to have place in christ , because thereby they shall bee enabled to please god , and in some measure to bring that glory to him for which they were made . for this is a thing which god much delights in , when a creature doth glorifie him actively , by living unto him . he will not loose his glory by any creature , but fetch it out at the last , but when the creature operates out of it selfe to gods end , and carries gods intention through its owne worke , then is hee most honored and delighted . herein , saith christ , is my father glorified , that ye beare much fruit , ioh. . . and herein did christ glorifie his father in finishing the worke which he gave him to do . ioh. . what an encouragement should this bee for those who have hitherto liv'd in the lusts of the flesh , to come over to christ and his righteousnesse ; and for others to goe on with patience through all difficulties , because in so doing they worke to that end for which they were made , they live to god , and bring forth fruit unto him , who hath in much patience spared and in infinite love called them to himselfe ? how should we praise god that hath given us any strength in any way to doe him service ? that is pleas'd to account himselfe honoured when he is obeyed by us , who spoile all the works we do with our owne corruptions ? and how should we husband all the pretious moments of our life to the advantage of our master , whose very acceptation of such unworthy services should alone bee both encouragement and reward enough unto us ? the more profitably any man lives , the more comfortably he shall die . now to consider more particularly this disabilitie which comes along with sinne , we may note , that it is either totall , when a man is all flesh , as by nature we are ; or at best partiall , in proportion to the vigor of concupifence , and life of sinne in the best of us . to touch a little upon both of these . first , in a wicked man , who is totally in the state of sinne , there is a totall and absolute impossibility and impotency to doe any thing that is good . every figment and motion of the heart of man is onely and continually evill . gen. . . but though his heart be evill , may not his actions or his words be good ? no , for that is the fountaine whence all they issue , and impossible it is that sweete water should proceed from a bitter and corrupted fountaine , matth. . . iam. . . looke on the best actions of wicked men . if they pray to god , their prayer is an abomination , prov. . . if they sacrifice , god will not accept nor smell , nor regard any of their offerings he will esteeme them all abominable and uncleane , as a dogs head , or swines bloud , amos . . esai . . . seeme things never so specious in the sight of men that doe them , yet in his sight they may be uncleane , hag. . , . if they turne , and enquire and seeke early after god , all this is not fidelity but only flatterie , psal. . . . like the spicing and embalming of a carkasse , which can never put so much beauty or value into it , as to make it a welcome present unto a prince . but what then ? can a wicked man doe nothing but sinne ? when he gives almes , builds churches , reades the scripture , heares the word , worships god , are these all sinnes ? if so , then he ought to forbeare them , and leave them utterly undone . here are two points in this case , first , to consider how all the workes of naturall men may be esteem'd sinfull ; and secondly , this being granted that they are sinfull , how they ought to carry themselves in regard of doing or omitting of them . for the former of these , we are first to premise these notes . first , a worke done may bee sub duplici genere boni , it may be measured by two sorts of goodnesse ; first there is goodnesse ethicall or morall , in relation unto manners , and in order unto men ; and secondly , there is goodnesse theologicall or divine , in relation to religion , and in order unto god. a thing is morally good , when it is good in the sight of men , good unto humane purposes , good by way of example , or by way of edification to others , who judge as they see . but a thing is then done divinely when it is done with the spirit of holinesse and of truth ( for the father seeketh such to worship him ) when it is done in obedience to the word ; for wee are to note that a thing may bee done by a man rationally out of the sway and rule of right reason , and a certaine generousnesse and ingenuitie of spirit , which loves not to condemne it selfe in the thing which it allowes , and to walke crosse to the evidence of its owne rules , and yet that thing is all this while done but unto himselfe , and his owne reason is set up as an idoll in gods place , to which all the actions of his life doe homage : or a thing may be done obedientially , with an eye vnto gods will that requires it , not onely in a common conviction , but in a filiall and submissiue affection , as unto him ; when you fasted and mourned , saith the lord , did you at all fast unto me , even to me ? if you will returne o israell , returne unto me saith the lord , zach. . . ier. . . a notorious finner walkes contrary to the principles of his owne reason and nature ro. . . . cor. . . contrary to the prosperitie and securitie of his present life , levit. . . . cor. , . and contrary to the will and law of god. now when a man breakes of a sinfull course , with ayme onely at his owne reason , or prosperitie , though this bee to returne , yet it is to turne to our selv●…s , and not unto god. they assemble themselves for corne and wine , saith the proph●…t , and so seeme to returne , but though they returne , it is not to the most high : but like a deceitfull bow , though it seeme to direct the arrow to the marke , yet indeede it sends it out another way , hos . . and in this regard though the substance of a worke seeme very specious unto men , who iudge according to the sight of their eyes , and measure the a●…me and intention by the worke which they see , not the worke by the intention which they cannot see ; yet to god that seeth not as man seeth , it may be an abomination , luk. . . secondly , we are to note , that amongst christians divine workes may be done morally and meerely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , according to the course of the places and times which a man lives in . such were saint pauls services before his conversion , which therefore he esteemed but dung , and suffered the losse of them , for a man may do good things , and yet when he hath done lose them all , . ioh. vers . . nay they may be done profanely , as balaams blessing of israel , and the false brethrens preaching , out of envy and ill will. phil. . . . and morall things may be done spiritually and divinely ; such were the almes of the churches of macedonia to the saints , that which they did they did as unto god , which made them ready to consecrate not onely their substance , but themselves to the service of the saints . such was the contribution of the philippians towards the necessities of saint paul , it was done with an eye to god , in which respect the apostle cals it a sacrifice of a sweete savour , well pleasing unto god. the good was intended unto paul , but the service was directed unto god. thirdly , we are to note that some things are so essentially good in themselves , as that they cannot be done , but they must bee well and spiritually done ; such are those things which take in god into their very performance , and doe intrinsecally and in the substance of the worke respect him . such are to love , feare , beleeve , trust , depend upon god ; which things , though in regard of the unperfect manner of doing them they may have sinne mi●…gled with them , because not done with all that strength as the law requires , can yet never be totally 〈◊〉 , and so unacceptable unto god. other things may be good materially , and in common acception , because they are the things which god commands to be done ; but yet , because the doing of them doth not necessarily and 〈◊〉 take in an ayme and respect to god , but is onely 〈◊〉 unto him , and that so as that the same thing may be done with other respects , therefore the goodnesse is not in the things themselves barely considered , but in the right manner of performing them . such were iehu his zeale , the pharises praying , the hypocrites fasting , and the like . in one word , somethings are so inherently good , that though they may be done imperfectly , yet they cannot be do●…e profanely ; others so good with relation to god , that because they may be done without that relation , and such other conformities as are required in them , therefore they may cease at all to be good ; as to preach out of envie , to pray out of hypocrisie , to fast out of opinion of merit , &c. now as indifferent things may be made good by circumstances : as to eate or not to eate is indifferent , yet not to eate for feare of scandall is charitie , and to eate , for feare of superstition , is christian liberty . to observe things indifferent as indifferent , without any conscience of the thing it selfe , onely in t due submission to the commands of iust authoritie , is obedience ; to observe the same things without such authoritie , and that upon superstitious reasons , directed to binde the conscience , and leading to the thing as such a thing , is in regard of others great scandall , and in regard of a mans selfe bondage and idolatrie : thus i say as indifferent things may bee made good or bad by circumstances : so other things , the matter of which is commanded , may yet be made in the doing of them evill , when that due respect and conformitie which the law wherein it is commanded requireth is not observed . if a man build a wall , with p●…etence to keepe out the sea or an enemy , and yet leave a wide gap and entrance open to admit them , though hee who sees nothing but firme wall may admire the worke , yet he who viewes the whole will but deride it : so though a ma●… doe very much , though hee proceede so farre as to offer up the children of his body , and bestow mountaines of cattell upon god and his service ; yet omitting righteousnesse , and iustice , and humiliation before god , though to men it may seeme very specious , yet unto god it is both abominable and ridiculous . as a piece of silver or gold may be shaped into a vessell of dishonor , which shall be destin'd unto ●…ordid and uncleane uses : so may a worke be compounded of choyce ingredients , the materials of it may be the things which god himselfe requires , and yet serving to base purposes , and directed to our owne ends , it may stinke in the nostrils of god , and bee by him reiected as a vessell in which there is no pleasure . a cup of cold water to a prophet as a prophet shall bee rewarded , when a magnificent almes with a pharises trumpet shall be rejected : as a small thing which the righteous hath , so a small thing which the righteous giveth , is better then great riches of the ungodly . fourthly , wee are to note what things are requisite unto the doing of a thing so as that it may bee an act of obedience , and thereupon acceptable unto god. first , then it must have a new principle , the spirit of christ , and the law of the spirit of life , and faith purifying the conscience from dead workes . secondly , in regard of the manner , it must bee done with the affection of a childe , not out of bondage , but in love , . tim. . . in voluntary service and resignation of all the members unto righteousnesse . rom. . . in universall respect to all the commandements , psal. . . in obedience to god the law-giver , for he never obeyes the law even when he doth the workes therein contained , but when hee doth it with all submissiue and loyall affections towards him that commands it . iam. . , . this onely is to live unto god , and to bring forth fruite unto him . thirdly , it must be directed unto holy ends ; and those are principally foure , to which others are to be subordinate , but not repugnant . first , the glory of god , we must bring forth fruit , and finish our workes , and doe all that we have to doe with respect unto his glory , ioh. . . ioh . . . cor. . . secondly , the edification , service , comfort of the church , that nothing redound to their offence , but to their profit and salvation , . cor. . ●… , . col. . . . tim. . . . cor. . . thirdly , the credit , honour , and passage of the gospell , that it may be furthered , and not evill spoken of , . cor. . , . . cor. . . . phil. . . fourthly , a mans owne salvation , that he be not after all his paines a cast-away , but that he may save himselfe . . cor. . . . tim. . . . pet. . . fourthly , all the meanes unto that end must be regular and sutable , evill must not be done to bring good about , rom. . . and all the circumstances which accompany the action must be right too . for as in the body there is not onely requir'd beauty , but order and proportion ; let the face be of never so delicate and choice complection , yet if any part be mis-plac'd it will cause a notable deformitie and uncomelinesse to it : so in duties , an excellent worke may be so mis-plac'd , or mis-tim'd , or attended with such incongruous and unsutable circumstances , as that it may prove rather a snare of satan , then a fruit of the spirit . lastly , to make it completely acceptable , it must passe through the incense and intercession of christ , who as he doth by his merits take away the guilt of sinne from our persons ; so by his intercession he hideth the pollution and adherencie of sinne that is in our services , and so giveth us accesse , and maketh all our duties acceptable by him to god. ephes. . . . pet. . . he hath made us to be priests unto god , and our prayers , and good workes , as spirituall sacrifices come up before god. but it is not sufficient that there be a priest , and an offering , except there be an altar too upon which to offer it ( for it is the altar which sanctifieth the offering ) now christ is the altar which sanctifieth all our spirituall sacrifices , their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar , and they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar , esai . . . . . these things being thus premised , we conclude , first , a wicked man cannot doe those things at all which are so essentially and inherently good , as that the very op●… operatum or doing of them is from the spirit of christ , as to love god , to trust him , and depend upon him : for as there are some things in nature which cannot be counterfeited or resembled ; the shape of a man may bee pictur'd , but the life cannot , nor the reason , nor any thing that doth immediately pertaine to the essence of man : so there are some things in grace which cannot by hypocrisie be done neither in the thing it selfe , nor in the manner of doing it , because sincerity , spiritualnesse , and filiall respects belong to the very substance and matter of the duety . secondly , other workes , whose goodnesse doth not cleave necessarily to the doing of them but to the manner of doing them , wicked men may performe : but then they doe them onely ethically and in conspectu hominum , with relation to men and manners : not spiritually as unto god , nor in obedience or respect to him . for first the spirit of grace is christs spirit , rom. . . gal. . . and our flesh is quite contrarie unto it , gal. . . and none have this spirit , but they who have fellowship with the father and the sonne , and are united unto him , . ioh. . . none of which dignities belong to wicked men . secondly , every thing that is spirituall is vitall , for the spirit quickneth ; the spirit of holinesse never comes but with a resurrection , rom. . . ro. . , . . cor. . . and therefore he is called the spirit of life , rom. . . but now as the persons of wicked men , so their workes are all dead , heb. . and therfore not being done spiritually & obedientially , impossible it is that they should in any sense please god , rom. . . whos 's pure eyes can endure nothing which beareth not , in some , though most remote degree , proportion to his most holy nature , . pet. . . but it may be objected , doth god use to doe good to those that hate him , and that even for the things which himselfe hateth in them ? doth not that worke please him , which he is pleased to reward ? and we finde the workes of wicked men in the scripture rewarded . ahab humbled himselfe before god , and therefore god brought not the evill denounced upon him in his owne dayes . iehu executed the command of god upon the house of ahab , and god established the throne of israel upon him for foure generations . nebuchadnezzar caused his armie to serve a great service against tyrus , and the land of egypt was given him for wages , and for the labour wherewith hee served against it . to this i answere , that this god doth not to iustifie or allow wicked mens actions , when they are in shew conformable to his will ; but first to shew that his mercie is over all his workes , when he is pleased to recompence the actions which hee might iustly punish : secondly , to shew that god will never be upbraided , for being any way behinde with men . wicked men are apt to twit god with the unprofitablenesse of his service , and the unequalnesse of his wayes , to boast that their worke hath beene more then their wages ; and therefore utterly to stop their mouthes , when he shall proceede in iudgement with them , he gives them such rewards as are most sutable to their owne desires ( the hypocrites pray and give almes to bee seene of men , and that reward which they desired they have ) and such as are most sutable to their services : as they bring him uncleane services , so he rendereth unto them unsanctified rewards ; as the give him services full of hypocrisie which doe not please him , so he gives them benefits full of bitternesse which shall not profit them . thirdly , to preserve humane societie from violence and outrage , for when wicked courses are from heaven plagued , and moderate prospered , this keepes order and calmenesse upon the face of mankinde , which might otherwise bee likely to degenerate into brutishnesse . fourthly , to intice and incourage wicked men unto sincere obedience ; for thus may they recount with themselves : if god thus reward my uncleane , how aboundantly would he recompence my spirituall services ? if he let fall such crums unto dogges , how aboundantly would hee provide for me if i were his childe ? if the blessings of his left hand riches and glorie bee so excellent even to the goates , how pretious would the blessings of his right hand , length of dayes , and eternall happinesse be if i were one of his sheepe ? so then it is not ex pretio operis , but only ex largitate donantis ; the reward is not out of the value or price of the worke , but out of the bountie of god , who will not leave himselfe without a witnesse , but as a master for incouragement and allurements sake will reward the industrie of an ignorant scholler , though hee blot and deface all that he puts his hand unto ; so god to overcome men by his goodnesse and bounty , and to draw them to repentance , is pleased to reward the workes which he might iustly punish . but have not the wicked some measures and proportions of the spirit given them , by which they are enabled to do those workes they doe ? heb. . . . cor. . . and is not that a good worke which proceedeth from the supplies of the spirit of god ? to this wee answere , first , as it is the influence of the same sunne , which ripeneth both the grape , and the crabbe , and yet though the grape have sweetenesse from the sunne , the crabbe still retaines the sowrenesse which it hath from its selfe : so it is the same spirit which helpeth the faithfull in their holy , and the wicked in their morall workes , which yet still retaine the qualitie and sowrnesse of the stocke from whence they come . secondly , we deny them not to bee good in suo genere , that is , morally , and in the sight of men ; but yet they are not good in gods sight , so as to procure acceptance with him ; for which purpose wee must note , that god gives severall proportions of his spirit , and for severall purposes . to some the spirit to sanctifie and renew , rom. . . tit. . . to others the spirit to edifie and profit withall , . cor. . . to some charitie , and to others gifts , . cor. . . to some as instruments , that they may walke profitably before men , as cirus was annointed for iacobs sake , esai . . , . to others as sonnes and members , that they may walke acceptablie before him , . pet. . . but then comes the second case proposed , if a wicked man can doe nothing but evill , then it seemes hee ought to leave undone all his almes , prayers , fastings , and religions services , because we are to abstaine from every thing which is polluted with sinne ; and that which god will not see , man must not doe . to this i answere no , by no meanes . the poore man at the poole of bethesda , though utterly impotent and unable to crawle in when the angell came to stirre the waters , did not yet neglect what lay in his power to waite at the place , and to endeavour his owne cure ; naturall impotency can give no excuse to wilfull neglect . when simon magus was in the gall of bitternesse , yet saint peter directed him then to pray . here then these two rules must regulate this case . first , a wicked mans necessity of sinning must not nullifie the law of god , which requires the doing of those things , though not with such an uncleane heart as he doth them . the impotency of man must not either prejudice gods authoritie , or diminish his owne dutie . as , though where sinne abounds grace doth more abound , yet a man must not sinne that grace may abound ; so , though when a wicked man doth the things of the law , he finneth , yet he must not omit the duty , upon pretence to escape the sinne . secondly , when a thing is evill propter fieri , because it is done , the doing of that thing is unlawfull , and inti insecally sinfull , and therefore to be avoided ; but when a thing done is evill , not because it is done , but because something which should make the doing of it good and acceptable is omitted , and so it is evill not in the substance of thing , but by reason of the defects which cleave unto it , here this ought stiil to be done , but the other ought not to bee left undone . iehu was commanded to destroy the house of ahab , he did so , and thus farre he did well ; but his ends and gods divide the same action , god out of iustice , he out of policie , and therefore though he esteemed it zeale , yet god accompted it murther and shedding of bloud , and though as it was in substance the thing which god commanded , he did reward it , yet as the execution thereof was otherwise then he required , so he threatneth to revenge it : i will avenge the bloud of iezreel upon the house of iehu . what then , is iehu to commit murther ? god forbid : and yet is he to doe that , in doing whereof he did commit murther ? yes , for god requir'd it . so then he was to performe gods command , but he was not thereby to worke out his owne projects , god commanded him to execute his justice , but not his owne revenge . when the prophet ieremie foretold the captivity of the iewes , if hee had preached judgement with such an affection as iehu did execute it , with aimes at his owne credit in the truth of his message , with delight in the ruine and desolation of the church , with expectation and desire to see the lamentable accomplishment of his owne preaching ( as ionah did at ninive ) though hee had done that which god required , yet had he greatly finned in corrupting his message with his owne lust : but herein was the faithfulnesse of that holy man seene , that though he did proclayme the woefull day , yet he did not desire it , but said amen to the words of those false prophets , that preached peace and restitution againe . so then to conclude this case , when an action hath evill in its owne substance , it is to be omitted , but when the action is of it selfe the matter of a precept , and so hath evill onely externally cast upon it by the agent that doth it , here the action is not to be omitted , but the agent is to be reformed . but you will say , if i may not doe evill that good may come of it , then i may not doe good when evill will come of it , upon the same reason , because evill is altogether to be prevented and avoided . to this i answer , that the argument followes cleane contrary , i may not doe evill though good would come of it , i must doe good though evill should come of it . for when a command is absolute and peremptorie , we must not observe it with respect to consequences , nor foist in conditions or relations of our owne to over-rule the duety , lest wee make our selves lords of the law. now the commandement for doing good , notwithstanding any consequences which may attend it , is as absolute and peremptory , as the command for not doing evill , and therefore we must not observe or forbeare it with respect unto any consequences . for god will have us to measure our dutie by his command , which requires to abstaine from evill , and to doe good , not by the events that are incidentall and externall to the dutie done . so then that which is good materially of it selfe is to be done though evill follow , first , because god requires it , and his will must stand against all consequences . secondly , because the evill that comes along in the doing of it is not any way belonging or naturally appendant upon the dutie , but is foisted into it by our wicked nature , and the wickednesse of man must not either annihilate the commands of god , or voide and evacuate his owne dutie , or lastly justifie or priviledge his presumptions . thirdly , because so to doe is not to prevent evill , but to multiply it , not to escape sin , but to double it . we must observe gods way of breaking of sinne , and not our owne ; it was never knowne that one sinne was the way to prevent or to cure another . besides there is lesse sinfulnesse in a defect which attendeth a duety done , then in a totall omission of it ; for that comes in by way of consequence , the other is against the very substance and whole bodie of the command ; that proceedeth from naturall and unavoidable impotency , this from a wilfulnesse which might have beene prevented . now since the wicked haue such a totall disabilitie , as that what ever they doe is altogether sinfull , hath not a dramme of holynesse in it , the principles , the ends , the wayes all carnall ; heere then wee might observe the foulnesse of those reliques of pelagianisme , in doctrine of the papists , who flatter and complie with nature against the grace of christ , in their doctrines of merit of congruitie and preparations for grace , the acceptablenesse of heathen vertues in the sight of god , the infallible attendance of grace upon naturall endeauours , as if things totally evill , and deserving wrath , could prepare for grace . but i rather choose to speake to the conscience , it should serve therefore to amaze naturall men in the sight of this state of sin , and to throw them downe under gods mighty hand , when they shall consider that their best workes are totally evill , that doe what they will it is altogether abominable in gods sight . what a wofull thing is it for a man to be debtor to the whole law , one iot or title whereof shall not passe away , and to bee utterly unable to doe any thing which beareth proportion to the least title of that law , because the law is all over spirituall , and he all over carnall . it would be an insupportable burden to perish everlastingly for but one sinne : how infinitely more to be answerable for all those infinite trespasses , not one whereof can bee remitted without : all . this one point of the disabilitie of nature to please god in any thing , if it were duly considered , would compell men to goe unto christ , by whom they may have accesse , and for whom their services shall have acceptance before god , till which time they are all but dung ▪ and god will throw them in the faces of men againe : and the reason is , till a man takes christ by faith along with him , these sacrifices have no golden censer to perfume them , no altar to sanctifie them , nothing but a mans owne evill heart to consecrate them upon ; which makes them to be our owne , and not gods offerings . when the prodigall came unto himselfe , and considered , i have nothing , i can doe nothing , all that i eate is dirt and filth , i am an unprofitable creature in this state ; these thoughts made him resolue to goe unto his father . when saint paul considered that what ever before his conversion hee thought of himselfe , yet indeede all his zeale was but blasphemie and persecution , all his moralitie but dung and dogs meate , all his unblameablenesse & presumptions but losse unto him , then he began to set an infinite value upon the excellencie of the knowledge of christ , and to suffer the losse of all , that he might be found in him . sinne must be very sinnefull , that grace may be very welcome . secondly , this impotencie and disabilitie is partiall , even in the most regenerate ; so much flesh as they have in them , so much deadnesse and unserviceablenesse still ; and this may bee seene in two points . first , there is a great disabilitie in the best to worke and goe on with patience and comfort in gods service . how apt are we still to quench and grieve the spirit ? how doth every mans experience constraine him to crie out , in mee dwelleth no good thing , to will is present with mee , but i cannot performe the things which i would , lord i beleeve , helpe thou mine unbeleefe ? how doe we faint and waxe weary of well-doing ? how are wee led captive to the law of sinne which is in our members , so that wee cannot doe the things which we would ? for though the scripture call the saints perfect , and testifie of some that they served god with their whole heart , yet that is onely in opposition to corde duplici , a double heart , denoting such an integrity onely as doth not admit a purposed division of the heart betweene god and sinne . therefore wee meete still with exhortations to grow , and abound , and with promises of bringing forth more fruite , and mention of proceeding from faith to faith , and from glory to glory , and of supplies of the spirit , and growing to the measure of the stature of christ , and the like expressions , all which denote the admixture of impotencie in the best . and this impotencie is so great , that of themselves they can never doe any thing , but returne to their wonted coldnesse and dulnesse againe : for it is nor their having of grace in them barely which makes them strong , but their communion and fellowship with christs fulnesse , i am able to doe all things through christ that strengthens me . the branch can beare no fruite , nor preserve or ripen that which it hath , but by its unity with the roote ; light continues not in the house but by its dependance on the sunne , shut out that , all the light is presently gone . take water away from the fire and its nature will be presently stronger then the heate it borrowed , and suddenly reduce it to its wonted coldnesse : so wee can doe nothing but by the constant supplies of the spirit of christ ; he that begins must finish every good worke in vs , phil. . . he that is the author must be the finisher of our faith too , heb. . . without him we cannot will nor doe any good , phil. . . without him , when we have done both , we cannot continue , but shall faint in the way , his spirit must lead us , rom. . . esai . . . his arme must heale and strengthen us , hos. . . ezek. . . a●… we have received him , so we must walks in him , without him wee cannot walke , col. . . god is the god of all grace , to him it bolongeth not onely to call , but to perfect , not onely to perfect , but to strengthen , stablish , settle us , . pet. . . secondly , this impotencie is seene in this , that the good things they doe cannot fully please god by themselves , but stand in neede of further purification from christ , and pardon from god ; even when wee are children we must be spared , and borne withall , mal. . . deut. . . the use which we should make of this point is first to keepe us humble , in regard of this thorne in our flesh , which disables us to doe any good , and when wee have done our uttermost , yet still makes us unprofitable servants . lay together these considerations . first , remember the long time that thou wert utterly barren , and didst live nothing but a life of sinne , how much of the flowre of thine age hath bin dedicated unto satan , and thine owne lusts ; how thy childhood & youth hath beene all vanity ; and why thinke we did god require the first fruits in the law , but to shew that wee were all his , and therefore that he ought to have the first and best of our life devoted unto him , and submitted unto his yoke . secondly , consider even now when thou art at best that thou art not sufficient of thy selfe to thinke a good thought , that in thee , that is in thy flesh , in thee from thy selfe dwelleth no good thing , the originall of all the good thou dost is without thee , by the grace of god thou art what thou art , and all thy sufficiency is in his grace . thirdly , when this grace doth call , knocke , quicken , put thee onto any good , how averse and froward , how dull , indirigible , undocile is thy evill heart , like a filly lambe , never findes the way it selfe ; and when it is led , is every step ready to stoppe and to start aside . fourthly , when it prevailes to set thee indeede a worke , how exceedingly dost thou faile in the measure of thy duties ? how little growth in strength ? how litle improvement in spirituall knowledge or experience ? how much wearinesse and revolting of heart ? how evill and unprofitable hath thy life beene in comparison of those worthies whom thou shouldest have followed , and in proportion to those meanes of grace which thou hast had ? fifthly , in thy progresse , how often hast thou stumbled ? how many notorious and visible sinnes , even in great characters , have oftentimes stained if not thy profession by a publike scandall , yet thy soule in private by a consciousnesse unto them ? and how thinke wee did davids murther and adultery pull downe the pride of his heart when ever it offered to rise in any heavenly action ? secondly , in this point it will bee needefull to give direction in a case of dayly occurrence , what a man should doe when he findes his naturall impotencie dead him in spirituall workes ? when he findes stupiditie , benumbdnesse of spirit , and many defects , which hee cannot overrule nor subdue in gods service ; whether it were not better to for beare the very dutie , then to grieve the spirit with undue performances ? to this i answere . first , omit not the dutie though thou art never so ill affected , for that is to give place to the divell , and to yeeld to the flesh , and the divell is pleased either way ; when by his allurements he can perswade us to evill , and when by discomforts hee can discourage us from good . besides by doing spirituall things a man growes more spirituall , and gathers strength even in the action ; as water which comes hard at first flowes very plentifully after it hath beene a little drawne . they that beginne in teares may end in ioy : david began to pray with no comfort , much sore vexation and weakenesse of spirit under the sense of gods heavie displeasure , and yet hee ends with much faith , peace , and triumph . the lord hath heard my supplication , the lord will receive my prayer ; let all mine enemies be ashamed , &c. psal. . , , , , , . secondly , take saint pauls advice to stirre up the gift that is in thee , awaken & revive thine owne spirit , by communing and debating with thine owne heart , by consulting with god in his word , diligent acquaintance and right knowledge of his will , by fruitefull , and seasonable conference , borrowing light from thy brothers candle , rebuking or rectifying thy selfe by his example , this is that which the scripture cals whetting the law upon one another . deut. . . by renewing thy covenant , comming afresh to the fountaine of grace , which is in christ : as iron is quickned by the loadstone , and the earth moves swiftest when it is neerest to its place ; so the soule approaching neerer to christ , renewing repentance , recounting errors , reviving covenants , dedicating it selfe afresh to his service , must needes be much sharpned and encouraged anew . thirdly , when thou canst not doe a thing with life , yet doe it with obedience ; when not in comfort , yet with feare and trembling ; when not as thou wert wont , yet as thou art able . god loves to bee sought when hee hides . tell me , o thou whom my soule loveth , where thou lodgest at noone ? when ezekiah could not pray he chatter'd and peep'd , and when thou art not able to speake thy desires , the spirit can forme thy sighs into prayers ? lastly , when still thou art heavie and in darknesse , flie to thy faith , take iobs resolution , though he slay me with discomforts , yet i will trust in him ; angry though he may be , yet hee cannot be unfaithfull ; though hee may like ioseph conceale his affection for a time , yet impossible it is that he should shut up his compassions , and renounce the protection of such as in truth depend upon him . who is there amongst you that feareth the lord , that obeyeth the voyce of his servant , that walketh in darkenesse and hath no light ? let him trust in the name of the lord , and stay upon his god , esay , . . god will ever have us so much conscious of our owne defects , and sensible of our owne disabilities , as that wee may still runne to the sanctuary of our faith , and rest on him , not glory or rely upon our selves . and now if our impotencie drive us to the grace of christ , make us more v●…e in our owne eyes , and crie out with the apostle of our owne wretchednesse , there may be as much life and obedience all over , as when this or that particular duty was performed with more vigor ; for that which was wanting in our strength may be made up in our humilitie ; and this is a sure rule , god is more praysed and delighted in those graces unto which humilitie doth more essentially belong , as faith & spirituall sense of our owne disabilities , and the like , then in any others . and thus as a small heape of gold may be equall in value to a greater of silver ; so though in other regards we should be many times weake , yet if the sense of that make us more humble , and the lesse holdfast wee have of any thing in our selves , make us take the faster hold of the hope that is set before us , we may be equally acceptable in the sight of god , who doth not iudge of us according to our sense of our selues , but hath respect to the lowlinesse of his servants , and of their graces . the second thing i wil but name ( having largely insisted upon it from another text ) & that is , that the estate of sin is an estate of enmitie against god and his wayes : this is amongst other characters of wicked men by nature , that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , haters of god , rom. . . and enemies of the crosse of christ , by minding earthly things , phil. . . . and this by nature is universall ; the apostle useth three expressions for the same thing , when we were sinners , when we were without strength , and when we were enemies , rom. . , , . to note that impotencie and e●…itie is as wide as sinne ; and therefore else where he saith , that we were enemies by wicked workes , col . . and our saviour maketh it all one not to love him , and not to keepe his sayings . ioh. . . and to refuse subjection unto him , and to be his enemie , luk. . . the very mindes of men , and their wisedome , their purest faculties , their noblest operations , that wherein they retaine most of the image of god still , is yet sensuall , earthly , fleshly , divellish , enmity against him , iam. . . rom. . . in a word , wee are by nature enemies to the will of god by rejecting his word , ier. . , , , , , , . . chron. , . zech. . . matth. . . act. . . . enemies to the spirit of god , by withstanding his operations , act. . . gal. . . act. . . . enemies to the notions of god , by disliking and suppressing the thoughts and knowledge of him , rom. . , , . rom. . . enemies to the righteousnesse of god , by setting up our owne workes and merits , rom , . . . cor. . . enemies to the wayes of god , by fulfilling our owne lusts and wicked workes , col. . . iob. . , . enemies to the servants of god , in persecutions and cruell workings , &c. ioh. . . . tim. . . esai . . . zech. . . gal. . . heb. . . and how should the consideration of this fetch us in to the righteousnesse of christ , make us fall downe and adore that mercie which spared and pittied us when we were his enemies . consider but two things ; first , what an vngratefull thing ? secondly , what a foolish thing it is to be gods enemies , as every man is that continues in sinne without returning unto him ? first , how ungratefull ? he is our father , ( adam the sonne of god , luk. . . ) and therefore there is due unto him honor : he is our master , and therefore there is due unto him feare and service : he is our benefactor , he left not himselfe without a witnesse ; all we are , all we enioy , is from him : he is the fountaine of our life ; it is his mercy that we are not consumed , his compassions faile not : therefore there is due unto him love and reverence : he is our purchaser , he bought us out of bondage , when wee had sould away our selves ; therefore there is due unto him fealty and homage , nay , he humbled himselfe in christ to bee our brother , to be our husband ; he tooke our ragges , our sores , our diseases , and paines upon him , and therefore there is due unto him all fidelity and obedience . o what an aggravation will this be against the sinnes of men at the last day ! that they have beene committed against the mercie and patience , against the bountie and purchase , nay , against the very consanguinitie of god himselfe ! hee died for us when we were enemies , and we will continue enemies against him that died for us ! and yet the folly is as great as the impietie . consider what god is ? the iudge of all the world , all eye to see , all eare to heare , all hand to finde out and punish the sinnes and provocations that are done unto him ! a iealous god , and jealousie is most impatient of disaffection ! a consuming fire ! and who amongst us can dwell with devouring fire , who amongst us can dwell with everlasting burnings ? doe we provoke the lord to iealousie , are wee stronger then hee ? saint paul hath resolv'd his owne question before , as long as wee are enemies wee are without strength . and now for the clay to contend with the potter , for the postheard to smite the rocke , for impotencie to stand up against omnipotencie , what a madnesse is it ? let us learne wisedome from our saviours parable , consider whether wee with our tenne thousand are able to goe out against him that meeteth us with twentie thousand ? whether wee with our ten thousand flies and lusts are able to meete him with twentie thousand angels and iudgements ? and when we are indeed convinc'd , that in his presence no flesh living shall be justified ; that it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the living god ; that our hands will not be strong , nor our hearts endure in the day when hee will have to doe with us ; how can wee choose but send forth an embassage , especially since he is not a great way off ( as it is in the parable ) but standeth before the dore , and is nigh at hand , and will not carry ; an embassage of repentance , to give up our armour , to strip and judge our selves , to meete him in the way of his judgements , to make our selves vile before him , and be humbled under his mighty hand , and sue forth conditions of peace , to meete him as the gibeonites did iosua , and resolve rather to be his servants , then to stand out against him . this is certaine , god is comming against his enemies , his attendants angels , and his weapons fire : and if his patience and forbearance make him yet keepe a great way off , that hee may give us time to make our peace ; o let the long suffering of god draw us to repentance , least wee treasure up more wrath against our selves ! consider the great aggravation of that spirituall iezabels sinne , i gave her space to repent of her fornications , and she repented not . consider that the long suffering of god is salvation , and therefore let us make this use of it ; labour to bee found of him in peace , without spot and blamelesse . the last thing in this first point proposed was , how the spirit by the commandement doth thus convince men to be in the state of sinne . to this i answere briefly . first , by quickning and putting an edge upon the instrumentall cause , the sword of the spirit . for the word of it selfe is a dead letter , and profiteth nothing , it is the spirit that puts life and power into it . i am full of power by the spirit of the lord to declare unto iacob his transgressions , saith the prophet , mic. . . as the spirit is a spirit of life , so hath he given to the word to be a word of life , quicke and powerfull , phil. . . heb. . . secondly , by writing it in the heart , casting the heart into the mould of the word , and transforming the spirit of man into the image of the word , and making it as it were the epistle of christ , bending and framing the heart to stand in awe of gods word ; for writing his law , and putting his feare into the heart is the same thing with god. in which respect ( amongst others ) men are said to bee sealed by the spirit , because that spirituall holinesse which is in the word , is fashioned in the hearts of the saints , as the image of the seale is in the waxe . as the light of the sunne doth by reflection from the moone illighten that part of the earth , or from a glasse that part of a roome from which it selfe is absent : so though the church bee here absent from the lord , yet his spirit by the word doth illighten and governe it : it is not the moone alone , nor the glasse alone , nor yet the sunne without the moone or the glasse that illightneth those places vpon which it selfe doth not immediately shine , but that as the principall , by them as the instruments ; so the spirit doth not , and the word cannot alone by it selfe convince or convert , but the spirit by the word as its sword and instrument . so then when the spirit turnes a mans eyes inward to see the truth of the word written in his owne heart , makes him put his seale unto it , frameth the will to search , acknowledge and judge the worst of its selfe , to subscribe unto the righteousnesse of god in condemning sinne , and him for it , to take the office of the word , and passe that sentence upon it selfe which the word doth , then doth the word spiritually convince of sinne . which should teach us what to look for in the ministry of the word , namely that which will convince us , that which puts an edge upon the word , & opens the heart & makes it burne , namely the spirit of christ ▪ for by that only we can be brought unto the righteousnesse of christ , we are not to despise the ordinances in our esteeme , when we find them destitute of such humane contributions and attemperations which we haply expected , as naaman did the waters of iordan , for though there bee excellent use of humane learning ▪ when it is sanctified for opening the word , as a baser colour is a good ground for a better ; yet it is the word alone which the spirit worketh by ▪ the flesh , and fleshly accessions of themselves profit no more , nor adde no more reall vertue or lustre to the word , then the weedes in a field do unto the corne , or then the ground colour doth unto the beautie of that which is put upon it . we should therefore pray for the spirit to come along with his word ; it is not enough to be at bethesda , this house of mercie and grace , unlesse the angell stirre , and the spirit move upon these waters ; it is hee that must incline and put the heart into the word , or else it will remaine as impotent , as before . but of this point also i have spoken at large upon another scripture . having then thus shewed at large that the spirit by the commandment convinceth men to be in the state of sin both actuall and originall , imputed and inherent ; what kinde of state that is , a state of impotencie and enmity ; how it doth it , by quickning the word , and opening the heart : now we are very briefly to open the second point , that the spirit by the commandment convinceth a man to be under the guilt of sin , or in the state of death because of sinne . i died , for which we must note , first , that there is a two fold guilt , first reatus concupiscentia , which is the meritoriousnesse of punishment , or liablenesse unto punishment , which sinne brings with it : and reatus personae , which is the actuall obligation , and obnoxiousnesse of a person vnto punishment because of sinne . now in as much as nature is not able to discover without the spirit the whole malignity and obliquity that is in sinne , therefore it cannot sufficiently convince of the guilt of sinne , which is a resultancie therefrom , and is ever proportionable thereunto . in which respect the iudgements of god are said to be unsearchable , rom. ▪ . and the wicked know not whither they goe , . ioh. . . cannot have any full and proportionable notions of that wrath to come which their sinnes carry them unto . secondly , wee may note that there is a twofold conviction of this guilt of sinne ; a naturall conviction , such as was in cain , iudas , spira , and other despairing men ; which ariseth from two grounds . first , the present sense of gods wrath in the first fruits thereof upon their consciences which must perforce beare witnesse to gods ●…ustice therein ; and this is that which the apostle calls torment , . ioh. . . which though it may arise from naturall principles ( for wee know even heathens have had their laniatus and ictus as the historian speakes , their scourges and rendings of conscience ) yet is it much set forward by the word , because therein is made more apparant to the soule the glory and the power of god ; therefore the two prophets are said to torment the inhabitants of the earth , and the law is said to make men guilty , and to kill , to hew , smite , and destroy those whom it deales with all . secondly , such a faith as the divels have , begotten by the word , and assented unto by the secret suggestions of the heart , witnessing to it selfe that it hath deserved more then yet it feeles ; and this begets a fearefull expectation of being devoured , surpriseth the heart with horrid tremblings and presumptions of the vengeance to come , which the apostle calls the spirit of bondage and feare . but all this being an assent perforce extorted ( for wicked men confesse their sinnes as the divels confessed christ , more out of torment , then out of love to god , or humiliation under his mighty hand ) amounts to no more then a naturall conviction . secondly ▪ there is a spirituall and evangelicall conviction of the guilt of sinne and the damnation due thereunto , arising from the law written in the heart , and tempered with the apprehension of mercie in the new covenant , which begets such a paine under the guilt of sin , as a plaister doth to the impostumation which withall it cures ; such a conviction as is a manuduction unto righteousnesse : and that is , when the conscience doth not onely perforce feele it selfe dead , but hath wrought in it by the spirit the same affection towards it selfe for sinne , which the word hath , is willing to charge it selfe , and acquit god ; to endite , accuse , arraigne , testifie , condemne it selfe , meete the lord in the way of his iudgements , and cast downe it selfe under his mighty hand . that man who can in secret and truth of heart , willingly , and uncompulsorily thus stand on gods side against sinne , and against himselfe for it , giving god the glo●ie of his righteousnesse if he should condemne him , and of his u●searchable and rich mercie , that hee doth offer to forgive him , i dare pronounce that man to haue the spirit of christ. for no man by nature can willingly and uprightly owne damnation , and charge himselfe with it as his due portion and most just inheritance . this can never arise but from a deepe sense and hate of sinne , from a most ardent zeale for the glory and righteousnesse of god. now then since the conviction of sinne , and of the death and guilt thereof are not to drive men to despaire or blasphemie , but that they may beleeve and lay hold on the righteousnesse of christ , which they are then most likely to doe , when sinne is made exceeding sinfull , and by consequence death exceeding deadly ; give mee leave to set forth in two words what this guilt of sinne is , that the necessitie of righteousnesse from christ may appeare the greater , and his mercie therein bee the more glorified . guilt is the demerit of sinne , binding and subjecting the person in whom it is to undergoe all the punishments legally due the reunto . this demerit is founded not only in the constitution , will , and power of god over his owne creatures , of whom hee may justly require whatsoever obedience hee giveth power to performe , but in the nature of his owne holinesse and iustice , which in sinne is violated and turned from : and this guilt is after a sort infinite , because it springeth out of the aversion from an infinite good , the violation of an infinite holynesse and iustice , and the conversion to the creatures infinitely , if men could live ever to commit adultery with them . and as the consequence and reward of obedience was the favour of god , conferring life and blessednesse to the creature , so the wages of sinne , which this guilt assureth a sinner of , is the wrath of god , which the scripture calleth death and the curse . this guilt being an obligation unto punishment , leadeth us to consider what the nature of that curse and death is unto which it bindeth us over . punishment bearing necessarie relation to a command , the trangression whereof is therein recompenced , taketh in these considerations . first , on the part of the commander , a will to which the actions of the subject must conforme , reveal'd and signified under the nature of a law. secondly , a justice which will , and thirdly , a power which can punish the transgressors of that law. secondly , on the part of the subject commanded there is requir'd , first , reason and free-will originally , without which there can be no sinne ; for though man by his brutishnesse and impotency which he doth cōtract cannot make void the commands of god , but that they now binde men who have put out their light , and lost their libertie ; yet originally god made no law to binde under paine of sinne , but that unto the obedience whereof hee gave reason and free-will secondly , a debt and obligation , either by voluntarie subjection , as man to man ; or naturall , as the creature to god , or both , sealed and acknowledged in the covenants betweene god and man , whereby man is bound to fulfill that law which it was originally enabled to observe . thirdly , a forfeiture , guilt , and demerit upon the violation of that law. thirdly and lastly , the evill it selfe inflicted , wherein we consider , first , the nature and qualitie of it , which is to have a destructive power , to oppresse and dis quiet the offender , and to violate the integritie of his well being . for as sinne is a violation offered by man to the law , so punishment is a violation retorted from the law to man. secondly , the proportion of it to the offence , the greatnesse whereof is manifested in the majestie of god offended , and those severall relations of goodnesse , patience , creation , redemption which he hath to man : in the quality of the creature offending , being the chiefe , and lord of all the rest below him : in the easinesse of the primitive obedience , in the unprofitablenesse of the wayes of sinne , and a world of the like aggravations . thirdly , the end of it , which is not the destruction of the creature , whom as a creature god loveth , but the satisfaction of justice , the declaration of divine displeasure against sinne , and the manifestation of the glory of his power and terrour . so then punishment is an evill or pressure of the creature , proceeding from a law giver just and powerfull , inflicted on a reasonable creature for and proportionable unto the breach of such a law , unto the performance and obedience whereof the creature was originally enabled , wherein is intended the glory of gods just displeasure and great power against sinne , which hee naturally hateth . now these punishments are temporall , spirituall , and eternall . temporall , and those first without a man , the vanitie of the creatures , which were at first made full of goodnesse and beautie , but doe now mourne and grone under the bondage of our sinnes . the wrath of god revealing it selfe from heaven , and the curse of god over-growing the earth . secondly , within him , all the harbingers and fore-runners of death , sicknesse , paine , povertie , reproach , feare , and after all death it selfe . for though these things may be where there is no guilt imputed , and so properly no punishment inflicted ( neither the blinde man nor his parents had sinned , that he was borne blinde ) as in the same ship there may bee a malefactor and a merchant , and to the one the voyage is a trafficke , to the other a banishment ; yet to the wicked where they are not sanctified , they are truely punishments , and fruites of gods vindicative justice , because they have their sting still in them . for the sting of death is sinne . secondly , spirituall , and those threefold . first , purishment of losse ; separation from the favour and fellowship with god , expulsion from paradise the seat of gods presence and love , aliens , forreiners , farre from god. secondly , of sense , the immediate strokes of gods wrath on the soule , wounds of conscience , scourges of heart , taste of vengeance , implanting in the soule tremblings , feares , amazements , distracted thoughts , on a cleare view of the demerit of sinne , evidences of immortality , and presumptions of irreconciliation with god. this made cain a runnagate , and iudas a murtherer of himselfe , yea some touches of it made david cry out that his bones were broken , and marrow dryed up , and his flesh scortched like a potsheard ; it is able to shake the strongest cedars , and make the mountaines tremble like a leafe . the sonne of god himselfe did sweate , and shrinke , and pray against it , and with strong cries decline it , though the suffering of so much of it , as could consist with the holinesse of his person , were the worke of his office and voluntary mercy . thirdly , of sinne , when god in anger doth forsake the soule , and give it over to the frenzie and fury of lust , to the rage and revenge of satan , letting men alone to joyne themselves unto idoles , and to beleeve lies . now as the operation of the sunne is strongest there where it is not at all seene , in the bowels of the earth , or as lightning doth often blast and consume the inward parts , when there is no sensible operation without : so the iudgements of god doe often lie heaviest there , where they are least perceiv'd . hardnesse of heart , a spirit of slumber , blindnesse of minde , a reprobate sense , tradition unto satan , giving over unto vile affections , recompencing the errors of men with following sinnes , are most fearefull and desperate judgements . but doe we then make god the author of sinne ? god for bid . in sinne we may consider the execution and committing of it as it is sinne , and this is onely from man , for every man is drawne away and enticed by his owne lust : and the ordination of it as it is a punishment ; and this may be from god , whose hand in the just punishment of sinne by sinne in obstinate , contemptuous , impenitent sinners may thus farre be observed . first , deserendo , by forsaking them , that is , taking away his abused gifts , subtracting his despised graces ; calling in and making to retire his quenched and grieved spirit , removing his candlesticke , and silencing his prophets , and giving a bill of divorce that either they may not see , nor heare at all , or hearing they may not understand , and seeing they may not perceive , because they did not see nor heare when they might . secondly , permittendo , when he hath taken away his own grace which was abused unto wantonnesse , he suffers wicked men to walke in their owne wayes , and because they like not to retaine him in their knowledge , nor to live by his prescript , therefore he leaves them to themselves , and their owne will. thirdly , media disponendo , ordering objects , and proposing meanes , not onely to try but to punish the wickednesse of men , and to bring about whatever other fixed purposes of his hee hath resolved for the declaration of his wonderfull wisedome to execute , and as it were to fetch out of the sinnes of men ; as the conspiracie of pilat , herod , and the iewes , which their former wickednesse had justly deserved to have them given over unto , was by god order'd to accomplish his determined and unchangeable counsell touching the death of christ. excellent is the speech of holy austin to this purpose , the lord enclineth the wils of men whither soever pleaseth himselfe , whether unto good out of his mercie , or unto evill out of their merit , sometimes by his manifest , sometimes secret , but alwayes by his righteous judgement , and this not by his patience onely , but by his power . fourthly , perversas voluntates , non invitas flectendo , sed spontaneas & suo impetu faciles ulterius satanae praecipitandas tradendo . by giving over perverse , wilfull , rebellious sinners to the rage and will of satan to hurry and enrage them at his pleasure unto further sinfulnesse . when iudas had listued to the temptation of satan to betray christ , had set himselfe to watch the most private opportunitie , had been warned of it by christ , and that upon a question of the most bold and impudent hypocrisie that was ever made , master , is it i ? ( though it is not an improbable conjecture that iudas at that very time upon the curse that was pronounced might secretly and for that time seriously resolve to give over his plot , and upon that resolution to aske the question ) then at last , christ by a sop did give satan as it were a further seisin of him , and the purpose of christ was that that which he was to doe , hee might doe quickely . he was now wholly given up to the will of satan , whose temptation haply before , though very welcome in regard of the purchase and project of gaine which was in it , had not fully silenc'd nor broken through all those reluctancies of conscience , which were very likely to arise upon the first presentment of so hideous a suggestion ; but now i say whether out of a sinister construction of our saviours words , that thou doest doe quickly , as if they had been , not as indeed they were , a giving him over to the greedinesse of his owne lust , and to the rage of satan , but rather an allowance of his intention , as knowing that hee was able to deliver himselfe out of their hands unto whom he should bee betraide , and so his treason should onely make way to christs miracle and not to his crosse ; or whether it were out of a secret presumption , that , notwithstanding christ had made him know how his conspiracie was not hid from him , yet since he was of all the company singled out whom christ would carve unto ; therefore his conspiracie was not so vile , but that christ would red●…re in gratiam , countenance and respect him after all that , and that as by the plot hee had not so lost him , but that hee had gain'd him againe , so also hee might doe after the execution too . now i say after that soppe , and those words , without further respect to the strugglings and staggerings of his conscience , hee goes resolvedly about that damned businesse , for he was now delivered unto the will of sathan . the like libertie and commission was that which god gaue to the evill spirit against ahab and his prophets , that hee should goe forth with lying perswasions , and should bee beleeved , and prevaile according to that of the apostle , that god giveth over those that beleeve not the truth , but have pleasure in unrighteousnesse , to strong delusions that they may beleeve a lye , and that the god of this world doth blinde the eyes of those which beleeve not . lastly , the punishment of sinne is eternall , that wrath which in the day of the revelation of gods righteous iudgement shall bee powred forth upon ungodly men . the saints are redeemed already in this life , and are said to have eternall life ; but yet that great day is by an excellency called the day of redemption , because then that life which is here hid , shall be then fully discovered . so on the other side , though the wrath of god be revealed from heaven already against all unrighteonsnesse , and abideth vpon those that beleeve not , yet after an especiall manner is the last day called a day of wrath , because then the heapes , treasures , stormes and tempests , blackenesse and darkenesse of gods displeasure shall in full force seize upon ungodly men . and this wrath of god is of all other most unsupportable . first , in regard of the author , it comes from god ; now we know a little stone if it fall from a high place , or a smal dart shot out of a strong bow wil do more hurt , then a farre greater that is but gently laid on . how wefull then must the case of those be who shall have mountaines and milstones throwne with gods owne arme from heaven upon them : for though god in this life suffer himselfe to bee wrestled with , and even pressed downe , yet at last he shall come to shew forth the glory of his power in the just condemnation of wicked men . secondly , in its owne nature , because it is most heavie , and invincible . all conquest over an evill must proceede either from power , which is able to expell it , or from faith and hope that a man shall be delivered from it by those that have more power then himselfe ; what ever evill it is which doth either keepe downe nature that it connot rise , or hedge it in that it cannot escape , is very intollerable . now gods wrath hath both these in it . first , it is so great that it exceedes all the power of the creature to overcome it , heavier then mountaines , hotter then fire , no chaffe nor stubble shall stand before it : and it shall be all within a man , folded up in his very substance , like the worme in the wood on which it feedes : and secondly as it is heavie and so excludes the strength of nature to overcome it , so is it infinite too , and thus it excludes the hope of nature to escape it . the ground of which infinitenesse in punishment is the infinite disproportion betweene the iustice of god which will punish , and the nature of man which must suffer . gods iustice being infinite , the violation thereof in sinne must needes contract an infinite demerit , and debt ( because in sinning we robbe god of his glory , which we must repay him againe . ) now the satisfaction of an infinite debt must needes be infinite , either in degrees ( which is impossible , for , first nothing can bee infinite in being , though it may in duration , but onely god. and , secondly if it could , yet a finite vessell were not able to hold an infinite wrath ) or else in some other infinitenesse , which is either infinitenesse of worth in the person satisfying , or for defect of that infinitenesse of time , to suffer that whith cannot bee suffered in an infinite measure : and this is the reason why christ did not suffer infinitely in time , because there was in him a more excellent i●…finitenesse of person , which raised a finite suffering into the value of an infinite satisfaction ( though * scotus and from him some learned men have rendered another reason hereof , because hee suffered onely for those who were to breake off their sinnes by repentance . now then to conclude all ; in as much as sinne is by the law made exceeding sinfull , and death exceeding deadly , not to legall but evangelicall purposes ; not to drive men to blaspheme or despaire , but to beleeve ; not to frighten them from god , but to drive them unto him in his sonne ; ( for the law comes not but in the hand of a mediator ▪ ) and in as much as this is the accepted time , and the day of salvation , that now he commandeth all men every where to repent , because he hath appointed a day , in the which he will iudge the world in righteousnesse , whom hee doth now invite , and beseech in mercy : we should therefore be wise for our selves , and being thus pursued and cast in the court of law , flie to that heavenly chancery , that office of mercie and mi●…gation which is set up in the gospell , and that while it is yet called to day , before the percullis bee shut downe , before the blacke flagge be hung out , before the talent of lead seale up the measure of our wickednesse , and the irreversible decree of wrath be gone forth ; for we must know that god will not alwayes bee despised , nor suffer his gospell to waite ever upon obdurate ●…ners , or his sonne to stand ever at our dores , as if he stood in need of our admittance . but when there is no remedy , but that we judge our selves unworthy of eternall life , and stand in contempt and rebellion against his court of mercie , he will dismisse us to the law againe . o consider , what wilt thou doe if thou shouldest bee dragg'd naked to the tribunall of christ , and not bee able with all thy cries to obtaine so much mercie from any mountaine , as to live for ever under the weight and pressure of it ! when thou shalt peepe out of thy grave , and see heaven and earth on fire about thine eares , and christ comming in the flames of that fire to revenge on thee the quarrell of his covenant ! whither then wilt thou fly from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne ? let us therefore learne to iudge our selves that wee may not be condemned of the lord , to fly to his sanctuary , before wee be haled to his tribunall ; hee requires no great thing of us , but onely to relinquish our selues , and in humilitie and sincerity to accept of him and receive that redemption by beleeving in him , which hee hath wrought by suffering for us ; this if in truth and spirit we doe , all the rest will undoubtedly follow , namely the life of our faith here , in an universall obedience , and the end of our faith hereafter , even the falvation of our soules . the raigne of sinne . rom . . . let not sinne therefore raigne in your mortall bodi●…s , that you should obay it in the lusts thereof . after the doctrine of the state and guilt of sinne , it will be needefull for the further conviction thereof ( that sinne may appeare exceeding sinfull ) to shew in the next place the power and the raigne of sinne ; from which the apostle in this place dehorteth us . having in the former chapter set forth the doctrine of iustification , with those many comfortable fruites and effects that flow from it , he here passeth over to another head of christian doctrine , namely sanctification , and conformitie to the holinesse of christ , the ground wherof he maketh to be our fellowship with him in his death and resurrection : for christ carried our sinnes upon the tree with him , and therefore we ought with him to die daily unto sin , and to live unto god. this is the whole argument of the precedent parts of the chapter , and frequently elsewhere used by the apostle , and others , . cor. . , . gal. . . . . . . ephes. . . phil. . . col. . . . . . . . heb. . . pet. . . . now the words of the text are as i conceive a prolepsis , or answer to a tacite objection which might be made . a weake christian might thus alledge , if our fellowship in the death of christ doe bring along with it a death of sinne in us , then surely i have little to doe with his death ; for alas sinne is still alive in me , and daily bringeth forth the workes of life . to this the apostle answeres , though sinne dwell in you , yet let it not raigne in you , nor have its wonted hold and power over you . a impossible it is while you carry about these tabernacles of flesh , these mortall bodies , that sinne should not lodge within you , yet your care must be to give the kingdome unto christ , to let him have the honour in you which his father hath given him in the church , to rule in the midst of his enemies , those fleshly lusts which fight against him . by b mortall bodie , we here understand the whole man in this present estate , wherein he is obnoxious to death , which is an usuall figure to take the part for the whole , especially since the body is a weapon and instrument to reduce into act , and to execute the will of sinne . before i speake of the power of sinne , here are two points offer themselves from the connexion of the words to those preceding , which i will but only name . first , sinne will abide for the time of this mortall life in the most regenerate , who can say , i have made my heart cleane , i am free from my sinne ? david had his secret sinnes , which made him pray ; and paul his thorne in his flesh , which made him cry out against it . to the reasons of this point before produc'd wee may adde , that god suffers our sinnes to dwell in us , first to magnifie the glory of his mercy , that notwithstanding he be provoked every day , yet he doth still spare us . it is said in one place , that when god saw that every imagination of the thoughts of mans heart was continually evill , he said , i will destroy man whom i have created from off the face of the earth ; yet afterwards god said , i will not againe curse the ground any more for mans sake , for the imagination of mans heart is evill from his youth . the places seeme at first view to be contradictory to one another . but we are thus to reconcile them , after there had been a propitiatory offering made by noah unto god upon an altar , which was the type of christ , it is said that god smelt a sweete savour , and resolved , i will no more curse the earth , not because , but although the imagination of mans heart be evill from his youth ; that is , though men are so wicked that if i would iure meo uti , take advantage to powre out againe my displeasure upon them , i might doe it every day , yet i will spare them notwithstanding their lusts continue in them . for we are not to understand the place as if it tended to the extenuation of originall sinne ( as a some doe ) i will take pitty upon them , because of their naturall infirmities ; but onely as tending to the magnifying of gods mercy and patience , i will take pitty upon them , b though i might destroy them . for so the originall word is elsewhere taken . thou shalt drive out the cananites , though they have iron chariots , &c. secondly , to magnifie the glory of his powerfull patience , that being daily provoked yet he hath power to be patient still . in ordinary esteeme when an enemie is daily irritated , and yet comes not to revenge his quarrell , we accompt it impotency and unprovision , but in god his patience is his power . when the people of israel murmured upon the report of giants in the land , and would have made a captaine to returne into egypt , and have stoned ioshua and caleb , so that gods wrath was ready to breake out upon them , and to disinherite them , this was the argument that moses used to mediate for them , let the power of my lord be great , according as thou hast spoken , the lord is long-suffering and of great mercy . thou hast shewed the power of thy mercy from egypt untill now , even so pardon them still . if we could conceive god to have his owne justice joyned with the impotency and impatiency of man , wee could not conceive how the world should all this while have subsisted in the midst of such mighty provocations . this is the only reason why he doth not execute the fiercenesse of his wrath , and consume men , because he is god and not man , not subject to the same passions , changes , impotencies as men are . if a house be very weake and ruinous , & clogg'd with a sore waight of heavy materials which presse it downe too , there must be strength in the props that doe hold it up ; even so that patience of god which upholds these ruinous tabernacles of ours , that are pressed downe with such a waight of sinne , a waight that lies heavie even upon gods mercy it selfe , must needs have much strength and power in it . the second point from the connexion is , that our death with christ unto sinne is a strong argument against the raigne and power of sinne in us . else wee make the death of christ in vaine , for in his death hee came with water and bloud , not onely with bloud to justifie our persons , but with water to wash away our sinnes . the reasons hereof are , first , deadnesse argues disability to any such workes as did pertaine to that life unto which a man is dead . such then as is the measure of our death to sinne , such is our disability to fulfill the lusts of it . now though sinne be not quite expir'd , yet it is with christ nail'd upon a crosse , they that are christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts : so that in a regenerate man it is no more able to doe all its owne will , then a crucified man is to walke up and downe , and to do those businesses which he was wont to delight in . he that is borne of god sinneth not neither can sinne , because he is borne of god , and his seede abideth in him . secondly , deadnesse argues disaffection . a condemned man cares not for the things of this world , because he is in law dead , and so reserv'd to an execution , and utterly devested of any right in the things hee was wont to delight in : the sight or remembrance of them doth but afflict him the more . a divorc'd man cares not for the things of his wife , because in law she is dead vnto him , and hee unto her . so should it bee with us and sin , because we are dead with christ , therefore we should shew it no affection . thirdly , deadnesse argues liberty , unsubjection , justification , he that is dead is freed from sinne , as the woman is from the husband after death . and therefore being freed thus from sinne we should not bring our selves into bondage againe , but stand fast in the liberty wherewith christ hath set us free , and sinne should appeare in our eyes , as it is in it selfe a dead thing , full of noisomenesse , horrour , and hideous qualities . we therefore should labour to shew forth the power of the death of christ in our dying to sinne ; for this is certaine we have no benefit by his sufferings , except we have fellowship in them , & we have no more fellowship in them , then we can give proofe of by our dying dayly to sinne ; for his blood clenseth from all sinne . let us not by raigning sinne crucifie christ againe , for he dieth no more : in that hee died , hee died once unto sinne ; death hath no more power ov●…r him , to shew that sinne must have no more power over us , but that being once dead to sinne , we should thenceforth live unto him that died for us . there is a speech in tertullian , which though proceeding from novatianisme in him , doth yet in a moderated and qualified sense carry the strength of the apostles argument in it , si possit fornicatio & moechia denno admitti , poterit & christus denno mori , if fornication and adultery may bee againe committed by a man dead to sinne in that raging and complete manner as before , if raigning sinne after it hath beene ejected out of the throne , and nail'd to a crosse , can returne to its totall and absolute soveraigntie as before , christ may dye againe , for the sinnes of a iustified and regenerate man are crucified upon his crosse , and in his body . now i proceede to the maine thing in the text , namely the regall power of sinne . it is an observation of chrysostome and theodoret on the text , which though by some rejected as too nice , i shall yet make bold to commend for very pertinent and rationall . the apostle did not say ( say they ) let not sinne tyrannize , for that is sius owne worke and not ours , as the apostle sayeth , now then is it no more i that doe it , but sinne that dwelleth in me , all the service which is done to a tyrant is out of violence , and not out of obedience : but he sayes , let it not raigne in you , for to the raigne of a king the obedience of the subjects doth as it were actively concurre ( whereas the subjects are rather patients then agents in a tyranny . ) so then in a raigning king there is a more soveraigne power then in a tyrant ; for a tyrant hath only a coactive power over the persons , but a king hath a sweete power over the wills and affections of his subiects , they freely and heartily love his person , and rejoyce in his service ; which rule though it be not perpetuall in the letter and in civill governements ; ( for the unwillingnesse of a people to serve a prince may not onely arise from his tyrannie , but even when he is just and moderate , from their owne rebellion ) yet it is most generall and certaine in the state of sinne which is never a king over rebellious subjects , who of themselves reject its yoke and governement . for the better discovery then of the power of sinne we must note first that there are but three wayes after which sinne may be in a man. first , as an usurping tyrant , and seditious commotioner , either by surprizall invading , or by violence holding under , or by projects circumventing a man against his will , taking advantage of some present distemper of minde , or difficultie of estate ; as in david of idlenesse , in peter of teare and danger , or the like . and thus sinne doth often incroach upon the saints of god , and play rhe tyrant , use them like captives that are sold under the power of sinne . it was thus a tyrant in saint paul ; we reade of him that hee was sold under sinne , and wee read of ahab , that hee was sold to sinne ; but with great difference , the one sold himselfe , and so became willingly the servant of sinne , the other was sold by alam , from which bondage hee could not utterly extricate himselfe , though hee were in bondage to sinne , as the creatures are to vanity , not willingly , but by reason of his act that had subjected him long before . secondly , as a st●…ve , a gibeonite ▪ or tributarie cananite , as a spoyled , mortified , crucified , dying , decaying sinne , like the house of saul growing weaker and weaker ; and thus sinne is constantly in all the faithfull ; while they are i●… the field the chaste is about them . thirdly , as a raging and commanding king , having a throne the heart , servants the members , a counsell the world , flesh and divell , a complete armorie of lusts and temptations , fortifications of ignorance , malice , rebellion , fleshly reasonings , lawes and edicts , lastly a strict judicature , a wise and powerfull rule over men , which the scriptures call the gates of hell. and of the power of this king we are to speake . in a king there is a two fold power . a power to command , and a power to make his commands be obeyed . sinne properly hath no power to command , because the kingdome of it is no way subordinated to gods kingdome over us , but stands up against it . and even in just and annointed kings there is no power to command any thing contrary to that kingdome of christ to which they are equally with other subject . but though sinne have not a just power to command the soule , yet it hath that upon which that power , where it is , is grounded , namely a kinde of title and right over the soule . sinne is a spirituall death , and man by his first fall did incurre a subjection to every thing which may be called death , so that then a man did passe into the possession of sinne ; whence that phrase spoken of before , thou hast sold thy selfe to worke evill . now quod venditur transit in potestatem ementis , when a thing is sold it passeth into the possession of that to which it is sold. this is the covenant or bargaine betweene a sinner and hell , man purchaseth the pleasures and wages of sinne , and sinne takes the possession of man ; possession of his nature in originall sinne , and possession of his life in actuall sinne . the tryall of this title of sinne , that wee may discerne whether we are under it or no , must be as other titles are ; we must first inquire who they are , unto whose right and possession a man may belong , and then examine the evidences which either can make for himselfe . to sinne wee know doth appertaine the primitive right of every naturall and lapsed man ( for we are by nature the children of wrath . ) a purchase then there must come betweene , before a man can passe over into anothers right ; this purchase was made by christ , who bought us with his blood : and the treatie in this purchase was not between christ and sinne , but betweene him and his father ; thine they were and thou gavest them me , for the fall of man could not nullifie gods dominion nor right unto him ▪ for when man ceased to be gods servant , he then began to be his prisoner ; and though sinne and sathan we●… in regard of man lords , yet they were in regard of god , but iaylors , to keepe or part from his prisoners at his pleasure . besides though christ got man by purchase yet sinne and sathan lost him by forfeiture ; for th●… prince of this world seizing upon christ in whom he had ●…o right , ( for he found nothing of his owne in him ) did by that meanes forteite his former right which hee had in men of the same nature . wee see then , all the claime that can be made is either by christ , or sinne ; by that strong man , or him that is stronger ; a man must have evidences for christ , or else hee belongs unto the power of sinne. the evidences of christ are his name , his seale , and his witnesses . his name , a new name , a name better then of sonnes and daughters , even christ formed in the heart , and his law ingraven in the inner man. as it is fabled of ignatius , that there was found the name of iesus written in his heart ; so must every one of gods house bee named by him with this new name , of him are all the families in heaven and in earth named . the seale of christ is his spirit , witnessing unto and securing our spirits that we belong unto him : for hee that hath not the spirit of christ the same is none of his , and by this we know that he dwelleth in us , and we in him , because hee hath given us of his spirit . the witnesses of christ are three , the spirit , the water , and blood. the testimonie of adoption , sealing the fatherly care of god to our soules , saying to our soules that he is our salvation and inheritance . the testimonie of iustification , our faith in the blood and price of christ , and the testimonie of sanctification in our being cleansed from dead workes , for he came to destroy the workes of the devill , hee came with refiners fire and with fullers sope , and with healing under his wings , that is ( as i conceive ) under the preaching of his gospell , which , as the beames of the sunne , make manifest the savor of him in every place , and by which he commeth and goeth abroad to those that are a far off , and to those that are neere . it was the office of christ as well to purifie as to redeeme , as well to sanctifie as to iustifie us ; so that if a man say hee belongs to christ , and yet bringeth not forth fruite unto god , but lives still married to his former lusts and is not cleansed from his filthinesse , hee makes god a lyer , because hee beleeveth not the record which hee gives of his sonne ; ( for hee will not have either a barren or an adulterous spouse ) yea he putteth christ to shame , as if he had undertaken more then he were able to performe : besides , christ being a light , a starre , a sunne , never comes to the heart without selfe-manifestation , such evidence as cannot be gainesaid ; unto him belongs this royall prerogative to be himselfe the witnesse to his owne grace . and when the papists demaund of us how wee can bee sure that this testimnoy of christs grace and spirit is not a false witnesse and delusion of sathan ; wee demaund of them againe , if the flesh can have this advantage to make such objections against the unvalueable comforts of christs grace , and the heart have nothing to reply ; if christ witnesse , and no man can understand it ; if the spirit of christ be a comforter , and the divell can comfort every jot as well , and counterfeit his comforts to the quicke , and so cozen and delude a man ; what is any man the better for any such assertions of scripture , where the spirit is called the spirit of comfort , the strengthner of the inner man , and the heart said to be established by grace ? certainely the comforts of the spirit must fall to the ground , if they bring not along a proper and distinct lustre into the soule with them . and this ambrosiu●… catharinus himselfe a learned papist , and as great a scholler in the trent councell as any other , was bold to maintaine against the contrary opinion of dominicus soto in a publike declaration , unto whom bellarmine dares not adhere , though it bee his custome to boast of their unanimitie in point of doctrine . besides sinne is of a quarrelling and litigious disposition , it will not easily part from that which was once its owne , but will bee ever raysing sutes , disputing , arguing , wrangling with the conscience for its old right ; christ came not to send peace , but a sword , perpetuall and unreconcileable combats and debates with the flesh of man. if a man hold peace with his lusts , and set not his strength and his heart against them , if they bee not in a state of rebellion , they are certainely in the throne . it is impossible for a king to rebell , because hee hath none above him ; and so as long as lust is a king it is in peace , but when christ subdues it and takes possession of the heart , it will presently rise and rebell against his kingdome . heere then is the triall of the title . if a man cannot shew the evidences of a new purchase , the spirit , the blood , the water , the sonneship , the righteousnesse , the holynesse , conversation , and grace of christ ; if he be not in armes against the remnants of lust in himselfe , but live in peace and good contentment under the vigor and life of them , that man belongs yet unto the right of sinne . for if a man be christs , there will bee nova regalia extremely opposite to those of sinne . a new heart for the throne of the spirit ; new members to bee the servants of righteousnesse ; new counsellors , namely the lawes of god ; a new panoplie , the whole armour of god ; new lawes , the law of the minde , and of the heart ; a new iudicature , even the government of the spirit : thoughts , words ▪ actions , conversations , all things new as the apostle speakes . now let us in the next place consider the power whereby sinne makes its commands to bee obeyed , wherein it is more strong and sure then a tyrant , who ruleth against the will of his subjects . the particulars of this strength may be thus digested . first sinne hath much strength from it selfe , and that in these regards . first , it is very wilfull , it is as it were all will. therefore it is called in the scripture , the will of the flesh , and the will of the gentiles , and the will of men . and the will is the seate of strength , especially seeing the will of man , and the will of sinne or the flesh are in the scripture phrase all one . if a man had one will and sinne another , mans will drew one way and sinnes another , peradventure his power to resist might be stronger then sinnes power to command : but when the will of sinne is in the will of man as a bias in a bowle , as a flame in smoke , as a weight or spring to an engine , as spirits in the body , to actuate and determine it to its owne way , how can a man resist the will of sinne , who hath no other then a sinfull will to resist by ? secondly , as sinne is wilfull , so it is very passionate and lustfull , which addes wings as it were to the commands of sinne . the apostle cals them passions , and those working passions ; when we were in the flesh , the motions of sinne did worke in our members . there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , lust and passions of lust , which the apostle cals vile lusts , and burning lusts , and affections and lusts , that is , very lustfull lusts . lust is in the best , but these violent passions and ardencies of lust are shrewd symptomes of the raigne of sinne . to be fierce , implacable , head-strong , like the horse in the battaile , and that not upon extraordinary distemper or surprizall ( as ionah and asa were ) but habitually , so as on any occasion to discover it , is by the apostle put in amongst the characters of those that denie the power of godlinesse . for sinne must not hold its power where ▪ godlinesse hath any . thirdly , it hath lawes and edicts , full of wisedome and cunning , edg'd and temper'd with many encouragements and provocations to those that obey , which ( as i said before ) the scripture cals the wages of sinne , and pleasures of sinne , by which balaam was enticed to curse gods people . a law is nothing else but a rule or principle of working which orders and moderates the course of a mans life ; and so sinne hath a way to carry men in , and principles to governe men by , which saint paul cals seculum the course of the world . such as are rules of example , custome , good intentions , gods mercy taken by halses , without respect to any conditions which it brings with it , the common frail●…e of our nature , that we are all men , and that the best have their infirmities , distinctions , evasions , justifications , extenuations , partiall strictnesse in some particulars , the opus operatum , or meere doing of dueties requit'd , and many like , most of which things i have spoken of more largely heretofore upon another scripture . fourthly , it is full of flattery to entice and woe a man , cunning to observe all the best seasons to surprize the soule . and though enticements be base , yet they are very strong , like a gentle showre or a soft fire they sinke , and get in closer then if they should be more violent . that which is as soft as oyle in the touch , may be as sharpe as swords in the operation . and therefore as a man is said in one place to be enticed by lust , so elsewhere he is said to be driven and thrust on by lust . take heede to your selves lest you corrupt your selves , lest thou lift up thine eyes to heaven , and when thou seest the sunne , and the moone , and the starres , shouldst be driven to worship them and serve them . the objects themselves have no coactive or compulsory power in them ( for they worke but as objects , which is the weakest way of working that is , for objects ▪ a●…e never totall agents , but onely partiall , they doe never any more then cooperate with some facultie and power unto which they are suteable ) yet such is the strength of those lusts which are apt to kindle by those objects , that a man is said to be driven to idolatry by them . all which false prophets can doe is but morall and by way of cunning and seducement , yet such is the strength of those lusts which they flatter and worke upon by their impostures , that they are said to thrust a man out of the way which the lord commanded him to walke in . for as we use to say of the requests of a king , so we may of the flatteries and allurements of sinne , that they doe amount unto commands . in one word , sinne is throughly furnish'd with all sorts of armour , both for defence and opposition , all strong holds , all reasonings and imaginations , and thoughts which can be contriv'd to secure it selfe ; and therefore no marvell if it have much strength from itselfe . secondly , it hath much strength from satan and the world , which are the counsellers and aides of sinne , which bring in constant supplies and provisions unto it . therefore lusts are said to be of the world , and to bee earthly and divellish , because the world and the divell supply them with constant fuell . but lastly and principally lust hath much strength in and from us . first , because they are naturall unto us . a mans sinne is himselfe , it is call'd by the name of our a old man. and therefore to be b carnall , and to walke as man , to live after the lusts of the flesh , and after the lusts of men are all one . to c live to sinne in one place is to d live to our selves in another . to e crucifie fleshly affections in one place , is f to mortifie our earthly members in another . to g deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts in one place , is to h deny our selves in another . to i lay aside the sinne that doth so easily beset us in one place , is to k cast away our right eye and our right hand in another . and therefore the wayes of sinne are call'd l our owne waies , and the lusts of the flesh m our owne lusts , and being our owne , we love and cherish them . n no man ever hated his owne flesh , neither can any man by nature hate his owne lusts , unto which he is as truly said to be o married as the church is to christ. and this serves much to set forth the power of sin . for the love of the subject is the strength of the soveraigne ; a king shall then certainely be obeyed , when he cōmands such things as it were difficult for him to prohibite . secondly , lust hath from us weapons to set forward its strength , the heart a forge to contrive , and members instruments to execute , the heart a wombe to conceive , and the members midwives to bring forth lusts into act . lastly , sinne must be very strong in us because we are by nature full of it . so the apostle saies of naturall men that they were filled with all unrighteousuesse , and full of envie , debate , deceite , &c. and s. peter , that they have eyes full of adultery , that cannot cease from sinne . now where there is all of a strong thing that must needes be exceeding strong . if all the foure windes should meete together in their full strength , what mountaines would they not roote up by the foundation ? what a mighty rage and strength is there in the sea , onely because it is full of waters , and all water belongs unto it ? who is able to looke upon the sunne , or endure the brightnesse of that glorious creature , onely because it is full of light ? the same reason is in fleshly lusts , they are very strong in us , because our nature is full of them , and because all their fulnesse is in our nature . now this strength which is thus made up of so many ingredients , doth further appeare in the effects of it , which are these three , all comprised in the generall word of obeying it in the lusts thereof , which denotes a full & uncontroled power in sin . first , the somenting ▪ entertaining , cherishing of lust , shaping of it , delighting in it , consenting unto it ; when a man doth joine himselfe to sin , and setle himselfe upon it , & set his heart to it , and respect it in his heart , and studie & consult it , and resolve upon it . secondly , executing of it , and bringing into act the suggestions of the flesh thus conceived , yeelding to the commands , drudging in the service , drawing iniquitie with cords and cartropes , resigning both heart and hand to the obedience of sin . thirdly , finishing it , going on without wearinesse or murmuring , without repenting or repining in the waies of lust , running in one constant chanell , till like the waters of iordan the soule drop into the dead lake . all these three saint iames hath put together to shew the gradations , and the danger of fleshly lusts. euery man is tempted , when he is drawne away of his owne lusts and enticed ; lust when it hath conceiued bringeth forth sinne , and sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death . first , there is the suggestion , lust draweth away and enticeth . secondly , the conception and formation , in the delight and consent of the will. thirdly , the execution , and bringing into act . fourthly , the consummation and accomplishment of lust , filling vp the measure , going on vnweariedly to the last , till there is no hope , and so abusing the patience and long suffering of god unto destruction . sinne growes till it be ripe for the slaughter ; now if men in the interim cut off their sinnes , and turne to god before the decree be sealed , before he stirre up all his wrath , and will suffer his spirit no longer to strive , if they cōsecrate that litle time & strength they have left to gods service , then the kingdome of sin is pull'd downe in them . to this purpose is the counsell of daniel to nebuchadnezar ; that he should breake off his sinnes by righteousnesse , and his iniquities by shewing mercie to the poore , that is , he should relinquish those sins which were most predominant in him ; his unjustice , and oppression , and tyrannie against poore men ( thus paul preached of righteousnesse , and temperance , and judgement to come , to felix a corrupt and lascivious governor ) & by that meanes his tranquillitie should be lengthened , not by way of merit ( for a theefe deserves no pardon , because he gives over stealing ) but by way of mercie and favour . hitherto i have but shewed that sin is a strong king . but this is not enough to d●…ive men to christ , ( which is my principall scope . ) it is further required that men bee convinc'd of being under this power of sinne . the first use then which i shall shew you may bee made of this doctrine is for conviction and tryall of the raigne of sinne in our selves ; for the more distinct expediting whereof i shall propose these three cases to be resolved . first whether sin may raigne in a regenerate man so , as that this power and kingdome of sinne shall consist with the righteousnesse of christ ? secondly , how wicked men may be convinc'd that sinne raignes in them , and what difference there is betweene the power of sinne in them , and in the regenerate ? thirdly , why every sinne doth not raigne in every unregenerate man ? for the first of these , we must remember in the generall , that sinne doth then raigne when a man doth obey it in the lusts thereof , when he doth yeelde up himselfe to execute all the commands of sinne , when he is held under the power of sathan , and of darkenesse . and for the regenerate wee must likewise note what saint paul , and saint iohn have spoken in generall of this point . sinne shall not have dominion over you , for you are not under the law , but under grace , saith saint paul , when a man is delivered from the obligations of the law , he is then delivered from the strength of sinne ; ( for the strength of sinne is the law ) and he that is borne of god sinneth not , neither can sinne , saith saint iohn , that is , cannot obey sinne in all the lusts and commands thereof , as a servant to sinne , from which service hee hath ceased by being borne of god ( for no man can bee gods sonne and sinnes servant : ) for we are to distinguish betweene doing the worke of sinne , and obeying sinne in the lusts thereof . as a man may doe divine workes , and yet not ever in obedience to god , so a man may be subject as a captiue in this or that particular tyrannie of sinne , who is not obedient as a servant to all the governement of sinne , for that takes in the whole will , and an adequate submission thereof to the peaceable and uncontroll'd power of sinne . let us then inquire how farre the power of sinne may discover itselfe in the most regenerate . first , the best have flesh about them , and that flesh where ever it is worketh , and rebelleth against the spirit of christ , so that they cannot doe the things which they would . secondly , this flesh is of itselfe indifferent to great sinnes as well as to small , and therefore by some strong temptation it may prevaile to carrie the saints unto great sins , as it did david , peter , and others . thirdly , this fleshis as much in the will as in any other part of regenerate men , and therefore when they commit great sinnes , they may commit them with consent , delight , and willingnesse of heart ▪ fourthly , this flesh is in their members as well as in their wills , and therefote they may actuate , and execute those wills of sinne which they have consented unto . fifthly , we confesse that by these sinnes thus committed , the conscience of a regenerat man is wasted and wounded , and overcome by the power of sinne , and such a particular grievous guilt contracted , as must first bee washed away by some particular repentance , before that man can be againe qualified to take actuall possession of his inheritance , or to be admitted unto glory . in which case that of the apostle is most certaine , that the very righteous shall scarsely be saved . for wee are to note that as some things may indispose a man for the present use , or dispossesse him of the comforts and emoluments , which yet are not valid enough to devest him of the whole right and state in a living : so some sinnes may bee of so heavie a nature as may unqualifie a man for an actuall admittance into heaven , or possession of glory , which yet doe not nullifie his faith , nor extinguish his title and interest unto it . thus we see that sinne may in the most holy have great power ; the examples whereof are all written for our learning , to teach us what is indeede within us , how circumspectly wee should walke , how watchfull over our hearts , how stedfast in our covenant , lest wee fall after the example of those men , and so breake our bones as david did . for one great sinne presumptuously committed , will bring either such a hardnesse of heart , as will make thee live in a wretched securitie and neglect of thy service , and peace with god ; or such a wofull experience of his wrath and heavie displeasure against sinne , as will even bruise thy conscience , and burne up thy bowels , and make thee goe drooping and disconsolate it may be all thy dayes . but yet , though sinne may thus farre proceede against a regenerate man , all this doth not amount to a complete raigne . though sinne may have a victorie in the faithfull and that even over their wills , yet it hath not a kingdome , which imports a complete and universall resignation of the whole will and man to the obedience of it . it is one thing to have the whole consent of the will unto some one sinne stollen away by some particular temptation ; and another , to be whollie addicted and devoted to the waies of sinne , to have the whole heart universally married to lust , and filled with sathan , whereby it bringeth forth fruite unto dea●…h . into the former of these we grant the faithfull may fall , ( and yet even in that case , the seede of god which abideth in them , though it did not operate to prevent ●…inne , will yet undoubtedly serve to supplie repentance in due time ; and though consent went before to conceive sinne , yet it shall not follow after to allow it being committed ; but they review their sin with much hatred , and selfe-displicencie , with affliction of spirit , humiliation of heart , admiration of gods patience and forbearance , with renewing their covenant , with complaints and heavie bewailings of their owne frowardnesse , with a filiall mourning for their ●…ngratitude and undutifulnesse unto god. ) but that a regenerate man should totally addict himselfe to the wayes of sin , is repugnant to the scripture , and extremely contrarie to that throne which christ hath in the heart of such a man. for the second case , how unregenerate men may bee convinc'd that sinne doth raigne in them , wee must observe that the complete raigne of sinne , denotes two things . first that strength , power , soveraigntie , and dominion of sinne , which hath beene already opened . secondly , a peaceable , uncontroled , willing , universall subjection of all the members vnto the obedience of that king. now to measure the unregenerate by this adequate rule , wee must know , that they first are of severall sorts and stampes . some are apparantly and in conspectu hominum outragious sinners , upon whom every man that sees them , and is well acquainted with the trade and course of sinne which they live in , may without breach of charitie passe this sentence , there goes a man who declares himselfe in the eyes of the world to bee a servant of sinne ; ( i speake not this for liberty of censuring , but for evidence and easinesse of discerning onely . ) every man that thinkes it basenesse and below the straine of his spirit to tremble at gods word , to feare judgements against sinne denounced , who with a presumptuous and high hand rejects the warnings which god sends him , who in his practise and sinfull conformities makes more account of the course of the world , then of the curse of god ; of the fashions of men , then of the will of the spirit ; of the estimation of men , then of the opinion of christ : and such is every one that allowes himselfe in the same excesse of rage and riot , of swearing , swaggering , and uncleannesse with his divelish associates , in the name and autho●…itie of the lord iesus . i pronounce that man to be a servant of sinne : and if he continue sinnes servant , he shall undoubtedly have sinnes wages ; the wages of sinne is death , even the everlasting vengeance and wrath to come ; and if hee despise that warning , the word which i have spoken shall rise against him at the last day . others there are of a more calme , civill , composed course , men much wiser but not a dramme holyer then those before . and here mainely stickes the inquirie , and that upon three exceptions , with which they may seeme to evade , and shift off this power of sinne . first , in those men there appeareth not so soveraigne and absolute a dominion of sinne as hath been spoken of , in as much as they seeme to live in faire externall conformitie to the truthes which they have learned . to which i answere first in generall , that there may bee a raigne of sinne where it is not perceived , and that insensibility is a maine argument of it . for this is a certaine rule , the more tenderly and seriously any man is affected with sense and sorrow for the power of sinne , the more hee is delivered from it . the young man in the gospell was fully perswaded that hee had kept the whole law , and little thought that his owne possessions were his king , and that he was a vassall to his owne wealth , till christ convinced him of a mighty raigne of covetousnesse in his heart . a ship may in the midst of a calme by reason of a great mist , and the negligence of the marriners to sound and discover their distances from land , split it selfe against a rocke , as well as be cast vpon it by some irresistible storme : and so that man who never fathams his heart , nor searcheth how neere he may be to ruine , but goes leisurely and uniformly on in his wonted formall and pharisaicall securities , may , when he thinkes nothing of it , as likely perish under the power of sin , as he in whom the rage thereof is most apparant . as there is a great strength in a river when it runnes smoothest and without noyse , which immediately discovers it selfe when any bridge or obstacle is set up against it : so when sinne passeth with most stilnesse , and undisturbance through the heart , then is the raigne of it as strong as ever , and upon any spirituall and searching opposition will declare it selfe . the pharises were rigid , demure , saint-like men , while their hypocrisie was let alone to runne calmely and without noyse ; but when christ by his spirituall expositions of the law , his heavenly conversation , his penetrating and convincing sermons , had stopt the current , and disquieted them in their course , wee finde their malice swell into the very sinne against the holy ghost . it is the light of the sunne which maketh day when it selfe lies shut under a cloud and is not seene ; so in every naturall man there is a power and prevalencie of sinne , which yet may lie undiscovered under some generall moralities . thus as the serpent in the fable had a true sting while it lay in the snow , though it shewed not it selfe but at the fire : so there may be a regall power in sinne , when upon externall reasons it may for a time dissemble it selfe . ahab and ieroboams wife were as truely princes in their disguise , as in their robes ; and a sow as truely a swine when washed in a spring of water , as when wallowing in a sinke of dirt . the heart of man is like a beast , that hath much filth and garbage shut up under a faire skinne , till the word like a sacrificing sword slit open , and as it were unridge the conscience to discover it . all the wayes of man , saith salomon , are cleane in his owne eyes , but the lord weigheth the spirits : he is a discoverer of the secrets , and in●…rals of every action . for the more pa●…ticular opening of this point it will be needefull to answere some few questions touching the raigne of some particular sinnes which haply are seldome so thought of . and the first is touching smallsinnes whether they may be said to be raigning sinnes ? unto which i answere , that it is not the greatnesse but the power of sin which makes it a king . we know there are reguli as well as reges , kings of cities and narrow territories , as well as emperours over vast provinces . nay many times a sinne may be great in abstracto , as the fact is measured by the law , and yet in concreto , by circumstances , it may not be a raigning sinne in the person committing it : and on the contrary a small sinne in the nature of the fact , may be a raigning sinne in the commission ; as in a corporation a man not halfe as rich as another may bee the chiefe magistrate , and another of a farre greater estate may bee an underling in regard of governement . as a small stone throwne with a strong arme will doe more hurt then another farre greater if but gently laid on , or sent forth with a fainter impression : so a small sinne , committed with a high hand , with more security , presumption , and customarinesse , then others , will more waste the conscience then farre greater out of infirmitie or sudden surprizall . as wee see drops frequently falling will eare into a stone , and make it hollower then some few farre heavier strokes could have done , or as water powred into a sieve with many small holes , or into a bottomlesse vessell , is equally cast away ; a ship may as well perish upon sands as rockes . dayly small expences vpon lesser vanities , may in time eate out a good estate , if there be never any accompts taken , nor proportion observ'd , nor provision made to bring in as well as to expend : so a man , otherwise very specious , may by a course of more civill and moderate sinnes runne into ruine . the second question is , whether privy and secret sins which never breake forth into light may raigne . to which i answere , that of all other sinnes , those which are secret have the chiefest rule , such as are privy pride , hypocrisie , selfe-justification , rebellion , malitious projects against the word and worship of god , &c. the prophet compares wicked mens hearts to an oven , hos. . , . as an oven is hottest when it is stopp'd that no blast may breake forth : so the heart is oftentimes most sinfull , when most reserv'd . a it was a great part of the state and pride of the persian kings , that they were seldome seene by their subjects in publicke ; and the kingdome of china at this day is very vast and potent , though it communicate but litle with other people : so those lodging thoughts , as the prophet cals them , which lie stifled within , may be most powerfull , when they are least discover'd . first , because they are ever in the throne ( for the heart is the throne of sinne ) and every thing hath most of it selfe , and is least mi●…ed and alter'd where it first riseth . secondly , because they are in the heart as a stone in the center , freest from opposition and disturbance , which , breaking forth into act , they might be likely to meete withall . and this may bee one of the depths and projects of sathan against the soule of a man , to let him live in some faire and plausible conformitie for the outward conversation , that so his rule in the heart may be the more quiet both from clamours of conscience , and from cure of the word . the third question is , whether sinnes of ignorance may be raigning sinnes ? to which i answere , that it is not mens knowledge of a king which makes him a king , but his owne power . saul was a king when the witch knew not of it . for as those multitudes of imperceptible stars in the milkie way doe yet all contribute to that generall confused light which wee there see : so the undiscern●…d power of unknowne sinnes doe adde much to the great kingdome which sinne hath in the hearts of men . a letter written in an unknowne language , or in darke and invisible characters , is yet as truely a letter as that which is most intelligible and distinct ; so though men make a shift to fill their consciences with darke and unlegible sinnes , yet there they are as truely as if they were written in capitall characters . saint pauls persecution was a sinne of ignorance , that was the only thing which left roome for the mercy of god , so he faith of himselfe , i obtained mercy because i did it ignorantly , through unbeliefe . which words we are not to understand causally , or by way of externall motive to gods mercy , as if saint pauls ignorance and unbeliefe had been any positive and objective reason why god shewed him mercy , but only thus , i was so grievous a persecutor of the church of christ , that had it not beene for my ignorance onely , i had beene a subject uncapable of mercy . if i had knowne christs spirit , and beene so conuinc'd as the scribes a and pharises , to whom hee used to preach , were , and should notwithstanding that conviction have set my selfe with that crueltie and rage against him as i did , there would have beene no roome for mercy left , my sinne would have beene not onely against the members , but against the spirit of christ , and so an unpardonable sinne . his persecution then was a sinne of ignorance , and yet we may know what a raigning sinne it was by the description of it , that he made havocke of the church , and haled men and women into prison . and indeed ignorance doth promote the kingdome of sinne , as a thiese with a vizard or disguise will be more bold in his outrages , then with open face . for sinne cannot be reproved , nor repented of , till some way or other it be made knowne . all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light . the fourth question is , whether naturall concupiscence may be esteemed a raigning sinne ? to which i answere , that as a childe may be borne a king , and be crowned in his cradle ; so sinne in the wombe may raigne . and indeed concupiscence is of all other the sinning sinne , and most exceeding sinfull . so that as there is virtually and radically more water in a fountaine though it seeme very narrow , then in the streames which flow from it , though farre wider , because though the streames should all dry up , yet there is enough in the fountaine to supply all againe : so the sinne of nature hath indeed more fundamentall foul●…nesse in it , then the actuall sinnes which arise from it , as being the adulterous wombe which is ever of it selfe prostituted to the injections of any diabolicall or worldly temptations , and greedy to claspe , cherish and organize the seeds of any sinne . so that properly the raigne of sinne is founded in lust ; for they are ou●… lusts which are to be satisfied in any sinfull obedience ; all the subsidies , succours , contributions which are brought in are spent upon lust ; and therefore not to mourne for and bewaile this naturall concupiscence , as david and paul did , is a manifest signe of the raigne of lust . for there is no medium , if sin , which cannot be avoided ▪ be not lamented neither , it is undoubtedly obeyed . the last question is , whether sinnes of omission may be esteemed raigning sinnes ? to which i answere , that the wicked in scripture are character'd by such kinde of sinnes , powre out thy vengeance upon the heathen that know thee not , and upon the families that call not upon thy name . the wicked through the pride of his heart will not seeke after god , god is not in all his thoughts . there is no truth , nor mercy , nor knowledge of god in the land . i was an hungred , and you gave me no meate ; thirsty , and you gave me no drinke ; a stranger , and you tooke me not in , &c. as in matters of governement , a princes negative voyce whereby he hinders the doing of a thing , is oftentimes as great an argument of his royalty , as his positive commands to have a thing done ( nay a prince hath power to command that to be done , which he hath no power to prohibite ; as iosias commanded the people to serve the lord : ) so in sinne , the power which it hath to dead and take off the heart from christian duties , from communion with god , from knowledge of his will , from delight in his word , from mutuall edification , from a constant and spirituall watch over our thoughts and wayes , and the like , is a notorious fruit of the raigne of sinne . so then as he said of the romane senate , that it was an assembly of kings , so we may say of sinfull lusts in the heart , that they are indeed a throng and a people of kings . the second exception where with the more moderate sort of unregenerate men seeme to shift off from themselves the charge of being subject to the raigne of sinne , is , that sinne hath not over them an universall dominion , in as much as they abhorre many sinnes , and doe many things which the rule requires . all these things , saith the young man in the gospell , have i done from my youth . and hazael to the prophet , is thy servant a dog , to rip up women and dash infants to pi●…ces ? he seemed at that time to abhorre so dete●…able facts as the prophet foretold . come , saith i●…hu , and see my zeale for the lord of hoasts . ahab humbled himselfe , herod heard ioh●… gladly , and did many things , the foolish virgins , and apostate ; abstained from many pollutions of the world ; and from such abstinencies and performances as these men seeme invincibly to conclude that they are not under an universall raigne of sinne . for clearing this exception we must know that there are other causes besides the power and kingdome of the spirit of christ , which may worke a partiall abstinence in some sins , and conformitie in some duties . first , the power of a generall restraining grace , which i suppose is meant in gods with-holding abimelech from touching sarah . as there are generall gifts of the spirit in regard of illumination , so likewise in order to conversation and practice . it is said that christ beholding the young man , loved him , and that even when he was under the raigne of covetousnesse . he had nothing from himselfe worthy of love , therefore something , though more generall , it was which the spirit had wrought in him . suppose we his ingenuitie , moralitie , care of salvation , or the like . as abraham gave portions to ishmael , but the inheritance to isaac : so doth the lord on the children of the flesh and of the bond woman bestow common gifts , but the inheritance and adoption is for the saints , his choisest iewels are for the kings daughter . there is great difference betwixt restraining and renewing grace ; the one onely charmes and chaines up sinne , the other crucifies and weakens it , whereby the vigor of it is not withheld onely , but abated : the one turnes the motions and streame of the heart to another channell , the other keepes it in bounds onely , though still it runne its naturall course ; the one is contrarie to the raigne , the other onely to the rage of sinne . and now these graces being so differing , needs must the abstaining from sinnes , or amendment of life according as it riseth from one or other , be likewise exceeding different . first , that which riseth from renewing grace is internall in the disposition and frame of the heart , the law and the spirit are put in there to purifie the fountaine ; whereas the other is but externall in the course of the life , without any inward and secret care to governe the thoughts , to moderate the passions , to suppresse the motions and risings of lust , to cleanse the conscience from dead workes , to banish privie pride , speculative uncleannesse , vaine , emptie , impertinent , unprofitable desires out of the heart . the law is spirituall , and therefore it is not a conformity to the letter barely , but to the spiritualnesse of the law , which makes our actions to be right before god. thy law is pure , saith david , therefore thy servant loveth it . and this spiritualnesse of obedience is discerned by the inwardnesse of it , when all other respects being removed , a man can be holy there where there is no eye to see , no object to move him , none but onely hee and the law together . when a man can be as much grieved with the sinfulnesse of his thoughts , with the disproportion which he findes betweene the law and his innerman , as with those evils which being more exposed to the view of the world , have an accidentall restraint from men , whose ill opinious we are loth to provoke ; when from the spirituall and sincere obedience of the hart doth issue forth an universall holinesse like lines from a center unto the whole circumference of our lives , without any mercenary or reserv'd respects wherein men oftentimes in steade of the lord , make their owne passions and affections , their ends or their feares their god. secondly , that which riseth from renewing grace is equall and a uniforme to all the law , it esteemeth all gods precepts concerning al things to be right , & it hateth euery false way . whereas the other is onely in some b particulars , reseruing some exceptions from the generall rule , and framing to it selfe a latitude of holinesse , beyond which in their conceits is nothing of realitie , but onely the fictions and chimaeraes , the more abstract notions and singularities of a few men whose end is not to serve god , but to be unlike their neighbours . i deny not but that as oftentimes it falleth out in ill affected bodies , that some one part may be more disordered and disabled for seruice then others , because ill humors being by the rest rejected doe at last settle in that which 〈◊〉 ●…aturally weakest : so in christians likewise , partly by the temper of their persons , partly by the condition of their liues and callings , partly by the pertinacious and more intimate adherence of some close corruption , partly by the company and examples of men amongst whom they liue , partly by the different administration of the spirit of grace , who in the same men bloweth how and where he listeth , it may come to passe that this uniformitie may bee blemished , and some actions be more corrupt , and some sinnes more predominant and untamed in them then others . yet still i say renewing grace doth in some measure subdue all , and , at least , frame the heart to a vigilancie ouer those gaps which lie most naked , and to a tendernes to bewaile the incursions of sin which are by them occasioned . thirdly , that which riseth from renewing grace is constant , growes more in old age , hath life in more abundance , proceedeth from a heart purged and prepared to bring forth more fruite , where as the other growes faint , and withers ; an hypocrite will not pray alwaies , a torrent will one time or other dry vp and putrifie . water will mooue vpward by art till it be gotten levell to the spring where it first did rise , and then it will returne to its nature againe . so the corrupt hearts of naturall men , how euer they may fashion them to a shew of holinesse so farre forth as will 〈◊〉 even to those ends and designes for which they assum'd it , yet let them once goe past that , and their falling downe will make it appeare , that what ever motions they had screwed up themselves unto , yet still in their hearts they did bend another way , and did indeed resist the power of that grace , whose countenance they affected . euen as scipio and annibal at scyphax his table did complement , and discourse , and entertaine one another with much semblance of affection , whereas other occasions in the field occurring made it appeare that euen at that time their hearts were full of reuenge and hostility . lastly , that which riseth from renewing grace is with a delight ▪ and much complacencie , because it is naturall to a right spirit ; it desires nothing more then to haue the law of the flesh quite consum'd , whereas the other hath paine and disquietnesse at the bridle which holds it in ; and therefore takes all advantages it can to breake loose againe . for while naturall men are tampering about spirituall things , they are out of their element , it is as offensiue to them as aire is to a fish , or water to a man. men may peradventure to coole and clense themselves , step a while into the water , but no man can make it his habitation ; a fish may friske into the aite to refresh himselfe , but he returnes to his owne element : wicked men may for varietie sake , or to pacifie the grumblings of an unquiet conscience looke sometimes into gods law ; but they can never suffer the word to dwell in them , they are doing a worke against nature , and therefore no marvell if they finde no pleasure in it : nay they b doe in their hearts wish that there were no such law at all to restraine their corrupt desires , that there were no such records extant to be produced against them at the last ; and as soone as any occasions call them unto sensuall and sinfull delights , they c steal●… away the law from their owne consciences , they suppresse and imprison the truth in unrighteousnesse , they shut their eyes by a d voluntary and affected ignorance , that they may more securely , and without checke or perturbation resigne themselves to their owne waies . secondly , a deepe , desperate , hypocriticall affectation of the credit of christianitie , and of the repute and name of holinesse , like that of iehu , come ●…ce my zeale for the lord of hoasts . and this is so farre from pulling downe the raigne of sinne , that it mightily strengthens it , and is a sore provocation of gods jealousie and revenge . the prophet compares hypocrites to a e dece●…tfull bow , which though it seeme to direct the arrow in an even line upon the marke , yet the unfaithfulnesse thereof carries it at last into a crooked and contrarie way . and a little after , we finde the similitude verified : f israel shall crie unto me , my god we know thee . here seemes a direct ayme at god , a true profession of faith and interest in the covenant ; but obserue presently the deceitfulnesse of the bow , israel hath cast off the thing that is good , though he be well contented to beare my name , yet he cannot endure to beare my yoke ; though he be well pleased with the priviledges of my people , yet he cannot away with the tribute and obedience of my people , and therefore god rejects both him and his halfe services , the enemie shall pursue him . they haue sowed the winde , and they shall reape the whirle winde , saith the lord in the same prophet . my people are like a husbandman going over plowed lands , and casting abroad his hands as if he were sowing seed , but the truth is there is nothing in his hand at all but winde , nothing but vaine semblances and pretences , the profession of a leedsman , but the hand of a sluggard ; and now marke what an harvest this man shall have : that which a man soweth , that also shall he reape , he sowed the wi●…de , and he shall imh●…rit the wind●… as salomon speakes . yet you may observe that there is some diff●…rence ; as in harvest ordinarily there is an increase , hee that sowes a pecke , may haply reape a qua●…ter ; so the hypocrite here sowes winde , but he reapes a whirle winde ; he sowed vanitie , but he shall reape furie ( for the furie of the lord is compar'd to a whirle winde . ) god will not be honored with a lie : shall a man lie for god ? this argument the apostle useth to proove the resurrection , because , else , saith he , we are found false witnesses of god , and god doth not stand in neede of false witnesses to justifie his power or glory . why takest t●…ou my word into thy mouth , seeing thou hatest to be reformed ? we reade , that in one of the states of greece , if a scandalous man had lighted upon any wholsome counsell for the honor and advantage of the countrie , yet the common-weale rejected it as from him , and would not be beholden to an infamous & branded person : and surely almighty god can as little endure to be honored by wicked men , or to have his name and truth by them usurped in a false profession . when the divell , who useth to ▪ bee the father of lies , would needes confesse the truth of christ , i know who thou art , even iesus the sonne of the living god ; we finde our saviour as well rebuking him for his confession , as at other times for his temptations . because when the divell speakes a lie , he speakes de suo , he doth that which becomes him ; but when he speakes the truth and glorifies god , hee doth that which is improper for his place and station ( for who shall praise thee in the pit ? ) hee speakes then de alieno , of that which is none of his owne , and then he is not a lyer onely by professing that which he hates , but a theefe too . and surely when men take upon them the name of christ , and a shew of religion , and yet deny the power thereof they are not only liers in professing a false love , but theeves too , in usurping an interest in christ which indeede they have not ; and are like to have no happier successe with god ( who cannot be mocked ) then false pretenders have with men ; who under assumed titles of princes deceased , have laid claime to kingdomes . god will deale with such men as we teade that tiberius dealt with a base pretender to a crowne , when after long examination hee could not catch the impostor tripping in his tale , at last he consulted with the habite and shape of his body , and finding there not the delicacie and softnesse of a prince , but the brawinnesse and servile fashion of a mechanick , he startled the man with so unexpected a triall , and so wrung from him a confession of the truth . and surely just so will god deale with such men as usurpe a claime unto his kingdome , and prevaricate with his name ; he will not take them on their owne words , or empty professions , but examine their hands ; if hee finde them hardned in the service of sinne , hee will then stop their mouth with their owne hand , and make themselves the argument of their owne conviction . thirdly , the power of pious and vertuous education ; for many men have their manners as the colliar had his faith , meerely by tradition , and upon credit from their forefathers . so saint paul before his conversion liv'd as touching the law unblameably in his owne esteeme , because he had beene a pharisce of the pharisees . many times we may observe amongst men ▪ that contrarieti●… of affections proceede from causes homogeneall and uniforme , and that the same temper and disposition of minde will serve to produce effects in apparance contrary . when two men contend with much violence to maintaine two different opinions , it may easily bee discerned by a judicious stander by , that it is the same love of victory , the same contentious constitution of spirit which did foster those extreme discourses , and many times men would not be at such distance in tenents , if they did not too much concurre in the pride and vaine glory of an opinionative minde . and surely so is it in matters of religion and practise , many times courses extremely opposite are embrac'd out of the selfe same uniforme frame and temper of spirit ; a humor pertinaciously to adhere to the wayes which a man hath beene bred in , may upon contrary educations produce contrary effects , and yet the principall reason bee the same , as it is the same vigor and vertue of the earth which from different seedes put into it produceth different fruites . so then a man may abstaine from many evils , and doe many good things meerely out of respect to their breeding , out of a native ingenuitie , and faire opinion of their fathers pietie , without any such experimentall and convincing evidence of the truth , or spirituall and holy love of the goodnesse , by which the true members of christ are moved unto the same observances . fourthly , the legall and affrighting power which is in the word , when it is set on by a skilfull master of the assemblies . for though nothing but the evangelicall vertue of the word begets true and spirituall obedience , yet outward conformitie may be fashioned by the terror of it . as nothing but vitall , seminall , and fleshly principles can organize a living and true man ; yet the strokes and violence of hammers , and other instruments being moderated by the hand of a cunning worker can fashion the shape of a man in a dead stone . as ahab was humbled by the word in some degree , when yet he was not converted by it . fifthly , the power of a naturall illightned conscience , either a wakened by some heavie affliction , or affrighted with the feare of iudgement , or , at best , assisted with a temper of generousnesse and ingenuitie , a certaine noblenesse of disposition which can by no meanes endure to be condemned by its owne witnesse , nor to adventure on courses which doe directly the wart the practicall principles to which they subscribe . for ( as i observed before ) many men who will not do good obedientially , with faith in the power , with submission to the will , with aime at the glory of him that commands it , will yet doe it rationally out of the conviction and evidence of their owne principles . and this the apostle cals a doing by nature the things contained in the law , and a being a law to a mans selfe . now though this may carry a man farre , yet it cannot pull downe the kingdome of sinne in him , for these reasons . first , it doth not subdue all sinne , all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit , and so perfect ●…olynesse in the feare of god. drive a swine out of one dirty way , and he will presently into another , because it was not his disposition but his feare which turned him aside . where there are many of a royall race , though hundreds be destroyed , yet if any one that can prove his descent do remaine alive , the title and soveraigntie runnes into him ( as wee see in the slaughter which athaliah made ) so in sinne , if any one bee left to exercise power over the conscience without controle , the kingdome over a mans soule belongs unto that sinne . secondly , though it were possible ( which yet cannot be supposed ) for a naturall conscience to restraine and kill all the children of sinne , yet it cannot rippe up nor make barren the wombe of sinne , that is , lust and concupiscence , in which the raigne of sinne is sounded : nature cannot discover , much lesse can it bewaile or subdue it . as long as there is a divell to cast in the seedes of temptations , and lusts to cherish , forme , quicken , ripen them , impossible it is but sinne must have an of-spring to raigne over the soule of man. thirdly , all the proficiencies of nature cannot make a mans indeavours good before god ; though they may serve to excuse a man to himselfe , yet not unto god. if one beare holy flesh in the skirt of his garment , and with his skirt doth touch fl●…sh shall it be uncleane , saith the lord in the prophet ? and the priest answered no. but if one who is uncleane by a dead body touch any of these , shall it be uncleane ? and the priest answered , it shall be uncleane . so is this people , and so is this nation before mee , saith the lord , and so are all the workes of their hands before me , they are uncleane . they thinke because they are the seed of abraham , and dwell in the land of promise , and have my worship , and oracles , and sacrifices , not in their hearts , but only in their lips and hands , which are but the skirts of the soule , that therefore doubtlesse they are cleane ; but whatever they are before themselves , in their owne eyes and estimation , yet before me neither the priviledge of their persons , abrahams seede , nor the priviledge of their nation , the land of promise , nor the priviledge of their meere outward obedience , the workes of their hands , nor the priviledge of their ceremonies and worship , that which they offer before me , can doe them any good , but they , and all they doe is uncleane in my sight . offerings and sacrifices in themselves were holy things , but yet unto them saith the lord , to a revolting and disobedient people , they shall be as the bread of mourners , that is uncleane , and the prophet ▪ elsewhere intimate the reason , i hate , i despise your feast dayis , i will not smell in your solemne assemblies , though yee offer me your meate offerings i will not accept them , neither will i regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts . your burnt offerings arae not acceptable , nor your sacrifices sweete unto me . though the things done be by institution gods ▪ yet the evill performance of them makes them ours , that is ▪ sinfull and uncleane . mercie it selfe without faith , which ought to be the roote of all obedience , is a sinfull mercy ; mercy in the thing , but sinne to the man. sixthly , the sway and bias of selfe-love , and particular ends . when a mans disposition lookes one way , and his ends carry him another , that motion is ever a sinfull motion , because though it be sutable in outward conformity to the rule , yet it is a dead motion like that of puppets or manimate bodies , which have no principle of motion in themselves , but are carried about by the spring or weight which hangs unto them ( for a mans ends are but his weights ) and so the obedience which comes from them is but a dead obedience , which the apostle makes the attribute of sinfull workes , and saint iames of a diabolicall saith . the act of iehu in rooting out the house of ahab , and the priests of baal was a right zealous action in it selfe , and by god commanded , but it was a meere murther as it was by iehu executed , because hee intended not the extirpation of idolatry , but onely the erecting and establishing of his owne throne . to preach the word is in it selfe a most excellent worke , yet to some there is a reward for it , to others onely a dispensation , as the apostle distinguisheth , and he gives us as there , so else where , the reasons of it , drawne from the severall ends of men , some preach christ out of envie , and others out of good will. to give good counsell , for the prevention of approching danger is a worke of a noble and charitable disposition as we see in ionathan towards david ; but in amaziah the priest of bethel , who disswaded amos from preaching at the court , because of the kings displeasure , and the evill consequences which might thereupon ensue ( of all which himselfe was the principall if not sole author ) this was but a poore curtesie , for it was not out of love to the prophet , but onely to bee ridde of his preaching . to seeke god , to returne , to enquire early after him , to remember him as a rocke and redeemer are in themselves choice and excellent services ; but not to doe all this out of a straight and stedfast heart , but out of feare onely of gods sword , not to doe it because god commands them , but because he slayes them ; this end makes all but lying and flatterie , like the promises of a boy under the rod. to feare god is the conclusion of that matter , and the whole dutie of man ; but not to feare the lord and his goodnesse , but to feare the lord and his lions ( as the samaritans did ) this is indeede not to feare the lord at all . lastly the very antipathie of sinnes must necessarily keepe a man from many . for there are some sinnes so dissident and various , that they cannot consist together in the practice of them . though the same roote of originall corruption will serue for both , yet the exercises of them are incompatible : as the same roote will convey sap to several boughes , which shall beare fruits so different as could not grow out of the same branch . the apostle gives a distinction of spirituall and fleshly filthinesse betweene many of which there is as great an opposition as betweene flesh and spirit . ambition , pride , hypocrisie , formality , are spirituall sins ; drunkennesse , uncleannesse , publike , sordid , notorious intemperance are fleshly sinnes ; and these two sorts cannot ordinarily stand together , for the latter will speedily blast the projects , disappoint the expectations , wash of the dawbe and varnish which a man with much cunning and paines had put on . pilat and herod did hate one another , and this one would haue thought should haue advantaged christ against the particular malice of either of them against him ( as in a case something paralell it did saint ' paul when the pharises and sadduces were divided ) but their malice against christ being not so well able to wreake it selfe on him during their owne distances , was a meanes to procure a reconciliation more mischievous then their malice . ephraim against manasseh , and manasseh against ephraim , but both against iuda , one sinne was put out to make the more roome for another . many men have some master sinne , which checks and abates the rest . a the ancient romans were restrain'd from intemperance , iniustice , violence by an extreame affection of glorie and an universall soveraigntie . as b many times men cure heates with heates , and one flux of blood with another ; so some sins though not cur'd are yet forborne upon the predominancy of others . the pharises hated christ , and feared the people , and many times this feare restrain'd the manifestatiō & executiō of the other . the third and last exception is this . vnregenetate men of a more calme and civill temper may conceive themselves delivered from the raigne of sinne , because they have many conflictes with it , and reluctancies against it , and so afford not such a plenarie and resolved obedience to it as so absolute a power requireth . to this i answere , that this is no more sufficient to conclude an overthrow of the raigne of sinne , then the sudden mutinie of cesars souldiers , which hee easily queiled with one brave word , could conclude the nullifying of his government . for when we mention uncontrolednesse as an argument of sins raigne , we meane not that a bare naturall conviction ( which the apostle cals an accusation ) which imports a former yeelding to the lust , and no more ; but that a spirituall expostulation with a mans owne heart , ioyned with true repentance , and a sound and serious lusting against the desires and commands of the flesh , are the things which subdue the raigne of sinne . the whole state then of this point touching the roialtie of si●…ne will be fully opened , when we shall have distinctly unfolded the differences betweene these two conflicts with sinne , the conflict of a naturall accusing conscience , and the conflict of a spirituall , mourning and repenting conscience . first they differ in the principles whence they proceede . the one proceeds from a spirit of feare and bondage , the other from a spirit of love and delight . an unregenerate man considers the state of sinne as a kingdome , and so he loves the services of it ▪ and yet he considers it as regnum sub graviore regno . as a kingdome subiect to the scrutinies and enquiries of a higher kingdome , and so he feares it , because the guilt thereof , and day of accompts affrights him so that this conflict●…iseth ●…iseth out of the compulsion of his iudgement , not out of the propension of his will ; not from a desire to be holy , but onely to be safe and quiet ; he abhorreth the thoughts of god and his iustice ; whereas the faithfull hate sinne with relation to the purity and righteousnesse of god , desire to walke in all well pleasing towards him , hunger after his grace , are affected with indignation , selfe-displicencie , and revenge against themselves for sin , mourne under their corruptions , bewaile the frowardnesse of their slipperie and revolting hearrs , set a watch and spirituall iudicature over them , crie out for strength to resist their lusts , and prayse god for any grace , power , discipline , severitie which he shewes against them . in one word , a naturall conscience doth onely shew the danger of sinne , and so makes a man feare it ; but a spirituall conscience shewes the pollution of sinne , the extreme contrarietic which it beares to the love of our heart , the rule of our life , the law of god , and so makes a man hate it , as a thing contrary not only to his happinesse , but to his nature , of which he hath newly beene made partaker . a dogge will be brought by discipline to for beare those things which his nature most delights in , not because his ravine is changed into a better temper , but the following paines makes him abstaine from the present baite : so the conflict of the faithfull is with the unholynesse of sinne , but the conflict of other men is onely with the guilt and other sensuall incommodities of sinne . and though that may make a man forbeare and returne , yet not unto the lord : they have not cryed unto me , saith the lord , with their heart , when they howled upon their beds . their prayers were not cries , but howlings , brutish and meere sensuall complaints , because they proceeded not from their hearts , from any inward and sincere affection , but onely from feare of that hand whith was able to cast them upon their beds . as a sicke man eates meat , not for love of it , which he takes with much reluctancie and disrellish , but for feare of death which makes him force himselfe ( a. saul said to samuel ) against his will , whereas a heal●…y man eates the same meate with hunger and delight : so a naturall ▪ conscience constraines a man to doe some things which his heart never goes along with , onely to avoide the paine which the contrary guilt infers . in a tempest the marriners will cast out all their wares , not out of any hatred to the things ( for they throw over their very hearts into the sea with them ) but because the safety of their lives , and preservation of their goods will not stand together ; not sub intuitu mali , sed min●…ris boni , not under the apprehension of any evill in the things , but onely as a lesser good which will not consist with the greater ; and therefore they never throw them over but in a tempest : whereas at all other times they labour at the pumpe to exonerate the ship of the water which settles at the bottome , not onely for the danger , but stinch and noysomnesse of it too . thus a naturall conscience throwes away sinne as wares , and therefore never forbeares it but in a tempest of wrath , and sense of the curse and quickly returnes to it againe ; but a spirituall conscience throwes out sinne as corrupt and stinking water , and therefore is uniformely disaffected to it , and alwayes laboureth to be delivered from it . a scullion or colliar will not dare handle a coale when it is full of fire , which yet at other times is their common use ; wheras a man of a more cleanly education , as he will not then , because of the fire , so not at any time , because of the foulnesse : so here a naturall conscience for forbeares sinne somtimes , when the guilt and curse of it doth more appeare , which yet at other times it makes no seruple of ; but a spirituall conscience abstaines alwayes , because of the basenesse and pollution of it . the one feares sinne , because it hath fite in it to burne ; the other hates sinne , because it hath filth in it to pollute the soule . secondly , these conflicts differ in their seates and stations . the naturall conflict is in severall faculties , as between the understanding and the will , or the will and the affections , and so doth not argue any universall renovation , but rather a rupture and schisme , a confusion and disorder in the soule : but a spirituall conflict is in the same facultie , will against will , affection against affection , heart against heart , because sinne dwels still in our mortall body ; neither doe the spirit and the flesh enter into covenant to share and divide the man , and so to reside asunder in severall faculties , and not molest one anothers governement ; there can be no agreement betweene the strong man and him that is stronger , christ will hold no treatie with beliall ; he is able to save to the uttermost , and therefore is never put to make compositions with his enemie ; he will not disparage the power of his owne grace so much as to entertaine a parlie with the flesh . so then they fight not from severall forts onely , but are ●…ver struggling like esau and iacob in the same wombe . they are contrary to one another , saith the apostle , and contraries meete in the same subject before they exercise hostility against one another . flesh and spirit are in a man as light and darkenesse in the dawning of the day , as heate and cold in warme water , not severed in distinct parts , but universally interweav'd and coexistent in all . there is the same proportion in the naturall and spirituall conflict with sinne , as in the change of motion in a bowle . a bowle may be two wayes alter'd from that motion which the impressed violence from the ar●…e did direct it to ▪ sometimes by an externall cause , a b●…ke meeting and turning the course ▪ ever by an internall , the sway and corrective of the bias , which accompanies and slackens the impressed violence throughout all the motion . so is it in the turning of a man from sinne ; a naturall man goes on with a full consent of heart , no bias in the will or affections to moderate or abate the violence ; only sometimes by chance he meetes with a convicted judgement , or with a naturall conscience , which like a banke turnes the motion , or disappoints the heart in the whole pleasure of that sinne ; but in another , where haplie he meetes with no such obstacle , he runnes his full and direct course . but now a spirituall man hath a bias and corrective of grace in the same facultie where sin is , which doth much remit the violence , and at length turne the course of it . and this holdes in every sin , because the corrective is not casuall , or with respect onely to this or that particular , but is firmely fix'd in the parts themselves on which the impressions of sinne are made . thirdly , they differ in the manner or qualities of the conflict . for first , a naturall conflict hath ever treacherie mixed with it , but a spirituall conflict is faithfull and sound throughout ; and that appeares thus . a spirituall heart doth ever ground its fight out of the word , labors much to acquaint it selfe with that , because there it shall have a more distinct view of the enemy , of his armies , holdes , supplies , traines , weapons , strategems . for a spirituall heart sets it selfe seriously to fight against every method , deceite , armor of lust , as well against the pleasures , as the guilt of sinne . but a naturall heart hath a secret treacherie and intelligence with the enemy , and therefore hates the light , and is willingly ignorant of the forces of sinne , that it may have that to alledge for not making opposition . there is in every naturall man in sinning a disposition very suteable to that of vitellius , who used no other defences against the ruine which approached him , but onely to keepe out the memory and report of it with fortifications of mirth and sottishnesse , that so he might be deliver'd from the paines of preserving himselfe . thus the naturall conscience finding the warre against sinne to be irkesome , that it may bee deliver'd from so troublesome a businesse , labours rather to stifle the notions , to suppresse and hold under the truth in unrighteousnesse , to strive , resist , dispute with the spirit , to be gladly gull'd and darkened with the deceites of sinne , then to live all its time in unpreventable and unfinishable contentions . secondly , a naturall conflict is ever particular , and a spirituall universall against all sin , because it proceedeth from hatred which is ever 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as the philosopher speakes , against the whole kinde of a thing . a naturall man may be angry with sinne , as a man with his wife or friend , for some present vexation and disquietnesse which it brings , and yet not hate it , for that reacheth to the very not being of a thing . and for a naturall man to have his lusts so overcome as not at all to be , would doubtlesse be unto him as painefull , as mutilation or dismembring to the naturall bodie ; and therefore if it were put to his choice in such termes as might distinctly set forth the painefulnesse and contrarietie of it to his present nature , he would undoubtedly refuse it , because he should be destitute of a principle to live and move by : and every thing naturally desires rather to move by a principle of its owne , then by violent and forraigne impressions , such as are those by which naturall men are moved to the wayes of god. and therefore the naturall conscience doth ever beare with some sinnes , if they be small , unknowne , secret , or the like , and hearkens not after them . but the spirit holdes peace with no sin , fights against the least , the remotest , those which are out of sight . paul against the sproutings and rebellions of naturall concupiscence , david against his secret sinnes , as israel against iericho and ai and those other cities of canaan ; it suffers no accursed thing to be refer●…ed , it slayes as well women and children as men of warre , lest that which remaines should be a snare to deceive , and an engine to induce more . the naturall conscience shootes onely by aime , and levell against some sins , and spares the rest , as saul in the slaughter of the amalekites . but the spirituall shootes not onely by levell against particular notorious sinnes , but at randome too against the whole army of sinne , and by that meanes doth peradventure wound and weaken lusts which it did not distinctly observe in it selfe , by complaining unto god against the bodie of sinne , by watching over the course and frame of the heart , by acquainting it selfe out of the word with the armour and devices o●… satan , &c. the opposition then betweene the naturall conscience and sinne is like the opposition betweene fire and hardnesse in some subjects ; the conflict betweene the spirituall conscience and sinne is like the opposition betweene fire and coldnesse . put mettall into the fire , and the heat will dissolve and melt it , but put a bricke into the fire , and that will not melt nor soften ( because the consistencie of it doth not arise ex causâ frigidà , but siccâ ) but put either one or other into the fire and the coldnesse of it will be removed ; and the reason is because betweene fire and hardnesse there is but a particular opposition in some cases , namely where a thing is hard out of a dominion of cold as in mettals , not out of a dominion of dry qualities as in bricke and stones ; but betweene fire and coldnesse there is an universall opposition . so a naturall conscience may peradventure serve to dissolve or weaken , in regard of outward practice some sinnes , but never all ; whereas a spirituall reacheth to the remitting and abating every lust ▪ because the one is onely a particular the other an universall opposition thirdly , the naturall conscience fights against sinne with fleshly weapons , and therefore is more easily overcome by the subtiltie of satan , such as are servile feare , secular ends , carnall disadvantages , generall reason , and the like ; but the spirituall conscience ever fights with spirituall weapons out of the word , faith , prayer , hope , experience watchfulnesse , love , godly sorrow , truth of heart &c. fourthly , they differ in their effects . first , a natural conflict consists with the practice of many sinnes unquestioned , unresisted ; but a spirituall changeth the course and tenor of a mans life , that as by the remainders of the flesh the best may say , we cannot doe the things which we would : so by the first fruits of the spirit , and the seede of god , it may be truely said , they cannot sinne . for though they doe not attaine a perfection in the manner , yet for the generall current and course of their living it is without eminent , visible , and scandalous blame . secondly , the naturall is onely a combate , there is no victory followes it , sinne is committed with delight and persisted in still ; but the spirituall diminisheth the power and strength of sinne . thirdly , the naturall if it doe overcome , yet it doth onely represse or repell sinne for the time ; like the victory of saul over agag ▪ it is kept alive , & hath no hurt done it , but the spirituall doth mortifie , crucifie , subdue sinne . some plaisters skinne , but they do not cure , give present ease , but no abiding remedie against the roote of the disease : so some attempts against sinne may onely for the present pacifie , but not truely clense the conscience from dead workes . fourthly , the naturall makes a man never a whit the stronger against the next assault of temptation , whereas the spirituall begets usually more circumspection , prayer , faith , humiliation , growth , acquaintance with the depth and mysteries of sinne , skill to manage the spirituall armour , experience of the truth , power , and promises of god , &c. lastly , they differ in their end . the naturall is onely to pacifie the clamors of an unquiet conscience , which ever takes gods part , and pleads for his service against the sinnes of men . the spirituall is with an intent to please and obey god , and to magnifie his grace which is made perfect in our weakenesse . now for a word of the third case , why every sinne doth not raigne in every wicked man ? for answere whereunto we must , first , know that properly it is originall sinne which raignes , and this king is very wise , and therefore sends forth into a man members and life , as into severall provinces , such vicero●…es , such actuall sinnes , as may best keepe the person in peace and encouragement , as may least disquiet his estate , and provoke rebellion . secondly , we are to distinguish betweene the raigne of sinne , actuall , and vi●…tuall , or in praeparatione animi ; for if the state of the king requires it , a man will be apt to obey those commands of ●…ust , which now haply his heart riseth against , as savage and belluine practices , as we see in hazael . thirdly , though originall sinne be equall in all and to all purposes , yet actuall sinne for the most p●…t followes the temper of a mans minde , bodie , place , calling , abilities , estate , conversings , relations , and a world of the like variable particulars . now as a river would of it selfe , caeteris paribus , goe the neerest way unto the sea , but yet according to the qualities and exigencies of the earth through which it passeth , or by the arts of men , it is crooked and wried into many turnings : so originall si●…e would of it selfe carry a man the neerest way to hell , through the midst of the most divellish and hideous abominations ; but yet meeting with severall tempers and conditions in men , it rather chooseth in many men the safest then the speediest way , carries them in a compasse , by a gentler and a blinder path , then through such notorious and horrid courses , as wherein having hell still in their view , they might haply be brought some time or other to start backe and bethinke themselves . but lastly and principally the different administration of gods generall restraining grace ( which upon unsearchable and most wise and just reasons he is pleased in severall measures to distribute unto severall men ) may bee conceived a full reason , why some men are not given over to the rage and frenzie of many lusts , who yet live in a voluntary and plenary obedience unto many others . to conclude , by all this which hath beene spoken we should bee exhorted to goe over unto christ , that wee may be translated from the power of sathan ; for he only is able to strike through these our kings in the day of his wrath . consider the issue of the raigne of sinne , ( wherein it differs from a true king , and sympathizeth with tyrants , for it intendeth mischiefe and misery to those that obey it . ) first , sinne raignes unto death , that which is here called the raigne of sinne , ●…s before called the raigne of death , and the raigne of sinne unto death . rom. . . . rom. . . secondly , sinne raigneth unto feare and bondage , by reason of the death which it brings , heb. . . thirdly , sinne raigneth unto shame , even in those who escape both the death and bondage of it . fourthly , it raigneth without any fruite , hope , or benefit , what fruit had you then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed ? rom. . . lastly the raigne of sin is but momentary , at the length both it selfe and all its subjects shall be subdued . the world passeth away , and the lusts thereof , but he that doth the will of god abideth for ever . . ioh. . . of christs kingdome there is no end . we shall reape if we faint not . our combate is short , our victorie is sure , our crowne is safe , our triumph is eternall , his grace is all-sufficient here to helpe us , and his glory is all-sufficient hereafter to reward us . the pollvtion of sinne , and vse of the promises . . cor. . . having therefore these promises ( dearely beloved ) let us clense our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit , perfecting holinesse in the feare of god. having set forth the state , guilt , and power of sinne , i shall now in the last place for the further opening the exceeding sinfulnesse thereof , discover the pollution and filthinesse which therefrom both the flesh and spirit ▪ the body and soule doe contract . the apostle in the former chapter had exhorted the corinthians to abstaine from all communion with idolaters , and from all fellowship in their evill courses . severall arguments he useth to enforce his exhortation . first from the inequality of christians and unbeleevers , bee not yee unequally yoked with unbeleevers , v. . it hath a relation to the law of moses , which prohibited to plow with an oxe and an●… asse , or to put into one yoke things disproportionable . secondly , from their contrarietse , and by consequence uncommunicablenesse to each other , there is as everlasting and unreconciliable an hatred betweene christ and be●…al , righteousnesse and unrighteousnesse , as betweene light and darknesse , ver . . . thirdly , from those pretious and excellent promises which are made to christians , they are the temples of god , his people , and peculiar inheritance , h●… is their father , and they his sonnes and daughters , ver . , , . and there are many reasons in this one argument drawn from the promises to inferre the apostles conclusion . first , by that unction and consecration whereby they are made temples unto god ▪ they are separated from profane uses ▪ designed to divine and more noble imployments , sealed and set apart for god himselfe , and therefore they must not be profaned by the uncleane touch of evill society . secondly by being gods temples , they are l●…fted to a new station , the eyes of men and angels are upon them , they offend the weake , they blemish and deface their christian reputation , they justifie , comfort , encourage , settle the wicked in their sinfull courses , by a deepe pollicie of the deceitfull heart of man , apt to build u●…grounded presumptions of safety to it s●…lfe , by the fellowship of such whom it conceives to be in a good condition . thirdly , they involve themselves in the common calamities with those with whom they communicate . it israel had not separated themselves from ▪ egypt by the blood of the paschall lambe , but h●…d communicated with them in their idolat●…y , they should have felt the sword of the destroying ▪ angell in their houses , as well as the egyptians . if upon hostility betweene nations , warning be given by an adversary to all strangers to voyde the place which he commeth against , and they take not the summons ; though of themselves they bee no way engaged upon the quarrell , yet being promiscuously mingled with the conquer'd people , they also shall share in the common calamity , and become captives with the rest : so good men by communion with the wicked , are involved in the generall miseries of those with whom they communicate . fourthly , they betray the safety and tranquillitie of the church and state wherein they live ; for they under christ are the foundations of the common wealth , their prayers establish the princes throne , their cryes hold god fast and will not let him alone , to destroy a people . if the salt bee infatuated , every thing must be unsavoury , if the foundations faile , what can the people doe ? now lastly , in the words of the text the apostle shewes the aptnesse of the promises to clense and purifie , and that therefore they to whom they are made do mis-imploy and neglect them , if they purifie not themselves from all that filthynesse of flesh and spirit which by communion with the wicked they were apt easily to contract . i shall not trouble you with any division of the words , but observe out of them the point i have proposed , touching the pollution and filthinesse of sinne , ▪ and inferre other things in the text by way of corolarie and application unto that . the wise man saith that god made all things beautifull in their time , and then much more man , whom hee created after his owne image in righteousnesse and holynesse with an universall harmony & rectitude in soule and body . hee never said of any of the crea●…ures , let u●… make it after our o●…ne image as he did of man , and yet the creatures have no more beautie in them , then th●…y have footesteps of the power , wisedome , and goodnesse of him that made them . how much more beautifull then was the soule of man , for whose service this whole glorious frame was erected , and who was filled with the knowledge and love of all gods revealed will ? now sinne brought confusion , disorder , vanity , both upon the whole creation , and upon the image of god in men and angels . what thing more glorious then an angell , what more hideous then a devill , and it was nothing but sinne which made an angell a divell . what thing more beautifull and benigne then heaven , what more horrid and mercilesse then hell , and yet it was sin which drew a * hell out of heaven , even fire and brimstone upon gods enemies . what more excellent and befitting the hands of such a workman then an universall fulnesse and goodnesse in the whole frame of nature ? what more base and unserviceable then emptinesse and disorder ? and it is sinne which hath put chinkes into all the creatures to let out their vertue , and hath brought vanitie and vexation of spirit upon all things under the sunne . in one word what more honourable then to obtaine the end for which a thing is made ? what more abhorrid then to subsist in a condition infinitely more wofull then not to be ? and it is sin only which shall one time or other make all impenitent sinners wish rather to bee hurried into that fearefull gulfe of annihilation , and to be swallowed up in everlasting forgetfulnesse , then live with those markes of vengeance , under those mountainous and unsupportable pressures , which their sinnes will bring upon them . when we looke into the scriptures to finde out there the resemblances of sinne , wee finde it compar'd to the most loath some of things . to the blood and pollution of a new borne childe , before it bee cut , washed , salted , or swadled ▪ ezek. . . to the rottennesse of a man in his grave , the whole world lieth in mischiefe and sinne , . ioh. . . even as a dead man in the slime , and rottennesse of his grave . to that noysome steame and poysonous exhalation which breath ▪ s from the mouth of an open sepulcher , their throat is an open sepulcher ▪ ro●… . . . that is , out of their throate proceedeth nothing but stinking and rotten communication , as the apostle cals it . eph. . . to the nature of vipers , swine , and dogges , luk. . . . pet. . . to the dung or garbage , the poyson , sting , excrements , vomit of these filthy creatures ; to a roote of bitternesse which defiloth many , heb. ▪ . to thorns and briers , which bring forth no other fruites but cu●…ses , heb. . . to the excrements of mettals , drosse , and reprobate silver , ier. . . ezek. . to the excrements of a boyling pot , a great scumme , ezek. . . . to the worst of all diseases , sores , esai . . . rottennesse , . tim. . . gangrenes or leaprosies , . tim. . . plague and pestil●…nee , . king. . . the menstruousnesse of a removed woman ▪ ezek. . . to a vessell in which there is no pleasure , which is but the modest expression of that draught into which nature emptieth it selfe , hos. . . and which is the summe of all uncleannesse , sinne in the heart is compar'd to the fire of hell , iam. . . so that the pure eyes of god doe loath to see , and his nostrils to smell it , zach. . . amos. . . it makes all those that have eyes open , and judgements rectified to abho●…re it in ot●…ers . the wicked is an abomination to the righteous , prov. . . when desperate wretches poure out their o●…thes and execr●…tions against heaven , scorne and persecute the word of grace . count it basenesse and cowardise not to dare to bee desperately wicked , then every true heart mournes for their pride , compassionates their misery , defies their solicitations , declines their companies and courses , even as most infectious , serpentine , and hellish exhalations which poison the ay●…e , and putrifie the earth upon which they ●…reade . and when god gives a man eyes to looke inward , unridgeth the conscience , unbo ▪ welleth the heart , stirreth up by his word the sinke which is in every mans bosome , makes him smell the carrion of his owne dead workes , the uncleannesse of his evill conscience , the filthinesse of his nature , every man is then constrained to abhorre himselfe , to be loathsome in his owne sight , and to stoppe his nose at the poyson of his owne sores , ezek. . . for the more particular discovery of this truth , let us first looke upon the best workes of the best men . though we say not that they are sins , and in naturarei culpable , as our adversaries charge us ; yet so much evill doth adhere unto them by the mixture of our corruptions , by passing through our hands , as when sweete water passeth through a sinke , as that god might justly turne away his eyes from his owne graces in us , not as his graces , but as in us . it is true , the spirituall off●…rings and sacrifices of the saints , as they come from gods grace , are cleane and pure , a sweet savour , acceptable , well pleasing , and delightfull unto god. but yet as they come from us they have iniquitie in them , as not being done with that through and most exact conformitie to gods will , as his iustice requires , and therefore if hee should enter into judgement , and marke what is done amisse , he might reject our prayers , and throw backe the dung of our sacrifices into our faces , for abusing and defiling his grace ; for cursedis every one that continueth not in everything written in the law to doe it . cleane then and acceptable they are . first , comparatively in regard of wicked mens offerings , which are altogether uncleane . secondly , by favor and acceptance , because god spareth us as a father his sonne that desires to please him . thirdly , ( which is the ground of all ) by participation with christ , being perfum'd with his incense , being strained through his blood , being sanctified upon his altar ; when he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of gold , to purifie the sonnes of levi , and purge them as gold and silver , then shall they off●…r unto the lord an off●…ring in righteousnesse , then shall the offerings of iudah and ierusalem bee pleasant unto the lord. but in it selfe ou●… best righteousnesse is as a m●…nstruous ragge . if god should lay righteousnesse to the line and judgement to the plummet , should take such exceptions as he justly might at the most holy action that any saint can offer to him ; if hee should shew the conscience how short it falls of that totall perfection which his pure eye requires , how many loose thoughts , how much deadnesse , wearinesse , irreverence , diffidence , vitiat●…th o●…r purest prayers ; how many by ends , corrupt respects , ignorances , oversights , forgetfulnesse , worldly intermixtures deface and blemish our brightest actions ; how much unbeliefe consists with the strongest faith ; how many thornes , stones , birds , doe haunt and cover the best ground , the most honest and good heart to stifle and steale away the word from it ; how many weedes doe mingle with the purest corne ; how much ignorance in the sublimest judgements ; how much vanitie in the severest and exactest mindes ; how much loosenesse and digressions in the most sadde and composed thoughts ; how many impertinencies and irregularities in the most bridled and restrained tongue ; how much mispence of the seasons and opportunities of grace in the most thrifty redemption of our time ; how much want of compassion and melting affections in our greatest almes ; of love to the truth , and right acceptation of the beautifull 〈◊〉 of peace in our largest contributions ; how much selfeallowance and dispens●…tion to iterate , and re●…erate ou●… smaller errors ; if in these and a world of the like advantages god should be exact to marke what is done 〈◊〉 , who were able to stand in his presence , or abide his comming ? say the papists what they will of merit of con●…ignitie , commensurate to eternall life ▪ and proportionable to the iustice and ●…everest scrutinie of the most pure and jealous god ▪ yet let the conscience of the holies●… of them all bee summon'd to single out the most pure and merito●…ious worke which he ever did , and with that to ioyne issue with gods iustice to perish or be saved according as that most perfect of all his workes shall appeare ●…ighteous or impure ; and i dare presume none of them would let their salvation runne a hazard upon that triall . so then there is pollution by way of adherencie and contact in the h●…st workes of the best men . how much more then in the best workes of unregenerate men ? their sacrifices uncleane and abominable before god , being offered upon the altar of a defiled conscience , prov. . . tit. . . their prayers and solemne meeting ●…hatefull , loathsome ▪ impious , esai . ▪ , , . for either they are but the howlings of ●…flicted men , that crie out for paine , but not out of love , hos. . . or the babling of carelesse ●…nd secure men , that cry lord , lord , and mumble a few words without further notice , like balaams as●…e , math. ▪ . or the wishings and wouldings of inordinate men , that pray for their lusts and not for their soules , iam . . or lastly the bold and unwarranted intrusions of presumptuous men , who without respect to the word , promises , or conditions of god ▪ would haue mercie from him without grace , and forgivenesse of sinne without for saking of sinne . their mercies are cruell mercies ; their profession of religion but a forme of godlinesse , . tim. . . all as i said before but the embalming of a carcasse , which abates nothing of the hideousnesse of it in the sight of god. and now if the best workes of wicked men are so uncleane and full of filthinesse in gods eyes , where then shall appeare their confessed sinnes ? if their prayers and devotions stinke , how much more their oathes and execrations ? if their sacrifices and that which they offer to god is vnclean , how uncleane is their sacriledge and that which they steale from him ? if their mercies be cruell , how cruel their malice , murthers , br●…beries , oppressions ▪ if there be so much filthinesse in their profession , how much more in their persecution , in their reviling and scorning of the wayes of god ? if their fastings and maceration be sinfull and not unto the lord , zach. . . what is their drunkennesse , their spuing and staggering , their clamors and uncleannesse , all their cursed complements and ceremonies of damnation ? o consider this all yee that have hitherto forgotten god! remember that his eyes are purer then alwayes to behold iniquitie ; remember that his spirit will not alwaies strive with flesh ! admire his bottomlesse patience , which hath thus long suffered thee an uncleane vessel to pollute thy selfe and others , and forborne thee with more patience then thou could'st have done a toade , or serpent , then which notwithstanding in his sight thou art farre more uncleane : and remember that his patience is salvation , and should lead thee to repentance ! consider , that the law of the lord is pure , and his feare cleane , and his holynesse beautifull , the garments with which he clotheth his priests , garments of comelynesse and prayse , made for glory and beauty ; he comes with fire and sope , with water and blood to heale our sores , to purge our uncleannesse . but now if there be lewdnesse in our filthinesse , obstinacie in our evill wayes ; if it suffice us not to have thus long wrought the will of the gentiles , let us with feare consider those wofull denunciations : let him that is filthy be filthy still : ephraim is ioyned to idols let him alone : because i have purged thee , and thou wast not purged , thou shalt not bee purged from thy sinnes any more , till i have caused my furie to rest upon thee . we have considered the quod s●… , that sinne is full of filthinesse and pollution . i will but name the quid ●…it , what this filthinesse is . it hath two things belonging to the nature of it . first , a privation of the nitor or beauty which the image of god brought into the soule with it . a difformity to the holinesse and brightnesse of the law. the law was both holy and good , not onely the rule but the beauty of our life and nature . so that as evill is a declination and swarving from the law as a rule , so it is sinne , and as it is a swarving from the law as our beauty , so it is the staine and pollution of the soule . secondly , it notes a positive foulenesse , an habituall ( both naturall and contracted ) defilednesse of minde and conscience , an introducing of the image of satan , hideous markes of hellishnesse and deformity in the soule , body and conversation . every desire , motion , and figment of the heart being nothing but the exhalations of an open sepulcher , the dampe and steame of a rotten soule . now in the last place let us see the quale sit , those evill properties which accompanie this pollution . foure woefull qualities belong unto it . first , it is a deepe pollution of a crimson dye , of a skarlet tincture that will not weare out . esai . . . like the spots of a leopard , or the blicknesse of an ethiopian , which is not by way of accidentall or externall adherencie , but innate and contemper'd , belonging to the constitution . ier. . . it is engraven upon their heart , written with an iron pen , and the claw of a diamond , and so fashion'd even in the very substance of the soule . ier. . . it is an iniquitie marked , which cannot bee washed away with niter and much sope , no more then markes imprinted and incorporated in the substance of a vessell . ier. . . the whole inundation and deluge of noah could not wash it of from the earth , but it return'd againe . a showre of fire and brimstone from heaven hath not so clensed it out of the country of sodome , but that the venome and plague of it doth still there appeare in a poisonous and stinking l●…ke . the plague which came amongst the israelites for the abominations of baal peor had not clensed the filthinesse all away , but many yeeres after the staine remained , ios. . . nay , the very flames of hell shall not in all eternity be able to eate out the prints , or to fetch away the staines of the smallest sinnes from the nature of man. nay , which is yet stronger then all this , though grace be of it selfe apt to wipe out , and conquer sinne , yet that measure and portion of grace which here the best receive , though it may shorten , weaken , abate , yet it doth not utterly roote ●…t out . who can say i have made my heart cleane , i am free from my sinnes ? the best of us have yet our sores running upon us , and stand i●… neede of a garment to cover our pollutions . secondly , it is an universall pollution . i said unto thee when thou wast in thy bloud , live . we are by nature all overdrown'd and plung'd in the filthinesse of sinne . the apostle here cals it filthinesse of flesh and spirit , to note the compasse of the staine of sinne . for notwithstanding some sinnes belong principally to the spirit , as pride , heresie , idolatry , superstition , &c. and others to the flesh , as drunkennesse , gluttonie , uncleannesse , &c. yet certaine it is that every sinne defiles both flesh and spirit , by the reason of their mutuall dependencie in being and working , and of the contagious quality of sinne . sinnes of the flesh soake and sinke and eate in to the bottome of the spirit , to drowne that with hardnesse , insensibility , errour , security , inconsideratenesse , contempt of god , &c. and the sinnes of the spirit breake out like plague sores into the flesh , pride into the eye , malice into the hand , heresie●… to the tongue , superstition and idolatry into the knee , &c. the soule and body have so neere communion , that one can no more sinne al●…e without the contagion of the other , then one wheele in an engine move without the motion of the other . thirdly , it is a spreading pollution . a leprosie , a gangrene , a plague , that diffuseth poison and infection upon others . first , it spreades in a mans selfe . an evill lust will infect the thoughts , and they the desires , and they the words and actions , and they grow into habits and reflect backe againe upon the heart and conscience to harden and defile them . secondly , this infection staies not in a mans selfe onely , but runnes forth upon others , to leade and misguide them ; we will certainely doe as we have done , we and our kings , our princes , and our fathers , in the cities of iudah and in the streetes of ierusalem . to drive and compell them ; why compellest thou the gentiles to live as doethe iewes ? to comfort and hearten them ; thou hast justified , and art a comfort to thy sisters sodome and samaria . to exasperate and enrage them ; thou hast given occasion to the enemies of the lord to blaspheme . to deceive and seduce them , as the old prophet of bethel did the prophet of the lord by his lie . to teach and instruct them ; the israelites by their idolatry taught their children to walke after baalim . and by how much the more authority over the persons of men , or emmencie of place , or reputation of piety any man hath , by so much the more spreading and infectious are his sinnes , being taken with the more trust and assurance . if a minister be loose and scandalous , a magistrate carelesse and rustie , a gentleman rude a●…d uncleane , a man that professeth the power of godlinesse , unjust and worldly , strange it is how the lower and more ignorant ranke of men , who beleeve that surely such men as these are not by their places so farre from , or by their learning and studies so unacquainted with god as they , will be hereby strengthned in their deadly and formall courses . thirdly ( which is yet worse ) the vory godly are apt to be infected by the sinnes of the wicked . it is not so strange to see a godly man misguided and seduc'd by the errours of others like himselfe , the estimation of whose persons may over-rule the opiniō of their actions , and so make a man take them upon trust from them . but that a holy man should carch infection from the example of another who is in the gall of b●…ternesse , is a thing that wonderfully sets f●…th the corruption of our nature , and the contagion of sin●…e . the sonnes of god saw the daughters of men , and were polluted , the people of israel saw the midianitish women and were ensnared . a holy mans conversing with loose , carnall and formall men , diswonts him from the wayes of god , brings a deadnesse of spirit , and insensible decay of grace upon him secretly , and therefore the more dangerously conveyes a mediocritie and compliancie of spirit with formes onely of godlinesse and pharisaicall outsides , begets much dispensation and allowance in many errours , that he may keepe pace , and not seeme too austere , censorious , and ill conceited of the men whom hee walkes with . therefore david would not suffer a wicked man to be in his presence , nor any wicked thing to be before his eyes , lest it should cleave unto him . take heede , saith the apostle , lest any roote of bitternesse springing up trouble you , and thereby many be defiled . fourthly , it spreads not onely upon men , but defiles and curses the good creatures of god about us ; it puts a leprosie into the stone in the wall , and the beame in the house , barrennesse into the earth , mourning into the elements , consumption into the beasts and birds , bondage , vanitie , griefe , and at last combustion and dissolution upon the whole frame of nature . fourthly , it is a mortall & apoysonous pollution , the pollution of deadly sores , & putrifactions . i said unto thee in thy blood live , yea i said unto thee in thy blood live . it notes that that estate wherein they were in their sinnes , was so deadly , that the cure of them was very difficult , it required the repetition of gods power and mercie . if a childe new borne should lie exposed in its blood to the injurie of a cold ayre , not have the navell cut , nor the body wrapp'd , or wash'd , or tended at all , how quickly would it be that from the wombe of the mother it would drop into the wombe of the earth ? the state of sinne is an estate of nakednesse , blood , impotencie , obnoxiousnesse to all the temptations and snares of sathan , to all the darts of death and hell . the ancients compare it to falling into a pit full of dirt and stones , a man is not onely polluted , but hee is bruized and wounded by it . to conclude , there is no deformity nor filthines extant which did not rise from sinne . it is sin which puts bondage into the creature , which brings discords and deformities upon the face of nature . it is sin which put devilishnesse into angels of heaven , and hurried them downe from their first habitation . it is sin which put a sting into death , without which though it kil yet it cannot curse . it is sin which puts fire into hell , and supplies unto all eternitie the fuell & materials for those unextinguishable slames . it is sin which puts hell into the conscience and armes a man with terrours and amazements against himselfe . it is sin which puts rottennes and dishonour into the grave ; he that died without sin rose up without corruption . it is sinne which wrings out those clamors and grones of bruit creatures , which wrestle under the curse of adams fall . it is sin which enrageth and maddeth one beast against another , and one man against another , & one nation against another . it is sin which brought shame and dishonor upon that nakednesse unto which all the creatures in paradise did owe awe and reverence . it is sin which turn'd sodom into a stinking lake , and ierusalem the glory of the earth , into a desolation and haunt for owles and bitterns . it is sinne which so often staineth heauen and earth with the markes of gods vengeance , and which will one day roule up in darkenesse , and devoute with fire , and reduce to its primitive confusion the whole frame of nature . it is sinne which puts horror into the law , makes that which was at first a law of life and liberty to be a law of bondage and death , full of weaknesse , unprofitablenesse , hideousnesse , and curses . it is sinne which puts malignity and venome into the very gospell , making it a savor of death unto death , that is , of another deeper death and sorer condemnation , which by trampling upon the blood of christ wee draw upon our selves , unto that death under which wee lay before by the malediction of the law. and lastly ( which is the highest that can bee spoken of the ve●…ome of 〈◊〉 . it is sinne which , in a sort , and to speake after the manner of men , hath put hatred into god himselfe , hath moved the most mercifull , gratious and compassionate creator , to hate the things which he made , and not to take pittie upon the workes of his hands . if god had look'd round about his owne workes , hee could have found nothing but goodnesse in them , and theresore nothing but love in himselfe . but when sinne came into the world , it made the lord repent , and grieve , and hate , and destroy his owne workmanship . and the consideration hereof should drive us all like lepers and polluted wretches to that fountaine in israell which is opened for sinne and for uncleannesse , to buy of him white rayment that wee may be clothed , and the shame of our nakednesse may not appeare . for which purpose we must first finde out the pollution of sinne in our selves , and that is by using the glasse of the law , which was published of purpose to make sinne appeare exceeding sinfull . for as rectum is sui index & obliqui so purum is sui index & impuri , that which is right and pure is the measure and discovery of that which is crooked and impure . now the law is right , pure , holy , l●…st , good , lovely , honourable , cleane ; and therefore very apt to discover the contrary affections and properties in sinne . and having gotten by the law acquaintance with our selves , there is then fit place for the apostles precept , to cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit . first the lord discovered the preposterousnesse of israels services unto him , when they came before him in their uncleannesse , and lifted up hands full of blood , and then comes the like precepts to the apostles here , wash ye , make ye cleane , put away the evill of your doings from before mine eyes , &c. but can an uncleane thing cleanse it selfe ? can that which is intrinsecally , naturally , inherently uncleare purifie it selfe ? it may pollute any thing which toucheth it , but how can it cease from that which belongs to its nature , or wipe out that which hath eaten in , and is marked in its very substance ? it is true of our selves wee cannot cleanse our selves , it is christs office to sanctifie his church , and it is his comlynesse with which wee are adorned , without him we can doe nothing ; but yet having him we must wash our selves . for god worketh not upon men as a carver upon a stone when he would induce the shape and proportions of a man , but yet leaves it a stone still and no more ; but as himselfe did worke upon earth in paradise when hee breath'd into it the soule of man , and so made it a living creature . it is true a naturall man is as dead to grace as a stone is to naturall life , and therefore if onely man should worke upon him hee would continue as dead still ; but hee who of dead earth made a living man , is able of stones to raise up children unto abraham , and the worke of conversion is a worke of vivification . now then being quickned , we must walke and worke our selves . i will take away , saith the lord , the sto●…ie heart out of their flesh , and i will give them an heart of flesh , that they may walke in my statutes , &c. so then god commands us to cleanse our selves when yet it is his owne worke . first , to teach us that what he doth is not out of dutie or debt , but of grace and favour for when he doth that which he commands , it is manifest that ours was the duty , and therefore his the great●…r mercy , to give us mony wherewith to pay him the debt we owed . thou workest allour workes for us , saith the prophet . the worke as it is a dutie is ours , but as it is a performance it is thine . secondly , he doth it to shew that though hee be the author and finisher of our faith , though he who beginneth our good workes doth also performe them untill the day of christ , yet he will not have us abide alwayes under his hand as dead stones , but , being quickned , and healed by his spirit , and having our impotencies remooved , we likewise must cooperate and move to the same end with him ; for he doth not so worke for us , but hee withall gives us a will and a deede to concurre with him to the same actions , as wee have received christ , so wee must walke in him . thirdly , to shew us where wee must fetch our cure , to teach us that hee will bee sought unto by us , and that wee must rely upon his power and promises . therefore hee commandeth us the things which we cannot doe , that we might know of whom to begge them , for it is faith alone which obtaineth by prayer that which the law requireth onely but cannot effect , by reason of the weaknesse of it . in one place the lord commandeth , cast away from you all your transgressions , and make you a new heart and a new spirit . in another place he promiseth , i will sprinkle cleane water upon you , and you shall be cleane from all your filthinesse and from all your idols will i cleanse you ; a new heart also will i give you , and a new spirit will i put within you , and i will take away the stonie heart out of your flesh . and will give you an heart of flesh . how can these things consist together , he commands us to doe that which hee promiseth to doe himselfe ? but onely to shew that god gives what he requires . the things which he bids us doe , ( as if they were to bee the workes of our owne will , and being indeede the duties which we owe ) yet he promiseth to doe in us , to shew that they are the workes of his grace , and that his promises are the foundation of all our performances . for wee by working doe not cause him to fulfill his promises , but hee by promising doth enable us to performe our workes . so then wee cleanse our selves by the strength of his promises , they are the principles of our purification . this the apostle expresseth in the text . having therefore these promises ( dearely beloved ) let us cleanse our selves . this then is the next thing wee must inquire into , wherein the strength of this argument lies , and how a man ought to make use of the promises to inferre and presse upon his conscience this dutie of clansing himselfe . here then first we must note , that promises doe containe the matter of rewards , and are for the most part so proposed unto us . abating onely the first promise of ca●…ing unto the obedience of faith , which i conceive is rather made unto christ in our behalfe ( aske of me and i will give thee the heath●…n for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession ) then unto us formally , because the seede of abraham are the subject of the promises , i say excepting onely that , i conceive all other promises to beare in them the nature of a reward , and so to carry relation to presupposed services . for benefits have usually burdens and engagements with them , so that promises being the representation of rewards , and rewards the consequents of service , and all services being generally comprehended in this of cleansing our selves from all ●…ilthinesse , and of finishing holinesse in gods feare , manifest it is that the promises are in this regard fit arguments to induce our dutie . the gospell which is the word of promise hath an obedience annexed unto it , which the apostle cals the obedience of the gospell : and faith being the hand to receive the promises hath an obedience annexed vnto it likewise , which the same apostle cals the obedience of faith , for it is not only a hand to receive , but a hand to worke . to live to our selves , and yet lay claime to the promis●…s , is to make god a lyer , not to beleeve the record which hee gives of himselfe , that he will not cast away pretious things upon swine . his promises are free in fier●… , made onely out of grace , but conditionall in facto esse , performed and accomplished with dependance upon duties in us . god is faithfull , saith the apostle , who shall stablish you and keep you from evill , there is the promise , and we are confident that you will doe the things which we command you there is the duty which that promise cales for . when we pray , give us our dayly bread , by saying , give us , we acknowledge that it is from god , but when wee call i●… ours , wee shew how god gives it , namely in the use of meanes . for bread is ours , not onely in the right of the promise , i will not faile thee , nor forsake thee , but by service and quiet working in an orderly calling . secondly , promises are apt to purifie not onely as arguments to induce it , but likewise as efficiens causes and principles , being by faith apprehended , of our holynesse . and so the force of the reason is the fame , as if a rich man having given a great estate unto his sonne , should adde this exhortation , having received such gifts as these , and having now where withall to live in qualitie and worth , keepe your selfe in fashion like the sonne of such a father . efficients they are . first , as tokens and expressions of gods love , for all gods promises are grounded in his love. his iustice , truth , ahd fidelity are the reasons of fulfilling promises , because in them hee maketh himselfe our debtor ( therefore saith the apostle , there is laid up for mee a crowne of righteousnesse which god the righteous iudge shall give unto me●… ; and againe , god is faithfull , who will not suffer you to bee tempted , and faithfull is hee that hath promised , who also will doe it ; and saint iohn , if we confesse our sinnes , he is faithfull and lust to forgive us our sinnes , and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse . one would thinke a man should rather feare the revenge then expect the forgivenesse of sinnes by gods ●…ustice , but god is as iust in performing the mercy which hee promiseth , as in executing the vengeance which he threatneth . so then iustice and fidelity are the reasons of fulfilling promises , but gods love and mercy is the onely reason of making promises . the lord did not set his love upon you nor choose you ( saith moses to israel ) because ye were more in number then any people , but because the lord loved you , that is the ground of making the promise , and because he would keepe the oath which he had sworne to your fathers , that was the ground of performing his promise . for thy words sake , and according to thine owne heart , saith david , hast thou done all these great things . according to thine owne heart , that is , ex mero mot●… , out of pure and unexcited love , thou didst give thy word and promise , and for thy word sake thou hast performed it , not for any thing that was in mee ( for wh●… am ●… o lord , or what is my house ? ) hast thou brought me hitherto . thou wilt performe , saith the prophet , the truth to iacob , and the mercy to abraham , which thou hast sworne unto our fathers from the dayes of old ; why truth to iacob , and mercy to abraham ? we must note , the promise after a sort began in abraham ( therefore he is call'd the father of the faithfull ) and when god makes a promise , it is onely out of mercie ; but the promise was continued unto ●…a cob , who being abrahams seede was an hei●…e of the promise , and so the inheritance which was out of mercy given unto abraham , did out of truth and fidelitie descend unto iacob , the seede of abraham ; and therefore we shall finde covenant , mercy , and oath ioyned together in the scripture , to note unto us both the ground of making the covenant , mercy ▪ and the ground of performing the covenant made , the truth and fidelity of god. thy god shall keepe unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers , saith moses . to performe the mercy promised to our fathers , and to re member his holy covenant , the oath which he sware to ou●… father abraham , &c. saith zachary in his song . th●… wee see that the promises are the tokens and fruits o●… gods meere love ▪ and in that regard they are apt to cleanse , or to moue us to any dut●…e which god requires of us . for love and mercy , being by faith apprehended ▪ are strong arguments to love and feare god againe . is love him because he loved us , and they shall feare th●… lord and his goodnesse ; the goodnesse of the lord begetteth feare , and that is all one as to cleanse and purifie for the feare of the lord is cleane and pure . there is an uncleane feare , like that of the adulteresse , who feareth her husband , lest hee should returne and deprehend her in her falsenesse to him ; but the true feare of the lord is cleane , like that of a chaste spouse who feareth the departure of her love. there are none so destitute of humanity as not to answere love for love. secondly , promises are the efficient causes of our purification , as they are the grounds of our hope and expectations . wee have no reason to hope for any thing which is not promised , or upon any other conditions then as promised . hope is for this reason in scripture compared to an anker both sure and stedfast , because it must have something of firmenesse and stabilitie to fasten upon before it can secure the soule in any tempest . to hope without a promise , or upon any promise otherwise then it stands , is but to let an anker hang in the water , or catch in a wave , and thereby to expect safetie to the vessell . this argument the apostle useth why we should not cast away our confidence , or slacken our hope , because there is a promise , which by patience and doing the will of god we may in due time receive , and which is a firme foundation for our confidence to ●…est upon . so abraham is said to have beleeved against hope in hope that hee should be the father of many nations and the ground of that hope is added , according to that which was spoken , to that word of promise , ●…o shall thy se●…de be . and else where he is said to have looked for a city which had foundations ; that is a citie which was built upon the immutable stabilitie of gods ●…ath and promise . thus we see promises are the grounds of our hop●… , and hop●… is of a cleansing nature . the grace of god , saith the apostle , teacheth as to deny 〈◊〉 and worldly lusts , and to live ●…oberly , righteously ▪ and godly in this present world ; the reason whereof is presently enforced , looking for that blessed hope , and the glorious appearing of the great god. and againe , he that hath this hope in him , saith s. iohn , namely to bee like him at his comming , purifieth himselfe even as he is pure . hee that hopeth to be fully like christ hereafter , and to come to the measure of the stature of his fulnesse , will labour to his uttermost to bee as he was in this world. for a man hopes for nothing de futuro , which he would not presently compasse , if it were in his power . no man is to bee presum'd to hope for the whole who hates any part , or to expect the fulnesse , who rejects the first fruites of the spirit . he that loveth not his brother whom hee hath seene , how can hee love god whom he hath not seene ? that is , he that cannot endure nor looke on that little glimpse and ray of holynesse which is in his brother , in one of the same passions , infirmities and corruptions with himselfe , will much lesse be able to abide the light of the sonne of righteousnesse , and that most orient , spotlesse , and vast holynesse which is in him . the same reason holdes here , he that cannot endeavour to purifie himselfe here , doth never truely hope to be like christ hereafter . he that directs his course towards yorke can never bee presumed to hope that hee shall by that journey get to london , when he knowes , or might easily be informed that it is quite the other way . and the truth is , no wicked man hath any true or a●… saint peter cal●… it lively hope to come to heaven . blind presumptions , ignorant wishings and wouldings hee may have , but no true hope at all . for that ever supposeth some knowledge and preapprehension of the goodnesse of that which is hoped for ; and there is nothing in heaven which wickedmen do not hate as very evill to them ; the presence of the most holy god , the purity and brightnesse of his glory , the company of christ iesus and his saints , &c. if they might be suffered first to have a view of it , and see what is there doing , what divine and holy imployments take up all the thoughts , desires , and powers of the blessed company there , they would abhorre no place more . hope begets love ( whom having not seene , ye love , saith the apostle ) hope to bee like christ hereafter will worke a love and desire to expresse so much as wee can of his image here . hee that longs for a thing will take any present occasion to get as much of it as he may together . notably doth saint paul set forth this purifying propertie of hope in the promises . i follow after , if that i may apprehend that for which also i am apprehended of christ iesus . i am already apprehended of christ , he hath in his body carried me in hope vnto heaven with him , and made mee sit together in heavenly places , and this hope to come to him at last , to attaine to that price of the high calling of god in christ iesus , makes me presse , and pull , and strive by all meanes to attaine to perfection , to expresse a heavenly conversation in earth , because from thence i looke for a saviour the lord iesus christ : hope ( as we said ) is an anker , our anker is fix'd in heaven , our vessell is upon earth , now as by the cable a man may draw his vessell to the anker , so the soule being fixed by hope vnto christ , doth hale and draw it selfe neerer and neerer unto him . thirdly , promises are the efficient causes of our purification , as they are the objects of our faith : for we dare not beleeve without promises . therefore abraham stagger'd not through unbeliefe , but gave glory to god , because he was fully perswaded , that what he had promised he was able to performe . it is not gods power simply , but with relation to his promise which secures our faith . so sarah is said through faith to be deliver'd of a child being past age , because she judg'd him faithfull that had promised . now by being objects of faith , the promises must needs cleanse from filthinesse ; for faith also hath a cleansing property , it purifieth the heart , and worketh by love , and looketh upon the things promised as desireable things , rejoyceth in them , and worketh homogeneall and sutable affections unto them . againe , we must note , that sinne comes seldome without promises to pollute us , begets vast expectations and hopes of good from it . balaam was whet and enliven'd by promises to curse gods people ; the strumpet in the proverbes , that said to the young man , come let us take our fill of loves , conceiv'd most adequate satisfaction to her adulterous lusts by that way . this was the delusion of the rich foole in his epicurisme , soule take thine ●…ase , eate , drinke , and be merry , for thou hast much laid up for many yeeres : of the iewes in their idolatries to the queene of heaven , because that would afford them plenty of victuals , and make them see no evill : of gehazies foolish heart , who promised to himselfe olive-yards and vineyards , and sheepe and oxen , and men-servants and maide servants by his officious lie . and this was one of the divels master pieces when he tempted christ , all these will i give thee , if thou wilt fall downe and worship me . thus we see sinne seldome comes without promises to seduce and pollute the soule . and yet the truth is these promises cannot hold up the hope of any man. when a man hath wearied himselfe in the pursuit of them , yet still there is lesse hope at last then at first . but now faith fixing upon sure mercies , upon promises which cannot be abrogated or disannull'd ( being made i●…eversible by the oath of god , who after hee hath sworne cannot repent ) and seeing not onely stabilitie , but pretiousnesse in the promises , and through them looking upon the great goodnesse of the things contained in them as already subsisting and present to the soule , and by this meanes overcomming the world ( whose onely prejudice and advantage against christ is this , that the things which hee promiseth are long hence to come , whereas that which it promiseth it likewise presenteth to the view of sense ; which difference faith destroieth , by giving a subsistence and spirituall presence of things hoped for to the soule ) by this meanes , i say , faith doth mightily prevaile to draw a man unto such holinesse , as becommeth the sonnes and heires of so certaine and pretious promises . till a man by faith apprehends some interest in the promises , he will never out of true love endeavour a conformitie unto god in christ. by them , saith saint peter , we are made partakers of the divine nature , and doe escape the corruption that is in the world through lust . what is it to be made partaker of the divine nature ? it notes two things : first , a fellowship with god in his holinesse ; that puritie which is eminenter and infinitely in gods most holy nature is formaliter , or secundum modum creaturae , so farre as the image of his infinite holinesse is expressible in a narrow creature , fashioned in and communicated unto us by our union with christ. secondly , a fellowship with god in his blessednesse , namely in that beatificall vision , and brightnesse of glory which from the face and fulnesse of iesus christ ( who as a second adam is made unto us the authour and fountaine of all heavenly things ) shall at last in fulnesse , and doth even now in flashes and glimmerings shine forth upon his members . and all this we have from those great and pretious promises which are made unto us of holinesse and of blessednesse . for as we say of the word in generall , so more especially of the promises , they are operative words , and doe produce some reall effects , being received by faith . as a man when he receiveth a deed signed , sealed , witnessed , and delivered , doth not onely take parchment or waxe , or emptie words , but hath thereby some fundamentall right created unto the things in the deed mentioned to be convey'd , so that the deed is declaratorie and operative of some reall effects : so in the word and promises of god sealed by the bloud of christ , ratified by the oath of the covenant , testified by the spirit of truth , deliver'd by the hand of mercy , and received by the hand of faith , there doth not onely passe emptie breath and naked words , but also some reall effects by the intendment of god are thereby produc'd ; namely , the cleansing of our sinfull nature from the pollutions of the world , and the transforming thereof into the image and purity of the divine nature . fourthly , promises are the efficient causes of our purification , as they are the raies and beames of christ the sunne of righteousnesse , in whom they are all founded and established . they are all in him yea , and in him amen . every promise by faith apprehended carries a man to christ , and to the consideration of our unity with him , in the right whereof we have claime to the promises ; even as every line in a circumference , though there never so distant from other , doth , being pursued , carry a man at last to one and the same center , common unto them all . for the promises are not made for any thing in us , nor have their stability in us , but they are made in and for christ unto us , unto christ in our behalfe , and unto us onely so farre forth as we are members of christ. for they were not made to seeds as many , but to seed , namely to christ , in aggregato , as comprehending the head and the members in the unitie of one body . so then every promise carrying us to that vnitie which we have with christ by his spirit ( who is therefore call'd a spirit of adoption , because he vesteth us with the sonneship of christ , and a spirit of holinesse and renovation , because he sanctifieth us by the resurrection of christ ) doth thereby purifie us from dead workes , and conforme the members to the head , building them up in an holy temple and into an habitation of god through that spirit by whom we are in christ. in one word , our interest in the promises is grounded upon our being in christ , and being one with him ; and our being in him is the ground of our purification . every branch in me that bringeth forth fruite , my father purgeth , that it may bring forth more fruite . and in this respect the promises may be said to purifie , as still carrying us to our interest in christ , in whom they are founded . fifthly and lastly , the promises are causes of our purification , as exemplars , patterns , and seeds of purity unto us . for the promises are in themselves exceeding great and pretious , every word of god is pure and tryed like gold seven times in the fire , it is right , and cleane , and true , and altogether righteous , and therefore very lovely and attractive , apt to sanctifie and cleanse the soule . sanctifie them by thy truth ( saith christ ) thy word is truth , and againe , now ye are cleane through the word which i have spoken unto you . for the word is seed , and seede a similates earth and dirt into its owne pure and cleane nature . so by the word there is a trans-elementation , as it were , and conforming of our foule and earthie nature to the spiritualnesse of it selfe . therefore the apostle useth this for an argument , why the regenerate cannot si● ( namely in that universall and complete manner as others doe ) because they have the seed of god abiding in them , that is , his word , spirit , and promises abating the strength of lust , and swaying them to a contrary point . for thus the word of promise makes a mans heart to argue . hath god of meere grace made assurance of so pretious things to me who by nature am a filthy and uncleane creature , obnoxious to all the curses and vengeance in his booke ? hath he wrought so great deliverance , and laid up such unsearchable riches for my soule ? and should i againe breake his commandements , and joyne in the abominations of other men ? would he not be angry till he had consumed me ; so that there should be no escaping ? should i not rather labour to feele the comforts and power of these promises , encouraging mee to walke worthy of so great meroy , and so high a calling ? to walke meete for the participation of the inheritance of the saints in light ? shall i that am reserv'd to such honour , live in the meane time after the lusts of the gentiles , who have no hope ? * hath god distinguished me by his spirit and promises from the world , and shall i confound my selfe againe ? shall i requite evill for good to the hurt of mine owne soule ? these and the like are the reasonings of the heart from the beauty and purity of the promises . thirdly and lastly , promises are arguments to inferre our purification , because in many of them that is the very matter of which they consist , and so the power and fidelity of god is engag'd for our purification . i will clense them from all their iniquity whereby they haue sinned against me , saith the lord. and againe , i will sprinkle cleane water vpon you and you shall be cleane : from all your filthinesse and from all your idoles will i clense you , &c. and againe , they shall not defile themselues any more with their idoles , nor with their detestable things , nor with any of their transgressions , but i will save them , and i will cleanse them . and againe , i will heale their backeslidings , i will love them freely . the lord will wash away the filth of the daughters of sion , & purge the bloud of ierusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of iudgement , and by the spirit of burning . which promises , bringing along the fidelity and power of god to our faith , doe settle our hearts amidst all the corruptions and impotencies of our nature . when the conscience is once throughly acquainted with the sight of its owne foulnesse , with the sense of that life and power which is in concupiscence , it findes it then a great difficultie to rest in any hope of having lusts either subdued or forgiuen . the psalmist , when his sore ranne , and ceased not , refused to be comforted , thought himselfe cast out of gods fauour , as if his mercies were exhausted , and his promises come to an end , and his compassions were shut up , and would shew themselves no more . therefore in this case the lord carries our faith to the consideration of his power , grace , and fidelity , which surpasseth not onely the knowledge but the very coniectures and contrivances of the hearts of men . the apostle saith , that christ was declared to be the sonne of god with power , according to the spirit of holinesse , by the resurrection from the dead ▪ that spirit which raised him from the dead is therefore called a spirit of holinesse , because the sanctifying of a sinner is a resurrection , and requires the same power to effect it , which raised christ from the dead . when saint paul had such a bitter conflict with the thorne in his flesh , the vigor and stirrings of concupiscence within him , he had no refuge nor comfort but onely in the sufficiencie of gods grace , which was able in due time to worke away and purge out his lusts . and the prophet makes this an argument of gods great power above all other gods , that he subdueth iniquities , and blotteth out transgressions . though wee know not how this can be done , that such dead bones , soules that are even rotten in their sinnes , should be cleansed from their filthinesse , and live againe : yet he knowes ; and therefore when wee are at a stand , and know not what to doe to cure our lusts , then wee may by faith fix our eyes upon him , whose grace , power , wisedome , fidelity is all in these his promises put to gage for our purification . thus wee see how promises in generall doe worke to the cleansing of us from filthinesse of flesh and spirit . the same might at large be shewed in many particulars . i will but name those in the words before the text ( to which it referres . ) the lord promiseth to dwell in us as in spirituall temples , and this proves that wee ought to keepe our selues cleane , that wee may be fit habitations for so dovelike and pure a spirit . flee for●…ication ( saith the apostle ) why ? know you not that your bodie is the temple of the holy ghost which is in you — therefore glorifie god in your bodies and spirits for they are gods. and againe . if any man defile the temple of god , him shall god destro●… ▪ for the temple of god is holy , which temple ye are . he promiseth to be our father , and make us his people , and this also is a strong argument why wee should purifie our selves , and as obedient children not fashion our selves according to the former lusts in ignorance , but as he who hath called us is holy ▪ so should we be holy in all manner of conversation . and if we call him father , who without respect of persons judgeth according to every mans workes , we should passe the time of our sojourning here in feare . ye are a chosen generation ( saith saint peter ) a royall priesthood , a holy nation , a peculiar people , that you should shew forth the vertues of him , who hath called you out of darknesse into his marvellous light . when yee were of the world , ye were then strangers to the covenant , and aliens from the house and israel of god , but now being become gods houshold , ye are strangers and pilgrimes in the present world , and should therefore abstaine from the lusts of the flesh , which are sensuall and worldly things . those that are a peculiar people , are a purged people ●…oo . he will purifie to himselfe a peculiar people , that they may be zealous of good work●…s . the consideration of which things should make us labour to settle our hearts to beleeve , love , and prize the promises , to store up and hide the word in our hearts , to have it dwell richly in us , that in evill times and dayes of temptation wee may have some holdfast to relie upon . in times of plenty , security , and peace , men go calmely on without feare or suspicion ; but when stonnes arise , when god either hides his face , or le ts out his displeasure , or throwes men upon any extremities , then there is no hope but in our a●…ker , no stay nor reliefe but in gods promises , which are setled and sure , established in heauen , and therfore never reversed or cancelled in the earth : and if this faithfull and sure word had not bin da●…ids delight & comfort , if he had not in all the changes & chances of his owne ●…ife remembred , that al gods promises are made in heaven , where there is no inconstancie , nor repentance , he had perished in his affliction . though david by a propheticall spirit foresaw that god would not make his house to grow , but to become a dry and wither'd stocke of ●…esse , yet herein was the ground of all his salvation and of all his desire , that the lord had made with him an everlasting covenant , order'd in all things and 〈◊〉 , that he had 〈◊〉 by his hol●…nesse that he would not faile david ; so that it was as possible for god to be unholy , as for the word of promise made unto david to fall to the ground , & be untrue . now that wee may the better apply the promises to our selves , and establish our hearts in the truth and fidelity of god by them , wee may make use of these few rules , amongst divers others which might be given . first , promis●…s generally made , and so in medio for all , or particularly to some , are by the ground of them equally appliable to any in any condition unto which the promises are ●…utable . all the promises are but as one in christ , as lines tho●…gh severall in the circumference doe meete as one in the center . take any promise and follow it to its originall , and it will undoubtedly carry to christ , in whom alone it is yea and amen , that is hath its truth , certainety , and stability all from him . now the promises meeting in christ ▪ cannot be severed or have a partition made o●… them to severall men ( for every beleever hath all christ , christ is not divided ) any other wise then the exigence of mens present estates doth diversifie them , and so fit them for such promises as now to others , or at other times to themselves would be unseasonable and unapp●…able . the lord in aslenting to salomons prayer , made a generall promise to any man , or to all the people ▪ that what prayer or supplication soever should be made towards his temple , he would heare in heaven and forgive , &c. 〈◊〉 bei●…g after in distresse , applied this generall to hi●… 〈◊〉 present 〈◊〉 , when the children of ammon , 〈◊〉 ▪ and mount seir came to turne israel out of their possessions . the lord made a particular promise 〈◊〉 ioshua , that he would be with him to blesse his enterprises against the cananites , and to carry him through all the difficulties and hazards of that holy warre ; a●…d saint paul applies the promise to all the faithfull in any straites or distresses of life , as the lord himselfe had before applied it from moses to ioshua , let your conversation be without covetousnesse — for as god was with ioshua , so will he be with thee , he will not faile thee nor forsake thee . christ made a particular promise unto peter , i have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not . and the same in effect he applies to all his , i pray that thou wouldst keepe them from the ev●…ll . and the consequent words to saint peter make it good ; when thou art con verted strengthen thy brethren , that is , comfort and revive them by thine owne experience , that when they are brought ●…nto the like case with thee they may have the benefit of the same intercessor and the sympathy and compassion of the same saviour who deliver'd thee . as our saviour saith in matter of dutie . what ●… 〈◊〉 ●…nto you , i say unto all , so we may say of him in matter of mercy , what he promiseth unto any , he promiseth unto al●… in an equall estate . it is good therefore to observe the truth of god in his promises to others , and when we finde our selves reduced unto their condition , to apply it unto our selves , that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures may have hope . this is the counsell of saint ●…awes , take my brethren the prophets for an exam●…le of suffering affliction and of patience — yee have heard of the patience of ●…ob , and ye have seene the end of the lord that the lord is very pittifull ●…nd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . and saint paul assures us that for this cause god comforted him in his tribulation , that he might be able to comfort them who might be in any trouble with the comfort wherewith ●…ee himselfe had beene comforted by god. a poore christian might object , a●…as if i were an apostle ▪ if i had such graces , such services , such wayes of glorifying god as paul had , i might hope for the same power and providence of god in my afflictions as he findes . but i am a poore ignorant , unfruitfull , and unserviceable creature , who doe more blemish then adorne my profession of the gospell of christ , and shall i looke for such care from god as saint paul ? beloved , the members in the body would not so argue ; if i were an eye , or a tongue , one of the noblest parts of the body , haply some compassion and remedy might be shewed me in my distempers ; but i am but a ioynt of the foote , or a meane , dishonourable , and lesse serviceable member , therefore though i am tormented with a goute or stone , the tongue will not speake , the head will not worke , the hand will not distribute any thing for me . the children in a family would not so argue ; my father is carefull to provide physicke , and cure the diseases of my brother , because hee is growne up to doe him credit , and his countrie service , but i am but a childe , that lie upon him , and doe no worke , i am unable for any employments , and therefore i shall perish in my disease without care or regard . surely if the members of a body , or the children of men , who are evill , would not thus argue , how much lesse reason have any of christs , who have a head entrusted with the care of his meanest members , and a father tender of the fals and failings of his weakest children ? thus rather should the soule resolve . though paul had more grace then i , yet he had no more me●…t then i. all the compassion which was shewed unto him was out of favour and mercie , not out of debt or dutie ; and my wants and miseries make me as fit for mercie as he was ; and the compassion of a father is most ▪ commended toward the unworthiest and most unprofitable childe . secondly , ' promises in themselves are certaine , but the wayes of performance are often undiscernable and hidden ; therefore wee must live by faith , and not by reason , and measure the truth of gods words by the strength of his power , and not by our owne conceits or apprehensions . when wee looke upon god in his promises , wee must conceive of him as a god infinite in wisedome to contrive , and in power to bring about the execution of his owne will. there is a promise made of calling the iewes unto christ , and causing them to turne from their transgressions . the redeemer shall come unto sion , and unto them that returne from transgression in iacob , esai . ▪ . but hee who should consider the extreme obstinacie and stubbornnesse of that people against the gospell , would thinke it impossible , that they should ever bee pull'd out of the s●…are of the divell ; therefore the apostle makes gods power the ground of certaintie in this promise , they also shall be grafted in againe , for god is able to graffe them in — as it is written , there shall come out of sion the deliverer , and shall turne away ungodlynesse from iacob , rom. . . . the sadduces and gentiles derided the doctrine and promise of the resurrection from the deade ; and our saviour carrieth the one from their owne prejudice unto gods power ; ye erre , not knowing the scriptures , nor the power of god , math. . . and saint paul the other , from their reason unto faith in god , why should it be thought a thing incredible with you , that god should raise the dead ? act. . . therefore wee shall finde mens unbeliefe in scripture hath risen partly from apprehension of power in those whom they feare , and partly from apprehension of impotencie in those whom they should trust . when the israelites heard of giants and sonnes of an●…k in the promised la●…d , presently they murm●…ed against the lord and his servants , and provoked him by their unbeleefe of his mighty power which they had had so frequent experience of ▪ how long will this people provoke mee ? how long will it be ere they beleeve me , for all the signes which i have shewed amongst them ? numb . . , . they provoked him againe by infidelitie in the wildernesse , when they asked meate for their iust , and that was by calling the power of god in question ; they spake against god , they said , can god furnish a table in the wildernesse ? behold hee smote the rocke that the waters gushed out , and the streames overflowed ; but can hee give bread also , can he provide flesh for his people ? psal. . . . they measured god by their owne reason , and charged god with that impotencie which they found in themselves . this was the sinne of that noble man who attended upon the king of israel in the great famine at samaria ; when the prophet foretold a marvellous plentie which should suddenly come to the place , hee measured gods power by his owne conceits of possibility in the thing , if the lord would make windowes in heaven , this thing could not be , . king. . . there was a promise made unto israel to restore them out of that great captivity of babylon , and this seemed to them as incredible as for men to bee raised out of their graves after so many yeeres consumption , therefore they said ▪ our bones are dried up , and our hope is lost , and we are cut off for our parts . wee have no more reason to beleeve any promise , or to rest upon any expectations of deliverance , then dead bones have to revive againe . therefore the lord acquainteth them with his power together with his promises . o my people ye sha●● know that i am the lord ! that is , that my wayes and thoughts are infinitely above your shallow apprehensions , when i shall have brought you out of your graves , ezek. . . . though there should bee famine , and mountaines betweene gods people and his promises , famine to weaken their feete that they could not crawle away , and mountaines to stop their passage which they could not climbe nor overpasse , yet when there was no might nor power left in them , the spirit of the lord should be their strength , their feete should be like hindes feete to skippe over the mountaines , and the mountaines should be as a plaine before them , hab. . . . . zach. . , . all doubts and distrusts arise from this that men make their owne thoughts the measure of gods strength , and have low and unworthy conceits of his power . this therefore in all difficulties wee must frame our hearts unto to looke of from second causes , from the probabilities or possibilities which are obvious to our reason , and admire the unsearchablenesse of gods power and wisedome , which is above all the thoughts of man. if a rich man should promise a begger a great summe of money , and hee should discomfort himselfe with such plodding scruples as these : alas these are but the words of a man who meanes well , and takes compassion on my povertie ; but how can hee possibly make good this promise ? if i should engage my selfe thus to another poore man , i should be sure to faile his expectations and ●…latter him with winde , what quiet or comfort could he have ? but he would have more wisedome then to measure rich men by his owne povertie and basenesse . so should we doe in any difficulties and distresses either from sinnes , afflictions , or temptations . as abraham did 〈◊〉 not at the promise of god through unbeliefe but was strong in faith , giving glory to god , being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to performe , rom. . . and after , he offered vp his sonne in faith , because he knew that god was able to raise him even frō the dead from whence he had before in a figure received him namely from a dead and barren wombe , heb. . . th●…s was iobs onely comfort upon the dunghill , that that god who would after wormes had consumed his flesh ▪ raise him up at the last day , and make him with those very eyes to see his 〈◊〉 , had power enough in his due time to deliver from that wofull 〈◊〉 into which hee had ●…st him , and to revive his strength and estate againe , iob. . . . . a man haply is haunted and pursued with such or such an uncleane affection , is wearied in wrestling with it , and cannot prevaile ( as indeede there is nothing that cleaves more pertinaciously , or is more inexpugnable , then a strong and importunate lust . what must hee now doe ? sinke under the weight ? is there no remedy , nor way of escape ? god forbid . when his owne strength and wisedome failes him , let him looke off from himselfe unto the power and promises of that god , who is al-sufficient to save to the uttermost those that come unto him by christ. he is a refiner , a sunne of righteousnesse that can cure the barrennesse of our hearts by the healing vertue of his wings , and purgeaway our drosse and corruptions from us . that promise which god made to paul in the stirrings and conflicts of his concupiscence is made unto all of his temper , my grace is sufficient for thee ; and there are two things in that promise , grace to make it , and sufficiencie to fulfill it . lay aside saith the apostle , every weight , and the sinne which doth so easily beset you . alas , may the soule answere , if it be a weight , how shall i moove it ? if it bee a be●…ieging and encompassing sinne , that doth so easily occupate and invade all my faculties , how shall i repell or drive it of well , saith the apostle , if you cannot quit your selves of your clog and burthen , yet runne with patience the race which is set before you , bee content to draw your chaine , and to lugge your lusts after you . but how can the soule be patient under such heavie and such close corruptions ? under the motions , importunities , and immodest solicitations of so many and so adulterous lusts ? looke , faith he , unto iesus the author and finisher of your faith ; consider him — lest yee bee wearied and faint in your mindes . he doth not any of his workes by halfes ; he is a perfect saviour , he finisheth all the workes which are given him to doe ; if he have begunne a good worke in you , hee is able to perfect it ; if hee be now the author , he will in due time be the accomplisher of your faith. wee must note , all the promises are made in christ ; being purchased by his merits , and they are all perform'd in christ , being administred by his power and office . and in christ , wee must note , there is , first , a will that wee should be holy , expressed in his prayer to his father , sanctifie them by thy truth . ioh : . . secondly , a power to execute that will , he is able to save those that come unto god by him ; and he quickneth whom he will. thirdly , both his will and power are back'd and strengthned with authority and an office so to doe , for he was sanctified and sealed by his father unto this purpose . fourthly , he is furnish'd with aboundance of wisdome to contrive , and of fidelity to employ both his will , power , and office , for fulfilling all gods promises of grace and mercie . in him there were treasures of wisedome , and he is a mercifull and faithful high priest . fifthly , to all this he is further engag'd by his consanguinitie with us ; he is our brother by his sympathie and compassion towards us ; he hath felt the weight of sinne in the punishment therof , and the contradiction of sinners , and lastly by his propriety unto us ; he should defraud himselfe , if he should not fulfill all his promises to the church ; for the church is his owne house . all the promises are made to him , in aggregato , with his church , to the seed of abraham , that is to christ , namely to the head and members together . as when any euill befals the church he is afflicted ; so in all the advancements of the church he is honored , and , in a sort , further filled ; for the church is his fulnes . though as god , as man , as mediator , he be full by himselfe ; yet as head he accounteth himselfe maimed and incomplete without his members . so that when christ pleads and prayes for the church he is an advocate and intercessor in his owne businesse ; for the affaires of the church are his. thirdly , promises are many times subordinate to one another , and are perform'd in an order , succession , and depeudencie . therefore we must not anticipate , nor perturbe the order which god hath put in his promises , but waite upon him in his owne way . grace and glory will he give , but first grace before glory , no man must snatch at this promise till hee have interest in that . godlinesse hath the promises of this life , and of that to come ; but wee must note the order which our saviour puts , first seeke the kingdome and righteousnesse of goa , and then all these things shall be added unto you . the lord promiseth to call men unto christ , nations that knew thee not shall runne unto thee . the apostle telsus whereunto hee calls , god hath not called us unto uncleannesse , but unto holynesse . therefore in the next place he promiseth to sanctifie and cleanse his church ; i will put my law in their hearts , and in their inward parts . the qualification of this holynesse is , that it be whole and constant . the very god of peace sanctifie you , and preserve you blamelesse unto the comming of our lord iesus christ , is the apostles prayer for the thessalonians . therefore in the next place , god promiseth perseverance , i will not turne away from them , to doe them good , but i will put my feare in their hearts , that they shall not depart from me . but this perseverance is not so certaine , but that it admits of fals , slippes , and miscarriages ; therefore in that case , he promiseth healing and restoring . i will heale their backes●…idings , i will love them freely . i will binde up that which is broken , and will strengthen that which was sicke . and after all this comes the promise of glory , and salvation . now then wee must waite upon the promises in their owne order . when god hath called us to the knowledge of christ , wee must not skip over all the intermediate linkes , and looke presently for the accomplishment of gods promise of salvation , or perseverance by gods sole power , and in the meane time omit all care of holynesse in our conversation . when we are sanctified , wee must not resolue then to sit still , as if all our worke were at an end , and expect salvation to droppe into our lappes . but we must make it our care , and esteeme it our owne duty to continue faithfull unto the end , that so we may receive a crowne of life . for god doth not fulfill his promises in us onely , but by us too ; and those things which in regard of his word are his promises , are also in regard of his commaund our duties . and therefore we must take the promises in that connexion , and dependencie which they have amongst themselves . fourthly , promises , though alwayes necessary , are yet most usefull in extremities , and therefore it is best for us to store up of all sorts ; though wee see no present use of some particulars , yet we know not what time may bring forth , what wayes god my please to try us by . secondly , it is best to acquaint our hearts with those which are most generall , pretions , fundamentall , wherein gods power and goodnesse is principally seene , and from them it will be easie to inferre the rest . as iob argues from the finall resurrection to a deliverance from the dunghill . and david from the deliverance of his soule from hell , to the deliverance of his feete from falling . and habakuk , from the deliverance out of egypt and the wildernesse , to the deliverance out of babylon . and abraham from a miraculous generation in a dead wombe to a miraculous restitution of isaak from the dead againe . and paul from a deliverance out of the mouth of the lion , to a deliverance from every evill worke . some notable act of gods mercy and providence may bee applyable to severall more particulars ; because experience worketh hope . thirdly , it is good to bring a mans selfe to a view of extremities in himselfe , to keepe fresh in his eye the nakednesse , poverty , and utter disability that is in him to further his owne happynesse ; and that will fitte him to goe with patience and faith through any other exigencies which he may bee brought to . there is as little ground why a sinner should beleeve and trust god for the forgivenesse of his sinnes ; as hope fōr any comfort and support in his distresses . if a man can therefore now keepe before him a distinct view of the filthynesse of his sinnes , and that anguish and extremities which it brings , and live by faith in the remission of them , he will bee much the more fitted to trust and leane on god in the middest of any other distresses . there is not so much evill , so much unremoveablenesse , and unmitigablenesse in any 〈◊〉 or misery , as there is in sinne ; and therefore if we can trust god for pardon , purging , and extinguishing of sinne , we may much more trust him for the supporting of us under , or del●…vering us from any other evill . fifthly , experience of gods wisedome , truth , and power in some promises will settle and establish the heart in dependance , and expectation of the like in others . sense doth corroborate and confirme faith. and this wee shall observe to be a very frequent argument in holy scriptures to conclude gods favour for the present or future , by his proceedings past . when the israelites were afraid of the anakims and giants of the land , this was moses his argument , dread not , neither bee afraid of them ; the lord your god which goeth before you , hee shall fight for you , according to all that he did for you in egypt before your eyes , and in the wildernesse , &c. and againe , i commanded iosua , saith he , at that time saying . thine eyes have seen all that the lord your god hath done unto these two kings : so shall the lord doe unto all the kingdomes whither thou passest . so david argued against g●…liah , the lord did deliver me from a lyon and a beare , therefore he will deliver me from this philistime . and s. paul , the lord hath delivered from a sentence of death , and doth deliver , therefore i trust that hee will deliver . so the faithfull argue in the prophet . art not thou hee that didst cut rahab , and wound the dragon ; that didst dry the sea , the waters of the d●…pe and mad●…st a passage through the d●…pths of the sea for the ransomed to passe over . ther●…fore the redeemed of the lord shall returne and come with singing unto sion , &c. these and sundry the like examples were written for our learning that wee also through comfort of the scriptures might have hope ; that wee might learne to store up the passages of gods providence in our lives , that they may bee for presidents and rules in after times . men are apt to sinke under the present sense of any evill that presseth them , because they doe not looke ba●…kward to gods former wayes of mercy towards them ; whereas if men could thus argue , i have knowne a famine , and felt a pinching season so long agone , and i did then out-live it , and gods providence cared for me and ●…arried mee through that plunge and distresse : i have felt a sore disease , and beene in the mouth of the grave and yet i live to prayse gods power : the buffets of sathan have heretofore bruized my soule , and i have beene even drencht in mine owne sorrowes , and swallowed up of despairing and uncomfortable thoughts , and yet out of them all the lord hath delivered me , and let his countenance shine upon me againe : and hee is the same god still , as full of compassion to com●…iserate my calamities , as full of power to effect , as full of wisedome to contrive , as ful of fidelity to performe his owne promises , as hee was before : and therefore i will waite upon him in the wayes of his owne mercy , and rest in the constancie , immutability , indeficiencie of that god with whom there is no variablenesse , neither shadow of changing : i say if men could thus learne to comfort their hearts by their experiences and review of gods former proceedings , they might with the more quietnesse and silent affections expect the salvation of the lord againe . sixthly ▪ the same thing in temporall and inferior blessings may belong to one man , only ex largitate , out of that generall providence which causeth the s●…nne to shine on the good and the bad alike ; and to another ex promisso , out of gods promise ; because god●…ynesse hath the promises of this life as w●…ll as of that to come . now there is a vast difference betweene these two , to have a thing onely out of patience and forbearance , and to have it out of engagement and promise . for by the promise there is a discharge of all the forfeitures , incumbrances , vexations , perplexities which attended the same thing . as in temporall , so in spirituall and theologicall respects , there is a great difference in tenures touching the same things . the wicked in the earthly things they enioy are wholly tenants at will , they have no engagement at all from god , they may be thrust out every houre ; for all their right was forfeited in adam , and restored unto them only by a generall providence during gods good pleasure : as a condemned malefactor till the time of his execution hath some thing allowed him out of favour , but may at pleasure bee cut off from it . but the faithfull have all things by inheritance , by the right of christs purchase , and by covenant in him . not onely things present , but things to come are theirs ; they have the truth of god pawn'd for their preservation and supplyes so long as they continue in his way ; a way of piety , industrie , and honestie . and they have them for themselves and their seede . the promises were to abraham and his seede . i never saw the righteous forsaken , nor his seede begging their bread . the wicked have earthly things onely as d●…ensations and employments , nay as vexations , and toyles of life ; as idols , snares , and thornes , things that e●…tangle their hearts , and take them of from god. as a cloud exhal'd by the sunne hides the light of the sunne which drew it up ; * as a worme eates out the wood , and rust consumes the iron which breeds it ; as water in a vessell raised by the fire , puts out the fire which raised it : so the great estates and temporall blessings of god unto evill men , serve but to intercept the thoughts , and to blot out the notions and remembrance of him that gave them i spake unto thee in thy prosperitie , but thou sata'st i will not heare . and this hath beene thy manner from thy youth , saith the lord , ier. . . but the faithfull have earthly things as rewards of their righteousnesse , as an accession , advantage , and overplus unto the kingdome of god ; as testimonies of gods love , and care of them ; as exercises of their thankefulnesse , charitie , mercie , &c. but it may be obiected , why then have not the faithfull more aboundance of these things then worldly men ? i answere , first , a little that the righteous hath is better then greate poss●…ssions of the ungodly . for first they have the maine substance of these things as well as the other , they live , and eate , and are cloathed as well as they ; and secondly they have the comforts more , lesse anguish of heart , vexation and contention of minde then the others have . and to them it is all one whether they goe into heauen through the gate or through the wicket . as a bird with a little eye and the advantage of a wing to soare up withall may see farre wider then an oxe with a greater : so the righteous with a little estate , ioyned with faith , tranquillity and devotion , may have more pleasure , feele more comfort , see more of gods bounty and mercie , then a man of vast possessions , whose heart cannot lift it selfe aboue the earth . secondly , as nature when shee intendeth a farther and more noble perfection , is lesse curious and elaborate in inferior faculties : ( as man is exceeded by the eagle for sight , and the hound for sent , and the hare for swiftnesse , because nature intending in him a more spirituall and divine soule , chose to be lesse delicate and exact in the senses ) so god intending to bestow upon the faithfull a farre more exceeding and aboundant weight of heavenly glory , doth not alway so fully enlarge his hand towards them in these earthly things , as to those who have no other portion but in this life . we see then how much it concernes us to looke unto the ground of our tenure , to observe in what service wee hold our estate , whether as appurtenances to gods kingdome ; or as meerely the pastures of a beast , which doe only fatten against the day of slaughter . seventhly and lastly , gods promises to us must be the grounds of our prayers to him . when ever god makes a promise , wee must make a prayer . and there are two things in this rule to be observed . first , that wee can make no prayer in boldnesse , faith , or comfort , but for things promised . for if we will have god heare us , wee must pray according to his will : we must aske in faith , we must see the things we aske made ours in some promise and engagement before we must presume to aske them . this ( as we have before observed ) encouraged david , iehoshaphat , and daniel to pray unto god , because hee had made promises of the things they desired , and therefore they were certaine that they prayed according to his will. this was nehemiahs ground in his prayer for the reparation of ierusalem . remember , i beseech thee , the word which thou commandedst thy servant moses , saying , if ye trangresse , i will scatter you abroad : but 〈◊〉 you turne unto me and keepe my commandements and do them , though there were of you c●…st out unto the uttermost part of the heaven , yet will i gather them from thence , &c. now these are thy servants and thy people whom thou h●…st redeemed by thy great power , and by thy strong band . o lord , i beseech thee , let now thine ●…are be attentive to the prayer of thy servant , and to the prayer of thy servants , who desire to feare thy name , &c. secondly , that god will not performe promises , till by prayer they be sought for from him ; till in our humble desires we declare that we accompt his promises exceeding great and pre●…ous things . the lord had promised deliverance unto israel , yet saith the lord , for this i will be enquired of by the house of israel to doe it for them . thus saith the lord , after seventie yeeres be accomplish●…d at babylon , i will visit you , and performe my good word towards you , in causing you to returne to th●…●…lace . for i know the thoughts that i thinke towards you ▪ thoughts of peace and not of evill , to give you an expected end . but how shall this excellent promise of god be effected ; it followes ▪ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon me , and ye shall goe and pray unto m●… , ●…nd i will hearken unto you , &c. so againe , the lord maketh a promise of forgivenesse of sinnes , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blotteth out thy transgression for mine owne 〈◊〉 , and will not remember th●… sinnes . but for the execution of this promise , god will be sought unto . put mem remembrance , saith he , and let us plead together : for when we pray unto god to fulfill his promises , we testifie first , that they are promises of mercie , and not of dutie or debt ; because god is not bound to tender them unto us , but we to beg them of him . secondly , we declare our need , and by consequence estimation of them , and dependance upon them . and lastly , we subscribe to the truth , and acknowledge the wisedome power , fidelity , and wayes that god hath to make good all his owne words unto us . we have no reason therefore to esteeme any thing a blessing , or fruit of gods promise , which we doe not receive from him upon our knees , and by the hand of prayer . as promises are the rule of what wee may pray for in faith ; so prayer is the ground of what wee may expect with comfort . th●…s we see what use we are to make of the promises to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 f●…om all filthinesse of flesh and spirit : and the 〈◊〉 we may make of them likewise to perfect our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the ●…eare of god. for as the exceeding great ●…d pretious promises of god doe cleanse our natures , and make us ●…scape the corruption●… or filthinesse which is i●… the world through lust ; so do they serve to ad one grace to an●…ther , and to make them abound in us , till we come to cha●…ity , which is the bond of perfection , as saint peter shewes . and againe , grow , saith he , in grace , and in th●… 〈◊〉 of our lord 〈◊〉 christ. the more a 〈◊〉 doth abound in the knowledge of christ , who is the s●…mme , fountaine , ●…le ▪ treasurie of all the promises , the more will he grow in grace and unto perfection . for as some promises are in our hand , and perform'd already , as rewards for our service past : so others are still before our eyes , to call and allure us , as the price unto which we p●…este . be ye stedfast and unmoveable and abound alwaies in the worke of the lord , saith the apostle , for as much as you know that your labour is not in vaine in the lord. holding fast , and going on hath a crowne attending it . the more we proceede in holinesse , our salvation is still the neerer unto us . if we lose not the things which wee have wrought , we shall receive a full reward . the vse of the law . rom . . . was that then which is good made death unto me ? god forbid . but sinne [ namely was made death unto me ] that it might appeare sinne , working death in me by that which is good : that sinne by the commandement might become exceeding sinfull . here we finde the originall discovery of all that sinfulnesse of sinne which wee have hitherto insisted upon , namely the manifesting , and working property which is in the law of god. it will bee therefore very requisite by way of appendixe to the preceding treatise , and of manuduction to the consequent , to unfeld out of these words the u●…e of the law ; by which we shall more distinctly understand the scope and purpose of the holy ghost , in loading the spirit of man with t●…e vanity of the creature , and in shutting up the conscience under the sinfulnesse of sinne ; both which have respect unto the law , that as an effect of the cursing , and this of the convincing power thereof : and yet in both nothing intended by god but peace and mercie . the apostle in the beginning of the chapter shewes that we are by nature subject to the law , and death , which is an unavoidable consequent of the breach thereof , even as the wife is to her husband as long as he liveth . and that by christ we are delivered from that subjection , who hath shine our former husband , and taken him out of the way , as the apostle elsewhere speakes . now because this doctrine of justification by faith in christ , and deliverance from the law by him , was mainely opposed by the iewes , and was indeed that chiefe stumbling blocke which kept them from christianitie ( which i take it was the reason why the false brethren , under pretence the better to worke on that people , to pacifie affections and reconcile parties , and ferruminate the churches together would have mingled the law with christ in the purpose of iustification , as the papids now upon other reasons doe : ) therefore the apostle ( who was very zealous for the salvation of his brethren and ki●…sfolke according to the flesh ) labours to deer●… th●…s doctrine from two maine objections in this chapter , which it seemes the iewes did use against it . the ground of both is tacitely implied , and it is the same generall hypothesis , or supposition that all deliverance is from evill , and carries necessary relation to some mischiefe which it presupposeth . therefore if that doctrine be true which teacheth deliverance from the law , then it must be granted that the law is evill ; for to be unsubjected to that which is good is no deliverance , but a wilde and b●…utish loosenesse . now evill is but two fold , either sinne or death . so then if the law be evill , it must be either sinne or death . the former objection is made , vers . . what shall wee say then , is the law sinne , that we should now heare of a deliverance from it ? doth not the scripture account the law a priviledge , an honour , an ornament to a people ? and from the iustnesse and holinesse of the law conclude the dignity and greatnesse of a nation ? what nation is so great , saith moses , which hath statutes and iudgements so righteous as i set before you this day ? he sh●…weth his word unto iacob , his statutes an●… iudgements unto israel ; he hath not dealt so with every nation , saith david . i sent unto them honorabilta . legis , saith the lord , the honorable and great things of my law. but they were counted as a strange thing . and is that which moses and the prophets esteemed a priviledge and honour become now a yoke and burden ? shall wee admit a doctrine which over-throwes the law and the prophets ? to this the apostle answeres , god for bid . the law is not sinne , for i had not knowne sinne but by the law. it is true , sinne tooke occasion by the law to become more sinfull , vers . . but this was not occasio data but arrepta . no occasion naturally offered by the law , but perversly taken by sinne , whose venomous property it is to suck poison out of that which is holy . so then the law is not sinne , though by accident it enrage sinne . for of itselfe it serveth onely to discover and reveale it , ver . . but as the gospell , as well when by mens perversnesse it is a savour of d●…ath , as when by its owne gratious efficacie it is a savour of life is both wayes a sweete savour : so the law either way , when by it selfe it discovereth , and when by accident it enrageth sin , is still holy , lust and good ver . vpon this followes the second objection in the words of the text. is that which is good made death unto me ? if a deliverance presuppose an evill in that from which we are deliver'd , and no evill but belongs either to sinne or death , then admitting a deliverance from the law , if it be good in respect of holinesse , it must needs be evill in the other respect ; and then that which is good is made death unto me . and this casts a more heavie aspersion and dishonour upon god then the former , that he should give a law meerely to kill men , and make that which in its nature is good , to be mortall in its use and operation . wine , strong waters , hard meates are of themselves very good to those purposes unto which they are proper : yet under pretence of their goodnesse to cra●…me the stomicke of a sucking infant with them , would not be kindnesse but crueltie , because they would not in that case comfort or nourish , but kill . gold is good of it selfe , but to fetter a man with a chaine of gold would be no bounty , but a mockery . so to conceive god to publish a law good indeed in it selfe , but deadly to the subjects , and to order that which is holy in its nature , to be harmefull and damnable to the creature in its use , is so odious an aspersion upon so just and gratious a god , as may safely bring into suspicion and disgrace any doctrine which admits of so just an exception . now to this likewise the apostle answeres , god forbid . the law is not given to condemne or clogge men , not to bring sinne or death into the world ; it was not promulgated with any intention to kill or destroy the creature . it is not sin in it selfe ; it is not death unto us , in that sense as we preach it ( namely as subordinated to christ and his gospell . ) tnough as the rule of righ●…eousnesse we preach deliverance from it , because unto that purpose it is made impotent and invalid by the sinne of man , which now it cannot prevent , or remove , but onely discover and condemne . both these conclusions that the law is neither sinne nor death , i finde the apostle before in this epistle excellently provi●…g . vntill the law sinne was in the world ; but sinne is not imputed where there is no law : neverthelesse , death ●…atgned from adam to moses , even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of adams transgression . that is , as i conceive , over those who did not sin●…e against . so notable and evident characters of the law of nature , written in their hearts , as adam in paradise did ( for sinne had betweene adam and moses so obliterated and defaced the impressions of the morall law , that man stood in need of a new edition and publication of it by the hand of moses . ) that place serves thus to make good the purpose of the apostle in this . sinne was in the world before the publication of the law , therefore the law is not sinne . but sinne was not imputed where there is no law ; men were secure and did flatter themselves in their way , were not apt to charge or condemne themselves for sin , without a law to force them unto it . and therefore the law did not come a new to beget sinne , but to reveale and discover sinne . death likewise not onely was in the world , but raigned even over all men therein , before the publication of the law. therefore the law is not death neither . there was death enough in the world before the law , there was wickednesse enough to make condemnation raigne over all men ; therefore neither one nor other are naturall or essentiall consequences of the law. it came not to beget more sinne ; it came not to multiply and double condemnation ; there was enough of both in the world before . sinne enough to displease and provoke god , death enough to devoure and torment men . therefore if the law had beene usefull to no other purposes , then to enrage sinne , and condemne men ; if gods wisedome and power had not made it appliable to more wholsome and saving ends , he would never have new published it by the hand of moses . here then the observation which from these words we are to make , ( and it is a point of singular and speciall consequence to understand the use of the law ) is this . that the law was revived , and promulgated a new on mount sina , by the ministery of moses , with no other then evangelicall and mercifull purposes . it is said in one place , that the lord hath no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth : but it is said in another place , that the lord delighteth in mercie . which notes , that god will doe more for the salvation , then he will for the damnation of men ; he will doe more for the magnifying of his mercy , then for the multiplying of his wrath : for if that require it , he will revive and new publish the law , which to have aggravated the sinnes , and so doubled the condemnation of men , he would never have done . before i further evidence the truth of this doctrine , it will be needefull to remove one objection which doth at first proposall thereof offer it selfe . if god will doe more for his mercie , then for his wrath and vengeance , why then are not more men saved , then condemned ? if hell shall bee more fill'd then heaven , is it not more then probable that wrath prevaileth against grace , and that there is more done for furie , then there is for favour . to wave the solution given by * some , that god will intentionally and effectually have every man to bee saved , but few of that every will have themselves to be saved . — ( an explication purpos●…ly contradicted by saint austin , and his followers , whose most profound and inestimable iudgement the orthodoxe churches have with much admiration and assent followed in these points ) i rather choose thus to resolve that case . it will appeare at the last great day that the saving of a few is a more admirable and glorious worke , then the condemning of all the rest . the apostle saith a that god shall bee gloryfied in his saints , and admired in those that beleeve . for first , god sheweth more mercie in saving some when he might have judged all , then iustice in iudging many when he might have saved none . for there is not all the iustice which there might have beene , when any are saved ; and there is more mercy then was necessary to haue beene , when all are not condemned . secondly , the mercie and grace of god in saving any is absolute , and all from within himselfe , out of the unsearchable riches of his owne will : but the iustice of god , though not as essentiall in him , yet as operati●…e towards us , is not absolute but conditionall , and grounded upon the supposition of mans sinne . thirdly , his mercie is unsearchable in the price which procured it ; hee himselfe wa●… to humble and empty himselfe , that he might shew mercie . his mercie was to be purchased by his owne merit ; but his iustice was provoked by the merit of sinne onely . fourthly , glory which is the fruite of mercie is more excellent in a few , then wrath and vengeance is in many ; as one bagge full of gold may bee more valuable then tenne of silver . if a man should suppose that gods mercy and iustice , being equally infinite and glorious in himselfe , should therefore have the same equall proportion observed in the dispensation and revealing of them to the world ; wee might not therehence conclude , that that proportion should be arithmeticall , that mercy should be extended to as many , as severitie . but rather as in the payment of a summe of mony in two equal portions , whereof one is in gol●… , the other in silver , though there bee an equalitie in the summes , yet not in the pieces by which they are paide : so , in as much as glory being the communicating of gods owne blessed vision , presence , love , and everlasting societie , is farre more honourable and excellent then wrath , therefore the dispensation of his mercie in that amongst a few may bee exactly proportionable to the revelation of his iustice amongst very many more in the other . suppose wee a prince , upon the just condemnation of a hundred malefactors , should professe , that as in his owne royall brest mercy and iustice were equally poised and temper'd , so he would observe an equall proportion of them both towards that number of malefactors , suffering his justice to condemne , and his mercy to spare just so many as might preserve his attributes i●…aequilibrio , that the one might not over-weigh the other : certainely in this case there would be more mercy in saving tenne out of favour , then in punishing and condemning all the rest for their iust demerit . fifthly , and lastly , let me problematically and by way of 〈◊〉 onely propose this question . why may it not be justly said that there shall bee in heaven as much glorie distributed amongst those few which shall be saved , as wrath in hell amongst those many which perish ? i dare not speake where the scripture is silent ; yet this by way of argument may bee said . the proportion of wrath is measured by the finite sinnes of men , the proportion of glory from the infinite merits of christ. there is more excellencie and vertue in the merit of christ to procure life for his few , then vilenesse or demerit in sinne to procure death for many . as there may bee as much liquor in tenne great vessels , as in a thousand smaller : so there may bee as much glory by the merit of christ in a few that are saved , as wrath , from the merit of sinne in multitudes that perish . but to returne to that from whence i have digressed . manifest it is that god will doe more for the magnifying of his mercie , then ●…or the multiplying of his wrath , because to be mercifull he will new publish the law , which for enlarging his judgements hee would not have done ; but would have left men unto that raigne of sin & death which was in the world betweene adam and moses . notabl●… to this purpose is that place which i have before 〈◊〉 touched , and shall now 〈◊〉 againe more particularly to unfold , with submission of my judgement therein unto the better learned . it i●… gal. . beginning at the . vers . ▪ brethren i speak-after the mann●…r of men : though it be but a mans covenant , yet if it b●… c●…firmed , no man dis●…ulleth or addeth thereto . ▪ the apostle before mentioned the covenant of promise and grace made to abraham , and in him as well to the gentil●…s as to the ●…ewes ; unto which the consideration of the lawes insufficiencie to justifie , and by consequence to blesse , had led him . in these words hee doth by an allusion unto humane contracts prove the fixednesse and stability of the covenant of mercy even from the courses of mutable men . if one man make a grant , and covenant to another , doe ●…grosse , signe , seale , take witnesses , and deliver it to the o●…her for his benefit and behoof●… , it becomes altogether irreversible and uncancellable by the man which did it . if a man make a testament , and then die , even amongst weake and mutable men it is counted sacred ; and impiety it is for any man to adde , diminish , or alter it . but now , saith the apostle , god is infinite in wisedome to foresee all inconveniences , and evill consequences which would follow upon any covenant of his , and so if neede be to prevent the making of it . things future in their execution and issuing out of second causes , are yet all present to the intuition of god ; and so any thing which might after happen to disa●…ull , or voyde the covenant , was p●…esent and evident to his omniscience before , and therefore would then have prevented the making of it . if then men , whose wills are mutable , whose wisedomes may miscarry , who may repent and be willing to revoke their owne covenants againe , doe by their hand , seale , and delivery disable themselves to disanull their owne act , when it is once past : much more god , who is not like man that hee should repent ▪ when hee makes a covenant , doth make it sure and stable , constant and irreversible , especially since it is a covenant established by an oath , as the apostle elsewhere shewes , a●…d when god sweares he cannot repent ▪ thus the apostle prooveth the covenant of mercy and grace to be perpetuall , from the immutability and wisedome of him that made i●… ; and if it be perpetuall , then all other subsequent acts of god doe referre some way or other unto it . it followeth vers . now to abraham and his seede were the promises made , he saith not , and to seedes as of many , but as of one , and to thy seede , which is christ. ] where by one , we understand one mystically and in aggregato , not personally or individually ; and by christ , the whole church , consisting of the head and members , as he is elsewhere taken . cor. . now these words doe further ratifie the stabilitie of the covenant ; for though a covenant bee in it selfe never so constant and irreversible , yet if all the parties which have interest in or by it should cease , the covenant would of it selfe by consequence expire and grow voyde : but here , as the covenant is most constant in regard of the wisedome , and unvariablenesse of him that made it , so it can never expire for want of a ●…eede to whom it is made ; for as long as christ hath a church , and members upon earth , so long shall the promise be of force . vers. . and this i say , that the covenant which was confirmed before of god in christ , the law which was foure hundred and thirty yeeres after , cannot disanull that it should make the promise of none effect . ] these words are a prolepsis or prevention of an objection which might be made . a man might thus argue : when two lawes are made , whereof the one is expresly contradictory to the other , the later doth in common presumption abrogate and disanull the former ( else men should be bound to contraries , and so punishments would bee unavoydable . ) but here wee finde that foure hundred and thirty yeeres after the promise to abraham , there was a law published extremely contrary unto the promise : a law without mercy or compassion , a law both impossible and inexorable , which can neither be obeyed , nor endured : therefore it should seeme that some cause or other had hapned to make god repent , and revoke his former covenant . the apostle retorts this objection . and his meaning i thus apprehend . if there bee a covenant made , by a lawgiver in wisedome infinite , to foresee before hand , and to prevent any inconveniences which might follow upon it , any reasons which might fall out to abrogate it ; a lawgiver in all his wayes constant and immutable , ( as being by no improvidence , disappointments , or unexpected emergencies ever put to repent ) and this covenant made to a man and his seede for ever , and that without dependance upon any condition , ( being all of grace and promise ) save onely that abraham have a seede , and christ a body : then if it happen , that another law be after made , which primâ facie , and in strict construction , doth implie a contradiction to the termes and nature of the former law ( for abrogation notwithstanding whereof there have no other reasons at all de novo intercurr'd , then only such as were actually in being when it was made , namely the sinnes of the world , and yet were not then valid enough to prevent the making , and therefore by consequence have no force to alter or disanull it ) then it is certaine that this latter law must be understood in some other sense , and admitte of some other subordinate use , which may well consist with the being and force of the former covenant ; and not in that which primâ facie seemes to contradict , and by consequence to abrogate it . now in the next words , verse . for if the inheritance bee of the law , it is no more of promise : but god gave it to abraham by promise . ▪ the apostle shewes , what the purpose of the covenant to abraham was , namely to give life and salvation by grace and promise , and therefore what the purpose of the latter covenant by moses was not , neither could bee , namely to give the same life by working ; since in those respects there would be contradiction and inconsistencie in the covenants , and so by consequence instability and unfaithfulnesse in him that made them . the maine conclusion then which hitherto the apostle hath driven at is this , that the comming of the law hath not voyded the promise , and that the law is not of force towards the seede to whom the promise is made , in any such sense as carries contradiction unto , and by consequence implyes abrogation of the promise before made . therefore if it be not to stand in a contradiction , it followes that it must in subordination to the gospell , and so to tend to evangelicall purposes . this this apostle proceedes to shew , verse . wherefore 〈◊〉 serveth the law ? it was added because of transgressions , till the seede should come ▪ to whom the promise was made ; and it was ordained by angels , in the hand of a mediator . ▪ to what en●… saith the apostle should there be a publication of a law , so expresly contrary to the covenant formerly made ? in his answere to this doubt , there are many things worthy of especiall observation . first , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . it was added or put to . it was not set up alone , as a thing ingr●…sse by it selfe , as any adequate , complete , solid rule of righteousnesse ; ( as it was given to adam in paradise ) much lesse was it published as a thing to voyde and disa ull any precedent covenant : but , so farre was it from abrogating , that it was added to the promise ▪ now when one thing is made an appendant or add●…ament to another , it doth necessarily put the being of that to which it is appendant , and presuppose a strength and vigor in it still . but how then was it added ? not by way of ingrediencie as a part of the covenant , as if the promise had been incomplete without the law ; ( for then the same covenant should consist of contradictory materials , and so should overthrow it selfe ; ( for if it bee of workes , it is no more of grace , else grace is no more grace ) but it was added by way of subserviencie and attendance , the better to advance and make effectuall the covenant it selfe . in adams heart the law was set up solitary and as a whole rule of righteousnesse and salvation in it selfe : but though the s●…me law were by moses revived , yet not at all to the same purpose , but onely to helpe forward and introduce another and a better covenant . secondly , it was added because of transgressions . ▪ to make them appeare , to awaken the consciences of men ( who without a law would not impute , nor charge their sinnes upon themselves ) and make them acknowledge the guilt of them , and owne the condemnation which was due unto them : to discover and disclose the venome of our sinfull nature , to open the mouth of the sepulcher , and make the heart smell the stinch of its owne foulnesse . thirdly , till the seede should come unto whom the promise was made . ▪ there were two great promises made to abraham and his seed . the one , in thy-seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed , and this promise respects the person of christ ▪ ( which yet seemes to bee a promise not so much made to christ , as in him to abraham and all nations ( who were abrahams seed by promise , though not after the flesh as saint paul distinguisheth , rom. ) the other , i will be a god unto thee , and to thy seede after thee . which respecteth all nations who should beleeve . now wh●…ch way soever we understand these words they confirme the point which wee are upon , that the law hath evangelicall purposes if we understand by seede the person of christ , the●… this shewes that the law was put to the promise , the better to raise and stirre up in men the expectations of christ , the promised seede , who should deliver them from that unavoidable bondage and curse , which the law did s●…ale and conclude them under . if we vnderstand by seed the faithfull ( which i rather approve ) then the apostles meaning is this , that as long as any are either to come into the unity of christs body , and to have the covenant of grace unto them applyed ; or to be kept in the body of christ when they are com●… 〈◊〉 ; so long there will bee use of the law to discover transgressions , both i●… the unregenerate that they may s●…e ●…o christ for sanctuary , and 〈◊〉 those that are already called , that they may learne to cast all their faith and hope , and expectations of righteousnesse upon him ●…ull . for the same reason which compels men to come in , is requisite also to keepe them in ; else why doth not god utterly destroy sinne in the faithfull ? certainely hee hath no delight to see christ have leprous members , or to see sin in his owne people . only because he will still have them see the necessity of righteousnesse by faith , and of grace in christ ; he therfore suffers concupiscence to stirre in them , and the law to conclude them under the curse . this then manifestly shewes that there was no other intention in publishing the law ▪ but with reference to the seede ; that is , with evangelicall purposes , to shew mercie : not with reference to those that perish , who would have had condemnation enough without the law. fourthly , it was ordained by angels , ( who are ministring spirits sent forth for the good of those that shall be saved ) in the hand ▪ or by the ministery of a mediator . ] namely of moses ( with relation unto whom christ is call'd mediator of a better covenant ) for as christ was the substantiall and universall mediator betweene god and man : so moses was to that people a representative , typicall , or national ▪ mediator . hee stood betweene the lord and the people when they were afraide at the sight of the fire in the mount , and this evidently declares that the law was published in mercy and pacification , not in furie or reveng● ( for the worke of a mediator is to negotiate peace , and treate for reconcilement betweene parti●s offended . ) where as if the lord had intended death in the publishing of the law , hee would not have proclaimed it in the hand of a mediator , but of an executioner . verse . now a mediator is not a mediator of one , but god is one . ] two expositions i conceive may be given of these words , both which tend to cleare that use of the law which wee are upon . first , where there is a mediator there must be parties at variance that are two by their differences and disagreements , and not one . this then shewes first for what reason the law was promulgated , namely to convince men of their offences which had separated between them and god , who were at the first one in peace and mutuall affections towards each other . secondly , the words following shew why the law was published in the hand of a mediator , because god is one : though the law serve to convince men thus of their sinfull variance with god , yet they should not thereupon despaire , and sinke under the feare of his wrath : for as he made a covenant of promise to abraham and his seede , so he is the same god still ; one in his grace and mercy towards sinners ; as a mediator doth shew that men by sinne are at variance with god , so doth he shew likewise that god by grace is at unitie with men . for when the party offended sends a mediator to him who had done the offence to parly and make tender of a reconcilement , two things doe herein manifestly appeare . first , that before this there was a breach , or else there would have beene no neede of a mediator . secondly , that notwithstanding that breach , yet the party offended ( from whom the mediator comes ) is at unitie and peace againe ; so that though a mediator is not of one , but of disagreeing parties ; yet god is one , that is , he , in sending this mediator doth declare to mankinde , that hee is at peace and unity with them againe , if they will accept of the reconcilement . a second exposition may be thus . a mediator is not of one. by one here may haply bee understood not one party ▪ but one matter , businesse , or covenant . and then the meaning runnes thus . as the lord hath published two covenants , a promise to abraham , and a law to israel , so hee hath appointed two mediators of those covenants or businesses which hee had to communicate to men . moses the mediator of the law ( for the law came by moses ; ) and christ the mediator of the promise or better covenant , ( for grace came by iesus christ ) moses the representative , and christ the substantiall and reall mediator . but now though there be two covenants , and two mediators , and they so much in appearance contrary unto one another , as that god may in them seeme inconstant , and to have by one cancell'd and repented for the other : yet all this while god is one , that is , he is the same in both covenants , carries the same purpose and intention both in the lawe and in the gospell , namely a benevolence and desire of reconcilement with men . vers. . is the law then against the promises of god ? god forbid : for if there had beene a law given which could have given life , verily righteousnesse should have beene by the law. ] here wee have an objection of the iewes . if god be one , then hee doth not speake one thing and meane another , pronounce the law in some words , and require them to be otherwise understoode : and then it will follow that the law is against the promises , for in the common construct on and sense of the words it is manifestly contrary . this objection the apostle doth retort upon them . in as much as the law would be against the promise if it should stand for a rule of iustification by it selfe , and not for a ma●uduction unto christ ; therefore god being one and the same , constant in his promise for righteousnesse which he made to abraham , therefore they were in a manifest errour who sought for righteousnesse from the law , because that would evidently inferre one of these two things , either inconstancie in gods will , or inconsistencie in his acts . the substance and strength of the apostles answer i take to be this . contrariety is properly in the nature of things considered by themselves . now though there bee in the law an accidentall contrariety to the gospell by reason of the sinne of man which hath brought weaknesse upon it , so that the law now curseth , and the gospell blesseth ; the law now condemneth , and the gospell justifieth ; yet of it selfe it is not contrary . for if any law would have given life and righteousnesse , this would have done it . that which is ex se , considered in it selfe , apt to carry to the same end whereunto another thing carries , is not of it selfe contrary thereunto : but the law is of it selfe apt to carry unto life and righteousnesse , as now the gospel doth therefore of it selfe it is not contrary to the gospell ; but that difference which is , is from the sin of m●…n which hath weakned the law. but now the law in the hand of a medi●…tor , is not onely not against , but it is for the promises suppose we two wayes unto one citie , whereof the one is accidentally , either by bogges , or inclosures , or some other reasons become utterly unpassable , the other smooth and easie , these are not contrary wayes considered in themselves ( for of themselves they point both unto one place ) but onely contrary in respect of travellers , because the one will de facto bring to the citie which the other by accident is unable to doe . so heere , the law is one way t●… heaven , the gospell another ; but sinne hath made the law weake and unpassable , which otherwise of it selfe would have sufficed unto righteousnesse . and yet even thus the law is not against the promise : for the impossibilitie which we finde in the law , enforceth us to bethinke our selves of a better and surer way to bring us unto righteousnesse and salvation . and this the apostle shewes in the next words . vers. . but the scripture hath concluded all under sinne , that the promise by faith of iesus christ might bee given to them that beleeve . ] though sinne have made the law contrary to the promise , in that it curseth and condemneth , and concludeth men under sin and wrath : yet such is the mercy of god that he hath subordinated all this , and made it subservient unto the gospell , that the promise thereby may be applyed , and advanced . for it is all ordered to no other purpose but that men might beleeve , and inherite the promises . but what ? doth the law make men beleeve , or beget faith ? formally it doth not , but by way of preparation and manuduction it doth : as when a man findes one way shut up , he is thereby induc'd to enquire after another . to summe up all that hath beene spoken touching the use of the law in a plaine similitude . suppose wee a prince should proclaime a pardon to all traitors if they would come in and pleade it : and after this should send forth his officers to attach , imprison , examine , convince , arraigne , threaten , and condemne them . is hee now contrary to himselfe ? hath he ●…epented of his mercy ? no , but hee is unwilling to lose his mercie , hee is desirous to have the honour of his mercy acknowledged unto him ; and therefore hee bringeth them unto these extremities , that when their mouth is stopp'd , and their guilt made evident , they may , with the more humilitie and abhorrencie of their former lewdnesse , acknowledge the iustnesse of the law , which would condemne them , and the great mercy of the prince , who hath given them liberty to plead his pardon . the same is the case betweene god and us . first , to abraham he made promise of mercy and blessednesse to all that would pleade interest in it for the remission of their sinnes . but men were secure , and heedlesse of their estate , and though sinne was in them , and death raigned over them , yet being without a law to evidence this sinne and death unto their consciences , therefore they imputed it not to themselves , they would not owne them , nor charge themselves with them , and by consequence found no necessity of pleading that promise . hereupon the lord published by moses a severe and terrible law , so terrible that moses himselfe did exceedingly feare and quake ; a law which fill'd the ayre with thunder , and the mount with fire ; a law full of blacknesse , darknesse , and tempest ; a law which they who heard it could not endure , but intreated that it might not be sp●…ken to them any more : yet in all this god doth but pursue his first purpose of mercie , and take a course to make his gospell accounted worthy of all acceptation ; that when by this law men shall bee roused from their security , shut up under the guilt of infinite transgressions , affrighted with the fire and tempest , the blacknesse and darknesse , the darts and curses of this law against sinne , they may then runne from sina unto sion , even to iesus the mediator of the new covenant , and by faith plead that pardon and remission which in him was promised . thus we see the point in the generall ●…leered , that god in the publication of the law by moses on mount sina , had none but mercifull and evangelicall intentions . i shall further draw downe the doctrine of the use of the law into a few conclusions . first , the law is not given ex primaria intentione , to condemne men . there was condemnation enough in the world betweene adam and moses , before the law was new published . it is true the law shall prove a condemning and judging ▪ law unto impenitent and unbeleeving sinners : but to condemne or judge men by it was no more gods intention in the publishing of it by the ministery of moses , ( i speake of condemnation not pronounced , but executed ) then it was his purpose to condemne men by the gospell , which yet * de facto , will be a savor of death unto death to all that despise it . it is said that christ should be as well for the fa●… as for the ri●…ing of many in israel , and that hee should be a stone of stumbling , and a rocke of off●…nce ; yet hee faith of himselfe , i came not to condemne the world , but that the world by me might bee save●… . the meaning is , the condemnation of the world was no motive no●… impulsiue cause of my comming , though it were an accident●…ll event , con●…quent , and emergencie thereupon . even so the condemnation which by the law will be aggravated upon 〈◊〉 sinners , the powring forth of more wrath and vengeance then raigned in the world betweene adam and moses , was no motive in gods intention to publish the law by his ministery , but onely the furtherance and advancement of the covenant of grace . secondly , the law was not published by moses on mount sina ( as it was given to adam in paradise ) to iusti ▪ fie or to save men . god never appoints any thing to an end to which it is utterly unsurable and improper : now the law by sinne is become weake and unprofitable to the purpose of righteousnesse or salvation ; nay it was in that regard against us , as saint paul saith ; and therefore we are delivered from it as a rule of justification , though not as a rule of service and obedience . thirdly , the uses of the law are severall according to divers considerations of it . for we may consider it either per se , in it selfe , according to the primarie intention thereof in its being and new publication ; or per accidens , according to those secondary and inferior effects thereof . by accident or secondarily , the law doth , first , * irritate , enrage , exasperate lust , by reason of the venomous and malitious quality which is in sinne . and this the law doth not by ingenerating or implanting lust in the heart , but by exciting , calling out , and occasioning that which was there before ; as a chaine doth not beget any furie in a wolfe , nor a bridge infuse any strength into the water , nor the presence of an enemie instill or create de novo any malice in a man , but onely occasionally reduce unto act , and call forth that rage which though lesse discerned , was yet habitually there before . secondly , the law by accident doth punish and curse sinne . i say , by accident , because punishment is in no law the maine intention of the lawgiver ; but something added thereunto , to backe , strengthen , and enforce the obedience which is principally intended . neither could the law have cursed man at all , if his disobedience had not thereunto made way ; which shewes that the curse was not the primary intention of the law , but onely a secondary and subsequent act upon the failing of the principall . for i doubt not but the lord accounteth himselfe more gloryfied by the active and voluntary services , then by the passive and enforced sufferings of the creature . herein saith our saviour , is my father glorified that you bring forth much fruite . secondly , consider the law by it selfe and in its primary intention , and so there are two principall uses for which it serves . first , it hath rationem speculi , it is as a * glasse to manifest and discover sinne and death , and thereupon to compell men to fly for sanctuary unto christ , and when they see their miserie , to sue out their pardon . and this the law doth , first , by convincing the conscience of its owne widenes , ( as the prophet david speakes , i have seene an end of all perfection , but thy law is exceeding broad . ) by revealing the compasse of sinne in proportion to the widenesse , and the filthynesse of sin in proportion to the purity of that holy law ; by discovering the depth and foulenesse , the deceitfulnesse and desperate mischiefe of the heart by nature ; and giving some evidences to the soule of that horrid , endlesse , and insupportable vengeance which is due to sinne . we know saith the apostle . that whatsoever things the law saith , it saith to those that are under the law ; that every mouth may be stopped , and all the world may become guilty before god. secondly , by judging , sentencing , applying wrath to the soule in particular , for when it hath stopped a mans mouth , evidenced his guiltinesse , concluded him under sinne , it then pronounceth him to bee a cursed and condemned creature , exposed , without any strength or possibility to evade or overcome , unto all the wrath which his sinnes have deserved . therefore it is called the ministery of death and condemnation , which pronounceth a most rigorous and unmitigable curse upon the smallest , and most imperceptible deviation from gods will revealed . thirdly , by awakening the conscience , begetting a legall faith and spirit of bondage , to see it selfe thus miserable by the law , hedged in with thornes , and shut up under wrath . for the spirit first by the law begetteth bondage and feare , prickes the conscience , reduceth a man to impossibilities , that hee knowes not what to doe ▪ nor which way to turne , before it worketh the spirit of adoption , or make a man thinke with the prodigall that hee hath a father to deliver him . and by these gradations the law * leadeth to faith in christ ; so that though in all these respects the works of the law be works of bondage , yet the ends and purposes of god in them are ends of mercie . secondly , the law hath rationem fraeni and regulae , to cohibite and restraine from sinne , and to order the life of a man. and in this sense likewise it is added to the gospell , as the rule is to the hand of the workeman . for as the rule worketh nothing without the hand of the artificer to guide and moderate it , because of it selfe it is dead , and the workeman worketh nothing without his rule ; * so the law can onely shew what is good , but gives no power at all to doe it ( for that is the worke of the spirit by the gospell ) yet evangelicall grace directs a man to no other obedience then that of which the law is the rule . now then to make some use of all this which hath beene said : this shewes the ignorance and absurdity of those men who cry downe preaching of the law , as a course leading to despaire ●…nd discontentment , though we finde by saint paul that it leadeth unto christ. to preach the law alone by it selfe , wee confesse is to pervert the vse of it ; neither have we any power or commission so to doe ( for we have our power for edification and not for destruction . ) it was published as an appendant to the gospell , and so must it be preached ; it was published in the hand of a mediator , and it must be preached in the hand of a mediator ; it was published evangelycally , and it must bee so preached : but yet wee must preach the law , and that in its owne fearefull shapes : for though it were published in mercy , yet it was published with thunder , fire , tempests , and darkenesse even in the hand of a mediator : for this is the method of the holy ghost , to convince first of sinne , and then to reveale righteousnesse and refuge in christ. the law is the forerunner that makes roome , and prepares welcome in the soule for christ. i will shake all nations , and the desire of all nations shall come , saith the lord ; to note unto us that a man will never desire christ indeede , till he be first shaken . as in elias his vision the still voyce came after the tempest , so doth christ in his voyce of mercy follow the shakings and tempests of the law. first the spirit of eliah in the preaching of repentance for sinne , and then the kingdome of god in the approach of christ and evidences of reconcilement to the soule . and the reason is , because men are so wedded to their sinnes , that they will not accept of mercy on faire termes , so , as to forsake sinne withall ; as mad men that must bee bou●…d before they can be cured , so are men in their lusts ; the law must hamper and shut them up , before the gospell , and the spirit of liberty will bee welcome to them . now this is gods resolution to humble the soule so low till it can in truth and seriousnesse bid christ welcome upon any conditions : his mercy ▪ and the blood of his sonne is so pretious and invaluable , that hee will not ca●… it away where no notice shall bee taken of it ; but hee will make the heart subscribe experimentally to that truth of his , that it is a saying worthy of all acceptation , that christ iesus came into the world to save sinners . and we know a man must bee brought to great extremities , who can esteeme as welcome as life the presence of such a man who comes with a sword to cut of his members , or cut out his eyes : and yet this is the manner of christs comming , to bring a crosse , and a sword with him , to hew off our lusts ( which are our earthly members ) and to crucifie us unto the world . but what then ? m●…st nothing be preached but damnation and hell to men ? god forbid . we have commission to preach nothing but christ and life in him : and therefore we never preach the law , but with reference and manuduction unto him . the truth is , intentionally wee preach nothing but salvation ; wee come with no other intention but that every man who heares us might beleeve and bee saved ; wee have our power onely for edification , and not for destruction : but conditionally we preach salvation and damnation . he that beleeveth shall be saved , he that beleeveth not shall be damned ; that is the summe of our commission . but it is further very observable in that place that preaching of the gospell is preaching both of salvation , and of damnation upon the severall conditions . so then , when we preach the law , we preach salvation to them that feare it : ( as the lord shewed mercy to iosiah because his heart trembled , and humbled it sel●…e at his law ) and when we preach the gospell , wee preach damnation to them that desp●…se it . how sh●…ll we escape , if we neglect so great salvation . the gospell is salvation of it selfe , but he that neglects salvation is the m●…re certaine to perish ; and that with a double destruction , death unto death , to that wrath of god which ab●…deth vpon him before , will come a sorer cond●…mnation , by trampling under foote the blood of the covenant , and not obeying the gospell of our lord iesus christ. here then are two rules to be observ'd . first , by the ministers of the word , that they so preach the law as that it may still appeare to be an appendant unto the gospell , and ●…ot suffer the ministrie to be evill spoken of by men who watch for advantages . we must endeavour so to manage the dispensation of the law , that men may not thereby be exasperated , but put in minde of the sanctuary to which they should flie . the heart of man is broken as a flint , with a hard and a soft together : a hammer and a pillow is the best way to breake a flint ; a prison and a pardon , a scourge and a salve , a curse and a saviour , is the best way to humble and convert a sinner . when wee convince the hearers that all the te●…rors we pronounce are out of compassion to them ; that wee have mercy and balme in store to powre into every wound that we make , that all the blowes we give are not to kill their soules , but their sins ; that though our words bring fire and fury with them , yet they are still in the hand of a mediator ; that the law is not to breake them unto desperation , but vnto humiliation , not to drive them unto furie but unto faith , to shew them hell indeede , but withall to keepe them from it ; if we doe not by these meane●… save their soules , yet we shall stop their mouths , that they shall be ashamed to blaspheme the commission by which we speake . secondly , the people likewise should learne to rejoyce when the law is preached as it was published ; that is , when the conscience is thereby affrighted , and made to tremble at the presence of god , and to cry unto the mediator as the people did unto moses , l●…t not god speake any more to us l●…st we die , speake thou with us and we will heare . for when sinne is onely by the law discovered , and death laid open , to cry out against such preaching , is a shrewd argument of a minde not willing to bee disquieted in sinne , or to be tormented before the time ; of a soule which would have christ , and yet not leave her former husband ; which would haue him no other king then the stump of wood was to the frogges in the fable , or the moulten calfe unto israel in the wildernesse , a quiet idol , whom every lust might securely provoke , and dance about . as the law may be preached too much , when it is preached without the principall , which is the gospell : so the gospell and the mercie therein may bee preached too much ( or rather indeede too little ) because it is with lesse successe ; if wee may call it preaching and not rather perverting of the gospell ▪ when it is preached without the appendant , which is the law. this therefore should in the next place teach all of us to studie and delight in the law of god , as that which setteth forth , and maketh more glorious and conspicuous the mercy of christ. acquaintance with our selves in the law , w●…ll ▪ first , keepe us more lo●…ly and vile in our owne ▪ eyes , make us feele our owne pollution and poverty ; and that will againe make us the more delight in the law , which is so faithfull to render the face of the conscience ; and so make a man the more willing , and earnest to be cleansed . their heart , saith david , is as fat as grease , but i delight in thy law. the more the law doth discover our owne leannesse , scraggednesse and penurie , the more doth the soule of a holy man delight in it because gods mercie is magnified the more , who filleth the hungrie , and refr●…sheth the weary , and with whom the fatherl●…sse findeth mercie . secondly ▪ it will make us more carefull to live by faith more bold to approach the throne of grace for mercie to cover , and for grace to cure our sores and nakednesse . in matters of life and death , impudence and boldnesse is not unseasonable . a man will never die for modesty : when the soule is convinc'd by the law that it is accursed , and eternally lost , if it doe not speedily pleade christs satisfaction at the throne of grace , it is emboldned to runne unto him : when it findes an issue of uncleanenesse upon it , it will set a price upon the meanest thing about christ , and be glad to touch the hemme of his garment . when a childe hath any strength , beautie , or lovelynesse in himselfe , he will haply depend upon his owne parts , and expectations to raise a fortune and preferment for himselfe : but when a childe is full of indigence , impotencie , crookednesse , and deformity , if he were not then supported with this hope , i have a father , a●d parents doe not cast out their children for their deformities he could not live with comfort or assurance : so the sense of our owne pollutions and uncleanenesse , taking off all conceits of any lovelynesse in our selves , or of any goodnesse in us to attract the affections of god , makes us r●ly onely on his fatherly compassion . when our saviour cald the poore woman of syrophenicia dogge , a beastly and uncleane creature , yet shee takes not this for a deny all , but turnes it into argument . the lesse i have by right , the more i hope for by mercy ; even men afford their dogges enough to keepe them alive , and i aske no more . when the angell put the hollow of iacobs thigh out of joynt , yet hee would not let him go ; the more lame hee was , the more reason hee had to hold . the prodigall was not kept away or driven of from his resolution , by the feare , shame , or misery of his present estate ; for he had one word which was able to make way for him through all this , the name of father . he considered , i can but be rejected at the last , and i am already as low as a rejection can cast me ; so i shall loose nothing by returning , for i therefore returne because i have nothing ; and though i have done enough to bee for ever shut out of dores , yet it may bee , the word father may have rhetoricke enough in it to beg a reconcilement , and to procure an admittance amongst my fathers servants . thirdly , it will make us give god the glory of his mercy the more , when wee have the deeper acquaintance with our owne miserie . and god most of all delighteth in that worke of faith , which , when the soule walketh in darknesse and hath no light , yet trusteth in his name and stayeth upon him . fourthly , it will make our comforts and refreshments the sweeter , when they come . the greater the humiliation ▪ the deeper the tranquillitie . as fire is hottest in the coldest weather : so comfort is sweetest in the greatest extremities ; shaking settles the peace of the heart the more . the spirit is a comforter , as well when he convinceth of sinne , as of righteousnesse and judgement ; because he doth it to make righteousnesse the more acceptable , and iudgement the more beautifull . lastly , acquaintance with our owne foulnesse and diseases by the law , will make us more carefull to keepe in christs company , and to walke according unto his will ; because he is a physitian to cure , a refiner to purge , a father and a husband to compassionate our estate . the lesse beautie or worth there is in us , the more carefully should we studie to please him , who loved us for himselfe , and married us out of pittie to our deformities , not out of delight in our beautie . humilitie keepes the heart tractable and pliant . as melted waxe is easily fashioned , so an humble spirit is easily fashioned unto christs image : whereas a stone , a bard and stubborne heart , must bee hewed and hammered before it will take any shape . pride , selfe-confidence , and conceitednesse , are the p●…nciples of disobedience ; men will hold their wonted courses till they be humbled by the law. they are not humbled , saith the lord , unto this day , and the consequent hereof is , neither have they feared nor walked in my law. if you will not heare , that is , if you will still disobey the lords messages , my soule shall weepe in secret for your pride ; to note that pride is the principle of disobedience . they and our fathers , saith ●…ehemiah in his confession , deal●… proudly , and hardned their neckes ▪ and hearkered not unto thy commandements ; and refused to obey . and therefore ez kiah used this perswasion to the ten tribes to come up to ierusalem unto the lords passeover . be ye not stiffenecked as your fathers , but yeeld your selves unto the lord. to note that humiliation is the way unto obedience ; when once the heart is humbled it will bee glad to walke with god. humble thyselfe saith the prophet , to walke with thy god. receiv●… the ingraffed word with meeknesse , saith the apostle . when the heart is first made meeke and lowly , it will then bee ready to receive the word , and the word ready to incorporate in it , as seede in torne and harrowed ground . when paul was dis●…ounted , and cast downe upon the earth , terrified and astonished at the heavenly vision , immediately hee is qualyfied for obedience , lord what wilt thou have mee to doe ? when the soule is convinc'd by the law , that of it selfe it comes short of the glory o●… god ▪ walkes in darkenesse , and can go no way but to hell ; it will then with ioy and thankfulnesse fo●…ow the lambe wheresoever hee goes ; as being well assured , that though the way of the lambe be a way of blood , yet the end is a throne of glory , and a crowne of life . finis . the life of christ : or , the fellowship of the saints with him , in his life , sufferings , and resurrection . by edward reynolds preacher to the honourable societie of lincolns inne . pax opvlentiam . sapientia pacem . fk printer's or publisher's device london , imprinted by felix kyngston for robert bostocke . . the life of christ . . iohn . . he that hath the sonne , hath life . having shewed the insufficiencie of the creature to make man happie , as being full of vanitie , and the insufficiencie of man to make himselfe happie , as being full of sinne ; we now proceede in the last place to discover first the fountaine of life and happinesse , christ ; and secondly the channell by which it is from him unto us conveyed , the instrument whereby wee draw it from him , namely the knowledge of him , and fellowship with him in his resurrection and sufferings . these words we see containe a doctrine of the greatest consequence to the soule of man in the whole scriptures , and that which is indeede the summe of them all . they containe the summe of mans desires , life , and the summe of gods mercies , christ , and the summe of mans dutie , faith ; christ the fountaine , life the derivation , and faith the conveyance . whatsoever things are excellent and desireable , are in the scripture comprised under the name of life , as the lesser under the greater ; for life is better then meate , and the body then ray ment . and whatsoever excellencies can bee named , wee have them all from christ. in him , saith the apostle , are bid the treasures of wisdome and knowledge . h●…d , not to the purpose that they may not be found , but to the purpose that they may bee sought . and we may note from the expression , that christ is a treasurer of his fathers wisedome ; he hath wisedome , as the kings treasurer hath wealth , as an officer , a depositarie , a dispenser of it to the friends and servants of his father . a he is made unto vs wisedome . the apostle saith that in him there are b unsearchable riches , an inexhausted treasurie of grace and wisedome . and there had neede bee a treasure of riches in him , for there is a treasure of sinne in us : so our saviour cals it , c the treasure of an evill heart . d he was full of grace and truth . not as a vessell , but as e a fountaine , and as f a sunne ; to note that hee was not onely full of grace , but that the fulnesse of grace was in him. g it pleased the father that in him should all f●…lnesse dwell . h god gave not the spirit in measure unto him. and as there is a fulnesse in him , so there is a communion in us , i of his fulnesse wee receive grace for grace , that is , as a childe in generation receiveth from his parents member for member , or the paper from the presse letter for letter , or the glasse from the face image for image ; so in regeneration christ is fully k formed 〈◊〉 a man , and he receiveth in some measure and proportion grace for grace : there is no grace in christ appertaining to generall sanctification which is not in some weake degree fashioned i●… him thus there is to christ a fulnesse of grace answerable to l a fulnesse o●… sinne which is in us . the prophet cals him m a prince of peace , not as moses onely was a man of peace , but a prince of peace . if moses had beene a prince of peace , how easily might he have instill'd peaceable and calme affections into the mutinous and murmuring people ? but though hee had it in himselfe , yet hee had it not to distribute . but christ hath peace , as a king hath honours , to dispense and ▪ dispose of it to whom hee will. peace i leaue with you , my peace i giue unto you . if i should runne over all the particulars of grace or mercy , we should finde them all proceede from him ; he is our passeover , saith the apostle . as in egypt wheresoever there was the blood of the passeover there was life , and where it was not , there was death ; so where this our passeover is , there is life ; and where hee is not , there is death : to me to live is christ , saith the apostle ; and againe , now i live , yet not i , but christ liveth in me , and the life that i live , i live by the faith of the sonne of god , who loved me , and gvae himselfe for me . to consider more particular this life which we have from christ. first , it is a life of righteousnesse : for a life and righteousnes are in the scripture taken for the same , ( because sin doth immediatly make a man dead in law , b he that beleeveth not is condemned already , and c in the day that thou eatest thereof , thou shalt die the death . ) and this life ( being a resurrection from a preceeding death ) hath two things belonging unto it . first , there is a libertie and deliverance wrought for us from that under which we were before held . secondly , there is an inheritance purchased for us , the priviledge and honour of being called the sonnes of god conferr'd upon us . there are three offices or parts of the mediation of christ. first , his satisfaction as hee is our d suretie , whereby hee e paid our debt , f underwent the curse of our sinnes , g bare them all in his body upon the tree , h became subject to the law for us , in our nature , and representatively in our stead , i fulfill all righteousnesse in the law required , both active and passive for us . for we must note that there are two things in the law intended ; one principall , obedience , and another secondary , malediction , upon supposition of disobedience ; so that sin being once committed , there must be a double act to justification , the suffering of the curse , and the fulfilling of righteousnesse a new . vnto a double apprehension of iustice in god there must answere a double act of righteousnesse in man , or in his surety for him ; to gods punishing iustice a righteousnesse passive , whereby a man is rectus in curia againe ; and to gods commanding iustice a righteousnesse active , whereby he is reconciled and made acceptable to god againe . the one a satisfaction for the injury we have done unto god as our iudge ; the other the performance of a service which we owe unto him as our maker . secondly , in christ as a mediator , there is a merit likewise belonging unto both these acts of obedience in him , by vertue of his infinite person which was the priest , and of his divine nature which was the altar , that offered up and sanctified all his obedience . by the redundancie of which merit ( after satisfaction thereby made unto his fathers iustice for our debt ) there is further , a purchase made of grace , and glory , and of all good things in our behalfe . he was made of a woman , made under the law ; first , toredeeme those that were under the law , which is the satisfaction and payment he hath wrought . secondly , that we might receive the adoption or the inheritance of sonnes , which is the purchase he hath made for us . thirdly , there is the intercession of christ as our advocate , which is the presenting of these his merits unto his father for us , whereby he applyeth , and perpetuateth unto us the effects of them , namely our deliverance , and our adoption or inheritance . so then the life of righteousnesse consists in two things . first , the remission of sinne , and thereupon deliverance from the guilt of it , and curse of the law against it ; which is an effect of the satisfaction of christs merit . secondly , adoption , or the acceptation of our persons and admittance into so high favour as to be heires of salvation and happinesse , which is the effect of the redundancie of christs merit ; there being a greater excesse and proportion of vertue in his obedience , then of malignitie or unpleasingnesse in our disobedience . to consider both these together ; wee are delivered , first , from sinne and the guilt or damnation thereof : there is a no condemnation to them that are in christ iesus ; their b sinnes are blotted out , and c forgotten , and d cast into the depth of the sea , and e done away as a cloud or mist by the heate of the sunne , they are f forgiven and covered , and not imputed unto us , g they are finished and made an end of , h they were all laid upon christ , and hee hath beene a i propitiation for them , and his flesh a vaile betweene them and his fathers wrath ; and in opposition hereunto , his obedience and righteousnesse is made ours . hee is k made unto us righteousnesse , and wee are the righteousnesse of god in him , we are l cloathed with him , and appeare in the sight of god as parts and portions of christ himselfe ; for m the church is the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all . secondly , wee are consequently delivered from the law , so farre forth as it is the n strength of sinne ; and are constituted under another and better regiment , which the apostle calls o grace , or the p law of faith. first , we are delivered from the law as a covenant of righteousnesse ; and expect iustification and salvation onely by faith in him who is q the lord our righteousnesse . r christ is the end of the law for righteousnes . we are righteous by the righteousnesse of god without the law ; that is , not that righteousnesse by which god as god is righteous , but by a righteousnesse which we have , not by nature , or in our selves , or from any principles of our creation , ( which saint paul calls mans own righteousnes ) but from the meer grace & gift of god. secondly , hereupon consequently wee are delivered from the rigor of the law , which consisteth in two things : first it requireth perfect obedience : secondly , perpetuall obedience . wee must doe all things that are written in the booke of the law , and we must continue to doe them . now from this we are delivered , though not as a dutie , yet as such a necessity as brings death upon the faile in it . when a mans conscience doth summon him before gods tribunall to bee justified or condemned ; he dares not trust a his owne performances , because no flesh can be righteous in gods sight . though the gospell both command , and b promise , and c worke holynesse in us ; yet when wee goe to finde out that to which we must stand for our last tryall , by which wee resolve to expect remission of sinnes , and inheritance with the saints , there is so much pollution and fleshly ingredients in our best workes , that we dare trust none but christs owne adequate performance of the law , whereby wee are delivered from the rigor and inexorablenesse thereof . that inherent and habituall exactnesse which the law requireth in our persons in supplied by the merit of christ : that actuall perfection which it requireth in our services , is supplyed by the incense , and intercession of christ. and though wee are full of weaknesse , all our righteousnesse as a menstruous cloth , many ragges and remnants of the old adam cleave still unto us , and we are kept under that captivitie and unavoydable service of sinne which hee sold us under : yet this priviledge and immunitie we have by christ , that our desires are accepted , that god spareth us as sonnes , that christ taketh away all the iniquitie of our holy things ; that when we faint he leads us , when we fall he pitties us , and heales us , when we turne and repent he forgives , accepts , welcomes , and feasts us with his compassions . thirdly , we are delivered from the curse of the law , christ being made a curse for us , and the chastisement of our peace being laid on him . from punishments eternall , he hath delivered us from the wrath to come , and from punishments temporall , as formall punishments . when we are judged of the lord , we are chastened , but wee are not condemned ; they are for declaration of gods displeasure , but not of his fury or vengeance ; they are to amend us , and not to consume us ; blowes that polish us for the temple and conforme us unto our head , and weane us from the world , not tastes and forerunners of further wrath . they are like iobs dunghill set up to see a redeemer upon . and besides this , as sons of promise we are blessed with faithfull abraham , have interest in that pretious vertue of the gospell which makes all things worke together for the best to those that love god. lastly , we are hereupon consequently delivered from those effects of the spirit of bondage which come along with the law. and they are principally three . first , a to manifest to the conscience that a man is in a desperate and damnable condition , in stead whereof there comes along with christ to the soule a spirit of b adoption , and of c a sound minde , which sayes unto the soule that god is our salvation , settles the heart to rest and cleave unto gods promises ; d te●…ifies , seales , secures , certifies our inheritance unto us . secondly , to e stoppe the mouth , and drive out of gods presence , and leave utterly f unexcusable , that a man shall have nothing to alledge why the curse should not be pronounced against him , but shall in his conscience subscribe to the righteousnesse of gods severity . in stead whereof we have in christ a g free approach into gods presence ; words put into our mouthes by the h spirit of supplications to reveale our requests , to debate , and plead in gods court of mercy ; to i cleere our selves from the accusations of sathan ; to appeale from them to christ , and in him to make this just apologie for our selves . i confesse i am a grievous sinner , ( and there is not a soule in heaven christ onely excepted which hath not beene so , though i the chiefe of all ) in law then i am gone , and have nothing to answere there , but only to appeale to a more mercifull court. but this i can in truth of heart say , that i deny my owne workes , that i bewaile my corruptions , that the things which i doe i allow not , that it is no more i that doe them , but sinne that dwelleth in me ; that i am truly willing to part from any lust , that i can heartily pray against my closest corruptions , that i delight in the law of god in mine inner man , that i am an unwilling captive to the law in my members , that i feele , and cry out of my wretchednesse in this so unavoydable subjection , that i desire to feare gods name , that i love the communion of his spirit and saints ; and i know i have none of these affections from nature ( in that i agree with sathan : ) these are spirituall and heavenly impressions , and where there is a piece of the spirit , where there is a little of heaven , that will undoubtedly carry the soule in which it is to the place where all the spirit is . if god would destroy me , hee would not have done so much for my soule ; he would never have given me any dramme of christs spirit to carry to hell , or to be burnt with me . no man will throw his jewels into a sinke , or cast his pearles under the feete of swine : certainely god will send none of his owne graces into hell , nor suffer any sparkle of his owne holynesse and divine nature to be cast away in that lake of forgetfulnesse . if he have begun these good works in me , he will fi●…sh them in his owne time ; and i will wa●…e upon him and expect the salvation of the lord. thirdly , to a terri●… and 〈◊〉 the soule , with a fearefull expectation of fiery 〈◊〉 and execution of the curse . in stead whereof the soule is calm'd with a spirituall serenity and b peace , which is the beginning of gods kingdome , armed with a sweete securitie , and c lion-like boldnesse , against all the powers and assaults of men or angels ; crowned and refreshed with the d joy of faith , with the first fruites of the spirit , with the clusters of the heavenly canaan , with the earnest of its inheritance , with the prefruition and preapprehension of gods presence and glory . this is the life of righteousnesse which we have from christ ; e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a redemption and deliverance from sinne and the law ; f and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a priviledge , right and interest in the purchased possession . secondly , he that hath the sonne hath life , in regard of holinesse , as he hath g received christ iesus the lord , so he walketh in him : h we are in him created or raised up from the first death , unto good workes , that we should walke in them . of our selves we are i without strength , without love , without k life ; no power , no liking , no possibilitie to doe good ; not any principle of holynesse or obedience in us . it is hee that l strengthens , that m winnes , that n quickens us by his spirit to his service . wee should here consider holinesse something more largely , and shew when good workes are vitall , and so from christ ; and when onely mortall , earthly , and upon false principles , and so from our selves . but having done this before in the doctrine of the raigne of sinne ; i will onely name some other discourses of a vitall operation , and so proceede . first , life hath ever an internall principle , a seede within it selfe , a naturall heate , with the fountaine thereof , o by which the body is made operative and vigorous : and therefore in living creatures the p heart first liveth , because it is the forge of spirits , and the fountaine of heate . so holynesse which comes from christ beginnes within , proceedeth from an q ingraffed and implanted seede , from the r feare of god in the heart , and the s law put into the inner man. the t conscience is cleansed , u the spirit of the minde is renewed , the x delights and desires of the heart are changed , the bent and bias of the thoughts are new set , y christ is formed , and dwelleth within , the whole man is z baptized with the holy ghost as with fire , which from the altar of the heart , where it is first kindled , breaketh out , and quickneth every facultie and member . fire when it prevailes will not be hidde nor kept in . secondly , life hath ever a nutritive appetite ioyned with it , and that is most set upon such things as are of the a same matter and principles with the nature nourished : so where a man is by the spirit of christ quickned unto a life of holynesse , he will have a b hungring ▪ thirsting , and most ardent affection to all those sincere , uncorrupted , and heavenly truths , which are proportionable to that spirit of christ , which is in him . thirdly , life is generative and communicative of it selfe , all living creatures have some seminarie of generation for propagating their owne kinde ; so that spirit of holynesse which wee have from christ , is a fruitfull spirit , that endeavours to shedde , multiply , and derive himselfe from one unto another . therefore he descended in fiery tongues , to note this multiplying and communicating property which he hath . the tongue is a member made for communion , and nothing so generative of it selfe as fire . they that feared the lord spake often to one another , saith the prophet . many people shall gather together , and say come yee , and let us goe to the mountaine of the lord , &c. lastly , where there is perfect life , there is sense too of any violence offered to it : so where the spirit of god is , will bee a tendernesse , and griefe from the sinnes , or temptations which doe assault him . as that great sinne , which the scripture calls blaspheming of the holy ghost , and despighting of the spirit of grace , is after a more especiall manner called the sinne against the holy ghost ; as being a sinne which biddeth open defiance to the truth , grace , life and promises , which that spirit revealeth and confirmeth unto us ; so every smaller sinne doth in its manner and measure grieve this spirit , even as every distemper in the body doth bring paine in some measure unto the naturall soule . a living member is sensible of the smallest pricke , whereas a body in the grave is not pained , nor disaffected with the weight and darknesse of the earth , the g●…awing of wormes , the stinch of rotte●…nesse , nor any violences of dissolution , because the principle ofsense is departed : so though wicked men lie in rotten and noysome lusts , have the guilt of many millions of sinnes like so many rockes and mountaines of lead on their soules , doe dayly cut and teare themselves like the lunaticke in the gospell , yet they feele nothing of all this , because they have no spirit of life in them : whereas another , in whom christ is formed , would bee constrain'd with teares of blood , and most bitter repentance to wash the wound of spirit , which but one of those fearefull oathes , or uncleane actions , ( which the others multiply and wallow in with delight ) would make within them . now , hee who hath the sonne , hath holynesse upon two grounds , according to that double relation which holinesse hath unto christ. for it ▪ respecteth him as the principle and fountaine from whence it comes , and as the rule or patterne unto which it answeres . holynes is called the image of god ; now as the face is both the fountaine of that image or species which is shed upon the glasse , and likewise the exact patterne and example of it too : so christ is both the principle of holinesse , by whom it is wrought , and the rule unto which it is proportioned . first , christ is the principle and fountaine of holinesse , as the head is of sense or motion ; from him the whole body is joyned together and compacted , and so maketh encrease and edification of it selfe in love. the oyntment ran downe from aarons head unto the skirts of his garment , to note the effusion of the spirit of holinesse from christ unto his lowest members . ye have received an unction from the holy one , saith the apostle . what this influence of christ into his members is wee shall more particularly open in the consequent parts of this discourse . secondly , christ is the rule and patterne of holinesse to his church . our sanctification consisteth onely in a conformitie unto his wayes . for more distinct understanding of which point we must note , first , that christ had severall waies and workes to walke through . sometimes we finde him walking to golgotha and the garden , which was the worke of his merit and passion . sometimes to the mount with peter , iames and iohn , which was the worke of his glory and trans-figuration . sometimes upon the sea and through the midst of enemies , which was his worke of power and miracles . sometimes in the midst of the seven golden candlestickes , which was his worke of government , guidance , and influence on the church . lastly , we finde him going about , and doing good , submitting himselfe unto his parents , going apart by himselfe to pray , and in other the like workes of his ordinary obedience . secondly , of these workes of christ we must note , that some are uncommunicable , others communicable . vncommunicable are , first , his workes of merit and mediation . there is but one mediator betweene god and man , the man christ. there is no other name under heaven by which a man may be saved , but the name of christ. there is no redemption nor intercession to bee wrought by any man but by christ. none have to doe with the censer to offer incense , who have not to doe with the altar to offer sacrifice . secondly , his worke of governement and influence into the church , his dispensing of the spirit , his quickning of his word , his subduing of his enemies , his collecting of his members , are all personall honours which belong unto him as head of the church . those which are communicable , and wherein wee may be by his grace made partakers , are such as either belong to the other life , or to this . in the other life our bodies shall bee made conformed to the transfigured and glorious body of christ ; when hee appeareth wee shall be made like unto him , by the power whereby hee subdueth all things unto himselfe . here , some are againe extraordinarily communicable , being for ministery and service , not for sanctity or salvation . such were the miraculous workes of the apostles , which were unto them by way of priviledge and temporary dispensation granted . others ordinarily , and universally to all his members . so then it remaines that our formall and complete sanctification consists in a conformitie to the wayes of christs ordinary obedience . the whole life of christ was a discipline , a living , shining , and exemplary precept unto men , a visible commentary on gods law. therefore wee finde such names given unto him in the scriptures , as signifie not onely preeminence , but exemplarynesse ; a a prince , b a leader , c a governour , d a captaine , an e apostle and high priest , f a chiefe sheepeheard and bishop , g a forerunner , or conduct into glory , a h light to the iewes , i a light to the gentiles , a k light to every man that entereth into the world. all which titles as they declare his dignitie , that he was the first borne of every creature , so they intimate likewise that hee was proposed to be the author and patterne of holynesse to his people . all other saints are to be imitated onely with limitation unto him , and so farre as they in their conversation expresse his life and spirit ; be ye followers of me even as i am of christ. but l we must 〈◊〉 pinne our obedience to the example of any saint , lest we happen to stumble and breake our bones , as they did . wherefore are the falls and apostacies , the errors and infirmities of holy men in scripture registred ? certainely , the lord delighteth not to keepe those sinnes upon record for men to gaze on , which himselfe hath put behinde his owne backe , and wiped out of the booke of his owne remembrance . hee delighteth not in the dishonour and deformities of his worthies . but m they are recorded for our sakes , set up for landmarks to warne euery man to take heed of adventuring ( on any mans authority ) upon those rockes where such renowned and noble saints have before miscarried . children of light indeed they are , but their light is like the light of the moone subject to mixtures , wainings , decayes , eclipses . christ onely is the sunne of righteousnesse , that hath a plenitude , indeficiencie , unerring holinesse , which neither is deceived , nor can deceive . now further this conformity unto christ must be in all his obedience . first , in his actiue obedience unto the law , n learne of me , saith he , for i am meeke and lowly . o i have given you an example that you should doe as i have done unto you . the action was but temporarie , and according to the custome of the place and age , but the affection was universall , the humility of his heart . p let the same minde , saith the apostle , be in you , which was in christ , that is , have the same judgement , opinions , affections , compassions , as christ had . q as he which hath called you is holy , so be ye holy in all manner of conversation . secondly , in his passive obedience , though not in the end or purposes , yet in the manner of it , runne with patience , saith the apostle , the race which is set before you , looking vnto r iesus , who for the joy that was set before him , endured the crosse , despised the shame , &c. if the head be gotten through a strait place , all the members will venture after . therefore since christ hath gone through shame , contradiction , death , to his glory , let us not be wearied , nor faint or despaire in our mindes . the head doth not thinke all its worke ended when it is gotten through it selfe , but taketh care , and is mindefull of the members that follow . therefore the apostle cals our sufferings a fulfilling or s making up of the sufferings of christ. the resolution of all is briefely this , we must follow christ in those things which hee both did and commanded ; not in those things which he did , but not commanded . but heere it may be objected , christ was himselfe voluntarily poore ; t hee became poore for our sakes , and he commanded poverty to the young man , goe sell all that thou hast , and give it to the poore . is every man to be herein a follower of christ ? to this i answere in generall , that poverty was not in christ any act of morall obedience , no●… to the yong man any command of morall obedience . first , for christs poverty we may conceive that it was a requisite preparatorie act to the worke of redemption , and to the magnifying of his spirituall power in the subduing of his enemies , and saving of his people ; when it appeared that thereunto no externall accessions nor contribution of temporall greatnesse did concurre . and secondly for the command to the yong man , it was meerely personall , and indeede not so much intending obedience to the letter of the precept , as triall of the sinceritie of the mans former profession , and conviction of him touching those misperswasions and selfe-deceits which made him trust in himselfe for righteousnesse like that of god to abraham to offer up his sonne , which was not intended for death to isaake , but for tryall to abraham , and for manifestation of his faith . it may be further objected , how can wee bee holy , as christ is holy ? first the thing is impossible , and secondly , if we could , there would be no neede of christ ; if we were bound to bee so holy , righteousnesse would come by a law of workes . to this i answere ; the law is not nullyfied , nor curtall'd by the mercy of christ : we are as fully bound to the obedience of it as adam was , though not upon such bad termes , and evill consequences as he ; under danger of contracting sinne , though not under danger of incurring death . so much as any justified person comes short of complete and universall obedience to the law , so much hee sinneth , as adam did , though god be pleased to pardon that sinne by the merit of christ. christ came to deliver from sinne , but not to priviledge any man to commit it : though hee came to be a curse for sinne , yet hee came not to be a cloake for sinne . secondly , christ is needefull in two respects : first , because we cannot come to full and perfect obedience , and so his grace is requisite to pardon and cover our failings : secondly , because that which wee doe attaine unto , is not of or from our selves , and so his spirit is requisite to strengthen us unto his service . thirdly , when the scripture requires us to be holy and perfect as christ and god , by as , we understand not equalitie in the compasse , but qualitie in the truth of our holynesse : as when the apostle saith , that we must love our neighbour as our selves , the meaning is not that our love to our neighbour should be mathematically equall to the love of our selves ; for the law doth allow of degrees in love according to the degrees of relation and neerenesse in the thing loved : doe good unto all men , specially to those of the houshold of faith. love to a friend may safely bee greater then to a stranger ; and to a wife or childe , then to a friend : yet in all , our love to others must be of the selfe same nature , as true , reall , cordiall , sincere , solid as that to our selves . wee must love our neighbour as wee doe our selves , that is , unfainedly , and without dissimulation . let vs further consider the grounds of this point touching the conformitie which is betweene the nature and spirituall life of christians and of christ ( because it is a doctrine of principall consequence . ) first this was one of the ends of christs comming . two purposes he came for ; a restitution of us to our interest in salvation , and a restoring our originall qualities of holynesse unto vs. hee came to sanctifie , and cleanse the church , that it should be holy and without blemish ; unblameable and unreproveable in his sight : to redeeme , and to purifie his people . the one is the worke of his merit which goeth upward to the satisfaction of his father ; the other the worke of his spirit and grace , which goeth downeward to the sanctification of his church . in the one he bestoweth his righteousnesse upon us by imputation ; in the other he fashioneth his ●…mage in us by renovation . that man then hath no claime to the payment christ hath made , nor to the inheritance hee hath purchased , who hath not the life of christ fashioned in his nature and conversation . but if christ be not onely a saviour to redeeme , but a rule to sanctifie , what use or service is left unto the law ? i answere , that the law is still a rule , but not a comfortable , effectuall , delightfull rule without christ applying , and sweetning it unto us . the law onely comes with commands , but christ with strength , love , willingnesse , and life to obey them . the law alone comes like a schoolemaster with a scourge , a curse along with it ; but when christ comes with the law , he comes as a father , with precepts to teach , and with compassions to spare . the law is a lion , and christ our sampson that slew the lion ; as long as the law is alone , so long it is alive , and comes with terrour , and fury upon every soule it meetes : but when christ hath slaine the law , taken away that which was the strength of it , namely the guilt of sinne , then there is honie in the lion , sweetnesse in the duties required by the law. it is then an easie yoke , and a law of libertie , the commandements are not then grievous , but the heart delighteth in them , and loveth them , even as the honie and the honie combe . of it selfe it is b the cord of a iudge which bindeth hand and foote , and shackleth unto condemnation ; but by christ it is made the c cord of a man , and the band of love , by which he teacheth us to go●… , even as a nurse her infant . secondly , holynesse must needes consist in a conformitie unto christ , if wee consider the nature of it . wee are then sanctified when wee are re-endued with that image of god after which we were at first created . some d have conceived that we are therefore said to bee created after gods image , because wee were made after the image of christ , who was to come ; but this is contradicted by the apostle , who saith that e adam was the figure of christ , and not christ the patterne of adam ; yet that created holynesse is renewed in us after the image of christ. f as we have borne the image of the earthly adam , who was taken out of the earth , an image of sinne , and guilt : so wee must beare the image of the heavenly adam , who is the lord from heaven , an image of life and holynesse . we were g predestinated , saith the apostle , to be conformed unto the image of the sonne ; conformed in his nature , holynesse ; in his end , happynesse ; and in the way thereunto , sufferings . h we all , saith he , beholding with open face as in a glasse , that is in christ , or i in the face of christ , the glory of god , are changed into the same image with christ , ( he the image of his father , and we of him ) from glory to glory , that is , either from glory inchoate in obedience and grace here ( for the saints in their very sufferings are glorious and conformable to the glory of christ ▪ the k spirit of glory is upon you in your reproaches for christ ) unto glory consummate in heaven , and salvation here . after : or from glory to glory , that is , grace for grace , the glorious image of gods holynesse in christ fashioning , and producing it selfe in the hearts of the faithfull , as an image or species of light shining on a glasse , doth from thence fashion it selfe on the wall , or in another glasse . holynesse is the image of god ; now in an image there are two things required . first , a similitude of one thing unto another . secondly , a deduction , derivation , impression of that similitude upon the one from the other , and with relation thereunto . for though there bee the similitude of snow in milke , yet the one is not the image of the other . now then when an image is universally lost , that no man living can furnish his neighbour with it to draw from thence another for himselfe , there must be recourse to the prototype and originall , or else it cannot bee had . now in adam there was an universall obliteration of gods holy image out of himselfe , and all his posteritie . vnto god therefore himselfe wee must have recourse to repaire this image againe . but how can this be ? the apostle tels us , that he is an inaccessible , an unapproachable god , no man can draw neere him , but hee will be licked up and devoured like the l stubble by the fire ; and yet , if a man could come neere him ( as in some sense he is m not farre from every one of us ) yet he is an n invisible god , no man can see him , and live ; no man can have a view of his face to new draw it againe . wee are all by sinne come o short of his glory ; as impossible it is for any man to become holy againe as it is to see that which is invisible , or to approch unto that which is inaccessible ; except the lord be pleased through some vaile or other to exhibite his image againe unto us , and through some glasse to let it shine upon us , we shall be everlastingly destitute of it . and this hee hath beene pleased to doe through the p vaile of christs flesh , q god was manifested in the flesh ; in that flesh he was r made visible , and we have an accesse into the holyest of all through the vaile , that is to say , christs flesh ; in that flesh he was made accessible . by him saith the apostle wee have an s accesse unto the father . he was the image of the invisible god. he that t hath seene him hath seene the father . for as god was in him reconciling the world unto himselfe , so was hee in him revealing himselfe unto the world. no man hath seene god at any time ; the onely begotten sonne which is in the bosome of the father hee hath revealed him. thirdly , consider the quality of the mysticall body . it is a true rule , that that which is first and best in any kinde is the rule and measure of all the rest . and therefore christ being the first and chiefest member in the church , he is to bee the ground of conformitie to the rest . and there is indeede a mutuall suteablenesse betweene the head and the members . christ by compassion conformable to his members in their infirmitie , ( we have not an high priest who cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities ) and the members by communion conformable to christ in his sanctity ; both he that sanctifieth , and they that are sanctified are of one . fourthly holynesse in the scripture is called an vnction . all the vessels of the tabernacle were sanctified by that holy vnction which was prescribed moses . ye have received an ointment , saith s. iohn , which teacheth you all things . it is an oyntment which healeth our wounds , and cleanseth our nature , & mollyfieth our consciences , and openéth our eyes , and consecrateth our persons unto royall , sacred , and peculiar services . now though christ were annointed with this holy oyle above his fellowes , yet not without his fellowes ; but all they are by his unction sanctified . light is principally in the sunne , and sappe in the roote , and water in the fountaine ; yet there is a derivation , a conformitie in the beame , branches , and streames to their originals : onely here is the difference ; in christ there is a fulnesse , in us onely a measure ; and in christ there is a purenesse , but in us a mixture . fifthly and lastly , christ is the summe of the whole scriptures , and therefore necessarily the rule of holynesse . for the a scripture is profitable to make a man perfect , and to furnish him unto all good workes . saint paul professeth b that he with-held nothing which was profitable , but delivered the whole counsell of god ; and yet elsewhere we finde the summe of his preaching was c christ crucified : and therefore that which the scripture calles d the writing of the law in our hearts , it calles e the forming of christ in us ; to note that christ is the summe and substance of the whole law. hee f came to men first in his word , and after in his body ; fulfilling the types , accomplishing the predictions , performing the commaunds , remooving the burdens ▪ exhibiting the precepts of the whole law in a most exemplarie and perfect conversation . now for our further applycation of this doctrine unto use and practise : we may hence first receive a twofold instruction . first , touching the proportions wherein our holynesse must beare conformitie unto christ ; for conformitie cannot be without proportion . here then we may observe foure particulars wherein our holynesse is to bee proportionable unto christs . first , it must have the same principle and seed●… with christs , namely his spirit . as in christ there were two natures , so in either nature there was holynesse after a severall manner . in his divine nature he was holy by essence and underivatively ▪ in his humane by consecration , and unction with the spirit ; and in this wee are to beare proportion unto him . our holynesse must proceede from the same spirit whereby he was sanctified ; onely with this difference . the spirit of holynesse was christs , inr●… proprio , by vertue of the by postaticall union of the humane nature with the divine in the unitie of his person . by meanes whereof it was impossible for the humane nature in him not to bee sanctified , and filled with grace . but to us the spirit belongs by an inferior union unto christ as our head , from whom it is unto us derived and dispensed in such proportions as hee is in mercy pleased to observe towards his members . but yet though wee have not as hee a plenitude of the spirit , yet wee have the same in truth and substance with him. as it is the same light which breaketh forth in the dawning of the day , and inhereth in the glorious body of the sunne , though here in fulnesse , and there but in measure : so the apostle saith we are all changed into the same image with christ by the spirit of our god. and he that is ioyned unto the lord is one spirit , and that there is but one body and one spirit betweene christ and his members . secondly , our holynesse must bee conformable to christs in the ends of it . first , the glory of god : father , saith hee , i have gloryfied thee on earth , i have finished the worke which thou gavest me to doe . wherein there are three notable things for our imitation first that god must first give us our workes , before we must doe them . we must have his warrant and authoritie for all we doe . if a man could bee so full of selfe-zeale ( if i may so call it ) of irregular and unprescribed devotion , as to offer rivers of oyle , or mountaines of cattell , or the first borne of his body for the sinne of his soule , should neglect and macerate his body and dishonour his flesh into the gastlynesse , and image of a dead carcasse ; yet if the lord have not first shewed it , nor required it of him , it will all prove but the vanitie , and pride of a fleshly minde . secondly , as wee must doe nothing but that which god requires , and gives us to doe , so we must therein aime at his glory ; as his authoritie must bee the ground , so his honour must be the end of all our workes : and thirdly , god is never glorified , but by finishing his workes . to beginne , and then fall backe , is to put christ to shame . secondly , all christs workes were done for the good of the church . he was given and borne for us . he was made sinne and curse for us . for our righteousnesse and redemption he came , and for our expediencie he returned againe . when the apostle urgeth the philippians not to looke to their owne things , but every man also on the things of others , hee presseth them with this argument , let the same minde bee in you which was in christ iesus . hee thought it no robbery to be equall with god , and therefore to him there could be no accession ; all that he did was for his church ; and this saint paul sealeth with his owne example : if i be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith , i ioy and reioyce with you all . and else ▪ where , i will very gladly spend and be spent for you , though the more aboundantly i love you , the lesse i beloved . onely here is the difference , christs obedience was meritorious for the redemption of his church , ours onely ministeriall for the edification of the church : we doe all things , saith the apostle , for your edification . when the apostle saith , i fill up that which is behinde of the afflictions of christ for his bodies sake , which is the church : we are not to conceive it in our adversaries glosse , that it was to merit , expiate , satisfie for the church ; but only to benefit and edifie it . let him expound himselfe . the things which happened vnto mee , namely my bonds in christ , have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospell : and againe , i endure all things for the elects sake , that they may also obtaine the salvation , not which my sufferings merit , but which is in christ iesus . to note that the sufferings of the saints are ministerially serviceable to that salvation of the church , unto which the sufferings of christ are alone meritorious and availeable . thirdly , our holinesse must bee proportionable to christs in the parts of it . it must be universall : the whole man must bee spiritually formed and organiz'd unto the measure of christ. every part must have its measure , and every ioynt its supply . holynesse is a resurrection ; all that which fell must be restored ; and it is a generation , all the parts of him that begetteth must be fashioned . the god of peace sanctifie you throughout , and i pray god that your whole spirit , soule and body may bee preserved blamelesse unto the comming of our lord iesus christ. lastly , our holinesse must bee proportion ed unto christ in the manner of working : i shall observe but three particulars of many . first , it must be done with selfe-denyall ; he that will follow christ must deny himselfe : christ for us denyed himselfe , and his owne will ; his naturall love towards his owne life yeelded to his mercifull love towards his members ; not as i will in my naturall desire to decline dissolution , but as thou wilt in thy mercifull purpose to save thy church . many men will be content to serve god as long as they may with all advantage themselves : but to serve him and deny themselves is a worke which they have not learned . ephraim loveth to treade out the corne , saith the prophet . you know the mouth of the oxe was not to be muzled that trod out the corne , he had his worke and reward together . but plowing is onely in hope : for the present it is a hungry and a hard worke . so , saith he , while ephraim may serve me and himselfe , make religion serve his other secular purposes , he will be very forward : but when he must plow , that is , serve in hope of a harvest , but in paine for the present , hee hath an easier plow going of his owne , as it followes , ye have plowed wickednesse . secondly , it must bee done in obedience unto god. christ emptied himselfe , and became obedient ; it was his meate and drinke to doe the will of his father : even unto that bitter worke of his passion he was annointed with the oyle of gladnesse ; to note that though as made of a woman , partaker of the same passions and naturall affections with us , hee did decline it , and shrinke from it ; yet , as made under the law , hee did most voluntarily and obediently undertake it . thou hast prepared mee a bodie . in the volume of thy booke it is written of me , lo i come to doe thy will o god. lastly , our holynesse must have growth and proficiencie with it , grow in grace . let these things be in you and abound ; as it is said of christ , that he increased in wisedome and favour with god and men , and that he learned obedience by the things which hee suffered . if it bee here objected , that christ was ever full , and had the spirit without measure even from the wombe ; for in as much as his divine nature was in his infancie as fully united to his humane as ever after , therefore the fulnesse of grace , which was a consequent thereupon , was as much as ever after : to this i answere , that certaine it is christ was ever full of grace and spirit ; but that excludes not his growth in them , proportionably to the ripenesse , and by consequence capacitie of his humane nature . suppose we the sunne were vegetable and a subject of augmentation , though it would be never true to say that it is fuller of light then it was , yet it would be true to say that it hath more light now , then it had when it was of a lesser capacitie : even so christ being in all things save sinne like unto us , and therefore like us in the degrees and progresses of naturall maturitie , though he were ever full of grace , may yet be said to grow in it , and to learne , because as the capacitie of his nature was enlarged , the spring of grace within him did rise up and proportionably fill it . secondly , from this doctrine of our conformity in holinesse to the life of christ we may be instructed touching the vigor of the law , and the consonancie and concurrencie thereof with the gospell . true it is that christ is the end of the law , and that wee are not under the law , but under grace : yet it is as true that christ came not to destroy the law , and that no jot nor tittle thereof shall fall to the ground . wee are not under the law for iustification of our persons , as adam ; nor for satisfaction of divine iustice , as those that perish ; but we are under it as a document of obedience , and a rule of living . it is now published from mount sion , as a law of libertie , and a new law ; not as a law of condemnation and bond age . the obedience thereof is not removed , but the disobedience thereof is both pardoned and cured . necessarie is the observation of it as as a fruite of faith , not as a condition of life or righteousnesse , necessarie , necessitate praecepti , as a thing commanded , the transgressing whereof is an incurring of sinne ; not necessitate medy , as a strict and undispensable meane of salvation , the transgression whereof is a peremptorie obligation unto death . three things christ hath done to the law for us . first , he hath mitigated the rig●…r and removed the curse from it , as it is a killing letter , and ministery of death . secondly , hee hath by his spirit conferred all the principles of obedience upon us ; wisdome to contrive , will to desire , strength to execute , love to delight in the services of it . the law onely commands , but christ enables . thirdly , hee hath by his exemplary holinesse chalked out unto us , and conducted us in the way of obedience : for all our obedience comes from christ , and that either as unto members from his spirit , or as unto disciples from his doctrine and example . we see then the necessitie of our being in christ , not onely for righteousnesse , but for obedience : for we must have life , before we can have operation . if we live in the spirit , let us walk●… also in the spirit . whereas out of christ a man is under the whole law , as an insupportable yoke , as an impossible and yet inexorable rule ; as a covenant of righteousnesse , and condition by which he must be tried , by which he must everlastingly stand or fall before the tribunall of christ , when he shall come in flaming fire to take vengeance on those who , though convinced of their iusufficiencie to observe the law , have yet disobeyed the gospell of our lord iesus christ. thirdly we may hence learne the necessitie of diligent attendance on the holy scriptures and places where they are explained : there is a no abiding in christ but by walking as he walked : there is no walking as hee walked , but by knowing how he walked : and this is onely by the scriptures , in which hee is b yet amongst us , c walking in the middest of his church , d crucified before our eyes , set forth and e declared unto us : f many other signes iesus did which are not written saith the apostle , but these are written that you might beleeve , and that beleeving you might have life . wee know not any of christs wayes or workes but by the word ; and therefore they who give no attendance unto that , declare that they regard not the wayes of christ , nor have any care to follow the lambe wheresoever he goeth . secondly , we must from hence bee exhorted to take heede of usurping christs honour to our selves , of being our owne rule or way . the lord is a jealous god , and will not suffer any to bee a selfe mover , or a god unto himselfe . it is one of gods extreamest judgements to give men over to themselves , and leave them to follow their owne rules . when hee hath first wo●…d men by his spirit , and that is resisted ; enticed them by his mercies , and they are abused ; threatned them with his judgements , and they are misattributed to second causes ; cried unto them by his prophets , and they are reviled ; sent his owne sonne to perswade them , and hee is trampled on and despised : when he offers to teach them , and they stoppe their eares ; to leade them , and they pull away their shoulder ; to convert them , and they hardned their heart ; when they set up mounds against the gospell , as it were to non-plus and pose the mercies of god , that there may be no remedie left ; then after all these ind●…gnities to the spirit of grace , this is the judgement with which god useth to revenge the quarrrell of his grace and covenant , to leave them to the hardnesse and impenitencie g of their owne hearts , to be a rule and way unto themselves . my people would not hearken to my voyce , and israel would none of me . so i gave them up unto their owne hearts lust ; and they walked in their owne counsels . let us therefore take heede of a will-holynesse . we are the servants of christ , and our members are to bee the instruments of righteousnesse ; and servants are to be governed by the will of their masters , and members to bee guided by the influence of the head , and instruments to bee applyed to all their services by the superiour cause . h every thing which moses did about the tabernacle was to be done after the patterne which he had seene in the mount ; and every thing which we doe in these spirituall tabernacles , we are to doe after the patterne of him who is set before us . the services of israel , after their revolt from the house of david , when they built altars and multiplyed sacrifices , were as chargeable , as specious , and in humane discourse every whit as rationall , as those at ierusalem ; yet wee finde when they would bee wiser then god , and prescribe the way wherein they ment to worship him all i ended in shame and dishonor ; bethel which was gods house before is turned into bethaven , a house of vanitie : k israel hath forgotten his maker , and buildeth temples saith the prophet . one would thinke that hee who buildes temples had god , who was in thē to be worshipped , often in his mind ; but to remember god otherwise then hee hath required , to build many temples , when hee had appointed but one temple and one altar for all that people to resort unto , this was by forgetting gods will and word to forget likewise his service and worship , because to serve him otherwise then he requireth is not to worship but to rob and mocke him . in gods service it is a greater sinne to doe that which wee are not to doe , then not to doe that which we are commanded . this is but a sinne of omission ; but that a sinne of sacriledge and high contempt : in this we charge the law onely with difficultie , but in that with folly ; in this wee discover our weaknes to doe the will , but in that we declare our impudence and arrogancie to controle the wisedome of god : in this wee acknowledge our owne insufficiencie , in that we deny the all-sufficiencie and plenitude of gods owne law. but what ever opinion men have of their owne wisedomes , and contributions in gods service , yet he esteemes them all but as ●…udicrous things , as games , and playes , and acting of mimicall dancings : l the people sate downe to eate and drinke and rose up to m play . what ever action therefore you goe about , doe it by rule , enquire out of the scriptures whether christ would have done it or no , at least whether he allow it or no. it is true , somethings are lawfull and expedient with us , which were not suteable unto the person of christ. marriage is honourable with all other men , but it did not befit his person who came into the world to spirituall purposes onely , to beget sonnes and daughters unto god , and to be mystically married unto his church . to write bookes is commendable with men , because like abel being dead they may still speake , and teach those who never saw them . but it would have beene derogatory to the person , and unbecomming the office of christ. for it is his prerogative to bee in the midst of the seven candlestickes , to be present to all his members , to teach by power and not by ministery , to teach by his spirit , and not by his penne , to teach the hearts of men , and not their eyes or eares . he hath no mortalitie , distance , or absence to be by such meanes supplyed . it became him to commit these ministeriall actions to his servants , and to reserve to himselfe that great honour of writing his law in the hearts of his people , and making them to be his epistle . but yet i say as in these things wee must respect his allowance , so in others let us ref●…ect upon his example . when thou art tempted to loosenesse , and immoderate living , aske thy conscience but this question , would christ have d●…unke unto swinishnesse , or eaten unto excesse ? would hee have wasted his pretious time at slewes , stages , or tavernes , or taken delight in sinfull and desperate fellowships ? did christ frequently pray both with his disciples , and alone by himselfe , and shall inever either in my family or in my closet thinke upon god ? did christ open his wounds , and shall not i open my mouth ? was not his blood too pretious to redeeme , and is my breath too good to instruct his church ? was christ mercifull to his enemies , and shall i bee cruell to his members ? againe for the manner of christs obedience ; did christ serve god without all selfe-ends , meerely in obedience , and to glorifie him ; and shall i make gods worship subordinate to my aimes and his religion serve turnes ? shall i doe what i doe without any love or ioy , meerely out of slavish feare , and compulsion of conscience ? thus if we did resolve our services into their true originals , and measure them by the holynesse of christ , and have him ever before our eyes , it would be a great meanes of living in comfort and spirituall conformitie to gods law. and there are , amongst diverse others , two great encouragements thereunto . first , while we follow christ wee are out of all danger , his angels have us in their armes , we are under the protection of his promises , as every good subject in the kings way is under the kings protection . peter never denyed christ , nor was assaulted by the servants of the high priest till hee gave over following him . secondly , the more wee follow christ the neerer still we come unto him . because christ is entered into his rest , he is now at home , hee is not now in motion , but he sitteth still at his fathers right hand , and hath no higher nor no further to goe : and therefore so long as i hasten and presse forward in his way , i must needes be the neerer unto him . your salvation is neerer , saith the apostle , then when you first beleeved . but a man will say , how shall i doe to follow christ ? i answere in one word , denie thy selfe , and thou dost then follow him : get out of thine owne way and thou canst not misse of his . the world never rules us but by our owne lusts ; sathan never overcomes us but by our owne willes , and with our owne weapons ; when he is resisted hee flyes . as hanibal was wont to say that the onely way to fight against rome was in italie : so the other enemies of our salvation know that there is no conquering the soule but in its owne waye . as soone as any man forsakes his owne way , christ is at hand to lead him into his . he will bee wisedome to those that denie their owne reason ; he will be redemption to those that despise their owne merits ; hee will bee sanctification to those that cast of their owne lusts ; hee will be salvation to those that relinquish their owne ends ; he will be all things to those that are nothing to themselves . now we have ( as i may so speake ) two selfes . a selfe of nature , and a selfe of sinne ; and both must be denyed for christ. this wee must ever cast away as a snare , and that wee must be ever ready to lay downe , as a sacrifice , when he is pleased to set himselfe in competition with it . and so much for the life of holynesse which wee have in christ. lastly , he that hath the sonne hath the life of glory assured to him . for hee a hath made us to sit together with him in heavenly places : and b when he appeares we shall bee like him . hee shall change c our vile bodies into the similitude of his glorious bodie . when d hee comes we shall meete him , and be ever with him . e hee is ascended to his father and our father , to his god and our god , and therefore to f his kingdome and g our kingdome : his by personall proprietie , and hypostaticall union ; ours by his purchase and merit , and by our mysticall union and fellowship with him . he is gone to prepare a place for us . in earth hee was our suretie to answere the penaltie of our sinnes ; and in heaven , he is our advocate , to take seifin and possession of that kingdome for us ; our captaine , and forerunner , and high priest , who hath not onely carried our names , but hath broken off the vaile of the sanctuary , and given us accesse into the holyest of all . and hee that hath the sonne , hath this life alreadie in three regards . first , in p●…etio , he hath the price that procured it esteemed his . it was bought with the pretious blood of christ in his name , and to his use , and it was so bought for him that he hath a present right and claime unto it . it is not his i●… reversion after an expiration of any others right ( there are no lease●… nor reversions in heaven ) but it is his as an inheritance is the heires after the death of the ancestor , who yet by minoritie of yeeres , or distance of place may occupie and possesse it by some other person . secondly , hee hath it in promisso , he hath gods charter , his assurance sealed with an oath , and a double sacrament , to establish his heart in the expectation of it . by h two immutable things , faith the apostle , namely the word and the oath of god , wherein it was impossible for him to he , we have strong consolation , and great ground of hope ; which hope is sure and stedfast , and leadeth us unto that place which is within the vaile , whither christ our forerunner is gone before us . thirdly , he hath it in i primitijs , in the earnest , and first fruites and hansell of it ; in those k few clusters of grapes , and bunches of figges , those graces of christs spirit , that peace , comfort , serenitie , which is shed forth into the heart already from that heavenly canaan . the holy spirit of promise is the earnest of our inheritance , untill the redemption or full fruition and revelation of our purchased possession to the prayse of his glory . the graces of the spirit in the soule are l as certaine and infallible evidences of salvation , as the day starre or the morning aurora is of the ensuing day , or sunne-rising . for all spirituall things in the soule are the beginnings of heaven , parcels of that spirit , the fulnesse and residue whereof is in christs keeping to adorne us with when he shall present us unto his father . but this doctrine of the life of glory is in this life more to be made use of , then curiously to bee enquired into . o then where the m treasure is , let the heart be ; n where the body is , let the eagles resort ; if wee are already free men of heaven , let our thoughts , our language , our o conversation , our trading be for heaven . let us set our faces towards our home . p let us awake out of sleepe , considering that now our salvation is neerer then when we first beleeved . if wee have q a hope to be like him at his comming , let us purifie our selves even as hee is pure ; since there is a r price , a high calling , a crowne before us , let us presse forward with all s violence of devotion , never thinke our selves farre enough , but prepare our hearts still , and lay hold on every advantage to further our progresse : since there is t a rest remaining for the people of god , let us labour to enter into it , and to u hold fast our profession , that x as well absent as present we may be accepted of him . secondly , since we know that if our y earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved , we have a building of god , an house not made with hands , eternall in the heavens ; let us feele the burden of our fleshly corruptions , and groane after our redemption . let us long for the revelation of the sonnes of god , and for his z appearing , as the saints under the altar , a how long lord iesus , holy and iust. thirdly , let us with enlarg'd and ravish'd affections , with all the vigor and activitie of enflamed hearts recount the great love of god , who hath not onely delivered us from his wrath , but made us sonnes , married his owne infinite maiestie to our nature in the unitie of his sonnes person , and made us in him b kings , priests , and heires unto god. c beloved what manner of love , how unsearchable , how bottomlesse , how surpassing the apprehensions of men or angels is the love of god to us , saith the apostle , that wee should be called the sonnes of god. lastly , if god will glorifie us with his life hereafter , let us labour as much as wee can to glorifie him in our lives here . it was our saviours argument ( who might have entered into glory as his owne without any such way of procurement , if his owne voluntarie undertaking the office of mediator had not concluded him . ) glorifie me with thy selfe , with the glorie which i had with thee before the world was ; for i have gloryfied thee on earth , i have finished the worke which thou gavest mee to doe . if we are indeede perswaded that there is laid up for us a crowne of righteousnesse , we cannot but with saint paul resolve to fight a good fight , to finish our course , to keepe the faith , to bring forth much fruite that our father may be glorified in us . and now having unfolded this threefold life which the faithfull have in christ , wee may further take notice of three attributes or properties of this life , both to humble and to secure us ; and they are all couched in one word of the apostle , your life is hid with christ in god. it is in christs keeping , as in the hands of a faithfull depositary , and it is a life in god , a full life , a derivation from the fountaine of life , where it is surer and sweeter then in any cisterne . here then are three properties of a christians life in christ ; first , obscuritie ; secondly , plentie ; thirdly , safetie or eternitie . first it is an obscure life , a secret a●d mysterious life ; so the apostle calleth a godlynesse a mysterie . as there is a mysterie of iniquitie , and the hidden things of uncleannesse : so there is a mysterie of godlynesse , and the b hidden man of the heart . the life of grace first is hidden totally from the wicked . c a stranger doth not intermeddle with a righteous mans joy ; d the naturall man knoweth not any things of gods spirit ; saint peter gives the reason , because he is c blinde , and cannot see a farre off . now the things of god are deepe things , and high things , upward f they have too much brightnesse , and downeward they have too much darknesse for purblinde eyes to apprehend . secondly , it is hid in some sort from the faithfull themselves . first , under the prevalencie of their corruptions , and adherencie of concupiscence , as corne under a heape of chaffe , or a wall under the ivie , or mettall under the rust which overgrowes it . secondly , under the winnowings and temptations of satan . as in sifting of corne the branne being lightest gets upmost , so when satan disquiets the heart , that which is finest , and should most comfort , will sinke and bee out of sight . thirdly , under spirituall desertions , and trials ; as in an eclipse , when the face of the sunne is intercepted , the moone looseth her light : so when god , who is our light , hideth his countenance from us , no marvell if we can discover no good nor comfort in our selves . secondly , the life of glorie is much more obscure and secret ; for notwithstanding the first fruites and inchoations thereof bee in this life begun in the peace of conscience , and joy in the holy ghost ( as in an eclipse of the sunne some dimme glimpses doe glance from the edges of the interposed body ) yet in regard of the plenarie infusion of glorious endowments , and those prerogatives of the flesh which belong unto it at the redemption of the bodie , it is a hidden mysterie ; it is a light which is onely sowed for the righteous ; though we expect a revelation of it , yet now it is but as corne in the ground , covered over with much darknesse . now we are sonnes , saith saint iohn , we have ius ad rem , right unto our life and crowne already ; but we are in a farre countrie like the prodigall , absent from the lord ; and therefore it doth not yet appeare what we shall be : we can no more distinctly understand the excellencie of our inheritance by these seales and assurances which ratifie our right thereunto , then one who never saw the sunne could conjecture the light and lustre thereof by the twinckling of a litle starre , or the picture thereof in a table ; onely this wee know , that when he shall appeare , wee shall be like unto him ; not onely in true holynesse , for so we are like him now ( wee are already created after him in righteousnesse and true holynesse ) but in full holynesse too ; we shall be filled with all the fulnesse of god , as the same apostle speakes : such a fulnesse as shall satisfie us : when i awake i shall bee satisfied with thy likenesse . therefore the last day is by an emphasis called a day of redemption . first , in regard of the manifestation and revelation thereof . the lord shal then appeare and bee revealed from heaven , all those curtens shall bee drawne , those vailes betweene us and our glory , those skinnes with which the arke is overlaid , shall be torne and removed : our sinnes , our earthly condition , our manifold afflictions , the seeming povertie and foolishnesse of the ordinances , shall be all laid aside , and then wee shall see our redeemer , not as iob did from a dunghill , nor as moses through a cloude , but we shall know even as we are knowne . here then wee see one of the maine reasons why wicked men despise religion , and a abominate the righteous , as b signes and wonders to bee spoken against . they judge of spiritual things as blind men do of colors . these are hidden mysteries to them , no marvell if they count it a strange thing , and a very madnesse that others runne not to their excesse . but our comfort is that our hope is germen , a growing thing , a stone full of eyes , a hidden manna , ( sweete though secret ) a new name , which though no other man can know , yet he that receiveth it is able to reade . and this is the reason too why the saints themselves are not enough affected with the beautie of holynesse , because it is in great part hidden even from them by corruptions , and admixture of earthly lusts . lift up your heads , saith our saviour , for your redemption draweth nigh : noting unto us , that so long as the thoughts and affections of men are downeward , their redemption is out of their sight . open thou mine eyes , saith david , that i may behold the wondrous things out of thy law : i am a stranger on earth , o hide not thy commandements from me . when a man makes himselfe a stranger unto earthly things , and setteth not any of his choisest affections and desires on them , he is then qualified to see those mysteries and wonders which are in the law. if there were no earth , there would bee no darknesse ( for the shadow of the earth is that which makes the night , and the bodie of the earth which absenteth the sunne from our view ) it is much more certaine in spirituall things , the light of gods word and graces would not bee eclipsed , if earthly affections did not interpose themselves . this is the reason why men goe on in their sinnes and beleeve not the word , because they have a vaile over their eyes , which hides the beautie of it from them . who hath beleeved our report , or to whom is the arme of the lord revealed ? saith the prophet : intimating unto us , that the word will not be beleeved , till it bee revealed . the lord opened the heart of lydia to attend unto pauls preaching . as soone as the vaile is taken away by christ , and the truth , goodnesse , and beautie of the gospell discover'd , there is immediately wrought a cleare assent and subscription in the minde , an earnest longing and desire in the heart , a constant purpose and resolution in the will to forsake all things as dung in comparison of that excellent knowledge . as in the discoverie of mathematicall conclusions there is such demonstrative and invincible evidence as would make a man wonder he had not understood them before : so in the discoveries of grace unto the soule , the spirit doth so throughly convince a man , that hee wonders at his former stupiditie , which never admired such things before . againe the faithfull are here to be directed in this state of obscuritie how to carry themselves under those corruptions , temptations , desertions , which here hide the brightnesse and beautie of their life from them . first , above all preserve sinceritie in the heart . there is nothing in us so perfect , so contrarie to our corruptions as sinceritie ; that will ever bee to the soule in the midst of darknesse as a chinke in a dungeon , through which it may discerne some glimmerings of light ; whereas without it all other shewes and pretences are but like windowes fastned upon a thicke wall onely for uniformitie in the building ; though they seeme specious to the beholder without , yet inward they transmit no light at all , because they are laid over an opace body . secondly , foster not temptations , doe not pleade nor promote the divels cause , set not forward thine enemies suggestions . though it bee our dutie to have our sinnes alwayes before us , so it bee upon the suggestion and proposall of gods spirit ; yet we must turne our eyes from our very sinnes when sathan displayes them . christ will be confessed , but hee forbids the divels to confesse him ; and god will have sinne to be felt and seene , but as a dutie , not as a temptation ; in his owne word , not in satans false glasses ; to draw us unto him , not to drive or deterre us from him . when the spirit convinceth of sinne , it is to amend us ; but when satan doth it , it is onely to affright and confound us . and commonly hee drives to one sinne , to cover another . againe the spirit opens sinne in the soule as a chirurgian doth a wound , in a close roome , with fire , friends , and remedies about him : but the divell first draw's a man from the word , from christ , from the promises , and then strips the soule , and opens the wounds thereof in the cold aire onely to kill and torment , not to cure or releeve . in such a case therefore the soule should lay the faster hold upon christ , and when there is no light should trust upon the name of the lord and stay upon his god. thirdly , in spirituall desertions exercise faith to see god when hee is absent : goe into the watch tower , review thine owne and other mens experiences of gods dealing ; resolve to trust him though he kill thee ; resolve to cleave to him , as elisha to eliah , though he offer to depart from thee ; resolve to venture upon him when he seemes angrie and arm'd against thee ; resolve to runne after him when hee hath forsaken thee ; endure rather his blowes , then his absence ; therefore he removes that thou shouldst crie after him ; therefore he hides from thee , not that thou shouldst lose him , but onely that thou shouldest seeke him : and there is most comfort in a life recovered . difficulties sweeten our fruition ; and there is a fulnesse in chtist which will at last be an ample reward of all preceding discomforts . secondly , the life which we have by christ is a plenteous and aboundant life . a i am come , saith he , that they might have life , and that they might have it more aboundantly . b hee that beleeveth on mee , out of his bellie shall flow rivers of living water , like the c waters of ezekiels vision which swelled from the ancles to the loynes , and from thence to an unpassable streame . so the apostle saith , that the lord had d shed forth the spirit aboundantly in the renewing of his saints . and it is an observation which you may easily make , that sundrie times in the apostles writings , the graces of the gospell are called the e riches of christ , and the riches of his grace , and the riches of his mysterie , and the riches of his glory , and the riches of his reproaches , and the f treasure of a good heart ; by all which is expressed the pretiousnes , and the aboundance of the spirit which wee have from the life of christ. therefore the spirit is compared unto g water , and that not onely to sprinkle and bedew men , but to wash and baptise them ; h ye shall be baptized with the holy ghost . as water knowes no bounds within it selfe , is onely limited by the vessell which holds it ; so the spirit is of a very spreading and unlimited propertie it selfe , and is onely straitned by the narrownesse of those hearts unto which it comes . i yee are not straitned in us , saith the apostle , or in our ministery , wee preach aboundance of grace unto you ; but ye are straitned in your owne bowels ; you are like narrow mouthed vessels ; though floudes of knowledge , fall downe , ( k the earth shall bee full of the knowledge of the lord , as the waters cover the sea , ) yet but drops fall in . this is a great grieving of the spirit of life , and indignitie done to the springing and abounding vertue which he brings , for us by our supinnes and securitie to damme up this fountaine , to let this garden of spices be over growne with weedes ; to nippe , stifle , and keepe under the graces of christ ; not to receive a proportionable measure of growth to those meanes , and influences which hee affords us . lastly , the life which we have from christ is a safe , an abiding , an eternall life : the longer it continues , the more it aboundes . it is such a life as runnes not into death . our earthly life is indeede but a dying and decaying life : but our spirituall life is a growing life . it is called in the scripture our abiding in christ , to note that our estate in him is a fixed , constant and secure estate . life can end in death but upon two reasons ; either by an inward principle and proponsion , carrying it through slow and insensible progresses to a dissolution ; or by the assaults and violence of outward oppositions : either it must be a naturall or a violent death . now the life which we have from christ hath no seedes of mortalitie in it selfe , because it comes from christ : and as hee saw no corruption , so nothing that riseth from him doth of it selfe tend to corruption ; for christ dyeth no more , death hath no more power over him . he now liveth ever ; not onely by himselfe , but over his members ; not onely as man , but as a member of his owne bodie , which body of it selfe , and as it is his body , in that spirituall and heavenly constitution , and under that denomination can no more die , then christ suffer againe . for the body of christ , quà tale , hath no seedes of corruption in it from him . for the apostle saith , that the seede by which we are regenerated is a incorruptible seede . all the danger then must be from forren assault , and externall violence . but against all this we have the power and strength of christ himselfe to oppose . b he is able to save to the uttermost those that come unto god by him. let us consider more particularly the violences which may be offered to our life in christ. first , the world assaults us with manifold tepmtations ; on the left hand with skorne , misreports , persecutions , and cruell mockings , with giants and sonnes of anak : on the right hand with allurements , objects , promises , dalliances , and 〈◊〉 , with midianitish women . how shall wee secure our lives against such a siege of snares ? our saviour quiets us in that case ; c be of good cheere , i have overcome the world. alas may the soule answere , if sampson should have seene a little childe under the paw of a lion , and should thus comfort him , be of good cheare for i have overcome a lion , what safety or assurance could hence arise to him who had not the strength of sampson . but wee must know that christ overcame not for himselfe , but for us ; and as hee hath overcome the world for us , so he doth it in us likewise by his grace ; d this is the victorie which overcommeth the world , even your faith. secondly , nay but sathan is a more powerfull , subtill , deepe , wilie , working adversarie then the world . where shall i have protection and securitie against him ? i answere , in that promise to man , and curse to the serpent ; e the seede of the woman shall bruize thy head , and thou shalt bruize his heele . he thy head , hee shall teare out thy sting , and crush thy projects and machinations against his church , but thou onely his heele ; the vitall parts shall be above thy reach . and this christ did not for himselfe , but for us . f the god of peace , saith the apostle , shall bruize sathan under your feete . hee shall be under our feete , but it is a greater strength then ours which shall keepe him downe . the victorie is gods , the benefit and insultation ours . if he come as a serpent with cunning craftinesse to seduce us , christ is a stronger serpent , a serpent of brasse ; and what hurt can a serpent of flesh doe unto a serpent of brasse ? if as a lion , with rage and fierie assaults : christ is a stronger lion , a lion of the tribe of iud●… , the victorious tribe . g who shall goe up for us against the cananites first ? iuda shall goe up . if hee come as an angel of light to perswade us to presume and sinne ; the h mercie of christ begets feare : the i love of christ constraineth us . sathan can but allure to disobedience , but christ can constraine us to live unto him . if he come as an angell of darkenesse to terrifie us with despairing suggestions , because wee have sinned : k if any man sinne , wee have an advocate ; and l who shall lay any thing to the charge of gods elect ? it is christ that is deade , yea rather that is risen againe , who also sitteth at the right hand of god , to make intercession for us . thirdly , but i have an enemie within me which is the most dangerous of all . the world may be if not overcome , yet endured , and by being endured it will at last bee overcome . the divell may bee driven away for a time , though he returne againe : but the flesh is an m inhabiting sinne , and an n encompassing sinne . if i breake through it , yet it is still within me ; and if i reject it , yet it is still about me . saint paul who triumphed and insulted over all the rest , over the world , o who shall separate us from the love of christ ? shall tribulation , or distresse , or persecution , or famine , or nakednes , or perill , or sword ? nay in all these things we are more then conquerors through him that loved us . over sathan and hell , p o death , where is thy sting ? o hell , where is thy victorie ? even hee cryes out against this enemie his owne flesh . q o wrethed man that i am , who shall deliver mee from this body of death ? yet even against this unremoveable and unvanquishable corruption the life of christ is safe in us upon these grounds . first , we have his prayer which helpes to subdue it , and to sanctifie our nature : r sanctifie them by thy truth . secondly , wee have his vertue and power to purge it out , and to cure it : s the sunne of righteousnesse hath healing in his wings . thirdly , wee have his office and sidelitie to appeale unto , and where to complaine against our owne flesh . he undertooke it as a part of his businesse to t purge and clense his people . fourthly , we have his spirit to u combate and wrestle with it , and so by little and little to crucifie it in us ; and lastly we have his merits as sanctuarie to flie unto ; to forgive them here , and hereafter to expell them . fourthly , for all this i am full of doubts and restlesse feares , which do continually fight within me , and make my spirit languish and sinke ; and that which may decay , may likewise expire and vanish away . to this i answer , that which inwardly decayeth and sinketh at the foundation is perishable : but that which in its operations , and , quoad nos , in regard of sense and present complacencie may seeme to decay , doth not yet perish in its substance . a cloude may hide the sunne from the eye , but can never blot it out of his orbe . nay , spirituall griefe is to that light which is sowen in the heart , but like harrowing to the earth ; it macerates for the time , but withall it tends to joy and beautie . there is difference betweene the paines of a woman in travell , and the paines of a goute , or some mortall disease : for though that be as extreeme in smart , and present irkefomenesse as the other , yet it containes in it , and it proceedes from a matter of ioy : and all the wrestlings of the soule with the enemies of salvation are but as the paines of a woman in travell ; when christ is fashioned , when the issue i●… victorious and with gaine , the soule no more remembreth those afflictio●…s which were but for a moment . fifthly and lastly , i have fallen into many and great sinnes , and if all sinne be of a mortall and venemous operation , how can my life in christ consist with such heavie provocations and apostacies ? to this in generall i answer . if the sight of thy sinnes make thee looke to christ , if ●…hou a canst beleeve , all things are possible . it is possible for thy greatest b apostacies to vanish like a cloud , and to be forgotten . though sinne have weakned the law , that we cannot be saved by that ; yet it hath not weakned faith , or made that unable to save . for c the strength of sinne is the law , it hath its condemning vertue from thence . now by faith we are not d under the law , but under grace . when once wee are incorporate into christs body , and made partakers of the new covenant , though we are still under the laws conduct , in regard of its obedience ( which is made sweete and easie by grace ) yet we are not under the laws maled●…ction . so that though sinne in a beleever bee a transgression of the law , and doth certainely e incurre gods displeasure ; f yet it doth not de fect●… ( though it doe de merito ) subject him to wrath and vengeance , because every justified man is a person priviledg'd , though not from the duties , yet from the curses of the law. if the king should gratiously exempt any subject from the lawes penaltie , and yet require of him the lawes obedience ; if that man offend , he b●…ch transgre●…sed the law , and provoked the displeasure of the prince , who haply will make him some othe●… way to 〈◊〉 it : yet his offence doth not nullyfie his priviledge , nor voyde the princes grace , which gave him an immunitie from the fo●…feitures , though not from the observance of the law. adultery amongst the iewes was punished with death , and theft onely wtth restitution : amongstus adulterie is not punished with death , and theft is . now then though a iew and an englishman be both bound to the obedience of both these lawes , yet a iew is not to die for theft , nor an englishman for adultery , because wee are not under the iudiciall lawes of that people , nor they under our lawes : even so those sinnes which to a man under the covenant of workes do , d●… facto , bring death if he continue alwayes under that covenant , doe onely create a merit of death in those who are under the covenant of grace , but doe not actually exclude them from salvation , because without * infidelitie no sinne doth peremptorily and quoad eventum condemne . but it may here further be objected , how can i beleeve under the weight of such a finne ? or how is faith able to hold mee up under so heavie a guilt ? i answere , the more the greatnesse of si●…ne doth appeare , and the heavier the weight thereof is to the soule , there is the grace of god more aboundant to beget faith , and the strength of faith is prevalent against any thing which would oppose it . to vnderstand this , we must note that the strength of faith doth not arise out of the formall qualitie thereof , ( for faith in it selfe , as a habit and endowment of the soule , is as weake as other graces ; ) but onely out of the relation it hath to christ. faith denotates a mutuall act betweene us and christ ; and therefore the faith of the patriarche●… is expressed in the apostle by a saluting or embracing ; they did not onely claspe christ , but he them againe . so that the strength of faith takes in the strength of christ , because it puts christ into a man , who by his spirit b dwelleth and c liveth in us . and here it is worth our observing , that the reason why the house in the d parable did stand firme against all tempests , was because it was founded upon a rocke . why ? may not a weake superstruction ofrotten and inconsistent materials bee built upon a sound foundation ? as a strong house fals from a weake foundation , may not in like manner a weake house by a tempest fall from a strong foundation ? surely in christs temple it is not as in ordinary materiall buildings . in these though the whole frame stand upon the foundation , yet it stands together by the strength of the parts amongst themselves , and therefore their mutuall weaknesse and failings do prejudice the stabilitie of the whole . but in the church , the strength of christ the foundation is not an immanent , personall , fixed thing ; but a derivative and an effused strength which runnes through the whole building . because the foundation being a vitall foundation is able to shed forth and transfuse its stability into the whole structure . what ever the materials are of themselves , though never so fraile , yet being once incorporated in the building , they are presently transformed into the nature and firmenesse of their foundation . to whom comming as unto a living stone , saith saint peter , ye also as lively stones are built up a spirituall house ; to note unto us the transformation and uniformitie of the saints with christ , both in their spirituall nature , and in the firmenesse and stabilitie of the same . more particularly the strength of faith preserues us from all our spirituall enemies . from the divell f hee that is begotten of god keepeth himselfe , and the wicked one toucheth him not . g above all take the shield of faith , by which you shall be able to quench all the furie darts of the wicked . from the world ; h this is the victorie which overcommeth the world , even our faith. from our fleshly corruptions ; i the heart is purified by faith. k the law of the spirit of life in iesus christ , ( that is , the law of faith ) hath made mee free from the law of sinne , that is , the law of the members , or fleshly concupiscence . and all this is strengthened by the power of god ; not by faith alone are we kept , but l yee are kept , saith saint peter , by the power of god through faith unto salvation : and that not such a power as that is wherewith he concurreth in the ordinarie and naturall operations of the creature , which proportioneth it selfe , and condescendeth unto the exigencie of second causes , failing where they faile , and accommodating the measure of his agencie to those materials which the second causes have supplyed ( as we see when a childe is borne with fewer parts then are due to naturall integrity , gods concurrence hath limited it selfe to the materials which are defective , and hath not supplyed nor made up the failings of nature ) but that power whereby hee preserves men unto salvation doth prevent , bend , and carry the heart of man ( which is the secondary agent ) unto the effect it selfe , doth remove every obstacle which might endanger his purpos●… in saving the creature , and maketh his people a willing people . but you will say , faith is indeede by these meanes stronger then sinne when it worketh ▪ but not when it sleepeth ; and the working of faith , being dependant upon the faculties of the soule which are essentially mutable and incostant in operation , must needes bee uncertaine too : that sinne , though it bee sarre weaker then faith , may yet , when by our security faith is fallen asleepe , surprize and kill it , even as ia●…l a weake woman upon the same advantage killed sisera a strong captaine . but though faith fleepe , yet hee that keepeth israel doth neither slumber nor sleepe , and we are kept not onely by faith , but by his power , which power worketh all our workes for us and in us , giveth us both the will and the deede ; * the gift of continuing in his feare , and the will so to continue . the heart of the king , saith salomon , that is the most soveraigne , unconquerable , peremptorie , and unsubjected will in the world , is in the hand of god , even as clay in the hand of the potter . so that though our hearts in regard of themselves bee not onely at large and indeterminate to any spirituall operations , but have an extreme reluctancie to all the motions of gods spirit ▪ yet considering their subordination to gods mercifull purposes , to the power of his grace , to his * heavenly a call according unto purpose , to the exceeding greatnesse and working of his mighty power , manifest it is , that they are b vndeclinable mightily , by c a hidden , wonderfull , most effectuall power ; yea , by an d omnipotent facilitie , and yet e most sweetly and connaturally moved unto grace . they are all the frequent words of holy austin , that f champion of grace , whose unvaluable industry in that behalfe all after ages have admired , but hardly paralell'd . now then for the further establishing the heart of a man , seriously and searchingly humbled with the sense and consciousnesse of some great relapse ( for what i shall say can yeeld no comfort to a man in an unrelenting , obdurate , and persisting apostafie let him consider the safety and firmenesse of his life in christ upon these grounds . first , gods eternall love and free grace , which is towards us the highest linke of salvation , both in order of time , nature , and causalitie . g whom he predestinated , those also he called ; and whom he called , those he iustified ; and whom hee iustified , those also hee glorified . h it is not those he will glorifie , but hath glorified . to note that glorification is linked and folded up with justification , and is present with it in regard of their eternall coexistencie in the predisposition and order of god , though not in effectu operis , in actuall execution . now i this eternall love and grace of god is not founded upon reasons in the object ; for k he iustified , and by consequence loved the ungodly . he l loved us when wee were his enemies ; and enemies we were not but by m wicked workes . now then if wicked workes could not prevent the love of god , why should wee thinke that they can nullyfie or destroy it ? if his grace did prevent sinners before their repentance , that they might returne , shall it not much more preserve repenting sinners that they may not perish ? if the masse , guilt , and greatnesse of adams sinne , in which all men were equally sharers , and in which equalitie god looked upon us with love and grace ( then n which sinne a greater i thinke cannot be committed against the law of god ) if the bloody and crimsin sinnes of the unconverted part of our life , wherein we drew iniquitie with cordes of vanitie , and sinne as it were with cart-ropes : if neither o iniquitie , transgression , nor sinne ; neither sin of nature , nor sinne of course and custome , nor sinne of rebellion and contumacie could pose the goodnesse and favour of god to us then , nor intercept or frustrate his counsell of loving us when wee were his enemies : why should any other sinnes overturne the stability of the same love and counsell , when we are once his sonnes , and have a spirit given us to bewaile and lament our falls . i cannot here omit the excellent words of p fulgentius , to this purpose . the same grace , saith he , of gods immutable counsell doth both beginne our merit unto righteousnesse , and consummate it unto glorie ; doth here make the will not to yeelde to the infirmitie of the flesh , and doth hereafter free it from all infirmitie ; doth here renew it continuo iuvamine , and elsewhere iugi auxilio , with an uninterrupted supportance , and at last bring it to a full glory . secondly , gods promise flowing from this love and grace . q an everlasting covenant will i make , saith god , and observe how it comes to be everlasting , and not frustrated or made temporary by us : i will not turne away from them , saith the lord , to doe them good . true lord ; wee know thou dost not repent thee of thy love ; but though thou turne not from us , o how fraile , how apt are wee to turne away from thee , and so to nullifie this thy covenant of mercie unto our selves ! nay , saith the lord , i will put my feare into their hearts and they shall not depart from me . so elsewhere the lord tels us that his covenant should be as the water of noah ; the sinnes of men can no more utterly cancell or reverse gods covenant of mercie towards them , then they can bring backe noahs flood into the world againe : though for a moment he may bee angry and hide his face , yet his mercie in the maine is great and everlasting . the promises of god as they have truth , so they have power in them ; they doe not depend upon our resolutions whether they shall bee executed or no , but by faith apprehending them , and by hope waiting upon god in them , they frame and accommodate the heart to those conditions which introduce then execution . * god maketh us to doe the things which he commandeth , we do not make him to doe the things which he promiseth . a tee are kept , saith the apostle , by the power of god through faith unto salvation . faith is first by gods power wrought and preserved ( it is the b faith of the operation of god , namely that powerfull operation which raised christ from the dead : and c your faith standeth not in the wisedome of men , but in the power of god ) and then it becomes an effectuall instrument of the same power to preserve us unto salvation . d they shall be all taught of god , and every man that hath heard and learned of the father , commeth unto mee . there is a voluntarie attendance of the heart of man upon the ineffable sweetnesse of the fathers teaching : to conclude this point with that excellent and comfortable speech of the lord in the prophet . e i the lord change not , therefore ye sonnes of iacob are not consumed . it is nothing in or from your selves , but onely the immutabilitie of my grace and promises which preserveth you from being consumed . thirdly , the obsignation of the spirit ratifying and securing these promises to the hearts of the faithfull , for the spirit is the f hansell , earnest , and seale of our redemption ; and it is not onely an obsignation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , unto redemption , arguing the certainty of the end upon condition of the meanes ; but it is an g establishing of us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too , into christ as a meanes unto that end ; so that from the first fruites of the spirit a man may conclude his interest in the whole at last , as saint paul from the resurrection of h christ the first fruites argueth to the finall accomplishment of the resurrection . fourthly , the nature and effects of faith , whose propertie it is to make future things present to the beleever , and to give them a being , and by consequence a necessitie and certaintie to the apprehensions of the soule , even when they have not a being in themselves . saint paul call's it the subsistencie of things to come , and the evidence and demonstration of things not seene : which our saviours words doe more fully explaine ; he that drinketh my blood hath eternall life , and shall never thirst . though eternall life bee to come in regard of the full fruition , yet it is present already in regard of the first fruites of it ; and therefore wee finde our saviour take a future medium to prove a present blessednesse , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , yee are blessed when men shall hate you , &c : for great is your reward in heaven . which inference could not be sound unlesse that future medium were certaine by the power of faith , giving unto the promises of god as it were a presubsistencie . for it is the priviledge of faith * to looke upon things to come , as if they were alreadie conferr'd upon us . and the apostle useth the like argument ; sinne shall not have dominion over you , for you are not under the law , but under grace . this were a strange inference in naturall or civill things , to say you shall not die , because you are in health ; or you shall not be rejected , because you are in favour . but the covenant of grace , being seall'd by an oath , makes all the grants which therein are made , irreversible , and constant . so that now , as when a man is dead to the being of sinne ( as the saints departed this life are ) the being of sinne doth no more trouble them , nor returne upon them : so when a man is dead to the dominion of sinne , that dominion shall never any more returne upon him . consider further the formall effect of faith , which is to a unite a man unto christ. by meanes of which vnion , christ and we are made b one bodie : for he that is joyned to christ is one , and the apostle saith , that c he is the saviour of his bodie , and then surely of every member of his bodie too ; for d the members have all care one of ●…ther , else the bodie of christ would be a mangled and a maimed thing , and not as saint paul calls it , e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all . in the body of christ there is f a supply to every joynt , a measure of every part , an edification and growth of the whole compacted body , from him who is equally the head to all . being thus united unto christ , first the death and merit of christ is ours ; whatsoever hee really in his humane nature suffered for sinne , wee are in moderated iustice reputed to have suffered with him. the apostle saith , that we were crucified and dead with christ , and that as truely , as the hand which steales is punish'd when the backe is beaten ; and surely if a man were crucified in and with christ , by reason of his mysticall communion with him ) then he was crucifi'd , as christ , for al 〈◊〉 which should otherwise have laine upon him . hee was not in christ to cleanse some sinnes , and out of him to beare others himselfe . for the apostle assures us that the merit of christ is unconfined by any sinne . the blood of christ cleanseth from all sinne . as saint ambrose said to monica the mother of austen , when with many teares she bewailed her sonnes unconversion : non potest tot lacrymarum filius perire , that is , that it could not be that the sonne of so many teares should perish ; so may i more certainely say to any soule that is soundly and in truth humbled with the sense of any grievous relapse , non potest tot lacrymarum frater perire , it cannot bee that the brother of so many teares , and so pretious blood , which from christ trickled downe with an unperishable soveraigntie unto the lowest and sinfullest of his bodie , should perish for want of compassion in him who felt the weight of our sufferings , or for want of recovery from him who hath the fulnesse of grace and spirit . secondly , the life of christ is ours likewise . christ liveth in me , saith the apostle . now the life of christ is free from the power and the reach of death . if death could not hold him when it had him , much lesse can it reach or overtake him having once escaped . hee died once unto sinne , but hee liveth unto god : likewise saith saint paul , reckon you your selves to be dead unto sinne , but alive unto god , and that through or in iesus christ , by whom wee in like manner are made partakers of that life which hee by rising againe from the grave , did assume , as we were by adā made obnoxious to the same death which heby failing did incurre and contract . a for christ is the second adam , and as wee have borne the image of the earthly in sinne and guilt ; so must we beare the image of the heavenly in life and righteousnesse : and b that which in us answereth to t●…e resurrection and life of christ ( which hee ever liveth ) is our holynesse and newnesse of life , as the apostle plainely shew's , to note c that our renovation likewise ought to be perpetuall and constant , not fraile and mutable , as when it depended upon the life of the first adam , and not of the second . thirdly , the kingdome of christ is ours also . now his kingdome is not perishable , but eternall : a kingdome which cannot be shaken , or destroyed as the apostle speakes . heb. . . fourthly the sonneship and by consequence ●…tance of christ is ours . i speake not of his personall sonneship by eternall generation , but of that dignitie and honour which he had as d the first borne of every creature , and heire of all things . that sonneship which hee had as hee was borne from the dead ; e thou art my sonne , this day have i begotten thee , namely in the resurrection , in which respect he is called f the first borne , and the first begotten of the dead . in this dignitie of christ , of being g heires , and a kinde of first borne unto god , doe wee in our measure partake , for wee are called the h church of the first borne , and i a kinde of first fruites of his creatures : for though those attributes may be limited to the k iewes in regard of precedencie to the gentiles ; yet in regard of the inheritance ( which was usually and properly to descend to the first borne ) they may bee applyed to all , for of all beleevers the apostle l saith , if you are sonnes , then are ye heires , coheires with christ. we hold in chiefe under his guardianship and protection , as his sequele and dependant . now from hence our saviours argument may bring much comfort and assurance ; m the sonne abideth in the house for ever ; and the house of god is his church , not in n heaven onely , but o on earth likewise , as the apostle shewes . fifthly , christs victories are ours : hee overcame s p the world , and q temptations , and r enemies and sinnes for us . and therefore they shall not bee able to overcome him in us . t hee is able to succour them that are tempted . hee who once overcame them for us , will certainely subdue them in us : hee that will overcome the last enemie , will overcome all that are before ; ( for if any be left , the last is not overcome . ) lastly , we have the benefit of christs intercession : i have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not . it is spoken of a saving faith , as the a learned prove at large . and i have shewed before b that particular promises in scripture are universally applyable to any man whose case is paralell to that particular . if then peters 〈◊〉 did not by reason of this prayer of christ overturne his salvation , or bring a c totall deficiencie upon his faith ; why should any man , who is truely and deepely humbled with the sense of relapse , or consciousnesse of some sinne , not of d ordinary guilt , or dayly incursion , but indeede very hainous , and therefore to be repented of with teares of blood , yet why should he in this case of sound humiliation stagger in the hope of forgivenesse , or mistrust gods mercie , since a greater sinne then peters , in the grosse matter of it , can i thinke hardly be committed by any justified man. these are the comforts which may secure the life of christ , in a lapsed but repenting sinner : the summe of all is this . since we stand not , like adam , upon our owne bottome , but are branches of such a vine as never withers , members of such a head as never dies , sharers in such a spirit as cleanseth , healeth , and purifieth the heart , partakers of such promises as are sealed with the oath of god : since we live not by our owne life , but by the life of christ ; are not ledde or sealed by our owne spirit , but by the spirit of christ ; doe not obtaine mercie by our owne prayers , but by the intercession of christ ; stand not reconciled unto god by our owne endevours , but by the propitiation wrought by christ , who loved us when wee were enemies and in our blood ; who is both willing and able to save us to the uttermost , and to preserve his owne mercies in us ; to whose e office it belongs to take order that none who are given unto him be lost ; undoubtedly that life of christ in us , which is thus underpropped , though it be not priviledg'd from temptations , no nor from f backeslidings , yet is an abiding life : he who raised g our soule from death , will either preserve our feete from falling , or , if we doe fall , h will heale our backflidings , and will save us freely . infinitely therefore doth it concerne the soule of every man to bee restlesse and unsatisfied with any other good thing , till he find himselfe entitled unto this happy communion with the life of christ , which will never faile him . as all the creatures in the world , so man especially hath in him a twofold desire ; a desire of perfection , and a desire of perpetuitie ; a desire to advance , and a desire to preserve his being . i now then till a mans soule , after many rovings and inquisitions , hath at last fixed it selfe upon some such good thing as hath compasse enough to satiate and replenish the vastnesse of these two desires : impossible it is for that soule , though otherwise filled with a confluence of all the glory , wealth , wisedome , learning and curiositie of salomon himselfe , to have solid contentment enough to withstand the feares of the smallest danger , or to outface the accusations of the smallest sinne . now then let us suppose that any good things of this world , without the life of christ , were able to satisfie one of these two desires , to perfect and advance our nature ( though indeede it bee farre otherwise , since without christ they are all but like a stone in a serpents head , or a pearle in an oyster ; not our perfections , but our diseases , like cleopatra her pretious stone ; when she wore it , a iewell ; but when she dranke it , an excrement . i may boldly say that as long as a man is out of christ , he were better be a begger , or an idiote , then to bee the steward of riches , honours , learning and wisedome , which should have beene improv'd to the glory of him that gave them , and yet to bee able to give up at that great day of accompts no other reckoning unto god but this : thy riches have beene the authors of my covetousnesse and oppression ; thy honours , the steppes of my haughtinesse and ambition ; thy learning and wisedome , the fuell of my pride . ) but now i say , suppose that nature could receive any true advancement by these things ; yet alas , when a man shall beginne to thinke with himselfe , may not god this night take me away , like the foole in the gospell , from all these things , or all these from mee ? may i not , nay must i not within these few yeeres , in stead of mine honour , be laid under mens feete ? in stead of my purple and scarlet , be cloathed with rottennesse ? in stead of my luxurie and delycacies , become my selfe the foode of wormes ? is not the poore soule in my bosome an immortall soule ? must it not have a being , as long as there is a god who is able to support it ? and will not my bagges and titles , my pleasures and preferments , my learning and naturall endowments , every thing save my sinnes and mine adversaries , and mine owne conscience forsake mee , when i once enter into that immortalitie ? when a man i say shall beginne to summon his heart unto such sad accompts as these , how will his face gather blacknesse , and his knees tremble , and his heart be even damp'd and blasted with amazement in the middest of all the vanities and lyes of this present world ? what a fearefull thing is it for an eternall soule to have nothing betweene it , and eternall misery to rest upon , but that which will moulder away and crumble into dust under it , and so leave it alone to sinke into bottomlesse calamitie ? o beloved , when men shall have passed many millions of yeeres in another world , which no millions of yeeres can shorten or diminish , what accession of comfort can then come to those glorious joyes which we shall bee filled with in heaven , or what diminution or mitigation of that unsupportable anguish which without ease or end must bee suffered in hell , by the remembrance of those few houres of transitorie contentments , which we have here , not without the mixture of much sorrow and allay enjoyed ? what smacke or rellish thinke you hath dives now left him of all his delicacies , or esau of his pottage ? what pleasure hath the rich foole of his full barnes , or the young man of his great possessions ? what delight hath iezabel in her paint , or ahab in the vineyard purchased with the innocent blood of him that owned it ? how much policie hath achitophel , or how much pompe hath herod , or how much rhetoricke hath tertullus left to escape or to bribe the torments , which out of christ they must for ever suffer ? o how infinitely doth it concerne the soule of every man to finde this life of christ to rest upon , which will never forsake him till it bring him to that day of redemption , wherein he shall be filled with blessednesse infinitely proportionable to the most vast and unlimited capacities of the creature . and now when we can secure our consciences in the inward , true , and spirituall renovation of our heart , in this invincible and unperishable obsignation of the spirit , who knitteth us as really ( though mistically ) unto christ , as his sinewes and joynts do fasten the parts of his sacred body together ; how may our heads bee crowned with joy , and our hearts sweetly bathe themselves in the perfruition and preoccupation of those rivers of glory which attend that spirit wheresoever he goeth ? many things i know there are which may extremely disharten us in this interim of mortalitie ; many things which therein encounter and oppose our progresse . the rage , malice and subtilty of satan ; the frownes , flatterles , threates , and insinuations of this present world ; the impatience and stubbornnesse of our owne flesh ; the struglings and counterlustings of our owne potent corruptions ; the daily consciousnesse of our fall's and infirmities ; the continuall entercourse of our doubts and feares ; the ebbing and languishing , decaying and even expiring of our faith and graces ; the frequent experience of gods just displeasure , and spirituall desertions , leaving the soule to its owne dumpes and darknesse . sometimes like froward children we throw our selves downe and will not stand : and sometimes there comes a tempest which blowes us downe that we cannot stand . and now whither should a poore soule , which is thus on all sides invitoned with feares and dangers , betake it selfe ? surely so long as it lookes either within or about it selfe , no marvell if it be ready to sinke under the concurrent opposition of so many assaults . but though there be nothing in thee , nor about thee , yet there is somthing above thee which can hold thee up . if there be strength in the merit , life , kingdom , victories , intercession of the lord iesus : if there be comfort in the covenant , promises , and oath of god , beleeve , and all this strength and comfort is thine : leane not upon thine owne wisedome , trust not thine owne righteousnesse , arrogate nothing to thy selfe but impotencie to good : no strength of thy selfe but against thy selfe , and gods grace ; no power but to resist and withstand the spirit . but rest only upon the promises and power of him who is alpha and omega , the author and finisher of thy faith ; who is a head to take care of his weakest members . when thou art as weake as a worme in thine owne sense , yet feare not o worme iacob , be not dismaide o men of israel , saith the lord , for i am thy god , i will strengthen thee , yea i will helpe thee , yea i will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse , that is , with the strength of my truth and promises . how shall i give thee up ephraim , it is spoken to backsliding ephraim ; how shall i deliver thee israel ? how shall i make thee as admah , how shall i set thee as zeboim ? that is , how shall i make mine owne church as the cities of sodome ? my heart is turned within me , my repentings are kindled together , and marke the reason of all . i am god , and not man. though you are men , subject to many changes and miscarriages , yet i am not a man that i should repent of my goodnesse , and therefore i will not turne to destroy ephraim . but now as men who looke upon the sunne , when they looke downward againe upon darker objects , can scarse see or distinguish any thing ; so ought it to bee with us , our looking up unto god should make us see nothing in ourselves , but matter to be humbled by , and driven backe unto him againe . if once the strong man beginne to glorie in his strength , or the wise man in his wisedome ; if our prosperity and security make us resolve with david , that we shall never be moved : if because we finde our corruptions wounded and mortified , wee beginne to insult over them more with our pride , then with our faith : how easie and just is it with god to let in satan upon us , to remove his hand from under us , to overshadow and withdraw his countenance from us , to set on our very wounded corruptious upon us to burne up our citie , and peradventure to plunge us in the guilt of some such fearefull sinnes , as at the very names and first suggestions whereof wee would haply before have beene startled and amazed ? alas what are wee to david , and peter , to salomon and hezekiah , men of such dayly communion and intimate acquaintance with the almightie . and yet notwithstanding what fearefull testimonies have they left upon record for all posteritie to take notice what a fraile and inconstant creature man is , when once gods spirit departs from him ? that the strength of the greatest champions in the church of god is but like the strength of sampson , of whom in all his great exployts the scripture saith , that a the spirit of the lord came upon him , and when hee was overcome , that b the lord was departed from him . we should therefore labour to c rejoyce in the lord with trembling , to d worke out our salvation with feare , to pray that wee may be delivered from our selves , and from the traines of satan ; that wee may never know by our owne fearefull experience , into what an incredible excesse of sinning our flesh , though otherwise mortified , would breake forth , if god should a little subduct his hand , and give us over a while to the violence of our owne passions , to the treacherie of our owne hearts . wee should be very watchfull and cautious against our selvees , that wee presume not to sinne , because grace hath abounded . e how shall wee that are dead to sinne , live any longer therein ? saith the apostle . what a monstrous perverting of the grace and mercie of god is this to build straw and stubble upon so pretious a foundation ? surely wee would esteeme that man prodigiously foolish and contumelious unto nature , who should spend his time , substance , and industrie to finde out a perverse philosophers stone , that should turne all the gold it touched into lead or drosse : how injurious then and reprochfull are they to the grace of god , who extract their owne presumptions out of his mercie , and turne the redundancie of divine grace into an advantage and priviledge of sinning ? as if gods mercie had no other use then a dogges grasse , or a drunkards vomit , or a f papists confession to his priest , to absolve us for some sinnes that there might be roome made for more . surely grace teacheth men to make other conclusions from gods mercie . g deale bou●…tifully with thy seruant that i may keepe thy word , was davids inference from gods favour . and saint h paul assures us that none but hard and impenitent hearts despise the goodnesse and riches of gods patience and forbearance , not knowing that the goodnesse of god should lead them to repentance . it is the worke of grace to re-imprint the image of god in us , to conforme us unto christ , to bend and incline the heart to a spirituall delight in the law , to remoove in some measure the ignorance of our mindes , that wee may see the beautie and wonders of gods law , and the difficultie and frowardnesse of the fleshly will against grace , that gods commands may not be grievous , but sweete unto us . these are the branches and properties of that life which we have from christ. and wee have them from him at the sonne , as a middle person betweene us and his father . first , because the sonne hath his fathers seale : hath i iudgement , power , libertie to dispose of and dispense life and salvation to whom he will. k labour for the meate that endureth unto eternall life , which the sonne of man shall give unto you ; for him hath god the father sealed . secondly , because the l son is in his fathers bosome , hath his heart , his eare , his affections , and therefore he is m heard alwayes in whatsoever hee desireth for any of his members : and this interest in his fathers love was that by which he raised lazarus unto life againe . lastly , he that hath the sonne , hath the greatest gift which the father ever gave unto the world. hee cannot denie life where he hath given the sonne ; he cannot with-hold silver where hee hath given gold and diamonds : n if he spared not his son , but delivered him up for us all , how shall he not with him freely give us all things ? now our life is conveyed from christ unto us . first , by imputation of his merit , whereby our persons are made righteous and acceptable unto god. secondly , by infusion or communion with his spirit , which sanctifies our nature , and enables us to doe spirituall services . for though we exclude workes from iustification formally considered ; yet we require them of every iustified man ; neither doth any faith iustifie but that which worketh by love , though it justifie not under that reason as a working faith , but under that relative office of receiving and applying christ. thirdly , by his life and intercession , applying his merits unto us , and presenting our services unto his father , as lively sacrifices , cleansed from those mixtures of deadnesse and corruption , which as passing from us did cleave unto them . having thus unfolded our life by christ , wee are in the last place to inquire into that proprietie which wee have unto christ , which is the ground of the life wee receive from him. for one thing cannot bee the principle and seede of life unto another , except there be some union , and fellowship , which may be the ground of the conveyance : and this is that which the text call's the having of christ , which is the same with that of saint iohn , to as many as received him , he gave power to be called the sonnes of god. so then there must bee a mutuall act , christ exhibiteth himselfe unto us , and wee adhere , and dwell in him ; whereby there is wrought a a vnitie of will 's , a confederacie of affections , a participation of natures , a concurrence to the making up of the same bodie ; so that christ accounteth himselfe incomplete without his church . this union of the faithful to christ , being one of those deepe things of god which are not discernable without the spirit , is yet set forth unto us in the scriptures under sundrie vulgar and obvious similitudes , which i will but touch upon . it is first set forth by the expression of a bodie , consisting of diverse members . rom. . , . . cor. . . . eph , . , . in which places the purpose of the apostle is to shew how the proportion that is betweene christ and his church , answereth to that relation which is betweene the members of a body and the head. for as in the naturall body all the members are joyned by nerves and vitall ligatures unto the head , from whence they receive their strength and sensation , and doe , by vertue of that union to the head , retaine a fellowship and communion amongst themselves : so is it betweene christ and his church . every member of the true and mysticall body of christ is by a secret knot of his spirit so fastned unto him , and so compacted with the other members by that which every joynt supplieth , as that the whole world of elect , from christ the head and first borne of the creatures , u●…to the lowest and meanest of all his members , doe make up but one body , unto which christ , by being the head , hath these principall relations . first , he is the principle of all spirituall influences , as the head of naturall . all the grace in us is but an overflowing and measure from his fulnesse . secondly , he is the principle of all governement and direction ; all the wisedome and prudence of the church is from him. he is the everlasting counsell , or the light that inlightneth every man that commeth into the world , the power and the wisedome of god unto us . thirdly , he is conformable to the members ( for christs church is no monster ) and maketh them conformable unto him ; hee to us in our infirmities , tempted in all things as we are ; and we to him in his holynesse : he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one . now as in a body wee resolve the whole into no parts but those which are integrall and proper to it in the nature of a living and organicall body , namely the members ; though many things else are in the body , yet nothing belongs integrally unto it , but the members : so many men are in the body of christ , onely by an externall and sacramentall admission , or by some false and presumptuous perswasions and professions ( as wennes or excrements in the naturall body ) they doe no services , they exercise no vitall and spirituall functions , but rather cumber and infest the members . secondly , this union is compar'd unto a building or house , eph. . . . . tim. . . . pet. . . whose stones are knitte together by the juncture and bond of love , and are firmely grounded upon the elect pretious and sure foundation , who as he doth by his power uphold all things , so much more those that are built upon him. now as in a structure the stones cannot subsist in the building by any qualities or inherent vertues of their owne , but onely by that direct and perpendicular dependence , and subsistence which they have upon the foundation : so in the church no graces , no carvings , no inherent excellencies doe hold men up , but onely that full and sole reliance , and subsistence of the soule upon christ. if a man have any other bottome that holds him up , if he be not even and full upon christ , if hee be not in all things levelled and proportioned unto him by the doctrine of the apostles and prophets ( which is therefore likewise called a foundation , because by it wee are set right upon christ , who is the foundation of foundations , as the scripture spcakes ) hee cannot abide in the building for ever ; the wall and the foundation must all have the same center ; and there must bee the same propensions , and affections in us which were in christ , his rule must be ours , and his ends ours , and his will ours . if there be any such exorbitancies , and swellings out , as make the heart have quite another point and center to move to , other grounds to fixe upon , if men will despise the word , will not be par'd and regulated to the foundation , but will trust in oppression and perversenesse , and stay on that ; this iniquitie will at length prove a breach which commeth suddenly at an instant . thirdly , this union is cōpar'd to an ingrafture of a branch in a tree , whereby the juice and nourishment of the stock is conveyed , and the branch thereby quickned to bring forth fruite . where by the way it is worth our noting that the church is most vsually in this particular compared to a vine , and the branches of a vine , to note that there is nothing of worth or expectation in christians , but their fruite . a man cannot make a pinne to fasten in a wall of the branch of a vine . an unfruitefull christian is the most unprofitable creature that is ; there are no secondarie uses which can mediate ( as i may so speake ) for a dead vine , to keepe that from the fire : either it must be for fruite or for fuell ; to all other purposes it is utterly improper and unprofitable . now wee must observe , that a branch may bee in a tree two wayes . first , by a meere corporeall adherencie , or continuation with the stocke ; by cleaving and sticking to the bodie of the tree ; and so every dead branch is in the tree , as well as those that live : but this alone is not that which our saviour requires , for such branches the husbandman will cut off and cast 〈◊〉 fire . secondly , by a reall participation of the life , sapp●… and influences of the roote , which unto the former sort of branches , though offered , yet is not received , because of the inward deadnesse and indisposition that is in it : thus it is betweene christ and christians . that which makes us to be in christ after any kinde of way is faith. and according to the differences of faith are these differences of being in christ to bee discerned . saint iames makes mention of a dead faith , when men are in christ by some generall acknowledgement , by externall profession , by a partiall dependence ( comming to him only as to a iesus for roome and shelter to keepe them from the fire ; not as to a christ for grace and government in his service ) not by any particular and willing attraction of those vitall influences , those working principles of grace and obedience which are from him shed abroad upon true beleevers . and this is the semi-conversion and imperfect renovation of many men , whereby they receive from him onely generall light of truth and common vertues , which make them visibly , and externally branches in him. but saint paul makes mention of a lively , operative , unfained faith , which in true beleevers draweth in the power of christs death , and the vertue of his resurrection , unto the mortification of sinne , and quickning of spirit , and bringing forth f●…uite unto god , and this onely is that which is the ground of our life from him. the life that i live , i live by the faith of the sonne of god. lastly , this vnion unto christ is compared unto marriage ▪ psal. . eph. . , whereby the church hath a right and proprietie created to the body , name , goods , table , possessions , purchases of christ , and doth reciprocally become all his , resigning its will , wayes , desires unto his governement . now for the discovery of this we may consider either the essentials , or the consequents of marriage . the former hath for the genu●… the most generall requisite , consent : and that must have these differencies and restrictions . first , it must bee a a mutuall consent : for though christ declare his good will , when he knocketh at our doores , and beseecheth us in the ministry of his word ; yet if we keepe our distance , reject his tokens of love and favour , and stop our eares to his invitations , there is then no covenant made ; this is but a wooing , and no marriage . secondly , it must bee a * present consent , and in words de pr●…senti , or else it is onely a promise , but no contract . many men , like balaam would faine die the death of the righteous , but live their owne lives ; would faine belong to christ at the last , and have nothing to doe with him ever before ; would have him out of neede , but not at all out of love ; and therefo●… for the present they put him off : many other suiters they have whom they cannot deferre , or denie ; till at last peradventure hee grow jealous and wearie , departs from them , and turnes unto those who will esteeme him worthy of more acceptation . a seeing you put the word from you , faith the apostle , and judge your selves unworthy of eternall life , lo wee turne unto the gentiles . thirdly , it must be free and unconstrained ; for compulsion makes it a ravishment , and not a marriage . they b who must be but one bodie , ought first to agree in the same free and willing resolution . many men when god c slayes them , will enquire earely after him ; when hee puts them upon a racke will give a forced consent to serve him ; when hee d sends his lions amongst them , will send for his priests to instruct them how to worship him ; but this is onely to flatter with their lippes , that they may escape the present paine ; ( like the howling devotion of some desperate mariner in a storme ) not at all out of cordiall and sinceere affection ; wicked men deale no better with god , then the froggs in the fable with the blocke which was throwne in to be their king . when he makes a noyse , and disturbes their peace ; when he falls heavie upon them , they are sore affrighted , and seeme to reverence his power : but if he suffer their streame to bee calme about them , and stir not up his wrath , they securely dance about him , and re-assume their wonted loosenesse . fourthly , it must be c without errour , for hee that erres ; cannot consent . if a woman take her selfe upon some absence of her husband to be now free from him , and conceive him dead , and thereupon marry againe ; if it appeare that the former husband is yet living , there was a mistake and error in the person , and so a nullity in the contract . so if a man mistake himselfe , judge himselfe free from his former tie unto sinne and the law , and yet live in obedience to his lusts still , and is not cleansed from ●…is filthinesse , he cannot give any full consent to christ , who ●…ill have a chaste spouse , without adulterers , or corrivals . lastly , it must g be an universall and perpetuall consent , for all time , and in all states and conditions . this is a great difference betweene a wife , and a strumpet : a wife takes her husband upon all tearmes ; his burdens , as well as his goods ; his troubles , as well as his pleasures : whereas a strumpet is onely for hire and lust ; when the purse is emptied , or the body wasted , the love is at an end . so here , he that will have christ , must have him all ; ( for christ is not divided ) must entertaine him to all purposes , must follow the lambe wheresoever he goeth , must leave father , mother , wife , children , his owne life for christ ; must take as well his yoake , as his crowne ; as well his sufferings , as his salvation ; as well his grace , as his mercie ; as well his spirit to leade , as his blood to redeeme . he that will be his owne master to doe the workes of his owne will , must , if hee can , bee his owne saviour too , to deliver his soule from the wrath to come . the consequents and intendments of marriage are two , convictus & proles . first mutuall societie ; christ and a christian must live together , have intimate , and deare acquaintance with each other ; the spirit of a christian must solace it selfe in the armes and embracements , in the riches and lovelinesse of christ ; in his absence and removes long after him ; in his presence and returnes delight in him , and entertaine him with such pure affections , and heavenly desires , as may make him take pleasure in his beautie . secondly , there must be a fruitfulnesse in us , we must bring forth unto god. christ will not have a barren spouse : every one that loveth him , keepeth his commandements . now then in one word to unfold the more distinct qualitie of this our union to christ , wee may consider a h threefold unitie . of persons in one nature ; of natures in one person ; of natures and persons in one qualitie . in the first is one god. in the second , is one christ. in the third , is one church . our union unto christ is the last of these , whereby hee and we are all spiritually united to the making up of one mysticall body . the i formall reason or bond of this union is the spirit of christ , by which as by immortall and abiding seede we are begotten a new unto christ. for he being the second adam , we are spiritually in him , and from him , as we are naturally , or corruptly , in and from adam . k as adam was the fountaine of all that are naturally generated , and by that meanes transmitted condemnation to all chat are one with him : so christ is the head of all that are spiritually borne againe , and by that meanes transmitteth grace & righteousnes to al that are one with him . from this vnion of the faithfull unto christ doth immediately arise a communion with him in all such good things as he is pleased to communicate . i will but touch them , it having been the subject of this discours hitherto . first , we have a communion with him in his merits , l which are as fully imputed unto us for iustification , as if his sufferings had beene by us endured , or the debt by us satisfied . as wee finde in the body medicines often apylyed unto sound parts , not with relation to themselves , but to cure others which are unsound ; in a distillation of ●…hewmes on the eyes , we cuppe and scarifie the necke which was unaffected , to draw backe the humor from the part distempered : even so christ the glorious and innocent head of a miserable and leprous bodie suffered himselfe to be wounded and crucified ; to wrestle with the wrath of his father ; to bee one with a wretched people in the condition of their infirmities , as he was with his father in the unitie of divine holinesse ; that so by his infirmitie beirg joyn'd unto us , the communion of his puritie might joyne us unto god againe . a he alone without any demerit of his suffered our punishment , that we without any merit of ours might obtaine his grace . b the paines of christs wounds were his , but the profit ours ; the holes in his hands and side were his , but the balme which issued out was ours ; the thornes were his , but the crowne was ours : in one word , the price which he paid was his , but the inheritance which hee purchased was ours . all the ignominie and agonie of his crosse was infinitely unbeseeming so honourable a person as christ , if it had not beene necessary for so vile a sinner as man. secondly , we have communion with him in his life and graces by habituall and reall infusion and inhabitation of his spirit unto sanctification . for we are c sanctified in him , and d except we abide in him , we cannot bring forth fruite . christ comes not onely with a passion , but with an unction to consecrate us to himselfe : except thou be a partaker as well of this , as of that , bee as willing to be rull'd , as redeemed by christ ; in him indeed thou art , but it is as a withered branch in a fruitefull vine ; while thou art in him , it is to thy shame , that thou shouldest bee dead , where there is such aboundance of life ; and the time will come that thou shalt bee cut off from him : every branch in me that beareth not fruite , he taketh away . lastly , we have communion with him in many priviledges and dignities . but here we must distinguish of the priviledges of christ : some , are personall and incommunicable ; others , generall and communicable . of the former sort are all such as belong unto him either in regard of his divine person , as to be the everlasting sonne , the word and wisedome of his father , the expresse image of his person , and brightnesse of his glory , the upholder of all things by the word of his power , and the like ; or in regard of his office , as to bee the redeemer of the church , the author and finisher of our faith , the prince of our salvation , the propitiation for the sinnes of the world , the second adam , the mediator betweene god and man , in which things he is alone , and there is none with him. other priviledges there are which are communicable , all which may bee compriz'd under this generall of being fellow members with him in the most glorious bodie and societie of creatures in the world . the particulars i touch'd before . first , we have communion in some sort with him in his holy unction , where by we are consecrated to be e kings and priests , to subdue our corruptions , to conquer spirituall wickednesse , to offer up the sacrifices of prayer , prayses , almes and holy services ; for we are by him a f royall priesthood . secondly we have communion in his victories ; wee are g more then conquerors through him , because in the midst of the enemies insultations , and our owne distresses , the victorie is still ours . the enemie may kill us , but not overcome us , because our death is victorious . as christ h triumphed upon the crosse , and had his governement on his shoulders : so we i rejoyce in afflictions , glory in tribulations , and in all of them , in a confluence and conspiracie of them all , wee are more then conquerors . thirdly , wee haue communion with christ in his k sonship , from whence it comes to passe that christ and his church doe interchangeably take one anothers names : sometimes hee is not ashamed to call himselfe iacob and israel . l this is the generation of them that seeke thy face o iacob , and m thou art my servant o israel in whom i will bee glorified , saith the lord speaking unto christ : n yea hee giveth to the church his owne name . o as there are many members , and yet but one body ; so is christ : p that is , so is the church of christ. and q what manner of love is this , saith the apostle , that we should be called the sons of god ? from hence it comes that wee have fellowship with the father , accesse and approach with confidence for all needfull supplyes , assurance of his care in all extremities , interest in the inheritance which hee reserveth for his children , confidence to be spared in all our failings , and to be accepted in all our sincere and willing services ; secret debates , spirituall conferences of the heart with god , he speaking unto our spirits by his spirit in the word , and wee by the same spirit speaking unto him in prayers , complaints , supplycations , thankesgivings , covenants , resolutions : r hee kissing us with kisses of love and comfort , and wae kissing him againe with s kisses of reverence and worship . we see then , to conclude all , what an absolute necessity lyes upon us of having christ , because with him we have t all things , and u can doe all things : without him wee are x poore and y can doe nothing . and the more necessary the dutie , the more sinfull the neglect : especially considering that christ with-holds not himselfe , but is ready to meete , to prevent , to attend every heart that in truth desires him. if a man have a serious , simple , sincere will , to come wholy to christ , not to be held back from him by his dearest and closest corruptions ▪ by the sweetest pleasures , or strongest temptations , which can allure or assault him , he may draw neere unto him with boldnesse , and assurance of acceptation : he hath a call , christ z inviteth , yea a intreateth him , and therefore he may come : he hath a b command , christ requireth it of him , and therefore he must come . and now when we have christ , how carefull should we be to keepe him ; how tender and watchfull over all our behaviours towards him , lest hee be grieved and depart againe . the spirit of the lord is a c delicate spirit , most sensible of those injuries which his friends doe him . let us therefore take heede of violating , afflicting , discouraging , grieving this spirit ( which is the bond of all our union and interest with christ ) in any of those his sacred breathings and operations upon the soule . but when he teacheth , let us submit and obey , receive the beleefe and the love of his truth : when he promiseth , let us neither distrust nor despise , but embrace as true , and admire as pretious , all the offers which he makes to us : when hee contends with our lusts in his word and secret suggestions , let him not alwayes strive , but let us give up our fleshly affections to bee crucified by him : when hee woes and invites us , when hee offers to lead and to draw us , let us not stop the eare , or pull away the shoulder , or draw backward like froward children , or cast cold water in the face of grace , by thwarting the motions , and rebelling against the dictates thereof , but let us yeeld our selves unto him , captivate all our lusts , and consecrate all our powers , and submit all our desires to his rule and government ; and then when hee hath beene a spirit of union , to incorporate us into christs body ; and a spirit of unction , to sanctifie us with his grace , hee will undoubtedly bee a spirit of comfort and assurance , to seale us unto the day of our full redemption . the life of christ . philip . . . that i may know him , and the power of his resurrection , and the fellowship of his sufferings . the purpose of the apostle in this place is to arme the church of the philippians against those false iudaizing teachers that confounded christ and moses , circumcision and the gospell together . this he doth by arguments personall from men , and by arguments reall from the matter it selfe . arguments personall are first from the disposition , quality , end of those false teachers , whom he describes ver . . they are evill trees , and therefore no great heed to be given to the fruits they beare , to the doctrines they obtrude . they are dogs , uncleane beasts , that barke onely for their bellies , and doe not onely barke , but watch their times to bite too . they are euill workers ; though they come like fellow workers with christ , pretending much strictnes in the edification of the church , yet indeed their businesse is only to pull downe and to pervert . they are the concision , where the apostle by an i●…onicall paranomasia shewes the end of their doctrines , they preach indeed circumcision , but their businesse is schisme and concision ; in the law it was circumcision , gods ordinance , but now being by christ abolished it is nothing at all but a bare concision or cutting of the flesh , and will in the event prove a rent and schisme in the church . the second personall argument is taken from the apostles owne condition , who neither by nature nor education was an enemie to legall ceremonies , who in all points had as great reason to vindicate the law , and to boast in fleshly priuiledges as any of those false teachers . ver . . he was by nature an israelite of the whole bloud as well as they ; by education , of the strictest sect of all , a pharise ; by custome and practice a persecutor of the church , under that very name because the law he had been bred under was engdanger'd by that new way ; and in his course of life altogether unblameable in regard of legall obedience and observations : and lastly in his opinions touching them , he counted them gainfull things , and rested upon them for his salvation , till the lord opened his eyes , to see the light of the glorious gospell of god in the face of iesus christ. the arguments from the matter are first from the substance of which circumcision was the shadow . wee are the circumcision , who worship god in the spirit , and reioyce in christ iesus , &c. vers. . they boast in the flesh , they have a concision , but we are the circumcision , because we have the fruite and truth of circumcision , the spirituall worship of god , which is opposite to externall ceremonies . ioh. . . secondly from the plenitude and all sufficiencie of christ , which stands not in neede of any legall accession to peece it out , and this the apostle shewes by his owne practise and experience . what things were 〈◊〉 to me those i counted losse for christ , because they were things that kept him from christ before , and he repeats the same words confidently againe , that he might not to be thought to have spoken them unaduisedly or in a heate , yea doubtles and i count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of christ iesus my lord , for whom i have suffered the losse of all things , as a merchant in a tempest is contented to suffer the losse of all his goods to redeeme his life , or rather as a man will be content to part with all his owne beggerly furniture for a iewell of greate value , math. . . onely here wee are to note that the apostle did not suffer the losse of them quoad substantiam , in regard of the substance of the duties , but quoad qualitatem et officium iustificandi , in regard of that dependance , and expectation of happines which he had from them before . neither did he onely suffer the losse of them ( as a man may doe of things which are excellent in themselves and use , as a merchant throwes his wares out of the ship , when yet he dearly loves the , and delights in thē ) but he shews what estimation he had of them , i count them dung , that i may win christ , i count them then filthy carrion : so the word signifies ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , garbage and filth that is thrown out to dogs , things which dogs ( such as he describes these false teachers to be ) may delight in ; but the spirit of god in a sincere hart cannot relish nor sauor in comparison of christ. and may be found in him , when i shall appeare before the face of god , or may finde in him all that i loose for him , that is a most plentifull recompence for any legall commodities which i part from for his sake , not having mine owne righteousnesse , &c. here the apostle distinguisheth of a twofold righteousnesse ; legall , which is a mans owne , because a man must come by it by working himselfe , rom. . . and evangelicall , which is not a mans owne , but the righteousnes of god rom. . . . freely given to us by grace through christ. that i may know him , &c. that i may have the experience of his grace and mercy in iustifying me frely by faith through the vertue of his suffrings and resurrection . here then we have these two things set down , first , the pretiousnesse , secondly the nature of saving faith. the pretiousnesse is in the whole scope of the place , for the words are a comparative speech , where faith is preferd before all legall or morall performances . the nature is open'd by the act of it knowledge , and the obiect , the vertue of christs resurrection , and the fellowship of his sufferings . touching the former of these two , the scope of the apostle in this place is to shew , that faith is the most pretious and excellent gift of god to a christian man. so it is expresly called by saint peter , a pretious faith . . pet. . . for understanding of which point mee must note that faith may be consider'd in a double respect . either as it is a qualitie inherent in the soule , or as an instrument whereby the soule apprehendeth some other thing . now in the same thing there is much difference betwene it selfe as a qualitie , and as an instrument . heate as a qualitie , can only produce the like quality againe , but as an instrument of the sunne it can produce life and sense , things of more excellency then the quality it selfe . faith as a quality is noe better then other graces of the spirit , but as an instrument so it hath a quickning quality which noe other grace hath . the iust shall live by faith. heb. . . this pretiousnesse of faith is seene chiefely in two respects . first , in regard of the obiects , and secondly , in regard of the offices of it . first faith hath the most pretitious and excellent object of any other , christ and his truth , and promises . herein , saith the apostle , god commended his love , in that when we were sinners christ died , rom. . . this was the soveraigne and most excellent love token and testification of divine favor that ever was sent from heaven to men . god so loved the world , so superlatively , so beyond all measure or apprehension , that he gave his sonne , ioh. . there is such a compasse of all dimensions in gods love manifested through christ , such a heigth and length , and breadth , and depth , as makes it exceede all knowledge , eph. . , . it is exceeding & unsearchable riches . in one word that which faith lookes upon in christ is the price , the purchase , and the promises which we have by him. the price which made satisfaction unto god ; the purchase which procured salvation for us ; and the promises which comfort and secure us in the certaintie of both ; and all these are pretious things , the blood of christ , pretious blood : . pet. . . the promises of christ , pretious promises : . pet. . . and the purchase of christ , a very exceeding and aboundant weight of glorie . . cor. . . but it may be objected , have not other graces the same object as well as faith ? doe we not love christ , and feare him , and hope in him , and desire him , as well as beleeve in him ? true indeede , but heerein is the excellencie of faith , that it is the first grace which lookes towards christ. now the scripture useth to commend things by their order & precedencie . as the women are commended for comming first to the sepulcher ; the messenger which brings the first tidings of good things is ever most welcome ; the servant who is neerest his masters person is esteemed the best man in that order : so faith being the first grace that brings tidings of salvation , the neerest grace to christs person , is therefore the most excellent in regard of the obiect . secondly , faith is the most pretious grace in regard of the offices of it . though in its inherent and habituall qualification it be no more noble then other graces , yer in the offices which it executeth , it is farre more excellent then any . two pieces of parchment and waxe are in themselves of little or no difference in value , but in their offices which they beare as instruments or patents one may as farre exceede the other as a mans life exceedes his lands ; for one may bee a pardon of life , the other a lease of a cottage . one man in a citie may in his personall estate be much inferiour to another , yet as an officer in the citie hee may have a great precedence and distance above him . compare a piece of gold with a seale of silver or brasse , and it may have farre more worth in it selfe ; yet the seale hath an office or relative power to ratifie covenants of far more worth then the piece of gold : so is it betweene faith and other graces ; consider faith in its inherent properties , so it is not more noble then the rest : but consider it as an instrument , by god appointed for the most noble offices , so is it the most superlative and excellent grace . these offices which are to it peculiar , i take it , are principally these three . the first to unite to christ , and give possession of him. the apostle prayes for the ephesians , that christ may dwell in their hearts by faith. eph ▪ . . wealth in the mine doth no good at all till it be sever'd and appropriated to persons and uses : water in the fountaine is of no service unto me , till it be conveyed thence to mine owne cisterne ; the light of the sunne brings no comfort to him who hath no eyes to injoy it : so though christ be a mine full of excellent and unsearchable riches , a fountaine full of comforts and refreshments , a sunne of righteousnesse , a captaine and prince of life and salvation , yet till hee is made ours , till there bee some bond and communion betweene him and us , we remaine as poore and miserable as if this fountaine had never beene opened , no●… this mine discovered . now this vnion to and communion with christ is on our part the worke of faith , which is as it were the spirituall joynt and ligament by which christ and a christian are coupled . in one place wee are said to live by christ , because i live , saith he , you shall live also . ioh. . . in another , by faith , the iust shall live by faith. heb. . . how by both ? by christ , as the fountaine ; by faith , as the pipe conveying water to us from the fountaine ; by christ , as the foundation ; by faith , as the cement knitting us to the foundation ; by christ , as the treasure ; by faith , as the clue which directs ; as the keye which opens , and let us in to that treasure . this the apostle explaines in the former place , where he shewes by what meanes faith makes us liue , namely by giving us an enterance and approach to christ ; for he opposeth faith to drawing backe , vers . . . noting that the proper worke of faith , is to carry us unto christ , as our saviour himselfe expoundeth beleeving in him , by comming unto him , ioh. . . . therefore the apostle puts both together , not i , but christ liveth in mee , and the life which i live , i live by the faith of the sonne of god. gal. . . faith is compared to eating and drinking , ioh. . and we know there is no sense requires such an intimate and secret union to its object as that of tasting , no sense that is the instrument of so neere a union as that . so then as the motion of the mouth in eating is not in the nature of a motion any whit more excellent then the motion of the eye or foote , or of it selfe in speaking ; yet in the instrumentall office of life and nourishment it is farre more necessarie : so though faith in the substance of it as it is an inherent qualitie hath no singular excellencie above other graces ; yet as it is an instrument of conveying christ our spirituall bread unto our soules , and so of assimilating and incorporating us into him , which no other grace can doe , no more then the motion of the eye or foote can nourish the body ; so it is the most pretious and usefull of all others . it may be objected , doe not other graces joyne a man unto christ , as well as faith ? vnion is the proper effect of love ; therefore wee are one with christ as well by loving him , as by beleeving in him. to this i answere , that love makes onely a morall union in affections , but faith makes a mysticall union , a more close and intimate fellowship in nature betweene us and christ. besides , faith is the immediate tie betweene christ and a christian , but love a secondary union following upon , and grounded on the former . by nature we are all enemies to christ and his kingdome , of the iewes minde , wee will not have this man to raigne over us : therefore till by faith wee are throughly perswaded of christs love to us , we can never repay love to him againe . herein is love , saith the apostle , not that wee loved god , but that hee loved us , and sent his sonne . . ioh. . now betweene gods love and ours comes faith to make us one with christ ▪ we have knowne and beleeved the love that god hath to us . ver . . and hence it followes that because by faith as hee is so are wee in this world , therefore our love to him is made perfect , and so wee love him because hee first loved us , vers . . so that we see the union we have with christ by love presupposeth the vnitie wee have in him by faith ; so faith still hath the preeminence . the second office wherein consists the excellencie of faith is a consequent of the former , namely to justifie a man : for there is no man righteous in the sight of god any further then he is taken into the unitie of christ , and into the fellowship of his merits . god is alone well pleased in christ , and till a man be a member of his bodie , a part of his fulnesse , hee cannot appeare in gods presence . this was the reason why christ would have none of his bones broken , or taken of from the communion of his naturall body , ioh. . . to note the indissoluble union which was to bee betweene him and his mysticall members . so that now as in a naturall bodie the member is certainely fast to the whole so long as the bones are firme and sound : so in the mysticall , where the body is , there must every member be too , because the bones must not be broken asunder . if then christ goe to heaven , if hee stand unblameable before gods justice , we al shal in him appeare so too ; because his bones cannot be broken . that which thus puts us into the vnitie of christ , must needs iustifie our persons , and set us right in the presence of god : and this is our faith. the apostle gives two excellent reasons why our iustification should be of faith rather then of any other grace . the first on gods part , that it might bee of grace : the second on the part of the promise , that the promise might be sure to all the seede . rom. . . first , iustification that is by faith is of meere grace and favour , no way of worke or merit . for the act whereby faith iustifies , is an act of humility , and selfe-dereliction , a holy despaire of any thing in our selves , and a going to christ , a receiving , a looking towards him and his al-sufficiencie ; so that as marie said of her selfe , so we may say of faith ; the lord hath respect unto the lowlynes of his grace , which is so farre from looking inward for matter of iustification , that it selfe as it is a worke of the heart , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere , doth not justifie , but onely as it is an apprehension or taking hold of christ. for as the hand in the very receiving of a thing must needs first make it selfe emptie ( if it bee full before , it must let all that goe ere it can take hold on any other thing : ) so faith being a receiving of christ , ioh. . . must needes suppose an emptinesse in the soule before . faith hath two properties ( as a hand ) to worke and to receive ; when faith purifies the heart , supports the droaping spirits , worketh by love , carries a man through afflictions and the like , these are the workes of faith : when faith accepts of righteousnesse in christ , and receives him as the gift of his fathers love , when it embraceth the promises a farre of , heb. . . and layes hold on eternall life , . tim. . . this is the receiving act of faith. now faith justifies not by working ( lest the effect should not bee wholly of grace , but partly of grace , and partly of worke , ephesians , . , . ) but by bare receiving , and accepting or yeelding consent to that righteousnesse , which in regard of working was the righteousnesse of christ , rom. . . and in regard of disposing , imputing , appropriating unto us , was the righteousnesse of god , rom. . . . cor. , . phil , . . to make the point of iustification by the receiving and not the working of faith plaine , let us consider it by a familiar similitude . suppose a chirurgian should perfectly cure the hand of a poore man from some desperate wound which utterly disabled him for any worke : when he hath so done , should at one time freely bestow some good almes upon the man , to the receiving whereof he was enabled by the former cure ; and at another time should set the man about some worke , unto the which likewise the former cure had enabled him ; and the worke being done , should give him a reward proportionable to his labour : i demaund which of these two gifts are arguments of greater grace in the man , either the recompensing of that labour which was wrought by the strength hee restored , or the free bestowing of an equall gift , unto the receiving whereof likewise he himselfe gave abilitie ? any man will easily answere that the gift was a worke of more free grace then the reward , though unto both way was made by his owne mercifull cure ; for all the mercy which was shewed in the cure was not able to nullifie the intrinsecall proportion which afterwards did arise betweene the worke and the reward . now this is the plaine difference betweene our doctrine and the doctrine of our adversaries in the point of iustification . they say we are justified by grace , and yet by workes , because grace enables us to worke : we say we are justified freely , not by the workes of grace , but by the grace which bestowes our iustification , and therewith our strength of working unto us . for surely gods free grace is more magnified in giving us undeservedly both righteousnesse and workes ; then in giving us workes to deserve our righteousnesse . secondly , iustification by faith doth make the promise sure to all the seede . if unto a begger should bee proposed some excellent benefit upon condition to performe some acceptable and perfect service unto the personne that offers it ; whom yet it would bee impossible to please by working , without some exact abilitie for the dutie required ; the man might easily doubt of the certaintie of the benefit , because his performance of the condition requir'd is uncertaine : but if the same benefit should bee proposed upon no other act on his part requir'd , then onely the acknowledgement of his owne want , and the willing acceptance of the thing offered , a man could not bee unsure of it : so if the lord should propose righteousnesse o●… salvation to a man upon condition of his morall obedience , mans corruptions are so many , and his abilities so weake , his enemies so potent , and his heart so treacherous to comply with them , that the promise cannot bee made sure to him upon the concurrence of his owne workes . but when there is nothing required of a man but to cleave to christ , nothing but to relinquish his owne endeavours , and to accept the helpe of a sure saviour , and to rely upon the sure mercies of david , this must needes make our righteousnesse and salvation to be as certaine as is the value of the merits , or fidelitie of the promise , on which we rely . if there bee nothing requisite to the firmenesse and consistencie of a house , but onely to be put upon the foundation , then the house must needs be as sure as the foundation ; if there bee nothing requisite to the safenesse of a mans money or writings , but to put them in a closet or boxe , the things must needes be as safe as the place into which they are put : so since nothing else is required to make our salvation sure but onely to rest upon christ , who is a safe foundation to his church , math. . . and a certaine treasure , col. . . faith which alone puts us into him , doth therewithall make our salvation sure unto us . behold i lay in sion a chiefe corner stone , elect and pretious , ( there is both our foundation and our treasure ) now the safety which faith brings from hence is this , he that beleeveth shall not be confounded , or put to shame ; in the prophet it is , shall not make hast , . pet. . . both words expresse safetie . for a man to rely upon another for any good thing , and at last to faile in his expectation , this must needes shame him in the disappointment of his hopes ; but when the hopes of a man are grounded upon the unsearchable riches , and the unfaileable promise , and the immutable truth , power , and goodnesse of god ; impossible it is that the faith of such a man should shame or deceive him . when a man is secure and certaine of any good thing , he is contented to waite the season of it ; david by gods promise , and unction was certaine of the kingdome , and therefore he would not take away the life of saul when it was in his power , but waited till the time of his death by god appointed should come , . sam. . , , . but when a man is unconsident of a thing , hee is ready to snatch at every probabilitie , to make use of every occasion that happens to further his desires . if i should see two men going towards the court in competition for some office or preferment , and should observe the one to ride night and day in full speede , to deny himselfe the comforts of the way , and to expresse much impatiencie and indignation at every stoppage that met him ; the other to take time and leisure , to rely upon the former promises of the prince , or the prevalencie of some honourable friends , and to laugh at the gredinesse of his competitor , i should easily conclude that the hopes of that man were greater , whose hast as lesse : for when a man hath a thing already in promise , and that from the hands of a man of whose power and fidelitie he hath infallible assurance , he is not over vehement for performance , but willingly attends the times and good pleasure of his friend . now this is the businesse of faith to give a being to the things we hope for , and though in themselves they bee a farre of , and out of sight , yet to make them subsistent and at hand in the promise , even within the reach and embracement of faith , heb. . , . so that faith doth therefore keep a man from greedinesse and precipitancie in his pursuite , and from confusion and shame in his hopes of good , because it sees them as safe , & certain in the power and promises of christ , as if they were already made good unto him . so then to conclude this point , faith being the onely grace wherein is magnified the fulnesse and freenesse of gods favour , and wherein is secured his promise to all the seede ; it must needes bee the fittest grace for a mercifull iustification . the third office of faith , is having put us into christ , and iustified us by him , to give us together with him all other things , which is the conviction that the apostle makes , rom. . . if hee have given us christ , how shall he not with him freely also giue us all things ? these all things , are of two sorts . first , all graces : secondly , all secular good things . saint peter puts them together , and shewes how they runne from christ to us , through faith as the pipe ; his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertaine to life and godlynesse , and that through the knowledge ( that is , the faith ) of him that hath called us to glorie and vertue . . pet. . . first all graces : faith is the first grace in a christian soule , and the spring of the rest . this is the maine businesse of that excellent chapter , heb. . to shew how faith was the master wheele in the lives and actions of those holy men whose renowne is there upon record . the apostle tels us that faith worketh by love , gal. . . where by love we may understand either generally the universall habit of all other operative graces , and then the sense is , that faith doth as it were actuate and animate all other habits of grace , and apply them to their severall workes : or rather particularly , that love of god which is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy ghost ; and then the method and meaning of the place is this . first , faith shewes us the great love of god in christ , the life that i live , saith the apostle , i live by the faith of the sonne of god , who loved me , and gave himselfe for me . gal. . . where we see the principall discovery that faith makes in christ , and that it fixeth upon is his love to us ; and this is a most soveraigne and superlative love : herein saith the apostle god commended , god heaped together his love toward us , in that while wee were yet sinners , christ died for us . rom. . . secondly , faith having thus revealed to our hearts the love of god in christ , doth kindle in them a reciprocall love towards christ againe , working in us the same minde that is in christ , phil. . . and enflaming our spirits to a retribution of love for love. we have beleeved the love that god hath to us , saith the apostle , and therefore , saith he , we love him because he loved us first . . ioh. . , . thus faith worketh love. but now thirdly there is a further power in faith , for it doth not onely work love , but it worketh by love as the text speakes : that is , it maketh use of that love which it hath thus kindled , as of a goad and incentive to further obedience ; for that love which we repay unto christ againe , stirreth us unto an intimate and heavenly communion with him , unto an entire and spirituall conformitie unto him. and the reason is , because it is a conjugall love , and therefore a fruitefull love , for the end of marriage is fructification . yee are become dead to the law , saith the apostle , by the body of christ , that yee should be married to another , even to him who is raised from the dead , and the end of this spirituall marriage is added , that we should bring forth fruite unto god , which is presently after expounded , that wee should serve in newnesse of spirit , rom. . if a man love mee , saith our saviour , he will keepe my words : and this obedience is the childe of faith as it is set downe in the same place , yee shall know that i am in my father , and you in me , and i in you ; and immediately upon this faith it followes , he that bath my commandements and keepeth them , hee it is that loveth me : and he that loveth me , shall be loved of my father , and i will love him , and will manifest my selfe unto him , ioh. . . , , . in which place there are these things of excellent observation . first the noble objects that faith doth contemplate , even the excellencie of gods love unto us in christ. you shall know that i am in my father ; in his bosome , in his bowels , in his dearest affection : one with him in mercie , in counsell , in power . that he and i both goe one way ; have both one decree and resolution of grace and compassion towards sinners : and that you are in mee , your nature in me , your infirmities in me , the punishment of your sinnes upon me , that i am bone of your bone , and flesh of your flesh , that you are in my heart , and in my tenderest affections , that you were crucifi●…a together with me , that you live tog●…ther with 〈◊〉 , that you sit together with mee in heavenly places ; that ●… died your death , that you rose my resurrection , that i pray your prayers , that you were my righteousnesse , and that i am in you , by my merits to justifie you , by my grace and spirit to renew and purifie you , by my power to keep you , by my wisedome to leade you , by my communion and compassion to share with you in all your troubles ; these are the mysteries of the love of the father and the sonne to us . now this love kindleth a love in us againe , and that love sheweth it selfe in two things . first in having the commandements of christ ; that is in accepting of them , in giving audience unto them , in opening our eyes to see , and our hearts to entertaine the wonders of the law. and secondly in keeping of them , in putting to the strength of our love ( for love is as strong as death ; it will make a man neglectfull of his owne life , to serve and please the person whom he loves ) that so wee may performe the duties which so good a saviour requires of us . and now as our love was not the first mover ( we loved him , because he loved us first ) so neither shall it be the last ; as the father and the son did by their first love provoke ours , so will they by their second love reward ours . and therefore it sollowes ; he that loveth me shall be loved of my father , and i will love him . this is not ment of a new love , but of a further declaration of their former love , namely in a more close and familiar communion , and heavenly cohabitation with them ; wee will come unto him , and make our abode with him , we will shew him our face , we will make all our goodnesse to passe before him , wee will converse and commune with his spirit , we will suppe with him , we will provide him a feast of fatted things , and of refined wine , wee will open the breasts of consolation , and delight him with the aboundance of glory . excellent to the purpose of the present point is that place of the apostle , . cor. . , . the love of christ , saith he , constraineth us , that is , either christs love to us by faith apprehended , or our love to christ by the apprehension of his love wrought in us , doth by a kinde of sweete and lovely violence winne , and overrule our hearts ; not to live henceforth unto our selves , but unto him that died for us and rose againe : and the roote of this strong perswasion is adjoyned , namely because wee thus ●…udge , because we know and beleeve , that if one died for all , then all are dead to the guilt , and to the power of sinne , and ought to live a new life conformable to the resurrection of christ againe . therefore in two paralell places the apostle useth promiscuously faith and a new creature . in christ iesus neither circumcision availeth any thing , nor uncircumcision , but * faith which worketh by love , neither circumcision nor uncircumcision , but a * new creature . the reason of which promiscuous acceptation the apostle renders the inseparable union between faith and renovation . * if any man be in christ , he is a new creature . secondly , faith gives us all good things requisite to our condition . adam was created lord of his fellow inferiour creatures , invested with proprietie to them all . in his fall hee made a forfeiture of every good thing which god gave him : in the second covenant a reconciliation being procur'd , faith entitling a man to the covenant doth likewise re-invest him with the creatures againe . all things , saith the apostle , are yours , and hee opens the title and conveyance of them , you are christs , and christ is gods. . cor. . . so elsewhere hee saith that the living god giveth us all things richly to enjoy , that is , not onely the possession but the use of the things , . tim. . . where by all things wee may understand , first the libertie and enlargement of christians , as it stands in opposition to the pedagogie and discipline of moses law , which distinguished the creatures into cleane and uncleane , and so by consequence into usefull and unusefull ; so that now by any immediate tie of conscience we are not prohibited the free enjoyment of any creature of god. secondly by all things we understand not all simply , but all requisites ; all that in regard of our state and course are necessary to life and godlinesse . o woman , saith our saviour , great is thy faith , be it unto thee even as thou wilt , math. . . this is a large grant to aske what we will and to have promise of obtaining it ; but hee who promiseth to beleevers what they will , doth likewise regulate and confine their wills to desire nothing but with subordination to his will ; nothing but their owne portion , that which is food convenient for them . the heathen man could say , that man hath as much as hee desires , who desires nothing but what he hath . so we may say of a christian , hee hath indeede whatsoever hee will , because god gives him a heart to desire nothing but that which is gods promise and his owne necessitie . now all these things faith gives us , first because it gives us the fountaine , and secondly the promises of them all . first faith carries us to the fountaine , that is , to god. with thee , saith the prophet david , there is the fountaine of life . psal. . . and we are of god in christ iesus , saith the apostle , . cor. . . now wee know there is a kinde of all-sufficiencie in a fountaine , what ever water a man wants , hee may have his supply at the fountaine ; whereas cisternes and broken pits will bee presently exhausted . wee may observe in many fountaines that to the eye they seeme to have far lesse water in them for the time , then some greater torrent or winter flood which over●…unnes whole valleyes , and carries away woods and stones before it : yet iob tell 's us that a torrent will make men ashamed in summer , when they turne aside for water to refresh them , and can finde none , iob. . . . but hee that comes to a fountaine for refreshment shall never be ashamed , because it is living and growing water , and so makes a perpetuall supply . so the faithfull oftentimes have lesse wealth and aboundance of earthly things then other men : yet notwithstanding they have therewith all the fountaine , and so by consequence they have more certainty , and more sweetnesse . first more certaintie for fountaine water is living water , and so it multiplies ; whereas other men have their water in cisterns that are broken , full of holes and chinkes to let it out at againe : so the prophets tels us of some that drudge and labour , but it is in the fire , their worke perisheth as fast as it growes ; and of others that eatne wages , but put it in a bagge with holes , it falles out as fast as it is put in . what are these holes , this fire that melts , and le ts out the estates of wicked men ; they are principally these two . first , the lusts of their owne harts , te aske and receive not , because yee spend it upon your lusts , saith the apostle ; and as lust keepes it away , so lust lets it out when wee have it . how many great estates have wine and women , hawkes and hounds , fashions and complements , pride and vaine-glory , humours and projects , quarrels and dissentions , the backe , the belly , the eye , the eare , the tongue , the many inventions of an idle head , the many exorbitancies of a wandring heart , melted away , and reduced to nothing . every member of the body , every appetite of the soule , so many chinkes to let out an estate . but now the faithfull have their lusts abated , their hearts ordered , the dropsie and intemperancie of their affections removed , and so all the holes at which gods blessings might soke away are stopped up . secondly , the cisternes of wicked men are broken , and their bagges full of holes by the secret iudgement and curse of god punishing their sinfull lusts in their sinfull gaine , blasting and withering their fruitlesse estates , as christ did the barren fig-tree . we see how the lord threatens to curse the people for their sinnes in their going out and comming in , in their basket and in their store : to breake the staffe of their bread , to take away their cup from their mouth , to take his wine and his oyle to himselfe againe , to consume their palaces with fire , to remove their bankers , to discover their treasures , and to seeke out their hidden things , to heare the cry of the beame , and of the stone out of the wall , and to pull them out of their nests , even from among the starres , with infinite other the like expressions , in which the lord useth to shew unto us the power and vigilancie of his iustice in the administration of the world : wheras the faithfull have the bread and the word , the creatures and the blessings of god together , and so have more certaintie in these things . the womans oyle and meale was not much , yet it encreased , and went along with her occasions , there was a spring in the cruse and in the barrell , it was living oyle , and living meale , that grew , and held out in the famine . as a mans occasions are , so the fountaine supplies him . if he want a cup , a bucket , a cisterne full , there is in the fountaine answerable to all his wants : so whatever necessitie the lord brings the faithfull unto , he gives them an eye to see , a heart to rest in , and to expect in the use of honest meanes a supply proportionable to each of them . and as they have more certaintie , so have they more sweetnesse in the waters which they fetch from the fountaine . water in pits and cisternes rots , and growes muddy and unfavorie ; so doe the creatures of god to wicked men . cares , feares , jealousies , desires , hopes , ends , infinite commixtures and disturbances deprive the creatures of their native rellish and purenesse . the sweetest wine to an aguish palate tastes of that bitter humour which it there finds . so lusts and curses interweaving themselves with the creatures in a wicked mans hands , must needs take away the sense of their simple goodnesse , turne their table to a snare , and the things which should have been for their good into an occasion of falling . whereas the faithfull by the word and prayer have the creature sanctified , seasoned , and perfumed unto their use againe , have the curse of god removed , and their owne lusts corrected , and with-held from mingling with them . thus faith gives us all things in the fountaine , more certaine , and more sweet , by stopping the holes which did let them out , and by removing the lusts and curses which did before embitter them . secondly , faith gives us all things by giving us the promises . godlinesse hath the promises of this life , and that which is to come , . tim. . . wicked men haue good things onely by gods generall providence , which maketh his sunne to shine as well on them as on the just by a common bounty . but this manner of tenure is liable to many forfeitures , curses , taxations ; many inrodes and devastations , by wolvish and wasting lusts ; and by consequence is not able to settle and secure the heart in the enioyment of them . but now by faith in the promises the godly have their hold altered , have their estate setled in a better and surer tenure , delivered from those many encumbrances and intanglements vnto the which before they were obnoxious ; so that now a mans heart is secured beyond all doubts or humane feares . a poore man may object ; i am not wise enough to order my affaires , i am disabled by sicknesse and weaknesse to attend my calling , my charge encreaseth vpon mee , and my probabilities of providing for them waxe smaller then before . but yet faith is able to answer these and all other the like objections , by proposing the promise . dost thou live by thine owne strength ? dost thou prosper by thine owne wisedome and industry , or by the blessing and truth of god in his promises ? and is gods truth an accepter of persons ? is not his fidelitie as firme towards weake and poore , as towards rich beleevers ? is there any want or weakenesse , any poverty or deficiency in heaven ? doe the promises of god stand in need of mans wisedome or strength to bring them to passe ? can thy encrease of charge or occasions , exhaust the treasures , or drie vp the fountaines and truth of god ? if an honourable and wealthy person have occasions to enlarge his retinue , and live at a higher pitch then before , yet because hee hath abundance , he doth not repine at this necessitie . all the faithfull are of the houshold and family of god , who is no whit the poorer in his state and power by maintaining many or few . he gives to all men , & yet he gives liberally , iam . . which no rich man in the world is able to do ▪ because as he gives to others , himself decreaseth . but god gives out of a fountaine , as the sunne gives light , which whether it shine to one , or to thousands , retaines still equall light in it selfe , neither can the eyes of men exhaust or draw out the light of the sunne . all the creatures are mine , saith god , upon a thousand hills . if a thousand hills can beare corne enough , or feed cattel enough for any poore mans reliefe , he need not doubt or feare ; for god hath still thousands of mountaines , as it were so many granaries or store-houses , in his truth and promises , for the faithfull in any straits to have recourse unto . and thus faith gives us all things by entituling us to the promises . against all this which hath been spoken touching the excellency of faith , may be objected that determination of the apostle ; now abideth faith , hope , and charitie , these three ; but the greatest of these is charitie , . cor. . . by which comparison this point touching the precedency of faith seemes to be impaired . to which i answer ; that the apostle speakes of a greatnesse extensivè , in regard of duration , charitie being an everlasting grace , but faith pertaining onely to this life , as being requisite to the present qualitie and states of the church : ( for faith and fruition are oppos'd , . cor. . . faith looketh upon things in their promises , fruition in their reall existence ) but now consider faith as an instrument to lay hold on christ , and the precious promises of life and grace in him , and consider it as a roote , a living principle to put the heart in worke , to purifie the conscience , to enflame the heart to spirituall obedience , and a retribution of holy love to god for all his love to us in his sonne ; and thus faith exceeds charitie as the motion of the mouth in eating , which is an act that tends immediately to life , doth the motion of the mouth in speaking , which tendeth not to an end so important , nor absolutely necessary . another objection may be this . other graces make a man like christ , which faith cannot do , because christ could not beleeve unto justification , or life , having the fountaine of both aboundantly in himselfe , whereas the proper and primitive worke of faith is to carry a man out of himselfe , and to make him see all his sufficiency in another . to which i answer two wayes . first , christ had faith , though not to such purposes as wee : faith in the common nature of it , as it imports assent to all divine truth , and adherence , or reliance of the soule to the benefit and goodnesse which the same brings with it ( for ratio veritatis and ratio commodi are the two objects of a right faith , or rather severall qualifications of the same object ) thus it is a legall thing , comming under the compasse of those duties of the law , unto which christ made himselfe subject . but faith as a condition , an officer , an instrument of justification , so it could not stand with christ , who was not to be righteous by beleeving , but to bee himselfe the righteousnesse of those that beleeve . but in other respects when the apostle saith , hee was heard in that which he feared , when hee saith himselfe , my god , my god ; it is manifest , that though he had not faith for righteousnesse , yet he had it for deliverance , that though he were not saved by beleeving , yet hee was obedient in beleeving . secondly , it is more to be one with christ , then to be like him ; more to bee a part of him , then a picture : now faith makes a unitie with christ , other graces onely a resemblance ; faith makes a man a member , others onely a follower of him ; and so in that respect still faith hath the prehemiuence . now then from the great necessitie and pretiousnesse of this duty we may first inferre the greatnesse of their sin , who neglect it , who live with no sense of the want , and little sorrow for the weaknesse of it , to lie , sweare , revell , cozen , to live in the practice of any notorious outrage , and morall enormitie , many men esteeme hainous and vnworthie ; but to live in infidelitie , without the knowledge or fellowship of christ , in an utter unacquaintance with their owne unworthinesse , and unexperience of their everlasting insufficiencies to compasse or contrive their owne saluation , are things seldome or never seriouslie thought on by them . and yet infidelity is indeed the edge , and sting of all other sinnes , that which bindes them and their guilt everlastingly upon the soule , and locketh them like shackles to the conscience , which otherwise by the helpe of christ might easily shake them of . he that beleeveth , saith christ , is not condemned , he that beleeveth not is condemned already , and the wrath of god abideth on him . there is a displeasure which is but for a moment , a wrath which doth only sing , and blow vpon the soule , and then away ; such the faithfull themselues after some bold adventure into the waies of sinne , may haue experience of . and there is a wrath which is constant , permanent , intimately and euerlastinglie adherent vnto the soule , which will seize onely vpon vnbeleeuers . the spirit shall convince the world of sinne because they beleeve not , saith christ. sinne there stands in opposition to righteousnesse , and iudgement , or holinesse ; so that the meaning is , the spirit shall convince men that they are unrighteous and unholie men , held under by the guilt , condemnation , and power of sinne ; shut vp in fast chaines unto the wrath and iudgement of the great day ; unauoidably cast and condemned in the court of law , because they fled not by faith unto that office of mercie and reconciliation which the father hath erected in his beloved sonne . all sinnes do of themselues deserve damnation , but none doe de facto inferre damnation without infidelitie . this was that great provocation in the wildernesse which kept the people out of the land of promise , and for which god is said to have beene grieved fortie yeeres together . how long will this people provoke mee ? how long will it bee ere they beleeve in me ? they despised the holy land , they beleeved not his word ; they drew backward , and turned againe in their hearts into egypt . the apostle summes vp all their murmurings and provocations , for which they were excluded that type of heauen , in this one word , they entred not in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , because of their vnbeliefe . if there bee but one onely medicine against a deadly disease , and when that is offered to the sicke person he refuse it , and throw it vnder his feete , the state of that man is infallibly desperate and remedilesse . there is but one name , but one sacrifice , but one blood , by which we can be saved , perfected , and purged for ever , and without which god can have no pleasure in us : how can wee then escape if we neglect so great salvation , and trample under foote the blood of the covenant ? it is a fruitlesse labour and an endlesse folly for men to use any other courses ( be they in appearance never so specious , probable , rigorous , mortified , pharisaicall , nay angelicall ) for extricating themselues out of the maze of sinne , or exonerating their consciences of the guilt or power thereof without faith . though a man could scourge out of his owne bodie rivers of blood , and in a neglect of himselfe could outfast moses or elias ; though he could weare out his knees with prayer , and had his eyes nail'd vnto heaven ; though he could build hospitals for all the poore on the earth , and exhaust the mines of india into almes ; though hee could walke like an angell of light , and with the glittering of an outward holinesse dazle the eyes of all beholders ; nay ( if it were possible to be conceiv'd ) though he should live for a thousand yeeres in a perfect and perpetuall observation of the whole law of god , his originall corruption , or any one , though the least digression and deviation from that law , alone excepted : yet such a man as this could no more appeare before the tribunall of gods iustice , then stubble before a consuming fire . it is onely christ in the bush that can keepe the fire from burning ; it is onely christ in the heart that can keepe sinne from condemning . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , without mee , that is , separated from mee , yee can doe nothing towards the iustification of your persons , or salvation of your soules , or sanctification of your lives or natures . no burden can a man shake off , no obstacle can hee breake through , no temptation can hee overcome without faith ; shake off every thing that presseth downe , and the sinne which hangeth so fast on , and runne with patience ( namely through all oppositions and contradictions , ) the race that is set before you , saith the apostle . but how shall we do such unfeasible works ? hee shewes that in the next words , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , looking of from our selves unto iesus the author and finisher of our faith . when a man lookes inward upon his owne strength , hee may as justly despaire of moving sinne from his soule , as of casting downe mountaines with one of his fingers : but he who is able to give vs faith , is by that able to make all things possible unto vs. the world tempts with promises , wages , pleasures of sinne , with frownes , threats , and persecutions for righteousnesse : if a man have not faith to see in christ more pretious promises , more sure mercies , more full rewards , more aboundant and everlasting pleasures : to see in the frownes of god more terror , in the wrath of god more bitternes , in the threats of god more certainty , in the law of god more curses , then all the world can load him withall ; impossible it is that he should stand under such assaults ; for this is the victory which overcommeth the world , even our faith . satan dischargeth his fierie darts upon the soule , darts pointed and poysoned with the venome of serpents , which set the heart on fire from one lust unto another : if a man have not put on christ , do not make use of the shield of faith , to hold up his heart with the promises of victory , to hold out the triumph of christ over the powers of death and darkenesse ; to see himselfe under the protection of him who hath already throwne downe the dragon from heaven , who hath satan in a chaine , and the keyes of the bottomlesse pit in his owne command ; to say unto him , the lord rebuke thee satan , even the lord that hath chosen ierusalem rebuke thee ; impossible it is to quench any of his temptations , or to stand before the rage and fury of so roaring a lion. whom resist , saith s. peter , stedfast in the faith . our corruptions set upon us with our own strength , with high imaginations , with strong reasonings , with lustfull dalliances , with treacherous solicitations , with plausible pretences , with violent importunities , with deceitfull promises , with fearefull prejudices , with profound & unsearchable points and traines ; on all sides lust stirs & workes within us like sparkles in a dried leafe , & sets every faculty against it self . the mind tempts it self unto vanity , the understanding tempts it selfe unto error and curiosity ; the will tempts it selfe unto frowardnesse and contuinacie ; the heart tempts it selfe unto hardnesse and security . if a man have not faith , impossible it is either to make any requests to god against himselfe , or to denie the requests of sinne which himselfe maketh . it is faith alone which must purifie the heart , and trust his power and fidelity who is both willing and able to subdue corruptions . in vaine it is to strive , except a man strive lawfully . in a prayer , it is faith which must make us successefull : in the b word , it is faith which must make us profitable : in c obedience , it is faith which must make us cheerefull : in d afflictions ; it is faith which must make vs patient : in e trials , it is faith which must make vs resolute : in f desertions it is faith which must make us comfortable : in g life it is faith which must make vs fruitfull : and in h death , it is faith which must make us victorious . so that as he said of water , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , so may i of faith , it is of all things the most soveraigne and pretious , because it is of universall use in the life of man. therefore the apostle calleth men without faith i absurd men , because it is an unreasonable and sottish thing for a workman to be without his chiefe instrument , and that which is universally requisite to euery one of his works . a husbandman without a plow , or a builder without a rule , a preacher without a bible , a christian without faith , are things equally absurd and unreasonable . and yet thus unreasonable are men usually . by faith moses repell'd and fled from the solicitations of his adulterous mistresse ; and have they then faith that run upon temptations of lust , let their hearts wallow in the speculations , and their bodies in the beds of uncleanenesse ? faith made david looke to god when shimei reviled him ; and have they faith that dart out othes , stabs , and execrations at once against their enemie and against god ? faith made noah when he was warned of god to feare , and iosiah to tremble at his word ; and have they faith who mocke the messengers , and despise the word , and misuse the prophets , and reject the remedies , and sleight the times of their peace and visitation which god gives them ? faith made abraham put a sword to the throat of his beloved son , the sonne of blessing , and the sonne of promise ; and have they then faith who will not sacrifice a stinking lust , nor part from a prodigious vanitie when god requires it ? o what a world of sweetnes & closenes is there in sin to our nature , when men love a lust , a rag , a fashion , an excrement , better then abraham did his sonne isaak . faith made moses suffer rather the reproaches of christ then the riches of egypt ; and have they faith , who had rather be without christ then their profits and pleasures ; who subordinate the blood , the spirit , the will , the waies , the glory of christ to their earthlie designes and base resolutions ? by faith he feared not the wrath of a king ; and have they faith who feare the breath of fooles , and would faine be religious , if it did not discredit them , and crush their arts of compliance , plausibilitie , and ambition ? thus euery sinne wilfully committed is back'd and strengthened with infidelity . if men did by faith see him that is invisible , an unapproachable light , and a consuming fire ; see the sword in his left hand to revenge iniquitie , and the crowne in his right hand to reward holinesse ; looke upon his judgements as present in his power , and upon his glorie as present in his promises ; it could not be that they should goe on in such outrages against him and his law. know you not , saith the apostle , that neither fornicators , nor idolaters , nor adulterers , nor effeminate , &c. nor abusers of themselves with mankind , nor theeves , nor covetous , nor drunkards , nor revilers , nor extortioners , shall inherit the kingdome of god ? nothing but faith can unbinde and unlocke the sinnes from the soule , and by faith not onely their guilt , but their power and dominion is removed and subdued . a second use and inference from this doctrine is to enflame the heart to seeke for faith as for a pretious iewell , or a hidden treasure . men are never satisfied with earthly treasures , though oftentimes they heape them up for the last day : how much more carefull should they be to lay up a good foundation for the time to come , that they may obtaine eternall life ? great encouragement we may have hereunto upon these considerations . first , the more faith a man hath , the more comfort he may take in all the good things which he doth enjoy . he may looke upon them as the witnesses of gods truth and promises , as the tokens of his love , as the accessions and supernumerary accruments unto his kingdome , as the supplies and daily provisions of a father which careth for us . secondly , the more faith a man hath , the more securitie he hath against all evils , he may undergoe them with patience , with a hope , with b joy , with c triumph , with d profit . he may looke upon them as e needfull things , as f pretious things , as g conformities unto christ his head , as the h seeds of peace , righteousnesse and praises ; as raine though it make the way foule , yet it makes the land fruitfull . thirdly , the more faith a man hath , the more certaine and victorious will his conquests be against his enemies : that which by faith wee relie upon , and put on , will bee impregnable munition , and impenetrable armour to secure us . the love , the blood , the compassions , the temptations of christ , i these by faith apprehended have pulled downe walles , subdued kingdomes , stopped the mouthes of lions , quenched the violence of fire , escaped the edge of the sword , and turned to flight the armies of the aliens . fourthly , the more faith a man hath , the more insight hee hath into christ , and those mysteries of salvation which the k angels desire to looke into . l faith is the eye , and mouth , m and n eare of the soule , by which wee peepe through the curtaines of mortalitie , and take a view and foretaste of heavenly things , wherby we have a more secret and intimate communion with god in his covenants , promises , precepts ; in his will guiding vs by counsell ; and in his face , comforting us with his favour . fifthly , the more faith a man hath , the more tranquillitie and establishment of heart shall he find in the midst of all spirituall desertions , distractions and difficulties . when a mans wits are non ▪ plusd , his reason pos'd , his contrivances and counsels disappointed , his heart clouded with sorrow , and feare ; when he walketh in darknesse , and hath no light ; o then to have a sanctuary , an altar to flie unto ; to have a god to role himselfe upon , to leane upon his wisedome , to lay hold upon his covenant , to o waite quietly upon the salvation of that god , who doth not cast off for ever ; but though hee cause griefe , yet will have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies ; p to commit his way to him who is able to bring it to passe , and to doe abundantly above the thoughts , desires , expectations , or petitions of men : what peace and serenity must this bee to the ●…oule which is otherwise without light and peace ? lastly , the more faith a man hath , the more joy and glory he hath in spirituall , the more contentment and quietnesse in earthly things . being iustified by faith , wee have peace with god ; in whom beleeving , we reioyce with ioy unspeakeable , and full of glory . let your conversation be without covetousnesse , and bee content with such things as you have , for he hath said , i will not faile thee , nor forsake thee . earthly-mindednesse and worldly cares grow out of want of faith . in these and a world the like respects should we be moov'd to seeke for this grace : and that so much the more carefully , because the heart is of it selfe barren , and therefore very unfit to have a forraigne plant grow in it ; very apt to over-top it with lusts and vanities . we must therefore bee diligent to make our assurance full and certaine ; diligent in the word of faith , and with the spirit of faith . beeyee not slothfull , saith the apostle , but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises . lastly , we must doe with faith , as men doe with pretious things , try it , and put it to the touchstone , that wee may prove whether it be truly valuable and unfeigned ; because there is much counterfeite faith , as there is false money , and deceitfull jewels , and wilde herbes in the field , which very neerely resemble those that are right and pure . this is an argument which hath been much travail'd in by men of more learning and spirit ; and therefore i will but touch upon it , by considering foure principall effects of this grace . the first is a love and liking of those spirituall truths which by faith the heart assenteth unto : for according as is the evidence and pretiousnesse of the thing beleeved , such is the measure of our love unto it . for saving faith is an assent with adherence and delight , contrary to that of divels , which is with trembling and horror ; and that delight is nothing else but a kind of rellish and experience of the goodnesse of that truth which we assent unto . whereupon it necessarily followes even from the dictate of nature ( which instructeth a man to love that which worketh in him comfort and delight ) that from this assent must arise a love of those truths whence such sweetnesse doth issue . by the first act of faith we apprehend god a reconcileable god ; by the second a reconciled god ; for faith shewes us a gods love to us in christ , proposeth him as altogether lovely , the chiefest of ten thousand , and thereby beget●…eth in us a love unto christ againe : and this love is a sincere , uncorrupted , immortall love ; a conjugall and superlative love ; nothing must be loved in competition with christ ; every thing must be rejected and cast away , either as a snare when hee d hates it , or as a sacrifice when he calles for it . therefore c god required the neerest of a mans blood in some cases c to throw the first stone at an idolater ; to shew , that no relations should preponderate , or over-sway our hearts from his love . christ and earthly things often come into competition in the life of a man. in every un just gaine , christ and a bribe , or christ and cruelty ; in every oth or execration , christ and a blasphemy ; in every sinfull fashion , christ and a ragge , or christ and an excrement ; in every vaine-glorious affectation , christ and a blast ; in every intemperancy , christ and a vomit , a stagger , a shame , a disease . o where is that faith in men which should overcome the world , and the things of the world ? why should men delight in any thing while they live , which when they ●…e on their death ▪ beds ( a time speedily approching ) they shall never bee able to reflect on with comfort , nor to recount without amazement and horror ? certainely he that fosters any dalila or darling lust against the will and command of christ , well may hee delude himselfe with foolish conceits that hee loves the lord iesus ; but let him be assured , that though he may be deceived , yet god will not bee mocked ; not every one that faith , lord , lord , shall bee accounted the friends of christ , but they who keepe his commandements . the second effect of faith is assiance and hope , confidently for the present relying on the goodnesse , and for the future waiting on the power of god , which shall to the full in due time performe , what in his word hee hath promised . i haue set life and death before you , saith moses to the people , that thou maist love the lord thy god , and that thou maist obey his voice , and that thou maist cleave unto him , &c. wee are confident , saith the apostle , knowing that whilst wee are at home in the body we are absent from the lord. when once the minde of a man is wrought so to assent unto divine promises made in christ as to acknowledge an interest , claime , and propriety unto them , and that to be at last actually performed , not by a man , who may be subject both to unfaithfulnesse in keeping , and disability in performing his promises , but by almighty god , who the better to confirme our faith in him , hath both by word and oath engaged his fidelity , and is altogether omnipotent to do●… what hee hath purposed or promised : impossible it is but from such an assent grounded on the veracity and all sufficiency of god , there should result in the minde of a faithfull man , a confident dependance on such promises : renouncing in the meane time all selfe-concurrencie , as in it selfe utterly impotent , and to the fullfilling of such a worke , as is to be by gods owne omnipotencie eff●…cted , altogether irrequisite : and resolving in the midst of temptations to relie on him , to hold fast his mercy and the profession of his faith without wavering , having an eye to the recompence of reward , and being assured that hee who hath promised will certainly bring it to passe . a third effect of faith is ioy and peace of conscience : being justified by faith wee haue peace with god. the god of peace fill you with all ioy and peace in beleeuing . the mind is by the rellish and experience of sweetnesse in gods promises , composed unto a setled calmenesse and serenity . i doe not meane a dead peace , which is onely an immobility and sleepinesse of conscience , like the rest of a dreaming man on the top of a mast , but such a peace as a man may by afyllogisme of the practicall judgement , upon right examination of his owne interest unto christ , safely inferre unto himselfe . the wicked often haue an appearance of peace as well as the faithfull , but there is a great difference . for there is but a dore betweene a wicked man and his sinne , which will certainely one day open , and then sinne at the doore will fly upon the soule : but betweene a faithfull man and his sin there is a wall of fire , and an immoveable & impregnable fort , even the merits of christ : the wicked mans peace growes out of ignorance of god , the law , himselfe : but a righteous mans peace growes out of the knowledge of god , and christ. so that there are two things in it , tranquillity , it is a quiet thing , and serenitie , it is a cleare and distinct thing . however , if a faithfull man have not present peace ( because peace is an effect not of the first and direct , but of the second and reflexive act of faith ) yet there is ever with all faith the seed of peace , and a resolution to seeke and to sue it out . the last effect of faith which i shall now speake of is fructification ; faith worketh by love . and it worketh first , repentance , whereby we are not only to understand griefe for sinne , or a sense of the weight and guilt of it , which is onely a legall thing ( if it proceed no farther ) and may goe before faith ; but hatred of sinne , as a thing contrary to that new spirit of holinesse and grace , which in christ wee haue receiued . for as sense of sin as a cursed thing ( which is legall humiliation ) doth arise from that faith whereby wee beleeve and assent to the truth of god in all his threatnings ( which is a legall faith ) : so the abominating of sinne as an uncleane thing and contrary to the image and holinesse of god ( which is evangelicall repentance ) doth arise from evangelicall faith , whereby we look upon god as most mercifull , most holie , and therefore most worthie to bee imitated and served . secondly , renovation , and that two fold . first , inward in the constitution of the heart which is by faith purified . secondly , outward in the conversation and practice , when a man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things , and as he hath received the lord iesus so walketh in him . now in all our obedience wee must observe these three rules . first , that binding power which is in the law , doth solely depend upon the authority of the lawgiver who is god. hee that customarilie , and without care of obedience , or feare of displeasure , or antipathy of spirit , breaks any one commandement , ventures to violate that authority which by one and the same ordination made the whole law equally binding , & by consequence is habitually , & in praeparatione animi a transgressor of the whole law. and therefore obedience must not bee partiall but vniversall , as proceeding from that faith which hath respect equally to all gods will , and lookes upon him as most true and most holy in all his commands . secondly , as god , so his law is a spirituall and a perfect law , and therefore requires an inward universality of the subject , as well as that other of the precepts which wee walke by . i meane such a spiritual and sincere obedience of the hart , as may , without any mercenary or reserv'd respects , uniformely sway our whole man unto the same way and end . thirdly , in every law all matter homogeneall and of the same kind with the particular named , every sprig , seede , originall of the dutie is included , as all the branches of a tree belong unto the same stock . and by these rules wee are to examine the truth of our obedience . before i draw downe these premises to a particular ▪ assumption and applycation , i must for caution sake premise that faith may be in the heart either habitually , as an actus primus , a forme or seede , or principle of working , or else actually as an actus secundus , a particular operation ; and that in the former sense it doth but remotely dispose and order the soule to these properties ; but in the later it doth more visibly and distinctly produce them . so then according as the heart is deaded in the exercise of faith , so doe these properties thereof more dimly appeare , and more remisly worke . secondly , we must note that according as faith hath severall workings , so satan hath severall wayes to assault and weaken it . there are two maine workes of faith , obedience , and comfort , to purifie and to pacifie the heart : and according unto these , so satan tempts . his maine end is to wrong and dishonour god , and therefore chiefly hee labours to disable the former vertue of faith , and tempts to sinne against god. but when hee cannot proceede so farre , hee labours to discomfort and crush the spirits of men : when hee prevailes in the former , he weakens all the properties of faith : when in the later onely , he doth not then weaken all , but onely intercept and darken a christians peace . for understanding this point , we must note that there are many acts of faith . some direct , that looke outward towards christ , others reflexive , that looke inward upon themselves . the first act of faith is that whereby a man having beene formerly reduced unto extremities and impossibilities within himselfe , lookes upon god as omnipotent , and so able to save ; as mercifull , and in christ reconcileable , and so likely to save if he be sought unto . hereupon growes a second act , namely a kinde of exclusive resolution , to be thinke himselfe of no new wayes ; to trust no inferiour causes for salvation , or righteousnes , to sell all , to count them all dung , not to consult any more with flesh or blood , but to prepare the heart to seeke the lord : to resolve as the lepers in the famine at samaria , not to continue in the state he is in , nor yet to returne to the citie , to his wonted haunts and wayes , where he shall be sure to perish : and from this resolution a man cannot by any discomforts bee removed , or made to bethinke himselfe of any other new way , but onely that which hee sees is possible and probable , and where he knowes , if he finde acceptance , hee shall have supplyes and life enough : and this act may consist with much feare , doubt , and trembling . the syrians had food , and samaria had none , therefore the lepers resolve to venture abroad . yet this they cannot doe without much doubting and distrust , because the syrians whom they should meete with were their enemies . however this resolution over-rul'd them , because in their present estate , they were sure to perish , in the other there was roome for hope , and possibilitie of living ; and that carried them co esters resolution ; if we perish , we perish : such is the act of faith in this present case . it is well assured that in the case a man is in , there is nothing but death to bee expected ; therefore it makes him resolve to relinquish that . it lookes upon god as plenteous in power and mercie , and so likely to save , and yet it sees him too as arm'd with iustice against sinne , as justly provoked and wearied in his patience ; and therefore may feare to bee rejected , and not saved alive . yet because in the former state there is a certainty to perish , & in the later a possibility not to perish , therefore from hence ariseth a third act , a conclusive and positive purpose to trust christ. i will not onely deny all other wayes , but i will resolve to trie this way , to set about it , to go to him that hath plenty of redemption and life . if i must perish , yet he shall reject me ; i will not reject my selfe ▪ i will goe unto him. and this act or resolution of faith is built upon these grounds . first , because gods love and free grace is the first originall mover in our salvation . if god did beginne his worke upon prevision of any thing in and from our selves , we should never dare to come vnto him , because wee should never finde any thing in our selves to ground his mercie towards us upon . but now the love of god is so absolute and independant , that it doth not only require nothing in us to excite and to cal it out , but it is not so much as grounded upon christ himselfe . i speake of his first love and grace : christ was not the impulsive cause of gods first love to mankinde , but was himselfe the great gift which god sent to men therein to testifie that hee did freely love them before . god so loved the world , that he gave his son. herein is love , not that we loved him , but that hee loved us and sent his son. the love must needs go before the gift , because the gift is an effect , a token , a testimonie of the love. christ first a loved the church , before he gave himselfe for it . now then if the first love of god to man was not procured , merited , or excited by christ himselfe as mediator ; but was altogether absolute : b much lesse doth the love of god ground it selfe upon any thing in us . the whole series of our salvation is made up without respect to any thing of ours , or from us . c he loved us without cause or ground in our selves . for we love him , because he first loved us . he elected us of meere grace , without cause or ground from our selves . d there is a remnant , saith the apostle , according to the election of grace ; and if of grace , then is it no more of workes , otherwise grace is no more grace . hee called us without intuition of any thing in our selves , e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , saith the apostle , not according to our owne workes , but according to his purpose and grace he called us with an holy calling . he iustified us without any ground in or from our selves , f frely by his grace , when we were enemies and ungodly persons . he saveth us without any ground in and from our selv's . g by grace ye are sav'd through faith , & that not of your selvs ' . there is nothing in us of which wee may boast in the matter of salvation , and therefore there is nothing in us which should make us despaire or flie from god : for all the gradations and progresses of our salvation are alone from his grace . secondly , because there is an all-sufficiencie in the righteousnesse and merits of christ , h to cleanse all sin , i to consummate all our saluation , to subdue all our enemies , k to answere all our objections , to silence all challenges and charges that are laid against us . thirdly , because of the manifold experiences which many other grievous sinners have found of the same love , and all-sufficiencie . when faith lookes upon a converted manasse , upon a thiefe translated into paradise , upon a persecutor turned into an apostle ; and when it considers that god l hath a residue of spirit still , that the blood of christ is an inexhausted fountaine , and that these spectacles of gods compassion are in the scriptures exhibited , that m wee through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope , and that god in n them did shew forth all long suffering for a patterne to those who should after beleeue in him : it then makes a man reflect inward upon himselfe , and resolve to trie that gate , at which they have entered before . fourthly , because there is a generalitie and unlimitednesse in the invitation unto christ. o come unto mee all that are wearie . p let every one that will come . there is in christ erected an office of salvation , a heavenly chancerie of equitie and mercie , not onely to moderate the rigor , but to reverse and revoke the very acts of the law. christ is q set foorth or proposed openly as r a sanctuarie , and s ensigne for the natious to flie unto ; and he hath sent his t ambassadors abroad to warne , and to invite every man. as a fountaine is open for any man to drinke , and a schoole for any man to learne , and the gate of a citie for any man to enter , and a court of equitie for any man to relieve himselfe : so christ is publikely and universally set forth as a generall refuge from the wrath to come , upon no other condition then such a will as is nor onely desirous to enjoy his mercie , but to submit to his kingdome , and glorifie the power of his spirit and grace in new obedience . fifthly , because god himselfe workes the worke and the will in us . for in the new covenant god workes first . in the first covenant man was able by his created and naturall strength to worke his owne condition , and so to expect gods performance : but in the new , as there is difference in the things covenanted , then only righteousnesse and salvation , now u remission of sinnes and adoption ; in the x meanes or intermediate causes , which are now y christ and his righteousnesse and spirit ; in the z stability , that a perishable , this an eternall and finall covenant , that can never be changed ; in the conditions , there legall obedience , heere only faith , and the certaine consequent thereof repentance : so likewise is there difference in the manner of performing these conditions ; for now god himselfe beginnes first to worke upon us , and in us , before we move or stirre towards him. hee doth not onely commaund us , and leave us to our created strength to obey the command , but he furnisheth us with his owne grace and spirit to fulfill the commaund , and when he bids us come unto him , he doth likewise draw us unto him. in this covenant the first treatie is betweene god and christ. for though the covenant be betweene god and us ; yet the negotiation and transaction of it is betweene god and christ , who was a a suretie of the covenant for us . for first god in his decree of love bestowed us upon christ. b ( thine they were , and thou gavest them unto me ) we were c chosen in him : wee to be members in him , and he to be a head and fountaine unto us of all grace and glorie . for d god had committed unto him an office of power to redeeme his church , and he received a commandement from his father to finish the worke of mediation . secondly , being thus made christs , partly by the gift of gods eternall love , partly by christs owne voluntarie susception of that office whereby he was to be a head and captaine of salvation to his members ; god in due time reveales himselfe , his name , power , and covenant unto us : e i have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest mee , and this is the tender of the covenant , and beginning of a treaty with us . and here god beginnes to worke in us : for though the covenant be proposed under a condition ; yet god gives us as well the condition as the covenant . our faith is f the operation of god , and the work of his power : g that which he requires of us , he doth bestow upon us ; and here the first worke of god is h spiritual and heavenly teaching . the second , is the terminus , or product of that teaching i our learning which i call gods worke , not as if we did nothing when we are said to learne , and to come unto christ ; but because all that we doe is by the strength and grace which from him we receive : wee come unto christ as a childe may be said to come unto his mother , or nurse , who holds him at a distance from her selfe , and drawes him neerer and neerer when she cals him . thus as we were made christs by donation , thou gavest them me ; so after likewise by incorporation , and unitie of natures with him in his spirit , and having this spirit of christ , he thereby worketh in us the will and the deed , and thus k our seal●… is put unto gods covenant , and wee have a constat of it in our selves in some measure ; whereas l jnfidelitie makes god a lyer , by saying either i looke for life some other way , or i have nothing to doe to depend on christ for it , though god have proposed him as an all-sufficient saviour . now then when man hath experience of gods working this will in him , when he findes his heart opened to attend , and his will ready to obey the call : when hee is made desirous to feare gods name , and prepared to seeke his face , ready to subscribe and beare witnesse to all gods wayes and methodes of saving ; that hee is righteous in his iudgements , if he should condemne ; wonderfull in his patience , when he doth forbeare ; mighty in his power , wisedome , and mercie , when hee doth convert ; unsearchable in the riches and treasures of christ , when he doth iustifie ; most holy , pure and good in all his commands ; the soveraigne lord of our persons and lives , to order and dispose them at his will ; on the sense and experience of these workes doth grow that conclusion and resolution to cleave to christ. lastly , because this act of faith is our dutie to god : as we may come to christ because we are called , so wee must come , because wee are commanded . for as christ was e commanded to save us , so we are f commanded to beleeve in him. from these and the like considerations ariseth a purpose to rely on christ. but yet still this purpose at first by the mixture of sinne , the pragmaticalnesse and importunitie of satan in tempting , the unexperience of the heart in trials , the tendernesse of the spirit , and fresh sight and reflexion on the state of sinne , is very weake , and consisteth with much feare , doubts , trepidation , shrinking , mistrust of it selfe . and therefore though all other effects flow in great measure from it , yet that of comfort , and calmenesse of spirit , more weakly ; because the heart being most busied in sprituall debatements , prayers , groanes , conflicts , struglings of heart , languishing and sighing importunities of spirit , is not at leisure to reflect on its own translated condition , or in the seeds time of teares to reape a harvest of ioy. as a tree new planted is apt to be bended at every touch or blast of winde , or children new borne to crie at every turne and noyse , so men in their first conversion are usually more retentive of fearefull , then of more comfortable impressions . the last act then of faith is that reflexive act , whereby a man knoweth his owne faith and knowledge of christ , which is the assurance of faith upon which the joy and peace of a christian doth principally depend ; and hath its severall differences and degrees according to the evidence and cleerenesse of that reflection . as beautie is more distinctly rendered in a cleere , then in a dimme and disturbed glasse ; so is comfort more distinct and evident according to the proportions of evidence and assurance in faith . so then to conclude with this generall rule ; according as the habits of faith are more firme and radicated ; the acts more strong , constant and evident ; the conquests and experiences more frequent and successefull ; so are the properties more evident and conspicuous . for the measure and magnitude of a proper passion and effect , doth ever follow the perfection of the nature and cause whence it proceedes : and therefore every man as he tenders either the love and obedience he owes to god , or the comfort he desires in himselfe to enjoy , must labour to attaine the highest pitch of faith , and still with saint paul to grow in the knowledge of him and his resurrection and sufferings . so then upon these premises the heart is to examine it selfe touching the truth of faith in it . doe i love all divine truth , not because it is proportionable to my desires , but conformable unto god who is the author of it ? can i in all estates without murmuring , impatiencie , or rebellion , cast my selfe upon gods mercie , and trust in him though he should kill me ? doe i wholly renounce all selfe confidence and dependance , all worthinesse or concurrence of my selfe to righteousnesse ? can i willingly , and in the truth and sinceritie of my heart , owne all shame and condemnation , and acquit god as most righteous and holy if he should reject me ? doe i not build either my hopes or feares upon the faces of men , nor make either them or my selfe the rule or end of my desires ? doe i yeeld and seriously endeavour an universall obedience unto all . gods law , and that in the whole extent and latitude thereof , without any allowance , exception , or reservation ? is not my obedience mercenarie , but sincere ? do i not dispense with my selfe for the least sprigges of sinne , for irregular thoughts , for occasions of offence , for appearances of evill , for motions of concupiscence , for idle words , and vaine conversation , for any thing that carries with it the face of sinne ? and when in any of these i am overtaken , doe i bewaile my weaknesse , and renew my resolutions against it ? in a word , when i have impartially and uprightly measured mine owne heart by the rule , doth it not condemne mee of selfe-deceite , of hypocrisie , of halting and dissembling , of halfing and prevaricating in gods service ? i may then comfortably conclude , that my faith is in some measure operative and effectuall in mee : which yet i may further trie by the nature of it , as it is further expressed by the apostle in the text ; that i may know him . here we see the nature of faith is expressed by an act of knowledge , and that act ( respectively to justification ) limited to christ ; this is eternall life to know thee , and him whom thou hast sent : where by knowledge i understand a certaine and evident assent . now such assents are of two sorts ; some grounded upon the evidence of the object , and that light which the thing assented unto doth carrie and present to the understanding ; as i assent to this truth , that the sunne is light by the evidence of the thing it selfe : and this kinde of assent the apostle contradistinguisheth from faith by the name of sight . others are grounded upon the authoritie or authenticalnesse of a narrator , upon whose report while wee rely without any evidence of the thing it selfe , the assent which we produce is an assent of faith or credence . now that faith is a certaine ass●…nt , and that even above the certaintie of meere naturall conclusions , is on all hands i thinke confessed : because , how ever in regard of our weaknesse and distrust , wee are often subject to stagger , yet in the thing it selfe , it dependeth upon the infallibilitie of gods owne word , who hath said it , and is by consequence neerer unto him who is the fountaine o●… all truth , and therefore must needes more share in the properties of truth , which are certainty and evid●…nce , then any proved by meere naturall reasons : and the assent produced by it is differenced from suspition , hesita●…cie , ●…ubitation in the opinion of school●…men themselves . now then in as much as we are bound to yeeld an evident assent unto divine truths , necessary hereunto it is that the und●…rstanding bee convinc'd of these two things . first , that god is of infallible authoritie , and cannot lye nor deceive ( which thing is a principle by the light of nature evident and unquestioned . ) secondly , that this authoritie which in faith i rely upon is indeede and infallibly gods owne authoritie . the meanes whereby i come to know that may bee either extraordinary , as revelation , such as was made by the prophets concerning future events ; or else ordinary and common to the faithfull . this the papists say is the authoritie of the church . against which if one would dispute much might bee said . briefly ( granting first unto the church a ministeriall , introductory , perswasive , and conducting concurrence in this worke , pointing unto the starre , which yet it selfe shineth by its owne light , reaching forth and exhibiting the light , which though in it selfe visible , could not bee so ordinarily to mee , u●…lesse thus presented ; explaning the evidence of those truths unto which i assent for their owne intrinsecall certain●…y : ) i doe here demaund how it is that each man comes to beleeve ? the colliar will quickly make a wise answere , as the church beleeves . but now how or why doth the church beleeve these or these truths to bee divine ? surely not because the church hath so determined ; our saviour himselfe would not be so beleeved . if i beare record of my selfe , my record is not true . well then , the church must needes beleeve by the spirit which leads it into all truth . and what is the church , but the bodie of christ , the congregrtion of the faithfull , consisting of divers members ? and what worke is that whereby the spirit doth illuminate and raise the understanding to perceive aright divine truth , but onely that oyntment which dwelleth in you , saith the apostle , whereby christs sheepe are enabled to heare his voyce , in matters of more heavenly and fundamentall consequence , and to distinguish the same from the voyce of strangers ? now , have not all the faithfull of this unction ? doth it not runne downe from the head to the skirts of the garment ? are wee not all a royall priesthood ? and in both these respects annointed by the spirit ? and having all the spirit , ( though in different measures and degrees ) is it not in congruitie probable that we have with him received those vivificall and illightning operations which come along with him ? capable is the poorest member in christs church , being growne to maturitie of yeeres , of information in the faith . strange therefore it is , that the spirit , not leaving mee destitute of other quickning graces , should in this onely leave my poore soule to travell as farre as rome , to see that by a candle , or rather by an ignis fatuus , which himselfe might more evidently make knowne unto me . for the spirit doth beget knowledge . we have received the spirit which is of god , that we might know the things which are freely given to us of god. and againe , hereby we know that wee dwell in him and hee in us , because hee hath given us of his spirit . and againe , hereby we know that hee abideth in us , by the spirit which hee hath given us : especially since wee must take even the determinations of the church and pope , ( though they were infallible in themselves ) at second hand as they passe through the mouth of a priest , whose authoritie , being not infallible , nor apostolicall , but humane , impossible it is not but that he may misreport his holy father , and by that meanes misguide and delude an unsetled soule . againe i demaund , how doth it appeare unto mee , that the iudgment of the church is infallible , when it alone is the warrant of my faith ? that this is it selfe no principle , nor to the light of naturall reason primo intuit●… manifest ex evidentia terminorum , is most certaine . for that this company of men should not erre , when other companies of men may erre , cannot possibly be immediate●…y and por se evident , since there must first needs apriori be discovered some internall difference betweene those men , from whence , as from an antecedent principle , this difference of erring or not erring must needes grow . now then i demand , what is that whereby i doe assent unto this proposition ( in case it were true ) that the church cannot erre ? the church it selfe it cannot be , since nothing beares record of it selfe , and if it should , the proofe would be more ridiculous then the opinion , being but idem peridem , and petitio quaestionis . above the church a priori there is not any light but the scriptures and the spirit . therefore needs by these must i assent unto that one proposition at least . and if unto that by these , why then by the same light may i not assent unto all other divine truths , since evident it is , that the same light which enables me rightly to apprehend one object , is sufficient also to any other , for which a lesser light then that is presumed to suffice ? so then a true faith hath its evidence and certainty grounded upon the authoritie of the word , as the instrument , and of the spirit of god raising and quickning the soule to attend , and acknowledge the things therein revealed , and to set to its owne seale unto the truth and goodnesse of them . but how doe i know either this word to be gods word , or this spirit to bee gods spirit , since there are sundry false and lying spirits ? i answer , first , ad hominem , there are many particular churches , and bishops , which take themselves to be equally with rome members , and bishops of the universall church . how shall it invincibly appeare to my conscience that other churches and bishops all , save this onely , doe or may erre ? and that this , which will have me to beleeve her infallibility , is not her selfe an hereticall and revolted church ? this is a question controuerted . by what autority shall it be decided , or into what principles á priori resolved ? and how shall the evidence of those principles appeare to the conscience ? that the popes are successors of peter in his see of rome , that they are doctrinall as wel as personall successours , that peter did there sit as moderator of the catholike church , that his infallibility should not stick to his chaire at antioch , as well as to that at rome ; that christ gave him a principality , jurisdiction , and apostleship to have to himselfe over all others , and to leave to his successors ; who though otherwise privat men , and not any of the pen-men of the holy ghost , should yet have after him a power over those apostles who survivd peter ( as it is manifest iohn did . ) that the scripture doth say any title of all this , that the traditions which do say it are a divine word , are al controversed points : and though there be sorceries more then enough in the church of rome , yet i doubt whether they have yet enough to conjure themselves out of that circle , which the agitation of these questions doe carry them in . but secondly , there are sundry lights , there is light in the sunne , and there is light in a blazing or falling starre . how shall i difference these lights will you say ? surely i know not otherwise then by the lights themselves ; undoubtedlie the spirit brings a proper , distinctive , uncommunicable majesty and luster into the soule , which cannot be by any false spirit counterfeited : and this spirit doth open first the eie , and then the word , and doth in that discover not as insit as veritatis those markes of truth and certainty there , which are as apparant as the light , which is without any other medium , by it selfe discerned . thus then we see in the general , that saving faith is an assent created by the word & spirit . we must note further that this knowledge is two fold , first , generall , mentall , sp●…culative , and this is simply necessary , not as a part of saving faith , but as a medium , degree , & passage thereunto . for how can men beleeve without a teacher ? secondly , particular , practicall , applicative , which carries the soule to christ and there ●…ixeth it . ●…o whom shall wee go ? thou hast the words of eternall life ; wee beleeve and are sure that thou art that christ. i know that my redeemer liveth . that yee being rooted and grounded in love , may be able to comprehend , and to know the love of christ. i live by the faith of the sonne of god , who loved me , and gave himselfe for me . by his knowledge shall my righteous servant iustifie many . this saving knowledge must b●…e commensurate to the object knowne , and to the ends for which it is instituted , which are christ to be made ours for righteousnesse and salvation . now christ is not proposed as an object of bare and naked truth to bee assented unto , but as a soveraigne and saving truth to do good unto men . he is proposed , as the desire of all flesh . it is the heart which beleeves ; with the heart man beleeveth unto righteousnesse , and christ dwelleth by faith in the heart ; if thou beleevest with all thine heart thou maist be bap●…ized . and the h●…art doth not onely looke for truth but for goodnesse in the objects which it desireth , for an allsufficiencie and adequate ground of full satisfaction to the appetites of the soule ; such a compasse of goodnesse as upon which the whole man may test , and relie , and unto the which he may have a personall propriety , hold-fast , and possession . so then in one word , faith is a particular assent unto the truth and goodnes of god in christ , his sufferings and resurrection , as an allsufficient and open treasurie of righteousnesse and salvation to every one which comes unto them ; and thereupon a resolution of the heart there to fixe and fasten for those things , and to looke no further . now this faith is called knowledge . first , in regard of the principles of it , the a word and spirit : both which produce faith by a way of b conviction , and manifestation . secondly , in regard of the ground of beleeving , which is the knowledge of gods will revealed : for none must dare demand or take any thing from god , till hee have revealed his will of giving it ; c he hath said , must be the ground of our faith .. thirdly , in regard of the certainty and undoubtednesse which there is in the assent of faith . d abraham was fully perswaded of gods pow'r and promise ; now there is a twofold certainty : a certainty of the thing beleeved , because of the power and promise of him that hath said it ; and a certainty of the minde beleeving . the former is as full and sure to one beleever as to any other , as an almes is as certainly and fully given to one poore man who yet receives it with a shaking and palsie hand , as it is to another that receives it with more strength . but the mind of one man may bee more certaine and assured then another , or then it selfe at some other time : sometimes it may have a certainty of evidence , assurance , and full perswasion of gods goodnesse ; sometimes a certainty onely of adherence , in the midst of the buffets of satan , and some strong temptations , whereby it resolveth to cleave unto god in christ , though it walke in darkenesse , and have no light . fourthly , and lastly , in regard of the last reflexive act e whereby we know that we know him , and f beleeve in him . and yet both this and all the rest are capable of grow'th , as the apostle here intimates ; we know heere but in part , and therefore our knowledge of him may still increase . the heart may have more plentifull experience of gods mercie in comfotting , guiding , defending , illightning , sanctifying it , which the scripture cals the g learning of christ , and thereupon cannot but desire to have more knowledge of him , and communion with him : especially in those two great benefits , his resurrection and sufferings . and the power of his resurrection . ] the apostles desire in these words is double . first , that he may finde the workings of that power in his soule , which was shewed in the resurrection of christ from the dead , that is , the power of the spirit of holynesse , which is the mighty principle of faith in the heart . that spirit h of holynesse which quickned christ from the dead , doth by the same glorious power beget faith and other graces in the soule . it is as great a worke of the spirit to forme christ in the heart of a sinner , as it was to fashion him in the wombe of a virgin . secondly , that he may feele the resurrection of christ to have a power in him. now christs resurrection hath a twofold power upon us or towards us . first , to apply all his merits unto us , to accomplish the worke of his satisfaction , to declare his conquest over death , and to propose himselfe as an all-sufficient saviour to the faithfull . as the stampe addes no vertue nor matter of reall value to a piece of gould , but onely makes that value which before it had , actually applyable and currant : so the resurrection of christ , though it was no part of the price or satisfaction which christ made , yet it was that which made them all of force to his members . therefore the apostle saith that christ was iustified in spirit . in his death hee suffered as a malefactor , and did undertake the guilt of our sinnes ( so farre as it denotes an obligation unto punishment , though not a meritoriousnesse of punishment ; ) but by that spirit which raised him from the dead hee was iustified himselfe , that is , he declared to the world that hee had shaken of all that guilt from himselfe , and as it were left it in his grave with his grave clothes . for as christs righteousnesse is compared to a robe of triumph , so may our guilt to a garment of death , which christ in his resurrection shooke all of , to note that death had no holdfast at all of him. when lazarus was raised , it is said that hee came forth bound hand and foote with grave cloathes , to note that hee came not out as a victor over death , unto which he was to returne againe : but when christ rose hee left them behinde , because death was to have no more power over him. thus by his resurrection he was declared to have gone through the whole punishment which hee was to suffer for sinne , and being thus justified himselfe , that hee was able also to justifie others that beleeved in him . this is the reason why the apostle useth these words to prove the resurrection of christ , i will give you ▪ the a sure mercies of david , for none of gods mercies had been sure to us if christ had been held under by death ; b our faith had been vaine , we had been yet in our sinnes . but his worke being fully finished , the mercy which thereupon depended was made certaine , and as the apostle speakes , c sure unto all the 〈◊〉 . thus as the day wherein redemption is victorious and consummate is cald the d day of redemption : so the worke wherein the merits of christ were declar'd victorious is said to e have been for our justification , because they were thereby made appliable unto that purpose . the second worke of the power of christs resurrection is to overcome all death in vs , and restore vs to life againe . therfore he is cald f the lord of the living , and g the prince of life , to note that his life is operative unto others . wee are by his resurrection secur'd first against the death and law , which wee were held under ; for euery sinne●… is condemn'd already . now when christ was condemned for sinne , hee thereby deliver'd us from the death of the law , which is the curse : so that though some of the grave cloathes may not be quite shaken off , but that wee may be subject to the workings & feares of the law upon some occasions , yet the malediction thereof is for ever removed . secondly , we are secured against the death in sinne , h regenerated , quickned , renued , fashioned by the power of godlinesse , which tameth our rebellions , subdueth our corruptions , and turneth all our affections another way . thirdly , against i the hold-fast and conquest of death in the grave , from whence wee shall bee k translated unto glory : a specimen and resemblance of this was shewed at the resurrection of christ , l when the graves were opened , and many dead bodies of the saints arose , and entred into the citie . as a prince in his inauguration or sosemne state openeth prisons , and unlooseth many which there were bound , to honour his solemnitie : so did christ do to those saints at his resurrection , and in them gave assurance to all his of their conquest over the last enemy . what a fearefull condition then are all men out of christ in , who shall have no interest in his resurrection ? rise indeed they shall , but barely by his power as their m iudge , not by fellowship with him as the first fruites and first borne of the dead ; and therefore theirs shall not be properly , or at least comfortably a resurrection , no more than a condemn'd persons going from the prison to his execution may be cald an enlargement . pharaoh●… butler and baker went both out of prison , but they were not both delivered ; so the righteous and the wicked shall all appeare before christ , and bee gathered out of their graves , but they shall not all bee children of the resurrection , for that belongs onely to the just . the wicked shall be dead everlastingly to all the pleasures and wayes of sin , which here they wallowed in . as there remaines nothing to a drunkard or adulterer after all his youthfull excesses but crudities , rottennesse , diseases , and the worme of conscience ; so the wicked shall carry no worlds nor satisfactions of lust to hell with them , their a glorie shall not descend after them . these things are truths written with a sunne beame in the booke of god : first , that b none out of christ shall rise unto glorie . secondly , that c all who are in him are purged from the love and power of sinne , are made a people willingly obedient unto his scepter and the government of his grace and spirit ; and have eyes given them to see no beauty but in his kingdome . thirdly , hereupon it is manifest d that no uncleane thing shall rise unto glory . a prince in the day of his state , or any roiall solemnitie , wil not admit beggers , or base companions into his presence . e hee is of purer eyes then to behold , much lesse to communicate with uncleane persons . f none but the pure in heart shal see god. fourthly , that every g wicked man waxeth worse and worse , that hee who is filthy growes more filthy , h that sinne hardneth the heart , and i infidelitie hasteneth perdition . whence the conclusion is evident , that every impenitent sinner , who without any inward hatred & purposes of revenge against sinne , without godly sorrow forepast , and spirituall renovation for after-times , allowes himselfe to continue in any course of uncleannesse , spends all his time and strength to no other purpose , then k onely to heape up coales of iuniper against his owne soule , and to gather together a treasure of sins and wrath , like an infinite pile of wood to burne himselfe in . again , this power of christs resurrection is a ground of solid and invincible comfort to the faithfull in any pressures or calamities though never so desperate , because god hath power and promises to raise them up againe . this is a sufficient supportance , first , against any either publike , or privat afflictions . however the church may seeme to be reduc'd to as low and uncureable an estate l as dried bones in a grave , or the brands of wood in a fire , yet it shall be but like m the darknesse of a night , after two daies he will revive againe , his goings forth in the defence of his church are prepared as the morning . when n iob was upon a dunghill , and his reines were consumed within him ; when o ionah was at the bottome of the mountaines , and the weedes wrapped about his head , and the great billowes and waves went over him , so that he seemed as cast out of gods sight ; when p david was in the midst of troubles , and q ezekiah in great bitternesse , this power of god to raise unto life againe was the onely refuge and comfort they had . secondly , against all temptations and discomforts : satans traines and policies come too late after once christ is risen from the dead ; for r in his resurrection the church is discharged and set at large . thirdly , against death it selfe ; because wee shall come out of our graves as gold out of the fire , or miners out of their pits , laden with gold and glory at the last . lastly , wee must from hence learne s to seeke those things that are above whither christ is gone . t christs kingdome is not here , and therefore our hearts should not be here . u hee is ascended on high , and hath given gifts unto men , as absent lovers send tokens to each other , to attract the affections , and call thither the thoughts . if christ would have had our hearts rest on the earth , he would have continued with us here , x but it is his will that we be where he is : and therefore we must make it the maine businesse of our life to move towards him . things of a nature encline to one another even to their prejudice . a stone will fall to his center , though there be so many rubbes in the way , that it is sure to bee broken all to peeces in the motion . the same should be a christians resolution . christ is his center , and heaven is his country , and therefore thither hee must conclude to goe , notwithstanding he must be broken in the way with manifold temptations , and afflictions . saint y paul desired , if it had been possible , to be clothed upon , and to have his mortalitie swallowed up of life , and to get whole to heaven . but if he may not have it upon so good termes , hee will not onely z confidently endure , but * desire to be dissolved and broken in pieces , that by any meanes he may come to christ , because that , being best of all , will be an aboundant recompence for any intercurrent damage . it is not a losse , but a marriage and honour for a woman to forsake her owne kindred , and house , to go to a husband : neither is it a losse but a preferment for the soule , to relinquish for a time the bodie , that it may goe to christ , who hath married it unto himselfe for ever . and the fellowship of his sufferings ] this fellowship notes two things : first , a participation in the benefits of his sufferings ; secondly , a conformity of ours to his . first , his a sufferings are ours ; we were buried and crucified with him , and that againe notes two things . first , we communicate in the price of christs death , covering the guilt of sinne , satisfying the wrath of god , and being an expiation and propitiation for us . secondly , in the b power of his death , cleansing our consciences from dead workes , mortifying our earthly members , crucifying our old man , subduing our iniquities and corruptions , pulling downe the throne of satan , spoiling him of all his armor , and destroying the workes of the divell . and this power worketh , first , by the propheticall office of christ , revealing ; secondly , by his regall office , applying and reaching forth the power of his bloud to subdue sinne , as it had before triumphed over death and satan . but here the maine point and question will be , what this mighty power of the death of christ is thus to kill sinne in us , and wherein the causality thereof consisteth ? to this i answere that christs death is a threefold cause of the death of sinne in his members . first , it is causa meritoria , a meritorious cause . for christs death was so great aprice that it did deserve at gods hand to have our sinnes subdued . all power and iudgement was given unto him by his father , and that power was given him to purchase his church withall . and this was amongst other of the covenants , that their sinnes should be crucified . he gave himselfe unto gods iustice for his church ; and that which by that gift he purchased , was the sanctification & cleansing of it . now as a price is said to doe that which a man doth by the power which that price purchased : so the bloud of christ is said to cleanse us , because the office or power whereby he purifieth us , was conferd upon him sub intuitu pretij , under the condition of suffring . for it was necessarie that remission and purification should be by bloud . secondly , it is causa exemplaris , the death of christ was the exemplar pattern , and idea of our death to sin . he did beare our sinnes in his body on the tree , to shew that as his body did naturally , so sinne did by analogie and legally dye . therefore the apostle saith that he was made sinne for us ; to note that not onely our persons were in gods accompt crucified with him unto iustification ; but that sinne it selfe did hang upon his crosse with him unto monification and holinesse . in which respect saint paul saith , that he condemned sinne in the flesh , because he died as sinne in abstracto . and in this regard of mor●…ification wee are said to be planted in the likenesse of christs death ; because as when an ambassador doth solemnize the marriage of his king with a forraine princesse , that is truely effected betweene the parties themselves , which is transacted by the agent , and representative person to that purpose and service autho●… : so christ being made sinne for us ( as the sacrifice had the sinnes of the people emptied upon him ) and in that relation , dying ; sinne it selfe likewise dieth in us . and there is a proportion betweene the death of the crosse which christ died , and the dying of sinne in us . christ died as a servant , to note that sinne should not rule , but be brought into slaverie and bondage : he died a curse , to note that wee should loke upon sinne as an accursed and devoted thing , and therefore should not with achan hide , or reserve any : he dranke vinegar on his crosse , to note that wee should make sinne feele the sharpnesse of gods displeasure aginst it ▪ he was fast naild unto the crosse , to note that wee should put sinne out of ease , and leave noe lust or corruption at large , but crucifie the whole body thereof . lastly though he did not presently die , yet there he did hang till he died ; to note that wee should never give over subduing sinne while it hath any life or working in us . thus the death of christ is the patterne of the death of sinne . thirdly , it is causa obiectiva , an impelling or moving cause as obiects are . for obiects have an attractive power . acha●… saw the wedge of gold , and then coveted it . david saw bathsh●…ba , and then desired her . therefore the apostle mentions lusts of the eye , which are kindled by the things of the world . as the strength of imagination fixing upon a blackemoo●…e on the wall made the woman bring forth a blacke child : so there is ●… kinde of spirituall imaginative power in faith to crucifie sinne by looking upon christ crucified . as the brasen serpent did heale those who had been bitten by the fierie serpents 〈◊〉 obiectum fides , meerly by being looked upon : so christ crucified doth heale sin by being looked upon with the ey●… of faith . now faith lookes upon christ crucified , and bleeding , first , as the gift of his fathers love , as a token and spectacle of more unsearchable and transcendent mercie , then the comprehension of the whole hoast of angels can reach unto . and hereby the heart is ravished with love againe , and with a gratefull desire of returning all our time , parts , powers , services unto him , who spared not the sonne of his owne love for us . secondly , it looketh on him as a sacrifice for sinne , and expiation thereof to gods iustice ; and hereby the heart is framed to an humble feare of reproaching , voiding , nullifying unto it selfe the death of christ , or by continuance in sinne of crucifying the lord iesus againe . it is made more distinctly , in the sufferings of christ , to know that infinite guilt , and hellish filthinesse which is in sinne , which brought so great a punishment upon so great a person ; and hereupon groweth to a more serious hatred thereof , and carefulness●… against it , as being a greater enemie unto his iesus , then iudas that betraid , or the pharisees that accu●…ed , or the souldiers that crucified him ; as being more sharpe to the soule of christ then the nailes or speares that pierced his sacred body . how shall i dare ( thinkes the faithfull soule ) to live in those sinnes by which i may as truely be denominated a betrayer and crucifier of him that saved mee , as iudas , or pilate , were ? thirdly it lookes on him as our forerunnerinto glorie . whither he e●…tred not but by away of bloud . from whence the heart easily concludes , if christ entred not into his own glory but by suffering , how shall i enter into that glory which is none of mine , if i shed not the bloud of my lusts , and take order to crucifie all them before i goe ? so then none can conclude that christ died for him , who findes not himselfe set against the life of sinne within him , in whom the body of corruption is not so lesned , as that it doth no more ●…ule to wast his conscience or enrage his heart . if a man grow worse and worse , his heart more hard , his conscience more senselesse , his resolutions more desperate , his ●…are more dead , his courses more car●…all and worldly then before ; certainely the fellowship and vertue of the bloud of christ hath hitherto done little good to such a man. and what a wofull thing is it for a man to live and die in an estate much more miserable then if there never had beene any iesus given unto men ? for that man who hath heard of christ , at whose heart he hath knocked , unto whose conscience he hath beene revealed , and yet never beleeveth in him unto righteousnesse , or sanctification , but lives and dies in his filthinesse , shall be punished with a farre sorer condemnation , then those of tyre , sydon , or sodome , that knew nothing of him . o then let us labour to shew forth the power of christs death , and that he died not in vaine unto us . though wee cannot yet totally kill , yet let us crucifie our corruptions , weaken their vigor , abate their rage , dispossesse them of the throne in our hearts , put them unto shame : and in as much as christ hath suffered for sinne , let us cease from sinne , and live the rest of our time not to the will of the flesh , nor to the lusts of men , but to the will of god. the second part of our fellowship in sufferings with christ is the conformitie of ours to his. in all our afflictions he is afflicted ; and saint paul cals his sufferings the filling up of that which is behinde of the afflictions of christ. not as if christs sufferings were imperfect ( for by one offering he●… hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified . ) but as christ hath personall sufferings i●… corpore proprio , in his humane body , as mediator , which once for ever he finished : so he hath generall sufferings in corp●…re mystico , in his church , as a member with the rest . now of these sufferings of the church we must note that they have no conformitie with christs in these two things . first , not in officio , in the office of christs sufferings ; for his were meritorious a●…d satisfactorie ; ours onely mini●…teriall , and for edification . secondly , not in 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 , not in the weight and measure of them ; not so bitter , heavie , and wofull as christs were ▪ for the sufferings of christ , vpon any other creature , would have crushed him as low as hell , and swallowed him up for ever . in other respects there is a conformitie of our sufferings to christs ; so that he esteemeth them his. our sufferings are : first , such as wee draw upon our selves by our owne folly ; and even in these afflictions which christ as the king ●…ver his people inflic●…eth upon them , yet as their head and fellow member hee compassionateth and as it were smarteth with them . for christ is so full of tendernesse , and so acquainted with sorrowes , that wee may justly conceive him touched with the feeling of those paines , which yet he himselfe seeth needefull for them . secondly , ▪ such as are by god imposed for triall and exercise of those graces which himselfe gives ; and in these we have a twofold communion and conformitie to christ : first , by association ; christ : giveth us his spirit to draw in the same yoke with us , and to hold us under them by his strength . that spirit of holynesse by which christ overcame his sufferings , helpeth our infirmities in ours . secondly , in the manner of undergoing them , with a proportion of that meeknes and patience which christ shewed in his sufferings . thirdly , such as are cas●… upon us by the injuries of satan and wicked men . and these also beare conformitie unto christs , as in the two former respects , so thirdly in the cause of them , for it is christ only whom in his members satan and ●…he world doe persecute . all the enmitie that is betweene them is because of the seede of the woman . if christ were now amongst us in the fashion of a servant and in a low condition as once he was ▪ & should convince men of their wickednesse as searchingly as once he did , hee would doubtlesse be the most hated man upon the earth . now that hee is conceived of , as god in glory , men deale with him as ioa●… with abner , they kisse and flatter him in the outward profession of his name and worship ; and they stabbe and persecute him in the hatred of his wayes and members . and this is the principall reason why so many stand of from a through embracing of christ and his wayes ; because when they are indeede in his body , they must goe his way to heaven , which was a way of suffering . they that will live godly in christ iesus must suffer persecution , and be by wicked men esteemed as signes and wonders to bee spoken against , and that not onely amongst pagans , and professed enemies to the truth , but even in israel , and amongst those who externally make the same profession . but this should comfort us in all our sufferings for christs sake , and for our obedience to his gospell ; that wee drinke of our masters owne cuppe , that wee fill up that which is wanting of his afflictions , that christ himselfe was called a samaritane , a divell , a wine-b●…bber , entrapped , spied ▪ snared , slaine ; and hee who is now our captaine to leade us , will hereafter be our a crowne to reward us ; wee may safely b looke upon christs issue , and know it to bee ours . first , wee have christs fellowship in them ; and if it were possible , a man were better bee in hell with christ , then in heaven without him : for his presence would make any place a heaven , as the c king makes any place the court. secondly , wee have d christs strength to beare them . thirdly , e his victories to overcome them . fourthly , f his intercession to preserve us from falling away in them . fifthly , his graces to be the more gloryfied by them , as a torch when it is shaken shines the brighter . sixthly . his compassion to moderate and proportion them to the measure of strength which hee gives us : and lastly , his crowne on our heads , his palme in our hands , his triumphall garments upon us , when wee shall have tasted our measure of them . for our light affliction , which is but for a moment , worketh for us a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory . while we looke not at the things which are seene , but at the things which are not seene : for the things which are seene are temporall , but the things which are not seene , are eternall . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e eccles. . . rom. . , . rom. . . psal. . . rom. . . . ex eodem utero ignorantiae . tertul. a tit. . . b iud. verse . c gal. . . phil. . . d ephes. . e . cor. . . f ephes . . eph. . . . tim. . . g . cor. . . h gen. . . i . tim. . . rom. . . k ephes. . . col. . . l matth. . . ier. . . hos. . . . psal. . . matth. . . prov. . . heb. . . act. . . iob . . . king. . . ier . esai . esai . . . . ioh. . . ioh. . . mark. . . . tim. . . . tim. . . habac. . . habac. . . . ephes. . . col. . . psal. . . luk. . . psal. . . psal. . . uid brisson . de regno pers. lib. . pag. . . zeph. . . psal. . . matth. . . psal. . psal . . prov. . . ier. . . obad. ver . . psal. . . psal. . , . iob . . . . ioh. . . hag. . . . mal. . . prov. . . deut. . . . matth. . . ier. . . hos. . . deut. . , , . deut. . . . iam. . . matth. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . chrysost. hom. . ad pop . antioch . hos. . . eccles. . , . quantumlibet delectent jactantia divitiarum , & tumor honorum , & vorago popinarum , & bella theatricorum , &c. aufert omnia ista una febricula , & adhuc viventibus totam falsam beatitudinē subtrahit ; remanet inanis & saucia consciencia . aug. de catechiz . rud. ca. . gen. . . . tim. . . rom. . . tit. . . act. . . rom. . , . eph. . . revel . . . . cor. . . ioh. . . . heb. . . ioh. . . . . act. . . ioh. . . z ioh. . . . . matth. . . esai . . , , . ioh. . , . eph. . . ioh. . . matth. . , . . tim. . . psal. . . heb. . . matth. . . heb. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . in . cor. homil . . chrysost. ephes . . gal. . . rom. . . heb. . . . ioh. . . . cor. . , . rom. . . aug. epist. . . cor. . . iam. . . . cor. . . * gen. . . * nehem. ● . . a morbis grassantibus vel prodigijs nunciatis pacem deûm exposci moris erat , vide brisson . de formul . lib. . pa. . edit . b plin. panegyr . bene ac sapienter majores instituerunt ut rerum agendarum , ita dicendi ini●ium à precationibus capere , &c. sueton. in aug. cap. . vid. brisson . de form. lib. . pag. . et coqu 〈…〉 ●ommentaria in aug. de civit. dei. lib. . cap. . num . . c livius li● . . a. gel. noct. attic . lib ▪ . cap. . c●●●s ab a 〈…〉 describitur 〈◊〉 dedita , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 civit. dei. lib. . . cap. . d ●…ph . . . . thell . . . phil. . . a marke . b matth ●… . . c luk. . . d mark . ●… . . e mark. . . f luk. . , . g luk. . . h matth. . . ioh. . . i heb ▪ . . k 〈◊〉 orat . cap. . revel . . , . exod. . . rom. . . . chron. . . . chron. . matth. . . esai . . . dan. , , . chron. . . . sam. . , , . aug 〈◊〉 . lib. ●… . cap. . ezek. . . psal. . iustin martyr apolog. tertul. apol. c. . eccles. . . . tim. . . eccles. . . pro●… . . . matth. . . ioh. . . . . luk. . . . tim. . . act. . . col. . . . a tertul. de praescript . cap. . de idolatr . cap. . hieron . contr . luciser . cum praefat . erasmi . vid. pet. erodium . decret . lib. . tit. . §. . hook. l. . §. . b see reynolds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . c. . diuis . p●…g . . act . and . eccles. . . rom. . . . tim. . . deut. . . . prov. . . . prov. . . in cofundamentum non est christꝰ cui cae●…era praeponuntur . aug. de civ . dei . lib. . cap. . luk. . . . thes. . . multi no●… a christi vnitate sed a suis commodis nolunt recedere . aug. de baptis . lib . c. . mark . . psal. . . act. . . mal. . . zech. . . uti volunt deo vt fruantur mund●… . aug. de civ . dei . lib. . cap. . amos. . . lam . . . prou. . . . pet . . iam. . . psal. . . . pet. . . numb . . . rom . ●… . . pet. . . aristet . polit. lib. . cap. . . rom. . . ioel . . zeph. . . ●…sal . . . psal. ●… . . ier. . . . esay . . euseb. h●…st . l. . cap & ioseph . de bello iudaico lib. . cap. . gen. . . . hos. . . esay . . ier. . , . esay . . esay . . . locl . . amos . . quodcunque nunc 〈◊〉 , mundi ipsius senectute degenerat , ut nemo mirari debea●… singula in mundo coepisse desicere , cum totus ipsetam mundus in defectione 〈◊〉 . cyprian . 〈◊〉 . dem. hol. . . prov. . . eccles . . hag. . . hos. . . psal. . . . amos . . amos . . psal. . . zach. . . levit. . . . iam. . . habak . . . . prov. . . iob . . psal. . . . prov. . . amos . . vers. . psal. . . . io●…l . . . habak . . . isai. . . . ezek. . . ier. . . . esai . . . . thes. . . eccles. . . psal. . . . pet. . . . . ioh. . . esai . . . esai . . . ier. . . ier. . . psal. . . habak . . . amos . . gen. . . amos . , . ierem. . . ●… . zachar. . . . . . . . ioel . . math. . . esay . . lament . . . hos . . esai . . . esai . . . deut. . . . esai . . . ier. . . hos. . ier. . . . hag. . . gen . hos. . . hos. . . psal. . . iob. . . solatia miscrorum non gaudia beatorum . aug. e●…ist . . imaginaria in seculo & 〈◊〉 veri . tertul. de coron . mil. ca. . eccles. . tertull. apolog. cap. . brisson . de formul . lib. . aug●…stus n●…cturno visu s●…ipem quota●…is die cert●… 〈◊〉 à p●…pulo cavam man●…m asses ●…orr . gentibus praebens . sue●…on . in aug. cap ●… . . cor. . . esai . . . . pe●… . . . pet . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . arist. rhet. lib. . heb. . . heb. . . ioh. . esai . . si desunt , non per mala opera quarantur in mundo , si adsunt , per bona opera serventur in coel●… . epi. . luk. . . esai . . , . eccles. . . matth. . . tim. . . . cor. . . luk. . , . . iohn . . ezeck . . . hos. ▪ . psal. . . cor. ●… . . act. . . ier. . . luk. . . obad vers . . . habak . . . . ezek. . . zeph. . . psal. . . . . eccles. ●… . . . tacit. hist. lib. . prov. . . . . tim. . . rom. . . . psal. . . cant. . . . sam. . . . king. . . aug. de civ . dei. lib. . c. . confess . lib. . c. . coofess . lib. . c. ●… . tacit. . tim. . . exod. . . amos . , . habak . . . amos . . iames . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . chrysost. ad pop . antioch . hom. ●… . . tim. . . senec. ep . rom. . . ethic. lib. . c. . & . vide de philosophis impudicis & veritatem corrumpentibus . tertul. apolog. cap. . tacit. an. lib. . dio. tacit. annal. lib ▪ . aristotel . polit . lib ▪ . cap. . uid . rosin ▪ antiq . lib. . cap. . . king. . & . . sam. . . see io●… . . — . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . chrysost. ad pop . 〈◊〉 . ●…om . . iob . . . . . . psal. . . . cor. . . tit. . . hag. . , , revel . . . solatia non negotia . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . arist. polit . lib. . cap. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . arist. polit lib. . cap. . esai . . . esai . . . esai . . . psal. . . . pet. . . zach. . . . clem. alex. in paedag. li. . ca. . gen. . . . tim. . . gen. . . luk. . . ezek. . . ier. . . hos. . . esay . . . esay . . . iob . . . psal . hos. . . ier. . . pet. . . psal. . . . revel . . . prou. . . . . ezek. . . zeph. . . esay . . . amos . , . amos . . amos . . . obad. vers . . . esay . . ier. . . deut. . . . ier . . esay . . . ezek. . . ier. ▪ . esay . . aug. de mendac . ad consent . lib. . sa. . . . sam. . . act. . . . . king. . . . thes . . . cor. . . matth. . . luk. . . . pet. . . psal. . . eph. . . gal. . . matth. . . heb. . dan. . . . sam. . . . chron. . . chron. . . numb . . . psal. . . psal. . . gen. . . ezek. . . esay . . hab. . . . zach. . . . esay . . . hos. . . chro. . . ezek. . . mat. . . . phil. . . . . . sa. . . . . . chron. . . deut. . . deut. . . mal. . . esay . . . hab. . . . . . psal. . . . eph. . . matth. . . ioh. . . . cor. . . rom. . . psal. . . tit. . . . pet. . . cyprian . iam. . . . cor. . . math. . . iam . . cor. . . phil. . matth. . . act. . . . cor. . . . phil. . . matth. . ephes. . . col. . . aug. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. chrysost. ad pop . antioch . hom . . psal. ●… . . nec vulnus adactis debetur gladijs , percussum est pectore ferrum . luc. a mic. . . b hab. . . c luk. . . . d luk. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . e hos. . . f rom. . . g eph. ▪ . col. . . . sam. . . ioh. . . hos. . . . sam. . . prov. . . psal . . . tim. . . ier. . . hos. . . . deut. . . iam. . . causas corruptelarum non in illecebris , sed in cordibus habemus , & vitiositas nostra mens nostra est . salvi . de guber . lib. . a gen. . . b exod. . . c . king. . . d . chro. ●… . e ier. . . f act. . . g act. . . . tim. . , . amos . . prov. . , . luk. . . ezek. . . hos. . . . hos. . . dan. . , . . thes. . ●… . mark. . . ephes . col. . . & . heb. . rom. . . iam : . . . a ezek. . . psal. . . obad. v. . esay . . ier. . . & . hos. . . b mal. . . . nehem. . . ier. . . c exod. . . & . . d psal. . . ier. . . ezek. . . e tim. . . f mat ●… . . g iam . . . . pet. . ●… . h rom. . . i levit. . . k mic. . . l . tim . ier. . . zech. ▪ . . luk. . . acts . . . cor. . . . m psal. . . . . n ier. . . esay . . esay . . . hab. . . psal. . . o heb. , . . . esay . . p . cor. . . zech. . . . . . esay . . . hab. . . prov. . ier. . . q psal . . heb. . . r . cor. . . phil. . . phil. . . . . cor. . . . cor. . esay . . & . . rom. . . u deut. . x hos. . . iames . . y psal. . . z act. . ier. . . a phil. ●… . . esay . ●… . ezek. . . b . king. . . . . . hos. . . c ioh. . . iam. . . iam. . ●… . rom. . . matth. . . ephes. . . psal. . . matth. . . cant. . . . phil. . . iam. . . mark. . . matth. . . matth. . . luk. . . . mat. . . . iam. . . ier. . . . ier. . . ier. . . ier. . . . chro. . . luk. . . . sam. . . iudg . . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 servi , ne●… domini deteriores . . sam. . . . . ti●… . . . iam. . . . ioh. . . iudg. . . notes for div a -e elen●…hus est syllogismus cum contradiction●… conclusionis . arisi . . cor. . . a vid. iacob . portum contra ostorod . cap. . b sine lumine supernaturali potenti●… superinfuso . episcop . disput . . c armin. in rom. . pag. . remonstr . declar . fidei . cap. . §. ▪ exam. censur . cap. . ●…l . . . a psal. . . . . . . phil. . . b . cor. . . ●… ephes. . . d ioh. . . e . cor. . . f . cor ▪ . . ier ▪ ▪ . g . ioh. . . h acts . . i . cor. . . lu●… . . ●… . k hos. . . esay . . l iohn . . psal. . . rom. . . matth. . . ante omnia opu●… est dei timore ad ipsum converti , ut eius voluntatem cognoscamus — in tantum non vident in quantum hui●… secul●… vivunt . aug. de doctr. christi . l. c. . deus nos adiuvat & ut sciamus , & am●…mus . epist. . non doctrina extrinsecus insonante , sed inte●…na , occulta , mirabili , ine●…fabili potestate operatur deus in cordibus hominum & u●…ras revelationes & bonas voluntates . de grat. christi . c. and elsewhere he recants his opinion , quod , ut praedicato eva●…gelio con●…tiremus , nostrum esset proprium & ex nobis . adprosper . & hilar. lib. . cap. . m so●… . armin. tolet. vid. ●…xam . censur . c. . fol. . contr. iu●… . lib. . cap. . & cont . . epist. pelag. lib. ●… . cap. . . . . phil . . act. . . . tim. . . . king. . . . sam. . . ●…er . . hos. . . rom. . . . de arbitris sensus sui deum pensitant . tertu . con●… . mar . l. . c. iudicia domestica . tertull. apol. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 clem. alex. esai . . . . deut. . , . . cor. , . iam. . . luk. . . qui se dedebant arma tradiderunt . brisson . deformul . lib. . mic. . , . act. . . . rom. . . tit. . , . ester . . . . cor. . hieronym . in . cor. . . de coron . mil. cap. . de opere mon. cap. aperte contra apostoli praeceptum . manifesta verba apostoli in perversam detorquere sententiam . rom. . . iob . . psal. . . rom. . . . ioh. . psal. ●… . . ioh. . . ioh. . . eph. . eph. . . . . psal. . . * esay . , . heb. . . act . . * . tim. . . . tim. . . tit. . . iud. v. . . thess. . . a psal. . ●… . b psal. . . c ibid. v. . d ibid. v. . psal. . . e rom . . . f psal . heb . . g eccles. . . h deut. . . i iam. . . k . tim . . l gen . . tit. . . m col . n rom. . 〈◊〉 . o ●…am . . . p dan. . . q ezta . . . ezek. . . r ezek. . . gen. . . iob . . s iob . . . sam. . . t . cor. ●… . . u nehem. . . x . cor. . . y ezra . . . psal. . . z . tim. . . tit. . . * esai . . ●… . a prov. . . b rev. . . hos. . . prov. . . c arist. polit . lib. . cap. , . d eudem , lib. . cap. . mag . moral . cap. . ethic. lib. z. c. . lib. . cap. . lib. . cap. , . e alicubi quintilia . f de petitione consulatus ad m. fratrem . g quintil. lib. . cap. ●… . h tertul apolog. cap. . i luk. . . . act. . ios●…ph . antiq. lib. . c. . de bello iudaico lib. . cap ▪ . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…d . epipha●…m contra haeres . lib. ●… . to haeres . . k prov. . . hag. . . psal. . . gen. . . gen. . . . cor. . . esay . . prou. . . heb. . . sacros scripturae libros ●…ull us inimicus cognoscere sinitur . aug. de mor. eccles●… . l. . c. . si voluntatem dei nosse quisquam desiderat fiat amicus deo — hoc si haberent non essent haeretici . idem de gen. contr . manich●…os . l. ●… . c. . luk. . . . pet. . . herodot . lu●… . 〈◊〉 . a rom. . . b rom. . . gal. . ●… . c rom. . . d gal. . . . . cor. ●… . . mark. . . . cor. . ●… . e hos . . f rom. . . g . tim. . . h . kin. . . i heb. . . aristot. problem . sect . . quest . . tertul●…de anima , cap. . 〈◊〉 ge●…rg . 〈◊〉 . con●… d●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dei. cap. . 〈◊〉 ▪ ioh. . rom. , , , . . cor. . , , . a omnes in ada●… 〈◊〉 , quia ●…mnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . aug. traxit 〈◊〉 ho●… , quia unus erat cum 〈◊〉 quo traxit ▪ aug. ●…p . pres●… 〈◊〉 . coll . c. . genus h●…manumin parente ▪ primo ●…elut in radiceputruit . gregor . b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chrysost apud au●… . vid. ge●…ard . voss. 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . ●… . part . . & . c 〈◊〉 institut . vid. iacob . portum . cap . remonst . exam . censur . cap . sect . quis ante prodigiosu●… coeles●…ium re●…tu praevari●…ationis adam omne genus 〈◊〉 n●…g . vit 〈◊〉 vincent . lirinens advers . haeres . c. . d 〈◊〉 l●…x , & matrix praeceptorum dei. tertul. contra iudae●…s c. . e possibile a●…●…cile praeceptum . aug. cont . iul. l. . c. . aug. enchirid. c . a aug. retract . li●… . . cap. . aquin. andrad . orthodox . expli●… . lib. . b 〈◊〉 . iuoledientia . vivacitas , libido . ●…orbidus , affectus . aug. deperfect . in●… . c de civ . dei. l . c . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . l. . c. de 〈◊〉 . & con●… . lib. . c. . retract . lib. . cap. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . instit. martyr . 〈◊〉 anglic. art. . c ioh . . d rom . , . lam . . e rom. . eph. . . f colos. . . g rom. . . h . ioh. . . i ioh . k iam. . . l rom . . cor. . m luk . n rom. . . ioh . . o heb . p psal. . . q luk. . . r 〈◊〉 ori●… 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 non 〈◊〉 quam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tertull. de p●…dicit . c . s 〈◊〉 con●… 〈◊〉 . s●…to de natura & grat●…a , li●… . c. . and●…ad 〈◊〉 . explic . lib. . p. . ●…er . in gen. lib. . de 〈◊〉 . inn●…nt . 〈◊〉 excel . 〈◊〉 . . num . ●… . 〈◊〉 . de gratia 〈◊〉 , cap. . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . cap. . §. . qu●…m 〈◊〉 ho●… 〈◊〉 re●… 〈◊〉 n●… deus author 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . lib. . cap. . & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esse dicit . de gratia & lib. arbitrio . t rom. . , , , . u rom. ▪ , . ro●… . ●… . ●… . 〈◊〉 . ●… . . gal. . . phrasis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notat ministerium legati . tarnou . ex●…rcit . biblic . pag. . edit . ●… . heb. . . deut. . . heb. . . heb. . . exod. . . . cor. . . deut. . heb. . . rom. . . heb. . - . ro. . - . . rom. . ▪ gal. . . gen. . . . . amama . antibabaris . biblic . l p. . heb. . . mark. . . col. . . . . . licet facultates non fuerunt per lapsum abolitae , determinatio tamen earum ad obiecta spiritis ▪ alia fuit protinus extincta . zexman de imag dei. cap. . ephes. . . rom. . . rom. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . theophilus ad antolis . l. . rom. . , , , . . tim. . . . . 〈◊〉 . . , . . tim. . . . cor. . ephes . . rom ▪ . . . cor. . . . cor. . . . col. . . iam. . . ephes. . . . tim. . . tit. . . heb. . . ier. . . ier. . . ro●… . . e●…y . . 〈◊〉 . . . . . prov. . . . cor. . . ier. . . rom. . . e●…cles . . heb. . . psal. c . . psal. . , , , . mat . . heb . ●… . iam. . . ier. . . rom. . . ier. . . neh. . . ma●… . . . zach. . . libertas as arbi●… perijt qu●…ntum ad iu●…itam , non quantum ad naturam aut peccatum . vid. ●…ag . cont . . epist. pelag . lib. . cap. . & lib. . c. . & ●…nchirid . c. . . a psal. . . luk. . . exod. . . b matth. . . act . . . act. . . luk. . . luk. ●… . . c mal. . . d gal. . . ier. . . esay . , . ier. . . & . . i●…r . . , . c heb. . . nehem . ●… . psal. . . & . . iob . . psal. . matth. . . . p●…t . . . ioh. . . iam. . . . cor. . ioh. . . . cor. . . cor. . . rom. . . iam. . . col. . . eph. . gal. . . 〈◊〉 in ioh. . . rom. . . vid. scultet . 〈◊〉 . evang. lib. . pag. . epiphan . hares . l. . h . levit. . - heb. . . uid . glassi●…philolog . sacram. lib. . tract . . pag. . rom. . - . rom. . - . . & . . . col. . . glass●…philolog . sacr. l. . pag. . ioh. . . ioh. . . . ioh. . . rom. . . rom. . . . phil . . ephes. . . . planè dicimus decessisse legem quoad onera , non quoad iustitiam . tertull. . sam. . . . cor. . mal. . . hos. . . hos. . gal. . . esay . . col. . . phil. . . phil. . . luk. . . rom. . . psal. . . mic. . . rom. . 〈◊〉 cor. . ●… . . tim. . . ioh. . . iam. . . matth. . . . ioh. . 〈◊〉 . ut sentiat se mori . 〈◊〉 . aug. confess . lib. . cap. . depeccator : merit . & remiss . lib. . cap. . contra i●…lian . lib . cap. . contraduas epist. p●…lag . lib. . c. . hicron . ●…p . . . fulgent . ad mon. lib. . psal. . pro●… . . . cor. . . . ioh. . . exam. censur . cap. . §. fol. . vid. aug. de nat . & grat . c. . socrat. ●…ccl . hist. lib. . c. . . cor. . . ezek. . . aug despir . & lit cap. ult . eccles. . . iob . . psal. . . . rom. . . . cor. . , , . . cor. . . k●…liisons survay . li. . cap. . b. 〈◊〉 opus●… . tom . op . bellarm. de iustisic . l. . c. . see this point learnedly stated by d. reynolds confer . with heart . cap. . divis. . pag. . . and by d. iohn white in his way to the church . digress . ●… . vid. calvinum hec ●…ore suo , nempe p●…sime & 〈◊〉 tractantem . 〈◊〉 . lib. c. . aug. 〈◊〉 . mer. & remissi . lib . 〈◊〉 . numb . . 〈◊〉 . . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . rom. . . iam. . . esay . . matth. . . esay . . lib. . cap. . prov. . . . king. . . mat. . , . gal. . . matth. . . . thes. . . iam. . . ioh. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . iust. martyr . apol. ●… . bernard . quid tibi facturus est tentator ? te vince& mundus est victus . quid tibi facturus est tentator extranius — adsit intus castitas , victa est foris iniquitas . — si non in te inventa fuerit avaritia , remansit frustra extenta muscipula , &c. aug. tom . . serm. . de diversis , cap. . non diabolus voluntatem delinquendi imponit , sed materiam voluntatis subministrat . tertull. exhort . castitat . cap. . vid aug. contr . . cp . pelag. lib. . c. . eos qui soris nobis oppugnant intus vincimus vincendo concupiscentias per quas nobis dominantur . aug. tom . lib. de ag●…ne christiano , cap. . * weems christian . s●…ag . de●… ▪ ●… . . ●… i●…sum delectabili cibo boletorum venenum . tacit. an. boletum 〈◊〉 avidissime ●…iborum ●…alium 〈◊〉 . su●…t . rom. . . gal. . . . pet. . . quid est hoc monstrum ? imperat animus corpori , & paretur , imperat animus sibi & resistitur , &c. aug. confess . lib. . c. . . mark. . gen. . , . gen. . gen. . . gen. . . gen. , - luk. . . gal. . . . sam. . , . & . . gen. . . in tota anima , & in toto corpore conditorem habeopacis deum , quis in me seminavit hoc bellum ? aug lib. . contr . iulian. cap. . odi quod sum , non sum quod amo , infelix ego , qui in me venenatu●… inimi●…ae arbor is gustum 〈◊〉 c●…ucis ligno digessi aug. ep . . conflictus licet non sit damnabilis , quia non perficit iniquitat●…m , miserabilis tamen , quia non habet pacem . aug. de nupt. & concupis . lib . cap. . rom. . . iam. . . ier . . cor. . iam. . . . pet. . . gen. . . . tim. . . i●…r . . . eph. . . . thes. . . h●…b . . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . solâ socordiâ innocens . tacit. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . eph. . . prov. . . hos. . . grande profundum est homo , ●…uius capillos tu domine numeratos habes , & tamen capilli eius magis numera●…iles sunt , qu●…m affectus & motus cordis . aug. confess . lib. . cap. . . cor. . , heb. . . rom. . . ezek. . . ezek. . . luk. . . ezra . . psal. . , . tertul. de praescrip . advers . haeretic . c. . rom. . . rom. . . iob. . . rom. . . heb. . . tit. . . . iam. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . phil. . . zech. . . esay . . heb. . . psal. . . lam. . , . hos. . . psal. . . . pet. . iude vers . . 〈◊〉 impi●… ut s●…at iusius , subsequitur ius●…m ne fiat impius . pravenit , ut lumen cons●…at , subsequitur ut quod contul●…t servet , pravenit elisum ut surgat , subsequitur elevatum ne cadat , &c. fulg. de praedest . lib. . a ioh. . . rom. . . iam. . . b . pet. . . eph. . . col . . eccles. ●… . . . king. . . rom. . . . tim. . , . hos. . . hos. . . esay . . hos. . . eccles. . . matth. . . mark. . , . psal. . . psal. . . ier . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . clem. alex. ier. . . hos. . hos. . . esay . . ier . . gen. . . ioh. , . luk. . . 〈◊〉 gen. ●… . ●… . act. ●… . . & . . & . , . gal. . . act. . , . act. . , ●… . act. . , . gen. . , ●… . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . matth. . . iob . . . ionah . . . king. . . . chron. . princeps religiosissimus . hieron . cle●…ens animus , misericors , communis , in omnes hono●…ificus . aurel. victor . benesicium se accep●…sse putavit , cum rogaretur ignos●…ere . ambros ▪ orat . ●…un . theodoret. paulinus . . i●…e v . . tim. ▪ . gal. . . exparte nostro●…um leguntur hom●…es adolescentes , parum docti , & parum cau●… ; ab ar●…anis autem missi senes , 〈◊〉 , & 〈◊〉 valen●…es , ade●…que 〈◊〉 facile s●…periores sulp. 〈◊〉 . lib. . eph. . cameron de ecclesia , pag. . odia haereditaria 〈◊〉 . — 〈◊〉 rebelles seditione rogi . stat. liv. ionah . . psal . , . iam. . . iob . . ier. . ▪ . exod. . , . ezra . . . levit. . , . lam. . , . mic. . exod. . . . . . . . . . king. . . esai . . mal. . . . sam. . ▪ . * anno imperij dioclesiani exacto amb●… imperatores cons●…ntientibus animis imperio se abdicarunt ; publicè pro●…itentes se moli negotiorum 〈◊〉 : sed apud ●…os quibus arcana s●…i pectoris crede●…ant , id ex 〈◊〉 sacere se ●…tebantur . quia enim ne●… christian●…s 〈◊〉 , ●…ec praeconium christiani nominis extinguere possent ; se nec imperio velle f●…ui . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . tom. . de dio●…lesiano & maximiniano herculeo . ier. . . ioh. . . . chron. . ier. ●… . , . psal. . . . cor. . . psal. . . act. . ●… . act. . . esai . . . ier. . , . esai . . . . pet. . . esai . . . deut. ●… . ●…er . . ier. . mic. . . rom. . , . ier. . . . ioh. . . . cor. . . arist. eth. lib. . act. . , . rom. . , . rom. . , . . . . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . basil. in pro. em . lib. de spiritu sancto . scripturas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sua diversitate communes . aug. ep. . evangelium pertrabunt ad sententiae suae praecipitium . iustin martyr epist. ad zenam . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . theophil ad autol. lib. . act. . . esay . . heb. . . . pet. . . luk. . . iam. . . bos lassus fortiùs figit pedem . plus romae negotyfuit cum semiru●…d carthagine , quàm cum integra . flor. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . arist. ethic. lib. . cap. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rhet. lib. . eccles. . . omnis peccator peccat in su●… aeterno . greg. gen. . . amama antibarb . biblic . l p. . hab. . , . esay . . prov. . , . . king. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . pet . . iude v. . esay . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . eph. . . rom. . , . eccles. . , . ier. . . esay ●… . . rom. . . esay . . ier. . , . & . . esay . , . hos. ▪ . hab. . . inter vivacitatem & libidinem . aug contr . iul. lib . cap. . anima non senescit . scal. de sub . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . arist. de anim. l. c. . numb . . . mic. . . ioh. . . iob . . iam. . , . tertul. de testimon . animae . c. . nec mirum , nec iniustum quòd radix proserat damnata damnatos . aug. cont . iul. lib. . cap. . ex olea semine non fit nisi oleaster . aug. de nupt . & concup . lib. . c. . iam. ● . . dan. . . ezek. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . remonstrant . in exam . censurae . cap. . ●…ol . . — non est lex aequior ulla — quàm necis artifices arte perire sud . poenalis vitiositas . aug depersect . iustit . c. . rom. . . gen. . . florus . a intensive maius est peccatum actuale quam originale . aquin. p. . q. . ●…rt . . c. a theologis nos●…ris minimum omnium peccatorum censetur . andrad . orthodox ▪ explic . lib. . omnium peccatorum levissimum si ipsam per se criminis rationem intuearis . idem in de●…ens ▪ ●…id . trident. lib. . part . . b lumbard . dist . lib. . dist . . scot. ibid. bonavent . ibid. q. . durand . qu. . aquin. part . . qu ▪ . art . . ad . bellar. lib. . c. . c 〈◊〉 non renatis in peccatum imputatur potius quàm revera & propriè peccatum est stapleton . de iustis . lib. . cap. . falsum est concupiscentiam quae in nobis manet esse peccatum originale . becan ▪ opuscul . de authore peccat . c. . bellarm. de amiss . grat . & statupeccati . lib. . cap. . . . greg. val. to . . disp . qu. . p. . §. . . soto de natura & gratia , lib. . cap. . durandus & privationem iustitiae & concupiscentiam peccatum hoc esse negat , & quod sit reatus seu dignitas contendit . lib. . distinct . . qu. . d quamvis in decalogo prohibeatur , peccatum tamen non est . staplet . de iustif. lib. . c. . omnem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esse peccatum nonest verum . bellar. de stat ▪ peccati . lib. . c. . e staplet . de iustif. l. . c. . greg. val. to . . disp . ▪ q. . p. . § . & qu. . p. . f aug. opere poster . con . iul. lib. . c. . g epist. . h de re●…iss . peccat . l. . cap. . . . de natura & gratia . c. . de peccat . orig. c. . i cont. iul. lib. . c. . k de remiss . peccat . lib. . cap. . l de peccat . merit . & remiss . lib. . cap. . m cont. iul. lib. . cap. . n de peccat . orig. cap. . de nupt. & conc. lib. . c. . o cont. iul. lib. . cap. . p vid. prosper . advers . collat . aug. cont . iul. lib. . cap. . gerard. voss. hist. pelag. l. . part . . latium de pelag ▪ lib. . part . . cap. . . . . a sociniani . vid. iacob . ad portum . cont . christoph . ostorod . cap. . anabaptist●… in a dialogue of predestinat . remenstrantes in nupera illa & sane pessima pro fidei su●… confessione apologia , delirijs anabaptisticis & socinianis refertissima . cap. . & . inter pontificios pighius peccatum originale inh●…rens & connatum negavit : imputativum tamen agnoscit & probat . b iob . gen. . . & . . ioh. . psal. . . rom. . , ephes. . rom. . . gal. . ●… . . cor. . . . . vid. gerard. voss. hist. pelag. l. part . . thes. & bellar ▪ de stat●… peccati . l. . c. . c qui negat omnes homines primorum hominum peccato nasci obnoxios , ipsa christianae fidei subvertere firmamenta conatur . aug. cont . iulian. lib. . c. . d uid . uoss . histor pelag. lib. . part . . thesi. . aug. cont . iul. l. c . e infantes baptizari●… remissionem peccatorum secundum regulam universalis ecclesiae con●…itemur . c●…lestius pelag. apud aug. de peccat ▪ original . lib. . c. . f artic. . g contr. iul. li. . a anabaptists in their dialogue of predestination . nec scriptura , nec veracitas , nec sapientia , nec bonitas divina , nec peccati natura , nec ratio iustitiae atque aequitatis permittunt , ut dicamus , deum posteros adami revera censuisse eiusdem cum adamo peccatireos . remonstr . apol. seu exam. cens. ca. sect . . fol. . b cum rem●…nstrantes adamum morti aeteraae [ sive ut supra dicunt aeternae poenae damni ] obnoxium factum fuisse dicunt cum poster is omnibus , non volunt mortem istam eodem prorsus modo inflictam fuisse utrisque tum adamo ●…tum posteris , sed volunt eam inflictam fuisse adamo ut transgressori-in posteros vero ejus propagatam propter conditionem natur●… ejusdem quam ex adamo peccatore trahunt . ibid. cap . fol. . c iidem in confessi . seu declaratione sententiae circa articulos fidei . cap. . §. . corvin . contr molin ▪ cap. . ad §. . & expressius cap. . ad §. , , . pigh . contr . d respons . ad epistolam walachr . pag. . in apolog. seu exam. censur . ca. . §. . fol. . poenae non peccati respectum habetista car●…tia , corv. cont . molin . cap. . pag. . e corv. ibid. pag. . , , . malum culpae non est quia nasci plane est involuntarium : et si malum culpae non est , nec potest ●…sse malum poenae , &c. apol. ca. . fol. . . david did not sinne in being conceiv'd and borne , ergo thereby he had no sinne . anabaptists in their dialogue . atque hoc erat pelagi●…rum argumentum . argui non debent quae vitari non possunt . aug de natura & gra●… . cap. . infans aliud nisi quod natus est esse non potest , adeoque nec reus est dum hoc est quod nascitur . aug. cont . iul ▪ lib. . cap. . our divines unanimously withstand the doctrine of the papists in this point , that concupiscence is naturall and not sinfull . whitak . de peccat . orig . lib. . field of the ch. lib. . cap. . bishop whites desp . . f lex prima cessabat primosoedere per inobedientiam primi hominis rupto , cessabat etiam obligatio ad obedientiam ed lege praescriptam . lex aut ad obedientiam obligat , aut ad poenam ; cum itaque homo jaceret sub maledictione ad obedientiam ampl●…s non obligabatur , quia ab eo coli amplius deus non vol●…bat . corv. contra molin . cap. . ad §. . pag. . remonstrantes negant actus illos qui sequuntur privationem divinam esse formaliter peccata , non negant quidem mate●…aliter peccata dici posse , qua●…nus actus sunt difformes voluntati divinae , at negant cosformaliter esse peccata quaescil . ad p●…nam valide obligent eos à quibus fiunt , &c. in apolog. seu exam censur . cap. . fol. . ●… ibid. fol. . b. si deus mortem temporalem comminatus fuisset adamo , eiusque posteris , necesse fuisset adamum eiusque posteros ex morte ista iterum resurgere , & postea in 〈◊〉 cruciatus praecipitari : de quo sane scriptura ne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quidem meminit . de ijs qui evangelium & apertam vitae aeternae promissionem respuunt ac reijciu●…t ita loquitur scriptura , de adamo eiusque poster is nec volam habet nec vestigium . deus non omnibus peccatis , id est , peccatoribus , adsignavit ●…ternam poenam sensus & damni . ibid. cap. . 〈◊〉 . . h uitium illud defectus est non peccatum . corv. contr . moli . ●… . ad §. . p. . i de gratia christ. c. . k exam. censur . c. . fol. p. & pelag. apud aug. de natura & gratia . cap. . l exam. censur . cap. . fol. . . m ibid cap. . fol. . & pelag. apud aug. cont . iul. lib. . cap. . n ibid. in exam. o exam. cap. . fol. . . p ioh. . rom. . , , . gal. . . col. . . rom. . . q poenalis vitiositas , de perfect . iustit . cap. . inobedientia , de civit. dei. lib. . cap. . libido , contra iulian li. . c. . morbidus affectus , de nupt. & concupis . lib. . cap . retract ▪ li. . ca. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . iust. martyr . ep. ad zenam . r articul . . s magist. sensent . lib. . distinct . aquin. ●… . qu. . art . . driedo de gratia & lib. arbit . lib. . tract . . part . . memb . . pag. , . greg. arim. lib. . dist . . qu. . bonavent . li. . distinct. . par . . quest . . andrad . defens . concil . trident. lib. . & quamplures alij . t psal . . rom. . . u math. . absit ut sit in aliquo vera virtus qui ipse iustus non est . aug. contr . iul. l. . c. . x deut. . . luk. . . lex etiam origines delictorum , id est , concupiscc●…tias & voluntates non minus qu●…mfacta conde●…nat . tertul de pud●…cit . c. ●… . y rom. . . a ex prima bomi●…s mala voluntate contractu●… , factum est quodammodo haereditarium . aug. retract . lib. cap. . b voluntas adae reputatur nostra aquin p. . q. . ar●… . . ad . & . q. . art . ●… . in corp . andrad . orthodox . explicat . lib. . eodem modo omnium voluntates in illo conclusae censentur quo & naturae . c vid. aquin. ●… qu. art . in c. & q. art . . c. & aristot. eth lib. . c. . d arist. ethic. lib. . cap. vlt. e de lib. arbit . lib. c. . retract . l. . c. de vera relig. c. . f non ex toto vult , non ergo ex toto imperat . et iterum , non u●…tque plena imperat . et ideo sunt duae voluntates , quia una earum t●…ta non est & hoc a●…est 〈◊〉 ▪ quod al●…eri dee●… confess . lib. . c . g si voluntas renatorum omni ex parte inimica esset concupiscenti●… , eam è suo regno omnem exterminaret . whicak . cont . staplet . de iustif. lib. . cap. . peccatum car●…s & vere peccatum . fulg. de grat . christ c. . vid. aug. de peccat . mer. & remiss . lib. . c. . de nupt . & concupis . lib. . cap. . contr . iul. lib. . c. . . . & lib. c. . lib. . c. . . lib. . c. . . vide staplet . de iustis l. . c . . ioh. . . rom. . gal. . . rom. . . ephes. . . rom. . . eccles. gen. . ●… . rom ▪ . prov . - . rom. - . matth. . . iam. . . iam. . . . ioh. . . iam. . . ioh. . . aug. tract . . in iohan. quando libido vincit , vincit & diabolus . id. contr . iul. lib. . cap. . . pet. . ▪ gal . rom. . . act. . . col. . , . aug d. peccat . merit & remiss . lib. . cap. . . . . . lib. . cap. . . . l. . c. . de nupt . & concupiscent . lib. . cap. . lib. . cap. . contr . iul. pelag. l. . cap. . . lib. . c. . & locis alijs infinitis . fulgent de incarnat . et gratia christi . cap. . prosper . contr . coll. cap. . voluntarium aliquid dicitur quid est d● voluntate . ab aliquo autem dicitur esse aliquid dupliciter . directe , quod scil . procedit ab aliquo in quantum est agens , indirecte , ex 〈◊〉 ipso quod non agit sicut subr●…e ▪ 〈◊〉 navis dicitur esse a gubernatore , in quantum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gubernando , &c. aquin. . ▪ qu. . ar . . peccatum originale est voluntarium 〈◊〉 voluntate primi parentis — quod sufficit ad peccatum original , quia non est personae , s●d naturae peccatum . al●aret . de auxil . grat. lib. . d. sp . . num . . * pontificij ex hac parte sunt novatoribus modestiores , qui adamum seipsum privasse docent & probant . andrad . orthodox . explicat . li. . & apud ipsum ferrariens . in tho. contr . gent. lib. . c. . a fit in homine iustus ordo naturae , ut anima subdatur deo , & animae caro. aug. de civ . dei lib. . c. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . clem. alex. strom . l. . & paedagog . lib. . c. . b sicut caecitas cordis — & peccatum est quo in deum non creditur , & poena peccati qua cor superbum dignâ animadversione punitur , & causa peccati , cum mali aliquid caeci ▪ cordis errore committitur , ita concupiscentia carnis , & peccatum est , quia inest illi inobedientia contra dominatum mentis , & poena peccati quia reddita est merit is inobedientis , & causa peccati , defectione consentientis , & contagione nascentis . aug. cont . ful . lib. . cap. . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 — 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . chrys. ad pop . antioc . hom. . iam. . . ** 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . chrysost. ad pop . antioc . hom. . * rom . . . chro. . . . sam. . . psal. . . esay . . iob . . psal. . . gen. . , . psal. . , , . exo . - . prov. . . num. . . deut. . . prov. . , ●… . lev. . - . iosh . . num. . . iosh. . . i●… renascentibus 〈◊〉 , in pro●…cientibus minu●…tur , in resurgenti●…us ●…ollitur . aug. con●…r . iulian. lib. . cap. . heb. . . heb. . . num. . , . quicquidinde minuitur ▪ hinc cres●…it . hieron . ●…p . . eph. . . iam. . . . tim. . . . pet. . . ●…ude v. . heb. . . deut. . . iudg. . - . esay . . ier. . . hos. . . mal. . . . . esay . . mic. . . ioh. . - . percrebuerat oriente tote vetus & constans opini●… , esse in fatis , ut eo tempore iudaed profecti rerum p●…tirentur . sueton. in uesp●…si . cap. . pluribus persuasi●… ine●…at , a●…iquis sacerdo●…um literis contineri , eo ipso tempo●…sore vt v●…l sceretoriens , 〈◊〉 . iud●… 〈◊〉 po●…irentur ; quae ●…mbages 〈◊〉 & titum 〈◊〉 ▪ ●…acit . histor ▪ liv . 〈◊〉 non dissimili crrore notaver●…t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . d. bello iud●…co . lib. . cap. . numb . . . mic. . . iona. . . . iudg . rom. . . . ioh. . , . ●…am . . ro●… . . . ephe. . , . heb. . . . thes. . , psal. . . tacit. gal. . . act. . . deut. . . prov. . . ioh. . , . gal. . . . king. . . . heb. . . rom. . . . cor. . , . deut. . - rom. ▪ . iam. . . . ioh. . . iam. ▪ , . prov. . , . hos. . , . num. . . num. . . . cor. . . gal. . . heb. . . deut. . . exod. . . act. . . gal. . . volui & seci : non pen●…riâ , sed fastidio iustitiae . nec eâre volebam frui quam furto appetebam , sed ipso furto , & peccato . non erant formâ necsapore illecebrosa . nequissimi adolescentes ▪ confrictione sociorum animorum accendebam prurisū cupiditatis 〈◊〉 . nocteintempestiva . ingentia onera . non ad nostras epulas , sed proiscienda porcis , solâ nos iniquitate epulari . risus erat quasi titillat●… corde quod fallebamus eos qui haec à nobis fieri non putabant . ex lud●… & 〈◊〉 nocend●… 〈◊〉 . esai . . . ier. . , . hos. . . esai . . rom. . . aug. demenda . ad consenti●… . quamvis viden●… 〈◊〉 cor●… & r●…tio vi●… 〈◊〉 servit , nullo 〈◊〉 — 〈◊〉 virtu●…es quas si●… videtur — nisi ad deum 〈◊〉 , etiam ipsae 〈◊〉 su●…t potius quam virtutes . lib. . cap. . non 〈◊〉 qui 〈◊〉 pauperi 〈◊〉 deosae●… , 〈◊〉 sunt vitia virt●… thu●… ; 〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 operib . to. . c. . . cor. . . phil. . t eadem opera hominum , sicut causas habuerint bonas vel malas , nunc sunt bona , nunc mala , que non sunt per se ipsa peccata , &c. aug. contr mendacium ad consent . li. . c. . mic. . , , . see dr. vsshers answer . cap. . pag - . mr boltons directions . pag. - . down●… . wa●…s . part . ●… . li. . ca. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . clem. alex. strom l. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . clem. alex. strom . lib. . vid. aug. de natura & grat ▪ cap. . & . de gratia christ. contr : pelag . & 〈◊〉 . l. . ●… . . & . cont . . epist. 〈◊〉 . lib. . cap. . aug. de morib . man●…ch . lib. . ca. . & ep . . revel . . . matth. . vid. aug. epi. . & cont . iulian. pelag. lib. . ca. . de nupt. & conc. lib. . ca. . retract . li. . c. . . king. . . . king. . ●… . ezek. ●… . , , . esai . . . mal. . , . iob . , . ezek. ●… . . matth. . . . illud constat inter omnes veraciter pios neminem sine vera pietate , id est , veri dei vero cultu , veram posse habere virtutem : nec eam veram esse quando gloriae servit humanae : eos tum qui cives non sunt civitatis aeternae — vtiliores esse terrenae civitati , quando habent virtutem vel ipsam , quàm si nec ipsam , &c. aug. de civ . dei. li. . cap. . ioh. . . act. . , . . king . . hos. . . ●…ona . , . ier. . . . . amos . , . . tim. . . phil. . , , . gal. . . . cor. . . mal. . . act. . . psal. . . act. . . . lam. . . . cor. . . heb. . . eph. . . gen. . . heb. . ●… . esal . . . luk. . . revel . ●… . . pet. . 〈◊〉 rom. ●… . . . cor. ●… . ●… . le●… . . . ●… . eph. . . revel . . . rom. . deut. . . . cor. . . . thes. . . esai . . . hos. . . esai . . . heb. . . . gen. . . rom. . . . tim. . . matth. . . lam. . , . mic. . . psal. . . ezra . . , . dan. , . . cor. . . amos . . esa. . . ephe. . . ioh. . . gal. . . rom. . . gen. ●… . ier. . . illodie mori cepernn●… quo mortis legem qua i●… seniu●… veterascerent ceperunt . aug. eph. . , . . deut. . . rom. . . . hos. . matth. . , . thess. . . peccatum quod i●…ultum videtur habet poenam p●…dissequam , ut nemo de ad●…isso nisi amaritudine doleat , aut caecitate non doleat . aug. iob. . . esay . . . revel . . . ezek. . amos . . math. . . . rom. . . act. . . act. . . rom. . . act. . , . gen. . . deut. . . . sam. . . . king . . esai . . . deus inclinat voluntates quecunque voluerit , ●…ve ad bona pro misericordia , sive ad mala pro meritis , iudicio utique suo , aliquando aperto , aliquando occulio , semper iusto . cont. iul. lib. . cap. . non per patientiam tantum , sed per potentiam . ioh. . . luk. . . math. . . ioh. . . . . king. . . . thes. . . . . cor. . . . cor. . . . pet. . . esai . . ioh. . . . cor. . . eph. . . rom. . col. . , . . ioh. . rom. . . * . a aliud est non habere peccatū , aliud nō obedire desiderijs ●…ius : aliud est , implerequod praec●…ptum est , non concupis●…es , aliud est per quendam abstinentiae ●…natum salte●… id agere quod item scriptum est , post concupiscentias tuas non eas , &c : aug ▪ de natura & gra . cap. . non sic manet peccatum ut eius non sit ●…acta remissio , sed manet in vet ●…state carnis tanquam superatum & peremptum , si non illicitis consensionibus , quodammmodo reviv●…scat . id. depec . mer. & remiss . l. . c. . b mortale corpus dicens totū hominem significat . ambrose in loc . gen. . , . gen. . ●… . a carthusian . cornel. à lapide . pighius . greg. de val . to. . disp . qu. . punct . . sect . . b tarnou . exerc. biblic . ios. . . ●… numb . . . . . hos. . . mal. . . heb. . . an●…os . . . ioh. . . gal. . . . ioh. . . rom. . . . , . gal. . . eph. . . heb. . . phil. . . . ioh . . heb. . . rom. . , . rom. . . . cor. . . tertul. de pudicit . cap. . non dicit ne tyrannidem exerceat , sed ne regnet . illud enim est illius proprium , hoc vero nostrae mentis . theodoret. rom. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . chrysost. 〈◊〉 . . . ●… . . king . . adam ve●…didit 〈◊〉 , ac per hoc omne sem●… subjectum est peccato . ambros. in rom. . rom. . . ven●…ndatus in 〈◊〉 transgressione aug ▪ con . . ep. pel. l. . c. . ios. . . ios. . . luk. ●… . . rom. . . col . . matth. . . esai . . . . cor . . . pet . , . ioh. . . ioh. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ti 〈◊〉 ●…at qui 〈◊〉 nigat . luc. revel . . . esai . . gal. . . eph. . . eph. . . . . rom. . . . ioh. . . . ioh. . . . ioh . . . ioh. . . mal. . , . mal. . . . cor. . . ephes. . . . pet. . . tit. . . . cor. . . . ioh. . . esai . . . rom. . ●… . ephes. . . heb. . . luk. . . ioh. . . numb . . . mal. . . non sumus certi testimonium illud non esse à diabolo . cornel. a lapide in rom. . . ioh. . . ephes. . . heb. . . luk. . . rom. . . ezek. . , col. . . rom. . . psal . eph. . ● . rom. . . ier. . . ioh. ● . ● . . cor. . . eph. . . . pet. . . ioh . . rom. . . . thess. . . rom . , . gal . . iona. . . . chro. . . . tim. . , , . heb. . . . pet. . . ephe. . . iam. . . deut. . . deut. . . luk. . . . cor. . , . . ioh. . . a rom. . . eph. . . col. . . b . cor. . . ioh. . . . pet. . . c rom. . . d . cor. . . e gal. . . f col. . . g tit. . . h math. . . i heb. . . k math. . . l act. . . m iam. . . n eph. . , . o rom. . , . rom. . . . pet. . . hos. ▪ . zeph. . . psal. . . hos. . . mic. ●… . . ezek. . . rom. . , . esai . . . dan. . . act. . . col. . . rom. . . . cor. . . . ioh. . . . pet. . . admodum piè & ●…re suo ●…octissimè controversi 〈◊〉 hanc exp●…divit sua●… memoriae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abbot epis●…us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diatrib . cap. . heb. . . . prov. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a●…ist . polit. li. . cap. . qui modi●…a spernit , paulatim decidit . aug consess l. . ca. . a apud persas persona regis sub specie ma●…estatis ●…culitur . iust. lib. ●… . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a●…st . de mundo . . sam. . arist. 〈◊〉 . lib. . cap. . . tim. . . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . chrys. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 ▪ 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . ●… . ro●… ▪ ●… . rom. ●… . . ●…am . psal . rom. . . . cor. . . ier. . . psal. . . hos. . . matth. . . mal . . eccles. . . mark. . ●… . . king. . . . king. ●…ing . . ma●…k . . . ioh. . . . pet. . . gen. . . . co●… . . . . math. . . habent nonnulla munera fi●… 〈◊〉 , sed non perveniuat ad regnum promis●…um . aug. de civ . dei. lib. . ●… p. . psal. . . a psal. . . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. clem. alex. strom lib . b in he●… major 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ▪ od●…rum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ●…tem pro dei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . arist. rhet. li. . ut perfectae fidei & obsequelae est obedientiam diligere & id quod quis agit affectu charitatis implere , & necessita●…em agendi amantis voluntate praecurrere : ita & magnae innocentiae est iniquitates non modo non agere , sed od●…sse , quia interdum non [ legendum nos ] ab his metus & terro●… aver . tit . hilar. in psal. . mem . b quis coram deo innocens invenitur qui vult ●…ieri quod vetatur , sisubtrahas q●…od timetur ? quantum in 〈◊〉 ●…allet non●…sse 〈◊〉 peccata prohibentem atque punieutem . qui. ge●…nas me●…it , non peccare 〈◊〉 sed ar dere ; ille autem peccare ●…tuit , qui peccat●…m ipsu●… sic ut g●…bennas odit . august . epist. . mallet si fieri posset nun esse quod ●…eat , ut liberè 〈◊〉 , quod occuliè deside●…at . id. de ●…at . & grat . c. non fit in corde quod fier●… videtur in op●…re , qu●…ndo mallet homo non fa●…ere , si posset impune . id. cont . . ep●… . pel●…g . l. . c. . & lib. . ●… . . & li. ●… ▪ cap. . c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . cle●…n . alex. d tanta est vis voluptatum ut ignorantiam pro●…elet in occasi●…em , &c. tert. d●… spe●…tac . ca. . malunt nes●…ire , quia 〈◊〉 oderunt . a●…ol . ca. . 〈◊〉 intelligere sensum domini , &c de fugain persecat . cap. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . iustin martyr . quaest & resp. qu. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . arist. ethic. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . cle. alex. strom . li. . e hos . . f hos. . , . . cor. . psal. . . . a. gellius . noct . attic. lib. . cap. . psal. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ioseph de b●…llo iudaico . lib. . ca. ▪ christi nomen indu●…re , & non ●…er ●…hristi via ▪ pergere , quid aliud est qudm praevaricatio divini nomints ? cyp. de zelo & livore . 〈◊〉 in quibus 〈◊〉 obsequuntur . salvian . lib. . rom. . . . co●… . . . chro. . . hag. . . . hos . amos . , . ier . vestra dicit quae secundum libid●…nem suam , non secundum religionem dei celebrando , sua iam non dei●…cerant . tert. cont . mar●… . lib. ●… . cap . vitium est infideliter misereri . ang. heb. . . lam . . . king . , . . cor. . . phil. . . . sam. . . . . . amos . . . psal. . . . eccles. . . hos. . . p●…l . king. 〈◊〉 , . scelera dissident . senec. . cor. . . cumfaciunt haec humines sine fide , non peccata coercentur , sed alys peccatis al●… peccata vincun ▪ tur . aug. de nupl . & cunc . lib. . cap. . act. . ▪ . act. . . luk. . . esai . . ●… . a caeteras cupid●…ates h●…ius u●…ius ing●…nti cup●…e presserunt . aug. de civ . l . c. . v●… . plu . b calores caloribus onerando deprimimus , & sanguinis fluxum defasâ ●…nsuper v●…uld 〈◊〉 . tertu ▪ & aug. de n●…t . & grat . c●…p . . c math. ●… . . ioh . . quirites . rom. . ●… ▪ ier. . . gal. . . . pet. . . hos. . . . sam. . . praeterita , in●…antia f●…tura part obl●…vione 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , p. 〈◊〉 pe●… 〈◊〉 ser 〈◊〉 — 〈◊〉 q●…dqua 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . his●… . l. ●… . arist. rhetoric . lib. . cap. . rom. . . ●… . cor. . . psal. . . ios. . . . deut. . . exod. . . . sam. . vid. arist. de meteor . l. . c. . gal. . . . ioh . , . discamus ex h●…c p●…rte sanctam superb●…am , ●…ctamus nos esse 〈◊〉 m●…liores . h●…erom ▪ ep. psal . . gr●…g . tho●…s . de rep●…b . lib. ●… . * g●…henna de coelo . salvian . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . chrys●…in rom. . ho●… . . phil ▪ . . rom ●… . ●… . iam. . . . cor. . . iam. . . pet. . ▪ mal. ▪ . phil. . . heb. . . prov. . . eph. . . mal. . , . esai . ▪ . revel . . . hos. . ezek. . . aquin ▪ . . qu. ●… . artic . . adeo non sol●… anima transigit v●…tam , ut nec cog●…atus , licet solos , licet no●… ad effectum per 〈◊〉 deductos , 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 . — ●…ine opere , & sine effect●… , cog●…atus , 〈◊〉 aclus . t●…t ●…e 〈◊〉 . carn●…s cap. . ier. . . gal . . ezek. . . sam. . . . king. . . ier . . psal. . . heb. . . zach. . . ier. . . rom . , . . pet. . , . ezek. . . esai . . . . ezek. . . aug. de peccat . merit . & remis . lib. . cap. . ezek. . , . esai . . . heb . . phil. . . phil. . . ideo jubet quae non po●…sumus , ut nove●…imus quid ab illo petere debeamus . ipsa enim est sides quae 〈◊〉 im petrat quod l x impera●… aug. de gra. & lib. 〈◊〉 . c. ●… . ezek. . . nos non faci●… ut 〈◊〉 ●…aciat quae pro●…sit ; sed ill●… 〈◊〉 ut nos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praecepit . aug. . thess. . . rom. . . . . . thess. . ●… . . the. . . . promittendo se fecit debitorem . aug. . tim. . . . cor. . . heb. . . . ioh. . . deut . , . . sam. . . . mic. . . deut. . . luk. ●… . , . io●… ▪ . . 〈◊〉 . . . psal. . . illa 〈◊〉 tim●… viru●… neveniat ; illa t●…men virum ne discedat . illa , timeone damne●… ; illa , timeone descrat aug in ●…p . iohan. heb. . . heb. . , . rom. . . heb. . . tit. . , , . . ioh. . . ioh. . 〈◊〉 . . pet. . . . pet. . . phil . . rom. . . . heb. . . act. . . prov . luk. ●… . . ier. . . hos. . . . king. . . esai . . . rom. . . act. . . gal. . . . heb. . . . psal. . . . ioh . pet . . ●… . cor. . , . cor. . gal . . caput & corpus unus est christus . aug. ephes. . . ioh . . . pet. . . prov. . . psal . . . . ioh. . . ioh . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . isis. 〈◊〉 . . ioh . ezra . . * quid nos pro domino 〈◊〉 bono facere convenit , cum ille pro mal●…s servis tanta fecerit . salvian . li. . ier. . . ezek. . . ezek . . hos . . psal . rom. . . rom. . . eph. . . col. . . . cor. . . mi●… . . . . esa●… . . . ezek. . . . chro. . . ●… . cor . . . . . cor. . , . . pet . . . . pet. ▪ . . ephes. . , . . ioh. . . tit. . . psa. . - . . sam. . . esai . . . psal. . ▪ . . king . . ●… chr. . . 〈◊〉 . ios ▪ . . . heb. . . luk . ●… . ioh. . . rom. . . iam. . , . . cor. 〈◊〉 ▪ heb. . . ioh. . . ioh . . ioh. . . col. . . heb . . heb. . . heb. . . heb. . . heb. . . esai . . . eph. . . psal. . . esai . ●… . . . th●… . . . ie●… . . ▪ . thess. . . ie●… . . . hos. . . hos. . . ezek. . . iob . . . psa. . . hab. . . . . heb. . . . tim. . . . rom. . . deut. . . . deut. . . . sam. . ▪ . cor. . , . esai . . , . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . ad pop . a●… . homil. deut . . . ho●… . . , . . ioh . . iam. . . . sam. . . . . chro. . . . dan. . , nehem. . . . psal. . . . psal . . . ezek. . . ier. . . . esai . . . . . pet. . ▪ . . pet. . . cor. . . phil. . . . cor. . . revel . . . . heb. . . rom. . . . ioh. ver . . col. . . . cor. . rom. . act. . . gal. . . . deut. . . psal. . . hos. . . rom. . . 〈◊〉 . ezek. . . mic . . * massilienses in epist. prospe●… ad aug. & in epist. petri diaco●…ad 〈◊〉 . cap. . aug. 〈◊〉 ●…eccat , merit . & re●…s . li●… . cap. . d●… nupt. & concupiscent . l●…b . cap. . contra iulian. pelag. lib. . c. . & lib. . c●…p . . de praed●…tinat . sancto●…um ad prosper . & hilar . lib. . cap. . de corrept . & grat. cap. . epist. . ad vi●…alem . euchi●…id . cap. ●… . & cap. . prosper de vocat . gent lib. . cap. , . lib. . cap. . . idem e●…ist , ad r●…ffin . & ad capitul . gallor . ●…p . . fulgent . de incarnat . & g●…t . christ●… , cap. . ●… ▪ . ●…thor hypo●… . l. . c. ●… . a . th●…s . . . heb. . . . psal. . . deut. . . heb. . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . rom. . . heb. . col. . * si lex jubens assit & spiritus iuvans desit , per ipsam prohibitionem deside . ●…io peccati crescente , atque vincente , etiam reatus praevaricationis accedit . aug. de civ . dei . lib . cap. . & . qu●…st . cap. . ioh . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . clem. alex. strom . li. . rom. . gal. . . . cor. . hos. . , . rom . . act. . . * aug. de grat . chri. lib. . cap. . contr. . epist ▪ pelag l c. de perfect instit. c. . . de nat. & grat. c. . . . ep. . , . * fides efficit quod lex imperat . aug. lib. . quest . c. . literâ ju●…etur , spiritu donatur . ●…d . epist. . non san●…ta per legem infir ita●… sed convicta . epist. ioh. . . hag . . mark. . . . chron. . . heb. . , . . cor . ioh. heb. . , . . ●…hes . . . exod. . . psal. . . luke . ▪ matth. . . hos. . . gen. . esay . ▪ . mul●…um terret scriptura factura securum . aug. epist. ier. . . ier. . neh. . . . . cron. . mic . . iam ▪ . . act. . . notes for div a -e col. . . a . cor. . . b eph. . c math. . . d ioh. . . e zach. . . f mal. . . g col. . . h ioh. . . i ioh. . . . cor. . . k gal. . . l rom . . m ●…sai . . . ioh. . . . cor. . . exod. . . . phil. . . gal. . . a rom. . . . cor. . , , . rom. . , . b ioh. . . c gen. . . d heb. . . e col. . . esai . . . f gal. . . . cor. . . g . p●… . . . h gal. . . i math. . . a rom. . . b esai . . act. . c ier . . heb . d mic. . . e esai . . f psal ▪ . . g dan. . . h esai . . . i . ioh . . k . cor. . . cor. . . l rom. . . m eph. . . n . cor . . o rom. . . p rom. . . q ier. . . r rom . . rom. . . . phil. . . eph. . , , . gal. . . psal. . . a math . . b luk. . , . c tit. , . . cor . . mal. . . hos. . . hos. . . gal. . . esai . . . thes. . . poena emendatoria non inters●…ctoria . aug. to. . de lib. arb. lib. . cap. . a rom. . . b rom. . . c . tim. . . d . cor. . . eph. . . . eph. . . . cor. . . . e rom. . mat. . f rom. . . . . g eph. . . heb. . . h zach . . rom. . i . cor. . . iudg. . . a . tim. . heb. . . b rom. . . ioh. . . rom. . . c prov. . . rom. . . psal. . . d . pet. . . rom. . . e eph. . . f ioh. . . g col. . . h eph. . . i rom. . . . k ephes. . . l eph. . . phil. . . m hos. . . psal. . . . ioh. . . n ioh. . . . ioh. . . o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . aris●… . de respirat . cap. . p ibid. arist. q iam. . . . ioh. . r ier. . . s ier. . . t heb. . . u eph. . . x rom . . y ●…al . . . eph. . . z matt. . . a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . arist. de histor. animal . lib. . cap. . b . pet . . gen. . . mal. . . esai . . . ier. . . . . ioh. ▪ . phil. . . . ioh. . . a dan. ●… . b esai . . . c math. . . d heb. . e heb. . f . pet . . pet . . g heb. . . h exod. . i luk. . k ioh. . . l aug. de mend●…c . ad consen . lib. . cap. . m aug. de nat . & grat . cap. . cavendae tempestates & flenda naufragia . ad hoc peccata illorum bominum scripta sunt ut apostolica illa sententia ubique tremenda sit , qui videtur stare , videat ne cadat . aug. de doctr. christ. li. . c. . david amicus dei , & salomon amabilis eius victi sunt , ut & ruinae nobis ad cautionē & poenitudinis ad salutem exempla praeberent . hier. to. . epist . n matt . . o ioh . . p phil. . . q . pet. . . r heb. . , . s col. . . una passi●… domini & servorum . de du●…l . martyr . apud cyprian . t . cor . . luk. . . luk. . . mark. . . rom . . gal. . . rom. . eph. . . col. . . tit. . . a math. . . iam. . . . ioh. . . ut non sit terribile sed suave mandatum . aug. contr. pelag. & celest. lib. . c. . ut innotescat quod latebat , & suave fiat quod non delectabat ▪ gratiae dei est quae hominum adjuvat voluntates . aug. de peccat . merit . & remiss . lib. . cap. . b math. . . c hos. . . d ad imaginem christi futuri . non tantum dei opuserat sed pignus . tertul. de resur . christi . cap. . e rom. . . . cor. ●… . . f . cor. . g rom. . . h . cor. . . i . cor. ▪ . k . pet. . . l . tim. ▪ . m act. . . n . tim. . . o rom. . . p heb. . . q . tim. . . r ioh. . . s eph. . . t col. . . ioh. . ●… . primum & optimum in unoquoque genere est regula caeterorum . heb. . . heb. . . exod. . . . ioh. . . a . tim. . , . b act. . , . c . cor. . , . . cor. . . d 〈◊〉 . . . e gal. . . f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . clem. alex. . cor. . . . cor . . eph. . . ioh. . . mic. . , . col . . col. . . ioh . . heb. . . esai . . . . cor . . ioh . . phil. . . . vers . . . cor. . . . cor. . . col. . . phil. . . . . tim. . . eph. . . math. . . hos. . . . cor. ●… . . phil . ▪ ioh. . heb. . . heb. . . . luk. . ●… . heb. . . uid . cameron . de eccles pag. . gal. . . a . ioh. . b math. . . c revel . . d gal . . e . ioh. . , . f ioh. . . . g act. . . rom. . . psal. . . magna dei ira est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non irasca●…ur de●…s . hieron epist . a●… cas●…at . ira est dei non intellig●…re delicta , ne sequatur poeni●…ntia . cyprian . epist. . percussi sunt animi ●…citate ut nec intelligant delicta nec plangant . indignantis dei maior est haec ira . idem de lapsis . h heb. . . i hos . . ier. . . k hos. . . nox ex arbitrio deo serviendū , sed ex imperio . vid. tertul. de ieiun . cap. . vid. chrysost. in ro●… . homil. . aug. de civi . dei lib. . c. . & lib. . cap. . l hooker lib. . sect . . m exod . . cathedram in coelis habet , qui corda docet . luk. . , , . rom. . . rom. . . math. . . iam. . . . . ioh. . , . iam. . a eph. . . b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . . c 〈◊〉 d ●… . th●… . . . e ●… . ●… . f luk. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . . p●…t . ●… . g math. . . 〈◊〉 . . . reve. . . h heb. . . i rom. . . nunc aliquid propigno●… accip●…us ut ipsam plen●…tudinem desiderare no●…erimus . aug. epist k num. . . l eph. . . ioh. . , , . m math. . . n math. . . o phil. . p rom. . . q . ioh. . . r phil. . , . s math. . . t heb. . , . u heb. . , x . cor. . . y . cor. . , . rom. . . z . tim. . . a revel . . . b revel . . . c . ioh. . . ioh. . , . . tim. . , . ioh. . . col. . . psal. . . a . tim. . . b . pet. . . c prov. . . d . cor. . . c . pet. . . f cor. . . psal. . . . ioh. . . eph . . eph. . . psal. . . eph. . a prov. . . b esai . . , . zach. . . psal. . . revel . . . luk. . . psal. . , esai . . . act. . . a ioh. . . b ioh. . . c ezek. . . . . d tit. . . e eph. . . . . . . col . . heb. . . f math. . . g esai . . ioh . . h act. . . i . cor . . k esai . a . pet. . . b heb. . ●… . c ioh. . . d . ioh. . . . e gen. . . f rom. . . g iudg. . . . h psal. . . i . cor. . . k . ioh. . . l rom. . . m rom. . . n heb. . . o rom. . . gal. . . p . cor. . . q rom. . . r ioh . . s mal. . . t tit. . . u gal . heb . . ioh. . . a ma●…k . . b hos. . . c . cor . . d rom ▪ . . plane dicimus decessisse legem quoa●… oner a non quoad justiti●…m . t●…rtul . de pudicit . cap ▪ . e ad castigationem non ad damnationem . ibid. cap. . f evacuatur pec●…atum , non ut non sit , s●…d ut non ●…bsit a●…g . de peccat . mer. & r●…miss . lib. . cap. . * non filios di abol●… faciunt quaecumque peccata — filios autem diaboli infid●…lit as facit , quod peccatum proprium vocatur . aug. contr . dua●… epist. pe lag . lib. . cap. . a heb. . . b eph. . . c gal , . . d math. . . . pet. . , . f . ioh. . . g eph. . . h . ioh . . i act . . k rom. . . l . pet. . . * prima gratia quae data est primo adam est illa quâ fit ut homo habeat iustitiam sivelit ; se●…unda , quae potentior est in secundo adam , 〈◊〉 potest , quâ etiam fit ut velit , & tantum velit , tantoque ardore diligat , ut carnis v●…luntatem , contraria concupiscentem , voluntate spiritus vincat , &c. vid. aug. de corrept ▪ & grat. cap. . . * heb. . . rom. . . a vid. aug. de corrept . & grat . cap. . . contra iulian. lib. cap. . de praedest . sanct. cap. . . & epist. . b subventum est infirmitati voluntatis humanae , ut diviná gratiá inde●… & in superabiliter ageretur , &c. — 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 permisit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel let , ins●… mos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . aug. de corrept . & grat. cap. . c non lege atque dectrinâ-insonante forins●…cus , sed interna atque occulta , mirabili ac ineffabili potestate operatur deus in cordi●…us hominum , non sol●…m veras revelationes sed etiam bonas voluntates . aug. de grat. christ. lib. . cap. ▪ occul●…ssima & efficacissima potestate . contr. . epist. pelag. l. . c. . d hab●…t dens humanorum cordium quò placet inclinandorum omnipotentissimam potestatem . de cor. & gr. ●… . cap. . e non ut nolentes credant , sed ut volentes ex nolentibus fiant . contr. . cpist . pelag ▪ l. . cap. . agit omnipotens in cordibus hominum etiam motu●… voluntatis , &c. de grat. & lib. arb . cap. . certum est nos velle cum vo●… , sed ille facit ut velimus : ibid. cap. . f vid. prosper . contr. collator . cap. . alvar●…z . de auxil . lib. . d●…sp . rob. abbot ▪ de grat. in praefat . g rom. . , . h verba praeteri●… 〈◊〉 posuit 〈◊〉 etiam 〈◊〉 , tanq●…am jam 〈◊〉 deus , quae jam ut ●…ierent ex aet●…rnitate d●…sposuit &c. august . de corrept . & grat . cap . i eph. . . . ioh. . . aug. de civ . de●… . lib. cap. retract l. ●… . c. . contr . lultan lib. . cap. . & lib. . cap. . de praedest . sanct. cap. . . k rom. . . l rom , . , . m col. . . n vid. aug. de civ . de . lib. . c. enchirid. ca. . tertul. co●…tr . ●…udaeos . cap. . o exod. . . p sive cum impium p●…e justificat iustus — sive cum iustum justè glorificat pius — eadem est operatio gratiae , quae meritum hominis bonum & initiat ad justitiam , & consummat ad gloriam : primò inchoans in homine voluntatem bonam ; deinde eandem voluntatem adjuvans inchoatam ; ut eadem voluntas & divino dono bona sit ; & divino adjutorio malam superare concupiscent●…am possit : ac sic inpraesentivitâ , gratiae adjutorio , infirmitati non cedat ; i●…●…uturá autem , gratiae beneficio , infirmitatem non habeat , &c. fulgent . ad monimum . lib. . q ier. ●… . . q ier. . . esai . . , . * deus ficit ut nos fa●…iamus quae praecepit : nos non facimus ut ille faciat quae promisit . aug. a . p●…t . . b col. . . c . cor. . . d ioh. . . quisquis non venit profecto nec didicit . aug. de grat. christi lib. . cap. . e mal. . . f eph. . , . eph. . . g . cor. . ●… . h . cor. . . heb. . . ioh. . . luk. . , . * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . chrisost. homil. . in rom. a eph. . . b . cor. . . cor. . . . cor. . . c eph. . . d . cor. . . e eph. . . f eph. . . rom. . , , . gal. . . . ioh. . . aug. confes. lib. . cap. . rom. , , , . a . cor. , . rom . , . b rom. . . ●…ph . . , . phil. . , . 〈◊〉 . , . col. . . , , , c p●…r hunc mediatorem d̄eus ostendit eos , quos ejus sanguine redemit , facere se ex mal●…s 〈◊〉 ceps in 〈◊〉 bonos — est quippe in nobis per hanc dei gratiam in bono recipiendo , & pereveranter ten●…ndo , non solum posse quod volumus , sed etiam velle quod possumus , quod nonfuit in primo homine . quid erit autem liberius libero arbitrio quando non poterit servire peccato , &c. aug. de corrept . & grāt . cap . . d col. . . heb. . , , . e act. . . f col. . . revel . . g rom. . . gal. . . h heb. . . i iam. . . k exod . ier. . , . ier. . . l act. . . m ioh. . . n ioh. . . o . tim. . . dr. white against fish. p. s col. . ▪ ●… . p ioh. . . q heb. . . math. . . r col. . . luk. . . . cor. . . t heb. . . a dr. reynolds confer ▪ with hart. cap. . divis . d●… . abbot in thomson . diatrib cap. . falla est ( inquit maldonatus iesu●…ta ) opinio eorum qui putant petrum fidem negando perdidisse ▪ in loc . b quod dicit petro , — toti eccles . dictum putandum est . ●…esuitaibid . c rogavit ut haberet in side li●… , fortissimā , 〈◊〉 perseverantissimā voluntarē aug. de 〈◊〉 ▪ & grat cap. . d ●…rij reatus . salvian . 〈◊〉 nae 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . e ioh. . . f hos. . , . g psal. . . h hos. . . i fecisti nos ad te , & inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in ●…e . aug. confess . lib. . cap. . cum beati esse omnes homines volunt , si verè volunt , profectò esse immortales volunt , aliter enim beati esse non possunt . aug. de trin. l. . cap . cujus jam non difficulter occurrit vtroque conjuncto effici beatitudinem , quam recto proposito intellectualis natura desiderat : hoc est , ut b●…no incommutabili , quod deus est , sine ulla molestia perfr●…atur , & in cose in aeternum esse mansurum , nec ulla dubitatione cunct●…tur , ne●…utto errore fallatur . aug. de civ . dei lib. . cap. . esai . . , . a iudg. . , . . . b iudg. . . c psal. . . d phil. . . e rom . . f sr. edwin sands relation . g psal. . . h rom. , . i ioh. . , . math. . . k ioh. . . l ioh. . . m ioh. . . n rom. . . ioh. . . a nostra & ipsius conjuncti●… , nec miscet personas , nec unit substantias ; sed affectus 〈◊〉 , & confederat voluntates , cypr. de coena domini . vid. aq●…in . p●…rt . . q. . art . ●… 〈◊〉 . disi . . qu. . de gra●…ia capitis . heb. . . esai . . . esai . . , . ioh. . , . exck. . . ian●… . ●… . . a lumbar . dist . c. distinct . . ubi non est ut●…iusque consessus , non potest esse matrimonium . instit. iur. can. lib. . tit. . nup●…ias igitur aquin. supplem . . partis qu. . art . . fran. a victor . relect. . part . . * verba praesentem consensum exprimentia sant necessaria . iustit . iur. can. lib. . t it . §. licet autem per solum lumbard . lib. . distinct . . francisc. a victoria . relect. . part . ●… . punct . . a act. . . act . . b quorum unum corpus est , unas debet esse & animus . vrban . ●…n decret . part . . caus . . lumbard . dist. . c psa. . , . d . king. . . . c qui errat nen sentit , ergo nec consentit . decret . part . . cau. qu. . error circa ca 〈◊〉 sunt de ess●…ntiá contractus vit●…at cont●…ctum . fran●… victoria ▪ relect part . . panct . . decret . part . caus. q. . . g quod perpetuitati repugnat , matrimonium tollit . aquin . supplem . part . qu. . art . in matrimonio est quasi quaedam servitus perpetua . ibid. art . h dr. reynolds confer . with hart c. . divis . i occulta communicatione & inspi ▪ atione gratiae spiritalis quisquis haeret domino unus spiritus est . aug. de peccat . mer. & remiss . lib. . cap. . . ioh . . . . k rom. . . non est mulieris semen ratione quadam plebeiá & vulgari , sed conceptus è spiritu sancto . itaque non est si●… n●…tus ut esset omnium hominum caput , se●… eorum tautu●… quos ex uni●…erso hu●…ano genere corrupto deus voluit regenera re per spiritum sanctum , &c. cameron ●…e 〈◊〉 . pag. . l non est s●…lvatus cruce ●…hristi qui non est crucifixus in christo. non est crucificus in christo , qui non est membrum corporis christi . prosper . resp. ad c●…pitul . g●…illorum . cap. . christo propriè ecclesia unitur quatenus crucifixus est , & excitatus à mortu●…s , ne●…pe ut in christi morte ecclesi●… sit veluti satisfaciens deo , & expians pe●…tata non in s●… , sed in capite . in resurrectione autem ecclesia sit veluti defuncta satisfactione , &c. 〈◊〉 de ecclesia pa●… . . adeo arcto v●…nculo christus & ecclesia conjunct●… s●…nt ut christus sit veluti peccator in ecclesia , ecclesia veluti defuncta paeuâ peccatian christo. ibid. pag. . a solus pro nobis suscepit si●…e malis meritis paenam , ut nos per illum sine bonis meritis consequeremur gratiam . aug. contr . . epistolas pelag . lib. . c. . hugo de sacram l. part . . c. . b illa in corpore christi vulnera non erant christi vulnera sed latronis . ambr. serm . de latrone . c . cor. . . d ioh. . . e revel . . . f ●… . per. . . g rom. . . h col . . i rom. . . k ioh. . . l psal. , . m esai . . . o cor. . . p aug. de civ . des. lib. . c. . 〈◊〉 ●… de unitate eccles●…e cap. . totus christus caput & corpus est , homines sancti & fideles fiunt cum homine christo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . depeccat mer & 〈◊〉 . lib. . 〈◊〉 . ●… . ita & christus . non dixit , 〈◊〉 & christi , sed ita & christus , ostendens christum rectè appellari etiam universum , hoc est caput cum corpore suo quod est ecclesia . id. to . lib. . qu. . q . ioh. . . r cant. . . s psal. . . t rom. . . u phil. . . x revel . . . y ioh. ▪ . z rev. . . a ●… . cor. . . b . ioh. . . c nes delicata est dei spiritus . te●…t . eph. . . eph. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . clem. alex. strom . lib. . habet ●…ides oculos su●…s quibus quodammodo videt verum esse quod nondum videt . aug. ep. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . clem. alex. strom . lib. . anticipatio & praecomprehensio ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ibid lib. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . clem. alex. strom lib. . rom. . . . eph. . . * gal. . . * gal. . . * . cor. . . tantum habet quantum vult , qui nihil vult nisi quod habet . sen. ioh. . . . votat constantiam & penitissimam rei adhaesionem . camer . esai . , . ioh. . . heb. . act. . . heb. . . act. . . heb. . . heb. . . . heb. . . ioh. . . heb. . . . . ioh . . eph. . . . pet. . . act. . . mic. . ●… . a iam . . . b heb. . . c . cor. . . d heb. . . . e heb. . . . f esay . . ionah . . g heb. . . h rom. . . . i . thes. . . . cor. . . iam. . . . tim. . . matth. . a rom. . . . b iam. . . . c rom. . . . cor. . d esai . . . . e . pet. . . f . pet. . . g . pet. . . h deut. . . heb. . . i heb. . , . k . pet. . . l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 theodor . de cur. gr●…c . affect . ●…erm . . m ●…rede & manducasti . aug. n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ▪ 〈◊〉 . alex. strom. l. . o lam. . , . p psal. . . rom. . . . pet. . . heb. . , . . pet. . . rom. . . . cor. . . heb. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . iust. mar●… . qu. orthodox . . a eph. . rom. . . . . ioh. . . cant. . . . b . ioh. ●… . . . . d rom. . . math. . l●…k . . . c eph . . c deut. . . deut . . . cor. . . rom. - . iam. . . gal. . . . chron. . . king. . . . iohn . . . . iohn . . . a ephes. . . b rom. . . c . iohn . . . hos. . . d rom. . . . e . tim. . . f rom. . . . . . . g eph. . . . h . ioh. . . i heb. . . k rom. . . . l mal. . . m rom. . . n . tim. . . o math. . . p rev. . . q rom. . . act. ●… . . ●…sal . . r esai . . . s esai . . . t mark. . . . cor. ●… . . u ier. . . x ier. . . y ier. . . ●… . . z ier. . . . . ex●…k . . . . . . . a heb. . . . . b ioh. . . c ephe. . . d ioh. . . ioh. . . e ioh. . . f col. . . . cor. . . g gratias ago tibi clementissime domine quia quod quaer is â me prius ipse donasti . cyprian . h esai . . . . i eph. . . qui credunt pradicatore forinsecus insonante , intus à patre audiunt atque discunt : qui autem non credunt foris audiunt , intus ●…on audiunt . aug. de praedest . sanct. cap. . k ioh. . l . ioh. . . e ioh. . . f . ioh. . . aquin. . ●… . 〈◊〉 . art . . greg. val . tom. . disp. . 〈◊〉 . punct . 〈◊〉 . . 〈◊〉 ▪ q. art . . aug de doctrin . chr●…st . lib. . 〈◊〉 proaem . ioh. . . eph. . . . ioh. . . ioh. . . . per. . . . cor. . . . ioh. . . . ioh. . . rom. . , . ioh. . , . iob . . eph. . . . , . gal. . . esay . . hag. . . rom. . . eph. . . act. . . a rom. . . . cor. . . b . cor. . . ioh. . . c rom. . . heb. . . . cron. . . d rom. . . e . ioh. . . . tim. . . f rom. . . . pet. . . g eph. . . phil. . . h rom. . . rom. . . . pet. . ephe. ▪ . c●… . . . tim. . . ioh. . . ioh. . , . revel . . . a act. . . b . cor. . . c rom. . . d eph . . rom . ●… . e rom. . f rom. . . g act. . . h . pet. . . rom. ●… . . rom. . . i ioh. . , . . cor. ●… . ●… , revel . . . k heb. . . heb. . , . . thes. . , l mat. . . . m act. . . luk. . ●… . luk. . . a psal. . . b . thes. . , . matth. . . c ioh. . . mal. . . tit. . . psal. . d heb. . . revel . . . e habak . . . f matth. . . . tim. . . g . tim. . . revel . . . h heb. . , . i heb. . . k rom. . . iam. . . deut. . . . esai . . . l ezek. . . lam. . . m psal. hos. . . . mic. . . zach. . . n iob. . . . o ioh. . . . p psal. . . q esai . . . r rom. . , . heb. . , . s col. . . t ioh. . . u eph. . . x ioh. . . y cor. . . z ibib. ver . . * phil. . . mercatura est quaedam amittere vt maiora lu creris . tertul. a rom. . . col. . . b heb. . . col. . . gal. . . ioh. . . luk. . . . ioh. . ●… . eph. . , . heb. . . . . pet. . . . cor. . . rom. . . ioh. . . sam. . . . . ioh. . . . numb . . . rom. . . heb. . ●… . heb. . . luk. . . . pe●… . . . math. . , heb. , . . . pet. . . . esai . . . col. . . heb. . . heb. . . iam. . . . pet. . . . pet. . . . pet. . , . act ▪ . . . pet. . , . math. . . ioh. . , . gen. . . . tim. . . . tim. . . pet. . esai . . . zach. . . math. . . a iam . . . b . ioh. ●… . . heb . . . c ueios habitante camillo , illic roma fuit . d ●…hil . . e 〈◊〉 . . . f luc. . a liveles life: or, mans spirituall death in sinne wherein is both learnedly and profitably handled these foure doctrines the spirituall death in sinne. the doctrine of humiliation. mercy to be found in christ. continuance in sinne, dangerous. being the substance of severall sermons upon ephes. . , , . and you hath he quickned, who were dead in trespasses and sins, &c. whereunto is annexed a profitable sermon at lincolnes inne, on gen. xxii. xiv. delivered by that late faithful preacher, and worthy instrument of gods glory, iohn preston, dr. in divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his maiesty, master of emanuel colledge in cambridge, and sometimes preacher of lincolnes-inne. preston, john, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc estc s this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a liveles life: or, mans spirituall death in sinne wherein is both learnedly and profitably handled these foure doctrines the spirituall death in sinne. the doctrine of humiliation. mercy to be found in christ. continuance in sinne, dangerous. being the substance of severall sermons upon ephes. . , , . and you hath he quickned, who were dead in trespasses and sins, &c. whereunto is annexed a profitable sermon at lincolnes inne, on gen. xxii. xiv. delivered by that late faithful preacher, and worthy instrument of gods glory, iohn preston, dr. in divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his maiesty, master of emanuel colledge in cambridge, and sometimes preacher of lincolnes-inne. preston, john, - . [ ], [i.e. ], [ ], , [ ] p. printed by i. beale, for andrew crooke, at the blacke beare in paul's church-yard, london : . the words "the spirituall death .. dangerous." are bracketed together on the title page. the first leaf and the last leaf are blank. p. misnumbered . "a profitable sermon preached at lincolnes-inne, on gen. xxii. xiv." 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ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- sermons -- early works to . sermons, english -- th century. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread - emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a liveles life : or , mans spirituall death in sinne. wherein is both learnedly and profitably handled these foure doctrines the spirituall death in sinne. the doctrine of humiliation . mercy to be found in christ. continuance in sinne , dangerous . being the substance of severall sermons upon ephes. . , , . and you hath he quickned , who were dead in trespasses and sins , &c. whereunto is annexed a profitable sermon at lincolnes inne , on gen. xxii . xiv . delivered by that late faithful preacher , and worthy instrument of gods glory , iohn preston , dr. in divinity , chaplaine in ordinary to his maiesty , master of emanuel colledge in cambridge , and sometimes preacher of lincolns-inne . rom . . . for i was alive without the law once , but when the commandement came , sinne revived , and i dyed . london : printed by i. beale , for andrew crooke , at the blacke beare in pauls church-yard , . an excellent treatise of the spiritvall death in sinne . ephes. . , , . and you hath he quickned , who were dead in trespasses and sinnes . wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world , according to the prince of the power of the ayre , the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience . among whom also wee all had our conuersation in times past , in the lusts of our flesh , fulfilling the desires of the flesh , and of the minde , and were by nature the children of wrath , euen as others . the scope of the apostle in the former part of this chapter , is , to stirre vp the ephesians to a high estimation of their redemption by christ ; and that hee might the better doe this , hee sheweth ●hem their estate without christ ; that they were children of wrath , and dead in sinnes and trespasses : and that they were dead in sinne , hee proueth , because they walked in sinne : that they walked in sinne , he proveth , because they had amongst them some false guides , which here hee reckons up , and declares them to be these three : first , the world ; ( they walked according to the course of the world . ) secondly , the devill ; ( according to the prince of the power of the aire . ) thirdly , the lusts of the flesh ; ( among whom also we all had our conuersation , in times past , in the lusts of our flesh , &c. ) the first point that we will observe as naturally arising out of the words , is this , that all men by nature are dead in trespasses and sinnes . this point is to be considered of all men , both those which are alive , and quickened out of this lethargie ; and those which are yet dead in their trespasses and sinnes . that wee are thus dead in sinne , it plainly appeares by this reason ; all mankinde were represented in our first parent adam , of whose fall this death of sinne , and of nature , was made a part of the punishment ; now he being the root of us all , and that being dead , all the branches must needs be dead also . it is also plaine by places of scripture : as , ioh . . the dead shall heare the voice of the sonne of god , and they that heare shall live : so againe , ephes. . . awake thou that sleepest , and stand vp from the dead , and christ shall give thee light . also in the gospell , our saviour christ saith , let the dead goe burie the dead : that is , let such as are dead in trespasses and sinnes , goe burie those that are dead through sinne . by all which places it plainly appears , that all men by nature are dead in sinne . this men consider not : you would thinke it a gashly sight to see churches , streets , and houses for to lye full of dead corpes : but for to see places full of men spiritually dead , which is farre the worse , is a more gashly sight ; and yet who amongst us is there , almost , that doth consider it ? in this death in trespasses and sinnes , for our fuller understanding of it , i will shew you these five things : . what this death is . . the kinds of this death . . the signes of this death . . the degrees of this death . . the use to be made of it . first , what this death is . to know this , we must understand that as a corporall death , so a spirituall death hath two things in it : first , as in the naturall death there is a privation of life when the soule is seperated from the bodie ; so in the spirituall death there is a privation of the life of the soule ; namely , the extinction of originall righteousnesse ; by reason of which , a man can neither set hand nor foot forward in the waies of goodnesse ; as paul confesseth of himselfe : for as the seperation of the soule makes the body to dye ; so the extinction of originall righteousnesse makes the soule to dye . secondly , as in the death of the bodie there is a stinking carkasse left , when the soule is departed thence ; so in the death of the soule there is a positive corrupted qualitie left , called the flesh , whereby a man is prone to doe all evill : and therefore they are called dead workes : therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of christ , let us goe on unto perfection ; not laying againe the foundation of repentance from dead workes , &c. heb. . . and so againe in the . chapter of the same epistle , , and . verse ; where it is said , how much more shall the blood of christ , who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to god , purge your conscience from dead workes , to serve the living god. now it seemes a contradiction that they should be workes , and yet dead ; but yet it is so , because besides the privation of good , there is a positive evill , and stirring qualitie , which is active , and bringeth forth these evill and dead workes . now for the chiefe seat of this death : it is chiefly seated in the minde and understanding , and not in the will. the understanding is primum vivens , & moriens primum ; the first living , and first dead : for although the will bee corrupted , yet whatsoever is in it , is carried through the understanding . and this death of the understanding is such a darkenesse of judgement , as thereby a man esteemes not , but dislikes the wayes of god and goodnesse , and approves the wayes of sinne and wickednesse . and in this facultie of man , the understanding , is this death of sinne chiefly seated ; therefore it it is said , ioh. . , . in him was light , and that light was the life of men . so also , ephes. . . the place before mentioned , awake thou that sleepest , and stand vp from the dead , and christ shall give thee light : where hee sayes , not life , but light ; for if there be light , life will certainly follow : so againe , acts . . to open their eyes , that they may turne from darknesse to light . one would thinke , that in these places it should bee life , and not light ; but it is so put to shew that the chiefest seat of this death is in the understanding . therefore also is it said , be renewed in the spirit of your mindes , rom. . . and to the same purpose also saith iames , iam. . . the word of truth begat you : now truth hath a reference to the understanding . and thus briefly have i given you a taste what this death is , and the place wherein it is seated . . now it followes that we speake of the kinds of this death ; which for the better handling , and benefit of your memories , i will range into these three sorts : the death of guilt , by which we are bound o-over to eternal damnation : and so in the same manner usually wee say , a man condemned is a dead man. the death which is opposed to the life of grace which is the seperation of grace from our soule . . the death which is opposed to the lif of joy and comfort , which is a thousand times more terrible than all deaths , if it were truly , and as it is indeed apprehended . which latter death , that you may the better conceive of , i will open it a little to you . god joynes with every mans soule , and gives to the most wicked man some seeming life of grace , and some colourable life of comfort ; for else they would indure an hell here upon earth . for the first ; although the wicked have no true grace , yet they have a shadow of it , as is manifest in their morall vertues . so for the second , for comfort , they have some , although no true comfort : for god is the author of comfort , as the sunne is of light ; which all , both good and bad , doe more or lesse participate of , or else they could not subsist : as may appeare by the contrary ; for , when he doth but once with-draw his comfort from us , it is the terriblest thing in the world : an example of this we may see in christ ; when this comfort was with-drawne from him but in sense and feeling onely , it made him cry out , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? matth. . . where gods presence is taken away , there is nothing but horror and trembling : and i have knowne such , that in his absence , when his presence hath beene taken away , have had their soules so pressed with horror , that they have said , that if at a thousan● yeeres end they might enjoy the comfortable presence of god , they would thinke themselves th● happiest men in the world . the absence of this , made luther to say , that if all the creatures in heaven and hell should set to torment him , they could not doe it so much as the with-drawing of gods comfort did . alas , poore creatures , now in this world god is not seperated from you , you feele not the torment of this death , but now you enjoy the crepusculum , and day-light of this comfort ; and therefore although it bee now slightly esteemed , and little regarded , yet when that day shall come that the lord shall totally seperate them from his presence , they shall by lamentable experience learne how terrible a thing it is . thus much for the second point , the kinds of this death . . for the signes of this death . the signes of it may be taken from them of the bodily death ; the signes of that are these foure : . the understanding faileth . . there is want of sense . . want of motion . . there is a deadnesse in the face . these foure things you shall finde in a spirituall death : first , as those that are corporally dead , want reason and understanding , so doe those that are spiritually dead ; they cannot understand the things of god , no more then men can judge of colours in the darke . i but some man will object and say , the carnall man knowes many things , he hath a generall notion of the god-head , and can talke of the creation of man , and his redemption by christ , he can discourse of faith , repentance , &c. there is a great difference betweene knowing spirituall things , and knowing them after a right manner ; a carnall man knoweth them , but not in a right manner , not in a spirituall manner . and hence is that of the apostle , tit. . . they professe that they know god , but in workes they deny him , being abominable , and disobedient , and unto every good worke reprobate : the word which there is translated reprobate , is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; signifying , unable to judge . indeed in the generall they may understand and like the things that are of god , but come to particular circumstances , that crosseth them ; they , as a divine sayes of them , love veritatem lucentem , non redarguentem ; they wholly dislike particulars , because they bring them to hic et nunc , to particulars . in the abstract they loue holinesse , but not as it is applied to particulars , as it convinces them of their particular sinnes . hence it is that godly men are most hated of them that come neerest to them in shew , because they bring light home to them , and discover their acerrima proximorumodiv , their inward and bosome hatred of their neighbours : it is as much as if one should bring a torch to one that is a doing some unlawfull thing , some deed of darknesse , he would wish him further off : their lives shine as lights , and therefore giving good examples by a shining and godly conversation , which is contrary to the life of the ungodly and hypocriticall ones , they cannot chuse but hate them : and as all wicked men hate them , so especially those that are nighest unto them in shew ; because that their life doth not onely shine unto them , and lay open their vildnesse , but scorch them also ; and therefore they being occupied about the workes of darkenesse , wish them as farre off as they can : so that hence we see , with an approving judgement , not any save those which are quickned , can understand spirituall things . . the second thing wherein a naturall death consisteth , was in a privation of sense ; so also is it in the spirituall death ; for their hearts are strong and cannot bee moved ; although i deny not but sometime they may have a little griping of conscience , and sense of gods judgement , which naturally ariseth from conscience ; but they never have any reall and true feeling of it . . in a naturall death they are without motion ; so likewise it is in a spirituall death ; for the wicked can no more move themselves unto any good worke , than a dead man can move himselfe out of his grave . . in a naturall death there is a want of vigorousnesse and beauty , as well in the face as in all other parts of the body ; so also there is in the spiritual death the losse of that vigorous beauty which followes the life of grace ; they may bee seene to have death in the face ; if a living man beholds them , he knowes how to discerne it : although i deny not but that they may have hypocriticall painted vertues , which may to weake eyes for a great while seeme true ones ; as men may have painted faces that have been taken for living ones , but they are not true graces , such as proceed from the life of grace indeed . i but some may here object and say , have not some men many excellent morall vertues , such as even the godly themselves have not ? indeed it 's true that they have , and these are gods gifts also , but yet they are but as chaines of gold about a dead mās neck , oras pearls in a swines snout : there may be many good things in them , but they make them not good men ; for as the evill actions of good men redound not to their persons to make them evill , so these good actions in evill men , redound not to their persons to make them good ; they may have good in them , but are not good . and thus much for this third point , the signes of this death . . to come to the degrees of this death : first , for the death of guilt , that hath degrees ; some men are more bound over than others , as the heathen men that were guided onely by the light of nature , they indeed were guilty ; but the jewes which had a more perfect knowledge , they were more guilty then they : and now we that live under the tropicke of the gospell , and have sermon upon sermon , line upon line , and every day are instructed , are more guilty then the jewes : and amongst us , they that have most meanes , and profit least , are most guilty of all ; and therefore are most bound over unto this death . secondly , for the death that is opposite to the life of grace and sanctification , that also admits degrees : . for the first part , the privation of life , indeed there is no degree ; but all that are dead , in regard of the privation and absence of originall righteousnesse , are all dead alike . . but for the second , to wit , the positive corrupt quality , which is called the flesh , that admits degrees : for one may be mad and drunke both alike , but the one may have some sparkes of reason more then the other . the degrees therefore of this death , are these three that follow : . when men doe oppose and set themselves against a holy life , although it bee closely and cover●ly under other names , for against them directly the divell will not speake , because the knoweth it will not be regarded ; but he speakes against them under names of reproach , which he himselfe hath invented . these men are one of the bottome staires of the chamber of death ; and therefore it is almost impossible they should ever rise , but must needs remaine in a pittifull case , although it may be they thinke farre otherwise . . when men are given up to voluptuousnesse and sensuality ; as paul speaketh of the wanton widow , . tim. . . that because shee lived in voluptuousnesse , shee was dead while she lived : even so , the more a man is sunke into voluptuous courses , the more hee is dead , and as it were buried in his corruptions , so that hee is altogether unable to stirre out of them ; it is a very difficult thing to leave them ; as in the sinnes of uncleannesse . . when we are indifferent , and care not how things goe ; and this is when a man is addicted unto the death of civill men , which is a degree nearer to life , yet is truly and indeed no better than a death : such as have much restraining grace , these are nearer the gate of heaven then others , yet they are as truly shut out as they that are furthest off ; it is no matter how neere they are to heaven , since they are all out of heaven alike ; they shall be sure , if never any more quickened , to goe to hell as well as others . thirdly , the death that is opposed to the life of joy and comfort , that hath also degrees : god sometimes with-drawes his comfort from some more than others , and so suffers some to have lesse horror then others : thus i have briefly explained this death , in which all men naturally are . i will now answer an objection of bellarmine against that which hath beene said , and so come to the fifth thing . some there be that say , if all men are dead in sinne , as you say they are , then to what end is all our preaching , and your hearing ? for the dead are without life , and cannot be moved with any of these things , and therefore they are all in vaine . to this i answer ; first , that although every man by nature be dead unto grace , yet he hath the lif● of reason in sinne , whereby hee is able to perceive two things : . to see that they are dead , and without this life of grace , their conscience telling them so . . by the sight and feeling of their death , they are able to bring themselves to the meanes of life , as to the word and sacraments . secondly , i answer ; that though all men be dead , yet there is an end and effect of our speaking , and their hearing : for the word that we speake may put life into them , as the word that christ spake unto lazarus , was able to raise him from the dead . thirdly , wee must know that there is a great difference betweene this spirituall death , and the corporall death ; for this death consisteth in the understanding and will , and is a free willing death ; in it they freely slye good , and embrace evill ; they freely choose the wayes of death , and therefore are said to be already dead : as , suppose a man is resolved to commit murder , or treason , and a friend come to him , and perswade him from it , and cannot prevaile , that man may bee said to bee dead , because he will doe that that will cost him his life : even so we may affirme that that man is dead already , because hee will doe that that will bring death after the doing of it . . now for the fift thing , the uses of this point , that all men by nature are dead in sinne . the first use then that wee may make of this point , is , if all men are dead in sinne , then let us be exhorted not to deferre our repentance , saying , we will repent afterward . this is a fault usuall amongst young men , and such as presume of their strength and ability of nature to live a great while , they find nature strong in them , and therefore put off repentance till they be sick , and age bring them to thinke of death : but let such consider that they are dead already , and repentance is a putting of a new life into them : dost thou thinke it is in thy power to create a new life in thee when thou art dead ? surely , no more is it in thy power to repent when thou wouldest . hereby the devil entrappeth many , in putting this conceit into them , that they may repent when they will ; and this hee bringeth them unto , by making them to mistake repentance , in conceiving of it to be nothing else but a sorrow for sinne past , and a purpose to live well afterward , and leave all sinne : he neuer tels them , nor they neuer thinke that it is the creation of a new life in them ; for then they would say more : but they are decejued , this is not to repent , for thou mayest doe all this , and yet when thou hast done , be damned . but such repentance as will save thy soule , is a sorrow for they sinne that is past , and a purpose for the time to come to endevour to leave all sinne , arising out of a love to god : for all repentance ariseth either out of a love of god , or else from selfe-love : if it be out of a love of god , thou wilt presently give thy selfe unto his service , and forsake thy sinne : if it be not out of love to god , but out of selfe-love , that thou purposest to forsake thy sinne , then it is not true repentance , b●● false , and riseth from by-respects . repentance is hard to be had , it is not in thine owne power ; except god breathe a new life into thee , thou canst not repent ; thou art as the red clod of earth before god , of which he made adam ; it had no life , untill he breathed into it : so while the spirit breatheth in us , we are dead . a beast may desire his owne life , so may a man his owne salvation , but hee can doe nothing without the spirit blowes . when then the spirit blowes , why wilt thou be so foolish as to deferre thy repentance unto another time ? if a man upon paine of death were within twenty dayes to be beyond the seas , if the wind should blow well for his purpose the first , second , or third day , would hee bee so foolish as to neglect it , and deferre his journey , and say , it may bee it will blow againe tenne dayes hence , and then i will goe ? no , he will not be so foolish , for hee knowes the winde bloweth where and when it listeth ; and therefore he will take it when it blowes , least it blow there no more . in these earthly things men are not so foolish , why therefore are they so ignorant in this point of spirituall wisdome ? let every one of us then hereby be perswaded to learne wisedome ; when the spirit bloweth , neglect it not : certaine it is , that except it doth blow in thy heart , thou art damned ; therefore when it doth blow , suppose it be at . or . yeeres of age , neglect it not , omit it not , neither deferre it , it may be it will never blow againe , and thou canst not make it blow when thou wouldest , for it is free . there are none which live vnder the gospell , but at some time or other have had some blasts of the spirit , but in some it vanisheth as bubbles in the water : but let us take heed of that , and unlesse we could have them againe when we would , let us not let them passe : when thou hast but the least sparke , let it not goe out , leave it not till it is become a slame to purifie thy heart . francis spira neglecting these comfortable blasts , at the last wished that hee might have had but one drop of that comfort which once he despised ; and so till his last breath , cryed out , i am damned . god not therefore still on in thy sinnes , falsly perswading thy selfe , saying , thou shalt bee saved : remember what god threatneth unto such men , deut. . . he that hearing the words of this curse , shall blesse himselfe , saying , i shall have peace though i follow my sinnes ; the lord will not bee mercifull to that man. sit downe therefore but one halfe houre , and consider with thy selfe , that thou art but a dead man , and that thou canst not quicken thy selfe , but it is god onely that is able to quicken thee ; and the quickeneth whom hee will , and those whom he quickeneth are but very few , as the gleaning after the harvest , or the grapes after the vintage , and thou knowest not whether thou art in that small number : consider , i say , but this with thy selfe , and surely this will make thee never to give thy selfe rest , untill thou findest life in thee , and never be quiet untill thou art sure thou art quickened . another use which wee will make of this point , is , if naturally all men are dead in trespasses and sinnes , this should teach us how to esteeme of civill men , and such like ; wee should esteeme of such men as of dead men : and therefore , we should not overvalue them . we should not make them our companions . first , we should not overvalue them . for their beauty , they have none that is true beauty : what beauty have dead men in them ? they are dead , let us not regard their seeming beauty . esteeme the poore saints ; for they , though never so meane , are better then those , though never so brave . grant your civill men bee as lions , ( then which no irrationall creature is better , ) and that your saints are but as dogges ( then which no creature is worser , ) yet a living dogge is better than a dead lion. it 's a signe of a new life to esteeme no carnall excellencie : so saith paul , cor. . , . wherefore henceforth know wee no man after the flesh ; yea , though wee have knowne christ after the flesh , yet now henceforth know wee him no more . therefore if any man be in christ , he is a new creature : old things are past away ; behold all things are become new : hee , that is , a new creature , will not regard these things , but they will bee dead in his account . they account us but dead men , therefore let us account them so also . secondly , make them not your companions . wee may , and ought to love them with the love of pitty , but not with the love of delight and complacency : if thou love them , and delight in them , it is a signe thou art dead also ; yet in this we are to blame , that wee doe not more pitty them , and seeke their salvation , but wee must not delight in them , and make them our familiar acquaintance , for wee can never thrive in grace till we leave them : for although they bee dead , yet they have a leaven which wil infect thee , although thou perceivest it not . wee use to say , wee will make use to our selves of the good in them , but let the hurt goe : but wee cannot doe so ; for wee are insensibly hurt , when we thinke we are furthest from it : even as a man is tanned when he is working in the sunne , and hee never perceives it ; so doth their company infect us insensibly , when wee thinke least of it : it 's therefore but a folly to purpose to serve god , and not to breake off their company ; yea , it is a plaine contradiction . every man is compared to a coale , he is either living or dead ; if he be a living coale , hee will kindle him that is next him ; but if hee bee a dead coale , hee then will blacke and fully thee : even so it is with company , if it be good and zealous , it will kindle our affections ; but if bad , it will bee sure to infect us : therefore from such company thou must either gaine good or harme ; but for good , certaine it is that thou canst receive none , and therefore thou must receive harme : if thou walke with the wise , thou shalt be more wise ; if with the foole , thou shalt learne folly , pro. . . the third use wee will make of this point , is this , seeing that by nature all of us are children of wrath , and dead in trespasses and sinnes , this should stirre up those that are quickened , to be thankefull to god therefore . above all , wee ever labour to bee most thankefull to him that hath saved our lives ; and this god hath done for us , let us therefore stirre up ourselves to thankfulnesse . paul , as we may read , rom. . , . joynes these two together , his deliverance , and his thankfulnesse ; o wretched man that i am ! who shall deliver me from this body of death ? i thanke god , through iesus christ our lord. i confesse the world esteemes not this , but if they have riches therein , they rejoyce ; and so like the dunghill cocke , or unskilfull lapidaries , preferre vaine things before this precious jewell ; but they that have once found the sweetnesse of it , will not lose it for a world : for if wee have but this , what though wee lose wife , children , goods , credit , and good name ? they are all too light being layd in the ballance with this . doe yee every one therefore consider who it was that gave thee this , and to him yeeld all thankfulnesse . let us love much , because as much is forgiven , so much is given to us : paul was much stirred up with this consideration , thinking that he could never doe enough for christ , who had done so much for him ; as appears in many places of his epistles . the fourth use we will make of this point , is , if we are all dead in trespasses and sinnes , then this teacheth us how we should esteeme of the means of grace : if wee are dead , then it must bee an omnipotent power which must quicken us . all the meanes , as the word preached , the receiving the sacraments , &c. are but dead letters , they are but as pennes without inke , god must put inke into them if ever they be effectuall : and therefore as wee must not give too little to the meanes , so wee must not give too much , nor rest in them . when wee come to heare the word preached , it is not the hearing of the minister , but christ in the word preached , which makes us live . it is good to heare the minister , but except wee heare another voyce speaking to the heart , as his doth to the eare , we shall never be the better : it is christs voyce in the word which doth quicken and put life in our soules . but here let mee warne you to take heed of breaking the conduit-pipe from the fountaine ; if thou hearest and profitest not , know that it is because christ speaketh not to the eares of the heart , as well as the minister to our outward eares . the fifth and last use wee will make of this point shall be , if that naturally all men are dead in sinne , this should teach us to try our selves , and see whether wee are dead or alive . consider the shortnesse and uncertainty of thy life here : mans life is like an houre-glasse ; if it runnes his course it is but an houre , and it may be broken before it is run out : ye have but a short while to live here , according to the course of nature , and yet perhaps that course may not runne out too , it may bee broken off before wee are aware ; and then for ever , either in heaven or hell , wee must abide hereafter : oh then never be quiet vntill you see wihther you shall goe , to eternall blisse , or everlasting woe . here the diuels triicke is to put it into mens heads , that a civill life will serue the turne : but he dealeth with them as those that take gold from infants , and give them counters and rattles : and thus he would keepe them from this consideration , perswading them of the latitude of religion , and telling them that they are well enough , seeing they are troubled for some sinnes , and doe some duties , perhaps , in private , but this you may doe , and yet be dead still . if he cannot prevaile this way , then he will labour to hinder them by drawing them on in a voluptuous course of life , or with worldly cares , and so draweth them from themselves , and so makes them never to consider what they are doing , nor whit●er they are going : and therefore is it that in the gospell of saint luke , chap. . the prodigall son is sayd , to come home to himselfe , when he once beganne to consider his estate : although their conscience tell them all is wrong , yet the tabrets of lusts and pleasures make such a deane where they are , that they heare it not , and so never consider : nay , if that christ himselfe againe , or the sonnes of thunder should speake , yet except gods spirit should inwardly worke , it would not make men seriously to consider their estates : it is the hardest thing in the world to make men sensible of life and death . let us therefore bee moved in particular to consider whether we are dead or alive . if thou art quickened , thou shalt finde , one time or other , these two things in thee : first , thou once hadst a deepe and sensible consideration of thine estate by nature , thou wert deeply affected with it , so that thou sawest what need thou hadst of christ : till thou hast had this consideration , thou art a dead man. i know god can save thee without this , hee could come without the terrible voyce , as christ could have come without iohn baptist before him , but hee will not , neither ever doth , because it is impossible for a man highly to esteeme of christ till hee is thus humbled ; for hee never will preferre him in particular actions , and take him with all crosses and losses , till hee fully see what need hee hath of him , which he cannot untill he is thus humbled . secondly , consider if thou wer● ever changed from what thou formerly wert ; neither is it a slight change that will serve , but it must bee both constant and generall ; it must not be for a month or a yeare , but daily and continually . it must bee such a change that all where thou livest may see it ; thou must become a new soule in another body : thy change must be so great that thou mayst say , ego non sum ego , i am not my selfe , i am quite another man : there must be as great a change in thee , as there is in a white cloth when it is died blacke . such a change was in paul , he was converted from a persecutor to a preacher : so thou must of a lion be made a lambe : there must as much difference be in us , as is between winter & summer . and now seeing the time of the sacrament is at hand , let us all examine our selves : we must not make excuses to keepe from the sacrament , but as all , nehem. . were to come to the passeover , else they were to be cut off from their people , except they could shew some good cause ; so i know no reason why it should not be so still for the sacrament . but againe , on the other side , if wee doe come , and are dead men , wee come unworthily , and eat and drinke our owne damnation in not discerning the body of christ , . cor. . . which we doe when wee doe not sufficiently esteeme it , and conceive not what right we have to , which was the corinthians sinne ; for they knew well enough that that did represent his body . let us therefore take heed we come preparedly ; for as god strooke vzzah for touching the arke with polluted hands , and nadab and abihu for offering of strange fire , so if thou come unpreparedly to the sacrament , he will strike thee . but to returne to the poynt which was even now handled , that all men are dead in trespasses and sinnes , because it is point which concernes all sorts of men , wee will a little further consider it , and in the next place speake of the nature of dead men . dead men are either , . such as are starke dead in sinne , and doe make no shew at all of life ; as are all open prophane , and notoriously wicked men . . such as are dead indeed , and in truth , but yet make a shew of life , outwardly seeme to have it ; like the angels , that have appeared many times in assumed bodies , but yet have none of their owne that is true and substantiall ; and these are chiefly dissembling hypocrites , or men meerely civill . first , this starke deadnesse , without any shew at all of life , of which sort wee have every where too too many ; consists chiefly , . in the privation of life . . in an active positive principle . now there are certaine signes arising from both these , and they are . positive . . privative . the positive signes of a dead man , are these three : first , all those which live any life , whatsoever it be , seeke such things as are agreeable to preserve that life , and hate the contrary : as a man that liveth a naturall life , looketh for food , rayment , &c. so in the life of grace , there is an aptnesse to cleave unto goodnesse , and unto christ , as iron doth to the loadstone : so a man that lives the life of grace , his delight is in praying , hearing , reading , &c. but his lusts , they are aegritudines animae , the soules sicknesses ; they are as thornes to his sides , and smoke to his eyes , and he is never well or at quiet , untill they are removed and gone : but a wicked man , one that is dead in sinne , he is sicke of goodnesse ( as the other is of wickednesse ) and weary of it ; he is too strait-laced in it , and therefore cannot brooke it . a godly man hath an inward aptnesse and inclination to serve god , as fire naturally inclines to goe upward : indeed hee may sometimes contract impurity , and have some corruptions , yet they are but as mud in a cleere and living fountaine , they are soone washed away ; but wicked men are like ditches which are full of mudde at their best , and there it lyes and continues . secondly , another positive signe of this deadnesse , is , when a man lies in any living lust , or knowne sinne : for as a mortall disease and life cannot stand together , no more can a living lust and the life of grace . that is a living lust , when although sometimes hee may have fits of resisting , yet he alwayes gives over , and still yeelds to that lust , saying , it is their nature , and they cannot choose but commit , it , they know not how to resist it ; when as if there was some present judgement threatned thee , upon the commission of it , then thou couldest forbeare : this i call a living lust , and although it be but one , yet if other lusts tempted thee as much as that , thou wouldest commit them also : if thou forsakest other sinnes , because they are sinnes , why forsakest thou not this also ? gal. . . they that are christs , have crucified the flesh , with the affections and lusts . there is in every man a body of lust ; if any member of that body be unmortified , he is yet a dead man. tim. . . shee which liveth in pleasure , is dead while shee is alive . some may keepe themselves cleane from some sinnes , but that will not serve ; for if they live in any knowne sinne , they are dead . thirdly , a third positive signe is , when a man hath a secret antipathy against god and godlinesse . some beasts naturally hate some colours ; so some men , out of a naturall inclination , cannot endure goodnesse it selfe , though they pretend some cause . i call it an antipathy when a mans stomacke riseth against a thing , and hee knoweth not wherefore : so they hate goodnesse , meerely out of a naturall abhorring of the thing it selfe , although they pretend some cause for which they hate it . they distant holinesse of life , and for no just cause : if it be you distast such men as professe an holy and pure conversation , onely because they doe not conforme ( as some pretend , ) why doe you distant those also that doe conforme ? if you dislike the professors of an holy life because of the hypocrisie they have found in them , as some have not stood to say , why doe you also dislike those that you are sure are no hypocrites ? they cannot define the holy man they hate , but have a secret naturall hatred to them they cannot tell why : but we know the reason well enough ; it is because they live a contrary life to them , and therefore cannot agree no more than fire and water : indeed fire and water may agree in remisse degrees , but not in intense ; so these men can suffer those which are indifferently holy , but if they come to any perfection and height of holinesse , then they cannot endure them . now the apostle sayes expresly , ioh. . . by this we know wee are translated from death to life , because we love the brethren : hee that loveth not his brother , abideth in death . so that it is an infallible signe of deadnesse not to love the brethren : if thou hatest the saints ; nay , if thou lovest them not ; nay , if thou lovest them not according to the measure of grace that is in them , and if thou art not grieved for any of their sinnes , by which they may cause scandall , or bee disgraced , thou art yet a dead man. and so much for the positive signes . the privative signes of deadnesse follow , which are these five : the first privitive signe of deadnesse , is want of speech : he that is dead , is speechlesse , and breathlesse ; so he that is dead in sinne , in all holy things is speechlesse ; out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh , saith christ in the gospell , matth. . . when the mouth is speechlesse , the heart is empty . some that are dead in trespasses and sinnes may speake well sometimes ; but there is no living man but doth speake well . esa. . . those that belong to canaan , will speake in the language of canaan : their language will shew whether they are galileans or not : every man delights in operations agreeable to their habits . here you may learne to judge of your selves by your words ; not by some words that are spoken by fits , but by thy usuall and customary speech , that is a signe of that that is in you . the godly sometimes cannot speake godlily and holily ; as a fountaine sometimes is stopped up , so that it cannot send forth pure streames , yet take away the rubbish that stopped it , and then it will runne cleare againe ; even so it is with the godly ; and therefore consider your ordinary speeches , if they be not holy and good , it is a signe that you are a dead man. the second privitive signe is coldnesse ; when a man is dead , he growes cold ; so is it with men dead in sinne ; they may pray , but it is coldly ; and so in all other holy duties they are very cold . but some man will be ready to object and say , you tell us of coldnesse , but for any thing i can see , there is as much coldnesse in the best men : for your godliest men are sometimes cold in their prayers . it is true ; but there is this difference betweene the coldnesse of a godly man , and a dead man ; if the meanes be used to a godly man , it doth bring life to him againe : if he be rubbed and chafed with admonitions , or hath the aquavitae of the word , he will recover his heat , because the inward principle of heat still remaines within him . but to a wicked man use never so many reproofes , or admonitions , hee will still remaine cold : let this therefore bee a certaine tryall , if after all admonitions you still remaine cold , you are dead . the third privitive signe is stiffenesse ; a dead man growes stiffe , and in what position his body is in when it is dead , in the same it will remaine , you cannot bendit ; so is it with men spiritually dead , what course they take , what opinions they hold , what company they keepe , they will not bee changed from them . rev. . . he that is filthy , let him be filthy still : that is , he will be filthy still , they will not be changed : if that they hold to be gods will , be gods will , so it is , then they are right ; but it is not because it is gods will , but because his pleasure fell on what they held . as a rustie hand of a clocke , it turnes not with the day , but stands still ; but if the time of the day chance to be such as it stands at , it is true ; not because it moveth with the day ( as it should ) but because the day hath fell jumpe with it : so these men , if gods will hit with theirs , they will doe it ; if not , they will crosse it : this is a signe of a dead man. the fourth privitive signe is senslesnesse ; hee that is dead , is senslesse : so it is with the spirituall death , there is no sense in it ; they can neither see , heare , nor taste . i but some man will object and say , that is not true alwayes ; for even the wicked sometimes know m●tters of faith ; nay , and sometimes they rellish them too . to this i answer , as it is said of the dead idoll , so may it be said of them : mat. . . eyes they have and see not , eares and heare not . first for seeing , they see not aright : gods children see experimentally , the wicked only by contemplation ; and there is a great difference betweene them , for as wee see there is a great difference betwixt knowing fire to be hot , and the feeling of it ; so betweene a meere notionall knowledge of gods will , and a knowledge that doth like and approve it . secondly for taste , they finde no taste in gods word ; or if they finde any , like a vitiated pallat , they account that which is most sweet to bee very bitter . thirdly for smelling , they smell no sweetnesse in christs name , whereas to his saints it is a sweet oyntment poured out , that perfumeth all the roome . fourthly for feeling , they feele not whether the law or gospell be applied to them , rub over their skarres , and make them runne downe with blood , they are notwithstanding all that senslesse still : they may have a counterfeit feeling arising from a naturall conscience , but to have such a feeling as may drive them to christ , they cannot ; and therefore still they are but dead men . the fifth signe is this , a living member , if the body be in danger , will have a sympathizing and feeling of the danger ; as the hand will lift it selfe up to save the head , so now if we hearing the case of gods church in what danger it is , if wee take it not to heart , or be not affected with it ( especially now we are put in minde thereof ) it is a certaine signe we are dead men : we should have the spirits that moses and paul had , who even wished to be stroyed , so they might save the church . moses , rather than that should perish , would have his name raced out of the booke of life : paul , for the churches sake would bee anathema . it is a true signe of a living member to bee touched with others miseries ; this was an extasie of love , in which out of love to the church , they forgate themselves . this here we must know , that if the creature could destroy it selfe for god , it could not but be well , because the good of the creature is more contained in god than in it selfe , as the beame of the sunne is more contained in the sun than in it selfe . now is the time of considering this , now is the time of more than extraordinary fasting ; now if you have any feeling , you will shew it ; if you are living men , now you will shew your selves ; now the church lyes in tents , and wallowes in blood , now the foundations thereof are shaken ; never was the face of christendome in such danger as now it is . doe wee thinke to stand now others fall ? if the fire be at one end of the building , shall we be safe which are at the other end ? ( for all gods house is but one building . ) are not they our brethren , and sonnes of the same father ? have they not the same spirit ? are they not of the same profession ? shall wee not then bee ready to helpe them ? wee cannot send armes over to them , but wee may send up prayers unto god for them : christians are stronger than politicians , and their prayers are armies . let us therefore doe what wee can , the storme is not yet quite over . now there are two things that may move us to this : . the greatnesse of the judgement . . our ability to helpe them . first , the greatnesse of the judgement : it will prove the extinguishing of gods church and the gospell , and when that is once gone , what are all other things ? it was a good saying of that saint , that browne bread and the gospell was good cheare ; what are all our houses , lands , &c. if this spirituall food be wanting ? secondly , consider our ability to helpe them . we may doe much by our prayers ; hee that knoweth not his strength , useth it not : did not one moses , one eliah stand in the gappe ? they did not these things as they were extraordinary men , but as they were gods children : we may by our prayers doe as much ; though one childe may have better gifts than another , yet commonly the father loves all alike ; so god ( although they had better gifts than we ) will grant our prayers as soone as he did theirs . but some man will here bee ready to make a question , and askeme , what i would have him doe for the church now ? he is but a singleman , and therefore is unable to doe much himselfe alone . i answer , though thou canst not doe much , yet these things thou mayest doe ; and therefore , . pray for it : god delights to bee called upon , for else his hand is not taken notice of ; but then we see his hand , and acknowledge it , when wee see him granting our desires . so that the strength of a land lyes in christians , and their strength lyes in their prayers , as sampsons strength did in his haire . oftentimes prayer is more available than fighting : moses prayer in the mountaine , did more than ioshuahs fighting in the vallies . if noah , daniel , and iob stood before me ( saith god , ezek. . . ) they should not prevaile : which sheweth , that if any thing could have prevailed , their prayer would : so also luther attributes all to prayer , as may be seene in divers of his treatises . now this prayer which i urge unto you , must . not onely be small expressions of the mind , but now god lookes for strong cryes , and long continuance in prayer . moses prayed all day : christ , which had lesse need than we have , prayed all night ; daniel three weekes : therefore wee that have more wants and needs , ought to bee the more fervent . . our prayers must be spirituall , not out of selfe-love ; as to desire the safety of the church , that so under it we may lead a safe and quiet life ; but out of meere respect to god , and love to his church . . it must be a prayer of faith ; so the apostle saith , iam. . , . the prayer of faith shall save the sicke , &c. and a little after , the effectuall fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much : now there is no man righteous without faith : so according to their faith christ still yeelded to them . . pray with constancy and fervency : it is not for a snatch and away , that is pleasing to god ; but a constant performance of duty which hee accepteth . . it must bee the prayer of a righteous man : therefore , micah . the prophets sought unto god in the time of trouble , but prevailed not , because they were not righteous : for it is said there , vers . . doe not my words doe good to him that walketh uprightly ? . it must be with humilitie ; and that consists first , in confessing how unworthy we are to obtaine any thing at the hands of god. secondly , how unable to helpe our selves , and therefore to have our eyes onely towards god. another way to doe good to gods church , is , to be more zealous ; seeke unto god extraordinarily : the cause of the destruction of a land , is chiefly the sinnes of the godly . when they grow cold and dead , and lose their first love , then god , as rev. . will remove the candlesticke from among them , and take away his gospell . indeed the carnalnesse of dead men , their prophanenesse in contemning of gods saints and his gospel , &c. hasten gods judgements on a land , but chiefly the luke-warmnesse of professors doe it : when israel , as hosea saith , is as a cake halfe baked . let us therefore rectifie our lives , renew our repentance , quicken our zeale , else shall wee be guiltie of the destruction of gods church by our sinnes . a third meanes to doe good to gods church , is , to stirre up others to take to heart the miseries of the church , to pray , to renew their repentance . it would be good if ministers would bee as beacons to give warning to others , and to set them on fire . thus the old christians did , as it were , make an armie ( manu facta ) against god , by joyning together in prayer . this is a blessed action to stirre up others : thus they did in the prophet malachies time , mal. . . then they that feared the lord , spake often one unto another , ( see the issue of all , ) and the lord harkened and heard it , and a booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the lord , and thought upon his name . so , zach. . . there they did so ; and the inhabitants of the citie shall goe one to another , saying , let us goe speedily to pray before the lord , and to seeke the lord of hoasts , i will goe also . let us therefore , as the apostle exhorts , heb. . . consider one another to provoke our selves to this good worke of fasting and prayer for the church ; let us marke who is a likely man to joyne with us , and not let him passe . a fourth meanes to doe good to the church , is , to doe it in due time : jerusalem had a time to seeke god ; if then shee would have sought , shee might have beene saved : and christ complaines , luk. . , . saying , if thou hadst knowne , even thou in this thy day , the things which belong unto thy peace ! but now they are hid from thine eyes . and so before christ , the prophets of old complained of the people ; as ier. . . yea , the storke in the heaven knoweth her appointed times , and the turtle , and the crane , and the swallow observe the time of their comming , but my people know not the judgement of the lord. the time to seeke unto the lord is now : some judgements are sudden , and have no fore-runners , as the gunpowder-treason , in such god lookes not that wee should meet him by repentance , because we know them not : others use lingring , such as send feare and rumours before them , as are those mentioned by the prophet , ezek. . , . there god expects we should make up the hedge , and stand in the gap before him , and so meet him with repentance to stop the judgement . the fifth meanes to doe good to the church , is this , let us doe it with continuance : it may be while the newes is fresh wee will bee fervent in prayer ; but often the newes altereth , and sometimes it happens to be good , and then wee leave off : but this must not be ; wee must bee constant in this dutie , to the very uttermost end of all ; there may be ebbs and flowings , but it is the last issue which brings all : therefore let us continue in this dutie of fasting and praying , that wee may trie that last issue of al. it is the common fashion to make the afflictions of the church onely a wonder of nine dayes . this was the jewes fault , ier. . , . when they heard of their enemies , for a while they would pray . but although the newes bee good , yet still continue as the importunate widow did to the judge , and your importunitie will move god. set therefore to it , and continue in it ; pray for ierusalem , let those prosper that love her peace , psalm . . . mourne apart , every familie apart : it is not enough to heare this , and to let the ministers voyce be to you as one that singeth with a pleasant voyce : thus were the prophets to the jewes , ezek. . . who heard his words , but did not doe them : and therefore god tells them that they shall be destroyed in the judgment . the divel will suffer you to purpose and purpose to doe this dutie , but keepes you from the execution of it , and present practice , which is that onely which may doe the deed . consider it therefore , and deferre not the present doing of this dutie : what can you doe better than to deliver gods church , and you may doe it , although you be poore and despised , yet being gods saints , your prayers are in force with god ; as in eccles. . , . the poore man delivered the citie by his wisedome ; hee was poore and despised , yet it was hee that delivered it . others may seeme to doe much , and stand vaunting on the hatches , but it is the saints that doe it . if there be any consideration of christ in you , if any love , any grace , any well-wishing to the church , pray for it : this is that i feare , you will purpose to doe it , but will deferre it ; but , beloved , the doing onely god regards . wee , when we reade how much alexander , caesar , and the like , did , we admire them ; why we may doe more by our prayers , performed in a right manner : if you doe it , either the church shall bee delivered , and you shall have comfort ; or else you shall save your owne soules . without you thus pray , you are guiltie of the churches destruction : the horsemen , if they stand still , although they fight not against their owne armie , yet are guiltie of their destruction , because they should have fought for them . the praetor , if hee let the enemies in the gate , hee is the destroyer of the citie , because he should have kept them out : so the saints , which should stand in the breach , if they pray not , they destroy the land : so god saies , ezek. . , . and i sought for a man among them , that should make up the hedge , and stand in the gap before me for the land , that i should not destroy it : but i found none : therefore have i powred out againe indignation upon them , i have consumed them with the fire of my wrath : their owne way have i recompenced upon their heads , saith the lord god. because hee could not find a man to stand in the gap , therefore hee powred forth his indignation on the land . their not praying destroyes the land : the saints and holy prophets are the chariots and horse-men of israell ; if then they stand still , they doe what in them lies to destroy the whole nation : they are not onely the chariots , but the horsemen also ; they are the whole defence of israell ; and therefore if at these times they be idle , they are guiltie of the destruction of the whole church . hence salomon said , an idle man is brother to him that is a great waster . as a pilot , who for want of attention suffers a ship to bee overthrowne , or split against the rockes , is guiltie of the losse thereof : so the prophet samuell , notwithstanding the people had sinned a great sinne in forsaking god to be their king , saith , sam. . . god forbid that i should sinne against the lord in ceasing to pray for you : and therefore it is a great sinne not to pray for gods church . the jewes in the captivitie were commanded to pray for the peace of nabuchadnezzar , who was an heathen prince ; how much more then ought wee to pray for christian princes ? and surely , if god should take away from you this prince , and give you such an one as queene mary , you would then know what it is to enjoy such a prince , as now by gods mercie we doe . therefore stirre up your selves to the dutie by fasting and praying , much may you doe this way . ester delivered all the jewes by this meanes : it was not esters word that did it ; for what made the king not to sleepe that night ? how came he to call for the booke of the chronicle ? how light hee on that place of mordecay ? they had first turned god by fasting and prayer , and then hee thus prepared the king for ester to speak . thus then , and by these meanes we may releeve the church in distresse : and therefore if we be true living members , let us manifest our endevour to releeve them by these meanes . and thus much for the signes of men which are starke dead . now follow signes of distinction betweene such as seeme to live , and such as live indeed : and these may bee resembled to such spirits as assume bodies to themselves , and seeme to informe them ; and they are chiefly all civill men . now they are discerned by these and the like signes ; the first signe is this ; as the angels in their assumed bodies seemed to eat and drinke , but manifested not any effect of it , for they did not grow by it : so these man , they seeme to heare the word , but they make no progresse in it : they may seeme to feed on the sacraments , but they grow by none of these meanes , they still goe on in their old tract . they are not unlike some men which eat as much , or more than others , but are never the fatter , but as leane as ever they were : even so the ministers of the gospell now deliver the spirituall food of the word , in as great abundance as ever , yet where is the fruit ? who growes any fatter , any better liking than before ? wee , ( beloved ) desire not to have againe the fruit of our teaching in your understanding only ( although that be good ) but in your practice : like sheepheards which would not have their hay againe of their sheepe in hay , but in the milke and wooll . and hence it is that the apostle peter exhorts them , pet. . . as new borne babes to desire the sincere milke of the word : and why ? that they may grow thereby . though thou beest never so weake at the first , yet if thou growest stronger , it is a signe of life ; but if thou hast gotten no strength in grace , nor no victorie over your lusts , notwithstanding all the meanes of grace you have had , yet whatsoever you seeme , you are still but dead men . the second signe is ; as the angels , though they were moved , yet it was from no inward , but from an outward principle ; so these civill men , and all hypocrites may be moved , and doe all that good men can doe , but it is not from an inward principle , but from some outward and by-respect . they are like clockes and watches , which are moved by some spring , and therefore when the weights or spring is downe , they move no longer : when that false end which made them take in hand the shew of religion is gone , then they will bee no more religious . thus ioash was religious , but for some by-end ; viz. while iehoiada lived ; and therefore after his death , ioash forsooke god. thus many will be good whilest they are in good families , under good governors , but being removed from them , they turne with the swine to the tumbling in the mire . some againe , good exhortations and counsell will make them live well , and they will continue so , while they are in that good mood : others will bee good while a storme of ficknesse indures , but when the sunne-shine of prosperitie shall beginne to appeare , they returne to their old courses : they are like a bullrush , which hangs downe his head till the storme is over it , but as soone as the sunne shines it lifts it up againe . some may hold out longer than others , yet at the last all will give over , because they are not moved from some inward principle . the third is this ; as the angels assumed those bodies but for certaine times , and places , and occasions , and afterwards laid them aside againe ; so will your hypocrites doe in some places and companies at some times , they will take on them the bodies of living men , and so have a name to live , but indeed are dead : but come they in other places or companies , they will lay aside their bodies , and then will be as profane as any . i confesse , a godly man may bee the worse for being in an ill companie ; they may be myrie and dirtie , but yet they still remaine sheepe : as a pibble and a pearle foyled with the same mire can scarce be distinguished till they be washed ; so the godly , doe but wash them , and then you shall discerne them to be pearles ; but these wolves , the wicked , which onely takes sheepes cloathing on them , comming amongst wolves , cast off that cloathing and become as much wolves as any . the fourth signe is this : as angels or devils which assume bodies , cannot speake heartily as living men , but have an artificiall framed voice , which is from the teeth outward , not heart ; so where there is no true grace but seeming , it may be discerned from the speeches , not in the matter , but in the manner ; an hypocrite may often babble more than the true christian , as a blazing starre shines as bright , if not brighter than the true star ; but there is abroad difference betwixt them ; the one speakes but from the head , and the other from the heart : for a true living man doth speake heartily and feelingly . that the manner of speaking doth much affect others , it is plaine : hence is that that iunius reports of himselfe , that hee lighting into a countrie mans house , which was wholly illiterate and unlearned , hee confesseth that his heartie speaking of faith and repentance , &c. did so move him , that he thought that there was somthing more in it than meere knowledge , and so wrought on him , that by gods grace it converted him ; so that the manner of speaking doth often affect where the matter doth not ; which an hypocrite cannot have . and thus much for the signes of seeming living , but indeed dead men . now having shewed that all are dead , it followes that we should shew the meanes of getting life , which are also comprehended in my text , and they are these two : . to labour to see that ye are dead , ( you that were dead in trespasses and sinnes , &c. ) as all men are by nature . . to goe to christ for life , hee it is onely that can give it ; so saith my text ( hee hath quickened you : ) it is the propertie of god alone to give life . now wee cannot goe to him but by christ , and we must goe to christ by faith , therefore is faith called a living faith , because it unites christ and the soule together . now the difficultie is in this , that men will not come to christ and take him : some come not for him at all , others take him , but not in good earnest ; as grafts put into a stock , but not so ingrafted as to grow thereby : but when a man is once soundly humbled , then will he come to christ , and not before ; for till then hee doth not hunger and thirst after him : but the extreame hungrie will bee satisfied with nought but meat : as sampson said , give me drinke or else i dye . now life consists in the union betwixt christ and thy soule : this union is by luther compared to fire and iron united , which causes the iron to have all the properties of fire , as burne , scorch , &c. so an humble saint , united to christ , hath all his proprieties , though not in the same measure and degree . the doctrine of humiliation . now these must bee handled distinctly : and therfore the first meanes of life , is to see our selves children of wrath , and that wee are dead in trespasses and sinnes : the point that hence ariseth , is , that whosoever would be translated from death to life , must first apprehend himselfe to bee a child of wrath : that is , he must see the face of god , as of an angry iudge , so farre forth as it may drive him to christ. so that a man cannot be saved untill hee hath not onely a touch or two , but a true sense of sinne , a deepe apprehension of his sinnes , of death , and of damnation ; for onely to such are all the promises made , christ is onely sent to binde up the broken hearted : christ came to call all that were heavie laden , and those onely , those he will ease : peace must be preached to none but those that moume in sion . therefore the apostle saith , gal. . . tell me , ye that are under the law , doe ye not desire to heare the law ? yea , the law is said to be a schoolmaster to drive men to christ : that is , first there must bee the law before christ can bee had ; for else , although wee should preach the gospell , it would be contemned : therefore christ in his time gained onely the poore ; the poore receive the gospell : that is , the poore in spirit . god will have his jewels of life and salvation to be esteemed , which we will never doe untill we see our miserie , how that we are in the estate of death . as the deliverance out of egypt would never have beene so sweet , had they not beene in extreame slavery and bondage first . god deales with us , as princes doe with their malefactors ; first they bring their neckes to the blocke , and then give them a pardon , for then they apprehending death , the pardon is the sweeter and more welcome and acceptable to them . indeed if the question were made , what god could doe in his absolute power ; i know that god might convert us and not humble us if hee would ; he might say as hee did in the creation , let it be , and it must be : hee might come in a still voyce onely , without sending before a voyce rending the rockes : hee might use lightning and no thunder , but wee speake of his ordinary course , wherein hee will not ; for none are saved but such as have not onely a sight , but also a deepe apprehension of their sinnes . for the better understanding of this point , wee must consider these things : that there are three things which keepe a man from christ. first , vnbeleefe : when men will not beleeve that he which was borne of the virgin mary was christ and god ; therefore about the proving of this , the apostles did spend most time , because then it was hard to beleeve . secondly , not caring for christ : as those that came not to the kings feast , they beleeved that there was a king and a feast , but cared not for it , they regarded more their oxen , &c. thirdly , not willingnesse to part with all for christ ; they will not take him upon all conditions : they see some need they have of christ , but not much ; and so they will forsake some things for him , but not all : they are loath to part with their master sinne ; like the young man in the gospell , he had done a great deale , yet he would not part with his possessions . but to these three things must be opposed three other things to bring us to christ : . faith to beleeve he is god. . a sleight humiliation to bring vs in love with christ. . sound humiliation , to be willing to part with all for his sake . the first is received amongst all christians , although it is to be feared that many doe beleeve it but confusedly . the second is a sleighter manner of apprehending of christ , and that a little sorrow will doe , a little humiliation . but the third ( which we must have before we can be saved ) to be willing to forsake all , to leave every sinne for christ his sake : and that we will not doe vntill we be thorowly humbled , & are fully broken harted : therefore first a deepe humiliation is necessary for salvation . secondly , if we have not such an humiliation , then either : . we will not come to christ. . or we will not stay with him . . or else we will not doe or suffer any thing for him . and if wee want any of these wee cannot be saved . first , if we be not truly humbled , we can never come to christ , nor regard him : we may preach christ long enough , and no body will regard him , except they be soundly humbled for their sinnes : as in the law no body did care for the citie of refuge , but he that had slaine a man ; to him onely whom the revenger of blood pursueth , is the citie of refuge sweet : when the fiery serpent had stung a man , then he looked to the brazen-serpent , and nevertill then : so when we see our sinnes and miserie thereby , then , j say , and never till then is christ welcome . the prodigall sonne never thought of returning home to his father vntill he saw that he must else starve ; when he saw he could no longer subsist , then he returned . so , when wee are so humbled for our sinnes that we see we shall indeed be damned without christ , then , and never untill then we care for him . secondly , although we doe come to christ , yet without we be truly humbled wee will never stay with him , althougst wee may rejoyce in his light for a season . and for the better understanding of this , consider the foure sorts of grounds which represented foure sorts of hearers , mat. . the first were not humbled at all , ( it fell by the wayes side , and presently the fowles of the aire devoured it , vers ) the second was humbled a little , but not so much as to suffer for him , ( the sunne parched them for lacke of rooting , vers . . ) the third sort were so farre humbled for sinne , that they suffered some persecutions , but would not part with all for christ , the world they esteemed more ; the thornes choaked them , vers . . ) but the fourth ground was fully humbled ; that is , they were so humbled in a sight of their sinne , that they saw that they had more need of christ , than of any thing in the world , and so would part with all for him , and suffer any thing ; and therefore they are said to bring forth fruit with patience . others may stay a while with christ , but when that comes that they preferre before christ , then they leave christ ; for untill a man can bring his heart to that passe , that he can prize christ above all things , undergoe all persecutions for his sake , he is not soundly humbled , but is like the second and third ground . . if wee stay thus with christ , yet except wee be thus humbled , we shall neither suffer nor doe any thing for christ. if christ had bidden paul , ( before he was humbled ) to have done so much for him as he did , he would never have done it ; but when he was humbled , then , lord , what wouldst thou have me doe ? and the reason of this is apparent , if we consider these things : first , there are many lusts that doe encumber us whilest our hearts are unbroken ; so that there is such a basenesse on the outside of religion , that except we be humbled wee will never like it , but shall be offended at it ; and like proud servants , say our wages are too little , our fellow-servants too base : but on the contrary , hee that hath once beene soundly humbled , thinkes all too good for him . secondly , there be such strong lusts to be mortified , which cannot be done without humiliation , that we care not for christ : our lusts indeed may for a while sleepe , but when once they are awaked , like sampson , they cracke a two all the bonds of good purposes and vowes ; they are never slaine untill we be soundly humbled . thirdly , there are such contrary lawes to bee delighted in , that wee can never frame our nature unto , untill we hunger and thirst after christ , and ●●en his lawes will bee meat and drinke unto us : for before we delighted in the law of the flesh , but now if we be truly humbled , we must delight in the law of the spirit . fourthly , there are so many strong lusts to be parted from , so many isaacks , which every man at some time or other will be called upon to offer up , the which if hee doth not doe , hee will damne his owne soule ; yet untill he is humbled , and shewne what damnation is , he will not buy salvation so deare . for these causes is humiliation necessary in the first place : therefore in the scripture this method is alwayes used , by the prophets , apostles , and christ himselfe , they preached ever repentance and humiliation before sanctification and justification : this was christ order , as you may see , luke . thus did nathan with david , he laboured to humble him , before he told him god had forgiven him . thus did ionas ; yet forty dayes and nineveh shall be destroyed , ion. . thus also god dealt with adam in paradise , he intended to reveale unto him the promises of the gospell , and yet at the first he strikes him downe with terror that made him hide himselfe , then he told him of his sinnes , and after all reveales the gospell unto him , ( the seed of the woman shall breake the serpents head , gen. . ) thus dealt peter with his auditors , acts . , . repent and be baptized every one of you , &c. thus you see that humiliation is so necessary , that without it there is no salvation : let us come in the next place to make some use of it . therefore ( my brethren ) seeing this is so , content not your selves with morality and civility , except you have more in you than nature can give you ; nay , except you be all new , not patched up ; as cor. . except you bee wholly changed and cast into a new mould , being first broken by humiliation , you cannot be saved . try therefore whether now you doe that that others will not doe ; wherein else doth the power of religion consist ? try whether you have denied your selves , and throughly mortified your dearest lust , and what soever the fl●sh desireth ? and whether you bee sicke of sinne ? regard not what the world prizeth , labour you to h●ve yo●r hearts broken , else you may pray , be charitable and loving to oth●rs , and with herod , make a conscience of many things , yet all will stand you in no stead , because it commeth not from an humble heart : for be it never so holy a dutie , never so constantly performed , except it comes from a broken heart , god accepts it not : so the prophet david saith , psal. . , . god careth not for sacrifices , ( and yet they were his ordinances as well as our prayers , ) onely a broken heart was pleasing ●nto him ; and therefore whatsoever you have done from a broken heart , is accepted of god. but here satan deceives men , with gilded things , namely , formall performance of holy 〈◊〉 which when they need them ( as in the day of 〈◊〉 or trouble ) stand them in no stead . as often he coozeneth witches , in giving them money to doe some murders , they laying up the money , and when they have need of it , going to fetch it , have found nothing but dry leaves ; even thus will all the holy duties wee have performed from an unbroken heart faile us . they are like glowormes , they glister greatly in the darke , but when once the sunne comes , their light is nothing . so paul , before he was humbled , hee accounted himselfe a godly man , and none better than he ; but afterward , hee was not worthy ( as hee said ) to be counted an apostle . therefore deceive not your selves any longer , for nothing is more dangerous than an unsound heart , therefore take heed it deceive you not : if you never have beene humbled , now labour to be humbled ; for it was that that made the publican to be justified rather than the pharisie , because hee was humbled and the pharisie was not : and indeed none are further from salvation than those that content themselves with outward formalities . now in humiliation , for our fuller understanding of it , i will explaine these three questions : wherein humiliation doth consist . what kinde of sorrow is required in this humiliation . how we shall know whether our sorrows are true or not . the first question is , wherein consists this true humiliation ? i answer , in three things : . in seeing your life to abound with acutall sinnes , then in looking into your heart and nature , which is wholly corrupted , and the root of all evill , and where your corruption is strongest , as fire in the root . many labour to excuse their sinnes from their nature , because that that is prone unto it ; but that makes their cause the worse , it increaseth their vildnesse ; for , why hast thou such a nature , and dost not curbe it ? besides , their natures are odious to god , though they never should breake out ; as a serpent is odious unto us , though he never hurt us . further , consider , hast thou not made thy nature worse ? every sinne thou hast committed makes it worse ; for actuall sinne doth more increase the custome and habit of sinne ; so that besides adams sinne , thou thy selfe art guilty of corrupting thine owne nature . . in considering that there is nothing in thee that is good at all ; so the apostle saith , rom. . . for i know that in me dwelleth no good thing : and , gal. . . the scripture hath concluded all ( not onely men , but things ) under sinne . men thinke well of themselves , because they have much good in them ; but consider with thy selfe thou hast nothing good in thee at all : can good fruit proceed from an ill tree ? . in smiting thy heart with an apprehension of death , hell , and misery , due to thy sinne ; then wilt thou find thy selfe in a miserable estate , and canst not chuse but be humbled , when in consideration of these things , thy heart smites thee , as belchazzars did him . and so much for the first question . the second question is , what kinde of sorrow is required in this humiliation ? i answer ; not those violent flashings of sorrow , which for a while amaze like a land-stood , but it must be this : when thy judgement is enlightned to see thy estate , and the judgements of god hanging over thee ; and after this convincing , then thy affections are stirred to mourne for thy sinne . if the judgement bee fully convinced , the affections will follow : therefore in scripture , when any is said to be humbled , in those places is shewed that their affections were stirred ; as we may see , acts . in the jaylor : and of peter , it is said of his conversion , he went out and wept bitterly : so also of those , acts . it is said , they were pricked in their hearts : for the ground of their sorrow is the convincing of the judgement , which workes upon the affections ; therefore christ saith , the spirit shall come to convince the world of sinne , &c. ioh. . . the other sorrow not arising from this convincing of the judgement , is but a passion , and so is streight gone ; this is an affection , and so is more permanent although it is stiller , as the deepest water ; are ever stillest . and so much for the second question . the third question is , how shall he know whether these sorrowes of his be true or no ? to this i answer , there is an humiliation not deepe enough , a sleight humiliation ; and there is another too deepe , which so drownes vs in sorrow that it takes away all hope of salvation , and brings despaire , such was the sorrow of iudas and achitophel : but the third and true , is an indifferent betweene both : sometimes there may be an humiliation and no grace , as there may be a plowing and no sowing . but true humiliation differs from other sorrowes thus : first , in the rice of it : both a godly man and an hypocrite may ; first , be wounded with gods wrath : secondly , desire freedome from hell ; but into the godly god doth instill gracious seeds , whereby hee is humbled for sinne as well as hell , and desires grace as well as mercy : but the hypocrite onely desires mercy and freedome from these torments , and therefore when the terrour ceaseth his holinesse and desire of goodnesse ceaseth , and so being eased from the torments , he cares for no more ; but the godly hee desires to be joyned to christ , and to have his lusts mortified . secondly , in the continuance of it : hypocriticall humiliation may be longer or shorter , but it is never constant , it doth vanish ; but true humiliation doth last all the life long . the humiliation of hypocrites is like iron , which while it is hot in the fire you may fashion it which way you will , but when it is once out , it is presently stiffe againe : so pharaoh as long as gods hand was on him , hee would let the people goe , but as soone as the fire of affliction was removed , his heart was hardned , so was ahab and saul . but in true humiliation god takes away the iron heart , & gives an heart of flesh , so that although it may be brawnie a little , yet still it is flesh : hypocrites so long onely as they are under the judgement are soft , but the heart of the godly is alwaies soft . thirdly , by the signes of brokennesse of heart : now brokennesse of heart . heales our sinnes . first , the beloved , the master sinne , and then all the rest : other humiliation skinne over , but cures not ; it stops the streame for a while , but it breakes out againe : it may cause you to make many purposes to leave the sinne ; yea , and to leave it awhile , but you will returne to them againe ; whereas if one bee truly humbled he is stronger against that beloved sin than against any other ; not but that hee hath strong inclinations to that sinne , but hee is more shye of it , and shunnes the occasions of that sinne , because hee hath fully felt the smart of it , and hath by his humiliation seene that sinne more than any other . now after the beloved sinne is once healed , then the other sinnes will soone be healed ; as in a cloth by washing out a deeper staine , the same labour doth wash out lesser staines . . it causeth love of christ : so mary magdalen , because she was humbled much , and saw that christ had forgiven her much , therefore she loved much . so paul , who was much humbled , ever expressed a servent love to christ , as we may see , acts . . where hee saith , having beene perswaded by his friends not to goe to jerusalem , i am ready not to bee bound , but also to dye for the name of the lord iesus : as who should say , i feare nothing , because i care for nothing but christ , so also , cor. . . he saith , the love of christ constraineth mee : and therefore when by humiliation we see what christ hath done for us , we thinke we can never doe enough for him . now you may know if you love christ or not , by these signes : the first signe to know the love of christ , is obedience ; hee that loveth christ , keepeth his commandements , and they are not grievous unto him . the second signe is this ; if you love him , you shall finde in your heart that you love him , your heart will be carried towards him ; as i can tell if i love a man , for then my heart is carried towards him . the third signe to know the love of christ , is this ; it causeth me to esteeme of spirituall things , to prize them at an high rate , and other things little worth : for when a man is soundly humbled , aske him then what he desires most , he will answer christ and grace , and that his corruptions may cease in him ; as for outward things , hee passeth not for them : as a man that sees he must dye , hee cares for no outward wealth , take you that , give him onely the pardon of his sinnes . the fourth signe of the love of christ , is this ; it maketh him content with the meanest condition . the prodigall sonne , when he was humbled , so he might be in his fathers house he was content ; he liked the meanest condition , even to be a servant ; i am unworthy to be thy sonne , make mee as one of thy hired servants , luk. . . so paul , after hee was humbled , thought himselfe unworthy for the saints company , and that not for a fit onely , but even ever after he still cryes out , i am unworthy to be an apostle . thus naomi , returning home to her countrey , said , she went out full , and yet had nothing but her selfe , sonnes , and husband ; she accounted any thing too much for her . if a man once come to be verily perswaded that he is worthy to be destroyed , hee can with patience beare any losses and crosses ; for these are nothing to death , which he knowes he hath deserved ; therefore what impatience soever thou hast , so much art thou short of true humiliation . the fifth signe to know we love christ , is this ; it makes us fearefull of offending god : tendernesse of conscience is ever according to the measure of true humiliation ; for by how much the more we are humbled , by so much doe wee feare to offend god , and labour to walke obediently unto him . esay . . the lord saith , to him will i looke that is poore and of a contrite spirit , and trembleth at my word : if thou art of a contrite heart , thou wilt tremble at his words ; that is , at his commandements ; such an one feares to breake any commandement , he is sensible of the least sinne : hence it is , that prov. . . feare is opposed to hardnesse of heart ; happy is the man that feareth alway , but he that hardneth his heart shall fall into mischiefe : now the opposite to hardnesse , is brokennesse of heart , but feare is opposed to it because it is a signe of brokennesse of heart . now this fearfulnesse stands in two things : . in a facility to be convicted of any sinne ; for he that is not thus broken in heart , stands out with god , and will not yeeld unto him . . in a feare to offend god ; for when hee is once convinced , he labours to doe according to his knowledge ; and then is afraid to displease god , either ▪ in committing the least sinne ; as moses would not leave the least hoofe behinde him ; and as iob feared lest his sonnes should have sinned in heart , iob . . he was so truly humbled , that hee would not sacrifice for owne sinnes onely , but even for his sonnes also , and that the least , the thoughts of their hearts . in omitting the least good duty , or doing it formally ; which thing the hypocrite cannot doe , because he hath not this tendernesse of conscience . the sixth signe of the love of christ , is this ; it makes gods word sweet unto us ; as it was to david , sweeter than the honie and the home-combe : crummes are sweet to an hungry man ; so if a man hunger after the gospell , it will be sweet unto him . indeed if the word be sweetened with humane eloquence , it may bee sweet to one that is carnall ( for so it is pleasing to nature , ) but if the purer it is , and the more it is seperated from those gaudy flowers ; if the more piercing it is , the sweeter it is to us , then it is a signe of a broken heart ; for it is a reproach to those that have not a broken heart , and so it cannot be sweet : as wee may see , ier . where the lord saith , behold , their eare is uncircumcised , and they cannot hearken : behold , the word of the lord is unto them a reproach , they have no delight mit . and againe , the prophet saith , ier. . . thy words were found , and i did eat them , and thy word was unto mee the joy and rejoycing of mine heart : it is joy and rejoycing to those that have a broken heart , as the prophet had : nay , the sharper it is , the more they delight in it . the seventh signe of our love to christ , is this ; it causeth meeknesse of spirit . the spirit that dwellethin us ( before we are humbled ) lusteth after envy , iam. . . now every naturall man is so ; but he that is of a broken heart envieth not , he spends his ●nger on himselfe , and lookes to his owne offences so much , that he regards not others . but some man will here bee ready to object and say , my nature is hasty , and i cannot suppresse it . to this i answer , it is true , every one by nature is a lion ; but grace when that comes , it tur●s us into lambs and meeke sheepe . luk. . . iohn cryes in the wildernesse , prepare the way of the lord , &c. but how ? by humility : every high mountaine and hill shall be digged downe , and the crooked shall be made straight , and the rough wayes shall bee made smooth : humility , which prepareth for christ , diggeth downe those high mountaines , and maketh plaine those rough wayes . i deny not but that somtimes gods child may haue a passion of anger ; yet the peace of god rules in his heart , although that sometimes breakes out as a rebell , but it dwels not in him : christ is meeke , and so are all his . and so much for the third question . now to proceed further in the explication of humiliation , and come to the fourth question , which is this , whether this humiliation must be in all men , as well in those which are well educated , and have fallen into no grosse sinnes , as in others ? i answer , yes ; it must be in all , even this great humiliation here spoken of , else let them goe never so farre , they will in the end fall away : and that is the very reason why so many professors , that have given up their names to follow christ , fall away , because they were never humbled soundly for sinne . yet there is this difference betwixt the humiliation of one brought up well , and a grosse sinner : . the filth of sinne is not so suddenly revealed to those that have beene well brought up , and have some knowledge , and therefore they are not so suddenly smitten , as to those that lived in ignorance all their life long : those that have a light on the sudden , it presently amazeth them ; even so god strikes downe suddenly the grosse sinner , and amazes him with a more violent sorrow and humiliation , than he doth the other . . the joy is not so sudden , nor flashing , nor sensible in him that hath more knowledge ; the medicine is knowne to him as soone as the wound : he knowes christ a saviour offered up for all that are wounded for sinne , and so as soone as he feeles the wound he applies the medicine ; so is not his trouble so irkesome , neither being delivered hath he such sensible joy : for instance , suppose a man be in the way wounded among theeves , and almost killed , so that he saw no meanes of life ; if one , a friend of his , on the sudden should steppe forth and helpe him , hee would be more sensible of it , than such an one as knowing before he shall be robbed , getteth company to goe with him , and so escapes the danger . and so much for the fourth question . the fifth question is this ; what is the least degree of humiliation that must be in one that will be saved ? i answer , it is so much as will bring us home to christ ; that is , so much as will make us apprehend sinne to be the greatest evill in the world , and christ to be the greatest good ; so much as will enable us to make sinne our chiefest sorrow , and christ our chiefest joy : when wee doe so , then whatsoever is offered we neglect for christ , and preferre him . thence is it that the churches are said to rejoyce in christ with joy unspeakeable and glorious , pet. . . for when we apprehend sinne to be the greatest evill , and by christ to beefreed from it , we must needs rejoyce unspeakably . for wee are to know that our conversion consists in threethings : . in being soundly humbled , so that wee see sinne to be the greatest evill in the world . . in stedfastly laying hold of christ , and beleeving in him , so that wee will not part with him for any thing in the world . . in a newnesse of life , walking in obedience to all his commandements : and therefore christ saith , iohn . hee will send the comforter to convince the world of sinne , and righteousnesse : first , to humble for sinne : and in this also there are degrees ; for here one may be humbled more than another , and so thirst after christ more ; but the more wee are humbled , the better we are humbled ; it is a signe god hath a greater worke to doe by us , when we are thus humbled : it is a great fault in us that we are prone to thinke that we are humbled enough , and that our humiliation at our first conversion was enough ; no ( beloved ) our humiliation must not be like a land-flood , that runnes but for a little time , but like a spring running continually ; for all degrees in grace , depending on god , mortification of our lusts , &c. depends on the degrees of our humiliation ; and hee that is the most humbled , would be much more if he saw himselfe to be the better . and so much for the fifth question . the sixth question is this , how shall we come to be thus humbled ? i answer , by the law ; for though the whole act of our humiliation is wrought by the law and the gospell , rom. . yet that humiliation which i now urge , is that legall humiliation which is wrought by the law : by the law , i meane not onely the ten commandements , but the rectitude of our persons to the whole scripture , which is the exposition of them : first , consider therefore how much perfection gods word requireth , then how short you come of that perfection ; this is one meanes . i but some man will bee ready to say , i have done what i could , and yet i am not humbled . to this i answer , it is not the law alone that must humble us , but it must be joyned with the spirit of bondage ; for as to make the gospell effectuall there is required the spirit of consolation , and a faith to beleeve it ; so to make the law effectuall there is required the spirit of bondage , and faith proportionable . the spirit of bondage is that which enlightneth us to see the bondage wherein we are by reason of our sinnes , and then is required a faith to beleeve the threats against those sinnes ; for faith is required to beleeve gods threats as well as his promises ; faith in the generall being nothing but a lifting us up to see what nature cannot : for when the uncleane person is threatned he is not moved because he beleeves not . but here some man will be ready to object and say , afflictions often humbleus , therefore it is not the law that doth it . to this i answer , afflictions , as the plow , make way , but it is the seed of the law sowne in our hearts that must humble us : indeed those notions , which they had before , are in afflictions made to seem otherwise then before : but we must take heed that afflictions cause not worldly sorrow , for that is the applying of the corrosive to a whole place . now you must know that there is an extraordinary humiliation which god at some times workes in some men ; we urge not to that , ( god workes that in whom he pleaseth , and intendeth to make extraordinary , ) wee urge to the ordinary humiliation . now the meanes to attaine that , are these five : the first meanes to aftaine humiliation , is , to enter into a serious consideration of our estate , as the prodigall sonne did ; he is said , luk. . to come to himselfe , and consider that his father had enough , and he starved . so every one of us should doe : consider first , the greatnesse of thy sinnes in particular , and make catalogues of them . and then secondly , let our actuall sinnes leade us to our corrupt heart , which is the root of all . so god dealt with the children of israel , deut. . . where it is said , god led them forty yeares in the wildernesse , to humble them , and to prove them , and to know what was in their hearts , &c. hee himselfe knew it well enough , but by their sinnes he would make it knowne to themselves and others . so also god dealt with hezekias , chron. . . where it is said , god left him , to try him , and to know all that was in his heart . hezekiah had a proud heart , and god left him to himselfe , not that god might know what was in his heart , but that hee himselfe might know . so god tels the israelites , ezek. . . yee shall remember your owne evill wayes , and your doings that were not good , and shall loath your selves in your owne sight for your iniquity , &c. thirdly , having thus considered your sinnes , consider gods wrath , and the certainty of it ; the wrath of a king is the messenger of death , what then is the wrath of almighty god ? even as the power of god is more than the power of man , so is his wrath also : as long as he lives , so long will he punish thee in hell . the consideration of this made moses breake out , psal. . and say , who knowes the power of his wrath ? paul is in great heavinesse for the iewes , rom. . and as god shewed his almighty power in making of man , so will he in destroying and punishing . and this wrath of his shall fall upon the most sensible part of man , viz. the soule , which as it is capable of the greatest measure of joy , so is it capable of the greatest measure of griefe . what is god but infinite ? what is his wrath but infinite ? under it thou shalt most wish for death , which now thou most fearest . the second meanes to obtaine humiliation , is , to stay a great while on this consideration , to suffer sorrow to abide on our hearts ; for it is the oft and serious consideration that effects this : and therefore we may learne something from sathan , when he would drive a man to despaire , he oft puts thoughts of gods wrath due unto our sinnes into our mindes , hee holds the object close unto our mindes , and so letteth us thinke of nothing else . it is the frequent and seirous consideration of these things that humbleth us : this was that that humbled david , psal. . my sinne was alwaies before me : so iam. . . cleanse your hands ye sinners , and purifie your hearts yee double minded : how is that done ? vers . . be afflicted and mourne : all waveringnesse and instability comes from the corruption of the heart , and therefore cleanse that ; and the way to cleanse that is to be humbled ; and the way to be humbled is to sequester your selfe from all carnall mirth ( though else lawfull ) and stay on these considerations . the third meanes is this ; if you cannot see sinne in it selfe , labour to see it in his effects . all miseries which you feele in your selfe , or know in others , are the fruits of it ; and this will make you say , it is a bitter thing to sinne ; so peter in his second epistle and second chapter , by this effect aggravates sinne , where he shewes it was for sinne that the angels were throwne downe into hell , that the old world was drowned , that sodome and gomorrah were destroyed . the fourth meanes to attaine humiliation is , to make these evils present before you by faith : as in an opticke glasse , those things that are a far off will seeme neere to those that looke in it ; so these by faith should seeme at the very doore : it may be the not considering them as present makes them not affect you ; for what is a farre off , although it be in it selfe feareful , yet is not feared , as death , &c. therefore set hell before your eyes , and see it as present before you . make present unto you these two things : all sinnes past : a thing that is past vs will seeme small unto us , though it be as great as ever it was before , and so doe our sinnes to us : we usually doe as men that leave something behinde them , when they are far gone they thinke it is but a little , and therefore they will not returne for it ; so we being far off from our sinnes , they seeme little unto us , but we must remember the day of our iniquity . let us therefore make them our sinnes present , god he esteemes them as great as ever they were , let us doe so therefore , let them seeme abominable to us : thus did iob possesse the sinnes of his youth . . things future : as gods judgements , which are neere at hand , and lye at the doore , as god saies to cain , although they seeme to us a farre off : but this is satans cunning to deceive us ; he is as a painter , who by the collusion of colors makes things seeme far off which are nigh ; so he makes gods wrath which lyes at our doore , seeme a farre off , when as it may bee it will light on us the next day . the fifth meanes to attaine humiliation , is , to take heed of all such false shifts whereby you may seeme to keepe off the blow of gods law from lighting on you : wee are never moved with these considerations untill all shifts are removed ; so that wee see nothing but death , and then we tremble . the shifts by which men thinke to keepe off the blow of gods judgments , and so with-hold themselves from being humbled , are these eight : civilitie ; this gloworme of civility so glittereth in the darke , that wee thinke it to bee a true sparke of grace , but where the spirit shines wee shall finde it false : and as the divell deludeth witches , in giving them leaves instead of silver and gold , so doth hee deale with thee here ; for except there be a supernaturall frame of thy hear● , there is not cause of comfort notwithstanding all thy civility : and therefore thou must bee sure to have something in thee more than nature , for civility will not bring to heaven . formall performance of holy duties ; as praying , reading , &c. that puffes men up , and keeps them from humiliation . if you either omitted them altogether , then your conscience would checke you ; or performed them well , then your heart would be bettered , and you would be humbled : but this formall doing of them keepes the heart dead and senslesse . remember therefore that no sacrifice is acceptable to god , but that that comes from a broken heart , psal. . the badnesse of your nature ; you would doe better , but your nature is so bad that you cannot . but remember , first , that that aggravates your sinne , and god likes you the worse for that , and will the hardlier pardon you ; even as wee our selves are readiest to pardon an offence in a good nature . secondly , your selfe is the cause of the badnesse of your nature : god gave you in adam a good nature , but you have lost it , and since by many sinnes have made it worse by farre . gods mercy : he is mercifull , therefore you will not feare : but what if hee be mercifull , hee calls not thee , thou art not burdened with thy sinnes , he cals onely such , come unto mee all ye that are heavy laden , and i will ease you . what hast thou to doe with mercy , which seest not thy misery ? thou hast no part in it , as iehu said to iezabell . the making conscience of many things ; so herod did many things after iohns preaching ; so the gentiles did by nature the things contained in the law , yet were without god , rom . but there is no example like unto that of amazia , chron. . . he did that which was right in the sight of the lord for a long time , but not with a perfect heart . one may make conscience of praying in private , and of doing many good duties , and yet have no true grace , but doe all out of a naturall conscience for feare of punishment . . because judgements come not swiftly , and are not speedily executed , ministers threaten but they feele nothing : but wee must know , that the lesse afflictions we have had , the more are behind ; and i know not a more miserable condition than this is ; it is a most dangerous signe thou art ordained to death , when thou art thus let alone vnpunisht : as we use to say , when men are frequently sicke there is no danger of death , but when they never have beene sicke , and at length fall into it , it is very dangerous ; so it is to be feared , that when once god beginnes with thee , hee will make an end , as hee threatned to hophnie and phincas ; hee will so strike , that he will not strike twice : so that nothing can be worse , than for a sinner to goe on without trouble . . men judge their estates and sinnes in a false ballance of opinion : none ( say they ) thinke ill of them , but a few that are more precise than wise . but consider : that ministers are onely the men by whom ye beleeve , not whom ye should beleeve : take our words but so farre forth as they are proved unto you by scripture ; and if they be true , then ( although few be of that minde ) yet you ought to beleeve them . consider whether that latitude of religion which thou stickest unto , and hopest to bee saved by , will serve thee on thy death-bed , and at the day of judgement . . consider that it is the part of holy men , and of none else , to discerne which are the wayes of god : every one is to be beleeved in his owne art , therefore beleeve them . men thinke that it concernes onely some to bee holy , as ministers , &c. and not all . i will answer such with the saying of wisedome , the way of godlinesse is too high for a foole : if thou wert wise , thou wouldest thinke it concerned thee also . now i beseech you ( brethren ) humble your selves , and so much the rather , because now the time and necessity of the church requires it , now while shee is thus in her mourning gowne seeke not after your profits and pleasures , drinke not wine in bowles , use not now the liberties that otherwise lawfully you might . remember that saying of vriah , sam. . . the arke , and israel , and iudah abide in tents , and my lord ioab , and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields , shall i then goe into my house to eat and to drinke , and to lye with my wife ? &c. and doe as daniel did , chap. . now practise all the parts of humiliation , now gods church needeth it ; although you your selves were free , yet humble your selves for the sinnes of others ; continually pray to god for them . remember what god threatneth to those , esa. . . that when he called to mourning , they followed their pleasure ; hee saith , he will not forget it to the death : so esa. . . god is angry with all that neglect this duty , and will not bee stirred up to performe it ; but those that doe call on him he will heare . the unrighteous iudge , luk. . was overcome by importunity , and then much more will god : if we humble our selves , as mordecay , ester . . concluded excellently , their deliverance shall arise from another place ; so may we ; then certainly the church shall stand , and antichrist shal fall , as a mill-stone into the sea , never to rise up againe . i grant hee may rage very farre , he hath raged farre already , and how farre more he shall rage , god onely knowes ; yet in the end , certaine it is he shall fall , & the church shall stand . let us all therefore be humbled , you which have not yet begunne this humiliation , now beginne ; and yee which have begunne , bee stedfast therein , knowing that your labour shall not bee in vaine in the lord. mercy to be found in christ. the next thing to be shewed after this doctrine that wee are dead in sinne , is the meanes of recovering our life , and that is by christ , as it is in the text ( you hath hee quickened that were dead , &c. ) hee , that is , chist hath done it . hence learne this doctrine of comfort , as a refreshing cordiall next after the bitter potion of humiliation . that : whosoever will come to christ , may come and finde mercy , rev. . . whosever will , let him taste of the waters of life freely . here i will shew : what is meant by will ( whosoever will ) that is , he that will receive christ with all his conditions , to be his lord and his ruler , &c. whosoever will thus take christ hee may : if wee would take christ before wee were humbled we might , but till we be humbled we will not take him . it is christ that gives life , but till we be hungry we wil not take him and eat him : the sunne enlighteneth , but the window lets it in ; christ gives life , but our hungring after him makes us eat him , which we will not doe untill wee be humbled . may come to christ ] that is , receive him , and beleeve in him ; it is but laying hold of him when hee sees he must perish , as a man that is falling into the sea , casts himselfe on a rocke , and there will lie and rest ; so wee seeing wee must perish without him ; wee clap hold on him , and will not leave him for any persecution or pleasure . whosoever will ] it is generally propounded ; for christ is a common fountaine , he that will , may come ; as iohn . , . if any man thirst , let him come unto mee and drinke : hee that beleeveth in mee , as saith the scripture , out of his belly shall flow living waters : and againe , iob. . . god gave his onely begotten sonne , that whosoever beleeved in him , should not perish , but have everlasting life . as the old adam was a common root of sinne and damnation ; so is christ the second adam , of grace and salvation : as at the yeere of iubilee , when the trumpet sounded , whosoever would might goe free , but if any would be sollavish as to serve , they might ; so now to christ , now he calleth , whosoever will , may goe free and be delivered ; but if there be any so flavish minded as to stay , they may . the grounds of this doctrine why i thus generally deliver it , are these : because else there were no ground of our faith ; faith must have a ground of scripture , and the scripture makes no particular promise to any man ; it saith not , thou thomas , or thou iohn , shalt be saved , but it faith , whosoever will , let him come , and drinke freely of the water of life : then we say , but i will ; therefore on this ground is the strength of faith , that whosoever will , may come . because faith is about things that are ; faith presupposeth his object : god gives the generall promise , whosoever will beleeve , shall be saved : this is the object of faith , this premised the faith followeth ; and is the the cause of all the consequences , as that christ is mine , i am sanctified , justified , &c. these follow faith , but the object is before , viz. that whosoever wil come to christ , may : as , if i beleeve the world is created , then it must first be created ; so if i beleeve , i shall be saved , if i goe to christ , then i must first have this , for to beleeve , that whosoever will come to christ , may come . to exhort so many as are humbled for sinne , and see what need they have of christ , to come to him to be quickened ; the fountaine is opened , so that , be thy sinnes never so many , or great however , committed of knowledge after many vowes or covenants , yet if thou art so touched and humbled for thy sinnes , that thou truely thirstest after christ , if thou wilt take him , thou maist . to those onely that are humbled is this wide doore of comfort opened ; art thou but humbled , let thy sinne be never so great , suppose it be of murther , uncleannesse , &c. let them be aggravated with all the circumstances , yet if thou canst be but humbled , and then lay hold on christ thou maiest , read cor. . . see what great sinnes those were , how can you name greater ? neither fornicator , nor idolater , nor adulter , nor effeminate , now abusers of themselves with mankind , nor theeves , nor covetous , nor drunkards , nor revilers , not extortioners , shall inherit the kingdome of god. and such were some of you : but yee are washed but ye are sanctified , but ye are iustified , &c. nay , suppose you have not one jot of holinesse , nor of godly sorrow , yet doe but take christ , and hee is thine . to looke for sorrow and holinesse before thou takest christ , is to looke for life before the soule . therefore doe but take him and hee is thine : for , the promise is free without any condition ; if godly sorrow and grace were required , it were not free ; godly sorrow and grace followes faith , but are not required before it . the promise is generall , mark. . . goe yee unto all the world , and preach the gospell to every creature : if therefore there be any poore soule touched with his sinnes , so as hee will doe or suffer any thing for christ , to him i speake comfort , to him christ doth belong , thou maiest have christ if thou wilt . but some man will here be ready to object and say , then every one will take him . to this i answer , every one would take him for a saviour , but there be conditions following after , though not going before faith : if you beleeve hee is your saviour , you must beleeve hee is your lord , you must serve him in all his commands , and leave all your sinnes , which none will doe , untill they see that without him they cannot but perish : and none but they will take him , whom , when they have taken him , he descendeth into them , and quickeneth them , and animates them , and makes them like himselfe . as fire doth yron , to have the same qualities which fire hath , although not the same degrees . thus when a man , humbled for sinne , longeth after christ , and receives him , christ enters into him , and gives him a threefold life : the life of guiltlesnesse , by which wee are free from the guilt of sinne . the life of grace . the life of joy . thus hee quickeneth those which are dead in trespasses and sinnes . hitherto of the first verse , we come now to the second . continuance in sinne dangerovs . ephes. . vers . . wherin in times past ye walked according to the course of this world , according to the prince of the power of the aire , the spirit that now ruleth in the children of disobedience , &c. after the apostle had proved these ephesians , to whom hee writes , to be dead in trespasses and sinnes ; here in the next verse hee proceeds to confirme his dorctrine , by proving them to be dead men from the signes of death , which are three : that they walked : according to the course of the world : according to the prince of the aire : in the lusts of the flesh . these are the guides by whom they were led , the world , the flesh and the divell : where such guides lead a man , hee is like to runne a good course . now the point of doctrine that ariseth from the first of these , is : that whosoever walketh in any course of sinne , is a dead man , and the child of wrath : that is , if there be any ruling lust in a man , so that hee followes it , and it commandeth him , that man is in the estate of condemnation . this is plaine , rom. . . there is no condemnation to those which are in christ iesus , who walke not after the flesh , but after the spirit . if there be no condemnation to those which walke after the spirit ; then certainely there is condemnation to those which walke after the flesh : so likewise , rom. . . sin hath no dominion over you , for you are not under the law , but under grace ; that is , if sin hath but dominion over you , then were you in the estate of death : if but any lust hath dominion over you , so that you must yeeld obedience to it , you are not in the estate of grace , but of damnation : and the reason hereof is vers . . because , you are the servants of sinne , ( for his servants you are whom you obey . ) suppose you have but any one predominant sinne , it is enough to damme thee . there are some that can deny the sin of lusts , but for to leave their company , that they cannot doe : againe , some can leave their company , but by no meanes will part with the sinne of lust ; some can part with both : but for their riches , they will not part with a penny ; and so for other particulars , many will be content to part with some of their sins , but one is so sweet , that they will not part with it . but let all such know , that if they have but any one sinne to rule and reigne so in them , that they must needs obey it ; if it be so sweet unto them , that they cannot leave it , they are in the estate of condemnation : yea , if they continue but in any one knowne sinne , for there is but one way to heaven , but by-waies a thousand : now , if thou takest but one by-way , it will leade thee from heaven as well as if twenty ; for the right way to hit the marke , is but one , but there are many by-waies wherein we may misse . i added , whosoever walketh in any knowne sinne . indeed , a man may sometimes by chance slip out of the way into some sinne ; but i meane not such a man , but him that maketh some sinne his continuall walke . but every one will be ready to say ; this is a hard saying , and who can indure it ? i will therefore shew you some reasons for it . the first reason is , because , that whosoever walketh in any knowne sinne , is overcome of sinne , and whosoever is overcome of sinne cannot be saved . indeed , a godly man may oftentimes be foiled , but never is overcome , and at the last getteth the victory : but when a man assimulates himselfe to sinne , and without any reluctation is overcome of it , striving no more against it , as fire when it is ouercome by water , that man is certainely in the estate of condemnation . this is the meaning of the apostle peter , pet. . . while they promise them libertie , they themselves are the servants of corruption , for of whom a man is overcome , of the same hee is brought in bondage : if any sinne overcome thee , thou art in the estate of damnation . it will not serve our turne , to use those weake excuses , which commonly is our plea ; to say , wee cannot leave them , because we are flesh and blood , and they are naturally in us . the second reason is , because , whosoev●r walketh in any knowne sinne , in him sinne is predominant , and hath the chiefe command , and where that hath the chiefe command and rules , god hath no place ; for the motion followes the predominant element ; if godlinesse be predominant , that moves us and rules us ; if sinne be predominant in us , that rules us . as a man speaketh out of the abundance that is in his heart , so also he worketh out of the abundance that is in his heart . this is plaine , for when christ would shew their hearts to be bad , hee biddeth them consider their speech ; and if he could gather the naughtinesse of their hearts by their speech , then certainly much more by their actions and workes . i , but some may say , i have a secret sinne in my heart , yet it breaketh not forth ; i keepe it in , and will not suffer it to come out , and so long it is not predominant , neither doth it beare rule , neither doth he walke after it , but covers it . i answer , they have so , and though they doe not walke after them , yet they are not the better for that , for god judgeth according to the inward heart , he judgeth according to the heaven we aime at in our owne hearts , he feeth the secret bent of the heart which way it is ; it may seeme contrary to the eyes of men , but hee judgeth not according to the outward appearance , but hee judgeth with righteous judgement . the third reason is , because , that whosoever lyeth in any knowne sinne , is an hypocrite , and no hypocrite can be saved , though he doth other things never so well ; for such an one hangeth not like the sprigge , but like a bough that is almost rent off the olive tree , which can never prosper . if he did but a little , and yet did it in sinceritie , it would be accepted , whereas , while he doth much , yet in hypocrisie , god regardeth it not . this i finde by comparing these two places together . cron. . . and cron. . . in the first place it is said , that amazia did that which was right in the sight of the lord , but not with a perfect heart , and therefore god rejected him : the meaning is , that he was not throughout perfect , but had some secret sinne in him , therefore god rejected him . now , in the other place , it is said , the hears of asa was perfect all his daies ; yet as we may read , he had many infirmities : as he put not away the high places : he relied upon the king of egypt : he trusted on the physicians : he put the prophet into prison . yet notwithstanding all these infirmities , it is said , his heart was perfect , because that these did not rule in him : for , where there is found humiliation wrought in any man , he , though these through infirmity may be in him , yet he walketh not after them ; and then only humiliation is good , when a man is desirous to be rid of his sinnes ; and this the hypocrite wanteth , because there is rottennesse at the core , and his heart is not truly sound . the fourth reason is , because that hee that walketh but in any one knowne sinne , if he had but tentation unto other sinnes , he would runne into them also . thence is that of the apostle iames . , . whosoever shall keep the whole law , and yet offend in one point , is guiltie of all ; his meaning is , that if such a man had but as strong tentations unto other sins , he would commit them also ; for if a man doeth any duty out of sincerity , he would do all , because that god commandeth all , as it followeth in the same place : for he that said , doe not commit adulterie , said also , doe not kill : now , if thou commit not adulterie , yet if thou kill , thou art become a transgressor of the whole law. for , looke what sinne soever thou art tempted unto , the same thou wilt commit , and if a hundred tentations should as much beset thee , thou wouldest yeeld to them all as well as to one . for the better meaning of the point , here it may be demanded , what this walking is . to this i answer , it is a metaphor taken from the manner of men in their most usuall and ordinary carriage of themselves ; and therefore it needes some explanation , because it is a figurative speech . now it is discerned by these foure things . first , see what way a man chooseth to walke in ; if a man by accident happeneth to fall into some by-path , where lies not his journy , that way is not of his choosing , hee is not said to walke in that way : psal. . . there david saith , i have chosen the way of truth , thy iudgements have i laid before me . his meaning is , when hee did wholly consider what journie to take , then hee fell into gods path , and went in his waies ; this was his resolution . if then after consideration thou hast a full purpose and inward resolution to go in the paths of righteousnesse , thou walkest right . see what way thou goest forward in , for that way thou walkest in ; if a man choose a way , and goe not on in that way , it is nothing : david , psal. . . saies , i will runne the way of thy commandements , when thou shalt inlarge my heart . but many are here deceived , they thinke they have chosen the waies of god , and yet go on in the waies of sinne ; if they would walke aright , they must hold on the paths of goodnesse . see what companions and guides you choose for your journie ; if thou professe thou hast chosen the waies of god , and yet dost delight in the same sinfull pleasures thou didest desire , thou maiest say what thou wilt , but certein it is , that thou art the same man thou wert : for davids resolution , when hee walked in this path , was quite contrary , he saies , away from me yee that worke iniquitie , for i will now keepe the commandements of my god. and this is laid downe in the text : if therefore wee follow the same guides , the world , the flesh and the divell , wee still go wrong , and are not yet in the right way . see what provision thou makest for the place before thou come thither ; see whether thou seekest god or the divell . a man that is to travell into italy , or any other country to trafficke there , will be sure to provide afore hand for his journie ; doe thou likewise , see for what country thou bringest exchange for ; if thou laist out all here for heaven , it is a signe thou art travelling thither ; but if wee will make shipwracke of a good conscience , and all our care is to gaine here , it is a plaine signe we walke not aright ; and that wee mind nothing lesse than heaven . now , thus much for the meaning of walking . the uses follow : this should be a triall for us to examine ourselves , whether wee be living men or no ; for if we be living , then we walke , and if wee walke , then wee are to see whether we walke in the right way or not ; for , this is the scope of the aposte here . now , this we may know by that place , rom. . . there is no condemnation to them which are in christ iesus , who walke not after the flesh , but after the spirit : his meaning is , by this yee shall know , whether ye are in christ jesus or not , if ye are in christ , yee walke not after the flesh , but after the spirit . this is a sure place of triall , and a true touchstone . and this triall is very necessarie for us ; because , that men live in the church as corne lies in the barne , after it is thresht in the floore . it is called corne from the more worthy part , and that rightly ; yet there is more chaffe than corne in the heap , and therefore it is necessary that the fanne should come and discerne the chaffe from the true corne : so in the church , there is need of the fanne also , to winnow the good corne from the chaffe . let men therefore by these two rules examine themselves : see if it be a knowne sinne . see if you continue in any sinne . see if it be a knowne sinne . a good man may continue in sinne , and yet be perfect before god , if hee know it not to be a sinne ; as the patriarkes lay in polygamie , yet it was not acounted of before god , because they knew it not to be a sinne : there were many good kings continued in it , but if they had knowne it to be a sinne , they would have forsaken it , and therefore , for all that they are said to serve god : as for example , a good subject may be said to be obedient to his prince , when it may be he doeth not that which at that time is his princes will ; because , that if he knew what were his princes will , he would doe it : but if a man willingly commits treason , he cannot be said to be a faithfull subject ; so he that sinnes against knowledge , cannot be a good man. see if thy sinne be continued in . it is the continuance in sin that makes thee the in estate of condemnation : if it be a knowne sin a man fals into , yet if he continue not therin , this is no argument against him , for the godliest man upon occasion may fall , but such a man is not himselfe . hence is that saying , he was not himselfe when hee did it : but as for those that make a common trade of sinning , they cannot say , but that they are themselves in the cōmitting thereof . in the godly , as paul said , rom. . . now , then , it is no more i that do it , but sinne that dwelleth in mee . it is not they , but sinne that still remaineth in them : yet the sinne , though it be in them after their regeneration , yet it hath no possession as it had before . take heed therefore , that although thou hast the same occasions offered thee as before thou haddest , yet thou dost not continue in it , but totally absteine therefrom , for a wicked man may a great while , even , a whole yeer , absteine from some sin , and yet be said to lie in it , because , that if he had the same occasions offered as before he had , he would have committed the same sinne as before hee did . let every man therefore looke backe unto his owne heart , and consider with himselfe , whether he is not the same man he was ; some had their delight in covetousnesse , some in pleasure , some in preferment , some in credit , examin now your selves , and see whether thou dost not delight in the same things still ; see if thou dost not continue still in them , and c̄omit them usually , and so judge of it accordingly . but here men may make many evasions , and find many doubts , that it is no knowne sin , that they lie not in it , and the like . therefore , to the end i may make it plaine , i will reduce all to these five heads : the first question shall be this , when it is a knowne sinne , for the hypocrite will be ready to find an evasion about this ; as for the breaking of the sabbath , for covetousnesse and the like , they will say they are no sinnes , how shall they know they are sinnes ? to this i answer , the sparkes of conscience will glow in the midst of this darknesse , that will grudge at that sin , and then be sure it is a knowne sin , though it doe but whisper against it . if therefore thy conscience tells thee , that such and such things are naught , and to be avoided , ( although it may be for a time thou maiest keepe downe thy conscience , and sufferest it not to speake out for the noise thy lusts make ) yet , when thou shalt come to lie upon thy death-bed , and at the last day , when thou shalt appeare before god in judgement , then for certaine shalt thou find these to be sins , and that to thy cost : thou now wilt be ready to say some thing , and put away thy sin from thee , but that will not serve the turne ; harken therefore now to thy conscience , and see whether that doth not tell thee , such and such things are sinfull . here it may be demanded ; a godly man sometimes may have a scruple in conscience , whether he is to doe such or such things ; now therefore wherein lies the difference betweene the scruple of the godly , and ignorance of the wicked . to this i answer , indeed there is a great difference betweene the scruple of the godly , and the ignorance that is in the wicked , and the murmuring and accusing of a guilty conscience . there are three signes whereby they may be discerned : for the guilty conscience ; when he lies in a knowne sin , and his conscience tells him it is a sin , he makes no inquiry after it , but he findes such a sweetnesse in it , that his heart is ingaged to it , he cannot speake against it , nay , he resolves to sin , yea , and whensoever he is reproved for it , he is very angry . but on the contrary side , for him that hath a scruple in conscience might he but be informed of it that it were a sinne , hee would fain know it , and with all his heart leave it . therefore he doth but inquire and labour by all meanes to know if it be a sin , and no sooner doth he know it to be a sin , but he forsaketh it . thou maiest discerne of it by the subject matter of their scruple : if it be a hard knot and question , then it may be in a good man , and such an one should gather the soundest and best reasons , and see what side is most probable , and that he must follow . but on the contrary side , if it be an easie matter of morality , then thou art the more to be suspected , for the morall law is ingrafted into our hearts . for an instance , if it be about the neglect of the sabbath , or about company keeping , and the like , the conscience that is a virgin , and never will be corrupted , that will tell thee these things , and perswade thee of them : indeede , sometimes thou maiest have a seared conscience , past feeling , and then , when once thy conscience hath done telling of thee , then thou art in a pittifull case . thou maiest discerne of them by the rest of their actions ; if they have a good conscience , they will be troubled about that , and the rest of their life will be good : but thou maiest quickly gather whether it be a raging sin or no , for then they will doe all things on the other side , and one known sin drawes on another , and the falsenesse of their hearts will be discerned in other things also ; for one raigning sin is like to a disease that weakneth all the faculties of the body : for even so that weakneth all the faculties of the soule . and so much of the first question . the second question is this , he that is a carnall man may say , i doe many good things as well as others , and although i doe sometime sin , yet i allow not my selfe therein ; and what can a godly man doe or say more ? to this i answer : godly men and wicked may goe farre together , but in themselves they differ much . therefore first , i will shew how farre they may be said to agree and differ , and secondly , how they may be discerned . . in these things they agree and differ . first , both may agree in the way , and yet differ in the end , their journeies end may be . several places : for the end of all that a godly man doth , is the glory of god ; but the good which a wicked man doth , is either out of some present feare , or hope , or flashes of conscience , or for som by-respects , so that in al he aimes most at his owne profit ; it proceedeth not from the inward man , a new regenerated heart , as it doth in the godly : for example , suppose a man travelling , and by chance fall into london road , because it is coincident with his way , and not because his journey lies to london , but only for that is his readiest and perhaps cleanest way ; now wee cannot say , that man tends to london for all that , because here the denomination is taken from the utmost end of his journy . . they both agree and differ for the disapproving of evill : i know that this may be in the wicked a disapproving of evil , as well as in the godly : wherefore we are to know that there is a twofold disapproving of evill . . that that ariseth from a principle nature , in conscience . . from a true principle of regeneration . if thy disallowing of sin doth but arise from a naturall conscience , that is nothing . but if it be from a principle of regeneratiō , that is , from a new disposition that is wrought in us , if from it we disallow sin , our case is good . but now the signes whereby we shall discerne betweene these two , are three : the first signe is this ; if thou dost disallow thy selfe in sinne from a new principle of regeneration , thou wilt absteine from sin with delight , and settle upon goodnesse , as a stone , or any other heavy thing rests in its centre , for working with a habit , is working with delight , when a man sets himselfe against sin with all might and maine , then it is a true signe . but now for the naturall conscience , let him be but out of his old company he is out of his element whatsoever good thing he doth , lie doth it not with the whole bent of his spirit , but it seemes tedious unto him . the second signe whereby you may discerne the natural conscience , is sin ; if he loveth those that continue in such sins as he doth ; if he be a drunkard , he doth delight in drunkards , if a gamester , he doth delight in gamesters : for he never comes to the contrary grace , but hath pleasure in them that commit the same sins but the regenerate man , hee that hath a heart changed , his heart riseth against such men . therefore , rom. . . it is said , who knowing the iudgement of god ( that they which cōmit such things , are worthy of death ) not onely doe the same , but have pleasure in them that doe them . if this is reckoned as one of the sins of the gentiles , not onely to commit sins themselves , but also to take pleasure in those that commit the same sins . when therefore a man hates them that love goodnes , and favoureth and delighteth in those that are evill , it s a great signe the heart is not changed ; for the scripture makes that a lesse signe of a dead man , to doe evill , than to favour them that doe it . on the contrary side , for a man to favour good men and goodnesse and hate sin , it is a great signe of a regenerated man ; when , as the wise man saith , prov. . . the unjust man is an abomination to the just . the third signe whereby you may discerne it , is this , if thy disallowance of sinen arise from a true principle of regeneration , it will transforme the whole man ; as a sprig being once ingrafted into the stocke , will change the whole nature of the stocke . for looke what the will is set upon , that wil change the whole man , and draw that after it ; see therefore now what thy speeches and delights are , if thy disallowance of sinne arise from a good principle , they are true . on the contrary side , the naturall conscience that doth not transforme the whole man , but onely in some few things ; though it disallow of sinne , yet it will goe on in sin ; and such men hold , or as the word in the originall is , ( rom. . . ) they imprison the truth in unrighteousnesse . their consciences beinlightned , they keepe it , and imprison it in that faculty ; the conscience that telleth us what to doe , and yet there is no general amendment in us . and this is a great signe wee are not inwardly changed . and so much for the second question . the third question is this ; godly men oftentimes relapse and goe backe againe and againe , and often fall into the same sin , and they know it to be a sin : how therefore shall i distinguish betweene this relapsing and lying in sin ? to this i answer : you shall distinguish it by these . signes : the first signe is this , a godly man never relapses into purposes of sinning , hee doth not before hand premeditate and think of the pleasantnesse and sweetnesse thereof : and after this manner is it said , he that is borne of god cannot sinne ; for hee is overcome of sin but upon some occasion . but the wicked man after hee hath committed sin , doth purpose to doe it againe ; so that hee cannot be properly said to fall into sin againe , because in purpose hee never left it . the second signe is this ; looke what sinne a carnall man lyeth in , that is his beloved sinne , he favoureth it most , and would not be crossed in it , he cannot abide to be told and admonished of that sinne . now it is otherwise with the godly man , he favoureth not himselfe herein , but that sinne which he is most ready to fall into , he is gladdest to heare that condemned , he is very willing to heare the preacher speake against that . as for the wicked man hee must not be touched , hee is like a lame man which cannot indure to be stirred , so he cannot abide that his beloved sin should bee spoken against . . there is a great difference in these two things . . the godly man falls not into it so often as he did before . . hee falls not into it after the same manner . . he falls not so often as he did before . he doth greatly resist it , the being and essence of sinne is not still in him , though it may be in part ; if the same occasions bee set before him , yet he is not drawne away as hee was before . as for the wicked man , he is the same he was , and upon every slight occasion he will be drawne away ; he cannot absteine from sinning , because that sinne is not weakend , but is full still in him . for the manner : although he doth sometimes slip , yet it is with great griefe and reluctation , hee is more sorry for it alwaies , and every time gets ground of it , and strength against it . but as for the wicked man it is nothing so , hee doth it with as much joy as ever he did , hee findeth as much sweetnesse in it as ever he did before . so then we see there is a plaine difference between the relapses of the godly , and the wickeds lying in sin . and so much for the third question . the fourth question , or rather an objection , is this : no body can doe all things , the best of us are sinners , we are but flesh and blood , which is fraile , the best have some imperfections ; and therefore , who is it that sinneth not ? to this i answer , it is true that all men are sinners , the godly offend as well as the wicked , yea , the godly offend often , and much ; but yet there is a double difference between the offences of the godly and the wicked . the hypocrite hath alwaies some predominant and ruling sin in him , wherein he favoureth himselfe , so that all he doth must have respect to it , and where religion crosses that it must give place , and there must be a bawlking of good duties , if it be against it . but as for the godly , in them there is no predominant sinne , it may be now one infirmity starts up , then another , but downe they goe againe , none can get the victory over him . the hypocrite hath some dominering sinne , in which he will be favoured , but as for the godly man , he desires none to spare him . there is a great difference in the manner ; a wicked man doth it as his proper worke , his delight and his glory , hee acts himselfe in it . but the godly man , he acts not himselfe in committing such a sinne , it is not he that sins , but something that is in him , and he is very sorry afterwards that he was so foolishly overtaken therewith . one man may weare a chaine for an ornament , another for a fetter , and would with all his heart be rid of it : so it is with the godly man , his sin is a burthen unto him , and he would be very glad to be rid of it , but to the wicked man it is no burthen , but he rejoyceth in it , he accounteth it all his pleasure , he reckons it a losse to be hindred in his way , or to leave it . the godly man he esteemeth it as very hurtfull , he knowes it hinders him , so that he cannot doe that he would . the godly man , he entertaines sin as a theefe , but the wicked man as a welcome guest . and so much for the fourth question . the fifth and last question is this , how shall wee distinguish betweene the purposes of the wicked and of the godly , because that oft times both seeme to be good ; and there be many men that have good purposes , and do but very little . to this i answer , the purposes of the hypocrite are weake , and bring nothing to passe , but as they rise , so they presently vanish againe , but the godly mans , they are well rooted in the soule , and bring the thing to passe that they labour to effect . a good man will use all the meanes he can to absteine from sin , he will shun all the occasions : but the wicked man , he will not absteine from the occasions , hee knowes his nature will be ready to take hold of sinne , and yet he will not avoid the occasions and allurements thereto ; surely therefore this man hath no purpose to leave sin ; for if his purpose be not put in practice , he had as good never purpose , for it hath no effect . the godly man , hee will use all good meanes to further his intent , by fasting and praier , and all other good duties . againe , a godly man , if he hath a lust in sinne , hee will resist it with all his might , and never give over , though hee doth slip , yet hee presently riseth againe , and never ceaseth , and therefore it shall not be imputed to him ; but if a man hath flitting purposes in his braine , that is nothing , though he falleth no into the same sinne so often . thus much for the first use of triall . the second use serveth for comfort . for if this be a signe of deadnesse , to walke in sinne ; then is it a matter of comfort to all those , who , although they often times slip into sinne , yet are sincere hearted , and doe not continue in knowne sinnes . you had therefore no neede to cry out against us , that our words are cruell words , for this is a doctrine full sweete ; you must at the first give us leave to open the wound , though it be painefull , yet after , you shall finde the ease and sweetnesse . the bone-setter , that because hee would not deale roughly , setteth not the bone aright , but puts in the sore joynt only a little , and doth not set it throughly ; it may be at first thou shalt be called a good bone setter , because the person ill affected , for the present , feeles no paine , yet afterwards when the joint is not seated , will be railed against : or the surgeon that will not search the wound , to the bottome , for paining the patient , at the first may be pleasing ; but afterwards in the end hee shall have little thanke for his labour : in like manner should the doctrine be harsh at first , because it fearcheth the sore to the quicke , yet the end of it is comfort . the end of christs speaking to the people in saint iohns gospell , was at the last comfort and joy . labour therefore all of you to make this use of this doctrine ; you that have sincere hearts , take it home to your selves , if you doe walke in no knowne sinnes : but if yee have walked formerly in any knowne sinnes , now beginne to rectifie your lives , that so you may have cause to take this doctrine unto your owne soules . breake the bands of satan , and forget all his faire allurements , you must part with all your sweetest sinnes for it , and give all you have to purchase this jewell . comfort you may have , and all our desire is , to make your hearts perfect , that so you may finde comfort . if your hearts be perfect , you shall finde these foure comforts : you shall finde more comfort in easinesse and contentednesse to forbeare that lust wee most delighted in , than ever wee did in yeelding to it . you shall finde your selves able to rest , to pray , to heare , and to sanctifie the sabbath ; make your hearts good , and you shall doe these things with delight : for , as when a mans hand is out of joint he cannot worke ; so if the soule be out of frame it cannot pray , &c. you shall find your selves able to beare afflictions ; before you can beare nothing , but every thing is as a burthen unto you : a man having a shoulder that is out of joynt , cannot beare any thing ; so , if sinne be mingled with affliction , it makes that bitter : but after you have purged your selves from sinne , you shall be able to beare them ; but when there is no strength within , how shall wee beare them ? when you hearts are perfect , the wound will presently be healed and grow well . the peace of the wicked is but like a wound that is skinned over , at the last it will breake out againe , hee may make a shew for a while , but there is a secret disease in him ; and the later end of that man will be worse than the beginning ; their paine will be worse hereafter , the paine that hee shall indure when death comes , when gods insupportable wrath begins to charge his sin upon his conscience , that will be worse than all hee indured before . and thus you see this doctrine is most sweet to all those that have perfect hearts , but to the other , that remaine still in their sins , most dangerous . a profitable sermon preached at lincolnes-inne , on gen. xxii . xiv . as it is said to this day , in the mount of the lord it shall be seene . the occasion of these words , was that famous hystorie of abrahams offering his sonne isaack : now that so great a passage of gods providence , and so great a tryall of abrahams faith might not passe away , but be remembred , the lord delivereth it in a proverbe , as it is said unto this day ; because wee are apt to forget , and proverbs are short and pithy , and so the better remembred , and therefore the lord setteth this marke upon it : whence by the way we observe , that speciall passages of gods providence should not be forgotten . and therefore it is the manner of the lord in such passages of his providence , to make songs of them : and so hath it beene likewise the practice of the lords people to turne such things into songs , which they would not forget , as we see at the red sea , and in the time of dehora ; and so did moses , when he would have some things to bee remembred of the children of israel , he left them a song : so did david likewise , who for the remembrance of the lords goodnesse , made many psalmes of thanksgiving . now a proverbe is much of the same nature ; but it is short , and makes a greater impression , and therefore this great matter here set forth by it , is the dispensation of the lords providence . wherein note wee in the first place , that the lord will be seene : why , what strange thing is that ? the lord is seene every where of us , and makes himselfe continually visible unto us . i , but this is another kinde of sight , which is not in a generall manner to bee beheld , but in his speciall providence to his servants in their afflictions . the second thing is , the time when he will be seene ; that is , in the mount : that is , when things are brought to an extremity , when we thinke there is no more helpe nor hope , that is the time when the lord will be seene . now the scope of this place is , to helpe us against discouragements , when wee see it goe hard with the church that there is no hope for them , for then we are not to distrust , because in the mount will the lord be seene , in distresse will the lord shew himselfe ; and therefore you are to take heed of discouragements that you leave not your hope , for then you take away indevour , and so gods causes fall to the ground , and thereby the lord is forsaken of us ; for it is our hope that sets all aworke , and the want of hope makes us turne our backes ; yea , foyle and give over the lords battels ; and therefore we should still maintaine our hope in all extremities whatsoever , for when the lord sends any afflictions on the church or our selves , wee ought not to despise or make light of them , because they are the messengers of the lord , to humble us : so we must not on the other side have the sinewes of our soules loosened by them ; for as we are not to despise the chastening of the lord , so are wee not to faint when wee are rebuked of him ; for in the mount will the lord be seene : that is , it is a thing that the lord will usually doe , not at this time when thou wouldest have him , but even when abraham was fetching the blow , then to stay his hand : and it is his usuall course so to doe ; and therefore it is turned into a proverbe , because it is ordinary . secondly , we have ordinary use of it , and therefore likewise it is put into a proverbe ; for the lord usually brings us into extremities ; and that it might be the better remembred of us , it is put into a proverbe , for that is the use of short sentences to be easily carried in the memory ; and therefore the lord hath thus turned it : as men doe by their silver , they change it into gold that it may with the more ease be carried . now to cometo the words ; out of which wee may learne , that it is gods usuall manner to bring his children to extremities . the examples are so many in scriptures , and in our daily experience of this , that we need not insist on the proofe of it , but proceed to shew the reasons thereof . and the first cause why the lord doth so usually doe it , is , when hee brings afflictions on his children , he lets it runne along till they may thinke there is no more helpe , nor hope , that so it may be an affliction to them ; for it would not bee an affliction , except it did runne on to the uttermost point ; for if there were any doore for us to get out , wee were not compassed about , but when a man hath no gap to goe out at , that is it that makes the spirit of a man to sinke . if a man were in a smoky house , and had a doore open , it were no difficulty for him to shift himselfe out of it ; but when wee are shut up , that is it which makes it difficult ; and that it might be so , the lord suffers it to come to an extremity . secondly , the lord brings us to an extremity because the lord might be sought to ; for so long as the creatures can doe us any good , we will goe no further ; but when they faile us , wee are ready to looke up to the lord : as it is with men which are on the seas , when they are in an extremity , those that will not pray at any other time , will pray now , and bee ready to say with these in the prophet hosea . . come and let us returne unto the lord ; for ●● hath torne , and he will heale us ; he hath smitten , and he will binde us up : and the reason is , because where the creature ends , the lord must beginne , otherwise there can be no helpe at all . and hence it is that at the time of death , when a man once sees that , and hath no deliverance , it quaileth the stoutest spirits that are : as saul , when he could see nothing but death before him , then he sanke downe to the ground , and till then the lord is not sought to ; but in their afflictions they will seeke mee , saith the lord ; because then they can goe no where else . therefore when a man is brought to say , vaine is the helpe of man , then he will looke to the lord for his helpe ; but till then , man is subject to looke round on every side to see if there bee any that will helpe : but when there is none , then hee seekes unto the lord and is delivered . thirdly , the lord doth it , because that hereby it comes to passe that the lord may bee knowne to be the helper ; that when wee are delivered , hee may have all the praise ; for otherwise if there be but a little helpe in the creature , wee are ready many times to ascribe it all to it , or at least to divide the prayse ; and therefore the lord said to gideon , iudg. . . the people that are with thee , are too many : though indeed they were but few in comparison of the multitude which they were to goe against , yet they were too many for gideon , to have acknowledged the hand of the lord in it , if hee should have had the victory with them . but the lord will not divide his glory with another , and therefore he will bring a man to the streight to bee without all hope , that so hee may have all the praise ; for when other meanes concurre with his helpe , then it is divided ; but without that , his arme lyes naked , as it were , and therefore that it might bee knowne , hee brings them to extremitie . fourthly , the lord doth it , because all that we have , wee might have as a new gift : therefore the lord suffers us , as it were , to forfeit our leases , that he may renew them ; otherwise we should thinke our selves to bee free-holders . but when wee come to see all gone , our health , wealth , and credit to faile us , and in that extremity the lord to give it us , it is as a thing given on a new gift , and then we take our life as given againe of the lord : and so in any other streight , when there is no helpe of man left , then wee take it wholly from the lord ; and then wee give it to him againe . fifthly , the lord doth it , because hee may teach us by experience to know him . but here some man will be ready to say , why cannot that be without these extremities ? to this i answer , you must know when a man goes on in a course , without any troubles , or changes , his experience is to no purpose ; for hee hath no great experience of the lord : but when a man is in tribulation , that brings experience ; and experience , ●●pe ; for it is another kinde of experience that is so learned , than that which comes without it : and indeed nothing is well learned till it bee learned by experience . and therefore our saviour christ himselfe that had all knowledge that could be had without this , would have this also of experience likewise ; for when a man is in ex●●emity , then shall hee have experience of the lord : and therefore it is said of manasses , when he was in affliction , and had prayed to the lord , humbling himselfe , and was restored , that he knew the lord was god , chron. . . why , did hee not know that before ? no , not as now hee did ; for now hee knew the lord by experience : and the want of this is the cause why many feare not god ; for because they have no changes , they know him not by experience , and therefore they feare him not . and for this cause , when the lord did ever manifest himselfe in any speciall manner to any of his people , ye shall see it alwayes to bee upon some great change that befell them : as when iacob was forced to leave his fathers house , to flye from his brother esau , then did the lord in a speciall manner manifest himselfe unto him ; and so likewise at his returning home againe , when his brother esau came against him with foure hundred men to destroy him , which was a great change , then the lord appeared to him againe : so still upon the great changes of his people doth the lord appeare unto them ; and as hee did to them in former dayes , so he doth to us now ; hee doth appeare unto us sometimes by ●●erience of his goodnesse ; which that he may doe , he brings us to extremities . lastly , the lord doth it for proofe and tryall , for so it is said in the beginning of this chapter , god did prove abraham ; and therefore said unto him , take now thine onely sonne isaack , whom thou lovest , and offer him up on one of the mountaines which i shall shew thee : now seeing the lords intent was to prove him whether hee would part with his sonne isaack for his sake , therefore he lets him goe to the very place and utmost period of offering his sonne ; for if the lord had taken this tryall of him before hee had brought him to the very utmost , hee had not beenetryed ; but when the knife was as it were going to the throat of his sonne , then was heefully tryed : and like unto this doe we deale with friends one towards another ; for when you will try how another will trust unto you , you will let him alone till there be none else to help ; for if there be any other for him to go to , it is no tryall ; but if it is come to this that you must doe it , or none will , then have you tryed him and not before : in like manner did the lord prove abraham in this place . the use of it is , that wee might searne never to be discouraged ; whatsoever our case is , let us never suffer our hearts to be cast downe in us ; for as we are very prone to let goe our hold upon all occasions , so is it a very great fault so to doe . we see how david doth recollect himselfe together when h●● soule was disquieted within him , asking himselfe why it was so ? which hee would not have done , if the other had not beene a fault in him ; and therefore why doe wee so cast downe our soules ? if we say , it is because it will be long before the lord will come and undertake our helpe : i answer , no , it will not , for as soone as he doth see thee fit for helpe , hee will give it ; for when things are most desperate , then his helpe is nearest : for as he is able then to doe it , so is hee most willing to doe it then . and to this purpose is that place , hos. . , , . i will heale their backesliding , i will love them freely , for mine anger is turned away from them . i will be as the dew to israel , he shall grow as the lilly and cast forth his roots as lebanon : his branches shall spread , his beautie shall be as this olive , and his smell as lebanon . when israel was fallen into a very low condition , and had taken to him words , and repented of their sinnes , then the lord healed their back-sliding , which was the cause of their misery : and then though they were outwardly miserable , yet he will be as the dew unto them ; that though they be as the lillies in winter which hath neither colour , scent , nor beauty , yet consider in the spring time what i doe unto them , and learne to know me by the workes of nature ; for if i doe but send a little dew , such as is in the time of spring , it shall grow againe , yea and bring forth such a flower , whose beauty shall exceed salomon in all his royalty : and if the lord can doe so in nature to the hearbs of the field , doe you not thinke he is able 〈◊〉 doe it to you in the ordinary passages of his providence ? if hee shall but shine on you with the light of his countenance , yea though you were as the lilly in the winter , yet shall you spring againe as the lilly in the spring : that is , you shall spring quickly . i but you will say , and quickly wither againe : no , saith the lord , you shall be confirmed and established in your estate , for hee will fasten your roots as the trees of lebanon , and they were faster than the trees in other places ; for though they be tall , and so their boughes might bee moved , yet the bodies of the trees hold their owne , because they were well rooted : and in lebanon they were faster than in other places , because it was a firmer ground : so that if the lord list to plant you , you shall be sure to remaine firme . i but what shall i be good for ? i know not how to be usefull neither for god nor man , but to bee laid aside as a thing for which there is no more use . nay , saith the lord , i will not onely make you beautifull as the lillies , and rooted as the cedars , but i will make you as the olivetrees which are fit for use . and put the case thy name and credit bee lost , yet your smell shall be as the smell of lebanon , that is , as lebanon had many sweet blossomes and sweet smels , so shall it be with you , whatsoever your condition be . this place then is a place of comfort aganst discouragements , which you may see exemplified in divers examples : as in the example of iob : you know in what a case hee was , he lost all hee had , that he had not a friend left him ; no , not his wife nor servants that would sticke unto him , but was brought to the very mount , to an extremity that could not goe further , for he was at the very brim of the hill : yet when iob was fit for mercy , when hee had humbled himselfe , you see what a change the lord made , how his beauty did returne againe , and how all his health , prosperity , and friends did returne unto him , in so much as he was in all things as before , yea and beyond it . so in the fourth of daniel . who would have thought it possible for nebuchadnezzar ever to have beene restored , that had lost his kingdome and wits too , which is the onely meanes to bring a man in againe ; yea , hee had lost all his beauty , for hee was a beast of the field , yet the lord made a change with him : now a man would wonder how this should be brought to passe that hee should have his kingdome againe and be made knowne to his nobles ; why the text saith , he looked up to heaven , vers . . and then his nobles and princes sought unto him : for the disposition of all people is to have the right heire to rule the kingdome ; and therefore he had as much glory and honour as ever before . the like you shall see in mordecayes time , when the church was in extremity ; for you see how farre haman went , the blow was as it were in the giving , the knife was in his hand to cut the throat of the whole church of the jewes , yet when they had humbled themselves by fasting and prayer to the lord , that made worke in heaven ; and when there was a change in heaven , you see how quickly the church was changed , and brought even from the lowest degree to the highest that could be , or ever was in the time of their trials . and therefore let us never give over our hopes , and despaire not , for because the lord is ever ready to shew mercy , for mercy pleaseth him : a man when he corrects his childe , he doth it unwillingly ; but when hee is fit for mercy , hee is glad to shew that : why so it is with the lord , hee being willing to doe it , and exceeding able , for hee is a physician that is able to heale the most dangerous diseases , and shall wee then doubt of the accomplishment ? it is a common fault amongst us to measure the lord according to our selves ; and so when we see man cannot helpe us , we thinke that god cannot ; but he that can turne winter into a summer , can speedily turne our estates when we are fit for it : as a physician that administers hard potions to his patient , it is not because he cannot or will not give him pleasant things , but it is because his patient is not fit for it ; for as soone as hee is fit for cordials , hee most willingly gives them unto him : and as the husbandman , hee is willing enough to sowe his seed in the earth , and would bee glad if the time were come ; i but hee knoweth if he so we it on the wilde waste ground it would be lost , and therfore he plowes it first , and againe too , yea thrice if it be needfull , and then having well fitted it , hee sowes his seed ; even so it is with the lord , hee first plowes the ground , he digges deepe into the hearts of men if it be needfull so to doe , but if a little plowing will serve , he never takes a deeper ; and if one will serve , he never gives a second ; and therefore when we are fit to receive the seed , mercy shall come in amaine amongst us , even as that which goes with wind and tide ; yea , it shall come as fast as our misery did , which though it comes headlong upon us as it did upon nebuchadnezzar , yet how quickly did the lord deliver him againe ? and so shall it , bee with us , because the lord is delighted with mercy , therefore the lord doth usually helpe in extremities , and not before ; for in the mount will the lord be seene . and as the first doctrine is drawne naturally from these words , that it is gods usuall manner to bring his children into the mount ; so in the second place , then and there will he be seene : therefore it followes , that in the time of extremities will the lord be seene , and not before : but then he will appeare in his speciall providence , for the comfort of his children , though not before . and why so ? first , because the lord knowes this is the best way to draw forth the practice of many graces , and good duties , which otherwise would be without use : as for example ; when iacob had made his brother esau his enemy by his hasty getting of the blessing , whereas if hee had stayd the lords time , he might have had it without any sorrowes with it ; but because he will have it a wrong way , it is accompanied with many sorrowes both in him and rebecca likewise : now if the lord had presently made reconciliation betwixt him and his brother , as he could have done , though he did not , but made it long first , that made iacob exceeding fruitfull ; for hee being caused to to flye , as his mother counselled him to doe , in his necessity became acquainted with the lord , and knew him better than ever otherwise hee should have knowne him ; yea , he knew himselfe better too , and therefore vowed to give the lord the tenth of all that he had , and that the lord should be his god for ever if hee would give him food and clothing , of which hee felt the want at that time ; and this brought his heart to the lord : so likewise when esau came against him at his returning home againe ; if it at the first it had beene told iacob that his brother had beene friends with him , hee had never wrestled with the lord as hee did ; and so should he have missed of that great blessing which he received in being called israell . and therefore we se● the lord by this doth draw many great fruits from them , of which otherwise the lord should lose the glory , and wee the benefit , if it were not so with us . so likewise the angell was sent to daniel when he began to pray ; i but if the message had then beene delivered to him , his heart had not beene so well moulded in the frame of grace , therefore the lord lets him alone ; though hee had given the angell charge to deliver the message to him , yet till he had done his worke , and was made fit for it , the message of their full deliverance was not made knowne unto him . a second reason why the lord deferres , and will stay till the very extremity comes , is , because he would give a time to men to repent and meet him in , which is good for his children , otherwise we should not seeke unto the lord : and for such as doe not seeke him , it is to leave them without excuse : as in chron. . . chapters , you shall finde that roboam sought the lord for three yeares together , and then departed from him , yet shisacke was not sent against him till the fifth yeare of his reigne : whence this is to be observed , that though he had forsaken the lord , who therefore had resolved to bring judgement upon him , yet he gives him two yeares liberty to see if he would returne . so when nebuchadnezzar was like a flourishing tree , when he had dreamed his dreame , and that made knowne unto him , that he should be cut downe to the very root , like the lilly in winter , nothing should be left but the stumpes , yet you shall finde it twelve moneths after before the lord strucke him . so in the destruction of jerusalem by nebuchadnezzar , the lord was oftentimes offering to strike it , yet called backe his hand again that they might humble themselves and seeke his face : but as it is said of iezabel in the second of the revelations verse . hee gave her time to repent , but she repented not . thirdly , the lord doth not deliver till the time of extremity , that we may know the vanity of the creature . and see that they are but as reeds that are empty : as for example , when a man is brought to some great straight , and sees that men will forsake him in it , as the lord will cause them to doe when he will bring a man to a streight indeed , for then he will shew him that there is no helpe in man ; as when a man that is sicke , and so farre gone that no physicke will doe him good , but all physicians have left him ; or when a man hath some great businesse in hand , and nothing that he hath will effect it ; and so likewise a man at sea , when hee is in such a tempest that neither rowing nor any thing else will doe him good , then when men are in such cases , they come to see the vanity of the creature , and that all outward meanes will start aside like a broken bow ; for a broken bow being drawne but a little , will hold ; but if it bee drawne up to the head , then it breakes in the hand of him that handles it : even so , when the creature is put to it , then the vanity of them is seene , and that they are but as hollow reeds that are empty , and so not bee trusted to . now we must adde to this , that as the lord will not deliver till then , yet then he will doe it ; and of that you must make no doubt , because the lord will make good his promises and bee just , for he is abundant in truth , he will make good all that he hath said , and that in abundance . now if the lord will helpe , and yet not till a man come to extremity , why then hee must helpe or not at all , and so he should faile them that trust unto him , when as one man will not faile another that trusteth him , for that were treachery so to doe ; why then much lesse will the lord faile thee , if thou rely upon him , if thy heart can tell thee thou dost intirely rest upon him , it is impossible hee should faile thee : and therefore hee must helpe thee at the last cast , or else not at all ; and untill thou art so farre gone , thou art not come unto the mount ; for abraham was three dayes in going the journey , and the lord might have revealed it before if hee would , but hee did not till he came to the mount : and therefore doe not say , now is the extremity , and yet the lord doth not helpe mee , when thou art but in the way , for thou art not yet come to the brow of the hill , thou art not at the utmost part of the mount. the use of it is , to teach us not to make too much haste for deliverance in the time of distresse , but to wait upon the lord , yea depend upon his providence when we seeme to be without helpe : if we looke upon the creature , yet then are wee to depend upon the lord , so as never to say there is no helpe ; but on the contrary , to say , i will trust in him though he kill me ; for so did abraham here , he was to kill his sonne , and yet he had hope : so let us , though there were a thing that would bee our utter undoing if it should come on us , yet if it doe come thou oughtest to hope , because it is the lords manner to bring his people to extremities , as here to abraham : and the like hee did to peter when he came to him on the waters ; for he might have holpen him before he beganne to sinke if he would , but hee did first let him sinke a little and then he holpe him : so when the people were at the red sea , and had no gap to goe out at , then the lord holpe them , by making a way thorow the sea : in like manner he did to iacob when hee was returning home from his father in law laban , hee , suffered esau to come out against him with foure hundred men , before hee holpe him ; and who would have thought that esau's mind should have beene so suddenly turned ? but when iacob was brought to a streight , then the lord turned all another way . and the like he did with david in the time of his distresse , he let him alone till the waters were like to goe over him : but when his feet had almost slipt , in regard of his outward and inward troubles , for he was at the very going downe to the grave , then the lord brought his feet out of the net , and set him at liberty , and tooke him out of the waters that he was not drowned ▪ and therefore still trust in the lord , and labour that thy faith faile thee not whatsoever thy straights be ; for that was peters fault when hee was on the water , for if he had sunke , being hee had the lords word , hee should have beene safe enough , and therefore had no cause to doubt ; and so wee should learne to doe , in all our streights still to beleeve ; which if we doe , wee shall finde the lord very exceeding ready to helpe beyond all that we can be able to aske or thinke . see this in an example or two , how the lord comes betwixt the cup and the lip as it were , betwixt the very lifting up of the hand to the stroke ; and as in the text , so also when the shunamite had by the command of the prophet left her land , because of the famine that was to come when the seven yeeres were done ; for shee trusted the prophet , and therefore did not say , alas , what shall i doe for my lands againe ? but did goe ; and when shee returned , and was gone to the king for her lands againe , at that very instant was the king talking with elishaes servant about the great workes of the prophet , who then told the king of this woman and her sonne , confirming that which gehezi had said , and gehezi being present to helpe to speake for the woman ; and then shee had not onely her lands restored her , but the fruits of it also for the whole time of her absence . so likewise when mordecayes destruction was plotted by haman , and so neare brought to passe , that there could be no hope of helpe on any side , yet then when mordecay was asleepe in the night , and had made no plots at all for his safety , then the lord brought it to passe ; for that night the king could not sleepe ; then hee must needs call for a booke , and then that above all other bookes , that should bee brought , and in that booke that very place to bee turned to of the treason against the king , and mordecayes truth and faithfulnesse in discovering the same ; and that this should be done at the very extremity , when a day or two after would have done him no good , it is worth the considering : therefore never doubt , feare not , but trust to the lord in any streight ; for though hee doth not worke miracles now , yet he workes wonders , and is able to doe as great things as ever he was , yea , and doth so too when there is the like occasion : in like manner , when our saviour christ was brought to the very brow of the hill by the people to bee cast downe from it , why then he went a way thorow the midst of them ; so is the lord able to doe with us , and will also if there be the like need ; and therefore let us learne to trust in the lord , and in all things to depend upon him . one would have thought it impossible when fortie men had secretly vowed neither to eat nor drinke till they had killed paul , for that to bee revealed , and paul to be delivered , when so many that were able enough to destroy a poore prisoner had conspired against him , yet we see the lord delivered him from that great streight ; and therefore let us wait still upon the lord , for it is but the staying till the time be out , and then he that can save , will save , and will not tarry . and so much for the second thing . the last point observable from these 〈◊〉 that godly mens extremities are but tryals , sent for their good ; and not punishments , sent for their hurt and ruine . the lord did this but to prove abraham , hee meant him to hurt at all in it : and so the lord doth by afflicting others of his owne people , he doth not meane to hurt them by it . and therefore when you see an affliction to bee so great as if it would undoe those on whom it is , yet you shall see in the issue it was but like an evill ; for when abraham was bid to take his onely sonne isaack whom he loved , and offer him in a sacrifice to the lord , and was suffered to bee the three dayes in the tryall , yet the lord meant him no hurt ; here was indeed a great apprehension of evill , yet it was no evill ; but it might as much worke upon him as the evill it selfe : even so is it with us in our afflictions , they are not evils , but meere tryals , and therefore we are not much to be dismayed for the greatest afflictions that can befall us in the world , because they are but trials , that doe befall thee from god. i , but will some say , what shall i get by it ? why , so much that there is so little cause to be sorry for it , that thou hast cause to rejoyce , if thou woudest beleeve ; as it is said in the first of iames . my brethren , count it great joy when you fall into divers trials : it is a very fit text for the purpose , for the lord said hee would prove abraham ; and all is no more but to try us , and not to doe us any hurt : and this is a good reason why it is so , in that wee are bid to rejoyce in it ; now we have no cause to rejoyce in that which wil hurt us , neither will the lord lay any unreasonable command upon us . i , but what if the tryals bee many ? yet hee bids us rejoyce , though they be of divers kindes ; when wee are not onely afflicted in the losse of goods , and our friends forsake us , in which wee might have some comfort , if our healths and liberty might bee enjoyed ; or if all the outward man were afflicted , yet if the spirit were whole it would beare out infirmitie . i , but what if that bee wounded too ? why , if there bee tryals of all sorts , and you fall into them all , and that of a sudden too , as a fall of waves , one comming upon the necke of another as they did upon iob , yet wee are bid to rejoyce : why one would thinke it were enough for a man to bee patient in that case ; yet ( saith the apostle ) you must rejoyce in it ; yea , count it exceeding joy : that is , as your trials are greater , so let your joy be greater . why , that is a strange command you will say : i but though you see not the reason of gods commandements , yet there is a great reason in them , which if you saw , you would keepe them most willingly . and the reason of this command is , the greater the tryall is , the more will bee the good , and therefore the more cause of joy ; for if the most painefull bee the most gainefull , then they that have them , have the greatest cause to rejoyce in them : it was a tryall for abraham to goe from his owne land , and to cast out his sonne ismael ; i but this was the greatest , and this brought him the greatest fruit that ever hee had . i , but what is that good ? why this ; first , it shall increase grace in your hearts ; for as the gold when it is tryed loseth nothing but drosse , and so is made the better thereby ; so it is with our afflictions , for the triall of our faith , saith the apostle , bringeth forth patience : so the greater thy tryall is , the more it strengthens thy faith , and so increaseth comfort : for when the afflictions of the apostle abounded , his consolation abounded also . and hence it is , that our saviour christ saith , you shall receive an hundred fold with persecutions ; that is , when the tryall doth abound , the comfort shall abound . againe , you shall have the greater wages ; for when a man hath a friend that hath be one employed about any great thing for him , why the greater the trouble was which he did undergoe for him , the more will hee bee beholding to him , and the greater reward will hee bestow upon him ; even so the greater the tryals are from the lord , the greater benefit will come to us by them ; and therefore when you see the greatest tryals befall the church and people of god , bee assured by this which hath beene said , that some great benefit is comming to them ; for doe you not thinke this is a usefull doctrine ; it may bee it concernes some of you now at this present ; if not , it may doe , and therefore lay it up before-hand ; and let us not thinke of our afflictions as of things that will undoe us , but as tryals that will bring us profit . for as the spyes that went to canaan were of two sorts , and looked upon the gyants that were in it with a double eye ; and so some of them said , o the land is a very good land , and incouraged the people to goe up into it ; and others that were afraid , they said , nay but the land eats up the inhabitants thereof , and discouraged the people to goe up into it : even so it is with many amongst us , when they see afflictions befall the church and people of god , o they presently are afraid , and therefore they say , who would be as these men ? let me be of such as be in prosperity and have friends , and some that will provide for mee : but what is the reason of this ? why they send forth wrong spies , and therefore they bring backe a false report : but if thou wouldest send forth thy faith and spirituall wisdome which ought to be in thy heart , then thou shouldest see it were no such matter . and therefore let this be our practice concerning the estate and condition of the church at this time , and needfull it is wee should so doe ; for doe you not see the dangers that they and we are in , and the confusion that is almost throughout all europe ? yet god hath not forgotten us , neither will he leave us , if wee can but rest upon him : what though there should be a sudden change , so that all things were with us as it was in hesters time ? yet could the lord bring forth some good thing out of it that should tend much to his glory and our good : put the case all were turned upside downe , as it was in the confused chaos , wherein heaven and earth was mingled together , and the waters overcomming all the rest , yet as then when the spirit of the lord did but move upon the waters , many beautifull creatures were brought forth , and the sea divided from the rest , that those waters that seemed then to spoyle all , serves now to water all , and without it we cannot bee : even so , were the church in never so confused a condition , yet the lord shall so order the things that seeme to undoe us , that they shall bring forth something of speciall use ; that is , something to water and make fruitfull the house and people of god : and therefore be not out of hope whatsoever befalls thee , onely bee humbled ; for there is great cause so to be , and the lord calls thee to it by his ministers , and wee are his messengers to declare his will unto you ; and as we must bee humbled and take to heart the cause of the church , so wee must consider the time , that wee may bee throughly affected thereby ; for it was ephraims fault not to doe it : and thou must see this distresse , so as it may bring thee into the mount ; for it is not an extremity simply that will cause the lord to helpe thee ; but when thy soule is plowed up therewith , and then the lord will cast in the seed and water it , so as thy soule shall spring againe ; and therefore let us still maintaine our hope in all conditions whatsoever . and for this end did i fall upon this text at this time , that in the mount will the lord be seene . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e the scope of the chapter . three false guides among the ephesians . doct. the doctrine proved first by reason , secondly , by scriptures . ▪ what this death is . two things , a naturall and a spiritual death dead workes why so called . the seat of this death . ephes. . ● . . the kinds of this death . how terrible the taking away of gods presence is . . the signes of this death . foure signs of bodily death . . privation of reason . obiect . answ. a difference betweene knowing spirituall things , and knowing them in a right manner . . privation of sense . . want of motion . . want of beauty and vigour . obiect . answ. how wicked men may have moral vertues . the degrees of this death . the death of guilt . the death opposite to the life of grace . three degrees of this death . the first . the second . the third . the death opposite to the life of ioy . obiect . ans. ans. . ans. . a difference betweene the spirituall and corporall death . . the vses of this point . vses . . not to defer repentance . how the devil deceives men in perswading them to put off their repentance , saving repentance what it is . simile . an example of spira . vse . how to esteem civill men . simile . simile . vse . to stirre up to thankfulnesse for being quickned . vse . how to esteeme of the meanes of grace . vse . to examine ourselves whether we have life in us or no. simile . how the divell deceives civill men . two signes of our quickning . an application to examine our selves before we receive the sacrament , the nature of dead men . two kinds of spiritually dead men . first , starke deadnesse . three positive signes of dead men . a careless neglect of goodnesse . a lying still in any lust . a living lust , what it is . an antipathy to god and godlinesse . five privitive signes of dead men , privation of speech . privation of heat . obiect . answ. stiffenesse , simile . privation of sense . obiect . answ. matth , . . opened . no sympathizing in the miseries of others . two things to move us to consider the churches misery . quest. answ. what we must doe for the church . pray for it . our prayers must be fervent . spirituall . of faith. with constancy . of righteousnesse . with humility . be more ●ealous . stir up others performe duties in due time . with continuance . the divels cunning to deferre men from doing good duties . signes of civil men that seem to have life , but have none indeed . they doe not grow . they are moved by an outward principle . they doe it but in some places and company . they speake from the teeth , not frō the heart . iunius converted by a country-mans harty speaking . two meanes to get life . doct. no translation to life , without apprehension of gods wrath due to sinne . things considerable . three things keepe a man from christ : . vnbeleefe . . neglect of him . . vnwillingnesse to part with other things for him three things to be set against these , to bring us to christ. the necessity of a deepe humiliation . without sound humiliation we will not come to christ. we will not stay with him . humiliation compared to the sout sorts of ground , matth. . we will not suffer or doe any thing for him . reas. . reas. . reas. . reas. . the doctrine of humiliation must goe before sanctification . vse . simile . three questions . quest. . answ. true humiliation consists in seeing our lives abound in sinne . in considering that there is nothing good in thee . in smiting th● heart with a● apprehension of gods curs● quest. . answ. what sorrow is required to true humiliation . quest. . answ. how to know true sorrow . how true humiliation differs from other sorrow . in the rise . in the continuance . bousion cons. . simile . by the signes and effects . contrition of heart . . heales our sinnes . simile . . it causeth love to christ : signs to know whether we love christ or no. . obedience . . affection towards him . . the light prizing of spirituall things . . contentednesse with the meanest condition . . feare of offending god. . the finding of sweetnesse in the word of god. . meekenesse of spirit . obiect . answ. humiliation changeth our nature . quest. . answ. the differen● of humiliation in one well educated and a grosse sinner . quest. . answ. the least degree of humiliation will make us count sin the greatest cuill , christ the greatest good a mans conversion consists in three things . quest. . answ. the law the onely meanes of humiliation obiect . answ. the spirit of bondage , what and why required to humiliation . obiect . answ. how afflictions and the law concurre to humiliation five meanes to humiliatiō . . meanes , to consider our estates . . meanes , to suffer sorrow to abide on us . meanes see sinne in 〈◊〉 effects . . meanes , to make these evilspresent by faith . two things ought to be present before vs. . meanes . to take heed of shifts ; eight shifts , whereby men think to keep off iudgments . civility . . formall performance of holy duties . . badn●sse of nature . two cautions . gods mercy . the making conscience of many things . . the delay of executing of judgement simile . . a false opinion of their estates , three cautions . . an opinion that some should be holy and not all . vse . doctr. . things in the doctrine , taking of christ. simile . laying hold of him . simile . all may come and take him . the grounds of the doctrin generally . otherwise no ground of our faith . . faith is about things that are . vse . obiect . answer . every one would take christ as a saviour , but not as a lord. simile . christ gives whome hee quickeneth a three-fold life doctr. . the doctrine prooved scripture . by reason . reason . . hee that walketh in sin is overcome of sinne . reason . . in him sinne hath the chiefest command , and god no place . obiect . answ. reas. . hee is an hypocrite . god hath respect unto small things with sincerity , more than many great things with hypocrisie . reason , he is ready to runne into other sins upon occasion . quest. what this walking is . answ. right walking is knowne by the choice of the way . by the progresse therin . by companions and guides . by the provision wee make . vse . . for triall to see whether we walke in the right way or no. two rules to try whether we walke aright . to see whether it be a knowne sin . simile . to see if thy sinne be continued in . quest. i. when sin is a knowne sin . answ. every mans conscience will tell him what is a known sin obiect . answ. differences betweene the accusing of a guilty conscience , and the scruples of the godly . differ . . the wicked after knowledge lie in it , but the godly forsake it . differ . . in the subiect matter . differ . . in the rest of their actions . quest. answ. wherein a godly man & a wicked may bee said to agree & differ . they agree in the way & differ in the end of their journey . simile . they both disagree and differ in the disapproving of evill . disapproving of evill twofold . three s●gnes to distinguish betweene a naturall dislike of evill and a regenerate . a delightful absteining frō sin . a change & rising of the heart both against old sins and the doers of them . a change of the whole m̄a ▪ simile . quest. . answ. distinctiō bewixt a godly mans relapsing and lying in sinne . he hath no purpose to sin he favoureth not his sin he falls not into the same sin . so often as before . after the same manner . quest. . answ. a double difference between the sins of the godly and the wicked . in the wicked some sin is ever predominant . the wicked commit sinne as a proper worke . simile . quest. . answ. the purposes of the wicked are weak and fruitlesse , but of the godly strong and effectuall . vse . . to comfort al those that do not continue sinne . simile . comforts in a perfect heart . contentednesse to forsake lust . ability ●● prayer . simile . abilitie to beate afflictions . soūd pea●● and lasting . notes for div a -e the occasion of the words ▪ observ. iudg. . deut. . . two things observable in the text. the scope of the place against discouragements . for ordinary use . simile . doct. . reas. . to make it an affliction . simile . reas. . because the lord might be sought unto . simile . reas. . because god may be known to be the helper . reas. . because we might receive it as a new gift reas. . because wee may know the lord. quest. answ. god is never knowne well but by experience . god manifefleth himselfe ever upon some great change . reas. . vse . not to be discouraged whatever our case be . psal. . . obiect . answ. hosea . , , . opened . examples . iob. nebuchadnezzar , 〈◊〉 ●ewes in mordicaes time . simile . simile . simile . doct. . reasons why god will not be seene till extremities are . to exercise the graces of your god by . reas. . to give time of repentance ▪ reas. . to let us know the vanity of the creature . simile . though god defer till extremity , yet then he will surely helpe . vse . to teach us not to make too much hast for deliverance . ester . . doct. . godly mens extremities are trials , not punishments . obiect . answ. obiect . answ. obiect . answ. we ought to rejoyce in trials , because the greater the tryall is , the more will be the good . obiect . answ. the good that comes of trials , is , increase of grace . increase of reward . simile . an experimental index of the heart in which (as in a looking-glass) both profane and civil men may see enough, to make them in love with religion, being a most happie and providential conference between two friends (after the ones heart was changed) the which may both provoke and incourage all sorts of sinners to read the same, that (in the least) love themselves : drawn up and published for the good of all / by r. younge ... ; add this as a second part to those three fundamental principles of christian religion, intituled, a short and sure way to grace and salvation. younge, richard. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text r in the english short title catalog (wing y ). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a wing y estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) an experimental index of the heart in which (as in a looking-glass) both profane and civil men may see enough, to make them in love with religion, being a most happie and providential conference between two friends (after the ones heart was changed) the which may both provoke and incourage all sorts of sinners to read the same, that (in the least) love themselves : drawn up and published for the good of all / by r. younge ... ; add this as a second part to those three fundamental principles of christian religion, intituled, a short and sure way to grace and salvation. younge, richard. p. sold onely by james crump ... and by henry cripps ..., [london] : . reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. caption title. imprint taken from colophon. eng god -- goodness -- early works to . sin -- early works to . a r (wing y ). civilwar no an experimental index of the heart: in which (as in a looking-glass) both profane and civil men may see enough, to make them in love with re younge, richard f the rate of defects per , words puts this text in the f category of texts with or more defects per , words. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - judith siefring sampled and proofread - judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion an experimental index of the heart : in which ( as in a looking-glass ) both profane and civil men may see enough , to make them in love with religion . being a most happie and providential conference between two friends : ( after the ones heart was changed ; ) the which may both provoke and incourage all sorts of sinners to read the same , that ( in the least ) love themselves . drawn up and published for the good of all . by r. younge of roxwell in essex , florilegus . add this as a second part to those three fundamental principles of christian religion ; intituled , a short and sure way to grace and salvation . sect. xxvii . aloose libertine , meeting with his friend that had lately been a formal christian ; he greets him as followeth : sir ! me thinks i have observed in you a strange alteration , since our last meeting at middleburrough : nor onely in your behaviour , company , and converse ; but even in your countenance : what is the matter , if i may bee so bold ? convert . truly sir , you are not at all mistaken , nor am i unwilling to acquaint you with the cause ; if you can affoard to hear it . soon after my return into england , i was carried by a friend to hear a sermon : where the minister so represented the very thoughts , secrets , and deceitfulnesse of my heart unto my conscience ; that i could not but say of him , as the woman of samaria once spake of our saviour : he hath told me all things that ever i did . which made me conclude with that unbeliever , cor. . , . that god was in him of a truth : nor could he ever have so done , if he were not of god . as the young-man in the gospel reasoned with the pharisees , touching jesus when he had opened his eies , that had been blinde from his birth , joh. . , . whereupon i could have no peace nor rest , untill i had further comm●●ed with him about my estate ; for i found my self in a lost condition touching eternity : it faring with me as it did with those jews , acts . when peter by his searching sermon , had convinced them that christ , whom t●ey had by wicked hands crucified and slain , was the onely son of god , and lord of glory , ver. . . and having had the happinesse to enjoy the benefit of his ●●ge advice as i stood in need thereof ; ( god having given him the tongue of the learn●d , to administer a word in season to them that are wea●y , is● . . . ) i blesse god , his word and spirit hath wrought in me such a change and strange alteration , ●hat it hath opened mine eies that were 〈◊〉 before , inclined my will to obedience , which before was rebelli●us , softned my heart , sanctified and quite changed my ●ffections : so that i now love that good which before i hated , and hate that evil which before i loved ; and 〈◊〉 deli●●ted with ●hose holy exercises , which heretofore did most displease me ; and am displeased wi●h ●hose vain pl●as●●es and filt●●e sins which in times p●st did most delight me . which is such a mercie , that no tongue ●s able to expresse ! for till that hour i went on in the broad way , and worlds road to destruction , without any mist ust ; whereas now god hath been pleased to take me into his kingdom of grace here , and w●l never leave me , untill he hath brought mee to his kingdome of glory hereafter . loose libertine . what you speak makes me wonder : for i ever he●d you the compleatest man of my acquaintance ; just in all your dealings , temperate and civil in your depo●tment ; yea , i have never seen you exceed in the least , nor heard you swear an oath , ●xc●pt faith and troth , and that ve●y rarely . besides , you have been a good protestant , and gone to church all your daies . convert . what you speak , none that know me can contradict ; nor could they ever accuse me of any scandalous crime , or unjust act ▪ yea , i had the same thoughts of my self ; and should any one have told me formerly , that i was such a great sinner , such a devil incarnate as i was ! i should have replied as hazael did to the prophet , ( telling him of the abominable wickedness he would e're long commit ) what am i a d● , &c. kings . , . and no wonder , for as every man in his natural condition , is stark blind to spiritual objects , cor. . . so the heart of man is deceitful above all things : even so deceitful , that none but god alone can know it , as the prophet shews , jer. . . but because this is a truth that transcends your belief , and because it may be of singular use to you also , to know the same : i will give you a short character of my former condition ; the which done , i doubt not but you will assent unto what i have ●itherto said , or shall further relate . sect. xxviii . first touching my knowledge , ( i mean saving knowledge , without which the soul cannot be good , as wise solomon witnesseth , prov. . . ) it was such , ( though i thought my self wiser then to make scruple of , or perplex my self about matters of religion , as do the religious : even as the king of tyrus thought himself wiser then daniel , ezek. . . ) that spiritual things were mostly represented to my understanding false , and clean contrary to what they are indeed . like corporal things in a looking-glass , wherein those that are on the right hand seem to be on the left , and those that are on the left hand seem to be on the right . as it fared with saint paul , while he was in his natural condition , acts . . which made me think and call evil , good ; and good , evil ; bitter , sweet ; and sweet , bitter ; to justifie the wicked , & condemn the just , as the prophet complains , isa. . , . as for instance , i most sottishly thought , that i both loved , and served god as i ought ; yea , i should have taken it in four scorn , if any one had questioned the same : when indeed i was a traitor to god , and took up arms against all that worshipped him in spirit and in truth . i was so far from loving and serving him , that i hated those that did it ; and that for their so doing , i could also hear him blasphemed , reproached , and dishonored , without being once stirred or moved at it . i loved him dearly , but i could never affoard to speak a word for him ; and likewise his children intirely , but instead of justifying them , or speaking in their defence when i heard them scoft , scorned & abused by wicked & ungodly men ; all my delight was to jeer at , flight and slander them where ever i came . i more feared the magistrate , then i feared god ; and more regarded the blasts of men's breath , then the fire of god's wrath . i chose rather to disobey god , then to displease great ones ; and feared more the worlds scorns , then his anger . and the like of christ that died for me ; a strong argument that i loved christ , when i hated all that resembled him in holiness . yea , i so hated holiness , that i most bitterly hated men for being holy : insomuch that my blood would rise at the sight of a good man , as some stomachs will rise at the fight of sweet-meats . i was a christian in name , but i could scoffe at a christian indeed ; i could honour the dead saints in a formal profession , while i worried the living saints in a cruel persecution . i condemned all for roundheads , that had more religion then a heathen ; or knowledg of heavenly things , then a child in the womb hath of the things of this life ; or conscience , then an atheist ; or care of his soul , then a beast . i had alwaies the basest thoughts of the best men : making ill constructions of whatsoever they did or spake : as the scribes and pharisees dealt by our saviour . sect. xxix . as , o what a poor slave did i hold the man of a tender conscience to be ! yea , how did i applaud my self for being zeallesse , and fearlesse ; together with my great discretion , and moderation : when i saw this man vexed for his zeal , that other hated for his knowledg , a third persecuted for the profession of his faith , &c. for ( being like cain , ishmael , eliab , michol , pharaoh , and festus , i thought their religion puritanisme , their conscience of sin , hypocrisie ; their profession , ●issimul●tion their prudence , policie ; their faith and confidence , presumption ; their zeal of god's glory , to be p●ide and ma●ice ; their obedience to god's laws , rebellion to p●iaces ; their execution of ju●ice , cruelty , &c. if they were any thing devou● or forward to admonish others , ●hat so they might pluck them out of the fi●e ; i conceived them to be besides themselvs : as our saviour was though● to be by his kinsfolk , and saint paul by festus , mark ▪ . john . . acts . . cor. . . my religion was to oppose the power of religion ; and my knowledge of the truth , to know how to argue against the truth . i never affected christs ambassadors , that preached the glad tidings of salvation , but had a spleen against them ; yea , i hated a minister , for being a minister ; especially , if a god●y and zeal●us one , that sp●ke home to my conscience , and told me of my sins ; much more if he would not admit me to the lord's ●able without trial and examination : yea , then like ahab to eliah , i became his enemy , and hated him ever after ; would impeach his credit , and detain from him his dues . and are not all these strong evidences , tha● i loved and served god , and my redeemer as i ought ? but to make it more manifest , what a rare christian i was . i thought my self a believer ; yea , i could boast of a strong faith , when yet i fell short of the very divels in believing : for they believe the threats and judgments contained in the word , and tremble thereat , james . . whe●eas i thought them but scar-crows to f●ight the simple withall : yea , i held hell it self but a fancie , not worth the fearing . because i was not notoriously wicked , but had a form of godliness , was civil , &c. i was able to delude my own soul ▪ and put off all reproofs and threatnings ; by comparing my self with those , that i presumed were worse then my self : as , drunkards , adulterers , blasphemers , oppressors , shedders of blood , and the like ; counting none wicked but such . yea , looking upon these , i admired my own holiness ; and thought my moral honesty , would be sufficient to save me . nor did i know wherein i had offended . and whereas the law is spir●tual , and binds the heart from affecting , no lesse then the hand from acting : i was so blind and ignorant that i thought the commandement was not broken , if the outward grosse sin be forborn . whence these were my thoughts , i never brake the first commandement , of having many gods : for i was no papist , nor idolater : nor the second , for i worshipped god aright : nor the third , for i had been no common swea●er , onely a few pet●y oaths : not the fourth , for i had every sabbath gone duly to church : not the fifth , for i ever honored my parents , & have been a loyal subject : not the sixth , seventh , eighth , ninth , or tenth , for i never commi●ted murther , or adultery , never stole ou●h● , never bare fals witness ; nor could i call to mind , that i had at any time coveted my neighbours wise servant , estate , &c. and nothing more common with me , then to brag of a good heart and meaning , of the strength of my faith and hope , of my just and upright dealing , &c. and because i abstained from notorious sins , i thought my self an excellent christian ; if god was not beholding to me for not wounding his name with oaths , for not drinking and playing out his sabbaths , for not railing on his ministers , for not oppressing and persecuting his poor members , &c. sect. xxx . and yet had it been so , as i imagined ; admit i had never offended in the least all my life ; either in thought , word , or deed : yet this were but one ha●f of what i ow to god ; this were but to observe the negative part of his law , st●ll the affirmative part thereof i had been so far from performing ; that i had not so much as th●ught of it . and to be just in the sight of god , and graciously accepted of him ; these two things are required : the satisf●ctory part to escape hell , and the meritorious part to get heaven . and the true method of grace is , cease to do evill , learn to do well . isa. ● ● , . the fig-tree was cursed , not for bearing evill fruit ; but because it bare no good . the evill servant was not bound hand and foot , and cast into prison , for wasting his masters goods ; but for not gaining with ●hem ▪ and those reprobates at the last day , shall be bid depart into eve●lasting fire ; not for wronging or rob●ing of any , but for not giving , for not comforting christ's poor members . m●th. . so that my case was most desperate ! for though , with that pharisee luke . . . i was apt to thank god , and brag ; that i was just , and paid every man his due : yet i never thought of being holy , and of paying god his dues ; as his due of believing , or repenting , of new obedience , his due of praying , hearing , conferring , meditating on his word and works , sanctifying his sabbaths , and instructing my children and servants ; teaching them to fear the lord . his due of love , fear , thankfulnesse , zeal for his glory , charity and mercy to christ's poor members , and the like . i should have served god in spi●it , and according to christs gospell : as all that are wise hea●ted do live , and believe , and hear , and invocate , and hope , and fear , and love , and worship god in such manner , as his word prescribes . i should have been effectually called , and become a new creature by regeneration ; being begotten and born a new , by the immortall seed of the word . i should have found an apparant change wrought , in my judgment , aff●ctions , and actions ; to what they were formerly . the old man should have changed with the new man , worldly wisdome with heavenly wisdome , carnall love for spirituall love , servile fear for christian and filiall fear , id●e thoughts for holy thoughts , vai● words for holy and wholsome words fl●shly works for works of righteousnesse : even hating what i formerly loved , and loving what i formerly hated . but alas ! i have heard the gospell day after day , and year after year : which is the strong arm of the lo●d , and the mighty power of god to salvation . that is quick , and powerfull , and sharper then any two-edged-sword ; and yet stood it out and resisted , instead of submitting to christs call ; even refusing the free offer of grace and salvation . i have heard the word faithfully , and powerfully preached for forty years : yet remain'd in my naturall condition unregenerate : without which new birth there is no being saved , as our saviour affirms . john . . . i had not troden one step in the way to conversion : for the first part of conversion , is to love them that love god : john . , , . i should dayly have grown in grace , and in the knowledg of our lord and saviour jesus christ : but i was so far from growing in grace , that i had not one 〈◊〉 of grace or holinesse ; without which 〈◊〉 man shall see the lord . heb. ● . . i was all for observing the second table , without respect to the first : or all for outward conformity , not at all for spirituall and inward holinesse of the heart . sect. xxxi . either what i did was not morally good for the matter , or not well done for the manner ; nor to any right ends : as out of duty and thankfulness to god , and my redeemer ; and out of love to my fellow members . without which the most glorious performances , and rarest virtues ; are bu●shining sins , or beautifull abominations . gods glory was not my principall end , nor to be saved my greatest care . i was a good , civill , morall , honest hypocrite , or infidell : but none of these graces , grew in the garden of my heart . i did not shine out as a light , by a holy conversation to glorifie god , and win others . now onely to refrain evill , except a man hates it also , and does the contrary good , is to be evill still : because honesty without piety , is but a body without a soul : all my religion was either superstition , or formallity , or hypocrisie . i had a form of godliness , but denied the power thereof : i often drew near unto god with my mouth , and honoured him with my lips : but my heart was far from him . isay. . . mark . . . to . matth. . to . all which considered viz. the means which god had afforded me , and the little use i had made thereof ; left me in a far worse condition , then the very heathen that never heard of christ . so that it was gods unspeakable mercy , that i am not at this present frying in hell flames , never to be freed . god hath sent unto us all his servanes the prophets , rising up early , and they have been instant in preaching the gospell , both in season , and out of season : but my carnall heart hath ever been flint unto god , wax to satan : you shall dye if you continue in the practice of sin , i heard : but you shall not dye , as saith the divell , i believed . sect. xxxii . besides all this , suppose i had none of these to answer for ; neither sins of commission , nor sins of omission : yet originall sin were enough to damn me , no need of any more ; and yet my actuall transgressions have been such , and so many , and my ingratitude therein so great ; that it might have sunk me down with shame , and left me hopelesse of ever obataining pardon for them . as see but some small part of my monstrous , & divelish ingratitude to so good a god , so loving and mercifull a saviour and redeemer ; that hath done , and suffer'd so much for mee , even more then can either be expressed or conceived , by any heart were it as deep as the sea ! touching what god and christ hath done for me , in the first place he gave mee my self , and all the creatures to serve for my use ; yea he created me after his own image , in righteousness , and holiness , and in perfect knowledg of the truth , with a power to stand , and for ever to continue in a most blessed , and happy condition . but this was nothing in comparison ; for when i was in a sad condition , when i had forfeited all this and my self ; when by sin i had turned that image of god into the image of satan , and wilfully plunged my soul and body into eternall torments : when i was become his enemy , mortally hating him , and to my utmost fighting against him , and taking part with his onely enemies sin and satan ; not having the least thought or desire of reconcilement , but a perverse and obstinate will , to resist all means tending thereunto : hee did redeem me , not onely without asking , but even against my will ; so making of me his cursed enemy , a servant , of a servant a son , of a son an heir , and co●-h●ir with christ . gal. . . but how have i requited this so great , so superlative a mercy ? all my recompence of gods l●ve unto me , hath been to do that which he hates , and to hate those whom he loves . christ the fountain of all good is my lord , by a manifold right , and i his servant by all manner of obligations . first , he is my lord by the right of creation , as being his wo●kmanship made by him . secondly , by the right of redemption , being his purchase bought by him . thirdly , of preservation , being kept , upheld , and mainteined by him . fourthly , his by vocation , even of his family ; having admitted me a member of his visible church . fifthly , his also ( had it not been my own fault ) by sanctification , whereby to posses● me . lastly , he would have me of his cou●t by glorification , that he might crown me ; so that i was every way his . god had raised me from a beggar to a great estate : but how did i require him ? i would not if possible , suffer a godly and conscientious minister to be chosen , or to abide where i had to do ; but to bring in one that would flatter sin , and flout holiness ; discoura●e the godly , and incourage the wicked , i used both my own , and all my friends utmost abilitie . much more might be mentioned , bu● i fear to be tedious . now argue with all the world , and they will conclude , that there is no vice like ingratitude ! but i have been more ingraceful to god , then can be exprest by the best oratour alive . it was horrible ingratitude in the jews to scou●ge & crucifie christ , who did them good every way ; for he healed their diseases , fed thei● bodies , inlightned their minds , of god became man , & lived miserably amongst them many years , that he might save their souls : but they fell short of my ingratitude to god , in that most of them were not in the least convinc'd , that he was the m●ssias sent from god , and promised from the beginning . but i have not onely denied this lord that bought me , but i hated him ; yea , most spi●efully and maliciously fought on satans , and sins side against him ; and persecuted his children , and the truth with all my might : and all this against knowledge , and conscience , after some measure of illumination , which cannot be affirmed of the jews . yet miserable wretch that i was , if i could have given him my body and soul , they should have been saved by it , but he were never the better for ●hem . sect. xxxiii . lastly , to tell you that which is more strange ! notwithstanding all this that hath been mentioned , and much more : yet i thought my self a good christian forsooth ; yea , with that young man in the gospel , i thought i had kept all the commandements . nor was i a whit troubled for sin , either original , or act●al : but my conscience was at quiet , and i was at peace , neither did any sin trouble me . yea , i would appl●ud my self with that phari●●e , luke . , to . and say , i was not like other men : not once doubting of my salvation . i ever refused to do what my makes commanded , and yet confidently hoped to escape what he threatned . no● did i doubt of having christ my redeemer and advocate in the next lif● , when i had been a bitter enemy to him and his m●mbers in this life . h●re was blindnesse with a witnesse ; as it is not to be believed how blind and blockish men are , that have onely the flesh for their guide ; espe●●ally if ●hey have hardned their hearts , and sea●ed thei●co●sciences with a customary sinning . as i could give you for instance , a large catalogue of rare examples , how sin hath besotted men : and what stark fools carnal men are in spiritual things ; he they never so wise for mundane knowledge . but least i● should be taken for a digression or excursion , you shall have a list of them by themselvs ; the which i will add as an appendix to this discourse , or dialogue . in the mean time i have given you a brief of my manifold provocations , and great ingratitude to my maker and redeemer ( for otherwise i might be endlesse in the prosecution thereof ) . it remains that i should in like manner lay open my original defilement ; which is the fountain whence all the former ( whether sins of commission , or sins of omission ) do flow . but touching it be pleased to peruse that smal tract , intituled , a short and sure way to grace & salvation : or , three fundamental principles of christian religion , by r. y. from page , to page . sect. xxxiv . loose libertine . if this hath been your case , no wonder it hath startled you ; for to deal plainly with you , as you have done with me ; what i have heard from you , makes me also tremble . for if such honest moral men , that live so unreprovably as you had done , go not to heaven ; what will become of me ? that have been openly profane , and notoriously wicked all my time ? yea , it contented me no● to do wickedly my self , and so damne my own soul : but i have been the occasion of drawing hundreds to hell with me ; by seducing some , and giving ill example to others , ( the infection of sin , bei●g much worse then the act ) . as how many have i drawn to be drunkard● ? and swearers , and who emongers , and profane persons ? insomuch , that the blood of so many souls as i have drawn away , will be required at my hands . yea , my life ha●h been so debauched and licentious , that i have brought a scandal upon the gospel , and made it odious to the very turks and infidels , rom. . . convert . alass ! what i did that was morally good , or what evil i refrained , was more for self end● , or more for fear of men's laws , then for love of christ's gospel . true , i went under the notion of an honest man , and a good christian : i was baptized into the faith , and made a member of christ's visible church : but i was so far from indeavouring to performe , what i then promised ; that in effect i even renounced both christ , and my baptisme , in persecuting him , and all that sincerely professed his name ; thinking i did god good service therein , joh. . . gal. . , . phil. . . nor was it for want of ignorance , that you thought so of me : for by nature ( be we never so milde and gentle ) we are all the seed of the serpent , gen. ▪ and children of the divel , joh. . . yea , the very best moral man is but a tame divel , as athanasius well notes . but it is a true proverb , the blinde eat many a flie ; and all colours are alike to him that is in the dark . loose libertine . so much the worse is my condition : for my conscience tells me , there is not a word you have spoken of your self , but i can justly apply the same unto my own soul , and a great deal more . for whereas you have been a moral honest man ; so that none except your self , could tax you for breaking either god's law , or man's : i have been so wicked and profane , that i could most presumptu●usly , and of set purpose , take a pride in my wickednesse , commit it with greedinesse , speak for it , de●end it , joy in it , boast of it , tempt and inforce to it ; yea , mock them that disliked it . as if i would send challenges into heaven , and make love to destruction ; and yet did applaud my self , and prefer my own condition before other men's : saying , i was no di●●embler ; yea , i hated the hypocrisie of professors : i do not justifie my self , and despise others , like the puritanes : i am not factious , schismatical , singular , censorious , &c. i am not rebellious , no● contentious , like the brownists , and anabaptists . i am a good fellow , and love an honest man with my heart , &c. and as touching a good conscience , i was never troubled in minde , as many scrupulous fools are . i have a good heart , and mean as well as the precisest . but now i see the divel and my own deceitful heart deluded me so ; that my whole life hitherto , hath been but a dream , and that like a blind man , i was running headlong to hell , when yet i thought my self in the way to heaven . just as if a beggar should dream , that hewe●e a king , or as if a traitor should dream of his being crowned , when indeed he was to be beheaded ; the case of laodicea , rev. . . the young man in the gospel , luk. . , . and that pharisee , spoken of luke . . . sect. xxxv . convert . it was not your case alone , but so it fares with the worst of sinners : onely it much rejoyces me , that it hath pleased god to open your eyes , to see all this in your self . for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto you . yea wee are naturally so blind , and deaf , and dead in sin and in soul : that wee can no more discern our spirituall filthinesse , nor feel sin to bee a burden , then a blind ethiopian can see his own blackness , or then a dead-man can feel the weight of a burthen , when it is laid upon him . acts. . . isay. . , . and this common experience shewes ; for if you observe it , who more ▪ socond , confident and secure , then the worst of sinners ; they can strut it under an unsupportable mass ●f oaths , blasphemies , thefts , murthers , adulteries , drunkness and other the like sins ; yea can easily swallow these spiders with mithridates , and digest them too : when one that is regenerate , shrinkes under the burden of wandring thoughts , and want of proficiency . but why is it ? they are dead in sin . ephes. . . revel. . . now lay a mountain vpon a dead-man , he feels not once the weight . to a christian that hath the life of grace , the least sin lyes heavy upon the conscience : but to him that is dead , let his sins , be as heavy as a mountain of l●●d ; hee feels in them no weight at all . again , they are insensible of their fin and danger , because ignorant for for what the eye seeth not , the hear trueth not . security makes wordlings merry , and therefore are they secure , because they are ignorant . a dunce wee know , seldome makes doubts : yea a fool sayes solomon , boasteth and is confident . prov. . . neither do blind-men ever blush . and the truth is , were it not for pride and ignorance , a world of men would be ashamed to have their faces seen abroad : for take away from mens minds vain opinions , flattering hopes , false valuations , imaginatious and the like ; you will leav the minds of most men and women , but poor sh●unken things ; full of melancholly , indisposition , and unpleasing to themselves . ignorance is a vail or curtain to hide away their sins : whereupon they are never troubled in conscience , nor macerated with cares about eternity ; but think that all will be wel● . the div●l and the flesh , prophesy prosperity to sin , yea life and salvation , as the pope promised the powder-traitors : but death and damnation ( which gods spirit threa●e●s ) will prove the crop they will reap . for god is true , the divell and all flesh are lyers . when wee become regenerate , and forsake sin ; then the divell strongly , and strangely assaults us : as he did christ , when he was newly baptized ; and pharoh the children of israel , when they would forsake egypt ; and herod the children , when christ was come to deliver his people . whence , commonly it coms to pass , that those think best of themselves , that have least cause ; yea the true christian , is as fearfull to entertain a good opinion of himself ; as the false is unwilling , to he driven from it . they that have store of grace , mourn for the want of it : and they that indeed want it , chant their abundance . none so apt to doubt their adoption , as they that may be assured of it : nor none more usually fear , then they that have the greatest cause to hope . wee feel corruption not by corruption , but by grace : and therefore the more wee feel our inward corruptions ; the more grace we have . contraries , the neerer they are to one another , the sharper is the conflict betwixt them : now of all enemies , the spirit and the flesh are neerest one to another , being both in the soul of a regenerate man ; and in all faculties of the soul , and in every action that springeth from those faculties . the more grace , the more spirituall life ; and the more spirituall life , the more antipathy to the contrary : whence none are so sensible of corruption , as those that have the most living souls . sect. xxxvi . now for remedy of the contrary , there cannot be a better lesson for carnall men to learn then this . all the promises of god are conditionall , to take place if wee repent : as all the threatnings of god are conditionall , to take place if wee repent not . but wicked men , as they believ without repenting ; their faith being meer presumption : so they repent without believing , their repentance being indeed desperation : and this observe , wee are cast down in the disappointing of our hopes ; in the same measure , as we were too much listed up , in expectation of good from them . whence these perremptory presumers if ever they repent , it is commonly as francis spira , an advocate of padua did : and never did any man plead so well for himself , as he did against himself . one star is much bigger then the earth ; yet it seems many degrees less . it is the nature of fear , to make dangers greater , helps lesse then they are . christ hath promised peace and rest unto their souls that labour , and are heavy laden ; and to those that walk according to rule . matth. . . gal. . . even peace celestiall in the state of grace , and peace eternall in the state of glory . such therefore as never were distressed in conscience , or live loosly ; never had true peace . peace is the daughter of righteousnesse . rom. . . being justifyed by faith , we have peace with god . but hee who makes a bridg of his own shaddow , will be sure to fall into the water . those blocks , that never in their life were moved with gods threatnings , never in any straight of conscience , never groaned under the burthen of gods anger : they have not so much as entred into the porch of this house ; or lift a foot over the threshold , of this school of repentance . oh! that wee could but so much fear the eternall pains , as wee do the temporary ; and bee but so carefull to save our souls from torment , as our bodies . in the mean time , the case of these men is so much the worse ; by how much there fear is the lesse . it faring with the soul , as with the body : those diseases , which do take away all sence of pain ; are of all others most desperate . as the dead palsey , the falling sickness , the sleepy lethargie , &c. and the patient is most dangerously sick , when he hath no feeling thereof . in like manner , whilst they suppose themselves to be free from judgment ; they are already smitten with the heaviest of gods judgments ; a heart that cannot repent . rom. . . in a lethargie , it is needfull the patient should be cast into a burning fever ; because the sences are benummed , and this will waken them , and dry up the besotting humors . so in our dead securety , before our conversion ; god is fain to let the law , sin , conscience and satan loose upon us ; and to kindle the very fire of hell in our souls : that so we might be rowsed out of our security : but thousands of these blocks , both live and depart with as great hopes , as men go to a lottery : even dreaming of heaven , untill they awakein hell . for they too often die , without any remors of conscience like blocks ; or as an oxe dyes in a ditch . yea thousands that live like laban , dye like nabal , ( which is but the same word inverted . ) whilest others the dear children of god , dye in distresse of conscience . for it is not every good mans hap , to dye like antonius pius ; whose death was after the fassion , and semblance of a kindly , and pleasant sleep . however saint austins rule , will be sure to hold . he cannot dye ill , that hath lived well : and for the most part , he that lives conscionably , dyes comfortably , and departeth rich . and so you see , how it fares with the wickedest and worst of men . wherefore if you are truly sensible of your wretchedness : it is a good sign , that you are in some forwardness to be recovered ; and really to become so good , as formerly you but dream'd , or imagined your self to bee . and indeed the very first step to grace , is to feel the want of grace ; and the next way to receive mercy , is to see your self miserable . therefore our constant , and most diligent search should be , to find out the naughtiness of our own hearts ; and to get strenght from god , against our prevailing corruptions . sect. xxxvii . loose libertine . but is there any hope for one so wicked as i ? who have turned the grace of god into wantonesse ; applying christs passion as a warrant for my licenciousness , not as a remedy ; and taking his death as a licence to sin , his ●ross as a letters pattent to do mischief . as if a man should head his d●um of rebellion , with his pardon . for i have most spi●efu●ly , and maliciously , taken up arms against my maker , and fought against my redeemer all my daies . convert . do but unfainedly repent you of your sins , and forsake your former evill wayes , and lay held upon christ by a true● and lively ●aith : my soul for yours , god i● very ●eady to forgive them , bee they neve● so many , and innumerable for multitude ; never so ha●nous , for qualitie & mag●itude . yea , i can shew you your pardon from the great king of heaven for al that is past . the which you may read at large isai. , . ezek. . . to . and . . jo l. . , , . yea read cor. . , . together with the story of man●sses , mary m●gdelen , the thief , and the prodigall son : & you shal see presidents thereof . yea the very murtherers of the son of god , upon their serious and unfained repentance , and stedfast believing in him ; received pardon and salvation . and indeed dispai● , is a sin which never kn●w jesus . true , every sin deserves damnation : but no sin shall condemn , but the ●●ing and conti●uing in it . true repentance , is ever blest with forgiveness . and know this , that gods mercy is greater then thy sin , what ever it bee : you cannot be so infi●ite in sinning , as he is infinite in pardoning , if you repent : yea sins upon repentance are so remitted ; as if they had never been committed . i will put away thy transgressions as a cloud , and thy sins as a m●●t . isay. . . and what by corruption hath been done , by repentance is undone . as the former examples witness . come and let us reason tog●ther , saith the lord , though your sins be as scarlet ; they shall be as white as snow . isai . . yea whiter then snow : for the prophet david , laying open his blood guil●in●ss , and his originall impurity , useth these words : pu●geme with hysop , and i shall be clean ; wash me , and i shall be whiter then snow , psal. . . and in reason , did christ come to call sinners to repentance ? and shall he not shew mercy to the penitent ? o who would not cast his burthen upon him ? that desires to give ease . as i live saith the lord , i would not the death of a sinner , ezek. . . and . . onely , apply not this s●lve , before the ulcer be searcbed to the bottom : lay not hold upon mercy , untill you be throughly humbled . the onely way to become good ; is first to believe that you are evill : and by accusing our selvs , wee prevent satan : by judging our selvs , wee prevent god . are wee as sick of sorrow , as wee are of sin ; then may wee hopefully go to the physitian of our souls , who came into the world onely to cure the sick , and to give light to them onely , who sit in darkness , and in the shadow of death . god does not power the oyl of grace , but into a broken , and contrite heart . wouldest thou get out of the miserable estate of nature , into the blessed estate if grace ? and of satan's bondslave become the childe of god , and a member of christ ? wouldest thou truly k●ow thine own heart ? and he very sensible how evil and wicked it is ? that so thou maist have a more humble conceit of thy self ? lay to heart these three particulars : . the corruption of our nature , by reason of original sin . our manifold breach of god's righteous law , by actual sin . . the guilt and punishment due to us for them both . this being done , thou wilt see and find , thy necessity of a redeemer . and it is thirst onely that makes us relish our drink ; hunger our meat . the full stomach of a pharisee , surcharged with the superfluities of his own merits , will loath the hony-comb of christ's righteousness . this was it , which made the young prodig●l , to relish even servants fare ; though before wanton , when full fed at home . no more rellish feels the pharisaicall heart , in christs blood : then in a chip : but o how acceptable , is the fountain of living waters ; to the chased hart panting & braying . the blood of christ to the wearie and tyred soul ; to the thirsty conscience scorched with the sence of gods wrath : hee that presents him with it , how welcome is hee ? even as a speciall choise man , one of a thousand . and the deeper the sence of misery is , the sweeter the sence of mercy is . sect. xxxviii . then if you would be satisfied for time to come , whether your repentance , and conversion be true and sound ? these particulars will infallibly informe you . if you shall persevere , ( when this trouble for sin is over ) in doing that which now you purpose , it is an infallible sign , your repentance is found , otherwise not . if thou dost call to minde , the vow which thou madest in baptisme and dost thy indeavour to perform that , which then thou didst promise if thou dost square thy life , according to the rule of gods word ; and not after the rudements of the world . if thou art willing to forsake all sin , without reserving one : ( for otherwise that one sin may prove the bane of all thy graces : even as gidion had seventy sons , and but one bastard : and yet that bastard , destroyed all the rest that were legitimate . judg. . . ) sin is like the ivie in the wall ; cut off bow , branch , body , stump ; yet some strings or other will sprout out again : till the root be pluck't up , or the wall be pulled down and ruined ; it will never utterly die . regeneration , or new birth , is a creation of new qualities in the soul ; as being by nature onely evil disposed . god's children are known by this mark , they walk not after the flesh , but after the spirit rom. . . if christ have called you to his service , your life will appear more spirituall , and excellent then others . as for your fails , 't is a sign that sin hath not gained your consent , but committed a rape upon your soul ; when you crie out to god . if the ravished virgin under the law cried out , she was pronounced guiltlesse . a sheep may fall into the mire , but a swine delights to wallow in the mire . great difference between a woman that is forced , though she cries out and strives : and an alluring adulteress . again , the thoughts of the godly are godly , of the wicked , worldly ; and by these , good and evil men are best , and truliest differenced one from another . would we know our own hearts , and whether they be changed by a new birth : examine we our thoughts , words , actions , passions ; especially , our thoughts will inform us ; for these cannot be subject to hypocrisie , as words and deeds are . sect. xxxix . then by way of caution know ; that a child may as soon create it self , as a man in he state of nature regenerate himself . we cannot act in the least , unlesse god bestowes upon us daily privative grace , to defend us from evil ; and daily positive grace , inabling us to do good . and those that are of christs teaching , know both from the word , and by experience , that of themselvs they are not onely weak , but even dead to what is good ; moving no more then they are moved : that their best works are faulty , all their sins deadly , all their natures corrupted originally . you hath he quickned , that were dead in trespass●s and sins ephes. . . yea , we are altogether so dead in sin , that we cannot stir the least joint , no not so much as feel our own deadness , nor desire life , except god be pleased to raise and restore our souls ; from the death of sin , and grave of long custom , to the life of grace . apt we are to all evil , but reprobate and indisposed to all grace and goodness ; yea , to all the means thereof . my powers are all corrupt ; corrupt my will : marble to good , but wax to what is ill . insomuch , that we are not sufficient of our selves to think , much lesse to speak , least of all to do that which is good , cor. . . joh. . , . if we have power to choose or refuse the object ; to do these well we have no power . we have abilitie , we have will enough to undo our selvs , scope enough hell-ward ; but neither motion , nor will to do good : that must be put into us by him that gives both power and will , and power to will . finally , each sanctified heart feels this , but no words are able sufficiently to expresse , what impotent wretches we are , when we are not sustained . so that we have no merit , but the mercy of god to save us : nothing but the blood of christ , and his mediation to cleanse and redeem us : nothing but his obedience to enrich us . as for our good works , we are altogether beholding to god for them , not god to us ; nor we to our selvs : because they are onely his works in us . whatsoever thou art , thou owest to him that made thee : what ever thou hast , thou owest to him that redeemed thee . therefore if wee do any thing amiss , let us accuse our selvs : if any thing well , let us give all the praise to god . and indeed , this is the test of a true or false religion : that which teacheth us to exalt god most , and most to depresse our selves is the true : that which doth most prank up our selvs , and detract from god ; is the false . as bonaventure well notes . sect. xl . now to winde up with a word of exhortation ; if thou beest convinced , and resolvest upon a new course ; let thy resolution be peremptory , and constant : and take heed you harden not again ; as pharaoh , the philistins , the young man in the gospel , pilate and judas did : resemble not the iron , which is no longer soft , then it is in the fire ; for that good ( saith gregory ) will do us no good , which is not made good by persevarance : if with these premonitions , the spirit hath vouchsa●ed to stir up in thine heart any good motions , and holy purposes to obey god , in letting thy sins go ; quench not , grieve not the spirit , thes. . . return not with the dog to thy vomit ; least thy latter end prove seven-fold worse then thy beginning , matth. . , . o it is a fearful thing to receive the grace of god in vain ! and a desperate thing , being warned of a rock , wilfully to cast our selves upon it . neither let satan perswade you to defer your repentance ; no , not an hour ; least your resolution proves as a false conception , which never comes to bearing . besides , death may be sudden : even the least of a thousand things can kill you , and give you no leisure to be sick . thirdly if thou wilt be safe from evil works , avoid the occasions ; have no fellowship with the workers of iniquity : neither fear their scoff ; for this be sure of , if your person and waies please god , the world will be displeased with both : if god be your friend , men will be your enemies : if they exercise their malice , it is where he shews mercy . but take heed of losing god's favour to keep theirs . b●da tells of a great man , that was admonished by his friends in his sicknesse to repent : who answered , he would not yet ; for that if he should recover , his friends and companions would laugh at him : but growing sicker and sicker , they again prest him : but then his answer was , that it was now too late ; for i am judged and condemned already . a man cannot be a nathanaël , in whose heart there is no guile ; but the world cou●ts him a fool . but christ saies , verily except ye be converted , and become as little children ; ye shall not en●er into the kingdome of heaven , mat. . . again , satan and your deceitfull heart will suggest unto you : that a religious life , is a dumpish and mellancholly life : but holy david will tell you , that light is sown to the righteous ; and joy to the upright . psal. . . isa. . . and experience tells , that earthly and bodily joyes ; are but the body or rather the dregs of that joy , which gods people feel and are ravished with ▪ as o the calm , and quietness of a good conscience the assura●ce of the pardon of sin , and joy of the holy ghost , the honesty of a virtuous and holy life how sweet they are . yea even plato an heathen could say : that if wisdome and virtue could but represent it self to the eies ; it would set the heart on fire with the love of it . and the like of a sinners sadness , as hear what seneca sayes ; if there were no god to punish him , no divell to torment him , no hell to burn him , no man to see him : yet would hee not sin , for the ugliness and filthiness of sin , and the guilt and sadness of his conscience . but experience is the best informer : wherefore take the councell of holy david , psalm . . . o tast and seek that the lord is good : blessed is the man , that trusteth in him . to which accordeth that of holy bernard , good art thou o lord to the soul that seeks thee ; what art thou then , to the soul that finds thee . as i may apeal to any mans conscience , that hath been softned with the unction of grace ; and truly tasted of the powers of the world to come ; to him that hath the love of god shed abroad in his heart by the holy ghost : whether his whole life bee not a perpetuall halelujak , in comparison of his natural condition . whence they are able to ●●eight all such objections ; as he did : you tel 〈◊〉 that scrupling of small maters , is but slumbling at straws ; that they be but trifles : when i know your tongue can tell nothing but truth , i will believ you . fiftly , beg of god that he will give you a new heart , and when the heart is changed ; all the members will follow after it ; as the rest of the creatures after the sun , when it ariseth . but without a work upon the heart , wrought by the spirit of god ; it will follow its own inclination to that which it affecteth ; whatsoever the judgment shall say to the contrary : that must bee first reformed , which was first deformed . it is idle , and to no purpose to purge the channell , when the fountain is corrupt . whence the apostle orderly bids us , first bee renewed in the spirit of our minds ; and then let him that stole , steal no more , ephe. . . . yea it is god's own counsell , to the men of jerusalem , jer. . wash thine heart from wickedness : that thou mayst be saved ver. . it is most ridiculous to apply remedies to the outward parts , when the distemper lies in the stomach . to what purpose is it to crop off the the top of weeds , or lop off the bows of the tree , when the root and stalk remain in the earth : as cut off the sprig of a tree , it grows still ; a bow , an arm , still it grows , lop off the top , yea saw it in the midd'st , yet it will grow again ; stock it up by the roots , then ( and not till then ) it will grow no more ; whence it is that god saith , give me thine heart , prov. . . great cities once expunged , the dorpes and villages will soon come in of themselvs : the heart is the treasury and store-house of wickedness mat. . . such as the heart is , such are the actions of the body which proceed from it , mat. . . therefore as christ saith , make clean within , and all will be clean , otherwise not , mat. . . therefore davids prayer is , create in me a new heart o lord , and renew a right spirit within me , psal. . . do thou the like , importune him for grace ; that you may firmly resolve , speedily begin , and continually persevere ; in doing and suffering his holy will : desire him to inform and reform you so , that you may neither misbeliev nor mislive ; to change and purify your nature , subdue your reason , rectify your judgment , reform and strengthen your will , renew your affections , and beat down in you , whatsoever stands in opposition to the scepter of jesus christ . sixthly and lastly ; if you receive any power against your former corruptions ; forget not to bee thankfull , yea study all possible thankfullness , for that you and i , are not at this present frying in hell flames , never to be freed ; that we have the offer of grace here , and glory hereafter ; it is his unspeakable goodness . and there is nothing more pleasing to god , nor profitable to us ; both for the procuring of the good we want , or continuing the good we have ; then thankfulness . nee will sow there , and there onely plenty of his blessings ; where he is sure to reap plenty of thanks and service : but who will sow those barren sands , where they are sure not onely to be without all hope of a good harvest ; but are sure to loose , both their seed and labour . consider what hath been said , and the lord give you understanding in all things . and so much for the second part . an appendix followes : wherein you have instances of all sorts ; how sin besots men . sold onely by james crump , in little bartholomews well-yard ; and by henry ●●ipps , in popes-head alley , . demonologia sacra, or, a treatise of satan's temptations in three parts / by richard gilpin. gilpin, richard, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing g estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) demonologia sacra, or, a treatise of satan's temptations in three parts / by richard gilpin. gilpin, richard, - . [ ], , p. printed by j.d. for richard randal and peter maplasden ..., london : . each part has special t.p. a work of religious experience, the first title being somewhat misleading. cf. dnb. reproduction of original in cambridge university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng demonology -- early works to . devil -- early works to . sin -- early works to . good and evil -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - jonathan blaney sampled and proofread - jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion imprimatur , hic liber ( cui titulus , daemonologia sacra : or , a treatise of satans temptations , in three parts . ) guil. sill. martii , . . daemonologia sacra . or , a treatise of satans temptations : in three parts . by richard gilpin . cor. . . we are not ignorant of his devices . london , printed by j. d. for richard randel , and peter maplisden , booksellers in new castle upon tine . . to the reader . the accurate searches into the secrets of nature which this age hath produced , though they are in themselves sufficient evidences of a commendable industry ; yet seeing they fall so exceedingly short of that discovery which men aim at , giving us at best but probable conjectures , and uncertain guesses , they are become as little satisfactory to men that look after the true causes of things , as those ships of desire ; whose great undertaking for gold had raised high expectations in their attempts ; but in the return , brought nothing home for their ventures but apes and peacocks . while men reflect upon themselves under such disappointments , they cannot but check themselves , for over-promising themselves in their adventures , with that of zophar , vain man would be wise . but how happy would it be for men , if such failures of expectation might better inform them ? if our attainments in these pursuits will not bear our charges , nor recompence our pains , and loss of time , with an answerable profit , though we may see cause sometimes ( as a divertisement or recreation ) to use them ; yet how shall we satisfie our selves to make them our chief and sole business ? if we knew of nothing of higher concern to us than these , our neglect of greater matters were more excusable ; but seeing we are sufficiently instructed , that we have more weighty things to look after , such as relate to a certain future estate of happiness or misery : the very discovery of this to a rational being must needs intitle such things to the first and greatest part of his care . he that knows that there is one thing necessary , and yet suffers himself to be diverted from the pursuit of that , by troubling himself about many things , is more justly chargable with folly , than he that neglects his estate , and finds himself no other imployment , but to pursue feathers in the wind. among those things that religion offers to our study , god and our own hearts are the chief . god is the first and last , and whole of our happiness , the beginning , progress , and compleatment of it is from him , and in him , for in that centre do all the lines meet , but our heart is the stage upon which this felicity ( as to the application of it ) is transacted : upon this little spot of earth , doth god and satan draw up their several armies ; here doth each of them shew their power and wisdom ; this is treated by both , each of them challenge an interest in it ; 't is attaqued on the one side , and defended on the other . so that here are skirmishes , battels , and stratagems managed ; that man then that will not concern himself in his enquiries , how the matter goes in his own heart , what ground is got or lost , what forts are taken or defended , what mines are sprung , what ambuscado's laid , or how the battel proceeds : must needs lie under a just imputation of the greatest folly ; neither can he be excused in his neglect , by the most pressing sollicitations of other things that seem to require his attendance upon the highest imaginable pretences of necessity : for what is he profited , that gains the whole world , if he loses his soul ? but the exact and faithful management of such spiritual enquiries , with their necessary improvement to diligent watchfulness , and careful endeavours of resistance , is another manner of work than most men dream of : to discover the intrigues of satans policy , to espie his haunts and lurking places in our hearts , to note his subtile contrivances in taking advantages against us , and to observe how the pulse of the soul beats under his provocations , and deceitful allurements , how far we comply or dissent ; requires so much attendance and laborious skilfulness , that it cannot be expected that such men who design no more than to be christians at the easiest rate , and content themselves with a formal superficiality of religion ; or such , who , having given up themselves to the deceitful sweets of worldly carnal delights , are not at leisure to engage themselves in so serious a work ; or such whose secret guilt of rebellious combination with the devil against god , makes them fearful to consider fully , the hazards of that wickedness , which they had rather practise with forgetfulness , lest the review of their ways , and sight of their danger , should awaken their consciences to give them an unwelcome disquiet ; it cannot ( i say ) be expected that any of these sorts of men ( whilst they are thus set ) should give themselves the trouble of so much pains and toil as this business doth require . upon this consideration , i might rationally fix my prognostick of the entertainment of the following treatise . what acceptance soever it may find with such as are cordially concerned for their souls , and the realities of religion , ( and of such i may say as the apostle paul concerning brotherly love , thess . . . as touching this matter , they need not that i write unto them , for they themselves are taught of god to be suspicious of satans devices ; and by experience they find his deceits so secret , and withal so dangerous , that any help for further discovery and caution , must needs be welcome to them ; yet ) to be sure the prince of darkness ( who is always jealous of the least attempts that may be made against his empire ) will arm his forementioned subjects against it , and whomsoever else he can prevail upon , by the power of prejudice , to reject it , as urging us to a study more severe or harsh , than is consistent , either with the lower degrees of knowledge of many , or with that ease which most men desire to indulge to themselves ; or as offering such things which they ( to save themselves from further trouble ) will be willing to call chimaera's or idle speculations : and this last i may rather expect , because in this latter age , satan hath advanced so far in his general design against all christianity , and for the introduction of paganism and atheism , that now none can express a serious conscientious care for holiness , and the avoidance of sin ; but upon pain of the imputation of silliness , or whining preciseness ; and none can speak or write of conversion , faith , or grace , but he shall be hazarded by the scoffs of those that are unwilling to judge the private workings of the heart to godward , or spiritual exercises of grace , to be any better than conceited whims , and unintelligible nonsense : but seeing such men make bold to jeer , not only that language , and those forms of speech which the holy ghost thought fit to make use of in the scriptures , but also the very things of faith , grace , and spirit , which are every where in the sacred oracles recommended to us with the most weighty seriousness , ( which with them pass for no better than cheats and fancies ) we can easily sit under their contempt ; and shall ( as we hope ) be so far from being jeered out of our religion , that their scorns shall have no more impression upon us , than the ravings of a frenzical person that knows not what he speaks . notwithstanding these , ( who are no way considerable for weight ) there are , i hope , a great many , who seriously imploy themselves in the inwards , as well as the outwards of religion , ( and who will not suffer themselves to be perswaded , that the apostle obtruded an empty notion upon believers , when he recommended that observable truth to them , rom. . . he is not a jew which is one outwardly , &c. ) for their sakes have i undertaken this labour of collecting and methodizing the grand stratagems , and chief ways of delus●on of the great deceiver . to these i must particularly account for some few things relating to this discourse : as , . that i have satisfied my self in the reasons of the publication of these papers , and do not judg it requisite to trouble any so far , as to tell what these reasons are . they who desire to resist such an enemy , and whose experience doth convince them , that all helps are necessary , will not need them , and those that are men of scorn , or of avowed carelesness , will not regard them though i should declare them . . to prevent the misapprehensions ( which possibly some may otherwise labour withal ) of a monstrous product from one text , because they may observe one text in the front , and no other mentioned throughout the first and second parts ; they may know , that i made use of several in the preaching of these discourses , as suitable foundations for the several particulars herein mentioned ; but in the moulding up of the whole , into the method of a treatise , for the ease of the reader , i thought fit to lay aside those introductions , as also many other occasional applications , which were proper for sermons , and a great many things which were necessary to be spoken for explication and illustration of these points to a popular auditory , and have only presented the substance in a more close connection ; because if there be any little obscurity that may at first appear to any , for want of variety of words , the treatise being under their eye , will be at leisure to attend their review in a second or third reading : which however i would recommend earnestly to those that , in these concerns , do really design to be wise for themselves . . neither should it seem strange , that i have frequently made use of instances from history , or other later relations . whosoever shall consider the nature of the matter treated on , will not complain of this as a needless trouble put upon them ; yet withal i have been so careful of doing any persons an unkindness , by making too bold with them , that i mentioned no names but such , as upon such occasions have been made publick by others before . the rest i have only mentioned in the general , discovering their case where it was useful , but concealing the persons . . it may perhaps seem a defect , that the several directions , remedies , or counsels , which are requisite to be observed in making resistance against satan , are not added , except some few hints in the latter end of the third part , and some other things in that part , in the applications of the several doctrines therein , ( which i thought fit , upon good grounds , to leave in the order of a preaching method ) but such may be pleased to consider , that several have performed that part very fully , to whose labours i had rather refer the reader , than trouble him with a repetition : it was only my design to endeavour a more full discovery ( though every way short of the thing it self ) of satan's craft , because the knowledg of this is so necessary , and withal others have done it more sparingly . such as it is accept , and improve for thy spiritual advantage ; for that was the end of this undertaking , by him who desires that thy soul may prosper , rich. gilpin . the contents . part i. chap. . the introduction to the text , from a consideration of the desperate ruine of the souls of men. the text opened , expressing satan's malice , power , cruelty , and diligence . chap. . of the malice of satan in particular . the grounds and causes of that malice . the greatness of it proved ; and instances of that greatness given . chap. . of satans power . his power as an angel considered . that he lost not that power by his fall. his power as a devil . of his commission . the extent of his authority . the efficacy of his power . the advantages which he hath for the management of it , from the number , order , place , and knowledg of devils . chap. . that satan hath a great measure of knowledg , proved , by comparing him with the knowledg of adam in innocency , and by his titles . of his knowledg natural , experimental , and accessory . of his knowledg of our thoughts . how far he doth not know them , and how far he doth , and by what means . of his knowledg of things future , and by what ways he doth conjecture them . the advantages in point of temptation that he hath by his knowledg . chap. . instances of satan's power . of witchcraft , what it is . satan's power argued from thence . of wonders . whether satan can do miracles . an account of what he can do that way . his power argued from apparitions and possessions . chap. . of satan's cruelty . instances thereof in his dealing with wounded spirits , in ordinary temptations of the wicked and godly , in persecutions , cruelties in worship . his cruel handling of his slaves . chap. . of satan's diligence , in several instances . the question about the being of spirits and devils handled . the sadducces opinion discovered . the reality of spirits proved . chap. . of satan's cunning and craft in the general . several demonstrations proving satan to be deceitful : and of the reasons why he makes use of his cunning . chap. . of satan's deceits in particular . what temptation is . of tempting to sin. his first general rule . the consideration of our condition . his second rule . of providing sutable temptations . in what cases he tempts us to things unsuitable to our inclinations . his third rule . the cautious proposal of the temptation , and the several ways thereof . his fourth rule is to entice the way thereof in the general , by bringing a darkness upon the mind through lust . chap. . that satan enticeth by our lust . the several ways by which he doth it . of the power and danger of the violence of affections . chap. . that lust darkens the mind . evidences thereof . the five ways by which it doth blind men. ( . ) by preventing the exercise of reason . the ways of that prevention ; ( . ) secresy in tempting , satan's subtilty therein . ( . ) surprisal . ( . ) gradual intanglements . chap. . of satan's perverting our reason . his second way of blinding . the possibility of this , and the manner of accomplishing it directly , several ways ; and indirectly , by the delights of sin , and by sophistical arguments ; with an account of them . chap. . of satan's diverting our reason , being the third way of blinding men. his policies for diverting our thoughts . his attempts to that purpose in a more direct manner ; with the degrees of that procedure . of disturbing or distracting our reason , which is satan's fourth way of blinding men. his deceits therein . of precipitancy , satan's fifth way of blinding men. several deceits to bring men to that . chap. . of satan's maintaining his possession . his first engine for that purpose , is his finishing of sin , in its reiteration and aggravation . his policies herein . chap. . of satan's keeping all in quiet , which is his second engine for keeping his possession ; and for that purpose , his keeping us from going to the light , by several subtilties : also of making us rise up against the light ; and by what ways he doth that . chap. . of satan's third grand policy for maintaining his possession ; which is his feigned departure . ( . ) by ceasing the prosecution of his design , and the cases in which he doth it . ( . ) by abating the eagerness of pursuit , and how he doth that . ( . ) by exchanging temptations , and his policy therein . the advantage he seeks surgeth . by seeming to fly . of his ( . ) stratagem for keeping his possession , which is his stopping all ways of retreat ; and how he doth that . chap. . satan's deceits against religious services and duties . the grounds of his displeasure against religious duties . his first design against duties , is to prevent them . his several subtilties for that end , by external hindrances , by indispositions , bodily and spiritual , by discouragements ; the ways thereof , by dislike ; the grounds thereof ; by sophistical arguings . his various pleas herein . chap. . satan's second grand design against duties , is to spoil them . ( . ) in the manner of undertaking , and how he effects this . ( . ) in the act or performance , by distracting outwardly , and inwardly , his various ways therein , by vitiating the duty it self . how he doth that ( . ) after performance ; the manner thereof . part ii. chap. . that it is satan's grand design to corrupt the minds of men with error . the evidences that it is so ; and the reasons of his endeavours that way . chap. . of the advantages which satan hath , and useth , for the introduction of error . ( . ) from his own power of spiritual fascination . that there is such a power proved from scripture , and from the effects of it . ( . ) from the imperfection of knowledg , the particulars thereof explained . ( . ) from the byass of the mind . what things do byass it ; and the power of them to sway the understanding . ( . ) from curiosity . ( . ) from atheistical debauchery of conscience . chap. . of satan's improving these advantages for error . . by deluding the vnderstanding directly : which he doth ( . ) by countenancing error from scripture . of his cunning therein . ( . ) by specious pretences of mysteries ; and what these are . of personal flatteries . ( . ) by affected expressions . reason of their prevalency . ( . ) by bold assertions . the reasons of that policy . ( . ) by the excellency of the persons appearing for it , either for gifts or holiness . his method of managing that design . ( . ) by pretended inspiration . ( . ) by pretended miracles . his cunning herein . ( . ) by peace and prosperity in ways of error . ( . ) by lyes against truth , and the professors of it . chap. . of satan's second way of improving his advantages , which is by working upon the vnderstanding indirectly by the affections . this he doth ( . ) by a silent insensible introduction of error . his method herein . ( . ) by entangling the affections with the external garb of error . a gorgeous dress , or affected plainness . ( . ) by fabulous imitations of truth . the design thereof . ( . ) by accomodating truth to a complyance with parties that differ from it . various instances hereof . ( . ) by driving to a contrary extream . ( . ) by bribing the affections with rewards , or forcing them by fears . ( . ) by engaging pride and anger . ( . ) by adorning error with the ornaments of truth . chap. . satan's attempts against the peace of god's children , evidenced . ( . ) from his malice . ( . ) from the concernment of peace to god's children . what these concerns are , explained . ( . ) from the advantages which he hath against them by disquieting their minds . . confusion of mind . . vnfitness for duty , and how . . rejection of duty . . a stumbling-block to others . . preparation of the mind to entertain venomous impressions , and what they are . . bodily weakness . . our miserie 's satan's contentment . chap. . of the various ways by which he hinders peace . st way , by discomposures of spirit . these discomposures explained : by shewing , . what advantage he takes from our natural temper ; and what tempers give him this advantage . . by what occasions he works upon our natural tempers . . with what success . ( . ) these occasions suited to natural inclinations , raise great disturbance . ( . ) they have attendency to spiritual trouble . the thing proved , and the manner how , discovered . ( . ) these disturbances much in his power . general and particular considerations about that power . chap. . of the second way to hinder peace . affrightments , the general nature and burthen of them , in several particulars . what are ways by which he affrights . . atheistical injections . observations of his proceeding in them . . blasphemous thoughts . . affrightful suggestions of reprobation . observations of his proceedings in that course . . frightful motions to sin. . strong immediate impressions of fear . . affrightful scrupulosity of conscience . chap. . of his third way to hinder peace by spiritual sadness . wherein , . of the degrees of spiritual sadness . . of the frequency of this trouble , evidenced several ways . of the difference 'twixt god and satan in wounding the conscience . . of the solemn occasions of this trouble . . the engines by which satan works spiritual sadness . . his sophistry . his topicks enumerated and explained . . scriptures perverted . . false notions . . misrepresentations of god. . sins ; how he aggravates them . . lessening their graces : how he doth that . . his second engine , fear , how he forwards his design that way . chap. . of his fourth way to hinder peace , by spiritual distresses . . the nature of these distresses . the ingredients and degrees of them . whether all distresses of soul arise from melancholy . . satan's method in working them . the occasions he makes use of . the arguments he urgeth . the strengthning of them by fears . . their weight and burthen , explained in several particulars . concluding cautions . part iii. chap. . the first circumstance of the combat . the time when it happened . the two solemn seasons of temptation . the reasons thereof . chap. . the second circumstance . christ's being led by the spirit . what hand the spirit of god hath in temptations ; and of running into temptation when not led into it . chap. . the third circumstance . the place of the combat . the advantage given to temptations by solitude . chap. . the fourth circumstance . the end wherefore christ was led into the wilderness . holiness , imployment , priviledges , exempt not from temptation . of temptations that leave not impressions of sin behind them . how satan's temptations are distinguished from the lusts of our own heart . chap. . of christ's fast ; with the design thereof . of satan's tempting in an invisible way . of his incessant importunities , and how he flys when resisted . of inward temptations with outward afflictions . several advantages satan hath by tempting in affliction . chap. . that christ's temptations were real , and not in vision . that temptation is satan's imployment ; with the evidences and instances thereof . of satan's tempting visibly ; with the reasons thereof . chap. . the general view of these temptations . of satan's gradual proceeding in temptations . of reserving a great temptation last . what a great temptation is . in what cases to be expected . of satan's using a common road , in comparing these temptations with the ordinary temptations of men. of the advantage satan takes of natural appetite , sense , and affections . chap. . the rise of christ●s first temptation . of satan's suiting his temptations to the conditions of men. of tempting men upon the plea of necessity . the reasons and cheats of that plea. his pretences of friendship in tempting ; with the danger thereof . chap. . a particular consideration of the matter of the first temptation . what satan aimed at in bidding him turn stones into bread. of satan's moving us to things good or lawful . the end of such a motion . how to know whether such motions are from satan , or the spirit . what to do in case they be from satan . of his various aims in one temptation . what they are , and of his policy therein . of his artificial contrivement of motions , to make one thing infer another . chap. . of satan's chief end in this temptation . his skill in making the means to sin plausible . the reasons of that policy , with his art therein . mens ignorance his advantage . of the differences of things propounded to our use . chap. . of the temptation to distrust , upon the failure of ordinary means . of the power of that temptation , and the reasons of its prevalency . of unwarrantable attempts for relief ; with the causes thereof . of waiting on god , and keeping his way . in what cases a particular mercy is to be expected . chap. . of satan's proceeding to infer distrust of son-ship , from distrust of providences . instances of the probability of such a design . the reasons of this undertaking . of satan's endeavour to weaken the assurance and hopes of god's children . his general method to that purpose . chap. . the preparation to the second temptation . of his nimbleness to catch advantages from our answers to temptation . that satan carried christ in the air. of his power to molest the bodies of god's children . how little the supposed holiness of places priviledgeth us from satan . of satan's policy in seeming to countenance imaginary defences . of his pretended flight in such cases ; with the reasons of that policy . of his improving a temptation to serve several ends. chap. . that presumption was the chief design of this temptation . of tempting to extreams . what presumption is . the several ways of presuming . the frequency of this temptation , in the generality of professors , in hypocrites , in despairing persons , and in the children of god. the reasons of satan's industry in this design . his deceitful contrivance in bringing about this sin. preservatives against it . chap. . self-murther , another of his designs in this temptation . how he tempts to self-murther directly , and upon what advantages he urgeth it . how he tempts to it indirectly , and the ways thereof . of ne-necessary preservatives against this temptation . chap. . of pride , satan's chief engine to bring on presumption . what pride is , and how it prepares men for sinning presumptuously . considerations against pride . the remedies for its cure. pride kindled by a confidence of priviledges , and popular applause . chap. . of satan's subtilty in urging that of psal . . , . to christ . of his imitating the spirit of god in various ways of teaching . of his pretending scripture to further temptation . the reasons of such pretendings , and the ends to which he doth abuse it . of satan's unfaithfulness in managing of scriptures . cautions against that deceit . the ways by which it may be discovered . chap. . the manner of satan's shewing the kingdoms of the world. of satan's preparations before the motion of sin. of his confronting the almighty by presumptuous imitation ; and in what cases he doth so . of his beantifying the object of a temptation , and how he doth it . his way of engaging the affections by the senses . of his seeming shiness . chap. . satan's end in tempting christ to fall down and worship him . of blasphemous injections . what blasphemy is . the ways of satan in that temptation , with the advantages he takes therein , and the reason of urging blasphemies upon men. consolations to such as are concerned in such temptations . advice to such as are so afflicted . chap. . the nature of idolatry . satan's design to corrupt the worship of god. the evidences thereof , with the reasons of such endeavours . his general design of withdrawing the hearts of men from god to his service . the proof that this is his design , upon whom he prevails . that professions and confidences are no evidences to the contrary . his deceit of propounding sin as a small matter . the evidences of that method , and the reasons thereof . chap. . of worldly pleasure . proofs that this is satan's great engine . what there is in worldly delights , that make them so . counsels and cautions against that snare . chap. . of christ's answer in the general . that these temptations were upon design for our instruction . of the agreement betwixt ephes . and matth. . the first direction . of couragious resolves in resisting temptations . it s consistency with some kind of fear . the necessity of this courage . wherein it consists ; and that there is courage in mourning spirits . chap. . the second direction , that temptations are not to be disputed . the several ways of disputing a temptation . in what cases it is convenient and necessary to dispute with satan . in what cases inconvenient , and the reasons of it . chap. . the third direction of repelling a temptation without delay ; the necessity of so doing . what a speedy denial doth contain . chap. . the fourth direction . of repelling a temptation by scripture arguments . of several things implyed in the direction . the necessity of answering by scripture arguments . the excellency of the remedy . how scripture arguments are to be managed . chap. . the fifth direction of prayer , and of the seriousness required of those that expect the advantage of prayer . of god's hearing prayer while the temptation is continued . of some that are troubled more , while they pray more . daemonologia sacra : or , a treatise of satans temptations the first part. containing a discourse of the malice , power , cruelty and diligence of satan . of his cunning in temptation in the general . of his method of tempting to sin. of his policies for maintaining his possession . of his deceits for the preventing and spoiling religious services and duties . by r. g. cor. . . we are not ignorant of his devices . london , printed by j. d. for richard randel , and peter maplisden , booksellers in new-castle upon tine , . part i. pet. . . be sober , be vigilant ; because your adversary the devil , as a roaring lion , walketh about seeking whom he may devour . chap. i. the introduction to the text , from a consideration of the desperate ruine of the souls of men. the text opened , expressing satan's malice , power , cruelty and diligence . the souls of men are precious , the whole world cannot repair their loss ; hence by god are all men in particular charged with care and watchfulness about them . he hath also set up watchmen and overseers , whose business it is to watch over souls , and in the most strict and careful manner , as those that must give an account . what can more stir up men to the discharge of this duty , than the frequent alarms which we have of the assaults of such an adversary , whose business 't is to destroy the soul ? the philistims are upon thee sampson ; he fights continually , and useth all the policy and skill he hath for the management of his strength . besides , 't is a consideration very affecting , when we view the desolations that are made in the earth ; what wounds , what overthrows , what cruelties , slaveries , and captivities these conquered vassals are put to . it was ( as some think ) an inexcusable cruelty in david against the ammonites , when he put , them under saws , and harrows of iron , and made them pass through th●e brick-kiln ; but this spiritual pharaoh hath a more grievous house of bondage , and iron furnace . neither is this miserable destruction ended , but will keep pace with time , and shall not cease , till christ shall at his appearance finally conquer him and tread him down . if xerxes wept to look upon his army through the prospective of devouring time , which , upon an easy foresight , shewed him the death of so great a company of gallant men ; we may well weep ( as david at ziglag ) till we can weep no more : or ( as rachel for her children ) refusing to be comforted , while we consider what a great number of succeeding generations , heaps upon heaps , will be drawn with him to a consuming tophet . and could we follow him thither , to hear the cries of his prisoners , the roarings of his wounded , where they curse the day that brought them forth , and themselves for their folly and madness in hearkning to his delusions ; the dreadful out-crys of eternity , and then their rage against heaven in cursings and blasphemings , while they have no mitigations , or ease , nor the refreshment of a drop of water to cool their tongues , we would surely think we could never spend our time better , than in opposing such an enemy , and warning men to fly from the wrath to come , to take heed they come not into his snare ; with what earnestness would we endeavour to perswade men ? what diligence would we use to cast water upon these devouring flames , and to pluck men as brands out of the fire ? 't is true , if satan had dealt plainly with men , and told them what wages they were to expect , and set a visible mark upon his slaves , or had managed a visibly destructive hostility , men have such natural principles of self-preservation , and of hatred of what appears to be evil , that we might expect they would have fled from him , and still have been upon their guard : but he useth such artifices , such sleights and couzenage , that men are cast into a sleep , or a golden dream , while he binds them in chains of darkness , they see not their end , the snare , nor the pit ; nay , he intoxicates them with a love of their misery , and a delight in helping forward their ruin ; so that they are volunteers in his service , and possessed with a madness and rage against all that will not be as willing as themselves to go to hell ; but especially if they put forth a compassionate hand to help any out of that gulf of misery , they hate them , they gnash , upon them with their teeth , and run upon them with utmost violence , as if they had no enemies but these compassionate samaritans . how great is this mystery of darkness ! who shall be able to open the depths of it ? who shall declare it fully to the sons of men , to bring these hidden things to light ? especially seeing these hellish secrets which are yet undiscovered , are double to those that have been observed , by any that have escaped from his power : he only whose prerogative it is to search the hearts of men , can know , and make known , what is in the heart of satan ; he views all his goings , even those paths which the vultures eye hath not seen ; and can trace those foot-steps of his , which leave no more print or tract behind them , than a ship in the sea , or a bird in the air , or a serpent on a stone . yet notwithstanding we may observe much of his policies , and more would god discover , if we did but humbly and faithfully improve what we know already . 't is my design to make some discovery of those haunts i have observed , if by that means i may be useful to you to quicken and awaken you . and first i shall set before you the strength and power of your enemy , before i open his cunning and craft . there are found in him whatsoever may render an adversary dreadful . as first ; malice and enmity ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a law term , and signifies an adversary at law , one that is against our cause ; and the text ( as some think ) heightens this malice , ( . ) by the article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which denotes an arch enemy . ( . ) the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies a slanderer or calumniator , ( for the word is twice in the new testament used for a slanderer ) shewing his hatred to be so great , that it will not stick at lying and falshood , either in accusing god to us , or us to god. nay it particularly hints , that when he hath in malice tempted a poor wretch to sin , he spares not to accuse him for it , and to load him with all things that may aggravate his guilt or misery , accusing him for more than he hath really done , and for a worse estate than he is really in . secondly ; his power , under the metaphor of a lion , a beast of prey , whose innate property is to destroy , and is accordingly fitted with strength , with tearing paws , and a devouring mouth ; that as a lion would rend a kid with ease , and without resistance , so are men swallowed up by him , as with open mouth ; so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies , he can sup them up at a draught . thirdly ; his cruelty , a roaring lion , implying , not only his innate property to destroy , which must be a strange fierceness , but also that this innate principle is heightned and whetted on , as hunger in a lion sharpens and enrages that disposition , till he get his prey ; so that he becomes raving and roaring , putting an awful majesty upon cruelty , and frighting them out of endeavours , or hopes of resistance , and increasing their misery with affrightments and tremblings . thus satan shews a fierce and truculent temper , whose power being put forth from such an implacable malice , must needs become rage and fierceness . fourthly ; his diligence ; which , together with his cruelty , are consequences of his malice and power ; he goes about , and seeks ; he is restless in his pursuit , and diligent , as one that promiseth himself a satisfaction or joyful contentment in his conquests . chap. ii. of the malice of satan in particular . the grounds and causes of that malice . the greatness of it proved ; and instances of that greatness given . i shall first give some account of his malice , by which it shall appear , we do not wrong the devil in calling him malicious ; the truth of which charge , will evidence it self in the following particulars . first ; the devil , though a spirit , yet is a proper subject of sin. we need no other evidence for this , than what doth by daily experience result from our selves ; we have sins , which our spirits and hearts do act , that relate not to the body , called a filthiness of the spirit , in contradistinction to the filthiness of the flesh . 't is true it cannot be denyed , but that those iniquities which have a necessary dependance upon the organs of the body , ( as drunkenness , fornication , &c. ) cannot properly , as to the formality of the act , be laid at satan's door , ( though as a tempter and provoker of these in men , he may be called the father of these sins ) yet the forementioned iniquities which are of a spiritual nature , are properly and formally committed by him , as lying , pride , hatred , and malice . and this distinction christ himself doth hint , joh. . . when he speaketh a lye , he speaketh of his own ; where he asserts such spiritual sins to be properly and formally acted by himself . the certainty of all appears in the epithites given him , the wicked one , the unclean spirit ; as also those places that speak his fall , they kept not their first estate , jude . the angels that sinned , pet. . . if sins spiritual are in a true and proper sense attributed to the devil , then also may malice be attributed to him . secondly ; the wickedness of satan is capable of increase , a magis & minus , though he be a wicked spirit , and as to inclination full of wickedness , though so strongly inclined that he cannot but sin ; and therefore as god is set forth to us , as the fountain of holiness , so is satan called the author and father of sin. yet seeing we cannot ascribe an infiniteness to him , we must admit , that ( as to acts of sin at least ) he may be more or less sinful , and that the wickedness of his heart may be more drawn out , by occasion , motives , and provocations : besides we are expresly taught thus much , rev. . . the devil is come down , having great wrath , because his time is short : where we note ( . ) that his wrath is called great , implying greater than at other times . ( . ) that external motives and incentives , ( as the shortness of his time ) prevail with him to draw forth greater acts of fury . thirdly ; whatsoever occasions do draw out , or kindle malice to a rage , satan hath met with them in an eminent degree , in his own fall , and man's happiness . nothing is more proper to beget malice , than hurts or punishments , degradations from happiness . satan's curse , though just , fills him with rage , and fretting against god , when he considers that from the state and dignity of a blessed angel , he is cast down to darkness , and to the basest condition imaginable : for the part of his curse , ( which concerned satan as well as the serpent ) vpon thy belly shalt thou go , and dust shall be thy meat , implies a state most base ; as the use of the phrase proves , they shall lick the dust of thy feet . thine enemies shall lick the dust , psal . . . they shall lick the dust as a serpent , mich. . . where the spirit is so wicked , that it cannot accept the punishment of its iniquity . all punishment is as a poyson , and invenoms the heart with a rage against the hand that afflicted it ; thus doth satan's fall enrage him , and the more , when he sees man enstated into a possibility of enjoying what he hath lost . the envy and pride of his heart boils up to a madness ( for that is the only use , that the wretchedly miserable can make , of the sight of that happiness which they enjoy not ; especially if having once enjoyed it , they are now deprived ) : this begot the rage and wrath in cain against abel , and afterward his murther . the eye of the wicked is evil , where god is good . hence may it be concluded , that satan ( being a wicked spirit , and this wickedness being capable of acting higher or lower according to occasions , and with a suitableness thereto ) cannot but shew an unconceiveable malice against us , our happiness and his misery being such proper occasions for the wickedness of his heart to work upon . fourthly ; this malice in satan must be great : first ; if we consider the greatness of his wickedness in so great and total an apostacy . he is so filled with iniquity , that we can expect no small matters from him , as to the workings of such cursed principles ; not only is he wicked , but the spirit and extract of wickedness , as the phrase signifies , ephes . . . secondly ; the scripture lays to his charge all degrees , acts , and branches of malice ; as ( . ) anger , in the impetuous hast and violence of it , rev. . great wrath , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there signifies excandescentia , the inflammation of the heart , and whole man ; which is violent in its motion , as when the blood with a violent stream rusheth through the heart , and sets all spirits on fire ; and therefore this wrath is not only called great , but is also signified to be so , in its threatning a wo to the inhabitants of the earth . ( . ) indignation is more than anger , as having more of a fixed fury ; and this is applyed to him ephes . . . in that those that have this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , are said to give place to the devil ; which is true , not only in point of temptation , but also in respect of the resemblance they carry to the frame and temper of satan's furious heart . ( . ) hatred is yet higher than wrath or indignation , as having deeper roots , a more confirmed and implacable resolution ; anger and indignation are but short furies , which like a land flood are soon down , though they are apt to fill the banks on a sudden ; but hatred is lasting , and this is so properly the devil's disposition , that cain in hating his brother , is ( john . . ) said to be the proper off-spring and lively picture of that wicked one , who is there so called , rather than by the name of the devil , because the apostle would also insinuate , that hatred is the master-piece of satan's wickedness , and that which gives the fullest character of him . ( . ) all effects of his cruelty arise from this root ; this makes him accuse and calumniate ; this puts him upon breathing after those murthers and destructions which damned spirits are now groaning under . thirdly ; this malice is the result of that curse laid upon satan , gen. . . i will put enmity betwixt thee and the woman , between her seed and thy seed : which implies ( . ) a great enmity ; and some render it , inimicitias implacabiles , implacable enmities . ( . ) a lasting enmity , such as should continue as long as the curse should last . ( . ) that this should be his work and exercise , to prosecute and be prosecuted with this enmity ; so that it shews , the devil 's whole mind and desire is in this work , and that he is whetted on , by the opposing enmity which he meets withal , it is the work of his curse , of his place , of his revenge , and that wherein all the delight he is capable of , is placed . in that part of the curse , dust shall be thy meat ; 't is implyed , ( if some interpret right ) that if satan can be said to have any delight or ease in his condition , 't is in the eating of this dust , the exercise of this enmity : no wonder then if christ speak of his desires and sollicitations with god , to have a liberty and commission for this work ; satan hath desired to have thee , that he may winnow thee . that this curse relates not only to the serpent who was the instrument , but also to satan who was the agent , is agreed by all almost , that it was not the serpent alone , but the devil speaking by it , is evinced , from its speaking and reasoning ; and that the curse reached further than a natural enmity 'twixt a serpent and a man , is as evident , in that christ is expresly held forth , as giving the full accomplishment of this curse against satan , john . . the devil sinneth from the beginning : for this purpose was the son of god manifested , that he might destroy the works of the devil ; which is a clear exposition and paraphrasis of the womans seed bruising the serpents head . fourthly ; i shall add to this some few instances of satan's malice , by which it will appear to be great . first ; that malice must needs be great , which shews it self , where there is such a load of anguish and horror that lies upon him ; he is now reserved in chains of darkness in hell ; he is in hell , a place of torment ; or which is all one , hell is in him , he carries it about him in his conscience , which by god's decree binds him to his horror like a chain . 't is scarce imaginable that he should have a thought free from the contemplation of his own misery , to spend in a malicious pursuit of man. what can we think less of it , than a desperate madness and revenge against god , wherein he shews his rage against heaven , and hunts after our blood , as for a little water to cool his tongue ; and when he finds his hand too short to pull the almighty out of his throne ; he endeavours ( panther-like ) to tear his image in man , and to put man , created after his image , upon blaspheming and dishonouring his maker . secondly ; that malice must needs be great , that seeks its own fewel , and provides or begs its own occasions ; and those , such as give no proper provocation to his anger . of this temper is his malice , he did thus with job , he begs the commission , calumniates job upon unjust surmises ; presseth still for a further power to hurt him , in so much that god expresly stints and bounds him , ( which shews how boundless he would have been if left to his own will ) and gives him at last an open check , job . . wherein he lays open the malice of his heart in three things . ( . ) his own pressing urgency , thou movedst me . ( . ) his destructive fury , no less would serve , than job's utter destruction . ( . ) job's innocency ; all this without cause , thou movedst me to destroy him without cause . thirdly ; that malice must needs be great , that will pursue a small matter : what small game will the devil play , rather than altogether sit out ? if he can but trouble , or puzzle , or affright ; yet that he will do , rather than nothing , if he can ( like an addar in the path ) but bite the heel , though his head be bruised for it , he will notwithstanding busie himself in it . fourthly , that malice must be great , which will put it self forth where it knows it can prevail nothing , but is certain of a disappointment . thus did satan tempt christ ; those speeches , if thou be the son of god , do not imply any doubt in satan ; he knew what was prophesied of christ , and what had been declared from heaven in testification of him ▪ so that he could not but be certain he was god and man ; and yet what base unworthy temptations doth he lay before him , as to fall down and worship him ? was it that satan thought to prevail against him ? no surely , but such was his malice , that he would put an affront upon him , though he knew he could not prevail against him . fifthly ▪ the malice of wicked men , is an argument of satan's great malice ; they have an antipathy against the righteous , ( as the wolf against the sheep ) and upon that very ground , that they are called out of the world ; how great this fury is , all ages have testified : this hath brought forth discord , revilings , slanders , imprisonments , spoiling of goods , banishments , persecutions , tortures , cruel deaths , as burning , racking , tearing , sawing asunder , and what-ever the wit of man could devise , for a satisfaction to those implacable , furious , murtherous minds ; and yet all this is done to men of the same image and lineage with themselves , of the same religion with themselves ( as to the main ) ; nay , some time to men of their own kindred , their own flesh and blood , and all to those that would live peaceably in the land. what shall we say to these things ? how come men to put on a savage nature , to act the part of lions , leopards , tigars , if not much worse ? the reason of all we have , john . . ye are of your father the devil , he was a murtherer from the beginning ; as also gen. . . i will put enmity between her seed and thy seed : so that all this shews what malice is in satan's heart , who urgeth and provokes his instruments , to such bloody hatreds . hence who-ever were the agents , rev. . . in imprisoning the saints , the malice of satan in stirring them up to it , makes him become the author of it ; satan shall cast some of you into prison . chap. iii. of satan's power . his power as an angel considered . that he lost not that power by his fall. his power as a devil . of his commission . the extent of his authority . the efficacy of his power . the advantages which he hath for the management of it , from the number , order , place , and knowledge of devils . that satan's power is great , is our next enquiry : where , first , we will consider his power as an angel. in psalm . . . angels are said to excel in strength : and in vers . . as also psal . . . they are called god's host ; which is more fully expressed , kings . . i saw the lord sitting upon his throne , and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left : which phrase , though it import their order and observance ; yet undoubtedly the main of its intendment , is to set forth their power , as hosts are the strength of kings and nations . god himself in putting on that title , the lord of hosts , makes it an evidence of his incomprehensible power , that such armies of strong and mighty creatures are at his command . but this only in the general . that which comes nearer to a particular account of their strength , is that notion of a spirit , by which they are frequently described ; he maketh his angels spirits , his ministers flaming fire . the being of a spirit is the highest our understanding is able to reach , and that it shews a being very excellent , is manifest in this , that god is pleased to represent himself to us under the notion of a spirit ; not that he is truly and properly such , but that this is the most excellent being that falls under our apprehension . besides , that the tearm spirit , raiseth our understanding to conceive a being of an high and extraordinary power ; it doth further tend to form our conceptions to some apprehensions of their nature : ( . ) from the knowledg that we have of our own spirits ; that our spirit is of a vast comprehension and activity , our thoughts , desires , reasonings , and the particular undertakings of some men of a raised spirit , do abundantly evidence . ( . ) in that it represents a spiritual being , freed from the clog and hinderance of corporeity , our own spirits are limited and restrained by our bodies , as fire , an active element , is retarded and made sluggish by matter unapt to serve its proper force , as when 't is in an heap of earth ; which is also sufficiently pointed at in that opposition betwixt flesh and blood , and principalities and powers , ephes . . shewing that flesh and blood are a disadvantage and hinderance to the activity of a spirit . a spirit then , as in corporeal , may be conceived to move easily without molestation , quickly , imperceptibly and irresistibly .. ( . ) this is yet further illustrated by the similitude of wind and fire , which are ( to the common experience of all ) of very great force . and 't is yet further observable , that the scripture sometime speaks of the power of angels in the abstract , chusing rather to call them powers than powerful ; clearly shewing , that angels are beings of vast strength , as indeed the actions done by them do abundantly testifie ; such was the destroying sennacheribs host in a night , the opening the prison doors for peter , the carrying philip in the air , and such other acts , which tend to the protection of the faithful , or punishing of the wicked . though this may fully satisfie us that angels excel in strength , yet the scripture suggests another consideration relating to the office and imployment of angels , where their commission shews not only a liberty for the exercise of this power , but also doth imply such a power as is fit to be commissionated to such acts ; these invisible beings are called thrones , dominions , principalities , powers , col. . 't is indeed a task beyond a sober undertaking to distinguish these words , and to set their true bounds and marks of difference ; this , augustin acknowledged , yet may we hence conclude , ( . ) that these words imply a very great authority in angels . ( . ) a power and strength suitable to their imployment , and that god furnished them with power answerable to the work which he intended for them , in his moving the heavens , and governing the world , &c. however , in some cases , god works by instruments every way disproportionable to the service , that the excellency of the power might be of god ; yet in the ordinary way of his working , he puts an innate , suitable force in creatures , for the acts to be done by them ; as there is an innate power in the wind to blow , in the fire to burn , in herbs and plants for medicinal uses . thus may we conceive of angels , that god using them as his host , his ministers to do his pleasure ; he hath indowed them with an innate natural power for those great things which he doth by them ; which must not be supposed in the least derogatory to the power of god , in his ways of mercies or judgments , seeing all the strength of angels is originally from god : hence is it that all the names of angels which we read of in scripture carry this acknowledgment in their signification ; michael thus unfolds it self , who is like god. gabriel thus , the glory of god ; and therefore may we suppose them not so much the proper names of angels , but ( as calvin noteth ) nomina ad captum nostrum indita , names implying god's great power in them . such a powerful spirit is satan by creation . but because it will be doubted lest his fall hath bereaved him of his excellency , and cast him down from his strength ; i shall evidence that he still retains the same natural power : to which purpose , 't is not unfit to be observed , ( . ) that the same terms and names which were given to good angels , to signifie their strength and commission , col. . . and . . are also given to satan , ephes . . . devils are called principalities , powers , rulers ; and col. . . they have the same names which in vers . . were given to good angels , he spoiled principalities and powers . ( . ) the scripture gives particular instances of satan's power and working , as his raising tempests in the air , commanding fire from heaven ; both which he did in prosecution of his malice against job ; his carrying the bodies of men in the air , as he did with christ , hurrying him from the wilderness to the mountain , from thence to the pinacle of the temple ; his breaking chains and fetters of iron , mark . . his bringing diseases , instances whereof were that crooked woman whom satan had bowed together , luke . . and the lunatick person , luk. . . with a great many more . ( . ) 't is also observable , that notwithstanding satan's fall hath made an alteration as to the ends , vses , and office of his power ; yet nevertheless god makes use of this strength in him , not only as an executioner of wrath against his enemies , ( as when he vexed saul by this evil spirit ; and through this lying spirit , gave up ahab to be deluded into his ruin , and inflicted plagues upon egypt , by sending evil angels among them ) but also for the tryal of his own servants ; thus was job afflicted by satan , and paul buffeted by his messenger . secondly ; this power of his , as a devil , falls next under our consideration , wherein are divers particulars to be noted : as , first , his commission and authority . if any put that question to him , which the jews did to christ ; by what authority dost thou these things ? or , who gave thee this authority ? we have the answer in john . . and . . where he is called the prince of this world ; and accordingly the scripture speaks of a two-fold kingdom of light and of darkness ; and in this we hear of satan's seat or throne , of his servants and subjects . yea , that which is more , the scripture speaks of a kind of deity in satan ; he is called the god of this world , cor. . . which doth not only set forth the intollerable pride and usurpation of satan in propounding himself as such , so drawing on poor blind creatures to worship him , but also discovers his power , which by commission he hath obtained over the children of disobedience . hence doth he challenge it , as a kind of right and due from the poor americans and others , that they should fall down and worship him ; and upon this supposition was he so intollerably presumptuous in offering the kingdoms of the world to christ for such a service and worship . if it be questioned , what satan's authority is ? i shall answer it thus . first ; his authority is not absolute or unlimited ; he cannot do what he pleaseth , and therefore we do find him begging leave of god for the exerting of his power in particular cases , as when he was a lying spirit in the mouth of ahab's prophets , and in every assault he made upon job ; nay , he could not enter into the swine of the gaderens , till he had christ's commission for it . secondly ; yet hath he a commission in general , a standing commission , as petty kings and governours had under the roman emperor , where they were authorised to exercise an authority and power , according to the rules and directions given them ; this is clearly signified by those expressions , they are captives at his will — and given up to satan , as persons excommunicated ; and when men are converted , they are said to be translated from his power , and put under another jurisdiction , in the kingdom of christ . all which would have been highly improper , if a commission for satan , and an authority for those works of darkness had not been signified by them . next let us view the extent of this authority , both as to persons and things . in relation to persons , the boundary of his kingdom reacheth as far as darkness ; he rules in the dark places of the earth , or the darkness of this world ; and therefore his kingdom is hence denominated a kingdom of darkness . this extends ( we may well imagine ) as far as heathenism reacheth , where he is worshipped as god , as far as any darkness of mahumetanism stretcheth it self , as far as the darkness of infidelity and blindness upon the hearts of unconverted men , which if summed up together , must needs take up the greatest part of the world by far ; which is acknowledged , not only by that large expression , world , prince of this world , &c. but also by that prophetick speech of rev. . . the kingdoms of this world , are become the kingdoms of our lord and his christ ; which acknowledgeth they had not been so before , in the sense wherein we now speak . neither is his kingdom so bounded , but that he also can ( when allowed ) make excursions and inroads into the kingdom of christ , so far as to molest , disturb and annoy his subjects : as the kings of any nation , besides the power which they exercise in their proper jurisdiction , may molest their neighbours . and christ so far permits this , as is useful to his own designs , yet still with straiter reserves and limitations to satan , and a resolved rescue and conquest for his own people . if we enquire the extent of his power in relation to things , we find the air in a peculiar manner permitted to him , so that he is named by it , as by one of his chief royalties , the prince of the power of the air ; we find also death , with the powers of it given up to him , so that this is a peraphrasis of him , he that hath the power of death , heb. . . and if we take notice of his large proffer to christ of the kingdoms of the world , all this will i give thee ; we may imagine that his commission reacheth far this way , as rewards and encouragements to his service ; which we will the readilier entertain , when we find that by god's allowance , wicked men have their portion in this life , and that these are called their good things . thirdly ; let us proceed a step further to the efficacy of this authority ; which also , first , upon wicked men is no less remarkable than is his commission ; he is called the strong man in reference to their hearts , which he fortifies as so many castles and garisons against god : he also rules in them without controul ; his suggestions and temptations are as laws to them ; he fills their hearts with his designs , and raiseth their affections to an high and greedy pursuit of them ; he works in them , and by an inward force doth hurry them on to atchieve his enterprises ; in all this ensnaring and captivating them at his pleasure . secondly ; the saints , which are subjects of another kingdom , are still fearing , complaining , watching , praying , and spreading out their hands , with lifting up their eyes to heaven for help against him ; they complain of violence and restless assaults from him ; they are sensible that he can suggest evil thoughts , and follow them with incessant importunities ; that he can draw a darkness upon their understanding , by bribing their wills and affections against them ; that he can disturb their duties , and that because of him they cannot do the good they would : many a fear doth he beget in their hearts ; many a disquiet hour have they from him ; their flesh hath no rest , and happy are they if they escape from him without broken bones : many excellent ones have been cast down by him , and for a time have been like dead men. 't is sad to see so just a person as lot under his feet ; so choice a saint as david wounded almost to the death ; so high an apostle as peter by force and fear from him , to open his mouth with curses and imprecations in the denial of his saviour ; to say nothing of the buffetings of others , which was sufficiently wearisom to paul , and described by a thorn in the flesh ; which ( if a learned man think right ) is compared by a metaphor , to those sharp stakes upon which christians were cruelly spitted and burnt . thirdly ; his quick and ready accomplishment , is a further proof of the efficacy of his power . no sooner had god given him a commission in reference to job , but he quickly raiseth the tempest , brings down the house , slayes his children , brings fire from heaven ; and ( which would seem strange ) hath the troops of the sabeans and chaldeans at his beck , as if they had been listed under his known command ; so that in a little time he puts his malice into act. fourthly ; if any would slight all this , as being the force of principalities and powers against flesh and blood : we may see he hath so much strength and confidence , as to grapple with an angel of light , as he did in the contesting for moses his body , jude v. . this was a created angel , else he durst not sure have brought a railing accusation ; but in that he strove , and raylingly accused , it shews he wanted not a daring boldness to second his commission and power . fourthly ; it will be also requisite to lay open the advantages he hath in the management of all this power , which are great : as , first , the multitude of devils : that there are many , is not denyed , upon the evidence of seven cast out of mary magdalen , and the legion which were setled in one poor man at once . it may be we may not credit the devil 's own account of his strength so much , as to believe that their number was exactly answerable to a roman legion , which ( if some speak right ) was : yet there being so plain an allusion to a roman legion ; and the scripture in the recital favouring it so far , as to consent to a truth in that part of the story , we can do no less than conclude that the number of devils in that person was a very great number , and so great , that the similitude of legion was proper to express it by . besides , if the scripture had been silent in this particular , our reason would have clearly drawn that conclusion from such premises as these , that he is the god of the world , and rules in the children of disobedience ; for whatsoever we conceive of his power , we cannot think him omnipotent , or omnipresent , these being the incommunicable attributes of the great creator of all things , in which no creature can share with god. being then assured that he is the tempter of all men , and that he cannot be in all places at once , we must needs apprehend the devils to be many , as is signified by that expression , the devil and his angels . secondly ; he hath also an advantage for the executing of his designs , from that order , which from the fore-mentioned grounds we must be forced to conceive to be among devils . i know the bold determination of the order of angels by dyonisius is justly rejected , not only by irenaeus and augustin , but also by the generality of protestants , who upon that , and other grounds of like presumption , do reject that author as not being the true dyonisius the areopagite . neither do some of our protestant authors ( as chamier and others ) admit the government of angels to be monarchical , ( which supposition the papists would gladly make use of , as a foundation whereon to establish the vniversal headship of the pope ) being a thing which dyonisius himself , ( as chamier affirms ) never dream'd of : yet do none of these authors deny an order among the angels , but willingly grant it , as clearly implyed from the term arch-angel used by paul , thess . . . and from their being called god's host or army , where order is necessary for the right management of their strength , and confusion the way to the ruin of their designs ! the thing they dislike is , the bold and peremptory determination of the particular orders among them , and the assignment of the several charges , imployments and stations to each ; which whosoever shall do , must needs be guilty of intruding into things which he hath not seen . it would upon the same score be a presumptuous folly to make such a determination of the several ranks and particular imployments of devils : yet this hindereth not , but with a warrantable sobriety we may believe in the general , that there is an order among the devils . not only do these expressions ( baalzebub the prince of divils , the devil and his angels , and in that they are called , principalities and powers ) warrant us so to think ; but the fore-mentioned considerations about the multitude of devils , will force our reason to an assent : for if they must be many , because all mankind is sensible of their assaults , they must have also an order in the management of their temptations ; without which , their designs of cruelty and malice must ( at least in great part ) fall to the ground . neither do i know well , how those authors may be justly blamed , who proceed a little further in their suppositions , to tell us ( as most probable ) that these infernal spirits do share the world among them , and are alloted to several countries and places , as their own proper charge and jurisdiction ; for what other interpretation those passages in dan. . . can receive , i cannot see , the prince of the kingdom of persia withstanding the angel one and twenty days ; and his help in that opposition from michael , cannot ( if things be well weighed ) be properly understood of cambyses the son of cyrus , or a contest with any man. however if we let this go , as a thing uncertain , ( because this interpretation is denyed by some ) yet that which is spoken of their order in the general , and the advantage these spirits have against us upon that consideration , seems to be past denyal . thirdly ; the advantage of place among armies is reckoned much . satan seems to have something this way as an advantage of ground , in that he is stiled spiritual wickedness in high places . what advantage high places may be to devils and spirits we cannot further imagine , than that they being thus above us and about us in the air , see and know our wages and actions , and so receive information from thence for their malicious proceedings against us . fourthly ; but his greatest advantage is from his knowledg , which i shall a little explain in the following chapter . chap. iv. that satan hath a great measure of knowledg , proved , by comparing him with the knowledg of adam in innocency , and by his titles . of his knowledg natural , experimental , and accessory . of his knowledg of our thoughts . how far he doth not know them , and how far he doth , and by what means . of his knowledg of things future , and by what ways he doth conjecture them . the advantages in point of temptation that he hath by his knowledg . in the discovery of satan's knowledg , i shall first give evidence and demons●ration thereof . to which purpose , ( . ) let us consider the knowledg of adam in innocency ; which being found to be great , it will thence be easily concluded , that satan's knowledg is far greater : two notable discoveries we have of adam's knowledg , the one was his giving of names to all creatures ; which was not only a sign of his dominion , but also a notable instance of his vnderstanding , seeing the names were given according to the natures of creatures ; whereof bochartus gives a large account , as the camel is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , because it 's apt to repay injuries ; the kite , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , from its sharpness of sight ; the pelican is named 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , from its usual vomiting , &c. the consideration of the aptness of names imposed on creatures , made plato acknowledg , that it was a work above ordinary capacity . the other discovery of adam's knowledg , was his knowledg of the original of eve at first sight ; gen. . . he said , this is now bone of my bones , and flesh of my flesh , &c. this instance luther made use of to prove the knowledg that we shall have of one another in heaven ; which shews that adam's understanding was then incomparably more sublime than ours , and of a nearer approach to the knowledg which a state of glory shall furnish us withal . to this might be added a further proof from the rare inventions , and excellent discoveries that some raised wits have made , of things that have laid deep , and far out of the view of common capacities . as also those views , sights , and more than ordinary comprehensions which the souls of men have had , when they were a little freed from the clog and hinderance of the body , either in extasies , or by approaching death ; all which put together , will go far to prove a very great measure of knowledg in satan , if we take along with us this foundation , that in all the works of god , we find the highest knowledg in the noblest being : living creatures are more excellent than stones or trees , and therefore hath god furnished them with senses , and hath also distinguished them by higher degrees of sagacity , according to their excellency above others : thus the ape , fox , elephant , &c. have such abilities above the worm and fly , &c. that some have questioned whether they had not some lower degrees of reason yet as these are below man , so doth his reason far excel their greatest quickness of sense . angels are an higher being than man , ( for he made him lower than the angels ) and consequently their knowledg is proportionably greater . so that if adam in innocency understood the nature of things , how much more exactly and fully must we imagine satan to know them ? secondly ; but the proof is more full and direct , from those appellations and titles which the scripture , and the experience of men , have put upon him ; his usual name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which ( in matth. . . mark . . rev. . . ) we translate devil , properly signifieth one that is wise , knowing , or skilful . and however the wickedness of that spirit hath so far dishonoured this word , that 't is always ( as some think ) used to signifie vnclean spirits ; yet still it carries an evidence of their nature in reference to knowledg , that though they are wicked creatures , yet are they wise and knowing : 't is said , gen. . . the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field ; which though it be true literally of the serpent , whose wisdom and subtilty , naturalists have abundantly noted , yet that expression hath an eye upon satan , who was the principal agent ; and the serpent there is called subtil , as influenced by satan , whose instrument he was : which we may believe , not only upon the credit of austin and lyra , but more securely upon the testimony of other scriptures , which name him the old serpent , rev. . and impute all that craft in the management of that temptation , to a particular remarkable skill and subtilty of satan ; the serpent beguiled eve through subtilty , cor. . . and ( if beza conjecture right ) the appellation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do so fitly suit this history of the tree of knowledg , that the title of knowledg seems to be given him for this singular master-piece of craft . thirdly ; that satan hath great knowledg , is by these arguments discovered ; but if further inquiry be made into the nature of his knowledge , we shall be nearer to a satisfaction in this particular ; and here we may observe a three-fold knowledg in satan . first ; a natural knowledg , which the school-men have distinguished into these two ; ( . ) an evening knowledg , which he received from things created , whereby the species of things were impressed upon his mind , and so received , being a knowledg à posteriori , from the effects of things ; which because it is more dark and obscure , than that which ariseth from the causes of things , they tearmed evening knowledg . ( . ) the other is morning knowledg , which is a knowledg of things in the power and wisdom of god , in which he saw the idea's and images of all things ; this knowledge they prefer before the other , as lines and figures are better known from mathematical instruction , than by their bare tract , as written in dust . secondly ; besides this he hath an experimental knowledg ; which is the improvement of that natural stock , by further acquisitions and attainments ; and indeed satan had very high advantages for an increase of knowledg , he had a great stock to begin withal ; he hath had fit and sutable objects to work upon in his contemplations , so that by comparing things with things , in so large a field of variety , and that for so many years together , it cannot be , but that he should be grown more experienced and subtil than he was at first : and the scripture doth fairly countenance this supposition , by telling us of his devices , cor. . . of his wiles , ephes . . . and of his depths , rev. . . all which phrases imply , that satan hath so studied the point of temptation , that he hath now , from long experience and observation , digested it into an art and method , and that with such exactness , that it is become a mystery , and a depth , much covered and concealed from the notice and observation of men. thirdly ; to both the former , may be added another knowledg ; which because 't is from another spring , i may call it an accessory knowledg , consisting in occasional discoveries made to him , either when god is pleased to make known so much of his mind and purpose as he imploys him ( as an instrument or servant ) to execute , as he did in the case of job and ahab ; or when he informs himself from the scriptures , or catcheth hints of knowledg from the church , and the ordinances thereof . if good angels have an encrease of knowledg this way , as is evident they have , ( for to principalities and powers in heavenly places , is made known by the church the manifold wisdom of god , ephes . . . ) we cannot but imagine that satan hath some addition of knowledg from such discoveries . while we are upon this point , it will be necessary to offer some satisfaction to two questions . first ; whether satan knows our thoughts ? it 's undoubtedly god's prerogative , to know the thoughts ; he knows them intuitively , which is beyond the power of any creature , jer. . . who can know it ? this is a challenge to all , implying the utter impossibility of it to any but to god alone ; i the lord search the heart ; he knows the most inward thoughts . rev. . . i am he which searcheth the reins , and the heart ; he knows them evidently and certainly , all things are naked and open before , him , with whom we have to do . those secret thinkings and intendments which are hid from others , and which we our selves cannot distinctly read , because of their secret intricacy or confusedness , yet the very inside and outside of them are uncased , cut up and anatomized by his eye : in all which expressions , god is careful to reserve this to himself , i the lord do it , or i am he that searcheth ; and signifies , that none else is able to do the like . yet satan can do much this way : for if we consider how he can come so near to our spirits , as to communicate his injections to us , and that he often entertains a dispute with us in this secret way of access that he hath to our thoughts ; if we observe his arguings , his answers and replys to our refusals , so direct , so pertinent , so continued , we shall be constrained to grant that he can do more this way than is commonly imagined . that i may explain this with a due respect to god's prerogative of knowing the heart , i shall , first , shew that there are two things which are clearly out of satan's reach . ( . ) our future thoughts , he cannot tell what shall be our thoughts for time to come , he may possibly adventure to tell what suggestions he resolves to put into our hearts , but what shall be our resolves and determinations thereupon , he knows not : this is singled out as one part of god's prerogative , that he knoweth the determinate purposes and resolves of the heart aforehand , because he turneth the heart as he pleaseth , prov. . . ( . ) our present formed thoughts , the immediate and imminent acts of the mind he cannot directly see into : he may tell what floating thinkings he hath put into our heart , but our own proper thoughts , or formed resolves , he cannot directly view ; this is also particularly insisted on as proper to god alone . john . , . christ knew all men , so directly , that he needed not that any should testifie of man , ( this satan stands in need of ; he sometimes knows men and their thoughts , but he needs a sign or notification of these thoughts , and cannot immediately look into them ) ; the reason why christ needed not this , is rendred thus , for he knew what was in man ; that is , intuitively he knew his thoughts , and could immediately read them . secondly , i shall endeavour to explain how much , or how far he can pry into our thoughts . several things are granted which argue satan can go a great way toward a discovery : as , first , that he knows the objects in our fancy , or phantasins , and this as clearly as we do behold things with our eyes ; and the proof given hereof is this , that there are diabolical dreams , in which the devil cannot create new species , and such as our senses were never acquainted withal , ( as to make a blind man dream of colours ) but that he can only call forth and set in order those objects , of which our imagination doth retain the shadows or impressions ; and this he could not do , if he did not visibly behold them in our fancy . secondly , 't is certain he knows his own suggestions , and temptations darted into our minds ; upon which , he can at present know what our thoughts are busied upon . thirdly , he knows the secret workings of our passions , as love , desire , f●ar , &c. because these depend upon , or are in a concomitancy of the motions of the blood and spirits , which he can easily discern , though their motions and workings may be kept secret from the observation of all by-standers . fourthly , some go further , ( as scotus , referente barthol . sybilla ) supposing that he knows what is in our thoughts at any time , only he knows not to what these thoughts incline : but i leave this to those that can determine it certainly . in the mean time i proceed , thirdly , to shew what a guessing faculty he hath of what he doth not directly know ; he hath such grounds and advantages for conjecture , that he seldom fails of finding our mind : as , first , his long experience hath taught him , what usually men do think , in such cases as are commonly before them ; by a cunning observation of their actions and ways he knows this . secondly ; he by study and observation knows our temper and inclination , and consequently what temptations do most sute them , and how we do ordinarily entertain them . thirdly ; he knows this the more , by taking notice of our prayers , our complainings and mournings over our defects and miscarriages . fourthly ; he is quick and ready to take notice of any exteriour sign , by which the mind is signified , as the pulse , the motion of the body , the change of the countenance ; all which do usually shew the assent or dissent of the mind , and at least tell him what entertainment his offers have in our thoughts . fifthly ; being so quick-sighted , he can understand those particular signs which would escape the observation of the wisest men ; there are some things small in themselves , ( and therefore unobserved ) which yet to wise men are very great indicia of things ; the like may be said of us , in reference to our inclinations , our acceptance or resistance of temptations , which yet he hath curiously marked out . sixthly ; no doubt but he hath ways to put us upon a discovery of our thoughts , while we conceal them , as by continuing and prosecuting temptations or suggestions , till our trouble or passions do some way discover how it is with us . by all which it appears that his guessings and conjectures do seldom fail him . 't is now time to speak to the other question , which is , whether and how far satan knows things to come ? to this i shall return answer in these two conclusions . first ; there is a way of knowing future things , which is beyond the knowledg of devils , and proper only to god , esa . . . there god puts the competition 'twixt himself and idols , about the truth of a diety upon this issue , that he that can shew the things that are to come hereafter , he is god ; which because they cannot do , he doth hereby evince them to be no gods. if satan could truly and properly have done this , he had had a plea for a godhead . in divine predictions two things are to be considered . ( . ) the matter foretold , when the events of things contingent , and ( as to second causes ) casual , depending upon indeterminate causes , are foretold . ( . ) the manner , when these things are not uncertainly , or conjecturally , or darkly ; but clearly , certainly , infallibly , and fully predicted . of this nature are divine predictions , which satan cannot perform , nor yet the angels in heaven . secondly ; yet satan hath such advantages for the knowledg of future things , and such means and helps for a discovery of them , that his conjectures have often come to pass . first ; he knows the causes of things , which are secret to us . upon which he seems to foretel many things strange to us ; as a physician may foretel the effects , workings , and issues of a disease , as seeing them in the causes : which would pass for little less than prophesie among the vulgar . thus an astrologer foretells eclipses , which would be taken for a divine excellency , where the knowledg of the ground of these foretellings had not taken away the wonder . secondly ; many things are made known to him by immediate divine revelation : we know not the intercourse betwixt god and satan in the matter of job ; satan ( having obtained his commission to afflict him ) might have made a long prophesie of what should come to pass in reference to job , his children and substance ; how many such predictions he might make , we little know . thirdly ; he hath a deep insight in affairs of kingdoms and states , and so might ( from his experience and observation ) easily conjecture mutations and alterations . a politician may do much this way : for ought we know , satan's prophesy ( in the likeness of samuel ) to saul , of his ruin , and the translation of his kingdom to david , might be no more than a conjectural conclusion , from his comparing the order of the present providence , with former threatnings and promises . fourthly ; he hath a greater understanding of scripture prophecies , than ordinarily the wisest of men have ; so that at second hand he might be able to foretel what shall come to pass . whilst we that do not so clearly see into scripture-predictions , may not be able to find out the matter . hence by oracle he foretoled alexander of his success , which he knew from the prophesy of daniel , chap. . long before . fifthly ; he hath advantage from his nature as a spirit , by which he over-hears and sees the private actings , complottings and preparations of men in reference to certain undertakings , and can easily , by his agents , communicate such councels or resolves in remote countries and kingdoms , which must pass for real predictions , if the event answer accordingly . sixthly ; he can foretel ( and with probability of success ) such things as he by temptation is about to put men upon , especially seeing he can chuse such instruments , as he ( from experience ) knows are not likely to fail his enterprise . seventhly ; to this may be added , the way and manner by which he expresseth himself , either in doubtful or enigmatical terms , or in general expressions , which may be applyed to the event , what way soever it should happen . of these , authors have observed many instances , which were superfluous to enumerate . satan's knowledg being thus explained , it is easie to imagine what an advantage it is to him in the management of his temptations : for , first , he by this means knows our tempers and dispositions . secondly ; and what is most likely to prevail with us . thirdly ; how inclinable we are upon any motion made to us , and what hope to gain upon us . fourthly ; he knows fit times , seasons and advantages against us . fifthly ; he knows how to pursue suggestions , and can chuse strong reasons to urge us withal . sixthly ; he knows how to delude our senses , to disturb our passions . sevently ; he knows all the ways and arts of affrightments , vexations , disquietments , hinderances and disturbances of duty . eighthly ; he by this means is furnished with skill for his publick cheats and delusions in the world , how to amuse , astonish , and amaze men into errors and mistakes , which he hath always endeavoured with very great success in the world , as we shall see hereafter . chap. v. instances of satan's power . of witchcraft , what it is . satan's power argued from thence . of wonders . whether satan can do miracles . an account of what he can do that way . his power argued from apparitions and possessions . i shall add in the fifth place , some particular instances of his power , in which i shall insist upon these four , witchcraft , wonders , apparitions and possessions . first ; witchcraft affords a very great discovery of satan's power : but because some give such interpretations of witchcraft , as ( if true ) would wholly take away the force of this instance , i shall first endeavour to establish a true notion of witchcraft , and secondly from thence argue satan's power . first ; though the being of witches is not directly denyed ( because the authority of scripture , exod. . . deut. . . &c. hath determined beyond controversie , that such there are ) ; yet some will allow no other interpretation of the word , than a skill and practice in the art of poysoning , because the septuagint doth interpret the hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , venificam . which apprehension they strengthen by the authority of josephus , who giveth this account of the law , let none of the children of israel use any deadly poyson , or any drug wherewith he may do hurt , &c. 't is easie to observe , that this conceit ariseth from a great inobservancy of the reason of the application of these words , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and veneficus to witchcraft , in greek and latin authors . witchcrafts were supposed to be helped forward by the strength of several herbs , and these by incantations and other ceremonies at their gathering , imagined to attain a poysonous and evil quality or efficacy for such effects , as were intended to be produced by them , as appears by * ovid , virgil , and other authors . hence was it that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 became applicable to any fort of witchcraft . to this may be added , that such persons were resorted to , for help against diseases , vid. leigh . crit. sac. in voc. as also that they used vnguents for transportations ; hence godwin . jew . antiq. lib. . c. . renders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by vnguentarios . diascorides , cap. de rhamno , hath an expression to this purpose , that the branch of that tree , being placed before the doors , doth drive away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , witchcrafts ; it were ridiculous to say , it drives away poysonings ; which is a sufficient evidence that the graecians used that word to signifie another kind of witchcraft , than that which this mistake would establish . besides this , the scripture doth afford two strong arguments against this interpretation of witchcraft . ( . ) that this word is ranked with others , ( as being of the same alliance ) which will carry the apprehensions of any considerate man , to effects done by the help of satan , in an unusual way , as deut. . . there shall not be found among you , any that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire , ( this is not the consuming of their children to moloch , but by way of lustration a mock-baptism , a piece of witchcraft , to preserve from violent death ) or that useth divination , an observer of times , or an inchanter , or a witch , &c. the very neighbourhood of the witch , will tell us that this witch must be a diviner , divination being the general tearm , comprehending the seven particulars following : it would be an harsh straining to put in the poysoner ( in the sense of our opposites ) among the diviners . yet the second argument is more cogent , which is this ; that among those whom pharaoh called together to encounter with moses , exod. . . we find witches or sorcerers expressed by the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which is used in exodus . and deut. . what can more certainly fix the interpretation of the word than this place , where the end of pharaohs calling them together , was not to poyson moses and aaron , but by enchantment to outvy them in point of miracles . which will shew that witchcraft is not poysoning , but the doing of strange acts by the aid of satan . neither was this the act of one man , ( who might possibly , together with that present age , be under a mistake concerning witches , though it be a thing not to be supposed ) but long after him , nebuchadnezzar in dan. . . being astonished with his dreams , calls for the sorcerers or witches , and magicians , to give him the interpretation ; which had been a matter very improper for them , if their skill had lain only in mixing poysons . when we have thus silenced this imagination , we have yet another to encounter with , and that is of those that think these witches , of which the forecited texts do speak , are but meer cheats , and by some tricks of delusion and legerdemain , pretend they can do things , which indeed they cannot do at all ; and yet finding death threatned to such , which ( in a business of meer jugling ) would seem too great a severity , they have framed this answer to it , that the death is threatned , not for the jugling , but for their presumptuous and blasphemous undertaking to do things that belong to a divine power , and for taking his name in vain . or ( as others are pleased to say ) though they have no real power , they are justly punished for the belief they have , that they can do such mischief , joyned with their purpose to do it , if they can . in answer to this apprehension , i shall not much insist upon these reasons , which yet are sufficiently weak , ( the latter accusing god's laws of unreasonable severity , and the former accusing them of unnecessary redundancy , seeing enough in other places is provided against blasphemers ) but shall offer a consideration or two , which i judg will be of force to rectifie the mistake . first ; though it cannot be denyed , but that a great many cheats there have been in all ages , by which men have endeavoured to raise the repute and esteem of their own skill and excellencies , or for other base ends ; yet form hence to conclude , that all these things that have been done under the name of witchcraft were such , must be an unsufferable piece of insolence ; not only denying that credit which all sober men owe to history , to the constant belief of all ages , to the faithfulness and wisdom of judges , jurors , witnesses , laws and sanctions , but also dangerously overthrowing all our senses ; so that at this rate we may well question , whether we really eat , drink , move , sleep , and any thing else that we do ; this reason is urged by grave and serious men. secondly ; it cannot be imagined that such things are meerly delusory , where the voluntary confessions of so many , have accused themselves and others , not of thinking or jugling , but of really ac●ing , and doing such things ; with such circumstances as have particularized time , place , thing , and manner . thirdly ; the real effects done by the power of witchcraft , shew it not to be delusion : such are the transportation of persons many miles from their habitations , and leaving them there ; their telling things done in remote places ; raising of storms and tempests ; vomiting of pins , needles , stones , cloth , leather , and such like ; and these some of them attested by sober and intelligent persons who were eye-witnesses . large accounts you have of these in bodinus , sprengerius , and several others that have borrowed these relations from them . the notion of poysonings , or delusory juglings , being below what the scripture intends to set forth , as witchcraft ; it is evident that witchcraft is a power of doing great things by the aid of the devil . by which our way is open to improve this instance , to demonstrate ( which was the second thing promised ) that satan's power must be great : for , first , 't is acknowledged that a great part of those things that are done in this matter , as concurrent with , or helpful toward the promoting of such acts , are satan's proper works , as the troubling the air , raising storms , apparitions , various shapes and appearances , transportations from place to place , and a great many more things of wonder and amazement , all which exceed humane power . secondly ; many things of wonder done by such persons ; to which ( some suppose ) the secret powers of herbs , or things , contribute their natural aids or concurrance , are evidences of satan's deep knowledg of , and insight into natural causes . of this nature is that ointment with which witches are said to besmear themselves in order to their transportation : the power and efficacy whereof , is by some imagined to consist in this , that it keeps the body tenantable , and in a fit condition to receive the soul by re-entry , after such separations , as ( by all circumstances are concluded ) have been really made in pursuit of those visionary perambulations and transactions . which things if they be so , ( as they are not improbable ) witches have them from satan's discovery , and they are to be ascribed to his power . thirdly ; those actions that are most properly the witches own actions , and in which the power of hurting doth ( as some suppose ) reside , are notwithstanding , either awakened or influenced by satan : so though we grant ( what some would have ) that the power of hurting is a natural power , and a venomous magnetism of the witch , and that her imagination , by her eye , darts those malignant beams which produce real hurts upon men , ( after the manner of the imaginations force upon a child in the womb , which hath ( as by daily experience and history is confirmed ) produced marks , impressions , deformities , and wounds ) and that satan doth but cheat the witch into a belief of his aid in that matter ; that with a greater advantage he may make use of her power , without which he could do nothing ; yet even this speaks his ability , in that at least he doth awaken and raise up that magical force , ( which otherwise would lie a-sleep ) and so puts the sword into their hand . yet some attribute far more to him , to wit , the infusion of a poysonous ferment , ( by that action of ●ucking the witch in some part of the body ) by which not only her imagination might be heightned , by poysonous streams breathed in , which might infect blood and spirits with a noxious tincture . the second grand instance of his power , i shall produce from those actions of wonder and astonishment which he sometime performs , which indeed have been so great , that they have occasioned that question ; whether satan can do miracles ? to this we answer ; ( . ) that god alone can work miracles . a miracle being , a real act , done visibly , and above the power of nature . such works some have ranked into three heads ; ( . ) such as created power cannot produce ; as to make the sun stand still , or go backward . ( . ) such as are in themselves produceable by nature , but not in such an order as to make the dead to live , and those that were born blind to see , which is strongly argued john . . to be above humane power ; and john . . to be above the power of devils . ( . ) such as are the usual works of nature yet produced , above the principles and helps of nature , as to cure a disease by a word or touch. things that are thus truly and properly miraculous , are peculiarly works of god ; neither can it be imagined , that since he hath been pleased to justifie his commands , ways , and messages , by such mighty acts , cor. . . heb. . . john . . and also hath been put to it , to justifie himself and his sole supream being and godhead ; from false competitors , psal . . . & . . by his miraculous works : it cannot be imagined , i say , that he would permit any created being , ( much less satan ) to do such things . secondly ; though satan cannot do things miraculous , yet he can do things wonderful and amazing . and in this point lies the danger of delusion , as christ foretells , matth. . . false christs shall arise , and shew great signs and wonders — in thess . . . the apostle tells us , the coming of antichrist shall be with all power , and signs , and wonders ; that is ( as some interpret ) with the power of signs and wonders ; which however they be lying , both in reference to the design they drive at , ( which is to propagate errors ) and also in their own nature , being truly such , in respect of their form , false ; as miracles , being indeed no such matter , but jugling cheats : yet notwithstanding there is no small cunning , and working of satan in them , insomuch that the uncautious and injudicious , are deceived by those wonders that he hath power to do , rev. . . in this matter , though we are not able to give a particular account of these under-ground actions ; yet thus much we may say , first , that in many cases , his great acts , that pass for miracles , are no more but deceptions of sense . naturalists have shewn several feats and knacks of this kind . jo. bap. porta hath a great many ways of such deceptions , by lamps , and the several compositions of oyls , by which not only the colours of things are changed , but men appear without heads , or with the heads of horses , &c. the like deceptions are wrought by glasses of various figures and shapes . if art can do such things , much more can satan . secondly ; he can mightily work upon the fancy and imagination ; by which means men are abused into a belief of things that are not : as in dreams , the fancy presents things which are really imagined to be done and said ; when-as they are visions of the night , which vanish when the man is awake ; or as in melancholy persons , the fancy of men doth so strongly impose upon them , that they believe strange absurd things of themselves , that they have horns on their head , that they are made of glass , that they are dead , and what not : if fancy , both asleep and awake , may thus abuse men into an apprehension of impossible things , and that with confidence , no wonder if satan ( whose power reacheth thus far , as was before proved ) doth take this advantage for the amusing of men with strange things . nebuchadnezzar his judgment , dan. . . whereby he was driven from men , and eat grass as oxen , was not a metamorphosis , or real change into an ox ; this all expositors rejects as too hard ; neither seems it to be only his extream necessity , and low estate , whereby he seemed to be little better than a beast , ( though calvin favour this interpretation ) ; but by that expression , vers . . [ then my vnderstanding came to me ] it seems evident , ( as most commentators think ) that his understanding was so changed in that punishment , that he imagined himself to be a beast , and behaved himself accordingly , by eating grass , and lying in the open fields . there are several stories to this purpose of strange transformations , as the bodies of men into asses , and other beasts , which augustine thinks to be nothing else but the devils power upon the fancy . thirdly ; there are wonderful secrets in nature , which if cunningly used and applyed to fit things and times , must needs amaze vulgar heads ; and though some of these are known to philosophers and scholars , yet are there many secret things lock'd from the wisest men , whose powers , and natures , because they know not , they may also be deluded by them . augustin reckons up many instances , as the loadstone , the stone pyrites , selenites , the fountain of epirus that can kindle a torch , and many more ; and determines that many strange things are done by the application of these natural powers , either by the wit of man , or diabolical art. to this purpose he gives an account of an unextinguishable lamp , in a temple of venus , which allured men to worship there , as to an unquestionable deity , when in truth the thing was but an ingenious composition from the stone asbeston ; of which pliny makes mention , that being kindled , it will not be quenched with water . of this nature were those lamps found in several valuts accompanying the ashes of the dead , reserved there in urns , both in england and elsewhere . if men by such helps find such easy ways to delude men , what exactness of workmanship , and seeming wonders may be expected from satan upon such advantages ? fourthly ; many of his wonders may challenge an higher rise . satan knows the secret ways of natures operations , and the ways of accelerating or retarding those works . so that he cannot only do what nature can do , by a due application of active to passive principles , and the help of those seminal powers that are in things , but he may be supposed to perform them in a quicker and more expeditious manner : thus worms , flies , and serpents , that are bred of putrefaction , satan may speedily produce ; and who can tell how far this help may reach in his works of wonders ? fifthly ; the secret way of satan's movings and actings is no small matter in these affairs . how many things do common juglers by the swift motions of their hands , that seem incredible ? thus they make the by-standers believe they change the substances , natures , and forms of things , when they only , by a speedy conveyance , take these things away , and put others in their room . they that shall consider satan as a spirit , subtil , imperceptible , quick of motion , &c. will easily believe him to be more accomplished for such conveyances than all the men in the world. having now seen the way of his wonders , let us next consider the advantage he hath by such actions . if we look upon simon magus , acts . , . we find , that he by these ways , had a general influence upon the people ; to him they all gave heed , from the least to the greatest ; and that his actions were reckoned no less than miraculous , as done by the mighty power of god. if we go from hence to the magicians of pharaoh , exod. . . 't is said , they did so with their inchantments , which ( howsoever the matter was ) prevailed so with pharaoh and the court , that they saw no difference 'twixt the wonders done by moses and them , save that ( it may be ) they thought moses the more skilful magician . but besides this , if we consider what they did , it will argue much for his power , if we can imagine ( as some do ) that they turned their rods into real serpents , the power is evident : and there is this that favours that opinion , it is said , they could not make lice , which seems to imply , they really did the other things , and it had been as easy to delude the senses in the matter of lice , as in the rods , if it had been no more than a delusion ; neither are some a-wanting to give a reason of such a power , ( viz. ) serpents , lice , &c. being the off-spring of putrefaction , by his dextrous application of the seminal principles of things , he might quickly produce them . if we go lower , and take up with the opinion of those , that think that they were neither meer delusions , nor yet true serpents , but real bodies like serpents , though without life , this will argue a very great power : or if we suppose ( as some do ) that satan took away the rods , and secretly conveyed serpents in their stead , or ( which is the lowest apprehension we can have ) that pharaoh's sight was deceived : the matter is still far from being contemptible , for as much as we see , the spectators were not able to discern the cheat. thirdly ; the next instance produceable for evidencing his power , is that of apparitions . it cannot be denyed , but that the fancy of melancholick or timerous persons , is fruitful enough to create a thousand bugbears . and also that the villany of some persons hath been designedly imployed to deceive people with mock-apparitions ; of which abundance of instances might be given from the knavery of the papists , discovered to the world beyond contradiction ; but all this will not conclude , that there are no real appearances of spirit or devils . such sad effects in all ages there have been of these things , that most men will take it for an undenyable truth . instead of others , let the apparition at endor to saul come to examination : some indeed will have us believe , that all that was but a subtil cheat , managed by that old woman ; and that neither samuel nor the devil did appear , but that the woman , in another room by her self , or with a confederate , gave the answer to saul . but whosoever shall read that story , and shall consider saul's bowing and discourse , and the answers given , must acknowledg that saul thought , at least , he saw and spake with samuel : and indeed the whole transaction is such , that such a cheat cannot be supposed . satisfying our selves then , that there was an apparition , we must next enquire whether it was true samuel , or satan : it cannot be denyed , but that many judg it was true samuel , but their reasons are weak . ( . ) that proof from ecclesiasticus . . is not canonical with us . ( . ) that he was called samuel is of no force ; scripture often gives names of things according to their appearances . ( . ) that things future were foretold , was but from conjecture ; in which satan yet ( all things considered ) had good ground for his guessing . ( . ) that the name jehovah is oft repeated , signifies nothing , the devil is not so scarce of words ; jesus i know , saith that spirit in the acts. ( . ) that he reproved sin in saul , is no more than what the devil doth daily to afflicted consciences in order to despair . i must go then with those that believe this was satan in samuel's likeness . ( . ) because god refused to answer saul by prophets or vrim . and 't is too harsh to think he would send samuel from the dead , and so answer him in an extraordinary way . ( . ) this ( if it had been samuel ) would have given too much countenance to witchcraft , contrary to that check to ahaziah , king. . . is it not because there is not a god in israel , that ye go to enquire of baalzebub ? ( . ) the prediction of sauls death , though true for substance , yet failed as to the exactness of time , for the battel was not fought the next day . ( . ) the acknowledgment of the witches power , [ why hast thou disquieted me ? ] shews it could not be true samuel , the power of witchcraft not being able to reach souls at rest with god. ( . ) that expression of gods ascending out of the earth , is evidently suspicious . the reality of apparitions being thus established , satan's power will be easily evinced from it . to say nothing of the bodies in which spirits appear ; the haunting of places and persons , and the other effects done by such appearances , speak abundantly for it . fourthly ; the last instance is of possessions , the reality of which can no way be questioned , because the new testament affords so much for it ; i shall only note some things as concerning this head. as , first ; the multitudes of men possessed : scarce was there any thing in which christ had more opportunities to shew his authority , than in casting out of satan ; such objects of compassion he met with in every place . secondly ; the multitudes of spirits in one person , is a consideration not to be passed by . thirdly ; these persons were often strongly acted , sometime with fierceness and rage , matth. . . some living without cloaths , and without house , luke . . some by an incredible strength breaking chains and fetters , mark . . fourthly ; some time the possessed were sadly vexed and afflicted , cast into the fire and water , &c. fifthly ; some were strengely influenced : we read of one , acts . . that had a spirit of divination , and told many things to come , which we may suppose frequently came to pass ; else she could have brought no gain to her master by south-saying . another we hear of , whose possession was with a lunacy , and had fits at certain times and seasons . the possessed person with whom mr. rothwell discoursed , ( within the memory of some living ) could play the critick in the hebrew language . sixthly ; in some the possession was so strong , and so firmly seated , that ordinary means and ways could not dispossess them : this kind comes not out but by prayer and fasting , mat. . . which shews that all possession was not of one kind and manner , nor alike lyable to ejection . to all these may be added obsessions : where the devil afflicts the bodies of men , disquiets them , haunts them , or strikes in with their melancholy temper , and so annoys by hideous and black representations . thus was saul vexed by an evil spirit from the lord , which ( as most conceive ) was the devil working in his melancholy humor . that the devil should take possession of the bodies of men , and thus act , drive , trouble and distress them ; so distort , distend , and rack their members ; so seat himself in their tongues and minds , that a man cannot command his own faculties and powers , but seems to be rather changed into the nature of a devil , than to retain any thing of a man ; this shews a power in him to be trembled at . satan's power being thus explained and proved , i shall next speak something of his cruelty . chap. vi. of satan's cruelty . instances thereof in his dealing with wounded spirits , in ordinary temptations of the wicked and godly , in persecutions , cruelties in worship . his cruel handling of his slaves . he that shall consider his malice and power , must unavoidably conclude him to be cruel . malice is always so , where it hath the advantage of a proportionable strength and opportunity for the effecting of its hateful contrivances : it banisheth all pity and commiseration , and follows only the dictate of its own rage with such fierceness , that it is only limited by wanting power to execute . we may then say of satan , that according to his malice and power such in his cruelty . the truth of this will be abundantly manifested by instances : as , first , from his desperate pursuits of advantage , upon those whose spirits are wounded . the anguish of a distressed conscience is unspeakably great , in so much , that many are ( as heman , psalm . . . ) even distracted , while they suffer the terrors of the almighty . these though they look round about them for help , and invite all that pass by to pity them , because the hand of the lord hath touched them ; yet satan laughs at their calamity , and mocks at them under their fears , and doth all he can to augment the flame : he suggests dreadful thoughts of an incensed majesty ; begets terrible apprehensions of infinite wrath and damnation ; he aggravates all their sins , to make them seem unpardonable : every action he calls a sin , and every sin he represents as a willful forsaking of god ; and every deliberate transgression he tells them is the sin against the holy ghost . he baffles them in their prayers and services , and then accuseth their duties for intollerable prophanations of god's name ; and if they be at last affrighted from them , he then clamours that they are forsaken of god , because they have forsaken him : he ( as a right baalzebub ) rakes in their wounds , as flies are ever sucking where there is a sore . their outcrys and lamentations are such musick to him , that he gives them no rest ; and with such triumph doth he tread upon those that thus lie in the dust , that he makes them sometimes accuse themselves for that which they never did , and in derision he insults over them in their greatest perplexities , with this , where is now thy god ? and who shall deliver thee out of my hand ? this were enough to evidence him altogether void of compassion . but , secondly ; he shews no less cruelty in his usage of those that are his slaves . the service that he exacts of those that are his most willing servants , is no less than the highest cruelty ; and not only ( . ) in regard of the misery and destruction which he makes them work out for themselves , ( which is far greater , than where men are forced by the most brutish tyrants , to buy their own poyson , or to cut their own throats ; because this is unspeakably less than the endless miseries of eternal torments ) : but ( . ) also in regard of the very slavery and drudging toyl of the service which he exacts from them ; he is not pleased that they sin , but the vilest iniquities , most contrary to god , and most abominable to man , as the highest violations of the laws of nature and reason , are the things which he will put them upon , where there are no restraints in his way : he drave the heathens ( as paul testifies rom. . ) to affections so vile and loathsom , that in their way of sinning , they seemed to act rather like brutes than men , their minds becoming so injudicious , that they lost all sense of what was fit and comely . neither ( . ) doth this satisfie his cruelty that the worst of abominations be practised , but he urgeth them to the highest desperateness in the manner of performance , and so draws them out to the front of the battel , that they might contemn and out-dare god to his face ; he will have them sin with an high hand , and in the highest bravado of madness to rush into sin , as the horse into the battel . this cruelty of satan were yet the less , if he only brought them forth presumptuously , in some one or two set battels upon special occasions : but ( . ) he would have this to be their constant work , the task of every day ; upon the same score that achitophel advised absalom , to an open and avouched defilement of his fathers concubines , that so the breach 'twixt them and god might be fixed by a resolute determination ; and consequently that their hands might be strong , and their hearts hardned in rebellion against god. and ( . ) that satan might not come short of the utmost of what cruelty could do : we may yet further observe , that though sinners offer themselves willingly enough , to conflict against god in the high places of the field , yet as not satisfied with their forwardness , he lasheth and whips them on to their work , and sometime over-drives them in their own earnestness . haman was so hurried and overborn with violent hatred against mordecai and the jews , that his own advancement , and the marks of singular favour from the king availed him not , as to any satisfaction and present contentment . ahab , though king of israel , is so vehemently urged in his desires for naboth's vineyard , that he covered his face and grew sick upon it . thus , as gally-slaves , were they chained to their oar , and forced to their work beyond their own strength . thirdly , there is also a cruelty seen in his incessant provokings and force upon the children of god , while he urgeth his loathed temptations upon them against their will. when i consider paul's out-cry in this case , ( rom. . , . ) that which i do , i allow not , the evil which i would not , that do i , &c. ) my thoughts represent him to me , like those christians that were tortured in the trough , where water was poured by a continued stream upon their mouths , till the cloth that lay upon their lips was forced down their throats ; or like those that had stinking puddle-water by a tunnel poured into their stomacks , till they were ready to burst ; and surely he apprehended himself to be under very cruel dealing by satan , when he cryed out , o wretched man that i am ! who shall deliver me ? if we seriously consider the mind and endeavours of those children of god , that are striving against sin , and have cast it off as the most loathsom abominable thing , when satan urgeth them to evil with his incessant importunities ; it is as if they were forced to eat their own excrements , or to swallow down again their own vomit ; for the devil doth but ( as it were ) cram these temptations down their throats against their will. fourthly , if we cast our eye upon the persecutions of all ages , we shall have thence enough to charge satan withall , in point of cruelty ; for he , who is stiled a murtherer from the beginning , set them all on foot ; 't is he that hath filled the world with blood and fury , and hath in all ages , in one place or other , made it a very shambles and slaughter-house of men. ( . ) can we reckon how often satan hath been at this work ? that is impossible . his most publick and general attempts of this kind are noted by histories of all ages . the persecutions of pharaoh against israel , and of the prevailing adversaries of israel and judah , against both or either of them , are recorded for the most part in scripture : the persecutions of the roman emperours against christianity are sufficiently known , and what is yet to come who can tell ? a great persecution by antichrist was the general belief and expectation of those that lived in austin's time , and long before ; but whether this be one more , to the ten former persecutions ( that so the parallel betwixt these , and pharaoh's ruine in the red-sea after his ten plagues , might run even ) be only to be looked for , or that others are also to be expected , he thinks it would be presumption and rashness to determine : but however , his particular assaults of this nature cannot be numbred : how busie is he still at this work , in all times and places ? insomuch , that he that will live godly in this world , must suffer persecution . but ( . ) if we withall consider what inventions and devices of cruelty and torture he hath found out , and what endless variety of pains and miseries he hath prepared , ( a catalogue whereof , would fill a great deal of paper ) we can do no less than wonder at the merciless fury , and implacable rage of him that contrived them . satan the great engineer , doth but give us the picture of his mind in all those instruments of destruction . and when we see amongst tyrants , ways of torturing every member of the body , and arts of multiplying deaths , that so those that perish by their hands , might not have so much as the mercy of a speedy dispatch , but that they might feel themselves to die , we may reflect it upon satan , in jacob's words to simeon and levi , cursed be his anger , for it is fierce , and his wrath , for it is cruel . ( . ) but if we consider what instruments he useth , and against whom , we shall see cruelty in an higher exaltation : had he used some of the beasts of the earth , or some of his apostate associats , to persecute and afflict the innocent lambs of christ , it might have been much excused , from the natural instinct or cursed antipathy of such agents : or had he used only the vilest of the children of men to act his tragical fury , the matter had been less : but as not content with common revenge , he persecutes men by men , though all of one blood and off-spring , and so perverts the ends of nature , making those that should be the comforts and support of men , to be the greatest terrour and curse to them ; a thing which nature it self abhors , and in regard of which , ( that the impressions of pity might be more permanent , and efficacious ) god forbad israel to seeth a kid in the mothers milk ; nay , he hath prevailed with some of good inclinations , and rare accomplishments ( for such were some of the persecuting emperours ) to be his deputies , for authorizing the rack , for providing fire and faggot ; and ( which is strange ) hath prevailed so far with them , that they have been willing to open their ears , to the most palpable lyes , the grossest forgeries , the most unreasonable suggestions that known malice could invent ; and then after all , when they were drawn out to butchery , and slaughter by multitudes , they have made such spectacles ( which might make impressions upon an iron breast , or an adamant heart , ) only advancements of their jollity ; and as nero upon the sight of flaming rome , took his harp and made melody : so have these tormenting furies fired ( by the help of combustible matter ) multitudes of such harmless creatures , and then taken the opportunity of their light , for their night sports . and yet ( me thinks ) the devil hath discovered a keener fury , when he hath made them rage against the dead , and dig their graves , and revenge themselves upon their sensless ashes , and when they could do no more , seek to please themselves by executing their rage against their pictures or statutes ; which actions , though they might be condemned for follies , yet are they evidences of highest fury , which commonly destroys the judgment , and sacrificeth wit , reason , and honour , upon the altar of revenge . that the devil should so poyson mans nature , that he should thus rise up against his fellow , that carries the same specifick being with himself , shews enough of his temper against man , but never more than when he prevails against the engagements of kindness , bloud , affinity , and relation , to raise a mans enemies out of his own house , the father against the son , and the son against the father ; the daughter against the mother , and the mother against the daughter : for this is little less , than an unnatural mutiny of the members against the body . fifthly , we have yet a more visible instance of his cruelty , in his bloody and tyrannical superstitions . look but into the rites and ways of his worship , among the heathen in all ages and places , and you will find nothing but vile and ridiculous fooleries , or insolent and despightful usages . in the former he hath driven men to villanous debauohries , in the latter to execrable cruelties . of the latter i shall only speak , ( though in the former , by debasing man to be his laughing-stock , he is cruel in his scorn and mockery ) : here i might mention his tyrannical ceremonies of the lower order , such as touch not life ; such were their tedious pilgrimages , as in zeilan their painful whippings ; as of the youth of lacedaemon at the altar of diana ; of their priests , and that with knotted cords upon their shoulders as at mexico , and new-spain ; their harsh usages in tedious fastings , stinking drenches , hard lyings upon stones , eating earth , strict forbearances of wine , and commerce , their torturings and manglings of their bodies by terrible lancings and cuttings , for the effusion of blood ; their dismembring themselves , plucking out their eyes , mangling their flesh , to cast in the idols face , sacrificing their own blood , as did the priests of bellona and deasyria ; so did the kings of new-spain at their election , as montzeuma the second , who sacrificed by drawing blood from his ears , and the calves of his legs . in narsinga and bisnagar , they go their pilgrimages with knives sticking on their arms and legs , till the wounded flesh festerd . some cast themselves under the wheels of the waggon , on which their idol is drawn in procession . yet are all these but small matters , in comparison of the bloody out-rages committed upon mankind , in the abominable custom of sacrificing men to him . of this many authors give us a large account , the lacedaemonians to avert the plague , sacrifice a virgin ; the athenians ( by the advice of apollo's oracle ) sent yearly to king minos seven males , and so many females to be sacrificed to appease the wrath of the god , for their killing of androgeus ; the carthaginians ( being vanquished by agathocles king of sicily ) sacrificed two hundred noblemens children at once ; the romans had every year such sacrifices of men and women ( of each sex two ) for a long time ; and this was so common among the wiser pagan nations , that whensoever they fell into danger , either of war , sicknesses , or of any other calamity , they presently ( to expiate their offences against their supposed incensed gods , and to clear themselves of their present miseries or dangers , ) sacrificed some mean persons , who for this reason were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , expiations ; and to this doth the apostle allude , in cor. . . ( as budaeus , stephanus , grotius , and many others think ) as if he should say , we are as much despised , and loaded with cursings , as those that are sacrificed for publick expiation . but what cruel usage may we expect for the poor barbarous nations of the world , where he had all possible advantages for the exercise of his bloody tyranny ? many sad instances of this kind are collected by purchas in his pilgrimage , in his discourses of virginia , peru , brasilia , mexico , florida , and other places , whose stories of this subject are so terrible , and occur so frequently , that they are almost beyond all belief ; all which for brevities sake i omit , contenting my self to note one instance or two out of the scripture , king. . . the king of moab took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead , and offered him for a burnt-offering upon the wall : this he did ( according to the customs of the phoenicians and others , ) being reduced to great straits , as supposing by this means ( as his last refuge ) to turn away the wrath of his god. of ahaz 't is recorded , chron. . . that he burnt his children in the fire , after the abominations of the heathen . that this was not a lustration , or consecration of their children ( though that also was used ) but a real sacrificing , is without doubt to josephus , who expresseth it thus , he offered his son as an holocaust . but whatever ahaz did , 't is certain the children of israel did so ; they offered their sons and daughters to devils , psal . . . and if the sacrifices of the dead which they eat in the wilderness ( mentioned vers . . ) be understood of the feasts which were made at the burning of their children , as some think , ( though many understand it of their sensless dead gods , or their deceased heroes , or for their deceased friends , ) then this cruelty had soon possessed them : however , possess them it did , as appears also by the description of their devouring moloch , which the jewish rabbins say , was an hollow brazen image in the form a man , ( saving that it had the head of a calf , ) the arms stretched in a posture of receiving , the image was heated with fire , and the priest put the child in his arms , where it was burnt to death ; in the mean time , a noise was made with drums , that the crys of the child might not be heard , and hence was it called tophet , from toph , which signifies a drum ; so that the name and shape of the image shews that it was used to these execrable cruelties . these scripture evidences , ( if we were backward to credit what histories say of this matter ) may assure us of the temper and disposition of satan , and may enable us to believe what bloody work he hath made in the world , which i shall briefly sum up in these particulars . first , these inhumane , or rather ( as purchas calls them ) overhumane sacrifices , were practised in most nations , not only the indians , parthians , mexicans , &c. but aethiopians , syrians , carthaginians , grecians , romans , germans , french and britanes used them . secondly , these cruelties were acted not only upon slaves and captives , but upon children , whose age and innocency might have commanded the compassions of their parents for better usage . thirdly , these sacrificings were used upon several occasions , as at the sprouting of their corn , at the inauguration , coronation , and deaths of their kings and noblemen , in time of war , dearth , pestilence , or any danger ; in a word ( as the priests in florida and mexico used to say ) when ever the devil is hungry or thirsty , that is , as oft as he hath a mind . fourthly , in some places the devil brought them to set-times for those offerings , some were monthly , some annual . the latines sacrificed the tenth child ; the annual drowning of a boy and a girl in the lake of mexico ; the casting of two yearly from the pons milvius , at rome into tyber , are but petty instances in comparison of the rest . fifthly , we cannot pass by the vast number of men offered up at one time ; so thirsty is satan of humane blood , that from one or two , he hath raised the number incredibly high ; in some sacrifices five , in some ten , in some a hundred , in some a thousand have been offered up . it was the argument which montezuma the last emperour of mexico used to cortez to prove his strength and greatness by , that he sacrificed yearly twenty thousand men , and some years fifty thousand . some have reserved their captives for that end , others have made war only to furnish themselves with men for such occasions . sixthly , there are also several circumstances of these diabolical out-rages that may give a further discovery of his cruelty , as that these miserable creatures thus led to be butchered , have been loaden with all the cursings , revilings , and contumacious reproaches , as a necessary concomitant of their violent deaths . thus were those used , who were forced to be the publick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or expiation , for the removal of common calamities . death also was not enough , except it had been most tormenting in the manner of it , as of those that suffered by the embracements of moloch , the joy and feastings of such sacrificings ( which were in themselves spectacles of mourning and sorrow ) were cruelties to the dead , and a barbarous enforcement against the laws of nature in the living . but the dashing of the smoaking heart in the idols face , and the pulling off the skins from the massacred bodies , that men and women might dance in them , were yet more cruel ceremonies . and lastly , in those that have been prepared for those solemnities , by delicious fare , gorgeous ornaments , and the highest reverence or honours , ( as was the manner of several countries ) yet was this no other than satan's insulting over their miseries , of which we can say no otherwise , than that his tenderest mercies are cruelties . seventhly , i may cast in to the account , that in some places satan ( by a strange madness of devotion ) hath perswaded some to be volunteers in suffering these tortures and deaths . some have cast themselves under the chariot-wheels of their idols , and so have been crushed to pieces . some sacrifice themselves to their gods , first they cut off several pieces of their flesh , crying every time , for the worship of my god , i cut this my flesh ; and at last say , now do i yield my self to death in the behalf of my god , and so kills himself out-right . eighthly , it is wonderful to think that the devil should ( by strange pretexts of reason ) have smoothed over these barbarous inhumanities , so that they have become plausible things in the judgments of those miserable wretches . in piacular sacrifices , they believed , that except the life of a man were given for the life of men , that the gods could not be pacified . in other sacrifices both eucharistical and for atonement , they retained this principle , that those things are to be offered to the gods , that are most pleasing and acceptable to us ; and that the offering of a calf or a pigeon , was not sutable to such an end . this maxim they further improved by the addition of another of the same kind , that if it were fit to offer an humane sacrifice , it must also be innocent , and consequently little children are the fittest for such a purpose . and some have also conjectured , that the devil hath not been a wanting to improve the example of abraham sacrificing his son , or the law in levit. . . or the prophecies concerning the death of christ , as the great sacrifice of atonement , to justify and warrant his hellish cruelty . in some cases , cruelty hath arisen from the very principles of reverence and love which children have to parents , and friends to friends , as in dragoian , when any are sick , they send to their oracle to know whether the parties shall live or die ; if it be answered they shall die , then their friends strangle them , and eat them ; and all this from a kind of religious respect to their kindred , to preserve ( as they imagine ) their flesh from putrifaction , and their souls from torment . the like they do at java-major , when their friends grow old and cannot work , only they eat not their own friends , but carry them to the market and sell them to those that do eat them . lastly , let us call to mind how long the devil domineer'd in the world at this rate of cruelty . when the world grew to a freer use of reason , and greater exercise of civility , they found out ways of mitigation , and changed these barbarous rites , into more tolerable sacrifices ; as in laodicea , they substituted an hart to be sacrificed instead of a virgin ; in cyprus , an ox was put instead of a man ; in egypt , waxen-images instead of men ; images of straw at rome were cast into tyber in the place of living men ; and the terrible burnings of moloch , ( which was not peculiar only to the nations near to canaan , but was in use also at carthage , and found in the american islands by the spaniards ; the like brazen-images were also found in lodovicus vives his time by the french , in an island called by them carolina . ) these were at last changed into a februation , and instead of burning their children , they only passed them betwixt two fires ; but it was long before it came to this . in the time of socrates , humane sacrifices were in use at carthage , and they continued in the roman provinces till the time of tertullian , eusebius and lactantius : though they had been severaly forbidden by augustus caesar , and afterward by tiberius , who was forced to crucify some of the priests that dared to offer such sacrifices , to affright them from those barbarous customs . in other places of the world , how long such things continued , who can tell , especially seeing they were found at carolina not so very long since ? how impossible is it to cast up the total sum of so many large items ? when these terrible customs have had so general a practice in most nations , upon so many occasions , upon such seeming plausible principles , when such great numbers have been destroyed at once , and these usages have been so long practised in the world , and with such difficulty restrained , what vast multitudes of men must we imagine have been consumed by satans execrable cruelty ? sixthly , there remains one instance more of the devils cruelty , which is yet different from the former , which i may call his personal cruelties , because they are acted by his own immediate hand upon certain of his vassals , without the help or interposure of men , who ( in most of the forementioned cases ) have been as instruments acted by him . here i might take notice of his fury to those that are possessed , some have been as it were racked and tortured in their bodies , and their limbs and members so distorted , that it hath been not only matter of pity to the beholders to see them so abused , but also of admiration , to consider how such abuses should be consistent with their lives , and that such rendings and tearings have not quite separated the soul from the body . in the gospels we read of some such cast into the fire , and into the water . others , conversing with tombs and sepulchers in the cold nights without cloaths , and all of them spoken of as creatures sadly tormented , and miserably vexed . the histories of later days tell us of some , that vomited crooked pins , pieces of leather , coals , cloth , and such like . of others snatched out of their houses , and tired even to fainting , and waste of their spirits , as domina rossa , ( mentioned by bodin , ) with a great many more to this same purpose . we may take a view of his dealing with witches , who ( though he seem to gratify them in their transportations from place to place , and in their feastings with musick and dancings , ) are but cruelly handled by him very often ; the very work they are put upon ( which is the destruction of children , men , women , cattle , and the fruits of the earth , ) is but a base imployment ; but the account he takes of them , of the full performance of their enterprizes , and the cruel beatings they have of him , when they cannot accomplish any of their revenges , is no less than a severe cruelty : he gives them no rest , unless they be doing hurt ; and when they cannot do it to the persons designed , they are forced to do the same mischief to their own children , or relations , that they may gratifie their tyrannical master . bodin relates the story of a french baron , ( who was afterward put to death for witchcraft ) that after he had killed eight children , was at last upon a design of sacrificing his own child to the devil : and if at any time they grew weary of so execrable a slavery , or confess their wickeness , they are so miserably tormented , that they chuse rather to die than live : and what else but cruelty can these slaves expect from him , when the ceremonies of their entrance into that cursed service , betokens nothing else ; for their bonds and obligations are usually writ , or subscribed with their own blood ; and some magical books have been writ with the blood of many children , besides the farewel that they have of him at their usual meetings , is commonly this thundering threatning , avenge your selves , or you shall die . all these particulars are collected from the confessions of witches , by bodin , wierus , and others . but leaving these , let us further enquire into satan's carriage toward those , that in america , and other dark and barbarous places know no other god , and give their devoutest worship to him . to those he is not so kind as might be expected , but his constant way is , to terrifie and torment them ; insomuch , that some know no other reason of their worship , but that he may not hurt them : and since the english-colonies went into these parts , these americans have learned to make this distinction between the englishman's god and theirs , that theirs is an evil god , and the other a good god ; though that distinction in other places , is in the general , far more ancient ; where they acknowledge two gods , one good , the other bad , and the worse the god is , the saddest , most mournful rites of sacrificing were used , as in caves , and in the night , the manner of the worship fitly expressing the nature of the god they served . our countrymen have noted of the natives of new-england , that the devil appeared to them in ugly shapes , and in hideous places , a● in swamps and woods . but these are only the prologue to the tragedy it self , for they only serve to impress upon the minds of his worshippers , what cruelties and severities they are to expect from him ; and accordingly he often lets them feel his hand , and makes them know , that those dark and dismal preludiums are not for nothing : for sometime he appears to the worshippers , tormenting and afflicting their bodies , tearing the flesh from the bones , and carrying them away quick with him : sometime six have been carried away at once , none ever knowing what became of them . by such bloody acts as these , he kept the poor americans in fear and slavery ; so that as bad a master as he is , they durst not but pay their homage and service to him . all these particulars being put together , will shew we do the devil no wrong , when we call him cruel . chap. vii . of satan's diligence in several instances . the question about the being of spirits and devils handled . the sadducees opinion discovered . the reality of spirits proved . the last particular observed in the text , is his diligence . this adds force and strength to his malice , power , and cruelty , and shews they are not idle , dead , or unactive principles in him , which ( if they could be so supposed ) would render him less hurtful and formidable . this i shall dispatch in a few instances , nothing to this purpose . first , his pains he takes in hunting his prey , and pursuing his designs : 't is nothing for him to compass sea and land , to labour to the utmost in his imployment ; 't is all his business to tempt and destroy , and his whole heart is in it . hence intermission or cessation cannot be expected , he faints not by his labour , and his labour with the success of it , is all the delight we can suppose him to have : so that being pushed and hurried by the hellish satisfactions of deadly revenge , and having a strengh answerable to those violent impulses , we must suppose him to undergo ( with a kind of pleasing willingness ) all imaginable toyl and labour . if we look into our selves we find it true , to our no small trouble and hazard : doth he at any time easily desist , when we give him a repulse ? doth he not come again and again , with often and impudently repeated importunities ? doth he not carry a design in his mind for months and years against us ? and when the motion is not feasible , yet he forgets it not , but after a long interruption begins again where he left : which shews that he is big with his projects , and his mind hath no rest : he stretcheth out his nets all the day long : we may say of him , that he riseth up early , and sitteth up late at his work , and is content to labour in the very fire , so that he might but either disturb a child of god , or gain a prosilyte . secondly , diligence is not only discovered in laboriousness , but also in a peculiar readiness to espy , and to close in with fit occasions , which may in probability answer the end we drive at . in this is satan admirably diligent , no occasion shall slip , or through inadvertency escape him : no sooner are opportunities before us , but we may perceive him suggesting to us , do this , satisfie that lust , take that gain , please your selves with that revenge . no sooner obtains he a commission against a child of god , but presently he is upon his back , as he dealt with job , he lost no time , but goes out immediatly from the presence of the lord and fals upon him . besides what he doth upon solemn and extraordinary occasions , these that are common and ordinary , are so carefully improved by him that every thing we hear or see is ready to become our snare , and satan will assay to tempt us by them , though they lye something out of the way of our inclination , and be not so likely to prevail with us . thirdly , 't is also a discovery of his diligence , that he never fails to pursue every advantage which he gets against us , to the utmost . if the occasion , and motion thereupon encline us , so that if we are perswaded by them , he follows it on , and is not satisfied , with either a lower degree of acting sinfully , or with one or two acts ; but then he presseth upon us to sin to the height , with the greater contempt of god , and grievance of his spirit , the greater scandal and offence to our brethren , and having once caused us to begin , he would never have us to make an end . his temptations roll themselves upon us , like the breaking in of waters , which by the fierceness of their current , make a large way for more to follow . he knows how to improve his victories , and will not thorow slothfulness , or pity , neglect to compleat them . hence it is , that sometimes he reaps a large harvest where he had sowen little , and from one temptation , not only wounds the soul of him that committed it , but endeavours to diffuse the venom and poysonous steam of it to the infection of others , to the disgrace of religion , the hardning the hearts of wicked men , and the turning the ignorant out of the way of truth . in like manner , if he perceive the spirits of men grow distempered and wounded , he then plyes them with threatnings , fills them with all manner of discouragements , dresseth every truth with the worst appearance , that it may be apprehended otherwise than it is , and puts such interpretations on all providences , that every thing may augment the smart of the wound till they be overwhelmed with terrors . fourthly , the various ways which he takes , shews also his diligence ; if one plot take not , he is immediately upon another ; he confines not himself to one design , nor to one method ; but if he find one temptation doth not relish , he prepares another more fietable ; if covetousness doth not please us , then he urgeth to profuseness ; if terrors do not affright us to dispair , then he abuseth mercies to make us careless and presuming . if we are not content to be openly wicked , then he endeavours to make us secretly hypocritical , or formal ; sometime he urgeth men to be prophane , if that hit not , then to be erronious ; if he cannot work by one tool , then he takes another , and if any thing in his way disgust , he will not urge it over-hard , but straight takes another course ; such is his diligence , that we may say of him ( as it was said of paul upon a better ground ) he will become all things to all men , that he may gain some . fifthly , diligence will most shew it self when things are at the greatest hazard , or when the hopes of success are ready to bring forth . in this point of diligence our adversary is not wanting , if men are upon the point of errour or sin , how industriously doth he labour to bring them wholly over , and to settle them in evil ? one would think at such times he laid aside all other business and only attended this : how frequent , incessant , and earnest are his perswasions and arguings with such ? the like diligence he sheweth in obstructing , disturbing , and discouraging us , when we are upon our greatest services , or near our greatest mercies , what part of the day are we more wandring and vain in our thoughts , ( if we take not great care ) than when we set about prayer ? at other times we find some more ease and freedom in our imaginations , as if we could better rule or command them ; but then ( as if our thoughts were only confusion and disorder ) we are not able to master them , and to keep the door of the heart so close , but that these troublesome unwelcome guests will be crouding in , is impossible : let us observe it seriously , and we shall find that our thoughts are not the same , and after the same manner impetuous at other times as they are , when we set about holy things , which ariseth not only from the quickness of our spiritual sense in our readier observation of them at that time , but also from the devils busie molestation , and special diligence against us on such occasions . besides , when he foresees our advantages or mercies , he bestirs himself to prevent or hinder us of them ; if ministers set themselves to study and preach truths that are more piercing , weighty or necessary , they may observe more molestations , interruptions , or discouragements of all sorts , than when they less concern themselves with the business of the souls of men. he foresees what sermons are provided , and often doth he upon such foresight endeavour to turn off those from hearing , that have most need , and are most likely to receive benefit by them . many have noted it , that those sermons and occasions that have done them most good , ( when they came to them ) they have been some way or other most disswaded from , and resolved against before they came ; and then when they have broken through their strongest hindrances , they have found that all their obstruction was satans diligent foresight , to hinder them of such a blessing as they have ( beyond hope ) met withal . the like might be observed of the constant returns of the lords day , if men watch not against it , they may meet with more than ordinary , either avocations to prevent and hinder them , or disturbances to annoy and trouble , or bodily indispositions to incapacitate and unfit them : and 't is not to be contemned , that some have observed themselves more apt to be drousie , dull or sleepy on that day . others have noted greater bodily indispositions then ordinarily , than at other times ; all which make no unlikely conjecture of the devils special diligence against us on such occasions . let 's cast in another instance to these , and that is , of those that are upon the point of conversion , ready to forsake sin for christ . oh! what pains then doth the devil take to keep them back ? he visits them every moment with one hindrance or other ; sometimes they are tempted to former pleasures , sometime affrighted with present fears and future disappointments ; sometimes discouraged with reproaches , scorns and afflictions that may attend their alteration ; otherwile obstructed by the perswasion or threatning of friends and old acquaintances ; but this they are sure of , that they have never more temptations , and those more sensibly troubling than at that time ; a clear evidence that satan is as diligent as malicious . i should now go on to display the subtilty of this powerful , malicious , cruel and diligent adversary . there is but one thing in the way , which hitherto i have taken for granted , and that is , whether indeed there be any such things as devils and wicked spirits , or that these are but theological engines contrived by persons that carry a good will to morality , and the publick peace , to keep men under an awful fear of such miscarriages , as may render them otherwise a shame to themselves , and a trouble to others . it must be acknowledged a transgression of the rules of method to offer a proof of that now , which ( if at all ) ought to have been proved in the beginning of the discourse : and indeed the question at this length , whether there be a devil , hath such affinity with that other ( though for the matter they are as different as heaven and hell ) whether there be a god , that as it well deserves a confirmation , ( for the use that may be made of it to evidence that there is a god , because we feel there is a devil , ) so would it require a serious endeavour to perform it substantially . but it would be not only a needless labour , to levy an army against professed atheists , who with high scorn and derision roundly deny both god and devils ; seeing others have frequently done that , but also it would occasion too large a digression from our present design . i shall therefore only speak a few things to those that own a god , and yet deny such a devil as we have described , and yet not to all of these neither ; for there were many heathens who were confident assertors of a deity , that nevertheless denied the being of spirits , as severed from corporeity ; and others were so far from the acknowledgment of devils , that they confounded them in the number of their gods ; others there were , who gave such credit to the frequent relations of apparitions , and disturbances of that kind , that many had attested and complained of , that they expressed more ingenuity than lucian , ( who pertinaciously refused to believe , because he never saw them , ) and yet though they believed something of reality , in that that was the affrightment and trouble of others , they nevertheless ascribed such extraordinary things to natural causes : some to the powers of the heavens and stars in their influences upon natural bodies , or by the mediation of certain herbs , stones , minerals , creatures , voices and characters , under a special observation of the motion of the planets . some refer such things to the subtilty and quickness of the senses , of hearing and seeing , which might create forms and images of things , or discover ( i know not what ) reflections from the sun and moon . some fancy the shapes and visions to be exuviae , thin scales or skins of natural things , giving representations of the bodies that cast them off , or exhalations from sepulchres representing the shape of the body . others make them the effects of our untrusty and deceitful senses , the debility and corruption whereof , they conclude to be such , and so general , that most men are in hazard to be imposed upon by delusive appearances . but with far greater shew of likelihood , do some make all such things , to be nothing else but the issues of melancholly and corrupt humors , which makes men believe they hear see , and suffer strange things , when there is nothing near them ; or really to undergo strange fits , as in lunacy and epilepsy . leaving these men as not capable of information from scripture evidence , because disowning it : let us enquire what mistaken apprehensions there have been in this matter , among those that have pretended a reverence to , and belief of scripture : the sadducees deserve the first place , because they are by name noted in scripture to have denied the resurrection , and to have affirmed that there is neither angel nor spirit , acts . . matth. . . this opinion of theirs ( could we certainly find it out ) would make much for the confirmation of the truth in question , seeing ( what ever it was ) it is positively condemned in scripture , and the contrary asserted to be true . many ( and that upon considerable grounds ) do think , that they do not deny absolutely that there were any angels at all , but that acknowledging that something there was which was called an angel , yet they imagining it to be far otherwise than what it is indeed , were accused justly for denying such a kind of angels as the scripture had every where asserted and described : for considering that they owned a god , and ( at least ) the five books of moses , if not all the other books of the old testament , ( as scaliger and others judge , not without great probability , for neither doth the scripture , nor josephus , mention any such thing of the prophets ) it is unimaginable that they would altogether deny that there was angel or spirit at all . they read of angels appearing to lot , to abraham , and met with it so frequently , that believing scriptures to be true , they could not believe angels to be an absolute fiction , for one fable or falsity in scripture ( which so highly asserts it self to be an unerring oracle of the true god ) must of necessity have destroyed the credit of all , and rendred them as justly suspected to be true in nothing , when apparently false or fabulous in any thing . again , if we call to mind what apprehensions they had of god , ( which all consent they did acknowledge ) we might more easily imagine what apprehensions they had of angels , for in regard that moses made mention of gods face and back-parts , and that frequently hands and other parts of mans body were attributed to him , they concluded god to be corporeal ; and seeing the best of creatures which god created cannot be supposed to have a more noble being than was that of their creator , and at the utmost , to be made according to the pattern of his own image and likeness , they might upon this bottom easily fix a denial of incorporeal spirits , and by consequence , that the soul of man was mortal , and therefore that there could be no resurrection ; so that the nature of angels being described under the notion of spiritual substances , they are judged to deny any such thing , supposing that to be incorporeal , was as much as not to be at all ; and yet it were unreasonable to deny , that they had not some interpretation for those passages of scripture that mentioned angels , which in their apprehensions might be some salvo to the truth of those historical writings , which they acknowledged , but what that was , we are next to conjecture : and indeed josephus by a little hint of their opinion seems to tell us , that they did not so much deny the being of the soul as the permanency of it , and so by consequence they might not so much deny absolutely the existence of spirits as their natural being and continuance . something there was that was called by the name of angel , ( that they could not but own ) and that this must be a real , and not an imaginary thing , is evident from the real effects and things done by them ; yet observing their appearances to have been upon some special occasion , and their disappearing to have been on a sudden , they might conjecture them to be created by god for the present service , and then reduced to nothing when that service was done . their opinion then of angels seems to be one of these two , either that they were corporeal substances created upon a special emergency , but not permanent beings ; or that they were but images and impressions supernaturally formed in the fancy by the special operation of god , to signify his mind and commands to men , upon which they might fitly be called god's messengers and ministers . i put in this last into the conjecture , because i find it mentioned by calvin , as the opinion of the sadducees , but both are noted by diodate on acts . . as with equal probability belonging to them ; his words are , they did not believe they were subsisting and immortal creatures , but transitory apparitions , or some divine actions and motions to produce some special and notable effect . others also have been lately hammering out the same apprehension concerning angels , and profess themselves delivered from it with great difficulty , differing only in this from some of the heathens before mentioned , that what those ascribed to the puissance of the stars , natural powers , or to weakness of senses and corrupt humors , they ( by the advantage of the general notions of scripture ) have ascribed to god , putting forth his power upon the minds and fancies of men , or working by the humours of the body : upon this foundation they will easilier make bold with devils to deny , if not their being , yet their temptations , imagining that we may possibly do him wrong , in fathering upon him these sollicitations and provocations to sin , which we by experience find to be working and acting upon our minds , thinking that our own fancies or imaginations may be the only devils that vex us ; and this they more readily hearken to , from the nature of dreams and visions which happen to men in an ordinary natural way , where our fancies play with us as if they were distinct from us : as also from this consideration , that the lunatick , epileptick and frenzical persons are in scripture called demoniacks , as matth. . . with luk. . where the person is called lunatick , and yet said to be taken and vexed by a spirit : so also joh. . . he hath a devil , and is mad : but these reasonings can do little with an intelligent considering man , to make him deny what he so really feels , and is so often forewarned of in scripture : for suppose these were called demoniacks by the vulgar , it doth not compel us to believe they were so . men are apt to ascribe natutural diseases to satan , and christ did not concern himself to cure their misapprehensions , while he cured their diseases . this some suggest as a reason that may answer many cases , though indeed it cannot answer that of matth. . because vers . . 't is said expressly that jesus rebuked the devil , and he departed out of him , which would not have been proper to have been spoken on the account of christ by the evangelist , to express the cure of a natural disease , for so would he unavoidably have been rendred guilty of the same mistake with the vulgar . but if we should grant , that divers mentioned under the name of demoniacks , were men disturbed with melancholly , or the falling-sickness , all were not so ; for those in matth. . . besought christ after their ejection , to have liberty to go into the herd of swine : so that if mr. mede intended to assert , that all demoniacks were no other than mad men , and lunaticks : i question not but he was mistaken , and by his reason , not only must mad men and lunatick persons pass for demoniacks , but all diseases whatsoever : for the blind and dumb were called also demoniacks , matth. . . and . . but the matter seems to be this , that where men were afflicted with such distempers satan took the advantage of them , and acted the possessed accordingly ; as he frequently takes the advantage of a melancholly indisposition , and works great terrors and affrightments by it , as in saul , or at least that , where he possessed , he counterfeited the fits and furies of those natural distempers , and acted , some like mad men , and others he made dumb and deaf , ( which seems to have been the case of those in matth. . and . where the deafness and dumbness did depend upon the possession , and was cured with it : ) others were made to fall on a sudden into fire or water , as those that are epiletick , and therefore might such be called both lunatick , or epileptick , and also possessed with a devil . as to that reason which some fetch from dreams , 't is rather a dream than a reason against the being of devils , seeing the effects of these infernal spirits are far otherwise , than the utmost of what can be imagined to be acted upon the stage of imaginations ; so that the real and permanent being of devils may be easily proved : first , from those real acts noted to be done by angels and devils . the angels that appeared to lot , were seen and entertained in the family , seen and observed by the sodomites . those that appeared to abraham were more than fancied appearances , in that they eat and drank with him . the devil conveyed christ from place to place , this could not be a fancy or imagination : their begging leave to go into the swine , shews them real existences . secondly , from the real effects done by them . we have undoubted testimonies of men really hurt and tormented by satan . of some really snatch'd away , and carried a great distance from their dwellings . of others possessed , in whom the devil really speaks audible voices , and strange languages , gives notice of things past , and sometime of things to come . the oracles of the heathen , ( which however they were for the most part false or delusory , yet ) in that they were responses from images and idols , were more than phantasms . thirdly , from what the scripture speaks every-where of them . of their malice and cruelty . that devils are murtherers from the beginning . their daily waiting how they may devour . their arts , wiles and stratagems . their names and appellations , when stiled principalities , powers , spiritual wickednesses . the prince of the power of the air , and a great many more to that purpose , shew that without apparent folly and dotage , we cannot interpret these of motions only upon the minds and fancies of men : besides , the scripture speaks of the offices of good angels , as their standing continually before the throne , their beholding the face of god , their accompanying christ at his second coming , their gathering the elect from the four winds , &c. which cannot be understood of any thing else , but real and permanent beings ; and this is also an evidence that devils are , seeing the scripture mentions their fall , and their punishment . fourthly , seeing also the scripture condemned the opinion of the sadducees , the contrary of that opinion must be true ; and expressly in acts . . that which was done by an angel , is opposed to what might be visional or imaginary . fifthly , the reality of devils , and their malignity hath been the opinion of heathens . for there is nothing more common among them than the belief of inferiour deities , which they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that is devils ; and notwithstanding that they supposed these to be mediators to the supream gods , yet they learned to distinguish them into good and evil . the platonists thought that the souls of tyrants after death became lemures & larvae , that is hurtful devils ; and at last , the name devil became of so bad a signification , that to say , thou hast a devil , was reproach and not praise ; but what these groped at in the dark , the scripture doth fully determine , using the word devil only for a malignant spirit . chap. viii . of satan's cunning and craft in the general . several demonstrations proving satan to be deceitful ; and of the reasons why he makes use of his cunning. we have taken a survey of our adversaries strength , and this will open the way to a clearer discovery of his subtilty and craft , which is his great engine by which he works all his tyranny and cruelty in the world , to the ruine or prejudice of the souls of men ; of which the apostle ( in cor. . . ) speaks , as a thing known by the common experience of all discerning persons ; his way is to over-reach and take advantages , and for this end he useth devices , and stratagems , which is a thing so ordinary with him , that none can be ignorant of the truth of it ; we are not ignorant of his devices . this ( before i come to the particulars ) i shall prove and illustrate in the general , by the gradual procedure of these few following considerations . first , all the malice , power , cruelty , and diligence of which we have spoken , with all the advantages of multitude , order and knowledge , by which these cruel qualifications are heightned . these are but his furniture and accomplishment which fit him for his subtile contrivances of delusion , and make him able to deceive , neither hath he any use of his power and knowledge but in reference to deceit , in eph. . , . ( which is a place wherein the apostle doth of purpose present satan in his way of dealing with men ) his whose practice is set forth under the term and notion of arts and wiles ; that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil . this is the whole work of satan , against which the furniture of that spiritual armour is requisite ; and lest any should think that his power or wickedness are other distinct things in him , which are to be provided against by other means of help , he presently adds , that these are no otherwise used by him but in order to his wiles and cunning , and therefore not to be looked upon as distinct , though indeed to be considered in conjunction with his subtilty and cunning , as things that make his wiles the more dangerous and hazardous ; for we wrestle not against flesh and blood , but against principalities , against powers , against the rulers of the darkness of this world , against spiritual wickedness in high places ; which words do but strengthen the apostles warning and caution about the forementioned wiles , which are therefore the more carefully to be observed and watched against , because his power is so great that he can contrive snares with the greatest skill and art imaginable ; and his wickedness is so great , that we cannot expect either honesty or modesty should restrain him from making the vilest and most disingenuous proposals , nor from attesting a conveniency or goodness in his motions , with the highest considence of most notorious lying . secondly , the subtilty that the scriptures do attribute to sin , or to the heart , is mostly and chiefly intended to reflect upon satan as the author and contriver of these deceits . in heb. . . there is mention of the deceitfulness of sin , but 't is evident that something else ( besides sin ) is intended , to which deceitfulness must be properly ascribed ; for sin being ( as most conclude ) formally a privation , or if we should grant it a positive being , ( as some contend , ) yet seeing the highest notion we can arrive at this way , ( excluding but the figment of flacius illiricus , who seems to make original sin indistinct from the very essence of the soul ) is but to call it an act. deceitfulness cannot be properly attributed to it , but with reference to him who orders that act in a way of deceitfulness and delusion , which ultimately will bring it to satans door : if here the deceitfulness of sin be devolved upon the subject , then it runs into the same sense with jer. . . the heart is deceitful above all things : but why is the deceitfulness fixed upon the heart ? the ground of that we have in the next words , it is deceitful , because it is wicked , desperately wicked . but who then inflames and stirs up the heart to this wickedness ? is it not satan ? who then is the proper author of deceit but he ? 't is true indeed , that our hearts are proper fountains of sin , ( and so may be accused possibly in some cases where satan cannot be justly blamed ; ) yet if we consider deceitfulness as a companion of every sin , though our hearts be to be blamed for the sin , satan will be found guilty of the deceitfulness . it may be said a man complyes with those things which are intended for his delusion , and so improperly by his negligence may fall under blame of self-deception , but 't is unimaginable that he can properly and formally intend to deceive himself . deceit then not being from sin , nor our selves properly , can find out no other parent for it self than satan . besides this , that these texts , upon a rational enquiry do charge satan with the deceitfulness of sin : they do over and above point at the known and constant way of satan , working so commonly by delusion , that deceitfulness is a close companion of every sin. the deceitfulness of sin , is as much as the deceitfulness of every sin . nay further , that text of jer. . shews this deceitfulness not to be an ordinary sleight , but the greatest of all deceits above measure , and of an unsearchable depth or mystery , who can know it ? thirdly , all acts of sin ( some way or other ) come thorow satans fingers . i do not say that all sin is satan's proper off-spring , for we have a cursed stock of our own ; and it may be said of us , ( as elsewhere of satan , ) sometime we sin out of our own inclination and disposition ; yet in every sin , whether it arise from us , or the world , satan blows the sparks , and manageth all . as david said to the woman of tekoah , is not the hand of joab with thee in all this ? so may we say , is not the hand of satan with thee in every sin thou committest ? this is so eminently true , that the scripture indifferently ascribes the sin sometimes to us , sometimes to the devil . it was peter's sin to tempt christ to decline suffering , yet christ repelling it with this rebuke , get thee behind me satan , doth plainly accuse both peter and satan . 't is the personal sin of a man to be angry , yet in such acts he gives place to the devil , both man and satan concur in it . paul's thorn in the flesh ( what ever sin it was ) he calls satans messenger : he that submits not to god , doth in that comply with satan ; as on the contrary , he that doth submit himself to god , doth resist the devil . neither doth that expression of the apostle , jam. . . every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust , &c. give any contradiction to this ; 't is not the apostle's design to exclude satan , but to include man as justly culpable , notwithstanding satan's temptations ; and that which he asserts is this , that there is sin and a temptation truly prevalent when there is the least consent of our lust or desire , and that it is that brings the blame upon us ; so that his purpose is not to excuse satan , or to deny him to have a hand in drawing or tempting us on to sin , but to shew that 't is our own act that makes the sin to become ours . fourthly , such is the constitution of the soul of man , that it 's sinning cannot be conceived without some deception or delusion : for granting that the soul of man is made up of desires , and that the soul were nothing else , but as it were , one willing or lusting power diversified by several objects ; and that this power , or these faculties , are depraved by the fall , and corrupted ; and that man in every action doth consult with his desires ; and that they have so great an influence upon him , that they are the law of the members , and give out their commands accordingly for obedience ; yet still these three things are firm and unshaken principles , first , that desires cannot be set upon any object but as 't is apprehended ( truly or apparently ) good : 't is incompatible to a rational soul to desire evil as evil . secondly , the will doth not resolvedly embrace any object , till the light of the understanding hath made out ( some way or other ) the goodness or conveniency of the object . thirdly , there is no man that hath not a competent light for discovery of the goodness or evil of an object presented . unregenerate men have ( . ) the light of nature . ( . ) some have an additional light from scripture discovery . ( . ) some have yet more from common convictions , which beget sensible stirrings and awful impressions upon them . ( . ) to those god sometimes adds corrections and punishments , which are of force to make that light burn more clear , and to stir up care and caution in men for the due entertainment of these notices that god affords them . regenerate men have all this light , and besides that , they have ( . ) the light of their own experience , of the vileness and odiousness of sin ; they know what an evil and bitter thing it is . ( . ) they have a more full discovery of god , which will make them abhor themselves in dust and ashes . ( . ) they have the advantage of a new heart , the law of the spirit of life , making them free from the law of sin and death . ( . ) they have also the help and assistance of the spirit , in its motions , suggestions and teachings . ( . ) they fortifie themselves with the strongest resolutions not to give way to sin. notwithstanding all these , 't is too true , that both regenerate and unregenerate men do sin . the reason whereof cannot be given from any other account than what we have asserted ; to wit , they are some way or other deluded or deceived ; some curtain is drawn 'twixt them and the light : some fallacy or other is put upon the understanding some way or other ; the will is bribed or byassed , there is treachery in the case , for 't is unimaginable that a man in any act of sin should offer a plain open and direct violence to his own nature and faculties ; so that the whole business is here , evil is presented under the notion of god ; and to make this out , some considerations of pleasure or profit do bribe the will , and give false light to the understanding : hence is it , that in every act of sin , men ( by complyance with satan ) are said to deceive , or to put tricks and fallacies upon themselves . fifthly , all kinds of subtilty are in scripture directly charged upon satan , and in the highest degrees . sometime under the notion of logical fallacies ; those sleights which disputants in arguing put upon their antagonists . of this import is that expression , cor. . . we are not ignorant of his devices , where the word in the original is borrowed from the sophistical reasonings of disputants . sometime 't is expressed in the similitude of political deceits ; as the scripture gives him the title of a prince , so doth it mark out his policies in the management of his kingdom , rev. . . expressly calling them deceits , and comparing him to a dragon or serpent for his subtilty . sometime he is represented as a warriour , rev. . . the dragon was wroth , and went to make war , &c. and here are his warlike stratagems pointed at . mention is made ( tim. . . ) of his snares , and the taking of men alive , or captive , directly alluding to warlike proceedings . the subtile proceedings of arts and craft are charged on him and his instruments : men are said to be enticed , jam. . as fish , or fowl , by a bait : others deluded , as by cheaters in false gaming , eph. . . by the sleight of men , and the cunning craft of those that ly in wait to deceive : the over-reaching of merchants or crafty tradesmen , is alluded to in cor. . . all these sleights are in satan , in their highest perfection and accomplishment : he can transform himself into an angel of light , cor. . . where he hath an occasion for it . in a word , all deceiveableness of unrighteousness is in him , thess . . . so that a general 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a dexterity and ability for all kind of subtile contrivances is ascribed to him , cor. . . and that in his very first essay upon eve , when the serpent deceived her thorow subtilty ; so that whatsoever malice can suggest , or wit and art contrive for delusion , or whatsoever diligence can practise , or cruelty execute , all that must be imagined to be in satan . sixthly , all this might be futher proved by instances : what temptation can be named wherein satan hath not acted as a serpent ? who can imagine the cunning that satan used with david in the matter of vriah ? how easily he got him to the roof of the house in order to the object to be presented to him ? how he directs his eye , wrought upon his passions , suggested the thought , contrived the conveniencies ? what art must there be to bring a darkness into david's mind , a forgetfulness of god's law , a fearlesness of his displeasure , and a neglect of his own danger ; surely it was no small matter that could blind david's eye , or besot his heart to so great a wickedness ? but above all instances , let us take into consideration that of eve , in the first transgression , wherein many things may be observed : as first , that he chose the serpent for his instrument , wherein though we are ignorant of the depth of his design , yet that he had a design in it of subtilty , in reference to what he was about to suggest , is plain from the text , now the serpent was more subtile then any beast of the field ; it had been needless and impertinent to have noted the serpents subtilty as satans agent , if he had not chosen it upon that score , as advantageous for his purpose . ( . ) he set upon the weaker vessel , the woman , and yet such ( as once gained , ) he knew was likely enough to prevail with the man , which fell out accordingly . ( . ) some think he took the advantage of her husbands absence , which is probable , if we consider that 't is unlikely , that adam should not interpose in the discourse if he had been present . ( . ) he took the advantage of the object . it appears she was within sight of the tree , she saw that it was good for food , and pleasant to the eyes : thus he made the object plead for him . ( . ) he falls not directly upon what he intended , ( lest that should have scared her off , ) but fetcheth a compass and enters upon the business by an enquiry of the affairs , as if he intended not hurt . ( . ) he so enquires of the matter , [ hath god said , ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden , ] as if he made a question of the reality of the command ; and his words were so ordered , that they might cast some doubt hereof into her mind . ( . ) he under a pretence of asserting god's liberality , secretly undermines the threatning , as if he had said , is it possible that so bountiful a creator should deny the liberty of eating of any tree ? to what purpose was it made , if it might not be tasted ? ( . ) when he finds that by these arts he had gained a little ground , and brought her to some kind of questioning of the reality of the threatning , ( for she seems to extenuate it , in saying , lest we die , ) he grows more bold to speak out his mind , and plainly to annihilate the threatning , ye shall not die ; this he durst not do , till he had gained in her mind a wavering suspition , that possibly god was not in good earnest in that prohibition . ( . ) then he begins to urge the conveniency and excellency of the fruit , by equivocating upon the name of the tree , which he tells her , could make them knowing as gods. ( . ) he reflects upon god as prohibiting this , out of envy and ill-will to them . ( . ) in all this there is not a word of the danger , but impunity and advantage promised . ( . ) this deadly advice he covers with a pretence of greater kindness and care than god had for them . see in this , as in a clear glass , satan's way of policy ; after this rate he proceeds in all his temptations . if any enquire , why so mighty and potent a prince useth rather the fox's skin than the lyon's paw , these reasons may satify . first , there is a necessity upon him so to do : he must use his craft , because he cannot compel : he must have gods leave before he can overcome : he cannot winnow peter before he sue out a commission , nor deceive ahab till he get a license ; neither can he prevail against us without our own consent . the scripture indeed useth some words that signify a force in tempting , as , that he put it into the heart of judas , filled the heart of annanias , provoked david , rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience , and leads them captive at his will , &c. yet all these and the like expressions intend no more than this , that he useth forcible importunities , frames strong delusions , and joyns sometime his power to his temptations ; as sometime fowlers shew themselves to the birds they intend to ensnare , that so they may be affrighted into an awe and amazement to give a better opportunity to spread their nets over them . secondly , if he could compel , yet his way of craft and subtilty is generally the most prevalent and successful . force stirs up an opposition , it usually alarms to caution and avoidance , and frights to an utter aversness in any design ; so that where force should gain its thousands , subtilty will gain its ten thousands . thirdly , his strength is not useless to him : for besides , that it enables him to deceive with higher advantage than otherwise he could do , ( as hath been said , ) he hath times and occasions to shew his strength and cruelty , when his cunning hath prevailed so far as to give him possession . what was said of pope boniface , that he entred like a fox , and ruled like a lion , may be applyed to him , he insinuates himself by subtilty as a fox or serpent , and then rules with rigour as a lion. chap. ix . of satan's deceits in particular . what temptation is . of tempting to sin. his first general rule . the consideration of our condition . his second rule . of providing sutable temptations . in what cases he tempts us to things unsutable to our inclinations . his third rule . the cautious proposal of the temptation , and the several ways thereof . his fourth rule is to entice . the way thereof in the general , by bringing a darkness upon the mind through lust . our next business is to enquire after these ways of deceit in particular , in which i shall first speak of such as are of more general and universal concernment . such are his temptations to sin , his deceits against duty , his cunning in promoting error , his attempts against the peace and comfort of the saints , &c. and then i shall come to some ways of deceits that relate to cases more special . as an introduction to the first , i shall speak a word of temptation in the general . this in its general notion , is a tryal or experiment made of a thing : the word that signifies to tempt , comes from a word that signifies to pierce , or bore thorow , implying such a tryal as goes to the very heart , and inwards of a thing . in this sense 't is attributed to god , who is said to have tempted abraham , and to put our faith upon tryal ; and sometime to satan who is said to have tempted christ , though he could not expect to prevail : but though god and satan do make these tryals , yet is there a vast difference betwixt them , and that not only in their intentions , ( the one designing only a discovery to men of what is in them , and that for most holy ends , the other intending ruine and destruction ; ) but also in the way of their proceedings . god by providence presents objects and occasions ; satan doth not only do that , but farther inclineth and positively perswadeth to evil . hence is it , that temptations are distinguished into tryals meerly , and seducements ; sutable to that of tertullian , diabolus tentat , deus probat , the devil tempts , god only trys . we speak of temptation as 't is from satan , and so 't is described , to be a drawing or moving men to sin under colour of some reason . by which we may observe , that in every such temptation there is the object to which the temptation tends , the endeavour of satan to encline our hearts and draw on our consent , and the instrument by which is some pretence of reason ; not that a real and solid reason can be given for sin , but that satan offers some considerations to us to prevail with us , which if they do , we take them to be reasons . this may a little help us to understand satan's method in tempting to sin , &c. of which i am first to speak . in temptations to sin , we may observe satan walks by four general rules . first , he considers and acquaints himself with the condition of every man , and for that end he studies man. god's question concerning job , hast thou considered my servant job ? doth imply , not only his diligent enquiry into job's state , ( for the original expresseth it , by satan's putting his heart upon job , or laying him to his heart ) but that this is usual with satan so to do ; as if god had said , 't is thy way to pry narrowly into every man ; hast thou done this to job ? hast thou considered him as thou usest to do ? and indeed satan owns this as his business and imployment in his answer to god , i come from going to and fro in the earth , from walking up and down in it . this cannot be properly said of him who is a spirit ; bodies go up and down , but not spirits : so that his meaning is , he had been at his work of enquiring and searching . and so broughton translates it , from searching to and fro in the earth ; as 't is said of the eyes of god , that they run to and fro , which intends his intelligence , search , and knowledge of things ; 't is such a going to and fro , as that in dan. . . which is plainly there expressed to be for the encrease of knowledg . the matter of his enquiry , or particulars of his study , are such as these : ( . ) man's state , he considers and guesseth whether a man be regenerate or unregenerate . ( . ) the degree of his state ; if unregenerate , how near or far off he is the kingdom of god ; if regenerate , he takes the compass of his knowledge , of his gifts , of his graces . ( . ) he enquires into his constitution and temper , he observes what disposition he is off . ( . ) his place , calling and relation , his trade , employment , enjoyments , riches or wants . ( . ) his sex. ( . ) his age , &c. the way by which he knows these things is plain and easie , most of these things are open to common observation ; and what is intricate or dark , that he beats out , either by comparing us with our selves , and considering a long tract of actions and carriage ; or by comparing us with others , whose ways he had formerly noted and observed . the end of this search is to give him light and instruction in point of advantage ; hence he knows where to raise his batteries , and how to level his shot against us . this christ plainly discovers to be the design of all his study , joh. . . where he tells his disciples , he expected yet another onset from satan , and that near at hand , for the prince of the world was then upon his motion , he was a coming ; but withall , he tells them of his security against his assaults , in that there was nothing in christ of advantage in any of these forementioned ways to foot a temptation upon . it appears then that he looks for such advantages , and that without these he hath little expectancy of prevailing . secondly , satan having acquainted himself with our condition , makes it his next care to provide sutable temptations , and to strike in the right vein ; for he loves to have his work easie and feasible ; he loves not go against the stream . thus he considered judas as a covetous person , and accordingly provided a temptation of gain for him . he did the like with achan ; and hence was it , that he had the sabeans so ready for the plunder of job ; he had observed them a people given to rapine and spoil ; and accordingly job's goods being propounded to them as a good and easie booty , he straightway prevailed with them . it was easie for him to draw absolom into an open rebellion against his father , he had taken notice of his ambitious and aspiring humor , and of the grudges and dissatisfactions under which he laboured ; so that providing him a fit opportunity , he engaged him immediatly , according to this rule , where he observes men of shallow heads and low parts , he the more freely imposeth upon them in things palpably absurd ; where he takes notice of a fearful temper , there he tempts them with terrours and affrightful suggestions ; he hath temptations proper for the sanguine complexion , and for the melancholy ; he hath his methods of dealing with the lustful and wanton ; with the passionate and revengeful ; he hath novelties at hand for the itching ear , and suggestions proper for those that are atheistically inclined . to this may be objected , that experience tells us , satan doth not always walk in this road , nor confine himself to this rule ; sometime he tempts to things which are cross to our tempers and inclinations , &c. 't is true he doth so ; but yet the general rule is not prejudiced by this exception , especially if we consider , first , that satan being still under the commands and restraint of the almighty , he cannot always tempt what he would , but according to a superiour order and command . of this nature i suppose was that temptation , of which paul complained so much , he kept down his body , upon this very design , that he might have it in subjection , and yet is he buffeted with a temptation , which expected an advantage usually from the temper and frames of our bodies ; ( for so much i suppose , that phrase , a thorn in the flesh will unavoidably imply , ( though it still leave us at uncertainties ) what the temptation was in particular . ) here satan tempts at a disadvantage and contrary to this rule ; but then we must know , that he was not the master of his own game ; god expressly ordering such a temptation as was disagreeing with the apostles disposition , that it might the less prevail or hazard him , and yet be more available to keep him low , lest he should be exalted above measure , which was god's design in the matter . secondly , sometimes our temper alters : as the tempers of our bodies in a sickness may in a fit be so changed , that they may desire at that time what they could not endure at another . a special occasion or concurrence of circumstances may alter for the time our constitution , and so an unusual temptation may at that time agree with this design . thirdly , sometime by one temptation satan intends but to lay the foundation of another , and then of purpose he begins with a strange suggestion , either to keep us at the gaze while he covertly doth something else against us , or to move us to a contrary extream by an over-hasty rashness . fourthly , sometime he tempts when his main design is only to trouble and disquiet us , and in such cases the most unnatural temptations backed with a violent impetuousness do his work the best . satan's next work is the proposal of the temptation : in the two former he provided materials and laid the trains , in this he gives fire , by propounding his design ; and this also he doth with caution , these several ways . first , he makes the object speak for him , and in many he is scarce put to any further trouble ; the object before them speaks satan's mind , and gains their consent immediatly , yet is there no small cunning used in fitting the object and occasion , and bringing things about to answer the very nick of time which he takes to be advantageous for him . secondly , sometime he appoints a proxy to speak for him ; not that he is shame-faced in temptation , and not always at leisure for his own work , but this way he insinuates himself the more dangerously into our affections , and with less suspicion using our friends , relations or intimate acquaintance to interceed for a wicked design . he did not speak himself to eve , but chose a serpent ; he thought eve would sooner prevail upon adam than the serpent could . he tempted job by the tongue of his wife , as if he had hoped , that what so near a relation had counselled , would easily be hearkened to . he tempted christ to avoid suffering by peter , under a pretence of highest love and care , master , spare thy self ; yet our saviour forbears not to note satan's temptation closely twisted with peter's kindness . at this rate are we often tempted where we little suspect danger . thirdly , if he finds the two first ways unhopeful or unsutable , then he injects the motion , and so plainly speaks to us inwardly himself , do this act , take this advantage for pleasure or profit , &c. he thought it not enough to tempt judas by the object of gain , but he brake his mind in direct terms , and put it into his heart , joh. . . he did the like to ananias , whose heart he filled with a large motion for that lye , and backed it with many considerations of the necessity and expediency of it , acts . . there is no question to be made of this ; dr. goodwin gives clear proofs of it , and so do several others . when we consider , that thoughts are sometime cast upon the minds of men which are above their knowledg , and that they say and do things sometime which are far beyond any of their accomplishments and parts , and yet in the nature of it wicked , we must be forced to run so high as to charge it upon satan . saul's prophesying , sam. . . was by the influence of the evil spirit ; and this ( as junius , tirinus , and others interpret ) must of necessity be understood of such a kind of action and speaking , as the true prophets of the lord usually expressed under the influences of the blessed spirit ; for from the likeness of the action in both , must the name be borrowed . the experience that we have of inward disputings , the bandying of arguments and answers in several cases , is a proof of this beyond exception . wounded consciences express an admirable dexterity in breaking all arguments urged for their peace and establishment ; as also in framing objections against themselves , so far above the usual measure of common capacities , that we cannot ascribe it to any other than satan's private aid this way . fourthly , the motion being made ( if there be need ) he doth irritate and stir up the mind to the embracement of it : and this he doth two ways , first , by an earnestness of sollicitation ; when he urgeth the thing over and over , and gives no rest ; when he joyns with this , an importunity of begging and intreating with the repeated motion ; when he draws together and advantageously doth order a multitude of considerations to that end ; and when in all this he doth hold down the mind and thoughts , and keep them upon a contemplation of the object , motions , and reasons . thus he provoked david , chron. . . and this kind of dealing occasioned the apostle to name his temptations , and our resistance , by the name of wrestlings , in which usually there appears many endeavours , and often repeated , to throw down the antagonist . secondly , he doth irritate by a secret power and force that he hath upon our fancies and passions . when men are said to be carried and led by satan , it implyes ( in the judgment of some ) more than importunity ; and that though he cannot force the spring of the will , yet he may considerably act upon it , by pulling at the weights and plummets , that is , by moving and acting our imaginations and affections . the motion being thus made , notwithstanding all his importunity , often finds resistance : in which case he comes to the practice of a fourth rule , which is to draw away and entice the heart to consent ; as 't is expressed , jam. . . everyman is tempted , when he is drawn away and enticed . i shall avoid here the variety of the apprehensions which some declare at large about the meaning of the words , satisfying my self with this , that the apostle points at those artifices of satan by which he draws and allures the will of man to a complyance with his motions ; which when he effects in any degree , then may a man be said to be prevailed upon by the temptation . but then here is the wonder how he should so far prevail against that reason and knowledg which god hath placed in man , to fence and guard him against a thing so absurd and unreasonable as every sin is ? the solution of this knot we have in cor. . . the god of this world blinds the eyes of men , draws a curtain over this knowledg , and raiseth a darkness upon them : which darkness though we cannot fully apprehend , yet that it is a very great and strange darkness may be discovered ; ( . ) partly by considering the subject of it , man , a rational creature , in whom god hath placed a conscience , which is both a law , and witness , and judge . it cannot be supposed an easie matter to cloud or obliterate that law , to silence or pervert that witness , or to corrupt that judge ; but it will rise higher in the wonder of it , if we consider this in a godly man , one that sets god before him , and is wont to have his fear in his heart ; such a man as david was , that in so plain a case , in so high a manner , so long a time , with so little sense and apprehension of the evil and danger , satan should so quickly prevail , 't is an astonishment : neither will it be less strange if we consider ( . ) the issue and effect of this blindness : some rise up against this law of conscience , arguing it false and erronious , and making conclusions directly contrary , as deut. . . i shall have peace , though i walk on in the imaginations of my heart . i have fellowship with him , though i walk in darkness , joh. . . we will not hearken unto thee , but will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth out of our own mouth , jer. . , . in which cases , the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or principles of conscience are quite overthrown . some are hardned , and as to any application of their acts to this rule , quite dead and sensless ; though they rise not up against the light , yet are they willingly ignorant , without any consideration of what they are doing ; here the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or witnessing and excusing power of conscience is idle and asleep . some though they know the law , and in some measure see their actions are sinful , yet they pass no judgment , apprehend no danger ; no man smites upon his thigh , saying , what have i done ? jer. . . nay , some are so far from this , that they presumptuously justify themselves , though they see their own blame and ruine before them , i do well to be angry , and that to the death , saith jonah , when satan had spread a darkness upon him . what shall we say of these things ? here is darkness to be felt , egyptian darkness : to explain the way of it fully is impossible for us , to do it in any tollerable way is difficult . to make some discovery herein i shall , ( . ) shew that the devil doth entice to sin , by stirring up our lust . ( . ) that by the power and prevalency of our lust , he brings on the blindness spoken of . chap. x. that satan enticeth by our lust . the several ways by which he doth it . of the power and danger of the violence of affections . the way then by which he doth entice , is by stirring up our lust . by lust , i mean those general desirings of our minds after any unlawful object , which are forbidden in the tenth commandment ; thus we read of worldly lusts , of the lusts of the flesh , of lustings to envy , and in a world , we read of divers lusts , the whole attempt and striving of corrupt nature against the spirit , being set forth by this expression , of lusting against the spirit . that satan takes advantage of our own lusts , and so plows with our heifer , turning our own weapons against our selves , is evident by the general vote of scripture . the apostle james . . tells us , that every temptation prevails only by the power and working of our own lusts : satan is the tempter , but our lusts are the advantages by which he draws and enticeth ; the corrupt principle within us , is called flesh , but the way whereby it works , either in its own proper motion , or as stirred up by the devil , is that of lust and affection ; and therefore he that would stop that issue , must look to mortify it in its affections and lusts , gal. . . we are further told by john , epist . . . that all those snares that are in the world , are only hazardous , and prevailing by our lusts . more generally the apostle peter speaks ; the whole bundle of actual sins that have ever been in the world came in at this door , the corruption that is in the world is through lust . in the stirring up our lusts , satan useth no small art and subtilty , and ordinarily he worketh by some of these following ways . first , he useth his skill to dress up an object of lust that it may be taking and alluring ; he doth not content himself with a simple proposal of the object , but doth as it were paint and varnish it , to make it seem beautiful and lovely ; besides al lthat wooing and importunity which he useth to the soul by private and unseen suggestions , he hath ( no doubt ) a care to gather together all possible concurring circumstances , by which the seeming goodness or conveniency of the object is much heightned and enlarged . we see those that have skill to work upon the humors of men , place a great part of it in the right circumstantiating a motion , and in taking the tempers and inclinations of men at a right time . and they observe , that the missing of the right season is the hazard of the design , even there where the object and inclination ordinarily are sutable . there is much in placing a picture in a right position , to give it its proper grace and lustre in the eyes of the beholders . when a man is out of humor , he nauseats his usual delights , and grows sullen to things of frequent practice . 't is likely eve was not a stranger to the tree of knowledg before the temptation , but when the serpent suggests the goodness of the fruit , the fruit it self seems more beautiful and desirable , good for food , and pleasant to the eyes . though we are not able to find out the way of satan's beautifying an object , that it may affect with more piercing and powerful delights ; yet he that shall consider , that not only prudence ( in an advantageous management of things ) adds an additional beauty to objects proposed ; but also that art by placing things in a right posture , may derive a radiancy and beam of beauty and light upon them , ( as an ordinary piece of glass , may be so posited to the sun beams , that it may reflect a sparkling light as if it were a diamond : ) he that shall consider this ( i say ) will not think it strange for the devil to use some arts of this kind for the adorning and setting off an object to the eye of our lusts . secondly , we have reason to suspect that he may have ways of deceit and imposture upon our senses . the deceits of the senses are so much noted , that some philosophers will scarce allow any credit to be given them ; not that they are always deceitful , but that they are often so , and ther●fore always suspitious . the soul hath no intelligence but by the senses : 't is then a business of easie belief , that satan may not altogether slight this advantage , but that when he sees it fit for his purpose , he may impose upon us by the deception of our eyes and ears ; we little know how oft our senses have disguised things to us . in a pleasing object , our eyes may be as a magnifying or multiplying glass . in the first temptation satan seems to have wrought both upon the object , and also upon the senses , she saw it was good for food , and pleasant ; who can question but that she saw the fruit before ? but this was another kind of sight , of more power and attraction . an instance of satan's cunning in both the forementioned particulars , we have from austin , relating the story of his friend alipius , who by the importunity of his acquaintance consented to go to the theatre , yet with a resolve , not to open his eyes , lest the sight of these spectacles should entice his heart ; but being there , the noise and sudden shouting of the multitude prevailed so far with him , that he forgot his resolution ; takes the liberty to see what occasioned the shouting , and once seeing , is now so inflamed with delight , that he shouts as the rest do , and becomes a frequenter of the theatre as others : what was there to be seen and heard he knew before , by the relation of others ; but now being present , his eyes and ears were by satan so heightned in their offices , that those bloody objects seemed pleasant , beyond all that had been reported of them , and the lust of his heart drawn out by satan's cunning disposal of the object and senses . thirdly , there is no small inticement arising from the fitness and sutableness of occasion . an occasion exactly fitted , is more than half a temptation ; this often makes a thief , an adulterer , &c. where the acts of these sins have their rise from a sudden fit of humor , ( which occasion puts them in , ) rather than from design or premeditation . cunningly contrived occasions are like the danger of a precipice ; if a man be so foolish as to take up a stand there , a small push will throw him over , though a far greater might not harm him if he were upon a level . 't is satan's cunning to draw a man within the reach of an occasion . all the resolves of alipius were not safe-guard to him when once he was brought within hearing and sight of the temptation : if he had staid at home , the hazard of satan's suggestions ( though earnest ) had not been so much as the hearing of his ears , and sight of his eyes . in cor. . . paul's fears of satan's taking advantage against the corinthians did manifestly arise from the present posture of their church affairs : for if the excommunicated person should not be received again into the church , an ordinary push of temptation might either have renewed or confirmed their contentions , or precipated them into an opinion of too much severity against an offending brother ; and that their present frame , made them more than ordinarily obnoxious to these snares , is evident from the apostle's caution inserted here in this discourse , so abruptly , that any man may observe the necessity of the matter , and the earnestness of his affections did lead his pen. the souls of men have their general discrasia's , and disaffections , as our bodies have , from a lingring distemperature of the blood and humors ; in which case , a small occasion ( like a particular error of diet , &c. in a declining body ) will easily form that inclination into particular acts of sin. fourthly , satan hath yet a further reach in his enticements , by the power which he hath upon our fancies and imaginations : that he hath such a power was discovered before . this being then supposed , how serviceable it is for his end , 't is now to be considered . our fancy is as a glass which with admirable celerity and quickness of motion , can present before us all kinds of objects ; it can in a moment run from one end of the earth to the other ; and besides this , it hath a power of creating objects , and casting them into what forms and shapes it pleaseth , all which our understanding cannot avoid the sight of . now the power of imagination is acknowledged by all to be very great , not only as working upon a melancholy and distempered spirit , ( of which authors give us large accounts ) but also upon minds more remote from such peremptory delusions ; as may be daily observed in the prejudices and prepossessions of men , who by reason of the impressions of imagination , are not ( without difficulty ) drawn over to the acknowledgment of the truth of things , and the true understanding of matters ; neither is the vnderstanding only liable to a more than ordinary heat and rapture by it , but the will is also quickned and sharpned in its desires by this means : hence is it ( as one of the fore-cited authors observes ) that fancy doth often more toward a perswasion by its insinuations , than a cogent argument , or rational demonstration . this is no less a powerful instrument in satan's hand , than commonly and frequently made use of ; who amongst us doth not find and feel him dealing with us at this weapon ? when he propounds an object to our lust , he doth not usually expose it naked under the hazard of dying out for want of prosecution , but but presently calls in our fancy to his aid , and there raiseth a theatre , on which he acts before our minds , the sin in all its ways and postures . if he put us upon revenge , or upon lusts of uncleanness , or covetousness , or ambition , we are sure ( if we prevent it not ) to have our imagination presenting these things to us , as in lively pictures and resemblances , by which our desires may be enflamed and prepared for consent . fifthly , sometime he shews his art in preparing and fitting our bodies to his designs , or in fitting temptations to our bodies , and the inclinations thereof . the soul though it be a noble being , yet is it limited by the body , and incommodated by the crazyness and indispositions thereof , so that it can no more act strenuously or evenly to its principles in a disordered body , than it can rightly manage any member of it ( in its natural motions ) where the bones are disjointed . hence , sickness or other bodily weaknesses do alter the scene , and add another kind of byass to the soul than that it had before . this satan takes notice of , and either follows his advantage of the present indisposition , or ( if he hath some special design ) endeavours to cast our body into such a disorder as may best sute his intention . asa was more easily drawn to be overseen in peevishness and rash anger in his latter days , when his body grew diseased . satan had his advantage against solomon to draw him to idolatry when old age , and uxoriousness had made him more ductile to the sollicitations of his wives ; when solomon was old , his wives turned away his heart , king. . . the devil , when he took upon him to foretel job's blaspheming god to his face , yet he attempted not the main design till he thought he had throughly prepared him for it , by the anguish and smart of a distempered body and mind ; and though he failed in the great business of his boast , yet he left us an experiment in job , that the likeliest way to prevail upon the mind in hideous and desperate temptations , is to mould the body to a sutable frame : he prevailed not against job to cause him curse god , yet he prevailed far , he cursed the day of his birth , and spake many things by the force of that distress , which he professeth himself ashamed of afterwards . the body then will be in danger ( when 't is disordered ) to give a tincture to every action , as a distempered palat communicates a bitterness to every thing it takes down . sixthly , evil company is a general preparatory to all kinds of temptation : he enticeth strongly that way . for ( . ) evil society doth insensibly dead the heart , and quench the heat of the affections to the things of god ; it hath a kind of bewitching power to eat out the fear of the lord in our hearts , and to take off the weight and power of religious duty ; it not only stops our tongues , and retards them in speaking of good things , but influenceth the very heart , and poysons it into a kind of deadness and lethargy , so that our thoughts run low , and we begin to think that severe watchfulness of thoughts , and the guard of our minds to be a needless and melancholly self-imposition . ( . ) example hath a strange insinuating force to instamp a resemblance , and to beget imitation . joseph living where his ears were frequently beaten with oaths , finds it an easie thing ( upon a feigned occasion ) to swear by the life of pharaoh . evil company is sins nursery , and satan's academy , by which he trains up those whose knowledg and hopeful beginnings had made them shy of his temptations ; and if he can prevail with men to take such companions , he will with a little labour presently bring them to any iniquity . seventhly , but his highest project in order to the enticing of men , is to engage their affections to an height and passionateness . the scripture doth distinguish betwixt the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the affections and lusts ; clearly implying , that the way to procure fixed desires and actual lustings , is to procure those passionate workings of the mind . how powerful a part of his design this is , will appear from the nature of these passions : which are , first , violent motions of the heart , the very wings and sails of the soul , and every passion in its own working doth express a violence . choler is an earnest rage ; voluptuousness is nothing less ; fear is a desperate hurry of the soul ; love strong as death ; jealousie cruel as the grave : each of them striving which should excell in violence , so that 't is a question yet undertermined which passion may challenge the superiority . secondly , their fury is dangerous and unbridled , like so many wild horses let loose , hurrying their rider which way they please : they move not upon the command of reason , but oft prevent it in their sudden rise ; neither do they take reasons advice for their course proportionable to the occasion , for often their humor , rather than the matter of the provocation , gives them spurs ; and when they have evaporated their heat , they cease , not as following the command of reason , but as weakned by their own violence . thirdly , they are not easily conquered , not only because they renew their strength and onset after a defeat , and like so many hydra's heads spring up as fast as cut off , but they are our selves , we can neither run from them , nor from the love of them . fourthly , and consequently highly advantageous in satan's design and enticement , when they are driven up to a fury and passionateness ; for besides their inward rage ( which the scripture calls burning ) by which men are pricked and goaded on without rest or ease , to make provisions for the flesh , and to enjoy or act what their unbridled violence will elad to in the execution of their desires : they carry all on before them , and engage the whole man with the highest eagerness to fulfil every lust , to go up to the highest degrees , and with an unsatiable greediness to yield themselves servants of iniquity unto iniquity . chap. xi . that lust darkens the mind . evidences thereof . the five ways by which it doth blind men. ( . ) by preventing the exercise of reason . the ways of that prevention . ( . ) secresy in tempting , satan's subtilty therein . ( . ) surprisal . ( . ) gradual intanglements . that satan doth entice us by stirring up our lust , hath been discovered ; it remains that i next speak to the second thing propounded which was , that by this power of lust he blinds and darkens our mind . that the lusts of men are the great principle upon which satan proceeds in drawing on so great a blindness , ( as we have spoken of ) i shall briefly evince from these few observations . first , from the unreasonableness and absurdity of some actions in men otherwise sufficiently rational . he that considers the acts of alexander in murthering calisthenes , for no other crime than defending the cause of the gods , and affirming that temples could not be built to a king , without provoking a deity ; and yet this so smoothed , ( if * quintus-curtius represent him right ) that he seemed to flatter alexander with an opinion of delfication after his death : whosoever ( i say ) shall consider this cruelty , will condemn alexander as blind and irrational in this matter , and yet no other cause can be assigned hereof , but that his lust after glory and honour darkned his reason . the like may be said of his killing ephestion's physician , because he died . the brutal fury of that consul , that made a slave to be eaten up with lampreys , for no other fault than the breaking of a glass , can be ascribed to nothing else but the boyling over of his passion . a sadder instance of this we have in † theodosius senior , who for an affront given to some of his officers in thessalonica , commanded the destruction of the city , and the slaughter of the citizens to the number of , without any distinction of nocent and innocent : this blind rage the historian notes , as the fruit of violent and unbridled lust in a man , otherwise just and gracious . thousands of instances of this nature might be added . but , secondly , if we consider the known and visible hazards to life and estate , and ( that which is more , ) to that part of them which is immortal ; upon all which , men do desperately adventure , upon no other ground or motive than the gratifications of their lusts : we may easily conclude that there is a strange force and power in their passions to blind and besot them ; and this notwithstanding , is the common practice of all men , where grace ( as the only eye-salve ) doth not restore the sight . the heathens in all these practices of filthiness and folly , recorded rom. . . they had so far a discovery of the danger ( if they had not imprisoned that truth and light in vnrighteousness , vers . . ) that they knew the judgment of god , that they which commit such things are worthy of death , vers . . yet notwithstanding , the vanity of their imaginations ( influenced by lust ) darkned their heart so much , that they did not only do these things ( of so great vileness and unspeakable hazard , ) but had pleasure in those that did them . thirdly , the blinding power of lust is yet more remarkable : when we see men glorying in their shame , and mounting their triumphal chariots to expose themselves a spectacle to all , in that garb of deformity which their lusts have put them in . 't is a blindness to do any act against the rules of reason , but 't is a far great blindness for men to pride themselves in them . what have the issues of most wars been , but burnings of cities , devastations of flourishing kingdoms , spilling the blood of millions , besides all the famine and other miseries that follow ; yet these actions ( that better beseem tigars , lions and savage bruits , than men of reason ) are honoured with the great triumphant names of vertue , manhood , courage , magnanimity , conquest , &c. if the power and humor of their lusts of vain-glory and revenge had not quite muffled their understandings , these things would have been called by their proper names , of murther , cruelty , robbery , &c. and the actors of such tragedies , instead of triumphal arches and acclamations of praise , would have been buried under heaps of ignominy and perpetual disgraces , as prodigies of nature , monsters of men , and haters of mankind . fourthly , but there is yet one evidence more plain and convincing . when our lusts are up , though reason offer its aids to allay the storm , yet the wisest of men ( otherwise composed and calm ) are so far from taking the advantage of its guidance , that oftentimes they trample upon it and despise it ; and as if lusts ( by some secret incantation ) had made them impenetrable , they are not capable of its light and conduct , and can make no more use of it , than a blind man can do of a candle . to this purpose , let us observe the carriage of disputants ; if men do any way publickly engage themselves in a contest of this nature , though truth can be but on the one side , yet both parties give arguments , and answer objections with equal confidence of victory , and a contempt of the reasons and strength of each others discourses : and this proves so fatal to him that maintains the mistake or untruth , that not one of a thousand hath the benefit and advantage for the finding of truth , which free and unprejudiced bystanders may have ; so true is that , omne perit judicium cum res transit in affectum , when affections are engaged , judgment is darkned . 't is a thing of common observation , that when men are discoursed into anger and heat , they presently grow absurd ; are disabled for speaking or understanding reason , and are oft hurried to such inconveniences and miscarriages , that they are ashamed of themselves ; when they cool and the fit is over , impedit ira animum , &c. to all this might be added , the power of lust in persons voluptuous , who dedicate themselves to the pleasures of the flesh . those that serve divers lusts and pleasures , their slavish estate , their base drudgery , do clearly evince that lust unmans them , and puts out their eyes . mark-antony by this means became a slave to cleopatra ; never did a poor captive strive more to obtain the good will of his lord than he to please this woman , insomuch that besotted with his lust , he seemed to want that common foresight of his danger , which the smallest measure of reason might have afforded to any , and so dallied himself into his ruine . from all these considerations and instances , it appears our lusts afford such vapours and mists , that our reason is darkned by them , or rather , they are like a dose of opium that strongly stupifies and binds up the senses . but yet it remains that the various ways by which our lusts do blind us be particularly opened , and they are five . ( . ) our lusts blind us by preventing the use and exercise of reason . ( . ) by perverting it . ( . ) by withdrawing the mind from it . ( . ) by disturbing it in its operation . and ( . ) by a desperate precipitancy . all which i shall more fully explain . first , our lusts blind us by preventing and intercepting the exercise of light and reason , and satan in this case useth these deceits . first , he endeavours so to stir up our lust , as yet to conceal his design . secresie is one of his main engines , he doth not ( in this case ) shew his weapon before he strikes ; and indeed his policy herein is great , for ( . ) by this means he takes us at unawares , secure , and unprepared for resistance . ( . ) we are often ensnared without noise , and before our consideration of things can come in to rescue us . ( . ) if he get not his whole design upon us this way , yet he oft makes an half victory ; by this means he procures an half consent , or inclination to sin before we discover that we are under a temptation ; for when the foundation of a temptation is laid unespyed , then we awaken with the sin in our hand , as sleeping men awake sometime with the word in their mouths . if any question , how can these things be ? how can he steal a temptation upon us with such secresie ? i answer , he can do it these three ways . first , he sometimes after a careless manner , and as it were by the by , drops in a suggestion into our hearts , and that without noise or importunity , giving it ( as it were this charge , ) stir not up , nor awaken him ; and then he sits by to observe the issue , and to see if the tinder will take fire of it self . thus many a motion thrown into our hearts , as it were accidently , or ever we are aware , begets a sudden flame . secondly , he sometimes fetcheth a compass , and makes a thing far different to be a preamble or introduction to his intended design . thus by objects , imployments , discourse , or company , that shew not any direct tendency to evil , doth he insensibly occasion pride , passion or lust . how slyly and secretly doth he put us upon what he intends as a further snare ? how unawares , while we think of no such thing , are we carried sometime upon the borders of sin , and into the enemies quarters ? satan in this acts like a fowler , who useth a stalking horse , as if he were upon some other imployment , when yet his design is the destruction of the bird. thirdly , another way of secresie is his raising a croud of other thoughts in the mind , and while these are mixed and confusedly floating in the understanding or fancy , then doth he thrust in among them the intended suggestion , and then suffering the rest to vanish , he by little and little singles this out as a more special object of consideration , so that we cast a sudden glance upon this , and we are often taken with it before we consider the danger . in this satan doth as souldiers , who take the advantage of a mist to make a nearer approach to their enemies , and to surprise them before discovery of the danger : this he doth with us while we are in a musing fit , or a melancholy dream . a second deceit for the preventing of a serious consideration , is sudden surprisal . in the former he endeavoured to conceal the temptation while he is at work with us , but in this he shews 〈◊〉 temptation plainly , only he sets upon us without giving of us warning of the onset ; but then he backs it with all the violent importunity he can , and by this he hinders the recollecting of our selves and the aid of reason . this course satan only takes with those whose passions are apt to be very stirring and boysterous ; or such as being his slaves and vassals are more subject to his commands . thus a sudden provocation to an angry man , gives him not time to consider , but carries him headlong . a surprise of occasion and opportunity , is frequently a conquest to those that have any earnestness of hope , desire , or revenge : surely david was taken at this advantage in the matter of bathsheba . and here we may note , that good men upon such a sudden motion , do yield ( without any blow or strugling ) to that , which at other times they could not be drawn to by many reasons . thirdly , consideration is prevented by gradual intanglements . satan so orders the matter that sin creeps on upon us as sleep , by insensible degrees : for this end sometimes he dissembles his strength and sets upon us with lower temptations , and with less force than otherwise he could : he knows we are not moved to extreams , but by steps and habits , are not confirmed , but by gradual proceedings ; to take too great strides , may sometime prevail at present , but the suddenness and greatness of the alteration begetting a strangeness on the soul , may occasion after-thoughts and recoyling : therefore he tempts first to thoughts , then to a delight in these thoughts , then to the continuation of them , then to resolve , and so on to practice . and in like manner , he tempts some to make bold with a small matter , which shall scarce come under the notion of wrong ; then to a greater , and so gradually to higher things , and thus he insensibly brings on a thievish inclination and practice . for the same end sometimes he shews his skill in the management of occasions , he imperceptibly hooks men into sin , by drawing them first to be bold with occasions ; he tells them they may sit at the ale-house , and yet not be drunk ; that they may keep familiarity , and yet not be lewd ; that they may look upon a commodity , and yet not steal : and when the occasions are by this means made familiar to them , then he puts them on a stop further , but by such slow motions , that the progress is scarce discerned till they be in the snare . chap. xii . of satan's perverting our reason . his second way of blinding . the possibility of this , and the manner of accomplishing it directly , several ways ; and indirectly , by the delights of sin , and by sophistical arguments ; with an account of them . the second way by which satan blinds us through the power of lust , is by preverting and corrupting our reason , drawing it to approve of that , which it first disapproved . that our lusts have such a power upon the understanding to make such an alteration , need not seem strange to those that shall consider , that the scripture propounding the knowledge of the highest mysteries , doth positively require ( as a necessary prerequisite to these things ) that we lay aside all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness ( in these terms , noting the loathsom defilement of our lusts ) that so we may receive the ingrafted word ; strongly implying that our lusts have a power to elude and evade the strongest reasons , and to hinder their entertainment : which our saviour notes , to have been also the cause of the jews blindness , how can ye believe which receive honour one of another ? their lusts of honour stood in their light , and perverted their reason . but because this may seem to some almost impossible that lusts should turn our sun into darkness , i shall a little explain it . the understanding doth usually , ( if practice of sin have not put out its light ) at the first faithfully represent to our mind the nature , of good and evil in matters of temptation and duty ; yet its power in this case is only directive and suasive to the will , not absolutely imparative ; the will must follow the understandings dictate , but is not under any necessity of following its first advice ; 't is the ultimum dictamen , the last dictate that it is engaged to follow : however the will ( in the case last mentioned ) be dependant upon the understanding , yet the vnderstanding doth also quoad exercitium , depend upon the will , and as to the act of consideration , is under its command ; so that after the understanding hath faithfully represented the evil of a sin , the will can command it to another consideration , and force it to new thoughts and consultations about it ; in which case , the will doth prompt the understanding , tells it what verdict it would have it to bring in , and so doth really sollicite and beg for a complyance . the understanding is ductile and capable of being brib'd , and therefore suffers its right eye to be put out by the will , and as a false witness or a partial judge gives sentence as the will would have it ; and thus ( as one observes ) the understanding and will , are like simeon and levi , brethren in evil , mutually complying with , and gratifying each other . the possibility of lusts perverting our understanding being discovered , the way and manner how lust doth thus corrupt it , is needful to be opened . lust exerciseth this power under the management of satan , directly and indirectly . first , our reason is directly perverted , when it is so far wrought upon as to call that good , which is indeed plainly and apparently evil. so great a corruption is not common and ordinary , neither can the heart of man be easily drawn to go so paipably against clear light and evidence : 't is therefore only in some cases , and in some persons , either of weaker faculties , or of extraordinarily debauched principles that satan can work up lust to give so great a darkness : however 't is evident that satan useth these deceits in this thing . first , he strives ( where the matter will bear it ) to put the name of vertue or good upon actions and things that are not so . this temptation doth most appear in those things that are of a doubtful and disputable nature , or in those actions which in their appearance or pretensions may seem to be vertuous . whatever sin is capable of any paint or varnish , that he takes the advantage of . saul's sacrificing was a great iniquity , and yet the pretence of the general goodness of the action ( being in it self commanded ) and the supposed necessity of saul's doing it , because samuel came not , were considerations upon which his understanding warranted to him that undertaking . paul's persecution , ( though a real gratification of his envious lustings ) by his blinded understanding was judged duty : what more common than for worldly-mindedness and covetousness , to be called a faithful and dutiful care for the provision of our families ? lukewarmness is often justified under the notion of moderation and prudence ; and any thing that can but pretend any kindred to , or resemblance of good , our lusts presently prevail for an approbation and vindication of it . secondly , satan useth the advantage of extreams , for the corrupting of our understandings . to this purpose he doth all he can to make such an extream odious and displeasing , that so we may run upon the contrary , as matter of duty . many there are whose heads are so weak , that if they see the danger of one extream , they never think themselves in safety till they fly to a contrary excess , and then they think the extream they embrace needs no other justification , than the apparent evil of what they have avoided . satan knowing this , like the lapwing , makes the greatest noise when he is furthest from his nest , and in much seeming earnestness , tempts us to something that is most cross to our temper or present inclination ; or endeavours to render something so to us , not with any hopes to prevail with us there , but to make us run as far from it as we can into another snare , and also to make us believe that we have done well and avoided a temptation , when indeed we have but exchanged it . thirdly , he directly blinds our understandings in sinful practices , by engaging us to corrupt opinions which lead to wicked or careless courses . satan with great ease can put men upon sin , when once he hath prevailed with them to receive an error , which directly leads to it . corrupt principles do naturally corrupt practices , and both these may be observed to meet in those deluded ones , whom the scripture mentions , that denyed the only lord god , and jesus christ , turning also the grace of god into lasciviousness ; false-teachers that brought in damnable heresies , counted it pleasure to riot , had eyes full of adultery , and could not cease from sin. with what confidence and security will sin be practised when an opinion signs a warrant , and pleads a justification for it ? fourthly , in actions , whose goodness or badness is principally discoverable by the ends upon which they are undertaken , 't is no great difficulty for satan , to impose upon men a belief that they act by ends and respects , which do not indeed move them at all ; and in this case men are so blinded , that they do not , or will not know or acknowledge they do evil ; the matter of the action being warrantable , and the end being out of the reach of common discovery , they readily believe the best of themselves ; and looking more at the warrantableness of the nature of the act in the general , than at their grounds and intentions , they think not that they do evil . this was a fault which christ observed in the disciples when they called for fire from heaven upon the samaritans : the thing it self elias had done before , and christ might have done it then , but they wanted the spirit of elias ; and therefore christ rejects their motion as unlawful in them , who considered not that a spirit of passion and revenge did altogether influence them , and instead of shewing a just displeasure against the samaritans , he shews that satan had blinded them by their lust , and that the thing they urged was so far from being good , that it was apparently evil , in that they were acted by another spirit than they imagin'd . this way of deceit is very common . how often may we observe christians pretending conscientious dissatisfactions about the actions of others , when the private spring that animates them is some secret grudge that lyes at the bottom ; and yet because the thing wherein they are dissatisfied may truly deserve blame , they are not apt to condemn themselves but think they do well . secondly , lusts also pervert our reason and knowledg indirectly : and this is , when we are not so far blinded , as to believe the thing unto which we are tempted , to be good absolutely ; yet notwithstanding , we are perswaded of some considerable goodness in it , and such as may for the present be embraced . for this purpose satan hath ready these two engines : first , he sets before us the pleasures , profits and other delights of sin : these he heightens with all his art and skill , that he may fix in our minds this conclusion , that however it be forbidden ; yet it would conduce much to our satisfaction or advantage if it were practised ; and here he promiseth such golden ends and fruits of sin , as indeed it can never lead unto , inviting us in the words of the harlot , i have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry , with carved works , with fine linnen of egypt . i have perfumed it with myrrhe , aloes and cinnamon . come , let us take our fill of these delights . thus he set upon eve , taste this fruit , and ye shall be as gods. thus he attempted christ himself , all these will i give thee , proffering the kingdoms of the world , and the glory of them . the pleasures of sin are satans great bait , and these strongly invite and stir up our lusts ; yet because the fear of the danger may stick in the heart , 't is pleasant , but o i dare not , saith the sinner , i fear the hazard or the evil that may fellow : therefore satan hath his other engine at hand to blind us , and to carry our minds from such considerations , and that is , secondly , his sophistical arguments , by which the danger may be lessened ; of these his quiver is full . as , first , he urgeth that the sin tempted to is little . but a little one , 't is not ( saith he ) so great a matter as you make it , there are other sins far greater , and these also practised by men that profess as much as you . thus he would shame us ( as it were ) out of our fear , by calling it severity , nicenss , or an unnecessary preciseness . if this prevail not , secondly , he hath then another argument . oh ( saith he ) be it so , that it is a little more than ordinary , yet it is but once ; taste or try it , you need not engage your selves to frequent practice ; you may retreat at pleasure . but if the fear of the danger prevail against this , then , thirdly , he labours to put us under a kind of necessity of sinning , and this he pleads as a justification of the evil . 't is not altogether right , but you cannot well avoid it . this plea of necessity is large , occasion , example , command of others , strength of inclination , custom , and what not , are pleaded by him in this case ; some particularly reckon them up : and rather than some men will acknowledg the evil , they will blame gods decree , as if they were necessitated by it , or his providence , as adam , the woman that thou gavest me , she gave me of the tree : david's bloody resolve against the house of nabal seems to be justified by him , from nabal's great ingratitude , in vain have i kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness , &c. and as one engaged by a necessity of repaying such wrongs and affronts , doth he determine to cut them off . aaron ( when he was taxed by moses about the golden calf ) excuseth the matter by a pretended necessity of doing what he did upon the violent importunity of such an heady people ; and that when moses was not to be found , thou knewest the people , that they are set on mischief . this that he urged to moses , satan no doubt had urged to him , and he had acquiesced in it , as something that he thought would excuse , or at least mitigate the offence . yet if the sinner break through this snare , fourthly , he comes on with a softer plea of infirmity ; and endeavours to perswade men that they may yield under pretence of being forced , and that their strivings and reluctancies will lessen the evil to an apparent sin of infirmity ; and thus he bespeaks them , have not gods children infirmities ? they sin , though with reluctancy , and doest not thou resist ? doth not the fear that is in thy heart shew an unwillingness ; mayest thou not plead , the evil that i would not do , that do i ? if thou yield , will not god account it a rape upon thine integrity ? if this arrow stick not , fifthly , then he extenuates the offence , by propounding some smaller good or convenience that may follow that evil . and this , though it be a way of arguing , directly contrary to that rule , do not evil that good may come , yet it oft proves too successful ; and 't is like that common stratagem of war when by the proposal of a small booty in view , the enemies are drawn out of their hold into a fore-contrived danger . thus satan pleads , this one act of sin may put you into a capacity of honouring god the more . some have admitted advancements and dignities against conscience , upon no better ground , but that they might keep out knaves , and that they might be in a condition to be helpful to good men. surely the devil prevailed with lot by this weapon , when he offered the prostitution of his daughters to the lusts of the sodomites , that the strangers ( as he thought them ) might be preserved ; by this evil ( thinks he ) a greater may be avoided . herod's conscience could not at first consent to the cutting off the head of john baptist , but when satan suggests the obligation of his oath , he concludes , that in the killing of john he should escape the violation of the oath ; thus a pretended good to come , becomes a pander to a present certain iniquity . now if after all these arguings the conscience carrieth an apprehension of danger , then sixthly , he plainly disputeth the possibility of the escape of danger , though the sin be committed . all the insinuations of pleasure and advantage by which eve was tempted , could not at first blot out her fears of the conscquence of that trangression , it did stick in her mind still , lest we die ; then satan plainly denyeth the danger she feared , ye shall not surely die , the threatning ( saith he ) it may be was but for trial , or without a strict and positive purpose in god to execute it , there is no certainty that god was in good earnest when he spake so . the devil usually urgeth the mercy of god , the merits of christ , his promises of pardon , the infirmities of the saints , their sins , and repentances , &c. from all these drawing this conclusion , that we may venture upon the temptation without any apparent hazard . 't is but repenting ( saith he ) and that is an easie work to a gracious soul , god is ready to be reconciled , even to a prodigal son ; he is not so cruel as to cast away any for a small matter , he that waits to be gracious will not ly at catch for opportunities and occasions to destroy us , he that delights not in the death of a sinner will not delight to take strict exceptions against every failing . if satan can prevail with us to extenuate the sin , to slight the hazard , or any way to lessen it upon any of the forementioned accounts ; then having possessed us before with high apprehensions of delights and satisfactions in the sin , he quickly perswades to accept the motion , as having a conveniency and advantage in it not to be despised : and thus doth he indirectly pervert our reason , which is the second way by which he blinds us , through the working of our lust . chap. xiii . of satan's diverting our reason , being the third way of blinding men. his policies for diverting our thoughts . his attempts to that purpose in a more direct manner ; with the degrees of that procedure . of disturbing or distracting our reason , which is satan's fourth way of blinding men. his deceits therein . of precipitancy , satan's fifth way of blinding men. several deceits to bring men to that . thirdly , satan blinds the sons of men by diverting and withdrawing their reason , and taking it off from the pursuit of its discovery or apprehensions . for sometime it cannot be induced to go so contrary to its light , as to call evil good , either directly or indirectly : then is satan put to a new piece of policy ; and if the frame of the heart and the matter of the temptation suit his design , he endeavours to turn the stream of our thoughts either wholly another way , or to still them by turning them into a dead sea , or by some trick to beguile the understanding with some new dress of the temptation . so that we may observe in satan a threefold policy in a subserviency to this design : for , first , satan sometime ceaseth his pursuit and lets the matter fall , and thinks it better to change the temptation than to continue a sollicitation at so great a disadvantage . when he tempted christ and could not prevail , he departed for a season with a purpose to return at some fitter time , which christ himself was in expectation of , knowing it to be his manner to ly in wait for advantages , and accordingly when his suffering drew nigh , which ( as he speaks to the jews , ) was their hour and power of darkness , he foretold his return upon him , now the prince of this world cometh : however , this attempt of his against the lord jesus prevailed not , yet he shewed his art and skill in the suspending of his temptation to a more sutable time . and the success of this against us is sadly remarkable , for however we resist , and at present stand out , yet his solicitations are often like leaven , which while 't is hid in our thoughts , doth not a little ferment and change them , so that at his return , he often finds our lusts prepared to raise greater clouds upon our mind . many there are that resist strongly at present that which they easily slide into , when satan hath given them time to breath ; that say i will not , and yet do it afterwards . secondly , he sometimes withdraws their considerations , by huffing them up with a confidence that they are above the temptation : as a conquest in a small skirmish , begetting an opinion of victory , makes way for a total overthrow over a careless and secure army . we are too apt to triumph over temptations , because we give the first on-set with courage and resolution . christ forewarned peter of his denyal , he stoutly de●ies it , and not improving this advertisement to fear and watchfulness , satan who then was upon a design to sift him , took him at that advantage of security , and by a contemptible instrument overthrew him . thus while we grow strong in our apprehensions by a denyal of a sin , and undervalue it as below us , our confidence makes us careless , and this lets in our ruine . thirdly , if these ways of policy fail him , he seemingly complies with us , and is content we judge the matter sinful , but then he proffers his service to bring us off by distinctions ; and here the sophister useth his skill to further our understanding in framing excuses , coyning evasions , and so doth out-shoot us in our own bow. the corinthians had learned to distinguish betwixt eating of meat in an idols temple in honour to the idol , and as a common feast in civility and respect to their friends that invited them : this presently withdrew their consideration , and so quieted them in that course , that the apostle was forced to discover the fallacy of it . the israelites cursed him that gave a wife to any of the tribe of benjamin : but when they turned to them in compassion , they satisfied themselves with this poor distinction , that they would not give them wives , but were willing to suffer them to take them . 't is a common snare in matters of promise , or oath , where conscience is startled at a direct violation thereof , by some pitiful salvo , or silly evasion , to blind the eyes ; and when they dare not break the hedge , to leap over it by the help of a broken reed . but i must here further observe , that satan doth sometimes set aside these deceits aforementioned , and trys his strength for the withdrawing of our consideration from the danger of sin , in a more plain and direct manner , that is , by continuing the prospect of the sweets and pleasures of sin under our eye , and withal , urging us by repeated sollicitations to cast the thoughts of the danger behind our back : in which he so far prevails sometimes , that men are charged with a deep forgetfulness of god , his law , and of themselves , yet usually it ariseth to this by degrees : as first , when a temptation is before us , and our conscience relucts it , if there be any inclination to recede from a conviction , the motion is resisted with a secret regret and sorrow . as the young man was said to go away sorrowful , when christ propounded such terms for eternal life as he was not willing to hear of : so do we , our heart is divided betwixt judgment and affection , and we begin to wish that it might be lawful to commit such a sin , or that there were no danger in it ; nay , often our wishes contradict our prayers , and while we desire to be delivered from the temptation , our private wishes beg a denyal to those supplications . secondly , if we come thus far , we usually proceed to the next step , which is , to give a dismission to those thoughts that oppose the sin : we say to them , as felix to paul , go thy way for this time , and when i have a convenient opportunity i will send for thee . thirdly , if a plain dismission serve not to repel these thoughts , we begin to imprison the truth in vnrighteousness , and by a more peremptory refusal to stifle it , and to keep it under , and become at last willingly ignorant . fourthly , by this means at last the heart grows sottish and forgetful : the heart is taken away , as the prophet speaks , and then do these thoughts of conviction and warning at present perish together . this withdrawing of our consideration is satan's third way of blinding us . follows next the fourth way by which our lust prevails in satan's hand to blind knowledg , and that is by distracting and disturbing it in its work . this piece of subtilty satan the rather useth , because 't is attended with a double advantage , and like a two-edged sword will cut either way . for ( . ) a confusion and distraction in the understanding , will hinder the even and clear apprehensions of things , so that those principles of knowledg cannot reach so deep , nor be so firm and full in their application : for as the senses , if any way distracted or hindred , though never so intent , must needs suffer prejudice in their operations ; a thick air or mist not only hinders the sight of the eye , but also conduceth to a misrepresentation of objects : thus is the understanding hindred by confusion . but ( . ) if this succeed not , yet by this he hinders the peace and comfort of god's children : 't is a trouble to be haunted with evil thoughts . to work this distraction . first , satan useth a clamorous importunity , and doth so follow us with suggestions , that what way soever we turn they follow us ; we can think nothing else , or hear nothing else , they are ever before us . secondly , he worketh this disturbance in our thoughts by levying a legion of temptations against us ; many at once , and of several kinds , from within , from without , on every side , he gathers all from the dan to the bersheba of his empire to oppress us with a multitude ; so that while our thoughts are divided about many things , they are less fixed and observant in any particular . thirdly , he sometimes endeavours to weary us out with long sollicitations . as those that besiege a city , when they cannot storm , endeavour to waste their strength and provisions by a long siege : his design in this is to come upon us ( as ahitophel counselled absolom ) when we are weary and weak-handed by watching and long resistance . fourthly , but his chief design is to take the advantage of any trouble inward or outward , and by the help of this he dangerously discomposeth and distracts our counsels and resolves . if any have a spirit distemper'd , only under the apprehensions of wrath , 't is easie for him to confound and amaze such , that they shall scarce know what they do , or what they think . the like advantage he hath from outward afflictions , and these opportunities he the rather takes , for these reasons . first , usually inward or outward troubles leaves some stamp of murmuring and fullenness upon our hearts , and of themselves distemper our spirits with a sad inclination , to speak in our haste , or to act unadvisedly . job's affliction imbittered his spirit , and satan misseth not the advantage ; then he comes upon him with temptations , and prevailed so far , that he spake many things in his anguish , of which he was ashamed afterward , and hides his face for it ; once have i spoken , but i will not answer : yea , twice , but i will proceed no further . secondly , by reason of our burthen we are l●ss weildy , and more unapt to make any resistance . god himself expresseth the condition of such , under the similitude of those that are great with young , who because they cannot be driven fast , he gently leads them : but satan knows a small matter will discompose them , and herein he deals with us , as simeon and levi dealt with the sechemites who set upon them when they were sore by circumcision . thirldly , troubles of themselves occasion confusion , multitudes of thoughts , distractions and inadvertencies . if men see a hazard before them they are presently at their wits end , they are puzled , they know not what to do , thoughts are divided , now resolving this , then presently changing to a contrary purpose . 't is seldom but as in a multitude of words there is much folly , so in a distraction of thoughts there are many miscarriages , and satan with a little labour can improve them to more ; here he works unseen , in these troubled waters he loves to angle , because his baits are not discerned . fifthly , our considerations and reasonings against sin are hindred by a bold forward precipitancy . when men are hasted and pressed to the committing of sin , and like the deaf addar stop their ears against the voice of the charmer : in this case the rebellious will is like a furious horse , that takes the bridle in his teeth , and instead of submitting to the government of his rider , he carries him violently whither he would not . thus do men rush into sin as the horse into the battel . the devices by which satan doth forward this , we may observe to be these among others . first , he endeavours to affright men into an hopelesness of prevailing against him , and so intimidates men that they throw down their weapons , and yield up themselves to the temptation ; they conclude there is no hope by all their resistance to stand it out against him , and then they are easily perswaded to comply with him . to help this forward , satan useth the policy of souldiers , who usually boast high of their strength and resolutions , that the hearts and courage of their adversaries failing , the victory may fall to them without stroke . the devil expresseth a disdain and scorn of our weak opposition , as goliah did of david , am i a dog , that thou comest to me with staves ? doest thou think to stand it out against me ? 't is in vain to buckle on thine armour , and therefore better were it to save the trouble of striving than to fight to no purpose . with such like arguings as these , are men sometimes prevailed with to throw down their weapons , and to over-run their reason through fear and hopelesness . secondly , sometimes he is more subtile , and by threaping men down , that they have consented already , he puts them upon desperate adventures of going forward . this is usually where satan hath used many sollicitations before , after our hearts have been urged strongly with a temptation ; when he sees he cannot win us over to him , then he triumphs and boasts we are conquered already , and that our thoughts could not have dwelt so long upon such a subject , but that we had a liking to it , and thence would perswade us to go on and enjoy the fulness of that delight which we have already stoln privately , over shooes , over boots . now though his arguings here be very weak , ( for though it be granted , that by the stay of the temptation on our thoughts he hath a little entangled us , it cannot hence be inferred that it is our wisdom to entangle our selves further , ) yet are many overcome herewith , and give up themselves as already conquered , and so give a stop to any further consideration . thirdly , when men will not be trapanned into the snare by the former delusions , he attempts to work them up to a sudden and hasty resolve of sinning ; he prepares all the materials of the sin , puts every thing in order , and then carries us ( as he did christ ) into the mountain , to give us a prospect of their beauty and glory : all these ( saith he ) will i give thee ; do but consent , and all are thine . now , albeit there are arguments at hand , and serious considerations to deter us from practice , yet how are all laid aside by a quick resolve ? satan urgeth us by violent hurry , ( as christ said to judas ) what thou hast to do , do it quickly ; the soul perswaded with this puts on a sudden boldness and resolution , and when reason doth offer to interpose , it holds fast the door , because the sound of its masters feet is behind it ; doth it not say to it self , come , we will not consider , let us do it quickly before these lively considerations come in to hinder us ; 't is loth to be restrained , and conceiteth , that if it can be done before conscience awaken and make a noise , all is well ; as if sin ceased to be sinful , because we by a violent haste endeavoured to prevent the admonition of conscience . thus they enjoy their sin ( as the israelites eat their passover ) in haste , and with their staves in their hands . fourthly , when opportunities and occasions will well suit it , he takes the advantages of a passionate and sullen humor , and by this means he turns us clearly out of our byass : reason is trampled under-foot , and passion quite over-runs it . at this disadvantage the devil takes jonah , and hardens him to a strange resolve of quarrelling god , and justifying himself in that insolency . the humor that satan wrought upon , was his fretful sullenness raised up to a great height by the disappointment of his expectation , and this makes him break out into a cholerick resolution , i do well to be angry . had he been composed in his spirit , had his mind been calm and sedate , the devil ( surely ) could not by any arguments have drawn him up to it ; but when the spirit is in a rage , a little matter will bind reason in chains , and push a man upon a desperate carelesness of any danger that may follow ; sutable to that expression of job , chap. . . let me alone that i may speak , and let come on me what will. fifthly , all these are but small in comparison of those deliberate determinations which are to be found with most sinners , who are therefore said to sin with an high hand , presumptuously , wilfully , against conscience , against knowledg , and this ordinarily to be found only among those whom a custom of sin hath hardned and confirmed into a boldness of a wicked way and course . when the spirits of men are thus harnessed and prepared , satan can at pleasure almost form them into a deliberate resolve , to cast the commandment behind their back , and to refuse to hearken . when any temptation is offered them , if god say , ask for the old paths , and walk therein , ( as jer. . . ) they will readily answer , we will not walk therein : if god say , hearken to the sound of the trumpet : they will reply , we will not hearken . when the people by a course of sinning had made themselves like the wild ass used to the wilderness , then did they peremptorily set up their will against all the reason and consideration that could come in to deter them , though they were told the inconveniences , ( jer. . . ) that this did unshoo their foot , and afflicted them with thirst and want , yet was the advice slighted , there is no hope ( said they , ) there is no expectation that we will take any notice of these pleadings , for we have fixed our resolve , we have loved strangers , and after them will we go . so jer. . . as for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the lord , we will not hearken unto thee , but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth out of our own mouth . a plain and full resolve of will dischargeth all the powers of reason , and commands it silence . and that this is most ordinary among men , may appear by these frequent expressions of scripture , wherein god lays the blame of all that madness which their lives bring forth upon their will , ye would not obey , ye will not come to me ; their heart is set to do evil , &c. it may indeed seem strange that satan should proceed so far with the generality of men , and that they should do that that should seem so inconsistent with those principles which they retain , and the light which must result from thence : but we must remember , that these wills and shalls of wicked men , are for the most part god's interpretation of their acts and carriage , which speaks as much , though it may be their minds and hearts do not so formally mould up their thoughts into such open and brazen-fac'd assertions . and yet we ought also further to consider , that when the spirit of god chargeth man with wilfulness , there is surely more of a formal wilfulness in the heart of man than lyeth open to our view . and this will be less strange to us when we call to mind , sixthly , that through the working of satan the minds of men are darkned , and the light thereof put out by the prevalency of atheistical principles . something of atheism is by most divines concluded to be in every sin , and according to the height of it in its various degrees , is reason and consideration overturned : there are , it may be , few that are professed atheists in opinion , and dogmatically so , but all wicked men are so in practice ; though they profess god , yet the fool saith in his heart , there is no god , and in their works they deny him . this is a principle that directly strikes at the root : for if there be no god , no hell or punishment , who will be scared from taking his delight in sin by any such consideration ? the devil therefore strives to instil this poyson with his temptation . when he enticed eve by secret insinuations , he first questions the truth of the threatning , and then proceeds to an open denyal of it , ye shall not surely die ; and 't is plain , she was induced to the sin upon a secret disbelief of the danger ; she reckons up the advantages , good for food , pleasant to the eye , to be desired to make one wise ; wherein 't is evident she believed what satan had affirmed , that they should be as god , and then it was not to be feared that they should die . this kind of atheism is common ; men may not disbelieve a godhead , nay they may believe there is a god , and yet question the truth of his threatnings . those conceits that men have of god , whereby they mould and frame him in their fancies , sutable to their humors ( which is a thinking that he is such an one as our selves ) are streams and vapours from this pit , and the hearts of the sons of men are desperately set within them to do evil , upon these grounds ; much more when they arise so high as in som who say , doth god know ? is there knowledg in the most high ? if men give way to this , what reason can be imagined to stand before them ? all the comminations of scripture are derided as so many theological scare-crows , and undervalued as so many pitiful contrivances to keep men in awe . chap. xiv . of satan's maintaining his possession . his first engine for that purpose , is his finishing of sin , in its reiteration and aggravation . his policies herein . having explained the five ways by which satan through the power of lust causeth blindness of mind in tempting to sin , i shall next lay open satan's devices for the keeping and maintaining his possession , which are these : first , he endeavours ( after he hath prevailed with any man to commit an iniquity ) to finish sin , jam. . . after 't is conceived and brought forth , then 't is finished ; which notes its growth and increase . this compriseth these two things , its reiteration , and its aggravation . first , its reiteration , is when by frequent acts it is strengthned , and confirmed into an habit . there are various steps by which men ascend into the seat of the scornful , nemo repent● turpissimus , 't is not one act that doth denominate men wise to do evil . in psal . . david shews there are gradations and degrees of sin , some walk in the counsel of the vngodly ; some by progress and continuance of sin stand in the way of sinners ; some by a hardness of heart and fixedness in wicked purposes , sit in the seat of the scornful . to this height doth he labour to bring his proselytes , yet he further designs , secondly , that sin may have its utmost accomplishments in all the aggravations whereof it may be capable . he strives to put men upon such a course of sinning as may be most scandalous to the gospel , most ensnaring and offensive to others , most hardning and desperate to our selves , most offensive and provoking to god ; in this he imitates the counsel of ahitophel to absalom , when he advised him to go in unto his fathers concubines in the sight of all israel , that so the breach betwixt him and his father might be widned to an impossibility of reconciliation . thus he labours that sinners should act at such a rate of open defiance against heaven , as if they resolved to ly down in their iniquity , and were purposed never to think of returning and making up their peace with god. that sin may be finished in both these respects , he useth these policies ; first , after sin is once committed , he renews his motions and sollicitations to act it again , and then again , and so onward till they be perfect and habituated to it . in this case he acts over again the former method by which he first ensnared them , only with such alterations as the present case doth necessitate him unto ; before he urged for the committing of it but once , ( how little is he to be trusted in these promises , ) now he urgeth them by the very act they have already done , is it not a pleasant or profitable sin to thy very experience ? hast thou not tasted and seen ? hast thou not already consented ? taste and try again , and yet further , withdraw not thy hand . a little temptation served before , but a less serves now ; for by yielding to the first temptation , our hearts are secretly enclined to the sin , and we carry a greater affection to it than before : for this is the stain and defilement of sin , that when once committed , it leaves impressions of delight and love behind , which are still the more augmented by a further progress and frequent commission , till at last by a strong power of fascination it bewitches men that they cannot forbear ; all the entreaties of friends , all their own promises , all their resolves and purposes , though never so strong and serious ( except god strike in to rescue by an omnipotent hand ) can no more restrain them than fetters of straw can hold a giant . god himself owns it as a natural impossibility , can the ethiopian change his skin ? no more can ye do good ; and the reason of that impossibility is from hence , that they are accustomed to do evil . such strong and powerful inclinations to the same sin again are begot in us by a sin already committed , that sometime one act of sin fills some men with as vehement and passionate desires for a further enjoyment , as custom and continuance doth others . austin reports that alipius when once he gave way to the temptation of beholding the gladiators , was bewitched with such a delight , that he not only desired to come again with others , but also before others . neither is it any great wonder it should be so , when ( besides the inclinations that are begot in us by any act of sin ro recommit it ) sin puts us out of god's protection , debilitates and weakens our graces , strengthens satan's arm , and often procures him further power and commission against us . secondly , satan endeavours to make one sin an engagement to another , and to force men to draw iniquity with cords of vanity . agur notes a concatenation in sins , lest i steal and take the name of god in vain . adam sinning in the forbidden fruit , and proclaimed guilty by his conscience , runs into another sin for the excuse of the former , the woman that thou gavest me , &c. david affords a sad instance of this , the sin with bathsheba being committed , and she with child upon it , david to hide the shame of his offence ( ) hypocritically pretends great kindness to vriah . ( . ) when that served not , next he makes him drunk , and it may be he involved many others in that sin as accessories . ( . ) when this course failed , his heart conceives a purpose and resolution to murther him . ( . ) he cruelly makes him the messenger of his own destruction . ( . ) he engageth joab in it . ( . ) and the death of many of his souldiers . ( . ) by this puts the whole army upon an hazard . ( . ) excuseth the bloody contrivance , by providence . ( . ) in all using still the height of dissimulation . satan knows how natural it is for men to hide the shame of their iniquity , and accordingly provides occasions , and provocations to drive them on to a kind of necessity . thirdly , by a perverse representation of the state of godly and wicked men , he draws on sin to an higher compleatment . how often doth he set before us the misery , affliction , contempt , crosses , and sadnesses of the one , and the jollity , delights , plenty , peace , honours , and power of the other ? it was a temptation that had almost brought david to an atheistical resolve against all religious duty , and that which he observed had prevailed altogether with many professors , psal . . when they observed they were not in trouble like other men , and that their mouth and tongue had been insolent against god , without any rebuke or check from him ; when in the mean time , the godly were plagued all the day , and chastned every morning : some ( that were in profession , or estimation at least , god's people ) returned to take up these thoughts , and to resolve upon such practices , vers . . as if god who sets all these with so much silence , must be supposed knowingly to give some countenance to such actions . this indeed ( when 't is prosecuted upon our hearts in its full strength with those ugly surmises , jealousies , and misapprehensions that are wont to accompany it ) is a sad step to a desperate neglect of duty and a carelesness in sinning , in that it insensibly introduceth atheistical impressions upon the hearts of men , and such are apt to catch hold , even upon good men , who are but too ready to say , as david , i have cleansed my hands in vain . fourthly , satan hath yet another piece of policy for the multiplication and aggravation of sin , which is the enmity and opposition of the law. of this the apostle paul sadly complains from his own experience , rom. . . sin taking occasion by the commandment , wrought in me all manner of concupiscence . what he laments is this , that such is the perversness of our natures , that the law instead of restraining us doth the more enrage us , so that accidentally the law doth multiply sin : for when the restraint of the law is before us , lust burns not only more inwardly , but when it cannot be kept in and smothered , then it breaks out with greater violence , let us break their bonds asunder , &c. when the law condemns our lusts , they grow surly and desperate , let us eat and drink , for to morrow we die , &c. if any wonder that the law ( which was given of purpose to repress sin , and which is of so great use in its authority to kill it in us , and to hinder temptations , ) should thus be used by satan to encrease and enrage it , they may consider that 't is but still an accidental occasion , and not a cause , and sin takes this occasion without any fault of the law. satan to this end † watcheth the time when our hearts are most earnestly set upon our lusts , when our desires are most highly engaged , and then by a subtile art so opposeth the law ( letting in it's contradictions in way and measure sutable ) that our hearts conceive a grudge at restraint , which together with its earnestness to satisfy the flesh , ariseth up to a furious madness , and violent striving to maintain a liberty and freedom to do according to the desires of their heart ; whereas this same law , if it be applyed to the heart when 't is more cooled and not so highly engaged upon a design of lust , will break , terrify , and restrain the heart , and put such a damp upon temptations that they shall not be able to stand before it . so great a difference is there in the various seasons of the application of this law ; in which art , for the enflaming of the heart to iniquity , satan shews a wonderful dexterity . chap. xv. of satan's keeping all in quiet , which is his second engine for keeping his possession , and for that purpose his keeping us from going to the light by several subtilties ; also of making us rise up against the light , and by what wayes he doth that . satan's next engine , for the maintaining his possession , is to keep all in quiet : which our saviour notes , luk. . . when a strong man armed keepeth his palace , his goods are in peace . he urgeth this against those that objected to him , that he cast out devils by belzebub , which calumny he confuteth , by shewing the inconsistency of that , with satan's principles and design ; it being a thing sufficiently known and universally practised , that no man will disturb or dispute against his own peaceable possession ; neither can it be supposed satan will do it , because he acts by this common rule of keeping down and hindring any thing that may disquiet breach of peace , is hazardous to a possession ; an uneasie government occasions mutinies and revolts of subjects : yet we might think that ( the wages of sin , the light and power of conscience considered , ) it were no easie task for the devil to rule his slaves with so much quiet as 't is observed he doth ; his skill in this particular , and the way of managing his interest for such an end , we may clearly see , in jo. . . every one that doth evil , hateth the light , neither cometh to the light , lest his deeds should be reproved . from which place we may observe : ( ) the great thing that doth disquiet satan's possession , is light. ( ) the reason of that disquietment is , the discovery that light makes , and the shame that follows that discovery . ( ) the way to prevent that light , and the reproof of it , is to avoid coming to it ; and where it cannot be avoided , to hate it . 't is satan's business then for keeping all in peace ( ) to keep us from the light ; or if that cannot be , then ( ) to make us rise up against it . i shall make enquiry after both these projects of the devil . to keep us from coming to the light , he useth a great many subtilties : as , first , for his own part , he forbears to do any thing that might discompose or affright entangled souls : at other times , and in other cases he loves to torment and affright them , to cause their wounds to stink and corrupt ; but in this case he takes a contrary course , he keeps off ( as much as may be ) all reflections of conscience ; he conceals the evil and danger of sin , he sings them asleep in their folly , till a dart strike through their liver , and hastens them to the snare , as a bird that knoweth not that it is for his life . they that shall consider , that the heart of a sinner is hardned through the deceitfulness of sin ; and that the greatest part of the affrightment that molests the consciences of such , is from satan's fury and malice ; they will easily conceive how much his single forbearance to molest , may contribute to the peace and ease of those that are setled upon their lees : but besides his forbearance , we may expect that what ever clouds or darkness he can raise to exclude the light , or to muffle the eyes , he will not be negligent in the use of that power whatever he can positively do in the raising up the confidence of presumption or security in the minds of men ; what ever he can do to make them sottish or careless , that shall not be wanting . secondly , he shews no less skill , and diligence by secret contrivances to hinder occasions of reproof ; and discovery ; how much he can practise upon others , that out of pity and compassion to the souls of men , are ready to draw a sinner from the errour of his way , and to save a soul from death . we can scarce imagine what ways he hath to divert and hinder them , by what private discouragements he doth defer them , who can tell ? he that could dispute with the angel about the body of moses to prevent the secret interment of it : he that could give a stop of one and twenty days to the angel that was to bring the comfortable message to daniel , of the hearing of his prayers , may more easily obstruct and oppose the designs of a faithful reprover . some time he doth this by visible means and instruments , stirring up the spirits of wicked men to give opposition to such as seek to deliver their souls from the blood of men , by faithful warnings or exhortations : the devil was so careful to keep jeroboam quiet in his sinful course of idolatry , that he stirs up amaziah to banish amos from the court , lest his plain dealing should startle or awaken the conscience of the king ; amos . , . go , flee thee away into the land of judah , &c. but prophesie not any more at bethel , for it is the kings chappel , it is the kings court. thirdly , in order to the keeping out the light from the consciences of men , he insinuates himself as a lying spirit , into the mouthes of some of his mercenaries ; and they speak smooth things and deceit to satan's captives ; telling them , that they are in a good condition ; christians good enough , and may go to heaven as well as the precisest : 't is a fault in unfaithful ministers , they do the devil this service , god highly complains of it . jer. . . they have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly , saying , peace , peace , when there is no peace . ezek. . . they have seduced my people , saying , peace , and there was no peace : and one built up a wall and others daubed it with untempered morter . besides , this stratagem is the more likely to prevail , because it takes the advantage of the humours , and inclinations of men , who naturally think the best of themselves , and delight that others should speak what they would have them ; so that when men by the devil's instigation prophesie deceit to sinful men , 't is most likely they should be heard , seeing they desire such prophets , and love to have it so . fourthly , satan keeps off the light , by catching away the word after it is sown . this policy of his , christ expresly discovers , math. . . when anyone heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not , then cometh the wicked one , and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart : such opportunities the devil doth narrowly watch ; to be sure he will be present at a sermon , or good discourse , and if he perceive any thing spoken that may endanger his peaceable possession , how busie is he to withdraw the heart , sometime by the sight of the eyes , sometimes by vain thoughts of business , occasions , delights , and what not ; and if this come not up to his end , then he endeavours , after men have heard , to justle all out by impertinent discourses , urgencies of imployment , and a thousand such divertisements , that so men may not lay the warning to heart , nor by serious meditation to apply it to their consciences . fifthly , he sometimes snuffs out the light by persecution . those hearers mat. . , . that had received the word with some workings of affections and joy , are presently offended when persecution , because of the word , ariseth . by this , he threatens men into an acquiescency in their present condition , that if they depart from iniquity , they shall make themselves a prey : bonds , imprisonments , and hatreds ( he suggests ) shall abide them , and by this means he scares men from the light. sixthly , he sometimes smothers and choaks it with the cares of the world. as those that received seed among thornes ; by earnest engagements in business , all that time , strength and affection which should have been laid out in the prosecution of heavenly things , are wholly taken up and spent on outward things ; by this means that light that shines into the hearts of men , is neglected and put by . seventhly , he staves off men from coming to the light , by putting them upon misapprehensions of their estate , in judging themselves by the common opinion . satan hath so far prevailed with men , that they are become confident of this conceit , that men may take a moderate liberty in sinning , and yet nevertheless be in a good condition ; that sin is not so great a matter in god's esteem , as in the judgment of some rigorous precisian , that he will not be so extream to mark what we do amiss , as some strict professours are . what can be of greater hindrance to that ingenuous search , strict examination , and impartial judging , or shaming our selves for our iniquities , ( which the light of scripture would engage us unto ) than such a conceit as this ? and yet that this opinion is not only common , but ancient , is manifest by those warnings and cautions given by the apostle to the contrary . gal. . . be not deceived , god is not mocked ; whatsoever a man soweth , that shall he also reap . eph. . . let no man deceive you with vain words , for because of these things cometh the wrath of god upon the children of disobedience . if it had not been usual for men to live in uncleanness , covetousness and such like offences ( which he calls sowing to the flesh ) and yet in the midst of these , to think they were not under the hazard of wrath ; or if men had not professedly and avowedly maintained such an opinion , it had been superfluous for the apostle to have warned us with so much earnestness , be not deceived , let no man deceive you with such vain words . eighthly , 't is usual for satan to still and quiet the stirring thoughts of sinners with hopes and assurances of secresie . as children are quieted and pleased with toyes and rattles , so are sinners put off , and diverted from prosecuting the discoveries that the light would make in them , by this confidence , that though they have done amiss , yet their miscarriages shall not be laid open , or manifested before men. 't is incredible how much the hopes of concealment doth satisfie and delight those that have some sense of guilt . sometime men are impudent , that they declare their sin as sodom , they hide it not : but before they arrive at so great an impudency , they usually seek deep to hide their counsel from the lord , and their works are in the dark ; and they say , who seeth us ? and who knoweth us ? isa . . . like those foolish creatures that think themselves sufficiently concealed by hiding their heads in a bush , though all their bodies be exposed to open view . isa . . . those that made lies their refuge , and under falshood hid themselves , became as confident of their security , as if they had made a covenant with death , and were at an agreement with hell ; and when they have continued in this course for some time with impunity , the light is so banished , that they carry it so , as if god observed their actions done in the dark , as little as men do . how doth god know ? ( say they ) can he judge through the dark clouds ? thick clouds are a covering to him that he seeth not ; and hence proceed they to promise themselves a safety from judgements , when the overflowing scourge shall pass through , it shall not come nigh unto us , for we have made lies our refuge , &c. ninthly , satan keeps them from going to the light by demurrs and delays . if the light begin to break in upon their consciences , then he tells them , that there is time enough afterward : oh ( saith he ) thou art young and hast many days before thee , 't is time enough to repent when you begin to be old : or , thou art a servant , an apprentice under command , thou wantest fit opportunities and conveniencies for serious consideration defer till thou becomest free , and at thine own disposal . that this is one of satan's deceits to hinder us from making use of the light ; ( besides what common experience may teach every man ) may be clearly gathered from the exhortations of scripture , which do not only shew us , the way wherein we ought to walk , but also press us to a present embracement of that counsel ; to day , to day , while it is called to day , harden not your hearts . now is the accepted time ; now is the day of salvation . remember thy creator in the days of thy youth before the evil day comes : if ye will enquire , enquire , yea return , come . this hasty urgency to close with the offered occasions , plainly accuse us of delays , and that it is usual with us to adjourn those thoughts to a fitter opportunity , which we are not willing to comply with for the present . by these nine devices he keeps the light from ensnared sinners , or them from coming to the light. but if all this cannot draw a curtain before the sun , if its bright beams breaks through all , so that it cannot be avoided , but there will be a manifestation and discovery of the hidden things of darkness ; then satan useth all his art and cunning to stir up in the hearts of men their hatred against the light. this is his second grand piece of policy to keep all in quiet under his command , to which purpose , first , he endeavours to draw on a hatred against the light , by raising in the minds of men a prejudice against the person that brings or offers it : if he that warns or reproves , express himself any thing warmly , or cuttingly against his brothers sin , this the devil presently makes use of ; and those that are concerned think they have a just cause to stop their ears , and harden their necks , because they conceive , that anger , or ill-will , or some such base thing did dictate those ( though just ) rebukes . the devil turned the heart of ahab against the faithful warnings of micaiah upon a deep prejudice that he had taken up against him ; for so he expresseth himself to jehosaphat , i hate him , for he never prophesieth good u●●o me . in this case , men consider not how justy , how truly , how profitably any thing is spoken , but ( as some insects that feed upon sores ) they pass by what is sound and good , and fix upon that which is corrupt and putrid , either through he weakness and inobservancy of the reprover , or pretended to be such , by the prejudice of the party which doth altogether disable him to put a right construction upon any thing . secondly , if this help not , then he seeks to get the advantage of a provoked , passionate , or otherwise distempered fit , and then hatred is easily procured against any thing that comes in its way . thirdly , satan endeavours to engage our hatred against the light , by presenting our interest as shaken , or endangered by it . if interest can be drawn in , and made a party , 't is not difficult to put all the passions of a man in arms , to give open defiance to any discovery it can make . that great rage and tumult of kings and people mentioned in psal . . combining and taking counsel against the lord , and his laws , is upon the quarrel of interest : their suspitions and jealousies that the setting up of christ upon his throne would eclipse their power and greatness , makes them ( out of a desperate hatred against the light ) fall into resolves of open rebellion against his laws : let us break his bands asunder , and cast away his cords from us . this pretence of interest strengthned the accusation of amaziah against amos , chap. . . amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of israel : the land is not able to bear all his words . no wonder then if jeroboam instead of hearkning to the threatning , banish him out of the land. we find the like in asa ( a good man ) the devil stirs up his hatred against the seer , he was wroth with him , and put him in the prison-house , for he was in a rage against him . the ground of that rage was this ; the king's interest ( in his apprehension ) was wrapt up in that league with the king of syria , vers . , . so that he could not bear so plain a reproof , which directly laid the axe to the root of so great an interest , as the safety of the king and kingdom , which seemed to depend so much upon that league . fourthly , satan stirs up hatred against the light from the unavoidable effects of light , which are discovery and manifestation . ephes . . . all things that are reproved are made manifest : for whatsoever doth make manifest , is light. now the issue of this manifestation is shame , which however it be the daughter of sin and light , yet would it naturally destroy the sin that bred it ; and therefore repentance is usually expressed by being ashamed and confounded : but that satan might avoid this , he turns the edge of shame , against the light , which should have been employed against sin. when men therefore have sinned , and are as a thief when he is taken , ready to fall into the hands of shame ; for the avoiding of that , they rebel against the light. the ground of this hatred , christ in joh. . tells us , is , lest their deeds should be reproved , and they forced to bear their shame ; to this end they are put upon it to hide themselves from shame , by lyes , pretences , excuses , extenuations , or by any fig-leaf that comes first to hand . and as those that live in hotter regions curse the sun , because it scorcheth them ; so do these curse the light : and instead of taking its help , raise up an irreconcileable enmity against it ; and so run from it . chap. xvi . of satan's third grand policy for maintaining his possession ; which is his feigned departure . ( . ) by ceasing the prosecution of his design ; and the cases in which he doth it . ( . ) by abating the eagerness of pursuit ; and how he doth that . ( . ) by exchanging temptations ; and his policy therein . the advantage he seeks by seeming to fly . of his ( . ) stratagem for keeping his possession , which is his stopping all ways of retreat ; and how he doth that . besides the two former designs ( of finishing sin , and keeping all in quiet ) by which the devil endeavours to maintain his possession , he hath a third grand subtilty , which is this ; he keeps his hold by feigning himself dispossessed and cast out . of this we have a full account , luk. . . when the unclean spirit is gone out of a man , he walketh thorow dry places , seeking rest : and finding none , he saith , i will return unto my house whence i came out . christ had there noted that 't is satan's great principle to do nothing by which his kingdom may be divided , or undermined . satan will not be divided against himself , and yet very seasonably he tells us , that for an advantage he will seem to quit his interest , and upon design he will sometimes so carry himself that he may be deemed and supposed to be gone out of a man : as those that besiege forts or walled towns , do sometimes raise the siege and feign a departure , intending thereby to take a sudden advantage of the carelesness of the besieged . in the explanation of this policy , i shall , ( . ) shew how many ways he feigns a departure , ( . ) vpon what designs he doth it . there are three ways whereby satan seems to forsake his interest . first , he frequently ceaseth the prosecution of a design , which yet he hath in his eye and desire , when he perceives that there are some things in his way that render it not feasible , nay he forbears to urge men to their darling sins , upon the same score : and who would not think satan cast out in such a case ? when a man spits out the sweet morsel which heretofore he kept under his tongue , and sucked a sweetness from it ; when men of noted iniquities abstain from them , and become smooth and civil , who would not think but that the unclean spirit were gone ? this way and course he puts in practice in several cases . first , when he perceives some extraordinary occasion puts any of his subjects into a good mood or humor of religion . wicked men are not ordinarily so highly bent upon evil ways , but that they may be at sometimes softned and relaxed . pharaoh ( who is most eminently noted for a heart judicially hardned ) at the appearance of the plagues upon himself and egypt , usually relented somewhat , and would confess he had sinned , and that fit would continue upon him for some little time . but very frequently 't is thus with others , an extraordinary occasion melts and thaws down the natural affections of men , ( as a warm day melts the snow upon the mountains , ) and then the stream will for a time run high and strong , at which time satan sees 't is in vain to urge them . thus men that receive an eminent kindness and deliverance from god , what is more common than for such men to say , oh! we will never be so wicked as we have been , we will never be drunk more , the world shall see us reformed and new men : these are indeed good words , and yet though satan knows that such expressions are not from a good heart , ( as that of deut. . . implyes , they have well said , o that there were such an heart in them , ) he nevertheless thinks it not fit then to press them to their usual wickedness at that time : for natural affections raised high in a profession of religion will withstand temptations for a fit , and therefore he forbears till the stream run lower . what a fit of affection had the israelites when their eyes had seen that miraculous deliverance at the red sea ? what songs of rejoycing had they ? what resolves never to distrust him again ? psal . . . then believed they his words , they sang his praise : satan doth not presently urge them to murmuring and unbelief , ( though that was his design ) but he stays till the fit was over , and then he could soon tempt them to forget his works . how like a convert did saul look , after david had convinced him of his integrity , and had spared his life in the cave ? he weeps and acknowledgeth his iniquity , justifies david , owns his kindness , and seems to acquiesce in his succession to the kingdom . the devil had no question a great spite at david , and 't was his great design to stir up saul against him , and yet at that time he could not prevail with him to destroy david , though he might easily have done it ; he was then in a good mood , and satan was forced to give way to necessity , and to seem to go out of saul for the present . secondly , he also ceaseth from his design when he sees he cannot fit his temptation with a sutable opportunity . what could be more the devil's design , and esau's satisfaction , than to have had jacob slain ? esau professeth , it was the design of his heart , and yet he resolves to forbear so long as his father isaac lived , gen. . . the days of my father's mourning are at hand , then ( but not till then ) will i slay my brother jacob. the devil often sows his seed , and yet waiteth and hath long patience , not only in watering and fitting the hearts of men for it , but also in expectancy of fit opportunities ; and in the mean time , he forbears to put men upon that , which time and occasion cannot fitly bring forth to practice . the prophet , hosea . . speaks of that people , as notoriously wicked , they are all adulterers ; but withall , he observes that they forbare these enormous abominations for want of fit seasons , their heart was as an oven heated by the baker , sufficiently enflamed after their wickedness , and yet the baker after he had kneaded the dough , prepared all the ground-work of the temptation , ceased from raising , sleeping all the night till all was leavened ; that is , though their hearts were enraged for sin , yet the devil doth wait till occasions present themselves , and becomes in the mean time like one asleep . now while the devil thus sleeps , the fire that is secretly in the heart , being not seen , men gain the good opinion of converts with others , and often with themselves , not knowing what spirit they are of , because satan ceaseth ( upon the want of occasions ) to tempt and provoke them . thirdly , our adversary is content to forbear , when he percieves that a restraining grace doth lock up the hearts and hands of men. when a stronger than he cometh , who can expect less but that he should be more quiet ? that god doth restrain men sometime when he doth not change them , needs no proof , that satan knows of these restraints , cannot be denyed ; who can give an account of these communings and discourses that are betwixt god and satan concerning us ? his pleadings in reference to job , were as unknown to job ( till god discovered them ) as his pleadings concerning our selves are to us . besides , who can tell how much of god's restraining grace may ly in this , of god's limiting and straitning satan's commission ? now the devil hath not so badly improved his observations , but that he knows 't is in vain to tempt where god doth stop his way , and tye up mens hands . abimeleck was certainly resolved upon wickedness when he took sarah from abraham , gen. . . and yet the matter is so carried for some time , ( how long we know not , ) as if the devil had been asleep or forgot to hasten abimeleck to his intended wickedness ; for when god cautions him , he had not come near her , vers . . the ground of all this was neither in the devil's backwardness , nor abimeleck's modesty , but satan lets the matter rest ; because he knew that god withheld him , and suffered him not to touch her . fourthly , when men are under the awe and fear of such as carry an authority in their countenances and imployments , for the discouraging of sin. satan ( as hopeless to prevail ) doth not solicite to scandalous iniquities . much of external sanctity , and saint-like behaviour ariseth from hence ; the faces and presence of some men have such a shining splendor , that iniquity blusheth and hideth its head before them . sin dare not do what it would , so great a reverence and esteem of such persons , is kept up in the consciences of some , and so great an awe and fear is thence derived to others , that they will not , or dare not give way to an insolency in evil . the israelites were generally a wicked people , yet such an awe they had of joshua , and the elders that outlived joshua , who had seen all the great works of the lord , that satan seemed to be cast out all their days . who could have thought joash had been so much under satan's power , that had observed his ways all the time of je oiada the priest ? then he did that which was right in the sight of the lord ; satan was content to let him alone , because jehoiada's life and authority did overawe him , but after his death satan returned to his possession , and the king hearkened to the princes of judah , and served groves and idols . the like is observed of vzziah , the reverence that he had for zechariah , who had understanding in the visions of god , discouraged the tempter from soliciting him to those evils which afterward he engaged him in : satan is willing ( when he perceives the awe and authority of good men stands in his way ) rather to suspend the prosecution of his design , than by forcing it against so strong a current to hazard the shipwrack of it . fifthly , he also makes as if he were cast out , when he perceives the consciences of men are scared by threatned or felt judgments ; he forbears to urge them against the pricks , when god draws his sword , and brings forth the glittering spear . balaam's ass would not run against the angel that appeared terribly against him in his way . the devil knows the power of an awakened conscience , and sees it in vain to strive against such a stream ; and when it will be no better , he withdraws . as great a power as the devil had in ahab , when he was affrighted and humbled , he gave way , and for that season drave him not on to his wonted practice of wickedness . he also carried thus to the ninevites , when they were awaked by the preaching of jonah , then we see them a reforming people , the devil surceased to carry them into their former provocations . how frequently is this seen among professors , where the word hath a searching power and force upon them ? sin is so curbed and kept under that 't is like a root of bitterness in winter , lying hid under ground , satan forbearing to act upon it or to improve it , till the storms and noise of judgments cease , and then usually it will spring up and trouble them . if satan hath really lost his hold , he ceaseth not to molest and vex even awakened consciences , with urgent solicitations to sin ; but if he perceive that his interest in the hearts of men remains sure to him and unshaken , then ( in case of afrightment and fear of wrath ) 't is his policy to conceal himself , and to dissemble a departure . sixthly , satan is also forced to this , by the prevailing power of knowledg and principles of light , where the gospel in profession , and preaching , displays abroad his bright beams , then whatever shift men make to be wicked in secret , yet the light is as the shadow of death to them , and 't is even a shame to speak of these things in publick . here satan cannot rage so freely , but is put to his shifts , and is forced to be silent , whilst the power of the gospel cuts off half his garments . men begin to reform , some are clean escaped from errour , pet. . . others abandon their filthy lusts and scandalous sins , and so escape the pollutions of the world through the knowledg of our lord and saviour jesus christ , ver . . yet under all these great alterations and appearances of amendment , the devil is but seemingly ejected ; for in the place mentioned , when the light declines , those that were escaped from errour , and those that had fled from sinful pollutions were both entangled again and carried to the same pitch , ( and a great deal further ) of that sin and errour in which they had been formerly engaged . these are the six cases in which satan ceaseth the prosecution of his design ; which was his first policy in feigning himself to be cast out , but he further dissembles a flight , when he thinks it not fit to cease wholly . by abating his pursuit , by slacking his course : and this he doth , first , when he tempts still , but yet less than formerly ; so great is his cunning and patience , that when he cannot get what he would have , he contents himself with what he can get , rather than lose all . he desires , that men would give up themselves fully and freely to his service : but if they like not this , he is willing to take them ( as one speaks ) as retainers , and to suffer them to take a liberty , to come and go at pleasure . he hath two main ends in tempting men to sin , one is to avenge himself upon god in open defiance and dishonour of his name ; the other is the ruine and perdition of souls : if he could , he would have these two ends meet in every temptation ; yet he pleaseth himself with the latter , when he cannot help it , and in that too , he satisfies himself sometimes with as small an interest as may be , so that his possession and interest be but preserved . he knows that one sin , loved and embraced , brings death for its wages . a leak unstopped and neglected may sink the ship as well as a great storm ; and therefore when he perceives the consciences of men shie and nice , he is willing they come to him ( as nicodemus came to christ ) by night in private , and that by stealth they do him service . secondly , he sometimes offers men a composition , and so keeps his hold privately , by giving them an indulgence and tolleration , to comply with religious duties and observations . pharaoh condescended , that israel should go and serve the lord in the wilderness , upon condition , that their wives children and substance were left behind : so satan saith to some , go and serve the lord , only let your heart be with me , leave your affections behind upon the world. that serious warning of christ , ye cannot serve two masters ; ye cannot serve god and mammon , evidently shews , that the devil useth to conceal his interest in the hearts of sinners , by offering such terms ; and that men are so apt to think , that satan is gone out , when they have shared the heart betwixt god and him ; that they stand in need of a full discovery of that cheat , and earnest caution against it : the devil was forced to yield , that herod should do many things at the preaching of john , yet he maintained his possession of his heart , by fixing him in his resolved lust , in the matter of herodias : and this gives just ground of complaint against the generality of sinners ; ye return , but not to me , not with your whole hearts : have ye fasted to me ? have ye mourned to me ? they come and sit as my people , but their hearts are after their covetousness . thirdly , satan hath yet another wile by which he would cheat men into a belief , that he is cast out of the heart ; and this is a subtile way that he hath to exchange temptations . how weak and childish are sinners that suffer themselves thus to be abused ? when they grow sick and weary of a sin , if the devil take that from them , and lay in the room of it another as bad , or the same again , only a little changed and altered ; they please themselves that they have vomited up the first , but consider not , that they have received into their embracement another as bad , or worse . concerning this exchange , we may note two things : first , that sometimes he atteins his end , by exchanging one heinous sin for another as hainous , only not so much out of fashion . as the customs , and times , and places give laws and rules for fashions ; according to which , the decencies , or indecencies of garbs and garments are determined : so is it sometimes with sin , men and countries have their darling sins ; times and ages also have their peculiar iniquities , which ( in the judgment of sinners ) do cloath them with a fitness , and suitableness . sometimes men grow weary of sins , because they are every where spoken against ; because men point at them with the finger , the devil in this case is ready to change with them . drunkenness hath in some ages and places carried a brand of infamy in its forehead ; so hath uncleanness and other sins : when sinners cannot practise these with credit and reputation , then they please themselves with an alteration : he that was a drunkard , is now it may be grown ambitious and boasting : he that was covetous , is become a prodigal or profuse waster ; the heart is as vain and sottish as before , only their lusts are let out another way , and run in another channel . sometimes lusts are changed also , with the change of mens condition in the world ; poverty , and plenty , a private , and a publick station have their peculiar sins : he that of poor is made rich , leaves his sins of distrust , envy , or deceitful dealing , and follows the byas of his present state to other wickednesses equally remarkable ; and yet may be so blinded as to apprehend , that satan is departed from him . secondly , we may observe , that satan exchangeth sins with men , in such a secret private manner , that the change is not easily discovered ; and by this shift he casts a greater mist before the eyes of men : thus he exchanged open prophaness , into secret sins : filthiness of the flesh , into filthiness of the spirit . men seem to reform their gross impieties , abstaining from drunkenness , swearing , adulteries , and then ( it may be ) they are taken up with spiritual pride , and their hearts are puffed up with high conceits of themselves , their gifts and attainments ; or they are entangled with error , and spend their time in doting about questions that engender strife rather than edifying ; or they are taken up with hypocrisies : thus the pharisees left their open iniquities , washing the out-side of the cup and platter ; and instead of these , indeavoured to varnish and paint themselves over ; so that in all this change , they were but as graves that appeared not . or they acquiess in formality , and the outwards of religion ; like that proud boaster , lord , i thank thee i am not as other men are , &c. in all these things the devil seems cast out , and men reformed , when indeed he may continue his possession ; only he lurks , and hides himself under the stuff . these wayes of sinning are but finer poysons , which , though not so nauseous to the stomack , nor so quick in their dispatch , yet may be as surely and certainly deadly ; such fly from the iron weapon , and a bow of steel strikes them through . having thus explained the three wayes by which satan pretends to depart from men , i must next shew his design in making such a pretence of forsaking his habitation . first , that all this is done by him only upon defign , may be easily concluded from several things hinted to us in the fore-cited place of luk. . as ( ) he doth not say , that the devil is cast out , as if there were a force upon him , but that he goeth out , 't is of choice , a voluntary departure . ( ) that his going out ( in this sense ) is notwithstanding irkesome and troublesome to him . the heart of man ( as one observes ) is a palace in his estimation , and dispossession ( though upon design ) is as a desart to him that affords him little ease or rest . ( ) that his going out , is not a quitting of his interest , he calls it his house still , i will return to my house , saith he . ( ) he takes care in going out to lock the door , that it may not be taken up with better guests ; he keeps it empty and tenantable for himself : he tempts still , though not so visibly , and strives to suppress such good thoughts and motions as he fears may quite out him of his possession . ( ) he goes out , cum animo revertendi , with a purpose of returning . ( ) his secession is so dexterously and advantagiously managed , that he finds an easie admittance at his return ; and his possession confirmed and enlarged : they enter in , and dwell there . secondly , the advantages that he designes by this policy are these chiefly . ( ) by this means men are dangerously confirmed in their securities . thus the pharisee blessed himself , lord , i thank thee , &c. they please themselves with this supposition , that the devil is cast out ; and upon this , they cease their war and watchfulness . as saul when he heard that david had escaped , went not out to seek after him : so these trouble not themselves any further to enquire satan's haunts in their hearts ; thus he sits securely within , whilst they think he is fled from them . ( ) by this means also he fits men as instruments to serve his turn in other works of his : he must have in some cases , handsom tools to work withal ; all men are not fit agents in persecution , either to credit it , or to carry it through with vigour and zeal : for this end he seems to go out of some , that under a smoother and profession-like behaviour , ( when they are stirred up to persecute ) the rigour might seem just . thus devout and honourable women were stirred up to persecute paul and barnabas ; the devil had gone out so far , that they had gained the reputation of devout , and then their zeal would easily take fire for persecution , and withal put a respect and credit upon it : for who would readily suspect that to be evil , or satan's design , which is carryed on by such instruments ? besides , if he at any time intends to blemish the good ways of god by the miscarriages of professors , he fetcheth his arrow out of this quiver usually ; if he brings a refined hypocrite to a scandalous sin , then doth the mouth of wickedness open it self to blaspheme the generation of the just , as if none were better : such agents could not be so commonly at hand for such a service , if satan did not in the wayes aforementioned seem to go out of men. ( ) 't is another part of his design after a pretended departure , to take the advantage of their security , to return with greater strength and force : this christ particularly notes , then taketh he seven spirits worse than himself , &c. such ( as peter tells us ) being again entangled , are totally overcome , and their latter end is worse with them than their beginning . how many might i name , ( if it were convenient ) that i have known and observed exactly , answering this description of the apostle , that have for some years left off their wicked ways , and engaged for a profession of religion ; and yet at last have returned like the dog to his own vomit again ? the devil , when he fights after the parthian manner , is most to be feared ; when he turns his back , he shoots most envenomed arrows , and whom he so wounds , he commonly wounds them to the death . the fourth and last stratagem of satan for the keeping his possession , is to stop the way ; to barracado up all passages , that there may be no possibility of escape , or retreat : when he perceives that his former wayes of policy are not sufficient , but that his slaves and servants are so far inlightned in the discovery of the danger , that they are ready to turn back from him ; then he bestirs himself to oppose their revolt : and as god sometimes hedgeth up the way of sinners with thorns , that they should not follow their old lovers , so doth satan ; to which purpose , first , he endeavours to turn them off such resolutions , by threatning to reduce them with a strong hand : here he boasts and vaunts of his power , and sinners weakness ; as rabshekah did against hezekiah , what is that confidence wherein thou trustest ? have the gods of hamath and arpad , &c. delivered their land out of my hand ? have those that have gone before you been able to deliver themselves from me ? have they been able to rescue themselves ? did i not force those that were stronger than you ? did i not make david number the people ? did i not overcome him in the matter of uriah ? did i not compel peter to deny his lord , notwithstanding his solemn profession to the contrary ? and can you think to break away from me so easily ? by this means he would weaken their heart , and enfeeble their resolutions , that they might sit down under their bondage , as hopeless ever to recover themselves from his snare ; but if these affrightments hinder not , if notwithstanding these brags , sinners prepare themselves to turn from sin to god : then , secondly , he improves all he can , that distance which sin hath made betwixt god and them . sins of ordinary infirmity and common incursion do not so break the peace of god's children , as sins of an higher nature do : even in the saints themselves , we may observe , after notorious transgression , ( ) that the acquaintance and familiarity 'twixt god and them , is immediately broken ; what a speedy alteration is made ? how suddenly are all things changed ? god hides himself ; the sun that shined but now , and did afford a very comfortable and cherishing heat , before we are aware , is now hid in a cloud ; our warmth and refreshments are turned into cold and chilness . there is also a change on our part , and that suddenly ; as in the resurrection , we shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye : so here in a moment , our joyes flag and decay , our delights grow dull , our activity is impaired , we are bound and frozen up , and 't is altogether winter with the soul. ( ) it may be noted , that this begets an estrangement in us , and we so carry it , as if we had resolved not to renew our league with god : for though we are not altogether so desperate as to make formal resolutions of continuing in sin , of casting off god , and bidding an everlasting farewel to our former acquaintance ; though we do not say , we will now undoe our selves quite , and harden our selves in our rebellion ; yet sin hath left us in such a maze , and filled us with so many damps and misgiving thoughts , that we do not think of returning , we are at a stand , and like a mighty man astonished that cannot find his hands : we perceive we have lost so much , and have run into such great unkindnesses , that , like broken merchants , nothing is more irksome and tedious , than to review our ways , or look into our debt-books ; instead of this , we endeavour to divert our thoughts , to cast off care , as if we conceived that time would eat it out , and that then of course we might fall into the old channel of freedom and comfort . ( ) when we return at last , oh ! with what bashfulness and amazedness do we appear at our next supplications ; what blushing , what damps , what apology ? nay sometimes as the man without the wedding garment , we are speechless ; how rightly doth such a man resemble the publican confessing , and the prodigal supplicating , while consulting what to say for himself , he now begins to feel , with what sense and feeling the prophets and holy men of old used to express themselves in their confessions ; we blush , we are ashamed , astonished and confounded . this distance sin makes betwixt saints and god sometimes ; but betwixt god and the unconverted it is far greater : now , when either an unconverted sinner , or a fallen saint puts himself to look to god for reconciliation , then doth the devil labour to improve this for their hindrance : that he accuseth us to god , is evident by satans standing at joshua 's right hand ; how he accuseth god to us we know . he tells us , 't is in vain to seek to make up our peace after so great provocations ; urging , that he is a jealous god , of pure eyes : highly resenting the affronts we have given him , &c. nay , he goes so high this way , that god is put to it in scripture ( of purpose to furnish us with an answer to these objections ) to proclaim , that he is slow to anger , not easily provoked : that if men return from the evil of their ways , he will return to them , accept , and pity them , &c. thirdly , if this divert them not , but that they still persist in their resolves , then he follows after them with an high hand ; sometimes , ( as pharaoh did with israel ) he grows severe and imperious with them , and redoubles the tale of their bricks ; he forceeth them to higher and more frequent iniquities : sometimes ( as the same pharaoh ) he musters up all his chariots and horse-men to pursue after them , and in the highest diligence imaginable , he brings forth his greatest power , besetting them on all sides with temptations and allurements of pleasures and delight : where he perceives his time to be short , and his power shaken , he comes down in resolves to try his utmost strength . and hence is it that converts complain , that when they begin in earnest to look after god , they are most troubled with temptations . besides this , what ever he can do to make them drive heavily , shall not be wanting . sometimes he makes attempts upon their thoughts and affections , which are as their chariot wheels ; and if these can be knocked off any way , it retards them . sometimes he casts stumbling-blocks in their way ; if any prejudice may divert them , if threatnings or penalties can hinder ; if the frowning of friends , or any thing else can put a stop to their proceedings , he will have them ready . sometimes he endeavours to retard them by sollicitations of acquaintance , offers of former occasions and opportunities of sinning , or what ever else may be as a remora to their intentions . fourthly , but if none of these serve , then as his last shift , he proclaims open war against them , pursues them as enemies and rebels : now he begins to accuse them , for that which they did by his advice and temptation . now sins that were called little are aggravated . now that day of repentance , which he was wont to say was long , he tells them 't is quite spent , that the sun of their hope is set ; nothing now doth he suggest but hell , damnation , and wrath ; he makes them ( as it were ) see it , hear it , and feel it in every thing ; that interest in their hearts which he dissembled before , now he stands upon and asserts , and will not be beat off , designing in all this , either to make them weary of these new resolves by this unusual disquietment , and hostility , or to precipitate them upon some desperate undertaking , or at least to avenge himself upon them , in venting his malice and rage against them ; but of this more afterward . chap. xvii . satan's deceits against religious services and duties . the grounds of his displeasure against religious duties . his first design against duties , is to prevent them . his several subtilties for that end , by exernal hindrances , by indispositions , bodily and spiritual , by discouragements ; the ways thereof , by dislike ; the grounds thereof ; by sophistical arguings . his various pleas therein . our next work is to take notice of the spite and methods of the serpent against the ways of worship and service , that these are things against which his heart carries an high fury , and for the overthrow of them imploys no small part of his power and subtilty : needs no proof , seeing the experience of all the children of god is an irresistible evidence in this matter . i shall therefore first only set forth the grounds of his displeasure , and earnest undertakings against them ( before i come to his particular ways of deceit ) which are these : first , by this means ( if he prevail ) he deprives us of our weapons . this is a stratagem of war which we find the philistims practised against israel , they took away all their smiths , lest the hebrews should make them swords or spears : hence was it that in the battel there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with saul and jonathan . the word of god is expressly called the sword of the spirit ; prayer is as a spear , or rather a general piece of armour : if the devil deprive us of these , he robs us of our ammunition ; for by reason of these , the church is compared to a tower built for an armory , wherein hang a thousand bucklers , all shields of mighty men ; and the apostle expressly calls them weapons of our warfare , of purpose given us , for the pulling down of strong holds , and the demolishing of those forts and batteries of high imaginations that satan rears up in the hearts of men against their happiness ; if these be taken away , our locks are cut , ( as sampson's were ) our strength is departed , and we become weak as other men , we are open to every incursion and inroad that he pleaseth to make against us . secondly , if he hinders these , he intercepts our food and cuts off our provisions . the word is called milk , sincere milk of the word ; 't is that by which we are born , nourished , and increase ; 't is our cordial and comfort ; christ indeed is the bread of life , and the fountain of all our consolations , but the word and prayer are the conduit pipes that convey all to us ; if these be cut , we fade as a leaf , we languish , we consume and waste , we become as a skin , bottle in the smoak , our moisture as the drought in summer , our soul fainteth , our heart faileth and we become as those that go down to the pit ; so that if the devil gain his design in this , he hath all ; give him this , and give him the kingdom also ; this is the most compendious way of doing his work , and that which saves him a labour in his temptations . the strongest holds ( that cannot otherwise be taken ) are easily subdued by famine ; and , like fig-trees with their ripe figs when they are shaken , even fall into the mouth of the eater : if our spiritual food fail us , of our own accord we yield up our selves to any lust that requires our complyance . thirdly , besides these , there is no design whereby satan can shew more malice and spite against god. he doth all he can to maintain a competition with the almighty : his titles , of the god of the world , the prince of the power of the air , shew what in the pride of his heart he aspires to , as well as what by commission god is pleased to grant him . these duties of worship and service are the homage of god's children , by which they testify the acknowledgments of his deity ; by wresting these out of our hands , satan robs god of that honour , and makes the allegiance of his servants to cease ; if he could do more against god , doubtless he would : but seeing he hath not an arm like god , and so cannot pull him out of heaven , by this means he sets up himself as the god of the world , and enlargeth his territories , and staves off the subjects of the god of heaven from giving him the honour due to his name ; and that the devil in these endeavours is carried on by a spite against god , as well as by an earnest desire of the ruine of souls , may be abundantly evidenced , by his way of management of that opposition that he gives to the duties of service and worship . i shall only to make this out , instance in three things : ( . ) that where the devil prevails to set up himself as an object of worship , there he doth it in a bold insolent presumptuous imitation of god's appointments in the ways of his service ; he enjoyns covenants , seals , sacrifices , prayers and services to his miserable slaves , as may appear by undoubted histories , of which more in due place . ( . ) he never acknowledgeth the truth of god's ways , but with an evil mind , and upon design to bring them under contempt ; his confessions have so much of deceit in them that christ would not accept them ; and therefore we read that when the devil was sometime forward to give his testimony to christ , ( as mark . . i know thee who thou art , the holy one of god , ) jesus rebuked him , and commanded him to hold his peace ; he clearly saw that he confessed him , not to honour him , but by such a particular acknowledgment to stir up the rage and fury of the people against him . to this end satan , in acts . . many days together publickly owns paul and silas , these men are the servants of the most high god , which shew unto us the way of salvation : though he spake truth , yet had he a malicious aim in it , which he accordingly brought about by this means , and that was to raise up persecution against them , and to give ground to that accusation which they afterward met withall , vers . . that they taught customs which were not lawful to be received . but ( . ) his particular spite against god in seeking to undermine his service is further manifested in this , that the devil is not content to root out the service due to god , but when he hath done that , he delights to abuse those places where the name of god was most celebrated , with greatest prophanations . i shall not in this insist upon the conjecture of tilenus , that sylva dodonaea , a place highly abused by the devil , and respected for an oracle , was the seat , or a religious place of dodanim , mentioned in gen. . . nor upon that supposal , mentioned also by the same author , that the oracle of jupiter hammon was the place where c ham practised that religious worship which he learned in his fathers house . we have at hand more certain evidences of the devils spite . such was his abuse of the tabernacle by the prophane sons of eli , who prophaned that place with their uncleanness and filthy adulteries . such was his carriage to the ark while it was captivated by the philistims . of like nature were his attempts against the temple it self . solomon in his latter days was tempted to give an affront to it , he built an high place for chemosh , the abomination of moab , in the hill that is before jerusalem , in the very sight and face of the temple ; but afterward he prevailed to defile the temple it self . gilgal and beth-aven are places of such high prophanation , that the prophet hos . . . tells them all their wickedness was in gilgal , none of their abominations were like to those ; and in hos . . . they are dehorted from going to gilgal or bethaven , and yet both these places had been famous for religion before . gilgal was the place of the general circumcision of the israelites that were born in the wilderness , there was their first solemn passover kept after their entring into the land. bethel was a place where god ( as it were ) kept house , the house of god. here jacob had his vision . but the more famous they had been for duties of worship , the devil sought to put higher abuses upon them ; so that gilgal became on hatred , and bethel became a beth-aven , an house of vanity . fourthly , satan is the more animated to undertake a design against the ways of religious service , because he seldom or never misseth , at least something of success . this attempt is like saul and jonathan's bow , that returned not empty . in other temptations sometimes satan comes off basfled altogether , but in this work ( as 't was said of some israelites ) he can throw a stone at an hairs breadth , and not miss : he is sure in one thing or other to have the better of us ; his advantage in this case is from our unsutableness to our service . what we do in the duties of worship requires a choice frame of spirit ; our hearts should be awed with the most serious apprehensions of divine majesty , filled with reverence , animated with love and delight , quickned by faith , clothed with humility and self-abhorrency , and in all the procedure of duties there must be a steady and firm prosecution under the strictest watchfulness . of this nature is our work , which at the first view would put a man to a stand , and out of amazement force him to say , who is sufficient for these things ? who can stand before such an holy lord god ? but when we come to an impartial consideration of our manifold weaknesses and insufficiences in reference to these services , what shall we say ? we find such a narrowness of spirit , such ignorances , sottishness , carelesness of mind , thoughts so confused , tumultuous , fickle , slippery , and unconstant , and our hearts generally so deceitful and desperately wicked , that 't is not possible that satan should altogether labour in vain , or catch nothing ; this being then a sure gain , we may expect it to be under a most constant practice . fifthly , if he so prevails against us that the services of worship become grosly abused or neglected , then doth he put us under the greatest hazards and disadvantages . nothing so poysonous as duties of worship corrupted ; for this is to abuse god to his face : by this , not only are his commands and injunctions slighted as in other sins , but we carry it so , as if we thought him no better than the idols of the heathens , that have eyes and see not , that have ears and hear not . to come without an heart , or with our idols in our heart , is it any thing of less scorn than to say , tush , doth the most high see ? besides , he hath given such severe cautions and commands in these matters , as will easily signify the aggravation of the offence . you see how sharply god speaks of those that came to enquire of the lord , with the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their face , ezek. . , . i will answer them according to the multitude of their idols , i will answer them by my self . saul's miscarriage in offering sacrifice , sam. . . was that great offence for which god determined to take the kingdom from him . god's severity against nadah and abihu , his stroke upon vzzah , do all shew the hazard of such prophanations . but above all , that danger which both old and new testament speak of , the hardning of the heart , blinding the eyes , dulling the ears , that men should not hear , nor see , nor be converted and saved , but that the word should ( instead of those cordial refreshing smells , which beget and promote spiritual life in the obedient , ) breath forth such envenomed poysonous exhalations , ( when 't is thus abused and prophaned ) that it becomes the savour of death unto death , is most dreadful . no wonder then if satan be very busie against these holy things , when if he catch us at an advantage of this nature , it proves so deadly and dangerous to us : for what can more please him , that makes it his delight and imployment to destroy ? all these reasons evince that satan hath an aking tooth against religious services , and that to weaken , prevent , or overthrow them is his great endeavour . here then especially may we expect an assault according to the advice of sirach , my son , when thou entrest god's service , stand fast in righteousness and fear , and prepare thy soul for temptation . what are the subtilties of satan against the holy things of god , i am next to discover . duties and services are opposed two ways . ( . ) by prevention , when they are hindred . ( . ) by corruption , when they are spoiled . he hath his arts and cunning , which he exerciseth in both these regards . first then , of satan's policy for the preventing of religious services , he endeavous by various means to hinder them . as , first , by external hindrances . in this he hath a very great foresight , and accordingly he foresees occasions and opportunities at a distance , and by a long reach of contrivance , he studies to lay blocks and hindrances in the way . much he doth in the dark for this end , that we know not . as god hath secrets of wisdom that are double to that which is known , so also hath satan many ways and actings that are not discerned by us ; his contrivances of businesses and avocations long aforehand , are not so observed by us as they might be ; where he misseth of his end , it comes not to light , and often where he is successful in his preventions , we are ready to ascibe it to contingencies , and the accidental hits of affairs , when indeed the hand and policy of satan is in it . paul that was highly studied and skilful in satan's devices , observing how his purposes of coming to the thessalonians were often broken and obstructed ; he knew where the blame lay , and therefore instead of laying the fault upon sickness , or imprisonments , or the oppositions of false brethren ( which often made him trouble beyond expectation , ) he directly chargeth all upon satan , thess . . . we would have come unto you ( even i paul ) once and again , but satan hindred us . at the same rate , understanding the purposes of faithful men , for the promoting the good of mens souls , he often useth means to stop or hinder them . some have observed ( having a watchful and jealous eye over satan , ) that their resolves and endeavours of this nature have usually been put to struggle sore in their birth , when their purposes for worldly affairs and matters go smoothly on without considerable opposition . secondly , he makes use of indispositions to hinder service : and here he works sometimes upon the body , sometimes upon the soul , for both may be indisposed . first , sometimes he takes the advange of bodily indispositions : he doth all he can to create and frame these upon us , and then pleads them as a discharge to duty . if he can put the body into a fit of drowsiness or distemper , he will do it : and surely he can do more this way than every one will believe , he may agitate and stir the humors . hence some have observed more frequent and stronger fits of sleepiness and illness to come upon them , on the days and times that require their attendance upon god , than on other days , when they shall be lively , active , and free of dulness upon common occasions , at sports , songs , interludes , when they shall not have the like command of themselves in the exercises of worship . surely it was more than an ordinary drowsiness that befell the apostles , matth. . . he had told them the seriousness of the occasion , that he was betrayed , that his soul was exceeding sorrowful even to the death : these were considerations that might have kept their eyes from slumber . when they sleep , he awakens them with a piercing rebuke , could ye not watch with me one hour ? and adds to this an admonition of their own danger , and the temptation that was upon them , and yet presently they are asleep again , and after that , again : strange drowsiness ! but he gives an excuse for them , which also tells us the cause of it , the spirit is willing ; their hearts were not altogether unconcerned , but the flesh , that is the body that was weak , that is , subject to be abused by satan , who brought them into a more than ordinary indisposition , as is noted vers . . their eyes were heavy . secondly , the soul hath also its indispositions , which he readily improves against duty to hinder it . as , first , it is capable of a spiritual sluggishness and dulness , wherein the spiritual senses are so bound up , that it considers not , minds not , hath no list , nor inclination to acts of service . what a stupifaction are our spirits capable of ? as david in his adultery seems not to mind , nor care what he had done . in like manner are some in a lethargy , as the prophet speaks , they care not to seek after god. bernard hath a description of it , contrahitur animus , subtrahitur gratia , defervescit novitius fervor , ingravescit tepor fastidiosus ; the spirit is contracted , grace withdrawn , fervour abates , sluggishness draws on , and then duties are neglected . secondly , the spirit is indisposed by a throng of worldly affairs , and these oft justle out duty . christ tells us , they have the same influence upon men that gluttony and drunkenness have , and these unfit men for action , take heed ( saith luk. . . ) to your selves , lest at any time your heart be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness , and the eares of this life . these then may at so high a rate overcharge the souls of men , so as to make them frame excuses ; i have bought a farm , or oxen , and therefore i cannot attend , and by this means may they grow so neglective , that the day of the lord may come upon them at unawares . thirdly , sometimes the soul is discomposed through passion , and then 't is indisposed , which opportunity the devil espying , he closeth in with it ; sometime he blows the fire that the heat of anger may put them upon a carelesness ; sometimes he pleads their present frame , as an unfitness for service , and so upon a pretence of reverence to the service , and leaving the gift at the altar till they be in a better humor , many times the gift is not offered at all , pet. . . the apostle directs husbands to manage their authority over their wives with prudence , for the avoiding of brawls and contentions , ye husbands dwell with them according to knowledg , giving honour to the wife a● the weaker vessel ; the reason of which advice he gives in these words , that your prayers be not hindred . prayers are hindred partly in their success when they prevail not , partly they are hindred when the duty of prayer is put by and suspended : and this doubtless the apostle aimes at , to teach us that contentious quarellings in a family hinder the exercise of the duty of prayer . elisha kings . discomposed himself in his earnest reproof of jehoram , for with great vehemency he had spoken to him , vers . , . what have i do with thee ? get thee to the prophets of thy father . w●e●● it not that i regard the presence of jehosaphat , i would not look toward thee , nor see thee . but when he set himself to receive the visions of god , he calls for a minstrel , vers . . the reason whereof ( as p. mantyr , and others suppose ) was this , that however what he spoke to jehoram proceeded from zeal , yet being but a man and subject to the like infirmities of other men , it had distracted and discomposed his spirit , which made him unfit and uncapable to entertain the visions of god. musick then being a natural means for the composure and quiet of the mind , he takes that course to calm and fit himself for that work . fourthly , ignorance and prejudice are spiritual indispositions , which are not neglected by the devil . knowledg is the eye and guide of the soul. if there be darkness there , all acts which depend upon better instruction must cease . the disciples ignorance of scriptures , brought in their unbelief ; christ notes that as the fountain-head of all their backwardness , luk. . . o fools , and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken . in like manner , if men are not clear or knowing in the ways and necessities of duty and service , the devil can easily prevail with them to forbear and neglect . prejudice riseth up to justifie the disregard of duty , and offers reasons , which ( it thinks ) cannot be answered . thirdly , satan endeavours to prevent duty by discouragements . if he can make the knees feeble , and the hands hang down , he will quickly cause activity and motion to cease . the wayes by which he endeavours to discourage men from the duties of service are these ; first , he sets before them the toile and burthen of duty . if a man sets his face toward heaven , thus he endeavours to scare him off ; is not ( saith he ) the way of religion a dull , melancholy way ? it is not a toile ? a tedious task ? are not these unreasonable injunctions , pray continually , pray without ceasing ; preach in season and out of season ? this suggestion though it be expresly contrary to command , yet being so suitable to the idle and sluggish tempers of men , they are the more apt to take notice of it ; and accordingly they seek ways and shifts of accommodating the command to their inclinations . in amos . . the toyl of sabbaths and festival services ( as they thought it ) makes them weary of the duty ; when will the new moon be gone , that we may sell corn ? and the sabbath , that we may set forth wheat ? these men thought their services tedious and intrenching upon their callings and occupations . mal. . . they said , behold , what , a weariness is it : looking upon it as an insufferable burthen ; nay , they proceeded so far , as to snuff at it . now when the devil had so far prevailed with them , it was easie to put them upon neglect ; which ( as the place cited speaks ) presently followed upon it , they brought the torne , and the lame , and the sick for a sacrifice . satan first presented these services as a wearisome burthen , then they snuffed at them ; next they thought any service good enough , how mean soever , though to an open violation of the law of worship : and lastly , from a pollution of the table of the lord , they proceeded to a plain contempt of duty , the table of the lord is polluted , and the fruit thereof , even his meat is contemptible . vers . . in the management of this discouragement , the devil hath most success upon those that have not yet tasted the sweetness and easiness of the wayes of the lord , his yoke is indeed easie , his burthen is light ; his service is a true freedom to those that are acquainted with god , and exercised in his service . but when men are first beginning to look after god and duty , and are not yet filled , and satisfied with the fatness of his house : this temptation hath the greater force upon them , and they are apt to be discouraged thereby . secondly , he endeavours to discourage them , from the want of success in the duties of worship . when they have waited long and sought the lord , then he puts them upon resolves of declining any further prosecution ; as he did with joram at the siege of samaria , why wait i upon the lord any longer ? ( said he ) after he had expected deliverance a long time without any appearance of help . when saul saw that god answered him not , neither by dreams , nor by vrim , nor by prophets , the devil easily perswaded him to leave off the ordinary ways of attendance upon god , and to consult with the witch of endor . the prophane persons mentioned in mal. . . that had cast off all regard to his laws , all respect to his ordinances , were brought to this pitch of iniquity , by the suggestions of want of success ; they said , it is vain to serve god : and what profit is it , that we have kept his ordinances , and that we have walked mournfully before the lord of hosts ? it seems they were like the people spoken of in isa . . , . they had fasted and prayed , and god delayed to answer them , which they looked upon as a disobligement from duty ; and that which they could peremptorily insist upon as a reason , which might justifie their neglect . wherefore have we fasted , say they , and thou seest not ? wherefore have we afflicted our soul , and thou takest no knowledge ? neither doth this discouragement fall heavy , only upon those whose hearts are departed already from god , who might be supposed to be forward to imbrace any excuse from his service ; but we shall find it bears hard upon the children of god. david was ready to give over all , as a man forsaken of god , psal . . , . why hast thou forsaken me , o my god , i cry in the day time , but thou hearest not ; and in the night season , and am not silent . we may clearly gather from his expressions , that this temptation had sorely bruised him , and that upon god's delay of answer , he was ready to charge an unrighteousness upon gods carriage toward him ; for in that he adds , that he kept his ground , and did not consent to it ( as the words following , but thou continuest holy , do imply ) it shewed what the devil was objecting to him . and elsewhere , in psal . . . when he had cryed and was not answered , he began to be weary , and his eyes failed ; nay , his flesh and heart failld : his spirit sunk , as a man almost vanquished and overcome with the temptation . thirdly , this our adversary raiseth up discouragements to us from the unsuitableness of our hearts to our services ; herein he endeavours to deaden our hearts , to clog our spirits , to hinder and molest us , and then he improves these indispositions and discomposures against the duty in which he hath a double advantage : for ( ) he deprives us of that delight in duty which should whet on our desires to undertake it , so that we come to the lord's table as old barzillai , without a taste or relish of what we eat or drink . when we come to hear , the ear that tryeth words , as the pallat tasteth meat , finds no savour in what is spoken ; and this satan can easily do by the inward deadness or disquiet of the heart : even as the anguish of diseases takes away all pleasures which the choicest dainties afford . as job observes , when a man is chastned with pain upon his bed , his life abhors bread , and his soul dainty meat . and when a man is brought to loath his duties , as having nothing of that sweetness and satisfaction in them which is every where spoken of , a small temptation may put him upon neglect of them . ( ) he hath plausible and colourable arguments , by which he formeth an opinion in the minds of men , that in cases of indisposition they may do better to forbear than to proceed . he tells them , they ought not to pray or present any service while they are so indisposed , that no prayer is acceptable where the spirit doth not enliven the heart , and raise the affections ; that they do not take his name in vain , and increase their sin , and that they should wait till the spirit fill their sails : and to say the truth , it is a great difficulty for a child of god to hold his feet in such slippery places ; how many have i known complaining of this , and perswading themselves verily , that they might do far better to leave off all service , than to perform them thus ? and scarcely have i restrained them from a complyance with satan , by telling them , that indispositions are no bar to duty ; but that duty is the way to get our indispositions cured . that duty is absolutely required , and dispositions to be endeavoured ; and that 't is a less offence to keep to duty under indispositions , than wholly upon that pretence to neglect it . and indeed , where these indispositions are bemoaned and striven with , the services are often more acceptable to god , than pleasing to our selves : the principle is truly spiritual and excellent ; a foundation of saphirs and precious stones , upon which ( if we patiently wait ) he will build a pallace of silver ; for that service is more spiritual that is bottom'd , and carry'd on by a consciencious regard to a command , when there are no moral motives from sence and comfort concurring , than that which hath more of delight to encourage it , while the power of the command is less swaying and influential . fourthly , men are oft discouraged from a sence of unworthiness of the priviledge of duty , a kind of excess of humility , which principally relates to the sacrament of the lords supper and prayer ; the accuser of the brethren tells them , that they have nothing to do to take the name of god in their mouthes , that 't is an insufferable presumption . hence , some like the woman with the bloody issue , dare not come to christ to ask a cure , while yet they earnestly desire it ; and would rather , if they could privately steal it , then openly beg it . the publican is presented to us in the parable , as one that could scarce get over that objection ; he is set forth standing at a distance , not daring to lift up his eyes to heaven ; scarce attempting to speak , rather expressing his unworthiness to pray , than setting upon the duty : his smiting upon his breast , and saying , god be merciful to me a sinner , argued , that much of these discouragements lay upon him . the like we may see in the prodigal , who it seems had it long in dispute , whether he should go to his father , whose kindnesses he had so abused ; and so long as he could make any other shift , he yielded to the temptation : at last he came to that resolve , i will arise and go to my father , and say , i have sinned against heaven , and thee , and am not worthy to be called thy son. which shew , that the sense of this kept him off till necessity forced him over it . and this is a discouragement the more likely to prevail for a neglect of service ; because part of it is necessary , as the beginning of those convictions of our folly : to have such low thoughts of our selves , that we are not worthy to come into his presence , nor to look toward him , is very becoming ; but to think , that we should not come to him , because our conscience accuseth of unworthiness , is a conclusion of satan's making , and such as god never intended from the premises , but the direct contrary ; come , saith god , though unworthy . the like course doth the devil take to keep men off from the lord's table ; oh ( saith he ) 't is a very solemn ordinance ; he that partaketh of it unworthily , eateth and drinketh damnation to himself : how darest thou make such bold approaches ? while the hearts of men are tender , their consciences quick and accusing , the threatning begets a fear , and they are driven off long , and debarr themselves unnecessarily from their mercies . fourthly , satan endeavours to hinder duty , by bringing them into a dislike and loathing of duty . this is a course most effectual , dislike easily bringeth forth aversation ; and withal , doth strongly fix the mind in purposes of neglect and refusal : the devil bringeth this about many ways : as , first , by reproaches and ignominious terms . it was an old trick of the wicked-one , to raise up nick-names and scoffs against the ways of god's service , thereby to beget an odium in the hearts of men against them . the seat of the scornful is a chair that satan had reared up from the beginning . by this art , ( when god was known in jury , and his name was great in israel ) were the heathens kept off from laying hold on the covenant of god. he rendred them , and the ordinances of worship ridiculous to the nations : the opprobium of circumcision , and their unreasonable faith ( as the heathens thought it ) upon things not seen , was a proverb in every man's mouth ; credat judaeus apella — non ego . the jews were slandered with the yearly sacrifice of a grecian . and apion affirms , that antiochus found such an one in a bed in the temple : and that they worshipped an asses head in the temple . apion slandered the jews with vlcers in their privy parts every seventh day : hence he derives sabbath , of sabatosis ; which with the aegyptians signifies an vlcer . lysimachus slandered the jews in aegypt , as leprous church-robbers ; and that their city was hence called hierosola . when the gentiles were called into the fellowship of the gospel , it was aspersed with the like scoffs and flouts ; it was frequently called a sect , a babling and strange and uncouth doctrine : besides , a great many lies and forgeries that were invented to make it seem odious ; and by this means it was every where spoken against . machiavil , that propounded the policy of full and violent calumniations to render an adversary odious ( knowing that how unjust soever they were , yet some impression of jealousie and suspition would remain ) had learned it of this old accuser , who had often , and long experienced it to be a prevalent course , to bring the services of god under dislike . david speaking of what befel himself , in this kind : psal . . , , , . that his zeal lay under reproach ; his weeping and fasting became a proverb : and that in all these , he was the song of the drunkard . he expresseth such apprehensions of the power of this temptation upon the weak ; that he doth earnestly beg , that satan might not make it a snare to them . vers . . let not them that wait on thee , o lord god of hosts , be ashamed for my sake ; let not those that seek thee , be confounded for my sake . and further declares it , as a wonderful preservation and escape of this danger ; that notwithstanding these reproaches , he had not declined his duty . vers . . but as for me , my prayer is unto thee lord. paul seems to speak his sense of this piece of policy ; his imprisonment administred matter of reproach to his profession : though his cause were good , yet he suffered trouble as an evil doer ; this he knew the devil would improve to a shame and disgrace unto the service of god , and therefore he chargeth timothy to be aware of that temptation , tim. . . be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our lord , nor of me his prisoner . and vers . . he takes notice of onesiphorus , that had escaped that snare , and was not ashamed of his chain . and we have the greater reason to fear the danger of this art , when we find that the tempter made use of it , to turn away the affections of the capernaumites from christ himself , mat. . . when he had preached in their synagogues , to the applause and astonishment of all his hearers ; the devil fearing the prevalency of his doctrine , finds out this shift , to bring them to a dislike of him , and his preaching ; is not this the carpenters son ? and they were offended in him . secondly , duties are brought under dislike by the hazards that attend them : the devil leaves it not untold , what men shall meet with from the world , if they run not with them into excess of vanity and neglect ; if bonds , imprisonments , banishments , hatreds , oppositions , spoyling of goods , sufferings of all kinds will divert them , he is sure to set all these affrightments before them : which though they do not move some from their steadfastness ; such as daniel , whose constancy in duty was not pierced by the fear of lyons : and the three children , who would not decline the ways of the lord for the terrour of a fiery furnace . yet these considerations prevail with most , as christ notes , in those that received seed in stony places , whose joy in the word was soon blasted , and they offended at the ways of duty , when tribulation and persecution because of the word arose : christ pronouncing him blessed , that should not be offended in him , because of the dangers of his service , shews , that the escape of such a temptation is not a common mercy . and if we shall observe paul's practice , upon his first undertaking of the ministry , when it pleased god to call him to preach his son christ among the heathen , we shall see , ( ) that he was aware of such objections as these . ( ) that flesh and blood are apt to comply with them , and to take notice of them . ( ) and that the best way to avoid them is , to stop the ears against them , and not to hearken to them , or consult with them . ( ) and that he that must do it to purpose , must without delay , immediately resolve against such hinderances ; it being most difficult for men that will be inclining to such motions , and hearkning to what the devil offers , under pretence of self-preservation , to disingage themselves after they have suffered their souls to take the impression . thirdly , the meanness of religious appointments ( as to the outward view ) is also made use of , to beget a loathing of them . in this the devil hath this advantage , that however they are all glorious within , and as the curtains of solomon ; yet are they as to their outward appearance like the tents of kedar , without any of that pomp and splendor which the sons of men affect and admire . christ himself when he had vailed his glory by our flesh , was of no exteriour form or beauty . the ministration of his word , which is the scepter of his kingdom , seems contemptible , and a very foolishness to men ; insomuch , that paul was forced to make an apology for it , in that it wanted those outward braveries of excellency of speech and wisdom , by shewing it was glorious in its power , and was indeed an hidden wisdom ( though not like that wisdom which the princes of wisdom , and philosophy affected ) among such as were perfect . the sacraments both of the old and new testament seemed very low and contemptible things to a common eye ; neither need we any other evidence to shew , that men are apt to disrelish them , and to entertain strange thoughts of them upon this very account , than this , that some raise up batteries against these ordinances upon this ground , that because they seem low and mean to them , therefore they think it improbable , that god should have indeed appointed them to be used in the literal sense , or that at best they are to be used as the first rudiments of christianity , and not enjoyned upon the more grown christians . neither may i altogether pass over that remarkable humour , that is in some , to give additional ornaments of outward garb and form , for the greater honour and lustre of these injunctions of christ ; so that while they endeavour to shew their greatest respects to them , they betray their inward thoughts to have carryed some suspition of their reality because of their plainness ; and by this means whilst they endeavour to put an honour upon christs institutions , they really despise them , and shew their respects to their own inventions . but that we may be further satisfied , that satan works by this engine , let us consider , that of cor. . . the jews were for signs from heaven , to give a credit and testimony to that doctrine which they would receive . the greeks ( who were then the only people for learning ) were for philosophical speculations , and disputes . now ( saith the apostle ) the doctrine of the gospel ( which is the preaching of christ crucified ) because it came not within the compass of what both these expected , therefore the devil so wrought upon this advantage , that both contemned it , it was to the jews a stumbling-block , and to the greeks foolishness . of this also he speaks more fully , cor. . . where he shews , that the minds of the corinthians were ready to be corrupted with error , against the plain import of the gospel ; and that which they took offence at , was its simplicity : they looked upon it as contemptible , because not containing such gorgious things as might suit a soaring and wanton fancy . now he resolves all this into a cheat of satan , taking the advantage of this , ( as he did upon eve from the seeming inconsiderableness of the prohibition of eating a little fruit ) to perswade them , that so mean a thing as the gospel could not be of god. i fear ( saith he ) lest by any means , as the serpent beguiled eve through his subtilty , so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in christ . fourthly , the sins of professors , through the craft of satan , beget a loathing of these holy things . if god loath his own appointments , and cannot bear them , because of the iniquities of those that offer them ; no wonder , if men be tempted to disgraceful apprehensions of them , when they observe some that pretend an high care , and deep respect for them , live prophanely . the sins of eli's sons wrought this sad effect upon the people , that men ( for their sakes ) abhorred the offerings of the lord , sam. . . those that fell off to error , and thence to abominable practices , caused the way of truth to be evil spoken of , pet. . . the priests that departed out of the way , caused many to stumble at the law , mal. . . nay , so high doth satan pursue this sometimes , that it becomes an inlet to direct atheism . fifthly , satan also works mightily in the prophane dispositions of men , and acts that principle to a disregard and weariness of the services of god ; a flagitious wicked life naturally leads to it : those that eat up gods people as bread , psal . . . called not upon god. this eats out at last the very exteriour and formal observation of religious duties , in this satan bends his force against them : ( ) by heightning the spirits of men to an insolent defiance of god by a continued prosperity : he draws out the pride and vanity of their spirits , to a bold contempt , who is the lord that we should serve him ? we are lords , we will come no more at thee : our tongues are our own , &c. thus they set their mouthes against heaven . eliphaz tells us this , as the usual carriage of those that lived in peace and jollity ; job . . therefore say they unto god , depart from us , for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes ; who is the almighty that we should serve him ? ( ) by hiding from them the necessities of duty . job speaking of the hypocrite , job . . . describes him by these neglects of duty , will he delight himself in the almighty ? will be always call upon god ? of this he gives the reason , vers . . he will call and cry when trouble comes upon him . when distresses make duties necessary , then he will use them ; in his affliction he will seek him early , hos . . . as the israelites did , psal . . . when he slew them , then they sought him , and enquired early after god. but when he is not thus pinched ( and satan will endeavour in this case , that he be as far from the rod of god , as he can make him ) he gives over seeking god , and loaths it ; nay , accounts it as ridiculous so to do : they mock at his counsel , and contemn his advice of waiting upon him . sixthly , satan picks quarrels in men , at the manner of performance of duty . when duty cannot be spoken against , then he endeavours to destroy it by the modes , circumstances , and way of performance : as ( ) if those that act in them discover any weakness ( as who doth not , when he hath done his best ? ) this he endeavours to blemish the duty withal . the bodily presence of paul was objected against him , as being contemptible , and his speech as weak ; but the design of that objection lay higher , the devil thereby endeavouring to render the duties of his ministry as contemptible , and not to be regarded . ( ) if the circumstances please not , he teacheth them to take pet with the substance , and like children to reject all , because every thing is not suitable to their wills . ( ) if it be managed in any way not grateful to their expectations ; if too cuttingly and plain , then they think they be justified to say , they hate it , as ahab did micaiah : if any way too high or abstrusely , then likewise they fling off . on this point the devil perswaded many of christs followers to desert him , jo. . . because he had spoken of himself in comparisons , that they judged too high ; when he said , he was that bread that came down from heaven , vers . . they said , that was a saying not to be born : and on that occasion , they went back , and walked no more with him . seventhly , the devil brings a naus●ating of the duties of worship , by a wrong representation of them , in the carriage and gestures of those that engage in them . it seems strange to some , that are but as idle spectators , to observe the postures of saints : seriously lifting up their eyes to heaven , or humbly mourning , and smiting on their breasts ; these the devil would render ridiculous , and as the suspicious managements , of an histrionical or hypocritical devotion : as men at a distance beholding the strange variety of actions and postures of such as dance , being out of the sound of their musick , shall think them a company of mad men , and frantick people . such perverse prospects doth he sometimes afford to those , that come rather to observe what others do , than to concern themselves in such duties ; that , not seeing their private influences , nor the secret spring that moves them , they judge them foolish ; and from thence they contract an inward loathing of the duties themselves . fifthly , in order to the hindring or preventing of duty , satan useth to impose upon men , by fallacious arguings : and by a piece of his sophistry , he endeavours to cheat them out of their services . i shall note some of his remarkable dealings in this kind : as first , he heightens the dignity of god's children ; upon a design to spoil their duty . he tells them , they are partakers of the divine nature . that they are in god and christ , and have the communications of his spirit ; and therefore they need not now drink of the cistern , seeing they enjoy the fountain ; and that these services ( in their attainments ) are as useless , as scaffolds are when once the house is built . to prosecute this he takes advantage , ( ) of the natural pride of their hearts ; he puffs them up with conceits of the excellency of their condition ; a thing which all men are apt to catch at with greediness , upon the least imaginary grounds : if a man have but a little knowledg , or have attained to any vain speculations , he is presently apt to be vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind . the same hazard attends any conceited excellency , which a man apprehends he hath reached unto . those monsters of religion , mentioned by peter and jude , that made no other use of the grace of god but to turn it into wantonness ; yet were they so tumified with the apprehensions of their priviledges , that whilst they designed no other thing , than plain licentiousness , and a wantonness in the lusts of the flesh ; yet ( it seems ) they encouraged themselves , and allured others , from a supposed liberty which their priviledges gave them ; and to this purpose had frequently in their mouthes , great swelling words of vanity , pet. . . even whilst they walked after their own lusts , jud. vers . . ( ) to strengthen their proud conceits , the devil improves what the scriptures speak , of the differences of god's children ; that some are spiritual , some are carnal ; some weak , others strong ; some perfect , some less perfect ; some little children , some young men , some fathers . the end of all this , is to make them apprehend themselves christians of an higher rank and order , which also makes way consequently for a further inference , ( viz. ) that there must needs be immunities and priviledges suitable to these heights and attainments . to this purpose , ( ) he produceth those scriptures that are design'd by god , to raise up the minds of men , to look after the internal work and power of his ordinances , and not to center their minds and hopes in the bare formal use of them , without applying their thoughts to god and christ ; unto whom , they are appointed to lead us . such as these scriptures , rom. . . he is not a jew , which is one outwardly ; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh : but he is a jew , which is one inwardly , and circumcision is that of the heart , in the spirit , and not in the letter . and rom. . . we should serve in newness of spirit , and not in the oldness of the letter . cor. . . wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh , yea though we have known christ after the flesh , yet now henceforth know we him no more . ephes . . . he gave some apostles , and some prophets , &c. for the perfecting of the saints — till we all come in the unity of the faith , and of the knowledge of the son of god unto a perfect man. by a perverse interpretation of these , and some other scriptures of like import , he would perswade them , that the great thing that christ designed by his ordinances , was , but to train up the weaker christians by these rudiments ( as the a , b , c , to children ) to a more spiritual and immediate way of living upon god : and that these become altogether useless , when christians have gotten up to any of these imaginary degrees of a supposed perfection . enough of this may be seen in the writings of saltmarsh , winstanly , and others , in the late times . how great a trade satan drove by such misapprehensions not long since , cannot easily be forgotten ; so that god's worship did almost lye wast ; and in many places , the way to sion did mourn . secondly , he will sometimes confess an equality of priviledge among the children of god , and yet plead an inequality of duty , that god is as good and strong to us , and that we have all an equal advantage by christ , he will readily acknowledge . but then when we should propound the diligence of the saints in their services for our pattern ( as of davids praying seven times a day , daniels three times , anna's serving god with fastings and prayers night and day , &c. ) he tells us , these were extraordinary services , and ( as it were ) works of supererrogation , more than the command of god laid upon them . so that we are not tyed to such strictness ; and we being naturally apt to indulge our selves in our own ease , are too ready to comply with such delusions . and by degrees men are thus brought to a confident belief , that they may be good enough , and do as much as is required , though they slacken their pace , and do not fast , pray , or hear so often , as others have done . thirdly , another sophism of his , is to heighten one duty , to the ruine of another . he strives to make an intestine war among the several parts of the services we owe to god ; and from the excellency of one , to raise up an enmity , and undervaluing disregard of another . thus would he sever , as inconsistent , those things that god hath joyned together . as among false teachers , some say , lo here is christ ; and others , lo he is there . so we find satan dealing with duties , he puts some upon such high respects to preaching , that ( say they ) christ is to be found here , most frequently , rather than in prayer , or other ordinances ; others are made to have the like esteem for prayer : and they affirm , in this is christ especially to be met withal . others say the like of sacraments , or meditation . in all these satan labours to beget a dislike and neglect of other services . thus ( in what relates to the constitution of churches ) he endeavours to set up purity of churches , to the destruction of vnity ; or vnity to the ruine of purity . a notable example hereof we have in the euchytae , ( a sect of praying hereticks , which arose in the time of valentinian and valens ) who upon the pretence of the commands of christ and paul , for praying continually , or without ceasing and fainting , owned no other duty as necessary ; vilifying preaching and sacraments , as things ( at best ) useless and unprofitable . the like attempts he makes daily upon men , where though he prevail not so far , as to bring some necessary duties of service into open contempt ; yet he carries them into too much secret neglect , and disregard . fourthly , he improves the grace of the gospel , to infer an unnecessariness of duty ; and this he doth , not only from the advantage of a prophane and careless spirit in such as presumptuously expect heaven , though they mind not the way that leads to it : for with such it is usual ( as one observes ) for satan to sever the means from the end , in things that are good , to make them believe , they shall have peace , though they walk in the imaginations of their heart ; to make them lean upon the lord for heaven , in the apparent neglect of holiness and duty . as in evil things , he severs the end from the means , making them confident they shall escape hell and condemnation , though they walk in the path that leads thither . but besides this , he abuseth the understandings and affections of men , by strange and uncouth inferences ; as that god hath received a satisfaction , and christ hath done all ; so that nothing is left for us to do . the apostle paul was so much aware of this kind of arguing , that when he was to magnifie the grace of god , he always took care to fence against such perverse reasonings ; severely rebuking and refelling such objections : as in rom. . , . where speaking , that our unrighteousness did commend the righteousness of god , he falls upon that reply , why then am i judged as a sinner ? which he sharply refells , as an inference of slanderous imputation to the gospel , which hath nothing in it to give the least countenance to that conclusion , let us do evil , that good may come . and adds , that damnation shall justly overtake such as practise accordingly . the like we have , rom. . . shall we continue in sin , that grace may abound ? which he rejected with the greatest abhorrency , god forbid ! from both which places we may plainly gather , that as unsound as such arguings are , yet men ( through satans subtilty ) are too prone , upon such pretences , to dispute themselves to a careless neglect of duty . this might be enlarged in many other instances , as that of maximus tyrius , who disputed all duties unnecessary upon this ground , that what god will give , cannot be hindred ; and what he will not give , cannot be obtained ; and therefore 't were needless to seek after any thing . much to the same purpose do many argue , if they be predestinated to salvation they shall be saved , though they do never so little ; if they be not predestinated , they shall not be saved though they do never so much . in all which inferences the devil proceeds upon a false foundation , of severing the means , and the end , which the decree of god hath joyned together : but the main of the design , is to hide the necessity of duty from them . fifthly , by urging a necessity or conveniency for suspending or remitting duties . in temptations to sin , he doth from a little , draw on the sinner to more ; but in omissions of duty , he would entice us , from much to little ; and from little , to nothing . very busie he is with us , to break , or interrupt our constant course of duty . duties in order , and practice , are like so many pearls upon one string , if the thread be broken , it may hazard the scattering of all . if we be once put out of our way , we are in danger to roave far before we be set in our rank again . to effect this ( ) he will be sure to straiten or hinder us in our opportunities if he can , and then to plead necessity for a dispensation . 't is true indeed , necessities , when unavoidable ( as the issue of providence , rather than our negligence ) may excuse an omission of duty : because in such cases , god accepting the will for the deed , will have mercy and not sacrifice . but necessity is , most-what a pretence or cover to the slothfulness of professors ; and the devil will do all he can to gratifie them in that humour , and to prepare excuses for them , from such hinderances or interruptions , as business , or disturbances can make : yet if these be not in readiness , he will ( ) endeavour to take off our earnestness , by suggesting to us our former diligence , that we at other times have been careful and active : or ( ) by setting before us the greater negligence of those that are below us . the meaning of both which insinuations is to this one purpose , that we may make bold with some omissions , without any great hazard of our religious intentions , or scandal and offence to others . now , if he can by any of these wayes , bring us to any abatement of our wonted care and exercise , he will then still press for more , and from fervency of spirit , to a cold moderation ; from thence he will labour to bring us down to seldom performances : from thence , to nothing . the spiritual sluggard that will be overcome to some neglects , shall be found a companion at last to a waster ; and will be brought to a total neglect of all . the church of ephesus , rev. . , . may sadly give proof of this , they left their first love ; and from thence declined so far , that at last god was provoked to remove the candlestick out of its place . sixthly , satan puts tricks upon men , ( in order to the hindring of duty ) by putting us from a service presently needful , with the proposal of another , in which , at that time , we are not so concerned . in several duties of christianity , there is a great deal of skill required to make a right choice , for present or first performance ; and to have a right judgment to discover the times and seasons of them , is matter of necessary study . our adversary observing our weaknesses in this , ( when no other art will prevail , ) endeavours to put us upon an inconvenient choice , when he cannot make us neglect all . as ( ) by engaging us in a less duty , that we may neglect a greater ; he is willing that we ( as the pharisees ) should tithe mint and annis , upon condition that we neglect the greater things of the law. this was the fault of martha , luk. . . who busied her self in making entertainment for christ's welcome , and in the mean time neglected to hear his preaching : which , as he notes , was the only necessary duty of that time ; one thing is necessary . she is not blamed , for doing that which was simply evil in it self ( for the thing she did was a duty ; ) but for not making a right choice of duty ; for that rebuke , mary hath chosen the better part , is only a comparative discommendation ; as austin interprets , non tu malam , sed illa meliorem , the thing thou doest is not evil , if it had not put thee upon a neglect of a greater good . ( ) he sometimes puts men upon what is good and necessary ; but such , as they cannot come at without sin. thus sacrificing in it self was a necessary duty : and such was sauls condition , that it concerned him at that time , to make his peace with god , and to enquire his mind . yet when the devil upon that pretence , put him upon offering a sacrifice , he put him upon no small transgression . the like game satan sometimes plays with private christians , who are perswaded beyond their station and capacity in reference to some ordinances of god. ( ) he sometimes puts men upon dangerous undertakings in pursuit of their fancy , of gaining an advantage for some service ; and so are they turned out of the way of present obedience , in grasping at opportunities of duty out of their reach . saul spared the sheep and oxen of the amalokites for sacrifice , when obedience had been more acceptable than sacrifice . ( ) there is a further cheat in the choice of duty ; when satan employs them to provide for duties to come , to the neglect of duties presently incumbent upon them ; whereas we are more concerned in that , which , at present , is necessary ; than in that , which may be so for the future ; which is a mistake , like that of caring for the morrow , while we use not what god puts in our hand for to day . chap. xviii . satan's second grand design against duties , is to spoil them . ( ) in the manner of undertaking ; and how he effects this . ( ) in the act or performance , by distracting outwardly , and inwardly . his various ways therein , by vitiating the duty it self . how he doth that . ( ) after performance ; the manner thereof . the chief of satans ways for the hindring and preventing of duty have been noted ; what he comes short in this design , he next labours to make up , by spoyling and depraving them : and this he doth endeavour three ways . first , by putting us upon services in such a manner as shall render them unacceptable , and displeasing unto god , and unprofitable to us : as ( ) by a careless and rash undertaking of service . we are commanded to take heed to our selves how we hear , or pray ; and to watch over our hearts , that they be in a fit posture for meeting with god. because the heart , in service , is that which god most looks at , and our services are measured accordingly ; if then by a heedless undertaking ; we adventure upon them , not keeping out foot when we go into the house of god , we offer no other than the sacrifice of fools ; and give occasion to god to complain that we do but draw neer to him with our lips , while our hearts are far from him . secondly , the like spoil of duty is made , when we adventure upon it , in our own strength , and not in the strength of christ . satan sees the pride of our heart , and how much our gifts may contribute to it , and how prone we are to be confident of a right performance of what we have so often practised before : and therefore doth he more industriously catch at that advantage , to make us forget , that our strength is in god ; and that we cannot come to him acceptably , but by his own power . christians are often abused this way ; when their strength is to seek , duty is oft perversly set before them , that they may act as sampson did , when his locks were cut , who thought to shake himself , and to go out as at other times , and so fell into the hands of the philistines . thirdly , if he can substitute base ends and principles , as motives to duty , instead of these that god hath commanded , he knows the service will become stinking and loathsome to god. fasting , prayers , alms , preaching , or any other duty may be thus tainted , when they are performed upon no better grounds , than to be seen of men , or out of envy , or to satisfie humour , or when from custom , rather than conscience . how frequently did the prophets tax the jews for this , that they fasted to themselves ? and brought forth fruit to themselves ? how severely did christ condemn the pharisees upon the same account ? telling them , that in hunting the applause of men , by these devotions , they had got all the reward they were like to have . fourthly , when we do our services unseasonably , not only the grace and beauty of them is spoiled ; but often are they rendred unprofitable . there are times to be observed , not only for the right management of common actions , but also for duties . what is christian reproof , if it be not rightly suited to season , and opportunity ? the same may be said of other services . fifthly , services are spoiled , when men set upon them without resolutions of leaving their sins . while they come with their idols in their heart , and the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their face , god will not be enquired of by them . he requires of those that present their services to him , that ( at least ) they should not affront him , with direct purposes of continuing in their rebellions against him : nay , he expects from his servants , that look for a blessing in their duties ; that they come with their hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience , and their bodies washed with pure water . if they come to hear the word , they must lay aside all filthiness , and superfluity of naughtiness : if they pray , they must lift up pure hands . if they come to the lords supper ; they must eat that feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth . and albeit , he may accept the prayers of those , that are so far convinced of their sins ( though they be not yet sanctified ) that they are willing to lay down their weapons , and are touched with a sence of legal repentance : for thus he heard ahab , and regarded the humiliation of nineveh . ) yet while men cleave to the love of their iniquity , and are not upon any terms of parting with their sins , god will not look to their services , but abhor them . for thus he declares himself , isa . . . to what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices ? bring no more vain oblations . — i cannot away with them , it is iniquity , even the solemn meeting , — my soul hateth them , they are a trouble to me , i am weary to bear them : when you spread forth your hands , i will hide mine eyes from you , yea when you make many prayers , i will not hear . the ground of all this is , that their heart was no way severed from the purposes of sinning , your hands are full of blood , vers . . satan knowing this so well , he is willing that they engage in the services of god ; if they will keep up their allegiance to him , and come with intentions to continue wicked still : for so while he cannot prevent the actual performance of duty , ( which yet notwithstanding he had rather do , because he knows not but god may by that means sometime or other rescue these slaves of satan out of his hand ) he makes their services nothing worth , and renders them abominable to god. sixthly , in the manner of undertaking , duties are spoiled , when men have not a submissive ingenuity in them , by giving themselves up to the direction and disposal of the almighty ; but rather confine and limit god to their wills and desires . sometimes men by attempting of services to god , think thereby to engage god to humour them in their wills and ways . with such a mind did ahab consult the prophets about his expedition to ramoth-gilead ; not so much seeking gods mind and counsel for direction , as thinking thereby to engage god to confirm and comply with his determination . with the same mind did johanan and the rest of the people consult the lord , concerning their going down to aegypt , jer. . . though they solemnly protested obedience to what god should say , whether it were good or evil ; yet when the return from god , suited not with their desires and resolutions , they denied it to be the command of god ; and found an evasion to free themselves of their engagement , jer. . . such dealings as these being the evident undertakings of an hypocritical heart , must needs render all done upon that score , to be presumptuous temptings of god ; no way deserving the name of service . secondly , not only are services thus spoiled , in those wrong grounds and ways of attempting , or setting about them , but in the very act , or performance of them , while they are upon the wheel , ( as a potters vessel in the prophet ) they are often marred : and this satan doth two ways . ( ) by disturbing our thoughts , which should be attentive and fixed upon the service in hand . ( ) by vitiating the duty it self . first , by distracting or disturbing our thoughts . this is an usual policy of satan . those fowls which came down upon abrahams sacrifice , are supposed ( by learned expositors ) to signifie those means and ways by which the devil doth disorder and trouble our thoughts in religious services . and christ himself compares the devil stealing our thoughts from duty , to the fowls of the air , that gather up the seed as soon as it is sown . there are many reasons that may perswade us , that this is one of his master-pieces of policy . as ( ) in that the business of distraction is oft , easily done ; our thoughts do not naturally delight in spiritual things , because of their depravement ; neither can they easily brook to be pent in , or confined so strictly , as the nature of such imployments doth require ; so that there is a kind of preternatural force upon our thoughts , when they are religiously imployed ; which as it is in it self laborious : ( like the stopping of a stream , or driving jordan back ; ) so upon the least relaxing of the spring , that must bend our thoughts heaven-ward , they incline to their natural bend and current . as a stone rolled up a hill , hath a renitentia , a striving against the hand that forceth it , and when that force slackens , it goes down-ward . how easily then is it for satan to set our thoughts off our work ? if we slacken our care never so little they recoyle , and tend to their old byas ; and how easie is it for him to take off our hand ? when 't is so much in his power to inject thoughts and motions into our hearts ; or to present objects to our eyes , or sounds to our ears , which by a natural force raiseth up our apprehension to act : for in such cases , non possumus non cogitare : we cannot restrain the act of thinking , and not , without great heedfulness , can we restrain the pursuit of those thinkings and imaginations . ( ) satan can also do it insensibly ; our distractions or roveings of thoughts creep and steal upon us silently , we no more know oft , when they begin , than when we begin to sleep ; or when we begin to wander in a journey , where oft we do not take our selves to be out of the way , till we come to some remarkable turning . ( ) and when he prevailes to divide our thoughts from our duty , he always makes great advantage ; for thus he hinders ( at least ) the comfort and profit of ordinances . while we are busied to look to our hearts , much of the duty goeth by , and we are but as those , that in publick assemblies are imployed to see to the order and silence of others , who can be scarce at leasure to attend for their own advantage . besides , much of the sweetness of ordinances are abated by the very trouble of our attendance . when we are put to it ( as abraham was ) to be still driving away those fowls that come down upon our sacrifice , the very toil will eat out , and eclipse much of the comfort . thus also he ( at least ) provides matter to object against the sincerity of the servants of god ; and will assurly find a time , to set it home upon them to the purpose , that their hearts were wandring in their services . thus he further gets advantage for a temptation to leave off their duty , and will not cease to improve such distractions ( as we have heard ) to an utter overthrow of their services . nay , if he prevail to give us such distractions as wholly takes away our minds , and serious attentions from the service , then is the service become nothing worth , though the outward circumstances of attendance be never so exact and saint-like . who could appear in a more religious dress , than those in ezek. . . who came and sate , and were pleased with divine services ( as to all outward discovery ) as gods people ; yet was all spoiled with this , that their hearts were after their covetousness . now this distraction satan can work two wayes . first , by outward disturbances . he can present objects to the eyes , on purpose to entice our thoughts after them . the closing of the eyes in prayer , is used by some of the servants of god , to prevent satan's temptations this way . and we find , in the story of mr. rothwel , that the devil took notice of this in him , that he shut his eyes to avoid distraction in prayer . which implies , a concession in the devil , that by outward objects he useth to endeavour our distraction in services . the like he doth by noises and sounds . neither can we discover how much of these disturbances , ( by coughings , hemmings , tramplings , &c. which we hear in greater assemblies ) are from satan , by stirring up others to such noises . we are sure the damsel that had an unclean spirit , act. . that grieved and troubled paul ( going about these duties ) with her clamours , was set on by that spirit within her , to distract and call off their thoughts from the services , which they were about to undertake . besides , the common ways of giving trouble to the servants of god in outward disturbances , he sometimes ( though rarely ) doth it in an extraordinary manner : thus he endeavoured to hinder mr. rothwel from praying for a possessed person , by rage and blaspheming . the like hinderance we read , he gave luther , and others : and truly so strict an attendance in the exercise of our minds , spiritual sences , and graces , is required in matters of worship : and so weak are our hearts in making a resistance , or beating off these assaults , that a very smal matter will discompose us , and a smaller discomposure will prejudice and blemish the duty . secondly , he distracts or disturbs us also , by inward workings , and injections of motions , and representations of things to our minds : and as this is his most general and usual way , so doth he make use of greater variety of contrivance and art in it : as , first , by the troublesome impetuousness and violence of his injections , they come upon us as thick as hail . no sooner do we put by one motion , but another is in upon us : he hath his quiver full of these arrows , and our hearts ( under any service ) swarm with them , we are incessantly infested by them , and have no rest . at other times , when we are upon worldly business , we may observe a great ease and freedom in our thoughts ; neither doth he so much press upon us : but in these , satan is continually knocking at our door , and calling to us , so that it is a great hazard , that some or other of these injections may stick upon our thoughts , and lead us out of the way ; or if they do not , yet 't is a great molestation or toil to us . secondly , he can so order his dealings with us , that he provokes us sometimes , to follow him out of the camp , and seeks to ensnare us , by improving our own spiritual resolution and hatred against him ; even as courage whetted on and enraged , makes a man ventersome beyond the due bounds of prudence , or safety . to this end , he sometimes casts into our thoughts hideous , blasphemous , and atheistical suggestions , which do not only amaze us , but oftentimes engage us to dispute against them ; which , at such time , is all he seeks for : for , whereas in such cases we should send away such thoughts with a short answer , get thee behind me satan ; we by taking up the buckler and sword against them , are drawn off from minding our present duty . thirdly , he doth sometimes seek to allure , and draw our thoughts to the object , by representing what is pleasant and taking . ( ) he will adventure to suggest good things impertinently , and unseasonably , as when he puts us upon praying , while we should be hearing ; or while we are praying , he puts into our hearts , things that we have heard in preaching : these things , ( because good in themselves ) we are not so apt to startle at , but give them a more quick welcome . ( ) he also can allure our thoughts , by the strangeness of the things suggested ; sometimes we shall have hints of things which we knew not before , or some fine and excellent notions , so that we can scarce forbear turning aside after them , to gaze at them : and yet when all is done , except we wholly neglect the duty for them , they will so vanish , that we can scarce remember them when the duty is over . ( ) sometimes he suits our desires and inclinations with the remembrances of things that are , at other times , much in our love and affection ; and with these we are apt to comply : the pleasure of them making us forget our present duty . thoughts of estates , honours , relations , delights , recreations , or whatever else we are set upon at other times , will more easily prevail for audience now . fourthly , he hath a way to betray , and circumvent us , by heightning our own jealousies and fears against him ; and here he out-shoots us in our own bow : and by a kind of overdoing , makes us undoe our desired work . for where he observes us fearful , and watchful against wandring , he doth alarm us the more : so that ( ) instead of looking to the present part of duty ; we reflect upon what is past , and make enquiries , whether we performed that aright ? or whether we did not wander from the beginning ? thus our suspitions that we have miscarried , bring us into a miscarriage : by this are we deceived , and put off from minding what we are doing at present . or ( ) an eager desire to fix our thoughts on our present service , doth amaze and astonish us into a stupid inactivity , or into a saying , or doing , we know not what ; as ordinarily it happens to persons , that out of a great fearfulness to offend in the presence of some great personages , become unable to do any thing rig●t ; or to behave themselves tollerably well : or as an over-steady and earnest fixing the eye , weakens the sight , and renders the object less truly discernable to us . fifthly , sometimes the exercise of fancy acting or working according to some mistake which we have entertained ; as to the manner of performance , doth so hold our thoughts doing , that we embrace a cloud or shadow , when we should have looked after the substance . i will give an instance of this , in reference to prayer ; which ( i have observed ) hath been a snare and mistake to some , and that is this ; because in that duty , the scripture directs us to go to god , and to set him before us : therefore have they thought it necessary to frame an idea of god in their thoughts , as of a person present to whom they speak . hence their thoughts are busied , to conceive such a representation ; and when the shadow of imagination vanisheth , their thoughts are again busied to enquire , whether their hearts are upon god ? thus by playing with fancy , they are really less attentive upon their duty . sixthly , satan can lay impressions of distraction upon men , before they come to religious services , which shall then work , and shew their power to disturb , and divide our hearts ; which is by a strong prepossession of the heart , with any thing that we fear , or hope , or desire , or doth any way trouble us : these will stick to us , and keep us company in our duties , though we strive to keep them back . and this was the ground of the apostles advice , to the unmarried persons , to continue in a single life , ( times of persecution and distress nearly approaching , ) that they might attend upon the lord without distraction : implying , that the thoughtfulness , and more than ordinary carefulness , which would seize upon the minds of persons under such straits and hazards , would unavoidably follow them in their duties , and so distract them . secondly , the other way , ( besides this of distraction ) by which satan spoils our duties in the act of performance , is , by vitiating duty it self : and this he commonly doth three ways . first , when he puts men upon greater care for the outward garb and dress of a service , than for the inward work of it ; he endeavours to make some devotionaries deal with their duties , as the pharisees did with their cups , washing and adorning the out-side , while the inside is altogether neglected . thus the papists generally are for the outward pomp and beauty of services ; being only careful , that all things should have their external bravery : as the tombs of the prophets were painted and beautified , which yet were full of rottenness . and the generality of christians more taken up with this , than with the service of the heart : paul was so sensible of this snare , in the work of preaching , ( where ordinarily men cared for excellency of speech , or wisdom ) that he determines another course of preaching ; not notions , or rhetorick , and enticing words , but the doctrine of christ crucified in sincerity and plainness . 't is not indeed the outward cost and fineness of ordinances that god regards ; incense from sheba , and the sweet cane , from a far country are not to any purpose , where the heart doth not most design a spiritual service ; for these are rather a satisfaction to the humours of men , than to please god : an offering to themselves rather than to him . and therefore is it , that what jeremiah confessed they did , ( chap. . . ) in buying incense and the sweet cane , isaiah ( chap. . . ) seems to deny , thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money ; that is , though thou didst it , yet it was to thy self , rather than to me : i accepted it not , and so was it all one as if thou hadst not done it . secondly , duties and services are more apparently vitiated by humane additions : a thing expresly contrary to the second commandment , and yet is there a strange boldness in men this way , which sometimes riseth to such an height , that the plain and clear commands of god are violated , under the specious pretence of decency , order , and humility ; and nothing doth more take them , than what they devise and find out . satan knows how displeasing this is to god , and how great an inclination there is in men to be forward in their inventions , and self-devised worship ; that he can easily prevail with the incautious . this was the great miscarriage of the jewish nation all along the old testament : and of the pharisees , who though they declined the idolatries of their fathers ; yet were so fond upon their traditions , that they made their worship vain , as christ tells them . and this humour also in pauls time was insinuating it self into christians ; managed by a great deal of deceit , col. . . and shew of wisdom , vers . . which accordingly he doth earnestly fore-warn them of . there are indeed several degrees of corrupting a service or ordinance by humane additions ; according to which , 't is more or less defiled : yet , the least presumption this way , is an offence and provocation . thirdly , duties are vitiated in their excess . natural worship , which consists in fear , love , faith , humility , &c. can never be too much : but instituted worship may , men may preach too much , and pray too long , ( a fault noted by christ in the pharisees , they made long prayers ) even in duties ; a man may be righteous overmuch . timothy was so , in his great pains and over abstemious life , to the wasting of his strength , which the apostle takes notice of , and adviseth against it , drink no longer water , &c. the corinthians were so , when out of a high detestation of the miscarriage of the incestuous person , they were backward to forgive him , and to receive him into the church again . peter is another instance to us of excess ; jo. . . first , in a modest humility , he refuseth to let christ wash his feet : but after , understanding the meaning of it , then he runs to the other extream , and offers not only his feet , but his hands and his head . when the servants of god are conscious of defects in their services , ( as if they would make amends for these , by the length and continuance of their services ) they are easily drawn into an excess , every way disadvantagious to themselves , and the service . thirdly , when satans designs do not take to spoil the duties , either by the manner of the attempt , or in the act : he then seeks to play an after - game , and endeavours to spoil them , by some after-miscarriage of ours , in reference to these services . as first , when he makes us proud of them : we can scarce perform any service with a tollerable suitableness , but satan is at hand to instill thoughts of applause , vain glory , and boasting ; and we readily begin to think highly of our selves , and performances ; as if we were better than others , whom we are apt to censure , as low and weak in comparison of our selves . though this be an apparent deceit , yet 't is a wonder how much the minds , even of the best , are apt to be tainted with it ; even where there are considerable endeavours for humility , and self-denial , these thoughts are apt to get too much entertainment . now , though we run well , and attain some comfortable strength , and watchfulness in the services of god : yet , if they be afterward fly-blown with pride , or if we think to embalm them with praises , or reserve them as matter of ostentation ; though they be angels food , yet ( like the manna of the israelites , when kept too long ) they will putrifie , and breed worms , and so be good for nothing , after that we have been at the pains of gathering it . secondly , when well-performed services are perverted to security , then are they also spoiled ; we are ready to say of them , as the rich man of his abundance , soul take thine ease , thou hast much laid up for many years . satan is willing ( for a further advantage ) that we think our selves secure from him ; and as after a full meal , we are apt to grow drowsie : so after services , we are apt to think our selves out of harms way . the church after an high feast with christ , presently falls asleep , and highly miscarries in security , and neglect : by this means do the best of saints sometimes lose the things they have wrought , and throw down what they formerly built up . daemonologia sacra : or , a treatise of satans temptations : the second part. containing the manifold subtilties and stratagems of satan , for the corrupting of the minds of men with errour ; and for the destruction of the peace and comfort of the children of god. by r. g. london , printed by j. d. for richard randel , and peter maplisden , booksellers in new-castle upon tine , . part ii. chap. i. that it is satan's grand design to corrupt the minds of men with errour . the evidences that it is so . and the reasons of his endeavours that way . next to satan's deceits in tempting to sin and against duty , his design of corrupting the minds of men by errour calls for our search ; and indeed this is one of his principal endeavours , which takes up a considerable part of his time and diligence . he is not only called in scripture an vnclean spirit , but also a lying spirit , and there are none of these cursed qualifications that lie idle in him : as by his uncleanness we may easily conjecture his attempts upon the will and affections to defile them by lust ; so by his lying we may conclude that he will certainly strive to blind the understanding by errour . but a clear discovery of this we may have from these considerations . first , from god's interest in truth , in reference to his great designs of holiness and mercy in the world. truth is a ray and beam of him who is the father of lights . all revealed truths are but copies and transcripts of that essential , archetypal truth . truth is , the rod of his strength , psal . . . the scepter of his kingdom by which he doth subdue the hearts of men to his obedience and service in conversion . truth is that rock upon which he hath built his church , the foundations are the prophets and apostles , eph. . . that is , the doctrine of the prophets and apostles , in the scriptures of the old and new testament . truth is that great depositum committed to the care of his church , which is therefore called the pillar of truth : because as princes or rulers put their proclamations on pillars for the better information of their subjects , so doth his church hold out truth to the world. holiness is maintained by truth , our ways are directed by it , and by it are we forewarned of satan's devices . now the prince of darkness carrying himself in as full an opposition to the god of truth as he can in all his ways , god's interest in truth will sufficiently discover the devil's design to promote errour ; for such is his hatred of god , that ( though he cannot destroy truth , no more than he can tear the sun out of the firmament , yet ) he will endeavour by corrupting the copy , to disgrace the original ; though he cannot break christ's scepter , yet by raising errour he would hinder the encrease of his subjects ; though he cannot remove the rock upon which the church is built , he will endeavour to shake it , or to interrupt the building , and to tear down god's proclamation from the pillar on which he hath set it to be read of all ; and if we can conceive what an hatred the thief hath to the light , as it contradicts and hinders his designs , we may imagine there is nothing against which the devil will use greater contrivances than against the light of truth : he neither can , nor will make a league with any , but upon the terms that nahash propounded to the men of jabesh-gilead , that is , that he may put out their right eye , and so lay it for a reproach upon the israel of god. 't is the work of the holy spirit to lead us into truth , and by the rule of contraries 't is the devil's work to lead into errour . secondly , though the scripture doth charge the sin and danger of delusion and errour upon those men that promote it , to the deception of themselves and others , yet doth it chiefly blame satan for the great contriver of it , and expressly affirms him to be the grand deceiver : instruments and engeniers he must make use of to do him service in that work , but still it is the devil that is a lying spirit in their mouths ; 't is he that teacheth and prompts them , and therefore may they be called ( as elymas was by paul ) the children of the devil , or ( as cerinthus of old ) the first-born of satan . the church of corinth , among other distempers , laboured under dangerous errours , against which when the apostle doth industriously set himself , he doth chiefly take notice , . of the false-teachers who had cunningly wrought them up to an aptitude of declining from the simplicity of the gospel ; these he calls false-apostles , as having no commission from god , and satan's ministers , cor. . , . thereby informing us who it is that sends them out and imploys them upon this errand . . he especially accuseth satan as the great contriver of all this evil ; if any shut their eyes against the light , he gives this for the principal cause , that the god of the world blinded their minds : if any stumbled at the simplicity of the gospel , he presently blames the subtilty of the old serpent for it , cor. . . when false doctrine was directly taught , and varnished over with the glorious pretexts of truth , still he chargeth satan with it , vers . . no marvel , for satan himself is transformed into an angel of light ; where he doth not only give a reason of the corrupting or the adulterating the word of god by false-apostles , as vintners do their wines by mixtures , ( a metaphor which he makes use of , cap. . . ) that they learned it of satan , who abode not in the truth , but was a lyar from the beginning : but also , he further points at satan , to furnish us with a true account of the ground of that cunning craft which these deceitful workers used , while they metamorphosed themselves , by an imitation of the way and manner , zeal and diligence of the apostles of christ ; they were taught by one who had exactly learned the art of imitation , and who could , to all appearance , act to the life the part of an angel of light. and to take away all objection or wonder , that so many with such seeming earnestness and zeal , should give up themselves to deceive by false-doctrine : he tells us that this hath been the devil's work , from the first beguiling of eve , vers . . and that as he then made use of a serpent for his instrument , so ever since in all ages he hath made so often , and so much use of men as his emissaries , that it should now neither seem a marvel , nor a great matter to see the devil at this work by his agents . thirdly , that this is satan's great design , may be further cleared from the constant course of his endeavours . the parable of the tares , matth. . . shews , that satan is as busie in sowing tares , as the master of the field is in sowing wheat ; that by tares , not errors in the abstract , but men are to be understood , is evident from the parable it self ; but that which makes men to be tares , is sin and errour : so that in a complex sense , we are taught how diligent the devil , ( who is expressly signified by the enemy , vers . . ) is in that imployment , much of his time hath been taken up that way . there were false prophets ( saith peter , epist . . . ) and there shall be false-teachers ; that is , so it was of old , and so it will be to the end . the shortest abstract of satan's acts in this matter , would be long and tedious , judge of the rest by a few instances . in the apostles times , how quickly had the devil broached false doctrine ? that it was necessary to be circumcised , was early taught , acts . . in col. . . the vain deceit of philosophy , traditions , and the elements of the world , ( which were the body of mosaical ceremonies ) are mentioned as dangerous intrusions ; and in vers . . the worshipping of angels ( as it seems ) was pleaded for , with no small hazard to the church . the denial of the resurrection is expressly charged upon some of the corinthian church , cor. . . and that the resurrection is past already , tim. . . is affirmed to have been the doctrine of hymeneus , philetus , and others ; but these are comparatively little , to that gross errour of denying christ , jud. v. . or , that jesus is the christ , joh. . . or , jesus christ is come in the flesh , joh. . . which are branded for antichristian errours , and were boldly asserted by many false prophets that were then gone out into the world ; and to such a height came they at last , that they taught the lawfulness of committing fornication , and to eat things offered to idols , rev. . . all these falsehoods took the boldness to appear , before all the apostles were laid in their graves : and if we will believe what austin tells us from epiphanius and eusebius , there were no less than ten sorts of heretical antichrists in the apostle john's days , the simonians , menandrians , saturnilians . &c. this was an incredible increase of false doctrine in so short a time , and in the times and preachings of the apostles themselves , whose power and authority ( one would think ) might have made satan fall before them as lightning . what progress then in this work of delusion might be expected , when they were all removed out of the world ? they left indeed behind them sad predictions of the power of delusion in after-times , of your selves shall men arise , speaking perverse things . after my departing shall grievous wolves enter , &c. acts . . the spirit speaketh expressly , that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith , tim. . . and paul ( thess . . . ) prophesies of a general apostacy , upon the revealing of the man of sin , and the mystery of iniquity , and that these should be perilous times , tim. . . to the same purpose , john mentions the coming of the great antichrist , as a thing generally known and believed , joh. . . but before all these , christ also had fully forewarned his servants of false-christs , the power and danger of their delusion , and of the sad revolt from the faith which should be before his second coming , matth. . . and as we have heard , so have we seen , all ages since the apostles can witness that satan hath answered the prophecies that were concerning him : what a strange increase of errours hath been in the world since that time ? iraeneus and tertullian made catalogues long since , after them epiphanius , and eusebius reckoned about eighty heresies ; austin after them brings the number to eighty eight . now , though there be just exceptions against the largeness of their catalogues , and that it is believed by many , that there are several branded in their rolls for hereticks , that meerly suffer upon the account of their name and nation ( for barbarism , scythism , hellenism are mustered in the front ) and others also stand there , for very small matters ( as the quarto decimani , &c. ) and that some ought altogether to be crossed out of their books ; yet still it will appear that the number of errours is great , and that all those hard names have this general signification , that the devil hath made a great stir in the world by errour and opinion ; after times might also be summoned in to speak their evidence , and our own knowledg and experience might without any other help , sufficiently instruct us ( if it were needful ) of the truth of this , that errour is one of satan's great designs . secondly , let us next look into the reasons which do so strongly engage satan to these endeavours of raising up errours . if we set these before us , it will not only confirm us in our belief , that this is one of his main imployments , ( for if errour yield him so many advantages for the ruine of men , and the dishonour of god , there can be no doubt of his readiness to promote it . ) this also may be of use to put us in mind , who it is that is at work behind the curtain , when we see such things acted upon the stage , and consequently may beget a cautious suspition in our minds against his proceedings ; the reasons are such as these . first , errour is sinful , so that if satan should be hindred in his endeavours for any further mischief , than the corrupting of any particular person , yet he will reckon , that he hath not altogether lost his labour . some errours , that overturn fundamentals of faith , are as deadly poyson , and called expressly damnable by the apostle , pet. . . these heresies are by paul , gal. . . recounted among the works of the flesh , of which , he positively affirms , that they that do such things cannot inherit the kingdom of god : those that are of a lower nature , that do not so extreamly hazard the soul , can only be capable of this apology , that they are less evil ; yet as they are oppositions to truth ( propounded in scripture for our belief and direction ) they cease not to be sins , though they may be greater or less evils , according to the importance of those truths which they deny , or the consequences that attend them ; and if we go yet a step lower , to the consideration of those rash and bold assertions , about things not clearly revealed ; though they may possibly be true , yet the positiveness of avouchments and determinations in such cases , where we want sufficient reason to support what we affirm , ( as that of the pseudo-dionysius for the hierarchy of angels , and some adventurous assertions concerning god's secret decrees , and many other things of like nature ) are by the apostle , col. . . most severely taxed for an unwarrantable and unjust presumption , in setting our foot upon god's right ; as if such men would by violence thrust themselves into that which god hath reserved for himself , ( for so much the word intruding imports , ) the cause of this he tells us , is the arrogancy of corrupt reason , the fleshly mind , ( suitable to that expression , matth. . . flesh and blood hath not revealed it ; ) the bottom of it is pride , which swells men to this height ; and the fruit ( after all these swelling attempts ) is no other than ( as the apples of sodom ) dust and vanity , intruding into those things which he hath not seen , vainly puft up by his fleshly mind : if then satan do but gain this , that by errour ( though not diffused further than the breast of the infected party ) truth is denied , or that the heart be swelled into pride and arrogancy , or that he hath hope so to prevail , 't is enough to encourage his attempts . secondly , but errour is a sin of an encreasing nature , and usually stops not at one or two falshoods , but is apt to spawn into many others , ( as some of the most noxious creatures have the most numerous broods : ) for one errour hath this mischievous danger in it , that it taints the mind to an instability in every truth ; and the bond of stedfastness being once broken , a man hath no certainty where he shall stay : as a wanton horse once turned loose , may wander far . this hazard is made a serious warning against errour , pet. . . beware lest ye being led away with the errour of the wicked , fall from your own steadfastness . one errour admitted , makes the heart unsteady ; and besides this inconvenience , errour doth unavoidably branch it self naturally into many more , as inferences and conclusions resulting from it , as circles in water multiply themselves ; grant but one absurdity and many will follow upon it , so that 't is a miracle to find a single errour . these locusts go forth by bonds , as the experience of all ages doth testify , and besides the immediate consequences of an errour , which receive life and being together with it self , as twins of the same birth . we may observe a tendancy in errours , to others that are more remote , and by the long stretch of multiplyed inferences , those things are coupled together that are not very contiguous . if the lutherans ( 't is * dr. prideaux his observation ) admit vniversal grace , the huberians introduce vniversal election , the puccians natural faith , the naturalists explode christ and scriptures at last as unnecessary : this is then a fair mark for the devil to aim at , if he prevails for one errour , 't is an hundred to one but he prevails for more . thirdly , satan hath yet a further reach in promoting errour , he knows 't is a plague that usually infects all round about , and therefore doth he the rather labour in this work , because he hopes thereby to corrupt others , and infected persons are commonly the most busie agents ( even to the compassing of sea and land ) to gain prosilytes to their false perswasions . this harvest of satan's labour , is often noted in scripture , they shall deceive many , matth. . . many shall follow their pernicious ways , pet. . . how quickly had this leaven spread it self in the church of galatia , even to paul's wonder ? gal. . . i marvel , that you are so soon removed from him , that called you into the grace of christ , into another gospel . instances of the spreading of errour are frequent . pelagianism rose about the year , but presently spread it self in palestine , africa , greece , italy , sicily , france , and britain . arrianism , like fire in straw , in a little time brought its flame over the christian world , and left her wondring at her self , that she was so suddenly become arrian . socinianism had the like prevalency , laelius privately had sowed the seeds , and after his death faustus socinus his nephew did so bestir himself , that within ten years ( after his confident appearing ) whole congregations in sarmatia submitted themselves to his dictates , as calovius affirms , and within twenty or thirty years more several hundreds of churches in transilvania were infected , and within a few years more , the whole synod was brought over to subscribe to socinianism . we have also instances nearer home , after the reformation , in the raign of edward the sixth , how soon did popery return in its full strength when queen mary came to the crown ? which occasioned peter martyr ( when he saw young students flocking to mass ) to say , that the tolling of the bell overturned all his doctrine at oxford . and of late we have had the sad experience of the power of errour to infect , no errour so absurd , ridiculous , or blasphemous , but ( once broached ) it presently gained considerable numbers to entertain it . fourthly , errour is also eminently serviceable to satan for the bringing in divisions , schisms , rents , hatreds , heart-burnings , animofities , revilings , contentions , tumults , wars , and whatsoever bitter fruits , breach of love , and the malignity of hatred can possibly produce . enough of this might be seen in the church of corinth , the divisions that were amongst themselves were occasioned by it , and a great number of evils the apostle suspected to have been already produc'd from thence , as debates , envyings , wraths , strifes , back-bitings , whisperings , swellings , tumults , cor. . . he himself escaped not from being evilly intreated , by those among them that were turned from the simplicity of the gospel : the quarrelsome exceptions that they had raised against him , he takes notice of : they charged him with levity , in neglecting his promise to come to them , cor. . . they called him carnal , one that walked according to the flesh , chap. . . they taunted him as a contemptible fellow , ver . . they undervalued his ministry , which occasioned ( not without great apology ) a commendation of himself ; nay , they seemed to call him a false apostle , and were so bold as to challenge him for a proof of christ speaking in him , cor. . . if the devil had so much advantage from errour that was but in the bud , and that in one church only ; what may we imagine hath he done by it , when it broke out to an open flame in several churches ? what work do we see in families when an errour creeps in among them ? the father riseth up against the son , the son against the father , the mother against the daughter , the daughter against the mother : what sad divided congregations have we seen ? what fierceness , prejudices , slanders , evil-surmises , censurings , and divisions hath this brought forth ? what bandying of parties against parties , church against church , hath been produced by this engine ? how sadly hath this poor island felt the smart of it , the bitter contests that have been betwixt presbyterian and independent , betwixt them and the episcopal ? makes them look more like factious combinations , than churches of christ . the present differences betwixt conformists and nonconformists ( if we take them , where they are lowest ) they do daily produce such effects , as must needs be very pleasing and grateful to the devil , both parties mutually objecting schism , and charging each other with crime and folly ; what invectives and railings may be heard in all companies ? as if they had been at the greatest distances in point of doctrine . but whosoever loseth , to be sure the devil gains by it . hatreds , strife , variance , emulations , lyings , railings , scorn and contempt , are all against the known duty of brotherly kindness , and are undoubted provocations against the god of love and peace : what can we then think of that can be so useful to satan as errour , when these abovementioned evils are the inseparable products of it ? the modestest errours that ever were among good men are still accompanied with something of these bitter fruits . the differences about meats and days ( when managed with the greatest moderation ) made the strong to despise the weak , as silly , wilful , factious humorists ; and on the contrary , the weak judged the strong , as prophane , careless , and bold despisers of divine institutions , for so much the apostle implyes , rom. . . let not him that eateth , despise him that eateth not ; and let not him which eateth not , judge him that eateth . but should we trace errour thorow the ruines of churches , and view the slaughters and bloodshed that it hath occasioned ; or consider the wars and desolations that it hath brought forth , we might heap up matter fit for tears and lamentations , and make you cease to wonder that satan should so much concern himself to promote it . fifthly , the greatest and most successful stratagem for the hindering a reformation , is that of raising up an army of errours . reformation of abuses , and corruptions in worship or doctrine , ( we may well suppose ) the devil will withstand with his utmost might and policy , because it endeavours to pull that down which cost him so much labour and time to set up , and so crosseth his end . they who are called out by god to jeopard their lives in the high places of the field , undertake an hard task in endeavouring to check the power of the mighty , whose interest it is to maintain those defilements , which their policy hath introduced , to fix them in the possession of that grandeur and command which so highly gratifies their humours , and self-seeking aspiring minds : but satan knowing the strength of that power , which hath raised them up to oppose , with spiritual resolution , the current of prevailing iniquity , usually provides himself with this reserve , and comes upon their backs with a party of deluded erronious men raised up from among themselves , and by this means he hopes either to discourage the undertakers for reformation , by the difficulty of their work ( which must needs drive on heavily , when they that should assist prove hinderers , ) or at least to straiten and limit the success : for by this means ( . ) he divides the party , and so weakens their hands . ( . ) he strengthens their enemies , who not only gather heart from these divisions ( seeing them so fair a prognostick of their ruine , ) but also improve them , by retorting them as an argument , that they are all out of the way of truth . ( . ) the erroneous party in the rear of the reformers , do more gall them with their arrows ( even bitter words of cursed reviling , ) and more hazard them with their swords and spears of opposition , than their adversaries in the front against whom they went forth . in the mean while , they that stand up for truth , are as corn betwixt two milstones ; oppressed with a double conflict , beset before and behind . this hath been satan's method in all ages . and indeed policy it self could not contrive any thing that would more certainly obstruct reformation than this . when the apostles ( who in these last days were first sent forth ) were imployed to reform the world , to throw down the ceremonies of the old testament , and heathen worship , satan had presently raised up men of corrupt minds to hinder their progress ; what work these made for paul at corinth , and with the galatians , the epistles to those churches do testify . the business of these men was to draw disciples after them from the simplicity of the gospel , nay to another gospel ; and this they could not do but by setting up themselves , boasting of the spirit , carrying themselves as the apostles of christ , and contemning those that were really so , insinuating thereby into the affections of the seduced , as if they zealously affected them , and that paul was but weak and contemptible , nay their very enemy for telling them the truth . what unspeakable hindrance must this be to paul ? what grief of heart ? what fear and jealousie must this produce ? he professeth he was affraid lest he had bestowed upon them labour in vain , gal. . . and that he did no less than travel of them in birth the second time ; vers . . if one alexander could do paul so much evil , by withstanding his words , that he complains of him , and cautions timothy against him . if one diotrephes , by prating against john with malicious words , prevailed with the church , that they received not him , nor the brethren ; what hurt might a multitude of such be able to do ? in the primitive times of the church , after the apostles days ; when those worthies were to contest with the heathen world , the serpent cast out of his mouth water , as a flood , after the woman : ( which most interpret to be a deluge of heresies : and some particularly understand it of the arrian heresie ) that he might hinder the progress of the gospel . which design of his did so take , that many complaints there were , of hindring the conversion of the heathens , by the errours that were among christians . epiphanius tells us , that pagans refused to come near the christians , and would not so much as hear them speak , being affrighted by the wicked practices and wayes of the priscilianists . austin complains to the same purpose , that loose , and lascivious hereticks administred matter of blaspheming to the idolatrous heathens . in after-times , when religion grew so corrupt by popery , that god extraordinarily raised up luther , calvin , and others in the fifteenth , and sixteenth centuries ; to discover those abominations , and to bring back his people from babylon . the devil gave them no small trouble by a growth of errours , so that they were forced to fight against the papists before , and those philistines behind ; insomuch , that reformation attained not that height and universality , which might rationally have been expected from such blessed undertakings . this was the conjecture of many , particularly of our country-man , dr. prideaux , that if these fanatick enthusiasts ( which with so great a scandal to the gospel then brake forth ) had not retarded and hindred those glorious proceedings ; that apocalyptical beast of rome , had been not only weakned and wounded , but utterly overthrown and slain . in particular cities , where any of the faithful servants of christ endeavoured to detect the errours of popery , these instruments of satan were ready to joyn with the common adversary in reproaches and disturbances : how they opposed musculus at augusta ; and with what fierceness they called him viper , false prophet , woolf in sheeps cloathing , &c. you may see in those that write his life . how these men hindred the gospel at limburg , against junius ; at zurich , against zuinglius ; at ausburg , against vrbanus regius ; you may also see in their lives . in all which , and others of like nature , you will still find , ( ) that there was never a reformation begun , but there were erroneous persons to hinder and distract the reformers . ( ) that these men expressed as great hatred against the reformers , and oftentimes more , than against the papists : and were as spitefully bitter in lies , slanders , and scorns against them , as the papists themselves . sixthly , satan can also make use of errour , either to fix men in their present mistaken wayes , and careless course ; or as a temptation to atheism ; varieties or opinions and doctrines , do amuse , and amaze men ; while one cryes , lo here is christ , and another , lo he is there . men are so confounded , that they do not know what to chuse . 't is one of the greatest difficulties to single out truth , from a croud of specious confident pretences ; especially , seeing truth is modest , and oftentimes out-noised by clamorous bold errour : yea , sometimes out vyed by the pretensions of spirit , and revelation , in an antiscriptural falshood . at what a loss is an unskilful travellour , where so many wayes meet ? while one party cries up this , another that , mutually charging one another with errour . they , whose hearts are any thing loosened from a sence and reverence of religion , are easily tempted to disbelieve all . thus errour leads to atheisme , and layes the foundation for all those slanderous exceptions against scripture , by which godless men usually justifie themselves in their religion . now , though all wicked men are not brought to this , because the consciences of some , do so strongly retain the sentiments of a deity , that all satans art can not obliterate those characters ; yet , the consideration of the multitude of errours doth rivet them in the perswasion of the truth , and goodness of that way of religion , wherein they had been educated . papists are hardned by this ; and though they have no reason to boast of their unity among themselves , as they have been often told ; and now of late , by dr. stillingfleet : ( who hath manifested , that their divisions among themselves , are as great , and managed with as great animosity , as any amongst us ; ) yet are their ears so beaten with the objection of sects and schisms elsewhere , that they are generally confirmed to stay where they are . besides , this is a stumbling-block which the devil throws in the way of poor ignorant people ; if they are urged to a serious strictness in religion , they are affrighted from it , by the consideration of sects and parties , and the woful miscarriages of some erronious persons , that at first pretended to strictness ; imagining , that strictness in religion , is an unnecessary dangerous thing ; and that the sober godly christians , are but a company of giddy , unsetled , conceited , precise persons , who will in a little time run themselves into madness and distraction ; or into despair . and thus out of fear of schism or errour , they dare not be religious in good earnest ; but content themselves with drawing near to god with their mouthes , and confessing him with their lips , whilst their hearts are far from him , and in their works they deny him . there is such a propensity in the hearts of men , to be staggered by the multitude and boldness of errours , that the apostle paul expresseth a sence of it , and seems tenderly careful to avoid that blow , ( which he knew satan would readily give through that consideration ) by the apology that he makes for god , in his holy , wise , providential permission of them , cor. . . there must be heresies among you . his intent , is not barely to put them off with this ; that heresies are unavoidable ; but to satisfie them , that there is a necessity of them : and that they are useful , as god's furnace and fan , to purifie and to cleanse , that they which are approved , may be made manifest . the like care he hath , in tim. . , . upon the mention of the errour of hymeneus , and philetus , where he obviateth the offence that might arise , by reason of their apostacy : partly by removing the fears of the upright , in affirming their safety , whatever became of other men , seeing the foundation of god standeth sure : and partly , by declaring it , no more suitable or dishonourable for god to permit the rise of errours in his church , than for great men to have in their houses , not only vessels of gold and silver , but also of wood and of earth ; some to honour , and some to dishonour . by these very apologies , it appears , that satan by this device of errour , designs to shake mens faith , and to drive them from their religion . seventhly , neither can this , that corrupt doctrines bring forth corrupt practices , be of any less weight with satan ; or less engageing , for the pursuit of this design , than any of the fore-mentioned reasons . corrupt doctrines are imbraced as the very truth of god by the deluded ; and one way or other , directly , or consequentially they lead on practice ; and that with the highest security , and confidence ; as if they were very truths indeed . the devil then hath this great advantage by errour ; that if he can but corrupt the minds of men ; especially in the more weighty and fundamental points of religion : then by a great ease , and without any more labour , he hath gained them to the practice of whatsoever these corrupted principles will lead unto . no course can be taken , that with greater expedition and prevalency , can introduce profane debaucheries than this . thus he conquers parties and multitudes , as a victorious general takes cities , and whole countries by surrender : whereas his particular temptations to sin , are but inconsiderable , less successful , picqueerings in comparison : and when he hath once corrupted the understandings of men , he hath by that means , a command over their consciences ; and doth not now urge to evil , in the notion of a devil , or tempter ; but as an angel of light , or rather as an vsurper of divine authority : he requires , he commands these wicked practices , as necessary duties ; or at least , gives a liberty therein , as being harmless allowances . this difference was of old observed in satans management of persecution , and errour ; that in the former , he did compel men to deny christ : but by the latter , he did teach them . that the lives and practices of men , are so concerned by corrupt doctrines , may appear to any , that are but indifferently acquainted with scripture , or history . we are told by the apostle paul , that faith and conscience stand so related to each other , that they live and die together ; and that when the one is shipwracked , the other is drown'd for company . in phil. . . he seems severely harsh against those of the concision , he calls them dogs , beware of dogs ; beware of evil workers . the reason of which expression , ( i apprehend ) lyes not so much in these resemblances , that dogs spoyl the flock , by devouring ; or that they are fawning creatures : or that they are industrious in prosecution of their prey : ( though in all these particulars , false teachers may be compared to dogs ; for they spare not the flock , they compass sea and land , to gain disciples , and they intice them with fair speeches : ) but rather , he intends the similitude , to express the prophane life , and carriage of these seducers ; for dogs are filthy creatures , to a proverb , the dog to his vomit . and common prostitutes , for their uncleanness , were called dogs , in the old testament . so some expound , deut. . . the hire of a whore , or the price of a dog. and we have full and clear descriptions of seducers , from their wicked and abominable practices . . pet. . . they that walk after the flesh , in the lust of uncleanness , and despise government ; presumptuous are they , self-willed , they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities . vers . . having eyes full of adultery , and that cannot cease from sin : an heart exercised with covetous practices ; cursed children . vers . . they allure through the lusts of the flesh , through much wantonness . — jude vers . . there are certain men crept in unawares , who were before of old , ordained to this condemnation ; ungodly men , turning the grace of god into lasciviousness . vers . . these are murtherers , complainers , walking after their own lusts , &c. . tim. . vers . , , , . men shall be lovers of their own selves ; coveteous , boasters , proud , blasphemers , disobedient to parents , vnthankful , vnholy , without natural affection , truce-breakers , false accusers , incontinent , fierce , despisers of those that are good , traitors , heady , high-minded , lovers of pleasures , more than lovers of god : of this sort are they which creep into houses . — all which , do set forth heretical persons as the most scandalous wicked wretches that we shall meet with : grosly filthy in themselves , corrupted in all the duties of their relations , natural , and civil ; defiled in all the ways of their converse with men. neither are these wicked practices issuing from gross errours , to be looked upon as rare , accidental , or extraordinary effects thereof , but as the natural and common fruits of them : for christ makes this to be the very special property and note , whereby false prophets may be discovered . matth. . . ye shall know them by their fruits : do men gather grapes of thornes , or figs of thistles ? &c. these fruits , were not their doctrines , but their lives : ( for to know false prophets by false doctrines is no more , than to know false doctrine by false doctrine . ) if any object , that many false teachers appeared in the shape of seeming holiness , and strictness of life ; they may be answered , from christ's own words : for there he tells us , ( to avoid mistakes ) that their first appearance , ( and it may be the whole lives of some of the first seeds-men of any errour ) is under the form of sanctity : they come to you in sheeps-cloathing ; in an outward appearance of innocency , and plausible pretences : but then he adds , that their fruits afterward will discover them . a tree at its first planting , is not discovered what it is ; but give it time to grow to its proper fruitfulness , and then you may know of what kind it is : so that we need not affirm , that damnable doctrines produce wicked lives in all that entertain them at the very first ; 't is enough for discovery , if there be a natural , consequential tendency in such doctrines , to practical impieties ; or that at last , they produce them , though not in all , yet in many . and that this matter hath been always found to be so , all history doth confirm . such there were in the apostles dayes , as is evident , by their complaints . such there were in the church of pergamos , rev. . . thou hast them that hold the doctrine of balaam ; who taught balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of israel ; to eat things sacrificed unto idols , and to commit fornication . there were also , the nicolaitans , of whom christ declares his abhorrency . vers . . in the church of thyatira , there was the woman jezebel , who taught and seduced many of that church , to the like abominable doctrines and practices . vers . . besides these , the apostle john was troubled with the abominable gnosticks . the filthy carpocratians , who taught , that men must sin , and do the will of all the devils , or else they could not evade principalities and powers ; who would no otherwise be pleased to suffer them to escape to the superiour heavens . of these men , and their licencious doctrine doth he speak , john. . . &c. that they that are born of god indeed , must not , dare not , cannot give themselves up to a liberty in such abominations . the same fruits of corrupt doctrine appeared after the apostles dayes . what was montanus but an impure wretch ? what were his two companion prophetesses , priscilla , and maximilla , but infamous adulteresses ? the priscillianists , the manichees , and abundance more , left the stink of their prophaneness behind them ; by reason of whom , ( according to peters prophesie , pet. . . ) the way of truth was evil spoken of . later times have also given in full evidence of this truth . how shameful and abominable were the lives of john of leyden , and the rest of those german enthusiasts ? who reads the story of hacket , and coppinger , without detestation of their wicked practices ? what better have the familists , and libertines of new and old england been ? some were turned off to highest ranting , in all prophaneness of swearing , drinking , adultery , and the defying of a godly life : and this , under the unreasonable boast of spirit and perfection . the heavens may blush , and the earth be astonished at these things ! but in the mean time , satan huggs himself in his success ; and encourageth himself to further attempts in propagating errour , seeing it brings in so great an harvest of sin. eighthly , in this design of false-doctrine , satan is never altogether out : if he cannot thus defile their lives , yet 't is a thousand to one , but he obstructs their graces by it . what greater hinderance can there be to conversion , than errour ? the word of truth is the means by which god , through his spirit , doth beget us ; 't is part of that image of god that is implanted in us : 't is god's voice to the soul , to awaken it . it cannot then be imagined that god will give the honour of that work to any errour : neither can truth take place , or have its effect upon a soul fore-stalled with a contrary falshood . falshood in possession , will keep truth at the door . neither is conversion only hindred , by such errours as directly contradict converting truths ; but also by collateral non-fundamental errours . as they fill the minds of men with prejudice against those that profess another perswasion ; so that for their own beloved errours-sake , men will not entertain a warning , or conviction from those that dissent from their opinions : they first account them enemies , and then they despise their message . 't is no small matter in satans way , to have such an obstruction at hand , in the grand concern of conversion . yet this is further serviceable to him , to hinder , or weaken the graces of the converted already : if he can set god's children a madding upon errour , or make them fond of novelties ; he will by this means exhaust the vigour and strength of their hearts ; so that the substantials of religion will be neglected . for as hurtful plants engross all the moisture and fatness of the earth where they stand , and impoverish it into an inability , for the nourishment of those that are of greater worth : so doth errour possess it self of the strength of the spirit ; and in the mean time , neglected graces dwindle into emptiness , and fade as a leaf . the most curious questions and opinions that are , contribute nothing to the establishment of the heart ; 't is only grace that doth that . heb. . . the heart is established with grace , and not with disputes about meats : nay , they do grace a prejudice , in that they make it sick and languishing : for to that sence is the original , in tim. . . doting about questions , or growing diseased , because of the earnest prosecution of opinions . ninthly , errour hath yet another mischief in it , which makes it not a little desirable to satan ; and that is the judgment , or punishment that it brings . so that it every way answers the devils hatred against both soul and body . the blessings of prosperity and peace do attend the triumphal chariot of truth . psal . . , . truth shall spring out of the earth , and righteousness shall look down from heaven . and then it follows , that the lord shall give that which is good , and our land shall yield her increase . but on the contrary , errour doth more provoke god than men are aware . how often did god desolate the israelites , set a fire in their cities , and gave them into the hands of their enemies , because of their changing the truth of god into a lye ; and worshipping and serving the creature more than the creator ? god left not the church of pergamos , and thyatira without severe threatnings for the errour of the nicolaitans . rev. . . repent , or else i will come unto thee quickly . vers . . i will cast them into great tribulation , except they repent of their deeds , and i will kill her children with death . and accordingly , god fulfilled his threatning upon them , by bringing in the saracens to desolate them , and to possess their land : as he also brought the goths upon the empire , for the arrian heresie . how is satan pleased to labour in a design that will kindle the wrath of the almighty ? chap. ii. of the advantages which satan hath , and useth , for the introduction of errour . as , ( . ) from his own power of spiritual fascination . that there is such a power , proved from scripture , and from the effects of it . ( . ) from our imperfection of knowledge ; the particulars thereof explained . ( . ) from the byass of the mind . vvhat things do byas it ; and the power of them to sway the understanding . ( . ) from curiosity . ( . ) from atheistical debauchery of conscience . that satan may the better speed in his design , he carefully takes notice of , and diligently improves all advantages . indeed all his stratagems are advantages taken against us , ( for so the apostle in his caution to the corinthians calls his devices , lest satan should get an advantage of us , cor. . . ) but here , i only understand those that are more general , which are the grounds and encouragements to his particular machinations against men , and which also direct him in his procedure . these are first , satan's own power of spiritual fascination , by which he infatuates the minds of men , and deludes them , as the external senses are deceived by inchantments or witchcraft . that satan is a cunning sophister , and can put fallacies upon the understanding ; that by subtile objections or arguments he can obtrude a falshood upon the belief of the unskilful and unwary ; that he can betray the judgment by the affections , are things of common practice with him . but that which i am now to speak of , is of an higher nature , and though it may ( probably ) take in much of his common method of ordinary delusion , yet in this it differs , ( at least ) that 't is more efficacious and prevalent ; for as his power over the children of disobedience is so great that he can lead them captive at his will , ( except when he is countermanded by the almighty , ) so hath he ( by special commission ) a power to lead those to errour effectually , ( without missing his end ) that have prepared themselves for that spiritual judgment by a special provocation ; and for ought we know , as he hath an extraordinary power which he exerts at such times , so may he have an extraordinary method which he is not permitted to practise daily , nor upon all . that such a power as this the devil hath , is believed by those , whose learning and experience have made their judgments of great value with serious men ; and thus some do describe it , 't is a delusion with a kind of magical inchantment ; so calvin : a satanical operation whereby the senses of men are deluded ; thus perkins : who after he had asserted that satan can corrupt the fantasy or imagination , he compares this spiritual witchcraft to such diseases of melancholy , that make men believe that they are , or do , what they are not or do not , ( as in the disease called lycanthropia : ) and to the inchantments of jannes and jambres , who deluded the senses of pharaoh . others more fully call it , a more vehement operation of the great impostor , whereby he obtrudes some noxious errour upon the mind , and perswades with such efficacy , that it is embraced with confidence , defended strenuously , and propagated zealously . a particular account of the way and manner by which the devil doth this , is a task beyond sober enquiry ; it may suffice us to know that such power he hath , and this i shall confirm from scripture , and from the effects of such delusion . first , there are several scriptures which assert a power in satan to bewitch the minds of men into errour , from which i shall draw such notes as may confirm , and in part explain this truth in hand . and i shall begin with that of gal. . . o foolish galatians , who hath bewitched you , that you should not obey the truth , &c. the word which the apostle here useth for bewitching , ( as ( grammarians and criticks note ) is borrowed from the practice of witches and sorcerers , who use by secret powers to bind the senses , and to effect mischiefs . 't is true he speaks of false apostles , but he intends satan as the chief workman ; and this he transfers to signify satan's power upon the mind , in blinding the understanding for the entertainment of errour . neither can any thing be objected why this place should not prove a fascinating power in satan ( such as we have been speaking of ) but this , that it may be supposed to intend no more than an ordinary powerful perswasion by arguments : yet this may be answered , not only from the authority of learned interpreters , who apprehend the apostle and his expression to intend more , but also from some concomitant particulars in the text. he calls them foolish galatians , as we translate it , but the original goes a little higher , to signify a madness ; and withall , he seems to be surprized with wonder at the power of satan upon them , which had not only prevailed against the truth , but against such evident manifestations of it as they had , when they were so plainly , fully and efficaciously instructed ; for before their eyes jesus christ had been evidently set forth : which expressions and carriage cannot rationally be thought to befit a common ordinary case . next to this , let us a little consider that famous scripture , in thess . . , , . whose coming is after the working of satan , with all power — and for this cause , god shall send them strong delusions , that they should believe a lye — . i shall from this place observe a few things , which if put together , will clear the truth we speak of : as first , in this delusion here mentioned , the apostle doth not only set down extraordinary outward means , ( as signs , and lying wonders ) but also suits these extraordinary means with a sutable concomitant inward power ; for , by power i do not understand ( as some ) a power of shewing signs , and doing wonders , as if the apostle had said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , with the power of signs and wonders , for the words will not well bear that without some unnatural straining : but i understand by it , a power distinct from the signs and wonders by which he moves their hearts to believe , by an inward working upon their minds , striking in with the outward means of lying miracles propounded to their senses . and we may the better satisfy our selves in this interpretation , if we compare it with rom. . . where not only the power of doing wonders is expressed by a phrase , proper and different from this of the text in hand , through mighty signs and wonders , or in the power of signs and wonders , but it is also clearly distinguished from the power of the spirit of god in working upon the hearts to make those wonders efficacious and perswasive ; so that , as in the spirit of god we observe a power to do wonders , and a power to work upon the heart by these wonders , we may conclude that this wicked spirit hath also ( in order to sin and delusion ) this twofold power . but secondly , i note further , that this power is called a special energy of peculiar force and efficacy in its working , the strange inexpressible strength of it seems to stand in need of many words for explanation : he calls it all power ( which as well notes the degree and height , as the variety of its operations , ) and then the energy , the virtue , operativeness and strength of power . thirdly , 't is also to be observed that satan's success and exercise of this power of delusion depends upon the commission of god , and that therefore 't is extraordinary , and not permitted to him but upon special occasions and provocation , for this cause god shall send , &c. fourthly , the success of this power when exercised , is certain . they are not only strong delusions in regard of the power from whence they come , but also in regard of the event , those upon whom they come cannot but believe . infatuation and pertinaciousness are the certain fruits of it . fifthly , the proof of all is manifest in the quality of the errours entertained , for they are palpable gross lyes , and yet believed as the very truths of god , and they are in such weighty points as do evidently determine the soul to ruine , lies to be damned , which two things are sufficient proofs of spiritual fascination . it being unimaginable that rational men ( and especially such as were instructed to a belief of a contrary truth ) should so far degenerate from the light of reason , as to be deluded by gross and apparent lyes , and of such high importance , except their minds had been blinded in some extraordinary way . some further confirmation may be added to this truth from king. . . and there came forth a spirit and stood before the lord , and said , i will perswade him — i will go forth , and i will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets , and he said , thou shalt perswade him , and prevail also . i might here take notice of satan's readiness in this work , as wanting neither skill nor will , if he were but always furnished with a commission ; as also the powerful efficacy of spiritual witchcraft , where it pleaseth the lord to permit to satan the exercise of his power , thou shalt perswade , and prevail also . but that which i would observe here , is something relating to the manner of his proceeding in these delusions : he attempted to deceive the false prophets , and by them to delude ahab ; and both , by being a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets : which necessarily , ( as peter martyr observes ) implies , ( ) that satan had a power so strongly to fix upon their imaginary faculty , the species , images , or characters of what was to be suggested , that he could not only make them apprehend , what he presented to their minds ; but also , make them believe , that it was a divine inspiration , and consequently true : for these false prophets did not speak hypocritically , what they knew to be false , but what they confidently apprehended to be true ; as appears by the whole story . ( ) he could irritate , and inflame their desire to publish these their perswasions to the king , after the manner of divine prophecies . ( ) he had a further power of perswading ahab , that his prophets spake truth . that passage of rom. . . god gave them over to a reprobate mind , — doth give some account how men are brought by the devil into these false perswasions . a reprobate mind , is a mind injudicious ; a mind that hath lost its power of discerning . 't is plain then , that he can so besot and blind the mind , that it shall not be startled at things of greatest absurdity , or inconveniency . if any yet further enquire , how he can do these things ? we must answer , that his particular ways and methods , in this case , we know not ; only it may be added , that ephes . . . paul tell us , he can make their minds vain , and darken their understandings . by mind , the seat of principles is commonly understood . by understanding , the reasoning , or discursive faculty , which is the seat of conclusions : so that his power seems to extend to the obliterating of principles ; and can also disable them to make right inferences : insomuch , that he wants nothing , that may be necessary to the begetting of strong perswasions of any falshood , which he suggests ; according to what is intimated , gal. . . this perswasion cometh not of him that called you : that is , not of god , but of the devil . from all these scriptures , then it appears , that this spiritual fascination , is a power in satan which he exerts , by special commission , upon those that receive not the truth in the love of it , by which be can so strongly imprint falshoods upon their minds , that they become unable to discern betwixt truth , and a lye ; and so by darkning their vnderstanding , they are effectually perswaded to believe an errour . secondly , there is yet another proof of this spiritual witchcraft , from the consideration of the effects of it upon the deluded : and the uncouth , strange unnatural way of its proceeding . let all particulars of this kind be put together , and it will not be found possible to give any other rational accompt of some errours , than that of extraordinary delusion . first , let us take notice of the vileness and odiousness of some errours that have prevailed upon men ; some have been plainly sottish ; so evidently foolish , that it cannot be imagined , that men that entertained them , had at that time the use of reason , or any competent understanding . this very consideration , the prophet isaiah insists upon largely , chap. . from vers . . to vers . . where he taxeth them smartly , for the senceless doltishness of their errour , in worshiping idols : he tells them , the matter of it is the work of nature ; a cedar , oak , or ash , that they themselves ( possibly ) had planted , and the rain did nourish it . vers . . he tells them also , that the form of it , was from the art of the workman , the smith , or carpenter . vers . , . the smith with the tongs , both worketh in the coals , and fashioneth it with hammers , and worketh it with the strength of his arms. — the carpenter stretcheth out his rule , he marketh it out with a line , he fitteth it with planes , and he marketh it out with a compass . — he further minds them , that without any reverence , they make use of the residue of the materials ; out of which , they formed their idol to common services of dressing their meat , and warming themselves ; he burneth part thereof in the fire , with part thereof he eateth flesh , he roasteth roast , and is satisfied ; yea , warmeth himself , and saith , aha , i am warm , i have seen the fire . vers . . then he accuseth them of sottishness ; in that , the residue thereof he maketh a god , even his graven image , he falleth down to it , and worshipeth it , and prayeth unto it , and saith , deliver me , for thou art my god , vers . . and from all this he concludes , that seeing this is so directly contrary to common reason and understanding , ( which . in the ordinary exercise of it , would easily have freed them from such a dotage : for if they had but knowledge or understanding to say , i have burnt part of it in the fire ; i have baked bread , and shall i make the residue an abomination ? — vers . . they could not have been so foolish , ) it must then , of necessity , be a spiritual infatuation . their eyes were shut that they cannot see , and their hearts , that they cannot understand — vers . . a deceived heart hath turned him aside — vers . . other errours there are , that lead to beastly , and unnatural villanies ; such as directly cross all the sober principles of man-kind , the natural principles of modesty , the most general and undoubted principles of religion , and holiness . as when adulteries , swearing , ranting , going naked , cruelties , murthers , outragious confusions , and madness , are cloathed with pretences of spirit , revelation , freedom in the use of the creature , exercise of love , and having all things common , &c. ( of which , sad instances have been given more than once . ) let any sober man consider , how it could come to pass , that men that have reason enough to defend them against such furies , and the knowledge of scripture , which every-where ( with the greatest happiness imaginable , and highest earnestness ) doth prohibit such practices as most abominable , and doth direct to a sober , just , modest , humble , inoffensive life , should entertain notwithstanding , such errours , as transform men into beasts , monsters , or rather devils ; and religion , into the grossest impieties : and all this , as the perfection and top of religious attainment , commanded in the word of god , or by his spirit ; and well-pleasing to most holy and pure divine majesty ? let it ( i say ) be left to the consideration of men , how it should be , without some such extraordinary cause as hath been mentioned ? secondly , let it be observed also , that some errours bring with them some extraordinary , strange , unnatural , unusual actions ; and put men into such odd garbs , postures , and behaviours , that it is easie to see , they are acted by a force , or power , not humane . some have been carried to do things , beyond whatsoever might have been expected from the age and capacities of the parties ; as extasies , trances , and quakings of little children ; their prophesying , and speaking scripture-threatnings after such fits . some have been acted in a way of extatical fury ; as * montanus , of whom eusebius witnesseth : that sometimes he would be seized upon , by a kind of malignant spirit , and would suddenly-break forth into a rage and madness ; and presently utter rash and bold speeches , strange unusual voices , with prophesyings ; insomuch , that he was judged by those that saw him , to be acted by the devil . others have been as in a more sober spiritual rapture : an instance whereof i shall give you from mr. baxter in these words ; i have heard from an ancient godly man , that knew arthington , and coppinger ; that they were possessed with the spirit of the grundletonians . the same man affirmed , that he went but once among them himself , and after prayer , they breathed on him , as giving him the holy ghost ; and he was so strangely transported for three days , that he was not the same man ; and his family wondred what was the matter with him : he had no confession of sin , but an elevated strain in prayer , as if he had been in strange raptures : and after three days he was as before , and came no more at them . some have been carried into childish , and ridiculous actions ; such was the behaviour of jo. gilpin , in his delusion at kendal in westmerland ; as his going to the fidlers house , playing upon a base viol , in token of spiritual melody ; his creeping up the streets upon hands and knees , in token of bearing his cross ; his making marks on the ground , and beating it , as his mortification of sin : and a great many more things of like nature . such things as these , are as spiritual marks and characters engraven upon errours , by which a diabolical power , moving and acting such deluded creatures , ( like so many puppits ) is evidently discovered . thirdly , when we see not only idiots , and those whose defect of understanding , might put them under the power of an ordinary cheat , thus imposed upon ; but men , otherwise intelligent , rational , and serious , blinded with follies , taken with apparent dotages , admiring trifles , and carried away with things , which common reason would teach them to abhor : 't is more than suspicious , that 't is not any probability of truth , or excellency in the errour , that prevails with them : but , a spiritual power that doth bewitch them . when we consider , that such a learned man as tertullian begins to admire such a wretch as montanus ; or such an one as arthington , led away with hacket and coppinger , or such a man as kneperdollin , seduced by john of leyden ; and especially , such numbers of wise , and seemingly sober and religious persons going down the stream , after irrational and plainly irreligious errours ; what else can be apprehended to be the cause , but a powerful satanical delusion ? fourthly , add we to these , the consideration of the suddenness of the prevalency of such errours , against plain and evident truths , ( which is a circumstance taken notice of by the apostle . gal. . . i marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of christ , unto another gospel . ) in which case we may observe , it usually falls out , that mens affections prevent their discoveries , at the first view they are taken , before they understand what the errour is ; and they are perswaded before they know . fifthly and lastly , that the earnestness of the prosecution , by which they maintain , and propagate the errour , is a kind of unnatural fury , which hurries men with violence into an unyielding stifness , to the stifling of all kind of charity , and consideration . these things put together , ( i say ) makes the matter in hand evident ; when men , otherwise rational , are at first touch , highly inamoured with , and violent in the pursuit of errours , that are sottish , or devillish ; we can resolve it into nothing less , than into that of the apostle , who hath bewitched you ? the improvement of this first , and great advantage for the introduction of errours , is more than can be well expressed ; but he hath besides , other advantages which he no way neglects : among which , secondly , our imperfection in knowledge , is none of the least ; if our knowledge had been perfect , it would have been a task too hard for the devil , to make us erroneous ; for men do not err , but so far as they are ignorant : to impose upon men against clear and certain knowledg is impossible . men cannot believe that to be true , which they know to be false . it would be as silly for satan to make such attempts , as for a jugler to endeavour the deception of those , that know and see the ways of his conveiances as well as himself . that our knowledg is imperfect , i shall prove and explain in the following particulars . first , the scripture plainly asserts it , the greatest number of men ( which are in an unregenerate estate ) are expresly called , foolish , blind , ignorant , men that are in darkness , men that do not know , nor consider , that perish through ignorance . others , that ( in comparison to these ) are called children of the light ; and such as see with open face , are notwithstanding ( when compared to a state of perfection ) represented to be in the non-age of their knowledg , unripe , imperfect ; the apostle doth so express it , cor. . . we know in part , we prophesie in part . in the explanation of this , he compares our attainments in this world , to the understanding , thoughts , and speakings of children , v. . concludes v. . that all our knowledg , gives us but a dark imperfect reflection of things ; we see through a glass darkly . secondly , men that have had the clearest heads , and have been at the greatest pains in their enquiries to find out truths , have brought back the clear conviction of their own ignorance . austin confesseth , that in the scriptures , ( which he made his chief study ) the things which he knew not , were more than the things he understood . chytraeus , in humble modesty goes a little further , my dearest knowledg ( saith he ) is to know , that i know nothing : and it will be a clear demonstration of that mans ignorance , that boasts of his knowledg ; his own mouth will prove against him , that he knows nothing as he ought to know . thirdly , the consideration of the nature of the things , which are the objects upon which we employ our search , will sufficiently convince us , that we do comprehend but very little . for though the scripture hath expressed the main concerns of eternal life so fully , that they are as clear as light , and need no such stretch of the brain , but that the meanest capacities may as certainly understand them , as they understood any thing of common business ; as , that christ dyed for sinners ; that without faith it is impossible to please god ; that without holyness no man shall see his face , &c. yet , ( as peter speaks , pet. . . ) there are many things that are hard to be understood ; there are difficulties , depths , and mysteries . some things ( whereof we have but dark touches in scripture ; though enough to let us know , that such things there are ; and to humble us for our ignorance ) are , in their own nature , sublime , bounded on all sides with rocks , and praecipices , where our near and bold approaches are prohibited : such are those things , that concern the decrees of god , the trinity , &c. other things are dark and uncertain to us , from their very proximity to us ( as some are pleased to fancy the reason ; ) such are the nature , faculties , and workings of our own souls within us : which we cannot directly see , ( as the eyes sees not it self ) and do but as it were guess by dark reflections . some things in scripture are accidentally obscure to us , that were plain to those that heard them first , to whom they were spoken , and written : for now , to the understanding of a great many passages , there is necessary the knowledg of the tongues , in which they were dictated , of the histories of those times to which they severally related ; as also , of the particular customs of the jewish nation , which gave a mold and form to a great many scripture assertions : all which are easie , and familiar to those that knew the exact propriety of such languages , were acquainted throughly with such histories customs , usages , and manner of speakings : and besides all these , the application of general rules , to particular cases , ( where a little circumstance may make a great alteration , ) is full of puzzle and intricacy . insomuch , that some have thought , that there are several cases of conscience , that are not yet fully determined , and that are like so to remain . fourthly , neither is the nature of knowledg it self , without an argument to prove , the insufficiency of our knowledg ; to know , is properly to understand things by their causes ; or at least , by their effects : and to make a right result of particulars from a general maxim. such a kind of knowledg , is necessary in religion ; for setting aside , some particulars of mysterious height , ( about which , god hath set bounds , lest men in presumptuous boldness should adventure to break through unto the lord to gaze . ) and some things which are the principles of nature , or their next results , ( which are upon that score , beyond all need of enquiry , ) in all which , 't is enough to believe , that what the scripture saith is true , without asking a further account : yet in other things , the scripture gives us the grounds , reasons , and proofs of what it declares , or asserts ; as may appear by infinite examples : so that to know christ dyed , or that we are justified by faith , or that christ shall come to judgment ; without a knowledge of the grounds , and reasons of these things , is indeed but gross ignorance . the like may be said , of the knowledg of general precepts , without the knowledg of their necessary application . but how few are there that do thus know ? the greatest part of men satisfie themselves with the bare affirmations of scripture , and they resolve all into this , that the word of god saith so : or , that it is the will of god it should be so , without further enquiry . and as for others , though they may know the reasons of many things , yet are there a vast number of particulars , whose reasons we know not , though the scripture may contain them : and as for consequences , and the application of general rules , their just limitation , and the enumeration of the cases wherein they are true , or false : it is that that keeps the wits of men upon the rack perpetually . fifthly , the unsuitableness of our capacities , to those objects of words , we have but a mole-hill of substantial matter . nay , seeing we make but a sorry shift , at best , by these artifices to come to some rude conceptions of things , which otherwise we cannot in any tolerable manner comprehend ; it is as great a proof of our imperfection in knowledg , as the necessary use of staves and crutches is an evidence of lameness . if i should pass from this , to the consideration of the multitude ( beyond all number ) of books that are written , we shall find them but so many proclamations of our ignorance ; for if we could believe them all to contain so many wholsome precepts of necessary truth ( which yet we cannot rationally imagin ) this would imply , that the greatest part wanted these informations ; and that common ignorance is not only a general distemper , but also a distemper hard to be cured , that stands in need of such multitudes of instructors , and such varieties of helps . but if we believe , that among this infinite number of volumes there are thousands of lyes , millions of unproved conjectures , millions of millions of idle unprofitable fancies ; then do we in express terms pronounce them guilty of ignorance , and of ignorance so much the more dangerous , by how much the more bold it is , to avouch it self in the light , and to obtrude it self upon the belief of others , who instead of being better informed by it , shall but encrease their own blindess : were there nothing to be said but this , that there are such a vast multitude of commentators upon the bible , which do all pretend to expound and explain it , it would of necessity admit of these conclusions . ( ) that the bible hath in it things so dark or at least , our capacities are so dull , that there is need of great endeavours to explain the one , or assist the other . ( ) that the knowledg of men is imperfect : for if all , or most men could certainly interpret the scripture , there needed not so many volumes , but that one , or two might have signified as much , as now whole libraries can do . the imperfection of our knowledg , being thus laid open , 't is easie to see , what advantages the devil may make out of it , for the promoting of errour ; for it must now become our wonder , not that any man errs , but that all do not . we find it easie to impose any thing upon children , 't is an easie matter for a trifle to cheat them out of all they have . surely then satan may do as much by men , who are but children in understanding . the apostle , ephes . . . puts us in mind of this hazard , under that very similitude , that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro , and carried about with every wind of doctrine . how fitly doth he resemble us to children ? their weaknesses are , ( ) want of discerning , they see not the true worth of things . ( ) credulity , they believe all fair speeches , and specious promises ; and the hazard of both these is in this , that it makes them unconstant , uncertain , and fickle ; and such are we made by our ignorance : so little do we truly discern , so apt are we to believe every pretence ( for the simple believes every word , prov. . . ) that as the apostle's metaphors do tell us ) we are easily tossed from one conceit or opinion to another , as a ship is by the waves , or a feather in the wind. thirdly , a third advantage which the devil takes against us in his design of errour , is the byass of the mind ; were our understandings purely free , in a just and even ballance toward all things propounded to its deliberation and assent , ( though it were imperfect in its light ) the danger were the less ; but , now in regard of the bent and sway it is under ; 't is commonly partial , and inclined to one side more than to another , and yet the matter were the less , if only one or two noted things had the power of setting up a false-light before the mind ; but there are many things that are apt to do us this mischief , which have the same effect upon us , that bribes have upon persons interested in judgment , which not only tempts them to do wrong , but so blindes their eyes , that they know not they do so , or at least , not in so great a measure . the mind is byassed . first , naturally to errour , rather than truths ; the corruption of our nature is general , and doth not only dispose the will and affections to practical iniquities , but doth also incline the vnderstanding to errour and misapprehension . and that seems to be the ground of christs assertion against the jews ; jo. . . i am come in my fathers name , and ye receive me not ; if another shall come in his own name , him ye will receive . which implies , that men are naturally more prone to believe an imposter , than one that speaks the most certain and profitable verities : and besides this general inclination to vanities and lyes , there are ( if some think right ) some errours that are formally engraven in the nature of faln man ; as that opinion , to be saved by works . for not only do all men ( that have any apprehensions of a future eternal state ) resolve that question of obtaining salvation into works , as the proper cause , ( and indeed no other could have been imagined , if the scripture had not revealed the redemption by the blood of jesus . ) but the jews in jo. . . ( when they propound that question , what shall we do , that we might work the works of god ? ) take it for granted , that works ( of some kind or other ) are the causes of happiness . possibly some impression of that notion ( while it was a truth , as in the state of innocency it was , ) may yet remain upon our natures , though by the fall , the case is altered with us . secondly , the mind is byassed by bodily temper , and complectional inclination ; the varieties of complections , introduce varieties of humours , and dispositions : and the understanding ( being necessitated to look through these , as so many coloured glasses , ) is apt to judge , ( that is to mis-judge ) according to the mis-representation of objects . thirdly , sometimes habitual acquirements have the same influence upon the understanding , that natural humours have . the arts and sciences we study , our ways of education and imployment , are but so many prejudicate praepossessions that do secretly taint the mind . fourthly , there are also accidental inclinations , which ( though not customary ) have the force of a second nature , because their working is violent and impetuous , and these which are from a wounded conscience , or excesses of melancholy , have a byass more than ordinary ; they lay violent hands upon the understanding , and with a mighty torrent run it down . so that if an errour be offered , that is suitable to such fears , or misapprehensions , it can scarce miss of success . the extraordinary turbulencies of some other passions ; as anger , love , &c. have the like effect . fifthly , vitious habits do so much byass the mind , that the understanding must needs be defiled by them . nothing can more prepare the mind to a wicked errour , than a wicked life . an errour of indulgence ( being so grateful to corruption ) may readily find favour with the understandings of those that know not to do good , because they have accustomed themselves to do evil . sixthly , there are external things that have no less power on the understanding , than any of the fore-going ; and these are custom , education , and interest ; these stick so close , and work so subtily , that though there are few that are not ( in disputable cases ) influenced by them , yet none are able , or willing to take notice , how , and by what steps they do engage them to pass sentence against truth . and indeed , that man must have a singular measure of suspicious watchfulness , and clear integrity , that is not deceived by them . and the best way to keep clear of the mischief that these may do us , is to be severe in our suspitions , on that side to which custom and interest have their tendencies . seventhly , i might note , that there is something considerable to this purpose , in the nature of spirits . some spirits are unfixed , and volatile ; and these are soon altered by their own unsteadiness . others are tenacious and unflexible ; and if such be first set wrong , 't is not an easie thing that will reduce them to truth . others are soft and ductile , perswaded by good words as soon as strong arguments . and again , some are of such a rough , sowre , contradictious temper , that they will sooner chuse to run wrong , than comply with the perswasions of those that offer truth , even for that reason , because they are perswaded to it ; so that the truth which ( if none had minded them ) they of themselves would have embraced , they will now refuse when 't is pressed upon them , out of a cross and thwarting humour , because they hate nothing more than to do as they are bidden . to come a little nearer , let us consider how these things shew their power upon the mind , to sway and incline it . 't is indeed true , that in things that are clearly and strongly propounded to the understanding , it cannot but judg according to the evidence of truth ; and cannot be guided by the will , to judg contrary : nay , the will ( though in things purely speculative , it may retain its averseness ; as also in things practical , while they are considered only , as what may be done , before the understanding hath come up to its final resolve , determining , that such things must , or ought to be done ) cannot but follow the light and information of the understanding , and that according to the proportion of its conviction ; so that though in some cases , a man would have things otherwise than he believes them to be : yet , he cannot believe what he will , neither can he refuse to will what is certainly represented to be good and necessary . notwithstanding all this , the fore-mentioned particulars may so byass the mind , that it shall not act truly and steadily ; as we may see in these three particulars . first , in things clearly demonstrated to the understanding ; though the will cannot directly oppose , nor prevail to have them judged false , yet it can indirectly hinder the procedure of the understanding , and divert it from fixing its consideration upon the truth ; or from working it self into positive determinations , for bringing it into practice . thus , many that cannot but believe there is a god , and that his law is true ; being byassed by their lusts , the power of pleasures , or interest , &c. do prevail upon their understandings , to take up other objects of consideration ; so that they are said to forget god , and to cast his commandments behind their backs : as also , not to remember their latter-end , though they cannot but believe , that they shall dye . truth may be imprisoned , and fettered , where it cannot be slain . we read of holding the truth in vnrighteousness , rom. . . which was this , that those heathens ( of whom the apostle speaks ) by reason of their vitious inclinations and practices ; though they could not obliterate those notices of equity and religion that were imprinted on their minds ; yet , they kept them at under , ( as captives in a dungeon ) and suffered them not to rise up in a just practical improvement . now the wrong that is done to truth this way , is not only , by rendring it unfruitful and useless at present , but hereby the devil hath his advantage in the gaining of time , to gather together more forces against that truth ; and by frequent onsets of contrary arguings ; ( especially upon the advantage of the minds indifferency , and remissness , begot by long and often diversions , ) to set another face upon it , and by degrees to over-turn former perswasions . this was the very case of the heathens , in the place last cited ; who being first swayed by their impieties , became unwilling to give way to those dictates of light and justice which they had ; and having thus gratified their lusts , the devil further prevailing with them , to find evasions from the power of those truths , they began to make unsuitable inferences from these premises , which they could not deny , and so became sottish and vain in their reasonings , changing the glory of the uncorruptible god , into an image made like unto corruptible man. and by such practices against truth , they at last changed the truth into a lye , vers . . and at long-run obliterated the knowledg of god out of their minds . this is satan's old method of over-turning truth at last , by diverting the mind from receiving the present powerful impressions of those principles . secondly , but in things doubtful , where there is not a clear certainly , what is truth ? but contrary opinions strive with such equal confidence , that 't is difficult to determine which hath the conquest ; there the mind may be so swayed by its byass , that it may give approbation to errour : nay , where upon a fair and indifferent tryal , truth hath the greater appearance of strength ; and errour nothing else , than little shadows or appearances of reason to shelter it self under ; yet , that way may the mind be inclined by the aforesaid things . we have a more easie and facile belief for what we would have , than for what we would not . though there is nothing more noted by common experience than this , that men are usually drawn aside by humours , inclinations , interests , and education , &c. to judg well of that which an unprejudiced person would easily see to be weak , unjust , ridiculous , or unreasonable : yet , how these considerations and tempers do exert their force upon the understanding to draw it into a compliance ; or by what secret art they can heighten probabilities , and lessen objections ; or by what insensible progress they move , that men thus carried do not perceive that they are under such a force , is not so very discernible . how often may we observe , men ( that are rational enough , to discover the pitiful shifts , and poor allegations of others , ) with such gravity and confidence ( where their own interests are concerned ) to offer such low reasonings , and extravagant impertinences , that all that hear them , are ready to laugh at their folly ; and yet they themselves entertain no less than perswasions of the invincibleness of their arguings ? they so eagerly desire what they would establish , that they , think any thing is enough to justifie it ; and are apt to imagine that their shifts and excuses appear as strong to others , as to themselves . i have known some , that by the sway of interest , have changed their opinions in religious matters , and have really become otherwise perswaded , than they had been formerly , ( and not as some , who for advantage will knowingly take up what they cannot believe to be true , ) and have not been able to say , that they have met with new arguments , or new answers to objections ; but , i know not how , arguments , which they had contemned , and laid by for weak , began to look big upon them : the arguments by which their former perswasion was upheld , grew insensibly feeble in their hands ; the one revived , gathered strength , after they had a little cherished them , by thinking there might be something in them , though before they knew all the particulars , and could not instance in any thing which they had not formerly notified and answered ; and the other sort of arguments grew weaker and weaker , till at last they parted with all good conceit of them ; so that such a change was but as the turning of the tables : that which acted behind the curtain , and wrought this change of the fancy , could be no other than some of the forementioned things that byassed their mind ; for where the arguments , pro and con were the same , the alteration of opinion ( where men are not so wicked as to go directly against their own light , ) must of necessity be imputed to the different positions of external things , and the different humours and inclinations begot by them : even as the different stations of men in the prospect of some pictures , represent them variously , one way they give the shape of a beautiful face ; another way , they express the ugly deformity of a devil : or as different reflections of the sun-beams upon the same object , cloath it with several colours . the scripture doth also give us notice of this advantage which the devil takes from the inclinations of men , to lead them into mistakes . that of mic. . . ( if a man walking in the spirit of falshood , do lye , saying , i will prophesie unto thee of wine , and of strong-drink , he shall even be the prophet of this people ) hath this for its foundation , that let the errour be never so gross and palpable ; ( as if a man should prophesie a liberty for drunkenness , ) if it be suitable to the sway of peoples humours , it will readily enough be embraced , he shall be a prophet to this people : that is , such a prophet will easily prevail with such a people , their vitious inclinations fit them for any impression of a suitable errour . the apostle paul also found this too true in the heresies of his own times : for he tells us , that seducers had learned that cunning from the devil , to draw men to errour , by the sway of their lusts ; tim. . . they creep into houses , and lead captive silly women laden with sins , and led away with divers lusts . as also , tim. . . he prophesies of the future use of this stratagem ; after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers . so that the usual prevalency of errour , was , and is , from the under-ground-working of lusts , humours , habits , and inclinations ; which make men willing to entertain an opinion , which can but gratifie them with a suitableness , or fitness . thirdly , where the fore-mentioned particulars of inclination , natural , or acquired humours , custom , education , &c. do neither divert the understanding , nor engage it to close with errour : yet , often do they discover , how powerfully they can byas the mind , in that these prevail with men , to modifie and mold a truth according to the bent , or form of their inclinations . as a bowl which is skilfully aimed at a mark , goes nevertheless by a compass which its byas forceth it unto , according to the risings or fallings of the ground it meets with in the way . men may arrive at real truth in the main , and yet may shape it according to their humours . for instance , let us consider the different modes or forms , in which the same truth is represented under the workings of different tempers . a melancholy person conceives of all things under such reflections , as fear and sadness do usually give ; if he consider god he looks upon him in the notion of greatest severity and justice : if upon the ways of duty , he colours them all in black , and can scarce account any thing piety , which is not accompanied with sadness and mourning ; if he calls his soul to a reckoning , his conclusions concerning himself are sad , doleful , or at best suspicious . on the contrary , an hilarous cheerful temper , censures all sadness for fullenness , and is apt to accuse those that go mourning in their way , for unthankful murmurers , and unbelieving complainers ; it interprets god's favourable condesentions to the weak , in the greatest latitude , and is easily perswaded to those things that are upon the utmost brink of liberty : to which , others of a more timerous disposition dare not approach , for fear of offending . this puts an higher excellency upon the duties of praise , as the other upon fasting and mourning . those men that are morose and severe , they are apt to think , that god is such an one as themselves : and though they acknowledg there is such a grace as charity , yet under a pretence of strictness , they cannot believe they are bound to exercise it towards any that are under any failing , of which they judge themselves to be free ; and therefore such men are usually very difficult , in all cases wherein condescention is to be used ; they are hard to be reconciled , and after the miscarriage of any person , are not easily satisfied of their repentance : and in cases of dissent from their way and practice of religion , they are commonly censorious , and conclude the worst . they again that are naturally mild and gentle , under a pretence of charity and meekness , are apt to become remiss in their carriages towards any brother ; and because charity thinks not evil , they model their acknowledged duty into the form of their own disposition , and so think they must see , and yet not perceive ; and instead of covering the infirmities of a brother , they have a mantle to cast over every transgression . at the same rate also do they frame their conceptions of god , as if he was so merciful , that he would scarce reckon any abomination to be above the height of an ordinary infirmity : these are apt to think , that the mercies of god ( so much praised in scripture ) signifie little less than an indulgence in transgression , far above what precisians are apt to imagine : and that it is as easie to obtain forgiveness from god for any offence , as it is to say , the lord be merciful to me a sinner . those that accustom themselves to the delights of the senses , are apt to bend the way of their religion to that humour ; and think , that nothing can be solemn in worship , that is not set out with garnishings that may please the eye , or ear. nay , 't is observable enough , that religion borrows some taint or shape , from the various studies and sciences of men ; in some , ( as in many of the fathers ) we may see religion dipt in platonism , or peripateticism . some introduce the distinctions and definitions of philosophy ; others compel all scriptures to submit to the laws of strict logical analysis . thus , according to the various mediums that men look through , are truths discoloured , and dressed up in several shapes : 't is easie from these instances to imagine , that satan must have a great advantage against us in point of errour , from the byas of the mind . fourthly , adventurous curiosities is another general advantage by which he works . this ariseth partly from a desire of knowledge , and partly from pride ; and both these make way for his design . a desire after knowledg is natural , and withal very bewitching . to know hath something in it more than ordinary . this is noted in job . . vain man would be wise , though man be born like a wild asse's-colt : though he be foolish , yet he affects wisdome ; and the very delight of knowing , doth engage men to curious prying searches , though with much labour and hazard . of this temper were the athenians , act. . . they spent their time in nothing else , but either to tell , or to hear some new thing : not barely in telling news , but in inquiries after new notions and discoveries : and this made them willing to hear paul , as a setter forth of strange gods , and a new doctrine . when this desire after knowledg is animated with pride , ( as oft it is , for knowledg puffeth up ) then 't is more dangerous ; when men are upon a design , to seem higher than others , to be singular , to see more , than what all men see , to be admired , to out-talk their neighbours , what adventures will they not make ? how fair do they lye open to any conceit that may serve this end ? that satan labours to improve this curiosity , is without doubt ; he carefully affords fuel to this burning , and diligently blows it up into a flame . the first temptation had that ingredient in it , ye shall be as gods , knowing good and evil . and we see it was a great enticement to eve , that which would make one wise , was therefore desirable . the blame of israels first idolatry , seems to be laid at this door , deut. . . they sacrificed — to gods whom they knew not , to new gods that came newly up : implying , that they were drawn aside from their old established way of worship , by a curiosity , to try the new ways of the heathens . and so great an hand hath this , generally , in errours ; that paul , tim. . . makes this itch after novelty the great ground of that defection from truth , which he foresaw was coming , they shall heap to themselves teachers , having itching ears . this itch of the ear , is the usual fore-runner of a scab in the church , because it doth dispose men to receive any kind of teacher . god indeed doth sometimes take the advantage of our natural curiosity for our good : by this means many of johns hearers , who went out into the wilderness to him , as to a strange sight ( as those words imply , what went ye out into the wilderness to see ? ) were converted . by this means , the gospel afterwards made a large progress , as we see commonly new teachers affect most at first , for when men grow acquainted with their gifts , their admiration decays , and the success of their labours is not so great many times . the devil also observing , the prevalency of curiosity ; and that men are more pleased with new notions , than with old truths ; he endeavours also to plow with this heifer , and oft makes a great harvest by it . there is yet another advantage more that he sometimes useth : and that is , fifthly , atheistical debauchery , when men by long custome in sinning , have arrived to habitual carelesness and presumption , then they become practical atheists ; their vitious habits work upon their understandings , to obliterate all principles : when men are gone so far , they are fit engineers for satan ; for while they dis-believe all things , they can ( to serve a design , or to head a party ) take up any opinion , and pretend the greatest seriousness in the propagating it ; though in the mean time , they secretly laugh at the credulity of the vulgar . these men let out themselves , and all their parts to the devil , and he knows how to make use of them , to bring on the delusion , and deception of others . many ages have given examples of such : those seducers mentioned in the new testament , were ( some of them ) of this rank , and therefore called deceitful workers . such as were not really under those perswasions , which they thought to six upon others ; but upon design , transformed themselves into the apostles of christ ; such as served not our lord jesus christ , but their own bellies : and yet by good words and fair speeches , deceived the hearts of the simple , rom. . . who , through covetousness , with feigned words , made merchandize of men , pet. . . balaam was such , and the woman jezabel that called her self a prophetess , rev. . . such was the arch-bishop of spalato , who for advantage could at pleasure take up , and lay down his religion . such an one was the false jew ( not so long since ) discovered in this place , who ( being a romish emissary ) pretended to be a jew converted ; and seeking a pure church , under that vizor , designing to overthrow ( by private insinuations , ) the faith of the simple , uncautious admirers ! by such instruments satan works , where he hath opportunity . chap. iii. of satan's improving these advantages for errour . . by deluding the understanding directly : which he doth ( . ) by countenancing errour from scripture . of his cunning therein . ( ) by specious pretences of mysteries ; and what these are . of personal flatteries . ( . ) by affected expressions . reason of their prevalency . ( ) by bold assertions . the reasons of that policy . ( ) by the excellency of the persons appearing for it , either for gifts or holiness . his method if managing that design . ( . ) by pretended inspiration . ( ) by pretended miracles . his cunning herein . ( ) by peace and prosperity in ways of errour . ( ) by lyes against truth , and the professors of it . what are the general advantages which satan hath to forward his design of errour we have seen . it now remains , that we take an account of the various ways , by which he improves those advantages , and those may be referred to two heads . ( ) they are such stratagems , as more directy work upon the understanding to delude and blind it . or ( ) they are such as indirectly by the power of the will and affections do influence it . first , those stratagems , that more immediatly concern the understanding , are the use of such arguments , which carry in them a probability to confirm an errour ; though indeed they are but fallacies , sophisms , or paralogisms : of which the apostle speaks , col. . . lest any beguile you , — that is , lest they impose upon you , by false reasonings . his usual way of proceeding in this case is , first , when he hath to do with men that are brought up with profession and belief of scripture ; he is then careful to give an errour some countenance or pretence from scripture : it is not his course to decry the scriptures with such men , but to suppose their truth and authority , as the most plausible way to his design : for by this means he doth not only prevent a great many startling objections , which would otherwise rise up against him , ( seeing men brought up with scripture , cannot easily be brought to call them false , ) but with considerable advantage , he doth thereby authorize and justifie his errour : for nothing can give more boldness or confidence to a mistake , then a belief that it is backed with scripture . that this is one of his grand stratagems , may be sufficiently evinced from the infinite number of errours that pretend to scripture warrant . those that are above , or beyond scripture , ( which acknowledg no dependance upon it ) are but few , and rare : and indeed , among christians , errour cannot well thrives without a pretence of scripture . men would have enough to do to perswade themselves to such errours , but it would be impossible to make a party or perswade others ; such errours would presently be hissed out of the world. upon this account is it , that atheism sculks and conceals it self , ( except where generally tolerated prophaneness gives it more than ordinary encouragement , ) which is not to be ascribed to any shame-faced modesty , that atheisms can be supposed to nourish ; but to the generall dislike of others , who so stick to the authority of the bible , that they reject all direct contradictions to it with great abhorrency . hence also it is , that some erroneous persons are forced to contradictions in their practice against their professed principles , because they find it impossible to propagate their errours , without some pretence or other to scripture . they that would undermine those sacred records , are forced to make use of their authority for proof of what they would say . the papists have a quarrel at them , and envy them the title of perfection and perspicuity , upon design to intoduce traditions , and to set up the popes judicial authority in matters of faith ; and when they have said all they can , to subject the scriptures to the popes determination , they are forced at last to be beholden to the scriptures , to prove the popes determination : they would prove the scriptures by the church ; and then the church by the scriptures : which is a circle they have been often told of , and of which , some of the wiser sort among themselves are ashamed . others also , that will not allow the scriptures to be a general standing rule , are yet forced to make it ( in some cases ) a rule to themselves , and eagerly plead it to be so to others . they that pretend to be above ordinances , and decry outward-teachings as unnecessary , or hurtful : yet , they teach outwardly , because they see they are not able to enlarge the empire of errour , without such teaching . those very errours that make it their chief business , to render the scriptures no better than an old almanack ; they yet seek to scripture to countenance their blasphemous assertions ; and if they get any scrap or shred of it , that may by their unjust torture be wrested to speak any such thing , or any thing toward it , they think all their follies are thereby patronized ; and commonly , such men either fix upon such places as give warning of the necessary concomitances of the spirit , and heart , with the outward act of service ; ( and from hence , separating what god hath joyned together , they set up spiritual sabbaths , spiritual baptism , spiritual worship , to cry down , and cashier the external acts of such ordinances : ) or they pretend kindred to scripture , as prophesying , or foretelling those new administrations which they are about to set up . let h. nicholas be an instance of this , who though he decryed the service of the law under god the father , and the service of the belief under christ ; and in the room of both these , would set up another administration , under the spirit ; yet , ( that he might be the better believed ) he applyed several scriptures to his purpose , as prophetically foretelling h. nicholas , and his services ; and would have men imagine , that he was that angel flying in the midst of heaven with the everlasting gospel , rev. . . and that prophet enquired after by the jews , joh. . . art thou that prophet , and that man ordained to judg the world ? act. . . and that the times of his dispensation , were the times of perfection , and glory spoken of in cor. . . and heb. . . the like pretences for new administrations had saltmarsh , and several others . satan fixing his foot upon this design , and taking advantage of mens ignorance , curiosity , and pride , &c. it is impossible to tell what he may do ; he hath introduced many heresies already , and none knows what may be behind ; many passages of scripture are dark , to the wisest of men : a great many more are so to the common sort of christians . a great many wits are imployed by him , as adventurers for new discoveries ; and a small pretence is ground enough for a bold undertaker to erect a new notion upon ; and a new notion in religion , is like a new fashion in apparel , which bewitcheth the unsteady with an itch to be in it , before they well understand what it is : so that 't is alike impossible to stint the just number of errours , as to adjust the various pretences from scripture upon which they may be countenanced . leaving therefore this task to those that can undertake it , i shall only note a particular or two of satans cunning in affixing an errour upon scripture . first , in any grand design of error , he endeavours to lay the foundation of it as near to truth as he can ; but yet so , that in the tendency of it , it may go as far from it as may be . as some rivers whose first fountains are contiguous , have notwithstanding a direct contrary course in their streams . for instance , in those errors that tend to overthrow the doctrine of the gospel , concerning christ and ordinances ( and these are things which the devil hath a great spite at ) he begins his work with plausible pretences of love and admiration of christ and grace ; he proceeds from thence to the pretence of purer enjoyments , from thence to a dislike of such preachers and preaching , as threaten sin , and speak out the wrath of god against iniquity , and these are presently called legal preachers , and the doctrine of duty a legal covenant ; having them once at this point , they easily come to immediate assistances , and special gifts , which they pretend to have above others ; being thus set up , they are for free grace , and the enjoyment of god in spirit ; from thence they come to christian liberty , and by degrees duties are unnecessary , there is no christ but within them , and being freed from the law , whatever they do is no transgression . this is a path that satan hath trodden of old , though now and then he may vary in some circumstances , and be forced to stop before he come to the utmost of his journey . you may observe this method in the late errors of new-england , in the familists of germany , and in those of old-england ; in all which at the long-run men are led as far from scripture , as darkness is from light. now this is not only to be seen in a progressive multiplication of errors , but often may we perceive the same subtilty of satan in a simple error , as when he takes up part of a truth which should stand in conjunction with another , and sets it up alone against its own companion , where we shall have the name and pretence kept up , but the thing quite destroyed . god requires services of men , and prescribes to their use , prayer , hearing , sacraments , but because in these god is dishonoured when men only draw near with their lips , he further tells us , that he is not a jew which is one outwardly , neither is that circumcision which is of the flesh , &c. this part are some men so fixed upon , that they think they are discharged of the other , and in practice go quite from these duties , and yet still they profess they are for ordinances and the worship of god ; just so are some men for christ , but then 't is but the name , not the thing ; they own christ they say , but then 't is christ in them , and christ come in their flesh , but not that christ that died at jerusalem , as a sacrifice for the sins of men. secondly , satan takes great care that an errour be ( in all the ways of its propagation ) cloathed with scripture phrases ; and the less the errour can pretend to any plausible ground of scripture , the more doth he endeavour to adorn it with scripture language , ( i understand this chiefly of such errors , as are designed for the multitude ) so that though scripture be not used to prove the errour , yet are deceivers taught to express their conceptions by it , and to accomodate the words and sentences of it to their purposes ; for besides pride and confidence , scriptural eloquence is a necessary ingredient to make a powerful deluder . observe the ring-leaders of errors , and you shall find that ordinarily , such have at first been studious of the scriptures ; and though never able to digest them , yet when they turned their ears from truth , they have carried their scripture language ( which they had before brought themselves unto by long custom ) away with them , and still retain it , and express their opinions by it . now this is a great advantage to satan . for first , by this means the ignorant multitude are often caught without any more ado ; if they hear scripture expressions they are apt to think that all is truth which is spoken by them ; and they the rather believe it , because they will imagine such teachers to be well versed in scripture , and consequently either so honest , or so knowing that they neither can , nor will delude them . secondly , there is a majesty in scripture which ( in some sence ) doth stick to the very expressions of it ; men may perceive that generally hearers are more affected with scripture eloquence , than with play-book language ; it hath ( as it were ) a charm in the words , which makes the ear attentive , more than a quaint discourse , starched up in the dres● of common rhetorick : one gives us an observation to that purpose of his own preaching , and so may many others . while then men hear such language , they have a reverence to it . and as physitians cover their pills with gold that the patient might more willingly take them ; so do men often swallow down errour without due consideration , because conveyed to them in a language which they respect . secondly , satans second care for the advancement of errour , ( after he hath given it all the countenance he can from scripture ) is to gild it over with specious pretences , he sets it off with all the bravery he can , and then urgeth that as an argument of its truth . men are apt to judg that what doth better their spiritual condition cannot be a lye or delusion ; and the argument were the more considerable , if the advantages were such as he pretends them to be : but the very noise and boast of advantages please the unwary , without a due enquiry into their reality . the apostle in rom. . . reduceth all this policy of the deceiver to two heads : ( . ) good words , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , words that set out the profit and advantage of the thing . ( . ) and fair speeches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speeches that flatter the condition of the party . his art , as to the first of these , is to tell them that the notions offered to them are special discoveries , rare mysteries , which have been hidden from others ; and thence infers , that it must of necessity conduce much to their happiness , and spiritual perfection to know and embrace them . those that troubled the church in pauls days with false doctrines , used this slight of boasting , as appears by that expression in tim. . . oppositions of science ; it seems they called their opinions ( though they were but prophane , and vain-bablings ) by the name of science or knowledg , implying that all others , even the apostles themselves were in the dark , and came short of their illumination . the like we have in rev. . . of that abominable prophetess jezebel , who recommended her blasphemous filthy doctrines , under the name of depths , profundities , or hidden knowledg , though the spirit of god told that church they were not such ; but if depths , they were depths of satan , ( as 't is added there by way of correction ) and not of the spirit of god. we may trace these ●oo●steps of satan in all considerably prevailing errors : for what hath been more common than to hear men speak of the designs they have been carrying on , under the specious titles of christ's coming to set up a righteous kingdom ; the churches coming out of babylon , and out of the wilderness ; the dawning of the day of the lord ; the day of reformation , the time of the restitution of all things ; with abundance of brags of the same kind . i shall add no particular instance of this nature ; but a few strains of h. nicholas , with whom such high promising vaunts were ordinary . his service of love , he compares to the most holy , ( whereas johns doctrine of repentance was but a preparation to the holy ; and the service of christ he allowed to be no more than as the holy of the temple ) this his service he calls , the perfection of life , the completion of prophecies , the perfect conclusion of the works of god , the throne of christ , the true rest of the chosen of god , the last day , the sure word of prophecy , the new jerusalem , and what not ? if we make further enquiry into the nature of these fair promising mysteries , we shall find that satan most frequently pitcheth upon these three . first , he befools men into a belief , that the scriptures do under the vail of their words and sentences , contain some hidden notions , that are of purpose so disguised , that they may be locked up from the generality of men , at least from learned and wise men ; and that these rarities cannot be discerned from the usual significations of the words and phrases , ( as we understand other books of the same language ) but they fancy these sacred writings to be like the writings of the aegyptians , by which they absconded their mysteries , especially like that kind of writing , whereby under words of common known sence , they intended things which the words themselves could not signify ; and that which occasions this imagination is this , that we read frequently of mysteries in scriptures , and hidden wisdom , and the special revelation of them to god's children which are very great truths , but yet not to be so understood , as this delusion supposeth : for these expressions in scripture intend no more than this , that the design of god to save man by christ is in it self a mystery , which never would have been found out without a special revelation ; and that though this mystery is now revealed by the gospel , yet as to the application of it to the hearts of men in conversion , by the operation of the spirit , it is yet a mystery . but none of these intend any such suggestion , that there are private notions of truth or doctrine that are lying under ground ( as it were ) in scripture words , which the words in the common language will not acquaint us withal ; nay , the contrary is expresly affirmed , when we are told that all is plainly laid open to the very simple , so that from the scriptures they may as well understand the fundamental principles of religion , as they may understand any other thing which their language doth express to them . however in this satan takes advantage of mens pride and curiosity , to make them forward in the acceptation of such offers , especially when such things are represented , as the only saving discoveries which a man cannot be ignorant of but with hazard of damnation . secondly , in this boast of mystery , satan sometimes takes another course somewhat differing from the former , and that is to put men upon allegorical reflections and allusions , by which the historical passages of scripture are made ( besides the import of the history ) resemblances of spiritual truths ; which supposeth the letter of scripture to be true , ( but still as no better than the first rudiments to train up beginners withal , ) yet withal , that the spiritual meaning of it raiseth the skilful to a higher form in christ's school . at this rate all are turned into allegories . if they fall upon the first of genesis , they think they then truly understand it , when they apply the light and darkness , and god's separating of them , with such other passages , to the regeneration of the soul. the like work make they with the sufferings of christ . but then the crafty adversary at last enticeth them on to let go the history , as if it were nothing but a parable , not really acted , but only fitted to represent notions to us . allegories were a trap which the devil had for the jews , and wherein they wonderfully pleased themselves . how much origen abused himself and the scriptures by this humour is known to many ; and how the devil hath prevailed generally by it upon giddy people in later times , i need not tell you . the pretence that satan hath for this dealing is raised from some passages of the new testament , wherein many things of the old testament are said to have had a mystical signification of things expressed or transacted then , and some things are expresly called allegories . hence papists determine the scripture to have , besides the grammatical sence , ( which all of us do own ) and besides the tropological sence ( which is not divers or distinct from the grammatical ; as when from histories , we deduce instructions of holy and sober carriage ) an allegorical and analogical sense : in which dealing men consider not , that the spirit of god his interpreting a passage or two allegorically , will never justify any mans boldness in presuming to do the like to any other passage of scripture ; and beside , when any hath tryed his skill that way , another may with equal probability carry the same scripture to a different interpretation , and by this means , the scripture shall not only become obscure , but altogether uncertain and doubtful , and unable to prove any thing ; so that this doth extreamly dishonour scripture , by making it little less than ridiculous . porphyry , and julian made themselves sport with it , upon the occasion of origens allegorizing , and no wonder , seeing that humour ( as one calls it ) is no better than a learned foolery . notwithstanding this , men are sometime transported with a strange delight in turning all into allegories , and picking mysteries out of some by-passages and circumstances of scripture , where one would least expect them : which i can ascribe to no second cause more , than to the working and power of fancy , which as it can frame ideas and images of things , out of that that affords no real likeness or proportion , ( as men that create to themselves similitudes and pictures in the clouds or in the fire ) so doth it please it self in its own work , and with a kind of natural affection , it doth kiss and hug its own baby . it hath been my wonder sometimes to see how fond men have been of their own fancies , and how extreamly they have doted upon a very bauble . i might note you examples of this , even to nauseousness , in all studies , as well as in this of religion . those that affect the sublimities of chymistry , do usually by a strange boldness stretch all the sacred mysteries of scripture ( as of the trinity , of regeneration , &c. ) to represent their secrets and processes , as may be seen sufficiently in their writings : one of them i cannot forbare to name , and that is glauber ; who doth so please himself with some idle whims about sal and sol , that at last he falls in with bernardinus gomesius , ( whom he cites and approves ) who in this one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( which signifies salt ) finds the trinity , the generation of the son , the two natures of christ , the calling of the jews and gentiles , the procession of the spirit , and the communications of the spirit in the law and gospel , and all this he gathers from the shapes , stroaks and positions of these three letters : a very subtile invention ! not unlike to this , were some of the dotages of the jewish cabala , which they gathered from the different writing of some letters in the sacred text , from the transposing of them , and from their mystical arithmetick . r. elias from the letter aleph , mentioned six times in gen. . . collected his notion of the worlds continuance for years , because that letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stands for a thousand in the hebrew computation . another rabbi ( mentioned by lud. cappellus ) hath a profound speculation concerning the first letter of genesis , which ( as he saith ) doth therefore begin with beth , and not with aleph , to shew the unexceptionable verity of god's word , against which no mouth can justly open it self , and this he gathers from the manner of the pronunciation of that letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which is performed by the closure of the lips. it were not possible to imagine , that wise men should be thus carried away with childish follies , if there were not some kind of inchantment in fancy , which makes the hit of a conceit , ( though never so silly ) intoxicate them into an apprehension of a rare discovery . and doubtless this is the very thing that doth so transport the allegorizers and inventers of mysteries , that they are ravished either with the discovery of a new-nothing , or with the rare invention of an aenigmatical interpretation . thirdly , the devil hath yet another way of coining mysteries , and that is a pretence of a more full discovery of notions and ways , which ( as he tells those that are willing to believe him , ) are but glanced at in the scripture ; and this doth not only contain his boast of unfolding prophecies , and the dangerous applications of them to times and places that are no way concerned , ( which hath more than once put men upon dangerous undertakings ) but also his large promise of teaching the way of the lord more perfectly , and of leading men into a full comprehension of those tremendous mysteries , wherein the scripture hath as industriously concealed the reasons , way , and manner of their being , as it hath fully asserted that they are , ( such are the decrees of god , the trinity , &c. ) as also of unfolding and teaching at large those things that the scripture seems only to hint at . in all which points we have instances enough at hand , which will shew us how the devil hath played his game , either by making men bold in things not revealed , or by drawing men to dislike solid truths , and by puffing them up with notions , till at last they were prepared for the impression of some grand delusion . all this while i have only explained the first head of satan's specious pretences , which consists in the promise of discoveries and mysteries . the next head of pretences , are those that relate to the persons inamoured with these supposed mysteries . with these he strokes their heads , and causeth them to hug themselves in a dream of an imaginary happiness . for if they have the knowledg of mysteries which are locked up from other men , they cannot avoid this conclusion , that they are the only favourites of heaven ; that they only have the spirit , are only taught of god , &c. such swelling words of vanity have ever accompanied delusion . and indeed , we shall find the confidence of such men more strong , and their false embracements more rapturous , than ordinarily the ways of truth do afford , upon this account ; that in such cases , fancy is elevated , and the delights of a raised fancy are excessive , and enthusiastical . 't is a kind of spiritual frenzy , which extends all the faculties to an extraordinary activity ; the devil doing all he can to further it , by his utmost contributions . joy , delight , hope , love , are all raised to make an hubbub in the heart ; whereas on the contrary , truth is modest , humble , sober , and affords a more silent joy , though more even and lasting . here might i set errour before you in its rant , and give you a taste of the high flown straines of it . montanus ( as vile as he was ) had the confidence to call himself the comforter . novatus and his brother would be no less than moses and aaron . the gnosticks called themselves the illuminati . the swinkfieildians assumed the title of the confessors of the glory of christ . the family of love had their evangelium regni , the gospel of the kingdom . the fratricelli , distinguished themselves from others by the term spiritual . muntzer asserted , that all of his opinion , were gods elect : and that all the children of their religion were to be called the children of god ; and that all others were ungodly , and designed to damnation . h. nicholas affirms , that there was no knowledg of christ nor scripture , but in his family . to this purpose most of them speak , that forsake the wayes of truth ; and though these swellings are but wind and vapour , yet those heights are very serviceable to the devils purposes : who by this means confirms those whom he hath already conquered , and then fits them out with the greater confidence to allure others ; and men are apt enough to be drawn by fair shews , and confident boastings . but i proceed . the third stratagem of satan for promoting errour , is to astonish men with strange language , and affected expressions . it was an old device of satan to coyn an unintelligible gibberish as the proper vehicle of strange enthusiasticks doctrine , and this he artificially suits to his pretended mysteries ; without this his rare discoveries would be too flat and dull to gain upon any man of competent understanding . for if these dotages were cloathed in plain words , they would either appear to be direct non-sence , or ridiculous folly . it concerns him when he hath any feats of delusion in hand , to set them off with a canting speech , as juglers use their hard words , of ailif , casyl , zaze , presto , millat , &c. to put their ignorant admirers into a belief of some unknown power by which they do their wonders . and this is in some sort necessary ; extraordinary matters are above expression , and such wild expressions put men into an expectation of things sublime . this knack satan hath constantly used . montanus had his strange speeches . and all along downward to our times , we may observe , that errour hath had this gaudy dress ; the familists especially abound with it , you may read whole books full of such a kind of speaking , as the book called theologia germanica , or german divinity ; the books of jacob behmen , the bright morning star , &c. neither are the papists free ; one of late hath taken the paines to shew them this , and other follies : among them you may find such talk as this , of being beclosed in the mid-head of god , and in his meek-head ; of being substantially united to god , of being oned to god ; as also of the abstractedness of life , of passive vnions , of the deiform fund of the soul ; of a state of introversion : of a super-essential life , a state of nothingness , &c. just like the raveings of h. nicholas , david george , and others , who confidently discourse of being godded with god , of being consubstantiated with the deity , and of gods being manned with them . i have oft considered , what reason might be given for the takeingness of such expressions , and have been forced to satisfie my self with these : first , many mistake the knowledge of words , for the knowledge of things . and well may poor ignorant men believe , they have attained , no man knows what , by this device ; when among learned men , the knowledg of words is esteemed so great a pitch of learning , and they nourish a great many controversies that are only verbal . secondly , some are pleased to be accounted vnderstanders by others , and rest in such high words , as a badge of knowledge . thirdly , some are delighted with such an hard language upon an hope , that it will lead them to the knowledg of the things at last : they think strange expressions , are a sign of deep mysteries . i knew one , that set himself to the reading of jacob behmens books , ( though at present he confessed , he was scarce able to make common sense of three lines together , ) upon a secret enticement that he had from the language , to come to some excellent discovery , by much pains and reading . fourthly , some that have their fancies heated , have by this means broken confused impressions of strange things in their imaginations , and conceive themselves to know things beyond what common language can express : as if with paul , rapt up into the third heaven , they hear , and see wonders unutterable . but what reason soever prevails with men to take up such a way of speaking , satan makes them believe , that it containes a rich mine or treasury , not of common truths , but of extraordinary profundities . fourthly , in stead of argument to confirm an errour , sometimes we have only bold assertions , that it is truth , and a confident condemning the contrary as an errour ; urging the danger of mens rejecting it , backed with threatning of hell and damnation : and all this in the words of scripture . to be sure they are right , and all other men are wrong . this kind of confidence and fierceness hath been still the complexion of any remarkable way of delusion ; for that commonly confines their charity to their own party , ( which is a great token of an errour ) not only may you observe in such extraordinary proclamations of wrath against those that will not believe them : ( a practice used by the mad fanaticks of munster ; who , ( as our quakers were wont to do ) go up and down the streets , crying , wo , wo ; repent , repent ; come out of babylon ; the heavy wrath of god ; the axe is laid to the root of the tree . ) but in their more setled teaching , they pronounce all to be antichrist , and of the carnal church , that do oppose them . take for this h. nicholas his words , all knowledg ( besides his ) is but witchery and blindness , and all other teachers , and learners , are a false christianity , and the devils synagogue ; a nest of devils , and wicked spirits ; a false being , the antichrist , the kingdom of hell , the majesty of the devil , &c. this piece of art , not only our quakers , ( to whom nothing is more familiar , than to say to any opposer , thou art damn'd , thou art in the gall of bitterness , the lake of fire and brimstone is prepared for thee , &c. ) but also the papists commonly practise , who shut all out of heaven that are not of their church ; and when they would affright any from protestanism , they make not nice to tell him , that there is no possibility of salvation , but in their way . the reasons of this policy are these , ( ) the heart is apt to be startled with threatnings , and moved by commands ; especially , those that are of a more tender and frightful spirit : and though they know nothing by themselves , yet these beget fears , which may secretly betray reason , and make men leave the right way because of affrightment . ( ) the confidence of the assertors of such things , hath also its prevalency : for men are apt to think that they would not speak so , if they were not very certain , and had not real experience of what they said : and thus are men threaped out of their own perswasions . ( ) the native majesty of scripture , in a business of so great hazard , adds an unexpressible force to such threatnings : and though ( being misapplyed ) they are no more scripture threatnings ; yet , because god hath spoken his displeasure in those words , men are apt to revere them : as men cannot avoid to fear a serpent or toad , ( though they know the sting and poyson were taken out ) because nature did furnish them with a sting or venom . fifthly , 't is an usual trick of satan to derive a credit and honour to errour , from the excellencies ( supposed , or real ) of the persons that more eminently appear for it . so that it fetcheth no small strength from the qualities of those that propagate it . the vulgar ( that do not usually dive deep into the natures of things ) content themselves with the most superficial arguments , and are sooner won to a good conceit of any opinion , by the respects they carry to the author , than by the strongest demonstration . the excellencies that usually move them , are either their gifts or their holiness . if the seedsmen of an errour be learned , or eloquent and affectionate in his speaking , men are apt to subscribe to any thing he shall say , from a blind devotional admiration of the parts wherewith he is endowed . and often , where there is no learning , or where learning is decryed , ( as savouring too much of man ) if there be natural fluency of speech , with a sufficient measure of confidence , it raiseth them so much the higher in the esteem of the common sort , who therefore judge him to be immediately taught of god , and divinely furnished with gifts . at this point began the divisions of the church of corinth , they had several officers severally gifted ; some were taken with one mans gift , others with another mans ; some are for paul , as being profound , and nervous in his discourses ; others for apollo , as eloquent , a third sort were for cephas , as ( suppose ) an affectionate preacher : thus upon personal respects were they divided into parties . and if these several teachers were of different opinions , their adherents imbraced them upon an affectionate conceit of their excellencies . and generally satan hath wrought much by such considerations as these . this he urgeth against christ himself , when he set up the wisdom and learning of the rulers and pharisees , as an argument of truth in their way of rejecting such a messias ; joh. . . have any of the rulers , or of the pharisees believed on him ? there is no insinuation more frequent than this ; these are learned , excellent , able men , and therefore what they say , or teach , is not to be disbelieved ; and though this be but argumentum stultum , a foolish argument , yet some that would be accounted wise , do make very great use of it . the crack of learned doctors among the papists , is one topick of perswasion to popery , and so to other errours , as appears by this , that all errours abound with large declamations of the praises of their founders and teachers : and the most illiterate errours usually magnifie the excellent inspirements , and gifts of utterance of their leaders . but the other excellency of holiness in the teachers of errour , is more generally and more advantagiously improved by satan , to perswade men , that all is true doctrine which such men profess . of this delusion christ forewarned us , they shall come in sheeps cloathing ; that is , under the mask of seeming holiness ; ( at least at first ; ) notwithstanding , beware of them , math. . . those complained of by paul , cor. . . though they were satans ministers , yet that they and their doctrine might be more plausibly entertained , they were transformed as the ministers of righteousness : this cunning we may espie in hereticks of all ages . the scribes and pharisees used a pretence of sanctity as a main piece of art , to draw others to their way ; their alms , fastings , long prayers , strict observations , &c. were all designed as a net to catch the multitude withal . the lying doctrines of antichrist were foretold by paul , to have their success from this stratagem ; all that idolatry and heathenism which he is to introduce , must be , ( and hath been ) through the hypocrisie of a painted holiness ; and where he intends most to play the dragon , he there most artificially counterfeits the innocency and simplicity of the lamb. arch-hereticks have been arch-pretenders to sanctity . and such pretences have great influence upon men : for holiness and truth are so near of kin , that they will not readily believe that it can be a false doctrine which an holy man teacheth ; they think that god that hath given a teacher holiness , will not deny him truth : nay , this is an easie and plausible measure , which they have for truth and errour . to enquire into the intricacies and depths of a disputation , is too burdensome and difficult for ordinary men , and therefore they satisfie themselves with this consideration , ( which hath little toyl in it , and as little certainly ) that surely god will not leave holy men to a delusion . it would be endless to give all the instances that are at hand in this matter ; i shall only add a few things of satans method in managing this argument , as first , when he hath a design of common , or prevailing delusion , he mainly endeavours to corrupt some person of a more strict serious , and religious carriage , to be the captain and ring-leader ; such men were pelagius , arrius , socinus , &c. he mainly endeavours to have fit instruments . if he be upon that design of blemishing religion , and to bring truth into a dis-esteem ; then ( as one observes ) he perswades such into the ministry , as he fore-sees are likely to be idle , careless , prophane , and scandalous ; or doth endeavour to promote such ministers into more conspicuous places , and provokes them to miscarriage , that so their example may be an objection against truth , while in the mean time , he is willing , that the opposers of truth should continue their smooth carriage ; and then he puts a two-edged sword into the hands of the unstable : can that be truth where there is so much wickedness ? and can this be errour , where there is so much holiness ? secondly , in prosecution of this design , he usually puts men upon some more than ordinary strictness , that the pretence of holiness may be the more augmented ; in this case a course of ordinary sanctity is not enough , they must be above the common practice ; some singular additions of severity and exactness above what is written , are commonly affected to make them the more remarkable . christ notes this in the pharisees , concerning all their devotions , and the wayes of expressing them ; their phylacteries spoken of , mat. . . ( as some think ) were not intended by that text of deut. . . but only that they should remember the law , and endeavour not to forget it ; as they do that tye a thred , or such like thing about their finger for a remembrancer ; according to prov. . . bind them about thy neck , write them upon the table of thine heart . however , if they were literally enjoyned , they would have them ( as christ tells them ) broader than others , as an evidence of their greater care . the cathari boasted of sanctity and good works , and rejected second marriages ; the apostolici were so called , from a pretended stricter imitation of the singular holiness of the apostles . the valesians made themselves eunuches ( according to the letter ) for the kingdom of god. the donatists accounted that no true church , where any spot or infirmity was found . the messalians or euchytae were for constant praying . the nudipedales for going bare-foot , &c. the papists urge canonical hours , whippings , pennances , pilgrimages , voluntary poverty , abstinence from meats , and marriage in their priests and votaries . in a word , all noted sects have something of special singularity , whereby they would difference themselves from others , as a peculiar character of their greater strictness ; and for want of better stuff , they sometimes take up affected gestures , devotional looks , and outward garbs ; all which have this note , that what they most stand upon , god hath least , or not at all required at their hands ; their voluntary humility , or neglecting of the body , being but will-worship , and a self-devised piece of religion . thirdly , when once men are set in the way of exercising severities , satan endeavours ( by working upon their fancies ) to press them on further to a delight and satisfaction in these * wayes of strictness , so that the practiser themselves are not only confirmed in these usages , and the opinions that are concomitant with them ; but others are the more easily drawn to like and profess the same things . any serious temper under any profession of religion , easily comes to be devout , and readily complies with opportunities of evincing its devotion by strictness . and therefore we shall find among heathens , a great devotional severity , and such as far exceeds all of that kind , which the papists do usually brag of , the magi abstained from wine , eat not the flesh of living creatures , and professed virginity . the indian brachmans did the like , and besides used themselves to incredible hardship ; they laid upon skins , sustained the violence of the sun , and storms , and exercised themselves therewith ; some spending thirty seven years in this course , others more . we read strange things of this nature concerning the aegyptian priests , and others . the mahumetans are not without their religious orders , which pretend a more holy and austere life than others ; and though of some ( as of the torlachs and dervizes ) several private villanies are reported , yet of others , ( as of the order of calender ) we are assured from history , that they profess virginity , and expose themselves to hardship , and a stricter devotion in their way ; and generally 't is said , of all of them , that they go meanly clad , or half naked ; some abstinent in eating , and drinking , professing poverty , renouncing the world : some can endure cutting and slashing , as if they were insensible ; some profess perpetual silence , though urged with injuries , and tortures ; others have chains about their necks and arms , to shew , that they are bound up from the world , &c. if such things may be found among heathens , no wonder that errour boasts of them , for in both there is the same reason of mens pleasing themselves in such hardships ( which is from a natural devotion , assisted by satans cunning , ) and the same design driven on by it ; for the devil doth confirm heathens and mahumetans in their false worship , by the reverence and respect they carry to such practices . fourthly , because religious holiness hath a beauty in it , and is very lovely ; he doth all he can to affect men with the highest revernce for these pretences of religious strictness : so that they that will not be at pains to practise them , can bestow an excessive respect and admiration upon those that are grown famous in the use of such things ; and by that means , being almost adored , they are without doubt perswaded , that all they teach or do is right , and in a doting fondness they multiply superstitious errours . idolatry is supposed to have a great part of its rise from this : while men endeavoured to express their thankful and admiring remembrances of some excellent persons , by setting up their pictures , their posterity began to worship them as gods : pilgramages were first set on foot by the respects that men gave to places that were made famous by persons and actions of more than ordinary holiness : and because the devil found men so very apt to please themselves in paying such devotional reverences , he wrought upon their superstitious humour to multiply to themselves the occasions thereof , and by fabulous traditions sent them to places no otherwise made memorable than by dreams and impostures . much of this you might see if you would accompany a caravan from cairo to mecca and medina , where you would see the zealous pilgrims with a great many orisons and prayers compassing abrahams house ; kissing a stone , which ( they are told ) fell from heaven , blessing themselves with a relique of the old vesture of abrahams house ; washing themselves in the pond , which ( as their tradition goes ) the angel shewed to hagar ; saluting the mountain of pardons ; throwing stones in defiances of the devil , as ( their legend tells them ) ismael did ; their prayers on the mountain of health ; their visit to the prophets tomb at medina , &c. the like might you observe among the papists , in their pilgrimages to jerusalem and the sepulchre , to the lady of loretto's chappel and other places . by such devices as these the unobservant people are transported with a pleasure , insomuch that they not only perswade themselves they are very devout in these reverences , but they also become unalterably fixed to these errours that do support these delightful practices , or as consequences do issue from them . sixthly , a more plausible argument for errour ( than the learning and holiness of the persons that profess it ) is that of inspiration , in which the devil soars a loft , and pretends the highest divine warrant for his falshoods : for god is truth , and we know that no lye is of the truth . now to make men believe that god by his holy spirit doth in any manner dictate such opinions , or certainly reveal such things for truths : is one of the highest artifices that he can pretend to , and such a confirmation must it be ( to those that are so perswaded , ) that all disputes and doubtings must necessarily be silenced . that the devil can thus transform himself into an angel of light , we are assured from scripture , which hath particularly cautioned us against this cheat . the apostacy of the later times , tim. . . the apostle foretells should be carried on by the prevalency of this pretence , some shall depart from the faith , giving heed to seducing spirits . that by spirits there , doctrines are intended rather than doctors , is mr. medes interpretation : but it will come all to one if we consider that the word spirit carryes more in it , than either doctrine or doctor ; for to call either the one or the other a spirit would be intollerably harsh , if it were not for this , that that doctor is hereby supposed to pretend an infallability from the spirit of god , or ( which is all one ) that he received his doctrine by some immediate revelation of the spirit ; so that by seducing spirits must be , men or doctrines that seduce others to believe them , by the pretence of the spirit , or inspiration : and that text of joh. . . doth thus explain it , believe not every spirit , but try the spirits whether they are of god ; which is as much as if he had said , believe not every man or doctrine that shall pretend he is sent of god , and hath his spirit ; and the reason there given makes it yet more plain , because many false prophets are gone out into the world : so that these spirits are false prophets , men that pretend inspiration . and the warning , believe not every spirit , tell us , that satan doth with such a dexterity counterfeit the spirits inspirations , that holy and good men are in no small hazard to be deceived thereby . most full to this purpose is that of thess . . . that ye be not soon shaken in mind , or be troubled , neither by spirit , nor by word , nor by letter as from us , as that the day of christ is at hand ; where the several means of seduction are particularly reckoned , as distinct from the doctrine and doctors , and by spirit can be meant no other than a pretence of inspiration or revelation . 't is evident then that satan by this artifice , useth to put a stamp of divine warrant upon his adulterate coyn ; and if we look into his practice , we shall in all ages find him at this work . among heathens he frequently gained a repute to his superstitious idolatrous worship by this device : the men of greatest note among them feigned a spiritual commerce with the gods. empedocles endeavoured to make the people believe that there was a kind of divinity in him , and affecting to be esteemed more than a man , cast himself into the burnings of mongebel , that they might suppose him to have been taken up to the gods. pythagoras his fiction of a journey to hell was upon the same account . philostratus and cedrenus report no less of apollonius , than that he had familiar converses with their supposed dieties : and the like did they believe of their magi and priests ; insomuch that some cunning politicians ( observing how the vulgar were under a deep reverence to such pretences ) gave it out that they had received their laws by divine inspirations . numa pompilius feigned he received his institutions from the nymph aegeria : lycurgus from apollo : minos the law-giver of candy , baosted that jupiter was his familiar . mahomet also speaks as high this way as any , his alcoran must be no less than a law received from god , and to that end , he pretends a strange journey to heaven , and frequent converse with the angel gabriel . if we trace satan in the errours which he hath raised up under the profession of the scriptures , we may observe the same method , the valentinians , gnosticks , montanists talked as confidently of the spirit , as moses or the prophets could do , and a great deal more ; for some of them blasphemously called themselves the paraclete , or comforter . among the monsters which later ages produced , we still find the same strain ; one saith he is enoch , another stiles himself the great prophet , another hath raptures , and all immediately inspired . the papists have as much of this cheat among them as any other , and some of their learned defenders avouch their lumen propheticum , and miraculorum gloria , prophesies and miracles , to be the two eyes , or the sun and moon of their church ; nay by a strange transportment of folly , ( to the forfeiture of the reputation of learning and reason ) they have so multiplied revelations , that we have whole volumns of them , as the revelations of their saint brigit and others ; and by wonderful credulity they have not only advanced apparent dreams and dotages to the honour of inspirations or visions , but upon this sandy foundation they have built a great many of their doctrines , as purgatory , transubstantiation , auricular confession , &c. by such warrants have they instituted festivals , and founded several orders ; the particulars of these things you may see more at large in dr. stillingfleet and others . and that there might be nothing wanting that might make them shamelesly impudent , they are not content to equal their fooleries with the scriptures of god , as that the rule of their st. francis ( for i shall only instance in him , omitting others for brevity sake ) was not composed by the wisdom of man , but by god himself , and inspired by the holy ghost ; but they advance their prophets above the apostles , and above christ himself . their st. benedict ( if you will believe them ) was rapt up to the third heavens , where he saw god face to face , and heard the choire of angels ; and their st. francis was a none-such for miracles and revelations . neither may we wonder that satan should be forward in urging this cheat , when we consider . first , what a reverence men naturally carry to revelations , and how apt they are to be surprised with an hasty credulity . an old prophecy , pretended to be found in a wall , or taken out of an old manuscript ( of i know now what uncertain author , ) is usually more doted on , than the plain and infallible rules of scripture : this we may observe daily , and forreiners do much blame the english for a facile belief of such things , but it is a general fault of mankind , and we find even wise men forward in their perswasions upon meaner grounds , than those that gain credit to old prophecies . for their antiquity and strangeness of discovery , especially at such times wherein the present posture of affairs seem to favour such predictions with a probadility of such events , are more likely to get credit , than these artificial imitations of the ways and garbs of the old prophets , and the cunning legerdemain of those that pretend to inspirations , by seeming extasies , raptures , and confident declarations , &c. nevertheless arrant cheats , have by these ways deceived no mean men. alvarus acknowledgeth that he honoured a woman as a saint , that had visions and raptures , as if really inspired ( and the same apprehensions had the bishop and fryars ) who was afterward discovered to be a naughty woman : who shall then think it strange that the unobservant multitude should be deluded by such an art ? secondly , especially if we consider that god himself took this course to signify his mind to men ; his prophets were divinely inspired , and the scriptures were not of any private interpretation : the words that the pen men of scriptures wrote , were not the interpretations of their own private thoughts ; for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man , but holy men of god spake as they were moved by the holy ghost , pet. . , . now though the prophecies of scripture are sealed , and no more is to be added to them upon any pretence whatsoever ; yet seeing there are promises left us , of the giving of the spirit , of being taught and led by the spirit ; it is an easy matter for satan to beguile men into an expectation of prophetick inspirations , and a belief of what is pretended so to be : for all men do not , or will not understand , that these promises of the spirit , have no intendment of new and extraordinary immediate revelations , but only of the efficacious applications of what is already revealed in scripture . this kind of revelation we acknowledg and teach , which is far enough from enthusiasm , ( that is , a pretended revelation of new truths ) and we have reason to assert , that internal perswasions without the external word , are to be avoided as satan's cozenages . but for all this , when mens minds are set a gadding , if they meet with such as magnify their own dreams , and call their fancies , visions , the suitableness of this to their humour , makes them to reject our interpretations of these promises as false , and to perswade themselves that they are to be understood of such inspirations as the prophets of old had ; and then they presently conclude they are to believe them , lest otherwise they should resist the holy ghost . thirdly , but the advantage which the devil hath to work delusion upon by this pretence , is an high motive to him to practise upon it . for inspirations , visions , voices , impulses , dreams , and revelations are things wherein wicked impostors may by many ways and artifices play the counterfeits undiscovered ; 't is easy to prophesy false dreams , and to say , thus saith the lord , when yet they do but lye , and the lord never sent them , nor commanded them ; nay 't is easy by tricks and illusions , to put that honour and credit upon their designs , which they could not by their bare assertions , backed with all their art of seeming seriousness : the inventions of men ( that have been formerly successful in this deceit ) being now laid open to our knowledg , may make us more wary in our trust . among the heathens you may find notable ways of deceits of this nature . the story of hanno and psappho is commonly known , they tamed birds , and learned them to speak , hanno and psappho are gods ; and then set them at liberty , that men hearing such strange voices in the woods from birds , might imagine that these men were declared gods by special discovery . mahomets device of making a dove to come frequently to his ear , ( which he did , by training her up to an use of picking corn out of it , ) served him for an evidence ( among the vulgar beholders , who knew not the true cause of it ) of his immediate inspiration by the angel gabriel , who ( as he told them ) whispered in his ear in the shape of a dove . the like knavery he practised for the confirmation of the truth of his alcoran , by making a bull ( taught before to come at a call or sign ) to come to him , with a chapiter upon his horns . hector boetius tells us of a like stratagem of a king of scots , who ( to animate his fainting subjects against the picts that had beaten them , ) caused a man clothed in the shining skin of fishes , and with rotten wood ( which as a glow-worm in the night , represents a faint light ) to come among them in the dark , and through a reed or hollow trunk ( that the voice might not appear to be humane ) to incite them to a vigorous onset : this they took to be an angel , bringing them this command from heaven , and accordingly fought and prevailed . crafty benedict , ( who was afterward pope under the name of boniface the eighth ) made simple celestine the fifth give over the popedom , by conveying to him a voice through a reed to this purpose : celestine , celestine , renounce the papacy , give it over , if thou wouldst be saved , the burthen is beyond thy strength , &c. the silly man taking this for a revelation from heaven , quitted his chair and left it for that crafty fox benedict . not very many years since , the same trick was played in this country to a man of revelations , who called himself david in spirit , when he had wearied his entertainer with a long stay , he quitted himself of his company , ( as i was credibly informed ) by a policy which he perceived would well suit with the man's conceitedness ; for through a reed in the night time he tells him , that he must go into wales , or some such country , and there preach the gospel ; the next morning the man avouches a revelation from god to go elsewhere , and so departs . these instances shew you how cunningly a cheating knave may carry on a pretence of revelation or vision . and yet this is not all the advantage which the devil hath in this matter , though it is an advantage which he sometime makes use of when he is fitted with suitable instruments . but he works most dangerously when he so acts upon men , that they themselves believe they have visions , raptures and revelations , for some are really perswaded that it is so with them . neither is it strange , that men should be deluded into an apprehension that they hear and see what they do not ; in feavers , frenzies , and madness , we clearly see it to be so : and who can convince such persons of their mistakes , when with as high a confidence as may be , they contend that they are not deceived ? shall we think it strange that satan hath ways of conveying false apprehensions upon mens minds ? no surely , do we not see that the senses may be cheated , and that the fancies of men may be corrupted ? is it not easy for him to convey voices to the ear , or shapes and representations to the eye ? and in such cases , what can ordinarily hinder a belief that they hear or see such things ? but he needs not always work upon the fancy by the senses . if he hath the advantage of a crazy distempered fancy ( as commonly he hath in melancholly persons ) he can so strongly fix his suggestions upon them , and so effectually set the fancy on work to embrace them , that without any appearance of madness , they will perswade themselves that they have discoveries from god , impulses by his spirit , scriptures set upon their hearts , and what not ? and because they feel the workings of these things within them , it is impossible to make them so much as suspect that they are deceived . do but consider the power of any fancy in a melancholick person , and you may easily apprehend how satan works in such delusions . melancholy doth strangely pervert the imagination , and will beget in men wonderful misapprehensions , and that sometimes doth bewitch them into peremptory uncontroulable belief of their fancy ; 't is a vehement , confident humour , what way soever it takes , the imagination thus corrupted hath an enormous strength , so that if it fix upon things never so absurd or irrational , 't is not reducible by the strongest reasons . if such a man conceits himself dead , or that he is transformed to a wolf or cat , or that he is made of glass ( as many in this distemper have done ; ) there is no perswasion to the contrary , that can take place with him . now if this humour be taken up with divine matters ( as usually it doth , for it hath a natural inclination to religious things ) it still acts with fierceness and confidence , and there are many things often concomitant to such actings , that if it misconceit inspiration or prophecy , the parties themselves are not only bound up under that perswasion , but even unwary spectators are deluded . for sometime a melancholy imagination is not wholly corrupt , but only in respect of some one or two particulars , whilst in other things it acts regularly , and then neither they nor others ( that are unacquainted with such cases ) are so apt to suspect that they are mistaken in these things , while they act rationally and soberly in other matters . sometime they have vehement fits of surprisal ( for the humour hath its ebbings and flowings ) and this gives them occasion to apprehend that someting doth supernaturally act or raise them , and then when the things they speak , are for the matter of them , of religious concern , and odd notions ( for the humour flies high , and bounds not it self with ordinary things , ) and withal uttered in scripture rhetorick and with fervency and urgency of spirit , when these things concur , there is such an appearance of inspiration , that the parties themselves and others rest fully perswaded that it is so . seventhly , pretended and counterfeit miracles the devil makes much use of , to countenance errour , and this is also one of his strong-holds ; for he suggests that god himself bears witness by these signs , wonders , and miracles to such erroneous doctrine , as seems to be concerned by them . that the devil cannot work a true miracle hath been discoursed before , but that he can perform many strange things , and such as may beget admiration , none denies ; and that by such unwonted actions , he usually endeavours to justify false doctrines , and to set them off with the appearance of divine approbation , we are sufficiently forewarned in the scriptures . jannes and jambres resisted moses by false miracles . in deut. . . god speaks of the signs and wonders of false prophets , who would by that means seek to seduce the people to follow after other gods. christ also in matth. . . foretells that false christs and false prophets shall arise , and shew great signs and wonders , insomuch that ( if it were possible ) they shall deceive the very elect , and puts a special note of caution upon it , behold , i have told you before . and to the same purpose is that of paul concerning antichrist , thes . . . where he tells us of powerful signs and wonders by the working of satan ; who doth all the while only lye and cheat , that he may draw men to errour . if we make enquiry how satan hath managed this engine , we shall observe not only his diligence in using it , on all occasions to countenance all kind of errours both in paganisme and christianity , but also his subtile dexterity by cheating men with forgeries and falshood . heathenish idolatry among other helps for its advancement , wanted not this , the oracles and responses ( which were common before the coming of christ ) were esteemed as miraculous confirmations of the truth of the dieties which they worshipped ; the moveings and speakings of their statua's were arguments that the operative presence of some celestial numen was affixed to such an image . in some places the solemn sacrifices are never performed without a seeming miracle . as in nova zembla where the priests trances , his running a sword into his belly , his making his head and shoulder fall off his body into a kettle of hot water by the drawing of a line , and then his reviving again perfect and entire without maime or hurt , are all strange astonishing things to the beholders . but besides such things as these which are standing constant wonders , we read of some that have had as it were a gift of miracles , that they might be eminently instrumental to promote and honour paganisme . all histories agree that simon magus did so many strange things at rome ( as the causing an image to walk , turning stones into bread , transforming himself into several shapes , flying in the air , &c. ) that he was esteemed a god. philostratus and cedremus report great things of apollonius , as that he could deliver cities from scorpions , serpents , earthquakes , &c. and that many miracles were wrought by him ; this man satan raised up in an extraordinary manner to revive the honour of paganisme , that it might at least vie with christianity . and though few ever attained to that height which apollonius and simon magus reached unto , yet have we several instances of great things done now and then , by some singular persons upon a special occasion , which satan improved to his advantage . vespasian cured a lame and blind man. adrianus cured a blind woman , and which is more , after he was dead by the touch of his body , a man of pannonia who was born blind received his sight . valerius maximus tells of many strange things , and particularly of a vestal virgin that drew water into a sieve . as livy tells of another ( claudia by name ) who with her girdle drew the ship to the shore which carryed the mother of their gods , when neither strength of men nor oxen could do it . errours under profession of christianity have been supported and propagated by the boast of miracles . a clear instance for this we have in popery , that religion being a perpetual boast of wonders . to let pass their great miracle of transubstantiation ( which as one hath lately demonstrated , is a bundle of miracles , or contradictions rather ) because it appears not to the senses of any man , and consequently is not capable of being an argument to prove any of their opinions . we have abundance of strange things related by them , as proofs of some doctrines of theirs in particular , as purgatory , invocation of saints , transubstantiation , &c. and of their profession in the general , devils cast out , blind and lame cured , dead raised , and what not ; it would be endless to recite particulars ; it would take a long time to tell what their st. francis hath done , how he fetched water out of a rock , how he was homaged by fowls and fishes , how he made a fountain in marchia run wine , and how far he exceeded christ himself in wonderful feats ; christ did nothing which st. francis did not do , nay he did many more things than christ did : christ turned water into wine but once but st. francis did it thrice : christ was once transfigured , but st. francis twenty times : he and his brethren raised above a thousand to life , cast out more than a thousand devils , &c. their dominious raised three dead men to life . their zeverius while he was alive did many miracles , and after he was dead , his body lay fifteen months sweetly smelling , without any taint of corruption . 't is irksome to repeat their stories ; abundance of such stuff might be added out of their own writings : the design of all which is to prove , ( to those that are so prodigal of their faith as to believe them ) that they only are the true church , and that by this note ( among others ) they may be known to be so . but let us turn aside a little to observe satans cunning in this pretence of miracles ; let things be soberly weighed , and we may see enough of the cheat . this great boast is ( as austin hath it ) resolved into one of these two , either the figments of lying men , or the craft of deceitful spirits . as to the first of these , 't is evident , that a great many things , that have been taken by the vulgar for mighty wonders , were nothing but the knaveries of impostors , who in this matter have used a threefold cunning . first , by meer jugling and forgery in confederacies and private contrivances they have set upon the stage persons ( before instructed to act their parts ) or things aforehand prepared , to pretend to be what they were not , that others might seem to do what they did not , and all to amaze those that know not the bottom of the matter . of this nature was mahomets dove and bull , who were privately trained up to that obedience , and familiarity which they used to him . the pagan priests were not altogether to seek in this peice of art . lucian tells us of one alexander , who nourished and tamed a serpent , and made the people of pontus believe that it was the god aesculapius ; and doubtless the idol priests improved their private artificial contrivances . as of the movings of their images ( as that of venus made by daedalus , which by the means of quicksilver inclosed , could stir it self ) their eating and drinking ( as in the story of bel in the apochryphal adjections to the book of daniel ) their responses , and several other appearances ( as of the paper head of adonis or osiris ) which ( as lucian reports ) comes swimming down the river every year from aegypt to byblos , &c. these and such like they improved as evidences of the power , knowledg , and reality of their gods. and though in the prevalency of idolatry , where there was no considerable party to oppose , their cheats were not always discovered , yet we have no reason to imagine that the priests of those days were so honest , that they were only deceived by the devils craft , and did not in a villanous design purposely indeavour the delusion of others . if we had no other grounds for a just suspition in these cases , the famous instances of the abuse of paulina at the temple of isis in rome , in the reign of the emperour tyberius , by the procurement of mondus , who corrupted the priest of anubis to signify to her the love of their god , and under that coverture gratified the lust of mondus , mentioned by josephus . and that of tyrannus priest of saturne in alexandria , who by the like pretence of the love of saturne , adulterated most of the fairest dames of the city , mentioned by ruffinus . these would sufficiently witness that the priests of those times were apt enough to abuse the people at the rate we have been speaking of . in popery nothing hath been more ordinary ; who knows not the story of the holy maid of kent , and the boy of bilson ? how common is it with them to play tricks with women troubled with hysterical distempers ? and to pretend the casting out of devils , when they have only to deal with a natural disease ? not very many years since they practised upon a poor young woman at durbam , and made great boasts of their exorcisms , reliques , and holy-water against the devil ( with whom they would have all believe she was possessed ) when the event discovered , that her fits were only the fits of the mother . i my self ( and some others in this place ) have seen those fits allayed by the fume of tobacco blown into her mouth , to the shame and apparent detection of that artifice . i might mention the legerdemain of antonius of padua , who made his horse adore the host , for the conversion of an heretick ; the finding of the images of st. paul and st. dominick in a church at venice with this inscription for paul , by this man you may come to christ ; and this for dominick , but by this man you may do it easilier : and the honour put upon garnet , by his image on straw , found at his execution , ( in all probability ) by him that made it and threw it down , or by his confederate : but these are enough to shew the honesty of these kind of men. secondly , they have also a cunning of ascribing effects to wrong causes , and by that means they make those things wonders that are none . mahomet called his fits of falling-sickness , extasies or trances . austin tells us the heathens were notable at this : the burning lamp in the temple of venus , though only the work of art , was interpreted to be a constant miracle of that deity . the image which ( in another temple ) hung in the air , by ignorant gazers was accounted a wonder , when indeed the loadstone in the roof and pavement ( though unseen ) was the cause of it . the sydonians were confirmed in their constant annual lamentations of adoms , by a mock miracle of the redness of the river adonis , at one time of the year constantly , they take it to be blood , when it is nothing else but the colouring of the water by the dust of red earth or minium , which the winds constantly at that time of the year from mount libanus do drive into the water . neither are the papists out in this point ; i will only instance in that observation of dr. jenison , to confirm the doctrine and practice of invocation : they take the advantage of sovereign baths and waters , and where they espy any fountain good against the stone , or other diseases , presently there is the statue or image of some saint or other erected by it , by whose vertue the cure and miracle must seem to be done ; or some chappel is erected to this or that saint , to whom prayers before , and thanks after washing , must be offered . thirdly , where the two former fail , men that devote themselves to this kind of service , imitate their father the devil , and fall to plain lying , and devised fables . idolatry was mainly underpropped by fabulous stories ; and no wonder , when they esteemed it a pious fraud , to nourish piety towards the gods , in which case ( as polibius saith ) though their writers speak monsters , and write childish , absurd , and impossible things , yet are they to be pardoned for their good intent . among the papists what less can be expected , when the same principle is entertained among them ? canus , and ludovicus vives mentioned by him , ( as also some few others ) do exceedingly blame that blind piety of coining lyes for religion , and feigning histories for the credit of their opinions ; but while they with great freedom and ingenuity do tax the fables of their own party , they do plainly acknowledg that they are too much guilty of feigning , insomuch that not only the author of the golden legend is branded with the characters of a brazen face , and a leaden heart , but also gregories dialogues , and bedes history are blamed by him , as containing narrations of miracles taken upon trust from the reports of the vulgar . and indeed the wonders they talk of , are so strange , so unlikely , so ridiculous , and absurd some of them , that except a man offer violence to his reason , and wilfully shut his eyes against the clear evidences of suspition , he cannot think they are any thing else than dreams and fables , no better then aesops ; you may meet with several catalogues of them in protestant writers . as their st. swithins making whole a basket of broken eggs by the sign of the cross . patricius his making the stoln sheep to bleet in the thiefs belly after he had eaten it . their st. brigets bacon which in great charity she gave to an hungry dog , was found again in her kettle ; dionysius after he was beheaded carryed his head in his hand three french miles . st. dunstan took the devil by the nose with his tongues till he made him roar . dominicus made him hold the candle till he burnt his fingers . st. lupus imprisoned the devil in a pot all night . a chappel of the virgin mary was translated from palestine to loretto . a consecrated host ( being put into a hive of bees to cure them of the murren ) was so devoutly entertained , that the bees built a chappel in the hive , with doors , windows , steeple and bells , erected an altar , and laid the host upon it , sung their canonical houres , and kept their watches by night as monkes used to do in their cloisters , &c. who would ever imagine that men of any seriousness could satisfy themselves with such childish fopperies ? these are the usual ways by which men of design have raised the noise of miracles . the other part of satans cunning relates to himself and his own actions : when his agents can go no further in the trade of miracle-making , he as a spirit , doth often make use of his power , knowledg , and agility , by which he can indeed do things incredible , and to be wondred at . 't is nothing for him by his knowledg of affairs at a distance , of the private endeavours , or expressed resolves of princes , to prognosticate future events : by his power over the bodies of men , he can with the help of inclinations and advantages do much to bring a man into a trance , or take the opportunity of a fit of an apoplexy , and then like a cunning jugler , pretend ( by i know not what , nor whom ) to raise a man from death . he knows the secret powers and vertues of things , and by private applications of them may easily supply spirits , remove obstructions , and so cure lameness , blindness , and many other distempers , and then give the honour of the cure to what person or occasion may best fit his design ; so that either by the officious lyes of his vassals , or the exerting of his own power on suitable objects at fit times , he hath made a great noise of signs and wonders in the world. and this stratagem of his , hath ever been at hand to gain a repute to false doctrine . and the rather doth he insist upon this , first , because true miracles are a divine testimony to truth . as nichodemus argued joh. . . no man could do these miracles that thou doest , except god be with him . and there were solemn occasions wherein they were necessary ; as when god gave publick discoveries of his mind before the scriptures were written ; and also when he altered the oeconomy of the old testament , and setled that of the new. in these cases it was necessary that god should confirm his word by miracles . but now , though these ends of miracles are ceased , though god hath so setled and fixed the rule of our obedience and worship , that no other gospel or rule is to be expected , and consequently no need of new miracles , where the certain account of the old miracles are sufficient attestations of old and unalterable truths ; nay though god have expresly told us , deut. . . that no miracle ( though it should come to pass , and could not be discovered to be a lye ) should prevail with us to forsake the established truths and ways of scripture , or to entertain any thing contrary to it ; yet doth satan exercise herein a proud imitation of the supream majesty , and withal doth so dazle the minds of the weaker sort of men , ( who are more apt to consider the wonder , than to suspect the design ) that ( without due heed given to the cautions which god hath laid before us in that particular ) they are ready to interpret them to be gods witness to this or that doctrine to which they seem to be appendant . secondly , because satan hath a more than ordinary advantage to feign miracles , he doth more industriously set himself to pretend them , and to urge them , for the accomplishment of his ends . 't is an easy work to prevail with men that are wholly devoted to their own interest under the mask of religion , to say and do any thing that may further their design ; and the business of miracles is so imitable by art , through the ignorance and heedlesness of men , that with a small labour satan can do it at pleasure . the secret powers of nature ( such as that of the loadstone ) by a dexterous application brought into act , in a fitly contrived subject , will seem miraculous to those that see not the secret springs of those actions . there have been artificial contrivances of motions , which had they been disguised under a religious form , and directed to such an end , might have passed for greater miracles than many which we have mentioned . such was the dove of architas which did fly in the air , as if it had been a living creature . such was the flie of regiomontanus , and the eagle presented to the emperour maximilan , which in the compass of their little bodies , contained so many springs and wheels as were sufficient to give them motion , and to direct their courses as if they had been animated . albertus magnus his artificial man , and the silver gally , and tritons made by a goldsmith at paris , were rare peices of art , their motions so certain and steady , that they seemed to have life and understanding . if art can do all this , how much more may we suppose can satan do ? how easily can he make apparitions , present strange sights to the eye , and voices to the ear ? and by putting out his power do a thousand things astonishing and wonderful ? eightly , sometime satan pleads for errour , from the ease , peace , or other advantages which men pretend they have received , since they engaged in such a way , or received such a perswasion . this is an argument from the effect , and frequently used to confirm the minds of men in their opinions . hence they satisfy themselves with these reasonings : i was before always under fears and uncertainties , i never was at peace or rest in my mind , i tryed several courses , followed several parties , but i never had satisfaction or comfort till now , and by this i know that i am in a right way . others argue after the same manner from their abundance and outward prosperity : i met with nothing but crosses and losses before , but now god hath blessed me with an increase of substance , prospered my trade and vndertakings , &c. these , though apparently weak and deceitful grounds , are reputed strong and conclusive , to those that are first resolved upon an errour . for men are so willing to justify themselves in what they have undertaken , that they greedily catch at any thing that hath the least appearance of probability to answer their ends . this plea of satisfaction is commonly from one of these two things . first , from inward peace , and contentment of mind . satan knows that peace is the thing to which a man sacrificeth all his labours and travel ; this he seeks , ( though often in a wrong way , and by wrong means : ) he knows also that true peace is only the daughter of truth , ( the ways whereof are pleasantness , and the paths whereof are peace ; ) neither is he ignorant of the delights which a man hath , by enjoying himself in the sweet repose of a contented mind , that he may charm the hearts of the erroneous into a confidence and assurance that they have taken a right course , he doth all he can to further a false peace in them , and to this purpose he commonly useth this method : first , he doth all he can to unsettle them from the foundation of truth upon which they were bottomed ; he labours to render things suspitious , doubtful or uncertain : this some have noted from thes . chap. . ver . . where satans first attempts are to shake their minds , not only by disquiet , ( of which we are next to speak ) but by alteration of their judgment , ( for mind is sometimes taken for sentence , opinion , judgment , as cor. . . we have the mind of christ , and cor. . . in the same mind , and in the same judgment . secondly , his second approach is to raise a storm of restless disquiet upon that uncertainty ; and in order to his intended design he usually fills them with the utmost anxiety of mind , and makes their thoughts ( like a tempestuous sea ) dash one against another . this peice of his art is noted in the forecited place , that ye be not shaken in mind or troubled ; the word signifies a great perplexity . and this is an usual method which the false teachers among the galatians practised , they first troubled them , and then endeavoured by the advantage of that trouble to pervert the gospel of christ . to effect both these , he doth amuse them with all the objections that can be raised . if he can say any thing of the antiquity of the errour , the number , wisdom , learning or authority of those that embrace it , they are sure to hear of these things to the full ; the danger of continuing as they were , and the happiness of the new doctrine , are represented with all aggravating circumstances ; and these so often , that their thoughts have no rest : and if this restlesness does wound or weaken them , he pursues with an high hand . these ways of disturbing the unsettled mind , are hinted to us in the aforesaid place , spirit , word , letter , any thing that carries a seeming authority to unsettle , or power to amaze and distress . and we may here further note , that where the minds of men are discomposed with other fears or disquiets , satan is ready to improve them to this use , so that commonly when the word of god begins to work at first upon the consciences of men , to awaken them to the consideration of their sin and danger , the adversary is then very busy with them to inveagle them into some errour or other . thirdly , having throughly prepared the mind with restless fears , he then advanceth forward with the proffers of peace and comfort in the way of errour which he proposeth ; and in this case errour will boast much , come to me , and ye shall find rest for your souls . how grateful and welcome the confident proffers of ease and satisfaction are to a tossed and disquieted mind any man will easily imagine ? 't is usually thus , men that are tired out , will easily embrace any thing for ease . a man in this case may be wrought upon like wax to receive any impression ; he will fasten on any thing true or false that doth but promise comfort . fourthly , the compleatment of his method is to please the man in the fruition of the peace promised : and this he labours to do , not only to fix the man in his delusion , but to make that man brag of ease to be a snare to others . and 't is easy for the devil to do this : for , first , the novelty of a new opinion doth naturally please , especially if it give any seeming commendation for discovery or singularity . we see men are fond of their own inventions , and delighted to be lifted up above others . secondly , satan can easily allay the storm which he himself raised : he gives over to molest with anxious thoughts , on the contrary he suggests thoughts of satisfaction . thirdly , and whatever he can do in a natural way to raise up our passions of joy and delight , he will be sure to do it now , to ravishment and excess if he can ; and then he not only makes these men sure , ( for what argument can stand before such a confidence ? ) but hath an active instrument for the allurement of such as cannot discover these methods . secondly , outward prosperity is the other common plea for errour . though successes , plenty and abundance of worldly comforts , argue of themselves neither love nor hatred , truth nor falshood , because the wise providence of god , for holy ends and reasons ( often undiscerned by us ) permits often the tabernacles of robbers to prosper , and permits those that deal treacherously with the truths of god , to be planted , to take root , to grow , yea , to bring forth fruit ; nevertheless if in a way of errour they meet with outward blessings , they are apt to a scribe all to their errours , and to say as israel , hos . . . i will go after my lovers that gave me my bread and my water , my wool and my flax , mine oyl and my drink , without any serious consideration of god's common bounty , which upon far other accounts , gives them corn , and wine , and oyl , and multiplies their silver and gold , which they prepared for baal , ver . . i shall not need to add any thing further for the proof and explanation of this , than what we have in jer. . . where the jews expresly advance their idolatrous worship as the right way , and confirm themselves even to obstinacy in the pursuit of it , upon this reason ; we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth out of our own mouth , to burn incense to the queen of heaven — for then had we plenty of victuals , and were well , and saw no evil : but since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven , and to pour out our drink-offerings unto her , we have wanted all things , and have been consumed by the sword , and by the famine . ninthly , instead of better arguments , satan usually makes lyes his refuge : and these respect either the truth which he would cry down , or the errour which he would set up . those lyes that are managed against truth , are of two sorts ; mistakes and misrepresentations of its doctrines , or calumnies against the persons and actions of those that take part with it . those lyes that are proper to bespatter a truth withal , are such as tend to render it unlovely , inconvenient , or dangerous . satan hath never been awanting to raise up mists and fogs to eclipse the shining beauty of truth . sometime he perswades men that it is a novelty , and contrary to the tradition of the fathers : and then if an errour had been once upon the stage before , and had again been hissed out of the world , when it peeps out again into the world , its former impudency is made an argument for its antiquity , and truth is decryed as novel . or , if it be but an errour of yesterday , and hath only obtained an age or two , then the ghosts of our forefathers are conjured up as witnesses , and the plea runs currant , what is become of your fathers ? or , are you wiser than your fathers ? are they all damned ? these were insisted on by the heathens : the gods of the country , and the worship of their fathers , they thought should not be forsaken for christianity , which they judged was but a novelty in comparison of paganisme . of the same extract is that old song of the papists , where was your religion before luther ? and to this purpose they talk of the succession of their bishops and popes . and other errours grow a little pert and confident , if they can but find a pattern or sample for themselves among the old heresies . sometimes he endeavours to bring truth into suspition , by rendering it a dangerous encroachment upon the rights and priviledges of men , as if it would turn all upside down , and introduce factions and confusions . this clamour was raised against the gospel , that it would subvert the doctrine of moses and the law. sometimes he cloaths the opinions of truth with an ugly dress , and misrepresents it to the world , as guilty of strange inferences and absurdities , which only arise from a wrong stating of the questions : and where it doth really differ from errour , he endeavours to widen the differences to an inconvenient distance , so that if it go a mile from errour , satan will have it to go two ; if truth teach justification by faith , errour represents it as denying all care of holiness and good works ; if truth say , bare moral vertues are not sufficient without grace , errour presently accuseth it , as denying any necessary use of morality , or affirming that moral vertues are obstructions and hinderances to salvation . it were easie to note abundance of such instances . as for calumnies against the persons and actions of those that are assertors of truth , 't is well known for an old thread-bare design , by which satan hath gained not a little . machiavil borrowed the policy from him , and formed it into a maxime , for he found by experience that where strong slanders had set in their teeth , though never so unjustly , the wounds were never throughly healed : for some that heard the report of the slander , never heard the vindication , and those that did , were not always so unprejudiced as to free themselves from all suspition , but still something remained usually upon their spirits for ever after ; and that , like a secret venome , poysons all that could be said or done by the persons , that ( wrongfully ) fell under their prejudice , and did not a little derogate from the authority and power of the truths which they delivered . the friends of truth have always to their cost found it so . christ himself escaped not the lyes and censures of men when he did the greatest miracles ; they raised this calumny against him , that he cast out devils by beelzebub the prince of devils : when he shewed the most compassionate condescentions , they called him a man gluttonous , a wine-bibber , a friend of publicans and sinners ; and at last upon a misinterpretation of his speeches , ( i will destroy this temple , and in three days i will build it up , mat. . . ) they arraigned and condemned him for blasphemy : and his servants have ( according to what he foretold ) drunk of the same cup ; the more eminent in service , the greater draught . paul , a chosen vessel , met with much of this unjust dealing ; he was accused act. . . as speaking against the people , the law , and the temple ; and , chap. . . called a pestilent fellow , a mover of sedition , a prophaner of the temple . neither can we wonder at this , that the greatest innocency , or highest degree of holiness , is no armour of proof against the sharp arrows of a lying tongue : when we read this as one of satan's great characters , that he is the accuser of the brethren , and that his agents are so perfectly instructed in this art , that they are also branded with the same mark of false accusers , jude . 't is well known how the primitive christians were used , they were accounted the filth and off-scouring of all things ; there could be nothing that could render them odious or ridiculous but they were aspersed with it , as that they sacrificed infants , worshipped the sun , and used promiscuous vncleanness ; nay , what ever plague or disaster befel their neighbours , they were sure to carry the blame . and we might trace this stragem down to our own days . luther in his time was the common butt for all the poysoned arrows of the papists calumny ; which so exceeded all bounds of sobriety and prudence , that they devised a romance of his death , how he was choaked of the devil ; that before he died , he desired his corps might be carried into the church , and adored with divine worship ; and that after his death the excessive stench of his carcase forced all his friends to forsake him . all this and more to this purpose they published while he was alive , whose slanders ( worthy only of laughter ) he refuted by his own pen. the like fury they expressed against calvin , by their bolsecus , whom they set on work to fill a book with impudent lyes against him : neither did beza , junius , or any other of note escape without some slander or other . how unjustly the arrians of old accused athanasius of uncleanness , and of bereaving arsenius of his arm , is sufficiently known in history . but the devils malice doth not always run in the dirty channel of odious calumnies , he hath sometimes a more cleanly conveyance for his lyes against holy men. in prosecution of the same design , 't is a fair colour for errour , if he can abuse the name and credit of renowned champions of truth , by fathering an errour upon them which they never owned . by this means he doth not only grace a false doctrine with the authority of an eminent person , whose estimation might be a snare to some well-meaning persons , but weakens the truth , by bringing a faithful assertor of it into suspition of holding ( at least in some points ) dangerous opinions ; by which many are affrighted from entertaining any thing that they write or preach : for , though they may be confessedly sound in the most weighty doctrines , yet if it be once buzz'd abroad that they are in any thing unsound , this dead fly spoils all the precious ointment : and the matter were yet the less , if there were any just cause for such a prejudice ; but such is satans art , that if a man explains the same truth but in different words and forms of speech , than those that others have been used unto ; or if he casts it into a more convenient mould , that ( by laying aside doubtful or flexible expressions ) it may be more safely guarded from the exceptions of the adversaries , especially if he carefully chuse his path betwixt the extreams on either hand ; this is enough for satan to catch at , and presently he bestows upon him the names of the very errours which he most strenuously opposeth ; nay , sometimes if he mention any thing above the reach or acquaintance of those that hear him , 't is well if he escapes the charge of heresie , and that he meets not with the lot of virgilius bishop of saltzbury , who was judged no less than heretical , for venting his opinion concerning the antipodes . i know men do such things in their zeal , but while they do so , they are concerned to consider how satan doth abuse their good meaning to the disservice of truth . as satan's design in bespattering the actions and doctrines of good men , is to bring the truth they profess into a suspition of falshood , and to advance the contrary errours to the place and credit of truth ; so doth he use a skill proportionable to his design . and though he be so impudent that he will not blush at the contrivance of the most gross and malicious lye , yet withall he is so cunning , that he studiously endeavours some probable rise for his slanders , and commonly he takes this course : first , he doth all he can to corrupt the professors of truth ; if riches or honours will tempt them to be proud , high-minded , contentions , or extravagant , he plyes them with these weapons ; if the pleasures of the flesh and world be more likely to besot them , or to make them sensual , earthly or loose , he incessantly lays those baits before them ; if fears and persecutions can affright them out of duty ; if injuries and provocations may prejudice them into a forward or wayward temper , he will certainly urge them by such occasions , and when he hath prevailed in any measure , he is sure to aggravate every circumstance to its utmost height , and upon that advantage to make additions of a great many things beyond what they can be justly accused of . this old device paul , in rom. . . takes notice of concerning the jews , whose breach of the law so dishonoured god , that the name of god was blasphemed among the gentiles through them . the jews lived wickedly , and their wicked lives was a currant argument among the gentiles to confirm them in paganism ; for they judged the law of god could not approve it self to be better than their own , when the professors of it were so naught . to prevent this mischief , we are seriously warned to be carefully strict in all our stations , that the name of god and his doctrine be not blasphemed . secondly , whatever miscarriages any professor of truth is guilty of , satan takes care that it be presently charged upon all the profession . if any one offend , it is matter of publick blame ; much more if any company or party shall run into extravagancies , or do actions strange and unjustifyable , those that agree with them in the general name of their profession ( though they differ as far from their wild opinions and practices as their enemies do ) shall still be upbraided with their follies . we see this practised daily by differing parties , according to what was foretold , in pet. . . false prophets seduce a great number of christians to follow their pernicious ways , and by reason of their wild ungodly behaviour , the whole way of truth was evil spoken of . thirdly , the least slip or infirmity of the children of truth the devil is ready to bring upon the stage ; and they that will not charge themselves as offenders for very great evils , will yet object to the disparagement of truth the smallest mistakes of others ; a mote in the eye of the lovers of truth shall be espyed , when a beam in the eye of falshood shall pass for nothing . fourthly , slanderous aspersions are sometimes raised from a simple mistake of actions , and their grounds or manner of performance , and sometimes from a malicious misrepresentation . the devil seldom acts from a simple mistake , but he will either suborn the passionate opposers to a wilful perverting of the true management of things , or will by a false account of things take the advantage of their prejudice , to make men believe that such things have been said or done , which indeed never were . the christians in the primitive times were reported to be bloody men , and that they did kill men in sacrifice , and did eat their flesh and drink their blood ; and this was only occasioned by their doctrine and use of the sacrament of the body and blood of christ . they were accused for promiscuous uncleanness with one another , and this only because they taught that there was no distinction of male and female in respect of justication , and that they were all brethren and sisters in christ . this account tertullian gives of the calumnies of those times , and others have noted the like occasions of other abuses of them . they were reported to worship the sun , because they in times of persecution were forced to meet early in the fields , and were often seen undispersed at sun-rising . they were reported to worship bacchus and ceres , because of the elements of bread and wine in the lords supper . if they met in private places , and in the night , it was enough to occasion surmises of conspiracy and rebellion : so ready is satan to take occasion where none is given . fifthly , but if none of these are at hand , then a downright lye must do the turn , according to that of jer. . . come and let us devise devices against jeremiah : and when once the lye is coyned , satan hath officious instruments to spread it ; jer. . . report , say they , and we will report it . these were the lyes raised against truth ; but besides this endeavour , he useth the same art of lying to inhance the credit of errour . lying inspirations , lying signs and wonders we have spoken of , i shall only mention another sort of lying , which is that of forgery , an art which errour hath commonly made use of . sometimes books and writings erroneous have been made to carry the names of men that never knew or saw them . the apostles themselves escaped not these abuses ; you read of the counterfeit gospels of thomas and bartholomew , the acts of peter and andrew , the apostolical constitutions , and a great many more . later writers have by the like hard usage been forced to father the brats of other mens brians . i might be large in these , but they that please may see more of this in authors , that have of purpose discovered the frauds of spurious , suppositious books ; the design is obvious ; errour would by this means adorn it self with the excellent names of men of renown , that so it might pass for good doctrine with the unwary . chap. iv. of satan's second way of improving his advantages , which is by working upon the understanding indirectly by the affections . this he doth ( . ) by a silent insensible introduction of errour . his method herein . ( . ) by entangling the affections with the external garb of errour , a gorgeous dress , or affected plainness . ( . ) by fabulous imitations of truth . the design thereof . ( . ) by accommodating truth to a complyance with parties that differ from it . various instances hereof . ( . ) by driving to a contray extream . ( . ) by bribing the affections with rewards , or forcing them by fears . ( . ) by engaging pride and anger . ( . ) by adorning errour with the ornaments of truth . the usual arguments by which satan doth directly blind the understanding to a perswasion to accept darkness for light , we have now considered . it remains that some account be given of the second way of prevailing upon the understanding , and that is by swaying it through the power and prevalency of the affections . in order to this he hath many devices , the principal whereof are these : first , by silent and insensible procedure he labours to introduce errours ; and lest men should startle at a sudden and full presentment of the whole , he thinks it policy to insinuate into the affections , by offering it in parcels . thus he prevents wonderment and surprisal , ( lest men should boggle and turn away , ) and doth by degrees familiarize them to that , which at first would have been rejected with abhorrency . we read in the parable of the tares , that the envious man which sowed them ( who was satan ) took his opportunity while men slept , and then went away in the dark ; insomuch that the discovery was not made at the sowing , but at their coming up . in pursuance of this policy , we find the principal instruments of satan have followed the footsteps of their master ; they creep in unawares , jude . they privily bring in damnable heresies , pet. . . and as if they were guilty of some modest shamefastness , they creep into houses , tim. . . the steps by which the devil creeps into the bosoms of men to plant errour in the heart , are these : first , he endeavours to gain the heart by the ingenious sweet and delightful society of those that are corrupted already . errour hath a peculiar art to woo the good-will before it disclose it self ; it first steals the ear and affections to the person , and thence insensibly derives it to the opinion . truth is masculine , and perswades by teaching , but errour doth often teach by perswading . 't is very difficult to affect the person , and not to bestow upon the errour better thoughts than it deserves . those therefore that are cunning in the art of seduction , make extraordinary pretences of affectionate kindness , and ( as the apostle noted concerning the seducers of his time , gal. . . ) they zealously affect ( those whom they would delude ) but not well : their art doth also teach them not to be over-hasty in propounding their opinions , nor so much as to touch upon them till they perceive they have gained a firm perswasion of their aimity , and of the reality of those kindnesses which they have made shew of : but when they have once gained this point of advantage , they take opportunity more freely to propound and press their doctrines . thus are men at last beguiled with enticing words . 't is also part of the same design , that satan sometimes makes use of women seducers : for , ( . ) they are more apt to be deluded themselves ; silly women are soon led captive . ( . ) being deceived , they are most earnestly forward in the heat of zeal to propagate their opinions . ( . ) and by the advantage of their nature they are most engaging , their affectionate perswasions usually have a peculiar prevalency . the daughters of moab ( through balaam's counsel ) were made choice of , as the fittest instruments to seduce israel to idolatry . solomon , though a wise man , was prevailed with by the importunity of his wives , against his former practice and knowledg , to favour false worship . the woman jezabel , rev. . . was satan's under-agent , to teach and seduce god's servants to commit fornication , and to eat things sacrificed to idols . ( . ) besides , they have a greater influence upon their children , to leaven them with their own opinions . secondly , satan also observes a gradual motion in fixing any particular errour . if he attempt it immediately without an external agent , he first puts men upon the reading or consideration of some dark passages that seem to look favourably upon his design ; then he starts the notion or objection ; then begets a scruple or questioning : having once proceeded thus far , he follows his design with probable reasons , till he have formed it into an opinion : when 't is come to this , a little more begets a perswasion , that perswasion he ripens into a resoluteness and obstinacy , and then at last fires it with zeal for the deluding of others . having thus laid the foundation by one errour , he next endeavours to multiply it , and then brings in the inferences that unavoidably follow : for as one wedg makes way for another , so from one falshood , another will easily force it self , and from two or three , who knows how many ? and though the consequences are usually more absurd than the principles , yet are they with a small labour brought into favour , where the principles are first confidently believed ; so that those errours , which because of their ugly look , satan durst not at first propound , lest he should scare men off from their reception , he can now with an undaunted boldness recommend . it cannot be imagined that ever men would at first have entertained opinions of contempt of ordinances and libertinism , and therefore we may observe they usually come in the rear of other opinions , which by a long tract of art prepare their way . yet may we note , that though satan usually is forced to wait the leasure of some mens timerousness and bashfulness , and therefore cannot ripen errour to an hasty birth as he desires , ( hence is it , that one man often doth no more for his time , but only brew it , or it may be makes only the rude draught of it , and another vents and adorns it : for so it was betwixt laelius and faustus socinus , betwixt david george and his successors : ) and though he be so confined to the first principles of errour , which he hath instilled , that he cannot at present enlarge them beyond their own just consequences ; yet there are some choice principles of his , which if he can but fasten upon the mind , they presently open the gap to all kind of errours imaginable ; they are like the firing a train of gunpowder , which in a moment blows up the whole fabrick of truth : such are the delusions of enthusiasm , inspirations and prophetick raptures ; let these be once fixed , and then there is nothing so inhumane , irreligious , mad , or ridiculous , but satan can with ease perswade men to it , and also under the highest pretences of religion and certainty ; the experience of all ages , hath made any further proof of this altogether needless . this is his way when he acts alone . but if he use instruments , though he is also gradual in his procedure , yet 't is in a different method : for there he sometimes proceeds from the abuse of something innocent and lawful ( by the help of a long tract of time ) to introduce the grossest falshood . thus may we conceive he brought idolatry to its height : first men admired the wisdom or famous acts of their progenitors , or benefactors ; next , they erected pillars , or images of such persons , to perpetuate the names , honour and memory of them and their actions . another age being at a greater distance from the things done , and consequently greater strangers to the true ends and reasons of such practices , which being ( as it usually falls out in such cases ) abused by false reports or misrepresentations of things , ( for time covers things of this nature with so thick a mist , that 't is difficult to discover the true metal of an original constitution ) they in a devout ignorance gave the images a greater respect than was at first intended ; then did they slide into a conceit they were not of the ordinary rank of mortals , or at least they were exalted to a condition which ordinary mortals were not capable of ; thus they supposed them deities , and gave them worship of prayers and sacrifices : hence they went further , and multiplied gods , and that of several sorts , according to the natures of things that were good or hurtful to them ; and then at last consulting how mean their offerings were , and how unlikely to please their godships , they concluded humane sacrifices most sutable , especially to expiate greater provocations , and in times of great calamity . the burthensom heap of ceremonious superstitions in popery was the work of several ages , they were not brought in all at once . one in a devotional heat fancied such a ceremony as a fit testimony of zeal , or a proper incitement of his affections ; another deviseth a second , and so all along ; as the minds of men were best pleased with their own inventions , and had so much credit or authority to recommend them to others , they encreased the sum by new additions , till at last they are become a burthen not to be born ; and still as they receeded from the primitive purity , and became more careless and corrupt in their lives , ( for from good bishops they declined to but tollerable arch-bishops , till at last they are become incurable babylonians , ) so they departed gradually from the simplicity of the gospel , and abounded in contrivances of ceremonies . thirdly , in corrupting established truths . satan's proceedings are not by sudden and observable leaps , but by lingring and slow motions ; as flowers and plants grow insensibly , and as men gradually wax old and feeble . violent and hasty alterations he knows would beget observation , dislike , and opposition ; neither will he make such attempts , but where he is sure of a strong prevalent party , which by force and power is able to carry all before it : in this case he is willing to enforce errour by fire and sword. thus he propagated mahumetism at first , and still continueth to do so by the conquering arms of the turks ; but where he hath not this advantage , he betakes himself to another course , and studieth to do his work so that he may not be observed . the possibility of such a change , with the manner of effecting it , we may observe in many churches , that have declined from the doctrine which they at first received , but most of all in the church at rome , which at first was a pure church , as the apostle testifieth , but now so changed from the truths upon which they were bottomed in their first constitution , as if she had not been the same church . they boast indeed that as they were at first , so they are now ; but nothing is more evident than the contrary : and the possibility of their insensible corruption is as demonstrable as the alteration of doctrine in any other church . the manifold ways that satan takes in this matter in the abuse of scripture , by raising perverse interpretations , and unnatural inferences , and the advantages of a long succession in authority ; of the negligence and ignorance of the common people ; of the crafty subtilty of the teachers , especially when religion began to be abused to secular interest , is described by acontius and others . if we should single out any of their noted errours , and follow up the history of it to its first original , we shall find , that whatever strong current it hath now gotten , it was very small and inconsiderable in the fountain . the invocation of saints , though it be now an established article among them , yet its first rise was from the unwary prosopopoea's of of the ancients , and the liberty of their oratorical declamatory stile ; these gave occasion to some private opinions , these opinions to some private devotional liberty in practice , and from private opinions and practices , at last it obtained so strong a party , that it procured a publick injunction . the like method was used for the doctrine of transubstantiation , whose beginning was from the abuse of such sentences as this in ancient writers , that after consecration it was no more bread and wine , but the body and blood of christ ; by which expression the authors intended no more than this , that the bread and wine in the sacrament were relatively altered , and were more than ordinary bread and wine , because they were representatives of the body and blood of christ : however , this gave them courage to interprect literally and strictly these words of christ , this is my body : and thus by degrees from the opinion of a few it became the judgment of many , and from the toleration of a private opinion of some doctors and unimposed , it obtained at last a canon to make it authentick , publick doctrine . fourthly , this insensible proceeding is in nothing more evident than in the power of custom and education ; custom doth by degrees take off the startling of conscience : and those opinions or practices which at first look affright it , are by a little familiarity made more smooth and tollerable . the dissents of men by frequent seeing and hearing , become tame and gentle ; but the force of education is incomparably great , for this makes an errour to become as it were natural ; they suck it in with their milk , and draw it in with their air. this general advantage the devil hath over all the children of erroneous parents , especially where countreys or nations are of the same perswasion ; insomuch that turks have as great belief of their alcoran as we of the bible , and think as reverently of mahomet as christians do of christ . the children of idolatrous pagans have as great a confidence of the truth of their way of heathenish worship , as we have of god's ordinances and institutions . fifthly , we may see something of this stratagem of silent intanglement in satan's surprisals ; for sometimes he inveagles men at unawares , and engageth them in errour while they know not what they are doing . weak heads cannot see the far end of a smooth-fac'd doctrine ; and they usually embrace it by whole-sale , for some particular that strikes upon their fancy , or gratifies their humour . if they read a book that hath some good things in it , or is affectionate , for the sake of these they swallow all the rest ( though never so dangerous doctrine ) without further examination . the like advantage he hath from actions that are bad or tollerable , according to the various respects which they have to the ends or consequences that ly before them , for he frequently doth interest men in an erroneous consequence , by concerning them in actions that lead that way ; and having thus beguiled them into an evil mistake , instead of drawing their foot out of the snare , he pusheth them forward to maintain their ground , and to justify their proceedings . this was the case of some of the corinthians , when the heathens had offered sacrifice to an idol , part of the sacrifice was reserved , and either sold at the shambles , or used in a feast , to which the heathens sometimes invited their christian acquaintance or relations . those that went , ( knowing that an idol was nothing ) eat what was set before them , without any regard to the idol , and making no question for conscience sake : by their example , other that had not that knowledg , cor. . . were emboldned , not only to eat against their scruples and doubts of conscience , ( which is all that many interpreters think to be intended in that place ) but also ( as the words make probable ) with some positive regard to the idol ; so that by the examples of those that sate in the idols temple , eating what was set before them as common meat , others misinterpreting their actions , proceeded to eat with a conscience of the idol , as if the idol had been something indeed , and deserving a conscientious regard . not unlike to this was that art of julian , mentioned by sozomen , whereby he endeavoured to twist something of paganism with actions and things that were lawful or necessary : he caused the images of mars and mercury to be placed by his own , so that the respects that were payed to the emperours picture , seemed to carry a concomitancy of reverence to those idols : he also ( in prosecution of the same policy ) caused their meats and drinks to be sprinkled or mixed with the lustral water , that so every one that used them , might be inured to give some regard to his idols ; and that some , at least , might be engaged to a justification of that and such other practices . all these are but instances of satans silent insinuation , by which he secretly steals the affections , and through these , taints the judgment . next follows , a second plot upon the affections , which is an endeavour to entangle them by the external garb of errour . in this he works by two contrary extreams , that he may the better prevail with mens different dispositions . first , he sometimes cloaths a false doctrine with the most pompous , gorgeous , delightful attire , that like solomons harlot it may entice those that are pleased with the highest gratifications of the senses , i have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry , with fine linnen of egypt , &c. most men that are given up to an animal life , cannot be pleased with any religion but such as may most please the senses ; they so disrelish the simplicity of the gospel ( which is , notwithstanding , its particular mark and honour , cor. . . ) that they cannot perswade themselves they do any thing in religious worship , except they abound in costly ceremonious observances . thus do some interpret that fear of the heathens , which first put them upon images and outward representations of their gods ; they were affraid they should not have any religion to their own satisfaction , except they proceeded in such a course as might make their senses sure that they were doing something : the devil knowing well the force of external beauties in religion , prepared the way to idolatry by it . they had their costly temples , some of them admirable for antiquity and magnificence , enriched with gifts and offerings , excellent for matter and workmanship , adorned with images , lamps , beds , and tables of gold , beautified by art , and natural pleasantness of scituation ; they had also their groves in the most pleasant and delightful places , as that of the daphne besides antiochia , which was invironed with tall cypress trees , ten miles about , and within adorned with the sumptuous temples of apollo and diana's sanctuary ; in these places they had their musick and solemn festivals , which were sometimes extraordinary , for cost and continuance . antiochus at daphne continued an incredible solemnity , with a vast train and costly preparation for thirty days together ; and that nothing might be wanting , they had their annual feasts , sacrifices , rites , the adornments of their priests , their white garments , their coats of divers colours , their miters , &c. in a word , nothing was lacking that might please the eye or ear. and doubtless the devil found this course very successful to win the affections of men to gentilism . and if it were not for this consideration , it might be admired that the jews ( who were instructed in the true worship of god ) should , notwithstanding , be so prone to idolatry , and so hardly drawn from it : but , surely their strong inclinations that way proceeded from a natural delight that men have in a sensual religion , which by a powerful witchcraft doth inchant them to an excess of love . the same method the devil takes in popery , the chief inticement lies in its glorious external appearance ; all their religious places are dressed up in the highest bravery , they are beautified with images and pictures , with lights and costly adornments ; they abound in rites , ceremonies , gestures , and observances , and all this is but to dazle the eyes , and to win a reverence in men to their worship ; and accordingly , they practise in these exteriour things on purpose to ravish mens affections ; their children are brought up to a confirmed delight and resolution for popery , by pleasing them with shews , pictures , representations , processions , and grateful observances . if a stranger of another religion come among them , then as their first essay , they shew them all their play-things , that their affections may be tickled with the outward pomp and ornament of their way , for they know by experience , that a glitering out-side , and a great deal ado of bodily labour , is the all of most mens religion ; if it have but body enough , they never enquire whether it have spirit or life within : a dead carcass in robes , that may put them to the exercise of their postures , and ceremonious complements , doth make up a more grateful religion for a carnal man , than a living , spiritual service , that necessarily will put them upon inward care and watchfulness in the constant exercise of holy spiritual graces , without affording any considerable gratification to the senses : hence is it truly more difficult , ( and yet inwardly more beautiful and glorious ) to pray in faith and humility , even in short breathings after god , than to say a thousand ave maria's , or to perform a task of ordinary penance . but as those that have no children of their own , delight themselves in playing with a monkey or baboon , so those that know not how to worship god in spirit and truth , seek to satisfie themselves in the performance of external gesture and ceremony . secondly , on the other hand ; he sometimes is willing that an errour should affect an excess of plainness and simplicity . in this he takes advantage of those expressions in scripture , wherein the gospel is commended for its simplicity , and the inventions of men under the pretences of wisdom , humility , and neglecting of the body are condemned . upon this ground , he runs men upon such an excess of dotage , that they never think the things of god are rightly managed but when they are brought down to a contemptible silliness . by this means he arms conceited ignorant men with exceptions against learning , and the necessary decencies of languague in preaching ; and with them they are the only preachers , and most likely to be inspired that use least study and preparation for their work . 't is indeed very true , that the affected fooleries of a bombast stile , or startcht discourse , and needless citations of sentences for ostentation , without any true advantage to the matter in hand , are things very pedantick , and exceedingly unsuitable to the gravity of the work of the ministry , and renders it very ungrateful to a pious mind : but this contrary folly makes the solemn ordinances of god so nauseous and contemptible , that it often makes way ( by satan's cunning improvement of the temptation ) to an atheistical rejection of all worship . in the mean time 't is wonderful to observe , how some persons please themselves with this conceit , that their way of worship is plain , and that they speak what immediately comes into their mind ; and though it be non-sense or contradictions ( which sufficiently evidenceth that 't is nothing of kin to the spirits inspiration ) which they utter , yet 't is argument enough to them , that their opinions and ways are right , because they proceed in a designed neglect of all necessary order , and under pretence of the simplicity of the gospel , they reduce all they do to childish silliness . neither is this all the mischief which the devil raiseth out of this conceit , for the contempt and disuse of the sacraments , may in great part be ascribed to it . those erroneous ways of worship that are most noted for decrying those institutions of christ , have this for their plea , that the worship which god is best pleased with , is spiritual , and that all bodily services and external observations are things that god stands not upon , such as profit little , and were no further in use , but to recommend an internal spiritual communion with god ; so that the more they reject these things , they perswade themselves they have a more true understanding of the design of god in religion . either of these ways satan makes use of for the befooling of men into an humour of pleasing themselves with errour . but , thirdly , he hath of old endeavoured to cloud and enervate the doctrine of the bible by traditionary fables . we meet with many passages to this purpose : sometimes he sets up unwritten traditions , not only of equal authority to the written word , but as completions and perfections of it . this he practised among the jews with such success , that the traditions of the elders were of greater force with them than the commands of god , as christ himself noted of them , matth. . . of these unwritten traditions ( which they called the law by the word of mouth , feigned by them to be given to moses when he was in the mount , and so delivered from hand to hand ) the apostles gave many warnings , and signified the hazards that truth stood in by them , through the cunning of satan , as col. . . beware lest any man spoil you — through the traditions of men. tim. . . neither give heed to fables , and endless genealogies . tit. . . not giving heed to jewish fables , and commandments of men. — tim. . . and they shall turn away their ears from the truth , and shall be turned unto fables . the papists at this day give the same entertainment to this device that the jews did of old , they boast as high of their traditions , and are every whit as fabulous and foolish in them as they were . satan in his attempts upon the gentiles to confirm them in their false worship , though he kept up the substance of this design , yet he was necessitated to alter the scene a little , that he might more handsomly accommodate it to their condition ; and therefore he set up amongst them fabulous imitations of the truths and ordinances of the scripture , insomuch that there is scarce any grand mystery , or remarkable history , or ordinance mentioned in the scripture , but we may find something among the heathens in tradition or practice that doth allude to it . what traditionary imitations had they of the creation recorded in the book of genesis ? that of ovid concerning the chaos and first beginning of things , is known to every school-boy . the phoenicians in their theology give an odd account of it , from their taautus , to this purpose , that the first beginnings of all things were a dark disordered chaos , and the spirit of the dark air ; hence proceeded moth , that is mire , from thence issued the seeds and generation of all creatures in earth and heaven , &c. the wickedness of men before the flood , ( mentioned gen. . , . ) is fabulously related in an ancient book , ( falsly ascribed to enoch ) wherein the watchmen or angels are reported to take them wives of the daughters of men , and that from thence was the race of giants . for the description of paradise , the heathens had the poetical fiction of the elyzian fields , as they had the story of deucalion , instead of noahs ark and the deluge . the story of lots wife was abused by the fiction of orpheus his wife , suddenly snatched from him for looking back . the history of sampson was turned into their story of hercules and his ten labours . from the sun standing still in joshua and hezekiahs time , came that fiction of jupiters doubling the night , that he might enjoy alemena . in some of these disguises of sacred story , they go so near in name and circumstances that 't is past doubt they imitated the true history , which they corrupted : for instance , herodotus relates , that sethon king of egypt and priest of vulcan , was helped by his god from heaven against senacherib , which plainly relates to hezekiah king of juda , and the wonders that god did for him . so in imitation of vriahs letters to joab for his own destruction , we have in homer and others the story of praetus , sending letters to jobatas by bellerophon , wherein his death was commanded ; the near affinity of the names joab and jobatas , shews with what heifer the devil plowed . the history of abraham's offering up isaac , is by porphiry applied to saturn , who saith , he was by the phaenicians called israel , he had by anobreth one only son , called jeud ( an evident allusion ( saith godwin , antiq. lib. . cap. . ) to gen. . . where isaac is in the hebrew called jechid , that is an only begotten ) him he offered up on an altar purposely prepared ; here not only the matter , but the names do clearly shew , that abraham's story is imitated in this . the like imitation i might shew to have been among the heathen , of doctrinal truths , as of the sacred mystery of the trinity . in peru they worship the father , son , and brother ; as also their tangatauga , which they say was one in three , and three in one . but their imitation of ordinances is every where remarkable , so that i need say nothing of their temples , priests , sacrifices , and other religious rites ; only the devil's imitation of the sacraments of the new testament deserves particular observation : instances of an apish imitation of baptism are every where obvious , and that of the lords supper or christian communion was frequently resembled in the chief peruvian feasts , where they carried small loaves of bread in great platters of gold , of which all present received , and eat little pieces , and this as a sign of honour and profession of obedience to their gods , and the ingua . not unlike to this were those morsels of paste , which the mexicans used in their religious feasts , which they laid at their idols feet , consecrating them by singing and other ceremonies , and then they called there the flesh and bones of their god vitziliputzli , ( alluding directly to that of our saviour , this is my body , &c. insomuch that acosta thought the devil mocked their transubstantiation by it ; ) this was distributed among all , and was eaten with a great deal of reverence , fear , and devotion . we may see by those instances , that in these fabulous imaginations of truth , the devil hath industriously traded , and that which he aimed at in this design may easily be conjectured to be , . the despiting and discrediting of truth ; he renders it ( by this means ) suspitious of some forgery , as if the scripture were no better than an uncertain tradition , as if ( at the best ) it were doubtful , whether scripture or these traditionary fables had better authority . . he further intends the intanglement of the affections to errour by this device ; for he doth , as it were , take the spoils of the tabernacle to adorn his dagon withal , and without doubt the heathens were very much hardned in gentilism by these traditionary stories ; hence , one observes , the devil imitated the history of the miracle done in favour of hezekiah , that the scriptures might lose their credit and authority , and that the glory of such a wonder might be transferred to their idols ; and the consequence of both these , is . to deprive the truth of its convincing power upon the consciences of men. the principles of scripture convince by the evidence of their truth : if that truth be questioned by the substitution of another competitor , it presently loseth its force , and the commands thereof are disregarded , upon a supposition of its uncertainty . . another of his ways to betray the understanding by the affections , is by putting men upon an accommodation of truth , to a complyance with parties differing from it . and this hath been so much the more successful , because it hath begun , and been carried on upon the most specious pretences . the avoiding of offences ; the smoothing of the way of religion , for the gaining of the contrary minded ; the preservation of peace and unity , are pleas very plausible ; and really upon the account of these things , the scripture ( both by its precepts and examples ) hath recommended to us condescentions and brotherly forbearances . the jews ( who were dissatisfied at the first publication of the liberty from the yoke of mosaical ceremonies , purchased for us by christ ) were indulged in the use of circumcision , and observance of the difference of meats for a long time , till they might be the better satisfied in the truth . these pretences the devil makes use of to undermine truth . and pleasing his agents with the honour of a pious design , ( and it may be at first really so intended by them ) he prevails with them , not only for a present condescention to men of contrary practice , but to cast the principles of truth into such a fixed mould that they may carry a more near resemblance to those opinions which they do most directly oppose . the appearance of sanctity , peaceableness , prudence , and successfulness in such an undertaking , doth exceedingly animate the well-meaning designers , which satan , in the mean time , carries them beyond all bounds , and so dangerously fixeth an unnatural representation of truth , that it loseth its own splendor , and settles at last upon unsafe notions . thus by the continuance of such a complyance , errour begins to recruit its forces , and is as likely to draw over truth wholly to its side , ( by the argument of resemblance , and the consequences following thereupon ) as truth is wholly to extirpate and conquer errour ; and if it do not that , succeeding ages ( that minded not the first design ) finding things so continued to them in deep reverence to their predecessors , form their prudential condescentions into perverse opinions . if we follow the tract of time from the first preaching of the gospel , we may find satan's footsteps all along . in the apostles times , when the believing jews were tollerated necessarily ( till time and experience might fully convince them ) in their observation of the law of moses , ( which was certainly given of god , and so might very easily occasion an opinion of the continuance of it , act. . , . ) though the apostles did not at all accommodate the standing precepts of the new testament to carry a perpetual resemblance of that opinion , neither did they still countenance that practice , but did seasonably and fully declare against it , exhorting christians to stand in the liberty wherewith christ hath made them free , gal. . , . yet satan was busie to take advantage of the present forbearances , which the holy ghost had directed them unto ; insomuch that instead of convincing all the dissenters by that lenity , some dissenters waxed bold to perswade the christians to another gospel : but after their days the devil pursued this design with greater scope ; for instance , in constantines time , when the gentiles flocked into the church with dirty feet , and in their old rags , they were tollerated in some old customs of gentilism , and upon a design to win them , they made bold to bend the doctrine of the gospel toward their former usages : they thought indeed it was best to wink at things , and not to bear too hard upon them at first , but that tollerating a lesser evil , they might avoid a greater inconvenience ; and withall they deemed they had done great service to the church and christian religion , if they could any way divert the heathen from worshipping their idols : and to effect this the easilier , they seemed to cherish their customs and rites of worship , as consonant in the general , to the principles of christianity , only they excepted against the object of their worship as unlawful , so that upon the matter they did no more than change the name . the manifold inconveniences that followed this kind of dealing , they did not discover at first ; but besides the infecting the simplicity of christian religion with the dirt and dregs of paganism , ( which they might easily have seen ) time hath since discovered , that here the devil secretly laid the chief foundations of popery . whosoever shall impartially compare the rites , customs , usages and garbs of popery , with those of paganism , will , to his admiration , find such an exact agreement and consonancy , that he must necessarily conclude that either paganism imitated popery , or popery imitated paganism ; but the latter is true , and that these corruptions in religion by popery came in by a designment of conforming christianity to heathenism , ( though it may be upon pious intentions at first ) is no difficult thing to evince ; for ( besides that the rites of paganism were more ancient , and so could not be borrowed from popery which came long after ) the scripture did foretel a great defection from truth , which should be in the last days , and this under a profession of religion ; and the things particularized , are such , as shew that the defection should carry an imitation of paganism ; for no less seems to be signified by tim. . . the spirit speaketh expressly , that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith , giving heed to seducing spirits , and doctrines of devils ; that is , as mr. mede ( whose interpretation i follow ) doth prove , doctrines concerning devils or daemons ( as in heb. . . we have the phrase of doctrines of baptisms , which must needs signify doctrines concerning baptisms ) the gentile theology of daemons is the thing which paul prophesies should be introduced into christianity . how clearly this relates to popery may be evident to any that doth not wilfully blind himself by prejudice . their doctrine of daemons was this : they supposed two sorts of gods , supream and inferiour ; the supream they supposed did dwell in the heavenly lights , sun , moon , and stars , without change of place ; these they judged were so sublime and pure , that they might not be prophaned with the approach of earthly things , and that immediate approaches to them were derogatory to their soveraignty . the inferiour order of gods they imagined were of a middle sort , betwixt the supream beings and men , as participating of both : these they called mediators and agents , and supposed their business was to carry up mens prayers to god , and to bring down blessings from god upon men ; these were in scripture called baalim , and by the greeks daemons : to this purpose austin and others speak . now these daemons , they supposed , were the souls of dead men that had been more than ordinarily famous in their generation . thus ninus made an image to his father belus after he was dead , and caused him to be worshipped . hermes confesseth that aesculapius grand-father to asclepius , and mercury his own grand-father , were worshipped as gods of this order . abundance of instances i might produce to this purpose ; but to go on , these daemons , because to them was committed the care of terrestrial affairs , ( as celsus argues against origen , ) and because of the help and advantage that men might receive from them , they supposed it gratitude and duty to worship them , and this worship they performed at their images sepulchres and reliques . to this purpose plutareb tells us of theseus his bones , and plato of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or shrines of their daemons . how evident is it that the papists in their doctrine and practice about the invocation of saints and angels , have writ after this copy , and that they are the men that have introduced this doctrine of daemons , the thing it self declares without further evidence ? had the heathens their dead hero's for agents 'twixt the supream gods and men ? so have the papists their dead saints to offer up their prayers . did the heathen expect more particular aids from some of these daemons in several cases than from others ? so do the papists : instead of diana for women in labour , and aesculapius for the diseased , they have their st. margaret and st. mary for travelling ; sebastian and roch against the pestilence ; apollonia against the toothach ; st. nicholas against tempests , &c. did the heathen pray to these daemons for their aid ? so do the papists to their saints , as their breviaries , rosaries , and ladies psalters testify . had the heathen their feasts , their statas ferias to their daemons ? so have the papists . had they their februalia & proserpinilia with torches and lights ? so have the papists their candlemas with lights . did the heathen erect images and pillars , or keep the ashes and shrines of their daemons ? so do the papists : the one had processions and adorations , so have the other ; and a great many more things there are wherein popery keeps a correspondence with heathenism . to this purpose you may read enough in monsieur de croy , of the three conformities . to make it yet more clear that the corruptions in religion by popery came in by the design of suiting christian religion to paganism , i shall in a testimony or two shew you that they professedly avouched the design . gregory the great writes chidingly to serenus bishop of marseilles ( who it seems was no forward man in this matter ) to this purpose , thou shouldest have considered that thou didst converse chiefly with the gentiles , to whom pictures are instead of reading , to the end that no offence be given them under colour of lawful zeal wherewith thou art not cunningly endued . and in another epistle to mellitus , he adviseth , that the honours and offerings which the heathens gave to their daemons , should be transferred to the martyrs , and their relickes , and gives this reason for it , it is impossible ( saith he ) to cut off all at once from stubborn minds . eusebius also endeavours to perswade to christianity by this argument , that the christians custom of honouring the memories of the martyrs , and solemnly assembling at their sepulchres , did agree with the custom of the gentiles of doing the like honour to their daemons , and having mentioned what hesiod speaks , concerning plato's opinion , that their champions became daemons after death , helpers and protectors of men ; for which cause they were worshipped at their sepulchres as god ; he adds to this purpose , that if these honours had been given to the favorites of god , and champions of true religion , it had been well enough : and for this shews the example and custom of christians then to go to the tombs of martyrs , there to pray in honour of their blessed spirits . and although at first they might be more modest in honouring the martyrs than now they are , according to that of austin , these observances at the tombs of martyrs ( saith he ) are only ornaments of their memories , not sacrifices to them as to gods. yet this soon slid into greater abuse , insomuch that lud. vives , in his notes on that chapter , blames those of his own time for worshipping saints as gods , and tells us he cannot see the difference betwixt the opinion concerning saints ( as generally practised ) and that of the heathens concerning their gods. i might add the positive acknowledgment of beatus rhenanus , jacobus de voragine , concerning the burning of candles to the virgin mary , which custom they confest was borrowed from the heathens , with a respect to the frowardness of paganism , and a design not to exasperate them , that they might gain them . i might also shew , that the mischeif of this design , of accomodating truth to a compliance with different parties , hath not only shewn it self in introducing strange actions and ceremonies ; but hath also discovered it self in leavening mens judgments in reference to opinion . calvin conjectures that those confident assertions of the powers of nature , were first occasioned by an over - officious willingness to reconcile the doctrine of the scripture with the opinions of philosophy ; and that men , being unwilling to run the hazard of the scorn which they might meet with in contradicting the general received principles of philosophers , were willing to form the doctrine of truth relating to human ability accordingly . abundance of instances of this kind may be given . whence came the doctrine of purgatory , but from hence ? 't is but * plato's philosophy christianized by the roman synagouge . he divided all men into three ranks ; the virtuous , who are placed by him in the elysian feilds ; the desperate vngodly , these he adjudgeth to everlasting fire ; and a third sort , betwixt the perfectly virtuous and he desperately wicked , he sendeth to acheron , to be purged by punishment . all this † eusebius makes mention of at large . that the papists derived their purgatory from hence , is generally affirmed by protestants , nay not only in these cases , but in very many more , corruptions have entred into christianity , by an over eager endeavour to make the doctrine of the scriptures to run even with the sayings and assertions of the schools of philosophers ; a thing complained of old by tertullian , who plainly affirmed the philosophers to be the patriarchs of the hereticks . to which agrees that observation of dr. owen , that those who either apologized for christians , or refuted the objections of the heathens against christianity , frequently cited the opinions or sentences of the philosophers , and accommodated them to their purpose , that so they might beget in their adversaries more friendly perswasions towards the christian religion , by evidencing , that the mysteries thereof were not absurd , nor dissonant from reason , seeing they might be justified by the sayings of their own philosophers . and here was laid , in this design and its prosecution , ( and surely it pleased its vndertakers not a little ) the foundation of that evil which religion hath since groaned under , that men made bold with the tremendous mysteries of christianity , to accommodate them unwarily to the notions of the gentiles . and this the apostle paul foresaw in that caution he gave col. . . beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy , and vain deceit , after the tradition of men , after the rudiments of the world , and not after christ . certainly the snare is neither unusual , nor weak , where the caution is so serious . 't is a thing naturally pleasing , to be the inventer of any new thing , or to make new discoveries in religion , to raise new hypotheses , or to adventure in unbeaten paths , for a reconcilement of religion to any notion , or practice , famous for its antiquity , or pretence to beauty and decency . men hug themselves when they can make several things to hit right , and an exact suiting of parallels is instead of demonstration . by this foolish delight the devil makes men bold to make essays ; and what doth answer their humour , passeth currant for undoubted truth . . he doth sometime blind the understanding , by working up the affections to such an earnest opposition to some error , that in a forward haste they cast the mind upon a contrary extreme : so that through an hasty violent avoidance of one error , they are cast upon a contrary , and ( it may be ) as dangerous as that they fly from . and this the devil doth with great ease , having the plausible pretence of zeal , and care to truth , wherein the affections being highly ingaged , the mind in a careless confidence doth easily overshoot the truth , ( which commonly lies in the middle ) and thinks it doth well enough , if it gives the greatest contradiction to the error now to be abominated . men in this case , having their eyes only fixed upon what they would avoid , consider not so much whither they are going , as from what they go . so that seeking ( as men in a fright ) to avoid the pit that is before them , they run backward into another behind them . this is such a noted stratagem of satan , that all men take notice of it the general , though all men do not improve the discovery for their own particular caution . the wisest of men are often so befooled by their violent resistance of an vntruth , that they readily overshoot themselves and miss the mark. the fathers in the heat of dispute said many things so inconveniently , that those who come after , do see and lament these hasty oversights ; and have no other way to salve their credit , but by giving this observation in excuse for them . and it may be observed that some errors which have risen from this root at first , have so strongly fixed themselves , that they have grown up to the great annoyance of the truth ; while the contrary errors that did occasion them are forgotten , and their memories are perished . i shall but instance in one instead of many , and that shall be arrianism ; how sadly prevalent that hath been in its time , all men know that know any thing of church history ; the christian world once groaned under it . but that which gave the first occasion to arrius to fix himself in that error , was the doctrine of alexander , who discoursing of the vnity in the trinity too nicely , seemed to justify the error of sabellius , who had taught ( as also noetus before ) that there was but one person in the trinity , called by divers names of father , son , and spirit , according to different occasions ; the trinity ( according to his doctrine ) being not of persons , but of names and functions . while arrius was dissatisfied with this account of the trinity , he ran to a contrary extreme ; and that he might give the highest proof of a trinity of persons , he affirmed that jesus christ had a beginning , and that there was a time when he was not , &c. thus socrates speaks of the rise of that heresy . we might further follow the footsteps of this device , and trace it in most opinions ; where we might find the humour of running to a contrary extreme , hath still either set up a contrary error , or at least leavened the truth with harsh and unjustifiable expressions and explanations . the disputes betwixt faith and works , have been thus occasioned and aggravated . some speak so of faith , as if they slighted works ; others so urge a necessity of works , as if they intended to make faith useless . some talk of grace to an utter contempt of morality ; others on the contrary magnify morality to the annihilating of grace . some in their practice acquiesce in the outward performance of ordinances : if they pray or receive the sacraments , ( though never so formally ) they are at peace , supposing they have done all that is required ; others observing the mistake , and knowing that god looks more to the performance of the soul and spirit , than to the act of the body , upon a pretence of worshipping god in spirit , throw off the observation of his ordinances altogether . neither is there any thing that doth more generally and apparently undoe us in the present dissentions , ( as many have complained ) than mens violent over-doing , and running to contrary extremes . . satan makes use of rewards , or punishments , on the one hand to bribe , or on the other to force the affections , and they being strongly possessed , easily prevail with the understanding to give sentence accordingly . men are soon perswaded to take that for truth which they see will be advantageous to them . some men indeed take up with a profession of truth , which yet their hearts approve not ; but the advantages they have by their profession , do silence their dissatisfactions ; these are said to use the profession of truth as a cloak of covetousness , thes . . . but others go further , and are really brought to an approbation of that doctrine or way that makes most for their profit , their minds being really corrupted by a self-seeking principle ; they perswade themselves , ( where there is any contest about doctrines ) that that doctrine is true which is gainful , and will accordingly dispute for it . hence that expression in tim. . . supposing that gain is godliness . to this may be added , that the affections are quickly sensible of the ease , and sensual gratifications of any doctrine , and these are usually thrown into the same scale to make more weight . men have naturally a good liking to that doctrine that promiseth fair for ease , liberty , gain , and honour ; and this hath made it an usual piece of satans business in all ages to gild an error with outward advantages , and to corrupt the mind by secret promises of advancement . on the other side , he labours as much to prejudice truth , by representing it as hazardous and troublesom to the professors of it . and this not only affrights some from an open confession of the truth they believe ; but also by the help of the affections doth perswade some to believe that to be an error , which unavoidably brings persecution with it : by this engine are the minds of men turned about to think well or ill of a doctrine presented to them . this is so well known , that i shall forbear a further prosecution of this head , and go to the next course than satan takes to corrupt the judgment by the affections ; which he doth , . by stirring up some particular passions , which in opinions do usually more influence the vnderstanding . and here i shall only insist upon these two , pride , and anger ; with the peculiar means that satan hath to engage them in his service . that pride and anger are the two usual firebrands of contention , and fountains of error , all ages have acknowledged and bewailed . these two companions in evil do so darken the mind , that the miserable captive , in whom they domineer , is carryed blindfold he knows not whither , nor how . pride usually begins , and anger follows with all its forces to justify what pride hath undertaken . hence the apostle in tim. . . rakes up all the concomitant filth of error , as envy , strife , railings , evil surmisings , and perverse disputings of men , and lays them at the door of pride ; he is proud , knowing nothing . for the ingaging of these two thieves , that rob the understanding of its light , satan hath many artifices in readiness . pride ( which is forward enough of it self ) is soon excited , by laying before it an opportunity of a seeming rare discovery , or of advancing the glory of knowledge above the common pitch , of being seen and admired as more excellent than others , &c. ( for upon such unworthy grounds have some dared to adventure upon strange notions ) yet there is nothing that doth more firmly ingage it , than contention or dispute : for though the proper end of disputation be the sifting out of truth ; yet such is mans pride , and satans advantage by it , that it seldom attains its true end in those that are ingaged . by-standers , that keep their minds calm , and unbyassed , may receive more satisfaction than the contenders themselves ; and there needs no other evidence of this , than the common experience which men have of our frequent contentions , where we have confutations , answers and replies , and yet still all parties continue in their opinions without conviction . so that they that would unfeignedly feels truth , ( in my mind ) take not the best course in their pursuit , that presently engage themselves in a publick dispute , for the usual heats that are begot in a contention alienate their minds from a just impartiality , and the dust they raise blinds their eyes , that they discern not truly . let us look into this artifice of engaging pride by disputation , and by it the judgment . first we find , that when an humor of contending is raised , certain truths are neglected , as to their improvement and practice ; for so much of the strength of the soul is laid out upon disputable questions , that little is left for more weighty matters . secondly , in disputes mens credit is so concerned , that 't is a most difficult thing to preserve a faithful regard to verity , especially where they are managed with affronts and contumelies . they that by calm handling might be induced to acknowledge a mistake , will scarce come near that point of ingenuity , when they must be called fool , knave , or ass for their labour . hence ordinarily ( though they profess otherwise ) men seek rather victory than truth . thirdly , in disputes pride and passion are usually heightned , and the stronger the passions are , the weaker is the judgment . eager altercations bring a confusion , both upon the matter of which they dispute , and upon the understanding that should judge . fourthly , in the heart of disputation , when the mind is inflamed , men usually behave themselves like those in a fray , where they snatch and throw any thing that comes to hand , and never mind where it hits ; they will affirm or deny any thing that may seem any way to bring them off . fifthly , these assertions being once affirmed , must be maintained , and so errors and contentions increase without end . disputes fix a man in his perswasion , and do as it were tye him to the stake , so that right or wrong he will go through with it . sixthly , some dispute in jest against their present judgment , and yet at last dispute themselves into a belief of what they wantonly at first affirmed ; as some tell lies so long , that at length they believe them to be true . seventhly , a sadder mischief often follows a disputing humor , which is an hazard of the loss of all truth ; men dispute so long till they suspect all things , and after a long trade of scepticism , turn atheists . after the same manner doth the devil engage anger in all disputes and controversies , for it keeps company with pride , wherever there is a provocation . and besides this , anger stirring up injuries and wrongs , hath often engaged men ( as it were in revenge ) to change their opinion , and to take up another way or doctrine . nay often that simple mixture of pride and anger which we call emulation , hath privately tainted the integrity of mind , and prepared it for the next fair opportunity of error . this is noted of arrius , by theodoret , that when alexander was chosen bishop of alexandria , he envied him the preferency , and from thence sought occasions of contention , which after a little while the devil brought to his hand , as we have heard . so great is the power of these two passions over the understanding , that we have cause to wonder at their success : seldom or never can if be shown that any ring-leader in errour was not visibly tainted with pride , or not apparently sowred with discontents and emulation . . to these ways of blinding the understanding by the affections , i shall add but one more , which is this : satan endeavours mainly to adorn an errour with truths clothing ; he takes its ornaments and jewels to dress up a false doctrine , that it may look more lovely and dutiful ; i mean , that he designs ( where errours are capable of such an imitation ) to put them into the way , method , garb and manner which truth doth naturally use : if truth be adorned with zeal , order , strictness , or have advantageous ways of managing it self , errour must straight-way imitate it in all these things ; and though he that looks near , may easily discern that 't is not the natural complexion of errour , but an artificial varnish , and such as doth no more become it than a court-dress doth become a course , clownish country person , ( for you may at first look usually discover the wolf under sheeps clothing , and under the garb of the apostles of christ you may see the ministers of satan ) yet are the credulous usually affected with these appearances ; if they find a professed strictness , a seeming severity , an imitation of the ways of truth , or of the fruits thereof , they commonly seek no further , but judg that to be truth which doth the things that truth doth ; and if errour can handsomly stand in competition with truth , upon a pretence of being as effectual in good works , and doing things of themselves lovely , and of good report , it doth much gain upon the good liking of those whose consideration leads them not much further than fair appearances . i shall only exemplify this by the art and policy which julian used to set up paganism , and to ruine christianity , ( and those who have observed the ways which he took to gain his end , will readily acknowledg he was as well skill'd in advancing errour and suppressing truth as any whosoever , and knew exactly to suit his designs to mens inclinations ) he observing that christian religion had some particular things in its practice and way , which made it's face to shine , as that it had persons solemnly set apart by ordination for teaching the mysteries of the gospel , and for managing the publick worship of god ; that these persons were to be grave in their carriage , and exemplary in a strict holy conversation ; that the constitutions of religion appointed certain necessary and effectual ways of discipline , for punishment , and restoring of offenders , and bringing them to repentance ; that it took care of the comfortable maintenance of those that had given up themselves to the ministry of the word and prayer ; that it also enjoyned a relief of the poor and strangers , &c. taking notice ( i say ) of these excellencies in christianity , and how lovely they were in the eyes of their enemies ; he appointed the like constitutions for paganism , and ordained that the idol temples should be suited in conveniency and comliness to christian churches ; that there should be seats and desks for the chief doctors and readers of gentilism , who at set-times were to exhort the peoples , and pray with them ; and that colledges and monasteries should be erected for them , and for the relief of the poor and strangers ; he commanded discipline and penances for the chastisement of offenders ; he required that their priests should seriously give up themselves to the worship of god , as also their families ; that they should not frequent shews and taverns , nor practise any infamous trade and art. thus sozomen reports him , and gives us a copy of his letter to arsacius high priest of galatia to this purpose ; and all this he did to bring gentilism into credit with the vulgar , whom he had observed to be affected to christianity for its order , strictness and government . yet is not this the only instance that may be given in this kind : for observe but any errour that by schism sets up for it self in a distinct party , and you shall see that though it departs from the truth of the church , and from its communion , yet still ( as the israelites did with the egyptians ) it carries away with it these jewels of the church , and keeps to some considerable part of the churches way , ( though modified according to its own bent ) that it might have a lustre with it , to make it taking with others . these eight particulars are the most remarkable ways of satan , whereby the affections are gained to a good liking of errour , and by them the judgment secondarily corrupted to call it truth . chap. v. satan's attempts against the peace of god's children , evidenced , ( . ) by his malice ; ( . ) from the concernment of peace to god's children . what these concerns are , explained . ( . ) from the advantages which he hath against them by disquieting their minds . . confusion of mind . . unfitness for duty , and how . . rejection of duty . . a stumbling block to others . . preparation of the mind to entertain venemous impressions , and what they are . . bodily weakness . . our miserie 's satan's contentment . we have viewed the ways of satan by which he 〈◊〉 all 〈…〉 to sin , by which he withdraws men from duty and service , by which he corrupts the mind through errour ; it only now remains that something be spoken of his attempts against the peace and comfort of the children of god. that 't is also one of satans chief designs to cheat us of our spiritual peace , may be fully evinced by a consideration of his malice , the great concern of inward comfort to us , and the many advantages which he hath against us by the disquiet of our minds . first , whosoever shall seriously consider the devil 's implacable malice , will easily believe , that he so envies our happiness that he will industriously rise up against all our comforts . 't is his inward fret and indignation that man hath any interest in that happiness from which he irrecoverably fell , and that the spirit of god should produce in the hearts of his people any spiritual joy or satisfaction in the belief and expectation of that felicity , and therefore must it be expected that his malice ( heightned by the torment of his own guilt , which ( as some think ) are those chains of darkness in which he is reserved at present , to the judgment of the great day ) will not , cannot leave this part of our happiness unattempted . he endeavours to supplant us of our birth-right , of our blessing , of our salvation , and the comfortable hopes thereof . from his common imployment in this matter , the scripture hath given him names , importing an opposition to christ and his spirit , in the ways they take for our comfort and satisfaction . christ is our advocate that pleads for us , satan is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a calumniator . the spirit interceds for us , satan is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the accuser of the brethren , who accuseth them before god night and day . the spirit is our comforter , satan is our disturber , a beelzebub who is ever raking in our wounds , as flyes upon sores . the apostle paul had his eye upon this , when he was advising the corinthians to receive again the penitent incestuous person , his caution was most serious , cor. . . lest satan get advantage of us , lest he deceive and circumvent us , ( for his expression relates to men , cunningly deceitful in trade , that do over-reach and defraud the unskilful ) : and the reason of this caution was , the known and commonly experienced subtilty of satan , for we are not ignorant of his devices , implying that he will , and frequently doth ly at catch to take all advantages again 〈◊〉 . some indeed restrain these advantages to vers . . as i ld 〈◊〉 only meant , that satan was designing to fix the corinthians upon an opinion , that backsliders into great sins were not to be received again , or that he laid in wait to raise a schism in the church upon the account of this corinthian . others restrain this advantage which he waited for , to vers . . where the apostle expresseth his fear , lest the excommunicated person should be swallowed up of too much sorrow ; but the caution being not expressly bound up to any one of these , seems to point at them all , and to tell us that satan drives on many designs at once , and that in this mans case satan would endeavour to put the corinthians upon a pharisaical rigour , or to rend the church by a division about him , and to oppress the penitent by bereaving him of his due comfort ; so that it appears still , that it is one of his designs to hinder the comfort , and molest the hearts of god's children . secondly , of such concern is inward spiritual peace to us , that 't is but an easie conjecture to conclude from thence , that so great an adversary will make it his design to rob us of such a jewel : for , . spiritual comfort is the sweet fruit of holiness , by which god adorns and beautifies the ways of religious service , to render them amiable and pleasant to the undertakers . her ways are ways of pleasantness , and all her paths are peace , prov. . . and this is the present rest and refreshment of god's faithful servants under all their toil , that when they have tribulation from the world , yet they have peace in him , joh. . . and that being justified by faith , they have peace with god , and sometimes joy unspeakable and full of glory , pet. . . and this they may the more confidently expect , because the fruits of the spirit are love , joy , peace , &c. gal. . . . spiritual comfort is not only our satisfaction , but our inward strength and activity , for all holy services doth depend upon it . by this doth god strengthen our heart , and gird up our loyns to run the ways of his commandments ; it doth also strengthen the soul to undergo afflictions , to glory in tribulations , to triumph in persecutions ; the outward man is also corroborated by the inward peace of the mind ; a merry heart doth good like a medicine , but a broken spirit drieth the bones , prov. . . all which are intended by that expression , neh. . . the joy of the lord is your strength ; 't is strength to the body , to the mind , and that both for service and suffering ; the reason whereof the apostle doth hint to us , phil. . . the peace of god which passeth all understanding , shall keep your hearts and minds ; that is , peace doth so guard us as with a garison , ( for so much the word imports ) that our affections ( our hearts ) being entertained with divine satisfactions , are not easily enticed by baser proffers of worldly delights , and our reasonings ( our minds ) being kept steady upon so noble an object , are not so easily perverted to a treacherous recommendation of vanities . . joy and peace are propounded to our careful endeavours , for attainment and preservation , as a necessary duty of great importance to us . rejoycings are not only recommended as seemly for the vpright , but injoined as service , and that in the constant practice , rejoyce evermore , in every thing give thanks , thess . . , . rejoyce in the lord alway ; and again i say , rejoyce , phil. . . in the old testament god commanded the observation of several feasts to the jews , these though they had their several respective grounds from god's appointment , yet the general design of all seems to have been this , that they might rejoyce before the lord their god , lev. . . as if god did thereby tell them that it was the comely complexion of religion , and that which was very acceptable to himself , that his children might always serve him in chearfulness of heart , seeing such have more cause to rejoyce than all the world besides . they are then much mistaken , that think mounful eyes and sad hearts be the gretest ornaments of religion , or that none are serious in the profession of it , that have a chearful countenance and a rejoycing frame of spirit . 't is true , there is a joy that is devilish , and in mirth which is madness , to which christ hath denounced a wo , wo be to them that laugh now , for they shall mourn and weep ; but this is a joy of another nature , a carnal delight in vanity and sin , by which men fatten their hearts to ruine ; and whatsoever is said against this , can be no prejudice to spiritual , holy joy in god , his favour and ways . . spiritual comfort is also a badg of our heavenly father's kindness . as joseph ( the son of his fathers affections ) had a special testimony thereof in his party-coloured coat ; so have gods favourites a peculiar token of his good will to them , when he gives them the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness ; if spiritual comfort be so advantagious to us , it will be no wonder to see satan so much rage against it ; it would be a satisfaction to him to tear these robes off us , to impede so needful a duty , to rob us of so much strength , and to bereave us of the sweet fruits of our labours . thirdly , it further appears that satan's design is against the comforts of god's children , by the many advantages he hath against them , from the trouble and disquiet of their hearts : i shall reckon up the chief of them ; as , . from the trouble of the spirit , he raiseth confusions and distractions of mind : for , . 't is as natural to trouble , to raise up a swarm of muddy thoughts , as to a troubled sea to cast up mire and dirt : and hence is that comparison , isa . . . a thousand fearful surmises , evil cogitations , resolves , and counsels , immediatly offer themselves . this disorder of thoughts christ took notice of in his disciples when they were in danger , why do thoughts arise in your hearts ? luk. . . and david considered it as matter of great anxiety , which called for speedy help , psal . . . in the multitude of my thoughts within me , thy comforts delight my soul . sometimes one fear is suggested , then presently another ; now this doubt perplexeth , then another question is begot by the former ; they think to take this course , then by and by they are off that , and resolve upon another , and as quickly change again to a third , and so onward , one thought succeeding another , as vapours from a boyling pot. . such thoughts are vexatious and distracting , the very thoughts themselves ( being the poysonous steams of their running sores ) are sadly afflictive , and not unfitly called cogitationes onerosae , burdensom thoughts . but as they wrap up a man in clouds and darkness , as they puzzle him in his resolves , non-plus him in his undertakings , distract him in his counsels , disturb and hinder him in his endeavours , &c. so do they bring the mind into a labyrinth of confusion . what advantage the devil hath against a child of god when his heart is thus divided and broken into shivers , 't is easie to imagine . and david seems to be very sensible of it , when he put up that request , psal . . . vnite my heart to fear thy name . . by disquiet of heart the devil unfits men for duty or service . fitness for duty lies in the orderly temper of body and mind , making a man willing to undertake , and able to finish his work with comfortable satisfaction ; if either the body or mind be distempered , a man is unfit for such an undertaking , both must be in a suitable frame , ( like a well-tun'd instrument ) else there will be no melody : hence , when david prepared himself for praises and worship , he tells us , his heart was ready and fixed , and then his tongue was ready also , so was his hand with psaltery and harp , all these were awakened into a suitable posture . that a man is or hath been in a fit order for service , may be concluded from , . his alacrity to undertake a duty . . his activity in the prosecution . . his satisfaction afterward , right grounds and principles in these things being still presupposed . this being laid as a foundation , we shall easily perceive how the troubles of the spirit do unfit us for duty : for , . these do take away all alacrity and forwardness of the mind , partly by diverting it from duty . sorrows when they prevail , do so fix the mind upon the present trouble , that it can think of nothing but its burthen , they confine the thoughts to the pain and smart , and make a man forget all other things ; as david in his trouble forget to eat his bread ; and sick persons willingly discourse only of their diseases , partly by indisposing for action . joy and hope are active principles , but sorrow is sullen and sluggish . as the mind ( in trouble ) is wholly imployed in a contemplation of its misery , rather than in finding out a way to avoid it , so if it be at leisure at any time to entertain thoughts of using means for recovery , yet 't is so tired out with its burden , so disheartned by its own fears , so discouraged with opposition and disappointment , that it hath no list to undertake any thing ; by this means the devil brings the soul into a spiritual catoche , so congealing the spirits , that it is made stiff and deprived of motion . . disquiets of heart unfit us for duty , by hindering our activity in prosecution of duty . the whole heart , soul , and strength should be engaged in all religious services , but these troubles are as clogs and weights to hinder motion . joy is the dilatation of the soul , and widens it for any thing which it undertakes ; but grief contracts the heart , and narrows all the faculties : hence doth david beg an enlarged heart , as the principle of activity , psal . . . i will run the way of thy commandments , when thou shalt enlarge my heart : for what can else be expected , when the mind is so distracted with fear and sorrow , but that it should be uneven , tottering , weak , and confused ? so that if it do set it self to any thing , it acts troublesomly , drives on heavily , and doth very little with a great deal ado ; and yet were the unfitness the less , if that little which it can do , were well done , but the mind is so interrupted in its endeavours , that sometimes in prayer the man begins , and then is presently at a stand , and dare not proceed , his words are swallowed up , he is so troubled that he cannot speak , psal . . . sometimes the mind is kept so imployed and fixed on trouble that it cannot attend in hearing or praying , but presently the thoughts are called off , and become wandring . . troubles hinder our satisfaction in duty , and by that means unfit us to present duties , and indispose us to future services of of that kind . our satisfaction in duty ariseth , . sometimes from its own lustre and sweetness , the conviction we have of its pleasantness and the spiritual advantages to be had thereby ; these render it alluring and attractive , and by such considerations are we invited to their performance , as isa . . . come ye let us go up to the mountain of the lord , — and he will teach us of his ways , and we will walk in his paths . hos . . . come , and let us return unto the lord : for he hath torn , and he will heal us : he hath smitten , and he will bind us up ; but trouble of spirit draws a black curtain over the excellencies of duty , and presents us with frightful thoughts about it , so that we judg of it according to our fears , and make it frightful to our selves , as if it would be to no purpose , rather a mischief than an advantage . . sometime our satisfaction ariseth from some special token of favour which our indulgent father le ts fall upon us , while we are in his work . as when he gives us more than ordinary assistance , or puts joy and comfort into our hearts . and this he often doth to make us come again , and to engage afresh in the same , or other services , as having tasted and seen that the lord is gracious , and that there is a blessedness in waiting for him . as in our bodies he so orders it , that the concocted juices become a successive ferment to those that succeed from our daily meat and drink : so from duties performed , doth he beget and continue spiritual appetite to new undertakings . but o how sadly is all this hindered by the disquiet of the heart ? the graces , of faith and love , are usually obstructed , if not in their exercise yet in their delightful fruits , and if god offer a kindness , inward sorrow hinders the perception : as when moses told the israelites of their deliverance , they hearkned not for hard bondage . if a message of peace present it self in a promise , or some consideration of gods merciful disposition , yet usually this is not credited . job confesseth so much of himself , job . . if i had called and he had answered me , yet would i not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice . david also doth the like , psal . . , . my soul refuseth to be comforted : i remember god , and was troubled . matter of greatest comfort is often so far from giving ease , that it augments the trouble . however the heart is so hurried with its fears , and discomposed with grief , that it cannot hearken to nor consider , nor believe any kind offer made to it . by all these ways doth the devil , through the disquiet of mind , unfit the lord's people for duty ; and what a sad advantage this is against us cannot easily be told . by this means he may widen the distance betwixt god and us , keep our wounds open , make us a reproach to religion : and what not ? but . by these disquiets he pusheth us on to reject all duties , for when he hath tyred us out by wearisom endeavours , under so great indispositions and unfitness , he hath a fair advantage to tempt us to lay all aside . our present posture doth furnish him with arguments , he forgeth his javelings upon our anvil , and they are commonly these three : . that duties are difficult . and this is easily proved from our own experience , while we are broken or bowed down with sorrows : we make many attempts for duty , and are oft beat off with loss : our greatest toil helps us but to very inconsiderable performances , hence he infers , 't is foolishness to attempt that which is above our strength , better sit still then toil for nothing . . that they are unfruitful , and this is our own complaint , for troubled spirits have commonly great expectations from duties at first , and they run to them ( as the impotent and sick people , to the pool of bethesda ) with thoughts of immediate ease as soon as they shall step into them ; but when they have tryed , and waited a while , siretching themselves upon duty ( as elisha's servant laid the staff upon the face of the shunamites son ) and yet there is no voice nor hearing , no answer from god , no peace , then are they presently disatisfied , reflecting on the promises of god , and the counsels of good men , with this , where is all the pleasantness you speak of ? what advantage is it that we have thus run , and laboured , when we have got nothing ? and then 't is easy for the devil to add , and why do you wait on the lord any longer ? . his last and most dangerous argument is , that they are sinful . unfitness for duty produceth many distractions , much deadness , wandering thoughts , great interruptions , and pittiful performances . hence the troubled soul comes off from duty , wounded and halting , more distressed when he hath done , than when he began : upon these considerations , that all his service was sin , a mocking of god , a taking his name in vain , nay a very blasphemous affront to a divine majesty . upon this the devil starts the question to his heart , whether it be not better to forbear all duty , and to do nothing ? thus doth satan improve the trouble of the mind , and often with the designed success . for a dejected spirit doth not only afford the materials of these weapons which the devil frames against it , but is much prepared to receive them into its own bowels . the grounds of these arguments it grants and the inferences are commonly consented to , so that ordinarily duty is neglected , either , . through sottishness of heart , or . through frightful fears : or . through desperateness : bringing a man to the very precipice of that atheistical determination , i have cleansed my hands in vain . . satan makes use of the troubles of gods children as a stumbling-block to others . 't is no small advantage to him , that he hath hereby an occasion to render the ways of god unlovely to those that are beginning to look heaven-ward , he sets before them , the sighs , groans , complaints , and restless out-cries of the wounded in spirit , to scare them off from all seriousness in religion , and whispers this to them ; will you chuse a life of bitterness and sorrow ? can you eat ashes for bread , and mingle your drink with tears ? will you exchange the comforts and contents of life , for a melancholly heart , and a dejected countenance ? how like you to go mourning all the day , and at night to be scared with dreams and terrified with visions ? will you chuse a life that is worse than death ? and a condition which will make you a terrour to your selves , and a burthen to others ? can you be in love with an heart loaden with grief , and perpetual fears almost to distraction ? while you see others in the mean time enjoy themselves in a contented peace ? thus he follows young beginners with his suggestions , making them believe that they cannot be serious in religion , but at last they will be brought to this , and that 't is a very dangerous thing to be religious overmuch , and the high way to dispair : so that if they must have a religion , he readily directs them to use no more of it , than may consist with the pleasures of sin and the world , and to make an easy business of it , not to let sin lye over-near their heart , lest it disquiet them , nor over-much to concern themselves with study , reading , prayer , or hearing of threatning awakening sermons , lest it make them mad , nor to affect the sublimities of communion with god , exercises of faith and divine love , lest it discompose them , and dash their worldly jollities out of countenance . a counsel that is readily enough embraced by those that are almost perswaded to be christians ; and the more to confirm them in it , he sticks not sometime to asperse the poor troubled soul with dissimulation ( where that accusation is proper , for the devil cares not how inconsistent he be to himself , so that he may but gain his end ) affirming all his seriousness to be nothing but whining hypocrisy . so that whether they judg these troubles to be real or feigned , his conclusion is the same , and he perswades men thereby to hold off from all religious strictness , holy diligence , and careful watchfulness . . a further use which the devil makes of these troubles of spirit , is to prepare the hearts of men thereby , to give entertainment to his venomous impressions . distress of heart usually opens the door to satan , and lays a man naked , without armour or defence as a fair mark for all his poysoned arrows , and 't is a hundred to one but some of them do hit . i shall chuse out some of the most remarkable , and they are these : . after long acquaintance with grief he labours to fix them in it . in some cases custome doth alleviate higher griefs , and men take an odd kind of delight in them , 't is some pleasure to complain , and men settle themselves in such a course , their finger is ever upon their soar , and they go about telling their sorrows to all they converse with , though to some this is a necessity , ( for real sorrows if they be not too great for vent , will constrain them to speak , ) yet in some that have been formerly acquainted with grief , it degenerates at last into a formality of complaining ; and because they formerly had cause so to do , they think they must always do so . but besides this , satan doth endeavour to chain men to their mourning upon two higher accounts , . by a delusive contentment in sorrow , as if our tears paid some part of our debt to god , and made amends for the injuries done to him . . by an obstinate sullenness and desperate resolvedness , they harden themselves in sorrow , and say as job . . i will not refrain my mouth , i will speak in the anguish of my spirit , i will complain in the bitterness of my soul. am i a sea , or a whale , that thou settest a watch over me ? . another impression that mens hearts are apt to take , is unthankfulness , for the favours formerly bestowed upon them ; their present troubles blot out the memory of old kindnesses ; they conclude they have nothing at all , because they have not peace ; though god heretofore hath sent down from on high , and taken them out of the great waters , or out of the mire and clay where they were ready to sink ; though he hath sent them many tokens of love , conferred on them many blessings : yet all these are no more to them , so long as their sorrows continue , than haman's wealth and honour was to him , so long as mordecai the jew sate at the kings gate . thus the devil oft prevails with god's children , to deal with god , as some unthankful persons deal with their benefactors ; who if they be not humour'd in every request , deny the reality of their love , and dispise with great ingratitude all that was done for them before . . by inward griefs , the heart of the afflicted are prepared to entertain the worst interpretation that the devil can put upon the providences of god. the various instances of scripture , and the gracious promises made to those that walk in darkness and see no light , do abundantly forewarn men from making bad conclusions of god's dealings , and do tell us that god in design , for our tryal , and for our profit doth often hide his face for a moment , when yet his purpose is to bind us up with everlasting compassions . now the devil labours to improve the sorrows of the mind to give a quite contrary construction : if they are afflicted , instead of saying , sorrow may endure for a night , but joy will come in the morning , or that for a little while god hath hidden himself , he puts them to say , this darkness shall never pass away . if the grief be little , he drives them on to a fearful expectation of worse ; as he did with hezekiah , esa . . . i reckoned till morning , that as a lyon , so will be break all my bones , from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me . if god purpose to teach us by inward sorrows , our pride of heart , carelessness , neglect of dependance upon him , the bitterness of sin , or the like : the devil will make us believe ( and we are too ready to subscribe to him ) that god proclaims open war against us , and resolves never to own us more . so did job , chap. . . know now that god hath overthrown me , and compassed me with his net : how often complained he , thou hast made me as thy mark , thou hast broken me asunder , thou hast taken me by my neck and shaken me to peices ? so also heman , psal . . . why castest thou off my soul ? why hidest thou thy face from me ? . upon this occasion the devil is ready to envenome the soul with sinful wishes and execrations against itself . eminent saints have been tempted in their trouble to say too much this way , job solemnly cursed his day ; job . . let the day perish wherein i was born , and the night in which it was said , there is a manchild conceived , &c. so also jeremiah , chap. . . cursed be the day wherein i was born , let not the day wherein my mother bare me , be blessed ; cursed be the man who brought tydings to my father , saying a man-child is born unto thee ; and let that man be as the cities which god overthrew , and repented not . strange rashness ! what had the day deserved ? or wherein was the messenger to be blamed ? violent passions hurried him beyond all bounds of reason and moderation . when troubles within are violent , a small push sets men forward ; and when once they begin , they are carried headlong beyond what they first intended . . on this advantage the devil sometimes imboldens them to quarrel god himself directly . when job and jeremiah cursed their day , it was a contumely against god indirectly , but they durst not make bold with god at so high a rate as to quarrel him to his face . yet even this are men brought to often , when their sorrows are long-lasting and deep . the devil suggests , can god be faithful , and never keep promise for help ? can he be merciful when he turns away his ears from the cry of the miserable ? where is his pity when he multiplies his wounds without cause ? though at first these cursed intimations do a little startle men , yet when by frequent inculcating they grow more familiar to the heart , the distressed break out in their rage , with those exclamations , where is the faithfulness of god ? where are his promises ? hath he not forgotten to be gracious ? are not his mercies clean gone ? and at last it may be satan leads them a step higher , that is , . to a desparing desperateness . for when all passages of relief are stop up , and the burthen becomes great , men are apt to be drawn into rage and fury , when they think their burthen is greater than they can bear , and see no hope of ease , in a kind of revenge they express their anger against the hand that wounded them . the devil is officiously ready with his advice of curse god and die , and they being full of anguish , are quickly made to comply with it . . when 't is at this height , the devil hath but one stage more , and that is the suggesting of irregular means for ease . rage against god doth not quench the inward burning ; blasphemies against heaven easeth not the pain , the soar runs still and ceaseth not , the trouble continues , the man cannot endure it longer , all patience and hope is gone , what shall he do in this case ? the devil offers his service , he will be the physician , and commonly he prescribes one of these two things : . that 't is best to endeavour to break through all this trouble into a resolved prophaneness ; not to stand in awe of laws , nor to believe that there is a god that governs in the earth , but that this is only the bitter fruit of melancholy , and unnecessary seriousness , and therefore 't is best ; to eat , drink and be merry . if a man can thus escape out of his trouble , the devil needs no more ; but oft he cannot , the wounds of conscience will not be thus healed . then , . he hath another remedy which will not fail , as he tells them , that is , to destroy themselves , to end their troubles with their lives . how open are the breasts of troubled creatures to all these darts ? and were it not that god secretly steps in , and holds the afflicted with his right hand , 't is scarce imaginable but that wounded consciences should by satan's subtile improvement of so fair an advantage , be brought to all this misery . . satan can afflict the body , by the mind . for these two are so closely bound together , that their good and bad estate is shared betwixt them . if the heart be merry , the countenance is chearful , the strength is renewed , the bones do flourish like an herb. if the heart be troubled , the health is impaired , the strength is dryed up , the marrow of the bones wasted , &c. grief in the heart , is like a moth in the garment , it insensibly consumeth the body , and disordereth it . this advantage of weakening the body falls into satans hands by necessary consequence , as the prophets ripe figs , that fell into the mouth of the eater . and surely he is well pleased with it , as he is an enemy both to body and soul : but 't is a greater satisfaction to him , in that as he can make the sorrows of the mind , produce the weakness and sickness of the body : so can he make the distemper of the body ( by a reciprocal requital ) to augment the trouble of the mind . how little can a sickly body do ? it disables a man for all services , he cannot oft pray , nor read , nor hear . sickness takes away the sweetness and comfort of religious exercises ; this gives occasion for them to think the worse of themselves ; they think the soul is weary of the ways of god , when the body cannot hold out . all failures which weariness and faintness produce , are ascribed presently to the bad dispostion of the mind , and this is like oyl cast upon the flame . thus the devil makes a double gain out of spiritual trouble . . let it be also reckoned among the advantages which satan hath against men from trouble of spirit , that 't is a contentment to him to see them in their miseries ; 't is a sport to him to see them ( as job speaks ) take their flesh in their teeth , and cry out in the bitterness of their souls ; their groanings are his musick : when they wallow in ashes , drown themselves in tears , roar till their throat is dry , spread out their hands for help , then he gluts his heart in looking upon their woes . when they fall upon god with their unjust surmises , evil interpretations of providence , questioning his favour , denying his grace , whishing they had never been born , then he claps his hands and shouts a victory . the pleasantest sight to him , is to see god hiding himself from his child , and that child broken with fears , torn in peices with griefs , made a brother to dragons , a companion to owls , under restless anxities , perpetual lamentations , feeble and sore broken , their strength dryed like a potsheard , their throat dry , their tongue cleaving to their jaws , their bowels boyling , their bones burnt with heat , their skin black upon them , their flesh consumed , their bones sticking out , chastened with strong pain upon their bed. this is one of satan's delightful spectacles , and for these ends doth he all he can , to bereave them of their comfort , which we may the more certainly perswade our selves to be true , when we consider the grounds forementioned , his malicious nature , the advantages of spiritual peace , and the disadvantages of spiritual trouble . chap. vi. of the various ways by which he hinders peace . . way by discomposures of spirit . these discomposures explained , by shewing , . what advantage he takes from our natural temper ; and what tempers give him this advantage . . by what occasions he works upon our natural tempers . . with what success . ( . ) these occasions suited to natural inclinations , raise great disturbance . ( . ) they have a tendency to spiritual trouble . the thing proved , and the manner how , discovered . ( . ) these disturbances much in his power . general and particular considerations about that power . having evidenced that one of satan's principal designs is against the peace and comfort of god's children ; i shall next endeavour a discovery of the various ways by which he doth undermine them herein . all inward troubles are not of the same kind in themselves , neither doth satan always produce the same effects out of all . some being in their own nature disquiets , that do not so directly , and immediately overthrow the peace and joy of believing , and the comforts of assurance of divine favour , as others do . yet seeing that by all , he hath no small advantage against us , as to sin and trouble , and that any of them at the long-run , may lead us to question our interest in grace , and the love of god , and may accordingly afflict us , i shall speak of them all ; which that i may do the more distinctly , i shall rank these troubles into several heads , under peculiar names , ( it may be not altogether so proper , but that the curious may find matter of exception to them ) that by them and their explanation , the differences may the better appear . i distinguish therefore of a fourfold trouble , that the devil doth endeavour to work up upon the hearts of men. they are , . discomposures . . affrightments . . dejections of sadness . . distresses of horrour . of all which i shall speak in their order . and . of discomposures of soul. these are molestations and disturbances by which the mind is put out of order and made unquiet ; the calm ( in which it should enjoy it self , and by which it should be composed to a regular and steady acting ) being disturbed by a storm of commotion ; and in which the conscience or the peace of it is not presently concerned . this distinction of the trouble of soul from the trouble of conscience is not new , others have observed it before , and do thus explain it , trouble of soul is larger than trouble of conscience ; every troubled conscience is a troubled soul , but every troubled soul is not a troubled conscience : for the soul may be troubled from causes natural , civil , and spiritual , according to variety of occasions and provocations , when yet a man's inward peace with god is firm ; and in some cases ( as in infants and in men distracted with feavers , &c. ) there may be passions and disturbances of soul , when the conscience is not capable of exercising its office ; nay the soul of christ was troubled ( joh. . . now is my soul troubled ) when it was not possible that sin or despair should have the least ●ooting in him . for the opening of these discomposures of soul , i shall , . shew upon what advantage of natural temper the devil is encouraged to molest men. . by what occasions he doth work upon our natural inclinations . . and with what success of disturbance to the soul. . as to our natural dispositions , satan ( as hath formerly been noted ) takes his usual indications of working from thence ; these guide him in his enterprises ; his temptations being suited to mens tempers , proceed more smoothly and successfully . some are of so serene and calm a disposition , that he doth not much design their discomposure ; but others there are , whose passions are more stirring , ( sit matter for him to work upon : ) and these are , . the angry disposition . how great an advantage this gives to satan to disturb the heart , may be easily conceiv'd , by considering the various workings of it in several men , according to their different humors ; 't is a passion that acts not alike in all , and for the differences ( so far as we need to be concerned , ) i shall not trouble the schools of philosophers , but content my self with what we have in eph. . . where the apostle expresseth it by three words , ( not that they differ essentially ) declaring thereby the various ways of anger 's working ; the first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which we translate bitterness . this is a displeasure smothered : for some when they are angry cover it , and give it no vent , partly for that they are sometimes ashamed to mention the ground as trivial or unjust , partly from sullenness of disposition , and oft from a natural reservedness : while the flame is thus kept down , it burns inwardly , and men resolve in their minds many troublesome vexatious thoughts . the second word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , wrath : this is a fierce impetuous anger . some are soon moved , but so violent , that they are presently transported into rage and frenzy , or are so peevishly waspish that they cannot be spoken to . the third is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , translated here anger , but signifies such a displeasure as is deep , entertaining thoughts of revenge and pursuit , setling it self at last into hatred . any of these is enough to bereave the heart of its rest , and to alarm it with disturbances . . others have an envious nature , always maligning and repining at other mens felicity ; an evil eye , that cannot look on anothers better condition without vexation . this turns a man into a devil , 't is the devil's proper sin , and the fury that doth unquiet him , and he the better knows of what avail it would be to help on our trouble . . some are of proud tempers , always overvaluing themselves with the scorn and contempt of others . this humor is troublesom to all about them , but all this trouble doth at last redound to themselves ; these think all others should observe them , and take notice of their supposed excellencies , which if men do not , then it pines them , or stirs up their choler to indignation . solomon , prov. . . mentioning those things that are greatly disquieting in the earth , instanceth in a servant when he reigneth , and the hand-maid that is heir to her mistris , intending thereby the proud imperious insolency of those that are unexpectedly raised from a low estate to wealth or honour : he that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife , prov. . . and as he is troublesome to others , so doth he create trouble to himself ; for he not only molests himself by the working of his disdainful thoughts , while he exerciseth his scorn towards others , ( prov. . . the haughty scorner deals in proud wrath ) but this occasions the affronts and contempt of others again , which beget new griefs to his restless mind . . some have a natural exorbitancy of desire , an evil coveting ; they are passionately carried forth toward what they have not , and have no contentment or satisfaction in what they do enjoy . such humors are seldom at ease , their desires are painfully violent , and when they obtain what they longed for , they soon grow weary of it , and then another object takes up their wishes , so that these daughters of the horsleech are ever crying , give , give , prov. . . . others have a soft effeminate temper , a weakness of soul that makes them unfit to bear any burthen , or endure any hardness . these if they meet with pains or troubles , ( and who can challenge an exemption from them ? ) they are presently impatient , vexing themselves by a vain reluctancy to what they cannot avoid ; not but that extraordinary burthens will make the strongest spirit to stoop , but these cry out for the smallest matters , which a stout mind would bear with some competent chearfulness . . and there are other dispositions that are tender , to an excess of sympathy , so that they immoderatly affect and afflict themselves with other mens sorrows . though this be a temper more commendable than any of the former , yet satan can take advantage of this , as also of the forenamed dispositions , to discompose us , especially by suiting them with fit occasions which readily work upon these tempers : and this was . the second things to be explained , which shall be performed by a brief enumeration of them , the chief whereof are these , . contempt or disestimation . when a man's person , parts , or opinion are slighted , his anger , envy , pride and impatience are awakened , and these make him swell and restless within . even good men have been sadly disturbed this way . job , as holy a man as he was , and who had enough of greater matters to trouble his mind , yet among other griefs , complains of this more than once , job . . . i am as one mocked of his neighbour : the just upright man is laughed to scorn . job . . they that dwell in mine house , and my maids count me for a stranger . — i called my servant , and he gave me no answer ; — yea , young children despised me , i rose up and they spake against me . thus he bemoans himself , and ( which is more ) speaks of it again with some smartness of indignation , job . . now they that are younger than i , have me in derision , whose fathers i would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock . david also who had a stout heart under troubles , complains that he could not bear reproaches , psal . . reproach hath broken mine heart , i am full of heaviness . what these reproaches were , and how he was staggered with them , he tells us , vers . . i chastned my soul with fasting , that was to my reproach . i made sackcloth my garment , and i became a proverb to them . they that sit in the gate , speak against me ; and i was the song of the drunkards . with these he was so stounded , that if he had not catch'd hold on god by prayer , ( as he speaks , ver . . ) he had faln ; but as for me , my prayer is unto thee , o lord , &c. and he afterward speaks of his support under reproaches , as a wonder of divine assistance , psal . . . the proud have had me in derision , yet have i not declined from thy law. . injury is another occasion by which the devil works upon our tempers to disquiet us . wrongs of injustice and oppression are hard to bear , this is a common ground of trouble , good men cannot always acquit themselves in this case as they ought . jeremiah when smitten by pashur , and put in the stocks , jer. . , . falls into a sad passion , i am a derision daily , every one mocketh me , i cried out , i cried violence and spoil , imitating the passionate affrightments of those that cry , murther , murther , &c. no wonder seeing solomon gives it as an axiom built upon manifold experience , eccl. . . oppression doth not only make a man unquiet , but mad in his unquietness ; and not only those that are foolish and hasty , but the most considerate and sedate persons ; oppression makes a wise man mad . . another occasion of mens discomposure , is the prosperity of the wicked : their abundance , their advancements to honours and dignity hath always been a grudge to those whose condition is below them , and yet suppose themselves to have better grounds to expect preferment than they . this astonished job even to trembling , job . . when i remember , i am afraid , and trembling taketh hold on my flesh , and the matter was but this ; wherefore do the wicked live , become old , yea , and mighty in power ? &c. the trouble that seizeth on mens hearts on this occasion , is called fretting , a vexation that wears out the strength of the soul , as two hard bodies waste by mutual attrition or rubbing . and it takes its advantage from our envy chiefly , though other distempers come in to help it forward , psal . . . fret not thy self because of evil doers , neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity . david confesseth , that he was apt to fall into this trouble , psal . . . i was envious at the foolish , when i saw the prosperity of the wicked . against this disquiet we have frequent cautions , prov. . , . and psal . . . be not afraid when one is made rich , when the glory of his house is increased . all which shew our proneness to this disease . . crosses and afflictions give satan an opportunity to work upon our passions . as disappointments of expectations , loss of friends , of estate , persecutions and sufferings for conscience sake , &c. none of these in their own nature are joyous , but grievous : and what use they have been of to the devil to discompose the minds of the sufferers , is evidenced by common experience . the tears , sad countenances , and doleful lamentations of men are true witnesses of the disquiet of their hearts ; every one being pressed with the sense of his own smart , is ready to cry out , is there any sorrow like my sorrow ? i am poor , and comfortless , my lovers and my friends have forsaken me , and there is none to help . some grow faint under their burthen , while their eyes fail in looking for redress , especially when new unexpected troubles overwhelm their hopes , when i looked for good , then evil came ; and when i waited for light , there came darkness , job . . why hast thou smitten us , and there is no healing for us ? we looked for peace , and there is no good ; and for the time of healing , and behold trouble , jer. . . and here they sink , concluding there is no hope . others that bear up better in a blessed expectation of spiritual profit , having that of david in their eye , blessed is the man whom thou afflictest , and teachest in thy law : yet they cannot forbear their complaints even to god , psal . . . the troubles of mine heart are enlarged , o bring thou me out of my distresses , look upon mine affliction and my pain . may those that have had the highest advantages of heavenly support , whose hearts have been kept in peace , counting it all joy that they have fallen into these trials , ( and god doth more this way , for those that suffer for the gospels sake , than ordinarily for others ) yet have not these been under a stoical senslessness of their trouble ; though they were not distressed , they were troubled on every side , though not in despair , yet they were perplexed , cor. . . though their afflictions were light , yet were they afflictions still . . to those may be added the pain or anguish of sickness , and bodily distemper . though there are various degrees of pain , and that some sicknesses are less afflictive than others , yet none of them forbear to pierce the mind . the whole man is discomposed ; he that is exercised with strong pains upon his bed , cryes out in the bitterness of his soul , and he that by insensible degrees languisheth , grows ordinarily peevish , and his mind bleeds by an inward wound , so that he spends his days in sighing , and his years in mourning . and others there are , who being before acquainted with bodily pains , grow very impatient in sickness , and are able to bear nothing : and besides the present sence of pain , the expectation of death puts some into great commotion , the fears of it , ( for it is naturally dreadful ) fills them with disquiet thoughts , and those that approach to the grave , by slow steps , under consumption or languishing sicknesses , they are habituated to sadness , and can think of nothing chearfully , ( except they have great assurance of salvation , and have well learned to dye ) because the coffin , grave , and winding-sheet are still presented to them : these though they be very suitable objects for meditation , and ( well improved ) of great advantage for preparation to death , yet doth satan thereby ( when it is for his purpose ) endeavour to keep men under grief , and to bereave them of their peace . . satan takes an advantage of trouble , from the miseries of others . sympathy is a christian grace ; and to bear one anothers burthens , to mourn with those that mourn , shews us to be fellow-feeling members of the same body , for if one member suffer , all the members suffer with it . yet are some men naturally of so tender a constitution , that satan overdrives them herein , every common occasion will wound them : the usual effects of god's ordinary providence on the poor , lame , or sick , are deeply laid to heart by them ; and instead of being not unsensible of other mens miseries , they are not sensible of any thing else , neither do they enjoy their own mercies . and here , as satan can every moment , present them with objects of pitty , ordinary or extraordinary : so upon a religious pretence of merciful consideration , they are made cruel to themselves , refusing their own peace , because other men are not at ease . . the third particular , promised to be explained for the discovery of these discomposures of soul , was this ; that by a concurrance of these and such like occasions , to such tempers , the hearts of men are disturbed , and their inward peace broken . this i shall evidence by these three things : . that these occasions meeting with such dispositions , do naturally raise great disturbances in their present working . . that they have a tendency to further trouble . . that satan doth design , and hath it ordinarily in his power to discompose the hearts of men hereby . . that these occasions , meeting with such dispositions , do naturally raise great disturbances . this is evident from what hath been said already : for ( . ) all these dispositions carry as much fire in their own bosomes , as is sufficient to burn up the standing corn of any man's peace . what is anger , but an inward burning , a restless confusion of the spirits , sometime a phrensy , a distraction , a troubled sea full of rage , a wild beast let loose ? envy , that is a fretful peevishness , a vexatious repining , needing no other tormentors but its own furies , recoiling upon him that bred it , because it cannot wreak its spite upon its objects . an envious person is a self-murtherer by the verdict of eliphaz , job . . wrath killeth the foolish man , and envy slayeth the foolish one . this is not barely to be understood of its provoking the judge of all the earth to send down its deserved destruction , but also ( if not chiefly ) of its own corroding temper , which by long continuance wasts the strength , and consumes the body . pride is a perpetual vexation , creating its troubles from its own fancy : irregular covetings , keep a man still upon the rack , they make a man like the tantalus of the poets , they give a man a caninus appetitus , a strong appetite with excessive greediness , and restless pursuit , and constant dissatisfactions , he is ever gaping and never enjoying . impatience is a wearisome conflict with a burthen which it can neither bear , nor yet shake off ; where all the fruit of the vain labour amounts to no better account than this , that the impatient makes his burthen the greater , the bands that tye it on the stronger , and the strength that should bear it the weaker . lastly , an excess of pity , multiplies wounds without cause , it hinders a man to be happy , so long as there are any that are miserable : he is always ( in reference to his quiet ) at the mercy of other men , the afflicted can torment him at a distance ; and , by a kind of magick , make him feel the torments that are inflicted upon his image . who can deny , but that men that are ridden by such vexatious dispositions , must lead an unquiet life , and always be tossed with inward tempests . especially ( ) when we consider , how fit the forementioned occasions are , to draw out these humours to their tumultuary extravagancies : a lighted match and gun-powder , are not more exactly suited to raise a shaking blast , than those occasions and tempers are to breed an inward annoyance . some of these humours are so troublesome , that rather than they will want work , they will fight with their own shadows , and by a perversness of prejudicated fancy , will create their own troubles , and the best of them , which seem sometime to take truce , and compose themselves to rest , while occasions are out of the way : yet they are quickly awakened , like sleeping dogs that are roused with the least noise ; what work then may we expect they will make when they are summoned to give their appearance upon a solemn occasion ? but ( ) if we should deal by instances , and bring upon the stage the effects that have been brought forth by these concurring causes , it will appear that they make disturbances in good earnest : let us either view the furious fits , that have been like sudden flashes , soonest gone ; or their more lasting impressions , and we shall find it true . as to violent fits , raised by such occasions and dispositions , examples are infinite . what rages , outrages , madnesses , and extravagances have men run into ? some upon provocations , have furiously acted savage cruelties , and for small matters have been carried to the most desperate revenges . others have been brought to such violent commotions within themselves , that the frame of nature hath been thereby weakened , and overthrown . as scilla , who in a strong passion , vomited choler till he dyed . some in their fury , have acted that which hath been matter of sorrow to them all their dayes . but ( omitting the examples of heathens and wicked men ) let us consider the wonderful transports of holy men. moses a man eminent , beyond comparison , in meekness ; was so astonished with a sudden surprize of trouble , at the sight of the golden calf , that he threw down the tables of the law , and brake them . some indeed observe from thence , a significancy of israels breaking the law , and forfeiting god's protection , as his peculiar people , but this is more to be ascribed to the designment of divine providence , that so ordered it , than to the intendment of moses , who no doubt , did not this from a sedate and calm deliberation , as purposing by this act to tell israel so much ; but was hurried by his grief ( as not considering well what he did ) to break them . asa a good man , when he was reproved by the prophet , ( instead of thankful acceptance of the reproof ) grows angry , falls into a rage , and throws the prophet into prison . elias , discomposed with jezebels persecution , desires that god would take away his life . jonah , in his anger , falls out with god , and justifies it when he hath done : surely such fits as these proceeded from great inward combustion . would wise , sober , holy men have said or done such things , if they had not been transported beyond themselves ? and though in such cases , the fits are soon over , yet we observe that some are apt to fall into such fits often , and are so easily irritated , that ( like the epileptick person possessed by the devil ) upon every occasion , they are by him , cast into the fire or into the water , and by the frequent return of their distemper are never at rest . as to others , whose tempers are more apt to retain a troublesome impression , 't is very obvious that their discomposures have as much in length and breadth , as the other had in height . you may view haman tormented under his secret discontent , which his pride and envy formed in him , for the want of mordicai's obeysance : the kings favour , a great estate , high honour , and what else a man could wish to make him content , are all swallowed up in this gulph , and become nothing to him . you see amnon vexed and sick , for his sister tamer , waxing lean from day to day . you see ahab ( though a king , who had enough to satisfie his mind ) in the same condition for naboth's vineyard . if you say these were wicked men , who rid their lusts without a bridle , and used the spur : look then upon better men , and you will see too much . rachel so grieves and mourns for want of children , that she professeth her life inconsistent with her disappointment , give me children , else i die . hanna upon the same occasion weeps and eats not , and prays in the bitterness of her soul , and the abundance of her complaint and grief . jeremiah ( being pressed with discouragements from the contradiction of evil men ) calls himself a man of strife and contention to the whole earth , jer. . . his sorrows thence arising , had so imbittered his life , that he puts a woe upon his birth , wo is me , my mother , that thou hast born me a man of strife . paul had a noble courage under manifold afflictions , he could glory in the cross , and rejoice in persecutions : nevertheless , the greatness of his work , the froward perversness and unsteadiness of professors , ( which put him under fears , jealousies , and new travel ) the miseries of christians , and the care he had for the concerns of the gospel , ( which was a constant load upon his mind , his heart ( like old eli's ) trembling still for the ark of god ) made him complain as one worn out by the troubles of his heart ; cor. . . in weariness , and painfulness , in watchings often , in hunger and thirst , in fastings often , in cold and nakedness . besides those things that are without , that which cometh upon me daily , the care of all the churches . who is weak , and i am not weak ? &c. for the jews he had great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart ; and for the gentiles he had perpetual fears . now though he had a great share of divine comforts intermixed , and a more than ordinary assistance of the spirit , to keep him from sinful discomposure of spirit ( at least to such an height , as it ordinarily prevails upon others ) yet was he very sensible of his burthen , and doubtless the devil laboured to improve these occasions to weary out his strength . for by these , and such like things , he frequently vexeth the righteous souls of the faithful ministers of the gospel from day to day : so that their hearts have no rest , and their hands grow often feeble , and they cry out , o the burthen ! o the care ! being ready to say as jeremiah , chap. . . o lord , thou hast deceived me , and i was decieved ; i am a derision daily , every one mocketh me . thus say they , did we ever think to meet with such disappointments such griefs , from the wilfulness , pride , weakness , ignorance , pettishness , inconstancy , negligence , and scandals of friends ? and such hatred , contradictions , scorns , and injuries from enemies ? were we free , what calling would we not rather chuse ? what place would we not rather go to , where we might spend the remainder of our dayes in some rest and ease ? were it not better to work with our hands for a morsel of bread , for so might our sleep be sweet to us at night , and we should not see these sorrows ? at this rate are good men sometime disturbed , and the anguish of their spirit makes their life a burthen . . yet is not this all the disturbance that the devil works upon our hearts by these things , ( though these are bad enough ) but they have a tendency to further trouble . discomposures of spirit , if they continue long , turn at last into troubles of conscience . though there is no affinity betwixt simple discomposure of soul , and troubles of conscience in their own nature ; the objects of the former being things external , no way relating to the souls interest in god and salvation , which are the objects of the latter : yet the effects produced by the prevalency of these disturbances , are a fit stock for the ingrafting of doubts and questionings about our spiritual condition . as saul's father first troubled himself for the loss of his asses , and sent his son to seek them ; but when he stayed long , he forgat his trouble , and took up a new grief for his son , whom he feared he had lost in pursuit of the asses . so is it sometime with men , who after they have long vexed themselves for injuries or afflictions , &c. upon a serious consideration of the working , and power of these passions , leave their former pursuit , and begin to bethink themselves in what a condition their souls are , that abound with so much murmuring , rage , pride , or impatience , and then the scene is altered , and they begin to fear they have lost their souls , and are now perplexed about their spiritual estate . to make this plain i will give some instances , and then add some reasons which will evidence that it is so , and also how it comes to be so . for instances , though i might produce a sufficient number to this purpose , from those that have written of melancholy , yet i shall only insist upon two or three from scripture . hezekiah when god smote him with sickness , at first was discomposed upon the apprehension of death , that he should so soon be deprived of the residue of his years , and behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world , as he himself expresseth it , esay . . afterward his trouble grew greater , he chattered as a crane or swallow , and mourned as a dove , he was in great bitterness , ver . . and sadly oppressed therewith , ver . . that which thus distressed him was not simply the fear of death , we cannot imagine so pious a person would so very much disquiet himself upon that single account ; but by the expressions which he let fall in his complainings , we may understand , that some such thoughts as these did shake him , that he apprehended god was angry with him , that the present stroke signified so much to him , all circumstances considered , ( for he was yet in his strength , and jerusalem in great distress , being at that time besieged by sennacheribs army , and for him to be doomed to death by a sudden message , at such a time , seemed to carry much in it ) and that surely there was great provocation on his part ; and it seems upon search , he charged himself so deeply with his sinfulness , that his apprehensions were no less , than that if god should restore him , yet in the sence of his vileness he should never be able to look up ; i shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul , ver . . ( which expression implies a supposition of his recovery , and a deep sense of iniquity ) and accordingly when he was recovered , he takes notice chiefly of gods love to his soul , and the pardon of his sin , ( which evidently discover where the trouble pinched him ) thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption , for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back , vers . . job's troubles were very great , and his case extraordinary : satan had maliciously stript him of all outward comforts , this he ●ore with admirable patience , job . . naked came i out of my mothers womb , and naked shall i return thither : the lord gave , and the lord hath taken away , blessed be the name of the lord. the devil seeing now himself defeated , obtains a new commission , wherein job is wholly put into his hand , ( life only excepted , chap. . . ) he sets upon him again , and in his new encounter labours to bring upon him spiritual distresses , and accordingly improves his losses and sufferings to that end , as appears by his endeavours and the success ; for as he tempted him by his wife to a desperate disregard of god , that had so afflicted him , curse god and die , so he tempted him also by his friends , to question the state of his soul , and his integrity , and all from the consideration of his outward miseries . to that purpose are all their discourses . eliphaz chap. . , , . from his sufferings and his carriage under them , takes occasion to jear his former piety , ( as being no other than feigned ) it is come upon thee , and thou faintest : is not this thy fear , thy confidence , thy hope , and the uprightness of thy ways ? that is , is all thy religion come to this ? and also concludes him to be wicked , who ever perished being innocent ? and where were the righteous cut off ? bildad , chap. . , . chargeth him with hypocrisie upon the same ground , and while he makes his defence , zophar plainly gives him the lye , chap. . . and at this rate they go their round ; and all this while satan ( whose design it was to afflict his conscience with the sense of divine wrath ) secretly strikes in with these accusations , insomuch , that though job stoutly defended his integrity , yet he was wounded with inward distresses , and concluded , that these dealings of god against him were no less than god's severe observance of his iniquity ; as is plain from his bemoaning himself in chap. . . i will say unto god , do not condemn me ; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me . vers . , . thou huntest me as a fierce lion , thou renewest thy witnesses against me , &c. david was a man that was often exercised with sickness and troubles from enemies , and in all the instances almost that we meet with in the psalms , of these his afflictions , we may observe the outward occasions of trouble brought him under the suspition of gods wrath , and his iniquity ; so that he was seldom sick , or persecuted ; but this called on the disquiet of conscience , and brought his sin to remembrance ; as psal . . ( which was made on the occasion of his sickness , as appears from vers . . ) wherein he expresseth the vexation of his soul under the appehension of gods anger ; all his other griefs running into this channel , ( as little brooks losing themselves in a great river ) change their name and nature ; he that was at first only concerned for his sickness , is now wholly concerned with sorrow and smart under the fear and hazard of his souls condition ; the like we may see in psal . . and many places more . having made good the assertion , that discomposures of soul upon outward occasions , by long continuance and satans management , do often run up to spiritual distress of conscience : i shall next for further confirmation and illustration shew how it comes to be so . . discomposures of spirit do obstruct , and at last extinguish the inward comforts of the soul : so that if we suppose the discomposed person at first ( before he be thus disordered ) to have had a good measure of spiritual joy in gods favour , and delight in his ways ; yet the disturbances , . divert his thoughts from feeding upon these comforts , or from the enjoyment of himself in them . the soul cannot naturally be highly intent upon two different things at once , but whatsoever doth strongly engage the thoughts and affections , that carries the whole stream with it , be it good or bad , and other things give way at present . when the heart is vehemently moved on outward considerations , it lays by the thoughts of its sweetness which it hath had in the enjoyment of god ; they are so contrary and inconsistent , that either our comforts will chase out of our thoughts our discomposures , or our discomposures will chase away our comforts . i believe the comforts of elias ( when he lay down under his grief , and desired to die ) ; and of jeremiah ( when he cried out of violence ) run very low in those fits of discontent , and their spirits were far from an actual rejoycing in god ; but this is not the worst , we may not so easily imagine that upon the going away of the fit , the wonted comforts return to their former course : for , . the mind being distracted with its burthen , is left impotent and unable to return to its former exercise ; the warmth which the heart had , being smothered and suspended in its excercise , is not so quickly revived , and the thoughts which were busied with disturbance ( like the distempered humors of the body ) are not reduced suddainly to that evenness of composure as may make them fit for their old imployment . and . if god should offer the influences of joyful support , a discomposed spirit is not in a capacity to receive them , no more than it can receive those counsels that by any careful hand are interposed for its relief and settlement . comforts are not heard in the midst of noise and clamour ; the calmness of the souls faculties are praesupposed as a necessary qualification towards its reception of a message of peace . phineas his wife being overcome of grief for the arks captivity and her husbands death , could not be affected with the joyful news of a son. but . sinful discomposures hinder these gracious and comfortable offers , if we could possibly ( which we cannot ordinarily ) receive them , yet we cannot expect that god will give them . the spirit of consolation loves to take up his lodging in a meek and quiet spirit , and nothing more grieves him than bitterness , wrath , anger , clamour , and malice , which made the apostle , eph. . , . subjoyn his direction of putting these away from us , with his advice of not grieving the spirit by which we are sealed unto the day of redemption . and then . the former stock of comfort , which persons distempered with discomposures might be supposed to have , will soon be wasted , for our comforts are not like the oil in the cruse , or meal in the barrel , which had ( as it were ) their spring in themselves ; we are comforted and supported by daily communication of divine aid , so that if the spring head be stopped , the stream will quickly grow dry . 't is evident then , that inward consolations in god will not ripen under these shadows , nor grow under these continual droppings , seeing a discomposed spirit is not capable to receive more , nor able to keep what comfort it had at first ; we may easily see how it comes to pass that these disturbances may in time bring on spiritual troubles : for if our comforts be once lost , trouble of conscience easily follows . where there is nothing to fortify the heart , the poyson of malicious suggestions will unavoidably prevail . . discomposures of soul afford the devil fit matter to work upon . they furnish him with strong objections against sincerity of holiness , by which the peace of conscience being strongly assaulted , is at last overthrown . the usual weapons by which satan fights against the assurance of gods children , are the guilt of sins committed , and the neglect of duty , and the disturbed soul affords enough of both these to make a charge against it self : for , . where there is much discomposure there is much sin. if in the multitude of words there wants not iniquity , then much more in the multitude of unruly thoughts . a disturbed spirit is like troubled water , all the mud that lay at the bottom is raised up and mixeth it self with the thoughts : if any injury or loss do trouble the mind , all the thoughts are tinctured with anger , pride , impatience , or whatsoever root of bitterness was in the heart before ; we view them not singly as the issue of wise providence , but ordinarily we consider them as done by such instruments , and against our selves as malicious , spiteful , causless , ingrateful wrongs , and then we give too great a liberty to our selves to rage , to meditate revenge , to threaten , to reproach , and what not ? and if our disposition have not so strong a natural inclination to these distempers , yet the thoughts by discomposure are quickly leavened ( it is the comparison used by the apostle , cor. . . to express the power of malice , ( which is an usual attendant in this service ) to infect all the imaginations ) with a sharpness , which makes them swell into exorbitancy and excess ; hence proceed revilings , quarrelings , &c. when the tongue is thus fermented , it is a fire , a world of iniquity , ( producing more sins than can be reckoned ) it defileth the whole body , ( engaging all the faculties in heady pursuit , ) jam. . . . discomposures obstruct duties . this is the inconvenience which the apostle ( pet. . . ) tells us doth arise from disturbances among relations ; if the wife or husband do not carry well , so that discontents or differences arise , their prayers are hindered . duties then are obstructed , . in the act. when the heart is out of frame , prayer is out of season , and there is an aversness to it ; partly because all good things are ( in such confusions ) burthensome to the humor that then prevails , which eats out all desire and delight to spiritual things : and partly because they dare not come into gods presence ; conscience of their own guilt , and awe of god hindring such approaches . . they obstruct the right manner of performance , straitning the heart , and contracting the spirit , that if any thing be attempted , 't is poorly and weakly performed . . and also the success of duty is obstructed by discomposure . god will not accept such services , and therefore christ adviseth to leave the gift before the altar , ( though ready for offering ) where the spirit is overcharged with offences , or angry thoughts , and first to go and be reconciled to our brother , and then to come and offer the gift , it being lost labour to do it before . from these sins of omission and commission , satan can ( and often doth ) frame a dreadful charge against those that are thus concern'd , endeavouring to prove by these evidences , that they are yet ( notwithstanding pretence of conversion ) in the gall of bitterness , and bond of iniquity , whereby the peace of conscience is much shaken ; and the more , because also . these discomposures of soul give satan a fit season for the management of his accusation : strong accusations do often effect nothing , when the season is unsutable . many a time he hath as much to say against the comforts of men , when yet they shake all off ( as paul did the viper off his hand ) and fell no harm . but that which prepares the conscience to receive the indictment , is a particular disposition which it is wrought into , by suspicious credulity and fearfulness : these make the heart ( as wax to the seal ) ready to take any impression that satan will stamp upon it : now by long disturbances he works the heart into this mould very often , and upon a double account he gains himself a fit opportunity to charge home his exceptions . . in that he sets upon the conscience with his accusations , after the heart hath been long molested and confused with its other troubles ; for then the heart is weakned and unable to make resistance as at other times . an assault with a fresh party after a long conflict , disorders its forces and puts all to flight . . in that long and great discomposures of mind , bring on a distemper of melancholy ; for 't is notoriously known by common experience , that those acid humors ( producing this distemper ) which have their rise from the blood , may be occasioned by their violent passions of mind , the animal spirits becoming inordinate ( by long discomposures of sadness , envy , terrour , and fretful cares ) and the motion of the blood being retarded , it by degrees departs from its temperament , and is infected with an acidity , so that persons no way inclined naturally to melancholy may yet become so , by the disquiets of their troubled mind . both these ways , but chiefly melancholy , the devil hath his advantage for disturbing the conscience . melancholy ( most naturally ) inclines men to be solicitous for their souls welfare ; but withall disposeth them so strongly to suspect the worst , ( for 't is a credulous suspitious humour in things hurtful ) and afflicts so heavily with sadness for what it doth respect , that when satan lays before men of that humour their miscarriages under their discontents , their impatience , unthankfulness , anger , rash thoughts and speeches against god or men , &c. withall suggesting that such an heart cannot be right with god , after serious thoughts upon satan's frequently repeated charge , they cry out , guilty , guilty , and then begins a new trouble for their unregenerate estate , and their supposed lost souls . . in this case usually satan hath greater liberty to accuse , and by his accusations to molest the conscience , in that men of discomposed spirits by the manifold evils arising thence provoke god to desert them , and to leave them in satans hand to be brought into an hour of temptation . satan's commission is occasioned by our provocations , and the temptations arising from such a commission , are usually dreadful ; they are solemn temptations , and called so after a singular manner ; for of these i take those scriptures to be meant , watch and pray , that ye enter not into temptation , mat. . . and lead us not into temptation , mat. . . such temptations are not common temptations , and are of unknown force and hazard to the soul , which way soever they are designed , either for sin or terror . for several things do concur in a solemn temptation : as , . satan doth in a special manner challenge a man to the combate , or rather he challenges god to give him such a man to fight with him , as he did concerning job . this christ tells us of , luk. . . simon , satan hath desired to have you ; the word signifies a challenging or daring , and it seems the devil is oft daring god to give us into his hand , when we little know of it . . there is also a special sutableness of occasion , and snare , to the temper and state of men. thus he took peter at an advantage in the high priests hall , and in the case we now speak of he takes advantage of mens provocations and melancholy . . there is always a violent prosecution , which our saviour expresseth under the comparison of sifting , which is a restless agitation of the corn , bringing that which was at the bottom to the top , and shuffling the top to the bottom , so that the chaff or dirt is always uppermost . . and to all this there is divine permission , satan let loose and we left to our ordinary strength ; as is implied in that expression , he hath desired to have you , that he might sift you . now then if the devil have such ground to give god a challenge concerning such men , and if god do ( as he justly may ) leave such men ( whose bitterness of spirit hath been as a smoak in his nostrils all the day ) in satans hand , he will so shake them , that their consciences shall have no rest . and this he can yet the more easily effect , because . discomposures of spirit have a particular tendency to incline our thoughts to severity and harshness , so that those who have had long and great disturbances upon any outward occasions , of loss , affliction , or disappointment , &c. do naturally think ( after a solemn review of such troubles ) harshly of god , and of themselves ; they are ready to conclude that god is surely angry with them , in that he doth afflict them , or that they have unsanctified hearts , in that their thoughts are so fretful and unruly upon every inconsiderable petty occasion . 't is so ordinary for men under the weight of their trouble , or under the sense of their sin , to be sadly apprehensive of gods wrath , and their souls hazard , that it were needless to offer instances ; let davids case be instead of all . that his troubles begot such imaginations frequently , may be seen throughout the book of the psalms ; we never read his complaints against persecuting enemies , or for other afflictions , but still his heart is affraid that god is calling sin to remembrance ; in psa . . he is under great distress , and tells how low his thoughts were ; he was troubled , greatly bowed down , he went mourning all the day long ; he expresseth his thoughts to have been , that god had forsaken him , ver . . and his hopes ( though they afterward revived ) were almost gone ; he cryes out of his sins , as having gone over his head , and become a burthen too heavy for him , ver . . and therefore sets himself to confess them , ver . . he trembles at gods anger , and feels the arrows of god sticking fast in him , ver . . but what occasioned all this ? the psalm informs us , god had visited him with sickness , ver . . besides that ( for one trouble seldom comes alone ) his friends were perfidious , ver . . his enemies also were busie , laying snares for his life , ver . . now , his thoughts were to this purpose , that surely he had some way or other greatly provoked god by his sins , and therefore he fears wrath in every rebuke , and displeasure in every chastisement , ver . . the like you may see in psal . . where the prophet upon the occasion of sickness , ver . . and . and the reproach of enemies , ver . . is under great trouble , and ready to fail except speedy relief prevent , ver . . the reason whereof was this , that he concluded these troubles were evident tokens of god's indignation and wrath , because of thine indignation and thy wrath , ver . . from these five particulars we may be satisfied that it cannot be otherwise , and also how it comes to be so , that sometime trouble of conscience is brought on , by other discomposing troubles of the mind . for if these take away the comforts , which supported the soul , and afford also arguments to the devil to prove a wicked heart , and withal a fit season to urge them to a deep impression , god in the mean time standing at a distance , and the thoughts naturally inclined to conclude gods wrath from these troubles ; how impossible is it that satan should miss of disquieting the conscience , by his strong vehement suggestions of wickedness and desertion ? in our enquiries after satan's success in working these discomposures of mind , we have discovered , . that the disturbances thence arising are great ; . that they have a tendency to trouble of conscience . there is but one particular more to be spoken of relating to his success in this design , and that is , . these disturbances are much in satan's power . ordinarily he can do it at pleasure , except when god restrains him from applying sit occasions , or when ( notwithstanding these occasions ) he extraordinarily suspends the effect , which he frequently doth when men are enraged under suffering , upon the account of the gospel and conscience ; for then though they be bound up under affliction and iron , yet the iron enters not into the soul ; though they are troubled , they are not distressed . these extraordinaries excepted , he can as easily discompose the spirits of men , as he can by temptation , draw them into other sins , which may be evidenced by these considerations : . we may observe , that those , whose passionate tempers do usually transport them into greater vehemencies , are never out of trouble . their fits frequently return , they are never out of the fire , and this is , because satan is still provided of occasions suitable to their inclinations . . though god , out of his common bounty to mankind , hath allowed him a comfortable being in the world , yet we find that generally the sons of men under their various occupations and studies , are wearied out with vexations of spirit ; this solomon in ecclesiastes discovers at large in various imployments of men , not exempting the pursuit of wisdom and knowledg , ( chap. . . in much wisdom is much grief , and he that increaseth knowledg increaseth sorrow ) nor pleasures , nor riches , for by all these he shews that a man is obnoxious to disquiets : so that the general account of man's life is but this , eccles . . . all his days are sorrows , and his travel grief , yea his heart taketh not rest in the night . that it is so , is testified by common experience past denyal ; but how it comes to be so , is the enquiry : 't is either from god , or from satan , working by occasions upon our tempers . that 't is not from god is evident : for though sorrow be a part of that curse , which man was justly doomed unto , yet hath he appointed ways and means by which it might be so mitigated , that it might be tollerable , without discomposure of spirit ; and therefore solomon , designing , in his ecclesiastes , to set forth the chief good , shews that felicity consists not in the common abuse of outward things , ( because that brings only vexation ) but in the fear of god leading to future happiness , and in the mean time , in a thankful , comfortable use of things present without anxiety of mind . hence doth he fix his conclusion ( as the result of his experience ) and often repeats it ; there is nothing better for a man , than that he should eat and drink , and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour . eccles . . . & . , . & . , . not that solomon plays the epicure , giving advice to eat and drink , for to morrow we die ; nor that he speaks deridingly to those that seek their felicity in this life , as if he should say , if ye do terminate your desires upon a terrene felicity , there is nothing better then to eat and drink , &c. but he gives a serious positive advice , of enjoying the things of this life with cheerfulness , which he affirms proceeds from the sole bounty of god , as his singular gift ; it is the gift of god , eccles . . . 't is our portion , that is , our allowance , eccles . . . ) for these two expressions [ our portion , and god's gift ] they are of the same signification with solomon here ) and when a man hath power to enjoy this allowance in comfort , 't is god that answereth him in the joy of his heart , ver . . 't is plain then , that god sows good seed in his field ; the springing up therefore of these tares of vexation , which so generally afflict the sons of men , must be ascribed to this , the enemy hath done it . . 't is also a considerable ground of suspition that satan can do much in discomposures of spirit , in that sometimes those whose tempers are most cool and calm , and whose singular dependance upon , and communion with god , must needs more strengthen them against these passionate vexations , are notwithstanding precipitated into violent commotions . moses was naturally meek , above the common disposition of men , and his very business was converse with god , whose presence kept his heart under a blessed awe ; yet upon the peoples murmuring , he was so transported , with fullenness and unbelief at the waters of meribah , numbers . , . that it went ill with him : which david thus expresseth , psal . . . they provoked his spirit , so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips. who can suppose less in this matter , than that satan , having him at advantage , hurried him to this rashness ? specially seeing such vehemencies were not usual with moses , and that his natural temper led him to the contrary . this hath some affinity with the next consideration , which is , . that when men most foresee the occasions of their trouble , and do most fear the trouble that might thence arise , and most firmly design to keep their hearts quiet , yet are they oft forced ( against all care and resolution ) upon extravagant heats . david resolved , and strenuously endeavoured , to possess his soul in serenity and patience , ( for what could be more , than solemn engagement ? psal . . . i said i will look to my ways , and what endeavours could be more severe , than to keep himself as with bit and bridle ? what care could be more hopeful to succeed , than to be dumb with silence ? ) yet for all this , he could not keep his heart calm , nor restrain his tongue , ver . . my heart waxed hot within me , while i was musing , the fire burned , then spake i with my tongue . who suspects not the hand of satan in this ? . 't is also remarkable , that when we have least reason to give way to discomposure , when we have most cause to avoid all provocations , yet then we have most occasions set before us . when we would most retire from the noise of the world for private devotion , when we would most carefully prepare our selves for a solemn ordinance , if we be not very watchful , we shall be diverted by business , disturbed with noises , or some special occasion of vexation shall importune us to disquiet our selves : when yet we shall observe , if we have not these solemn affairs to wait upon ; we shall have fewer of these occasions of vexation to attend us . this cannot be attributed to meer contingency of occasions , nor yet to our tempers solely ; for why they should be most apt to give us trouble , when they are most engaged to calmness , cannot well be accounted for ; 't is evidently then satan , that maliciously directs these occasions ( for they have not a malicious ingeniousness to prepare themselves , without some other chief mover ) at such times as he knows would be most to our prejudice . these general considerations amount to more than a suspition that it is much in satan's power to give disturbances to the minds of men ; yet for the clearer manifestation of the matter i shall shew , that he can do much to bring about occasions of discomposure , and also to stir up the passions of men upon these occasions . . that occasions are much in his hand , i shall easily demonstrate . for . there being so many occasions of vexation to a weak crasy mind , we may well imagine , that one or other is still occuring , and while they thus offer themselves satan needs not be idle for want of an opportunity . . but if common occasions do not so exactly suit his design , he can prepare occasions ; for such is his foresight and contrivance , that he can put some men ( without their privity to his intentions , or any evil design of their own ) upon such actions as may ( through the strength of prejudice , misinterpretation , or evil inclination ) be an offence to others ; and in like manner , can invite those to be in the way of these offences . i am ready to think , there was a contrivance of satan ( if we well consider all circumstances ) to bring david and the object of his lust together ; while bathshebah was bathing , he might use his art in private motions to get david up to the roof of his house . but more especially can the devil prepare occasions that do depend upon the wickedness of his slaves ; these are servants under his command , he can say to one , god , and he goes ; and to another , come , and he comes . if contempt , or injury , affronts or scorns , &c. be necessary for his present work against any , whom he undertakes to disturb , he can easily put his vassals upon that part of the service ; and if he have higher imployment for them , he ever finds them forward . and hence was it that when satan designed to plunder job , he could quickly perform it , because he had the chaldeans and sabeans ready at a call . . if both these should fail him , he can easily awaken in us , the memory of old occasions that have been heretofore a trouble to us : these being raised out of their graves , will renew old disturbances , working afresh the same disquiets , which the things themselves gave us at first . if satan's power were bounded here , and that he could do no more than set before men occasions of vexation , yet we might justly , on that single account , call him the troubler of the spirits of men ; considering , that naturally the thoughts of men are restless , and their imaginations ever rowling . if men sequester themselves from all business , if they shut themselves up from commerce with men ; turn eremites , ( as jerom did ) on purpose to avoid disquiet , yet their thoughts would hurry them from place to place , sometimes to the court , sometimes to the market , sometimes to shews and pastimes , sometimes to quarrellings , sometimes they view fields , buildings and countries , sometimes they fancy dignities , promotions and honours , they are ever working upon one object or other , real or supposed ; and according to the object , such will the affections be , high or low , joyful or sorrowful : so that if the utmost of what satan could do , were no more than to provide occasions , discomposures would follow naturally . the evil dispositions of men would thereby be set a working , though satan stood by as an idle spectator . the serpent ( in our breasts , as solomon tells us eccles . . . ) would bite without inchantment , that is , except it were charmed . but satan can do more than tempt objectively , when he hath provided the fewel he can also bring fire : for , . he can also set our passions on work , and incense them to greater fury than otherwise they would arrive at . we see persons that are distempered with passion , may be whetted up to an higher pitch of rage , by any officious flatterer , that will indulge the humor , and aggravate the provocation . much more then can satan do it by whispering such things to our minds as he knows will increase the flame ; and therefore is it , that where the scripture doth caution us against anger , ( as the proper product of our own corruption , calling it our wrath , eph. . , . ) there also it warns us against the devil , as the incendiary , that endeavours to heighten it . and where it tells us of the disorders of the tongue ( which , though a little member , can of it self do great mischief , jam. . . ) there it also tells us , that the devil brings it an additional fire from hell ; it is set on fire of hell. and there are several ways by which satan can irritate the passions . as , . by presenting the occasions worse than they are , or were ever intended , unjustly aggravating all circumstances . by this means he makes the object of the passions the more displeasing , and hateful ; this must of necessity provoke to an higher degree . . he can in a natural way move ( as it were ) the wheels , and set the passions a going , if they were of themselves more dull and sluggish : for he hath a nearer access to our passions than every one is aware of . i will make it evident thus : our passions , in their workings , do depend upon the fluctuations , excursions and recursions of the blood , and animal spirits , as naturalists do determines : now that satan can make his approaches to the blood , spirits and humors , and can make alterations upon them , cannot be denied , by those that consider what the scripture speaks in jobs case , and in the cases of those , that were by possession of the devil , made dumb , deaf or , epileptick : for if he could afflict job with grievous boils , 't is plain he disordered and vitiated his blood and humors , which made them apt to produce such boils or ulcers ; and if he could produce an epilepsy , 't is evident that he could infect the lympha with such a sharpness , as by vellicating the nerves , might cause a convulsion : and these were much more than the disorderly motions of blood , spirits or humors which raise the passions of men. if any object to this , that then ( considering satan's malicious diligence ) we must expect the passions of men would never be at rest . 't is answered , that this power of satan is not unlimited , but oft god prohibits him such approaches , ( and without his leave he can do nothing ) ; and also grace in god's children , working calmness , submission and patience , doth ballance satan's contrary endeavour . for as hurtful and vexatious occasions , being represented by the sence to the imagination ; are apt to move the blood and spirits : so on the contrary , the ballast of patience and other grace , doth so settle the mind , that the blood and spirits are kept steady in their usual course . . when the passions are up , satan can by his suggestions make them more h●ady and violent . he can suggest to the mind motives and arguments to forward it , and can stir up our natural corruption with all its powers to strike in with the opportunity . thus he not only kindles the fire , but blows the flame . . and he can further fix the mind upon these thoughts , and keep them still upon the hearts of men. and then they eat in the deeper , and like poyson , diffuse their malignity the further . we see that men , who are at first but in an ordinary fret , if they continue to meditate upon their provocation , they increase their vexation , and if they give themselves to vent their passions by their tongues , though they begin in some moderation , yet as motion causeth heat , so their own words whet their rage , according to eccles . . . the beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness , but the latter end of his talk is mischievous madness . the same advantage hath satan against men by holding down their thoughts to these occasions of discomposure . if occasions be so much in satan's power , and he have also so great an hand over mens passions , 't is too evident that he can do very much to discompose the spirits of men , that are naturally obnoxious to these troubles , except god restrain him , and grace oppose him . thus have i spoken my thoughts of the first sort of troubles , by which satan doth undermine the peace of mens hearts . chap. vii . of the second way to hinder peace . affrightments , the general nature and burthen of them , in several particulars . what are the ways by which he affrights . . atheistical injections . observations of his proceeding in them . . blasphemous thoughts . . affrightful suggestions of r●probation . observations of his proceedings in that course . . frightful motions to s●n. . strong immediate impressions of fear . . affrightful scrupulosity of conscience . the next rank of troubles , by which the devil doth endeavour to molest us , i call affrightments . it is usual for those that speak of temptations , to distinguish them thus : some are ( say they ) enticements , some are affrightments ; but then they extend these affrightments further than i intend , comprehending under them , all those temptations of sadness and terror , of which i am next to speak ; but by affrightments , i mean only these perplexities of spirit into which satan casts men , by overacting their fears , or astonishing their minds , by injecting unusual and horrid thoughts against their consents . some there are that have thought those temptations , of which the apostle complains cor. . . ( there was given me a thorn in the flesh , the messenger of satan to buffet me ) were of this kind , that is , horrid injections frequently repeated , as men deal their blows in fighting . gerson speaking of these , tells us they sometime come from the sole suggestion of satan , troubling the fancy ; and saying , deny god , curse god , and then adds , such was the thorn in the flesh given to the apostle . but whether this was the trouble of the apostle , or some other thing ( for several things are conjectured , and nothing can be positively proved ) we are sure ( from the sad experience of many ) that such troubles he doth often give ; which i shall first explain in the general , and then give a particular of these frightful injections . . to explain the nature and burthen of this kind of trouble , i shall present you with a few observations about them . as , . these astonishing thoughts , are purely injections , such as satan casts into the mind , and not what the mind of it self doth produce , as one expresseth it , they are more darting than reflecting . not but that our natural corruption could of it self beget blasphemous or atheistical thoughts , but when they have their rise from our selves solely , they do not so startle us , having some share ( at least ) of our consent going along with them , they appear not so strange . but in this case in hand , satan is the agent , and men are the sufferers , their understandings and souls being busied all the while to repel them , with the utmost of their reluctances . and to those that do thus strive against them , making resistance with all their strength , with tears and prayers , they are only their afflictions , but not their sins . for the thoughts are not polluted by the simple apprehension of a sinful object , no more than the eye is defiled by beholding loathsome and filthy things : for then should the mind of christ have been defiled , when satan propounded himself , blasphemously , as the object of his worship , his mind as truly apprehended the meaning of that saying [ fall down and worship me ] as ours can do , when he casts such a thing immediately into our thoughts . which is a consideration to be observed diligently , by those that meet with such sad exercise ; if they do truly apprehend that they are but their sufferings , and that god will not charge the sin upon them , they will more easily bear and overcome the trouble . these injections are commonly impetuous and sudden , frequently compared to lightning : and this is usually made a note of distinction , betwixt wicked blasphemous thoughts rising from our natural corruption , and darted in by satan ; the former being more leasurely , orderly , and moderate according to the usual course of the procedure of humane thoughts , the latter usually accompanied with an hasty violence , subtilly , and incoherently shooting into our understandings , as lightning into an house . so that all the strength we have , can neither prevent them nor expel them , nor so much as mitigate the violence of them . . they are also for the most part incessant , and constant troubl●●s , where they once begin . though satan hath variety , in regard of the matter of these amazing injections , ( for sometimes he affrights one man with blasphemous thoughts , another , with atheistical thoughts , a third with grievous unusual temptations to sin , as murther , &c. ) yet , usually , he fixeth his foot upon what he first undertakes . and as cunning huntsmen , do not change their game that they first rouse , that they may sooner speed in catching the prey ; so what frightful thought satan begins the trouble with , that he persists in , and is withal so vehement in his pursuit , that he gives little intermission . he makes these unwelcom thoughts haunt them like ghosts , whithersoever they go , whatsoever they do ; he will give solemn onset it may be twenty or forty times in a day : and at this rate he continues , it may be for some considerable time , so that they are not quit of the trouble for several months , or it may be years . . the matter of these affrightments , are things most contrary to the impressions of nature , or grace , and therefore most odious and troublesome . when he is upon this design , things that are most contrary to the belief and inclination of men are best for his purpose . as men that intend to affright others , chuse the most ugly visors , the strangest garbs and postures , and make the most uncouth inhumane noises ; and the more monstrous they appear , the better they succeed in their purposes . yet satan doth not always chuse the very worst , for then most of the troubles of this kind , would be about the same thing , but he considers the strength of our perswasions , our establishment in truths , the probability or improbability of an after-game with us ; and accordingly sometimes refuseth to trouble us with injections , contrary to what we are most firmly rooted in , chusing rather that which ( though contrary to our thoughts and resolves ) we have not been fixed in , without a great deal of labour , and which ( if there be occasion ) might most fitly be charged upon us as our own , so that ( whereas other suggestions would be slighted , as apparent malice , and scarecrows ) these are most afflicting , ( as being an assault against such a fort which costs us much to rear , and which we are most afraid to lose , ) and most lyable to his accusation after a long continuance , as being the issue of our own unsetledness . . the first and most obvious effects of these injections , are the utmost abhorrency of the mind , ( which presently startles at the appearance of such odious things , ) and the trembling of the body , sometimes to an agony and fainting . the invasion of one single injection , hath put some into such an heart-breaking affrightment , that they have not recovered themselves in a whole days time . this trembling of the body , and agony of the mind , are the usual consequences of any thing that is surprising , strange and fearful : and therefore is trembling of the body made , by divines , a mark to discover , that these hideous blasphemous thoughts are cast in by satan , and have not their rise from our own hearts ; for the horror of the mind is usually so great , when it is spoken to in this language , that it cannot bear up under its astonishment and trouble . yea those very men that are otherwise prophane , and can with boldness commit great iniquities ; cannot but shake , and inwardly concieve an unspeakable hatred at these monstrous suggestions . . these affrightments are more common than men are usually aware of ; they are by some thought to be rare and extraordinary ; but this mistake ariseth from the concealment of these kind of troubles , those that are thus afflicted , are often ashamed to speak to others what they find in their own hearts : but if all would be so ingenuous as to declare openly what fearful imaginations are obtruded upon them , it would appear that satan very frequently endeavour to trouble men this way . . these are very grievous bruthens , and hard to be born upon many accounts . ( . ) who can well express the inward torture and molestation of the mind , when it is forced against its own natural bent and inclination , to harbour such monsters within it self ? how would nature reluct and abominate the drinking down of noisome pudled water , or the swallowing of toads and serpents ? ( and hence was it that persecutors in their devilish contrivances invented such kind of tortures ) and what less doth the devil do , when he forceth blasphemies upon their thoughts ? and commits a rape by a malicious violence upon their imaginations ? david under these temptations , psal . . . crys out , thus my heart was grieved , and i was pricked in my reins : and it cannot be otherwise , for the reason already mentioned . nature abhors to be forced to what is most contrary to it self , and so doth grace . now the things by which satan works these affrightments are contrary to nature or grace , or both together ; and as they will strive to the utmost of their ability to cast out what is so opposite to them , so must the devil to the utmost of his ability ( if he would carry his design ) strength himself in his force , and from hence ( as when fire and water are committed together ) ariseth a most troublesome conflict ; and indeed if there were a compliance of our consent , there would be no affrightment ; neither can this kind of temptation be managed , except there be the utmost dissent of the mind . if any think there is no great ground for these temptations , because some of the particulars by which he is said to affright men are natural to us , as ( for instance ) atheistical thoughts ( which are by some called the master-vein of our original corruption , and by others , said to be in the heart of every man naturally ) and then consequently not so troublesome as is imagined , &c. i answer , that when divines call these , or blasphemous thoughts , natural , they do not mean that they are natural impressions engraven on us by creation ( for they assert the contrary ) that 't is a natural and unextinguishable impression upon every man that there is a god , &c. and usually give in this for proof , that the greatest atheists in fear and extremity will manifest a secret belief of a deity , by calling out , o god , &c. or by some other posture , ( as caligula by hiding himself when it thundered ) but they mean only , that our natural corruption may produce these thoughts , and that they are the natural issues thereof ; and therefore perkins in answer to a question of this nature , tells us , that these two thoughts [ there is a god ] and [ there is no god ] may be , and are both in the same heart . now as this will give us the reason why satan doth make choice of these thoughts to trouble us withall , which may also rise from our selves , ( which i have hinted before , and shall presently again touch upon : ) so it tells us still , that whether these thoughts arise from our own corruption , or from satan , our natural impressions are strong against them , and withall that they cannot be so affrightful but when satan doth manage them , and when the contrary impressions of nature are awakened to give strong resistance , and then that strugling must be as the tearing of our bowels , and still the worse in that we are incessantly pursued : satan still casting back ( with unwearied labour ) the same thoughts as they are repulsed and rejected ; as souldiers that besiege cities use to cast over the walls their fir'd granado's . ( . ) these are also grievous , as they set the mind upon the rack , and stretch it under laborious and doubtful enquiries after the grounds or causes of this kind of trouble , for the heart astonished with such cursed guests against his will , presently reflects upon god and it self , what have i done ? and wherefore am i thus disquieted with monsters ? why doth the righteous lord suffer satan to break open my heart , and fill me with such fearful thoughts ? but when mens enquiries are not so high , but detained in a consideration of the nature of the trouble and manner of its working , without looking up to the providence of god , then are their troubles increased . ( . ) as these injections necessitate men in their own defence , to oppose , and every way to resist , 't is an increase of the burthen : what pleadings are they put to ? what defiances ? what endeavours to call off the thoughts ? and all to little purpose ; while the trouble continues , they are forced to ly in their armour , and to be constantly in their ward . ( . ) and yet are they further troublesome in the after-game that satan plays by these thoughts . 't is not all of his design to affright men , but he usually hath another temptation to come in the rear of this , and that is to turn these affrightments into accusations , and by urging them long upon the hearts of men , to make them believe that they are their own thoughts , the issues of their own natural corruption , and after men are by continual assaults weakned , their senses and memory dulled , their understanding confounded , &c. they easily conclude against themselves ; the tempter imputes all the horrid blaspemy to them , boldly calls them guilty of all ; and because their thoughts have dwelt long upon such a subject , and withall knowing that corrupt nature of it self will lead men to such horrid blasphemies or villanies ( which makes it probable that it might be their own fault , and for this reason satan makes choice of such injections as may in the accusation seem most likely to be true ) being strongly charged as guilty , they yield ; and then begins another trouble more fearful than the former : oh! what sad thoughts have they then of themselves ? as the most vile blasphemous wretches ! sometimes they think , that 't is impossible that other mens hearts should entertain such intollerable things within them as theirs ; and that none was ever so bad as they : sometimes they think , that if men knew what vile imaginations and monstrous things are in their minds , they would in very zeal to god and religion stone them , or at least exclude them from all commerce with men ; sometimes they think their sin to be the sin against the holy ghost ; sometimes they think god is engaged in point of honour to shew upon them some remarkable judgment , and they verily look for some fearful stroke to confound them , and live under such a frightful expectation . these and many more to this purpose are their thoughts , so that these temptations are every way troublesome both in their first and second effects . thus i have in the general expressed the nature of these affrightments ; what the particular injections are by which he studies to affright men , i shall next declare . they are principally six : . atheistical thoughts . by injecting these into the mind , he doth exceedingly affright men , and frequently for that end doth he suggest , that there is no god , and that the scriptures are but delusive contrivances , &c. concerning these i shall note a few things . as , . though there be an observable difference betwixt atheistical injections , and temptations to atheisme , not only in the design , ( satan chiefly intending seduction in the latter , and affrightment by the former ) but also in the manner of proceeding : ( for when he designs chiefly to tempt to atheism , he first prepares his way by debauching the conscience with vitious or negligent living . according to psal . . . that which makes men say in their hearts there is no god , is this , that they are corrupt , and have done abominable works ; and in this method was famous junius tempted to atheism . but when he chiefly intends to affright , he sets upon men , that by a watchful and strict conversation cut off from him that advantage ) yet he doth so manage himself , that he can turn his course either way , as he finds probability of success after tryal ; for he presseth on upon men most , where he finds them most to yeild , so that those who were but at first affrighted , may at last be solemnly perswaded and urged to believe the suggestion to be true , if they give him any incouragement for such a procedure . . contemplative heads and great searchers are usually most troubled in this manner , partly because they see more difficulties than other men , and are more sensible of humane inability to resolve them , and partly because god ( who will not suffer his children to be tempted above what they are able ) doth not permit satan to molest the weaker sort of christians with such dangerous assaults . . persons of eminent and singular holiness may be ( and often are ) troubled with atheistical thoughts , and have sad conflicts about them , satan labouring ( where he cannot prevail for a positive entertainment of atheism ) at least to disquiet their minds by haunting them with his injections , if not to weaken their assent to these fundamental truths , in which he sometimes so prevails , that good men have publickly professed , that they have found it an harder matter to believe that there is a god , than most do imagine . . satan lies at the catch in this design , and usually takes men at the advantage , suddenly setting upon them , either in the height of their meditations and enquiries into fundamental truths , ( for when they soar aloft , and puzzle themselves with a difficulty , then is he at hand to advise them to cut the knot which they cannot unloose ) or in the depth of their troubles , ( for when men cannot reconcile the daily afflictions and sufferings which they undergo , with the love and care of god toward his children , then 't is satans season to tell them that there is no supream disposer of things ) ; in both these cases the devil leaps upon them unawares ( like a robber out of a thicket ) who if he do not wound them by the dart of atheistical injection , at least he is sure to astonish them , and to confound them with amazement . for , . sometimes he pursues with wonderful violence , and will dispute with admirable subtilty , urging the inequality of providence , the seeming contradictions of scripture , the unsuitableness of ordinances to an infinite wisdom and goodness , with many more arguments of like kind ; and this with such unexpected acuteness , and seeming demonstration , that the most holy hearts and wisest heads shall not readily know what to answer , but shall be forced to betake themselves to their knees , and to beg of god that he would rebuke satan , and uphold them that their faith fail not : nay , he doth not only dispute , but by urging , and ( with unspeakable earnestness ) threaping the conclusion upon men , doth almost force them to a perswasion , so that they are almost carried off their feet whether they will or no. which was the very case of david ( when the devil pursued him with atheistical thoughts on the occasion of the prosperity of wicked men , and his daily troubles , ) psal . . . my feet were almost gone , my steps had well-nigh slipt . . yet for all this , he sometimes lays aside his sophistical subtilty , and betakes himself to an impudent importunity ; for sometimes he insists only on one argument , not changing that which he first took up , nor strengthening his suggestion with variety of arguments , but by frequent repetition of the same reason , persists to urge his injected atheism . this gives no discovery of any deep reach if he designed to perswade , ( for 't is scarce rational to imagine , that serious men , who by many arguments are fully perswaded there is a god , should readily lose their hold upon the appearance of one objection , ) but it shews that he purposeth only to molest . and this appears more evidently , when he contents himself with weak and trivial arguments , which the afflicted party can answer fully , and yet cannot for all that quit themselves of the trouble : for instance , 't is not very many years since a serious and pious person came to me , and complained , that he could not be at rest for atheistical thoughts that perpetually haunted him , and upon a particular enquiry into the cause and manner of his trouble , he told me the first rise of it was from his observation , that i had interpreted some scriptures otherwise than he had heard some others to have done ; but withall , he added , that he knew the reason of his perplexity was but silly , and that which he could easily answer : this being no just charge against the scripture , ( whose sense and truth might for all that be one , and uniform to it self ) but only an implication of humane weakness appearing in the different apprehensions of expositors ; yet notwithstanding , he affirmed he could not shake off the trouble , and that his thoughts were ever urged with the same thing for a long time together ; nay , such is his impudency in this kind of trouble , that those who know 't is the best way not to dispute fundamentals with satan , but with abhorrency to reject him ( after the example of christ ) with a get thee behind me satan , and accordingly do with their utmost strength reject them , yet they find that he doth not readily desist . how sad is this trouble ? how are pious persons affrighted to see the face of their thoughts made abominably ugly and deformed by these violent and unavoidable injections ? 't is not only wearisome to those that know it to be solely satans malice , but it often proves to be an astonishing surprisal : like that of a traveller , who while he passeth on his way without foresight or thought of danger , is suddenly brought to the top of a great precipice , where when he looks down to the vast deep below , his head swims , his heart pants , his knees tremble , and the very fear of the sudden danger so confounds him that he is ( through excessive dread ) ready to fall into that which he would avoid : so are these amazed at so great hazards before them . satan could not by all his art prevail with them to abandon the holy ways of god in exchange for the pleasures of sin , and now they seem to be in danger to lose all at once , and yet 't is more affrightful by far to those that charge ( though satans cunning ) all this atheism upon themselves . . another affrightful injection ; is that of blasphemous thoughts , as that god is not just , not compassionate , that scriptures and ordinances are but low and sorry things , &c. that satan doth delight to force such thoughts upon men , is evident , ( . ) from his nature . he is a blasphemous spirit , and withal so malicious , that whatsoever is in his cursed mind , he will be ready to vent upon all occasions . ( . ) from his practice : for where he can obtain the rule over mens imaginations , ( as in some distracted persons , and those that are distempered with feavers , ) he usually makes them vomit for● oaths , cursings , and blasphemies , and this he doth to some that ( while they have had the use of their reason ) have not been observed to give their tongue the liberty of swearing , or cursed speaking . ( . ) from his professed design in the case of job , concerning whom he boasted to god himself , that he would make him curse him to his face , and accordingly tempted him by his wife to curse god and die . ( . ) from the sad experience of those that have suffered under this sad affliction ; for many have complained of blasphemous thoughts , and those whom he cannot conquer , he will thus trouble . neither need we think it strange that the devil can impress blasphemies upon the imaginations of men against their wills , when we consider that he could make saul ( in his fits ) to behave himself like an inspired person , and cause him to utter things beyond , and unsutable to his disposition , ( after the rate and manner of those raptures which idolatrous priests used to be transported withal : ) this in sam. . . is called sauls prophesying , when the evil spirit from the lord vexed him ; and is the same with that which is spoken concerning baal's priests , king. . . they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice ; that is , they were exercised with trances and rapturous furies , in which they uttered strange sounds and speeches . how easily then may satan possess the fancies of men with blasphemies ? so that the unwilling may be troubled with them , and those that are deprived of the benefit of reason , may ( from the power of the impression upon their imagination ) vent them with a kind of unwilligness . melancholy persons do very frequently meet with this kind of trouble , satan having a great power upon their imagination , and great advantages from the darkness of that humor , to make the fear arising from such thoughts the more astonishing , and to delude them into an apprehension that they are guilty of all that passeth through their thoughts , and also to work this perplexity to more dismal effects . in these kind of men he doth play the tyrant with such injections , abusing them to such an height , as if they were his vassals and slaves , whose thoughts and tongues were in his ( and not their own ) keeping ; and so strongly doth he possess them with this perplexity sometimes , that all the counsels , reasonings , or advice of others , cannot in the least satisfie or relieve them ; yet notwithstanding i have known several under this affliction , who ( when by physick , the state of their bodies hath been altered ) have found themselves at ease immediately , the trouble gradually and insensibly ceasing of it self . others there are that have great vexation from these thoughts , and these are commonly such as by some long and grievous pain , sickness or other crosses , have their spirits fretted and imbittered ; then is satan ready to suggest , that god is cruel , or regardless of his people ; and these thoughts are the more dreadful , because fretting and murmuring spirits have a natural tendency to to think harshly of god ; so that satan in this case doth with the more boldness obtrude these suggestions upon them , finding so great a forwardness toward such imaginations , and also with greater severity he doth reflect upon them , as being in some likelihood compliant and consenting . when other persons ( not so concerned as these two sorts of men above mentioned ) are assaulted with blasphemous thoughts , the fits are less permanent , and ( because they easily discover the design , and author of them ) not highly affrightful , though still troublesome . the burthen of these injections are much like the former , very sadly afflicting . for who can easily bear the noise of satan while he shouts continually into their ears odious calumnies , and blasphemous indignities against god ? david could not hear wicked men blaspheme god , but it was as a sword in his bones , exceeding painful : the impressions of nature , ( that teach us to revere and honour god ) the power of education ( that confirms these impressions ) the perswasion of faith ( that assures us of the reality and infinite excellency of a godhead ) and the force of love ( that makes us more sensibly apprehensive of any injury , or dishonour done to him whom we love above all ) : all these do suffer by these violent incursions of satan , and the sufferer finds himself to be pained and tortured in these noble parts . how grievous must it be to a child of god , to have his ear chained to these intollerable ingrateful reproaches ? especially when we consider that the devil will in this case , utter the most dreadful blasphemies he can devise , which will still add to the affliction , ( for even those men that through habit , can well bear ordinary petty oaths , will yet startle at outragious prodigious swearing ) and therefore what ever covert and consequential blasphemies may be to some men , these impudent hideous abuses of the holy and just god , must needs sadly trouble those that are forced to hear them . and the more constant the greater trouble . who would not be weary of their lives , that must be forced to undergo this vexation still without intermission ? and yet , the devil can advance the trouble a little higher by the apparatus , or artificial dread , which he puts upon the temptation in the manner of the injection . as the roaring of the lion increaseth terrour in the beasts of the field , who without that , would tremble at his presence ; and as the thundering and lightning at the giving of the law , increased the fear of israel ; so when satan is upon this design , he shakes as it were the house , and makes a noise that the fright may be increased . . suspicious fears of being excluded out of gods eternal decree of election , is another of his affrightments . this is , when satan boldly takes upon him to determine god's secret counsel concerning any man ; peremptorily asserting , that he is none of gods elect. in which case he often doth only inject the suspicion confidently , without offer of proof ; or if he use arguments , they never amount to a proof of his assertion , ( neither is it possible they should , for these are among god's secrets , and out of satans reach ) though possibly they may prove the person to be not converted at present . so that this kind of trouble differs exceedingly , from those disquiets of temptation , which frequently men suffer about their state of regeneration . and indeed , the question should not be confounded , it being of great concern to men , when their peace is assaulted , to be able to observe the difference betwixt these two assertions , thou art not elected : and , thou art not yet regenerated . seeing the latter being granted , there yet remains a hope of the probability , or possibility of that mans conversion afterwards : ( the suspitions of non-conversion are more common , and not so dangerous ) ; nay , in unregenerate persons , the fears of their being yet in that condition ( being joyned with diligence and care to avoid the danger ) are necessary , and advantagious ; but ) the former being granted , all hopes are , together with that concession , laid off , which must needs make the affrightment intollerable . in this we may observe , . that satan for the better management of this design , doth not only inject these suspitions in the most dreadful language , ( as thou art a lost and damned wret●h , hopelesly miserable to all eternity : god hath not elected thee to life , but prepared for thee ( as a vessel of wrath ) the lake of fire and brimstone for ever , &c. ) but also he doth assert them with the highest peremptoriness imaginable , as if he had authority from god to pronounce a sentence of condemnation against a man : this must needs amaze the afflicted unspeakably . . in this he also observe his advantages : for there are some men so sadly suited to this design , that satan comes better to speed upon them , than others . usually he fixeth his eyes , . upon young persons at their first serious attendances upon , and considerations of scripture truths . their hearts are then tender , ( youth hath a natural tender-heartedness ; we find them coupled together in rehoboam's character , chron. . . when rehoboam was young , and tender-hearted ) and they are apt to receive strong impressions . when those who were formerly mindless of their spiritual concern , begin to be serious , they can no sooner fall upon a consideration of those weighty doctrines : that there are sheep and goats , some saved , and some damned ; that the blessed are few , in comparison of the many that take the broad-way to destruction , and that these were from eternity ordained unto life , and these only , &c. no sooner ( i say ) begin they to ponder these things , but satan is ready with this suspition , and what dost thou know , but thou art one of these excluded wretches ? if but few are saved , a thousand to one thou art none of them ? for why should god look upon thee more than another ? these are his first assays with young-men , beginning to be serious , in which afterward he proceeds with greater boldness , as he seeth occasion . . he also doth this to persons that are some way quickned to a devotional fear of god , and care of their souls , but withal are ignorant , and not able distinctly to apprehend , and orderly to range the doctrines of the scriptures into a due consistency with one another . their careful fears make them enquire into what god hath said concerning the everlasting state of men ; and before they can be able to digest the principles of religion , satan sets some truths edg-ways against them , which put them into great affrightment , while ( through their ignorance ) other truths ( appointed and declared for the satisfaction of the minds of those that hunger and thirst after righteousness ) cannot come in to their relief . how startling must the truths of gods election be , when they stand forth alone , and are not accompanied with the invitations of the gospel , that promise pardon and acceptance to all that will come in and submit to christ ? satan usually holds such kind of men , to the consideration of those truths , that have the most dismal aspect , and while they are stopt there , they can draw forth no other conclusions than these , that they are in hazard , and for ought they know , utterly lost . . satan hath also this plot against those that by some grievous iniquity , or long continuance in sin , have highly provoked the lord. here he useth arguments from the heinousness of their iniquity ; thou art a reprobate , because thou hast committed these great evils , these are marks of damnation , &c. which arguments , though they be of no value , and no way proving that for which they are brought , yet satan injecting suspitions , and their own consciences in the mean time justly accusing , they so sink under their fear , that they suffer satan to make what conclusion he will , and then they subscribe to it . . above all , melancholy persons give the devil the greatest advantage to raise affrightments . that distemper naturally fills men with sad thoughts , and is credulous of the worst evil that can be objected against him that hath it . of it self , it can create the blackest conceits , and saddest surmises , and then believes its own fancy . when satan strikes in with this humour , they are the more confirmed in their suspitions , and the fright is the greater , because they are as incredulous of what is good ( if it be told them ) as they are apt to believe what is evil , and to believe it , because they fear it ; though no other reason were offered : but much more when satan in a prophetick manner foretels their misery , and assures them they must never be happy . . the suspitions which the devil hath by these advantages raised up , he doth endeavour to increase , and to root them deeply in the minds of them , upon whom he hath thus begun : and indeed , by frequent inculcating the same thing with his continued peremptoriness of asserting the certainty of their non-election , he at last brings up very many to a full perswasion that it is so ; and besides other arts that he may have , or exercise in this particular , he commonly practiseth upon men , by perverting the true intendment and use of the doctrine of election . that there is such a thing as election , and that of a determinate number , are truths undeniable ; and the end of their discovery in the gospel , is the comfort and confirmation of the converted . here they may see gods unchangeable love to them , how much they stand engaged for the freeness of grace , and that the foundation of god is sure , &c. for to this purpose doth our saviour improve these doctrines , john . , , , , , . but nothing of this is spoken to discourage any man from his endeavours , neither can any man , prove that he , or any other , is excluded out of the decree of election , ( except in case of the sin against the holy ghost ) ; neither is it possible for the devil to prove any such thing against any man ; neither ought any to suppose himself not elect : but on the contrary , if he is willing to forsake sin , and desirous to be reconciled to god , he ought to apprehend a probability , that he is elected , because the proffer of christ is made to all that will recieve him . and therefore should men stop their ears against such suggestions , and not dispute that with satan , but rather hearken to the commands , exhortations , and promises of scripture , it being most certain that these secret things belong to god , deut. . . and are no mans rule to walk by , seeing revealed things only belong to us . all this the devil perverts , for he endeavours to make election the immediate object of our faith , and our rule to walk by ; as if it were necessary that every man knew gods eternal purpose concerning him , before he begin his endeavours . and as he argues some men into a perverse carelessness upon the ground of election , making them to conclude , that if they are ordained to life , they shall be saved , though they live wickedly ; if they be not , they shall be damned , though they endeavour never so much to the contrary . so he also argues some , from this doctrine , into terrible fears of damnation , because they cannot be assured aforehand , that their names are written in heaven . and these dreadful suspitions he doth labour to strengthen , by some mens unwary handling of the doctrine of non-election ; when some preachers unskilfully urge the dangerous signs of reprobation , or speak severely of god's decrees , without due caution and promise of mercy to all penitent sinners . or when some , unskilful in the methods of comforting the distressed in conscience , because they are not able to shew the afflicted their condition , or to speak a word in season to quiet their minds , and to direct them what course to take , do usually refer them to god's decree , and tell them , if god have decreed them to salvation , they shall be saved . satan doth industriously hold them there , by this means he leads them from the promises and their duty , and keeps them musing and poring upon election , till they are bewildred , and cannot find the way out . thus have several continued under their affrightments for many years . . we may observe , that when satan hath brought them into this snare , he doth tyrannically domineer over them . he doth deride them under their trouble , and mock at them when their fear comes upon them . and because now the very thought , or hearing of election is as a daggar to the heart , and a dreadful sound in their ears , he delights to repeat it to them ; for the very naming of the word , becomes as dreadful , as the sentence of condemnation to a malefactor , being always accompanied with this reflection ; oh how miserable am i , that have no part nor portion in it ! besides , he doth busie their minds with imaginary representations of hell , and sets before them as in a scheme , the day of judgment , the terrours of the damned , the sentence against the goats on the left-hand , the intollerable pains of everlasting burnings , and ( that which is the misery of all these miseries ) the eternity of all . thus he forceth their meditations , but still with application to themselves ; neither doth he suffer them to rest in the night , but they are terrified with sad dreams , and the visions of the night do disquiet them . . how grievous this affrightment is , i should next observe , but that is partly expressed in the aforegoing particulars , and may yet more fully appear by a consideration of these things . . that a man hath nothing dearer to him than his soul : alas , that cannot be counterballanced by the gaining of the whole world , and to have no hope or expectancy of its salvation , must needs be terribly affrightful . . these suspitions of non-election prevailing , all promises and comforts are urged in vain , and they commonly return them back again to those that offered them , with this reply : they are true , and useful to those unto whom they appertain , but they belong not unto me . nay , all means are rejected as useless . if such be advised to pray , or read , they will in their fit of affrightment refuse all ; upon this reason , that they are not elected . and then to what purpose ( say they ) is prayer , or any endeavours ? for who can alter his decree ? and indeed , if their affrightments continued at an height without intermission , they would never do any thing ; but this is their help , that some secret under-ground hopes which they espy not , do revive at least sometimes , and put them upon endeavours , which ( through gods blessing ) become means of better information . . though satans injections of non-election be altogether unproveable , and withal so terrifying , that it might be supposed men should not be forward in their belief of so great an unhappiness : yet can he prevail so far , that the persons above named ( especially the melancholy ) are made to believe him , and this chiefly by possessing their imaginations , with his frequent confident affirmations . wee see it is a common practice to teach birds musical notes and sounds , which is only by constant repetition , till a strong impression is made upon their fancy : and thus may one man impose upon the imagination of another with his songs , or sayings : for what we hear often , we cannot forbear to repeat in our thoughts , being strongly fixed upon our fancy . no wonder then , if satan by often repeating , thou art not elected , thou art damned , &c. do form so strong an impression upon the imagination , that poor amazed creatures learn to say after him , and then take the ecchoes of their fancy , to be the voice of conscience condemning them . now then , if the unhappiness ( suspected ) be the greatest beyond all comparison , if these suspitions entertained cut off all succours of comfort that may arise from the promises of god , and the endeavours of man , if satan can prevail with men to entertain them with any perswasion ( as we see he can ) how dreadfully will these perswasions recoil upon a man ? and thus will his thoughts run , i am perswaded i am not elected ; and if not elected , then comforts and prayers are all in vain ; and if these be in vain , there is no possibility of salvation , nor the least hope of a who knows , or a peradventure ; and if that , oh unspeakably miserable ? under these astonishing thoughts doth satan exercise their hearts by suspitions of non-election . but . sometimes he takes another course to affright men , and that is by injecting motions of some abominable sin , or evil into their minds , to the commission whereof he seems strongly to sollicite ; yet not with any full intention , or expectation of prevalency , but with a purpose to molest and disquiet . and for that end , he commonly chuseth such sins as are most vile in their own nature , and most opposite to the dispositions of men : thus he injects thoughts of uncleanness to a chast person ; thoughts of injustice and wrong to a just man ; thoughts of revenge and cruelty to a week man ; thoughts of rejoycing in the loss and misery of others to the merciful man. or else he injects motions to such sins , wherein formerly men have been overtaken , but have been made bitter by deep repentance ; the very thoughts whereof are now become most loathsome . and sometimes he pursues men with thoughts of self-murther , even while there is nothing of discontent or trouble in their minds , to second such a temptation . by this manner of proceeding , he creates great affrightments to the hearts of men . for . these are strange surprisals ; and persons under this kind of trouble , cannot but be amazed to find such thoughts within them , which are most contrary to their dispositions , or their most serious resolves . the chast person tempted to uncleanness , or the just man to revenge ; the humble person urged to the same sin that cost him so dear , &c. they wonder at their own hearts , and while they mistake these temptations , by judging them to be the issues of their own inclination , with astonishment they cry out , oh i had thought that i had mortified these lusts , but what a strange heart have i ? i see sin is a strong in me as ever ? and i have cause to fear my self , &c. . and this is yet a greater trouble , because usually satan takes them at some advantage of an offered occasion , or opportunity , then he gives them a sudden push , and with importunity urgeth them to take the time ; this often affrights them into trembling , and their fears do so weaken their purposes , that their hazards are the greater , in that they are astonished into an inactivity . so that in this case , the men of might do not readily find their hands . . neither are these motions sudden and transient glances , which perish as soon as they are born , ( though it be a very frequent thing with satan to cast in motions into the heart for trial sake , without further prosecution ) but he ( in this case ) pursues with frequent repetitions , following hard after them , to the increase of the affrightment . so that for a long time together men may be afflicted with these messengers of satan to buffet them ; and though they may pray earnestly against them that they may be removed , yet they find the motions continue upon them . which must needs be an hateful annoyance to an upright heart , that doth know it to be only satans design to affright , much more must it afflict those that do not perceive the contriver and end of such motions , but judg them to be the natural workings of their own evil heart . . satan can also affright men by immediate impressions of fear upon their minds . he can do much with the imagination , especially when persons are distempered with melancholy ; for such are naturally fearful , and any impressions upon them have the deepest , most piercing operation . they are always framing to themselves dismal things , and abound with black and dark conceits ; surmising still the worst , and always incredulous of what is good . hence it is that sometimes men are seized upon by fearfulness and trembling , when yet they cannot give any tollerable account of a cause , or reason , why it should be so with them . and others are excessively astonished with the shadows of their own thoughts , upon the meanest pretences imaginable . that this is the work of satan , doth appear by unquestionable evidence . this was that evil spirit which god sent between abimelech , and the men of sechem , judg. . . god permitted satan ( for the punishment of them both ) to raise fears and jealousies in the heart of abimelech , against the men of sechem , and in the hearts of the men of sechem against abimelech . they were mutually afraid of one another , and these fears wrought so far , that they were ( for the prevention of a supposed danger ) engaged in treacherous conspiracies , to the real ruine of them both . the evil spirit that vexed saul , sam. . . was nothing else but sudden and vehement fits of terrour , and inward fear which the devil raised by the working up of his melancholy . for we may observe these fits were allayed by musick ; and also we might see by his disposition out of his fits , and by his carriage in them , that inward fears were his tormentors : for sam. . . 't is noted , that saul eyed david , that is , his jealous fears began to work concerning david , of whom 't is said expresly , ver . . that he was afraid because the lord was with him ; and when the evil spirit came upon him , his heart was exercised with these fears , and accordingly he behaved himself when he cast the javelin at david with a purpose to slay him . upon any occasion , of trouble especially , the devil was at hand to heighten his affrightment , insomuch that when the supposed samuel told him of his death , sam. . . he was afraid to such an height , that he fell straightway all along on the earth and there was no strength in him . neither must we suppose that satan in this kind of working , is confined only to wicked men : for there is nothing in this manner of affrightment , which is inconsistent with the condition of a child of god , especially when god gives him up to tryal , or correction . nay , many of gods servants suffer under satans hand in this very manner . let us consider the troubles of job , and we shall find that though satan endeavoured to destroy his peace by discomposure of spirit , by questioning his integrity , by frightful injections of blasphemous thoughts , yet all these he vanquished with an undaunted courage , the blasphemy he rejected with abhorrency , his integrity he resolved he would not deny so long as he lived , his losses he digested easily with a sober composed mind , blessed god that gives and takes at pleasure , and yet he complains of his fears , and his frequent surprisals thereby , insomuch that his friends take notice that most of his trouble arose from thence ; job . . a sudden fear troubleth thee , and he himself confesseth as much , job . . let not his fear terrify me , — but it is not so with me . so that it appears that job's inward distress , was mostly from strong impressions of affrighting fears . these fears impressed upon the mind , must needs be an unexpressible trouble , there is nothing that doth more loosen the sinews and joynts of the soul , to the weakening and utter enfeebling of it in all its endeavours , than fears ; it scatters the strength in a moment . and besides the present burthen , which will bow down the backs of the strongest , these fears have a special kind of envious magnanimity in them : for . they come by fits , and have times of more fierce and cruel assaults , yet in their intervals they leave the heart in a trembling fainting posture , ( for the devil gives not over the present sit , till he hath rent them sore , and left them ( as he did the mans son in mark . . ) as one dead ) : so that 't is no more to be reckoned compassion , and gentleness in satan toward the afflicted that their fits are not constant , than it can be accounted tenderness or kindness in a tyrant , who when he hath racked or tormented a man as much as strength will bear without killing out of hand , gives over for a time , that the party might be reserved for new torments . . these fits usually return at such times as the party afflicted seems to promise himself some little ease , being designed to give the greater disappointment , in intercepting his expected comforts . sleep and meat are the two great refreshments of the distressed , these times satan watcheth for his new onsets . job found it so in both cases , his meal-times were times of trouble ; job . . my sighing cometh ( that is the fits of sighing return ) before i eat , and my roarings are poured out like the waters ; and his sleeping times were no better , job . . when i say my bed shall comfort me , my couch shall ease my complaint : then thou scarest me with dreams , and terrifiest me through visions , so that my soul chuseth strangling and death , rather than life . — . these fears do make them feel the weight , not only of real present evils , but of all others which the imagination can represent to them . so that the sight or hearing of any sad thing , afflicts them with surmises , that this will be their case . hence are they full of misgiving thoughts ; sometimes they fear that they shall at last fall off from god , into some scandalous sin , to the dishonour of god and religion , as that they shall be apostates , and turn openly prophane , some times they fear they shall meet with some signal devouring judgment , by which they shall one day perish ; as david said in the like case , i shall one day perish by the hand of saul : thus are they crucified betwixt their present burthen , and future expectations of evil . . the last ( and indeed the meanest ) engine for the working of affrightment , is scrupulosity of conscience . satan vexeth the conscience and distracteth the mind , by raising up needless , groundless fears concerning a mans practice . where the ignorance of men , or their timerous dispositions do encourage satan to this enterprize , there he multiplies scruples upon them , so that though they assent to the doing of any thing as good or lawful , yet are they constantly affrighted from it , by a suspitious fear that it may be otherwise . this kind of trouble takes in almost all kind of actions , it extends to the way of a mans calling , the way of his management of it , the rates he takes , and the prices he gives for his commodities ; our every natural actions of sleeping , eating , drinking , company , recreation , are not unconcerned . in all which the devil affrights the timerous conscience that ( it may be ) he hath offended : if he buys or sells , he is disquieted with [ a may be ] that he hath sold too dear , or bought too cheap ; if he eats or sleeps , he fears he hath been excessive , a sluggard or a glutton : thus are some men molested in every thing they do . neither is this kind of affrightment to be despised : for though often 't is a groundless fear , and so appears to be to discerning christians ; yet those that are under this molestation think it bad enough : though it be not as a rack that afflicts with violent pains , yet 't is as those kinds of punishments which at first are nothing , but by continuance do tire men out with little-ease , and so at last become intollerable . besides this is a multiplying trouble ; for one scruple begets another , and by continuance of scrupling , the conscience grows so weak and unsteady , that every thing is scrupled , and the man brought to a continual affrightment of doing wrong in every action . neither can all men make use of the remedy that is prescribed for the cure of this distemper , which is , that when such scruples cannot be removed by reason , then either men should forbear the thinking upon such things from whence scruples are apt to arise , or they should break them down by violence , and go over the belly of their scruple to the performance of their action . i deny not but that something may be done and endeavoured this way ; but any may see that 't is not easy for every one to do either of these : so that this is also a troublesome evil , from which 't is not easy to be discharged . chap. viii . of satan's third way to hinder peace by spiritual sadness . wherein , . of the degrees of spiritual sadness . . of the frequency of this trouble , evidenced several ways . of the difference 'twixt god and satan in wounding the conscience . . of the solemn occasions of this trouble . . the engines by which satan works spiritual sadness . . his sophistry . his topicks enumerated and explained . . scriptures perverted . . false notions . . misrepresentations of god. . sins ; how he aggravates them . . lessening their graces : how he doth that . . his second engine , fear ; how he forwards his design that way . besides the troubles already mentioned under the heads of discomposures of spirit , and affrightments , there is a third kind of trouble which satan gives to the children of god , and this may for distinction sake , be called spiritual sadness . these spiritual sadnesses are troubles raised in the mind , relating to the conscience , and spiritual state or condition of men. they differ exceedingly from the two former sorts of trouble : for , . these troubles wholly concern the conscience in point of regeneration , and men's suitableness thereunto ; whereas simple discomposures of spirit firstly relate to outward things . . in these the conscience is immediately concerned , but in other troubles , the conscience is either wholly untouched , or wounded only secondarily , by continuance and progress of the discomposure of the spirit . . in these troubles , conscience is the great instrument by which the devil works , whereas in the trouble of affrightments the devil acted alone , the heart being in the mean time , uncomplyant and resisting . for the opening of this trouble , i shall explain , the several degrees thereof . 't is a trouble of conscience unduly aggravated by satan , wherein he confines himself to the operations of conscience . but then , as he suggests the troubles of men by the voice of conscience , so he doth all he can to make it irregular in its actings , and excessive in that irregularity . so that in this case , the conscience is evil , and imploys it self in that mistake , to enquire into mens regeneracy or holiness , always being either a neuter , or an adversary , and the devil helps this forward all he can . the apostle in heb. . . makes mention of an evil conscience , and that chiefly as it doth occasion fear , hindering our comfortable access to god. this the conscience doth when it doth not execute its office aright , either in not excusing when it ought , or in accusing when it should not ; and these false accusations cause different sorts of troubles according to the variety of the matter for which it doth condemn . hence is it that there are three degrees of trouble of conscience , below the trouble of dispair : . the lowest degree is when a regenerate person doth not positively determine the case of his soul , whether he be regenerate or not , but is only kept in suspence betwixt hope that he is , and fear that he is not , the conscience in the mean time forbearing to witness for him , though it have just cause to excuse him : this we may call a doubting or questioning conscience ; and though it comes far short of these distresses in which some men are plunged upon the account of their souls , yet is it a trouble , for their peace is hereby hindred , and their desires of satisfaction frustrated , which in matters of so great concern ( as are these of everlasting life , and everlasting misery ) must be very disquieting . when the affections are earnest , their satisfaction cannot be delayed without trouble ; for hope deferred makes the heart sick , prov. . . not only doth it faint under its doubts , but is by that means so weak in its purposes that it is easily drawn to admit of greater inconveniencies , which may lay the foundation of more perplexing disturbances . that the conscience may be in such a distemper , that it will not witness for a man , when yet it cannot witness against him , is the observation of those that have treated of the nature of conscience : sometimes it will not make application of god's promises , though it will believe , that he that forsakes sin is regenerate , that he that truly repents shall be pardoned , yet it will not affirm for a man , that he forsakes sin or repents , though he really do so ; or if it cannot deny that , yet it will sometimes refuse to make that conclusion which one would think would follow of it self , by natural consequence , and so refuseth to judge the person regenerate or pardoned , though it cannot deny but that he forsakes sin and repents . the greatness of the blessing , the remainders of unbelief , the deep sense of unworthiness , with other considerations , do keep off the heart from making ( as i may say ) so bold with the promises ; but all this while the devil is doing his utmost to aggravate these considerations , afrighting the conscience from that just absolution which it ought to give . . another degree of trouble arising from an evil conscience , is when the condition of a regenerate person is determined by conscience ( but falsly ) to be very bad . i must here ( as some others have done ) for want of better terms distinguish betwixt the state of regeneracy , and a mans condition in that state , though the words [ state and condition ] are used promiscuously the one for another . a man may be in a regenerate state , and yet his condition in that state may be very bad and blame-worthy , as not walking worthy of so holy a calling ; as a person may be a man , and yet unhealthy or languishing . thus many of the asian churches were true churches , and yet in a bad condition ; some lukewarm ; some had a name to live , and yet were comparatively dead , because their works were not full or perfect before god ; and others had left their first love . to this purpose is that of the apostle , cor. . . know ye not your own selves , how that jesus christ is in you , except ye be reproabates ? where the word reprobate is not to be taken in the strict severe sense for one not elected , but for one whose conversation is not so sound and approved as it should be : for this relates not to their being in christ , but to their assurance of being in that state , which the apostle affirms they might know , except the fault lay in their negligent careless conversation . this kind of trouble then is of this nature : the conscience doth not accuse a man to be vnregenerate , yet it condemns him for a carriage unsuitable to the gospel ; and this sometimes when his actions are not absolutely evil , but partly good , partly bad : when the conscience condemns the actions as altogether sinful , because of some mixture of infirmities , in which case we should imitate the apostle , in rom. . who when by reason of the remainders of sin in him , he could not do the good he would , that is in such a manner and degree as he desired , nor avoid the evil which he would so clearly and fully as he wished , some imperfections in his best endeavours still cleaving to him : yet his conscience took a right course , he was humbled for his imperfections , but withal acquits himself in point of integrity , his conscience testified , ver . . that he consented to the law as good , and ver . . that he delighted in the law of god after the inward man. but in this case of spiritual trouble , the conscience takes all in the worst sence , it only fixeth upon the imperfections , and makes them to serve for proofs against the sincerity . thus if a man in praying be troubled with wandering thoughts , then a distempered conscience condemns that prayer as a sinful prophanation of the name of god : if the great concern of god's glory run along in such a way , as is also advantagious to the person in outward things , then will such a conscience condemn the man for self-seeking , though his main design were truly the honour of god. in all actions where there is infirmity appearing with the most serious endeavours , or where god's glory and man's good are twisted together , the disordered conscience will be apt to take part with satan , accusing and condemning the action . yea very often when the actions are very good , no way justly reprovable , the conscience shall condemn : if he have had peace , he shall be judged for security ; if he have faith in god's promises , it will call it presumption ; if he have a zeal for god , it will be misinterpreted for carnal rigour ; if he have joy , it shall be misjudged to be natural chearfulness , or delusion ; in a word , all his graces shall be esteemed no better than moral vertues . at this rate are the children of god put to great trouble , losing ( as i may say ) the things they have wrought , sadly bemoaning their hardness of heart , or want of faith and love , when in their carriage and complainings , they give very high proofs of all . in this also satan is busy to nourish the conscience in its jealousies , and doth suggest many objections to confirm it in its distemper . the conscience is not always of a peevish or perverse humour ; for sometimes it will smite a man for a miscarriage ( as it did to david when he cut off the lap of saul's garment ) and yet not break his peace : which is a sufficient evidence that it is put ( in this case ) far out of order ; which advantage satan works upon to disquiet the heart , to make men unthankful for the mercies they have received , and to incapacitate them for more . this for distinction sake , we may call the trouble of a grieved or dejected conscience , according to that of psal . . , . why art thou cast down , o my soul ? and why art thou disquieted within me ? though such men are under god's favour , yet they misdeem it , and think god is angry with them , their heart pants , their soul thirsts , their tears are their meat , they are ready to say unto god , my rock , why hast thou forsaken me ? and though they have some hopes for the future , that god will command his loving kindness , and that they shall yet praise him ; yet their present apprehension of their spiritual wants and weaknesses , and of the displeasure of god , which they suppose they are under , makes them go mourning all the day . . the third degree of trouble of conscience is when the conscience peremptorily denies the state of regeneration . hereby a man that is really regenerate , is concluded to be yet in the gall of bitterness , and bond of iniquity ; his former hopes are taxed for self-delusion , and his present state to be a state of nature . this trouble is far greater than the two former ; because the party is judged to be in greater hazard , and by many degrees more remote from hope . 't is the frequent and sad thought of such , that if death should in that estate cut off their days , oh! then they were for ever miserable . the fears and disquiets of the heart on this account , are very grievous , but yet they admit of degrees , according to the ignorance of the party , the distemper of the conscience , the strength of the objections , or severity of the prosecution , in regard the conscience is now sadly out of order . we may call this degree of grief ( for distinction ) a wounded spirit ; which how hard it is to be born solomon tells us , prov. . . by comparing it with all other kind of troubles , which the spirit of a man can make some shift to bear , making this heavier than all , and above ordinary strength . some make enquiry what may be the difference betwixt a wounded spirit , in the regenerate and the reprobate ? to which it may be answered , . that in the parties apprehension there is no difference at all : both of them may be compassed about with the sorrows of death , and suppose themselves to be in the belly of hell. . neither is there any difference in the degree of the trouble , a child of god may be handled with as much seeming severity , as he whom god intends for a future tophet . . neither is there any such remarkable difference in the working of the spirits of the one and other , that they themselves at present , or others that are by-standers , can easily observe . yet a formal difference there is , for grace being in the heart of the one , will in some breathing or pulse discover its life . and though sometimes it acts so low , or confusedly , that god only can distinguish ; yet often those that are experienced observes will discover some real breathings after god , and true loathing of sin , and other traces of faith and love , that are not so discernible to the parties themselves . . but in god's design the difference is very great : the wicked lye under his lash as malefactors , but the regenerate are as patients under cure , or children under discipline . . and accordingly the issue doth determine , that gods intention in wounding their spirits were not alike to both ; the one at last , coming out of the furnace as gold , the other still remaining as reprobate silver , or being consumed as dross . thus have ye seen the nature and degree of spiritual sadness . . for the further explanation whereof i shall next shew you that this is an usual trouble to the children of god. which , . i might evidence from several instances of those that have suffered much under it : as david , whose complaints in this case are very frequent ; and heman , who left a memorial of his griefs in psal . . jonah also in the belly of the whale , had a sharp fit of it , when he concluded that he was cast out of gods sight , and his soul fainted within him , jon. . . . neither did hezekiah altogether escape it , for though his disquiet began upon another ground , it run him into spiritual trouble at last . but besides these , innumerable instances occur . one shall scarce converse with any society of christians , but he shall meet with some , who with sad complaints shall bemoan the burthen of their hearts , and the troubles of their conscience . . the provisions which god hath made in his word for such , is an evidence that such distempers are frequent . he that in a city shall observe the shops of the apothecaries , and there take notice of the great variety of medicines , pots and glasses full of mixtures , confection and cordials : may from thence rationally conclude , that 't is a frequent thing for men to be sick , though he should not converse with any sick person for his information . thus may we be satisfied from the declarations , directions , and consolations of scripture , that 't is a common case for the children of god to stand in need of spiritual physitians , and spiritual remedies to help them , when they are wounded and fainting . solomon's exclamination , a wounded spirit who can bare ? shews that the spirit is sometimes wounded . the prophets direction , he that walks in darkness and sees no light , let him trust in the lord , clearly implies that some there are that walk in darkness . god's creating the fruit of the lips , peace , peace ; his promises of restoring comforts to mourners ; his commands to others to comfort them ; do all inform us , that 't is a common things for his children to be under such sadnesses of spirit , that all this is necessary for their relief . . the reasons of this trouble , do also assure us of the frequency of it : for of them we may say ( as christ speaks of the poor ) we have them always with us ; so that the grounds of spiritual sadness considered , 't is no wonder to find many men complaining under this distemper . the reasons are , . the malice of satan , who hath no greater revenge against a child of god , when translated from the power of darkness to the kingdom of christ , than to hinder him of the peace and comfort of that condition . . the many advantages which satan hath against us . for the effecting of this , we cannot imagine that one so malicious as he is , will suffer his malice to sleep , when so many fair opportunities of putting it in practice do offer themselves . for . the questions to be determined for setling the peace of the soul , are very intricate , and often of greater difficulty than doctrinal controversies . how hard is it to conclude , what is the minimum quod sic ; the lowest degrees of true grace ? or the maximum quod sic ; the highest degree of sin , consistant with true grace ? to distinguish betwixt a child of god at the lowest , and an hypocrite , or temporary believer at the highest , is difficult . in mixt actions , to be able to shew how the soul doth manage its respect to god , when the man hath also a respect to himself , especially when it is under any confusion , is not easie . and in th●se actions where the difference from others of like kind , lies only in the grounds and motives of the undertaking , or where the prevailing degree must distinguish the act , in reference to different objects that are subordinate to one another ( as our loving god above the world , or our selves , our fearin● god above men , &c. ) 't is not every one that can give a satisfactory determination . . as the intricacies of the doubts to be resolved , give the devil an advantage to puzzle us ; so is the advantage heightned exceedingly by the great injudiciousness , and unskilfulness of the greatest part of christians . these questions are in their notion difficult , more difficult in their application to particular persons , ( where the ablest christian may easily be non-plust ) but most difficult to the weak christians : these satan can baffle with every poor objection , and impose what he will upon them . . especially having the advantage of the working guilt of conscience , which he can readily stir up , to present to a mans remembrance all his failings and miscarriages , of what nature soever . and when guilt rageth in an unskilful heart , it must needs create great disquiet . . but most of all when our natural fears are awakened : as when a man hath been under any great conviction , though he be cured of his trouble , yet it usually leaves a weakness in the part , ( as bru●ses and maims do in any member of the body ) which at the change of weather , or other accidental hurt , will renew their old trouble ; and then , when fresh guilt begins to press hard upon the conscience , not only do the broken bones ake , by the reviving of former fears : but the impressions of his old suspitions , bad conceit of himself , and jealousies of the deceitfulness of his heart , which had then fixed themselves by a deep rooting , do now make him most fearful of entertaining any good thought of himself . so that if any consideration tending to his support be offered , he dare not come near it , suspecting his greatest danger to lie on that hand . these advantages considered , we should not think it strange that any child of god is driven to spiritual sadness ( as some do ) but may rather wonder that this is not the common condition of all christians . . another reason that must be assigned for these troubles , is divine dispensation ; such are his children , some so careless , others proud , others stubborn , many presumptuous , that god is forced to correct them by this piece of discipline , and to cure them by casting them into a feaver . others of his children he thus exerciseth for other ends , sometimes to take occasion there-from , of making larger discoveries of his love ; sometimes thereby preventing them from falling under some grievous miscarriage , or for the tryal and exercises of their graces . we may observe accordingly , that there are three sorts of men that usually have exercises of this kind . . those who at their conversion , are either ignorant , melancholy , or were grosly scandalous , are usually brought through with great fear and sadness . and this is so observable , that ( by the mistake of men ) it is made a general rule , that none are converted , but they are under great and frightful apprehensions of wrath , and dismal terrors . this indeed is true of some , but these ordinarily are the scandalous , melancholy , and ignorant sort , ( though sometimes god may deal so with others , for who can limit him ? ) yet are there many , whose education hath been good , and their instruction aforehand great , whose conversion is so gradual and insensible , that they are strangers to these troubles of conscience ; and profess that if these heights of fear be necessary to conversion , they must be at a loss , neither can they give an account of the time of their conversion as others may . . those whose conversion was easie , when after their conversion they miscarry by any great iniquity , they meet with as great a measure of terrour and fear ( and some think far greater ) as those whose new birth was more difficult . david's greatest troubles of soul came upon him after he began to appear more publick in the world ; for then he met with many temptations , and great occasions for god's exercising his discipline over him . i believe , when he kept his fathers sheep , his songs had more of praises , and less of complainings than afterward . it is the opinion of some , that god's dealing in this kind of dispensation , even when miscarriage is not the cause , is more sharp usually to those , whose conversion hath been most easie . . there is another sort of men , to whom god vouchsafes , but seldom and short fits of spiritual joy , as breathing times , betwixt sharp fits of soul-trouble , for necessary refreshment and recovery of strength ; but the constant course which god holds with them , is to exercise them under fears while he hides his face from them , and suffers satan to vex them , by urging his objections against their holiness and integrity . heman was one of this rank , and the great instance which god hath given in his word , for the support of others that may be in the same case . for he testifies psal . . that he suffered the terrours of god almost to destraction , and this from his youth up . 't is not fit for us too narrowly to question , why god doth thus to his children , seeing his judgments are unsearchable , and his ways past finding out ; but we may be sute , that god sees this dealing to be most fit for those that are exercised therewith ; it may be , to keep pride from them , or to prevent them from falling into some greater inconvenience or sin : unto which , he takes notice of a more than ordinary proneness in their disposition , or for the benefit of others who may thereby take notice , what an evil and bitter thing it is to sin against god , and what a malicious adversary they have to deal with . whoso shall consider these reasons of spiritual sadness , must needs confess , that ( seeing the advantages which men give to a malicious devil to vex their consciences are so many and great , and the weakness of gods children so hazardous , for the prevention whereof , a wise careful father will necessarily be engaged to exercise his discipline ) it cannot be expected , but that spiritual troubles should be very frequent among the servants of god. here it is requisite that i give satisfaction to this quaery . seeing that god doth sometime wound the consciences of his children , and that satan also wounds them , what are the differences betwixt god and satan , in inflicting these wounds ? answ . for the right understanding of this question , i shall propound two things : . that it is a truth , that god doth sometimes wound the consciences of his children ; and this , . before conversion : but in order to it , as preparatory to that change , men are then in their sins , walking in the vanity of their minds . to translate them from this estate , he awakens the conscience , shews them their iniquities , and the danger of them , that at present they are in their blood , children of wrath , as well as others , and that without christ they are miserable ; the effect of this must needs be serious consideration , deep thoughts of heart , with some trouble , only as to the measure and degree there is great difference : god doth not in the particular application of these things to the conscience , tie up himself exactly to the same manner and measure of proceeding , though he keep still to his general method . hence is it , that some ( in regard of gods gentle leasurely dealing , and the frequent interposure of incouragements ) are ( if compared with the case of others ) said to be allured , and drawn with cords of love : but others have a remarkable measure of trouble , sharp fits of fear and anguish ; and those most commonly are such , whose conversion is more quick , and the change visible from one extream to another , ( as paul , when converted in the midst of his persecuting rage ) or those whose ignorance , or melancholy , makes their hopes and comforts inaccessible for the present . these troubles god owns to be the work of his spirit : the same spirit which is a spirit of adoption to the converted , is a spirit of bondage to these , rom. . . and accordingly we find , it was so to the converts , in acts . who being pricked in their hearts by peter's sermon , cried out , men and brethren , what shall we do ? the like did the jaylor . and the promise which god makes of calling the jews , zach. . . doth express god's purpose of dealing with them in this very method ; they shall look upon him whom they have pierced , and shall mourn for him as one that mourneth for his only son , and shall be in bitterness for him , — in that day shall be a great mourning . . god also sometimes wounds the conscience of his children after conversion , and this he doth to convince and humble them for some miscarriage , which they become guilty of . as when they grow secure , carnally confident of the continuance of their peace , when they are carelesly negligent of duty , and the exercises of their graces , when they fall into gross and scandalous sins , or wilfully desert the ways of truth ; and in many more cases of like kind . when his children make themselves thus obnoxious to divine displeasure , then god hides his face from them , takes away his spirit , signifies his anger to their consciences , threatens them with the danger of that condition ; from whence follows grief and fear in the hearts of his people . in this manner god expressed his displeasure to david , as his complaints in psal . . do testifie : make me to hear joy and gladness , that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce , hide thy face from my sins . — cast me not away from thy presence , and take not thy holy spirit from me . restore unto me the joy of thy salvation , &c. . notwithstanding all this , there is a great difference betwixt god and satan in this matter , which mainly appears in two things . . god doth limit himself in all the trouble which he gives his children , to his great end of doing them good , and healing them , and consequently stints himself in the measure and manner of his work to such a proportion , as his wisdom sees will exactly suit with his end. so that his anger is not like the brawlings of malicious persons that know no bounds ; he will not always chide ; his debates are in measure , and this , lest the spirit should fail before him , isa . . . so that when he wounds the conscience before conversion , 't is but to bring them to christ , and to prevent their taking such courses , as might through delusion , make them take up their stand short of him . so much of mourning and fear as is requisite for the true effecting of this , he appoints for them , and no more . when he wounds after conversion , 't is but to let them feel that it is an evil and bitter thing to sin against him , that their godly sorrow may work repentance suitable to the offence ; and that they may be sufficiently cautioned for the time to come , to sin no more , lest a worse thing befal them . he that afflicts not willingly , will put no more grief upon them , than is necessary to bring them to this . but satan when he is admitted ( and god doth ofter permit him in subservience to his design ) to wound the conscience , he proceeds according to the boundless fury of his malice , and plainly manifests that his desire is to destroy , and to tread them down , that they may never rise again : this though he cannot effect , ( for god will not suffer him to proceed further , than the bringing about his holy and gracious purpose ) yet it hinders not , but that still his envious thoughts boil up in his breast , and he acts according to his own inclination . for it is with satan , as 't is with wicked men ; if god imploy them for the chastisement of his children , they consider not who sets them on work , nor what measures probably god would have them observe ; but they propose to themselves more work than ever god cut out for them . as assyria , when imployed against jerusalem , isa . . . had designs more large and cruel than was in gods commission . god had stinted him in his holy purpose ; yet the assyrian meant not so , neither did his heart think so , but it was in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few . so that when god is a little displeased ( as he speaks , zach. . . ) they do all that lies in them , to help forward the affliction . thus doth the devil endeavour to make all things worse to god's children , than ever god intended . here is one difference betwixt god and satan , in the wounding of consciences . but , . they are yet further differenced , in that all that god doth in this work , is still according to truth . for if he signifie to the unconverted that they are in a state of nature , liable to the damnation of hell , unless they accept of christ for salvation upon his terms ; this is no more than what is true , god doth not misrepresent their case to them at that time . again , if he express his displeasure to any of his converted children , that have grieved his spirit by their follies , by setting before them the threatnings of his word , or the examples of his wrath ; he doth but truly tell them that he is angry with them , and that de jure , according to the rigour of the law , and the demerit of their offence , he might justly cast them off : but he doth not positively say , that de eventu , it shall infallibly be so with them . but satan in both these cases , goes a great way further . he plainly affirms to those that are in the way to conversion , that god will not pardon their iniquities , that there is no hope for them , that christ will not accept them ; that he never intended the benefit of his sufferings for them . and when the converted do provoke god , he sticks not to say , the breach cannot be healed , and that they are not yet converted . all which are most false assertions . and though god can make use of satans malice , when he abuseth his children with his falshoods to their great fear , to carry on his own ends by it , and to give a greater impression to what he truly witnesseth against them : yet is not god the proper author of satans lying , for he doth it of his own wicked inclination . the effect of these desperate false conclusions ( which is the putting his children into a fear , in order to his end ) may be ascribed to god ; but the falshood of these conclusions are formally satan's work , and not god's . for he makes use of so much of satan's wrath as may be to his praise , and the remainder of his wrath he doth restrain . i have discovered the nature and degrees of these spiritual troubles , and that 't is a common thing for the children of god to fall under them . for the further opening of them , i shall next discover . . the usual solemn occasions , that do as it were invite satan , to give his onset against god's children , and they are principally these six . . the time of conversion : he delights to set on them when they are in the straits of a new birth , for then the conscience is awakned , the danger of sin truly represented , fear and sorrow ( in some degree ) necessary and unavoidable . at this time he can easily overdrive them . where the convictions are deep and sharp , ready to weigh them down , a few grains more cast into the scale , will make the trouble ( as job speaks ) heavier than the sand ; and where they are more easie , or gentle , yet the soul being unsetled , the thoughts in commotion , they are disposed to receive a strong impression , and to be turned ( as wax to the seal ) into a mould of hopelessness and desperation . that this is one of satans special occasions , we need no other evidence for satisfaction , than the common experience of converts ; many of them do hardly escape the danger , and after their difficult conquest of the troubles of their heart ( which at that time are extraordinarily enlarged ) do witness , that they are assaulted with desperate fears , that their sins were unpardonable , and sad conclusions against any expectation of favour from the lord their god. these thoughts we are sure , the spirit of god will not bear witness unto because false , and therefore we must leave them at satans door . . another occasion which satan makes use of , is the time of solemn repentance for some great sin committed after conversion . sometimes god's children fall , to the breaking of their bones . what great iniquities they may commit through the force of temptation , i need not mention . the adultery and murther of david ; the incest of the corinthian ; peters denial of christ , with other sad instances , in the records of the scriptures , do speak enough of that . these sins ( considering their hainousness , the scandal of religion , the dishonour of god , the grieving of his spirit , the condition of the party offending against love , knowledg and the various helps which god affords them to the contrary , with other aggravating circumstances ) being very displeasing to god , their consciences at least , ( either compelled to examination by god immediately , or mediately by some great affliction , or voluntarily awakening to a serious consideration of what hath been done , by the working of its own light , assisted thereunto by quickning grace , cor. . , . ) call them to a strict account ; thence follow fear , shame , self-indignation , bitter weeping , deep humiliation ; then comes satan , he rakes their wounds , and by his aggravations makes them smart the more : he pours in corrosives instead of oyl , and all to make them believe , that their spot is not the spot of gods children ; that their back-slidings cannot be healed . an occasion it is , as suitable to his malice as he could wish ; for ordinarily god doth severely testifie his anger to them , and doth not easily admit them again to the sence of his favour . at which time , the adversary is very busie to work up their hearts to an excess of fear and sorrow . this was the course which he took with the incestuous corinthian , taking advantage of his great transgressions , to overwhelm him with too much sorrow , cor. . , . . satan watcheth the discomposures of the spirits of god's children , under some grievous cross or affliction . this occasion also falls fit for his design of wounding the conscience ; when the hand of the lord is lifted up against them , and their thoughts disordered by the stroke , suggesting at that time god's anger to them and their sins ; he can easily frame an argument from these grounds , that they are not reconciled to god , and that they are dealt withal as enemies . david seldom met with outward trouble , but he at the same time had a conflict with satan about his spiritual condition , or state , as his frequent deprecations of divine wrath , at such times do testifie ; lord , rebuke me not in thy wrath , &c. there is indeed but a step betwixt discomposure of spirit , and spiritual troubles ; as hath been proved before . . when satan hath prepared the hearts of god's children by atheistical , or blasphemous thoughts , he takes that occasion to deny their grace and interest in christ . and the argument at that time , seems unanswerable . can christ lodg in an heart so full of horrid blasphemies against him ? is it possible it should be washed and sanctified , when it produceth such filthy cursed thoughts ? all the troubles of affrightment ( of which before ) are improveable to this purpose . . another spiritual occasion for spiritual trouble , is melancholy ; few persons distempered therewith , do escape satans hands , at one time or other , he casts his net over them , and seeks to stab them with his weapon . melancholy indeed affords so many advantages to him , and those so answerable to his design , that it is no wonder if he make much of it . for , . melancholy affects both head and heart , it affords both fear and sadness , and deformed , mishapen , delirous imaginations to work upon ; than which , nothing can be more for his purpose . for where the heart trembles , and the head is darkned , there every object is misrepresented ; the ideas of the brain are monstrous appearances , reflected from opake and dark spirits , so that satan hath no more to do , but to suggest the new matter of fear . for that question , whether the man be converted , &c. being once started , to a mind already distempered with fear , must of it self ( it being a business of so high a nature ) without satan's further pursuit , summon the utmost powers of sadness and misreprehension , to raise a storm . . besides , the impressions of melancholy are always strong , it is strong in its fears , ( or else men would never be tempted to destroy themselves ) ; it is strong in its mistakes ( or else they could never perswade themselves of the truth of foolish , absurd , and impossible fancies ) ; as that of nebuchadnezzar , who by a delusive apprehension , believing himself to be a beast , forsook the company of men , and betook to the fields to eat grass with oxen. the imaginations of the melancholick are never idle , and yet straightned , or confined to a few things ; and then the brain being weakned as to a true and regular apprehension , it frames nothing but bugbears , and yet with the highest confidence of certainty . . these impressions are usually lasting , not vanishing as an early dew , but they continue for months and years . . and yet they have only so much understanding left them , as serves to nourish their fears . if their understanding had been quite gone , their fears would vanish with them : as the flame is extinguished for want of air : but they have only knowledg to let them see their misery , and sence to make them apprehensive of their pain . and therefore will they pray with floods of tears , unexpressible groanings , deepest sighing , and trembling joynts , to be delivered from their fears . . they are also apt after ease of their troubles , to have frequent returns : what disposition ( all these things being considered ) can be more exactly shaped to serve satans turn ? if he would have men to believe the worst of themselves , he hath such imaginations to work upon , as are already misshapen into a deformity of evil surmising . would he terrifie by fears , or distress by sadness ? he hath that already ; and 't is but altering the object ( which oftentimes needs not , for naturally the serious melancholick imploys all his griefs upon his supposed miserable estate of soul ) and then he hath spiritual distress . would he continue them long under their sorrows , or take them upon all occasions at his pleasure , or act them to a greater height than ordinary ? still the melancholick temper suits him . this is sufficient for caution , that we take special care of our bodies for the preventing , or abating of that humour , by all lawful means , if we would not have the devil to abuse us at his will. . sickness , or death-bed , is another solemn occasion , which the devil seldom misseth with his will. death is a serious thing , it represents the soul and eternity to the life . while they are at a distance , men look slightly upon these , but when they approach near to them , men usually have such a sight of them , as they never had before . we may truly call sickness and death-bed , an hour of temptation , which satan will make use of with the more mischievous industry , because he hath but a short time for it . that 's the last conflict , and if he miss that , we are beyond his reach for ever . so that in this case satan incourageth himself to the battel , with a now , or never . and hence we find , that it is usual for the dying servants of god , to undergo most sharp encounters ; then to tell them ( when the soul is about to loose from the body ) that they are yet in their blood , without god , and hope , is enough to affright them into the extreamest agonies ; for they see no time before them answerable to so great a work , if it be yet to do . and withal , they are under vast discouragments from the weariness and pains of sickness , their understandings and faculties being also dull , and stupified ; so that if at this last plunge , god should not extraordinarily appear to rebuke satan , and to pluck them out of these great waters ( as he often doth , by the fuller interposition of the light of his face , and the larger testimony of his spirit ) after their long and comfortable profession of their faith , and holy walking , their light would be put out in darkness , and they would lie down in sorrow . yet this i must note , that as desirous as satan is to improve this occasion , he is often remarkably disappointed , and that wherein he ( it may be ) and we would least expect , i mean in regard of those , who through a timerous disposition , or melancholy , or upon other accounts , are ( as i may so say ) all their life-time subject to bondage ; those men who are usually exercised with frequent fits of spiritual trouble , when they come to sickness , death-bed , and some other singular occasions of trouble , though we might suspect their fears would then be working , if ever ; yet god out of gracious indulgence to them , ( considering their mould and fashion , or because he would prevent their extream fainting , &c. ) doth meet them with larger testimonies of his favour , higher joys , more confident satisfactions in his love , than ever they received at any time before ; and this to their wonder , their high admiration , making the times which they were wont to fear most , to be times of greatest consolation . this observation i have grounded , not upon one or two instances , but could produce a cloud of witnesses for it . enough it is to check our forward fears of a future evil day , and to heal us of a sighing distemper , while we afflict our selves with such thoughts as these : if i have so many fears in health , how shall i be able to go through the valley of the shadow of death ? . i have one thing more to add , for these discovery of these spiritual troubles , and that is to shew you the engines by which satan works them , and they are these two , sophistry , and fears . . as to his sophistry , by which he argues the children of god into a wrong apprehension of themselves , it is very great . he hath a wonderful dexterity in framing arguments against their peace , he hath variety of shrewd objections and subtile answers , to the usual replies , by which they seek to beat him off . there is not a fallacy by which a cunning sophister would seek to entangle his adversary in disputation , but satan would make use of it ; as i might particularly shew you , if it were proper for a common auditory . though he hath so much impudence , as not to blush at the most silly contemptible reason that can be offered ; notwithstanding he hath also so much wit as to urge ( though never true , yet ) always probable arguments . how much he can prevail upon the beliefs of men , in cases relating to their souls , may be conjectured by the success he hath upon the understandings of men , when he argues them into errour , and makes them believe a lye . we usually say ( and that truly ) that satan cannot , in any case , force us properly to consent ; yet considering the advantages which he takes , and the ways he hath to prepare the hearts of men for his impressions , and then his very great subtilty in disputing , we may say that he can so order the matter , that he will seldom miss of his aim . it would be an endless work to gather up all the arguments that satan hath made use of , to prove the condition , or state of god's children to be bad : but that i may not altogether disappoint your expectations in that thing , i shall present to your view satan's usual topicks , the common-places , or heads unto which all his arguments may be reduced . and they are , . scripture abused , and perverted . his way is not only to suggest that they are unregenerate , or under an evil frame of heart , but to offer proof that these accusations are true . and because he ha●h to do with them that profess a belief of scriptures , as the oracles of god , he will fetch his proofs from thence ; telling them that he will evidence what he saith from scripture . thus sometimes he assaults the weaker unskilful sort of christians , thou art not a child of god : for they that are so , are enlightned , translated from darkness , they are the children of the light ; but thou art a poor , ignorant , dark blind creature , and therefore no child of god. sometimes he labours to conclude the like , from the infirmities of god's children , abusing to this purpose , that of john . . he that is born of god , doth not commit sin . and , he cannot sin , because he is born of god. thus he urgeth it , can any thing be more plainly and fully asserted ? is not this scripture ? canst thou deny this ? then he pursues , but thou sinnest often , that is thine own complaint against thy self , thy conscience also bearing witness to the truth of this accusation ; therefore thou canst be no child of god. sometimes he plays upon words that are used in divers senses , ( a fit engine for the devil to work by ) for what is true in one sense , will be false in another ; and his arguing is from that which is true , to that which is false . i remember one that was long racked with that of rev. . . the fearful and unbelieving , &c. shall have their part in the lake , which burns with fire and brimstone . from whence the party thus argued : the proposion is true , because 't is scripture , and i cannot deny the assumption . fearful i am , because i am doubtful of salvation ; and unbelieving i am , for i cannot believe that i am regenerate , or in a state of grace , and therefore i cannot avoid the conclusion . to the same purpose he disputes against some , from john . . there is no fear in love , but perfect love casteth out fear ; but , thou art full of fears , therefore thou lovest not god. sometimes he makes use of those scriptures , that make the prevailing degree of our love and respects to god , above the world , and the things of this life , to be the characters of true grace ; as that of john , if any man love the world , the love of the father is not in him : and that of christ , if a man love any thing more than me , he is not worthy of me : he that forsakes not all for me , cannot be my disciple , &c. then he urgeth upon them their love of the world , and unwillingness to part with their estates ; and so brings the conclusion upon them . instances might be infinite , but by these you may judg of the rest . let us now cast our eye upon his subtilty , in managing his arguments against men . . he grounds his arguments on scripture , because that hath authority with it , and the very troubled conscience hath a reverence to it . . he always suits his scriptures , which he thus cites , to that wherein the conscience is most tender : if there be any thing that affords matter of suspition , or fear , he will be sure to chuse such an arrow out of the quiver of scriptures , as will directly hit the mark. . though in the citation of scripture , he always urgeth a sense which the holy ghost never intended : yet there will be always something in those scriptures which he makes use of , which in words at least , seem to favour his conclusion ; as appears in the instances now given . for when he would conclude a man not to be a child of god because of his ignorance , something of his argument is true ; it may be the man is sensible that his knowledg is but little ; compared with the measures which some others have ; or that he is at a loss , or confused in many doctrinal points of religion ; or hath but little experience in many practical cases , &c. this , as it is true , so is it his trouble ; and whilst he is poring upon his defect , satan claps an arrest upon him , of a far greater debt than god chargeth upon him , and from scriptures that speak of a total ignorance of the fundamentals of religion , ( as that there is a god , that christ jesus is god and man , the redeemer of mankind by a satisfaction to divine justice , &c. ) or of a wilful ignorance of the worth of the proffer of the gospel , or its reality ( which is discovered in the refusal of the terms thereof ) he concludes him to be in a state of darkness : whereas the ignorance which the man complains of , is not the ignorance which those scriptures intend . so in the next instance , the sins which a child of god complains of , are those of daily incursion , which he labours and strives against ; but that committing sin mentioned in the text , hath respect to the gnosticks , who taught a liberty in sinning , and fancied a righteousness consistant with the avowed practice of iniquity : hence doth john , john . . directly face their opinion , in these terms , little children , let no man deceive you ; he that doth righteousness is righteous . and , he that is born of god neither doth , nor can , avouch a liberty of sinning , it being contrary to the principles of the new nature . so that the miscarriages of infirmity which the child of god laments in himself , are not the same with that of the text , upon which satan grounds the accusation . the like may be said of the third instance , from rev. . . the threatning there is against such a fear to lose the comforts of the world , that they dare not believe the gospel to be true , and accept it accordingly : which is nothing to those fears and doubtings that may be in a child of god , in reference to his happiness . thus in all the rest , the fallacy lies in misapplying the scripture ( to suit them to that wherein the conscience is tender ) under a sense which was never intended by them ; yet in another sense , the thing charged upon the conscience is true . . yet is satan so subtile , that when he disputes by such fallacious arguments , he chiefly endeavours to draw off the defendants eye and consideration , from that part of the argument wherein its weakness lies ( which in this case , is always in the abuse of the scripture to a wrong sense ) ; this he doth , partly from the advantage which he hath from the reverence that they carry to scripture , they believe it to be true , and are not willing to suspect the sense ; and many are so weak , that if they should , satan is so cunning that he can easily baffle them in any distinction that they can make . and partly from the sense they have of that whereof they are accused , they feel themselves so sore in that place , ( and for that very end doth satan direct his scripture to hit it ) that they readily take it for granted , that the hinge of the controversie turns upon it , and that the whole dispute rests upon it . now satan having these fair advantages , by a further improvement of them , hides the weakness of his argument . for , . he takes that sense of the scripture ( in which he misapplies it ) for granted , and that with great confidence , making as if there were no doubt there . . he turns always that part of the argument to them , which they can least answer , pressing them eagerly with the matter of charge ( which they are as ready to confess , as he is to accuse them of ) and aggravating it very busily . and because the unskilful have no other direction for the finding the knot of the controversie , than satan's busle , ( though he , like the lapwing , makes the greatest noise when he is furthest from his nest , on purpose to draw them into a greater mistake ) they look no further ; and then not being able to answer , they are soon cast , and striking in with the conclusion against themselves , they multiply their sorrows , and cry out of themselves as miserable . . another piece of his sophistry , is the improving certain false notions ( which christians of the weaker sort have received ) as proofs of their unregeneracy , or bad condition . as there are vulgar errors concerning natural things , so there are popular errors concerning spiritual things . these mistakes , in a great part , have their original from the fancies , or misapprehensions of unskilful men. some indeed have ( it may be ) been preached and taught as truths , others have risen ( without a teacher ) from meer ignorance , being the conclusions and surmises which weak heads have framed to themselves , from the sayings , or practices of men , which have not been either so cleared from the danger of mistake , or not so distinctly apprehended as was necessary . these false inferences once set on foot , are traditionally handed down to others , and in time they gain ( among the simple ) the opinion of undoubted truths . now where ever satan finds any of these that are fit for his purpose ( for to be sure whatever mistake we entertain , he will at one time or other cast it in our way ) he will make it the foundation of an argument against him that hath received it , and that with very great advantage . for a falshood in the premises , will usually produce a falshood in the conclusion . and these falshoods being taken for granted , the devil is not put to the trouble to prove them , if then he can but exactly fit them to something in the party which he cannot deny , he forthwith carries the cause , and condemns him by his own concessions , as out of his own mouth . 't is scarce possible to number the false notions which are already entertained among christians , relating to grace and conversion , much less those that may afterward arise . but i shall mention some that satan frequently makes use of , as grounds of objection . . 't is a common apprehension among the weaker sort , that conversion is always accompanied with great fear and terrour . this is true in some ( as hath been said ) ; and though none of the preachers of the gospel have asserted the universality of these greater measures of trouble , yet the people taking notice , that many speak of their deep humiliations in conversion ; and that several authors have set forth the greatness of distress that some have been cast into on that occasion , ( though without any intention of fixing this into a general rule ) have from thence supposed , that all the converted are brought to their comforts through the flames of hell. upon this mistake , the devil disquiets those that have not felt these extream agonies of sorrow in themselves ; and tells them that it is a sure sign that they are not yet converted . though 't is easie for a man that sees the falshood of the notion , to answer the argument , yet he that believes it to be true , cannot tell what to say , because he finds he never was under such troubles , and now he begins to be troubled because he was not troubled before , or ( as he supposeth ) not troubled enough . . another false notion is , that a convert can give an account of the time and manner of his conversion . this is true in some , as in paul , and some others , whose change hath been sudden and remarkable , though in many this is far otherwise ; who can better give account that they are converted , than by what steps , degrees , and methods , they were brought to it . but if any of these receive the notion , they will presently find that satan will turn the edge of it against them , and will tell them that they are not converted , because they cannot nominate the time when , nor the manner how such a change was wrought . . some take it for granted , that conversion is accompanied with a remarkable measure of gifts for prayer and exhortation ; and then the devil objects it to them , that they are not converted , because they cannot pray as others , or speak of the things of god so readily , fluently , and affectionately , as some others can . thus the poor weak christian is baffled for want of abilities to express himself to god and men. . false notions about the nature of faith , are a sad stumbling-block to some . many suppose that saving faith is a certain belief that our sins are pardoned , and that we shall be saved ; making faith and assurance all one . this mistake is the deeper rooted in the minds of men , because some have directly taught so , and those , men of estimation ; whose words are entertained with great reverence by well-meaning christians . for whom notwithstanding , this may be pleaded in excuse , that they have rather described faith in its height , than in its lowest measures . how ever it be , those that have no other understanding of the nature of faith , can never answer satan's argument , if he takes them at any time at the advantage of fear , or doubting : for then he will dispute thus , faith is a belief that sins are pardoned , but thou dost not believe this ; therefore thou hast no faith. oh , what numbers of poor doubting christians have been distressed with this argument ! . some take it for a truth , that growth of grace is always visible , and the progress remarkable . and then because they can make no such discovery of themselves , the devil concludes their grace to be counterfeit and hypocritical . . of like nature are some mistaken signs of true grace , as that true grace fears god only for his goodness . and then if there be any apprehension of divine displeasure impressed upon the heart , though upon the necessary occasion of miscarriage , they through the devils instigation , conclude , that they are under a spirit of bondage , and their supposed grace not true , or not genuine at least ; according to that disposition which the new-testament will furnish a man withal . 't is also another mistaken sign of grace : that it doth direct a man to love god singly for himself , without the least regard to his own salvation ; for that , they think , is but self-love . now when a child of god doth not see his love to god so distinct , but that his own salvation is twisted with it , satan gets advantage of him , and forceth him to cast away his love as adulterate and selfish . like to this mistake ( but of an higher strain ) is that of some , that where grace is true , 't is so carried forth to honour god , that the man that hath it , can desire god may be honoured , though he should be damned . god doth not put us to such questions as these , but upon supposition that this is true ; the grace of most men will be shaken by the objection that satan will make from thence ; he can and will presently put the mistaken to it , canst thou say thou art willing to go to hell , that god may be glorified ? if not , where is thy grace ? from such mistakes as these , he disputes against the holiness of the children of god ; and 't is impossible but that he should carry the cause , against those who grant these things to be true . satan can undeniably shew them , that their hearts will not answer such a description of a convert , or gracious heart , as these false notions will make . so long then as they hold these notions , they have no relief against satan's conclusions ; no comfort can be administred , till they be convinced that they have embraced mistakes for truths . and how difficult that will be in this case ( where the confidence of the notion is great , and the suspition strong , that the defect is only in the heart ) hath been determined by frequent experience already . . the third piece of satan's sophistry , from whence he raiseth false conclusions , is his misrepresentation of god. in this he directly crosseth the design of the scriptures , where god in his nature , and dealings is so set forth , that the weakest , the most afflicted and tossed , may receive incouragement of acceptance , and of his fatherly care over them in their saddest tryals . yet withal , lest men should turn his grace into wantonness , and embolden themselves in sin because of his clemency , the scriptures sometimes give us lively descriptions of his anger against those that wickedly presume upon his goodness , and continue so to do . both these descriptions of god should be taken together , as affording the only true representation of him . he is so gentle to the humbled sensible sinner , that he will not break their bruised reed , nor quench their smoking flax. and so careful of health , that ( for their recovery ) he will not leave them altogether unpunished ; nor suffer them to ruine themselves by a surfeit upon worldly comforts ; yet with the froward he will shew himself froward , psal . . . and , as for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways , the lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity , psal . . . he will put out the candle of the wicked , for he sets them in slippery places : so that they are cast down into destruction , and brought into desolation as in a moment ; they are consumed with terrours . now satan will sometimes argue against the children of god , and endeavour to break their hopes , by turning that part of the description of god against them ; which is intended for the dismounting of the confidence of the wicked , and the bringing down of high looks . by this means he wrests the description of god to a contrary end , and misrepresents god to a trembling afflicted soul. this he doth , . by misrepresenting his nature : here he reads a solemn lecture of the holiness and justice of god , but always with reflection upon the vileness and unworthiness of the person against whom he intends his dart. and thus he argues : lift up thine eyes to the heavens , behold the brightness of god's glory : consider his unspotted holiness , his infinite justice . the heavens are not clean in his sight , how much more abominable and filthy then art thou ? his eyes are pure , he cannot wink at , nor approve of the least sin : how canst thou then imagine ( except thou be intolerably impudent ) that he hath taken such an unclean wretch into his favour ? he is a jealous god , and will by no means acquit the guilty ; canst thou then with any shew of reason , conclude thy self to be his child ? he beholds the wicked afar off ; he shuts out their prayer ; he laughs at their calamity ; he mocks when their fear comes ; and therefore thou hast no cause to think that he will hearthy cry , though thou shouldest make many prayers . it cannot be supposed that he will incline his ear. 't is his express determination , that if any man regard iniquity in his heart , the lord will not hear his prayer . this , and a great deal more will he say . and while satan speaks but at this rate we may call him modest , because his allegations are in themselves true , if they were aplied rightly . sometimes he will go further , and plainly belye god , speaking incredible falshoods of him : but because these properly appertain to an higher sort of troubles , of which i am next to speak , i shall not hear mention them . however , if he stops here , he saith enough against any servant of god , that carries an high sense of his unworthiness . for being thus brought to the view of these astonishing attributes , he is dashed out of countenance , and can think no other , but that 't is very unlikely , that so unworthy a sinner should have any interest in so holy a god. thus the devil affrights him off , turning the wrong side of the description of god to him ; and in the mean time hiding that part of it that speaks god's wonderful condescensions , infifinite compassions , unspeakable readiness to accept the humble broken-hearted , weary , heavy-laden sinner , that is prostrate at his foot-stool for pardon . all which are on purpose declared in the description of god's nature , to obviate this temptation , and to encourage the weak . . he misrepresents god in his providence . if god chastise his children by any affliction , satan perversly wrests it to a bad construction , especially if the affliction be sharp , or seem to be above their strength , or frequent , and most of all if it seem to cross their hopes and prayers ; for then he argues , these are not the chastisements of sons : god indeed will visit their transgressions with rods , but his dealing with thee is plainly of another nature , for he breaketh thee with his tempests . and whereas he corrects his sons that serve him in measure , thou art bowed down with thy trouble to distress and dispair : but he will lay no more upon his sons than they are able to bear , he will not always chide his servants ; but thou art afflicted every morning . and besides , if thou wert pure and upright , surely now he would awake for thee , and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous : for to his sons he saith , call upon me in the day of trouble , i will deliver thee ; and thou shalt glorifyme . psal . . . hence comes the complaint of many ; that they are not regenerated , because they think god deals not with them as with others . oh! say they , we know god chastiseth every son whom he receiveth : but our case is every way different from theirs , our troubles are plagues , not rods ; our cry is not heard , our prayers disregarded , our strength faileth us , our hearts fret against the lord , so that not only the nature and quality of our affections , but the frame of our heart under them , in not enduring the burthen ( which is , the great character of the chastisement of sons , heb. . . ) plainly evinceth that we are under gods hatred , and are not his children . this objection , though it might seem easy to be answered by those that are not at present concerned , yet it will prove a difficult business to those that are under the smart of afflictions . how much a holy and wise man may be gravell●d by it , you may see in psal . . where the prophet is put to a grievous plunge upon this very objection , ver . . all the day long have i been plagued , and chastised every morning . and yet in all this satan doth but play the sophister , working upon the advantages , which the nature of the affliction , and the temper of mens hearts do afford him . for . afflictions are a great depth , one of the secrets of god , so that 't is hard to know what god intends by them . . the end of the lord , is not discovered at first , but at some distance , when the fruits thereof begin to appear . . the mind of the afflicted cannot always proceed regularly in making a judgment of god's design upon them : especially at first when 'tis stounded by the assault , and all things in confusion , faith is to seek , patience awanting , and love staggering ; after it hath recollected it self , and attained any calmness , to fit it for a review of the ways of god , and of the heart , it is better enabled to fix some grounds of hope . lam. . , , . this i recall to my mind , therefore have i hope . . afflictions have a light and a dark side , and their appearances are according to our posture in which we view them : as some pictures , which if we look upon them one way , they appear to be angels , if another way , they seem devils . . some men in affliction do only busy themselves in looking upon the dark side of affliction . their disposition ( either through natural timerousness , or strong impressions of temptation ) is only to meditate terrours , and to surmise evils . these men out of the cross , can draw nothing but the wormwood and the gall , while others , that have another prospect of them , observe mixtures of mercy and gentleness , and do melt into submission and thankfulness . these ( considered together ) are a great advantage to satan in disputing against the peace of gods afflicted children , and it often falls out , that as he doth misrepresent god's design , so do they ( urged by temptation ) , upon that account misjudge themselves . . he also misrepresents god in the works of his spirit ; if god withdraw his countenance , or by his spirit signifies his displeasure to the consciences of any , if he permit satan to molest them with spiritual temptations , presently satan takes occasion to put his false and malignant interpretation upon all : he tells them that gods hiding his face is his casting them off , that the threatnings signified to their conscience , are plain declarations that their present state is wrath and darkness . that satans molestations by temptations , shew them to be yet under his power ; that the removal of their former peace , joy , and sensible delight which they had in the ways of god , is beyond contradiction , an evidence that god hath no delight in them , nor they in him ; that their faith was but that of temporaries , their joy but that of hypocrites , which is only for a moment . how often have i heard christians complaining thus ? we cannot be in a state of grace , our consciences lye under the sense of gods displeasure , they give testimony against us , and we know that testimony is true , for we feel it . 't is true , time was when we thought we had a delight in hearing , praying , meditating , but now all is a burthen to us , we can relish nothing , we can profit nothing , we can remember nothing : time was when we thought we had assurance , and our hearts rejoyced in us ; sometimes we have thought our hearts had as much of peace and comfort as they could hold , now all is vanished and we are under sad fears : if god had had a favour to us , would he have dealt thus with us ? thus are they cheated into a belief that they never had any grace ; they take all for granted that is urged against them : they cannot consider gods design in hiding his face , nor yet can they see how grace acts in them under these complainings ; how they express their love to god in their desires and pantings after him , in their bewailing of his absence , in abhorring and condemning themselves , &c. but their present feeling , ( and an argument from sence is very strong ) bears down all before it . thus doth satan frame his arguments from misrepresentations of god , which ( though a right view of god would easily answer them , yet ) how difficult it is for a person in an hour of temptation to dispel , by a right apprehension of the ways of the holy god , doth abundantly appear from psal . . where the case of asaph ( or whoever else he was ) doth inform us . that 't is usual for satan , for the disquieting of the hearts of gods children , to offer a false prospect of god. . that this overwhelms their hearts with grief , ver . . . that the more they persist in the prosecution of this method , under the mists of prejudice , they see the less , being apt to misconstrue every thing in god to their disadvantage , ver . . i remembred god , and was troubled . . the reason of all that trouble lies in this , that they can only conclude wrath and desertion from god's carriage toward them . . that till they look upon god in another method , and take up better thoughts of him and his providences , even while they carry the appearance of severity , they can expect no ease to their complainings . for before the prophet quitted himself of his trouble , he was forced to acknowledge his mistake ( ver . . ) in the misconstruction he made of his dealings , and to betake himself to a resolve of entertaining better thoughts of god , ver . . his interrogation , will the lord cast off for ever , & c ? shews indeed what he did once think , being misled by satan , but withal that he would never do so again , will the lord cast off for ever ? is not here the voice of a despairing man ? but of one that through better information hath rectified his judgment , and now is resolved strongly to hold the contrary to what he thought before , as if he should say , 't is not possible that it should be so , he will not cast off for ever , and i will never entertain such perverse thoughts of god any more . . but before they can come to this , it will cost them some pains and serious thoughts ; 't is not easy to break these fetters , to answer this argument ; but they that will do so , must appeal from their present sence , to a consideration of the issues of these dealings upon other persons , or upon themselves at other times : for the prophet , ver . . considered the days of old , and the years of ancient times ; and ver . , he also made use of his own experience , calling to remembrance , that after such dealings as these , god by his return of favour gave him songs in the night . . another common head from whence this great disputant doth fetch his arguments against the good condition and state of god's servants , is their sin and miscarriages . here i shall observe two or three things in the general concerning this , before i shew how he draws his false conclusions from thence . as , . that with a kind of feigned ingenuity , he will grant a difference betwixt sin and sin , betwixt sins reigning , and not reigning ; sins mortified , and not mortified : betwixt the sins of the converted , and the unconverted : and upon this supposition he usually proceeds . he doth not always ( except in case of great sins ) argue want of regeneration from one sin for that argument ; this is a sin , therefore thou art not a convert , would be easily answered , by one that knows the saints have their imperfections but he thus deals with men : these sins whereof thou art guilty , are reigning sins , such as are inconsistent with a converted estate , and therefore thou art yet unregenerated . . he produceth usually for the backing of his arguments , such scriptures as do truly represent the state of men unsanctified ; but then his labour is to make the parties to appear suitable to the description of the unregenerate . and to that purpose he aggravates all their failings to them : he makes severe enquiries after all their sins , and if he can charge them with any notorious crime , he lays load upon that , still concluding that a regenerate person doth not sin at such a rate as they do . . this is always a very difficult case ; 't is not easy to answer the objections that he will urge from hence : for . if there be the real guilt of any grievous or remarkable scandal which he objects , the accused party ( though never so knowing , or ( formerly ) never so holy ) will be hardly put to it to determine any thing in favour of his estate . . the fact cannot be denyed . . the scripture nominates particularly such offences , as render a man unfit for the kingdom of god. . whether in such cases , grace be not wholly lost , is a question in which all are not agreed . . however it will be very doubtful whether such had ever any grace . the scripture hath given no note of difference , to distinguish betwixt a regenerate and unregenerate person , in the acts of murther , adultery , fornication , &c. it doth not say the regenerate commits an act of gross iniquity in this manner , the unregenerate in that , and that there is a visible distinction betwixt the one and the othar , relating to these very acts. and whatever may be supposed to be the inward workings of grace in the soul , while 't is reduced to so narrow a compass , as a spark of fire raked up in ashes , yet the weight of present guilt upon the soul ( when 't is charged home ) will always poise it toward the worst apprehensions that can be made concerning its state . former acts of holiness will be disowned under the notion of hypocrisy ; or if yet owned to be true , they will be apt to think that true grace may be utterly lost . present acts of grace they can see none , so that only the after-acts of repentance can discover that there is yet a being and life of grace in them , and till then they can never answer satans argument from great sins . but , . in the usual infirmities of god's children the case is not so easy . for the scriptures give instances of some , whose conversations could not be taxed with any notorious evils ; who though they were not far from the kingdom of god , yet were not of the kingdom of god : a freedom then from great sins . is not pleadable , as an undoubted mark of grace . and if others that are not converted , may have no greater infirmites than some that are , the difference betwixt the one and the other must depend upon the secret powers of grace , giving check to these infirmities , and striving to mortify them : and this will be an intricate question . the apostle , rom. . . notes indeed three differences betwixt the regenerate and unregenerate , in this case of sins of infirmity . . hatred of the sin before the commission of it ; what i hate , that do i. . reluctancy in the act : what i would , that do i not . . disallowance after the act : that which i do , i allow not . yet seeing natural light will afford some appearances of disallowance , and reluctancy , it will still admit of further debate , whether the principles , motives , degrees and success of these strivings , be such as may discover the being and power of real grace . while satan doth insist upon arguments from the sins of believers , for the proof of an unconverted estate , he only aims to make good this point , that their sins are reigning sins , and consequently that they cannot be in so good a condition as they are willing to think . and to make their sins to carry that appearance , his constant course is to aggravate them all he can : this is his design , and the means by which he would effect it . his great art in this case , is to heighten the sins of the regenerate ; this he doth many ways . as , . from the nature of the sin committed , and the manner of its commission : and this he chiefly labours , because his arguments from hence are more probable , especially considering what he fixeth upon usually , is that which may most favour his conclusion . a . if any have faln into a great sin , which a child of god doth but rarely commit , then he argues against him , thus : they that are in christ , do mortify the flesh with the affections and lusts , they cast away the works of darkness : and these works of the flesh are manifest , gal. . . adultery , fornication , vncleanness , lasciviousness , idolatry , witchcraft , hatred , variance , emulations , &c. because of these things cometh the wrath of god upon the children of disobedience . be not therefore partakers with them , have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness , eph. . , . but thou hast not put these away , nor mortified them , as thy present sin doth testify , therefore thou art no child of god. . if any do more than once or twice relapse into the same sin , ( suppose it be not so highly scandalous as the former ) then he pleads from thence , that they are back-sliders in heart , that they have broken their covenant with god , that they are in bondage to sin. here he urgeth , it may be , that of pet. . , . of whom a man is overcome , of the same is he brought in bondage ; — the dog is returned to his vomit . . or if any have by any offence , more remarkably gone against their knowledg , or violated their conscience , then he tells them , that they sin wilfully , that they reject the counsel of the lord , that they are the servants of sin ; for his servants ye are to whom ye obey . rom. . . and that where there is grace , though they may fall , yet it is still against their wills , &c. . if he have not so clear ground to manage any of the former charges against them , then he argues from the frequency of their various miscarriages . here he sets their sins in order before them , rakes them altogether , that he may oppress them by a multitude , when he cannot prevail by an accusation from one or two acts : and his pleading here is , thou art nothing but sin , thy thoughts are evil continually ▪ thy words are vain and unprofitable , thy actions foolish and wicked , and this in all thy imployments , in all relations , at all times . what duty is there that is not neglected or defiled ? what sin that is not some way or other committed ? &c. can such an heart as thine be the temple of the holy ghost ? for the temple of the lord is holy , and his people are washed and cleansed , &c. these are all of them strong objections , and frequently made use of by satan , as the complaints of the servants of god do testify , who are made thus to except against themselves ; if our sins were but the usual failings of the converted , we might comfort our selves , but they are great , they are back-slidings , they are against conscience , they are many ; what can we judge , but that we have hitherto deceived our selves , and that the work of conversion is yet to do ? the objections that are from great sins , or from recidivation , or wilful violation of conscience , do usually prevail for some time , against the best that are chargable with them ; they cannot determine that they are converted ( though they might be so , ) so long as they cannot deny the matter of fact upon which the accusation is grounded ; till their true repentance give them some light of better information , they are in the dark and cannot answer the argument . jonah being imprisoned in the whales belly , for his stubborn rebellion , at first concluded himself a cast-away : jon. . . then i said i amccast out of thy sight : neither could he think better of himself , till upon his repentance , he recovered his faith and hope of pardon , yet will i look again toward thy holy temple . yea those objections that are raised from the multitude and frequency of lesser failings , though they may be answered by a child of god , while his heart is not overshadowed with the mists and clouds of temptation , yet when he is confused with violent commotions within , his heart will fail him , and till he can bring himself to some composure of spirit , he hath not the boldness to assert his integrity . david was gravelled with this objection , psal . . . innumerable evils have compassed me about , mine iniquities have taken hold upon me , so that i am not able to look up ; they are more than the hairs on my head , therefore my heart faileth me . . he aggravates the sinfulness of our condition , from the frequency and violence of his own temptations . 't is an usual thing for him to give a young converts , incessant onsets of temptation to sin : most commonly he works upon their natural constitution , he blows the coals that are not yet quite extinguished , and that have greater forwardness from their own inclination to kindle again ; as lust and passion . the first motions of the one , ( though it go no further , than those offers and risings up in the heart , and is there damped , and kept down by the opposing principle of grace ) and the occasional out-breakings of the other , ( which he provokes by a diligent preparation of occasion from without , and violent incitations from within ) furnish him with sufficient matter for his intended accusations ; and sometimes ( being as it were wholly negligent of the advantages which our tempers give him , or not being able to find any such forwardness to these evils in our constitution , as may more eminently serve his ends ) he satisfies himself to molest us with earnest motions to any sins indifferently ; and all this to make us believe , that sin is not crucified in us . which some are more apt to believe , because they observe their temptations to these sins , to importune them more , and with greater vehemency than they were wont to do before : and this doth yet the more astonish them , because they had high expectations that after their conversion , satan would fall before them , and their temptations abate ; that their natures should be altered , and their natural inclinations to these sins wholly cease : but now finding the contrary , they are ready to cry out , ( especially when satan violently buffets them with this objection ) we are yet in our sins , and under the dominion thereof ; neither can it be that we are converted , because we find sin more active and stirring than formerly ; 't is not then surely mortified in us , but lively and strong . though in this case it be very plain that temptations are only strong , and sin weak , and that grace is faithfully acting its part against the flesh , arguing , not that grace is so very weak , but that satan is more busy than ordinary ; the sins are not more than formerly , but the light that discovers them more is greater , and the conscience that resents the temptation is more tender . yet all this doth not at first give ease to the fears that are now raised up in the mind ; they find sin working in them , their expectations of attaining a greater conquest on a sudden , and with greater ease , are disappointed , ( and the desire of having much , makes a man think himself poor ) ; and withal they commonly labour under so much ignorance , or perverse credulity , that they conclude they consent to every thing which they are tempted to , insomuch that 't is long before these clouds do vanish , and the afflicted brought to a right understanding of themselves . . from some remarkable appearances of god , doth satan aggravate our sinful condition . if god shew any notable act of power , he makes the beams of that act reflect upon our unworthiness with a dazling light. when peter saw the power of christ in sending a great multitude of fishes into his net , ( having laboured all night before and caught nothing ) it gave so deep an impression to the conviction of his vileness , that he was ready to put christ from him as being altogether unfit for his blessed society , depart ( saith he ) from me , for i am a sinful man. if god discover the glorious splendor of his holiness , 't is enough to make the holiest saints ( such as job and isaiah ) to cry out they are undone , being men of unclean lips , and to abhor themselves in dust and ashes . the like may be said of any discovery of the rest of the glorious attributes of god. of all which satan makes this advantage , that the parties tempted should have so deep a consideration of their unworthiness , as might induce them to believe , ( as if it were by a voice from heaven ) that god prohibits them any approaches to him , and that they have nothing to do to take gods name within their mouths . and though these remarkable discoveries of god ( either by his acts of power and providence , or by immediate impressions upon the soul , in the height of contemplation ) have ordinarily great effects upon the hearts of his children , but not of long continuance : yet where they strike in with other arguments by which they were already staggered as to their interest in god , they mightily strengthen them , and are taken for no less than gods own determination of the question against them . but this is not all the use that satan makes of them ; for from hence he sometimes hath the opportunity to raise new accusations against them , and to tax them with particular crimes , which in a particular manner seem to prove them unregenerate . for what would seem to be a clearer character of a man dead in trespasses and sins , than a hard heart , that can neither be sensible of judgments nor mercies ? this he sometimes chargeth upon the children of god , from the great disproportion that they find in themselves , betwixt the little sence that they seem to have ( and that which is disproportionable , they reckon to be nothing , ) and the vast greatness of gods mercy or holiness . i have observed some to complain of utter unthankfulness , and insensibleness of heart ( from thence concluding confidently against themselves ) because , when god hath remarkably appeared for them , in deliverances from dangers , or in unexpected kindnesses , they could not render a thankfulness that carried any proportion to the mercy . while they were in the highest admiration of the kindness , saying , what shall i render to the lord ? they were quite out of the sight of their own sence and feeling , and thought they returned nothing at all , because they returned nothing equivalent to what they had received . others i have known , who from the confusion and amazement of their spirit , when they have been overwhelmed with troubles , have positively determined themselves to be sensless , stupid , past feeling , hardened to destruction : when in both cases any might have seen the working of their hearts to be an apparent contradiction to what satan charged them withal . for they were not unapprehensive either of mercies or judgments ; but on the contrary , had only a greater sence of them than they were able to manage . . to make full measure , satan doth sometimes aggravate the miscarriages of those whom he intends to accuse , by comparing their lives and actions with the holy lives of some eminent servants of god , especially such as they have only heard of , and not known personally . for so they have only their vertues represented , without their failings . here satan takes a liberty of declaming against them : and though he could never spare a saint a good word out of respect ; yet , that others might be put out of heart and hope , he will commend the holiness , strictness , care , constancy of dead saints to the skies . and then he queries , art thou such an one ? canst thou say thou art any thing like them , for a heavenly heart , a holy life , a contempt of the world , a zeal for god , for good works , for patient suffering ? &c. ( all this while not a word of their weaknesses ) . these ( saith he ) were the servants of the most high : their examples thou shouldst follow , if thou expectest their crown . had they any more holiness than they needed ? and if thouhast not so much , thou art nothing . what can humility , modesty , and sense of guilt , speak in such a case ? they go away mourning , their fears increase upon them ; and what god hath set before them ( in the examples of his servants ) for the increase of their diligence , they take to be as a witness against them , to prove them unconverted . . the last part of satan's sophistry , is to lessen their graces , that so he may altogether deny them . in this he proceeds upon such scriptures , as do assert the fruits of the spirit ; and urgeth for his foundation , that none are the children of god , but such as are led by the spirit ; and that he that hath not the spirit of christ , is none of his . the necessity of faith , love , patience , humility , with the fruits of these and other graces , he presseth ; but still in order to a demonstration ( as he pretends ) that such are not to be found in those , whose gracious state he calls into question , and consequently that they are not the children of god. the rule by which he manageth himself in this dispute , is this : the more graces are heightned in the notions , that must give an account of their nature and beings ; the more difficult it will be to find out their reality in the practice of them . his design then hath these two parts . . he heightens grace in the notion , or abstract , all he can . . he lessens it in the concrete , or practice , as much as is possible , that it may appear a very nullity , a shadow and not a substance . i shall speak a little of both . . as to the first part of his design , he hath many ways by which he aggravates grace in the notion . we may be sure if it lie in his way , he will not stick to give false definitions of grace ; and to tell men that it is , what indeed it is not . he is a lyar , and in any case whatsoever he will lie for his advantage , if he have hope his lye may pass for current ; but he cannot always use a palpable cheat in this matter , where the nature of any grace is positively determined in scripture , except it be with the ignorant , or where the nature of grace is made a business of controversie among men. i will not make conjectures what satan may possibly say , in belying the nature of grace , to make it seem to be quite another thing than it is ; but shall rather shew you the more usual plausible ways of deceit which herein he exerciseth ; and they are these that follow . . as the same graces have different degrees in several persons , and these different degrees have operations suitable ; some acts being stronger , some weaker , some more perfected and ripened , others more imperfect , and immature : so when satan comes to describe grace , he sets it forth in its highest excellencies , and most glorious attainments . you shall never observe him to speak of graces at their lowest pitch , ( except where he is carrying on a design for presumption , and then he tells men that any wishing , or woulding is grace ; and every formal [ lord forgive me ] is true repentance ) : but on the contrary he offers the highest reach of it , that any saint on earth ever arrived at , as essentially necessary to constitute its being ; and tells them if they have not that , they have nothing . let us see it in the particulars . . grace sometimes hath its extraordinaries ; ( as i may call them . ) we have both precept and example of that nature in scripture , which are propounded not as the common standard by which the being and reality of grace is to be measured , but as patterns for imitation , to provoke us to emulation ; and to quicken us in pressing forward . of this nature i reckon to be the example of moses , desiring to be blotted out of god's book ( whatever he meant by it ) in his love to the people ; and the like of the apostle paul , wishing himself to be accursed from christ for his brethrens sake . of this nature also we have many precepts ; as rejoyce evermore , of waiting and longing for the appearance of christ , of rejoycing when we fall into divers temptations ; and many more to this purpose , all which are heights of grace that do rarely appear among the servants of god , at any time . . grace hath sometimes its special assistances ; this is when the occasion is extraordinary , but the grace befitting that occasion is promised in ordinary , and ordinarily recieved . when god calls any to such occasions , though compared with that measure of grace , which usually is acted by the children of god upon ordinary occasions ; it is a special assistance of the spirit . of this nature , is that boldness which the servants of christ receive , to confess christ before men in times of persecution , and to die for the truth , with constancy , courage , and joy. . there are also singular eminencies of grace , which some diligent , careful , and choice servants of god attain unto , far above what the ordinary sort arrive at . enoch had his conversation so much in heaven , that he was said to walk with god. david's soul was often full of delight in god. some in the height of assurance , rejoyce in god , with joy unspeakable , and full of glory . moses was eminent in meekness ; job in patience ; the apostle paul in zeal , for promoting the gospel , &c. now satan , when he comes to question the graces of men , he presents them with these measures ; and if they fall short , ( as ordinarily they do ) he concludes them altogether graceless . . satan also can do much to heighten the ordinary work , and usual fruits of every grace . his art herein , lies in two things . . he gives us a description of grace as it is in it self , abstracted from the weakness , dulness , distraction , and infirmities that are concomitant with it , as it comes forth to practice . he brings to our view grace in its glory , and without the spots by which our weakness , and satan's temptation , do much disfigure it . . he presents us with grace in its whole body , compleated with all its members , faith , love , hope , patience , meekness , gentleness , &c. from both these , he sets before those whom he intends to discourage , a compleat copy of an exact holy christian : as if every true christian were to be found in the constant practice of all these graces at all times , on all occasions , and that without weakness or infirmity . whereas indeed , a true christian may be found sometimes evidently practising one grace , and weak , or at present defective in another . and sometimes the best of his graces is so interrupted with temptation , so clogged with infirmity , that its workings are scarce discernable . . he hath a policy in heightning those attainments and workings of soul , in things relating to god and religion , which are to be found in temporary believers ; which because they sometimes appear in the unconverted , as well as in the converted , ( though all unconverted men have them not ) are therefore called common graces . this he doth that he may from thence take occasion to disprove the real graces of the servants of god ; of whom better things , and things that accompany salvation ( that is special saving graces ) are to be expected , heb. . . his way herein is , . to shew the utmost bravery of these common graces , how much men may have , how far they may go , and yet at last come to nothing . for gifts they may have powerful eloquence , prophecy , understanding of mysteries , faith of miracles . for good works ; they may give their estates to relieve the poor : in moral vertues , they may be excellent , their illumination may be great ; they may taste the good word of god , and the powers of the world to come , heb. . . their conversation may be without offence , and their conscience honest , as paul's was before his conversion . . with these heights of common grace , he compares the lowest degree of special grace . and because the principles , motives , and ends , which constitute the difference betwixt these two , are ( as it were ) under-ground , more remote from sense and observation , and oftentimes darkned by temptation : he takes the boldness to deny the truth of grace , upon the account of the small inconsiderable appearance that it makes , confidently affirming , that special grace must of necessity make a far greater outward shew than these common graces . in what manner , and to what end , satan doth heighten grace in the abstract we have seen : it remains that we discover , . how he doth lessen grace in the concrete ; this is the center of his design . he would not extol grace so much , but that he hopes thereby to condemn the generation of the just , and to make it appear , that there are few or none , that are truly gracious . when he comes to apply all this to the condition of any child of god , he deals treacherously ; and his cunning consists of three parts . . he compares the present state of any one , with whom he deals , to the highest attainments and excellencies of grace ; allowing nothing to be grace , but what will answer these descriptions he had already given . here the tempter doth apparently make use of a false ballance , and a bag of deceitful weights . for thus he puts them to it : thou sayest thou hast grace , but thou dost altogether deceive thy self , for indeed thou hast none at all . compare thy self with others , that were in scripture noted , as undoubtedly gracious , and thou wilt see that in the ballance , thou art lighter than vanity . abraham had faith , but he believed above hope . moses and paul had love , but they manifested it by preferring their brethrens happiness before their own . david was a saint , but he had a heart ravished with god. the martyrs spoken of in heb. . they could do wonders ; they were above fears of men , above the love of the world ; they loved not their lives to the death : how joyfully took they the spoyling of their goods ? how couragiously did they suffer the sharpest torments ? besides ( saith he ) all the children of god are described is sanctified throughout , abounding with all fruits of righteousness ; their faith is working ; their love still laborious ; their hope produceth constant patience : what art thou to these ? that in thee which thou callest faith , or love , or patience , &c. 't is not fit to be named with these : thy fears may tell thee , that thou hast no faith , and so may thy works ; thy murmurings under god's hand is evidence sufficient , that thou hast no patience . the little that thou dost for god , or especially wouldst do , if it were not for thy own advantage , may convince thee that thou hast no love to him ; thy weariness of services and duties thy confessed unprofitableness under all , do proclaim thou hast no delight in god , nor in his ways . he further adds , for the confirmation of all this : consider how far temporaries may go , that shall never go to heaven . thou art far short of them ; thy gifts , thy works , thy vertues , thy illumination , thy conversation , thy conscientiousness are nothing like theirs : how is it possible then that such as one as thou ( a pittiful contemptible creature ) shouldst have any thing of true grace in thee ? thus he makes the application of all the discovery of grace , which he presented to them . though he needs not urge all these things to every one , any one of these particulars frequently serves the turn . when a trembling heart compares it self with these instances , it turns its back , yields the argument , and is ashamed of its former hopes , as those are of their former confidence , who flee from battel . hence then do we hear of these various complaints : one saith , alas ! i have no grace , because i live not as other saints have done in all exactness . another saith , i have no faith , because i cannot believe above reason , and contrary to sense , as abraham did . a third crys out , he hath no love to god , because he cannot find his soul ravished with desire after him . another thinks , he hath a hard heart , because he cannot weep for sin. another concludes against himself , because he finds not a present chearful resolve ( while he is not under any question for religion ) to suffer torments for christ . some fear themselves , because temporaries in some particulars , have much out-gone them . you see how complaints may upon this score , be multiplied without end ; and yet all this is but fallacy . satan tells them what grace is at the highest , but not a word of what it is at lowest : and so unskilful is a tossed , weak christian , that he in examining his condition , looks after the highest degrees of grace ( as affording clearer evidence ) and not after the sincerity of it ; which is the safest way for trial , where graces are weak . in a word , this kind of arguing is no better than that of children , who cannot conclude themselves to be men , because their present stature is little , and they are not as tall as the adult . . another part of his cunning in lessening the real graces of god's children , is to take them at an advantage , when their graces are weakest , and themselves most out of order . he that will chuse to measure a man's stature while he is upon his knees , seems not to design to give a faithful account of his height . no more doth satan , who , when he will make comparisons , always takes the servants of god at the worst . and indeed , many advantages do the children of god give him , insomuch that it is no wonder that he doth so oft baffle them , but rather a wonder that they at any time return to their comforts . . sometimes he takes them to task while they are yet young and tender , when they are but newly converted , before their graces are grown up , or have had time to put forth any considerable fruit. . or when their graces are tired out , by long or grievous assaults of temptation ; for then they are not what they are at other times . . when their hearts are discomposed , or muddied with fear ; for then their sight is bad , and they can so little judg of things that differ , that satan can impose almost any thing upon them . . sometimes he comes upon them , when some grace acts his part but poorly ( as not having its perfect work ) and is scarce able to get through , sticking as it were in the birth . . or when the progress of grace is small and imperceptible . . or while in the absence of the sun ( which produceth flowers , and fragrancy , and is the time of the singing of birds , cant. . , . ) it is forced to cast off its summer fruits of joy , and sensible delights ; and only produceth winter fruits , of lamenting after god , longing and panting after him , justifying of god in his dealings , and condemning it self ; all this while sowing in tears , for a more pleasing crop. . or while expectations are more than enjoyments , the man it may be promised himself large incomes of greater measures of comforts , ease , or strength , under some particular ordinances , or helps which he hath lately attained to ; and not finding things presently to answer what he hoped for , is now suspitious of his case , and thinks he hath attained nothing , because he hath not what he would . . sometimes satan shews them his face in this glass , when 't is foulest , through the spots of some miscarriage . . or he takes advantage of some natural defects , as want of tears , which might be more usual in former times , but are now dried up ; or from the ebbings and uncertainty of his a●●ections , which are never sure rules of trials . . or in such acts that are of a mixed nature in the principles and motives , where it may seem to be uncertain to which the act must be ascribed , as to the true parent . the heart of a gracious person being challenged upon any of these points , and under so great a disadvantage , being called out to give a proof of himself , especially in the view of grace set forth in all its excellency and glory , shall have little to plead , but will rather own the accusation . and the rather , because . it is another part of satan's cunning , to urge them ( whilst they are thus at a stand ) with a possibility , nay , a probability of their mistaking themselves , by passing too favourable an opinion formerly of their actions . to confirm them in this apprehension : . he lays before them the consideration of the deceitfulness of the heart , which ( being so , above all things , and desperately wicked , beyond ordinary discovery ) makes a fair way for the entertainment of a suspition of self-delusion in all the former hopes which a man hath had of himself . satan will plainly speak it : thou hast had some thoughts and workings of mind towards god , but seeing they carry so great a disproportion to rule and example , and come so far short of common graces ; 't is more than probable , that such poor , weak , confused appearances are nothing . how knowest thou that thine adherence to , and practice of the command and services of god are any more , than from the power of education , the prevalency of custom , or the impressions of moral swasion ? how dost thou know that thy desires after god , and thy delight in him , are any more than the products of natural principles , influenced by an historical faith of scripture doctrine ? 't is oftentimes enough for satan to hint this : a suspitious heart ( as it were greedy of its own misery ) catcheth at all things that make against it : and hence complains ; that it hath no grace because it sees not any visible fruits , or makes not a sufficient appearance at all times , when opposed , or resisted ; or because it wants sensible progress , or gives not the summer fruits of praises , rejoycings , and delights in god ; or because it seems not to meet with remarkable improvements in ordinances ; or because it cannot produce tears , and raise the affections ; and because the party doth not know but his heart might decieve him , in all that he hath done . which the devil yet further endeavoureth to confirm , . by a consideration of the seeming holiness and graces of such , as believed themselves to be the children of god , and were generally by others reputed so to be ; who yet , after a glorious profession , turned apostates . this being so great and undeniable an instance of the hearts deceitfulness , makes the poor tempted party conclude , that he is certainly no true convert . thus have we seen satan's sophistry in the management of those five grand topicks , from whence he draws his false conclusions against the children of god , pretending to prove that they are not converted ; or at least , if they be in a state of grace , that they in that state , are in a very bad unsuitable condition to it . ( for if his arguments fall short of the first , they seldom miss the latter mark . ) this was his first engine . now follows . . the other engine by which he fixeth these conclusions , which though it be not argumentative , yet it serves to sharpen all his fallacies against the comforts of god's children ; this is fear , which together with his objections he sends into the mind . that satan can raise a storm and commotion in the heart by fear , hath been proved before . i shall now only in a few things shew , how he doth forward his design , by astonishing the heart with his frightful thundrings . . his objections being accompanied with affrightments , they pass for strong undeniable arguments , and their fallacy is not so easily detected . fear , as well as anger , darkens reason , and disables the understanding to make a true faithful search into things , or to give a right judgment : as darkness deceives the senses , and makes every bush affrightful to the passenger ; or as muddied waters hinder the sight : so do fears in the heart disable a man to discover the silliest cheat that satan can put upon it . . they are also very credulous . when fear is up , any suggestion takes place . as suspitious incredulity is an effect of joy , ( the disciples at first hearing that christ was risen , for joy believed it not ) so suspitious credulity is the effect of fear . and we shall observe several things in the servants of god , that shew a strange inclination , as it were a natural aptitude to believe the evil of their spiritual estate which satan suggests to them . as . there is a great forwardness , and precipitancy in the heart , to close with evil thoughts raised up in us . when jealousies of god's love are injected , there is a violent hastiness , forthwith ( all calm deliberation being laid aside ) to entertain a belief of it . this is more than once noted in the psalms . in this case , david acknowledgeth this hasty humour ; i said in my haste , psal . . . and psal . . . this hasty forwardness to determine things that are against us , without due examination , asaph calls a great weakness ; this is my infirmity , psal . . . . there is observable in those that are under spiritual troubles , a great kind of delight , ( if i may so call it ) to hear threatnings rather than promises ; and such discourses as set forth the misery of a natural state , rather than such as speak of the happiness of the converted : because these things , in their apprehension , are more suitable to their condition , and more needful for them , in order to a greater measure of humiliation , which they suppose to be necessary . however , thus they add fuel to the flame . . they have an aptitude to hide themselves from comfort , and with a wonderful nimbleness of wit and reasoning , to evade , and answer any argument brought for their comfort ; as if they had been volunteers in satans service , to fight against themselves . . they have also so great a blasting upon their understanding , that satan's tempting them to doubt of their good estate , is to them a sufficient reason to doubt of it ; and that is ground enough for them to deny it , because satan questions it . . these fears make all satan's suggestions strike the deeper , they point all his arrows , and make them pierce ( as it were ) the joynts and marrow ; they poyson and envenom them to the great increase of the torment , and hinderance of the cure ; they bind the objections upon them , and confirm them in a certain belief that they are all true . we have now viewed satan's engines and batteries against the servants of the lord , for the destuction of their joy and peace , by spiritual troubles ; but these are but the beginnings of sorrows , if compared with those distresses of soul , which he sometimes brings upon them . of which next . chap. ix . of his fourth way to hinder peace , by spiritual distresses . . the nature of these distresses , the ingredients and degrees of them . whether all distresses of soul arise from melancholy ? . satan's method in working them , the occasions he makes use of , the arguments he urgeth , the strengthening of them by fears . . their weight and burthen explained in several particulars . some concluding cautions . the last sort of troubles by which satan overthrows the peace of the soul , are spiritual distresses ; these are more grievous agonies of soul , under deepest apprehensions of divine wrath , and dreadful fears of everlasting damnation , differing in nature and degree , from the former sorts of troubles ; though in these satan observes much what the same general method , which he used in spiritual troubles last mentioned . for which cause , and also that these are not so common as the other , i shall speak of them with greater brevity . herein i shall shew , . their nature . . satan's method in working them . . their weight and burthen . . the nature of spiritual distresses will be best discovered , by a consideration of those ingredients of which they are made up , and of the different degrees thereof . . as to the ingredients , there are several things that do concur for the begetting of these violent distresses . as , . there is usually a complication of several kinds of troubles . sometimes there are outward troubles , and inward discomposures of spirit arising from thence ; sometimes affrightments of blasphemous thoughts long continued , and usually spiritual troubles ( in which their state or condition have been called to question ) have gone before . heman ( who is as famous an instance in this case , as any we meet withal in scripture ) in psal . . seems not obscurely to tell us so much ; his soul was full of troubles , ver . . and in ver . . he complains that god had afflicted him with all his waves : and that these were not all of the same kind ( though all concurred to the same end ) he himself explains , ver . , . where he bemoans himself for the unkindness of his friends : thou hast put away mine acquaintance ; lover and friend hast thou put far from me . . these troubles drive at a further end than any of the former ; for their design was only against the present quietness and peace of god's children , but these design the ruine of their hopes for the future ; they are troubled , not for that they are not converted , but for that they expect never to be converted . this is a trouble of an high nature , making them believe that they are eternally reprobated , cut off from god for ever , and under an impossibility of salvation . . these troubles have the consent and belief of the party . in some other troubles satan disquieted the lords servants , by imposing upon them his own cursed suggestions , violently bearing in upon them temptations to sin and blasphemy , or objections against their state of regeneration , while in the mean time they opposed and refused to give consent ; but in these satan prevails with them , to believe that their case is really such as their fears represent it to be . . they are troubles of a far higher degree than the former , the deepest sorrows , the sharpest fears , the greatest agonies . heman , psal . . ver . , . calls them terrours even to distraction : while i suffer thy terrours , i am distracted ; thy fierce wrath goeth over me , thy terrours have cut me off . . there is also god's deserting of them in a greater measure than ordinary , by withdrawing his aids and comforts . and ( as mr. perkins notes ) if the withdrawing of grace be joyned with the feeling of god's anger , thence ariseth the bitterest conflict , that the soul of a poor creature undergoes . . as to the different degrees of spiritual distresses , we must observe : that according to the concurrence of all , or fewer of those ingredients ( for they do not always meet together , though most frequently they do ) and according to the higher , or lower degrees in which these are urged upon the conscience , or apprehended and believed by the troubled party ; these agonies are more or less , and accordingly we may distinguish them variously . as , . some are desperate terrours , of cursed reprobates under desperation . these terrours in them , are in the greatest extremity , the very pit of misery , of the same nature with those of the damned in hell , where the worm that never dies , is nothing else but the dreadful vexation and torment of an accusing conscience . they are commonly accompanied with blaspheming of god , and an utter rejection of all means for remedy ; and though they sometimes turn to a kind of secure desperation , ( by which ( when they see it will be no better ) they harden themselves in their misery , and seek to divert their thoughts ) as cain did , betaking himself to the building of cities . and esau , when he had sold his birth-right , despised it , and gave himself up to the pursuit of a worldly interest ; yet sometimes these terrours end in self-murther , as in judas , who being smitten with dread of conscience , went and hanged himself . we have many sad instances of these desperate terrours . cain is the first we read of , and though the account the scriptures give of him be but short , yet 't is sufficient to let us see what his condition was , gen. . . to . first , he was cursed from the earth . of this part of his curse , there were two branches ; . that his labour and toyl in tillage should be great , and greatly unsuccessful ; for thus god himself explains it , ver . . when thou tillest the ground , it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength . the earth was cursed with barrenness before to adam , but now to cain it hath a double curse . . that he should be a man of uncertain abode in any place ; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth : not being able to stay long in a place , by reason of the terrours of his concience . his own interpretation of it , ver . . shews , that herein lay a great part of his misery ; thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth . by which it appears , that he was to be as one that was chased out of all society , and as one that thought himself safe in no place . secondly , he was hid from the face of god ; that is , he was doomed to carry the inward feeling of god's wrath , without any expectation of mercy . thirdly , his mind being terrified under the apprehension of that wrath , he crys out , that his sin was greater than it could be pardoned ; or that his punishment was greater than he could bear . ( for the word in the original , signifies both sin , and punishment . ) take it which way you will , it expresseth a deep horrour of heart . if in the former sense , then it signifies a conviction of the greatness of his sin to desperation ; if in the latter sense , then 't is no less than a blasphemous reflection upon god , as unjustly cruel . fourthly , this horrour was so great , that he was afraid of all he met with , suspecting every thing to be armed with divine vengeance against him ; every one that findeth me , shall slay me . or if that speech was a desire , that any one that found him might kill him , ( as some interpret ) it shews that he preferred death before that life of misery . it seems then , that god smote him with such terrour and consternation of mind , and with such affrightful trembling of body , for his bloody fact , that he was weary of himself , and afraid of all men , and could not stay long in a place . by these tokens ( or some other way ) god sets his mark upon him , as upon a cursed miscreant , to be noted and abhorred of all . such another instance was lamech , of whom the same chapter speaks . . the sting of conscience was so great , that he is forced to confess his fault : ( the interpretations of those , that take it interrogatively ; have i slain ? or , if i have , what is that to you ? &c. are upon many accounts improper ; much more are those so , that take it negatively ) . which , whether it were the abomination of poligamy , ( as some think ) by which example he had destroyed more than cain did ; or if it were murther in a proper sense ( as the words and context plainly carry it ) 't is not very material to our purpose ; however god smote him with horrour , that he might be a witness against himself . . he accuseth himself for a more grievous sinner , and more desperate wretch by far than cain : if cain ( ver . . ) shall be avenged seven-fold , truly lamech seventy and seven-fold . which is as much as to say , that there was as much difference 'twixt his sin and cain's , as betwixt seven , and seventy seven . . it seems also by his discourse to his wives , that he was grievously perplexed with inward fears ; suspecting ( it may be ) his very wives ( as well as others ) might have private combinations against him , for the prevention whereof , he tells them by cain's example of god's avenging him . these two early examples of desperation the beginning of the world affords , and there have been many more since , as esau and judas . of late years we have the memorable instance of francis spira , one of the clearest and most remarkable examples of spiritual horrour , that the latter ages of the world were ever acquainted with ; yet i shall not dare to be confident of his reprobation , as of cain's and judas's , because the scripture hath determined their case , but we have no such certain authority to determine his . . there are also distresses from melancholy , which may be further differenced according to the intenseness , or remisness of the distemper upon which they depend . for sometimes the imagination is so exceedingly depraved , the fears of heart so great , and the sorrows so deep , that the melancholy person crying out of himself , that he is damned , under the curse of god , &c. appears to be wholly besides himself ; and his anguish to be nothing else , but a delirous irrational disturbance . there are too many sad instances of this : some i have known , that for many years together , have laboured under such apprehensions of hell and damnation , that they have at last proceeded to curse , and blaspheme god in a most dreadful manner ; so that they have been a terrour to all their friends and acquaintance . and though sometimes they would fall into fits of obstinate silence , yet being urged to speak , they would amaze all that were about them , with the confident averment of their damnation ; with horrible out-crys of their supposed misery and torments , and with terrible rage against heaven . some in this distemper , will fancy themselves to be in hell already , and will discourse as if they saw the devils about them , and felt their torture . such as these give plain discovery by their whole carriage under their trouble , and some concomitant false imaginations about other things , ( as when they fancy themselves to be in prison , or sentenced to death , and that torments , or fire , are provided for them by the magistrate , &c. ) that 't is only melancholy ( perverting their understanding ) that is the cause of all their sorrow . others there are , who are not altogether irrational , because in most other things their understanding is right ; yet being driven into melancholy upon the occasion of crosses , or other outward afflictions , they at last six all their thoughts upon their souls , and now their fancy becoming irregular in part , the whole of the irregularity appears only in that , wherein they chiefly concern themselves . hence they misjudg themselves , and condemn themselves to everlasting destruction ; sometimes without any apparent cause , and sometimes they accuse themselves of such things as they never did ; they fear and cry out they are damned , but they cannot give a particular reason , why they should entertain these fears , neither can they shew any cause why they should refuse the comforts of the promises that are offered , but they say , they know , or are perswaded it is so ; upon no better account than this , it is so , because it is so . or if they give reasons of their imagination , they are commonly either feigned , or frivolous , and yet in all other matters they are rational , and speak or act like men in their right minds . of both these kinds of desperation i shall speak nothing further ; 't is enough to have noted that such there are , because the cure of the former is impossible , and the cure of the latter doth wholly depend upon physick . some may possibly question , whether all extraordinary agonies of soul , upon the apprehension of eternal damnation , be not the fruits of melancholy ? and if not , then what may the difference be betwixt those that proceed from melancholy , and those that are properly the terrours of conscience ? as to the first part of the question , i answer , . that all spiritual distresses , are not to be ascribed to melancholy . for , . there are some melancholy persons who are never more free from spiritual troubles ( though frequently accustomed to them at other times ) than when ( upon the occasion of some special trouble , or sickness , threatning death ) there is greatest cause to fear such onsets upon the increase of melancholy ; some such i have known . . sometimes these distresses come suddenly , their conscience smiting them in the very act of sin ; and these persons sometime such , as are not of a melancholick constitution . spira was suddenly thunder-struck with terrours of conscience , upon his recantation of some truths which he held ; and so were some of the martyrs . sometimes terrours that have continued long , and have been very fierce , are removed in a moment . now , 't is not rational to say , that melancholy only occasioned all such troubles , where in bodies that are not naturally of that complexion , ( and some such have been surprised with terrours of conscience ) : if we will take a liberty to suppose an accidental melancholy , we must of necessity allow some time ; and ( usually ) some precedaneous occasion , to mould them into such a distemper . neither do the fears of melancholy cease on a sudden , but abate gradually , according to the gradual abatement of the humour . to say that cain's , or judas's dispair were the invasions of strong melancholy , is not only beyond all proof , but also probability . neither is it likely that david ( whose ruddy countenance , and inclination to musick , are tokens of a sanguine complexion ) was always melancholick under his frequent complaints of spiritual trouble . . they that read the story of spira , and observe his rational serious replies , to the discourses that were offered him for his comfort , and his carriage all along , will have no cause to conclude his trouble to be only melancholy ; neither did the sober judicious by-standers ascribe his distress to any such cause . . the agony of christ upon the cross , under the sense of divine wrath for our sins , ( though it were without desperation ) is an undeniable proof , that there may be deep sense of god's displeasure upon the soul of man ; which cannot be ascribed to melancholy . . i answer , that it is not to be denied , but that god may make use of that humour as his instrument , for the increase and continuance of terrours upon the consciences of those , whom he thinks fit to punish ( for any provocation ) with spiritual desertion . as he made use of that distemper to punish saul and nebuchadnezzar . i speak not here of those distresses which are nothing else but melancholy , ( such as those before mentioned , of which physicians have given us frequent histories ) though in this case , the secret ways of god's providences are to be adored with humble silence ; but of those terrours of conscience which have a mixture of melancholy to help them forward , yet so , as that the judgment and reason are not thereby perverted . spira , when his case was hastily concluded , by an injudicious friend , to be a strong melancholy , made this reply : well , be it so , seeing you will needs have it so ; for thus also is god's wrath manifested against me . — which shews , . that he believed , god doth sometimes manifest his wrath against man by melancholy . and , . that he denied this to be his condition : for he still concluded , that god sent the terrours of his wrath immediately upon his conscience , as the sentence of his just condemnation , for denying christ . now when god doth make use of melancholy , as his instrument in satan's hand , to make the soul of man more apprehensive of his sin and god's wrath , ( though he doth not always make use of this means , as hath been said ) while he still preserves the understanding from false imaginations . the distress is still rational , and we have no cause to make any great difference betwixt these troubles that have such a mixture of melancholy , and such as have not . neither must we say , that then 't is in the power of the physician to remove , or mitigate such spiritual distresses . for if god see it fit to make use of melancholy for such a purpose , he can suspend the power of physick , so that it shall not do its work till god hath performed all his purpose . and the unsuccessfulness of remedies in this distemper , ( while it seems to be wonderfully stubborn , in resisting all that can be done for cure ) is more to be ascribed ( in some cases ) to god's design , than every physician doth imagine . as to the latter part of the question . how the terrours of melancholy , and those of conscience are to be distinguished , i shall only say this : that ( as i said ) we are not much concerned to make any distinction , where the distressed party acts rationally . 't is true , something may be observed from these mixtures of melancholy ; and thence may some indications be taken by the friends of the distressed , which may be of use to the afflicted party . physick in this case is not to be neglected , because ( though god may permit that distemper in order to the terrour of the conscience ) we are not of god's counsel , to know how high he would have it to go , nor how long to continue ; but 't is our duty ( with submission to him ) to use all means for help . however , seeing the physician is the only proper judg of the bodily distemper , it were improper to speak of the signs of melancholy in these mixt cases , to those that cannot make use of them . and as for these distresses of melancholy that are irrational , they are of themselves so notorious , that i need not give any account of them . there is usually a constitution inclining that way , and often the parents , or friends of the party , have been handled in the same manner before ; or if their natural temper do not lead them that way , there is usually some cross , trouble , disappointment , or the like outward affliction that hath first pressed them heavily , and by degrees hath wrought them into melancholy , and then afterward they come to concern themselves for their souls . ( as that woman in platers observations , who being long grieved with jealousie upon grounds too just , at last fell into grievous dispair , crying out ; that god would not pardon her ; that she was damned ; that she felt hell already , and the torments of it , &c. ) or there are some concomitant delirium's , imaginations apparently absurd , or false , &c. all which give plain discoveries of irrational distresses . and if there remained any doubt concerning them , the consideration of all circumstances together , by such as are sober and judicious , would easily afford a satisfaction . . having now confined the discourse to the spiritual distresses of god's children , that are not so oppressed with melancholy , as to be misled with false imaginations ; i must next , concerning these distresses , offer another observable distinction , which is this : that they are either made up of all the five forementioned ingredients , or only of some of them , and so may be called total , or partial ; though in each of these there may be great differences of degrees . . sometimes then the children of god may be brought into total distresses of conscience , even with desperation , and ( that which is more hideous ) with blasphemy . if mr. perkins his observation hold true , who tells us , that they may be so over-charged with sorrow , as to cry out they are damned , and to blaspheme god. and we have no reason to contradict it , when we observe how far david went in his haste , more than once . and whatever may be the private differences betwixt these and the reprobates , in their agonies ( as differences there are , both in god's design , and their hearts , though not visible ) yet if we compare the fears , troubles , and speeches of the one and the other together , there appears little or no difference which by-standers can certainly fix upon . if it seems harsh to any , that so horrid a thing as despair should be charged upon the elect of god , in the worst of their distresses , it will readily be answered ; . that if we suppose not this , we must suppose that which is worse . if we like not to say , that god's children may fall into despair ; we must conclude ( very uncharitably ) that they that fall into despair , are not god's children . . 't is easie to imagine a difference betwixt partial and total dispair , betwixt imaginary and real . the children of god , under strong perturbation of spirit , may imagine themselves to do what they do not , and so may bear false witness against themselves ; professing that all their hope of salvation is lost , when yet the root of their hope may still remain in their hearts undiscovered . the habit may be there , when all visible acts of it are at present suspended , or so disguised in a croud of confused expressions , that they cannot be known . or , if they have real distrust of their salvation , yet every fit of real diffidence , is not utter desperateness ; neither will it denominate a man to be totally desperate , any more than every error , even about fundamentals , will denominate a man an heretick . for as it must be a pertinacious error in fundamentals that makes an heretick , so it must be a pertinacious diffidence that makes a man truly desperate . . but sometimes the children of god have only partial distresses . that is , they may have a great measure of some of the ingredients , without mixture of the rest . particularly , they may have a great measure of the sense of divine wrath and desertion , without desperation . the possibility of this is evident , beyond exception , in the example of our blessed saviour , when he cry'd out , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? none can ascribe desperation to him , without blasphemy ; and if they should , the very words , my god , my god , ( expressing his full and certain hope ) do expresly contradict them . such an instance , of spiritual distress without desperation , i take heman to be . how high his troubles were , is abundantly testified in psal . . and yet that his hope was not lost , appears not only by his prayer for relief in the general ; ( for hope is not utterly destroyed , where the appointed means for help are carefully used , ) but by the particular avouchment of his hope in god , in the first verses of that psalm , o lord god of my salvation , i have cried day and night before thee . . the last difference of spiritual distresses which i shall observe , is this ; that some are more transient fits and flashes of terror , under a present temptation , which endure not long ; others are more fixed and permanent . the less durable distresses may be violent and sharp , while they hold . temptations of diffidence may strongly possess a child of god , and at first may not be repelled ; and then before their faith can recover it self , they vent their present sad apprehensions of their estate , as jonah did , jon. . . i said i am cast out of thy sight . many such fits david had , and in them , complained at this rate , why hast thou forsaken me ? why castest thou off my soul ? psal . . . i said in my haste , i am cut off from before thine eyes . psal . . . i said in my haste , all men are lyars . which was a great height of distrust , and too boldly reflecting upon god's faithfulness , considering the special promises that god had made to him . such sharp fits were those of bainham , and bilney , martyrs , whose consciences were so sorely wounded for recanting the truth which they professed , that they seemed to feel a very hell within them . the more fixed distresses , as they are of longer continuance , so they are often accompanied with the very worst symptomes : for when in these agonies , no sun nor star of comfort appears to them for many days , all hope that they shall be saved seems to be taken away ; and being tired out with complaints and importunities , without any answer , they at last reject the use of means . some have lain many years ( as the paralytick man at the pool of bethesda ) without cure. some from their youth up , as heman complains . some carry their distresses to their death-bed , and it may be , are not eased till their souls are ready to depart out of their bodies , and then they often end suddenly and comfortably . some , i could tell you of , who on their death-bed after grievous terrours , and many out-crys , concerning their miseries of blackness and darkness for ever , lay long silent ; and then on a sudden brake out into raptures of joy , and adoring admiration , of the goodness of god , using that speech of the apostle , rom. . . o the depth of the riches , both of the wisdom and knowledg of god! how unsearchable are his judgments , and his ways past finding out ! others go out of the world in darkness , without any appearance of comfort : such an instance was mr. chambers , ( as the story of his death testifies ) mentioned by mr. perkins , in his treatise of desertions , of whom this account is given ; that in great agonies he cried out , he was damned , and so died . the case of such is surely very sad to themselves , and appears no less to others ; yet we must take heed of judging rashly concerning such . nay , if their former course of life hath been uniformly good , ( for who will reject a fine web of cloth ( as one speaks ) for a little course list at the end , ) especially if there be any obscure appearance of hope . ( as that expression of mr. chambers , [ o that i had but one drop of faith ! ] is by mr. perkins supposed to be ) ; we ought to judg the best of them . we have seen the nature of spiritual distresses , in the ingredients and differences thereof . we are now to consider , . satan's method in procuring them : which consists , . in the occasions which he lays hold on for that end . . in the arguments which he useth . . in the working up of their fears , by which he confirms men in them . . as to the occasions : he follows much the same course which hath been described before in spiritual troubles ; so that i need not say much , only i shall note two things . . that it makes much for satan's purpose , if the party against whom he designs , have faln into some grievous sins . sins of common magnitude , do not lay a foundation suitable to the superstructure which he intends ; he cannot plausibly argue reprobation , or damnation from every ordinary sin ; but if he finds them guilty of something extraordinary , then he falls to work with his accusations . the most usual sins which he takes advantage from , are ( as mr. perkins observes ) those against the third , sixth , and seventh command ; sometimes those against the ninth . murther , adultery , perjury , and the wilful denial of truth against conscience , are the crimes upon which he grounds his charge , but most usually the last . upon this the distressed spira , and some of the martyrs . as for the other , the more private they are , satan hath oft the more advantage against them , because god's secret and just judgment , will by this means bring to light the hidden things of darkness ; and force their consciences to accuse them , of that which no man could lay to their charge , that he might manifest himself to be the searcher of the hearts , and trier of the reins . thus have many been forced to disclose private murthers , secret adulteries , and to vomit up ( though with much pain and torture ) that which they have by perjury , or guile , extorted from others . . where satan hath not these particular advantages , he doth endeavour to prepare men for distresses , by other troubles long continued . all men that are brought to dispair of their happiness , must not be supposed to be greater sinners than others ; some are distressed with fears of eternal damnation , that are in a good measure able to make job's protestation in these cases : that their heart hath not been deceived by a woman : that they have not laid wait at their neighbours door : that they have not lift up their hand against the fatherless , when they saw their help in the gate ; that their land doth not cry against them , nor the furrows thereof complain ; that when they saw the sun when it shined , or the moon walking in brightness , their heart hath not been secretly enticed , nor their mouth kissed their hand ; that they rejoyced not in the destruction of him that hated them , nor lift up themselves when evil found him , &c. notwithstanding all which their fears are upon , and prevail against them . but then before satan can bring them to consent to such dismal conclusions against themselves , they must be extraordinarily fitted to take the impression ; either tired out under great afflictions , or long exercised with fears about their spiritual estates , without intermixture of comfort , or ease , or their faculties broken and weakned by melancholy . any of these give him an advantage equivalent to that of great sins . for though he cannot say to these , your sins are so enormous , that they are ( considered themselves together with their circumstances ) sad signs or reprobation ; yet he will plead that god's carriage towards them , doth plainly discover that he hath wholly cast them off , and left them to themselves , without hope of mercy . . as for the arguments which he useth , they are much-what from the same topicks which he maketh choice of in bringing on spiritual troubles . only as he aims at the proof of a great deal more against god's children , than that they are not converted ; so accordingly he scrues up his mediums for proof to an higher pin . his arguments are , . from scriptures wrested , or misapplied . his choice of scriptures for this purpose , is of such places as either seem to speak most sadly the dangerous and fearful estate of men , according to the first view and literal representation of them , through the unskilfulness of those that are to be concerned ; or of such places as do really signifie the miserable unhappiness of some persons , who through their own fault , have been cut off from all hope , and the possibility of the like to some others for the future . so that in framing arguments from scripture , the devil useth a twofold cunning . . there are some scriptures which have the word damnation in them , applied to some particular acts and miscarriages of men ; when yet their intendment is not such as the word seems to sound , or as he would make them to believe . now , when he catcheth a child of god in such acts as are there specified , ( if he finds that his ignorance , or timerousness is such , as may render the temptation feazible ) he presently applies damnation to them by the authority of those texts . for instance , that text of rom. . . hath been frequently abused to that end ; he that doubteth , is damned if he eat . — the word damned there , strikes deep with a weak troubled christian , that is not skilful in the word of righteousness . for whether satan apply it to sacramental eating ( as sometimes he doth to the ignorant , though contrary to the purpose of the text , ) or to doubting in the general , he makes this conclusion out of it : thou doubtest , or thou hast eaten the sacrament doubtingly , therefore there is no hope for thee ; thou art damned . whereas all this while , the devil doth but play the sophister in the abuse of the signification of words . for that scripture evidently relates to the difference that then was in the church , about eating those meats that were unclean by moses's law : in which case the apostle doth positively declare , that the difference betwixt clean and unclean meats , is taken away ; so that a christian might with all freedom imaginable , eat those meats that were formerly unclean , with this proviso , that he were fully perswaded in his own mind . the necessity of which satisfaction , he proves from this , that otherwise he should offend his own conscience , which in that case must needs condemn him ( and that 's the damnation that is there spoken of ) ; as is more evident by comparing this verse with the next foregoing ; happy is he that condemneth not himself . but he that doubteth , doth condemn himself , because he eats not of faith ; that is , from full perswasion of the lawfulness of the thing . this scripture then hath nothing at all in it , to the purpose for which satan brings it ; it doth not speak of any finall sentence of condemnation passed upon a man for such an act ; all , and the utmost that it saith , is only this , that it is a sin to go against the perswasion of conscience , and consequently it puts no man further off salvation , than any other sin may do ; for which , upon repentance , the sinner may be pardoned . another text which satan hath frequently abused , to the very great prejudice of many , is that of cor. . . he that eateth and drinketh unworthily , eateth and drinketh damnation to himself . with this scripture he insults over the humble fearful christian , who is sensible of his unworthiness of so great a priviledg . sometimes he keeps him off long from the sacrament of the lord's supper , upon this very score ; that such an unworthy wretch ought not to make such near and familiar approaches to christ . and if at last he is perswaded to partake of this ordinance , then ( taking the advantage of the parties consciousness of his great vileness , and the very low thoughts which he entertains of himself ) he endeavours to perswade him , that now he hath destroyed himself for ever , and run upon his own irrecoverable damnation . thus he pleads it ; can any thing be more plain , than that thou hast eaten and drunken unworthily ? thy own conscience tells thee so : and can any thing be more positively asserted than this , that he that doth so , eateth and drinketh damnation to himself ? what then canst thou think of thy self , but that thou art a damned wretch ? neither do i speak barely , what may be supposed satan would say in this matter , but what may be proved by many instances he hath said and urged upon the consciences of the weak , who have from hence concluded ( to the great distress of their souls ) that by unworthy receiving of the sacrament , they have sealed up their own condemnation ; and all this by abusing and perverting the sense of this text. for the unworthy receiving , doth relate to the miscarriages which he had taxed before , and it implies a careless , prophane eating ; such as might plainly express the small , or unworthy esteem that they had in their hearts for that ordinance . and the damnation there threatned , is not finall and irrecoverable damnation , but temporal judgment ; as the apostle himself doth explain it , in the next verses : for this cause many are sickly . — and if we would judg our selves , we should not be judged . — that is ( as he further explains it ) we should not be thus chastned , or afflicted ; and the word translated damnation , doth signifie judgment . at the furthest , if we should take it for the condemnation of hell , all that is threatned would be no more than this ; that such have deserved , and god in justice might inflict the condemnation of hell for such an offence : which is not only true of this sin , but of all others , which still do admit of the exception of repentance . all this while this is nothing to the poor humbled sinner , that judgeth himself unworthy in his most serious examination , and greatest diligence . satan here plays upon the unexactness of the translation , and the ignorance of the party in criticisms ; for 't is not every one that can readily answer such captious arguments . . but he hath another piece of cunning , which is this : he doth by a sigular kind of art , threap upon men some scripture that really speaks of eternal condemnation , without any sufficient evidence in matter of fact for the due application of them , only because they cannot prove the contrary . his proceeding herein is to this purpose : first , ( after he hath prepared his way , by forming their minds to a fearful suspition of their estate ) he sets before them such scriptures as these ; god hardned the heart of pharaoh : he hath prepared vessels of wrath , fitted for destruction . christ prayed not for the world : and that concerning the jews , he hath blinded their eyes , and hardned their hearts , secondly , he confidently affirms , that they are such . thirdly , he puts them to prove the contrary , and herein he sends them to the search of god's eternal decrees ; in which art , satan ( like an ignis fatuus ) leads them out of the way . and though he cannot possibly determine what he affirms , he shifts off the positive proof from himself , and leaves it upon them to make out , that they are not thus determined of by god's unchangeable purpose . and because the tempted ( under so great a cloud ) have no such perswasion of their present graces , as may enable them to make sure their election , by the fruits of their vocation , they are beaten off from their hold and are brought to believe that the argument is unanswerable : because they cannot say they are converted , they conclude they must be damned ; overlooking the true answer that they might make , by keeping close to the possibility , or probability that they may be converted , and so escape the damnation of hell. this general hope being of such high concern to the distressed , ( for 't is the first thing that must relieve them , till better evidence come in ) it is satan's great policy to cheat them of it , which he often doth by this method now declared . . satan doth mainly endeavour to misrepresent god to troubled souls , and from thence he draweth out arguments against them . in the former case of spiritual troubles , he misrepresents god , in that he represents only some attributes of his , not only distinct from , but in opposition to others , by which he labours to conceal the sweet and beautiful harmony that is among them ; and also to make one attribute , an argument against the comfortable supporting considerations , which another would afford . he insists upon god's justice without respect of mercy , upon his holiness , without any regard of his gracious condescentions to the infirmities of the weak . but when it is his business to bring any under spiritual distresses , he then misrepresents god at an higher rate , and sticks not to asperse him with abominable falshoods . there are two lies which he commonly urgeth at this time . . he represents god as a cruel tyrant , of a rigorous unmerciful disposition , that delights himself in the ruine and misery of men. to this purpose he rakes together the harshest passages of the scripture , that speak of god's just severity against the wilful obstinate sinners , that stubbornly contemn his offers of grace . god indeed hath cleared himself of this aspersion , by solemn oath , ezek. . . as i live , saith the lord god , i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked , but that the wicked turn from his way and live . yet the tempted will sooner believe satan's suggestion than god's oath ; partly because the sense of their vileness doth secretly sway them to think , there is reason that he should be so ; partly because their fears incline them to suspect the worst ; and partly the uneasie ●ossings of their mind long continued , reviveth the natural frowardness of the spirit against god. which , how apt it is ( when fretted with vexation ) to entertain harsh thoughts of god ? may be seen in the answer of the slothful servant to his lord , who returned his talent back again unimproved , with a reflection : importing that his master was such as none could please ; so severe , that he was discouraged from making any attempt of serving him acceptably , mat. . . he said , lord , i know thee that thou art an hard man● reaping where thou hast not sown , and gathering where thou hast not strawed . . he belies god further , by representing him as designing the ruine and misery of the tempted person in particular . he would make him believe that god had a particular spleen ( as it were ) against him above other men ; and that in all his dealings with , or concerning him , he is but as a bear lying in wait , and as a lyon in secret places , ready to take any advantage to cut him off . and accordingly he gives no other interpretation of all the ways of god , but such as make them look like tokens of finall rejection of those that are concerned in them . if there be upon them outward afflictions , he tells them , these are but the forerunners of hell : if they lie under inward sense of wrath , he calls that the first-fruits of everlasting vengeance : if any particular threatning be impressed upon their consciences by the spirit of god , in order to their humiliation and repentance ; he represents it as god's final sentence , and absolute determination against them . if for caution , god see it fit to set before them the examples of his wrath , ( as it is very frequent for him to do , lest we should fall after the same example of vnbelief , pet. . . cor. . . ) satan perverts this to that which god never intended , for he boldly asserts , that these examples prognosticate their misery ; and that god signifies by them , a prediction of certain unavoidable unhappiness . this must be observed here , that these misrepresentations of god , are none of satan's primary arguments ; he useth them only as fresh reserves to second others . for where he finds any wing of his batalions ready to be beaten , he comes up with these supplies to relieve them . for indeed , these considerations of god's severity in the general , or of his special resolve against any in particular , are not of force sufficient to attaque a soul , that is within the trenches of present peace ; they are not of themselves proper mediums to produce such a conclusion . though we suppose god severe , ( except we should imagine him to be an hater of mankind universally ) we cannot thence infer the final ruine of this , or that individual person . and besides , ( that these are unjustifiable falshoods ) they cannot make the final damnation of any one so much as probable , till the heart be first weakned in its hopes , by fears , or doubtings , raised up in it upon other grounds . then indeed men are staggered , either by the deep sense of their unworthiness , or some sad continuing calamity , and the seeming neglect of their prayers . if satan then tell them of god's severity , or that ( all his providences considered ) he hath set them up as a mark for the arrows of his indignation , they are ready to believe his report , it being so suitable to their present sence and feeling . . satan also fetcheth arguments from the sins of god's children , but his great art in this is by unjust aggravations to make them look like those offences ; which by special exception in scripture , are excluded from pardon . the apostle , john . . tells us of a sin that is unto death ; that is , a sin which if a man commits , he cannot escape eternal death , and therefore he would not have such a sinner prayed for . ( that the popish distinction of venial and mortal sins is not here intended , some of the papists themselves do confess ) . what he means by that sin he doth not tell us , it being a thing known sufficiently from other scriptures . the note of unpardonableness , is indeed affixed to sins under several denominations ; the sin against the holy ghost , christ pronounceth unpardonable , mat. , . total apostacy from the truth of the gospel , hath no less said of it by the apostle , when he calls it a drawing back to perdition , heb. . . whether these be all one , or whether there is any other species of sin irremissible , besides that against the holy ghost , 't is not to our purpose to make enquiry . what-ever they are in themselves , satan in this matter , makes use of the texts that speak of them distinctly ; as we shall presently see . but besides these , the scriptures speak of some , that were given up to vile affections , and to a reprobate mind , rom. . , . and of others that were given up to hardness of heart , mat. . . acts . . now , whosoever they are of whom these things may be justly affirmed , they are certainly miserable , hopeless wretches . here then is satans cunning , if he can make any child of god believe that he hath done any such act , or acts of sin , as may bring him within the compass of these scriptures , then he insults over them , and tells them over and over again , that they are cut off for ever . to this purpose he aggravates all their sins . and , . if he find them guilty of any great iniquity , he fixeth upon that , and labours all he can to make it look most desperately , that so he may call it the sin against the holy ghost ; and in this he hath a mighty advantage , that most men are in the dark about that sin : all men being not yet agreed whether it be a distinct species of sin , or an higher degree of wilfulness relating to any particular sin. upon this score , satan can lay the charge of this sin , upon those that apostatize from the truth , and through weakness have recanted it . ( thus he dealt with spira , with bilney , with bainham , and several others . ) there is so near a resemblance in these sins of denying truths , to what is said of the unpardonable sin , that these men though they were scholars , and men of good abilities , yet they were not able to answer the argument that the devil urged against them , but it prevailed to distress them . upon others also , hath satan the advantage to fix this accusation : for let the species of the sin be what it will , if they have any thing of that notion , that the sin against the holy ghost , is a presumptuous act of sin , under temptation , they will call any notorious crime , the sin against the holy ghost , because of the more remarkable aggravating circumstances that have accompanied such a fact. . he aggravates the sins of god's children from the wilfulness of their sinning . 't is a thing often too true , that a child of god may be carried by a violent impetus , or strong inclination of affection to some particular iniquity , where the forwardness of desires that way , by a sudden haste , do stifle those reluctancies of mind , which may be expected from one endowed with the spirit of god ; whose power upon them , doth ordinarily sway them , to lust against the flesh . but it is more ordinary to find a temptation to prevail , notwithstanding that an enlightned mind doth make some resistance ; which ( because 't is too feeble ) is easily born down by the strong importunities of satan , working upon the inclinations of the flesh . both these cases are improved against them , over whom satan hath got any advantage of doubting of their estate . if they have resisted but ineffectually , or not resisted at all , he chargeth them with the highest wilfulness , and will so aggravate the matter that they shall be put in fear , not only that there can be no grace ( where sin hath so much power as either to controul so much light and endeavours , or hath so subjected the heart to its dominion , that it can command without a contradiction ) but that they can have no hope ; that they that sin with so high an hand , should ever enter into god's rest . and to this purpose he commonly sets before them , that text of heb. . . if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledg of the truth , there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins . or that of heb. . . it is impossible for those who were once enlightned — if they fall away , to renew them again to repentance . both which places speak indeed , at least , such a difficulty , as in common use of speech , is called an impossibility , if not an utter absolute impossibility of repentance and pardon . but then the sinning wilfully , or falling away , there mentioned , is only that of total apostacy ; when men that have embraced the gospel , and by it have met with such impressions of power , and delight upon their hearts , which we usually call common grace , do notwithstanding , reject that gospel as false and fabulous , and so rise up against it , with scorn and utmost contempt ; as julian the apostate did . if now the true intendment of those scriptures were considered , by those that are distressed with them , they might presently see , that they were put into fear , where no such cause of fear was . but all men have not this knowledg , nor do they so duely attend to the matter of the apostles discourse , as to be able to put a right interpretation upon it ; upon such satan imposeth his deceitful gloss , and tells them : wilful sinners cannot be restored to repentance , but you have sinned wilfully ; when sin was before you , you rushed into it without any consideration ; as the horse into the battel : or when god stood in your way with commands , and advice to the contrary ; when your consciences warned you not to do so great wickedness , yet you would do it . you were as those that break the yoke , and burst the bonds . upon this supposition , that these texts speak of wilful sinning in the general ; how little can be said against satan's argument ? how many have i known , that have been tortured with these texts , judging their estate fearful , because of their wilfulness in sinning ? who upon the breaking of the snare of satan's misrepresentation , have escaped as a bird unto the hill. . when either of the two former ways will not serve the turn , ( that is , when he meets with such against whom he hath nothing of notorious wickedness to object , or such as have a better discerning of scripture , than so to be imposed upon , ) he labours to make a charge against them , from the number of their miscarriages . here he takes up all the filth he can , and lays it upon one heap at their door . 't is indeed an easie thing for satan to set the sins of a child of god in order before him , and to bring to mind innumerable evils , especially to one that is already awakened with a true discovery of the corruption of nature , and the vileness of sin. in which case , the more a man considers , the more he will discover ; and sins thus set in battel array , ( though they be not more than ordinary hainous , yet being many ) have a very dismal appearance . satan's design in this , is to bring men under the affrightments which seem most proper to be raised from a perverse aspect of the third rank of scriptures ; which a little before i pointed at . for the word of god speaking of the final estate of men , doth not only discover the hopeless condition of some as to eternal life from some particular acts of sin , but also the sad estate of others from the manner , degrees , and frequency of sinning . the heathens , because they improved not the knowledg of god , which they had from the works of creation , neither making those inferences , in matters relating to his worship , which those discoveries did direct them unto ; nor behaving themselves in full compliance to those rules of vertuous conversation , which they might have drawn from these principles , and unto which in point of gratitude , they were obliged , rom. . . they glorified him not as god , neither were thankful ; therefore god gave them up to a reprobate mind . and generally , concerning all others , the scripture teacheth us , that a return to a prophane fleshly life , after some reformation , hath a greater hazard in it than ordinary ; as appears by the parable , in mat. . . seven more wicked spirits re-enter ; where one that was cast out , is received again ; and , the last state of that man , is worst than the first . so also , pet. . . to this purpose is that of soloman , concerning the danger of continuance in sin , after many reproofs , prov. . . he that being often reproved , hardneth his neck , shall suddenly be destroyed , and that without remedy . these and many such like scriptures , satan hath in readiness , which he plies home upon the consciences of those that are troubled with the sense of sin ; telling them , that their hearts and ways being continually evil , notwithstanding all the courses that god hath taken to reclaim them ; that they having so long neglected so great salvation ; or that after having seemed to entertain it , became more sinful than before . ( which they will easily believe , because they are now more sensible of sin , and more observant of their miscarriages than formerly . ) there can be no question , but they are given up to vile affections ; and like the ground that bears nothing but briers and thorns , they are rejected , and nigh unto cursing , whose end is to be burned . the wound that is made with this weapon , is not so easily healed , as some others already mentioned ; because ( though satan do unduly wrest these passages , to such failures in the children of god , as have little or no affinity with them , for they only speak , of falling into open prophaneness with contumacy , yet ) they that have deep convictions , accompanied with great fears , do usually think that there are none worse than they are . and though they will grant , that some others have more flagitious lives , yet they think they have hearts so desperately wicked , that they must needs be under as great hazards , as those whose lives seem to be worse . . there is but one argument more , that carries any probability of proof for everlasting condemnation , and that is from an hard and impenitent heart . how satan will manage himself to make a child of god believe , that he hath such an heart ; is our last observation relating to his sophistry . and it is this , he unjustly aggravates the discomposures of the spirits of those that are troubled for sin , and from thence draws his arguments of irrecoverable damnation ; pleading that their hearts are seared , hardned , uncapable of repentance , and consequently of heaven . that final impenitency will conclude damnation , is certain , and that some have been given up to such a judicial hardness long before death , that they could not repent ; may not only be evidenced from the threatning of god to that purpose , mat. . make the heart of this people fat , &c. but also from the sad instances of pharaoh , ( of whom 't is said , that god hardned his heart ) and the jews who were blinded , rom. . . god hath given them the spirit of slumber , eyes that they should not see , and ears that they should not hear . but still the art lieth in this , how to make a child of god believe that it 's so with him . for this purpose he must take him at some advantage , he cannot terrifie him with this argument at all times . while he is acting repentance , with an undisturbed settled frame of heart , 't is not possible to make him believe he doth not , or cannot repent ; for this were to force him contrary to sense and experience . but he must take him at some season , which may , with some probability , admit of his plea , and nothing is more proper for that design , than a troubled heart ; so that he hath in this case , two things to do . . he disquiets the soul into as great an height of confusion as he can : that , . when he hath melted it into heaviness , and torn it into pieces , he may work upon its distractions . there are many things that fall out in the case of great anxiety of mind , that are capable of improvement for the accomplishment of this design . as , . distracting troubles bring the heart under the stupidity of amazement . their thoughts are so broken and disjoynted , that they cannot unite them to a composed , settled resolution in any thing , they can scarce joyn them together , to make out so much as might spell out their distinct desires , or endeavours ; they scarce know what they are doing , or what they would do . . they also poyson the thoughts with harsh apprehensions against god. great distresses make the thoughts sometimes recoil against the holy lord , with unseemly questionings of his goodness and compassion ; and this puts men into a bad sullen humour of untowardness , from whence ( through satan's improvement ) arise the greatest plunges of dispair . . most usually in this case , the greatest endeavours are fruitless , and dissatisfactory . satan ( though he be no friend to duty ) doth unseasonably urge them to repent , and pray , but 't is because they cannot do either with any satisfaction , and then their failures are matter of argument against them . for it they resolve to put themselves upon a more severe course of repentance , and accordingly begin to think of their sins , to number them , or to aggravate them , they are usually affrighted from the undertaking , by the hainous appearance of them ; they cannot , they dare not think of them , the remotest glimps of them is terrible to an affrighted conscience : the raising of them up again in the memory ( like the rising of a ghost from the grave ) is far more astonishing , than the first prospect of them , after commission . so true is that of luther , if a man could see sin perfectly , it would be a perfect hell. if they set themselves to beg their pardon by earnest prayer , they are so distracted and confused in prayer , that their prayers please them not ; they come off from the duty more wounded , than when they began . or if in any measure they overcome these difficulties , so that they do pray , and confess their iniquities , then they urge and force a sorrow , or compunction upon themselves , but still to a greater dissatisfaction : for , it may be ( and this usually happens in greater distresses ) they cannot weep , nor force a tear , or if they do , still they judg their sorrow is not deep enough , nor any way suitable to the greatness of their sin . . to all these satan sometimes makes a further addition of trouble , by injecting blasphemous thoughts : here he sets the stock , with an intention to graff upon it afterward . when all these things are thus in readiness , then comes he to set fire to the train , and thus he endeavours to blow up the mine . is not thy heart hardned to everlasting destruction ? how canst thou deny this ? art thou not grown stupid , and senseless of all the hazards that are before thee ? ( here he insists upon the amazement , and confusion of their spirit ; and 't is very natural for those that are drunk with the terrours of the almighty , to think themselves stupid , because of the distraction of their thoughts . i have known several that have pleaded that very argument to that purpose ) . satan goes on : what greater evidence can there be of an hardned heart , than impenitency ? thou canst not mourn enough ? thou hast not a tear for thy sins , though thou couldst weep enough formerly , upon every petty occasion ; nay , thou canst not so much as pray for pardon : is not this , not only a heart that doth not , but that cannot repent ? besides ( saith he ) thou knowest the secret thoughts that thy heart is privy to , do they not boyl up in thy breast against god ? art thou not ready to tax him for dealing thus with thee ? what is this untowardness , but desperate obdurateness ? and if with all these there be blaspemous injections , then he tells him it is a clear case that he is judicially hardned ; in that he acts the part of the damned in hell already . by all , or some of these deceits , the devil doth often prevail so far with men , that they conclude their heart to be so obstinate , so stupid , that 't is impossible that it should be ever mollified , or brought into a penitential frame , and consequently that there is no hope of their salvation . . there is but one thing more , ( besides the occasions which he takes , and the arguments which he makes use of ) relating to satan's method for the procurement of spiritual distresses , and that is his endeavour to strengthen these arguments , by the increase of fears in their hearts . what satan can do in raising up misgiving , tormenting fears , hath been said , and how serviceable this is to his design , i shall shew in a few particulars , having only first noted this in the general ; that as his design in these distresses , is raised to express his utmost height of malice against men , in pushing them forward to the greatest mischief , by excluding them totally from the lowest degree of the hope of happiness , and by perswading them of the inevitable certainty of their eternal misery : so he doth endeavour by the strongest impressions of fear , to terrifie them to the utmost degree of affrightful amazement , and consequently the effects of that fear are most powerful . for , . by this means , the spirits of men are formed and moulded into a frame most suitable for the belief and entertainment of the most dismal impressions , that satan can put upon them . for strong fears ( like fire ) do assimulate every thing to their own nature , making them naturally incline to receive the blackest , the most disadvantagious interpretations of all things against themselves ; so that they have no capacity to put any other sense upon what lies in their way , but the very worst ; hence are they possessed with no other thoughts , but that they are remediless wretches , desperate miscreants , utterly forsaken of god. they are brought into such a woful partiality against their own peace , that they cannot judg aright of any accusation , plea , or argument that satan brings , for a proof of their unhappiness ; but being fill'd with strong prejudices of hell , they think every sophism a strong argument , every supposition a truth , and every accusation , conclusive of no less than their eternal damnation . insomuch that their fears do more to discomfit them , than all satan's forces . a dreadful sound being in their ears , their strength fails them at the appearance of any opposition . as when fear comes upon an army , they throw away their weapons , and by an easie victory , give their backs sometimes to an inconsiderable enemy . . men thus possessed with fear , do not only receive into their own bowels every weapon which satan directs on purpose , to the wounding and slaying of their hopes ; but by a strange kind of belief , they imagine every thing to be the sword of an enemy . all they hear , or meet with , turns into poyson to them , for they think every thing is against them ; promises , as well as threatnings ; mercies , as well as judgments ; and that by all these ( one as well as another ) . god ( as with a flaming sword , turning every way ) doth hinder their access to the tree of life . bilney the martyr ( as latimer in his sermons reports of him ) after his denial of the truth , was under such horrours of conscience , that his friends were forced to stay with him night and day . no comforts would serve : if any comfortable place of scripture was offered to him , it was as if a man should cut him through with a sword. nothing did him good , he thought that all scriptures made against him , and sounded to his condemnation . neither is it so rare a thing for fears to form the imagination into such mishapen apprehensions , as that we should think such instances to be only singular and unusual ; but 't is a common effect of terrour , which few or none escape that are under spiritual distresses . the blackness of their thoughts , make the whole scripture seem black to them : the unfit medium through which they look , doth discolour every object . so that the book of life ( as mrs. kath. bretterge , in the like case , expressed her self , concerning the bible ) seems to be nothing else but a book of death to them . . from hence it follows , that no counsel , or advice , can take place with them . excessive fears do remove their souls so far from peace , that they will not believe there is any hope for them , though it be told them . the most compassionate serious admonitions of friends , the strongest arguments against despair , the clearest discoveries of the hopes that are before them , &c. effect but little ; while they are spoken ( it may be ) they seem to relieve them a little , but the comfort abides not with them , 't is soon gone : though they cannot answer the arguments brought for them , yet they cannot believe them ; as if their souls were now deprived of all power to believe any thing for their good . suitable to that expression of spira , in answer to his friends that laboured to comfort him : i would believe comfort but cannot , i can believe nothing but what is contrary to my comfort . nay , when they are told , that many others have been under the like dreadful apprehensions of everlasting misery , who have at last been comforted , ( and by manifold experience , we find , that it is the greatest ease to distressed souls , to hear ( especially to speak with ) some that have been in the like case ; for this will oft administer some hope , that they also may at last be comforted , when the most comfortable promises of the scripture , are a terrour to them ) . yet this doth not effect the least ease for them sometimes , because some are so wholly possessed with unalterable prejudice against themselves ; that they think none are , or ever were like them . they compare themselves to judas and cain , and think their iniquity to be aggravated by many circumstances , far beyond the pitch of them . thus spira judged of himself ; i tell you ( saith he ) my case is mine own , 't is singular , none like it . . though fears make the soul unactive to any thing of comfort , because they wholly destroy its inclination , and alter its byas to hope ; yet on the contrary , they make it very nimble , and active to pursue the conclusions of misery , which they have helped to frame . for the spring of all the faculties of the soul are bent that way . hence it is , that those who are possessed with these agonies , will eagerly plead against themselves , and with an admirable subtilty , will frame arguments against their peace , coin distinctions , and make strange evasions to escape the force of any consolation that may be offered to them ; their understandings are , as it were , whetted by their fears to an unimaginable quickness . who would not wonder to hear the replies that some will give to the arguings of their friends , that labour to comfort them ? what strange answers spira gave to those that pleaded with him ? how easily he seemed to turn off the example of peter denying christ , and those scriptures that speak of god's love to mankind , &c. may be seen at large in his narrative . . fears , by a strange kind of witchcraft , do not only make them believe that they shall be unhappy , but also will at last perswade them , that they feel and see their misery already . how astonishingly doth spira speak to this purpose ? i find , he daily more and more hardens me , i feel it . answerable to this ( i remember ) was the case of one who was long imprisoned in deep distresses : he told me , that he verily believed that scripture of isa . . . was fulfilled upon him , from one sabbath to another , shall all flesh come to worship before me , and they shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me : for their worm shall not die , neither shall their fire be quenched , and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh . to his own feeling , he had the torments of conscience , and the sense of divine wrath was as a burning fire within him ; and to his apprehension , every look from others , was a gazing upon him as a monster of misery , abhorred of all flesh . the nature of spiritual distresses , and satan's method in working them , being explained , the last thing promised , is now to be opened . this is , . the burthen and weight of these distresses , which how grievous , how intollerable it is , may be sufficiently seen in what hath been already said , and may be further evidenced in the particulars following . . those that are wounded with these fiery darts , do at first usually conceal their wound , and smother their grief , being ashamed to declare it ; partly , because some great transgression ( it may be ) hath kindled all this fire in their bosoms , and this they are unwilling to declare to others . partly , because they suspect ( though no one remarkable sin hath occasioned these troubles ) that the discovery of their case , will expose them to the wonder and censures of all that shall hear of them . by this means the fire burns with greater vehemency : their sore runs continually , and having none to speak a word in season for the least relief , it becomes more painful and dangerous . as bodily distempers concealed by a foolish modesty from the physician , increase the trouble and hazard of the patient . here have they many struglings within themselves , many attempts to overcome their fears , but all in vain ; they sit alone and keep silence , they flee the company and society of men ; they labour after solitary places , where they may weep with freedom , ( if their tears be not yet dried up ) or at least where they may pour out their complaints against themselves , they meditate nothing but their misery ; they can fix their thoughts upon nothing else ; they chatter as a crane , or swallow , they mourn as a dove ; they are as a pellican in the wilderness , as an owl in the desart , but still without ease . they are but as those that are snared in dens , and prison-houses ; who the longer they lie there , have the less patience to bear the present unhappiness , and the less hope to be delivered from it . . when they are tired out with private conflicts , and have no rest or intermission of trouble , then at last they are forced to speak ; and having once begun to open their troubles , they care not who knows it . if there be any heinous sin at the bottom , their consciences are forced to confess it : wickedness ( that was once sweet in his mouth ) is turned in his bowels , it is the gall of asps within him . thus doth god make men to vomit up what they had swallowed down . terrours chase away all shame , they can now freely speak against their sin , with the highest aggravations . and if their consciences have not an heinous crime to accuse them of in particular , yet in the general they will judg and condemn themselves , as the most stubborn , sinful , or hardned wretches , justly branded with indelible characters of the wrath of god. however the distress becomes greater , if they truly accuse themselves of any particular sin , that vomit is not without a violence offered to nature , which otherwise would cover its shame . it cannot be done without sickness , straining and torture ; and when it is done , they take it for granted , that every one passeth the same judgment upon them , which they do upon themselves ; and the frequent speaking doth confirm their minds in their fearful expectations . for what men do accustom themselves to assert , that they do more confidently believe . if they only complain of themselves in the general , with any intentions of procurement of pity , ( as is usual for the distressed to do ) yet while they cry out to others , is this nothing to you , all you that pass by ? is there any sorrow like to my sorrow ? &c. still they think their stroak is heavier than their groaning , and their cry to others , doth strongly fix this apprehension in themselves , that none can be more miserable than they . thus are they brought to job's condition , job . . though i speak , my grief is not asswaged ; and though i forbear , what am i eased ? . all this while they are under an expressible sense of divine wrath. heman speaks his apprehensions of it , under the similitude of the most hideous , and dismal , comfortless imprisonment , psal . . . thou hast laid me in the lowest pit , in darkness , in the deeps . david , in psal . . . compares it to the sorrows of death , and ( the highest that humane thoughts can reach ) the pains of hell : the sorrows of death compass me , and the pains of hell gat hold upon me ; i found trouble and sorrow . well might they thus judg , all things considered , for sin ( that then lies heavy upon them ) is a great weight , a burthen ( saith david ) greater than i can bear ; especially when 't is pressed on by an heavy hand , thy hand presseth me sore . sin makes the greatest wound , considering the conscience , which is wounded by it , is the tenderest part , and of exquisite sense . ( hence the grief of it is compared to the pain of a running fretting ulcer , that distempers the whole body : ( my wounds stink and are corrupted ; my sore ran in the night and ceased not ) or to the pain of broken and shattered bones . psal . . . there is no soundness in my flesh , because of thine anger ; neither is there any rest in my bones , because of my sin. ) the instrument also that makes the wound is sharp , and cuts deep , ( 't is sharper than a two-edged sword ) but when the weapon is poysoned ( and satan hath a way to do that ) then it burns , making painful malignant inflammations . the wrath of god expressed to the conscience , brings the greatest terrour ; who knows the power of thine anger ? psal . . . it is impossible for the most trembling conscience , or most jealous fears , to go to the utmost bounds of it , neither can we apprehend any torture greater ; the rack , tortures , fire , gibbets , &c. are all nothing to it . hence is it that those who were afraid of suffering for truth , when by this means they were brought under these distresses , could then be willing to suffer any torment on the body ; yea , and heartily wish to suffer much more , so that these tortures might be ended . thus it was with bainham martyr , who in the publick congregation bewailed his abjuration of the truth , and prayed all his hearers rather to die by and by , than to do as he had done . but that of spira , seems almost beyond belief ; thus speaks he to vergerius : if i could conceive but the least spark of hope of a better estate hereafter , i would not refuse to endure the most heavy weight of the wrath of that great god , yea , for twenty thousand years , so that i might at length attain to the end of that misery . — what dreadful agonies were these , that put him to these wishes ? but 't is less wonder , if you observe what apprehensions he had of his present trouble , he judged it worse than hell it self . ( and if you would have a lively exposition of david's expression , the pains of hell , &c. you may fetch it from this instance ) ; my present estate ( saith he ) i now account worse , than if my soul ( separated from my body ) were with judas and the rest of the damned ; and therefore i desire rather to be there , than thus to live in the body . so that if you imagine a man crusht under the greatest weight , wounded in the most tender parts , and those wounds provoked by the sharpest corrosives , his bones all disjoynted and broken , pined also with hunger and thirst , and in that case put under the highest tortures ; yet you have but a very shadow of divine wrath : add to all these ( according to spira's wish ) twenty thousand years of hell it self , yet all is nothing to that which a distressed mind supposeth ; while the word eternity presents the soul with the total sum of utmost misery all at once . oh unexpressible burthen of a distressed mind ! who can understand it truly , but he that feels it ? how terribly is the mind of man shaken with terrours , as the wilderness by a mighty wind ! which not only produceth violent motions , but also hideous noise , murmur , and howling . . this burthen upon the mind , forceth the tongue to vent its sorrow in the saddest accent of most doleful out-crys , their whole language is lamentation ; but when the pangs of their agonies come upon them , ( for their distresses have their fits ) then they speak in the bitterness of their souls . oh! ( said bainham ) i would not for all the worlds good , feel such an hell in my conscience again . one ( formerly mentioned ) in these distresses , crys out ; wo , wo , wo ! a woful , a wretched , a forsaken woman ! it would surely have made a man's hair to stand upright for dread , to have heard spira roaring out that terrible sentence : how dreadful is it to fall into the hands of the living god ? or to have heard his reply to him that told of his being at venice , o cursed day ! ( saith he ) o cursed day ! o that i had never gone thither , would god i had then died ! &c. the like out-crys had david often , psal . . . my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? why art thou so far from helping me , and from the words of my roaring ? and heman , psal . . . lord , why castest thou off my soul , why hidest thou thy face from me ? 't is true , david's and heman's words , have a better complexion than those others last mentioned , but their disquiet of heart seems ( at sometimes ) to have urged their expressions with impetuous violence ; as those passages seem to say , psal . . . i have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart . psal . . . my bones waxed old , through my roaring all the day long . job . . my roarings are poured out like water . if their lamentations were turned into roarings , and those roarings were like the breaking in of a flood , and that flood of so long continuance , that it dried up the marrow of the bones , we may safely imagine , that they were not so much at leasure to order their words , but that their tongues might speak in that dialect which is proper to astonishment , and distress . . though the mind be the principal seat of these troubles , yet the body cannot be exempted from a copartnership in these sorrows . notwithstanding this is so far from abating the trouble , that it increaseth it by a circulation . the pains of the body , contracted by the trouble of the mind , are communicated again to the fountain from whence they came , and reciprocally augment the disquiet of the mind . the body is weakned , their strength poured out like water ; they are withered like grass ; pined as a skin , become as a bottle in the smoak : thus david frequently complains , psal . . . he describes himself as reduced to a skeliton : i am poured out like water , and all my bones are out of joynt : my heart is like wax , it is melted in the midst of my bowels ; my strength is dried up like a potsherd , my tongue cleaveth to my jaws , and thou hast brought me to the dust of death . neither is this his peculiar case , but the common effect of spiritual distresses , psal . . . when thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity , thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth. . being thus distressed for their souls , they cast off all care of their bodies , estates , families , and all their outward concerns whatsoever . and no wonder , for being perswaded that they have made shipwrack of their souls , they judg the rest are not worth the saving . . giving all for lost , they usually cast about for some ease to their minds , by seeking after the lower degrees of misery , hearing , or supposing that all are not tormented alike , they endeavour to perswade themselves of a cooler hell. this if they could reach it , were but poor comfort , and little to their satisfaction ; but as poor as it is , it is usually denied to them , for while they judg themselves to be the greatest sinners , they cannot but adjudg themselves to the greatest torments : and these endeavours being frustrated , they return back to themselves , ( as now hopeless of the least case ) worse than before . now they fix themselves upon the deep contemplations of their misery : oh ( think they ) how great had our happiness been , if we had been made toads , serpents , worms , or any thing but men ! for then should we never have known this vnhappiness ; and this begets a thousand vain wishes . oh that we had never been born ! or that death could annihilate us ! or that as soon as we had been born , we had died ! ( as job speaks ) job . . , . why died i not from the womb ? why did i not give up the ghost , when i came out of the belly ? ) for then had we not contracted so much guilt . or that the mountains and hills could fall upon us , and cover us from the face of our judge . . when all their hopes are thus dashed , and ( like a shipwracked-man on a plank ) they are still knocked down with new waves , all their endeavours being still frustrated , they seem to themselves to be able to hold out no longer ; then they give over all further enquiries , and the use of means , they refuse to pray , read , hear . they perceive ( as spira said ) that they pray to their own condemnation ; and that all is to no purpose . they are weary of their groanings , psal . . . their eyes fail with looking up ; their knees are feeble , their hands hang down . and as heman , psal . . , . they count themselves with those that go down to the pit , free among the dead , like the slain that lie in the grove , whom god remembreth no more . thus they lie down under their burthen , and while they find it so hard to be born , 't is usual for them to come to the utmost point of desperateness . ( satan suggesting and forwarding them . ) sometimes they open their mouths with complaints against god , and blaspheme . and ( as the last part of the tragedy ) being weary of themselves , they seek to put an end to their present misery , by putting an end to their lives . i have presented you with satan's stratagems , against the peace of god's children : the remedies against these and other subtilties of our grand enemy , i shall not offer you , because many others have done that already , to whose writings i must refer you . some principal directions i have pointed at in the way , and in the general have done this for the help of the tempted , that i have endeavoured to shew them the methods of the tempter , which is no small help to preserve men from being thus imposed upon , and to recover out of his snare those that are . 't is a great preservative from sickness , and no mean advantage to the cure , to have a discovery of the disease , and the causes of it . i shall conclude these discoveries with a caution or two . . let none think worse of the serious practice of holy strictness in religion , because these spiritual distresses do sometimes befal those that are conscientiously careful in the ways of god , while the prophane and negligent professors , are strangers to such trials . these troubles are indeed very sad ; but a sensless , careless state is far worse : these troubles often end very comfortably , whereas the other end ( except god make them sensible , by conviction of their sin and danger ) in that real misery , the fears whereof occasion these sorrows to god's children . and the danger of spiritual troubles is not so great as is that of an hardned heart , ( nay , god frequently makes use of them to prevent eternal ruine ) for one that goes roaring to the pit , there are thousands that go laughing to hell. . let none slight , or scoff at these tremendous judgments . 't is too common with men , either to ascribe spiritual troubles to melancholy , as if none were ever thus concerned , but such , as by too much seriousness in religion , are become mad , ( a fair pretence for carelessness ) or to a whining dissimulation : to the former i have said something before , and as for the latter , i shall only reply in the words of spira , to one that objected hypocrisie to him : i am a cast-away , a vessel of wrath , yet dare you call it dissembling and frenzy , and can mock at the formidable example of the heavy wrath of god , that should teach you fear and terrour ? but 't is natural to the flesh to speak ( either out of malice or ignorance ) perversly of the work of god. . let none be afraid of this goliah , let no man's heart faint because of him . a fear of caution and diligence to avoid his snares , is a necessary duty , ( be sober , be vigilant , because your adversary the devil , &c. ) but a discouraging distrustful fear , is a dishonourable reflection upon god's power and promises to help us , and upon the captain of our salvation , who goeth out before us : let us hold on in the practice of holiness , and not be afraid . the god of peace shall tread down satan under our feet shortly . amen . daemonologia sacra : or , a treatise of satans temptations . the third part. containing an account of the combate betwixt christ and satan , in matth. . wherein the deep subtilty of satan , in managing those temptations , is laid open , as the grand instance of the sum of his policy in all his assaults upon men ; leading to a consideration of many temptations in particular , and of special directions for resistance . by r. g. heb. . . — he was tempted in all points like as we are , yet without sin. london , printed by j. d. for richard randel , and peter maplisden , booksellers in new-castle upon tine , . part . iii. matth . . . then was jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness , to be tempted of the devil . chap. i. the first circumstance of the combate . the time when it happened . the two solemn seasons of temptation . the reasons thereof . i shall here consider the great temptation which it pleased our lord christ to submit unto , as a most famous instance for confirmation , and illustration of the doctrine of temptations already handled . the first verse sets down several remarkable circumstances of this combate ; all of them matter of weight and worth . as first , the time when this fell out ; not as a loose and accidental emergency , but as particularly made choice of both by god and satan , being most fit and proper for the design which each of them were carrying on . this is expresly noted in mat. . . then was jesus led up : but more fully in mark . . immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness ; manifestly directing us to expect something worthy of our observation in that circumstance : neither can we miss of it , when the things unto which this directs us , are so fully related immediately before . for we find in both these evangelists , ( which speak so exactly of the time of these temptations ) that christ was baptized of john ; this was in order to the fulfilling the righteousness of his office. as the priests under the law when they came to be thirty years old , entred upon their function , by washings ( or baptizings ) and anointings ; so christ ( that he might answer his type ) beginning to be about thirty years of age , was solemnly inaugurated into the great office of the mediatorship by baptism , and the extraordinary descending of the holy ghost ; by which he was anointed with the oyl of gladness above his fellows . to this solemn instalment the father adds an honourable testimony concerning him ; this is my beloved son , in whom i am well pleased . immediately after this was he carried to the place of combate . hence we may infer , that our entring upon a special service for god , or receiving a special favour from god ; are two solemn seasons which satan makes use of for temptation . often these two seasons meet together in the same person , at the same time . paul after his rapture into the third heaven , which ( as some conceive ) was also upon his entrance upon the ministry , was buffeted by the messenger of satan . sometime these two seasons are severed ; yet still it may be observed , that the devil watcheth them . when any servant of god is to engage in any particular employment , he will be upon him . he assaulted moses by persecution , when he was first called to deliver israel . as soon as david was anointed , immediately doth he enrage the minds of saul and his courtiers against him . it was so ordinary with luther , that he at last came to this , that before any eminent service , he constantly expected either a fit of sickness , or the buffetings of satan . he is no less sedulous in giving his assaults when any child of god hath been under peculiar favours , or enjoyments : the church after an high entertainment with christ , is presently overcome by a careless sleepy indisposition . though this may seem strange , yet the harshness of such a providence on god's part , and the boldness of the attempt on satan's part , may be much taken off by the consideration of the reasons hereof . first , on satan's part : it is no great wonder to see such an undertaking , when we consider his fury , and malice . the more we receive from god , and the more we are to do for him , the more doth he malign us . so much the more as god is good , by so much is his eye evil. secondly , there are ( in such cases as these ) several advantages , which ( through our weakness and imperfection ) we are too apt to give him ; and for these he lieth at the catch . as first , security . we are apt to grow proud , careless , and confident after , or upon such employments and favours ; even as men are apt to sleep or surfeit upon a full meal , or to forget themselves , when they are advanced to honour . job's great peace and plenty made him ( as he confesseth ) so confident , that he concluded he should die in his nest . david enjoying the favour of god in a more than ordinary measure , ( though he was more acquainted with vicissitudes and changes than most of men ) grows secure in this apprehension , that he should never be moved : but he acknowledgeth his mistake , and leaves it upon record as an experience necessary for others to take warning by , that when he became warm under the beams of god's countenance , then he was apt to fall into security . and ( this it seems was usual with him in all such cases ) when he was most secure , he was nearest some trouble , or disquiet : thou didst hide thy face , ( and then to be sure the devil will shew his ) and i was troubled . enjoyments beget confidence ; confidence brings forth carelesness ; carelesness makes god withdraw , and gives opportunity to satan to work unseen . and thus as armies after victory growing secure , are oft surprized ; so are we oft after our spiritual advancements thrown down . secondly , discouragement , and tergiversation is another thing the devil watcheth for . by his assaults he represents the duty difficult , tedious , dangerous , or impossible , on purpose to discourage us , and to make us fall back . no sooner doth paul engage in the gospel , than the devil is upon him , suggesting such hazards as he knew were most prevalent with our frail natures ; if he had not been aware of him , and refused to hearken to what flesh and blood would have said in the case . when god honoured moses with the high employment of delivering israel ; the hazard and danger of the work was so strongly fixed upon his thoughts , that he makes many excuses ; one while pleading his inability and insufficiency ; who am i , that i should go to pharaoh ? another while he urgeth israels unbelief , and a seeming impossibility to satisfy them of his commission ; after that he deviseth another shift , i am not eloquent , in the th verse . and when all these subterfuges were removed , ( satan had so affrighted him with the trouble and difficulty of this undertaking , ) that he attempts to break away from his duty ; ver . . send by the hand of him whom thou wilt send ; that is , spare me and send another : and till the anger and displeasure of god was manifested against him , he submitted not . in jonah the temptation went higher . he ( upon the apprehensions mentioned ) ran away from his service , and puts god to convince him by an extraordinary punishment . and when satan prevails not so far , as wholly to deter men by such onsets ; yet at least he doth dishearten and discourage them : so that the work loseth much of that glory , excellency , and exactness , which a ready and chearful undertaking would put upon it . thirdly ; the fall or miscarriage of the saints at such times is of more than ordinary disadvantage ; not only to others , ( for if they can be prevailed with to lay aside their work , or to neglect the improvement of their favours , others are deprived of the benefit and help that might be expected from them ) but also to themselves . a prevailing temptation doth more than ordinarily prejudice them at such times . the greatness of the disappointment under special service , the unworthy neglect , and unanswerableness to special favours are extraordinary provocations , and produce more than ordinary chastisments ; as we see in jonah's affliction , and the spouses desertion . secondly ; as we have seen the reason of satan's keenness in taking those opportunities ; so may we consider the reasons of god's permission , which are these . first , temptations at such seasons are permitted for more eminent tryal of the upright . on this account was job tempted . secondly , for an increase of diligence , humility and watchfulness . if these priviledges and mercies will not discourage satan , what will ? and if satan so openly malign such enjoyments , we may be awakened to hold them faster ; and set a double guard upon them . thirdly , for a plentiful furniture of experience . temptation is the shop of experience . luther was so great a gainer by this , that he became able so to speak to the consciences and conditions of his hearers , that the thoughts of their hearts were manifested by his speaking ; as if he had had an intilligencer in their own bosoms . hence did he commend prayer , meditation , and temptation , as necessary requisites for the accomplishment of a minister . this may administer matter of counsel to us in both cases aforementioned . if we be put upon eminent employments , or receive eminent favours . first , we must not be so secure as to think satan will be asleep that while , or that we are beyond danger . while we are receiving kindnesses , he is devising plots , and laying snares . with priviledges and mercies expect exercises and hazards . secondly , in particular ; we may receive something of advice from this consideration , in reference to both cases . . if god is about to employ us in any service , ( . ) we have little need to be confident of our abilities , or performance , when we know that temptations wait for us . ( . ) we must not only be sensible of our weakness , that we be not confident ; but we must be apprehensive of the strength and power of god to carry us through , that we be not discouraged . ( . ) we must see our opposition , that we may be watchful ; and yet must we refuse to give it the least place of consideration in our debates of duty ; lest it sway us against duty , or dishearten us in it . . if god be pleased to honour us with peculiar favours . then ( . ) though we must improve them to the full , yet must we not feed on them without fear . ( . ) we must not stay in the enjoyment , or play with the token ; but look to the tendency of such favours , and improve them to duty , as to their proper end . chap. ii. the second circumstance , christs being led by the spirit . what hand the spirit of god hath in temptations . and of running into temptation when not led into it . the second circumstance acquaints how christ was carcarried to the combate . in solemn combates and duels , the persons undertaking the fight , were usually carried to the place with great solemnity and ceremony : christ in this spiritual battel is described , as having the conduct of the spirit , he was led up of the spirit , &c. what this spirit was , is ( though by a needless and over-officious diligence ) questioned by some : but we need not stay much upon it , if we consider the phrase of the evangelists ; who mention spirit without any note of distinction : ( which of necessity must have been added , if it had intended , either his proper spirit as man ; or the wicked spirit satan ) directing thereby , to understand it of him to whom the word spirit is more peculiarly attributed ; ( viz. ) the holy ghost . or if we observe the close connexion in luke betwixt that expression of christ's being full of the holy ghost , and his being led by the spirit , it will be out of controversy , that the holy spirit is here intended . hence was it that beza translates it more fully ; jesus being full of the holy ghost , was led , eodem spiritu , of the same spirit ; and the syriack in matthew doubts not to express it by the holy spirit : and what else can be imagined ? when in this text the spirit that led him up , and the devil that tempted , are mentioned in so direct an opposition . he was led of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil . the manner of his being carried thither is expressed by such words as signify ( though not an external rapture like that of philip ) a strong inward motion , and impulse upon him . the spirit driveth him , saith mark. the spirit led him , saith luke , using the same word , by which the scripture elsewhere expresseth the power of the spirit upon the children of god ; who are said to be led by him . hence note ; that the spirit of god hath a hand in temptations . christ was led by the spirit to be tempted . this must not be understood , as if god did properly tempt any to sin ; either by inticing their hearts to evil , or by moving and suggesting wicked things to their minds , or by infusing evil inclinations , or by any proper compliance with satan to undermine , and delude us by any treachery or deceit ; none of these can be imagined without apparent derogation to the holiness of god , who tempteth no man , neither can he be tempted with evil : but what we are to understand by the holy spirit 's concerning himself in temptations , is included in these particulars . first , god gives commission to satan ; without which his hand would be sealed up under an impossibility of reaching it out against any . secondly , opportunities and occasions do depend upon his providence ; without which nothing comes to pass . neither we nor any thing else , do or can move without him . thirdly , the spirit oversees the temptation as to measure , and continuance ; the length and breadth of it is ordered by him . fourthly , the issue and consequences of every temptation are at his appointment ; the ways of its working for our exercise , humiliation or conviction , or for any other good and advantage whatsoever , they all belong to his determination . so that it is not improper to assert , that god and satan do concur in the same temptation ; though the ways of proceeding , with the aims and intentions of both , be directly different and contrary . hence is it , that the temptation of david , sam. . . and chron. . . are upon several regards , attributed both to god and satan . this note is of use , to remove those harsh interpretations which poor tempted christians meet withal , commonly , from such as have not touched their burdens with the least of their fingers . men are apt in these cases to judg , first , the ways of religion , as being ways ( at least in the more serious and rigid practice of them ) of intolerable hazard and perplexity ; and only upon an observation , that those who most addict themselves to a true and strict observance of duty and command , usually complain of temptations ; and express sometimes their fears and distress of heart about them . this is your reading , your praying and hearing . such preaching ( say they ) leads men to dispair , and perpetual disquiet ; and upon the whole , they conclude it dangerous to be religious above the common rate of those that prosecute it in a slow and careless indifferency . secondly , the like severity of censure do they use in reference to the spiritual state of the tempted ; as if they were vessels of his hatred ; and such as were by him given up to the power of this wild boar of the forrest to devour and tear . all kind of distresses are obnoxious to the worst of misjudgings from malevolent minds . the sufferings of christ produced this censorious scoff , let god deliver him , if he will have him . davids troubles easily induced his adversaries to conclude that god had forsaken him , and that there was none to deliver him . but in troubles of this nature ( where especially there are frightful complaining against themselves ) men are more easily drawn out to be peremptory in their uncharitable determinations concerning them . because the trouble it self is somewhat rare , and apt to beget hideous impressions : and withall the vent which the afflicted parties give by their bemoaning of their estate , in hope to ease themselves thereby , is but taken as a testimony against themselves , and the undoubted ecchoes of their real feelings . thirdly , their sins are upon this ground misjudged and heightned . vnusual troubles with common appreh●nsion argue unusual sins . the viper upon paul's hand , made the barbarians confident he was a man of more than ordinary guilt and wickedness . david's sickness was enough to give his enemies occasion to surmise that it was the punishment of some great transgression . an evil disease , ( say they ) cleaveth to him . those that were overwhelmed by the fall of the tower of sileo , and those whose blood pilate mixed with their sacrifices , were judged greatest sinners . but in inward temptations , this misjudging confidence is every way more heightned ; and those that are most molested are supposed to have given more way to satan . fourthly , temptations are also misjudged to be worse than they are . they are indeed things to be trembled at ; but they are not properly of an astonishing , amazing or dispairing consideration : as men areapt to think that view the workings of them at a distance . against all those unrighteous surmises , the poor afflicted servants of christ may have relief from this truth in hand , that the holy spirit of god hath a hand in temptations : and therefore it is impossible , that every where they should be of such a signification . were they in themselves no way serviceable to god's glory in the gracious exercise of his children , the spirit of wisdom and holiness would not at all have a hand in them . if under satan's assaults you meet with those that by such a harshness of censure , would aggravate your troubles , and so grieve those whom god hath sadned ; you may boldly appeal from them to him that judgeth righteously . and indeed if men would but consider in the saddest case of this nature , either . the end of the lord in permitting temptations which ( if seen ) would give an high justification of his dealing ; and force men to applaud and magnify his wisdom , rather than to censure it . or , . if they could but see the secret ways of god's support . how he acts his part , in holding them by the hand , in counterworking of satan , and confounding him under the exercise of his highest malice ; and also in the ways of his preservation and deliverance . or , . if the harmlesness of temptations when their sting is taken out were but weighted , men would change their minds as readily , as the barbarians did , when they saw the viper not effect that mischief they supposed upon paul ; and would see cause to stand amazed at the contrivances of so much power and wisdom , as can turn these to quite other ends and uses , than what they of themselves seem to threaten . this consideration will further express its usefulness , in comforting us under temptations . it might have been paul's great discouragement , that in his answer before nero no man stood with him : but this was his support , that god was with him . the like encouragement we have under all assaults of satan , that we are not left to our selves , but the spirit of god is with us ; and that he concerns himself on a design to over-see , and over-rule his work , and to put a check upon him when there is need . so that he cannot tempt as he will , nor when he will , nor in what he would , nor as long as he would ; but that in all cases , we may rely upon the great master-contriver , for relief , help , mitigation , or deliverance ; as there is need . in that the evangelists do not say that christ cast himself upon a temptation , neither did go to undertake it , till he was led to it , we note , that whatever may be the advantage of a temptation by the spirits ordering of it ; or what security from danger we may promise to our selves upon that account , yet must we not run upon temptations ; though we must submit when we are fairly led into them . the reasons of this truth are these : first , there is so much of the nature of evil in temptations that they are to be avoided if possible . good they may accidentally be , ( that is beyond their proper nature and tendency ) by the over-ruling hand of god ; but being in their own natural constitution evil , 't is inconsistent with humane nature to desire them as such . secondly , to run upon them would be a dangerous tempting of god , ( that is ) making a bold and presumptuous trial ( without call ) whether he will put forth his power to rescue us or not . now he that runs upon a temptation hath no promise to be delivered out of it . and besides , runs upon so desperate a provocation , that in all probability he shall miscarry in it , as a just punishment of his rashness . but enquiry may be made , when do men run ( uncalled and ) unwarrantably upon temptation ? i answer , many ways . as first , when men engage themselves in sin and apparent wickedness in the works of the flesh . for it can never be imagined that the holy god should ever by his spirit call any to such things as his soul abhors . secondly , when men run upon the visible and apparent occasions and causes of sin. this is like a man's going to the pest-house , thus do they , that though they design not to be actors in evil , yet will give their company and countenance to persons actually engagaged in evil . thirdly , when men unnecessarily ( without the conduct either of command , or urging an unavoidable providence ) do put themselves ( though not upon visible and certain opportunities , yet ) upon dangerous and hazardous occasions and snares . peter had no errand in the high-priest's hall ; his curiosity led him thither ; he might easily have foreseen a probable snare ; but confidently putting himself forward , where his danger was more than his business , he ran upon the temptation , and accordingly fell . the like did dinah , when she made a needless vagary to see the daughters of the land ; where she met with her sin and shame . neither do they otherwise , who dare adventure themselves in families ( whilst yet they are free and may otherwise dispose of themselves ) where they see snares and temptations will be laid before them . the case indeed is otherwise to those that are under the necessary engagement of relation , natural , or voluntary , ( if it be antecedent to the hazard ) to live in such places or callings , they have a greater promise of preservation than others can lay claim to . fourthly , those run upon temptation , that adventure apparently beyond their strength , and put themselves upon actions good or harmless , disproportionably to their abilities . the apostle gives the instance in marriage-abstinence , cor. . . which he cautions may not be undertaken at a careless adventure , for fear of a temptation : and by this may we judg other things of like nature . fifthly , they are also guilty , that design an adventure unto the utmost bounds of lawful liberty . those that have a mind to try conclusions , how near they may make their approaches to sin , and yet keep off from the defilement ; such as would divide a hair betwixt good and evil , have at best but a hair's breadth betwixt them and sin ; but how easily are they brought over that . like a man that walks upon the utmost verge of a river's brink , oft-times meets with hollow ground , and a dangerous slip before he is aware . sixthly , those also may be reckoned in the number of such as rush upon their danger , who go abroad without their weapons , and forget in the midst of dayly dangers , the means of preservation . thomas by his neglect slid into a greater unbelief than the rest of the apostles . david's unwatchful heart was easily smitten by the intelligence which his eyes brought him . they that would plead their innocency against temptation , had need to carry their arms , and preservatives still with them . this truth is a sufficient caution against the rash adventurousness of those who forwardly engage themselves in matters of temptation . as the former observation told us , temptations are not to be feared ; so this also tells , they are not to be slighted . the carriage of the philistines when the ark came among them , is matter of imitation to us . we may tremble justly when we hear of their approach ; but our hazard should be the whet-stone of our courage ; and our danger should bring us to resolves of a more stout resistance , that we may quit our selves like men . the apostle , gal. . . seems to imply ( when he tell those that were more severe and careless of others , that they may also be tempted ) that the best of men do little know what a change a temptation may make upon them ; a small temptation may be too strong for them , and may carry them to what they never thought of , nay , may break down the strongest of their resolves , and snap their purposes as a thread in a flame . it did so with peter , who was quickly overcome by that which he had with so much confidence undervalued . chap. iii. the third circumstance , the place of the combat . the advantage given to temptations by solitude . the third circumstance ( next to be considered ) is the place of this combat , the wilderness . to enquire what or where this wilderness was , is not only impertinent and useless , ( as to any thing we can observe from it in reference to temptation ) but also a matter of meer uncertain conjecture ; only they that would understand it of a place more thinly peopled , are expresly contradicted by mark . . where 't is said , he was with the wild beasts ; noting thereby a desolate and dangerous solitude , far remote from humane society and comfort . 't is much more our concern to seek after the reasons of his choice of that place , or rather among these many that are given to satisfy our selves with , what may have the greatest appearance of truth . they that think christ hereby designed to shew the uncertain changes and vicissitudes of outward things in this life ; or to point at the future low estate of his church in the world , that it should sojourn in a wilderness ; or to direct those that have dedicated themselves to god , to withdraw from the blandishments and allurements of the earth ; with a great many more hints of instruction , and document of that kind : they i say , that offer no other , seem not to attend to the true design of the choice of this place ; which notwithstanding is evidently discovered to have been done in order to the temptation . he was led into the wilderness to be tempted . the place then was subservient to the conflict , as the proper theater on which so great a contest was to be acted ; and if we shall but mind what special consideration was to be had of such a place ( a● howling desolate wilderness ) which may with ease pitch upon these following reasons . first , it pleased god to have an eye to the glory of christ's conquest , when in a single combat he should so remarkably foil the devil without any the least advantage on his part ; there being none that might be the least support or encouragement to him . secondly , the condition of the place , gave rise to the first temptation . for in that he hungred in a barren wilderness , it gave occasion to satan to tempt him more strongly to turn stones into bread. thirdly , in the choice of such a place , god seems to offer satan a special advantage in tempting ; which was the solitude and danger of his present condition . to omit the two former considerations ( as not altogether so useful , further than what i shall be engaged to speak to afterwards ) this last affords this observation : that solitude affords a great advantage to satan in the matter of temptation . this advantage ariseth from solitude two ways : first , as it doth deprive us of help . so great and many are the blessed helps arising from the society and communion of such as fear the lord , ( as counsel , comfort , encouragement from their graces , experiences , and prayers , &c. ) that the woe pronounced to him that is alone , is not groundless . christians in an holy combination can do more work ; and so have a good reward for their labour . they can mutually help one another when they fall , they can mutually heat and warm one another ; they can also strengthen one another's hands to prevail against an adversary . he then that is alone , being deprived of these advantages , lyeth more open to the stroke of temptation . secondly , solitude increaseth melancholy , fills the soul with dismal apprehensions ; and withal doth so spoil and alter the temper of it , that it is not only ready to take any disadvantageous impression , but it doth also dispose it to leaven , and sowre those very considerations that should support ; and to put a bad construction on things that never were intended for its hurt . this may warn us , to take heed of giving satan so great an advantage against us , as an unnecessary solitude may do . i know there are times and occasions that do justly require it , to seek a solitary place for the privacy of duty , or for secret lamentations , as jeremiah desired ; or to avoid the trouble and snare arising from our mixing with an assembly of treacherous and wicked men ; this is no more than care and watchfulness . but when these reasons urge not , or some of like nature , but either out of pettish discontent , or a mopish reservedness , we withdraw from those aids and comforts which are necessary for our support ; we do strengthen satan's hands against us , and weaken our own . chap. iv. the fourth circumstance , the end wherefore christ was led to the wilderness . holiness , imployment , priviledges , exempt not from temptation . of temptations that leave not impressions of sin behind them . how satan's temptations are distinguished from the lusts of our own heart . the fourth circumstance was the end. there was no other design in the main of christs being led up , and into the wilderness , but that he might be tempted . in this two things seem to be matter of equal wonder . first , why christ would submit to be tempted . for this , many great and weighty reasons may be given : as first , thus was christ evidenced to be the second adam , and the seed of the woman . his being tempted , and in such a manner , doth clearly satisfy us that he was true man ; and that in that nature he it was that was promised to break the serpents head . secondly , this was a fair preludium and earnest of that final conquest over satan , and the breaking down of his power . thirdly , there was a more peculiar aim in god by these means of temptation to qualify him with pity and power to help ; for in that he suffered being tempted , he is able to succour them that are tempted . heb. . . and having experience of temptation himself , be became a merciful high-priest , apt to be touched with the feeling of our infirmities . fourthly , the consequence of this experimental compassion in christ , was a further reason why he submitted to be tempted , to wit , that we might have the greater comfort and encouragement , in the expectancy of tender dealing from him . hence the apostle , heb. . . invites to come boldly to the throne of grace at any time of need . fifthly , a further end god seemed to have in this , viz. to give a signal and remarkable instance to us of the nature of temptations , of satan's subtilty , his impudency , of the usual temptations which we may expect ; as also to teach us what weapons are necessary for resistance ; and in what manner we must manage them . secondly , it seems as strange that satan would undertake a thing so unfeasible and hopeless , as the tempting of christ . what expectation could he have to prevail against him , who was anointed with the oyl of gladness above his fellows ? some answer , first , that satan might possibly doubt whether christ were the son of god or no. but the improbability of this i shall speak of afterwards . secondly , others attribute it to his malice , which indeed is great , and might possibly blind him to a desperate undertaking . but , thirdly , we may justly apprehend , the power of sin over satan to be so great that it might enforce him to the bold attempt of such a wickedness . we see daily , that wicked men by the force of their own wicked principles , are restlesly hurried upon acts of sin , though they know the prohibition , and are not ignorant of the threatned danger . satan is as great a slave to his own internal corrupt principles as any . and whatsoever blind fury is stirred up in man by the power of his lust , we may very well suppose the like in satan . fourthly , there is a superior hand upon the devil , that sways , limits , and orders him in his temptations . he cannot tempt when he would ; neither always what he would ; but in his own cursed inclinations and the acting of them , he is forced to be subservient to god's designs . and in this particular , ( whatever might be satan's proper end or principle ) it is evident that god carried on a gracious design for the instruction and comfort of his children . the end of christ's going to the wilderness , being that he might be tempted ; if together with this , the holiness and dignity of christ in respect of his person and office , be considered , we may note from it . that neither height of priviledg , nor eminency of employment , nor holiness of person , will discourage satan from tempting , or secure any from his assaults . the best of men in the highest attainments may expect temptations . grace it self doth not exempt them . for first , none of these priviledges in us , nor eminencies of grace want matter to fix a temptation upon . the weaknesses of the best of men are such , that a temptation is not rendred improbable , as to the success , by their graces : nay , there are specil occasions , and inclinations in them , to encourage temptations of pride , and neglect . he found indeed nothing in christ that might offer the least probability of prevalency ; but in the best of men , in their best estate , he can find some encouragement for his attempts . secondly , none of us are beyond the necessity of such exercises . it cannot be said that we need them not ; or that there may not be holy ends wherefore god should not permit and order them for our good. temptations ( as they are in god's disposal ) are a necessary spiritual physick ; the design of them is to humble us , to prove us , and to do us good in the latter end. nothing will work more of care , watchfulness , diligence and fear in a gracious heart , than a sence of satan's designment against it . nothing puts a man more to prayer , breathing after god , desiring to be dissolved , and running to christ , than the troublesome and afflictive pursuits of satan ; nothing brings men more from the love of the world , and to a delight in the ordinances of god , than the trouble which here abides them unavoidably from satan . this discipline the best have need of ; there are such remainders of pride , and other evils in them , that if god should not permit these pricks and thornes to humble them , and thereby also awaken them to laborious watchfulness ; they would be careless , secure , and sadly declining . this made augustine conclude that it was no way expedient that we should want temptations ; and that christ taught us as much , when he directed us , not to pray that we should not be tempted , but that we might not be led into the power , and prevalency of temptation . thirdly , the priviledges and graces of the children of god , do stir up satan's pride , revenge , and rage against them . and though he hath no encouragement to expect so easy a conquest over these , as he hath over others , who are captivated by him at pleasure ; yet hath he encouragements to attempt them , for the singular vse and advantage he makes of any success against them ; the difficulty of the work being recompenced by the greatness of the booty . for the fall of a child of god ( especially of such as are noted above others ) is as when a standard-bearer fainteth ; or as the fall of an oak that bears down with it the lower shrubs that stand near it . how the hearts of others fail for fear , lest they should also be overcome . how the hearts of some grow thereby bold and venturesome ; how a general disgrace and discredit thereby doth accrue to religion , and the sincere profession of it ; are things of usual observation . if such men had not in them something of special prey in case of conquest , his pride would not so readily carry him against the heads and chief of the people , while he seems to overlook the meaner , and weaker . out-houses , though more accessible , are not the objects of the thief 's design ; but the dwelling-house , though stronger built , and better guarded ( because it affords hopes of richer spoil ) is usually assaulted . neither do pirates so much set themselves to take empty vessels , though weakly manned ; but richly loaden ships ( though better able to make resistance ) are the ships of their desire . first , this may be applyed for the encouraging of those that think it strange that temptations do so haunt them ; especially , that they should ( in their apprehension ) be more troubled by him , when they fly furthest from him . the consideration of this , will much allay these thoughts , by these inferences which it affords : first , there is nothing unusual befalls these complainants . satan frequently doth so to others ; they cannot justly say , their case is singular , or that they are alone in such disturbances ; it is but what is common to man. if they urge the uncessantness of the devil's attempts ; christ and others have felt the like . if they object the peculiar strangeness and horridness of the temptation : ( as most unsuitable to the state of an upright soul ) christ met with the like . he was tempted to self-destruction , to distrust , to blasphemy it self in the highest degree . secondly , there is a good advantage to be made of them ; they are preservations from other sins , that would otherwise grow upon us . thirdly , these temptations to the upright do but argue satan's loss of interest in them , and their greater sensibility of the danger . the captivated sinners complain not so much ; because they are so inured to temptation , that they mind not satan's frequent accesses . he that studies humility , is more sensible of a temptation to pride , than he that is proud . secondly , this is also of use to those that are apt to be confident upon their successes against sin through grace . satan ( they may see ) will be upon them again ; so that they must behave themselves as mariners , who when they have got the harbour , and are out of the storm , mend their ship , and tackling , and prepare again for the sea. lastly , if we consider the unspotted holiness of christ , and his constant integrity under these temptations , that they left not the least of taint or sinful impression upon him ; we may observe , that there may be temptations , without leaving a touch of guilt or impurity behind them upon the tempted . 't is true , this is rare with men , the best do seldom go down to the battel , but in their very conquests they receive some wound . and in those temptations that arise from our own hearts , we are never without fault ; but in such as do solely arise from satan , there is a possibility , that the upright may so keep himself , that the wicked one may not so touch him , as to leave the print of his fingers behind him . but the great difficulty is , how it may be known when temptations are from satan , and when from our selves ? to answer this , i shall lay down these conclusions . first , the same sins which our own natures would suggest to us , may also be injected by satan . sometime we begin by the forward working of our own thoughts upon occasions and objects presented to us from without , or from the power of our own inclination , without the offer of external objects , and then satan strikes in with it ; sometimes satan begins with us , and by his injected motions endeavours to excite our inclinations ; so that the same thing may be sometime from our selves , and sometimes from satan . secondly , there is no sin so vile , but our own heart might possibly produce it without satan , evil thoughts of the very worst kind , as of murthers , adulteries , thefts , false witness , and blasphemies , may ( as christ speaks ) be produced naturally from our own hearts ; for seminally all sins , the very greatest of all impieties are there : so that from the greatness and vileness of the temptation we cannot absolutely conclude , that it is from satan , no more than from the commonness of the temptation , or its suitableness to our inclination , we can conclude infallibly that its first rise is from our selves . thirdly , there are many cases wherein it is very difficult , if not altogether impossible to determine , whether our own heart , or satan gives the first life or breathing to a temptation . who can determine in most ordinary cases , when our thoughts are working upon objects presented to our senses , whether satan or our own thoughts do run faster ? yea when such thoughts are not the consequent of any former occasion , it is a work too hard for most men to determine which of the parents , father , or mother , our own heart , or satan , is first in the fault ; they are both forward enough , and usually joyn hand in hand with such readiness , that he must have a curious eye that can discover certainly to whom the first beginning is to be ascribed . the difficulty is so great , that some have judged it altogether impossible to give any certain marks by which it may be determined when they are ours , and when satans . and indeed the discoveries laid down by some are not sufficient for a certain determination , and so far i assent , that neither the suddenness of such thoughts ( for the motions of our own lusts may be sudden ) nor the horridness of the matter of them , are sufficient notes of distinction . that our own corrupt hearts may bring forth that which is unnatural and terrible , cannot be denyed . many of the sins of the heathens mentioned in rom. . were the violent productions of lust against natural principles , and to ascribe these to the devil as to the first instigator , is more than any man hath warrant to do ; yet though it be confessed that in some cases it is impossible to distinguish , and that where a distinction may be made , these notes mentioned are not fully satisfactory , ther may ( i believe ) be some cases wherein there is a possibility to discover when the motions are from satan , and that by the addition of some remarkable circumstances to the forenamed marks of difference . fourthly , thought it be true ( which some say ) that ( in most cases ) it is needless altogether to spend our time in disputing whether the motions of sin in our minds are firstly from our selves or from satan , our greatest business being rather to resist them , than to difference them ; yet there are special cases , wherein it is very necessary to find out the true parent of a sinful motion , and these are , when tender consciences are wounded and oppressed with violent and great temptations , as blaspemous thoughts , atheistical objections , &c. for here satan in his furious molestations aims mainly at this , that such afflicted and tossed souls should take all these thoughts which are obtruded upon their imaginations , to be the issue of their own heart . as josephs steward hid the cup in benjamins sack , that it might be a ground of accusation against him : so doth the devil first oppress them with such thoughts , and then accuseth them of all that villany and wickedness , the motions whereof he had with such importunity forced upon them ; and so apt are the afflicted to comply with accusations against themselves , that they believe it is so , and from thence conclude that they are given up of god , hardned as pharaoh , that they have sinned against the holy ghost , and finally that there is no hope of mercy for them . all this befalls them from their ignorance of satans dealings ; and here is their great need to distinguish satans malice from their guilt . fifthly , setting aside ordinary temptations , wherein it is neither so possible , nor so material to busy our selves to find out whether they are satan's or ours in extraordinary temptations ( such as have been now instanced ) ; we may discover if they proceed from satan ( though not simply from the matter of them , not from the suddenness and independency of them , yet ) from a due consideration of their nature and manner of proceeding , compared with the present temper and disposition of our heart as first , when unusual temptations intrude upon us with an high impetuosity and violence , while our thoughts are otherwise concerned and taken up . temptations more agreeable to our inclination , though suddenly arising from objects and occasions presented , and gradually proceeding , after the manner of the working of natural passions , may throng in amidst other thoughts , or actions that have no tendency that way , and yet we cannot so clearly accuse satan for them : but when things that have not the encouragement of our affections are by a sudden violence enforced upon us , while we are otherwise concerned , we may justly suspect satan's hand to be in them . secondly , while such things are born in upon us , against the actual loathing , strenuous reluctancy , and high complainings of the soul , when the mind is filled with horrour and the body with trembling at the presence of such thoughts . sins that owe their first original to our selves , may indeed be resisted upon their first rising up in our mind ; and though a sanctified heart doth truly loath them , yet are they not without some lower degree of tickling delight upon the affections for the flesh ( in those cases ) presently riseth up with its lustings for the sinful motion : but when such unnatural temptations are from satan , their first appearance to the mind is an horror without any sensible working of inclination towards them ; and the greatness of the soul 's disquiet doth shew , that it hath met with that which the affections look not on with any amicable compliance . thirdly , our hearts may bring forth that which is unnatural in it self , and may give rise to a temptation that would be horrid to the thoughts of other men , but that it should of its own accord ( without a tempter ) on a sudden bring forth that which is directly contrary to its present light , reason , or inclination ; as for a man to be haunted with thoughts of atheism , while he is under firm perswasions that there is a god ; or of blasphemy , while he is under designs of honouring him , is as unimaginable , as that our thoughts should of themselves contrive our death , while we are most solicitous for our life ; or that our thoughts should soberly tell us it is night , when we see the sun shine . temptations that are contrary to the present state , posture , light , and disposition of the soul , are satans . they are so unnatural , as to its present frame , that the production of them must be from some other agent . fourthly , much more evident is it that such proceed from satan , when they are of long continuance and constant trouble , when they so incessantly beat upon the mind , that it hath no rest from them , and yet is under greivous perplexities and anxieties of mind about them . the consideration of this is of great use to those that suffer under the violent hurries of strange temptations . first , in that sometime they can justly complain of the affliction of such temptation , when they have no reason to charge it upon themselves as their sin. 't is one thing to be tempted , and another to consent or comply ; to be tempted , and not to be brought into temptation , is not evil. satan only barks when he suggests , but he then bites and wounds when he draws us to consent . secondly , that not only the sin , but the degree also ( by just consequence ) is to be measured by the consent of the heart , if we consent not , the sin is not ours , and the less degree of consent we give , the less is in the sin. matth . . . and when he had fasted forty days and forty nights , he was afterwards an hungred . chap. v. of christs fast , with the design thereof . of satans tempting in an invisible way . of his incessant importunities , and how he flyes when resisted . of inward temptations , with outward afflictions . several advantages satan hath by tempting in affliction . i am next to explain the fast of christ , the end and design whereof ( because 't is not expresly mentioned ) is variously conjectured ; not to insist in this discourse , which is designed for practice , on the controversy about the quadragesimal fast , that which i shall first consider , is the opinion of musculus , who ( upon this ground that his fast was not the principal thing , for which the spirit led him into the wilderness , for he was led not to fast , but to be tempted , thereupon ) concludes , that his was only a consequent of his solitary condition in the wilderness , and no other thing than what befel moses and elias , who being engaged by god to attend him in such a service where the ordinary means of the support of life were wanting , were therefore kept alive by him in an extraordinary way without them : thus he thinks the fasting was not ( at least principally ) designed , but that he being to undergo a temptation in a desolate wilderness where he had no meat to eat , there god restrained his hunger , so that he neither desired nor needed any . if we acquiesce in this , it will afford this doctrine . that when god leads forth his children to such services as shall unavoidably deprive them of the ordinary means of help or supply , there god is engaged to give extraordinary support , and his people may expect it accordingly . this is a great truth in it self , and a great and necessary encouragement to all the children of god that are called out to straits ; but i shall not insist on this as the genuine product of this fast . if we look further amongst protestant divines ; we shall observe it taken for granted , that christ fasted upon design , and this is generally reduced to those two heads . first , either for instruction ; as to shew that he was god , by fasting so long , and that under the trouble of molesting and disquieting temptations ; whereas the fasts of like date in moses or elias were accompanied with the quiet repose of their thoughts : or to shew that he was man , in that he really felt the natural infirmities of the humane nature , in being hungry : or to teach us the usefulness of fasting in the general , when fit occasions invite us thereto . or , secondly , for confirmation of his doctrine , to put an honour and dignity upon his employment ; as elias fasted at the restoring of prophesy , and at the reformation ; as moses fasted at the writing of the law : so christ began the gospel of the kingdom with fasting . however that these things cannot be spoken against , being conclusions warrantably deduceable from this act of christs ; yet these seem not ( in my apprehension ) to come fully up to the proper end of this undertaking of his ; which seems not obscurely to be laid before us , in that passage of luke . . being forty days tempted of the devil , and in those days he did eat nothing : where we see that his being tempted forty days was the principal thing , and that his fasting had a plain reference and respect to his temptation , thus far ( i suppose ) we may be secure , that we have the design in the general , that his fasting was in order to his temptation . but then whether this was designed as an occasion of the temptations , or as a remedy against them , 't is not so easy to determine . that one of those ( at least ) was intended , cannot be denyed by those that will grant that his fast related to the combat ; and it seems not to labour of any repugnancy or absurdity , if we say that t is possible that both these ends might be aimed at , and accordingly i shall proceed to observe upon them . there are only some other things to be first dispatched out of the way : as the continuance of the fast , why it was forty days , neither more nor less . though some adventure to give reasons for it , not only papists ( who according to their wont , are ridiculous and trifling in this matter ) but also protestants , supposing that some regard ( was or ought to be ) had to his fulfilling the times of the fasts of moses and elias ; yet i think 't is neither pertinent nor safe to determine any thing about it , only it observes to us that the continuance of this was a considerable time . we are more concerned to enquire whether christ was under any conflict of temptation all that time : which though some deny , lest they should favour a seeming contradiction among the evangelists , yet the words of luke are so express , [ being forty days tempted of the devil ] that no tollerable evasion can be found to cast these temptations to the end of the forty days ; for he tells us , he was not only tempted after the expiration of the forty days , but that he was tempted during the continuance of the forty days beside ; only there was a difference in the kinds of these temptations in regard of the way wherein satan managed them , and this also is fully set down by matth. [ and when the tempter came to him , ] which with the other expression of luke compared , shews us , that during the space of the forty days satan tempted christ , and yet came not to him till afterward , that is , he managed those temptations in an invisible way . hence we may note , that satan doth usually tempt in an invisible way and manner . to explain this a little , i shall evidence it by a few considerations . as , first , that he hath a hand in all sins first or last , and then it must needs be in an invisible way , his work is to tempt , to go about , laying snares to draw men to sin. wicked men are of their father the devil , and do his works . carnal desires are his lusts ; giving way to anger , is giving place to the devil , and resisting of sin is called in the general , a resisting of the devil ; &c. in all this work of satan , men do not see him ; when he puts evil motions into their hearts they do not perceive him , and therefore doth he his work in an invisible way . secondly , we have sufficient discoveries of these private paths of his : for ( . ) some time he tempts by friends , he tempted job by his wife , christ by peter . ( . ) sometime by external objects , as he drew out achans covetousness , and davids uncleanness by the eye . ( . ) sometime by injecting thoughts and motions to our mind . ( . ) sometime by exercising an invisible power upon our bodies , in stirring up the humors thereof , to provoke to passion or excessive mirth . all these ways ( of which i have discoursed before more largely ) are secret and invisible , and by such as these he most usually tempts . thirdly , the wiles , depths , secrets and devices of satan , which the scripture tells us are his most familiar ways and courses , they in their own nature imply a studyed or designed secrecy and imperceptibility . fourthly , he hath peculiar reasons of policy for his invisible way of dealing ; for the less visible he is , the less suspicious are his designs , and consequently the less frightful , and more taking . by this way he insinuates himself so into our bosoms , that he gets a party in us against our selves , before we are aware ; whereas in vain ( he knows ) he should spread his net , if his designs and enmity were discovered to us . this must teach us to suspect satan where we see him not , and so to converse with objects and occasions as still fearing that there may be anguis in herba , a secret snare laid for us to intrap us at unawares . if we again cast our eyes upon what hath been said , that christ was tempted all the forty days , it will then give us this observation . that satan is sometime incessant in temptations , and sets upon us with continued importunities . here we may note a distinction of temptations ( besides that of invisible and visible , of which i have spoken ) that some are movable and short sits , and as it were skirmishes , in which he stays not long , and others are more fixed and durable , we may call them solemn temptations , in which satan doth as it were pitch down his tents , and doth manage a long siege against us . of these last sort is this observation . thus he tempted paul , continuing his assault for some time before he departed . thus also he dealt with joseph who was sollicited day by day for a long time together . of these i shall note a few things . as , first , such temptations are not without a special commission . he cannot indeed tempt at all without leave , but in the ordinary course of his temptations he hath a general commission under such restraints and limitations as pleaseth the most high to put upon him , but in these he must have a special order , as we see in job's case . secondly , such temptations have also a special ground . either the present state and posture of our condition is such as satan apprehends highly advantagious for his design , and therefore he desires to have the winnowing of us at such a season ; or there are more than ordinary dispositions and inclinations in our heart to what we are directly tempted to , or to some other consequent design : these animate and encourage him to high resolves of prosecuting us more closely , upon an expectation that a continued sollicitation is most likely to prevail at the long run . thirdly , it is possible that such temptations may stand out against the endeavours of many prayers , and that we shall find they are not so easily shaken off as the viper that was upon pauls hand . paul ( cor. . . ) prayed thrice against the messenger of satan , that is , ( as estius and others interpret ) he prayed often and fervently , and yet it departed not . fourthly , such temptations give no rest nor intermission , men are haunted and dogged by them , what way soever they go , they still hear the same things , and cannot command their thoughts to give an exclusion to his motions , but still by renewed disputes and arguings , or by clamorous importunities , they are vexed and tormented : which surely shews an high degree of earnestness and impudency in satan . fifthly , these are consequently very burdensome , exceeding irksome and tiresome to us . paul calls them buffetings , for their trouble and molestation . satan so molested job in his affliction by inward accusations and troubles of terror , that as an overwearied man he cries out he had no quiet , and that he was disappointed of his hope of ease , in sleep , because he was then scared with dreams and terrified with visions . sixthly , these are also upon a special design on god's part , either to find us work , and to keep us doing , or to prevent sin and miscarriage ; to keep down our pride , lest we should be exalted above measure ; to awaken us from slothfulness and security , lest we should settle upon our lees ; or to be an occasion of his grace , and an evidence of his power in our preservation , satisfying us and others , that in the greatest shocks of our spiritual battel , his grace is sufficient for us . upon these , and such like designs as these , doth the most wise god permit it . seventhly , satan doth not attempt temptations of this kind but upon a special design , and that either because he hopes by a violent and pertinacious impetuosity at length to prevail , or that he would please himself to molest us ; for surely the crys and complainings of gods children are musick in his ears ; or at least , upon a design to discourage us in our services , and to make way for other temptations of murmuring , blasphemy , despair , &c. which are as a reserve or ambushment laid in wait for us . the inferences from hence are these two . that the children of god under such temptations may be encouraged under a patient expectation , by considering that christ did undergo the like assaults from satan : 't is in it self tedious and disheartning , but they may see , first , that this way of trouble is usual , and that to the best , and therefore they should not faint under it . secondly , that grace is sufficient to preserve from the prevalency of the most earnest temptations , even there , where our heavenly father thinks it not fit to preserve us from the trouble of them . when paul gives the highest security that the faithfulness of god can afford , that temptations shall not be above strength , or the ability that shall be given them ; he tells them they are not to expect always such aids as shall presently drive away the temptation that it must immediately vanish ; or that their temptations shall become light and contemptible , but that gods faithfulness will be no further engaged in the general , than ( . ) to make their temptations tolerable , that they may be able to bear them though not without much to do . ( . ) that the way of escape shall be concurrent with the continuance of the temptation , that though the temptation abide , yet we shall be aided under it . ( . ) that yet he is as careful of our help in temptations , as he is ready to commissionate them , when need requires , his resolves that we should be tempted , and his resolves that we should be succoured , they bear the same date . with the temptation he will make a way to escape . thirdly , that such temptations do not argue ( . ) either a likelyhood much less a necessity that they should prevail ; nor ( . ) any want of care and love in god ; nor ( . ) do they always evidence a more than ordinary proneness and inclination in us ; for christ ( who was most averse to the least of sin , who was highest in god's love , against whom there was no possibility he should prevail , yet ) was thus tempted . secondly , in such continued violences , it will concern us to make stout resistances , acording to the counsel of jam. . . resist the devil , and he will fly . object . but i have done so , and yet the temptation is the same , and still continues ? answ . first , 't is not enough to resist , but we must continue to do so . some make limited resistances , as besieged persons , that set a time for their holding out , and then if they be not relieved at that time , they yield ; but we must resolve a perpetual resistance , as long as the temptation lasts ; when one hand is beaten off , we must hold by another ; when both are beaten of , we must ( as it were ) hold by our teeth . secondly , in a faithful resistance , we may cast the whole matter upon god , and engage him in the quarrel , as david ; i will say unto god , why hast thou forsaken me ? &c. object . but how is it consistent with truth that the temptation should continue , when james tells us , that satan will fly upon resistance ? answ . . it may be , the resistance is not as it ought , and so the blame is ours ; if we be not serious , ( as some who defie the devil in words , and resist him by crossing themselves , things which doubtless the devil laughs at ) or if in the confidence of a presumptuous bravado , or if not with that humility and care that is requisite , it will be no wonder if he depart not . secondly , he doth fly at every resistance more or less , he doth give back , and is discouraged , and is a loser by every opposition . thirdly , though the scripture say that he shall flie , ( that is , sooner or later ) yet it doth not say , that he shall do so immediately ( though most usually he doth so , where he is peremptorily rejected ) but in some cases time must be allowed , for the devil ( as it is in chrysostom's comparison ) stands like a fawning dog scratching and waving his tail , and if any thing be given him , it makes him importunate for more ; yet though we give him nothing , we cannot expect that the first or second denial should make him cease his trouble ; as he hath been encouraged by former compliances , so will he not be discouraged , but with many and continued denials . if we consider the fast of christ , as an occasion designed by god for an advantage to the temptation , and then look upon his condition in the wilderness being under hazards from wild beasts , in want of necessaries , and without a possibility of supplies in an usual way , and also under the discomforts of cold and long nights ( for according to the conjectures of some this was about our october and november ) then we may observe , that 't is satans way , to second outward distresses and afflictions with inward temptations . we see the like carriage of satan , toward job . his affliction was followed with many temptations , all his friends , in urging him with hypocrisy , were no other than parties to satans design , though they knew it not apparently ; his wife is set on by the tempter , ( as the serpent against eve ) to provoke him to curse god and die . besides all this , whosoever shall consider , what inward workings of heart , spiritual trouble and conflict , his words frequently express : they will quickly find , that when god put job into satans hand , under that only limitation of not touching his life , he gave satan a liberty to pursue him with inward temptations , as well as outward vexations . when israel was pinched with the straits of the wilderness , satan was most busy with them , to put them upon distrust , murmuring , revolt , disobedient oppositions , idolatry , and what not ? david gives in his experience to confirm this truth , he never met with outward troubles , but he had also inward temptations with them , as fretting , disquiet , sad apprehensions of gods wrath , hast , distrust , fear , &c. as the relation of his several straits do testify . and besides these , the generality of god's children find it so , outward afflictions seldom pass alone ; when they have frightings without , they have fears within usually ; seldom have they a sickness , or meet with a sad providence , but they have satan busy with their souls , molesting their peace , or endeavouring to ensnare them . thus their feet are never in the stocks , but the iron enters into their soul. and for this reason is it , that outward afflictions and troubles are called temptations in scripture , because temptations usually accompany them , and they are indeed the solemn seasons , that satan desires to improve for that end ; and for that is it that luke expresseth that which we translate , a time of temptation , by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies an occasion or opportunity of temptation . the temptations that satan drives on , upon the advantage of an afflicted estate ; are these . first , to drive men upon impatient outbreakings against god , as the israelites in the wilderness , turn upon moses with this , hast thou brought us into the wilderness to slay us ? to this tended job's temptation by his wife , curse god and die , as 't is in our translation , which cannot in any wise admit of the excuse , that beza makes for her , as if she gave wholsome advice , to die , blessing of god ; because he reproves her sharply , as having spoken foolishly and wickedly ; but at best , 't is an ironical scoff at jobs integrity , dost thou bless god while thou art killed by his displeasure ? if it be not a direct suggestion of revengeful despite . at such times men are too apt to entertain cruel thoughts of god , and sadly reflective upon his mercy or justice . secondly , in this posture of affliction he strives to put them upon direful conclusious against themselves , as if god called solemnly their sin to remembrance , and that they are forsaken of god , and marked out for destruction ; the pledg and earnest whereof , they take these troubles to be . we way observe that david's afflictions awakened his conscience , to object guilt and miscarriage , so that he is as earnest to deprecate the marking and remembrance of his sin , as he is to pray against his troubles . for this see psal . . , . thirdly , he pusheth them usually upon contempt of religion , and abandoning the ways of god : we are too apt to blame religion for all our troubles ; and as we expect that our owning the ways of god should secure us from outward affliction , so when we find it otherwise , we are too forward to say , we have washed our hands in vain , &c. fourthly , the sin of distrust is another evil that he drives at ; he would have men conclude that god cannot , or will not deliver . can god prepare a table in the wilderness ? said the israelites , by the power of temptation , when they were distressed . fifthly , another evil aimed at in such a case , is , to put us upon indirect courses and ways to escape from our troubles . saul went to the witch of endor , when god answered him not . distresses naturally prompt such things , and a little temptation makes us comply , as is noted by the wise mens desire , give me not poverty , lest i put out my hand and steal ; distresses of poverty put men upon theft and unlawful ways . the reasons of satans tempting the afflicted are these . first , that outward afflictions are a load and burthen ; this gives a probability , that his designs may the better take place . 't is easy to overthrow those that are bowed down , to break those that are bruised , to master those that are weary and weak-handed . secondly , an afflicted estate is a temptation of it self , and naturally dictates evil things : it is half of his design brought to his hand , it affords variety of matter for a temptation to work on . thirdly , such a condition strongly backs a temptation , and furnisheth many arguments for a prevalency ; for troubles are serious things , they speak to the heart , and what they speak , they speak fiercely ; they represent things otherwise , than common discovery can do , and for the most part , they shew an ingenuity in multiplying fears , and aggravating hazard , and ascertaining suspected events , so that satan can scarce desire a fairer hit , than what these offer him . fourthly , they also give him the advantage of darkness ; for to such , their way is hid , and god hath hedged them in , they neither know where they are ; whether their trouble by a chastisement of sin , or for tryal , or for prevention of miscarriage , or to make way for more comfortable manifestations ; and as little know they how to behave themselves in their trouble ; or how and when to get out of it . in such groping uncertainties , 't is scarce possible , but they should be put wrong . fifthly , an afflicted condition brings on weakness and indisposition to duty , it makes the hands weak , and the knees feeble ; this made job to faint , this dryed up davids strength . the first assault of an affliction doth stound the soul , and put it into such a confusion , that hope turns back , and faith is to seek , and every grace so out of order , that a man shall be unable to do any thing of duty , in a comfortable manner . sixthly , in this case men are apt to conclude their prayers are not heard : i cry in the day time and thou hearest not , says david . hath the lord forgotten to be gracious ? and with such seeming probability is this urged upon us by affliction , that job professeth , he could not believe his own sence and knowledg in such a case . if i had called , and he had answered me , yet would i not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice . seventhly , afflictions strongly fix guilt upon us , and represent god searching out our iniquities , and enquiring after our sin. eightly , they imbitter the spirit , and beget impressions upon the mind , of very hard thoughts of god. ninthly , they violently push men on to speak unadvisedly : there is such a swelling ferment of the old leaven of impatience and distrust in the mind , that 't is matter of pain and difficulty to be silent , their belly is as wine that hath no vent ; it is ready to burst like new bottles ; and they are weary with forbearing , and cannot stay , and must speak let come on them what will. all these advantages doth an afflicted condition bring to satan ; and who can think that he who is so studious of our ruine , will be willing to miss so fair an opportunity ? first , this must teach us to have a watchful eye over affliction , though at all times we must expect satans stratagems , yet in troubles especially prepare for them ; according to the wise mans advice , in a day of adversity , consider . secondly , seeing satan takes advantage of the sharp humours of impatience and distrust , we must be particularly careful , not to touch too much upon the harshness of our troubles , because this is that that sets fretting and distracting thoughts on work . afflictions ( like the pillar of the cloud and fire in the wilderness ) have a light and darkness , and accordingly these that converse with the dark side of troubles , invenome their imaginations , and poyson their thoughts with dark and hideous conclusions , and in a word , draw forth nothing but the wormwood and the gall ; whereas those that study and view the light side of them , are full of praise and admiration , for the gracious mixtures , comfortable mitigations , encouraging supports , &c. which they observe . 't is wisdom then to keep upon the right side of them . though it be the design of god to turn the dark side of the cloud to us ; yet may we have a competent light to guide us , if we would improve it ; when the sun is set , the moon may be up . nay 't is our duty to strive to recover the right side of the cloud ; he hides that we may seek . if this fast of christs be consider'd as a remedy against temptations , then may we observe ; that solemn temptations are to be resisted with fastings and prayer . of this i shall forbear to speak , till i come to speak of christs answer , and the repulse of satan . matth . . . and when the tempter came to him , he said , if thou be the son of god , command that these stones be made bread. chap. vi. that christs temptations were real and not in vision ; that temptation is satans imployment , with the evidences and instances thereof . of satans tempting visibly , with the reasons thereof . next follows a particular account of those more eminent temptations wherewith christ was assaulted by satan ▪ before i speak of these , i must necessarily remove this stumbling-block out of the way , ( viz. ) whether christ was really tempted , or only in a vision . that this was but visionary , hath been supposed ; not only by some , whose conceits in other things , might justly render their supposals in this matter less worthy of a serious consideration . but also by very grave and serious men , whose reasons notwithstanding are not of that weight , as to sway us against the letter and history of these temptations : which give us a full account of these things as really transacted , without the least hint of understanding them as done only in a vision . for , first , 't is a dangerous thing to depart from the literal sense of what is historically related ; if we take such a liberty , we may as well understand other historical passages after the same rate , and so bring the history not only of christs suffering to a visionary and phantastical cross , but also of all the new testament to a very nothing . secondly , the circumstances of the temptation are so particularly set down ; as the devils coming to him , leaving him , taking him to the temple , &c. that if we may expect in any thing to secure our selves from a visionary supposition , we may do it in this history . thirdly , this imagination doth wholly enervate and make void the very end and design of christs being tempted : for where were the glory of this victory over satan , if it were only a visionary temptation , and a visionary conquest ? or where were the comfort and encouragement which believers ( from the apostles authority , heb. . . & . . ) might reap from this , that christ imagined himself to be tempted , when really he was not so ? nay how impossible is it , to make that expression of the apostle , [ he was tempted in all points like as we are , ] to agree to an imaginary temptation ? except we also say , that we are only tempted visionarily and not really ? fourthly , neither is it a plea of any value against this truth , that it seems to derogate too much from the honour and authority of our saviour , that satan should so impudently assault him , with temptations to worship him , and should carry him at pleasure from place to place ; when we find that he voluntarily submitted to higher indignities from satans instruments , and turned not away his cheek from those that smote him , spit upon him , and contumeliously mocked him , and at last submitted to death , even the death of the cross . as for those objections from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the pinacle of the temple , upon which scultetus thinks it was impossible for christ to stand ; as also the objection of the impossibility to shew the kingdoms of the world from any mountain : i shall answer them in their proper place , in the mean time i shall return to the verse in hand , in which i shall first pitch upon the general proaemium , or introduction to these special temptations , which is this , the tempter came to him . in this we are to take notice of the name given to satan , and also the way and manner of the assault , in that expression , he came to him . there are three distinct names given to him in these temptations . ( . ) his name satan , shews his malice and fury , which is the ground and fountain whence all that trouble proceeds , which we meet with from him . ( . ) he is stiled the temper , and that signifies to us , how he puts forth this malice , his way and exercise , in the exerting of it . ( . ) he is called the devil or accuser , expressing thereby the end and issue of all . from this name then here given , we may observe , first , that it is satans work and imployment to tempt men. we need not here dispute , whether it be proper to satan to tempt , that is , an soli , & semper competat , whether it agree to him only , and always , which some indeed affirm in such a sense as this , that men do tempt men as satans instruments , the world tempts as it is the object , and matter of temptations , but satan tempts as the proper author and engineer of temptations . others there are that think , that men can , and do properly tempt themselves , according to jam. . every man is tempted , when he is drawn away of his own lust ; but the question is altogether needless as to us , though we and others may be true and proper tempters , yet this hindereth not but that it is most true , that satan makes temptation his very work and business . and therefore not only here , but in thes . . . the devil is described by his imployment ; lest by any means the tempter ( or he that tempteth ) hath tempted you : which the ordinary gloss doth thus explain , diabolus , cuius est officium tentare . this name then is put upon satan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by way of eminency . implying ( . ) that though there be never so many tempters , yet satan is the chief . ( . ) that he makes temptation his proper imployment . that satan doth so , i shall evidence by these few notes . first , temptation is in it self a business and work. for if we consider either the work of any one temptation ( where satan is oft put to it , after suggestion to perswade , and after perswasion to instigate and provoke ; ) or if we consider what furniture , tools , means , and instruments are requisite , and what it may cost to bring all things together into fit order and method ; or if we think of the various ways and manners of temptation ; that some are mediate , some immediate ; some inward , some outward ; some moveable , some fixed and solemn ; some inticements to evil , some affrightments from duty , others invasions of our peace and joy ; or lastly , if we call to mind , what study , what art , what fetches and contrivanees the devil is sometimes put upon , we shall easily see , that it keeps him doing , and that he eats not the bread of idleness that hath that imployment to follow . secondly , satan gives up himself unto it , is wholly in it , he walks to and fro , goes about seeking advantages of this nature , compasseth sea and land to proselite men to his slavery , useth all means , upon all men , at all times , with all diligence ; hence was it , that latimer ( in his homely way of speaking ) called him , a busy bishop in his diocess , and excited the sluggish to learn laboriousness of the devil . thirdly , he takes a delight in it , not only from a natural propensity , which his fall put upon him , whereby he cannot but tempt , as an evil tree cannot but bring forth evil fruits : but also from the power of an habit acquired by long exercise , which is accompanied with some kind of pleasure ; and further , whatever pleasure may be supposed to arise from revengeful pride or companionship in evil , he hath of that in full measure , pressed down , and running over . fourthly , all other things in satan , or in his indeavours , have either a subserviency , or some way or other a reference and respect to temptation . his power , wisdom , malice , and other infernal qualifications , render him able to tempt ; his labour and diligence in other things are but the work of one that prepares materials and occasions ; his other business of accusing , afrighting , destroying , tormenting , are but the ends and improvements of tempting . fifthly , he cares not how it goes on , so that it go on ; as a man that designs to be rich , cares not how he gets it ; which shews , that tempting in general is his design . of this we have many instances , as ( . ) he stick not to lie and dissemble , he will tell them of the kingdoms of the world , and the glory of them , and a thousand fair promises which he never intends . ( . ) he will tempt for a small matter , if he can but gain a little , or but molest us , yet he will be doing . ( . ) he will not give over for a foil or disappointment . ( . ) he is not ashamed to tempt contradictory things , he tempted christ against the work of redemption , master spare thy self . he tempted judas to further it in betraying him . ( . ) any temptation that he sees will hold , he takes up with ; hence is it that he tempts not the jews now to idolatry , because he hath them fast in another snare , being strongly led to an opposition and contempt of christ . ( . ) he will sometime tempt where he hath not probability to prevail , even against hope . thus he tempted christ and paul. the use of the observation is this : if it be his business to tempt , it must be our work to resist . first , to resist is a labour , 't is not an idle formality , consisting in words of defyance , or a few ridiculous crossings , and sprinklings of holy water , or spitting at the name of him , as ignorant people are wont to do . secondly , we must give up our selves to this work , always fighting and opposing . thirdly , it will be necessary to make use of all helps , as prayer , fasting , the counsel and support of holy and experienced men. fourthly , we must also cast off all hinderances , whatsoever in us is apt to take fire , or give advantage , must be laid off ; as pride ( which doth prognosticate a fall ) and security , which betrays the best ; or presumption , which provokes god to leave those of highest attainments . secondly , in this general introduction , we may cast our eye , upon the way and manner of the assault ; when 't is said , the tempter came unto him , we are unavoidably forced to suppose , another manner of coming , than that whereby he tempted him for forty days together . and when we call to mind , that at his coming here mentioned , he carried christ to the temple , and from thence to a high mountain , and there propounded himself an object of worship ; we can imagine no less , than that satan here came visibly to him ; but in what shape or manner of appearance , it is altogether uncertain , though 't is most probable , it was not in the form of a brute , but in some lustre of majesty or glory , as an angel ; because a deformed , or base appearance , had been unsuitable to the boast of giving the kingdoms of the world , or to his desire that christ should fall down and worship him . hence we may observe : that satan sometimes tempts in a visible appearance , and by voice . first , the possibility of this , is evident from the apparitions of angels . satan is still an angel , and there is nothing of a natural incapacity in him as to an outward appearance to our eyes and sences , more than in glorify'd spirits . secondly , in the first temptation he did no less , when he used the serpent , as a trune to speak through , and an instrument to act by ; in possessions he speaks audibly , and evidenceth a real presence . thirdly undoubted instances may be given of satans tempting and molesting visibly . i deny not but there are a great many idle-stories of this kind , and a number of ridiculous figments , but it would be unreasonable and highly prejudicial to the truth of history , and the common faith of mankind to refuse credit to the serious accounts of sober men , because of some foolish and unwarrantable f●bles . what is related of luther , and his several troubles from satan this way , is evident in the story of his life . cyrillus tells us of one eusebius disciple of hierom , who when he was dying , cryed out of the devils appearing to him . the like is storyed of st. martin and others , and of these , you may read more collected by mr. clark. if we would enquire into the reasons of satans appearing thus , we cannot more fitly pitch upon any other than these . first , either he thinks a great affrightment necessary in some cases , and for that end appears : or , secondly , he sees his appearance needful , to give a greater evidence and certainty to the reality of the pleasures of sin which he promiseth ; that is the common ground of his appearing in the ways and designs of witchcraft . thirdly , or in the height of rage , when he perceives other ways not available , and when he hath to do with persons not ignorant of his devices , where he sees he hath no need of a visor , or covert ways of dealing , then he sticks not ( if permitted ) to tempt or molest openly . this must teach us not to wonder at such temptations , much less to judg those that may be so molested , as if satan had a greater share in them , seeing christ was thus tempted . chap. vii . the general view of these temptations . of satans gradual proceeding in temptations . of reserving a great temptation last . what a great temptation is , in what cases to be expected . of satans using a common road , in comparing these temptations , with the ordinary temptations of men. of the advantage satan takes of natural appetite , sense , and affections . i have done with the proaemium to the temptations . yet before i open them particularly , i shall take a general view of them . first , by comparing these with the other temptations of christ during the forty days . secondly , by comparing these with the temptations of men. first , then , if we compare these with the former temptations , and observe that we have no account given us of those temptations , but only in the general , that he was tempted , whereas these are particularly set down and recorded , we cannot apprehend less than this , that these last temptations were certainly greater and more remarkable temptations . hence no●e , that 't is satans method to be gradual in his temptations , and that be keeps his greatest temptations to the latter end . that satan is gradual in his temptations , this is true of him , if we regard , first , the manner of his proceeding , that he drives slowly , entreats gently , and is very careful that he do not overdrive men , but after they are accustomed to his way , he puts on imperiousness and commands them . secondly , if the matter of temptation be regarded , he is gradual there also . he tempts to little sins first , then to greater . i shall illustrate both these particulars by the example of thomas savage , apprentice to mr. collins vintener at the ship-tavern in ratcliff , who suffered in anno , for murthering his fellow-servant : he confesseth that the devil took this course with him ; he first tempted him to neglect of duty , then to contempt of ordinances , and prophanation of the sabbath , then to drinking , then to fornication , then to rob and steal from his master , and last of all to murther ; and takes particular notice that in this last temptation , to kill his fellow-servant , there was a violent and more than ordinary power of satan upon him , to instigate him to that wickedness . all this you may read at large in the printed narration of his life . the reasons of his gradual proceedings are , first , he would discover no more of himself in any temptation , than he is necessitated unto ; for the gaining his end , lest he cross his own design , and instead of drawing men to wickedness , scare or affright them from it . secondly , sins are mutually preparatory to each other , smaller proffers and temptations do insensibly prepare , and incline the heart to greater . secondly , that he keeps his greatest temptations last , is a consequence of the former ; for which ( besides what is now spoken ) these reasons may be given : first , there is provocation given him , in refusing his lesser assaults . his head is bruised by every refusal , he is set at defiance , which calls him out to stronger opposition . he perceives by often repulses that those with whom he hath to do are not subjects of his kingdom , and that his time is short , and therefore no wonder is it , if he assault most furiously , and with all his strength . secondly , there is also policy in it , when he hath brought down our strength and weakned our courage , then a violent onset is fair to procure him a victory . but because i mention a great temptation , it may not be amiss both for the further explaining of the text , and illustration of the matter , to shew what is a great temptation . these were great temptations to christ , and there are several things remarkable in them , which where ever they appear , they will denominate the temptation great , and the more of them are conjoyned together , and in higher degree , it may justly be called still the greater . as , first , in these temptations , we may note there were external objects , as well as insinuated suggestions ; inward motions are real temptations , but when they have the objects and things presented to the eye or the senses , then do they strongly urge . at this advantage the devil tempted eve , he urged her when the fruit was within the view ; thus he tempted achan , when the gold and garment were in his eye . secondly , these temptations were complex , consisting of many various designs , like a snare of many cords or nooses . when he tempted to turn stones to bread , it was not one single design , but many that satan had in prosecution . as distrust on one hand , pride on another , and so in the rest . the more complicated a temptation is , 't is the greater . thirdly , these were also perplexing , entangling temptations ; they were dilemmatical , such as might ensnare , either in the doing , or refusal . if he had turned stones into bread , he had too much honoured satan by doing it at his motion . if he did not , he seemed to neglect his own body , in not making necessary provisions for himself being now hungry . fourthly , these temptations proceeded upon considerable advantages , his hunger urged a necessity of turning stones into bread. his present straits , and the lowness of his condition seemed to speak much for the reasonableness of giving proof of his divine nature , by casting himself down from the temple , and of doing any thing , that might tend to a more plentiful being and support in the world. advantages strengthen temptations . fifthly , these temptations were accompanied with a greater presence and power of satan , he appeared visibly in them , and was permitted to touch and hurry the body of christ , and to depaint and set forth the glory of the world ( doubtless in the most taking way ) to the eye of christ . sixthly , the matter of these temptations , or the things he tempted christ to , were great and heinous abominations , ( a distrust of providence , a presumption of protection , and a final renunciation of the worship due to him , and transferring it to the most unworthy object , gods professed enemy ) and yet were they seconded by the strongest , most powerful , and most prevailing means , as his present straits , his infallible assurance of sonship , pleasure , and glory . where the matter is weighty , and the medium strong and pressing , there is the temptation great . seventhly , all these temptations pretended strongly to the advantage and benefit of christ , and some of them might seem to be done without any blame , as to turn stones to bread , to fly in the air. the more kindness of temptation pretends to us , it is the stronger . eightly , satan urged some of them in a during provoking way ; if thou be the son of god ? as if he had said , i ●are thee to shew thy self what thou pretendest to be . these kind of provocations are very troublesom to the most modest and self-denying , who can scarce forbear to do what they are urged unto at such times . ninthly , these temptations seem to be designed for the engagement of all the natural powers of christ , his natural appetite in a design of food ; his senses , in the most beautiful object , the world in its glory ; the affections , in that which is most swaying , pride , and delight in extraordinary testimonies ; of divine power and love , in supporting him in the air , &c. tenthly , some of these warranted as duty , and to supply necessary hunger , others depending upon the security of a promise , he shall give his angels charge , &c. the greater appearance of duty , or warrantableness is put upon sin , the greater is the temptation . by these ten particulars may we ( as by a standard ) judg , when any temptation is great or less . let us then take heed of small temptations , or the smoother proceedings of satan , as we would avoid the greater attempts that are to follow . where he is admitted to beat out our lusts with a rod or a staff , he may be suspected to bring the wheel over them at last . let us also after our assaults , expect more and greater , because the greatest are last to be looked for . this holds true in three cases . ( . ) in solemn temptations where satan fixeth his assaults , there the utmost rage is drawn out last . ( . ) in the continuance and progress of profession , the further we go from him , and the nearer to god , be sure of the highest measure of his spite . ( . ) at the end of our race : for if he miss his prey then , it is escaped for ever , as a bird unto its hill. but some may say , i am but a messenger of sad tidings ; and that by bringing such a report of gyants , and walled cities , i may make the hearts of the people to faint . i answer ; this is bad news only to the sluggish , such as would go to heaven , with ease , and in a fair and easy way , but to the laborious resolute souldiers of christ this is no great discouragement : for ( . ) it doth but tell them of their work , which as they are perswaded of , so it is in some measure their delight , as well as their expectation . ( . ) it doth but tell them , satans malice and fury , which they are assured of , and are most afraid of it sometimes , when it seems to lye idle and as asleep . ( . ) it doth tell them that satans thoughts concerning them are desparing , he fears they are going , o● gone from him . if they were his willing servants , there would be no hostility of this nature against them . i have thus compared these special temptations with those wherewith our lord christ was exercised during the forty days . i shall secondly , compare these temptations of christ with those that usually betal his members , in which there is so much suitableness and agreement , both in matter and manner , that it cannot be unuseful to take notice of it , which will the better appear in instances . first , then let us consider the first temptation of eve. gen. . . and when the woman saw that the tree was good for food , and that it was pleasant to the eyes , and a tree to be desired to make one wise , &c. here are all the arguments and ways summed up , by which satan prevailed upon her ; it was good for food , here he wrought upon the desire of the natural appetite ; it was pleasant to the eyes , here he took the advantage of the external senses . it was to be desired to make one wise , here he enflamed the affections . let us again call to mind the general account of temptations , in the joh. . . all that is in the world , the lust of the flesh , the lust of the eyes , and the pride of life ; where the apostle designedly calls all off from a love of the world , because of the hazard and danger that we lye open unto , from the things of the world , striking upon and stirring up our lusts ; which he ranks into three general heads , according to the the various ways whereby these outward things do work upon us , in exciting our natural powers and apprehensions to sinful lustings : and these are so fully agreeing with those three in eves temptation , that i need not note the parallel . let us now cast our eyes upon these temptations , and the suitableness of satans ways and dealings will immediately appear . when he tempted christ to turn stones into bread , there he endeavoured to take advantage of the lust of the flesh ( which in the joh. . i understand in a more restrained sense , not for the lustings of corrupt nature , but for the lustings of the body in its natural appe●ite , according to that ex●●●ssion of christ , the spirit is willing , but the flesh or body is weak : and if we should not so restrain it in this place , the lust of the flesh would include the lust of the eyes , and the pride of life , contrary to the clear scope of the text , for these are also the lustings of corrupt nature . ) when he further tempted him to cast himself down , he pushed him upon the pride of life ; when he shewed him the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them , he attempted to gain upon him by the lust of the eyes . from this proportion and suitableness of temptation to christ and his members , observe , that satan usually treads in a beaten path , using known and experienced methods of temptation . 't is true , in regard of circumstances , he useth unspeakable varieties in tempting , and hath many more devices and juggles than can be reckoned up , yet in the general he hath digested them into method and order , and the things upon which he works in us , are the same ; thus he walks his round , and keeps much-what the same track , not only in different persons , but also in the same men , using the same temptations over and over , and yet this argues no barrenness of invention , or sluggishness in satan , but he hath these reasons for it : first , because the same temptations being suited to humane nature in general , will with a small variation of circumstance suit all men ; their inclinations generally answering to one another , as face answers to face in water . secondly , these standing methods are famous with him , as generally powerful and taking , and it can be no wonder if satan practise most with these things , that have the largest probatum est of experience to follow them . thirdly , the more experienced he is in any temptation , the more dexterously and successfully still he can manage it ; so that we may expect him more cunning and able in what he most practiseth . this may be some satisfaction to those that are apt to think of themselves and their temptations ; as elias did in his perswasion , i alone am left . where satan useth any thing of vigour and fierceness , we are apt to say , none are tempted as we , none in like case , we are singular , they are peculiar and extraordinary temptations , &c. but 't is a mistake ; even that of solomon may be applyed to these , there is nothing new , nor any thing befaln us , which others have not undergon before us ; and would but christians be so careful , to observe the way of the serpent upon their hearts , and as they might , and so communicative of their experiences as they ought , the w●ak and heavy laden would not go so mourning under such apprehensions , as commonly affright them , that none were ever so temp●●d as they are , it would be some support at worst , when the most hellish furies do oppress them , to know that others before them were in these deeps , and as fearful of being overwhelmed , as themselves , and yet were delivered ; the deliverances of those that have escaped the danger , is ground of hope to those that are at present under it . the usual advantages that satan takes against us , is from our natural appetite , our external senses , or our passions and affections . all these are usual ways by which satan works against us , as appears from what hath been said , neither are any of them so mean and contemptible , but that we have cause to fear the power and influence of them . hence the scripture cautions descend to the eyes , look not upon the wine when 't is red in the cup. be sober , be vigilant , &c. th● appetite is not so easily kept in , but that it may prevail to gluttony and drink●●ness and some are so powerfully carried by this , that they are said to make their bellies their god. of the power of sense and affection , elsewhere hath been spoken . chap. viii . the rise of christs first temptation . of satans suiting his temptations to the conditions of men. of tempting men upon the plea of necessity . the reasons and cheats of that plea. his pretences of friendship in tempting , with the danger thereof . having thus considered these temptations as they lye before us in their general prospect , i shall now speak of this first special temptation in particular , in which ( . ) the rise , or occasion , ( . ) the temptation it self , ( . ) the argument by which satan would enforce it , are to be distinctly noted . first , as to the rise of it , it is questioned by some , why satan begins with this first , the cause they assign , ( in part at least ) is from his first success against eve , in a temptation about eating , as if this were the chief and most hopeful arrow in his quiver . but we need not go so far , when the evangelist is so punctual in setting it down , in the latter end of the former verse , he was an hungred . this the devil took notice of , and from hence took the rise of his temptation , that by turning stones to bread for the satisfaction of his present hunger , he might be induced to make way for the secret stratagems which he had prepared against him on this occasion . here i note , that where satan hath a design against any , he doth take the advantage of their condition , and suits his temptation accordingly . thus , if men be in poverty , or in the enjoyments of plenty , in sickness or health , if in afflictions , under wrongs , in discontents , or carried to advancements and honours , or whatever else may be considerable relating to them , he observes it , and orders his designs so , as to take in all the advantages that they will afford . that 't is his concern and interest so to do , we may imagine , upon these grounds : first , our consent must be gained ; this he cannot properly and truly force , but must entice and deceive us to a complyance with him . secondly , if our condition speak for him , and lye fair for the furtherance of any device of his , our consent is upon the matter half gained ; 't is much , if so powerful an advocate , as is our present state , do not influence us to an inclination . thirdly , this doth his work easily and effectually , he more generally prevails by this course , and with less labour . this policy of satan should advantage us , by suggesting fit memorials to us , in our expectations of temptation . though we know not all satans thoughts , yet may we know where and how he will usually make an onset , our condition will tell us what to look for . the distressed and afflicted may expect a temptation suited to their condition , as of murmuring , repining , revenge , distrust , use of indirect means , dispairings , &c. they that have peace and plenty may be sure they shall be tempted suitably , to pride , boasting , covetousness , oppression , contempt of others , security , or whatever may be fit to be engrasted on that stock ; the like may be said of any other different condition . how fairly are we forewarned , ( by an observation made upon satans proceeding upon these advantages ) where to expect him , and how to provide against him . let us proceed to a further enquiry , how the devil managed this advantage of christs hunger ; he plainly urgeth him with a necessity of providing supplies for himself , spreading before him his desire to eat , and the impossibility of help , in a barren and desolate wilderness , as if he had said , the want of the body is to be provided for , nature and religion consents to this ; the wilderness affords no help , ordinary means fail ; there is therefore a necessity that some extraordinary course be taken , therefore trun stones to bread ; this is not unsuitable to the condition and power of him who is the son of god. at this rate he pleads . observe then , that satan usually endeavours to run his temptations upon the plea of necessity , and from thence to infer a duty . when he cannot pretend a fair and direct way to irregular practices , he would break a door and force a way by necessity . under this notion of necessity , the devil marshals all those pretences , that seem to be of more than ordinary force , in their usual prevalencies . thus he teacheth men to think they are necessitated , if they be carried by a strong inclination of their own , or if there be an urgency and provocation from others , or if they be in straits and dangers ; and sometime he goes so high , as to teach men that a necessity is included in the very fabrick of their natural principles , by which they presumptuously excuse themselves in being sinful , because by nature they are so , and cannot be changed without special grace ; scarce shall we meet any man with seasonable reproof for his iniquity , but he will plead such kind of necessities for himself , i could not help it , i was strongly carried , or , i was compelled ; i must do so , or else i could not escape such a danger , &c. the reasons of this policy , are these . first , he knows that necessity hath a compulsive force , even to things of ( otherwise ) greatest abhorrencies : a treasury of instances is to be had in famines , and besieged places , where 't is usual to eat unclean things , not only creatures that are vile , but even dung and entrails ; nay so tyrannical is necessity , that it makes inrodes into , and conquests upon nature it self , causing the tender and dilicate woman , which would not adventure the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness , to have an evil eye towards the husband of her bosom , towards her son , and towards her daughter . a like force doth it exercise upon the minds and consciences of men , it makes them rise up against their light , it engageth men to lay violent hands upon their own convictions , to stifle and extinguish them . how many mournful examples have we of this kind ? how many have apostatised from truth ( being terrifyed by the urging necessities of danger ) contrary to the highest convictions of conscience ? secondly , necessity can do much to the darkning of the understanding , and change of the judgment , by the strong influence it hath upon the affections . men are apt to form their apprehensions , according to the dictates of necessity ; what they see to be hazardous , they are inclinable to judg to be evil ; men in straits not only violate their reason , but sometime by insensible steps ( unknown to themselves ) slide into a contrary judgment of things , directly cross to what they have believed and professed . which perswasion they owe not to any further accession of light , or new discovery of argument , ( for ofttimes , the same arguments which in the absence of trouble they have contemned as weak by the appearance of danger put on another face , and seem strong ) but to the prevalency of their fears . and thus many in all ages have altered their judgments and thoughts , not because they knew more , but because they feared more . the like necessities do men form to themselves from exorbitant and greedy hopes and expectations of a better condition , compared to that wherein they at present are , and the like influence it hath in the alteration of their judgments . let the bishop of spalato be an example of this , who loathed the romish religion first , and in england ( whither he came for refuge ) writ against it ; but saw a necessity ( from the disappointment of expectation ) to change his mind , returned to rome again , and perswaded himself that that was true which he had formerly pronounced false ; and so writ against the church of england , as before he had done against the church of rome . to him we may add ecebolius , of whom socrates reports , that ( according to the various appearings of hazards ) he changed his religion several times : under constantine , he was a christian ; under julian , a pagan ; and under jovinian , a christian again . thirdly , necessity offers an excuse , if not a justification of the greatest miscarriages . lot offered to expose his daughters to the raging lust of the sodomites for the preservation of his angel-strangers , which surely he would in no wise have done , but that he thought the present necessity might have excused him . esau profan●ly fells his birth-right , but excuseth the matter so , behold i am at the point to die , and what profit shall this birth-right do to me ? aaron produceth a necessity , from the violent resolves of the people , in justification of himself in the matter of the golden calf , thou knewest that this people are set on mischief . fourthly , necessity is an universal plea , and fitted to the conditions of all men , in all callings , and under all extravagancies ; the tradesman in his unlawful gains or overreaching , pleads a necessity for it , from the hardness of the buyer in other things ; the poor man pleads a necessity for stealing , and the rich pleads the same necessity for revenge , and thus it serves all with a pretext . these considerations discovering this course so hopeful , as to this design of the devil , he will be sure to put us to this pinch where he can . but besides this , we may observe three cheats in this plea of necessity . first , sometimes he puts men upon feigning a necessity , where there is none . saul sacrificed upon a needless supposal that samuel not coming at the time appointed , there was a necessity for him to do it . he spared also the cattel upon the like pretence , that it was a necessary provision for sacrifice . and thus would the devil have perswaded christ , that there was an absolute necessity to turn stones to bread , when in truth there was no such need . secondly , sometimes he puts men upon a necessity of their own sinful procurement . herod sware to gratify the daughter of herodias , and this is presently pleaded as a necessity for the cutting , off john baptists head . saul forbad the tasting of meat , and sealed the penalty by an oath and curse , and this is by and by made a necessity for the taking away of jonathans life , ( who had tasted honey not knowing his fathers curse ) had not the people rescued him . thirdly , sometime he stretcheth a necessity further than it ought ; he knows that god hath such a regard to real necessities , that upon that ground , he will dispence with his sabbath , and the present performance of duty . these instances he lays before men , and endeavours to perswade them , that in like manner god will ( upon a necessity ) dispence with sins , as well as with the present opportunity of service . what a covering ( in all ages ) men have made of necessity , for their highest outrages and extravagancies , and with what confidence they have managed such pleas , would be endless to relate . this must warn us , not to suffer our selves to be imposed upon , by the highest pretences of necessity . whatever it may dispense with ( as in some cases it will suspend a present service , and warrant the performance of a duty , besides the common rule and way wherein it ought ordinarily to be managed ) it must never be pleaded to give warranty to any thing in its own nature sinful . necessity will not justify lying , stealing , covetousness , adulteries , &c. besides ; we must be wary in judging what is a necessity . men are apt to plead a necessity where there is none , and if we give way to a facile admittance of excuses of this kind , we shall presently multiply necessities , and have them to serve us at every turn . some would warrant sin by necessity , others would turn off duty and rule by pretending a necessity where none is : both are to be avoided as snares of satan . once more ( before we dismiss this rise of the temptation of christ in hand ) let us observe that in perswading him to turn stones to bread , he seems to express a great deal of care and tenderness to christ , with an invidious reflection upon the love and providence of god ; as if he should say , i see thou art hungry , and this wilderness affords nothing to eat , and god hath not taken care to spread a table for thee , i therefore pittying thy condition , as a friend , advise thee to turn stones to bread. note , that satan manageth his most cruel designs , under the highest pretences of friendship . he did so with eve , the lord knoweth that ye shall be as gods ; as if he had a greater regard to them , than god himself . he tempted christ in the mouth of peter to spare himself , under the shew of great kindness ; and no less are his common pretences to all men. this is a deep policy , for by this means the mischief intended is the better concealed , and the less care and provision made against it ; and besides , the affections and desires are stirred up to an hasty imbracement of the motion , and an eager swallowing of the bait. so great a subtilty is in this manner of dealing , that those who affect the name of great politicians in the world , have learned from satan to shew greatest respects , and a most friendly countenance to those whom they most hate , and intend to ruine . thus our richard the third of england constantly dealt with those for whose blood he lay in wait : and the precepts of machiavil are fitted to this , that t is wisdom to hug those whom we desire to destroy . ehud's present made way for his dagger . joab's sword could not so well have dispatched its errand upon abner , if he had not ushered it in with a kiss . this should make us most suspect those temptations that offer us most kindness and advantage , and such as are most gratifying to our humours and desires . for can it be imagined in good earnest that satan intends us a real good ? can the gifts of enemies pass for courtesies and favours with any , but such as are bewitched into a blockish madness ? satan is more to be feared when he flatters , than when he regeth ; and though such offers may be looked upon by some as more benign , and less odious temptations , ( as some kind of familiar spirits are more kindly treated by some , under the notion of white devils ) yet may we say of them as cor●elius agrippa speaks of some unlawful arts and ways of thurgia , eò sunt pernitiosiora , qùo imperitis diviniora ; they have the greatest danger that pretend the highest friendship . thus much for the rise of the temptation . chap. ix . a particular consideration of the matter of the first temptation , what satan aimed at , in bidding him turn stones into bread. of satans moving us to things good or lawfull . the end of such a motion . how to know whether such motions are from satan or the spirit . what to do in case they be from satan . of his various aims in one temptation . what they are , and of his policy therein . of his artificial contrivement of motions to make one thing infer another . next follows the temptation it self . command that these stones be made bread. there is no great difficulty in the words . the greek indeed hath a remarkable suitableness to the supposition , on which satan insists , taking christ to be the son of god , 't is very pertinently spoken , say or speak that these stones be made bread ; for if god speak , it must be done . t is not worth the while to insist upon so small a variety of expression , as is betwixt this evangelist , who hath it [ these stones , ] and luke , who speaks it in the singular number [ this stone : ] for besides that ( as some suppose ) this expression of luke , might ( for any thing that appears to the contrary ) be satans lowering his request to one stone , when christ had denyed to turn many into bread , upon his first asking ) this one stone in luke , taken collectively for the whole heap , will signify as much as these stones in matthew , or the phrase ( these stones ) in matthew ( by an imitation of a common hebraism ) may be no more but one of these stones , or this stone , as it is in luke ; as 't is said , jepthah was buried in the cities of gilead , that is , in one of the cities . the thing urged , was the turning or changing the form of a creature , which is a work truely miraculous and wonderful , and such as had neither bee unsuited to the power of christ , nor unlawful in it self . 't is from hence justly questioned , where the sting of this suggestion lay , or in what point was the temptation couched . first , it was not in the unlawfulness or sinfulness of the thing mentioned . for christ did as much as would amount to all this , when he turned water into wine , and when he fed multitudes by a miraculous multiplication of a few loaves and fishes . secondly , it was not unsuitable to his condition , as hungry ; for so it seemed a duty to provide for himself , and which satan took for granted . thirdly , neither seemed it any derogation to his power and divine nature , but rather an advantage and fit opportunity to give a full proof of it , to the stopping of satans mouth for ever . notwithstanding these , there was poyson and malignity enough in the suggestion , and under these green leaves of plausible pretences , lay hid many snakes . for ( . ) by this was he secretly tempted to admit of a doubting of the truth of the divine testimony , lately declaring him to be the son of god. ( . ) as also further to question his fathers providence and love ; ( . ) and unnecessarily to run out of the ordinary way of supply , and to betake himself to indirect means or extraordinary courses . ( . ) and all this to the abuse and undervaluing of his power , in prostituting it to satans direction or perswasion ; and the devil had gained a considerable advantage , if he could have prevailed with him to do such a thing by his instigation . ( . ) it may be , he further thought this might entice to an high esteem of himself , and so make way for a vain ostentation of his power , and interest in god. all or most of these seem to be the design that the devil was driving forward . several things are hence observable . that where satan doth not judge it his present interest , to suggest to us things in their own nature sinful , he will move us to things good in themselves , in hopes thereby to lead us into evil . this way of tempting is from a more refined policy , than down-right motions to sin ; and doubtless 't is less suspected , and consequently more taking . the evils that satan would introduce by this method , are such as these : first , sometime when he tempts us to that which is good , it is , that he might affright us from it ; his approbation is enough to put a discredit , and disgraceful suspition upon any thing . such a design had he , when he gave testimony for christ , that he was the son of god ; or for the apostles , that they were the servants of the most high god. it was not his intention , to honour him or them , by bearing them witness , but to bring them under suspition , and trouble . secondly , there are a great many ways to miscarry in a lawful action , either by propounding bad ends , or by failures in the manner of performance , or by a misimprovement of the whole . these miscarriages ( and the possibility , and probability of them ) satan carries in his mind ; yet doth he not at first propound them , but moving us unto the thing , he hath an expectation that we will slide into them of our selves , or be inclined by some sutable touch●● of suggestion upon our minds ; together with the tendency , or improveableness of the thing or action , to such evils as are properly consequent to it . satan did not here tempt christ to these sinful ends directly , but to an action which he hoped might insensibly produce them . thirdly , another evil hereby aimed at , is the hindrance of a greater good , not only as a diversion to turn us off a better or more profitable occasion , but also as an unseasonable interruption of something at present more concerning us : thus he makes the suggestion of good things , the hindrance of prayer , or hearing . some will say , this is a perplexing case , that in things good or lawful in themselves men should be in such dangers , and will thereupon desire to know , how they may distinguish satans contrivances and motions , from those that have no dependance upon him , or are from the spirit of god ? in answer to this . ( . ) let us ( when we fear thus to be circumvented ) look well to what impressions are upon our spirit , when we are moved to what may be lawful . for tog●ther with the motion ( if it be satans ) we shall find either a corrupt reason and end privatly rising up in our mind ; or we may observe that our hearts are out of order , and perversly inclined ; this is oft unseen to our selves . when the disciples moved christ to bring down fire from heaven , if they had considered the present revengful selfish frame of their spirits , ( which our lord tells them , they were ignorant of ) they might easily have known that the motion had proceeded from satan . secondly , the concurrent circumstances of the thing or action , are to be seriously weighed ; for from thence we may take a right measure of the conveniency or inconveniency of the proceeding in it . what is from satan , it will be either unseasonable as to the time , place , and person , or some other thing will appear that may give a discovery . as here christ refuseth to turn stones to bread , because not only the way and manner of the proposal doth sufficiently lay open the design , but also the circumstances of christ's condition at that time , shewed the motion to be unseasonable and inconvenient : for if satan had urged the necessity of it for the satisfaction of his hunger ; christ could have answered , that the experience that he had of gods support for forty days together , was sufficient to engage him to rely yet further upon him . if he had urged farther , that by this means he might have had a full proof of gods love and care , or of his sonship : it was at hand to tell him , that it was needless to seek a further evidence , when god had given one so full a little before : if again he had pleaded it to have been an useful occasion to give a testimony of his power to the satisfaction of others : he could have told him , that it had been impertinent to have done it then , when he was in the wilderness , where none could have the benefit of it : so that nothing satan could have propounded as a reason for that miracle , but it might have been repelled from a consideration of his present condition . the instruction that may be gathered from this , is , that we must not entertain thoughts of doing lawful things , without a due enquiry into the temper of our own hearts , and a full consideration of all circumstances round about , with the probable tendencies , and consequences of it . but ( may some say ) if i judge such a motion to be a thing lawful , which doth proceed from satan , what am i to do ? i answer . ( . ) consider whether the good be necessary or not : if it be necessary , 't is a duty and not to be forborn , only the abuses are to be watched against , and avoided . secondly , if it be a duty , consider whether it be seasonable or unseasonable , necessary or not , as to the present time ; if it be not , it may be suspended , and a fitter opportunity waited for . thirdly , if it be only lawful , and not necessary , we ought to abstain from it wholly , after the example of david , psal . . . who abstained even from good , ( that is , from lawful bemoanings of himself , or complainings against absalom , that had rebelled against him ) because it was not necessary , and ( the circumstances of his condition considered ) very dangerous , lest vent and way being given , he might have been easily drawn to speak passionately , or distrustfully against god , and foolishly against providences . that the thing unto which satan moved christ was lawful , hath been noted . next let us consider what ends satan might propound to himself in this motion , and we shall see ( as hath been said ) that he did not so narrow and contract his design , as that only one thing took up his intentions , but several . hence have we this observation ; that in one single temptation satan may have various aims and designs . temptation is a complicated thing , a many-headed monster . satan hath always many things in his eye . first , in every temptation there is a direct and principal design , a main thing that the devil would have . secondly , there are several things subservient to the main design , as steps , degrees , or means leading to it ; the lesser still making way for the greater . if satan design murther , he lays the foundation of his work in inward grudgings and hatreds ; next he gives provocations , by reproachful words , or disdainful carriages and behaviours , ( as our saviour notes in the expressions of racha , and fool ) and so by degrees enticeth on to murther . the like we may observe in the lusts of uncleanness , and other things . thirdly , besides these there are usually reserves , something in ambushment to watch our retreats ; for satan considers what to do in case we repel , and refuse his motion , that so he may not altogether labour in vain . a contrary extreme watcheth those that fly from a temptation ; pride , security , self-confidence , and boasting , are ready to take them by the heel : so truly may it be said of satan , that he knoweth the way that we take ; if we go forward , he is there ; if backward , we may also perceive him ; on the left hand , he is at work ; and on the right hand , 〈◊〉 is not idle . all these we may particularly see in this temptation in hand : he had a main design ( of which more presently : ) he prepares means and seconds , to help it forward ; such were those pleas of necessity , and conveniency which the hunger and want of christ did furnish him withall , and there wanted not the reserves of presumption and self-neglect in case he resisted the motion . the reasons of this policy are these . first , when satan tempts , he is not certain of his prevalency , even when the probabilities are the greatest , and therefore doth he provide himself with several things at once ; that if the tempted party nauseat one thing , there may be another in readiness that may please his palat. god gives this advice to the spiritual seedsmen , in the morning sow thy seed , and in the evening withhold not thine hand ; for thou knowest not what shall prosper , whether this or that . satan , that seedsman of the tares , imitates this ; and because he knows not what shall prosper , therefore doth he use variety . secondly , where many things are at once designed , 't is an hundred to one they will not all return empty ; 't is much if many snares miss , he that hath broken one or two , may not only be inticed with a third temptation , ( as being either wearied out with the assaults , or made plyable with the allurements of the former ) but may also sit down secure , as having ( in his supposal ) passed all the danger , and so unawares fall into an unseen or unsuspected trap. this may ( . ) by way of caution assure us that we have no cause to think that all fear is over , when we have avoided the more obvious and conspicuous designments of a temptation , but rather to suspect some further train than we yet have discovered . ( . ) that there is a necessity for us to be circumspect every way , and janus-like to have an eye before and behind , that we may make timely discoveries of what satan intends against us . as we have taken a view of the various designments of satan in one temptation , so 't is also remarkable , that these various ways of his in this temptation , do give strength one to another , and have as close a connection , as stones in an arch. christ was pleased to commend the wisdom of the unjust steward , though he intended not the least approbation of his dishonesty : so may we turn aside and observe the cunning artifice of the devil , in the management of this argument against christ , which is to this purpose , as if he had thus proceeded ; if thou art the son of god , ( as the voice from heaven lately testifyed ) it can be no inconvenience , but every way an advantage to give a further proof of it : thy present condition of want and hunger , seem to contradict it : for how strange and unbeseeming is it , for the son of god to be in such straits ? yet if thou beest what thou sayest thou art , 't is easy for thee to help thy self ; god that made the world of nothing , by the power of his command , can much more change the forms of things that are made already ; 't is but speaking , and these stones that are before thee will be turned into bread ; and besides that in so doing thou maist seasonably vindicate thy self from the eclipse of thy present condition , necessity and duty ( for 't is duty to supply the want of the body , which cannot be supported without its proper nourishment ) compel thee unavoidably to it , except thou fearest not to contract the guilt of self-destruction , especially seeing i do not urge thee to provide delicacies , but only bread , and such as is needful to keep in the lives of the poorest men , in the poorest manner . hence note , satan in driving on a temptation , useth such an artif●cial contrivement of motives and things , that still one doth infer another , one strengthens another . temptations are like a screw , which if once admitted , will improve its first hold to draw in all the rest . by these arts doth satan , like a cunning serpent , wriggle himself into the affections of men. chap. x. of satans chief end in this temptation , his skill in making the means to sin plausible . the reasons of that policy , with his art therein . men's ignorance his advantage . of the differences of things propounded to our use . the various aims of satan , and their close dependance one upon another , having contributed to us their several observations , it remains , that we ask after the main and chief thing that satan principally intended . and to make way to this , it must be noted , that in grand temptations especially , the main design of satan comprehends these two ; the chief end , and the chief means conducing to that end. about these some authors conjecture variously , whose differences we have no great occasion to mention , seeing the text gives so great a satisfaction in this matter . for first , the main end of satan , we have ( not obscurely ) expressed to us in these words [ if thou be the son of god : ] which if we compare with matth. . . this is my beloved son , in whom i am well pleased , we shall easily apprehend , that here satan doth but eccho to that voice which came down from heaven ; as he did with eve ; god had said , of the tree in the midst of the garden ye shall not eat , satan ( having as it were the sound of this yet in his ears ) in a clear reference to it , saith , yea , hath god said , ye shall not eat ? so here is also an evident respect to god's testimony concerning , christ , as if he had said , hath god said , thou art his son ? if thou beest indeed such as he testifyed , give some proof of it ? &c. by which it appears that his design was to undermine this testimony , or some way or other to defeat it ; neither need it pass for an objection against this , that satan doth not directly mention his doubt or distrust , nor positively suggest to christ , a questioning or misbelief of his son-ship , for it was not suitable to his policy , so to lay open his main end , that must have been expected afterward , as the last in execution ( if it had taken effect ) though it were first in intention . secondly , the chief means by which he would have brought this end about , may be understood from christ's answer to the temptation : for it cannot but be imagined , that christ knew the bottom of satans policy , and that his answer must fully confront the means by which satan indeavoured to ensnare him . his answer was , man lives not by bread alone , but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of god. if we can then come to a certain understanding of this scripture ( which is not difficult ) we shall evidently know the mind of the temptation , to which this is a direct answer . these words are cited out of deut. . . which some interpret to this sense ; as if christ had said , man hath not only a life of the body ( which is mentioned by bread ) to look after , but another life of the soul , which is of so great concernment ; that the bodily life is to be neglected , rather than that of the soul to be endangered . this is a truth in it self , but is apparently besides the meaning of deut. . neither doth it afford so full and particular an answer as ( doubtless ) christ intended . but let us consider the text , and we shall find more in it ; for moses first sets down gods dealing with israel in the wilderness , in that he suffered them to hunger , and took from them the ordinary means of life , which ( as the latter part of the verse shews ) is to be understood of ordinary bread , and then to supply that want , he fed them by an extraordinary means , ( such as they had never heard of before ) this was by manna . next he makes an inference from this way of god's proceeding , improving this particular to a general rule , that he might make thee know , that man lives not by bread only , but by every word that procedeth out of the mouth of the lord doth man live : which is clearly of this import , that man lives not by ordinary means only , but that god can provide for his life in an extraordinary way , by appointing any thing to that end , through his mighty and powerful word , and good pleasure ; so that things never so unusual , or unfit in themselves for nourishment , will become strengthning to us , if he shall give out his command . christ then applying this , in this sense , did ( as it were ) thus say to satan ; though i want ordinary means of life , which is bread , yet i know god can make any thing which he pleaseth , to nourish me instead of it . so that i will not cast off a dependance upon the providence of god in this strait , and without warrant run to an extraordinary course for supply . hence it is evident that to bring about his main end ( which was to distrust of his relation to god ) he used this means , that by reason of his strait , in the failure of ordinary supply , he should distrust providence , and without warrant provide for himself . observe , that where satan carries on a main design and end , he bestows most of his pains and skill in rendring the means to that end plausible and taking . the end is least in mention , and the means in their fit contrivance , takes up most of his art and care. the reasons whereof are these : first , the end is apparently bad , so that it would be a contradiction to his design to mention it , 't is the snare and trap it self , which his wisdom and policy directs him to cover ; his ultimate end is the destruction of the soul , this he dare not openly avouch to the vilest of men ; he doth not say to them destroy your souls , bring eternal miseries upon your selves , but only tempts them to that which will bring this misery upon them ; and as for those intermediate ends , which are the formal acts of sin , he useth also a kind of modesty in their concealment ; he doth not usually say , go and murther , or commit adultery : but rather puts them upon ways or means that will bring them up to those iniquities , except that he sometime have to deal with those that are so hardned in sin , that they make a sport to do wickedly , and then he can more freely discover his ends to such in the temptation . secondly , the means to such wicked ends , have not only an innate , and natural tendency in themselves , which are apt to sway and byas men that way , but are also capable of artificial improvement , to a further inticement to the evils secretly intended , and these require the art and skill for the exact suiting and fitting of them . the end cannot be reached without the means , and means so ordered ( without the aid of grace ) will scarce miss of the end. thirdly , the means are capable of a varnish and paint , he can make a shift to set them off , and colour them over , that the proper drift of them cannot easily be discovered , whereas the ends to which these lead cannot receive , ( at least so easily with some ) such fair shews . 't is far easier to set off company-keeping , with the pleasurable pretences of necessity or refreshing divertisement , than to propound direct drunkenness , ( the thing to which company-keeping tends ) under such a dress . if it be demanded , how and by what arts he renders the means so plausible ? i shall endeavour a satisfaction to that quere , by shewing the way that satan took to render the means he made use of in this temptation , plausible to christ , which were these ; first , he represents it , as a harmless or lawful thing in it self ; who can say it had been sinful for the son of god to have turned stones into bread , more than to turn water into wine ? secondly , he gives the motion a further pretext of advantage or goodness , he insinuated that it might be an useful discovery of his sonship , and a profitable supply against hunger . thirdly , he seems also to put a necessity upon it , that other ways of help failing , he must be constrained so to do , or to suffer further want . fourthly , he forgets not to tell him , that to do this was but suitable to his condition , and that it was a thing well becoming the son of god to do a miracle . fifthly , he doth urge it at the rate of a duty , and that being in hunger and want , it would be a sinful neglect not to do what he could and might for his preservation . the same way doth he take in other temptations , in some cases pleading all , in some most of these things , by which the means conducing thereunto may seem plausible . if he presents to men occasions of sinning , he will tell them ordinarily , that they may lawfully adventure upon them , that they are harmless , nay of advantage , as tending to the recreating of the spirits , and health of the body ; yea , that 't is necessary for them to take such a liberty , and that in doing so , they do but what others do that profess religion . and often he hath such advantage from the circumstances of the thing , and the inclination of our heart , that he makes bold to tell us . 't is no less then duty , such did the outrage of demetrius seem to him , when he considered , how much his livelyhood did depend upon the diana of the ephesians ; paul's zeal made him confident that persecution of christians was his duty : neither is there any thing which can pretend to any zeal , advantage or colourable ground , but presently it takes the denomination of duty . if any wonder that such poor and shallow pretences are not seen through by all men , they may know that this happens from a fourfold ignorance . first , from an ignorance of the thing it self : how easily may they be imposed upon , who know not the nature , or the usual issues of things ? as children are deluded to put a value upon an useless , or hurtful trifle ; so are men deceived and easily imposed upon in what they do not understand . and for this cause , are sinners compared to birds , who are easily inticed with the bait proposed to their view , as profitable and good for them , because they know not the snare that lyes hid under it : this ignorance causing the mistake mentioned , is not only a simple ignorance , but also that ignorance which owes its rise to a wilful and perverse disposition , ( for there are some that are willingly ignorant ) doth often lay those open to a delusion , who through prepossession or idleness , will not be at pains to make full inquiries . secondly , this also comes to pass from an ignorance of our spirits : for while we either engage in the things proposed by satan upon the general warranty of a good intention , or that we have no evil meaning in it , we are kept from a discovery of the intended design . hence paul saw nothing , in his persecuting the church of god , of what satan aimed at ; or while upon the pretence of a good intention , our secret corrupt principles do indeed move us underhand to any undertaking , we are as little apt to see the ends of satan in what he propounds to us . jehu , and the disciples pretending a zeal for god , but really carried on by their own furious tempers , did as little , as others see what the devil was doing with them . thirdly , the means of a temptation are rendred less suspitious , from an ignorance of the circumstances , and concomitants that do attend them . fourthly , as also from an ignorance of our own weakness , and inclination , while we are confident of greater strength to resist , than indeed we have , of a greater aversness , than is in us , to the evil suspected ; we contemn the danger of the means as below us , and so grow bold with the occasions of iniquity , as pretending no hazard or danger to us . this may teach us a piece of wisdom , in the imitation of the devil ; we see his malice appears in the bloody and destructive aims or intendments , which he discovers against us , but his skill and cunning in a suitable disposal and ordering of the means . so should we learn to imploy all our care and watchfulness about those plausible ways or introductions to sin , that satan puts in our hand ; and as his eager desire of gaining his end , makes him industrious about the offering of means fit to compass it , so our fear of his design and end should make us jealous of every overture propounded to us . they that from wilfulness or neglect shall admit the means of evil , cannot expect to avoid the evil to which they lead , or if they may ( unexpectedly ) be rescued from the end , while they use the means ( by grace interposing , as between the cup and the lip ) 't is no thanks to them , and often they come not off so clear , but that some lameness or other sticks by them . i may suspect this will be retorted back as an advice scarce practicable : for if all means leading to sin are to be avoided , then can we use nothing , but rather ( as the apostle saith in another case ) we must go out of the world , seeing every thing may lead to evil . i answer , we are not by any command of god put into any such strait , things that are or may be improvable against us , may be used by us with due care and watchfulness ; yet all things are not alike neither , for we must look upon things under a threefold consideration . first , if that which is propounded or laid before us , as a means to sin , be in it self sinful , the refusal of both is an undoubted duty . secondly , we must look upon thins under the consideration of the suspiciousness which they carry with them of a further evil ; some circumstances , or postures of an opportunity and occasion offered , are of such a threatning aspect , that they fairly warn us to hold off . to keep company with a friend may be admitted , when yet that society in a suspitious place , as tavern , or whore-house , is to be avoided . thirdly , we must further consider things as we are free , or engaged to them , and accordingly where there is appearance of danger , or the fear of it , we must keep at a distance , if we are engaged to such things either by the obligation of the law of nature , or lawful calling , or command of god , or unavoidable providence , or relation , where these ties are upon us , we cannot avoid the thing or action , but are the more concerned to take heed of being overreached or overtaken by them . chap. xi . of the temptation to distrust upon the failure of ordinary means . of the power of that temptation , and the reasons of its prevalency . of unwarrantable attempts for relief , with the causes thereof . of waiting on god , and keeping his way . in what cases a particular mercy is to be expected . i have particularly insisted upon the aims of satan in this temptation , in their variety , and also the cunning connexio● and coherences of them : i have also singled out his chief design . i am now in the last place to present you with the suitableness and respects that the subordinate means carry to the principal , and that proportion which may be found in all these to the end designed by them . the chief means ( in reference to the end designed ) was a distrust of providence ; and the subordinate means to bring on that distrust , was the failure of ordinary means of supply : for so he endeavoured to improve his hunger , and want in the wilderness , as a manifest neglect of providence towards him , for which ( as he tacitly suggests ) there was no ground to wait or rely upon it any further , but to betake himself to another course . hence note , that the failure of ordinary means of help , is by satan improved as his special engine to bring men to a distrust of providence , and from thence to an unwarrantable attempt for their relief in an extraordinary way . that the failure of ordinary and usual supplies hath by the devils subtilty brought a distrust of providence , and run men beyond all hopes of help , is a thing commonly and notoriously known . when men are afflicted , and brought unto unusual straits , and the ordinary ways of relief are out of sight , they are soon tempted to distrust god and man , and to conclude they are cut off , and that their hope is perished , and that their eye shall no more see good. david distressed , proclaims all men lyers : concludes , that he should at last be cut off . jonah in the whales belly , thought that all hope was gone , and that he was cast out of gods sight . the church of israel in captivity , forgat prosperity ( notwithstanding the promise of deliverance after seventy years ) and thought no less , than that her hope and strength was perished ; lam. . . and from the scriptures mentioned , we may also see the strength and prevalency of the temptation , especially when 't is reduced to particulars . as , first , 't is not a thing altogether of no weight that such a temptation should prevail against such persons , as david , and jonah , and the whole church of israel , that the manifold experiences that some of them have had of gods faithfulness in delivering , and the seasonableness of help at times of greatest hazard , the particular promises that all of them have had , ( how dismal and black soever things have seemed ) have given the fullest assurances imaginable , that what he had spoken should certainly be performed ; the gracious qualifications of such persons as eminently holy , and skilled in the duties of trust , and in the ways of providence , and the special advantage which some of them ( as prophets ) have had above others , to enable them to improve that skill , experience , knowledg , and grace , to a firm adherence to such special promises , that all these things should not be sufficient to keep them off distrust , ( though at present the ways of deliverance were hid from them ) seems strange . secondly , 't is also wonderful to what an height such a prevailing temptation hath carryed some of them ; david seems to be a little outragious , and did upon the matter call god a lyer , when he said , all men are lyers , which ( however that some interpret , as if it had been davids trust in god , and his confident avouchment of his enemies prognostications of his ruine , to be but lyes , and that this he spake from his firm belief of the promise , i believed , therefore have i spoken ) yet the acknowledgment of his haste , ( which ( compared with psal . . . ) is declared as his weakness ) will force us to conclude it an ingenuous confession of his distrust at the first : when he was greatly afflicted , ( though he recovered himself afterwards to a belief of the promise ) and that in that distemper he plainly reflected upon samuel , and calls the promises of god given by him , a very lye. thirdly , 't is strange also , that present instances of god's providences working out unexpected deliverances should not relieve the hearts of his saints from the power of such distrust , that when they see god is not unmindful of them , but doth hear them in what they feared , they should still retain in their minds the impression of an unbelieving apprehension ; and not rather free themselves from their expectations of future ruine , by concluding , that he that hath , and doth deliver , will also yet deliver . david had this thought in his heart , that he should one day perish by the hand of saul , even then when god had so remarkably rescued him from saul , and forced saul not only to acknowledg his sin in prosecuting him , but also to declare his belief of the promise concerning david . one would have expected , that this should have been such a demonstration of the truth of what had been promised , that he should have cast out all fear ; and yet contrariwise , this pledg of god's purpose to him , is received by a heart strongly prepossessed with misgiving thoughts , and he continues to think , that for all this , saul would one day destroy him . fourthly , the pangs of this distrust are also so remarkable , that after they have been delivered , and have found that the event hath not answered their fears , they have in the review of their carriage under such fears , recounted this their weakness among other remarkable things , thereby shewing the unreasonableness of their unbelief , and their wonder that god should pass by so great a provocation , and notwithstanding so unexpectedly deliver them . david in the places before cited , was upon a thankful acknowledgment of god's love and wonderful kindness , which he thought he could not perform , without leaving a record of his strange and unworthy distrust ; as if he had said , so greatly did i sin , and so unsuitably did i behave my self , that i then gave off , and concluded all was lost . to open this a little further , i shall add the reasons why satan strikes in with such an occasion as the want of means , to tempt to distrust , which are these : first , such a condition doth usually transport men besides themselves , puts them as it were into an extacy , and by a sudden rapture of of astonishment and fear , forceth them beyond their settled thoughts and purposes . this david notes as the ground of his inconsiderate rash speaking ; it was my haste , i was transported , &c. now as passion doth not only make men speak what otherwise they would not , but also to put bad interpretations upon actions and things beyond what they will bear , and hasten men to resolves exceedingly unreasonable : so doth this state of the heart ( under an amazement and surprize of fear ) give opportunity to satan to put men to injurious and unrighteous thoughts of the providence of god , and by such ways to alienate their minds from the trust which they owe him . secondly , sense is a great help to faith. faith then must needs be much hazarded , when sense is at a loss , or contradicted , as usually it is , in straits . that faith doth receive an advantage by sense , cannot be denyed . to believe what we see , is easier than to believe what we see not ; and that in our state of weakness and infirmity , god doth so far indulge us , that by his allowance we may take the help of our senses , is evident by his appointment of the two sacraments , where by outward visible signs our faith may be quickned to apprehend the spiritual benefits offered . thomas , resolving to suspend his belief till he were satisfied that christ was risen , by the utmost tryal that sense could give , ( determining not to credit the testimony of the rest of the disciples , till by putting his finger into his side he had made himself more certain ) christ not only condescended to him , but also pronounceth his approbation of his belief , accepting it , that he had believed because he had seen . but when outward usual helps fail us , our sense ( being not able to see afar off ) is wholly puzled and overthrown , the very disappearing of probabilities gives so great a shake to our faith , that it commonly staggers at it ; and therefore was it given as the great commendation of abrahams faith , that he ( notwithstanding the unlikelyhood of the thing ) staggered not at the promise ; noting thereby how extraordinary it was in him at that time , to keep up against the contradiction of sense , and how usual it is with others to be beaten off all trust by it . 't is no wonder to see that faith ( which usually called sense for a supporter ) to fail when t is deprived of its crutch . and he that would a little understand what disadvantage this might prove to a good man , when sense altogether fails his expectation , he may consider with himself in what a case thomas might have been , if christ had refused to let him see his side , and to thrust his finger into the print of the nails , in all appearance had it been so , he had gone away confirmed in his unbelief . thirdly , though faith can act above sense , and is imployed about things not seen , yet every saint at all times doth not act his faith so high . christ tells us , that to believe where a man hath not had the help of sight and sense , is noble and blessed . joh. . . yet withal , he hints it to be rare and difficult ; he that hath not seen , and yet hath believed , implyes , that 't is but one amongst many that doth so , and that 't is the conquest of a more than ordinary difficulty . hence it is , that to love god when he kills , to believe when means fail , are reckoned among the high actings of christianity . fourthly , when sense is non-plust , and faith fails , the soul of man is at a great loss : having nothing to bear it up , it must needs sink ; but having something to throw it down , besides its own propensity downward to distrust , it hath the force of so great a disappointment to push it forward ; and such bitterness of spirit heightned by the malignant influence of satan , that with a violence ( like the angels throwing a milstone into the sea ) it is cast into the bottom of such depths of unbelief , that the knowledg of former power and extraordinary providences cannot keep it from an absolute denyal of the like for the future . israel in the wilderness when they came to the want of bread , though they acknowledged he clave the rock , and gave them water in the like strait , yet so far did their hearts fail of that due trust in the power and mercy of god , which might have been expected ; that though they confessed the one , they as distrustfully question , and deny the other . he clave the rock , but can he provide flesh ? can ●e give bread ? strange unbelief ! that sees and acknowledgeth omnipotency in one thing , and yet denies it in another . fifthly , providence hath been an old question ; 't is an atheism that some have been guilty of , to deny that god ordereth all affairs relating to his children here below , who yet have not so fully extinguished their natural impressions , as to dare to deny the being of god. that god is , they confess , but withal they think that he walketh in the circuit of heaven , and as to the smaller concerns of men , neither doth good nor evil . this being an old error , to which most are but too inclinable , ( and the more , because such things are permitted ( as the punishment of his children , and their tryals , ( while others have all their heart can wish ) as seem scarce consistent with that love and care , which men look for from him to his servants ) they are apt enough to renew the thoughts of that perswasion upon their minds ( for which the failure of ordinary ways of help , seems to be an high probability ) that he keeps himself unconcerned , and therefore there seems to be no such cause of relyance upon him . the psalmist so expresseth that truth , [ men shall say , verily there is a god that judgeth in the earth , ] that it is discovered to be a special retrivement of it , ( by many and signal convincing evidences ) from that distrust of god , and his providences that men usually slide into upon their observation of the many seeming failures of outward means of help . secondly , the other branch of the observation , that from a distrust of providence , he endeavours to draw them to an unwarrantable attempt for their relief , is as clear as the former . sarai being under a distrust of the promise for a son , because of her age , gave her hand-maid to abraham , that in that way ( the promise seeming to fail ) she might obtain children by her . david because of the many and violent pursuits of saul , not only distrusted the promise , thinking he might one day perish by him , but resolves to provide for his own safety , by a speedy escape into the land of the philistines ; a course which ( as appears by the temptations and evils he met with there ) was altogether unwarrantable . that from a distrust , men are next put upon unwarrantable attempts , is clear from the following reasons : first , the affrightment which is bred by such distrusts of providences , will not suffer men to be idle . fear is active , and strongly prompts that something is to be done . secondly , yet such is the confusion of mens minds in such a case , that though many things are propounded , in that hurry of thoughts they are deprived usually of a true judgment and deliberation , so that they are oppressed with a multitude of thoughts ( as david on the like occasion takes notice , in the multitude of my thoughts within me , &c. ) and ( as he expresseth the case of sea-men in a storm ) they are at their wits end . thirdly , the desparing grievance of spirit , makes them take that which comes next to hand ; as a drowning man , that grasps a twig or straw , though to no purpose . fourthly , being once turned off their rock , and the true stay of the promise of god for help , whatever other course they take must needs be unwarrantable ; if they once be out of the right way , they must needs wander , and every step they take , must of necessity be wrong . fifthly , satan is so officious in an evil thing , that seeing any in this condition , he will not fail to proffer his help , and in place of gods providence , to set some unlawful shift before them . sixthly , and so much the rather do men close in with such overtures , because a sudden fit of passionate fury doth drive them , and out of a bitter kind of despite and crossness , ( as if they meditated a revenge against god for their disappointment ) they take up an hasty wilful resolve to go that way that seems most agreeable to their passion , saying with king joram , what wait we upon the lord any longer for ? we will take such a course , let come on us what will. the service which the observation ( well digested ) may perform for us , is very fully contained in an advice which david gives on the like occasion , psal . . . which is this , wait on the lord , and keep his way . failures of ordinary means should not fill us with distrust , neither then should we run out of god's way for help . he that would practise this , must have these three things which are comprehended in it . first , he must have full perswasions of the power and promise of god. i do not mean , the bare hear-say , that god hath promised to help , and that he is able to deliver , but these truths must be wrought upon the heart to a full assurance of them , and then we must keep our eye upon them : for if ever we lose the sight of this , when troubles beset us , our heart will fail us , and we shall do no otherwise than hagar , who , when her bottle of water was spent , and she saw no way of supply , sate down , gave up her son , and self for lost , and so falls a weeping over her helpless condition . this was that sight of god ( in regard of his power , goodness , faithfulness , and truth , which are things invisible , ) which kept up the heart of moses , that it sunk not under the pressure of his fears , when all things threatned his ruine . secondly , he that would thus wait upon god , had need to have an equal ballance of spirit , in reference to second causes ; despise or neglect them he may not , when he may have them , for that were intollerable presumption , and so to center our hopes and expectations upon them , as if our welfare did certainly depend upon them , is an high affront to gods omnipotency , and no less than a sinful idolizing of the creature ; but the engagements of our duty must keep carefully to the first , and the consideration of an independency of an almighty power , as to any subordinate means or causes , must help us against the other miscarriage . when all means visible fail us , we must look to live upon omnipotent faithfulness and goodness , which is not tyed to any thing , but that without all means , and contrary to the powers of second causes , can do what he hath promised , or sees fit . thirdly , there is no waiting upon god and keeping his way , without a particular trust in god , to this we are not only warranted by frequent commands , trust in the lord , i say , trust in the lord ; but highly encouraged to it , under the greatest assurances of help . psal . . . trust in him , and he shall bring it to pass . trust in the lord and do good , and verily thou shalt be fed . ver . . the lord shall help and deliver them , because they trust in him . and this we are to do at all times , and in the greatest hazards , and with the highest security . i laid me down and slept , i will not be affraid of ten thousands of people , that have set themselves against me round about . but some ( possibly ) may say , is it our duty to sit still in such a case ? when all the usual ways of supply fail us , must nothing be attempted ? i answer , first , at such times greater care and diligence is necessary in outward things ; that what one lawful course cannot help , another lawful course may ; and as to spiritual diligence , it should be extraordinary , we should be more earnest and frequent in prayer , fastings , meditations , and the exercise of graces . secondly , while we are in the pursuit of duty , and where the substance of it may be preserved entire , if our straits and wants unavoidably put us out of the way , we may be satisfyed to go on , though some circumstances be necessarily waved and hindred . phineas might kill zimri and cosbi upon the command of moses . numb . . . and consequently in prosecution of duty , though ( other circumstances considered ) it was in some respects extraordinary . thirdly , but let the strait be what it will , we must not forsake duty ; for so we go out of gods way , and do contradict that trust and hope which we are to keep up to god-ward . but ( it may be further urged ) must we when all means fail , positively trust in god for those very things which we might expect in an ordinary way ? in some cases , our duty is submission to his will , and the particular mercy neither positively to be expected , nor yet distrusted . thus did david behave himself , when he fled from jerusalem upon absolom's rebellion ; let him do what seemeth him good . but there are other cases wherein 't is our duty to six our trust upon the particular mercy or help . i shall name four , and possibly a great many more may be added . as , first , when mercies are expresly and particularly promised ; as when the kingdom was promised to david . when a son was promised to abraham . whatever had been the improbabilities of their obtaining the thing promised , it was their duty positively to believe . this is indeed not a general case . secondly , when god leads us into straits by engaging us in his service , as when israel followed the lord into the wilderness , in order to an enjoyment of a further mercy , which was the possession of the land of canaan ; when they had no water to drink , nor food to eat , and saw no natural possibility of supply in that wilderness , they ought positively to have expected supplies from god in an extraordinary way , and it is reckoned up against them as their sin that they did not believe . this was the very case of christ under this temptation , the spirit led him into the wilderness upon the prosecution of a further design ; when there was no bread there to satisfy his hunger , he refuseth to work a miracle for his supply , but leans upon an extraordinary providence . thirdly , when the things we want are common universal blessings , and such as we cannot subsist without : if we have nothing to eat , and nothing to put on , yet seeing the body cannot live without both , we must positively expect such supplies from providence , though we see not the way whence they should arise to us . this kind of distrust ( which reflects upon the general necessary providence of god , by which he is engaged to preserve his creatures in their stations , to cloath the grass of the field , to feed the birds of the air , &c. ) christ doth severely challenge , shall he not much more cloath you , o ye of little faith ? he hath little or no faith , ( and in that regard a very prodigy of distrust ) that will not believe for necessaries . hence heb. . . the prophet resolves upon a rejoycing confidence in god , when neither tree , nor field , nor flock would yeild any hope in an ordinary way . fourthly , when god is eminently engaged for our help , and his honour lies at stake in that very matter ; so that whether god will help or no , or whether he is able , is become the controversy , upon which religion in its truth , or the honour of god is to be tryed ; then are we engaged to a certain belief of help . the three children upon this ground did not only assert , that god was able to deliver them , or that their death and martyrdome they could bear ( which is all that most martyrs are able to arise up to ) but they asserted possitively , that god would deliver them , and that the fire should not burn them : they saw evidently that the contest , whether the lord was god , was managed at so high a rate , that god was more concerned to vindicate his honour by their preservation , than to vindicate their grace and patience by their constancy in suffering . another instance we have in matth. . . where christ rebukes his disciples for unbelief , in their fears of shipwrack in a great storm ( not that every sea-man ordinarily lies under that charge , that gives himself up to the apprehensions of danger : ) the ground of which charge was this , that christ was with them , and consequently it had unavoidably contradicted his design , and reflected upon his honour , if he had suffered his disciples at that time to be drowned : their not minding how far christ was engaged with them , and not supporting themselves against their fears by that consideration , made christ tax them for their little faith. chap. xii . of satans proceeding to infer distrust of sonship from distrust of providences . instances of the probability of such a design . the reasons of this undertaking . of satan's endeavour to weaken the assurance and hopes of god's children . his general method to that purpose . lastly we are to consider the suitableness of the means to the end ; he had ( as we have seen ) fitly proportioned the subordinate means to the chief and principal . the failure of ordinary means of help , was shrewdly proper to infer a distrust of providence . now let it be noted how fitly he improves this distrust of providence , to bring about the end he aimed at , which was a distrust of his filial interest in god , as if he should have thus reasoned ; he that in straits is forsaken , as to all the usual supplies that may be expected in an ordinary way , hath no reason to relyon providence ; and he that hath no reason to rely on providence for the body , hath less cause to expect spiritual blessings and favours for the soul. hence note , that 't is satan's endeavour , to make men proceed from a distrust of providence , to a distrust of their spiritual sonship , or filial interest in god. first , i shall evidence that this is satan's design , and next , i shall give the reasons of it . the former i shall make good by these several considerations . first , we see it is an usual inference that others make of men whose heart fails them , under an absence or disappearance of all means of help in their distresses . if providence doth not appear for them , they conclude god hath forsaken them . bildad thus concludes against job chap. . . is not this thy fear , thy confidence , thy hope , and the uprightness of thy ways ? which must not only be understood as an ironical scoss at the weakness of his confidence and hope , as not being able to support him against fainting in his trouble , but as a direct accusation of the falseness and hypocrisy of his supposed integrity , and all the hopes and confidence which was built upon it ; and ver . . doth evidence , where he plainly declares himself to mean , that job could not be innocent or righteous , it being ( in his apprehension ) a thing never heard of , that so great calamities should overtake an upright man ; whoever perished being innocent ? the ground of which assertion was from ver . . it is now come upon thee , and thou faintest . that is , distresses are upon thee , and thou hast no visible means of help , but despairest ever to see a providence that will bring thee out ; therefore furely thou hast had no real interest in god , as his child . eliphaz also seconds his friend in this uncharitable censure ; if thou wert pure and upright , he would awake for thee ; that is , because he doth thus overlook thee , therefore thou art not pure and upright . if men do thus assault the comforts of god's children , we have reason enough to think that satan will ; for besides that we may conclude they are set on work by the devil , ( and what he speaks by them , he will also by other ways promote , as being a design that is upon his heart ; ) we may be confident , that this being a surmise so natural to the heart of man , he will not let slip so fair an advantage , for the forming of it in our own hearts against our selves . secondly , the best of gods children , in such cases , escape it very hardly ( if at all ; ) which declares , not only the depth and power of that policy , but also how usual it is with satan to urge the servants of god with it . job , chap. . . recovered himself to a firm perswasion of sonship , i know that my redeemer liveth , &c. but by the way his foot had well-nigh slipt , when ver . , . he cryes out , he hath destroyed me on ever side , and i am gone ; he hath also kindled his wrath against me , and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies . his earnest resolve , not to give up his trust in god , and the confidence of his integrity , is sufficient to discover satans ●ager indeavours to have him bereaved of it . thirdly , satans success in this temptation over the saints of god , ( who sometime have actually failed ; ) shews how much it is his work to cast down their hopes of interest in god , by overthrowing their trust in his providences . if he attempts this , ( and that successfully ; ) on such whose frequent experiences might discourage the tempter , and in probability frustrate his undertaking ; we have little cause to think , that he will be more sparing and gentle in this assault upon those that are more weak , and less acquainted with those clouds and darknesses , that overshadow the ways of providence . david , for all the promises that he had received , and notwithstanding the manifold tryals that he had of seasonable and unexpected deliverances , yet when he was distressed , he once and again falls into a fear of his soul , and a questioning of god's favour . he complains as one utterly forsaken , why hast thou forsaken me ? in psal . . he expresseth himself , ver . . sinking in the deep mire , as a man that had no firm ground to stand upon , and that his troubles had brought him to fear the state of his soul , not only as deprived of god's favour ( and therefore ver . . begs that his face may be no longer hid ) but also as suspecting the loss of it , ver . . draw nigh unto my soul , and redeem it , psal . . upon the occasion of outward troubles . asaph falls into such a fit of fear , about his spiritual condition , that no consideration of former mercies could relieve him , he remembred god. ver . . but was troubled ; he considered the days of old , called to remembrance his songs in the night . but none of these were effectual to keep him from that sad outcry of distrust , ver . . will the lord cast off for ever ? is his mercy clean gone for ever ? hath god forgotten to be gracious ? &c. which upon the review , in the composing of the psalm , he acknowledgeth an unbelieving miscarriage ; i said , this is mine infirmity . fourthly , 't is also a common and ordinary thing with most , to entertain misapprehensions of their spiritual condition , when they meet with disappointments of providence : hence the apostle , heb. . , . when he would quiet the hearts of men under the lords chastening , doth of purpose make use of this encouragement , that god speaks to them in the rod , as to children , and such as are under his care and love ; my son despise not the chastening of the lord : whom the lord loveth , he chastneth , &c. which certainly tells us thus much , that 't is ordinary for men to doubt their son-ship because of their afflictions . we may conjecture what the malady is , when we know what is prepared as a medicine : this would not have been a common remedy , ( that we may be children , though we be scourged ) if the disbelief of this , had not been the usual interpretation of afflictions , and a common distemper . fifthly , we may further take notice , that those disquiets of mind , that were only occasioned by outward things , and seem to have no affinity ( either in the nature of the occasion , or present inclination of the party ) with a spiritual trouble ; yet if they continue long , do wholly change their nature ; they that at first only troubled themselves , for losses or crosses , forget these troubles , and take up fears for their souls . sometime this ariseth from a natural softness and timerousness of spirit , such are apt to misgive upon any occasion , and to say , surely , if i were his child , he would not thus forsake me ; his fatherly compassions , would some way or other work towards me ? sometime this ariseth from melancholly contracted or heightned by outward troubles . these when they continue long , and peirce deep , put men into a spirit of heaviness , which makes them refuse to be comforted . here the devil takes his advantage : vnlawful sorrows , are as delightfully improved by him , as unlawful pleasures ; they are diab●li balneum , his bath in which he sports himself , as the leviathan in the waters . when for temporal losses or troubles men fall into melancholy , if they be not relieved soon , then their grief changeth its object , and presently they disquiet themselves , as being out of god's favour , as being estranged from god , as being of the number of the damned ; such against whom the door of mercy is shut , and so cry out of themselves as hopeless and miserable . the observations of physitians afford store of instances of this kind . felix platerus gives one , of a woman at basil , who first grieved for the death of her son , and when by this means she grew melancholly , that changed into an higher trouble ; she mourns , that her sins would not be pardoned , that god would not have mercy for her soul. another , for some loss of wheat , first vexeth himself for that , and then at last despairs of the happiness of his soul ; with a great many more of that kind . sometimes a desperate humor doth ( from the same occasion ) distract men into a fury ; of which mercennus gives one instance from his own knowledg , of a person who upon the distresses which he met with , fell into a rage against god , uttering speeches full of horrour and blasphemy , not fit to be related . if there be such an affinity betwixt distrust of providence , and distrust of son-ship , that the one slides into the other naturally . if this be common to all men under troubles , to suspect their souls ; if the best do here actually miscarry ; if those that do not yet hardly escape ; and if by-standers commonly give this judgment of men in straits , that there is no help for them in their god ; we cannot but collect from all this , that it is an advantage which satan will not neglect , and that he doth very much imploy himself to bring it about : the reasons of it are these . first , distrust of providence hath in it the very formal nature of distrust of son-ship . if the object of distrust were but changed , it would without any further addition work that way . he that trusts providence acknowledgeth that god knoweth his wants , that he is of a merciful inclination to give what he sees he hath need of ; that he hath manifested this by promise , that he is so faithful that this promise cannot be neglected , and that he hath power to do what he hath promised . he that distrusts providence disbelieves all these , consequentially at least ; and he that will not believe that god takes any care of the body , or that he is of a merciful disposition toward him , or thinks either he hath made no such promise , or will not keep it , if any such were made ; cannot believe ( if that doubt were but once started ) that god is his father , or that he hath interest in the priviledg of a son , seeing it is impossible to believe a sonship , while his care , mercy , promises , and power are distrusted . in this then satans work is very easy , it is but his moving the question about the lords mercy to the soul , and presently ( as when new matter is ministred to a raging flame ; ) it takes hold upon it , and with equal , ( nay greater ) force it carries the soul to distrust spiritual mercies , as before it disbelieved temporal kindnesses . secondly , the same reasons , which any man doth gather from the seeming neglect or opposition of providence ; upon which he grounds his distrust of the lords kindness in reference to outward things , will also serve as arguments for a distrust of spiritual favours . the distresses of men seem to argue , ( . ) that there is sin and provocation on their part , ( . ) and that there is a manifestation of anger on gods part , ( . ) and from these apprehensions ariseth bitterness , anxiety , fear , and dejection of spirit , which intercepts all the help and consolation which might arise from other considerations of the lords promise , or mercy , for the quieting of the heart , and fortifying it against such apprehensions ; these same grounds , with the prevailing fears and perplexities , arising from them , are enough to make us suspect , that we are not yet under any such peculiar favours , as may bespeak us his children by adoption ; so that from the same premises satan will conclude , that as he hath no care for our bodies , so no love to our souls ; that we neither love god nor are beloved of him , betwixt the one conclusion and the other there is but a step , and with a small labour he can cut the channel , and let in that very distrust , to run with all its force against our spiritual interest in god. thirdly , to trust god for the soul is an higher act , than to trust him for the body , the soul being of greater excellency than the body ; and the mercy necessary for the happiness of it , being more precious , and less visible , it must require an higher confidence in god , to assure of this , then satisfy us in the other ; 't is more easy to believe a lesser kindness from a friend , than a singular or extraordinary favour ; he then that cannot trust god for temporal mercies , shall be more unable to believe eternal blessings ; if we run with foot-men , and they have wearried us , shall we be able to contend with horse-men ? if the shallow brooks be too strong for us , what shall we do in the swellings of jordan ? fourthly , when faith is weakned as to one object , 't is so tainted and discouraged , that it is generally weakned as to all other ; if the hand be so weakned that it cannot hold a ring , it will be less able to grasp a crown ; when we are baffled in our trust for temporal mercies , if satan then put us to it not to believe for spiritual blessings , how can we expect but to be much more at a loss in them ? so that he is sure of the victory before he fights , and he that is so sedulous to take advantage against us , will not lose so considerable a conquest for want of pursuit . there is indeed one thing that may seem fit to be objected against this , which is , that men may retain their faith in one thing , when yet they distrust in another , as the israelites distrusted the power and goodness of god for bread , and flesh in the wilderness , when yet they believed that as he had given water out of the rock , so he could do it again if there were need . psal . . . he smote the rock , and the waters gushed out , but can he give bread : as if they had said , we believe he can give water , but 't is impossible he should provide bread. but they that would thus object , may consider , that the reason of mens confidence in one thing , ( while distrust is in other things prevailing ) is not from any real strength of their faith , but a present want of a temptation ; if such a confidence were put to it , it would quickly be seen that it were truly nothing . as confident as the israelites were , that they could believe for a supply of water , we find , that neither that experience , nor the other of supplying them with manna and quails were sufficient to keep up their trust in god , but that at the next strait all was to seek , verse . for all this they sinned still , and believed not for his wonderous works . fifthly , besides all the forementioned advantages that satan hath in raising this temptation , of distrusting son-ship out of a distrust to providence , we may suppose him the more earnest in this matter , because 't is so provoking to god to distrust his providence ; that he often , ( as a just chastisement of that evil ) punisheth it ; by giving them up to distrust him for their souls ; the height of the provocation may be measured by this , that 't is not only a denyal of god that is above , but usually a vesting some mean and contemptible thing , with those attributes which only suit a god infinite and eternal . as israel did not only forsake the almighty by their distrust , but place their hopes upon ashur , upon their own horses and warlike preparations , and at last , upon the works of their hands , which they called their gods. how offensive this is to the lord , we may observe by that notable check which the prophet gave ahaz . esay . , . notwithstanding his complement of refusing a sign , ( which god offered him for the strengthning of his hope ) upon a pretence that he would trust without it , ( though indeed he absolutely distrusted him , as appears by chron. . . ) that it was a weaning and tyring out the patience of a long-suffering god ; is it a small thing for you to weary men , but will you weary my god also ? god is so active and jealous of all incroachments of this kind , that they may expect he will give up such offenders to be punished by the terrors of an higher distrust . he that is not owned as a god in his providences , will not be owned as a father for spiritual mercies ; they that will not own him for the body , shall not be able to lay hold upon him or his strength , to be at peace with him for their souls , and by this piece of just discipline he often cures the distrust of providence in his children , who when they see themselves plunged into terrors and fears about their everlasting welfare , do not only call god just , and accept of the punishment of their iniquity , in distrusting him for smaller matters , but now wish with all their hearts , that they might have no greater thing to trouble them than what relates to the body , or this life . to sum up all these reasons in one word ; satan hath from the forementioned considerations , a certain expectation of prevalency . for not only in this case doth god ( as it were ) fight for him , by giving them up , to distrust their filial interest , that have provoked him by a distrust of providence ; and our faith is also so weakned by the former overthrow , that 't is not able to maintain its ground in an higher matter , but also this distrust carries that in the nature and grounds of it ; that will of it self work up to a disbelief of spiritual mercies . he knows then that this piece of the victory is an easy consequence of the former , and we may say of it , as the prophet nahum , chap. . . of the strong-holds of nineveh , 't is like a fig-tree with the first ripe figs , if they be shaken , they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater . this temptation of distrusting our son-ship falls into satans mouth with a little labour , when once he hath prevailed so far , as to make us distrust the providence of god in outward matters . this must warn and caution us against any unbeseeming unbelieving entertainment of jealousy against the lords providence ; we are but too apt in our straits to take a greater liberty to question his mercy and power , not foreseeing how closely this borders upon a greater evil ; we may say of it , as the apostle speaks of babling in controversies , that they lead to more ungodliness , and that such words eat as a canker , so doth this distrust usually carry us further , and when we fall out with god for small matters , he will be angry in earnest , and withdraw from us our consolations in greater . in the depth of your distresses when your fears are round about you , and god seems to compass you about with his net ; when lover and friend forsakes , and when there is no appearance of help , endeavour ( for the keeping hold of your interest in god ) to behave your selves according to the following directions . first , look upon the providences of god to be as a great deep , the bottom of whose ways and designs you cannot reach ; think of them as of a mystery , which indeed you must study , but not throw away , because you cannot at first understand it . providences are not to be dealt with as alexander did by gordius his knot , who when he could not loose it , he cut it . if you see not the end of the lord , or cannot meet with a door of hope in it , yet lay your hand upon your mouth , speak not , think not evil of things , you know not , but wait till the time of their bringing forth . secondly , you must keep up in your hearts high and honourable thoughts of god , yea , of his mercy and goodness , and where you cannot see your way , or god's way before you , yet ( as it were by a kind of implicit faith ) must you believe that he is holy and good in all his ways . thirdly , though you may read your sins , or god's displeasure in them , and accordingly endeavour to humble your selves , and call your selves vile , yet must it be always remembred , that eternal love or hatred is not to be measured by them . fourthly , restrain complainings . 't is indeed an ease to complain ; i will speak ( saith job ) that i may be refreshed , notwithstanding a vent being given , 't is difficult to keep within bounds . our complainings entice us to distrust , as may appear in job , who took a boldness this way , more than was fit ; as chap. . . is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress ? and that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands ? all this hath been said in the opening of the temptation it self , now must i consider the motive that satan used to bring on the temptation by ; if thou be the son of god , &c. the question that is here moved by some , is , whether satan really knew , or truly doubted christ to be the son of god. several learned men think that he was in doubt , * and the reasons are variously conjectured . cyprian conceives that the unity of the two natures in one person did blind him , he knew it to be impossible that the divine nature should hunger , and might think it strange that the humane nature should fast so long . cornelius a lapide thinks that satan knew that there should be two natures united in one person , and that this occasioned satans fall , while he proudly stomacked the exaltation of the humane nature , but he imagins satan's doubt arose from a doubtful sence of that phrase , this is my beloved son , as not knowing whether christ were the natural , or an adopted son of god. but notwithstanding these apprehensions , others conceive that satan knew very well who christ was , and that being privy to so many things relating to him , as the promises which went before and directly pointed out the time , the angels salutation of mary at his conception , the star that conducted the wise men to him , the testimony from heaven concerning him , with a great many things more , he could not possibly be ignorant that he was the messias , and the son of god by nature ; neither doth that expression , if thou be the son of god , imply any doubting , seeing that that is usually expressive of the greatest certainty and assurance , as in the speech of lamech , if cain shall be avenged seven-fold , that is , as certainly he shall be avenged ; so satan might use it to this sense , if , or seeing thou art the son of god. now whereas it may seem strange , that he should set upon christ , if he knew who he was , i have answered that before , and shall here only add , that though satan did believe christ to be the son of god , yet so strongly did the power of malice work in him , that he would have had him to have doubted that he was not so . from all this , we have this observation , that the great design of satan is to weaken the assurance and hopes of the children of god , in their adoption . this is the master-piece of his design , the very center in which most of his devices meet ; we may say of him , as esau said of jacob , is he not rightly called jacob , a supplanter ; he first stole away our birth-right at the creation , and now he seeks to take away our blessing in christ the redeemer . the reasons of this undertaking i shall not here insist on ; 't is sufficiently obvious , that the greatest perplexity and sorrow ariseth to the children of god from hence , and that a troop of other spiritual evils ( as impatience , fury , blasphemy , and many more ) doth follow it at the heels , besides all that inability for service , and at last , plain neglect of all duty . all i shall further do at this time , shall be to shew in a few particulars , ( from satans carriage to christ in this temptation ) how and after what manner he doth manage that design , in which note . first , that 't is his design to sever us from the promise , and to weaken our faith in that ; when eve was tempted , this was that he aimed at , that she should question the good earnest of the prohibition , hath god said so ? was he real in that command , that you should not eat at all , &c. the like he doth to christ , is it true ? or can it be so as that voice declared , that thou art the son of god ? secondly , though this be his design , yet his way to come to it , is not at first to deny it , but to question and enquire , yet after such a manner , as may imply and withal suggest a doubting or suspition that it is not so ; he doth not come to christ thus , thou art not the son of god ; or , that voice that gave thee that testimony , was but a lye or a delusion : but he rather proceeds by questioning , which might seem to grant , that he was so , yet withal might possibly beget a doubt in his mind . thirdly , next he more plainly suggests something that may seem to argue the contrary ; for thus he aggravates christ's present condition of want , can it be that god would leave thee to these oppressing straits , if thou wert his son ? at this rate he deals with us , improving the failure of outward means of help , the permission of temptation , the want of comfort , the continuance of affliction , notwithstanding prayers , &c. as probabilities that we belong not to god. fourthly , after this , he urgeth christ to a sinful miscarriage , to distrust providence , and to rely no longer on the care of his father ; if christ had been prevailed with in this , he would have made use of it , as an argument to prove that he was not the son of god indeed . 't is usual in his disputings with us about adoption , to put us upon something , which may be as an argument out of our own mouths against us . christ might have answered him in this , as the man answered joah , if i should do so , then thou thy self wouldst set thy self against me . fifthly , when at last , he hath gradually ascended to that confidence as to deny our adoption , then ( at a very great disadvantage ) he puts us upon the proof , in which he puts by the ordinary evidences , and insists on extraordinary proofs as necessary . the servants of the lord that are under this exercise , do find that in this case , the ordinary evidences of repentance , mortification , love to the brethren , &c. do nothing for them : satan puts their spirit upon clamouring for higher evidences ; nothing will serve except they may view the records of eternity , and read their names enrolled in the everlasting decrees , or except god will speak from heaven in an extraordinary way , to testify of them , as thomas resolved , that no less should satisfy his doubt than the feeling and seeing of the print of the nails ; to this purpose some stand upon no less than a miracle for proof of son-ship . of which we have two instances of later years , the one mrs. honywood , the other mrs. sarah wight , who in their distresses for their souls were tempted by satan to make an hasty experiment , the one by throwing a venice glass , the other by throwing a cup against the wall with this or the like expression , if i must be saved , then let not this glass break : a desperate temptation ! their manner of desiring satisfaction is so provoking , that it cannot be expected god will give an answer by it , but rather the contrary ; and if he should not condescend , as he is not bound , ( though he strangely preserved the cup and glass forementioned from breaking ) what a dangerous conclusion would satan draw from it ? of this nature and design was that proposal of satans to christ , command that these stones be made bread , that is , do it as a proof of thy son-ship . by this we must learn this skill , not too easily to give up our hopes , or to be prodigal of our interest in christ , so as to part with it slenderly . if satan would chiefly rob us of this , we may learn thence , to put a price upon these jewels , and to account that precious , and of singular concernment , which he useth so much cunning to bereave us of . many of the lords servants may justly blame themselves for their lavish unthriftiness in this matter , who ( as if it were a necessary piece of humility or modesty ) will readily conclude against themselves , that they are not god's children , that they are not yet converted , &c. thus at unawares , they give up to satan without a stroke all that he seeks for . but you will say , must all men be confident of adoption ? no , i mean not so , yet all men must be wary how they cast away their hopes : particularly , first , though it be a dangerous arrogancy for a sinful wicked creature to bear himself up in a belief , that he is converted and actually instated into the adoption of sons ; yet 't is as dangerous on the other hand , for that man to cast off all hope , and to say he is reprobated , and such an one as cannot expect pardon and grace . secondly , those that are converted , though they may and ought to humble themselves deeply for their sinful miscarriage , and sincerely acknowledg that they deserve not to be called his children , yet must they be careful not to renounce their filial interest . they may say they are prodigal , yet keep to this , that they are sons ; though they are wandering sheep , yet must they stick here , that they are sheep still , and that god is still a father though a provoked father , otherwise their folly will give more , then all his fury could get , at least so quickly and easily . matth . . . then the devil taketh him up into the holy city , and setteth him on the pinacle of the temple . chap. xiii . the preparation to the second temptation . of his nimbleness to catch advantages from our answers to temptation . that satan carried christ in the air. of his power to molest the bodies of god's children . how little the supposed holiness of places priviledgeth us from satan . of satan's policy in seeming to countenance imaginary defences . of his pretended flight in such cases , with the reasons of that policy . of his improving a temptation to serve several ends . i omit christ's answer to the first temptation at present ( purposing to handle his answers to all the temptations together . ) and now the second temptation is before us , in which , first , i shall observe a few things in satan's preparation to the temptation , which takes in ( . ) the time , ( . ) the manner of his carrying him , ( . ) the place where he acted it . first , for the time , that is noted in the word [ then : ] which ( . ) points at the immediate succession of this to the former assault . the evangelist luke puts this temptation last , but he only had respect to the substance of the temptation , in his narration ; not regarding the order of them , which matthew hath punctually observed , as appears by his close connecting of them , with the particles , then and again , ver . , . besides , whosoever shall consider , that in the first , satan tempted christ to distrust , ( which he repelled , by telling him that it was his duty ( in the failure of outward means ) to rely upon divine providence , seeing man lives not by bread alone , &c. ) he will see so much of connection in the matter of the temptations , that he will easily perswade himself that the second place belongs to this , for this is but ( as it were ) a fit and pertinent reply to christ's refusal ; as if satan had said , since thou wilt rely upon the help and providence of god , in an extraordinary way of working , give an experiment of that , by casting thy self down , which thou mayst with greater confidence do , because he hath promised an extraordinary help , and hath given his angels charge concerning thee , &c. hence observe , that satan is not discouraged easily , nor doth he always desist upon the first repulse , but frequently renews the assault , when he is strongly and resolutely resisted . this word [ then ] doth also ( . ) tell us of satan's nimbleness , in catching a present advantage for a new temptation from christ's answer , he declared his trust in providence , this he presently lays hold on , as a fit opportunity to tempt him to presumption . here note , that when satan is upon any design , if an occasional advantage occur , from our way of refusal , he will not let it slip , but improves it to what it may lead to , though it be contrary to that which he was first labouring for . this was the policy which benhadad's servants used in their address to ahab , kings . . the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him , and did hastily catch it : if any thing come from us , we are under his temptation , he is diligent to observe it , and prosecutes it accordingly ; which may serve to satisfy the wonder that some have , concerning the contrariety in the temptations to which they are urged . they admire how it comes to pass that their temptations should so suddenly alter , that when satan seems to be so intent upon one design , he should so quickly change , and urge them presently to a different , or contrary thing ; but they may know that the devil watcheth the wind , and spreads his sayl according to the advantage which ariseth from our answer or repulse . so that if we would but plow with our own heifer , and observe our frame of spirit , we should easily find out this riddle . for as it is in disputings and arguings of men , replies beget new matter for answer , and so do they multiply one another ; thus are temptations altered and multiplyed , and out of the ashes of one assault repelled , another doth quickly spring up . the second circumstance of preparation is , satan's taking him up , and setting him on the temple . that this was not a visionary or an imaginary thing hath been proved before . yet granting it to have been real , ( as in truth it seems to have been ) it is disputed what was the modus , the way and manner of it . some think this was no more than christ's voluntary following of satan , who guided and conducted the way ; partly because the words , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , are in scripture accomodated to a mans taking of any as a companion under his guide , and conduct of the way , and to a disposal of them in any kind of station . thus , where 't is said , joseph took mary , and the young child to go to egypt , the same word is used : and when christ tells his disciples , that they shall bring the ass and the colt which they should find tyed ; the same word which expresseth christ's being set on the temple , is there used . partly also , they think it below the dignity of christ to be thus violently hurried . others think that satan , was permitted to take up the body of christ , and by his power to have conveyed him in the air. and indeed the whole series of the narration , with all the circumstances thereof are evident for it . the distances of places , the quickness and speediness of the removals , the more proper applications of the words , taking and setting , to satan as the actor , and the declaration of his power therein , as able to do great things ; these make the matter so clear , that it seems to be an unnatural forcing of the text , to give it any other interpretation . besides , the former opinion of satans taking of christ , as a manuductor or guide , seems every way unreasonable : for if christ only followed satan , then it must have been either by a land journey on foot , or in the air. this latter it could not be ; for if christ had supported himself in the air by his own power , he had anticipated the temptation , and it would have been folly and madness for satan to have urged him to fly in the air , after such an evidence of his power ; and who can imagine that christ followed satan on foot from the wilderness to the temple , or that his access to the roof of the temple was so easy , in such a way when the temple was always so strictly guarded ? note hence , that satan is sometime permitted to exercise his power upon the bodies of those that are dear to god. that he hath power to carry the bodies of men in the air , is sufficiently confirmed by what he doth frequently to witches , who are usually carried ( if we can give any credit to the stories that are writ of them ) in the air , to places far remote from their dwellings . and that this power is permitted him upon others , than such as are in compact with him , is as evident from what is testifyed of those , whose forward curiosity hath led to imitate witches in their anointings , who have thereupon been conveyed after them to their assemblies , and when the company hath been suddenly dismissed , they have been found many miles distant from their dwellings ; such instances we have in bodin , and among other things , that of domina rossa mentioned by him , whom satan would sometime bind to a tree , sometime to a table , or to a beds-foot , or to a manger ; sometime one hand bound to another , the devil thus molested her from eight years old , a long time . this power of conveying persons in the air , is not usual , yet there are some in this place , that have known one frequently molested by satan at this rate . however , if we take notice of his power , to abuse the bodies of holy persons more generally , we shall find it frequent . mary magdelen was possessed , christ mentions a daughter of abraham bowed down by him many years ; job was filled with botches and sores ; and there are many diseases wherein satan hath a greater hand , than is commonly imagined . physitians frequently conclude so much , while they observe some distempers to clude such remedies , as are usually successful upon other persons under the same diseases . from this we may infer ( . ) the great power of satan ; who can tell the extent of it ? doubtless ( if he were permitted ) 〈◊〉 should see sad instances hereof daily . ( . ) this discovers the wonderful care and providence of god over us in our preservation from his fury . ( . ) we may further note , that the abuse of the bodies of men by satan , will be no evidence , that therefore god doth disregard them , or that they are not precious to him . christ did undergo this abuse , to give such as shall be so molested , some comfort in his example . the third circumstance , which is that of place , is set down first in general , the holy city , that is jerusalem , for so luke speaks expresly . jerusalem was so called , because of god's worship there established , and his peculier presence there ; but that it should be called so , at this time may seem strange , seeing it might now be lamented as of old , how is the faithful city become an harlot ? righteousness lodged in it , but now murtherers . in answer to this , we must know , that god having not yet given her a bill of divorce , he is pleased to continue her title and priviledg . this might be profitably improved ; but i will not suffer my self to be diverted from the matter of temptation , which is the only thing i propound to prosecute from hence . i shall here only observe . that the holiness or sanctity of a place , will be no priviledg against temptations . he is not so fearful ( as many imagine ) as that he dares not approach a church-yard or a church , neither place , nor duty can keep him off . i do not believe the popish fiction of their st. bennets vision , wherein they tell of his seeing but one devil in a market , and ten in a monastery ; yet i question not the truth of this , that the devil is as busy at a sermon , or prayer , as at any other imployment . but to search a little further into this matter . it seems undeniable , that satan had a design in reference to the place , ( of which afterward ; ) and i see no reason to exclude our suspicion of a design from the name and title which the evangelist here gives to jerusalem . 't is an expression which ( to my remembrance ) we meet not with oft in the new-testament . at the suffering of christ , when the bodies of the saints arose out of their graves , 't is said , they went into the holy city ; but 't is evident , that it is there so styled upon special design , as if the evangelist would by that point at the staining of their glory , and that in a little time their boast of the temple and holy city should cease , and that all should be polluted with the carcasses of the slain ; and by the same reason may we suppose , that satan ( intending for christ a temptation of presumption , and backing it with the promise of a guard of angels ) had in his eye the usual confidence that the jews had of that city , as a place where the presence of angels might be more expected than elsewhere . so that it seems , satan intended to impose upon christ a confidence , in order to presumption . from the priviledg of the place , here observe , that satan is willing to gratify us with nominal and imaginary priviledges and defences against himself ; he will willingly allow us such defences , as are altogether insignificant and delusive , and his policy here is centred upon these two things : first , he doth industriously prompt us to self-devised inventions , such as were never appointed or blessed of god to any such use , but only found out by the bold superstitions of men. of this we have an instance in balack , who carried baalam from place to place in his prosecution of his design of cursing israel ; neither can we imagine that a commodious prospect of israel was all he aimed at , seeing he discovers his mind in this variation of places , peradventure it will please god that thou maist curse them from thence ; clearly implying , that he had a confidence that the place might contribute something to his design , and that there was some inherent vertue in those consecrated places , and therefore did he begin with the high places of baal , and then to the field of zophim , and then to the top of peor . among the papists we find too much of this , what power they attribute to holy-water , blessed-salt , sign of the cross , hallowed-earth , consecratrd places , reliques , baptized-bells , exorcisms , and abundance of such stuff , may be seen in many of their writings , too tedious to be related . secondly , he is also willing that men use those real defences and helps which god hath commanded , so that they use them in a formal manner , which indeed deprives them of all the life and efficacy , that might be expected from an instituted means ; thus he readily permits ignorant persons without any disturbance or molestation , to use the repetition of the lords-prayer , ten-commandments and creed , or any other prayer , while they perswade themselves , that the very saying of the words , is a sufficient defence against the devil all that day . the reasons of satan's policy in such gratifications are these : first , while we are kept doing with these , we are diverted from that which might be really helpful ; he puts a broken reed into our hand , that we might be deprived of a staff. experience confirms this , those that with greatest devotion use these empty inventions , are usually careless in the use of god's own appointments . secondly , besides that he thus betrays them by these lying helps , he doth by this means cast them on a further iniquity , of idolizing these foolish calves of their own invention . in this case men have a presumptuous expectation from such usages , of that which god never promised to do by them , neither ever entred into his heart so to do ; seeing he answers them all with this , who hath required these things at your hands ? and accordingly their consciences are more concerned for the omission of one of these fooleries , than for the neglect of the greater things of the law ; such are more troubled for the neglect of the sign of the cross or holy-water , than for their constant carelesness , and want of faith , by which their hearts should be guarded against their enemy . thirdly , in the mean time , he makes work for his own triumph over them , that dote upon these sottish inventions . if we can suppose satan to have pleasure or mirth at any thing , we may be sure he will laugh at such preparations , for a spiritual welfare ; it being as truly ridiculous for any man to go out with these weapons against satan , as for a combatant to assail a gyant , with a paper-helmet , a wicker-shield , and a wooden-daggar . and indeed when satan counterfeits a flight , or fear of such matters , ( as for his advantage he sometimes doth , it is but in design to beget or confirm in men a confidence of a vertue or strength in these usages against his power ; that so they may fix upon them to the neglect of god's own institutions , which he most dreads . thus we read , that he cunningly ceased his oracle at daphne , upon a pretence of the silencing power of the bones of the martyr babilas , which were buried near the place ; on purpose to lead unwary christians to the adoration of saints and their reliques . many such instances we have in sprenger of the devils feigned flight at the sign of the cross , the sprinkling of holy-water , the angelical salutation , st. bernards staff , or certain words and verses hung about the neck , and a great deal of such stuff we may meet with in most of their writers ; all which are but cunning contrivances of satan , to advance a belief of the vertue of these things , and so to stop men there , to the neglect of those spiritual weapons , which the scripture recommends . these we have observed from the place in general , the holy city : let us go on to the place in particular , where satan acted all this ; the pinacle of the temple . various are the conjectures of men about this , whether it were some fane , or the top of some spire , or the place whence the apostle james was thrown down , or the top of the kings porch , which was erected to a great height , over a deep valley , or some battlement , &c. but we are not concerned in such inquiries , only here i shall take notice of scultetus , who supposing the place to be the top of a fane or spire , and reading in josephus , that the points of such broaches were so sharp , that a bird could not rest upon them , without piercing its foot ; was therefore willing to conclude , that these temptations were not really , and historically acted , but in vision only ; all this ariseth from a wrong interpretation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which our english renders pinacle , whereas it properly signifies any battlement , or angular prominency , jutting out over the rest like a wing , which would afford a sufficient footing and support . 't is more profitable to enquire after satans reason for the choice of such a place ; no question but it was upon design ; for else he might with equal convenience , have tempted christ to cast himself down from some tree or precipice in the wilderness ; but then what that design was , is not so easy to determine , it seems plain , that he might suppose that christ might be the rather animated to the undertaking of flying in the air , by the hopes of glory , which might be expected from such a performance , before so many spectators . but some think that he had a design also upon the men of jerusalem , and intended some delusion to the jews , which i am not unwilling to close with , partly because the experiences that we have of his devices , assure us that in one temptation , his ends are oft manifold , and i cannot but think that satan would make all things sure , and provide ( in his projecting mind ) against allevents ; for if christ should have yeilded and evidenced so great a power in the sight of all the people , it might have been a conviction general , that he was the messias , about that time universally expected ; and partly i am ready to think so , because ( in case christ had done so ) it lay so fair , to confirm the jews in a misapprehension of the personal coming of elias , of whom they understood the prophecy of mal. . . behold , i will send my messenger , and he shall prepare the way before me ; and the lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple , even the messenger of the covenant . if the jews expected elias to come from heaven to the temple , how strongly would they have been confirmed in this opinion , if they had seen a man fly from the temple in the air , and by this means john the baptist ( who was the elias that was to come ) should have been neglected , and christ himself ( though honoured as elias ) not owned for the messias . observe then , that satan's designs are large , and that he projects the ensnaring or deluding of others , by such temptations , as seem only to concern those that are under the immediate trouble of them . he tempts christ to cast himself down , and also by it ( at least ) intends a delusion to the jews , he tempts one man upon the back of another , one is tempted to errour , another by that mans temptation , is tempted to atheism , and rejecting of all religion . one man is tempted to prophaneness , another is tempted by that to an uncharitable disrespect of him ; 't is easy to multiply instances of this . chap. xiv . that presumption was the chief design of this temptation . of tempting to extreams . what presumption is . the several ways of presuming . the frequency of this temptation , in the generality of professors , in hypocrises , desparing persons , and in the children of god. the reasons of satans industry in this design . his deceitful contrivance in bringing about this sin. preservatives against it . next to the preparation which satan made for the second conflict , ( already explained ) the temptation intended offers it self to our view , which is this : cast they self down . what satan chiefly intended by it , we may collect from christ's answer , as well as from the thing it self , for he thus replys ; it is written , thou shalt not tempt the lord thy god. christ doth not use this scripture to any such sense as this , that he should hereby prohibit satan to tempt him , because he was satan's lord and god , but he mentions this scripture as a rule of obedience , as if he should say , i may not cast my self down , and so rely on extraordinary help , seeing i can go down another way , for the neglect of ordinary means , when we have them , is a tempting of god , which may not be done . so that it appears by this , that satan here tempted christ to presumption . there is only this objection in our way ; that deut. . . ( the place by christ cited ) refers to the temptation of the israelites in massah , mentioned exod. . . where they chide with moses for water ; and there it would seem their tempting the lord , was rather in despairing of his power and help , than presuming in the neglect of the ordinary means . i answer , though the occasion and matter of that temptation be different from this of christ's , yet the presumptuous experiment that they there made of god's presence and power was the same with this which satan designed : for ver . . ( where the account of that tempting is given ) 't is said , because they tempted the lord , saying , is the lord among us or not ? they put it to this issue , that the being and power of god should be tryed by the giving or not giving of water . the manner then of that temptation being so agreeable to this , christ very pertinently applies that command to it , presumption being the thing which christ was tempted to . it might occasion some wonder in us to see satan take such strange steps : he was before tempting him to despair , now to presumption , but 't is no argument of his lightness or uncertain roving in his way of tempting , but rather of his depth and subtilty . note then , that 't is satans policy in tempting , to run from one extream to another . the corinthians were first tempted to a sinful complyance with the adulterous person , and were averse to his excommunication ; afterwards they were tempted to the contrary severity , and were as backward to receive him again . the same men that have been overcome by prodigality and excess ; when they begin to see the evil of that , are oft tempted to worldiness or covetousness , the contrary disposition . reasons of this policy are , first , the avoiding of one extream gives the soul such a swing , ( if care be not used to prevent it ) that they are cast more than half way upon the other . peter in an extream of modesty , refused the washing of his feet by christ , but when he understood the danger , then he runs as far wrong another way , not my feet only , but my hands and my head. thus some are so for purity of churches that they exclude the weak ; others so for vnity , that they admit the open scandalous and prophane . secondly , while men avoid one extream by running into another , they carry with them such strong impressions of the evil they would avoid , and such fierce prejudices , that 't is not an ordinary conviction will bring them right , but they are apt to be confident of the goodness of the way they take , and so are the more bold and fixed in their miscarriage . presumption being the great design of satan in this temptation , we may further observe , that as distrust on the one hand , so presumption on the other , is one of his grand designs . of these two , we may say as it was said of the sword of hazael and jehu , that of all those that are slain by the devil , whosoever hath escaped the sword of distrust and despair , the sword of presumption hath slain . to explain this i shall , first , shew what presumption is . 't is in the general , a confidence without a ground . first 't is made up of audacity , ( which is a bold and daring undertaking of a thing ) and security . secondly , the ground of it is an error of judgment , ( a blind or a misled judgment doth always nourish it ; ) and this is either a mistake of the nature of such means on which we rely for assistance , ( as when a man lays as much stress upon a thred as upon a cable , or expects as much nourishment from a stone as from bread ; ) or a mistake of the will of others , from whom we expect aid and help , without a warrant for such a confidence . thirdly , in its way of working , 't is directly opposite to distrust , and is a kind of excessive ( though irregular ) hope , not that in this case a man believes or hopes over-much , ( for there can be no excess properly in the exercise of divine graces ) but that he hopes too rashly or lightly , without a solid foundation or reason . hope hath for its object that which is good , under the considerations of futurity , possibility , and difficulty ; on the one side desperation looks upon that good as future , but under so great a difficulty , that it forgets the possibility of it , and thereupon surceaseth all indeavours : presumption on the other hand is so keenly apprehensive of the possibility , that it never regards the difficulty , and so thrusts forward into irregular endeavours or expectations . the nature of this will be better understood when the particular instances of presumption are before us . first , then 't is presumption , when from external or subordinate means , men expect that for which they were never designed nor appointed of god. to expect grapes of thorns , or figs of thistles , would be a presumption , because god never design'd them for such fruits ; and no less is it , when in any other case men look for high and extraordinary things , from any created good , above what god hath put into it , by the law of creation . secondly , when men do expect those fruits and effects from any thing , unto which it is appointed , in neglect or opposition to the supreme cause , without whose concurrent influence they cannot reach their proper ends . that is , our hopes are wholly centered upon means , when in the mean time our eye is not upon god. thus , to make gold our hope , job . . . to make flesh our arm , jer. . . to make ashur a saviour , hos . . . or to trust to any creatures whatsoever , is in scripture condemned as a presumptuous relyance , and ( in regard of the necessary disappointment ) a trusting in a lye ; in which sence , 't is said that every man is a lyer , psal . . . the like presumption it is , when we boast great things of our selves , and ( as peter ) make confident engagements , ( in our own strength ) that we will avoid such a sin , or perform such a duty : for we are but frail , and all our sufficiency is from the lord , so that it can be no less than intollerable arrogance , to promise any thing of our selves without him ; neither can men promise to themselves the continuance of that good or advantage , which they have already received from second causes ( if their confidence builds it self upon that sole consideration ) without a just blame . job had said he should die in his nest , and david that he should never be moved , but both of them afterward noted these confidences to have been no other than deceitful presumptions . thirdly , 't is a presumption to expect things above the reach of our present state and condition ; as for a mean man , to beg of god authority , and rule , or to expect to be set with princes ; or for ordinary christians to look for miracles , signs from heaven , visions , revelations , extraordinary answers to prayers , and the like , all which expectations are groundless , and the issue of a presumptuous pride . fourthly , when men expect things contrary to the rules that god hath set for his dispensations of mercy , they boldly presume upon his will. god hath promised preservation to his children , while they are in god's way , but if any shall go out of that way , and sinfully put himself into dangers and hazards , it would be presumption in him to expect a preservation . 't is the same in spiritual things . god promiseth eternal life , and the blessings of his covenant to such as give up themselves to him , and his laws ; will it not be intolerable presumption for men to bless themselves in their heart with expectations of reigning with him in glory , while in the mean time they contradict his own rule , and neglect his order , walking in prophaneness , and living to themselves ? this is an high presumption of mercy against his express will. hence are such courses , called presumptuous sins , psal . . and such sinners transgress with an high-hand . fifthly , 't is also a presumption to expect any mercy , though common and usual , without the ordinary means , by which god in providence hath setled the usual dispensations of such favours ; as when men look for his aid and help , for supply of corporal wants , while they throw off all care , and refuse their own endeavours , which are the ways of god's appointment , in the consciencious use whereof such mercies are to be expected . the heathen ( upon the consideration of the necessary connection of means and the end ) have usually judged such sluggish expectations , to be no better than solemn mockings of a diety . in spiritual things 't is no less presumptuous , to expect conversion and an interest in christ and heaven , while they refuse the careful use of his ordinances , and therefore we are commanded to pray for such blessings , to cry after knowledg , and to lift up the voice for understanding , and to second these prayers with our own utmost endeavours ; to seek for it as for silver , and to search for it as for hid treasures , and in so doing to expect the finding of the knowledg of god. sixthly , when ordinary or extraordinary mercies are expected for an unlawful end , as when the israelites at massa called for water ( which they ought to believe god would supply them withal , their condition considered ) but for a test and proof of the being of god , for they said , is god among us or not ? exod. . . 't is by james made a peice of spiritual unfaithfulness , and adultery , to ask any thing of god with a design to spend it upon a lust . ahaz his refusing a sign when god offered it , ( however he made a shew of modesty and believing ) argued no other thing , but that he was conscious to himself , that ( in case he had accepted it ) he should have abused that favour to an unlawful end , and have tempted god by it , as putting it upon this experiment whether there was a god or not . this is also another act of presumption ; when a man becomes guilty of any of these miscarriages , he is presumptuous . secondly , i further add to this discovery of the nature and kinds of presumption , that this is one of satan's grand engins : which i prove by two demonstrations . first , by satans common practice in this kind upon all sorts of men , in most occasions : that which is his frequent practice upon most men , and on most occasions , must of necessity be understood to be chiefly designed . some men may possibly be free from the trouble of some particular temptations , ( as hieronimus wallerus saith of luther his master , that he heard him often report of himself , that he had been assaulted and vexed with all kind of temptations , saving only that of covetousness ) but none can say they have not been assaulted with this . i shall make it out by an induction of particulars . first , the generality of men that live in the profession of religion , are presumptious ; nay the greatest part of the blind world are so ; they presume of mercy and salvation , the devil preacheth nothing else , but all hope , no fear , and in these golden dreams they slide down to hell : if we look into their way of sinning , and then into their hopes we can judg no less of them , they stick not at the most grevious abominations , the works of the flesh , and in these they continue ; 't is their trade , their life , they make provisions for them , they cannot sleep except they do wickedly , he that reproveth is derided by them ; they make but a mock and sport of those things , which , as the shame and reproach of mankind , should rather fly the light , and hide themselves , as things of darkness ; these things they practise without regret or sorrow of heart , without smiting upon the thigh , and in all this they have the confidence to say , is not the lord among us ? they can call themselves christians , and have as bold expectations of eternal happiness , as if the committing of these evils were made by god the necessary qualifications to everlasting happiness ; what is more common ? and yet what more presumptuous ? for ( . ) these men audaciously hope and expect mercy , expresly contrary to the peremptory threatnings of god. god saith , there is no peace to the wicked , they say , we shall have peace . ( . ) these run upon the greatest hazards of ruine and wo , with the least fear , in the contempt of all danger , as the horse rusheth into the battel , who mocketh at fear , and is not affrighted , neither turneth his back from the sword. ( . ) they dare god to do his worst , they provoke god to jealousy , and that to his face ; hence was it that nimrod was said to be a mighty hunter before the lord. and er the son of judah , that he was wicked before the lord : because such audacious sinners will not ( as we may say ) go behind his back to sin . secondly , hypocrites whose carriage is more smooth , they also are presumptuous : for while they hide their sin , they do against dictates of conscience presume , that he that made the eye doth not see ; and that there is a possibility to cheat god as well as men ; besides their boastings and hopes have a special mark set upon them in scripture , as audaciously false , the hope of the hypocrite shall be cut off , their confidence of the temple of the lord is but a lie , and so termed expresly by the prophet . thirdly , even desparing persons are not always free of presumption . the act of self-murther , is a terrible presuming upon infinite justice . spira's desire to know the worst , was of the same kind . these are indeed extraordinary , but there are some other kinds of despair that come nearer to presumption , as that sensual despair , which ariseth out of an excessive love of carnal delights , and a secure contempt of spiritual things : for when sensuality prompts them to eat and drink while they may , despairing and hopeless of a future happiness , for to morrow they shall die , and their pleasure cease , they highly presume against the patience and goodness of god. fourthly , the best of men are too frequently overcome by it ; ( . ) not only while they are overtaken with sins more grievous , and above the rate of sins of infirmity , to which how lyable the holiest saint may be , ( upon temptation ) may be gathered from david's prayer , keep thy servant from presumptuous sins , that they have not dominion over me ; ( . ) but by their earnest prosecutions of their own wills , when contradicted by providence . 't is by the prophet esa . . . called a pride and stoutness of heart , to contend with providence , to attempt to build with hewen stone , when the bricks are faln , or to strive for cedars , when divine wrath hath cut down the sycamores . ( . ) how frequently are they guilty of presuming upon their priviledges , their strength , their graces , and upon that score venture themselves upon occasions of sin , or bear high above others upon a conceit of their higher attainments , or when they boldly put themselves upon suffering , or upon doing while they want that due humility and care that should ballance them . ( . ) there is also a presumptuous rashness , upon which the zeal and good intentions of holy men may sometimes precipitate them . such was vzzahs putting forth his hand to hold the ark , for which the lord smote him . all these instances put together , will sufficiently demonstrate that presumption is one of satan's master-designs . the second demonstration of this truth is from the general subserviency of other things to this . most of satans indeavours and temptations aim at this point , and this is the result and consequence of most sins ; that must needs be chief to which so many things do but serve and minister . in this center do most of the lines of his policy meet , pride , vain-glory , conceited-priviledges , supposed-advantages , and many things more were but vnder-agents to this temptation , which the devil attempted upon christ , as hath in part , and presently shall be further evidenced . thirdly , having thus proved that presumption is one of the great things he aims at , i shall next discover the reasons of his earnestness and industry in his design , which are these . first , 't is a sin very natural , in which he hath the advantage of our own readness and inclination . however that some from a melancholy temper , are inclinable to fears and distrust at some time , when these black apprehensions are exalted , yet ( these excepted ) hopes are more predominant than fears ; and self-love , which provides fewel to these hopes , is a natural principle in all ; when so many things give him such advantages , and promise him a success , we may well suppose he will not miss such an opportunity . secondly , as 't is easy for satan's attempt , so 't is remote from conviction , and not rooted out without great difficulty : 't is a sin that is covered with a pretext of an higher degree of hope : men in many ways of this iniquity are under perswasions of duty , and by reason of that confidence , fear ( which is the souls centinel ) is asleep , hence do they not lye so fairly open to counsel or reproof . the israelites , deut. . , . being under discouragement , refuse to go up to canaan , when they were upon the border of the land ; but being convinced of their sin , in distrusting the arm of the lord , by gods declared wrath and threatning against them , they fall upon the contrary extream of presumption , and then ver . . they would go up and fight : and the conviction of their former sin , made them so confident that this was their present duty , ( for thus they argue , we have sinned against the lord , we will go up and sight , according to all that the lord our god commanded us ; ) that though they were expresly forbidden from god , ver . . go not up , neither fight , for i am not among you ; yet were they so strangely carried by their former perswasion , that they refused to be convinced , and went presumptuously into the hill. by which instance we see , what great pretences lead on presumption , and how difficulty they are removed : which two things do no less than tempt satan to lay out himself to the uttermost in that design . thirdly , the greatness of the sin when 't is committed , is another reason of his diligence in the pursuit of it ; 't is not only from a simple error or mistake , but that error ariseth from intollerable pride ; they say and do such things from the pride and stoutness of their heart . he that is presumptuous , is self-willed , pet. . . hence these sins , which we translate presumptuous , are in the original , called prides or arrogancies . besides , they are contradictions to god's order , separating those things that god hath joyned together , as the means from the end , or the end from the means , as if the earth should be turned out of its place for us . and in some cases , 't is no less than the open affronting of god , by abusing his own favours against himself ; for thus they deal with him , who are opinionated in sin because of his mercy , concluding , by an irrational consequence , that they ought to be wicked because god is good , or that they may freely offend because he doth not punish . fourthly , the dangerous issues and consequences of this way of sinning , do not a little animate satan to tempt to it . in some cases it was to be punished by death , deut. . . the man that doth presumptuously , — even that man shall die : and most usually it is plagued with sad disappointments , by a severe engagement of god's displeasure against it . the hypocrites hope shall perish , it shall be as the giving up of the ghost . and generally , he that thus blesseth himself in his heart , when he heareth the words of the curse , deut. . , . the lord will not spare him , but then the anger of the lord and his jealousy shall smoak against that man , and all the curses that are written in this book shall lye upon him , and the lord shall blot out his name from under heaven . fourthly , and lastly ; i shall lay before you , the deceitful contrivance of satan in bringing this sin about , by shewing the particulars of his craft against christ herein . as , first , he takes advantage from his resolve to rely upon providence , contrary to the former temptation of turning stones to bread ; christ had refused that , telling him it was duty to trust him , who not only by the ordinary means of bread could feed him , but also by any other appointment . to this satan rejoyns , by offering an irregular opportunity of such a trust , in casting himself from the pinacle of the temple ; as if he should say , if thou wilt thus rely upon providence , do it in this . wherein we may note , that from an obediential dependance , he would draw christ to an irregular presumption . he retorts christs argument back again upon him thus , if god is to be relyed upon by a certain trust for food , by the like trust he is to be relyed upon for preservation ; if the belief of supply of bread , can consist with a neglect or refusal of ordinary means for the procurement thereof , then may the belief of preservation in casting thy self from the pinacle of the temple consist also with a neglect of the ordinary means . thus like a cunning sophister he endeavours to conclude sin from duty , from a seeming parity betwixt them , though indeed the cases were vastly different . for though it be duty to depend upon providence , when god ( in the pursuit of service and duty ) brings us out of the sight and hopes of outward means , yet it can be no less than sinful presumption , for us to make such experiments of providences , when we need not , and when ordinary means are at hand . after the same manner doth he endeavour to put fallacies upon us , and to cheat us into presumptuous undertakings , by arguing from a necessary trust , in some cases , a necessity of presuming in others , upon a seeming likeness and proportion . secondly , it was no small piece of satan's craft to take this advantage , while the impression of trust , in the want of outward means was warm upon the heart of christ , he hoped thereby the more easily to draw him to an excess . for he knows that a zealous earnestness to avoid a sin , and to keep to a duty , doth often too much incline us to an extream , and he well hoped , that when christ had declared himself so positively to depend upon god , he might have prevailed to have stretched that dependance beyond its due bounds , taking the opportunity of his sway that way , which ( as a ship before wind and tide ) might soon be overdriven . and this was the design of his haste in this second temptation , because he would strike while the iron was hot , and closely pursue his advantage , while the strength and forwardness of these resolves were upon him . thirdly , he endeavours to animate him to this presumption by popular applause , and to tickle him into an humour of affecting the glory and admiration , which by such a strange undertaking might be raised in the minds of the spectators , and therefore did he bring him to the most conspicuous place of a great and populous city , not thinking the matter so feasible if he had tempted him to it in a solitary desert . fourthly , he propounds to him a plausible end , and a seeming advantage , viz. the clear and undoubted discovery of his divine nature and near interest in god ; urging this as a necessary duty , for his own satisfaction , and the manifestation of his son-ship to others . fifthly , to drive out of his mind those fears of miscarrying in his attempt , which otherwise might have been a block in his way : he is officious in strengthning his confidence , by propounding treacherous helps and preservatives , suggesting a safety to him from the priviledg of the place where this was to be acted , an holy city and temple , producing more of a divine presence for his safety than other places . sixthly , to make all sure , he backs all this with a promise of preservation ; that nothing might be wanting to his security . by this method applyed to other things and cases , he endeavours to bring us to presumption . the consideration of this should put us upon a special care and watchfulness against presumption ; it is more designed , and hath a greater prevalency , than men are aware off . two things i shall only at present propound for our preservation , out of psal . . , . first , he that would be kept from presumptuous sins , must make conscience of secret sins , to search for them , to mortify them , to beg pardon for them . with what face or hope can we expect from god help against these , when we provoke him to leave us to our selves , by indulging our selves in the other ? secondly , he that would avoid them , must be under the awe and fear of being overcome by them : he that slights and contemns such visible hazards , shall not long be innocent . david here , first shews his conscience to be concerned with secret sins , and then begs to be kept from presumptuous sins , and by such earnest begging , he next shews how much he dreaded such miscarriages . chap. xv. self-murther another of his designs in this temptation . how he tempts to self-murther directly , and upon what advantage he urgeth it . how he tempts to it indirectly , and the ways thereof . of necessary preservatives against this temptation . we have seen and considered the main end of satan in this temptation . let us further consider whether this was the sole end that he propounded to himself : we have little reason to think that he would confine himself to one , when the thing it self doth so clearly suggest another , which might possibly have followed . in most cases , the ends of the devil are manyfold : we may therefore easily suppose ( and several have noted it ) that the devil ( that great murtherer ) had herein a secret design against the life of christ , and that he tempted him here ( indirectly ) to self-murther . and indeed ( supposing that christ had attempted to fly in the air , and had failed in the interprise , ) what else could have followed but death and ruine ? hence let us note , that satan seeks the ruine of our bodies , as well as of our souls , and tempts men often to self-murther . that the devil goes about seeking how he may destroy men , by putting them upon attempts against their own lives , is evident , not only from the experience and confessions of such as have suffered under satan's suggestions to that end , ( and it is a temptation more common , than we think off , because most men are unwilling to lay open themselves to others in this matter ) but also from those many sad instances of men over whom satan so far prevails , that they execute upon themselves this design , by destroying themselves . yet by the way we may note , that such thoughts are often in the minds of men , where satan is not industriously designing their destruction ; for he often casts in such thoughts , not only to try how men take with them , but to affright and disquiet them , and 't is usually with men of sad and melancholly tempers to mistake their own fears of such a temptation , for satan's endeavours against them , when indeed their fear and trouble lest they should be so tempted , makes them think they are tempted indeed . satan drives on the design of self-murther , two ways . first , directly , when in plain terms he urgeth men to destroy themselves . this ( because 't is directly repugnant to the law of nature , which vehemently urgeth them to self-preservation ) he cannot effect , but by the help of some advantages ; yet some ways and methods , by experience , he hath found to be so available to such an unnatural resolve , that he frequently puts them in practice . as , first , he works upon the discontents of men , and improves the disquiet of their minds , ( upon the occasion of any loss , vexation , disappointment or disgrace , ) to as great an height as he can , and when their lives are made bitter to them , and they are sufficiently prepared by the uneasiness of their condition ; then he propounds death , as the only remedy to set them at quiet ; wherein , besides his officiousness to provide them with instruments of cruelty and opportunity for their use , he follows them with arguments , drawn from the sence of their present condition ; the great intendment whereof is to aggravate their smart , and to make their burthen seem intollerable , and then self-ruine is but a natural consequence . we may see enough of this in the discontents of good men , and that they naturally work this way ; job speaks the general apprehensions of men in trouble , job . , . the bitter in soul value not life , they long for death , and dig for it more than for bid treasures ; they rejoyce exceedingly , and are glad when they can find the grave . jonah in his discontent prefers death before life , it is better for me to die than to live ; elias doth the like , and job seems impatient for it . all this is from the power and working of this temptation , though god held their hand that it did not fully prevail . in ahithophel , the ground of discontent was more a fancied than a real disgrace ; his counsel was rejected ( which was in it self no great dishonour ) and this works up such a perplexing resentment in his mind , that satan prevails with him to hang himself very deliberately . secondly , he most frequently drawn on men to destroy themselves by terrors and desparing troubles of conscience ; these as they afford greater disquiet and distress of mind than other kind of discontentments , so doth he more prevail by them ; for a wounded spirit is above ordinary strength , and hard to bear : only it may may seem strange , that those who so experimentally feel how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living god , should entertain such a temptation , as ( to their apprehensions and knowledg ) will certainly plung them into the very ocean of everlasting vengeance . this no doubt satan finds to be no small obstruction to his design , but here he useth his skill to open a way for them that would out-run their lives on the one hand , as he labours to pursue them with sence of wrath and indignation on the other hand . to this purpose , he tells them , ( . ) that all the hell they are to meet with is in their consciences , and that death will free them from all , or at least , that death will give a present ease , and that till the resurrection they shall be in quiet . those that are willing to receive these apprehensions , may easily be prevailed with to hasten their own death , seeing they have already fixed this conclusion with themselves , that there is no hope nor pardon for them ; that they are reprobates and cut off , for their thoughts can meditate nothing but the terrors of such conclusions . ( . ) he sometimes endeavours to perswade them , that by executing this revenge upon themselves , they may make some kind of satisfaction and amends for the sins they have commited : which though most false , yet 't is a wonder how far such ungrounded surmises may possess the minds of the desperate . that judas might have some such thought when he destroyed himself , is conjectured by some : but that must be but a conjecture , seeing none can pretend to know his thoughts ; but we may speak with greater freedom of those , who have declared the working of such apprehensions upon their minds . ( . ) a more plausible pretext he useth when he endeavours to perswade them , that they may kill themselves , and yet go to heaven for all that ; to this purpose the subtil adversary is not backward to tell them , what have been the charitable expressions of some men , who have supposed a possibility of repentance , inter pontem & fontem , as we say , betwixt the stroke or halter , and the death . capel is so apprehensive of the mischeivous improvement of this charity , for an encouragement to self-murther , that he with great earnestness cautions all ministers against such liberal expressions . i have known some , and heard of others that have been so possessed with this imagination , of being saved , notwithstanding that having purposed to destroy themselves , ( though god prevented them that they did it not ) they have first by prayer recommended themselves to god , and so prepared themselves to die . ( . ) sometimes though such afflicted ones , have no such perswasion , but that from death they go immediately to hell : yet are they pushed forward , by a certain fearful curiosity of knowing the worst . at that rate did spira express himself , when he desired to be freed of his life that he might know the utmost of those torments which he feared ; as if the affrightments of his fearful expectations , were worse than the real feeling of them . ( . ) but most of all doth he prevail against that objection of greater misery after death , by running men up to a desperate destraction in their terrors ; their present anguish is made insupportable , so that they hasten out of life , without care or consideration of what shall follow . thirdly , he tempts men directly to destroy themselves from a principle of heroick boldness , and seeming fortitude of mind : a thing very common among the romans ; who impatient of injuries , and from pride of heart , not willing to subject themselves to affronts , chused rather to tear their own bowels , than to live to see themselves abused . lucretia being forced by tarquinius , and not willing to outlive her disgrace , stabb'd her self . cato not being able to endure the victory of caesar , puts an end to his days . innumerable instances of this kind histories do every where afford . these though they consulted their own passions , and knew of nothing that prompted them , but their own generosity or magnanimity , yet were they not without a tempter to such cruel actions . satan ( undoubtedly ) pleased himself by exercising his cruelty upon them so easily , by the help of such an humour , which passed ( among these blind heathens ) for the highest proof of vertue and fortitude . to this height it came , insomuch that we find seneca highly applauding cato , for procuring his liberty by his own death ; and setting forth that fact as the most delightful spectacle to the gods. though indeed ( as augustine notes ) it is not fortitude , but weakness , and a clear evidence of impatience , which cannot bear other mens insolencies , or their own hardships . and if we examine the matter to the bottom , though there be audacity in it , to undertake their own death , yet is this led on by no better principles , than pride , impatience and despair : which may the better be discovered , if we consider such kind of attempts , as they arise from more ignoble and base occasions . paterculus tells us of a tuscan southsayer who being carried to prison with his friend fulvius flaccus , and despairing of pardon , desperately runs his head against the prison door and dashed out his brains ; and yet this man was moved to attempt his destruction , upon the same general principles by which cato destroyed himself . fourthly , 't is also sufficiently known that satan by the force of custome in several countries , doth as it were necessitate men to cut off their own lives ; in some barbarous places , at the death of the husband , the wife in a brutal affection of the praise of love and loyalty , casts her self to be devoured by the same flame , in which the dead body of her husband is consumed . and there are found in other places customs of self-destruction for the avoiding the tedious inconveniencies of old age , where 't is usual for old persons , with joy to prepare their own funeral pile , and to make a quick dispatch of their lives , and rather to die at once , than by peece-meal , as seneca expresseth it . calanus an indian philosopher , being dysenterical , obtained leave of alexander to burn himself for more quick dispatch . fifthly , there is yet another way by which men are tempted sometime ( though rarely ) to hasten themselves out of the world , and that is by a pretence of an earnest and impatient desire of happiness to come . that longings for such enjoyments , do become the best of saints , and is indeed their excellency , cannot be denyed ; but to make such a preposterous haste , must be a cheat of satan . that there is a possibility of this , may appear in the story of cleombrotus ( mentioned also by augustine ) who reading plato's phaedo of the immortality of the soul ; that he might hasten thither , threw himself head-long from a wall , and dyed . now though it be hard to find such an instance among christians , yet we have reason to believe , that where satan perceives such a temptation may take place , he will not be wanting in the prosecution . and if me may conjecture augustines thoughts , by that question which he propounds , viz. whether it be lawful for a man to kill himself for the avoiding of sin. ( which he solidly confutes ; ) we may conclude , that such thoughts , were the usual temptations of good men in his time , and the rather because in the close of that chapter , he applyes that discourse particularly to the servants of christ , that they should not think their lives a burthen . secondly , satan promotes the design of self-murther , not only directly , as we have heard , but also by some indirect ways he undermines the life of man : that is , when he doth not formally say to them destroy your selves , but tempts them to such things , as he knows will let in death upon them . this way of subtil malice i shall explain under these heads . first , upon highest pretexts of zeal for god's glory , he sometimes lays a snare for our lives ; i cannot believe but satan had a hand in that forwardness of ancient christians , who by an open profession of their faith before persecuting judicatures , did as it were court a martyrdom ; and i have the same perswasion of the painful earnestness of many holy preachers , who lavish out their strength in a prodigality of pains for the good of souls , which ( like a theif in the candle ) wasts them immediately ; whereas a better husbanded strength might be truely more advantagious , as continuing the light the longer : and yet so sincere are their ends , so pleasant is their work , that they seldom observe , as they ought , that satan ( when he can do no better ) is glad of the opportunity to destroy them with their own weapon ; and therefore in this case , they may expect he will do all he can to heighten and forward their zeal , not only by adding all the fewel he can to their inward propensity of laboriousness , but also by outward encouragement , of the declared acceptations , and expectations , of their hearers . secondly , upon baser pretences of the full enjoyment of sensual pleasures , and carnal delights , he doth unawares push men forward to death and dangers . thus the voluptuous , the glutton , the drunkard , dig their own graves , and invite death to cut them off , before they have lived out half their time . while satan tempts men to such excesses of riot , he labours not only the destruction of the soul , but also of the body ; not only that they be miserable , but that they may be so with all expedition . thirdly , besides all these , he hath other subtile ways of contriving the death of men , by putting them upon ways and actions that are attended with hazard . thus he sought the death of christ not directly , but indirectly , by urging him to an action which he thought would unavoidably bring him to death ; for a fall from so great a praecipice , would easily have bereaved any man of life . and sometimes when men are besotted with enthusiastical delusions , he can more easily beguile them with such stratagems : that instance of stuker is famous , who cut off his brothers head , upon a foolish perswasion , that god would magnify his great power in giving him life again . if satan can befool such bewitched slaves into such absurd and unreasonable apprehensions in regard of others , what hinders but that he may so far impose upon them , that they may be willing to practise upon themselves . i remember something to this purpose , of one whom the devil had well-nigh prevailed with , to make a hole in his breast , ( which of necessity must have let out his life ; ) upon a pretended promise of giving him eternal life , and was accordingly forced to take up a knife , and to carry it to his throat . in anno . in york-shire , a company of people were seduced to sacrifice certain creatures to god , among the rest they sacrificed their aged mother , perswading her she should rise the third day , and for this they were executed at york . this may awaken all to be aware of this temptation ; some are sadly concerned in it , many are the complaints which some of us have met withal about it in private , and the apprehensions of such hazards are sadly disquieting . through such fears thousands of god's dear children have passed , and many , too many , have been overcome by this weapon ; those of us that have not yet known temptations of this nature , do not know how soon we may be assaulted in this kind ; 't is necessary for all to stand upon their guard , and for that end , it behoves us to have at hand these defences against it . first , 't is useful to consider , that this is one of satan's great plots ; and when we meet with it cloathed with never so many pretexts , enforced with never so many seeming necessities , yet must we look upon it as the counsel of an enemy , who certainly intends us no kindness , let him pretend what he will ; and therefore may we be sure , it will be our sad inconvenience and disadvantage . secondly , it must be fixed in our minds , that the thing in it self is an high iniquity , a most grievous provocation ; no instance of self-murther ( properly such ) can be met withal in scripture , as practised by any holy person : the command is directly against it , thou shalt not kill . if we may not murther another ( as austin argues ) we may not murther our selves : for he that kills himself kills no other then a man ; nay we may much less lay hand upon our own life . 't is a greater violation of the law of nature and of love. every man is nearest to himself ; and his love to himself , is the pattern of his love to another . self-murther must then be a sin of higher aggravations by far , than the murther of another person . and the wiser heathens were far from countenancing any such cruelty ; if plato had thought it best for an immediate enjoyment of immortality , ( which is the highest pretence of self-murther imaginable ) to make an end of life violently , he would certainly have practised it himself , or recommended it to others , but he is so far from this , that he speaks against it as a great wickedness . thirdly , 't is necessary that men keep in mind , the danger that follows such an act . death brings god's unalterable mittimus , and seals up the condition of every man , so that in the same posture he comes to judgment , it puts an end to all hopes and endeavours . suppose then such tempted creatures to have fears and terrors as great as you can imagine them to be , yet there is a possibility that they may be deceived in them , that their case is not so bad as they fear , or ( if it be bad enough at present ) that it may be better afterwards , ( for many that have in their anguish resolved against themselves , have been prevented of the execution of their resolves , and have lived to see the lord and his salvation ; ) and who is able to determine that secret , that their name is not in the book of life ? who can say , he is certainly excluded out of god's decree ? what madness is it then to rush into certain ruine , when our fears that distress us may be but mistakes . it is not so certain that men shall be damned , because of what they feel or fear at present , as it may be if they destroy themselves . fourthly , to prevent occasions to this temptation , it must be our care not to give way to discontents for outward things , nor to distressing fears , ( such as are desparing and hopeless ) for our spiritual estate : or if we have a burthen either way upon our mind , we must avoid as much as may be , impatient fretfulness , lest satan get advantage of us . discontented moods , and casting away hope , are sad occasions for this temptation . if we find our selves thus burthened , we must look to it betimes , and not suffer it to go too far . and if this temptation come , we must take heed we keep not the devils counsel , but discover the matter to some that are wise and faithful , able to advise and pray for us ; remembring still that if only outward things trouble us , we have a better way of ease and remedy , by submitting to a chastising providence ; if spiritual troubles move this way , we should not run from him , but rather resolve to perish at his foot , as humble suppliants for mercy and pardon . fifthly , the temptation must also be opposed with fasting and prayer ; if this be sincerely practised , it will go away at last . sixthly , something may also be said for caution against unnecessary thrusting our selves ( while under such temptations ) into places of danger , or into a converse with instruments of death ; this may be too great a daring of the temptation , and in the consequence a mischief . yet on the other hand , we must not be so cowardly , as to be affraid of such places and things , unto which our callings and lawful employments do engage us ; not to dare to go over a bridg , or to walk by a river , or a pit , if it be our necessary way , is but to give an advantage to satan to keep us under continual affrightments , and therefore i subscribe to capels advice , we must abide by it , and fight it out by faith ; we must not fly the way , the place , the imployment , but go on and look to god , and at last we shall make satan fly . but if some object to this , that their weakness is great , and their fears are strong , and satan never idle , and that therefore they have little ground to expect an escape . i shall desire they would consider seriously , the instance of christ in this particular , when he was upon the pinacle of the temple , a small push might have overthrown him , and yet it was not in satans power to do it himself , though he tempted christ to cast himself down : which may sufficiently satisfy us , that there is a sure hedg of providence about us , and that satan cannot do us the least hurt by pushing us into a pit or river , or any such danger . chap. xvi . of pride , satan's chief engine to bring on presumption . what pride is , and how it prepares men for sinning presumptuously . considerations against pride . the remedies for its cure. pride kindled by a confidence of priviledges , and popular applause . the aims of satan in this temptation being thus explained , i must now offer to your consideration the means by which he sought to bring his end about , which we have noted already , was pride : this he endeavoured to raise up in him two ways . first , by urging to him the priviledges of his condition , as taking himself to be the son of god. secondly , by offering him the occasion of popular applause , to which purpose he brought him into the holy-city , where he might be sure of many spectators . i shall hence note , that pride is satan's proper engine to bring men on to presumption . if we should trace the history of presumptuous sins , we shall ever find it to have been so . adam's first sin , was an high presumption against god's express command , but pride was the stair by which he knew they must ascend to it ; and therefore he used this argument , to corrupt the hearts of our first parents , ye shall be as god's . the presumption of vzziah in burning incense upon the altar , was from his pride . chron. . . his heart was lifted up , because he was become strong . david's presumption in numbring the people was from hence ; thus might we run through many instances . but satan's own case may be instead of all , his first sin ( though we have but conjecture what it was particularly ) is concluded by all to have been highly presumptuous , and the scripture expresly asserts that it was his pride that brought him to it . tim. . . he that is lifted up with pride , falls into the condemnation of the devil . and in the general we are told by the prophet , hab. . . that the soul that is lifted up , cannot be so upright as patiently to wait upon god in a way of believing , but it will be presuming to evade a trouble by indirect contrivances . to explain the observation , i shall do no more but shew what pride is , and how fit it is to beget presumption . pride is a self-idolizing , an over-valuation or admiration of our selves , upon a real or supposed excellency , inward or outward , appertaining to us . 't is in scripture frequently expressed by the lifting up or exaltation of the soul. and this is done , upon the consideration of any kind of thing , which we apprehend makes us excel others ; so that inward gifts of mind , as knowledg , humility , courage , &c. or outward gifts of the body , as beauty , strength , activity , &c. or additional advantages of riches , honour , authority , &c. or any thing well done by us , &c. may all be abused to beget and nourish pride , and to fill us with high and lofty thoughts concerning our selves : and being thus blown up , we are fitted for any presumptuous undertaking . for. first , the mind thus corrupted , begets to its self apprehensions of a self-sufficiency : and therefore , as it is not apt to remember from what fountain all those excellencies come , and to what ends they are to serve ; so it brings them to a contempt of others , and to a confidence of themselves . thus are men by degrees so intoxicated by their own humour , that they mount up to irrational and absurd conceits , fancying that they are more than they are , and that they can do far more than is possible for them to accomplish , till at last they become apparently foolish in the pursuit of their imaginations . i need not instance in the follies of alexander , who being elated in mind , would be jupiter's son , and go like hercules in a lyons skin ; or in the mad frenzies of caius , who as he would need fancy himself a god , so would he change his godship when he pleased ; to day he would wear a lyons skin and club , and then he must be hercules ; to morrow in another garb he conceits himself apollo ; a caduceus made him mercury , a sword and helmet made him mars , &c. or in xerxes , who would whip the seas , and fetter neptune . the scripture affords enough of this nature , as the boast of nebuchadnezzar ; is not this great babel that i have built ? in the insolency of nineveh , zeph. . . i am , and there is none besides me . the blasphemy of tyre , ezek. . . who set her heart , as the heart of god , saying , i am a god , i sit in the seat of god. the arrogancy of sennacherib , esa . . , . where are the gods of hamath — that the lord should deliver jerusalem out of my hand ? though all pride , in all men ariseth not to so great an height of madness , yet 't is the nature of it , and none have any of it , without this humour of conceiting themselves above themselves , which strangely prepares them for any presumption . secondly , he that is proud , as he looks upon himself in a flattering glass , and measures himself by the length of his shadow ; so doth he contemn and undervalue things , that lye before his attempts as easy and small , hence doth he put himself upon things that are far beyond him . david notes the working of a proud heart , psal . . . in this particular , neither do i exercise my self in great matters , or in things too high for me ; shewing that 't is the guize of pride , to out-bid it self in its attempts . thirdly , it is not only forward to attempt , but also desperate to execute , without consideration of hazard . difficulty and danger when they stand in the way , should usually deter men from their enterprize ; but pride hardens the heart , and in a blind rage engageth it to contemn all inconveniencies ; if sin and the breach of gods law , be set before a person , whose pride engageth him to an unlawful undertaking , he over-looks it as a thing of naught ; through the pride of his countenance he will not seek after god , god is not in all his thoughts , psal . . . fourthly , pride ariseth up to a scornful competition with any thing that opposeth it ; and the more 't is opposed , the more it rageth , for the contest is for having its will. this was the voice of pride in pharaoh , who is the lord , that i should serve him ? hence men are said to despise the commandments of god , when in the strength of their pride they are carried on to an open contest for their own ways and desires , against peremptory commands and threatnings . fifthly , all this is done by a pleasing allurement ; 't is a witchcraft that strongly holds men , and they think they are sufficiently rewarded if they be but gratified ; though other things go to wrack , yet they apprehend , if credit and honour be kept up 't is enough . saul ( when samuel had declared that god would forsake him , yet ) sought to please himself , by keeping up his esteem and authority , honour me , saith he , before the people . if all these particulars be weighed , what presumptuous act can be propounded by satan which pride may not lead to ? he that swells himself to a conceit of absoluteness , that will needs be attempting things too high , that contemneth all hazards , and is made more forward by opposition , and yet pleaseth himself in all , as in a golden dream , he is as much prepared for any figure or shape that satan is ready to impress upon him , as melted metals for their mould or stamp . hence must we be warned against pride , as we would avoid presumption ; if we admit this , we cannot well escape the other . and we are the more concerned to resist pride , first , because 't is a natural sin ; it was the first sin , and our natures are so deeply tainted with it , that it is a sin that first shews it self in our infancy : for children will express a pride in their cloaths very early ; and 't is a general infection , from which none are exempted in some degree or other . the apostles phrase joh. . . shews that our whole life , and all the concerns thereof , is but the sphere in which pride acts and therefore whereas he restrains other lusts ; to some particular ends , or peculiar instruments , he calls this iniquity the pride of life , implying how impossible it is to confine it in a narrow compass . secondly , it is a subtile sin , and often lyes where 't is least suspected . every man sees it , as 't is exprest in haughty looks , in boasting speeches , in gorgeous apparel , in insolent behaviour ; but often men are insensibly possessed with this sin and know not of it : under an affected contempt of honours and fine clothes , they secretly hug themselves in their private conceits , and raise up in their own thoughts imaginary trophies of honour and victory , for despising what others so much dote upon . it was observed of diogenes that he did intus gloriari , inwardly boast , and with greater pride contemned honour , riches , plenty , &c. than they were troubled with , that enjoyed them . some decry pride in others , vehemently declare against it as a sin , recommend humility as an ornament of great price in the sight of god , and yet are proud that they are above others in a fancied humility ; and in the management of themselves in their reproofs and exhortations , express such sad symptomes of an insulting humour , that the latent pride of their heart doth appear by it . 't is possible for men to give thanks to the almighty for all they have , and yet to be proud of what is in them : the pharisee was proud , ( for so christ calls him ) that he was not as other men , and yet he could thank god , as ascribing all to him ; nay he that is truly sensible of the working of this pride in himself , and dares not approve it , yet he shall find in his heart such a delight when he is stroaked or praised , and when some actions ( praise-worthy ) are not taken notice of , the best shall find that ( without great watchfulness ) they shall not be able to hold from giving some hints to others as a memorial to them , of observing their excellency , or from some insinuations of their own commendation . thirdly , pride is a sin no less dangerous then subtil ; there are no attempts so strange , unreasonable , monstrous or absurd , but it may prompt to them . it was a strange arrogancy in herod to deify himself in his own thoughts , and yet the acclamations of the people swell'd him into such a blasphemous imagination , that god thought fit to chastise him , and instruct others by so dreadful a judgment , as clearly baffled his insolency , and made him and his flatterers confess , he was but a poor frail man. ordinarily pride is attended with a judgment , 't is the very prognostick of ruine ; pride goeth before destruction , and an haughty spirit before a fall. prov. . . but these judgments have something in them peculiar ( which other judgments for other sins do not always express ) to a manifestation of a special abhorrency in god against pride ; as ( . ) he commonly smites the thing for which they are proud. staupitius boasted of his memory , and god smote it : hezekiah boasted of his treasure , and for that god designed them for captivity : david glorifyed in the multitude of his people , but god lessened them by pestilence . nebuchadnezzar is proud of his babel , and god drave him from the enjoyment of it . men are proud of children or relations , and god oft removes them , or makes them a shame and sorrow . ( . ) he doth not only this , but also orders the judgment so that it shall bring a shame and contempt upon men in that thing wherein they prided themselves ; he will not only punish , but also stain their pride : the haughty daughters of sion were not only plagued , by removing their ornaments , bracelets , and the rest of their bravery , but over and above he smites with a scab , the crown of their head , and discovers their secret parts , and brings a stink and baldness upon them instead of a sweet smell , and well-set hair , and hurning instead of beauty . so sad a distemper stands in need of a special care : and for that end we should , first , in all things we have or do not so much consider what is excellent , or wherein we excel , as what we have not , and wherein we come short . we should be strange to our selves , and design that the right hand should not know what the left hand doth ; which must be by having our eye upon the imperfections that attend us at the best . secondly , it must be our care to be suspitious of the working of pride in us , and also by an industrious watchfulness to give a stop or check to thoughts of this nature when they arise . thirdly , the conquest of this cannot be expected without a serious and constant labour herein . an humble soul is compared by david to a weaned child , psal . . . but a child is not weaned easily , worm-wood must be laid on the breast , and time allowed , before the child will forget it . he only that is content to exercise a discipline upon himself , and by frequent practices to habituate himself to low and careful thoughts , is likely to overcome it . pride ( we have seen ) was satan's great engine to bring on presumption , the means by which he endeavoureth to beget pride ( as was before noted : ) were , first , the consideration of priviledges , as being the son of god. for this expression , [ if thou art the son of god ] is now urged in a sence different from that which it had in the first temptation ; there he propounded it as unlikely that he should be the son of god , and yet be under such a disregard of providence . in this sense it notably suited his design of drawing him to a distrust of god's care , and consequently of his sonship . here he is upon a contrary temptation , and therefore propounds this , as a thing of which christ was assured , and from that assurance he thus disputes , thou believest thou art the son of god , and dost well depend on his care ; therefore needest thou not to distrust thy preservation , if thou castest thy self down . secondly , to help his confidence forward to the undertaking , he suggests what credit and honour it would be to him , in the sight of all the people to be so miraculously kept from hurt . hence note , that satan doth usually kindle and nourish pride , by a perverse confidence of our priviledges . it is very hard for christians to carry their assurance even : not but that grace in its proper working begets humility , and a watchful care against sin and folly , but such is our infirmity that we are easily drawn to be proud of our mercies , and to perswade our selves , that we may make bold with god because we are his children . hence was that paradox of mr. fox , that his sins did him most good , and his graces most hurt ; he means , sins occasioned his humility , whereas his graces were apt ( through his weakness ) to make him proud. and to hide this pride from man , god is forced to keep them sometime from the sight of their assurance , or to discipline them by other temptations , ( as he did with paul ) lest they should be exalted above measure . note further , that popular applause satan finds ( and useth accordingly ) to be a great instigator to pride . the great thing that moved the pharisees in thier often fastings , and large charity , was that they might have praise of men , and therefore took they care to be seen of men. the heathens noted this to be the great feeder of that humour which animated them , as a drum or trumpet animates souldiers to adventrous acts . and some good men have found no small difficulty to carry steeddily , when they have been hoisted up by the breath of mens praise ; which hath also occasioned those serious cautions against the danger flattery , and high commendations , a flattering mouth worketh ruine , pro. . . chap. xvii . of satan's subtilty in urging that of psal . . , . to christ . of his imitating the spirit of god in various ways of teaching . of his pretending scripture to further temptation . the reasons of such pretendings , and the ends to which he doth abuse it . of satan's unfaithfulness in managing of scriptures . cautions against that deceit . the ways by which it may be discovered . the ways of satan ( hitherto insisted on ) to engage christ in this act of presumption , were secret insinuations , and underhand contrivances : but that which he openly and expresly urged to this purpose , was an argument drawn from the promise of god , ( though sadly abused and misrepresented ) he shall give his angels charge concerning thee , &c. this we are next to consider , in which ( as cited by him ) we may easily see , ( . ) that satan affected an imitation of christ , in the way of his resistance ; christ had urged scripture before , and now satan endeavours to manage the same weapon against him . ( . ) 't is observable that scripture is the weapon that satan doth desire to weild against him ; in his other ways of dealing he was shy , and did but lay them in christ's way , offering only the occasion , and leaving him to take them up ; but in this he is more con●ident , and industriously pleads it , as a thing which he could better stand to and more confidently avouch . ( . ) the care of his subtilty herein , lay in the misrepresentation and abuse of it , as may be seen in these particulars : ( . ) in that he urged this promise to promote a sinful thing , contrary to the general end of all scripture , which was therefore written that we sin not . ( . ) but more especially in his clipping and mutilating of it ; he industriously leaves out that part of it , which doth limit and confine the promise of protection to lawful undertakings , ( such as this was not ) and renders it as a general promise of absolute safety , be the action what it will. it is a citation from psal . . . . which there runs thus , he shall give his angels charge over thee , to keep thee in all thy wayes ; these last words , [ in all thy ways , ] which doth direct to a true understanding of gods intention in that promise , he deceitfully leaves out , as if they were needless and unnecessary parts of the promise , when indeed they were on purpose put there by the spirit of god , to give a description of those persons and actions , unto whom in such cases the accomplishment of the promise might be expected : ( for albeit the word in the original which is translated [ ways , ] doth signify any kind of way or action in the general , yet in this place it doth not ; for then god were engaged to an absolute protection of men , not only when they unnecessarily thrust themselves into dangers , but in the most abominably sinful actions whatsoever ; which would have been a direct contradiction to those many scriptures wherein god threatens to withdraw his hand , and leave sinners to the danger of their iniquities : but 't is evident that the sense of it is no more than this , god is with you , while you are with him . we have a paraphrase of this text to this purpose , in prov. . . then shalt thou walk in thy way safely , and thy foot shall not stumble : where the condition of this safety ( pointed to in the word [ then , ] which leads the promise ) is expresly mentioned in the foregoing verses , my son , let them ( that is , the precepts of wisdom ) not depart from thine eyes — then ( not upon other terms ) shalt thou walk in thy way safely . the ways then in this promise , ( cited by satan ) are the ways of duty , or the ways of our lawful callings . the fallacy of satan in this dealing with scripture is obvious , and christ might have given this answer , ( as bernard hath it ) that god promiseth to keep him in his ways , but not in self-created dangers , for that was not his way but his ruine ; or , if a way , it was satan's way , but not his . ( . ) to these two some add another abuse , in a subtile concealment of the following verse , in the . psal . thou shalt tread upon the lyon and adder . this concerned satan , whose cruelty and poysonous deceits , were fitly represented by the lyon and the adder , and there the promise is also explained to have a respect to satans temptations ; that is , god would so manage his protection , that his children should not be led into a snare . hence observe , that satan sometimes imitates the spirit of god by an officious pretence of teaching the mind of god to men. this our adversary doth not always appear in one shape : sometime he acts as a lyon or dragon in ways of cruelty and fierceness ; sometimes as a filthy swine , in temptations to bestial uncleanness , and sensual lusts : sometime he puts on the garb of holiness , and makes as if he were not a spiritual adversary , but a spiritual friend and counsellour ; that this is frequent with him , the apostle tells us cor. . satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. angels of light are those blessed spirits , sent forth to minister for the good of the elect , whose ministry god useth not only for our preservation from bodily hurts , but also for prevention of sin , and furtherance of duty . satan , ( as wicked as he is ) doth counterfeit that imployment , and takes upon him to give advice for our good , pretending to teach us in the truth , or to direct and further us in our endeavours . that he designs an imitation of god and his spirit , may be discovered , by expressing a great many particulars of gods ways and appointments , wherein satan ( as god's ape ) partly out of mockery and scorn , partly upon other grounds of advantage to his intendments , doth counterfeit the currant coin of the lords establishments by a very close imitation . but i shall here confine my self to the point of teaching and instruction , wherein how he proceeds , we shall the better understand by considering how many ways god hath of old , and now still doth use , in declaring his mind to his people ; the sum of all we have , heb. . . heretofore he signified his mind in divers manners by the prophets , and in these last days by his son , in all which we shall trace the steps of satan . first , god revealed himself sometime by voice , as to abraham , moses and others : the devil hath dared to imitate this . there want not instances of it in the temptation , which is now under explanation , he did so ; and his confessing christ , i know thee who thou art , &c. doth shew that he is ready enough to do it at any time for advantage . sprengar tells us a story of the devils preaching to a congregation in the habit and likeness of a priest , wherein he reproved sin , and urged truth , and seemed no way culpable for false doctrine , but i suspect this for a fabulous tale : however it is undenyable that he sometime hath appeared to men with godly exhortations in his mouth , of living justly , and doing no man wrong , &c. except we resolve to discredit all history , and the narrations of persons ( and some such are known to some in this auditory ) who solemnly affirm , they have met with such dealing from him . secondly , god hath sometime revealed himself to men in extasies and trances : such as was that of paul , acts . . i was in an extasy or trance . this also hath the devil imitated . mahomet made this advantage of his disease , ( the epilepsy , or falling-sickness ) pretending that at such times , he was in an extasy , and had converse with the angel gabriel . but what he only in knavery pretended , others have really felt : the stories of familists , and deluded quakers are full of such things ; they frequently have fallen down , and have lain as in a swoon , and when they have awaked , told wonderful stories of what they have heard and seen . thirdly , visions and dreams were usual things in the old testament , and famous ways of divine revelation : but satan was not behind in this matter , his instruments had their visions too : in ezek. . . we have mention of vain-visions , and lying-divinations ; and such satanical dreams are also noted , deut. . . if there arise among you a dreamer of dreams . those days of confusion , that are not yet out of memory , afforded store of these : while unstable giddy-headed people began to dote on novelties and questions in religion , they gave opportunity to satan to beguile them ; for he taking advantage of their nauseating of old truths , and their expectation of sublime discoveries , ( which had sufficiently prepared them for any impression ) did so over-work their fancies , that they easily conceited themselves , to have had divine revelations ; and nothing was more ordinary than to hear stories of visions and dreams . and this spread further by a kind of infection , for it grew into a religious fashion ; and he was not esteemed , that had not something of this nature to experience . and though the folly and impertinencies of such things generally ( and sometime the apparent wickedness of them , as contradicting truth , and the divine rules of holiness ) were sufficient discoveries , that satans hand was in them : yet until time , experience , and the power of god had cooled the intemperate heat of this raving humor , it continued in the good liking and admiration of the more inconsiderate vulgar . and sometime those from whom more seriousness and consideration might have been expected , fell into a reverence for these pretences in others , and helped forward this spiritual witchcraft by their countenance and arguings , often abusing that text in acts . . your young men shall see visions , and your old men shall dream dreams , by applying it to a justification of these apparently foolish dotages . and indeed the effect hath discovered they were no better : for many of those things which with great confidence were avouched as certain , were by time proved to be false ; many things were useless , vain , ridiculous , and some were brought to lament and confess their folly after they proceeded far in these ways ; and at last , ( when the former opportunities are worn out ) satan grew weary of that design , ( as being no longer proper to be insisted on ) there is now a great calm , so that 't is but seldom that we hear of such things talked of ; it were needless to give particular instances , when you may at your leisure fetch them from hundreds of pamphlets commonly known . fourthly , one of the most noted ways by which god discovered his mind was that of inspiration , by which some eminent persons , ( called therefore prophets ) spake the will of god , as they were moved or acted by the spirit of god. the devil had also his false prophets , such are frequently taxed in the old testament , and foretold in the new. false christs ; and false prophets shall arise , mat. . . there were false prophets among the people , as there shall be false teachers among you , pet. . . many false teachers are gone out into the world. such an one was montanus in tertullians time , david george , john of leyden , hacket our country-man were such , and a great many such there have been in all ages ; 't is notoriously known that satan hath thus inspired poor possessed wretches who have uttered threatnings against sin , and wo to sinners . the sayings of such possessed creatures have not long since been gathered into a volume and published , as containing very perswasive arguments to repentance , and amendment of life . besides these , our own times afford too many examples of this kind , many have put on the guise of the old prophets in a foolish ( though adventurous ) imitation of their actions and prophecies . some have in our streets resembled jonah in nineveh , yet forty days , &c. some fancied to walk naked like isaiah ; others have come with their earthen pitchers and broken them : imitating these and other types by which god in his true prophets foresignifyed his judgments to come ; in all which actions and garbes with much earnestness , and in an affected tone they have called out for repentance , in a confident denunciation of woes and miseries , with a bold limiting of the time of forty days ( that the same might carry a parallel to jonah's prophecy ) and sometime giving ( which is the surest way ) an unlimited uncertain time . how the devil acts in these matters , and by what ways he seduceth them to believe they are inspired of god , or have real visions and revelations , 't is not my business now to enquire , only let those that think such things strange , consider that the devil hath the advantage of deep fanciful apprehensions , and a working melancholy in such persons , by which he can easily work them to conceit any thing , and confidently to believe what they have conceited . fifthly , sometime god notifyed his mind by signs and miracles . satan hath also his lying signs and wonders ; a power god hath permitted him this way , which is very great , and the delusions wrought thereby are strong , hazarding the deception of the elect. this power of doing wonders the devil usually applies to false doctrines , to strengthen and countenance errors ; the apostle testifies thess . . . that satan shall imploy this power for the advancement of the man of sin , whose coming shall be with signs and lying wonders . the beast arising out of the earth , rev. . . he shall deceive by the means of those miracles which he hath power to do . and accordingly the popish legends are full of stories of miracles , whereof ( though most be lyes , forgeries , and the false contrivements of those who sought to bring the people to receive their doctrines , the credit and advancement of which they sought by such ways ; ) some notwithstanding ( though not true miracles ) yet were truly acted , to countenance those errors which are pretended to be established by them . sixthly , god doth teach and lead his people by impulses . christ was thus led of the spirit into the wilderness ; and paul was bound in spirit to go to jerusalem . 't is common for satan to imitate such impulses . we have clear instances of diabolical impulses to sin in scripture ; a strong impulse was on ananias , satan filled his heart ; a strong impulse on judas , satan entred into his heart ; and what then more easy to apprehend , than that satan can counterfeit better impulses , and violently stir up the hearts of men to actions seemingly good or indifferent . some hypocrites are moved strongly to pray or preach , ( satan therein aiming at an increase of pride or presumption in them ; ) and they know no other , but that it is the spirit of god. god's children may have impulses from satan , upon pretences of zeal as the disciples had , when they called for fire from heaven . in these impulses satan doth not so act the heart of man as the spirit of god doth , whose commands in this case are irresistible , but he only works by altering the disposition of our bodies in a natural way ; and then having sitted us all he can for an impression , he endeavours to set it on by strong perswasions . some memorable instances of these impulses might profitably illustrate this . math. parisiensis takes notice of a boy , in anno. . ( of whom also fuller makes mention ) who ( after some loss which the christians had received in the war against the turks ) went up and down , singing this rithme . jesus lord , redeem our loss : restore to us thy holy cross . and by this means he gathered a multitude of boys together , who could not by the severest menaces of their parents be hindred from following him , to their own ruine . another instance of a strange impulse , we have in josephus ; one jesus the son of ananus , about four years before the destruction of jerusalem , at the feast of tabernacles , begins to cry out woe , woe , to the east and west , to man and woman , &c. and could by no means be restrained night or day ; and when his flesh was beaten off his bones , he begged no pity nor ease , but still continued his usual crying . seventhly , god doth also by his spirit teach his people in bringing things to their remembrance . satan also in imitation of this , can put into the minds of men ( with great readiness and dexterity ) promises , or sentences of scripture , insomuch that they conclude that all such actings are from the spirit of god , who ( as they conclude ) set such a scripture upon their heart : thus dealt satan with christ , he urgeth the promise upon him , wherein upon the matter he doth as much , as when he secretly suggests such things to the heart without an audible voice . in this way of craft satan doth very much resemble the true work of the spirit , ( . ) in the readiness and quickness of suggesting ; ( . ) in seeming exact suiting scripture suggested , with the present occasion ; and ( . ) in the earnestness of his urging it upon the fancies of men. yet when all this is done , they that shall seriously consider all ends , matter and circumstances , will easily observe it is but the cunning work of a tempter , and not from the holy spirit . observe also , that whatever be the various ways of satans imitation , yet the matter which he works and practiseth upon , is still scripture : to this he confines himself ; first , because the scriptures are generally ( among christians ) received as the undoubted oracles of god , the rule of our lives and duties , and the grounds of our hope . it would be a vain and bootless labour to impose upon those that retain this belief , the sayings of the turkish alcoran , the precepts of heathen philosophers , or any other thing that may carry a visible estrangement from or contradiction to scripture , he could not then possibly pretend to a divine instruction , nor could he so transform himself into an angel of light : but by using this covert of divine command , promise , or discovery , he can more easily beget a belief , that god hath said it , and that there is neither sin nor danger in the thing propounded , but duty and advantage to be expected ; and this is the very thing that makes way for an easy entertainment of such delusions . poor creatures believe that is all from god , and that they are acted by his spirit , and that with such confidence that they contemn and decry those ( as ignorant of divine mysteries , and of the power of god ) who are not so besotted as themselves . secondly , the scriptures have a glorious irresistible majesty in them peculiar to themselves , which cannot be found in all that art or eloquence can contribute to other authors . 't is not play-book language , nor scraps of romances that satan can effect these cheats withal ; and therefore we may observe that in the highest delusions men have had pretences of scripture , and their strong perswasions of extraordinary discoveries , have striken men into a reverence of their profession , because of the scripture words and phrases , with which their boldest follies are woven up : for let but men enquire into the reason of the prevalency of familism of old , upon so vast a number of people as were carried away with it , and they shall find , that the great artifice lay in the words they used , a language abstracted from scripture , to signify such conceits as the scripture never intended . hence were their expressions always high , soaring , and relating to a more excellent and mystical interpretation of those divine writings . this may be observed in david george , hen. nicholas and others , who usually talk of being consubstantiated with god , taken up into his love , of the angelical life , and a great deal more of the same kind . the ranters at first had the like language , and the quakers after them , affected such a c●nting expression . and we may be the more certain of the truth of this observation , that such a kind of speaking ( which borrows its majesty from the stile of the scripture ) is of moment to satans design ; because we find the scripture it self gives particular notice of it ; the false teachers in pet. . . are discribed ( among other things ) by their swelling words of vanity , which the syriack rendrs to be a proud and lofty way of speaking , the original signifies no less , they were words swelled like bladders , though being pricked , they be found to be empty sounds , and no substance : there are indeed swelling words of atheistical contempt of those , who as the psalmist speaks , set their mouths against heaven , but this passage of peter , as also the like in jude ver . . signify big swoln words from high pretensions and fancies of knowing the mind of god more perfectly , for they that use them pretend themselves prophets of god ver . . and as to their height in profession , are compared to clouds highly soaring ; and in cor. . . they are said to be transformed into the apostles of christ , and to the garb of the ministers of righteousness . and that which is more , this particular design of satan , is noted as the rise of all ; no marvel , for satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. having seen the reasons why satan chuseth scripture , as his tool to work by , i shall next shew to what base designs he makes it subserve . first , he useth this artifice , to beget and propagate erronious doctrines . hence no opinion is so vile , but pretends to scripture as its patron . the arrians pretend scripture against the divinity of christ . the socinians , pelagians , papists , yea and those that pretend to inspirations for their rule , and disclaim the binding force of those antiquated declarations of the saints conditions ( as they call them ) yet conform all their sayings to the scripture expression , and endeavour to prove their mistakes by its authority . secondly , he makes abused scripture to encourage sinful actions ; he can cite passages of god's patience and long-suffering , of his pardoning grace , and readiness to forgive , and a thousand more upon no other design , than the turning of the grace of god into wantonness . when professors turn loose and negligent , when they adventure too far upon sinful pleasures , they lick themselves whole , by an overforward grasping at such passages of scripture , which satan will , with great readiness , set upon their hearts , and then they pretend to themselves that their peace is made up with god , and that they have no less than a sealed pardon in their bosomes ; which notwithstanding may be known to have only satans hand and seal at it , by their overly and formal sorrow for such miscarriages , and their readiness to return to the same follies again . thirdly , by this imitation of the commands and promises of god , he doth strangely engage such as he can thus delude , unto desperate undertakings . the familists of germany were perswaded by this delusion , to expose themselves unarmed to the greatest hazards , upon vain pretences of promises set home upon them , as that god would fight for them , that they must stand still and see the salvation of god. some of later times have paid their lives for their bold misapplication of that promise , one shall chase a thousand . * judas of galilee , and theudas were prompted by satan to gather multitudes together , ( though to their own ruine ) upon a vain perswasion that they were raised up of god , and that god would be with them . fourthly , he sometimes procures groundless peace and assurance in the hearts of careless ones , by scripture misapplyed . many you may meet with , who will roundly tell you a long story , how they were cast down , and comforted by such a scritpure brought to their minds , when ( it may be much feared ) they are but deceived , and that as yet god hath not spoken peace to them . lastly , this way of satans setting home scriptures , proves sadly effectual to beget or heighten the inward distresses and fears of the children of god. 't is a wonder to hear some dispute against themselves , so nimble they be to object a scripture against their peace , ( above their reading or ability ) that you would easily conclude there is one at hand that prompts them , and suggests these things to their own prejudice . and sometimes a scripture will be set so cross or edg-way to their good and comfort , that many pleadings , much time , prayers , and discourses cannot remove it . i have known some that have seriously professed , scriptures have been thrown into their hearts like arrows , and have with such violence fixed a false apprehension upon their minds , ( as that god had cut them off , that they were reprobate , damned , &c. ) that they have born the tedious restless affrightments of it for many days , and yet the thing it self , as well as the issue of it , doth declare that this was not the fruit of the spirit of god , which is a spirit of truth , and cannot suggest a falseshood ) but of satan , who hath been a lyer from the beginning . observe lastly , though satan useth scripture in these deceitful workings , yet he never doth it faithfully . first , because it is against his nature , as 't is now corrupted by his fall , there is no truth in him : when he speaketh a lye , he speaketh of his own ; for he is a lyer , not that he cannot spake a truth , but that he usually is a lyar , and that he never speaks truth but with a purpose to deceive . secondly , to deal faithfully , in urging scriptures upon the consciences of men , is also contrary to his interest ; he hath a kingdom which he endeavours to uphold . this kingdom being directly contrary to that of christ's , ( which is a kingdom of light ) is therefore called a kingdom of darkness , being maintained and propagated only by lies and deceits . he cannot then be supposed to use scripture faithfully , because that is the true scepter of christ's kingdom , for then should satan ( as christ argues mat. . . ) cast out satan , and be divided against himself . this unfaithful dealing with scripture is threefold . first , the unfaithfulness of his design , though he speaks what is true , yet he doth it with an evil mind , aiming at one of these three things . first , to deceive and delude . if he applies promises , or insists upon the priviledges of god's children , it is to make them proud or presumptuous ; if he urge threatnings , or stir up the conscience to accuse for sin , 't is to bring them to dispair ; if he object the law , 't is to enrage lust ; and that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful . secondly , his design is sometime to bring the scripture under suspition or contempt ; he puts some weak christians upon unseasonable or imprudent use of scripture , and then tempts others to laugh at them , and to dispisen in their hearts those ways of religion , which some zealots with too much weakness do manage . men are apt enough to scoffat the most serious and weighty duties of holiness , even when performed in a most serious manner . if david put on sackcloth , and afflict himself with fasting , it is presently turned to his reproach , and the drunkards make a song of it ; but much more advantage hath the devil to raise up scorn and loathing in the minds of debauched persons , by the affected and unskilful use of scripture . some by a narrow confinement of the words brother and sister to those of their own fellowship , ( as if none else were to be owned by them ) have occasioned the scoff of holy brethren , ( a phrase notwithstanding used with a grave seriousness by the apostle ) in the usual discourses of those , who wait all occasions to harden themselves against the power of religion . the like observations they make of other ways and forms of speaking , which some have accustomed themselves unto , in a conscientious conformity to scripture phrase : in all which the devil observing the weakness and injudiciousness of some on the one hand , and the scornful pride of others on the other hand ; is willing to provide matter for their atheistical jears , by putting all the obligations he can upon the consciences of the weak , to continue in the use of these expressions . for some proof of this matter , we may note the secret deceit of satan , in that liberal profession of christ to be the son of god , mark . . luke . . i know thee who thou art , the holy one of god : here was truth spoken by him , and ( one would have thought ) with great ingenuity , but yet he cunningly insinuated into the minds of the hearers a ground of suspition , that he was not the son of god ; and for that end calls him jesus of nazareth , as if christ had been born there ; he knew well that the jews expected no messiah from nazareth and therefore on set purpose used he that expression , that he might draw him into contempt . and accordingly we find this very mistake ( that christ was born at nazareth ) became an argument against him , joh. . . while some were convinced and said , this is the christ , others said , shall christ come out of galilee ? thirdly , another part of his design in the use of scriptures , is to put a varnish upon hypocrisy . he is ready to serve men by putting scripture expressions in their mouths , and inuring them to a constant use of the phrases of those divine writings , that they may less suspect themselves of the pride , formality and secret wickedness of their hearts ; and to help on their mistakes concerning their spiritual condition , he can urge upon their consciences those scriptures that serve to engage them in external observances of religion . it may appear by the pharisees boast of fasting twice a week , of paying tythes , of giving alms , that their consciences were some way concerned in these things , so that though they were left without check of conscience , to devour widows houses , yet were they urged to make long prayers . suitable to this is that which solomon speaks of the harlot , who to colour over her wickedness , had her offerings and vows , and when her conscience is appeased with these performances , she can excuse her self in her way of sinning , she eats and wipes her mouth , and saith , i have done no wickedness , prov. . . satan doth but hereby help to paint a sepulchre , or guild a potsheard , and to furnish men with excuses and pretexts in their way of sinning . not unlike to this was that service which the devil with great readiness performed ( as i was informed from some of good credit ) to a young student , who had faln upon some books of magick in a colledg-library , into which having stoln privately one night in pursuit of that study , was almost surprised by the president ; who seeing a candle there at an unseasonable time , suddenly opens the door to know who was up so late , in which strait the devil ( to gratify his pupil with a ready excuse ) snatcheth away his book , and in a moment lays montanus his bible before him , that he might pretend that for his imployment . secondly , another point of satan's unfaithful dealing with scripture , is his falsecitation of it ; 't is nothing with him to alter , change , or leave out such a part as may make against him . if he urge promises upon men , in order to their security and negligence , he conceals the condition of them , and bannisheth the threatning far from their minds , representing the mercy of god in a false glass , as if he had promised to save and bring to heaven every man upon the common and easy tearms of being called a christian . if it be his purpose to disquiet the hearts of god's children , to promote their fears , or to lead them to dispair , then he sets home the commands and threatnings , but hides the promises that might relieve them , and ( which is remarkable ) he hath so puzled some , by setting on their hearts a piece of scripture , that when the next words , or next verse , might have eased them of their fears , and answered the sad objections which they raised against themselves from thence ; ( as if their eyes had been holden , or as if a mist had been cast over them ) they have not for a long time been able to consider the relief which they might have had . this hiding of scripture from their eyes , ( setting aside what god may do for the just chastisement of his childrens folly ) is effected , by the strong impression which satan sets upon their hearts , and by holding their minds down to a fixed meditation of the dreadful inferences which he presents to them from thence , not suffering them to divert their thoughts by his incessant clamours against them . thirdly , he unfaithfully handleth scriptures , by wresting the true import and sense of them . we read of some , pet. . . who wrest the scripture , the word in the original signifies a racking or torturing of it , as men upon a rack are stretched beyond their due length , to a dislocation of their joints , and sometimes forced to spake what they never did nor intended ; so are the scriptures used . those that do so are satan's scholars , and taught of him , ( though in regard of the spirits true teaching , they are called unlearned ) which is sufficient to shew satan's deceitful dealing : he often lays his dead and corrupt sense ( as the harlot did with her dead child in the room of the living infant ) in the place of the living meaning of the scripture : this may be seen evidently , first , in heresies or errors , these are satans brood , and there are none so vile ( that pretend to christian religion ) but they claima kindred to scripture , and are confident on its authority for them . now seeing truth is but one , and these errors not only contradictory to truth , but to each other , satan could never spin out such conclusions from the divine oracles , but by wresting them from their true intendments ; and he that would contemplate the great subtilty of satan in this his art , need but consider what different strange and monstrous shapes are put upon the scripture , by the several heresies which march under its colours . the quakers in their way represent it like an old almanack out of date , and withal in the use they make of it , they render it as a piece of nonsensical furious roving . the socinians take down the sublime mysteries of christs satisfaction , and justification by faith , with external rewards and punishments , to a strain as low as the turkish alcoran . the papists make it like a few leaves of an imperfect book , wanting beginning and end , and so not fit to be set up as a sufficient rule . the ranters make it seem rather like language from hell , than the commands of the pure and holy god. some will have it to countenance most ridiculous inventions in worship , others will have it to discharge all outward observations and ordinances , as childish rudiments . some raise it all to the pitch of aenigmatical unintelligible mysteries ; others can find no more in the precepts of it than in aristotles ethicks . thus by distorting and wresting , satan hath learn'd these unskilful ones to make it serve their vilest lusts and humours . secondly , the same art of wresting scripture is observable in his secret suggestions . if he would encourage any in sin , he can wrest scripture for that , and tell him that god is merciful , that christ died for sinners , that there is hope of pardon , that saints have done the like ; things very true in themselves , but perverted by him to another sense than ever they were intended to by god , who hath spoken these things that we sin not . if he would discourage a saint , he can tell him when he finds him doubting his estate , that the fearful and unbelieving have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone ; when he finds him under a known sin , he tells that of the apostle , if we sin willfully after we have received the knowldg of the truth , there remains no more sacrifice for sins . when he observes them discomposed and wandering in duty , then he objects , they draw nigh me with their lips , but their heart is far from me . if he sees them dull and without consolation at the lord's supper , then to be sure they hear of him ; he that eats and drinks unworthily , eateth and drinketh damnation to himself . if he find him bemoaning that he is not so apprehensive of mercies or judgments , as he would be , then he sets home some such scripture as this , this peoples heart is waxed gross , and their ears are dull of hearing , &c. these scriptures are frequently perverted by satan from the true and proper meaning of them . i have had complaints from several dejected christians , of these very scriptures urged upon them to their great trouble , when yet it was evident , that none of these were truly applyed by satans temptation against them . these things give us warning not to take any thing of this nature upon trust . if satan can so imitate the spirit of god in applications of scripture , and bringing it to our remembrance , we have great reason to beware lest we be imposed upon by satan's design clothed in scripture phrase ; not that i would have men esteem the secret setting of scripture upon their minds , to be in all cases a delusion , and to be disregarded as such . some indeed there are that so severely remark the weaknesses of professors of religion , that they raise up a scorn to that which is of most necessary and serious use : because the devil prevails with some hypocrites to guild themselves with scripture phrase , and others through imprudent inadvertency , are ( unknown to themselves ) beguiled by satan , to misapplications of scripture to their own estate , or to other things ; they therefore decry all the inward workings of the heart , as fancy , or affected singularity : these do but the devils work . but that the spirit of god ( whom satan treacherously endeavours to imitate ) doth set home scripture commands , threatnings and promises upon the hearts of his people , is not only attested by the experience of all that are inwardly acquainted with the ways of god , but is one of the great promises which christ hath given for the comfort of his people in his absence . joh. . . but the comforter which is the holy ghost , whom the father shall send in my name , he shall teach you all things , and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever i have said unto you . this then being granted as a firm unshaken truth , our care must be in discovering and avoiding satan's counterfeit using of scripture , and in this we should be more wary ; first , because we are not so apt to suspect what we meet with in such a way , when 't is brought to us in the language of scripture . secondly , and those that are not exercised in the scripture , will he at a sad loss as not knowing how to extricate themselves from such difficulties , as may arise to them from satan's sophistry . thirdly , wariness is also more necessary , because we are inclinable to believe what suits our desires , and conscience awakened is averse to the rejecting of that which answers its fears . you may say , what is there of direction for us in this case ? the answer is ready ; two things are given us in charge . ( . ) that we be wisely suspicious . a facile hasty credulity is treacherous . christ forbids , ( when he foretels the rising of false christ's , math. . . ) the forwardness of a sudden belief , taxing thereby those that are presently taken with every new appearance . 't is childish to be carryed with every wind , we are warned also of this , joh. . . believe not every spirit . ( . ) we are commanded to bring all pretences whatsoever to tryal , though immediate revelation or vision be pretended , or extraordinary commission , yet must all be brought to the touch-stone , we must prove all things thes . . . and try those that say they are apostles , rev. . . nay , the spirits are to be tryed whether they be of god , joh. . . you will say , how must we try ? i answer , god hath given a publick , sufficient and certain rule , which is the scripture , and all must be tryed by that : so that if there be impulses , or discoveries , or remembrances of scripture upon any , it must not be taken for granted that they are of god , because they pretend so high , ( for so we shall make satan judg in his own cause ) but lay all to the line and plummet of the written word , and if it answer not that , call it confidently a delusion , and reject it as accursed , though it might seem ( in other regards ) to have been suggested by an angel from heaven . but it will be said , satan pretends to this rule , and it is scripture that is urged by him ? i answer , though it be so , yet he useth not scripture in its own intendment , and sense , for the discovery of his unfaithful dealing . first , compare the inference of the suggestion with other scriptures . if it be from a dark scripture , compare it with those that are more plain , and in every case , see whether the general current of the scriptures speak the same thing : for if it be from satan , he either plays with the words and phrases , from doubtful and equivolent terms making his conclusion ; or his citation will be found impertinent , or ( which is most usual ) contrary to truth or holiness ; if any of these appear , by a true examination of the import of the scripture which he seeks to abuse , or by comparing it with the scope and genius of other scriptures , you may certainly pronounce that it is not of god , but satan's deceit . secondly , consider the tendency of such suggestions : let no man say that this will come too late , or that it is an after game : i do not mean that we should stay so long , as to see the effects ; ( though this is also a certain discovery of satan's knavery in his highest pretences ; the phanatick furies of the german enthusiasts do now appear plain to all the world to have been delusions , by their end , fruits , and issue ) but that while these conclusions are obtruded upon us , we should observe to what they tend : which we shall the better know , if all circumstances round about be considered . sometimes satan doth covertly hint his mind , and send it along with the suggestion ; sometimes our condition will enough declare it , and there is no case but it will afford something of discovery if seriously pondered . if he either prompt us to pride , vain-glory , or presumption , or that our condition sway us that way , it will be sufficient ground of suspition that 't is satan that then urgeth promises or priviledges upon us . if we are of a wounded spirit inclined to distrust , or if we be put on to despair , it is past denyal , that 't is satan that urgeth the threatnings , and presseth the accusations of the law against us . he that gathers stones , timber , lime , and such materials together , as are usually imployed in building , doth discover his intention , before he actually build his house , and thus may satan's end be known by his preparations compared , with the sway and inclination of our present temper . thirdly , it must be remembred that with these endeavours , we often seek the face of the lord for help and counsel ; and that we apply our selves to such of the servants of god , as being more knowing than our selves , and less prepossessed in their judgments ( because not concerned ) are better able to see into the nature of our straits , and to help us by their advices . matth . . . again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain , and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world , and the glory of them . chap. xviii . the manner ef satan's shewing the kingdoms of the world , of satan's preparations before the motion of sin. of his confronting the almighty by presumptuous imitation ; and in what cases he doth so . of his beautifying the object of a temptation , and how he doth it . his way of engaging the affections by the senses . of his seeming shiness . this is the preparation to the third temptation ; in which we have , ( . ) the place where it was acted . ( . ) the object set before him there . first , the place was an exceeding high mountain . what mountain it was , nebo , pisgah , or any other , 't is needless to enquire . 't is of more use to ask after the reasons of satan's choise of such a place . the text doth clearly imply one that was the commodiousness of prospect ; satan intending to give him a view of the kingdoms of the world , chuseth a mountain as fittest for that end . but that this was not all the reason , is not only * intimated by some , but positively † affirmed by others , who think that satan in this imitated the like in god to moses , who was called up to mount neho to view the land which god promised to israel . whether these circumstances of the mountain , and the view of the kingdoms of the world , were of purpose contrived to affront god by such an imitation , i will not be positive in it : but we may with greater evidence affirm , that in offering the kingdoms of the world , as things altogether in his disposal , he doth directly out-brave god by an insolent comparison of his power with that of the almighty's , whose is the earth and the fulness of it , and to whom the sovereignty of the disposal of it doth belong . secondly , that which satan sheweth christ from the mountain , is said to be the kingdoms of the word , and the glory of them . here some busy themselves to conjecture what kingdoms were thus pointed at , some keep so strictly to the word [ all , ] that they are forced to take up with that opinion , that all these temptations were only in vision ; for they consider that no one mountain in the world , can give a prospect over one whole hemisphere , or if it could , yet no eye would be able to discern at so great a distance . but the inconveniencies of this surmise have been pointed at before , and 't is enough to shew that the text may admit of an interpretation which shall not be incumbred with this supposed impossibility . others restrain this to the land of canaan , as if satan only shewed this as a famous instance of the glory of all kingdoms . some think the roman empire ( which was then most flourishing , and lifted up its head above other kingdoms ) was the great bait laid before christ , as if he had a design to divert christ from the business of his office , by offering him the seat and power of antichrist : but the text runs not so favourably for any of these opinions , as to constrain us to stay upon them . [ kingdoms of the world ] seem to intend more than canaan , or the roman empire , the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , used here , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in luke , which we translate the world , do so apply to one another in a mutual accommodation , that we cannot stretch the world to the largest sense of the whole globe of the earth , because 't is expressed in luke by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies such a part of the world which is more cultivated and honoured by inhabitants ; nor can we so restrain it to the roman empire ( though when they spake their apprehensions of their own empire , they seem to engross all , luke . . ) because matthew useth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a word of greater freedom . it seems then that many kingdoms , or the most considerable kingdoms of the then known world were here exposed to his sight . but then the difficulty still remains how the devil could shew them to his eye . that it was not a visionary discovery to his mind hath been said ; some think he shewed these partly by ocular prospect of those cities , castles , towns , vineyards , and fields that were neer , as a compend of the whole ; and partly by a discourse of the glory , power , and extent of other kingdoms that were out of the reach of the eye : but because the expression which luke adds , [ in a moment of time , ] intimates that the way which satan took , was different from common prospecting or beholding ; others are not satisfied with that solution of the difficulty , but fly to this supposition , that satan used only jugling and delusion , by framing an airy horizon before the eyes of christ ; shewing not the kingdoms themselves , but a phantasm of his own making . but seeing this might have been done in any place , and that an high mountain was chosen for furthering the prospect , i think 't is safest to conclude that the prospect was ocular , and not phantastical but real , only helped and assisted by satan's skill and art , as a great naturalist , and as a prince of the power of the air , by which means , in reflections , or extraordinary prospectives , he might discover things at vast distances : which we may the rather fix upon , because we know what helps for prospect , art hath discovered by glasses and telescopes , by which the bodies of the sun , moon , and planets ( at such unspakeable distance from us ) have in this latter age been discovered to us , beyond ordinary belief . and we have reason to think that satan's skill this way far exceeds any thing that we have come to the knowledg of , and so might make real discoveries of countrys far remote , more than we can well imagine . these things thus explained , i shall note several observations . first , if we consider this great preparation that satan makes , as introductory to the temptation to follow , we may observe , that where satan hath a special design , he projects and makes ready all things relating to the temptation before he plainly utter his mind : he provides his materials , before he builds , and lays his train before he gives fire . what is his method we may learn from the practice of those that are trained up in his service . they in rom. . ult . are said to make provision for the flash , to fore-contrive their sins , and to project all circumstances of time , place , occasion , and advantage for their accomplishment . this is not to be understood of all sins , for in some that are inward in the mind , ( as vain , thoughts , pride of heart , &c. ) there needs not such provisions ; we may say of them , their times are always , and in many cases the house is swept and garnished to his hand , he finds all things ready , by the forwardness of those who are free in his service , and the sudden accidental concurrance of things . but where the temptation is solemn , and where the thing designed ( in the perfecting of it ) relates to exteriour acts , there he useth this policy , to have all in readiness ( though it cost him the labour of compassing sea and land for it ) before he expresly speak his purposes . his reasons are these ; first , if things necessary for the encouragment and accomplishment of a temptation , lay out of the way , and were not at hand , his suggestions would perish as soon as they were born , and would be rejected as impossible or inconvenient . to tempt a man to steal , when he knows not where , nor how , or to revenge when he hath no enemy , nor provocation ; seem to be no other than if they should be commanded to remove a mountain , or to fly in the air ; which would quickly be declined , as motions affording no ground of entertainment . and therefore that his temptations may not bring a reason of refusal with them , as being unseasonable ; he takes care to fit his servants with all things requisite for the work he puts them upon . secondly , as temptations ( of this kind ) would be no temptations , ( because not feasible , ) without their preparations ; so must we not think that it is the bare suggestion of satan that makes a temptation to pierce . the reason of its prevalency , is not barely because satan breaks such a motion to us , but because such a motion comes accomplished with all suitable preparations . when it prevails , it is the sinful motion that wounds , but preparations are as the feathers that wing his arrows , without which they would neither fly nor pierce . let this , first , renew our caution and suspition in every thing , and every place , that satan is at work against us , though we see no visible snare . let it put us upon such a watchful carefulness in every of our ways , that we may resolve to undertake nothing for which we have not a good and warantable reason at hand , that if our conscience say to us , what dost thou here ? we may be able to give a good account . secondly , if we mind the behaviour of satan in these preparations and offers , we see him act after the pattern of highest sovereignty , disposing of earthly kingdoms at such a rate , as if all power were in his hand hence we may observe , that when satan tempts to sin of highest contempt and insolency against god , he then thinks it concerns him to bear himself out , by confronting the almighty , in imitating his authority and power . this carriage of satan is not to be found in all his temptations : for in most cases he acts with greatest secresy ; and as a thief that is afraid of discovery , he useth all ways possible for concealment ; but when he sets up himself as the god of the world , and stands in competition with the lord , claming an interest in the fear and devotion of men , then he boldly avoucheth himself , and labours to out-vie god in point of greatness , that he might possess them with a belief that he only ought to be feared . this arrogancy of satan against god , may be seen in three things : first , in imitating divine ordinances , and institutions . there is not any part of divine worship the observation whereof god hath enjoyned to men , but satan hath set up something like it for himself . as god appointed his temple , priests , altars , sacrifices , offerings , tyths , sanctuaries , sacrament , &c. so hath satan had his temples , priests , altars , sacrifices , offerings , sanctuaries , sacraments , &c. this is sufficiently known to any that read his histories ; and i could give a full account of it from heathen authors , but that i have done already when i spoke of satan subtilty in promoting idolatry in the world. i shall only add here that which varro relates of the books of numa pompilius , which were casually cast up by the plough of one terentius , coming too near the sepulchre of numa , where these books had been buried . this numa was the second king of the romans , who instituted the rites and ceremonies of pagan worship for his subjects , and in these books ( which he thought fit to conceal , by burying them with him ) he had laid open the bottom of these devilish mysteries , so that when they were brought to the senate , they ( judging them unfit to be known ) adjudged them to the fire . which is a clear ground of suspition that he had there discovered so much of the causes of these rites , or of the way whereby he came to be instructed in them , that the publick knowledg thereof , consisted not with the interest of their heathenish religion . this conjecture austin hath of the matter , who also notes that numa pretended familiar converse with the nymph aegeria , as a plausible cover to that devilish art of hydromantia , by which he was instructed in ordering the ceremonies of idolatry , which he established . secondly , satan with no less arrogancy , takes upon him to imitate god , in his acts of power for the countenancing of his worship in the world. he had his miracles frequently , of which i have spoken elsewhere , so had he his oracles , as at delphos , and other places . here it shall suffice to note , that as the sending the lord jesus into the world , furnished with such power of doing miracles for the confirmation of that office and authority , which he had received from god , for the redemption of man ; was the highest instance that can be given of the mighty power , wisdom , and goodness of god ; so satan set himself with greatest industry to imitate that . christ was almost no sooner ascended to the father , but we hear of simon magus ; acts. . . who was cryed up as an instance of the great power of god ; and after that at rome he gave out that he was god , confirming the people in such a belief , by the strange things which he there did among them , that a statue was erected for his honour , with this inscription , to simon a great god. long after this , the devil raised up apollonius tyanaeus , a man of an abstemious and commendable life ; him the devil did design to match christ in his miracles , which were so many and so strange , that philostratus doth not only compare him to christ , but prefer him as the more honourable person . christ himself foretold this stratagem of satan , that he should raise up false christs with lying signs and wonders . and to omit instances of former days , it is not beyond the memory of most of you , that the devil renewed this policy in james nayler , who in a blasphemous imitation of christ's riding to jerusalem , rode to bristol with a great company before him , crying , holy , holy , and hosanna to the son of david , and strewing the way with branches of trees : the authority that was then , taking notice of this and other blasphemous outrages , sentenced him to exemplary punishment : but here also the devil renewed his mockery , for a certain citizen of london of good note , being overcome with delusion , printed a book of naylers sufferings , wherein the devil had opportunity to vent his malice more fully , for he compared all the parts of his punishment , to the sufferings of christ ; his whipping he said was , that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by matthew , and pilate delivered him to be scourged ; his stigmatizing he said , was that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet , his visage was marred more than any mans ; the boring of his tongue with an hot iron , he said was the fulfilling of that , and they crucified him : and after other particulars of comparison , ( in all which he equalled him to christ ) he at last takes notice that the multitude of spectators held off their hats , while his tongue was bored thorow , ( a thing common in a croud to give opportunity of sight to those that are behind ) and to this act he applys that of the evangelists , the vail of the temple was rent from the top to the bottom . thirdly , in acts of empire and sovereignty he imitates god : that is , as god propounds himself as the only lord god , and enjoyns himself to be worshipped accordingly , by promises of advantage in case of obedience , and threatnings of miseries and plagues in case of disobedience ; so doth satan set up himself in the world as god to be adored and worshipped , and him do all idolaters worship , as god testifies , deut. . . they sacrificed unto devils , not to god. psal . . . they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto devils . cor. . . the things which the gentiles sacrifice , they sacrifice to devils , and not to god. and though it be true , that many of these blind worshippers did not formally worship the devil , but thought they had worshipped god , yet by such cunning did he engage them to take up with ways of worship of his prescribing , that it was in reality a service done to him . but besides this , in those places of the world , where he hath greater power , he formally propounds himself to be worshipped , and doth accordingly often appear to them in a visible shape ; so that many of these blind heathens acknowledg two god's , one good , and another cruel and hurtful , which latter they say they must worship , lest he destroy , or harm them . by this satan contests with god for an empire in the world , and to promote it the more , he sometimes deals by fair promises , of riches , advancement , pleasure , and such other baits , to allure men to his professed service ; thus are witches drawn to a compact with him . thus sylvester the second gave up himself to the devil for the popedom , and so did several others . when this is not enough to prevail , he adds menacings , and breaths forth cruel threatnings , by which means many heathens are kept in awe by him , and worship him , ne noceat , for no other reason but to preserve themselves from hurt by him . in this temptation he propounds himself to christ as the object of divine worship , and boasts of the kingdoms of the world as things of his disposal ; by which he seeks to draw him to fall down before him . this course satan takes for these reasons . first , as this proud and malicious ostentation of his power , is some kind of satisfaction to his revengeful humour against god : so secondly , he doth hereby raise up himself and his wicked institutions of idolatry , into credit and esteem with men. thirdly , as this is a mockery to true religion , and a scorn cast upon the ways of god's service , to bring it into disgrace and discredit : so , fourthly , by this means he hardens the hearts of men against god. this was the consideration by which pharaoh hardened his heart , when moses turned his rod into a serpent , changed waters to blood , and did so many signs before him ; his magicians did the like : upon which the king might thus reason with himself , that moses had no other power , but what his magicians had , though he might think him a more skillful magician , and therefore there was no reason to believe his message as being from god , seeing his miracles might be no other than the effect of his art , to countenance a pretended command from heaven . this insolency of satan , may inform us ; first , of the great patience of god that sees these outragious mockings , and yet doth not by a strong hand put a stop to them . secondly , of the great power and pride of satan , that he both can ( though not without permission from god ) and dare attempt things of this nature . thirdly , the great power of delusion , that can so blind men , that they not only are drawn to act a part in such designs , but believe confidently a divine impulse and heavenly warrant for their so doing . fourthly , the miserable slavery of such vassals of satan , that are thus led by him , who are therefore sadly to be pittied and lamented , as being under such strong chains of captivity . thirdly , we cannot pass by the art which the devil here useth to set off the temptation , and to make it plausible ; he sets before him the world in all its glory . here observe , that satan in his temptations to worldly pleasures , doth usually paint the object with all its utmost beauty . when i have sometime observed a mountebank upon a stage , giving excessive commendations of a trivial medicine , asserting it good almost for every disease , and with a great many lyes and boastings , enforcing it upon the credulous multitude : it hath put me in mind of this spiritual mountebankery of the devil ; how doth he gull and delude the foolish , by laying out the pleasures of sin ? and no otherwise doth he keep them at a gazing admiration of worldly pomp , delights and satisfaction , which he promiseth them from iniquity , than the serpent scytale doth with passengers , whom she stays , by amazing them with her beautiful colours , till she have stung them . the art of satan in this matter lyes in four things . first , if there be any thing that can be called a delight , or may any way conduce to a satisfaction in any sin , he will be sure to speak of it in its highest praises ; he not only streacheth his rhetorick to the height in giving commendations to the most noted pleasures that men propound to themselves : but he seeks out the hidden things of delight , and raiseth in men an itch of desire after the improvement of delight , by the contrivances of wit or art. thus he tells them of jollity , ravishing mirth , high satisfaction , and ( if they will believe him ) of unspeakable delight to be had by giving themselves up to the world , and the course of it . nay he hides nothing that will bear any praise , the least advantage , the smallest gratification that any sin can afford to humane desire , he will be sure to speak of it . secondly , he carries on this design by lying , he promiseth more than ever sin can give , and he sends his proselytes out after sin under the highest expectations , and when they come to enjoy it , they often find the pleasure falls short of his boast ; he whispers honours , preferments , and riches , in the ear of their hearts , and often pays them with poverty and disgraces , and gives them pro thesauro carbones , stones for bread , a serpent for a fish . witches give frequent accounts of satan's lying promises , he tells them of feasts , of gold , of riches , but they find themselves deluded ; he sends them oft hungry away from those banquets , so that they have no more than when a man dreams he eats . he gives that which seems gold in appearance , but at last they find it to be slaits or shells . we find in this temptation he is liberal and large in his offers to christ , and what he requires he will have in present payment , but the reward for the service is future : 't is his business to engage men in sin , by his promise of advantage , but being once engaged , he takes not himself concerned in honour or ingenuity for performance . hence doth the scripture fitly call the pleasures of sin , lying vanities , a vain shew , a dream , thereby warning men from a forward belief of satan's promises , in that they find by experience they shall be at last but lyes and disappointments . thirdly , to make his bait more taking , he conceals all the inconveniencies that may attend these worldly delights . he offers here the kingdoms of the world to christ , as if all were made up of pleasure ; these cares , troubles , and vexations , that attend greatness and rule he mentions not ; their burthen , hazard , and disquiet he passeth over . thus in common temptations , he is careful to hide from men the miseries that follow these empty pleasures ; so that often men do not consider the mischief , till a dart strike through their liver , prov. . . and till a dear-bought experience doth inform them of their mistakes . fourthly , his power and work upon the fancies of men , is none of the least of his ways , whereby he advanceth the pleasures of sin. that he hath such a power hath been discoursed before , and that a fancy raised to a great expectation , makes things appear otherwise than what they are , is evident from common experience ; the value of most things depends rather upon fancy than the internal worth of them , and men are more engaged to a pursuit of things by the estimation which fancy hath begat in their minds , than by certain principles of knowledg . children by fancy have a value of their toys , and are so powerfully swayed by it , that things of far greater price cannot stay their designs , nor divert their course . satan knows that the best of men are sometimes childish , apt to be led about by their conceits , and apt in their conceits to apprehend things far otherwise than what they are in truth . hence is it ( as one observes ) that of thousands of men that return from jerusalem , or from mount sion , or from the river jordan , scarce can we find one , which brings back the admiration which he had conceived before he had seen them . fancy doth preoccupate the mind with an high opinion of things , and these exorbitant imaginations pass to such an excess , that men think to find a satisfaction beyond the nature of these pleasures they aim at , which hath these two inconveniencies , the one , that this effects and draws as powerfully , as if they were all as real and high as they are conceited to be ; the other , that sight and fruition takes away the estimation , and by a disappointment , doth deaden and dull the affections to what may be really found there . thus satan by one deceit makes men believe that sin hath pleasure , which indeed it hath not , and by that belief leads them on powerfully to endeavour an embracement of them , and at last urgeth them with a delusion . in opposition to this deceit of the devil , we must learn to esteem worldly delights as low as he would value them high . and to this purpose the scripture speaks of them , in undervaluing language , calling worldly pomp , an opinion , a phantasy , a fashion , or figure , an imagination rather then a reallity ; and further injoyns us not to admire these things in others , not to envy them that enjoyment of them , nor to fret at our want of them , much less to be transported with any angry passion about them , nor to concern our selves in any earnest pursuit of them . fourthly , satan in this temptation did not bravely speak of these things , nor only make an offer in discourse , but he thought it most conduceable to his design , to present them to his sight ; he knew full well , that the heart is more affected by sensible discoveries , than by rational discourses . note here , that satan in temptations of worldly pleasure , endeavours to engage the affections by the sences . that 't is satan's great business to work upon the affections , i have shewed at large . here he endeavoured to prepare the affections of christ , that so the motion ( when it came ) might not die , as a spark falling upon wet tinder , but that the affections being stirred up , might cherish the offer , and that the offer by a mutual warmth , might more enflame the affections that were heated before . to this end he works by the senses , and would have christ's eye to raise his affections of love , desire , hope , and whatever else might wing his soul to activity . there is a great connection betwixt the senses and the affection , the senses bring intelligence unavoidably , and are apt to stir up our powers to action : as the jaccall is said to hunt the prey for the lyon , so do the senses for the affections , and both for satan . it is also remarkable that satan endeavouring to make the eyes of christ traytors to his affections , and that he thinking it necessary to give him a view of what he proffered him , should not give him time to take a full survey of these kingdoms , but should huddle it up in such an hast , that all ( as luke tell us ) was done in a moment of time : was satan in haste ? or was he unwilling to part with what he so liberally proffered ? surely no , but this transient view was his subtilty , to entice him the more , and to enflame his heart with greater desires . observe then , that where satan is most liberal in his proffers , he there manageth his overtures of advantage with a seeming shyness . and this he doth , first , to heighten the worth of them in our estimation , as if they were jewels not to be gazed at , or curious peices , not fit to be exposed to common view . secondly , by this art he makes men more eager in the pursuit . our natural curiosity presseth us with great earnestness after things of difficult access , and we have also strange desires kindled in us from a prohibition , so that what we list not to chuse if we have a liberty of enjoyment ; when we are forbidden , we are troubled with impatient longings for it , and cannot be at quiet till we do enjoy it . when satan makes nice with men , offering the pleasures of the world , and yet hedging up the way with difficulties : they should make no other construction of it , but that satan doth ( so far as he is concerned ) more strongly entice them . he plays at peep with them , that he may make them more earnest to follow him , and to bid high for the possession of these delights . chap. xix . satan's ends in tempting christ to fall down and worship him . of blasphemous injections . what blasphemy is . the ways of satan in that temptation , with the advantages he takes therein , and the reason of urging blasphemies upon men. consolations to such as are concerned in such temptations . advice to such as are so afflicted . these observations , which the preparation to the temptation hath afforded us , being dispatched , the temptation it self follows , which is this , fall down and worship me . this motion from such an one as satan , to such an one as christ , who was holy and undefiled , god and man , seems to be an incredible piece of arrogancy , pride and malice : for to propound himself as the object of divine worship , was certainly a desperate assault . it includes ( . ) the highest blasphemy , ( . ) the grossest idolatry imaginable ( both these are frequently noted as the design of this temptation : ) but ( . ) the comprehension of this motion takes in the whole withdrawing of the mind from god and religion , or the care of the soul and eternal life ; in which sense satan doth frequently practise this temptation upon men by the motive of worldly pleasures . i shall consider the temptation first as blasphemous , and so it will give us this observation , that the best of god's children may be troubled with most vile and hideous blasphemous injections . blasphemy in the largest sense , is any thing spoken or done , by which the honour and fame of god may be wounded or prejudiced ; but the formality of blasphemy lies in the purpose or intendment of reproaching god. such was the blasphemy of the israelitish womans son recorded in levit. . . where blaspheming is explained by the addition of the word cursing , which in the original comes from a word that signifies to set light by one . so that hence , and from the circumstances of the story , we may safely conjecture , that this man having an egyptian to his father ( which probably might in scorn be objected to him by his contending adversary ) he more readily might be drawn out to vilify the true god : but ( be it what it will ) it was certainly more than that blasphemy which the rabbins fancy to be in the repetition of naming the word jehovah ( which in reverence they either leave out ( as when they say , the arm of the almighty ) or change it into some other , as adonai or the like : ) and accordingly we may observe , that reproaching god , and blaspheming god are joyned together , as psal . . . esa . . . in blasphemy , ( as the matter ) there must be thoughts , words or actions that may aptly express a contempt or reproach of god ; so also ( as to the form of it ) there must be an intendment of reproaching . now though this be a sin which the heart of a servant of god would most abhor , yet satan doth sometimes trouble the best with it . we have an instance in job , his design was to bring him to curse god , for so he professeth in express terms ; chap. . . & . . lay thine hand upon him , and he will curse thee to thy face . and in prosecution of this his boast , he breaks the matter plainly to him , by his wife , chap. . . curse god and die . whatever may be spoken of the word , as signifying blessing ( though some affirm the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the proper idiom of that language , ( and not by an antiphrasis or euphemismus , as some think ) signifies as properly to curse as to bless , and is determinable to its signification either way by the circumstances of the place ) or whatever men indeavour to excuse his wife , 't is plain not only by jobs answer that it was evil counsel , but also by satan's avowed design that it was directly for cursing god. besides this instance , if we consider the expression of fiery darts , eph. . we shall find that this temptation is more common to all sorts of christians than we would imagine ; 't is plain that these words allude to the poysoned arrows , which scythians and others used ; these not only wounded but poysoned , and the venom inflamed with a fiery heat the part or member pierced . by this similitude it must be granted , that not common temptations are hereby understood , but such as were more than ordinarily hurtful , vexing and dangerous : it may be persecutions are one of these darts , but all reckon temptations of spiritual terrors , and blasphemy to be undoubtedly pointed at . the ways of satan in this temptation are three . first , he endeavours to bring men to blaspheme , by secret and subtile ways of ensnaring them , and this is most what practised in consequential and covert blasphemies . when though men do not directly intend an open out-rage against god , yet satan brings them to that which might be so interpreted . this seems to have been the case of jobs sons , according to his jealousy of them , it may be my sons have sinned , and cursed god in their heart ; not that they were open blasphemers , for they were surely better educated , neither doth job express such a fear of them ; but that in their mirth their hearts might have been so loosned from the fear of god , that they might be tempted to undue thoughts of god , slighting his threatnings or goodness . to this purpose broughton translates , they have little blessed god in their hearts . the same thing we may observe in joh himself , when the devil could not prevail with him to charge god foolishly , yet he pressed him so hard by his miseries , that he hoped at last to bring him to utter the anguish of his mind in impatient and reflecting expressions , and so far prevailed , that he bitterly curseth the day wherein he was born , and wisheth that he had given up the ghost when he came out of the belly : which though it came far short of what satan had boasted of in his atchievement against him , yet it had such an unwarrantable tendency that way , that when his friend eliphaz took notice of his expressions , as savouring of too much distrust , he is forced to make apology for himself , and to excuse it by the desperateness of his condition ; job . . do you imagine to reprove words , and the speeches of one that is desperate . in such cases the devil provokes men beyond their intentions to speak in their haste so inconsiderately , that they know not , or mind not the just consequence of their speeches . it was a degree of blasphemy in david , to say ( though in his haste ) that all men were lyers ; it was an unbelieving reflection on the promise given him by samuel . in mal. . . the people did not believe that they had spoken so much against god , when yet their words had been stout against him . secondly , satan endeavours this by violent injections of blasphemous thoughts that are directly such . in this i shall note to you , first , that the vilest thoughts of god , of his ways and providences , of scripture , and of christ , are frequently suggested ; things of greatest out-rage against heaven , and contempt of the almighty , as bernard expresseth it , terribilia de fide , horribilia de divinitate ; as that there is no god , or that he is not just , or not faithful to his promises ; or that christ was but an impostor : he sticks at nothing in this kind , though never so contrary to the hope and perswasion of those whom he thus molests . secondly , these are frequently reiterated upon them , and their minds so troubled by them , that they cannot free themselves from such thoughts , but he follows on , and clamours in their ears ( as gerson observes ) nega deum , meledic deo , deny god , curse god. thirdly , and this with so great a force and impetuosity , that they are compelled to form these thoughts in their minds , and to speak contrary to what they would ; as if their thoughts and tongues were not under their own government , the devil not satisfying himself to bear in these thoughts upon them , but he endeavours as it were , to make them say after him , and to cast his suggestions into their own mould , that so they might seem properly to be their own : and this they are forced to whether they will or no , even then when their minds are filled with horrour , their heart with grief , and their body with trembling . i have discoursed with some who have bitterly complained that their tongues and their thoughts seemed not to be their own , but that satan ruled them at his pleasure ; and that when in opposition to the temptation they would have formed their tongues to speak , blessing of god , they have spoken cursing instead of blessing ; and that when a blasphemous thought had been cast into their mind , they could not be at rest till they had thought it again . fourthly , these troublesome temptations are oft of long continuance . joannes climacus tells us of a monk that was troubled with blasphemous thoughts for twenty years together , and could not quit himself of them , though he had macerated his body with watchings and fastings . some have them going away , and returning again by fits , according as the prevalency and ferment of their melancholy gives satan the advantage of dealing thus with them . for if we enquire why it is thus , especially with the children of god , we must partly resolve it into the unsearchable wisdom of god , who for holy ends of teaching and disciplining his servants , permits satan thus to molest them ; and partly into those particular advantages which satan hath against them according to the variety of their conditions , which usually are these . first , he takes advantage of such bodily distempers as do deprive men of the use of their reason , as feavers , frenzies , madness , in these he oft forms the tongues of men to horrid blasphemous speeches . secondly , a pressure of outward afflictions gives him his desired opportunity , and this he knows to be generally so successful , that he promised himself by this means a victory over job . ordinarily straits and miseries do produce blaspheming . esa . . . the prophet notes , that when the people should be hardly bestead and hungry , they should fret themselves , and curse their king and their god , and look upward , as avouching what they had done . thirdly , worldly plenty , fulness , and pleasure lay often foundations of this temptation : when their cups are full , and their hearts high , satan can easily make them set their mouth against heaven . a proud heart will readily say , our tongue is our own , or who is the lord ? this was the engine which the devil managed ( if it were as job suspected ) against the sons and daughters of job to make them curse god in their hearts ; and by this did he seek to prevail upon christ in this blasphemous temptation . fourthly , a melancholy distemper doth usually invite satan to give blasphemous suggestions ; the disturbed and plyable fancies of such are the advantages which he improves against them . fifthly , inward terrors and distresse of conscience are also an occasion to satan to move them ( as by a desperate humor ) to utter hard things of god , and against themselves . but there is yet a third way by which satan tempts men to blaspheming , by sudden glances of blasphemous imaginations , which like lightnings do astonish the heart and then suddenly vanish , these are very common , and the best of men observe them frequently . satan seems as it were rather to frolick and sport himself in these suggestions , than to intend a serious temptation ; their danger is not so much , yet are they not to be despised , lest these often visits ( carelesly entertained , and not dismissed with just abhorrency ) do secretly envenom the soul , and prepare it for stronger assaults . i shall next enquire into the reasons of this trouble which satan gives the children of god. first , these temptations are very affrighting though they prevail not , yet they are full of perplexing annoyance . corrupt nature startles at them , and receives them not without dread and horrour , 't is sadly troublesome to hear others blaspheme god. the reproaches of those that reproached thee ( saith david ) fell upon me : it was as a sword in his bones , to hear the blasphemous scoffs of the wicked , when they said to him , where is thy god ? and if it were confusion and shame to him to hear the enemy reproach and blaspheme , ( as he professeth it was , psal . . , . ) how sadly afflicting would it be for any child of god to observe such things in his own imaginations ? if there were no more in its than this , it is enough to put satan upon that design , because 't is a troublesome kind of * martyrdom . secondly , this is also a spiteful revenge against god , all he can do is to blaspheme and rage ; and 't is a kind of delight , to put this force upon those that carry his own image : he would do all he can to make his own children to vilify and reproach their heavenly father , and to render cursing for blessing . thirdly , this temptation , though it have not the consent or complyance of god's children , yet it opens a way to many other sins , as murmuring , distrust , despair , weariness of god's ways and services . when we find satan thus to run upon us , it is apt to breed strange thoughts of god , that thus permits satan to take us by the throat , or to make us judge of our selves as rejected of god , and given up to satan's power ; and if it do this , his labour is not in vain : we are ( as † one observe ) more to fear his subtilty in bringing us by this into other snares , than the violence of the adversary in this suggestion . fourthly , this is a stratagem , for laying the foundation of direful accusations , the devil in this , doth as the russians are ‖ reported to do : they when they have a spite against any of their neighbours , hide secretly some of their goods in their houses , and then accuse them of theft . when blasphemous thoughts are injected , and men refuse to consent , then satan raiseth an accusation against them ( as josephs mistress did ) as if they were guilty of all that blasphemy that he tempted them unto ; and 't is a difficult task to perswade them , that these things should be in their minds , and that they should not be the proper issues of their own heart . and very often doth he from hence accuse them of sinning against the holy ghost , because of the hideous blasphemies which he had first suggested to them . first , this will give us considerations of consolation , and that ( . ) in regard of others : we observe often our sick friends speak , what we would not willingly hear , and it cannot chuse but be sadly afflictive , to hear their curses and blasphemous speeches : but when we consider the advantage that satan takes of their distemper , ( if their lives heretofore have been pious and religous ) we comfort our selves in this , that it is more his malice , than their own inclinations ; neither should we suffer our hope or charity to be distressed on their behalf . ( . ) it is the like ground of consolation for our selves or others that are violently afflicted with blasphemous thoughts . for , first , if we call to mind that our lord and master suffered such things , we that are of his houshold need not think we receive a strange or unusual measure , in that we are molested as he was . secondly , if we consider that christ was tempted without sin on his part , then may we fetch this conclusion from it , that it is possible that such thoughts should be cast upon us , and yet that we may not be chargeable with them as our iniquities . thirdly , we may hence see , that such temptations are more frightful than hurtful ; these ( as one observes ) seldom take , they carry with them so much horror ( to those that believe and love the true god ) that it keeps them from a participation with satan in the sin it self , nay it fills them with fear and striving against it ; they rather , as bugbears , scare and disquiet them , than produce the real effects of compliance with them . secondly , the consideration of this kind of temptation may fill the hearts and mouths of those of us , as have not hitherto been troubled with it , with praise for so merciful a preservation . if we have not been under this kind of exercise , it is not from any good will that satan hath to us , but because our god withholds a commission from him . a poor weak christian wonders that satan hath not made him a mark for this arrow , that he hath not broken him with this tempest . to answer that wonder , he may know that the same tenderness in god , that will not put new wine into old crazy bottles , nor a new stiff piece of cloth in to an old tender garment , nor that will oppress the weak and infirm with strong exercise or burthens , that same tenderness of a compassionate father , doth keep off such tryals , because he will not suffer them to be tempted above what they are able . thirdly , this temptation calls for advice to those that are under it , to whom i shall direct a few things : first , when any are troubled with blasphemous thoughts , let it be considered in what state and temper their body is : if it be distempered with melancholy ( as is most usual ) then the prescription of an able physitian is necessary in the first place , without which he that would spiritually advise or counsel , shall but beat the air , and his words be so far from the fastness of nails , that they shall be as wind. i have known many under great complaints and fears by reason hereof , that have been cured by physick alone : for when ( in this case ) the fewel is withdrawn , the fire goes out ; correct the melancholy temper that gives the devil this advantage , and the trouble will cease . secondly , it is of great consequence to understand the nature of these temptations : if the tempted could see these to be their sufferings , rather than their sins , they would with greater ease bear it as an affliction . and to those that complain , abhor , resist and pray against them they are not sins , no more than when an harlot layeth her child at an honest womans door , that child is to be reckoned as the fruit of her wickedness . a gyant may dash the son against his father , but so far will the father be from imputing it as rebellious insolence in his child , that he will pitty him the more , as suffering by a double injury ; for 't is not only against his natural affection and reverence to his parent , but 't is a bodily hurt beside : thus will god much more pitty his children under these sufferings . thirdly , we must not suffer such thoughts to lodge in us , but before they settle ( if possible ) we must repel them : as abraham drove away the fowls that came down upon his sacrifice . i know the tempted will say , this advice is not practicable , they find these thoughts swarm about them as bees , and when one is driven back , another straight comes in its place . but to them i answer , that blasphemous thoughts are repelled two ways : ( . ) by stout and resolute resistance . this though it do not extinguish them , nor free us of the trouble , yet it keeps them from setling upon us , and us from the guilt of them . ( . ) by diversion , which the work of a lawful imployment , or good society , and other discourses may do ; this may give some ease from the molestation , and the other preserves us innocent . fourthly , in temptations to blasphemy , confident refusals do better then disputings ; here we are to resist with courage , and a holy contempt of satan : if we be too timerous and fearful , he insults suits the more upon us : as dogs when they are observed , follow the passenger with greater eagerness and noise . abhorrencies and positive discharges ( like that of christ in the same case , get thee hence satan ) do more for us , than to debate the matter with him . chap. xx. the nature of idolatry . satan's design to corrupt the worship of god. the evidences thereof , with the reasons of such endeavours . his general design of withdrawing the hearts of men from god to his service . the proof that this is his design , upon whom he prevails . that professions and confidences are no evidences to the contrary . his deceit of propounding sin as a small matter . the evidences of that method , and the reason thereof . thus have i considered the temptation as blasphemous . i proceed next to consider it as idolatrous , the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , if thou wilt fall down and worship , do give us the true notion of idolatry . the word which we call worship comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies to kiss , or from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a dog , both being to the same purpose , and signifying any action of reverence by which we signify the respect of our minds : to kiss the hand , or to fawn as a dog , are gestures which express the honour we would give , and being applyed to divine worship before , or with respect unto an undue object , is idolatry ; and as such , doth christ reject it in his answer , thou shalt worship the lord thy god , and him only shalt thou serve . we worship god , when in ways and actions commanded or prescribed , we testify our belief and resentment of his incommunicable attributes . it is idolatry , when either we use the same actions of prescribed worship to that which is not god , or when we testify our respects to the true god in an undue way of our own devising . here might i take occasion to shew the vanity of the popish subterfuges , their distinction of latria and dulia is ( as dr. moore observes ) hereby overthrown : satan doth not here set himself up as the omnipotent god , for he acknowledgeth one superiour to himself , in that he confesseth that the power he had of the kingdoms of the world was given to him , luke . . and therefore not the latria , but the dulia is required of him ; and yet this christ denies him as being idolatry , in that no religious worship ( for that must needs be the sense of his answer ) is due to any but god alone . their other distinction of worshipping an idol , ( saint , angel , cross , &c. ) and before such a creature , is also hereby crushed ( as is commonly observed ; ) for what the evangelist matthew expresseth by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , luke calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , before me : so that the scripture makes no difference betwixt these two , shewing it to be idolatry to use religious worship to that which is not god , or before it , but these things i shall not prosecute , keeping therefore to my design i shall observe . that it is one of satan's great designs to corrupt the worship of god. that this is so , will appear , first , if we consider what varieties of worship hath been in the world. god gave a fixed and stable law , and yet this so little prevailed , that men were upon new inventions presently . i shall not need to reckon up the ( almost numberless ) varieties of this kind among the heathen . the instance is plain enough , in those that professed the name of the true god , they were still changing for new fashions in religon , borrowing patterns from their neighbours , so that if there were but a new altar at damascus , or a new idol in any strange city , they must presently have the like , till ( as the prophet tells them ) according to their cities so were their gods. he that will call to mind , that the husbandman did first sow good seed in his field , and that there is such varieity of tares and false worship , notwithstanding the plain and positive command of god , fixing and determining his worship , must needs conclude that an enemy , satan hath done it . secondly , if we call to mind , how in all ages there hath been a constancy in this inconstant variety , we hear of it among the heathens . we read enough of it among the jews , and when they were out of the humour of more shameful idolatries , they yet corrupted the worship of god by their traditions ; and of these they were so fond , that they caused the law of god it self to give place to them , and made it void by them . the times of the gospel were not free ; though christ came to seek such worshippers , as should worship him in spirit and in truth , yet before the apostles deaths , while yet they were perswading to the contrary , there arose up some that corrupted the worship , by leading the people back again to the jewish ceremonies , and others laboured to bring in worshipping of angels , and at last to eat things offered to idols with greater defilements . since the apostles days the same design hath been carried on in the churches . rome hath patched together a great deal of jewish and heathenish ceremonies ; and when the man of sin shall be revealed , yet an higher flood of such abominations is to be expected . who hath wrought all this but satan ? this is still the same design , and though the work be not in all parts like it self , yet the whole of it evidenceth the working of the same spirit in all . thirdly , let us observe how early this began . we cannot say , but that in the days of adam , ( who doubtless had received particular commands from god , in which he would not fail to instruct his children ; ) they were seeking to themselves many inventions . gen. . . at the birth of enos ( as some conjecture ) there were such defilements brought into use in worship , that seth had respect to it when he called his son enos sorrowful , as lamenting that prophanation which was then begun in calling upon the name of the lord , for so do many interpret that passage , which in our english we read thus , then began men to call upon the name of the lord , the word in the original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifieth both to prophane , and to begin , and may be as properly translated , then prophaned they in calling upon the name of the lord. and there are several reasons that move learned men to fix upon this translation : as ( . ) that it is not probable that men began then to call upon god , or publickly to do so ( as some would interpret ) and not before , as the present english would imply . ( . ) that age was noted as corrupt , and therefore it is noted ( as a rarity ) that enoch walked with god. ( . ) the rabbins generally translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to prophane ; but if we should grant the present english , then began men to call upon the name of the lord , it would imply that the worship practised by adam and abel had been corrupted , and now it was restored again and reformed , which will make the corruption of worship to be yet more early . and after that we read of corruption crept into the family of seth ( as well as now in the family of cain ) so that the worship of god stood not long in its honour , though adam and seth were alive to instruct them ; which shews that it was a rebellious departure from the way , fomented and brought on by the malignant spirit satan . fourthly , but to make all sure , the scripture lays all these kinds of corruption of worship at satan's door . the defilements of worship taught in thyatira by jezebel , are called the depths of satan ; the corruptions introduced by antichrist , are from the workings of satan . what was promoted by false apostles to that purpose they had it from their great teacher satan , who transforms himself for such ends into an angel of light : so that nothing can be more plain than that this is an old and constant design of satan . the particular ways by which satan effects this design i shall not now touch , but shall in lieu of that give you the reasons of his endeavours this way . first , he knows that this is a sin of an high provocation . worship is the proper tribute that is due to god , and 't is peculiarly his prerogative to prescribe the way and manner of it ; neither of these honours will he give to any other , but will express his jealousy when any invasion is made upon these his sole prerogatives . now his worship cannot be corrupted , but one of these at least will in some degree or other be touched . if we set up another object of worship , we deny him to be god : if we worship him in a way of our own invention , we deny his wisdom , and set up our selves above him , as if we could order his worship better than he hath done in his word . secondly , if the worship be corrupted , all the exercise of the affections of the heart , and all the service it self is lost , and become unacceptable ; he knows that such worshippers shall meet with this answer , who hath required this at your hands ? thirdly , corruption in worship , satan by long experience knows to have been the ground of those hatreds , quarrels , persecutions and troubles under which the church hath groaned in all ages , every difference imposing their way and perswasion upon all dissenters , to the disturbance of peace , breach and decay of love , hinderance of the growth of piety , to the biting and devouring of one another . fourthly , besides god is provoked by this to leave his sanctuary , to remove his glory and his candlestick ; to make his vineyard a desolation , and his churches as shilob . fifthly , satan is the more industrious in this , because his ways are capable of many advantages to further his design , and many specious pretences to cover it . in col. . . he made use of philosophy to corrupt religion , and by unsound principles of some heathens famous for that learning , introduced worshipping of angels ; what that could not effect he laboured to perform by the traditions of men , and where that came short , the rudiments of the world ( the mosaical ceremonies were so called here , and in the epistle to the hebrews ) were his engine by which he battered the plain worship of the new testament . and as to pretences the apostle doth there , and elsewhere note , that deceny and order , humility , wisdom , and self-denyal , are things very taking , and yet usually pretended for such bold innovations as may corrupt the pure streams of the sanctuary . hence may i leave with you a few memorials . first , this may make us jealous of any alterations in the way of god's worship . we have reason under the most plausible pretexts to suspect the hand of satan , because 't is one of his main businesses to corrupt the worship . secondly , this may justify those that out of a conscientious fear of complying with satans design , dare not admit of a pin in the tabornacle beside what god hath prescribed , nor leave behind a shoe latchet of what he hath enjoyned . thirdly , this will tell us that that worship is best and safest that hath least of mixture of humane invention . we cannot offend in keeping close to the rule , though the worship thereby become more plain , and not so gorgeous in outward appearance . we may soon overdo it by the least addition , and cannot be so certain of god's acceptation , as we are of pleasing the senses of men by such introducements . this motion of satan , fall down and worship me , is now in the last place to be considered as a particular instance of satans general design , of drawing the hearts of men from god , his service and ways , to the pleasures of sin : as if he should say to him , follow my advice , give up thy self to my service , and thou shalt be gratified with all the delights that the world can give thee : to this doth the bait here offered most fitly agree . hence observe , that it is satans general design to withdraw the hearts of men from god , that they may be enslaved to him in the service of sin. that the devil doth level all his endeavours to this , cannot be doubted : for ( . ) he hath a kingdom in this world , from which he is denominated the prince of this world. and this is not only a rule of exteriour force , such as conquerous have over their captivated slaves , who are compelled to subject their bodies , while yet their minds are full of hatred against him , who hath thus forced them to subjection ; but it is a rule over the hearts and affections of men , working in the children of disobedience a love and liking of these ways , and begetting in them the image of satan ; so that what work he imposeth they are pleased withal , and love to have it so : therefore he is not only called their prince , but their god , and their father ; ye are of your father the devil , in that with a kind of inward devotion they will and endeavour to perform the lusts which he propounds to them . secondly , this kingdom is contrary to god's spiritual kingdom ; that being of darkness , this of light : and it is managed by satan with an envious competition and corrivalship to that of god ; so that as god invites men to the happiness of his kingdom , and sends his spirit in his word and ordinances to perswade them , satan doth the like , he sends out his spirit which the apostle calls the spirit of the world , cor. . . and imploys all his agents to engage men for him ; he requires the heart as god doth , he promiseth his rewards of pleasure , honour , riches , if they will fall down and worship him . now 't is so natural to prosecute an interest thus espoused in a way of opposition , especially to any other that set up for themselves in a contradictory competitorship , that the very natural laws of satans kingdom will engage him to stand up for it , and to enlarge it all he can . those upon whom he prevails are of two sorts . first , some are visibly in his service : these answer the character which was given of ahab , kings . . who sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the lord. the first expression shews , that such are wholly in satans power and disposal , as things sold are in the possession and power of the buyer , they are at satans will ; if he say to them , go , they go : and if he say , come , they come : their bodies and spirits are satan's , they are not their own : and they are his for the ends of sin , for that imployment only , so that they are wholly corrupt and abominable . the latter expression that he did so in the sight of the lord , manifests their shameless impudency in sin , that they declare their sin as sodom , and hide it not , that they do not blush , but openly wear the devils livery , and avouch his service : as the works of the flesh are manifest , so these in their practice of such works , are manifestly satans subjects . these kind of men are frequently in the old testament stiled sons of belial , a name very significant , shewing either their devoting of themselves to the devils service , in that they reject the yoke of god's law , in that they break his bonds , and cast his cords from them , or their pride that they will have none above them , not considering that there is a god , or that the most high rules , or their aversness to what is good , being wholly unprofitable , and to every good work reprobate . secondly , some are secretly his servants , they come to the devil ( as nicodemus did to christ ) by night ; they will not openly profess him , but yet their hearts are wholly his : such are called by the name of hypocrites . the pharisees and scribes seemed to declare for god , called themselves abrahams seed , fasted , gave alms , made long prayers ; and yet were a generation of vipers , and of their father the devil . the secresy of this underhand engagement to hell is such , that many who are in a league with the devil , and at an agreement with death , do neither know nor believe it concerning themselves . for , first , this private covenant may be , where there are the greatest seeming desilements of satan , and high professions of service to god. the pharisees ( as have been said ) were the devils servants , under all the fair shew they made of religion , and zeal for the law , and yet when christ plainly told them that they were not abrahams seed , but the devils seed , they with high indignation and scorn throw back the accusation to christ , thou art a samaritan , and hast a devil , we are abraham's children ; so little believed they the truth when it was told them . secondly , this may consist with some designement and intention to give god glory . the jews though they submitted not to the righteousness of god , yet ( by the testimony of paul ) they had a zeal to god. the very heathens that sacrifice to devils ; had not formal intentions so to do , as appears by their inscription on the altar at athens , acts . . to the unknown god. the true god , though unknown , they propounded as the object of their worship , yet falling into those ways of devotion which the devil had prescribed , these intentions could not hinder but that they became his servants . thirdly , men may be servants to satan under great assurances and confidences of their interest in god ; many go to hell that have lived with lord , lord in their mouths ; those mentioned in esa . . . that had no interest in truth and righteousness when they solemnly sware by the name of the lord , yet they called themselves of the holy city , and stayed themselves upon the god of israel . if it seem strange to any that these professions , intentions , and confidences are not enough to secure men from this charge , but that they may be secretly slaves to hell. i answer , first , that those do not necessarily conclude that the heart of such men is right with god. formality , natural conscience , and the power of education may do much of this : for though we grant that such are not conscious to themselves of any real design of serving satan , yet they may either so far miss it in the way of their service , offering that as well pleasing to god , which indeed he hates ( and that through wilful and affected ignorance ; ) as those of whom christ speaks , joh. . . that should think the killing of god's children a peice of acceptable service ; or they may be so mistaken as to the sincerity of their hearts , that they may think they have a design to please god in doing of what he requires in order thereunto , when indeed it may not be singly for god , but for themselves that they work , in a self-gratification of their natural zeal for their way ; or their esteem , credit , and advantage may privately influence them , rather than a spirit of life and power . secondly , the work which they do , and the ends they serve , will be evidence against professions and intentions . 't is a sure rule , that the work shews to whom men are related as servants , and it is laid down as a certain standard to measure the hearts of men by , when pretences and perswasions seem to carry all before them . rom. . . his servants ye are to whom you obey . joh. . , . he that committeth sin is of the devil : in this the children of god are manifest , and the children of the devil ; that is , when it becomes a question to whom a man belongs , whose child and servant he is , it must be determined by the works he doth : if he engage in the ways of sin , he is of the devil , let him profess what he will to the contrary . this same ballance christ useth to try the truth of the jews pretences to god , joh. . . whosoever committeth sin , is the servant of sin ; they boasted high , but he shews them that seeing their designs and works were hatred , envy , murther , &c. which are apparently from satan , it was evident they had learned these of him ; and he concludes by this proof , ver . . that they were of their father the devil . thus may we say of those that pretend they honour god , they defie the devil , they intend well , if yet they give themselves up to the pleasing of the flesh , if worldly minded , if they live in pride , strife , envy , maliciousness , &c. which are works of the devil , it is not all their pretences that will intitle them to god ; but they are ( for all this ) the devils servants , as doing his works . this may put men upon enquiries , who are ye for ? whose servants are ye ? there are but two that can lay claim to you , and these two divide the whole world betwixt them , there is no state of neutrality , you are either god's servants , or the devils , ye cannot serve them both ; now if the lord be god , serve him . satan's service is base , dishonourable , slavish ; the service of god , freedom , honour , life and peace : there is indeed no comparison betwixt them . happy then is that man that can say the lord is his lot and portion , that can come into god's presence , and there in his integrity , avouch the lord for his god ; that can stand upon it , my soul hath said unto the lord , thou art my god , and i have none besides thee ; other lords have had dominion over us , but we will make mention of thy name only . this temptation though it were in it self horrid , and as a brood of vipers knotted together , which at once could send out several stings , and make many wounds ( as hath been noted ; ) yet in the way of propounding , satan seems to insinuate the largeness of his proffer , and the smalness and inconsiderableness of the service required : as if he should say , see how free i am in my kindness , i will not stick to give thee the kingdoms of the world , and the glory of them , and all this for so small a matter , as bowing before me , or doing me a little reverence . this gives us to observe , that when satan doth design no less than to enslave men to his service , yet he will propound sin as a small thing , or but one act of sin , as a thing not valuable , to engage them to him . not but that he desires to run men to excess in wickedness , and delights to see them with both hands earnestly work iniquity with greediness ; yet where he sees the consciences of men squemish , and that they cannot bear temptations to open and common prophaneness without danger of revolt from him , there he seems modest , and requires but some small thing at least at first , till the ways of sin become more familiar to them , and then when they can better bear it , he doubles the tale of bricks , and with greater confidence can urge them to things of greater shame and enormity . that this is his way , appears , first , from the common argument which he useth at first to those whom he would draw off from a more careful conversation which is this : do such a thing , it 's but for once , and but little , others do the like and demur not ; or the best do as great matters as this comes to ; 't is but a small thing , considering the strait or the advantage that may accrew . this is his usual note to candidate iniquity , as experience of all doth testify . secondly , that this is so , is also evident from a consideration of the several ways and courses of sinners . some are tempted and overcome by one kind of sin , and not at all urged to others . some go to hell in a way of covetousness : others are pretty unblameable in most of their carriages , but are overcome by a proud humour : others are given to drink , and yet will not steal nor deal falsely : others take a more cleanly way to hell , rely upon their own righteousness , or are engaged in error , and their life otherwise smooth and fair . the jews in christ's time were only engaged against christ , and for their traditions , but not molested with temptations to open idolatry as formerly . those who are ignorant , are not troubled with temptations to despair , or inward terrours . the reasons of his dealing thus are these ; first , he sees that one sin heartily prosecuted , is enough to signify homage to him , and to give him possession . as we take possession of land by a turf , or a twig : so by one sin admitted with full purpose of mind , satan is let into the heart . as a penny will be sufficient earnest for a bargain of a thousand pound : so may one sin be a pledg or earnest for the whole soul in a league with hell. secondly , he knows that one sin persisted in may be enough to destroy the soul ; as one wound may kill , one leak may sink a ship. thirdly , he knows that one sin breaks the covenant of god , and turns the heart from him , if men give up themselves to it . fourthly , one sin wilfully pursued , makes a man guilty of the breach of the whole law , it destroys love and respect to god , undervalues his authority , contemns his threatnings and promises . fifthly , one sin is enough to make way for more , where satan would have more , yet at first he is pleased with it as a hopeful beginning ; it makes room enough for the serpents head , and then he will afterward easily wind in his whole body . this may warn us not to be imboldned to any sin by the plea of diminution ; not to venture because it may seem little , or be but for once . a true christian should be a perfect vniversalist , he should be universally against all sin , and universally for all duty . chap. xxi . of worldly pleasure . proofs that this is satan's great engine . what there is in worldly delights , that make them so . counsels and cautions against that snare . i come now to the argument which satan used for all this , all these things will i give thee ; he casts a golden apple before him , and seeks to entangle him by worldly greatness and delight . i shall not examine how true or false satan spake , when he called all these things his , and that he could give them to whom he would , 't is enough for our purpose to take notice of his pretence , so far as might make his offer probable , and then observe , that the great engine which satan useth to draw away the heart from god to his service , is worldly pleasures and delights . i shall first shew , that this is satans great engine , and then explain what is in it , that fits it so much for his purpose . the first of these is evidenced by these particulars . first , the scripture doth particularly note to us , a deceit or guile to be in worldly pleasures . christ , in matth. . . speaks of the deceitfulness of riches ; and that deceit is expressed by such a word as signifies a drawing out of the way , a misleading ; so that he means not the uncertainty of these delights ( in which sence 't is said , that riches take themselves wings and fly away , ) which often disappoint and deceive the expectations of those that do most hug them . nor can this be understood of riches in an active sense , as we attribute deceit to men , who as rational agents can contrive and devise snares ; but it only means that these are so objectivè , as things that are abused by satan , to delude and betray the sons of men. and these are so frequently made use of by him for such purposes , and with such advantages of power and provocation , that christ elsewhere ( matth. . . ) speaks of it as a thing almost impossible , to have riches and not to be ensnared by them : a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven , which mark and luke express by an affectionate amazement , o how hardly can a rich man be saved ! secondly , these are satans great net , which incloseth multitudes ; a general bait , by which most are hooked into the service of sin. most temptations come from this ocean , as springs from the sea ; the lust of the flesh , the lust of the eys , the pride of life , have their original from the world , joh. . . christ speaks of this mammon of unrighteousness , as the only thing that stands up in competition for the hearts of men against god , matth. . . and the apostle tim. . . reckoning up the various ways of particular lusts , as covetousness , boasting , pride , blaspheming , &c. concludes them all under this , that they are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of god ; shewing us thereby , that though the lusts of men might run out diverse ways , and be exercised upon diverse particular objects , yet they all borrow their original from worldly pleasures , and their design is nothing but that in the general . hence is it that some make the world the great traytor to god ; for though they reckon up three great enemies to god and man , the world , the flesh , and the devil , yet these three agree in one , the pleasing of the flesh is the great end and desire of natural men , the world is the store-house , from which men draw out several pleasures according to the several ways they take in gratifying their lusts and humours , and the devil is only officious to help all this forward , by inticing and perswading them to make these provisions for the flesh . and who can think other , but that this must be satans great engine , when ( as hath been said ) first , the world , and the pleasures of it , is the sum of all iniquity , containing in it virtually or actually the transgression of the whole law , the root it is of all evil , tim. . . all prophaneness against god , all neglect of duty , all outrage , wrong , or injustice to man , may ( and usually doth ) spring from hence , insomuch that some have particularly traced it through every command of the decalogue , and found it guilty ( either as principal or accessary ) of every iniquity . ( . ) our thoughts may be the more confirmed in this , when we see all men intangled by it : for albeit that some temptations seem directly to carry men from a love or care of the world , as despair , terrours of mind , voluntary humility , neglecting of the body , and others of the same kind ; yet if the matter be considered , the truth in hand cannot be prejudiced by such an objection . for ( . ) those who seem in distress of conscience most to loath the world , were yet first entangled by it , and the consideration of that guilt ( whether at present justly , or unjustly charged upon them ) is the usual occasion of these troubles . and ( . ) those who seem to undervalue money , riches , plenty , &c. are ( it may be ) no less slaves to other worldly lusts ; for pleasures of the world comprehend whatsoever may arise from any thing that is in the world , to the delight of life . honour , pride , ambition , prodigality , are wordly lusts , as well as covetousness , and desire of power or rule . and those that seem to deny themselves of faring deliciously , or wearing soft rayment , may be as much distressed with an inward desire of applause and honour , as those that would gratify their senses are by sensual lusts . thirdly , how much the world stands satan in stead , may be observed from the force of that temptation , upon those that have very much engaged in their profession of the ways of god ; it hath often fetch'd off those that seemed to have given up themselves to god. demas was once commended by paul as his fellow-labourer , philem. v. . yet at last it so prevailed upon him , that he complained , tim. . . that demas had forsaken him , and turned his back upon his profession , and so far ( if dorotheus do him right ) that he became an idol-priest in thessalonica , the cause of which horrid apostacy was his love to the present world. balaam seemed resolute not to act any thing against israel , yet the ways of unrighteousness so far blinded him that he taught balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of israel . the highest of nominal professors noted by the thorny ground , in matth. . . who seemed to differ from the good ground , only in this , that their fruit was green and not ripe ( as luke expresseth it ) they brought not fruit to perfection : they were choaked in these fair beginnings and offers for holiness , by the cares and pleasures of the world. all ages abound with instances of this kind . aeneas sylvius preached against the pope , set up the council above him , commended the germans for opposing him : but preferment made him alter his note , and at last he became pope himself . bonner the persecutor seemed at first a good man , a favourer of luther's doctrine , but advancement changed him to a bloody woolf , a cruel tygar . spalato forsook popery , but ( missing those dignities which he aimed at in england ) was upon hopes of greater preferment , induced to lick up his vomit , and to own popery again . how many examples have we of those who the higher they grew in the world , became more careless of religion ; as sixtus quintus , who went as fast back in religion , as he went forward in promotion : so that he that at first entring into orders , had a good hope of his salvation , by that time he came to be pope , he became so wicked that he despaired of happiness . fourthly , this temptation is one of satan's last refuges , and often prevails where persecution cannot . the thorny-ground-hearers were above those of the stony-ground in this , that they stood out the storm , and bore the scorching heat of persecution , but then the world choaked them . sad experience tells us , that churches that did thrive and grow as the palm-tree under their pressures , were spoiled by ease and plenty , which so cherished the seeds of pride , vanity , and contention , that they grew up a-main , and did more to their desolation , than the cruelty of all their feircest enemies . julian who by the greatest art and policy , studied to overthrow the christians name , so observed this , that he made it his rule , rather to corrupt men by honours , then to compel them by torments : we have also found that though the romans synagogue joyn force to subtilty in the advancement of their dagon , yet they have still looked upon this temptation of the world as most likely to gain the hearts of their rational opposers : cruelty could over-aw the sensless multitude , and could take out of the way those of whose opposition they were affraid , but it seldom with success , wrought upon persons ( guided by light and conscience ) to a compliance , that would hold long : for though at first some good men were over-awed to make subscription and to recant , as it did with bilney , bainham , cranmer , and several others ; yet upon the working of conscience ( after the stound and dazle of the temptation was over ) they recoiled so resolutely upon them , that they lost more than they gained that way : but those that were willing to nibble at preferments , became theirs wholly . thus they set upon luther , galeacous carracciolus , dr. taylor , and a great many more though to no purpose , for they were ready to bid their money perish with them , and to bid defiance to their favour as well as to their frowns . notwithstanding they have made many real conquests by this weapon , and accordingly this is reckoned among the temptations of greatest force , heb. . . they were stoned , they were sawn asunder , they were tempted , that is , by the pleasures and preferments of the world : it seems the holy ghost would point at this ( how fair and plausible soever it be ) as one of the devil 's most powerful engines . next i promised to discover what it is in the world which makes it so fit for satan's designs . first , the world brings or affords fit matter to be made the fewel of lust . for this reason the apostle in the place aforecited forbids us so earnestly to love the world , or the things of the world , because there is nothing in it which is not improveable , as an occasion , or provocation to lust , whatsoever is in the world is lust of flesh or eyes or heart ; and there is no lust but it may be furnished with a proper object from hence , the appetite , senses , or affections fetch all their delights from hence . secondly , besides the common materials of sin that are digged out of this mine , the world hath something of an aptitude in it to tempt . not that it hath properly and formally , insidiationis animum , an active subtilty to lay snares for men , but yet it is not so purely passive , as to make it altogether innocent . there is something of a curse upon it , ever since by the fall of man , it was loosned from its proper primitive ends ; and as the devil spake by the serpent , so doth he urge , speak , tempt , and insinuate by the world , so that it is still an occasion of danger to us , and hath a special advantage over our affections upon several accounts . as ( . ) in that it is in its self lawful to be used . ( . ) in that it is suitable to our desires and tempers . ( . ) in some respects it might be necessary and advantageous for the comfort of life , for the support of families , and to enable us to be helpful to others . ( . ) it is near to us , under our eye , we have familiar converse with it , it is still with us . ( . ) we have a natural propensity to be in love with it ; the flesh would fain be pleased , and nothing is more answerable to it than the pleasures of the world. we need not wonder then , when we see it so highly captivating the affections of men , and leading them bound in chains and fetters : some make it their god , gain is all their godliness and religion ; they seek their portion in this life ; this is their treasure , and here is their heart , and it would be no less wonder if satan should be guilty of so much oversight , as to neglect the use of an instrument which is every way so fitted for his purpose . thirdly , besides this fair prospect which it gives to sin , it hath an enmity to god and his ways , which is no less advantagious to the devil : this is positively affirmed jam. . . the friendship of this world , is enmity with god ; not only is this true in a lower sense , as a hinderance , being backward and averse to it , but it is a direct opposition and contrariety to god and his service ; it s drawing back and hindring , is charge enough against it : for it ( . ) withdraws those thoughts , affections , time , care , and endeavours , which should be laid out upon better things , so that holiness must needs be obstructed , dwindle and decay by it . ( . ) it hinders the influence of heaven , it shuts out the light causally , quencheth and resisteth the spirit , and meritoriously also it provokes god to withdraw , to remove his glory , and to give over his striving with them : but the contrariety that it hath to all the parts of holiness is yet more , christ notes it matth. . . these two masters , god and the world , are contrary in their deisigns , in their commands , in their natures , so that it is impossible for any man to serve them both : they both require the heart , and they both require it to contrary and incompitable services and ends : these then are such masters , as would be domini in solidum , masters of the whole . now there cannot be two masters of one thing in that sense , neither ( if there were ) could the hearts of men serve these different commands , but their work would necessarily engage their affections to one only ; they would either love the one and hate the other , or hold to the one and despise the other : this very consideration ( if there were no more ) doth render the world a desirable instrument for satan . fourthly , in all this the world hath so many cunning disguises , and plausible shifts , that it becomes thereby wonderfully serviceable to satan . 't is the perfection of wicked policy , to manage wicked designs under plausible pretences ; these the world hath in readiness , when 't is accused of rebellion and treachery against god ; the pleas of necessity , of prosecution of a lawful calling , of providing for a family , of not neglecting the benefits of god , of chearing the heart , and taking the comforts of the labours of their hands , and a great many more , are ready excuses to ward off the force of the convincing word : these the devil drives home , and fastens them into such strong perswasions , that the deluded sinner cannot see the danger that is before him , nor the spiritual adultery or idolatry of his soul , in his excessive love to worldly pleasures . fifthly , the world hath also a spiritual fascination and witchcraft , by which ( where it hath once prevailed ) men are inchanted to an utter forgetfulness of themselves and god , and being drunk with pleasures , they are easily engaged to a madness and height of folly. some like foolish children , are made to keep a great stir in the world for very trifles , for a vain shew ; they think themselves great , honourable , excellent , and for this make a great bustle , when the world hath not added one cubit to their stature of real worth . others are by this circe transformed into savage creatures , and act the part of lyons and tygars . others like swine wallow in the lusts of uncleanness . others are unmanned , putting off all natural affections , care not who they ride over , so they may rule , or be made great . others are taken with ridiculous frenzies , so that a man that stands in the cool shade of a sedate composure would judg them out of their wits . it would make a man admire to read or the frisks of caius caligula , xerxes , alexander and many others , who because they were above many men , thought themselves above humane nature ; they forgat they were born , and must die , and did such things as would have made them ( but that their greatness over-awed it ) a laughing-stock and common scorn to children . neither must we think that these were but some few or rare instances of worldly intoxication , when the scripture notes it as a general distemper of all that bow down to worship this idol . they live without god in the world , saith the apostle ; that is , they so carry it as if there were no god to take notice of them , to check them for their madness . god is not in all his thoughts , saith david , psal . . , . the judgments of god are far above out of their sight , he puffs at his enemies , and saith in his heart , he shall never be moved , &c. the whole psalm describes the worldling , as a man that hath lost all understanding , and were acting the part of a frantick bedlam ; what then can be a more fit engine for the devil to work with , than the pleasures of the world ? i shall briefly apply this to two sorts of men , those that are straitned with want and necessities , and those whose cups run over , having all that their heart can wish . first , to those that think their measure of outward comforts little , i would from the doctrine now explained , tell them that they have not so much cause to vex and disquiet themselves for their poverty , or troubles , as they apprehend . the world is not so desireable a thing , as many dream ; did but men consider how great a snare it is , and what dangers attend the fullness of it , they would not so earnestly covet it , nor so passionately lament , when it flys from them . if thou hast so much godliness as can quiet thy heart in a contented enjoyment of thy little , that little which thou hast , is better than great riches of the wicked : thou little knowest from what pride , insolency , contempt of god and men , and many other temptations and lusts god doth preserve thee , by denying thee earthly things : thou art now ( it may be ) often looking up to god , striving to believe his word , often examining thy heart , labouring to live upon god , and his allsufficiency , looking after the bread that endures to eternal life ; when if thou hadst the temptations of plenty ( it may be feared ) thou wouldst be another man , and be carried away to forget god , to be careless of holy walking , and so make way for bitterness and sorrow at last . secondly , i would also caution poor men not to enlarge their desires too much after the world , but to fear the temptations of the world ; it is not only a snare to those that enjoy it , but to those that want it : for while they admire it , and engage their affections for it , it ensnares them in sinful undertakings , they are tempted to lye , cheat , dissemble , to use unlawful shifts , to rob , steal , over-reach in bargaining , and to neglect the care of the soul in all . let such call to mind ( . ) that often the providence of god doth of purpose thwart and cross the designs of such , so that though they toyland sweat , running from market to market , rising early , and sitting up late , yet he blowes upon their gettings , and they wither to nothing , while it is yet in their hand ; or if they seem to keep them longer , yet all the end they make with them , is but to put them into a bag with holes , they perish by evil travel , eccles . . . ( . ) they often are at a great deal of labour in pursuit , and then when the desired object is within their reach , they are overwhelmed with their disappointment , as if providence designed to mock them for their folly. this is excellently set forth , in the emblem of a man climbing up a rock , with great labour to reach a crown that hung upon the precipice , who when he had stretched himself to grasp it , falls down and breaks his neck . ( . ) and when they do by great toyl rake together an heap of riches , they are starved frequently in their plenty , and so cursed that they have no more than the beholding of their goods with their eyes , in that god denies them a heart to use them . ( . ) their gettings allay not their thirst for more , he that loveth silver , shall not be satisfyed with silver , eccles . . . ( . ) often they are given as a scourge and plague ; as the quales given to the israelites , came out of their nostrils . the wise man notes it , eccles . . . riches are kept for the owners thereof to their hurt . secondly , to those that have the delights of the world , plentiful estates , full tables , beautiful houses , rich tradings , honours and dignities : i would desire to give the greatest caution , that they take heed to themselves , because they walk in the midst of snares . these should consider ( . ) that the great god hath laid most serious charges upon them , not to love the world , but to withdraw their affections from it , nay to be crucified to it , as to any captivating delight , and to use it with such an indifferency of mind , that they should be in their deportments towards it , as if they used it not . ( . ) they should have their danger in their eye . how careful is he of his steps , that knows he walks in the midst of serpents which are ready to sting him ; the thoughts of this should blunt the edg of our delights . if you were at a feast where you knew there were poysoned dishes , you would be affraid to eat any thing . do you think that captain smith when he was taken by the salvages of america , and had plenty of meat set before him ( which he knew was given to fatten him , that he might be better meat , when he was killed ) had any stomack to eat or to drink ? was that feast pleasing to him that fat under a sharp sword hung over his head in a horse hair , when he expected every moment it should fall upon him and kill him ? such are great men , rich men ; with what fear and care should they use these things , when they know there is hazard of mischief from them upon every occasion ? how much doth christ speak in that one sentence , it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle , than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven ? he means not that 't is absolutely impossible , but extreamly difficult , and the difficulty lies in the hinderances which their riches casts before them . ( . ) they should carefully consider , for what ends god gives these , and to what use they are to be put . rich men are but god's pursers , they do but carry the bag , and what is put therein , for publick uses ; if accordingly , as faithful stewards , they lay it out upon those that have need , they shall make friends of the unrighteous mammon , and it will turn to a spiritual account : but if they think that all is for themselves , and so shut their bowels , and purses from others , then they carry the bag no otherwise , than as judas did , and will be easily perswaded to sell christ and heaven for a little more of earth . chap. xxii . of christ's answer in the general . that these temptations were upon design for our instruction . of the agreement betwixt ephes . . and matth. . the first direction . of couragious resolves in resisting temptations . it s consistency with some kind of fear . the necessity of this courage . wherein it consists ; and that there is a courage in mourning spirits . these answers of christ to the several temptations ( which are now to be explained ) are different as to their matter , yet the general purport of them being the same , i shall therefore handle them together . they may be considered two ways . first , as they are fit and pertinent answers to particular temptations , of distrust , of presumption , of debauching the heart by worldly delights to the service of satan ; and thus may they be useful in their consideration , to those who are directly moved by satan to such sins . and when at any time we are tempted in straits ; to cast away our reliance upon the careful providence of god , we may look upon christ's answer , that man's life doth not so depend upon the usual means , but that any other thing blessed by divine appointment may be useful to that end . when we are enticed to presume of extraordinary supports ; then by christ's example the temptation may be resisted by considering , that however god be to be trusted , yet he is at no time to be tempted by unnecessary expectations in the neglect of the ordinary means . if our hearts be wooed by worldly delights to cast off our care of god and religion ; we may then call to mind , that this is abominable idolatry , and so may we turn off our hearts from sinful compliance , by charging our souls with the opposite duties , upon a true discovery of the vileness and inconvenience of the transgressions urged upon us . but secondly , they may be considered as they give instruction for the management of our spiritual armour against all satan's wiles in the general , and in this sense i shall endeavour to open them , laying down first these two conclusions : first , that the whole business of these temptations , as permitted to satan , and submitted unto by christ , was certainly upon design . the same wisdom that contrived the wonderful method of the salvation of men by a redeemer , did also order these temptations ; for else christ could have prevented them , or by a divine authority commanded silence to the tempter , and by his power might have chased him away . as christ told pilate , thou couldst have no power at all against me except it were given thee from above ; thereby manifesting that his suffering was from an higher design than he was aware of : so might he have said to the devil , except this had been designed by an eternal counsel , thou couldst not have made this attempt . so that we must look further for the spring and rise of this , than to any supposed occasional outbreaking of satanical malice upon him . secondly , that this design , however it touched upon the person and offices of christ , as mediator and second adam , ( for thus it became him to overcome the enemy at the same weapon , by which he overcame our first parents , and by this personal experience , to be fitted with feeling compassions to the tempted ) yet was it wholly for our sakes , as may appear by two things . first , in that christ ( if his answers had only concerned himself ) might have given other fit replies , to the first temptation , of turning stones to bread : he could have retorted the argument upon satan , ( as hierom and others observe ) if i am not the son of god. 't is in vain to require a miracle of me ; if i am , 't is in vain to tempt me , or he might have answered , that as the father hath life in himself , so hath he given to the son to have life in himself , and that by this divine power he could sustain himself without bread. to the second , it might have been a sufficient answer , to have excepted against his unfaithfulness in citing that testimony out of psal . . where , by discovering his wilful omission of the clause , [ in all thy ways , ] he shall keep thee in all thy ways , his temptation might have fallen to the ground , as no way encouraged from that promise . to the third might have been returned such answers as these , that satan's offer was a lye , that it was not in his power to dispose of the kingdoms of the world : that these were christ's already , that these were vain arguments to draw him from the glory of an heavenly kingdom ; and finally , that of all creatures satan ( being god's sworn enemy ) had least reason to expect divine honour . secondly , in that all christ's answers were from scripture ( which is properly , a light to the steps of men ) and all these scriptures cited , shew mans duty ; he saith not , the son of god shall not live by bread alone , but man lives not by bread alone ; he saith not , christ must not tempt , but thou ( man ) shalt not tempt the lord thy god , &c. by all which we may discern , that christ answered , not by arguments peculiarly agreeable to his person and nature , but by such as suit the general state of god's children . and this certainly was for our advantage , he conquered with such weapons ; not for any necessity that he had to take that course , but for the need that we had of such instruction ; for hereby we see , that satan is conquerable , and also how we must use our weapons . in this also he left us an example , that we should follow his steps : as gideon said to his souldiers , as you see me do , so do you likewise , thus as it were doth our lord speak to us , for your sakes suffered i these temptations , that i might teach your hands to war , and your fingers to fight ; for your sakes i used these weapons of yours , rather than my own , that i might shew you the use of your sword and shield , and how your adversary may be overcome by them : dealing herein with us , as a master at arms , ( 't is masculus's comparison ) who for the better instructing and animating of his tyro , takes rather his disciples sword , than his own , to beat his adversary withal ; minding not only the conquest of an enemy , but also the encouragement of a young souldier . if any carry a suspition in their mind , that christ had not our instruction so much in his eye as hath been said , because he gives not such particular instructions for our spiritual welfare , as the apostle in ephes . . expecting , that our saviour should have been more punctual in making particular applications from every part of his carriage to our use , and drawing out from thence some positive conclusions or draughts of the way and manner of resistance ; they may know , that there is no other difference betwixt ephes . . and matth. . than there is betwixt precept and example . what the apostle there prescribed in the theory , here christ teacheth in the practice ; here we have in their use , the girdle of truth , the shield of faith , the sword of the spirit , the helmet of salvation , and all the other parts of that armour ; and withal we may know , that this is a far more advantagious way of teaching young beginners , to let them see things in a plain example , than only to give general precepts . but besides , we are to consider that christ did many things , the meaning whereof the disciples then present with him , did not know as yet , neither was it expected from them that they should ( like to what he said to peter , joh. . . what i do , thou knowest not now , but thou shalt know hereafter ) but were intended to be laid up in store to be more fully made use of , as after-directions should come in to give them information . he therefore that had purposed to give further light in this matter by his apostle and servant , was now doing that which his design led him to in his personal actings , with a secret respect also to those instructions which he intended after to communicate . we have then no reason to be jealous that these temptations were not intended for our use , but the more to assure our selves that it was even so , because we find that those very weapons which here christ in his own person weilded against satan , are afterwards recommended to us . having thus laid the foundation , we must then ( if we will imitate our captain ) carefully observe his deportment from point to point , that we may draw out those instructions which he intended for us . and the first thing that i shall take notice of , shall be the courage and magnanimity of our leader ; he had endured temptations forty days and nights before , and yet he keeps the field without any appearance of shrinking or running away ; satan no sooner tempts , than he is repelled . from this consideration we have this instruction , that he that would succesfully resist temptations , must not fly , but with a couragious resolve set himself to oppose . christians are apt to fear , when satan comes up against them , and ready to turn their backs : as the israelites were dismayed at the appearance of goliah , and fled before him . but if we would conquer , we must ( as david ) go out against him in the name of the lord : to this we are called , cor. . . stand fast in the faith , quit your selves like men , be strong : and ephes . . . stand , having your loins girt with truth , &c. this courage recommended is not a contempt and negligent slighting of danger , nor is it a bold adventurousness upon occasions of sin ; it is an holy , humble courage , and doth admit of a threefold fear . first , of a fear of sin , that is , a hatred of it . we must fear sin as the greatest evil : this is no cowardice , but tends to the strongest resolution , and highest endeavours against it . from this principle is it , that men oppose sin as their mortal enemy , and excite their utmost courage to fight against it . as the philistines being affraid of israel , and yet hating to serve the hebrews , mutually encouraged one another , be strong , and quit your selves like men , o ye philistines . a fear of hatred begets boldness . secondly , courage admits of a preventing fear , and a provident avoidance . occasions of sin are to be fled , we are not with greater earnestness called upon to stand , than we are warned in this case , to fly . so the apostle often , fly fornication , fly idolatry , fly youthful lusts . occasions are best opposed by flying , where calling , and duty doth not engage . prov. . . enter not into the path of the wicked , and go not in the way of evil men. he fights best , that flies most , where necessity doth not bid him stay . thirdly , it also admits of the fear of an holy jealousy ; such a distrust of our selves , as puts us to seek to the rock which is higher than we , for shelter . god calls us to turn into our strong hold , and to lay hold upon his strength . 't is rashness or desperateness , and not true courage , to adventure our selves without our guard or shield . but however we must fear sin , suspect our strength , and fly occasions ; yet satan we must not fly . here we are bid to stand , for these reasons , first , 't is impossible to fly from him . he can follow us where ere we go : if we go to holy assemblies , he can come thither : if we shut up our selves in our closets , he can meet us there : if we betake our selves to a wilderness , or to a croud , to be sure he will find us out . secondly , we are expresly charged to make resistance . jam. . . resist the devil . pet. . . — whom resist . this plainly speaks positive endeavours and opposition on our part . thirdly , a fainting fear is an unbelieving distrust of god's power , as if he were not able to save to the utermost , and of christ's compassionate tenderness , as if he would not succour those that are tempted . fourthly , our fainting makes satan insult . he triumphs when we turn our backs , and besides hath the greater advantage to wound us or to tread us down at pleasure . 't is observed , that god provides armour for head and breast , and all the fore-parts , by a sheild in case of resistance : but if we fly ( so little encouragement is there for cowardice ) there is no armour for the back . fifthly , 't is most suitable to christian courage to dye in the place , and to put it to the utmost hazard rather than to yeild . according to vespasians motto , oportet imperatorem stantem mori . every christian should say , shall such an one as i fly ? one that hath given up my name to god ; one that hath professed holiness afore men ; one that hath so many advantages for resistance , and such sweet encouragements from a victorious general . but the great question is , what is this fear that is forbidden , and the courage which is enjoined ? answ . the fear forbidden is an unbelieving weakness and pusilanimity , through which , as hopeless of success , men throw down their weapons , and yeild themselves up to satan , when the hearts of men fail them to the giving up of the victory . spiritual courage ( on the contrary ) is a serious resolve of fighting it out in the strength of the lord , and it consists of these two parts . first , a sincere resolution to be on christ's side against all iniquity , a deliberate unfeigned determination to stand for god and his holy ways , against satan and sin. ( . ) the ground of this determination , is a conviction of the evil of sin , even to an hatred of it . he that hath not throughly weighed the misery of living in sin , and fully purposed within himself to forsake it , can have no true christian courage when it comes to a pinch . ( . ) from this ground , he lays himself under solemn engagements to christ his general ( as souldiers list themselves under their captains ) that he will follow him and observe his commands ; he gives up himself to god by covenant : so that now he is no longer his own , but christ's servant , bound for his work . ( . ) and this with such or so much belief of his promises for aid and victory , that he hath some hopes or expectations at least , that god may at last so assist him , that he may attain to some real degree of the mortification of the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof . secondly , the second part of this courage consists in a suitable management of this undertaking . courage is not only seen in the first onset , but in the prosecution of the warfare : and this lies in two things . ( . ) when there are real indeavours against sin ( answerable to this undertaking ) in all ways of striving to oppose it : when men do not engage against sin with big words only ; or as the children of ephraim ( who arming themselves and carrying bows , seemed to have stout resolves , but then turned back in the day of battel , ) but with real and consciencious wrestlings , setting themselves with all their might and care against every temptation , and studying to pursue the victory ( where in any degree 't is obtained ) to a greater height . ( . ) when these endeavours are sincerely persisted in , without being quite wearied out or utter fainting , so that it never comes to this ( though they may be sometime under satan's feet ) that they relinguish their first solemn engagement , or repent of their undertaking , and then turn their backs upon god , listing themselves under satan's colours ; such a fainting as this would bereave men of their crown : ye shall reap in due time if ye faint not , gal. . . upon this hazard are the children of god cautioned , heb. . . lest ye be wearied , and faint in your mind . ( . ) there is also a particular kind of courage expressed in an holy and humble contempt of satan's suggestions , when after all means used , they cease not to be troublesome : this is not to slight sin , but to slight satan , who though he is resisted , ceaseth not to molest . i shall particularly apply this first direction ( . ) to those that propound ease to themselves in their race , or warfare ( which is a thing impossible to one that doth the work of a souldier , ) not considering , that work and couragious endeavours do abide them . ( . ) to those that pretend themselves christ's souldiers , courage and christian magnanimity is your cognizance ; by this must you be known . how do ye stand ? what are your resolutions , and undertakings ? those christians that have joy and peace in believing , can more easily satisfy themselves in this , but those that fight in tears and grief , in disquiets and troubled thoughts , are apt to conclude themselves unbelieving , because they are fearful ; or to think , that they look not up to jesus , the author and finisher of their faith , because they apprehend themselves weary and faint in their minds . for the ease and help of such , i shall shew in a few things , that there is as real a christian courage in such mourners , as in some that sing songs of triumph . first , 't is a real courage and undertaking against sin , for any to resolve his utmost , out of detestation of it , before he can satisfy himself that god will accept of it . to oppose sin under such a discouragement , or at such a venture , is a couragious hatred ; and yet so do these mourners . secondly , to be under continual grievings because of miscarriages , so that other things of outward enjoyment cease to be pleasing , is a couragious hatred ; but this is their case . thirdly , to wrestle against sin under high discouragements , when afflicted and tossed , when satan runs upon them , and shakes them by the neck , and yet they continue their wrestling and withstanding , as they are able . this is faithful resistance , a resistance unto blood , striving against sin , heb. . . that is ( if that expression be proverbial , like that , ad sanguinem usque ) they resist sin faithfully , under great hazards and inconveniencies , even to wounds and blood , till they have broken heads and broken faces ; and can say to god , though we have been broken in the place of dragons , and have these wounds to shew , yet have we not departed from thee , nor quitted our desires after thee and holiness , for all these buffetings of satan : but this is the character of these dejected ones . fourthly , 't is a couragious hatred that cannot suffer a sinful motion to fall upon the soul , but it puts all into a combustion within , and raiseth disquiet , for it is an argument that there is a contrariety betwixt the heart and sin : but this is their case also . fifthly , 't is courage and constancy to bold on in gracious endeavours and strivings ; so that when they fall , as soon as they can recollect their strength , they set on where they left , and renew the battel , never changing their first resolve for holiness against sin. this is implyed in the apostles phrase of standing , eph. . that ye may withstand , and when ye have done all , to stand . he is accounted to stand , that runs not out of the field , but stands to his holy resolve to the last , though the battel go sore against him by fits : but such are these mourners . there is true courage under mourning and disquiet of heart , so that we may say to such , o thou afflicted and tossed , fear not , the glory of the lord shall shine upon thee . they that are weak in this sence shall be strong as david . chap. xxiii . the second direction , that temptations are not to be disputed . the several ways of disputing a temptation . in what cases it is convenient and necessary to dispute with satan . in what cases inconvenient , and the reasons of it . the next thing observable in christ's carriage to satan is this ; that christ ( though he rejected every temptation , by giving a reason of his refusal from the command of god ) did not suffer satan to dispute his temptations further than the first proposal , and in his answers he takes no notice of the reasons or motives by which he laboured to make his temptations prevailing . in the two first temptations , he gives no reply , to what satan insinuated by his supposition , [ if thou be the son of god ; ] neither by affirming that he was so , nor discovering to him his knowledg of the secret subtilty , which he had wrapt up under these plausible pretences . in the third he answers not a word to the vanity and falsehood of his deceitful offer of the kingdoms of the world , though ( as hath been observed ) he might have opposed strong reasons against them all : and besides , when satan became insolent and impudent in tempting christ to fall down and worship him , he chaseth him away with a severe abomination , get thee hence , satan . from which we have a second direction , which is this . that temptations to sin , are to be opposed by peremptory denials , rather than by disputings . this is a note , which most commentators have on this place ; but it stands in need of a distinct application , because it is not a rule so general , but that the practice of god's children have made exception against it . for the clearer explanation of it , i shall first , give you the several kinds of disputings , by which we may see that all are not alike : for first , the serious working of the thoughts in a quick denial of a temptation with a reason implyed or expressed ( though it admit not satan to any further dispute or argument ) may , in some sense , be called a disputing ; for the scripture useth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for any inward serious thought . such a kind of disputing as this is necessary ; it cannot be wanting to any that refuse a sinful motion , this being ( as we shall see afterward ) one of those directions which christ intended us by his example , and the very thing which christ practised in every temptation : for he contented not himself to give a naked denyal , but still adds a reason of such refusal . those who in general terms urge that temptations are not to be disputed , do not reckon this as any disputing . and others that do ( taking disputing for the refusal of a thing with a reason assigned ) think that his procedure in the two first temptations , is not imitable by us , but only that of the third , wherein he chased away the devil with angry denyal : but the mistake is obvious . secondly , there is a disputing of unnecessary curiosity and conference : this is when a sinful motion injected into our hearts , is not directly consented to ; but then instead of a full denyal , men begin to raise questions , and make objections of lesser moment , or some impertinent quaeries which strike not at the root : as one observed of himself , that instead of denying a sinful motion , he began to dispute , whether it came from satan of his own inclination , and so instead of quenching the fire , he busied himself to enquire whence it came . men deal with temptations in this case , as they , who being asked whether they will buy such a commodity , hastily answer no , but yet call back the party again , and ask whence it came ? or what it must cost ? and by such intanglements of curiosity engage themselves at last to buy it . eve failed by such an inconsiderate conference with satan , for the abrupt beginning of the serpents speech [ yea , hath good said ye shall not eat , &c. ] and the summing up of the arguments which prevailed with her to eat [ when the woman saw that the tree was good for food , and pleasant to the eyes , &c. ] do clearly evidence that there was more discourse , than is there expressed , and that also tending to ascertain the goodness , pleasantness , and profit of the fruit. this kind of disputing is always unlawful and dangerous , for it is but a wanton dallyance with a temptation , a playing upon the hole of the asp , and commonly ends in a sinful complyance . thirdly , there is a disputing of a deliberating and parlying indifferency ; this is , when the devil puts a thought of sin into their minds , and ( while they seem not to be forward to imbrace it ) leaves it to further con●ideration , and then they float , betwixt resolved and unresolved , betwixt pro & con , being at a great dispute within themselves what is best to be done , whether the conveniencies on the one hand , will weigh down the inconveniencies on the other ; this in cases of apparent sin , is a wicked ●alting betwixt two , always unlawful . fourthly , there are also treacherous partial arguings , wherein the heart akes part with satan . these are those debates that are to be found in natural men , about the doing or not doing of sinful things . this looks so like the combat betwixt the flesh and the spirit , that it hath occasioned an enquiry , how they may be distinguished each from other . 't is generally concluded that in that strife of the natural man , the light of the understanding and conscience , gives opposition to the bent of the affections , and the same faculties ( though sanctifyed in part ) in the regenerate are the parties that give opposition each to other ; but with this principal difference , that in this strife of the flesh and spirit , the man takes part with god , whereas in the other , the affections take the devils part , and in a malignant averseness to the light , strive to put it out , and to get over the conviction of conscience , so that the man strives to sin , and to stop the mouth of such objections , as come into the contrary : this kind of disputing is always sinful . fifthly , there is yet a disputing in a strict sense , which is a full and solemn debating of a satanical injection , by giving it the full hearing , and admitting satan to be a respondent to our objections . of this it is queried how far it may be convenient , and how far inconvenient , because we see christ in this place did not thus dispute with satan ; and yet we find instances in scripture of some holy men that have been unavoidably engaged to dispute a temptation to the utmost . to answer this query , i shall secondly shew in what cases it may be necessary or convenient to enter the lists with satan in an holy arguing , and in what cases it is inconvenient and dangerous . there are four cases in which we may dispute a temptation . first , when the motion is of things doubtful and disputable , whether they be lawful or not . here it cannot be avoided : for albeit ( as the apostle adviseth rom. . . ) doubtful disputations are not to be imposed upon others , so as to tye them up to our perswasions , yet in these things every man ( before he can act clearly ) is to endeavour his own satisfaction in the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the thing , that so he may be fully perswaded in his own mind , ver . . and he gives two strong reasons of this , ver . , . ( . ) from the rack and trouble , which otherwise the man may be put upon , while his conscience unsatisfied , condemneth him in that , which by a contrary practice he alloweth : ( . ) in that this condemnation of conscience ( while he doth that , the lawfulness whereof he believeth not ) is an evidence of his sin , as well as an occasion of his trouble . secondly , disputings have place , when a temptation hath taken hold upon the thoughts , and so far possessed it self , that our corruption riseth up in the defence of the suggestion . satan will not quit that hold ( though he be an intruder without our leave , ) till he be beat out of his quarters . the apostle , eph. . implies so much by that expression , of quenching the fiery darts of satan . it is not proper to understand it of a refusal of the first motion of sin , ( though interpreters do usually make it comprehensive both of the keeping out of the dart , and the plucking it out ) because this evidently supposeth , that the dart hath pierced the soul , and now begins to burn and enflame , which will require more labour for the quenching of it , than a refusal of the first motion would put us to . as when fire hath taken hold upon our houses , we shall be forced to bring water for the extinguishing of the flame , which ( before it had broke out upon the building ) an ordinary care might have prevented . and this we further taught by a distinction which the same apostle useth in the same place of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 standing and withstanding . we must keep off the temptation that it enter not , by standing against the assault in a peremptory refusal ; but if it do enter , then we must be put to it , by a force of holy arguing to pull out the arrow , and to withstand it . thirdly , much more need have we of disputing , when the present temptation is a motion of such a sin which we are habituated unto , and have long practised , for these kind of sinful motions are not cast out easily . in this case , david adviseth his enemies , psal . . ( who had for a long time , loved vanity , and sought after leasing ) that by communing with their own heart , and by disputing against their sinful practices , they should bring themselves under an holy awe , and by that means stop the course of their sinning , ver . . this indeed is the great thing that sinners are called to by god , to ponder their estate , to consider their ways , to study the evil and danger of sin , to examin themselves , and to reason together with god about the wickedness and ingratitude of their actions , and about the contrary loveliness , blessedness and happiness of the ways of god , that so they may be brought to repentance ; all which are done only by a serious arguing of their case and hazard . fourthly , it is convenient , and in some cases necessary to dispute a temptation which satan offers to us , by the mouths of men , who entice us to share with them in their wickedness : for here by arguing , we may not only discourage their further sollicitation , and so free our selves from the like temptation for the future , but we also by the exercise of an holy charity , endeavour to pull them out of the fire . when josephs mistress tempted him , he considered that he had to deal both with the devil , and his mistress , gen. . , . and therefore that he might resist the devil , he peremptorily refused the temptation , but that he might take off his mistress from her unlawful prosecution , he argues with her about the ingratitude , danger and unlawfulness of such an act , my master woteth not what is with me in the house , and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand : there is none greater in this house than i , neither hath he kept any thing back from me but thee , because thou art his wife : how then can i do this great wickedness and sin against god ? when sinners do entice us to cast in our lot amongst them , pitty to them , and care of our selves will engage us to argue the folly and danger of their ways with them , except they behave themselves as dogs and swine ; their carriage giving us just ground to conclude , that they are so set on wickedness , that it may endanger us , rather than profit them , to debate with them . and so was it likely , ( and the text seems to hint so much , ) that when joseph perceived his mistress was resolved upon the pursuit , and that his reasonings were not minded , he persisted in his denyal , but forbore his arguings . but however it may be convenient to dispute ( in the last mentioned sense ) in these four cases , ( and others may probably be added ) yet there are cases in which it will be inconvenient and hazardous to dispute or argue , and of this order i shall reckon four . first , it is not safe to dispute the matter , in vile infectious temptations , such as are either suitable to our inclinations , or may receive a favourable aspect and countenance from the posture of our affairs and condition . these temptations ( even in our debating against them ) are like the opening of a sepulchre , which sends forth a poysonous stream which may infect those that loath and resist it . 't is dangerous to admit fire into the same room where there is gunpowder , though there be no intention to kindle it . it hath been an old observation , that the very confession of infectious sins , ( though designed to beget shame , and resolution against them for the future ; ) have kindled a new flame , by the unnecessary declaration of the manner and circumstances , so that they have returned from the confessor more infected than when they went ; and those very persons whose care it should have been to have put the highest disgrace upon sins , so confessed , to the begetting of loathing , and abhorrency in the parties , and themselves have by too curious an enquiry received such poyson at the ear , that the heart hath been forthwith infected . the like hazard remains to those that are willing to debate such sins with satans ; for though they begin upon the score of resistance , yet the very dwelling on such a subject ( when admitted to lay it self open ) doth convey such amorous looks unto the treacherous affections , that the heart is in danger of a secret poyson . there is no better way in such cases than to command all such thoughts and confiderations out of our coasts , and ( as we do , when the city or town we live in is infected ) to withdraw our selves from the air of such a temptation . we may observe the like care in joseph , though he thought himself concerned at first ( as hath been said ) to oppose the unlawful suit of his mistress , yet seeing her desperately set upon her folly , he declined all communication with her , and would not be with her , gen. . . and at last when she caught him by his garment , he left it in her hand and fled , ver . . he might easily have rescued his garment from her , had he not been aware that his contesting against her , might have been an occasion of ensnarement to himself . christ himself , when he was tempted by peter to spare himself , ( which was a temptation very taking to humane nature , especially when suffering , and death is in view , ) is more short and sparing in his reasoning against it , than he was when the devil tempted him . he gives no positive reasons against it , as he did when he was tempted to fall down and worship the devil , but dischargeth himself from any further consideration of the matter by a declared abhorrency of the thing , get thee behind me satan , for thou savourest not the things that be of god , but the things which be of men. which is as if he had plainly said , this is so apparently from the devil , and so much abhorred by me ( because so suitable to my condition ) that i will not so much as discourse of it , or consider it . secondly , generally in all temptations , ( though they have not the advantage of our present , special estate or inclination , as hath been noted ) of an apparent withdrawment from obedience , or of things unquestionably sinful , it is not convenient to dispute them , but to dismiss them by a denyal , except some of the forementioned considerations do alter the case . in known cases we need not parly but stoutly deny . our resolutions for duty , and against sin , should not be to seek : we are certain that sin is to be avoided , and duty to be practised , here we should be peremptory . abraham being certain of duty , when god called him to a place which be should afterward receive for an inheritance , he disputed not the uncertainty , the danger or inconvenience that possibly might attend his removal , but went out , not knowing whither he went , heb. . . paul being called by god to preach among the heathen , though flesh and blood were ready with arguments against it , yet he would not so much as confer with them , but immediately obeyed , gal. . . like instances i might fetch from other holy men. cyprian , when the president gave it to his own choice , whether he would obey or be put to death , commanding him to take it into consideration , he readily replyed , in re tam sanctâ non est deliberandum , that it was not fit to deliberate in so plain a case . mrs. ann askew , when at the stake ready to be burnt , a pardon was offered by the lord chancellor , she would not so much as look on it , but returned this answer , that she came not thither to deny her lord and master . bishop hooker in the same condition , had a box laid before him with a pardon in it , which when he understood , ( he was so affraid of tampering with a temptation ) he cryed out , if ye love my soul , away with it ; if ye love my soul away with it . and many others there were in all ages , so far from accepting such unlawful deliverances , that they would not take into consideration the unrighteous terms upon which they might have escaped . thirdly , when a temptation , after all means used , continues to be troublesom , and is rather an annoyance than an infection , then must we not dispute it , but by an holy contempt despise it . temptations to blasphemy are oft of this nature ( as hath been noted in its place ) and there are other things , by which satan creates to god's children great disquiet , while they in the mean time abhor the sin , and cry out of the tryal . here when the messenger of satan will not depart , 't is an advice that hath the general approbation of holy experienced men , that we should despise the temptation , as an approved way to our quiet and ease ; for while we think to repel such assaults , by strugling with arguments , we do but increase the force of them : as he that thinks to shelter himself against the wind , by holding up his cloak before him , doth but derive upon himself a stronger blast . fourthly , in temptations of inward trouble and terror , it is not convenient to dispute the matter with satan . david in psal . . . seems to correct himself for his mistake , his soul was cast down within him , and for the cure of that temptation , he had prepared himself by arguments for a dispute ; but perceiving himself in a wrong course , he calls off his soul from disquiet , to an immediate application to god and the promises , trust still in god , for i shall yet praise him ; but in psal . . . he is more aforehand with his work , for while his enemies were acted by satan to discourage him , he rejects the temptations at first , before it setled upon his thoughts , and chaseth it away as a thing that he would not give ear to : in thee lord do i put my trust ; how say ye then to my soul , flee as a bird to your mountain ? and there are weighty reasons that should disswade us from entring the lists with satan in temptations of inward trouble , as ( . ) the determination of the sincerity of the soul and its converted state is a question of no small difficulty , a knotty controversy , more intricate and abstruse than those controversies that in the schools are of greatest name for difficulty : for this is lyable to more weighty objections , and stands in need of nicer distinction . as dr. goodwin observes ; they that converse with dejected spirits , find so much quickness and nimbleness of reasoning , turning every way to ward off the force of an argument brought for their consolation , that even wise and able heads are oft put to a stand , and know not what to answer . would it then be fit to give satan this advantage ? or to admit him so far into our reasoning ? he that will invite satan to such a contest , shall be sure to have his hands full . secondly , this kind of temptation doth usually disable men for arguing ; it oftentimes confounds the brain , stupifies the understanding , and weakens the memory . heman complains of himself as distracted by terrors . job calls himself desperate . such persons are not surely in a fit case to manage a temptation with so cunning a sophister as satan . thirdly , if they descend into the battel , he is not only too strong for them , but commonly after a while , they take satan's part against themselves , and comply with him , concluding against their own peace . fourthly , there is also a better way at hand than to enter into a dispute , and that is , by going to god by a present faith , love or repentance , when the truth of any of these is questioned . it is a difficult task to prove some time that former acts of faith , love or other graces were sincere ; this may admit of such objections from a wounded spirit , that it will be hard to answer them ; but in this case 't is a nearer way to see if there be not in all these complainings , some present acts of these graces : whether such complainants are not willing to embrace christ upon any terms , whether they do not have sin , whether they would not unfeignedly be reconciled to god , &c. it oft falls out that this doth stay the trouble , when examinations of former acts do nothing for them . some men are at more pains ( as one saith ) to repair and fit an old building , then would serve to rear a new one . yet must it be remembred , that though it were the best course to resist temptations of this nature at first , by avoiding unnecessary disputings , notwithstanding when this ( as i noted before of other temptations ) hath seized upon the heart and taken possession , then shall we be forced to fill our mouths with arguments , and whether we will or no , must we undergo a contest : as we see in david who when his troubles had prevailed upon him , was forced to plead with god ; with himself , with the temptation , and to have recourse to former experience ; the days of old , and the years of the right hand of the most high , and all little enough . thirdly , all that i shall further say concerning the inconvenienceies of disputing with satan , shall be to give you the reasons manifesting these unnecessary communings with him to be every way hazardous and unsuitable . as , first , 't is an honour to satan , and a disgrace to our selves : men are loth to be seen contesting with persons of a far inferiour rank ; especially in such things which have procured to such , a noted infamy . 't is an usual peice of generosity in men of spirit , that they scorn to strive with a scold , or contend with a beggar , or be found in company of those that are under an evil name deservedly : and in matters that are vile and base , 't is highly disgraceful to admit them to a debate . such things will either get more credit than they deserve , while they seem to be countenanced by a dispute , or else shall communicate their discredit to those that shall shew such familiarity with them . secondly , by refusing to dispute temptations , we raise up in our hearts an active abhorrency of them , and by that abhorrency we are cautioned and strengthned against them : it must needs awaken our hatred into a present activity against that sin , which our consideration at first view presents to us so abominable , that it deserves no other answer , but to be whipt out of our sight . and when our heart is thus alarmed , it cannot but stand upon its guard. 't is a course that holy men have taken , to keep men at a greater distance from sin , to present it as a thing of greatest abhorrency , and that is the intendment of that expression , rom. . . shall we sin , that grace may abound ? god forbid . the vileness of that abuse of gospel grace , he shews by setting it below the merit of any serious thought , he sharpens their apprehensions against it , by an out-cry of detestation . the like he doth eph. . . where he indeavours to set their hearts against uncleanness and covetousness , by telling them that it was unbecoming saintship , that such things should be so much as once named by them . thirdly , disputing is a secret invitation to the devil to urge the temptation further : we do but toy with him , and give him occasion to follow us . eve found the truth of this by sad experience , she so managed her self , that she plainly intimated she had a mind to hear what the devil could say , for the eating of the forbidden fruit ; and so urged the prohibition of god , and the threatning , that she sought from satan a confirmation of her secret unbelief , rather than faithfully indeavoured a repulse of the temptation ; and mentioned the threatning under such terms of uncertainty and peradventure , as an objection , which she desired might be removed , rather than from a firm belief of that death spoken of , fortifying her self in her duty ; by all which satan was so encouraged to proceed , that he presently confirmed her in her distrust . fourthly , these disputings usually return nothing of advantage to our account , but to satans . we unnecessarily enter the lists with him , and that upon very unequal terms , he being ( as saul said of goliah and david a man of war from his youth , and we but weak unskilful striplings ; we go out of our trenches and leave our weapons behind us ; we expose our naked breasts to all his darts , and by discoursing with him he gains time , wherein the poyson may more powerfully work upon our affections . if he was too hard for our first parents at this weapon , we whose hearts are not so faithful to god , as theirs in innocency , but corrupted by satan ( who hath also a party in us ) are not likely to come off with triumph . fifthly , these presage ( consequently ) an overthrow . a parlying city holds not long out , it implyes in it self an inclination to yield , when armies are willing to treat . daily examples and experience of those that give up themselves to sin after communication with satan , sadly witness this truth . the sum of this direction is this , that when a motion of sin is put into our heart , instead of disputing ( where it may be avoided ) we should peremptorily deny it , and send it away with an angry rebuke , or severe abomination , i may not do it : how can i do this wickedness ? get thee hence : or , the lord rebuke thee , satan . chap. xxiv . the third direction of repelling a temptation without delay : the necessity of so doing . what a speedy denial doth contain . the magnanimity of christ , and the peremptoriness of his denyal we have noted . we must further observe the immediateness of his answer , he suffered not any of these motions to stay long with him , here was not a cras tibi respondebo , come again to morrow and i will answer ; he would not take time with the devil , but had his answer ready : no sooner was he tempted , but the temptation was repelled ; for these expressions [ but he answered and said . jesus said unto him . then saith jesus unto him ] shew the quickness and speediness of these returns , that he answered presently , forthwith . hence we have a third direction in our resisting of satan , which is this : temptation are best answered when they are presently denyed , and forthwith repelled . the direction is of great importance , 't is not for us to pass by a temptation with silence , or to defer an answer ; for these reasons : first , the nature of temptations , as dangerous or infectious , doth sufficiently inforce a necessity of their speedy removal . things of danger require a sudden stop . if poyson be taken into the body , we speedily labour to cast it up , or to overcome it by antidotes . we labour to stay the spreading of a gangreen presently . who thinks it fit to delay , when fire hath taken hold upon an house . the very opportunity of help , is in the speediness of the endeavour . 't is too late to bring water when the house is consumed , too late to apply a remedy , when the disease hath conquered . they that consider what a temptation is , will see no reason to move slowly in opposing . secondly , silence encourageth satan . 't is not with him , as 't is with men : 't is the policy of some , to overlook , their petitioners , and by silence to scare them from any further address , but satan hath more impudence than to be put out of countenance by delay , and more active malice , than to be discouraged by silence ; nay it doth on the contrary imbolden him . modest requests are disheartned by silence , but such motions , which by their nature imply a disgrace , and carry no reason for their acceptance , but what they expect to find in the consent of those to whom they are made , if they be not presently refused , they give encouragement to hope for entertainment . an immodest request to a chast matron , if not forthwith expresly abominated , encourageth to further attempts . sin being so great an affront to an holy heart , the motion of it cannot be entertained with silence , but satan is imboldned to expect consent in time , and follows his advantage accordingly . he usually flies at a valiant peremptory resistance ; but if the pulse of the soul beat slowly upon the motion , he grounds his hope upon that , and is animated to a further procedure . thirdly , our wills are apt to be inclined by delay . though grace have made straight our crooked natures , yet we still carry such a sway to our former dispositions , that a small thing ( having the advantage of our natural bias and inclination ) makes us ( like a deceitful bow ) turn to our old stand . for the understanding and will of the regenerate are but imperfectly good , the faculties that should obey are unruly ; in such a case how dangerous may delays prove ? who will suffer a seditious incendiary in an army , formerly inclined to mutiny ? who will permit leaven to remain in that mass , which he desires may not be leavened , and not quickly remove it ? who will neglect a spark upon dry tinder , ( that would not have it consumed ) and not instantly put it out ? if it was so great a mischief to eve in innocency ( as hath been said ) to delay her peremptory denial , of how much greater hazard is it to us ? delays are dangerous , to a very proverb , and silence may end in consent . fourthly , silence is also some degree of consent . 't is strange to find a man delaying an answer to temptation , and yet no way guilty of consenting . in things that are to be opposed with care and hatred , no man can withhold his hand without blame : he that is not against satan ( who is to be perpetually resisted ) is so far for him , as he is not against him . he that delays justice which is due , denies it . the judge in the parable was called unjust , not because he had devoured the widows house , but because he deferred to do her right . he that hinders not evil when , and as soon as he can , doth command and approve it . these are received axioms amongst men , and have the same truth in them , if applyed to resistance of temptations . and this may further appear by considering ( . ) the weakness of the will in the regenerate . when our wills are really set upon good and against evil , yet we cannot say , they are perfectly for the one , and against the other , but that there is still some degree of aversness to good , and of inclination to evil in our wills , or else we should not meet with complainings of imperfections under sincere resistances ; as in the apostle , the evil that i would not , that do i. ( . ) the acts of the will in consenting may be so sudden , short , and quick , that they may be almost insensible , and as forward , and ready as the motion . ( . ) the will may be interpretatively voluntary and consenting , when yet it forms not in it self any positive approbation ; it may be guilty in that it doth not more strongly and speedily dissent : for the suspension or negation of the wills act ( where it ought to act ) cannot avoid the charge of coming short of duty . fifthly , not to answer presently , is to lose the best opportunity of answering . 't is less dangerous , more easy , more comfortable to be speedy in denial . the sooner fire is put out , or the disease is stayed , the less hurt is done ; and 't is far less labour to quench a spark , than a flame ; to pluck up a young plant , than an old standard ; to kill the cockatrice in the egg. a temptation opposed speedily , is with greater ease overcome , than after it hath setled though but a little ; for it presently makes a party within us , our affections are soon engaged , our understanding soon bribed ; and then we have not only satan but ourselves to oppose ; and this self so divided , that when we come to fight , our wills are against our wills ; our affections against our affections ; our wishes and prayers clash and contradict each other . as austin confesseth of himself , i prayed ( said he ) and then feared lest thou shouldst hear me too soon ; i desired to satisfy , rather than to extinguish lust . at the first assault , the soul is oft in a better posture , more unanimous and consistent with it self ; than is the golden opportunity of resistance . for ( as * one saith ) 't is better to do it while reason is on our side , than when both reason and affection conspire against us . and lastly , it would be more honour and satisfaction to us , rather not to have admitted such a guest , then after such admittance into our thoughts , to be forced to cast him out . in the review of our actions we shall have more comfort to have been resolute against any sin , than to hold our peace . the necessity of a quick and speedy rejection of a sinful motion is then beyond dispute , and there needs no more to be said for the explanation of this direction , but an account of what is implyed in a speedy denyal ; it contains these four things . first , that it must issue from a fixed determination against sin. some refuse a temptation with the same mind , that carryed lot's wife out of sodom , and are forced beyond their own inclination , but these go not far till they look back ; and no wonder : for if he that is sincerely peremptory against sin at the first motion , may by the sollicitation of the flesh be inclined afterward , there is little expectation that he whom the first motion finds indifferent , and but coldly denying , should hold out long . but that refusal that must give any encouragement to hopes of success , must be an answer of holy indignation against the offer of temptation , and that confirmed into a serious resolve of heart not to yeild . secondly , this positive denyal must be also wisely jealous of satan , in motions that are unlikely , or that may seem light , little , and not directly intended . though it may be but a transient glance , or a thing that is out of our road , yet must nothing be contemned or undervalued . jealousy will take notice of small actions or circumstances , and no less suspitious must we be of every proffer made to us , lest satan by any means get an advantage against us . thirdly , the refusal must be so quick , that it may be ready to take the temptation by the throat . at the first motion or rising of it in our mind , we must endeavour to stifle it in the birth , that it may be as the untimely fruit of a woman , that never sees the sun ; we must not give it time to grow up to a rod of wickedness , but must nip it in the earliest buddings of it . 't is the nature of grace ( if we do but faithfully pursue the inclinations of it ) to be quick in its opposition ; so doth the apostles phrase teach us , gal. . . the flesh lusteth against the spirit , and the spirit against the flesh : the spirit is as ready to repel , as the flesh to suggest ; no sooner doth the one stir , but the other is ready with an opposition , and the reason of it , is from the active contrariety that is betwixt them ; for so the word , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there used , would express it ; they are sworn enemies , animated by principles of constant opposition , as water and fire are , which cannot meet in peace together , but a present noise and combate is raised from this conjunction . fourthly , when this is done , we must endeavour to maintain , and stick to our first disallowance . a child of god ( i know ) in sinful yieldings of infirmity , may say as the apostle , what i do , i allow not ; that is ( . ) what he then consents to , he did not allow at the first , till importunity prevailed . ( . ) though his affections incline to sin , yet his constant settled judgment is against it ; and though he do it , he cannot say he approves it . neither of these are the things i aim at ; but this , that as the first motions of sins are disallowed , we should endeavour to keep at that , to stand our ground , to withhold the least after-delight or approbation ; not but that we we must be forced , sadly to acknowledg the real truth of what the apostle speaks in the place last cited , that these different principles ( which of them soever carry the victory ) do so impede one another , that when grace carries it , yet it cannot do the utmost it would or aims at ; so that in the stoutest oppositions , there may be some secret degrees of allowance unavoidably ; notwithstanding we must so manage our denyal , that if it were possible we should not afford the smallest inclination toward it ; the least , the better , and nobler conquest . chap. xxv . the fourth direction . of repelling a temptation by scripture arguments . of several things implyed in the direction . the necessity of answering by scripture arguments . the excellency of the remedy . how scripture arguments are to be managed . the next particular in christ's answers , to be observed by us , is his citations of scripture , as an invincible reason against all the devils temptations ; he beats them all back with this weapon , it is written . that this was written for our learning , and that , otherwise than for our instruction , he lay not under any necessity of using this method , hath been evidenced before , and 't is a thing which all commentators do take notice of . from this we have another direction , for the right way and order of resisting temptations , which is , that temptations are best repelled by arguments drawn from the word of god. for the explanation of this , it may be considered what is ( . ) presupposed in this direction : for when it is affirmed that we must answer by reasons from scripture , this implies , first , that temptations are not to be opposed by groundless refusals ; 't is no way safe to say we will not , because we will not , nor to insist upon our own bare resolve : for this would be wilfulness , rather than an obediential refusal ; and unwarrantable self-confidence , rather than an humble wrestling . there are some , of whom it may be said , as the prophet once charged the jews , esa . . . that when satan comes up against them , they look in that day to the armour of the house of the forrest , they repair the wall , and cast ditches for fortification ; they prepare themselves to the battel in their own strength , but they look not unto the maker thereof , to him who by his mighty power must fashion our hearts to resistance . the vanity of such undertakings is enough manifested in the event , for commonly such men go on in a bravado of resolution , but are so altered at the first appearance of the enemy , that they yeild without a stroak . who could be more confident than peter , that he would not deny his master , whatever others did , and yet how soon did his heart fail him ? we may warrantably deny a sinful motion , without being explicite in our reason against it , especially in usual temptations and when they thrust themselves into our minds , at such times when our thoughts are charged with an attendance upon other duties ; in which nevertheless the heart hath a secret and implicite regard to the command of god : but in no case must we go down to the battel , in the strength of a wilfulness , lest it go against us . and thus do they , who when they are reproved for some miscarriage , as of drinking , will presently with great confidence make engagements , not to drink wine or strong drink , not to go into a tavern or alchouse , without any humble respect to duty , or the power of god for the conquest of the sin : and accordingly we see that usually such promises and obligations do not hold ; either they wilfully break them , or they become sinfully witty to make evasions for the practice of sin , without the breach of the oath or promise . secondly , the direction supposeth that we must deny the sin with the arguments of greatest strength , and authority . there were occasions and hints of other answers to these temptations that offered themselves in christ's way , and yet he waves them all , fixing only upon scripture reasons as the best and strongest . 't is no christian wisdom to urge those inferiour considerations , of shame , loss , inconvenience , &c. some have no other reason betwixt them and sin , but , what will men say ? or , what will become of me ? but besides , that these would only be a train to bring on disputings , and that it is no way safe to venture our souls upon such defences , when better may be had , ( for who will venture his life upon a staff when he may have a sword ? ) 't is easy for satan to break these bows , and to cut these spears in sunder ; he can ballance such reasons with equal reasons , and presently make us believe , that we have as good reason to commit the sin , as those urged by us , for the not committing of it . thirdly , this direction of using scripture-reason doth clearly imply , that the force and power of scripture is not in the words , or characters , but in the mind and reason of it ; that not scripture used as a charm or spell ( as if the devil were affraid of the sound , and words of it ) can beat back the devil , but 't is the authority of its command , which works upon the mind the highest impressions of fear and care , and as a strong argument prevails with us to forbear . notwithstanding the plainness and undeniableness of this inference , not only do ignorant men bless themselves against the devil by repeating some phrases or sentences of scripture impertinently , and such as have no direct signification of the matter in hand betwixt satan and them , ( as if the devil could not endure to hear the pater noster , or durst not come within the sound of the name jehovah ) but also papists , ( and of them , such as might be supposed more considerate than to be carried by , such conceits ) have placed a vertue in the words and sounds of scripture , and therefore do they command ( though under some limitations and restrictions ) the hanging of sentences of scripture about the neck in scrolls , for the driving away of evil spirits , though in a clear contradiction to the reason which they give in the general against this course , which is this , that the power of scripture is not in the figures and characters , but in the mind and understanding of it ; and therefore profits as pondered in the heart , not as hung about the neck : and upon as slender grounds do they place a more than ordinary vertue , in the angelical salutation , in the seven words upon the cross , in the triumphal title , jesus of nazareth , king of the jews , &c. such kind of oppositions are but a mock to satan , we cannot think to bore the jaw of this leviathan with a thorn , or to come to him with this bridle , or to play with him as with a bird : he durst alledg scripture himself to christ , and therefore 't is not the phrase or sound that affrights him . fourthly , the direction doth imply an argumentative , proper and fit use of scripture commands , or promises . we see christ urged not any scripture indifferently , but he used fit words , and chose to himself select smooth stones out of this brook to sling against this spiritual goliah . every temptation had an answer that doth most fully and properly confront it ; he regarded the main of the temptation , and suffered not himself to be diverted from that prosecution , by engaging himself in that which might have been perplexed and controversial , though he had a fit opportunity to reprove satan for a dishonest craft of representing scripture in a sense of his own making , and so might have rejected the temptation of casting himself down , as leaning upon a false foundation , in that god did not promise in psal . . to preserve any that should presumptuously expect a protection while they run out of god's ways : yet he waved this answer , and opposed the assault by a plain scripture which chargeth the contrary duty . secondly , having seen what this direction doth imply , in these things that are to be removed from the sense and intendment of it , i shall next for ascertaining of the reality and importance of it , shew that temptations are to be resisted by scripture arguments , by these two evidences . first , god's recommending of the commands of scripture for such a purpose ; deut. . . these words which i command thee this day , shall be in thine heart — and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand , and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes , &c. whether the later part of the command is to be understood literally , as the jews apprehended and practised , ( though some think otherwise ) is not necessary to be asserted , seeing 't is granted by all ; that they were to have the commands of the law so ready in their minds , and memories , as if they had been written on their hands , and upon their foreheads . that god designed this precept for the resistance of sin and temptation , cannot be doubted , and that the advantage which might hence arise to them was not only the information of their minds , in point of sin , and duty , is as unavoidable ; for that , and more is intended by that part of the injunction ; these words which i command thee , shall be in thine heart , but when ? besides this information ( which the knowledg of the law would afford them ) and their humble complyance with it , as just and good ( which would enable them to say , thy law , o lord , is within my heart ) he further enjoyns them , the quick and ready remembrances of these laws ( as if they were frontlets between their eyes , and signs on their hands ; ) it can signify no less than this , that in so doing , they would be able to resist those motions , by which satan would seek to engage them to the violation of these commands . neither need we to doubt hereof , when christ himself hath so fully taught us , by his own example , in resisting temptations , the particular use of the remembrance of the law : in the new testament the apostle is most express in this matter , eph. . . take the sword of the spirit , which is the word of god , where not only the use of scripture-commands and promises against satan's suggestions is taught , but also the high avail and potency of this weapon in reference to its end : 't is called a sword , and in that comparison , it shews the active resistance which may be made by it ; and 't is called , not a sword of flesh , ( for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal ) but of the spirit , to shew how mighty it is in repelling satan . secondly , another evidence of its usefulness , is from the success which the children of god have had in the right management of this weapon . 't is observable that while christ answered by scripture , satan was silenced , and had not what to reply to the answer , but was forced to betake himself to a new temptation . david in many places highly magnifies the power of the command , in the success he had by it . psal . . . he shews how available it was to preserve him in his common converse , from the sinful snares laid before him , concerning the works of men , by the word of thy lips i have kept me from the paths of the destroyer . in psal . . , . he tells us that he was shielded from the sins of his inclination and love ( which are hardest to prevent ) by the opposition that he gave to the motions of them , in setting up the statutes of god against them , all his judgments were before me , and i did not put away his statutes from me ; i was also upright before him , and i kept myself from mine iniquity . in psal . . . he puts his probatum est upon the head of this receit , and speaks of it as his constant refuge , thy word have i hid in my heart , that i might not sin against thee . in psal . . . he speaks of it as a tryed case of common experience to all the children of god , the law of god is in his heart , none of his steps shall slide . i shall add to this , the experience of luther , when ( saith he ) the motions of the flesh do rage , the only remedy is , to take the sword of the spirit , that is the word of salvation , and to fight against them , — of this , i my self have good experience , i have suffered many great passions , and vehement , but so soon as i laid hold of any place of scripture , and stay'd my self upon it , as upon an anchor , straightway my temptations did vanish away , which without the word , had been impossible for me to endure , though but a little space , much less to overcome . thirdly , the excellency of this remedy will further appear from these following reasons . first , in that it is an vniversal remedy , there can be no temptation either of seducement , or of affrightment , but the scripture will afford a suitable promise or command to repel it : so that it ( like the flaming sword in the cherubims hand at paradise ) turns every way to guard the soul. i need not give instances of its power against sinful motions , having done that already ; and of such temptations which war against the peace of the soul : i need but say this in the general , that as the nature of such temptations is to disguise god , and to render him dreadful to us , in the appearances of wrath , and incompassionate implacableness ; ( and this luther sets down as a certain rule ) so have we in scripture such declarations of the mind and tender inclinations of god , and such full and clear promises to assure us of this , and those so adapted to every case , to every kind of hard thought which we might take up against him , that we may find enough in them to break all those malicious misrepresentations of satan , and to keep up in our mind , right thoughts of god ; which if we will adhere to ( not suffering such promises to be wrested out of our hands , nor our hearts to give way to malignant impressions of cruelty , revenge or unmercifulness in god ) though we be cast into darkness , into the deeps , we may find some bottom on which to fix such beginnings of hope , as may at last grow up to a spirit of rejoicing in god our saviour : and in this case , when our heart and satan dictate to us that god is our enemy , we ought ( as it were ) to shut our eyes ; to refuse to hearken to our own sense and feeling , and to follow the word ; but if we once give up the word of promise , 't is impossible the wound of conscience should be healed with any other consideration . secondly , this remedy is comprehensive of most other remedies against satan's temptations . in eph. . there are several other peices of spiritual armour recommended , and yet there is such a manifest mutual respect betwixt this and those , that any may conclude that however they be distinguished in their names , yet they are conjoyned in their operation ; the girdle ( so far as it relates to truth of judgment and opinion ) depends on the word of scripture for information ; the shoes ( which are defensive resolves to walk with a steedy foot in the ways of religion , notwithstanding the hardships that attend holiness ) are prepared to us , by the comfortable and peace-bringing promises of the gospel ; the righteousness which is our breast-plate , is only set forth , and wrought out to us by the scripture , and its ordinances ; faith , which is our shield , and hope , which is our helmet , they neither of them act without the warrant and encouragement of it : and whereas other parts of the armour are defensive , this of the scripture is compared to the sword , which not only defends , but also offends , and beats back the enemy . if the matter be seriously considered , all these parts of armour are but these two , the graces of the spirit , faith , hope , patience in their sincere exercise , and the word of scripture as the instrument by , and in which they shew their operations ; so that all this armour being put to use , in every particular temptation , it amounts to no more than this we are speaking of , viz. that sinful motions are to be rejected , by a believing , sincerely resolute opposing of them , with arguments from the word of god. thirdly , scripture ( as it is the word and command of the great king of heaven ) hath a d●●nting and commanding authority over the consciences of men. where the word of a king is , there is power , eccles . . . and such is the majesty of a divine law , that it hath power over the consciences of those that are yet in their sins , and can wound , affright , constrain , and bind even the rebellious : so that so long as they retain any of their natural impressions of a divine power , they have some awe for his commands , which may be seen and argued ( where it would be least expected ) from the enragement of the hearts of sinners , when sin by the commandment ( accidentally ) becomes exceeding sinful . for as that outragious fierceness doth arise from the contrariety that is betwixt a carnal heart , and a spiritual law ; so that contrariety would never work , if the authority of that law ( having a power to restrain , and give check to the corruption of the heart ) were not some way owned by the conscience : for where no countermanding law is owned , there can be no irritating , provoking restraint . this it can do to the vilest of men : but of how much more power may we imagine the word to be with good men , whose hearts tremble at the word , when they bind the law upon their heart and charge their consciences with it ? 't is surely quick and powerful sharper than a two edged sword : nor doth it only by unlovely affrightments terrify them from sin , but by commanding duty make the heart in love with it , so that it becomes a delightful satisfaction to be preserved from the snare . fourthly , there is no argument that can be used against temptations , that can be more afflictively discouraging to satan : satan , as bad as he is , cannot but believe those truths which he knows , and he knows that there are many truths in scripture which respect him , as threatnings of punishment and divine vengeance ; he believes these things and trembles , jam. . . his unavoidable knowledg , or remembrance of these things begets horrour in him , he cannot but be under a dread of these truths ; what can be supposed so to wound him as the bringing these things to memory , by urging the command of god against him ? dr. arrowsmith gives two instances of this kind , the one of christopher haas in sweedland ( from the epistle dedicatory to the tomes of brentius's works : ) the other of daniel cramer rector of a school at stetin in germany : on both which the devil made a bold attempt in a personal appearance : from the first demanding a catalogue of his sins in writing ; from the other demanding a paper in which one of the students had obliged himself to satan's service , they both referred him to that text of gen. . . the seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent . and this was retorted upon him with such a strong exercise of faith , that he presently desisted the suit and vanished . fifthly , this weapon cannot easily be wrested out of our hands . when we urge a divine prohibition against a temptation , what can he say in answer ? he cannot deny it to be the word of god , or to be true , or that we are not obliged to it ; he made none of these returns to christ , but by his silence , owned that it was god's holy command obliging us to duty . neither dares he stand upon these exceptions to us , except he find our faith inclined to waver , or our minds weak and wounded by inward troubles of spirit ; and when he puts on a boldness to deny scripture to be the word of god , or that it signifies god's real intendments in his threatning ( for by begetting unbelief of the truth of scripture , and by suggesting hopes of escape and pardon , notwithstanding the violation of the commands of it , the wrests ( when he doth prevail ) this weapon out of our hands ) yet he is forced to fetch a compass , and by many previous insinuations to make his way to these atheistical assertions . thus he did with eve , first ( finding her a little inclinaable ) he dropt in privily something that might argue , the improbability of the threatned penalty , and then at last positively denyed it . but now if we hold to this , that the command is true and holy , and just and good , he cannot wrest our plea from us . sixthly , nothing doth more undermine temptations , by rendring the reasons and motives thereof vain and empty , than doth the contrary commands of scripture . temptation hath always some inticement of pleasure or profit , and these only seem to be taking or reasonable , while we consider not the word of god , as rotten wood or fish , shine only in the dark , but when we are urged with sinful pleasures , how mean , base , dangerous , and unlovely be they , when the command to the contrary gives information , that they are snares and lead to death , or the provocation of the almighty . seventhly , while we resist with scripture-arguments , we engage god ( whose command we would stand by ) to go down to the battel with us ; we lay hold upon his strength , and put obligations upon him , to take us out of the snare , and to deliver us from him who is too strong for us . fourthly , it remains that in a word , i shew how the commands or arguments of scripture are to be used in resisting satan , which is thus : when you have any sinful thought cast into your mind , presently reject the offer , by charging your heart with duty , from some opposite command . as if you be urged to acts of uncleanness , presently refuse , thus ; no , i must not , god hath commanded the contrary , he hath said thou shalt not commit adultery . if a covetous thought arise , reject it with this , god hath said , thou shalt not covet . if you be tempted to please the flesh , and follow vain delights , answer it with this , if ye live after the flesh , ye shall die ; and the like must be done in other temptations . some may perhaps think , that this is easy work and quickly done , and that it seems to attribute a virtue and power to the words of scripture , as if satan were charmed by the language or phrase . however , at the first view this may seem easy , yet he that shall consider how much exercise of grace goes necessarily to the right use of scripture opposition , shall not see cause to slight it as common , nor yet to think that any vertue is attributed to the words . for , first , the scripture here is only recommended as a fit instrument , and no further or higher praise is given ; though therefore we may not attribute the whole of the conquest to the instrument alone , yet this hinders not , but that as an instrument peculiarly fitted for these ends , we may commend it above all other instruments : as we may justly commend bread for nourishing above a stone , and expect more from it , than from a chip ; so have we reason to expect more by the use of scripture against satan , than from other means of defence which god hath not set up for that service . secondly , it is a concomitancy of divine power and aid that conquers for us ; the instrument is scripture , but the power by which it works is from god. thirdly , neither is it any careless formal use of scripture expressions , that will give encouragement for expectation of a divine concurrence , but the use of scripture in this business implyes an exercise of all graces , for it is an urging of scripture under a fourfold consideration . first , as being certainly perswaded of their truth , and fully keeping to that belief . secondly , as being thankfully apprehensive of the holiness , goodness , and profitableness of the commands , and chearfully adhering to them , as the only way and means to bring us to union with christ , and to preserve us in it . thirdly , as being highly and indispensibly obliged by them , to perform the duty commanded therein , and to avoid the sins forbidden . fourthly , all this in an humble expectation of a divine help according to the promise of god. now he that can plead the command or promise against a temptation in this manner , doth not do an ordinary work , neither will he ascribe the success to the words and phrase of scripture . some may ( peradventure ) wonder why christ by his example had not recommended prayer , seeing it is of such unquestionable use in our undertakings against satan . but that enquiry may be fully satisfied , if it be considered , that christ did peculiarly prepare himself to this encounter by solemn fasting , ver . . which doth include praying : for such complicated duties are often denominated by that part which is extraordinary , and usually in scripture a fast is only mentioned , where prayer is chiefly intended . that this fast of christ related to the temptation , and that also as a means of preservation , hath been spoken of in its place ; it remains only that from hence i add a fifth direction . chap. xxvi . the fifth direction of prayer , and of the seriousness required of those that expect the advantage of prayer . of god's hearing prayer while the temptation is continued . of some that are troubled more , while they pray more . that in all our endeavours of resistance , frequent and earnest prayers are not to be neglected . this is so frequently recommended , and so fully handled by most authors , that i shall refer you to such authors as particularly treat of it ; noting only , that the apostle , in eph. . . when he recommends it to us in these words , ( praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit , and watching thereunto with all perseverance , and supplication for all saints ) he doth mind us that he that expects the advantage of that duty , must be peculiarly fitted , and seriously diligent in that work . for first , he must have a praying frame of heart , he must pray always , or ( as the apostle elsewhere ) he must pray continually . not as if this duty must swallow up all the rest , and that a christian had no other services to attend than prayer , but that he must be on a design to wrestle with god by prayer ; and this must be constantly carried on , though the acts of prayer be intermitted ; and besides , that ( in such cases ) he may keep his usual stated times for that duty , he must have his heart so much upon his design , that every occasion or offer of temptation will presently put him upon the duty ; nay he must ( in respect of the frequent intercourse of his heart with god , in frequent ejaculations and breathings of soul ) be as a man wholly resolved into that duty , as paul was at his first conversion , who ( as that expression ( behold he prays ) doth intimate ) seems to have been all prayer , and wholly taken up with that duty . secondly , he must pray in the spirit , his soul must be truly in the duty . a more than ordinary earnestness is necessary at solemn times , he must put out all his strength , he must cry mightily , and with his whole heart . thirdly , when his spirit grows dull , he must reinforce it , watch his heart he must ; and if it be needful to quicken it up , he must add fasting or meditation , or whatever other means may be helpful . fourthly , in this course he must continue without giving off the duty , though god behave himself as if he minded not his cry , or took no notice of his hazard , yet without weariness must our supplications follow him . it must be continued with all perseverance . fifthly , the heart that undertakes this must not be so narrow , as to be centred upon his own concern only , when he is melted into a spirit of meekness and compassion for others , and is not so sollicitous for peace or ease , that he could hug himself in his private enjoyment , without concerning himself to tender and help those that are in the same dangers ; when his supplications are for all saints as well as for himself , then may he expect to receive an olive branch of peace from heaven in the return of his prayer . 't is often objected by such , that they pray , but are not heard ; and that temptations continue , notwithstanding many crys and wrestlings . first , it is a great mistake to think that prayers are not heard , or do not prevail , because the temptation is not quite removed ; prayers may be acceptable to god , and recorded among his remembrances , where the temptation , for exercise and other holy ends , may be continued . secondly , what god hath promised to such prayer he fails not to make good , he hath not promised to exempt us from temptation , but from the power and prevalency of it ; if his grace be sufficient for us in the mean time , 't is an answer as good as paul got when he was importunate ; if together with the temptation he gives an issue , that we may be able to bear it , there is his faithfulness in keeping promise ; he no where promised , that satan should not tempt , but that he should not prevail ; while we can hold up our hands in the mount to god , ( and our praying frame will ascertain us of this : for a man is never overcome by a temptation ; so long as he can pray against it ; for so long he delights not in it , so long he consents not , and till he do consent , satan cannot prevail . ) prayer will either make the temptation give way , or the temptation will make prayer give way ▪ but so long as we hold out with earnestness , the temptation cannot prevail , some further object , that the more they pray , they are the worse , and more infested by satan than they were before they undertook that course . it may be they may have more trouble from satan . david thought on god , and his trouble was increased , and no wonder ; satan's spite and fury puts him upon giving greatest molestations to those of whom he despairs to subdue . secondly , but though they may be more troubled , yet they may be furthest from conquest . these disquiets are like the trouble of the working of physick , which at first taking may make a man more sick , and yet bring him nearer to a state of health and strength : fear not then , faint not , resist faithfully , and to the utmost , and god shall bruise satan under thy feet shortly . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e sam. . . the text opened . vid. leigh . crit. sac. the accuser of the brethren rev. . . gen. . . job . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . quia inordinatam excellentiam affectando , ordinatam amiserunt , ideo de aliorum excellenti● dolebat , & ad eam oppugn●ndam malici●se ferebatur am. med . l. . c. . esa . . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ira brevis furor . vid. pool synop . in loc . pet. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 psal . . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , col. . . quid inter se distant quatuor ista vocabula , dicant qui poss●nt , si tamen possunt probare quae dicunt , ego me ista ignorare confiteor . enchirid. ad laurent . c. . instit . l. . c. . §. . sam. . . king. . . psal . . . zancheus . q. a. acts . . ephes . . . tim. . . cor. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 arrows . tract . sacr. l. . c. . § . lib. . enchir. c. . panst . vol. . l. . c. . sclater in loc . cal. instit . l. . c. . §. . vid. bayns on ephes . . . baynes ibid. calvin in loc . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ephes . . . gen. . . hieroz●oicon , . part. quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . principaliter ad diabolum referenda est callidit●s . cognitio vespertina & matutina . barth . sybillae otium theol. p. . aug. in gen. & civitat . dei. lib. . c. . dr. jenison height of israels idolatry , p. . ipsam creaturam melius ibi , hoc est , in sapientia dei tanquam in arte qua facta est , quam in ea ipsa sciunt . aug. civit. dei. ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . quest . . answ . . heb. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . answ . . matth. . . dr. jenison's height of israels idolatry , p. . vid. goodwin child of light , p. . quest . pereg●i●●tum p. . daemones cognoscunt cogitationes nostras , quantum ad subjectum , objectum & affectum , non a●utem quantum ad sinem . sciunt quid cogitamus sed ignorant ad quem finem . — deprehendas animit tormenta latentis ex aegrotorum faci● . saepe tacens vocem , verbaque vultus habet . quest . . answ . . conclusion . . conclusion . invictus etis alexander . plutarch in vit alexandri . non non supe●ai●t gailus 〈…〉 nunquam per bella 〈◊〉 . scot. discovery of witchcraft . l. . c. . antiq. l. . c. . * — medeides herbae mistaque cum magicis mersa venena sonis . ovid art. amandi . l. . has herbas atque haec ponto mihi lecta venena . ipsa dedit maeris — his ego saepe lupum fieri & se condere sylvis mae●im , saepe animas ●imis exire sepulchris . virg. ●ccl . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , philtrum , & magicas actiones quae in imaginibus , & caracteribus , certis verbis , ac similibus consistun● , significat . unde pharmaceutria appellatur idyllium secund. theo●iti . & eccleg . ● . virgilii . & antiquos etiam vocabulum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , pro omni veneficii genere , quo vel hominibus , vel jumentis , vel fr●gi●us , seu carmine , seu aliis modis nocetur , acc●yere , manifeste patet ex platone lib. . de legibus . et apud aristot . hist . animal . cap. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nominantur . et apocal . c. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro prae●tigii , & impostura sumitur . — dan. sennert . tom. . lib. . part. . cap. . ful●er pisg . sight . lib. . c. . p. . ma●men vid. pool in loc . godwin jews antiq. l. . c. . pool in loc . witchcraft reckoned as distinct from murther , in gal. . , . scot. witchcraft . l. . c. . hobs leviath . c. . p. . teneson . hobs creed . exam. art. . p. . bax●er sin against the holy ghost , p. . j. glanvil . considerations of witchcraft , p. . teneson against hobs , art. . p. . vid. epist . d balthasaris ●an . m. d. in calce tom. . oper . dan. senner●i de foemina ●ascinata in cujis cu●e , literae n. b. notae crucis 〈◊〉 capite ad c●lcem , cum astronomicorum & chymicorum caracteribus , rosae figura in dextra & trisolii in sinistrâ arti●icio●è picta cum anuo christi . cor servatoris telis transfixum , & imago stulti , cum verbo germanico na●r , procumbebant . [ dr. more . ] mr. baxter ut supra . dan. sennertus tom. . lib. . pars . varias historias enumerat de morbis incantatione inductis . ex jo. lang●o , alex. benedic●o , cornel. gemma , foresto , & aliis . helmont . magne● . 〈…〉 . §. . dr. more . death consists not so much in an actual separation of soul and body , as in the indisposition and unfitness of the body for vital union . what is the meaning else of that expression , [ whether in the body or out of the body i cannot tell ] except the soul may be separated from the body without death . j. glanvil , witchcraft , p. . . helmont ubi suprà . aricenna vid. barthol . sybilla . perig. quaest p. . nescio quis teneros oculos , &c. glanvil witchcraft , p. . helmont ut supra , §. . satan itaque vim magicam hanc e●cit it ( secus dormientem & scientia exterioris hominis impeditam ) in ●uis mancipiis — glav . wit. p. . . wonders . q. a. . polanus . tho. cont. gent. lib. . c. . cited by sclater , on thess . . . mira non miracula . s●later in loc . magia naturalis . l. . c. . calvin in loc . civit. dei. l. . c. . de civit. dei lib. . c. , . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . plin. lib. . vid. l. vives comment . in lib. . c. . de civit dei. determinata activa ad determinata passiva applicando . tho. cajatan delrio . barth . sybilla pereg. quaest . p. . rivetus . apparitions . scot. witchcraft l. . c. . vid. pool● synops . in l●● . possessions . vid. clark 's lives . esther . . de civit. dei. 〈◊〉 . . c. . kings . tertul. aolog . cap. . purchas . pilgrim . part. . l. . c. . idem part. . lib. . cap. . it higenia sacrificata , de quae sanguine 〈◊〉 , veo●os & virgine caesa . virg. plut. paral. cap. . godwin moses and aaron . l. . c. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . lightfoot on acts . . godwin moses and aaron . l. . c. . purchas pilgr . part. . lib. . cap. . pro vita hominum nisi vita hominis reddatur , non posse deorum numen placari , arbitrantur . jean d'espan . popular errors . cap. . vid. lud. capel . de voto jephtae . §. . vid. pool synops . crit. on king. . . purchas pilg. part . l. . c. . purchas ibid. diod. siculus . bibli●th . l. . lod. vives on aug. de civ . dei. l. . c. . pag. . porphyrius l. . de abstinent . plutarchus . lod. vives in aug. de civ . dei. l. . c. . wonder working . prov . for n. e. lib. . cap. . the peripateticks . porphyrius . aug. de civ . dei. l. . c. . galen . pomponatius . epicureans . cardan . academicks . averr●es . cassius ad brutum ex plutarch . in vita bruti . vid spanhem . dub . evang. part . dub . . exod. . lib. . de bello jud. c. ● . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . instit : l. . c. 〈◊〉 . §. . ●uit illa quidem ●lim sadducaeotum opinio , per angelos nihil designa●i quam vel motus quos deus hominibus aspirat , vel ea quae edit virtutis suae specimina . hobs lev. c. . p. . & . dr. more 's mystery godliness . l. . c. . §. . lib. . p. . on joh. . . dan. . . mede apost . latter times , p. . august . de civ . d●i . l. . c. . &c. . cor. . . vid. barlow exer. metaph. e●●r . . ●lac . script . tract . p. ● . matth. . . ephes . . . cor. . . jam. . . manton on jam. . . on●●e app . tit bonum . volentas sequitur ultimum dictamen intellectus practici . job . . esa . . . jam. . , . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . thus satan ( jud. ) disputed , urged sophisms about the body of moses . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicit qui avaritia vel aliis malis artibus lucra comparat . beza . vid. capel . temp. p. . will. paris in ames . cas . consc . l. . c. goodwin child . light p. . caryl on job . . all are volunteers , he never constrains any , neither can he ; the will is never forced by him , neither can it be . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . calv. instit . l. . c. . § . de orat. capel . tempt . p . satans first general rule . job . . caryl . in loc . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 circumspexit , lustravit . metaph. satan's second general rule . obj. answ . satan's third general rule . child of light. p. . vid. pool synops . in loc . dr. goodwin child of light. satan's fourth general rule . manton in loc . tit. . ● . pet. . . jam. . . tit. . . gal. . . pet. . . des cartes . ant. le grand . philosoph . vet . &c. spectavit , clamavit , exarsit , abstulit inde secum insaniam qua stimularetur redire , &c. vid. calvin in loc : burtons melanch . part . §. . p. . reynolds treat . of passions . c. . reynolds ibid. gal. . . vid. fenner treat . of affection . j. f. senault of passions . p. . cor. . . rom. . . eph. . . rom. . . * ego autem seram immortalitatem praecor regi . — hominem consequitur aliquando , nunquam comitatur divinitas . curt. lib. . iracundia — velut tyrannus omnia suo metu gobernans ruptis habenis , & jugo rationis excusso gladies inique contra omnes distinxit . theod. hist . eccles . l. . p. . † immoderata animi concitatione impulsus — facinus crudele ut nefarium commisit . jam. . . joh. . . ●enner epist . d●dic●tory to mystery of saving grace . jude . pet. . , , . luk. . . prov. . . vid. dy●e deceitfulness of heart . p. . &c. sam. . . exod. . . luk. . . luk. . . judg. . , . rom. . . pet. . . job . . ca●el tempt . psal . . prov. . . † as absalom his servants watched when amnon's heart was merry with wine . prov. . . jud. . deut. . . isa . . . job . . . heb. . . cor. . . eccles . . . isa . . . king. . ● . chr. . . jer. . . job . . sam. . . & . . jos . . . chron. . . vers . . cron. . . vers . . heb. . ephes . . . greenhams works p. . mat. . . luk. . . greenham , p. . acts . . pet. . . terga vertentes metuendi parthi . hos . . . zech. . . sam. . . . cart. . . cor. . . nahum . . syntag. part . disput . . thess . . , . ● king . . arrowsmith tract . sacr. l. . c. . §. . judg. . . ecclus. . , ● . duties opposed two ways . . by prevention , and that . by external hindrances . job . . . by indispositions . bodily indispositions . spiritual indispositions . bernard . rutherford divine influences . . by discouragments . discouragements to duty four-fold . . from the burthen of duty . from want of success . king. . . sam. . , . . from the unsuitableness of the heart in duty . job . . . from unworthiness of the priviledg . dutie● hindered by dislike . from reproaches . jos . cont . apion . jos . cont . apion . lib. . . jos . cont . apion . lib. . act. . . act. . , . calumniare fortiter aliquid adhaerebit tim. . . from hazards . matth. . . matth. . . gal. . . from the outward meanness of services . cor. . , , . from the sins of professors . from a prophane disposition . jer. . . from the manner of performance . by a wrong representation of the gestures of worshippers . the fifth way to hinder duty , by sophistical arguings ; as , by heightning the dignity of god's children . cor. . . col. . . jud. . vers . cor. . . phil. . . jo. . , . by pleading an inequality of duty . greenham . pag. . . by heightning one duty above others . theod. eccles . historia . luk. . . thes . . . by severing the means from the end . greenham . pag. . by suspending and remitting duties . prov. . . sam. . . sam. . , . . satans design to spoile duties . in the manner of putting us upon them . eccles . . eze. . heb. . . jam. . . tim. . . cor. . . . in the act of performance . two wayes . . by distraction . gen. . . matth. . . . outward disturbances . vid. clarks lives . . inward distractions . cor. . . . duties spoiled in the performance , by vitiating the duty . . wayes of vitiating the duty . cor. . . cor. . . jer. . . . duties spoyled after perfermance . cant. . . notes for div a -e deus est prima veritas essentialis , verbum dei prima veritas normalis . mac. distinc . theol. cap. . tim. . . joh. . . sam. . . acts . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cor. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ver . , . de haeres . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * si wittenbergenses admittant universalem gratiam . huberiani introducent universalem electionem , pucciani fidem naturalem , naturalistae explodent christum & scripturas . prid. lect. . p. . consid . th. soc. proemial . p. . haec una notula omnem meam doctrinam evertit . judg. . . tim . . jo. vers . . excitata a luthero bestia apocalyptica & non irritata tantum sed sauciata multorum venabulis , ultimum fere omnium bonorum judicio , esslasset spiritum nisi spiritus 〈◊〉 inauspicati tum her●icos distraxissent & retardass●nt impetus . prid. orat. de spir. seduct . pag. . melch. adam . to vita theol. discourse of the idolatry of the church of rome . in persecutione cogit homines negare christam , nunc docet . tim. . . see the story of mr. copp . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . gal . . gal. . . fascinatio est spiritus impostoris vehementior operatio , qua noxium aliquem errorem in dogmate vel praxi ( doctrinae sanae contrarium , sed sophisticis praestigiis depictum ) pro veritate inca●tis hominibus obtendit , iisque efficaciter persuadit , ut errorem eum considenter amplectantur , strenuè defendant , & zelo , non secundum deum propagant . dickson therapeut . sacra . lib. . cap. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grammaticis dictum esse placet quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , id est , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quo pertinet illud . verg. nescio quis teneros , &c. vid , piscator in loc . and leigh . crit. sac. neque tantum quod se decipi passi fuerin● eos arguit , sed quadam veluti magica incantatione deludi . calvin in loc . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mente alienati — eorum lapsum magis dementiae esse quam stultitiae , arguens . calvin . piscator & sclator . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . sclater in loc . licet ei ( deo concedente ) species , imagines & simulacra rerun● falsarum essingere in imaginaria hominum facultate , ita ut falsa pro veris eis demonstrentur , deinde potest incendere atque inflammare appetitum eorum ad ea incredibili alacritate praedicanda , &c. pet. martyr . in loc. reynolds treat of passions , chap. . p. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * ferunt quendam nomine montanum — spiritu quodam maligno abripi , & de repente furore & mentis insania exagitatum bacchari : atque mox non solum timerè garrire , sed peregrinas quasdem voces fundere & prophetare-nonnulli illum tanquam insano spiritu praeditum , daemonio agitatum — increpabant ita christopher interp . euseb . histor . eccles . lib. . cap. . baxter's confession of faith pag. . in the margin . see his story called the quaker shaken plura nescio quam sci● epist . . c. . melch. adam in vita . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 d' espagne popular errours . §. . chap. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 d' espagne popular errours . §. . chap. . tantum quisque vult , quantum intelligit se velle debere . intellectus sequitur voluntatem quoad exercitium , non quoad specificationem . divinum est scire quamplurima . pluritus amirum est scabies ecclesiarum . see the narration called the false jew . pet. . . see the book ca●led wonder working providence for new-england . savonarola triumph . crucis . lib. . c. . as ibis a scarabeo accipitris pulchritudinem participat : by which they signified the moon borrowing its light from the sun. whittaker de●s . lit . sententia adv . duraeum . lib. . p. . parum a docta quadam insania discrepat . vid. lumen chymicum . crollii basil , chymic . in prefatione . glauber de signatura salium . p. . . lud. cappelli spec. in eph. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , good words . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , fair specious . dr. stilling-fleet idolatry of the church of rome . dicas cos mera tonitrua sonare , nam communi sermone spreto , exoticum nescio quod idioma sibi fingunt , visi sunt suos discipulos supra coelum rapere . calvin . in jud. . tim. . . rev. . . acontius stratagem satanae . lib. . pag. oxon. jerom. theoph. lyra. &c. * atque hac ratione seducta est , astu sat mae , innumera hominum multitudo , quae ut viam vitae ambularet , arctam illam ingressaest , quae instinctu satanae per humanas est ad inventionis inducta , posteaquam vidit satan viam suam quae ad mortem ducit , traduci , eo quòd sit lata , & quod multi per illam ambulent , caepissentque quidam arctam & strictam quaerere , quae non tereretur à multis , callido consilio effecit , ut pro vera via vitae . arriperetur ea , quae quidem esset stata via verò vitae non esset , &c. musculus in mat. . . purchas pilg. lib. . cap. . out of eusebius . vid. purchas pilg. . chap. . apostacy of the latter times pag. . prideaux orat. x. despir . seductoribus . lib. . cap. . p. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . whitaker de author . script . contra stapletonum . lib. . cap. . p. . jer. . . paul hobson . miraculum voco , quicquid arduum aut insolitum , supra spem aut facultatem mirantis apparet . aug. de utilitat . cred . contra manich. cap. . johnsons relat . in hacluit . tom. . cornel. tacit. histor . lib. . ae●ius spartianus in vit . adrians . de secundo bello punico . mr. baxter , full and easy satisfaction . cap. . nihil fecit christus quod fanciscus non fecit , imò plura fecit quam christus . barthol . de pisis lib conformitat . fol. . vel figmenta hominum mendacium , vel portenta fallacium spirituum . arist lib. . de ●●ima . antiquitat . judaei . lib. . cap. . eccles . hist . lib. . c. . de civitat . dei : lib. . c. . purchas pilg. asia . lib. . cap. . heylin cosmography . pag. . height of israels idolatry . c. . hist . lib. . loc. l. . c. . vid. chamier paustra . tom . . lib. . cap. . prideaux orat . de impost . mendaciis . romes tryumphs . mr. baxters safe religion . p. . portenta fallacium spirituum . heylin cosmography . pag. sclater in loc . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . gal. . . & . . joh. . . theod. hist . lib. cap. . vid. harvaei praefat. in sang. circulo . & heylin cosmogr . p. . tim. . . tit. . . apolog. cap. , , , . coci censura patrum . dr. james de corrupt . scrip. concilior . prideaux de pseudo . epigraphis . matth. prideaux introduct . to history . stratagem satanae . lib. . sozomeni eccl. hist . l. . c. . primus in orbe deos timor fecit . purchas pilg. l. . c. . vid. scalagers notas in euseb . chron. p. . lib. . mentioned also by josephus antiq . fews . l . c. . purchas pilg. america . l. . c. . purchas ibid. purchas l. . c. . ita diabolus hoc egit ut divinum miraculum in judaea editum vilesceret , fidem & authoritatem amitteret , & tanti operis gloria ad turpissima idola rediret . bucholcer . apostacy of the latter times . de civit. dei. l. . c. , . vid. du plessis of the trueness of christian religion , cap. . origen cont. cels . lib. . p. . plutarch in vita thesei & demetrii . lib. . epist . . lib. . epist . . nam duris mentibus simul omnia abscindere impossible est . vid. perkins prepar . to demonst . of the prob. c. . praepar . evan. l. . c. . de civil . dei. lib . cap. . ornamenta sunt memoriarum non sacrificia mortuorum . non video in multis quid sit discrimen inter eorum opinionem de sanctis & id quod gentiles putabant de diis suis . institut . lib. . cap. . §. . veteres mihi videntur hoc consilio vires humanas sic extulisse ne si impotentiam diserte essent confessi philosophorum cachinnos excuterent — scripturae doctrinam cum philosophiae dogmatibus dimidiam ex parte conciliare seudium illis fuit . * plato lib. . de rep. dial. † de praepar . evang. l. . cap. ult . chemnitii exam. concil . trident p. . in hist purgator . c. . hinc prima mali labes , dum coelestia mysteria & tremenda christianarum sacra gentilium notionibus & vanis ceremoniis attemperare voluerint . owen disser . de verbo . §. . socr. eccles . histor . lib. . cap. . contentionibus amittitur veritas , & multi eo adiguntur , ut postea nihil constitui posse certi sibi persuadeant , atque ita religionis omne studium abjiciant . acont . strat. satanae , lib. . p. . theod. eccles . hist . l. . c. . sozom. eccl. hist . l. . c. . rev. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . piscator in loc . cal●in in loc . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 psal . . , , . , . est quaedam etiam delendi voluptas . collius cordial part . p. . dickson therap . sacr. l. . c. . differunt inter se casus animae aeg●ae & casus conscientiae aegrae , &c. bains in loc . cor. . . gal. . . rom. . . kings . . vid. light●●●t harm . in 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . vid. willis de anima brut. cap. . & . job . . ●ritamenta terriculamenta . in calce tom . . p. . talis 〈◊〉 da●us fuit apostolo . horrore sui sic implent animum , ut tantum n●n pectus ipsum expectora●e videantur — ad quor●m praesentiam natura vel depravatissima contremiscit . arrowsmith tract . saer . l. . cap. . §. . perkins cases of conscience . l. . cap. . § . treatise of imaginations . cap. . vid. dickson t●erap . sacra . lib. . cap. . § . ba●chatur va●e ▪ virg. finguntque , creduntque . dum timel , cred●t . ames case cense . lib. . c. dickson therap . sacra . lib. . c. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . quest . vid. goodwin child of light. willis de anima brut. cap. . de melancholia . fael plateri prox . med . cap. . de mentis alienatione . job . . isa . . . j●r . . . treat . of desertions . ames cases of consc . lib. . cap. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . lightfoot harm in loc . quest . answ . vid. fel. plateri observ . lib. . in mentis alienatione . lib. . dementis alienatione . treat . of desertions . ames cases of consc . lib. . cap. . job . &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . lorinus in loc . barth . petrus in loc . vid. her story in cla●ks lives . job . , . act and mon. c. . p. . mrs. k. b. notes for div a -e numb . . . vid. lightfoot temple-service and harmony . levit. . . . luk. . . obs . . cor. . , . cant. . , . job . . psal . . . gal. . . exod. . . exod. . . ver . . applic. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . obs . . appl. . psal . . . acts . . psal . . luke . . appl. . tim. . . obs . . quest . answ . . gen. . . psal . . . prov. . . applic. spanhem dub . evan. in loc . obs . . eccles . . . applic. jer. . , . heb. . . obs . . deut. . . non nobis expedit esse sine tentationibus ; non rogamus ut non tentemur , sed ne inducat in tentationem . aug. in psal . . applic. . tentationem experiuntur ac sentiunt hi , qui ex animo pi●●ati student . musculus in loc . obs . . quest . answ . mat. . . capel . tempt . part . c. . §. . capel . tempt . part . c. . illae plerumque suggerunt , quae naturae gratiora , idque placide & gradatim , ita ut mens sui compos maneat in ipso aestu , hae autem impetu plusquem humano irruentes , falguris instar , ocyus quam soleat passiones dianoeticae , &c. arrowsmith . tract . . lib. . c. . §. . horrore sui si implent animum , ut tantum nonpectus ipsum expectorare videantur , dum ea perpetim dictitari sentit , & dolet , ad quoque praesentiam , natura vel depravatissima contremiscet . idem . ibid. applic. aliud est tentari , aliud tentationem recipere . tentari & non in tentationem ferri non est malum . aug. de bono persever . l. . c. . mordet satan cum ad consensum trahit , latrat solum cum suggerit . bernard . musculus in loc . doct. . vid. light foct harm . in loc . spanhem dub . evan. in loc . spanhem in loc . luke . . doct. . joh. . . ephes . . , . jam. . . applic. obs . . cor. . . gen. . . applic. . cor. . . applic. . object . answ . . object . answ . . light foot harm . in loc . obs . . luk. . . pet. . . pet. . . psal . . , . ●lectere si nequeo superos , &c. job . . job . . job . . job . . job . . applic. . hobs leviathan c. . p. . calvin . scultctus . teueson . hobs creed . exam. p. . spanhem dub . evan. in loc . non mirum est christum premisisse se circumduci a diabolo , qui permisit se a membris suis crucifigi . obs . . aquinas sum. part . q . art. . homines instrumentaliter , mundus mate ●●aliter , satanas efficienter . sclater on ● thes . . . solamen miseris , &c. applic. neh . . obs . . riscat . in loc . o fiatres adjuvate me , nepeream , nonne vid●tis daemonum agmina , qui me debellare , & ad tartara ducere festinaut , quid hic astas cruenta bestia ? gl. senarclaeus in epist . ad m. bucerum , &c. tells of a country man , at tribury in germany to whom the devil appeared in the shape of a tall man , claiming his soul , and offering to set down his sins in a scroll . obs . . applic. . object . answ . obs . . applic. obs . . obs . . applic. obs . . deut. . . eccles . hist . lib. . cap. . antiochus put el●azer and the macchabees in mind of this excuse , if it be a sin to de contrary to your law , compulsion doth excuse it . josephus on the lives of the macchabees . gen. . . applic. ferenda magis omnis necessitas quam perpetranda aliqua iniquitas . aug. obs . . applic. timeo danaos & dona ferentes . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . spanhem , dub . evan. in loc . lightfoot ha●● . in loc . obs . . mat. . . act. . . quest . answ . applic ▪ quest ▪ answ . obs . . matth. . . applic. obs . . vid. lightfoot harmon . in matth. . pool synopsis in deut. . obs . . que● . answ . luke . . applic. quest . answ . obs . . psal . . . psal . . . jon. . . psal . . . pool synopsis in loe . sam. . . see cap. . gen. . . sam. . . applic. heb. . . psal . . , . quest . answ . . quest . answ . . mat. . . obs . . job . . psal . . . alii damnatos s● putant , & quod deo curae non sunt . platerus tract . melan. cap. . quis est ille deus , ut serviam illi ? quid proderit si oraverim ? si presens est cur non succu●ris ? cur non me carcere , inediâ , squalore consectum liberat ? &c. absit a me hujusmodi deus . mercennus ad gen. c. . fol. . dr. reynolds serm. on hosea . ser. . hosea . , . applic. job . . * beza , chemnitius . serm. de jejunio & tempt , christi . unitas naturarum excaecavit satanam . obs . . see their relations in print . applic. quest . answ . obs . . obs . . spanhem . dub . evan. in loc . mat. . . mat. . ● . obs . . equitatio cum diana aut herodiade . bodin . p. . new-castle . applic. luke . . obs . . mat. obs . . numb . . . numb . . . c. . . . plui imumsunt praeservativa locorum , hominum , & jumentorum , verba tituli triumphalis nostri salvatoris , dem scilicet per quatuor partes loci , in modum crucis insci ibuntur jesus † nazar●nus † rex † judeorum † , ritibus ecclesiae servatis & veneratis , ut aquae benedictae asperasionem per salis consecrati sumptionem & candelarum in die purificationis & frondium in die palmarum consecratorum usum licitum vires daemonis immuniunt , se muniunt . spreng . malleus maleficarum part . q. . licitum est aqua benedicta , quaecunque honesta loca , hominum & jumentorum , in salvationem hominum & jumentorum aspergere . id . ibid. zozomen , eccles . hist . l. . cap. . mal. malific . part . q. . cap. , . in delic . evang. spanbem . dub . evan in loc . ●ightfoot harm . in loc . dr. konchi . in loc . obs . . obs . . joh. . . obs . . reynolds on passions c. . p. . non ideo peccatur quia nimis sperat in deum — sed quia nimis leviter ac temerè sine ullo fundamento . ames . medul . l. . c. . §. . sperare non speranda . admotâ manu invocanda est minerva . prov. . , , . job . . gen. . . esa . . . psal . . . deut. . . job . . & . . applic. dikson in loc . dikson in loc . capel tempt . part . cap. . obs . . capel tempt . part . cap. . citing aug. 〈◊〉 . capel tempt . ibid. sen. de providen . c. . liquet mihi cum magno spectasse gaudio deos — dum gladium sacro pectore insigit . non suit diis immortalibus satis spectare catonem semel — aug. de civit dei , p. . c. . major animus merito dicendus est , qui vitam aerum nosam magis potest serve quam fugere . et humanum judicium — prae conscientiae luce ac puritate cont●mnere . as in the kingdoms of biznagar . purchas pilgr . lib. . c. . and in the philippian islands . ibid. c. . peeire membratim & ●oties per stillicidia amittere animam . sen. epist . q. cu●tius . cacero . . tus . quest . nihil urgebat aut calamitatis aut criminis — sed ad capessendam mortem — sola assuit animi magnitudo . de civ . dei. l. . c. . de civit dei. l. . c. . non itaque vobis ó fideles , christi , sit tedio vita vestra . vid. boyles reflectons . sec. . med. . see the narrative of jo. gilpin , called the quakers shaken . applic. de civit. dei. l. . c. . non occides , non alterum ergo nec te , neque enim qui se occidit , aliud quam hominem occidit . aug. de civit dei. l. . c. . et coment lod. viv. ibid. tempt . part . cap. . object . answ . obs . . amabilis in sania mentis gratissimus error . applic. esa . . , . obs . . obs . . populo monstrari , & dici●er hic est . quis vero tam bene modulo suo metire se novit , ut eum assiduae & immodicae laudationes non moveant . h. steph. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in psal . . in viis , nunquid in praecipitiis , non est via ●aec sed ruina , & si via , tua est non illius . bernard . ibid. obs . . anothers sevstasc●●lessae immundaeque testantur , perhibentur tamen in aditis suis seciecisque dare quaedam bona praecepta de moribus , quibusdam velut electis sacratis suis , quod si ita est , hoc ipso callidior aduertenda est 〈◊〉 convincenda malitia spirituum noxiorum . aug. civit dei. l. . c. . mal. malesic . part . q. . c. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . jean d'espaigne popular errors p. . holy war. l. . cap. . wars of the jews , lib. . c. . joh. . . obs . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . psal . . , . funcius in his chronol . tells the like of one in c●eet , that called himself moses , anno. . who perswaded the jews to follow him , for the reposse●ing of canaan . * josephus anti. jud. l. . c. . obs . . joh. . . etsi semel videatur verax milies est mendax & semper fallax . luke . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . rev. . . cor. . . mat. . . applic. quest . answ . quest . answ . object . answ . though it was scripture that satan urged to christ , yet he rejects his inference as false because contrary to other plain scriptures prohibiting not , to tempt the lord. * lightfoot harm . in loc . † parkins comb. in loc . deut , . . & . . hobs leviath . c. . p. . lightfoot harm . in loc . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . so also lucas brugensis thinks in loc . obs . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . applic. obs . . varro de cultu deorum . de civit dei. l. . c. , & . applic. obs . . d'espaigne popular errors . §. . cap. . applic. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . psal . . . & . . jer. . . obs . . obs . . nitimur invet●tum . malo me galatea petit — et fugit ad salaces , & se cupit ante videri . perkins combate in loc . musculus in loc . obs . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 levis , nullius ponderis , leviter de aliquo sentire . jackson in loc . pool synopsis crit. in loc . seldenus . leigh . cr. sacr. bains in loc . arrowsmith tract . sacr. lib. . cap. . job . . . caryl in loc . job . . job . . tem. . col. . scala paradis● . gradu . . * spiritus blasph miae , scaturigo est cogitationum adeo horribilium adeoque molestarum , ut ejus tentatio plerumque quasi martyrium est . guil. paris . lib. de tenta . & resist . † magis a dolo metuendum est quam a violentia adversarii , caveat aeger ab impatientia , infidelitate , murmuratione aliisque peccatis quae clam insinuantur . dikson therapeut . sacra . lib . c. . ‖ heylin cosmogr . appli● . capel . tempt . part . c. . faeda tentatio magis vincitur fugiendo quam aggrediendo . gerson t●n . . col. . mystery of iniquity . lib. . cap. . musculus in loc . perkins in loc . obs . . drusius . lightfoot . tremel . &c. gen. . . rev. . . thess . . . cor. . , . applic. obs . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jugum absque jugo , vel a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supra , vel a , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 profuit homo inutilis . object . answ . applic. obs . applic. obs . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 priv . & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 via . honoribus magis homines provocare quam tormentis cogere studuit . nazian . fox acts and mon. joh. . . psal . . . grotius in loc . applic. eccles . . . si ad impe ium ejus lapides possent fieri panes , ergo frestra tentas , si autem non frustra , filium dei suspicatis . musculus in loc . vide arma quibus tibi non sibi vicit . ambr. haec armatura non tam christo filio dei quam nobis illius tyrunculis convenit , uti tamen ille voluit , ut nos suo doceret exemplo , perinde atque si fortis quidam gygas gas hostem non suis , sui armis fa●iat & prosternat . musculus . direct . . cor. . . & . . tim. . . quest . answ . capel tempt . part . c. . ames cas . consc . lib. . c. §. . applic. direct . . tentatus a satana cum nullum evadendi modum sentis , simpliciter , claude oculos , & nihil responde , & commenda causam deo. luther , tom . . f. . sicut tutissi mum est canem latrantem contemnere , & praeterire , ita una vincendi ratio est contemnere rationes satanae , neque cum iis disputare — satan nihil minus ferre potest quam sui contemptum . id . tom . . f. . ames cas . consc . lib. . c. . child of light cap. . p. . . direct . — sero medicina paratur , cum mala per longas convauere moras . differre justitiam est negare justitiam . qui non prohibet cum potest , jubet . ego ado●e●cens petieram ate castitatem , & dixeram ; da mihi castitatem , sed noli modo ; timebam enim ne me ci●o exandires & cito sanares , malebam explere quam extingui . confes . l. . c. . * greenham on psal . . . turpius ejicitur quam non admittitur hospes . ideo jesus omnes illas tentationes solis sacris scripturis vicit , ut doceret nos sic pugnare & vincere . cajet . in loc . jansen . &c. direct . . malleus malisic . part . quaes . . cap. ● . virtus evangelii est in intellectu & non in siguris , ergo mellius in corde quosita prosunt , quam circa collum 〈◊〉 ensa . barthol . sibilla peregr . quaest . dec . . c. . q. . in epist . ad gal. canon est , quod in omnibus tentationibus — alium fingimus deum esse quàm sit , putamus enim deum tunc non esse deum sed horribile spectrum . tom . . f. . reclamat ( sathan ) in corde tuo , te non esse dignum ista promissione — est autem opus ardenti oratione , ne extorqueatur nobis promissio . luther in gen. c. . f. cor dictat deum adversum verbum dei , sequi debeo non sensum meum . idem tom . . f. . nulla alia re potest sanari hoc vulnus conscientiae , quam verbo divinae promissionis . id. tom . . f. . rom. . , . quam suave mihi subitò factum est carere suavitatibus nugarum , & quas amittere metus fuerat , jam demittere gaudium erat . aug. confes . l. . c. . tract . sacr. l. . c. . §. . object . answ . . direct . object . answ . object . answ . . saint chrysostome his parænesis, or admonition wherein hee recalls theodorus the fallen. or generally an exhortation for desperate sinners. / translated by the lord viscount grandison prisoner in the tower. parænesis. english john chrysostum, saint, d. . this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text r in the english short title catalog (thomason e _ ). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a wing c thomason e _ estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (thomason tracts ; :e [ ]) saint chrysostome his parænesis, or admonition wherein hee recalls theodorus the fallen. or generally an exhortation for desperate sinners. / translated by the lord viscount grandison prisoner in the tower. parænesis. english john chrysostum, saint, d. . grandison, william villiers, viscount, - . [ ], , [ ] p. printed for thomas dring at the signe of the george near cliffords inne in fleet-street., london, : . a translation, by william villiers, viscount grandison, of: saint john chrysostom. parænesis. annotation on thomason copy: "nou: .". reproduction of the original in the british library. eng theodorus, -- the fallen -- early works to . sin -- early works to . a r (thomason e _ ). civilwar no saint chrysostome his parænesis, or admonition wherein hee recalls theodorus the fallen.: or generally an exhortation for desperate sinners john chrysostom, saint b the rate of defects per , words puts this text in the b category of texts with fewer than defects per , words. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread - emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion saint chrysostome his paraenesis , or admonition wherein hee recalls theodorus the fallen . or generally an exhortation for desperate sinners . vincenti datur manna , torpenti relinquitur multa miseria . t. a. kempis . translated by the lord viscount grandison prisoner in the tower . london , printed for thomas dring at the signe of the george near cliffords inne in fleet-street . . to the reader . i should not have the vanity to believe any thing of my owne worthy the presse : but being concern'd much in this treatise , i undertook he translation ; and with some paines renew'd my long discontinued acquaintance with the greek , to render saint chrysostomes meaning into this plaine english . it was writ with passion to his fallen friend , & i am very confident it may be beneficiall to many , whose case is not unlike this of theodorus . i wish it may , and that it may not be look'd lightly on as mine , but with more serious eyes as the counsell of that reverend father whose it is . i am certain there can be nothing more appositely said to men in a desperate course of life , then what may bee found here . i propound nothing of my own to any man , but such an excellent cordiall as this i could not take alone , i desire it may be to others , what i pray it may prove unto my self , that in this time of misery ( though we are lyable to all other losses ) we may lay certain hold on the better part which cannot be taken from us . yours grandison . to my noble lord the earl of cleavland . my lord , since i first began this translation , your lordship has stil encourag'd me to go on with it , and when i had ended it , i could not but think it unfirnish't , till i had prefixt your name to it . i have alwaies told your lordship that i had no vanity to own my imperfections : and if i thought my confidence to print this treatise a fault , i would smother rather then publish it . but having most seriously weighed the content and satisfaction the originall brought to my selfe , after i had taken the paines to translate it , i resolv'd to make it communicable to as many as please to read saint chrysostome in my english . and though it particularly aimes at fallen theodorus , and as at him , so at every dissolute person ; the most opinionated reserved men may read it , and perhaps somtimes find themselves not a little concern'd in it . for it most particularly treats against desperation ; which is a disease lyable to the greatest confidence . especially when the very same men ( who have had the severe curiosity almost to blind their brethren with plucking the motes out of their eyes ) shall be brought to consider the beames that are in their own : so great and just often proves their doome , who are not forewarn'd by our saviour not to judge lest they be judged . my lord , this treatise of the holy father , signally invites us to be our owne physicians : and sincerely to arraigne our soules before the face of heaven ; it instructs us how to prize the beauties god has endowed our minds with , unlesse wee soyle them with our owne negligence ; it teaches us to preferre the care of our souls above all earthly alurements though baited with the most tempting delights ; and may well then be a fit mission from a prison to those in the greatest liberty ; for men in restraint ( while they are most forbid vanities ) begin to know then most truly what they are ; for all deceiving delights possesse us like the devil ; they take our wits from us ; but the correcting hand of god , whilst we are in the troubles and miseries of this world , prepares us for a better ; and here wee shall find weapons and arms fit for the fiercest conflict of that nature , here ( my lord in this translation which i dedicate to you with that infinite desire i have ever to be esteemed your lordship's most faithful servant grandison . an exhortation to desperate sinners , taken out of st. john chrysostom in his admonition to falling theodorus . chap. i. saint chrysostome passionately describes the great esteeme and valew wee ought to have of our own soules , and on that basis hee raises this fabrick of this treatise , to perswade theodorus plung'd into extream sinns , and bewitch'd with the vanity of dissolute life , to return to vertue and piety , in which hee had once been a most eminent example . who will give water to my head ? and to my eyes a fountain of tears ? i take up this lamentation at a farre more seasonable and needfull time , then when the prophets sorrow for the jews , made him so passionate a mourner . for although i determine not to bewaile the desolation of many cities , or kingdomes : i esteem the necessity of my grief much more urging , that am to deplore the losse of thy most inestimable soul , more to be priz'd , and therefore more to be lamented then many nations : whose dignity , though never so swelling in the additions of vast riches , and innumerous numbers of people , could not make them equall to thee ? eccle. . for such is the esteem of one man embracing the will of god above ten thousand transgressors . what then were infinite millions of those jews in the ballance with thee before thy sad fall ? wherefore let no man blame me , if i double the bitternesse of the prophets lamentation , desiring ( thus nearly concern'd ) to make my grief exceed his . and though i bewaile no sackt city , nor sinfull men subdued by a conquering power ; the subject of my tears exacts a deeper sorrow . it is a most sacred soul , whose ruine i regret ; a soul forsaken , and in a most deplor'd condition , god's own temple demolisht and raz't . a temple so sacred , as christ himself tooke pleasure to inhabite there , while he govern'd alone unrivall'd by the possession or dominion of sin or vanity whatsoever . how did the glorious beauty of thy soul excell all the magnificence and pomp of this world ? whose onely ornament was our lord jesus , the world's saviour , and redeemer . where is this beauty banisht ? where consum'd it ? in the rage and flames certainly of that hellish fire , which every temptation thy too easie soule yeelds to bring with it ; for prepar'd art thou by the devills malice for thy destruction . what honest and ingenuous man could abstain from mourning , perusing cordially the prophets lamentation . when he speaks of those barbarous sacrilegious hands which prophan'd the holy of holies , committing every thing that was dedicated to the honor and service of god . the cherubins , the ark , the propitiatorie , the tables of stone , the golden urne . and is not thy fall of much more sorrowfull consequence , when all these were in a manner types of thee , but representations of that greater excellence thy soul was once enricht with . thou wert the more sacred temple , though not resplendent with gold or silver ; yet refulgent with the grace of the holy spirit : who hadst within thee in stead of cherubins and the ark , god the father , christ his son , and the holy comforter . but ( alas ) thy glories are perisht , and thou become a very wildernesse , wild and desolate , stript and naked , rob'd and spoil'd of all thy riches and sumptuous ornaments , which were once so miraculously and divinely eminent in thy pious life , that they were above humane faith , these ( i say ) are ravish'd from thee , and ( more to augment our sorrow ) wee see thee ruinated like a desert full of dangers , which no body undertakes to keep . thou hast no vertue left to bar the doors against assaulting temptations , but lyest open to every corruption , and wicked determination of thy fancy . whether it be pride , or lust , or drunkennesse ; or avarice what sin soever the devill commands to storme thee , there is nothing that defends the breach , nothing that guards thy unman'd soule : yet once how much of heaven hadst thou in thee whilst ( like it ) the purity of thy thoughts was inaccessible to all manner of ill . mee thinks i speak wonders , not to be believ'd by those who see thee in this thy forlorne and desperate condition , which makes me pray , lament , and mourn continually , that i may see thee return again , to thy former integrity , and piety , which may perhaps seem to humane apprehension impossible ; but all things are easie in the hands of god . for he it is that lifteth the beggar from the dust ; and exalteth the needy from the dunghill , that he may sit with princes , even with the princes of his people . hee it is that maketh the barren woman to keep house , and to be a joyful mother of children . ps. . on this infinite and unsearchable love of our god to us , build thou thy hopes , and thou wilt find an impossibility , a strange incapacity within thy self to despair at any time , grace still working in thee to change thy heart into better , and better desires ? for if the devill had the power to pluck thee from so eminent a top and glory of vertue , into this abysse of wickednesse : much more easily can our omnipotent god raise thee up again , restore thee to thy former liberty and honor , and and not onely set thee free from this base captivity , but make thy happinesse greater then ever yet it was . onely i beseech thee resolutely to break all snares that shall be lay'd in the way of thy return . let not thy hopes which are so full of certainty , be cut off by any destructive fear , or timorous perswasion ; lest those punishments light on thee which are due onely to the desperately wicked . for neither the number nor the greatnesse of our sins does absolutely condemn us to a condition irrecoverable . but resolv'd settlednesse , and an intollerable composednesse in impious waies , are the sure manifest signes of a soul so fall'n , that it shall never rise again . wherefore solomon does not speak generally of every man who transgresseth : pro. . but names that wicked man , who when he comes into the depth of evill , contemns his mercy . it is onely a wicked purpose never to leave sin that plunges men into this dangerous gulfe of despair , and iniquity , from whence they can never so much as look back , and much more difficultly return . for the deceiving weights of wickednesse lie like a heavy collar on the necke of the soul , and forcing our eyes upon the earth , forbids them to look up to our lord that made them . know then it is the part of a generous and truly daring christian spirit , not to endure the tyrants yoake ; valiantly to combate and destroy those officious guards , his watchfull malice sits over us . and with the prophet , to acknowledge our obedience there onely , where it is onely due ; saying with him , as the eyes of a mayden unto the hand of her mistresse ; so our eyes wait upon the lord our god , untill he have mercy upon us : have mercy on us , lord have mercy on us , for we are exceedingly fill'd with contempt . ps. . these are divine exhortations , these are the doctrines of the most heavenly philosophy , we are fill'd with contempt , we are shaken with infinite violent stormes of sad events . yet shall not this debar us from looking up to our god , and imploring his assistance : nay , till our lord has granted our petitions , we must put on the confidence of importunate beggars , and not let our prayers cease til our requests are granted . this is the true character of a pious daring soul , not to be baffled from his hopes by the violence of ill successe : not to start out of the way or goe back , because as yet he has not found the expected issue of his prayers , but to endure to the last , till the lord have mercy on him according to the precept and example of the prophet david . chap. ii. the devills endeavours and practices to undermine our hopes , and raze the foundation of our eternall happinesse . the comparison betwixt a dying body , and a perishing soul ; with an exhortation to be couragious in our conflicts with the devill . the wily subtilty of satan aimes at nothing more then to inveigle us in a labyrinth of despair ; still feeding our naturall tottering inclinations with change and variety of doubts , and once unsetled , we are his certain prey ; for irresolution excludes us from our expectations in heaven , and relyance upon the benignity of our most mercifull god and father ; it violently and too insensibly drives us from our hopes , our surest anchors . by it wee lose the very essence of our lives , the guide which leads us to god , the pilot which steers our forlorne and shipwrack'd soules into the haven of salvation . for resolution and a constant hope , never fail of assurance in the end ; by hope ( saies the word ) wee shall be sav'd , that will to the last preserve us . hope is a stronge and golden chain let down to us from heaven , taking fast hold on it , wee learn to subdue our soules most desperate rebellions ; which our benign lord finding us sure link'd to it , has promis'd to raise and lift us by it , above all the dangerous billowes of this present miserable life . whilst he ( who through idlenesse neglects to make his hold sure to this golden anchor ) sinks and is certain to drown , and perish in the deeps of his own wickednesse . which satan that subtle fox so well know's , that he then makes his hel-harvest , when he sees us laden with sin , and overprest with the weight of our guiltiness , this is the time hee so diligently watches for , then falls he on us , and presses our declinings with arguments of the immensity of our offences ; and deceives us with his cunning aggravations . then suggests he to our soules horror and despair in their extreames , as there were no salvation left to us , and the doors of mercy were lock'd against our cryes for ever ; and once in this dejected and base low condition , how prone and precipitate is our descent into hel , forc'd still violently downwards by unresisted desperation , having weakly lost our hold on hope , that golden chain , wee sink perpetually in the deepes both of sin and misery . thus is it with thee ( theodorus ) who hast cast off thy obedience and subjection to a meek and mercifull lord , quite rejecting his commands , and art become a slave under the outragious empire of that tyrannous enemy to mankind , who never rests day nor night from ensnaring us our selves to fight against our own hopes and expectations of heaven . thus hast thou flung off a light and easie burthen ; freed thy self from a mercifull yoke , to fasten thy neck in linkes of iron . and what is both base , and ridiculous : hast laid a mill-stone ( the asses burthen ) on thy owne shoulders . what wilt thou think to do in the future , that at present suffers thy most miserable soul to be swallow'd in this impetuous gulfe of lusts : nay , that wilfully has brough a kind of necessity on thy self , which continually compels thee to fall into deeper extreams ? the woman in the gospels when she had found her lost groat , call'd all her neighbours together to partake of her joy with her ; saying , rejoyce with me because i have found the lost groat . lu. . . thus will i call your friends and mine together , but to a different end and purpose . i will not bid them rejoyce with me , but grieve and weep , lament , be truly sorrowfull and mourn with me . for our losse is grievous and insupportable , greater then if we had lost never so great a treasure , or magazine of gold or diamonds ; for we have lost a friend not to be valewed , who sailing with us through this vast ocean ( i know not by what means ) is fallen overboard , and sunk into the bottomlesse gulfe of perdition . if any man should offer to disswade mee from my lamentations , i would answer him with this passionate expression of the prophet isaiah , let me alone , i will weep bitterly , you cannot comfort me . is . . such is the sorrow which draws this flood of tears from my eyes . such a sorrow as doubtlessely would not shame saint peter or saint paul to own it , though in such excesse , as they denyed themselves all consolation or perswasion to the contrary . they who deplore the naturall decreed death of the body , may perhaps find cōforters , who by the strength of reason and argument may without much labour restore their d●ooping spirits to settledness & tranqulity ; & by religious precepts gently quiet and palliate their griefes . but who can plead gainst his just deploring , who laments the death of a soul fallen into perdition , dead in sin and pierc'd with ten thousand arrows , venom'd with hells malitious poyson , the beauty , form , and grace of most eminent vertues , and devotions lost , and extinct in him . these administer matter justly to provoke lawfull and lasting tears . what flinty heart ? what rockie soul could in an agony so moving forbear lamentings , or entertain an apparition of any delusion , should forbid him his just sorrow . at the fall of the body it is humane , though not altogether rebellious to weep . at the falling of a soul , the extreamest lamentation is the greatest evidence of the truest piety . he who had on earth possession of heaven , in so much as hee contemn'd , abhor'd , and laught at the vanity of the world , hee who beheld the greatest beauty but as a statue of stone , or a fair picture ; that he who despis'd gold as dirt , pleasures and vanity as mire ; he it is who most unexpectedly falling into a raging feaver of burning lusts , has lost his comliness , and his courage , is now turn'd a slave to his own bestiall appetites . shall not we then grieve for him ? shall we cease our lamentations till he return to himselfe again ? it is no more then our duty , and tye of christian charity , if we have any sense of pitty or humanity in us . what ( alas ) is the destruction of the body , but an accomplish'd course in the order of nature ? yet such a losse finds dayly mourners and lamenters . what ought we then to doe for his perishing soul , which manifestly appears resolv'd on eternall damnation , if our prayers bring him not to repentance , but that he finish his course in obstinate sinning , and obduratenesse of heart . for in death there is no remembrance of thee ; in the grave who shall give thee thanks ? psal. . how great a sin then is it against the rules and laws of charity , not to resent with the greatest pitty a soul thus everlastingly perishing . violent cries , and abundance of tears cannot possibly recall the dead ; but frequent experience teaches us , that a soule dying here in sin is not wept for in vaine ; for the humble requests of brotherly charity plead so effectually before the throne of mercy , that many hardned in obstinate impenitency , have melted into floods of tears , and have ow'd thee thanks for their contrition to the importunity of other mens prayers . and by such meanes , many both in our daies and the daies of our forefathers , who have deserted the paths of righteousnesse , and run headlong astray out of the waies of piety ( which is a spirituall dying ) at length have risen again with such heavenly alacrity , their fall so hid and obscur'd by the glory of their rise , that they have purchas'd the palme of recompence , and crowned with the wreath of victory , have triumph'd conquerors on earth , till they were summon'd to be numbred with the blessed for all eternity . yet infinite such examples prevail not with a man who wilfully continues in the flames and fires of his lusts ; such a wretched perversenesse withstands his recovery , and pleads an impossibility of mercy against him . but if he chance to get a little way out of the fire , and by degrees leave it still farther behind him , the dimnesse which the flames caused will be taken from his eyes , & then how plainly wil he discern the way of salvation to be accessible and very plain , smooth , and easie , having obtain'd grace for his guide . and conquer'd those troops the devill laid in ambush for him . but hee who wants the courage to undertake the combat , in vain desires the conquest . he may that 's willfull stay and burn in the fire , nay , shut the doors against himself that are open for him . and whatman who is thus sotishly his own enemy , can design any thing nobly and virtuously ? wherfore this our common enemy makes it his onely businesse , leaves nothing unattempted which may render us diffident of grace and mercy . nor needs he much labour to compasse that his end , if we lie prostrate at his feet ; and take no counsell or resolution , or order the battail against him , it is an easie conquest to overcome us . but he who violently breaks his fetters , and betakes himself to the use of his strength with courage ; he ( i say ) who in so desperate a condition allows himselfe no cessation , but with a continuall violence maintains the battell against him , though hee have before lost the day a thousand times , shall then recover his losses , and gloriously triumph in his enemies overthrow . when he who is dejected with despair , and permits his spirits to fail and languish , can never hope for conquest ; how can he overcome who makes no resistance at all , but fearing the encounter lays down his armes , and submits to his enemy . chap. iii. gods mercy to the greatest sinners , an argument against despair . the mercies of our lord so infinitely exceed our transgressions , that meditating on them , they cannot but greatly consolate our drooping spirits , and arme us with courage against those temptations we ought strongly to resist , lest they overcome our trust and confidence in god . i mean those stupid apprehensions of the unpardonable immensity of our own guilt , as if god were not able to forgive us our sins being so great and so many , that to our imaginations they exceed the saving promises of his mercy . oh let us take heed of such desperate perswasions as these ? oh let us be careful that such thoughts as these , do not quash and annihilate our hopes , let not the devill delude us with an opinion that our lord is mercifull indeed ; but extends that goodnesse onely to small offenders , to those onely who have provok'd him but with a few and those small faults . for suppose a man justly branded with all the markes of those infamies and shames which are due to the greatest reprobates ; one who had committed all those wicked acts , which most certainly unrepented fail not to shut the gates of heaven against them who transgresse so highly in them . and withall , we must grant this person to be no stranger to the truth , but to have been one of christs church . whatsoever was the cause of his fall ? whatsoever the inveterate malice of the tempter had chang'd him to be , either whoremaster or adulterer , nay , perhaps sodomite : were he theef , drunkard , or common calumniator , one who had hug'd all these sinns with appetite and delight , nay , had made it his serious study to contrive his ends and hellish satisfaction in them ? for my part i would not be author of despair to such a wretch as this : no though he had continued in them many years . for it is impious blasphemy to reflect upon the anger of god , as if he were therefore displeas'd that we might be hardned , for then wee justly should relinquish our hopes , if we were assur'd the flames of his wrath set on ●●●e by so many sinns , were not to be extinguish'd with the tears of true repentance . but wee must look with more believing eyes on his mercy , and admire the excellency of his justice and his clemency , who in his punishments is quite free from passions , and perturbations ; and any one , but willfully blind offenders , may plainly see , that our lord has no delight or contentment in his revenge , but takes exceeding pleasure in his love , and tenderness , which is infinitely intent on our good . be thou therefore of good courage , confidently and undauntedly rely upon the hopes of thy restauration to grace and happinesse , in spite of all the machinations of the devill . let him not deceive thee and possesse thee with so horrid an opinion ; as that god should at all delight in the punishment of sinners ; for he is a most indulgent father , carefully fond of us , and directing all his actions towards us for our good , even in the depth of our malice against him , unwiling ( is he ) and loath to see the encrease of our perversenesse . but of his owne fatherly compassion keeps us off from contemning and despising his mercy . if any one voluntarily of his own free motion forsakes the light , who can accuse the light for that mans darknesse , does not he want the benefit of that light through his own folly , and willfullnesse ? so he that disdains submissively to adhere to the omnipotent power of god , and to live in the light of grace which illuminates all true believers , suffers not by the goodnesse of that power , ( which is the originall fountain of all blessings ) but the unrulinesse of of his own rashnesse , and stupidity which so willfully brought him into his own ruin and destruction . our mercifull god sometimes lets us see the rod to frighten us ; but draws it back and puts it up again , that his children may be sensible of his aversnesse to revenge , and of his infinite propensity to allure and attract them to himself . so a discreet physitian afflicts not or troubles himself , at the raging distempers of a man frantick , but is himself the patient when he workes the cure . he treats him gently , he courts him into his own health ; and though the mad man fly in his very face , hee uses meeknesse with art and skill , and unmov'd endeavours to palliate the violence of his disease ; though perhaps he be justly enough incens'd to leave off the cure . and as the distemper'd man recovers his senses , the physitian encreases his joy , and prosecutes his intended cure , having never return'd peevishnesse for fury , but laying aside all self-respect , applyed himself wholly to the good of the lunatick . so our lord ( when we arrive at the extreamest madnesse , and rage in sinning ) takes no revenge of us even in the height of that fury , but like our carefull physitian , most charitably applyes his mercies , which are his medicines , to cure our madnesse , not any thing reflecting on those wild passions we provoke him with . this is a truth to be justified by the testimonies of all right minded christians , who daily find the effects of his clemency , and the records of holy writ are full of examples , teaching us the verity of it . chap. iv. the example of nebuchadnezzar king of babylon , a coherence to the preceding chapter . was there ever any one so great a monster as nebuchadnezzar , that king of the babylonians ? and yet i beleeve the records of all ages cannot produce the man to whom god reveal'd himselfe more apparently , both in his power and his mercies . observe his story , how at first he honors the prophet of the lord , even to the adoring him , commanding sacrifice to be offer'd to him as god . then see how at last he returnes to his owne old pride , which puffs him up to believe that he his self is the god to be only worshipp'd ; and who exalts not him above god is cast into the fiery furnace . behold the infinite mercie and love of our lord , who forsakes not this strange beast , ( for such was he rather to be esteemed then a man ) but still followes and pursues him with his favours in his most irrationall rebellions , calls him back with profers of grace , and loving invitations to repentance . first shewing him his omnipotency by the miracle in the fiery furnace ; then by the strange vision which the king saw , and daniel interpreted . wonders able to move a rock could not mollifie his harder soul . to these the prophet joynes his pathetick counsell ; wherefore o king , let my counsell be acceptable unto thee , and redeem thy sins by righteousnesse , and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor ; if it may be a lengthning of thy tranquillity . dan. . what saist thou ? thou opinator of thy owne wisdome and happinesse ? canst thou return yet ? canst thou repent after this thy strange fall ? is thy diseast so desperate thou darest not hope for a recovery ? can no wisdome regulate the passions of a mind so troubled ? the dumb-struck king has no answer left , he is now denuded of such apologies , hee might have made for his purgation in those times hee scarce knew who created him , and was ignorant of his power , whose omnipotencie had plac'd him in that seat of majesty , though in that very darknesse he might well have seen and resented both the power and providence of the almighty , in those great things he had done for him and his progenitors . but after god had ( convinc'd , & calld , him to true heavenly understanding ) manifested himself unto him in such evident demonstrations of his wisdom and praescience ; as he did in the discovery and overthrow of all the diabolicall delusions of the magicians , when he had open'd and display'd all the colours of their cunnings and deceipts . god rests not here , but proceeds yet farther with him . for that dream which the magicians , the astrologers , the caldeans , and the southsayers could not expound ; in the which were those things ( as they confest themselves ) exceeded humane learning ; this vision god interpreted to him by the mouth of a boy . the youth daniel unriddles what surpasses the wise mens knowledge : the miracle so convinc'd his judgment ; that he did not himself believe alone , but proclaim'd and promis'd that faith through the whole world , imposing it by his edicts on all nations . if before this illumination of grace by miracles reconciling him to faith , hee were unworthy his indulgence , though hee knew not god ; much more unworthy of it was this wretched king , when he had seen him in these wonders which our lord wrought purposely to call him , when hee knew his omnipotent power , and ratified his belief , by declaring and imposing it on others : without all doubt , he ( that so much honor'd the lords servant ) profest no mock-faith , but really believed in that god whose prophet he was ; nor had he enjoyn'd it to others , if he himself had not been first truly convinc'd in his soul , that it was that truth to which the whole world ow'd their obedience ; yet falls he into idolatry against the perswasions of his soul , & his own confession to daniel , when he answer'd him , of a truth it is that your god is a god of gods ; and a lord of kings , and a revealer of secrets , &c. dan. . . hee that of late prostrate on the ground , ador'd the servant of god : is at last possest with such a fury against them , that hee commits them to the firy furnace , because himself they would not worship as their god . and pray observe the sequell . did not our lord think you ( as he so justly merited ) punish the apostate . no! hee begins anew with him , and gives him still greater arguments of his deity ; indulgently and like a like a loving father reducing him from his stupid arrogance to a modest knowledge of himselfe , and an humble obedience to him . and what was more to be admir'd , god never show'd his omnipotency and love more to him , then in this tryall ( for certainly the greater the miracle was , the greater ought his faith to have been ) therefore our lord did never more exalt his convincing powers , then in preserving the children flung bound into that fierie furnace , which the tyrant himselfe had kindled with most malitious and studyed fury . the flames burnt to so great a wonder , that they threatned quicker destruction then the beholders imagination could fancy possible . which god most meekly suffered to encrease to the height of miracle , that so manifesting his greatnesse in his wonders , he might strike him with fear and terror , to reclaim him and startle his obdurate heart from that obstinate denyall of him , and what he had done for him . the tyrant stands insulting ore the innocent sacrifices prepar'd for his rage , he laugh's and rejoyces to see these unparalel'd flames still encrease , which without the almighties permission could not have burnt or been a fire at all ; but god contradicts not his desires , shewing his power moderated by his wisdome , which renders the attempts of his enemies against his servants vain and ridiculous , when they are at the greatest height . and that the flames might not be thought fictitious or fantastick delusions ; he lets their power be seen in consuming the men , commanded to cast his servants into the furnace . what power can be compar'd to the command of the almighty god ; to whom the nature and essence of every thing that has being is obedient , and to him which made them out of nothing return their nature , and become what he would have them , as did this fire whose flames devour'd the bodies of the officers which cast them in ; yet added beauty and lustre to the children who walked in the very midst of them , unconsum'd and untouch'd . nay , they return'd from out of the fire triumphant ore the flame ? and with such majesty as kings out of their stately palaces , march'd they out of the furnace ? no man affords the king one looke , every ones eyes are fix'd upon this unparalel'd object . neither his crown , nor royall robes with all the ornaments of his stupendious pomp do move the peoples admiration , as did the beautifull appearance of those faithfull children , who seem'd rather to have suffer'd the punishment of a dream then to have past through substantiall and reall fire . their hair , the lightest catching part of their bodies ( not so much as sing'd ) remain'd as perfectly intire , as if every hair had been harder then an adamant , while the flamedevouring heat consum'd all about them : nor do thou consider that alone , but likewise how insensible of any pain in the middle of the furnace they continually discours'd , whilst the standers by every moment expected their dissolution ; yet are not the spectators onely fill'd with this wonder ; but as far as letters could carry it , the astonisht world believ'd it with amazement , whilst the unconcern'd and ●mov'd tyrant ( who had on lesse reasons publish'd his former edicts to command the world the worship of the true god ) passes this neglectedly by , and peruses his old impieties . nor did our lord for all this , powre out the full vialls of his wrath upon the head of this desperate wretch ; but proceeds in his purpose to reclaim , both by dreams and the warnings of the prophet . and when nothing prevailes to reduce him , then he brings his rod forth , though not as a revenger for his past sinns , but to prevent his future calamities , by taking away the remaining rancor of his inclinations . for god destroy'd him not utterly . but after a few years discipline and correction , restores him to his former honor . the punishments of our mercifull god make us no losers but exceeding gainers in the end , and are to be reckon'd as his greatest blessings , when they bring us to a sure confidence in christ jesus our redeemer , and a sincere repentance for the sinns wee have committed against him . chap. v. that sincere repentance is alwaies acceptable to god , declar'd out of holy writ by example , precept and parable . how surpassingly great is the kindnesse , and love of god to us ? who never ( after the greatest provocations ) rejects our sincere repentance , though we sin most malitiously against him , if we most humbly return to him ; his sweet embraces are ready to receive us ; nay , though we should be unwilling , he often contends with our perversenesse , and forces our recovery ; nay , helpes the defects of our falling inclinations , with his preserving grace which raises us above our selves to pious desires , which he both gives , and prepares their reward . what greater argument can there be of the benignity of an incens'd god , then when we have provok'd him to anger , to accept of our sorrow ? and though our repentance be not so long and so full as it ought , though it want something of the circumstances of form , and time , or other properties ; our lord helps us in our humiliations , and sends his blessings on very weaknesse and frowardnesse . as in the prophet isaiah you may find it . he went on frowardly in the way of his heart . i have seen his waies , and will heal him . i will lead him also , and restore comforts unto him , and to his mourners . isaiah . , . let us remember the story of that most wicked king ( who by a womans perswasion had given himselfe over to all abhomination ) when he once repented , and putting on sackcloth , acknowledg'd his sins ; he so mov'd the compassion of god , that he escap'd all those evills which then threatned him . for god spake to elias upon his submission , saying , seest thou how ahab humbleth himself before me , i will not bring this evill in his daies . kings . . and after him manasses exceeds all the former kings in madnesse , and tyranny ; he overthrows the law , shuts the temple , sets up the worship of idoll's to confront the majesty of god ; outstripping all that went before him in wickednesse . chron. . he after his repentance was receiv'd into the number of gods elect friends . had manasses when he saw the deformity of his impiety , despair'd of his restauration to grace , and believ'd an impossibility of his change to a new man ; he had certainly never partaken of those blessings afterward befell him ; but when he weigh'd how little the excesse of his sins was , put in the ballance with gods immense , and infinite mercies ; hee cast the the fetters off , wherewith the devill had made him fast , became conqueror , and finish'd his good course . nor has the scripture furnish'd us with these examples alone , to preserve us from splitting on the dange-rockes of our own harden'd hearts . but by his commands , god calls us continually , and forewarns us of our destruction . to day if you will hear his voice , harden not your hearts , as in the day of temptation in the wildernesse . psa. . . . this day to us may be any day of our life from the tendernesse of our youth , to the extremity of our age . wee must imagine the lord alwaies speaking to us , and calling us to him , who proportions not his mercies to the circumstances of time , but the affections of our hearts . the ninivites had not many daies for repentance , and to pray to god to forgive them their crying sins ; yet could a little portion of one day blot out all their iniquities : and in how short a time was paradise assur'd the theefe upon the crosse ? in how small a time did his contrition purchase him heaven , even before christs followers and apostles ? many have obtain'd the honor of martyrdome , and purchas'd crownes of glory , in lesse then few years , in a few daies , nay , some in lesse then one day . let us be alwaies and in all conditions undejected , and cheerfull , confident and assur'd in our soules of gods infinite mercies which will intice and allure us to prepare our confidences for such a tendernesse , as will dread and abhorre sinne , as will make us shake off our infirmities , and violently suppresse the malice of temptation ; our own election will lead us into better paths with gods assisting grace ; waies quite contrary and opposite to our lusts , such as god commands us to walke in , such as he rejoyces to see us tread in , whose end is rewarded with eternity , to which course the shortnesse of time can be no obstacle , for many that were last have got to be first in this spirituall race by the eager feavour of their desires . our fallings are not our miseries , but this is our calamity , when we are sunk under the weight of sin , that we lie under the heavy burthen , and never strive to rise again ; that wee sleep under it , and those litle intervalls we awake , dispute our soules into despair , against such as are thus sottishly bewitch'd to their own destruction ; the prophet cries out in the heat and height of passion , shall they fall , and not arise ? shall he turn away , and not return ? why then is the people of jerusalem slidden back by a perpetuall back-sliding ? they hold fast deceipt , they refuse to return . jer. . . whoever it is that wilfully refuses , humbly and with his whole heart to accept the grace of the spirit offer'd him , after his wandring from out of the waies of god , is concern'd in this of the prophet . for it cannot be said he fell who never stood ; or that he went out of it who never was in the way . many things to confirme this truth , are evident in parables and other manifestations of holy writ . that sheep which was lost from the nintynine , and after found and brought back to the rest ; mat. . . what did it signifie but the going astray , and the return of the faithfull ? for the sheep belong'd not to another shepheard , it was of the same flock ; and under the same shepheard : it wandred through the mountaines , and the deserts , it stray'd far from the fold ; and what ? did the shepherd neglect the wanderer ? no , he brought him back , nor did he angerly drive and beate it before him , but laid it on his owne shoulders , and so brought it home . observe the best physicians how in some fierce and dangerous diseases , they please , and humour their patients , dispensing with the set rules of their art , to comply with these distempers ; so god uses not the fiercenesse of his wrath against the greatest sinners ; but his meeknesse heales them , hee applyes the gentle cure of his compassion ; like the good shepheard hee layes them on his own shoulders , like the physitian he heales them with forbearance ; lest they wander for ever , lest their woundes prove incurable . next followes the parable of the prodigall to justifie this truth : luke . . who when hee had run into extraordinary exorbitancies wilfully , and on purpose , by his own folly wandred to purchasing shame , and misery , ( whilst his brother stay'd at home ever pleasing his father ) he that was rich , free and nobly borne , became more despis'd then the worst of his fathers hirelings ; yet at last was restor'd to his former honour , and repossest of his fathers favour . had he in that miserable condition despair'd of life , and those enjoyments he afterwards found , he had nere known blessing , but had perish'd perhaps in the wildernesse with famine , of all deaths the most miserable . but because that he repented ( that he trusted to the hopes at his return of his fathers forgivenesse ) see the change of his base and abject condition ; he is thus restor'd to his fathers favour , cloath'd in a rich garment , and better treated then his brother , who had never transgrest . for saies the brother : so many years have i serv'd thee , and never transgrest thy commands , and yet thou never gavest me a kid , that i might make merry with my friends ; but now this thy son is returned , who has devour'd thy substance , thou hast killed the fatted calfe . out of this parable , and the precedent discourse may be collected the great efficacie of repentance . chap. vi . that we ought carefully to cleanse our souls from the filth of sin : which must by no means be slighted or neglected , since in this world wee cannot presume on to morrow , every thing is so subject to mutability . and then the pleasures of the earth being so short , and quickly vanishing ; that we ought to fix our thoughts upon that eternity , in which we shall be crown'd with glory ; or plagu'd in torments . having before our eyes so famous and eminent examples of gods inviting benignity to stirre us up to repentance , with such ample assurances of his mercies to the truly penitent ; our duty is , not to waver as uncertain of his assisting grace , but resolutely to attempt the encounter , when we are assur'd of such irresistible aide to second us , as the power , and favour of our omnipotent lord . do not his mercifull calls summon us ? let us go on with courage . let us say , we will go to our father , &c. like that prodigall . for if we approach our selves but one step towards him , our god will draw us nearer , so far is he from refusing us . but we are a generation that willfully depart from the lord , and on set purpose forsake his waies , designing our selves to perdition . yet saies our lord , jer. . i am a god at hand , and not a god a far off ; and again he speaks by the prophet , do not your sins separate you , and make this division betwixt you and me . are they our sins which hinder us ? are they the blocks which lie in our way to eternall happinesse ; let us remove them by the force of prayer and humiliation , that we may approach nearer to our lord . set before our eyes saint pauls treating the corinthian , and apply to this present discourse . cor. . a corinthian an eminent person , had committed such a sin as the like is hardly named amongst the very heathens ; he was of the faith of christs family , & some believe he was a priest . what follow'd this fall of his ? did st. paul cast him off as a reprobate from the hopes of salvation ? not at all . for in his first and second epistles to the corinthians , he expostulates with them , because they had not received him into repentance . ver. . . in all which treating with them , he manifestly declar'd that there was no sin so heinous , but god has appointed a conditionall pardon for it , that the diseases and distempers of our souls are to be cur'd by pennance , their proper medicine and purgation . ver. . deliver such a one ( saies he ) to satan for the destruction of the flesh , that the spirit may be sav'd in the day of our lord jesus christ . this was the apostles language before his repentance , in the time he stood excommunicated ; but after his repentance saies saint paul , to him that is such a one , this rebuke sufficeth that is given of many . cor. . wherefore he wrote to them to comfort , encourage him , lest satan should get an advantage over him : in like manner , the intire nation of galatia ( after they had embrac'd the faith ; after miracles wrought amongst them ; after they had overcome many temptations against their belief in christ jesus ) at length fell into infidelity ; yet recover'd their fall . he therefore that giveth you the spirit ( saith he ) and worketh miracles amongst you , gal. . . certainly they had many temptations whom he so teaches . ver. . have you suffer'd so many things in vain ? yet in vain ? these people after a great encreate of a strong faith in our lord , committed a heynous offence , they alienated themselves from christ , of which he seems to speak to them . behold , i paul tell you , that if you be circumcis'd , christ shall profit you nothing . gal. . . and again , who ever of you are justified by the law , are faln from grace . ver. . from so dangerous a fall , how lovingly and friendly he strives to preserve them . my little children whom i travell withall again , untill christ be formed in you . gal. . . here he declares that in our worst estate , christ may be renew'd and form'd in us . for he will not the death of a sinner , but rather that he may turn from his wickednesse and live . eze. . . return then to our lord ( most dearly beloved theodorus ) and performe his will , that would so have it . for this end he created us , for this we were made , to bestow on us the glory of eternity , to give us the kingdome of heaven , not to fling us into hell , or cast us into those flames , which were indeed made for the devill and not for us . our saviour declares this to us ▪ when he saies to those on his right hand . come you blessed of my father ; possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world , mat. . but to those on his left hand , depart you cursed into fire everlasting which was prepared ( hee does not say for you ) but for the devill and his angels . ver. . you see then hell was not purposely made for us , but for the devill and his angells . and that heaven was appointed for us from the beginning of the world . shall we then render our selves incapable of infinite honors , and felicities by eternall providence and favour determined us , and not make our selves ready to enter the bride-chamber with the bridegroom . this preparation is onely possible in this world , here it is that wee must put on our wedding garments , that we must dresse our selves in the robes of contrition and repentance , and though we may be often disordered in our atttire , and contract again the filth , and deformity of our sinne , there is hope left , as long as the waters of repentance may yet cleanse us ; but if we neglect it to day , wee know not how late it may be to morrow ; the end and terme of our life is forbid the curiosity of our knowledge ; and when wee depart hence , it will be too late to expect any good , though wee repent with all the passionate humility that can be imagin'd , it will not profit us ; though we gnash our teeth , howle horridly , and fill that hell we are in with our complaints , till they reach the heaven we complain to , wee shall not be the better so much water as would cool our tongues . luke . . remember abrahams answer to the rich man , there is a great chaos betwixt you and us . let us lay hold on mercy while we may ; let us now acknowledge our lord humbly , faithfully , and sincerely as we ought . for while there is life , there is hope by repentance ; and the benefits that never faile to accompany it , are ready for us ; it is a physick for the sickest languishing soul , nay , a most sure remedy , but it calls not the dead back again , it is a salve cannot be applyed to their wounds who suffer in hell , where there is no cure , from whence there is no redemption ; though in this world the last and weakest of our daies render us not so desperately ill but this soveraign balme may cure us . wherefore the devill uses all his power and subtlety to plant desperate apprehensions in our soules , seeing the mercies of our lord are free and open to the least repentance that is hearty ; and never let 's it passe unrewarded . as he expresses his propensity to charity in the gospell . even hee that gives a cup of cold water to one of these in my name , shall not lose his reward , saith christ , mat. . . & the same christ's promise is , that he who repents him of the sins he has committed , though his repentance be infinitely beneath the merit of retribution , the mercies of our lord will find him out , for the least good in us though never so small , the benignity and compassion of so mercifull a father will not neglect . he ( who searches our sins with that severe curiosity , that our very words and thoughts shall be arraign'd at the day of judgement ) much more carefully search and look upon the least good we do . so infinitely his mercy and love to mankind exceeds his revenge . he is a god of so great mercy , as he will remember his bounty to the least good in us , as well as his severity to the least ill . wherefore if thou findest thy strength so to flagge and faile thee , when thou attempts an enterprize so difficile to our naturall corruption , as is a reall repentance , which is the totall change of our inclinations , and deprav'd appetites : yet do not faint in thy undertakings , and weakly fall from trusting in the promises of a god that will never forsake thee ; but begin by degrees to stoppe the superfluous humors of this disease , which so debilitates and infeebles thee ; then art thou ready for this spirituall combate , the victory will soon follow , when thou hast once valiantly resisted the fury of the assault . but if like a coward thou dreadst the first appearance of the enemy , it is no wonder if every thing seem difficult and hopelesse to thee . before attempts and tryalls , the most feasable and facile things that oppose , may possibly look full of danger , and horror , which once resolutely attempted ; our confidence and our courage of our banisht fear , and stupid weaknesse will assure us of those victorious wreaths which are prepar'd to incircle the temples of all true christian souldiers . the devill himselfe was fearfull to lose his conquest , even over judas himself , he keeps him down with despair , knowing that repentance and contrition might have turn'd the day for that lost wretch : for it is truth , and it must be confest , ( though it almost exceed belief ) that sin of judas went not beyond the possibility of pardon , could he but have repented . wherefore i pray and beseech thee to drive away , and expell all these deceits of the devill from thy soul ; that thou maist enter this port of salvation . i expect not at an instant that perswasions can give thee leave to think thy self so soon lifted up out of the pit of destruction to the possession of a crown of glory ; it were too much presently to believe , as thy condition hath made thee , ( though to god nothing be impossible ) therefore all that i desire of thee , is , to stop here , and adde no more to thy former transgressions , that thou wouldst turn thy eyes another way , and not let them rest fixt on the dotage of thy beastlinesse , to let us see that thou hast gone in those crooked meanders , have quite tyred thee ; and thou beginst to be refresht , and recover thy strength in better paths : and art thou thy own hindrance ? doest thou not know that many have dyed in their drunkennesse , their lusts , and other sinfull delu●sions of this age ? where are some now , who lately trac'd the streets in pride , who fed their parasites with dainties ? and cloath'd themselves with the finest silkes ? they that presum'd the walkes they went in ? what is become of all this pomp and pride , is it not vanish'd , is it not past over like a dreame ? their costly feasts , their jollities , their compleasing mirths , and laughings had their period , and are now no more ; their vanities , their uncheckt thoughts , and uncontrould liberties , their delicious and insatiable luxuries are all fled . what are become of those pamper'd bodies so studiously observ'd , and fed so lusciously : pray look into the grave : contemplate on their dust , and ashes , on the wormes devour'd them , the deformity of their charnell houses , then sigh , and bewaile that folly which took so great a care , to preserve so litle a nothing . and would to god this destruction there terminated where their ashes are consum'd . but turn thy eyes from the grave , and wormes there devouring them ; and reflect on that everlasting fire that can never be extinguish'd , on that gnashing of teeth , that utter darknesse , on those streghts and irremediable afflictions declar'd to us in the parable of lazarus and the rich man ( who once was cloathed in purple , and the lord of unvalew'd treasures , of riches that had no end ) and at last became so destitute of all necessaries , that he could not purchase one drop of water to cool his tongue when he suffer'd in flames of fire , and was condemn'd to the bitterest cruelties of all torments . and how miserable a soul then is that , which thinkes pleasures , and the vain lights of this world to exceed the gain or prophet of a dream ? suppose a man were condemn'd to work in mines of metalls , or doom'd to undergo some harder punishment ; & then fancie this miserable creature sunk under his labour , and fallen asleep ; next in that sleepe imagine him to have a dream possessing him with the delusion of all pleasures and content : which when hee awakes are with his sleep fled ; how little ows this poor soul to this mockery of felicity . and truly , that rich mans happinesse on earth , was no more then such a kind of dream . if we consider how little it lasted , and how it concluded , in bitternesse , and dreadfull punishments , in everlasting fires . there is no meditation so necessary to one besotted to his appetites , as it is to compare one fire with the other , the burning of the lusts with the eternall flames which are their decreed punishment ; and hee is worse then mad that will not quench the one to eschew the other . for there is such nicety and dependance one on the other , insomuch that hee who puts out the present fires of his concupiscence , is certain to avoid the eternity of the future ; but if the catching flames last till they are joyn'd , they are never to be extinguish'd : and unrepenting souls departing this life , presently unite their sinfull fires , with the revengefull flames appointed them in hell for all eternity . now then consider how long thou canst possibly presume on the continuance of these felicities thou here enjoyst . when thou canst not promise thy selfe any length for thy life ; fifty years were a great space to be assur'd of ; but indeed we so little know our ends , that wee cannot tell but this evening may be our last ; how then can wee relie upon so many years ; time is uncertain , nor can we assure our selves any thing of the future . and were it so that we were certain of a long life , the pleasures still are uncertain wee might expect in it , which sometimes are with us & again in the twinkling of an eye . but were a long life assur'd thee , and thy pleasures to last with it , that no chance or fortune had power to interrupt the continued course of thy contents , which should be still equal to thy desires ; what a litle would this be to everlasting ages of bliss , or eternity of punishment ? and hereafter we must expect the like everlasting durance of both joy and sorrow which soever be our lot : though here delight and sadnesse have their vicissitude : in the world to come neither shall ever end : and as both for continuance are endlesse ; so in the extremities of value both incomprehensible . chap. vi . hell fire expos'd to the terror of the impenitent , with the torments , and eternity thereof . o vainly deceived man ? most foolishly and sottishly deluded sinner ? who ( when thou heardst speak of hell fire ) believest those dreadfull flames prepar'd for the vengeance on thy impenitency ●o be no other , then some materiall pile that soon with it's own violence , will of it selfe consume into ashes . thou must believe in time , ( or thy experience will teach thee too late ) what those fires be , which are prepared in hell for the devills and his angells there , and for thee ( unlesse thou sincerely repent ) they are immortall unconsuming flames , flames that shall never extinguish or dy . so that in fine , the very damn'd may promise themselves eternity , but it will prove the perpetuity of endlesse shame , pains , and confusion . while the blessed shall be cloath'd with immortality , but together with infinite joy , and incomprehensible glory . o vild impenitent wretch , meditate on what thou art for ever forfeiting ; a crown of immortall honor and what thou art assured to purchase with thy obstinate impieties ! endlesse miseries , and plagues ; torments in fires can never possibly consume , which shall alwaies last , and still supplyed , ever encrease , and never diminish , or extenuate . no mans tongue ( be he never so eloquent ) can teach us a way to comprehend the true knowledge of such unspeakable horror . yet in this ( as in other things impossible to be certainly known ) we may regulate our conjecture by the experience wee make on things of lesse moment . as for example , suppose thy selfe in an overheated bath ; thy skin scalding , thy veines , and sinewes shrinking ? or burning in a violent fevour , at the insufferablenesse of these pains thou maist give some probable guesse , and after think thou on hell fire : thou wilt of necessity allow neither bath or feaver possibly to be endur'd by the greatest and most invincible fortitude ; and argue thy self into an apprehension by degrees of the fearfull horror thou wilt have , when for thy sins thou art flung into a torrent of mercilesse flames issuing from that dreadfull tribunall where the vengeance on impenitency is prepar'd . there will be howling , and gnashing of teeth , punishments neither to be suffer'd nor redrest , or comforted ; for no body shall help them . so vain and fruitlesse will be those lamentations which cannot avail the lamenters any thing , when their complaints can profit them nothing : their torments still encreasing with their desperation , in a place where their eyes can fix on nothing to promise comfort , for what shall they see there but the damned , their companions , and a vast desolation . next to add to the horror of eternall punishments , know that these fires there , as they can never dye , neither can they afford light ; for they are most peculiarly , and properly described to be utter darknesse . consider what it is thus to suffer in horrid and lothsome darknesse , with terrors , affrightings , and tremblings in all thy members this must needs cause ; then the infinite multitude of thy tortures ( which will fall on thee faster then violent fleakes of snow upon the earth ) shall cruciate thy soule . in so hideous and over-whelming a manner , that humane capacity can not well comprehend how it is possible for the soule of man to bear them , and not utterly consume and annihilate in so fierce and devouring destruction . to make which more evident and plaine to our understandings , we may call to remembrance what frequently happens in this world we are now in : how many men have fallen into violent diseases , and those as lasting as violent , but neither their time nor force had the power to their soules dissolution till the decay and ruine of their materiall corruptible bodies : the substance of the soule being proof against the keenest arrowes of death ; even so shall it be at last with the miserable bodies of the damned , which will be changed into a substance that the fiercest flames shall never be able to consume ; and though man be compos'd of such materialls as now cannot resist the violence , but yeeld to the conquest of assaulting paines ; when the cursed immortality of the body shall be equall to that of the soul , both together must suffer to all eternity . thou oughtest ( theodorus ) rightly to consider this undeniable truth , and not to give way to any fantastick dream that would perswade thee , any end , or period can be propos'd to the eternity of their sufferings , who shall be thus prepar'd for everlasting fire . and what are the pleasures , the delights and vanities thou puts't into the contrary ballance to weigh against so heavy a doom ? how short the time of their continuance compar'd with eternity ? couldst thou suppose that hells torments were to end in a hundred or two hundred years , the fury of them for such a space might prudentially affright thee from that dissolute and wild life thou art so besotted to ; then certainly the thought of their eternity must needs deterre thee ; and to presse this nearer to thee , i begg of thee to lay thy hand to thy heart , and answer me , whether thou canst or not exchange blessings and pleasures eternall , for as everlasting punishments ? or forfeit an inestimable weight of glory for a dream ? and all the reputed happinesse of this life are no better ? what fool would bee content for one pleasing moment to lead all the rest of his life in miserie ? who is there so sottish , as would willfully forfeit all his peace for a minutes pleasure ? yet thou doest far exceed such frantick beasts in thy madnesse . but alas i dilate in vaine upon thy dotage till it forsake thee , thou art deaf to perswasions while thy eares are stopt with thy delights , or wilt , if thou hearest , think them lyars that call the sweets , so please thee , what they really are , bitter and noysome . but when by the mercifull deliverance of our lord , thou art freed out of the toyls , thou wilt with patience hear mee treat of the malicious cunning that deceiv'd thee with those snares : wherefore i deferr to tell thee the malignity of thy disease , till i see thee recovering . now let us fancy pleasures to be really the things they seem , and that the delights of this world have nothing of gall , or bitternesse ; but what then ( i pray ) shall we say of the punishments attend them ? how shall wee avoid them ? whither shall we flye to escape the wrath that followes them ? they that now rejoyce and triumph in the shades of seeming content , shall not with their greatest fortitude be able to endure the least punishments of those many prepar'd for their vengeance . and how little time well spent in prayer and unfaign'd hearty penitence , might save them from those torments , and bring them to those joyes prepar'd for the blessed ? such is the clemency and mercy of our god ( who so earnestly loves mankind ) that hee has not appointed a long time of conflict with satan ; the warre last's no longer then the short space of this fleeting life , which is but the twinkling of an eye compar'd with those infinite ages to come , wherein wee shall be crown'd with glory for ever . and this will adde infinitely to those things the damn'd shall suffer , when they remember their great neglect of that little time they had to repent in , and at how easie a rate and low a price they sold and betray'd themselves into everlasting thraldome . let us then awake , and rouze our selves out of this lethargie of sin , lest this sad doom be ours . and let us hast and do it whilst the time is yet , that wee may be receiv'd into mercy and favour , while there is hope , and that salvation may be had , before repentance be too late ; for they who idly and sloathfully wallow in the mire of their iniquities , shall not onely endure these , but far more intolerable torments . since it is not to be exprest in the most artificiall termes of eloquence , how great those tortures are which are prepared for the damned in hell . but if it were onely to lose the joy and blessings of heaven : the thought alone of so great a losse ( though we were after to perish like other beasts ) would be insupportable , it would bring with it so just cause of sorrow , such affliction , and tribulation , that were no other punishment ordain'd for sinners , that it selfe should bee sufficient to reduce us from our wicked waies , and might terrifie us more then the apprehension of all those torments that threaten , and affright us , and wee may most assuredly expect , unlesse wee truly repent . chap. viii . of the beatitude of the saints glorifi'd in heaven , pressing theodorus farther to amendment , by arguing that heaven is rather to be sought after then hell to be fear'd . the glory of one being a more moving object , then the terriblenesse of the other . from this caution given thee ( theodorus ) of the unspeakable paines of hell ; i would raise thy contemplations to the most necessary , most admirable , and ravishing delight thy soule can possibly fix it self upon ; which is to imploy thy curiosity in search of the knowledge of the joyes of heaven , for though the dignity of that blessed state be not within the compasse of the most accurate expression , and farre exceeding the delineation of the acutest wit : yet my advice presumes to invite thee to conceive as much of it as is allow'd our humane judgements to comprehend : and as farre as wee are taught and instructed by holy writ , our contemplations have liberty to soare into the felicities of heaven . isaiah the prophet expresses them thus . the ransom'd of the lord shall rejoyce and come to sion with songs , and everlasting joy upon their heads ; they shall obtain joy and gladnesse , and sorrow and sighing shall flee away . isai. . . . . what can be more happy then such a life ? there you shall never fear povertie , or sicknesse . there shall be neither oppressor , nor opprest ; no troubsome tormentor , nor any one tormented ; no man angry or vext , nor any repining at anothers displeasure ; no proud man swelling in abundance , nor any person dejected and mourning for his necessities ; no man contentious for principality or power ; nor any one lamenting under the persecution of a superiour ? there all the tempestuous passions of our minds shall be hush't in a perpetuall calme . all things shall be peace , joy and gladness ; all things serenity , and tranquillity . there shall be eternall day , brightnesse and light ; light as farre excelling the splendor of the sun , as that does the blaze of a torch ; for it shall never be hid with the vail of night , never be obscur'd in clouds and darknesse : yet ( though so exceeding lustrous ) withall so temperate , that it shall neither burn nor scorch . no night nor evening shall the blessed know , no scorching summer , or chill winter , no change of seasons shall molest them , every thing is so ordered in a setled constancy , and so appointed for their fruition , whom grace and repentance shall fit for it : they shall feel no old age , nor the evills of it , there shall nothing remain subject to corruption , but every one be crown'd with incorruptible glory , & what exceeds all already said , the blessed shall then enjoy eternally the company of christ , with his angels , archgels , and all the glorious hoasts of heaven ; contemplate on the skies in that excellency they appeare now to our eyes , behold the beauties there ? no starre in the firmament shall in thy beatitude outshine thee , which will be , when all things created shall be refined into greater abundance of glory , and exceed themselves as they are now , as much as the purest gold ( which seems to give light to the air , and captivate our humane sence ) does the complexion of lead . so shall all things created ( as they shall then be refin'd ) excell themselves in their glory . for as blessed saint paul saies . the creature also it self shall be deliver'd from the servitude of corruption , into the liberty of the glory of the children of god . rom. . for now in our flesh we suffer many things lyable onely to the corruption of the body , which nature in the body it selfe shal be chang'd into incorruptible , and that together with the soul become immortall , the soul it self possest of more beauty , and greater excellencie . and where then canst thou dream of any jarre or discord may happen ? what ruines , or what destroying civill dissention , when an eternall inviolable love shall knit the saints of heaven in one knot , and make them one soul . the dread of the divell shall be no more ; no more threats , no more snares , no more death ; the body it selfe shall be immortall , and the soule quit her fear of a far more terrible destruction . all apprehension of ills that may befall us , shall for ever dye ; and it will be with our happy soules , as with the heir to a king , who in his infancy and minority is kept severely , and educated under fear , and the lash of a tutors discipline , lest remisnesse in his education might let him fall into unprincely wildnesse , and render him , by having no government of himself , uncapable of governing others , and inheriting his fathers dignities : but growing in years , and encreasing in vertues , becoming the royall majesty of a prince , he is then let loose to the guidance of those engraftments becoming his high calling , and a full possession of his liberty : he is clad in purple , and his temples circled with a diadem ; the fears and menaces of the masters of his younger years are no longer his terrors ; but every thing serves his magnificence , and complies with his happinesse and pleasure : so at the consummation of blisse shall it be with the saints of god , whom as his beloved children here he keeps under the rod of affliction , to fit and prepare them for those immortal honors , and crownes they shall inherit in the kingdome of heaven . no assimilation indeed is sufficient to give us a guesse at those transcending joyes , nor can the arts of eloquence expresse them : but let our thoughts ascend to that mount , where our lord was transfigur'd : and behold him there shining as he then did with the eyes of devout contemplation : and yet there we shall not find one full entire figure of the perfect glories of the world to come ; that appearance being such as was fitted for the discerning of our naturall opticks . as appeare by the words of the evangelist . his face did shine like the sun , mat. . that is , like to that body which it selfe is subject to corruption , but the glory of incorruptible bodies shall be of a nature farre excelling that , which mortall eyes shall not be able to look upon ; to behold the which , we shall have incorruptible and immortall eyes . on the mount , though there not appear'd not greater light then was probably possible for them to have beheld without detriment to their sight : yet that they endur'd not : for they fell on their faces . tell me ( i pray ) if any one should lead you into a glorious theatre , and present your eyes with the sight of a gallant number of persons cloath'd in gold , and adorn'd with all curiosities of value : and amongst them should shew one infinitely exceeding the rest in glory , and power , who were able to bring thee into the happy number of that society , wouldst thou not be obedient to all his commands , to purchase such a glorious felicity : let thy soul fly up to heaven on the wings of holy meditations , and view their theatre , whose glory consists in the assembly of far more transcending persons ; whose ornaments exceed the lustre of gold and diamonds ; whose beauty excells the very light of the rayes of the sun : there is the seat of angels , archangells , thrones , dominions , and powers , and of what farre excells them : for of the kings of heaven and his glory , all tongues must be silent , or not presumptuously attempt so unequall a task , so much does hee superexcell all expressions , so transcendent are his lustre , glory , splendor , majesty , and magnificence . and ( tell me ) how great madnesse it is to lose , and forfeit so infinite blessings , onely for the satisfaction of abusing a little time . what if we were to die a thousand times in a day ? to endure the torments of hell it selfe for a season ? would it be too much for us ; when the reward would be see christ comming in his glory , and our selves receiv'd into the number of the blessed for ever . observe what blessed saint peter saies . mat. . . it is good for us to be here : if hee ( who saw but in a manner the shadow of the glory to come ) emptied his soule of all other thoughts , to give up the possession , to the contentment and joyes of such a sight ; what shall we say , when not the shadow , but the reall truth of that happy vision shall possesse our selves ? when the chambers of heaven shall be opened , and wee behold the king of glory himself , not obscurely as in a glasse , but face to face , not barely with the eyes of faith , but as he shall bee then manifested in truth unto us . their spirits are base and abject , who rejoyce they have escap'd hell , out of the apprehension of the horrors of it . it is to be accounted certainly a greater torment then any is in hell it selfe , to lose heaven and the glory of it . so pressing a calamity it must needs be to the damn'd , to thinke of the losse of heaven , that certainly it will punish them more then the paines of hell . our eyes wander with amazement after their happinesse whom we see great in princes favours , and wonder what possibly they can want , who pertake of the counsells of the mighty , and share with them in their honors ; to them we allow the fullnesse of all happinesse , and adjudge our selves miserable , if wee want any thing our emulations can receive to contribute to their happinesse . though perhaps our condition may exceed theirs , if we consider the the lubricity and unstablenesse of fortune . how slippery they stand who are tottering on the top of pinacles : how uncertain their honors be , and greatnesse , whose duration cannot be secur'd beyond the fate of battell , or the ruins of domestick envy . certain it is : all the pompe of the earth will have a period ; and it is vanity to fix our soules on any imaginary happinesse in this world . but what wee look for from god our lord , whose raign shall be for ever , whose kingdome has no bounds . isaiah . who possesseth not a part , but the whole compasse of the earth . who hath measur'd the waters in the hollow of his hand , and meteth out heaven with his span ; who sustains all things with his power ; to whom all nations are nothing , and are reputed as a drop of water . hee it is whose powr , and mercies can onely make us eternally happy . let the immensity of the joyes then , which are the determined portion of the blessed , argue our soules into a true apprehension of them , and let us more dread the losse of future happinesse , then all the terrors of future paines ; and more abhorre to bee excluded out of the doors , and not admitted into the quire of the angels , and the blessed saints of heaven ; then to be doom'd to eternall flames . chap. ix . of the day of judgement . the terrible and mighty king of heaven and earth shall not come to judgement drawn by white mules , or appear to the condemn'd in robes of peace , & crown'd with a diadem of mercy . but how he then wil come the tongue of man cannot expresse , you can have no surer evident rule for you , then out of the prophets thundring forth the terrors of his approach . psal. . ver. . our god shall come and shall not keep silence , there shall go before him a consuming fire , and a mighty tempest shall be stirred up round about him . he shall call the heavens from above , and the earth that he may judge his people . the prophet isaiah dilates thus on this dreadfull appearance . isaiah . . behold the day of the lord commeth , cruel both with anger and fierceness , to lay the land desolate , and to destroy the sinners out of it ; for the starrs of heaven , orion , and the constellations there , shall not give their light . the sun shall be darkned in his going forth , and the moon shall not cause her light to shine . and i will punish the whole earth for their evils , and the wicked for their iniquitie , and i will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease , and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible . and those that are left shall be more precious then fine gold ; such a man shall be more esteem'd then a precious stone of ophir , for the heavens shall be shaken , and the earth shall be removed out of her place , for the anger of the lord of sabbath in the day when his wrath shall come . and in another place the same prophet , the windowes of heaven shall be opened , and the foundations of the earth shall be shaken : the earth shall be utterly broken down , the earth shall be cleane dissolved , the earth shall be moved excedingly , it shal reel to and fro like a drunkard , it shal be removed like a cottage , and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it , and and it shall fall , and not rise again : isa. . . for their iniquities have prevail'd against them . to these adde the prophet malachi ; behold ( saies he ) the lord almighty cometh , but who shall abide the day of his comming ? and who shall stand when he appeareth ? for he is like a refiners fire , and like fullers sope , and he shall sit as a refiner of silver and gold . mal. . . and again ( saith he ) the day of the lord commeth consuming like a furnace , and it shall burn them up . mal. . . and they who are proud , and all that do wickedly shal be as stubble ; & the day commeth , ( saith the lord almighty ) it shall leave them neither root nor branch . and to the same purpose does the vision of the prophet daniel alarum us with the terrors of that day . i beheld ( saith he ) till the thrones were placed , and the antient of daies did sit , whose garment was white as snow , and the hair of his head like the pure wooll : his throne was a flame of fire , and his wheeles burning fire : a fiery streame issued out before him : thousand thousands ministred unto him , and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him . the judgement was set and the bookes were opened . dan. . . and a little after , thus speakes the prophet , ver. . i saw a vision in the night , and behold , one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven , and came to the antient of daies , and they brought him near before him : and there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdome ; that all people , nations , and languages should serve him : his dominion is an everlasting dominion which cannot passe away , and his kingdome a kingdome which cannot be destroyed . ver. . i daniel was grieved in my spirit , and the visions of my head troubled me . let us consider these menaces of holy writ : and instruct our soules how in that day the glory of heaven shall be revealed , the clouds shal separate , the whole firmament open ; parting like a curtaine before a screen , and discovering to us the majestick prospect within : which will fill all things created with fear , amazement , and horror . then shall the angells themselves be full of fear , with the archangells , thrones , and ●owers of heaven , not for themselves , but because their fellowservants are brought to judgement , and to give their strict accompt of their past life in this world . for if they ( under whose tutelage we are ) grieve at the judgement pronounced against one sole city under their charge , what will be the generall affrights and horrors , when the son comes against the whole world : for though themselves they know , exempt from the danger , they will have a sence of them brought before a judge , whose alseeing eye needs no proof of witnesse , or accusation . who will force the guilty to accuse themselves , and lay their own offences open , when every delinquent to heavens justice shall produce his owne deeds , his words , and thoughts to condemn himself ? will not this mighty and just severity of our lord astonish the very powers of heaven themselves . if it had not in it the horror of an inundation of a river of fire , and those terrible affrighting angells , ministers of his justice , which assist the fury and rage of his revenge : how would it move men to see the workmanship of the same creation , call'd some to be highly preferr'd and honour'd ; nay , had in great admiration while others are blinded with disgrace , lest they should see the glory of god . can you imagine a more tormenting hel then this ? when the thought of that heaven we have l●st , will more sensibly cruciate our soules from the torments of that hell wee suffer in . the infinite losse our wilfully erring and self-abusing soules bring to themselves ( in the forfeiting those excellent great blessings ordain'd them ) are impossible to be apprehended by thought , or in words comprehended . sad will be the experience of it to the impenitent . wherefore ( i beseech thee ) set before thy eyes the different ends of piety and impiety . behold the impious overwhelm'd with horrors and unspeakable punishments : and even then when the truly pious children of god shall be cloath'd with immortality , and eternall glories : when the damn'd shall be deliver'd to cruell tormenting furies ; the blessed shall be adorn'd with crownes , accompanied with angells , singing and rejoycing before the kings throne ; thus shal it be with them who on earth have done good and justice , and are found worthy of eternall life . chap. x. the joyes of heaven prosecuted , give occasion to discourse of the felicities and blessings god has promis'd our soules , the excellencies wherewith they are enricht with , and the vile contempt wee have of them , preferring our bodies their slaves before them . the joyes of heaven are beyond our dull perceptions , while wee are loaden with earth ; in vain it were to undertake labour of their description : ineffable are those pleasures , and delights , the great profits unvaluable , which will then bee ours in eternall possession , when we are received into the number of the saints glorified for ever . when the immortall soule shall be invested with her own glory ; and eas'd of all her yoakes in happy freedome , enjoy the pleasure to behold her lord . it cannot , it cannot ( i say ) be exprest how great the extasies of her joyes must bee when she shall not onely be ravish't with contentments of her glorious condition for the present , but rest likewise secur'd of their eternity , that without lessning or decay , but rather with encrease they shall endure for ever . nor is this happinesse alone above expression : for no soarings of the most elevated soules in contemplation can reach the high perfections of those blisses . we may by the waies of weak comparisons give obscure guesses , and such demonstrations the excellency of that glory onely allowes our conjectures to practise on . let us then seriously contemplate their conditions we commonly allow happy in this world ; let us make enquiry of their felicities , who exceed in riches , power , or honor , in so great overflowes , that they scarce believe themselves on earth : then let us weigh the certainty and permanence of what they hold themselves thus happy in , and wee shall find them possest with nothing but vanities , which will leave and quit them swifter then a dream . nay , imagine those pleasures lasting as their lives ( which is the most you can allow them ) and yielding the fulness of that content they fancy who enjoy them , when you find how short that time is of their being , you will confesse them none . and yet how much are worldings puffed up with these transitory delights ? will it not then bee infinite content and unspeakable satisfaction , to soules arriv'd at the haven of bliss , when ( having choos'd the stormy seas of this troubled world ) they shall bee landed on the bankes of peace , and tranquillity , and enter possession of a kingdom abounding with all joyes , and pleasures , honors , glories , and felicities without end . for in the narrow streights of this world , hee that possesses the largest inheritance , may be likened to an infant within his mothers womb , so little is his liberty , compar'd with the spatious fields of that heavenly paradise prepar'd for the blessed from all eternity . and as those are embrions in the womb , having not yet the naturall benefit of light , till their legitimate and full birth , when they are brought into the world , and participate even with their parents ( though in their first clouts ) the fulnesse and perfection of their creation : so have not wee the true effects and ends of our redemption , till we see the day of our glory . and as amongst them abortives , such will be the condemned sinners at the latter day amongst men : abortives , though those never see the light of the sun ; never know day : yet deliver'd from the cell of the wombe , into the spacious world , have the doom of a larger , yet to them a darker prison , if wee consider there is that light for them they are incapable to enjoy . so , abortives , impenitents , shall be delivered out of darknesse into greater darknesse , out of afflictions into greater afflictions . but the mature offspring bearing his marks and characters , shall be presented to the king of heaven ; then shall the mystery of salvation be reveal'd to them , and they become fellowes in glory with the angels , and the archangells . wherefore ( my beloved friend ) do not for ever blot out those characters thou art sign'd with by gods holy spirit : bury them not in a loathsome abysse of sinns . raise up thy soul by repentance , which will refine and beautifie those thy excellent parts that are now besmear'd and spatter'd with the filth of a dissolute living ; then will the lustre of thy vertues dazle those eyes to whom now thou appear'st a cloud of vanity : the most excellent beauty that is in man or woman , is no beauty , if not in relation to our discerning them ; and what to dotage our enamour'd senses , have admir'd them ; we must at the last confesse them , subject to decay and ruine : but the beauty of the soules exempt from that servitude to natures necessities , is of a more excellent condition then that of the body in it's greatest pompe : yet are our soules enjoyments more ours then are our bodies . so earnest and passionate a lover of mankind is our lord , whom hee has so nobly honor'd , that things of lesser value , ( which carry little of greatnesse in them ) he has decreed to the laws and necessity of a naturall production ; but has made us our selves the workmen of better , and more glorious effects . had the forming of our bodies beauty been left to us ; our fantastick natures had taken too much care about it , and we had utterly neglected the greater businesse of our soules . but divine providence having denyed us the power , we may justly conclude our task appointed us to bee the care of our own soules . since all the curiosity to make our selves finer creatures then we are ( which finds so many , so much employment for their precious hours ) is altogether fruitlesse : the nicer arts of colours and curles to adorne us , lookt into have made up nothing but a becomming handsome lie . when so much time spent upon the soul , had really enricht and adorn'd it with such beauties as will last for ever . and for all this how little time should we allow the better part , if so be we had a ful power to accomplish our desire on the more ignoble ; scarce any time would be spar'd upon our soules , could we beautifie our bodies as we desire , still should we be decking and adorning the base & abject slave , whilst we neglected the soule her mistresse and lady with the laziest sloath , and meanest contempt . therefore has god taken the effect of this fruitlesse labour clean out of our power , if we truly consider the end of it : but has given us the use of better , and more profitable labours , and appointed their reward . for hee that cannot truly better and beautifie his body , may do it to his soul , though never so deform'd with sin , by true contrition and repentance , making it not onely the object of good mens affections , and bad mens envie : but reduce it to the honour to bee belov'd even of god our lord , and king . this is it the psalmist means , when hee saies psal. . ver. . so shall the king greatly desire thy beauty ; for he is the lord , and worship thou him . nay , such is the great benignity of our lord , that the vildest and most dissolute sinners may hope by repentance to regain his favour , though they stand in the highest degrees forfeited to his anger , and severe judgements : which is very apparant throughout the prophets : ezekiel thus pathetically aggravates her abhominations faln into a new unheard of manner of whoredome , contrary to the custome of harlots . they give gifts ( saith he ) to all whores ; but thou givest gifts to all thy lovers , and and hirest them that come unto thee on every side for thy whoredome , and the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredom , whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredomes , and in that thou givest a reward , when as no reward is given unto thee , therefore thou art contrary . yet the mercy and grace of god calls her home , thus given over to the abominations of her lusts . for he laid not this captivity on her , having an eye to his revenge , and punishment on her wickedness , but to convert her , and bring her into order by his corrections . for would god have punish'd her as she deserv'd , shee had been swallowed in destruction . he had not brought her captives home , nor prepar'd for them a better city , or a more glorious temple then the old . haggai . . the glory of this latter house , shall be greater then the former , saith the lord of hosts ; & in this wil i give peace saith the lord of hosts . see thus often defil'd with her abhominations , the lord will not exclude this city from repentance , nor shut the doors of his ●lemency against her . no , he will not , nor will he forsake thee for ever , ( though thy desperate condition by the suggestions of the divell would perswade thee to it ) but with infinite desire and affection receive thee into mercy if thou returnest to him ; and he will lovingly embrace thy soule again , though thus sunk in the deeps of wickednesse . for no man , no man ( i say ) though passionate even to madness , can so truly affect the greatest beauty of the world , as our lord does the soul of man ; and if we look narrowly into the daily expressions of his love to every particular soul , this truth will shew it self as clear to us as the light of the day : and the scriptures abound in testimonialls of this his infinite love to us . observe in jeremiah , and throughout the prophets , how the lord has been wearied , nay , contemn'd and despised by his ; yet has restor'd the desertors , and plac'd them again in his high favours , this witnesse he bears of himself in the gospell ; when he saies : mat. . . o jerusalem , jerusalem , thou that killest the prophets , and stonest them that are sent unto thee ; how often would i have gathered thy children , even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings , and you would not . and saint paul . cor. . . god ( saith he ) was in christ reconciling the world unto himself , not imputing their trespasses unto them , and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation : now when we are ambassadors for christ , as though god did beseech you by us ; wee pray you in christs stead , be reconciled to god . o let us lay these invitations to our hearts , and the minute wee read them believe the holy ghost calling us . nor let us think it enough that wee believe aright ; for alas , infidelity is not the onely bane of the soul ; to believe well availes us nothing , if we live ill ; if wee purifie not our soules from uncleannesse , and bid a farwell to that lewdnesse of life , which so incenses the mighty anger of the lord against us . because that the fleshly mind is enmity against god ; for it is not obedient to the law of god , neither can be . rom. . . the concupiscence of the flesh stands like a separating wall betwixt our soules and mercy , which wee must utterly raze and destroy , or never hope to have a free passage to that happy reconciliation , which will crown our soules with triumph and honor ; and make them lovely and acceptable to god himself . thou art now bewitcht , with thy hermion's : face , and thinkst nothing in the world comparable to such an excesse of beauty ; believ'st the earth bears nothing like it ; thy selfe ( if thou pleasest ) maist be far more lovely then she , nay , excell her more then starres of gold and inestimable workmanship doe images of clay and dirt . if men are naturally amaz'd , and ravisht with the sight of some extraordinary beauties ; how will they be extrasied with the splendour of a soule in glory . for indeed the substance of the greatest beauties ( though in a greater excellence of composure ) is the same with the meanest and most contemptible things of nature . and are nourisht by the same meanes , and subject to the same decay , if not preserv'd by most common , contemptible and inferiour supplies . what is the inside of her killing glittering eyes ? what lies under that sweet and lovely outside of thy hermion's surpassing graces , or her purpled cheeks ? if thou art once redeemed from thy dotage , thou wilt confesse the greatest beauty but a sepulcher fairly whited and painted over , every thing within it being decreed to the certainty of ruine and dissolution : for there is nothing soe lovely that turnes not into loathsome putrifaction . but what was that former grace and beauty ( whilst thou wert in thy integrity ) in which thou didst so infinitely excell ? that was of another composition : above al the glorious things of this world , as much as the heavens exceed the earth in splendour : nay far more glorious then the heavens themselves : for though the soul be undiscernable , and wee are altogether strangers to her excellencies wee may behold her in the elevated expressions of those , whose pious zeales have left their attempted descriptions , to inflame us with the favour they had to possesse their thoughts with so amiable desires , as the contemplation of future glory , which they have severall waies aim'd to know , especially by soaring high as they were able , into the natures of angelical , and heavenly substances . chap. xi . saint chrysostome continues 〈◊〉 the glorious nature of the soul ; and from that excellence prosecutes his perswasives to theodorus ; still striving to overcome the rebellions of his lusts with exhortation , and pressing arguments . hear him whose desires would have showne the excellent substance of an happy soul ; but finding it unequall to all comparison , he betakes himselfe first to illustrate it by an assimulation to the nature of metals , whose gross being was too heavy in the purest of their extractions , to give him a sufficient hint and light of it : thence he rayses his contemplations , and attempts his comparison with the brightness of lightning ; and next of angelicall bodies , whose glorified essence he finds of a nature so abstracted from our knowledge , that he cannot expresse the curiosity and subtilety of their essences , so transplendent are they . and such shall the blessed be in their glory . mat. . they shall be as the angells in heaven , saies our saviour to the sadduces . in fine , all examples deriv'd from materiall things , can never expresse the beauty of a soule . heaven excells all the glories of the earth , fire surpasses water , the starres in lustre excell the most pretious stones ; wee may admire the rainbow in heaven , the violets and lillies , withall the pride and variety of the fields , which are all nothing in a manner , if compar'd with the glories of the soule ; and those ineffable honors she shall be clothed withall in the day of her blisse . let us not forfeit so much happinesse which a lively faith and constant hope can secure us . nay , for this wee must wade through all the inconveniencies of this miserable world . cor. . . for our light affliction which is but for a moment , worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternall weight of glory . and as blessed saint paul teacheth us , it is really easie to beare the greatest afflictions looking to the reward of our sufferings ; so is it equally easie to overcome the petulant passions of our lusts , and the same reward is appointed for both the conquests . for when i would draw thee from thy dissolute courses , i invite thee not to dangers , nor the horrors of eminent death , nor to perpetuall plagues and scourges : to no afflictions abroad , nor strife at hope ; no prisons , or irons , no hazard of shipwrack , no violence of theeves ; or thy own familiarsnares ; no hunger , cold , nor nakednesse , neither to scorching fire . and alas , wilt thou dread my exhortations ? i impose no bitter task on thee , but on the contrary , earnestly desire thee to set thy self free from a most tyrannicall captivity . and when thou art ransom'd from this bondage of thy sinns , to the happy liberty thou didst once enjoy : thy eyes opened to behold what true bliss is : thou wilt confesse the merited paines of a dissolute life , the unquiet and tormenting afflictions of a mind , given over to carnall lusts ; and what the happinesse and content of such a godly life is , as thou didst formerly leade . it were no greater wonder that an athiest , who believ'd no resurrection from the dead , should lie lull'd in his lethargick bestialitie , without any sence of his condition . but that believers , that christians ( who look after , expect and foresee what is decreed both to the good and bad ) for them to live thus miserably unconcern'd in their own calamities , nothing at all awakened with the remembrance of their future hopes or fears is most heavy , dul and sencelesse stupidity . when with their lipps men shall professe themselves believers , but look into their waies , they are by many degrees worse then infidells , and commit greater abhomination then they . for amongst the very heathens themselves , there cannot be greater monsters in sinns then are some christians : nay , what is more ( which should severely advise us to amend ) amongst them , there are often eminent examples of lives led morally , so well that they are fit to be look'd upon for our instruction ; with what shame then shall we cover our faces , when the actions of heathens and aliens to god may be precepts . merchants who have suffer'd great damages and losses , fall not from their hopes , but try the seas again , though there be the same danger of stormes , and shipwrack , which they know their greatest skill and care cannot sometimes avoid . and shall we base unworthy cowards that suffer by sin and wickedness , not dare the recovery of our lost soules , nor attempt our future preservation , though wee fall into dangerous lapses , being wee know we are forbid to despair in the greatest extremities . when indeed no evill has power over us unlesse we willingly our selves consent unto it . and why remain we then so insensibly stupid ? why use we not our hands in this combat , but lie as if they were tyed behind us , or what is worse , ( if they are employ'd ) it is against us our selves ; what madnesse is this ? that men entring the lists to fight their adversaries , turne all their blowes upon themselves . the divell lies in ambush for us , diligently observing the advantages hee has over humane weaknesse to make us destroy our selves . wee must have courage then with undaunted spirits to meet the cunning assaltant on every attempt against us , or with our own negligence and carelesse fears he ruins us for ever . as thou art fallen ( theodorus ) so likewise fell blessed david ; he to adultery added the heynous murther of innocent uriah : but what follow'd ? did he lie under the burthen of his iniquities ? did not he attempt to rise again , but overcome by satan lay prostrate to his fury ? no! he couragiously resumes his arms against his enemy ? and fought him with so prevailing courage , that his children after him were the trophies of his victory , and receiv'd the benefits of his conquest . for when solomon his sonn's heart was turn'd after other gods by means of his wives , kings . when he went after ashtoreth the goddess of the sidonians , and milcom the abomination of the children of ammon , &c. when he had with all his abhominations provok'd the lord , it is recorded in holy writ , that for davids sake , god rent not his kingdome from him . ver. . i will surely rend thy kingdome from thee , and will give it to thy servant ; notwithstanding , in thy daies i will not do it , for david thy fathers sake , but i will rend it out of the hands of thy son . howbeit i will not rend away all thy kingdome : but will give one tribe to thy son , for david my servants sake . so likewise in the daies of hezekias , though he himself were a just man , does the lord alledge the same cause of his mercy to jerusalem . kings . . i will defend this city to save it , for mine own sake , and for david my servants sake . thus did the lord continue the remembrance of davids hearty penitence ; to shew us how effectually true repentance finds accesse to the tribunall of heaven . this servant of the loreds disputed not against his redemption ; had he had the desperate opinion thou seemest to be of now , that hee could not be reconcil'd to god : he would have said perhaps ; god has done me mighty honors ; he has chosen me into the number of his prophets , has given me empire and dominion over my brethren ; and deliver'd me out of mighty dangers ; and how can i hope for his mercy , whom after so manifold blessings i have thus infinitely offended . had the prophet permitted such desperate conceptions to overcome him , he had not onely excluded himselfe from gods favour in that his sad condition at the present , but had blotted out the remembrance of all his former life . as the wounds of the body neglected , grow altogether incurable , so those of the soul , if we seek not for their remedie , lapse us into eternall perdition : yet such is our folly , that in the least distempers of our bodies , we refuse no paines , no troubles , but submit to any tortures art can prescribe for our recovery , but obstinately werefuse the medicins of our sick souls : nay , though wee are so ill , that we are beyond all cure , with what a longing desire we are attentive to what the physician speakes , in the last extreames willing to hear of comfort . but in the disease of our soules wee despair , and languish before we see reason for it , since the most dangerous wounds there are not incurable . and where the nature of the sicknesse is really desperate : wee continue our hopes ; but miserably despaire where there is no need : and where we are absolutely forbid it , we are willfully diffident , putting on the vanity of a confidence when 't is ridiculous and beyond all hopes : but such is our naturall fond inclination to our bodies , that wee look on their decayes with horror and affrightment , and in the hazards of our pretious soules , are sottishly insensible . me thinks in such a state , those words of christ may awake our heavy dull spirits . mat. . . fear not them which kill the body , but are not able to kill soul : but rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell . if these be not prevalent with thee , to perswade thee as yet to return to thy integrity , i shall labour in anguish and affliction of soul for thy deferring so long , so acceptable and necessary a task as thy reforming thy life , but i cannot utterly despair of thee , though thou wilfully do so of thy selfe as yet ; for i should be then guilty of thy own folly and peevishnesse by my distrust . which is a sin i will not commit : for ( though i see thee strangely fallen ) i will still trust in gods mercy and grace to thee , and doubt not but to see thee in a happy condition , clear'd and purg'd of all that fatall malignancy thy carelesse soule has now contracted ; and behold thee perfectly reconcil'd to vertue , godlinesse , and the favour of god . chap. xii . the story of the ninivites repentance , the proeme to saint chrysostomes farther urging theodorus to his conversion , collecting thence , that greatest sinners may return to god : he prosecutes his perswasions , alledging that many so converted , have become the best and most zealous people . the ninivites hearing that threatning , and sharp crying out of the prophet jonah ( jonah . . yet forty daies and nineveh shall be destroyed ) were not so discourag'd and dismai'd at so terrible warnings of their approaching destruction from the fierce anger of an incens'd omnipotent god , but they would yet trust to his mercy . though the decreee of his vengeance was not conditionall , but positive , niniveh shall be destroy'd without admittance of any clause to foment a hope in them , for the words of the prophet were not disjoynted , but a plain and direct sentence of judgement ; yet they submit with humble penitence . ver. . for ( say they ) who can tell if god will turn and repent , and turn away from his fierce anger , that wee perish not . ver. . and god saw their workes , that they turned from their evill ways , and god repented of the evill that he said that he would do unto them , and he did it not . see how those barbarous , rude , and mad people apprehended their imminent destruction : & togther understood the possibility of their deliverance , having their hearts set upon his infinite mercy , in his greatest wrath and rage against them . let us then ( that are christians , and nursed up in the knowledge of our lords benignity , who are instructed and disciplin'd in his word ; and know many the like examples ) stir up our soules to sincere repentance ; and not be less then them in our confidence of his goodness , and mercy for he it is whose sacred spirit has told us . isa . , . that his thoughts are not our thoughts , neither are our waies his waies . for as the heavens are higher then then the earth , so are his waies higher then our waies , and his thoughts then our thoughts . servants of men erre from the duty they owe their masters , and commit foul faults against them , yet if they grow sorrowfull , and recant that disobedience , they are againe received into their masters good opinion , and sometimes with advantage of preferment : god our gratious lord and master , ( whose thoughts and waies exceed those of men ) will deale as favourably ; nay , far more mercifully with us . if the intent of his creating us , had been to damn us , then thy despaire were reasonable and just , nor couldst thou do otherwise then doubt of salvation , when none were prepar'd for thee ; but god having made thee out of his goodnesse , and created thee to good ends no less then that thou mightst enjoy everlasting happinesse , ( and to that intent his great workes continue in thee , if thou willfully denie not to perceive it ) what should make thee thus diffident , or in the least to mistrust his mercy ? when we have the most incens'd him , then ought we most carefully to look to our selves ? most diligently and couragiously to resist all issuing temptations present , and most bitterly lament our easie yielding to those past which so miserably overcame us ; so shall wee be able to give a manifest testimony of our perfect change . for nothing more provokes our lord then our obstinacie and denyall to returne into the right way . for to do ill is but humane weaknesse , to persevere diabolicall malice . consider how horrid a thing it was , which wee read in the prophet , that iudah call'd back in the race of her vild whoredomes , would not return to the lord : jer. . . and i said , after shee had done all these things , turn thou unto me ; but she returned not . the lord strives with us , to show how mercifully he is inclin'd to our salvation , many are his promises to those who return into the right way , forsaking the meanders , and by-paths of iniquity : when hee saw israels promises of repentance , that they began to prepare their hearts to fear him , and to keep his commandements ; his promise was , that it should bee well with them and their children for ever . wherefore moses joyns the reward with the command , when hee bids them to keep the commands of the lord and his statutes , which he commands ( saies he ) for their good . deut. . . and immediately before , he commands us to fear him , to walk in his waies , and to love him . which is most remarkable , that the god of heaven should earnestly seek their loves , who so wretchedly offend him . wherefore ought wee to love him who desires to belov'd of us , who woes us , and does us all things to win our affections . nay , who spar'd not his onely begotten son for us , but gave him up , and delivered him to the ignominious death of the crosse , that we might be reconcil'd to him . and what think you , so loving a father will do for them , he has purchas'd at so dear a rate . nay , and what lies on our duty , which is humiliation and repentance , even that he presses on us , if wee were not insensible of our own miseries ( the evill of our own miseries ) the evill of our own condition would invite us to . as he speakes by the prophet . isaiah . , tell thy sinns first , declare thou that thou maist be justified . which the lord speakes , desiring to make our affections vehement , that so with freenesse and openness of heart , we may deliver our selves up to his mercifull kindnesse . infinite is this love of our lord while we anger and provoke him , while we abuse his goodnesse , and his patience , all this ingratitude cannot extinguish his love , and when hee laies open to us the injuries wee offer his divine majesty , he does it but to dilate on his love , and so to tye our affections nearer to him ; and demands of us nothing but penitent acknowledgment . if then to confesse our sinnes unto him bring with it so much comfort , as the promise of justification ; how great will our joy be , when our workes are rendred acceptable in the sight of god , and all the filth and uncleannesse of them washt quite away . and if this way to him were not accessible , after we err'd and leudly strai'd from the paths of righteousnesse , how few of many soules now glorified in heaven , had ever seen their salvation . it is worthy all mens observation , seriously to consider the returne of many desperate sinners , who after the reconcilement of their enormous soules to grace , have strangely excell'd in piety , and outshin'd those who were ( in comparison of them ) unspotted and undefiled : for the same heat and violence of theirs which made them rage in sinne , has after their conversion turn'd into a zeale as passionate in good and vertuous determinations , out of a true sence of their guilt , and the merited judgements on their past iniquities . in this excesse did christ resent the officious service of mary magdalen when hee answer'd , simon , luk. . . doest thou see this woman ? i entred into thy house , thou gavest mee no water for my feet ; but she hath washed my feet with tears , and wiped them with the hairs of her head . thou gavest me no kisse , but this woman since i came in , hath not ceased to kiss my feet : my head with oyle thou didst not annoint ; but this woman hath annointed my feet with oyntment . wherefore i say unto thee , her sins which are many , are fo●given , for she loved much ; but to whom little is forgiven , the same loveth little : and he said unto her , thy sins are forgiven . this is the devills reason , both for his vigilance and fears , that hee has often known the greatest sinners , prove the sincerest penitents . it is this makes him dread the losing of his prey , when hee perceives a conscience beginning to be struck with the sense of sin ! o how he fears and trembles at the very first step a transgressor makes out of his snares , how he is troubled at our least inclinations to conversion . for they who have once begun this happy course , can very difficulty bee turn'd back from it ; the zeale of true penitence burnes like a flame within us , till it consumes our drosse , and refines our soules to a greater purity then that of gold tryed in the fire . wee are driven with the horrid memory of our past sins , as if it were with a violent wind into the haven of vertue . and this is the reason that great sinners often prove better then they who seldome fell ; because their undertakings is to be manag'd with greater fervour , and alacrity ; the difficulty in the beginning onely deludes us , it seems a precipice at first , too hard for us to clime off the bottome of impiety , to the top of piety ; while our feet are nail'd in hell , wee may deem it impossible to get loose , and fly to heaven ; therefore wee must boldly enter into this conflict , our resolved penitence must storme the passe , though the enemy spit fire in our faces ; valiantly assault him , and thou hast already overcome the impotent wretch ; the vanquisht devill flyes thee , and leaves thee master of the field . o let us begin this heavenly journey , let us ascend into this heavenly city , let us step up the first stepps , and never look back ; till wee arrive at it , for there are wee appointed citizens ; there are our glorious dwellings design'd us . for if wee ( like forlorne soules ) cast off our hopes , wee shut the gates of heaven against our selves , and bind our feet in linkes of despair , the chain that keeps satan tyed for ever . for despair at first flung the fiend into the bondage hee is confin'd to for all eternity . the soule that once despairs , is never sensible of her own condition , weighs not the danger she is in , but speakes and acts every thing in opposition to salvation . as men quite frantick , fear nothing , are asham'd of nothing , dare do any thing without apprehension of danger , will run into seas , or fires , and fly in their fits to the edge of precipices for security . so those sinners ( who by negligent obstinacy become desperate ) run upon vices unheard of , abhominations never dream't of , imminent death and damnation stoppe not the violence of their courses , but still they winde themselves into wild labyrinths , where they are lost for ever . i therefore intreate thee ( theodorus ) before thou drownst thy self any more in this thy drunkennesse , manly to contend to get out of it ; awake , recover and cure thy soule of this diabolick surfeit . if thou think'st it too difficult presently to resolve , to leave it quite off , do it by degrees . though in my opinion , such excuses are childish , fond delaies ; and too much show thy dotage on thy beastlinesse . for if thou tryest , thou wilt find it a most easie mastery to cast those base suggestions , if a true knowledge and disdain of thy infirme reasons back thee in the conflict . o let the blessed contemplation on eternity prevaile with thee , to accomplish this blest conversion . i beseech and pray thee by those vertues by which thou once didst so highly merit , by that former trust , and confidence in our lord ; to let us see thee rais'd again to that top of vertue , where thou wert once so eminent ; and from which thou fellest so miserably ; let us see thee recover the lost strength and vigour of thy soule . pitty them that are scandaliz'd and offended at thy fall ; pitty those who perhaps by thy example example run into the same dangerous destruction , despairing of the waies of vertue , seeing thee forsake them . consider how great the grief and sorrow is , who dearly love thee . and that this thy ruinating state can be joy or gladnesse to none but desperate atheists , and youths sacrific'd to their lusts and sensualities ; return then to thy former goodnesse , and piety ; we thy friends shall be over full of joy to see that happy hour . when thou hast left them to contempt and infamie , who are now enemies to thy recovery ; malitiously wishing thou maist still continue this dissolute life ; then will wee triumph 'ore them , who gloried to blast thy honor : and once assur'd of thy conversion triumphing , crown thee with elogium's , when thy detractors shall blush and envie the truths our tongues shall utter of thee . add to this the benefits thy example may bring to other falling soules ; seldome it is , but such recoveries beget companions ; and what a joy will that be , when the splendour of thy reclaiming shall give light to others to find the way out of the same darknesse . do not ( theodorus ) neglect so great a good as may happen by thy return to vertue . and for pitty deny not our soules the joy we shall have for thee . keep not us in this depth of grieving for thee , but turn our suffocating lamentations into gentler melodious aires of joy and exultation ; which will be full in us when we see thou hast forsaken the troops of satan , and that thou art come over to the army of angells , and enroll'd in the militia of heaven . consider how infinitely exemplary and eminent their glories be , who escape the toiles and snares of satan ; how much they acquire of praise and reward , whose true repentance brings them home to the lord , how indeed they seem to excell those who have appear'd alwaies virtuous , as has been formerly demonstrated out of holy writ . so harlots and publicans have gain'd the kingdome of heaven for the lot of their inheritance , and many who were last , have obtain'd the preeminence to be the first . chap. v. saint chrysostome relates a story of phoenix , a young gentleman of his time , another of an herm it , another of a disciple of john's the son of zebedeus , and of onesimus , out of saint paul , with which he continues his perswasives to fallen theodorus . i will now relate to thee ( theodorus ) a story of mine own time , and of which i my selfe am a witnesse ; i knew a young phoenix the son of urbanus ; who was left a very young orphan by his parents , with a very great fortune in monies , land , and servants . his education was sutable to his estate , sumptuous and noble , his studies most in the liberall arts , much addicted he was to musick , and all the most pleasing attractives of so green years . he on an instant forsakes his more delightfull studies , all his pomp of youth , and gaiety of cloaths , and clad himselfe with the coursest vestments hee could get , putting on the austerity of the most reserv'd religions . hee betakes himself to the mountaines , and most solitary retirements , spending his time in the highest and most profound contemplations ; hee was alwaies exercised in matters unproportionable to the qualifications of so young a philosopher ; hee soar'd to the highest and most sublime studies , such things as were the labours of the greatest proficients in divinity , were his onely imployment ; till at length he decrees and dedicates himself to holy orders , for which he had the repute to be very fit , and gave large testimonies of his sufficiency for his undertakings . every man began exceedingly to rejoyce and wonder , that a young man so nicely bred up in all plenty and delicacy , one sprung from so noble a stock , should in the prime of his youth forsake the magnificence and delights of his large fortune , and all that bewitched happinesse , which deludes the fancy of most men , to undergoe so strict and severe a course of life ; most admirable it was , that not any temptation ( of those many his condition and fortune afforded him ) could hinder his progresse to the very height and greatest perfection of a contemplative life . at which eminence , when hee was arriv'd and justly become all mens wonder , some of his own family esteeming this his resolution beneath the dignity of his birth : make themselves the corruptors of his inclinations . their siren songes allure him into the waves of his former vanities : he forsakes all his pious resolution ; quits his solitary , and contemplative life on the mountains , and his happy solitudes , and now begins to fill the streets with his train , and pompe ; his multitude of horses , his superfluous retinue , with thousands of other follies are every mans discourse ; in fine , he grows so dissolute , that he lives neither temperately nor circumspectly ; but enflam'd with all violent and shamelesse lusts fell into most abhominable courses . every good man ( who sees his tribe of sycophants , and lewd villains stick soclose to him ) despairs of him , who had no parents living to correct and curbe the enormities of his lascivious youth , which had the ill advantage of a vast fortune to feed his extravagant inclinations . some there were who calmly expostulate with him , and urge him ( though he forsook the severities he lately had undergone ) he would yet apply himselfe to his former more pleasing , and delightfull exercises ; and bethinks himself how convenient it were more carefully to look to his estate , and the honor of his noble family ; these things were often rung in his ears , and he denied not them the hearing , who undertook the speaking . the goodnesse of his nature , and an innate modesty he had often show'd , encourag'd some holy religious men to seeke all meanes to get into his good opinion , that so they might discharge their duties to god in endeavouring to reclaim a person of whom they conceiv'd so much hopes ; to this purpose they diligently and constantly watch and observe him : when they met him abroad , their custome was to salute him with all respect , all love and kindnesse , which hee at first but slighted ; yet these compassionate men , infinitly ambitious to preserve his perishing youth , would not be mov'd at his behaviour , or put by the good of their intentions , having still their eyes fixt upon the mark they so coveted to hit , they would not be put off from the resolution they had to redeem this lambe from the wolfes jawes by some meanes or other , which at length , with much study and patience they performed . for in the end hee became something mov'd with their civilities , and a little to wonder at their behaviour to him , ( being conscious that his waies were not at all agreeable to their liking . ) in so much , that if hee spyed them a far off , hee would leap from his horse and reverently meet them with his eyes fixt on the earth , and with a grave serious attention , and hearken to what they said , till in processe of time , his respect to them continually encreasing , he ever treats them with such becomming gestures , as were due to their good intentions , and divine callings . by this artifice of theirs , they restore this young man to the grace and favour of god , and breaking all those nets entangled him , reduc'd him to his own peace of soule , and to the love of heavenly wisdome , and true piety . in which he grew so eminent , and farre excelled others ; that no man could dream he ever had led so vain a life , when they saw him so exceedingly reform'd . for having now learn't by experience , what the dangerous baits of loose and ungovern'd appetites were , hee distributes all his riches amongst the poor , and needy . and thus he frees himself from all worldly incumberances , removing all lets and obstacles that lay in his way to that haven whither hee directed his course , and where at length hee arriv'd , and became a rare and most exquisite pattern of devotion , and true piety : thus fell this noble youth , and thus recover'd he the eternall happiness of his soul . another after an exemplary patience , and many hardships in his hermitage ( who with one single companion , had liv'd in a cell to a very great age , and there led a most angelicall life ) at last by the malice and subtlety of the devill , fell into idlenesse and ugly dreames , into sluggish and yauning desires , and gives satan the opportunity to surprize him . who fires him with lust after a woman , hee burnes to have one , though hee had seen none of the sex for many years , that is , from the first day he entred into his solitude . first , hee askes his companion for delitious meats , wine , and junkets , threatning him ( unlesse he got them for him ) hee would himselfe break the ties of his vows , and go to the next town , and fetch them . which hee did not out of a true longing for wine , or those delicates , but made this pretence for his farther lewd purposes ; his companion attempts him with all the perswasive cunning he could , but finding him willfull in his resolutions , promises him to get those things he desir'd to satisfie his appetite , lest it might occasion him to run into greater sins . which he perceiving , and seeing his intents like to be frustrated ; began to deal plainly with him , and saies he must himselfe to the town . his friend ( who in vaine strove to hinder his strange madnesse ) yields his consent to that too ; but following him a far off , observes whither he goes ; and at length spies him enter into a brothell ; where he learnt out that hee had got a woman into his embraces : which when he knew , hee staies abroad in expectation of the hermits returne . the old man after his lewd conversation , comes from the brothell . this companion meets him and receives him into his armes , and kisses him extream kindly , never questions him what had past , but desires ( if hee had satisfied his appetite ) that he would return to the cell . this great meeknesse in his friend brings the poor hermit to a perfect sence of the grievous sin he had committed , and a great shame for it ; thus with passionate compunction , and contrition of heart he followes his friend to the mountaines , lamenting still by the way his inconsiderate licentious fall : comes thither , he shuts himselfe into a little roome of the cell , locks the door , which after he never opens but to his companion who brought him his bread and water ; hee charg'd his friend likewise when any one askt for him to deny him , and make an excuse as if he slept ; he found his companion very willing to assent to this ; hee then shuts himselfe up close , and there spends his whole time in fasting and prayers , and devotion , cleansing his soul from the guilt and filth of his abhominable transgression . not long after a great drought invades the neighbouring country : when all the inhabitants had in vain bewail'd this calamitie , one of them was commanded in a dream to goe to his recluse , desire him to pray for them , and that then the drought should leave them . he went and took his neighbours with him , and comming they found the hermits old companion alone ; who told them the man they sought was dead . they return to their prayers again ; and again had the same answer by the vision in every thing like the former ; then more resolutely they demand the hermit of his friend ( who was yet unwilling to confesse the truth ) till they conjur'd him to shew them the man , affirming with vehement asseverations that they knew he was not yet dead , but that he lived . he heard them thus earnest , and guess'd that the secret compact betwixt him and his friend was now reveal'd ; he conducts them to the place where the man was , where they found the doors lockt fast against them , and immediately they broke down the wall , and rusht in all upon him , where kneeling at his feet , they declared the particulars of the command they had from the vision to him , requesting his prayers that they might be free'd from the drought . he at first denies them , affirming his unworthinesse to be far below the confidence to believe he could obtaine any such blessing from god : for he had yet the horror of his old fault before his eyes as fresh as it had been then committed . at last ( when they declar'd all which had happen'd unto them ) overcome with their importunities , he was perswaded to pray for them ; and as soon as hee had pray'd the drought ceas'd . what also became of that young man who was the schollar of john the son of zebedeus in his youth ; and turn'd afterwards for a long time a leader of theeves and robbers : yet it so fell out , that he was received at the last again by the holy hands of the blessed old man ; out of the caves and denns of robbers , hee returnes into the waies of religion and piety . this thou art not ignorant , of his thou knowest as well as i : for i have heard thee admire the meeknesse , sweetnesse , and tenderness of the good old man ; when the story has been related how he first kiss'd his bloody hands , and after that earnestly embrac'd him ▪ and by this softnesse reduc'd him to his lost goodnesse . so blessed paul did not onely receive onesimus that unprofitable vagabond , that theefe converted to goodness , but thought him fit to be honour'd with honour equall to his masters . philemon . i beseech thee , saith he , for my son onesimus , whom i have begotten in my bonds : who in times past was to thee u●profitable : but now profitable both to thee and me . whom i have sent again ; thou therefore receive him who is my own bowells : whom i would have retain'd with me , that in thy stead he might have ministred with me in the bonds of the gospell : but without thy mind would i do nothing : that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity , but willingly : for perhaps he therefore departed for a season , that thou shouldst receive him for ever . not now as a servant , but above a servant , a brother belov'd , especially to me , but how much more unto thee , both in the flesh and in the lord . if thou count me therefore a partner , receive him , as my self . in the contrary case , st. paul writeth thus to the corinthians . cor. . . and lest when i come again my god will bring me low amongst you , and that i shall bewaile many which have sinned amongst you , and have not repented . and again he tells them cor. . . as before i foretold you , i foretell you , that if i come , i will not spare . doest thou not understand whose lost condition it is he so bewailes ; 't is their ? whom he will not spare ; it is not those sinners whom hee brought to repentance by his holy precepts ; but those who were obstinate and would not lend their eares to his divine dictates . and this as i foretell , so i foretell you of saint pauls was writ for all posterity of christians . for though the blessed apostle be not present with us as he had been with those corinthians , nor writ immediately to us : yet christ is present with us , who then spake by him . and wee are deeply concern'd in this sharpe menace ; for if we presumptuously persevere in sin , hee will not spare us , but will severely punish us , both in this world and in the world to come . let us prevent his wrath , and turn the face of his anger from us , in confession of our sinns , and let us powre out our hearts before him . eccles. . . my son ( saies the son of sirach ) hast thou sinned ? do so no more , but ask pardon for thy former sins . let us not stay for an accuser , but our selves accuse our selves , and so preventing him wee shall render our judge the more mercifull to us . thou wilt say , thou doest confesse thy sinnes , and that thou deemst thy self miserable above measure . i believe thee . but i must entreat more of thee ; that thy amendment justifie thy sincerity . for so long as thy confession is not from thy heart , that thou doest not accuse thy self severely with a purpose to reform them ; thy sinns will grow greater , and lie the heavier on thee . for no man brings his undertakings to a true perfection , who prosecutes them not with alacrity and due observance . would any man that sowes fling away his seed but in expectation to receive the fruit there of ? who ever propounded to himself ( if hee were wise ) to labour in vain ? and get no reward for his paines can he likewise who sows hypocriticall , tears , prayers , and confession of his transgressions , ( without a lively hope and confidence in gods mercies ) ever think to refrain from his sinns ? no! he must needs still remain under the curse of desperation . for as a husbandman who once despaires of his croppe , neglects to prevent the destruction of his corn : so hee who sows a seeming repentance , though with tears in his deluding eyes ; yet expecting no profit by it , will not at all take care to banish those malignant inclinations from his soul which utterly destroy his reconciliation to god . alas , what is it to repent , if we persevere in our wickedness ? eccl. . for when one buildeth ( saith the scripture ) and another pulleth down , what profit have they but labour ? hee that washeth himself after touching a dead body , if he touch it again , what availeth it him ? so is it with a man that praies and fasts for his sinns , and goeth againe and doth the same , who will hear his prayer , or what doth his humbling profit him ? no! who ever diverts from righteousness to sin , the lord will prepare for him a sword . proverbs . . and as a dogge returning to his vomit becomes odious : so does a fool , who by his own wilfulnesse renewes his sinns . chap. xiv . the summe and conclusion of this treatise . it is not sufficient for a perishing soule barely to accuse it self of sin : but the substance as well as the forme must concurre for the efficacie of repentance to justification . our contrition must beare a manifest accompt of our shame , and detestation of sin with a solid resolution against all relapses . hypocrisy is a maske so easily put on , that it is ordinary and common throughout the whole world , seemingly to condemn our selves of our evill waies , infidells do it with much appearing detestation of their iniquities . many men and women in the very scene while they are acting their wickednesse , will acknowledge their basenesse , when they consider the following shame : though they determine not to seeke after gathering the fruit of true repentance , or diving home to the perfections and ends of confession which are amendment , and resolution . vain and of no effect are those acknowledgements , which proceed neither from compunction of soul , nor are accompanied with tears truely bitter , and heart-breaking contrition which are the onely evidences of a resolv'd change . and yet there is something like this in the world which is not it , there are some demure devills which speak like saints , making their hearers believe by their grace and elegant setting forth themselves , they are what they never intend to be ; while they seek onely the reputation , and honor to be accounted good : which is the most easie delusion possible ; for who can judge of that which is presented to him in contrary colours , for the crime would not be the same if another man knew the truth of it , and how to tell it : as when the offender delivers it for such as he would have it believ'd . there are another sort of dull sinners , who are so sencelesse grown with their despair , and closed with the deadnesse of their condition , that they respect neither good opinion , nor bad , and will tell stories of their own shame , with as much venome as their detractors would : believing their glory the greater the more wicked they make themselves . god forbid i should live to see thee like any of these ; either a demure hypocrite dissembling the righteous man , whilst thou art rotten within ; or so vile a wretch as would not be content to sin , unlesse he had the pleasure to boast of it . what thou art chiefly exhorted to by my counsell ( my belov'd theodorus ) is to pluck up by the rootes from the very bottome of thy heart all diffidence in gods mercy , and all despair . now let us inquire what is the root , and mother of despair . it is a stupid faintnesse of mans heart ; a deprivation of courage in our spirits ; which may most properly be call'd not onely the root , or mother of desperation , but the nurse of it . as putrifaction in a dead carkasse breeds wormes , and those wormes encrease in that putrifaction ; so mutually does his faintnesse of heart combine with that despair it self bred , and is the nursing cause of its encrease . so doe they alternately administer nutriment to all the incurable plagues of our soule ; it must then be thy part to overcome this dull stupidity atd faintnesse in thee , and thou wilt find that having resum'd a christian courage , and resolv'd confidence in god : thy despair will quickly vanish : for he that faints not , cannot despair , and he that abjures not his hopes of salvation cannot faint ; or cowardly submit to his own eternall destruction . thy resolution must part with these associates benumm'd faintnesse , and dangerous despair . for where these keep possession , the soul loses her uniformity , and gracefull essence ; becomes every thing , turnes into every monstrous shape that varietie of sins can put upon her . and who is hee we may truly judge to be in this sad condition ' it is thus answered ; it sometimes happens , that a man may repent and seem to correct some of his known and grossest enormities ; and in the meane time sinns again , goes on still insensibly encreasing the weight and burthen of his former transgressions , whose guilt is never perfectly taken away , till absolutely amended ; and this in time proves the greatest cause of desperation ; this is truly to builde with the one , and pluck down with the other hand : and on this he must alwaies think seriously who by entire reformation intends his souls good . for if we look not to the scales , all our good deeds , our prayers , and our tear●s will prove too light , if such a continuall weight of sinne through our negligence be crept into the contrary ballance ; and from hence will follow our eternall damnation . but let us still be exercis'd in good deeds , and the conscience of discharging our duties according to our power will be a coat of male upon us , and bear off all the darts and arrowes of hell's malice , that they shall not be able to harme us . for such is the favour of god to good deeds , that they who have done some good on earth , and yet escape not the severity of condemnation , shall have their pains mitigated , and find some consolation even in the cruelty of torments . but he who never did any good deed , and can give no other accompt but of a wild reckoning of a life still continued , and ended in sin , what tongue can expresse the extremity of torments that forlorne soule is condemn'd to . there will be at last a tryall of good and bad deeds ; if the former weigh down the scales but a little , they will very much secure the owner ; nor will he suffer punishments equall to the ills hee has committed . but the weight of sin without any counterpoise of vertue sinkes us into the deepest abysse of hell . nor does this discourse alone aver this : for the records of holy writ most amply testifie the same . the evangelist saint matthew shewes it . matth. . . he shall render ( saith he ) every man according to his workes . nor in hell onely , but in heaven also shall there be difference of reward . john . . in my fathers house are many mansions , saies our blessed saviour . and again , cor. . . there is one glory of the sun , another of the the moon , another of the starrs , for one star differeth from another star in glory , so likewise in the resurrection of the dead . let him who considers this value the expence of his labour , and be continually employ'd in good deeds . if we attain not the glory of the sun or the moon , wee get to be little starrs , if we discharge the duty of good christians so far as to get there at all . if we shine not in glory like diamonds , or like gold , wee may like silver . but we must be carefull we are not found of materialls fitter for the fire then a place in his heavenly mansions . and if wee are not able to discharge the highest actions of perfection , let us not neglect the due observance of lesser things which we may perform . for it is most desperate madnesse to do no good at all , because we are not in the state of the most excelling perfection . for as worldlings grow rich by saving every little trifle , encreasing their store , so are spirituall riches attain'd by a circumspect laying hold on every occasion wherein we may serve our lord . it is wonderfull and something strange to humane sence , that god has appointed so great a reward as the kingdome of heaven to him that shall but give a cup of cold water in his name ? yet are men so foolish , that unlesse they can atchieve the greatest , they neglect lesser matters which are likewise very profitable . he that neglects not his duty in things but small in their appearance ▪ will learn to be able to performe greater . but he that is negligent in a little , will be a weak discharger of greater duties . and to prevent this humane inclination , christ has left us great proposalls of certain reward for things to be compast with very little trouble . what is more easie then to pay the labourer his hire , which is but a part of thy own gain , and yet large are the promises of our lord for that . see then the way to lay hold on everlasting salvation , & enter into it ; delight in our lord , & pray incessantly unto him , again , submit thy self to his easie yoak , take on thy shoulders the light burthen thou bearst in a more happy condition : and let the end of it prove worthy the beginning of thy life . do not , o do not despise such infinite riches which freely flow unto thee : and they are all for ever lost to thee , if thou perseverest to exasperate our lord with those ill courses thou art in . for if thou yet stopst the channells , and hinder'st this deluge in time before it has made too great a breach ; thou maist repaire thy losses to thy great advantage . when thou hast considered , and meditated seriously on this , as thou oughtest , fling away the filth and mud , which hangs upon thy soule ; rise from out of the mire , wherein thou hast wallowed . and see how formidable thou wilt be to thy adversarie , who believ'd he had cast thee down never to rise again , it will amaze him to see thee again provoke him to the battaile , surpriz'd with thy recovery , and astonisht at such an undaunted resolution , how fearfull will the coward the devill be to attempt again the ensnaring thee . if other mens calamities be proper lessons for us ; shall not all our owne instruct us ? i believe that i shall see this shortly in thee , and that thou wilt appear in the sight of heaven a person restor'd to grace , a more excellent and clearer soul then ever thou were , one that shall give testimonies of such perfection , and integrity ; that thou maist be ranckt amongst the best men , if not preferr'd before them . onely despair not , fall not againe ! this is my counsell ; do thou as my custome is : when ever i hear any thing from others may profit me : i make no delay to embrace and follow it , and if thou receivest with a good purpose these my admonitions , thy sick and languishing soule will need no other physick . finis . erata . page . l. . for this r. the l . of dissolute r. of a dissolute . p. . l. . of sin r. of any sin l. . for , for prepared . r. so prepared . l. . for committing every thing that was dedicated . r. committing every thing to the flames that was dedicated . p. . l. . for intollerable r. in alterable . p. . l. . r. linkd to . p. . l. . for rebellious r. religious . p. . l. . for wretched r. wretches . p. . l. . leave out and promised . p. . l. . r. like a loving father . p. . l. last , for peruses r. persues . p. . l . for confidences r. consciences . p. . l. . r. delights for lights . p. . l. . for again r. gone again . p. . l. . r. there appeared not p. . l. . for receive r. conceive p. . l. . for screen scaene . p. . l. . for undertake labour r. undertake the labour . p. . l. . for choosed r. crost . p. . l. . for hermions r. hermiones . p. . l. . for starrs r. statues . p. . l. . for hermion's r. hermione's p. . l. . for hope r. home ibid. l. . for greater r. great . p. . l. . for were r. wore p. . l. . chap. is intitled the . ibid l. . i knew a young phoenix ; r. i knew a young man phoenix . p. . l. . for religions . r. religious . reader , this multitude of faults in so small a treatise i can attribute to nothing but my own ill hand which deceived the printer , which i entreat thee to correct . the contents of every chapter . chap. i. saint chrysostome passionately describes the great esteem and value we ought to have of our own soules , and on that basis he raises the fabrick of this treatise to perswade theodorus plung'd into extream sinns , and bewitch't with the vanity of a dissolute life , to return to vertue and piety , in which he had once been an eminant example . chap. ii. the devil endeavours and practices to undermine our hopes , and raze the foundation of our eternall happiness . the comparison betwixt a dying body and a perishing soul ; with an exhortation to be couragious in our conflicts with the devill . chap. iii. gods mercie to the greatest sinners , an argument against despair . chap. iv. the example of nebuchadnezzar king of babylon , a cohaerence to the preceding chapter . chap. v. that sincere repentance is alwaies acceptable to god , declar'd out of holy writ by example , precept and parable . chap. vi . that we ought carefully to cleanse our soules from the filth of sin , which must by no meanes be slighted or neglected , since in this word we cannot presume on to morrow , every thing is so subject to mutability . and then the pleasures of the earth being so short and so quickly vanishing , we ought to fix our thoughts upon that eternity , in which we shall be crown'd with glory or plagued in torments . chap. vii . hell fire expos'd to the terror of the impenitent , with the torments and the certainty thereof . chap. viii . of the beatitude of the saints glorified in heaven , pressing theodorus farther to amendment , by arguing that heaven is rather to be sought after then hell to be fear'd : the glory of the one being a more moving object , then the terriblenesse of the other . chap. ix . of the day of judgement . chap. x. the joyes of heaven prosecuted , give occasion to discourse of the felicities , and blessings god has promis'd our soules ; the excellencies wherewith they are enricht , and vile contempt we have of them , preferring our bodies their slaves before them . chap. xi . saint chrysostome continues here the glorious nature of the soule , and from that excellence prosecutes his perswasions to theodorus , still striving to overcome the rebellions of his lusts with exhortations , and pressing arguments . chap. xii . the story of the ninivites repenpentance , the proeme to st. chrysostomes farther urging theodorus to his conversion , collecting thence that the greatest sinners may return to god , he prosecutes his perswasives , alledging that many so converted have become the best and most zealous people . chap. xiii . sant chrysostome relates a story of phoenix , a young gentleman of his time ; another of an hermit ; another of a disciple of johns the son zebedeus , and of onesimus out of saint paul , with which he continues his perswasives to fallen theodorus . chap. xiv . the sum and conclusion of this treatise . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a e- no comparison betwixt the death of the body and the soul . notes for div a e- st. chrysostom's application to theodorus . notes for div a e- the hermet . the schooler of john , in eusebius eccles. hist. lib. . c. . armour of proof, or a soveraign antidote, against the contagion of evil company together with the skill, will, and industry of lewd ones; in tempting to sin, and drawing to perdition. being subjects of concernment for the younger sort. the second part. by r. younge of roxwel in essex, florilegus. younge, richard. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text r in the english short title catalog (wing y ). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a wing y estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) armour of proof, or a soveraign antidote, against the contagion of evil company together with the skill, will, and industry of lewd ones; in tempting to sin, and drawing to perdition. being subjects of concernment for the younger sort. the second part. by r. younge of roxwel in essex, florilegus. younge, richard. [ ], , [ ] p. printed by j.m. for james crump, in little bartholomews well-yard, london : . gathered in 's. copy trimmed and tightly bound. reproduction of original in: new college (university of edinburgh). library. eng sin -- early works to . temptation -- early works to . christian literature -- early works to . a r (wing y ). civilwar no armour of proof, or a soveraign antidote, against the contagion of evil company. together with the skill, will, and industry of lewd ones; i younge, richard f the rate of defects per , words puts this text in the f category of texts with or more defects per , words. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - john latta sampled and proofread - john latta text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion armour of proof , or a soveraign antidote , against the contagion of evil company . together with the skill , will , and industry of lewd ones ; in tempting to sin , and drawing to perdition . being subjects of concernment for the younger sort . the second part . by r. younge of roxwel in essex , florilegus . my son , if sinners entise thee , consent thou not : walk thou not in the way with them ; refrain thy foot from their path . prov. , . . ●●ndon , printed by i. m. for iames crump , in little bartholomews well-yard , . to al young studients , in the universities and inn's of court apprentises of london , sons and servants in the whole nation . r. y. dedicates this small peece of his labours , and wisheth increase of all grace and happiness . armour of proof , against evil society , &c. the second part . sect. . and so much of the first part , touching the many advantages , that satants instruments have above gods servants , in winning , and keeping , and improving there converts : what men ought to do , that would not be overcome by there aluerments : and that of all the rest , we must refrayn the company of wicked men , and not dispute with them ; if we mean not to be infected by them , partake of there sins , nor be infeoffed in there punishments : together with the lawfulness of shunning all familier society , and converse with such . and now least what hath been said , should not be sufficient : see in this second part , some reasons to inforse men there unto ; which the godly wise propound to themselves , when they bid adue to there old associates in the broad way , and purpose to pledg them no more , in there wicked customs . reasons of breaking off society , with our vicious consorts . the reasons are principally . and they are weighty . . . . . . because their company would bereave us of comfort , which otherwise we should enjoy , being alone . that they may come to the sight of their errors .     we may not be infected by them , nor partake of their sinnes .     infeoffed in their punishments .     so farre as is possible we may be at peace with all men . first , that thereby they may come to the sight of their errors , and consequently be reclaimed , s. paul when he commands the corinthians to shut the incestuous person out of thelr society and fellowship , give this reason , that his spirit might be saved in the day of the lord , corintb . . . again , when he writ to timothy , that he had done the same ●ouching hymeneus and alexander , he yeeldeth this to be the reason , that they might learn not to blaspheme , timothy . . and in another place ▪ if any man obey not our saying , note him by a letter , and have no company with him , that he may be ashamed , thes. . . it was the practise of the primitive church , in her first love , that she might shine in beauty and fairness above all other synagogues , not to admit any scandalous person , or open offender into the communion of saints ; until their foule spots were carefully washt off , and taken away by the tears of repentance . the bread of the children was not given unto dogs ; neither , by an equall bounty , to the godly and the wicked , was there an equal encouragement to godlinesse and iniquity , but a separation was made between the sick and the whole ; and this separation had no other intent , but edification ; even an edification of the spirir , by the destruction of the flesh : so that men could find no fault with the dispensers of this power , having nothing to complain of , but that their lives thereby were sought to be amended , and their soules to be saved . i confesse , that was a separation of a higher nature , the power of the keyes being added , they were delivered up to sathan , shut out of heaven ; herein it is not so , but this serves to the same end , and is done only in cases of like fact . the cause was weighty , for which the gates of heaven , were to be locked ; great , in the thing done ; or great , in the wilfulness of the doer ; and this not without reason : for the doom was heavy , and fit for the back of a strong and mighty evil : it was a short damnation , a temporall hell , a shutting out of heaven upon earth , yea , heaven in heaven , even the joyes , and comforts of the spirit of consolation . neither could it be but an excellent remedy , for , besides that it was gods institution , the remedy was fitted to the disease : a degree of presumption , was encountered with a degree of despaire ; the scorpion was made a medicine , against the sting of the scorpion ; sathan was set on work , to take him down by terror unto salvation ; whom before he animated and puffed up to destruction ; he , that said at first , sin boldly , for ye shall not dye at all ; now he changeth his voyce , and saith , thy sin is greater then can be forgiven thee . but the wisdom of dispensation suffered this roring lion no longer to terrifie , but ●●til his terror did mollifie : he aimed indeed at despaire and destruction ; but the church aimed at humiliation , and conversion , yea , at consolation and salvation . and indeed humiliation for sin , is the only way to conversion from sin ; conversion from sin , the only way to the consolations of tht spirit ; and the comfortable spirit is both the guide and the way to life eternal : therefore , when the man is humbled , sathan is casheired ; the horseleech is taken away , when he hath sufficiently abated the vicious and superfluous blood . thus were men healed , by wounding ; exalted by humbling : o admirable use and command of sathan ! he is an enemy to god , and yet doth him ●●●ice ; he is an adversary to man , and yet helps him . a strange thing , that sathan should help the incestuous corinthian , to the destruction of his flesh , his concupiscense , and the edification of his soul . a strange thing that sathan should teach hymeneus and alexander not to blaspheme : he is the author of blasphemies , and yet he teacheth not to blaspheme . but is sathan contrary to himself , and is his kingdom divided in it self ? no surely : but one that is stronger then he both in wisdom and power , manageth both his craft and malice , to ends , which himself intendeth not . the divel is one and the same still , even purely malicious ; but god suffers him to go on in his temptations , just so farre as temptation is profitable , and no further : therefore while sathan is driving the offender to despaire , god stops his course , when the sinner is come to due humiliation : and then , as it was with christ in the wilderness , so is it with the humbled sinner , sathan is dismissed , and the angels come an● minister unto him . this was the nature , manner , and end of publike excommunication : private hath relation to it ; both touching canse and end . first , publike had respect to the cause ; that it was to be used , only in case of scandalous , open , and notorious impiety : so hath the private ; we do not break off society with any for weaknesses , and sins of infirmity . secondly , that did only aime at their amendment , conversion , and salvation : so doth this ; we desire only to have them look into themselves , where the fault lyes , and seek to amend their course : and certainly nothing will sooner make the adulteress or drunkard bethink themselves , then when they see , all that are honest and sober , even their neighbours and old associates , shun their company and despise them , as if they were not worthy of humane society : and if they have the least desire to be reputed honest and sober again , and admitted their familiar converse , ( without which , they are , as it were , banished into exile ) they will do what possibly lyes in them to redeem their credit , and merit their good opinion , by a more sober , honest , and holy demeanour : the disparity lyeth only in the power and severity of the agents ; we cannot , we dot not , we desire not to deliver them up to sathan ; but heartily pray that they may be delivered from him , and all evill . §. . secondly , that we may not be infected by them , nor partake of their sins . it is a true proverb , evil company corrupts good manners : and he that will not evill do , must keep from all that longs thereto . to be safe from evil works , is to avoid the occasions ; especially , he that will keep himself from iniquity , and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness , must have no fellowship with wicked persons , the workers of darknesse : ioseph thought no weapon comparable , for the beating off his mistresses assaults , to running away . the first thing that god did , after he created heaven and earth , was , to separate light from darknesse ; probably to ●hew , that the good should first of all separate from the evill , if they meane not again to become evil . it is not more hard to find vertue in evil company , then to misse vice . they were mingled among the heathen ( saith the psalmist ) and what followes ? they learned their works , ps. . . peter had never denyed and forsworn his master if he had not been in company with christ's enemies : but then how soon was he changed ? now , saith one , if such a ce●ar fell , how shall i stand ? i will not therefore hazard the fraile potsheard ( my fleth ) upon the rock of evil company for any thing . david had never dissembled , if he had not been among the philistins : which made him after ( that he might wisely shun that occasion ) say , depart from m● all y● workers of iniquity , for i will keep the comman lements of my god , psal. . . intimating , that he could not otherwise : nay , how many thousands have confest at the gallowes , i had never come to this but for evil company , which drew me to these courses ? yea , the truth is , we can not come amongst these vipers , and not be stung by them ; for even to hear them speak , will make us either angry , or guilty ; and not to be imtempe●ate with them for company , is a great discourtesie , if not a quarrel . many a man had been good , that is not , if he had but kept good company . there is a pliable disposition in all men naturally to evill ; we follow it , as iron doth the loadstone , by a natural and hidden propensity : our corrupt nature is like fire , which , if there be any infection in the room , drawes it streight to it self : or like jet , which omits all precious objects , and attracts nothing but straws and dust : or , if a man hath both good and bad in his nature , either of them will fortifie , as they meet with their like ; or decline as they find a contrary : as sampson did in his strength , who , at first being hard enough for all the princes of the philistins , at last , by keeping dalilah company , they set a boy to lead him . yea , suppose a man stands indifferent ; his company , whether good or evil , will work him into a new nature ; and by continuance , he shall grow up to the same height with them , as the hop groweth to the end of the pole , be it never so high , and he himself shall do the like to others ; as one peece of iron , being rub'd with the loadstone , will draw another peece , even as if it were the loadstone it self . a good man in ill company is like a precious pearl , fallen into the mud ; which the longer it lies , the deeper still it sinks into it : for , if the force of custome , simple and separate be great ; the force of custome , copulate , and conjoyned , and collegiate , is far greater ; for their example teacheth , company comforteth , emulation quickneth , glory raiseth : so as in such places the force of custome , is in her exaltation : which made the mother of alexander , the twenty sixth emperor of rome , fo careful of her sons education , that she kept continually a guard of men to take heed , that no vicious persons came unto him , to corrupt him in ev●l . it was a good conceit of themistocles , and not triviall , when he set up a bill of an house , which he had to let , that he added , aye , and there be good neighbours too : for it ●hall go hard , but neighbourhood will somewhat mould the whole family into better or worse , as themselves are . the sore eye , we know , in●ecteth the so●ne : and they that sleep with dogs shall swarm with fleacs : yea , a mans posterity after him , shall gain , or loose by the bargain . it were happy , 〈◊〉 the injury of a wicked man could be consined to his own bosome ; that he 〈…〉 fare the worse for his sins ; that it were but self do , self have : but as his lewdness , like some odious ●ent , is diffused through the whole room , or place where he is , and reacheth to the times , upon which he is unhappily faln : so after generations are the worse by meanes of him . an ill president , is like goodwin sands , which not only swallowed up his patrimony , but still continues a dangerous place , where too many have miscarried ▪ he is a very mean● person , that drawes not some clyents after him : even thewdas and iudas had their four hundreds to accompany them . one man may kindle such a fire , as thousands are not able to quench : one plague sore may infect a whole nation : and all the venome of sin is not spent in the act . sin among men , like the murrain in cattel , or scab among sheep , is of a catching and infectious quality : and like the plague or l●prosie , will run along from one to another : our corrupt nature is like tinder , which is kindled with the least sparke : wherefore it behoves us to avoid all provoking objects : as a man that hath gunpowder in his house , keeps it ●afe from fire : and well were it for us , if lewd ones were forced to cry , as the leper in israel , i am unclean , i am un●lean . every thing labours to make the thing it meets with , like it self ; fire , converts all to fire ; aire , exiccates and drawes to it self ; water , moistens and resolveth what it meetes witha● ; earth , changeth all that we commit to it , to her own nature . every man will be busie in dispending that quality which is pr●dominant in him : we can converse with nothing , but will work upon us , and by the unperceived stealth of time , assimilate us to it self : one rotten aple will infect a whole floor : one putrid grape corrupts the whole sound cluster . the choice therefore of a mans company , is one of the most weighty actions of our lives ; for our future well or ill being , depends on that election : if we choose ill , every day inclines us to worse , we have a perpetual weight hanging on us , that is ever sinking us down to vice . antisthenes wondred at those which were curious in buying but an earthen dish , to see that it had no cracks , nor inconveniences , and yet would be careless in the choice of friends , and take them with the flawes of vice . what was the reason ( think we ) that our saviour would not suffer his weak disciple , in the gospel , to go and bury his dead father ? luk. . . it was not any aversenesse to civil , much lesse filial respect and duty to parents ; yea , he preferred mercy before sacrifice ; but he well knew , that when he once met with his carnal friends at the funeral , they would pervert him again , and quickly flout him out of his new masters service , and that the gospel should soon loose a preacher of him . the reason why the raven returned not into noahs arke , as the dove did , is given by some , because it met with a dead carkase by the way . a wise man will be wary , not only to shun sin in the action , but in the very occasion . how many , that meant not to sin , are won only by the opportunity ? for occasion and our nature are like two inordinate lovers , they seldom meet ▪ but they sin together , and every act of sin , tyes a new knot : if we keep them asunder , the harm is prevented : and it is easier to deny a guest at first , then to turn him out , having stayed a while : it is easier to keep fire from flax , then to quench it after it is on fire : a man may spit out a spark , but when once kindled , there is hardly any quenching of it . why do we pray , deliver us from evil , but that we imply , besides all other mischiefes , that there is an infectious power in it , to make us evil ? let us therefore do what we pray , and pray that we may do it : yea , o lord , free us both from speech and sight of these bauds and panders of vice , so far as is possible ; if not , at least from joyning in league , or dwelling in house with , or having dependency on such . o how many are there , that , like the pine-tree , with their very shadow , hinder all other plants from growing under them : or , like the great mountain radish , which , if it bee planted neer the vine , causeth it to starve and wither away ? alass ! it is nothing to be godly in abraham's house : but for a man to dwell in the tents of kedar , or to live in the court of sardanapalus ; and yet to keep himself upright , is a matter of great difficulty , especially , for him that is not well rooted by time and experience . a sore new skind will fret off again , with the least rubbing ; yea , the very sight of evill is dangerous , to such an one ; lusting , for the most part , followes looking ; as wee see in eve , gen. . . and david sam. . , . which makes salomon speaking of a strange woman , advise us to keep far from her , and not once come neer the door of her house , prov. . . it is a hard matter for that soul , not to fall into those vices , unto which the eyes and the eares are enured , not out of love , but custome , we fall into some offences . we read that persina , that ethiopian queen , in heliodorus , by seeing a faire picture of perseus and andromeda , was brought to ●ed of a faire white child ; whereas pope nicholas the third's concubine , by seeing of a beare , was brought to bed of a monster . i am sure this is true in the morall of it ; which should make us equally love good company , and hate evil . i know there be in every place whole troops of evil persons ; and where there are many pots boyling , there cannot but be much scum : so that a man shall find it , either impossible , or hard , never to be amongst them , or shift off their solicitations . wherefore if at any time ( as no flie is more importunate ) they ●hrust themselves into thy conversation , doe as those which must necessarily passe by a carrion in the way ; hold thy breath , be alone in a multitude , abhor to participate with them in their vices , and hasten to be out of their aire , as p●ter did out of the high priests hall , so soon as christ looked upon him : and if they yet follow thee , turn back to them , with the angels ●arewel , increpet 〈◊〉 dominus . and lastly , if by chance , with peter , thou hast taken the least soyl , or infection from these poysoned and pitchy links , be sure to scrape or brush it off thy soul again , by prayer , examination , and humiliation : as they that come out of infected houses , aire , or wash their garments , for the more safety , thus did peter , not without cause , not without benefit and commodity . §. . it is true , they will perswade us ; that instead of being infected , we may gain by their company ; and tell us , that true crystal may touch the toade without being poysoned ; that the diamond will lye in the fire , witho●t being consumed ; that fish may live in salt waters , and yet retain a fresh tast ; that though rust will fret into the hardest steel , yet it doth not eate into the eme●al● ; that though the load-stone draweth iron after it , yet it cannot stir gold , nor the jet steel , though it doth straw ; that though the sun hardens clay ▪ yet it so tens wax ; that if a ship hath a sure a●c●or , it may lye safe anywhere ▪ neither is it absolutely unlawfull for us to keep them company , seeing christ kept company with publicans and sinners of all sorts . answ. here are good words , but no security ; which therefore an experi●nced man gives the hearing of , but stands ( the while ) upon his own guard . no charity binds us to a trust of those whom we have found faithl●sse . credu●ity upon weak grounds , after palpable disappointments , is the daughter of fol● . he that hath once broken his faith , will not easily be t●usted . i know physitians may converse with leprous pe●sons , uninfected ; but then they must have stronger antidotes , then their natures give them , or else themselves shall stand in the same need , and of physitians become patients , and need physick : ●o that may be lawfull , in a sage and stayed person , which is unfit for an ungovern'd eye once to looke upon . we read , gen. . . that lot and his wife , were forbidden to look back at the destruction of so●om ; when to abraham it was left at large , and without restraint , he being a man of better ru●ed affections . again . i know the devil cannot hurt me , so long as god is with me : as the best load-stone cannot draw iron unto it , if the diamond be by : yea , the very fear of god , and thought that he looketh on , as one spake of grave cato , will keep a man from yeilding to their temptations , as it did ioseph , touching his mistrisses allurements : and that faith , as it is no coward , so it is ever victorious : what then ? though faith be confident , yet it is not impudent ; it knowes a guard of angels will keep us in all our wayes , but not in our wandrings : though it may be lawful to come among them , yet wisdom forbears some lawful things , because they may be occasions of things unlawful . he that abstaines from nothing that is l●wful , will soon be brought to ●lo that which is unlawful . the note which comes too neer in the ma●gent , will skip into the text , at the next impression . he that will go as ne●r the ditch as he can , will at some time or other fall in . he that will do all that he may , will sometimes do what he ought not . it is hard for the b●st man to say ●how far he will be tempted . if a man will put himself among philistins , hee cannot promise to come forth innocent ; or if he do , that soul which lives among thornes , shall hardly thrive in grace . how many have fallen into a fa●hion of swearing , scoffing , drinking , out of the usual practise of others : as ●hose that live in an ill ayre , are infected with disea●es ? a man may passe ●hrough ethiopia unchanged , but he cannot dwell there , and not be di●colou●ed . when once a man gives himself over to be the companion of vice , in the ●nd he becomes the very slave of vice . the oxe being tyed to the figg-tree , ●ooseth his strength . many strokes overthrow the strongest oke . many drops of raine , though never so soft , pierce the hardest marble , yea , even the slint ●one . and let graces be never so well fixt in a mans heart , yet ●e may ●oon ●ave them consumed and wasted this way , if he take not heed : as s●ow and ice ●annot be so hard congealed , but they will melt , if they come to the fire . and ●ttle do our peremptory resolvers in this case know , or confide , 〈◊〉 the insi●●●ative power of evil , or the treachery of t●●ir own hearts , in receiving it , or 〈◊〉 importunity of wicked deceivers , in ob●uding it : they are the worse 〈…〉 an egg covered with salt ( as philosophers teach ) hath the meate of it deleli consumed , whilst the shell is whole . and we reade of many towns , which hav●● in time been undermined , even with the most impotent and weake creatures● as one in spaine , with con●yes ; in thessalia with moles ; in france wit● frogs ; in africa with flies . many an one receives poyson , and knowes not when he took it . many breat● in this world , like men sleeping in a boate , are carried down the stream , even 〈◊〉 ●their 〈◊〉 , without waking , to think where they are . no man proves extreamly evil on the sudden : through many insensible d●●clinations do we fall from vertue . sathan's agents are still scattering his 〈◊〉 darts , among the army of israel ; and when they light upon wood , they kindle ; when upon fl●x , they flam● ; when upon gunpowder , they blow up all they therefore that lov● such intricate and perplexed walkes , had need of ●ron shoes . t●ue it is , that christ conve●sed and kept company with publicans and sinners ( as the physitian with the sick ) to heale their soules : neither did the● make him worse , but he made them better : but as true it is , that he was with●out the level or temptation ; and so is no gene●al war●nt . i will therefore no● only shun evil , but the means to come to i● ; an● to avoid hurt , i will 〈◊〉 my selt out of ●hot : n●ither will i presume , being but a man , to follow my master in that which he did as god . indeed , many are so presumptuous of their strength , that they think they can come in any company , and yet come of clear : but he which comes to save one drowning , must be stronger then the other , or else he will be drowned himself . pliny reports , that a family neare rome would go upon live coles withou● being burnt : had it hereupon been necessary for others to put the same in practise ? no , neither is it necessary for us to do that herein which our saviour did our min●s have not that ballast in them , which his ●ad , and so are sooner endangered , by the floods of wickedness . secondly , wher●as they object : that we may gaine by their company : i confesse it possible , for even t●e most venomous and ●a●nous things that are ▪ have their commodi●es , as well as their annoyances : and the cocke by scraping in a dungnill , did once find a jewel : virgil from enniu's dunge did gold extract : and apoth●caries of vipe s flesh can make an an●idote against poyson : an harlots tace may suggest 〈◊〉 : and a s●●ul sureset may prove an antidore for sin : yea , as external cold kindles the heate or the stomack : so we find it reco●ded in holy writ , that some , by a spiritual ant p●●ist●●sis , have grown horter in their z●ale , by being encompassed with the outward cold o● wicked and irreligious company : like roses and lillies , which flourish the more for being beset with t●●nes : and violets , which are the sweeter and more od●ri●erous ▪ for being beset with garlick and onie●s ; for as much as they suck and draw all the ill ●avours of the ground unto them . thus it fa●● with lot , who served god better among the beastly sod●●tes , then when he was separated ●●om them . and some others there are no doubt , who , as they owe not this ●● to themselves , so they are more for wonder , then imitation . for 〈…〉 found a guard in the lyons den , shall another thrust himself t●●reinto for ●●elter ? and if peter walkt upon the pavement of the water , did the rest of t●●●●sciples step forth and follow him ? no . ob. but say some . by keeping them company we may winne them , and hap●ily convert their soules . answ. i answer . hope not so much to convert them ; as fear that they will ●ervert thee , for vertue is not so alluring as vice : the one spreads it self , like ●oyson in a vessel ; the other is not half so dispersive . sin , and hagar , are more ●ruitful then vertue and sara● : fal●hood , more successeful then t●uth . the ●ore eye infecteth the sound : the sound will not mend the sore . vinegar will ●ar w●ne ; wine will not mend vinegar , infection is sp●eading and catching : ●ealth is not so . an hund●ed sound pe●sons shall sooner catch the plague , from one infected person ; then he receive his h●alth from them . salomon that wonder of wisdom , might think by joyning in affinity with his neighbour princes , and marrying their daughters , to win those heathens to the kingdom of god : but he was deceived , fo● he could do no good upon them ; they wrought him too much evil . and doth not experience teach us , that the good are sooner perverted by the bad , then the bad converted by the good ? even as a tainted ayre doth more easily infect a sound body , then an wholesome can clear the sick . we reade of certain magnetical , or adamantine rockes , in the iles of moni●le , which draw all ships u●to them , that have any iron pinnes , holding them so fast , that they are not able to sti● : evil society , are such rockes ; holy men , the ships ; naturall and inbred corruption , the iron pinnes : he that will be safe , let him ke●p far enough from such rocks . a good man , joyned in l●ague with one that is wicked ; is like a living man , bound to a dead corps , which will sooner suffocate him , then he revive that : or , like an i sickle , can endure the rough northern wind of persecution well enough , but melteth wi●● the heate of the s●n , swee● allurements of the world , and the flesh . the children of god are , as it were , dead 〈…〉 l●sts ; but if they should tempt god , by a too familiar society with the vicious ; who knowes , but as live coles will kindle dead ones ; so their evil speeches and actions may kindle and enflame them with the love and liking of 〈◊〉 ? indeed , as one said to his suppliant , make me a diviner , and i will make thee rich : so may a good man say to a vicious ; make me angelicall , that is , incapable of being seduced , and i 'le do my best to make thee a convert . §. . thirdly . our entirenesse with wicked men ●●osses us , not only in their sins , but oftentimes in their punishments also ; as it fared with the . men which were slain before aye , for achan's sake , ioshua . where we see the innocencie of so many thousand israchtes was not so prevalent , to expiate his one sin ; as his one sin was , to taint and bring judgment upon all israel . if the stork be taken damagefeceant with the cranes , ●he is enwrapped in the same net , and cannot complain that she is surprised . he that walketh with the wise ( saith salomon ) shall be wise ; but a companion of fools , shall be afflicted , pro. . . this augustine well observes , speaking of the religious , taken amongst the rest of the gothes , iure amara● vitam sentire , quia ●●cantibus amari esse nolu●runt . and hereupon moses separates israel from ●orah , dathan , and abiram , saying , depart from the tents of these wicked men , and touch nothing of theirs ; least ye perish with them ; num. . . and doth not god himself say to his people , touching babylon , go out of her , my people , that ye be not partaker of her sins , and that ye receive not of her plagues ? rev. . . where sin is let in , punishment will not be kept out . yea , if lot had stayed in sodom , he had been destroyed : if his sons would have gone out , they had every man escaped . indeed , we cannot be too far off from such company ; and it were happy if they were kept by themselves ; for so long as the infected person is shut up , his plague doth not spread . and besides the benefit of our safety , wickedness would soon be ashamed of it self , if it were not for the encouragement of companions . solitariness is the fittest antidote for spiritual infection . it were happy for the wicked man , if he would be separated from himself . antisthenes would often say , it was a great oversight , sithence they purged their wheat from darnel , and their warres from cowardly souldiers , that they purged not their common wealth from lewd and wicked people . or if our persons escape scot-free , yet we may suffer in our estates , and be crost in our most weighty designes and determinations , only for joyning in league or friendship with gods enemies . because thou hast joyned thy self with abaziah ( saith eleazar to iehosaphat ) the lord hath broken thy works , and the ships were broken , that they were not able to go to tarshish , chro. . . but admit they can not infeoffe us , eitheir in their sin or punishment : yet their society will be a shrewd vexation to us . as let a religious man fall into their company , as an honest man may fall into the hands of theeves , they will conspire how to afflict his eyes , with unchast visions ; his ears , with fearful oaths , his unwilling appetite , with drunken healths ; which even a civilized pagan would abhor . we read that clitemachus the wrestler ( though a great company keeper , yet ) if he had heard but one filthy word , would presently depart . how was just lot vexed with the uncleanly conversation of his wicked neighbou●s ? sodom was worse then a jaile to his righteous soule : and report lyes , if our jailes be not much like to sodom , the very dens of mischiefe , the scholes of wickednesse : a malefactor learns more vilany there , then ever he knew before : drunkenness and blasphemy , usurpe the place of mortification and humility . or lastly , if their society be not a vexation to our minds ; at least it will be a great disparagement to our names : every one will conclude , almost infallibly , such as our company is , such is our disposition . the common proverb is , like will to like . and , birds of a feather , will flock together . when iephthah was himself in banishment , there gathered to him idle follows , such as himself , iudges . . when david was in trouble , and vexed in minde himself , their flockt unto him all those that were in trouble , vexed in mind , or that were in debt , even four hundred of them , to the cave of adullam , sa. . . yea , our saviour meets no less then ten lepers in one knot . fellowship is that we all naturally affect , though it be in leprosie ; even lepers will flock to their fellows . where shall we find one spiritual leper alone ? drunkards , prophene persons , hereticks , will be sure to consort with their matches . and hereupon the lacedaemonians , when they would certainly be informed , what the disposition and behaviour of any one was , vvould vvisely inquire vvith vvhat persons , they vvere linked in fellowship . and indeed , he that makes himself a companion of all , sells his reputation very cheape : it being as great an indecorum , for a holy christian to be in the company of gracelesse persons , as it is for a reverend divine to sit upon the stage in a publike threator ; or an old man to dance with little children in the streets . base company ( saith one ) kills both our fame , and our soules : it gives us wounds , which will never admit of healing . how many have irrecoverably lost their good names , by keeping company with suspected persons ? and whether the report be true or false , it is no easie thing to disprove a slander , for like an unruly spirit once raised , 't is hard to conjure down again . a mans good name is much easier kept , then recovered . and thus you see , that evil company endangers our soules : or could our soules be free , yet our persons are in danger ; or could our soules and persons both be safe , yet our estates are in jeobardy , or could our souls , bodies and estates be secure , yet our fame would suffer , and our good name lye at the stake . wherefore , &c. §. . fourthly . but admit we could keep them company without harm ; yet this inconvenience would ensue , their company would bereave us of much good , which otherwise we should enjoy , being alone ; it faring with the godly wise , as with saint ambrose , who was wont to say , i am never lesse alone , then when i am all alone , for then i can enjoy the presence of my god without interruption . they are able to say , as dubartus , and ( before him ) scipio , i have never better company , then when i have no company , for then can i freely entertain my own thoughts , and converse with all the learned , which have been in former ages . antisthenes being asked what fruit he had reaped of all his study ? made answer , i have learned by it , both to live , and walk with my selfe . and alphonsus king of arragon being demanded , what company he liked best ? replyed , bookes , for these ( saith he ) without feare , or flattery , or any reward , tell me faithfully all that i desire to know . cicero was , and i am of his mind , and though i be no hermit , to sit away my daies in a dull cell , yet will i choose , rather to have no companion then a bad one . when cato utican , in vacation times , and at his best leasure , went to recreate himself in the country , he used to cary with him the best philosophers , and choisest bookes . algerius an italian martyr said , he had rather be in prison with cato , then with caesar in the senate house : so was it more comfortable , to be with philpot in his cole-house , then with bonner in the palace : boner's conscience made his palace a cole-house , and a dungeon ; whiles philpot's made the cole-house a palace . the state of grace is heaven upon earth ; and he that knows the sweetness of gods presence , will deem it more tollerable to be ever alone , then never able to be so . when i read of hiero the tyrant of syracusa , and other such , that gave over their kingdoms , to live a solitary life , i somewhat wonder : i should not , to hear of a religious and christian king that did so . it is impossible for the natural man to be so merry , in company ; as the believer alone ; yea , saith s. augustine , the teares of those that pray , are sweeter then the joy s of the theater . indeed , a witty j●st may make a man laugh more , and lowder : b●t he who hath an inheritance fallen to him , feeles a more solid joy within : so he that enjoyes his saviour , and hath the a●●ir●ance of heaven , is truly merry at the heart , and keepes hilary ●earme all his life . and indeed , nothing in the world is worth envie , besides the condition of a true ch●istian . but to what end doe i tell a blind man , how glorious and bright a creature the sun is ? or a poor man , what summes of money are in the kin●s exchequers ? to so many as are unrenewed i speake in parabl●s , revel. . . yea , this seemes to them a paradox , that the people of god should be a merry people : for contrariwise , they dream of nothing but solitarin●●●● , and melancholly : as the common people thought tulli to be most idle , when he stadied most : or as the husbandman in aesope objected idlenesse to the poe● : b●t as he replyed , i am never so idle as in thy company , so may the religious , we are ever so solitary , never so melancholly ; as when in society with you that are vicious . this was david's case , which maketh him cry out , wo is me , that i must remain in meseck , and dwell in the tents of kedar : he found it a heavy yoke to be yoked with irreligious companions . and a double reason may be given of it , though we fear not to saffer either in our persons , goods , or good names ( as before you have it . ) for fi●st , the soule that lives among thornes , shall hardly thrive , they are such backbva●●es to a godly life , that they will do what they can , to hinder our goodness to heaven , and the goodness of heaven to us ; they will wither all our good pa●●s and qualities which are in us ; like an evil north-wind , they blow upon the buds of our graces , and nip them . . secondly , it would make a mans heart to bleed , to hear and consider , how swearing , blaspheming , cursed speaking , railing , slandering , quarrelling , contending , jesting , mocking , scoffing , flattering , lying , dissembling , vain , corrupt , and filthy scolding , scurrilous , loose and idle talking , doth overflow with them in all places : so that such as fear god , had better be anywhere then in the company of most men . now i were mad if i should so affect company , as to live voluntarily where vexations shall daily salute me . indeed , a man is not rightly said to live , untill he hath abandoned wicked society . similis having lived seven yeers apart from the world , after a long time spent in a military life , he left this epitaph behind him , here lies old similis , yet one that lived but seeven yeers , this made frederick the third , elector palatine , when some such friends of his desired his company , to answer , i have lived enough to you ; let me now live to my self , and with my lord christ , yea , saint augustine , ten dayes before he dyed , desired none might come to him , that so , in that time , he might the better fit himself for god . and indeed that soule can never enjoy god , that is not sometimes retired . o that we could , in any reasonable time ; give a stop to our madding and ●traying fancies : that we could , after so long time spent in the lusts of the flesh , and pride of life , bring home our cogitations and intentions unto our selves , ●nake off these violent hold-fasts , bid our companions farewel , which have too ●ong engaged our soules , and estranged us from our selves . but when we are so we●ded , combined , and glewed to the world , it is no easie matter to make a safe retreat : it is a fleaing to some to be sundred ; thereby you pal away some 〈◊〉 of themselves . in this case , what we cannot do all at once , let us gain upon our selves by degrees ; go back step by step ; first , block up one passage , then another . will you know what course demostheness took in this case ? he , to the end that his 〈◊〉 and nearest friends might not ( by carying him abroad , according to their custome ) withdraw him from his study and books , caused the hair of his head to 〈…〉 ; and after took an order , that they should not peep out , 〈◊〉 he had shook off his consorts , by continually making them loose their 〈◊〉 . it were happy for our young stu●●ents , if they would a little imitate him ; if they were not overmuch affected and addicted to company keeping ; if they would but consider , that friends are the thieves of time , the most precious jewel they can part withall . §. . but here it will be objected . that we are melancholly persons , strayers from the drove of mankind , and whereas nature hath made us sociable creatures , in making us men , religion hath altered to a crazied disposition , whereby we are mispleasing to all , as all to us . to this is answered . suppose it were true ( but i shall in place more convenient prove , that the religious only enjoy true mirth , and that worldly mirth is more talked of then felt , spiritual joy more felt then talk'd of , though i may appeale to any mans conscience , that hath been softned with the unction of grace , and truly tasted the powers of the world to come ) yet they think it is better being a good christian , then a good fellow ; and hold it far better , in good sadnesse to be saved with a few , as noa● was in the a●ke , then in good fellowship , with the multitude , to be drowned in sin , and damned for company . we are content ( saith one ) to passe , through somewhat more unsociably , into happiness ; it suffi●●●th we shall meet with good company , at our journeys end , in the kingdom of heaven , even an innumerable company of saints and angels . the men of the world practise , what once a jester spake , who , when a great lord asked him , whether he would go to heaven or hell ? answered , to hell , for there ( quoth he ) i shall be sure to meet your lordship , and the greatest part of mine acquaintance . but it is not so with the true christian : he little loves christ , that will not follow him without company : and his zeale is cold to heaven , whom the example of numbers can turn another way . wherefore let us say , as much as peter said ; and do more , then peter did ; though all men shoul● forsake thee , yet will i not leave thee , o saviour : neither magnitude of princes , nor multitude of people , shall prevail with me . but the world wrongs religion , when they accuse it to be an enemy to good-fellowship : for she hath not a follower , which doth not say with david , psa. . . i am a companion to all them that feare thee , and keep thy precepts for the godly mans chief delight is in the saints , and such as excell in vertue psa. . . yea , and their fellowship is so good , profitable , and delectable , tha● as synesius was of opinion , that king hieron got more by simonides acquaintance , then siminides did by his ; and as we read that pharaoh , saul , and nebuchadnezzar were more pleasured by ioseph , david , and daniel , then daniel , david , and ioseph were by them : so i perswade my self , great persons would find themselves more then requited , if they would vouchsafe the company of some poor saints : for a wise and holy christian ( like his lord and master ) wheresoever he goes , makes better cheare then he finds , in an happy exchange of spiritual repast for bodily . yea , as plato accounted it one of the four great privilidges , for which he was especially bound to nature , that he lived in the time of socrates : so they should think it none of the least favours , for which they were bound to blesse god , that they enjoyed so religious and holy society . it is true indeed , there is supposed good fellowship , to which religion is an enemy ; because it is an enemy to this holy fellowship of the saints : and good reason , the one are to the other , as wolves are to the lambs : now is it any marvail if the lambs care not greatly for the company of the wolves ? the lambe would not willingly be alone ; yet it is far bette● when solitary , then in a wolvish society . generons minds will associate with their matches and equals , or none : as david being a king , when he was expulsed his own country , resorts to none but kings : for first he goeth to achis , king of gath ; then to the king of moab , sam. . . and sam. . . neither are our ding-thirsts , who lavish out their estates , and throw the house out at windowes ( as we use to say ) good fellowes , though they call themselves so : for good fellowes and evil men are incompatible ; ike simeon and levi , sworn brothers , but brethren in evill ; which is too evil a brotherhood , for an honest man to make one in , or ( indeed ) a wise man : for is not hee a fool , that will sell heaven for company , as a great many true drunkards doe ? for my own part , if i have good company , i will cherish them as lot did his angels , which were sent for guardians : if i have any bad , i will studie to loose them , least by keeping them , i loose my self in the end . §. . fiftly . another reason why we should separate our selves from their society is , that according to the apostles rule , so far as is possible , we may have peace with all men , which is no way obtainable , but by a separation . a wicked man ( saith salomon ) is abomination to the just : and he that is upright in his way , is abomination to the wicked , prov. . if so , either no communion , or no peace . believers , and such as are enemies to the crosse of christ , can never be reconciled , at least in heart . what communion can righteousness have with unrighteousness ? you may as well tye a sure knot between a cobweb and a cable as a true and fast love-knot , between the child of god and a wicked man . these two yoked together , agree like the harp and the harrow : they are as suitable , as a wooden legg , and a thigh of flesh : which makes the apostle rom. . . ●n enjoyning us to have peace with all men , to add , if it be possible : and in another place to say , be not unequally yoked with infidels , for as we should not be yoked with infidels ; so we should not be yoked with common drunkards , and swearers , nor with atheists , which are no better then infidels ; for that also is to be unequally yoked , unless we be atheists too . as the iews might not consort with the canaanites : so we may not consort with them , which are like canaanites . wise salomon chargeth us from god , that wee should not keep company with gluttons and drunkards , proverbs . . and the apostle enjoyneth us , not to have any fellowship , nor so much as eat with a runkar● , cor. . . and that we should have no fellowship with these unfruitful works of darknesse , or , if unwittingly and unwillingly we be thrust into any such society , we must not imitate , but reprove them , ephesians . . and wee professe our selves the servants of god : new they are bad servants , who will keep company with their masters enemies , especially , after he hath streightly charged them to the contrary . alasse ! what should we do in the presence of base persons , when even our seber ignorance , in ill courses , is more then di●teemed of the world ? yea , when it is not enough for them to be bad themselves , except they 〈◊〉 at the good ? when if there be one in a company , that abhors impious language , they will blaspheme on purpose to vex him ? when they will think themselves slighted , if they be not sent away drunk ? when to depart sober , is 〈◊〉 incivility ? and we cannot talk idly enough , nor do lewdly enough , to bear the● company ; we can neither say as they say , no● be silent when we see and hear 〈◊〉 ba●eness . as whom would it not stir , to hear oaths 〈◊〉 for number , with words ; scoffs , with oaths ; vain speeches , with both ? we love neither to bite , nor fawn 〈◊〉 we can not forbear to speak the naked truth ; which i● we do , will breed a quarrel . as for instance ; one j●sts 〈◊〉 with his maker ; another , makes himself sport with sc●ip●ure ; a third , sils his mouth with oaths of sound ; a fourth , 〈◊〉 at the religious ; one , speaks vi●lany ; another , laughs at it ; a third , de●ends it ; one , makes hims●l● a swine , another , a divell , now who , that is not all earth , can endu●e it ? yea , who , having grace , can hear such wickednesse , and ●eeleth not some sp●rk of holy in●ignation arise in him , while he thinks of it ? o who having no● lost his spiritual 〈◊〉 , can endure the ●avour of such noysome and ●●●king breath , as their rotten lungs send ●orth . well born children a●e touched to the quick , with the injuries of 〈◊〉 parents : and not thus to be moved , is to confess our s●lves bastards . indeed , men of steel stomacks can digest any discou●s● , though never so cours● ; but the g●acious know , that as they must render an ●c●ount for every idle wo●● , so likewise for their idle silence ; for in this case not to reprove them either by word , or gest●re , is to do the same things in judgment and conscience , which the other doth act●ally . every evil we see doth either v●x , or infect us . the very sight of sin makes a man either sad , or guilty : if we see it , and be not sorrowful , we are sinful . if lot had not been vexed with the beastly so●omites , god had been vexed with him : yea , in such a case not to be very angry , is to make god very angry . ely heard of his sons impiety , no doubt with grief enough , but not with anger enough ; therefore he is punished with hearing of their destruction , that was too remisse in hearing of their transgression . it is easie to be guilty of anothers wickednesse , even our very permission appropriates crimes to us : we need no more guiltine●s of any sin , then our willing tolleration . all sins which we give allowance to , being committed , or not hind●●●d by us , if we may , are ours , as if we committed them : fu●rt , commanders ; . abbettors ; . counsellors ; . consenters ; . commenders ; . connivers ; . concealers ; . not hinderers ; each of these will be found guilty before gods t●●bunal . what saith the prophet to king ichosaphat , wouldst thou help the wicked , and not only so , but wouldst thou love them that ha●e the lord ? therefore for this thing the wrath of the lord is upon thee , chron. . . we need do no more to bring the wrath of god upon us , then even to love and favour these which hate him . how much better then to oppose thy friend by rep●●ving him , then that god should reprove thee for being at one with him . but this is no friendly part : yes , the scripture affirms , that not to tell one● brother plainly of his fault , at least , if there be pr●bability of doing good , is to hate him in his heart , levit. . . and philosophy tels us , that is truly perfect love , which , to profit and do good , f●areth not to hurt or offend ; that admonitions and corrections are the chiefest offices of friendship . diogenes when they called him dog , for his sharp kind of rebuking , would answer , that other dogs used to bite their 〈◊〉 , but he his friends , for their greater good . and s●ipio , the elder , when his f●iends , for so doing , turned his enemies , was able to ●ay , i have given mine enemies as much cause to l●ve me , as my friends . ph●cion when a friend of his would have cast himself away , would not suffer him , saying , i was made thy friend for this purpose : and to king antipater , thou canst not have me both for thy friend and flatter . indeed , a flattering friend is a bitter enemy , yea ( as one swee●ly ) no enemy can be so mortal , as these officious clyents , whose flattery sothes a ma● up in wickedness ! for they are traytors to the soul , and by a pleasing violence kill the best part eternally . whence euripides exhorts men to get such friends , as would not spare to disple●se them , saying , friends are like wines , those that being new are hard and harsh , prove best ; the most pleasing , are least lasting : and indeed , he that loves not such a friend , hates himself . a wise man will say to his friend , love heartily , and then speak what thou wilt . and for a man not to chide his f●iend , least he should offend him , is as if ( when he were ready to be drowned ) he should fear to catch him by the hair of the head , lest he should loose a few of them . wherefore either let them abide thee no f●iend to their faults , or no friend to themselves . and what if admonition and reproof be as unwelcome to thy friend , as water into a ship ? what if it sound no better to him , then musick out of tune ; or tast no sweeter , then bitt●r pils , which sick men take with an unwilling willingnesse ? wilt thou neglect the office of a friend , to avoid the suspition of an enemy ? indeed , if thou meet with a contentious fool , thou shalt do wisely , in not answering whatsoever he objects : for it is more policy and discretion to gain a f●i●nd without trouble , then a foe with it : and our saviour saith , give ye not that which is holy to dogs , neither cast ye your pearl before swine ; least they tread them under their feet , and turning again all to rent you , matth. . . again , as in gods and their own behalf we are bound to reprove them : so in our neighbours also , to whom , in this case , we owe a duty : for , admit we are in company when , and where our brothers good name is taken away by false report ; it is our duty to defend the truth , in his behalf : we must neither backbite others , nor be willing to give eare unto backbiters of others . it was an honest speech of one ; as i will be my present friends self , so i 'le be my absent friends deputy , to say for him what he would , and cannot speak for himself . but thou wilt ask me . what need men trouble themselves with that which so little concerns them ? my answer shall be such another question . what needed moses to have afflicted himself with the afflictions of others , that he might work their deliverance , when himself was at ease and pleasure in the court of pharaoh ? what needed ionathan have purchased his fathers displeasure , and brought his own life in jeopardy , that he might justifie david in his uprightness , and save his life ? what needed calvin , in the yeer , when perin had conspired against the estate of geneva , have run into the midst of their naked swords , to appease the tumult ? what needs the hand cast it self betwixt a blow and the head , though it be cut off by this mean ? what needs the eye serve more to the use of the other members , in being watchfull rightly to direct th●m , then for it self ? a good heart cannot abide to be happy alone ; which is a religious answer , to a reasonable question unreasonably moved . yea , admit it were not a duty for one member to seek the good of another , or of the whole , and that god had not enjoyned us so to do : i am sure it is a pardonable fault , to do lesse good to our selves , that we may do more good to , and for others . but suppose we offend them not this way ; yet we shall another , if we keep them company . the naturall man conceits of himself , far beyond what another esteems him : and in ●ase he finds he is undervalued , will flye in your face , and perhaps do you more mischief , then can easily be repaired : as that was done in one quarter of an hour by our first parents , which tended to the ruin of them , and all mankind . it is usual with drunkards to kisse when they meet , and kill when they part . d●unken alexander killed clytus , for whom sober alexander would have killed himself . the danes and norwayes once purposing for england , fell drunk on shipboard , and so slasht one another , that there was an end of their voyage . out of their gallant disposition , you shall have one kill another , upon the interpretation of a word ; a manifest confession , that their life is not much worth , sith they will sell it so good cheap : yea , there are not wanting of them that resemble fimbria of rome , who meeting a citizen that he hated , gave him a deadly thrust into the body with his sword , and the next day entred an action against him , that he had received but part of his blad into his body and not all , as he meant it . yea , perhaps they may make you to do that which you never dreamt of : like herod , who cut off iohn baptist's head , only to answer the expectation of the standers by , matth. . . as for flattery it never wants welcome , while self-love , is at home : but the plain dealing man cannot live among these vipers , and not be stung by them : yea , he lives most in trouble , that most seeks to have peace with them by a familiarity . well then , if they are so offensive to the stomack of our company , that they will not let us be at peace ; our best way will be to spew them out , to deal with our old vicious con●orts , as the fox in the fable did by his flees : who wading backward into the water , by degre●s , drew them all into a lock of wooll , which he ●ad in his mouth , and then left it swimming ; even leave them , without taking leave of ●hem ; or if you like not to tear friendship asunder upon the sudden , you may unsow it by little and little . he that would not continue a friend , may 〈◊〉 neglect him , and have his aym . §. . o● . but i hear none boast so much of peace , as the ungodly ; nor none 〈◊〉 with contention , as the religious . 〈◊〉 . b●ast of it they may , but it is apparent that the way of peace they have not so much as known : indeed , they have some kind of agreement among 〈…〉 so have serpents , and beares , and wolves : it is a rare thi●g , to see one wolf devour , or fight with another : yea , they have made a covenant with death , and are at agreement with hell , isai. . . and yet : as ther● is no peace to the wicked , isa. . . so there is no peace among the 〈◊〉 , fo● every combination in evil , is rebellion , and not peace ; rather a conspira●y , 〈◊〉 a concord ; like the agreement of absalom and a●hitophel , 〈…〉 against david ; or of herod and pilate , conspiring against apostles , plotting against paul , so meeting in malice to do 〈…〉 dissention is better then such a wicke● peace . neither can any wonder , that wicked men do so conspire in evil , that there is such 〈◊〉 in the broachers & abbettors of it ; if he but take notice of those 〈◊〉 , which b●ing many in substance , were yet one in name , action , habitation , even a wh●le legion in one man , mark , . . all the praise of concord is in the 〈◊〉 ; if that be holy , the consent is angelicall ; if sinfull , develish ; true 〈…〉 with god , war with our lusts , rom. . . and . . . 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 , war with vice : whereas they have peace and are at league with 〈…〉 but are at war wit● g●d , and good men all at once : but a just war is a 〈…〉 better , then such an ill conditioned peace ; yea , it no way deserves t●e name of peace , except we be at enmity with the serpent , at unity 〈…〉 so to be at peace with men , as that we do not war with god and his graces : peace must be followed with holinesse , heb ▪ . wherefore 〈◊〉 joyneth ●aith , peace , and truth together , zach. . . and st. paul , peace and righteousness , peace and edification , peace and joy in the holy ghost , rom. . . . . &c. thus the scripture sets us our bounds for peace , which we may not passe ; and shews that ungodly men are not guilty o● this grace ; that they do but talk of peace , not practise it . but suppose we could enjoy peace in their company ; ye● we can never expect to have 〈◊〉 loves : for d●unkards only love drunkards , and one wicked man another ; but care not a rush for any that are good : being like phalaris the tyrant , who would never grant any request , except it were to a dissolute woman , but such he never denied . likeness we know is the cause of love , and lov● the cause of likeness ; whereas the believer and the unbeliever are altogether unlike ; the one being crucified and dead to the world , gal. . . but mad● alive in christ , cor. . . the other being spiritnally dead , even while they alive . tim. . . we seldome see different dispositions entirely loving : for hence growes the height of friendship , when two similary souls do blend in their commixions , and hence it is , that two friends are said to come into vulcan's shop , to beg this boon of him : that he would either beate them on his anvile , or melt them in his fornace both into one , the which he granted . i'ts likeness that makes the true love knot of friendship : when we find another of our own disposition , it appears the same soul in a divided body . natu●e that makes us love our selves , makes us , with the same reason , love those that are like us . a friend is a more sacred name , then a brother , pro. . . for what availes it to have the bodies from the same original , when the souls within them differ ? and yet some ( r●hoboam-like ) passing over the religious , will joyn themselves with ungodly persons ; like as some put away honest wives , and go to harlots : wherein they deal as wisely , as if a man should cast away his fleshly leg , and set on another of wood . causa patrocinio non bona pejor crit . or admit thou shouldst enjoy a wicked mans love ; it is but mercenary , base , and inconstant , and so not worth the having . indeed , there was never such abject and servile prostitutions of presentations , as life , soul , devotion , adoration , servant , slave , &c. as there is now amongst our drunkards and roarers , and what love they expresse to one , they professe to all ; every one they know , or salute , is their friend : but friendship so distracted , like as the river ganges was by cyrus , into . brooks , both looses her name and nature : a lover of so many , never loves any . or , admit a drunkard do love thee : either he loves thee for his own sake , because he hath some pleasure , or profit , or credit by thee , ( as prosperity procureth friends , no lesse then adversity proveth them ) which is , with craterus , to love the king , rather , then with ephaestion , to l●ve alexander : now i do not hold him worthy thankes , that profes●eth mee kindnesse for his own ends . or secondly , he loves only thy body or natural parts , which is but the worst peece of thee ; and love to the body , is but the body of love ; the soule of love , is the love of the soule . neither doth he truly love , that loves the body more then the mind and soul , or common gifts before saving graces ; this love as it is never long liv'd , so it is of : but feigned ; as you shall have drunkards and dissembling polititians salute one anothe● , with god save you , at their meeting ; and wish one another hanged , at their parting ; italian-like , they will be glorious and complemental in their invitations , but if you accept of their offer , they will hate you for it ever after . a drinking f●iendship , is but a drunken friendship : and beleeve it , thou wilt find those friends firmest , that thy vertues purchase thee : these will love thee , when thy wealth is gone : whereas those that be won without desert , will also be lost without a cause : you need but be an arbitrator between two such friends to make them both your enemies : things that differ in their end , will surely part in their way : now thy end , is to gain him ; his end , to make a gain of thee : for let the passage of profit be stopt , his love is likewise at a stand : 〈◊〉 you deserved never so well from him , the deniall of one favour , nay , a● health , shall drown the memory of many fore-performed ones : which is all on● as if for the abortion of one child , a man should kill all the former issue whereas the good mans thanks for old favours , lives even in the blows of injury or can you not feed these vermine as you have done , away they go ; like a su● dial , you shall be no longer regarded , then you are shined on by prosperity yea , rats run not faster away from an house on fire ; nor lice from a dead body then they from poverty : and if ever it be your misery to stand in need of them look for no other requitall , then iob had of his friends , whom he compares to a deceitful brook , which in winter is hard frozen with cold , in summer dried up with heat ; between winter and summer passing away , alwayes deceitful , never of use , iob . . to . yea , a man may say of such friends , as a learned antiquary said of rumn●● marsh , bad in winter , hurtfull in summer , never good : nay , this comparison falls short , for thou hast sped well , if such friends prove not dangerously hurtfull , as well as helplesse . have i not known some of them resemble the snake , which when a kind husbandman had taken out of the cold , and cherished in his bosome , and she had recovered her lively heate , and was grown lusty , singled out him ungratfully to trie her first sting upon ? or a promotor , that in lent eats flesh at your table , and yet is the first that accuseth thee to the magistrate . if ziba be waxed great under mophiboseth , he will give him a lift fo●●ll he hath . a promoted begger hath not seldome renounced his advancer . and what else can be looked for from them ? they cannot make conscience of civill duties , who make none of divine . if a man have cast off his god , he will easily cast off his friend . they that have broken their faith with him , will keep no faith with us , when religion is once gone , humanity will not stay long after . i take leave of this point , with a caution . reveal to such men no secrets ; for he that now loves thee dearly , may come to hate thee deadly : nor beleeve a word that they say ; for they are like antigones , who never denied any sute , that was asked ; but withall , never performed any thing that he granted ; for what they promise when they are drunk , they forget when they are sober ; or like saul , who being perswaded of david's worth and loyalty , sweares , as the lord liveth he shall not die , sam. . . yet within four verses , for all his oath , he darts a speare at him , intending to nail him to the wall ; and in the next verse , hee sends messengers to his house to kill him ; or like the councell of constance , who made promise to iohn husse of a conduct and safe return ; yet , like forsworn persecuters , put him to death . §. . ob . but here some of them will reply . that we lay the saddle upon the wrong horse , when we tax them for want of peace , love , and friendship ; in that the religious only shew inconstancy , by bidding farewell to their old friends and acquaintance , so soon as they embrace religion . answ. to this is answered . first that constancy , except it be in the truth and in a good cause , is impudency : change in the vicious is as great a vertue , as constancy in the vertuous . the almaines were praised for changing their ●●stomes , which were found to be but bad before , as tacitus affirmeth . constan●●● in things ill , is so far from b●ing a vertue , that it is an abs●lute vice . of ●ings imperfect , change is the way to per●ect them . the gentiles became be●●evers , the iewes in●idels , zach●us turnes from the world , demas turns to ●e world , paul turns an apostl● , iudas an apostate : i would fain know , whe●her change in the gentiles , zacheus and paul , was not as great a vertue , 〈◊〉 it was a vice in the iewes , demas , and iudas ? saint paul was in constant indeed ; for to day ( as it were ) he breathed out ●reatnings and slaughter against the disciples of christ and to morrow he ●reacheth christ in the synagogue : what then ? will any ( not debauc●ed ) cen●ure him of ficklenes●e for it ? nay , wil not all wise men think it a great honour to ●im , and commend him forshaking hands with the high priests , and his fellow ●ursevants , when once hee heard that voice from heaven ? act. . . there is not any so near unto us , but i● he fall from god , wee may fall from ●im . it merits the name of wilfulnesse , when we will not admit of a lawful ●hang to the better . as philocrates sported with d●m●sthenes : you may not marvell atheni●ns , that d●mosthenes and i do differ , for he drinks water , and i drink wine : ● some laugh at us for being sober with rhenis ; and we as much pity them , or being drunk with canary . again , they censure us of inconstancy ; we them ●f impudency . now in this case ●hen that is reputed ridiculous by one , which ●s accounted sage by another as wise ; what shall we do , but make gods word the umpier ? wherefore , in all changes , i will have regard to these three things , god's approbation , mine own bene●●t , and the not harming of my neighbour ; ●nd then where the change is not a fault , i will never think it a disgrace , though the great exchange , the world , should judge it so . even modesty , in some , is a vi●e ; when out of a weak flexibility of nature , man hath not courage enough , to deny the request of a seeming friend . if a man never abandoneth evill , until he abandoneth evil company , it is ●igh time to take courage : yea , the longer wee have been with them , the more need have we to hasten out of them . if this satisfie not , as the emperor frade●ick said to certain of his minions , that we●e importunate to get into their ●ands the ancient demeasn of the empire , that he would rather be accounted of small liberallity , then p●rjured ! even so had we , in this case rather be ac●ounted inconstant , then b● unconscionable . to the second part of the objection , i answer . that true love and friend●hip is only among good men . the wicked may talk of it , and one drunkard ●ay professe to another that he loves him as well as himself ; and therein speake ●ruth , for , saith augustine most elegantly , to such an one , thou lov●st thy self , so as thou wilt destroy thy self ; and thou wilt destroy him whom thou lovest as ●hy self ; yea , better then themselves ; for you shall have one russian salute ano●her , with , god save you sir , but after some strange attestations , swear away ●imself with , god damn me sir : now how can any wise man think him a friend , ●hat is his own enemy ? hee that is evill to himself , to whom will he be good ? but see the depth of such a mans love , and whether it be not to damn thy bo●y and soul everlastingly . s. ambrose tels us of one , who solicited a godly woman to incontinency , saying , he infinitely loved her : she answers , if you lov● me so well as you seem , put one of your fingers into the flame , till your fles● be burnt off : he rep●ys , that was no part of love in her to require it : yes ▪ said she , if yours be love , to cause both my body and soul to be burnt in he●●fire , for ever , which by conseque●ce will follow , if i yeeld to your request , and take your counsel . oh that thou hadst the wit to answer the drunkard , when he tempts thee , thus . indeed there is a kind of agreement , which is st●engthened by sin it self : as if one ●ee the keeper of a wench , his secrecy is bought for ever . but all this while , if one call another , friend , it is but to give him a nick-name , whereof he is not guilty : for true friendship is so sacred , holy , and pure , that it will not be used in evill : which made pericles , when he was desired by a friend of his , to aide him with false witnesse , answe● , that he would b●friend him as far as the altar , meaning so far , as stood with piety and religion , or his duty to god , but no further ; and phocion refuse to help his son in law cariles in judgment , being accused for bribery , saying withall , that he had made him his frien● and alli● in just and reasonable matters , and in them only ; and this likewise made papini● an , a pagan , ( being commanded by the empe●or car●●alla , whose steward and familiar he was ) refuse to defend an unjust cause , ( as marcellinus records ) and thus it fares with all that are truly religious . there is not any one ( quoth the sincere christian ) either in blood , or otherwise so near unto me , but if he fall from god , i will fall from him : why ? our saviour christ hath taught me , both by precept and example , that i should acknowledg none ( so as to be led by them ) for my brother , sister , or mother , but such as do the will of my father , which is in heaven , matth. . . to . whereas on the contrary , in things lawfull , nothing rivits hearts so close , ●s religion : it unites them together as gl●ws doth 〈◊〉 together : it makes a knot , even between such as never saw one anothers face , that alexander can not cut : yea , tyrants will sooner want invention for torments , then they with tortures be made treacherous . how many have chosen rather to embrace the flams , then to reveal their companions , and b●ethren in christ ? there is no friendship like the friendship of faith . there is amor , among beasts ; dilectio , among men ; charitas , among christians , that is their peculiar : nature , makes husband and wi●● but one flesh ; grace makes them even one spirit : and it is a question , w●ether naturall parents are to be●loved above spiritual : we know that christ preferred his spiritua● kindred , to that of the flesh : and m●jor est connexio 〈◊〉 quà● sanginum , saith beza , why s●ould we love them more , that brought us into this sinfull and miserable world ; then those , that b●ing us into a better world , where is neither sin , nor misery ? why them , that live with us on earth but a while ; equall to them , that shall live with us in h●aven for ever ? but to go on . surely , as grace in her self is far above nature : so is she likewise in her effects ; and consequently , unites in a far more ●urable bond . christians hearts are joyned one to another , with so fast a gl●w , that no by respects can s●ver them : as you may see in that paire of friends , ionathan and david : non● had so much cause to disaffect david , as ionathan ; no●e in a●l israel , should be such a looser by david's successe , as he ; saul was sure enough setled for hi● time , only his successor should forgo all that which david should gain ; so a● none but david stands in ionathan's way to the crown ; and yet all this can , not abate one dram of his love . as also in ruth and naomy , whom nothing , but death , could part , ruth . . if you will see other examples , look rom. . . thes. . , . . galathians . , . act. . , . and . . luke . . kings . . . and . , . as grace is the greatest attractive of love ; so is it the surest bond ; it is like varnish , that makes ●eelings not only ●hine , but last . where god uniteth hearts , carnall respects are too weak to dis●ever them ; since that which breaks off affection , must needs be stronger then that which conjoyneth it , and why doth s. iohn use these words , once to the elect lady , iohn . . and again to gajus , iohn . whom i love in the truth , but to shew , that to love in the truth , is the only true love ? indeed , religion is the surest cement of all societies : the loser joynts of all naturall and civill relations , are compacted and confirmed by the sinews of grace and religion : and such a lose joynted friendship cannot hold long , which wants the nerves of religion . wherefore give me any foe , rather then a resolved christian : no friend unlesse a man truly honest §. . but here it will be objected . that we hate and contemn all , who are not like our selves : that we remember them so much to bee sinners , that , in the mean time , we forget them to be men and brethren . i answer . this were to dash the first table against the second ; whereas they are conscious of both alike . a charitable heart , even where it hates , there it wisheth that it might have cause to love : his anger and indignation against sin , is alwayes joyned with love and commiseration towards the sinner , as is lively set out , mark . . . and philippians . . where s. paul tells us of them ( weeping ) tha● are enemies to the crosse of christ : and mar. . . that our saviour , while he looked upon the pharisies angerly , mourned for the hardness of their hearts . zeale is a compounded affection of love and anger . when moses was angry with the israelites and chid them sharply ; at the same time he prayed for them heartily . and ionothan , when he was angry with his father , for vowing david's death ; did still retain the duty and love , both of a s●n to his father , and of a subject to his soveraign . a good man cannot speak of them without passion , and compassion : yea , they weep not so much for their own sins , as we doe , ( according to s. chrysostome's example ) o that our prayers and tea●es could but recover them . those that are truly gracious , know how to receive the blessings of god , without contempt of them who want ; and have learned to be thankful , without overliness ; knowing themselves have been , or may be , as wretched and ●ndeserving , as s. augustine speaks . a true christian can distinguish be●ween persons and vices ; offenders , and offences ; and have no peace with the ●ne , while he hath true peace with the other ; love them , as men , hate them , ●s evil men ; love , what they are , not what they do ; as god made them , not ●s they have made themselves ; not so hate , as to be a foe to goodnesse ; not so ●ove , as to foster iniquity . it is a question , whether is worst of the two , to be vices friend , or vertues enemy . now saith augustine , he is not angry with his brother , that is angry with the sin of his brother : yea , if we hate the vices of a wicked man , and love his person ; as the physitian , hateth the dis●ase , but loveth the pe●son of the diseased ; there is nothing more praise worthy , as saith the same father . and another , it is the honest mans commendation to contemn a vile person . and another , i know no grea●er argument of goodnesse , then the hatred of wickednesse , in whomsoever it resides : yea , david makes it a note of his integrity , psal. . . and . . . and . . . and in psa. . he is bold to ask the lord this question ; who s●al dwel in thy tabernacle , who shal rest in t●y holy mountain ? the answer he receives is this , . he that walketh uprightly , and worketh rightousness . . and speaketh the truth from his heart . . he that s●andereth not with his tongu● , nor doth evil to his neighbour , nor receiveth a false report against his neighbour . but the fourth is , hee , in whose eyes a vile person is contemne● , while hee honoureth them that fear the lor● : and he cannot be sincere who doth not honour vertue in rags , and loath 〈◊〉 , though in a robe of state . so that , as the prophet asked ichosophat chron. . . wouldst thou help the wicked , and love them that hate the lord ? it may be deman●ed ; ●hould christians be friends with them who are enemies to the cross of christ ? no , no . and yet to the men , separate from their manners , we have no quarrel , but with them better , then they either wish to us , or to themselves . indeed , it we should contemn them , as they think we do ; it were but a just recomp●nce of their folly and wickednesse : for as one speaking of the poverty of the pu●se , saith , that poverty is justly contemptible , which is purchased by following of vice : so may i , of the poverty of the mind ; that poverty of wit and g●ace is justly contemptible , which is purchased by a wilfull rebellion against god , and the great means of knowledg and grace which we enjoy . to concl●●e this point , we think it 's better to leave them , and be thought proud , wrong●ully ; then stay with them , and be known bad , certainly . §. . ag●in , some will alledg , we giv●offence to them that are without , which is contrary to the apostles precept , who saith , give none of●ence , neither to the jews , nor to the g●ecians , nor to the church of god , cor. . . as they will make a crooked staffe serve to beat a dog , when a streight 〈◊〉 ●●nnot be ●ound . nothing but ignorance is guilty of this scruple : for the offence is only taken , 〈◊〉 given : and herein they pervert the apostles words , touching offences , as pharaoh's se●vants did the same word , when they said unto their master conc●●ning moses , how long shall he be an offence unto us ? exodus . . . for 〈◊〉 meaneth in that place , only such offences as are contrary to the doctrine of the gosp●l , as he hath expounded his own meaning , rom. . . and if nothing might be done , whereat wicked men are offended , then the word of god must not be preacht , nor his holy and divine precepts walked in , yea , christ must not have come into the world to redeem it , for he was to the iews a stumbling block , and to the greeks foolishness , cor. . . but all which god hath commanded must be done ; and all which he hath left , indifferent , may be done , and none may , or ought to censure the doing of it . the precept is plain , one believeth that he may ●at of all things ; and another which is weak ●ateth herbs , saith the apostle , and what followes ? let not him that ●ateth , despise him that ●ateth not ; an● let not him that eateth not , condemn him that eateth ; for god hath received him , rom. . . . if i know the thing to be good , and that i do it to a good end , what care i for their idle misconstruction ? morally good actions must not be suspended , upon danger of causelesse scandall : in things indifferent and arbitrary , it is fit to be ove●-ruled by feare of offence : but if men will stumble in the plain ground of good ; let them fall without our regard , not without their own pe●ill . now that the cuckoe may acknowledg this for her own egg , notwithstanding the hath laid it in the doves nest ; let the men of the world know , that it is not an offence given by us , but taken by them ; yea , they first give an offence to us by their ungodliness , and after take the just reward of the same , namely , to be excluded our society for an offence , : wherein they imitate athanagoras , who ( as tully reporteth ) would alwayes complain of his punishment , but of his fault he would say nothing : or adam , who was ashamed of his nakednesse , but not of his sin : wicked men are neither sensible of doing injury , nor patient in suffering for it . it 's a rule of justice , that what men deserve , they should suffer : yea , in this particular case , gods rule is , if thou take away the precious from the vile , thou shalt be according to my word , icr. . . and we would have them suffer this exclusion no longer , then till they deserve it no more : let them return unto us , ( do as themisto●les , who being in his youth vicious and d●boyst , afterwards made the world amends , by his brave exploits ) and we will return unto them , keep them company , account them true friends , good men : otherwise we have an absolute prohibition from god himself , ier. . , let them return unto thee , but return not thou unto them . and good reason there is for it , in a musical instrument , the strings that be out of tune , are set up , or set down to the rest ; but the strings that be in tune , are n●ver stirred , nor medled with : though indeed i might have stopped their mouths with this very question , whether is better to obey god , or humour sensual men ? as our saviour christ stopt the high priests mouths , when they asked him , by what authority he cu●sed the fruitlesse fig-tree ; cast the buyers and sellers out of the temple , &c. by demanding of them , whether iohns baptisme was from heaven , or of men , mar. . . but in case they will not return unto us , we had rather offend each of them once , then our selves every day . it is pity that ever the water of baptisme was spilt upon his face , that cares more to discontent the world , then to wrong god . they are unjust and over partial , that will go about to exact from us , that which we owe not , with more rigor then they will exact from themselves , that which they owe . and so i have given you the reasons , why such as are , or desire to be conscionable and religious , break off company with them ; and vindicated the most usual exceptions against it . i will now make some use of the point ; and so leave it for them to chew upon . §. . . to sum up all in a word , or lay all these grounds and motives together if we endanger our selves , our lives , our estates , loose our credit , our peace , our time , by frequent associating with ungodly men , and can no way expect their love and friendship ; be sure you come not ( or at least stay not ) in their company . it is not safe venturing among them , in confidence of our own streng● ; no more then it is to consort with cheaters , in hope that they will not cozen us . dead fire , we know , being stird up , will burn a fresh : and 〈◊〉 , like a candle new put out , is soon kindled again ; if sathan but blow upon it , the own heat is enough to enflame it . no , venture not thy self , though thou hast once , or twise come off clear from them ; sampson could withstand his wives temptation seven dayes , but at length , by her importunity , she prevailed with him , iudg. . over many in this case are like to sick men , who when they have had a good day , or two , think themselves presently well again ; so they make bold to put off their kerchifes , to put on thinner garments , and to venture into the fre●h ayre ; whereupon follows unrecoverable relapses . wherefore take heed , or if thou dost keep them company , it is an argument , that thou art sick of their disease , idlenesse . and of this 〈◊〉 so much . . if wicked company are so insectious , that they will work a consumption in any mans vertues , that is dayly conversant with them , and waste them from an 〈◊〉 , to a dram ; from a dram , to a scruple , to a grain , to nothing , so that he may ●ay with christ in the croud , who hath touched me , for i feel vertue gone out of me ? let us be ( as seneca adviseth ) more circumspect , with whom we 〈◊〉 and drinke , then what we eate and drink . he that hath money , will beware of theeves : if you have any grace venture it not among these ri●●ers : 〈◊〉 , art thou inclined to pray ? they will tempt thee to play : wouldst thou go to a sermon ? by their perswasion , the tavern or theater stands in the way . but alasse ! if others tempt thee not , thou wilt tempt others : temptation needs not stan● like a tavern-bush , in thy way , for thou wilt invite thy self , hunt after temptation . . is every man busie in dispending that quality , which is predominant in him ? and can we converse with none but will work upon us , and by the unperceived stealth of time , assimilate us to their own customs ? will two friends , like two brands set each other on fire with good , or ill , when one alone will go out ? will a streight twig , if it be tied to a crooked bough , become crooked ; or a crooked twigh , become streight , if it be tied to a streight rule : as peter denied his master amongst the iews , whom hee con●est among the apostles ? then keep company , but let it be with such as may make thee better ; flie evill society , least their kind words so work upon thy yeelding nature , that thou knowest not how to deny : they are such as have taken the davils oath of allegiance ; and thou hast small hope to prevail with them to good . a certain king ( as st. augustin reports ) being hard favoured , and fearing least his queen should bring forth children like himself ; got many faire and beautiful pictures , which he caused her steadfastly to behold every day : go thou and do likewise , be conversant with good men , and in good things , and thou shalt do that unbidden , which others can scarce do compelled by the law , as aristotle speaks of the study of philosophy . o what an happy thing it is to converse with the vertuous ! their gracious words , or holy examples , will be sure to stir up the gifts of god in us ; they will either adde something to our zeale , or something to our knowledg : the society of prophets , is able to make even a saul prophesie . the sight of others falling heartily to their meate , brings on our stomacks : yea , if we have no gifts to stir up , their communion cannot but leave some tincture behind it , if not of piety , yet , at least , of a good profession , and some inclinableness . if saul ▪ had not had a good and discreet companion , when he went to seek his fathers asses , he had returned back as wise as he came : but now he is drawn into counsel with the man of god , and heares more then he hoped for , sam. . . the messengers of the same saul , when they lived in the court , were ( as is likely ) caried away with the swinge of the times , and did apply themselves to their masters ungodly practises , as appeareth in their going to apprehend david , that saul might kill him : yet were they no sooner in company with the prophets , in nayoth , but their minds were changed , and they likewise prophesied , sam. . . ob. but say some of bacchus his fooles . i keep company with brave fellows , that are generous , free , bountifull , &c. answ. alasse ! thou dost but slander him with these titles . he is a pround , ignorant , inconsiderate asse , that fears he is not loved , unlesse he be lose and scattering ; that strives so to be like a god in bounty , that he throws himself into the lowest estate of man . he that gives to , and spends upon all abundantly ( which is for none to do , but him that hath all ) he that had rather keep company with the dregs of men , then not be the best man : he that ravels our a spacious fortune upon flatterers ; he that out of vain glory will be worship't and kneed , to the spending of a fair inheritance , and then ends his dayes in lewdness and contempt ( as what is it , that ambition will not practise , rather then let her port decline ) he is a foolish steward , that thus showers away in one year , what his ancestors have been gathering twenty : yea , he is a mad man , that makes his kindness to others , prove cruelty to himself , and all his posterity . ob. again , others are all for mirth , they keep company at the tavern , with none but curious and quaint wits , eloquent poëts and orators ; now ask them , as manoah did sampson , is there never a companion for thee among thy brethren , the people of god , that thou must associate thy self with these of uncircumcised hearts and tongues ? they will answer . give me only these for my companions , for they please me . answ. can none please thee , but such as displease god ? dost thou not know , that who so will be a friend to such , makes himself the enemy of god ? iames , . . or art thou ignorant , that pleasant wits , viciated in accustomed lewdnesse , with sweet tunes entise men to destruction ; as is morald in that fiction of the sirens , they delight the sense , but slay the soul : and will any man poyson his body , to please his taste ? or go into an infected house , to fetch out a rich suite ? or put his finger into a firy crusible , to take out gold : it 's true , like jugglers and such as play trickes of legerdim●in , they will deceive us with a kind of pleasure and delight : but is it any priviledg for a man to be tickled to death , that so he may dye laughing ? their discourse may be resembled to the fruit that undid us all , which was fair in sight , smooth , in handling , sweet in ●aste , but deadly in effect : or to the clarian water , which made men eloquent , but withall ●hort liv'd : or the gifts , which those elfes called lamiae , used to present unto children which made so many as accepted of them loose their comlinesse for ever after . and he that much affects their company ( being an honest man ) is just like that free citizen , that so doted on a ●emale slave , that hee would needs marry her ; though by that match , he were sure , ●y the law , to become a slave with her . he overvalues the drunken and reeling love of these men , that buyes it with the ruine of himself , his estate , and family . wherefore , as in meats , we do not only stand upon pleasantness , but wholesomnesse : so let us regard wholesomnesse as well as pleasantness , in our discourse and company . a good man can lend nothing to the increase of mirth in wicked company : and he that will not lend , let him take heed of borrowing . §. . fo●rthly , if thou wouldst neither be intised nor enforced to pledg them , in any of their wicked custome●s , divorce thy self from all acquaintance and so , 〈◊〉 with the vicious , yea , entertain no parly with them . 〈◊〉 are some vices of that nature , that they cannot be vanquished but by avoiding ; such is fornication , flye fornication , saith the apostle , corinth . . . that is , flye the company of fornicators ; for to be in a lewd womans company , saith salomon , and depart innocent ; and to take fire in a mans bosome , and not singe his cloaths ; or go upon live coles , and his feet not be b●rnt , are equa●ly possible , prov. . . . such is the frailty of mans nature , that if the eye but see , or the ear hear , or the hand but touch a whorish woman , the heart will go nigh to catch , and take fire , verse . and thus it fares with this sin , bid a man conso●t a while with drunkards , and depart from them innocent , you may as well put a match to dry powder , and forbid it to take fire , except he be very well stayed , and of better governd affections then ordinary . it is not safe to commit a little wherry to the seas violence . a stick that hath once been in the fire , much mo●e a torch newly extinguisht , being forthwith put to the flame , will soon be kindled again . wherefore keep out of the reach of thy vicious acquaintance , and if they becken thee one way , be thou sure to take the contrary , at least ente●tain no parley with them . when castles once come to a parley , there is great fear they will yeeld : and gates that are alwayes open , will sometimes admit an enemy . no disputing with sathan , or his deputies : when our first parents fell to arguing the case with that old serpent , though in the state of innocencie , when they had wit at will , and their reason at command , they found him too hard for them : how much more too weak shall we find our selves , that now are as we are ? surely , we are like to lose all , if once we enter into disputation with that old sophister , and crafty fox , after the experience of six thousand years almost , and when our own flesh ( which is the greatest both deceiver and dissembler in the world ) is become his cunning solicitour . alasse ! he desires no more then to be heard speak ; for grant him but this , and he will perswade thee to believe , even contrary to thine own knowledg : as how easily did he perswade eve , by himself : and adam , by her , ( when they gave but ear to him , ) o believe what he spake , though they had heard god himself say the contrary , but a little before ? gen. . . and if in ocency found no means of resistance , what hope have we so extreamly degenerated ? and indeed , why do we pray not to be led into temptation , if we lead our selves into temptation ? if we will not keep our selves from the occasion ; god will not keep us from the sin : and if god do not keep us , we cannot be kept : we cannot , we will not choose but fall . wherefore 〈◊〉 the society of evil men , as ioseph shunned the society of his mistresse , and leave them that leave god , as noah did the old world , and that by gods commandement , gen. . . . and abraham the cana●ites , gen. . . and 〈◊〉 the sodomites , gen. . . and israel the egyptians , exod. . . . and m●ab and ammon , numb. . . . . . §. . but is it warrantable , may some say , to separate from our old acquaintance , ( being vicious ) and other the like company ? not totally ; for then we must go out of the world , cor. . . nor from any in all cases ; for then we must separate ●●om the publike assemblies : nor in regard of civil society , and necessary commerce ; for this were to unglue the whole worlds frame , which is cont●xted only by commerce and contracts , there be certain wise uses to be made of them , for our convenience or necessity , which need not , yea , must not be forborn : as wherefore serves discretion , but that ( as a glasse window ) it may let in the light , and keep out the winde ? neither can wicked men , in this ●ase , be avoided : but so long as we are in this world , we must converse with men of the world : and we know it is lawful enough , in tearms of civility , to deal with infidels , yea , even the savage cannibals may receive an answer of outward courtesie . if a very dog fawn upon us we stroke him on the head , and clap him on the back , much lesse is the common bond of humanity untyed by grace ; disparity in spiritual professions , is no warrant for ingratitude : yet a little friendship with such , is enough ; the lesse communion with any of gods enemies , the more safety : and sure i am , that those who affect a familiar entirenesse with such , bewray either too much bol●nesse , or to little cosncience . yea , we may not only converse with evil men , but communicate with them also without harm , so it be not in evil things : as in the sacrament the unworthy receiver eateth and drinketh damnation to himself , sibi , non tibi , to himself , not to thee . but as touching a familiar entirenesse , and leagues of amity , that they are unfit , unwarrantable , dangerous , is easie to prove . as what saith the holy ghost by s. paul . ? we● comman● you brethren , in the name of our lord iesus christ , that ye with draw your selves from every brother that walketh inordinately , and not after the instruction which ye received of us , thes. . . and again , speaking unto the converted ephesians , touching others among them who were whoremongers , unclean persons , covetous men , and idolaters , he saith , be not companions with them , ephesi . . . ● . and lastly , in that case of the incestuous corinthian , he doth not only excommunicate him , but makes a rule upon it , that if any one , which professeth himself a christian , shall live in any scandalous co●●se , that they shall not afford him so much as civil and familiar converse , corinth . . . if any man that is called a ●rother , saith he , he a fornicator , or covetous , or an idolater , or a railer , or a drunkard , or an extortioner , with such an on eat not . mark this all ye swinish drunkards and beastly livers , that god-dischargeth us your society . but to proceed . why was that law enacted , for the strict avoiding of leprous persons ? it was not the body only that was herein respected , by the god of spirits ; those that are spiritually contagious must be still and ever avoided , they must be separated from us , we from them ; they from us , by just censures ; or if not , we from them , by a voluntary declination of their familiar conversation : or if they can joyn our heart to theirs , they will disjoyn it from god ; to let passe saint pauls charge , corinthians . . come out from among them , and separate your selves : and that of the angel , revelation . . come out of her my people , which especially have relation to idolaters : see what hath been the practise of gods people since noah , lot , abraham , and israel , which have been alledged already . doth not david say , i have not sate with vain persons , neither kept company with the dissemblers . i have hated the assembly of evill doers , and will not company with the wicked , psal. . . . and was not ioseph , whom the holy ghost stilleth a just man , fully minded ( before the angell forbad him ) to put away mary , after he was betrothed unto her , when he but supposed her to be dishonest ? matthew . . and was not all this , to shew us what wee should doe in the like cases ? wherefore , let us tread in their steps , and say with a worthy divine , though i may have many bad acquaintance , yet i will have no ba● companions : for even the tame beasts will not keep with the wild ; nor the clean dwell with the leprous . but above all , let us keep no drunkards , nor swearers in our houses , psalme . , , , , . no , nor scoffers , ismael must be turned out of doors , when he once fals a jeering of isaac : and indeed if we do , it is a shrewd suspition we are not sincere our selves : for grace , as it is resembled to heat , so like heat , it gathereth together things of one kind , separateth things of a contrary nature , as drosse from gold . in fine , if they have forsaken all honesty and good conscience , it is time for us to forsaken them : if they depart from vs , in the foundation of faith and good works ; let us ( as justly wee may ) depart from them , in the building of brotherly fellowship : they build on the sand , let us build on the rock : yea , if they forsake the right way , we must forsake them , or christ will forsake us . but least all that hath been said , should not be sufficient to perswade thee ; behold heer the drunkard deliniated , and that will certainly aff●●ght thee from consorting with a fiend so foul and filthy , so ugly , and loathsom : which if it do , i hope some good man or other , will stick it upon every post : that all may be 〈◊〉 in amored , with this worst then beastly abomination . ●●e drun●●d is a ●●nge chi●●●a , more ●●●gious ●●●n any ●●ster ●●g . in visage a man , but a broth●us . heart , a swine . head , a cephalus . tongue , an aspe . belly , a lumpe . appetite , a leech . sloth , an ignavus .       a jer●●e . goate . siren . hyaena . panther . for excessive devouring . lust . flattery . subtilty . cruelty . in envying , a basiliske . antipathy to all good , a lexus . hindering others from good , a remora . life , a salamander . conscience , an ostrich . spirit a devil in surpassing in tempting in drawing others in sinne . to sinne . to perdition . even the most despicable peece of all humanity , and not worthy to be reckoned among the creatures which god made . and so much for defence against what they do , which may be avoided . if you would have as much against what they say . which must be endured . ●●ade a late treatise , called , the victory of patience . or if any would have the foregoing part of this soverain antedote : let ●●m inquire for sin stigmatized , or the drunkards character with which it ●ound , and in a larger letter . likewise at iames crumps , in little bartho●ewes well-yard : they may have several peeces , of sundry the most needfull ●ects , composed for the common good by the same author . finis a soueraigne salue to cure a sicke soule infected with the poyson of sinne. wherein is contained, the strength and force of the poyson of sinne. how mans soule became poysoned? how the soule of man poysoned by sinne may be cured, and restored. these parts are all authenticall, and comprised in a most short and compendious method, briefly to be read, that they may be effectually practised. newly published by i.a. minister and preacher of gods word. andrewes, john, fl. . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc . estc s this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a soueraigne salue to cure a sicke soule infected with the poyson of sinne. wherein is contained, the strength and force of the poyson of sinne. how mans soule became poysoned? how the soule of man poysoned by sinne may be cured, and restored. these parts are all authenticall, and comprised in a most short and compendious method, briefly to be read, that they may be effectually practised. newly published by i.a. minister and preacher of gods word. andrewes, john, fl. . [ ] p. printed by nicholas okes, and are to be sold by francis grove, dwelling at the signe of the wind-mill, neare to st. sepulchres church, london : . i.a. = john andrewes. formerly stc . identified as stc on umi microfilm. signatures: a b⁴ (-a , blank?). reproduction of the original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - mona logarbo sampled and proofread - mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the author to the reader . if sathans might and force of sinne heere seemes thy soule to wound , a soueraigne salue this booke prescribes , direct to cure it sound . esteeme this salue , and exercise each day and night the same , so shall your soule well cured be which sinne brought out of frame : regard it more then worldly wealth , no treasure like to this , no mony can buy saue to cure ▪ our soule , if this should misse . i. a. minister and preacher of gods word . a soveraigne salue to cure a sicke soule , infected with the poyson of sinne . wherein is contained , the strength and force of the poyson of sinne . how mans soule became poysoned ? how the soule of man poysoned by sinne may be cured , and restored . these parts are all authenticall , and comprised in a most short and compendious method , briefly to be read , that they may be effectually practised . newly published by i. a. minister and preacher of gods word . london : printed by nicholas okes , and are to be sold by francis grove , dwelling at the signe of the wind-mill , neare to st. sepulchres church . . the booke to the reader . if i had tongue to speake with voyce , oh then most loude still should i cry , all those that heare me would reioyce , now for to buy mee presently . each greater booke of price more deare which you may buy , cannot containe effectuall physicke which is here , soules health from sinne for to regaine , direction true in me is penn'd , rightly to cure thy soule from sinne : haue care to vse me as thy friend , now read me through , if thou beginne . first , of the strength and force of the poison of sinne . to bee plaine in words , certaine in sence , and short in writing , i will briefly describe the strength of the poison of sin . it is a spirituall poison , the breach of gods law , ioh. . . the which whosoeuer committeth is of the diuell , iohn . . yea , it is the vile , and most damnable thing in the world . the onely noli me tangere , which no man without the displeasure of almighty god , could euer taste , or touch in the least degree . for , via peccati ingredientes contaminat , progredientes obstinat , egredientes exterminat . sinne in the first entrance defileth , in the progresse hardeneth , and at his going out destroyeth . it causeth all those that commit it to dishonour god , to crucifie christ a fresh , and to greeue the holy ghost : it makes the angels to moure , and all gods creatures to groone and sigh vnder the burthen of it , rom. . . it is the very excrement of the diuell , that old serpent ; the age of it is almost as old as the worlde : for scarce was there a world , but it was a prisoned worlde with sinne ; and almost no sooner was there a man , but hée was infected with this poison . and so strong was this poison , euen at the first committing of sinne , that it made all the worlde mourne for her mallidy , the which neither ghiron , esculapius , nor apollo could euer heale : no , if all the angels and men both of heauen and earth were in one , they could neuer heale it . our poysoned soules could not bee cured without a mithradate confection of the best bloude that euer was in the worlde , euen the most pretious bloud of christ iesus , the onely begotten sonne of god. so this spirituall poyson can bee nowayes cured , but by a spirituall antidote ; this most deadly poyson must haue the most soueraine antidote ; onely here is the difference , that as hel giueth the poyson , so heauen giues the helps . there is no sinne so small , that hath not cost the sonne of god euen a sea of sorrowes . o what a hell ( thinke wee ) was iesus christ in for our sinnes , when hee swet both water and bloud , and prayed thrice most feruently to haue that bitter cup pase from him ? yea hee brake out into this sundring voice , and cried to god his father . quare dereliquisti me ? why hath thou forsaken me ? whose bloudy sweat came trickling downe to the ground luke . . in the which ( no doubt ) he felt the force and strength of sinne , the wrath of god against it , the iustice of god requiring punishment for it , the power of the law pronouncing condemnation to it ; the force of death , the tyrannie of satan , and the torment of hell , which was forcible enough to haue drawne streames of teares out of the driest eye that euer was in the head of man , and to haue excited a multitude of sorrowfull groanes out of the hardest heart that euer god made . oh , was the strength of sinne so great , that it caused christ to shed dropps of blood for our sinnes , and cannot we shed forth one teare for the same ? oh , i beseech you , let the horror of it be alwayes fresh in our memorie , and the meditation thereof imprinted in our hearts , that wee may remember those grieuous dropps of that most precious blood , which iesus christ shedde for our sakes , for our sinnes , for our soules , and for our saluation . let vs loue him for it , thanke him for it , and serue him for it , all the dayes of our liues . so that our hands may tremble and shake for feare , and our whole body may quake with terror of it , when any euill imagination is hatched in our hearts , or any wicked deede should be acted with our hands , that we may be euer terrified from nourishing sinne in our bosome , whose condition is so vile and base . for such is the nature of sinne , enter where it will , it is the heart it aimes at , and it will not stay vntill it comes there : because sinne and sathan loue no venison but the heart , no fowle but the breast , and no fish but the soule . the heart is the throne where sinne would raigne , and the soule it selfe is the seate where sinne would sit . and therefore , the more sinne labours to poyson that part , the more should wee striue to preserue it . if our heart bee gods throne then is hee a most vile traytor to god and himselfe , that suffers sin , gods great enemy , that proud , presumptuous , aspiring tyrant , to sit in the seat , and tyrannize in the throne of the soueraigne maiestie of almighty god. thus wee may see , that the very subiect and seat of sinne is the heart and soule of man , that most glorious and pretious part , which god made like to himselfe , and for the which the sonne of god was crucified . and as sinne delights to sit and captiue both the heart and soule of man , so the longer it raignes there the worse it is ; for as in good things the elder the better ; so in the euill of sinne , the elder the worse , and the more they will grow in number . aske one of the holiest men , hee that had fewest sinnes ; they are more in number ( saith hee ) than the haires of my head . oh who can vnderstand his errours ? psalme . . psal . . . or who can tell how oft he offendeth ? yea , sinne is growne so foule , so great , and is so scattered abroad into so many mens hearts , that s. iohn saith , totus mundus in maligno positus est : the whole world lyeth plungeth in wickednesse . now to speake more of the euill of sin , it appeareth in thrée things ; first in the deformity . for god doth loath it . secondly , in the iniquity , for the diuell doth loue it . thirdly , in the generall contagious poyson and leprosie thereof : ( as s. iohn saith ) the whole world is infected therewith . secondly , how mans soule became infected therewith . at the beginning , god suruaying his workes with the eyes of his wisedome , after they had passed the hand of his power , his iustice pronounced this infallible sentence , genesis . , loe they were all very good . how then came it to passe , that mans soule became poysoned ? and christ sayth in another place , from the beginning it was not so . mat. . . salomon sayth , god made man righteous , eccles . . . the answere whereof our christian philosophy sheweth vs , that our poysoned soules which defile our whole nature came from the fault and fall of adam ; and from the curse of the earth through adams transgression . for the diuell , that roaring lyon , in whom the full perfection of malice lies , knowing how to most hurt , hath poysoned the fountaine , adam and eue : & the fountaine once poisoned , then the streames issuing from the same are sure and most certainly infected . the which dauid confesseth in the person of all regenerate men , i was shapen in wickednesse , and in sin hath my mother conceived me , ps . . thus our spirituall poyson came into the soule and body of man by the subtiltie of sathan , that arch-enimy of man-kinde . for he being once an angell in heauen , a goodly creature , would needes become a god , and consequently a creator . now , a creator must needes make something , and therefore here we may behold his worke ; lo● , it is euen sinne , for sinne is the true creature , and onely worke of the diuell . and as he is a spirit , so hee hath society with the spirits , as bodily creatures haue with our bodies . thirdly , how the soule of man poisoned by sinne , may be cured and restored . the soule of man that is poysoned by sinne , must begin to be cured in this life , but it cannot bee perfected in this life : for whatsoeuer is begunne here in grace , in the life to come shall be perfected in glory . and for this great cure , we ought diligently to obserue three things . . first , wee must know our selues , what estate wee are in , that wee may see how wee are poysoned . . secondly , wee must vse the remedy to cure the poyson . thirdly , we must take our medicine in due time . therefore , hee that hath eares to heare , let him heare ; and that hath eyes to see , let him see , and diligently obserue what salue hee must take to cure this poyson of sinne . the first and principall thing is to take this precept of the philosopher , nosce teipsum , know thy selfe ; it is the first thing to bee done to this cure , and the beginning of all grace : for in vaine is the medicine ministred , where the disease is dissemblingly couered , and kept vnknowne . wherefore , whosoeuer thou bée that feelest thy selfe to bee infected with this poisoning sinne , and art inwardly touched with any care of thine owne saluation , and doest groane with earnest desire to stand in fauour againe with god ; thou must seriously enter into thy selfe , and make a true suruey of thine inward man , that thereby thou mayst know how sinne hath poisoned thée both in greatnesse and danger . for vntill thou knowest thy sinnes , and how they haue infected thy soule , that thy conscience may bee conuicted by them , thou canst neuer bee cured . no man can rightly acknowledge his owne sinnes , no man can truly confesse his fayth , no man can duly vse the sacraments , that doth not first earnestly try and examine his owne conscience : that is , throughly to try , narrowly to search , and dilligently to prooue , who , and what manner of person hee is , and in what case hee feeleth himselfe , how deeply his owne conscience is poysoned with sinne . and withall , to know how , and which way hee may come into fauour againe with god. to the same effect s. paul sayth , let euery man proue his worke , gal. . . and againe , proue your selues whether you be in the faith , . cor. . . examine your selues , and bee sorrowfull for your sinnes ; not for some sinnes , but for all sinnes wherewith you are infected and poysoned : and that not for an houre , nor a day , nor for a weeke , nor a moneth ; but mourne for your misdeedes , and bee sorrie for your sinnes continually , euen so long as you liue . wee must doe as the prophet dauid did , when he had considered his wayes , and found they were euill , he euer after turned his feet vnto the testimonies of the lord. ps . . so must euery one doe , that mindeth to bee cured from the poyson of his sinne ; examine his owne conscience , and make his heart smart for his sinne , by aggrauation thereof . the church of god confesseth not her sinnes lightly , but with wonderfull griefe . dan. . secondly , wee must vse the remedy to cure the poyson of sinne . as by nature wee hate euery thing that hurteth vs , how much more by grace should wee abhorre sinne that woundeth vs ? amongst all the workes of the diuell , there was none so mighty and malicious as the poisoning and destroying the soules of men by sinne . so for to cure our soules from this deadly poison , our sauiour iesus christ , that heauenly physition , hath accordingly giuen vs a remedy proportionable to our malady , out of his glorious store-house of the holy scriptures if we will he cured from the poyson of sinne , we must take christ , and the vertuous physicke hee giues vs by a liuely fayth ; but wee must keepe and retaine him , and it , by holinesse of life . these two , faith and holinesse are the two bonds of our vnion with christ : faith brings christ to vs , and holinesse keepes him with vs , and vs with him . if any man ( saith christ ) heare my voyce , and open the doore , i will come into him , and will stay with him , and hee with me . thus by faith we take this heauenly physicke , and by holinesse wee kéepe it . wherefore , all those which formerly obeyed sinne , if they will be cured from the poison thereof , by faith and holinesse of life , they must now withstand it . they which were wont to yeelde vnto it , must now striue against it : they which were wont to delight in it , must now lament it : they which did formerly let sinne raigne and captiue their soules in them , must now raigne ouer it , quench it , and subdue it , and flie from it , as from the most venemous sting of a serpent . if the filthy and stinking poyson of their sinnes cannot moue them , let the shortnesse and vncertainty of their liues dampe them . if the shortnesse of their lines cannot , let the small number of them that shall be saued fray them . if that cannot , tell death terrifie them . if death cannot , let the day of iudgement shake them . if all these cannot , then will the torments of hell for euermore torment them . thirdly , wee must take our medicine in time . for common experience teacheth vs , that tempus est pretiosum , breue , & irreuocabile , time is pretious , short , and irreuocable , qui non ost hodiè , cras minús aptus erat , he that is not ready to receiue this heauenly physicke to day , will bee lesse ready to morrow . let vs therefore take this time while wee haue it , for we haue no time but this present time ; the time past is not ours , it is gone , and cannot bee recalled the time to come is not , for beeing not come , it may bee it neuer shall come : onely the present houre is ours , let vs take and make good vse of it . so that now , euen now is the time to take this wholesome and brauenly phisicke to purge away our sinnes ; while wee are here in this life , the time is in our hands . now the doore is open , but after this life it will be shut . therefore now while the gospell shineth , now while christ calleth , now while he speaketh , now while hee kneeketh , let vs amend our former liues ; let vs now therefore heare gods word , let vs now obey him , let vs make this day our day to returne vnto god. and although we could neuer bee mooued by reading any booke heretofore , or by hearing gods word preached hitherto , yet let vs now be moued at the last , and with good ezechias , let vs be afraid of gods threatning , sorrow aforehand , examine our consciences , and mourne for our sinnes , let vs clense and purge our hearts and soules from this poison , and let vs neuer drinke , nor taste that deadly dregs againe . let vs walke no more so inordinately in it , wallow no more in the filthie mire of it , obey no more the lust of it , nor giue our members any more to be weapons to fight for it : but with all our power let vs oppose it , resist it , and manfully with all our force fight against it . oh let vs shake off our sinnes , banish them , send our dearest darlings packing , and neuer pittie them , neuer loue them , neuer be led by them , for they would poison our soules most deadly vnto eternall destruction . to conclude , god grant that we may all , and euery one of vs forsake our sinnes in time , before it bee too late ; and as physitions doe heale many sore maladies with sharpe medicines : so giue grace o eternall and most gracious god , that these my labours ( though they seeme vnsauery , and sharpe to the wicked ) may yeelde such sound and godly phisicke , that they may become a salue to cure , and preserue the soules of the godly , in their zeale of thy glory . and furthermore grant o swéet iesus , that it may offer and minister all such spirituall physicke vnto the soules infected with the poyson of sinne , that it may be a meanes to withdraw them from the same . and that the salue , which is here presented vnto such as are sicke , and almost past recouery , may worke so effectually one them , that it may both strengthen , helpe , and heale them of that damnable poyson , wherewith they are so deadly infected . this god grant , without whose helpe all the labour of man is in vaine . and thus both from the poyson of sinne , and the punishment due for the same , the lord deliuer vs all , euen for his deare sonne christ iesus his sake , our onely saviour , to whom with the father , and the holy ghost , be all honour , glory , praise , power , and dominion , both now , and for euer . amen . the author to the reader . gentle reader , i most humbly desire thee , ( what so euer thou bee ) that gatherest any spirituall physicke to cure thy soules mallady out of these my labours to pray vnto my sauiour iesus christ for mee , to direct me with his holy spirit , and giue mee his grace , to vse it to salue and cure my owne soule ; that as i endeauour to cure thee in words , i may also labour in deedes to raise and preserue my selfe from all my sinnes , to the setting forth of gods glory , and the saluation of my owne soule , which god grant for his sonne iesus christ his sake , amen . finis . the cry of sodom enquired into; upon occasion of the arraignment and condemnation of benjamin goad, for his prodigious villany. together with a solemn exhortation to tremble at gods judgements, and to abandon youthful lusts. s.d. danforth, samuel, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing d estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the cry of sodom enquired into; upon occasion of the arraignment and condemnation of benjamin goad, for his prodigious villany. together with a solemn exhortation to tremble at gods judgements, and to abandon youthful lusts. s.d. danforth, samuel, - . [ ], , [ ] p. printed by marmaduke johnson, cambridge [mass.] : . s.d. = samuel danforth. reproduction of the original in the harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- meditations -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - taryn hakala sampled and proofread - taryn hakala text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the cry of sodom enqvired into ; upon occasion of the arraignment and condemnation of benjamin goad , for his prodigious villany . together with a solemn exhortation to tremble at gods judgements , and to abandon youthful lusts . by s. d. isa . . . — when thy judgements are in the earth , the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness . psal . . . thou hast troden down all them that erre from thy statutes : for their deceit is falshood . ver . . thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross : therefore i love thy testimonies . ver . . my flesh trembleth for fear of thee , and i am afraid of thy judgements . pet. . . dearly beloved , i beseech you as strangers and pilgrims , abstain from fleshly lusts , which war against the soul . cambridge : printed by marmaduke johnson . . christian reader , it is a solemn expression of the kingly prophet , the sweet singer of israel , psal . . . thy judgements ( o lord ) are a great deep ! too great a deep to be fathomed , without the help of scripture-direction . had not the most high condescended to give us ( poor silly worms ) the comment of his word , upon the more abstruse and less discernable passages of his works , how hard had it been for us to have found out , and understood the true sense and meaning of many his darker dispensations . amongst many other , this might have been looked at as astonishingly strange , that the worst of sins should be perpetrated , in some , the best of places and societies ; that enormities not so much as named amongst gentiles , should be found among christians : had not the oracles of god unfolded , and laid open the mystery of such ( otherwise inscrutable ) s●crets of his profound providence . it was in the sanctuary , that the distr●ssed psalmist saw a plain and easie way out of the perplexing intricacies , of those sad tentations , in which he had been so far bewildered , and well-nigh lost , psal . . , . by scripture-light , in the forementioned case , we may easily discern , not onely that it is , but how it comes to pass ; and be informed , that the holy and blessed god is never more gloriously just , then when most dreadfully severe against such as despise , and will not obey his gospel . no judgements are more direfull , and to be dreaded , then spiritual ; nor are any nearer such , then they who have , and improve not , but set light by , and abuse the gospel and grace of our lord jesus . the ground often rained upon , which yet brings forth nothing but thorns and briers , is rejected , and nigh to cursing , and its end is to be burned , heb. . . . it was thus of old , psal . . — . open thy mouth w●●e , and i will fill it . but my people would not hearken to my voice , and israel would none of me : so i gave them up to their own hearts lusts , and they walked in their own counsels . how unquestionably righteous the holy god is , in such severity against his own people , will be abundantly evident , to all who shall consider , how trimendous his dealings have been with poor ignorant heathen . if such , who have had and abused but that glimmering star-light , which ( to weak eyes ) so dimly shineth from the works of creation and providence , have been so terribly treated ; that , as the apostle expresseth , rom. . , to the end of the chapter , the wrath of god is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men , who imprison the truth in unrighteousness : so that because when they knew god , they did not glorifie him as god , he gave them up to uncleanness , to filthy practices , to vile affections , and at last to a reprobate minde : of how much sorer punishment shall they be thought worthy , who have troden under foot the son of god , continuing to sin under and against a far more glorious light , then ever the heathen had ? an awfull ( and not to be forgotten ) instance of this , so formidably solemn a truth , was the sad occasion unto our reverend brother , the pious and judicious author of the ensuing discourse , to lift up his voice like a trumpet . his eminent faithfulness in so doing , we cannot but approve . it 's surely no season for watchmen to be silent , when heaven-daring sins are calling aloud for vengeance . we willingly commend it to the press , and serious perusal of all , into whose hands it may come ; heartily praying , it may ( by a blessing from above ) become successfull unto all that good intended , and hoped for in making it thus publick . john sherman . urian oakes . thomas shepard . the cry of sodom enquired into . gen. xviii . , . and the lord said , because the cry of sodom and g●morrah is great , and because their sin is very grievous ; i will go down now ; and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it , which is come unto me : and if not , i will know . behold the solemn inquisition which the lord made concerning the abominable filthiness of the sodomites , which cried unto heaven for vengeance . in the description whereof observe , . the fearfull aggravation of their wickedness . the cry of sodom and gomorrah is great , and their sin is very grievous . sodom and gomorrah were ancient cities in the land of canaan , situate in the vale of siddim , bordering upon the tribe of judah . there were two other cities , which perished with them , viz. admah and zeboim , deut : . . but sodom and gomorrah are onely named in my text , because as they were the most notable and famous for estate and greatness , so they were the most notorious and infamous for sin and lewdness . ezek. . . sodom and her daughters . the sins of sodom were many and great , but that which was the most grievous of all , was their abominable filthiness in all manner of vncle●nness . ezek. . , . behold , this was the iniquity of thy sister sodom , pride , fulness of bread , and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters , neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy , and they were haughty , and committed abomination before me . this their wickedness cried unto heaven for vengeance . a figurative expression , holding forth the heinousness and notoriousness of their sin and wickedness . it made a clamorous noise in the ears of the lord , so that he could not rest nor be quiet in heaven by reason of the horrid cry of their horrible lewdness , which sounded continually in his ears . . the assertion and vindication of divine justice and equity in the judicial process against them . i will go down now , and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it , which is come unto me : and if not , i will know . these words are spoken after the manner of men , but are to be understood after the manner of god. local descension is not compatible to the omnipresent , nor external information to the omniscient . the lord is every-where present , and is not capable of any local motion ; nevertheless he is said to go down , in respect of the visible form and manner , wherein he revealed himself at this time , appearing in the shape and likeness of a man. the lord seeth the most secret wickedness , and knoweth our thoughts afar off , and needeth not to make any search or enquiry : nevertheless , that he might clear up the equity of his tremendous dispensation toward sodom , and set an example unto civil judges , to take exact cognizance of the cause , and after accurate examination to proceed to sentence and judgement ; he condeseendeth after the manner of men , to make proof and triall of the truth and weight of that horrid cry , which came up to heaven against the filthy sodomites . i will see whether they have done altogether , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an fecerint consummationem , whether they have made a full end , whether they have finished their sin , and filled up the measure of their iniquity ; and if they have , i will proceed to execute v●ngeance upon them . thus abraham understood the lords expression , as appeareth by his intercession , wilt thou also destroy , &c. ver . . doct. abominable filthiness and uncleanness is a crying sin , and grievous wickedness in the account of god ; for which he maketh diligent inquisition , and executeth dreadfull vengeance . the sodomites were extremely wicked , prodigiously unclean , monstrously profuse in all manner of lechery , obscenity and lasciviousness . gen. . . the men of sodom were wicked , and sinners bef●re the lord exceedingly : wherefore the lord visited them with the sword , and brought them into servitude and bondage to their enemies , to whom they continued in subjection twelve years , gen. . — . during this time , righteous lot coming and dwelling amongst them , bare witness against their unclean and impious conversation , pet. . , ▪ but these shameless miscreants , in stead of being bettered either by afflict●on or admonition , grew far worse , and added perfidiousness and rebellion to the rest of their wickedness ; wherefore the lord whetted the sword against them the second time , overthrew their armies , sent the people into captivity , and their goods became a prey to their enemies , gen. . , . nevertheless , through the wonderful patience of god , they were rescued by the hand of abraham for lots sake , and the lord spared them yet fifteen years longer . but in stead of being gained or reclaimed thereby , they increased and multiplied their wickedness , and filled up the measure of their sin , growing so impudent and outragious in their villany and lewdness , that the cry thereof went up to heaven , and the lord himself came down in the likeness and similitude of a man , accompanied with two of his holy angels , to make search and diligent inquisition concerning their clamorous and crying wickedness ; and upon triall , found it to be most prodigious . witness their beastly incivility and rage against those heavenly guests , the two holy angels , which lodged in the house of righteous lot , gen. . , . wherefore the lord destroyed them with fire and brimstone from heaven , ver . , . and turned the whole country into a standing , stinking lake . now that no man may plead ignorance , nor be able to say another day , that the ministry did not acquaint them with the nature and heinousness of this transgression , let us with holy modesty , in the fear of god , enquire , quest . . what is that abominable vncleanness , which crieth in the ears of the lord of hosts , and hastneth divine vengeance ? answ . it is expressed by and comprehended under those two terms , fornication , and going after strange flesh , jude ver . . fornication being taken in a large sense , comprehends not onely whoredome and self-pollution , but also adultery , matt , . . and incest , cor. . , going after strange flesh , comprehends sodomy and bestiality . these are the severall sorts of abominable uncleanness , which cry for vengeance . . self-pollution , when a man practiseth uncleanness , and commits filthiness with his own body alone . this was the sin of onan the second son of judah , who out of envy and malignity against his brother deceased , lest he should raise up seed to him , abhorred the lawful use of the marriage-bed , and most impurely defiled himself . which fact of his , was so detestable in the sight of god , that he slew him by his immediate hand , and suffered not such a villain to live upon the face of the earth , gen. . , . seducers are called f●lthy dreamers that defile the flesh , jude ver . . some learned interpreters understand it properly of their defiling their bodies by nocturnal pollutions . this is a hatefull and an odious sin , and usually the fruit and punishment of impure thoughts and f●●cies in the day-time . it seemeth that these impostors were so addicted to lasciviousness , ( as our english annotators observe ) that they did not onely practise it being awake , but also dreamed of it , and defiled themselves in their sleep . yea , the truth is , their spiritual dreams ( which i think are proper●y intended ) viz. their erroneous and heretical opinions , were unclean speculations , turnings the grace of god into lasciviousness , ver . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , into profu●●ness in lux●ry and uncleanness , and issued in all manner of carnal pollution● . . whoredome , the vi●iating of a single woman . deut. . . there shall be no whore of the daughters of israel . lev. . . do not prost●r 〈◊〉 thy daughter , to cause her to be a whore , le●t the land fall to whoredome , and the land become full of wickedness . ephes . . . this ye know , no whoremonger , nor unclean person — hath any inheritance in the kingdome of christ . and of god. . adultery , the violating of the marriage-bed . this is a h●ino●● 〈◊〉 ; yea , it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges . it is a fire that consumeth to destruction , job . , . the adulterer and 〈◊〉 adulteress shall surely be put to death , lev. . . whoremongers and adulterers god will judge , heb. . . . incest , uncle●nn●ss committed by parties that are near of kin , between whom there is consanguinity or affi●ity , within the degrees prohibited by the law of god. lev. . . none of ●ou shall approach to any that is near of kin to him , to uncover thei● 〈…〉 lord. this was the sin of re●ben , for which he was degraded from his dignity , and deprived of his birth-right , gen. . . chron. . . amnon , and absalom , and herod the te●rarch , made themselves infamous by this kinde of wickedness . the co●inthians were required by the apostle to deliver the incestuous pe●son to satan , cor. , . . sodomy , filthiness committed between p●●ties of 〈◊〉 same sex : when males with males , and females with females work wickedness . if a man lieth with mankinde , as he lieth with a woman , both of them have committed an abomination : they shall surely be put to death , their blood shall be upon them , lev. . . this sin raged amongst the sodomites , and to their perpetual infamy ▪ it is called sodomy . against this wickedness , no indignation is sufficient . the athenians pu● such to death theodosius and arc●dius adjudged such to be burnt . amongst the romans , it was lawful for a man to kill him that made such an assault upon him . . bestiality , or buggery , when any prostitute themselves to a beast . this is an accursed thing , deut. . . cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast : and all the people shall say , amen . this is monstrous and horrible confusion : it turneth a man into a bruit beast . he that joyneth himself to a beast , is one flesh with a beast . livi● . . neither shalt thou lie with any beast , to defile thy self therewith neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto : it is confusion . this horrid wickedness pollutes the very beast , and makes it more unclean and beastly then it was , and unworthy to live amongst beasts , and therefore the lord to shew his detestation of such villany , hath appointed the beast it self to be slain . lev. . , . if a man li● with a beast , he shall surely be put to death , and ye shall slay the beast . and if a woman approach to any beast , and lie down thereto , thou shalt kill the woman and the beast : they shall surely be put to death , their blood shall be upon them . all these abominations reigned amongst the ancient inhabitants of canaan , and caused their land to vomit them out , lev. . , . but the men of sodom and gomorrah were the most notorious therein : for they were all of them , both young and old addicted to such lewdness , and went through all sorts of uncleanness , giving themselves over to fornication , and going after strange flesh , and attained to a prodigious height , and hellish perfection therein ; and therefore are set forth for an example , suffering the vengeance of eternal fire , jude ver , . quest . . why is carnall vncleanness said to be a crying sin , and gri●vous wickedness , for which god maketh diligent inquisition , and executeth dreadful vengeance . reas . . because the sin of uncleanness is a bold and presumptuous violation of the holy law and blessed commandment of god. thess . . , , . this is the will of god , even your sanctification , that ye should abstain from fornication : that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour ; not in the lust of concupiscence , even as the gentiles which know not god. lev. . , , . d●file not you your selves in any of these things . ye shall keep my statutes and my judgements , and shall not commit any of these abominations , &c. lewd and filthy persons thwart and cross the sacred and soveraign will of god , preferring their base lusts , and the satisfaction thereof , before gods royal commandment , and obedience thereunto . reas . . because the sin of uncleanness is a most polluting and defiling sin . it is most opposite to holiness , and is properly called vncleanness , thess . . . it pollutes a mans person , mat. . , . out of the heart proceed evil thoughts . murthers , adulteries , fornications , &c. these are the things which defile a man. it pollutes the body , and turns the temple of the holy ghost into an hog-stie , and a dogs kennel . cor. ▪ , . he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body . what , know ye not that your body is the temple of the holy ghost ? cor. . . if any man defile the temple of god , him shall god destroy . such as wallow in the lusts of uncleanness are dogs and swine : pet. . . the dog is turned to his own vomit again , and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire . when abner was charged with defiling rizpah , he answereth , am i a dogs head ? sam. . . the hire of a where and the price of a dog are put together , deut. . . they are near of kin , even let them go together . it pollutes the noble faculties of the soul , the minde and the conscience , tit. . . it blindes the minde , darkens the understanding , extinguisheth the light of nature , and of common grace , and makes a man a fool ; as tamar said to amnon , sam. . . thou shalt be as one of the fools in israel . solomon tells us that a young wanton is a simple man , and void of understanding , and goeth after the strange woman , as an ox goeth to the slaughter , or as a fool to the correction of the stocks , prov. . , . this sin besots and infatuates the heart , estrangeth it from god , and breeds an hatred and loathing of piety and honesty . whoredome , and wine , and new wine , take away the heart , hos . . . the impure gentiles , who gave themselves over to lastiviousness , were alitnated from the life of god , ephes . . , , . seducers , which creep into houses , and lead captive silly women , laden with sins , led away with divers lusts , are men of corrupt mindes , reprobate concerning the faith , tim. . , . this sin makes men haughty and scornfull , so that they mock at counsels and warnings , and are enraged against wholsome admonitions . the men of sod●m said to lot , stand back . this one fellow came in to so●ourn , and he will needs be a judge . now will we deal worse with thee , then with them , gen. . . lot admonished his sons in law to get out of that place , because the lord would destroy it ; but he seemed to them , as one that mocked , ver . . this sin pollutes a mans speech , and makes his communication rotten and unsavoury , eph. . . it pollutes a mans course and conversation , and makes it filthy and loathsome , p●t . . . it pollutes a mans name , and makes it stink , prov. . . a wound and dishonour shall he get , and his reproach shall not be wiped away . sam. . . and i , whither shall i cause my shame to go ? the unclean person is burnt in the hand , and branded on the forehead . repentance it self cannot so throughly heal this wound , but some scar will remain in this world : as is evident in the history of samson , david , and solomon . this sin pollutes the company , with whom such converse : they are spots and blemishes in christian societies , p●t . . . yea , it pollutes and defiles the land where it is committed , and causeth it to spue out its inhabitants . the earth groaneth under the burthen of such horrible enormities , and would willingly empty and cast up its gorge : yea , the lord visiteth the land with sword , famine and pestilence for such abominations , lev. . . . reas . . because the sin of uncleanness is most dishonourable and reproachful to the name of god. rom. . , , . thou that s●●est a man should not commit adultery , dost thou commit adultery ? thou that makest thy boast of the law , through breaking the law dishonourest thou god ? for the name of god is blasphemed amongst the gentiles , through you . what greater disgrace or infamy can be cast upon the grace of god , then to turn it into laseiviousness ? what a reproach is this , that the sons of god are become flesh , carnal , sensual , debauched ; that the members of christ are made the members of an harlot ; yea the members of a beast : that the temple of the holy ghost is become a stews , and brothel-house , yea a cage of unclean birds , yea a very hog-sty ! what horrid profaneness , what hellish sacriledge is this ! reas . . because the sin of uncleanness is most off●nsive and displeasing to the holy spirit of god. gen. ▪ . the lord said , my spirit shall not alwayes strive with man , because he also is flesh : and ver . . it repented the lord that he had made man on the earth , and it grieved him at his heart . corrupt communication grieves the holy spirit of god , ephes . . ▪ . they that are sensual , are destitute of the spirit , jude ver . . the stinking lake of sodom is not so unsavoury and loathsome to the traveller that passeth by , as the lewd and filthy person is to the most holy god : such are the abhorred of the lord , prov. . . reas . . because the sin of uncleanness provokes god to indignation , and augments his fierce wrath against vile sinners . jer. . . shall i not visit for these things ? saith the lord : and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this ? ephes . . . because of these things cometh the wrath of god upon the children of disobedience . where do the guests of the strange woman lodge ? in such a tavern or ordinary ? nay , they lodge in the depths of hell , prov. . . fornicators , adulterers , unclean and eff●minate persons , and abusers of themselves with mankinde , have no inheritance in the kingdome of god , but are shut out among the dogs , and cast into the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone : which is the second death , cor. ; . gal. . , . eph. . . rev. . , . & . . vse i. of instruction . this may serve to vindica●e the holy name of god , and clear in throne , in his dreadful severity toward this vile and wicked youth , in making him a pattern and monument of his fierce wrath and indignation . it may be some among us stand astonished and amazed at this fearfull and tremendous hand of god , in making such a youth , a childe of religious parents , and that in his tender years , such a dreadful example of divine vengeance . i pray consider , . the heinous and atrocious nature of his sin and transgression . it is a crying sin ; it makes a ●lamorous noise in the ears of the holy god : it will not suffer god to rest in heaven . it doth not onely trouble our isra●l , but it troubles and disquiets the god of israel . this his sin is exceeding grievous in the sight of god : it is an abomination ; it is confusion . it defiles the land ; the earth groans under the burthen of such wickedness . you pity his youth and tender years , but i pray pity the holy law of god , which is shamefully violated ; pity the glorious name of god , which is horribly profaned ; pity the land , which is fearfully polluted and defiled . . consider the equity of gods severe dispensation towards this vile youth . the lord hath proceeded slowly and leisurely , and hath endured this wicked youth with much long-suffering ; untill his sin grew to this prodigious height , and cried for vengeance . for , ( as he himself confesseth ) he lived in disobedience to his parents , in lying , stealing , sabbath-breaking , and was wont to flee away from catechism . he would not hearken to the voice of god , and therefore he gave him up to his own hearts lust . he was extremely addicted to sloth and idleness ; which is a great breeder and cherisher of u●cleanness . the standing pool gathers filth , and harbours toads and filthy vermine . lust is usually warm and stirring in idle bosomes . he gave himself to self-pollution , and o●her sodomitical wickedness . he often attempted buggery with several beasts , before god-left him to commit it : at last god gave him over to it , and he continued in the frequent practise thereof for several moneths . being at length , by the good hand of god , brought under the yoke of government and serv●ce , ( which might have bridled and restrained him from such wickednes● ) he violently brake away from his master , and with an high hand boldly and impudently , like a childe of belial , shook off that yoke of god , casting reproach and disgrace upon his master . having now obtained a licentious liberty , he grew so impudent in his wickedness , as to commit this horrid villany in the sight of the sun , and in the open field , even at noon-day ; proclaiming his sin like sodom . though he be a youth in respect of years , yet he is grown old in wickedness , and ripe for vengeance . the church cannot be cleansed , untill this wicked person be put away from among us . ishmael stood in the same relation to the church of god , was younger in years , yet being convict of a heinous transgression , though far inferiour to this before us , was cast out , and that according to the commandment of god , gen. . ▪ , , . if we will not pronounce such a villain accursed , we must be content to bear the curse our selves . the land cannot be cleansed , untill it hath spued out this u●clean beast . the execution of justice upon such a notorious malefactor , is the onely way to turn away the wrath of god from us , and to consecrate our selves to the lord , and obtain his blessing upon us . numb . . . — hang them up before the lord against the sun , that the fierce anger of the lord may be turned away from israel . exod. . . consecrate your selves to day to the lord , even every man upon his son , and upon his brother , that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day . vse ii. of exhortation unto us all , to sanctifie the name of god in this tremendous dispensation , in making such an one amongst us a sign and an example of vengeance . when nadab and abibu were burnt with fire , for offering strange fire before the lord , m●ses said unto aaron , this is that which the lord spake , saying , i will be sanctified in them that come nigh to me , and before all the people i will be glorified , lev. . . this is the right interpretation and true improvement of such signal and judicial strokes , viz. to sanctifie the name of god according to his word , and give him the honour and glory due unto his name . psal . . . the lord is known by the judgement which he executeth : the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands . higgaion , selah . this is a deep meditation . let us look upon this sad and woful example with diligent observation ; let it sink down into our hearts , ponder and weigh it in the causes , circumstances and aggravations thereof . let our thoughts dwell upon this lasting monument of divine wrath. content we not our selves with transient thoughts , in contemplating such a permanent sign and example of vengeance , left god lose of that honour and glory which he expects from us , and we fail of that spiritual fruit which we might and ought to reap thereby . quest . how should we sanctifie the name of god in this tremendous dispensation ? ans . i. in general . fear and tremble before this holy lord god. isa . . . sanctifie the lord of hosts himself , and let him be your fear , and let him be your dread . the fearful judgements of god executed upon the wicked , ought to strike a holy fear and dread of god into the hearts of the hearers and spectators thereof . r. v. . . who shall not fear thee , o lord , and glorifie thy name ? for thou onely art holy : for all nations shall come and worship before th●e ; for thy judgements are made manifest . this is that which the lord expects and looks for . when the enticer to idolatry is stoned to death , the lord saith , all israel shall hear and fear , and shall do no more any such wickedness , as this is , amongst you , deut. . . when the presumptuous contemner of the sentence of the supreme council is put to death , the lord saith , all the people shall hear and fear , and do no more presumptuously , deut. . . when the false witness is punished according to his demerit , the lord saith , those which remain shall hear and fear , and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you , deut. . . when the stubborn and rebellious son is stoned to death , the lord saith , all israel shall hear and fear , deut. . . when god cut off the nations , made their towers desolate , laid their streets waste , and destroyed their cities , the lord said to judah , surely thou wilt fear me , thou wilt receive instruction , zeph. . , . it hath been the ancient manner , and commendable practise of the people of god , to tremble at the execution of gods judgements upon the wicked . when pharaoh and all his host were drowned in the red sea , israel saw that great work which the lord did upon the egyptians ; and the people feared the lord , and believed the lord , and his servant moses , exod. . . ananias and sapphira , being convict of horrible hypocrisie and d●ssimulation , of ●acrilegious fraud , and prodigious lying , and presumptuous tempting of god , yea and of mutual agreement and conspiracy therein , were smitten by gods immediate hand , and fell down dead at the apostles feet , and great fear came upon all the church , and upon as many as heard these things , acts . . davids observation of the grievous mischief that ensued upon the vile and vicious courses of the wicked , how the lord trod them down as the mire of the street , and put them away like dross , and cast them out to the dunghill , it made not onely his soul , but also his fl●sh , even his whole man to tremble before god , and to be horribly afraid of the like sins , lest he or his should incur the like wrath and vengeance : psal . . . my flesh trembleth for fear of thee ; and i am afraid of thy judgements . and indeed there are many and weighty reasons , why the execution of judgements upon the wicked , should make such awfull impressions upon the hearts of the spectators . for , . there are sins with the spectators , as well as with the sufferers , which deserve the like judgements , chron. . . — are there not with you , even with you , sins against the lord your god ? if we ransack our own hearts , and search and try our wayes , we shall finde such sins with us , as may justly provoke divine wrath and vengeance . our cursed natures are propense and inclined to all manner of sins . every imagination of the thoughts of the heart of man is onely evil continually , gen. . . the heart is the seed-plot of murther , adultery , fornication , lasciviousness , and of all manner of iniquity , mat. . , . the gross and flagitious pract●ses of the worst of men , are but comments upon our nature . who can say , i have made my heart clean ? the holiest man hath as vile and filthy a nature , as the sodomites , or the men of gibeah . yea , there are many actual sins and transgressions with us , which if god should enter into judgement with us , would bring heavy wrath upon us . in many things we all offend . there is not a just man upon earth , that doeth good and sinneth not . . the holy and just god hateth sin where-ever he seeth it , and is impartial in the execution of justice . pet. . . if ye call on the father , who without respect of persons , judgeth according to every mans work , pass the time of your sojourning here in fear . the judgements that light upon some , are testimonies of the jealousie of god , and his severity against all sin . the lord hates sin now , as much as ever he did formerly . whoredome , adultery , self-pollution and sodomy , are as odious and abominable in his sight now , as ever they were heretofore . . gods end in inflicting remarkable judgements upon some , is for caution and warning to all others . the sodomites suffering the vengeance of eternal fi●e , are set forth for an example , not of imitation , but of caution and admonition , jude ver . . pet. . . lots wife looking back , became a pillar of salt , to season after-generations , luke . . korah and his company became a sign , to warn all succeeding ages to beware of faction and sedition , numb . . . the destructive calamities that befell the israelites in the wilderness , happened for ensample , and are written for our admonition , cor. . , . christs severity against j●zabel and her paramours , is an instruction to all the churches , rev . , . behold , i will cast her into a bed , and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation , except they repent of their d●eds : and i will kill her children with death ; and all the churches shall know that i am he which searcheth the reins and hearts : and i will give unto every one of you , according to your works . . fearful judgements do likewise abide all other impenitent sinners , as well as those that are made examples . except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish , luke . , . the particle [ likewise ] is to be understood of the certainty , not of the similitude of punishment . perdition is the certain portion of every impenitent sinner . without repentance there is no escaping the wrath of the almighty . . the fear and dread of the majesty of god , upon the sight of the mischief that follows upon any sinful and wicked course , will make men wise and wary . smite a scorner , and the simple will beware , prov. . . when the scorner is punished , the simple is made wise , prov. . . the fear of god will curb and restrain men from the like sins . all israel shall hear and fear , and shall do no more any such wickedness , as this is , among you , deut. . . a wise man feareth , and departeth from evil , prov. . . the fear of god will reduce and recover such as are fallen into the like snares and temptations . jude ver . . others save with fear , pulling them out of the fire , hating even the garment spotted by the flesh . bold and presumptuous sinners cannot be saved , except they be made afraid of the wrath and vengeance of god. if lewd and filthy persons be not scared and frighted out of their vile haunts and las●ivious courses , by the terrour of wrath and judgement , there is no hope of their salvation . all these considerations are a sufficient conviction of our duty in reference to this sad and woful spectacle before us . hath the lord singled out one of our cong●egation , apprehended and arr●igned him for his abominable lewdness , cast him out of his visible kingdome , delivered him into the hand of satan , made him an anathema ; yea , and cut him off by the hand of justice , and s●●ept him away as dung and filth from the face of the earth ? let no man insult over him , nor yet flatter himself in his sins , but let us all learn to fear and tremble before the lord , who walketh in the midst of the golden candlesticks , having his eyes like unto a flame of fire , and his feet like fine brass , and will have all the church●s to know , that he starcheth the reins and hearts , and rendreth unto every man according to his works . we have often heard the voice of the word , and have neglect●d and despised it , now hearken to the voice of the rod , and of him that hath appointed it . such judgements as these have a voice , a loud voice , a clamorous voice , a dreadful voice , calling to all israel , to hear and fear , and do no more so wickedly . the denunciations of wrath against vicious and unclean persons , have for a long time sounded daily in our ears , and have not been believed nor regarded by many : behold now the execution of vengeance upon this lewd and wicked youth , whom god hath hanged up before the sun , and made a sign and an example , an instruction and astonishment to all new-england ; which is as a divine seal annexed to all the former comminations . is there any root of bitterness among us , that beareth gall and wormwood , who hath not onely heard the words of the curse pronounced , but hath also seen the curse executed in this dreadful manner , and yet is not afraid to go on impenitently in the same sins , even in idleness , in stubbornness , in lying , in steali●g , in profaning the lords-day , and in all manner of carnal uncleanness ; but blesseth himself in his heart , and saith , i shall have peace , though i walk in the imagination of mine heart , and adde drunkenness to thirst ? i shall have peace , though i live in self-pollution , in fornication , in sodomy and bestiality ? know , that your sin is inexcusable , and your destruction inevitable , the lo●d will not spare you , but the anger of the lord , and his jealousie sh●ll smoke against you , and all the curses that are written in this book , shall lie upon you , and the lord shall blot out your name from under heaven , deut. . , , . god shall wound the head of his enemies ; and the hairy scalp of such an one , as goeth on still in his trespasses , psa . . . when the sight or report of gods judgements executed upon the wicked , doth not awe the heart , nor deter from the like ungodly practises , it is a great aggravation of sin , and provocation of wrath . jer. . . and i saw , when for all the causes whereby back-sliding israel committed adult●ry , i had put her away , and given her a bill of divorce , yet her treacherous sister judah feared not , but went and pl●ye● the har lot also . for any to go on in the sin of uncleanness , after such a solemn warning as this , it is to sin presumptuously ; it is to sin in contempt of the holmess of god , in contempt of the jealousie of god , in contempt of the fierce wrath and indignation of the almighty . he that will rush into the gulf , and cast himself into the wh●rlpool , where he hath seen his neighbour drowned before his eyes , he is a wilful self-murtherer . go to now , ye wanton and las●ivious persons , go on in your frolicks and mad pranks , take your swinge in your lusts and vicious courses ; he that is unclean , l●t him be unclean still ; he that is filthy , let him be filthy still : he that is addicted to self-pollution , let him continue herein still ; he that is a fornicator , let him be a fornicator still ; he that is a sodomite , let him be a sodomite still ; he that is a beast , let him be a beast still . make haste , and fill up your measure : run through all sorts of vile lusts ; work all uncleanness with greediness . justifie this poor condemned wretch in all his villany : be a comfort to your lewd predecessors , who are long since gone down to the lowest hell , and lie in the nether parts of the bottomless pit. there are your voluptuous fathers , the renowned epic●res that lived before the flood : there is your l●bidinous mother jezab●l , with all her paramours : there are your filthy sisters , s●dom and her daughters : there are your wicked brethren , ouan , the unclean son of judah ; hophui and phinehas , the belial-sons of eli ; amnon and absolom , the incestuous sons of david : there are your v●nereous kinsmen , the nicolaitans , the guosticks , the menandri●ns , and innumerable others . hasten you after your lecherous k●ndred into the stinking lake : sit down with your brethren and sisters in the depths of hell. as you have partaken with them in their sordid pleasures , partake with them also in their plagues and torments . let thy lustful body be everlasting fuell for the unquenchable fire : let thy lascivious soul be eternal food for the never-dying worm . let indignation and wrath , tribulation and anguish be thy portion world without end . hell from beneath is moved to meet thee , and is ready to entertain thee . all your fellow-guests wait and long for your company : your judgement of a long time lingreth not , and your damnation slumbereth not . shall it be more tolerable for sodom and gomorrah in the day of judgement , then for those that embrace not the gospel ? how terrible and dreadful then shall be the condemnation of such , who notwithstanding their profession of the gospel , justifie sodom in all her abominations ? ii. in particular . let me commend unto you these few directions . . let the awfull apprehension of the wrath of god , which hath lighted upon this youth , be a bridle to curb and restrain the rest of our youth , and all others , from indulging themselves in any kinde of carnal uncleanness . god is mercifully willing to prevent the ruine of our lewd and vicious youth , therefore hath he set before them this awfull example for their admonition and caution . he hath cut off this rotten and putrid member , th●t he might prev●nt the spreading of the infection . in this tremendous providence the lord saith to all wanton and lascivious persons , as abner said to asahel , turn aside , lest i smite thee to the ground . if after this solemn warning , any shall refuse to turn aside from the eager pursuit of their vile lusts , they are worthy to be smitten , not onely to the ground , but even to the bottom of hell. wherefore in the fear of god , hearken to the exhortation of the apostle , pet. . . dearly beloved , i beseech you as strangers and pilgrims , abstain from fleshly lusts , which war against the soul. with youthful lusts fight like the parthi●ns , flying . tim. . . flee youthful lusts . this is an honourable retreat , and a war-like stratagem . flee fornication , cor. . . is it safe standing near to a deep and narrow pit ? a whore is a deep ditch , and a strange woman is a narrow pit , prov. . , . he that is abhorred of the lord falls into it , prov. . . he that committeth adultery with a woman , lacketh understanding : he that doeth it , destroyeth his own soul , prov. . . abhor self-pollution : the holy god detests and abhors it . the thing which onan did , was evil in the sight of the lord , and therefore he slew him , gen. . . can any man be so blinde and ignorant as to question whether it be a sin , to practise uncleanness with his own body alone , wherein he maketh himself both bawd , and who●e , and whoremaster ! know assuredly , that it is an impious , loathsome and de●estable evil in gods account , very offensive and provoking to the eyes of his glory . this is that sin which according to the opinion of many learned men , is properly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , vncleanness ; i am sure it is at least comprehended under it , col. . . and it brings the wrath of god upon them that practise it , ver . . who are thought to be those whom the apostle calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , soft , or ●ff●minate , and they have no inheritance in the kingdome of god , cor. . . detest and abominate the sin of sodomy . the law of god is made for the condemnation of such as abuse themselves with man-kinde , tim. . , . 't is a fearful judgement of god to be given up to this kinde of wickedness , rom. . — . 't is a capital crime , for which the parties guilty ought to be put to death , lev. . . and except they repent , shall certainly be excluded from the kingdome of god , cor. . . tremble at the thoughts of that ho●rid and prodigious sin , of mingling thy self with a beast ; which is ●bominable confusion in the sight of god , exod. . . lev. . . & . , . take heed and beware of those fond conceits and imaginations , whereby many are deceived , and led into the sin of uncleanness . 't is not without cause that the apostle in his discourses of this subject , so often inserts that caution , be not deceived , cor. . . & . . eph. . . all sin is deceitful , but especially the sin of vncleanness . it promiseth pleasure , secrecy , impunity , and future repentance : but all these flattering promises are meer deceits , lies and false-hoods . be not deceived with the bait of carnal pleasure and delight . how canst thou take pleasure in that , which is so displeasing and offensive to thy maker and saviour ? gen. . . how can i do this great wickedness , and sin against god ? shall that be delightful and pleasureable to thee , which is hateful and loathsome to the heart of god ? this pleasure is short , it lasteth but for a season , but it will be bitterness in the end . prov. . , , . the lips of a strange woman drop as an honey-comb , and her mouth is smoother then oyl : but her end is bitter as wormwood , sharp as a two-edged sword : her feet go down to death ; her steps take hold on hell . chap. . , . stoln waters are sweet , and bread eaten in secret is pleasant ; but he knoweth not that the dead are there , and that her guests are in the depths of hell . job . , , . though wickedness be sweet in his mouth , though he hide it under his tongue , though he spare it , and forsake it not , but keep it still within his mouth ; yet his meat in his bowels is turned , it is the gall of asps within him . yea , the more pleasure thou takest in sin , the more to●ment and sorrow shalt thou have hereafter , rev. . . be not deceived with the hope of secrecy . how canst thou say , no eye seeth me , there is no witness ? doth not he see thy wayes , and count all thy steps ! job . . his eyes are upon the wayes of man , and he seeth all his goings , job . . the wayes of man are before the eyes of the lord , and he pondereth all his goings , prov. . . the more secret thy wickedness is , the more god looks upon it with abhorrence . kings . . the children of israel did secretly those things that were not right against the lord their god. those sins which men commit in secret , make light of , forget , and cast behinde their backs , those the eye of god is alwayes upon , they stand before his face , he cannot look off from them , they stand in the light of his countenance . psal . . . thou hast set our iniquities before thee , our secret sins in the light of thy countenance . is there no witness ? the lord himself will be a witness , yea a swift witness against thee , mal. . . & . . be not deceived with the hope of impunity . is not destruction to the wicked , and strange punishment to the workers of iniquity ? job . . this ye know , that no whoremonger , nor unclean person , hath any inheritanc● in the kingdome of christ and of god , ephes . . . the lord knoweth how to plague you ; he watcheth a fit season to be avenged on you : the longer he defers , the greater wrath shall be poured out at last , pet. . , . the lord knoweth how to r●s●rve the ●nj●st unto the day of judgement to be punished , but chiefly them that walk after the flesh , in the lust of uncleanness . be not deceived with the hope of future repentance . no sin hardens the heart more then the sin of vncleanness . it s●upisies and infatuates , and makes reprobate to every good work , hos . . . tit. . . impudent and impenitent sinners are said to have a whores forehead , jer. . . they are not ashamed , neither can they blush , jer. . . there are very few unclean persons that ever savingly repent and turn to god : prov. . . none that go unto her , return ag●in , neither take they hold of the paths of li●e . if we would be preserved from the sin of vncleanness , we must take heed and beware of the inlets , occasions , incentives and provocations thereunto . . beware of pride : this was one of the sins of sodom , and it is a principal root of the sin of vncleanness . for pride makes man d●spise the commandment of god , and presumptuously parley with temptations , and expose themselves to snares . sam. . . wherefore hast thou d●●●●sed the commandment of the lord , to do evil in his sight ? pride makes men haughty , scornful , so as to cast off instructions , counsels , admonitions , which might restrain them from such wickedness . gen. . . stand back , &c. pride makes men despise the ordinance of marriage , the remedy which god hath provided for the quenching of such boyling and burning lusts . pride breeds jars and breaches between married persons , so as to take no complacency or delight in each other ; hence they thirst after stollen wa●ers . pride is the object of gods special hatred and abhorrency : prov. . . every one that is proud in heart , is an abomination to the lord. pride provokes the lord to withdraw his grace and spirit , and plunge them into this filthy puddle . god resisteth the p●oud , jam. . . he that is abhorred of the lord , shall fall into this deep pit , prov. . . . beware of fulness of bread , i. e. gluttony and drunkenness . this was another of the sins of sodom , and it is the very fodder and fuell of the sin of vncleanness . jer. . , . when i had ●ed them to the full , then they committed adultery , and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots houses . they were as fed horses in the morning : every one neighed after his neighbours wife . pet. . , . sporting themselves with their own deceivings , while they feast with you ; having eyes full of adult●ry , and that cannot cease from sin . the unclean spirit findes no rest in dry places , in sober and temperate livers , but loves to wallow in the m●re of riot and intemperance . the sensual and voluptuous epicure is a sit sty for the unclean spirit to lodge in . christ hath given us solemn warning to take heed of excess : luke . . take heed to your selves , lest any time your hearts be over-charged with surfetting , and drunk●nness , and cares of this life , and so that day come up●n you unawares . 't is a lamentable thing to see christians belly-gods , phil. . , . . be●are of sl●th and idleness . this was another of sodoms sins , and it is the nurse and fosterer of vile lusts . stow b●l●ies are usually evil beasts , tit. . . when men are sluggish and slothful in the work which god calls them unto , the devil will s●t them about his drudgery . the standing waters pu●risie , and grow corrupt and noisome . the untilled ground is soon overgrown with stinking weeds . the beginning of davids fall , was ●●s ●l●th : he gave himself to carnal ease and rest , rolling himself upon his bed , when he should have been in the field , sighting the bat●els of the lord ; thereupon satan assaulted him , and tempted him to uncleanness , sam. . , , . of idleness cometh no good . laziness breeds lewdness . no business , debauch●ry . by doing nothing , men learn to do evil . while the oyster opens its shell to the sun , the crab thrusteth in its claws , and devoureth the oyster . idle and slothful persons are easily made a prey by satan . otia si tollas , &c. if you would escape the darts of lust , avoid idleness and sloth . . beware of disobedience to parents and masters in families , and of ●asting off the yoke of government , which would check and restrain the enormities of youth . the younger son , who would have his portion , and live at his own hand , grew riotous , debauched , devoured his substance with harlots , l●ke . , . the sons of ell were sons of belial , they cast off the yoke of government , and soon became gluttons and adulterers . . beware of evil company , the society of vicious and lascivious persons . a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump . a companion of fools shall be destroyed , prov. . . he that is a companion of riotous men , shameth his father , prov. . . wise-hearted joseph fleeth his mistresses company ; he would not so much as be with her alone in the room . 't is dangerous bringing our corruptions and temptations to an interview . dinah out of curiosity goes abroad into the city , to see the daughters of the land , to observe their persons , habits , fashions and behaviour , but she is more curiously viewed , and is tak●n and defloured , g●n . . , . israels ta●ling , and talking , and feasting with a company of le●d women , brought more mischief upon them , then all the host of moab and midi●● , yea , then all the enchantments of balaam could do , n●mb . . , , . & . . one root of bitterness may defi●e many . the strange woman increaseth transgressors among men , prov. . . . beware of irreligion and profaneness . israel would not hearken to gods voice , nor be content with the lord alone for their portion ; therefore he gave them over to their own hearts lusts : psal . . , . the gentiles liked not to retain god in knowledge , but grew vain in their imaginations , representing the true god by images of men and beasts ; wherefore god gave them over to vile affections , and to a minde void of judgement , so that they ran mad into sodomiticall wickedness , rom. . , , , . if men grieve away the holy spirit of god , it is just with god to let loose the unclean spirit , and give him a commission to haunt them . a profane person may easily be come a fornicator , heb. . . he that despiseth the holy ordinances and spiritual priviledges , preferring the satisfaction of his sensual appetite , above gospel-mercies , may easily fall into the sin of uncleanness . the children of disobedience , who cannot be perswaded to embrace the gospel , and yield up themselves in professed subjection to christ , they are usually addicted to vile lusts , col. . , . eph. . , . secondly , let the fear and dread of god move and provoke such as are guilty of the sin of vncleanness , timously to repent , and turn to god , lest they also perish . luke . , . except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish . if god hath not spared this lewd youth , but made him an example , how shall he spare thee , who art an old practitioner in sodomitical wickedness ? do not linger nor defer thy repentance , but hasten out of sodom , and flee to the mountains , lest thou be consumed in this iniquity . call to minde all thy former lewdness , thine unclean speculations , vile affections , unchaste desires , filthy jestings , dishonest and vicious practises , and lament and bewail them with bitterness and anguish of soul. solomon having applied his heart wisely to finde out his own wickedness , madness and folly , crieth out , i finde more bitter then death , the woman , whose heart is snares and nets , and her hands as bands , eccles . . . is the heart of the holy god broken with thy whorish heart , and shall not thy whorish heart be broken ? the onely sacrifice which god requires of thee , is a broken and contrite heart : none other will he accept at thine hand , psal . . . imitable is the example of that woman , in luke . who had been infamous for uncleanness , and became famous for repentance . she stood at jesus feet behinde him weeping , and began to wash his feet with tears , and did wipe them with the hairs of her head , and kissed his fe●t , and anointed them with the ointment , ver . . she findes more bitterness in her lascivious courses , then ever she found sweetness . her eyes had been formerly full of adultery , now are they filled with the salt tears of repentance . her hair she was wont to plair , and adorn her self therewith to please her paramours , but now she makes it a towel to wipe the feet of christ . her lips which she formerly used to unclean and whorish kisses , she now applies to christs feet . her choice and precious ointment , such as formerly she anointed her self and her bed withall for her lovers , she pours out upon the feet of the lord jesus . lament and bewail the filthiness of thy heart and nature , which is the spring and fountain , whence all the streams of vncleanness flow . psal . . . behold , i was shapen in iniquity : and in sin did my mother conceive me . cry unto the lord to purge and cleanse thee from the guilt and filth of thy sin . psal . . . purge me with hysop , and i shall be clean ; wash me , and i shall be whiter then the snow . your sin cries for vengeance , do not you neglect to cry for mercy . wash in the fountain of grace opened in the gospel : zech. . . in that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of david , and to the inhabitants of jerusalem , for sin and for uncleanness . cor. . . such were some of you : but ye are washed , but ye are sanctified , but ye are justified in the name of our lord jesus , and by the spirit of our god. joh. . . if we confess our sins , he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins , and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness . labour through the grace and help of christ , to mortifie thy lusts and crucifie the flesh : coloss . . . mortifie your members which are upon the earth , fornication , uncleanness , inordinate affection , evil concupiscence . rom. . . if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body , ye shall live . take the sword of the spirit , and thrust it into the bowels of thy lusts , and let out their heart blood . deal with them as samuel dealt with agag , hew them in pieces before the lord. hearken to the counsel of the lord jesus , matth. . , . if thy right eye offend thee , pluck it out and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish , and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell . and if thy right hand offend thee , cut it off and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish , and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell . if the eye or●nand be infected , infl●med and gangrened , the whole body is in danger : the gangrened part must be cut off , or the whole body will perish . he that hath a la●civious eye , hath a spiritual gangrene in his eye ; he that hath an unchaste ear or hand , hath a spiritual gangrene in his ear or hand : either cut off the gangrened part , or soul and body shall be cast into hell fire , where the worm die●h not , and the fire is not quenched . indulgence to thy lusts is cruelty to thy soul : thy life shall go for their life . what a madness is this , for the satisfaction of a vile lust , to expose thy self to everlasting ●orments ? oh! you purchase your pleasures at a dear rate ! you must suffer the vengeance of eternal fire . what , art thou a compleat sensualist ? thou withholdest thy heart from no carnal joy , or fleshly delight . thou hast two eyes , and two hands , and two feet ; thou canst not endure to maim and mangle the body of sin , and render thy self absurd and ridiculous to the world : verily , thou hadst better go a creeple to heaven , then being a perfect epicu●e to be cast into hell , into the fire that never shall be quenched , mark . — . if once thou hast escaped out of sodom , tremble to think of returning thither again . joh. . . jesus said unto her , neither do i condemn thee , go and sin no more . nay , look not back , lest thou become a pillar of salt. remember lots wife . a man that hath been sick of a dangerous disease , and is hopefully recovered , if he relapse through carelesness , his condition is far more dangerous then at the first . pet. . . if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world , through the knowledge of the lord and saviour jesus christ , they are again intangled therein and overcome , the latter end is worse with them then the beginning . when the unclean spirit is gone out of a man , he is restless untill he returneth again : he delighteth not so much to dwell any where , as in his old habitation ; he is resolved to assail and recover his former possession : he is not afraid of the length of the siege , or the strength of opposition , 't is no small encouragement unto him , that he findeth his house empty , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , vacant , idle , unoccupied , swept and garnished , secure , living at ease , given to pleasure , sit and prepared to entertain such a guest : now he assaults with greater force and fierceness then at his first entrance , and his latter possession is far more dangerous and irrecoverable then his first , mat. . , , . thirdly , let the fear of god excite and quicken in all our hearts the love of holiness , and due care to preserve and maintain the purity of our persons . cor. . . let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit , perfecting holiness in the fear of god. the purity of our persons is an excellent and honourable thing , and that which god commands and requires , thess . . , , , . yea it disposeth and fitteth a man for the presence , worship and service of god , matth. . . tim. . . first , cleanse the fountain ; wash thy heart from wickedness , jer. . . purifie your heart , jam. . . then , watch the motions of the heart , in its thoughts and affections , prov. . . job . . look well to the doors and gates of the senses : keep thine eye from gazing upon such objects as may be allu●ing and ensnaring , matth. . . stop thine ears at filthy jests , amorous songs , corrupt communication . abhor all lascivious touches , unchaste embracings . restrain thine appetite from excess in meat and drink , prov. . , , , , , . feed not , feast not without fear , jude ver . . devote and consecrate thy self to the lord. prov. . . my son , give me thy heart , and 〈◊〉 thine eyes behold my wayes . hearken to the word of god , and meditate thereon with delight continually : prov. . , , . when wisdome entreth into thy heart , and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul , discretion shall preserve thee , understanding shall keep thee : to deliver thee from the strange woman . prov. . , . the commandment is a lamp , and the law is light , and reproofs of instruction are the way of life , to keep thee from the evil woman , from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman . be frequent and fervent in prayer : psal . . . create in me a clean heart , o god ; and renew a right spirit within me . thess . . . the very god of peace sanctifie you wholly ; and i pray god your whole spirit , and soul , and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our lord jesus christ . let thy speech be gracious and savoury , eph. . . col. . . thy behaviour modest and grave , tit. . , , , , . tim. . . thy conversation ordered aright , according to the direction of the word of god , psal . . . study how to please god , and be good and do good in his sight , and he will preserve thee from the snares and nets which the heart of the strange woman hath made , and her hands spread to catch and entangle poor sinners . eccles . . . whoso pleaseth god , shall escape from her . fourthly , in the fear of god let us carefully watch over our children , servants , and all that are under our care and charge , lest they be stained and defiled . wherefore did the lord acquaint abraham with his counsel and purpose concerning the destruction of the filthy so●omites ? because he knew that abraham would charge his children and family to beware of the like wickedness , and command them to live soberly , righteously and piously , genes . . , . holy job was afraid lest his sons in the midst of their mi●th and good chear , had sinned against god , and therefore sent and called them , and sanct fied them , and offered sacrifices for them . thus did job continually , job . . great care and circumspection is here to be used , for the prevention and timous eradication of any ro●t of bitterness that may trouble and defile us : h●b . . , . looking diligently , l●st any man fail of the grace of god , l●st any root of bitterness springing up , trouble you , and many be defi●ed : lest there be any fornicator , or profane person . what means are to be used ? . diligent instruction . prov. . . train up a childe in the way he should go , and when he is old he will not depart from it . sow the principles of piety in tender years , tim. . . . solemn charges and commands . solomons father taught him , and said unto him , let thy heart retain my words : keep my commandments and live , get wisdome , get understanding , forget it not , &c. prov. . , , his mother also taught him chastity and temperance , and with holy precepts fore-armed him against the vicious inclination of his nature , prov. . , , , , . yea , king david gave him ( as his successor in the throne ) a solemn charge in the audience of all israel , chron. . . . serious reproofs of instruction : prov. . , . save them with fear . fright and startle them out of their lewd courses : pluck them as brands out of the fire , jude ver . . . seasonable correction for their folly and lewdness . prov. . . foolishness is bound in the heart of a childe : but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him . eli's lenity and indulgence to his wicked sons , brought inevitable ruine upon his house . . faith and prayer . is thy son haunted by an unclean spirit ? follow the example of the father of the lunatick ; bring thy son to christ , affectionately spread his afflicted and distressed condition before him : he is able to cast out satan , though he rage never so much , luk● . , , . is thy daughter haunted by an unclean spirit ? follow the example of the syrophaenician woman ; fall down at the feet of christ , beseech him to cast forth the devil out of thy daughter , mark . , . be not offended nor discouraged by reason of any d●fficul●y , objection or temptation which the lord exerciseth you withall , but through the g●ace of christ wrestle through all by faith and prayer , you shall c●r●ainly ob●ain your request , and that with advantage . there is a d●fference of evil spirits , some are more wicked then others , ma● . . . but the worst kindes may be cast out by ●asting and prayer , matth. . . faith is the instrument , under god , that exp●ls satan out of his old possession . fervent prayer quickens ●a●th , and religious fasting is a special help and futherance to servent prayer . to conclude . be pleased to account of this doctrine , as of the angels message to lot , to arise and depart out of sodom , lest he should be consumed in the iniquity thereof ; and look at these instructions and exhortations , as the angels laying hold upon his hand , while he lingred , and upon the hand of his wife and two daughters , the lord being merciful to him , and bringing him forth out of that cursed city . 't is an angelical service to pluck poor sinners out of the snare of lasciviousness . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e co● . . the carnall professor discovering the wofull slavery of a man guided by the flesh. distinguishing a true spirituall christian that walkes close with god, from all formalists in religion, rotten hearted hypocrites, and empty powerlesse professors whatsoever. by that faithfull servant of christ, robert bolton b.d. late preacher in northampton shire. approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc estc s this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the carnall professor discovering the wofull slavery of a man guided by the flesh. distinguishing a true spirituall christian that walkes close with god, from all formalists in religion, rotten hearted hypocrites, and empty powerlesse professors whatsoever. by that faithfull servant of christ, robert bolton b.d. late preacher in northampton shire. bolton, robert, - , attributed name. i. t., fl. . [ ], , [ ] p. printed [by miles flesher] for r. dawlman, at the brazen serpent in pauls church-yard, london : . probably not in fact by bolton. editor's dedication signed: i.t. the title page is engraved. printer's name from stc. includes index. reproduction of the original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - judith siefring sampled and proofread - judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the carnall professor . discovering the wofull slavery of a man guided by the flesh . distinguishing a true spirituall christian that walkes close with god , from all formalists in religion , rotten hearted hypocrites , and empty powerlesse professors whatsoever . by that faithfull servant of christ , robert bolton , b. d. late preacher in northhampton shire . london , printed for r. dawlman , at the brazen serpent in pauls church-yard . . to the godly well affected reader . christian reader . the father of all spirits having takē this worthy author to himselfe , pitty it were to entombe his labours in the grave of silence together with him ; the rather considering how usefull a member he hath alwayes beene to the church of god , and what prosperous successe his endeavours have found in the hearts of christians . the thing hee chiefly aimed at , was fruitfulnesse in the place wherein god had set him ; which oft he enjoyed experiment of ( to the cheering of his spirit ) in no smal measure . it cut the very heart strings of his righteous soule , to see many dry & withered branches ( fit for nothing but the fire ) cumbering the precious ground of the almighties garden ; and possessing the roome of more growing plants . hee was wonderfull active in the cause of christ , and desired as well to doe good as to be so , where ever hee came . it was not the least of his care , not to live unto himselfe : he knew he served a good master , which made him studious of improving every talent for the best advantage ; wel may hee bee called good , that makes others far the better for his goodnesse : and indeed setting this aside , what hath the creature to commend him to god , or releeve his soule in any distresse ? thou hast here in briefe the soule of man unbowelled before thine eye , and that masse of corruption lodging in a carnall heart ( together with its power and plague ) discovered unto thee , wherein is plainely demonstrated the miserable condition of a man guided by the flesh , and the happinesse attending such as are led by gods spirit ; as also the bitter conflict of these two opposite inmates in a beleeving soule , with the meanes of victorie . our life is nothing but a daily warfare , every moment wee are more or lesse to encounter with adversaries ; satan alwaies labours the destruction of the saints , though his wayes to effect it are not one & the same ; sometimes he inticeth men to sin by allurements , sometimes by vexing and disquieting their inward peace , at least he aimeth to make the life of a christian uncomfortable by his manifold assaults ; hee is vigilant to corrupt upon all occasions as he can espy opportunity , and will not cease to assaile , though he be overcome ; when hee cannot prevaile by flatteries , he seekes by force and violence to overthrow the poore servants of christ. amongst his many snares to entrappe our poo●e soules , this is not the meanest , that he labours to divide the kingdome against it selfe , and to use men as his instruments for their owne destruction ; satan well knowes that comming in his owne likenesse , he would seeme very odious and soone be resisted , therefore he maskes under a vaile of humility that he may the more securely withdraw us from our hold in god. but we have a valiant leader , let us sticke unto him , even iesus christ the righteous , who is a lion of the tribe of iuda , a mighty prince able to tread all our enemies under foot ; well may satan barke and roare but he can stir no further then god gives him liberty ; he cannot tempt whom he will , nor when he will , nor how he will , without permissiō frō above ; he may desire to sift us as wheat , but the lord wil make choise of the temptation , and set bounds to our enemies malice , thus far you shall goe and no further . if a child have his father by the hand , though he be in the darke , or sees any danger approaching yet he feares no hurt ; neither shal we be dismaid with any temptation , whilest by the eye of faith we see that invisible one ready to support us ; the chiefest strength of soldiers lyeth in their captaine , who yet must fight for themselves and him , but our whole strength lyeth in christ , who by his almighty power subdueth all things for us ; of our selves wee have no ability to prevail against the strong one in the world , all our victories come from god ; we are too weake to withstand the least temptation through our owne strength , but relying upon the lord we shall be more than conquerors over the greatest . it had been much to be wished that this holy man had survived the publishing the residue of his worthy labours , that so they might have come more refined & polished into the worlds view , however , pitty it is that goodly childrē should be brought to the birth , and there perish for want of helpe to bring them forth . these things in their delivery found much acceptance and wrought effectually in the hearts of many , who knowes whether a further blessing doth not yet attend them ? deare christian next unto the glory of god , thy good was chiefly aimed at in bringing this worke to light ; be not therefore wanting to thy selfe , and thy soules blisse . remember the day cannot alwayes last , the night will come , and thou knowest not how soone : this may be the last booke that ever thou shalt reade , and this the last houre that ever thou shalt spend here on earth ; oh use it conscionably , and blesse god for any furtherance in thy way to happinesse . while thou hast the light beleeve in the light , and walke in the light , that then maist bee the child of light . occasions are headlong , being once past , they cannot be recovered . the five foolish virgins came too late , and were shut out of heaven . thy time is short , the art of well doing long : on this moment depends eternity , of blessednesse if it be well , of misery if it be ill imployed . hee that is not ready for god to day , will be lesse sit to morrow . it is no time to begin to live , when thou art ready to dye ; then to seeke after heaven , when thou commest to thy crutches ; at length grow spiritually wise , let the best things have the best place in thee . it will be too late when thou art in hell to say , oh that i had been more religious and provided better for my soule ; be exceedingly abased for thy former neglects ; let it wound thy soule that thou settest out no sooner , and art yet no further in the race of godlines ; get ground of thy corruptions now daily ; count that a lost day , in which thou art not somewhat bettered , and labour for such infallible evidences of gods love , that no reprobate under heavē 〈◊〉 possibly attain unto ▪ get such truth of grace in thy inner man as may distinguish thee from all outside professors ( meere empty caskes of religion ) and such as is not common to hypocrites , and castawayes together with thy selfe . to which end seriously peruse this following treatise , wherein thou shalt finde sufficiency of real worth to commend it selfe . looke up to heaven for a blessing upon it , and desire the lord to goe along with thee in it , and prosper the same for thy soules good , which he heartily desireth who rests , thine in the lord jesus , i. t. the carnall professor . rom : . v. . for if yee live after the flesh ye shall die , but if through the spirit , ye mortifie the deeds of the body , yee shall live . in the chapter going before , the apostle having delivered the double use of the law : first , the proper use to shew men the way to live , if in case they were able to fulfill and keepe it : secondly , the accidentall use by reason of sinne , which is imployed in condemning us , by discovery of our transgression , to comfort the distressed heart of a poore sinner : hee describeth in the latter end of the former chapter a speciall meanes to shun this inevitable danger ; namely , the righteousnes , obedience , and sufferings of christ : and in this chapter further enlargeth the same by way of confirmation unto the . verse . after which lest it might bee thought that a christian may live as hee list , being freed from sinne by the merits of christs death , or that a profane person should claime any interest in that blessed sacrifice of christ , he further proveth by many pregnant reasons , that every christian ought to endeavour after holines , that thereby hee may prove himselfe to be truly ingrafted into christ , by participating of the fruit of his spirit , and that hee is in deed ( and not in word only ) a true christian by his unblameable life and conversation , as the goldsmith is knowne by his costly peeces , or any mechanicall artificer by the works which his hāds accomplish . in the verse i have read unto you , the apostle concludeth very effectually amongst the rest of his arguments , that wee must live according to the spirit , and not according to the flesh ; seeing the one designeth and noteth unto us life , the other death , both most infallible tokens of our future estate and condition : so that if any man or woman be desirous to know what shall betide them after this life , if any be desirous to know even the secrets of god ▪ i mean his determination as touching themselves , their wives , their children , friends or foes after death , let them resort to the holy ghost speaking in this place , and converse with their owne hearts , if they finde the quickning spirit but as a lively sparke raked up amongst the great heap of their owne corruptions , they shall assuredly live for ever . if they find onely meere flesh and blood to be their guide , then wo to them , they are in the state of castawayes and lost creatures , be they prince or peere ▪ noble or ignoble , rich or poore , there is no difference nor exception with god ; and therefore they ought speedily to sue for their deliverance through favour by the sonne of god , lest death prevent them to their everlasting misery . but it may be these titles of flesh and spirit are unknowne , or at least not observed through the subtlety of sathan , thickning the eye of dexter and right discerning ; & therefore that we may throughly kenne the flesh in despight of the flesh , and judge in the spirit of the spirit , let us for our furtherance herein consider these sixe profitable observations . . what flesh is . . what it is to live in the flesh . . what that death is ▪ which is here threatned as a just punishment to such as live after the flesh . . what the spirit is . . what it is to mortifie the deeds of the flesh . . what is meant when he saith they shal loue . . the word [ flesh ] is sometimes taken for the body , as cor. . . let us clense our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit ; that is , of soule and body . . for the humane nature of christ , who was put to death concerning the flesh . . for this present life , if thou take a wife thou sinnest not , neverthelesse such shal have trouble in the flesh . . for the outward aspect and appearance , yee know how through the infirmitie of the flesh i preached the gospell . . for the ordinary course of nature , gal. . . hee that was borne after the flesh , &c. . for whole mankind , all flesh is grasse , &c. . for naturall corruption , and inclination of the mind , will , and affections to that which is against the law , and so it is taken in this place . the reason why the holy ghost termeth this naturall corruption inherent in the soule as well as the body ; by the name of flesh ▪ is , because so strict is the union betwixt the one and the other in an unregenerate man , that as a loving couple they seeke the preservation of each others estate , and like hypocrates twins , they laugh together , they weepe together , and are alike affected : a bloody heart , and a bloody hand , a false heart and a false tongue , a lascivious mind , an adulterous eye ; yea and which is more , so strangely sometimes is the soule overcome with the love of the body , that whereas by nature , reason should command ( and rule the flesh ▪ as the weaker vessell ) the belly and backe so subtly insinuate and creep into favour with the understanding , that as the foolish wife with her beauty and composed devices , over-ruleth her husband , though a man of understanding ; so these importunat cravers never give over their suite unto reason , they make it a drudge to sensuality , and an attorney to sollicit the cause of meere grosse and carnall pleasure . in consideration whereof ( i meane because of this mutuall intercourse of the soule and the body in accomplishing of sin , ) many learned divines have made this a question , whether the soule bee first infected with the contagion of the body or no ? but of that i will not stand , it being besides our present purpose , onely thus much i note , that therefore the holy ghost nameth the flesh to intimate the mutuall confederacy betwixt the soul & body of man , how that by reason of sin he is now wilfully made a slave and vassall to fleshly desires . and therefore likewise it may bee supposed that the holy ghost nameth the flesh onely , as a man that blameth the provoking wife for the lewd action done by her husband . for albeit , sinne lyeth principally , in the soule as poyson in the teeth , yet it sheddeth and disperseth it selfe at his pleasure actually into the members of the body , of whom it is aptly accomplished as occasion is offered . and as the whole toad is called a venomous creature because of some one part preserving poyson , ( the rest being capable of the same virulent infection : ) so the whole man is said to bee sinfull ; not as if the body of it selfe , as it consisteth of bones & sinnewes and living arteries can properly bee said to be sinfull otherwise then as the house is said to be wicked because of the wicked dwellers . albeit i graunt as the serpent was a fit instrument for the devil because of his subtilty , so the body and all the parts thereof being corrupted , are become unto the wicked soule , as the convenient tooles for the artificer , or as a picklocke , or fitted weapon in the hand of a theefe , & therefore paul calleth them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , weapons of unrighteousnesse ; or as a shrewish servant to an upright master 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; servants to uncleannesse . for the soule sealing up every evill action with voluntary consent , may be said to bee the theefe and the body the receiver , both alike culpable before god , seeing each in his nature & place hath stricken a stroke in the committing of sin . that our whole man is naturally corrupt appeares by the verdict of god himselfe , who saith , that he is but flesh , a very heape , and lumpe , and bundle of iniquity . the imagination of mans heart is evill from his youth , and so accordingly his whole disposition and estate even from his subsisting to th●s present . i know that in me ( that is in my flesh , or nature ) dwelleth no good , saith the apostle . there is not so much as a thought of time betwixt a mans naturall being , and his sinfull being . so soone as ever wee are borne , wee are borne sinners , being guilty of adams transgression before god , which is therefore called originall sinne in regard of the auncientnesse of it , continuing eversince adams fall , accompanying the nature of man from his very first being , and having the source and fountaine of all sinfull practises in it . our first parents being once corrupt , how could any cleane thing bee brought out of their filthinesse ? of flesh nothing could bee borne but flesh ; adam begat children in his own likenesse ; if the roote had beene holy so had the branches beene , but the tree being once corrupt the fruit could not chuse but be according . how should this startle and affright the secure worldlings of our time ? sawest thou ever a leprous person whose body is bespred with sores and scabs : such and a thousand times worse art thou in the sight of god. knewest thou at any time a man in debt for some hundreds of pounds more than he is worth , for whom the bayliffes and serjeants lye in waite at every corner : see the shadow of thy own estate in him . a world of actions hath the lord against thee , and his justice is ready to attache thee , and seise upon thee every houre . could we seriously thinke on this , it would make us unsatisfied in abasing our selves , and cause us never to rest , till we have made our peace with god. thou beholdest abroad a vaine person , fairely set out to the eye , tricked and trimmed in the best fashion , and it may be thou knowest of some secret foule disease he hath , or of some great debt he is in : dost thou not in thy thoughts now scorne such a one of folly ; dost thou not say to thy selfe , no marvell ( sure ) he should be so proud , that hath such a deale of filthinesse underneath his gaynesse , that lies in every bodies debt , and owes more than hee is able to discharge . turne this home to thine own soule and wonder as much at thy selfe that can bee so carelesse , so fearelesse , so presumptuous , when thy soule hath such neede of washing , and there are against thee such bills of iniquity , and for ought thou knowest not yet blotted out before the lord. canst thou thinke well of thy selfe that hast by nature such a filthy soule ? oh bewail that spirituall thraldome wherein thou art plunged , commune w th thine own heart and say , into what misery & bōdage have i brought my selfe ? thou lord madest me holy , pure , and upright ; but by sin i sold my selfe unto the service of sathan , from which to this day , i cannot get deliverance . my mind is blind , vaine , foolish , my will perverse and rebellious , all my affections out of order , there is nothing whole or sound within me . night and day i am pestered with sinfull motions . the desires of my deceitfull heart bee so strong and prevailing , that i am carried headlong to that which is evil . the cursed earth is not so apt to bee overgrowne with weedes , bryers and thornes , as this soule of mine with lusts , passions , distempers , worldly cares and sinfull thoughts , the law of the flesh rebelleth against the law of my minde , and diffuseth its venome into every action i performe , and carrieth me violently to the committing of sin against knowledge and conscience . the gally-slaves condition is very hard and miserable , but mine is farre worse ! no drudgery so base as the service of sinne . no tyrant so cruell a● sinne , which allows no respite , or time of refreshing . o miserable man that i am who shall deliuer me from this body of death ? i have deepely defiled my selfe by transgression , but have no power to cleanse my heart o lord. i have defaced thine image , but cannot repuire it . i have yeelded the powers of my soule to the obedience of sinne , and now i would cast off that subjection , and breake those snares , i am altogether unsufficient for it . when i would do well , evill is present , and i know no meanes to perfect my desire . i want no strength to perfect that which is evill , and i am ready and apt upon all occasions to goe astray , but i am not able to doe any good , such is my feeblenesse . i am invironed and beset with sinne on every side . oh when shall i bee set at liberty , that i may runne the wayes of gods commandements ? hitherto of the phrase of speech used by the holy ghost , namely , the flesh for the whole man body and soule , the particular corruption of either : which that wee may shun as farre as wee may wee must learne to know thē in their speciall heads , that so with some certainty we may kenne our owne stepps and discerne our owne hearts whether we walke according to the flesh , yea or not . concerning the corruption of the soule and first as touching the fleshly understanding . as the fierce dragon bringeth not forth the innocent dove , or the roaring lyon , the harmelesse sheepe ; no more did adam in the state of his impurity beget children sutable with his condition in the state of innocency , but having defiled the holinesse of his nature by eating the forbidden fruit ( as a little levin levineth the whole lumpe so ) he imparted the same nature to his son , as most evidently appeared in cain , and from him to all the rest of his posterity , even unto our selves , being all of us begotten in sin and conceived in iniquity . so that whereas before the minde was endued with a perfect actuall knowledge of god , ( so far as the humane nature may be supposed capable ) yea and which is more , was enriched with power and ability of knowing more than as yet he had actually attained : now as the cleere sunshine overwhelmed with a cloud ; so is the minde of man overcast with palpable darknesse , being destitute not onely of all reall knowledg excepting that naturall knowledge he hath of god taught him by the creatures ( which is rather a light and wavering opinion , thē a grounded and setled perswasion ) but also of all ability , of attaining the true knowledge of god by any faculty , vertue , industry , or meanes whatsoever inherent in himselfe . that the mind is thus fast bolted up in the dungeō of ignorāce appeareth plainly by the apostle , which affirmeth , that the naturall man perceiveth not the things of god : and that the wisdome of the flesh is enmity against god. nay , reason & experiēce manifests this truth , for as the birds behold not the things which betyde in the depths nor the fishes acquainted with the dwelling in the ayre : no more doth a poore naturall man go beyond the cōpass of his sense , or know further with any certainty then experience ( the mistris of fooles ) directeth him . and therefore howsoever by reasonable discourse hee may gather as paul speakes , the invisible things of god , as his eternall power and godhead , from the consideration of the creatures , yet little or nought doth hee truely know either concerning god or his worship , as appeareth by all ages , and nations who have acknowledged as much , and yet every one have chosen a god of their owne making , and worshipped him also in their owne manner . moreover , that man by nature hath disabled himself & is become impotēt , indocible , and not capable of instruction , appeareth by the apostle who affirmeth that we are not ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) sufficient of our selves , to thinke any thing as of our selves , but our sufficiency is of god , and therefore our saviour christ opened the understanding of his disciples that they might understand the scripture . from hence it commeth that the pictures in the church are as much affected ▪ and taught by the word , as the common sort of hearers , which areas a goodly company of images in a carvers shop , having eyes and ▪ see not , eares and heare not , beholding the preacher with outward reverence & attention , and yet not able with all their wit and endeavour to perceive any thing that is spoken , if it contradict sense , or to conceive it , if it seeme impossible in nature . it is observed in the church of england , that many thousands have lived twenty yeares together under a preaching minister , yea and that minister sometimes very painefull and diligent in the discharge of his calling ; yet scarce a man among them all able to give an account of his faith in any one article , otherwise then hee hath learned it by roate out of his english credo in deum ; or to give any testimony of his profiting more by the word , then in the time of that popish and blasphemous idolatry . the reason whereof is , that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or , inability of nature before spoken of , through which he is as unable to conceive of the incarnation of the sonne of god , the miraculous conception of christ , the spirituall regeneration of the faithful , the resurrection of the body , eternall glory , and the like ; as an horse to flye in the ayre , or a dead man to rise out of the grave by his owne power . if your apprentice in tenne yeeres being actively taught , bee not able to attaine the mystery and science of his trade , you count him an asse or blockhead ; why then may wee not terme the master an uncapable sot in the mysteries of god , which hath spent twenty or thirty yeeres in the knowledge thereof , sabbath upon sabbath , sermon after sermon , and yet like the mill wheele turning all the yeere , is yet in the same place where it was in the beginning . it may be you will ask mee , what is this to the purpose , or at all concerning my text ? it is very materiall if you marke it : for you must know , that to bee fleshly minded , is not only to be a whoremaster , or an adulterer , as the world imagineth ; oh say they , hee is a man given to the flesh , he is a bad liver , as if there were no fleshly corruption but that ; yes beloved , if thou be ignorant of god and his worship , walking after thine owne inventions , dead-hearted , secure , and carelesse , vaine in thy imaginations , contēt with thy naturall estate , &c. thou art as fleshly as the wretchedst whoremaster , and as carnall as the most wicked liver , in gods account : remember that flesh is here opposed against spirit ; whatsoever is not spirit is flesh , and therefore ignorance is flesh , unlesse thou wilt blasphemously affirme that it hath his originall from the spirit . now as he that is desirous to seat in his minde the true frame of the body , must view it in an anatomy consisting of bones and sinewes : so he that would learne the true discription of the body of sinne , must see it in his original , both in the minde , will , and affections , after this he shall easily perceive how by veines ▪ it disperseth it selfe like a net over the whole soule , and distills into act both inward and outward , to the finall destruction of the whole man. thus much of the understanding . . concerning the conscience . in the next place wee are to consider of the conscience , which is a part of the understanding in all reasonable creatures , determining in all particular actions either with or against a man. this in the state of innocency did onely excuse , to accuse is a defect in the consciēce following the first creation . now the fleshy infection of the conscience is the impurity thereof . either it is dead , or living and stirring ▪ the dead conscience hath two degrees , either of slumber , which doth not accuse a man for his sinne unlesse it be capitall , and not for that alwayes , unlesse in some grievous calamity . s●ared , which accuseth not for any sin , and this is compared in scripture to that part of the body which is without sense , life , or motion , scared with an hot iron , this comes not to a man by nature , but by encrease of the corruption of his nature . these two are caused . chiefly through defect of reason in all crazed braines . . through the strength of affections overcasting the minde and swallowing up judgement . . ignorance of gods will and error in judgement . the stirring conscience , which doth sensibly either accuse or excuse hath these differences . . to accuse men for doing evil . . to excuse for doing well in some particular actions ; this being in a man without christ , as also sinne , for all the vertues of carnall men are splendida peccata , glistring or shining sinnes . . concerning memory . as a loving father setting his sonne to schoole , giveth him a chest to locke up his bookes and whatsoever hee hath , of price and value , that hee may there preserve them till neede requires : so the lord in the state of innocencie , revealing himselfe and his will unto man , gave him a good memory & strong treasury , wherein he might lay up whatsoever his minde truely conceived , and fetch it again to bee meditated and thought upon as occasion was offered . but this also being tainted with the flesh in spirituall matters , will hold nothing ; but being already furnished with divers impressions of worldly matters , is no way able to embrace the principles of gods truth , or to retaine that which may be his onely comfort longer then a dynt struck in the water ; from whence it commeth that a carnall man entertaineth the word at one eare and letteth it out at another , his whole religion consisting in hearing , not binding himselfe firmely and effectually to remember any thing , unlesse it be a matter which he thinketh either cleareth him in his sinne , as , god is mercifull , and , at what time soever a sinner repenteth : or else that toucheth his neighbour in the next seat , but as for the knowledge of god and his nature , a saving faith in christ , or the like , teach him every weeke , nay every day for the space of twenty yeers together , he will not remember so much as a beast may bee taught in some active sleights in an houre . i know what i say , a dogge or horse may sooner be taught to remember a toy whereof his nature is capable in one houre , then a meere naturall man the true substance of religion all the dayes of his life . . concerning the will. the former faculties of the soule are called speculative ; there is another kinde called practicall , which are , the will and affections , and these are exercised in action , as the other in contemplation . the will is the absolute monarch in a man , and the vnderstanding is his counsellor . now whereas before the will was counselled and guided by true reason and understanding and so was both able and willing to bee conformable unto god ▪ now it is both impotent ( as was said of the understanding ) not able in any sort to desire or will heavenly things , as also rebelleth against that which is good , and willeth that which is evill . and no marvaile , for if the understanding , which should be the guide thereof bee grosse and carnall , the wil cannot bee spirituall . it must needes bee a miserable state where the prince wanteth wisdome , and the people due moderation . . concerning the affections . the affections likewise which are divers dispositions of mans soule stirred up by diversity of objects , are more stained with fleshly corruption then any other part of the creature besides , which in regard of their violence , make a carnall person to be caryed like a mad man upon a wilde horse , so as he can neither stay himselfe , nor bee staid by others . which fleshly corruption consisteth in this , that they are moved unto contrary objects ; for those which should bee stirred up by the evilnesse of an object to abhorre it , doe in that respect , embrace it and move towards it ; and those which should bee moved by the goodnesse of an object to embrace it , doe in that respect abhor and shunne it . for which cause they may fitly bee compared to a bedlam , who rageth and raileth against his keeper , or unto a sicke body , which loathing that which would worke the cure , hankereth still after that which engendreth corruption and increaseth his disease . for example , whereas man should love god , and embrace each thing as incites therunto ; contrariwise he hateth god and his ministers , yea and embrāceth from his heart each thing which may most soundly and effectually kill and slay that affection in him , soft apparell , sweet meats , faire building , outward pompe , rich coffers , merry company , sleepe , ease , ( what if i say whores and harlots ) these be his loves , these be his mistresses , these be his paramours , and all these in a carnall man are like entising minions , labouring to divorce his affection from his maker . you cannot love god and mammon , god is a jealous husband , he will not communicate the pleasure that hee taketh in an honest heart , maryed to himselfe , unto any stranger . againe , whereas at the first , man joyed in the fruition of the presence and favour of god , in serving and meditating of him and his workes ; now he taketh no pleasure therein at all , but if by the law , or for shame hee bee drawne to some spirituall exercise , nothing is more tedious unto him , his body is imprisoned in a seat , his minde walketh about all the while , either hee climbeth up unto one of the scaffolds , viewing his friends , defying his foes , or else is in his shop counting his ware , plotting some bargaine , or the like . moreover , whereas we should bee sorrowfull for our sinne , we are sorrowfull that wee cannot sinne , poverty , sickenesse , danger , prison , displeasure , strike us downe dead : but the poverty of the soule stript naked of gods graces , the sicknesse of the minde , able neither to see nor know the almighty , grieveth us not at all . whereas in the time of innocēcy man relyed himself upon god for an happy estate , and gave credit to his promises ; now though he protest and binde it with a solemne oath , no man beleeveth him ; though hee hath sent his beloved sonne from his owne bosome to ransome us out of our spirituall captivity , and left it for ever in perpetuall record , witnessed by men and angells , yet who regardeth it in his heart ? or blesseth god in his soule for the same ? iesus christ of nazareth the carpenters sonne , was too base a fellow to gratifie the stately personages of our times : no , the gods of england shall deliver us , wit , learning , beauty , strength , friends , riches , nobility , sinne , sathan , this present world , any thing save jesus christ. so that hereby it is manifest that man is so farre from having affiance in god , that he is at defiance with him , refusing and renouncing his patronage and protection . by this therfore which in cursory wise hath been uttered , you may easily perceive how fearefully this fleshly poyson hath dispersed it selfe , over our whole man , and made every faculty of soule and body swell with pride , and ambition against god ; yea and like a mad dogge , to byte and snatch at every hand , even them of his owne nature . as a light chariott drawn with wilde horses , and driven with a blinde man ( willing to give the raines whither soever the horses will runne ) must needs be in great danger of shattering all to pieces ; so the understanding being deprived of light , which should give notice to our blinde will , and wilde affection , must needs in the end overthrow both soule and body , with the finall calamity of the whole man ; unlesse the lord give a better guide , and take the whip out of the hand of our corrupt will , and govern the affections & faculties of our soules , with the restraint of his saving spirit . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , originall sinne is an hereditary disease , which in time breakes out in whole mankinde , it is the match that dischargeth the pealing pieces of all our infamous actions ; it is the husband which begetteth on us his wife ( the faculties of our soules and bodies ) many bratts , many actuall transgressions , as paul notably allegorizeth ; which that i may more fully lay open and worke your hearts to a holy indignatiō against and detestation of , consider ( but in a few particulars ) the many and great evils which accompany the same . . it is an universall corruption , wholly stripping thee of all that righteousnesse and holinesse , wherein at first thou wert created , like a disease overspreading the whole man , filling thee with a generall pravity to all that is good , and a constant propensity to all that is evill . . it cleaves as fast to thy nature , even as blacknesse to the skinne of an ethiopian , which cannot possibly bee washed out ; thou mayest loppe the branches , but the roote will never die , till thou expirest with it . as long as corne is in the field , it will have chaffe about it ; so , as long as thou continuest in this miserable world , the remnants of olde adam will stil abide in thee : a man may as easily shake off the skinne from his backe , as ridde himselfe of this evill inhabitant , wee beare our snare with us , and carry our enemie about us where ever we goe . . consider the great contagion and pestilentiall humour that followes this sinne , it derives venome upon every action that comes from us . sinne in the soule , is as poyson in the fountaine , that sheds infection into every performance wee take in hand . whensoever thou art going about any good , this evill will be present with thee . this is that which in thy prayers deads thy zeale , humiliation and importunity with god , causing thee to rest in the worke done , never enquiring after the truth of thine owne heart , or gods blessing thereupon . this is that which fills thy minde with impertinent thoughts , and wrong ends in religious duties . this is that which in thy calling makes thee so unmindefull of god and his service , so froward , vain , and unprofitable in thy christian course , ayming at nothing but thine own advantage . . consider the temptations that arise from this sinne , the daily and hourly solicitations wherwith it sets upon the soule , to withdraw it from good things , and incline it to evill . a man is tempted of his owne lusts ▪ ( saith s. iames ) when he is drawne away and entised . if a man shoote an arrow against a rocke , it may be broken but can never enter ; no more can satans temptations prevaile against the soule , without something within to give them admittance ; when he tempted christ hee could not hurt him , because hee found nothing in him to receive his darts ; but in us the flesh holds treacherous complyance with sathan , and this wicked world , and is ready to let them in at every assault . seede will never grow in any creature , without a womb to foster it ; temptations may vexe , but they cannot defile us , without our owne sinfull entertainement . it may grieve a chast woman to be solicited by base ruffians , but it cannot corrupt her whiles shee retaines her chastity . if wee can keepe in our hearts from imbracing sathans offers , and shew our distast of them , the sin is his then , & not ours : but here is the misery , sathan knowes how our inclination stands , hee searcheth out our dispositions , and thereunto frameth his temptations ; therefore wee have great neede of spirituall wisdome , to observe where wee lie most obnoxious , where sathan doth most plant his forces , and ever to apply our strongest watch , our most importunate prayers to those gappes . . consider the warre , and rebellion of this sinne , the flesh lusteth against the spirit , and fleshly lusts warre against the soule , saith the apostle ; whilest wee are in this militant condition we shall have hourely experience of this traytor in our bosomes . and this warre is not at a distance , but an intimate and close contrariety in the same part , the same soule that cōmands obedience doth it selfe resist it ; in the same will there is a delight in the law of god , and yet a counter-motion to the law of sinne ; in the same heart singlenesse and sensiblenesse of sinne , and yet much secret fraud and hardnesse in the apprehension of wrath . in the same affections love of god and love of the world , feare of god , and feare of men , trust in god , and doubting of his favour . lord i beleeve helpe thou mine unbeleefe , was the cry of the poore man in the gospell , and such must be the complaint of the best of us . lord i remember thee , helpe my forgetfulnesse ; lord i presse towards thee , helpe my weaknesse . lord i rejoyce in thee , helpe my heavinesse . lord i desire to have more communion with thee , help my strangnesse . i am dull and dead hearted , doe thou quicken me . i desire to please thee , helpe my failings ; we must not only wrestle with god , by strong and importunate prayers , but with the lusts and frowardnesse of our owne hearts . . consider the strength and power of this sinne , to bring about what ever it hath projected for the advancement of sathans kingdome , it raignes like a king , and hath the strength of a law in our members , and a law without strength is no law , for lawes are made to binde and keepe men in order ; therefore the wicked are called servants to sinne , and the best of us all are captives , that is , unwilling servants . so much flesh as remaines in any man , so much disability he hath to withstand sinne . the choisest vessell of mercy and most peculiar saint of god , is no way able to keepe his standing as of himselfe , for this is certain , that to be preserved from the strength of our owne lusts , wee have not onely use of the good graces which god hath given us already , but of a continuall support and underpropping . grace in the best ( here ) is but like the putting of hot water into cold , which may bee warmed for a time , but yet presently returnes to its former temper , cold is predominant , however the preserving of fire under it keepes it hot for the present . it is not the grace which any of us receive can overcome sinne in us , if god should there stop , and leave us to our selves , without a fresh supply ; that which preserves us is his promise of never failing us of healing our back slidings , and following us with his mercy all our dayes . for grace doth not onely prevent a wicked man to make him righteous , but followes him , lest hee become wicked againe . . consider the indefatigablenesse of this sinne , how unwearied it is in every mischiefe it sets about . if we resist the devill , hee will flye from us , but this fleshly heart of ours will never sound a retreat , it is like a wounded wolfe that runnes up and downe to doe mischiefe ; a man that hath in some measure overcome his lusts , will bee farre more sensible of their stirrings and struglings , then another in whom they rule without disturbance . sin is kindled by that which quencheth all other fires , and surely grace which extinguisheth other temptations doth occasionally enrage the flesh , though in regard of exercise and actuall power it dye daily . the reason is , because a thing in its proper motion is never tyred ; who ever knew the sea give over raging , or the streame grow weary of running ? now corrupt motions are as naturall to a man as the course of a river . though there may be difficulty in fulfilling lusts , there can never be any in the rising and sprouting of lusts . it is no paines to conceive seede , though it bee to bring forth a birth ; the longer any man lives in sinne , the sweeter it is to him . the eye is not satisfied with seeing , nor the eare with hearing ; no more is a sinner with his deeds of darknesse , if he should live for ever , hee would sinne for ever . evill comes out of the heart , as sparkles out of the fire , which never cease while the fire continues . lust is like a furious rider , never weary of the way , hee may have enough to load him , but can never have enough to weary him ; he may quickly have enough to sinke him , but can never have enough to satisfie him . lust it selfe growes never olde nor weary , when adultery in the heart hath worne out the body , so as it strength withereth , yet even then it will finde a vent in a wanton eye , unchast speeches and thoughts full of uncleanenesse . though a man may weary himselfe in the acting sinne , yet lust is never satisfied in conceiving sinne . lastly , consider the propagation of this sinne , which may well therefore be called an olde man , because it dyes not , but passeth from one generation to another . a mans actuall sinnes are personal , they both beginne and end in himselfe . but originall sinne is naturall , and therefore together with our nature it passeth over to our posterity . it is an entaile that can never be cut off , it hath held from adam , and so will continue to the worlds end . every parent is the channell of death to his posterity . adam diffused damnation to all mankinde . neither is it any wonder that from a cursed root , should proceed branches fit for nothing but the fire . what a watch then should we keepe over our evill hearts , what paines should we take by prayer and unweariednesse of spirit to suppresse this enemie ? if there were any time wherein the flesh did sit still and sleepe , wherein the water did not runne and seeke for vent , wee might then lessen our care , but since it is ever stirring in us , wee should bee ever stirring against it , using all meanes to diminish and abate the same . since the heart is unwearied in evill , wee should not faint nor bee weary of well-doing . since the heart is so abundant in evill , we should abound likewise in every good worke . retaine in thy freshest memory such quickening thoughts as these : if i commit this sinne , it will cost me unvaluably more heart-breake and spirituall smart , before i can purchase assurance of pardon and peace of conscience , then the sensuall pleasure is worth . if i never repent it will be the ruine of my soule for ever . when thou goest to buy a commodity , if the price be great , thou forbearest , and wilt thou venture up on sinne , knowing what it will cost thee ? if iudas had knowne as much before he betrayed his master , as now he feeles , hee would never have committed that villany . alas , thy soule is incomparably more worth then the whole world , and wilt thou for a little paltry pleasure of some base and rotten lust , which passeth away in the act , hazard the losse of so precious a jewell ? doe not consider the smalnesse of thy sinnes , but the greatnesse of thy god , who is displeased with them . mortification is tedious , but heaven is sweete , men are content to goe all day after their hawkes and hounds , enduring hunger and thirst , for a little pleasure not worth the enjoying , why then should wee refuse any labour for the obtaining so rich a reward ? in lust a man wearieth himselfe and hath no hope but here our labour is not in vaine in the lord , wee shall reape if we faint not . a little glory in heaven , nay a little comfort in earth , will plentifully recompense all our travaile and paines in this kinde . looke not alwayes on satans temptations , the worlds solicitations , and thine owne sinfull inclinations , these as clogs will presse thee down and much dishearten thee in thy christian course , but looke unto iesus the author and finisher of thy faith , who will carry through al difficulties , and overcome sinne in thee by his grace ; call therefore to him , hee is within the voice of thy prayers , and will come to strengthen thee . how jealous ought christians to bee over themselves , having so dangerous an enemy nigh unto them ; iob would not trust his eye without a covenant , nor david his mouth without a bridle , so strangely & unexpectedly will nature breake out . vēture not on any tēptation presumptuously ; be not cōfident of any grace received so as to slacken your zeale . ioseph flung out and would not trust himselfe in the company of his mistresse , company might easily have kindled concupiscence , and a little of sathans blowing might have caried the fire from one stick to another . david would have no wicked thing to abide in his sight , hee knew how full of ill humours his heart was , how apt to catch every infection that came neere it , and therefore tooke speciall care to decline the very objects and examples of sin . when men thinke there is least danger , then the danger is greatest ; sinne and sathan are ever watching their opportunities , which is , when wee watch not . security will rust us , undoe us , and eate out all that good is in our soules , if any thing will awaken the dead and drowsie heart of man , it is some vexing sin or other . me thinkes the consideration of this thorne in our flesh , ( which we daily carry about us ) should much humble and abase our spirits ; alas , how long have we lived in an empty fruitlesse manner , barren of grace and goodnesse , spending our precious dayes in folly and vanity , dedicating the flower of our age to sinne and sathan ? how oft have we despised mercy , and cast the precepts of the almighty behinde our backes ? what little growth in holinesse have wee ? what little improvement in the wayes of god ? how much wearinesse and revolting of heart ? how evill and unprofitable in regard of the meanes we have enjoyed , and what we might have beene ? how many notorious visible sinnes hast thou committed , to the scandall of the gospel and the wounding of thine owne soule ? how should the consciousnesse of this humble thee in secret before god ? brethren , think of this , the more vile any man is in his owne eyes , the more precious he is in gods. and the best way to bring a man to a base esteeme of himselfe , is to reflect his thoughts seriously upon his owne estate , to view himselfe in his naturall condition ; there is no good , so truly good but his heart abhors it ; no evill so extreamely wicked , but there is an inclinablenesse in him to embrace it ; no servant so ready to doe his masters will , as hee is to doe the workes of the devill , no rebell so desperately adverse to his lawfull soveraigne , as hee is to god. oh that men were truely sensible of their carnall condition . the want of this , is the cause of all that security and deadnesse of spirit , which seares up the heart of many thousands of people . this makes so little care of being saved . hence it is that the gospell preached is so smally reckoned of , the name of christ is no more precious , the word of grace no more honoured , the promise of salvation no more laid hold on , and hearkened after , the threatnings of hell no more stood in feare of then they bee ; it is indeed one and not the smallest part of our native wretchednesse , that our eyes are so holden with selfe-love that wee cannot perceive our misery , nay , wee are pleased with it , and think it a peece of our happinesse to continue in it . wee have not onely no disposition to goe from it , but which is worse , a strong desire to remaine still therein . where is the man that truely discernes he is lost and undone , that sensibly groanes under the weight and burthen of sinne , that cryes out with the leaper , i am uncleane , i am uncleane , i have not in me by nature so much as a graine of goodnesse , i am a very lumpe of corruption , i am an enemy to god , and to my owne soule : i cannot so much as frame a thought tending to the furtherance of my best good , every thing i meddle with , is defiled by me , the very earth is weary to beare me , and according to the kinde thereof , both it , and all the creatures complaine to god against me , i am a burthen to the times and places wherein i live , every man i converse with is the worse for mee , &c. lastly , to prevent surprisalls by this cruell enemy , study his policies before hand ; for howsoever the strength of the flesh be very great , yet the policy thereof doth farre exceed it : for being not a professed enemy , but a secret traitor , it is more exercised in cunning undermining of our safety , with subtle slights , and politique stratagems , then in assaulting us after an open and hostile manner . sathan cannot deceive us unlesse our owne flesh assisting him , doe first deceive us . the danger whereof is so much the greater , because it is so deep and disguised , that it can hardly be discovered and found out : it displayes not its colours in open field , but lyes hid in secret ambushments , mingling it selfe with our owne forces , and making a shew of simplicity , and sincerity , when there is nothing but craft and , deceit in it , perswading us that we are nothing so evill and corrupt as indeed wee are , and that those good things which wee seeme to have are of farre more excellency then in truth they bee , that our little mite is a great treasury , that we are in an happy and blessed condition , whereas wee were never neerer unto death and destruction ; that surely god loves us because we prosper in the world , and live civilly and quietly amongst our neighbours , wronging no man , that so much zeale and strictnesse is more then neede , that the best have their failings , that great sinnes are very small ones , and little sinnes are none at all , &c. infinite are the windings and labyrinths of the heart of man , the counsells and projects of this flesh of ours to establish the kingdome of sinne in it selfe : what man is there who will not outwardly seeme to spit at sathan , and defie his workes of darknesse , and yet what man is there in whose bosome secretly satā doth not plot & devise wicked enterprises . the more time a man spends to make himself acquainted with himselfe , and begs of god to reveale the hidden corruption of his evill nature to him , the more abhorrency and condemnation will hee have of himselfe , and the more adoration and wonderment , at the infinite mercy of god , that hee is not consumed ; when once a man hath his evil wayes discovered to him by gods spirit , he will be abased and confounded in his owne sight . it is nothing but ignorance that keepes men in pride . if to bee wise to doe evill , and foolish to doe good , if to plead for sinne and sathan , if to receive good parts and abilities from god , and to fight against him with the same , bee matters to be boasted of , then there is a great crop of pride in every mans nature , else wee must all conclude that hee which gloryeth in any thing meerely in himselfe , hath chosen nothing to glory in but his owne shame . alas , the best of our wisedome is but sensuall and devillish , fleshly deceit as the scripture speakes , a man may bee very wise , and yet imploy the same upon nothing but mischiefe . you have heard the lineaments of originall corruption , which in the wisdome of the holy ghost is called flesh . now as a body infected with the plague , doth not presently complaine , or shew the disease till afterward : so this venome in children lyeth lurking , and worketh not till the faculties of the soule are prettily well hatched up , and then like a charmed cup it fumeth up into the braine , and fills it with idle thoughts ; it enchanteth the conscience , invenometh the affections , and maketh the heart like a tipling house , full fraught with ruffian-like passions such strange and totall disorder , such contention betwixt the heart and the conscience , such raging in the affections , such desperate unrulinesse in the will , such error and staggering in the understanding ; that a man may well be compared to a rude family consisting of treacherous servants , al false and idle , of equall authority , being subject to none , but lords of themselves . vnderstanding directed by the law of nature , attempteth to advise , the will saith shee will not yeelde , but doe as shee lists ; affections prevaile with will , and overcast judgement . conscience cryeth out upon them all , and threatneth the law : faire spoken pleasure entreateth it to be quiet , and that all villany may bee cōmitted without check . lust by degrees entreateth the will to put out the candle and light of knowledge ; then when ignorance , as dark as hell , hath invaded and overshadowed the whole man , the minions of venus court may walke dismasked without kenning ; adultery , fornication , uncleanenesse , wantonnesse , idolatry , witchcraft , hatred , debate , envy , murther , drunkennesse , gluttony , &c. and the whole crew of fleshly workes may creepe out of the heart , like the serpent and her brood in the night , or as the graecians out of the trojan horse , and goe hand in hand securely and without reproofe , seeing conscience being drowsie , through the strong wine of voluptuousnesse is laid asleepe , and therefore will not awaken unlesse the sins be too great and pricke him sore ; or els dead & feared , being deprived of understanding , as the body of vitall spirits , which should quicken and direct her in both her actions of testimony and judgement . the whole man is full of disorder ; trust not therefore any of thy members alone without making a covenant with it . if thou hast occasion to use thine eye , take heed unto it , it is full of the seeds of adultery , pride , envy , covetousnesse , there are lusts of the eye . if to use thy tongue , set a doore before thy lips , there is an hell within thee that can set it all on fire , and fill it with rotten and stinking communication . if to use thy hands or feete , watch carefully , for there are seeds of more sins , theft , bribery , murther , uncleannesse in them , then there are joynts and sinewes in those members . originall sinne is an universall corruption , it makes us all over flesh , the minde a fleshly minde , the will a fleshly will , the affections and lusts all fleshly , so that it is more difficult to roote out this one sinne , then to overcome many actuall transgressions . that man or woman therefore of what estate or degree soever they be , noble , or ignoble , bond or free , which are not transformed by the renewing of their minds , but have their hearts full fraught with unbeliefe , and ignorance ; whose consciences are benummed , or dead , not able to accuse , or ( if to accuse ) yet not able to excuse through the righteousnesse of christ : they whose wills are perverse and immeasurably unruly , not subject and conformable to the will of god ; whose affections are like to the camelion , ready to turne themselves upon every object , into any estate , except that which is holy : lastly , those whose bodies are the hardy executioners of every wicked practise , given out in charge by these corrupt guides ( the faculties of the soule ) they most assuredly without all contradiction , walke and live as yet after the flesh . if therefore thou art desirous to know in particular , whosoever thou art in this present assembly , whether thou be carnall or no , enquire of the word of god , what thou art by nature in all the parts of soule and body , how unapt and uncapable of all holinesse , how prone and disposed unto all manner of wickednesse . secondly , examine thy thoughts , how thou hast conceived of god and his incomprehensible nature , how acute and sharpe sighted in his wayes . hearken to thy conscience , ( if thou hast any ) and heare it speake , or if thou hast none at all , so set it downe in thy examination . summon thy will and affections also , to be tryed by the same word ; if thou perceivest no difference in these from the common estate of most men , no alteration from former times , it is suspitious thou art carnall . but if thou finde by the guide of the word ( by the word i say , for thou being blind canst not see where thou art ) that yet thou remainest ignorant , and still walking in thy erroneous and presumptuous course , both towards god and men , if thou finde in thy minde these or the like thoughts : that there is no god. no providence , or presence of god. if thou thinkest thy selfe safe from all perill , and art rocked asleepe by the tempest of other mens judgements . if thou thinkest thy selfe a very wise man and farre exceeding others . if in deede , notwithstanding thy outward holinesse , thou thinkest the gospell and the sufferings of christ to be meer foolishnesse . if thou thinkest perversly and basely of them that worship god truely . if thou thinkest death wil not come yet , nor yet , and so livest as if thou hadst made a covenant with the grave . if thou thinkest god is as man , that he will pardon thee howsoever thou livest , and that the punishment of hell may easily be shunned . if thou thinkest the day of judgement to bee far off . and upon these corrupt imaginations , not onely findest checke ( for that may be performed in some men by the light of nature , enforcing the conscience to accuse thee , yet thou never the neerer ) but also no positive thoughts utterly opposit , but rather growest resolute therein , cōmitting all to thy will and affections to conclude of thy spirituall estate . if thy minde be full of vanity , wasting it selfe in childish and unprofitable notions , slippery & unstable in all good matters , full of ignorance and darknesse , so as thou seekest not after god in the way where he will be found , full of curiosity , foolish and impertinent questions , full of pride and contradiction against the word of truth , having fleshly reasonings against the spirit of god , full of carnall wisdome , humane inventions , methods of its own to serve god , and come to happinesse by , thou mayest then assure thy selfe , thy minde is meere flesh , thou being dead in thy understanding through the vanity , impotency andignorance thereof . conscience . if thy conscience ( which god hath placed as a sentinell or watchman in thee to observe thy dealings ) be full of impurity , and disobedience , full of dead , rotten and unsavory workes , full of false and absurd excusations . if it be either so be nummed , and insensible , that it will not accuse ( unlesse it bee for murther , adultery , the every or such like grosse offences ) or dead as a limbe taken with a gangrene , that it cannot accuse at all ; or if it have life , yet if it apply it selfe corruptly , as to acquit thee for doing evill , or to condemne thee and hang thee up for doing good , fearing thee where no feare is , then hath the flesh prevailed over thy conscience , and thou art wholly carnall . memory . further , if thy memory be so decayed , that if one would give thee a thousand pounds , thou art not able to imprint the doctrine of salvation were it never so oftē taught thee , and yet able upon a speedy rehearsall to repeat a tale of an houre long , with every circumstance concerning any thing done in such a kings daies or reported to be done , as the tale of robin whood , guy of warwick , and i know not what paltery stuffe , thou maist assure thy selfe , that flesh also is the guide of thy memory , and that it is voide of all holinesse . for as clay will not cleave to iron or brasse ; so the fleshly memory will retaine no spirituall memorandum , but that which is fleshly , agreeing with his nature , and therefore the story of gods will offered to the memory is like to quick-silver powred upon a plaine table which never resteth running and dispersing it selfe till it bee harboured in a concavity fit to retain its substance : so the principles of christian science will not stay in a carnall memory no more then an honest man in a brothell inne or ale-house ; and therefore no marvell that they light at the foregate , and take horse at the postern , come in at one eare and out at another . will. moreover , if thy will be full of loathing , and aversation , so as it cannot endure to heare or see any thing that is good , but pluckes in the shoulder , and casts it behinde the backe : if it be full of enmity against holinesse , slighting and neglecting the best things : if it bee full of obstinacy against religious courses , thwarting and crossing the strict wayes of god : if full of disability to any good , so as it cannot hearken nor bee subject to the law of god , but rebells against his blessed truth : if thou art resolute to commit the wicked purposes of thy heart , stout and stubborne against admonition , turning the deafe eare to the preaching of gods word , loath to intermeddle with matters of the spirit , but willing to fulfill the lusts of the flesh , having thy hand in every impious action , with this imperious style , sic volo , sic jubeo , i will and command it to bee so , not respecting whether the thing bee crooked or straight , right or wrong , good or bad ; then is thy will meerely carnall , and doth dominere like a blinde king , or ignorant pilot sitting at the sterne of the whole man , and yet not skilled in one starre , nor knowing one point of the card , nor respecting the compasse , nor regarding the point of the diamond , but downe the river with the full saile of affections , and tempests of sudden passions , no regard to the country whither wee saile , no respect of the hidden rockes , no consideration of fearefull gulfes , no casting of anchor , no notice of the climate , &c. no marvell then if blinde will make in the end a sudden and fearefull shipwracke both of soule and body . heart . to conclude , if in thy heart , as in a cage , thou finde the uncleane birds of adultery and fornication , the viper of malice , and cockatrice of envy , the hydra of covetousnesse consisting of many heads , having in their fronts the superscriptions of thee very , violence , perjury , murther , and idolatry : if in thy heart thou find infidelity , security , pride , confidence in the creature , &c. if it bee full of hardnes , so as no sinnes , no judgements , no hopes , no feares , no promises , no instructions are able to awaken and melt the same : if it bee full of impotency , not altered by the invitations and intreaties of god to returne unto him : not perswaded by the fruitlessenesse of all sinnefull lusts to forsake them : if it be full of folly and madnesse , so as all the creatures in the world are not able to cure it , full of infidelity ready to depart from the living god , under-valuing his precious promises , and mistrusting his power , full of pollution and uncleanenesse , full of unsearchable deceit and wickednesse , a very forge and mint wherein all manner of sinnes are framed in secret purposes and desires , from whence they spring forth into life and action , then is thy heart also nothing but flesh , & thy whole man nothing but rottennesse and corruption . if it bee asked herein , how i distinguish betwixt the elect and the reprobate , for albeit gods children bee purged through the blood of christ , yea and the force of sinne in some measure weakened in them , and inherent sanctity begun in all the parts of their soules by the holy ghost even in this life ; yet fleshly corruption is still harboured , and the roote of every sinne remaines in the best , putting forth the hemlocke of a wicked practice in their christian course . i answer , yet can they not be said to live according to the flesh , seeing the substance as it were and principall tenour of their lives is directed according to the spirit . as the aire in the dawning of the day is not wholly so dark nor wholly so light as at night and noone day : so is the estate of the regenerate , not all flesh , as the wicked , nor all spirit as them that are glorified , but partly flesh and partly spirit , grace and corruption , not severall in place , but in reason to be distinguished : yea the flesh is more in measure than the spirit , and therefore paul calls the corinthians , otherwise justified and sanctified , yet carnall , and we are said to receive but the first fruits of the spirit whilest we are here . notwithstanding for all this , such is the power of the spirit , that albeit it be small like david , yet it is able ordinarily to prevaile against that uncircumcised philistim the flesh . and further it is of such inestimable vertue , that as one graine of muske giveth a stronger perfume than many other grosse smells : so doth that sweeten all our actions in the nostrils of god. and as a man albeit all the parts of his body be dead , so that he neither knowes nor sees , nor can speake , yet if he have any life in a corner of his heart , any breath , or any motion remaining , none will be so hard hearted as to pull him out of his bed and bury him as a dead man : so although in this life we have many a dead palsie ; many a dint , many a dry buffet by the hand of sathan ; yet so long as the breath of god is in us and we keepe the truth of the spirit , like the star of a diamond , it will cause us to shine in this darknes of our corruption , and like an antidote , preserve us against eternall death . a word of application to two sorts , and i proceed . first , to the ministers of gods word , let mee speake my thoughts with griefe of heart : such is the universall impiety of this decayed age , so apparent to the spiritual eye so weighty in the hand of him that wisely pondereth it , that i feare me the lord is neere , and the day of visitation approacheth . is it not a strange thing to consider our ministers , how ignorant , how arrogant , how dissolute and carelesse many of them are ? ( to omit the empty caske the idoll minister ) what strange children doth our mother the universitie nourish in her bosome , how wanton , how unbroken , proud , and licencious ? theologie a science of living well and blessedly for ever , is made a stepping stone to promotion , a matter of disputation and idle speculation , and the meere stuffe wherewithall to make a sermon : practice and obedience is commended to the people , but as for the clerke that belongs not to him . it is well if hee reprove sinne soundly in the pulpit , though he be utterly dissolute in his owne person : beloved , to speake according to the spirit , and yet live after the flesh , is an infallible note of an hypocrite ; let men make what they can of it . not that i byte the faithfull shepheards of gods flocke in any place whatsoever seated in this our church , so farre is it from mee to touch the lords annointed , or to harme his prophets : but the licencious preacher is the man i taxe , as being the shame and discredit of the lords ministery . as concerning the people , to undertake to single out all the fleshly and carnall professors of the gospell , were to number the drops of the great ocean , to tell the starres , and to cypher the sands of the sea shore : the sonnes of adam have so covered the earth , that a righteous man is scarce to be found , a man that indeede warreth against the flesh , grieveth at the times , and sigheth for our sins . are there not many among us which beginne in the spirit and end in the flesh ? that faint in the race and embrace the world ? hot in the beginning , key-cold in the ending , stayning their names and defiling their soules ? i speake of the better sort which ( as it seemes ) thinke the lord too long a comming , and therefore will fall too , and stay no longer . is it not a grievous thing to behold many an ancient in israel to be so sowly overseene , as to sell their birthright for a messe of pottage , their god for a peece of bread , and the unspeakable peace of a good conscience for outward peace , liberty and freedome ? where is the spirit of paul become , which esteemed all things as dung and drosse to winne christ ? are wee yet children , to bee woonne with a toy , and lost with a trifle ; are we no more faithfull in our love towards god then to prostitute our selves at the entisings of the world , and to become a fitmate for every fleshly companion ? christ pronounceth them blessed that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse , not they that hunger and thirst after good cheere , gay apparell , faire houses , outward pompe , and fleshly vanities . christ forbiddeth us to love the world , or the things of the world , because the fashion thereof passeth away ; and yet how many have plighted their hearts to the world , as if it were the onely good and true felicity . o fearefull times , o fleshly corruptions , o the lamentable estate of this our land and country . is there never a watchman to discover this danger ? or prophet left to bewaile our transgressions ? the gappe is great who can stand in it ! the breach is like the breaking out of the seas , and the noise of our sinnes like the roaring of many waters : the atheisme and the hypocrisie of our land , her pride , covetousnesse , and adultery , shall justifie the spirituall whoredome of spaine and other countryes which never injoyed those meanes , and mercies as we have done . oh how that outward peace and abundance which wee have had lulled us asleepe in sinfull security ! wee goe to church , pray , and heare , i hope that is sufficient . yea ( enough indeed to one whose stomacke is scarce able to digest that ) but where is the man that in all the wayes of his ordinary calling labours to walke in obedience and feare of god , to carry alwayes the affection of a servant , as considering he is doing the lords work ? that consecrates and sanctifies all his courses by prayer , that beggeth strength , presence , and supplies of the spirit from god , to lead him in the wayes which he ought to goe , and to preserve him from those snares and temptations , which in his calling he is exposed unto ? that is carefull to redeeme all his precious time , and to make every houre of his life comfortable and beneficiall to himselfe and others ? where is the man whose particular calling doth not trench and encroach upon his generall calling , the duties which he owes to god ? that spares sufficient time to humble him to study gods will , to acquaint himselfe with the lord , and keepe a constāt communion with his god ? nay , that doth not steale from the lords owne day , to speake his owne words , to ripen and set forward his owne or his friends advantages ? where is the man whose heart is ready prest to obey every of gods commandements as well as any of them ? that cleaves to christ and his blessed truth , when they goe alone severed from all outward credit , pleasure and profit whatsoever ? where is the man that denies himselfe in his most beloved sinnes , that beares wrongs and injuries patiently , that is willing to be trampled upon , and to bee set light by , for the cause of christ , and the testimony of a good conscience ? ah fearefull times , what last and worse age of the world is this we are fallen into ? kill and slay , whore and taverne , sweare and game , revell and rout , live as wee list , doe any thing , so it be done manfully , warily , and with the minde of a gentleman , who dares controll it ? yes heare what the spirit saith , yee shall die . but i am free from any grosse enormity , happily some small sinnes may cleave to my nature , but these i cannot avoid nor shake off so long as i continue in this earthly tabernacle . true it is , that haynous sinnes are more terrible , because they waste and destroy the conscience at once , and cast men into hell with headlong fury : but little sinnes unrepented of are no lesse dangerous , seeing they cause a consumption of piety , & bring men by degrees to eternall condemnation . doe but gather the least things together , and they will make a great heape . drops are but small , yet they fill great rivers ; though thou lightly esteemest them , while thou dost weigh them , yet feare when thou beginnest to number them . though thou contemnest small sinnes , yet feare the great punishment which attends them ; doth not every sinne by prevarication , dishonour the lord , how dares then a sinner call any sinne small ? a little thing is little , but yet faithfulnesse or unfaithfulnesse in a little , is a great matter . ananyas and sapphira told but a lye , and were presently strucke dead in the place in a fearfull manner . vzzah put forth his hand but to stay the arke , and was smitten with sudden death . wee must not consider what wee have done , but how great hee is whom wee have offēded . it is not the least thing in mans life , to neglect such things as seeme to bee least , and i know not concerning what faults wee may bee secure , seeing we must be judged even for sinnes of ignorance , and give an account of our idle words and thoughts . the lesse discernable a vice is , the greater care wee should have to avoid it . wee soone come to the sight of great sinnes , and so to repentance for them , whereas wee persist and goe on in the lesser without controule . it is good therefore to take heed of the least , as though they were the greatest ; for so much the more easily shal we abstaine from any offence , by how much the more wee are afraid of committing it : that man seldome falls fowly , that is fearefull of falling at all ; sinne is satans livery , which who so ever willingly weares , acknowledgeth his soveraignty , and their owne servitude . though the most sanctified men have still their imperfections and frailties , yet to live in the least offence against knowledge and conscience , is an evident signe wee are in the devils bondage , for hee that truely hates one sin , will hate all of the kinde . there is not any sin committed but leaves a poyson in the soule behinde it . if the gate be set open the enemy will soone enter in . witnesse the many experiences of gods children , who winking at smaller sinnes , have beene plunged into greater . if once thou givest leave to thy corrupt affections to play their parts , thou shalt hardly make them give over . little sinnes usher great ones and bring them into the closet of thy heart . how dares then a sinner call any sin small , when as the sonne of god gave his life for it , above which nothing in the world can bee esteemed ? the holy ghost uses the future tense here , yee shall die , to intimate thus much , that albeit for a season the theater of iniquity is much frequented , the actors favoured with great applause , and every carnall man playeth his part with grace , to the admiration of the beholders , although the wages bee not paid so soone as the worke is done , nor the dislike which god hath of sinners declared presently by the execution of his feareful judgement upon them , yet shall they escape no more then a beast taken in a trappe , or the prisoner included in a strong tower . when the lord shall come in the clouds with his holy angels , the assises shall bee kept in the aire , the prisoners of the earth , notwithstanding their boasting among their fellows shall all be arraigned before him , and then shall ensue the verdict of the conscience upon them , even that fearefull sentence of death , goe ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devill and 〈◊〉 angells . this may teach us to give small credit to the glittering face and flattering countenance of outward things . let us cheere our selves never so much in our youth , and walke forth-right in the wayes of our owne hearts , and sight of our owne eyes , yet for all that god shall bring us to iudgement . the waters are deepest where they are stillest , upon a hot gload there followeth a violent storme ; the terrors of gods wrath shall assault the wicked man , as a sudden tempest , and carry him away by night . in this one word yee shall die , is contained the infinite volumne of all misery ; the great ocean of all sorrow , it being an epitome of mans future calamity . did a man certainely know that hee should lose all his goods , friends , honor , and credit , if hee committed this or that particular action . i suppose he would shrinke from doing it . if the adulterer should know that he was watched , and that one behinde the doore stands ready with a polaxe to choppe off one of his legges or armes , mee thinkes the feare of that mischiefe should bee too strong for his bruitish affections , and conquer his lustfull passions . if the drunkard should know , that in such a taverne whither he usually goeth posting with his cup companions , there standeth in one of the drinking places a man with a pistoll charged with white powder of purpose to shoote him through ; i imagine how gladly hee would leave his wine and sugar and betake himselfe to his heeles , yea and account him his friend that would push him over the threshold and thrust the doore after him . and this not without reason ; for as a man would bee willing to give all that he hath , yea and to lose some of his limbes to redeeme his life . ( skinne for skinne and all that a man hath will be give for his life ) so will hee be contented to deny his pleasures , and profits , if in case they prejudice that ; unlesse it bee those , wherein the temerarious rashnesse of affection preventeth reason , and enforceth the body to commit the action before the minde hath given any counsell . now if reason can thus prevaile against corrupt passions when hurt is intended against the body , why should it not much more perswade the understanding , conscience , and will to endeavour themselves against fleshly corruptions , which are pernicious to the soule , and not onely temporall , but eternall death to the whole man. by death , in this place is understood , not the first but the second death , as appeareth plainely by the antithesis and opposition of eternall happinesse against this everlasting death and misery : and so it is taken in many places of scripture : hee that overcommeth shall not be hurt of the second death . the fearefull and unbeleeving , &c. shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone , which is the second death . what need many proofes as if every scripture were not given by divine inspiration ? here wee see the tragedy , that must follow the pleasant comedy of worldly joyes , and the hard reckoning that is given after all the junkets of fleshly pleasure . if you aske mee what this death is , i thus define it ? when the aforesaid ignorant and unconscionable wretch hath played his pageants in city and countrey , upon the scafffold of this present earth , and perhaps hath gotten him wealth , wife and children , builded a faire house , borne office in the parishwhere he dwelleth , purchased much land , engrossed sundry commodities , and mounted upon the proud foaming steede of all stumbling vanity ; of a sodaine , when hee most wisheth and hopeth to live ; as a fish taken with a hooke , or a bird with the snare , he shall bee entrapped with death : his fleshly body shall be cast into the earth for a time , and his soule into the bottomeless pit of hell . now after that the soule and body hath for a certain season made their abode in the said places of the grave and hell , as a malefactor in the prison untill the law day ; then shall they by the unspeakable power of god be united again into one man , at the voice of an archangell and trumpet of god , and be summoned together with the rest of the dead to make their appearance before the almighty , to heare that fearefull sentence of condemnation pronounced against them . depart from mee yee cursed , &c. this is the truth which the lord hath spoken ; let all flesh cover their faces , lay their hands on their mouthes , and stand agast hereat . mocke not at gods judgements as commonly thou doest at the devil in a play . it is fearful jesting with thy maker , or playing the foole with edged tooles . if further you demand what shall be the state of this creature , thus cursed of god and condemned to death ? i answer , if men may bee deceived in judging of the creature subject to sense , and outward being ; much more hardly are they able to conceive of things invisible , and made purposely of god in his wisdome to exceede the apprehension of any creature . for which cause as the ioyes celestiall doe farre surpasse all earthly melody ( and therefore cannot be conceived truely , because man wanteth a cleer spectacle wherein to behold them ) so the sorrowes of everlasting , torment being transcendent , all the glasse of humane misery cannot be sufficient in full conceit to expresse it , or come neere it , neither can it be knowne of any fleshly creature , saving onely of such as feele it . yet least any man herein should be utterly ignorant , and so waxe secure , esteeming death eternall as a poeticall fury or vizzard to be playd withall , thereby fearfully derogating from gods power , wisdome , and glory in inflicting justice ; the holy ghost hath given us some secret items concerning this point , and slightly , in comparison runne it over , as a painter with a little white lead drawing forth the great elephant ; not so much teaching us what it is , as what indeed it is not . the first thing touching this matter to be considered briefly , is , the separation of these carnall men before spoken of , from the presence and glory of god ; whose communion , as it is the head and heart of all felicity , so to bee deprived of his favourable presence is the very summe of all misery . for as a grievous malefactor once in favour with his prince , bound in chains of iron , hung up on the top of an hill , debarred of all mortall helpe , set apart to be consumed with famine night and day , filleth the hils and dales with his restlesse moanes , and stayeth the most speedy passengers with the hollow cryes of his extreme misery . or as a princes daughter set on shoare by a perfidious shipman , where is nought but trees and wildernesse , lyons , beares , and antilopps , debarred of all comfort , within the hearing of the groveling dens , compassed about with seas : so and much more fearefull is the state of that man whosoever he be , that is banished from the presence of god in regard of the graces of the spirit , which are the infallible pledges of his love and favour , however he enjoyeth many outward good things , as the stranger in a princes court may make him selfe glad with his wine , though altogether unknowne , or at least without any speciall notice taken of him by the prince . but when god shall . strip him of all temporall blessings , as riches , honor , health , wealth , friends , peace , &c. . when he shall make himselfe knowne to his blinde soule with a more manifest and apparant resemblance of his glory in justice , declaring the detestation hee hath of his supposed knowledge , his unconscionable conscience , his devillish wil and corrupt affections . . when hee shall first shut the doore upon him that leadeth unto life , and then also for ever cast him out of his presence , as a man that throws a toad or serpent out of his garden , and that into the place of everlasting tormēt ( lord ) what tongue can expresse , or heart conceive the heavy estate of this forlorne or abject creature ? to be out of favor with a prince is much , but to be out of favour with god , who can abide it ? there is no man living unlesse he be desperate , but either hee thinketh himself high in gods favour , and therefore is still peaceable within himselfe , or else is possessed with such a spirit of slumber , that the faculty of due pondering the pretiousnesse of gods presence is taken from him ; as in a drūkard which neither regardeth his frendnor his foe , but when the drinke shall be out of his head , as at the departure of his soul , then shall hee strike his knees together , & his heart shall bee cold as a stone ; like that of nabal , when the feast was past , and hee had heard the judgement denounced : then shall hee open his eyes as the man which hath beene blind from his birth , and behold the vengeance of god upon him . by the presence of god in this place i doe not understand a bare locall residence with god : so sathan may stand before god ; neither can any thing created go from his presence , hee being in heaven , in hell , and in all places : but by his presence i understand as the holy ghost teacheth me , the comfort , the joy and blisse which betydeth the creature through his presence . now what the losse hereof may be , i leave to thy owne heart : and yet it being fleshly , may happily err , or not esteem so highly as the thing requireth . to helpe thee in a word ; adam after his offence fled from gods presence , and the lord ratified it , for indeed hee cast him out of the garden where hee had communion and fellowship with god , yet so , that hee left him certaine signes and tokens of his former dignity both spirituall and temporall in soul and body : from whence it commeth that wee his children doe yet retain some resemblance of our former happinesse , though our holinesse is quite lost : we have lordship over all the creatures , wee are fed with the fruits of the earth , we have some cōlinesse of person , and impression of majesty , beyōd the beasts , yea we have a smack of god : and in politicall matters , yet preserve some slender and slight footings of his wisdome and providence : the king ruleth , the people obey : the heaven , the earth , and the stars yeelde themselves according to the will of the creator , propitious unto man , hee enjoyeth their light , their influences , their fruits , & sundry commodities : and all this because man ( albeit out of the garden of eden the place of delight , yet ) is still as long as hee liveth in the cookes garden : being thrust ( as it were ) out of a most pleasant parlour , where god appeared in glory , into a more obscure place of lesse communion with him . now when the first death commeth as a sore-runner to the last judgement , man is deprived in an instant , of all pretended comforts and outward favours , and plunged into an infinite depth of woe and bottomlesse gulph of wrathfull misery , his body strangely altered , being severed from his soule which gave it both life and reason , yea and deprived of all earthly succour excepting a ditch in the earth to preserve his bones and cinders unto the time of the resurrection . all which ( marke it ) by the decree of the just judge of heaven , shall for ever be deprived of all shew of favour , or the least drop of mercy , and be exiled the courts of the almighty , world without end . here the kings of the earth shall bee degraded , the lords and ladies of the court abashed , and each rich & stately person utterly disherited of all his substance . to bee out of favour with the world is troublesome to weake flesh , but to bee discountenanced with god , this is the ocean of all misery : every creature then beholdeth with a threatning face , the heavens lower , the earth frownes , and withdraw themselves from our comfort . for as hee that loseth the good will of the master , loseth also the heart of the true and trusty servant ; so he that is once discountenanced with god , all creatures in heaven and earth make head against him . oh that our great landed men ( as wee call them ) which have seated themselves for ever ( as they suppose ) would consider of this tragicall ruine ; they are so shamefully beguiled with the composed countenance of the harlot voluptuousnesse , the strength of pleasure , arising from worldly wealth hath so dispossessed them of their wits , that they rave in the pride of their hearts , not considering their latter end . out beggar , i scorne thee , my land is worth three hundred pounds by the yeer , and wilt thou presume to keepe mee company , &c. ah consider that thou art carnall , and livest according to the flesh , and therefore must dye . all outward things shall forsake thee , thy wealth and credit , thy pastime and acquaintance , all shall bee abandoned , god himselfe will strippe thee of these robes , and clothe thee with shame for ever ; in vaine doest thou presume of mercy , thou caryest the bagge for a season , but it shall one day bee rent from thy side , and god shall bee glorified in leaving thee naked . the second thing to bee considered is that great reproach which shall seise on the carnall man after this life , by reason of the cleere revealing of all his hidden sinnes . little children abide in him , that when hee shall appeare we may be bold , and not be ashamed before him at his comming . if a man come and publish a hidden crime , we are ready with our action to cleere our honesty , and defend our reputation by challenging the benefit of the law , in a case not sufficiently proved against us . but at this time the skirts of thy pollution shall be discovered before the sun , and though thou wipest thy mouth ( like the harlot which solomon describeth ) yet thy sinne shall be written in great characters in thy forhead , so as hee that runnes may read thy chambering and wantonnesse , thy whoredome and uncleannesse , thy theevery and oppression , yea all thy cradle sinnes , which never yet were set on foot , ( thy wicked and abominable thoughts i meane ) which lye lurking in thy heart as in a denne , not daring to come abroad , for feare of losing thy credit . oh the fearefull reproach ensuing hereupon , when many a sober man and vertuous matron , so falsely esteemed of in the world , shall have their vizzards pluckt downe from their faces , the ulcer of their hearts launced , and all the buried corruptions of their childhood , of their youth , and riper age , plainely before men and angels , saints and blessed spirits , devills and reprobates laid open , to their eternall shame . imagine that thou being a man of great credit and esteeme , shouldest have all the vanities of thy heart , whereunto thy conscience giveth testimony , and all the night practises of thy youth commēced against thee , even in the high court of parliament , before thy prince and nobles , how couldst thou shew thy face ? now thou pluckest thy garment about thee to cover thy shame , but then thou shalt bee stript naked and unclothed , to the reproach of thy selfe and thy whole family : now thou shelterest thy iniquity in a closset or secret chamber from the eyes of him that cannot pierce the walls : then shalt thou stand before the face of the heavens , in the presence of him whose eyes are as a flaming fire , knowing the secrets of thy parlour and polluted bed , thy words , thy thoughts , the place , time and every circumstance of thy sinne : now thou overlayest the drosse of thy heart with a guilded outside of joy and meriment , but then the lord shall blow upon the paint of thy face , thy withered deformity shall then bee espyed : now like ieroboams wife , thou disguisest thy selfe with pretended holinesse ; but at that time the lord shall defeate thee , and display thy hypocrisie . to conclude , what causeth a man having one foote on the earth , and another in the grave , halfe dead and halfe alive , to acknowledge some capitall sinne , which in his health hee would not for all the world ? the lord will make thine owne conscience impeach thy selfe , and discover thy transgressions : thou thinkest not so , so thought iudas , but as then with him , so also with thee , the case will cleane be altered . the third appendix of their death , is their society with the devill and his angells ; mat. . we account it a fearefull thing to see a spectrum or diabolicall delusion , and so it is to our weake nature ; but to be really present with sathan world without end , a companion in torment , what earthly man can abide it . to bee in a prison full of murtherers , it is horrible , but in that bottomelesse pit with thousands of condemned spirits abject and forlorne creatures , a heavy heareing . the theefe before he bee attached and caryed to the gaole , perhaps he frequenteth the house of many a worthy person . it is not thy stocke and kindred , thy pompe and outward bravery that will serve thy turne when thou art arrested with death , all the world will not be of sufficient credit to baile thee . thinke seriously of this and lay it to heart : to bee taken out of the fields of pleasure , and to bee throwne into the dungeon of hell , there to bee guided with that cursed crew is no jesting-matter ; oh that all carnall livers of our age would cōsider hereof ; no doubt it would somewhat restraine them in their wilfull course , and gash their hearts amidst their pleasures . o that that the curious and nice women that cannot abide the noise of a canon , or the sudden flashing of fire , could ponder the misery whereunto they are born , namely to ▪ dwell in darknesse with those blasphemous spirits world without end . in the night season or in a darke place , thou art ready to runne away at the sight of a shadow , or at the reciprocall imagination of thy owne thought , upon the noise of a scritch owle ▪ or the like ; and thinkest thou that thou canst abide the sight , nay the company , and continuall familiarity of that hellish cave ? the lord give thee a heart to consider of this fearefull horror before it betide thee , and to goe out of thy selfe to behold the strange change which is wrought by the grave and sepulchre . the fourth is , the incredible horror and distresse of consciēce which the carnall liver sustaineth by the sense and feeling of the whole wrath of god powred upon him for ever . they shall goe forth and looke upon the carkases ▪ of men which have transgressed against me , for their worme shall not die , neither shall their fire bee quenched , and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh . in respect whereof the punishment of the damned is likened in holy scripture to fire , to a worme , to gnashing of teeth , to utter darknesse and the like . not as if these were sufficient to describe it , for what can declare the depth of that which hath no bottome ; but onely by these most fearefull creatures in a superficiall manner to proportion that which nothing favoureth . for as the joyes of heaven are unspeakable ; so are also the torments of hell , and therfore why doth my barbarous tongue endeavour to decipher them ? deare christian , esteeme of my words not as the full size of the thing it selfe , but as a slight picture , or a briefe draught of that unutterable volumne of all misery . i am not able possibly herein to shew the mystery of this wonderfull worke made by the lord , of purpose to set forth his glory in justice . yet to helpe thy consideration , which is nothing serious in regard of the thing ( i speake it also to the shame of my selfe ) i would faine imprint some conceit hereof in my heart , that might make way to a second thought . wee esteeme horror of conscience a matter of great importance , because the most of us in these fearefull times ▪ are possessed with secure hearts and benummed spirits . but when conscience shall once be throughly wakened , like a wilde beast it will then shew his fiery eyes , and take thee by the throat . no torment of tenne thousand tyrants like unto it . doe but remember in what feare and dread sometimes thou seemest to be , when in a sleepe or vision , a glimpse of hell flashings are presented unto thee , oh how thou strivest and strugglest , how thou cryest and ravest with paine ? nay , how glad art thou thou awakest and findest it to bee but a dreame , how thou tellest thy friend as much as thou canst , ( but alas , nothing in respect of what thou feltest ) what thinkest thou this to be ? certainely the groveling of the conscience , stirred up by sathan of purpose to overwhelme the godly , to solicite to despaire , and in the wicked to torment them before their time ; yet in respect of god , a most friendly admonition for by this a man is suffered in a vision to see and feele the torment of hell , to know the price of christs blood , to labour by all meanes possibly to make sure his election . in the wicked also it hath this use . i could never have thought it possible for a mortall man to have beene capable of that measure of distresse , had not the lord in his mercy , for the further subduing also of my bedlame flesh , suffered mee sometimes to behold and feele the flashings of hell through his grace , causing me as a child to be stilled by the view of fearefull beasts . if then in a dream , or in a mans life time there may bee such an incredible horror , that it may cause the eyes to stare , the tongue to rave , the haire to stand an end : how much more hideous will it be when really and in deede with perfect knowledge & sense broad waking , we shall feele the strokes of the almighty , the terrours of god shall lay hold of us . in consideration whereof , in the name of god , as you tender your eternall welfare , enter into the examination of your selves , and discerne of your estates whether they bee carnall or no ; cry out for the spirit , you heare what the holy ghost saith , if you walke after the flesh , ye shall dye , how strangely doth the sentence of corporall death appall a man though pronounced by a wretch like himselfe , and shall not the doome of death eternall , given out by the holy ghost at all astonish you ? oh let not sathan harden your hearts , resist the devill , and he will flye from thee : it is a commandement and a promise ; what faire warnings doth god give unto men by himselfe and ministers , by the motions of his spirit , and checkes of our consciences from time to time , and shall we bee so voide of grace as to make our selves a booty for sathan , to stand still while he deprives us of our lives and soules and all ? me thinks reason should something prevaile with us in things so neerely concerning our best good : but alas , a hardened heart like pharaohs , a flint , an adamant , a marble spirit : no admonition will serve its turn , where grace is wanting , no impression takes any roote : men will make triall and then beleeve . a feareful experience this is , thou maist first try in an earthly cause and then be warned ; but from hell thou canst not returne . remember dives , credit not the multitude , olde tophet is wide and large , humble thy selfe therefore betime , and repent of thy grievous sinnes . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . but if ye mortifie : as before the apostle described an infallible token of death ; so here he proceedeth to shew in like manner a teckmerion or a certaine signe of life , and that is the killing and slaying of sinne , which is called mortification . for as seed which thou sowest is not quickened before it die : or , this corruptible body glorified before it be for a season dead and buried : so neither is the man●ramed ●ramed in us , which according to god is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse , untill the olde man bee wounded and laid for dead in us ; which like a gyant standeth up to expell and oppose the prosters and meanes of all holinesse . and this is the cause that the holy ghost maketh mention onely of this weakning of the force of sin , through the death and buriall of christ , not excluding the other part of sanctification , which is vivification , viz. a vertue flowing from the resurrection of christ , causing us also to rise to newnesse of life . it were to small purpose to bring place upon place to prove that , which through the whole booke of god is so cleerely apparant . how shall we that are dead to sin live yet therein ? they that are christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof . what can be plainer than this ? as the physitian first purgeth before hee giveth a restorative , so every one that shall be saved hereafter , must first receive an allayer of his corruption here ; he must first be launced before he can be healed . you may know the body of sinne in all his particular members , by that which hath beene spoken touching the flesh. let every man & woman here present examine himselfe from top to toe what cure is wrought by the spirit in his soul , whether the kingdome of sinne and sathan be demolished and weakned , and the kingdome of jesus christ advanced and built up in him ; whether corruption dyes , and grace lives in his heart , i beseech you deale faithfully with your owne soules , and answer me directly to these interrogatories . are thy words which heretofore have beene full of prophanenesse and worldlinesse , now directed to gods glory , and the good of those among whom thou livest ? are thy thoughts which heretofore were loose and ungodly , now bounded within a sacred compasse , and spent wholly on heavenly things ? is thy understanding informed of the mysteries of christs kingdome ? is thy memory which heretofore hath beene stuffed with trash and toyes , now capable and greedy of divine knowledge ? doest thou order every passage of thy life , by direction out of gods word ? art thou inwardly conscionable in the performance of holy duties ? doth the tendernesse of thy cōscience smite thee , not onely for grosse and open sinnes , but even for vaine cogitations , and the least appearance of any evill ? art thou watchful against all occasions and temptations of sinne ? doest thou feele thy selfe grow and increase in the wayes of holinesse ? hast thou such a gracious taste of the glory of god , and eternall life , that thou desirest to meete thy saviour in the clouds , not so much to be rid out of the miseries of this life , as to bee freed from the heavy burthen of sin which hangs so fast upon thee ? in a word , doest thou so judge of things now , as thou wouldest doe hereafter , when thy soule is best able to judge , as in the houre of death , and the day of distresse ? doest thou approve of things as they further thy last account ? as they commend thee more or lesse unto god , and will bring true peace or sorow to thy soul at last and no otherwise ; then blessed and happy is thy condition , and know this for the comfort of thy soule , that thou art dearely beloved of god , yea his peculiar one , and precious in his eyes ; sathan and all the powers of darknesse are fast chained up for ever doing thee any hurt ; thou shalt never more bee afraid of evill tidings , though the earth be moved , and the mountaines fall into the midst of the sea , yet thy heart shall abide strong and comfortable ; i dare boldly pronounce that god is reconciled unto thee , and that his sweete love which never changeth hath seized on thy soule . what will it availe a man to say he is rich ( like the bragging laodicean ) and yet be extreame miserable , poore and naked ? what will it further any of us to say we feele the decaying of sinne , when as the kingdome of sathan still flourisheth in us ? away with this glozing and deceitfull dealing , hypocriticall holinesse , is worse then professed wickednesse ; this , it is so odious in gods eyes that hee will plague those in whom it ruleth , with his severest judgments , those very good workes wherein the hypocrite seemeth to make hast to heaven , cary him post to hell . nothing brings the soule more into a generall consumption then this sinne ; it deprives a man of true peace of conscience , hardens his heart , and fills him with such inward perplexity that hee dares not looke god in the face with any comfort . the deeds of the body . the meaning of the holy ghost is not , that wee should cut off the outward acts of sinne onely ( like many a dissembling hypocrite which hath the gift of restraining his affections that they breake not out ) but that wee should kill sinne at the heart and in the cradle , then shall wee make sure worke and never hereafter stand in feare . the next way to drench the conduit , is to dry up the fountaine : in vaine dost thou loppe sinne unlesse it be deprived of its master roote . it may be thou wilt say , that is a thing impossible . indeed to thee which art wholly evill it is , marke therefore what followeth . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . by the spirit : this is that little david which taketh the goliah of our corrupt nature and choppeth off his head : this is hee that bringeth light out of darknesse , life out of death , which shineth as a starre through the watry clouds of humane infirmitie . as there bee divers acceptations of the word flesh , so also of the spirit ; sometimes it is taken for the soule , sometimes for naturall reason ; but that is not here meant . to omit all other constructions , the word spirit in this place is taken for that created quality of holinesse which by the holy ghost is so wrought in the minde , will and affections of a man whereby the power and force of sin comes to be abated , & the faculty of holines & inherēt sanctity is renewed in us . but why doth the apostle say if yee mortifie , is it in our power to deprive sinne of its life and being ? it pleaseth god to speake of things , as done by us , when as indeed they are wrought in us . such is his fatherly wisedome that oft he ascribeth those things to us , which hee himselfe secretly effecteth . wee mortifie the deeds of the body , but it is by the spirits helpe : the strength to subdue sinne is put into us from heaven . wee are as able to shake the foundation of the earth with our little finger , as to shake our sin by our owne strength . nature will not slay our lusts , it must be the spirit of christ : corrupt nature labours by all meanes to preserve its owne being . hee that goes among lions must needs be torne in pieces ; sinnes are lions and will soone destroy us , if god help us not . mortification of sinne is possible , through the spirits assistance , otherwise impossible . when therefore thou feelest pride , covetousnesse , lust , growing upon thee , looke for power from above or else thou art undone . pray in the words of iehosaphat , lord there is no strength in mee to stand against these sinnes , neither doe i know what to doe , but mine eyes are towards thee . alas , how are we overcome of evill , whereas we should overcome evill with good ; we shake at the very noyse of temptation , and give in presently , wee have power over our eyes , tongues or thoughts , but let sinne passe in and out at pleasure : all which shews how nothing wee are in our selves , sathan and the world are too strong for us , standing in our owne might , but by leaning on the power of god we remaine invincible , whatsoever inordinatenesse a true christian espies , hee presently endeavours the killing through the efficacy of christ. indeed passions are not so bridled , nor corruptions so quelled , that they doe not stir , but the force and power of them is so farre subdued , that they shall not raigne , or hale us ordinarily to that which is euill . hast thou been long kept under by some customary vice , against which thou hast resolved , and resolved , but canst not prevaile ? get thee to christ by the help of his spirit , thou shalt get victory over all thy infirmities . die to thy selfe , renounce the broken reede of thine owne freewill , which hath so often deceived thee , and put all thy trust in the grace of christ , that will crucifie thy olde man and give him his deaths wound , be weake in thy selfe , and strong in the lord , and through his might thou shalt be more than conquerour . as faith encreases , the power of corruption will decay and languish ; this fires the heart with such an unquenchable love to god , that in comparison of obedience , it contemneth the whole world besides . it puts into us both courage and constancy , to fight against the strongest lusts , and set upon the practise of the most difficult duties , notwithstanding all opposition from the world and devill ; yea though wee have beene foyled , or taken the repulse . hee will not feare the subduing of the most head-strong passion , who resteth upon god for power and abilitie : nor bee dismayed because once hee hath received a foyle , who depends upon god for strength to recover : nor dread the might of his greatest adversary , who knowes that god will bee at his right hand to sustaine him , nor start aside in the most difficult dutie , whose heart is fast linked unto the lord , and relyeth upon his grace to be enabled to whatsoever he is pleased to call him . in the affaires of this life we love to excell , and outstrip others : and in matters of religion to bee dead and lumpish , is it not abominable ? would we raigne with the saints hereafter , and not labour with them now ? receive the price and not runne the race ? divide the spoile and not fight the battle ? the merchant undertakes dangerous adventures to raise his estate ; yet alas what is the gold of india to the joyes of heaven ? a fading possession to an eternall weight of glory ? when once we discern what love the lord beareth to us , we cannot but returne love for love ; when a man considers , hath christ given himselfe for mee , forgiven me so many debts , conferred favours of all kindes upon mee , what then shal i retribute to him againe ? o my soule , why doest thou not resigne thy selfe to the pleasure of his will in every thing , run when he calleth , and doe what he requireth at thy hands ? what doest thou feare ? wherewith art thou entangled ? god is thy father and soveraigne , to him thou owest thy selfe and all that thou hast , thy honour , wealth , life , or whatever is more precious then those . thou canst not love thy selfe as is meete , if thou deny not thy selfe to follow the lord in all things . is there any thing too hard tobedone for his sake ? too deare , or good for him ? what hast thou in heaven or earth worthy to be affected but thy saviour ? what is to be dreaded but his displeasure ? is there any recompence to the joyes of heaven ? any danger to the torments of hell ? any pleasure to the sense of gods favour ? resolve then with thy selfe , and say , i have fully purposed to observe thy commandemēts , for they are the joy of my heart , but lord i leane not upon mine owne strength , but upon thy grace , who givest both to will and to doe ; thou hast commanded me to keep thy testimonies , give mee i pray thee to doe what thou requirest . teach me the way of thy statutes , and i will keepe it to the end . some understand by the mortifying of sinne , not onely the first wound which it receives at a sinners first conversion , but also the whole practice of repentance renewed thorow the whole course of a mans life , for a man after his conversion , is continually to lie in armes against his owne flesh , and to stir up the spirit with the forces thereof , which otherwise will bee overwhelmed with the adversary , not able to maintaine the fight . for christians ( whilest they are here ) are not wholly flesh , nor wholly spirit , but a part of each : god hath placed in our bodies two inmates of contrary dispositions , two strangers of divers natures and qualities ( not in the highest degree , for then they would utterly expell one another , but ) in a remisse māner , which causeth this bickering and skirmishing in our inward man. now whereas every one whose understanding is renewed , seeth the drift of his flesh ( however thorow the deceit thereof he doth not alwaies feele it ) give mee leave to prescribe some few directions wherby he may come to have his corruptions subdued , and temptations vanquished , that they triumph not over his spirit to the disquiet of his conscience . that which i shall principally commend to every christian , is , that hee buckle about him the compleat armour of god ; wee must not fly away . from sathan ; a run-away never makes a good conclusion of his temptations . some sins indeed are best conquered by flying , but from sathan it is neither possible nor lawfull to fly . however stand it out , what if we quake ? better tremble every veine than sinne , better die in the place than fly from the place . resist the devill and he will fly from you : we are sure to conquer if wee keepe our ground . sathan will play his part to hold his hold , and will never out unlesse hee be forced . when a man comes to abhor his lusts , then hee gives sinne its deaths wound . it is the nature of sin not to be driven away without force and violence . a few angry lookes and sharp words will not doe it : you may rate away your dog , but sinne is not so easie removed , as appeares in many who will speake bitterly against their lusts , calling themselves , beast , and wretch , but presently they returne to their former courses . whē thou hast therefore to do with sinne , have no compassion , fight against it with all thy might , never leave till thou hast got the heart bloud of it out ; so much as thou sparest sin , so much thou hurtest thy selfe . saul spared agag , but it was his ruine ; and if thou sparest sinne it will cost thee the kingdome of heaven : kill therefore thy sinnes or they will kill thee . it is a case of life and death ; bee carefull , old wounds must have strong medicines . what adoe have wee to bring under our unruly lusts ? hee that favours these let him want favour : we weede our gardens , and are ever weeding : sins are ill weeds and grow apace : our hearts are a step-mother to goodnesse , and a natural mother to vice , therefore bee alwaies dealing with it . the captaine that batters the enemies fort a day or two , and then gives over , gives the more courage to his enemy , and loses his labour . in this life thou shalt never want something to be mortified . hast thou begun to repent ? never give over so long as thou hast a heart to sigh for thy sinnes . sathan that strong man will not yeeld possession suddenly ; looke how much power wee get to resist sinne , so much power sathan loseth ; there is never a prayer wee make , nor act of resisting that wee doe use , but gives the devill a knock , and sin a mortifying blow , by fighting against our lusts ; what ever wee see and feele at first , wee doe and shall conquer corruption at last . repell evill motions at their first onset , if wee resist at the beginning the worke is halfe done , wee shall find sathan a coward , but if wee resist not wee shall find him a lyon ; wee must trust neither our selves nor sathan with any temptation . begin as soon as the temptation begins to peepe , and where sathan begins doe thou begin , despise not the least sin , a small wound may kil a man in time , little gashes make way for greater . if the enemy assault one way , and the garrison defend another way , the towne is lost . sathan will try his skill , and doe his uttermost to prevaile against us , why should wee not then improve our graces to make head against him ? we may preserve our selves from being conquered by him , though we cannot utterly subdue him . there is no possibility of remaining safe without resistance ; they are much deceived who think though they have no spirituall armour upon them they may rest secure . alas what can a naked man doe ? hee can no more free himselfe from the power of the devill , than a poore silly lambe from a roaring lyon : if we bee foyled the fault is our owne , for god gives us means to stand fast ; who would not be kept from spiritual wounds & hurts , from eternall bondage to sin and sathan ? . beware of pride , swelling in the body is dangerous , so is it in the soule ; when a man pleases himselfe with his owne weldoing , his heart is soone puffed up . hee that thinkes to stand by his owne strength shall suddenly fall ; the weakest shall be able to overcome their greatest enemies being under-propped of the lord. in every strong encounter we must look for supply from above . it is dangerous to looke for that frō our selves , which wee must have from christ. all our strength lies in him , as sampsons did in his haire , therefore dependant spirits are alwaies the best . nothing is stronger than humility , that goeth out of it selfe , or weaker than pride that , resteth upon its owne bottome . sathan knowes that nothing can prevaile against christ , or those that relye upon him , therefore hee labours to keepe men in selfe dependancy . if you would in truth mortifie sinne , represent it to your thoughts as the most hurtfull , hatefull and most loathsome thing in the world , and represent to your minde the obeying of gods will , as the most sweete , profitable , and excellentest thing whatsoever , and then you cannot but shunne the one and embrace the other : for , sinne is the onely object of gods infinite hatred , he hates nothing at all properly but iniquity . now what a bedlam is hee who willingly commits any sinne , which being once done is inseparably attended with the infinite hatred of so great a god , for which the paines of hell must of necessity be suffered ; bee suffered either by the party himselfe , or his surety . sinne is the most filthy thing in the world ; even fowler than the foulest fiend in hell , or the devill himselfe ; for sinne made him a devill and sunke him into hell , and whatsoever maketh a thing evill , is it selfe much more evill , the sunne lightens all other bodies , is it selfe much more light . hence it is that in scripture it is compared to the filthyest myre in which a sow lyes downe and wallowes , to the pollutions and impurities of the world singularly so called , sinne being indeed the transcendent filth of the whole world ; how are the bodies and soules of men stained and defiled with this gangreene ? it is likewise very infectious , corrupting every thing comes neere it . the first sinne that ever the sunne saw , was so pregnant with soule-killing poyson , that it polluted all the sonnes and daughters of adam that ever were since : at the first breaking out thereof it suddenly blasted ( as it were ) both heaven and earth , staining the beauty of the one and the brightnesse of the other , so as from that houre the whole creation hath groaned under the same . if but one sinne be doted upon and delighted in , like a lumpe of leaven it sowres all the soule . yea , it is the greatest ill that can befal the creature , greater than damnation it selfe . a man would thinke it a lesser ill to tell a lye , than to lye in hell . but what saith a father ; though wee thinke hell to be the forest of all evills , yet i thinke it is farre bitterer and more grievous to offend christ , then to bee tormented with the torments of hell . who would for a space of pleasure here , deprive himself of eternal blisse hereafter ? of the unknowne pleasures of an appeased conscience , a iewell of such infinite value , as that all humane glory is but as dust in the ballance to it ? in the day of tryall the comfort of a good conscience will bee worth ten thousand worlds ; never was any sound joy or sanctified peace without this . who art thou that liftest up thy proud heart against the almighty , a base & unworthy worm , the vilest creature that ever god made , next unto the devill , who when thy breath is gone ( which may fall out many times in a moment ) thou turnest to dust , rottennesse , and filth . oh let the consideration of the immortality and dearnesse of that precious soule that lyes in thy bosome , curbe thy corruptions and make thee startle at sinne . onely sinne wounds the soule , filling it with the pangs of death though it never dye , and with paine , not onely above all patience , but all resistance . consider the infinite and inestimable price that was paid for sinne , i meane the heart blood of jesus christ , blessed for ever ; and when ever thou art tempted to doe wickedly , suppose thou seeest thy saviour comming towards thee , besmeared with goare blood , and speaking thus unto thee ; oh goe not forward upon any termes , commit not this sinne by any meanes , it was that which drew me downe from the fountaine of all blisse , to put on this corruptible and miserable flesh , to drinke off the dregs of the bitter cup of my fathers wrath , to wrastle with all the forces of infernall powers , to lay downe my life at the gates of hell with intolerable paine : what an heart hast thou , if thou darest goe on against the sweet intreaty of so sweet a saviour ? in every sinne thou committest , thou layest ( as it were ) the blood of christ in one scale , and some worldly preferment , or sensuall vanity in the other , and shall these things out-weigh that ? moreover , labour for a tender and wakefull conscience , which may bee sensible of the least offence , and apprehensive of gods wrath attending the same ; what hope is there of his repentance whose conscience is seared ? and yet how busie are many to increase their owne woe , by putting sinne out of their remembrance ? certainely , a lively conscience , that shall faithfully present us with an exact view of our estates , is a great blessing ; if it were not so , why should god threaten the israelites to smite them with blindnesse , and with a stony heart , meaning , that hee would inflict such a kinde of brawny and insensible dulnesse upon them , that in doing evill , they should bee utterly without any apprehension of their misdoing ; well is hee that hath a conscience stirring him upon the least sinne , that will awake at the least blow ; and performe its office . david could have no peace till he had made his peace with god , hee did but cut off the lappe of sauls garment , and his heart smote him and brought him upon his knees , and made him cry , lord i have sinned exceedingly , take away the trespasse of thy servāt , for i have done very foolishly . had his conscience beene dull and hard , what security would have crept upon him ? what carelessenesse to become a petitioner to god for mercy ? never therefore turne thine eyes frō beholding that which conscience offers to thy view . alas , conscience doth nothing of it selfe , but by speciall authority and commissiō from god , whose deputy it is . yet it is possible to turne that which of it self is a blessing , into a curse : it is a blessing to live under a faithfull ministery , yet if a man bee not a doer of the word , but a hearer onely , he may increase his owne judgement thereby . when men come to the ordinance , their consciences are many times wrought upon more strongly than they would , now it is good simply for the conscience thus to run and it is a token of gods great love unto man to furnish his minde with such a reflecting faculty upon himselfe . but here lyes the mischiefe , many deale with their consciences as rich men doe with an earnest beggar , or as great men with an importunate petitioner , whom they will make as if they did not heare , and passe along by without regard , when their heart smites they will not answere , when it brings sinne to their sight , they turne their heads aside and will not behold it . if they find by experience that when they are alone their conscience use to encounter them , they furnish themselves with vain and wretched company , such as wil be sure to give conscience no leisure to speak . if the word of god any whit awakens them and stirres up conscience to doe its office , they thrust it from their remembrance by worldly thoughts and cares , or sleepe it out that they may not be disquieted . the poore conscience must bee conscience off till another time , ( as paul was when hee disputed with faelix ) such variety of trickes doth the devill teach to decline and shun the workings of conscience upon sinfull persons . by which meanes that which in it selfe is a great blessing , becomes a wonderfull curse unto them , the using of conscience in this unkinde manner , is the next way to move the lord to silence it for ever . look as god dealeth with whole societies of men in taking away the benefit of a powerfull ministery from them , when it is not hearkened unto ; so dealeth hee with particular persons in striking a dumbenesse upon their consciences , when the voice thereof is not regarded . listen therefore to its secret checkes and smitings , though men will not bee brought to repetition of sermons in their families , yet they have a repeater in their bosomes , that will be at private repetition with the in spite of their teeths , and tell them , this is not according to that you have beene taught , you have beene reproved and convinced of this sin in the publike ministery , why doe you not leave it ? for shame reforme this pride , hypocrisie , lying , swearing , formality , if religious courses will bring true peace at last , use them to purpose , rest not in outside shewes , without the power and life of godlinesse . how many times doth conscience presse us to repentance and better obedience ? how often doth it startle us in our postings to hell , and call upon us to settle to amēd our lives ? conscience speakes to us , as the lord to ionah , doest thou well to be angry ? dost thou wel to be thus carnall and earthly , thus eager upon the world , thus cold and indifferent in holy duties ? conscience gives privy nips and secret checks . it . points with the finger and gives direction , if it be neglected , it smites with the fist and gives correction . therefore if ever thou desirest that sinne should dye , and grace flourish in thy heart , despise not conscience when it speaketh ; doth it presse thee to any workes of piety , reformation of abuses , selfe-deniall , &c. in any case embrace his counsels . hearken to this preacher whom thou canst not suspect of partiality or ill will , conscience cannot be suspected to be set on by others . doth it chide and reproch thee of thy waies ? doth it punctually arrest thee of thy particular beloved sinnes , doe not extenuate , much lesse defend thy crime , but accuse thy selfe as fast as that accuses , acknowledge thy folly , abase thy spirit , and covenant with thy conscience a full and speedy reformation . if this were done , how soone would sathans kingdome be demolished , and all corruption weakned in us . but alas , how few regard the voice of conscience , or once hearken to it ? the very want of this sets open a floodgate of wickednesse in the world . if men cannot stop consciences mouth , they will at least stoppe their own eares . if conscience offer to be talking with them , they shuffle it off till their better leisure . alas poore soule , god will one day strippe thee of all thy imployments , and turne thee loose to thy conscience , and it shall have liberty to baite thee and bite thee at pleasure . how much better is it to be willing to hearken to the voice of conscience here , than bee forced to heare it in hell hereafter ? hearken to the reproofes and admonitions of it now and thou shalt not heare the dolefull clamours of it then . further , set faith a work to conquer your corruptions ; that wil doe wonders if wee apply the victory which christ hath made for us : though we be cowards he was not , and what ever he did it was for us . hee stood in our place & beat sathā to our hands . what if sathan beat mee may a christian say , since christ in my stead hath beaten him all to peeces ? i have long agoe overcome sathan in my head : in christ my captaine hee is a vanquished enemy ; faith makes his victory ours , and sets him against every tentation ; we are not so weake in the hands of sathan , as sathan is in the hands of christ ; therefore is faith said to bee our victory , because it makes christ ours , who is our victory . a christian is never safe , except he can by faith lay fast hold on christ , and set up him and his power against the gates of hell and powers of darknesse . faith must have one to side with it against sathan , who hath absolute command over sathan . if christ doe but say the word , the devil is soone said , and his temptations die . to him then who is our refuge and strength let us repaire in all perplexities , by applying him to our selves by a lively faith , and making him our sword and bucklar : say , i of my selfe am weake as water , not able to vanquish the least temptation , or subdue any fleshly lust or corruption whatsoever , but in christ made mine by faith i am strong and can doe all things . the promise is that if wee resist sathan , stedfast in the faith , he shall flye . beleeve then that thou shalt overcome , and thou shalt overcome ; war against sin and sinne shall die ; faith is our victory and nothing else , because that alone apprehends & applyes the promise . reason can doe no good , because the temptation is spirituall and reason carnall , a naturall thing hath neither stroke nor force against that which is spirituall ; beside , reason is a secret friend to sathan , and takes part with him against our selves . can a man conquer the devill with a wisedome that is divellish , that hath him for its damme ? downe with flesh and bloud then , away with our owne wit , let faith doe all , else it will doe nothing . faith never workes so well , as when it works alone ; it is no more but beleeve the promise and sathan is gone . if christians bee not perswaded that god will mortifie their corruptions , they will very much at their manifold slips , be off and on , and coldly imbrace religious courses ? alas , our owne strength is too weake for the work of holinesse , to represse and vanquish the lusts of our rebellious hearts , which are by nature and custome so deepely polluted with sinne . if wee have not faith to beleeve that god will aide and blesse our endeavours and doe the whole worke for us , what courage can we have to goe about it ? what shameful foyles and repulses shall we sustaine in it . hee will manfully fight against his lust , that is assured of victory from god in the end . it is a great heartning to resist evill , or to doe any good duty , when wee beleeve god will be with us , and helpe us therein . faith acquaints a man with his emptinesse of grace , how unable hee is to crucifie his inordinate affections , or to repaire the decayed image of god in him , and that he is in a wofull case , unlesse the lord put to his helping . what profits pardon of sinne , to one that lyes under the power and dominion of sinne ? therefore a true beleever fights couragiously against his corruptions , and cryeth instantly to the lord for helpe : though the combate be never so hot , hee will not yeelde , because hee apprehends victory ; for grace doth flow from christ into our hearts more or lesse , as our faith is weaker or stronger , though we have no grace of our selves , yet if wee cleave to him wee shall want none . doth the streaming fountaine deny water to the thirsty traveller ? no more doth christ to the empty parched soule , that comes unto him . hee is an overflowing fountaine , his grace is unsearchable , his store can never bee diminished . hee filleth the empty , and satisfieth the poore , that he might bee acknowledged the well-spring of all grace and goodnesse . lastly , be sure to keepe the flesh under , by stopping all passages of provision for it , cleere thy minde of sinfull cogitations , blot out of thy memory ribald speeches , and obscene jests , preserve thy heart from unlawfull lusts , wicked desires , and unruly passions . keepe thine appetite from intemperance and excesse , thy tongue from corrupt communication , thine eares from ungodly and dishonest discourses , thine eyes from waton & wicked objects , and finally , thy body from sloth and idlenesse , effeminate delicacie and carnall pleasures . it fares with the flesh and the spirit as with two mortall enemies in the field , hee that by any meanes aideth and strengtheneth the one , doth thereby make way for weakening of the other . hee that joyneth with the flesh doth oppose the spirit , and hee that standeth on the spirits side , doth bring the flesh into captivity . who would strengthen an enemie to oppugne himselfe ? wee give stings and weapons to the flesh , arming it against the spirit , when as wee pamper the body with delicacy , inflame it with wine , handle it daintily , and nourish inticements and provocations to lust in it . if the flesh be full fed it will despise the spirit , and commit many outrages in a christian soule . yea it will waxe proud and insolent , foyle the regenerate part , and force it to live in miserable slavery . better to become a swine-heard with the prodigall , than to bee a servant to our base lusts . the heathen could say , he was borne to more noble ends , than to bee a slave to his owne body , and shall not our spirits bee elevated to a higher pitch of excellency than his , as having god for our father , and christ for our elder brother ? which of us enobled by birth , and liberally brought up , being clothed with lothsome some ragges , and defiled with noysome excrements , would not hastily strippe them off , and with indignation cast them away ? this flesh of ours doth us more mischiefe than the devill himselfe , alas , hee could never hurt us , were we not first betrayed by this inbred enemy , yea it is worse then hell and damnation , as being the cause of both , without it hell were no hell , neither could destruction fasten upon us . all the outrages and horrible crimes which are committed in the world , may challenge the flesh for their chiefe cause and author . it was this that pierced our saviours hands and feete , & which moveth men daily to crucifie him afresh , and trample his precious blood under their filthy feet ; and can we finde in our hearts to have any peace or truce with such a malicious enemy ? shall we not rather with implacable rage , and constant resolution , assault , pursue , and wound it to the death ? shall we not rather take part with the spirit , in warring against the flesh , and disfurnish all provision and munition from the one , that the other may be furnished with all necessaries ? our spirit is the better part , and should bee most regarded ; who would deprive his soule of so sweet a guest , to entertaine inordinate lusts ? the more familiar sampson was with dalilah , the more was god a stranger to him . for the weaknes of the flesh encreaseth the strength of the spirit , even as cōtrariwise , the strēgth of the flesh bringeth weaknesse to the spirit , and indeed what wonder is it , for a man to be made stronger , by the weakening of his enemy ? who would purchase the pleasure of a base sinne at so high a rate , as to lose the comfortable society of gods blessed spirit ? what meanest thou to admit such a mate into thy heart with which gods spirit cannot sort ? it may bee thou wilt not rudely bid him get out of doores , yet thou mayest weary him forth , by welcomming such guests into thy soule , as he can no wayes brook . oughtest thou not much rather to crucifie the flesh , and walke in the spirit , that so thou mayest not fulfill the lusts thereof ? doth not god call upon thee to slay thy corruptions , to doe thy best , not onely to subdue them , but to put them to death ; encouraging thee thereunto by a gracious promise : that if through the spirit , thou doest mortifie the deeds of the body , thou shalt live , both the life of grace here , and of glory hereafter ? what is the use of all this but to stir us to looke about us , seeing wee have so secret and subtill and adversary to circumvent us . thinke not the christian combat ended when some few battles are fought , & that thou art now out of danger , rather expect and prepare for more . many stout captaines have been overthrowne , because after a cōquest they feared no fresh assault . the flesh is restlesse in its assaults ever besieging us : wee can neither fly from it , nor chase away that from us ; it is not therefore sufficient to make good onsett , nor yet to hold out the brunt of some assaults , but all must be finished ( how bitter so ever ) ere we can looke for victory . we must resist unto bloud , and bee faithfull unto the death , if ever we expect the crowne of life . he that prevaileth in some conflicts , and is at length vanquished , cannot be said to overcome . saul fought many of the lords battels valiantly , but hee withdrew himselfe , and the lord forsooke him ; though thou hast done much , yet give not over so long as there remains any thing to be done . consider not what conflicts have beene endured , as how many are still to bee encountred : regard what is to come , rather than what is past ; timerously to cease from resisting temptation , is dangerous to our selves , and dishonorable to god ; it maketh sathan to insult over us , and get advantage against us ; let us not thinke if we yeeld the field , the devil will bee contented . it is not the glory of conquest that he seeketh so much as our destruction ; which when i consider , i cannot but bewaile the naked condition of many persons , who suffer their armour to hang on the wals and rust , never putting it on to any use . alas , what benefit can come by a thing that lies dead ? doe we thinke we stand in no need of it ? or that god made this defence in vain ? experienced christians find the contrary . our life is nothing but a continuall warfare ; so long as we are in this mortall body , carnall motions will rise in our hearts ; though wee cut them off they spring out againe ; though thou quench them , they are kindled againe , will thou , nill thou , they soone returne ; they may be subdued , but cannot bee rooted out . it is no easie work to lead a christian life , considering the continuall conflict of these two parties ( the flesh and spirit ) of so contrary dispositions within us . it is impossible wee should ever walk after the one , unlesse we resist the other . sathan will bee sure to take part with corruption , and keepe grace low , and looke how much we detract from the flesh , so much our spirituall part will prosper and be in good liking . how may a man know that grace hath gotten the upper hand , and that the power of sin is abated in him ? dost thou loath nothing more than thy former spirituall bondage ? hast thou a secret dislike of thy naturall estate ? seest a necessity of reforming it , and watchest over those things which are most pleasing to it , this cannot proceed but from a worke of grace in thee ; for nature is a lover of it selfe , and seekes by all means its own preservation ; when a man is come to this , that he doth not approve his sinfull inclination , nor willingly give way unto it , but studies rather which way to curbe and restraine the same , it is a manifest signe of some higher hand , by which the flesh shall bee more and more over ruled . i doubt not but a man after there is some change wrought in him by grace , may in some particulars receive a foyle by his owne corruptions , and by that law of his members , which fights and rebels against the law of god ; hardly may a man say hee is truly changed , unlesse he be sensible of the struggling of nature against grace ; but yet still it is a pledge of such a work begun , as shall never be broken off , when nature in the proper disposition thereof is become a burthen to the soule , and a man would faine bee better , and have it otherwise with him than it is . grace cannot stand with the regiment of sin : that person in whom grace is truly wrought , desires to bee furnished with the compleat armour of god , that he may resist the devill ; the strength and bent of his will and affections are for god and goodnes ; hee chooseth holinesse with a full purpose and resolution to walke in it ; he turnes from his former evils with a detestation of them , and leaves them with a resolution never to take them up againe ; he daily prayes , and cryes earnestly to god for strength against corruption , and wisheth , o that my wayes were so directed , that i might keepe thy statutes . he is not for god to day , and the devil to morrow . hee is no morning saint , and evening devil , but desires continually to walke with god in all well pleasing . a gracious heart keepes a constant warre with his lusts , the law of his members is evermore rebelling against the law of his minde . howsoever upon the assault of some furious temptation , ( haply ) hee may be wounded and taken prisoner by some raging lust , which imperiously treads and tramples upon him ; yet doth hee not yeelde and give himselfe over to the power of lust . grace within bestirs it selfe , the heart sighes and groanes and seekes to god for succour . if thy case be thus , that thou abhorrest sathan and his snares , that thou delightest in the law of god concerning the inner man , that thou ponderest with care and diligence willingly and setledly to follow the things of the spirit , ( that is ) such things as the spirit prompts and suggests ? doe you grieve inwardly for that dominion which the flesh exerciseth over you , lessening the power and practice of sinne all you can ? not leaving the reines to corruption to carry you whither it will , but rather holding it in with a bridle of righteousnesse . doth not the feare of god in you ( though sometimes driven from its station ) still dwell as controuler in your soule , represse refractory thoughts and affections , and sway your heart against the naturall inclination , that you may keepe gods word , that though you bee interlaced with the flesh , yet you give the guidance of your life to the holy ghost , loving that he may have the principality in you ? doe you chiefly attend your spirituall being , and principally affect things in heaven , and not things on earth ? doest thou submit to the commandement with pleasure in it , so as thou canst truly say : i am content to doe thy will , yea thy law is within my heart . doest thou lay hold upon good thoughts and desires so soone as they offer themselves unto thee , welcomming them in the kindest manner into thy heart , and constraining them by a respective usage to stay still with thee ? so soone as any good motiō arises , doest thou ( feare the deceitfulnesse of thy heart , and ) pray with david , knit my heart ; this fickle fugitive heart of mine is alwayes ready to steale from thee , knit it o lord , and tye it fast unto thy selfe , that as it is now with thee , so it may still continue . o lord keep this frame of the thoughts of thy servants heart for ever . are thy failings , matter of daily humiliation unto thy soule ? doest thou finde and feele that nothing under the sunne , more stings and pierces thy soule , than to be now and then overtaken with sinfull passions , or carried away with the swinge of any corruptions , against thy godly purpose and resolutions ? doest thou love righteousnesse it selfe , as righteousnesse , bee the thing and subject of never so small a nature ? and dost thou hate sinne , as sinne , bee it never so little in thine eye ? is the one precious to thee for his sake whom it resembles , and the other loathsome because it opposes the almighty ? doest thou obey god out of a love of goodnesse , seeing a beauty in the wayes of holinesse , being humbled when thou hast done thy best , that thou canst bring no more glory to him , & dost thou love righteous men for righteousnesse sake ? is thy service ready and cheerefull , without repining and delay ? canst thou be content to obey against profit , pleasure , credit , liberty , ease , the liking of the world , or carnall friends , preferring gods commandements above all things , yea life it selfe ? art thou sensible of the dishonour done unto god , and more vexed for that , than for any disgrace or injury offered to thy self ? it is a good signe . but art thou quick sighted into the faults of others , and indulgent towards thine owne , it is an ill symptome . the best men are most severe against themselves , and tender over others . a gracious heart dislikes sinne in any , but in himselfe most of all . he is very backward in censuring others , but exceeding forward in accusing himself . none can say so much against him , but he is ready to say much more . he loveth goodnesse in the greatest enemie , and hateth sin even in the greatest friend . art thou conscionable of the least offence , as wel as the greatest , cherishing an universall hatred of all sinne in thy soule , whether secret or open , without exception , and carying a constant purpose and resolution in nothing willingly to sinne against god ; but whatsoever thou knowest to be a sin thou wilt not deliberately doe it for all the world , at all times , and in all places , though no eye sees thee , and it may be beneficiall unto thee ? here is a notable signe that grace hath gotten the upper hand , when as thou preferrest vertue before vice , even then when in humane reason , vertue will be the loser , and vice the gainer . an unsound conscience is large , and can swallow downe any thing ; the sincere conscience is strait , and the least bone , though but such as are in little fishes , will sticke in her throat . neglect of smaller matters may justly bring our obedience in greater matters in suspition ; the same god that requires our fidelity in the one , requires it also in the other . a gracious heart , is like the eye , troubled with the least more , & certainly hee that is unjust in a little , will bee also unjust in much . is the uprightnesse of others of gods servants , more highly esteemed by thee than thine owne ? doest thou see greater excellencies in them than in thy selfe ? feelest thou no bottome in other mens praises , when thy heart tells all is not well within . an humble christian hides himselfe in the closet , and as in prayer , so in all good duties shuts the doore , he is much affected with a sense of his owne infirmities , resting it selfe wholly upon the power of god , to be perfected in her weaknesse , and is many times more humbled , for the mixtures and defilements of good workes , than for some workes simply evill in themselves ; he desires to be good , rather then to be thought so . are the sinnes of others , and the sorrowes of the church , as sensible and bitter to thy soule , as thine owne ? canst thou forget thy selfe , and thy particular businesse to lay these to heart ? doest thou rejoyce alwayes to be crossing and thwarting thy selfe in those succours , and supports of sinne which thy corruption suggests ? is that experience which thou hast of sinne , and of grace , no dead but a stirring experiēce , quickening thee to duty , and mortifying corruption in thee , so as not onely knowledge , but conscience also swayes thee to christian duties ? and art thou as carefull to persevere in grace , as once to imbrace it , these are good signes . cheere up therefore thy drooping spirit , the lord by the power of his grace hath tooke possession of thee . nothing but grace alone , is able to keep the love of sinne out of the heart , though peradventure some other thing may keepe it out of thy hand . civility and hypocrisie may a little snib sinne , or bid it for a while stand aside , and give way to better things , but it is onely grace that strikes this goliah dead . it is onely the spirit which subdues the flesh . but wee must know , there is a great deale of difference , betweene forsaking of sinne , through the strength and power of grace , and for other carnall ends and by-respects ; for an hypocrite may sometimes forsake sinne , ( not out of any love to god , or hatred of ill , but ) because sinne leaves him , happily hee feares it will bee some losse or discredit to him , or else fit meanes and opportunity of committing it , serve not his turne , and therefore hee forbeares . it is nothing for a man to bee chast , where there is no provocation to uncleanenesse . here was the tryall of iosephs integrity , that though the occasion were offered by his owne mistresse to doe the deed , in such secresie and security that no eye perceived it , yet the feare of god overruled him . many seem to bee meeke and moderate men , while they are well dealt with , but let some injury bee offered and the contrary will appeare : that wee are indeed , which wee are in temptation ; examine thy heart then in this particular , what is the ground of that divorce which seems to bee betwixt thee , and thy olde lusts ? if it flowes from any thing in the world , but the love of god and goodnesse , thou art in a wretched conditiō , be thy thoughts of thy selfe never so pleasing . art thou one whose heart likes well of sinne , though thou canst not or darest not commit it ? art thou one who when thou art convinced and rebuked of thy failings , thy heart riseth against the reproofe , though for thy credit , and profit sake , thou seemest to welcome , and thankfully entertaine the same . i tell thee thou art in a dangerous condition , thou hast but weake and slender evidence of the spirits prevailing in thy heart . but why saith the apostle here , yee shall dye , and not , yee shall be damned ; in as much as that is chiefly meant ? because the spirit of god would drive men from sinne , by that which is most fearefull , to their present apprehension ; the remembrance of death doth more forcibly move the minde , than the remēbrance of hell , though hell bee a thousand times more grievous then death for our affection is moved according to our knowledge of the thing : that which most wayes is knowne , affecteth most , wee know hell onely by faith , but we know death to bee fearefull by reason and sense , because we feel it growing upon us eve●y day . the opposition made here by the apostle warnes us , that a necessity lyes upon us to mortifie our sinfull lusts . it stands upon our lives , unlesse we slay sinne , sinne will not faile to slay us . it is like a serpent in our bosome which cannot live , but by sucking out that blood whereby wee live . what pittiful folly is this ? we hate them which pursue our bodily life , we eschew them by all meanes that would spoile us of our worldly goods , onely wee cannot hate sathan to the death , who seekes by sinne to spoyle us of eternall life . that same commandement which was given to adam and eve , if ye eate of the forbidden tree ye shall dye , is in effect here given to us all , if you live after the flesh you shall dye ; let not us make an exception where god hath made none ; every sinne to us is that forbidden tree to adam , if wee meddle with it , we shall finde no better fruit than he found : bitter death growes upon the pleasant tree of sinne , for the wages of sinne is death . it is therefore a point of great wisdome to discerne betweene the deceit of sinne , and the fruit of sinne . hee that would rightly know the face of sinne when it stands before him , to tempt him , let him looke backe to the taile of that sinne which he hath already committed , and the sting which it leaves behinde it . the perishing pleasures of sin are paid home with everlasting perdition ; it is done in a moment , but brings forth death , and breeds a worme that will never die . men may sleep in their sinne , but their damnation sleepes not . every mans state in this life , is a prediction of that condition which hee shall have hereafter . hee that soweth to the flesh , shall of the flesh reape corruption , but hee that soweth to the spirit , shall reape immortality and life . no man commeth to heaven , or hell , but by the way that leads thereunto . a wicked life is a thorow-way to the place of darknesse . but a godly life is the direct path to salvation . as the tree fals , so it lyes , and it commonly falls on that side , which did most bend towards the earth before : if the greatest growth of our affections and actions , spring out after the spirit , no doubt , we shall fall on the right hand and be blessed ; but if otherwise they grow downeward , and thou live after the flesh , assuredly thou shalt fall on the left hand and perish irrecoverably . wee shall not be judged according to the particular instant of our death , but according to our general course of life ; 〈◊〉 according to our deeds in that present , but according to the desires of our hearts before . but seeing they who walke after the flesh are dead already , why doth the apostle say , you shall die ? i answer , both are true , every ungodly person is now dead , but yet a more fearefull death abides them . for albeit they be dead in sinne , and deprived of the favour of the creator , yet the vaine comforts of the creature doe so bewitch them , that they know not how miserable and wretched they are , but when the last sentence of damnation shall bee pronounced against them , they shall not onely bee banished from the presence of god , into everlasting perditiō , where the fire of the lords indignation shall perpetually torment them , but they shall also bee stripped of all comfort and refreshment from the creature whatsoever . the least degree of their punishment shall be a fearefull famine of worldly supportments . hee that knowes any thing of the narrow way to heaven , of the nature of gods justice , and the cunning sleights of satan , of the difficulty of true repentance , and how fearfully mans heart is hardned , by custome and continuance in sinne , would not delay making peace with god , till his last houres , for ten thousand worlds . which when i consider , i cannot but deplore the iniquity of our times , wherein not onely carnall men have set themselves to worke all manner of sinne with greedinesse , but even they which heretofore have probably seemed to mortifie the deeds of the body , doe now renue the battle , and are in outward view reconciled and shake hands with the flesh : now are the dayes wherein the love of many shall waxe cold , when men shall bee lovers of themselves , lovers of pleasure more then lovers of god. oh how is the spirit quenched , and the flesh inflamed every where ? shew me the man that truly endeavours the suppressing of sinne . oh this is a hard taske , it requireth much patience , and vigilancie , and will bring no small paine and sorrow to the flesh in the end . what then ? be not dismayed , thy future peace will more then recompense thy present trouble . what availes a little outward flashy joy , when the conscience is disquieted and vexed within ? who would redeeme a moment of pleasure , with eternity of paine ? all is but bitter sweetes , so long as sinne raignes . what is the reason of these fearefull outcryes , and desperate conclusions of christians , concerning their spiritual estate ? whence is it that they taking satans part in accusing and condemning themselves , do utter such dolefull exclamations as these ; when conscience is throughly awakened . alas , i have most wretchedly spent the prime and strength of mine age in vanity and pleasure , in lewdnesse and lust : the best of my time hath been wofully wasted in obeying sathan and serving my selfe , and therefore though i be weary of my former wayes and looke backe upon them with a trembling heart , and grieved spirit , yet i am affraid god will never vouchsafe to cast his eye of compassion upon my soule . though i have beene a professour long , yet many times my heart is full of doubting when i call to minde the hainousnesse of my unregenerate life , and see since i was enlightened and should have behaved my selfe in forwardnesse and fruitfulnesse for god answerable to my former folly and licentiousnesse in evill , so many slips and imperfections every day , and such weake distracted discharging of duties commanded both towards god and man , that my very spirits sink within me . many times when i reach out the hand of my faith to fetch some speciall promise into my soule , for refreshing and comfort , comparing advisedly my owne vilenesse and nothingnesse , with the riches of mercy and grace shining therein , i am overwhelmed with admiration , and thinke with my selfe , how is it possible that this should bee ? can such glorious things belong to such a wretch and worme as i am ? i cannot deny but there is mercy enough in god , but for me , such a notorious wicked liver as i am , mercy for me , surely it cannot be . alas ; i have beene no ordinary sinner , my corruptions have carryed me beyond the villanies of the vilest creature you can name , the enormity of my wayes have set an infamous brand upon mee in the sight of the world , besides those secret pollutions and sinfull practises which no eye ever beheld save god alone . had i not beene extreamely outragious , and gone on thus with a high hand , i might have had some hope , but now all expectation failes me ; i despaire of salvation , &c. oh the feares and perplexities which pursue the soule when sinne is once committed , conscience unpacified will rave , and dragge a sinner before gods tribunall . the sting of an accusing conscience is like an harlot , more bitter then death . who so pleases god shall escape from it , but the sinner shall bee taken in it . conscience being disquieted , no earthly thing can asswage and mitigate it . yee shall live . after that god hath called , iustified , and sanctified a poore sinner , hee glorifieth him at last with himselfe in eternall blisse . death is but a sleepe to such as are in christ , wherein the body is separated from the soule , rotting in the earth a while , that it may bee the more capable of glory hereafter ; but the soule is immediately transported into heaven , and there remaineth unto the last judgement , praising god , and expecting the consummation of the kingdome of glory . before the comming of christ , the powers of heaven shall be shaken ; sunne and mooone shall suspend their light , the starres shall seeme to fall from heaven , the elect shall rejoyce , the reprobate shall tremble ; the whole universe shall bee consumed with fire , and depart with a noise of the chariot wheeles , the earth and elements , with the workes thereof , shall be consumed in a moment , and brought to nothing . at the same time shall the trumpet be heard , soūded by an archangell , & christ shall come in the clouds with great power & glory , with a troop of angels . then the elect which were dead , at the hearing of the trumpet , shall rise with their bodies , and the rest alive shall be changed in a moment , and all of them shall bee made like the glorious body of christ. after which , they being gathered before the throne of god , shall bee separated from the reprobate , and caryed in the aire , & set upon the right hand of god , where they shall heare this sentence ; come ye blessed , &c. after which they shall enjoy everlasting happinesse : the parts whereof is eternall life and perfect glory . this eternall life is that fellowship with god , whereby god of himself is life unto the elect. they shall not need meat , drinke , sleepe , aire , heate , cold , breath , physick , apparell , the light of the sun , or moone ; for the spirit of god shall bee instead of all these , from whom immediately they shall bee quickened for ever . their glory consisteth in this that they shall continually behold the face of god. . they shall be like unto christ , just , holy incorruptible , glorious , honourable , beautifull , strong , nimble . . they shall possesse the new heavens , and the new earth , they shall joyfully praise and laud the name of the lord world without end . finis . a table of the principall heads . a disorderly affections discovered . page misery of being guided thereby . antidotes against sinne . b beginnings of sinne to be resisted . better be in hell than offend christ. body not to be pampered . c how a man may know whether his heart be carnall . conscience corrupted , and how . what a stirring conscience is . carnall men indocible . corrupt motions natural to a carnall heart . a fleshly conscience described . the distresse of conscience that betides the wicked . the estate of a creature cursed of god. rejoycing to crosse a mans selfe a signe of sincerity . d death , what is meant by it here . what the first death is . the second death described . then the most secret sinne shall be discovered . danger of being unarmed . & discovery of a true christian : or , infallible marks to try himself by . christians should discerne betwixt the deceit of sin , and the fruit of sin . f faith a speciall means to overcome temptations . how it doth this . nothing hurts us so much 〈◊〉 our owne flesh . forsakings of sin different . fl●sh , what it signifieth . it disperseth sinne into the whole man. why naturall corruption is called by the name of fl●sh . it cleaves close to our nature . what it is to be fleshly minded . it derives venome upon every action . it tempts daily . it continually warres against the spirit . it is unwearied in sinfull follicitations . it raignes in naturall men . not so in the godly . they are part flesh , and part spirit . we must fight with sathan , if wee would overcome him . g grace abides not in a carnall memory . how a man may know whether grace hath got the upper hand in him . grace cannot stand with the regiment of sinne . nothing but grace can subdue sin . to bee deprived of gods favour , an unspeakeable misery . h heart narrowly to be watched . an unsound one discovered . the thorne in our flesh should humble us . want of humiliation very prejudiciall to the soule . symptomes of a good heart . hypocrites speake after the spirit , and live after the flesh . hypocrisie , the danger of it . l law hath a double use . little sins very dangerous . lust growes never old . losse of gods presence , what it is . loathsomnesse of sin described . m misery of being under the flesh . memory corrupt through sin . how discerned . no member to be trusted alone . man by nature uncapable of goodnesse . hee hath nothing in himselfe to glory of . mortification described , discovered . & how we are said to mortifie sin . meanes to subdue the flesh . markes of a spirituall christian. jealousie over our hearts , a meanes to keepe out sinne . licentious ministers reprooved . o originall sin a hereditary disease . it overspreads the whole man. . & it is full of propagation . its manner of tempting us . p flesh powerfull to bring about its projects . policies of the flesh , to be studied . pride , disableth to resist temptations . provision for the flesh must be hindered . peace with the flesh dangerous . carnall professors reproved . discovered . our present condition , a prediction of our future . price of sin infinite . r sinners shall be exceedingly reproched at the day of judgment . root of sin must be killed . reason , a weak thing to expell temptations . s soule , corrupted by sin . sin must be slaine , or it will slay us . signes of a fleshly mind . sinne the greatest ill . hainous sins waste the consciēce . to live in any sin , a signe we are under sathans bondage . many begin in the spirit and end in the flesh . impenitent sinners shall surely bee damned . society with the devills , every sinners portion . the spirit onely can mortifie the flesh . ● sinne is not driven away with an ●●gry locke . signes of the spirits prevailing in us . a christians strength is in god. & severity against our owne sinnes , a blessed signe of grace . t temptations of the flesh undiscernable . tendernesse of conscience a speciall preservative against sin . it is a great blessing . yet may be turned into a curs . tryall of a true christian. v voyce of conscience to bee hearkened to . vniversall hatred of sin , discovers a gracious heart . w will since the fall corrupted . a corrupt will discovered . men weake in themselves . every sinner underualues the bloud of christ. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e pet. . cor. . gal. . . esay . . reas. gen. . . genes ▪ . john . . rom ▪ . rō . . . cor. . . rom ▪ . . rom. . . cor. . . luk. . quest. answ. tit. . . what a dead conscience is . . tim ▪ . what a stirring conscience is . phil. . . luke . rom. ▪ rom. . iames . . joh. . . gal. . pet. . mar. . . rom. . rom. . rom. . heb. . . hos. . james . . eccles. . . vse job . . psal. . gen. . psal. . vse . gal. . iob . . james . . psal . . rom. . . vse . ephes. . cor. . rom. . vse . . vse . phil. . . mat. . quest. answ. obiect . answ. acts . mat. . eccles. . job . job . rev. . . rev. . quest. answ. thes. . . mat. . quest. answ. job . psal. . joh. . . esay . rev. . . mat. . cor. . what vivification is . rom. . gal. . revel . . quest. answ. chro. psal. . ephes. . tim. . pet. . sam. . pet. . deut. . . psal. . . sam. . . acts . jonah . . joh. . . rom. . . vse . heb. . bellum est , non triumphans . quest. answ. rom. . rom. pet. . col. . psal. . mat. . quest. answ. every sin is as the forbidden fruit . eccles. . obiect . answ. vse . prov. . the grand apostacy of the church of rome, from her primitive purity and integrity with a vindication of the church of england, in her separation from her, and the hazard of salvation in communion with her : discoursed in a sermon preached at st. mary le bow, london on sunday the th of december, / by john hill. hill, john, d. . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing h estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the grand apostacy of the church of rome, from her primitive purity and integrity with a vindication of the church of england, in her separation from her, and the hazard of salvation in communion with her : discoursed in a sermon preached at st. mary le bow, london on sunday the th of december, / by john hill. hill, john, d. . [ ], p. printed for samuel heyrick ..., london : . reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng catholic church -- controversial literature. bible. -- n.t. -- revelation xviii, -- sermons. sermons, english -- th century. sin -- sermons. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - john pas sampled and proofread - john pas text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the grand apostacy of the church of rome , from her primitive purity and integrity . with a vindication of the church of england , in her separation from her , and the hazard of salvation in communion with her. discoursed in a sermon preached at st. mary le bow , london , on sunday the th of december , . by john hill , rector of st. mabyn in the county of cornwall . london : printed for samuel heyrick , at greys-inne-gate in holborn . . rev. . vers . . come out of her , my people , that ye be not partakers of her sins , and that ye receive not of her plagues , &c. i am not ignorant how much revelation is necessary to understand this book of the revelation , and that interpreters themselves need interpretation . it was the modest and ingenuous confession of the learned * arias montanus , that after thirty years studying the scriptures , with the help of the most judicious expositors , yet he understood onely two or three chapters of this book ; and hence was wont to say ; that the expositors were as difficult to be understood as the text , there being many comments that may be more properly termed obscurities , than expositions , on the revelation . yet though some things are laid down mystically in abstruse terms , to exercise the judgment of the wisest ; yet others are more familiarly expressed , to succour the infirmity of the weakest . some indeed are such depths , wherein elephants may swim ; but there are others such shallows , wherein lambs may wade . my text is one of those through which an ordinary ingenuity may wade ; neither are the words cloathed with those difficulties which are originally incident to other places of this book . the preceding chapter gives you a description of that mother of fornications , the whore of babylon , as she was represented to the apostle in a vision . in the th verse , he foretels her ruine , and propounds the method of gods severity therein , in the certainty , suddenness , and inevitability of her destruction : and in my text , cautions all gods people to avoid her sins , lest they smart by her punishment ; to come out of her idolatries , lest they be wrapt up in her destruction . in the words , you have two things considerable . . a command , come out of her ( i. e. ) out of babylon . . the ground and reason thereof , and that is twofold , ( . ) lest ye be partakers of her sins , ( . ) of her plagues . the words need not much explication ; and i love not to make truths , plain in themselves , difficult by my obscure handling of them . it was the unhappiness of the school-men , to ravel and ensnarl the plainest truths of the gospel , with their nice distinctions , and perplexed abstruse notions ; ( wherein , as quintilian orators , multa loquuntur , sed nihil dicunt ; ) which otherwise might be wound off by an ordinary understanding . but what explication they need , you shall have in this short paraphrase . come out of her , ] exite ex illâ , mi popule . 't is not to be so much understood of a bodily departure , in regard of a cohabitation and presence , as of a spiritual separation , in respect of faith and religion . come out of her judgment and doctrine , her faith and worship . the words seem to be taken out of jer. . . flee out of the midst of babylon , and deliver every man his soul : be not cut off in her iniquity . and , jer. . . remove out of the midst of babylon , and go forth . and , isai . . . go forth of babylon : flee from her , ( i. e. ) depart from her communion : recedite , recedite , as junius and tremellius read the words ; depart quickly ; come not near this pesthouse , as you would avoid infection . my people ] i.e. by singular care , respect , and affection ; my people , by special favour and covenant ; you that have owned my name , professed religion in the power and purity of it , o go out of her ; defile not your garments by babylon's idolatries ; for if you touch her , you will pollute your selves . out of her ] ( i. e. ) babylon . we finde particular mention of three babylons in history . . babylon of assyria , standing on the river euphrates , where was the confusion of languages , and where the jews were in captivity ; which place is taxed in scripture for idolatry , and other heaven-daring iniquities . . babylon in egypt , standing on the river nilus , and for distinction called babylon aegyptiorum ; thought to be aimed at by st. peter , epist . . . vers . out of the ruines of this , arose that great city cayr . . babylon mystical , whereof babylon of assyria was a type ; and this is rome , which ( though the great favourers of that corrupt church have endeavour'd to cast all obscurities imaginable on this interpretation , yet ) without the least shadow of scruple , is here to be understood ; and the whore of babylon is ( by all circumstances ) that state or regiment of a people that were then the inhabitants of rome , or did belong thereto . but of this , more anon . that ye be not partakers of her sins . ] contract not her guilt ; which you may do by contriving for her , complying with , or conniving at her idolatries : though you act not with them , yet if you like , love , and approve of her villanies , 't is enough to make you partakers with her . that you receive not of her plagues , ] ne in eâdem involvemini ruinâ , lest you be involved in the same destruction . for there are three things in every sin : ( . ) there is actus , qui transit . ( . ) macula , quae manet . and , ( . ) poena , quae debetur . the act is transient , but yet reflects guilt , and guilt bindes over to punishment . and hence , in the original , sin and punishment have one and the same name ; to note to us , that where sin is in the premises , there destruction will be in the conclusion . from the words thus explained , there result these four doctrinal conclusions . . that christians must be very careful lest they communicate with idolatrous persons . . that those persons , of all others , who have owned and professed the name of god , asserted his cause , and born testimony to his truth , should be most careful of defiling themselves with idolatrous practices . . that the idolatry practised in the church of rome , is a sufficient ground for our separation from her . . that to partake of a peoples fin , is to be involved in that peoples ruine . i shall wrap up all these in this one proposition : that it must be the great care of all christians , who would not run the hazard of their eternal salvation , to come out of babylon , to separate themselves from the faith and religion of the present church of rome . in the prosecution whereof , i shall do these three things . . i shall shew that babylon here is meant of rome . . what defection this mystical babylon hath made from her primitive purity and integrity . . the grounds of our separation , together with the impossibility of a reconciliation . for the first , that babylon here is meant of rome , is most excellently done to my hand , both by ancient and modern writers : so that to say any thing after them , were but to light a candle to the sun when she appears in her meridian glory . if you do but cast your eye on the former chapter , you will finde enough , and i shall need no more to prove it . then , . the woman , that is , the whore of babylon , is said to be a city which reigneth over the kings of the earth ; and this was onely the roman monarchy at that time , there being no other city in the world but this , that had such a jurisdiction . and so it is expounded not onely by some greek authors , but by most latine writers ; as iraeneus , tertullian , st. ambrose , st. jerome , st. augustine , and others . prosper , also a latine writer , saith , who cannot understand what city it is that carrieth a cup full of abominations , of vncleanness , and fornication of the whole earth , when that is called eternal which is but temporal ? verily , it is a name of blasphemy , when mortal men are called divi , gods , and their suppliants say unto them , to your divine power , to your altars , and to your eternity . this the learned know to be the city of rome , which was called vrbs aeterna , and wherein the emperours were called gods ; and the people flattered them with altars , and titles of divine power and eternity , as now they do their popes with the like antichristian terms of the most holy , and your holiness : who have also as blasphemous tokens of divinity , as any of the heathen emperours had in their triple-crowns , riding on mens shoulders , their being attended on by kings and emperours ; their thrones in churches , higher than altars ; and such-like magnificent pomps of heathenish and antichristian pride . ambrosius ansbertus , a latine writer also , years since , calls rome the second babylon , who sitting aloft on her seven hills , rules the scepter of the whole world : and in the name of that city , is figured the power of the whole earthly dominions . hence , ii. in the seventh verse , she is said to sit on a beast having seven heads and ten horns ; which seven heads be * seven hills whereon the woman sitteth . now 't is well known not onely to learned christians , but to heathens themselves , that rome alone is a city builton seven hills . this is thought to be a very silly argument by that renegado sanders and others , by the seven hills to prove the see of antichrist to be at rome , because the city is now gone from the hills , and standeth in the plain of campus martius ; and the pope sitteth on the other side of the river . to which it is well answered , that though the greatest part of the city be not now on the seven hills , and his unholiness his palace of pleasure be on the other side the river , yet on these hills stand churches , abbeys , and monasteries , where the papal authority is put in execution ; and there is never an one of those hills whereon the present religion of rome is not practised . being galled with this , they make two romes ; rome pagan , and rome christian . the whore spoken of , is , they say , heathenish rome , which was ruled by those monsters of mankind , nero , domitian , calignla , &c. who writ their laws , and rouled their garments in the bloud of christians : but the christian rome is not here meant . whereas 't is obvious to every one that hath but common rational notions alive within him , whose conscience is not quite vitiated , and minde putrified with noisome lusts , but must see , that the present rome , in respect of state , princely dominion , and cruelty in persecuting the saints of god , is all one with the heathenish empire ; the see of the bishop being turned into the court of the emperour , and shambles of the butcher . to avoid this , they farther say , that babylon is drunk with the bloud of the saints and martyrs , shed not in rome , but in jerusalem , where the lord was crucified ; and the two prophets being slain , lie there in the streets . this is excellently answered by st. hierome , who saith , that it is not meant of jerusalem , but of rome ; and christ is said to be crucified there , either , . because the authority whereby he was crucified was from the roman empire ; or , . because christ in his members was , and is dayly there crucified , though locally in his own person he was crucified at jerusalem . but besides the authority of scripture in this case , it were easie to adde , ( in the third place , ) . the favour and defence which this exposition hath received from a multitude of antient and modern learned men . hence st. bernard saith , that the beast spoken of in the apocalypse , to which a mouth is given to speak blasphemies , and to make war with the saints , is now gotten into st. peter's chair , as a lion prepared for his prey . and in another place , speaking of the romish priesthood , they are called ( saith he ) the ministers of christ ; yet serve antichrist . and petrarch saith , once rome , but now babylon . and joachim abbas , antichrist was long since born in rome , and now strives every moment to get higher and higher . . and lastly , i answer , that it was such a babylon , that for a while gods people were lawfully in her ; but when her corruptions did increase , they were commanded to depart ; which cannot be affirmed of rome pagan , but of rome papal : and therefore , come out of her , my people . this brings me to the second thing , viz. the great defection this church hath made from her primitive purity and integrity . the spouse is now become an harlot , and the chast virgin a mother of fornications : her apostacy is now as infamous as ever her faith was glorious . some things she is confessed to hold right ; as , a true god in three persons ; true scripture , though with additions ; a true christ , though mangled with foul and erroneous consequences ; true baptism , though shamefully deformed with rotten traditions : and if you compare rome christian with rome roman , you will see her defection in these five grand instances thereof . . in the unlimited jurisdiction of the triple-crown . the councils of basil and constance decreed , that a general council was of greater authority than the pope , and that he ought to be subject to it . the council of nice appointed him his bounds and limits ; and the council of chalcedon made the bishop of constantinople equal with him in authority and jurisdiction . and gregory himself , who sate in the papal chair , writes , that whoever stiles himself universal bishop , or desires to be called so , is the forerunner of antichrist ; and many learned papists believed this to be true . but since that time the case is much altered : for the councils of lateran and trent have determined the contrary ; insomuch that he whose primitive stile was servant of servants , doth now exalt himself above all that is called god. the beginning of this supremacy over other bishops , was in boniface the third's time ; who , with great ado , obtained of phocas ( a fit master to prefer such a servant ) to be made oecumenical bishop : which authority his successors have enlarged ; and now his janizaries , the jesuits , tell us he is that statue in daniel , which shall crush in pieces all the kings and kingdoms of the earth . he may , as bosius saith , depose kings for just causes , and without any cause also . it belongs to him ( saith sunders ) to pronounce kings hereticks , to declare their subjects exempt from allegiance , and that they ought to be deposed , if they will not blade it for christ ; that is , for the popes tyranny and lust . and this is not onely matter of their faith , but fact. . not onely in the supremacy , but also in the holy sacrament of the lords supper ; for at first the people received it under both kinds , for the space of a thousand years . and ( saith myraldus ) the roman order commanded the wine to be conserated , that the people might fully communicate . and the antient liturgies of their own church do tell us , that the people received the wine as well as the bread. nay , cajetan ( as eminent a member as ever their church boasted of ) confesseth , that the custom endured a long time in the church , even until their so-much-admired council of constance forbad it ; and then the romanists altered their minde . . her defection hath been most notorious in that monstrous tenet of transubstantiation ; a doctrine lately brought in , and made matter of faith by innocent the third , in the lateran council , within these four hundred years : before which time no man was obliged to believe it , but all men were left to their own liberties ; whereas now 't is accounted heresie to deny it , and worthy of bonds , the inquisition , a stake , and hell. . in the worship of images ; for at first that church admitted of no image at all , either painted or carved ; no not the image of christ himself ( saith erasmus ) to be set up in churches : and when they began to be used , the church of rome her self forbad any worship to be given to them , as appears by gregory's epistles to severus . and polydore ( a great admirer of the romish church ) confesseth , that all the fathers condemned the worship of images , for fear of idolatry : and when the nicene council brought them in for ornament , even then they denied them worship . . in the great article of justification , the most eminent pillars of their church having denied justification by works , ( as thomas aquinas , and others ) yet the council of trent varied from them , and thrust in mans inherent righteousness as the formal cause of his justification . now a church that hath made these defections , and hath introduced such horrid errours , should be separated from ; come out of her , my people : which leads me to the consideration of the various causes of this apostacy ; which may be referred either to , . her pride and ambition . 't is well known what arrogance that church became guilty of , when tertullian in his time complained de insolentia cleri romani . and luther calls them silk and sattin divines , to whose proud spirits the poor and contemptible way of christ could not comport . in that assertion of theirs , how do they extol their priesthood ! creatura paruit joshuae , at presbyteris creator ; sol illi , at his deus quotiescunque verba sacra pronuntiat : the creature obeyed joshua , but the creator doth the priests ; the sun yielded to him , but to these as often as they pronounce the words of consecration , doth god yield . on this conceit it is , that they degrade all temporal princes ( those vmbratiles dii ) making them stand bare-foot at their great bishops gate , hold his stirrup , yea their own crowns at his courtesie ; exempting all their ecclesiastical subjects from their jurisdiction , and all the rest from their allegiance . . fraud and perfidiousness the romanists had fully learned , that regnandi causa , all oaths were to be violated . how grosly were the pope and his adherents taken in forging some canons of the council of nice for their preheminent dignity . and being conscious of their own falshood , still continue to deprave all authors that might give in evidence against them ; outfacing all antient truths , and foisting in gibeonish witnesses of their own forging ; and leave nothing unattempted against heaven or earth , that might advance their faction . take a view of her carriage to those that diffent from her . how hath she abused all that opposed her ! charging . wickliffe with blasphemy , luther to have had his advice from the devil . queen elizabeth's episcopal jurisdiction , and secret fruitfulness ; our bishops to have been consecrated in taverns ; oun casting the crust of the sacramental bread to dogs : with a thousand more of this nature , maliciously raised and defended against knowledge and conscience , for the disgrace of those that diffent from them . . covetousness : for if you look on all their opinions about indulgences , private masses , auricular confession , you will find love to money the cause of them all . hence the humour of that church was well hinted to us , in the answer of a * priest to his friend , who asking him why he would not absolve a penitent without a great sum of money , replyed , they get heaven by us , and we must get money by them . . neglect of scripture : and this hath see open a flood-gate , whereby all the world was drowned in errours : for take the eyes out of the body , the sun out of the firmament , the compass from the ship , and what can follow but darkness , blackness , and confusion ? therefore they wish that there had never been scripture ; and say , that the church could have done well enough with traditions onely . they call the bible that book which hath made all the stirs in the world ; and say , that all the faith a man can have by it , is meerly humane , and no more . o! the great patience of god , that bears such blasphemies from these monsters of men ! . nourishing of sin : of which this church hath been guilty two several ways . ( . ) by her common practice of encouraging those who had been censured in the eastern churches for foul miscarriages , to appeal to her , and she would absolve them ; and whenever she did inflict ecclesiastical censures , they were in a great part pecuniary , and meerly to the macerating of the body , no ways to the saving of the soul : which occasioned us to tell them , that peccata raduntur , non eradicantur , and heathen-like they did vitia abscondere , non abscindere : by this penance there was something done about sin , nothing done against sin ; it being like sampsons hair , cut off , yet because the roots remained , they sprung up to their full strength again . . by the suitableness of her doctrine to the carnal and sensual part of man. particularly , . that doctrine of extenuating original sin , making motions to sin unconsented to , no sin at all : that a man hath power to keep the commandments : that to love god , binds onely at some times : that actual inadvertency in holy duties , doth not hinder the fruit of them : that prayers said in latine , though we do not understand them , are very acceptable unto god , &c. . that doctrine of advancing the pride of nature ; which tells her , that she can merit her own glory , without being much beholding to gods mercy ; that she can fulfil the royal law , and so brave god in the face , as if she needed no pardon from his hands . o how sweet a lesson is this to flesh and bloud , even enough to make her run mad of self-conceit ! . that of commending ignorance as the mother of devotion : and thus when they had taken away the scriptures , they set up pictures in their room . all their religion is no other than a pack of complements , meerly outward and sensible , adapted to the humour of their ignorant and sensual votaries : for , homo est magis sensus quam intellectus ; to worship god in spirit and truth , can no more be understood by them , than an eye can see spirit . how ridiculous are their superstitious cu●toms . yet not to do what fathers and grandfathers have done , is to profane their canonized dust : and indeed , had not the scripture foretold what an eclipse would be upon the whole church we should think it impossible that such ridiculous things should be taken up . because christ is the light , therefore they have light at noon-day : and because christ said , we must be like little children , therefore the monks wear cowls like childrens swadling-clouts : and one pope made a serious motion in the conclave , that he and his cardinals might ride in a solemn day on asses , in imitation of christs humility ; but the conclave thought that the as too much rode the pope already . and thus you have had the several instances and causes of rome defection from her primitive purity and integrity . i now proceed to the third thing proposed to be shewn , viz. iii. the grounds of our separation from , and the impossibility of reconciliation to that church . this i will consider , . more generally , . more particularly . more generally , and that by asserting these three things . . the lawfulness of the church of england's separation from the church of rome . . that this separation the romanists themselves cannot justly charge as schismatical . . that our compliance with that church is dangerous , and borders on ruine and destruction . i. the lawfulness of the church of england's separation from the church of rome . the church of rome is confessed to be antient , but not her errours ; neither do we in any thing differ from her , wherein she hath not departed from her self . here consider these two things . . that the church of rome was never a mother to our church ; and we never had such dependance on her , as the romanists pretend we had . our christian faith came not from the seven hills , neither was it derived from austin the monk , or pope gregory . britain had a worthy church , before either of them look'd into the world built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles : and the account that historians give of it , is thus ; viz. that christianity was propagated here immediately after the death of that proto-martyr st. steven . which appears by divers passages out of origen and tertullian . gildas the historian of our own nation ( called sapiens ) affimeth , that in the time of tiberius ( who died thirty seven years after christ was crucified ) this island of britain received the faith. some there are ( and not improbably ) who conjecture , that st. paul himself preached the gospel here after his first imprisonment at rome ; which was quinto neronis . this is confirmed by a passage of venantius honorius , viz. transit & oceanum , vel qua fuit insula pontum , quasque britannus habet terras , atque ultima thule . beronius himself ( one of their own authors ) cells us , that he found it in a manuscript in the vatican library , that the gospel was first preach'd in this nation by simon zelotes , and joseph of arimathea . in what state christianity stood afterwards , appears not in any footstep of history , till king luoius time , who is said to send to eleutherius the then bishop of rome for some pastors to instruct his people in the christian religion . fugatius and damianus were the persons sent over with his letters to the king ; which acquainted him , that as christ's vicar , he might settle matters for religion ( a thing which his successors will not now allow ) within his own dominions and thus christianity flourished for several hundred years here : and notwithstanding all the affrightments of pensecution that was then on the church , and the heathen princes spilt the bloud of the christians like water , yet those sanguine showers have ever since made the church the more fruitful . and in the borders of this island the primitive christian religion had publick encouragement and profession , even to the time of austin the monk , who found here at his entrance one archbishop seven bishops , and a monastery at bangor with twenty one hundred monks in it : so that several hundred years did intervene between the first planting of christianity , and austin's coming hither . i should not be so large in 〈◊〉 historical narrative , but that i know 't is objected to us by the romanists , that we had our religion from them , and the conversion of the english nation was by rome and her agents . we own that the antient roman church was sister to ours , but no mother ; there was neer kindred , but no dependance . but , . though we should grant them such a dependance , yet still we assert our separation lawful , because they have separated and departed from their first purity . we hold with the antients , from whom they are departed ; and we hold with them , as far as they hold with christ . this will evidence it self , if you consider these four things . . that the modern papists maintain sundry articles opposite to that which hath been formerly believed by the most eminent doctors of the roman church ; as that of the merit of condignity , opposed by st. bernard and anselme , and now defended by the modern jesuits . images at first were onely motivum objectum , an inducing means to move people to adore the samplar ; and no material object of adoration ; which now is opposed by their present church . . sundry popish assertions , now obtruded , are manifestly repugnant to the teners of the primitive church ; as , that the popes judgment is infallible : that he is lord over the whole world : that publick service doth bost edifie in an unknown language : that lay-men must not read scriptures , &c. . many of their opinions are improbable , unreasonable , and absurd ; as , that the scripture hath no greater authority to binde or loose the faithful , than the church will : that the definition of the pope is as authemtiek as the facred scripture : that fornication in the clergie , is a smaller offence than marriage : that to worship images , is meritorions . with innumerable other such-like absurdities . . some of our adversaries , more ingenuous than their fellows , confess , that we believe and hold the fundamental truths of the gospel , the main and vital matter of religion : and if we do thus , who is to be faulted , the church of rome , or the church of england ? but herein she discovers her self to be that body of which antichrist is the head , and that whore and mother of abominations . thus in these two things you see our separation lawful . ii. now secondly , i assert this separation to be so lawful , that the romanists themselves cannot justly charge it as schismatical . i say justly ( though stapleton , sanders , bellarmine , and other romanists , brand our separation from them , with the odious name of donatism and schism ) because it is evident out of st. augustine , that as the donatists never objected any thing against , nor could blame any thing in the church from which they separated , either for faith or worship : so they of the church of rome cannot justly blamo us for departing from them , if we consider these two things . . the manner how we separated . . the ground for which we separated . . the manner : this was not uncharitable , rash , heady , and ●…advised , not before all means were used for the cure of the romanists , by the discovery of their errours , notwithstanding which , they still persist in them . our famous and learned reformers would have healed babylon , but she would not be healed . many skilful physicians have had her in hand , but she grew so much the worse ; and instead of being reclaimed by them , hath anathematized them with the most dreadful curses , excommunicated , murdered , and destroyed multitudes of them : nay more , they were denied civil and religious communion with her , unless they received the beasts mark in their hands or foreheads . all which considered , we might safely forsake her ; nay , could not safely do otherwise : therefore , come out of her , my people . . consider the ground and cause , as well as the manner of the separation ; which was not for some slight and tolerable errours , but damnable heresies , and gross idolatries : the heresies fundamental , and the idolatries such , as those who hold communion with her , cannot but partake of her sins . if then to thrust jesus christ out of the chair , and place the pope as infallible doctor of the church , in it ; if to reject the scriptures , and set up traditions ; if to take off jesus christ from being sole mediator , and thrust in saints and angels ; if to raze the second commandment , and introduce image-worship , be damnable heresies , and gross idolatries ; then the church of rome is gullty of them ; and our communion , on this very account , is expresly forbidden : see cor. . . . what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness ? and what communion hath light with darkness ? &c. vers . . wherefore come out from among them , and be ye separate . our adversaries themselves grant , that in whatever church any of these depravations are found , communion with it is to be broken off , as dangerous and damnable ; which brings me to the third thing asserted , viz. iii. that our compliance with this church is dangerous , and borders upon eternal ruine . this will appear , if you consider this church under these destructive circumstances . . in her gross idolatry ; and no idolater shall ever enter into the kingdom of heaven : look on her image-worship , invocation of saints , adoration of the hoast ! what is all this but plain idolatry ? the second commandment not onely prohibits this sin , but threatens a severe punishment to such sinners . the wiser sort of the heathens condemned the worship of god by images , as incongruous to the divine nature , and an horrid reflection on the deity . the old romans ( as varro tells us ) had no images for a hundred and seventy years , in their divine worship . the primitive christians would rather die , than defile themselves with images . antisthenes condemns the use of them for instruction , because there is so great dissimilitude between god and any visible representation of him , that no man can learn any thing of god from an image . and as for their common distinction of not worshipping them ●erminativè , but relativè , it 's vain and ridiculous . and pray observe this , viz. that their worshipping of images , came in with the decay of their piety . . in that enmity and opposition the romanists have to the sacred scriptures , ( those lively oracles of the living god : ) and so consider , . how they complain against them , as not containing all things needful for salvation ; that the best part of religion is left out of them , and onely made known to us by their unwritten traditions . . they forbid the people to read them , and will not have them translated in the mother-tongue of any nation : and if once ( as some of them boast ) they could get us out of scriptures into councils and fathers , they should do well enough with us . . they make the pope judge over the sence of scripture , and forbid all other interpretations but what agree with the church and pope of rome . . their mouths have been open against , them , and have belched forth bitter and blasphemous invectives against them : how often do they call the scripture , dead ink and a dumb judge ; that it is not regula regulans , but regula regulata , not made to rule our faith , but our faith to rule it ; that it is not simply necessary , and it receives all the authority it hath from the church and from tradition , without which it is of no credit at all ? what horrid blasphemy is this ? doth not god command us to consult his oracles ? to apply our selves unto the law , and to the testimony ? isa . . , . and makes it a renunciation of our allegiance to him , to go any where else for counsel or direction , than to the written word . but we know wherein the insufficiency of the scripture lyes ; they are sufficient enough for god's ends , but not for the pope's ends ; they are able to furnish every christian in the world with wisdom enough how he should save his soul , but they are not so useful to the pope's triple crown ; this armory furnisheth him with no artillery to defend the lordly power and god-like infallibility that he claims ; and this is the only defect he charges them with . to supply which , the rabble-rout of traditions is brought into the church ; this way their fine wits , with the devils help , have taken , that the scripture may be declared as insufficient , and uncertain , minima particula revelatae veritatis , ( as one of them impudently writes ; ) and so it needs the patchery of their traditions to make it perfect . just as andronicus served the emperour alexius , who gave out that he was weak , and insufficient to govern alone , and so first got a joynt power with him , and at last an absolute power over him to dethrone him . and whether their traditions have dealt better with the scriptures , let the world judge ; when these go up , the scriptures go down . that we may say to them as christ said to the pharisees , mat. . . you have made void the commandments of god by your traditions ; you have unlorded ( as the septuagint renders it ) and supplanted its authority in the minds of men , who leave gods word to hearken to your traditions . . consider farther , that most parts of popery are directly absurd , and offer violence to common sense , and the very light of nature : for who can rationally conceive , that it should be the popes right to lord it over scriptures , fathers , councils , church , and all the world ? what possibility is there , that the kingdoms of the world should be subject unto him ? what probability , that images should be worshipped ? our works merit heaven ? that the body of christ should be in a thousand places at one time ? that the priest hath judicial power to forgive sins ? that the saints in heaven should be mediators for us to god ? he that will but indifferently compare these , shall finde them manifestly repugnant not onely to the principles of religion , but offer violence to the law of nature . . consider farther , that in this church the most horrid cruelties are not onely tolerated and approved , but rewarded , and accounted meritorious . it teacheth equivocation , to murder kings , to undermine states , and to blow up parliaments ; it dispenseth with murder , incest , sodomy , and all this accounted licitum & solenne . from hence proceeds such conspiracies against our king , such plots . against our church and state ; 't is not religion they strive for , but soveraignty , and this they will have , or they will make all protestant nations their shambles , and swim to it through oceans of blood ; and they will this way ( if others fail ) reduce the consciences of subjects , and the crowns and scepters of princes , to their devotion . this brands them with the indelible characters of the ministers of antichrist , who being but priests , and confined to their books , having no other commission than to go and preach the gospel , should thus creep into thrones , filling the world with anarchy and confusion ; and those whose souls they should win to god , by ministring the word and sacraments , their bloud they sacrifice to the devil , by stirring them up to treason and rebellion ; perswading them , that they shall be canoniz'd at rome , though they be hang'd at tyburn ; and be glorious saints in heaven , though they died great rogues and rebels on earth . these things duely considered in general , will tell you that there is hazard , not onely of temporal safety , but of eternal salvation , in our communion with such a church : and therefore , come out of her , &c. this will the better appear , if you consider , secondly , and more particularly , this one argument , drawn from the religion it self practised in that church ; and this i will consider two ways . . as the jesuits have painted and adorned it . . as 't is stript naked of all those adventitious ornaments . first , as they have painted it , and thereby recommended it to the view of their ignorant admirers . we read of strange things of certain painters , how admirably they cast and shadowed their works ; but the skilfullest painters that ever were , are the jesuits and school-men , the workmen of the church of rome ; not the famous zeuxis , or antient polignotus , or phidias , did ever bestow such pains on their images , as these have done on their idol the papacie : they have made choice of the most exquisite devices that all the heresies in the world could afford , to put the same into their religion . no policy in machiavel , no sophistry in aristotle , or eloquence in tully , but they have contrived it into their image : and , save truth and sincerity , there is nothing wanting . the evangelical prophet , isai . . , &c. sets down a lively description of this matter ; whereby ( deriding the folly of the gentiles ) he fitly shews us the idolatry of rome , and the manner how the idol-religion thereof was framed and set on foot : for at the first ( you see ) it was but a rude block , rough-hewn by bungling workmen that were not their crafts-masters , till the smith , carpenter , and painter came , every one in his place , and shewed his skill . this is ingeniously applied by a very learned man of our own , to the church of rome . . the canonists , like black-smiths , blew with the bellows of their decrees , and heated and hammered it in the coals of the popes constitutions . these were gratian , pope john , gregory , and boniface , with their apprentices that served them ; hostiensis , innocent , panormitane , and others of that black and smutty profession . secondly , the carpenters that took it in hand , were the fryars and school-men : these stretched their line of method over it , planed it with distinctions where it was rough ; and by their logick and philosophy , brought it into better shape and form : these were t. aquinas , scotus , bonaventure , alexander hales , and others . having thus gotten an handsome shape and fashion , the council of lateran polished it over again , gave it joynts to stand upon : the councils of constance and basil altered the fashion of it in some particular parts ; for senensis and cusanus thought the head stood too high above the shoulders , and would have it bowed down a little lower . at last they brought it to trent , to the hands of their best workmen , who moulded it à capite ad calcem , and set it up again , when the worms had well-nigh consumed it : since which , came in the third sort of workmen , viz. thirdly , the painters ( i. e. ) the jesuits ; and there is no colour which they have not tried , to render it beautiful . some with varnish and plaister , stop up the cracks ; and bellarmine was happily born to do them this service . others , as baronius and surius , cast a shadow over it with other colours . sextus senensis , and possevine , brag of the workmanship , flatter the workmen , and extol the idol . and thus at last they have polished their idol , and set it before the lord's ark : and by this means they have attracted the eyes and hearts of their deluded followers , insomuch that all that worship not this image , must into the fiery furnace , and be offered as a sacrifice to the fury of their romish moloch . now that which they are so fond of in this religion , is its suitableness to their sensual interests and affections ; the greatest part of which , easeth them from taking any pains in spiritual things . as for example : they must serve god , but there be ways to dispence and turn the spiritual service into a corporal , which is much easier . sinners must have gods pardon , or they cannot be saved , but the dispensation hereof is committed , with the keys , to christs vicar , who hath power to release them by the sacraments of the altar and penance . hence the pope hath mens consciences at his devotion ; into which he slides , under the pretence of being st. peter's successor ; then blindes their eyes , by taking away the scriptures ; and stops their ears , by perswading them to hear none but himself : and hereby thousands are betrayed into the hands of eternal ruine . this is the first thing shewn , viz. that part of their religion as set forth with romish glosses and varnishes . i am next to shew it you in its native complexion , as stript naked of all adventitious ornaments ; and then you will easily perceive it to be the most monstrous and ridiculous , the most bloudy and blasphemous religion in the whole world . . ridiculous in it self . . blasphemous towards god and christ . . bloudy to all that have and do oppose her . i. the most ridiculous religion , as 't is in it self . i need go no farther than their book of holy ceremonies for this ; which tells us not onely what their rude ignorants do , but what their holy fathers have done . this teacheth them to put confidence in beads , medals , and roses , hallowed swords , and spells of the gospel , agnus dei's , and such-like idle bables ; ascribing to them divine vertue , yea , so much as is due to the son of god himself , and his precious bloud . pope vrban the fifth sent three agnus dei's to the emperour , with these verses : balsamus & munda cera , cum chrismatis unda , conficiunt agnum , quod munus do tibi magnum , — fulgura de coelo , &c. balsam , pure wax , and chrysms liquor clear , make up this pretious lamb i send thee here . all lightning it expels , and each ill spright , remedies sin , and makes the heart contrite . and so he goes on in his blasphemy , even as the bloud of christ for us shed , &c. and lest you may imagine this to be the conceit of some phantastical pope , hear out of the same book of holy ceremonies , the very words that every pope doth use to pray , in their blessing the water which serves for that agnus dei , viz. that thou wouldst vouchsafe , o lord , to bless these things , which we are now about to pour into this vessel of water , prepared to thy glory ; so as by the worship and honour of them , we may have our sins done away our blemishes wiped off , and thereby may obtain pardon , and receive grace , so that with thy saints and elect children , we may merit everlasting life . amen . can there be greater superstition , magick , or blasphemy ? and all this practised by the very heads of that church . hence the poor laity are hoodwinkt in a forced ignorance ; who live no less without scripture , than if there were none at all . they forbid spiritual food as poyson , fetch god book into the inquisition , and thereby cheat the vulgar with nothing but shews of holiness ; in pilgrimages , processions . offerings , holy water , latine service , images , tapers , vestments , altars , crosses , and a thousand such like , fit onely for children and fools ; robbing them in the mean time of the sound and plain helps of piety and devotion . more particularly , confider it under these circumstances . . that it hath made wicked men saints , and saints gods ; nay , the modern canonization hath made those saints , that were scarce men : and we have their own confessions , that the most notorious sinners have leapt into their kalendar : and once sainted , they have the honour of altars , temples , invocations , and some of them in a stile fit onely for their maker . . a religion that professeth to be a bawd to sin , whilst in practice it tolerates open stews , and prefers fornication , in some ●ise● , before honourable matrimony ; and gently blancheth over the breaches of the commandments with the name of venials , and favourable titles of dimmution , daring to affirm , that venial sins are no hindrance to a mans integrity and perfection . . a religion that indeed deserves not the name of religion ; the ape and mimick of it ; a very outside of christianity ; at best , a meer formality of devotion : all whose prayers , fastings , pilgrimages , &c. are no other than a going to hell in more pomp and state . for look into their churches , there you will see idle apishness in the most solemn works . the poor laity in the mean while returning empty of all sound edification , and only full of confused intentions ; yet are they taught to think this sacrifice of fools to be meritorious . from thence look into their houses and closets , there you will see such a trade of careless and lazie holiness , that there is but little difference between the image and the suppliant ; piety it self being lulled asleep with their heartless and sleepy vespers . and if you step a little farther , and cast your eyes into the melancholy cells of some austere , recluses , there you may finde , perhaps , an hair-cloath , a whip , an hurdle , or the rope about the waste ; but where in all this is true mortification ? a pious protestant takes more pains with his heart in a day than a superstitious papist doth with his skin in a year : the one indeed whips himself , but the other denies himself ; the draws bloud from his flesh , the other from his lusts . and therefore if you look into the whole course of the roman catholick life , you shall finde the commandments of god professedly broken , besides the ordinary practice of idolatry , and frequencie of oaths : men whose sinful rebellions are ever and anon smoaking against heaven , dare meet god in his loudest thunder , and venture on damnation in its most terrible form ; so that god can no where display the ensignes of his power , but these audacious wretches hang out their flags of defiance . and this brings me to the second thing , how blasphemous a religion this is , in respect of god and christ . of god : and that as ( . ) it teacheth men to worship stocks and stones with the same honour that is due to their creator . hence they worship god under the image of an old man , christ under the image of a lamb , the holy ghost under the resemblance of a dove . and cajeran doth confess , that they draw the images by the trinity not onely to shew , but to adore and worship them . now lest this should appear to her simple clients how palpably opposite it is to the second commandment , they have cunningly left it out , as a needless illustration , in all their catechisms , and prayer-books of the vulgar . as it asserts the priests judicial power in pardoning sins , and absolving sinners , and openly allows and tolerates the buying of pardons and indulgences from them . so that now purgatorie can have no rich men in it , but fools and friendless : devils are tormented here , yet men can command devils , and money can command men . . as it advandeth nature to a co-partnership with god in our justification and salvation , and idly puffs her up into a conceit of her ability to keep more laws than ever god made . and for this , requires no other faith than may be sound in the devils themselves , who besides a confused apprehension , can assent unto the truth of god revealed : and popery requires no more . . as it relies on the infallibility of those whom they grant to have been , and may be , monstrous in their lives and dispositions ; most of their popes having been the most monstrous notorious wretches that ever the earth groaned under ; ( o that it were rid of the burdend ‑ ) how many of these heirs of st. peter ( if their own records deceive us not ) have by bribes whores , and devils , dimb'd into that chair ‑ yet for any to say , that those men ( who are confessed to have given their souls to the devil that they might be popes ) can erre , whilst they are such , is heresie worthy a stake and hell. thus of its blasphemy , in respect of god. ii. in respect of christ ; and that these four ways . . in overthrowing the perfection of christs humanity , while they give unto it so many places at one time , and yet no place , flesh , and no flesh , several members without distinction , a substance without quantity , and other accidents or substance and accidents , that cannot be seen , felt , or perceived : so that they make their saviour either a monster , or nothing . . in overthrowing the perfection of christs satisfaction ; for if all be not paid , how hath christ satisfied . if temporal punishments in hell be yet due , how is all paid ? and if these be paid by us , how are they satisfied by christ ? . in presumptuously mangling christs sacred institution ; by which they sacrilegiously rob his people of one half of that heavenly provision , which he left as his last and dearest legacy to his church : as if christs ordinance were superfluous , or any shaveling priest could be wiser than his redeemer . . in imposing heavier burdens than ever christ designed . hence the conscience of their proselytes are overladen with infinite unnecessary traditions , far more than ever moses , commented on by the jewish rabbies ; they imposing them with no less authority , and exacting them with far more rigour , than any of the royal laws of their maker . and this brings me to the third thing considerable , viz. as , iii. it is a bloudy and cruel religion to all that have , and do oppose her . even since cain set the knife to abet's throat , the churches veins have bled . rome , was first of all founded in bloud and still endeavours to erect its self by the same method of serpentine designes , and dragon-like rage and gruelty . this will clearly appear unto you , by taking a view of her , either in her principles or practices . first , her principles , in these seven things . . in asserting the power of the pope over all temporal princes and kingdoms ; for he ( like his father the devil ) will shew all the glory of a kingdom , and give it to some creature of his own , if he will fall down and worship him , they account it not onely lawful , but meritorlous , to murder a protestant prince ( whom they call heretical ) hereby to introduce a popish successor , and advance the interest of their own cause throughout the world . . that an heretick , ( for heresies sake , and in point of conscience , though he troubles not the state ) ought to be put to death . this also causeth the effusion of much bloud ; and when the pope hath anathematiz'd a nation or person ( nè brut a essent fulmine ) they inflame kings , and provoke them to destroy all with fire and fagot . and these we have sadly found to be their arguments both to enlighten our vnderstandings and inform our judgments in the popish religion . for , as one ingeniously observed , they convince by a dagger , and enlighten by a faggot . hence they call an utter desolation a restauration and the subversion of three kingdoms , no other than the conversion of them . how much protestant bloud this doctrine hath shed in france and germany , and how many english throats have bled by this knife , is not easie to judge . . that no publick faith is to be kept with hereticks ; as if christiana fides and punica , were all one . the heathens , by the rush-candle of nature , could perceive , that truth in mens words and promises , is the best ligament in a body politick ; and the very joynts and nerves of all civil constitutions . how much admired is that roman , who kept his faith with carthage , though he knew it would be his very ruine ! but johannes a roman priest could say , that in the destruction of the lutherans , judges were not bound to follow either law , promise , or reason . how sad is it , that romana fides might be depended on when rome was heathenish , but not now it is become christian ‑ and that the moral honesty of the poor blinde heathens , should so much exceed the piety of these catholick pretenders ! . that mental reservations and equivocations , are lawful . this must needs overthrow civil constitutions , were they almost adamantine : for what delusions of magistrates , what evasions of righteous judgments , what ensnaring of innocent men , what doubting in oaths will there be by this means ? how can an oath be the end of strife and controversie , if this be allowed ? o ye holy martyrs ! lay aside your glorious robes of immortality ! you died like fools , and were guilty of your own blood ; whenas you might have denied and forsworn all , by mental reservations and equivocations . . a fifth bloudy position of theirs , is , an absolute necessity of concealing all things revealed in auricular confession . this doctrine hath been a private back-way to let in the most horrible conspiracies and murders . hence 't is a received maxime amongst them , that , nullum lantum malum esse potest , cujus vitandi causa confessionem prodere liceat : that confession is not to be revealed , whatever punishment be endured . bellarmine praiseth garnet the jesuit , that would not reveal the gunpowder-treason , because ( as he saith ) confession is jure divino ; and temporal authority , jure humano . and casanbon tells us , that it was a jesuits speech to him , de jure humano , leviori damno reges omnes quot-quot sunt occiderentur , quam vel una confessio revelaretur : that it was a far less offence to destroy many princes , than to reveal one confession . i wonder whether they would hide it , if there were a conspiracy against the life of their triple-crowned monarch . but there was one that escaped well in this matter of confession , viz. father aubigney ; who in the bloudy fact of ravilliack being called in question , and demanded what was revealed to him in confession , he replied , that god had given him this grace : that whatsoever was revealed to him in confession , he presently by a miracle forgot it , and for all the world , could not remember it again . i think if this answer saved him , it was the best grace that ever god bestowed on him . . that the clergy are exempted from subjection , and so cannot be guilty of treasonable practices . clerici rebellio in regem non est crimen b●●sae majestatis , quia non est subditus regi ; the rebellion of a priest against his prince is not treason , because he is not his subject : for they are by her affirmed to be so the inheritance and portion of god , that they are exampt from all temporal jurisdiction to civil princes and states . if so , what wickedness may not be committed by such men ? how doth the pope herein oppose the apostle ; rom. . . let every soul be subject to the higher powers . and it is a known explication of chrysostom's , every soul , though he be a monk , a priest , though he be never so spiritual ( as they call it ) is here understood , and cannot draw his shoulder from the yoak of allegiance . . that blinde obedience unto governours , is necessary . and let in this once upon a people , and you let in the trojan horse , full of armed enemies in his bowels : for whatever the pope and his officers shall command to be done ( be it to destroy a whole kingdom , nay , subvert three kingdoms at one time ) must not be disputed , but obeyed . thus what seneca complained of as a great weakness among the vulgar , ( that homines malunt credere quam judicare ; and that they do receive all worship of their gods , tanquam legihus jussum , rather than diis gratum , ) will be made a vertue in their votaries ; yea , that they merit gloriously , by believing thus stupidly : and when once these philistims have put out mens eyes , they will make them drudge in what mills they please . . that ( that monster of men , and heir of all mischief ) the pope , may dispence with all vows , promises , and obligations . t is this that would lately have made england like egypt , all the waters thereof to be turned into bloud : for the papists being absolved from all oaths , &c. to their prince , were thereby the more encouraged to treason and rebellion against him . and how can we trust their oaths and protestations , when the pope absolves them from them ? well therefore is that antichrist set forth by the * dragon in the revelation , who is both subtile and bloudy ; and his jesuits like those heathen priests , that have snakes in one hand , and firebrands in the other . that whch st. bern. said of the devil in tempting mens souls , the same may we say of the pope , in reference to body and soul , estate and all : vereor magis serpentem gliscentent , quam leonem rugientem : that we fear him more , as he is a shining glittering serpent , than as a roaring raging lion. . that to slay their enemies , it is lawful to kill their friends , if as much good will come by the one , as hurt by the other . this was proposed as a case of conscience to garnet in the gunpowder-plot , ( that contrivance worthy onely of hell and a jesuit ) whether it were lawful at that time to blow up the innocent with the nocent ; who answered it in the affirmative , that it was lawful to kill friends in the destruction of enemies , if so much good would arise as might recompence the slaughter of the innocent . somewhat like this , is that story of a popish duke , ‑ who when he was asked by his souldiers , whether they should kill their friends in the destruction of their enemies , returned them this answer , yes : deus enim novit qui ejus sunt : god will know well enough at the day of judgment who are bis . how cruel and bloudy then must they needs be , who will kill their own , to destroy others lives , and at last will praise and defend those who have dyed their bands in bloud ; voting inhumane conspirators , to have been glorious martyrs ? and thus , by what hath been said , you see how all these assertions are written in blood. but if from the root of those principles i should acquaint you ‑ with the branches of its several bloudy practices , you would finde no corner of the world wherein the pope and his agents have had to do , but all hath ended in bloud . among many thousand particular instances , take these few . . concerning the waldenses and poor albingenses . although we have no certainty of their opinions , ( they being for the most part delivered us by popish authors ) yet of the cruelty used against them , we have many sad witnesses . it would make your hair stand upright with horrour , to consider how many thousands of them have been murdered in a day ; and not content with their innocent blood , they did wafte all the trees and forests , as if they had run into the wilde conceit of the manichees , who thought the trees to have a rational life , and that to cut down a tree , had been homicidium , as they fancied . . in the american islands , as hispaniola , jamaica , and others , what barbarous usages had the poor savages from those catholick christians ? such actions ( if historians do not deceive us ) as were not fit for men or christians , but bruits and devils . for it had been better ( as they observe ) that those islands had been given to the devils , than to the spaniards , who spared neither sex nor age , women with childe , or such as lay in child-bed ; insomuch that that one island of jamaica , with that of portico rico , lost in few years sixty thousand souls by popish cruelties ; and they were such as not onely raged upon the men , but destroyed posterity . the women here and elsewhere , so abominating their sad conditions , that they strangled their children in the birth , to the end that they might not live to serve such a cruel people . . in france . what an ocean of bloud hath been shed there , sometimes by open and hostile ways , otherwhiles by private plots , conspiracies , and massacres ! wherein brother butcher'd brother , sons their fathers , and daughters their mothers ? as in the parisian massacre , wherein one would think it impossible ( as one observes ) that a race of people adoring one god , fellow-subjects to one prince , born in one country , breathing the same air ; nay , a christian people , trusiing in the same god , redeemed by the same bloud , governed by the same holy laws , should prove such monsters each to other . thuanus , president of the parliament at paris , abhors the very memory of it , applying most appositely those verses of the poet to it , and crying out , excidat illa dies , aevo nec postera credant saecula , nos certè taceamus , & obruta multa nocte legi propriae , patiamur crimine gentis . let that black day be razed out of our kalendar for ever , that it may die with us , and never come to the knowledge of our posterity . . in ireland . whose heart hath not been affected with the doleful tragedies acted on that stage ? how have they cruelly devoured , and spared no more than tygers and wolves ? o what a loud cry has gone to heaven from the bloud spilt there ! every drop hath a voice , which cries aloud in the ears of god for vengeance on them . . in their attempts on england ever since the reformation . that at this very day , king and kingdom , liberty and estate , life and religion , are designed for sacrifices to popish cruelty . think , o lucifer , and imagine , o prince of darkness , a more hellish designe , if thou canst ! what darkness would cover our land , when our sun and moon ( the great ones of the state ) should be turned into bloud ? what would become of us , if these philistims had taken our ark ? how soon would our ministers be turned into corners , or sent to heaven in fiery chariots ? our bibles turned into pictures , our tables to altars , and our heaven immediately into a hell ? o innocent cataline and verres , to these men ! livie tells us of a designe to dispatch the whole senate of rome in an hour ; and at carthage there was a project set on foot to cut off at once the noblest and loyalest families in the state. but had not this been abortive ( which god grant it may ever be ) it would have proved the funeral of all our sanctuaries , the grave of all our religion , the dooms-day of all our liberties , the ruine of king and kingdom ; a treason made up of such monstrous complicated circumstances , that all others seemed to be drown'd and lose their name in this . thus much as to the doctrinal part . from what hath been said , may naturally be inferred , i. the impossibility of reconciliation to such an apostatiz'd church . i know there are some who think that there is little difference between the two churches of england and rome , and undertake to shew us the several advances the one hath made towards the other ; and these are either , . some politick romanists , who hereby would extenuate the foulness of popery ; or , . some ignorant and loose protestants , who live void of the knowledge and conscience of all religion ; men who live tanquam poeniterent non pecudes natos , as if they repented they were not made beasts ; whose reason is their burden , and light of mind their offence ; who are so given up to their sensual appetites , as if they were all flesh , and had no spirit ; who rake up ( those heavenly sparks ) their souls in ashes , never considering their original capacity and end , or that viaticum aeternitatis , provision that is to be made for them unto eternity . these men are moulded for heathenish as well as popish impressions . but if we rightly consider the purity of our own church , and the apostacy and corruptions of the church of rome , you will finde an impossibility of reconciliation : for ( rebus sic stantibus ) as the case is , that church must put off it self , and cease to be what it is , ere it can begin to be once again what it was ; for substance , credit , fame , vertue , and honour have at once forsaken her , and by long disuse have left her worse than naught . neither can we see how these houses can be repaired , but they must be pulled down to the very foundations , and then built from the ground : but if there be any possibility , it must come either from her self or others ; not from her self , because she obstinately defends her errours not onely with tongue and pen , but with fire and sword , and will not yield so much as that she can erre ; refusing to amend those notorious abuses which by the moderate verdict of her elect cardinals are condemned , and by the palpable flatteries of her last and worst parasites ( the jesuits ) is grown not onely secure , but more proud and arrogant than ever she was . can it be then from others ? how oft hath this been endeavoured to no purpose ? rome may be sacked and battered ( as it hath often been ) by military forces , but purged by admonitions , convictions , and censures , it will never be . now the impossibility of our reconciliation ( besides these things i have already named ) ariseth from the pride and usurpation of the head of their church , being armed with that position , that he cannot erre . this , without hope of reconciliation , divideth christendom ; and many other doctrinal controversies are subtilly kept on foot , to be a stalking-horse for this . adde to this , their hatred against our religion above all others : jews and grecians are tolerated in rome it self ; their ceremonies , synagogues , services , yea , and circumcision it self administred to the dead as well as to the living ; by which the romanists declare themselves to be better friends to the turks and jews than to the protestants : not to insist on that detestable virulence of their tongues , and gall in their ink , against our first reformers ; which hath not stayed there , but broken out into their most barbarous butcheries and cruel bloud-sheddings . they oblige the consciences of catholicks to a separation from all our ecclesiastical assemblies , are afraid that any of our books ( especially our translations of the bible ) should be read in any of their dominions ; and where they cannot turn , will be sure to burn protestants . o the many miserable massacres , canibal-like conspiracies , and tragical murders , that they have been guilty of ! who are ignorant what fierceness , fears , and fires were raised to consume the innocent bodies of the saints living and dead ; and that in such sort , as every corner of the land seemed as hot as nebuchadnezzar's furnace , even seven times hotter than it used to be ; wherein were to be cast whosoever would not fall down and worship the image which that romish nebuchadnezzar had erected . now what arguments can be used to perswade us of their reconciliation to us , either in the whole or in part of our religion , since they deem it no other than a peccant humour necessary to be purged out every few years , either by murder , if it prevail in the head , or by massacre , if in the body of any nation ? and rather than it should not , they will not stick with blassius ( at the commandment of their great gracchus ) to set on fire the capitol it self , to lay hands on sacred majesty , and to imbrue them in his royal bloud ; to subvert religion , to sacrifice our lives , liberties , and all , to their ambitious lusts and revenge . when then you are willing that your souls shall be damned , and bodies destroyed , then think of reconciliation . ii. let us now see our duty ; which is , first , to hate and oppose the popish , and to embrace and keep close to the protestant religion . first , hate and oppose the popish religion . let the high praises of god be in our mouths , and a two-edged sword in our hands , to be avenged on that scarlet whore , that mother of fornications , that hath made her self drunk with the bloud of the saints and martyrs of jesus . they must be punished by us , or we shall be so by them . let 's make no friendship with angry men , much less with bloody men : 't is the greatest honour that can be put upon us , to be instruments of their destruction . this duty respects us in whatever relations we are , be we either magistrates , ministers , or private christians . the magistrates , by repressing those perverters of our faith , and encouraging protestant principles and practices . 't is not reason of state , but ruine of state , to gratifie those men who would rejoyce to see our glory in the dust . ministers , by preaching up the excellency of this way , preserving the pattern of wholesome words , and speaking the things which become sound doctrine ; to take heed of their own mixtures , and not adulterate the doctrine of faith to please men . the beauty of heavenly truths wants not the paint either of humane or heretical additions . the babes of christ must be fed with sincere milk ; and the soreness of mens eyes must not hinder the lights of the church from shining . and next by confuting gain-sayers , not onely have a voice to call their sheep , but to drive away wolves ; one to establish truth , and another to oppose errour ; one of their hands must work , the other hold the weapon . their breasts should be store-houses of spiritual armour , be furnished with skill in scripture , in which they should be mighty ; and in the writings of men , even of hereticks themselves , to beat them with their own weapons , to kill goliah with his own sword . are we in the lower orb of private christians ? we must oppose this many-headed monster , and that , . by confuting the debauched romanists with the language of our heavenly lives . . by an holy and stout confession of the faith : a dumb faith is not a divine faith , but the faith of devils ; 't is not enough to confess christ in times of encouragement , but in times of contradiction . this is the onely boldness , and cursed be that modesty which makes us ashamed of our master . . by suffering for it : if god calls us to it follow our captain , who was made perfect by suffering ; and seal protestant truths with our dearest blouds . he that saveth his life , and forsaketh his faith , never liveth comfortably ; yet thousands that have lost their lives , and kept their faith , have died joyfully ; they could welcome the cross of christ , and everlasting life . now in this opposition we are to act resolutely and valiantly : dangers must be despised , difficulties adventured on , terrours contemned , vigorously and fervently , zeal being the beauty of christian undertakings , unanimously , and with one consent : for how easily will errour prevail , when the protestant champions are divided among themselves ? and how can they venture their lives one for another in war , who will not do so much as love one another in peace ? let 's observe the apostles counsel , and stand fast in one spirit , with one minde , striving together for the faith of the gospel , phil. . . can there be greater encouragements to this , than our present fears and dangers ? and o that now we did all appear as one man against this common enemy ! o that babyton's towers were humbled , her pillars and foundations razed , her vaults digged up , her monuments defaced , and her altars sacrificed to desolation ! in a word , that all her buildings were demolished , and not a stone left upon a stone , but in rude and ruinous heaps , to tell us , that here once babylon stood . secondly , embrace and keep close to the principles and practices of the protestant religion . 't is observed by an eminent prelate of our own , that ( among many others that go under that name ) there are five religions on earth which stand in competition for truth , viz. jewish , turkish , greekish , popish , and reformed ; whereof each pleads for it self , with disgrace of each other . . the jewish religion . these men have very little to say for themselves , but impudent denials of jesus christ ; whose very refusal of him , proves him strongly to be the messiah . and were there no other arguments , yet god himself hath so strongly confuted them by the voice of his judgments , that the whole world doth hiss at their conviction , their fin being written in capital letters in their desolation and contempt . . the turkish religion ( if it deserves that name amongst christians ) and this stands upon barbarous ignorance , and palpable imposture ; yet loe here a subtile devil in a gross religion : for when he saw that he could not by single twists of heresie , put down the well-built walls of the church , he windes them all up into one cable , to try if his cord of so many folds might prevail . as with sabellius , to deny the distinction of persons in the trinity ; with arius , christs divinity ; with macedonius , the deity of the holy ghost ; with sergius , two wills in christ ; with marcion , christs sufferings : and these policies seconded with violence and cruelty . o damnable mixture ( as one observes ) miserably successful ! their alchoran , a fardle of foolish impossibilities ; their whole religion , a mongrel issue of an arian , jew , nestorian , and arabian ; a monster of many seeds , and all accursed : nature hath light enough to condemn a turk as the worst of pagans . . the greekish church puts in the next claim , but with little better success ; who are become the basest drogs of all christians , being little superiour to the turks in knowledge ; more idolatrous than heathens , and superstitious than papists : the very name of them is confutation enough . from thence i descend to the main rival of truth , viz. . the religion ( or rather faction ) of the papacie . now whereto tends this , but to make nature vainly proud , or carelessly wanton ? ( ) vainly proud , by telling her , she hath free will to do good , can go of her self , morit heaven , and pay god satisfaction . ( ) carelessly wanton , in that it teacheth , that christ died effectually for all : that men may save the labour of trying and examining themselves , and believe onely as the church believes : that the sacrifice of the mass , in the very work wrought , avails to obtain pardon , not in this life onely , but when they lie frying in purgatory : that alms given , merit heaven : that abstinence from some meats and drinks , is meritorious : that one man may deliver anothers soul out of purging torments ; so that he that wants not both money and friends , need not fear the smart of his sins . o religion ! sweet to the wealthy , but sad to the poor ! who will now care how lazy his devotions , or how lewd his life be , that knows these refuges to flie to ? . next comes in the religion i perswade you to stick close to viz. the reformed protestant religion ; which you may see in opposition to all these . to the jewish , in acknowledging jesus christ come into the world , and depending on him alone for life and salvation . to the mahometan , in casting aside all her blasphemies and ridiculous fopperies . to the greekish , in pitying her ignorance , and lamenting her ruine . to the popish , first , in depretiating nature ; secondly , in advancing grace . . she depretiates nature , kneads her in the dust , spoils her of her proud rags , loads her with reproaches , and gives glory to him who says he will not give his glory to another ; acknowledging her best actions to be faulty , her satisfactions debts , and her deserts damnation . . in advancing grace : * by this we are saved , not of our selves , it is the gift of god. every step in our ascent to mount zion , is free-stone ; and the golden chain of mans salvation , is richly enamelled with free grace . this lays the foundation and top-stone of glory ; this is the religion we must stick to in its principles and practices . we must not be protestants in the bark , and papists in the core ; lambs and doves without , and lions and bears within . this is the religion we must be saved by , and in this of all others is the surest path to everlasting happiness . let me perswade you then , in the words of the apostle , tim. . . to hold fast the form of sound words , which you have heard in faith and love . in faith towards god , and love towards man ; or faith in christ , and love to christ ; or faith , as comprehending the credenda , and love the facienda of every christian . these are the two hands with which you must hold fast the protestant religion . first , paith ; and that three ways . . as it secures our standing ; this is an hold-fast grace . unbelief is the root of apostacy , but faith is the spring of perseverance . this will keep us close to protestant principles . . as it doth realize all the truths of the gospel : so that though the petty notions and fooleries in popery may gratifie your fancies , yet can they have no influence on your consciences . by this we can both live upon the truth , and ( when god calls ) die for it . . as it helps to fetch strength from christ , to do and suffer , to live and die for him . this invests the soul with a kind of omnipotency , insomuch that other mens impossibilities are faiths triumphs . secondly , love : your love will hold fast the truth , when ( happily ) your learning may let it go . you may not ( with the martyr ) be able to dispute for the truth ; but if you love it , you will die for it , learning lies in the head , but love lies in the heart . this will make you say to the protestant interest , as she to her mother-in-law , ruth . , . whither thou goest . i will go ; and where thou lodgest , i will lodge : thy people shall be my people , and thy god my god : where thou diest , will i die , and there will i be buried : the lord do so to me , and more also , if ought but death part me and thee . 't is for want of this , that god gives men over to believe a lye , to be led captive by divers lusts and pleasures , to follow cunningly devised fables , and to hold the truth in unrighteousness . let us now love the protestant truth both in the purity and in the professors of it : and truly if ever there were a time for our union , this is it . may we not fear that the neglect of protestant , unity will make way for popish unity ? that party cannot be strong , but by our weakness ; nor armed , but by our nakedness , or come in amongst us , but by that lane of our own divisions . o that we might consider these things ; that by so much the greater her subtilties are to divide us , we may the more firmly be united in our prayers to god , and in concord between our selves ; that we may not expose our persons , estates , lives , posterities , religion and all , to the crasty and bloudy advantages of these enemies of the protestant church ! shall joseph and benjamin , moses and aaron ; abrahani and lot fall out , especially , when the canaanites are in the land ? shall gebal , ammon , and amaleck , and the philistims at tyre , agree ; and shall lambs and doves rend , tear , and scratch one another ? o let it not be spoken in gath , nor published in the streets of askelon ? let us now endeavour to keep the nuity of the spirit in the bond of peace . it will be our duty and honour , as well as happiness and safety , to love one another , and appear as one man against the common enemy . o that now we might beging , go on , and prosper ! 't is not the contention , but constancy , that sets the grown on the christians head . it will be an unanswerable dilemma , if the protestant religion were had , why did you profess it ? if good , why did you desert it ? to consirm you the more in the constant profession of it , consider that , . we have the scriptures on our side , in most places free from ambiguiry : we live under the cleareft dispensations of the gospel-covenant , and the light thereof is not yet eclipsed ( and we hope never , will ) with lewish mifts , or popish fogs . . we have the principles of religion , which directly lead to every point of our faith , and instructs us in our way to salvation . . we have the antient fathers , the majesty of elden times , and reverend countenanor of the first antiquity ; so that all their glory therein , hath ( by our reformers ) been turned into their shame . . and lastly , which may perswade any man ( not drunk with prejudice ) we have had the mercies of god to plead for us , whereby our church hath been miraculously upheld . when rome and hell threatned us , then god defended us ; when our neck hath even been on the block , and the instruments of death prepared to cut off our lives and hopes together , then god disappointed them , and rescued us . what remains now ? but that we break off our iniquities by repentance , put a bill of divorce into the hands of our dearest lusts , run them thorough with the sacrificing knife of mortification ; that we no longer turn grace into wantonness , nor these miraculous preservations into ingrateful apostacies . by this way onely it is , that we can be true to our own happiness , be lasting monuments of mercy unto posterity , and erect trophies of victory over all antichristianism amongst us . then would the several foundations of the kingdom be settled in a sound and flourishing constitution : for then piety would be the pillar to every profession ; learning adorned with piety , law administred with piety , and councils managed with piety ; then would religion flourish , peace settle , and the gospel ring in the ears of the generations unborn . how quickly would our darkness be dispelled , our shades flee away , our distractions be removed , and an happy calinness and serenity cover the face of the whole nation ? which that it may , the lord of his infinite mercy grant : to whom with the father , &c. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e * in praefatione in apocalypsin . in locum . prosper de prem . & praed . cap. . comment . in apocalypsin , cap. . v. . & in cap. , &c. * coelius aventinus , exquilinus , tarpeius , capitolinus , viminalis , palatinus , quirinalis . d. f. in rhem. test . p. . chap. . . . . * m. p. nar. nicephorus . eusebius . ecclesiast . hist . isaacs . chron. theodoret. sophronius . anno . rev. . . cor. . . clem. alex. strom. dr. w. in his preface to the way of the true church . * rev. . b.n. in his epistles . * eph. . . fox acts & monum . tim. . . pet. . . the ages of sin, or sinnes birth & groweth with the stepps, and degrees of sin, from thought to finall impenitencie. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text r in the english short title catalog (wing j a). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a wing j a estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the ages of sin, or sinnes birth & groweth with the stepps, and degrees of sin, from thought to finall impenitencie. jenner, thomas, fl. - , attributed name. langeren, jacob van, engraver. leaves : ill. (metal cuts) s.n., [s.l. : ] sometimes attributed to thomas jenner. an emblem book. the last plate is signed: ja. v. l. fecit, i.e. jacob van langeren. caption title. imprint from wing. reproduction of the original in the british library. eng sin -- early works to . emblem books, english -- early works to . a r (wing j a). civilwar no the ages of sin, or sinnes birth & groweth. with the stepps, and degrees of sin, from thought to finall impenitencie. [no entry] d the rate of defects per , words puts this text in the d category of texts with between and defects per , words. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - tcp staff (michigan) sampled and proofread - tcp staff (michigan) text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the ages of sin , or sinnes birth & groweth . with the stepps , and degrees of sin , from thought to finall impenitencie . suggestion . originall-concupiscence doth make our nature like a foule great-bellyed snake : for , wer not sathan apt to tempt to sin ; yett , lustfull-thoughts would breed & brood , within : but , happie , hee , that takes these little-ones , to dash their braines ( soone ) 'gainst repentant-st●nes . rumination when lust hath ( thus ) conceiu'd it brings forth sin , and ruminating-thoughts its shape begin . like as the beares oft-licking of her whelps . that foule deformed creatures shape much helps . the dangers great , our sinfull thoughts to cherish , stop thire growth , or thy poore soule will perish . delectation . if , sinfull thoughts ( once ) nestle in mans heart , the sluce is ope , delight ( then ) playes its part : then , like the old-ape hugging in his armes , his apish-young-one ; sin , the soule becharmes and , when our apish impious-thoughts delight us oh , then , ( alas ) most mortally they bite us . consent . for , where sin workes content , consent will follow ; and , this , the soule , into sins gulfe , doth swollow . for , as two ravning wolves ( for , t is theire kinde ) to suck lambs-blood , doe hunt with equall-minde : even so , the soule & sin consent , in one , till , soule & body be quite overthrowne . act . sin and the soule●●us , ha●ing stricken hands , the sinner ( now ) for action ready stands ; and tyger-like , swollowes-up , at one-bitt , what euer impious prey his h●●●● doth fitt committing sin , with eager 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selling his soule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iteration . from eager-acting sin , comes iteration , or , frequent custome of sins perpetration ; which , like great flesh-flies liting on ra●●-flesh , though oft beat-off , ( if not kild ) come afresh : hence , be'lzebub is term'd prince of fflesh-fflies , 'cause sin , still , acts , vntill ( by grace ) it dies . gloriation . custome in sin takes sense of sin away , this makes all-sin seeme but a sport , a play : yea , like a rampant-lyon , proud and stout , insulting , o're his prey , staulking about , the saucy-sinner boasts & braggs of sinne , as one ( oh woe ) that doth a citty winne ... obduration . when sinne brings sinners to this fearefull pass , what followes , but a hard heart-brow of brass ? a heart ( i say ) more hard then tortess-back , which , nether sworde nor axe can hew or hack ; iudgements nor mercies , treats nor threats can cause to leave-off sin , to love or feare gods lawes . finall-impenitency . and ( now , alas ) what is sins last extent ? a hard-heart makes a heart impenitent . for , can a leopard change his spotted skin ? no nor a heart accustom'd ( thus ) , his sin . then , conscience , headlong , casts impenitence . with horrid ffrights of hellish recompence .